W* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Garden and Farm Notes 
Timothy as a Cover Crop 
The cover-crop idea has reached South 
Dakota. Some one asks the college of 
that State if it will pay to sow Timothy 
seed in the corn crop at the last cultiva¬ 
tion. Here is the answer: 
The plan you suggest will prove suc¬ 
cessful, if you put the seed into the corn 
about the first of August. I would ad- 
vhowever, that you cover it with a 
light cultivator, going between the corn 
rows with one horse. It would be a good 
p'an to put in some clover seed and some 
Alfalfa seed with the mixture. Use, say. 
equal parts by weight of Timothy seed, 
clover seed and Alfalfa seed. My sug¬ 
gestion would be that you buy them sep¬ 
arately, and be sure they are clean and 
free from weeds. Try 15 lbs. of mixture 
per acre. 
In parts of New England it is quite 
a common practice to seed Timothy and 
Iled-top in the corn for a permanent 
meadow. Level culture is given. The 
seed is scattered through the corn and 
worked in with a light cultivator. An 
iron rake is scratched through between 
the hills. The corn is cut close to the 
ground, and in the Spring a roller 
smashes down the stalks. We have seen 
fine meadows seeded in this way. We 
have also seen Timothy used successfully 
as a catch or cover crop in orchards or 
after early potatoes. 
Manure on Wheat Stubble 
We have a field now in wheat stubble 
which we intend planting in wheat in the 
Fall. In putting manure on this piece 
would you advise spreading it on the stub¬ 
ble and plowing it under about five inches, 
or spreading it on the plowed ground? 
Sykesville, Md. J. r. 
What I would advise \ ill depeud on 
the condition and previous treatment of 
the land. I do not think that the wheat 
fallow is the best place for the farm ma¬ 
nure. I would greatly prefer to use 
chemical fertilizers on the wheat and 
spread the manure on the rand that is to 
go into corn next Spring, and would keep 
on with the manure all Winter till time 
to plow for corn. Corn will use the 
rough manure better than wheat, and the 
cultivation of the corn crop will get the 
manure into condition to best help the 
wheat crop that follows the corn. Wheat 
especially needs phosphoric acid, and if 
the land is naturally fertile the applica¬ 
tion of manure alone will tend to produce 
rank straw rather than heavy grain. But 
to use the manure to advantage I would 
use 300 lbs. of 10 per cent acid phosphate 
to every ton. At the Ohio Experiment 
Station it was found that even as little 
as 30 lbs. to a ton of manure very greatly 
increased the efficiency of the manure. 
Then I would prefer to spread the ma¬ 
nure on the plowed ground and disk it in 
and keep disking till the surface is fined 
and well tramped and settled. Then drill 
wheat immediately after the first white 
frost, in order to avoid the Hessian fly. 
Here that would be in late October; in 
ypur section earlier. w. F. massey. 
Double Cropping the Garden 
I do not follow the practice of double 
cropping to the extent that many do, but 
to the extent that to me appears prac¬ 
tical and profitable. My early potatoes 
this year were Bliss Triumph, a round, 
red potato, that was Teady to dig and use 
July 4. They were planted March 31. 
This strip of potatoes was along the north 
side of the driveway, and on the south 
side of the main garden. Peas were 
planted in the first row, instead of the 
potatoes, and after these had become 
nicely started. Zinnia seed was sown in 
a drill row pretty close to the peas. The 
peas were soon out of the way. and at 
this writing (August 8) we have a beau¬ 
tiful hedge of dark red Zinnias now in 
full bloom and still coming. Before the 
potatoes were dug I planted a row of 72 
asters between the first two rows. After 
digging the potatoes, about July 10, I 
prepared a trench for celery. A good 
shower occurred that, night, and as con¬ 
ditions were favorable, the plauts were 
set the next morning and covered with 
boards for a few days. Since setting the 
plants the earth has been pulled up to 
them until the plants are slightly banked. 
A few days ago I turned a little furrow 
away from the row on either side and 
turned a number of pails of water in 
these furrows at the upper end, and as 
the ground slopes gently to the east, the 
celery was thoroughly irrigated. Then 
the earth was turned back toward the 
plants. This treatment placed the celery 
in a condition to benefit by the recent 
showers, and this is expressed by the 
vigorous appearance of the plants. 
The rest of this potato strip is showing 
a strong growth of beans and peas for late 
use, helping out in the succession of good 
things from the garden. There are also 
some cauliflower, and some plants of the 
Oriental poppies. I have no trouble in 
growing this latter from the seed, but 
find it very difficult to transplant, because 
of the deep tap-rooting habit of the plant. 
There is also sweet corn making a good 
growth after the potatoes. 
Again with the flowers, after the daffo¬ 
dils were through blooming in the early 
Spring, big variegated noppies made a, 
noticeable display for a number of weeks, 
as the seeds were sown at different times, 
and now the Gladiolus has the floor, mak¬ 
ing three crops of flowers on this strip. 
