572 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July *7, 
FARMERS' CLUB 
r 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.] 
GROWING MULCH FOR STRAW¬ 
BERRIES. 
Each year we are met with the serious 
question of mulch for strawberries. Straw 
from wheat, rye or oats is usually used, and 
makes a good mulch, hut it is not entirely 
satisfactory. One of the first objections to 
straw is that it contains foul weed seed and 
usually some wheat, rye or oats and more 
or less Timothy seed. All this sprouts, and 
by the first or middle of June, at a time the 
ripening berries need all the moisture in the 
soil, the berry field looks more like a meadow 
if this kind of a covering is used, unless the 
weeds are pulled out early in the Spring. 
This, however, is tedious, as well as expen¬ 
sive work, as everyone knows who lias tried 
it. It is useless to undertake to grow straw¬ 
berries at a profit and a crop of weeds at 
the same time. Sometimes obnoxious weeds 
are introduced that it takes years to eradi¬ 
cate. Straw is sometimes scarce and only 
secured at high prices. The past two years 
I have used baled straw. We are now look¬ 
ing for a solution to the mulch question by 
trying to find some crop that can be sown 
in the Fall or Spring and furnish an abund¬ 
ance of material, free from weed seed. I 
have had but little experience along this 
line, but will give my plan for this year’s 
experiments. One piece of land was sown 
about July 1 to field corn, drilled with an 
eight-holed drill, putting on about two bushels 
to the acre. One piece will be planted to 
cane and another to oats and vetch. An¬ 
other piece will be planted to green beans, 
and in August vetch will be sown between 
the rows. The beans will be picked and used 
in the farm cannery. In the Fall a row of 
rye will be sown where the row of beans 
stood. The rye will help support the vetch, 
and will be cut in the Spring before it ma¬ 
tures. The vetch and rye will grow through 
the Winter and make a large growth in the 
Spring, and be cut about the first of June. 
After being cut and cured it will be stacked or 
put iu a shed, and used early in the Fall, 
before the ground freezes. I find that the 
best time to apply the mulch is before the 
ground freezes. By applying it early the 
plants make a later growth, which means 
a stronger plant and a larger crop of berries. 
Indiana. elmeu g. tufts. 
That the crop to be grown on the old 
strawberry bed be a leguminous one is not 
important, for if the bed has been fertilized, 
manured and mulched as it should be there 
will be a mass of stuff to turn under, and 
nitrates will develop as rapidly as any crop 
can use them, so the crop should be one that 
will make the most growth. In this latitude, 
central Ohio, we cannot plow up the old bed 
until July 4 or after, and cow peas or Soy 
beans sown that late do not make a great 
growth, so this year we are going to try 
buckwheat and millet, this to be followed by 
vetch. We have found the vetch a wonder¬ 
ful plant for increasing nitrates in the soil. 
The buckwheat must be cut before it ripens 
its seed. Oats and Canada peas make quite 
a growth when sown during August, but they 
have to stand so long that they cannot be 
followed by a satisfactory cover crop. 
CARY W. MONTGOMERY. 
Licking Co., Ohio. 
Scale on Fern. 
J. 8. TF., Lockpori, N. Y .—I send a speci¬ 
men of fern leaves; one has a lot of scales 
on it. The other shows a couple of little 
plants just starting; by and by the whole 
plant will be full of these little ferns, which 
will grow by taking off and potting. What 
is the name of this variety and also what 
can I put on to kill the scales? The plant 
is getting so large, we can no longer invert 
it in any solution for scale, and I would 
like to know •what I can use that will kill 
the insects and not injure the fern. I have 
tried keeping them in check by picking them, 
but life is too short now the plant is so 
large. 
