1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ber 40 years back when these currant bushes were in¬ 
variably loaded down with an abundant crop of fruit. 
Every person had an abundance of currants until the 
currant worm came, then after a time, currant cul¬ 
ture was abandoned ; but now everybody has learned 
that a little hellebore sprinkled on the bushes when 
moist with dew at the first signs of leaf eating, will 
destroy that pest. 
In modern times, we have all taken to growing cur¬ 
rants in an open field, with thorough cultivation. 
Under this method, a portion of the currant blossoms 
seem to fail to develop fruit, and sometimes all the 
blossoms drop off. The question on my mind, is 
whether this might not be caused by disturbing the 
roots of the bushes with a cultivator or plow, since 
the eurrant roots feed close to the surface ; in fact, 
all the ground around the bushes, is filled with the 
fine roots. Since the currant blossoms late in the 
spring, late spring frosts doubtless sometimes cause 
the blossoms to fall off. 
Few have given much attention to pruning the cur¬ 
rant. This bush has been supposed to be one that 
did not require pruning ; but the fact is, it requires 
as much attention in this respect as other fruit. After 
the canes have borne four or five years, they should be 
removed and newer canes allowed to take their places. 
Cutting back the new growth nearly one-half each 
season, is also recommended. But I prefer nipping 
back the new growth in July, or when it attains the 
desired height. 
I shall test currant culture with a heavy mulch and 
no cultivation ; also with a thorough artificial irriga¬ 
tion. Doubtless currant bushes are planted too close 
will see that it is an octagonal or eight-sided box 
which is fitted on trunions so that it will revolve in¬ 
side a heavy frame. This frame is also arranged to 
turn in the opposite direction from that of the box. 
In Mr. Macomber’s mixer, this outer frame is made of 
plank, 2 % inches thick and 10 inches wide, securely 
spiked together. It is four feet five inches square, 
measured on the outside. Two upright 4x4 joists are 
securely braced at the bottom. These joists and the 
two sides of the frame (which, as the picture shows, 
are of double plank with short strips of board be¬ 
tween) are mortised to receive the trunions which run 
through the frame, and revolve in the hollowed ends 
of the uprights. The box or mixer is made of tongued 
and grooved pine, seven-eighths-inch boards. Around 
the inside of each end is spiked a 2x8-inch plank, and 
a belt of the same is spiked around the middle of the 
mixer so as to make the trunions secure and to sustain 
the weight. The trunions for the mixer , as will be 
seen, run through the single-plank sides of the frame. 
This mixer is kept in a cellar. In the floor above 
it, is a trap door through which the chemicals are 
dropped by means of a tunnel made of bags. The 
machine is in the position shown at Fig. 60. The box 
holds 500 pounds. The charge is dropped in through 
a sliding door in the upper end of the box. This door 
is closed and fastened, the bag tunnel pulled up, and 
we are ready to mix. Long levers made of plank 
shaped down at the ends to fit the hands, and with a 
square hole in the center to fit the trunions, are used 
to turn the mixer. The square hole is fitted over the 
square trunion so that, as the levers are pulled down, 
the whole thing turns around as at Fig. 60. After 10 
175 
notice two simple ones in which dry hen manure is 
used as a base. One is a mixture of 1,330 pounds of 
dry and ground hen manure, 530 pounds of dissolved 
phosphate rock, and 140 pounds of muriate of potash. 
This gives about two per cent of nitrogen, 4% of 
potash, and five of phosphoric acid. The other is a 
mixture of 1,190 pounds hen manure, 710 pounds dis¬ 
solved rock, and 100 pounds muriate of potash, which, 
of course, gives less nitrogen and potash and more 
phosphoric acid. These hen-manure mixtures are 
suited for corn planted on a strong sod. In case hen 
manure be used, it should be dry and thoroughly fined 
before mixing. 
STEEL TRACKS FOR COUNTRY ROADS. 
GOOD MEN ARE MAKING BAD ROADS. 
Some time ago, an illustrated article appeared in 
The R. N.-Y. headed, “ Good Roads Made by Bad 
Men.” Reading it, involuntarily the thought came to 
my mind, how unfortunate that there are so few bad 
men making good roads, when there are so many good 
men making bad roads; such roads as we are experi¬ 
encing at this present time, mud and water axle-deep! 
The condition is simply so terrible that a meeting of 
taxpayers was called at the town hall at Youngstown, 
O , the county seat of Mahoning, by the trustees, to 
discuss ways and means of bettering the condition of 
the roads. As a result of the gathering, the legisla¬ 
ture of Ohio will be called upon to pass a law that 
will result in better roads for every township in 
the county. Plans were presented at this meeting, 
and the probable cost of carrying them out discussed. 
A HOMEMADE FERTILIZER MIXER. Fig. GO. 
Revolving on the Frame. 
