no 
THE RURAL NiiW-YORKEK 
February 6, 
Tobacco Stems as Fertilizer. 
E. 8. II., Ephrata, I’a .—What is the fer¬ 
tilizing value of tobacco stems (I refer to 
the stems removed from the leaf) per ton, 
compared with manure? Do they contain 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash? If 
so, how much of each? If tobacco stems 
could be had at $6 per ton, would that be a 
reasonable price to pay, according to the 
fertilizing element contained? 
Ans.—T he stems vary somewhat in 
composition. A fair sample aught to show 
2/i per cent of nitrogen and six of pot¬ 
ash. There is but little phosphoric acid 
in the stems. As compared with ma¬ 
nure the stems contain five times as 
much nitrogen and nearly 10 times as 
much potash. We would like to get 
them at $6 per ton. 
Top-Working Apples. 
L. S., Clap, N. Y .—How and when 
should top-working bo done in central New 
York? When should scions be obtained? 
What are the best commercial varieties of 
apple for this locality and also what is 
there to take the place of Tolman for same 
place? 
Ans. —We usually top-work by graft¬ 
ing in April, cutting scions during the 
Winter, and holding them dormant un¬ 
til ready to use. The Northern Spy is 
the best commercial variety for central 
New York. Hendrick Sweet will take 
the plaec of Tolman Sweet. 
GRANT G. DITCHINGS. 
The Heavy Strawberry Mulch. 
On page 24 is an article called “Mulch¬ 
ing a Strawberry Crop” by George E. Mart, 
Long Island, and he states that on one- 
tenth of an acre he put 20 tons of horse 
manure, then followed with eight loads of 
hay as a mulch. I cannot conceive, how he 
could put so much on 1G rods of ground. 
Roby, Ill. n. p. h. 
On page 24 George E. Ilart says he put 
20 loads of green manure and eight loads 
of hay on one-tenth of an acre of straw¬ 
berries. We have just covered an acre 
with about three tons of straw. We could 
have used more if we had it, but have had 
much more trouble by putting on too much 
than too little. Two years ago we used 
less than half Mr. Hart’s dose and had to 
haul some of it off in the Spring, and then 
some varieties went to leaves so badly as 
to be almost worthless. I hope Mr. Hart 
will report after his picking season is 
over. A. e. k. 
State Road, Del. 
R. N.-Y.—There was a misprint. Mr. 
Hart had nine-tenths of an acre, which 
makes a great difference in the quantity 
of mulch used. 
Tumor on Cow’s Throat. 
Will some cattleman tell me what he 
thinks about a lump on cow’s throat size 
of an egg? It is rather hard; does not 
hang down, is just a little tender when 
touched. It is said to be caused by being 
hooked by another cow. Is it likely to 
cause trouble, and what is best to be done 
for it? So far it has been left entirely 
alone. p. p. 
Connecticut. 
If the lump is located close to the 
juncture of the neck and head (throat- 
latch) it may be merely an enlargement of 
the thyroid gland constituting a slight case 
of “goitre.” In that case it should be left 
alone, as it will do no harm and will not 
be likely to increase much in size. If it is 
lower down and known to be due to an 
accident it may be fibroid, or contain a sac 
holding pus, and should be removed by 
clean dissection. At the location just re¬ 
ferred to we have several times seen a 
cyst, and on opening it have found hair 
and perhaps a cheesy substance. Such cysts 
usually are insensitive. Most common of 
all is a tumor due to the ray fungus 
(actinomyces) causing lumpy jaw. Such 
tumors may follow a small wound of the 
skin which has become invaded by the 
spores of the fungus, which are found upon 
grasses and grains. Treatment consists in 
excision; or where this cannot be done 
then the tumor or sac should be opened 
freely and its cavity well swabbed out with 
sulphuric acid or tincture of iodine. It also 
is well to test affected cattle with tuber¬ 
culin. a. s. A. 
Thistle Seeds in Straw. 
Reader, Pennsylvania .—I can buy a quan¬ 
tity of straw at a low figure. This straw 
contains tops of some Canada thistles, 
which were cut about July 10. Would it 
be safe to buy this straw, or would the 
seeds of these thistles be matured enough 
by that time to sprout and grow? I do 
not want them on my farm. 
Ans. —I should be very much afraid 
of the straw containing Canada thistle 
tops. It is commonly remarked, and I 
suppose the remark is based upon ex¬ 
perience, that thistles will mature after 
cutting. At any rate, there is consider¬ 
able substance to the stems, and it would 
seem more reasonable that they would 
do so than some plants. On July 10 I 
should expect them to be sufficiently de¬ 
veloped so that there would be dan¬ 
ger of the seeds contained in the tops 
being viable. However, if investigation 
could be made, some of the seeds se¬ 
cured and placed in posilion to germin¬ 
ate, the matter could be tested, if it 
would be worth while. j: l. stone. 
COAL TAR AND PEACH BORERS. 
