602 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 10, 
fruit? You see, on my trees we had the best blossom 
for several years. We had hard luck with the lime- 
sulphur spray. We sprayed four orchards, and I think 
it did the work for the scale, but one member of our 
family got the lime in his eyes. It might have brought 
out other troubles, but the result has been 14 visits to 
an eye expert, and two operations. I hear of others 
who have been severely injured or poisoned by the 
lime-sulphur wash. 
I have been much interested in the controversy over 
sod and cultivation and sometimes wonder if both sys¬ 
tems are not good. I have an old russet tree; seed 
planted in 1318; never was plowed around or cultivated 
in any manner, or fertilized. It has borne six to 10 
barrels for the last 50 years. I have another tree which 
was always cultivated and fertilized, which has done 
as well. I have taken 14 barrels of hand-picked frnit 
from it. I do not say all my trees have done as well 
as these; some orchards have skipped several years 
with poor returns. Our orchard is 30 acres, half our 
trees young, just coming into bearing. These men 
who want to plow an orchard might come to some of 
my orchards where it is steep as the roof of a house 
and so rocky that one can go across a six-acre lot and 
not step on the ground. What is the use, in this time 
of scarcity of labor? Horses instead of oxen, and no 
better results, or any better fruit, but when we say sod 
we mean to leave the grass where it is cut, not rob the 
soil. If a tree can be set between two large rocks it is 
an ideal place for it. Dry weather will not hurt it, and 
it will outlive trees in what some would call better soil. 
Massachusetts. __ J- e. 
THE DIFFUSION SYSTEM OF STABLE 
VENTILATION, 
Modern stables are as a rule, constructed on one gen¬ 
eral plan. The floors are made of cement or hard wood, 
woodwork is eliminated from the stalls as much as pos¬ 
sible., constant attention to the cleanliness of the place 
and its occupants is demanded, disinfectants are used, 
and to supplement all of this care in construction and 
management, much attention has been given to the sub¬ 
ject of ventilation. Arguments are made in support of 
various systems which are open to objection, if not 
refutation and in some instances practical demonstrations 
on a small scale are used to support these arguments. 
The terrible enemy against which these various systems 
are arrayed is carbonic acid gas, and to hear or read of 
its frightful ravages calls up a vision of a vast tangible 
cloud of this poisonous fluid rolling along the floor like 
the morning mist along the mountain side. To inhale 
it is death, and the unfortunate Holstein or Jersey fool¬ 
hardy enough to recline in her stall pays for her rash¬ 
ness with her life. This enemy, we are told, must be 
driven out by force, not coaxed or gently exorcised by 
the influx of the pure outer air, and upon that theory 
has been based what is known as the “King system.” 
Quite an elaborate system it is, with outer and inner 
walls, pipes for the admission of pure air above, flues 
for the exit of the foul air below. To accomplish this 
purpose a draft is necessary, a draft of cold air 10 de¬ 
grees below zero coming into an apartment where the 
temperature is some 50 degrees above. Is this beneficial 
to man or beast? Make a practical application of it 
and after working yourself into a perspiration take your 
stand where that incoming air can strike you. The im¬ 
mediate effect is apparent—subsequent effects will de¬ 
pend on your constitution. Experiments have been made 
from which has been evolved, in some minds, the neces¬ 
sity for the adoption of the King system. If the argu¬ 
ment were to be carried to a logical conclusion, no 
amount of King systems or any other system would act 
as a safeguard. The experiment or demonstration was 
as follows: A lighted candle was placed in a jar, a 
man breathed two lungs full of air into the jar and 
the light went out. Hence, the poisonous nature of car¬ 
bonic acid gas. To apply it to stables in order to show 
its evil effects to a proportionate extent it would require 
a pair of lungs the size of a barn. Of course, there 
is no question as to the presence of carbonic acid gas 
in a cow stable, but there is a question as to its alleged 
horrible effects, as well as to the general efficacy of the 
King system for minimizing the same in a proper man¬ 
ner, to say nothing of the expense entailed in estab¬ 
lishing it. 
That a reasonable amount of pure air is beneficial to 
man or beast is a self-evident truth, but that it is to be 
forced into houses or stables by the means of elaborate 
systems of pipes and flues is an idea not worthy of 
serious consideration. The bugbear of carbonic acid 
gas should receive the same attention as any other bug¬ 
bear. Assuming certain facts to be true, any propo¬ 
sition, no matter how ridiculous, can be proved logically 
and conclusively. Get your pure fresh air, but get it in 
a simple, sensible, economical way. Get it in such a 
manner that there will be no radical changes in the tem¬ 
perature or any drafts in any part of your stables. The 
diffusion system is simple, cheap and practicable. It 
has stood the test of years and has been adopted in 
places where results were aimed at without the slightest 
consideration as to cost. It can be seen now in one 
place where exit would have been adopted if the cost had 
been 20 times what it is, added to the combined cost 
of all the other systems in existence, simply because it 
has proved itself to be all that is claimed Jor it. Your 
TIMOTHY HEADS FROM PENNSYLVANIA. Fig. 297. 
barn may have one window, it may have 20, the principle 
is the same, but it is generally known that there should 
be plenty of windows. These windows are to be open 
at all times for the space of about two feet, varying 
with the number and size of windows and weather 
conditions. Into this space is fitted a wooden frame 
covered with No. 10 cotton canvas, or thinner material 
may be used if weather permits. Simple, is it not? 
