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RURALISMS 
Blood Meal for Fertilizer; Trouble with 
Lettuce 
Is blood meal good fertilizer for lettuce 
and tomatoes? What causes the little 
white worms in ground which ruined a 
whole crop of lettuce? They seemed to 
eat up the root of the plant. A. H. 
Englewood, Col. 
Blood meal contains about 12 per cent 
of nitrogen, very little phosphoric acid 
and practically no potash. Lettuce re¬ 
quires a rich soil. Nitrogen is one of the 
very essential materials required for its 
development. Blood meal is well adapted 
for lettuce production, especially in green¬ 
house culture, provided the other essential 
plant foods are present. Phosphoric acid 
is economically obtained in bone meal and 
in acid phosphate. Tankage contains 
nitrogen and phosphoric acid in abund¬ 
ance. Potash for lettuce culture may be 
obtained from wood ashes. A combina¬ 
tion of a few or all of these ingredients 
should produce excellent results ; however, 
there is nothing better than a generous 
use of well-rotted stable manure in the 
soil. Tomatoes respond to a well manured 
soil, but they cannot stand having too 
much nitrogen in the soil: it causes ex¬ 
cessive vine-growth and reduces the yield 
. of fruit. 
The description of your ruined lettuce 
is very meagre. However, I am inclined 
to think that the little white worms were 
not responsible for your loss. Most likely 
your crop was affected with the common 
‘‘lettuce drop.” This is a disease which 
destroys the roots and causes the leaves 
to wither and fall. The little white worms 
get into the rotting material and live 
there. Naturally they get all the blame 
for the mischief. Much of the “lettuce 
drop” can be avoided by sterilizing the 
soil with steam or with formaldehyde. 
Furthermore, it is a big help to clear 
away carefully any diseased leaves or 
roots as they develop, so that the disease 
will not remain in the soil to destroy 
future crops. Frequent watering is to be 
avoided; Boston growers often grow let¬ 
tuce crops which are watered only once. 
Then an abundance is applied before the 
heads begin to develop, r. w. i>e battn. 
Lime for an Orchard 
I have an orchard of apple and pear 
trees about 14 years old. which shows 
good growth, but does not bear. I am 
considering an application of lime; have 
mulched it this Winter with oat and 
buckwheat straw and shall m.< plow it. 
How can I apply the lime? Will it work 
through the mulch to any advantage, and 
when should it be applied? I would like 
to apply it this Winter if possible. If 
the ground limestone were drawn this 
Winter and put in pile outside, would it 
harden so that it could not be handled in 
Spring? v. t. 
We should ask the Farm Bureau Agent 
of Greene County to come and examine 
that orchard. There may be one or sev¬ 
eral things which are responsible for its 
failure to bear. Without knowing more 
about it we could not advise definitely. 
In our own experience we have never 
found lime of any particular help to an 
apple orchard. The fact is that most 
apple trees prefer a slightly acid soil, 
and do best in such a soil. Of course, if 
they make much wood growth they must 
have a full supply of lime, but they do 
not need lime to sweeten the soil, as many 
farm crops do. We have not found lime 
needed in the orchard except where we 
use clover or grain as a cover crop. Lime 
pays to encourage these crops, but does 
not have any great effect on the trees. As 
this orchard is covered with a mulch, we 
are unable to see how the lime can do any 
good. The right way to use lime is to 
spread it after plowing and harrow it 
well into the upper soil. If you scatter 
>t on top of this mulch you will get little 
or no results from it this year, as it will 
work slowly down through the mulch, if 
at all. It may help decay this mulch 
somewhat, but we can see no apparent 
reason why it should bring these trees 
into fruiting. If it had any effect it 
would be to stimulate them into extra 
growth. A dressing of phosphate would 
be more likely to encourage the growth of 
fruit buds. We should like to know the 
theory upon which you figure that the 
lime will bring these trees to fruiting. 
With us, when limestone is piled without 
protection through the Winter it becomes 
sticky and hard to spread. 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
Twice Th 
-Half The Expense 
“One man and a Moline-Universal Tractor will do about 
the same work (taking a season through) as two men with 
four horse teams.”— Crumbaugh Bros., Vandalia, Illinois. 
Statements such as this from Moline- 
Universal owners—and we have many of 
them—support our claim that the Moline- 
Universal enables one man to do twice as 
much work at about half the expense as is 
possible with horses. 
