1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
737 
in the right direction, and that it should be gradually 
extended until it includes all horseshoers of the 
State. F. L KIIBORNE. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.l 
The Hardy Pear. 
J. It. T., New York.— What do you know about the Hardy pear ? 
What are its defects? Is it productive? I have it only as a 
dwarf, but it is hardy, vigorous, and out of a dozen varieties, 
holds its leaves better than any except Duchess, and seems to 
be as vigorous. It has only begun to bear; the first crop was 
only a half dozen. It is not mentioned on your lists of profitable 
varieties. What is the trouble with it ? The skin is thin, but not 
more so than Sheldon. I am thinking of putting out an orchard 
of standards, as recommended by Mr. Hoyt for apples, say, 13 
feet apart each way, quincunx planting, alternate rows of Seckel 
and Anjou or Bose. Would you recommend it, and would you 
select two other varieties ? 
Ans. —We know nothing to he said against the 
Hardy pear, except that it is not of the best quality. 
The tree is a vigorous grower, whether as a standard 
or on quince. Yes, we fully approve of Mr. Hoyt’s plan. 
Howell and Frederick Clapp we would suggest in ad¬ 
dition to the list. 
Peaches for Pennsylvania. 
B. K. A., New Providence, Pa. —I would like to plant a peach 
orchard of about 100 trees. What varieties should I plant to 
range from the earliest to the latest ? I also wish to plant a straw¬ 
berry bed of those mentioned in The R. N.-Y. for different States. 
Would they answer for this locality? I want them for home 
market. 
Ans. —Peaches maturing earlier than Hale’s, are 
not grown as much as formerly on account of rot. 
Mountain Rose is, probably, the earliest reliable peach 
now grown, followed by Oldmixon, Stump, Reeves, 
Late Crawford, Smock and Salway. Other varieties 
might be added, but the above constitute the bulk of 
our planting, and I know of none (tested here) that I 
would recommend to plant except for trial. It is dif¬ 
ficult to choose the best strawberries, since all the 
tested varieties have been both praised and rejected. 
Successful strawberry growing depends more on their 
management than on the variety. h. m. engle. 
Root-Grafted Apple Trees. 
J. L. M., \\intersville, Ind. —What are the advantages in root- 
grafted apple trees over budded stock ? 
Ans. —To grow apple trees successfully from grafted 
apple roots, requires considerable experience. Ex¬ 
perienced nurserymen often fail in securing a good 
stand from grafted roots ; therefore, they practice 
budding more generally every year. Perhaps the 
greatest inducement for nurserymen to plant grafted 
apple roots is that they can graft them during the 
leisure of winter, thus keeping men employed who 
would otherwise be idle. A novice might succeed 
with these grafted roots, or he might not. At present, 
the price of first-class apple trees suitable for plant¬ 
ing in orchards is as low as they possibly can be pro¬ 
duced. It would seem to be unwise to take the 
chances in planting that which is so uncertain in 
results. Grafted apple roots, in order to succeed 
well, should be planted early in the spring, on rich 
soil that does not bake or harden. On stiff, clayey 
soil, they will not succeed. They should be planted 
deep so that only one bud appears above ground. 
The soil should be packed about them as closely as 
about cuttings, and they must receive careful culture, 
the first year especially. chas. a. green. 
More About Apple Jelly. 
L. J., Winsor, R. I .—J. Bollinger has told us how to make cider 
jelly from the pomace. Can equally good jelly be made from the 
cider that comes from the first pressing, as from pomace worked 
over ? 
Ans. —No, it is not so good ; it is more rank and of 
a very dark red color, while the jelly from pomace 
worked over is of a light color, and of a very mild 
flavor. However, more than two-thirds of the cider 
made at this mill this season, has been boiled down to 
jelly. Cider barrels have been so expensive this sea¬ 
son, that farmers refused to buy, and had the product 
boiled down so as to require less storage room. It is 
my opinion that many more things on the farm might 
be boiled down, and a greater profit might be the re¬ 
sult. J. BOLLINGER. 
Something About Dahlias. 
11. P. N., Brooklyn, N. Y.— Do dahlias need poor soil to keep 
them from going entirely to foliage ? Are they subject to blight ? 
If they need poor soil, would it be safest to use sand or ashes to 
make a clay soil more friable ? Dahlias have not done well in 
my vicinity. What are the finest white, yellow, pink and maroon 
double and single varieties ? What is the name of the variegated 
maroon and white double, also the names of the variegated yellow 
and red ? 
Ans. —Dahlia roots should be planted in a deep, 
rich soil to do their best. They are rapid growers, 
and need plenty of food. Beauty, Marguerite Bruant 
and Snowdrift are all fine white kinds ; Miss Dodd, 
Fanny Purchase and Duke of Edinburg, yellow; A. 
D. Livoni, Helen Potter, Marguerite, pink ; George 
Rawlins, Prince Bismarck, maroon. Among single 
dahlias, we would select Edelweissfalter, white ; 
John Hummerston, yellow ; Miss Ramsbottom, pink ; 
John Cowan, maroon. The variegated yellow and 
red might be one of a dozen different kinds. Her¬ 
cules is the best we know of among the large-flowered 
double. 
