125€ 
w}i*^rft wo are planning to neo grass for mulching and 
are using manure to grow grass, I hesitate to use an 
acid manure. T. K. n. 
Scliuylerville, N. Y. 
HERE i.« much discussion about this matter of 
using sliavings. The average shavings contain 
an acid which causes some trouble in the soil when 
large (piantities are used. When the shaving.s are 
thoroughly soaked in the liquid this acid is well 
neutralized, so that usually tlu're is little trouble. 
We have many rejwrfs from dairy farms where 
the shavings are us(k 1 as absorbents and then thor¬ 
oughly mixed in with the manure. After two or 
three mouths the shavings seem to be harmless. 
The ai>ple tree seem.s to do its best on a slightly 
acid soil, although we think then? is some difference 
In varieties regarding this. Mixing 3.''>0 to 400 pounds 
of ground limestone to the ton of manure txmtaining 
shavings W(.<uld overcome the ohj(*ctifin timl give a 
good mulch for the trees. Much the s;une treatment 
will answer for apple pomact', which is now' being 
used somew’hat Iii the apple orchard. I'or the fresh 
product we would advise the use of the ground lime¬ 
stone, and when handlel in this way all such matter 
makes a go<Kl mulch material. 
We doubt if it makes great difference if the grass 
Is killetl out directly under the trees; in fact, from 
our own observation, we would rather have such 
grass destroy<Hl as far out as the branches extend, 
so as to keep this bare ground fully covered with 
a mulch. 
Building a Fcufm Icehouse 
Which is the better around my icehouse, a dead-air 
space or a free-air space? Is either necessary? Any 
remarks on icehouse construction will he greatly appre¬ 
ciated, B. w. A. 
New Park, Pa. 
ONVENIENCE AND VALUR—The farm storage 
of ice- should be a great deal more general 
than it is at present. The farmer provldetl with an 
adequate means of storing ice has at the command 
of himself and his family many comforts, through 
the hot season, that otherwise would not be his. An 
Ice supply penuits a much greater range of food. 
Fresh meats and fruits can be kept iu condition 
much longer by its use, and w'ith dairy products it 
is almost iudisi>ens“able. The arrangement of a suit¬ 
able storage place is practically a matter of time 
and bother, as the cost need be but little if one 
wishes to get along with the cheapest possible con¬ 
struction that will act as a shelter for the ice. 
Although better houses can he built for more money, 
a shed can he built from cedar posts planted in the 
ground, boardwl up with waste lumber found about 
the i>lace, and surmounte<l by a paper roof, that 
W’ill give very good satisfaction. 
FORM AND MATERIAL.—^The shape of an ice¬ 
house should approach a cube quite closely, as this 
form, for a given amount of storage room, presents 
the smallest amount of outside surface to bo attacked 
by the Summer heat of any rectangular building. 
As to tlie size required, Bowen and Ijiimbert (Oov- 
ernment investigators) found that under average 
conditions in the North ai)proxiiuately 1% tons of ice 
were requireil for cooling tlje milk of one cow, while 
in the South two tons were required for the same 
puriX)so. A cubic foot of ice weighs about 58 pounds; 
therefore, a ton of solid ice will occupy 84.5 cubic 
feet. When packed in blocks, though, from 40 to 
50 cubic feet are required for a ton; or, going on the 
basis of tons per cow, about 75 <-ubic feet for 
each animal. A 25-cow dairy, then, would require 
1,875 cubic feet of storage space. A caibical build¬ 
ing, with a siorage space 12 ft. 4 in. x 12 ft 4 in. x 
12 ft. 4 in. will hold this amount very nearly. To 
those dimensions should be added the space left for 
the protective covering of tlic iee pile—at least a 
foot on all sides—and if marsh hay or straw is to 
he used as an insulator a thickness of from to 
two feet should l>e allowed. 
CONSTRUCTION.—Where a more pretentious 
structure is desired, the building can be built on 
well-creosoted mn<l sills, whi<-h are laid directly on 
the earth, or a concrete or stone wall can he used 
to lay the sills on. If this is done care must be 
taken to see that the wall is well insulated and that 
the joints are tight; othenvise there will he consid¬ 
erable melting at this point. If it is desired to k<“ep 
the ice pile free from sawdust the walls of the build¬ 
ing must he insulated and an Insulated coiling added. 
The building, too, should have good ventilation 
through the gables to carry the lieatod air away 
fi-om over tlie ceiling. 
INSULATION.—Dead air makes an excellent in¬ 
sulator, hut it has been found by experience that a 
dead-air space is rather a hard thing to secure. Ice¬ 
houses us(sl to be built with so-ctalUid “dead-air” 
spaces 12 inclif^s in thickness in their walls. It was 
Vhe RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
found that the air on the ice side of the spaces be¬ 
came <;ooIp<1, contracted and sank, while that on the 
outside became warmed by the outside beat and 
thus expanded and rose. In this way an interior 
circulation was set up, the air traveling ’round and 
’round in these spaces, bringing the warm air which 
had been in contact with the outside wall into con¬ 
tact with the ice wall, where its lieat was given up, 
melting the ice. A cheap means of preventing this 
is to stuff the walls tightly with planer shavings. 
