888 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
August 24, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every Query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure 
attention. Before asking £. 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.] 
A Record Pea Crop. 
L. Y.j Irondequoit, N. Y. —I want to give 
an account of a small field of peas just 
picked. We planted two bushels of the 
Thomas Laxton variety on a little more 
than one acre of ground. The soil was a 
black loam on which we had grown celery 
for several years. The field lies rather 
low and did not suffer from the drought 
that seriously affected the higher ground. 
My wife had much to do with the success 
of this crop and was constantly in the 
field with the pickers. We had 260 bushels 
of green peas of superior quality, which 
brought us $1.50 per bushel on the market. 
Is this not a record crop? 
Ans. —We have had “records” of va¬ 
rious men and crops and animals. This 
pea crop will stand at the head until a 
better one is reported. 
Orchard Injury from Gas Wells. 
R. D., Ohio. —What is the danger from 
gas wells to farm or orchard lands? A 
company 'wants to contract for such wells 
on my farm—they to pay a rent and also 
for damage to crops. IIow high would such 
damage be likely to run? 
Ans. —The effect of a gas well on sur¬ 
rounding farm crops and orchards is 
not necessarily very great, but the risk 
of such damage is indeed considerable. 
If all the gas is always kept under con¬ 
trol and piped away there is no material 
injury to crops, but rarely is this fully 
accomplished, and the fumes work vary¬ 
ing degrees of injury, depending upon 
the distance, the consequent diffusion 
and the character of the gases. Gases 
escaping from the coke furnaces in 
Southwestern Pennsylvania are a very 
serious matter, ruining nearby crops 
and injuring them for a considerable 
distance, particularly in the direction of 
the prevailing wind. These gases, how¬ 
ever, usually carry a good deal of soot. 
It takes a good deal of gas to ruin crops 
or trees, but not very much to injure 
•them to the extent of preventing profit. 
Few companies would object to paying 
in the former case, but it would be very 
difficult so to draw a contract that any¬ 
thing could be collected in the latter 
instance, as it would be well nigh im¬ 
possible to estimate the damage. 
There is always the risk of consider¬ 
able overflow of water so charged with 
sulphur or other material that all vege¬ 
tation along which it passes is killed. 
There is also some risk of the well 
catching fire when there is much pres¬ 
sure of gas. The trampling of sur¬ 
rounding crops may also be consider¬ 
able. The amount of damage depends 
largely, of course, on the selling value 
and present income from the land, and 
varies greatly in individual cases. 
Bureau of Soils. h. j. wilder. 
Foreign Mulberries. 
S. E. T., Cornwall , N. Y. —When in 
Switzerland, on Lake Geneva, I ate very 
delicious mulberries. My landlady had pro¬ 
cured them for preserving. Is the same 
kind to be had in this country? The ber¬ 
ries I have eaten here are far inferior to 
the foreign ones. 
Ans. —It is not certain what variety 
of mulberry is referred to as growing 
in Switzerland and being of such de¬ 
licious flavor as the inquirer mentions, 
but it is probably some one of the Eu¬ 
ropean type. We have in this country 
many kinds of mulberries growing under 
cultivation and also wild ones in great 
abundance in the forests over a very 
wide territory in the Eastern and Central 
States. The southern European type 
is quite tender and will not endure the 
Winters of the North, but is very suc¬ 
cessful in the South. The Downing is 
one of this class and has very large 
fruit of excellent quality. The Russian 
type is very hardy and endures the cli¬ 
mate of the northern prairie States, 
which is very rigorous. The fruit of 
most of the varieties is small and some 
of it exceedingly small and the flavor 
rather inferior, but I have eaten some 
that was very good. There are choice 
varieties of our native species of mul¬ 
berry and among them is one called 
New American, which is entirely hardy 
in Michigan and other Northern States, 
as I have repeatedly observed. The best 
collection of hardy mulberry varieties 
that I know is at North Alton, Ill., and 
some of them were originated by Mr. 
E. H. Riehl, of that place. Good mul¬ 
berry trees are well worth growing, both 
for their fruit and timber, which is 
among the most durable of any that 
grows in North America. The fruit is 
delicious to eat and is especially liked 
by the birds, and they deserve something 
good to pay for their songs and the 
good work they do catching harmful in¬ 
sects. When mulberries are ripening the 
birds will let all other fruits alone un¬ 
til they are gone. The trees are beau¬ 
tiful as shade trees in the house yard. 
J have them planted in the home or¬ 
chard as well where they need as much 
room as apple trees, h. e. van deman. 
Cutworms and Kainit. 
C. M. S., Rossville, N. Y .—Myself and 
my neighbors have 10 or 15 acres in straw¬ 
berries, and the new crop set out this year 
is being devoured by cutworms, that is, all 
the patches except'one where the farmer 
used “kali.” Did that keep the worms off, 
and if so could we use it to advantage? 
