The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1415 
vance,  informing  the  city  dealer  as  to  wliat  they 
have,  and  when  it  will  be  shipped.  An  honest 
dealer  will  warn  country  people  against  unwise 
shipments,  which  can  only  result  in  disappointment. 
Burning  or  Plowing  Straw 
Which  gives  the  better  result,  to  spread  straw  on 
meadow  and  burn  off  at  once,  not  plowing,  or  spread 
on  and  plow  under?  M.  M. 
Pennsylvania. 
TO  answer  this  question  we  must  understand 
what  the  straw  contains  in  the  way  of  fer¬ 
tilizing  matter.  One  ton  of  wheat  straw  of  ordi¬ 
nary  character  contains  not  far  from  100  lbs.  of 
ash.  That  is  left  when  the  straw  is  fully  burnt. 
This  ash  contains  13  lbs.  of  potash,  about  5  lbs.  of 
lime  and  5  lbs.  of  phosphoric  acid.  The  rest  of  the 
ash  is  largely  made  up  of  sand  and  silica  of  no 
particular  value  for  fertilizing  purposes.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  this  ash  the  ton  of  wheat  straw  will  contain 
about  10  lbs.  of  nitrogen  or  about  the  same  as  found 
in  a  ton  of  ordinary  stable  manure.  The  straw  also 
contains  a  considerable  quantity  of  or¬ 
ganic  matter,  which  when  plowed  into 
the  ground  will  turn  into  humus,  and 
this  is  greatly  needed  in  all  soil.  When 
the  straw  is  spread  on  the  ground  and 
burnt,  all  the  nitrogen  and  all  of  the 
organic  matter  is  lost,  since  the  nitro¬ 
gen  on  burning  is  driven  off  as  a  gas. 
All  that  will  be  left  after  burning  will 
be  the  ash,  with  its  small  amount  of 
potash,  lime  and  phosphorus.  These 
mineral  fertilizers  will  be  somewhat 
more  available  in  the  ash  than  they 
are  in  the  straw  before  burning.  But 
the  nitrogen  is  the  more  valuable  fer¬ 
tilizing  element  in  the  straw.  It  is 
worth  more  than  half  of  the  entire 
fertilizing  value.  When  the  straw  is 
plowed  under  this  nitrogen  is  left  in 
the  soil,  and  the  straw  slowly  decay¬ 
ing  adds  humus  and  helps  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  soil.  That  is  about  the 
story  of  the  matter.  We  can  hardly 
think  of  any  conditions  in  ordinary 
farming  where  it  would  pay  to  burn 
the  straw  as  you  suggest.  It  is  far 
better  farming  to  plow  the  straw  under 
or  use  it  as  bedding  in  the  stable,  and 
then  plow  it  under  in  the  form  of 
manure. 
Shall  We  “Hay”  the  Orchard? 
What  food  value  for  cattle  has  crab  grass  and  weeds 
that  grow  very  luxuriantly  in  orchards?  Does  it  pay 
to  cut  and  cure  for  Winter  roughage,  or  is  it  good  to 
use  as  chicken  litter  in  place  of  straw?  Would  you 
advise  to  leave  it  as  a  cover  crop?  w.  H.  E. 
Vineland,  N.  J. 
safe  to  take  the  hay  from  an  orchard  provided  we 
put  enough  manure  and  chemicals  back  to  more  than 
offset  the  loss  of  the  hay.  But  that  is  the  ou.y 
principle  upon  which  we  would  work. 
w 
E  have  no  exact  analysis  of  such  orchard 
growth,  but  observation  shows  that  it  is 
about  the  equal  of  Timothy  hay  for  cow  feed.  Our 
cattle  eat  it  readily  and  leave  little.  With  us  it 
means  a  mixture  of  crab  and  other  coarse  grasses 
and  various  weeds.  As  to  whether  it  pays  to  cut 
and  take  this  growth  out  as  hay  depends  on  cir¬ 
cumstances.  The  orchard  cannot  keep  up  its  yield 
and  health  if  all  this  growth  is  taken  out.  with 
nothing  put  back.  There  will  be  a  continued  loss  of 
plant  food  and  organic  matter  until  the  trees  will 
show  what  they  lack  as  clearly  as  a  starved  horse 
or  cow  will  give  painful  evidence  of  a  lack  of  food. 
When  the  growth  of  weeds  and  grass  can  be  cut 
and  ’.eft  on  the  ground  around  the  trees  the  orchard 
A  Sample  of  Ungraded  Potatoes,  as  Often  Marketed.  Fig  625 
Nitrate  of  Soda  for  the  Lawn 
Would  you  advise  me  how  to  use  ni¬ 
trate  of  soda  on  lawns,  whether  to  be 
spread  on  dry,  or  if  same  is  to  be  dis¬ 
solved  in  water  and  sprinkled  on?  If 
dissolved  how  much  to  the  gallon  of  wa¬ 
ter?  Is-this  the  proper  time  to  use  it? 
