670 
of oats. 15 lbs. of barley, 4 lbs. of Red clover, 5 lbs. 
of Sweet clover and 3 lbs. of rape. The oats and 
barley should be mixed together and seeded with a 
drill, while the rape and clover combination can be 
distributed by means of the grass seed attachment 
of the ordinary grain drill: or both mixtures can be 
seeded by hand or broadcast with the ordinary 
wheelbarrow seeder. 1’igs can be turned into areas 
when the plants are from 5 to 7 in. high, and if the 
field is not cropped too closely by the hungry victims 
some of the oats will shoot up, head out, shake off 
and lodge in the fertile soil, germinate and produce 
splendid forage for late Fall feeding. It will con¬ 
stitute what we call a second catch crop. This volun¬ 
teer crop, together with the rape plants and clover 
will supply most palatable foliage for use throughout 
the season. It is really surprising how much green 
feed an acre of this forage will yield. 
SUCCESSIVE PLANTINGS.—Perhaps the best 
results follow where successive plantings are made. 
Particularly is this true where relatively large areas 
are seeded, and where pork production is part of the 
farmer's regular job. It is well to remember that 
even rape will not grow satisfactorily on poor soil 
the first year. Likewise it is true that heavy seeding 
dwarfs the development of the plants. A mixture 
consisting of one bushel of Soy beans and 15 lbs. 
of white-blooming Sweet clover may be seeded as 
late as the first of June and still be depended upon 
to yield a satisfactory crop. Soy beans enjoy hot 
weather, and the pigs make short work of the bean 
plants after they have podded. The use of forage 
crops of this character reduces the necessary ex¬ 
pense for grain and mill feed necessary during the 
growing season, and when the shotes and gilts grown 
in this manner are given extra feed in the Fall they 
will fatten up at a very rapid rate and make sur¬ 
prisingly economical gains. Their appetites will be 
or. edge, they will have a sturdy frame to cover jvith 
flesh and they will promptly convert hog feeds into 
edible pork at a profit. The penless pigs will be a 
real asset. They will make staunch friends. This 
does not mean that pigs should be allowed to run at 
random, but rather that they should have the run of 
small pastures or areas planted with forage crops so 
they can demonstrate their real efficiency as transfer 
and harvesting machines. Let's do away with inky 
pigs, f. c. M. 
Maintaining Honey Bees on the Cucum¬ 
ber Greenhouse 
NECESSARY AID.— It is believed by growers 
that the pollen of cucumbers must be carried 
from blossom to blossom, or no fruit will set. Much 
of the time (lie ventilators on cucumber greenhouses' 
are closed when the blossoms are open, shutting out 
insects which might act as pollen carriers. No 
grower of "cukes" under glass considers it good busi¬ 
ness to hand-poll mate the blossoms. Therefore in 
order that the cucumber growing under glass may be 
profitable it is necessary to provide insects to act as 
pollinators, and of all insects honey bees serve this 
purpose -best. When honey bees were first used as 
pollinators it was the practice to place fhe colony of 
bees inside the greenhouse. Under these conditions 
the colonies so rapidly declined in strength, due to 
the hoes worrying to death against the glass roof 
that the practice was abandoned, and the colonies 
were placed outside the greenhouse, with the hive 
entrance very close to an opening about 2 in. high in 
a pane of glass. This gave the bees liberty to work 
outdoors as well as in the house. Pollination with 
this arrangement was satisfactory. With this ar¬ 
rangement the colonies were considered lost when 
placed on the greenhouse. That is. the grower ex¬ 
pected the colonies to succumb, and this was con¬ 
sidered a necessary annual expense incident to the 
business. This was the situation at the Sea brook 
Farms. Bridgeton. N. J., when the writer undertook 
a study of the conditions, to learn, if possible, the 
cause of this bee loss and the remedy. 
WEAKENED COLONIES.—The houses which are 
used for cucumbers at this plant are six in number, 
with an area of one-fifth acre each. The bees are 
placed on the first planted house about May 1. Two 
colonies are used on each house, one at either end. 