That it is the most perfect system of ventilation so far 
discovered is the verdict of everyone who has tried it. 
Nothing comes through the screen but pure air. no im¬ 
purities whatever, and that pure air is diffused, not 
forced in. There is no current, the cold air is not felt 
as it is diffused and absorbed as soon as it enters. If 
the temperature outside the window is 10 degrees below 
zero, at a distance of one foot from the window on the 
inside, it would be about 45 degrees above; in the center 
of the barn two degrees higher. When the severest part 
of the Winter is over the cotton may be removed and 
muslin substituted. This, of course, will be removed 
altogether with the increasing warm weather. 
“Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good” 
is advice as well worth heeding in the twentieth cen¬ 
tury as in the first. That an article or a system is ex¬ 
pensive does not of itself imply its superiority, but an 
article or a system that is cheap, so cheap as to be within 
the reach of the humble owner of one cow, and yet is 
considered the best that can be obtained by the owner 
of dozens certainly has elements in its favor that must 
appeal to all who are interested in the welfare and com¬ 
fort of their cattle. The diffusion of air. That is the 
object aimed at, that is the result obtained. Its abso¬ 
lute simplicity cannot be questioned; its effectiveness has 
been rigidly tested and conclusively proved. To inves¬ 
tigate is to be convinced. c. s. Greene. 
KILLING AN AILANTHUS THICKET. 
At first there was but one tree, and it was let grow 
because it was something different and had a dis¬ 
tinguished air. Soon more appeared around the first 
tree, and then more and more, until there was quite a 
grove. Then we decided to get rid of these trees or 
they would spread all over the farm. The Ailanthus or 
“Tree of Heaven” is from China, but thrives exceed¬ 
ingly well here. It is a very rapid grower, has wonder¬ 
ful vitality, and the handsome foliage has a rank odor 
and is presumably poisonous, as no stock will eat it. 
The trees attained height of 30 to 40 feet, growing rap¬ 
idly in the early stages of growth, when the wood is 
rather soft, but at no time of growth is the wood of 
value. The roots are wide-spreading and numerous, and 
wherever injured a sprout promptly springs up, soon to 
become a lusty^tree, and in grubbing, or if the infested 
land be tended, every bit of root, however small, will 
soon make another tree if let alone for a time. After 
a few years’ work at these trees we decided they must 
go. All our efforts so far had only thickened the stand, 
and besides they now about covered an acre of ground. 
In May, 1900, we grubbed them as well as we knew 
how, taking out every bit of root that we could see, feel 
or hear of, a very thorough job. This patch had never 
been grubbed so well before .and when done the patch 
resembled a byroad after the neighbors have put in their 
two days’ labor. It took lots of time, but it was time 
well spent, for we were rid of those trees. We did not 
see the patch again for two months, and then the sprouts 
were coming up as thickly as Timothy. We then and 
there decided never to grub another Ailanthus. 
Late in July we cut them with a mower and in Sep¬ 
tember with a hoe. Next year, 1901, we cut them early 
in June with a hoe, with a mower late in July, and with 
a hoe in September. Each year since we have repeated 
the operation, but the sprouts became less numerous each 
year. Last year there were only a few, and- none has 
shown up as yet this year. Had they been cut oftener 
perhaps the time required to kill these trees would have 
been much less, but we are glad to be rid of them at 
any cost of time and labor. These trees are sometimes 
sold and planted as ornamentals, and they do make a 
fine tropical effect and are quick growers, but here their 
value ends and their other qualities are against them. 
Do not plant them or allow them to grow or you will 
wish you had not. These trees have a vigor of growth, 
a vitality and ability to thrive in any soil, in any kind 
of weather and under the worst possible treatment which 
are worthy attributes of a nobler and more useful tree. 
Just imagine, if oak trees were as persistent! It is to 
be seen that grubbing and pasturing are out of the 
question when fighting these trees, and whether any 
chemicals would have been effective we do not know, as 
we did not try any, but we know that cutting the foliage 
as fast as formed is effective and satisfactory. Fig. 300 
shows all stages of growth of an Ailanthus thicket. 
In the foreground are numerous small clumps which 
have sprung up from the roots of the large trees in the 
rear. This field is closely pastured with sheep, but 
these shrubs have not been touched, though all weeds 
and briers have been closely nipped, w. e. duckwall. 
Ohio.___ 
A homeopathic remedy for eat birds—keep plenty of cats. 
We are told that men and women in this country spend 
thousands of dollars for so-called “movement exercises.” 
Books and charts tell them how to move the limbs or bend 
the body so as to develop their muscles. A buck-saw and a 
wash tub would give better results and accomplish something 
at the same time, 
