! L’3li 
from Central Western States, and were bought at 
good prices by Eastern breeders. 
IMPROVING THE CALVES.—A large percentage 
of the surplus bulls from Eastern Aberdeen-Angus 
herds, that were not of herd-heading caliber, have 
been selling to owners of herds of grade dairy cows 
for the production of fancy veals and stock cattle. 
When these grade dairy cows are mated with pure¬ 
bred Aberdeen-Angus bulls the resulting offspring 
lay on flesh more rapidly and sell at a considerably 
higher price per po»nd than calves from a scrub 
bull, if used for veal. If they are raised for steers, 
two- calves are placed on one cow and only half as 
many cows need be milked as under the old method. 
There is a wide demand for feeding steers in certain 
sections of the East, and these steers at IS months 
would find ready sale; as a matter of fact, they 
could be sold directly from the farm. There are 
thousands of dairy herds in New York State and 
adjoining States made up of grade and scrub cows 
in which the calf is merely a necessary accompani¬ 
ment to a cow freshening, and in many cases is even 
regarded as a nuisance. The calves from these herds 
are either sold for veal at four to six weeks of 
age, or knocked in the head at birth, and after the 
skins are removed they are thrown on the manure 
pile. Of course, a great many of these calves find 
their way to market before reaching the legal limit, 
so far as age is concerned, especially by the owner 
shipping the animal into another State, where in¬ 
spection is not so rigid, or by selling to small local 
butchers. k. j. seulke. 
(Continued next week.) 
Spontaneous Combustion in Hay 
PONTANEOUS combustion of hay is the most 
common cause of fire on the farm. The annual 
loss of the farmers from this cause amounts to sev¬ 
eral hundred thousand dollars in Iowa every year. 
A little care and precaution beforehand would do 
away with much of this loss and destruction of prop¬ 
erty. Before this is possible, the farmer should have 
a knowledge of the causes of spontaneous combus¬ 
tion and how to prevent if. 
A report of the State Fire Marshal shows the re¬ 
sults of fire in Iowa through a period of several 
years; 
Losses due to spontaneous combustion in Iowa: 
Xo. 
Bank in Xo. 
Rank in 
Tear. 
Xo. of fires. 
of loss. 
of fires. 
A mt.of loss. 
1012 
. S3 
$100,782 
6 
6 
1913 
.153 
4(58.599 
5 
o 
1914 
.131 
2(51.045 
6 
4 
19 1 5 
.139 
29(5.03(5 
5 
Q 
* > 
191(5 
.153 
209.133 
5 
6 
Combustion is burning. Spontaneous combustion 
is slow burning until the ignition point is reached, 
and then the substance bursts out in a flame. Fires 
arise from two sources, from causes outside of the 
substance burned and from causes within the sub¬ 
stance. Spontaneous combustion falls under the lat¬ 
ter class. Spontaneous combustion occurs when the 
hay is stored too green. Ileat is evolved in the 
stack by a sweat. This heat is held inside the stack, 
and the heating continues until the igniition point is 
reached, when the hay bursts into flames. Many 
stacks have been found to be completely charred on 
the inside before the hay burst into flames. 
Ilay will not fire unless the bulk is large enough 
or dense enough to retain the beat as it is evolved. 
For this reason the hay, when stored, should not be 
packed tightly. 
Spontaneous combustion is possible with any kind 
of hay, but if usually occurs with clover and Alfalfa, 
because it takes these grasses longer to dry. There 
are three known conditions necessary for combus¬ 
tion of hay. They are: Ilay stored when it is 
damp, the hay in large enough bulk so that 11 will 
retain the heat stored up, and A last, that there is 
enough ventilation to supply the oxygen required for 
combustion. The exact cause of spontaneous com¬ 
bustion is not known, but it is thought that it is 
mostly due to a process of fermentation that .-tarts 
the heating. There are perhaps a great many other 
unknown causes. 
