8i6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 12 
and adjoining premises wholly free from unsightly 
and unsavory accumulations of manure during the 
entire year. A low wagon, with tires four inches or 
more in width, is essential for use in spring and fall. 
A mud sled with runners six inches in width, can be 
used at all times when the snow is two or more inches 
in depth. 
Formerly my practice was to draw the manure in 
winter, and place it in piles of 20 or 30 loads 
each in the field where it was to be used in 
spring. After the land was plowed, the manure 
was spread and well worked in with the cultivator to 
the depth of four or six inches. The manure being 
partially decomposed, gave quick and profitable re¬ 
turns. With this method, the manure spreader can 
be used to advantage. Where the manure is not 
wanted for the corn crop, or when it is impracticable 
to spread it during the winter, I believe this to be 
the best method of application. In this way, it is of 
great advantage when seeding to clover or grass. 
The disadvantages of the method are that it requires 
so much labor to be done in the most busy season of 
the year, and more or less of the soil will be made 
lumpy by the wagon passing over it at the time of 
spreading. Manure should never be put down in 
small heaps in the field. 1 do not know of any better 
or more economical way of handling, and applying 
manure than by the methods above indicated. 
Lewis County, N. Y. c. s. kick. 
The Cheapest Manure Yet. 
The usual method of handling manure here, is to 
haul it out on the meadow land in August and Sep¬ 
tember, when work is slack. It helps out the clover 
and Timothy, and shows on the corn when the land is 
finally broken up. Most farmers pay but little atten¬ 
tion to the manure, and haul it out mainly to get it 
out of the way, for they have the idea that the land 
is already rich enough. I am in the garden business, 
near town, and can get all the manure I need at 15 
cents per load in trade, hauled to me. The men are 
paid to haul it away by the town people, and the 15 
cents is clear gain to them. During the fall and win¬ 
ter, I have it spread directly on the ground, and dur¬ 
ing the spring and summer, when the ground is in 
use, I have it piled till fall and then spread it. It 
hardly pays to save my own supply when I can get it 
hauled to me and spread for 15 cents, henry field. 
Page County, Iowa. 
How They Operate in Kansas. 
Our soil is an alluvial mold of a dark chocolate 
color, about 16 to 20 inches deep, and underlaid with 
a water-tight clay called yellow gumbo. A descrip¬ 
tion of my own barnyard, or corral, as we call it here, 
will answer for the whole country around here. My 
land has a slight slope towards the south, and the 
barnyard is on the north side of the farm. The yard 
is entirely surrounded by buildings on the north and 
west sides, with a good stone wall for the east and 
south sides. The wash of the liogyards, sheepyards 
and dooryard passes into the barnyard, that contains 
about one acre of land, also the drippings from the 
eaves of a large sheepbarn, liogbarn, cowbarn, stable 
and corn-cribs. For every one inch of water that 
falls in the barnyard, about three more are added 
from the other yards and buildings. The barnyard 
has been scraped out in the middle, and the earth 
hauled to the surrounding edges, making the center 
of the yard a pond of about one-third of an acre. A 
slight ditch prevents its filling full, and carries the 
red liquid manure off under the wall on to a field of 
12 acres that is kept subsoiled ; never a drop of this 
rich liquid manure gets across this field, and I have 
seen six inches of rain fall in a few hours, or a total 
of 24 inches for the barnyard. This center of the 
yard is kept full of stable manure, all old straw and 
everything that can be utilized ; the cattle feed rack 
is there also. Soon after the yard is cleaned out, the 
accumulated matter in the middle of the yard makes 
it a good, dry place for the stock, and at no time can 
the manure heat, because of the moisture. This plan 
answers the same as Mr. Terry’s covered yard does in 
Ohio, only that we would not have it covered at any 
price. 
The winter’s accumulation of manure is always 
hauled out in March on to a clover sod that is used 
for potatoes the same season, followed by corn, then 
by flax and clover. The manure does not lose its 
strength here for 10 years on account of the subsoil 
preventing leaching. It seems as though Nature 
could not improve on our soil and climate. Our 
annual rainfall is 37 inches, and for three weeks in 
July and August, we always have a drought. We 
have learned to subsoil and secrete enough moisture 
to tide us over this dry spell, and to get in our best 
licks in the hay field in the meantime. Everything 
is here, and it needs only the hand of man to insure a 
large yield. The R. N.-Y. is a great educator for us, 
and is worth many times its cost in a year. Natural 
gas at a pressure of 200 to 400 pounds per square inch 
can be struck at 800 feet, and petroleum at 900 on any 
farm around me, and my neighbors have 19 wells. 
