870 
'rtlfcC l^UKAlv NEW-YOKKER 
of the ready mixed “top dressers” will answer or 
you may use equal parts of nitrate of soda, fine 
ground bone and muriate of potash. At least 600 
pounds of such a mixture per acre well harrowed 
in before seeding will surely make this grass grow. 
Do not expect a very heavy crop next year. The 
grass will grow very thick but short and will not 
cut as much as you expect, but it will improve there¬ 
after with each year, though you will be obliged to 
top-dress it annually. 
You will understand that this expensive and de¬ 
tailed advice is intended for those who have abun¬ 
dant labor and capital at command. Of course 
we know that farmers with only one team and dur¬ 
ing the busy season cannot hope to do all this work. 
It will pay them, however, if seeding grass this Fall 
to take less land and work it thoroughly. This arti¬ 
cle gives the essential requirements of a permanent 
meadow—lime, thorough culture, heavy seeding and 
heavy feeding. 
SUMMER SPRAYING FOR SCALE. 
It appears since the leaves that the scale has spread 
by leaps and bounds since last year in our apple or¬ 
chard. Dead limbs appear in all parts of the orchard, 
some trees being badly peppered while others in close 
proximity are hardly touched. Is it practical to spray 
now and if so what test to use and how often it is 
absolutely necessary to apply the mixture to keep the 
scale in check? We have thought of cutting out the 
dead limbs and spraying the badly affected trees with the 
regular Spring lime and sulphur mixture (testing six). 
Western New York. w. o. B. 
This orchard was visited by our representative 
who reports that the orchard consisting of 313 apple 
trees, five of which are practically dead with San 
Jose scale, and 20 suffering from attacks of the 
New York apple tree canker, all quite badly infested 
with San Jose scale, is not at present beyond re¬ 
demption. The trees stand on a good type of soil, 
sandy loam, but the land needs drainage. As the 
orchard has stood in heavy sod for many years, it 
will be necessary to plow shallow and cultivate the 
orchard thoroughly next Spring in order to stimu¬ 
late growth and assist in overcoming the attack of 
scale. The 100 loads of stable manure applied this 
past Winter or Spring will not be a total loss, but 
might better have been applied to field crops. Stable 
manures are too costly to apply to orchard soils. We 
should use cover crops, for we can grow green ma¬ 
nure much cheaper than we can buy stable manures, 
and at the same time harden the buds and protect 
the roots from frost. 
The dead wood caused by the canker should be 
removed and burned before any spraying is done. 
Relative to the use of Summer sprays to check the 
spread of the scale, we have not found that the lime- 
sulphur sprays at Summer strength are practical 
to conti’ol the young scale. I believe it would be 
wise to wait until Fall and after the leaves are off 
make a very thorough spraying with lime-sulphur, 
then wait till Spring and make another spraying 
just before the buds burst. With the Spring spray 
add arsenate of lead. 
Where lime-sulphur solution tests 32 degrees 
Beaume it can be diluted at the rate of one gallon 
solution to eight gallons of water when used on 
dormant trees. Test the clear lime-sulphur solution 
before you dilute it and dilute it according to the 
test of the clear solution only. Where the clear so- 
luton tests 32 degrees Beaume one can dilute it 
one gallon solution to 50 gallons water, when used 
as a Summer spray. Arsenate of lead at the rate 
of 2% to three pounds per 50 gallons of diluted 
spray can be addedto the lime-sulphur sprays. 
Niagara Co., N. Y. l. f. s. 
A CHEAP LIMEKILN. 
The Agricultural Department at Washington in 
circular No. 130 gives an account of a simple method 
of burning lime. This process is followed on the 
farm of Benjamin Cherry, in Warren County, Ken¬ 
tucky. We should judge that in that locality there 
is a local supply of coal which is reasonably cheap, 
while limestone can also be obtained without great 
trouble. In burning this lime they select a place 
at the top of a bed of limestone, the greater part of 
which is either near the surface or exposed. 1‘oles 
or big slabs are placed lengthwise on the ground, 
making a layer 30 feet long and 16 feet wide. Large 
poles eight to 10 inches in diameter are used for 
the outside rows, as this makes a solid foundation. 
