1008. 
601 
KEEP THEM AT HOME! 
The following members of the New York 
Senate voted against Governor Hughes in 
his efforts to remove the Superintendent 
of Insurance. Some of them have done so 
twice—others are backsliders. All have 
proved unworthy in a fair test. All are in 
districts where the votes of farmers can 
defeat them. It should be the duty of 
every farmer to blacklist them and keep 
them away from Albany. Vote them out! 
JOTHAM P. ALI/DS.Norwich. N. Y. 
S. PERCY HOOKER.Re Roy, N. Y. 
JOHN RAINES .Canandaigua, N. Y. 
SANFORD W. SMITH.Chatham, N. Y. 
HORACE WHITE .Syracuse, N. Y. 
BEN.T. M. "WILCOX.Auburn, N. Y. 
JOSEPH ACKROYD .Utica. N. Y. 
FRANK M. BOYCE... East Schodack. N. Y. 
FRANCIS H. GATES. .. Chittenango, N. Y. 
WM. W. WEMPLE.Schenectady, N. Y. 
WM. T. O’NEIL.St. Regis Fails, N. Y. 
OWEN CASSIDY .Watkins. N. Y, 
Crops Poisoning Soil. 
Is it true that a substance has been 
separated chemically from soils planted 
with the same crop a number of years in 
succession (e. g., lettuce), which acts as a 
poison when applied to that particular 
crop? L . K . s . 
Massachusetts. 
It is claimed that plants not only 
draw food from the soil, but also throw 
off a substance which may, if too much 
of it is present, act as a poison. That 
is given as one explanation why a crop 
may fail after being grown year after 
year in the same ground. It is one of 
the arguments in favor of rotation of 
crops. Lime and chemical fertilizers act 
to destroy the poisonous effect of this 
substance. 
Killing Weeds. 
If. K., New Jersey. —Will you give a 
receipt to kill weeds on walks and drive¬ 
ways ? 
Ans. —There are many effective com¬ 
mercial weed killers on the market, but 
they are rather expensive for large 
areas. Hot brine, made as strong as 
possible and sprinkled on the walks will 
do the work, and is probably as cheap 
as anything. Other remedies are: car¬ 
bolic acid, one ounce to a gallon of 
water, or one pound white arsenic and 
two of caustic soda dissolved in eiglff 
gallons of water,. We, however, do not 
like to use these strong arsenicals on 
walks about the house. 
Rubber Insulators for Lightning Rods. 
J. D. 0., Winchester, Va. —On page 506 
J. S. Woodward says that glass insulators 
are worthless in connection with lightning 
rods on a building. Would rubber be any 
better? No doubt on a galvanized roof it 
would be better to put rod tight down on 
roof. 
Ans. —The rubber would be no better 
insulator than glass. The trouble with 
both is that as soon as it rains they be¬ 
come wet and the water covering them, 
though but a film, becomes a good con¬ 
ductor. It will be noticed, after exam¬ 
ination of the insulators used by all elec¬ 
trical companies, that they are so made 
that it is almost impossible for the whole 
surface to become wet, no matter how 
long or how hard it may rain. Fur¬ 
ther than this, how often do you see 
from one to a score of poles torn to 
flinders by a stroke of lightning, show¬ 
ing conclusively that the system of in¬ 
sulation, as perfect as they know how 
to make it, is not successful in protect¬ 
ing against lightning strokes. Although 
the main material used in a building 
may be a very poor conductor, it will 
help a little, and as every little helps, 
it is far better to connect all rods to the 
building and especially to all metallic 
Parts. j. s. WOODWARD. 
Pumping for Irrigation. 
G. TF. U. (No Address). —I have a well 
25 feet deep that carries an abundance 
of water. I want to find some way to 
pump this so as to irrigate five acres of 
land on which the well is located, and 
as cheaply as possible. The pump to 
be large enough to water as least one acre 
every day. 
Ans.—I t requires 27,150 gallons of 
water to apply one inch in depth to an 
acre; two inches of water at one irri¬ 
gation is as little as it would be likely 
to be desirable to apply. A pump capa¬ 
ble of delivering 75 gallons of water per 
minute would allow two inches of water 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
to be delivered to an acre in 10 hours. 
A two-and-a-half horse power gasoline 
engine with suitable pump should be cap¬ 
able of doing the work. Without know¬ 
ing the character of the well, the amount 
of water it is capable of supplying, it is 
not possible to say what sort of pump 
or power would be most satisfactory. 
