52 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 25 
for themselves. The work here is purely investi¬ 
gational. The work for the clay is outlined by Prof. 
Goff, after which the students perform the work, and 
either at the close of the exercise, or on the following 
day, note the results. 
An outline of a portion of the work done here, will 
give a chance to judge whether it is practical. “ The 
first step in germination is absorption of water by 
seeds: some seeds absorb water more rapidly than 
others.” To demonstrate this, each student placed in 
separate bottles, with a known quantity of water, a 
number of beans and Iloney locust seeds. On the 
following day, the students observed that the beans 
had swollen very much, but the water had not risen 
in the bottle, greatly to the surprise of many, show¬ 
ing beyond doubt, that the beans had absorbed water. 
The Honey locust seeds, however, showed no change. 
The statement was made to the class that seeds 
absorb the necessary water more rapidly, when the 
soil is packed firmly about them, and in close contact, 
than when it is left loose. The boys set out to prove 
the truth of this assertion by determining the volume 
of 50 beans by means of graduated cylinders, and 
then placing them in a box containing moist loam 
and packing the soil firmly about them. Another 
box was prepared in a similar manner, except that 
the soil was left loose. On the following day, by 
determining the volume of the beans in each box, and 
comparing the figures with those of the previous day, 
they discovered that the beans in the “ packed” box 
had absorbed from 10 to 15 per cent more moisture 
than those in the “ loose” box. This trial taught the 
‘ ‘ why” of many operations, that probably every 
student had performed dozens of times without stop¬ 
ping to think why. Why are field crops rolled ? 
Why is a roller attached to a garden seed sower to 
follow the drill ? 
They were then asked whether the temperature of 
the soil affected absorption, and answered by prepar¬ 
ing two boxes in the manner described in the previous 
trial, except that in neither was the soil packed. One 
box was iinmeiiately placed in a temperature of 40 
degrees, and the other in a temperature of 70 degrees. 
Upon examination and i - e-ineasurement on the next 
day, the ‘•cold” beans were found to have absorbed 
several per cent less water than the “ warm.” Query : 
Is it better to plant corn, beans and like seeds, very 
early in spring, or to wait until the ground has be¬ 
come warm ? 
These experiments were followed by others, show¬ 
ing that oxygen is necessary to germination, the prac¬ 
tical application of a seed tester, etc. Later on, each 
student will be given an opportunity to study the 
development of clover, corn and other plants, aided 
by a plentiful supply of the plants in different stages, 
from the tiny plantlet, just bursting its prison walls, 
the seed coat, to the further developed plant of 30 or 
40 days’ growth, each day learning something of the 
mysteries of plant life. A winter garden is also pro¬ 
vided, a space 22x75 feet, glass roofed and supplied 
with steam heat, where summer weather may be had 
at any time by simply giving the engineer a half hour’s 
notice. Here, in 20 inches of good garden soil, with¬ 
out interference by supporting posts or other obstruc¬ 
tion, trees are planted, grafted and budded, and other 
practical horticultural work follows, until the boys 
actually begin to believe that there is, after all, some¬ 
thing in “ book farming.” So firmly do they believe 
it, that a large percentage of them return for a second 
winter’s work, which is given on advanced lines. 
Many of these young men are sons of farmers, who 
were successful in their work and gained a compe¬ 
tence thereby, without “ book farming,” as they will 
tell you. Very true, but in a day when competition 
was not one-half as keen, and on soil and in seasons 
when seed time and harvest came and passed gladly 
and profitably. experiment station. 
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What is “Spontaneous Combustion” ? 
Several Readers .—What Is the cause of spontaneous combustion 
in barns, stacks or piles of rags ? 
ANSWERED BY TROF. W. A. ANTHONY. 
When a substance takes fire without the applica¬ 
tion of heat from any outside source, or at least, 
without being heated from without up to the ignition 
point, such an occurrence is described as spontaneous 
4 combustion. Numerous cases of such fires have 
occurred. They are generally due to a slow oxidation 
of combustible material. It is well understood, I 
think, by everybody, that the heat of an ordinary 
fire is due to the combination of the combustible 
material with the oxygen of the air. This chemical 
operation generates heat. With most combustible 
substances, this combination with the oxygen of the 
air will not occur except at the elevated temperature 
that accompanies combustion, hence, in most cases, 
combustible substances have to be heated, usually by 
contact with another substance already in process of 
combustion, up to the point at which the combination 
with oxygen will occur, the temperature of combustion 
being then maintained by the process of combustion 
itself. But there are many substances which will 
slowly combine with oxygeD, even at ordinary tem¬ 
peratures ; and it is a well-known fact in science, that 
whenever oxygen combines with a combustible sub¬ 
stance, precisely the same quantity of heat is de¬ 
veloped for a given amount of substance consumed 
whether the combustion takes place slowly or rapidly. 
