1513 
THE) RURAL NEVV-VORKER 
The Home Acre 
Chickens and Raspberries 
In “Brevities,” on page 1380, appeared 
the following item: “Why are you keep¬ 
ing those old hens around? They will 
not lay before February and the most ex¬ 
pensive feeding months have come. Eat 
them up.” I do not think this is good 
advice. It is true that old hens are poor 
layers during the Fall months and early 
in Winter do not pay for their feed; but 
the poultryman cannot afford to kill off 
all of his old hens, for if they are in a 
good physical condition and have a good 
egg-laying record, their eggs will be val¬ 
uable for breeding in the Spring months. 
Old hens lay large eggs and produce large 
chicks. I do not say that pullets cannot 
be used for breeding—I myself am using 
a large number of them for this purpose, 
but the exclusive use of pullets would 
probably result in the deterioration of 
the stock. I do not want to be dogmatic, 
and I am not positive that I am right. 
If any poultryman has used pullets for 
breeding successfully for a long period, I 
would like to hear from him. 
On page 1372 “Iv” says that Fall-set 
raspberries sometimes suffer considerable 
injury where the temperature goes much 
below 20 degrees, and therefore he ad¬ 
vises to defer setting out raspberry plants 
until early Spring. My own experience 
may not be conclusive, but I will give 
it for what it is worth. On November 
17, 1006, I set out an acre of raspberry 
plants on a cold exposed hillside. The 
Winter of 1907 was severe, and the tem¬ 
perature was several times 20 degrees be¬ 
low zero. (Incidentally it may be re¬ 
marked that such low temperature is 
not a rare occurence in Sullivan Coun¬ 
ty.) It was my first experience in set¬ 
ting out raspberry plants, and I was very 
skeptical of the results. When Spring 
came I watched the plants with great 
interest, and to my surprise, every plant 
was alive and thrifty. Such “luck” may 
not happen every year, but it proves 
that sometimes it may be safe to trans¬ 
plant raspberry bushes even in a locality 
where the temperature goes much below 
20 degrees. c. r. berylson. 
Sullivan Co., N. Y. 
Fighting the Peach Borer 
The entomologists, or at least some of 
them, say that the past wet season has 
been hard on the peach borer. We hope 
so, for the dry years have made him a 
nuisance. We should take no chances on 
the season, however, but dig the borer 
out in the usual way. We are trying to 
learn the truth about using lime-sulphur 
or tar on the trees. On tracing one re¬ 
port of injury down we receive this re¬ 
port : 
The lime-sulphur had been applied so 
heavily that there was a puddling about 
the crown of the tree and even touching 
the roots. Other influences helped to 
bring about the death of the trees, but 
there was much evidence of bark injury 
at the crown. So far as I can learn, an 
ordinary application of lime-sulphur 
wash, either with brush or by spray, and 
applied year after year, does not injure 
the peach tree. The entomologists say 
they have even used ordinary gas tar for 
this purpose year after year without kill¬ 
ing or apparently injuring the peach tree. 
Lime-sulphur may safely be used on the 
apple, but the tar—even tarred paper— 
will quickly cause injury. 
The R. N.-Y. cannot stand for guess¬ 
work or mere observation. It is a ser¬ 
ious thing to advise any man to try an 
experiment without making him realize 
just what it is. Our advice is to dig the 
borers out unless you are willing to take 
the risk of testing out a new treatment. 
Mold on Spinach 
Can you tell me what to do to prevent 
gray mold on spinach grow r n in cold 
frames or how to cure it when it has 
started? Spinach was sown this Fall, 
and when half grown got the mold which 
made the leaves turn yellow and rot. I 
am no stranger to cold frames, having 
raised lettuce, carrots, radishes, and soup 
greens for years, but spinach is a puz¬ 
zle to me. The frames received air every 
day, cloudy or sunshine, and were only 
closed at nights. Could it be that the 
germ of mold was on the seed and if 
soaked in fungicide could it be prevent¬ 
ed? It starts under the double lights 
worse than the single lights. w. k. 
The “gray mold” of which you speak 
is the result of a plant disease which 
frequently develops in cold frames, es¬ 
pecially where the ground has been pro¬ 
ducing one crop after another for sev¬ 
eral seasons. Soil that is constantly be¬ 
ing used gradually becomes infected with 
the various diseases and we have the 
spinach, lettuce and field salad frequent¬ 
ly going down with this “gray mold.” 
When the soil becomes infected it is 
necessary to sterilize the soil either by 
running steam through the soil for a 
certain length of time or by soaking the 
soil with formalin solution, one pint to 
25 gallons, at least two weeks before the 
seed for the crop is planted. Excessive 
moisture, crowding of the plants or too 
high a temperature all favor the develop¬ 
ment of this disease. Plenty of air and 
dryness are therefore beneficial but ster¬ 
ilization is the effective remedy. 
