1913. 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
433 
Black-Leg in Cabbage and Cauliflower. 
This disease of the cabbage and cauli¬ 
flower is comparatively new in the United 
States, and is not so generally distributed 
as some of the older and well-known dis¬ 
eases these crops are subject to, such as 
club-root, black rot, soft rot, etc. It is 
therefore not so well understood nor the 
means of control so well known as in the 
case of the older and commoner diseases. 
Black-leg is reported to be quite prevalent 
in Holland, France and South Australia, 
and has caused much loss to the growers of 
these crops, both as a vegetable crop and 
seed crop. It was first reported in this 
country in the States of Iowa, Michigan 
and Ohio in 1910, and on cabbage in New 
York and Virginia in 1911 ; on cabbage 
and cauliflower in New Jersey in 1912, and 
on cauliflower in Long Island in 1912. It 
probably occurs in other States from which 
we have no report. The loss from this 
disease varies greatly in some localities and 
fields, the loss will reach as high as 70 
per cent, or more of the crop, while in 
others the loss will not exceed 10 per 
cent. Plant pathologists tell us black-leg 
is caused by a fungus called Phoma oleracea 
Sacc, and that the fruiting bodies of the 
fungus appears as black specks (pycnidia.) 
in wounds made by insects. In the pycni¬ 
dia are formed innumerable numbers of 
one-celled spores which upon oozing out 
are probably carried by the winds, insects 
and other foreign agencies to other plants 
and that wet weather is most favorable to 
the disease, the greatest loss occurring dur¬ 
ing a wet season. 
The infection frequently takes place in 
the stem usually at the surface of the 
ground or just below where the leaves are 
attached and sometimes attacks the plants 
at the margin of the leaves at the terminal 
of the larger veins, and in the leaves and 
mid-rib of the plant, but most commonly 
in the stem of the plant below the leaves. 
The disease is easily recognized by the 
discoloration of the stem which turns a 
blackish color and by the lesions, abrasions 
or sunken places, irregular iu outline, which 
occur on the outer coating or bark of the 
plant. When the disease encircles the 
stem, which it will do in a few days, the 
flow of sap from the root is arrested, the 
stem becomes black and has a shrunken, 
constricted appearance, being much smaller 
than the unaffected parts above. If the 
roots of the plant are examined at this 
stage of the disease it will be found that 
the small fibrous roots are completely 
killed and as the disease advances the lat¬ 
eral roots will begin, decaying and finally 
rot off. Before the plant dies the leaves 
will assume a purplish tint which remains 
until the plant dies. This discoloration of 
the leaves is one of the principal symptoms 
of the disease. There is no known remedy 
for infected plants. The method of con¬ 
trol. therefore lies in prevention of in¬ 
fection in so far as it is possible. 
It is an established fact that fungus 
diseases are frequently conveyed from one 
locality to another by spores that have 
found lodgment on the seed grown where 
such disease was prevalent. The germs of 
black rot in cabbage have been found to 
live on the seed for several months, and 
it is more than probable the germs of 
black-leg were imported in seed from the 
cabbage and cauliflower seed-growing dis¬ 
tricts in Holland and France where the 
disease has been prevalent for a number 
of years. It would therefore seem ad¬ 
visable to disinfect the seed from whatever 
source before planting. The following 
method of treatment will be found very 
effective: Formaldehyde (40 per cent.) 
one-eighth pint; water, three gallons. 
Leave the seed immersed in the solution 
15 minutes, wash thoroughly in pure water 
and spread out to dry, after which they 
may be sown. 
Care of the Seedbed. —Cabbage and 
cauliflower must be grown in clean soil, 
soil that has not been used for the grow¬ 
ing of those crops before; the germs of 
nearly all diseases these plants are heir 
to, are very tenacious of life and will re¬ 
main active in the soil for years, and if 
infected soil is used for the seedbed 
the’ plants cannot escape infection and in 
this way the various diseases of these 
crucifers are frequently transferred by 
means of the plants from the seedbed to 
noninfected fields. The Ohio Agricultural 
Experiment Station has made a careful and 
exhaustive study of black-leg in that State 
and recommends treating the soil in the 
seedbed with Bordeaux mixture* (4-4-50 
formula) at the rate of one gallon per 
10 square feet of surface after the seed are 
sown. A second treatment should be given 
two weeks before and a third just preced¬ 
ing the setting of the plants in the field. 
The claim is made by the Ohio Station 
that the above method of treatment will 
control the disease in the seedbed and pre¬ 
vent it in the field. When the plants are 
raised in a cold frame, I would advise that 
the sash be kept over them in times of 
long continued cold rains of Spring. I 
have known the black-leg to attack cab¬ 
bage and cauliflower within a few days 
after being exposed for two or three days 
to continuous cold Spring rains and destroy 
full 50 per cent, of the plants that showed 
no signs of the disease before they were 
thus exposed. K. 
