1910. 
THE RURAL NEW- i ORKTER. 
195 
HEADING BACK LARGE TREES. 
R. L. T., Lapeer, Midi .—Where should 
the tall branches be cut in heading down 
old apple trees? In particular, how is the 
heading best done? 
Ans. —How to get the old, high-head¬ 
ed apple trees reduced to low-down tops 
is a matter I have taken considerable in¬ 
terest in the last few years. In case of 
a severe infestation of San Jose scale I 
have not hesitated to cut off practically 
the whole top of the tree down to stubs, 
six or seven feet from- the main trunk, 
though I prefer to have some branches 
if possible. Many small water sprouts 
will start, and these should be thinned 
out judiciously the following Summer; 
those left will ultimately form the new 
head. It is practically impossible to de¬ 
stroy a severe infestation of the scale 
where the branches of the tree are left 
high up. In ordinary cases, however, 
where there is little scale, I would not 
advise quite such severe treatment, but 
would take two or three years to accom¬ 
plish this heading in. The first year, I 
would cut only one-third to one-half of 
the main branches severely, that is, from 
six to twelve feet from where they fork 
—the rest of the top should be cut back 
to a limited extent. Water sprouts will 
grow on the large branches, near where 
they fork from the trunk, and the best 
of these should lie allowed to grow, the 
balance being thinned out the following 
Summer. The next year this same pro¬ 
cess should be repeated, and so on until 
an entirely new t«p can be constructed, 
ready for business; this will be in from 
two to five years, according to the con¬ 
dition of the tree. Where such severe 
cutting back is practised, great care must 
be exercised in the treatment of the 
wounds, by painting or tarring for the 
first few years; otherwise canker may 
set in and the branches decay. The above 
directions are for constructing a new 
top without any attempt to change the 
variety; should one wish to graft the 
top to a new variety, conditions would 
have to be somewhat modified. 
Connecticut. G. a. drew. 
“WATERPROOFING” FOR CEMENT. 
M. E. K., Mt. Ivy, N. Y .—Do you know 
of any paint or any waterproof preparation 
which can be applied to a concrete barn 
roof and sides to make it absolutely damp- 
proof? 
Axs.—It is hardly possible to answer 
satisfactorily a question like this without 
knowing more of the detail of condi¬ 
tions which are to be met. If the leaks 
referred to are due to cracks in the 
cement it will be very difficult to apply 
any waterproofing coat that would be 
entirely effective. The fact that M. E. 
K. 'speaks of treating both roof and sides 
of the barn to render it damp-proof 
suggests that he may be troubled with 
the condensation of moisture on the 
inner walls and the under side of the 
roof, coming from stock housed in the 
barn. If this is the case waterproofing 
is not the remedy to be applied, but 
adequate ventilation. If a very lean 
cement has been used, so that the con¬ 
crete is very porous, permitting the 
water to draw through by capillarity 
whenever it rains, it will be quite diffi¬ 
cult to make any complete remedy. Two 
coats of a liquid asphalt paint would 
probably render the roof sufficiently 
waterproof where there are no cracks, 
but this would leave the roof dead black. 
I he simplest application that would be 
partialjv effective is to whitewash with 
a coat of pure cement. This would 
leave the color practically that of the 
CESSPOOLS THAT CLOG. 
E. IF. P., Sharov, Mass .-—Do you know 
the best thing to destroy or take off the 
coating that forms on the inside of the 
ordinary cesspool and thus prevents the 
water from passing away? When the cess¬ 
pool is new the water will pass away in all 
ordinary soils, but it becomes coated with 
grease or otter substances by use. Is there 
anything that will remedy it without taking 
it up and building a new one? 
Ans. —There is no remedy except 
abandonment for the class of difficulties 
referred to by D. W. P. Sooner or 
later all cesspools become inefficient, and 
they are always dangerous, unsanitary if 
located anywhere near water supplies 
coming from wells. The great difficulty 
and danger grows out of the fact that 
the liquids seeping from a cesspool are 
always charged with soluble organic 
matter which are carried down to the 
water supply of a well, and are liable 
to find their way into it in sufficient 
quantity" to make the water dangerous, 
primarily because this liquid organic 
matter is the proper, food in which dis¬ 
ease germs may develop. The great 
danger of the spread of disease through 
milk grows out of the fact that it is so 
nutritious a fluid, in which one disease 
germ, which might be perfectly harmless 
in pure water, can multiply with suffi¬ 
cient rapidity so that, against such large 
numbers, a weak system is powerless to 
defend itself. And so, if well water be¬ 
comes charged with organic matter from 
cesspools or other source, it,- like the 
milk, becomes a culture medium into 
which disease germs may find their way 
and become dangerous even after the 
water is drawn from the well. The 
only proper course in such a case is to 
provide a concrete collecting basin and 
adopt one of the methods of sewage 
disposal which have been devised for 
rural conditions. f. h. king. 