A HOMEMADE FERTILIZER MIXER. Fig. 61. 
Revolving Inside the Frame. 
together. Experience teaches that four, or even five 
feet apart, each way, on rich soil, is not too far. Cur¬ 
rants are heavy feeders, and must be planted on rich 
soil. 
Did you ever think of the beauty of the currant 
bush, heavily laden with its bright red berries? Surely, 
if we had never seen currants, or known of their use¬ 
fulness, and had discovered one growing in some se¬ 
cluded place, we would consider that we had discov¬ 
ered a plant of rare beauty as an ornamental. What 
ornamental berry-bearing plant is more ornamental 
and attractive than the currant, when well trained 
and under good cultivation, and in full bearing? 
C. A. GREEN. 
A HOMEMADE FERTILIZER MIXER. 
HOW A RHODE ISLAND YANKEE WORKS. 
A number of farmers have tried home mixing of 
fertilizers in the usual way of spreading the different 
chemicals in layers on the floor, and working the mass 
over and over with rake and shovel. Most of them 
have saved money, but lost temper by the operation. 
It is a hard and dusty job, and many a farmer with 
nose and throat sore from the dust of bone meal, has 
longed for a cheap mixer that would enable him to 
discharge rake, hoe and dust. 
Director C. O. Flagg, of the Rhode Island Experi¬ 
ment Station, seems to have found this much-desired 
device on the farm of E. G. Macomber, a Rhode Island 
farmer who has practiced home mixing for a number 
of years. The picture shown at Figs. 60 and 61 are 
taken from Bulletin 34 of the Rhode Island Station. 
Fig. 60 shows the machine in the first position. Yoq 
minutes of this turning, the levers are taken off, and 
the machine turned down as shown at Fig. 61. A 
temporary leg at one corner holds the frame in posi¬ 
tion, and then the levers are put on the other trun¬ 
ions and worked in the same way. In this case, the 
box revolves inside the frame in an opposite direction 
from the first turning, so that, after six minutes more, 
the fertilizer is well shaken up and thoroughly mixed. 
When mixed, the fertilizer is drawn off at the bottom 
of the box through the sliding door shown in the 
picture. Of course, if one has power of any sort, the 
levers may be dispensed with. Similar mixers could 
be used for mixing Paris-green and plaster, or even 
for mixing dry cattle foods. 
Mr. Macomber’s mixture for general farm crops is 
as follows: 
Pounds. 
Fine ground bone. 400 
Dissolved bone black. 400 
Dry ground fish. 300 
Cotton-seed meal. 300 
Nitrate of soda. 200 
Sulphate of potash. 200 
Muriate of potash. 200 
Total.2,000 
At the prices in his market, this costs $32.90, and 
gives a mixture containing four per cent of nitrogen, 
10 per cent of potash, and 6 % per cent of phosphoric 
acid. This has given excellent results with potatoes 
and vegetables in rotation with grass and cereals. As 
we have said, 500 pounds of this mixture are put in 
the mixer at one time. Boxes are used which are 
gauged to hold the right weights of each ingredient, 
so that it is a simple matter to measure out the 
chemicals and pour them into the machine. 
This bulletin (No. 34) contains a number of other 
formulas for home mixture for different crops. We 
Mr. Lemuel T. Foster, of Fosterville, presented a 
most novel plan. The statement that the present age 
is an age of iron and steel, was his introductory re¬ 
mark, and gave a little insight into his plan. In de¬ 
tailing his plan, he proposes to build roads somewhat 
in the nature of a tram road or street-car line. He 
wishes to make a road of steel plates far enough apart 
to accommodate any vehicle ; these steel plates are 
to be one-half inch thick and 12 inches wide. They 
will be concave, and thus the wheels of the vehicles 
will easily keep in their places. These lines of plates 
will be arranged the same as a double-track street¬ 
car or railroad line, the two lines to be eight feet 
apart, thus leaving ample room for any vehicle to pass 
between them. The steel plates will be bolted to 
steel ties, and the ties will be six feet apart, plates 
and ties tamped the same as in an ordinary railroad. 
The plates will have a flange of three inches on each 
side, and the ties and fish plates will be bolted on to 
these flanges. The space between the rails will be 
filled with gravel or some similar substance that will 
be available. The ties will be placed in such a posi¬ 
tion that the feet of the horses will not touch them as 
they pass over. The space between the tracks will 
be filled with the same substance as between the rails. 
This would be a much easier road on horses’ feet than 
would a hard, Macadamized road. The steel plates 
would be easy on tires of vehicles, and would last, at 
..east, 50 years. An estimate for Macadamizing the 
172 miles of roads in the county, was $1,000,000 ; the 
steel-plate system for the same was estimated at 
$ 200 , 000 . 
Such a road, at the estimated cost, would increase 
the rate of taxation very little, and -vvould save many 