Owing to the unusually severe Winter on bees the 
colonies used on the greenhouses in 1020 were not as 
strong as is normal for the season, some being as 
small as three frames with brood at this time. A 
month later there was a decided reduction in the 
strength of the colonies. At this time Mr. Huber, in 
charge of the greenhouse work at the Seabrook 
Farms, called attention to the cluster of bees in each 
corner of # the houses to the number of probably 200- 
300. This he said was the condition almost con¬ 
stantly. It is known that bees under these eondi- 
Ihe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
tions will live but a comparatively short time. This 
seemed to account for the reduction in numerical 
strength of the colonies. It was suggested an open¬ 
ing be made in each corner of the greenhouse at the 
eaves to allow the “trapped*’ bees to escape and re¬ 
turn to their hives. Theoretically honey bees are 
such intelligent creatures they should easily find 
their way back to their hive via the route by which 
they left it. In practice, however, they display the 
most absurd stupidity in this respect. One-half of a 
pane of glass was removed from one corner of the 
Cultivating Corn in Alluvial Soil. Fig. 267 
roof near the eaves. Since this was done no bees 
have been “trapped” and all colonies on the green¬ 
house have not only lived but prospered and stored 
surplus honey. 
A SUCCESSFUL PLAN.—No claim is made that 
one season's experience is necessarily sufficient to 
make positive statements advisable. In view of the 
marked difference in the behavior of the colonies as 
compared with previous seasons, it seems advisable 
that this plan be tested by other growers of cucum¬ 
bers under glass. Should this prove successful in 
all cases, and there seems to be no reason why it 
should not. it will mean a considerable saving to this 
class of growers. The openings in the glass were 
larger than necessary; 2 in. by the width of the glass 
should be ample. The large openings did not inter¬ 
fere in any way with the successful operation of the 
greenhouses, even fumigation with hydrocyanic gas 
being successfully accomplished without closing them. 
A convenient way to provide bees with an entrance 
outdoors as well as in the house is to slide the mod¬ 
ern hive forward on the bottom‘board, providing an 
opening about % in. wide along the back of the hive. 
ELMER G. CARR. 
Planting Strawberries in August 
I expect to plant several acres in strawberries in Au¬ 
gust. The land has been Fall-plowed, and has just been 
harrowed and dragged. State manure is not obtain¬ 
able. I cannot wait longer than August. 1 propose to 
sow broadcast, climbing variety of peas (not dwarf) 
and sow with them oats for them to climb on. Object, 
fertilization only; then plow under in August. Is this 
practical? Are oats the best crop to plant with the 
peas? Should they be plowed under as soon as peas 
mature? Would it lx; advisable to inoculate the peas, 
and if so where can I get the bacteria? li.A.w. 
Yoorhecsville, N. Y. 
O F course, you realize that strawberries planted * 
in August will not give you a full crop next 
year. They will give something like half a crop and 
can be cultivated next year so as to give a full crop 
in 1923. Strawberries should be planted this Spring 
Tlic Spring-tooth Harrow Kills the Weeds. Fig. 268 
if you expect a full crop in 1922. It sometimes pays, 
however, t< " lit until the late planting, in order to 
get the ground in better condition for the crop. The 
plan you sjmak of is reasonable and can be carried 
out. Our advice would be to use a seeding of oats 
and Canada peas, such as we have frequently de¬ 
scribed. We prefer the Canada peas to garden vari¬ 
eties. Do not use the lime in putting in the oats and 
May 7, 1021 
peas, but if possible plow under a good coat of ma¬ 
nure or use 500 or 000 lbs. to the acre of some good 
fertilizer. Plow under this crop when it matures, 
which will probably be about the middle of July. 
Plow the entire growth under and immediately pack 
down the soil firmly by using a roller or heavy drag. 
