1846 
be found on the field at all, and it seems likely that 
if we could have gone over it about three times 
more we might have completely cleaned out the 
grass. We can kill this grass in the cornfields if 
we are able to get help enough to work it as much 
as is needed for the best crop, and we are so little 
afraid of it that we are planting it in many parts 
of the orchard to stop washing. Canada thistles and 
wild morning-glory are much harder to kill out than 
quack grass. 
CROP ROTATIONS.—We have followed the usual 
custom of plowing a sod for oats and then putting 
wheat on the oat stubble. This had many bad 
points. There is usually some rain in oat harvest, 
which keeps us from getting the crop off the ground 
promptly, and by the time the land is clear so that 
it can be plowed all the moisture has dried out 
again and been lost. Then it is generally a week 
or two before the land is moist enough for plowing, 
and then it may be too dry to fit well, so we lose 
the best chance to make a good seed bed. If we 
plow a piece of sod for wheat we can do the work 
any time the ground is fit, and we have the time 
after haying. We have more vegetable matter to 
plow under, and are likely to get a better seed bed. 
It is likely that this method will tend to improve 
the land and give us such crops of hay as we used 
to get before we started pasturing the meadows in 
the Fall. Next to burning over the fields every year 
this is about the most destructive thing that could 
be done. An acre of meadow will give only a few 
days’ pasture for a cow in the Fall, but the next 
year the reduction in the crop will amount to a ton 
or more of good hay. It is possible practically to 
destroy a meadow -in two or three years by close 
pasturing in the Fall. 
NITRATE OF SODA.—Last year we were able to 
put the nitrate on with the fertilizer attachment of 
a common grain drill, but what we had this season 
was not so dry, and we put it on broadcast. This 
looks like a rather large job, but two men and two 
boys put about a ton on about 12 acres in less than 
half a day. It is not hard to learn to spread it 
pretty evenly, and the results show that it surely 
pays on our land. Nitrogen in some form is the only 
fertilizing element that shows any value with us. 
HUMUS IN CORNFIELD.—Our cornfield this 
year gave a very clear showing of the effect of 
manure. It was a part of the field of a year ago. 
The corn was not cut. but most of the ears were 
picked off and the stalks left. They were mostly 
chopped down with the disk and then plowed under. 
All the field received nitrate. The south half had 
a good coat of manure. Part of the north half was 
where some sweet corn and popcorn was put the 
year before. Here there was practically nothing 
turned under. Early in the season it was possible 
ro tell to the row where the manure ended. The 
corn was a foot taller by the middle of July. Where 
the popcorn stood the corn was still smaller. At 
husking time the corn from the north side of the 
field is about a third small ears and “nubbins,” 
while that from the south half has very few small 
tears. There is some soft corn, not because it did 
not get ripe, but because some shocks fell down and 
got wet. ALFRED C. WEED. 
(Continued next week.) 
Clover, Potatoes and Lime 
I AM afraid you will be disappointed in your hunt 
for a lime which will induce the growth of 
Alfalfa, but not potato scab. "There ain’t any such 
animal.” Each demands alkalinity as a condition of 
its growth, and the trouble with the proposition is 
that the amount of lime necessary to produce a 
degree of alkalinity sufficient for Alfalfa is more 
than enough to enable the potato scab to flourish. 
The case is different with Red clover. In my experi¬ 
ence with a fertile river fiat soil one ton of lime¬ 
stone, either fine or coarse ground, is all that the soil 
will stand without scab showing up. For success 
with Alfalfa two to three ton> is needed, and that 
amount of lime will keep the soil too alkaline for 
potatoes for six years in my experience. Large 
numbers of experiments with finely and coarse 
ground limestone, hydrated lime, burned lime, slag, 
rock phosphate, ashes and different fertilizers have 
shown me that under my conditions enough lime in 
many different forms, may be applied to soil to 
produce very heavy crops of any of the clovers 
without inducing scab if careful experiments are 
made with plots in which the amounts of lime 
applied are varied from small amounts up to large. 
