THE RURAL* NEW-YORKER 
107 
1910. 
FERTILIZER FOR GARDEN PEAS. 
J. M. G., Oak Grove, Del .—Will you sug¬ 
gest a fertilizer formula or mixture to be 
used to grow garden peas for the cannery? 
I want best results, peas to be mown off and 
followed by corn or possibly cow peas. 
Which is better to follow garden peas, corn 
or cow peas? How much guano should I 
apply per acre in three-foot rows, how 
many peas should I sow per acre, and how 
deep should they be covered? Suggest a 
mixture for tomatoes, the guano to be sown 
on the Scarlet clover stubble and thoroughly 
worked in with Cutaway before plowing. 
This clover was fertilized with 350 pounds 
per acre of a 12-8 mixture, and has just 
received a light application of stable ma¬ 
nure. Please suggest quantity to be sown 
per acre, and specify what particular source 
of phosphoric acid we should resort to. I 
am at a loss as to the safest and L*st 
source of phosphoric acid to be used for 
best results all round, and would like more 
light on that line. Can we use potash to an 
excess, and do you think a 12-8 mixture 
can be improved on for the legumes? My 
idea is to reduce our nitrogen bills. 
Ans. —You do not tell anything about 
the treatment of the land last year, which 
you propose to sow to peas this Spring. 
The garden peas do not demand much 
nitrogen, but being sown early before 
there is much active nitrification in the 
soil it will be well to give them a quickly 
available carrier of nitrogen like nitrate 
of soda. In your light soil both phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash are needed. A 
mixture of 400 pounds of acid phos¬ 
phate, 30 pounds of muriate of potash 
and 50 pounds of nitrate of soda, well 
mixed, per acre will do very well. I 
prefer to sow peas in a broad row by 
scattering them along the furrow by 
hand rather than drilling in a narrow 
row, as they do better and stand up 
better. Cover about four to six inches 
deep. Sow l l / 2 bushel per acre. Harrow 
over with a smoothing harrow before 
they come up to prevent crusting. On 
the clover stubble that has had some 
manure I would not apply any nitrogen 
in the fertilizer, but would use 400 
pounds of acid phosphate and 30 pounds 
of sulphate of potash, which is better 
for tomatoes than the muriate. Or you 
can use the same mixture you used last 
year on the land at rate of 400 to 500 
pounds an acre. The basic slag will do 
very well for the tomatoes, but is not 
available quickly enough for the early 
peas. For immediate availability the 
best form of phosphoric acid is the dis¬ 
solved rock or acid phosphate as it is 
called. Yes, you can use more potash 
than is needed, and thus waste money. 
Some crops demand more than others, 
and on potatoes I use 10 per cent of 
potash, while on most crops from three 
to five per cent is enough. The 12-8 
mixture is all right for legumes, and 
the more legumes you get on the land to 
make forage to feed and make manure, 
the less nitrogen you need to buy. In 
fact, in general farming one need not 
buy any if he farms right, but with early 
truck crops some is demanded for forc¬ 
ing the growth early. Follow the peas 
with cow peas and the cow peas after 
mowing with Crimson clover. 
W. F. MASSEY. 
MUSHROOMS FOR PROFIT. 
D. (No Address ).—Can I make a good 
living growing mushrooms? I followed in¬ 
structions in a pamphlet and raised a small 
crop. 
Ans. —There is undoubtedly no 
branch of horticultural pursuits with 
more uncertainty in it than that of 
growing mushrooms, and therefore no 
branch that requires greater skill and 
experience to produce regular crops. 
I he beginner at mushrooms often gets 
a fine crop the first time he tries, and 
plunges into the business at once, be¬ 
lieving that he has conquered all of its 
problems, only to fail repeatedly, and 
finally to give up in disgust and dis¬ 
couragement, minus his time and money 
and having gained little valuable ex¬ 
perience. If your correspondent has a 
great desire to try this risky business, 
1 should strongly advise him to begin 
v ery slowly and on a small scale, com¬ 
bining the experiment in mushroom cul¬ 
ture with some more remunerative oc¬ 
cupation. It is a well-known fact among 
mushroom growers that the spawn 
made in this country, and known as 
“pure culture spawn,” is much surer 
to produce a crop than the foreign 
spawn. This latter is very often over¬ 
heated in the hold of the ship, so that it 
is worthless before it is sold. The fact 
that your correspondent follows instruc¬ 
tions very closely would have little to 
do with the final result of his experi¬ 
ment, for there is something over and 
above this in mushroom culture, a cer¬ 
tain indefinable quality that cannot be 
got from or expressed on paper, but can 
be more nearly acquired from a close 
study of the traits and habits of the 
mushroom. There are more innocent 
people led astray in farming and gar¬ 
dening, etc., by these advertisements 
telling of get-rich-quick methods than 
through any other source. w. w. 
SALT FISH FOR FERTILIZER. 
I have obtained 40 barrels of fish unfit 
for food. IIow can I use salt fish for ma¬ 
nure to best advantage? I have an apple 
orchard six to eight years old. I grow corn 
and potatoes. Where should I use them 
and how? Will salt hurt the trees? 
Alderson, W. Va. j. w. j. 
From choice we would scatter the fish 
over grass or grain early so the rain and 
melting snow can wash the salt out of 
it. Six to eight pounds around a tree— 
out from the trunk—will do no injury. 
Do not use over 10 pounds to a tree of 
this age. The corn crop will utilize the 
salt fish better than the potatoes. Do 
not place it under, but leave it on top 
to wash out. 
Good' Virginia Corn. — I thought you 
might bo interested in the yield of corn 
made by one of your southern subscribers. 
The yield was 144 bushels per acre. This 
corn was raised on my farm about one mile 
south of Richmond on James River low 
ground. This land has never had manure 
or fertilizer of any kind used on it, and is 
planted in corn every year. The corn plant¬ 
ed was Cocke’s Prolific: it was planted early 
in May. The rows were about three feet 
apart and the corn 10 inches in the row. 
It was only worked three times. The dirt 
was first thrown from the corn with a turn 
plow, the second working consisted of run¬ 
ning a cultivator close and deep, and at the 
last working the dirt was ridged up to the 
corn with a turn plow. joiin a. archer. 
R. N.-Y.—Mr. Archer won first prize at 
the Virginia State Fair with this yield. 
Propagating Grapes Indoors. —I saw 
recently an old way to propagate grape¬ 
vines. You cut them at any time after the 
leaves are off, keep them in the garden 
where no one will disturb them, then in 
March put them in water, at least three 
eyes long; keep them warm and they soon 
root. In June and July lay the green shoots 
in flower pots, let the end come off, and in 
October the roots will fill up the pots. They 
will bear much sooner that way. b. 
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