3i4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 15, 
affects the germination and growth of plants. In the 
Spring, when corn is coming up, the rows are seen 
sooner on the low and dark places in the field. Many 
suppose that this result is due to the greater richness 
of the low ground, but abundance of plant food has but 
JERSEY RED PIGS. Fig. 128. 
a slight effect at this stage of growth. The higher 
temperature is the cause. Organic matter increases the 
storage capacity for water in a soil and it prevents rapid 
evaporation, hence its value in maintaining the supply 
of moisture during a dry period. It is estimated that 
an application of eight tons of manure per acre will 
increase the water capacity of the surface soil one-half 
per cent. 
Soil moisture on well-drained soils moves by forming 
thin films around each particle, these particles forming 
a chain by which the moisture passes to the surface, 
where it is evaporated. When the soil is kept loose hy 
abundance of humus and cultivation fewer of these 
chains can form, and the water is retained in the soil to 
a greater extent. Every soil should contain enough 
organic matter to prevent its “running together.’’ I 
once plowed a field of hard clay land on a farm that had 
been abused hy tenant farmers. Manure was never 
hauled out until it had to be, and no green crops were 
plowed under. An old straw stack had stood and rotted 
down in this field. The effect was that the soil here 
turned up mellow, loose and black, while the rest of 
the field was hard and dry. Organic matter, manure, 
cements the soil particles together and holds them so 
firmly in this granular condition that they are not easily 
broken down by rains, and the air enters the soil more 
freely. On rolling land there is always more or less 
washing, the amount of which depends upon the per 
cent of slope, nature of storm, porosity of soil, etc. A 
sandy soil will wash the least of all, since the particles 
are larger, and it rapidly soaks up a rain. By thor¬ 
oughly incorporating a heavy washing soil with organic 
matter the small particles will be cemented into larger 
granules, which are not easily carried by water, and 
which will make the soil more open. A foot of loose 
soil will absorb a two-inch rainfall. The part that 
humus plays cannot he over-estimated. It is often all 
that is necessary to restore a worthless soil to produc¬ 
tiveness. The farm manure does not furnish enough, 
and here comes in the necessity for green manuring. 
A. B. R. 
JAPANESE MILLET IN CONNECTICUT. 
A Catch Crop for Warm Soil. 
June 5, 1903, I sowed one acre of Japanese millet on heavy 
soil manured with 12 loads of good stable manure. Being 
a wet season, the millet only got up about six inches high, 
and looked yellow and rather sickly, as though it had con¬ 
sumption ; it was so poor I did nothing with it. On June 
28, 1904, I sowed on this piece one bushel of Silver-hull 
buckwheat after thorough plowing and harrowing. On a 
part of it I got a fine stand of millet about three feet 
high and very thick. If I could have a piece.of millet as 
good as that grown in the buf-kwheat I would raise it every 
year. Can some one tell me more about raising millet? My 
land is high up and naturally wet and heavy soil. Would 
it grow if sown late in Fall? D - s - 
Warren, Conn. 
The cause for the failure of your millet crop in 1903 
would be difficult to state. It might be due to several 
reasons. The season being wet and cold was unfavor¬ 
able for millet. While the 12 loads of stable manure 
which were applied should have produced beneficial re¬ 
sults, yet the wet, cold season was probably what 
caused the trouble. In 1904 the season was more favor¬ 
able and enough millet seed was in the ground to re¬ 
seed the piece. The stable manure which was applied 
the Summer before had been thoroughly decomposed, 
and the elements of fertility which it contained were 
available for the millet crop the second season to a 
larger degree than they were the first season. The 
millet crop should be looked upon somewhat in the 
nature of a catch crop. It thrives best on warm soil, 
and while it needs considerable moisture, yet it does 
not thrive on a wet soil. A very common plan in 
seeding to millet is to harvest the hay crop in June, 
then plow the land at once, give a top-dressing of stable 
manure, and sow millet seed at the rate of about three 
pecks per acre. The seed should be harrowed in 
lightly with a spring-toothed or smoothing harrow, and 
if the season is a dry one at the time of seeding, the 
roller should be used after the millet is sown. At 
this time of the year it is also a good plan to use the 
roller before seeding to compact the soil and establish 
capillary action. It would not he advisable to sow mil¬ 
let seed in the Fall, but it is a crop which can be used 
to best advantage after an early Summer crop has been 
removed from the soil. It comes in very well after rye 
or oats have been cut early for hay. If the seeding can 
be done in June then the Japanese millet will come to 
maturity in the usual season. If for any reason the 
millet seed cannot be sown until the middle of July, 
then some of the quicker-growing varieties, as Hun¬ 
garian or common millet should be used. Where millet 
is grown for hay it should always be harvested before 
the seeds become hard if the best quality of hay is to 
be secured. Many have experienced unsatisfactory re¬ 
sults in feeding millet hay, but these results can most 
always he traced to permitting the seed to develop be¬ 
fore the crop is harvested. L. A. Clinton. 
