1911 . 
819 
ROOTS PENETRATING TILE. 
IF. S. It., Greensburg, Pa .—Will grape or 
blackberry roots go down 4% feet and en¬ 
ter glazed tile drains with cemented joints? 
I know that Carolina poplar roots will go 
down that far, because a house drain got 
clogged up and I dug down and at the trap 
joint, which had been well cemented, the 
fine roots had penetrated. 
Ans.— The roots of any tree, vine or 
plant are greedy for moisture, and all 
the water that goes into the entire 
structure must come through them. But 
there are very great differences in the 
depth to which they go for water and 
their greediness for it. The roots of 
the Carolina poplar and of all the pop¬ 
lar or cottonwood genus are very per¬ 
sistent and penetrating, but I do not 
think they could go through the joints 
of well-cemented tile drains. They 
would find their way through any very 
small cracks and when once through 
would enlarge them by growth if this 
is possible. There is near my house in 
Washington, D. C., a large Carolina 
poplar tree that has roots that have 
found their way under the walls and 
along under the cement floor of the 
basement for many feet and grown so 
vigorously that they have burst up 
the cement and made ridges similar to 
those of a mole in the earth. But the 
roots of the grape and blackberry will 
not do any such thing and are not likely 
to give trouble by filling drains in any 
place where they are four feet or more 
deep. H. E. VAN LEMAN. 
PAPER FROM BANANAS. 
I am told that some varieties of bananas 
are used for making paper, and that they 
may take the place of wood pulp for that 
purpose. Is this true? H. J. s. 
Very likely such stories are told by 
people who are trying to sell shares of 
stock in Mexican banana plantations. 
We have received the following from 
the Bureau of Plant Industry: 
The fibre of the species of banana which 
is used for textile purposes is excellent for 
paper making, but is altogether too valuable 
to be devoted to this use. The leaves of 
the common fruit-bearing species also con¬ 
tain a certain amount of fibre which is 
good paper-making material, but the amount 
which can be obtained per ton of dry ma¬ 
terial, and the cost of obtaining this ma¬ 
terial and transporting it to a place where 
it can be used, render it impossible to com¬ 
pete with wood pulp at anything like the 
present prices. In considering the value of 
any such material for paper making we must 
take into account the large proportion of 
moisture which must first bo eliminated 
from the green material, in order that it 
may be safely baled and transported, and, 
secondly, it must be remembered that a very 
large proportion of the tissue of the plant 
is composed of pith cells or exceedingly 
short fibre, which is of comparatively little 
value for making paper by any of the 
processes now generally employed. 
N. A. COBB. 
Agricultural Technologist. 
All sorts of stories are told about the 
possibilities of banana culture. Among 
others is a report from Consul Dreher 
of Jamaica: 
About 12 miles from Port Maria, in the 
adjoining parish of St. Mary, in this con¬ 
sular district, there is an establishment for 
drying bananas, which are exported under 
the name of “banana figs.” Begun as an 
experiment five years ago, it has turned out 
to be so successful that its capital stock 
was recently increased 50 per cent, and is 
now about $15,000, on which an annual 
dividend of 12 per cent, is paid. The 
bananas are dried by means of hot air, but 
the process fs a profound secret. It is as¬ 
serted that there are only two machines 
in use in the world for drying bananas by 
this process, the one in this factory and the 
other in South Africa. The fruit is dried 
when fully ripe; and although no sugar is 
used, the “figs” are sweet and delicious. 
The demand for this product far exceeds 
the output of the enlarged establishment. 
Besides the “figs,” there is a by-product 
called “banana meal,” which makes an ex¬ 
cellent breakfast food, and which is also 
exported, though only to a limited extent. 
Quantity of Alfalfa Seed. 
Will you tell me how much Alfalfa seed 
I need for a piece of ground 39x200 feet? 
Pearl River, N. Y. r. ir. g. 
You have 7.800 square feet of ground. 
There are 43.5G0 square feet in an acre. 
