77Q 
July IS, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[ Every query must l>e 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 
Mending a Broken Tree. 
J. P. C., Norwood, Mass .—I have a Mc¬ 
Intosh red apple tree set out three years. 
While plowing the man ran into it and bent 
it over enough to crack it over half way 
through. The bark is all right on one side. 
Can I save it? The leaves are beginning 
to droop. Will fresh cow manure do any 
good? It is cracked about four inches from 
the ground. 
Ans. —You can probably save your 
McIntosh apple tree if it is given prompt 
treatment. First, drive down several 
strong stakes near the tree and tie it 
up to its former normal position. The 
tree should be firmly supported; cloth 
or canvas strips should be used for tie- 
ing the tree into position instead of 
common twine or wire which might 
cause injury by girdling. The wound or 
break on the trunk should be well cov¬ 
ered with grafting wax. Clay, however, 
may be used to cover the wound if a 
considerable amount is bound on by a 
cloth bandage. The tree should receive 
thorough cultivation for the remainder 
of the growing season to encourage it to 
make as much growth as possible, and 
heal over a considerable part of the 
break. In case of a drought the soil 
should be kept moist about the roots of 
the tree to prevent any check to its 
growth. The tree will probably need 
support for several seasons to prevent 
its being broken down by the wind. 
M. A. BLAKE. 
Rye and Sweet Clover. 
B. M. E., Casey, III .—I have a 10-acre 
field nearly exhausted as to fertility. I 
intend plowing same six inches deep and 
subsoil, sow buckwheat and plow under in 
September with lime and rock phosphate. 
Then sow Sweet clover and rye; after cut¬ 
ting rye will the Sweet clover make any 
pasture this year? Would it he better for 
me to wait until Spring and sow Sweet 
clover after plowing under rye? 
Ans. —This plan seems to be a good 
one, and if the Sweet clover seed is 
sown in February on the rye it ought 
to make some pasture the same season 
after the rye is off; but for best results 
to the soil avoid pasturing the first year 
and clip the clover if it shows signs of 
blooming. Sowing Sweet clover late 
in Spring after plowing down rye would 
likely not give as good results as the 
other plan, and besides the rye would 
be a loss so far as its value as grain is 
concerned. w. e. duckwall. 
Lime=Sulphur from Mineral Water. 
H. II. 8., Sinks Grove, W. Va .—I have a 
young orchard of about 700 trees. 1 use 
lime-sulphur for both dormant and Summer 
sprays. I have a strong sulphur spring 
handy. I wish to know whether by using 
this water will it add any value to same, 
if so to what extent? 
Ans. —Mineral waters are a rather 
uncertain quantity, as they may contain 
salts of soda, magnesia or iron as well 
as sulphur. When sulphur occurs in 
such waters, it is largely or wholly in 
the form of the sulphide, which is driven 
off in the boiling and hence is of no 
practical assistance in the making of 
lime-sulphur. If any considerable quan¬ 
tities of the other materials named 
above are present in the water—any¬ 
thing over 15 parts per 100,000 for ex¬ 
ample—instead of being valuable for 
spraying purposes, it is very likely to 
be distinctly harmful. j. p. stewart. 
A material advertised throughout the 
West is known as the Merry War Tower 
Lye. It is claimed that this stuff will kill 
about every insect that travels. It is said 
to exterminate the San .Tosfi scale, borers, 
potato bugs, and almost everything else. 
How it is possible for any substance to 
kill both eating and sucking insects, with¬ 
out injuring the tree, would probably be 
found a part of the merry lie. In answer 
to question about this material the manu¬ 
facturers give no definite anewer. All they 
do is to refer you to their booklet, which 
contains remarks from various gentlemen 
who say that this lye is no lie. Our ad¬ 
vice is to keen away from guff, and the 
letters and advertising of this lye run so 
close to the guff order that we are unable 
to separate them. 
THIS RURAL NEW-YORKER 
MAKING A TENNIS COURT. 
P. G., Wolfeboro, N. II .—Will you give 
the proper way to construct a lawn tennis 
court? I intend to build one and want to 
build it right. 
