Iht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
995 
Sour Soil in New England 
Several readers ask about the sour 
lands in parts of New England. How can 
these lands be sweetened? There is only 
one sure way, and that is to use lime. 
Many of these New England soils were 
deficient in lime to 'begin with, and have 
been handled in such a way as to increase 
the acidity. At least one ton of burnt 
lime or two tons of ground limestone to 
the acre should be used. It is better to 
plow the land first and then spread the 
lime and harrow. This, on the whole, 
will give better results than plowing the 
lime under. Many readers want to know 
if they can put lime on this sour New 
England soil, then. seed rye, plow the rye 
under in the Spring and start off with 
good soil. Most of the soil is good to be¬ 
gin with, but it must be properly treated 
in order to make it efficient. The lime 
alone will not give a full crop of rye. It 
would be better to use 300 or 400 lbs. of 
acid phosphate per acre and, if possible. 
100 lbs. of muriate of potash. This would 
f ive an increased growth of rye and great- 
y help the soil. This land, however, 
will not respond and do its best until it 
can be made to produce clover. Alsike 
clover, seeded with the rye, would help. 
New England farmers should use far 
more Alsike than they do. There are 
hundreds of places where Red clover will 
not thrive, yet Alsike in these same loca¬ 
tions will give a reasonable growth. In 
fact, as New England has found, Alsike 
clover is a more important crop for the 
New England farmer than Alfalfa. 
Squash Borer 
Last year, after my squash and cucum¬ 
ber vines were well under blossoming, 
an insect deposited eggs on the vine near 
the root, which when hatched out were 
white borers with a black head. It bur¬ 
rowed on the inside of the vine, throwing 
out a yellow substance. The leaves soon 
withered and died ; the vine at the section 
of leaves and fruit sent down roots to try 
and sustain itself for a time, but the fruit 
withered and fell off the vine, and finally 
all died, with not a squash or pumpkin, 
and the fewest cucumbers. Can you tell 
me what to do so as to save the vines this 
year? j. 6. E. 
Bayside, N. Y. 
Your inquiry gives an accurate descrip¬ 
tion of the squash borer and its work. 
Eggs are laid by the parent, a handsome 
moth, in early Summer, and there is only 
one generation in the North, but usually 
two in the South. The larvae enter the 
ground to hibernate. The vine may be 
slit down the stem and the borer re¬ 
moved, the cut place being covered with 
earth; moist earth drawn over the joints 
of the vine will cause it to form additional 
roots and thus resist attack. Many grow¬ 
ers do this in garden culture, as insurance 
against destruction by borers. Early va¬ 
rieties may be planted as traps, the moths 
laying on them rather than on Winter 
squashes. All vines should be gathered 
and burned as soon as mature. Fall cul¬ 
tivation followed by deep Spring plowing 
will kill many of the larvae, and prevent 
the moths from emerging. Fall tillage 
and cleaning up the garden helps to keep 
many insects and diseases in control. 
Raspberry Cane Blight 
Can you tell me of any way to control 
or eradicate raspberry cane blight? Will 
it spread to other fields of berries? If 
so, do you know how it is carried to 
them? How long before it is safe to 
plant raspberries on the same ground 
after having this disease in the soil? 
G-loversville, N. Y. F. n. s. 
The raspberry cane blight is very wide 
spread throughout the East, and because 
of the many forms in which it appears 
it is often confused with other troubles. 
The chief damage is done to the fruiting 
canes, though new canes are occasionally 
attacked. The disease is spread by the 
tiny brown or dust-like spores which push 
out like pimples on the infected canes. 
These are carried by wind and rain to 
neighboring plantations, thus spreading 
the disease rapidly. As the disease has 
been known to live on dead stalks for 
four years, at least that many years 
should have passed before replanting on 
the same ground. The disease has also 
been found in soil surrounding young 
plants, so it may be introduced in this 
way. Care should be taken not to con¬ 
fuse the cane blight with the work of the 
raspberry cane borer. With the latter 
the burrows can always be found in the 
pith. 
The following recommendations, while 
not guaranteed to cure, will aid in keep¬ 
ing the pest in check : 1. Do not replant 
the ground where the disease has been 
present within four years. 2. Burn all 
diseased and dead canes. 3. Select new 
plants free from disease for setting. 4. 
Destroy wild forms of rasnberry near the 
cultivated plantations. With our rasp¬ 
berries the Cuthbert variety of red rasp¬ 
berry has suffered the most from the cane 
blight. We have never found any dis¬ 
eased canes on Columbian, so this variety 
appears to be resistant. T. n. T. 
. Harry’s father, going into the stable 
yesterday, found his offspring astride a 
horse. He was busily engaged scribbling 
on his slate. “What are you doing?” the 
father asked. “Writing a composition.” 
“Why don’t you write it in the house?” 
“Because the teacher told me to write a 
composition on a horse.”—Daily News. 
FROM A KODAK NEGATIVE 
Kodak on the Farm 
Kodak serves a double purpose on the farm. The pictures of 
the children and of the home, the Kodak story of the picnic, 
even the snap-shots of the pets go to make the Kodak album the 
most thought of book in all the house. 
But there’s another side to picture-making on the farm—the 
business side. Pictures of live stock help in making sales; pictures 
of the orchard and of growing crops help in keeping worth while 
records; pictures of the line fence and the “party ditch” prevent 
or settle arguments — oftentimes can prevent arguments from 
growing into lawsuits. 
To the up-to-date farmer a camera is no longer a luxury. 
It’s a necessity. And picture-taking by the Kodak system is 
simpler and less expensive than you think. 
Ask your dealer or write us for catalogue 
of Kodaks and Brownies. Ids free . 
> EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, Rochester, N. Y., The Kodak City 
Some farmers continue to raise wheat at little or no profit 
because a stand of clover can be secured in it if it is rightly 
fertilized. No crop responds better to POTASH FERTILIZA¬ 
TION than clover. For wheat to be seeded to clover insist on 
having a fertilizer containing 
6 to 8 % POTASH 
and you will have a profitable clover crop, as well as a better 
wheat crop. In this as well as in other ways 
Potash Pays 
SOIL AND CROP SERVICE. POTASH SYNDICATE, H. A. HUSTON Mgr 
42 Broadway New Y ork 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal” See guarantee editorial page. 
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