270 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
March 13, 
COOKING LIME AND SULPHUR. 
The use of lime and sulphur is bound 
to become very common. Not only is it 
as good as, or better than, anything else 
for killing San Jose scale, but it is fully 
as good a fungicide as Bordeaux; in 
fact, I think it better. If one rigs up 
for it he can prepare lime and sulphur 
almost as cheaply as Bordeaux. Some 
go to the expense of erecting a boiler 
and cooking by steam. This would be 
all right if during the spraying season 
there were no rains, or one could so 
plan as to have each batch or cooking 
run cut just at night. But as that is 
out of the question the steam cooker is 
not the best way for the reason that it 
is difficult to keep the solution hot and 
if allowed to cool, it, like the prepared, 
is very liable to crystallize, which makes 
it very difficult to get through the noz¬ 
zles. The best apparatus for its pre¬ 
paration is to get a large kettle and 
set the same in a heavy arch. The 
walls of the arch should be feet, 
or more thick. It should have a grate 
and a door that closes tight and be 
set high enough so as to be nearly or 
quite on a level with the top of sprayer 
tank. A large strong dipper, holding as 
much as can be conveniently lifted, 
should be fastened to a long handle_.for 
dipping the cooked mess from kettle to 
tank. 
Now, suppose a rain comes on just 
as the portion is ready to use, or night 
intervenes; all that is necessary is to 
close the door to arch and the walls 
will keep contents of kettle hot for 24 
hours, or by putting in a chunk and 
keeping arch closed, it can be kept hot 
for a week, and so long as kept hot it 
will not take any harm. By using a 
high grade of Ohio lime, burned and 
ground, we do not have to strain the 
solution and have not the least trouble 
with clogging of nozzles, and we find 
the expense of the lime and sulphur 
ready to apply is less than half what 
the prepared cost, even at wholesale 
prices, and then we are dead sure we 
have the full strength. 
J. S. WOODWARD. 
SCAB DISEASE OF POTATOES. 
Give the rule for treating seed potatoes 
for the scab, and also how long they can 
he kept, after treatment, before planting. 
I have tried the suKphur treatment for a 
number of years, and while it helps some 
it does not seem to stop the trouble, espe¬ 
cially on a piece that I am planting l'or a 
series of years to potatoes, with commer¬ 
cial fertilizers, to demonstrate bow long a 
piece can be planted continuously without 
• running the land all out” as it is com¬ 
monly called. I have planted it now for 15 
years, and the end is “not yet.” As far 
as I can see I get as good a crop now as 
disease which is spread by a germ. It is 
not only carried on the seed but also lives 
in the soil. This is one reason why most 
growers follow a rotation so as not to have 
one potato crop follow another. You will 
see from this that if these germs are in 
the soil you could not prevent scab en¬ 
tirely even if you killed all the germs on 
the seed. It is the nature of the scab germ 
to thrive best in an alkaline soil. That is 
why lime and wood ashes increase the dam¬ 
age from scab. The germs are least active 
when the ground is sour and the “treat¬ 
ment” for your soil is to keep it in an acid 
condition. You can scatter sulphur in the 
hill or drill but this will be expensive. 
You can use such chemicals as acid phos¬ 
phate, sulphate of ammonia or fish. These 
tend to sour the ground but might not give 
you high quality potatoes. In large field 
culture farmers have overcome scab to a 
large extent by plowing under heavy green 
crops. Rye can be seeded among the pota¬ 
toes or immediately after and when it 
makes a good growth in Spring plowed 
under and rolled down. The decay of the 
rye in warm weather will sour the ground 
somewhat and if the potatoes are planted 
down in it they will be less scabby. Aside 
from proving a possible theory we see little 
advantage to be gained through planting 
potatoes year after year on the same soil. 
Immigrants For Farm Labor. 
II. II. IS., King Ferry, N. Y. —Where, and 
by what means, should I seek to supply 
myself with hired help for the coming 
season ? I want at least two hired men 
and will take foreigners, newly arrived, if 
I cannot get Americans. I would prefer 
Americans. I am a farmer and have a 
vineyard of 25 acres on the east shore of 
Cayuga Lake. Farm help through all this 
region is so scarce and so high-priced that 
very much work goes undone, work that 
should be and would be done if help could 
bo had at a reasonable cost. I think that 
some directions about where and how to 
get farm help from New York streets, or 
from Ellis Island, would be of great benefit 
to a large number of your readers. 
Ans. —Both the National Department 
of Agriculture at Washington and the 
New York State Department conduct 
labor bureaus. The State Department 
office is at 23 Park Row, New York. 
You might also write to the Labor In¬ 
formation Office for Italians, 59 Lafay¬ 
ette Place, and the Bowery Mission, 
both New York. A number of influen¬ 
tial Italians are trying to influence more 
of their countrymen to go directly to 
the country. The Bowery Mission seeks 
to find places for men out of work or 
those in the “bread line”—which is the 
name given the various groups of men 
who are fed by public or private charity. 
