40 



THE LANCASTER fFARMER. 



[March, 



which onlj' are vaUiable for export. It is 

 therefore claimed, that we are rather in a 

 transition state, which should tend to repair 

 in the next quarter of a century what we 

 have lost in the last, in the apple business, by 

 not being sufficiently wide awake. My sub- 

 ject, however, is "Pennsylvania Apples for 

 Export. " I shall consider Pennsylvania seed- 

 lings first. I do not see why Smith's Cider 

 and York Imperial might not become as pop- 

 ular abroad as at home. The former is no 

 doubt the most reliable winter apple in Eastern 

 Pennsylvania, and York Imperial very little 

 behind ; both are showy, of good quality, re- 

 liable bearers and good keepers. York Stripe 

 is larger, more showy and of better quality 

 than either, but perhaps not quite so good a 

 keeper. Should it prove as reliable a bearer, 

 it is destined to become one of our most valu- 

 able winter apples, and therefore may come 

 in competition with the best northern apples 

 in foreign markets. Belmont. — It seems 

 strange that an apple with so many excellent 

 qualities should have been so long overlooked 

 in its native State, while it became very pop- 

 ular abroad. I would bespeak for this apple 

 a promising future, when our State goes into 

 the exporting business. Smokehouse, al- 

 though not a very attractive name, there is 

 nothing smoky about it. I know of no apple 

 that is more sought for in its season where it 

 is known, and it will become popular whenever 

 it can be obtained in perfection ; and if its 

 season could be extended a month or two it 

 would rank among the most promising for ex- 

 port. Rambo is equally popular with the 

 latter, but simply as a dessert apple, maturing 

 about the same time, in early winter, which 

 will prevent them from becoming very valua- 

 ble for export. Ewalt — This fine, large, 

 showy apple is looming up in popularity. In 

 appearance it has few rivals among winter 

 apples. The most that can be said against it 

 is that it is rather acid as a dessert apple 

 before it is fully ripe, but for culinary uses it 

 is No. 1. I have known it to sell in Chestnut 

 street, Philadelphia, at $8 per barrel, while 

 the price of winter apjiles generally ranged 

 from 13 to $i. Should it bear exporting well, 

 it would, in my opinion, outsell any other 

 American variety now shipped to foreign mar- 

 kets. Major and Creek are both new promis- 

 ing winter apples of very good quality, and 

 worthy of more extended cultivation. In 

 addition to these there are many valuable 

 native winter apples tliat have only a local 

 reputation, some of which will no doubt 

 prove equal to any of the generally popular 

 kinds. Among the varieties not Pennsylvania 

 seedlings, the green Newtown Pippin has in 

 some localities succeeded well, and among 

 apples shipped to foreign markets, it has thus 

 far sold at higher figures than any other. 

 AVere the yellow ]5ellflower as firm, so as to 

 bear .shipping well, it would be one of the 

 most valuable for export. Peck's Pleasant is 

 scarcely inferior in flavor to Newtown Pippin, 

 of larger size, more showy, and the tree a 

 more vigorous grower. I do not see why this 

 apple should not stand as high in any market 

 as the Newtown Pippin. I would not hesitate 

 to plant Rome Beauty and Ben Davis, both of 

 which are good, showy and productive, as 

 well as good keepers. Romanite — I do not 

 see why this show)' and very productive apple 

 might not become valuable for export. It is 

 of good quality and an excellent keeper, and 

 would bear shipping as well as an}' ajjple with 

 which I am acquainted. There are, however, 

 two varieties disseminated under the same 

 name, with synonyms of Gilpin, Carthouse 

 and others. They are both southern a])ples, 

 and similar in manv respects. lam confident 

 that both have been grown in the same 

 orchard, under the same name and as the 

 same fruit. I believe the above named varie- 

 ties have all proven worthy of cultivation in 

 some localities in our State, mostly in the 

 eastern division. 



