644 
THE RUKAIj NEW-YORKER 
April 27, 
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.) 
Making a Weed-Killer. 
T. 0. G., Lancaster, ra. —Will you let 
me know liow I can compound an effective 
weed killer? 
Ans. —The most effective weed-killers, 
and those largely used in proprietary 
compounds, have an arsenical base. The 
simplest of these is arsenite of soda dis¬ 
solved in water, one pound of the ar¬ 
senite in three to nine gallons of water. 
White arsenic, combined with sal soda, 
is cheaper, but not so easy to prepare; 
white arsenic, one pound, washing soda, 
two pounds, water three to nine gallons. 
The arsenic preparations do not leach 
away readily, and are thus efficacious for 
some time. Hot brine, one pound salt 
to one gallon water, is useful, cheap 
and handy, and free from risk to 
humans or animals. It is most effective 
in hot dry weather, leaching away 
rapidly in a wet period. The same is 
true of caustic soda in strong solution, 
which is also specially recommended for 
pouring on soil to destroy poison ivy 
or other deep-rooting plants. The soil 
will be rendered sterile until the soda 
leaches away. Blue vitriol ( eight to 
10 pounds to 50 gallons of water) and 
copperas (two pounds to the gallon of 
water) are used against special farm 
weeds. Sulphuric acid, carbolic acid 
and kerosene arc also used as weed¬ 
killers but are not advised for garden 
use. 
Evergreen For Hedge. 
W. E. L., Danville, Pa.—What kind of 
evergreen hedge would you advise to plant 
in front of a residence? Not deciduous, 
something that retains its color, hardy, 
vigorous, tenacious grower, thick and dense, 
beautiful green all the year round. I have 
a California privet; it is green till New 
Years, faded all Winter till Spring. The 
American arbor vitae is highly spoken of 
in catalogues, but I have been informed it 
i^ green in Summer and Fall, the Winter 
hues are brown and bronze green, and a 
yellow cast on the under side of the 
foliage. Siberian arbor vitae I have been 
told is more rugged, slow grower, foliage 
very dark, brownish green tint above, blue 
green tint beneath. Locally I have seen 
Norway spruce lose its needles at the base, 
becoming unsightly. Hemlock spruce some 
people say not so strong in limb and foliage 
as arbor vitae. Fines and boxwoods I 
have heard nothing about. 
Ans. —The hemlock spruce is our first 
favorite for an evergreen hedge. The 
color is beautiful and it can be sheared 
into a thick wall of living green; it is 
very hardy and holds its color well all 
the year around. The Norway spruce 
is generally popular for hedges and has 
many good qualities to recommend it. 
The American arbor vitae is hardy, inex¬ 
pensive and when properly sheared is 
very dense and shapely, but the color 
is not so good in Winter. The Siberian 
arbor vitae is preferable as far as color 
is concerned; it is a rich green, and 
changes less in Winter under usual con¬ 
ditions than the American. Box grows 
so slowly that it must be planted by 
our ancestors to give us an actual hedge, 
and it is usually seen in this country 
as low edging to flower beds. Some 
fair-sized bushes of box we are ac¬ 
quainted with in a Philadelphia suburb 
were planted by William Penn’s secre¬ 
tary. Of course one could buy good- 
sized box bushes for a hedge, good im¬ 
ported stock especially, but it would be 
quite costly. 
Hogs in the Orchard. 
Why does not The R. N.-Y. want bogs in 
the orchard? I have been advised that 
they were the best possible' thing for an 
orchard. t. s. p. 
We kept hogs in the orchard several 
years. When the trees are old and 
high-headed the hogs are useful, pro¬ 
vided you feed them well and give them 
plenty of salt, sulphur and wood ashes. 
In such condition they work up the 
ground, kill white grubs and eat the 
windfall apples. This latter surely re¬ 
duces the Codling-worm crop. The 
worst trouble is that the hogs burrow 
close to the trees and rub themselves 
against the trunks. We have had them 
rub these trunks bare of bark. At times 
they will gnaw the trunks of young 
trees until they are ruined. This will 
not be likely to trouble if the hogs have 
wood ashes and sulphur where they can 
eat at will, and the tree trunks can be 
protected by wire or stakes. 
But who in these days, would deliber¬ 
ately plan for high-headed trees? The 
business tree is down near the ground, 
and the hog has no business near such 
a tree. If it be in mulched ground the 
space right near the tree will attract 
Mr. Hog. We have had them dig down 
two feet, ripping up the roots and nearly 
tipping the tree over. There is no good 
way of protecting the low-down tree as 
you can the high head. The lower 
limbs also are nearer the ground and the 
hogs will gnaw them off and ruin them. 
The hog belongs to the Apple Con¬ 
sumers’ League, and is very fond of 
fruit. We have seen a hog stand on his 
hind feet, reach the lower limbs with 
his teeth and shake the fruit off. No, 
hogs may do in the old-fashioned high- 
head orchard, but keep them away from 
an up-to-date low-headed tree. 
