The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-04-06
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
The Spraying Problem.

Inc spraying PROBLEM.
The question "Does spraying pay?" was Of
course touched upon quite frequently during
the proceedings at the recent meeting of the
Western New York horticultural Society.
President Barry, in his excellent annual adj
dress. stated that the years results while Dos
up To expectations, had proved the merit Of the
operation. Later on. Prof s A. Beach. of the
State Experiment Station at Geneva read .
paper on spraying for plant diseases. and .
lengthy discussion followed. As usual. the de-
ductions of the scientific gentlemen are 6atter-
ing. encouraging and hope-inspiring but Presi-
dent Barry stated the case very mildly. indeed,
when saying that the tpractcal) results had
not been up to expectations" Al least, the
practical fruit-growers assembled In ths hail
by hundreds, failed to come to the support Of
the scientific esssyists with examples of fruis
crops saved by spraying in this year of general
failure of some kinds Of fruit. The whole drift
of ths discussions should warn US against SGT
ting our hopes too high. Spraying thus far
has proved only a partial and unsatisfactory
means of fighting the enemies which destrQy
our crops Perhaps we have not yet found the
most effective remedies. The Bordeaux mix
ture and the ammoniacsl solution Of copper
carbonate are Jet generally recommended 40
fungicides Prof. Beach says the diluted Bor-
deaux mixture IS just as good as that in foil
strength, and combines well with Paris green
or London purple, and 1t will not iDjurs the
q
Dissolve the copper sulphate in water; Stake
the lime and strain through burlap into the
copper solution. Keep stirring, and OCCASION
ally add few drops Of ferrocyanide of potas-
SUM. When color ceases to change 10 brown,
enough lime has been added. Then dilute
with the proper amount Of water. Keep stir
ring the mixture whils applying ID. Most
manufacturers now sell agitstors with their
machines. The true Yermorel nozzle works
better for applying Bordeaux mixture than any
of its notifications The expense of the treat
ment for appls-scab is from 10 TO % cents per
tree for the whole season. according 10 man and
season. Spraying should be used az q pre-
ventivs. Early treatment is more important
There should be two applications before the
blossoms open, and another, with Paris green
added to the mixture, just when the blossoms
fall.
valuable suggestion came from Prof l.. n.
Bailey who emphasized the Importance NOS
only of early treatment, but also of treatmens
whether there is o crop of fruit or not. The
applications should be thorough, year after
year, in order to wipe ont the disease.
Mr.. Lodcman, Of Cornell University Station.
spoke of the connection between pruning and
spraying. If attention is not paid to the proper
pruning, numerous branches will be found
standing in the way of the spray. We must
open the tree. 1t costs time and money TO
spray superfuous branches.
Mr.. Singer says that the bud moth makes ita
appearance when the leaves ara just opening.
We might hit this enemy by adding Paris
green TO the first application for scab-
President Barry in his annual address also
spoke of spraying with arsenites for the plum
curcuIio, ard thinks that it Is not success.
We must still resort 10 the old jarring process.
In this he was eontrsdicted both by other prscy
teal fruit growers and By scientists. The di.
lufed Bordeaux mixture. with Paris green
added, can be applied to plum trees well -
to pears, apples, etc, without fear of hurting
the foliage aud it will kill many of the beetles.
Statistics of Farm Animals.
Mr.. J. r. Dodge, statistician of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, has just sent out vsua-
Bile complication Of Statistics regarding the
numbers and values of farm animals for the
month of January, 1893, together with the
increase or decrease as compared with the
month of January the year before. He very
aptly terms this supplemental report "a little
census" i'm itself. Leaving out. for want OF
space, extensive tables giving in detail each
State and Territory. we give below the more
important and comprehensive totals. The
statisticau says: The report upon comparative
numbers and values Of farm animals. based on
returns of January, 1893, shows an increase Of
horses mules, and sheep; no material change
in the number of milk cows, decrease in oxen
and other cattle, and very heavy reduction in
the number OF swine, amounting to about IL
per cent. The estimated present numbers OK
domestic animals on farms. ranches, and the
public range follows: Horses, 49, 0e,-
SOC; mules. 1881, 1923; cows, is, 424,Os7; other
CATTLE 50, 954, 1856; sheep, ,273553; swine,
46,094,SO7 The increase in mules is very
slight. The apparent increase in sheep exceeds
100000, q continuation of the movement
commenced in 1882 by which numbers have
increased nearly 100000 in four years. In
the case of swine there was small pig crop
4 Al IL l.
acts has caused the slaughtering of some por.
ton of the stock of mature animals. As the
average age now attained by these animals 10
less than year, there is liability to extreme
1uctuation in numbers which is possible OF Nc
other species.
Average values have declined as TO horses
and mules, slightly advanced as to cattle Of all
kinds, a greater gain appears in the value OF
sheep, and o very large advance is seen in
swine, amounting to 80 per cent. and progress
i've since the returns were made. The aver
age value of horses is S61.22; of mules, $70.68;
of cows. $21.74; of other cattle, 1924; Of
sheep, $3.50; of swine, S641. The increase in
aggregate value, as estimated, of all farm
animals, is S21, 7509 99, from So, 46j '55,676 to
81, 4s3 506,6 The valuation of horses aggre-
gates 1892 225 1856; of cattle of all kinds, $685..
1s1, 984; of swine $295 426, 492; Of sheep s125..
909, 264; of mules, $164, 763,751.
Phosphate of Basic Stag.
Prof q. c. Caldwell of Cornell University,
In his report on chemistry az the recent meet
ing of the Western New York horticultural
Society, as reported In the Rural New Yorker,
has singled out the subject of "basic Stag" for
his text. He thinks it is coming to the front
a. an important source of phosphorie acid,
which in this form is nearly as readily avail.
able as reverted phosphoric acid, which again
is worth nearly as much as the soluble acid.
Basic Stag is waste product of the masufae-
ture of steel. Most of the iron ores in this
country are too rich in phosphoric acid to Be
worked up by the old process. The phos-
phoric acid all goes into the Stag, and some OF
this waste contains as much as thirty per cent
of phosphoric acid. The fertilizer men cannos
make use Of it, because it contains too much
iron. Its use. however. is rapidly increasing.
No trade value has yet been placed upon phos-
phoric acil in slag but DR.. Caldwell evidently
thinks it ought to be rated nearly rs high -
the reverted, namely, at seven cents pound.
Experiments with Oats.
The results of all the experiments with Data
tried at the Illinois station for the last i've
wears suggest that on the fertile soil of central
eastern Illinois. with simple methods. we may
expect in series of years an average yield an
acre of little over so bushels of grain and