MAY 15, 1913 



High-pressure Gardening 



THE REJUVENATION OF ORCHARDS. 



Our Ohio Experiment Station has just 

 sent out a most vahiable bulletin, No. 240, 

 on the above subject. I have not space 

 to make as many extracts as I should like; 

 but I am going" to give you a single para- 

 graph from the last page of the book, as 

 follows : 



Previous to 1909, Washington Co. was buying 

 her apples for home use. In the year 1909 a num- 

 ber of demonstration experiments were started in 

 the southern part of the county by the Ohio E.\- 

 periment Station, as well as in a few orchards leased 

 by private parties from a distance. The income of 

 the county, from the sale of apples in 1909, from 

 unsprayed orchards, was less than $5000. In 1910 

 the income increased to $65,000; in 1911 the income 

 from the apple crop advanced to $200,000. The 

 work has but fairly begun. It is the marvelous 

 spectacle of the reawakening of a practically lost 

 industry- in a section where that industry was, many 

 years ago, one of considerable importance. 



The above very fairly illustrates what is 

 going' on of late in the way of making old 

 neglected orchards good for something. 

 Just think of it ! A county that has been 

 buying apples, after a little care of its old 

 orchards has actually sold $5000 worth. In 

 just one year from that time thej- made a 

 tremendous jump up to $65,000 ; and in 

 just one 3'ear more thej^ made another jump 

 that almost takes one's breath awav — 

 $200,000. 



SWEET CLOVER^ AND INOCULATING CLOVERS 

 IN GENERAL BY NITROGEN BACTERIA, ETC. 



At present writing. May 1, almost if not 

 quite all the agricultural pajjers of our 

 land are recognizing and giving place to 

 articles on sweet clover. From the Prairie 

 Farmer of May 1 I clip the following: 



GLUE METHOD " FOOL PROOF." 



H. L., Kendall Co., 111., writes : 



" I should like a little information in regard to in- 

 oculating clover seed by the glue method. I expect 

 to sow a few acres this spring just to try it, any 

 way. The wild plant grows very rank along the 

 road on the south side of this field, also some on the 

 east side. Might not the field receive inoculation 

 from this 1 I should like to know how much dirt I 

 should use per pound to get the desired result." 



If the surface water runs over your field from 

 where the sweet clover grows, you would probably 

 in time have the sweet-clover bacteria thriving 

 throughout your field; but when it is so inexpensive, 

 and so little trouble to be sure about having artificial 

 inoculation it is foolish to take any risk in getting 

 a natural inoculation. 



The glue method is not only cheap and easy, but 

 it is nearly " fool proof " — that is, it is not necessai-j 

 to be very particular about all the details to have it 

 successful in its results. A pound of glue may be 

 dissolved in a gallon of water or in two or three 

 gallons of water, without any appreciable difference 

 in the results ; and a quart of dry dirt or a gallon 

 of dry dirt may be sprinkled on the seed after they 

 have been moistened with the glue water. As a 

 rule, about a quart of dirt may stick to the seed, 

 and the rest of the dirt may be screened out or not, 

 just as you prefer, as the amount of dirt is not ma- 



terial, if there is enough. In preparing the dirt, 

 however, a little care should be used to secure it 

 from a place where the bacteria are aetiwe, as shown 

 by tlie nodules formed; and if the host plant, in this 

 case sweet clover, has grown in the same place for 

 several years the inoculation will be better. This 

 dirt should not be dried in the sun, as direct sun- 

 light is fatal to bacteria of nearly every kind. The 

 dirt should be finely pulverized and sifted through a 

 fine sieve, but this is not much trouble, as so small 

 an amount is used. 



The natural inoculation carried by water from 

 high land is likely to be spotted and unevenly dis- 

 tributed, while the inoculation from the dirt-and-glue 

 method is carried by the dirt to each and every seed, 

 and the bacteria are ready for vi-ork as soon as they 

 can sufficiently develop. 



In the case of small seed, like clovers, a solution 

 of one pound of glue in two gallons of water is sat- 

 isfactory, and then the solution is so dilute not many 

 lumps of seed are formed by sticking together. If 

 there should be, it is easy to rub and screen them 

 out. Frank I. Mann. 



Please notice from the above that the 

 expensive methods advocated of late by our 

 government and all our agricultural papers, 

 recommending transporting soil from where 

 sweet clover has been growing to their fields, 

 l)romises to be done away with. Instead of 

 a ton of earth, you do not need more than a 

 quart or such a matter. The above is cer- 

 tainly a short cut, and our thanks are due 

 to the Prairie Farmer for having given it 

 to the world. 



•' AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM." 



Some time ago I said our boj'S and girls 

 would soon be outstripping their fathers in 

 growing potatoes as well as corn. See the 

 following from Rural New-Yorker: 

 children's potato orop.s. 



On page 344 is an article entitled " The World's 

 Potato Record," and I thought if that was consid- 

 ered a record perhaps some of your readers might 

 be interested in a record that some of our boys and 

 girls made last year, so I enclose a report that was 

 published in a local paper at the time. This contest 

 was started by myself ; but a committee, composed 

 of a member of the Y. M. C. A., the Chamber of 

 Commerce, the County Superintendent of Schools, 

 the Grange, and the Agricultural College were asked 

 to and did help with the contest. Tv.o hundred and 

 twenty-seven boys and girls entered ; and in spite of 

 bad weather, blight, and other discouragements, 85 

 came clear through and made their showing at the 

 fair held for that purpose. The plot of ground was 

 one square rod. and no potatoes were counted that 

 were dug outside of the 16% -foot limit. The .iudg- 

 ing was on a basis of 60 points for quantity, 25 for 

 quality, and 15 for essay. The best yield was 587 

 pounds; second, 535 pounds; and then there were 

 several in the four-hundred-pound class. This year 

 the contest is State-wide, and includes, besides po- 

 tatoes, wheat, oats, corn, and peas, besides stock- 

 judging and school-garden contests. 



Washington. C. E. Flint. 



The fir.st prize was won by Arthur K. Collins. 

 On his rod of gi-ound Arthur raised 587 pounds, or 

 at the rate of 1565 bu.shels per acre. His prize was 

 a scholarship at the Agi-icultural College and a $15 

 account in a bank. Charles Banner won second 

 prize, $50 worth of land and $10 in cash. He raised 

 535 pounds, or at the rate of 1440 bushels per acre. 

 One of the girls, .Teannette Gilmore, raised 342 

 pounds, or 920 bushels per acre. — Ed. K. N. Y. 



