680 
THE RURAL NEW-VOKKEK 
June 8, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[ Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure 
attention. Before asking c. 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.l 
The Self-Boiled Lime-Sulphur Mixture. 
C. II. W., Salem, V. J. —I have a peach 
orchard which requires from 500 to 600 
gallons for one spraying. I do my spraying 
with a barrel that holds 50 gallons. For 
the last two years 1 have sprayed with 
self-boiled liine and sulphur and arsenate 
of lead, but make the self-boiled lime and 
sulphur fresh for each barrel of spray. The 
State Horticultural Department of New 
Jersey says it ought to be made fresh each 
time. Fan I make about 250 gallons at 
one time, let it stand say two or three 
days, with the same result as if it was 
made fresh for each 50 gallons? What is 
your opinion of the effect it would have 
on the fruit and leaves? 
Ans.—W e do not know how you got 
the idea from the New Jersey Station 
literature that it is necessary to make 
each 50 gallon lot by itself and apply 
fresh. The bulletin clearly states that it 
may be made up in lots several times 
the size of one barrelful. Prof. M. A. 
Blake says: ' 
The standard formula for self-boiled lin.e- 
sulpbur Summer spray is: eight pounds 
lime, eight pounds sulphur, 50 gallons 
water, but this mixture can best be pre¬ 
pared by making it up in lots of about 
three times the regular formula, using: 
24 pounds lime, 24 pounds sulphur, 150 
gallons water. It may be prepared in lots 
equal to four times the regular formula, 
but the amount of material is rather large 
to prepare well in a common barrel. 
In preparing the mixture in a barrel and 
using amounts three times those of the 
regular formula, the mixture should be 
cooled down after the slaking in the usual 
way, and this will be accomplished if the 
mixture is diluted to about 50 gallons, and 
when ready for use, this can be further 
diluted to 150 gallons. It is probably best 
to use the mixture in a fairly fresh condi¬ 
tion. It may be required, however, 12 to 
24 hours before it is to be used, and in our 
experience it does not appear to deteriorate 
or lose its effectiveness if kept for two or 
three days before being used. When prop¬ 
erly prepared, very little sulphur goes into 
solution, so that there is very little danger 
of crystallization which might cause trouble 
in the nozzles. As previously suggested, 
however, we would prefer to use the mixture 
within 24 hours after it is prepared, until 
we have further knowledge in regard to the 
matter. 
Handling the Raspberry Crop. 
E. S. If. Belleville, IF. Va. —Would some 
commercial grower of blackberries and rasp¬ 
berries tell how to handle the plants com¬ 
mercially without staking? What is the 
difference in treatment between red and 
black raspberries? This is my first ven¬ 
ture with this kind of fruit, and I do not 
know bow to handle them. Some say to 
pinch back and some not. I think a* lot 
of beginners would like to be put right on 
this question, since it is soon time that we 
do something. My plants have been set 
about four weeks and are starting in good 
shape. 
Ans. —In reply to the above inquiry 
I will say that it is the practice of the 
Lake Erie raspberry growers to set the 
reds in rows six feet apart with the 
plants three to feet apart if to be 
cultivated in only one direction; if to 
be cultivated both ways the plants are 
set live feet in the row. The black 
raspberry is set with rows seven to eight 
feet apart, and five to six feet in the 
rows. In either case pinching back is 
the general practice. This is done when 
the shoots reach a growth of from 18 
inches to two feet. In strong soils more 
space is sometimes given in the row. 
Staking is not generally practiced, al¬ 
though some build a low two-wire 
trellis, the canes being held between 
them. This is a decided advantage with 
strong growing varieties and on rich 
soils, as the plants are kept within dis¬ 
tinct bounds and cultivation and har¬ 
vesting is facilitated. v. e. gladwin. 
He Delivered the Goods. 
On Saturday, May 18, I passed a very 
pleasant afternoon with Mr. Willard B. 