Ans. —In the selection of a site for 
a tennis court consideration should be 
given to the quality of the soil, its 
natural drainage, etc. The nearer level 
the ground is the less expense there 
will be for grading. The site should 
be large enough to permit the court 
being laid out north and south or 
nearly so. The ground must be plowed 
or spaded deeply, then graded as near 
level as possible. The top soil should 
be not less than five inches all over. 
After grading is finished it must be 
rolled with a hand roller weighing 300 
to 500 pounds lengthways and cross- 
ways ; after each rolling, all high places 
must be leveled down and low places 
filled, this can best be done with a steel 
hand rake. Repeat the rolling and 
leveling operations until soil is well 
primed and entirely free from bumps 
and hollows. Now apply three or four 
wagon loads of fine well-rotted stable 
manure, spreading it as evenly and uni¬ 
formly as possible, which must be 
turned under three or four inches deep 
with a spade fork. To do this properly 
insert the fork in the soil about four 
inches, then press the handle downward 
until the fork is in nearly a horizontal 
position, slipping the fork forward 
under the soil its full length, raise the 
forkful of earth and manure straight 
up a foot or so and turn over quickly, 
placing the whole back from where it 
was taken, the manure will now be three 
to four inches under the surface with 
an even layer of soil above. It will 
take a little practice to get the knack 
of it, but when once acquired, one will 
be surprised how quickly and evenly 
the spading can be done. After manure 
has been spaded under, the surface 
must be raked smooth and level, then 
rolled both ways. Repeat until surface 
is firm and smooth. It is now ready 
for seeding. A good tennis court grass 
seed mixture is to be evenly sown at 
the rate of one quart to each 300 square 
feet, raked in lightly and rolled once 
each way. Now cover the whole of the 
seeded ground with a light mulching of 
straw or salt hay, just enough to shade 
the ground. This will prevent the seed 
being injured by the sun in the early 
stages of germination and growth. Do 
not cut the grass the first time until 
four inches or more high, then scythe 
it and rake off cut grass. After that 
it may be cut regularly with a good 
hand mower as often as required; it 
should also be rolled after each cutting. 
I would advise that seeding be done 
early in September; days are then 
shorter and cooler and success is much 
more certain than if done in midsum¬ 
mer. With favorable weather and 
proper care, the court will be ready for 
use by first of next June. K. 
Rose Bugs and Ducks. 
Are young ducks ever beyond danger of 
death from eating rose bugs, and if so at 
wliat ago? Will rose bugs kill young chicks? 
Stroudsburg, Pa. e. e. f. 
I have known cases of young chicks dying 
from eating rose bugs. There is no reason 
why young ducks would not be affected in 
the same way. One case in particular 
comes to my mind of a flock of 300 Barred 
Bock chicks, eight weeks old. They had 
been housed and yarded in an orchard until 
one day they were let out into field where 
there was a grapevine and masses of wild 
mustard. Rose bugs were very numerous 
on the vine and mustard ; 65 chicks out of 
that flock were found dead late in the 
afternoon, everyone of them with a crop 
full of living rose bugs. The probability is 
that the horny legs and claws and hard 
shells of the insects working and moving 
around inside of the crop affected the whole 
system through the nerves in such an 
acute way as to cause death. I have never 
known of older fowls harmed by eating 
them, and presume that when ducks have 
reached the age of 10 or 3 2 weeks they 
would be free from all danger from this 
source. a. l. c. 
‘Greenhouse and Brooder. 
I have in mind the erection of a com¬ 
bined greenhouse for growing early vege¬ 
table plants, etc., and a chick-brooding 
house for rearing early chicks, size about 
18x40 feet. Am thinking of heating it with 
hot water. Will heat agreeable to the 
plants be too great for the chicks if placed 
in the far end from furnace? Is the plan 
practical? J. E. H. 
Orwigsburg, Pa. 
The combining of a brooding house with 
a greenhouse is a question which has been 
discussed and tried by several people of 
my acquaintance. In a small way, for a 
man who desires something to take up his 
mind, the proposition may prove fairly 
satisfactory. From a business standpoint, 
however, I should say that there is nothing 
whatever in it. The brooding equipment 
of any poultry plant, large or small, should 
be considered the most important of the 
whole business, and it should be built and 
run for the express purpose of keeping the 
chickens comfortable, healthy and growing. 
