The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1819 
I NTERCHANGEABLE P 0 W E R WANTED.— 
Scientific data from various experiment stations, 
supported by the practical experience of hundreds 
of fruit growers, has definitely established the use¬ 
fulness and economy of the orchard dusting machine 
for combating certain insect pests and fungus dis¬ 
eases. Even the most ardent enthusiasts on the 
subject of dusting, however, are forced to concede 
that as yet the dry method is not a complete sub¬ 
stitute for liquid sprayers. Thus the orchardist who 
turns to dusting is usually confronted with the prob¬ 
lem of providing a liquid sprayer outfit for dormant 
spraying to combat San Jose scale and several in¬ 
sects. as well as a dusting outfit for 
Summer work when the trees are in 
foliage. Standard types of liquid 
sprayers are operated by gasoline en¬ 
gines of about three horsepower or 
greater, and standard types of power 
dusting machines fortunately require 
about the same horsepower to operate. 
As practically every successful com¬ 
mercial fruit grower is now equipped 
with at least one power sprayer, the 
suggestion of an interchangeable power 
plant for both sprayer and duster 
means considerable in the matter of 
economy in the initial investment in 
the duster, as well as the possibility 
of having both outfits ready for emer¬ 
gency use at any time. 
MOUNTING THE OUTFITS. — 
Some orcliardists have tried to mount 
the dusters on top of the spray tank, 
but this brings the outfit so high that 
it is not practical, because of continual 
interference with overhanging branches. 
Also we are told by experts that the 
lower the duster is mounted the better 
the results of the method will be: as 
the dust should be introduced at the 
lowest point of the tree if possible and 
allowed to float up through the foliage 
in order to cover the under sides of 
both fruit and leaves. Others have 
tried to combine these two machines 
by removing the tank and mounting the 
duster on a wagon frame in its place. 
This method involves many practical 
mechanical difficulties, however, on 
account of the pump connections and 
different manners of mounting the en¬ 
gine on the various types of spraying 
machines. The most practical scheme 
for using the liquid sprayer and duster 
as a combined outfit seems to be to 
purchase the dusting machine mounted 
on skids. An engine skid may then he 
provided for mounting the sprayer en¬ 
gine when it is removed from the 
sprayer rig. and these two skids may 
then be bolted together and made fast 
onto a lumber wagon or any other 
truck suitable for orchard use. After 
the sprayer engine has been removed 
and mounted on the skid with the dus¬ 
ter all that is required to complete the 
outfit is a belt to connect the engine 
with the duster. 
ADAPTING TO CONDITIONS.— 
The standard type of dusting machine 
weighs about 300 pounds, and a three 
horsepower engine generally does not 
exceed 350 pounds in weight. Tliere- 
fore the complete dusting outfit will 
not exceed 700 pounds in all and may be easily 
handled on any kind of a farm or orchard wagon. 
When the dusting work is complete it is only a 
simple thing to transfer the engine back to the spray 
rig ready for business again in the Fall or early 
Spring. By modifying this suggestion in various 
ways fruit growers who are contemplating dusting 
may take advantage of using the engine they now 
possess to operate the duster. Special trucks are now 
being built by many fruit growers who are dusting 
which provide for a drop platform on the rear of the 
wagon in order that the operator may stand at the 
lowest possible point when manipulating the outlet 
point of the machine. The drop platform also gives 
protection to the operator when brushing through 
overhanging branches and limbs. Many changes and 
improvements in orchard dusting machines will no 
doubt be made from time to time, but none seems 
more important to the average orcliardists who are 
now owners of power liquid spraying outfits than 
that features be provided with the dusting machine 
whereby engines already owned by the orcliardists 
may be easily and quickly adapted to the operation 
of the dusting machine. ernest hart. 
Improving Wild Pasture Land 
I am interested in getting a better grass crop on wild 
pasture land, both hillside and level land, some rather 
damp. Do you know whether grass seed sown on the 
wild grass without plowing will in time produce a good 
pasture? If so, what seeds would you advise? I have 
about 1.500 acres of wild land, with a few patches of 
trees scattered thereon, which I am planting with trees, 
ter grasses come in. This seems due to the sheep 
droppings, which are evenly scattered over the field. 
In pastures where such grasses have come in we 
often see little clumps of Blue grass and clover. 