Pecans in Maryland 
I am greatly interested in nut culture, 
and am thinking of looking through the 
South for a suitable location to grow 
pecans. I read of lower Georgia as being 
a favored section for the large paper- 
shell varieties, but prefer locating farther 
north. Do you think varieties like Stuart 
would mature in North Carolina? I see 
the Raleigh and Goldsboro sections 
named as being favorable for pecan grow¬ 
ing. Do you think they would do well in 
the sand hill section, near Southern 
Pines? I imagine the altitude would be 
too high in one of the thermal belts. I 
know of trees in Southern Maryland but 
do not think the large varieties would ma¬ 
ture there. 6. c. S. 
New York. 
While pecans grow very well here, and 
there are a number of trees scattered 
about in this neighborhood, I know of no 
one attempting their culture commercial¬ 
ly. I would not advise you to plant pe¬ 
cans with an idea to profit north of the 
coast country of North Carolina. What 
will be the result when the millions of 
pecan trees that have been planted in the 
South in the past few years come into 
bearing? It would seem that there is 
danger that the demand be over-supplied. 
My own opinion is that there is a better 
prospect here for English walnuts than 
for pecans. I know of one successful 
plantation in Delaware, and there are in¬ 
dividual trees here and there which have 
made good crops for many years. The 
English walnut comes into bearing much 
earlier than the pecan, for I have never 
seen a pecan tree that made much crop 
in less than 16 years. For pecans the 
level sandy soil near the southern coast 
are far better than the hill lands of the 
►South, for the pecan is naturally a low 
ground tree. I know of no difference iu 
the hardiness of the varieties of pecans. 
Maryland. w. f. massey. 
Use of Rockweed 
I have on hand an amount of rockweed. 
Would you advise mixing it with horse 
manure and letting it lie in one pile until 
Spring? If so, what proportion would be 
to the best advantage? F. l. c. 
I )amariscotta, Me. 
We should use one ton of the rock¬ 
weed to two tons of horse manure if we 
could get enough of the latter. This will 
make a useful compost by Spring. The 
rockweed contains considerable potash. 
Trapping Hints for Farm Boys 
Part I. 
In all farming communities fur-bear¬ 
ing animals are found to some extent. 
Even where the land is nearly all cleared 
a few skunk, foxes and weasels remain 
and along the banks of rivers muskrats 
and minks are always found. The farm 
boy, if he knows where and how to set 
u few traps, can often realize a little 
money during the late Fall and early 
Winter At the same time he is doing 
something that is of benefit to the farmer. 
Every fox, mink and weasel killed means 
a number of chickens saved, while the 
skunk, although he does less harm, de¬ 
velops traits that are undesirable. 
The first thing for the boy trapper to 
do is to learn something concerning the 
habits of the animals he intends to take. 
This, however, is unnecessary for most 
boys brought up in the country, as the 
life history of the common animals is 
known, at least in a general way, to the 
farm lad. This tells him where to set 
the traps. If a trip with some experi¬ 
enced trapper is possible it will prove of 
more benefit than any written instruc¬ 
tions, still it is quite possible to trap 
successfully by simply following printed 
rules. 
All the States have passed laws pro¬ 
tecting fur bearers, except for a limited 
period when the fur is at its best, there¬ 
fore it is necessary to find out when and 
where it is lawful to set traps. Many 
States require that permission be ob¬ 
tained from the owner of the land before 
traps can be set. At least one Eastern 
State requires that traps shall be put 
out, only on land owned or leased by the 
trapper. No more traps should be set 
than can be visited and properly attend¬ 
ed to every day. If the boy attends school 
this necessarily limits the length of the 
trap line. It is not only the height of 
cruelty to allow captured animals to re¬ 
main in the traps over night but some 
accident may befall the catch or it may 
be stolen. A bicycle will sometimes help 
in visiting the trap line. 
As to traps, get the catalogue of some 
good manufacturer or dealer and pur¬ 
chase the sizes recommended for the dif¬ 
ferent animals. One requisite for the 
boy trapper is a small calibre rifle. This 
is much better for dispatching the ani¬ 
mals than a shot gun. A general rule in 
setting traps is to make the surround¬ 
ings look as natural as possible. The 
creatures of the wild are very suspicious 
of any disturbance of their natural 
haunts. 
The easiest animal to capture, and at 
the same time the most abundant, is the 
muskrat. Traps should not be set be¬ 
fore November and the skins are not 
prime until late Winter and early 
Spring. However, it is so much easier 
to capture them iu the Fall that most 
of the trapping is done at that time. 
