1901). 
THK RURAL NKW-YOR KER 
987 
LIVE COALS FROM LOCOMOTIVES.. 
Apropos of your agitation concerning 
fires originating from railroad locomo¬ 
tives, I enclose something which may be 
of interest. Soma time ago I was walking 
along the main line of the Erie just at 
dark when one of their heavy, fast ex¬ 
press trains passed. Before the train 
reached me I stepped across the ditch 
which was between the tracks and the 
grass ground. From the smoke stack 
was coming a stream of sparks most of 
which seemed to he extinguished in the 
air. A few, however, reached the ground 
still glowing. One very bright one 
struck the ground near me and the 
grass it touched instantly blazed 
up. although it was damp with 
dew. I waited until it was cool and 
picked it up, and am sending it to you 
COAL FROM A LOCOMOTIVE (exact size.) 
Fid. MO. 
herewith. I am sure you will agree with 
me that if the condition of the spark 
arrester on that locomotive that night 
had been called in question in court, the 
railroad company would prove (?) that 
it was of the most approved -type and in 
perfect order. c. B. 
Geneseo. N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—This cinder is shown at 
Fig. 540, exact size. It is evidently a 
piece of burned coal which came from 
the fire. It is not a piece of soot or ac¬ 
cumulation from above the engine 
screen. 
FLOATS OR KAINIT. 
/•:. W. 'I'., Factoryvillc, Pa .— Whnt Is 
"floats," used ms an absorbent for stable, 
and where can It be bought? We have 
been using knlnlt and t would like to know 
how floats compares with It; that Is, which 
Ih tlie better. We buy knlnlt for $14 here. 
A ns.— “Floats'* is a name given to 
finely ground phosphate rock. This rock 
is taken from the mines and crushed 
or ground. When “acid phosphate’’ is 
to be made, the crushed rock or "floats 
is mixed with sulphuric acid, which 
“cuts" or dissolves it. and makes the 
phosphoric acid soluble. I he “floats 
act much the same as drv road dust as 
an absorbent in the stable, making a 
sort of mud with the liquids. Wc would 
much prefer dried swamp muck as an 
absorbent in the stable. It could be 
hauled from the swamp or the woods 
and dried under cover, and then put in 
the gutters and behind the stock. It 
will absorb more liquids than the 
“floats,” and adds some nitrogen. A 
comparison between “floats” and kainit 
would be as follows: The “floats” con¬ 
tain phosphoric acid, mostly insoluble. 
The kainit contains potash. It will de¬ 
pend, therefore, whether your soil needs 
potash or phosphoric acid most. The 
kainit has little value as an absorbent, 
but it has an action to preserve the 
manure by holding or preventing fer¬ 
mentation. The heavy clay soils are 
more likely to lack phosphoric acid— 
the lighter soils potash. We should not 
depend on either one to absorb the liq¬ 
uids, but use dried muck or other bed¬ 
ding for that, and then use what the 
soil needs in the manure. 
FERTILIZERS ON STRAWBERRIES. 
A. I,. V., Ilnvi'a' Count!/, N. •/.—On pngo 
924 you reply to J. B. I’., Baying the best 
time to apply potash and phosphoric acid 
Is In late July or August, by applying it 
close along the row. Now, at this time of 
year (lie rows have become matted (that is 
If you are using tills system), and for- 
tlllzer used along the rows will not do the 
berries In the middle of the row much good 
I have also read not to use fertilizer on 
I be rows wlillu they are growing, and one 
"Mild not very well use It in midsummer on 
account of so much foliage. Ho how and 
when can we use potash and phosphoric 
add on our matted rows? 
A ns. —You can broadcast it all over 
in a dry time without serious injury. 