It requires a well of much more than 
ordinary capacity, as this term is un¬ 
derstood in farm language, to supply 75 
gallons of water per minute for con¬ 
tinuous pumping during 10 hours. If 
the well has materially less capacity than 
this, and if the place is situated so that 
there is an abundance of wind for 
working a windmill, the windmill and 
a small reservoir may be the best solu¬ 
tion of the problem. The windmill 
would, of course, save the cost of fuel, 
and against the cost of fuel would have 
to be placed the expense of building a 
reservoir, but if the ground lies right 
so that an earth reservoir may be read¬ 
ily constructed the expense should not 
be very great, so that the amount of 
money invested in this way might give 
cheaper water than to supply it with 
gasoline. • f. h. king. 
Crimson Clover and Turnips in Vermont. 
J. L. J., Springfield, Vt. —Would you ad¬ 
vise me to sow Crimson clover and Cow- 
horn turnips in my cornfield? How much 
of each to the acre? Is it necessary to 
cover with any implement? The land is 
dry sandy loam. I expect to sow peas and 
oats another Spring in the corn land. Is 
there anything that will take the place 
of clover and turnips? Following the ad¬ 
vice of several big authorities I spread 
the manure every day last .Winter in the 
snow. About the first of February the 
snow got so deep that it was difficult to 
get through, so I started to store the 
manure in the shed. I had just manured 
the half of a field I was going to put oats 
into and manured the other half about 
May 1; being short of manure at that 
time it only got half as much as I put on 
in the Winter, the whole field was plowed 
and seeded, and the result is this: The 
field I manured in the Spring yields more 
than twice the other field. 
Ans. —We have had no experience with 
Crimson clover so far north, but were 
told in New Hampshire that after it is 
once established this clover makes the 
best catch crop. It frequently kills out 
in Winter, but makes growth enough in 
late Summer and Fall to pay a good 
profit. From the information given us 
we would sow Crimson and turnips as 
suggested. We use a peck of clover 
and two pounds of turnips per acre. 
Sow the seed evenly through the corn 
and then go through with a light cul¬ 
tivator. Wire a piece of plank so it will 
drag behind the cultivator and smooth 
down the ridges. Rye or rye and vetch 
will do well in some sections, but we 
have found nothing on the whole better 
than clover and turnips. It has been our 
experience that manure, well fermented, 
and kept moist, gives quicker results 
than coarse manure applied fresh. This 
is reasonable when we remember that 
the fermenting changes the organic 
nitrogen into nitrates, and thus gives a 
quicker action. We think the chief ad¬ 
vantage in spreading every day is that 
it saves much labor. 
Gravenstein Fails to Bear. 
B. F. D., Billerica, Mass. —I would like 
advice how to make Gravenstein apple trees 
20 years old become fruitful. They are 
healthy and vigorous. So far they blos¬ 
som well, but set little fruit, except in 
the henyard. 
Ans. —Why Gravenstein apple trees 20 
years old do not bear is a hard ques¬ 
tion to answer without seeing trees and 
location. If they were not troubled with 
frost more than those in the henyards 
I would try to fertilize at least a part 
of them, and note results. Gravenstein 
is a good thrifty tree 'and healthy 
looking foliage, but not as heavy crop¬ 
per as some, at least will not mature 
as much fruit. One of the best pay¬ 
ing orchards of that variety here, has 
received not very good care, but an 
occasional application of stable manure, 
yet on poor land they have proved 
quite profitable, and have kept in a good 
healthy condition. h. o. mead. 
Worcester Co., Mass. 
A Long Island Elm. —I noticed in a 
recent number of The R. N.-Y. the picture 
and description of a large elm tree in 
Illinois. In the month of May. year ,1868, 
I being at home from a long sea voyage, 
my father let me dig the holes for a row 
of elm trees in front of our residence on 
Main street, Southampton, N. Y., and said 
he: “You are strong and hearty, dig large, 
deep and be sure to pulverize the soil well, 
and set the trees naturally, and generations 
to come will rise up and call the planter 
blessed, because of the shade.’’ Every sec¬ 
ond tree in the row was a horse chestnut. 
They all did well, but one elm better than 
the rest, and in the night at a distance 
seems like a huge umbrella in shape, very 
symmetrical. The tree measures 11 feet 
from ground to trunk, trunk nine feet, 
three inches around. Branches spread 72 
feet, 56 feet in height, and I expect could 
this tree speak it would say : “I am proud 
to -stand in front of this home as a sen¬ 
tinel, where five generations have lived 
and loved their Creator, and more to fol¬ 
low.” We have been obliged to cut the 
limbs from interfering with the house 40 
feet inside, several times the past 10 years. 
Southampton, N. Y. e. P. ii. 
