1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
5 
the crisp character desired. It would have been as 
well to leave some of the outer leaves on to fill up 
the space between the plants. However, it would 
now be well to bank up with earth. It is also prob¬ 
able that you have given too much ventilation. The 
finest celery I have ever seen was blanched by cover¬ 
ing the plants as they stood in the field, with about 
two feet of clover chaff. About a month or six weeks 
are required to blanch the plants well. w. M. m. 
A Storeroom in a Sidehill. 
0. M. TMadison, Wis .— Given a steep slope to the east, clay 
subsoil, can a good storeroom for fruit in summer, and vegeta¬ 
bles in winter, be tunneled into this sidehill ? If so, how built to 
be dry and cool ? 
Ans.- —Yes. First, dig the tunnel ; make it not 
more than eight feet wide—six feet would be better— 
and with an arched top—the steeper the arch, the 
better—a gothic arch. At the front, build a good 
wall of stone or brick, and arch the tunnel as far 
back as frost will ever penetrate, with stone or brick. 
Hack of this, cement the arch and sides and bottom 
of the tunnel with a coat of cement an inch thick, 
composed of the best Portland cement, one part, and 
clean sharp sand, three parts. Mix the cement and 
sand dry ; then wet only a small quantity at once, 
for it will harden very quickly. Finish with a thin 
wash coat of clear cement and water. This will make 
the tunnel water-tight—the same as a cistern. Tight- 
fitting double doors should be used to keep heat in, 
in winter, and out in summer. j. m. d. 
A List of Strawberries. 
E. If., Prairie du Chien, Wis. —Next spring I intend to plant 
about 6,000 strawberry plants. Will The R. N.-Y. give me in¬ 
formation about what kinds to plant? How would the Sharpless 
do as a pistillate, and Crescent as a bisexual ? Will The R. N.- Y. 
give a list of varieties which blossom at the same time, both 
pistillate and bisexual ? 
Ans. —Assuming that our friend wishes early, inter¬ 
mediate and late varieties, and assuming, of course, 
that we know nothing of his soil or situation, we 
would select for early the following: Beder Wood 
(bisexual), Haverland (P.), Shusters’Gem (P.), Eleanor 
(B.) For intermediates we would select Sharpless, 
Bubach (P.) and Lovett. For late, Brandywine, 
Parker Earle, Gandy and Timbrell (P.) The Sharpless 
and Crescent begin to bloom within three days of each 
other, the Crescent being the earlier. 
Crimson Clover for Spring Pasture. 
O. E. If., Salem, Ind .— I have a field that I must use for hog pas¬ 
ture, if possible, next season. One corner, about six acres, I 
sowed to winter oats and Crimson clover Septembers; the oats 
are a good, even stand, and the clover is fairly good, except on 
some poor points where it had a poor chance. The rest of the 
field produced a good crop of corn last season. Can I sow 
Crimson clover in early spring and pasture it during the summer? 
Ans. —The sample of clover sent has roots about five 
inches long, and ought to live through the winter. 
We do not advise spring sowing of this clover. In 
any event, we do not believe that it would furnish 
summer pasture. We shall be glad to hear from others 
on this point. 
What AUs the Boiled Cider ? 
A. S., Center Lisle, 1V. Y .— Is sweet cider that has been boiled In 
a galvanized sap pan, poisonous ? I boiled nearly half a barrel 
in a sap pan, and it is so bitter that we cannot eat the apple 
sauce made from it, while that boiled in a granite iron kettle, is 
all right. The plating did not seem to be off the pan. If not poison¬ 
ous, would the boiled cider do for vinegar ? 
Ans. —The only way to be sure is to have a sample 
of the boiled cider analyzed. Send about half a pint 
of it to the New York Experiment Station, Geneva, 
N. Y., and ask Dr. Van Slyke to analyze it. He can 
tell you what makes it bitter. 
Why Cream Does Not Churn. 
W. B., New York .— What is the matter with my cream ? I am 
milking a Jersey cow that has been fresh about two months. I 
had no trouble until two or three weeks ago, but now it is almost 
impossible to churn the cream. I am feeding a ration of beets 
with corn meal, bran and fine middlings, equal parts, and salt is 
before her all the time. 
