1911. 
THtC RURAL, NEW-VORKER 
606 
LIVE STOCK AND POISON SPRAYS. 
On page 546 I have read your timely 
remarks about spray material, and 
would like to relate our experience. My 
son and I lease a 10-acre apple orchard; 
three years ago when we were spraying 
the owner of the orchard sent his son 
to the creek for water for the cattle, it 
being a dry time. He took a barrel in 
which was a little dirty water, as he 
supposed, emptied it, rinsed it well and 
drew water in it to till up their stock 
tank. Next day the cows began to be 
sick and in a few days five of the eight 
in the herd were dead. The veterinary 
said they showed symptoms of arsenical 
poisoning. The young man had takefi a 
barrel in which was a little of our 
arsenic solution, and although he thor¬ 
oughly rinsed it, the wood was suffi¬ 
ciently impregnated with the poison 
probably to cause suffering and death. 
Two years ago we emptied a barrel 
with dreg's of lime and copper sulphate 
in it and rinsed it well. I think some 
of the rinse water ran down into the 
barnyard, where the cattle could lick it. 
Two yearlings were sick several days, 
but finally recovered under our treat¬ 
ment. We drenched them frequently 
with milk and eggs. We have had cattle 
eat growing grass under apple trees 
which had been sprayed with poison, 
and noticed no bad effect, but do not 
care to risk it. Those using spray ma¬ 
terial cannot exercise too much care 
with it, especially where stock is kept. 
It is bad stuff to swallow, “for the end 
thereof is death.” j. s. 
Michigan. 
R. N.-Y.—That is about the substance 
of our reports. When carefully put on 
the spray liquid is not dangerous. The 
trouble comes from concentrated liquids 
—puddles made from over-spraying or 
leaving the drainings of the tank or 
barrel about. 
Making a Hay Farm. 
M., North Attleboro. Mass .—T have about 
five acres of upland from which last Win¬ 
ter the wood was cut. The soil is ex¬ 
cellent for hay. Would it in your opinioh 
pay me to clear and seed it down? If so, 
will you suggest the least expensive method 
of preparation? 
Ans.—W e do not know how many 
stumps and stones there are on this 
field, but it is doubtful if you can fit 
the five acres for grass for less than 
$400. We should blow out the larger 
stumps and rocks with dynamite and 
grub out the smaller ones. If there are 
any sink holes or depressions dig ditches 
or large wells in them and fill with rocks 
and stones. Burn it over and level the 
surface. If you have the capital and 
will feed the grass such a field will pay 
good interest on the investment. 
Cleaning Out Poison Ivy. 
IF. K., Rockland Co., N. Y .—The stone 
fences around my farm are covered with 
poison ivy. Can you suggest a way of de¬ 
stroying it without coming in contact with 
it? 
Ans.— It is not easy to extirpate 
poison ivy (Rhus radicans) where clam¬ 
bering over stone fences, because many 
of the plants are hard to get at, and 
persistent work will be needed for sev¬ 
eral seasons. The most certain method 
is to grub it out, rooting up the plants, 
but the work can be done without touch¬ 
ing the plant by the use of concentrated 
sulphuric acid. Apply a half teaspoon¬ 
ful to the stem just above the ground, 
repeating every two or three weeks. Be¬ 
gin this as soon as growth is active in 
Spring. Handle the acid with great care, 
as it is frightfully corrosive, and burns 
skin or clothing. Do not leave the 
brush lying about, nor use it for fuel, 
and when burning in the field do not in¬ 
hale the smoke, nor let it blow across 
the face. Very painful sore eyes have 
resulted from burning poison ivy in the 
kitchen stove. When working around 
poison ivy it is a wise precaution to rub 
face and hands with olive oil, as this 
often prevents poisoning. Pure olive 
oil is very soothing to the eruption. The 
volatile oil which contains the poisonous 
principle gets on the clothes, and may 
cause poisoning afterwards, so it is well 
to keep some old clothes to wear when 
working about the ivy. It will also be 
well to wash the hands in a solution of 
sugar of lead in alcohol, before wash¬ 
ing with soap and water. As for poison 
remedies, olive oil, sugar of lead, tinc¬ 
ture of grindelia and poultice of ripple- 
grass or English plantain all have their 
advocates. Hot salt water is recom¬ 
mended by some, and one of our friends 
tells us that any of the recommended 
cures is more efficacious in her case if 
applied hot. _ 
What Crop Before Alfalfa ? 
Will you tell me which crop Alfalfa will 
do the best after? I have an old garden 
that is about as weedy a spot as you could 
find, but it is about the best spot I have. I 
think, to start Alfalfa, barring the weeds. 
I decided some time ago to plant it in po¬ 
tatoes, and not leave a weed grow, but the 
potatoes will take the most potash from the 
soil, which the Alfalfa needs. I have been 
thinking lately that it might be better to 
sow oats and peas, as I can get them off 
the ground sooner than I can the potatoes, 
and then harrow the soil for the Alfalfa. 
This garden has been manured well for two 
years, and last Spring was sown with tur¬ 
nip seed, but the turnips and weeds came 
out about even for supremacy. We used a 
few of the turnips and left the rest with 
the weeds. I cau give that spot all the 
horse and cow manure, put as much lime 
per acre as you will advise, can get phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash, all I need, cau get 
from an advertiser inoculated soil. I sowed 
in this garden two years ago a spot four by 
eight feet a sample of Alfalfa seed and it 
grew nicely the first year, but last year I 
did not pay any attention to it and let it 
go to seed, and at present is growing 
nicely. s. d. h. 
Utahvllle, Pa. 
We like early potatoes ahead of Alfalfa if 
the crop can be dug by August. Potatoes 
are usually well fertilized and kept clean 
and the coustant working 'of the soil all 
through the season is what helps the Al¬ 
falfa. If you can mature potatoes so as to 
dig them early in August we should plant 
them in hills and cultivate both ways. If 
you cannot get them off in time, sow the 
oats and peas, cut in July, give a good coat 
of manure, plow and harrow and harrow 
constantly until you seed the Alfalfa. It 
would be better still if you could plow all 
the oats and peas under and then harrow 
in the manure, but early potatoes, thor¬ 
oughly cultivated, would be our choice. 
A Tennessee Farm. —Some of our read¬ 
ers will be interested in knowing what the 
stock on a large Tennessee farm will bring 
at auction. The following refers to the 
large farm of the late Campbell Brown, of 
Maury Co.: The two days' sale amounted 
to $ 22,300 ; 7 (j yearling mules averaged $121; 
20 work mules from three to eight years 
old averaged $186.50; 10 pony marts 
(Shetlands) averaged $180.50; five Berk- 
slilres averaged $40; the Dorset ewes av¬ 
eraged $25. The Jerseys sold were only a 
cow and calf that brought $390. The farm 
will be operated along the same lines as it 
has been for the past 40 years. The Jer¬ 
sey herd will be replaced as soon as pos¬ 
sible; the acreage of the farm will be cut 
down by sale to about 1000 acres, 100 
acres of which is in early fruit. 
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Middletown, Conn., 
Bristol Co., Mass., Dec. 5,1910. 
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