4 
She RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Warm and Safe for 
Farm Family 
When the work takes you away for the day in barns or fields, or to town, the family will 
be safe and comfortable with IDEAL-AMERICAN heating, making the 
whole bouse as warm as June 
IDEAL-AMERICAN heating is the best paying, most 
economical equipment you can put on your farm. It is a 
permanent improvement and a wise investment—never wears out, 
always on the job, burns any fuel you have, and gives the most 
heat at the least cost. Thousands of farm homes which are Ideally 
heated do not know the terrors of the hard winters. 
You can buy an IDEAL-AMERI¬ 
CAN Radiator Heating Outfit for 
fewer bushels of grain than you 
could in 1916! Think it over! 
IDEAL Boilers 
will supply ample 
heat on one charg¬ 
ing of coal tor 8 to 
24 hours, depend¬ 
ing on severity of 
weather. Every 
ounce of fuel is 
made to yield Ut¬ 
most results. 
It means better health for the family, less 
labor for you, absolute comfort, and a hap¬ 
pier, easier life on the farm. 
— Not necessary to have 
rfj! j j water pressure. You get 
u/77\ b ac k the first cost even 
if you sell or lease, and 
you get big yearly fuel 
Ld savings; so why delay 
on a sure, high-paying 
v investment like this ? 
Call up your dealer today and ask him to 
give you an estimate for installing 
IDEAL-AMERICAN heating this week. 
It can be done in a few days in any kind of 
buildings without disturbing the family. 
Send for our Free Heating Book 
We want you to have a copy of “Ideal 
Heating.” It goes into the subject very com¬ 
pletely and tells you things you ought to 
know about heating your home. Puts you 
under no obligation to buy. 
Our IDEAL Hot 
Water Supply Boil¬ 
ers will supply 
plenty of warm wa¬ 
ter for home and 
stock at small cost 
of few dollars for 
fuel for season. 
Temperature kept 
just right by Syl¬ 
phon Regulator. 
Write (or booklet. 
Sold by all deal¬ 
ers. No exclusive 
agents 
MERICAN R ADIATOR r OMPANY 
Write to 
Department F*10 
Chicago 
WHAT ISA FERTILE SOIL? 
The growing of crops depends on RIOLOGICAL rather than CHEMICAL phenomena. 
Make the soil fit for the development >!’ the essential bacterial life ami you have what is 
recognized as a fertile soli. Maintain til's fertility ami profitable crops will result. 
All organic matter in the soil, i. e., humus, manure or green crops turned under, must 
be broken down and transformed by these bacteria before it can be used by the plant. 
SOIL MUST BE KEPT SWEET 
In order that these essential bacteria may exist and work. They cannot live under ncid 
conditions. An acid soil is of necessity bacterially dead, or, in other words, agriculturally 
dead. Dead soil can never be farmed at a profit. 
BARIUM-PHOSPHATE 
AN ALKALINE FERTILIZER 
16% Phosphoric Acid 7% Barium Sulphide 
is a mixture of an alkaline salt of barium and phosphate of lime. Phosphorus and decay¬ 
ing organic matter are the two substances which constitute the key to profitable systems of 
permanent agriculture on most normal soils* Barium-Phosphate, in addition to supplying 
phosphorus in a most desirable form. 
SWEETENS THE SOIL 
AND PROMOTES THE GROWTH OF FAVORABLE BACTERIA 
Used in combination with manure or plowed under with green crops, Barium-Phosphate 
will produce profitable yields and build up the fertility of your land. 
It will pay you to write for our book which describes Barium-Phosphate and Ha uses. 
Witherbee, Sherman & Company, Inc. 
2 Rector Street, New York City 
ADDRESS INQUIRIES, FERTILIZER DEPT., GRAFTON. MASS. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
Applying Manure to Asparagus 
When is the best time to spread manure 
on asparagus bed? I am told not till 
ground freezes solid, say in February. 
Could it be spread now with as good re¬ 
sults? E. L. C. 
Gwynedd, Pa. 
The best time to apply manure to as¬ 
paragus is a question upon which some 
of our best authorities disagree. Some 
advocate putting on in the Fall or Win¬ 
ter. and some advise not to apply it until 
early Spring, just before growth starts, 
giving as their reasons that -when applied 
in Spring the plants will get the full 
benefit of the manure, as very little if any 
of the fertilizers will be lost by evapora¬ 
tion or excessively deep leaching into the 
soil. The latter argument seems the 
more reasonable, for it is a well-known 
fact plants cannot use any of the fer¬ 
tilizer when in a dormant state, and 
when manures are applied in the Fall or 
early Winter, particularly in sandy soil, 
and in localities where not much frost, 
occurs, the manure will leach badly and 
leachings will sink below the reach of 
the roots and be lost, whereas if ap¬ 
plied in Spring the plants will get the 
full benefit, as active growth soon com¬ 
mences, and the plants are then in the 
best possible condition to utilize it. K. 
