t !)14. 
T.'1-IEJ RURAL XM EW«Y ORKER 
1 311 
BRAZILIAN METHOD OF MANURING TREES. 
Experience in Orange Groves. 
ITH regard to the use of manure in orchards, 
we made a very interesting and suggestive 
observation in Brazil last Winter in this con¬ 
nection. We found in the orange groves in the vicin¬ 
ity of Itio de Janeiro, and more particularly at Ba¬ 
hia, that the orange growers practice the applica¬ 
tion of manure to their orchards regularly and in 
considerable quantity. In fact we were told by 
many orange growers, and found no contrary opin¬ 
ion, that manure in those citrus orchards was abso¬ 
lutely necessary for the maintenance of healthy and 
productive trees. They use the term manure to in¬ 
clude both the manure from dairies or other sources, 
the composting of various organic substances with 
this manure, packing-house refuse, and. in one or 
two cases, other highly nitrogenous substances, such 
as the sugar cane after the juice had been pressed 
out of it. We were repeatedly informed by the lead¬ 
ing and most successful citrus growers, without ex¬ 
ception, that this practice was absolutely necessary 
in order to grow healthy orange trees. 
The method of using this manure by these orange 
growers did not make so much impression on us at 
the time as it has since we have had an opportunity 
to study and digest our notes and observations made 
on this expedition, since returning to the United 
States. In the first place, as a rule the manure is 
collected in cemented pits; care is taken to preserve 
the liquid as well as the solid manure, mixing both 
before distributing the manure in the groves. Usu¬ 
ally cisterns are provided for collecting the liquid 
manure, from which it is taken up by buckets at¬ 
tached to ropes. The manure is buried in the soil in 
the orange groves. 
On level land, a hole about three feet across and 
15 inches deep is dug with a heavy hoe, called "en- 
cliada,” in the center of the square 
made by four trees. The trees are 
planted on the average about 20 feet 
apart each way in squares. On hill¬ 
sides this hole is dug directly above 
each individual tree, perhaps five feet 
above the tree. The earth is some¬ 
what banked up on the lower side of 
the holes. After the manure is placed 
in these holes the loose earth is thrown 
back on the manure, usually resulting 
in the loose earth being raised above 
the surrounding soil several inches. In 
a short time, however, the manure and 
loose earth settle so that these holes 
tilled with manure and earth have the 
same level as the rest of the orchard. 
There is no doubt in my mind but 
what there is a philosophy about this 
method of using manure in citrus and 
perhaps other orchards which is 
worthy of careful study in this country. 
The method used by the Brazilians is, no doubt, an 
inherited method, handed down from generation to 
generation, perhaps from Portugal, and even before 
tins from India, from which source the Portuguese 
secured their citrus trees. From India the Portu¬ 
guese carried their citrus to Portugal and later to 
Brazil. a. d. shamkl. 
U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. 
R. N.-Y.—In Florida we were told by expert orange 
growers, whose groves were on light soil, that ma¬ 
nures and organic fertilizers were not satisfactory. 
The reason given was that the organic manures kept 
up a long continued supply of nitrogen—often caus¬ 
ing a rank growth too late in the Fall. Therefore 
these growers preferred chemicals containing solu¬ 
ble plant food. The soil and conditions in Brazil 
may he different from those in Florida. It has long 
been known that if we plant manure or even a bone 
in the soil some distance from a tree or vine the 
roots will turn and make for this buried plant food. 
GOOD WORDS FOR SWEET CLOVER. 
N page 1200 W. F. Massey, of Maryland, writes 
rather disparagingly of Sweet clover; calling 
it a rank weed, and remarking that there is no 
need for it in that State. Maryland must indeed he 
a very fertile State if there is no land in it that 
could be benefited by a crop of Sweet clover, or 
where a crop of this legume would not be the most 
profitable one that could be grown. For several 
years I have been quite an extensive grower of Sweet 
clover, therefore feel competent to testify to its qual¬ 
ities, good and bad. It is equal to Alfalfa as a for¬ 
age crop; far excels any of the clovers as a seed 
crop, and is only a shade under Alfalfa in nutritious 
properties; contains more nutriment than Crimson 
clover, and Timothy is not in the same class. 
