THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
043 
1012 . 
TANNERY REFUSE AS A FERTILIZER. 
Part IT. 
Very Heavy Use.— The writer has seen 
tannery refuse used on as many as 20 dif¬ 
ferent farms in localities ranging from 
Georgia to New York State and Wisconsin, 
and on hilly, clayey soil as well as level 
sandy soil. In every case there is a great 
improvement in the texture of the soil. If 
the land was inclined to be acid (and most 
eastern soil seems to be!, the improvement, 
of course, was largely due to rectifying this 
condition. How much of this material may 
be used it is difficult to state. On one 
farm 80 tons of refuse lime was applied to 
two acres (the tannery was willing to spend 
money to get it out of the way(. The 
growth of vegetation was enormous and no 
111 effects were noticeable. Ashes are fre¬ 
quently applied at the rate of 15 to 20 
tons per acre to grass lands in the Winter. 
The most noticeable effect of the application 
of ashes is the increase in the percentage 
of clover. 
Will They Pay?— The value of these 
tannery products is a matter for each farm¬ 
er to investigate himself. If the hauling 
of them can be done in the Winter time 
with an otherwise idle team, the money 
is well spent. If, on the other hand, the 
tannery refuse must be loaded into cars, 
resulting in a freight charge as well as the 
cost of hauling from the railroad station, it 
may be questionable whether it would pay 
to use tills material unless the land is in 
need of lime. Lime is furnished by both 
ashes and refuse lime. On the writer’s per¬ 
sonal farm, he has used the refuse lime 
alone to the extent of from three to 10 
tons per acre, the object being to obtain 
a stand of Alfalfa. In every case where 
it was applied, a thrifty stand of Alfalfa 
resulted. Of course, the land was well pre¬ 
pared and tlie seed inoculated. A very 
good rule to determine the value of tan¬ 
nery refuse would be half the cost of 
quicklime delivered on the farm in bar¬ 
rels. I do not think that there would be 
quite half the available lime that there 
is in quicklime, but there is sufficient ni¬ 
trogen to make up the difference in value. 
Tannery Liquids.— In addition to the 
refuse lime and the ashes from the tan¬ 
neries, there are many forms of liquids 
that have to be disposed of. After the 
liquors used for tanning leather have been 
largely exhausted, they must be run to a 
sewer of some kind. These liquors arc fre¬ 
quently of no value agriculturally until they 
have been exposed to the air and allowed 
to rot. This decomposition is hastened if 
lime water is mixed with the liquors. Old 
■ iquors usually have a large amount of dif¬ 
ferent kinds of acids which would be more 
or less injurious to growing plants. This 
acid, of course, would be neutralized by the 
lime water. When liquors mixed with 
lime water are run upon the soil, the land 
should be frequently harrowed or cultivated 
in order to aerate it. The liquors precipi¬ 
tate a slime on the surface which forms a 
crust and does not permit the roots of 
(lie plants sufficient air to thrive. 1 have 
seen old fields where liquors have been 
allowed to run and kill the grass, plowed 
up and planted to a new crop, and a very 
i xcellent yield often results because the 
surface deposit has become rotten in time. 
The acid is neutralized, when mixed with 
the soil, plant food seems to be liberated 
and the texture of the land improved. I 
have talked to agricultural chemists, who 
fated that there are often toxic poisons in 
(lie soil which are injurious to plant life. 