In my mind where a heater and pipes are 
used for raising plants, the man's atten¬ 
tion and interest will necessarily be with¬ 
drawn from the comfort of the chicks, so | 
that I should advise the two separate, if j 
possible. The plan comes to my mind, how- ; 
ever, that it might be feasible to have the 
boiler plant in the middle and the green¬ 
house on one end and the brooder house on 
the other. In this way each house can be 
run and attended to according to the in¬ 
mates. Or one end of heated house can 
be equipped with adjustable hovers. The 
safest plan in any brooding house is to be 
sure to have plenty of heat and plenty of 
ventilation. a. l. c. 
New Varieties of Strawberries. 
Only two new varieties of strawberries 
were tested on our grounds this season, both 
early. 
St. Louis.—First picking made May 25, 
but could have made a light picking on the 
23d. Light red in color, slightly conical in 
shape, fairly good in flavor, just a little 
too acid, though not to be compared with 
the Excelsior in that particular. Firm 
enough for local or nearby market. Good 
size when properly grown, smooth, and 
ripens well all over. 
Early Ozark.—Ripened same time as St. 
Louis. ' Dark red in color, round, or even 
blunt in shape, sometimes uneven. Very 
firm. More acid than St. Louis, though 
still—yes, much—better than Excelsior. 
Had a tendency to become small and 
knotty after the first few pickings. Good 
size at first. Both varieties were grown 
under exactly the same conditions, but not 
such as to secure early ripening, being on 
level ground, and mulched rather heavily. 
Senator Dunlap on a south slope with light 
mulching ripened at the same time. St. 
Louis and Early Ozark under those condi¬ 
tions would have been four or five days 
earlier than the Dunlap. The St. Louis 
was a heavy and persistent bearer—in fact, 
the plants held out too long, being a nuis¬ 
ance when better varieties began to ripen. 
Of these two early varieties, we prefer the 
St. Louis. J. C. NICHOLLS. 
Macon Co., Ill. 
Dynamite for Tree Planting. 
Regarding the use of dynamite for tree 
planting, I think that it is probable there 
will be some disappointments in the re¬ 
sults until there is more general knowledge 
of the subject. I planted an apple and 
cherry orchard last December with good 
results. All the trees came through and 
are thriving. The dynamite seems to have 
been beneficial. In April I planted 775 
trees—peach and apple—and am uncertain 
as to the benefit derived from dynamite, 
or whether it has not been a positive in¬ 
jury. The land is sloping, was in corn last 
year, and had a thin crop of rye on it 
when the trees were planted. Dynamite 
was used for all the trees, the ground being 
a little wet when planting was done. About 
two weeks ago the rye was plowed under, 
this being delayed perhaps a month too 
long because of the wet Spring. Every 
spot in which a tree was planted became a 
mud-hole and later baked badly, the roots 
tangling into a mat and not being able to 
feed out. A good many of the trees died 
down to the roots and then put out new 
shoots near the ground. Without making 
an accurate survey I counted 17 dead trees 
in a field containing 600. I had them all 
hoed carefully. My suggestion would be to 
plant the trees about two feet six inches 
or more from the center of the space dyna¬ 
mited. thus giving them the benefit of the 
loosened ground without the danger of 
standing in mud. w. M. E. 
Charmian, Pa. 
’FULLY GUARANTEED” 
LTALTA ON YOUR 
u\m? 
20 acres means at least sixty tors of feed equal to a 
full grain ration—or $ 1,000 clear profit If sold in the 
market. Worth while isn't it. Write ns today and 
let us tell you how, when and where to plant this 
great forage crop, so it will be a permanent success 
on yonr farm. Enrich your corn laud this year by 
planting l»ctwcen the rows or in the hills. 
COW PEAS—CLOVER—SOY BEANS 
INOCULATED WITH 
FARMOGERM 
SEED AND SOIL INOCULATION 
Send for Free Book No. 11 
IT GIVES VALUABLE INFORMATION 
EARP-THOMAS FARMOGERM CO.. Bloomfield, New Jersey 
l 
SEED AND SOIL TESTING OUTFIT COMPLETE, $2 
s 
ELILOTU S 
The choicest and one of the best soil restorers known. 
