THK KUKAI, NWVV-VOKKliK 
525 
Soil Fertility Notes 
Lye as Fertilizer. 
We have about a ton of potash or lye. 
such as is used for making soap. It was 
in a store building which was burned a 
few days ago. Most of it melted and 
came out of the c ns and formed in a 
solid mass on the ground. Would it be 
of any value as fertilizer? If so. how 
can I make it available for plant food? 
(’mild it be mixed with barnyard manure 
or sawdust and spread on the field? 
St. Clair, Mo. s. H. r. 
You want to be sure that this is really 
a potash lye. A good many of the so- 
called potash lyes on the market do not 
contain a'ny potash at all; they are soda 
lyes, and the soda has practically no 
value as plant food. Make sure that 
this contains potash before you spend 
any time trying to utilize it. If it is 
potash, one of the best ways to handle 
it is to dissolve it in water, preparing as 
thick a solution as you can make, then 
sprinkle this solution over sifted coal 
ashes, or dry-rotted sawdust. Pour the 
water on until the ashes or sawdust are 
well saturated; then let the material dry, 
and it can be broadcast like any other 
fertilizer. The water will evaporate and 
leave the potash sticking to sawdust or 
ashes. This is probably the best way to 
utilize the lye. It will probably give you 
better results than throwing it upon the 
manure pile, as you can get a far better 
distribution of it in this way. 
No Fun About Handling Lime. 
An article on the most practical 
method of hauling from station burnt un¬ 
slaked lime, slaking it and applying it 
to the land would be appreciated by 
many readers. w. M. B. 
Koseland, Va. 
I have hauled a good many carloads 
of lime shipped in bulk and merely 
shovelled it into the wagon backed up to 
the car, hauled it five miles and put it in 
a heap, convenient to water, throwing 
water enough on the heap to start slak¬ 
ing, and then let it stand and fall into a 
powder. Handling lime is always an un¬ 
pleasant job, and the main trouble I had 
was that the flying dust took the hair off 
my mules. Working negro hands, I never 
had any objection from them to the 
handling. 1 once had a foreman who was 
accustomed to spreading fertilizer, but 
1 ad no experience in handling lime. I 
was called away just as a carload of 
lime arrived, and on my return I found 
that he had the negro farm hands carry¬ 
ing the lime in sacks hung around their 
shoulders and spreading the lime with 
their hands. They were complaining, of 
course, and I stopped the practice at 
once. After the lime is slaked it is best 
to load it direct from the pile into a 
lime spreader. But I know of no way to 
i nload and haul lime shipped in bulk but 
to shovel it into the wagons. By paying 
a little better price you can get it shipped 
in sacks or barrels. But any way ever 
devised for handling lime makes an un¬ 
pleasant job. Even the loading of the 
lime spreader is a dusty job. 
\V\ F. MASSEY. 
Glue Method of Inoculating Alfalfa. 
What is the usual practice in handling 
inoculation for Alfalfa? What is the so- 
called glue method? j. s. 
The glue method will succeed when 
properly handled. You simply obtain 
glue of the proper variety, such that 
water readily softens it and make a very 
thin solution. The Alfalfa seed is then 
treated with this glue. Fine pulverized 
inoculation soil that has been dried in 
the shade away from direct sunlight, is 
sifted over this wet Alfalfa seed until the 
entire mass is dry. Stirring or mixing 
must be done throughout this process, of 
course. Care must be taken that the 
seed does not adhere in bunches. We 
think this method, while it would be rea¬ 
sonably successful, has some very serious 
disadvantages, the chief one being danger 
in inexperienced hands, of improper mix¬ 
ing. of having the glue too thick, etc., and 
next the difficulty of seeding after this 
seed has been treated with the glue and 
soil. There is another method on the 
same principle, and one which, while the 
inoculation might not stick as well, 
would have fewer dangers; that is. sim- 
sitting very dry. very fine powdered 
inoculated soil through the seed, depend- 
j1 ' npon the dust to carry the inocula¬ 
tion. Any good drill would handle this 
product successfully. 
Our own methods have usually been 
soil transfer. In handling this we have 
the soil as dry as convenient We pul¬ 
verize it some way, place it in the ferti¬ 
lizer box of the drill, even if necessary, 
mixing it in with the fertilizer, and then 
sow it right with the seed, dropping the 
inoculation in the bottom of the little fur¬ 
rows and immediately covering it with 
the drill itself. This method gives us 
first-rate results. The artificial cultures 
are probably about as cheap as any 
method, especially if one has any trouble 
at all in getting soil close to home and 
with very small expense. Directions al¬ 
ways accompany the artificial cultures; 
there would be less danger of clogging the 
drill with masses of seed stuck together 
with glue, and the method is not at all 
cumbersome. chas. b. wing. 
Ohio. 
Experience With Commercial Bacteria. 
Will you tpll .T. L.. Wallingford, Conn., 
that he probably lacks the “bacteria” on 
his Canada peas (page 291)? We never 
had any success with Canada peas until 
'last year, when we sent to Cornell for 
their cultures, and at a cost of 25 cents 
per acre we had a splendid crop both with 
and without lime. Perhaps he can get 
cultures from his Connecticut Experi¬ 
ment Station. F. M. N. 
New York. 
In reply to your question in regard to 
commercial bacteria on page 328 will 
say that I have used it two seasons on 
garden peas. Two years ago the Hos- 
ford’s Market Carden peas treated with 
bacteria produced pods and vines that 
looked like the fancy pictures in seed 
catalogues, and attracted much attention. 
