1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
117 
roller (Phoxopteris eomptana)—the adult insect being 
a small moth. There are two broods, possibly more, 
of this insect in Illinois ; the caterpillars of the first 
brood roll the leaves in June, and the second brood 
work in July and August. All attempts to poison 
these leaf-rollers with Paris-green or London-purple, 
have been unsuccessful, as the caterpillars are too 
snugly protected in their rolled leaves. But the pests 
are very effectually fought in the following manner : 
As soon as the fruit has been harvested, mow the 
whole field as close to the ground as possible with a 
mower, leave the cut weeds and strawberry foliage 
to dry a day or two ; then spread a thin coating of 
straw over the field, and fire the field. The burning 
will be most effectual if done late in June or early in 
July, and there is no danger of injuring the straw¬ 
berry plants ; they will speedily send up new, strong 
leaves, and make a dense growth by fall. Prof. Forbes 
states that this is the standard method of fightingthe 
pests in Illinois No other method of destroying the 
leaf rollers is known. 
Strawberries grown in hills will produce better, 
but not more, fruit than those grown in matted rows. 
What Can Be Done for Wireworms ? 
M. B. S., Centerville , N. Y.— I am bothered very much by wire 
worms eating or boring small holes in my potatoes. I understand 
from some sources, that common salt is a remedy. Would it be 
likely to do any good, and, if so, how much would it do to put on 
an acre and not kill the potatoes? What woxild be the best way 
to apply it—sow it broadcast, or drill it in ? 
Ans. —Many farmers have asserted that salt either 
destroys wireworms, drives them deeper into the soil 
beyond the roots, or renders the soil so obnoxious that 
the worms leave. From a long series of experiments 
made in 1890 and 1891 at the Cornell Insectary, we 
found that to kill wireworms, salt must be used at 
the rate of about eight tons to the acre, or over one 
per cent of the soil to a depth of four inches must be 
salt. This amount would, of course, kill all vegeta¬ 
tion. In 1891, we thoroughly tested the supposed 
effect of salt in driving the wireworms deeper into 
the soil. Our results indicated that 1,000 pounds of 
salt per acre interfered with the germination of 
wheat, and neither drove the wireworms deeper into 
the soil, nor caused them to migrate to any appreci¬ 
able distance. It is thus very doubtful whether salt, 
used in practicable quantities, would lessen the rav¬ 
ages of the wire worms in potatoes ; kainit or any 
other commercial fertilizer would not be any more 
effectual. I can suggest no method of ridding a potato 
field of the pests after the crop has been planted. 
m. v. 8. 
How to Treat Large Shoots. 
A. C. IV., New Jersey.— Last April, I bad several apple, pear and 
cherry trees grafted, and in almost every case, there are two to 
three shoots from one to three feet long from each graft, a most 
satisfactory result, but I am at a loss to know how to prune them. 
Should I cut away all but one, and cut that back ? 
Ans. —Grafts that make so considerable a growth 
the first season, are likely to be blown out during 
heavy gales. We would therefore cut out the weaker 
of the shoots entirely, and shorten the rest so as to 
give the new growth a proper balance. 
Cut Out the Dead Wood. 
P. L. B., Dresden, O.— Is dead wood in peach trees, caused by 
winterkilling, injurious to the trees? If so, in what way? Will 
it pay to cut it out? 
Ans. —It is injurious in just this way : The contact 
of dead wood with live wood will tend to cause the 
latter to die back still further. We think that it 
would pay to cut out all dead wood, cutting off a por¬ 
tion of the live wood as well. 
Some Notes on Alfalfa. 
B. K. A., New Providence, Pa.— How can I raise Alfalfa ? I 
tried it several times, but failed. My soil is sandy and is all to 
farm crops. 
Ans. —The very first and most important thing in 
growing Alfalfa, is that the land should be well- 
drained. If it is not, do not waste seed on it. If the 
drainage is natural, it is best. Next in importance is 
that it should be fertile. It will not pay to plant it 
on poor land. Yet, as it is an active gatherer of 
nitrogen from the air, it will thrive on soil that is 
supplied with the mineral elements, potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid. In fertilizing land for Alfalfa, see that 
the stuff is rich in these two elements. Then it should 
be carefully prepared for the seed by plowing and 
harrowing and rolling. If sown with oats, not more 
than one bushel should be sown to the acre, and the 
Alfalfa ought to be sown as soon as the oats are 
drilled in and covered by rolling. If not too moist, 
roll the field very thoroughly. That will help the 
young Alfalfa plants to get hold of the soil, and their 
roots will the quicker get down to moisture, while 
the 6oil moisture will get up better from below. 
Twelve pounds of seed to the acre are plenty. If 
sown with oats, they ought to be cut for hay when in 
milk or before. If sown alone, do not be in too great 
a hurry. Early corn planting time will be soon 
enough. Prepare the land as for corn, and sow on a 
freshly harrowed surfaee. Cover by rolling if dry 
enough. When the young plants have reached a cer¬ 
tain stage of development, they must be cut. That 
may be at a foot height, or may be less. It may be 
known by the ceasing of growth and yellowing of the 
leaves. If not cut, the plant stands a long time, and 
finally shoots out again at the root. If cut close at 
once, it is invigorated and will grow more thriftily 
than ever. Do not leave a mulch on the field. Do not 
sow the seed on mucky land. On the second year, 
the Alfalfa may be cut three or four times. Do not 
sow a large area of it until you have learned about it 
by experience. J. e. wing. 
