644 
THE: RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 3, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[ Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure 
attention. Before asking a question, please see 
whether it is not answered in our advertising 
columns. Ask only a few questions at one time. 
Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
Hayfield Damaged by Fire. 
D. E. 8., Old Chatham, N. Y .—Does set¬ 
ting fire to a hayfield do much damage to 
the hay crop, or how does it affect it? 
Could I get damages from the railroad com¬ 
pany whose engines cause the fire? 
Ans. —It depends when the field is 
burned. If before the grass starts in 
late Winter there would not be much 
damage. Some farmers purposely burn 
over at that time in order to make a 
clean surface for the mower. If burned 
after the young grass starts, there would 
be some damage. Of course there would 
be great damage in a field of ripe grass. 
As for damages the courts in New York 
hold that a person whose property is 
burned over cannot recover unless he 
can prove that the fire started on his 
land. The bill mentioned on page 590 i§ 
designed to remedy this and give a 
property owner right to recover when 
the fire is started by railroad operations. 
Spraying During the Rain. 
In spraying apple trees with poisons, 
how much of the effect is lost in a shower? 
Suppose syraying had been going on 
through the day and at night there came 
a heavy dash of rain for half an hour, 
would the poison be washed away? 
In spraying we never go back to re¬ 
spray until we have finished going over 
it all once, except we are actually caught 
in a shower while at work; then we go 
back over the last few trees, those that 
were not dry when it commenced to 
rain. If spraying is done on wet trees 
or while it is actually raining, it has the 
same effect as putting on a weaker mix¬ 
ture, but if the trees are once thorough¬ 
ly dry they will not wash more if dry 
15 minutes than if dry a week, except in 
the latter case the calyx may have closed 
when you cannot lose what was in the 
calyx. Very much more depends on the 
kind of poison used than the length of 
time it has dried. If a powder like Paris 
green is used, this powder does not 
dissolve, but simply suspends. When the 
water has dried out this is simply a dry 
powder again, and this powder easily 
washes off. On the other hand if a 
paste like arsenate of lead is used it 
dries on like paint, and does not easily 
wash off, once it is dry. The custom 
is here, with those having much spray¬ 
ing, not to stop, once they have started, 
except when it is actually raining, and 
not to turn back until all has been once 
over. Then if there is time those trees 
that you think may have washed a little, 
and have been marked, are again gone 
over. WM. HOTAUNG. 
Moles in Lawn and Hotbeds. 
M. R. (No Address ).—How can I keep 
the moles out of a hotbed without the use 
of traps? 
Trapping is the best method of ex¬ 
terminating them, but I notice M. R. 
evidently does not want to use traps. 
They may be kept out of hotbeds and 
cold frames by wiring the frames, sides 
and bottom, with one-fourth-inch mesh 
galvanized wire cloth. I have had con¬ 
siderable experience in Nebraska with 
this method of keeping them out of 
hotbeds and cold frames. If good qual¬ 
ity of wire cloth is purchased it will 
last several years. Raisins and small 
pieces of meat, soaked in strychnine, 
are the best things to use in their run¬ 
ways on lawns. Fumigation would not 
trouble them any. j. w. gregg. 
Pa. State College. 
I keep down the moles and mice in 
my garden by punching holes into the 
runs here and there and pouring in each 
a teaspoonful of carbon bisulphide. 
Then close the hole and the fumes will 
destroy them. The damage in eating 
plant roots is generally done by the 
field mice that make use of the mole 
runs, for the moles are after worms 
and crickets. But their hills do damage 
too, and I keep after them till they are 
getting scarce in my garden. I have 
used all sorts of traps and have caught 
some, but the carbon bisulphide beats 
the traps far away. w. f. massey. 
Outlook for Selling Carp 
M. P. IF., Mayville, N. Y .—There is a 
movement on to deplete the German carp 
population in Chautauqua Lake, and it is 
understood here that there is a ready sale 
for them in New York City on the East 
Side. Can you obtain for me the price per 
pound that has been or would be paid for 
these fish during the months of May, June 
and July? 
Ans. —At the market under the Wil¬ 
liamsburg Bridge, New York, is the 
most extensive retail carp trade in the 
city. About 100 retailers have stands 
there, and practically all handle carp, 
which is sold largely to the Jews, and to 
some extent to German trade. At the 
Williamsburg Bridge market carp re¬ 
tailed on the day of our visit at four to 
five cents per pound. At this rate the 
shipper might net less than two cents. 
