720 
Iht RURAL. NEW-YORK-liK 
Part III. 
DRIED AND OTHER VEGETABLES.—Dried 
tomatoes contain decidedly more water-soluble vita- 
mine than do cabbage, turnips or carrots, since daily 
doses of one-half gram of dried tomato were suffi¬ 
cient to promote growth at the full normal average 
rate. One-tifth gram per day was not enough, al¬ 
though this small amount caused not inconsiderable 
gains of weight. Dried beet roots are relatively de¬ 
ficient in water-soluble vitamine, no growth at all 
being made even when one gram a day was fed. It 
was impossible to make the rats eat more than this 
amount with sufficient regularity to try satisfac¬ 
tory experiments with larger quantities. Peeled po¬ 
tatoes. either old or new, were as efficient as were 
the whole potatoes, hence there is no reason to sup¬ 
pose that the proportion of water-soluble vitamine is 
diminished by paring these tubers in the usual way. 
Daily doses of even one gram of the various prepa¬ 
rations of potato failed to promote normal growth, 
while one-half gram doses caused scarcely any 
growth. Although the potato cannot be regarded as 
rich in the water-soluble vitamine. nevertheless, 
since this vegetable constitutes so large a part of the 
dietary of the average American it contributes a by 
no means inconsiderable proportion to his daily 
supply of water-soluble vitamine. The experience of 
Steenbock and Gross with potatoes substantially 
agrees with our own. They further found that foods 
containing 15 per cent of rutabagas or dasheens fur¬ 
nished plenty of water-soluble vitamine for normal 
growth and reproduction. They also found that 25 
per cent of sweet potatoes furnished enough water- 
soluble vitamine for normal growth, while 25 per 
cent of sugar beets or of mangels did not. 
FRUITS.—When I wrote my last paper on vita- 
mines there were no data available respecting either 
the fat-soluble or the water-soluble vitamines in any 
of the fruits. Since then we have attempted to sup¬ 
ply this deficiency. Although our experiments are 
still in progress, they have already given results of 
interest Thus we have found that orange or lemon 
juices are. volume for volume, even richer in the 
water-soluble vitamine than is cow’s milk, one-sixth 
of a fluid ounce supplying enough of this vitamine 
to promote normal growth during several weeks. 
With such small quantities of milk we have never 
succeeded in 'semiring more than slow growth. 
Whether or not smaller quantities of the juices will 
suffice has not yet been learned. The results already 
obtained justify the practice which is now becoming 
common, of supplementing the diluted milk of bottle- 
fed babies with liberal quantities of orange juice. 
VALUE OF ORANGES AND LEMONS.—We also 
have support for the general use of oranges and 
lemons in the dietaries of convalescents. It is evi¬ 
dent that these fruits have a much greater value in 
nutrition than was formerly ascribed to them and 
that they certainly are something more than merely 
agreeable additions to an already adequate dietary. 
If, as seems possible, the water-soluble vitamine aets 
as a stimulant to metabolism, it may be that the soft 
drinks containing orange or lemon juice are better 
substitutes for alcohol than has heretofore been sup¬ 
posed, but fortunately an excess of this stimulant 
apparently does no harm. Apples and pears contain 
a smaller proportion of the water-soluble vitamine 
than do oranges or lemons, but these are by no 
means destitute of this important factor. It has 
been difficult to make rats eat enough of either of 
these fruits to secure as much of this vitamine as 
they require for normal growth. Sugiura and Bene¬ 
dict have lately described experiments which show 
that the banana is deficient in water-soluble vita¬ 
mine. even very high percentages of the food failing 
to support growth. Experiments with grape juice 
and grapefruit are in progress in our laboratory, 
but it is too soon to report results. 
SULPHUR AND MOLASSES.—In old times sul¬ 
phur and molasses was a favorite Spring medicine. 
