1015. 
.1 ^ 
Fertilizer Questions; Spring-seeded Red-top. 
I IIAYE about 25 barrels of chicken 
manure. (’an you tell me what 
kind of fertilizer I can mix this with, 
and how can I get it into powder form 
so that it will run through a corn-plant¬ 
er? What analysis does it give; how 
much potash, etc.? 2. I can obtain dried 
blood, sheep manure, and bones together 
direct from a slaughter house. Would 
this give the best kind of fertilizer, and 
would it contain all the ingredients nec¬ 
essary for corn and grain crops, or should 
I have to mix it with something else? 3. 
T have seeded down about 25 acres in 
Winter wheat w’ith Timothy. Next 
Spring, when I sow clover, should I sow 
Red-top with the - clover, or Red-top with¬ 
out the clover? Would the Red-top take 
the same as clover does, and do well, or 
does it have to be sown on newly-plowed 
ground? L. M. 
Hopewell, N. J. 
It depends upon what shape the hen 
manure is in. It is probably in dry, 
hard chunks. These should be broken 
up as fine as possible. Of course, the 
best way to do this is to run them 
through a mill. If this is impossible 
throw the chunks on a hard floor and 
smash them with a heavy maul or shovel. 
This should be thrown on a fine sieve 
and the coarser parts smashed once more. 
The following mixture will make a good 
fertilizer: 800 pounds sifted lien ma¬ 
nure, 400 pounds acid phosphate, 100 
pounds nitrate of soda, 200 pounds mu- 
liate of potash. You probably cannot 
buy the potash this year. 
2. The dried blood and bones contain 
nitrogen and phosphoric acid, but no 
potash, and that element should be added 
(o make a full combination. The sheep 
manure contains some potash and should 
he used with the blood and bone. Wood 
ashes would help in this case. 
3. Spring seeding of Red-top has not 
paid us as well as Fall seeding, but you 
might try it with the clover. In such 
case we should want to run over the 
grain after seeding with a wecder or 
light barrow. 
Potatoes on Sod; Manure for Onions. 
I WOULD like to know whether you 
can raise tomatoes on sod. I low 
would you use manure for an onion 
bed ? T. G. 
Brant, N. Y r . 
Sod is excellent for tomatoes. Some 
of our largest crops have been grown 
after sod. A handful of fertilizer in the 
hill starts growth and the sod furnishes 
plant food for maturing the crop. It is 
best though to plow the sod in early Fall 
and leave the furrows exposed to the ac- 
tion of frost and the elements during the 
Winter. In the Spring get on the ground 
early and harrow frequently until plant¬ 
ing time. We invariably broadcast our 
manure for onions on top of the ground 
after plowing. This is then harrowed in 
with a disk harrow and thoroughly in¬ 
corporated in the soil before onions are 
planted. We prefer well-rotted stable 
manure. If new long manure is used it 
should be more carefully worked in the 
soil. TRUCKEB, Jli. 
Fertilizing Fruit Trees. 
I HAVE some fruit trees in hen yards 
set out last Spring. Do they need fer¬ 
tilizing, and if so, will ashes and 
ground bone be sufficient, and if so 
should it be applied every Spring? I 
also have a few trees not in hen yards 
and they are in sod. I propose to mulch 
with cow manure every Fall, and then 
in Spring dig around trees and use ashes 
and ground bone as there is no chance to 
plow. Will this be good practice, and 
should they be mulched every Fall, and 
should ashes and bone be applied every 
Spring? Could I use hen manure in 
place of cow manure? I wish to seed 
a> plot of land to grass and use hen ma¬ 
nure exclusively, to be spread on every 
Spring, and get a fair crop of hay every 
year for eight or 10 years. Can this be 
done? h. w. c. 
Massachusetts. 
We assume these are apple trees. 
Peach trees, when in chicken yards, are 
likely to make too much wood—grow too 
last and suffer from winter-killing or give 
fruit of poor quality. The peach cannot 
stand heavy feeding as the apple can. 
The plan of using wood ashes and bone in 
the Spring is good ; two parts by weight 
of ashes to one of bone. The hen ma¬ 
nure gives all the nitrogen required. We 
should use the cow manure around the 
pear trees, but not put it up close to the 
trunk. Leave three or four inches of 
clear space right around the tree. Other¬ 
wise your plan is good. If the grass 
land is naturally strong and well seeded 
the hen manure ought to give you several 
good crops. The hay would be better 
quality and somewhat larger in yield if 
you could use ashes and bone also. 