Find the runways of the animals, which 
they dig out in shallow water, setting the 
traps about three inches beneath the sur¬ 
face. A sweet apple or a parsnip, sus¬ 
pended above the trap, makes a good 
bait. Whenever possible the traps should 
be set at the edge of deeper water and 
fastened to stakes set so the animal can¬ 
not reach the sfcore. Iu this way the 
victim will drown, while if it can reach 
the solid earth it is liable to twist off its 
foot and escape. The muskrat feeds 
largely upon clams and mussels. A 
mound reaching just a little above the 
water is the usual place where these 
are eaten. Traps set near such spots are 
almost sure to make frequent catches. 
If traps ai-e set in the Spring, the musk 
taken from the female rat is a lure that 
appeals to the animals. A little of this 
placed near the concealed trap is usually 
effective. This musk can be obtained 
only in the Spring. Muskrat skins are 
taken off without splitting down the 
belly and should be stretched on boards 
prepared according to the size of the ani¬ 
mal. One can learn much about stretch¬ 
ing and drying the various skins by 
reading the instructions printed in the 
guides issued by fur dealers. 
C. II. CIIESLEY. 
When you write 
advertisers 
mention 
The R. N.- 
Y. and 
you'll 
get 
a quick 
reply and a 
“square 
deal.” 
See 
guaran- 
tee editorial 
page. 
• 
• • 
• • 
Price $3.25 
Postage Prepaid 
Men’s Farm Shoes 
From Factory to Wearer 
Heavy but soft and pliable, uppers never 
get stiff; metallic, waterproof welt seam, 
waterproof leather solo, dirt excluder 
tongue, U. S. army last, a standard 
selected by army surgeons. Savo 
two profits. Buy direct from the 
manufacturer. Satisfaction and 
fit guaranteed or money re¬ 
funded. Price $3.25 post- 
prepaid. Send money 
order to 
FARM SHOE 
MFG. CO. 
Dover, N. H. 
The Threshing Problem 
£11 J Threshes cowpeas and soy beans 
^OlVPfl * rom the mown vines, wheat, oats, 
— rye and barley. A perfect combina¬ 
tion machine. Nothing like it. “The machine I 
have been looking for for 20 years.” W. F. Massey. 
“It will meet every demand.” H. A. Morgan, Di¬ 
rector Tenn. Exp. Station. Booklet 29 free. 
K0GER PEA & BEAN THRESHER CO., 
Morristown, Tenn. 
Quaker City Feed Mills 
Grind corn and cobs, feed, 
table meal and alfalfa. 
On the market 49 years. 
Hand and power. 23 styles. 
$3.80 to $10. FREE TRIAL. 
Write for catalog and farm 
machinery bargain book. 
THE A. W. STRAUB CO. 
Dept. E-3740 Filbert St.. Philidelphla, Pi. 
Dept. T-3709 S, Ashland Ave., Chicago, III. 
LET US TAN 
YOUR HIDE. 
Cattlo or Horse hide, Calf, Dog, Deer 
or any kind of skin with hair or fur on. 
Wo tan and finish thorn right ; make 
them into coats (for men and women), 
robes, rugs or gloves when ordered. 
Your fur goods will cost you less than 
to buy them, and be worth more. Our 
Illustrated catalog gives a lot of in 
formation which every stock raiser 
should have, but we never send out this 
valuable book except upon request. 
It tells how to take ott and caro for 
hides; how and when wo pay Iho Iroight 
both way. ; about our safe dyeing pro¬ 
cess which is a tremendous advantage 
to the customer, especially on horso 
hldo. and call skins; about the fur 
goods and game trophies we sell, taxi¬ 
dermy, etc. If you want a copy send us 
your correct address. 
Tbe Crosby Frisian Fur Company, 
671 Lyell Ave., Rochester. N. Y. 
The standard springs ol America since 1889. Make 
any wagon • spring wagon. Prevent damage to eggs, 
fruits, etc., on r J to market Soon save cost—produce brings 
more—wagon lasts longer—easier for driver—easier (or horses. 
Made Like Finest Auto Springs 
Highest grade steeL Very resilient and durable. All sizes— 
fit any wagon op to 5 tons capacity. If not at dealer’s, write 
for circular showing how Harvey Springs save money. 
HARVEY SPRING CO., 716 17tl> St, Racine, Wi*. 
GUARANTEED 
f HE 
I FER 
1 / 
■ ( ,NC -) Room gr, 
4th & Chestnut Streets 
PI 
FERTILIZERS 
WANT AGENTS 
S. M. Hess & Bro. 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
The farmer who puts in his spare time painting up his 
farm buildings is a wise farmer. The farmer who finds 
out what is best in paint and uses it is a wiser farmer. 
There is an ingredient which makes paint last longer, 
protect betterand improves its quality in everyway. That 
ingredient is 
zinc 
You can get Zinc paints ready mixed or you can buy 
Zinc paste to mix with lead and colors if you mix your 
own paints. 
Send for list of manufacturers who make Zinc paints 
and our booklet, “ Your Move." 
The New Jersey Zinc Company 
Room 455, 55 Wall Street, New York 