Cutting Red Cedar Hedge. 
I have a Red cedar hedge, 30 years 
old. 25 feet high, four to seven inches in 
diameter, that I wish to cut down for the 
posts. Can I do so and have it sprout and 
grow again ; and if so, what month in the 
year should I cut it and how close to the 
ground? F - w - H - 
New Y’ork. 
None of the coniferous trees, including 
the cedar, can be propagated by sprouts. 
For this reason if you ’ were to cut the 
cedar hedge you could not hope to have it 
reproduced by sprouts. If, however, you 
desire to cut your hedge for posts it really 
matters little which month you choose. 
Pennsylvania. s. h. madden. 
Analysis of Russian Thistle. 
We have heard the Russian thistle de¬ 
nounced as a weed and fearful pest on the 
western plains. Now its good qualities 
are being shown. Prof. E. F. Ladd of 
North Dakota made the following compara¬ 
tive analyses of thistle not fully ripe : 
Russian Thistle 
Alfalfa 
Moisture .. .. 
. 5.8T 
IU.1 
Ash . 
S.C17 
Crude fat ... 
. 2.90 
5.9G 
Crude protein 
. 18.25 
17.81 
Prudo fibpr . . 
. 25.04 
19.46 
N-free extract 
. 32.07 
38.95 
Thus the thistle has practically the same 
analysis as Alfalfa. We have no doubt 
the* thistle and other weeds, too, will be 
found valuable as silage plants. 
Potash With Hen Manure, 
Is potasli the best thing to use with hen 
manure in the hill (not broadcast) for 
field corn? If so. how much should be 
used? I have considerable clear hen ma¬ 
nure and wished to use it on corn. 
BridgeWater, Mass. J. a. O. 
A fair sample of dry hen manure may 
contain two per cent of nitrogen, one of 
potash and 1 % of phosphoric acid. When 
we bay a special corn fertilizer we want 
one containing about three times as much 
of both potash and phosphoric acid as of 
nitrogen. Unless the soil is rich in phos¬ 
phoric acid you should use that also. A 
mixture of 150 pounds muriate of pot¬ 
ash and 450 of acid phosphate with a ton 
of hen manure will be good for corn. 
Tarring Corn ; Fitting Land. 
1. Our neighbors tar their seed corn to 
keep the crows from picking it, but tarring 
makes it stick in the planter. Would a 
wood preservative do, or would it harm 
the seed? 2. We plowed up last Fall a 
field that was overgrown with wild carrots 
and intend putting corn on it this Spring. 
Our neighbor claims that the field must be 
crossed again with the plow. Would disk¬ 
ing it with a Cutaway double action har- | 
row be just as good? a. z. 
Suceasunna, N. J. 
1. We should not use a “wood preserva¬ 
tive” on seed corn. It would most likely 
destroy the germ. Try drying the seed 
thoroughly with wood ashes. 2. Our plan 
would be to spend the time with a strong 
team on the Cutaway—the harrow well 
weighted down. Work the field in several 
different directions and chop the surface 
up well. 
Ax Alfalfa Crank. —Like the “Hope 
Farm Man,” I am an Alfalfa crank. I 
really share the enjoyment of the stock in 
seeing them fill their mouths with a great 
bunch of Alfalfa hay and look as contented 
as a cat in a pan of cream while they 
munch it down. But I must hold up, for 
when I get on the Alfalfa topic I don’t 
know when to stop. I was the first one 
to try Alfalfa in this vicinity, many years 
ago, while it was a new thing, and have 
had quite good success, yet I want to do 
better, want to grow a banner crop. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. t. s. s. 
Lime-Sulphur Spraying. —Fruit growers 
who have done a thorough job with lime- 
sulphur on a windy day will appreciate 
this from a Massachusetts reader : 
“I began to-day with lime-sulphur, dosing 
the pears and apples first, as last year the 
deer walloped some pear buds without the 
appetizer, apparently avoiding those sprayed 
with the lime-sulphur; practically ruined 
many of the dwarf pear fillers. I had a 
nice yellow complexion when I came in to¬ 
night, and from now on I eat with iron 
spoons and forks, as Mrs. B. objects to 
needlessly polishing the silver, and I agree 
with her." 
Wood’s Seeds. 
Soja. Beans. 
The largest-yielding and 
best of summer forage crops, 
also makes a splendid soil im¬ 
prover—lower in price than 
Cow Peas this season. 
Wood’s Crop Special gives 
full information about this 
valuable crop and also about 
all Seasonable Seeds: 
German Millet, Sorghums, 
Cow Peas, .Buckwheat, 
Ensilage Seed Corns, 
Late Seed Potatoes, etc. 
Write for Wood’s Crop 
Special giving prices and in¬ 
teresting information. Mailed 
free on request. 