Is  nitrate  of  soda  good  for  fruit  trees 
and  berrv  bushes,  if  so.  how  and  when? 
Short  ‘Hills,  N.  J.  f.  ii. 
NITRATE  of  soda  contains  an 
available  form  of  nitrogen,  but 
no  other  form  .  WA-'  .  it  is  what 
is  known  as  a  stimulating  manure. 
The  nitrogen  drives  plants  into  a  quick, 
active  growth.  Usually  it  is  not  de¬ 
sirable  to  use  the  nitrate  alone.  Acid 
phosphate  and  muriate  of  potash  are 
generally  used  with  it,  and  the  com¬ 
bination  will  give  better  results  than 
the  nitrate  only.  In  some  cases,  how¬ 
ever.  it  is  desirable  to  stimulate  a 
quick  growth  of  lawn  grass,  and  in 
that  case  an  application  of  nitrate  is  very  useful. 
The  nitrate  should  be  used  in  the  Spring  about  the 
time  that  the  grass  begins  tt>  take  on  a  strong  green 
color.  It  would  not  be  economical  to  use  the  ni¬ 
trate  in  the  Fall.  On  a  small  lawn  the  nitrate  can 
lie  dissolved  in  water  and  sprinkled  over  the  ground. 
One  large  tablespoon  of  nitrate  dissolved  in  a  gallon 
of  water  will  help.  Generally  the  labor  of  dis¬ 
solving  and  sprinkling  the  solution  costs  too  much 
and  the  nitrate  is  broadcast  in  dry  form.  It  can 
be  put  on  just  as  it  comes  from  the  bag  if  desired, 
but  it  is  rather  hard  to  make  an  even  distribution 
with  the  small  amount  of  nitrate  required.  It  can 
be  thoroughly  mixed  with  three  or  four  times  its 
bulk  of  good  dry  soil;  then  when  the  mixture  is 
broadcast  you  are  more  likely  to  get  it  evenly  dis¬ 
tributed.  .Another  good  way  is  to  dissolve  the  ni¬ 
trate  and  pour  the  solution  on  a  pile  of  sifted  coal 
ashes.  The  solution  will  soak  all  through  the  ashes, 
and  thus  when  it  has  dried  the  nitrate  will  be 
mixed  all  through  the  pile.  Then  the  ashes  can  be 
broadcast  in  the  usual  way,  and  in  this  way  the 
ashes  act  as  a  carrier  for  the  nitrate,  and  a  very 
even  distribution  can  be  made. 
Sawdust  for  Cattle  Food 
FROM  time  to  time  statements  appear  in  the  pa¬ 
pers  about  the  use  of  sawdust  for  feeding. 
This  is  usually  given  as  a  new  version  of  the  old  joke 
about  the  Yankee  farmer  who  mixed  sawdust  with 
cornmeal  and  fed  it  to  a  blind  horse,  claiming  that 
as  the  horse  could  not  see  what  he  was  eating  he 
got  full  benefit  from  the  sawdust.  It  seems,  how¬ 
ever.  that  there  is  truth  in  these  reports,  and  saw¬ 
dust  is  being  fed  to  dairy  cattle  with  reasonable 
results.  Of  course,  this  is  not  the  pure  sawdust 
as  it  comes  from  the  mill.  It  is  treated  chemically 
to  increase  its  digesta'bility  and  feeding  value.  This 
method  is  known  as  hydrolyzing.  It  consists  in 
treating  the  sawdust  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid 
under  pressure.  In  this  process  about 
25  per  cent  of  the  dry  weight  of  the 
wood  is  converted  into  sugar,  and  the 
rest  of  the  wood  fiber  or  cellulose  is 
changed  quite  a  little  in  its  physical 
character.  The  same  process  is  now 
being  used  on  a  commercial  scale  in 
the  manufacture  of  industrial  alcohol. 
When  farm  grains  bring  the  high 
price  reached  during  the  Great  War, 
it  seems  that  this  form  of  sawdust 
might  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  grain, 
and  a  number  of  experiments  Avere 
conducted  in  preparing  the  sawdust. 
