1002 
it gives from August to January feeding about $2.25 
to $2:75 per head gain. There is some loss from mis¬ 
management, bloat, dogs, wolves and diseases; such 
shrinkage in numbers is from three to 10 per cent. 
This sheep feeding is not so general yet, and is getting 
more popular year by year, since hogs and cattle are 
receiving less attention. Under the regime of stock 
growing in the last 15 years land prices have gone 
from $45 per acre to $150 per acre; some instances 
above that. Local country banks are full of money; 
farmers buying luxuries, autos, Canada lands, invest¬ 
ing on an immense scale hundreds of thousands of 
dollars. Farm wages are over $30 per month, board 
thrown in; day labor $2 to $2.50 per day. It is a 
mighty hard proposition to figure out how to make a 
profit on $150 land with such expensive labor. 
Shelby Co., Iowa. w. m. bomberger. 
RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM IN WESTERN 
NEW YORK. 
While hunting for a nest of Great Horned owl 
in the month of March several years ago with a 
friend, we were attracted by an evergreen shrub that 
we found growing in a wooded swamp in the western 
part of the town of Jerusalem, Yates County. This 
shrub I afterwards identified as the Great laurel (Rho- 
dodrendron maximum), and from all that I can learn 
it is a very rare shrub in New York State. The 
swamp where we found it is 1,560 feet above sea level 
and 850 feet above the level of Lake Keuka, 'and con¬ 
tains about 90 acres, with a good growth of oak, 
ash, maple, beech and quite a lot of White pine and 
hemlock, with lots of old logs, stumps and brush, 
partly decayed and moss-grown. In the Spring it 
fills with water to a depth of six inches to two feet, 
but after the Spring rains it gradually subsides and 
a dense growth of ferns, skunk cabbage, water arum, 
Trilliums and other woods plants springs up. We 
visited the swamp March 21 this year and found a 
bunch of the laurel about 20 x 30 feet in extent, and 
made two pictures of it, Fig. 544 and 546. At this time 
the leaves droop and roll under at the edges and the 
buds are well developed. The first bud opened July 
4, and when we were there again (July 18) it had 
passed its best, but it was very beautiful still and 
there were a few unopened buds. It grows from two 
to eight feet high and is of a rather straggly nature, 
the lower limbs drooping to the ground where they 
get covered and take root. verdi burtch. 
New York. 
R. N.-Y.—This Rhododendron extends over a very 
wide range, from Nova Scotia and Ontario to Georgia. 
It is one of the hardiest species, and is now used very 
freely in park planting. 
THE PROBLEM OF THE CHEAP LANDS. 
The Use of Stable Manures. 
Part ix. 
LIGHT APPLICATION OF MANURE.—I feel 
very sure that many farmers are -making a great 
mistake by making heavy and infrequent applications 
of manure. Suppose to tons to the acre of well saved 
manure from the horse or cow stable be applied at 
one time. By referring to the table in the previous 
number we see that we have applied 88 to 116 pounds 
of nitrogen, 32 to 56 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 
80 to 106 pounds of potash to the acre. Now no crop 
that we can grow except perhaps cabbage and tobacco 
wi'.l use so much plant food as this. Few will use 
half as much. Of course the plant food in the man¬ 
ure is not all available the first year. Nevertheless, 
10 tons to the acre is an excessive supply, and what 
is not used must lie in the soil, subject to all the 
changes noted above or be washed away by drainage 
waters. In my own experience five or six tons to the 
acre in frequent applications enables us to get very 
much more from the manure than larger and more 
infrequent applications. 
EVEN SPREADING.—Hauling and spreading 
manure is a disagreeable job at best, and it is often 
left till the rush season, when it is hurried through 
almost anyway to get it done. This again is a mistake, 
for careful work is as essential here as anywhere. If 
manure is left in forkfuls and chunks, the soil be¬ 
neath and immediately around them is overfed (more 
than, the crop can use), and there is a loss, while the 
soil between the forkfuls and chunks is not fertilized 
at all. It is a bungling job, and does not produce re¬ 
sults. I like to have manure spread so that each 
square inch gets its full share of the fertilizer. This 
cannot be done without the modern manure spreader. 
I consider the spreader one of the most valuable tools 
on the p’ace, not so much for the work or time it 
saves, but because it enables us to do much better 
work than can possibly be done by hand. 
WHERE TO USE MANURE.—I haye said put it 
upon grass land, but to be more definite, any place for 
manure is on the new seeded clover just as fast as it 
is available after the nurse crop is out of the way. 
