4io 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 18, 
square foot. As to cost, things have changed in the 
past 18 months. Two years ago a good cement block 
silo would have cost about 33 to 40 per cent more than 
one of the very best stave silos, but now lumber has 
gone up about 30 per cent in price, cypress and Georgia 
pine, and cement is less, and sand “without change,” and 
I should not think that the difference would be very 
great. This is a fact; if the block silo is made and 
foundations made all right, it will last no end of years. 
A wooden silo gets a little weaker each year. If out 
of doors, a hooped silo is very apt to shrink, get loos¬ 
ened hoops, and sometimes collapses in a gale of wind, 
and sometimes without. A cement silo cannot expand, 
contract or collapse; needs no paint and always stands 
“four square” without guys. Now that it is found that 
freezing does not injure silage that objection is not 
made nowadays. With the hollow blocks the freezing 
is reduced to minimum anyway. Just what a cement 
block silo will cost is a matter of local calculation, based 
on cost of labor and material. The rule two years ago 
was that a block silo built on the spot cost about two 
dollars per ton capacity. A No. 1 wooden silo with 
all its appointments will cost now fully $1.50 per ton 
and the block silo less than $2. This is a matter of 
great importance to silo builders, and is worthy of full 
consideration. John could. 
Portage Co., Ohio. 
CAN WE HOLD FRUIT BUDS BACK? 
Wliat is the best way to make ray apple trees and grape¬ 
vines “put out” (i. e., start growing) late in Spring? Most 
of my apple trees and grapevines had new shoots two 
inches long on April 1. We had an open Winter, and 
about six weeks of warm weather in February and March. 
They were somewhat injured by frost on April 1, and were 
completely frozen on April 9. Teaches, plums and cherries 
were also frozen. On the Rome Beauty and Northern Spy 
trees a few leaf buds had barely started, and they were 
probably not injured; the “Neverfall” (Geneton?) also puts 
out late here, and never fails to have a lot of fruit. We 
have hut little snow here, and it seldom stays more than 
a few days. 1 am in the Great Smoky Mountains in west¬ 
ern North Carolina, about 2,500 or 3,000 feet above sea 
level. My orchard or vineyard is on a southeastern slope. 
Is there any practicable and inexpensive way to keep these 
trees and vines back in Spring so that they will not get 
frozen? My trees and vines are from two io six years old 
and are full of bloom and fruit buds. Many bore some 
fruit last year. e. v. h. 
Cleelum, N. C. 
Although many advance the theory and some claim to 
have demonstrated to their own satisfaction that trees 
and vines in the open ground and air may be held back 
in Spring by mulching the ground over their roots while 
it is frozen, I do not think it is well founded. I have 
never seen anything done to cause me to believe this 
theory true, but, on the contrary, I have seen some facts 
that were decidedly against it. The claim is that there 
can be no action of the tree or vine while the roots 
are in a dormant condition. If we take the deductions 
of such scientific authorities as the late Thomas Meehan 
and Prof. J. T. Burrill, both of whom I have heard dis¬ 
cuss this subject in detail, the living sap of a tree or 
plant does not freeze within the protoplasmic cells, and 
they are never utterly dormant. A part of the water 
may be forced out of the composition within the cells, 
and this will freeze, but not the entire protoplasm, unless 
the extraction of water has gone beyond a certain yet 
unknown point, where death ensues. Then freezing is 
complete. This occurs in millions of cases and in 
other millions the evaporation and attendant freezing 
is not complete, and life is not extinct; so that, when 
the temperature rises and the flow of moisture from 
the roots is sufficient the protoplasmic cells may resume 
their normal condition and the functions of the tree or 
plant become natural again. We see this demonstrated, 
externally, in myriads of shriveled twigs during severe 
and especially prolonged cold spells, all of which even¬ 
tually swell out to their natural proportions, except 
those that have died from too extreme evaporation. 
These latter had been reduced beyond the point of endur¬ 
ance. There is no doubt that the water in trees freezes, 
for, like thousands of others who have worked in the 
northern woods in Winter time, I have broken my ax 
in chopping into trees that were “frozen to the heart.” 
But the ice in these trees was frozen water and not 
frozen sap. The “heart” of a tree, the vital part, we 
know, is not in the center, but in the portion that lies 
between the outer bark and inner wood. The “heart” 
wood of a tree is dead. It merely remains to serve as 
a support to the living, active parts and to be useful to 
man in the great economy of nature and the world. 