We use the bill system and can put the 
fertilizer along the rows. You can put 
the potash and phosphoric acid on now 
if you wish to. Broadcast it over the 
rows. Uidcss on a hill where there is a 
heavy wash of water, there will be lit¬ 
tle loss. Fruiting rows should be 
mowed off after the fruit is picked and 
right after the stems and leaves are 
raked off is a good time to put on the 
fertilizer broadcast. Plants set in the 
Spring should be well fertilized when 
they are put out, and if this is done 
they will not need more fertilizer in 
the Summer. The Winter mulch, if of 
stable manure, will usually give nitro¬ 
gen enough if left on the ground. After 
fruiting the plants should be cut and 
then the potash and phosphoric acid 
may be broadcast. 
Paint For Metal Roofing. 
T. ()., liangor, l’u. I have a barn Bided 
over, one-inch board wltti corrugated (in 
siding or roofing, and find It rtisls very 
badly. This was painted on both sides 
before leaving the factory, and was painted 
again ns soon as nailed on barn, but rusted 
and peeled olT. What do you think of coal 
tar for paint? 
A ns. —I should judge the metal was 
rusty before it was painted, and of 
course the rust will prevent paint from 
firmly adhering to the metal. If you 
had a good wire brush to go over the 
surface and remove the rust this should 
he done. But one would not want to 
buy such a brush and throw it away 
when done. I would suggest using half 
of a common soft brick to scrape the 
surface clean, with water in which some 
sal soda was dissolved. About the 
cheapest and most durable paint for this 
purpose would he asphaltum, which is 
worth about 90 cents per gallon. Thin 
this with benzine to required consist¬ 
ency. Asphaltum is mineral tar, and is 
used very largely in painting steel 
smokestacks, and with excellent results. 
In painting metal one is apt to compare 
the durability of the paint with that on 
wood. This is hardly fair, for metal 
expands and contracts very much more 
than wood, and this tends to loosen the 
adhesion of the paint. Probably as- 
pba'tum suffer-, less in this respect than 
other paints. t. t. p. 
Salt for Cabbage Disease. 
Referring to the note on club-foot In 
cabbage on page 885, I have seen no benefit 
from lime. If salt Is used, cabbage can be 
grown on the same ground year after year, 
but the plants must be grown on suited 
ground. J. u. n. 
New York. 
Extensive experiments In New Jersey 
showed fair results from heavy applica¬ 
tions of lime and, to a less extent, of kiiI- 
plnir, In cases where the plants were raised 
on sterilized soil. If Iho plant bed con¬ 
tained the germs, however, less benefit was 
noted from the liming. We hope readers 
will try the salt treatment suggested. 
A Rat-Proof Corn Crib. 
Our corn crib stands separate from all 
Other buildings about 10 feet; Is u 
frame building 20x20, with 10 foot posts. 
It is sided with matched pine, with 
a half-pitch shingle roof. Our cribs 
are throe feet wide and extend along 
three sides of the building; the re¬ 
mainder of l In' space wc use as workshops 
and store-room for everything almost In 
the line of repair outfit, and also for Hour, 
sugar, ground feed, and overhead we have 
ipilte a stock of lumber. All iho ventilation 
of the crib Is a slat bottom, made of I Vi* 
Inch material, with I Vi Inch spaces between 
the slats. The center of the building is 
Moored with I Vi-incli matched spruce. The 
Inside form for the cribs is made of slats 
on 2xB standards. As the outside of the 
l.iiilding Is tight, no snow or storms can 
drive in to retard the curing of the corn. 
Tills building stands on ceunr posts, with 
milk pans turned bottom up on ton of the 
posts. We think tin* building should slnnd 
at least 2Vi feet clear from’ the ground. 
Instead of steps, which would give vermin 
a chance to work a bole through the sides 
of tin' building, we use a block of wood 
which stands In front, of the door and about 
IH inches below the sill of the building. 
We do not consider this building rut proof, 
but we do not allow any debris to collect 
underneath or around the building, have no 
steps connected to the building, and we are 
always careful that there are no nils or 
mice In grain or feed that we unload into 
the place. w. u. n. 