There would be no use shipping direct 
to these retailers, as the chances would 
be nine to 10 against getting any pay. 
With carp so plentiful in the North 
River and nearby lakes, there is no vis¬ 
ible fortune in the business for the pro¬ 
ducer. It is recognized as a low-grade 
fish and sells because it is cheap. 
“FARMER” AND “AGRICULTURIST.” 
Among the 51 gentlemen who consti¬ 
tute the New York State Senate, we find 
one who gives his occupation as “farm¬ 
er” and one more who calls himself an 
“agriculturist.” These two are the only 
ones who claim to have anything to do 
with the soil. There is nothing like 
understanding the full meaning of 
words, so we have asked these two Sen¬ 
ators to tell us when a man is a plain 
farmer and when he is not. 
Why 1 am an “Agriculturist.” 
First you want to know why I appear as 
an agriculturist and another Senator as a 
farmer. The. only good reason that I have 
to offer is that a plain farmer is a man 
who makes his money on the farm and 
spends it in the city, while an agriculturist 
is one who makes his money in the city and 
lavishes it on the farm. An agriculturist 
covers farming in all its branches. I have 
over 40 acres of young apple trees coming 
on, raise imported Jerseys successfully, sold 
GO acres of beans last year at the top notch, 
and still hav» some 1,500 bushels of wheat 
on hand for which there is no market. I 
also sold over 4,000 pounds of pork. The 
remainder of the farm is devoted to raising 
corn, oats and hay for my own stock, and 
farmers have come from far and near to 
see. my Alfalfa field, and have written me, 
asking how I prepared the land for such 
an abundant yield. 1 cannot say that my 
farm supports me or even pays a fair rate 
of interest upon the money invested, but 
I am looking for results later, and I will 
say that it gives me great pleasure to be 
told by this person and that person that 
I have one of the finest farms in New York 
State. WILLIAM L. ORMROD. 
Why I am a “Farmer.” 
I have given my occupation as a farmer 
because I am a farmer and nothing else. 
I have lived on a farm all my life, and it 
is my sole means of livelihood. I have 
always believed that the reason a man gave 
his occupation as an agriculturist was be¬ 
cause he was following that occupation as 
a fad. f. c. ri.ATT. 
A Florida Strawberry Story. 
Since the hen, cow and hog are coming 
up with records I enter the Florida straw¬ 
berry. If you can’t cover it call for rec¬ 
ords. It will be a variety along with cow 
records, hen records, potato, corn and many 
other records. We have a strawberry bed 
I planted out nine months ago, 116 feet by 
five feet, plants in hills 18 inches apart, 
a little over 2,000 plants; to be exact, 
2,380 plants. We began picking berries 
March 1; 12 berries weighed one pound, 20 
berries filled one quart above level. Ficked 
to date G77 quarts, sold many quarts of 
fancy berries at 50 cents a quart; the regu¬ 
lar picking at 35 cents a quart, then 30 
cents; now we get 25 cents. Sold over 500 
quarts, made over $100 off that small piece 
of land. And still there’s more to follow ; 
plenty of large bunches of green berries 
and plenty of bloom just opening; by the 
looks of things the bed bids fair for another 
100 quarts. How is this for Florida sand? 
Duval Co., suburb of Jacksonville, not the 
best land in Florida by a long way, yet 
the poor sand will respond to the right 
treatment, equal to any land in New Jersey. 
JOHN SPIERS. 
It. N.-Y.—Mr. Spiers offers proof of his 
statements. He beats anything we have 
yet done in the strawberry line. 
SHORT STORIES. 
Soil Needs Humus. 
Will you advise me how to renovate soil 
in want of humus in the quickest and most 
economical way? Location, southern New 
Jersey. ' G. H. 
Franklinville, N. .T. 
Of course the quickest way would be to 
plow in a heavy coat of manure. An eco¬ 
nomical but slow way is to sow Canada 
field peas now. Plow them under in early 
July, and sow buckwheat; plow this under 
in late September and sow rye. Let this 
grow through Fall and Winter, plow under 
in Spring. Then, by using fertilizer, you 
can go ahead. 
Destroying Cutworms. 
The cutworm is very bothersome in my 
asparagus bed this year, and I should be 
very glad indeed to know of something that 
would destroy the pest. H. J. 