Then fine the upper surface of the field and plant 
your strawberries. We are planting this Spring in 
rows 4 ft. apart, with the plants 2 ft. apart in the 
rows, intending to plant dwarf peas or early sweet 
corn between the strawberry rows. These crops will 
come out in July, when the middle will be well 
worked up and strong runner plants taken from the 
planted rows and set out midway between, which 
will leave the rows finally 2 ft. apart. Planting in 
August, we would set the rows about 2 y. 2 ft., and use 
strong runner plants or plants heeled in and carried 
over from Spring. A good dressing of fine ground 
bone or acid phosphate may be given shortly after 
the plants are set out, and this fertilizer should be 
cultivated or hoed in. Our advice would be to use 
inoculation on the peas when you plant them. We 
think that will pay by giving a better stand and also 
larger plants of peas. 
What About Danish Butter ? 
Being a faithful reader of Tiie R. N.-Y., I would 
like you to set me straight on an important question. 
I heartily agree with your policy in regard to farmers 
and farm problems everywhere and, as 1 am a farmer 
myself in a small way. I can appreciate the pressure 
which farmers everywhere are feeling just now. 
I was purchasing my groceries about a week ago 
in a store in this town, when the manager of the 
store brought out a large piece of butter weighing 
about 50 pounds, which he said was Danish butter. I 
asked him if that was the same butter which they 
had been selling lately, as l had been very much 
dissatisfied with the butter I got there and had been 
buying elsewhere, and he said that it was the same. 
I told him how I had been displeased with the butter, 
and he said he agreed with me; he said that it did 
not compare with good New York State butter. 
In course of the conversation, I told him that wo 
ought to have a protective tariff, in which I am a firm 
believer, both for natural and manufactured goods. 
He replied that that was bosh, that the influx of 
Danish butter was the fault of our own dairymen, 
as lie said his company had tried to buy American 
butter and had found that the dairymen were holding 
tons of it in storage for $1.00 per lb. He said that 
the company had offered them GO cents per lb. for it 
and had been refused. 
I replied that I did not believe any such thing of the 
New York State farmers but he said it was true. Now 
1 would like the truth of the matter, and as I can 
trust The It. N.-Y. to give that, I am writing to you 
about it. J. G. w. 
It should bo understood that the principal reason 
the Danish butter is coming to America is because 
the Danes have lost their English market. During 
the war, high prices forced the English people to 
an oleomargarine diet, and, of course, cut down 
their butter consumption proportionately. England 
was also formerly a good export market for the 
United States, but at the present time is receiving 
sera cel y any butter from here, the February export 
report of the United States Bureau of Markets 
showing only 404 pounds shipped there during that 
month. In fact, the total export of butter to Europe 
was less than 1.000 pounds. 
In view of the fact that the Danes have lost their 
English market and are shipping here, and that the 
United States has lost its European exports, it would 
be expected that butter would be exceedingly cheap 
and plentiful; yet this is not the case. The April 
2nd report of the United States Bureau of Markets 
states that the butter market is very firm, receeipts 
being light and demands good; the price on do¬ 
mestic butter running from .495 to .525 in tubs, with 
the Danish butter a little less, at .475 to .485. This 
report of the Federal Bureau of Markets is con¬ 
firmed by the experience of the Dairymen’s League 
Co-operative Association, which reports difficulty 
in supplying its trade. 
So far as can be determined, storage holdings are 
only about one-fifth greater than last year. Butter 
is therefore not being hoarded. The only other con¬ 
clusion that seems to be possible is that the Amer¬ 
ican people are coming to realize the peculiar food 
value of butter and to appreciate its comparative 
cheapness. This probable fact and the further fact 
that Danish butter has in some instances sold at 
higher prices than domestic butter, scoring from 93 
to 95, should at once be both a source of encourage¬ 
ment, to our dairymen and a warning that the all- 
important matter of quality must be ever kept to 
the fore if they are to hold own against for¬ 
eign competition. 
The quality of Danish butter coming here has 
varied somewhat, not all being first class. That 
grocer is a fair type of a large class of city people 
who are doing their best to discredit farmers and 
dairymen. Of course there are “tons” of butter in 
storage. There is always some reserve supply, but 
to say that dairymen are “hoarding” it is nonsense. 
