2o6 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



Notes from a Rochester Fruit Farm. 



BY CHAS. A. GREEN. 



PRtTNiNO AND PRUNING. Near our fruit faiin 

 an occasional plant of Osage Orange hedge has 

 been allowed to grow without pruning. The 

 plants thus favored have made trees 18 feet 

 high and 20 inches in circumference— as large 

 as Apple trees planted 15 years in the orchard. 

 It would be difficult to convince the ordinary 

 observer that trees of the above size were 

 planted at the same time and received the 

 same culture as the insignificant shrubs not 

 much thicker than my thumb, and only four 

 feet high, growing by their side. 



This is a striking illustration of the results 

 of pruning. Apjile, Peach, and Pear trees 

 could have been kept by constant clipping 

 much as were these Osage Orange. We may 

 trim our trees and vines so that they will make 

 scarcely any growth. Trees cannot grow with- 

 out leaves. They make constant effort to 

 throw out more leaves. If we desire to check 

 or stop growth all we have to do is to cut off 

 the larger portion of the leaf-bearing shoots. 

 It we cut off all such shoots, thus removing 

 all leaves, we destroy the trees in most instan- 

 ces, but if a few leaves are left the tree or vine 

 will continue to live, but will make no percep- 

 tible growth of root or trunk. Every live 

 branch cut from a tree, vine, or shrub lessens 

 growth. Many trim that they may induce 

 growth in one particular direction by thus 

 pruning, but they will lessen the general 

 growth. Thus it will be seen that good judg- 

 ment is required in deciding how extensively 

 to prune. Many prune too much; some do 

 not prune enough ; while but few hit a happy 

 medium, cutting a little each year, causing no 

 shock, and always with regret akin to that the 

 surgeon feels when taking off a human finger 

 or toe. Of all pruning nothing is so severely 

 primed as Grape-vines. When fall comes per- 

 haps nine-tenths of the wood is cut away, the 

 part remaining looking like the skeleton of the 

 former vine. Then when growth begins the 

 coming season numerous buds and shoots £u-e 

 rubbed off, and later, continual pinching and 

 shortening is pursued. In fact the poor vine 

 is not for a moment left to its own sweet will, 

 not for a moment permitted to pursue a natu- 

 ral life. Is this reasonable, or is the matter of 

 training the vine (which the Almighty en- 

 dowed with wonderful iiualifi cations for caring 

 for itself) being carried too far ? 



Standing the Heat. If a man unaccustomed 

 to outdoor work attempts to labor hard in our 

 scalding July and August sunshine he does so 

 at the risk of his life. But if the same person 

 began such work in April and continued 

 through the heated season he could endure the 

 strain with safety. A neighbor who sold self- 

 binding harvesters used to protect himself with 

 a covered wagon, but he discovered that when 

 he went into the open field fully exposed he 

 could not endure the heat, and was obliged to 

 remove the cover from his wagon so as to be- 

 come accustomed to it. A human being can ac- 

 custom himself to heat many times more severe 

 than our hottest haying or harvest weather, 

 as is shown by the men who work as fii'e- 

 men in the hold of steamboats, where the heat 

 has been severe enough to burn clothing hung 

 neai- by, and where the novice could not sur- 

 vive half an hour. In contrast to this, men 

 can endure the se\ere cold of the Arctic 

 regions. Thus it is seen that man can adapt 

 himself to greater varieties of climate than 

 any other animal, and greater than any plant, 

 vine, or tree. Plants and trees have the same 

 peculiarity of adapting themselves to various 

 climates, but it often requires ages for them to 

 become acclimated. 



Plant Lice. The aphis is not so liable to 

 attack trees in the nursery or orchard if the 

 soil is kept free from grass, weeds, and rub- 

 bish. Nursery rows of young Apple trees, 

 adjacent to standing Timothy were infested 

 with Aphis, while on the third or fourth rows 

 were much less, and the fifth, sixth, etc., were 



not troubled at all. We have observed this In 

 many instances from planting stocks near any 

 grass or weeds. Usually at the ends of blocks 

 of trees grass s'^ands for a considerable dis- 

 tance from the fence. All such places, drive- 

 ways and borders should be plowed and kept 

 clean Clean surroundings, rich soil, and 

 superior culture are the safest treatment for 

 the Aphis. 



The White Grub. This is a dreaded pest to 

 the Strawberry grower. If in passing over 

 the vines you find now and then a plant be- 

 ginning to wilt be sure that the white grub 

 is or has been there. Go over the fie'd daily 

 with a short stick or trowel, and dig close to 

 one side of the plant until you find the grub, 

 and kill him, disturbing the plant as little as 

 possible; then return the earth, pack it firmly, 

 cut off most of the leaves, from the plant, and 

 search for more in the same condition. This 

 is the only practical remedy I have found. 

 Sometimes whole fields of Strawberries are de- 

 stroyed by the grub in spite of vigilant efforts. 

 Sod lands are usually infested. Thus such 

 should be planted to hoed crops one or two 

 seasons before planting Strawberries. The 

 mother does not lay her eggs in cultivated 

 lands, knowing there are no live roots there 

 for her young to feed on. Thus after those 

 founil in the sod have taken wing as May bugs 

 no danger need be apprehended. If not killed 

 the grub goes from one plant to another along 

 the row until the end of their existence in that 

 farm. While newly-planted beds are often 

 most infested, old be<ls are frequently attacked. 

 I have seen new beds of matted plants, .5 feet 

 by .50, entirely destroj'ed, looking as though 

 fire had swept over the spot. I planted a 

 small corner of the yard, surrounded by a 

 grass plot, to the new Monmouth Strawberry. 