Storrs, Conn., Exp. Station. 
COLOR IN SOD GROWN FRUIT. 
Effect of Sun on Surface Roots. 
It was very interesting to read the difference in opin¬ 
ion about the influence of stock on crafts. I do not be¬ 
lieve the stock has any influence on the graft, but believe 
the coloring and flavor of all apples lies in the root sys¬ 
tem, and the kind and condition of the soil in which 
they grow. I have two Northern Spy trees grafted on 
the same stock, and not growing over 150 feet apart in 
same kind of soil. One of them stands in a lawn which 
is kept closely mown all Summer. On this tree the 
apples are very highly colored and of the finest flavor, 
and in beauty excel any Ben Davis that I have ever seen. 
The other tree stands next a woodhouse, and its root 
system is entirely covered up- with this house and wood 
pile adjoining. The apples on this tree scarcely ever 
have any coloring at all, and consequently have a very 
poor flavor; a person not familiar with varieties, in eat¬ 
ing the two apples, would say that they were two dif¬ 
ferent kinds. I have also seen Baldwin apples grown 
under the former conditions that were nearly as deep 
red as a Spitzenburg and of high flavor. Among a lot 
BAGGING WHEAT IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Fig. 129. 
of Newtowns that I bought for export last Fall were 
some that grew on a rich gravelly hill with a good air 
drainage. These were almost as yellow as gold, and 
of the highest flavor; another lot grew on flat clay soil 
and were more like Greenings than Newtowns, with a 
very poor flavor. This man might have grown some 
varieties suitable to his soil, but he might better let the 
other man grow the Newtowns, and I believe that the 
sooner orchardists all over the country find the varieties 
that grow to perfection in their localities and soil, and 
grow only those varieties, not trying to grow everything 
the nurserymen catalogue, the better it will be for both 
producer and consumer, and then there would be fewer 
worthless apples on the markets. 
I believe the coloring and high flavor of an apple comes 
from the action of the sun on the fruit itself and the 
feeding root system of the tree, more particularly the 
latter, as in case of the Spy tree growing in the lawn 
or sod. The feed roots are nearly to the surface of 
the ground and exposed to the action of the sun’s rays, 
while with the other tree the conditions were the reverse. 
This is why I believe apples are not so highly colored 
in cultivated orchards, as in plowing and cultivating the 
feeding root system next the surface is cut off, and the 
sun’s actions on the roots lost. An instance along this 
line happened on my farm some years ago. I had three 
Northern Spy trees grafted over to Lady Sweet grow¬ 
ing in sod that produced large, handsome apples almost 
entirely covered with a beautiful red, and a plate of 
them sitting on the table would fill the whole room 
with their aroma. I took it in my head to plow this 
plot, and plowed it quite deep; applied 1,000 pounds 
potash to the acre and planted to corn. The result was 
a rank and dense growth of corn that completely covered 
the ground. These three trees bore a full crop of apples 
of good size, but I could not get a trace of red on them, 
and I left them on the trees till fully half dropped off, 
and all had a very poor flavor. I seeded down the fol¬ 
lowing Spring, and the next year the same trees bore 
fruit that was highly colored and flavored. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. s. s. drumm. 
