11)15. 
WHAT ABOUT “PEDIGREED” TREES? 
AM very anxious to learn whether there is any 
truth in the claims made for “pedigreed stock” of 
fruit, trees. Will scions cut from known productive 
trees he more likely to produce productive trees than 
those cut indiscriminately? We expect to set out 
quite a number of apple trees this Fall, and wish to 
make no mistake in selecting the stock. H. w. T. 
Gentry, Ark. 
A tree may he wonderfully productive, yet possess 
no power to continue its great performance through 
its buds. That would be because the tree’s large 
crops result from causes which are outside of the 
n-ce. In our own orchard trees vary greatly in 
performance. This orchard is on a hillside, where 
the soil is underlaid with solid ledges of rock. 
In some cases there will be a single tree or a group 
of trees of extraordinary vigor and size, while next 
to them or around them the trees are smaller and 
inferior. Now suppose we cut buds from these su¬ 
perior trees and used them for propagating with 
the claim that they were “pedigreed”! Upon in¬ 
vestigation we usually find that these superior trees 
are the result of a peculiar rock formation. The 
underlying ledge makes a dip or “pocket” where 
these trees are growing. Thus they have the ad¬ 
vantage of deeper, richer and moister soil and natur¬ 
ally they make a stronger growth, withstand the 
drought well and give large yields. There is no 
“pedigree” about this—just natural advantage. 
While buds from such trees would be strong and 
vigorous they could not carry that deeper, rich soil 
to another orchard. There is nothing inherent in 
them to carry along any “pedigree.” Our observa¬ 
tion is that most of the so-called “pedigreed” stock 
is taken from such productive trees—which are 
made productive by conditions of soil, climate or 
care. These conditions do not constitute a “pedi¬ 
gree” and cannot be carried through the buds to an¬ 
other tree. 
On the other hand there are some trees in every 
orchard which seem to carry an individual character 
of their own. These are mostly bud sports. Take 
any orchard of Baldwin apple or Elberta peach, or 
any other standard variety and you will after care¬ 
ful study find certain trees or parts of certain trees 
which give extra good fruit—superior in color, 
shape, size or quality. All careful fruit growers 
have seen these superior trees and know that the 
superiority is not due to soil, fertilizing or cai'e. 
The superior quality is inherent to the tree. The 
theory is that this superior quality may be carried 
through the buds when they are used for propagat¬ 
ing. Most of the scientific men deny that there is 
anything of value in this. On the other hand some 
experiments on a very large scale are now being 
carried out which seem to show thus far that there 
is something to it. It is quite safe to say, however, 
that the so-called “pedigreed” trees thus far offered 
for sale have little if any official “performance” in 
their pedigree. We shall soon review the experi¬ 
ments above referred to. 
EASY FARM BLACKSMITHING. 
Part II. 
ELDING.—This process is done by bringing 
together two or more pieces of iron so that 
the parts may be made into one. To weld 
perfectly and successfully one must have favorable 
conditions which are essential to the principles on 
which welding depends; a small clean fire, a white 
heat, absence of dirt and slag. Keep the iron high 
in the fire, and get the pieces in a pasty condition. 
After the pieces to be welded together have been 
properly scarfed, place them in a small coke fire at 
a slow heat. After they become red, gradually 
quicken the draft until the fire is a white heat. 
Watch your pieces carefully, notice the changes 
taking place. See that they are heated only where 
they are to be welded. Keep your fire solid un¬ 
derneath, rake just a little coke over your pieces 
with the poker. At first, drops of melted iron fall, 
and soon the whole is in a pasty condition. It has 
now reached the supreme moment, when a second 
more will burn or spoil the iron. Remove quickly 
from the fire and weld. Tap lightly and quickly 
with the hammer. For perfect welding of iron, a 
tlux is not necessary. 
FLUX.—A flux is a substance placed upon iron 
or steel when if is below the welding point. This 
forms over the outside of the part a fusible glass 
upon which the fire has little or no effect, the weld¬ 
ing heat developing underneath. The substances 
used are white sand, borax and often the two are 
used together with iron filings mixed with them. 
HARDENING AND ANNEALING.—Steel when 
heated red hot and suddenly cooled by plunging in 
water, oil, brine, mercury, etc., becomes hardened 
and rendered more or less brittle and elastic. When 
the steel thus hardened is heated red hot and cooled 
THIS RURAL N f5 VV-YORKER 
slowly, it does not have this acquired hardness, and 
becomes soft and malleable again. When red hot, 
it is often placed in ashes or lime, which gives good 
results. 
TEMPERING.—Usually applied to mean a com¬ 
bination of hardening and annealing. This is prac¬ 
tically applied to all steel goods in order to give 
them such a degree of hardness as will best fit them 
for resisting wear and tear. This is applied by first 
heating the steel to a cherry red and suddenly cool¬ 
ing one-half the length heated. Shine thoroughly 
the hardened part and allow the colors to run into 
it. The -temper is obtained by observing the colors 
as they run through the steel, and cooling quickly 
when the desired color appears. Charcoal benefits the 
Toons Maiuc By The Farm Blacksmith. Fig. 2. 
steel when heated in it. Oil makes the steel more 
elastic. Water and brine are good, but the steel 
is made more brittle. Acid is sometimes used for 
making steel very hard. 
COLORS IN TEMPERING—The following gives 
the color degree of tempering for different classes of 
tools: Very pale yellow, lancets, dentists’ instru¬ 
ments; straw color, surgical instruments, razors, 
lathe tools; golden yellow, wood-workers’ chisels, 
penknives; brown, scissors, shears, knives; brown 
(dappled -with purple), axes, planes, etc.; purple, 
cold chisels, knives, etc.; bright blue, springs, etc.; 
full blue, screwdrivers, fine saws and augers; dark 
blue, hand saws and large saws. 