Ohio. 
Oats and Clover in West Virginia. 
F. II. 31., Cumberland, Md. —I have a river bottom field which 
has been farmed in corn for at least five years, which I would 
like to get in clover and Timothy. The soil is a sandy loam. 
Which would be the surest way to get the best stand—to sow the 
seed alone, or to sow it with oats ? 
Ans. —We have, in former years, been successful in 
sowing clover and Timothy in oats, and never failed 
to get a good stand, and even in the last two years, 
we have never had a finer stand of young grass plants 
when we cut the oats. But the very hot sun and ex¬ 
treme dry weather afterwards, killed nearly all the 
young plants. Since F. II. M.’s soil is a sandy loam, 
it will dry out very quickly, so it is in need of a mulch. 
We would recommend sowing to oats, 1% bushel per 
acre. Then sow to clover and Timothy, and give one 
stroke with a light smoothing harrow, give a light 
dressing of barnyard manure, scattering it evenly all 
over the surface of the ground before the seeds sprout. 
When the oats have begun to shoot out and form 
heads of grain, cut them with a mowing machine and 
let them lie on the ground. This will stop the further 
exhaustion of plant food from the soil, and will shade 
the tender plants just at a time when they need it. If 
weeds come up and threaten to choke out the young 
grass, cut them with the machine before they seed, 
and let them lie. They will likewise serve as a mulch, 
which will hold moisture and protect the grass. 
Holliday’s Cove, W. Va. T. s. c. a son. 
Timbrel! Strawberry and Japan Plums. 
0. E. S., Lincoln, N. Y.—l. I see The R. N.-Y. has been raising 
the Timbrell strawberry. With what was it fertilized ? I have 
about six acres of lowland that was never plowed until two years 
ago, when we put in a ditch 400 rods long and drained it nicely. 
Along this ditch it is dry about three feet down, and I would like 
to set out a row of trees that will bear some kind of fruit. 2. 
What Is best? How about plums, and what kind? No water 
stands on the ground. This ground is made land—a sandy muck. 
Would chestnuts do well? If so, what kind is best? 
Ans. —1. We do not know. The Timbrell was grow¬ 
ing in a plot with 100 other kinds. We would suggest 
Parker Earle and Brandywine as pollen plants. 2. 
We would try the Japan plums in such a place as 
that, and our choice at present would be Abundance 
and Burbank. We would also try the Japan chest¬ 
nuts, selecting the Ridgeley and Paragon. 
How to Seed Knolls. 
L. J. C., Baldwinsville.N. P.—I seeded a five-acre field of oats last 
spring, with clover and Timothy. The seeding killed out on two 
knolls. How can I keep the field in seeding, and cut hay off from 
the knolls ? Would it do to sow oats with grass seed on the 
knolls, and cultivate or harrow in and cut all as hay ? 
Ans. —It would be a good plan to dig up the knolls 
with a Cutaway or spring-tooth harrow, as you sug¬ 
gest, and sow one bushel of oats or barley per acre 
(the former is preferable) with grass seed. At the 
same time, some fertilizer, containing a relatively 
high per cent of nitrogen, should be scattered over 
land and worked in with the harrow. The barley, 
being earlier than oats, would come in better at 
mowing time than any other crop ; and if the weather 
were good for curing it would make most excellent 
hay. Its being removed early, would give the grasses 
a good chance to get a foothold before the dry, hot 
weather came on. I. p. R. 
Early Corn and Peas; Muck for Manure. 
.4. II. R., Fitchburg, Mass.— 1. What is the best kind of early 
sweet corn ? What is your opinion of the Early Vermont sweet 
corn? 2. What is the best early pea for a market garden? 3. 
What is the best early potato for a market garden ? My farm is 
located in the center of New Hampshire, Merrimac County. The 
soli is mostly a sandy loam, and early. 4. In the center of the 
farm is a large bog filled with a strong, black muck, 12 or 15 feet 
deep, which can be easily drained and got out. Not having much 
manure, what would you advise me to do with it? 
Ans. —1. We know of no better sweet corn than the 
Extra Early Vermont. 2. Nott’s Excelsior. Of the 
taller-growing varieties, (two feet) we would, at pres¬ 
ent, choose the new Station pea. 3. We cannot answer 
this question satisfactorily. Every farmer or gardener 
must answer it for himself, and there is no better 
way to do this than by planting side by side a few 
hills of such varieties as the Beauty of Hebron, New 
Queen, Burpee's Extra Early, Early Ohio, Early 
Maine, Early Six Weeks. Polaris, Freeman, and others 
of the most popular varieties of to-day. 4. Muck varies 
quite a little in quality. It will pay you to send a 
sample of this muck to your State Experiment Sta¬ 
tion at Amherst, Mass., for analysis. The plant-food 
in muck is raw, and not readily available for plants. 