Of course it is well known that the severity of 
attacks of potato scab vaiy greatly from year to 
year. By following the plot experiments of limed 
clover with potatoes, and carefully observing the 
amount of scab present, it ca.’.' be found in most 
‘Ibt RURAL NEW-YORKER 
cases that an amount of lime sufficient to induce 
healthy growth with the clovers can be had without 
danger of causing scab on the potatoes. In the end, 
the question must largely depend on whether pota¬ 
toes or legumes are the most valuable crop for the 
particular soil and farm. If the potatoes are, then 
the grower must run less chance of scab by using 
less lime. Many soils produce heavy crops of pota¬ 
toes, though too acid for good crops of clover. If 
the clover is worth more as a basis for a dairy farm 
then the farmer might well lime heavily and use 
other cash crops than the potato, or confine that crop 
to a separate lightly limed rotation, daniel dean. 
Tioga Co., N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—We think Alsike clover will make a fair 
growth on soils quite acid—too much so to give 
trouble from scab. Soy beans or cow peas will grow 
on acid soil, and between crops of potatoes would 
add considerable organic matter and nitrogen to the 
land. 
Hen Manure for Greenhouse Flowers 
1 . Where can I find an analysis of lion manure, and 
whether it is advisable to use it on greenhouse flowers? 
Blue Point, N. Y. J. h. m. 
2. Another girl and I are in the florist business 
growing Chrysanthemums, carnations, lettuce, tomatoes 
and a variety of other things in smaller quantities. For 
fertilizer we have been using hen manure. For top- 
dressing we take the manure from the droppings-boards, 
rub it up with dry soil and apply. Then to enrich the 
soil in beds after one crop is harvested, before another 
is planted, we use beside the droppings-board manure 
the line stuff on the scratching floor when coarsest straw 
is drawn away, but applied in heavier proportion. Are 
we getting the most good from our manure, and is it 
a complete plant food in itself, or must we use some¬ 
thing more? Our plants all look pretty fine. If we 
allowed the manure to compost awhile would the chem¬ 
icals be more available for plant food at once? What 
of its use in potting soil? 3. When the Chrysantlie- 
Jdatdng a Start with Bees. Fig. 606. (Sec next page.) 
mums are off we have removed only the roughest stems 
and possible weeds, and dug in the rest of the stock. 
We did not need to*.save much, as we do a stubble field 
outside. On these beds we put some hen manure from 
the.droppings-board, some lime, and plant Brand Rapids 
lettuce. The lettuce very often rots pretty badly, but 
as the third crop of lettuce is grown, more lime being 
used each time, this rot disappears. Ours is a sandy 
loam. Is it the season of cold dark weather .on the first 
crop, or our leaving too much decaying vegetable matter 
in soil that causes the trouble? J. Can you give us 
any ideas as to what proportion df the receipts should 
be given for the work of managing, growing and sell¬ 
ing? It is in the country, 50 miles_from any city, and 
the books show receipts to be over $5,000 per year. \\ e 
are thinking of offering to run it on shares. The owner 
would supply everything in way of stock and supplies 
of all kinds. Would half the receipts be a just figure 
for all? L • n * T > 
1 . There are approximately 32.60 lbs. of nitrogen, 
or 1.63 per cent, 31.80 lbs. phosphorus, or 1.59 per 
cent, and 17 lbs. or .8 per cent postassium to the ton. 
From those figures you can see that the real fer¬ 
tilizing elements contained in a ton are not very 
great, though if you were to use a pretty liberal 
application as a mulch between the rows of growing 
plants in the greenhouse you would" obtain, pretty 
quick results. We have, I know—and then 'we quit 
experimenting. While the nitrogen content is not 
particularly high, the greater proportion of it ap¬ 
pears to lie almost instantly available,; and the safer 
manner to use it on growing crops would be in the 
liquid form. Used as a dressing on the soil to be 
dug under for a succeeding crop, as. is practiced by 
L, II. T., the results should lie the same as would 
lie obtained by using any other manure in the same 
manner, but only one-third to one-half as much will 
be required for the same results. I would not cate 
to use it in the fresh condition in potting soil except 
in very small quantities. 
