936 
U/>e RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ausnst 4. l!M7. 
Columbian Raspberries 
Will you kindly answer the following 
questions in the care of Columbian rasp¬ 
berries? How high should the new canes 
be left when bushes are trimmed? What 
is the cause of the new canes dying out 
during the Winter? Are they more 
likely to live if not tied up in the Fall? 
I tied my bushes up last Fall, and 
trimmed out the old bushes and cut the 
new ones off at about five feet high, and 
the tops died about half way down. Can 
you give me any information in regard 
to this? P. D. P. 
New York. 
This seems to be a case of winter- 
killing. Whei’e the climate is so sevei’e 
I should try to leave the pruning of the 
bushes until Spring. The old canes would 
help keep the snow from breaking down 
the bushes while the snow would be held 
bettei’ to protect the young canes. After 
danger of severe freezing is j)ast and the 
snow has gone the old wood can be taken 
out and the new cut back to sound buds. 
It is easier to take out old wood in 
Spring than in Fall and the brush may 
be a help to the young growth. The im¬ 
portant thing in trimming is to cut back 
to sound, healthy buds. It makes little 
difference except to the appearance of the 
patch whether the bushes are a uniform 
height, /but leaving a few weak buds at 
the top of the cane may reduce the yield 
and give a chance for disease to get in. 
A. C. W. 
A Field of Winter Cabbage 
The picture shows a field of Winter 
cabbage grown near Washington, D. C. 
Most of our readers do not realize that in 
that latitude cabbage plants can be set 
Winter Cabbage as Grown in the District of Columbia. Fig. 408 
in the ground early in Winter, living 
through the cold weather and producing 
an early crop the following year. ]\Ir. L. 
D. Weeks, who grew this crop, gives us 
the following account of his methods: 
This cabbage that you see in the pic- 
tvire was grown as follows: The seed 
was sown in the seed bed in September, 
and transplanted in the field about 
Thanksgiving Day (the rule is to put 
them out as late as can be done). They 
were of the Early Wakefield variety. 
The ground is listed and the plants are 
get deei)—just so the bud show.s—facing 
the south, and you «in see that if the 
plants were winter-killed, though I 
think this section is just about as far 
north as this can be done. I put out a 
patch of 14,000 plants myself four years 
ago, and I think I am safe in saying 
that not 100 were winter-killed. The 
first cutting was made the following 
May 25. It is the practice, to put out 
early cabbage this way in this vicinity. 
L. D. WEEKS. 
trees badly, or rub the bark off by using 
them for a scratching post. There is no 
wash which will make sure protection. 
A thick smear of lime-sulphur with some 
bitter-tasting material like aloes mixed 
in with it would helj) for a time. It will 
not prevent rubbing or scratching, and in 
time the stock will gnaw the trees as 
though no protector had been used. We 
have been obliged to use mechanical pro¬ 
tectors. A strip of fine wire cloth or 
netting wound around the tree, and either 
tacked on or fastened with wire, will 
keep the stock away. Another good plan 
is to drive three stout stakes into the 
ground around the trees, and wind a 
strand of barbed wire twice ai’ound the 
stakes. This will keep the stock off, and 
they cannot rub the bark away. If any¬ 
one has found a wash which will give 
permanent protection we should like to 
know what it is. 
Starting a Strav^ berry Bed 
We have a good loc-al market here for 
strawberries. I am going to .statt a bed 
and would like some information. Would 
well-drained muck land that wild straw¬ 
berries are growing on now be adapted to 
cultivated ones? Would hen manure and 
sheep manure be a good fertilizer^ for 
them? If I set out potted plants within 
the net two months of Gandy and 
Brandywine (which I wish to grow on 
account of their late blooming and also 
being adopted to the market) would I 
stand any show of gathering fruit from 
them next year? A. D. 
Pennsylvania. 
That soil, if well drained, should be 
good strawberry land except that it may 
be* subject to danger from frost. As a 
rule a good growth of any wild fruit is 
good evidence that the soil is good fruit 
land. The sheep and hen manure on 
auch land will give a strong growth of 
Cabbage Worm Sticker 
The Massachusetts Agricutural College 
recommends the following as an insecti¬ 
cide that will stick to cabbage plants. 
Why not name it “Bulldog”? 
“The sticker is made in • small uanti- 
ties as follows: Place 14 pound of pul¬ 
verized resin and one fluid ounce of fish- 
oil or any cheap animal oil except tallow, 
in an iron kettle with one pint of water, 
and heat until the resin is softened. Add 
about 4-5 ounce of lye dissolved in water. 
Stir thoroughly and add enough water to 
make one quart. Boil until the mixture 
will unite with cold water, making a 
clear, amber-colored liquid. If the mixture 
has boiled away too much, add enough 
water to make one quart. This forms a 
stock solution of liquid resin soap and % 
pint of this should be used to every gal¬ 
lon of the spray material which is made 
up in proportion of one pound arsenate 
lead paste to 10 gallons water.” 
