838 
THE RURAL, MEW-YORKER 
Patching Up a Poor Meadow. 
F. C. 8., Ridgewood, X. J. —I have a 
meadow that I seeded last Kail with Tim¬ 
othy, Blue grass, Red-top and Meadow fescue 
grass, seeded with rye. The grass came 
up very thick and was about four to five 
inches high when 1 cut the rye July 5. 
During the hot spell most of the grass dried 
out, and there are some large patches where 
there is no grass at ail now. Would you 
advise that I sow some grass seed on it 
now, or wait until September? I want to 
get a good sod on it as soon as I can. 
Ans. —We have never had much suc¬ 
cess in trying to patch up a lawn or 
meadow. It usually pays better to 
plow it up and reseed. If you want to 
try it we should spade or plow up the 
bare spots at once, and keep them 
raked or cultivated. Spread wood 
ashes over them. Early in September 
sow a heavy seeding of the mixed grass 
seed and use a “top dresser” or com¬ 
bination of chemicals such as we have 
often named. This will fill in the bare 
spots if anything will, but the chances 
are you would do better to plow and 
reseed without any' grain cjop. 
Destroying Poison Ivy. 
M., Falls, Pa. —What is the best way to 
rid a farm of poison ivy? We have had 
several cases of poisoning, the death of a 
laborer resulting from one of these. 
Ans. —This has been discussed in re¬ 
cent issues of The R. N.-Y. The plant 
may be grubbed out, preferably by per¬ 
sons not susceptible to it, but the use of 
concentrated sulphuric acid is advised, 
half a teaspoonful being applied to the 
stem, just above ground, in the Spring, 
the dose being repeated if needed. This 
obviates handling the plant, but as the 
acid is frightfully corrosive it must be 
used very carefully. A New York- 
correspondent says that he clears out 
the plant with long-handled pruning 
shears, doing the work in the Winter, 
when the plant is dormant, cutting the 
stems as far down as possible, and then 
burning the brush. By repeating this 
work for two Winters in succession the 
plant is likely to be killed out effec¬ 
tively, and it is done with the minimum 
of danger from poisoning. When burn¬ 
ing the brush, keep out of the smoke, 
which may poison the eyes badly. If 
the dangerous sulphuric acid is used, 
do not trust the work to boys or hired 
men, unless very dependable. 
Chemicals for Weed Killing. 
P. 8. D., Dover, Del .—I would like to 
know what would prevent absolutely the 
growth of grass or weeds in a driveway of 
a country lawn made of sand and gravel 
and some clay ? Would an application of 
salt water with a sprinkler, or kainit 
sprinkled over it do? 
Ans. —Hot brine (one pound of salt 
to one gallon of water) is qu’te effec¬ 
tive. It should be repeated when neces¬ 
sary. Lime and sulphur, 10 gallons 
water, 20 pounds of quicklime, and .two 
pounds of sulphur boiled in an iron 
vessel, is excellent; after settling, dip 
off the clear part. One ounce of car¬ 
bolic acid in one gallon of water, 
sprinkled from a watering pot, destroys 
ants as well as weeds. An arsenite of 
soda preparation is extremely effectual, 
but we do not like it, because the poison 
may get on the feet of pet animals, and 
cause accidents. To make it, put one 
pound of powdered arsenic in three gal¬ 
lons of cold water, boil and keep stir¬ 
ring; then add seven gallons of cold 
water and two pounds of crushed soda. 
Stir well while boiling; use cold in 
dry weather. There are a number of 
commercial weed-killers on the mar¬ 
ket. If the brine is hot and thoroughly 
applied it is safe and effectual. 
Ill-smeliing Cistern. 
What can I put in a cistern to got rid 
of the smell in the water? The cistern has 
been cleaned, but the standing water has 
a bad odor. f. g. k. 
Hinsdale, Mass. 
It is doubtful if the condition of the 
water can be remedied by putting anything 
into it. It may be that the cistern lacks 
adequate ventilation. If the cistern is 
thoroughly cleaned and there is a free access 
of air to it, the water ought not to have 
a bad odor. If there is free access of air 
to the cistern it may be that a second 
cleaning will remove the difficulty. 
F. II. KING. 
Setting Strawberries. 
When would be the best time to set 
strawberry plants, and how far apart should 
the rows and plants be? What variety is 
the best for rich soil? G. W. C. 
Miller, O. 
The best time is in early Spring, as soon 
as the soil can be worked. Use strong 
layer plants and keep the ground well cul¬ 
tivated. It depends on how you wish to 
grow them—in hills or in matted rows. Un¬ 
der the hill system the plants are set any¬ 
where from one foot to three feet apart 
each way, and the runners are kept cut off. 