A heavy seeding of Alfalfa would be 30 
pounds of seed per acre. Thus you should 
use four to five pounds on your piece. 
W'HEJ RURAL NEW-YORKER 
LIME-SULPHUR AND PAINT. 
With what may I spray apple trees near 
the house, or grape vines on a white arbor, 
to prevent the paint turning black, as it 
does immediately when lime-sulphur is used 
on the trees or vines? Would it not be well 
to publish the effect of lime-sulphur on 
white paint? It would have saved me quite 
a paint bill if I had read of it before I 
sprayed this Spring. There are thousands 
of trees, shrubs and vines close to buildings 
painted or trimmed in white. The lime- 
sulphur turns the paint nearly black al¬ 
most instantly. With all I have read in the 
last year or two of lime-sulphur in a half 
dozen papers and magazines, I have never 
seen a warning to this effect published, so 
I learned the fact by sad and bitter expe¬ 
rience. Tell the folks unout it, and tell 
us what we can use on stock so located that * 
will not injure the paint. C. M. w. 
Long Island. 
What are you spraying for—to kill the 
San Jose scale or to fight some plant dis¬ 
ease? If you are after scale, substitute 
oil, or limoid and kerosene will answer. 
We do not know of a fungicide which • 
would not stain the paint. 
Following Oats and Peas. 
I have just taken oats and peas from a 
small piece of ground, and would like to 
put in something now that will make feed 
for Winter. I had thought of sowing mil¬ 
let. Would you advise that or something 
else? I have set 3,000 cabbage plants that 
will give me feed for my two cows for late 
Fall, and I would like to put something on 
the ground that will give me a little feed 
for Winter. L. L. 
Pennsylvania. 
We should plow this stubble and sow 
Japanese millet. Manure or fertilize the 
soil, as millet is an exhaustive crop. It 
will give a fair crop of hay suitable for 
cattle, but not good for horses. After 
cutting the millet in September you can 
plow the stubble and seed to rye. 
APPLE PIE AT THE WHITE HOUSE. 
The Washington Times paints this pic¬ 
ture of President Taft's Aunt Delia making 
an apple pie for the silver wedding anni¬ 
versary. Such a pie would carry us back 
to childhood at the speed of an aeroplane. 
The only fly speck on this brilliant picture 
is the fact that “Pauline” is a Holstein 
cow. She could not give “Jersey cream.” 
“Rolling up her sleeves, she will mix the 
lard and flour with just the proper modi¬ 
cum of water. She will roll the dough to 
just the proper thinness and dress the well- 
greased plate with its first layer of incipi¬ 
ent joy. Then the apples pared with eco¬ 
nomical thinness of peeling will be sliced 
upon the waiting paste. There will be no 
stewing of the fruit, such as Dr. Wiley 
lost his reputation in advising, but crisp 
and white each separate slice will lie alone. 
Then for the sugar scattered with a gener¬ 
ous hand, the merest drop of lemon extract, 
a sprinkling of cinnamon, a bit of butter 
here and there, and the filling is complete. 
Aunt Delia, as she turns once more to the 
rolling pin and dough will take one slice of 
the deified apple and taste it, to see if it 
suits. Perhaps just a little more, just a 
suspicion more, of the cinnamon and it is 
perfect. 
“Then the upper crust. No lattice work, 
no fancy business. This is to be a ‘kivered’ 
pie, the only real way to finish an apple 
pie. She rolls the dough, butters it lightly, 
then folds it over carefully, and with the 
knife cuts four slanting gashes along the 
doubled edge, lifts it still doubled to the 
waiting plate, and unfolds it so that all the 
apple is encompassed by the covering. Care¬ 
fully as one would tuck an only child into 
its crib she folds the upper crust under the 
edge of the lower. Then over the whole 
she flicks from her fingers a few vagrant 
drops of water and from the dredge sifts 
the daintiest imaginable covering of flour, 
and the composition is ready for the oven. 