It is not hard to secure gangs of men 
for some large enterprise, but there is 
some risk and trouble in getting one or 
two men. Farmers sometimes wonder 
why the immigrants just off the ship 
are not more willing to go straight to 
the country. They should remember 
that the newcomer is in a strange land, 
unfamiliar with language or habits. In 
the city he meets people of his own 
race, who are interested in keeping him 
here while his money lasts. Put yourself 
in his place and see how eager you 
would be to leave your own people and 
strike out into an unknown country. 
A profit of $1400. 
on Twelve Acres, due to Spraying 
T HE Ohio Experiment Station summarizes its results 
in a series of spraying - experiments on a 12-acre 
orchard as follows: 
“Since the trees used experimentally averaged a yield 
of about 8 bushels each, and nearly half of the value of the 
crop, at a most conservative estimate, must be credited to 
spraying, nearly $1400. must be allotted as the esti¬ 
mated profit from spraying this orchard. This estimate 
is net after allowing $125., a liberal figure, for cost of treat¬ 
ment. If the other unsprayed orchards in the neighbor¬ 
hood be accepted as the criteria of productiveness, instead 
of our very conservative estimates, the allotted gain would 
need to be increased fully 50 per cent, for all such unspray¬ 
ed trees produced less than one-fourth as much marketable 
fruit as these experimental trees, although of the same size.’ ’ 
Spray with “ PYROX,” 
made from non-burning arsenate of lead and 
non-burning bordeaux mixture, resulting in a 
non-burning combination that kills all leaf¬ 
eating insects and protects trees, fruits, pota¬ 
toes, vegetables, etc., from blight, rot, scab and 
fungous diseases. Do not put it off. Write 
now for prices so as to get your work in early. 
Remember it is easier to prevent fungous dis¬ 
eases and insect attacks than to cure them. 
Bowker Insecticide Company 
43 Chatham Street, Boston, Massachusetts 
TO KILL 
San Jose Scale 
USE 
Bergenport Brand Sublimed 
FLOWERS of SULPHUR 
The hest form of sulphur for Lime Sulphur Wash. 
Combines easily and quickly with lime. Write to 
BERGENPORT SULPHUR WORKS 
T. & S. C. White Co., lOO William St., /V. V. 
FUMA 
liPfllll A ”, kills Prairie Dogs, 
“ m m Woodchucks, Gophers, 
and Grain Insects. 
“The wheels of the gods 
grind slow but exceed¬ 
ingly small.” So tlie weevil, but you can stop their 
8 with “ Fuma Carbon Bisulphide are doing. 
EDWARD R. TAYLOR, Perm Yan, N. Y. 
The FARMERS* GARDEN 
A Seed Drill and Wheel Hoe is in¬ 
dispensable—not only in a village 
garden but on largest farms. 
Fanners should grow all manner 
Of vegetables and “live on the fat of 
the land.” Should provide succu¬ 
lent roots for Cattle, 8 wi no, Poultry, 
and save high priced feed 
stuff. Great labor-sav¬ 
ing tools of special 
value for the home .. 
as well as the - ■ 
market gar¬ 
den. Send 
for free 
book. 
BATEMAN MFG. CO.. Box 102-G, GRENLOCH. N. J. 
when I began, with the exception of an 
increasing amount of scab, which with the 
right kind of treatment, I think I can over¬ 
come. 7 .. B. 
Massach u setts. 
The following statement, taken from Bul¬ 
letin 168 of the Wisconsin Station, contains 
sound advice : 
‘‘Where potatoes are grown on a limited 
scale, the seed may be sacked in burlap 
sacks and soaked before cutting in the fol¬ 
lowing solution for 1% hour: Formalin 
(40 per cent solution), 1 quart; water, 30 
gallons. 
“Where it is desired to treat the pota¬ 
toes on a larger scale, the following method 
is more applicable : Crate the potatoes and 
place in a tight room of known dimensions 
which can be securely closed and fastened. 
Place 24 ounces of potassium permangan¬ 
ate in a large dishpan and pour upon this 
four pints of formalin solution (40 per 
cent). Close the room tightly and leave the 
potatoes exposed for about 36 to 48 hours. 
The formaldehyde gas is liberated and kills 
the scab fungus without injuring the sprout¬ 
ing power of the seed. The above men¬ 
tioned proportions of material are given for 
1,000 cubic feet of space. The proportion 
should be varied, of course, when a larger 
space is used.” 
We prefer, if possible, to rinse off the 
potatoes in clean water before putting them 
to soak. IVe have practiced the method of 
scattering sulphur over the seed pieces for 
some years. It helps hut is not so sure as 
soaking. The potatoes can he kept two 
weeks after soaking before cutting—if 
necessary. In such case you may be sure 
that no sprouts have been injured. The 
sulphur not only destroys many of the 
scab germs but helps preserve the seed 
pieces from rotting. This scab is a skin 
The Best Prize is a Profitable Crop 
Insure Your Profits By Using' 
E. FRANK COE FERTILIZERS 
The Standard For Over Fifty Years. 
There’s a Reason and Your 
Crops Will Make It Plain To You 
Remember the Papers Fit the Goods. 
Our Fertilizer Literature Sent Free If You Mention The Rural New-Yorker. 
THE COE-MORTIMER COMPANY 
24 STONE STREET, - - NEW YORK 