Through a strip two feet wide in the middle, small 
wood and kindling are placed the full length of the 
pole. On top of this layer of wood is put a two-inch 
layer of fine coal; then comes a four or five-inch 
layer of limestone, broken -to about the size of a 
man’s head. Another layer of coal is put on top 
of this, and then another layer of limestone, about 
a foot thick. Alternate layers of lime and coal are 
put in until the pile is seven or eight feet high, the 
top being drawn in until it comes to a peak. When 
finished coal is thrown on to fill up the cracks and 
crevices. A fire is started on the windward end 
where the strip of kindling has been placed. This 
burns gradually, and in a day or two fire begins to 
ourst out at the sides. As this happens, dirt is shov¬ 
eled over it to smother the fire and keep it from 
burning too rapidly. It takes about two weeks to 
burn out the kiln. After it has cooled the dirt is 
scraped off, and the rains sink in and slake the 
lime. The cost of such a kiln is figured out as 
Quarrying stone: 
Labor, one man for two weeks. $12.00 
Dynamite . 1.00 
Coal, 453 bushels, or 16)4 tons, at S cents per 
bushel . 36.24 
Wood (four loads). 2.50 
Labor in making and tending kiln. 18.36 
Miscellaneous work and materials. 10.00 
Total . $80.10 
This is for about S7 tons of lime. Farmers who 
are situated in a locality where both coal and lime 
A CHILD WORKER. Fig. 31& 
are abundant and cheap, certainly have a great ad¬ 
vantage over the rest of us who must often pay 
from $5 to $7 a ton for the lime. 
CHILD LABOR ON THE FARM. 
In large measure the great markets supplied by 
truck farmers in Chicago and Cook County are de¬ 
pendent on the labor of little people. They work in 
the fields, and in hundreds of instances follow the 
wagon to the city, where left to their own resources 
they kill time as they please while the master of the 
load, who has sold out, is making his own purchases 
before returning to the farm. The little fellow 
shown at Fig. 318 was caught makin’ somethin’, 
and to-day is none the wiser of his interesting pose 
being cast on a film. J. l. graff. 
R. N.-Y.—We have seen much the same thing in 
the New York market. One cold morning in No¬ 
vember we found a little Italian boy curled up in a 
wagon under a thin blanket. He had been left to 
“watch the horse” and had spent four hours in this 
cold situation not daring to get out and walk. We 
gave him a meal of milk and sandwiches and left a 
policeman waiting for the man to return. The 
“child labor” problem on some farms ought to be 
investigated. 
COVER CROP FOR WESTERN NEW YORK. 
On July 18, 1912, I seeded my five-acre apple orchard 
with 10 pounds Mammoth clover, 12 pounds Winter 
vetch, and one-half pound Cow-horn turnips per acre. 
When I plowed the middle of May in order to cover 
I had to remove the jointer and use a log chain. Clover 
was nearly up to my knees, and the vetch was two to 
2 1 /j feet, and some of tin' small turnips had not frozen, 
and had grown higher than my waist with blossoms. 
Shall I reseed the same as last year or substitute Crim¬ 
son clover for the Mammoth? Mammoth clover costs 
me $14.50 and Crimson about $8. I omitted to state 
that I pulled 150 bushels of the Cow-horns last Fall 
which made very good feeding for the cow last Win¬ 
ter. Many of the turnips made a tremendous growth. 
One I took to the village exhibit in the market weighed 
over five pounds. J. I’, c. 
Spencerport, N. Y. 
We call it a good rule in farming to follow up a 
success. This mixture of Mammoth clover, vetch 
and Cow-horn turnips was successful. Try it again. 
While the Crimson clover seed may be cheaper the 
chances are that the crop will not prove so hardy 
or large as the Mammoth. We should stick right 
to old friends and use the same seeding as before. 
There is one thing about this cover crop question 
which we should all remember. There is no general 
mixture of seeds which will prove best for all per¬ 
.7 uly 26, 
sons or situations. It is one of the things we must 
experiment with so as to find fche best mixture for 
our own soil and conditions. Rye and Cow-horn 
turnips are usually sure to do well, so is buckwheat 
for early sowing. When it comes to a legume to 
add nitrogen we have cow peas and Soy b«ans for 
early sowing, vetch and various kinds of clover. 