Killie, of New Jersey, (“Trucker, Jr.,”) and 
I had the pleasure of seeing the much-dis¬ 
puted puncher and tongs at work, and after 
seeing the above implements in use I cer¬ 
tainly must agree with Trucker, Jr., that 
14,000 to 20,000 plants can be set in a 10- 
liour day. For our own satisfaction I held 
the watch for Mr. Killie, and his time for 
one row, which consisted of 290 plants, was 
six minutes and 12 seconds. I timed several 
rows when Mr. Killie did not know I was 
timing him, and he consumed about nine 
minutes per row of 290 plants. a. j. z. 
That Abnormal Photograph. 
Referring to Fig. 198, page 550, I be¬ 
lieve that the horse was too near the 
camera when the picture was taken. I 
would like to know just how far the horse 
was from the camera, and I hope to see 
the picture of the same horse a little fur¬ 
ther away, in some future issue. 
Massachusetts. J. f. sawyer. 
Undoubtedly the camera was held too 
close to the horse. From eight to 10 feet 
is about the correct distance. The picture 
should be taken from the side in which the 
horse’s head is turned (usually the left), 
and can be improved by teaching the horse 
to stand without the use of bridle. 
New Jersey. ■*- b. h. 
Destroying Garlic or Wild Onion. 
1 would like to know how to get rid of 
garlic in my pasture. n. J. L. 
Millersburg, Fa. 
This is a most pernicious weed; not only 
does it taint milk and butter when dairy 
cows are pastured where it abounds, but it 
also forms bulblets at the top of the stem, 
which may be harvested with wheat and 
injure the flour, as the little “cloves” are 
small enough to be ground with the wheat 
kernels. Remedies advised are as follows: 
Date Fall plowing at such a depth as to 
leave as many bulbs as possible close to the 
surface, where they may be exposed to al¬ 
ternate freezing and thawing; the surviving 
shoots are then destroyed by early cultiva¬ 
tion and the land sowed to oats or corn. 
This is said to destroy most of the garlic, 
and stray plants may be pulled or treated 
with crude carbolic acid; a few drops ap¬ 
plied with a machine oil can will kill out 
a bunch of underground bulbs. Increased 
liming and fertilization, a short rotation, 
and crowding out with clover, is also bene¬ 
ficial. in pastures, salting and sheep graz¬ 
ing will kill It out. while in lawns the 
plant may be killed with carbolic acid. 
Preserving Fence Posts. 
Tbe Missouri Experiment Station issued 
a circular on fence posts, telling how to 
prolong their life. It says that wood does 
not decay for the same reason that iron 
rusts, but because the tissues of the wood 
are destroyed by low forms of life called 
fungi. This rot of the wood produces 
spores, which may be scattered by the wind 
and thus spread the decay. A fence post 
will decay most quickly at the surface of 
the ground, for there the conditions are 
most favorable for the growth of the 
fungi. Wood that was kept entirely under 
water would not decay for lack of air. 
Bog oak is dug from the swamps in Ireland 
where it has lain for centuries, and then 
made into furniture. Various methods are 
suggested for prolonging the life of fence 
posts; piling stones, ashes or gravel about 
the base will help, and so will setting the 
post in cement or concrete. It also pays 
to char the ends of the posts over an. open 
fire, but tbe charred part should extend at 
least six inches above the ground. Creo¬ 
sote is a good material for preventing de¬ 
cay. A tank like the one shown in the 
picture given above can be used for this 
purpose. The arm of metal pipe is put over 
a fire, which causes the circulation and 
raises the temperature of the creosote. 
When treating, creosote is put into the 
tank, the fire is built under the arm, and 
the temperature raised just above the boil¬ 
ing point. There ought to be enough of 
the creosote to cover the lower 40 inches 
of the post. The posts are well seasoned-- 
with the bark peeled off, then they are 
put down into the tank, and kept there 
about two hours after which they are ready 
to set. This treatment will greatly 
lengthen the life of a post, and with creo¬ 
sote at 15 to 20 cents a gallon, the cost 
will be six or eight cents for a post, and 
will practically double its life. 
