368 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 1, 1019 
W AR has taken many things from us, but it has brought others in 
compensation. One of these is the development of our native 
national sources of ammonia. The increase in the by-product coke 
oven industry during the war has made Sulphate of Ammonia, more 
than ever before, 
The Great American Ammoniate 
Top dress your timothy, winter wheat, or your orchard with 
ARCADIAN Sulphate of Ammonia. It is all soluble, all available, and 
quick acting. Endorsed by Experiment Station men and horticultural 
authorities. You can get it now through the regular dealers in the 
regular way. 
ARCADIAN SULPHATE OF AMMONIA 
ARCADIAN Sulphate of Ammonia is the well-known standard article that has done 
you good service in your mixed fertilizers for years past. Especially kiln-dried and 
ground to make it fine and dry. Ammonia 25 % % guaranteed. Made in U. S. A. 
For sale by Armour Fertilizer Works, Chrome, N. J., Baltimore, Md. and Greensboro 
N. C.; Swift & Co., Charlotte, N. C.; Home Fertilizer and Chemical Co., Baltimore, Md.* 
Independent Packers Fertilizer Co., Columbus, Ohio; Federal Chemical Co., Nashville 
Tenn.; I. P. Thomas & Son Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; Berkshire Fertilizer Co., Bridge¬ 
port, Conn.; Baugh & Sons Co., Philadelphia, Pa., Baltimore, Md. and Norfolk, Va 
For information 
as to applica¬ 
tion, write 
The Company 
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT 
New York 
N. Y. 
WHAT IS A FERTILE SOIL? 
The giowing of crops depends on BIOLOGICAL rather than CHEMICAL phenomena. 
Make the soil fit for the development of the essential bacterial life and you have what is 
recognized as a fertile soil. Maintain this fertility and 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 acid 
conditions. An acid soil is of necessity baeterially dead, or, in other words, agriculturally 
dead. Dead soil can never be farmed at a profit. 
BARIUM-PHOSPHATE 
AN ALKALINE FERTILIZER 
ANALYZING 
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 its uses. 
Witherbee, Sherman & Company, Inc. 
2 Rector Street, New York City 
UP-TO-DATE FERTILIZERS FOR 
UP-TO-DATE FARMERS 
Are you a business farmer? Do you buy simply “Farmers’ Delight” or do you 
purchase units of plant food ? Now that the war is ended we can offer for the first 
time in quantity, two high-grade fertilizers: 
AMMO-PHOS 
10.7% Nitrogen, (13% Ammonia), 47% available Phos. Acid 
Think of a “13-47”—sixty units of plant food in one ton! This phosphate of ammonia 
is a nearly pure chemical with its nitrogen in the form of ammonia and its phosphoric 
acid mostly soluble in water. Ammo-Phos is endorsed by experiment stations and 
agricultural scientists everywhere. It is especially suited for use alone for pushing peas 
and beans and for grains, or in conjunction with manure or tankage for general crops. 
AMMO-PHOS AND TANKAGE MIXTURE 
10% Nitrogen, (12% Ammonia), 25% available Phos. Acid 
Approximately one-half of the nitrogen is mineral and one-half organic, phosphoric 
acid mostly water soluble. 
These fertilizers leave no objectionable salines in the soil, are non-caustic, clean, 
fine-ground, dry, and are packed in 100-lb. bags. Prices extremely low, analysis 
considered. Potash furnished if desired. 
We are also offering a full line of all fertilizer materials. Write us for prices and 
formula suggestions for 1919. 
A. W. HIGGINS SOUTH DEERFIELD, MASS. 
Various Horticultural Notes 
" - 
More About Chestnut Growing in Illinois 
I have had many letters since my ar¬ 
ticle on chestnut growing, published in 
The It. N.-Y. November 23, 1918, asking 
for more details. I am adding the fol¬ 
lowing information for such as are inter¬ 
ested : 
I know of three other parties in this 
State who are growing chestnuts in quan¬ 
tity and think them a profitable crop. 
They will grow on any soil that is not 
wet or underlaid by hardpan. We have 
the mercury go as low as 20 to 25 below 
zero at times, and have never known the 
trees to be injured. The chestnut is na¬ 
tive in Now England State, so should bo 
hardy enough for almost any part of our 
country. 
As for planting and cultivation, they 
need about the same treatment as fruit 
trees. The better the soil and cultivation 
the faster they grow and come into profit- 
do not come true to variety from seed. I 
have fruited many chestnuts grown from 
seed, trying to produce new varieties, and 
it is my experience that not more than 
about five per cent are good enough to 
pay to let them grow as they are. The 
rest should be grafted otr budded to 
known varieties of value. No one posted 
would think of planting an apple, peach, 
pear or other orchard and use seedlings. 