Two feet each way is a good distance for 
hand culture. For horse work we should 
put them three feet apart at least one way. 
In the matted row the plants are usually 
set in rows four feet apart and two feet 
in the row. The runners spread all over. 
They are usually left in a mass three feet 
wide with a path a foot or more wide be¬ 
tween them. No single variety is best. 
Marshall, Sample, Nic Ohmer, Dunlap, 
Chesapeake and Handy are all satisfactory 
with us in rich soil. 
Lime-Sulphur for Blister Mite. 
Perhaps my experience with the blister 
mite may be of some value to those troubled 
with them. I have one orchard of about 
30 Baldwin trees in their prime, trees bear¬ 
ing four to eight barrels of fruit. About 
four trees in one corner were covered or 
blistered with the mite, the leaves turning 
yellow, curling and dropping early. The 
rest of the trees were infested more or less 
as also the rest that were scattered over 
the farm, those infested most bearing small 
fruit. This was last Fall. I sprayed them 
once last Spring, 1910, with commercial 
spray for the Codling moth. April 20, 
1911, 1 sprayed with a commercial lime 
and sulphur guaranteed to test 33 degrees 
liaume, 10 gallons to 40 of water, making 
50 gallons of spraying material. Later I 
sprayed with one gallon lime and sulphur 
and 4% pounds arsenate of lead to 4S 
gallons of water ; that was for Codling moth. 
To-day the leaves on those trees are large, 
healthy and green, bearing full, apples of 
good size. In the very top of the largest 
trees where the lime and sulphur did not 
August 19, 
reach the leaves are turning yellow and 
falling. I am satisfied that lime and sul¬ 
phur will destroy blister mite, and also 
that one can use more than five to 45 as 
prescribed without injury to the trees, and 
with good results to the orchard. The 
buds were just about to open when the 
spraying was done. J. s. k. 
Grove, Vt. 
Wood Ashes and Manure. 
I would like to know if this is a good 
plan : Cover the ground with wood ashes, 
on top of that manure ; plow and then sow 
to rye; in the Spring plow deep and plant to 
early tomatoes. IIow many one-horse loads 
to the acre of wood ashes; also manure? 
Marion, Ind. b. d. 
Instead of plowing under the wood ashes 
we should plow under the manure—then 
spread the ashes and harrow them in. The 
ashes contain lime and it is better to have 
them worked all through the upper soil 
rather than plowed under. We should use 
at least 20 loads of manure and six loads of 
ashes. Seed about five pecks of rye to the 
acre. With this rye plowed under you ought 
to have a good foundation for a tomato 
crop. 
Seed Down to Grass 
• • • with • • • 
Bradley’s Fertilizers 
Are your mowing lands neglected? 
We often read in crop reports, when rainfall is small, that “grass 
in the old mowings is suffering and will be a very short crop.” Gen¬ 
erally these old mow T ings are neglected and their owners are relying 
on Nature unaided to give them something out of nothing. 
The average yield of hay in the United States is reported to be 
but a little over one ton per acre. Good farmers know that if their 
hay crop does not yield two tons or more per acre of good hay there 
is something wrong. They also know that the best hay, as a rule, is 
grown on newly seeded fields which have been well fertilized. It is 
found that where the soil is well fertilized there is generally little 
trouble in getting good yields of hay,—even in an unfavorable season. 
If a short rotation of crops is not convenient before land is seeded to grass, old 
mowing lands may be plowed after haying, thoroughly harrowed and put in good con¬ 
dition to be seeded down in late August or early September. Before seeding, 600 to 
1200 lbs. per acre of 
Bradley’s Fertilizers 
should be sown broadcast and harrowed in, the amount to be used depending, of course, 
on the condition of the land. The fertilizer will aid in producing a good catch of the 
seed and a vigorous growth of grass which will escape winter killing. 
Well fertilized fields stand drought better than those which are run down. The 
grass on well fertilized fields gets a better start in the spring and gives a greatly in¬ 
creased yield of better quality of hay than can be grown on old worn out fields. One 
of our customers has recently written us as follows: 
“ I am very much pleased with the results of the fertilizer for seeding' down. 
I am now cutting the hay from the ground where I used the fertilizer and it is a 
very heavy growth. I have twenty-five acres of as handsome grass as you ever saw.” 
The best time for seeding to grass alone in the latitude of New 
England is in August and September, preferably from August 15th 
to September 10th. 
Place your orders for Bradley’s Fertilizers with our local agents 
who will obtain the fertilizer promptly, in case they have not enough 
in stock to supply you. Or if you prefer to do so, write direct to us. 
THE AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL CO. 
BRADLEY FERTILIZER WORKS. 
92 STATE STREET, BOSTON, MASS. 