Silo or Shredder for the Corn. 
0. II. L., Ira, N. Y .—Which would be the better way to handle my 
corn crop: To cut it, ears and stalks, into a tight place, or to 
have it husked and shredded by machinery ? It will cost three 
cents per bushel to husk and have the stalks shredded, and $5.50 
per day for the use of an ensilage cutter and engine, with two 
men furnished. The corn was ripe when cut. Would such corn 
keep well cut, and would a space 12 x 12 x 12 feet hold six acres of 
good corn ? I should have to board up such a room from my barn 
floor. I milk a winter dairy, and if the corn cut, ears and all, 
would not hurt, it seems as though it would be better disposed of 
in that way, than to husk, feed the fodder whole, and have the 
ears ground. I expect to build a silo the coming year. 
Ans. —If you cut your corn for the silo, it means 
that you must go to the expense of constructing an 
air-tight room from your barn floor. If the corn was 
thoroughly ripe when cut, the stalks have now dried 
out considerably, and if cut and put into a silo, would 
need a most thorough wetting down to secure proper 
packing and fermentation. Six acres of good corn 
should have given you, at least, 12 tons per acre or 72 
tons in all. A room 12 x 12 x 12 will contain 1,728 cubic 
feet. One cubic foot of ensilage weighs 40 pounds, 
making the contents of your room only a little more 
than 34 tons, not large enough to hold the corn from 
six acres, if the yield is good. Your best plan now 
would be to have your stalks shredded. Prepared in 
this way, you would get just as much value out of 
them as to cut for ensilage. The expense will be less, 
and the feeding value just as great, l a Clinton. 
Clover Growing in Indiana. 
A. H. It., Bloomington, Ind .—I have a piece of land that I wish 
to plow this fall and seed to clover in the spring. Can I get a 
crop of hay and a crop of seed the first season without killing it 
out ? Some say that it will kill it if I cut the crop the first year. 
Ans. —I judge that you mean to sow Medium clover, 
as it furnishes two crops a year, while English gives 
us one. In either case, clover is not usually sown by 
itself, that is, without a sheltering crop of wheat, 
oats or rye. The reason is that weeds often smother 
it. Another reason is that a crop of oats and clover 
can occupy the land with better results to the clover 
than for a crop of weeds and clover to grow together, 
and the oats are worth something. In either case, 
sown with oats next spring, or by itself, no crop can, 
usually, be taken from the clover the first year, unless 
it is a rainy season, because it does not grow rank 
enough. Some careless people get some pasture from 
it the first fall. Cutting it, if rank, for seed seldom 
pays, as it does not, commonly, fill well enough, 
though I have seen it cut with profit for seed. It is 
often cut for hay if rank. I cut part of mine, this 
year, for hay, sown in wheat last spring. It does not 
materially hurt it to cut it the first year, as it is a 
biennial. The only thing to guard against in pastur¬ 
ing or cutting the first year, is not to weaken the 
plant too much. The danger is not so much in 
weakening vitality, as in preventing it from develop¬ 
ing an aftermath which may lop down and protect it 
from winter weather. A field of young clover pas¬ 
tured and tramped till the soil is hard and naked, is 
nearly sure to suffer from freezing out. 
Central Indiana. * e. h. collins. 
Unripe Corn ; Crimson and Red Clovers. 
R. J., Shortsville, N. Y .—What is the comparative value of un¬ 
ripe corn, some in the milk and a little past, for milch cows ? I 
planted quite largely of ensilage corn, and as I am not ready to 
build a silo, I am feeding it cut up short, and have enough to feed 
all winter. The cows eat it well, and do well on it, and it occurs 
to me that it might pay to raise it to feed in that way. One silo 
was built here last fall, and another this fall. A good part of the 
corn has gone in in the same unripe condition. Many of our 
farmers are in favor of the silo, and will build as fast as they are 
able. The octagonal form is preferred to the round, as it is 
cheaply built and is a perfect success. My experiments with oats 
and peas for fall feed, are quite satisfactory, but give not quite 
so good results as the unripe corn. August sowing of clover is a 
grand success so far, for both Crimson and Red clover cover the 
ground. If it go through the winter, we shall sow more of it. 
In what respect is the Crimson better than the Red ? 
Ans — Such, unripe stalks are worth, for feeding, 
about 70 per cent as much as mature stalks—that is, 
where the corn is just ready to cut for grain. We 
have some bad reports from those who have used this 
unripe corn in the silo. The ensilage from it is likely 
to contain more acid than that made from more mature 
corn. A large amount of such corn fodder is grown 
to kelp out the pasture in August, but most of it is 
fed green. The Crimson clover is superior to the Red 
in the fact that it grows faster during the fall, and 
gives a much heavier crop by the following May, and 
thus gives a chance to get the good effects of a clover 
crop between two others, while, with Red clover, one 
must wait two years before getting back into the 
grain or root crops. We do not find the Crimson so 
good for hay as the Red, and we would pasture it or 
plow it all under. “Feed it to the soil”, and feed 
Red clover to the stock. 
