20 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 12, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to In¬ 
sure attention. Before asking a question, 
please see whether it is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few 
questions at one time. Put questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
PLOWING UNDER OLD STRAW. 
What attachment can I put on my plow 
that will enable me to plow under a thick 
coat of straw—not manure? I want to 
spread an old straw stack and put it out of 
sight. READER. 
Colorado. 
Wc do not know of anything specially 
intended for this purpose. 
AMES plow co. 
With reference to an inquiry received 
from one of your Colorado readers con¬ 
cerning device to be attached to a plow 
to turn under old straw or hay, we have 
nothing designed for this purpose, and 
do not know where to direct you to get 
such an attachment. moline plow co. 
We have nothing in our line that will 
do the \york as indicated. This is entirely 
different from turning under green crops 
as this straw and hay lies loose on the 
surface of the ground, and you will ex¬ 
perience a load of trouble with the plow 
choking. The nearest that would come 
to it would be a rolling cutter, and then 
the straw and hay would have to be 
spread out very thin and the rolling cutter 
kept very sharp. 
THE BUCHER & GIBBS PLOW CO. 
The only attachments that we know of 
which can be attached to a plow and turn 
under dead trash successfully are a rolling 
coulter and jointer, the rolling coulter 
placed ahead of the jointer, so as to run 
about two inches deep and cut through 
the trash, the jointer in the rear to turn 
a small furrow and enable the plow itself 
to cover up all turned over. The shape 
of the beams of many of the plows will 
not permit of both a rolling coulter and 
jointer being attached so as to work satis¬ 
factorily. SYRACUSE CHILLED PLOW CO. 
We recommend your reader in Colo¬ 
rado to use a rolling coulter on his plow 
for turning under old straw. Of course 
he will have to use something that will 
cut it off clean. A rolling coulter set 
low would do the business, but we would 
recommend a large size plow, for instance, 
No. 5 National plow with rolling coulter 
and wheel would do the work all right; 
the rolling coulter would have to be kept 
sharp, and a man should take into the 
field with him a fine file. This would 
work all right provided the field is fairly 
free from stones. 
BELCHER & TAYLOR AGL. TOOL CO. 
Feeding the Potato: Over Culture. 
C. IF. M., Newark, O .—On page 704, “The 
Manurial Value of Crops,” last line, says 
“for of all ordinary farm crops the potato 
most needs heavy feeding.” Why? I know 
that, seems* to be the case, but I have never 
been able fully to satisfy myself. Why? 
Mr. Carman not long previous to his death 
undertook an experiment of turning over 
and thoroughly mixing the soil of a small 
plot, so as to have every hill of potatoes 
under like conditions, hut I have never 
noticed the results published. 
Ans. —The fact seems to be admitted 
that potatoes require heavy feeding or 
rich soil. Practice shows it, for no one 
eVer grew a good crop of potatoes on 
poor soil. When the crop is grown in a 
rotation the best soil is selected for po¬ 
tatoes or the most fertilizer is used on 
them. In “fertilizer farming,” or where 
chemicals provide plant food, the custom 
is to put two-thirds or more of all the 
fertilizer used in the rotation on the pota¬ 
toes. This is partly because the potatoes 
are the money or cash crop of the rota¬ 
tion. and also because of the general be¬ 
lief that this crop demands heavy feed¬ 
ing. Just why it requires so much plant 
food is a auestion hard to answer. A 
crop of Timothy hay will remove more 
plant food than many thousand quarts of 
strawberries, yet if we attempted to feed 
the latter on what would produce the 
former we should be badly disappointed. 
Twenty-five bushels of wheat and the 
straw will remove from an acre 56 pounds 
of nitrogen, 15 of phosphoric acid and 
19 of potash, while 200 bushels of pota¬ 
toes take only 25 pounds of nitrogen, two 
of phosphoric acid and 35 of potash. The 
wheat removes more plant food than the 
potatoes, yet no one would expect to use 
more fertilizer on the wheat. The rea¬ 
son then must be in the peculiar habits of 
growth of the potato or the strawberry. 
The tuber is produced rapidly, and all the 
conditions must be favorable if we ex¬ 
pect a quick growth. It is not like the 
long, steady growth of some other crops, 
but a auick formation close to the roots. 
