1908. 
THE: RURAL NEW-YORKER 
401 
SOME NOTES ON PLOWING. 
In plowing I aim to have the plow 
clean and free from rust so it will scour 
at the start. I couple the horses closer 
to the plow than I do to a wagon; see 
that the clevis is adjusted so it is in a 
direct line and causes the plow to go 
the proper depth. I take pains to have 
a steady, even-pulling team; see that 
the harness fits just right, and every¬ 
thing in order. Now for the plowing; 
as my land is level, I make narrow 
lands and consequently more dead fur¬ 
rows. I go to the side of the field and 
step off the required distance at each 
end of the field and place a pole up¬ 
right at each end, and at the end oppo¬ 
site to the one I commence plowing. I 
place another pole further on, lining it 
up with the end poles. I step off the 
same distance at each end that I do at 
the sides, so the land will be the right 
proportion. I start the plow and keep 
the two end poles in line between the 
horses’ heads, and get a straight fur¬ 
row to start with. All that is now ne¬ 
cessary is to keep the back furrow 
straight with the other, and after that 
keep the horse in the furrow, and turn 
the soil in even layers slightly lapping 
over, leaving no space between them. 
As soon as a land is finished I harrow 
and drag it before I commence another 
one. If using two teams, the first one 
to finish uses the harrow and drag; 
this rests the team by a change. This 
method puts the land in fine condition 
and saves much future work, as freshly 
plowed land works much better than 
where an entire field is plowed before 
dragging or harrowing. b. 
Brazil, Ind. 
TREATING SEED POTATOES. 
For soaking seed potatoes for scab we 
use a vat 40 inches long by 28 Inches wide. 
Inside measurements. Into this is put 30 
gallons water and one pound formalin. The 
potatoes are shoveled into bushel crates 
which are about 18 inches long and 14 
inches wide, outside measurement, so that 
the vat will hold four crates, and the solu¬ 
tion will just nicely cover the potatoes. 
They are soaked 1% hour and then lifted 
to the corners of the vat to drain ; that is, 
the fourth crate is set on top of one of the 
others until a new batch is put in the 
vat. In an hour and a half more those 
on top are partly dried, and are then spread 
out in a light place to dry more thoroughly. 
They are then ready to cut. We do not 
wash the potatoes before they are put in 
the vat, but as they are raised on sandy 
soil and sorted with a machine there is 
not much dirt on them. From time to 
time as is necessary to keep the potatoes 
in the vat covered we add water, and a 
little more than enough formalin to make 
it the same strength as that in the vat, 
so that in soaking 125 bushels we use about 
two pounds of formalin. We have used 
corrosive sublimate, two ounces to 15 gal¬ 
lons water, with equally as good results, 
but rather prefer the formalin. 
New’ York. iiubbs bros. 
Many farm papers are still recommending 
blue vitriol or corrosive sublimate for treat¬ 
ing seed potatoes, so as to prevent scab, 
but we Dakotans, who sometimes plant a 
W’liole section to this crop, think we have 
a better plan, thanks to Prof. Bolley, of 
the Experiment Station at Fargo. N. D. 
We use a 40 per cent solution of rormalin 
or formaldehyde, as it is commonly called 
here. Be sure this is pure and full 40 per 
cent strength ; any reliable druggist should 
keep it, or can get it if asked to. Mix 
one pound of this with 30 gallons of water ; 
and soak the seed potatoes, before cutting, 
in this mixture for two hours or more; all 
night or 24 hours will not hurt; then plant 
if convenient on ground where potatoes 
have not been grown for a year or two. 
If planted where they were grown the pre¬ 
vious year they may still be slightly af¬ 
fected, as some of the fungus will remain 
in the soil at least one year. Keep the 
mixture covered with sacks or blankets as 
much as possible, and it may bo used as 
long as it lasts. Some sack the tubers in 
gunnysacks and dip sacks and all; but if 
this is done a watertight trough should be 
provided to drain the solution off and save 
it to use again. If many are to be treated 
a tight box or tank holding five bushels or 
more, with a hole to draw off the mixture 
W'hen the time is up, will be found quite 
handy. I use two boxes, both watertight, 
and No. 2 somewhat larger than No. 1. 
When No. 1 has soaked long enough, draw 
off mixture into tubs and scoop-shovel the 
treated seed into No. 2 to drain off; then 
fill No. 1 again to soak while the first 
batch is being cut for planting. By using 
a cutting machine and working in this w r ay 
one man can treat and cut from 20 to 30 
bushels a day, though much of course de¬ 
pends on the man. Another quite handy 
way to treat is to have two or more tubs, 
such as can be made by sawing a barrel in 
two at the bunghole. Fill these about half 
full of the mixture, and in that set wire 
or willow 7 baskets of the potatoes. At the 
end of two hours they can be lifted out, 
and by placing sticks under them they will 
soon drain the solution back into the tubs. 
The main points are the strength of the 
formaldehyde and the time that the seed 
is kept in the mixture: and in this it is 
best to err, if at all, in favor of more 
strength and extra time. In treating seed 
grain for smut 40 gallons of water may 
be used with each pound of formaldehyde, 
and seed may be just dipped therein and 
sown; but oats or barley snould be thor¬ 
oughly wetted by sprinkling and shoveling, 
and then be covered up for about 24 hours 
before sowing, and the drill or seeder should 
always be adjusted to suit the swollen con¬ 
dition of the seed. This plan for treating 
seeds is now almost universal in the North¬ 
west, and is worth millions of dollars every 
year. Where manure is used, or potatoes 
follow potatoes, treat seed every Spring. 
__ N. E. F. 
Formaldehyde on the Farm. 
Formaldehyde or “formalin,” has often 
been mentioned in The R. N.-Y. as a 
solution for killing disease germs in grain 
or potatoes. It is really a sharp or pun¬ 
gent gas held in water. This gas destroys 
living cells by solidifying them, thus kill¬ 
ing bacteria which produce disease in 
plants or animals. The plan is to use the 
solution of such strength that it will kill 
disease germs and not injure the grain or 
other seeds. We have told how wheat, oats 
and potatoes are treated. It is also used 
on flaxseed and millet. People often ask if 
we cannot prevent corn smut by soaking 
the seed. No; because the germs which 
produce this disease are not on the seed 
grain, but attack the stalk from the outside. 
It has been found, however, that seed corn 
washed in the formaldehyde often germin¬ 
ates better, especially in w r et seasons on 
cold ground. Such seeds often decay in the 
soil ow r ing to spores of mould in the grain. 
The formaldehyde kills these and thus pre¬ 
vents decay. Prof. II. L. Bolley says it also 
gives fine results w r ith many garden and 
grass seeds. _ 
Your reference to forestry reminded me 
of what a man did near here. Some 
years ago, perhaps in the sixties, he bought 
some poor thin land for 50 cents per acre, 
sowed pine seed on it and sold the timber 
for $44 per acre. The land has since been 
sold at a high price. That man who 
thinks of going West better turn his atten¬ 
tion to this Peninsula, where his $2,000 
will be the equal of $4,000 to start with. 
A man has settled here within recent 
years who has tried the West and several 
other sections. He says he settled here 
because he can grow a greater variety of 
crops here than anywhere he knows of in 
the 38 States in which he has traveled. 
Delaware. a. m. v. 
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