“It will be late Monday afternoon by 
now, for the pie must not become cold be¬ 
fore it is eaten. Guests perhaps are arriv¬ 
ing, they are asking for Aunt Delia, but 
not until the pie is done will she leave the 
kitchen. 
“At last the trained eye knows that a 
minute more will spoil it, a minute less 
would have left it incomplete; and the pie 
is taken from the oven, and left to partly 
cool. Unless something happens to put 
awry Aunt Delia’s schedule, that pie will 
come to the table just as its temperature 
reaches the point where its warmth will 
serve only to make more delicious the coo’, 
libation of Jersey cream which Pauline will 
furnish to pour over it.” 
Boiling A Rope. —In answering the in¬ 
quiries about how to soften hay carrier 
ropes, will say that the first rope my father 
put up, over 40 years ago, he boiled in 
wood ashes and all but one has been treated 
in the same way ever since. Tut one-fourth 
to one-half bushel in enough water to cover 
rope, say six to 10 pails according to the 
size of your kettle; boil it until you are 
sure that it is thoroughly wet through, 
then hang it up to dry and leave it alone 
until perfectly dry. Then you will have a 
rope as soft and pliable as a tow string, 
and one that will give double the service 
tn wear, as one untreated. I have used 
both % and %-inch and have found little 
difference in them; put in a % last year, 
and when pulling up a few days ago could 
see no wear from last year’s use. IIow my 
father obtained his information I know not, 
but I do know from my own experience that 
it will pay anyone to try tnc experiment, 
and I do not believe he will ever put up 
the second one without treating it. I can¬ 
not tell the reason why, but it prevents the 
wear upon the inside of the strands, which 
amounts to as much, or more, than the wear 
upon the outside. a. s.. 
Yates Co., N. Y. 
Master and Man. —I consider your paper 
one of our best agricultural weeklies, and 
your answer to C. N. D., page 738, “Firing 
a Man,” is all right and fully up to the 
standard. C. N. D. is the kind of man 
whose methods of handling men tend to 
ruin both classes of servants—the good 
and the bad. Every employer must be the 
head, must rule servants with an iron will, 
yet be both kind and considerate. The 
weak-kneed, timid man should have no help. 
I believe in an employer telling his men 
what to do, and when once told see that 
the work is done as wanted, and then treat 
all servants alike. Have no pets; allow 
no man to carry stories about his fellow 
workers to his employer. If you find a 
man that will carry such stories, be on the 
lookout for him, for he is sure to be the 
skin of the lot. I keep an average of I'J 
men all year, and when I am not satisfied 
with the workings of any of them I assure 
you there is no argument about their get¬ 
ting off the farm. When farmers are busy 
cultivating their crops of the soil it is well 
also to cultivate a few physical crops, such 
as thinking power, backbone, muscle, a 
straight eye, and, above all, be sure to 
carry a little sand. dairyman. 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
It. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
STRONGER THAN MEAT 
A Judge’s Opinion of Grape-Nuts. 
A gentleman who has acquired a judi¬ 
cial turn of mind from experience on 
the bench out in the Sunflower _ State 
writes a carefully considered opinion as 
to the value of Grape-Nuts as food. 
He says: 
“For the past five years Grape-Nuts 
has been a prominent feature in our bill 
of fare. 
“The crisp food with the delicious, 
nutty flavor has become an indispen¬ 
sable necessity in my family’s everyday 
life. 
“It has proved to be most healthful 
and beneficial, and has enable us to 
practically abolish pastry and pies from 
our table, for the children prefer Grape- 
Nuts and do not crave rich and un¬ 
wholesome food. 
“Grape-Nuts keeps us all in perfect 
physical condition—as a preventive of 
disease it is beyond value. I have been 
particularly impressed by the beneficial 
effects of Grape-Nuts when used by 
ladies who are troubled with face 
blemishes, skin eruptions, etc. It clears 
■up the complexion wonderfully. 