CAST IRON AND WROUGHT IRON.—The fol¬ 
lowing characteristics enable one to recognize cast 
iron: Effect of hammer, breaks by a blow and is 
brittle; structure is coarse granular, like sand; at 
a white heat it falls to pieces. When given a blow 
or dropped upon the floor it gives a dull sound. 
Examples of Blacksmitiiing Practice. Fig. 3. 
Wrought iron, when struck with hammer flattens 
and bends by the blows; structure is fibrous, like 
wood; when heated above a white heat it can be 
welded: when struck has more ring than cast iron. 
DISTINGUISHING STEEL.—Will break by a 
blow after it has been hardened or by a flaw; 
structure is fine granular; can be hardened and 
tempered; when dropped upon the floor or given 
a blow, it gives a sharp ring. 
TOOLS FIGURED.—The picture at Fig. 2 shows 
by numbers: 1. Floor layers’ tool, used to bring the 
flooring tight together while being nailed. 2. Tool 
for removing old staples from posts where chicken 
wire has been used. 3. and 4. Nail cutters and box 
openers. 5. Wood chisel (wood workers’). 6. Screw¬ 
driver (made from small file). 7. and S. Turning 
tools (wood lathe). 9. Screwdriver (made from 
large file). 10. and 11. Turning tools (wood lathe). 
12. Wood scraper. Fig. 3 in the same way shows 
several of the ordinary exercises of a course in 
blacksmitiiing. Many of these would be useful on 
the farm. The four important principles of black- 
smithing are drawing out, upsetting or thickening, 
bending and welding. The object of this picture is 
to show some of the simplest things in blacksmith- 
ing that involve the above principles. The amount 
of work that can be done in this line on the farm 
depends entirely upon the skill of the individual. 
Do not meddle with the horses’ foot unless you are 
sure you know what you are doing. Better leave 
that for a regular blacksmith. Gardner r. willis. 
FEEDING VALUE OF POTATOES. 
Not Quite Equal to Silage. 
OTATOES are an inferior feed for dairy cows. 
In trials at the Vermont Experiment Station 
in 1S90, to determine the relative value of corn 
silage and potatoes, 100 pounds, both of dry matter 
and digestible dry matter, in silage proved superior 
to similar amounts in potatoes. The latter were 
eaten even more freely than was the silage, yet pro¬ 
duced neither more nor better milk. At 15 cents 
a bushel they were more costly food for stock than 
was silage. The butter made from the ration con¬ 
taining large amounts of potatoes was of poor qual¬ 
ity, tended to be salvy and did not keep well. 
Potatoes are best adapted to hog feeding. In or¬ 
der to secure the best results, the potatoes should 
be cooked so as to be mealy, and be mixed with corn- 
meal or other ground grains to form a rather heavy 
mush. In this form they are relished by the swine. 
Skim-milk makes a valuable adjunct to feed with 
this mixture of cooked potatoes and meal. Pota¬ 
toes alone cannot be used to advantage as a feed 
nor can they be eaten by the hogs in any great 
quantity. Experiments at Wisconsin and elsewhere 
show that 450 pounds of cooked potatoes are worth 
approximately 100 pounds of cornmeal for swine 
feeding. a. a. rorkind, 
Vermont Exp. Sta. Prof, of Animal Husbandry. 
About One-Fifth of Cornmeal. 
Potatoes have not been used for stock feed in 
this country to a great enough extent so that the 
experiment stations have made a study of their use. 
We have very little data regarding the feeding of 
potatoes to live stock. In Germany, where the sit¬ 
uation is considerably different, the question has 
been studied much more. The general conclusion 
arrived at is that they may be successfully used in 
feeding dairy cows, horses, sheep, and pigs. In the 
case of horses and pigs the German practice has 
been to steam the potatoes. In America it is prob¬ 
able that surplus potatoes can best be used for 
dairy cows. The total digestive nutrients in a ton 
of potatoes will be slightly more than one-fifth as 
much as would be contained in a ton of cornmeal. 
The potatoes are even more highly carbonaceous 
than the cornmeal and naturally would he best fed 
in conjunction with those feeds that supply an 
abundance of protein. 
There is another factor, however, involved, that 
is of considerable importance. Raw potatoes are a 
succulent food, and used in connection with a ra¬ 
tion that is deficient in succulence (usually one that 
does not include corn silage) they would have a 
value above that indicated by the total digestive 
nutrients. Some succulent food is desirable in all 
rations, and a moderate amount of such food, when 
added as above, produces an effect above that which 
would be indicated by the nutrients present. The 
writer’s personal experience is that as small an 
amount as half a peck a day fed all dairy cows 
(lacking other succulence) produces quite a marked 
effect in the milk flow, and two or three times this 
amount may be fed to advantage, if the potatoes are 
available. But they should be introduced into the 
ration gradually. To avoid danger from choking it 
is well to run the potatoes through a root cutter. 
It is impossible to give a cash valuation to a food 
stuff of this kind, except as a result of careful ex¬ 
periment. It is probable that under ordinary cir 
cumstances and the present condition of the grain 
market, potatoes might be figured at from 15 to 
20 cents a bushel for feeding purposes; and if suc¬ 
culence were sadly needed they might reach an 
effect equivalent to a valuation of 25 cents a bushel. 
Cornell Exp. Station. 
J. L. STON 
