534 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 15, 
from killing their trees. It occurs to me that perhaps 
painting the lower part of the tree trunk with arsenate 
of lead might be effective in keeping out borers and 
also in preventing Winter injury by mice. I know 
that it is harmless to the tree. If we can apply arsenate 
of lead, say one or two pounds to 10 gallons of water, 
it will cover the bark with a poison which will stick 
on for a long time. I have seen maple and hickory 
trees sprayed with this mixture, though more dilute, 
and it could be seen on the bark for several months, or 
perhaps a year. 
Though white lead and oil has been used on many 
trees without injury, it must be considered a danger¬ 
ous practice, and it should not be applied to trees ex¬ 
cept occasionally to cover large wounds caused by the 
removal of limbs, or breaking of the branches by 
storms, etc. Even then care should be used to keep it 
away from the inner bark or cambium; but to cover 
the bare wood it answers very well, as it keeps out 
moisture, prevents that portion of the tree from drying 
out, and prevents decay. The materials used by Mr. 
Bowen were purchased from a local store, and were 
supposed to be pure articles, at least so far as pure 
materials can be obtained from ordinary dealers. Fig. 
225 gives the appearance of one of these trees as it 
looked on June 9. w. E. britton. 
HOW TO BUILD A SIX-SIDED SILO . 
I am greaty interested in Mr. Manchester’s account of 
octagonal silo, page 455, and would like more of the details 
of putting frame togellier; also explanation of the black 
dots on diagram No. 192, which I do not understand. I 
have felt the need of a silo for several years, as I do nor 
think I get the full value from my large crops of corn when 
ground in corn and cob meal and fed to dairy cows, but the 
high price of patent tub silos has heretofore deterred me 
from purchasing. Mr. Manchester's plan of a cheap home¬ 
made silo looks practicable. Please tell us more about con¬ 
struction, how frame is put together to prevent spreading, 
etc. This will interest many of your readers In this section 
of Orange County, where the silo is seldom seen, but where 
the want of it is becoming a serious drawback to dairying. 
Howells, N. Y. c. a. e. 
The first tiling is the foundation, and this should be 
solid. Dig a ditch around where the wall is to be 
about 18 inches wide, two to three feet deep; fill this in 
solid with stones, ashes, cinders or anything that will 
not be heaved by the frost. Here we dig down to hard- 
pan for the entire surface of the silo and put on this 
two or three inches of cement. Portland is the best, as 
it dries quickly and stays in better shape. For the bot¬ 
tom pieces of the framework we use 6 x 6 sticks. Ours 
are eight feet long, and this gives a silo of about 16 
feet inner diameter. Cut off three inches from end of 
each stick where they lap, so that the bottom pieces of 
framework will be level. Select a level spot near the 
silo, and put this 6 x 6 section together, taking care 
to get it true, as all the rest of the silo depends upon 
this. Now go ahead laying t.ji your 2 x 6 pieces, setting 
them right over the 6 x 6 sections. Do not cut out the 
ends; simply lap them, using spikes 3/ or 3-)4 inches 
long, about four spikes at each end. Before nailing see 
that all are trued up to your 6 x 6 pattern, and should 
be right over it. The number of sections you will want 
will depend on height you wish to build silo. Allow 
18 inches for first, 24 for next three, then 30 for three, 
and 36 for remainder. If you have followed directions 
your framework is all nailed together, and each section 
can easily be picked up to put on permanent structure. 
Now saw eight pieces 2 x 6 , 18 inches long, to hold up 
first section, and eight pieces for every other section just 
the length you are to have the sections apart. By hav¬ 
ing all sections nailed ready complete to put on the 
permanent structure you save a lot of time and bother, 
as it is a simple matter to set each section on the little 
posts you have sawed and ready. For the real silo, set 
your 6 x 6 bottom section; then set up 2 x 6 posts at 
each corner, toe-nailing each one with a tenpenny nail. 
Set on your first 2 x 6 section, putting a nail in each 
post to keep it steady, and so right on up to the top. 
It is all ready now to board, and we use matched pine 
here, costing $25 to $30 per 1 , 000 . One thickness only, 
no paper or other lining, as we have found by experi¬ 
ence that one thickness is much more durable than 
more, as it dries out quickly. If you are to have a tall 
silo you will have to break joints in boarding, and do¬ 
ing this on different sections makes a stronger silo. 
