THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February is. 
118 
Peat, Straw and Sawdust for Bedding. and water should also be divided in four 
It. N. S., East Norton, Mass .—What is the equal portions in deep earthenware or 
value of peat for bedding? It costs me at glass vessels, placed at equal distances 
the farm in bales about $20 per ton, about , . 
rn „ „„ , . T . or about 40 feet apart on the ground in 
91.50 a month for each horse. I use box * 6 
stalls. Good rye straw is worth $20. Does wa ^ your house. I he packets of 
the plant food contained in the peat, its value cyanide may be hung over the jars con- 
as humus and the amount of liquids absorbed, tabling the acid and water, with cord, in 
such a manner that they can be lowered 
at the same time from the outside when 
the house is closed. It is probably quite 
safe for a careful individual to drop the 
. „ , A . , , . cyanide in the acid jars by hand in a 
to handle, better for absorbing . f . , , . 
, c ” house of that length, provided he goes 
which might otherwise be lost, warrant me 
in paying $20 a ton for it? Its use also 
saves considerable labor. 
Ans.— At the same price we should use 
the peat in preference to the straw. It is 
easier 
liquids, contains more plant food, and, we 
think, will decay more rapidly in the soil. 
Prof. Lindsay, of Massachusetts, quotes 
this information from a Canadian bulletin: 
“The first public mention of the usefulness 
of moss litter as a deodorizer and absorbent 
seems to have been made by Dr. Ludwig 
Ilappe, of Braunschweig, in December, 1880, 
since which time its application for the pur¬ 
pose has gradually increased until now, when 
the system lias been introduced into several 
towns in Germany, and 4s also practiced in 
Congleton, Cheshire, England. In Canada 
to the jar at the farthest end from the 
door, drops a packet quickly, walks rapidly 
to the next, dropping a packet of cyanide 
there, and so on, to the one nearest to 
the door, then going quickly outside, clos¬ 
ing the door at once. On no account 
should he stop for an instant, or even take 
a full breath while doing this, as the gas is 
exceedingly dangerous to human life when 
inhaled. Hydrocyanic gas fumigation in 
greenhouses should only be conducted at 
Did you ever see 5 straight or circular rows of 
Pansies side by side, each a different color? If so, 
you know that the effect is charming. Did you ever 
see Childs’ Giant Pansies, marvels in beauty and 
true to color? If not, you have not seen the best. 
As a Trial Offer we will for lO cts. mail & 
this method of deodorizing human refuse has „i g ht, when the temperature is not above 
been In use for years at Caledonia Springs. 
It, of course, at once recalls the dry earth 
system, regarding which great expectations 
were at one time entertained. The advantages 
of moss litter over dry earth for the purpose 
in question are, however, very decided. They 
consist in the perfect inoffensiveness of the 
moss litter product, in the fact that one 
part of moss litter will deodorize and dry 
at leasl Six parts of mixed excreta, and in the 
greater agricultural value of the resulting 
manure." The said bulletin gives quite a 
number of analyses of peat moss taken from 
different muck beds in Canada. It appears 
when dry to contain about 12 to 15 per cent 
of water, iy 2 per cent of ash, and from 1 to 
2 per cent of nitrogen. The percentages of 
potash and phosphoric acid are not given. At 
the experiment station we use sawdust for 
bedding purposes, not because it is ideal, but 
because it is easily obtainable. It is clean 
and absorbs fairly well. 
Rye straw contains on the average eight 
pounds of nitrogen, 15 of potash and five 
of phosphoric acid to the ton, and is slow 
to decay. As to sawdust. Dr. W. H. 
65 degrees. The gas at this strength may 
be safely left in until morning and the 
house thoroughly aired before anyone 
goes in; or if this is not possible the 
house may be aired after an exposure of 
30 minutes or more, opening doors or 
ventilators from the outside, taking care 
that there is thorough and prolonged 
ventilation before anyone is allowed to 
enter the house. It will probably be nec¬ 
essary to repeat such fumigation two or 
three times in succession on alternate 
nights to rid the house of the pest you 
mention. The mealy bug is best held 
in check by forcible syringing with cold 
water. If you have good pressure from 
the hose and can forcibly spray your 
plants daily, you should not have much 
trouble with this pest. The next best 
remedy is frequent spraying with common 
laundry soap solution, one pound to 8 
gallons of water. This should be put on 
with as much force as possible, and may 
be repeated every week without harm to 
Jordan, of the Geneva Experiment Station, the plants if the foliage is occasionally 
cleaned by syringing with pure water. 
IDEAL MACHINES 
THEY ARE DEERING 
OF COURSE! 
makes the following statement: 
The composition of sawdust will vary 
greatly with the species of tree from which 
it came. The following are some of the per¬ 
centages of phosphoric acid and potash con¬ 
tained in different woods in the air-dried 
condition. The amount of nitrogen is not 
worth considering: 
Phosphoric acid Potash 
Chestnut .011 .029 
Oak, red .06 .14 
Oak, white.025 .106 
Georgia pine .012 .05 
Yellow pine .01 .045 
Old field pine .007 .008 
In general old growth wood contains a less 
percentage of ash than wood of young trees. 