Wet Weather Haying Notes. 
My experience in handling hay in a wet 
season is to use hay caps. I have handled 
a crop of Alfalfa under these conditions 
very successfully. I mowed the Alfalfa in 
the morning of a day that was not what 
you call cloudy, at the same time was not 
cleai\ At four o’clock in the afternoon it 
was put up into small cocks—a good large 
forkful in each cock. About the time the 
caps were on it commenced to sprinkle. It 
rained practically all the time for four days 
—not a steady downpour, but yet a fairly 
good wet rain all the time. In the fifth 
day it was not clear, but it was not cloudy, 
I took off the caps. On the sixth day, 
that is, the following Friday, it was clear; 
I opened the cocks in the morning and 
drew the Alfalfa into the barn in the after¬ 
noon. It was one of the best lots of Al¬ 
falfa hay that I ever had in my mow. I 
believe that we leave our grass standing 
too long, so that it gets woody, and I be¬ 
lieve we leave it in the swath too long so 
that it gets too dry before it is put into 
the mow. chas. m. jarvis. 
Connecticut. 
If the weather promises to be persist¬ 
ently damp, we let the grass, and especially 
clover, stand until it gets rather riper than 
usual, for we find that the mature fibre, 
being firmer and harder, stands up better. 
This is an argument against the practice, 
if the weather is such as to allow of suffi¬ 
cient curing of the younger growth, but in 
a bad year it is better to have hay that ia 
a little woody than none at all, or a mass 
of mouldy trash. After cutting we keep 
the hay tedder going constantly, so as to 
allow the air to do all it can in the way 
of drying, and of course put it in as soon 
as it is dry enough not to heat overmuch. 
Clover is the difficult crop to handle, and 
we find it of decided advantage to sow 
Timothy or some other grass with it. 
This serves both to keep clover from matting 
down as closely, and as it dries faster it is 
able to act as an absorbent of moisture 
after it is mowed away. The use of salt 
and lime has not seemed to be of any par¬ 
ticular value so far as we could see, al¬ 
though practices that are of long standing 
usually have some merit. If the cured 
hay is quite damp, there is decided value 
in putting it into the mow alternately 
with dry oat or other straw, that is if the 
straw is on hand. It will save many lots 
of clover that would otherwise rot down. 
Rhode Island. H. w. hf.aton. 
Killing Poison Oak or Ivy. 
Is there any practical method of killing 
poison oak? I have a row of pear trees on 
the road that have been neglected for some 
time and are badly infested with this pest. 
Can I spray the poison oak around the trees 
with bisulphide of carbon without killing 
the trees? h. g. 
Rio, Va. 
The most certain way of extirpating 
poison oak or poison ivy (Rims radieans). 
is to root it up by main force. Concen¬ 
trated sulphuric acid, half a teaspoonful ap¬ 
plied to the stem every two or three weeks 
in Spring and early Summer, when the 
plant is growing vigorously, is efficacious, 
and free from the risk of handling the 
plant, but the acid is highly corrosive, and 
should he handled only by a careful per¬ 
son. Strong brine—three pounds of salt to 
one gallon of water, or kerosene, sprayer, 
on when the plant is in leaf, are both 
destructive to it. A form of grubbing out. 
highly recommended, and free from the dan¬ 
ger of handling, is to use long-bandied 
pruning or hedge shears, running the blade 
down into the crown of the plant, and cut¬ 
ting it as far below the surface as possible. 
We have no data regarding bisulphide of 
carbon as a weed spray ; it is used to de¬ 
stroy insects about the roots of plants 
without any injury to the plant and there 
seems no reason to believe it would affect 
the ivy. We think the grubbing or cutting 
out with hedge shears would be the only 
advisable practice in your case, as the 
sprays suggested would probably be dele¬ 
terious to the pear trees; they should only 
be used where there is no risk to useful 
plants. 
