138 
adopting sod culture on steep hillsides is to prevent 
washing of the soil, one of these cultivated plots 
was on the hillside in the Hitchings orchard. Prof. 
Hedrick says that during the 10-year period little 
or no washing was done by this tillage. This was 
hardly fair, however, as the cultivated plots are 
very narrow, and the sod above them would hold 
the water hack. Prof. Hedrick, however;, gives the 
opinion that danger from surface washing on hilly 
land in New York is greatly exaggerated. Heavy 
rains are not frequent. Orchard lands are usually 
more or less stony, and the stones prevent washing 
to some extent. He says that a wide observation 
in the fruit-growing sections of New York has not 
shown many orchards which are badly damaged by 
wash. Prof. Hedrick even claims that proper culti¬ 
vation may be made an efficient means of lessening 
the washing of land. 
When it comes to a comparison of cost in handling 
such an orchard, there is nothing to it, for sod 
culture is so far ahead that cultivation is out of 
sight. It cost on the average 72 cents per acre to 
cut the grass in this Hitchings orchard, and this 
cultivation with a mowing machine was all that 
was done. On the other hand, the cultivation for 
the tilled plots cost $10.28 per acre. This is above 
the average of cost in the better orchards of New 
York State. In Monroe County, N. Y., the Auehter 
orchard also shows an experiment between culture 
and sod. While the Hitchings orchard is upon a 
steep hillside, the Auehter orchard is level, and 
consequently easier to cultivate. In this Auehter 
orchard the cost of cutting the grass on one acre 
was 80 cents and the cost of tillage $3.02, or about 
one-fifth of the cost of cultivation on this steep hill¬ 
side of Mr. Hitchings. Put in another way. the cost 
of tillage in the Hitchings orchard was 12% cents 
per bushel of fruit, while in the Auehter orchard 
this cost was one and one-fifth cent. The cost of the 
apples grown in sod was one-half cent per bushel 
for cutting the grass, and one-third of a cent per 
bushel in the Auehter orchard. Prof. Hedrick brings 
out the point that the cost of tillage is sure to vary 
greatly, depending upon the land and its location, 
the tools, the teams, and other conditions; while the 
cost of cutting grass for the sod-mulch culture will 
remain much the same everywhere. Giving these 
figures, Prof. Hedrick summed up the matter as fol¬ 
lows, taking into consideration the various soils and 
economic conditions to he found in New York State. 
It seems to us that these statements are very fair. 
There are certainly conditions under which sod cul¬ 
ture will pay. Upon our own farm we have two or 
three places where we believe it is far more economi¬ 
cal to keep our apple trees in sod, while in adjoining 
fields under a little different condition it is clearly 
evident that some form of culture will pay better. 
The time has evidently gone by when any rigid or 
cast-iron rules can he laid down for either side of 
the argument. The individual grower must take 
one method or the other and adapt it to the peculiar 
condition of his own soil and farm. Here are Prof. 
Hedrick's conclusions: 
1. Orchards on steep hillsides where land iron Id 
uash badly under tillage may be kept in sod. We 
have tried to show, however, that cultivation may Ik* 
so managed that there are but few commercial 
orchards in New York in which cultivation need he 
prevented by soil erosion. 
2. On land covered with rocks , trees may best 
stand in sod. Such lands, whether steep or not, must 
often be kept in sod because of the impossibility of 
tillage. There are not a few such orchards in New 
l'ork. 
3. The Hitchings method is adapted only to soils 
having suitable depth. That is, soils in which grass 
roots and tree roots do not come into too intimate 
contact or too direct competition for food and mois¬ 
ture. The commercial apple orchards of New York 
are at present largely on lands the top soil of which 
averages less than a foot in depth. On these shal¬ 
low soils the Hitchings method usually will prove 
a failure. 
4. Soils must be retentive of moisture. To sustain 
trees at their best under the Hitchings method, 
soils must not only be deep but must be very re¬ 
tentive of moisture, or have the water table com¬ 
paratively close to the root run of the trees, or, as 
in the case of the orchard under discussion, must 
be fed by seepage from higher ground nearby. On 
land that annually suffers from Summer droughts 
the sod mulch treatment will almost certainly prove 
less beneficial to trees than tillage. 