We have a fine lot of seed that we can retail at less 
than ordinary wholesale prices. Our Beed is hulled, 
yellow blossom. GUARANTEED TO GROW. This 
plant is also a splendid preparation for alfalfa. 
J| fl Pit PI All northern grown, guaranteed to be 
ill i AS E II 59 P©r ccnfc P ure and * roe * rom dodder. 
Kiel HShI H Write for free sample. 
THE WING SEED COMPANY 
BOX 833 MECHAN1CSBURG, OHIO 
“For the Land’s Sake, use Bowker’s 
Fertilizers; they enrich the earth and 
Ihose who till it.” — Adv. 
CELERY, CAULIFLOWER, SWEET 
POTATO PLANTS —All leading 
varieties in large or small 
quantities. Good plants 
slapped in good condition »t 
reasonable prices. Any of the 
above by mail, postpaid, 65c hundred. Catalog free. 
BAKRY JL. SQUIRES, Good Ground, N. V. 
CRIMSON CLOVER 
The great soil improver and valuable for early 
green food, grazing and hay crop. Special 
circular free, also sample and price of seed 
sent on request. 
Alfalfa 
High-grade American grown seed. Wrife for 
sample and price of seed also a copy of our 
Alfalfa Leaflet, free. If in need of Farm Seeds 
of any kind, please write to us for prices. 
HENRY A. DREER 
- PHILADELPHIA, PA. - 
WE HAVE ENOUGH FOR EVERYBODY 
Tomato, Cabbage and Celery Plants 
Can fill your orders for as many as you want. Spe¬ 
cial prices on large lots. Send for our 3912 price-list. 
----FARM, 
ROMANCE SEED. PLANT & TRUCK 
Caleb Booqs & Son, 
Cheswold, Del. 
CABBAGE PLANTS 
%£%£&%$£$& $ 100 Thousand 
CAULIFLOWER $3.50 Thousand 
J. AUG DRAKE, Seedsman -:- CHESTER. NEW JERSEY 
Cofo Cow Peas, $2.00 to $2,50 bushel: 
"tlr Cm is It! (Jrimson Clover Seed, $6.00 to 
$7.00 bushel; Bed Clover Seed, $12.00 bushel. 
JOSEPH E. HOLLAND_ MlLFOBD, DELAWARE. 
CRIMSON CLOVER SEEDS READY NOW 
1912crop, home grown, sample free. State quantity 
wanted. PACKARD, Field Seeds, Dover, Del. 
C ABBAGE and CELERY PLANTS— Best variety, $1 per 1000, 
$7.50,10.000 Tomato, Sweet Potato and Peppers, $1.50 per 
1000; Cauliflower, $2.50 per TOGO. J. C. Schmidt, Bristol, Pa. 
C ABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER ami CELERY 
PLANTS. Price List Free. Basil Perry, Cool Spring,Del. 
F OU SALE—Cabbage plants, Danish Railhead, Koekhead, Winter 
Flat Dutch and Savoy. W. S. KOKD k SON, Hart It, Del. 
FOR C AI C 300 bushels choice Crimson Clover 
run OrtLC- seed. Dr. P. S. DOWNS, Dover, Del. 
CABBAGE WORMS Destroyed by Dust - 
with HAMMOND’S SLUG SHOT 
So used for 30 years. SOLD BY ALL SEED DEALERS. 
For pamphlets worth having write B. HAMMOND, Fifthkllt-on-Hudson, New York> 
Security Brand 
Timothy 
is the highest grade of seed obtainable both 
as to purity and germination. 
Security Brand Timothy 
is put up with the greatest care by skilled 
men who make a specialty of handling 
Timothy seed only. 
Security Brand Timothy 
conforms to every seed law in the United 
States and Foreign countries and secures 
you against weeds and a weak stand. 
Security Brand Timothy 
is sold by all progressive dealers. Costs no 
more than ordinary seed. When buying your 
next lot of Timothy ask for and insist on getting 
Security Brand Timothy 
