1913. 
735 
“THE RURAI> NEW-YORKER 
NITRATE OF SODA FOR MELONS. 
Would you advise the use of nitrate of 
soda for muskmelons and if so, when 
and how much should be used? H. w. 
Selkirk, N. Y. 
We would not use nitrate of soda alone 
unless we knew that this soil is par¬ 
ticularly weak in nitrogen. The nitrate 
gives no other plant food except nitrogen 
while melons need both potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid also. The nitrate is really a 
stimulant for forcing a quick and rank 
growth of vine. If you think such a 
quick growth is needed about 150 pounds 
of nitrate per acre scattered near the 
vines and worked in will make them 
grow. As a rule we would not advise 
the use of nitrate except by practical 
gardeners. 
FIGHTING THE ALFALFA WEEVIL. 
Prosperity is said to follow the flag, 
and the worm which devoureth ususally 
follows prosperity. As an instance of 
this you may take the case of Alfalfa. 
Wherever Alfalfa flourishes and farmers 
generally learn how to grow the crop, 
prosperity is sure to work in. That is 
true of a country, or of a section, and 
the worm chases close after the pros¬ 
perity, for when Alfalfa growing be- 
is to be cut for food. In some cases 
the Alfalfa is thoroughly steamed during 
the Spring and while in the stack or 
barn. This method costs too much to 
be practical. In some cases the first 
crop is cut, cured on the ground and 
burned over, but, of course, this means 
the loss of one crop. Burning machines 
have been suggested, but thus far they 
have not been successful. In some cases 
Fall grains like wheat or rye appear 
to be seeded year after year in the Al¬ 
falfa field, by disking or scratching the 
fields over. These help by shading the 
plants, but, of course, they injure the 
quality of the hay, which cannot be sold 
as straight Alfalfa. 
Tools for Handling Hay, 
The time is now here to make prepa¬ 
rations for the rapid handling of the 
hay crop. With the improved machinery 
now available this can be nicely han¬ 
dled without the great expenditure of 
physical strength that formerly was nec¬ 
essary. It formerly required men of 
strong constitution and great endurance 
to withstand the strain of the hay-fields, 
while now men or even boys of ordinary 
physical ability can perform the work 
very satisfactorily. This is largely true 
now of all farm operations. Improved 
machinery has done away with the 
major portion of drudgery upon the 
farm. 
There are many kinds of loaders upon 
the market, but we class them in two— 
FIGHTING ALFALFA WEEVIL. Fig. 257. 
comes general, the insects which arc 
peculiar to it multiply and become a 
nuisance. We have a case of this ir 
the Alfalfa weevil, which is causing con 
siderable damage in the Far West where 
Alfalfa grows to perfection, A circulai 
from the Utah Experiment College al 
Logan, discusses this insect. For a 
time it was feared that this weevi 
would prove a great damage to Alfalfa 
fields. Now the authorities are more 
hopeful, as they believe that their studies 
have developed a successful method oi 
fighting the insect. It appears that the 
weevil passes the Winter as an adult. 
It hibernates under dead weeds or deaf 
grasses, along tin' ditches or fence lows, 
and also in the fields of Alfalfa. Thej 
do not burrow far into the ground unless 
it is loose and soft. 
They appear in the fields at the firsl 
approach of Spring, and lay their eggs 
on the stems and buds, or on the ground. 
When the Alfalfa gets to be six or 
eight inches high, egg-laying begins in 
earnest. The females puncture the stem 
and deposit their eggs therein. One female 
may lay over 1,500 eggs, but they average 
000 to 800 apiece in four to six weeks. 
They hatch in about 10 days, and the 
young work their way up the stem and 
bore into the leaf buds. They work from 
30 to 50 days, and then work down the 
stem to. the ground where they form 
their cocoons. 
