688 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 17 
it is. Ten pounds of the seed per acre, sown in 
the corn just ahead of the last cultivation, about 
the middle of July, would now make a cover¬ 
ing for the soil, would be storing up nitrogen, 
the most costly element of all fertilizers, and when 
plowed under in the spring, would add in fertility to 
the land an amount equal in value to §10 or $12 worth 
of fertilizer per acre. Some farmers object to Crim¬ 
son clover because it dies out in the spring. But it 
has then done its work, and dying does not take from 
it the nitrogen stored up. One farmer who has tried 
it. used it for fall pasture, and the increase in milk 
alone, he declared, more than paid him for the cost of 
the clover. Everv corn and potato field should now 
be covered with Crimson clover. l. a. clinton. 
A Good Shaving Horse. 
Fig. 222 shows a good and inexpensive shaving 
horse—an article almost necessary to the farm. Use 
a two-inch plank, 10 inches wide and nine feet long. 
Five feet from one end. a block 10 inches long and six 
inches wide, is nailed with the edge downward. 
Another two-inch board is attached to the upper 
edge of this block, and extends to the farther end of 
the main plank. A slit 2% inches wide and six inches 
long is cut near the upner end of this plank, with one 
of the same width and 10 inches long in the plank 
just below it. A %-ineh hole is bored crosswise 
through the middle of the upper plank and fitted 
with a wooden pin small enough to turn easily. 
A strip three inches wide and two inches thick, 
with a large head at the top and a number of holes 
bored through the thin part below is inserted, and 
may be held at any height desired, according as the 
pin is inserted in the higher or lower holes. At the 
bottom and at one side of this, cut a notch three 
inches wide and one-half-inch deep. A strip 2x3 
inches and one foot long is firmly bolted, with the 
end projecting forward. The wood on which one 
intends to work is placed under the edge of the head, 
where it is easily held in place by light pressure on 
this short horizontal strip. A. franklin shull. 
“ Blooded Potatoes " and How They Stuck. 
In the spring of 1894, I bought one peck of Carman 
No. 3 potatoes for $3. In a discussion of potato grow¬ 
ing, by a number of farmers. I mentioned the fact 
that I had procured a supply of new blood, also the 
price paid. An old farmer at once spoke up as fol¬ 
lows : “ You are stuck, and so is any one else who 
pays $3 for a peck of potatoes.” Now let us see how 
I was stuck : I raised from the one peck of seed, 
eight bushels of beautiful, smooth, white potatoes 
which I could have sold at $2 per bushel. I won the 
first prize at a street fair for the best peek of pota¬ 
toes, $3, making the sum of $19. My general crop, I 
sold at prices ranging from eight cents to seventeen 
cents per bushel. If I had sold all my general crop 
at the latter price, the difference in favor of the 
blooded stock would have been $1 83 per bushel ; or, 
supposing the yield of the general crop to be the same 
per acre as the Carman No. 3, the difference in favor 
of new blood was $16 28. 
Let us continue the comparison. Instead of dis¬ 
posing of the crop at $2 per bushel, as I was advised 
to do, I held them and planted again. I raised, this 
year, from what seed I had left, after using a few 
on the table, and giving away a few, 105 bushels of 
the finest potatoes I ever put in my cellar. I am dis¬ 
posing of what I have to spare of them at $1 per 
bushel, while ordinary varieties are being loaded on 
the cars here to-day at 16% cents per bushel. Now 
let us see what the difference is in favor of blooded 
stock : 
105 bushels Carman No. 3 at $1. $105 00 
105 bushels ordinary at 1614 cents. 17 33 
Difference in favor of blooded stock. $87 67 
This is not all. To the above, should be added 
premiums won this fall, and the fact should be taken 
into consideration that I do not have to look up buy¬ 
ers for my blooded stock, for the reason that buyers 
look me up and take the stock here, so that I am 
relieved of the expanse of delivery. If this is being 
“ stuck”, then I like to be stuck. c. h. d. 
Hartford, 0. _ 
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT WITH COW PEAS. 
I have read with much interest, the different re¬ 
ports that have appeared from time to time, in The 
R. N.-Y.. relative to the cultivation of southern cow 
peas. I believe that others are equally interested in 
learning more as to the adaptability of this crop to 
northern climates and conditions, and venture to give 
the results of a trial, the present season, on four acres. 