THE RURAL NEW-VORRER 
Wood Ashes and Hen Manure. 
I HAVE read in one of our farm papers 
“Beware of wood ashes and hen ma¬ 
nure mixed.” I have understood that 
wood ashes are especially good for cur¬ 
rants and gooseberries; must the hen ma¬ 
nure be kept off? Is this true for all 
pusposes? Is there any special virtue in 
the wood ashes? Are ashes bad with all 
kinds of manure? e. p. 
Troutdale, Ore. 
Wood ashes contain potash, phosphoric 
acid and lime—all necessary for crops. 
The ashes are particularly useful for 
fruits. You notice that the ashes con¬ 
tain no nitrogen. This is a gas, and is 
driven off into the air whenever any ma¬ 
terial is burned. Chicken manure con¬ 
tains nitrogen in what is known as the 
organic form. When ashes and manure 
are mixed together the lime in the ashes 
acts upon this organic nitrogen to break 
up its chemical composition. The result 
is that this nitrogen escapes iu the form 
of a gas and is thus lost to the soil. This 
is the reason why you have been advised 
not to mix the manure and ashes above 
ground. You can, if you like, spread the 
manure around the plants or trees and 
spade it under. Then scatter the ashes 
and rake them in. While the action of 
the lime and the organic nitrogen will 
go on underground the nitrogen will be 
mostly held in the soil where the crops 
can use it. 
Hen Manure in Winter. 
I S it advisable to throw chicken ma¬ 
nure on the garden land at this time 
of the year? I have a large quantity 
of it and have no building or shed in 
which to keep it until Spring. L. E. w. 
1‘atchogue, N. Y. 
The best way to handle chicken ma¬ 
nure is to dry it. with plaster, road dust 
or some other dry material and keep it 
under cover. In the Spring it will come 
out in hard dry chunks. These should be 
crushed fine and either spread like fer¬ 
tilizer or mixed with chemicals. If you 
have no dry place for the manure it may 
be spread directly on the garden or on 
the grass as fast as the bouses are 
cleaned. 
Different Kinds of Lime, 
1 SAW an article on page 1411 on raw 
ground limestone and fresh slaked 
lime or quicklime. You made it very 
plain to me which was the better for the 
farmer to buy but you did not say any¬ 
thing about the hydrated lime. I use 
the quicklime, but some of my neigh¬ 
bors bought the hydrated by the carload 
and expect to do so next Spring. They 
say it. is so nice to handle and spread. 
Will it pay to give .$0 for the sacked 
lime when I can get the burnt lime at 
$3.40 on the same switch? I understand 
those men have to have machinery to do 
this work and buy sacks, and three men 
to do the work. They must have a profit. 
Is this lime any better than the quick¬ 
lime, and which will give me the quick¬ 
est returns and best results? I am 
growing clover where people told me not 
to waste my clover seed, for I could not 
grow clover. I bought a run-down farm 
along the Susquehanna River. It is a 
sandy loam. Before I came here they 
could not grow hay to winter a little 
stock. Now my barn, 44x35, will not 
hold my hay. J. B. o. 
Tunkhannock, Pa. 
What they call hydrated lime is the 
same as slaked liine only the work is 
more thoroughly and more evenly done. 
The usual plan is to grind the lump or 
“quick” lime and pass it through a tube 
into which a fine spray of water plays. 
Thus every particle of the lime is slaked 
or watered. Then it is sifted through 
fine cloth and comes out dust fine and 
completely slaked. In most samples of 
“slaked” lime there is more or less coarse 
material and some that has not been 
fully slaked, so that it is much harder 
to handle. The hydrated is no more ef¬ 
fective than the slaked or “quick” lime, 
but it is easier to handle and can be dis¬ 
tributed or drilled to better advantage. 
You w’ill get more actual lime for a dollar 
in burnt lime at $3.40 than in hydrated 
lime at $0, but the latter is more satis¬ 
factory to put on. 
“The captive we took last week,” said 
the trusty lieutenant, “says she pos-i- 
tive-ly cannot drink condensed milk in 
her coffee.” “Turn her loose!” roared 
the brigand chief. “She’s no captive. 