As to the special, practical part of the inquiry I would 
say that there is nothing that can be done to keep back 
the trees and vines so that Spring frost will not injure 
the bloom. I have seen a grapevine and a rose bush 
standing in the open, with their roots in frozen ground 
and so near a greenhouse that a branch of each was 
taken inside, through holes cut for the purpose, and the 
warm air had so acted on these branches that they were 
in full leaf at the same time that the rest of the vines 
were entirely dormant. It is not cool, cold or frozen 
ground that retards the opening of flower buds, but cool 
air about the upper parts. The only thing that seems to 
have any effect in retarding bud development in Spring, 
so far as I know, is coating the branches with white¬ 
wash. This was done by Prof. Whitten at the Mis¬ 
souri Experiment Station, and proved that it had a 
slight effect of this kind, because of less absorption of 
the sun’s rays through the white surface than through 
the natural bark. Our warships are painted white for 
DIGGING POST HOLES BY STEAM POWER. Fig. 192. 
the same reason, especially when in tropical waters, to 
keep them cooler than if of some dark color. People 
in the tropics dress in white for the same reason. But 
in the case of whitewashed trees there is so little to be 
gained that it is of no practical value. The growing of 
late vegetating varieties, such as the Genet (now Ralls) 
and Northern Spy apples is entirely practical. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
TRAINING AN OLD GRAPE 
On the property I have taken recently there is an old 
grapevine growing in grass, and apparently neglected since 
first planted. The original vine has been trained to form an 
arbor and the remainder left to layer itself without support. 
How shall I train and cultivate it for the best fruit? What 
is the best fertilizer to use, and how can I determine what 
parts to prune, etc.? g. h. 
Queens Co., N. Y. 
It is sometimes quite difficult to give correct instruc¬ 
tions how to handle and put in shape such neglected 
grapevines without knowing the variety or condition 
of the wood. Assuming, however, the vines have been 
allowed to go for years without pruning, interlacing 
each other as we usually find them, I would suggest 
taking away what remains of the old trellis and make 
a permanent improvement of the whole thing, by first 
cutting out all of the old wood except two young 
healthy canes. Select these as near the ground as 
possible, for on these will altogether depend the future 
shape of the vines. Cut these back to five or six feet 
in length, and’ the laterals cut back to leave two buds 
MACHINE FOR DIGGING POST HOLES. Fig. 193. 
on each spur. Set poles or post of some lasting ma¬ 
terial eight or 10 feet apart for a trellis; run wire 12 
or 15 inches apart one above the other, on the poles, 
securing them with staples. The two canes or vines 
are trained on the lower wire horizontally, one to the 
right, the other to the left, and the young growth these 
will send up should be tied in an upright position, and 
these will be the permanent fruiting wood. The vines 
thus treated may be allowed to bear a few bunches of 
fruit the rext year. The sward or grass that has been 
growing thickly'- around them should be removed, and a 
neat border made two feet wide and filled in with good 
soil, in which there should be some ground bone mixed 
and worked in the soil. This is very beneficial and 
lasting as a fertilizer for grapes. T. M. white. 
Monmouth Co., N. J. 
GREAT CORN CROPS IN NEw‘ENGLAND. 
Fig. 194 shows a corn crop that I raised last year. 
Tile ground was previously used for potatoes, sweet 
corn, etc., for awhile, with yearly manure from stables. 
Last Spring it had a good coat before plowing, partly 
drawn out of cow stable in Winter and spread broadcast 
as drawn. It was plowed April 27-28; harrowed April 
30, May 14 and May 31; planted in drills June 2, and 
June 10 was three inches high. It was cultivated and 
hoed in drills, level, June 21-22 and July G; cut, fully 
ripe, September 14. Variety Canada flint, yellow; rate 
of yield 201 bushels of cars per acre; stalks nine to ten 
feet. Crows never bother my corn, though numerous. 