Ans. —The fern in question is Asple- 
nium bulbiferum, a very pretty and free 
growing species from New Zealand and 
some other portions of Australasia. This 
species is one of the best examples of 
what are known as proliferous ferns, 
namely, those that form small bulbils 
on the upper side of the fronds, by means 
cf which young plants are readily secured, 
as stated by J. S. W. Other examples 
of this singular habit of growth among 
the ferns are found among the Aspleniums, 
the Woodwardias, some two or three of 
the maidenhairs, or Adiantums, and the 
native “walking leaf,” Camptosorus rhi- 
zophvllus, the latter being one of the most 
interesting ferns in our eastern woods. 
The scale problem is one that troubles 
many a fern grower, there being quite a 
variety of scale insects that prey upon 
the members of the fern family. But 
this large brown scale that appears upon 
the specimens forwarded may be over¬ 
come with repeated doses of tobacco ex¬ 
tract, using one part of “Rose Leaf Ex¬ 
tract of Tobacco” to 50 parts of water. 
If the plant is too large to be dipped con¬ 
veniently, it may be laid upon its side 
and syringed or sprinkled thoroughly, 
thus avoiding the wetting of the roots 
with the tobacco extract. It may be nec¬ 
essary to treat the plant several times 
at intervals of three or four days, and 
during the treatment it is best to protect 
the plant from the sunshine, else the ex¬ 
tract may injure the young leaves. 
W. H. TAPLIN. 
Culture of Asparagus Plumosus Nanus. 
E. G. M., Eaftt Bethany, N. Y. —Will you 
give me cultural instructions on the growing 
of Asparagus plumosus nanus from seed? I 
would like to raise for market, and wish to 
grow plants from seed. 
Ans. —Seed of Asparagus plumosus 
nanus is sown as soon as the new seed 
comes into the market, usually about Jan 
nary. It is sown in flats about one-fourth 
inch deep and kept in a temperature of 
6 o to 65 degrees. It often lies six weeks 
before germinating; 30 days is a short 
period for it. When 10 or 12 weeks old 
the little plants are shifted from the flats 
to a bench, where they are planted out. 
Here they remain until June, July or 
August, according to convenience, when 
they are replanted on side benches, where 
they spend the Winter. They do not run 
to vine the first year, but modern growers 
cut short sprays from them. In June or 
July of the second year, about 18 months 
after sowing, the plants are set in solid 
beds, where they are strung like smilax. 
Strong wires and twine are needed, as 
the vines are very heavy. The solid beds 
run three or four years without replant¬ 
ing. 
Fertilizer Questions from Florida. 
J. 8., Southern Florida. —1. In applying 
commercial fertilizers around fruit trees, 
should it he applied from a few inches of 
trunk out to a diameter a few inches beyond 
where end of longest limbs reach, or a di¬ 
ameter equal one-half height of tree? I 
have read both and do not know best direc¬ 
tions to follow. 2. When commercial fer¬ 
tilizers are applied around fruit trees (on this 
sandy soil—without any clay subsoil), and it 
is there and remains for three months with¬ 
out rain to wet soil deeper than two inches, 
will this fertilizer application be of any ben¬ 
efit when a good rain does fall three months 
after? What becomes of this fertilizer dur¬ 
ing this drought if heavy winds frequently 
blow? 3. Which is correct in figures and 
application, or application of figures to fer¬ 
tilizers, to say 8—4—3, meaning phosphate 
8, potash 4, ammonia 3; or should it be 3— 
.4—8, meaning ammonia 3, potash 4, phos¬ 
phate 8? 
Ans. — 1 . For young trees we scatter 
the fertilizer evenly over the ground in 
a circle about a foot beyond the reach 
of the branches. As the trees grow and 
reach bearing age we broadcast evenly 
over the entire field. Bearing trees plant¬ 
ed the right distance apart will get ferti¬ 
lizer which is scattered anywhere in the 
orchard. Very young trees need ferti¬ 
lizer close to them—as they grow larger 
we put no fertilizer within a foot of the 
trunk. 2 . It will depend upon the mate¬ 
rials used in making the fertilizer. If 
nitrate of soda, muriate of potash or acid 
phosphate were put on the surface, light 
rains would dissolve them and carry the 
plant food into the soil These substances 
are soluble in water, like sugar or salt. 