Cannstota, N. Y. 
This simple, liirlit running 
mill makes more and better 
lumber with less power and 
less help than any other. You can 
set up and operate any American mill 
with the directions before you. If you 
have no timber, your neighbors have. 
Don’t lot your engine lie idle. 
124-Page Book,, Free 
Containing valuable suggestions about 
tho care of saws, fully describing the fea¬ 
tures that make our mills best, giving 
prices and guaranty nnd full information 
about our Wood Saws, Shingle Ma¬ 
chines and other wood working ma¬ 
chinery. Write for book today. 
American Saw Mill Machinery Co. 
129 Hope St., Hackettstown, N. J. 
1BH8 Terminal 2*uHdiugt., New York 
With 
An 
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For sawing firewood, lumber, 
lath, posts, pickets, etc., tho 
Cheapest and best saw you can 
buy Is a 
Hertzlcr fit Zook 
Wood Saw 
Easy to operate. Guaranteed for 
one year. You can build up a 
paying business in sawing fire¬ 
wood or lumber for your neigh¬ 
bor. I’rlcoltOOO. Wrtto for circular. 
Hi aims a Zook Co.. Box 3 Belleville, Pa. 
THE BEST VARIABLE FEED 
SAW MILL 
Made for portable purposes, also larger slzos. 
Kuglnoit, Hollers and General Machinery, 
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THI! "I.HAUKr INJECTOR, 
most simple, reliable und otltolont, 
80 ml for circulars, stating your wants. 
<Ihc RANDLE MACHINERY CO., 
1826 Powers St.. Cincinnati, Ohio. 
w 
^Victor 
C>he 
Horn of 
Plenty 
What a cause for thanksgiving! 
Here’s a storehouse completely filled with pleasure for you! Here s an abundant harvest of music and fun 
for every day in the year! How thankful you should be for the Victor’s “horn of plenty’’! 
dhe Victor has gathered together greatest singers, best-known bands, funniest comedians, leading instru¬ 
mentalists and famous personages; and has stored up their songs, melodies, jokes, and spoken worths for your 
constant enjoyment. 1 here are over 3,000 different Victor Records for you to choose from, made by more than 
a hundred artists, each record a perfect reproduction of voice or instrument. 
Just think of the joy of listening to the good old songs, and time-honored hymns, and stirring band pieces 
and great operas, and all the other Victor music! Don’t it make you want a Victor right now? Of course it does! 
You deserve this pleasure 
You’ve worked hard all Summer without taking 
much time for rest or recreation, and now that your 
crops are gathered in and Winter is coming on, you 
have a right to sit down and enjoy yourself. liny a 
Victor and a good selection of Victor Records, and 
they’ll give you the greatest yield of pleasure you can 
possibly get—you’ll have a bumper crop every day. 
You can afford it, too 
A Victor only costs from $10 up, and Victor 
Records are not expensive. What a small outlay for 
such a distinguished entertainer! What untold happi¬ 
ness it will give you and your family! 
And how you can entertain your 
friends and your grange! 
Go and hear the Victor 
We have a dealer not far from you who will he 
glad to show you the different styles of the Victor, and 
play for you without cost any Victor Record you want 
to hear. If you don’t know who he is, write to us 
and we’ll tell you his name. He’ll sell you a 
Victor on easy payments, if you like. 
4* 
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S' 
Kr 
Send for the Victor catalogues 
They describe the contents of this “horn ^ 
of plenty.’’ They give a complete list of ~ v ' /V ^ ^ 
Victor Records and show pictures of the ... 
artists who make the records. Just fill V & £ 
out this coupon and mail it to us. 0 v*.- 
Gather this harvest of pleasure 
at once. 
Victor Talking Machine Company 
20th and Cooper Streets, Camden, N. J. 
Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal, Canadian Distributors. 
To act best results use only Victor Needles on Victor Records. 
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