Propagating Roses 
I have some beautiful tree roses, and 
wish to cut off some of this year’s 
branches and root them. How or when is 
the best time to do it, this Fall or in the 
Spring? And should I put the branches 
in sand or loam ? T. G. W. 
New York. 
We infer that these roses are Hybrid 
Remontants. Ripe wood cuttings may 
be taken in Autumn, and rooted in a 
cool greenhouse, but if you have no glass 
the easiest method is to root wood in the 
open ground in Summer. After flower¬ 
ing. take cuttings of ripe wood six or 
eight inches long; the shoots which have 
flowered are convenient for this. Trim 
off foliage, and set these in sandy soil, in 
a sheltered place in the garden, inserting 
in soil so that about two buds are ex¬ 
posed. Leave undisturbed until the fol¬ 
lowing Spring, when you will find most 
of them nicely rooted. They should be 
protected by some leaves or litter during 
the Winter. An easy way to propagate 
roses is by root cuttings, taken in the 
Fall, as soon as cool weather has checked 
their growth. This plan is very, satisfac¬ 
tory with varieties difficult to propagate 
from cuttings, such as the moss roses. 
Part of the roots may be uncovered and 
removed without digging up the whole 
plant. The larger roots are best, hut one 
not more than one-sixteenth of an inch in 
diameter may be used. Cut the root into 
pieces two to three inches in length, and 
pack between layers of damp moss in a 
perfectly clean box or large flower pot. 
If sphagnum moss cannot be procured, 
clean sharp sand may be used in its place. 
The box or pot must be well drained, and 
free from mold or disease germs. Put 
the receptacle in a cool cellar, where the 
cuttings may be examined occasionally, 
and water given if needed. If too slow in 
making buds they may be put in a warmer 
place; if too advanced they should be re¬ 
tarded. but they should he showing strong 
buds in Spring. The cuttings are then 
put in drills in the open ground, cov¬ 
ered two inches deep, and given clean 
cultivation. Good strong plants are se¬ 
cured the first season. A good many 
roses are propagated, under glass, from 
cuttings of green wood, during the first 
three months of the year, but this re¬ 
quires greenhouse conditions. 
A Back-to-the-l.aider's Vtar 
One hack to-the-lnnder begs to report 
that he has little to offer you which might 
make “good copy” at the close of this, 
his initial year. Ilis assets, optimism, 
patience, some knowledge of plant life, 
good working ideas of poultry, hogs, etc., 
a little real knowledge of the mechanical 
side of handling crops, reasonable amount 
of capital, a wife filled with the spirit of 
pioneer forebears and a desire to help win 
the war. Some of the above might be lia¬ 
bilities. 
I don’t know if we helped win the war, 
for the early potato crop was drowned, 
but the family ate nothing which had to 
be purchased except cornmeal, sugar and 
coffee. Milk, eggs and butter took the 
place of meat, and the water abounded in 
fish, etc. There were many failures due 
to ignorance or bad advice, or too much 
advice, or unusual weather conditions. 
Failure of a lumber company to deliver 
material for a suitable habitation for the 
family, embargo on the incubator, then 
on the live chicks, then on the feed, all 
contributed to diminish the asset patience. 
Turning over the weeds in IS acres of 
corn with a four-cylinder mule and a 
plow when you have punctured both feet 
with tenpeniiy nails and can’t wear shoes, 
and the horseflies, gnats and mosquitoes 
are singing “Hail Columbia” aud the 
sweat blinding you so that you have to 
trust to chance and the mule, makes you 
see the hole in the optimist’s doughnut. 
Negro labor was drafted to a dangerous 
degree, and the only help was that given 
free by some energetic* ad kindly neigh¬ 
bor. Chores were sometimes completed by 
midnight, weeds were pulled when the 
moonlight helped. Mjiny things were neg¬ 
lected and much unnecessary labor done. 
But the corn made, a late crop of Hoosiers 
was sold direct to the consumer, hogs and 
January 4, 1019 
poultry made good returns, aud if we can 
only profit by our mistakes of the past 
year we will make good in 1919. 