In those days ujany people, especially in the coun¬ 
try. during the Winter lived on food high in calories 
but low in vitamines. In the Spring they were 
oftentimes ^run down.” from which deplorable 
condition the sulphur and molasses was supposed to 
rescue them. If this remedy actually effected a cure 
it is hard to believe that the sulphur contributed any¬ 
thing to the result. However, old-fashioned molasses 
contained the water-soluble constituents of the cane 
juice in such a concentrated form that it is very 
probable it was so rich in water-soluble vitamine that 
this acted as a therapeutic agen. and so cured the 
afflicted. Having come into possession of a sample 
purporting to be molasses of the old-fashioned kind, 
we used this as the sole source of the water-soluble 
vitamine'in the diets of three white rats. Since the 
Sheep Ranching in New York 
I have been urged to sell my property here and ship 
my sheep East, with the understanding that I could do 
better financially there than here. As we all more or 
less are in search of the elusive dollar, I am willing to 
give this matter some investigation. The questions 
that follow seem to me the most important. 
IIow long is the Winter feeding season in a fairly 
cold locality, perferably a dry coldness? What feeds 
would be available and cost per ton? Are there any 
State lands available for lease or pasture? Cost? Price 
of 200 acres as home ranch in vicinity, not exceeding 
50 miles from leased land? Would not care to farm 
land much, as I believe a person cannot have more than 
one iron in the fire and do right and remain content. 
These questions should be taken in consideration with 
about 2.000 hardy breeding ewes. w. L. s. 
Bancroft Idaho. 
DA HO is getting to be one of the greatest sheep 
States in the Union, and it is often spoken of as 
being the, one State that offers the greatest advan¬ 
tages—there being plenty of irrigated land and con¬ 
siderable range. For instance, one of the best sheep¬ 
men in the United States, Robert Blastock, who 
knows the conditions in practically every sheep 
State in the Union and also four other countries as 
well, bought a farm in Idaho. The feeding season 
for sheep in the State of New York is from Novem¬ 
ber 15 to not earlier than May 1. or 5months. 
Many years this will mean six months. Where 
sheep are kept upon farms as a side line, and coarse 
roughage comprises considerable of their feed, with 
practically no overhead or labor charge, they prove 
very profitable, but l would not be interested in 
embarking in the sheep industry in New York State 
where I had to buy all of the feed and charge up all 
the overhead to the enterprise. There are lands to 
be had in Montana, Canadian Northwest, Wyoming 
and other States where very light Winter feeding 
is necessary. Very often for Winter feeding they 
haul a load of hay out to the bedding ground of rhe 
band and pitch it off in the snow. I happen to be 
wintering <»2 head of breeding ewes, and it is sur¬ 
prising how much roughage they •will consume. Oats 
are now selling at $1 to .$1.05 per bushel, and last 
week I sold some hay for $30 a ton net. buyer to pay 
for pressing. One Spring I bought hay to finish 
wintering a hunch of Western ewes, and they con¬ 
sumed on an average about 2% pounds per head 
daily. At that time hay was selling for $18 a ton. 
With reference to the availability of lands, there 
are thousands of acres to be had all in one body in 
various counties—land that has been practically 
abandoned. This land can be bought for a few 
dollars per acre, or it can be leased, some of it 
having been sold for taxes. mark j. smith. 
Top-dressing Alfalfa with Lime 
Would it be the right thing to scatter lime over a 
field of Alfalfa which was planted last August? If it 
is not possible to use lime with good results, can you 
suggest a fertilizer that T can use this Spring? By 
planting a field of Alsike clover early this Spring, would 
I be able to get a cutting of it this Summer? M. A. 
Wilkineburg, Pa. 
It would probably pay to scatter ground limestone 
in the Alfalfa, though the effect will not equal that of 
working the lime in. We would not use burned lime 
in this way. We always expect to get a light cutting 
of Alsike clover the season of seeding, but, of course, 
you cannot expect a full crop. 
need a special course of vitamine treatment in the 
Spring. If plenty of vegetables and fruits are eaten 
the miserable condition of debility winch sooner or 
later is sure to follow a diet deficient in the vita¬ 
mines will be avoided. tiiomas b. osborne. 
Notes on Pasturing Alfalfa 
On page 345 I read an interesting article by J. N. 
