1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
353 
you desire a horse colt, you should breed the mare 
while standing with her head to the west. I suppose, 
therefore, if the head is either to the east, north or 
south, a filly would be the result. 
Scab on Hogs. 
W. S. D., Paulding, 0.—What is the matter with my hogs ? They 
have a scab all over them, with considerable itching. Is it what 
is called the mange? Is it contagious ? What will cure it? 
Scab on hogs may be due to mud and filth, swine- 
plague, or to lousiness and mange. It is not con¬ 
tagious except in the case of swine-plague and lousi¬ 
ness. In general, we can only advise that you give 
the hogs clean, dry quarters. Then scrub them with 
strong soapsuds to break up and remove all the scab 
possible, and finally, rub with sulphur or iodine oint¬ 
ment. 
FRUIT STOLEN IN TRANSIT. 
c. L. E., New York.— Can The R. N.-Y. tell of any way to pro¬ 
tect shippers of cherries from people who will take the covers off 
from the baskets of fruit, and help themselves to from 10 to 20 
pounds of fruit no matter how well the covers are fastened on ? 
We ship several lots by express and freight, and commissionmen 
and private customers complain alike. The transportation com¬ 
panies do not protect us. 
I have never been troubled in tiiat way, but little ; 
at least, I don’t hear anything about it, only when 
somebody takes the whole package. Then the trans¬ 
portation company has to pay for it. If the commis¬ 
sionmen would not receive any package that had been 
opened, and put in a claim for the same, the com¬ 
panies would soon get tired of paying for them. If 
C. L. B. would get a receipt from the transportation 
company, and the commissionmen look after it at the 
other end, I think that there will not be much trouble. 
J. F. WYGANT. 
In shipping fruit, we have never met with loss as 
complained of by C. L. B. It appears to me that the 
transportation companies are liable for all loss of 
fruit while in their care, and it is in their care until 
delivered to the consignee. Without being a lawyer, 
it is my opinion that full damages proved could be 
recovered by an action at law. w. d. barns. 
I have had no trouble of this kind. I would make 
the express companies pay for them. As I understand 
it, common carriers are responsible for goods in 
transit, and I would hold them responsible. Transpor¬ 
tation companies should have no use for thieves. 
They are responsible for their employees, and if in 
C. L. B.’s place, I would make them pay all losses. 
WALTER F. TABER. 
I have never experienced any of the trouble to which 
you refer. I assume that the party interested ships 
his fruit by express ; but no matter how this may be, 
if he deliver his fruit in good condition, properly 
packed, to the railroad or express company, he has 
just ground for complaint if they fail to deliver it in 
like good order to the consignee, w hoever he may be. 
If it were myself, I would ask the consignee to report 
to me all instances where packages were broken, with 
a statement showing probable loss in connection with 
such work. This I would present at once to the agent 
here, of the railroad or express company, and demand 
just dues. I have never found these transportation 
people at all unwilling to do what is right with a 
claim properly presented. I know of no other way to 
put a check upon such depredations, s. D. WILLARD. 
CURCUL/OS AND ROSE BEETLES DISLIKE 
NEIGHBORS. 
Have you ever observed that plums growing on trees next to 
dwellings or out-buildings, are less Injured by ttie curculio, or 
that grape vines growing up arbors close to houses are less 
infested with the Rose beetle than vines growing in the open ? 
This seems true as we have observed it, and we desire to know 
whether it is the general belief. 
I have often seen examples of the greater fruitfulness 
and exemption from curculio cuts, of plum trees in 
backyards, near paths and doors, and in the little gar¬ 
dens of crowded towns. I suppose that the shyness 
which is very apparent in these insects, leads them to 
avoid causes of disturbance. They are active chiefly at 
night, and would, probably, make as many of their 
punctures among the haunts of men as elsewhere, if 
they were not induced to leave the place altogether. 
We have had, as yet, fortunately, no experience with 
the Rose beetles about here. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
I think that, generally, the Rose beetle and curculio 
do much less injury to trees and vines near or on the 
house ; that is, within a short distance of buildings. 
Massachusetts. s. t. maynard. 
It occurs to me that plums growing on trees next 
to, or near, dwellings, are less injured by the ravages 
of the curculio than trees grown in the open. I have 
noticed a plum tree (German prune) growing near my 
neighbor's kitchen door, loaded with the finest speci¬ 
mens of plums I ever saw ; very few of the plums 
showed the crescent marks, while the plums on a tree 
of the same variety and age growing in a four-acre 
field in a fence row in the open, were all badly stung 
and showed no less than eight to ten crescent marks 
to each plum. Grape vines growing close to a house 
are less infested by the Rose beetle than those grown 
in the open field. My experience is that a grape vine 
growing on an arbor near a dwelling is less infested 
by the Rose beetle on account of the smoke which 
oftentimes comes through the doors and windows, 
which has a tendency to draw towards the foliage. 
