4o6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 20, 
Where three are working you can see to the planting 
of a tree while the other man digs the next hole, 
each man digging and filling alternately, which makes 
a change, and therefore a rest for the men. In this way 
three men plant from 80 to 100 trees daily, according 
to condition of soil and ability of men. l. l. 
Middleport, N. Y. 
Success With a Cultivated Orchard. 
Six years ago I set out a combination apple and peach 
orchard of two acres on northern slope. Baldwin 
apples were used exclusively, set 40 feet apart, with 
Champion, Elberta, Globe, Crawford and Mountain 
Rose peaches between, making distance from tree to 
tree 20 feet each way. I would not care to set closer. 
Orchard has been thoroughly fertilized and cultivated, 
onions, root crops and some corn raised in it each sea¬ 
son. The apple trees are very thrifty and bore several 
bushels last Fall. Most of the peach trees are in fine 
shape and have given two heavy crops of superb fruit. 
All of the varieties named have done exceedingly well. 
Three years ago I set three acres on same plan adjoining 
this little orchard, but have not cultivated, though liberal 
fertilizing was given. Result, a dismal failure of this 
second effort. Baldwin apples always find a market 
here, even when other varieties go begging. 
Bristol, Conn. w. H. m. 
INFORMATION ABOUT " NITRO-CULTURE 
I want to try nitro-culture on a succession of garden peas, 
but do not wish to spend the money necessary for a half 
acre on a 50-foot row every two or three weeks. Is it feasi¬ 
ble to divide the cotton and food material into as many 
equal parts as I have successions and only add to water as 
needed? I note on page 223 of The R. N.-Y. that package 
No. 2 is “not to be opened until needed.” Would it keep if 
sealed up ? J. f. d. 
Lynn, Mass. 
The following reply is written by an experienced 
bacteriologist: 
It would be much better to purchase all the seed he 
wishes to use during the Spring planting season and 
inoculate it all at once. This can be allowed to dry as 
rapidly as possible in a warm, dry room away from 
direct sunlight and without heating. As soon as the 
seed is dry it can be sacked up and placed in a cool, dry 
room to be used as needed. If the culture is properly 
prepared it should be quite cloudy when dipped up in 
a glass tumbler and held to the light. When this cloudy 
condition is reached each drop of the culture contains 
thousands of the organisms. When your correspondent 
moistens his peas with the culture and allows it to dry 
on he surrounds each one with a film, containing hun¬ 
dreds or even thousands of the dried nitrogen-fixing or¬ 
ganisms. These organisms in the dried state will remain 
dormant and retain their vitality for weeks, much the 
same as the yeast cake. I do not know how long the 
bacteria will retain their vitality in this way, but I am 
confident that it will be much longer than the Spring 
planting season. I am told by the authorities at Wash¬ 
ington they have kept the dried cottons for 18 months 
and still found them active. Like the dried yeast cake, 
probably as the time goes on the proportion of living 
organisms decreases till eventually all are dead. There¬ 
fore, probably, the fresher the culture and the sooner 
the seed is planted after inoculation the better will be 
the results. However, the difference made in six or 
eight weeks with fresh cultures would be so very slight 
that it probably could not be demonstrated. 
The objection to doing as your correspondent sug¬ 
gests is that in opening his cotton so many times, hand¬ 
ling in cutting up, etc., he cannot fail to introduce quan¬ 
tities of mould spores, yeasts, .other bacteria, etc., which 
might cause him considerable trouble with the last lots 
used. If he could avoid contamination it would be per¬ 
fectly possible to do as he suggests. 
MAKING A CEMENT SILO. 
This is my second season’s experience with cement 
silo, and is satisfactory in every respect. From what 
I learn from others having wood silos, cement is far 
superior, and were I to build a dozen silos I would build 
cement. My silo is built at end of base barn. I commenced 
by digging pit two feet more in diameter than inside 
diameter of silo (which is 14 feet) and four feet deeper 
than bottom of feeding floor, tramping the earth firmly, 
two-foot strip running around outside of bottom, put¬ 
ting in concrete 18 inches and six inches thick around 
outside of bottom of pit. 