While some birds, toads and reptiles 
feed upon the weevil, they cannot be ex¬ 
pected to do much toward keeping it 
down, and methods of culture seem to 
be the most hopeful plan for fighting 
the insect. Thorough disking or work¬ 
ing the ground with a spring-tooth as 
late in the Spring as possible will break 
up the hard soil, divide the Alfalfa 
crowns, and give the crop a chance to 
make an early quick growth . The ob¬ 
ject is to keep the first crop growing 
as rapidly as possible. A close pasturing 
with sheep in the early Spring also 
As soon as the first crop shows 
of injury, it should be cut and 
from the field as rapidly as pos- 
Then go over the field at once 
a spring-tooth harrow and a brush 
helps. 
signs 
taken 
sible. 
with 
ilrag. such as is shown at Fig. 257. T1 
object of this is to make the surfa 
as line as possible and fill it. with dus 
the insects which survive the treatme: 
nave to crawl through the fine dust 
reach the stems of the plants, and th 
will kill out many of them. For th 
■ eason these fields are not irrigated f 
wo or three days after working the 
t i . this way. Where the weevils a 
does not pay to run Alfal 
ingor than four or five years, withoi 
«K? g u for , fl „ rotation , and clean cultu 
■ ould be followed, cutting the weei 
V , Srnss and rubbish along ditches ai 
t r0WS r an d burning it whenevi 
Imsible. Large manure piles arour 
bains and outbuildings give tl 
<<‘wls a chance to breed and sprea 
wit'ii 1IIS0Cts . can he killed by sprayii 
((,!!L UrS0 "n compounds, but this, < 
would not answer when the crc 
the push loader and web. The former, 
as the name signifies, literally pushes 
the hay up onto the load, while the latter 
carries it. The former takes the hay 
out of the swath, while the latter re¬ 
quires a special rake (side-delivery) for 
it to do its best work. Both classes 
have their advocates, and both do their 
work well. Possibly for Timothy hay 
the “push” loader is preferable, * as it 
costs but little over half what the other 
“outfit” would. We use the web loader 
and side-delivery rake, as it enables us 
to handle the clover crop so much better. 
There is comparatively no loss of 
leaves of the clover plant; in fact less 
loss than if pitched upon the wagon 
in the old-fashioned way. Then even in 
Timothy, the hay can be raked and al¬ 
lowed to cure in the windrow, making a 
much brighter and sweeter product than 
if allowed to dry and bleach in the swath. 
Those who largely sell their hay say 
it makes no difference, as it brings as 
much upon the market one way as the 
other, which is largely true, but from a 
feeding standpoint I think the difference 
is quite an item. The draft of the ma¬ 
chinery is quite an item. Ours is a roll¬ 
ing farm ; notwithstanding this a pair of 
draft mares or mare and stallion load 
anywhere on the farm and do it easily. 
This could not be said of the push loader. 
As to capacity it depends on how hard 
you want to work ; if a storm is coming 
or a contest against time we have loaded 
a ton in 32 minutes, but it is neither 
advisable nor desirable to keep up this 
speed. 
Another implement if short on help is 
the hay car, by which one man loads the 
car, covering half the wagon; it is then 
run forward and rear half of wagon is 
then loaded. One man thus loads the 
wagon just as easily as two would with¬ 
out, and just as quickly barring the time 
it takes to run car forward. If the 
hay has to be put in a stable or any¬ 
where, where there is no rope with 
which to unload, the car is a wonderful 
help, as it pitches off so easily compared 
to the whole load being loaded together. 
Of course we use the track in barns, and 
if we have short hay or it becomes a 
little too dry and the hook does not 
take a desirable load we use two hooks 
(double harpoon), setting them one on 
either side of wagon, connecting them 
with a chain and hitching the pulley then 
in center. This does very satisfactory 
work, preventing pulling hay apart, and 
thus losing plenty of valuable time, for 
in haying every minute counts. 
Ohio- J. C. SIDLE. 
Cover Crop Reports. 
Acting on your advice concerning cover 
crops, we sowed rye and Winter vetch 
late last Summer in our young apple 
orchard. It was our first experience 
with the vetch, and all Winter it looked 
so small and sickly that we feared a 
mistake had been made by the seedsman, 
furnishing Summer instead of Winter 
vetch. But when the warmer Spring 
weather came, the little plants began to 
grow and spread. They have made a 
rich, sappy growth. The rye is about 
five feet high and where the vetch is 
best it is about four feet, in other places 
a little less. We first thought of cutting 
it all for hay and plowing the stubbles, 
but as the plants developed in such a 
luxuriance we changed our minds and 
shall let it go to seed, cutting the rye 
and vetch in time and thrashing it, sav¬ 
ing the seed for Fall sowing. 
