iyi2. 
THE F4UR A-L> NEW-VORKER 
©or 
THE BIG STEAM HORSE. 
I am sending you a picture of an interesting di¬ 
vision of our farm work this season, Fig. 386. To 
explain the necessity for the calling of the big horse 
into play I will say that I had- let out on shares for 
the Spring crop a 30-acre field, but when too late to 
make other arrangements, the other party went back 
on me. and my other work was sc pressing that with 
the teams at my command I could not do this work 
in addition, and so as “necessity is the mother of 
invention, I thought out the proposition as shown, 
and the field was seeded to buckwheat and Timothy 
and Alsike July 17. The idea did not work exactly 
as I had planned, as the field was somewhat soft in 
spots, and the weight of the engine was so great 
that it would not pull all the load without getting- 
stuck. 1 had intended, besides the three gangs shown 
in the picture, to hitch a double disk behind and thus 
be ready when the field was plowed to start a smooth¬ 
ing harrow followed by the drof, and complete the 
seeding at one operation. Th:- was done on one 
part of the field and worked to perfection. The field 
was plowed in A]/ 2 days, but actual time at work 
was three days; the remainder was put in adjusting 
the plows and getting things in shape to work to¬ 
gether. For hours one afternoon we plowed at 
the rate of 17 acres per day of 10 hours, the speed 
was too great to be practical in all parts of the field, 
but 10 acres per day or an acre an hour could be 
maintained practically all the time after we got every¬ 
thing adjusted. 
The picture shows four men, but only three are 
required to do the work, as the engineer assisted 
in raising the plows at the end, while the work 
otherwise consisted only of adjusting the depth of 
THE BIG STEAM HORSE AT WORK. Fig. 386. 
plows in different parts of the field. Three tons of 
coal were consumed and it required a team about 
half time to draw water; the cost was practically 
$2 per acre. Too costly, it is true, and could have 
been done cheaper with a gas tractor and four-bottom 
or six-bottom plows, but such a machine was not 
available, and this one did the business. My only 
advice is not to take a rig of this kind into a field 
with fast stone, as something is bound to give and 
it will not be the engine, and probably not the stone. 
Hillsdale Co., Mich. ed. e. linton. 
DISHORNING OLD PEACH TREES. 
In cutting back tlio old poach trees do you cut the trunk 
square off or on the slant? Do you paint the cut? How 
high above the ground do you cut, or does this matter? 
s. II. j. 
We prefer to cut the trees on the slant, that is an 
angle of about 45 degrees with the slope to the out¬ 
side of the tree, so that the drip, if any, will drop 
off the tree and not run down upon the inside. It 
is better to paint over the stubs, provided you are 
sure that you have a pure lead and oil paint. Some 
of the inferior paints will do more harm than good. 
The length depends upon the health of the tree and 
the condition of the trunk, also upon other things 
which would occur to a student of a tree. The two 
pictures on this page show the trees at FTope Farm 
which were mentioned by Mr. Black in his recent 
report. Fig. 387 shows a nine-year-old tree which 
has given five fair crops, and one small one. This 
tree stands on a rocky ledge with barely a foot of 
soil above the solid rock. It has not been cultivated, 
but mulch of various kinds has been thrown under 
the tree on top of the ground. It began to fail last 
year, although it had been kept free from borers and 
apparently has no serious disease. The growth was 
only two or three inches and the foliage was not 
healthy. The same condition was characteristic of 
other trees in the same block. To test the theory 
of dishorning we cut back alternate rows, leaving 
this tree and the rest of its row without pruning. 
As will be seen from the picture it lias made a very 
poor and feeble growth, and left to itself would 
hardly live two years more. Fig. 388 shows the 
POOR GROWTH ON AN OLD TREE. Fig. 387. 
tree by its side only 16 feet away. This tree was 
last year in exactly the same condition, but about 
the middle of April it was cut back within less than 
three feet above the ground. As will be seen, a new 
and very vigorous top has started, some of the 
shoots now measuring nearly four feet in length, and 
of the most vigorous and healthy appearance. Fruit 
buds appear to be forming on this new wood. Our 
experience has been that so long as the trunk and 
roots of the tree are kept in good condition, a new 
and vigorous top can usually be formed by cutting 
close to the ground. The contrast between these 
two trees is very striking, and is about what we 
have always obtained when cutting back in this 
way. Of course, should there be disease in the tree, 
or if the borers have badly riddled it, it would be far 
better to rip the old tree out and get rid of it 
entirely, but where, as is often the case, the trouble 
is due to a feeble growth, and the tree evidently 
needs severe pruning, the dishorning plan will pay, 
and we think it well worth trying hi many cases 
where trees are ripped out because they seem to 
be dying. _ 
WHY DOES ALFALFA TURN YELLOW ? 
Last Fall I seeded down four acres of Alfalfa. The 
ground was prepared with a double Cutaway harrow and 
30 pounds of seed was sown per aero. The ground was 
inoculated with good Alfalfa soil (400 pounds per acre), 
and about 1,000 pounds per acre of ground burnt lime was 
harrowed in well before sowing. This Spring the plants 
made splendid growth, and a cutting of about lVa tons 
per acre was harvested in .June. For the first week < r 
10 days after the first cutting the plants seemed to grow 
well, and from then on they have seemed to stand still 
and have gradually turned yellow. I was advised to cut 
it. I did so, but the ijlants had made so little growth 
that 1 was not able to rake the clippings up. I have 
harrowed most of the field with a spring-tooth harrow, 
a part with the Cutaway (run straight) and a portion I 
am letting stand uncultivated. I should have liked to use 
a spike harrow, hut I was unable to get it to scratch the 
ground. After the first cutting I covered the field with 
NEW GROWTH ON A DISHORNED TREE. Fig. 388. 
a good coat of short barnyard manure (10 loads per acre). 