Otir Pennsylvania friend, page 97.~, who 
is seeking information concerning the effi¬ 
cacy of coal tar in ridding his trees of 
those intolerable nuisances, the peach 
borers, may perhaps profit from the ex¬ 
perience of one of our neighbors. lie was 
a city man, and as may be surmised his 
knowledge of country life was somewhat 
limited. Largely interested in stock breed¬ 
ing, raising nearly 200 colts annually, he 
let them run at large over his broad acres 
during the greater part of the year. He 
soon learned his horses took especial de¬ 
light in denuding his trees, not only of all 
the leaves within their reach, but the bark 
on the trunk of the trees also. In order 
to cut short this gnawing habit, he painted 
his trees with coal tar, from the ground 
upward as high as the horses could reach. 
His experiment was a complete success, but 
along the same lines that our physicians 
sometimes report their surgical experi¬ 
ments, viz.: “The operation was an en¬ 
tire success, but—the patient died.” So 
did our friend’s trees, and great noble oaks, 
far-spreading elms and maples, as well as 
many other varieties are standing, although 
mute witnesses of his folly. It is well 
known the peach tree will stand a great 
deal of abuse in some directions, and as 
Hale, the peach tree king, once expressed 
it, “has more lives than a cat,” yet they 
cannot stand an application of coal tar 
one-half as well as they can stand the bor¬ 
ers. Therefore, we would say to our Penn¬ 
sylvania friend, anent the use of coal tar 
on peach trees, don’t! Continue to use the 
knife, even though it may at times be 
necessary to use it heroically. s. s. 
Sussex Co., N. J. 
Size of Root Grafts. 
W. A'., Selden, N. Y .—In The R.-N. 
of November 7, 1908, E. S. Black speaks 
of making root grafts for apple and pear. 
Do the roots have to be the same thickness 
as the grafts, or does it make no differ¬ 
ence whether the roots are thicker, say 
the thickness of a finger, if he follows the 
same principle, like grafting in a limb or 
a young tree above ground? 
Ans. —It is not necessarv that the 
scion and stock should be of the same 
size. I often use a graft much larger 
than the stock, and often the stock is 
larger than the graft. The graft when 
inserted in the tongue of the stock 
must have the inside bark cross that 
of the inside bark of the stock, and 
when that is done it allows the sap to 
pass up into the graft, and the re¬ 
mainder of the wound or splice that is 
not covered either of stock or graft by 
one being larger than the other will 
be healed over by the sap, which in¬ 
duces the callus or covering for such 
wound. The best stock is a one-year- 
old and about J^-inch caliper, or the 
thickness of an ordinary lead pencil. 
e. s. BLACK. 
The FARMERS' GARDEN 
A Seed Prill and Wheel Hoe is in¬ 
dispensable—not only in a village 
garden but on largest farms. 
Farmers should grow all manner 
of vegetables and “live on the fat of 
the land.” Should provide succu¬ 
lent roots for Cattle, 8 w i ne, Poultry, 
and save high priced feed 
stuff. Great labor-sav¬ 
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value for the home 
as well as the 
market 
den. Sen 
for fre© 
book. 
Only One 
of M any 
Iron Age Toole 
The 
most 
complete 
tool 
made 
BATEMAN MFG. CO., Box 
1U3-G, GRENIOCH, N. J. 
Larimer Ditching Plow 
with subsoil attachment. If you have ditching 
to do,this plow will save you more money tnan 
any implement you have on your farm. Reduces 
cost of digging ditch from one-half to two- 
thirds. Send for descriptive circular. 
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Price. CO Post Cards, all different 10c.—10 for 30e.—20 
for 15c., all prepaid. Agents wanted at every P. O. 
(60 “Cheer” Post Cards, real Gems; same price.) 
EySeed Cat. and Prenl. Coupon free with all orders. 
SPECIAL. Order at once and 1 will add free a nice 
PRESENT for Wife, sister or sweetheart. 
A. T. COOK, Seedsman, Hyde Park, N. Y. 
IT-TAT-TOO t o h a e m l e a ^I t 
Played with specially designed checkers, 
by two, three or four players. Scientific 
and fascinating as chess or checkers, yet 
simple enough for a child. Ask 
your stationer or address 
GRUNDY MFG. CO., 
Paterson, New Jersey. 
Sen! anywhere by mail prepaid for $1.15. 
Cherry, Plum, Peach 
Trees, $4.98 for 10O 
Dansville grown, fresh dug, true to 
’ name, every tree as represented, no 
scale, no risk, personal attention 
given every order. 
Send us a list of your wants for 
wholesale prices. Write for free 
catalog. 2 apple trees, 1 McIntosh 
and 1 Banana for 25c post paid. 
MALOXF.Y BROS. & WELLS, Box 1C, Dansville, N, V, 
FARMOGERM 
■m «*•»*«*•• 
H»tl«KI* 
•» FI»' 
lACRf SIZE-PRICE* 2 
yyp. IH0MA5IWOUBO31C* 
RinomOELP TL J. 
For Larger Crops and Richer Soil 
At Lowest Cost Fertilize With 
FARMOGERM 
High-Bred Nitrogen 
Gathering Bacteria* 
Beats Nitrate of Soda at Fraction oS Cost and Labor. Let us Prove it. 