Don't try it with nuts. It won’t work. 
It has taken years to develop these bet¬ 
ter varieties, and it is just as necessary 
for the best success that these improved 
varieties are planted as it is with fruits. 
These improved varieties are not blight- 
proof and should not be planted in infect¬ 
ed territory. Japan Giant and some other 
Japans are said to be blight resistant, but 
I know of no nursery growing them. They 
should now be propagated by nurseries 
for planting in infected sections. They 
are poor in quality compared with others, 
Which Potatoes Wold 
able bearing. However, they can be plant¬ 
ed on rough land not fit for cultivation 
and in time will produce profitable crops. 
The larger part of my plantings are on 
just such land; land that was shrubbed 
off and pastured, never had a plow in it. 
Now the trees are so large that cattle 
or sheep do no harm and the trees bear 
as well as those cultivated, but the nuts 
are not as large. 
Plant in Fall or Spring, same as is best 
for fruit trees in your section. Here I 
prefer Fall if I can do so, as I think the 
roots become more firmly established dur¬ 
ing Winter and make a better growth. 
But if not planted in the Fall they can 
be planted in Spring. The truth is, my 
planting has been done mostly in the 
Spring, as usually we had too much other 
work in the Fall. 
Plant same as fruit trees; dig holes 
larger than the roots spread, press in the 
soil firmly to the roots; the firmer the bet¬ 
ter. Some have asked whether I plant 
with a posthole digger! Most certainly 
not. All nut trees, to transplant well, 
should be root-pruned or transplanted at 
one year old ; that gives a better root sys¬ 
tem for transplanting, and such trees 
could not be planted in a posthole. All 
nut trees are high priced, as they are 
more difficult to propagate than fruit 
trees. Thev should have the best of 
care to insure their growing. I therefore 
always advise mulching with any material 
that is handy a circle not less than six 
feet in diameter and six to eight inches 
deep. That will tend to hold moisture 
during dry weather in Summer. The 
trees are long-lived and grow large. It 
is therefore advisable to give plenty of 
room, 30 to 40 feet. They can be planted 
close and will give good crops before they 
will crowd, but think it a poor plan to 
follow. I have a tree planted 55 years 
ago, now 7 J /j feet in circumference and 
over GO feet high. Thirteen such trees 
on an acre, 50 feet apart, would pretty 
well fill all space and produce more nuts 
than twice or three times as many frees 
planted on the same ground. 
Some have written me for nuts to 
plant; to sill such I say. “Don’t.” Chest- 
’ nut, and all other nuts, like fruit trees, 
You Select for Seed? 
but they seem to sell in Eastern markets, 
as I am informed by several Eastern 
growers. 
The chestnut is not self-fertile, there¬ 
fore it is necessary for best success to 
plant several varieties. This also tends 
to insure a crop, as weather conditions 
may cause one variety to fail while an¬ 
other, blooming at an earlier or later 
date, would escape. It will also spread 
the ripening period. 
Now as to the prospect for profit in 
planting chestnuts. There is a good de¬ 
mand for all kinds of nuts, and many peo¬ 
ple are very fond of the chestnut. Tlit 
market is good. 25 to 40c wholesale. I 
do not think the market will be fully sup¬ 
plied for many years, if ever. The sec¬ 
tions that have furnished the greater part 
of the supply are being devastated by an 
imported disease, so the market will be. 
open for newer plantings. These newer 
plantings, if made in sections where the. 
chestnut does not grow wild, will have 
the advantage of being free of the dis¬ 
eases and insects it is subject to in sec¬ 
tions where it now grows. In the 40 
years that I have grown chestnuts here I 
have uot found a dozen nuts with worms 
in them. E. a. rieiil. 
Strong or Feeble Potato Sprouts? 
If you had your choice which “seed” 
(of the two lots shown on this page) 
would you take? There can be no ques¬ 
tion about it. The clean, smooth tubers 
at the left hand have all their power in 
reserve, while the other tubers have ex¬ 
hausted half their strength in useless 
sprouting. It will he impossible for these 
sprouted tubers ever to send up the 
strong, stocky plants which will grow 
from the other lot. The difference will 
appear all through the season. In fact, 
most of these long sprouts will he rubbed 
off in handling, so that new and feebler 
ones must be used. The tubers at the left 
were taken early and exposed to the sun 
in a reasonably cool place. In this situa¬ 
tion they developed short, stubby sprouts 
—sure parents of strong plants. The 
other potatoes were left in a warm, dark 
place without care or sorting—and there 
you are. 