THE MAILBAG 
Mr. Wheat Grower- 
vine, but will not give best rc.sults in 
fruit. That kind of soil is rich in nitro¬ 
gen, but usually low in potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid. Both sheep and hen ma¬ 
nure are also low in phosphorus. Use at 
least 000 pounds of acid phosphate per 
acre in addition to the manure. If it 
wore i)ossible to obtain potash we would 
use .^00 pounds per acre of that. I’otted 
plants well started before September will 
give a few fine berries next season, but 
it will be only part of a crop. You can¬ 
not expect a full crop until the following 
year. 
Thick-neck Onions 
How can onions be prevented from grow¬ 
ing into “thick-necks” as frequently hap¬ 
pens? I am told that it is not much more 
than a matter of chance, but am very un- 
wdlling to believe it. A. G. G. 
Glendale, Cal. 
Thick neck in onions may be caused by 
defective seed grown from thick-necks or 
it may be due to improper feeding. When 
the plant is staiwed early in the season 
because plant food has not been applied, 
or is not yet available, for the use of the 
root, it makes only a thickened stem. 
Later, when more plant food is added or 
that already in the soil becomes available, 
the onion makes a second growth below 
the thickened stem. 
Tree Protectors 
Quite a number of people write us ask¬ 
ing what they can paint or smear on the 
trunks of young trees to protect them 
from small animals which pasture in the 
orchard. Sheep, hogs and calves run in 
the orchard, and frequently gnaw the 
Manure from an Acre 
The Ohio Experiment Station gives the 
following figures: 
“The amount of manure produced 
varies with the fertility of the soil. One 
piece of land at the Experiment Station 
at Wooster for the last seven years has 
produced 62..3 bushels of corn, 22.6 bush¬ 
els of Soy beans, 35.6 bushels of wheat 
and 2.6 tons of hay per acre. The feed¬ 
ing of all these grains except wheat, and 
the u.se of all the hay, straw and stover 
for either feed or Ix-dding has resulted 
in the production of 8.3 tons of manure 
to the acre annually. Land of lower 
fertility would not yield as much ma¬ 
nure.” 
Getting Rid of Ants 
Equal parts of sugar and tartar em¬ 
etic (poison) moistened with water 
placed in shallow, small dishes outdoors 
or in house, will attract ants for two 
rods. They eat today and*ai-e passed to 
the “great beyond” tomorrow. I use a 
pound yearly of tartar emetic in ridding 
trees of aphids that are distributed and 
nursed by ants. It is dangerous for 
«malk children, hut not attractive to 
poultry, dogs or livestock. b. 
Squash Vine Borer 
Gardeners ask many questions about 
fighting this mean insect. It is hard 
to get at as it works inside the stem. 
The best “remedy” is to increase the 
rooting power of the plant. The joints 
of the vines will start out new roots if 
they are covered with earth. By hoeing 
the dirt over these joints you give the 
plant a better bold in the soil and thus 
a better chance against the borer. 
Cow Peas as Cover Crop 
Several persons in Central New’ .Jersey 
are asking about the use of cow peas as a 
cover crop in peach orchards. On light 
land the cow pea will make a surprising 
growth. The nature of this pea is to 
grow surprisingly well on the lighter, 
sandy lands. As a cover crop it is a 
good plan to seed the cow peas in drills 
about three feet apart. Cultivate them 
two or three times, and in the latter part 
of August scatter rye and a light seeding 
of Alsike clover right along the cow pea 
vines. Then cultivate for the last time 
and let the field alone. The cow peas will 
die down at frost, then the rye and clover 
will come on, make a good growth througli 
the Fall, and come up in Spring to be 
plowed under. This will prevent washing 
on hilly land during the Fall, and give a 
large amount of organic matter to be 
plowed under. 
In “Brevities” in a recent is.sue the 
question is asked: Does powdered sul¬ 
phur drives away rats and mice? We 
have had a half ton of sulphur in a room 
and the floor was sprinkled with the dust 
from broken sacks and the rats and mice 
are just as abundant in this room as in 
the other parts of the building. Accord¬ 
ingly we do not see how this mateinal 
would in any wise be efScient as a rat 
preventer. H. V. A. 
Farmers, Ky. 
The article by F. K. Allen, on page 
811, is the best thing in that line that I 
have seen in a long time; ifis not over¬ 
drawn, and will apply all I’ight to any 
section with which I have been ac¬ 
quainted. Town road work is one of the 
places where the men are paid the high¬ 
est possible wages, and encouraged to do 
the least possible woi’k. The superin¬ 
tendents often hire all their relatives who 
want easy work and big pay, and then 
their political satellites. When one super¬ 
intendent sees he cannot be elected again 
he then nires his probable successor so 
that the same ring can keep in, very few 
will work on a fami if they can get a job 
on the road. GEO. VAN DEtVERKEB. 
Saratoga Co. 
A .Jersey man of a benevolent turn of 
mind encountered a small boy in his 
neighborhood, who gave evidence of hav¬ 
ing emerged but lately from a severe 
battle. “I am sorry,” said the man, “to 
see that you have a black eye, Sammy.” 
