1880.] 



tHE LANCASTER FARMER. 



i41 



made thn wlicat cost 4.S cents a liiislicl delivered In 

 this city. Mr. Dalryniple's estimate of the co6t of 

 raising' wliciil on liis celebrated farm in Dakota was 

 even less lliail this. 



Mr. G. W. Biiell.of Greeley, Colorado, has fur- 

 nished the public with a statement of what It cost 

 him to raise sixty-five acres of wheat last year. 

 Without any allowance for intere.it on the Invest- 

 ment, which conlil not have been very hifrh, eon- 

 siderinir the small cost of land, the cost was $4:i5.9.'! 

 for l.fl'.lR bushels In the bin. This is about 40 cents 

 » biisliel,or $B.fi'J an acre. 



The airricultunil reports of Kansas eive the cost of 

 dilTeront crops in ukmiv lofalities. Three pieces of 

 winter wheat in Kdward.s, Jiwcll and Ottawa coun- 

 ties, harvested in IS7«, cost respeclivcly ?7.14, 

 $7..W|.<, and $7.:!0 per acre, includin); seed, labor 

 and harvestinir, but not incUidiii!; interest on the in 

 vcstmeut. On these three tracts the yields were 

 respeclivcly thirty-nine, lili.y-seven and forty-four 

 and a half bushels per acre. These are exceptionally 

 large yields, but, (aUine sixteen bushels as the 

 average yield of an acre, and many counties in 

 Kansas have avcrai;ed twenty-two, the cost of the 

 wheat would have been a little over forty-five cents 

 a bushel. 



The cost of carrying wheat from Chicago to Liver- 

 pool was estimated by Mr. Wilson, in an article 

 already referred to, as less than :!0 cents a bushel. 

 A detailed statement lately published in this city, 

 including expenses in Chicago and Liverpool, put it 

 at 42^ cents. 



^ 



Raising Wheat in Kansas. 



Mr. Jacob A. Mory, of Moryville, Berks county, 

 who owns a tract of 2S0 acres of clear land near 

 Sterling, Kice county, Kansas, tried the experiment 

 of raising wheat upon his farm last year and again 

 this year, but his success was not encouraging. In 

 lti79 he had 200 acres of laud in wheat, but it was 

 so poor that he did not cut it all, and this year he 

 had again about the same number of acres of grain, 

 but the crop is a poor one. He attributes the failure 

 to extremely dry weather, but is somewhat dis- 

 couraged with Kansas farming. 



Horticulture. 



The Apple Crop this Year. 



The statements we have from almost over the 

 entire apple-growing regions of the country are 

 favorable for the best apple crop in many years. Of 

 course there are regions where it will be short, and 

 some where the fruit has suffered from the effects of 

 insects ; but in general the trees, are not only well- 

 laden with fruit, but it is of large size and with 

 more than the usual frceilom from the attacks of 

 their common enemies. In the counties around 

 Philadelphia, while we have known the crop to be 

 as abundant, we do not remember the specimens to 

 be larger or more perfect. We saw the other day 

 a tine, symmetrical tree loaded with that most beau- 

 tiful apple and the very best of the whole catalogue 

 — the "American Summer Pearmain." It was quite 

 beyond our knowledge that the variety would "do" 

 here in Pennsylvania. Poinologists told us it would 

 not. But here it was, larger and more perfect and 

 of higher quality than we have even seen or eaten of 

 in Delaware or elsewhere. Here, loo, in Pennsyl- 

 vania, before the middle of August, it was perfectly 

 ripe, and would be preferred to almost any apple 

 that grows. At least we would prefer it. 



Some thirty years ago, being at St. Georges, Dela- 

 ware, on a fishing excursion, we came across this 

 apple for the first time and made arrangements the 

 following spring to be furnished with a number of 

 grafts. These we set on a dwarf ajiplc tree, and the 

 following year we distributed grafts among friends 

 in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks and Chester 

 counties. It may be that tree above referred to came 

 from our own stock ; and if it should be, it is the 

 only one of which we receive any information. If 

 there arc any others we should like to hear of them. 

 — Gerniantov')i TcU'fjraph. 



California Fruit Crop. 



The fruit crop in the Santa Clara Valley is much 

 smaller than for several years. The Superintendent 

 of the San Jose Cannery says that they will not be 

 able to put up onc-liall as much fruit as was ex- 

 pected, as they cannot get it insullicient quantities. 

 They are at present working about 1.50 hands, not 

 one-half of the force they usually run at this timeof 

 the year. They are now canning apricots and black- 

 berries, but will soon change to oth'-r fruits. The 

 canning season will last until the first of November 

 — later than ever before. The tinners at this fac- 

 tory are making at present about 6,(100 cans per day, 

 but 18,000 can be turned out in a day when fruit is 

 plentiful. At the Golden Gate Cannery it is hard to 

 get suflicient fruit. There is a large demand for 

 pears, and the crop is unusually small and of an in- 

 ferior quality. The supply of fruit in this county 

 does not reach one-fourth the demand. Orcliardists 

 who have a good crop of fruit this year.Tiave realized 



a handsome profit. One, It is estimated, will clear 

 ?'.t,000 from his crop. 