FARMOGERM 
NOT USED 
Before you pay a high price for a nitrate fertilizer and bear 
the expense of freight and the work of spreading, let us tell 
you about Farmogerm— 
Let us show you the sure way to supply your soil with 
enough nitrates to produce several bumper crops at the low 
cost of $2.00 an acre, and with practically 
No Extra Work. 
That may sound to you as if it were too good to be true. 
But it is a proved fact. _ 
You know that Government experts 
and practical farmers have proved the un¬ 
equalled value of seed or soil inoculation 
with nitrogen gathering bacteria when 
it is properly done, with the right 
bacteria in the right condition. 
The difficulty in the past has been to 
supply the farmer with the right bacteria 
in a strong, active form. 
Farmogerm solves that problem. 
You or anyone else may now Inocu¬ 
late a crop of alfalfa, any clovers, vetch, 
peas, beans or other legumes, knowing 
that the bacteria will feed that crop all 
the nitrates it can use. 
And knowing also that the crop, be¬ 
ing well supplied with its special bacteria, 
will store still more nitrates in the soil 
which will be available for several future 
crops of any kind, whether legume or not. 
That is a proved fact. 
One reason is that Farmogerm contains nitrogen gather¬ 
ing bacteria that have been carefully selected and bred up to a 
high point of nitrogen fixing power. 
Another reason is that there is no chance of the culture 
being spoiled, becoming impure or being wrongly used. It 
will come to you in a specially sealed bottle, and is 
All Ready for Use 
When you get it. Just mix with water and moisten the seed 
or spray over the seed bed or young plants, or mix with a lit¬ 
tle earth and spread. 
These are reasons why Farmogerm is successful and why 
you cannot compare it to any other nitrogen bacteria eve** 
put out. These are reasons why it insures a bumper yield 
and a greater food value from the crop inoculated, and why it 
makes poor soil good soil. 
Understand, please, that Farmogerm is no experiment. 
It has been tested out and proved right in a practical way by 
practical farmers, as well as by scientific experts. Bead the 
letters given here and read others that appear in our book 
and circulars. 
Also read in our book quotations 
from many bulletins put out by the U. S. 
Dept., of Agriculture and State Experi¬ 
ment Stations, showing the vast impor¬ 
tance of so’l inoculation and the wonder¬ 
ful possibilities of this method of fertili- 
zation 
FARMOGERM But—" Seeing is believing”—andthat 
USED HERE is why we urge that you 
Prove If Like This 
Yourself For 10c. 
We will send you a small bottle of Farmo¬ 
germ for 10 cents, postpaid, so you can make a 
box test in your house before planting time. 
Then you will want more. Full instructions 
with bottle. Mention crop you want to test. 
Stamps accepted for trial size. In regular 
sizes, §2.00 An acre—Garden Size, 50c. 
Test it Yourself. 
Send 10c. for a trial size, enough to 
make a box test in your home before 
planting time. The results you get in the 
box will make you decide to use it on 
every acre of legumes you plant. And 
you’ll want to sow as much ground as 
possible to the inoculated legumes in 
order to enrich your soil for other crops 
next year and the next, whether the 
future crop be corn, wheat or other grain, 
cotton, tobacco, potatoes or any vegetable. 
Here is another important point: You may sow an inocu¬ 
lated crop with your corn or oats, for instance, and hoth 
crops will get the benefit at the same time. 
Price, $2.00per Acre; Garden Size, 50c. By Mail or Expi-ess paid. 
Write Today for Free Book No. 18 end Guaranty. 
We guarantee Farmogerm to be an absolutely pure cul¬ 
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address to— 
Earp-Thomas Farmogerm Co., Bioomneid, n. j. 
T have tried Farmogerm on 
beans with rnoBt gratifying 
results, the inoculated beans 
making a much more vigor¬ 
ous growth, maturing earlier 
and producing a larger crop 
than those not inoculated. 
E. W. Underhill.Syosset, L. I. 
I used Farmogerm on Al¬ 
falfa, • * * • » The stand is 
the finest I have ever seen in 
this country. J W. Patmley, 
Ipswich, So. Dakota. 
I planted Red Clover last 
year treated with Farmo- 
germ. It was greatly bene- 
fltted. This year 1 planted 
corn on the same land and on 
adjoining land. Corn on the 
land where inoculated clover 
was grown was better and 
matured earlier. Geo. T. 
Dowell, Ghent, N. Y., Pres., 
Agricultural Expert Asen. 
I made various practical 
tests with Farmogerm on my 
farm with clover, beans, peas 
and alfalfa with most satis¬ 
factory results. J. N. Hon, 
New York City, Industrial 
<fc Agricultural Chemists. 
I sowed 1 acre of alfalfa in¬ 
oculated with Farmogenn. 
It has come up evenly and I 
have a good stand. I have 
tried alfalfa before but never 
succeeded in getting such a 
stand as I have at the present 
time. W. S. Downs, Derby, 
Conn. 
farmogerm 
IS FOR SALE BY 
HADING SEED HOUSES 