As to doors, we have five in a 25-foot silo. They are 
simply made, put on from the inside, and airtight. Be¬ 
tween two sections where we are to have a door we 
place two posts 2 x 6 , setting them an inch narrower 
on each side than our door is to be, and allow an inch 
on upper side of lower section of door, and lower side 
of upper section. Then all you have to do is set door in 
place, and silage holds it tight. An outer covering to 
the silo is not essential, but of course it makes the silo 
look better, is a little more durable, and the dead-air 
space prevents much freezing if it is in an exposed 
place. This silo requires little lumber, can be built 
quickly and cheaply, and doesn’t require a skilled me¬ 
chanic. Dots on diagram No. 192, page 455, mean noth¬ 
ing, and I was not aware they were in diagram sent. 
To prevent silo spreading or opening we use two 
rods around silo which protect lower six sections, as 
in Fig. 224. A is stick just covering three sections and 
where the rod C hits it is about four inches thick. 
B B B are sections of frame. C is rod which only 
touches silo at corners D, and where it passes over A. 
In Fig. 223 dotted lines represent the door as it sets 
against the framework from inside; tight and no patent. 
If. G. MANCHESTER. 
WOOLLY APHIS ON OLD TREES. 
We have quite a large orchard in Ohio, and have dis¬ 
covered that the Woolly aphis is damaging the roots of the 
trees very materially. We recently examined the old apple 
trees, and found that the roots are a solid mass of knots, 
and covered with aphis. Last year we dug around the 
trees, put in tobacco dust next to the trunk of the tree, and 
at the beginning of the main roots. We find that this plan 
does not affect the roots which are eight and 10 feet from 
the tree. We fear unless we get the ravages of this pest 
stopped we will lose our orchard in the course of time. We 
would like to ask about sprinkling the tobacco dust over 
the ground, where the small roots would extend, perhaps 
eight, 10 or 15 feet from the tree; also as to the advisability 
of boiling the tobacco dust, thus making a very strong mix¬ 
ture either to pour upon the ground or appiy in some other 
manner, or if some plan could be advised whereby a large 
number of trees could be so treated. c. m. d. 
Huntington, W. Va. 
I have had no experience with tobacco in any form, 
and all I know about it is what I have read. I have 
plenty of the lice on my tree roots, too, and all I do is 
to let them alone. If the trees are furnished plant food 
and moisture so as to promote good growth they will 
likely outgrow the lice to a great extent. I fear that 
it is not practical to treat many or any trees in a com¬ 
mercial way to keep the lice off. If there is a good 
remedy I would like to know more about it. 
Ohio. u. t. cox. 
I have had very little personal experience with this 
pest further than among young trees in the nursery row, 
where we find an occasional tree so affected, and our 
mode of treatment is to throw all such on the brush pile 
and burn them. I know, however, that tobacco water 
is recommended for this trouble, and a liberal supply 
of this dust under the trees might be of benefit. Were 
the orchard mine, however, I should note carefully the 
condition of the trees as to foliage and general health 
and appearance, and should there appear no special 
indication of trouble I should depend on keeping up 
this condition more by good cultivation and care than 
on the tobacco dust. On the other hand, if the “old 
trees” look sick and in poor condition, etc., use dyna¬ 
mite, blow them out, burn and plant a new fresh or¬ 
chard in fresh land. It may pay to treat a young 
orchard or some of its individual trees for aphis, but 
never an old one badly affected. geo. j. foster. 
Illinois, 
The only practical remedy for the Woolly aphis at 
present in use is the application of the dust or stems of 
BRACE TO PREVENT SILO SPREADING. Fig. 224. 
tobacco. This is easy enough with young trees, but 
where the root systems of old trees have become so seri¬ 
ously infested as described, the task of eradicating the 
pest would be a heavy and expensive one. The appli¬ 
cations could be effectively made only by stripping 
back the soil from the main roots as far as possible. In 
sandy or porous"soil it might be well to try injections of 
one-half ounce charges of bi-sulphide of carbon. This 
may be done by thrusting down a sharp iron or steel 
rod, making holes about a foot deep and 18 inches apart 
either way, above the infested root system of the tree. 
The bi-sulphide of carhon is then poured into the open¬ 
ings from which the fumes of the deadly gas will pene¬ 
trate the soil in every direction. Care must be exercised 
in using this substance, as it is very explosive. It would 
be an expensive and laborious task to apply either rem¬ 
edy given, and it is doubtful whether the results would 
justify the expenditure in either method, where the 
trees are so seriously infested and so large in size. 