There are many other varieties worthy of 

 notice, perhaps as valuable for export as 

 those just referred to ; but for some time I 

 liave been more disposed to strike a number 



from our catalogues, than to add more, unless 

 proving of superior merit. I do, however, 

 not wish to be understood as discouraging the 

 planting in our State, wherever they succeed, 

 those excellent northern varieties, which have 

 become famous both at home and abroad ; 

 for in our northwestern counties they have 

 proved much better keepers than in the eastern 

 part of the State. The same may be said of 

 the higher altitudes of the mountainous sec- 

 tions throughout the State to its southern 

 border. Therefore, Hubbardston, Baldwin, 

 E. Spitzenljerg, Northern Spy, Rhode Island 

 Greening, King, American, Golden and Rox 

 Russets and other northern apples may prove 

 valuable for export in those sections of our 

 State just referred to. 



In order to establish a commercial interest 

 in the apple trade of our State, more or- 

 chards must be planted, and those already es- 

 tablished lietter cared for. There are both 

 land and capital lying idle, or partly so, to 

 pay investors a large profit, and the State a 

 commercial income of hundreds of thousands 

 of dollars annually. To such as woidd invest 

 in this enterprise of apple growing as a busi- 

 ness, I would say select a good location for an 

 orchard, better a little rough and hilly than 

 too low or wet. 



Prepare the ground as you would for a field 

 crop, observe the orchards surrounding yours 

 close by, and make the largest proportion of 

 your list of such varieties that succeed best 

 in your neighborhood, and upon similar soils. 

 Plant only young thrifty trees, not more than 

 three years old, plant not deeper than they 

 stood in the nursery, and head in the branches 

 at planting, but get and save all the roots 

 you can. Mulch your trees the first season 

 with manure or any rubbish that will keep the 

 earth beneath moist, and cultivate well with 

 summer crops for six or eight years at least. 

 Plan the shape of your trees from the start, 

 and prune so as never to have occasion to cut 

 oil large branches. Nothing but finger and 

 thumb and pocket knife should ever be used 

 for pruning fruit trees while in thrifty condi- 

 tion, and such they should always be so long 

 as you expect to harvest paying crops from 

 them. When the trees commence bearing, 

 keep the ground in good fertility with proper 

 manures," which should be applied in propor- 

 tion to the crops that your trees will yield. 

 Keep out borers from trees, and any other in- 

 sects injurious to trees and fruit, but especially 

 keep down the codling moth, by the applica- 

 tion of bands around the stems of tlie trees. 

 When the crop is large, thin out as systemati- 

 cally as you would your corn when planted 

 too thick. All fruits will keep better if not 

 left get too ripe on the tree. In gathering fin- 

 market, reject all unsound and gnarly speci- 

 mens. It will pay to make two or three grades 

 of almost any friiit for market purposes, so as 

 to have it run uniform. Pack carefully in 

 new barrels, but by all means avoid decep- 

 tion, which is too common, in which the bar- 

 rel is topped off with specimens far above the 

 average. Do not close the barrels at once 

 unless the weather is quite cool. Press the 

 fruit so as not to move in the barrels while 

 they are handled. Place in a cool or rather 

 cold place until freezing weather. Slight 

 freezing after the barrels are closed will not 

 injure them, l)ut they nnist not be roughly 

 handled in tliat condition. Fix your brand 

 on every barrel and also the grade of fruit it 

 contains, and build up a reputation that you 

 never need be ashamed of. By planting more 

 extensively, and following the above direc- 

 tions, I will predict that the rising genera- 

 tion of our State will be enabled to talk more 

 intelligently on Pennsylvania apples for ex- 

 port, than your essayist possibly can on this 

 occasion. 



For The Lancaster Farmer. 

 ABOUT DARK BRAHMAS. 