When hay 1 as heated to a great extent, the re¬ 
moval of it should never be attempted unless a large 
supply of water is at hand. When hay is heated 
and air reaches it, the hay usually bursts into flames. 
In most cases Ibe evidences of heating are not no¬ 
ticed until the hay is at a dangerously high temper¬ 
ature. The only method of dealing with spontaneous 
combustion is prevention. This can only be accom¬ 
plished before the hay is stored. 
Hay will not burn unless it can get the required 
amount of oxygen. For this reason when a barn 
is built it should be made very tight. The ignition 
of hay takes place about four to six weeks after the 
hay has been stored. This time varies to some ex¬ 
tent, depending upon the amount of oxygen, the 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
density of the hay and the dampness of the hay 
when stored. 
Precautions to avoid combustion of hay: 
1. .Have the sides and bottom of the hay mow 
very tight, but plenty of ventilation from the top. 
2. Never store hay unless properly cured. 
3. Scatter hay over entire floor, instead of filling 
a bent at a time. 
4. Add a layer of straw, several times in the mow. 
when the hay is not properly cured. This will make 
the hay more porous and it will cure in the stack. 
5. Ten quarts of salt mixed well with a ton of 
hay will do very well in the place of the straw. 
The above precautions are self-explanatory, and 
if they are followed carefully spontaneous combus¬ 
tion of hay will never occur. The most important 
precaution is to have the hay properly cured before 
it is stored. w. H. brextox. 
Prohibition and the Cider Business 
Are fruit growers concerned about the market for 
cull apples and cider under the new law? What are 
thev planning to do with the usual run of cider fruit? 
J. P. 
In this county we have three or four large vinegar 
plants, and also the past year they made sweet 
juice. They bought apples last year all over the 
county, even as far as Nova Scotia, and shipped 
into their plants to make into sweet juice and vine¬ 
gar. I was in one of the plants a few days ago. 
They said they could turn out 20.000 barrels of 
vinegar a year. They had 10 generators running. 
I do not think there will be any trouble about dis¬ 
position of the small apples in this section: in fact. 
Making the Holes for the Dgnamite. Fig. 36 7 
they are able to pay more than double what they 
had to pay before prohibition went into effect. 
Last Winter, when I was in Southern California. 
I visited a grape vineyard. I asked them what they 
did with the grapes, and they said they sold last 
year at .$100 a ton to Hebrews in New York City. 
They clubbed together and bought them by the car¬ 
load, and hired someone to make them up for them 
into juice, and each one was entitled to four barrels 
of the juice. It seems that you ought to be able 
to work that on cider apples w. r. Rogers. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
We have here a cider and vinegar mill at ICinder- 
liook, which feels able to handle all cider apples in 
this locality. Prices contemplated by the Manufac¬ 
turers' Association at this time are 50c per hundred 
for early apples and from 75c to 00c for late stock, 
or Winter fruit (cider stock). 
The question which is causing the manufacturers 
more trouble than anything else at present, and 
which is now being tested in the courts, is whether 
the maker shall be held responsible for future fer¬ 
mentation. If the manufacturers can sell preserved 
cider and be held only responsible for its c. idition 
at the time of sale, it will mean much sweet cider 
sold. Gn the other hand, it is practically impossible 
so to preserve it that it cannot eventually be made 
to ferment, and if manufacturers are to be held 
responsible for its condition until consumed, of 
course, little cider will be sold, and vinegar stock 
will be the only outlet. Of course, such a ruling 
seems unreasonable to me, as commercial grape juice 
can he made to ferment. 
