1914. 
I 
GROUND LIMESTONE AND POTATO SEED. 
HAVE a quantity of ground limestone on hand. 
Would you advise me to use it for dusting over the 
seed pieces of potato as they are cut—the same 
as land plaster or sulphur is used? G. k. 
Ground Limestone Not Desirable. 
Personally I never had any good results in con¬ 
trolling potato scab by adding lime or any substance 
which would tend to make the ground alkaline. In 
this region flowers of sulphur is worthless, and I am 
inclined to think no good results can be made with 
it elsewhere, for the potato seal) fungus really likes 
to grow iu quite a high percentage of sulphur. As 
to the use of ground limestone on cut potatoes, I 
can see no object in it if he has in mind potato scab 
prevention or prevention of the ordinary potato dis¬ 
eases. If it is just a method of drying the cut 
pieces so they will be less liable to rot when placed 
in wet or poorly drained ground, it is possible there 
might be some advantage. Just at present, there is 
such a craze on for using ground limestone as a 
fertilizer that it is liable to be recommended for 
anything. Ground limestone used in large quantities 
on acid soils will undoubtedly be good for potato 
production. Potato scab fungus does not thrive well 
on acid soil. If one puts on enough ground lime or 
other alkaline fertilizer to cause acid soils to be¬ 
come sufficiently neutral or alkaline to 
raise good potatoes, there will be 
plenty of scab there if they do not 
treat the potatoes for the prevention of 
scab. There are only two treatments 
which have proved worth while; the 
first is liquid formaldehyde at the rate 
of one pound to 40 gallons of water, 
the tubers to be soaked in this solution 
one and one-half hour before being 
cut. In using corrosive sublimate, the 
tubers should be treated before being 
cut, for a period of one and one-half 
hour in a solution made up by dissolv¬ 
ing powdered corrosive sublimate in 
water at the rate of one ounce to six 
gallons of water. This is not only a 
good disinfectant for the prevention of 
potato scab, but is the most efficient 
one for the prevention of Rhizoetonia 
and practically all of the potato rot- 
producing fungi, including the Fusar- 
ium rot. n. l. boixey. 
North Dakota Station. 
Sulphur Is Better. 
I would advise against the use of 
ground limestone for dusting seed po¬ 
tatoes after cutting. I would rather 
use nothing whatever than ground lime¬ 
stone. Laud plaster has been very wide¬ 
ly used, and seems to have given good 
results. Numerous experiments in 
Canada over a period of several years 
have shown that the yield from seed 
dusted with land plaster is greater 
than that from undusted seed. Flow¬ 
ers of sulphur also is good for dust¬ 
ing cut seed. It is believed that the 
sulphur has some influence in the pre¬ 
vention of scab, and perhaps also acts 
as a fungicide in the prevention of 
rotting of the seed, although that has 
not been demonstrated. One objection 
to sulphur is the fact that it gets into 
the eyes of the person cutting the seed 
and handling the potatoes in planting. 
Geneva (N. Y.) Exp. Station. f. c. stewart. 
Soak the Seed Potatoes. 
I should not recommend rolling the cut potato 
tubers in ground limestone before planting, unless 
I had positive evidence that there were no germs 
of potato scab disease on the potato tuber, or iu the 
soil; and since it is practically impossible to have 
such assurance in advance, I think it would be very 
unwise to use the ground limestone, as proposed. 
The employment of land plaster instead of ground 
limestone would not be open to this objection, for 
whereas ground limestone will increase scab very ma¬ 
terially. land plaster is practically neutral in this re¬ 
spect. If the seed tubers are treated properly with cor¬ 
rosive sublimate solution before planting, there will be 
little need of rolling them in sulphur before planting, 
although if the soil itself is already seriously contam¬ 
inated, this treatment would have a slightly bene¬ 
ficial effect, since through the oxidation of the sul¬ 
phur within the potato hill, sulphuric acid would 
be formed, which would lessen the tendency to the 
development of potato scab on the tubers in the hill. 
It must be borne in mind, however, that if sulphur 
is used on soils already excessively acid, it will have 
a positively poisonous effect, as I demonstrated sev¬ 
eral years ago, in connection with my experiments 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
in Rhode Island. In fact, recent German investiga¬ 
tors have found that the employment of sulphur in 
soils is likely to be advantageous only in case there 
is plenty of carbonate of lime in the soil. In some 
instances, benefit from its use has been noticed when 
such conditions existed. Where superphosphate is 
used, however, sulphur is being continually applied 
to the land in the shape of gypsum contained in the 
superphosphate. Hence, the possibility of the sul¬ 
phur having any direct fertilizer value when used 
in conjunction with such a fertilizer would be ex¬ 
ceedingly small. Wherever soils are only slightly 
acid, neutral, or alkaline, the seed tubers may be 
rolled in sulphur without the probability of poison¬ 
ous results. II. J. WHEELER. 
BUILDING A RAILROAD. 
T HERE is a question of great interest not only to 
myself but to all the people in this section. How 
can we get a railroad through this part of the 
country? The length of the road would be 
about 30 miles, beginning at Wallace, N. Y.. on the Erie 
and D. L. & W. railroads, and running to Stanley or 
Geneva. N. Y. This is a fine farming country, all the 
way. The principal crops are potatoes, hay, fruits and 
dairy products. At present we have to haul this pro¬ 
duce from three to 10 miles to markets. We have a 
fine grade for a road„ and the right of way would he 
free. Farmers through this section would give from 
769 
running through New l T ork. The present railroads 
fought it-so hard before the Public Service Com¬ 
mission that this commission would not grant a cer¬ 
tificate. This proposed company had ample financial 
backing, but the opposition was so fierce that the 
commission held that there was no necessity for a 
third road, and that there probably was not busi¬ 
ness enough to keep them all properly running. 
