100 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 15 
enough is secured for a churning. It should then be 
warmed up to about 75, or in extreme cases 80 de¬ 
grees, and kept as nearly as possible at that tempera¬ 
ture until it is sharply acid, which should be in about 
24 hours. I think that if these directions are faith¬ 
fully carried out, there will be no difficulty in churn¬ 
ing at a temperature of from 58 to 62 degrees, accord¬ 
ing to the thickness of the cream. It is not likely 
that the foods used have any marked influence on the 
difficult churning. H. H. wing. 
Cost of a Cement Floor. 
L. D. P., Parish, N. Y.— What is the expense per foot, of a 
cement bottom for a carriage and horse barn ? I am about to 
build one 50x28 feet, and would like to do away with cross sills 
and plank. Which is the most expensive—a cement bottom or 
joist and two-inch plank at ,$10 per 1,000 ? What material should 
I use for a cement floor? 
Ans. —Stones, about six inches deep, should be 
placed over the entire surface for a foundation. It 
might cost from 10 to 20 cents a yard to draw and 
deposit them. About 300 cubic yards would be re¬ 
quired. After the stones are leveled, spread gravel 
or a coarse sand over the surface then wet thoroughly 
and ram down with an ordinary street pounder. All 
this is to get the foundation so well settled into the 
soil that it will remain stationary. Mix fresh, water 
lime, one part, with five of sand. Pour over the sur¬ 
face and pound again. It will take about seven to 
eight barrels of water lime, and five times as much 
bulk of sand. Water lime is worth about $1 per 
barrel, and sand $1 a load in many places. Upon this, 
spread a coat of mortar three fourths of an inch deep, 
composed of one part of Rosendale cement, to four 
parts of clean, sharp sand, or use Portland cement, 
which is usually better than the Rosendale, to the 
same amount of sand. This will require about 8 to 10 
barrels of cement, and four times as much sand. 
Spread carefully in strips of about two feet at a time. 
Refore the board upon which the operator naturally 
stands is removed (this being necessary to confine the 
mortar temporarily as the work proceeds), sift a little 
Portland cement over the top, from a pint to a quart, 
for a strip of two feet wide, more or less, and 28 feet 
long and trowel it in. This will take up the mois¬ 
ture and harden the surface. It will take at least 
three months for the mass to become thoroughly 
hard. If used too soon, it will be seriously injured. 
Not knowing the cost of labor or the prices of some of 
the materials, the cost of the completed work cannot 
be definitely stated. Twenty-eight hundred feet of 
pine flooring at $10 will cost $28. Three cross sills, 
420 feet, at $5 will cost $3.36, and 1,667 feet of 2x10 
joists at $3, will cost $13.34. A total cost of $45.70 
besides nails and labor. i. p. r. 
Value of Tobacco Stems. 
./. E. S., Perrysville. Pa.— Are tobacco-leaf-stems worth hauling 
eight miles for the potash they contain, using them either for 
general crops or as a mulch in the berry garden and about young 
fruit trees ? 
Ans. —Yes, they are. Such stems are worth, on the 
average, about four times as much as stable manure. 
They are excellent for a mulch around fruits of all 
kinds or, in fact, wherever stable manure is needed. 
Raising Plum Trees From Cuttings. 
F. S. E., Columbia, Del. —How are plum trees raised from 
Marianna cuttings ? When should cuttings be made ? When 
should grafts be cut, and at what season should they be worked ? 
Should cuttings and grafts be made from last season’s wood ? 
Ans. —Cuttings of Marianna plum are made by cut¬ 
ting the last year’s—that is, the young—wood, into 
lengths of from eight to ten inches, in the latter part 
of autumn, or during mild, open weather of winter. 
These may be planted in rows at once, or tied in 
small bundles of 50 to 100 cuttings each, and buried 
in the ground until early spring, and then set out. 
Scions for grafting should be cut during mild weather 
—any time in December, January or February—tied 
carefully with labels on each kind, when they can be 
packed away in moist sawdust or soil until needed 
for use. If for root-grafting, then use in February 
or March ; if for outdoor grafting, the latter part of 
March and April. The cuttings of Marianna when 
used as above, if the season be favorable, and they 
are kept clean by frequent cultivation, will make 
stocks large enough for root-grafting the following 
winter ; or if set out again in rows, may be budded in 
August or September following. j. w. kerr. 
Maryland. 
Rye as Manure for Potatoes. 
W. B. B., Mancelona, Mich .— Will plowing undei- a crop of rye 
on a sandy loam soil, where 200 bushels of potatoes per acre were 
raised last season, add anything to benefit another crop of pota¬ 
toes on the same ground next season ? If so, in what respect, and 
will it help to prevent potatoes from scabbing? 
Ans. —The benefit of green manuring with rye is 
not always credited to the proper cause. Our opinion 
is that it is due more to an improvement in the 
mechanical condition of the soil, than to the actual 
fertility that is added. The crop of rye, if well 
plowed under and the soil properly cultivated, may 
make the light soil hold moisture better, and thus 
give the potatoes a better chance to grow through dry 
seasons. The rye will not add anything of fertilizing 
value to the soil ; but it will make the soil itself 
better able to give up its plant food to the crop, and 
possibly, put this plant food into a more available 
form. It will not prevent scabby potatoes. It is a 
good plan to keep all soil covered with a growing 
crop during the winter. Where Crimson clover will 
grow, it is a better crop than rye, because it adds 
some nitrogen to the soil. 