.We thus fertilize our fertilizing crop, and at the 
Trrr tc rurab new-yorker 
critical time in its history, which is better economy 
than to fertilize our exhaustive crop as is the usual 
custom. If we can get clover to flourish upon these 
exhausted soils—and we can by the use of lime and 
manure—their reclamation is easy and speedy; I wish 
to set forth the possibilities of building up a rundown 
farm by the use of stable manure as above suggested. 
Its use on the young clover is the key to success, for 
it enables us to get the most from our fertilizing 
crop. The light application enables us to fertilize all- 
the plow land once in the three-year rotation. The 
even spreading enables us to feed every plant upon 
the acre, and even the light application will give each 
plant all it will need. Where we feed every plant all 
it needs, there is where we get the maximum crop. 
• There also is where we -secure the heaviest possible 
sod, and that is what we are working for. That heavy 
sod will in its decay make the hoed crop, and fill the 
ground with humus which permanently enriches the 
land. I am very sure that this practice will enable 
one to get more from the manure throughout the ro¬ 
tation, and build up the farm more rapidly than any 
other method of application. 
GREEN MANURE VS. STABLE MANURE.—It 
is generally stated that the most economical use of the 
crop is to feed it to the farm animals and return the 
manure to the land; that by so doing we secure the 
full feeding value of the crop, and need lose no more 
than from 10 to 25 per cent of its fertilizing value. 
I will not quarrel much with the statements, only to 
sa 3 r that practically it is almost impossible to return 
to the field in the manure, anything like as much as 
was taken from it in the crop. For in the first place 
there is the fact, seldom taken into account, that the 
animal consumes or uses up in the process of diges¬ 
tion about two-thirds of the organic matter of its 
ration, voiding only one-third, and I cannot but think 
that this organic matter decaying in the soil, and going 
to make humus, would have a great influence on the 
physical condition of the soil. Then again it is very 
difficult to return to the soil all the plant food voided 
by the animals; in fact as generally handled bjr good 
farmers too, it is doubtful if one-half the plant food 
taken from the field in the crop is returned in the 
manure, so that, where the prime object is the rapid 
building up of an impoverished soil, it seems justi¬ 
fiable sometimes to sacrifice the feeding value and use 
it for plowing down. It is the quickest way to fill 
die soil with humus, start bacterial activity, and put 
new life into a worn soil. f. l. allen. 
ROSES FOR WESTERN NEW YORK. 
Ornamental Planting Around the Farm Home. 
Part II. 
PLANTING.—Spring planting is invariably pref¬ 
erable to Fall setting. Budded roses should be set 
deep, with the bud at least three inches below surface, 
that roots from the budded portion may form; then 
too if bush should be badly frozen, or otherwise dam¬ 
aged to the ground line, the vital part is safe under 
ground and will put forth new shoots, but not -so if 
bud is wholly above ground, as they are too frequently 
set, which latter is a hazardous practice and the dan¬ 
gers such a rose is heir to are indeed numerous. 
Upon arrival of bushes from nursery they should be 
well, but carefully pruned, and if not nice and fresh 
they may be wonderfully revived by burying root and 
branch in damp soil from one day to a week. In set¬ 
ting roses, the soil if fairly dry should be firmly 
packed around roots and hole filled to within three 
inches of surface, then filled with water, say twice 
and later leveled up with loose dirt. Or better 
mulched with any handy material, such as old chips, 
which are ideal and almost a life guaranty if that 
meddlesome farm hen will desist in her inherent in¬ 
quisitive tendencies of sticking her toes and nose into 
private enterprises. Watering freely during drought 
is important, especially the first season. 
PRUNING.—At planting time the bush is severely, 
but judiciously pruned, both top and bottom. With a 
sharp knife (pruning shears brui§e and crush too 
much) the top part is cut back, depending on apparent 
vigor and vitality, from one to three best canes and 
each of these canes is cut back to one to three buds 
each. This may appear like heroic treatment, at this 
stage, yet the life of bush may hinge here. All bruised 
or mangled roots are cut off, also large roots are fresh 
cut, slantingly, at an angle of 45 degrees, in such a 
manner that cut surface will be down and contact at 
once with moist soil. The bush thus handled will 
more readily absorb moisture, somewhat similar as 
some cut flowers do, which arc surprisingly prolonged 
if ends of stems are daily fresh cut and water re¬ 
newed. Later pruning is only to take out weak and 
unruly sprouts to keep the bush in balance. No 
blooms should be allowed the first season following 
setting, unless the bush has made an extra growth, 
and then only an occasional one. It requires nerve 
to take off a promising bud, but better be safe than 
later sorry. Always with either new or old bushes 
November 20, 
the old blooms should be promptly removed, as vitality 
is exausted in forming seed. Also overblooming con¬ 
stitutionally weakens a plant. At the opening of 
second season the damaged frozen wood, dead canes 
and unmannerly growth should be cut away. Gener¬ 
ally the more vigorous the plant the less it should be 
butchered. During second season if bush has adapted 
itself to the new surroundings, blooms are proper and 
desirable. Immediately following the June blooming 
period, established roses should receive a thorough 
pruning, cutting away all weakened wood and training 
to symmetry. Trimmings should be promptly burned 
to destroy disease. Intelligent pruning encourages 
new growth. 