Ans. —In all probability, the trouble is not with 
the cow or her feed, but with the care of the milk, 
and the treatment of the cream. At this time of the 
year, there is always more or less complaint of diffi¬ 
cult churning. If care be taken to ripen the cream 
quickly and uniformly, the difficulty is usually 
obviated. An important point is to secure as uniform 
a temperature as possible during the ripening. After 
the cream is removed from the milk, it should be kept 
in a moderately cool place, where it will not become 
chilled till enough is collected for a churning. It 
should then be warmed to 75 degrees, or, even in ex¬ 
ceptional cases, to 80 and kept at that temperature as 
nearly as possible till it becomes sour. This should 
take place in, at least, 24 hours. In many cases, a 
starter of sour milk or of one of the artificial ferments 
may be used to advantage, though there is seldom 
any difficulty in getting a good development of acid 
if the above directions are faithfully carried out. 
When the cream is sour, it should be cooled to from 
54 to 62 degrees, depending upon its richness in fat, 
and churned. jj, j£. wing. 
Something About Cea y Blight. 
A. M. B., Corning, Iowa,—This, year, we planted 10 acres of 
celery. We commenced setting plants in the field May 1. The 
first part of the season was very dry. About July 25, about one- 
lialf of our crop (all not harvested), was attacked with blight, 
and was entirely destroyed. We have fall plowed the ground. 
Will it be safe to plant celery on the same ground next year? 
W. B. F., Kirkwood. Ohio. —What does The R. N.-Y. know about 
the celery blight ? Can it be prevented ? We have muck ground, 
with plenty of irrigation, that perfects celery in seven to eight 
weeks; but the blight is a terror. 
Ans. —In general, land which has not recently car¬ 
ried a diseased crop, is always to be preferred. The 
blight is due to a fungus—Cercospora apii—and many 
of the spores will, doubtless, remain in the soil during 
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the winter. If all of the diseased plants were re¬ 
moved last fall before plowing, the danger is some¬ 
what reduced. In some cases, it has been found that 
spraying the crop with Bordeaux Mixture, or the arn- 
moniacal solution of copper carbonate, is a very 
effective preventive of the disease, and that even after 
the disease has made its appearance, it may be checked 
in this way. The formulas for these mixtures have 
been given repeatedly in The R. N.-Y. 
Bordeaux Mixture : Dissolve six pounds of copper 
sulphate in four gallons of water in a wooden vessel. 
In another vessel, slake four pounds of quicklime in 
two or three gallons of water. When the lime has 
cooled, add it to the copper solution, and stir thor¬ 
oughly. Before applying, dilute with water to 50 or 
60 gallons. The milk of lime should be strained 
through a cheese cloth when adding it to the copper 
w u 
solution, to avoid particles which will clog the nozzle. 
Ammoniacal carbonate of copper: Dissolve three 
ounces carbonate of copper in one quart strong am¬ 
monia. For use, dilute to 40 gallons, w. m. munson. 
Value of Fish for Fertilizer. 
L. S., Fishhawk, Ore. —How much could I afford to pay for a ton 
of raw fish (dog salmon), delivered at the place ? 
Ans. —It will depend on the cost of other manures 
or fertilizers. The fertilizer values of fish or other sub¬ 
stances are comparative—that is, they are based on the 
cost of nitrogen, potash or phosphoric acid in some 
standard article. The values in the Eastern States are 
based on the trade values of the chemicals as they are 
sold in the New York market. Of course, this would 
mean little to you on the Pacific coast as these New 
York prices are not to be obtained in your country. 
A ton of such fish would contain about 95 pounds of 
nitrogen, and 105 pounds of ■phosphoric acid. With 
that analysis, it would be worth, in New Jersey, 
about $20—that is, it will cost $20 to buy the same 
amount of fertility in the form of chemicals To get 
a fair price for your part of the country, you must 
compare this analysis with that of some article that 
lias a trade value. What does stable manure cost 
with you ? Fish of good quality with not over 50 per 
cent of water, is worth about seven times as much as 
an equal weight of average stable manure. You 
must remember, what we have often said, that fish 
contains no potash, and that substance must be added 
to give the best results. 
Dried Brewers' Grains for Hens and Horses. 
W. A. It., Whitejish Bay, Wis. —How do dried brewers’ grains for 
chickens and horses compare with other feed stuff ? I pay 60 
cents per 100 pounds, freight included. Our agricultural chemist 
has analyzed the grains with the following results : moisture, 
8.25; ash (salts), 3.62; fat, 8.38; muscle-makers, 25.11: fiber, 19.60; 
fat-formers, 34.94. The prices I pay here at present for muscle 
makers in different feed stuffs are as follows: 
Muscle- 
Cost of one 
makers. 
pound of 
per cent. 
muscle-makers 
Buckwheat. 
$0.65 for 50 pounds.. 
. 1414c. 
Barley (broken) ... 
10 
.75 for 100 pounds.. 
. 714c. 
Wheat. 