It is evident, however, that in the case of slow com¬ 
bustion, the heat will be developed slowly, and may 
escape so rapidly as to produce but a very slight rise 
of temperature. In fact, the combination of the 
material with oxygen may be so very slow, and the 
facilities for the escape of heat so good, that the rise 
of temperature produced is entirely insensible. But, 
notwithstanding this, it is still a fact that the total 
amount of heat developed when the operation is com¬ 
plete, will be the same, whether the operation go on 
slowly or rapidly. 
Now, suppose that a given substance, such as oily 
waste, be piled up in a compact mass; the oxygen of 
the air will combine with the oil, developing heat, 
which, in consequence of the exceedingly poor con¬ 
ducting [lower of the mass of waste, and the small 
surface exposed for the escape of heat, will accumu¬ 
late in the mass and raise its temperature. And it is 
possible, under certain conditions, that the tempera¬ 
ture may rise to the point necessary for the rapid 
union of oxygen with the material, which is accom¬ 
panied by the evolution of gas and flame, and which 
we call combustion. Fires have not infrequently 
occurred from just such an action in a pile of oily 
waste. A pile of rags saturated with paint or varnish 
may also bring about the same result. If such a pile 
of waste is in the vicinity of a hot steam pipe, this 
will aid in bringing the temperature up to what is 
necessary for quick combustion. 
Soft coal containing sulphur, or iron pyrites, when 
damp, may take fire spontaneously. In this case, the 
moisture greatly facilitates the slow oxidation which 
results in the attainment of a temperature necessary 
to rapid combustion. I have known several instances 
of this kind. In one case, several tons of bituminous 
coal, which had been wet on the cars, were put into 
a vault near a large building. The coal took fire, and 
it was impossible to quench the fire except by shovel¬ 
ing the whole mass over. In another case, about 100 
tons of coal in a coal-house connected with a manu¬ 
facturing establishment took fire in consequence of 
the escape of steam underneath. The steam furnished 
the moisture which is necessary to the oxidation of 
the sulphur compounds. 
There is nothing mysterious about these cases of 
spontaneous combustion. In any case where a slow 
oxidation will take place at ordinary temperatures, 
heat must be developed and the temperature must 
rise. The rise of temperature will be greater or less 
as the facility for the escape of heat is less or greater, 
and it is evident that under certain conditions, the 
heat developed by the slow oxidation may be sufficient 
to raise the temperature in the interior of the mass 
to the ignition point. 
Setting Fruits on Leased Land. 
S., Berks County, Pa .—I purpose moving this coming April to a 
very productive farm, of ironstone soil, with good railroad facili¬ 
ties, and in close proximity to a manufacturing town. I have 
leased this farm for five years. Shipping milk will be one of the 
main moneymakers. In connection with this, I would like to cul¬ 
tivate small fruits, as they are in demand. The place now has 
but little fruit on it, and the farm contains only 00 acres. I 
purpose putting out one acre of strawberries and raspberries, 
together with currants. What I wish to know in particular, is, 
would it be advisaole for me to plant a certain number of plum 
trees, cherry trees, peach trees and grape vines, such as would 
come in bearing soon ? I would have to pay for fruit trees, and, 
if I left at the end of five years, the fruit trees would remain. I 
have had eight years’ experience among small fruits, and like 
the business; besides, my children are of such an age as to be of 
great help to me lust now. If this should be so, what varieties 
of the above mentioned trees ought I to plant to reap the most 
benefit ? I do not want any more than I can feed well and attend 
to so as to give the best results. 
There are many reasons why the culture of berry 
fruits will always be profitable to growers who live 
in close proximity to a flourishing town. Tree fruits 
are naturally exposed to all the vicissitudes and 
severities of our trying climate; but the lowly berries 
are as secure as the reeds in old Esop’s fable, which 
endured the storm that laid low the oaks. This ren¬ 
ders the berries reliable for annual crops, and the 
grower has only to select good sorts, and give faith¬ 
ful and skillful culture to be sure of success. The 
first fruits of each year are berries, and they are more 
enjoyed and more eagerly accepted because of the 
awakened appetite. As to planting fruit trees on 
land leased for but five years, only peaches and plums 
would be likely to repay the cost within that time, 
and could not be expected to yield much profit until 
later. They would be out of place in ground used 
for growing small fruits. Their roots and leaves 
would rob it of moisture, and their heads would cut 
off needful sunlight. Yet tree fruits must always be 
the source of the main fruit supply for the greater 
part of the year, and for the chief uses. w. G. R. 