WHEAT HARVEST IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA 
The dry, sunny weather generally experienced 
throughout South Australia at harvest time, enables us 
to harvest the wheat direct from the standing crop in 
the wheat paddock into the wheat heap, or clean it 
by means of a more complete machine and fill straight 
into bags, as in Fig. 129, ready for rail carriage to the 
nearest port of shipment. The introduction of the Rid¬ 
ley stripper with improvements made during the past 
50 years has meant a great deal to the wheat-growing 
farmers of this State. Occasionally the weather con¬ 
ditions do not hold good, and rain during harvest time 
seriously interferes with our operations. Such to an 
unusual degree occurred during the harvest of 1903-4. 
My wheat paddocks became very sticky, and a fairly 
good crop became lodged and tangled so that we could 
work the strippers one way only of the crop. We had 
in the case of one paddock to go up empty and strip 
coming down. Being delayed, with the danger of 
loss if further rain fell, my neighbors very kindly gave 
me a surprise by arranging a “bee” quite unknown to 
me, and about 10 machines with teams and drivers came 
ip to help for four days. Some were unable to stop 
more than two days. The accompanying picture, Fig. 
130, I photographed on the last day, when only a little 
strip to the right remained unreaped. Among the ma¬ 
chines are two combined harvesters that I had used 
for the first time that season. fred. coleman. 
South Australia._ 
THE BEST WATER TANK. 
Being interested in the questions of Z. C. B. about 
tanks, I am pleased to give you our experience in the 
line. There are in general use wooden, galvanized 
steel and metal-lined tanks. The iron and galvanized 
steel have one common objection—the rust—which is 
not desirable for drinking or washing clothes. The 
galvanized tanks become rusty in a year or two, and are 
ready to throw, away in about six years. The tinned 
copper and lead-lined tanks are very good in attics 
where they are usually used. They will last indefinitely, 
and the only objection is they “sweat” in Summer and 
dampen the wood around them. Cypress, cedar and 
pine are the woods used for tanks, and are durable in 
the order given. Pine and cedar have more or less 
knots and sappy spots, and impart more taste to the 
water for a longer period than cypress. Good cypress 
tanks are clear, seasoned stuff. After a week or two 
they will not flavor the water, and at no time badly. 
When possible put tanks in buildings and cover tank 
tightly. For outdoors, hy all means get a cypress 
tank and galvanized hoops. Two-inch is better and 
costs more than IJ^-inch. Metal tanks, of course, freeze 
much more than wooden. We have taken out both 
pine and galvanized, and replaced them by cypress 
tanks, but have not yet seen the finish of a cypress 
one. o. v. 
Peconic, N. Y. _ 
A BUNCH OF JERSEY REDS.—Fig. 128 above 
shows a group of Jersey Red pigs on the farm of Ar¬ 
thur J. Collins, Moorestown, N. J. Many farmers have 
found this breed profitable, with a decided faculty for 
turning swill, grain and pasture into first-class pork. 
AVENUE OF NORWAY MAPLE.—Fig. 131 shows 
the value of shade trees. It is a row of Norway maple 
in our own village, New Carlisle, planted 15 years ago 
upon one of the principal streets. It has no equal as 
a shade tree, but is not a rapid grower, yet it is one 
of the things that is worth waiting for. This street is 
the admiration of all who see it, and real estate is fully 
25 per cent higher than any other part of the village. 
Its great beauty has attracted the best and wealthiest 
citizens, and no doubt the trees have played no little 
part in enhancing the value of real estate on the street. 
Ohio. W. N. SCARFF. 
CUCUMBERS ON A TRELLIS. Fig. 132 shows 
some English forcing cucumbers grown outside on a 
trellis by Henry Field, Page Co., Iowa. The long 
fruits are unfamiliar to many, and give an unusual ap¬ 
pearance to the plant. The seed should be planted in¬ 
doors, and set out after danger of frost is over. If 
left to sprawl upon the ground the fruits are apt to be 
misshapen, curving into odd contortions. Any of our 
cucumbers may be grown to advantage upon a trellis. 
WHEAT HARVEST IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Fig. 130. 
the ordinary White Spine doing well and producing 
very smoo.th and shapely fruits under such conditions. 
The Japanese Climbing cucumber, sold by seedsmen for 
trellis culture, is a variety of excellent table quality, 
and a prolific cropper. The fruit is much more “spiny” 
than White Spine. 