Allen County, Kan. clarence .j. Norton. 
On a Connecticut Dairy Farm. 
We keep all our manure under cover until hauled 
to the field. Our horse manure is daily put into the 
drops back of the cows, and sprinkled with plaster. 
During the fall, we use all the manure made for top¬ 
dressing grass land, trying to go over all the meadows 
at least every other year, and frequently using com¬ 
mercial fertilizer the alternate year. We spread as 
hauled on most land until the ground is covered with 
snow ; then if the land is level, we still spread, but if 
steep sidehill, we put in small piles, say eight to the 
ton, and spread in the spring This is done to avoid 
its being carried away by heavy storms. We aim, 
however, to dress our sidehills early in the season. 
A good coat of stable manure acts as a mulch, and 
we have never yet found a commercial fertilizer for 
grass, that will equal the stable manure made from 
cows fed on cotton-seed meal and wheat bran. After 
snow comes, we allow the manure to accumulate in 
the cellar until we get good sleighing, when we haul 
it to the farthest fields where we are to have corn 
the next season, and put it in piles of 50 to 75 loads 
on the highest ground of the piece. This is broad¬ 
casted just after plowing, or if the land is fall plowed, 
just before the first harrowing. 
We like a heavy coat of stable manure for corn 
with a little fertilizer in the hill or drill. The next 
year, potatoes without stable manure, but with 2,000 
pounds per acre of commercial fertilizer. As soon as 
the potatoes are dug, we seed down and allow it to 
remain so as long as we can get a good crop. If 
Timothy land is not pastured, or the second crop cut, 
it will almost reseed itself every year, and keep in 
condition much longer than where pastured. Pastur¬ 
ing meadow lands is a common practice with many 
farmers, but it is expensive. 
It was formerly the custom in this section to haul 
out manure in winter in small piles and spread in 
spring, on account of the supposed washing, but this 
practice is dying out. If we could have things just as 
we wish, we should use all our manure finely broad¬ 
casted on Timothy grass land, as Timothy hay here 
will pay better than almost any other style of farm¬ 
ing. First-class unbaled Timothy will always sell 
and at a good price, to the townspeople who keep a 
horse for pleasure or business purposes. 
Connecticut. h. g. Manchester. 
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‘ Good Grass Crop” in Delaware. 
J. N., Newark, Del .—Owing to the past two seasons being ex¬ 
cessively dry, our grass is badly run out in this section, and I 
would like to know, from experience if possible, whether either 
of these two methods is likely to be scccessful in securing a stand 
of grass that will last three years: 1. Pulverize the corn stubble 
with a spading or Cutaway harrow to a depth of three inches, 
seed to rye or wheat with Timothy not later than October 10, and 
sow clover in the spring? 2. After harvest, plow a field which 
has been in grass four years, mixed Timothy and clover, mostly 
Timothy, seed to rye or wheat with Timothy, and sow clover in 
the spring ? It is possible to get a crop of Timothy for one year 
by plowing and seeding to Timothy alone, but it is not a success 
for more than one crop. Our land is what you would probably 
call a medium loam. 
Ans. —The two methods of preparation of the land 
for seeding as given by J. N. are both good, but he 
says nothing about the application of manure or fer¬ 
tilizers, which is very important in order to secure a 
good stand of grass. The application of from 100 to 
200 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda to grass lands 
early in the spring will prove of great benefit, and will 
amply repay the expense in the increased yield of 
grass. To secure a stand of grass for three years as 
J. N. desires, he must give the land a liberal top¬ 
dressing of manure or fertilizer each season. In some 
sections, an application of acid phosphate proves 
valuable, while in other localities, ground bone gives 
the best satisfaction. One of the principal reasons 
that grass runs out so soon is, I believe, the treat¬ 
ment which it receives after seeding. In Delaware, 
as well as in many other localities, the grass land 
seldom receives any manure or fertilizers after it has 
been seeded. The farmers seem to think that it needs 
none until it is again plowed for some other crop. 
This is a very great mistake, as grass land will most 
readily respond to liberal applications of manures by 
greatly increased yields. You might as well expect a 
steam engine to run a thrashing machine the entire 
season by once filling the fire-box with fuel after 
steam has been generated. The recent articles in 
The R. N.-Y. show very plainly what can be done by 
liberally feeding the land devoted to grass. The soil 
must be fed, or else the stand of grass will, of neces¬ 
sity, become poorer each year ; but by the application 
of manures, it can, at least, be continued in its normal 
condition. The pasturing of meadow lands during 
the late summer and early fall is very commonly 
practiced, and is one of the worst things for the stand 
of grass. More meadows are ruined by this means 
than by any other. m. h. b. 