5. Economic conditions may decide the choice be¬ 
tween Ullage and some mulching treatment. The 
cost of caring for an orchard is very much less under 
the Hitchings mode of mulching than by tillage. If, 
then, a man chooses to grow apples extensively 
rather than intensively, he may make larger acreage 
in sod counterbalance greater production under til¬ 
THE RURA NEW-VORKER 
lage thereby bringing the net income to the same 
level. 
In conclusion, the chief lesson the Hitchings or¬ 
chard teaches is that a man may break away from 
common practice, when circumstances render such 
practice difficult or impossible, and yet attain a high 
degree of success. The Hitchings orchard, then, is 
a splendid demonstration that new paths to success 
may be blazed, new practices devised to meet new 
conditions or old obstacles overcome in new ways. 
It is an encouraging example of resourceful pioneer¬ 
ing and of persistent endeavor to attain the high 
success. The pith and the point of the work by the 
Geneva Experiment Station in this orchard is not 
so much the new method of growing apples, as that 
fruit growing is intensely individual. The prime 
factor is the man. 
DECEPTIVE STATEMENTS ABOUT 
PHOSPHATES. 
Will you explain to me the meaning of tri-calcium 
phosphorus, equivalent to bone ash? This is the guaran¬ 
tee printed on the bags containing chick feed, which 
a friend of mine bought some time ago. and he would 
like to know what he is feeding his chickens, c. ii. w. 
New York. 
No one can tell what these chickens are eating 
except the man who put up this stuff. “Tri-calcium 
phosphorus” is one of these fool or deceptive terms 
which manufacturers use to confuse their patrons. 
Phosphorus makes three combinations with lime. 
The "tri-calcium phosphate" is composed of three 
parts of lime to one of phosphorus. It is insoluble 
in water. “Reverted” phosphate contains two parts 
ot lime and “soluble” phosphate one part. The “tri- 
calehim" is also known as "bone phosphate.” This 
form of phosphate is found in Florida rock. Ten¬ 
nessee rock, South Carolina rock, bones and tankage. 
From this name you might he feeding any of those 
substances. “Bone ash” is supposed to he what is 
left when cattle bones are fully turned to ashes! 
The “equivalent” in this statement, lets the manu¬ 
facturer out by saying that there would he a certain 
amount of “hone ash” if all of the stuff were ob¬ 
tained from bones and all were burned." It is an 
old story how Darwin tells of cattle herders in 
Patagonia who killed a steer and used the hones as 
fuel to roast the meat. A Patagonian, however, 
would be satisfied with meat served very rare, and 
he has no pressing engagement to hurry the cook¬ 
ing. This so-called “guaranteed statement” in this 
chicken feed is a good sample of the ridiculous 
statements made up to fool the public. 
CONSERVATIVE FATHER AND PROGRESS¬ 
IVE SON. 
Bert Smith, a well-known dairyman and institute 
worker erf Ohio, tells the following, which is an ex¬ 
ample of the conservative father and the progressive 
sou: 
“The young man, while taking his agricultural 
college course, told me of the old farm in northern 
Ohio. As the time of his graduation approached lie 
was at the parting of the way. A position with an 
attractive salary was open for him. The old farm 
and the care of the parents demanded his return. 1 
advised the hoy that there was but one thing for 
him to do* and that to go home, care for the old 
farm, and make the father and mother happy. 
“He relied on my advice. 1 had occasion later to 
he in the locality, and I looked up the young man. 
He told me the story of his experience during the 
months following his graduation. Every effort he 
made to get out of the old rut was vigorously 
blocked by his father and mother. The fences were 
in bad way, and his plan to re-establish new ones 
was bitterly opposed. The rehabilitating of the barn 
was denied, and just a few days before the young 
man had ordered a manure spreader on his own re- 
January .11, 
sponsihility. The dealer had confidence in the hoy, 
and extended him time, lmt the parents denounced 
the purchase. The boy was discouraged with his 
prospects. He was ashamed of himself and his sur¬ 
roundings. His nerve was broken. In view of con¬ 
ditions which that young man faced,” Mr. Smith 
said, “I regretted the advice which sent him back 
to the farm. 