One well-known chemist gave me as his 
opinion that tannery refuse lime was ex¬ 
tremely valuable in overcoming these toxic 
poisons, and such seems to be the case, be¬ 
cause I have known tannery refuse to be 
more valuable on some lands than on 
others, both in need of lime. The worn- 
out hillsides of farms east of the Alleghany 
Mountains seem to respond best to applica¬ 
tions of tannery refuse. I think this is 
due to their natural lack of lime and the 
poor texture of the soil. Without a doubt 
much valuable material is constantly going 
to waste that could be hauled to nearby 
farms at slight expense. The difficulty is 
that when demonstrations are made and 
I he improvement demonstrated, the use of 
these materials is not continued. Perhaps 
the reason for this lies in the minds of 
the farmers themselves, i. c., 1 know of one 
farming community that prefers Timothy 
hay for feeding beef cattle in Winter to 
Alfalfa hay at half the price. In general, 
tanneries are located in regions where farm 
lands are poor and the farmers unen¬ 
lightened. The latter accounts for their 
failure to utilize a material so cheap, and 
It also accounts for the fact that the farm 
lands continue poor and the farmers not 
prosperous. henry w. iiealy. 
ARSENATE OF LEAD AND HAY. 
Will spraying an apple orchard with lime- 
sulphur and arsenate of lead in any way 
hurt the oat or hay crop? I am new at 
(arming, and got my orchard ready to drill 
n oats and grass seed, and now my neigh¬ 
bor says I can’t do it, for spraying the 
trees will poison the oats and grass. 
Benton Harbor, Mich. d. j. k. 
Is it dangerous to feed horses and cattle 
on hay from an orchard where the trees 
were sprayed with arsenate of lead? 
Petersburg, a. s. 
From reports made by practical men, 
There seems little danger of poisoning stock. 
In the old days when Paris green and Lon¬ 
don purple were used, the hay or grass 
from the orchards under the trees was fed 
with little danger. A number of experi¬ 
ments were made which indicated that in 
ordinary weather the poison was washed 
away. Arsenate of lead is a different pro¬ 
position, as it sticks better to the leaves 
and the grass. We have had, however, a 
number of reports from people who fed 
'■ he hay out of sprayed orchards and never 
i bserved any danger whatever, and if we 
'./ere to take these reports alone, it would 
1 e safe to say “go ahead and use the 
hay.” 
The Massachusetts Experiment Station, 
i awever, reports some results which ought 
1 i be considered. In 1897 Mr. A. H. Ivirk- 
i ind tried an experiment with a horse. 
'' ifficient grass for two large feeds was 
spread under a pear tree. This pear tree 
was later sprayed with a strong solution, 
20. pounds of arsenate of lead to 150 gal¬ 
lons of water. In order to make sure that 
the grass received its share, it was sprayed 
directly in addition to the dripping from 
the tree. This grass was fed to a large 
horse during the afternoon and evening 
of the same day. This horse kept well and 
hearty, and showed no effect from the 
poison. A few years ago the Station re¬ 
ceived numerous letters, suggesting that 
farm animals were being poisoned from 
eating grass and foliage which had been 
sprayed with arsenate of lead. Five head 
of cattle which had been condemned as tu¬ 
berculous were selected for the experiment. 
Arsenate of lead was fed to those cows 
in small doses, day by day. The object 
was to give these small doses which would 
be such as an animal would get by eating 
grass, foliage or hay which had • been 
sprayed. They tried to find out not only 
the effect of large doses at one time, but 
also the effect of small doses continued day 
after day. A detailed account of the ex¬ 
periment will be found in the Station Re- 
port of January, 1909. Briefly stated, the 
cows sliowed symptoms of poisoning, both 
when the large doses were given, and when 
the small doses were continued for a length 
of time. It was found that the cattle did 
eat iresn or wet grass carrying tlie 
poison as well as they did dry hay, and 
we should judge that it would be doubtful 
if animals would eat a sufficient amount 
of the sprayed grass to poison them. There 
appears to be no doubt, however, that hay 
made from grass which carries the arsenate 
of lead is dangerous to feed to cows. In 
the case of the horse which was fed the 
grass from under the tree, it is stated 
that cattle are considerably more suscepti¬ 
ble^ to arsenical poisoning than horses are. 