There will be a continuous show of aster 
blossoms from now until frost cuts them 
off, as at present there are over 300 plants 
in different stages of growth, from those 
now in full bloom to others just nicely 
started. I would as soon think of going 
without the old stand-bys, corn, beans 
and potatoes, as to omit the flowers in 
our home surroundings, and with a little 
care and planning a succession of both 
can be secured. The ground occupied by 
the early peas is now growing other 
things, such as cabbage, late beets, let¬ 
tuce. etc. I find both pleasure and' profit 
in double cropping to the extent enunrer- 
ated. H. E, cox. 
An Old Sod for Potatoes 
I notice on page 1316, under “Short 
Talks with Our People.” an answer to 
F. E. F. of Pennsylvania, and your ad¬ 
vice about “Plowing an Old Orchard." 
As an Aroostook man. I don’t think I 
would take your advice in planting that 
piece to potatoes. An Aroostook man 
would proceed about as follows: Plow 
that old sod soon as possible, not wait 
until September. Turn the sod over flat, 
and, if necessary, harrow a few times dur¬ 
ing the remainder of season, so not a 
single blade of grass or weeds will show. 
Disk it thoroughly in the Spring, but do 
not cross-plow. Make it mellow, as an 
ash heap. Plant in potatoes with one 
ton of good 5-8-6 fertilizer per acre. Just 
as sprouts are breaking ground cultivate 
and then bury up with horse hoe. Then, 
after a day or two. level down some with 
spike-tooth harrow or weeder. running 
crosswise or diagonally. Give good cul¬ 
tivating and spraying remainder of sea¬ 
son. You say it is a gamble to plant po¬ 
tatoes on old sod. No gamble about it. 
Let an Aroostook County man take an 
old sod like that, and he is sure to raise 
a splendid crop. and. what is more, leave 
the ground in most excellent condition for 
the next crop. Not all follow the same 
system, but I have mentioned one. Some 
1407 
might disagree with me and use more fer¬ 
tilizer. MILO w. CONE. 
Maine. 
R. N.-Y.—We thought our advice suited 
to the milder climate of Pennsylvania. 
Bordeaux Mixture; Yellow Leaves on 
Tomato 
1. Can you tell me how to make a 
stock solution of Bordeaux mixture and 
arsenic combined? I have the following 
ingredients on hand : Blue vitriol, lime, 
arsenate of lead in powder form. I need 
quite a lot of this material, and I have 
heard that a stock solution can be made. 
I was always in the habit of mixing and 
using right away, for I believe that the 
strength runs out very fast. Will this 
stock solution keep for any length of 
time without losing its full strength? I 
was advised to try the prepared Bor¬ 
deaux mixture, but I cannot afford to 
pay that high price, as I use considerable. 
2. I set ub some tomato plants, and they 
seem to be getting a sort of yellowish 
color on the bottom leaves—just a few. 
1 am afraid of blight. 3. What strength 
Bordeaux, also arsenate of lead, for in¬ 
sects, both combined, to be applied at* one 
time, would you advise? G. F. R. 
1. The best method for home use is 
to mix just before using. Make the Bor¬ 
deaux in the regular way. as described 
previously in The R. N.-Y., and add 2 
lbs. of the powdered arsenate of lead to 
50 gals, water just before spraying. 
Chemical reactions occur changing the 
solution when it is allowed to stand. 
2. The yellowing of the lower leaves of 
the tomatoes is a natural occurrence, es¬ 
pecially in hot. dry weather, such as we 
have been having. It is not blight, the 
latter being recognized by brown or black 
spots on the leaves and sunken black 
spots on the stems. When found in the 
seed bed. spray the plants with a weak 
solution of Bordeaux mixture. 2-2-50, and 
if found later in the field, spray with the 
standard 5-5-50 solution ; that is, 5 gals, 
lime solution. 5 gals, blue-stone and 40 
gals, water. Stir the solution well be¬ 
fore using. 
3. The 5-5-50 Bordeaux solution with 
2 or 3 lbs. of powdered arsenate of lead 
will control the insects and diseases. The 
first spraying should be given while the 
plants are young, say. five days before 
transplanting, and again about five nays 
after transplanting. Five sprav-lgs are 
usually necessary through ''.e season; 
that is, one every 10 days. „r a hard rain 
washes off the mixture, it should be ap¬ 
plied again. Use high enough pressure 
to get a good mist spray, so that both 
upper and under surfaces of the leaves 
will be covered. T. H. T. 
THE MAPES MANURES 
For Fall Crops —Normal Conditions 
AMPLE POTASH 
Bone and Guano 
as Always 
PROMPT SHIPMENTS 
* Write us or see our nearest Agent for circular and prices 
The Mapes Formula & Peruvian Guano Co 
143 Liberty Street, New York City 