On the other hand, dried blood or cotton¬ 
seed meal are not entirely soluble in 
water, and would not be washed into the 
soil in this way. Before their plant food 
could be'''me available they must decay. 
While .oing this, on the surface, part of 
the at monia would escape as a gas and 
be lo t. In very dry weather some of the 
fine parts of the fertilizer would be 
bk vn away. We think it a mistake to 
pi t cotton-seed meal or blood on the sur- 
fate of the ground. These organic forms 
should be plowed or harrowed into the 
soil. Then when they decay the ammonia 
will be held by the soil. We have used 
nitrate of soda on top of the ground in a 
very severe drought, and had it slowly 
disappear—melted by the dew. 3. As a 
rule we think fertilizers are best har¬ 
rowed into the soil at once. In quoting 
a fertilizer analysis the following order 
is given: Ammonia, phosphoric acid, 
potash. _ 
Lime and Kerosene for Scale. —I can 
now give you the results of the spraying last 
Spring with the kerosene-limoid emulsion in 
the orchards of this Experiment Station. 
The trees have been examined by the men in 
the Department of Entomology, who make the 
following report: In an orchard of 535 trees 
of apples and peaches, six to eight years 
old, only one or two young insects were 
found. About 80 trees iu this orchard were 
sprayed with the lime-sulphur-salt wash. In 
an adjoining orchard of 340 trees of young 
plums and apples there are three or four 
trees with scattered scales on, and one tree 
with considerable live scales present. On 
50 young cherry trees adjoining, no live 
scales were found. I>ast year these orchards 
had considerable scale on many of the trees. 
Since I left Delaware I have paid only a little 
attention to the San Jos6 scale, but occasion¬ 
ally get letters from fruit growers who re¬ 
port complete success from the use of kero¬ 
sene and limoid. c. r. close. 
State Horticulturist, Maryland. 
Our Beautifully Illustrated 
BULB CATALOGUE will be 
ready for mailing August 15 . 
Write for a copy. We 
mail it free. 
J. M. THORBURN & CO. 
33 Barclay St., thro’ to 38 Park Place. 
NEW YORK 
P OTTED STRAWBERRIES. 
A full list of kinds @ $2.00 per 100 for 
August delivery provided the order is 
sent before August 1st with cash. Address 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO., 
Hightstown, N. J. 
I9O7CR0P CRIMSON CLOVER SEEDS. 
now ready. No weeds. Thoroughly recleaned new 
seeds, fully guaranteed. Writelto-day for sample 
and price. Address E. G. PACKARD, Field Seeds 
Specialist, Dover, Delaware. 
rnD CII C—2,000 bushels Crimson Clovi 
rUIl OHLC Seed, $4.50 bushel. Address 
JOSEPH. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Delaware. 
PADD ACC D| AMTQ— 150 » 000 Lite Fli4t Dutch, Burpee’B 
OnDDnUL rLnli I OSureheadaiul Danish Ball, 75cper 1 , 000 . 
200,000 White Plume, Winter Queen, Giant Pascal ami G. S. 
Blanching Celery, 11 per 1 , 000 . CalebBogge A Sou,Cheswold, Del. 
C RIMSON CLOVER SEED. New crop, true and clean. 
No turnips or other pests. All our own growing. 
H. D. LEARNED, Clieswold, Del., or Dover, It. F. D. 4, Del. 
P OTTED PLANTS—Marshall, President, Com¬ 
monwealth and other Standard Strawberries. 
Choice plants and low prices. Order early for best 
results. J. W. ADAMS & CO., Springfield, Mass. 
Fill I PROP 1908 from our mid-summer 
TULL unur STRAWBERRY PLANTS. Send 
for List. Kevitt’s Plant Farm, Athenia, N. J. 
1,000,000 
CELERY 
PLANTS 
AND CABBAGE 
only $5.00 for 5,000. 