Clearing Hammock Land. 
F. R. T. Bradentown, Fla .—I am told 
that to cut off or grub up “hammock” or 
forest land after the sap rises in the 
Spring will kill the land and it will never 
produce. Is this true or a mere tradition? 
If true, what is the philosophy of it? 
Ans.— I have seen hundreds of acres 
of hard wood and cabbage palmetto 
hammock cleared, and during every sea¬ 
son of the year. The after results ap¬ 
peared to be exactly the same in one case 
as in the others. If F. B. T. wishes to 
clear up hammock land, I would advise 
him to clear it up at the time of the 
.year when it can be done most econom¬ 
ically, and I would advise him to do the 
work thoroughly in the beginning. 
“W hatever is worth doing at all is worth 
doing well” is as true in clearing up 
hammock land as any other piece of 
work. p. H. ROLFS. 
Florida Exp. Station. 
YOU MAY TELL 
That your dairy house is equipped with every mod¬ 
ern improvement, that your employees dress in 
white suits, that your stable is built on the most 
sanitary plans, but if you deliver your milk from 
an old, obsolete type of wagon, the effectiveness of 
the above story will be largely lost. On the other 
hand, if you use a modern PARSONS “LOW- 
DOWN” WAGON it will emphasize the above. 
It is natural for people to look for modern methods 
when they see you using care in delivering your 
product. Complete description of these sanitary 
wagons will be sent by addressing the Dairy De¬ 
partment of 
natural concrete. Two coats of a good 
mineral paint of red or yellow ochre 
would be likely to offer protection for 
a time but could hardly be permanent. 
If the trouble is wholly due to capillary 
pores through which the water draws, 
absolute and permanent protection could 
be secured through the application of a 
coat of hot paraffin melted in. but this 
would be more expensive than either 
of the other treatments suggested. We 
would suggest trying the coat of cement 
whitewash; the experiment could be tried 
on a small area and tested by applying 
wa tcr. p t T k-tnt: 
PARSONS WAGON CO., Earlville, N.Y. 
IOO-GALLON CYPRESS 
H U V r or scoring -s 
I IIHIV ■ ter.for scald: 
and salting a 
many other purposes. C 
furnish with tight cover m: 
ing it suitable for sprayi 
for $8.00 additional. We ilk 
all other size Tanks In a 
shape, for all purposes. St 
Towers to elevate Ian 
Bells, Wind Mills, also Sil 
Pumps and GasolineEngin 
Goods guaranteed as rep 
sented or money back. 
the B a ™or E Co., 
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Lightest Draft 
For many years the favorite because It Is ; ‘the harrow 
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Ing the plow In any held—or stirring any kind of soli. 
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where Its fertilizing value is wasted. by experts on -‘Preparation of 
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the soil. Made In different sizes, from 3 feet to X7J4 feet In width. and better crops for 
Examine the Acme at your dealers, or write to our General Agents. Ask for you. Write postal 
our new Free Catalog, containing also valuable articles on --Preparation of the Soli. now. 
General Agents: 
KEMP & BURPEE MFG. CO., Syracuse, N. Y. 
JOHN DEERE PLOW CO., Indianapolis, Ind. 
Manufactured hy DUANE Ha NASH (Incorporated), 137 Central Ave., Millington, N. J. 
“HINTS ON FARM DRAINAGE.” 
Copy mailed free to each applicant for prices on our Modern Drain Tile. 
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Vianet j r 
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Cvery farmer and gardener ought to have the Planet 
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No. 25 Planet Jr Combined Hill and Drill Seeder, 
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S L Allen & Co 
Box 1107V 
Philadelphia Pa 
No. 8 
Hor so 
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r/ 
Every Reeder of This 
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Book 
Tne Acme 
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We can’t, and we don’t want 
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You'll Say This Too 
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Potato implement Co. 
Box 525 
Traverse City, Michm 
Good 