After cutting a hay crop, which in every respect 
will compare favorably with the first cutting of Al¬ 
falfa, you can harvest a seed crop ranging from four 
to 15 bushels per acre, which is now selling in cen¬ 
tral Ohio from $10 to $12 per bushel of 00 pounds, 
with the supply not equal to the demand. In most 
States, and possibly in Maryland, there are gravel 
and day hills which will grow no crops, and wash 
greatly. A sparse covering of grass may possibly 
succeed in its struggle for existence, but 10 acres 
would scarcely afford pasture for one healthy cow. 
Sow this same 10 acres to Sweet clover, 20 pounds 
per acre, early in the Spring, and it will afford good 
pasture for the first year for all of the stock found 
on the average 100 to 150-acre farm, and the second 
year it c;ui either lie pastured until the middle of 
June or a hay crop be obtained. About the middle 
of September a seed crop can be harvested, then the 
field can again be pastured until early Winter. This 
seed crop will easily pay for the feed consumed by 
the stock the remainder of the year. 
Sweet clover is a biennial plant, with seed crop 
best the second year. It is an easy crop to raise, as 
the ground requires no special attention. All that is 
necessary is scratching the surface with a disk or 
an ordinary iron-tooth harrow, and broadcasting 20 
pounds of seed to the acre. My first experience was 
rather unique. I carefully prepared a 35-acre field—■ 
good soil, and drilled in the seed with oats as a 
nurse crop. Another field of 15 acres, gravel and 
clay hills, was scratched over with a disk. Seed was 
sown broadcast. In an old gravel pit of about two 
acres, the seed was sown broadcast, without any 
preparation whatever. In the 35-acre field with 
good seed bed, the effort was a complete failure, but 
in the 15-acre field and the gravel pit I had excellent 
results. I afterwards found out, by experience, to be 
successful, you must have a very compact seed bed, 
in depth. The seed in the 35-acre field was drilled 
in too deep, and the soil underneath was too soft. 
All of my stock prefers Sweet clover pasture and hay 
to any other. c. h. k. 
Springfield, Ohio. 
A NOTE ABOUT NUTS. 
N answering the letter of M. H. M., of Virginia, 
on page 1255, you speak of “White walnuts or 
hickories.” In Bulletin 17. Division of Forestry, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, “White walnut” as 
a name in use for Hicoria ovata, or shagbark (hick¬ 
ory) is given only from New Jersey; whereas “White 
walnut” as a name in use for Juglans cinerea, but¬ 
ternut, is given from lt> States, including Virginia. 
So undoubtedly your correspondent had this nut in 
mind when he asked about the market value of the 
“White walnut.” 
As you say, the great drawback to the Black wal¬ 
nut and the butternut is the thick shell and the diffi¬ 
culty of getting out the meat. There must be some¬ 
where trees of these varieties that bear nuts that 
have thinner shells and meats that are easier to get 
out. It is now comparatively easy to propagate any 
nuts by budding and grafting. If any person knows 
of a superior Black walnut or butternut he should 
make it known to the U. S. Department of Agricul¬ 
ture for expert opinion and for propagation if found 
worthy. 
About the hickory (shagbark, IT. ovata) you say 
“The percentage of these nuts of good size, thin 
shell and easily removed meats is small.” This is 
true, but there are nuts with these good qualities, 
and there will be more of them some day when peo¬ 
ple realize that they can top-work their hickories of 
any variety with selected varieties and get nuts 
that fetch the highest market prices. Rut many of 
the trees that bear these extra good nuts are dying 
off year by year, without anyone making an effort 
to have them perpetuated by grafting. 
w. c. DEMING, 
Secretary Northern Nut Growers’ Association. 
HOW TO STORE SEED POTATOES. 
