624 
for weight, are nearly, if not quite, as rich in the 
fat-soluble vitamine as is butterfat. Contrary to 
what McCollum had led us to believe, we have found 
that the fat-soluble vitamine can be extracted from 
these leaves by ether. After removing the ether by 
evaporation a small oily residue is left of which ex¬ 
tremely small doses promptly cured numerous ani¬ 
mals which were near to- death because their food 
had contained no fat-soluble vitamine. Their badly 
affected eyes were also cured, steenbock and Gross 
have very recently shown that 5 per cent of dried 
Alfalfa, clover, lettuce, spinach or chard in the food 
provides enough of the fat-soluble vitamine for nor¬ 
mal growth, but these quantities are probably much 
above the minimum because in our experiment the 
one-tenth gram per day was equal to only about 1 per 
cent of the food eaten during the experiment. 
TOMATOES AND CARROTS.—Our test of dried 
canned tomato were especially interesting because 
this extensively used vegetable in one-tenth gram 
daily doses proved fully as efficient as a source of 
the fat-soluble vitamine as did corresponding quan¬ 
tities of butterfat. Oil the other hand, for some un¬ 
known reason, the ether extract of the tomato, un¬ 
like that of the green leaves, proved inefficient as a 
source of this vitamine. Carrots are also rich in the 
fat-soluble vitamine, one-tentli gram sufficing to pro¬ 
mote the rapid growth and subsequent maintenance 
during an entire year. The addition of butterfat to 
the diet after that time gave no evidence that any 
of the animals had been suffering from a lack of fat- 
soluble vitamine. Steenbock and Gross concluded 
from their experiment that 5 per cent of carrots in 
the food did not furnish enough of this vitamine. It 
is difficult to reconcile their experience with our own. 
because they give no data from which the amount of 
carrot actually eaten during their ■experiment can 
be estimated. Since their rats grew very little on 
the carrot diet it is probable that they also ate very 
little, but, even so. it is hard to believe that they did 
not eat more thanmne-tenth gram a day. When the 
food contained 35 per cent of carrots their rats grew 
nearly normally, but failed to raise the only brood of 
young produced while on this diet. When additional 
fat-soluble vitamine was supplied by 5 per cent of 
butterfat the young were successfully reared. 
WHITE AND SWEET POTATOES.—Potatoes 
contain a little of the fat-soluble vitamine, but even 
when the diet included 20 per cent of dried potato, 
our animals began to decline after about six months, 
and were then restored to health by small doses of 
butterfat. It is certain that the potato contributes 
very little of this food factor to our diet. Steenbock 
and Gross came to the same conclusion. In con¬ 
trast with the white potato Steenbock and Gross 
find that the sweet potato is comparatively rich in 
the fat-soluble vitamine, 25 per cent of the food in 
the form of dried root being sufficient to furnish all 
of the fat-soluble vitamine needed for both growth 
and reproduction. The Wisconsin investigators have 
also found that diets containing 16 per cent of the 
dried roots of rutabagas, dasheens, red beets, pars¬ 
nips, mangels and sugar beets furnish very little, if 
any, fat-soluble vitamine. 
EFFECT OF HEAT.—Because in domestic use 
these food products are almost always cooked it is 
important to.know whether or not heat destroys the 
fat-soluble vitamine. Some years ago Prof. Mendel 
and I passed live steam through melted butterfat 
and thus heated it in the presence of boiling water 
for more than two hours. When this was fed to rats 
suffering from the lack of the fat-soluble vitamine 
recovery was just as prompt as when the same 
quantity of unheated butterfat was supplied.. More 
recently Steenbock, Boutwell and Kent of Wisconsin, 
and Drummond of London, have stated that the 
efficiency of fats as sources of the fat-soluble vita¬ 
mine is seriously reduced by heating them for 
short time at the temperature of boiling water, el¬ 
even at a lower temperature for a somewhat longer 
time, and have called in question our earlier obser- 
\atious on this point. Their statements have led us 
to repeat our earlier experiments with steam heat¬ 
ing. and also to try heating the butterfat out of 
contact with water. This work has not yet reached 
a final conclusion, but it has already proved that the 
fat-soluble vitamine is far more stable to heat than 
Steenbock or Drummond believed. However, Steen¬ 
bock and Boutwell state in a very recent paper that 
they have heated several vegetables under pressure 
of 15 lbs. without damaging the fat-solulde vitamine 
contained in them to a detectable extent. From this 
we conclude that they have now changed their view 
respecting the effect of heat on this vitamine. While 
it is possible that the activity of this vitamine may 
be slowly impaired by heating, these recent investi¬ 
gations justify the belief that no serious damage is 
to be feared by heating vegetables commonly cooked. 
‘Ihe RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
A Practical Marker 
H ERE is a design for a marker that is adjust¬ 
able. We have used a small one to mark four 
rows at a time, but I see no reason why it cannot be 
increased to six rows, and be pulled by two horses. 
Instead of fastening the teeth to the framework, as 
with most homemade affairs, blocks two inches apart 
were fastened between the planks (see diagram), 
leaving two-inch spaces. The teeth are three inches 
square, and were cut to two inches at the top to fit 
the holes. A hole was bored through the top and a 
Avooden pin pushed through to hold the tooth. The 
Construction of Homemade Marker. Fig. lG.'t 
teeth can be moved as desired, and each hole means 
a change of four inches. By changing the size of 
blocks the distance can be varied at will. 
T. II. TOWNSEND. 
Planting the Home Grounds 
Part III. 