Green Manure for Mulching. 
II. C. Y., Des Moines, Iowa. —Can green horse manure be used 
with safety as a mulch around raspberries and blackberries on 
a clay soil ? 
Ans. —Yes, it may be used as a mulch with perfect 
safety. The greener manure is, the more water it 
will absorb, and the more heat will be generated in 
its decomposition, which is only another word for 
burning. Hence it is that green manure should not be 
placed in contact with or even in near proximity to, the 
roots of plants. When placed on the surface as a 
mulch, it really conserves moisture to the soil under¬ 
neath while getting its moisture and oxygen from 
the air. 
An Asparagus Bed Without Manure. 
O. S. P., Winslow, Me.— Can an asparagus bed be safely set 
without the use of manure ? If so, in what manner, and by the 
use of what fertilizers, how much and how applied? Yard 
manure can be used after the bed Is started. 
Ans. —Yes, there is nothing unsafe about it. Unless 
the soil is rich, the roots will grow less vigorously— 
that is all. As to fertilizers, we would use muriate 
of potash, or ashes if they may be bought at a low 
price, bone and nitrogen in some form, it matters 
little what, if soluble. As to the quantity, one may 
use all the way from 100 to 3,000 pounds per acre. It 
depends upon how much one cares to use and can 
afford to use. The fertilizer should be sown on the 
surface and cultivated in. It should not be permitted 
to come in actual contact with the roots. 
When to Haul Out Manure. 
E. E. T., Scott, Pa .— I have a 10-acre field that has a gradual 
slope to the north, enough to drain it quite well in an ordinary 
season. It has a clay soil with a hardpan subsoil within 16 to 18 
inches of the surface. I wish to put on about 20 to 25 loads of cow 
manure (made from dairy cows that are being fed a balanced 
ration for all that is in them) to the acre, and plant to ensilage 
corn. Would you advise me to spread this manure now, in mid¬ 
winter, on the sod, or wait and draw it out in the spring? We 
cannot draw it out every day; sometimes it lies a month, and 
then some of it is frozen very hard, and in spreading there are 
more or less frozen lumps. The manure has to lie out of doors, 
but not under the eaves. In plowing under manure on this kind 
of soil for corn, how deep would you advise plowing? I always 
follow corn with potatoes. 
ANSWERED BY PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
By all means, haul the manure during the winter at 
convenient times, and spread direct from the wagon 
or sleigh not more than 10 or 12 tons per acre. It is 
safer on the field than in the piles by the barn. Then, 
too, hauling at this season of the year, will not cut 
up the field, and when the spring work comes, this 
hard and disagreeable work will have been performed. 
As soon as the frost goes out of the lumps, spread 
carefully and distribute all of the manure as evenly 
as possible. Plow shallow, not to exceed six inches 
in depth. Leave the ground as loose as possible, that 
is, do not fit too much before planting, or this cold 
ground will become so compacted, lying to the north 
as it does, that it will not become warm enough early 
in the season for the corn plant. Just before the corn 
comes up, cultivate deep and thoroughly. The fur¬ 
rows or the mark made by the corn planter, if a West¬ 
ern one be used, will so guide the workman that no 
corn will be disturbed. As soon as cultivated, harrow 
thoroughly without reference to the rows. The corn 
might be planted two feet six inches or two feet 
eight inches in drills, using two or three times as much 
seed (not more) as is ordinarily planted per acre. As 
the season advances, shallow up the cultivators, and, 
if possible, change the large-toothed ones for those 
which have numerous small teeth, the object being 
to fine the land simply on the surface; and by so 
doing, heat and moisture will be retained. The pota¬ 
toes are deeper feeders than corn, and if the ground 
could be plowed after the corn is removed, and sub¬ 
soiled, not trpnch plowed, it would materially assist 
the land in drying out in the spring, and the potato 
roots to go deeper into the soil than they would if the 
ground were plowed shallow, thereby insuring a 
greater amount of moisture-storing capacity, and 
healthier potatoes than shallow plowing would pro¬ 
duce. 
What Will Kill Lice ? 
M. W. S., Pennsylvania.— What will kill cattle lice ? I have tried 
kerosene emulsion, and sulphur and lard, but they do not seem 
to do any good. Will the same remedy kill hog lice ? 
Ans. —I know of no better method than the thor¬ 
ough and repeated use of kerosene emulsion. Many 
have reported good results from its use. You can 
spray it on to the cattle, but it should always be thor¬ 
oughly rubbed in with the finger tips. It will kill 
only those lice that it hits, and probably will not 
kill the eggs. Thus another brood may hatch from the 
eggs a few days after the application, and another 
dose of the emulsion be necessary. The fact that one 
does not kill the eggs, and cannot hit every louse at 
a single application, explains many of the reported 
failures with the emulsion. No substance will anni¬ 
hilate the pest at a single application. If the emul¬ 
sion be well emulsified, do dangerous results will 
occur from its use on the hide of cattle, hogs, or horses. 