It is to be remembered, of course, that the 
ash constituents of sawdust are not very 
readily available, because the wood decom¬ 
poses slowly and plants do not quickly get 
at the food which the sawdust contains. 
Cyanide in a Greenhouse. 
M. L. B., Don{/oIa. III .—Would you tell me 
the amount of cyanide of potassium and sul¬ 
phuric acid required to fumigate a greenhouse 
20 x 160 feet, north wall five feet high, south 
wall three feet,..apd ridge pole 10 feet? It 
contains a mixed collection of plants. I have 
a formula for fumigating nursery stock, which 
calls for one ounce cyanide of potash to each 
100 cubic feet of space. If required in like 
quantity for a greenhouse it seems to me 
rather expensive. I have a great deal of 
trouble with the mealy bug. What do you 
consider the best remedy for it? I have used 
tobacco smoke, tobacco dust, kerosene emul¬ 
sion, etc., with very little effect. 
Ans.— Your greenhouse would enclose 
approximately 25,000 cubic feet of air 
space. It is not safe to use cyanide of 
potash for fumigation in greater quantity 
for mixed greenhouse plants than one 
ounce for each 2,000 cubic feet of space. 
To use one ounce to each 100 cubic feet 
of space as nurserymen do for tree fumi¬ 
gation would probably kill all the insects 
in your house, but would quite surely kill 
every growing plant. We would there¬ 
fore recommend not over 12 ounces of 
cyanide of potassium and 16 ounces each 
sulphuric acid and water, the acid and 
water to be slowly and carefully mixed 
together in a strong earthen vessel. The 
12 ounces of cyanide should be divided 
into four portions of three ounces each, 
each portion securely wrapped in news¬ 
papers and tied with twine in a compact 
packet. The 32 ounces of mixed acid 
The Deering annual, just off the press, is perhaps 
the most artistic annual of the famous Ideal line 
that has ever appeared. On each page are repro¬ 
duced illustrations from the pen of a talented artist, 
depicting harvesting scenes throughout the world. 
j ' 
I 
Wj . : 
1: f iff i 
r/,- ’ m... JV* ' I: 
Size of annual, 1% x 9% inches. 
Excellent half-tone reproductions of Deering 
machines, printed in a rich sepia ink, with a lucid, 
well-worded text in red, combine to produce a strik¬ 
ingly handsome effect that cannot fail to interest. 
A copy of the Deering annual may be obtained 
from local Deering agents in every city, village 
and hamlet in the country. 
Red Chief 
Combined Corn 
and 
Pop-Corn Sheller 
( Patented ) 
Best hand sheller 
made. Closed hopper, 
can’t pinch fingers, 
adjusts for any size 
ear. 
SHELLS EVERY GRAIN 
and cracks none. Always throws cob outside the vessel. 
Clamps to barrel, keg or straightedgebox. Pop-corn 
attachment quickly applied, shells perfectly. Small 
extracost. Special farmers' offer and circular free. 
BRINLY-HAROY CO., 253 Main Street, Louisville, Ky. 
Five Pkts. new early floweri ng Carnation Pink* 
for lOcts., Scarlet.White, Pink, Red and Striped— 
or All IS Pkts. for 25 cts. 
Our Catalogue for 1»05-Greaiest Book of 
Flower and Vegetable Seeds, Bulbs, Plants and 
New Fruits. 148 pages, SOOillustrations,many plates 
—will be mailed Free. Scores of Great Novelties. 
JOHN LEWIS CHILDS, Floral Park, N.Y. 
Try the New 
^Majestic Tomato 
The greatest vegetable novelty of the sea- 
son. By all odds the largest, finest flavored 
and most productive in existence. Thou¬ 
sands of our customers who received-small 
trial packages last spring wrote us in the 
L fall that it surpassed all other sorts and 
V produced 100 lbs. to 147 lbs. of fruit to 
^ ie pl a nt. Many reported single toma- 
toes, weighing 3 It s. to 6^ lbs. each. 
Just think what this kind of a crop would 
mean on an acre of ground. The fruits 
are not coarse grained and poor like 
other large sorts, but are smooth,solid, 
have few seeds, and are unsurpassed in 
quality.Of fineshapeand beautiful color. 
Last year the seed sold at 40c per packet 
otlOOseeds, but this season, we have 
reduced price to 15cts, and in ad¬ 
dition to this we are offering 
$100.00 in Cash 
prizes this year for the ’ 
largest tomato grown. * 
i Our large illustrated cat*- ( 
I logue describing the above < 
r and many other choloe novel - ] 
ties will be sent free if you * 
mention tbia paper. ' 
IOWA SEED CO., 
Dos Moines, Iowa. 
wm 
am« 
fir'- 
Corn 
5 
iffW 
JfflL 
I have been growing plump seeds and 
sellingthem on the square. My custom¬ 
ers stick. Nobody else sells my quality of seeds 
at my prices. 1 cent a pkt. and up. Onion seed 
50c per lb. All other seeds equally low. 