“I say to the parents,” added Mr. Smith, “if the 
boy is honest and deserving, faithful and hard work¬ 
ing, when he comes home from college give him a 
chance. Stand back of him. bury your old prejudices 
and give the hoy opportunity to apply his learning. 
A conservative parent can lag behind and exhaust 
all the boy’s pull, and the boy can’t get anywhere. 
Most of us should look forward to the hoys, and if 
they make mistakes let them profit by them. We 
should sweep out some of the cobwebs from our 
mental garrets, and when the boy comes hack with 
some good sensible money-making and saving ideas, 
let us help put them in operation. The policy will 
hind the iboy to the farm with hands of steel, so 
give the boy his chance; if not, I then say to the 
hoy. accept the salaried position." concluded Mr. 
Smith. w. .r. 
Ohio. 
INSECTS IN STORED GRAIN. 
Would an application of hydrocyanic fumigation 
injure corn in any way? I have constructed a tight 
corn bin in the barn, and bought the necessary carbon 
bisulphide, but the stuff was no good, at least it did 
not kill the borers. From a clipping from your paper 
I learn how to handle the hydrocyanic. Millions of 
bushels of corn are yearly devoured here bv the weevils, 
and the natives don’t care a straw about any remedies 
—in fact they don’t believe in disturbing nature in her 
own proper workings. j. n. 
Dowling Park, Fla. 
The injury by insects to stored grain all through 
the Gulf States amounts to hundreds of thousands 
of dollars each year. Those of us who live in the 
cooler regions of the Northern States, where the 
Summers are short and the Winters long, have no 
conception of the losses caused by stored grain in¬ 
sects in the South. In fact, this phase of injury 
constitutes one of the most serious troubles from in¬ 
sects with which the Southern farmer has to deal. 
All sorts of ideas and practices are common among 
the farmers of the Southern States in regard to the 
control of these pests; hut many of the more pro¬ 
gressive ones are beginning to build tight bins and 
granaries in which the grain may he stored and 
fumigated. This procedure seems to offer the only 
method of escape from these grain pests. 
As to hydrocyanic acid gas for fumigating stored 
grain, we would be inclined t<> discourage its use. 
The gas, however, if generated in the proper way 
and in correct proportions to the space inclosed, will 
apparently not injure dry corn for food purposes or 
for planting. l)r. C. O. Townsend carried on a long 
series of experiments with hydrocyanic acid gas to 
determine its effect on dry and damp seeds. His 
conclusions, in brief, are as follows: 
Stored grain and other seeds may be fumigated 
with hydrocyanic acid gas of required strength and 
for sufficient time to insure the destruction of in¬ 
sect pests without injury to the germinating quality 
of the seeds and without rendering them injurious 
as foods. Dry grains and other seeds may be fumi¬ 
gated with the usual strength of hydrocyanic acid 
gas for several days, without in any way interfering 
with the germinating property of the seeds. On the 
other hand, damp grains and seeds are much more 
sensitive to the influence of hydrocyanic acid gas 
than dry seeds. We should discourage flu* use of 
hydrocanic acid gas for fumigating grains, because 
it is such a virulent poison and so dangerous to 
handle; because it does not seem to he able to pene¬ 
trate masses of closely piled grain in sufficient quan¬ 
tities to kill all of the insects; and because of its 
liability to injure the germinating power of the 
seeds if the grain is moist and damp as it is apt 
to be. 
The usual proportions of ingredients for generat¬ 
ing hydrocyanic acid gas are: One ounce of potas¬ 
sium cyanide 98 per cent, pure, one ounce of com¬ 
mercial sulphuric acid, and three ounces of water 
tc 100 cubic feet of space. Apparently the best sub¬ 
stance for fumigating stored grain is carbon bisul¬ 
phide. It should be used somewhat stronger, how¬ 
ever, than has been generally recommended. Not 
less than two to three pounds should be used for 
every one thousand cubic feet of space in a tight 
bin, and tlie fumigation should he continued at least 
I s hours. Moreover, the temperature, at the time of 
fumigation should he from 05 to 75 degrees Fahren¬ 
heit. Probably most of the failures with carbon 
bisulphide may be attributed to low temperatures 
during the fumigation; to loose and open bins from 
which the gas escapes before doing its work; and to 
the use of too small quantities. 
GLENN W. UERUICK. 