With a Moline-Universal you can plow 9 
acres a day, double disc 27 acres, drill 35 
acres, cultivate 15 to 20 acres, mow 25 to 35 
acres, and harvest 30 to 35 acres. Figure 
out for yourself how long this would take 
you with horses. Then keep in mind that 
in case of necessity you can work night as 
well as day, because the Moline-Universal 
has complete electrical equipment, includ¬ 
ing electric lights and self-starter. 
As for expense it runs about half what 
the same work with horses would cost. 
Charles J. Deck of McArthur, N. D., says: “I 
plowed 60 acres—fuel amounted to $32.94. It would 
have cost me $82.40 to plow this with 6 horses, not 
figuring feed for Sunday, or rainy days. I did not 
have to get up at 5 o'clock every morning either." 
Mr. Beck did not consider the saving of his own time. 
If I hadn t had the Moline-Universal I would 
have kept 4 more horses, which are a bigger expense 
than the tractor," says J. E.Careyof Wilmington.Ohio. 
Many other statements similar to this 
prove that the cost of operating a Moline- 
Universal Tractor is no greater than main¬ 
taining three or four horses, while it will do 
twice as much work. Then there is another 
big advantage — belt work. The Moline- 
Universal has enough power for all ordin¬ 
ary belt power requirements. 
I purchased a 20 x 36 separator and then threshed 
my grain, pulling it with the Moline Model D. The 
tjactor handled this separator very easily and did 
l e ? After 1 had threshed my own grain, I 
threshed for four of my neighbors, about 350 i 
in all. —G. C. Appenzeller, Bouton, la. 
Considered from every angle the Moline-Universal is the best tractor for you. 
It does all farm work, including cultivating. One man operates both tractor 
and implement from the seat of the implement. It will make you money. See 
your Moline dealer now or write us for full information. Address Dept. 19. 
MOLINE PLOW COMPANY, MOLINE, ILL. 
MONEY FOR FARMERS 
LOANS FROM 5 TO 35 YEARS AT 5H% 
No Commissions — No Renewals — No Worry 
We loan money to actual or prospective farm owners on 35-year 
mortgages at oVzVo interest. You may use the money 
To buy or improve farm lands and erect buildings. 
To buy live stock, fertilizers, and equipment. 
To pay off existing mortgages and debts. 
The mortgage may he entirely canceled in 35 years by paying 
annually—5^% for interest and 1% on the principal. Or you 
may pay off all or any part of the principal at any time after 5 
years. We loan txs little as $100 or as much as $10,000, according 
to your needs and security. 
Write for full particulars today—if you live in any of the States 
listed below. Our territory comprises: 
Maine New Hampshire Vermont Massachusetts 
Rhode Island Connecticut New York New Jersey 
THE FEDERAL LAND BANK 
145 State Street, Springfield, Mass. 
WHEN WRITING BE SURE TO GIVE THE LOCATION OF YOUR FARM 
| 
Mulcher 
& Seeder 
“A mulcher, smoothing harrow, cultivator ^ 
weeder and seeder—all in one. Forms dust mulch 
—a blanket of loose soil—preventing soil hardening 
and moisture escaping. Increases yield of corn 
potatoes, oats, wheat, etc. Kills weeds. Flat teeth. 
especially adapted to form mulch. Lever and 
pressure spring control depth of teeth. Sold with 
or without seeding boxes for grass seed, alfalfa, 
oats, etc. Teeth cover the seed to deDth desired. 
Adapted for a large variety of work. In stock near 
you. Send for catalog. 
EUREKA MOWER CO., Box S42 .Utica, ». V. 
Four sizes, 
3, 8. 10 
and 12 ft. 
The FREDERICK COUNTY LIME and 
NOTHING to get out of 
order. 
WE PAY FREIGHT. 
Write us 
for circi 
In appearance one spreader looks very much 
like another. It is the actual 'service that — 
counts. Years ago THE FREDERICK COUNTY COM¬ 
BINATION LIME AND FERTILIZER SPREADER passed 
the experimental stagre. and for a Brood, stronsr durable 
a P li fertilizer spreader THE FREDERICK COUNTY 
SW&& Dt<K,s hw superior for spreading lime. GROUND L1ME- 
MUNL or any other kind of material that will pass through the 
three-quarter mesh screen in quantities from 100 to 6,000 pounds 
per acre, by the movement of one lever. Due to our enormous 
output the price is exceedingly low. 
Woodsboro Lime Spreader Co.. Dept. 0.20, Woodskoro, Md. 