I was afraid that the manure was the cause of the trouble, 
hut a small strip was left uncovered between two washes 
and it suffered as the rest of the field. A number of us 
here are having this same trouble. What treatment would 
you have advised our giving it, and what do you think 
made the Alfalfa turn yellow? w. k. g. 
London Grove, Pa. 
The past season has been an unusually unfavorable 
one for Alfalfa growing. The Winter was severe; 
freezing and thawing conditions not only tested the 
vitality of the plants, but materially weakened their 
root system. It would seem that the question of 
moisture was largely responsible for the conditions 
as outlined above, although 1,600 pounds of ground 
burned lime per acre is scarcely enough to apply on 
ground that has not been previously limed. The 
yellow discoloration might result from incomplete 
inoculation, but the appearance of isolated areas 
which are not mentioned in this inquiry are a more 
common index to such trouble. An examination of 
the roots of the plants might enable the grower to 
determine the presence of grapelike nodules on the 
roots indicating proper inoculation. The cutting of 
the Alfalfa field even though the plants arc short, 
provided the blossoms or crown shoots appear, is 
good practice. Two years ago at the College Farm 
cuttings were made every 30 or 33 days after the 
first cutting up to September 10, even though it was 
impossible to harvest the second crop. I am satisfied 
that this practice improved and saved the Alfalfa 
field, and consider it very important to have cuttings 
made every 30 or 35 days after the first crop is 
harvested, depending somewhat on the field and grow¬ 
ing conditions. Reports regarding the use of the 
spring-tooth harrow on Alfalfa fields vary as to re¬ 
sults obtained. If practiced at all the implements 
should be used immediately after the second or third 
crop is harvested, the object being to spirt the crowns 
and stir the ground, and thus enable the individual 
plants to spread out by means of shoots and cover 
the bare spots. The practice also conserves the mois¬ 
ture and often destroys the weeds. We have never 
been able to get satisfactory results from broadcast¬ 
ing seed over an Alfalfa field where the stand is 
poor. It would seem that unless Alfalfa plants stool 
out themselves as a result of increased fertilizer and 
disking, it is a questionable procedure to attempt re¬ 
seeding without disking or plowing the field, and 
disregarding the standing plants. If an application 
of fertilizer, chiefly phosphoric acid, will not suffi¬ 
ciently stimulate the existing plants to spread and 
cover the ground, I am satisfied that reseeding is the 
only safe method of reviving the field. If seed is 
sown to replenish an old field it 'should follow 
DAIRYMEN’S REST FRIEND. Fio. 389. 
thorough disking and the seed drilled not later than 
September 1 if practiced in the Fall, or broadcast 
early in the Spring; even before frost is out of the 
ground. 
It is not safe, however, to condemn Alfalfa grow¬ 
ing with the results following such a severe season 
as we have encountered in this section during the past’ 
year. If W. K. G. will go into more details a's'"to 
the location of the field in question as far as natural 
drainage and production is concerned; outline The 
previous system of cropping on this particular field, 
and state the approximate yields as well as the 
amount and fertilizer that was applied at‘ the time 
of seeding it may he possible to trace the trouble 
more definitely. It is evident that a naturally well- 
drained .and productive field is required; that the 
seed-bed must he well prepared in advance of seeding 
and thoroughly worked to conserve moisture and 
destroy weeds; that an abundance of lime be dis¬ 
tributed, usually 1! 4 tons of slaked burned lime or 
three tons of ground limestone or ground oyster shell 
per acre; or better yet at the outset apply one ton 
of burned lime and two tons of ground limestone, 
taking pains to have the material evenly spread and 
thoroughly worked in: that commercial fertilizer, 
chiefly phosphoric acid, be utilized rather than barn¬ 
yard manure during^ the first two years, especially 
if the ground is inclined to he weedy; that the ground 
be inoculated either with soil or a culture of known 
usefulness, and furthermore when soil is used it 
should be applied on a cloudy day or during the 
late afternoon when the sun’s rays arc less direct, and 
not apt to destroy the essential bacteria; and finally 
that choice home-grown seed he seeded during early 
August, preferably after oats and peas or potatoes, 
using 30 pounds of seed per acre, and distributing 15 
pounds each way. A spreading rooted plant is more 
desirable than one with a long straight tap root, 
for it is less apt to heave and more inclined to stool 
out and produce new plants. Inasmuch as an aver¬ 
age yield of Alfalfa hay removes a great deal of dry 
matter, it is essential that plant food he supplied in 
abundance; and since the nitrogen is obtained by the 
plants themselves the chief need is phosphoric acid 
and lime. Acid phosphate and ground limestone sup¬ 
ply an economical source of these products after the 
crop is established and from 300 to 500 pounds of 
the former should be applied annually, and three- 
tons of ground limestone distributed at intervals of 
three or four years. Frederick c. minkt.er. 
N. J. Exp. Station. 
