1023 
Talk About a Hay Loader 
ASING THE DRAFT.—A farmer just asked me 
if I knew of someone not yet through haying 
who wanted to buy a hay-loader cheap. He ex¬ 
plained that he did not have sufficient horse power 
to pull the loader, and the man owning tractor could 
use it to advantage. His loader was one of the type 
called the push loader. I advised him to keep the 
loader, leave one of his horses in the barn, look it 
over to see if the forks on the push bars cleared the 
frame of the loader, and then set the loader so the 
arms would just brush the top of the ground and 
not dig in. It makes no difference if quite a lot of 
scatterings are left. These can be gathered by a 
boy with a dump rake following the hay-loader and 
pulling the rakeful upon another windrow. The 
push loader is frequently set so as do dig into the 
ground at every reach of the arms. I have handled 
a push loader with one team, and 
handled tit easily, by setting the 
arms so as to brush over the ground. 
The farmer frequently tries to do the 
work that a push loader can and will do. 
HANDLING THE LOAD. — When 
you drive to the field, hitch on the 
loader, and then forget that you have a 
loader or load of hay behind. The push 
loader will keep prodding the hay up 
and on the wagon, until you have near¬ 
ly a third of a load. Then roll the hay 
down in front. Don’t think about build¬ 
ing an artistic load. I have seen two 
men sweating and forking the hay 
away from one of these loaders. One 
man can take it easy, allow the loader 
to do most of the pushing, and he will 
not he as tired when night comes as if 
he tried to do it all, and had a man to 
help. The push loader will work nicely 
on a windy day if you allow the hay to 
pile up. Of course when you have your 
load well built up, then it is necessary 
to stop and more carefully build your 
load. It is a fallacy to think that you 
need a side-delivery rake, for one of 
the old dump rakes will do quite as 
well. The advantage of the side-deliv¬ 
ery is that long windrows around the 
field are made. The push loader or the 
web type as well may be used to ad- 
vantage with a rack, part of which will 
slide forward. One of these can be 
easily constructed, or a platform can be 
pulled forward when half a load is on. 
The use of a tractor will be particu¬ 
larly advantageous, as it can be un¬ 
hitched from the wagon, then hitched 
to the platform to be pulled ahead, and 
then hitched to the wagon. Such racks 
have been described at different times. 
Perhaps the best power for handling 
the wagon and loader is the tractor. If 
the speed is kept down to less than two 
miles an hour, and the tractor can run 
steadily, one man can easily take care of the hay 
from a loader without stopping. w. J. 
Calcium Cyanide the New Poison 
A S most of the readers are not familiar with the 
new vermin poison recommended on page 930, 
a further discussion seems necessary. By under¬ 
standing the principles given, the x-eaders will be 
able to apply calcium cyanide to their own particular 
problems, and many misunderstandings will be 
cleared up. 
WHAT CALCIUM CYANIDE IS—Calcium cyan¬ 
ide is a chemical compound of lime and a very dead¬ 
ly gas called “cyanogen.” The gas is released slowly 
when the chemical is exposed to the moisture of the 
air. This chemical is made in the same way that 
“carbide” for acetylene generators is made. Coke 
and limestone are fused in the electric furnace, and 
then the carbide is heated with the nitrogen of the 
air. Calcium cyanide results. It is sold in three 
forms. The granular is about the size of coarsely 
ground coffee. The flake is about the size of a finger¬ 
nail and less than one-sixteentli of an inch thick. 
The powder is very fine, and is mixed with talc or 
some dilutent to allow its use in a dusting machine. 
Most local dealers in insecticides sell it. The retail 
price should be about 25 cents per pound. In carload 
lots it is much cheaper. Calcium cyanide is not 
obtainable in drug stores. 
HOW IT ACTS.—Certain lime compounds, when 
exposed to the moisture of the air and the ground, 
break up and foi'm other compounds. Unslalced lime, 
‘Pk rural NEW-YORKER 
under these conditions, changes to slaked lime. Cal¬ 
cium carbide used in acetylene generators gives off 
acetylene when so exposed, and slaked lime re¬ 
sults. Chloride of lime when so treated gives off 
chlorine gas and leaves slaked lime. Calcium cyan¬ 
ide acts about the same way and gives off the dead¬ 
ly cyanogen gas and leaves slaked lime. If there xs 
an excess of water a strong alkaline solution is 
formed, and ammonia is given off instead of the 
cyanogen (cyanide gas). The moisture iix the air 
when the relative humidity is less than SO per cent 
is just enough to release the gas. The gas is the 
substance that kills the vermin. Every gas is in 
motion, and attempts to fill the space it is contained 
in. Cyanide gas is heavier than air, and concen¬ 
trates at lower levels first, then diffuses off until it 
cannot be detected. 
HOW IT KILLS.—The substance in the blood that 
makes the red cells take up oxygen is destroyed by 
cyanide gas. Death is painless and immediate. Plants 
are not affected, as they do not have blood. In the 
low concenti’ations we recommend for vermin eradi¬ 
cation the gas does not affect man. Should the 
operator get an overdose of the gas he will feel 
dizzy. The antidotes are peroxide of hydrogen and 
smelling chloride of lime. The substance is safe to 
handle, and with ordinary precautions presents no 
greater danger than the insecticidal sprays. It is 
possible to burn the gas, but it does not explode. Its 
inflammability is very low. The smell is similar to 
hitter almonds, peach kernels or wild cherry bark. 