.60 for 60 pounds.. 
. 614c. 
Corn. 
10 
1.00 for 100 pounds.. 
10 c 
Oil meal. . 
.90 for 100 pounds.. 
. 2%c' 
Bran. 
1.25 for 200 pounds.. 
. 414c. 
Peas. 
.70 for 60 pounds.. 
. 5«c 
Dried grains. 
.60 for 100 pounds.. 
. 2 2-5c 
Oats. 
.75 for 100 pounds.. 
. 6?4c' 
Are dried grains a good feed stuff for chickens and horses ? I 
know that they are good for cattle. If these grains, fed to chick¬ 
ens, would have the same effect as wheat, I would save over four 
cents on each pound of protein. About the same amount would 
be gained if I could feed them to my horses. 
Ans. —Brewers’ grains (in fact, any kind of concen¬ 
trated foods) are not only highly relished by poultry, 
but ax-e very serviceable. Poultrymen are making 
brewers’ grains a leading ingredient of the ration. 
The px-actice is to give as much as the fowls will eat, 
thi*ee times a week, usually at night, altex-nating with 
cut bone, or other foods, by way of variety. It may 
be stated that anything that is suitable for a cow will 
answer fora hen, provided the food allowed is reduced 
to a fineness which permits of its being utilized by 
the hens. Even ensilage is relished by poultry in 
winter, bulky food being a necessity as an adjunct to 
the concentrated foods. p. h. Jacobs. 
R. N.-Y.—The New Jex’sey Experiment Station (New 
Brunswick) has issued an excellent bulletin on feed¬ 
ing these grains to horses. We expect soon to have 
facts from those who have used this food for poultry 
and other stock. 
Feeding Malt Sprouts. 
I). C. E., Elizabethtown, (No State). —Are those malt sprouts fed 
the cows by Mr. Francisco, fresh or dried ? If dried, who fur¬ 
nishes them by the ton or car-load and what is the price? If 
dried, how are they fed—moistened or dry ? 
Ans. — These sprouts are bought right from the 
brewery. Of course, you undex-stand that these 
“sprouts” are different from brewex-s’ grains. In 
making beer, barley is soaked in water, and then put 
in thin layers at a temperature high enough to make 
the grain sprout. After gi-owing 48 hours, the tem- 
peratui-e is suddenly increased. This dries the 
sprouts, and they are shaken off and sold for cow 
feed. Mr. Francisco can drive right to a brewery and 
load a wagon. He feeds all his grain wet, as described 
on page 805, 1895. Probably Wilkinson, Gaddis & 
Co., Newai-k, N. J., sell these spi-outs. 
How to Feed Canadian Steers. 
J. A., Arkona, Ont .— I have taken 12 steers to fatten, and get so 
much per pound for what I can make them gain. They are three 
years old, and weigh, on an average, 1,150 pounds each. They 
are now in a good, thriving condition. What would be about the 
right amount of feed for each animal per day ? I have for feed, 
corn fodder, some clover hay, and some mixed hay, clover, Blue 
grass and Timothy. I have about 300 bushels of mangels, and a 
silo full of ensilage, about 22 feet deep, by 14x12 feet. For grain, 
I have oats and corn chopped, about equal parts. I would like to 
feed so as to make a gain of 1*4 or two pounds per day. How can 
I make up a ration, out of the above feeds ? I can buy bran for 
$12 per ton, and middlings for $15. I have to keep the cattle until 
May 10. I have not opened my silo yet, as I was thinking of feed¬ 
ing the roots and some of the rough feed first, and keeping the 
ensilage until later. 
Ans. —It is extremely doubtful whether three-year- 
old steers that weigh 1,150 pounds, can be made to 
gain 1)4 pound per day from now until next May. I 
would consider thi-ee-quarters of a pound per day for 
the whole time a very satisfactory gain. If the en¬ 
silage is well compacted, there should be enough to 
feed the steers all they will readily consume from 
Januai-y 1 to May 10 and have considerable left. They 
will probably consume in the neighborhood of 60 
pounds each per day. With this, they will take from 
15 to 20 pounds of gi-ain. If the ensilage has very 
little corn upon it, I would mix the grain, foxir parts 
corn, one part oats and one part bran by weight. The 
mangels may well be used in small quantities as an 
appetizer from time to time, and the steers should 
have access to some dry fodder, preferably the clover 
hay, though the corn fodder, clover and Timothy may 
be alternated with good effect. Care should be taken 
to bring the steers up to their full feed gradually, so 
that their appetites will always be keen. They should 
have each day all they will eat up clean and no more. 
H. H. WING. 