The land was quite stony, several large bowlders 
towering above the surface and, in fact, the whole 
patch needed a good cleaning up. Accordingly, in 
October last, we went to work with a No. 40 Oliver 
chilled plow, a Shanghai subsoil, and five men. The 
ground was pretty thoroughly worked to a depth of 
22 inches. I also used 60 pounds of high grade 
dynamite. As a result, we drew off over 500 tons of 
stone. 
The latter part of May, 1896, the ground was again 
nicely plowed and prepared as for corn. The grain 
drill was set to sow 2% bushels of wheat per acre, 
which meant about 1% bushels of peas. At the same 
time, we applied per acre, a mixture of 100 pounds of 
nitrate of soda. 400 pounds of acid phosphate, and 100 
pounds of muriate of potash. The varieties sown 
were Whippoorwill and Wonderful. The season was 
quite dry for some time after sowing, but seasonable 
rains coming later, a fine growth was made, so much 
so that the latter part of August, when straightened 
up, the vines were bighe*’ than a man’s head, and 
completely covered the surface of the ground to the 
depth of a foot. The first frost of the season came 
on the morning of September 23. On September 26, 
with a man to help, I measured off a square yard by 
driving four stakes the proper distance apart, and 
drawing a string around them, which caused a passing 
neighbor facetiously to inquire. “Whatkind of a play¬ 
house you children goin’ to build now, I wonder?” 
After cutting the vines inside the inclosure, we 
weighed them and found that we had 7% pounds from 
one square yard ; but a great manv leaves that had 
its 
A HELP IN BINDING CORN. Fig. 221. 
died, and fallen to the ground, we could not gather up. 
Another square was measured off on a thinner por¬ 
tion of the field, a kind of slaty knoll, from which we 
obtained seven pounds. 
Being desirous of knowing something more about 
the root growth, I had a trench dug 14 inches deep on 
the lower side (the ground sloped somewhat to the 
east) intending to separate the roots, if possible, and 
weigh them. Owing to the peculiar formation of the 
root system, I found this to be impossible without 
water pressure. While looking around, at some little 
distance away, I called to the mao, anticipating a 
droll answer, asking him whether he noticed any 
little excrescences on the roots. 
“ Which—how did you say ?” 
“ Did you see any lumps on the roots ? ” 
“ Lots of ’em”. 
“ How large are the smallest? ” 
“ Oh, ’bout as big as the little end of nothin’ whit¬ 
tled out to a p’int! ” 
By this time I had got down in the ditch myself, 
and following one of the leading roots from a point 
directly beneath the surface, I traced it down 16 
inches in length, when it broke. It seemed as large 
there as 16 inches farther up ; but on that 16-inch 
piece, I counted 15 nodules, some of which were no 
larger than my man had so uniquely suggested ; but 
others were found as large as a fair-sized pea. 
There is no doubt in my mind that nothing can 
take the place of a good two-year-old clover sod for 
almost any crop ; but in this section, it has been ex¬ 
tremely hard to find such a crop, whether because of 
the dry seasons, poverty of soil, or both combined, 
I cannot tell ; but certain it is, that we do not see the 
rank growth of clover as formerly. May it not be 
possible, through the medium of cow peas, to prop¬ 
agate and develop the minute bacteria, that are so 
potent a factor in enabling the legumes to obtain 
their needful supply of atmospheric nitrogen ? I 
have an opinion that, when this piece of ground now 
in peas has grown a crop of potatoes next summer, 
and afterward been seeded to clover, the soil will be 
sufficiently inoculated with the microbe, so that 
clover will have less difficulty in every stage of its 
growth. 
Since writing the above, I chanced to find an old 
bulletin from the New Jersey Station, giving the 
method of growing cow peas for green manuring. 
The bulletin says that “following Crimson clover, 
cow peas yielded at the rate of 14.400 pounds of green 
material per acre. The vines contained 2,278 pounds 
of organic dry matter, 70.6 pounds of nitrogen, 17.3 
pounds of phosphoric acid, and 50 4 pounds potash. 
The roots on one acre weighed only 1,080 pounds, and 
contained 295.2 pounds of organic dry matter, 24 
pounds pitrogen, 1 5 pounds phosphoric acid, 4 4 
pounds potash. The nitrogen in the vines is supposed 
to be equivalent to that contained in 437% pounds 
nitrate of soda, worth perhaps, $11 per acre.” 