There was an article in the last number of 

 your journal about the Dark Brahmas. I 

 suppose your correspondent is acquainted 

 with this breed, and if he has any fowls that 

 are as nice as the picture in the journal, he 



would not need to be afraid to put his name 

 to his writing. It is a fact that they are good 

 layers, and as ihothers I have not had much 

 experience, but know that they will make 

 sufficiently good mothers. And as a table 

 fowl, they can not be excelled. And, as to 

 feed, they need less than any other breed. 

 My pullets are not fat at present, and still 

 they weigh nine pounds. Can that be beat ? 

 Farmers and poultry raisers ought to look to 

 their interest, and always have the best breed. 

 And as I have tried a number of kinds, I am 

 convinced that this is the best and most pro- 

 fitable breed that I ever have had before. 

 And if anybody wants any of these kind of 

 eggs I would refer him to Simon Heisey, 

 Elizabethtown, Lancaster county. Pa., breed- 

 er of thoroughbred Dark Bralrma fowls. — 

 s. a L. H. 



[The article referred to by our correspon- 

 dent, is our own compilation, and relates to 

 the Dark Brahma fowls in general ; but as we 

 raise none, and have none for sale, it was not 

 necessary to append our name to the article. 

 The pictures, however, are not exaggerated, 

 for we have seen birds as handsome, if not 

 handsomer than those respresented. I3ut we 

 do not feel called upon to advertise them, 

 until application is personally made. In the 

 meantime we feel gratified that our corres- 

 pondent is a reader of The Farmer, and 

 that, experimentally, he is in harmony with 

 our views, theoretically expressed. — Editor.] 

 ^ 



For The Lancaster Farmer, 

 GRAFTING. 

 Eds. Farmer. — Noticing an invitation to 

 all farmers to write for The Farmer, I thought 

 perhaps it would not come amiss to give some 

 new beginners a few hints on grafting and 

 setting out trees, as I have had some experi- 

 ence in that line for the last forty years. 

 When I first began to graft I was taught to 

 cut my grafts in February or March, before 

 the sap liad risen in the trees, in order to get 

 them before the bark got loose, to prevent 

 them from peeling while setting them. An- 

 other idea they advanced was that, if the 

 grafts became a little shriveled they would 

 draw the harder on the sap when set, and be 

 more likely to grow than they would if taken 

 direct from the tree and set. I could not see 

 why anything would grow better for being 

 nearly killed. It seemed to me that was too 

 much like giving a person medicine to make 

 him sick, in order to have him recover quickly. 

 I went to experimenting on it and found it 

 was a humbug, as there was just as much 

 danger of the bark starting on the tree as on 

 the graft ; so I took to cutting my grafts 

 whenever I was ready to set them, and had no 

 trouble in making them grow ; in fact, they 

 grew quicker and made a better growtli the 

 first year, as many of my neighbors can tes- 

 tify. I have cut grafts "both early and late, 

 frequently so late that the leaves were quite 

 large on the graft. In that case I cut the 

 leaves off, being careful to not cut the bud 

 too close to the graft, and they would soon 

 start out fresh again and make a good growth 

 that season. The trees which I speak of are 

 those that have grown to be quite large with- 

 out being grafted. In grafting cherry or pear, 

 I generally cut off a small piece and .split it, 

 to see whether the tree is winding or not. If 

 it is, I cut the bark down as low as I think it 

 will split to receive the graft, on both sides of 

 the tree, being careful to cut with the wind of 

 the tree, and when you split it leave it 

 smooth ; otherwise it would not fit to the 

 graft and would not grow. In this way I 

 have no trouble to make them grow. In 

 grafting small trees, from finir to six feet 

 high, I top graft by cutting the top six feet 

 high, I to)) graft by cutting the top off and 

 getting a graft as near the size as possible, 

 cutting the same slant, fitting them together, 

 winding a little yarn to hold them in place and 

 then waxing it over. The yarn is better not 

 to be very strong ; some old ravelings are best, 

 as they will give when the grafts grow and 

 not stop the growth. If the wax is put on so 

 as to exclude the ak and rain, I find no trou- 