In Fig. 167 is shown one end of inside form of silo. 
The pieces marked “board” are 18 inches long and 1(4 
thick, to the edges of which upright pieces one inch 
thick, four inches wide and 2(4 feet long are nailed, 
commencing one inch back from the opening, so that 
a key one by six inches can be used between the two 
halves of form. This form is 12 inches less in diameter 
than outside form. Fig. 169 shows outside form. The 
hoops are 3-16 x 2(4 inches, riveted to pieces 1x3 
(planed) 2(4 feet long, using one rivet four inches from 
end of pieces. Lugs and bolts are at ends of hoops. 
Place inside form on concrete with the halves ex¬ 
tended by one by six inch key. Fill space between in¬ 
side form and earth with concrete, well firmed by tamp¬ 
ing as it is being put in. When concrete is well set 
(about 14 hours) take out keys, raise form two feet, 
fill as before to top of ground. After setting raise form 
as before. On the side silage is to be taken out put in 
door frame. The doors are placed in perpendicular line 
about three feet space between. Then put outside 
form which was adjusted so as to leave a six-inch space; 
fill four inches concrete. Then lay number eight wire 
one inch from outside, ends going through door frame 
and clinching as before, putting three wires in the two- 
foot fill, equal distance apart. The outside form was 
six inches higher than the inside form. The fill was 
made level with the inside. At the next raise the forms 
come even. The raising and filling are made once a da}', 
giving sufficient time for the concrete to harden. The 
wires occupy the spaces between doors, the ends of 
which are well overlapped, until we reach the height 
of 36 feet. The method of raising forms and elevating 
concrete is by rope and pulley, attached to pole, one end 
CARRYING FATHER'S DINNER. Fig. 168. 
of which rests on barn roof and the other end in a fork 
made by fastening two poles together near their upper 
ends and extending somewhat above the desired height. 
The inside form is used as a scaffold to work from. In 
making concrete I take one of cement to six of gravel, 
using just water enough so as to pack or firm well. 
The inside of silo is finished by putting on a coat, com¬ 
posed of one part cement to two parts of fine sand, 
using form for scaffold by lowering. After finishing 
the sides the whole bottom is firmed, putting about 
eight inches of concrete and finishing as were the sides, 
making sure that no water can enter. The doors are 
2x2 feet. Frames are made 2x6 for sides, and 2x8 
for top and bottom, cut to the circle of silo, all beveled 
on the inside so as to receive door made to fit opening. 
Doors are made of 1 x 4, matched, nailed to curved edges 
of two pieces of 2x4, cut to circle of silo. The 2x4 
are just long enough to clear the inside of frame and 
the four-inch stuff projects far enough at ends and sides 
to allow bevel to be made to fit bevel in frame. Bolts 
nine inches by three-eighths are inserted through door 
near each end of 2 x 4 cross pieces. When these doors 
are in place the bolts are to go through 2x4, cut just 
long enough to take in frame on outside. Before put¬ 
ting door in place put narrow strips of tar paper around 
beveled edges, and after door is in place put sufficient 
tar paper to cover inside of door, lapping well on con¬ 
crete (three or four inches). These doors are not to 
be put in place till needed in filling silo. J. c. 
Michigan. _ 
A NEW APPLE FROM KENTUCKY. 
