256 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 23, 
Spreading Wood Ashes in Winter. 
A. H. G., Medfleld, Mass. —Do wood ashes 
lose their strength by being spread on the 
ground during Winter? I put them where I 
want them as soon as made. Would it be 
better to keep them till Spring and then 
apply them? 
Ans. —We like to spread the ashes on 
the furrows after plowing, and harrow in, 
as in this way the lime and potash are 
more thoroughly mixed with the soil. 
There will be little if any loss however 
in spreading the ashes on fairly level 
ground through the Winter. The potash 
will be leached out, but will be held in 
the soil. 
Asparagus Plants and the Beetle. 
J. S. II., Oogan Station, Pa. —In the Spring 
of 1906 I planted seeds of the Palmetto 
asparagus. Only about half of them came 
up, but those that did grow did fairly well 
until along in the Fall when they were 
attacked by the beetle. I used Slug-shot on 
them, which checked them for a time, hut 
in the hurry of other work they were a little 
neglected, and the beetle got in good work, 
so much so that the plants were dry 
and brown. As it was so near the end of 
the growing season I do not think the roots 
are much harmed in their growth, but I 
would like to know whether if I plant these 
roots on land that is not near any other 
asparagus, there would be any more danger 
of the • beetle getting on them than if I 
planted roots from plants that had not been 
attacked ? 
Ans. —I should think that the inquirer’s 
young asparagus roots have been injured 
to some extent by the beetle. This, how¬ 
ever, will not seriously affect them for 
Spring planting. They will not, of course, 
be as large and healthy as if they were 
grown free from the attacks of the beetle. 
With a good many growers one-year-old 
plants are preferred to any other age for 
planting out, provided they are well 
grown and allowed to mature their stalks 
in the Fall. But where they are not so 
grown it is the better course to use two- 
year-old crowns. All young asparagus 
beds in most localities are more or less 
subject to the attacks of the beetle, and 
it matters but little whether the plants 
were affected by them the previous year. 
One should always be prepared to combat 
them. They are easily got rid of by a dust¬ 
ing of Paris-green mixed with plaster, 
about the same as we prepare it for 
potatoes. Apply while the dew is on the 
plants and repeat when necessary. 
T. M. WHITE. 
Seeding Flax With Oats. 
D. 8., Apollo, Pa. —Would it do to sow 
flaxseed with oats on rich soil, so that the 
stiff flax stalks would help support oats, 
and keep them from going down? Will flax 
and oats ripen at same time? If so, please 
give amount of flax to sow per acre. 
Ans. —We have been unable to find any¬ 
one who has used this combination. A 
friend in North Dakota sends this note: 
“This is a flax country, although the 
farmers are dropping it as a crop as they 
get their land worked up and the sod 
rotted out. As for using it as a forage 
crop in connection with oats and peas, 
would say that we know that the flax 
itself is a good milk producer, and makes 
a very good feed, but as to its helping 
to hold up the other crop I could not say. 
Strange as it may seem we do not in 
this country know what it is to have 
grain lodge or break down, although we 
have very heavy winds and storms. I 
have seen fields of oats that would aver¬ 
age five feet in height, and growing as 
thick as it could stand on the ground, 
but not a spot would be down. In con¬ 
clusion would say that I would think it 
advisable for one back in your country to 
go slow, and only try a little for a 
starter, because while it might work well 
here it might not be at all satisfactory 
with you.” R. B. TOWN. 
Field Peas in Ohio. 
A. B. 8., Lebanon, O. —Can you give me 
any advice in regard to sowing Canada field 
peas? After laying the corn by I want them 
to plow under; would sow last of July with 
one-horse drill. 