The best way to “ cook ” it is to pile it in a compost 
heap—if possible, mixing manure with it to start up 
heat and fermentation. Work it over at intervals 
with fork and shovel until it becomes fine and crum¬ 
bly. You will improve the compost very much by 
mixing, as it is made up, 100 pounds of ground bone 
and 40 pounds of muriate of potash with each load of 
muck. 
Feathers and Shavings for Fertilizers. 
Subscriber, Neiv Jersey.— 1. In a duckhouse where stock ducks 
are kept, and planing-mill shavings are used, is the wet stuff that 
Is taken out every few days of any value for a truck farm ? 2. Are 
feathers and the refuse from killing poultry of any value for 
truck ? 
Ans. —1. The shavings will not be of much value in 
truck farming, until they are composted and well 
rotted. The duck manure alone might answer, but 
we would prefer to compost the whole material, and 
thoroughly rot it down before using in the garden. 
These shavings do better when spread on the surface, 
as on grass and grain, and not plowed under until 
well rotted. 2. Feathers will be of even less im¬ 
mediate value than the shavings. 
How to Treat Blood for Fertilizer. 
T. B., Skowhegan, Me.—I have a lot of lambs to kill, and wish to 
convert the offal into manure. I understand that there is a 
method of doing it by digesting the blood and offal in a vat with 
quick lime. What are the details of the process ? 
Ans.— Blood may be preserved by the addition of 
three pounds of powdered quick lime to 100 pounds 
of blood. It will then form in a solid mass, which 
can be dried slowly in the sun without risk of either 
putrefaction or loss of nitrogen. In case the offal is 
mixed with the blood, I would recommend that the 
proportion of lime be increased, because of the lower 
content of water in the offal—say four to five pounds 
of the lime to 100 pounds of the offal. This may be 
mixed either in a vat or other suitable receptacle. 
E. B. VOORHEK8. 
Value of Wood Ashes. 
W. T. O., Bloomfield, Iowa .—What would be the manurial value 
of unleached wood ashes per barrel, say, common salt barrels, 
well-moistened and well-tamped in with a good-sized tamping 
maul and weighing perhaps 300 pounds ? I am janitor of a court 
house at present, and am making a good many ashes. Parties 
heretofore have been selling them at 15 cents per barrel, and the 
barrel costs five cents ; consequently I get only 10 cents for the 
ashes, and I contemplate using them on my fruit, consisting of 
apples, peaches, plums, grapes, currants, gooseberries, rasp¬ 
berries, blackberries and strawberries. 
Ans. —It depends largely on how much water is 
used on the ashes. If enough is used to run through 
them, more or less of the potash will be leached out. 
It will be better to keep them dry and under cover. 
Three hundred pounds of dry wood ashes contain, at 
least, 15 pounds of potash, which you could not buy 
in other fertilizers for less than 70 cents. By all 
means, save them, and use on fruits of any sort. There 
is nothing better for a fruit fertilizer. 
A Start for a Permanent Pasture. 
C. I. yV., Mehoopany, Pa .—We have a 15-acre field, rather stony 
and steep, now in buckwheat stubble, that we wish to seed with 
mixed grasses for a permanent pasture. Would it be advisable 
to seed in March on the frozen ground, or would it be best to wait 
until settled weather, harrow and then seed ? The soil is red 
shale upland, and has produced two crops of buckwheat in suc¬ 
cession, yielding very good crops, considering the dry weather. 
What kinds of grasses and how much per acre should be sown ? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
It would be better to wait until the ground is in or¬ 
der, and then plow and fit thoroughly. The following 
kinds and amounts of seed might be sown per acre : 
One-half bushel of Tall Meadow Fescue, or if that 
cannot be procured, one peck of Orchard grass and 
one of Red-top. These seeds weigh 14 pounds per 
bushel, and, on account of their lightness, would have 
to be sowed separate from those which follow: Four 
quarts of Timothy, one quart of Alsike, and two 
quarts of Red clover seed. If the ground is in good 
order, and the season is not too far advanced, they 
would better not be harrowed in ; but the ground 
should be thoroughly rolled after the seeds have been 
distributed. If Blue grass comes in naturally in this 
locality, one may make a good permanent pasture 
without sowing any of the light grass seeds ; simply 
use a liberal amount of Timothy and the clover seeds 
in the proportion given above. In time, if the pasture 
be well treated, the Blue grass will come in of itself. 
The first year, the pasture should be mowed, and if 
the growth be not strong, it should be left on the 
ground ; if it be strong, it may be gathered up and 
fed green in the stables. If the weeds appear in large 
numbers, it might be well to mow twice, and leave 
all the material on the ground to shade the plants. 
In about three years after it had been seeded, scarify 
with a sharp-tooth harrow and add some clover seed, 
and, if possible, some fertilizer, and roll. A good per¬ 
manent pasture is seldom made the first or second 
year. It requires nursing and watching and fertiliz¬ 
ing if the ideal permanent pasture is to be developed. 