This would probably account for the failure 
of the arsenate to affect the horse, in the 
course of these experiments an effort 
was made to find how much of the arsenate 
would naturally drip from a tree in spray¬ 
ing. They took a medium-sized tree aiid 
cut the grass under it on an area 35 feet 
in diameter. This grass was dried and 
weighed. It was of moderate growth, and 
gave 50 pounds of Timothy. They allowed 
for a drip of one gallon in 10. It is not 
at all likely that a 10-pound feed of such 
hay would produce serious results vet the 
experiments indicate that in the continued 
1 ceding of it for several days in sucessioD 
, u j' c °f the arsenate was ap¬ 
plied, or whore for any reason too strong 
«„ S oi“ tlon . wa ' s US0 <L there would, without 
question, be danger from feeding the hay 
unless such hay was thoroughly mixed 
v itii other hay in putting it in the barn 
Gr that it would not be fed continuously. 
Sivo the facts as they are, and shall 
tohi/u. „ «n*° ,la y° any other experiences 
which will add to the discusssion. 
Lumber Measure.— J. H. T. enquires 
about lumber measure. Boards are cut 12 
inches, six inches, four inches, etc., and as 
they shrink in drying will uot measure 
that when sold dry at the vard. A 12-inch 
board easily loses nearly an inch drying in 
some kinds of lumber. Logs are cut in 
lengths of 12. 14. l(t. 18 feet, and so on, 
and a board 12 inches wide out of a 12- 
toot log would be counted 12 feet although 
when dry it might only be 11 inches wide, 
and not even that wide if planed on the 
edges. j, „ jt 
Washington. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
‘square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
r "S 
When the 
Appetite Lag's 
A bowl of 
Post 
Toasties 
with cream 
hits the right spot. 
“Toasties” are thin bits 
of corn; fully cooked, then 
toasted to a crisp, golden- 
brown. 
This food makes a fine 
change for spring appetities. 
Sold by G r ocers, and j 
ready to serve from pack¬ 
age instantly with cream and 
sugar. 
“ The Memory Lingers ” 
Made by 
Postum Cereal Company, Ltd, 
Pure Food Factories 
Battle Creek, Mich. 
v-—_ - J 
Save 50% Your Painting Cost 
You can do this and at the 
same time get richer and 
handsomer coloring and 
thorough preservation of 
the wood, by using 
Cabot’s 
Creosote 
S n ft Farm house of George Ade, the author, at Brook, 
Indiana, stained with Cabot's Creosote Stains 
The colors are made of the strongest and finest pigments, the same as used 
in the very best paints, and the liquid vehicle is refined Creosote, “the best 
wood preservative known.” Paint now costs more than ever before, but 
these Stains cost less tlian half as much and can be put on twice as fast, using 
a wide, flat brush or your spray¬ 
ing machine. 
This saves you half the cost of 
both material and labor, and 
gives you much more beautiful 
coloring effects that are as dura¬ 
ble and lasting as the best paint, 
and much better wood preserva¬ 
tion. Paint doesn’t penetrate the 
wood. It simply coats over the 
surface and protects it from wear. 
The Creosote in Cabot’s Stains 
does penetrate the wood, and 
thoroughly preserves it against 
decay. It also kills all insects, 
Barn in Iowa stained with Cabot's Creosote Stains parasites or germs, and makes 
the whole premises more health¬ 
ful for you and your family and stock. They are used for all kinds of wood¬ 
work, on houses, barns, sheds, fences, etc., and are the cheapest, most 
efficient and most sanitary materials that you can use on the farm. 
A Package of Stained Wood Samples, showing Actual Colors, 
will be sent you FREE, on receipt of Postal Card Request. 
Samuel Cabot, Inc., Chemists‘ 21 Batterymarch St. 
BOSTON, MASS. 
Agents all over the country . A Iso , Conservo Wood Pyeservative % for Posts , Sills, Planking , etc . 
BbETTOIC LIGHT 
y°p the 
iTYKM 1 ' 
Light for all your buildings at any hour of the day or night. 