Ans. —From the knowledge I have of 
the Canadian field pea, I cannot encourage 
the plan under consideration. Sown at 
that season they would probably fail on 
account of the heat. They are much bet¬ 
ter adapted to a colder climate, and do 
best sown in early Spring. They will 
stand frost and freezes that will kill many 
other plants sown or planted in early 
Spring. Why not sow cow peas, such as 
are used in the South for hay, pasture, 
and building up land? If there is suffi¬ 
cient moisture the heat at that season will 
be to their liking, and they will make a 
wonderful growth. The Clay and Whip¬ 
poorwill varieties are those most generally 
recommended for this purpose. If your 
local dealers cannot get the seed, you 
can get it through Cincinnati seed houses; 
also the information as to how much to 
sow per acre. A good many years ago I 
sowed a few Canada peas at the proper 
time to sow them in the Spring, but the 
crop was of no value. 
Ross Co., O. JOHN M. JAMISON. 
Peach Curculio. 
It. G. D., Society Hill, 8. G. —What is the 
best method of holding the curculio in check 
on peach trees? How early would they be 
likely to appear in a mild climate, such as 
we have In South Carolina? To what ef¬ 
fect, if any, could arsenical sprays be used, 
and in what proportions, since they are 
very apt to cause the leaves and fruit to 
fall and may even kill small branches on 
poach trees? 
Ans. —I think the best known method 
for controlling the curculio on peach trees 
is the jarring process. There are jarring 
machines on the market, but one can 
construct a framework covered with cloth 
and put under the trees to catch the 
beetles as they drop upon jarring. The 
trees should be jarred at least once a 
day during the three to five weeks which 
the beetles work in early Summer. I do 
not know how early they would appear 
in South Carolina; probably this question 
could be answered at the Experiment Sta¬ 
tion in that State. As to arsenical sprays 
for this pest on peaches, I am not yet 
sure they can be used as successfully as 
they often are on plums and cherries. 
The only poison spray that could be used 
with safety is the arsenate of lead. I 
would try this at the rate of three or fouf 
pounds of the poison in 50 gallons of 
water, making the first application as 
soon as the first beetles are found and 
spraying again a week or 10 days later. 
One could easily determine when the 
beetles appear by placing a sheet under 
a "few trees and jarring them each day, 
beginning about blossoming time. I should 
begin to look for the beetles in South 
Carolina about blossoming time. 
M. V. SUNGERLAND. 
Oil Stoves for Hotbeds. 
A. R., Newpoint, Ind. —'Hotbeds are said 
to be sometimes heated with fire, the heat 
passing through flues. Would It be practical 
and safe to heat such beds with kerosene oil 
stoves? Take a bed 20 feet long, six feet 
wide and 314 feet high, inside measure. 
Will two oil stoves, placed In this bed, so 
as to distribute the heat as evenly as pos¬ 
sible, maintain a temperature of 90 degrees 
Fahrenheit? The walls are tight, the in¬ 
closed space is small and the temperature is 
high. Will oil stoves be entirely safe under 
such conditions? 
Ans. —Oil heaters or stoves that are 
heated with oil are not as a rule reliable 
for heating forcing beds or small green¬ 
houses. I have seen them experimented 
with in various ways. If they are to be 
used with pipe connections and the hot 
water system employed they are usually 
of insufficient capacity to generate enough 
heat to maintain a uniform temperature, 
and when used for warming the air in a 
room of any given space by placing them 
in certain positions the heat will not be 
equally distributed and it will be found 
on extremely cold nights it will be roast¬ 
ing hot in some parts of the frame while 
freezing in others. Besides emitting an 
unpleasant odor, the heat from them is 
of a dry nature, absorbing very quickly 
all moisture, thus subjecting the plants 
to a sickly and unhealthy atmosphere. 
T. M. WHITE. 
Hardup: “There was a time when you 
said you’d share your last shilling with 
me.” Moneybags: “Oh, that’s all right, 
old man, but I haven’t got to it yet.”— Ally 
Sloper. 
(EXTRACTS FROM THE MAPES PAMPHLETS, 1907). 
A RECORD YIELD OF POTATOES FOR AN ACRE. 
Grown and Harvested on a Farmington Farm—Heasured by Weight—Yield of Three Hundred and Six Bushels. 