We are in a fair way of losing our whole 
patches. The worms are the dark-colored 
ones with the V-shaped mark on the back. 
Ans. —We assume that by “kali” you 
mean the German salt kainit. We 
doubt if this destroyed or drove off the 
wireworms. Kainit has been tried 
carefully and faithfully for wireworms 
and cutworms, and the verdict of all 
experimenters is that to accomplish 
anything at all the kainit must be ap¬ 
plied in such large quantities that the 
soil becomes unfitted for the produc¬ 
tion of crops. Comstock and Slinger- 
land’s long, detailed experiment with 
kainit against wireworms gave the same 
results. There is no substance, so far 
discovered, that will prove effective 
against cutworms when applied to the 
soil in reasonable quantities suitable to 
plant growth. 
Perhaps the newly set strawberries 
followed sod. If so it is not to be 
wondered at that cutworms are destroy^ 
ing them. In , tlie; future, at least, we 
would suggest a hoed or cultivated crop , 
between the sod and strawberries. Prof. 
Glen W. Herrick, of Cornell, says : “One 
of my assistants has just reported a 
most successful experiment against cut¬ 
worms with the poisoned bran mash. 
He used 25 pounds bran, two pounds 
Paris green and two gallons of cheap 
syrup to sweeten it. Enough water 
was added to moisten it and make it 
stick together. He succeeded in killing 
hundreds of cutworms in one night and 
saved a field of young cabbage plants. 
This experiment was made at my sug¬ 
gestion as I had always wanted to try 
it carefully on a rather large scale. 
You will recall a correspondent of The 
R. N.-Y. gave an interesting account of 
a trial of this mash in his field of beets. 
In case of the strawberries a tablespoon¬ 
ful of this mash near each plant would 
be about the right quantity.” 
HORTICULTURAL NOTES. 
When it comes to getting rid of sorrel, 
my own small experiments lead me to think 
that there is nothing else quite so effective 
t's lime, and plenty of it. Sorrel does not 
grow except in acid ground. It will not 
grow where the land is sweet, or free from 
acidity. To the casual observer this would 
not seem to be the case because of the pre¬ 
vailing notion that only heavy, soggy 
ground is sour, while low and mucky ground 
is most likely to be acid. Light and sandy 
soils are also very sour at times and sorrel 
thrives in them wonderfully. In using lime 
in considerable quantities to eradicate sor¬ 
rel, however, we must always remember 
when we come to select our crops for that 
ground that the lime is there. it. s. d. 
Cranberry gall, a disease affecting bogs 
in various localities, consists of minute red 
galls growing upon leaves, stems, flowers 
and fruit to such a degree as to cause 
marked distortion and often loss of crop. 
The only remedy advised is burning over 
the affected areas. Huckleberry, winter- 
green, sheep laurel and white alder or pepper- 
flush are also host plants for this gall. 
Gooseberry and currant cutting of mature 
wood, six to eight inches long, may be cut 
in August or September, stripping leaves 
off, and burying them butts up over Win¬ 
ter. Set deeply in rows in Spring they root 
very readily. 
Destroying Thistles. 
I saw recent complaints from farmers 
about getting rid of thistles. I have suc¬ 
ceeded in exterminating them with great suc¬ 
cess by cutting while in full bloom before 
the formation of seed, especially when the 
stalks are hollow. a. a. w. 
Canandaigua, N. Y. 
Moth Balls for Squash Bugs.—A rem¬ 
edy for squash bugs and striped cucumber 
beetles that lias proved unfailing for us is 
moth balls. A half dozen to a hill will 
send the beetles flying. They disappear 
completely. mbs. h. f. c. 
Pennsylvania. 
DEWDROP 
If you are interested in 
Fall bearing 
STRAWBERRIES 
send for Circular. It will 
tell you about the merits 
of this wonderful berry. 
All good qualities com¬ 
bined. Plan ts ready now. 
H. F. DEW, ALBION, MICH. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS 
Earliest, latest, largest, most productive varieties. 
$1.00 hundred, prepaid. Low thousand prices. Rasp¬ 
berry. blackberry, asparagus plants, fruit trees. 
Catalogue free. HARRY L. SQUIRE, Good Ground, N. Y. 
700,000 Hardy Fruit Trees PLANTING 
I at wholesale prices. Cherries. 6 to 6 ft., 10c each; 4 to 
. f> ft.. 6c each. Genesee Valley grown, direct from 
j nursery to planter. Write for freo illus. catalogue, 
j F. W. Wells Wholesale Nurseries, 10 Treeacres Road. Dansville, N. Y. 
W E have given a good deal of careful at¬ 
tention for many years to Bulbs: their 
importing from Holland, their planting 
and care. The finest out-door display of the early 
spring months comes from bulbs planted in the fall. 
This year we have selected for a special offer 
six varieties of early Single Tulips: the most 
beautiful of their several colors:— 
Artus, Bright scarlet. Cottage Maid, Rose, flushed white. 