INSECT PESTS.—The aphis (red and green lice) 
is one of the terrors of rose culture, which together 
with Winter freezing, drought and mildew probably 
form the really serious handicaps. Yet these can 
be readily subdued by proper treatment and precau¬ 
tion. A positive and sure way of disposing of the 
tormenting aphis is to pinch them to death with 
thumb and fingers, but this method is somewhat shock¬ 
ing to a sensitive nature. The aphis has a proboscis 
(bill), therefore a genuine sucker, not a chewing in¬ 
sect, consequently cannot be poisoned, but must be 
combated by contact sprays, covering their bodies 
with whale oil soap, kerosene emulsion, or strong to¬ 
bacco water. A tin gun (atomizer) filled* with clear 
kerosene oil, shooting it on to aphis-infested canes, 
three -blasts per cane from as many different positions, 
in order to hit all aphis will cause them to suddenly 
desist in the work of destruction. The clear kerosene 
application is a last daring resort, recommended only 
for extreme cases, and then onfy during late morning 
of a warm sunshiny day, so oil will quickly evaporate. 
This is an easy, quick and effectual way of dealing 
with such a pest, yet the oil may later cause the leaves 
to drop off, especially the tender "Varieties. Also leaf 
hoppers and other pests of the same name and nature 
are not particularly fond of the oil fog and instantly 
resent it by retiring, momentarily perhaps, to more 
congenial quarters, but soon repent of such modesty 
and return with increased, unrelenting ravenous ap¬ 
petites. Daily shooting the oil close to the bush, not 
directly into it but so kerosene smoke is slowly car¬ 
ried in and through bush by wind is very annoying to 
their ideals of a peaceful life. Showering the bushes 
daily with cold well water is also distressing to all 
kinds of insects. 
DISEASES AND TREATMENT.—A thorough 
spraying with Bordeaux Mixture, 5-5-50 formula, 
middle of July to August 1, repeated in two weeks, 
is a favorable time for -such work, as the mildew is 
usually out on its first excursion about this date. A 
four or five gallon knapsack or compressed air spray¬ 
er is valuable for such work. Flowers of sulphur, 
dusted, sprinkled or better applied with an insect 
powder gun, while bushes are a trifle damp from 
dew, is the best fungicidal remedy. It is both cheap 
and easily handled. Powder gun is useful for apply¬ 
ing all dry fungicides and insecticides. 'Good, fresh, 
strong tobacco-dust, or insect powder is safe and 
effectual. 
Monroe Co., N. Y. t. e. martin. 
(To be continued.) 
THE CANADIAN FRUIT TARIFF. 
I note that The R. N.-Y. does not appreciate the 
Canadian import duty of 40 cents per barrel on 
apples, and two cents per pound on berries and 
grapes. The fruit growers of older Canada may 
easily agree with you. Ontario produces a great 
surplus of apples, and competes successfully with 
its Southern neighbor in the markets of Europe; 
hence can hold the home market against the world. 
Similarly and more emphatically we produce and 
sell grapes and berries at prices which defy outside 
competition. Wine factories here buy hundreds bf 
tons of excellent grapes at $20 per ton, or one cent 
per pound. At the present time thy are refusing 
to buy even at that price ,and it seems likely that 
many tons will be wasted. Just why the wise men 
at Ottawa decreed that grapes should pay a duty of 
two cents while they sell for less than one cent, is 
a live question. Berries often sell at five cents here, 
and can get no comfort out of a two-cent or any 
other tariff. Early strawberries during the Spring 
months do enter Canada; pay the absurd tariff, and 
tax our berry eaters accordingly. On investigation 
you will find that a large proportion of our green fruit 
importation of $5,309,840 is made up of these early, 
out of season, fruits; and of the semi-tropical fruits, 
such as oranges, lemons and bananas, which Canada 
does not grow at all. These Southern fruits are 
admitted duty free hence. This matter was attended 
to in advance of the suggestion on page 890 of The 
R. N.-Y. Free trade in fruits on both sides would be 
in the best interest of the fruit growers as a whole. 
Consumers would make no serious objection. 
Ontario. e. morden. 