Old Tariffs and New. 
G. P. N., Wayland, N. J. —What is the duty on potatoes, wool, 
eggs and hay under the Wilson bill, and what was it under the 
McKinley bill ? 
Ans. —The duty on potatoes under the McKinley 
law, was 25 cents per bushel of 60 pounds ; under the 
present law, it is 15 cents. Unwashed wool, under 
the old law, paid a duty according to classification 
from 11 cents per pound upward ; now, unwashed 
wool is admitted free of duty. Eggs formerly paid 
five cents per dozen, now they pay three. Hay now 
pays $2 per ton, formerly, it paid $4. 
A Compost of House Refuse. 
G. S. P., Bethel, Pa. —I made a compost of refuse from the 
kitchen and the garden, for one year. Night soil has been mixed 
with it frequently during the spring and summer. What is its 
value as a fertilizer for vegetables ? What shall I add to make it 
complete? Would you advise me to add ground bone which costs 
$2 per 100 pounds ? 
Ans. —It would be impossible for any one to give 
more than a guess at such a question. It is safe to 
say that such a compost is about as valuable as well- 
rotted stable manure. It, probably, needs both pot¬ 
ash and phosphoric acid to give it the proper “ bal¬ 
ance”. The bone alone will not be enough, but we 
would also add muriate of potash—about one pound 
of this to four pounds of the bone. Probably 200 
pounds of bone and 50 of muriate will be enough for 
the compost you have. 
Swamp Muck and Manure. 
J. R., Derby, B. G. —How can I make manure out of swamp 
muck ? 
Ans. —What is “swamp muck”, and how does it 
differ from manure ? Both are derived from decayed 
vegetation. When an animal eats hay and grain, a 
portion is used for the purpose of life and growth ; 
the rest is voided as manure—broken and crushed and 
partly dissolved by the acids of digestion. After 
further rotting or fermenting, this is used as plant 
food—we call it manure. Muck also comes from 
vegetable matter. Coarse and rank plants that grow 
in damp places, forest leaves and other vegetation 
form what we call “muck”. In this ease, the plants 
do not pass through an animal’s system, but go 
through natural, though slower processes of decay. 
The manure from animals fed upon grain ought to 
be richer than muck, for we know tUat wet-soil plants 
are not as nutritious as those grown upon the uplands. 
This is not always true, however, for there is less 
water in well-dried muck, and we must remember 
that it not only contains the plant food in the plants 
from which it was made, but it has also acted as a 
sort of sponge to retain some of the fertility that was 
washed down from the surrounding higher land. 
Muck differs very widely in its composition, but the 
following average of 21 samples may be considered 
fair as compared with average stable manure : 
POUNDS IN THE TON. 
Water. Nitrogen. Phos. acid. Potash. 
Muck. 1,240 16 2 0 
Average manure... 1,500 10 5 13 
Thus we see that muck dug out of the swamp con¬ 
tains less water than average manure, that it contains 
more nitrogen, less phosphoric acid and no potash. 
But this is not the only difference. The nitrogen in 
the muck is not so available as that in the manure. 
The muck is also sour—so full of acid that ordinary 
cultivated plants could not obtain the plant food in it 
just as it is taken from the swamp. In order to make 
it as good as manure, we must “sweeten” it or correct 
that acid, make the nitrogen more available, and add 
potash and phosphoric acid. In other words, we must 
“ cook” the muck and season it. 
The best way to do this is to make a compost heap. 
Haul out the muck and start a heap as large as you 
want. Spread the first loads over the whole surface 
about a foot deep. Then put on enough quick lime 
to make the whole surface white. If you can get 
good wood ashes, you may leave out the lime and use 
the ashes instead. Then put on more muck, more 
lime or ashes, and so build the pile up. In a short 
time, heat will start inside the pile, and the whole 
thing will be thoroughly fermented or “cooked”. 
During the winter, you should fork the pile all over 
twice. Begin at one end and move the whole pile— 
throwing it back so that the whole is worked over. 
But why not make the muck better than the ma¬ 
nure while you are about it? Your manure would 
be much better if you could mix 100 pounds of bone 
and 30 pounds of muriate of potash with every ton, 
because then you would have more potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid. The muck needs these substances more 
than the manure does. If wood ashes are to be ob¬ 
tained, use all you can afford—you can’t use too 
much—and mix them thoroughly with the muck. 
The lime in the ashes will answer for “ sweetening ” 
the muck. If you cannot obtain ashes, use the lime 
alone, and as the pile is made up, use two parts of 
fine ground bone and one part muriate of potash, so 
that about 40 pounds of the mixture will be added to 
each ton of muck. If this be well mixed and worked 
over, you will certainly have a pile of compost of bet¬ 
ter quality, ton for ton, than good stable manure. 