“As to its nutritive qualities, my ex¬ 
perience is that one small dish of Grape- 
Nuts is superior to a pound of meat for 
breakfast, which is an important con¬ 
sideration for anyone. It satisfies the 
appetite and strengthens the power of 
resisting fatigue, while its use involves 
none of the disagreeable consequences 
that sometimes follow a meat breakfast.” 
Name given by Postum Co., Battle 
Creek, Mich. 
Read the little book, “The Road to 
Wellville,” in pkgs. “There’s a reason.” 
Ever read the above letter ? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, true, and full of human interest. 
WHITE LEAD 
on THE FARM 
Putt Down Places 
Don’t let your buildings 
run down—any more than 
your land—both of them 
are your capital. Nothing 
makes a farm appear more 
neglected and down-at- 
the-heel than unpainted 
buildings. Paint mixed on 
the job and made of 
“Dutch Boy Painter” 
Pure White Lead 
and pure linseed oil will 
not only make your build¬ 
ings look prosperous but will protect 
them from the weather as no other 
paint can. It is the most economical paint in the world 
because it lasts so long. Paint now and keep out the 
winter’s storms and frosts. 
Our Free Painting Helps 
We will send you free, on request, 
color schemes and miscellaneous paint¬ 
ing instructions that you will find of 
real practical value. Ask for Helps 2308. 
NATIONAL. LEAD CO. 
New York Cleveland Chicago St. Louis 1 
Boston Buffalo Cincinnati San Francisco 1 
(John T. I.ewig & Bros. Co., Philadelphia) 
(National Lead & Oil Co., Pittsburgh) 
DAILY 
OUTPUT 
18,000 
BBLS. 
YEARLY 
OUTPUT 
OVER 
8,500,000 
ALPHA 
PORTLAND CEMENT 
is absolutely the best that can be made 
for all farm work. Largely used by 
U. S. Government and in State, Munici¬ 
pal and Railroad work—a reputation of 
20 years behind it. Ask your dealer for 
ALPHA 
Send for Booklet and learn why it is the best. 
ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO., 
ADDRESS 
2 Center Square, EASTON, PA. 
TRADE MARK REGISTERED IN U. S. PATENT OFFICE. 
. . . MANUFACTURED ONLY BY . , . 
*The Rogers & Hubbard Co., 
Middletown, Conn. 
Send for free Almanac telling all about 
Hubbard’s “Bone Base” Fertilizers. 
(DOWN FENC 
J l 
Strongest, most durable fence 
made. Heaviest, closest wires. Double 
galvanized. Practically indestructible. Stock 
strong Chicken tight. 14 to 35c per rod. Sample free. Wepayfrt. 
The Brown Fence & Wire Co., Dept. 59 Cleveland, Ohio. 
Monarch 
Hydraulic 
Cider Press 
Net owners 254 to 100;$ 
on investment per year 
Ask for Free Cat¬ 
alog and "Good 
Tip” booklet tell¬ 
ing how. 
Monarch Machinery Co,, 609 Hudson Terminal, New York* 
b Cider Mill and Press Combined 
made I10UnCC ^ aU t0 tlle k°' st > simplest and most perfect mill and press 
These mills have taken more first premiums than any mill on the market, 
v, J i 1 U apparatus ls so made that it does not slice and cut the 
fi lilt and leave it in hard lumps, but thoroughly crushes and grates it 
vrin ! a \n y ifi broken and a line pomace produced, hence 
J -rue a tIle 8111116 amount of fruit than any other mill. 
THE FARMERS FAVORITE mills will grind from 0 to 75 bushels 
per hour-depending upon how hard you crowd. 
These mills work on an entirely new plan, and have greater grinding 
capacity, and are easier running than any other mill on the market. 
Wo make several sizes of Mills and Presses, separate and combined, 
w rite us this day for prices and full information. Our stock is com¬ 
plete and we make prompt shipments. We guarantee entire satisfaction. 
CUTAWAY MARROW CO.. 839 Main St., Illggai.um, Conn. 