When it is considered that the famous vineyard."" 

 and orchards of Italy and southern Krance have 

 hitherto supplied the ilemand of Kurope, to the ex- 

 clusion of the peaches and pears of the Middle 

 Atlantic States, and the oranges of the South, and 

 that, in view of these facts California, and especially 

 Santa Clara Valley, comes forward as a successful 

 competitor, there Is cause for congratulation. — Smi 

 Jote Mercury. 



^ 



Tree Pruning. 



The tree butcher, who passes himself olT for a 

 pruiier, deserves imprisonment the remainder of his 

 days. In pruning fi'uit. li-ecs thcr<^ art; several objects. 

 One of these Is to have Ihe lop proportioned to the 

 strength of the trunk and roots ; another is to make 

 the tree shapely ; a lliiid is to remove injured, dis- 

 eased and chafing twigs and limbs, and fourth to 

 improve the quality of the fruit by preventing, as 

 the trees are apt to in this climate and country, an 

 over-i>roduetion. The butcher to whom we refer has 

 no idea of any of these things. With his saw and 

 his pruning knife he cuts and whittles until the ob- 

 ject of his ajjparent wi'ath is neitlier tree, bush nor 

 anything else. The whole top is removed, and in 

 place of a height of twenty or thirty feel that a fif- 

 teen or twenty-year-old tree should have, it is re- 

 duced to eight or ten ; and in plact; of far-reaching, 

 graceful linibs it is left with a number of knobs or 

 short, thick, leafless stumps, reaching out from the 

 trunk from six inches to three feet. You can find 

 these trees all over the country, and wherever you 

 find them you can discover the loss of beauty at 

 onee and easily apjiroximate the tremendous loss of 

 fruit this ruthless destroyer has effected. He accom- 

 plishes none of the objects named but one, and that 

 is prevention of over-production, and this he does iu 

 the worst manner possible, and in a way to justify 

 the old saying, that "the remedy is worse than the 

 disease." 



Cultivating Peach Orchards. 



The peach tree is more sensitive to neglect and 

 retarded in growth in grass, as well as stimulated by 

 good cultivation, than any other of our common 

 fruit trees. We liave never seen a successful orchard 

 in grass, unless subjected to constant ami heavy 

 manuring. We observe a recent statement by C. 

 Engle, of Paw Paw, Michigan, that he has an orchard 

 eighteeu years old bearing abundant crops of ex- 

 cellent peaches lln'ough the inlmence of cultivation. 

 He plows it early every spriug to a depth of five or 

 six inches. In two weeks he passes a heavy harrow 

 both ways. Afterwards a two-horse cultivator, set 

 to run four inches deep, is passed over the ground 

 from three to five times. This ends the season's 

 cultivation. Mr. Engle thinks there are more 

 peaches of the best quality borne on these trees than 

 any c(iual number elsewhere in the State. In allu- 

 sion to the recommended practice of sowing buck- 

 wheat in peach orchards, instead of keeping them 

 clean and mellow, Mr. E. says he would as soou 

 think of sowing buckwheat among his corn to insure 

 a heavier crop. The truth is, while every farmer 

 knows that clean culture is absolutely essential to 

 success in his common farm crops, many fail to 

 apply the same knowledge to their more expensive 

 orchards. — Country Gentleman. 



Wash for Fruit Trees. 



A correspondent of the Fruit Uccorder writes as 

 follows : "I notice in a recent issue a number of re- 

 ceipts for killing the codling moth. I have tried 

 various remedies on my orchard, some of which have 

 been suggested by scientific men. 1 will now give 

 you my experience with them. My orchard consists 

 of trees ranging from one to fifty years of age, and 



I find the codling moth ready for attack at any age. 

 Last year, wheu pruning, I made a wash of my own 

 and tried It with good results. The following ingretli- 

 ents composed the wash : One quart of lime, such 

 as is used by the plasterers in 'whiteeoating;' one 

 peck of leached wood ashes, two pecks of cow ma- 

 nure, one quart of soft soap, ami one largt table- 

 spoonful of Paris (ireen. I wet the mixture t liorough- 

 ly, to make it like paste, beating it thoroughly until 



II became tough. I added twelve quarts of water, 

 or enough to give the trees a thorough coating. I 

 lind on the old trees so washed that the old bark is 

 dropped ofl' and leaving the new bark perfectly 

 smooth. On all the trees I have washed I see a great 

 Improvement." 



How to Treat Starved Trees. 



A starved tree, like a starved man, must be fed a 

 little at a lime. All the functions are weak in such 

 a condition, and must be strengthened,! by exercise. 

 By degrees the old wood should be replaced with 

 new growth. Large limbs must uot be removed 

 until there is a return of vigor. It is like amputating 

 a human limb, and can only be done safely when 

 there is physical strength enough to bear the shock. 