Whereupon Sammy retorted: “You go 
home and be sorry for your own little 
boy; he’s got two!”—Everybody’s Mag¬ 
azine. 
Plan early for fall seeding 
—carefully prepare seed¬ 
bed—arrange for fertilizer 
—sow good seed wheat 
of the right variety—sow 
“Hoffman’s 
Seed Wheat” 
Grown in famous Lancas- 
^ter Wheat Belt—known in 
’ every section for its hardi¬ 
ness — vitality — produc- 
?tiveness. Is reliable—means 
increased yields wherever 
’ taken to be sown. 
^Eight vartetiea —smooth and 
bearded sorts—graded—sound 
cleaned clean — free of rye, 
cockle, garlic, chest, smut. 
Shown here Is the head of 
Leap’s Prolific” variety — 
yielding 35 to 48 bushels per 
. acre. 
Seed must please yon. Sold 
, on Money Back Plan. Costs 
only 30c to $1 per acre to 
j|Change to “Hoffman's Seed." 
* ‘Hoffman’sWheat Book” 
Describes varieties — tells 
How to Get a Crop ofWheat” 
—offers other farm seeds. It is 
free—with samples—if you tell 
where you saw this offer. 
Write for it today, 
A. H. HOFFMAN, Inc. 
Landisville, Lancaster C«., Pa. 
DREER’S 
Potted Strawberries 
Planted now will produce a full crop 
nextyear. Our M id-summer Catalogue 
offers best varieties and gives direc¬ 
tions for growing. Also offers sea¬ 
sonable Seeds and Plants of all kinds. 
Alfalfa, Crimson Clover, Vetch 
Best grades. Write for Leaflets and 
price of seed. 
HENRY A. DREER 
714-716 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, Pa. 
STR/IWBERRY PLAIYTS 
FOR AUGUST AND FALL PLANTING 
Pot-prrown and niniicr plants that will boar fruit next 
Buinnier. Jiiiie-beariiiff and Ever-bearintr varieties. Also 
Raspberry, Blackberry Plants and Fruit Trees; Cabbage, 
Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Celery Plants. Catalogue 
Free. HARRY L. SQUIRES. Good Ground, N. Y. 
TOMATO PLANTS^ 
All Leading Varieties. Price, *^1.50 per 1000 
CABBAGE PLANTS 
All Leading Varieties. Price, Tfte, per 1000 
Celery Plants, Green varieties, $2.00 per 1000. Goiden 
Self-Blanching and Easy Blanching, $3.00 per 1000. 
Plants are carefully packed in moss and expressed 
OROL LEDDEN, SEWELL, N. J. 
hargest Grower of Vegetable Plants in Neto Jersey 
r.ahhao-pPIflnh “""ISH BALL HEAD, LATE FLAT DUTCH 
UaDDdgeridniS and savoy. $1 per Thousand, lO.OOO 
forts. White Plume celery, t2 per 1,000; 10,000 for $10. All 
flue stocky plants. .lAME.S M088, Juliiisvlllc, I’li. 
alfalfaTseed™^ 
Grorvn in the Yellowstone Valley in Montana. It is 
Clean, Hardy, and Vigorous. Sample Free. 
Click's Seed Farms, Smoketown, Lancattor Co., Pa. 
CELERY PLANTS”^” strong AeW 
grovrn plants in large 
Quantities at D$1 per 
1,000; «68.50 for 10,000 J. C. SCHMJDT, Bristol, Pa. 
Russian Pilkus Seed Rje liteV.S-.o™? 
crop. Order early. Supply limited. Preiglit uncer¬ 
tain. $2.30 par bu. CLOVERDALE FARM, Charlotte, N. Y. 
FREIGHT 
PREPAID 
TIMOTHY SEED 
Our High Grade Timothy seed is the most Carefully 
selected and Kecleaned. 99.70 % Pure. Samples Free. 
Glick’s Seed Efirius,Smoketown, Lancaster Co.,Pa. 
RnIrlonQngl (Hydrastis canadensis) Roots and Seed 
UUiUCllOCdi for sale. More valuable than Ginseng. 
Start a Garden for pleasure and profit. Address 
.. - iq ■ '■ " 
E. C. KOltlilNS 
Fiueola, N. C. 
Best Standard APPLE BARRELS Prompt shipment. 
KOBT. GILLIES - Medina, New York 
BOOKS on all subjects of farming by leading 
authorities are for sale by The Rural New- . 
Yorker, 333 West Thirtieth Street, New York 
O UR PLANTS give a crop of finest 
berries in two to ten months from 
planting—the .Everbearing varieties in two months; the others the 
following June. A full list of the best varieties, including the remarkable 
Van Fleet Hybrids, covering the whole season from earliest to latest. 
Our booklet No. 2 of Pot Grown Strawberries tells all about them; how to prepare 
the ground and cultivate. IT IS FREE. If you would have bigger and better 
strawberries than your neighbors or you have ever had before, plant LOVETT’S 
POT GROWN STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 
for thirty-nine years. T. LOVETT, Box 162, Little Silver, N. J. 