Special to the Hartford Times, Farmington, Conn., October 4th, 1906. 
“While many farmers in this state have turned their attention to the raising of tobacco, a record has been made this season on potatoes grown and 
harvested on a farm in the Scott’s Swamp district, this town. 
“An acre of land, planted to Green Mountain potatoes, produced 306 oushels, lacking two pounds. The potatoes were measured by weight, allowing 
sixty pounds to the bushel. The acre was surveyed by Civil Engineer A. R. Wadsworth and E. U. Peck and Arthur Saunders of Scott’s Swamp, and Ole W. 
Robertson of Forestville did the weighing. 
“The acre was planted and tilled by machinery, and the land was kept clear of weeds. 
“At harvesting time the rows were split open with a plow and the potatoes were hooked by four men—inexperienced help secured in Hartford. The 
men began work at seven o’clock in the morning, and had finished their part of the work by two o’clock, taking an hour out at midday for dinner. The 
entire crop was picked up, weighed and stored in the bins by three o’clock.” 
An Acre of Land Measured by fir. Wadsworth. 
Farmington, Conn., Sept. 26, 1906. 
“ We weighed and found the same produced 305 58-60 bushels of potatoes.” 
(Signed) E. H. Peck, Arthur Saunders, Ole W. Robertson. 
This is to certify that on September 24th, 1906, I duly measured and staked out an exact acre of land on the farm of Joseph A. Fagan in the town of 
Farmington, the same being planted with potatoes. 
Dated Farmington, October 1, 1906. A. R. Wadsworth, C. E. 
Joseph A. Fagan, who raised the above mentioned crop, reports October 17: “ Since harrowing this land and seeding to grass 14 more bushels of 
potatoes were picked up. making total yield on this measured acre 326 bushels lacking 2 pounds. Entire crop is 17 acres of potatoes.” 
Joseph A Fagan writes October 18th: “I never raised a bushel of potatoes for market until I came to live out on this farm.” 
Joseph A. Fagan stated to our representative October 17th : “Whatever success I have had in potato growing is due to the liberal use of the Mapes 
Manure (a ton to the acre), thorough culture by machinery from time of planting, no hand hoeing. I believe in frequent spraying to check blight. 
No other manures or fertilizers except Mapes is used in my farming operations.” 
THREE FIRST PRIZE CROPS FOR QUALITY. 
Queens - Nassau Counties Agricultural Society Fair, 1906. 
R. C. Colyer, of Woodbury, L.I., Reports, November 27, 1906 : 
“The three varieties of potatoes, Green Mountain, Carman No. 3, and Sir Walter Raleigh, which I sent you, took the first premium at the Queens- 
Nassau Counties Fair this fall; were grown from your fertilizer. We grew about 300 bushels per acre. Sprayed the vines six times with Bordeaux Mixture.” 
FIRST PRIZE CROP FOR QUALITY. 
Queens - Nassau Counties Agricultural Society Fair, 1905. 
Extract from letter of grower, Richard C. Colyer, Woodbury, L. I., November 15, 1905: 
“We planted our potatoes on clover sod. Manure spread on half of patch with 700 lbs. of Mapes Potato Fertilizer, and on the rest we used a half ton 
Mapes Potato Manure alone. We did not see any difference. . . . Yield was great, fully 300 bushels per acre. Sprayed the patch seven times with 
Bordctiux Mixture ^ 
C. W. Conklin, of Deer Park, Long Island, Reports, December 5th, 1906: 
“That he sowed 3% acres with oats the spring of 1904; that same year, mowed six tons of clover. In the spring of 1905 sowed broadcast 800 pounds of 
General Crop fertilizer ; mowed fifteen tons of hay first crop, four and a half tons hay second crop. Spring of 1906 spread a thousand pounds of Improved 
Top Dresser, half strength, and mowed fifteen tons of hay; neighbors told him it was the best hay that they had seen.” 
THE MAPES FORMULA AND PERUVIAN GUANO CO., 143 Liberty Street, New York 