''^Siff^ 
HACRE-AN-HOUR SIFTER 
applies Paris Green and Arsenate of Lead, 
pure or mixed, with lime or plaster, etc. Also 
Bug Death ami Slug Shot or any dry insecticide 
to Potatoes, Cotton, Currant Bushes, etc., in 
any quantity desired, AS PAST AS A MAN 
? v ^> CAN 'WALK. One man can cover two rows 
at once, using one in each hand. Better 
than any other implement at any price, for 
gJthis kind of business. At dealers, «5c. Pre¬ 
paid by express, $1.00. 
flcre^ndJourSiHerCej^PoJkeegsje^JTY^ 
“BLACK’S QUALITY” 
FRUIT TREES 
NONE BETTER 
Buy Direct From the Nursery 
and save agent’s discounts and middleman’s 
profits. When you buy our trees you get a 
Dollar’s Worth of Trees 
for every one hundred cents you remit to us. 
PEACH and APPLE TREES 
a specialty. CATALOGUE FREE 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO. 
HIGHTSTOWN. N. J. 
SOYS and COW PEAS^riSS! 
varieties. Also MILLETS, HUNGARIAN RAPE, 
VETCH. CANE and WEEDI.ESS ALFALFA. 
Free samples. O. M. SCOTT & SON, 108 
NOTES AND COMMENTS. 
Arsenate of Lead in Orchard FTay.— 
whether the hay will be damaged or not 
by spraying the trees is a matter that 1 
would not consider, for I think the practice 
of taking hay out of an orchard is a bad 
one. Far better mow the hay and use it 
as a mulch and grow an orchard for 
apples and not for hay. keeping the sod 
well top-dressed and getting all the grass 
growth possible, and cutting it several 
times and leaving it all there for tbe 
benefit of the trees, will make apples 
and healthy trees if they are regularly 
sprayed from fungi and ‘insects. Then 
you are right about not piling the mulch 
around the trunk of the tree, for the 
place where moisture is needed is where 
the feeding roots are, out just where the 
outer limbs drop and a little further. 
Ltmi; on Potatoes. —The experience of J. 
T. H. does not prove that lime will not 
encourage the scab if applied directly to 
the crop. He had to some extent sweet¬ 
ened the soil, hut did have some vege¬ 
table growth between the liming aud the 
potatoes, though the clover was killed, and 
the soil was evidently not entirely sweet¬ 
ened. A direct application of lime will, 
if there is any scab fungus in the soil or 
on tbe potatoes, make a scabby crop. 
That much has been proven time and 
again in our station experiments. 
Hay Mixture for the South. —The mix¬ 
ture of Orchard grass, Tall Meadow oats 
grass, Italian Rye grass and clover sown 
in the Fall will make a fine crop of hay 
the next Spring, but after that it will be 
almost entirely Orchard grass, for the Ital¬ 
ian rye and oats grass are little more than 
annual. It is, however, a splendid mixture. 
I saw once on the Hackensack River at 
Henderson’s grass testing farm a crop of 
Italian rye grass sown in September before 
that made that Spring three tons an acre, | 
but left no sod of any value. 
Silage in Summer. —Years ago. when 
I was managing a largo stock farm and 
had three silos that held 600 tons of si¬ 
lage, I failed then to realize that the silage 
would keep indefinitely. In one of the silos 
I had in the late Summer about 25 or 
30 tons left from the late Spring feeding, 
and wishing to get ready for the filling 
again I left word as I was going away for 
the day to my foreman to clean out the 
silo. When I returned I found the barn¬ 
yard filled up with as fine silage as one 
would care to see. and if I had been at 
home after the mouldy top had been re¬ 
moved, I would have seen tlie state of the 
silage and would have saved it. In fact 
I had needed it in the dry weather and 
failed to think then of using silage in 
Summer. But, I learned the lesson right ! 
then. W. F. MASSEY. 
Maryland. 