L’lmmaculee, Pure white. Duchesse de Parma, Orange-scarlet with yellow border. 
Crysolora, Pure yellow. Thomas Moore, Terra-cotta shaded golden. 
We will be pleased to send this assortment 
at the following special prices, postage paid: 
Two of each (twelve bulbs) . . 40c. 
Four of each (twenty-four bulbs) . 75c. 
Eight of each (forty-eight bulbs) . $1.35 
One dozen of any one variety . 35c. 
Our Bulb Catalog for 1012 is now ready and contains illustra¬ 
tions and a complete list of all bulbs for Autumn planting. 
May we send you a copy ? 
J. M. THORBURN & COMPANY 
(no Years in Business in New York) 
33 Barclay Street through to 38 Park Place, New York 
GRAY’S 
THRESHERS,GASOLINE ENGINES. HioheSt 
HORSE POWERS. ENSILAGE CUT- 8 
TERS, AND WOOD SAWS. yraflC 
-Z— 
A.W. GRAYS SONS THRESHER 
We make a full 
line ef Gasoline 
Engines and Horse 
Powers to operate 
our machines. 
Tliresli Your Orain. 
Gray’s Threshers are as much a farm necessity as a mowing machine or reaper. \\ e make 
small sizes for farm use and larger ones for custom work. Lightness, strength, and dura¬ 
bility of construction; ease and economy of operation; great capacity and thorough 
efficiency combine to make the Gray the best. Special terms on outfits tor custom work. 
Some good agency propositions open. “New England Quality Throughout." 
Send postal today for our 40-pago catalog, illustrating and describing these and many more 
time and money saving implements. 
A. W. GRAY’S SONS, 14 South Street, Middletown Springs, Vt. 
Jones’ “Red Wave" and “St. Louis Grand Prize.” 
Two of the best yielding and fly resisting varieties 
grown. Price list and samples on application. 
J. N. MacPHERSON, Pine View Farm, Scottsville, New York 
Wlieat to Sow 
10 Big Yielders—Smooth and Bearded— 
Hardy and Reliable—Clean and Pure— 
Sold Right from Farm—Close Prices. 
If You Don’t Like It WE TAKE IT BACK, 
RETURN YOUR MONEY & PAY FREIGHT 
Write for Wheat Catalog No. 33—IT IS FREE. 
A. H. HOFFMAN. Bamford, Lancaster Co., Pa. 
cecn IftlUC AT- Re(1 Wave, smooth, re- 
wE>kU WeICAI cleaned and pure. Planted 
Sept. 20th, has made a yearly average of 40 bu. of 
grain and nearly two tons of straw per acre here on 
our farm. $1.75 per bu. LESLIE JEEFEUIS, 
Red HillJarm, Bridgeport. Penna. 
NEW TIMOTHY SEED 
also Alsike, Mammoth, Red, etc. Samples FREE. 
0. M. Scott & Son, 140 Main St., Marysville, Ohio 
C ABBAGE and CELERY PLANTS— Best variety. $1 per 1000, 
$7.50, lO.OOOJomato, Sweet Potato and Peppers, $1.50 per 
1000: Cauliflower, $2.50 per 1000. J. C. Sclnnidt, Bristol, Pa. 
TDCCC DI A 1MTC—All kinds—By the Mil- 
I KLLo and rLAlVlO lions—at wholesale 
prices. Big supply Apple and Peach Trees, Privet 
Hedging. The Westminster Nursery, Westminster, Md. 
NowThe FALL BEARING Strawberries. 
Send for T.C. KEVITT’S Catalogue, Athenia, N. J. 
Alfalfa Seed 
should be sown during August and Sep¬ 
tember. We offer high-grade seed, and 
will send sample and price on request. 
Write for a copy of our Alfalfa Leaflet, 
free. 
Crimson Clover 
the great soil improver; also early green 
food, grazing and hay. Special circular, 
sample and price of seed on request. 
Winter Vetch 
(Vicia Villosa) 
Valuable as a winter cover crop and for 
green manure. Extremely hardy. Write 
for price. _ 
Dreer’s Autumn Catalog 
Ready early in September and mailed free to 
all applicants; offers Seeds, Plants and Bulb3 
for Fall planting. Write for a copy. 
HENRY A. DREER 
-PHILADELPHIA, PA.- 
FALL 
Bearing Strawber 
Catalogue Free. 
Plants. Best varieties, 
PERRY. Coal Spring. Del 
Miracle Wheat 
There is no miracle in getting a heevy 
yield if you plant this seed. Stools 
enormously, long stiff straw, 40 to 50 
Bushels Per Acre. Prices, Peck $1.00; /4 Bush. $1.75; Bush. $3.00; 
10 Bush. $25.00. Quality Alfalfa and Crimson Clover and Timothy. 
STOKES’ SEED STORE, 219 Market St., Philadelphia 