These break up the air spaces into many little ones, 
and so prevent circulation. Sawdu.st can be used 
for this purpose if the shavings are not available, 
hut the planer shavings are preferable. 
FRAME AND SIDINO.—Wall studding may be 
of 2x4-in. material, set staggered along the edges of 
2x 10-in. planks used as sill and plate, one at the 
outer edge, the next at the inner. Another 2x4-in. 
is I'ut longitudinally around the frame, about half 
way np, between the inner and outer rows of stud¬ 
ding. This serves to tie the frame together .and 
stiffen it. It is recommended that the inner side of 
this wall he double-boarded with matched material 
interlined with a good quality of waterproof paper, 
applied with well-la))ped joints. A single thickness 
of matched lumber Is sometimes used, however. For 
the outside, novelty siding applied over matched 
lumber Is used; or, in cheaper construction, the 
novelty siding alone. An excellent construction is 
to cover the outside with matched lumber and over 
this novelty siding, nailed to furring strips. This 
gives a space of an inch between the two, through 
wliicli a current of air will keep in circulation if 
there is an opening left for the purpose between 
the lower course of siding and the sill and another 
at the top. Tliis helps to keep the wall proi>er cooler. 
SECURING ICE.—The cost of securing and pack¬ 
ing ice should be a large factor in determining the 
type of house to be built. If ice can be easily and 
cheaply obtained a cheap house can be used to 
advantage, even though It does waste ice, while on 
the other hand if the ice harvest was made at con¬ 
siderable cost each year it should be px'otected by 
a well-built house. There are, on many farms, 
opportunities for confining small strejims and pro¬ 
viding a pl.ace where ice of fine quality can be easily 
and cheaply obtained. The pond so formed need 
only be deep enough to permit sawing, and a great 
size is not rtniuii-ed. With ice one foot iu thickness 
a ton can be cut from a space six feet squai'e, while 
a cutting space 38x.88 feet, if of the same thickness, 
will furnish enough to fill the icehouse described 
at one cutting. In many cases such a pond can be 
provided at very little exi>ense. The United States 
Department of Agriculture puts out a very good 
bulletin—Fai-niers’ Bulletin 62;i—that is well woi-th 
obtaining if one contemplates arranging a place for 
storing ice. It contains a number of plans for small 
icehouses, with complete descriptions, easily under¬ 
stood. S' 
High Farming in Southern New Jersey 
LFALFA AFTER POTATOES.—I see you are 
“examining witnesses” on Alfalfa seeding. We 
have tried several ways. Our soil is sassafras loam, 
and our money crop is white potatoes. This land in 
Holmdel Valley is as good as can be found any- 
wliere in New Jersey. It is only 40 miles south of 
the city hall on Manhattan Island, so you will un¬ 
derstand that it is one of the very oldest sections of 
farm laud in America. By that I mean it has grown 
more crops. It has been kept nj) by using marl, 
but we have weed seed from 250 years of cropping, 
and weeds are our worst enemy of Alfalfa. Last 
Fall we plowed a field which had been in Alfalfa 
five years, giving us 15 cuttings. But the ]>lantain 
took it. If we wish a field of pure Alfalfa we seed 
early in August, following a crop of early potatoes, 
and dress with 500 pounds or more of basic slag. 
At first we inoculated by using the germs from the 
laboratories. If our ground was manured the year 
before, and other conditions half favorable, we get a 
sjileudid stand. On a few plots the Aveeds smoth¬ 
ered out the young plans. But always a Fall seed 
b<‘d must be rolled and made hai-d, except the top 
liK'h or so. 
SPRING SEEDING.— But Ave like seeding Alfalfa 
lu our Spi-ing sowing of grass in Avheat—Ave use 
.\lsike and Red clover, Timothy and Alfalfa. We 
seed Avith a grass seed drill having 6-iu. di.sks .set ' 6^/2 
iiiehes aiiart. Tills disking seems to do the young 
Avheat good. If the condition of the ground does not 
cause tlie seed to be slightly covercnl Ave let a light 
iron-tooth lun-roAV follow the drill. A light dressing 
of basic slag or a commercial fertilizer causes the 
gi-ass seed and Avheat to come on iu a most gratify¬ 
ing Avay. 'We imxailate the .\lfalfa seed Avitb lab- 
Noveraber 3, 1917; 
oratory germs, but it takes only about one-fifth as 
mxich as a‘Fall seeding of pure Alfalfa. And we 
need do this only once, for even a thin stand of Al¬ 
falfa in the clover and Timothy Avill inoculate the 
field—provide<l, of course, that tiie seed was prop¬ 
erly inoculated, and this is a very simple and easy 
thing to do. Once the soil of a field is thoroughly 
inoculated, and assuming it is in good condition for 
Alfalfa otherwi.se, aa’o are sure a satisfactory stand 
of Alfalfa may be had by soAving in wheat as direct¬ 
ed above, and a light cutting may be made about 
September 1, which will, of course, contain the 
Avheat stubble. 