Cow Peas in Michigan. —Among tne 
seeds sent out last season by an Eastern 
seedsman was a packet of what he termed 
“coffee berry,” to be used as a substitute 
for coffee. These beans were planted 
about the middle of May. Some seeds and 
plants were also received from a Southern 
seedsman, and among them were two pack¬ 
ages, one of New Era Cow Peas, the other 
Mammoth Yellow Soy Beans. These Soy¬ 
beans were planted two weeks after the 
coffee berries, but they evidently were the 
same plants, as in looks of berries and 
growth of plants they were identical. 
Neither ripened a single pod; evidently 
too late for Southern Michigan. The Ne’/ 
Era cow peas, planted at the same time as 
the Soy beans, did not seem as badly af¬ 
fected by the intense heat and drouth of 
last summer, as the beans were and ripened 
25 pounds of peas from one and one half 
pounds of seed. They certainly are an¬ 
other class of plants adapted to this North¬ 
ern climate, as they could be sown in the 
Spring and plowed under in time for a 
crop of wheat. e. m. 
Michigan. 
T. W. WOOD & SONS, 
SEEDSMEN, • Richmond, Va. 
1 WEEDLESS ALFALFA 
is what we are trying to sell our customers. FREF, 
sample will show you that we come pretty near 
doing this. All other field seeds; algo Field and 
Cow Feas. Soy Beans, Vetch. Rape, etc. 
0. M. SCOTT & SON, 100 Main Street, Marysville, Ohio 
OF IMPROVED 
Golden Dent Gourd 
Seed variety. Have reports from 1910-11 crop, 
ranging from 99 to 115 bushels per acre. Have lived 
this corn for the past 30 years. Write for Circular. 
EDWARD WALTER, Eureka Stock Farm, West Chester, Pa. 
TESTED SEED CORN 
Vegetable Plants 
Large transplanted plants of Cabbage. Tomato. 
Celery. Egg Plant. Pepper Cauliflower. Write for 
Price List. THE J. E. HUTTON CO.. Conynoham.Pa. 
P 
ANSY, Geranium and Geranium Novelty, 
value forty cents, will be mailed to anyone 
sending full addresses of three flower buyers, 
and ten cents. Catalogue Free. 
A D. ROOT, Geranium Specialist, Wooster, Ohio, U.S.A. 
Cabbage Plants 
$2.50 per 1,000. Basil Perry, D-18, Cool Spring, Del. 
Vegetable Gardening, by R. L. Watts, 
professor horticulture, Pennsylvania State 
College. This book of 550 pages includes 
a vast fund of information on crops, soil, 
tillage, manures, diseases and insect ene¬ 
mies. and in fact all the subjects the farm¬ 
er, trucker, gardener or student may be 
interested in. Prof. Watts visited many 
truck farms to procure technical informa¬ 
tion at first hand, and the illustrations 
reproduced from photographs add much to 
the value of the book. The chapters ou 
irrigation and crop rotation are especially 
helpful; the cultural directions are very 
full. A valuable addition to the farm li¬ 
brary. Published by the Orange Judd 
Company, New York; price $1.75 net, post¬ 
age 20 cents additional. 
Apples at $7.50 per barrel this season 
were some apples. Many who sprayed 
with Pyrox realized this price, however 
Wise growers are ordering earlv. Ask 
the Bowker Insecticide Co., Boston, for 
book. —A dv. 
Peach Trees 
SPECIAL OFFER Until Slight Surplus Is Sold 
Belle of Georgia, Stump, Maules Early, Mountain Rose & Reeves’ Favorite 
4 to 6 ft. . Extra-at $8 per 100 ; $75 per 1,000 
3y 2 to 5 ft..First Class., at $7 per 100; $65 per 1,000 
3 to 4 ft.. Fine Stock., at $6 per 100; $50 per 1,000 
2 to 3 ft. . Branched.. at $5 per 100; $45 per 1,000 
1 to 2 ft. . Whips .... at $4 per 100; $30 per 1,000 
These prices apply to the above-named varieties only . 
We have a full list of other kinds at regular catalogue prices. 
Terms —Cash with order. We will ship immediately. 
JOSEPH H. BLACK, SON & CO... HIGHTSTOWN, N. J. 
SS GRAPEVINES 
6» \ Hrletle*. Also Small Fruits, Trees, etc. Best Root¬ 
ed Stock, Genuine, cheap, 2 sample vines mailed for 10c. Deso. 
price-list free. LEWIS ROESCIl k SOX. Rox a . Kredonlm, !». r. 
Peach and Apple Trees 
For fall or spring planting. Prices right; stock 
right. IVlYKIt & SON, liridgeville, Delaware 
Call’s Nurseries, S 
Have a Large Stock of the finest Fruit, 
Shade and Ornamental Trees, Spray 
Bumps, Spraying Solutions, and Gasoline 
Engines. Deal Direct. Prices Low. 
Send for Price List. 
100,000 Fruit Trees 
APPLES, PEARS, PEACHES & 
P L U M S at wholesale prices. 
All .Stock Government inspected. Stock budded 
from bearing trees. 
Write today for our Free Catalogue. 
ONTARIO NURSERY CO. 
I Box No. 21 Geneva. N. Y 