TORE them in the cellar exactly the same as ap¬ 
ples in bins, only be careful to see that the tem¬ 
perature never goes lower than 32 degrees. In 
the Spring it is most difficult to keep the seed in per¬ 
fect condition Early sprouting does to some ex¬ 
tent lower the vitality, but this of itself is not neces¬ 
sarily most damaging, because if the seed is stored 
in thin layers, well aired, we always find it strong 
after planting, judging bv the stand of plants. But 
it is when the seed is stored in a large body that we 
have trouble; then the seed will heat, and the worst 
of it is there is no way of determining the extent of 
the damage, for it looks exactly like the seed spread 
out in shallow layers. 
We have found a better way than to depend on 
cellar storage in late Spring. As soon as the seed 
shows a tendency to sprout, we remove from cellar 
storage, treat with formaldehyde solution and imme¬ 
diately spread in a thin layer on the grass. If the 
seed is intended for late planting we put it under 
the shade of trees and let it lie there for weeks or 
until we are ready to plant The seed will at once 
begin to put out short, stubbed, leathery, green 
sprouts. The longer it is spread out the tougher 
these sprouts seem to be, working perfectly without 
injury in any of the modern planters. It is by this 
means that we get the perfect stand, for when the 
seed is cut the future plant to be is right before you 
There is no chance for heating as in cellar storage 
at this season of the year, and we are relieved of 
all doubt as to the vitality of the seed. 
Up till the time when the seed be 
gins to sprout we consider cellar stor 
age ideal. After that it is faulty be 
cause every sprout formed in cellar 
storage is almost sure to be broker) 
off, thereby weakening the seed just to 
that extent. But as I have pointed out, 
the real damage occurs where pota¬ 
toes are stored in a solid mass and al¬ 
lowed to sprout, filling up the air 
spaces, causing them to heat, resist¬ 
ing always in a poor stand, and disas¬ 
trously to the grower. i. n. ware, 
Maine. 
R. N.-Y.—This refers to very late 
planting in Maine—long after danger 
from frost is over. In latitude farther 
south, where potatoes are often planted 
before danger from frost is over, this 
advice to spread on the open ground 
would have to be modified. The for¬ 
maldehyde treatment is always good 
insurance. The main idea involved—that of avoid¬ 
ing long, weak sprouts, that impair the potato’s vi¬ 
tality, holds good in any case. 
TEMPORARY PASTURE FOR ONE YEAR. 
OW the season is over and our farmers have 
felt the need of temporary pasture, may 1 
offer the suggestion below, which is strongly 
recommended by the Ontario Agricultural College. 
Canada, and has been found very effective? 
A good temporary pasture can be used by sowing 
the following: 51 pounds oats. Early Amber cane 
30 pounds, common Red Clover, seven pounds, mak¬ 
ing a total of 88 pounds per acre. The oats and 
cane are mixed together, and are sown from the 
grain box of the seed drill, and the clover is sown 
from the grass seed box placed in front of the 
tubes of the drill. If the mixture is sown about the 
first week in May, it is usually ready for pasture 
about the 20th of June. The oats are early and 
rapid in growth; the cane is later, and the clover 
forms the principal pasture in the Autumn. 
Pasture for two years: Red clover, six pounds. 
Alsike clover, three pounds, Orchard grass, three 
pounds, Meadow fescue, three pounds, Timothy 
three pounds, making a total of IS pounds per acre. 
This mixture can be sown in the Spring, either with 
or without a grain crop the clover and the Tim¬ 
othy from the grass seed box, and the Orchard grass 
and fescue by hand. It could be used as a hay crop 
the following year and for pasture after. f. k. 
Connecticut 
Now the Australians are planting citrus fruits, ex¬ 
pecting to send oranges to the American market. The 
Spanish government will also send commissioners here 
t«i see if a market for Spanish oranges can be found! 
with a pulverized surface of not over one half inch 
AFTER A NUTTING EXPEDITION IN CONNECTICUT. Fig. 573. 