1 soak the seed corn in water, hot as one can bear the 
hand in, for 10 minutes or so; pour off and stir in 
coal-tar till all the kernels are coated. This takes but a 
few tablespoonfuls to the half bushel, whether the 
liquid tar from gas-house is used or the thick used in 
making pavements, only the latter needs more stirring 
and hotter corn. Then sift dry road-dust through a 
common window wire screen, to remove lumps and peb¬ 
bles, and stir into corn till tar is coated; then spread on 
table or boards an hour or so to dry and again sift over 
screen to remove surplus sand. It will then run through 
planter without sticking or clogging. The first crow on 
the field may pull a hill or two, but will at once inform 
his tribe by their system of wireless telegraphy that 
that field of corn is unprofitable for them to work. Not 
half a dozen hills are pulled. Carrington phelps. 
Litchfield Co., Conn. 
One Hundred and Seventy Bushels Per Acre. 
The land that 1 raised this crop of corn on was a 
worn-out piece of mowing, the soil being a sandy loam. 
The field was plowed in the Fall; the following Spring 
I spread on a light coat of barnyard manure, then thor¬ 
oughly pulverized the soil with an Acme harrow, follow¬ 
ing it with a Planet Jr. cultivator, so that 1 had a per¬ 
fect seed bed. The rows were marked for planting three 
feet each way. 1 then planted the corn, putting hen 
manure in the hills; no other fertilizer was used in the 
hills. When the corn was four inches high I began cul¬ 
tivating both ways, running the cultivator shallow and 
close to the hills. The field was cultivated thoroughly 
as long as it was possible to get between the rows with 
a horse and cultivator, which left it entirely free from 
weeds. The strong growth that it made and the height 
that it attained made it a superior field of corn, aver¬ 
aging nine to 10 feet in height. My experience proves 
to me that one of the secrets of successful corn grow¬ 
ing lies in intense cultivation. The corn is a Canadian 
flint variety. The yield on 1)4 acre was 300 bushels cf 
ears. 1 do not know where this particular seed came 
from, as it came into my possession with the farm. 
The original seed has been greatly improved upon by 
me by a very careful selection of seed ears, never plant¬ 
ing the tip and butt kernels of the ears, and always 
keeping the seed corn in an even temperature. 1 he 
planting of the field was finished the first day of June, 
and the corn was glazed the last of August, and the first 
of September we began cutting it. R. e. j. 
Ludlow, Mass. 
USE OF RAW PHOSPHATE "FLOATS.” 
I am not familiar enough with the complex chemical 
reactions occurring during the fermentation of manure to 
point out in detail their action in raw phosphates. No 
doubt, however, that the acids developed unite with one 
or more parts of the lime of the raw phosphates. It is 
well known that these raw phosphates contain three 
parts lime to one of phosphoric acid, and that in this 
form they are insoluble. Acids uniting with and with¬ 
drawing two parts of the lime leave in the one part lime 
to one of phosphoric acid a water soluble material. 
Manufacturers make this change by the use of sul¬ 
phuric acid. In this process they double the cost of the 
phosphoric acid. If nature will do this by the acids of 
manure formed during fermentation for nothing there 
can be no doubt of the economy of the process. 1 he 
Ohio experimentation has found, as others have found, 
that floats or raw phosphates used as beddjtig for stock 
or as an absorbent are more effective sources of plant 
food and more economical sources than the soluble 
phosphoric acid of the markets. This is the answer of 
plants or crops, and takes precedence of any claim that 
may be set up by manufacturers who profit by manipu¬ 
lating the raw phosphates. As stated in my previous 
letter my soil, of moderate acidity only, makes good use 
of raw phosphates. This acidity does the good work 
of the fermentative acid products of the manure heap, 
and the artificially applied acid of the manufacturer’s 
art. It is not true that raw phosphates are from the 
monetary standpoint “impractical.” I buy in large 
amounts by the wholesale and cannot fairly quote the 
prices paid. It is not necessary in order to serve the 
ends of the inquiry. The standard acid phosphates 
contain 14 per cent available phosphoric acid or 280 
pounds per ton. Good forms of raw phosphates con¬ 
tain 30 to 32 per cent phosphoric acid or 620 pounds 
of phosphoric acid per ton. The raw phosphates should 
be bought at $2 less per ton than the 14 per cent acid 
phosphate. It contains 121 per cent more phosphoric 
acid and costs 12 to 15 per cent less. Those who unlike 
the writer do not own moderately acid soils will serve 
their exchequer by dusting the floor of the stable with 
raw fine-ground phosphates for those parts of the farm 
to which acid phosphate is to be applied. 
New Hampshire. j. w. sanborn. 