FLOWERS FOR SANDY SOIL.—Sometimes it 
happens that very poor or sandy soil must be used 
for making a garden. In such an event it is best to 
depend only oir the annuals, and among those which 
Branch of Gov. Wood CherrU. Fig. 1 Go 
can be used to good advantage are the following: 
Cockscomb (Celosia cristata), red, yellow. Start 
outdoors early in May. 
Godetia. White, red, pink. Excellent for cutting 
and a very attractive garden flower. Sow outdoors 
in May. 
Ice plant (Mesembryanthemum. Different colors. 
The foliage glistens in the sun as though covered 
with ice. Low growing. Sow in early May. 
I'ortulaea. Several colors. Will bloom only in 
sunny places. Can be transplanted even when in 
March 27, 1920 
flower, but seed should not be sown until June 1. 
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum). Various colors. 
Among the best garden flowers. For early blooms 
sow inside in March. Poor soil is by no means neces¬ 
sary. 
Sand Verbena. Pink. Trails on the ground. Can 
be used in windoAV boxes. Blooms all Summer. Sow 
seed in May. Sometimes self-sows. 
Summer cypress (Kochia). A symmetrical foliage 
plant, often used in making temporary hedges Avhen 
a formal appearance is wanted. Green, turning to 
red in the Fall. Sow outdoors in May. 
RENOVATING A LAWN.—It is probable that a 
great many lawns will be made or renovated this 
Spring, as work of this kind has been neglected dur¬ 
ing the last few years. Amateurs are often puzzled 
about the amount of lawn seed to sow. The follow¬ 
ing may be taken as a general rule, but when old 
lawns are being renovated only about one-half the 
amount stated will be needed: 300 sq. ft., equal 
ing a plot 35x20, 1 qt.: 2.000 sq. ft., equaling a plot 
40x50. 1 pk.; one acre, equaling a plot 209x209, 4 bu. 
SOWING SEEDS INDOORS.—Some of the garden 
flowers, like Asters, snapdragons and Salvia, need 
to be started indoors to have them blooming early. 
The method is much the same as that used for veg- 
etables. A small box or flat should be filled with 
good earth, preferably containing considerable sand, 
and the seeds sown lightly, those which are very fine 
being merely pressed into the earth with a brick or 
block of wood. The best way to water the box 
without washing out the seed is to lay a piece of tis¬ 
sue paper over the earth, cutting it just the right size 
to fit inside the box. The water can then be poured 
lightly onto the paper, through which it will soon 
soak. There is no need to remove the paper, as the 
seedlings will go right through it. Tt must be re¬ 
membered that some vegetable plants require a pret¬ 
ty warm temperature. They include peppers and egg¬ 
plants. It is hardly worth while trying to start seed 
of these plants indoors unless the temperature can 
be kept up to 70°. 
FERTILIZER FOR SMALL GARDENS.—I find 
that garden makers are often puzzled about the 
amount of fertilizer required for a small garden. 
The following table has been prepared to show the 
approximate proportions: 1<*0 lbs. per acre equals 1 
lb. for a plot 10x43 ft.: 200 lbs. per acre equals 3 lb. 
for a plot 30x21 ft.: 300 lbs. per acre equals 1 lb. for 
a plot 10x14 ft.; 400 lbs. per acre equals 1 lb. for a 
plot 10x13 ft.; 500 lbs. per acre equals 1 lb. for a plot 
10x9 ft. 
SPRAYING IN SMALL QUANTITIES.—The same 
complaint is often made in regard to spray mix¬ 
tures. People do not know the proportions for very 
small quantities. They will find the following table 
useful: 
Spray and Ingredients Quantity 
Bordeaux Mixture— 
Quicklime. 1 Vi tablespoons 
Bluestone . 1 tablespoon 
Water ... 4 quarts 
Kerosene Emulsion— 
Kerosene. 3 pint 
Water . Vi pint 
Hard soap. 1 cu. in. 
Arsenate of Lead— 
Lead arsenate paste. 1 tablespoon 
Water or Bordeaux mixture.... 1 gal. 
Paris green . 1 teaspoon 
Paris Green— 
Paris green . 3 teaspoon 
Water or Bordeaux mixture. 3 gals. 
SOWING SMALL SEEDS—When difficulty is ex¬ 
perienced in sowing very small seeds, it will be 
found a good plan to mix the seeds with about five 
times their hulk of fine and perfectly dry sand. 'I lie 
mixing must be done thoroughly, and then the sand 
and seeds distributed along the rows. No covering 
will be needed if the seeds are pressed into the 
ground with a board or the flat back of the spade. 
COLD FRAME LETTUCE.—Perhaps the most sat¬ 
isfactory way to grow lettuce all through the Sum¬ 
mer is to make use of a cold frame. Lettuce grown 
in such a frame is protected from drying winds, and 
thrives much better than in the open ground. Of 
course, it will not be necessary to have any glass on 
the frame, and protection from the sun can be ob¬ 
tained by using laths to make a covering for the 
frame, the laths being spaced about an inch apart. 
E. I. FARRINGTON. 
Big Branch of Sweet Cherries 
Fig. 105 shows' a mammoth branch of sweet cher¬ 
ries of the Governor Wood variety. The branch was 
brought in to one of the Wayne County canneries, 
and it avus deemed so unusual in development that 
the photographer Avas called in. No actual count 
was made of the number of cherries, but they were 
the heaviest clusters ever seen at the factory. 1 he 
lea ves were removed to make a more complete sIioav- 
ing of the fruit. a. h. p. 