Chelmsford, Mass. 
Thorough and constant cultivation will 
get rid of them finally, also a change of 
crops. This season the best way to fight 
them is by poisons. A mash made of bran, 
molasses and white arsenic scattered about 
will attract and kill them, or green clover 
or grass dipped in a poison solution. There 
is danger in this if the bait is left where 
live stock get at it 
Draining Hill Land. 
What is the most practical way of drain¬ 
ing ground that has springs in it and plenty 
of slope; might be called side hill? Would 
field stones, thrown right in loose, be all 
right? H. k. 
North Pitcher, N. Y. 
Tile draining is best, but in some places 
stone drains are more economical. We use 
stones for spring fields and they work well. 
Do not throw the stones in loose. Such a 
drain will clog after a few years. Make a 
good-sized “throat” at the bottom of the 
ditch by laying good-sized stones at the 
sides and a flat one across. This will leave 
a protected watercourse at the bottom. Fill 
in with loose stone. For main stone drains 
we do not put any earth on top, but fill 
with stone. You will need a sharper fall 
with stone than with tile. 
Alfalfa in Maine. 
Why cannot we raise Alfalfa in Maine? 
Last June my wife planted a small sample, 
about a great spoonful, of Alfalfa seed, in 
her garden without lime or any soil inocu¬ 
lation whatever. This seed came up and 
grew to be about 15 inches high last Sum¬ 
mer. At this writing, May 9, it is up about 
six inches, as tall as any grass on the 
farm, and looks thrifty and nice. If we 
can raise it on a small piece without any 
special soil preparation, why can we not 
raise it on a large field? G. i. H. 
Oxford County, Me. 
It will not do to figure possibilities with 
Alfalfa as the “boomers” figure chickens. 
If one hen pays a profit of $5 per year, 
1.000 hens must pay $5,000. You can hard¬ 
ly expect to fit an acre as evenly and well 
as a favored spot in a garden. The garden 
spot may be used to furnish soil to inocu¬ 
late the acre, and with this experience we 
should certainly go ahead with Alfalfa. 
Pears, peaches and plums all in full 
bloom. Apples. King. Greening, Russet, 
Hubbardston. 20-Oz., Wagener and early va¬ 
rieties all white with blossoms. Baldwin, 
40 per cent, trees in bloom. Spy late, but 
do not indicate a full bloom. The season 
is very late here; grass and wheat make 
slow growth. Ground very dry; some can¬ 
not plow for corn. There has been more 
spraying done in the town of Sodus with 
lime and sulphur this Spring than ever be¬ 
fore. B. E. 
Sodus, N. Y. 
Cleaning out Poison Ivy.. —On page G07 
you have suggested a method of cleaning 
poison ivy. If W. K. wants an easier and 
more effective way for the same end, let 
him take long-handled pruning or hedge 
shears and cut the stems of the plants as 
far down as possible, by running first one 
side of the fence and then the other. Do 
this in Winter, when the ivy is dormant 
and danger least. As soon as dead vine 
are dry. burn them just as they are. Re¬ 
peat this for at least two Winters and the 
ivy will not return very easily. D. E. s. 
New York. 
“For the Land’s Sake, use Bowker’s 
Fertilizers; they enrich the earth and 
those who till it.”— Adv. 
IAPANESE MILLET SEED ; sound, clean seed. $1.50 per 
bushel. M. HATCH, JR.; .Marshfield, Mass. 
Dusts Insecticides 
No Water to Haul 
LEGGETT’S 
CHAMPION 
t The CHAMPION 
dusts two rows of pota¬ 
toes as fast as you walk. 
‘The BEETLE 
Potato Duster (Horse 
Power,) dusts four rows. 
‘The JUMBO 
dusts trees. 
Many thousands in use. Send for circular. 
LEGGETT & JiRO., 301 Pearl St., N. Y. 
O F COURSE, the people with 
liigh-priced implements for 
using liquiii applications for kill¬ 
ing Potato Bugs insist that their 
way is best. It used to be—but not 
any more. The Aere-an-llonr 8ift«r 
has changed that. We gimrnntoa 
to treat more potato vines with half 
the labor, using Piaster or Cement 
or Paris Green, in the same time 
than any hand implement on the 
maiket for wet mixtures. Ask your 
dealer or write us. Prepaid by 
mail, §1. Express, 75., not prepaid 
ACRE-AN HOUR SIFTER CO. 