LOCAL CONDITIONS.—But because of our local 
conditions we are not giving more than one field to 
pure Alfalfa. We hav’e calls for more than we can 
supply at $20 to $25 a ton, though seven years ago 
we had to coax OAvners of Avork horses in the town 
to try it. Remember, we have no dairy stock—^A\’e 
are potato farmers. Our ground needs frequent ro¬ 
tations into sod for a year, so a three-year rotation 
of potatoes, Avheat and mixed grass giA'es us three 
money crops Avliich respond Avonderfully to chemical 
fertilizers. We plant w'heat after our late potatoes 
—say October 1, Avhicli insures ns against the fly. 
We sow Timothy at the time we sow the wheat in 
the Fall, and then in the Spi-ing sow the three 
cloA'ers—Alsike, Red and Alfalfa, after the manner 
described above. Our potato fields are not fenced, 
so we cannot pa.sture. Therefore, after the wheat, 
say early In Heptember, we inoAv and get a lot of 
good hay. The next June we Avill get a smashing 
lot of mixed liay and if aa'g .seeded fairly heavy with 
Alfalfa we will get a second crop. Late that Fall 
Ave plow for potatoe.s. 
THE CORN CROP.—You are wondering about our 
corn ground. Yes, Ave steal off enough to glA-e us 
corn for our stock, but don’t grow corn to sell or to 
feed to bogs for market. We use chemical fertilizers 
on all of our crops, and the response is perfectly 
amazing. Lime, chemical fertilizers (phis all the 
barnyard manure it is possible to get), cover crops, 
and frequent tillage, are the price we must pay for 
good crops down our way. thebon mc campbelt.. 
Monmouth Co., N. .L 
Selecting the Laying Hens 
Wc take several farm papers, and in all of them I 
read continually advice to cull out the non-layers. We 
have over two hundred hens a year old last May; C. 
W-liite Leghorn. I have tried to read carefully the 
manner of doing this in each paper, going principally 
by Avhitish combs, al.so l(?g.s, early roosters, and narrow¬ 
ness of pidvic hone; when I cannot get my two fingers 
between this bone, my fingers measuring 1% inche.s, 
with aforesaid conditions, I pick her out for a non¬ 
layer. I am trying now to cull under great difficulties, 
as my husband thinks these signs are all bosli. A few 
days ago I had one killed I selected as star boarder; 
another one this morning. Wa find the ovai-ios in a 
small, compact body, each one not larger tlian an or¬ 
dinary pinhead. 1 claim, from my reading, these 
Avould not lay for months and are simply star boarders 
on our farm, Avhile iny hu.sband thinks it is a dreadful 
shame to kill them. When would these hem?, under 
these conditions, begin to lay? We have many others, 
all having free range. MBS. G. AV. n. 
Ncav York. 
NE of the greatest draAvbacks in the 
poultry business Aviiich has caused a serious 
loss on many jioiiltry farms is the fact that 
some time during the late Summer or Pall 
months yearling hens Avill stop laying as a 
rule and molt. During comparatively recenc 
years much study has been sjient on methods for 
distinguishing Avhich hens Avonld be profitable to 
keep over and Avhich should be sold to tlie butcher, 
and the result is that the system has been completely 
revolutionized during the past 10 or 12 years, there¬ 
fore perhaps the D'st answer to your question Avill 
be an explanation of (he modern methods used on 
the be.st Jersey poultry fiirins. 
Some very good hi,v«‘rs will molt during the month 
of .Tune, and these slmuhl he saved, hut tho.se Avhich 
stop laying and molt during July aud August can 
siifely be disposed of. IVhen these birds have 
stopped laying and started to molt they Avill pre.sent 
the appearance Avhich you (h'serihe of the birds you 
killed. The ovaries Avill he .small and no eggs Avill 
be found in the oviduct. The yolk sac Avill contain 
yolks not much larger than a jdiiliead. The spread 
of the pelA'ic bones denotes the condition of a hen 
—that is, Avhether she is laying or not. If the bones 
are spread less than two lingers it is safe to say 
that she is not laying, hut the question Avhether site 
is good enough to keep for a breeder or not must 
be settled largely by other characteristics. The first 
thing to consider is the lord’s health and vigor, 
'This can be determined to a great extent by looking 
at the eyes, which should I>e bright and expressive, 
not dull or .staring. 
Next, the bird should he of good size—not over 
lai'ge, -but for u Leghorn we prefer liens Aveighiug 