In the next place; you will have to obtain a clear 
right of way through the territory, even if you ob¬ 
tain a certificate from the commission. Probably 
this would not be hard to obtain, as the proposed 
road runs through a farming section where the peo¬ 
ple need this new convenience. From the map it ap¬ 
pears that this road would run through a country 
where there are no large towns. For the most part 
this road would be paralleled by two other roads 
within fair distance. The chances are that there 
would be some difficulty in getting a certificate from 
the commission, since there would be hard opposi¬ 
tion from the roads already operating in this terri¬ 
tory. There would probably be less trouble in ob¬ 
taining a certificate for a trolley line instead of a 
railroad. This would be much cheaper to build and 
grade, and would probably prove a greater conven¬ 
ience for your farmers, since freight stations could 
be put at short intervals. 
Tt is possible that water power for 
running the trolley through electricity 
might be developed at the rivers and 
creeks in this territory. There is an¬ 
other plan which might be developed. 
That is for the farmers to combine, 
and with the State put in a good mac¬ 
adam public road through this terri¬ 
tory, and establish upon it an auto¬ 
mobile trucking line. They could provide 
a suitable service with these trucks for 
carrying freight and passengers 
promptly and thus come close to serv¬ 
ing the purpose of a railroad. This 
plan is being carried out in a number 
of places with fair success. In any 
event, the first thing to do is to make 
sure of the money. The cost for a 
railroad or trolley line will be heavy. 
It is doubtful if the farmers them¬ 
selves can finance such a line, and it 
will be necessary to get some finan¬ 
cial institution to handle it. They 
must then obtain the consent of the 
Public Service Commission before they 
can start seriously at such an enter¬ 
prise. It is quite possible that the 
automobile truck service would be the 
most feasible plan for a community of 
this kind. 
A ROCKY MOUNTAIN CANARY. BORN IN NEW JERSEY. Fig. 306. 
.$1<KI to $1,000 to have some kind of a railroad. The 
railroads now here surround a large section of farming 
country, and they also prevent any other company from 
building a road here. These roads are now getting all 
the freight from this country, but to a great disadvan¬ 
tage to all the people who live here. Could the Public 
Service Commission do anything to help us, or is there 
anything we can do to help ourselves? We cannot 
build the road, for we have not enough money. J. R. d. 
“ROCKY MOUNTAIN CANARY.” 
^■jp^HE picture at Fig. 306 shows a 
little donkey colt, or a Rocky 
Mountain canary. This kind of 
canary is very rare in the East, and 
little Killarney, as this one is called, 
has attracted great attention. She is 
owned by Mrs. Frederick A. Wilson of 
Englishtown, N. J. The father of Kil¬ 
larney was known as Jack, and its 
mother as Jill. It is the only little 
donkey that has really shown robust 
health in the many attempts at 
breeding which have been made at 
Rellwood Farm. Therefore Killarney is something 
of a novelty, and we are glad to giv» her the pic¬ 
ture in The R. N.-Y. May she grow up to be a true 
representative of New Jersey, and it is also in order 
to remember John Burns, the special custodian, 
breeder, handler, and breaker of Miss Killarney. 
We are not experienced in building railroads. 
Practical steps however to be taken would be about' 
as follows: 
First, you must provide the funds. Some one 
must get at work in earnest. lie must either get the 
surrounding farmers to subscribe to enough of the 
stock and bonds to start such a road, or find some 
substantial banker who will underwrite the bonds 
and stocks needed, and also furnish the equipment. 
This money must be in sight somewhere before you 
can think of starting such a railroad. 
In the next place, you must obtain the permission 
and approval of the Public Service Commission of 
your district. You could not build a railroad or 
street line at the present time without obtaining 
from this commission a certificate of public conven¬ 
ience or necessity. You must prove to them that the 
road is necessary for the convenience of the public. 
You will probably find that this is hard to obtain. 
Not long ago an effort was made to obtain a road 
“SWAT THE FLY.”—Everyone seems to be waking 
up for the fly fight. The latest advice comes from James 
W. Helme, Dairy and Food Commissioner of Michigan: 
“Consider the house-fly and his mate. They toil not, 
neither do they spin, but when it comes to bringing 
forth posterity, they have got Teddy Roosevelt’s hobby 
beat a mile. About this time Mr. and Mrs. II. Fly 
leave their Winter quarters and hie themselves to the 
nearest manure pile, where Mrs. II. Fly makes her 
nest and lays 120 eggs at one sitting. As a layer Mrs. 
Fly has got the White Leghorn beat to a frazzle. In 12 
hours these eggs hatch into maggots and unless picked 
up by the old hen and converted into eggs, they crawl 
down in the manure and eat for a week. Then after 
lying dormant for another week, they come out full- 
fledged flies dressed out in an Easter suit minus the 
hat and split skirt, and proceed to give the race suicide 
theory another blow in the solar plexus. Every fly 
killed in May means 1.000,000 less flies in September. 
Now is the time to swat the fly and swat him hard.” 
No question about the damage from this filthy insect, 
but do more than “swat.” Go to the origin of things 
and either keep the horse manure under cover or well 
sprinkled with equal parts of acid phosphate and kainit. 
Five minutes at this work will accomplish more than 
five days work at “swatting.” 