Po’keepsie, N. Y. 
HAY UNLOADER 
UNLOAD YOUR HAY WITH 
THIS HOIST AND ENGINE 
It can be done in one 
third the time usual¬ 
ly required. Saves 
one man and team. 
Operated from load. 
Made in single or 
double drum. 
Capacity 1,800 lbs. 
Fully guaranteed. 
When writing give 
H. P. and diameter 
of engine pulleys. 
Redden Bros. Mfgs. 
Norwich, N. Y. 
HARRISON’S NURSERIES 
has been built up by quality trees from a small 
beginning to the largest nursery in America—more 
than 2,000 acres devoted to growing trees, plants, 
vines and ornamental stock. Buy of a responsible 
grower and get what you pay for. Address 
HARRISON’S NURSERIES 
Ten Valuable Farms For Sale. BOX 421, Berlin, Md. 
OLYMPIC NATURE NURSERY 
Rhododendrons, Madronas,Oregon Grapes, H ncklo- 
berries and other wild shrubs, plants and flowers. 
By mail, 10 for SO cents, 24 for SI.00 postpaid. 
Money hack if not satisfied. 
JOEL SHOMAKEH, Mellila, Washington. 
_PRIVET HEDGING^ 
. . . SPECIAL 2 YEAR . . . 
12 to 18 in. ® $1.25 per 100.$10.00 per 1000 
18 to 24 in. ® $1.50 per 100.$13.00 per 1000 
This is all well branched 
TERMS - • CASH WITH ORDER 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON S CO., HIGHTSTOWN, N. J. 
500,000 New Stone Tomato Plants For Sale 
From selected seed that grow the big crops roady 
June tne First. SI.00 per 1000: 5000 for 54,00. 
CELERY. CABGAGE, RUBY KING PEPPER, CAULIFLOWER and 
SWEET POTATO PLANTS in their season. 
Send for our ton Catalog 
If you want 50.000 or 100,000 Tomato Plants we can 
supply you with extra fine plants. ROMANCE SEED 8 
PLANT fARM, CALEB BOGGS 8 SON, CHESW0LD, DEL. 
Dewdrop Everbearing Strawberry 
Largest in the World. Bears First Season. Free 
circular. H. F. DEW, Albion, Mich. 
CiuqqI Potato Plante only $2.00 per 1000, special 
OWCBl ruiaiu rldlilb prices on 5000 lots, Price 
list free. W. S. FORD & SON, Hartly, Del. 
FOR SAL E —Sweet Potato Plants. Tomato 
catalogue. 
and Cabbage Plants. Send today for 
Fine plants. M. N. BORGO, Vineland, N. J. 
Cnn QAI C—Cow Peas, $2.50 to $3.00 bushel; 
rUn OHLL Crimson Clover Seed, $8.50 bushel: 
Black-Eyed Peas. $3.00 bushel. 
JOSEPH E. HOLLAND . . Milford, Del. 
C AIIHAtiK PLANTS i»f all lthnls, $1 per 1000: Tomato and Sweet 
Potato Plants, $1.50 |>«r 1000; Cauliflower and Peppei s, $2.50 
per looo. Plants realty for field. J. C. Schmidt, Bristol, Pa. 
CHOICE COW PEAS 
READY NOW-NEW ERAS. BLACKS, FRESH, 
CLEAN SEEDS. SAMPLE FOR STAMP. 
E. PACKARD, Seed Grower, Dover, I>cl. 
USE THE 
L. C. Smith & Bros. 
Typewriter 
and make your busi¬ 
ness letters command 
the attention they 
deserve. Simplest construction, re¬ 
quires no attachments. Easy to 
operate. Ball-Bearing at all im¬ 
portant wearing points. 
Send for free illustrated catalogue. 
L. C. SMITH & BROS. TYPEWRITER CO., 
Syracuse, New York. 
SLUG-SHOT 
USED FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN FOR 29 YEARS 
Sold by Seed Dealers of America 
Raves CurriiHtu, Potatoen, Cabbasre, Melon*, Flower**, Tree*, 
and Shrubs from Insects. Put up in popular packages at popular prices 
Write for free pamphlet on Bugs and Blights, etc., to 
B, HAMMOND, - Fishkill-on-Hutlson, New York. 