A Large Lot of Extra Packages Pre¬ 
sented EPEE with Every Order. 
I want to fill a trial order, large or small, for you. 
You 11 come again. Send your own and neigh¬ 
bor’s name and address for big FREE catalogue 
R. H. SHUHWAY, Rockford, Ills. 
challenge the world to pro¬ 
duce a more prolific, early, big 
eared corn variety than Salzer’a 
Horae Builder, bo named be¬ 
cause 50 acres of this fine corn 
yielded so heavily that its net pro¬ 
ceeds built a beautiful home for the 
lucky possessor. See catalog. 
Here are some of the yields our 
customers had of this corn 
157 bu. per acre. 
By John Flagel, La Porte Co., Ind. 
100 bu. per acre. 
By O. E. Michael, Mont. Co., O. 
106 bn. per acre. 
By Richard Spaeth, Lake Co., Ind. 
198 bn. per acre. 
By J. D. Walker, Hamblem Co., 
Tenn. 
220 bu. per acre. 
By Lawrence Scheistel, Ogemaw 
Co., Mich. 
225 bu. per acre. 
By J. W. Massey, Crockett Co., 
Tenn. 
804 bu. per acre. 
Ray Stearns, Ransom Co., N. D. 
says: “Ripened In 120 days, ft 
Yielded 304 bu. per acre. Next 
year I will grow 400 bu. per acre 
from it.” 
National Oats. 
Enormously prolific. Does well 
everywhere. It won’t let your acre 
produce less than 100 bu. Try it. 
Billion Dollar Grass. 
Most talked of grass la America. 
Would be ashamed of itself if it 
yielded less than 14 tons of splendid 
hay per acre. 
For 10c. In Stamps 
and the name of this paper, wo 
will gladly send you a lot of farm 
seed samples, well worth $10.00 to 
get a start with, together with our 
mammoth 140 page Illustrated 
catalog, describing such novel- 
PfiD CAI C-CRIM80N CLOVER Seed, 15.50 
I yll wNLt bushel; Cow Peas, $1.?j bushel; 
2nd growth Seed Potatoes, $3.00 to $3.50 barrel; Onion 
Sets, $3.00 bushel. JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, 
__ Milford, Delaware. 
Dibble’s Seed Potatoes 
Are Northern grown, vigorous and productive. 
Riant them and double your crops. All the new and 
standard kinds direct from the growers to you. Our 
stock is clean, sound and healthy, and saved from 
fields free from blight or rot. Our prices are lowest, 
our quality the best. Also Seed Corn, Oats, Clover 
and Grass Seeds. Catalog free. 
EDWARD F. DIBBLE, Seedgrower, 
HONEOYE FALLS, N. ¥, 
PLANT 
PAGE’S SEEDS-THEY GROW 
That’s the kind you want no mat¬ 
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you want the kind you can depend 
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•lithograph covers and plates of ■ 
Roses and Nasturtiums describes over 1000 va- 
rieties of Seeds, Plants,Bulbs, Free. Write to-day 
The Page Seed Co., SEEDSMEN, Greene, N. Y. 
REST SEED POTATOES 
** A, G. ALDRIDGE, Fishers, 
SEED SOWERS 
C f\r\ and up. Booklet with Calendar free. 
SEEDER MFG. CO., Box 4, Homer, Mich 
Catalogue of 
. . ___ 70 varieties free 
A. »■ ALDRIDGE, Fishers, Ontario Co., N Y. 
All Kinds 
All Prices 
RELIABLE SEED CORIM 
Good Seed Corn should be above suspicion. 
Richardson’s Reid’s Yellow Dent Boone Co. White 
'1 hese standard varieties have been carefully grown and selected for 
the most critical trade. 
Generous free samples and “Cornology," a free booklet. 
It answers all your questions. 
Teaches how to get big returns from a small investment. 
Prairee State Seed Company 
Peoria, Illinois 
G. M. Richardson 
Manager 
SEED COM THAT GBOWS IS SEED THAT 
Grown Only by the Western Seed Company, Shenandoah, Iowa 
Try our Diamond Joe’s Seeds and see the difference between them and Cheap Seeds, all 
such are dear even as a gift and ruinous to those who plant them. Don’t be fooled. Better he 
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la ^L , i U H t H at0d - C , a , tal0g i 0 ^ a J- 11 tells tells you all about it. It’s Free for the asking It gives 
m!rt e ,mrip d rw^ rlP si 0 rt S t° f ri a Farm ' Garden and Flower Seeds that are worth planting. Every packet 
sold under seal. Send to-day, then you can order and receive seeds in good time for planting. 
Address, WESTERN SEED COMPANY, Shenandoah, Iowa 
Buy only the genuine 
FARQUHAR Keystone 
Corn Planter 
- * 
DON’T BUY ANY OTHER 
Until You Investigate the Merits of a Machine 
That lias Stood the Test of Time, 
Plants corn, beans, peas, etc., without cracking a grain or 
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We manufacture the largest and most complete line of farm 
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Farquliar machinery awarded more Gold Medals at St, 
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A. B. FARQUHAR C0„ Ltd., York, Pa. 