I add a teaspoon of sugar to the bacteria 
in the bottle and partly fill the bottle 
with water. After shaking well the mix¬ 
ture should be poured over the seed, 
using the hands to mix it thoroughly and 
evenly. Then plant the seed as soon as 
possible and cover in the ordinary way. 
Alsted, N. H. A. s. A. 
Wet Ashes; Spring-sown Cover Crops. 
L I had some ashes stored in the cel¬ 
lar, and they became wet. Will that 
hurt them any in regard to using them 
this Spring? 2. What is the best green 
stuff to use to turn under about the mid¬ 
dle of July, for turnips which will be 
planted the last of that month? G. s. 
Brookville, N. J. 
1. If the ashes have simply been wet 
or dampened they have not lost plant 
food. Such loss would come through 
leaching—where enough water washed 
through them to dissolve and carry out 
the potash. If the ashes are just “wet” 
they are probably all right. 2. A com¬ 
bination of oats and Canada peas seeded 
as we have so often described will be 
the best “cover crop” for Spring sowing. 
Clover Seed On Snow. —Tell J. W. 
C. (page 294) that I sowed $16 worth of 
clover seed on half an inch of snow one 
fine Spring morning, and not only got my 
money back that year, but found my 
Timothy crop increased the next year by 
nearly 50 per cent. The snow was gone 
by noon, hut the clover seed was right 
down in that soil just where it belonged. 
Hudson, N. Y. c. I. 
GOOD SHOES 
and the right, sort of shoes means more to 
you Mr. Farmer than to men in other walks 
of life to do your best work your feet 
must be comfortable, protected from all 
obstructions and help the ankle and arch 
bear the strain. The shoes you buy should 
also be pliable and at the same time tough 
—all these requirements, and more, are 
filled by 
BASS SHOES 
They are made for hard service , from t’ 
tanning of the leather to the last stitch 
the finished product. They are as near 
waterproof as any leather shoe can 1 
We cannot tell you all the good features 
hel \ e - ^ sk T 0 " 1- dealer * 
HANS SHOES, and take no others If yo 
dealer does not carry them, drop us a ca 
and we will tell you how you can easi 
get them. 
G. H. BASS 6 CO. 
Wilton, Maine 
Makers of 
famous Bass 
Moccasins 
gVERY live thing on the farm is worth a photo¬ 
graph—and just now when chicks and lambs 
and calves are arriving so rapidly is a most interesting 
time to start a Kodak record—such a record often 
becomes more than interesting, it becomes a business 
asset. 
Picture taking is very simple by the Kodak method 
and less expensive than you think. Ask your dealer or 
write us for our new booklet, “The Kodak on the Farm.” 
EASTMAN KODAK CO., 387 State St., Rochester, N. Y. 
Wood Beam Cultivator 
40 years’ actual service have proved the worth 
of the special shaped teeth which clip the 
weeds close to the hill and do not cover the 
crop with earth. 
Ask for Catalog No. 260 
BATAVIA CLAMP CO., 199 Center St., Batavia, N. Y. 
The New GREENWOOD LIME 
and FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER 
TOP FEED —HO RUSTING-410 CLOGGING 
Accurate indicator for 100 to 3,500 lbs. per acre, 
whether material be wet. dry. sticky, lumpy, heavy 
or light. Write for booklet R to 
GREENWOOD MEG. CO.. Lawrence. Maw. 
Buy A 
Cahoon 
Seed 
Sower 
By 
Parcel Post 
The Cahoon has the only discharger scientifically 
constructed to scatter seed evenly in trout of t e 
operator and not against his person. V ears of world¬ 
wide use prove itto be simplest, most accurate and 
durable Broadcast Sower made. Sows all grain or 
grass seed. Made entirely of steel, iron, brass and 
heavy canvas. W.de breast plate makes it easiest 
to carry. Needed on every farm. Some alfalfa 
ranches have a dozen. If dealer will not supply 
you. Parcel Poet permits us to send itfor $3.80 pre¬ 
paid in U. S. A. Ord 'r’oday. Warranted to give 
satisfaction. Even Seeding brings Good Reaping. 
GOODELL COMPANY 14 Main St., Antrim, N. H. 
Sows Fertilizers®™^ 
Sows broadcast or in rows all kinds of 
commercial fertilizers—nitrate, phosphate, 
guano, lime, ashes, etc. Distributes it fast 
and evenly in amounts from one hundred to 
several thousand pounds per acre. Simple 
and strong. Gauge is easily end quickly set. 
'me. 
STEVENS 
Fertilizer Sower 
Has only force feed which will Sow suc¬ 
cessfully all kinds of commercial fertilizers 
in large or small quantities. No springs or 
gears in box. Order one this season. We’ll 
refer you to a dealer if 
non© near you Send 
today for 64-page Cata¬ 
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Agricultural 
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tool* — th# lino of 
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Box No. 75 
Chicopee Fall* 
Mass. 
Over 150 styles for 
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sheep, poultry, rabbits, horses 
cattle. Also lawn fence and pates. 
r lJ CENTS PER ROD UP. ALL DOUBLE GALVANIZED 
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The Bf> wb Fence & Win C». DepL 59 Cleveland, Ohio 
Our Diamond and Square Mesh Farm,Field,Stock and 
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