THE ENORMOUS YIELD of 50,000 Quarts of 
* Strawberries now growing by my system ou 
one acre. Send for CHART. 
KEVITT’S PLANT FARM, Athenia, N. J. 
ppfiP ^ rimson Clover Seed of my 
WllUi own growing, ready June 10. 
orders now. Send for sample and prices. 
JOHN J. ROSA, Milford. Del. 
NEW 
Booking 
PCI CRY PLANTS—White Plume, Giant Pascal 
ULLLIl I and Winter Queen, $1.25 per 1000; 5000 for 
$5. Prem. L. F. Dutch, Surehead and Danishball 
Cabbage, $1 per 1000. Ant. Giant Cauliflower,35c. por 
100; $3 per 1000. Caleb Boggs & Soi-', Cheswold.Del. 
CALIFORNIA PRIVET 
Shade Trees, Spruce and Arbor Vitm Hedging. 
Cherry Trees a Specialty. Trees and Plants by 
Mail Postpaid will save you express costs. Send for 
our Catalogue, (It is Free), it will tell you the rest. 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO., Hlghtstown, N. J. 
WE MAIL OUR CATALOGUE FREE. 
® . A selected list of the “ 
newer kinds of strawberries that 
have been tested at our trial 
grounds as well as the best of the 
older sorts are fully described in 
DREER’S 
Mid-Summer Catalogue 
Also the best varieties of Celery, 
Cabbage Plants, etc. 
A most complete list of the Best 
Hardy Perennial Seeds for summer 
sowing. 
Also vegetable and farm seed for 
summer and fall sowing. Select list 
of seasonable Decorative and Flower¬ 
ing plants. 
Write for a copy and kindly 
mention this magazine—Fit BE. 
HENRY A. DREER, PHILADELPHIA 
Peach, Apple 
& Pear Buds 
Over one 
thousand 
acres in cul¬ 
tivation. 
VISIT 
Harrison's Nurseries,Berlin,Maryland 
rUli wALC bushel; Cow Peas, $2.50"to $3*00! 
JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, Milford, Delaware. 
CABBAGE WORMS 
Destroyed by Dusting with 
HAMMOND’S SLUG SHOT 
■ So used for 28 years. Sold by All Seed Dealers. 
I or pamphlets worth having write B. HAMMOND, Fishkill-on-Hudson, New York. 
Dwyer’s Pot Grown Strawberry Plants 
Strong, healthy plants from selected stock of choicest frniting varieties sure to givo 
satisfaction and PRODUCE A FULL CROP IN 1909. 
We also have a full line of Fruits and Ornamental 'Frees, Plants, Vines, etc., for 
Fall Planting. We do Landscape Gardening in all its branches. Catalog Free. 
T. J. DWYER & CO., P. O. Box I, Cornwall, New York. 
Thomas Phosphate Powder 
(BASIC SLAG PHOSPHATE) 
The Best Phosphate for Fall Seeding to 
WHEAT, R.YE and GRASS 
IT MAKES CLOVER AND ALFALFA GROW 
Thomas Phosphate Powder is not acidulated. 
Thomas Phosphate Powder contains a large 
amount of Free Lime, which is of 
Great Value to the Soil, 
THE PRICE IS LOW. 
Say$ Bulletin Ho. too, page 137, of the Ohio State Agricultural experiment Stations 
“Experiments at this station indicate that the total Phosphoric Acid of 
Basic SleLg is practically as effective as the available Phos¬ 
phoric Acid of Acid Thowphate 
Says Bulletin 6 $ of the maryland experiment Station (pages 28 and 29 ). 
“Slag Phosphate produced a. greater yield and at less cost than 
the average of the soluble phosphoric acid plots and bone meal plots.” This test 
included three Corn Crops, one Wheat Crop and one Grass Crop. 
mr. 1 ). IU. Collingwood (Editor the Rural New Yorker) $ay$ : 
. “AH that I put on in the way of fertilizer is Iron Slag (Basic Slag) crushed 
up into a powder. And if you could see how those trees have improved 
you would be astonished."— (Address before the Massachusetts Fruit 
Growers’ Association, “ The Care of Apple Orchards,” March 9, 1905.) 
Our Booklet, "A Remarkable Fertilizer. Thomas Phosphate 
Powder and its Uses” is sent FREE ON REQUEST. 
The Coe=Mortimer Company 
Special Importers of Thomas Phosphate Powder 
Sole United States Agents for Genuine Peruvian Guano 
Manufacturers of the famous E. Frank Coe & Peruvian Brands 
24-26 Stone Street. New York City. 
