■Uhet RURAL NEW-YORKER 
a considerable distance is produced; by sbuttins' it 
down a cone-shaped spray is made. Different sized 
disks are supplied with each gun in order that the 
amount of material applied may coincide with the 
capacity of the spray pump. 'I'he ease and rapidity 
with which the dust can be applied makes it possible 
lor growers having a large acreage to cover the 
trees in the few days in which certain insects may 
.successfully be controlled. The spray-gun is intended 
to answer the same purpose in applying a liquid 
spray that the duster does in putting on the dry 
material. Many growers have bought spray-guns in 
the la.st two years thinking that by so doing they 
could get along with less help and still do as much 
s])raying. 
We purchased two guns of a well-known make 
for use in the orchards this season. We have about 
00 acres of 11-year-old apples and pears to spray. 
There ai’e two sprayers on the farm, and we planned 
to use one gun for each machine, thereby saving the 
time of two men. 
The spray-guns Avere first tried out on a block of 
il acres. It looked at that time as though a con¬ 
siderable amount of material Avas being Avasted, 
more so than with a regular spray-rod, due to the 
larger volume of material being applied. On the 
next block spra.A-ed a comi)arisen was made of the 
amounts required per tre(‘ with tiie regular rod ot 
two nozzles each, and with the gun. This block 
consisted of mixed varieties and Avas divided as 
iiearly as possible into halves, each half containing 
over .“iOO trees. For the dormant spray the amount 
cl spray li(iuid required per tree for the spray-gun 
was 1.5 gallons and for the rod one gallon. For the 
pink bud stage 1.9 gallons per tree Avere recpiired 
for the gun and 1.4 gallons per tree for the rod. 
These Avere the averages for over .'>00 trees. Both of 
these sprayings show a larger amount of material 
used by the gun than the rod. an item of consideraltle 
moment Avhen several thousand trees are to be 
sprayed. 
While it took more material early in the season 
with the gun than with the rod our later sprayings 
showed .lust the revei’se. The trees Avere then in 
full foliage. Avhich kept the spray from being bloAvn 
away. The average amount per tree for the next 
two sprayings Avas two gallons per tree Avith the rod 
and l.() gallons per tree Avith the gun. While less 
material Avas used. Avhich Avould .seem to be an 
advantage. Ave could not do as good a .iob Avith the 
gun as Avith the rod. When using tlie spray-gun it 
is impos.sible to spray a.gainst the Avind. Avhile Avith 
the ordinary si)ray-rod .a good job can often be done 
against the Avind if it is not bloAving too hard. With 
angle nozzles on a spray-rod the tree can be covered 
in a thorough manner; the fruits must be hit from 
all sides. TTnblemished apples cannot be produced 
AVhere curculio are abundant unless completely coa'- 
ered Avith .spray on all sides. If one side of the 
apple is not coAerod this exposed side is llal)lo to be 
stung. Our difiiculty .seemed to be to hit the under¬ 
side of the apple, and avc found it could not be done 
AAith the gun. With the angle nozzles it is possiltle 
to .shoot up into the tree from underneath, thus 
making it easy to hit the apples on the under side. 
After giving our guns a thorough trying ont. avc 
laid them aside in faA'or of the sloAver but more 
thorough rods. Some thinning has been done in the 
Mock Avhere our test of the rod versus the gun Avas 
made, and Ave luiA'e found .a larger ])roportion of 
curculio-stung fruits Avhere the spray-gun Avas used. 
Ncav .Tersey. ii. n. ii. 
Baling Hay For Market 
Many of the earlier large barns in the Fa.st Avere 
made Avith hay i)re.sses built in them. The ha.v for 
market Avas pressed in Winter, rain.v Aveather, and 
any other odd times, thus providing Avork .so that 
a hired man could be kept the year around, instead 
of only the ei.ght months of ordinary farm help con¬ 
tracts. 
The older presses all made A'ery large bales and 
Avere tied Avith Avood hoops. Hickory saplings Avere 
u.sed. tliese hoop poles being sjdit and shaved as time 
permitted, so as to be ready for use Avhen neede<l. 
A bale tied Avith four to six of these clumsy hoops 
Avas an aAvkAvard looking affair compard Avith the 
modern Avire-tied bale. Considerable Avood Avas put 
into the bale to “keep it in .shape.” The.se “slats,” 
as the.v Avere called, Avere usuall.A- sjilit from hlack 
oak full of .sap, Avhich Avas the heaviest Avood avail¬ 
able Four slats, one in each corner lengtliAvise of 
the bale. Avere used, and sometimes others Avere put 
in betAveen, so that a hale running around .‘500 pounds 
might contain 40 or .50 pounds of Avood. 