The family is more than contented with 
the new existence, and hardships and dis¬ 
comforts even add zest. If we fail it won’t 
be because of lack of backbone or team 
work. The children bring the Hope 
Farm Man home to dinner every 
week-end, and sometimes he has good 
tidings for us. and then again the 
reverse. I thank him for that tribute to 
Mr. Merrill, the County Demonstrator. 
It was my good fortune to have been in 
close touch with him during the last 
years of my residence in Bergen County, 
N. J., and the charm of his personality 
left an impression upon me at the begin¬ 
ning of our acquaintance which I have 
always retained. His tact, sympathetic 
intuition and unselfishness was a spur to 
me and to others to help our respective 
communities. albekt a. riohards. 
THE MAILBAG 
Shavings in Stable Manure 
We would like your suggestion as to 
the comparison of stable manure with 
straw for bedding and shavings for bed¬ 
ding. We are buying manure of the lat¬ 
ter variety to cover strawberries. We 
believe it is said to sour the ground. We 
would like to know its value (some of it 
fresh and some well rotted). f. b. 
Summit, N. J. 
The shavings contain considerable acid, 
and unless they are thoroughly soaked 
with the liquid manure, or lime is used 
with them, they will sour the ground. 
They are not well suited as a mulch for 
covering strawberries, since they pack too 
closely down over the plants. A mulch 
for berries should be coarse and open, so 
ns to prevent freeze and thaw during the 
weather changes, and not shut off the 
supply of air. 
Chemical Lime 
What is chemical lime? How does it 
differ from hydrated or burnt lime? 
What amount is advised per acre of each 
of these, as well as ground limestone? R. 
Dunkirk, N. Y. 
As we understand it. “chemical lime” 
is a trade name for refined lime so pure 
that it can be used in certain manufac¬ 
turing processes. It would not pay to 
use chemical lime for agricultural pur¬ 
poses. Limestone, when fully burned, 
loses its carbonic acid and becomes what 
is called burnt, stone, lump or quicklime. 
When this is ground fine and sprayed with 
just enough water to slake it fully, it is 
called hydrated lime. The usual “burnt” 
lime used by farmers is the lump or stone 
lime slaked by air or water. The usual 
proportions for use on soil would be 800 
lbs. of hydrated, 1.200 to 1.500 lbs. of 
burnt lime, and 2,500 lbs. or more of 
limestone. 
Chestnut Kindling Wood 
Dead chestnut, cut into kindling wood, 
finds a ready sale in the cities aud larger 
towns. From this neck of the Ramapo 
woods, four two-horse loads and two 
motor-truck loads are sold every other 
day in Paterson, at the rate of three bar¬ 
rels full for $1. The local blacksmith 
has set up a sawing outfit which anyone 
may use on payment of a fee. Four per¬ 
sons get their whole livelihood from this 
traffic. c. A. w. 
Pompton, N. J. 
Bees and Sheep 
Qo roy recent journey I saw more small 
k*- of sheep '■.ban I expected, but saw 
very few hive' of bees. Why do not more 
rural people keep bees? 
Pennsylvania. frank waring. 
The sheep are coming. Many small 
flocks will be kept to supply the family 
with yarn. To that extent we are going 
hack to “the good old days.” As for bees, 
the chief reason seems to be that people 
are afraid of being stung. 
Lime on Strawberries 
Is lime beneficial to strawberries on 
sandy loam? I am using hen dressing 
and acid phosphate. R. n. h. 
Maine. 
Lime has injured strawberry plants in 
every case we have observed. On our 
own soil the use of lime or wood ashes 
in reasonable quantities has stunted or 
stopped growth. We have often observed 
this in fields or gardens where a brush 
pile has been burned. The plants where 
this fire was made are never equal to 
those in the rest of the field. On the 
other hand, we have heard from a few 
growers ivho say they use wood ashes for 
fertilizing strawberries with good results. 
From our own experience we would never 
use lime on this crop. 
Moldy Silage 
I notice W. C.’s silo trouble, page 
1392. I have had the same experience, 
and have overcome it. W. C.’s silo is too 
large for the number of cows he keeps. 
The top of his silage dries out and then it 
heats till it becomes moldy. If he will 
wet the silage about once a week in the 
silo quite thoroughly, or as often as it re¬ 
quires, his trouble with moldy silage will 
stop. I think as soon as the weather be¬ 
comes colder he will not be troubled in 
any case. P. F. g. 
Clare, Mich. 