We have also an evaporator here which last sea¬ 
son took a large quantity of off-grade apples, and T 
July 24, 1920 
understand expects to do business as usual, though 
at present they are badly handicapped. Last Fall 
they lost a part of their plant by fire, and so far 
have been unable to get material for rebuilding de- 
livered, though bought in ample time. All things 
considered, the disposition of eider apples in this 
section will probably he about the same as in pagt 
years, though the fluctuation in price may be some¬ 
what greater. wm. iiotaeixg. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—There is being developed a great demand 
for sterilized apple juice. Properly made—not over¬ 
heated or drugged—it makes a delicious drink, and 
we think it possible to develop a great retail trade 
in it. The old Apple Consumers’ League did great 
work in “booming” the trade in- apples. It would 
he hard to overestimate the service this league ren¬ 
dered to fruit growers. It might well be reorgan¬ 
ized and put at work on the job of making sterilized 
apple, juice the great national drink. Give it 20 
per cent, of the popularity which has been so long 
enjoyed, and the fruit-growing business would take 
on wonderful prosperity. It. would not only provide 
a new revenue for fruit growers, but dispose of culls 
and inferior stock, so that only the better grades 
would go to market. Machines of reasonable price 
are now on the market for pasteurizing fruit juices, 
and if the public can be made to realize their value 
there will he no limit to the demand. The truth is 
that instead <>f injuring the fruit business, prohi¬ 
bition will make it possible to substitute fruit juices 
for much of the liquor formerly consumed. 
Limestone on Old Pasture 
I N spite of all we have said about the use of lime 
on sod our mails are filled with letters from 
farmers who ask if it will pay to use ground lime¬ 
stone or burnt lime. In many cases tbe pastures 
have run out. or sour grass has appeared in the 
meadows. It seems to be impossible to plow this 
sod and put on Ihe lime, and they want to know if 
the lime can he scattered right on the top of the 
grass so as to improve it. This is especially desired 
by farmers who want to improve their pastures. The 
shortage of labor makes it impossible for them to 
plow and fit the sod land so as to reseed properly. 
They have to obtain better pastures, and the soil 
gives every indication of being sour. Of course no 
one can possibly expect to get the full benefit of 
lime unless it is worked thoroughly into the ground. 
It. ought to he worked all through the upper soil, 
and the best way to do that is to apply it evenly 
after plowing, and then harrow it thoroughly in. 
Some farmers recommend scattering the lime on the 
sod and then plowing it under, but. the better prac¬ 
tice seems to lie in applying it after plowing. No 
one can expect to get. the full benefit of lime by 
scattering it over the sod and leaving it. there. Sev¬ 
eral times in our own experience we have tried this 
method with burnt lime. It was scattered over the 
sod and left there. A rain followed shortly after, 
and on wet ground we found the greater part of 
the lime forming a sort of mortar at the top of the 
ground, and not worked into the soil at all. Of 
course this sort of liming was of little or no value 
to any soil. It would not be so had on an open, 
sandy soil, as more of the lime would be washed 
down below the surface, hut it is doubtful whether 
more than half of the lime becomes available when 
put on top of the ground in this way. If lime is 
to be used as a top-dressing at all the ground lime¬ 
stone of medium fineness will he much safer than 
the burnt lime. Experiments on old pastures have 
shown that in many cases the application of lime¬ 
stone in connection with phosphate has greatly im¬ 
proved the pasture. White and Alsike clover and 
a better type of grasses will follow liming. 
Whenever we burn a pile of brush in a pasture, 
and scatter the ashes with a shovel after the burn¬ 
ing, there is always an improvement in the grasses 
wherever these ashes go. Probably the lime in tie 
ashes has most to do with bringing about this im¬ 
provement. although in a great majority of oui 
Eastern pastures phosphorus in some form Is gieatl\ 
needed. Where a farmer can afford it, it is men 
than likely that a ton of ground limestone and 30" 
pounds of acid phosphate scattered over an acre of 
pasture and scratched in as well as possible with 
a tooth harrow will greatly improve the grass. It 
would be better if the pasture could be disked m 
chopped up, limed and reseeded, hut this i> m>t 
always possible, and the use of limestone and phos¬ 
phate scratched in with a light harrow will cer¬ 
tainly hejp sweeten the soil and bring in a b<tt<i 
type of grass. While this is not the best way to 
use the lime, it is a reasonable way to inipio\< tin 
pastures, and thus increase the value of the farm. 