Better try them all and find the best. If you try 
Crimson clover anywhere north of New York try a 
seeding of barley with it. This barley makes a 
good Fall growth and then dies, forming a mat 
which helps to protect the clover. 
THE YIELD OF ALFALFA / 1 
On page 791 we gave an account of the Alfalfa crop 
grown by O. F. Marvin, of Michigan. Our people 
are all interested in knowing how much Alfalfa is 
usually grown on an acre,* and we give the following 
report from Mr. Marvin: 
I will give report of weight of first crop of Alfalfa 
from the four acres we sowed five year ago. This 
is the same four acres we gave printed report of 
some time ago. The yield was 14,660 pounds of 
well-cured hay. But little rain and cold weather 
this season until harvest time and June grass in 
spots reduced the yield considerably. The six acres 
seeded a year ago with two acres seeded with Al¬ 
falfa and Orchard grass yielded 4,775 pounds. 
The 3M> acres clear Alfalfa that was clipped three 
times last season yielded 6,045 pounds, or at the 
rate of 1,740 pounds per acre. The one-half acre 
that was clipped twice yielded 1,450 or at the rate 
2.900 pounds per acre. On the portion that was 
clipped three times the Alfalfa was badly heaved 
out the past Winter; the conditions were the same 
with both lots with the exception of number of 
clippings. o. F. MARVIN. 
CONSERVATIVE FATHER AND PROGRES¬ 
SIVE SON. 
I wish to express my opinions regarding this sub¬ 
ject. The difference in outlook between the con¬ 
servative father and progressive son is perfectly nat¬ 
ural and not to be lamented. Hard work has made 
the father defensive, while the youthful ambition of 
the son is purely offensive. The father is beginning 
to think of the next world, while the son is all 
wrapped up in this world. The father counts the 
cost of a project, while the son considers only the 
gain. 
In this age of progress the son should be a greater 
man than his father. But, for this advance, he has 
no right to take the credit to himself. No praise is 
due him. for it is his simply duty. He builds upon 
his father’s experience, and can be expected to 
progress beyond bis father as much as his father 
has progressed beyond his grandfather. I believe 
that it is the ideal way for the son to go in partner¬ 
ship with the father and gradually to assume the 
responsibility as the father becomes less and less 
able to bear it. If father and son cannot agree in 
the management let them neither condemn each 
other nor separate, but let them compare their the¬ 
ories experimentally on the basis of actual figures. 
Let the sou manage the fertilization and seed of 
one-half of a field while the father does the same 
on the other half. Let the son prescribe the ieed 
and method of feeding of one-half of the dairy while 
the father does bis best to prove the correctness 
of his ideas on the other half. If exact figures are 
kept of both methods, these figures will prove with¬ 
out argument which method is the better. I believe 
that this method of systematic experimentation, if 
pursued in the spirit of sincerity and unprejudiced 
inquiry, will harmonize and unite the conservative 
father and progressive son. M. c. 
New York. 
Why do you use the word “sucker” so frequently in 
referring to people who make foolish investments or 
listen to great stories of profit? l. b. l. 
Because they are “suckers”—no other word can 
do them full justice. The dictionary gives many 
definitions of this word, among others, “a stupid 
person ; one easily duped ;—a greenhorn.” Among 
fishes the sucker is noted for its greedy habits and 
its stupidity. The human sucker listens to the story 
of fox farming or ginseng culture or “unit orchards,” 
or one of the various “poultry systems” or some 
other scheme for getting rich quick. The applica¬ 
tion of most ordinary common sense ought to show 
such people that it is not possible in honest, modern 
business for such extravagant profits to be made, 
but the bait is too strong and they take it. If you 
object to the term give us a word which more clearly 
defines the class of people who do so much to fatten 
rogues and keep dishonest schemes alive. The evil 
is so great that we want a better word if we can 
get it. For these suckers do more than rob them¬ 
selves—they rob others indirectly by keeping the 
fakes and frauds in business. 
