Ihe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
267. 
Soil and Fertility Notes 
Potatoes After Rye 
I hare a piece of ground f] ia f j s sandy 
loam. T had potatoes on it last year, and 
got a fair crop. Sowed it to rye as I 
have not much manure. Wouldn’t it be 
advisable for me to plow it down for po¬ 
tatoes again, and use phosphate? How 
much to the acre? 0 . p. 
Wallaceton, Pa. 
If the last potato crop was quite clean 
and free from scab, it may be good prac¬ 
tice to raise potatoes once more. A small 
amount of manure scattered over the rye 
will help. When a heavy crop' of rye is 
plowed under it is sometimes hard to 
make suitable furrows or drills for the 
potatoes. A good plan is to go over the 
rye when about a foot high and chop it 
up with a disk or cutaway harrow. Then 
plow after this disking and plant the po¬ 
tatoes. Handled in this way the rye will 
decay more quickly. We should use 600 
lbs. or more of fertilizer to the acre. 
Woods Dirt as a Fertilizer 
I have a young orchard, the oldest set 
out 38 years, youngest trees 31 years. 
Last season they bore well. I wish to 
fertilize them. I can get almost an un¬ 
limited amount of leaf mold within 20 
rods of orchard. Would it be practical 
to use that leaf mold to fertilize .those 
trees? Will leaf mold raise good potatoes 
and corn. w. il. s. 
Clintonville, Conn. 
We have tried using this woods dirt 
a number of times—hauling it out and 
scattering it around the trees. This dirt 
is quite rich in nitrogen, but has little, if 
any, potash or phosphoric acid. It is 
very sour usually, and the nitrogen is not 
available until the dirt decays. We had 
little result from its use when simply 
scattered on the ground around the trees. 
It seemed to do as much harm as good 
the first year. When lime was scattered, 
over it we had much the same effect a§ 
from a scattering of manure. The lime 
sweetened the woods dirt and hastened 
its decay. tfe think pure limestone would 
be very good for this purpose, and some 
form of phosphorous should go with it. 
We have not noticed much effect on sweet 
corn or potatoes until the dirt was well 
fermented in a compost heap. 
Seaweed as Manure 
On page 53 8. 8. inquires about the 
fertilizing powers of seaweed. We have 
little manure but plenty of the seaweed 
within easy haul, so we have used it al¬ 
most entirely for years. For general gar¬ 
den purposes it is as good as manure. 
Potatoes do finely on it, provided that they 
are free from scab. If there is a trace 
of scab either on seed or ground there 
will be more than a trace when the po¬ 
tatoes are dug. We soak our potato seed 
whether it shows any disease or not, and 
never have any trouble. We fin the 
trench full of seaweed and plant directly 
on it. Corn will not do anything on it. 
If planted with fresh seaweed under it 
will not make more than half a growth 
and will look as if the sun had scorched 
it. It does not object, however, to that 
spread the Fall before and plowed under. 
Everything else dr«s well on it. 
What seaweed we get through the Fall 
and Winter is spread on the ground di¬ 
rectly. It rots so quickly that it can be 
put on hay land all right until late Win¬ 
ter. That we get in the Spring is put in 
the rows under the seed, except under 
corn. Through the Summer we make a 
sort of compost heap of what manure and 
seaweed we have, and spread it late in 
the Fall, after the crops are all off the 
ground. Sometimes things seem a little 
slow to start on it in the Spring, but they 
always make up for it later and will finish 
with the best. However, having plenty of 
it. we use a large amount of the seaweed. 
No doubt that has a great deal to do with 
its being so^ satisfactory. Bulk for bulk, 
I doubt if it would come up to manure. 
Maihe. L. e. rowe. 
Hen Manure and Phosphorus 
Some time ago I saw an article about 
using hen manure on the strawberry beds, 
saying the plants made a fine growth, but 
not many berries. I have had the same 
experience; you said it was the lack of 
phosphorus; to apply phosphorus with 
the hen manure and it would be all right. 
Will you tell me in what shape I can get 
phosphorus and how much to put with, 
say. half a ton of gqqd hen manure to be 
about right proportion? e. it. 