No danger of fires or explosions from lamps or lanterns. No lamps to 
clean and fill. And with all its advantages 
Electric Light Is Not Expensive 
Burning all 50 lights of this system for 5 hours would 
only cost about 10 cents for fuel 
oils. You would seldom burn all 
lights at once hence this low cost would be 
much reduced. Let us give you full partic¬ 
ulars. Write for Catalog No.CD 598 
Fairbanks,Morse & Co. 
CMcag*o ITew York Cleveland 
Cincinnati 
50-Light, 
30-Volt 
Outfit 
Complete 
including 
Mazda 
Lamps and 
Fixtures 
$500 
GASOLINE. 
CNQINC r 
IRELAND 
HAY HOIST 
GEARED 
Saves one man 
anil team. Man 
on load operates 
machine by pull¬ 
ing a small rope 
attached to lever 
whenever he has the fork 
or sling full, ready to 
hoist. The machine stops 
instantly when he releases lever rope, drop- 
ping bind at any point. Only 3 H. P. gasoline engine requir¬ 
ed. Taken off a load of hay, ice or anything thut has to bo 
elevated to a height, quicker and easier than any machinu on 
the market. 
WRITE TODAY FOR FULL PARTICULARS about Single 
Drum. Double Drum and Self Acting Brake. Give speed 
of engine and size of drive pulley. 
IRELAND MACHINE & FOUNDRY CO. 
14 State Street, Norwich, N. Y. 
RMES HAY RIGHT WAY 
Genuine Nnw York Champion 
Hey Hake, now an Iron Asrc prod- 
not, made from original patterns; light^ 
strong, compact, gets nil tlie hay; levers^ 
convenient and easily operated; no jar—easy^ 
on horse ami rider; 8,9 and 10 ft. widths; , 
life-time; known everywhere for.’)! yeorsaa BEST. 1 
Itopair parts supplied for old rakes. 
Farm and 
Garden Tools 
Stock enrried at Canustota and Elmira, N. Y., Spring, 
field, Mans., Burnham, Me., and by mir agents 
generally. Write to day for A nniversary **Oood01dj 
Catalog, showing Potato Machin- Friend of j 
ery. 11 ay Rakes, Garden, Or- “ -*3- tbo 
chard and other tools— free. 
„ BATEMAN M’F’G CO. 
Cox 102 R $ 
ORENLOCH. 
N. J. 
LOW-PRICED A ¥ TTAn 
high-gradeAU 1 U5 
Used cars rebuilt and guaranteed by manu¬ 
facturer sameasnewcars. Best for rural roads. 
A high-grade high-powered car for very little 
money. Postal brings full information. 
Stoddard Motor Co. , 229 W. 57th St., New York 
HAY 
CAPS 
Waterproof 
Stack, Implement, Wagon, 
and Farm Covers, Water¬ 
proof or Plain Canvas. 
Plant Bed Cloth. 
Sheeting, Tents, etc. 
Henry Derby, 123-Y Chambers St., New York 
r*S 
whero you want it. For your oountry homn—farm, gar- | 
den, lawn. Water pumped from nearby stream, pond 
or spring without exponno of power. Low in cost; high 
In officionoy. Thousands oftheuo 
‘ FOSTER High Duty Ram Pumps 
now in uso. Writo today fur all toots. 
POWER SPECIALTY CO., Ill 
Trinity BIJg. ,New York I 
that Pay. $427,530 made by cli¬ 
ents. 2 Books—“What & How 
_ to Invent—Proof of Fortunes 
& lud-p. »;uide Fro© I Bend sketch or model 
in Patents 
for report. E. E. V hodman, Pat. A tty, 338 FSt. Wash, 1). C, 
BINDER TWINE 
Direct frem Mill. Quality Guaranteed. Fanner 
Agents Wanted. AUGUST POST, Meulton, Iowa. 
WE BUY OLD BAGS 
Sound... 3—4—6 Cents 
Torn.2—3—4 Cents 
We Pay the Freight 
IROQUOIS BUG CO. 
725 BROADWAY, BUFFALO, N. Y. 