Folks Met at Ithaca Farmers’ Week. 
Our Lockport, New York. Grange, started 
a contest at the first of the year, the ob¬ 
ject to get in new members, and the prize 
to the one getting the most being $15 to 
defray the expenses to Ithaca for Farmers’ 
Week. The young man who won the trip 
had the best and most instructive time of 
his life. The Grange obtained many now 
members, one of whom happened to be the 
Western New York representative of The 
R. N.-Y. The purpose of this little sketch 
is not to cover the value of the lectures 
and the interesting professors at all, it 
would require too many editions to at¬ 
tempt justice to such a subject. It is 
simply to mention a few we of the Lock- 
port Grange met during the week. 
To attempt a description of the interest 
and value of Farmers’ Week is nearly im¬ 
possible. No matter how much you have 
read or been told of the lectures, the 
demonstrations of practical methods in 
farming, for all you might think you had 
a fair idea of the subject, you will find 
when you attend, and I hope you all will 
attend next year, that you knew practically 
nothing of the benefits to be derived from 
the week. It is something you cannot 
grasp or obtain without seeing and hear¬ 
ing personally. I heard so many regret 
that they had not realized before what 
they had been missing, and stating so 
positively that ‘every year hereafter will 
find them taking in this great gift of the 
State, for it is the State's interest in try¬ 
ing to make the farmers get the most out 
of their work in profits and the other 
good things of life that is the reason for 
these meetings being held annually. 
Leaving Buffalo on the Lehigh at 9 :30 
Monday morning nearly everyone on the 
train was ticketed for Ithaca. No intro¬ 
ductions were necessary, and that was just 
a sample feeling of brotherhood that pre¬ 
vailed in meeting strangers from all cA'er 
the East during the week. It was just like 
one large family with no attempt at form¬ 
ality. Everyone wanted to find out what 
the others were raising and how they were 
making it successful. Possibly you have 
the idea that only farmers attend these 
meetings, but there were ministers, school 
teachers and county school superintendents, 
in fact, it would be easier to tell what 
class of desirable people did not attend. 
There was a man from Jefferson County 
who is specializing in cows and hay. Since 
there has been such attention given to cow 
tests he has sorted out all the robber cows 
that did not pay their keep and now has 
his herd averaging him $75 each per year. 
Another visitor we met is a director of 
Morrisville Agricultural College, a very 
interesting, well-informed man, qualified to 
do justice to a chair in a larger college. 
I told him of our Grange at Lockport, and 
when I described the contest for new mem¬ 
bers and the prize of a trip to Farmers’ 
Week for the winner, he said, “That is 
fine, simply great. We will do that with 
our Grange next year, will start the con¬ 
test right away. But why didn't I think 
of it for this year? That is one of the 
best ideas I have heard in ages.” I had 
several inspiring talks with the president 
of a large nursery company. His start in 
life should encourage young men : 25 years 
ago when he was 21 he started in business 
with $225, and by square dealing and hard 
work now has 2,500 acres in fruit, hall 
of it in nursery stock and growing more 
nursery stock than any other in the busi¬ 
ness. 
I had keen pleasure in seeing two ladies 
rushing from one lecture to another, taking 
notes and asking questions of the lecturers. 
Their farms are located at Valley Cottage, 
near New York, where their husbands are 
in business. They run the farms and are 
showing that women can run them suc¬ 
cessfully. The way they market their farm 
produce, mostly, is by constant use of the 
telephone in calling their customers and 
finding what is needed. 
There was one man you would never 
have taken for an agricultural college 
student. He came back with us on the 
same train ; was on his way home to Pitts¬ 
burgh, where he goes every Saturday to 
teach his Sunday School class of 120 mem¬ 
bers. Other members of the classes he 
misses on Saturdays take notes for him 
so that he does not lose the lectures. He 
is a middle-aged man, president of two 
banks, director in three others, on board of 
directors in 31 corporations with assets of 
$60,000,000. He is taking a three-year 
course in farming, studying chemistry of 
soil, fruit growing and kindred subjects. 
He is also on the board of education of 
Pittsburgh schools, where he serves with 
the rest without pay, but where the ex¬ 
penses necessary in the position cost him 
four or five hundred dollars per year in 
this work for good schools. 
One of the most interesting women met 
is Miss Alice G. McCloskey, in charge of 
the nature study for rural schools of the 
State. Many of you very likely know of 
this department. Every district school 
teacher is kept enthusiastic and active in 
teaching nature study as it should be 
taught and the pupils are written direct 
and leaflets sent from this State depart¬ 
ment. I only wish that there had been 
such a department with such a capable 
woman in charge when I was in school. 