2. The continuous use of hen manure in the green- 
December 20, 191!) 
house would eventually injure the soil in theory , 
though what it would really do in actual practice 
I do not know. First, there would not be enough 
humus added to the soil, the amount being only one- 
third as would be the case where horse or cow 
manure was substituted. Another condition, that 
would result would be the application of too much 
nitrogen and consequently the eventual softening of 
the growth of the plants. This condition could be 
overcome by the addition of phosphorus and potash 
in the chemical form, and the lack of humus could 
likewise lie augmented by the occasional application 
of a heavy coat of well-rotted stable manure. 
3 . Digging the green “mum” roots into the soil 
and applying hen manure is very likely the cause 
of the rot in the first crop of lettuce. The men in 
the Boston district, where some of the best green¬ 
house lettuce in the country is grown, dig manure 
into their soil to a depth of IS inches or more. They 
do not use any green material—only well-rotted 
manure—and have the soil so full of it that one 
watering matures the crop. Watering during the 
growing period causes rot, even though care is taken 
to keep the foliage dry. 
4. There are several greenhouse owners in Chester 
Co., Pa., who do not care to operate their plants on 
account of other business interests. They are rent¬ 
ing them out, stocked, and receiving half the pro¬ 
ceeds. Before I would allow anyone to run my 
plant in this manner I would wish to know the 
person pretty well, so as to be sure that he would 
take reasonable care of the property. A greenhouse 
depreciates rapidly enough with constant attention 
to matters that need repair, and anyone careless in 
such details could cause considerable damage in a 
brief space of time. elmer j. weaver. 
The Ownership of Manure 
I bought a farm in . August, possession to be given 
March 1. The contract said nothing about manure, 
merely “to deliver the premises in as good condition 
as they are now in, nominal wear excepted.” 
1. Has the man from whom I bought the farm the 
right to draw away from the farm the manure that was 
in piles prior to August? 2. To draw away from the 
farm manure directly from the barn each day i 3. r lo 
draw away from the farm manure taken from stables 
and put in pile silica August 1 i In other words, he 
cleans stables every day and puts it in small pile and 
hauls it away every other day. 4. Has one a right to 
move away any fence which is lying fiat on the ground 
if all posts are out of ground and lying flat, and m no 
way fastened to ground or any other fence* Is it the 
custom to draw manure away in that manner, if lcgai, 
and would I be considered justified in removing from 
this farm to the one I bought manure made this Winter 
and Fall? M. e. c. 
New York. 
HE general rule is that manure made on the 
farm from the consumption of the products 
grown there is regarded in this country as belonging 
to the realty, and as between seller and buyer, mort¬ 
gagor and mortgagee, or landlord and tenant, is re¬ 
garded as part of the real property, and would pass 
with the farm if sold, and may not he removed by 
the former owner as personal property in the ab¬ 
sence of any agreement regarding it. The reason 
for this general rule is that since the substance of 
the land produces the manure, it should remain on 
the farm for its enrichment, and the soil should not 
be impoverished because of its removal by a vendor 
or an outgoing tenant. This reasoning is not fol¬ 
lowed in the States of New Jersey and North Caro¬ 
lina, in both of which the direct contrary rule is 
followed; that is, that manure is personal property, 
and the vendor or tenant may take it away. Of 
course, when the food from which the manure is 
made is not raised on the place, the reason for mak¬ 
ing it as part of the realty does not exist, and in 
these particular cases, such as livery stables or in 
buildings not connected with agriculture, manure 
is held to he personal property and may he sold by 
the tenants. And where the tenant of a farm fed 
his cattle on grain and hay produced elsewhere than 
on that particular farm, he was eutitled during his 
term to remove it from the farm. 
With these general principles stated we will an¬ 
swer your questions as follows J 1. No. 2. No. 
5 . No. 4. That all depends. An owner of property 
may, of course, remove any of his own fences. If 
it is a line fence, then as follows: If it is the por¬ 
tion he must Imibl and maintain, lie may, of course, 
remove the old broken fence; it is his property. If it 
is on the portion that his neighbor must build and 
maintain, then tbe neighbor owns it, and may re- 
move it, and must, of course, put up a new one. 
It is not tbe custom in this country to remove 
manure from a farm. It is pretty generally used on 
the farm where made, lie is u poor farmer who 
sells manure made on liis farm. 
We think there is a quiet movement ou foot to cut out 
much of the rural mail delivery on the plea that some 
routes do not pay expenses. Get ready for that fight in 
time. 