She’s a Summer boarder.”—Washington 
Star. 
llllllllMlIfflllllll 
J. H. Hale—Brings 75c to 
$ 1.25 More Per Bushel 
77 
Here are the records. From his own orchards of “J. H. HALE 
peaches and Elbertas in widely varying parts of the country Mr. Hale 
received, in 1913 and 1914, from $2.00 to $2.50 per bushel 
for his J. H. HALE peaches as against $1.25 to $2.00 per bushel 
for Elbertas, shipped in carload lots from the same orchard. 
in 
1. Firm Flesh—Great Shipper 
Solid, meaty, flesh like cling, yet 
perfect freestone. So firm stands 
shipment almost like apples. Ship¬ 
ments have been made from New 
York to California and back. Weighs 
12% more than Elberta. Won’t 
squash down in basket. 
2. Extremely Hardy—A Late 
Bloomer 
Hardier than Elberta, ripens 5 
days earlier. Colors up a week to 
10 days before fully ripe. Matured 
specimens can be allowed to hang 
longer on tree than any other known 
variety, greatly extending picking 
season. 
$1,420 From 1 Acre—133 Trees 
These are the returns Mr. Hale took from his Connecticut orchards. 
The trees we sell you are budded direct from these bearing orchards. To get 
the J. II. Hale profits be sure you plant genuine J. II. Hale peach trees. 
Beware of Fraudulent Trees! 
You can get genuine J. II. Hale poach trees, budded from Mr. Hale’s 
bearing orchards, onhj from Wm. P. Stark Nurseries. Be on your guard. 
Dishonest persons are offering an old worthless, small peach known as 
“Hale’s Early” for the true J. H. Hale. Refuse them — they are fraudulent. 
The J. II. Hale peach is trade-marked and grown by us under an exclusive 
contract with Mr. Hale, who has appointed us sole distributors. Order 
genuine J. H. Hale trees only from Win. Ik Stark Nurseries. 
same 
3. Immense Size—High Color 
The J. II. HALE averages to 
% larger than Elberta. Round, 
globular shape. Rich, golden yel¬ 
low flesh, over-laid with carmine. 
Smooth, solid, thick skin, tightly 
drawn. Practically no down or fuzz. 
4. Superb For Canning 
Round form, holds shape in can. 
Gives brilliant clear syrup. Doesn’t 
“rag out.” Better flavor than Cali¬ 
fornia Lemon (’ling. Large size, 
easiest and cheapest to handle. 
Heavy dense flesh for drying. 
= ^""*1 d? JL-7'l'. L 
4 -V // T*AO* MARA 
STARK 
CITY 
MO 
Only Trees Bearing This Tag Are Genuine J. H. Hale 
Peach. Look Fer It. 
Genuine Delicious 
—Extra Size Trees 
Our Delicious apple trees 
have made astounding 
growth this season. You 
can now get special-size 
trees, extra grade, at our 
low direct - from - nursery 
prices, without extra charge. 
Write for details. 
No Agents—Save 
We sell from catalog only. 
Save agents’ commissions 
and expenses. Get your 
trees in better shape. 
Doubly guaranteed true to 
name. Expert packing. 
Prompt shipment. Safe (re- 
livery. 
Ozark-Mountain 
Grown Trees 
0 
William P. Stark trees 
are grown in the famous, 
fertile, mellow soil of the 
Ozarks, which develops uti- 
USUally healthy, vigorous, 
spreading root - systems, 
straight well - shaped 
trunks and heavy, well- 
branched tops. Yet you 
pay no more than for or¬ 
dinary trees. 
Send For New 1915 Book—Mailed FREE 
132 Pages—Complete Guide—Handy Size—Fully Illustrated 
William P. Stark’s new 1915 book lists and fully describes all select, 
proved, profitable varieties, gives season and time of ripening, tells habits 
of growth, age of bearing, good qualities and weak points, best money¬ 
makers. Profusely illustrated with photographs. No fruit catalog like 
it. Mailed free. 
William P. Stark Nurseries 
Box 85 Stark City, Missouri 
WILLIAM P. STARK NURSERIES, Box 85, Stark City, Missouri 
Please mail me your 120-page catalog. I am interested in 
EH J. H. Hale Peach □ Delicious Apple 
□ Apples □ Pears □ Cherries □ Roses □ Strawberries 
□ Peaches □ Plums □ Bush Fruits .No. strawberry Plants Wanted 
.Approximate Number of Trees Desired. 
Name. 
Address. 