WE HAVE ENOUGH FOR EVERYBODY 
Tomato, Cabbage and Celery Plants 
Can fill your orders for as many as yon want. Spe¬ 
cial prices on large lots. Send for our 1912 price-list. 
ROMANCE SEED, PLANT S TRUCK FARM, 
Caleb Boggs & Son, Cheswold, Del. 
G ARBAGE, LETTrCE, BEETS—Fine plant*, $1.00 per 1,000 
Cauliflower, $3.50 per 1,000. Sweet Potatoes, Peppers, Toma 
toes, Celery; best kinds. Send for list. J.C. Schmidt, Bristol, Pa 
Inoculated Alfalfa Soil 
75c. per 100, or $10.00 per ton, f. o. b. cars Ashville, 
Pa. Send for free booklet, "flow to Grow Al¬ 
falfa.” DU. H. SOMERVILLE, Chest Springs, Pa. 
WEEDLESS ALFALFA 
is what we are trying to sell our customers. FREE 
sample will show you that we come pretty near 
doing this. All other field seeds: also Field and 
Cow Peas. Soy Beans, Vetch. Rape, etc. 
0. M. SCOTT & SON, 100 Main Street, Marysville, Ohio 
CAD Oil I C—SWEET POTATO PLANTS and VEGETABLE 
rUcl dfiLh PLANTS by the millions. Send for 
price. MICHAEL N. BORGrO, Vineland, N. J. 
SWEET POTATO 
PLANTS. $2.00 PER 1,000. price list 
free. W. S. Ford & Son, Hartly.Del. 
Now The FALL BEARING Strawberries- 
Send for T.C. KEVITT’S Catalogue, Atlienia, N. J. 
For Sale 
Cow Peas, $2.00 to $2,50 bushel: 
Crimson Clover Seed, $6.00 to 
$7.00 bushel; Red Clover Seed, $12.00 bushel. 
JOSEPH E. HOLLAND_ Milford, Delaware 
$4?J£00 “KALAMAZOO” 
BUCKBOARD 
Selected hardwood body, exceptionally well 
made, easy, elastic springs, best equipment 
tlironghout, either pole or shafts, a staunch, 
sturdy vehicle for general use. This and over 
100 other buggy styles—ail the famous “Kalamazoo" 
quality—illustrated and described in our Catalog 
A30. Send postal for FREE copy. Don’t buy 
a buggy until you get this. We can save you 
monoy. KALAMAZOO CARRIAGE & 
HARNESS CO., Dept. R, Kalamazoo. Mich. 
SWEET POTATO 
-CABBAGE. TOMATO, CELERY, CAULIFLOWER, PEPPER, STRAWBERRY. 
ASPARA6US, EGG PLANTS. Leading varieties. Prices low. Large 
discounts on large orders. Cnbbage plants by mail, postpaid, 70c. 
hundred; Sweet Potatoes, 55c. hundred; Tomato, Pepper, Egg 
Plants, 2c. each. Catalogue free. HARRY L. SfJUIRES, ltemsenburg. New York. 
That is literally what you are doing if you 
are not using J-M Asbestos Roofing. For 
all other ready roofings have to be coated 
about four times during their life, and the to¬ 
tal cost of this is about $3.60 per square—or 
more than the original cost of most roofings. 
J-M Asbestos Roofing 
never needs coating or graveling. It s first cost is the only cost. This makes it the 
cheapest-per-year roofing on the market. Due to its stone (Asbestos) construction, 
J-M Asbestos Roofing is also absolutely fire-proof, rust-proof, rot-proof and acid-proof. 
This roofing is suitable for all types of buildings. Sold by hardware and lumber 
dealers everywhere. Send your order to our nearest branch if not at your dealer’s. 
Writs our nearest branch lor Illustrated book No. 1748 
H. W. JOHNS-MAN VILLE CO. 
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For Canada—THE CANADIAN H. W. JOITNS-MANVILLE CO., LIMITED 
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