 It will take several seasons to bring about the pro- 

 cess of renewal, but meantime the old trees will bear 

 more fruit, until they will astonish the owner with 



the crops they yield. Long before a new orchard 

 can become remunerative an old one may be made 

 to renew its youth and pay handsomely for the out- 

 lay of time and trouble expended on It. A person 

 who has never tried this process can hardly believe 

 how eOcclually and successfully It can be accom- 

 plished. Trees of fifty or sixty years standing may 

 be thoroughly njuvenated by proper treatment, and 

 however aged it may be,a tree will seldom fall to re- 

 spond to careful attention. — Rev. \V. F. Clarke, in 

 Cauadian Farmer. 



Iron for Fruit Trees. 

 The scales which fly off from Iron being worked at 

 forges, iron trimmings, filings or other ferruginous 

 inalerlal If workeil into the soil about fruif trees, or 

 the more minute parti, les 8prea<l thinly on Ihe lawn, 

 mixed with the earth or flttwer beds or In pots, are 

 moet valuable. They are espedally valuable to the 

 peach anil pear, and in fact supply necessary In- 

 grediiMils lo the soil. For colored flowers they 

 heighten the bloom and increase the brilliancy of 

 while or nearly while flowers of all the rose family. 



Floriculture. 



A Chapter on Rose Culture. 



Every rose will not come from the slip. Of the 

 three great divisions Into which the rose family is 

 separated, namely, the damask, the noisette and the 

 tea, the last two may be propagated with more or 

 less readiness from the slip or by budding; the fl'st 

 only by dividing the roots and planting the seed, 

 which later method is resorted to, however, only 

 when it is desired to olitain new varieties. 



The best season for taking rose slips is In June, 

 just after the profuse bloom of earlysummer Is over, 

 although a person who knows exactly how to cut a 

 slip may find good cuttings thri>ughout the warm 

 months. Juilgment and discernment are needed for 

 the selection at all seasons, I know a generous lady 

 who sent her friends immense arinfuls of boughs 

 with hardly a real cutting upon llicm. 



One should choose from a good vigorous branch 

 of last year's growth a fresh shoot, containing two 

 or three buds, such as will always be found more or 

 less swollen at the base of the leaf stems. It should 

 be ctit from the parent branch diagonally, with a 

 smooth, clean cut that will bring off a Utile of the 

 old bark as well, in order to make the condition as 

 favorable as possible for the formation of roots- 

 Have ready a box or pot of rich mold. With a 

 round, pointed slick make a hole several inches deep, 

 and fill it up with clean sand ; insert the end of the 

 slip in this sand to the depth of one or two Inches ; 

 be sure to make it firm in the soil, and the sand act- 

 ing as a percolator for moisture, you may keep your 

 slip wall watered. You can soon sec, by the swell 

 ing of the buds and the dropping off of the old 

 leaves, whether the slip is indeed taking root, but 

 do not attempt to remove It to the place where you 

 would wish it permanently to remain until it has put 

 out several sets of new leaves. 



An ingenious way to raise a set of slips '.las been 

 recommended by Mrs. Loudon, which we have tried 

 with unvarying success. It Is to take an earthen- 

 ware flower pot, gallon size, and fill it more than 

 half full of broken potsherds, pebbles, bits of slate, 

 or such things ; now set in the middle, on top of the 

 refuse materials, another similar flower pot, half-pint 

 size, with the hole at its liottom stopped up tightly 

 with a cork ; let Its mouth be even with that of the 

 large outerone; fill up the interstices with silversand 

 or other pure sand, and set in a row of slips all 

 around, cut according to the directions given above. 

 Keep the inner pot full of water all the time, but do 

 not water the slips directly. In about six weeks your 

 slips will have fine roots and can be potted. A hand- 

 glass always hastens the process of rooting and en- 

 ables you to take advantage of the sunshine ; but If 

 you ar2 not provided with one be careful to keep your 

 plants In the shade until they show certain signs of 

 Inilepeudcnce of life. 



Koses need very rich soil to bring them to perfec- 

 tion, thriving best in a mixture of well-rotted manure, 

 sand and garden loam, and to stint tbem of nour- 

 ishment is indeed poor economy. 



The Useful Sunflower. 

 In Southwestern Kussia, between the Baltic and 

 the Black Sea, the sunflower is universally cultivated 

 in fields, gardens and borders, and every part of the 

 plant Is turned to practical account. A hundred 

 pounds of seeds yield forty pounds of oil, and the 

 pressed residue forms a wholesome food for cattle, 

 as also do the leaves and the green stalks, cut up 

 small, all being eagerly eaten. The fresh flowers, 

 wheu a little short of full bloom, furnish a dish for 

 the table which bears favorable comparison with the 

 artichoke. They contain a large quantity of honey, 

 and so prove an attraction to bees. The seeds are a 

 valuable food for poultry ; ground Into flour, pastry 

 and cakes can be made from them ; and boiled in 

 alum %ud water they yield a blue coloring matter. 

 The carefully dried leaf is used as tobacco. The 