Sugar Beets; Homemade Syrup, 
C. S., Defiance, 0. —What kind of soil is best for raising the 
sugar beet ? How is the juice extracted ? Can it be ground to a 
pulp and pressed on a cider press, or are the beets first steamed ? 
Will Ohio-grown beets make syrup ? 
ANSWERED BY L. A. CLINTON. 
The best soil for the growth of sugar beets is loose, 
open and porous. A sandy loam is preferable, be¬ 
cause the beets grown on such a soil have a larger 
percentage of sugar. Though a larger yield of beets 
might be obtained from mucky, peaty ground, the 
percentage of sugar would be so reduced as to render 
its manufacture unprofitable. If the sugar content 
fall below 12 per cent, then the roots cannot be 
worked with profit. The soil should be made fertile 
by means of phosphates and potash. If stable 
manure be used, it should be put on the land and 
plowed under the previous fall. An excess of nitro¬ 
gen in the soil will cause excessive growth of top, 
and will delay the ripening process in the fall. A 
clay soil is not adapted to the growth of beets, and if 
the sandy loam is underlaid with a hard, compact 
subsoil, this should be broken up by means of the 
subsoil plow. 
The seed must be planted early, and may safely be 
put in the ground before corn is planted. The rows 
should be, at least, 20 inches apart, so that culture 
can be done with a horse. The best seed is at the 
present time imported from France or Germany. 
The manufacture of beet sugar is a very costly 
operation, requiring a large outlay for machinery and 
buildings, and then expert operatives must be secured. 
There are two principal methods of extracting the 
juices from the beet. First, by the grinding of the 
beet to a pulp, and then by means of hydraulic pres¬ 
sure or centrifugal force, the juice is separated from 
the solids. The second method is by the diffusion pro¬ 
cess. In this case, the beets are sliced and put in 
pans, and water is allowed to flow over them from 
the higher pan to the lower. The principle on which 
this method of extraction works is that two liquids 
of different density separated by a membrane will 
pass through the membrane until the liquid is of the 
same density on both sides. By repeating this pro¬ 
cess, the sugar contained in the beet may be almost 
entirely removed. If now the juice extracted from 
the beet were simply a solution of sugar, the problem 
would be an easy one, and the sugar trust would soon 
go to pieces ; but the difficult part has just com¬ 
menced. There are mixed with this juice various 
gums, acids, nitrogenous matters and salts. These 
are combined very closely, and are removed only by 
intricate chemical operations. It is first treated with 
lime and carbonic acid, and then filtered through 
animal charcoal. You can grind your beets and press 
them with a cider press, but the product obtained will 
not be worth your trouble. You would get an acrid 
juice that could be made valuable only by a most 
costly and intricate process. 
“ Worms ” That Ruin Quinces. 
G. F. P., Milford, Conn. —How can quinces be grown so that 
they will be free from worms ? We usually have something over 
100 bushels of this fruit every year, but notwithstanding the fact 
that we cultivate, fertilize and spray, the fruit has always been 
seriously injured by knots and worms. Spraying, undoubtedly, 
is of great benefit to apples, for the egg of the Codling moth seems 
to be laid in the blossom end of the apple, while it is quite small, 
just where the poison will reach it; but in the quince, the eggs 
seem to be laid all over the fruit after it is half grown; at any 
rate, the fruit remains fair and smooth till about September 1. I 
can think of no remedy that promises to be effective except that 
recommended by Downing for destroying the moth of the apple 
worm or Codling moth, namely, building small bonfires among 
the trees in the evening during the early part of June. I should 
think that a lantern set over a tub of water would be less trouble 
and, perhaps, destroy as many moths as a fire. Quinces are often 
seen in the markets that are fair and free from worms, but they 
are, probably, grown in localities where the insects are not 
troublesome. 
ANSWERED BY M. Y. SLINGERLAND. 
Before we can definitely discuss the question of how 
to grow quinces free from worms, it will be neces¬ 
sary first to determine j ust what insect is meant by 
“ worm.” I do not know that the Codling moth of 
the apple ever attacks the quince. The Plum curculio, 
I am quite sure, often attacks the quince, but I think 
that most of the “ wormy ” quinces are due to the 
grub of the Quince curculio (Conotrachelus cratsegi). 
This curculio is a broad-shouldered snout-beetle, 
looking very much like, but larger than, the Plum 
curculio, and it has a longer snout. It is an indige- 
Bqrs insect, having its original home in the wild 