Pueblo, Col. 
We did not say that the use of phos¬ 
phorus would make the strawberries "all 
right.” They may also need potash, but 
the. phosphorus used with the lien manure 
will surely, help. Acid phosphate is a 
good form to use, and we would use 400 
lbs.- of it with half a ton of the- ihanure. 
• MARK . vREG;y 
It Cultivates 
It Packs 
Min ;- ; o 
mmrniL 
•SVSWV 
More Crops With Less Labor 
The remarkable increase made in crops by use of the Culti-Packer is simj 
to the better tilth of the soil produced by this tool without any extra labor, 
Ten minutes* examination of the soil con¬ 
ditions in a field where a Culti-Packer isi ' 
tised will show you beyond doubt that it 
must yield a better crop than one fitted by 
ordinary methods. 
The two sets of Culti-Facker wheels crush! 
every lump in cloddy soil, making the en¬ 
tire bed available for feeding roots. 
They firm out the large air spaces in which 
foots dry out and die. They settle the! 
Culti-Packers For Sale 
*oose ashy soils into better shape for hold¬ 
ing moisture. 
' - »— 
. - - - ->■« 
They pack moist earth around -stubble or 
manure which has been plowed under, thus 
promoting its quick decay. 
The Culti-Packer does these tilings at one 
operation in less time and with less work 
than you now use. See the Culti-Packer 
at your dealer’s—arrange to try it—we 
leave it to you to judge its worth on your 
By Your Local Dealer 
The Dunham Company, Berea, 
Suburb of 
Cleveland 
- 7 1 ' ” 
vn W i I 
A Two Acre 
Crop From One Acre ! 
The success of some crops depends wholly on 
-w 
--A 
r -1-- 
the use oi lime, other crops are greatly benefitted. 
Just try lime on that acre you think unproductive, but *•' 
be sure you get 
_ 'JdlverizS , 
LIMESTONE 
* • • i*/e . ■ >. . _ 
There's a big difference! Highest test, 95% car¬ 
bonates. Finest ground—that’s why it will show 
results this year—furnace dried—there is no 
waste. Get your order in early and shipped 
early—you don't want to be left at the 
' las* minute. Write now! 
^ JTHIL ^OLVAY PROCESS CO., 
Syracuse, IV. Y. 
A mulcher, smoothing harrow, culti¬ 
vator aud seeder. Flat teeth specially 
adapted to form dust mulch—blanket of 
loose soil—preventing soil crusting and 
moisture escaping. Increases yield of corn, 
potatoes, oats, wheat, etc. Kills weeds. 
Lever and spring controls depth of teeth. 
Sold with or without Beetling boxes for 
Mulcher & Seeder 
Riding and Walking Styles 
grass seed, alfalfa, oats, etc. Teeth cover 
the seed to desired depth. 
Walking 3 ft. type specially made for 
work between rows to sow cover craps. 
Improves texture, increases humus, saves 
fertilizer. Sows clover, alfalfa, rye, barley, 
turnip, buckwheat, etc. 
Send 
for 
Catalog 
FOUR SIZES 
3, 8, 10 & 12 ft. 
In stock near you . 
EUREKA 
MOWER CO. 
Box 842, Utica, N.Y, 
/ -- 
PENNSYLVANIA 
FOR GRAIN DRILL SERVICE 
X 
Here is a compact outfit that sows 
all kinds of grain and fertilizer with 
minute accuracy. Quantities regula¬ 
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Grass seeder either in front or behind 
openers, as desired. Low down con¬ 
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ways in balance. 
The Pennsylvania is built in sizes 8 
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Spring Hoe cr Single Disc openers. 
Special Drill Catalogue fully, explain¬ 
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Also Enfines and Boilers. Sawmills, Threshers. 
Potato Diggers. V\ rite for descriptions. 
AGENTS WANTED 
ttons for Kckal New-Yorker in Ohio. Prefer 
m<u who hare horse or auto. Address 
J. C. MUIHOLLANO.' General Delivery. Columbus, Ohio 
THE RURAL NEW YORKER 333 W 3Ulh St. NewYork City [ 