 It had been cultivated for years and was very 

 rich, but the grubs came in from the surround- 

 ing grass plot and ate every plant. The bed 

 was unusually promising the first six weeks. 

 If obliged to plant on infested soil, plant very 

 early and layer the new runners as fast as 

 they appear. Grubs do not usually attack the 

 new plants. 



In former years we have met with great 

 losses by the grub. We did not fight him with 

 enough vigilance. Now we go over the field 

 daily. It takes but a short time to go over an 

 acre, looking over six rows at a time. The 

 first day we found 50 grubs per acre, the next 

 35, next 20, 18, 12, 8, 5, and so on down to 

 none. We shall continue to watch the enemy, 

 but not every day as heretofore. 



Do Varieties Degenerate ? Yes, in one 

 sense. By using the small Potatoes for seed 

 every year the variety will degenerate, but by 

 using the best tubers we can improve the va- 

 riety. The same may be said of the seed of 

 grain and vegetables. Fruits do not degenerate 

 so rapidly. If a Pear or Apple is planted in 

 uncongenial soil, or when subject to disease or 

 neglect for a series of years, that strain may 

 degenerate, but strains of the same variety 

 growing in congenial soil, with good treatment 

 have not degenerated; therefore, strictly speak- 

 ing, varieties of fruit do not degenerate, ex- 

 cept those varieties brought under demoraliz- 

 ing influences. 



Errors Will Occur, Heisafortunateeditor 

 who does not in the course of a year publish 

 some remedy or advice that injures the reader. 

 I am led to this thought by one of my readers 

 who says that I give methods of destroying 

 insects, copied from a prominent entomolo- 

 gist's report, advising the use of tarred roof- 

 ing paper around the collar of trees, tied at 

 top to prevent eggs being laid of round-headed 

 apple-tree borer. He applied the tarred paper 

 and his trees died, the bark under the paper 

 cracking, etc. It is generally understood that 

 tar cannot be apiilied to the bark of trees with 

 safety, but I think that few are aware that 

 tarred paper, hard and dry, wiU destroy the 

 trees. This shows the care that an editor must 

 use in republishing the advice of others. There 



are few so careful and reliable as Professor 

 Cook of Michigan, yet through a printer's 

 mistake one of his bulletins recommended so 

 large a proportion of Paris green in water for 

 spraying apple trees for canker worms that 

 all the trees thus sprayed would have been de- 

 foliated. He was at great expense correcting 

 the blunder, yet nobody knows but that a 

 score of papers are publishing the repprt as 

 first issued. 



Berry Picking Machine. A fruit grower 

 near Palmyra writes me that he and his 

 neighbors have lost by depending on this in- 

 vention for harvesting Black Raspberries, it 

 being discovered at the last moment that it 

 would not answer the purpose when practical- 

 ly applied. Many large growers there depend- 

 ed on the machine and neglected to engage 

 hand pickers, thus when the machine failed 

 they were helpless and lost a portion of their 

 crop, which was a poor one at best, the berries 

 blighting soon after forming. This blighting 

 was a general thing, reducing the yield largely 

 in this State. Who can explain the cause '! 

 Possibly it is caused by reduced vitality,owing 

 to winter freezing. A frost would cause simi- 

 lar damage, but I think we had no frost. 



Blackberries.— Which are Hardiest? 



E. S. GOFF. GENEVA, N. Y. 



Much difference was noticeable in the amount 

 of injury different varieties of Blackberries 

 suffered during the past winter, though the 

 weather was at no time very severe. The lowest 

 temperature registered less than ten degrees 

 below zero. 



Crijstal Wliite. — Canes killed down from the 

 tips one half or more. 



Early Harvest. — Injured nearly as much as 

 the above. 



Early Cluster. — Only extreme tips injured. 



Staipiu'n''s Early. — Some canes appear little 

 injured, others killed back to the snow line. 



Wilson's Early. — Canes killed to snow line. 



Wilson Junior. — Canes killed back one-half 

 or more. 



Taylor's Prolific and Stone's Hardy appear 

 uninjured and promise immense crops. 



Dorchester. — Canes apparently much injured 

 by the winter ; some dead to the ground, others 

 alive nearly to the tips, 



Snijdrr. — Canes little injured, some being 

 alive clear to the tips. 



Brinton's Early. — Frozen to the ground. 



New Rochelle. — Canes little injured ; promises 

 a good crop. 



JVewman's Thornless. — Canes killed back six 

 inches to two feet. 



The runners of Mammoth and Bartell's Dew- 

 berry were largely killed, but new ones are 

 starting vigorously. 



With the exception of Dorchester and the 

 four varieties immediately following, of which 

 the plants were set in 1882, all of the varieties 

 named were planted in the spring of 1884, and 

 should bear their first full crop this year. 



Early Peaches and Other Matters. 



HENRV LUTTS, NIAGARA CO., N. Y. 



There is such a variety of early Peaches, and 

 a great many so near alike as to be almost im- 

 possible to detect any difference. Of these, 

 Alexander, Amsden and Shumaker are nearly 

 identical, although originating in different 

 localities. I fruited them strictly from the 

 originators and find the Alexander the best. 

 For size, color aiid uniform growth with great 

 hardiness it has no superior in this class. 



The Arkansas Traveler is a few days earlier 

 but not so uniform in size, and the trees do not 

 prove to be as hardy with me. The sample of 

 these sent you were grown on trees budded on 

 a species of Plum of the Wild Goose type. The 

 Plum root does not seem to make the tree any 

 hardier, but the fruit has been larger than 

 when trees were worked on their own roots. 



The Baker Peach is a larger Peach than 

 Alexander, a few days later. Claimed to be 



