1908. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
301 
Distributing Fertilizer in Orchards. 
I would like to know how Mr. Tenny, 
Mr. Col lamer and other successful orchard- 
ists distribute commercial fertilizers in 
their orchards. Do they put it on by hand 
or do they use a regular fertilizer distrib¬ 
utor, and if they do, what makp of distrib¬ 
utor do they use, and do they sow it broad¬ 
cast with the machine that they use or 
do they drill it in ? r. s. 
Belleville, Canada. 
In using commercial fertilizers in our 
orchards we usually sow it by hand and 
drag it in. delos tenny. 
New York. __ 
Soaking Seed Potatoes and Grain. - 
I treated about 90 bushels in Spring 
of 1906, used two ounces corrosive 
sublimate to 15 gallons water. I got 
four oil or turpentine barrels, removed 
the heads and placed them under a 
beam in barn about 10 feet above. Into 
the beam over each barrel I drove a large 
wire nail, head slanting upward ; then pre¬ 
pared four loops of baling wire of two 
strands each, twisting the ends together, 
hanging one on each nail. I could then, 
with a step ladder, place the hook of my 
pulley blocks into any one of the four wire 
loops. I used burlap sacks large enough 
to hold two bushels of potatoes; tied 
strings around the lower corners about 
three or four inches from the ends, so the 
bags of potatoes would enter the barrels 
readily; prepared four loops of stout cord 
by tying the ends of each piece (about 24 
inches long) together, making loop about 
10 inches long. These loops were used 
1o form a slip noose around the mouth 
of each bag; by tucking one end through 
the other and drawing tight they held se¬ 
curely just where placed and could be put 
on and taken off in an instant. We had 
then only to fill the bags with two bushels 
of potatoes, put on the slip-noose loop, hook 
on pulleys to the open end, and draw up 
to top of barrels and then lower slowly 
into the solution. With chalk we marked 
on each barrel the time at which 1 % hours’ 
soaking would end, at which time hags were 
raised out of the solution and left sus¬ 
pended until dripping ceased and then 
spread on barn floor to dry. We could 
treat with this rig eight bushels at once. 
I took the potatoes without washing just 
as they came from the cellar. The crop 
produced from this seed was clean and 
smooth, with very little scab. I used Sure- 
grip pulley blocks; they will hold the load 
at any desired point. e. a. adams. 
Norfolk Co., Mass. 
This is the way we treat grain for smut 
in this country. Sink a barrel two-thirds 
depth in the ground, put in 25 gallons of 
water and one-half pint or pound of formal¬ 
dehyde. Take a sack with one bushel of 
grain in it and dip it in the barrel; leave it 
in till all the grain is wet, then lift out and 
set on board to let water run back in barrel. 
Dip one day and sow the next; it will take 
about two minutes to the sack. s. s. g. 
St. John, Wash. 
Several Forms of Nitrogen. 
C. W. M., Newark, O .—I was much in¬ 
terested in your “analysis” of a bag of 
fertilizer, but I would like to ask where 
you get your authority for the statement 
that the nitrogen should be in two or 
more forms. See the latest bulletin (182) 
of the Ohio Experiment Station, pages 177 
and 183. True, Director Thorne makes an 
exception of the wheat, but I am not able 
to gather on what grounds he makes this 
exception. 
Ans.— The statement was made in re¬ 
ply to a question from Vermont. The 
soil upon which the fertilizer was to be 
used was, we understand, rather light 
in character and not rich in humus. For 
that kind of soil, and for a crop like 
potatoes, the rule in the East is to use 
at least two forms of nitrogen, or to 
make several different applications of 
nitrate of soda. Both theory and many 
experiments show that unless the soil 
is well filled with humus some organic 
nitrogen should be used. The theory 
upon which a high-grade potato fer¬ 
tilizer is mixed is that there should be 
a constant supply of available nitrogen 
close to the plant. Nitrate of soda and 
sulphate of ammonia are used to supply 
this before the ground warms up, and 
dried blood, bone, guano and tankage 
to follow. The critical time in the life 
of a potato plant is just after blooming 
when the tubers form rapidly. On our 
lighter soils and in a rainy season there 
would be no surety that nitrate of soda 
put in the ground during March or 
April would be left in the upper soil by 
June. We should feel sure that dried 
blood or bone would be there and ready 
with its nitrogen. On the other hand, 
a fertilizer specially prepared for grass 
or grain would have most of its nitro¬ 
gen as nitrate or sulphate of ammonia 
since the object is to force the crop 
from the start. In a corn fertilizer 
little if any nitrate is commonly used, 
but organic nitrogen alone. Generally 
speaking the best results with fertilizers 
are obtained on the thin light soils, 
which contain less vegetable matter than 
the heavier soils. Experience has shown 
that in order to provide a constant sup¬ 
ply of nitrogen on these thin soils there 
should be several applications of nitrate 
or part of the amount given in the 
form of organic. When on these light 
soils Crimson clover or cow peas are 
plowed under the situation is changed, 
and a fertilizer containing nitrate of 
soda alone will answer. The soils in 
Ohio and farther west as a rule contain 
more vegetable matter than the lighter 
soils along the coast. Greater use is 
made of clover, and this adds organic 
nitrogen, just as farmers farther east 
would use blood, tankage or bone. If 
the soil already contains an abundance 
of organic nitrogen it will not be neces¬ 
sary to add anything except nitrate of 
soda. Where this organic nitrogen is 
not abundant in the soil several forms 
of nitrogen will be better. Where a 
fertilizer is intended to substitute for 
manure we should remember what ni¬ 
trogen the manure contains. The liquids 
contain nitrates—like a solution of ni¬ 
trate of soda in water. There are half 
a dozen other forms more or lessi 
available, so that when manure is put in 
the soil it operates just like the mixture 
of nitrate, blood, guano, bone and tank¬ 
age. Everyone knows how fresh ma¬ 
nure stays by a crop, feeding it from 
first to last, and that is because it car¬ 
ries nitrogen in half a dozen forms. 