Why not try stimulating, the trees with generous appli¬ 
cations of fresh, unleached stable or barnyard manure? 
Personally I should have more faith in the effectiveness 
of a leaching of liquid manure from a heavy application 
of such material than the leaching of a small quantity 
of the decoction made from tobacco stems as suggested 
by the inquirer. F. H. ballou. 
Ohio. 
The profits will be small and the days be few, of an 
“old" apple tree whose roots are "a solid mass of knots 
and covered with lice.” To find a remedy which will 
restore such a tree to good health, means that you must 
find one which will not only penetrate the interstices be¬ 
tween the knots and roots, but follows the roots out to 
their extremities, and at the same time the remedy must 
also exterminate the ants which cultivate the lice. 
To find all of this is by no means an under¬ 
sized problem. I have abandoned a young or¬ 
chard of about 100 trees for the want of such 
a remedy. I tried two remedies without much success. 
About one bushel of water-slaked lime was put around 
the crowns of some of the trees with little or no effect 
so far as I could see. A surface application of tobacco 
I thought checked them for a short time. If the cost 
is not an object to your correspondent I would sug¬ 
gest to him to try the following plan : Start the break¬ 
ing plow in the center between the rows, throwing the 
soil from the trees; follow up the plow with tobacco, 
putting it down in the bottoms of the furrows. Plow as 
deep as you can without too great injury to the roots 
of the trees; this will put the tobacco down close to 
the lice. Lncover the crowns and roots not reached by 
the plow, apply tobacco and cover up again. Then thor¬ 
oughly spray the tops of the trees with a decoction of 
tobacco. Cultivate thoroughly with a disk harrow, and 
follow with a heavy roller. This will mix with and im¬ 
prison the ants in the soil. In about 10 days turn the 
soil back, as in about that time chemical action will have 
destroyed the insecticidal properties of the tobacco, and 
the remaining ants will have formed into colonies again. 
Cultivate with disk and follow with the roller as be¬ 
fore. By this method I cleared a plum orchard of the 
green aphis and ants, with the exception that I did not 
use tobacco on the roots. j. w. trinkle. 
Indiana. 
THE VALUE OF BURBANK’S FRUITS. 
Reading the newspaper accounts of the donation to 
Luther Burbank of $ 100,000 for his plant breeding pur¬ 
poses, suggests the question. Of what value to the east¬ 
ern part of the United States are the various fruits, 
etc., of his origination? Doubtless they are valuable in 
California and on the Pacific Coast, but are they of 
much value to the eastern fruit grower? It would be 
interesting- to have the opinion of fruit growers on the 
subject. I have been testing most of Mr. Burbank’s 
“new creations” introduced for the past 10 years. We 
are located in latitude of Richmond, Va.; our Winters 
are generally mild, the evergreen Magnolia being per- 
factly hardy, yet at times for a few days we have very 
cold weather *—10 to 15 degrees below zero. During the 
extreme spells the various plums originated by Burbank 
have been injured greatly. Some varieties, like the Del¬ 
aware, have been killed outright; others, like the Bur¬ 
bank and Wickson, with new growth badly killed back. 
During the 10 years I have only had one good crop on 
two varieties, the Burbank and Juicy; the several other 
varieties have never matured a plum, though the trees 
were well taken care of. The Burbank is a very large 
plum, but not to be compared in quality to the Lom¬ 
bard or other fine European plum, or even to some of 
our best natives. 1 he Juicy is a better plum in quality 
than the Burbank. Gold and Wickson have never pro¬ 
duced a plum. 1 he European class of plums is more 
reliable here than any of the Burbank hybrids or the 
Japan varieties. All these are more tender in wood, 
and bloom too early in the Spring, and arc affected as 
badly by the -curculio as the European. In fact, the 
curculio seems to attack all stone fruits with equal 
severity of late years here. I have also grown many 
others of Mr. Burbank’s originations. The Iceberg 
blackberry is an interesting novelty, but of little use for 
market. The Mayberry, which was introduced as a 
most wonderful fruit at $5 each, said to ripen before 
strawberries, was a complete failure here. There have 
been many thousands of trees of these various varieties 
of plums planted in southern Illinois, and I feel safe in 
saying that not one tree in 10 has produced the owner 
enough fruit to pay the original cost of the tree, to say 
nothing of the care it has received or the land it has 
OCCUpied, M. L. BENSON. 