It will kill all the hog lice it hits. Use it freely, rub 
it in well with the finger tips, and do not expect to 
exterminate the pest with one dose ; repeat the appli¬ 
cation until the cattle show no more signs of annoy¬ 
ance from the insects. M. V. 8. 
When and How to Plant Pecans. 
W. 0. S., Matheics, Va .— I have some pecans I wish to plant, and 
would like to know when is the best time in this locality. How 
old should they be before they are ready to be transplanted ? 
Ans. —Pecans should be planted as soon as ripe, or 
placed in moist sand or soil until they are planted. 
Dried nuts of any kind will be slow to germinate, or 
will fail to germinate. The seedlings may be trans¬ 
planted the next spring. 
Big Tubs for Water Lilies. 
J. M. M., Wellburn, Ont .— How deep and wide ought a tub to be, 
in which to grow one each of the following water lilies: Nelumbium 
speciosum, N. luteutn, Nympliaea alba and N. flava ? Would 
they thrive best in a shaded place, or exposed to the full heat and 
light of the sun ? Would the water have to be changed frequently 
so as to keep it pure, or would they grow in stagnant water ? Can 
they be propagated by division of the roots ? 
Ans. —Nelumbiums are large, strong-growing 
plants, requiring considerable space for their full 
development. While both species can be readily 
grown in tubs of less than three feet in diameter, it 
is not often that they can be induced to flower in such 
cramped quarters. N. speciosum is the larger plant 
of the two, and should have a tub or tank not much 
less than five feet across, and N. luteum a foot less. 
The vessels in either case need not be more than 2% 
feet deep. Eighteen inches of rich sandy compost, of 
which one-third may be of fine old manure, should be 
placed in the tubs, the tubers planted, and two inches 
of clean sand spread over the soil. The tubs can then 
be filled with water, preferably from a pond or spring. 
It is often difticult to get tubs of sufficient size. 
Crockery tierces, sawed in half and made water-tight 
with a coating of Portland cement, have been success¬ 
fully used, but they usually need a re-enforcement of 
strong iron hoops, and are never very durable. The two 
varieties of Nymplimas can be well grown in halves of 
ordinary molasses barrels (do not use barrels that have 
contained salt or oil), or any tub of similar capacity. 
Fill to a proportionate depth with the same compost 
as used for the Nelumbiums, and plant in the same 
manner. Place tubs containing all aquatic plants in 
the hottest and sunniest part of the yard. The hotter 
and drier the weather, the more the water lilies and 
lotuses will luxuriate, provided the soil be always 
covered with eight or ten inches of water. The water 
need seldom be entirely changed, but enough should 
be occasionally added in the morning to float olf any 
scum that may form. Nelumbiums and all varieties 
of Nymphoeas freely increase by division and tubers. 
Most varieties also seed freely. w. v. f. 
Persimmons, Nuts and Roses in Delaware. 
W. P. N., Stanton, Del. —1. What would be the best and quickest 
way to get the Japanese persimmon to grow here? 2. Could it 
be grafted on our wild persimmon tree ? 3. Can the wild per¬ 
simmon of the woods be transplanted near the house, and when 
would be the time to do it ? 4. How could we get a tree of pecans 
and a tree of filberts to grow here ? 5. Can Persian walnuts be 
grown from the seed only ? 6. Would almonds grow here, or is 
the climate too cold? 7. We have a rose bush in the cemetery 
which is about 25 years old. When it was planted, it was called 
a Magnolia rose, but since, the graft must have died, for now the 
bloom is like a wild rose, only larger. Could it be grafted again, 
and when would be the right time to do it? W T hen should the 
scions be taken, and how kept until needed ? 
Ans. —1. Purchase trees from a reliable nursery¬ 
man, of the desired varieties. Scions from such trees 
can then be grafted on seedlings or upon the wild 
trees. 2. Waxed cloth should be used when setting 
the scions in order to keep the settings and scions in 
contact until the union has taken place. The scions 
are more certain to grow when either crown or root- 
grafted. 3. Wild seedlings are not readily trans¬ 
planted. Persimmon seeds, when planted in good 
soil, grow very readily, and the young trees make 
stocks that can be easily grafted with the Japanese 
varieties while in the nursery row. Such trees will 
grow very readily when transplanted, and soon pro¬ 
duce fruit. 4. Either can be obtained from nearly all 
nurserymen. They can be grown from the nuts, but 
the seedlings cannot be relied upon to produce nuts like 
those planted. The filbert can be readily’ grown from 
cuttings. It usually grows in bush form, and varies 
in height from 5 to 20 feet. 5. The seedlings can be 
grafted by inserting the scions in the crown, or in 
the root below the surface of the soil, and banking 
the earth about the scion ; otherwise it is difficult to 
get the scion to grow. 6. Yes, the hard-shell almond, 
which is of little value, grows readily wherever the 
peach thrives. The thin-shelled varieties require a 