Wliere available hoops Avere poumled out of black 
ash logs, this timber having a Avay of peeling off 
like veneer Avhen liandled b.v those Avho knoAv Iioav. 
These hooiAs had to be kept Avet t(A tie properly, and 
they Avere supposed to make a neater bale than the 
larger hickory hoops. 
NoAvadays billing is mainl.v done, like thriishlng, 
b.v men avIio go about Avith machinery, setting it up 
Avhere Avanted and completing the job in a feAV days. 
These bales are fastened Avith Avire and contain no 
Avood, unless it be a small piece to mark the 
Aveight on. 
Iliiy for export is sometimes re-pressed into cir¬ 
cular hiiles. being put into about half its former 
bulk. In this system of pressing the hay is aa’OuiuI 
about the bale something as thread is avouiuI on ii 
spool, iind gets very tight. These compress plants 
are run by heavy poAver, several presses Avorking at 
the Siune time. 
The picture at Fig. 4SS shoAVS a pressing crcAV 
baling hay from a stack in the held in Yates County, 
995 
Noav Ym-k. Ilay is sometimes baled as soon as 
made, but this is not to bo recommended, as the 
ha.v must be dried too much and be too near mature 
for best quality. It is much better to cut it when 
in best condition and let it go through the natural 
SAveat in the moAV or stack. 
The Overgrowth of Red Clover 
The overgroAvth of Bed clover must be regarded as 
a novelty that is rarely .seen. It is not sornetliing 
that can bo produced at our option. It is the prod¬ 
uct of peculiar conditions that are not understood. 
It is a condition that nature opposes. Its leading 
(rharacteristic is the Avater found in the plant, and 
evidently the Avater that passes through it. Its other 
distinguishing features are its failure to bloom, its 
certainty of falling, the length of time it remains 
green and full of Avater and its rapid groAvth. It 
glA-es a great bulk of llght-Aveight hay. It may fall 
short of a maximum crop because its rapid groAvth 
is attended Avith holloAv stems, and the result is a 
light-Aveight haj'. What cau.ses it? Evidently the 
big groAvth and all the features that go Avith ex- 
cessiA’e fixation of nitrogen are pre.sent. If I say 
the tixation of nitrogen by the plant caused the 
overgroAA'th it cannot lie refuted b.v anything found 
in the evidence. 
Looking further at the matter, the fact is ap¬ 
parent that this nitrogen lixation did not, nor could, 
take place in the absence of .sulphur, pho.sphate and 
potash. All evidence, Avithout exception. shoAVs tiiat 
it is not possible to promote plant groAVth Avith sul- 
l)hur, pho.sphate or potash Avithout a corresponding 
increase in nitrogen fixation. Whatever promotes 
jilant groAvth intensifies nitrogenous effect and then' 
is no exception revealed b.v the evidence. The evi¬ 
dence at the great experiment station at Botham- 
sled, England, shoAvs that for 00 .A'ears the u.se of 
phosphate and potash Avas reflected in the increase 
of nitrogen fixation, or is Avithout effect. Taking the 
evidence as a basis of faith, it does not appear Iioav, 
in Avhat Avay, the noduie on the root of cloA-er could 
take the leading role in the lixation of nitrogen by 
it. 'The nodule, hoAA'ever. is not present Avhere an 
overgroAvth of clover is found. When this over- 
groAvth can be reached Ave therefore .get the evidence 
that the plant in the absence of the nodule can fix 
more nitrogen than is desirable. We cannot act on 
the hypothesis that cloA’er can groAV Avithout the 
nodule, but the man avIio groAVs an overgroAvth knoAVs 
that the nodule did not cau.se it. We ought to study 
overgroAvths therefore as a means of eliminating 
the errors that are Avoven in the subject. We should 
study this subject from the vieAvpoint of the great¬ 
est possible groAvth, or take our bearings from an 
overgroAvth. Success Avith overgroAvth Avould neces- 
saril.v clarify the subject of plant groAvth, and put 
science on a solid foundation. But Avho knoAvs hOAV 
7/01/ naJiiif; in Western New York. Fir/. .'iSS 