List Free. SLAYMAKER & SON, Dover, Delaware 
CABBAGE PLANTS“S”ciSS 41 per 
F. M. PATTINGTON, Scipioville, New York. 
CELERY and CABBAGE PLANTS 
Fine large stocky plants, White Plume, Winter 
Queen, Golden Heart and Giant Pascal, $2 per 1,000; 
$7.50 per 5,000. Flat Dutch Cabbage, $1.50 per 1,000; $5 
per 5,000, Write for prices on larger quantities. Order 
once and you will order again. Cash with order please. 
J. P. CANNATA, Mt. Freedom, N. J. 
CELERY and CABBAGE 
PLANTS, $1 per 1,000 ; 500, 70c.—Four million stalky 
plants. Fine large roots. Plants taken up with forks 
to preserve all the roots on each plant. A customer 
who ordered 40,000 plants last year wrote: ‘‘The 
plants you sent me were the finest I ever saw come 
into this place.” Celery—Golden Self-Bleaching 
(French Seed), White Plume, Winter Queen, Giant 
Pascal,Golden Heart. Cabbage—Flat Dutch,Surehead, 
Succession, Danish. F. W. Rochelle, Chester, N. J. 
CREAM IS MONEY 
The chief reason you want a separator 1 
to get more cream—more money—out 
of your milk. Of course you want to get 
the most, and you naturally want the 
separator that gets the most cream. 
GETS 
ALLTHE 
_ .CREAM 
Holds World’s Record for CLEAN Skimming 
Marshfield, Yt.,Feb. 2,’07. 
I bought one of the-ma¬ 
chines, but after running 
It a little while I found it 
was not skimming clean. 
I had it tested at the cream¬ 
eries here and found it to 
(test 1 per cent, and I 
could not stand this so ex¬ 
changed it for one of the 
U. S. machines, and find 
that if I had given tlio 
other machine away I 
should have made 
money by so doing. I 
like the U. S. very much. 
Almon Tucker. 
The U. S. is also the simplest, strong¬ 
est, safest separator. Only two parts in 
the bowl—easy to wash. Gears turn in 
oil and run surprising easy. Lasts for 
many years with ordinary care. 
Let us tell you ALL about it. It’s mon¬ 
ey in your pocket right away to know. 
Justwrite,“Send me new Catalog No. 159.” 
The pictures tell the story. FREE TO YOU. 
Write today, addressing the 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE CCL 
Bellows- Falls, Vt. 
Eighteen Distributing Warehouses 
SILOS. 
We have been manufacturing and 
shipping SILOS for seven seasons. 
We have a large stock on hand, and 
will make low prices for the next 30 
days, delivered at your nearest station, 
freight prepaid. We can interest you, 
if you will write us at once. 
VAN SLYKE & COMPANY, 
North Tonawanda, N. Y. 
HORSE POWERS 
THRASHERS wood 
and CLEANERS Saws 
ALFALFA 
—Best seed for sale. Write 
forsamples, prices, and FREE 
directions “23” on growing. 
J. E, Wing & Bros,, Box 23, 
One & two-horse Thrashing Outfits. Level PMTTERQ 
Tread, Perfect Governor, Feed& Ensilage LiU II Lllu 
Write for catalogue 
ELLIS KEYSTONE AGR’L WORKS. Pottstown, Pa, 
APPLE TREES 
NOTHING BUT APPIjES 
ROGERS ON THE HILL, Dansville, N. V. 
Dwyer’s Pot Grown Strawberry Plants 
Strong, healthy plants from selected stock of choicest fruiting varieties sure to give 
satisfaction and PRODUCE A FULL CROP IN 1908. 
We also have a full line of Fruits and Ornamental Trees, Plants, Vines, etc., for 
rail Planting. We do Landscape Gardening in all its branches. Catalogue Free. 
T. J. DWYER & CO., P. O, Box I, Cornwall, New York. 