Shirley, Indiana. This article dealt with pasturing 
Alfalfa. Did Mr. Shirley have any trouble with cattle 
bloating while on Alfalfa pasture? If not. did he take 
any special precaution^ to keep them off the field when 
it was wet with either’dew or rain? He speaks of cut¬ 
ting the Alfalfa. Did he cut it more than once and, if 
so, how often? Did he feed any supplementary grain 
while on this pasture? If so, what kind, and about 
what quantity per 1,000 lbs. live weight of animal? I 
am especially interested in feeding steers on Alfalfa 
pasture and wish to learn all I can about it. 
Pennsylvania. j. h. beitler. 
I FIND that Alfalfa and Blue grass, mixed, make 
the “best pasture on earth,” and the most of it, 
but I cannot say how much grain should be fed to 
steers on Alfalfa, as I never fed steers on that kind 
of pasture. I have fed steers on Blue grass, but 
since I have been raising Alfalfa I diave had Here¬ 
ford cows mostly. I do know that no feed 1 have 
ever tried is better than corn to balance either Al- 
y at arc's “hand-otii”: coni mid Alfalfa. The corn ions 
raised an Alfalfa sad the dry year of 1019; and the 
Alfalfa plants, pulled up (not dug up), are from March, 
1919, seeding according to the “Shirley method .” 
Vitamines in Our Green Victuals 
April 10, 1020 
hay? A work horse will do better if fed only a few 
ears of corn, two or three ears, and a small amount 
of Alfalfa hay. than he will on eight or 10 ears of 
corn and a manger full of Alfalfa hay, and it is bet¬ 
ter for his owner, too. 
I have never had a case of “Alfalfa bloat”; but T 
always take precautions never to turn hungry stock 
on Alfalfa. 1 turn in late in the day, when stock is 
full, and not so much Alfalfa is eateu. When the 
stock is not hungry I leave the stock on if possible, 
even if Alfalfa is a little wet from dew or rain, but 
if ground gets too soft I take off a while, turning 
stock on to Blue grass sod. till ground dries out a 
little, putting stock back on to Alfalfa when they 
have full stomachs. I usually cut my Alfalfa three 
limes the first year of seeding, and four times each 
year afterward. I sow early to get the benefit of all 
the rains and gentle sunshine of the growing season, 
before hot, dry July and August come; thus my 
young Alfalfa has good root growth to withstand 
drought the first Sftmmer and cold the first Winter, 
and my old Alfalfa that I cut four times a year is 
not bothered by the field mice that would work un¬ 
der cover, if the fourth crop were left to protect 
them. I may have written this before, but it takes 
“constant dropping of water to wear away the solid 
rock.” and when anything as important and as easy 
as the growing of Alfalfa is undertaken it should not 
be with only a hazy knowledge. Alfalfa growing is. 
I find, sure and easy, if the habits of the plant are 
studied and the unnecessary hard things are left out 
of its culture. .j. n. shirley. 
Indiana. 
amount of this sample was too small for really satis¬ 
factory tests the results obtained cannot be regarded 
as final. However, the rats grew so well while re¬ 
ceiving comparatively small amounts of this mo¬ 
lasses that it is quite possible the “sulphur and 
treacle” may have had a higher therapeutic value 
than has been ascribed to it during recent years. 
Now that vegetables and fresh fruits are so easily 
obtained at all seasons of the year few people should 
ever be allowed to get into a condition where they 
Paper Plant Boxes. Fig. 191. (Sec page 13.).) 
fa)fa pasture or Alfalfa hay. and I am sure no great 
amount of grain is needed, if the animal has all the 
Alfalfa it needs. I am sure, also, that many horse 
owners make a mistake by feeding too much Alfalfa 
hay, and too much corn to their work horses. Alfalfa 
is said to be worth, in feeding value, as much as 
shelled corn or wheat bran, pound per pound. No 
good horse owner would feed his horse all the corn 
lie would eat; why feed him all the Alfalfa hay he 
can eat. when he will quit eating corn to eat Alfalfa 