It  Avas  fed  to  coavs  so  as  to  compare 
its  A-alue  with  other  grains;  2  lbs.  of 
this  prepared  sawdust  Avere  used  in 
place  of  1  lb.  of  ground  barley.  That 
!is,  the  grain  mixture  contained  3d 
parts  of  saAvdust,  40  parts  of  ground 
barley,  30  parts  of  wheat  bran  and  15 
parts  of  linseed  meal.  This  mixture 
enabled  the  cows  to  keep  up  their 
production  and  hold  their  Aveight  as 
Avell  as  they  did -on  a  clear  grain  ra¬ 
tion.  The  experimenters  concluded 
that  dairy  coavs  could  be  fed  a  limited 
amount  of  this  sawdust  without  bad 
results.  In  another  trial  much  the 
same  results  Avere  obtained.  The  con¬ 
clusion  is  that  this  sawdust  may  be 
substituted  for  corn  and  barley  with- 
out  affecting  the  normal  milk  flow, 
that  is,  when  one-fourth  to  one-third 
of  the  grain  mixture  is  composed  of 
the  saAvdust.  The  use  of  the  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid  under  pressure  does 
make  a  part  of  the  sawdust  available 
for  animal  food,  but  it  is  hot  likely 
that  with  the  present  price  of  grain 
this  mixture  AA’ill  make  an  economical 
ration  in  most  localities.  There  are 
certain  districts,  however,  such  as 
those  in  the  Pacific  Northwest,  AA'here 
it  is  possible  that  this  method  of  utiliz¬ 
ing  sawdust  would  pay  eA'en  at  present 
grain  prices.  So  this  seems  to  be  the 
story  of  sawdust. 
Squashes  Going  Into  Winter  Storage.  Fig.  626 
AA'ill  be  helped  somewhat.  The  cutting  of  grass  and 
weeds  will  slowly  decay  and  give  up  its  plant  food, 
and  while  it  lasts  it  will  form  a  “mulch”  Avliich 
prevents  some  evaporation  of  moisture.  It  has  been 
said  that  a  weed  growing  freely  in  an  orchard  is 
a  sucker  while  the  same  Aveed  cut  and  laid  on  the 
ground  is  a  “succorer,”  because  when  alive  it  sucks 
out  Avater,  while  when  dead  it  holds  water  in  the 
soil.  It  has  been  slioAvn  that  a  thick  grass  sod 
quickly  uses  the  available  nitrogen  in  the  soil  as  it 
is  produced,  and  this  keeps  it  from  the  trees  to  some 
extent.  That  is  probably  Avhy  nitrate  of  soda 
scattered  over  a  sod  orchard  gives  such  quick  re¬ 
sults.  The  plan  Ave  folloAved  this  year  Avas  to  cut 
the  grass  and  Aveeds  and  make  them  into  hay.  As 
soon  as  possible  after  taking  this  out  Ave  hauled 
Avhat  stable  manure  Ave  had  and  put  it  around  the 
trees.  This  rather  more  than  made  up  for  the  loss 
of  the  trees  and  gave  us  the  feeding  value  of  the 
weeds  and  grass.  .  If  a  man  has  any  respect  for  his 
orchard  he  AA’ill  take  something  back  whenever  he 
takes  something  out.  The  idea  of  expecting  an  or¬ 
chard  to  produce  both  hay  and  apples  without  put¬ 
ting  anything  back  is  all  wrong.  We  have  found  it 
Water  Core  in  Apples 
What  is  the  cause  of  “water  core”  in 
otherwise  beautiful  apples,  and  what 
should  be  done  to  overcome  it?  s.  E.  f. 
'■pHERE  is  no  fungus  associated  with  this  so- 
A  called  “disease.”  The  trouble  is  closely  re- 
la.  ed  to  high  sap  pressure  and  reduced  transpira¬ 
tion;  that  is  to  say,  Avith  water  relations  between 
the  fruit,  the  tree,  and  the  soil.  Baldwin  spot  is  an- 
otliei  phj  siological  disease  caused  by  these  same 
Avater  relations.  All  that  is  known  about  the  Avater 
core  is  that  it  occurs  associated  with  certain  condi¬ 
tions.  Great  vigor  induced  by  excessive  cultivation, 
much  bearing  on  terminal  branches  Avhere  the  fruit 
is  subjected  to  varying  temperatures,  injury  to 
foliage  in  spots,  are  all  contributing  factors  to  un¬ 
balanced  water  relations  and  consequent  Avater  core. 
It  has  been  recommended  from  localities  Avhere  wa¬ 
ter  core  is  severe,  to  thin  the  terminal  fruits,  give 
normal  cultiA’ation  and  plant  a  coA’er  crop  early, 
and  prune  moderately  and  regularly.  Anything  that 
AA'ill  tend  to  maintain  an  even  moisture  supply  is 
said  to  minimize  the  severity  of  water  core.  Some 
varieties  Avater-core  more  than  others.  Tompkins 
King  Avater-cores  badly  in  some  localities,  h.  b.  t. 