Pennsylvania. 
There would be no assurance of getting proper and 
just remuneration for the planting and care, at his 
own expense, of any of the kinds of fruit named, 
during the five years. While plum and peach trees 
ordinarily produce fruit before reaching that age, the 
fourth and fifth years might, as likely as not, both 
fail, for various causes, to give him a crop. Then, 
again, such fruits would only attain good bearing age 
at the expiration of his lease. With grapes, his 
chances are better ; yet, upon the whole, the better 
policy would be to concentrate labor and capital on 
the small fruits, as with these he lias strong collateral 
backing in the way of experience. j. w. kerb. 
Maryland. 
Fattening Pigs on Potatoes. 
N. A., Aust,inburg. 0. -1 shall have 200 bushels of small potatoes 
to feed this winter. I am planning to buy some pigs six weeks 
old, and feed them cooked potatoes mixed with other feed. I can 
buy buckwheat at 30 cents per bushel, corn at 35 cents, oats at 25 
cents, bran at$15and middlings at $16 per ton. What would be 
most profitable to mix with the cooked potatoes? How many 
pigs could be profitably fed 3J4 months ? 
ANSWERED BY .1. M. JAMISON. 
The ton value of these feeds at the prices given is 
as follows : Buckwheat, $14.28 ; corn, $11.25 ; oats, 
$15.62. Their nutritive ratio is as follows : 
Corn as 1: 8.6 
Buckwheat as 1: 7 A 
Middlings as 1: 6.9 
Oats as 1: 6.1 
Bran as 1: 5.6 
Potatoes as 1:10.6 
The potatoes as pig food are worth about one-fourth 
as much as corn, a little more as compared with bran 
middlings and oats, and more than one-third the 
value of buckwheat. If N. A. purchase pigs just 
weaned for feeding, some care must be exercised to 
compound a ration that will be as near like milk as 
possible. The best that can be done with the foods 
mentioned, the nutritive ratio will be wider than 
desirable. The nutritive ratio of milk is 1:3.37. 
Bran comes nearer this than any other. A ration 
having a nutritive ratio of 1:5, and a little wider, does 
very well for the first feeding period of young pigs. 
As N. A. will purchase the foods to mix with his pota¬ 
toes, he will find it profitable to use a quantity of old- 
process oil meal to mix with the other foods used. In 
making up the ration, I would leave out the oats and 
buckwheat. Pigs do not take kindly to oats. The 
feeding value of the buckwheat is too low—the price 
considered—to be used with profit. I think that he 
can purchase bran and middlings lower than the 
prices named, if bought in large quantities ; here 
bran can be bought in ton lots at $12, middlings at 
$13. At any rate, if I had the potatoes to feed, I 
would commence with bran and middlings equal parts 
by weight. If oil meal is purchased, I have found in 
practice when the pigs have the run of the fields, that 
one pound of the oil meal to four pounds of bran, does 
well. The oil meal will keep the bowels in good con¬ 
dition, preventing constipation, also furnishing the 
muscle and bone material necessary for such young 
animals. I would feed but little corn to begin with, 
and still would wish to use all that their systems 
would stand, and make the best growth as it is the 
cheapest of all the foods. The quantity used can be 
increased as they near the marketing time, till the 
grain ration is principally corn. I would not shell 
and grind the coim, as it would not pay. I would mix 
the other ground foods with the potatoes. 
As to cooking the potatoes, only the amount of 
water necessary to cook them should be used. If they 
are small, I would try to get them eaten without mash¬ 
ing them, which will probably be done if the other 
food be thoroughly mixed with them with only suffi¬ 
cient water to make the ground feed adhere to the 
potatoes. The quantity of potatoes used, should, in 
some manner, be regulated as the corn feeding, com¬ 
mencing lightly and increasing towards the last. In 
a case of this kind, the judgment of the feeder has 
much to do with results. It is very hard to com¬ 
pound a ration on scientific principles, and use the 
potatoes in large quantities. If the hogs can be given 
the range of a Blue grass pasture, woods or clover 
sod, they will balance to a great degree, the inaccur¬ 
acies of the ration fed, by what grass they can gather, 