The plant food and moisture must be 
abundant and close at hand. In feeding 
the potato it is better to have a large 
surplus or reserve close at hand or more 
than the crop naturally requires. The re¬ 
sults of Mr. Carman’s experiments were 
never printed. As we remember it, the 
yield was -very poor—nearly a failure. 
The soil was kept open and loose, care 
being taken not to let it become packed 
hard in anv way. The season was very 
dry, and it was thought that this loose 
and open condition admitted too much 
air into the soil, drying it out and inter¬ 
fering with the action of the roots. It 
is a mistake to keep soil too open. While 
roots need air, too much of it may be 
nearly as bad for them as too much 
water. 
Concrete Lily Pond. 
E. TV. D., Beatrice, Neb .—On page 810 
is an article on cement concrete. IIow thick 
a wall Is required for a pond for water lilies 
and fish? I expect to build four feet or more 
deep, so roots will not freeze left in it 
over Winter; a pond 14 or 10 feet across, 
about 30 feet long. If water freezes in it 
two feet or about that deep, will it crack 
the concrete walls if made slanting and of 
six or eight inch concrete? 
Ans. —Your correspondent asks if six 
or eight inches will be thick enough to 
build this way. I think not. For one 
thing, it must be borne in mind that it 
requires just as strong a dam for a pond 
30 feet long as for one a mile long, and 
then, again, the strength of a concrete wall 
depends altogether on the composition. It 
may be very strong or very weak, and 
unless a careful examination is made of 
the materials by an expert it is always 
well to build heavier than what would 
seem necessary. For a permanent job I 
could recommend E. W. D. to construct 
as shown in the cut herewith. Let the 
top of the wall be eight inches in thickness 
and the bottom 16 inches thick. It is 
made to lean up stream, and acts as a re¬ 
taining wall to an embankment of earth 
thrown against it. The surface of this 
earth against which the water rests should 
have a slope of about one vertical to one 
horizontal. This earth will strengthen the 
dam in every way, acting especially to 
overcome the powerful stress which freez¬ 
ing ice would have against the side of a 
concrete wall. To receive the wall a 
trench should be dug to solid bottom, not 
necessarily rock, but to some hardpan or 
clay. Presuming that there will be an 
occasional if not steady overflow, a con¬ 
crete apron should be laid below the wall 
to prevent undermining; well-laid rubble 
work or rip-rap may do if large stones are 
convenient. A six or eight-inch iron pipe 
should be laid through the dam at the 
bottom to make it possible to draw off the 
water. A valve is made to attach to 
lower end of this pipe to facilitate this 
operation. The proper proportions of a 
concrete for this kind of work are one 
part of Portland cement, two parts of 
clean sand and four parts of angular 
gravel or crushed rock, mixed rather stiff, 
and well rammed in the forms. 
GRANT DAVIS. 
K 
Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Roses. 
^ Shrubs. Write for Free Catalogue. ] ^ 
Grover Nursery 
I 
FIE 
!igs$ 
TSSsgog 
l&aoBag! 
;1|3SS3; 
iiSSSSS 
■325333! 
t&Qaoog 
JgOaUtfg 
idbooogi 
igOBOOg 
Sgoooog 
jSSiSS?' 
Hal 
Sold ear or shelled. All 
graded, tested, proven—then 
guaranteed. No better at 
any price. Test it in your 
sprouting box. If you don’t 
like it -nre it back. You’ll 
get your money back double 
S uick. “Guaranteed-pure” 
lover seed. Garden seeds 
that will really grow. Cata¬ 
logue and samples free. 
HEKRY FIELD, SEEDSMAN, 
BOX 26 SHENANDOAH, IA. 
Ilssssi 
THAT DO NOT DISAPPOINT 
occnc 
JV I* I" I I Sold on The Ford Plan, which guar- 
U L L U Ul enters satisfaction and saves you 
m mm money on every purchase. Our cat¬ 
alog telln about It, gives descriptions and low prices on 
Best varieties, Garden, Flower and Field Seeds, Potatoes,. 
Bulbs, Trees, Shrubs and Small Fruit Plants. Contains 
lots of testimonials from our customers. It's free. 