It is readily recognized in low concentrations. While 
the writer knows of no fatality from its use the fol¬ 
lowing cautions ai’e given. It must be kept out of 
the mouth and out of cuts, open wounds or sores. It 
is advisable to store and handle only in the open 
air, taking care not to inhale the fumes from the 
container or fi’om the dusting machine. I do not rec¬ 
ommend calcium cyanide as a household poison for 
ants, moths, roaches, etc., except in the hands of an 
intelligent, experienced, cyanide fumigator. The 
liquefied cyanogen is better for fumigation. 
USE AS AN INSECTICIDE.—When dusted on the 
plants it is best that the plants should be dry, and 
the relative humidity be less than SO per cent. It 
should be dusted on after sunset on a dry day. The 
nozzle of the duster should be held two feet away 
from the plant, so as to dust very lightly. If 
granules or flakes are used, always distribute lightly 
and on the ground near to but not touching the 
plant. Never use this chemical just befoi’e, during 
nor just after a rain or heavy dew. Directions are 
given for a few of the common insects, and the read¬ 
er can follow the methods and apply them to his 
particular problem. 
Ants that infest the lawns and gardens may be 
killed by placing a small quantity (half a teaspoon¬ 
ful or less) of the cyanide compound oxx top of the 
nests. In an ant hill it may be sprinkled on the sur¬ 
face of the hill and a canvas thrown over the hill. 
An inverted tub over one ounce will kill all ants in a 
hill in a short time. If the treatment is given just 
befoi’e swarming, when all the ants are in the upper 
passages, the maximum number is killed and an¬ 
other treatment is not necessary. 
By mex-ely dusting the powder over the plants all 
the following insects ai’e killed immediately: The 
potato flea beetle (Epitrix cucumeris ), rose curculio 
(Ilhynchites 'bicolor), the potato leaf 
hopper (Empoasva mail), the garden 
flea hopper (Haitians citri), and the 
pear psylla (Psylla pyricola). Any in¬ 
sect parasites of the plants the above 
insects are found on can be killed at 
the same time. 
The striped cucumber beetle (Din - 
brotica vit tala') can be controlled by 
applying the calcium cyanide to the 
ground in such a way the gas will kill 
the beetles nearby. It is better not to 
dust the plants too heavily nor to allow 
the matei’ial to come in contact with the 
stalk. The squash bug (Anasa tristis) 
can be killed and no injury be inflicted 
on the plants by dusting the groups or 
clxxsters of the ixxsects. 
Hog fleas, dog fleas and cat fleas are 
immediately killed by dusting the 
coops, kennels, sheds or shelters with 
y 2 lb. of the dust to each 100 sq. ft. 
This is best done when the poultry is 
at roost. The next morning only a lit¬ 
tle lime and the talc is left, and the 
chickens are in no danger in picking up 
the residue. All fleas are killed. 
RODENT EXTERMINATION.—The 
pi-evious article on calcium cyanide 
was written with the intention of sim¬ 
plifying woodchuck control. It was 
prompted by a desire to reduce the use 
of the inhuman steel trap. There have 
been many letters requesting further 
information about calcium cyanide as a 
rodent poison. It is not necessary to 
plug the hole, nor is it necessary to 
charge both holes. If the hole be filled 
with dirt it will bury the dead wood¬ 
chuck, will show the farmer the wood¬ 
chuck has not escaped and may satisfy 
the mind the work is better done. I do 
not recommend plugging the hole after 
the charge as being preferable to leav¬ 
ing it alone, Both holes may be 
charged, but that is not essential, as 
ilie gas kills before the woodchuck can escape. If 
the powder be blown down the burrow, an attempt 
should be made to see if it appears iix the other bur¬ 
row. Iix general, a 100 per cent kill is secured by 
merely placing a tablespoonful of the chemical down 
in the burrow and going away. Sometimes wood¬ 
chucks will be out and refuse to enter a treated bur¬ 
row when the gas is present. 
Rats are always hard to control. The calcium 
cyanide is used when they live in the ground or un¬ 
der concrete floors. Dust may be pumped into the 
opening of a burrow, or a couple of ounces may he 
shoved in as far as possible. When the dust is 
pumped into an opening, the rats appear at the en¬ 
trances of the other runs, and usually leap out and 
die. If the odor of dead rats is of no consequence, 
all the holes may be charged and plugged: use about 
a teaspoonful to an opening, and plug with dirt. 
The Univei’sity of Missouri, the Nebraska College 
of Agriculture and some governmental experiment 
stations are working with this chemical. The results 
warrant general use of it by farmers. The writer is 
conducting experiments, and will be pleased to hear 
from readers regarding their experiences with cal¬ 
cium cyanide. clarence w. winchell. 
New England Notes 
E ASHORE FARMING.—Readers living away 
from the ocean may be interested in the farm¬ 
ing of the seashore as it is carried on along the New 
England coast. The product of these seashore farm¬ 
ers is a kind of seaweed which vhen dried be- 
A Train of Hay Loads Drawn by a Tractor. Fig. 422. 
Hay Loader with Tractor Power. Fig. 423. 
Here is more evidence of what the tractor and other power machinery can do for 
farmers. Compare such work with the old-time “haying” some of us used to do. The 
grass was cut with a scythe, shaken up by hand with a pitchfork, raked by hand, 
loaded with hand forks, and hauled in by oxen. What would be the condition today 
if there had been no such great development of farm machinery? Why, the world 
would still be fed and clothed and the farmer be the most important man on earth. 