Fall Beauty is a new apple originating in Kentucky, 
which is illustrated and described in Bulletin No. 116 
of the Kentucky Experiment Station. Figs. 165 and 166 
are reproduced from this Bulletin. The apple, which 
originated with O. Piper, Hickman Co., Ky., is described 
as ripening about September 22. Color, deep purplish 
red, sometimes completely so, again only or largely on 
the exposed side; striped with deeper purple and pale 
waxen yellow, when fully ripe, with ochre-yellow; the 
stripes contracting and extending into the cavity at the 
calyx end. Marked with evident ochre-yellow dots, these 
becoming especially conspicuous where the purplish red 
is deepest. Region about the calyx end sometimes ex¬ 
tensively waxen yellow. Sometimes a half or more of 
an apple is yellow with little trace of stripes. When 
immature there is more purple and less red in the color¬ 
ing. Flesh white at first, becoming creamy when thor¬ 
oughly ripe. Flavor not striking, but pleasant; sub¬ 
acid. Skin rather tough, thus calculated to protect it 
from insect and fungus injury, and to render it a good 
shipper. While it is adapted only for Fall use, it ripens 
at a time when few apples as good are in a condition 
for the table, the early ones being long gone and the 
late ones not yet sufficiently ripe. It keeps very well, 
becoming finally in October mellow and agreeable as an 
eating apple. It cooks w r ell before this final change, 
making good sauce, but proving especially acceptable 
when baked. According to Mr. Piper the growth and 
foliage of his trees resemble those of the Rome Beauty. 
In bearing, he says, it is as regular as Rome Beauty or 
Ben Davis. The history of this variety is somewhat 
uncertain and obscure. The original tree sprang up in 
a thicket on the place of R. H. Emerson, at Clinton, Ky., 
and stood about 50 yards from an orchard. Grafts were 
made from it about 20 years ago by J. M. Samuels, then 
engaged in the nursery business at Clinton. Mr. Piper’s 
trees came from these grafts, and he has recently made 
numerous grafts of his own. The original tree has 
been destroyed unfortunately, so that it is impossible 
now to get information concerning it except at second 
hand. Prof. PI. Garman’s action in carefully describing 
and illustrating this new apple in a station bulletin 
seems to us a commendable plan. As he says, nursery¬ 
men and fruit growers ought to have some recognized 
place for registering their new fruits. 
COTTON-SEED MEAL FOR COWS. 
Would it lie injurious to feed one quart of cotton-seed 
meal night and morning to cows calving in early Fall? M.v 
cows on first turning to pasture are affected with scours. 
My neighbors tell me feeding cotton-seed meal heavily will 
cause my cows to lose their calves. I have fed about a 
quart a day all Winter, and as it is not a relaxing feed do 
not see why it should hurt the cows. h. b. w. 
Ariel, Ta. 
A quart of cotton-seed meal weighs 1(4 pound. I see 
no reason why that amount should prove injurious to 
your cows and should have no fear of their losing their 
calves from that cause. Many of our cows are getting 
more than this amount daily. We do not like to feed 
over three pounds per cow daily, and prefer it mixed 
with some wheat feed. The cotton seed will help your 
cows some when turned out to pasture, but you can 
avoid scours by making the change from barn feed to 
pasturage a little more slowly. Let them out two or 
three hours the first day, half a day the second and for 
the whole day after this, keeping up the same barn feed 
and dropping this off gradually. It is the sudden vio¬ 
lent change that causes the trouble you mention. Of 
course their bowels will be a little looser on pasturage, 
but this is beneficial rather than an injury. Every Spring 
I know of farmers who have trouble with the milk hav- 
ig a strong grassy odor. They wait until pasturage gets 
strong and rank, turn the cows in until they gorge 
themselves with their new feed and that night the milk 
is off. You can even smell the breath of the cows. 
H. G. MANCHESTER. 
TO CLEAN SMOKY GLASS.—The glass of our green¬ 
houses is black, and it Is only by repeated washings we keep 
it fairly clean. For this purpose we use a solution of hydro¬ 
fluoric acid. First wet the glass, then with a wide soft 
brush wipe it. over with the solution, and immediately wash 
it off with clean water. The acid cuts and unfastens the 
dirt on the glass. But all plants must be removed for the 
time being from under the glass, as every drip of the solu¬ 
tion on the leaves means a spot. This saves an immense 
amount of rubbing. Don’t be'afraid of it; we have been 
using this for years. But don't use it too strong; dilute it 
with water. We have tried many other things—oxalic acid, 
muriatic acid, etc., but found nothing as good as the hydro¬ 
fluoric. The deposit of soot here, in Pittsburg, Pa., is per¬ 
sistent ; it is falling every day in the year; and this is why 
our commercial florists have been driven to the suburbs and 
outside towns,—W, Falconer, in The London Garden. 