In the experiment I have attempted to describe, 
if my figuring is correct, making an average 
between the square yard containing seven pounds, 
and the one containing 1% pounds, we should have 
35.695 pounds of green material per acre. With the 
data from the New Jersey Station, as given, for a 
guide, the interested reader will not be long in 
figuring the value of such a crop. m. garbahan. 
Luzerne Co., Pa. 
SWAMP LANDS AND THEIR RECLAMATION. 
Part I. 
We have had in southern Michigan, for the past few 
years, a number of dry seasons which have aided in 
demonstrating the great value of the low or swamp 
lands for crop raising. The season of 1895 was prom¬ 
inent above all others in that respect, partly because 
it was the culmination of a series of dry seasons, and 
partly because more of the swamp lands were brought 
under cultivation, and a greater variety of crops 
raised on them than ever before. It has been proved 
bpyond a doubt that, when the surplus water is taken 
off from them, there is no better producing land in 
the State. 
The season of 1896 has been a wet one, and as a con¬ 
sequence, many people who planted the low lands, 
have lost their crops and labor from an excess of 
water. There is a call for the services of the drain 
commissioner, which would be more general were it 
not for the hard times. During the past 30 years, I 
have had a great deal to do with the drainage of the 
swamps in Kalamazoo and adjacent counties, and 
have had occasion to see a great deal of the good as 
well as of the bad work which has been done. I have 
always felt a peculiar interest in this work, from the 
fact that my father always contended that, some day, 
the Michigan swamp lands would be the best lands in 
the State. He was not a farmer, and at that time, 
farmers in the vicinity generally ridiculed the idea. 
Things have changed since, and now there is little 
low land left in the country which has not been, at 
least partially, drained. Much of the work has been 
done so crudely and inefficiently that more harm than 
good has resulted. 
In their natural state, these low lands grew more 
or less vegetation, having some value for pasturage or 
timber. Some of them were well stocked with cran¬ 
berries and huckleberries. In the early settlement of 
the State, the marshes furnished pretty much all the 
hay that was used. It is difficult to see how the early 
pioneers would have got along without it; certainly 
not so well as they did with it. Much of the drainage 
which has been done has been just enough to kill the 
native vegetation without rendering the land fit for 
cultivation. It is neither one thing nor the other, 
and the soil is occupied by a worthless waste of weeds 
which spring up when the surface water is removed. 
There is a great variety of soils and conditions in 
these low lands—quite as great as, if not greater 
than, in the uplands. Various names have been given 
them which are supposed to indicate, more or less 
clearly, the natural conditions. When we speak of a 
swamp, we generally understand that it is wet land 
covered with bushes and trees, and by marsh, we 
mean wet land having few, if any, scattering bushes 
and trees. Then again, the swamps are designated 
as tamarack swamps, Black ash swamps, willow - 
swamps, etc-, according to the prevailing timber 
which grows on them. If the swamp is narrow in 
proportion to its length, it is usually called a swale, 
and if small, not more than an acre or so in extent, 
it is often called a cathole. This latter name seems to 
have been given to these dense little swamps became 
they were favorite retreats for wildcats and other 
predaceous wild animals. 
There is one general condition to be considered in 
regard to both swamps and marshes in determining 
both their character and the means of reclaiming 
them. That is, whether or not they lie at or below 
the level of the water-bearing strata of the surround¬ 
ing country. If they do, they will be fed by springs 
from the margin, and, very likely, from beneaih. 
Streams will run from them, and there will usually 
be plenty of fall for their drainage. The upper muck, 
or vegetable mold, will, generally, be found to lie 
directly upon a stratum of sand or gravel, often of 
quicksand. Drains will need to be laid along the 
margin to cut off the water from the springs, and 
plenty of tiles will need to be used to carry off the 
surplus water. If they lie above the water level of 
the country, and, probably, a majority of the swamps 
in southern Michigan do, then few, if any, springs 
will be found, and open surface drains will gener¬ 
ally be found sufficient to reclaim them. f. hodgm AN. 
Propagating the Shaffer Raspberry. 
II. R. M., Bradford, III .—How is the Shaffer raspberry propa¬ 
gated ? 
Ans.—B y root cuttings, and, also,-by-tips. 