New Jersey. tick c. keyitt. 
Yes ; plums growing on trees next to buildings, are 
less injured by the curculio than those growing in 
the open, and the buds being better protected, they 
bear fuller and oftener. I have had no experience 
with the Rose beetle depredating upon grape vines, 
but grape vines growing upon, or near, the walls of 
buildings, do not usually bear so well as those in the 
open. This is explained by the fact that the plum 
is a better self-fertilizer than the grape vine ; the 
latter being a higher or more specialized plant, 
refuses self-polleuization to a greater degree, and de¬ 
pends more upon open air where the wind may carry 
pollen from plant to plant more freely. 
New York. D. s. marvin. 
Cause and Cure of Sun Scald. 
J. At. II., Sycamore, Ind .—What peculiar conditions are re¬ 
sponsible for sun scald ? What will prevent it in cases where 
the trunks of trees are entirely exposed ? Is there any wash that 
will do it ? 
Ans. —Various ailments of the trunks of apple and 
other trees, are commonly called sun scald. It is 
doubted by some scientists whether there is any such 
thing as genuine scalding of the bark of tree trunks 
by the action of the sun ; but observations in my 
own and other orchards, cause me to believe there is 
resultant injury from high temperature where the 
rays of the sun have full power on bare trunks and 
large branches, especially those which have been sud¬ 
denly made so by severe pruning or top-grafting. 
Severe cold followed by clear, warm weather in win¬ 
ter, which causes inequality in the temperature of 
the north and south sides of the trees, is thought 
sometimes to cause the tender parts of the bark to 
die. In either case, the damage, when once it is done, 
can be repaired only by the healing process of Nature. 
But where there is apparent danger, it may be pre¬ 
vented, in large measure, by tacking a board on the 
south side of the trunk, which will not injure the 
tree except a little where the nail enters. A covering 
made of narrow, wooden strips such as plastering 
laths, woven together by wire and fastened about 
the whole trunk, will act in the same way. It will 
also effectually protect the trees from rabbits, which, 
in the western regions, are very destructive. In the 
annual report for 1892, of the United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, are illustrations and full direc¬ 
tions for making these protectors, h. e. van deman 
Rust In the Blackberry. 
yy r . C. II., Ernst, III .—What is the matter with my blackberries ? 
I bought 50 Erie blackberry plants last spring, from an Eastern 
nursery. They all grew thriftily, but about the middle of August, 
I noticed that a part of the leaves on some bushes were covered 
on the under side with patches of orange-colored, rusty spots, 
that would rub olf easily. A few days ago, when pruning the 
bushes, I found three or four dead ones ; the bark at the top of 
the ground was gone, and the edges of the bark had a rough, 
warty appearance. A number of bushes were affected only on 
one side, and are yet alive. I do not believe that the damage was 
caused by an insect. 
Ans. —The orange-colored, rusty spots found on the 
leaves, are a sure indication that the plants were 
attacked by the fungous disease known as yellows, 
red rust, or orange rust. The disease is generally 
known by the very thick, orange-red covering of 
spores on the under surfaces of the leaves m early 
summer. When badly affected, these leaves curl and 
make the diseased plant conspicuous at a considerable 
distance. This malady permeates the entire plant, 
and as the mycelium or thread-like growth of the 
fungus is perennial, when a plant is once infested, it 
cannot be cured. The orange-discolored leaves fall in 
early summer, and the plant may appear to recover 
later in the season : but the following year, the plant 
will be found to be weaker and, probably, wholly 
worthless, and the orange coating will return. 
It has recently been shown that another disorder 
which makes different, inconspicuous spots on the 
under surfaces of the leaves, in the latter part of 
summer, is really a form of this red rust fungus. The 
spores of this form mature in the fall or early spring, 
and these, falling on the ground, are, probably, the 
means of inoculating the plant with the rust through 
young underground shoots. It is, evidently, useless 
to endeavor to cure or to treat this yellows or red 
rust. The first moment the disease is detected, the 
affected plant should be pulled out, root and branch, 
and burned. If one be alert, it is generally an easy 
matter to keep a patch free from the disease. The 
diseased plants will be a constant menace to neigh¬ 
boring plants, and unless eradicated at once, the 
malady will spread through the whole plantation. 
The “warty appearance” found on some of the 
canes, probably, has come to be known as the cane- 
knot, a comparatively new disease, the cause of which 
is unknown. The knot reminds one strongly of the 
black knot of the plum, but there are numerous 
small, whitish eruptions of the disease surrounding 
the knot. It may be of fungous origin. It, probably, 
attacks the growing shoots, although it is not appar¬ 
ent until the following year, when the grower, notic¬ 
ing that the leaves are yellow, and the fruit not filling, 
examines the canes and finds these knots upon them 
The disease is not very common, but is widespread 
Probably the most efficient treatment will be to cut 
out and burn the old canes just as soon as the fruit 
is off, and continue to examine the bushes frequently 
for the disease and to cut out the diseased shoots. M. v. s. 
