The National tribune., 1883-09-06
FoREsTS.

We see il stated that the forest acreage of
this country is less than fourth of the total
surface less proportion than Iva the east and
west and north OF Europe. The American
public is becoming aroused TO the Importance
Of forestry. and practical measures are being in
augurated for the protection and increase of
forests Many of the early clearings in New
England are being filed up with trees, and in
Massachusetts anu New Hampshire, especially,
the acreage of forest is greater to-day than it
was sevents five years ago.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
Oar Agricultural Editors Weekly Chat With Ills
Readers.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUSE
Some three months ego saw 8 statement In THE
NAlIoNAB TRBUS to the efcc, that TO spray trees
infested with scale with solution OF kerosene but
Ter wottia destroy the scale nd iloi lHJuFe te tfes
WEI yoH please answer through your valuable
paper when Is the best time spray the trees?
have fSed concentrated I've afd C2use soda vt dli-
ferem! t!.nes in Wiuter-Cigl.t ten tests-ad did
not succeed isI killing all scale bat injured the
fruit suurs ana y t. following f.ll the scale was
ss bad as ever. Used kerosene two years next De-
ceber and killed all t1c fruit spurs some OF the
trees, and most all the sce-Bone on the trees now
TO speak OF; but some 81 the trees dying now,
evidently the effects o. tlie Kerosene. Some wash
spray with what they call whale oil soap heated;
II kills great Uit1y, bat jGst about as bad the
next talI. In winter the insect X of course, under
the scale ia summer H seems impossible to kill the
insect the leaves; some Say spray just The
| leaves start. What say you =? Has the scale all
! got to he killed. VIII they finally disappear?
We have the orange scale, tle long scale bark
house and whist i called here the san Jose scale;
il makes bright red spot tle fruit, and the bark
of tue trees that are infested is pote1erry color
inside OF the outer layer. ] an. subscriber aud
apPseei@tive reader Of THE AAg!oNA1 n, InIBuNE
Late Of Co. b. AtoIintaineer Bait, c. V.
SAN JOSE, CAL.
Remarks. In the first place. we would say that
on al parts OF the stems of trees affected with
scale insects Of any kind which can he readily
| reached with common whiIeWash brush, there
| is no simpler and more e.iectual method of de-
stroying them than by coating the tree with
common lime wash, same as is used for white
| washing fences. This acts mechanically
| smotheriug the insects, and as the lime is
washed or By weather the scale Is also cleaned
| In this city, where there are about 60060 trees
on the streets, many OF them become covered
| with scale. 4 slight pruning away ofthe smaller
! branches IS given and the whole tree IS white
washed, and that is the end Of the scale. Those
! who have no experience say that it viii Kill
the tree, but in the many hundreds of trees we
| have had whiteYashed during the last twenty
years we have never seen anything but good
/ result from this treatment. II the white color
| is Objectionable, soot or lampblach may be
mixed TO darken it to suit The eye.
Kerosene IS a sure cure, il properly used, for
! destroying scale Cd the leaves We speak from
/ long exp peFience OF its use. For many years we
| applied il successfully By placing one gill of
kerosene IN Eve gallons Of water, keeping it
&gitated while d2shiBg it on the leaves with
3 spraying pump. The kerosene butter is u
| great Improvement, because it makes an emul-
sion. The method of preparation is described
| III THE NATIoEAL TRIBUNE of the 9TH Of June
last, SO that we DO not here repeat it. As to
| the best time 70 apply il, we can state that we
have used it at all seasons, as found neces-
sary, with equally good results rs far as VIC
could perceive Vigilance can certainly keep
the scale insect from hurting trees.
To the EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Please answer IN ysur paper the following cues
ton: When Is the best tine TO set out straw berry
plants, fall or spfiug?-J. Alton. Patoka, III.
Ans. AS general rule, spring is the best
time. 1t is the BEST time because good, well
rooted plants can always be obtained for spring
planting, and ifin fairly good sell and the weeds
aud runners persistently kept down during
summer, a fdil crop may DC realized the follow
ing year. Fall planting may, and does occas-
i0nally, produce satisfactory results. Much,
however, depends upon getting good rooted
runners early enough TO plant in time for the
plants to become well established before winter
The old system lately revived, Of placing small
pots so that the runners may root in them, is Il
capital plan if the pots are allowed to remain
until they are about filed with roots, then the
| plants turned out and firmly set in well pre-
pared ground so that the plants grow right en-
without check such plants, if the tall is favor
able, with genial rains, viii form flower buds
and give a fair crop OF fruit next year Even
if pots are not used, we have seen good plants
set out in August which produced small crop
the following June. Much Of the success of
J fall planting depends upon the weather at and
} after the time OF planting. We have sown seeds
OF strawberries in June, raised plants which
were finally set cut in September, aud bore fruit
the following year, when not more than eleven
months old.
What isRthe process by which well laid tile
drain conducts water from The ground? In what
way does well balnt clay tile receive the water;
tlrouge the pores or through the joints? What ii
the best work out on draining, giving all modes
, Please answer through THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
and oblige, Drainer, Edon, Ohio.
, Ans. The water viii find its way into the till
in the easiest way, and that will be through
6 tho spaces between them. Let the tiles bt
made as neat and square as practicable and laid
, as close together as the ends will allow, and
there viii still be ample inieLs for water. There
! is no point iE laying tile so important as thai
, of pressing the soil firmly around them; throw.
| ing in q covering of straw over the tile for tht
: purpose of preventing the soil from dropping
= In between the joints IS great mistake. W.
, have had many miles OF tile drains laid durin.
the last forty years; therefore, we write from
| experiences; we have never put any coverin,
over tiles without seeing its effects in afte
years; as soon as 1T decays vacant spaces are lef
which allow sinkage and washing in from tht
; surface There are several good works OF
e draining; all, perhaps, too fassy about details
: We name the following, Warnings ''Drainin,
f for Profit and Health" as being a gtandar,
| work.
c Can You let us know how to seed or transplan
cranberries? ?-M. B. oeonto, Wis
Q Aus. Cranberry plants are seldom raised from
g seed for the purpose of making new plantations
i but there is no difficulty III raising them il
G that way. When the berries are ripe, bruse on
:, the seeds and SOW them IN early spring wher
r you wish them to grow, or IN BEDS to be after
e wards transplanted. There is no great skill re
s quired IN tFansplanting cranberries. The chic
= point is TO have the marsh or bed properly pre-
e pared for them They may be set from eighteen
inches 10 four feet apart the closer they are sc
the sooner they will cover the ground and tina
u is the point aimed at. Without going into de
tails about cranberry culture it may be statee
that the main thing about it is the cleanI
!. preparation of the bed before planting. an
\ providing facilities for flooding it with waite
when necessary.
n is gas lime Of any value a fertilizer? tor
IN dressed a portion OF meadow with Ii and ii di
Z more harm than good / see that it is sometime
!, recommended.-Alpha,D Dover, Del.
u Aa:. The safest method of using the refns
!: lime of gas works is TO make sort of compos
!, with it. Two parts of any kind of soil and on