FORD SEED CO., Dept. «4Ravenna, Ohio. 
1,000,000 
ASPARAGUS ROOTS. The 
Most Profitable Crop grown. 
Seven of the best varieties. 
Onr 100-page “Seed Buyer’s Guide” free to those 
who mention The Rural New-Yorker. MOORE 
& SIMON, Seed-Growers, Philadelphia, Pa. 
Special Prices for December and January orders 
for Berry Crates and Quart Baskets. Price 
list Free. H. H. Aultfather, Box B, Minerva, Ohio. 
-SURE 
G ROW 
s 
The best in the world. % A lot of free seeds 
with every order. The biggest and best seed 
book ever issued. A postal will bring it. 
RATEKIN'S SEED HOUSE, 
Shenandoah, Iowa, 
largest Seed Corn growers in the world) 
TOP NOTCH PRICES FOR STRAWBERRIES 
by shipping in my new 16 quart crate. Send for Price 
List. Sample crate filled with baskets for 25 cents. 
T. C. KEVITT, Inventor, Athenla. N. .1. 
Are You Interested in 
APPLE TREES, 
PEACH TREES. 
CALIFORNIA PRIVET, 
or anything in the lineof Nursery Stock, if so, wo 
ask you to send for our FREE 48 page illustrated 
catalogue. Our stock of trees and plants is largo 
and fine. Write to us. Address. 
THE STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS CO., 
New Canaan, Connecticut. 
APPLE TREES 
CALIFORNIA PRIVET 
and all other kinds of Trees and Plants. 
Catalogue Free. 
JOS H. BLACK, SON & CO., 
_Hightstown, New Jersey._ 
APPLE TREES , 
Nothing But Apple Trees. 
The Safest and BEST Apple 
Trees in the World. 
We offer nearly 100,000 thrifty one ami 
two year old apple tree*, all bred from 
selected bearing parents. Every tree 
our own growing. 
ROGERS ON THE HIRE, 
Apple Breeders, Dansville, N. Y 
Apple, Plum and Peach Trees, $5.00 per 100. 
These trees are thrifty, well rooted and true to name. 
Larger trees of apple, pear, peach and quince at live 
and let live prices. Live For Ever Rose Bushes 
10 Cents. Small* fruit vines, plants, trees, 
ornamental shrubs our specialty. Asparagus 
roots and Poplars at a bargain. 
Our Charles A. Green lias a national reputation for 
honest labeling, packing and grading. 
Apply by postal card tor Green’s Free Fruit Guido 
and Catalogue, also a sample of Green’s Big Fruit 
Magazine. All mailed free. Address 
GREEN’S NURSERY CO., Rochester. N. Y. 
Send three names and address of best fruit grower 
and we will present you with Green’s new book, 
“ How I Made the Farm Pay at Fruit Growing.” 
SWEDISH SELECT SEED OATS. 
Outyields all others; thin hull, plump, heavy kernel; 
season early; straw, very stiff. “Probably best 
American Oat.’’—U. S. Dept, of Agl. “Most satis¬ 
factory of all.”—Wis. Exp. Sta. Big Sample Free. 
L. C. BROWN, La Grange, Cook Co., Illinois 
FROM KENTUCKY, THE CENTER 
OF PRODUCTION. 
Ourcelebrated“Blue Ribbon” Grass,Clov 
J or and Farm Seeds are the finest selected 1 
( relcoanod stocks and cost you loss than } 
many Inferior grades. 
)u Save Money They are the surest! 
J and best producers, anil our free seed book con- 
/ talnlng special Information on “Successful Grass! 
Growing” tolls you how to prepare, sow, and \ 
obtain big crops. Our complete Seed Catalog! 
sent free If you mention this paper. Write today.! 
Wood, Stubbs & Co., Seedsmen, Louisville, Ky. 
VICK 
GARDEN FLORAL GUIDE 
FOR 1907 FREE. 
“OUR BEST SEED CATALOGUE 
JAMES VICK'S SONS. 
430 MAIN ST. ROCHESTER/ N^fi 
OUR SEEDS, PLANTS, 
Roses, Bulbs, Vines, Shrubs, 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENT. 