Why Scald or Dilute Milk ? 
IF. .J. II., LaUrange, N. Y.— When I was a boy, often have I seen 
my mother put a pan of milk on the stove to scald before setting 
it away for the cream to rise. In later years, I have seen the 
dairy mistress put warm water in the milk. What benefit 
is scalding or putting warm water iu milk before setting? Is it 
necessary iu deep as well as shallow ? 
Ans.—I would refer VV. J. B. to Bulletin No. 39 of 
the Cornell Experiment Station, which treats in full 
of the subject of dilution of milk in cream raising, 
both by deep and shallow setting. It is occasionally 
of benefit to dilute milk that is very viscous (from 
cows far advanced in lactation) before setting it to 
raise cream. The warmer the milk when set, and the 
faster it cools, the more complete the creaming in a 
gravity process of separation. h. h. wing. 
To Build a Small Silo. 
A. II. 11., Troy, N. Y. —I wish to build a small silo. How should 
it be made to make good, sweet ensilage ? What size would you 
recommend for three or four cows ? 
Ans.—M y silo is somewhat of the octagonal shape, 
and is built in the corner of a basement barn. The 
sills are 8 by 8 chestnut sticks. The frame consists 
of horizontal 2 by 8 planks. These were spiked to 
posts in the barn, 12 feet distant each way, and the 
corners were cut off with pieces of 2 by 8 plank, four 
feet long. These planks or squares of horizontal 
planks, are spaced from the floor the following dis¬ 
tances : 2>a, 2%, 3, 3, 3%, 3 % and 4 feet. Building 
paper was put under the barn covering, and the inside 
was lined with 6-inch spruce flooring ; on this should 
be put some one-ply tarred paper and the best of pine 
boards. This gives a silo with an 8-inch air chamber. 
Doors are put in to suit anybody’s convenience. I 
have some in the basement, some in the upper parts. 
I used to keep only four cows before I had a silo, but 
keep more than double the stock now. I consider a 
silo the best paying thing on the farm. g. k. 
Georgetown, Conn. 
How to Raise Large Potatoes. 
V. N. S., Trumbull, 0.— How can we raise large, flue potatoes to 
exhibit at the fairs the coming fall ? 
Ans.—W e would use the Rural Trench system, plac¬ 
ing the seed pieces further apart—say, two feet. We 
would use not less than 1,500 pounds to the acre of 
high-grade potato fertilizer, and, in addition, apply 
at the rate of 200 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda, 
after the vines are well up. The nitrate of soda will 
scald the leaves unless carefully sown. 
Hulled Oats for Seed, Etc. 
C. E. 8., Chicago City, Minn .—1. Will oat grains with the hulls 
removed, grow as well and bring as good a crop as when entire ? 
2. Does the growing together of wheat and oats affect the quality 
of either of the grains ? 3. How should eveners be arranged so 
as to break swamp laud with two or three horses abreast on the 
uuplowed land ? The furrow is too soft to bear up a horse. 4. By 
what methods can the weed called “horsetail” (Equisetum) be 
eradicated ? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
1. Oats will not grow so well with the hulls removed 
as with them adhering ; the germ is almost certain to 
be injured by the removal of the hull. Some years 
since, the farmers of Iowa had spring wheat passed 
through smut mills, in order to get clear of the 
“ bunted” kernels. It was found that the process 
reduced the per cent of good kernels which germin¬ 
ated, more than one-half. 2. Wheat and oats may be 
grown together without injury to either except in so 
far as the oats may rob the wheat of some nourish¬ 
ment and moisture, since it is, by far, the hardier 
plant, and is more able to secure moisture and food, 
where they are scarce, than the wheat. It would 
likely reduce somewhat the quality of the wheat, but 
not of the oats unless the seeding were over-abundant. 
If there were plant food and moisture sufficient for 
both wheat and oats, neither grain would suffer from 
being sowed with the other. 3. It would be impos¬ 
sible to fix eveners so that all the horses composing 
the team could walk on the uDplowed land. The best 
that could be done would be to make a three-horse 
evener longer than usual, and place one horse on the 
plowed ground and the other two on the unplowed. 
The land may support a horse on the plowed ground, 
though it would not in the furrow. 4. No method is 
known by which horsetail may be eradicated except 
by means of a long, thoroughly conducted summer 
fallow. This method may not eradicate all of it, but 
it will assist materially. Most weeds are easily 
destroyed by frequent plowing, thorough cultivation, 
short rotation and thick seeding. 