It would really pay the State to defray 
the expenses of every rural school teacher 
in the State to Ithaca for Farmers’ Week 
to get in closer touch with this department, 
see the model school house on the campus 
and get the valuable ideas they would 
be sure to obtain from this inspiring worker 
for the children of the country in the 
country schools. daniel n. pomeroy. 
“Drivers’ Rules.’’ 
Following are among the rules of the 
Boston Work-horse Parade Association: 
“Drive you horse all the time. Feel his 
mouth gently. Never jerk the reins. Take 
the horse out of the shafts as much as 
possible; and if yon drive a pair or four, 
unfasten the outside traces while the 
horses are standing; they will rest better 
that way. Teach your horse to go into 
the collar gradually. When a load is to 
be started, speak to the horses and take a 
firm hold of the reins so that they will 
arch their necks, keep their legs under 
them, and step on their toes. A loose 
rein means sprawling and slipping, often 
with one horse ahead of the other. Water 
your horses as often as possible. Water 
in moderate quantities will not hurt him, 
so long as he keeps moving. Blanket your 
horse carefully when he stands, especially 
if he is at all hot. Repeated slight chills 
stiffen and age a horse before his time. 
In hot weather or in drawing heavy loads, 
watch your horse's breathing. If he 
breathes hard, or short and quick, it is 
time to stop. Remember that the horse is 
the most nervous of all animals, and that 
little things annoy and irritate him. Re¬ 
member that he will be contented or miser 
able accordingly as you treat him.” 
FIFTY YEARS’ UNPARALLELED RECORD, BOTH IN THE FIELD AND WITH THE EXPERIMENT STATIONS 
THE MAPES MANURES 
ABSOLUTELY CHOICEST OF MATERIALS. SEASONING. AND BEST METHODS OF MANUFACTURE 
AVAILABILITY WITHOUT ACIDITY NO ROCK OR ACID PHOSPHATES USED 
' IN THE FIELD 
The record of The Mapes Manures in the field is too well known among our thousands of customers and friends, and with us we 
are glad to say the terms are practically interchangeable, as most of our good old customers have become our friends to require more than 
a reference to it. 
WITH THE EXPERIMENT STATIONS 
We are equally proud of our Record with the Stations. There may at times have been an occasional chance analysis which was 
not quite what we Avould have liked to have seen, and not as we believe fairly representative of our goods, but with the grand average we 
have no fault to find. 
This is in spite of the fact that Station methods and valuations from the very nature of the case must be broadly general to ap¬ 
ply to the general average of the class of goods examined, and can therefore never be expected to do entire justice to the user of particularly 
choice materials and unusual methods of manufacture. 
From the Annual Report of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, FERTILIZERS, 1912: 
“ MAPES FORMULA AND PERUVIAN GUANO CO.’S fifteen brands all fully meet their guarantees, with the exception of No. 553, in which a 
deficiency of 0.37 per cent, of Potash is fully offset by an overrun of 0.7 per cent. Nitrogen.” 
So strong a statement is not and could not be made of any firm which had an equal or greater number of brands. 
From Annual Bulletin No. 143, December, 1912, Afassachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. Inspection of Commercial Fertilizers: 
(It publishes a table giving summary of results of analysis of complete fertilizers as compared with manufacturers’ guarantees). 
“MAPES FORMULA AND PERUVIAN GUANO CO. Number of brands analyzed, 18; number equal to guarantee in commercial value, 18.” 
That is, every one of The Mapes Brands are found to be equal to their guarantee in commercial value, and of no other company 
having an equal or a greater number of brands can this be said. 
It publishes another table bearing on the Nitrogen in the different brands analyzed. The Mapes F. & P. G. Co. show 90.26% 
as their percentage Activity of Total Nitrogen, which is the essential point. No other concern having an equal number or greater 
number of brands analyzed has anything like so high a percentage Activity of Total Nitrogen. 
It is unnecessary to say that The Mapes Manures have always been, and will always continue to be, while under the same man¬ 
agement, far above the average of fertilizers offered for sale. 
In speaking of this management, it is certainly interesting that not only have the Mapeses continued successively in the business 
for three generations, grandfather, father and son, but the Lanes, who have been associated with the Mapeses from the start, follow the 
same identical record in the business, grandfather, father and son, successively, and we ask—can our friends and customers have a better 
guarantee than this family management that everything has been done and will continue to be done to make the Mapes Manures as good 
as the present knowledge of fertilizer science permits for the crops for which they are intended. 
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THE MAPES FORMULA & PERUVIAN GUANO COMPANY, 143 Liberty St., New York 