Al. TREES have been the 
standard of excellence for 
over half a century. You 
take no chances in buying of 
us, ns no fairer prices are 
quoted onhighquality goods. 
The best are always most sat¬ 
isfactory in results. We 
nml! postpaid, Heeds, Rosea, 
Plants, if nibs. Vines, Etc., 
and giinrnntec sate arrival 
and satisfaction, larger by 
express or freight. You will 
be interested in onr extraordinary cheap offers of 
over half a hundred choice collections of Needs. 
Plants, Roses, E(o. Your address on a postal will 
bring you our elegant 1 <18-page Catalogue FREE. 
Bend for it today and see what values we give for a 
little money. 68 yours. 44 greenhouses, 1200 acres. 
THE STOUltS A HARRISON CO., 
BOX 456, PAINESVILLE, OHIO. 
WEIGHT 
_ .-ms 
LARGEST TOMATO EVER GROWN 
FREE SEEDS FOR EVERYBODY. 
•A Postal request will Bring You by return 
mail a packet of this Mammoth New Tomato 
Seed FREE, also our Big; 1907 Garden. 
Annual. It describes and' Illustrates our 
New 383 Bus per-acre Corn “NICHOL’S 
YELLOW QUEEN." We offer #50.for. 
The Largest Ear Grown this Season^ 
Write Toda/T 
ST, LOUIS SEED COMPANY 
608-610 N. Fourth St., ST. LOUIS 
X 
, MO. 
100,000 BLACKBERRIES seroau, Eldorado, etc. 
A good catalog. W. N. Scarff, New Carlisle, <)• 
/" \ 
BUY SEEDS FROM 
THE GROWER 
Very few seeds reach the gardener with¬ 
out passing through three or four hands. 
This adds to their cost without improving 
their quality. We raise a large part of 
the seeds we sell and know all about 
them—we know they are fresh and good. 
COST LESS. When yon buy our home 
grown seeds you pay only one profit and 
that a small one. 
BETTER QUALITY. By keeping a 
close watch on our crops and throwing 
out all Imperfect plants we keep the 
quality of our seeds up to a high stand¬ 
ard. Qua lity Is always tho first considera¬ 
tion with us. 
OUR SPECIALTI ES. Improved 
strains of vegetable seeds for critical gar¬ 
deners: new and superior varieties ot 
Oats, Field Corn and choice Seed Pota¬ 
toes. Anew Giant Yellow Flint Corn 
that is a wonder—sample free if you 
mention this advertisement. 
Ask for our catalogue and wholesale 
price list (free). You can’t afford not to. 
JOSEPH HARRIS CO. 
Moreton Farm, COLDWATER, N. Y. 
STRAWBERRIES 
big, red and luclous are grown from ALLEN’S choice vigorous strawberry 
plants. None better. Good Luck, Chesapeake. Virginia, and Cardinal new 
Glen Mary, llaverland, Dunlap, Marshall, Klondyko, Gandy, Bubach, Climax 
and all best standard sorts, 90 varieties. Prices Right; DEWBERRIES. Aus¬ 
tin’s, Lucretia, and Premo. I have big stock and they are fine, also Rasp¬ 
berry, Currant and Gooseberry plants, and Grapevines. In SEEDS I have 
the leading varieties for field and garden, my 1907 supply of 1 eas,Beans. W ater- 
melon, Cantaloupe, and Cucumber seeds aro very choice. Millions of vegetable plants j 
In season. My 60 page Catalog for 1907 tells about lots of good things for the farm and garden and where 
to get them. It's FREE. Send name and address on postal to W. F. ALLEN Dept. 17, Salisbury, Md. 
has been enlarged to 200 Pages, —it is better than 
ever before, AND WELD deserves its position as 
“THE LEADING AMERICAN SEED CATALOG” 
Besides our famous Specialties we now exclusively introduce some most Important Novelties in¬ 
cluding the most remarkable Two " New Creations” in Vegetables that nature has yet produced 1 
If you would like to try BURPEE'S "SEEDS THAT GROW ’’you should send for this elegant 
book. Do not delay, —Write TO-DAY 1 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., Seed Growers, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