Coal Ashes on Drains. —I read the ar¬ 
ticle about tile-draining on page 293, and 
would recommend coal ashes in place of 
gravel, where gravel is not handy. My 
father and uncle laid some tile about 50 
years ago and tried everything they could 
think of to keep out quicksand and finally 
found that a shovelful of ashes over each 
joint worked the best of anything. The 
tiles are all right yet and may last 50 
years more as far as I can see; they were 
the unglazed tile. Of course they get 
stopped once in a while, but by taking out 
a tile below the stoppage and running a 
piece of stiff wire up until we reach the 
stoppage, then pull out the wire and put 
the tile back before the hole fills with 
water it goes all right. j. ir. atwater. 
Connecticut. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 12. 
BEATS THE 
Grindstone 
TEN TIMES OVER 
No pressure, no drawing 
temper, if you use the 
Practical 
Alundum 
Grinder 
with wheel revolving 
3,000 times a minute. 
Far superior to emery 
or stone. Grinds any 
topi, knife to sickle. 
Different sizes. Foot 
power attachment. 
Write for circular of particu¬ 
lars. Good agents wanted. Address, 
ROYAL MFG. CO., 226 E. Walnut St., Lancaster, Pa. 
Clothing 
Made 
to Order 
at the 
Mill 
Save Half 
Men’s 
Buy your clothing di¬ 
rect from the mill. Cut 
out the dealer’s profits. 
Get two suits for the 
price of one. Suits and 
overcoats 
MADE TO ORDER 
handsomely trimmed 
and guaranteed to give 
satisfaction. Many pat¬ 
terns to choose from. 
Youth’s SuitS 
and Overcoats 
MADE TO ORDER 
$10=99 to 18— 
Our SI2.50 Suits 
A Big Value 
We make a specialty of suits at this 
price. They are of exceptional value. 
We have sold thousands of these suits, 
and we have testimonials from satisfied 
customers in all parts of the country. 
Express charges paid east of the Mississippi River. 
Allowances made on all orders West of the Mississippi. 
Write for samples and catalog. 
GLEN ROCK WOOLEN CO., 
203 Main St., Somerville, N.J. 
Digger Crops 
Save Time—Save Yourself and 
Horses Work—Save Repairs, 
Trouble, Money. These are the 
things you can do, as thousands 
of other farmers are doing, by 
usir" the guaranteed 
ft u 99 
Acme, 
All Steel. 
Lightest 
Riding 
Harrow 
Built. 
Free 
Sizes 3 to 17 
feet. 
Pulveriz¬ 
ing Harrow, Clod 
Crusher and Leveler 
TRY IT FREE 
We want you to see what a line, smooth seed 
bed It prepares, In all soils, under alt conditions- 
How the knives cut through to the undersoil 
chopping the burled sod or trash hut never 
dragging It to the surface. 
Our Free Book 
contains valuable articles by high authorities 
on the preparation of seed beds. Also tells all 
about the “Acme.” Send postal for It today. 
Duane H. Nash, Inc., 
Box 38, Millington. N. J. 
USE 
Averill Paint 
AND SAVE 50% 
JT lasts more than twice as long as most 
paints. This means a positive saving of 
one-half on your bill. 
AVERILL PAINT has stood the test of 
41 years of extensive successful use on 
houses small and," large. It is ready for 
use,easily applied.and dries with abeauti- 
fuj lasting gloss. IT IS AMPLY GUAK- 
ANTEED. If not sold by your dealer, 
write for card of beautiful shades and 
prices direct. 
AVERILL PAINT CO., 240 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 
MANUFACTURERS. ESTABLISHED 1866. 
Are Different From All Others 
witf 
L 
"If it's a 
WOOD 
its sure to be 
GOOD" 
When the late Walter A. Wood built his first mow- 
er in 1852 it was upon a principle entirely different 
from any other. That same principle today distincuish- 
es our mowers from all others. It is 
the “floating frame” described so 
iully in our catalog. All manufacturers of 
i admit that tho “direct under¬ 
draft 7 7 principle is the correct 
one—but they can’t use it because 
cenume underdraft is possible only 
...tn tn 0 floating frame 7 * construction 
which is exclusive to Walter A. Wood 
Mowers. We feel justified in asserting that 
r!ra?f l . r h?n 0 JTfi’? ? Tet th ? easi est running; lightest 
>handiest to operate: least expensive to keep in 
mower that leads on 
P 01I A£u 18 *ke mower it will pay the farmer 
There are many other good points 
an d described in our CatalogA . 
Write for it today and name of nearest dealer. 
WALTER A. WOOD 
Mowing & Reaping Machine Co. 
Hoosick Falls, N. Y. 
ENSILAGE CORN AT HUNTINGTON, MASS. 
Field Averaged Over 17j4 Feet, Well Eared. 
RAISED WITH HUBBARD’S 
THE ROGERS & HUBBARD CO. 
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. 
F ERTILIZERS 
WHY NOT USE HUBBARD’S? 