The vetch is in full bloom now. Here 
and there we find a plant of Summer 
vetch among it. It is quite distinct, hav¬ 
ing only a single, pinkish blossom and 
smooth leaves and stems, while the Win¬ 
ter vetch has a raceme of- bluish-purple 
blossoms and hairy leaves and stems, 
making them soft and fuzzy to the touch. 
The two plants have made so much 
larger amount of vegetable matter than 
Crimson clover on adjoining plots, that 
there is no doubt in our minds which oi 
the two to sow this Fall. 
Maryland. HUGO DRIKHOFF. 
In reply to your inquiry concerning 
experience with cover crops, I have found 
Hungarian millet and Essex rape both 
valuable, sown among sweet corn at 
the last cultivation (in July or August). 
The former, if not utilized for hay, 
makes a good Winter cover for hillsides, 
matting by Spring, so that it may easily 
be turned under. The rape furnishes 
good late forage for cattle and poultry; 
but, if left on the ground, prevents 
washing, to some extent; but it is not 
equal to the millet. The cost of seed 
for either is trifling. w. P. 
Westchester Co., N. Y. 
Customer : “That was the driest, 
flattest sandwich I ever tried to chew 
into.” Waiter: “Why, here’s your sand¬ 
wich. You ate your check.”—Judge. 
When Mrs. Blank, who had always 
lived near the coast, was married she 
went to live in a small Kansas town. 1 
Shortly after her arrival she called on 
her butcher and ordered a quart of 
scallops. “Why, Mrs. Blank.” said the 
dealer. “I guess you will find those at 
the dressmaker’s. And,” he added 
kindly, remembering that she was a 
bride, “I think they are sold by the 
yard.”—Lippincott’s. 
$4 90 FOR THIS 
X — DANDY OATE 
These grates are not O 
a special lotbuiltdown “ - 
to a low price, but are 1 
full of the same qual-j 
ity, satisfaction and [ 
durability which can , 
be obtained in any of our 
triple-galvanized, high- 
carbon steel 
Iowa Gates. 
The filling of this serviceable and ornamental gate ia 
extra close diamond mesh. Gate has strong frame, pat¬ 
ent latch, etc. Comes in all sizes; plain and fancy tops. 
Style E Farm Gate, illustrated below, is another 
leader soldat a much lower price than asked for other 
gates of its kind. Painted or galvanized. All sizes. 
The best lumber dealer in your town has these 
gates on sale. If you don’t know his name, write us 
for booklet, name of dealer, special prices, etc. 
IOWA GATE CO., 4 5 Clay St., Cedar Falls, la. 
BE 
VcS" 
BIG 
BARGAINS 
in Fence. ISO styles- 
- 13 cents per rod up. We pay 
freight. Send for bargain fence 
book and sample to test—ALL FREE 
THE BROWN FENCE 6l WIRE COMPANY 
DEPT. 59 CLEVELAND. OHIO 
ORNAMENTAL IRON FENCE 
Strong, durable and cheaper than wood. Hundreds of patterns for 
lawns, churches, cemeteries, public grounds. Write for free cata¬ 
logue and s pecia l offer. Complete line of Farm Fence, Gates, etc* 
WARD FENCE CO., 237 Main St.. Decatur, fad. 
IDEAL 
100 tolOOO 
bus. per 
SEPARATORS 
Box No. 2 
1 Steam and Gasoline 
Engines, Wood Saws,Fodder Cutirrs.etc 
Messlnner Mia. Co., Tatamy, Pa. 
The Voice of Reconstruction 
When a flood sweeps 
over a vast area, desolating 
the cities and towns which 
lie in its course, the appeal 
for assistance gets a unani¬ 
mous response from the 
whole country. 
With all commercial and 
social order wiped out, an 
afflicted community is un¬ 
able to do for itself. It 
must draw upon the re¬ 
sources of the nation of 
which it is a part. 
In such an emergency, 
the telephone gives its 
greatest service when it 
carries the voice of distress 
to the outside world, and the 
voice of the outside world 
back to those suffering. 
At the most critical time, 
the nearest telephone con¬ 
nected and working in the 
Bell System affords instant 
communication with dis¬ 
tant places. 
And always the Bell Sys¬ 
tem, with its extensive re¬ 
sources and reserve means, 
is able to restore its service 
promptly, and in facilitating 
the work of rebuilding, per¬ 
forms one of its highest 
civic functions. 
American Telephone and Telegraph Company 
And Associated Companies 
Every Bell Telephone is the Center of the System 