They seem to grow around places where liquid 
manure went, or around clumps of well-rotted solid 
manure. We think the manure acted to sweeten the 
soil and give available plant food. We doubt whether 
sowing seed of good grasses right on that sour 
land will greatly improve the sod. The .first prin¬ 
ciple in improving an old pasture is to add limestone 
and then phosphate. We think a good application 
of limestone will bring in the good grasses, but it 
seems doubtful if they can thrive until 
the soil is sweetened. We would like 
to have the experience of readers on 
this question, as well as on that of 
planting trees in a pasture. 
Duster Mounted on Common Farm Wagon. Fig. 60' f 
Typical Orchard Dusting Scene. Fig. 605 
Duster on Skids with Sprayer Engine Power. Fig. 606 
:iml my neighbors think I should allow them to pasture 
their cattle on same at a dollar a head per month, but 
before I take up their proposition I would like to give 
them their money's worth, as I fear they are deceived 
by the wild grasses. I know I will be criticized by 
forestry experts for trying to pasture cows on young 
tree land, but as I have had as much experience in 
forestry as any living expert, aud did not get my knowl¬ 
edge out of books, either. I feel that the kiud of trees 
you plant, aud how you plant them, may make my 
proposition possible; at least I am willing to try to 
prove the theory true or false by actual trial. First 
step is to get grass of the right kind to grow, so that 
the grass will taste better than the leaves of trees. Step 
second is to see that they have pleuty of salt, so they 
do not try to get a tannic acid “jag” by eating leaves 
to make them forget their troubles from the lack of salt. 
Step third, put a small stone at the base of each tree 
seedling. No cow ever laid down on a stone to rest 
unless she had to do so. e. a. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
W E have always felt that “wild grass" is one 
of the signs which Nature hangs out on sour 
ami poor laud. When such land is pastured by 
sheep the wild grass slowly disappears, and the bet- 
Bones for Fertilizer 
M ANY readers ask us how,they can 
prepare ordinary bones for fer¬ 
tilizer. There seems to be a general 
desire this year to use these bones as 
freely as possible. The fertilizer man¬ 
ufacturers use powerful machinery t > 
crush the bones, and then mix them 
with sulphuric acid in order to fit them 
for a fertilizer. On the ordinary farm 
such machinery is not available, and 
we do not advise the use of this dan¬ 
gerous acid for farm purposes. Some 
of the softer bones may be boiled or 
baked and then crushed reasonably 
fine with a heavy sledgehammer. There 
are a number of small bone mills on 
the market which can work up these 
softer bones. In many cases the rib 
bones and those of softer quality may 
be thoroughly baked and then crushed 
for poultry feeding. The harder bones, 
like those of the shin, shoulder or 
skull, arc very difficult to break up. 
Some farmers conclude that the easiest 
way to dispose of them is to burn the 
bones. They can be burned in an ordi¬ 
nary stove or furnace along with the 
other fuel, or in a bonfire made up of 
waste wood. This reduces the bones 
to bone ash. but all the nitrogen is lost, 
and as this nitrogen is the most valu¬ 
able part of the bones, burning should 
not be done except as a last resort. 
We have had some success in soften¬ 
ing the bones by packing them in wood 
ashes. This can he done by taking 
barrels or boxes and putting in the 
bottom about a six-inch layer of un¬ 
leached wood ashes. A layer of broken 
hone is then put in. and another layer 
of the ashes put on top. More bones 
follow this, and then more ashes, until 
the barrel is filled. This should be 
kept well moistened if possible with 
liquid manure, and at the end of two 
or three months the bones are usually 
softened so that they can lie smashed 
quite fine with a heavy spade or ham¬ 
mer. It is not possible to make a sam¬ 
ple of bone as fine as the commercial 
bonemeal in this way. but for use 
around trees, or in working in with the 
manure on the garden, this sample of 
hone will give very fair results. In 
some cases caustic potash is used in connection with 
the wood ashes and bones, and this seems to hasten 
their decomposition. Many farmers who-keep hogs 
boil the fresh bones thoroughly with vegetables and 
make a soup for the hogs, besides softening the bones 
somewhat by this cooking. The method of packing 
with wood ashes seems most practical, although 
many farmers are dissatisfied with the results they 
obtain, since this method will only soften the bones 
at best, and will not turn them into a sample of 
bonemeal. 
New England Garden Notes 
T HE CIDER QUESTION.—Farmers who sell 
eider at wayside stands have also aroused the 
ire of commercial cider-makers in the towns, who 
claim that the farmers have been given undue privi 
leges in dispensing this beverage. To tell the 
