76 
April, 1889.’ 
superior to the usual plan of leaving the 
mulch uncovered. 
The ■writer finds in practice that when it 
is necessary to remove large limbs in 
pruning, it is best to cut the lunb off a foot 
or two from the body of the tree, and later 
in June, take a sharp saw and close cut the 
limb, the nearer to the tree the better. When 
cut in June there is no bleeding and the 
wound quickly heals and leaves sound wood 
beneath. Earlier cutting often causes pre- 
mature decay. Small branches may be 
cut at any season. If you prize the 
health of the tree and admire its appearance, 
in all cases close cut the branches. Never 
butcher them, 
It is always a good arrangement to plough 
the orchard, if it is to he seeded to grass, 
with the furrows turned from the trees. 
Then when the sod is broken up the furrow 
is turned toward the tree, which makes the 
plowing very much easier, and allows the 
furrows to fall close to the butts of them, 
covers up all the sward, which, when rotted, 
is easily plowed from them again. Those 
who try tliis plan will nevex; follow any oth- 
er method. 
Among the apples that are desirable as 
early fruit we mention the following as ex- 
cellent for the middle section of the Union 
in order of earliness: Yellow Transparent — 
transparent white in color, tart, medium 
size, fair for dessert, an early and prolific 
bearer. Red June — brilliant red color, me- 
dium size or below, sub-acid, good for des- 
sert, a heavy and early bearer. Summer 
Rose — very early, red striped, below me- 
dium, good quality, an excellent beai-er on 
alternate years, veiy desirable for dessert. 
Primate —yellowish white, medium size, 
tart, but excellent for dessert, tree short 
jointed, a good annual bearer. For those who 
desire a sweet apple, excellent for baking, 
the Sweet Bough. ripening with the Summer 
Rose, is the best. The Red June scabs at the 
North. The Yellow Transparent is the 
most hardy. Primate perhaps ranks next, 
closely followed by the others on the list. 
Parry's White is a good apple for market, 
and follows Primate in season of ripening. 
Medium in size, color white, excellent for 
cooking and dessert for so tart an apple. 
— Eli Minch. 
The Peach Yellows Question. 
Potasli and Bone in Peaeli Culture. 
The writer has always contended that the 
great value of the above was in their hard- 
ening and perfecting of the wood, making it 
more dense and capable of withstanding se- 
vere winters — the contrary of which is one 
of the most fruitful causes of yellows. It 
will restore many trees that are affected 
by the so-called yellows, but will not 
give life again to trees already nearly gone 
by rupture of the wood cells, caused 
by sudden and frequent winter freezing 
when distended with sap from a late, 
succulent fall growth, too deep culture, 
root breakage or by storms. Inmany 
cases it will partially restore them: but no 
one would, who has made the subject a 
study, say these mechanical injuries can be ; 
chemically removed by manures. 
Will Prof. Smith Explain. 
Prof. Smith in N. J. Hort. Soc. Report 
1888 page 58, in speaking of the peach trees 
on the road from Seaford to Delmar, Del., 
says: “in the whole region I did not see or 
hear of a case of yellows. The trees some- 
times starve but do not die of .yellows/’ 
If the disease is contagious and is taken 
by the winds or carried in trees, why, (will 
he explain ) is not the yellows there also ? 
Hundreds of trees are set in that section 
from the very same nurseries whose trees 
are also set in Kent County, which are there 
ruined by yellows. If the yellows is conta- 
gious why is it not in Sussex county as well? 
Both draw from the same fountain. 
If yellows is contagious why does he say 
on page 57, of peach trees reset in the place 
of those which have died of yellows, the fol- 
lowing in italics“these resets are not more lia- 
ble to the disease than other trees in the orchard .” 
Will Prof. Smith explain tliis to us? 
What is Known of Peach Yellows. 
It is admitted by all, who are at all con- 
versant with peach yellows, that there are 
places where and conditions under which it 
never appears. At the South, where all 
diseases of a contagious character are more 
virulent, we would expect the yellow’s, if 
contagious, to be very prevalent and fatal. 
The contrary fact is well known and it is 
claimed that yellows as a disease is practi- 
cally unknown at the South, and that peach 
trees in that section are especially healthy 
and long-lived. 
It is never knowm in places where the win- 
ter temperature does not fall below freez- 
ing and where there is an equitable rainfall 
through the entire season. 
It is never found in greenhouse cultux-e. 
Trees may die from the yellows by thous- 
ands in the open air, yet those inside will al- 
ways be free from it 1 Trees may be taken 
from the same nursery and even from the 
same row, planted in one section and be 
healthy, whilst the same trees planted in 
another may be diseased and worthless. 
Orchards on opposite sides of a road un- 
der different culture, will be very different 
in appearance. One will be ruined by yel- 
lows and the other practically free from it. 
The difference in mode of culture, and 
judgment in the use of manures, will be 
very marked in those orchards. 
It is a well-known fact that we often hear 
but little complaint of the yellows for some 
years, then it appears and, like a mighty 
wave, sweeps over the country and leaves 
its path strewn with ruin. Sections exempt 
one year may suffer the next. It may dis- 
appear for a time and again reappear with 
increased vinilence. 
These anomalies and peculiar phenomona 
->w the'spread of the yellows give it 
a n U s .lerious character that always puzzles 
^ ie novice- fc> fully explain, and is usually 
oy them called a disease of alarming and 
contagious character. They magnify the 
danger of the disease rather than admit 
their ignorance of the whole matter. Some 
few points of the apparently contagious 
spread of the disease may be noticed. It 
may suddenly appear upon a knoll in an or- 
chard, on a high ridge or on low ground,, 
and apparently spread from each point of 
supposed infection. It may be spasmodic 
or general in spread but in all cases I affirm 
it does not spread by contagion, but on the 
contrary is in all its plienomoma easily ex- 
plained upon general principles that control 
all growth of plants, and is a question capa- 
ble of thorough solution. 
I saw an orchard where the yellows 
spread in narrow lanes, leaving the rest un- 
harmed. I have noticed two or three trees 
on the end of each row of a large orchard 
quite free from disease whilst the rest were 
all badly diseased. The explanation of all 
these facts is easy and will be explained, 
but not upon the theory of contagion, which 
has not a shadow of foundation. The writer 
prefers what to him appears easy, to give 
the causes, and they are many, of the yel- 
lows, its possible prevention in a measure, 
and partial restoration of affected 'trees in 
many cases. All know that when j vitality 
of a tree from any cause is destroyed no 
cure can follow. I do not attempt impossi- 
bilities. — Eli Minch. 
Orchard Notes. 
Late Keeping Seed linn Apples. 
The statement has been several times made 
that there is little or no hope of getting a 
winter apple from the seed of an early va- 
riety. It is probably true that the wild ap- 
ples are all naturally summer or fall fruit; 
and the greater number- of seedling apples 
follow their ancestry in tliis. But where 
did our winter apples originate? The winter 
apple is the product of artificial conditions. 
Do we know just what they are? I think 
not; but I have known of seedlings from 
isolated trees, where crossing was very 
improbable, to bear much better keeping 
apples than the parents. My belief is, that 
the best chance to get valuable long keep- 
ing seedling apples is to select seed from the’ 
fruit of specimen orchards, where many 
kinds are planted together, and the greatest 
amount of natural crossing is likely to oc- 
cur. If this be true, then to get a good v\ in- 
ter “iron-clad” we should plant seeds from 
the best keeping Russian apples, grown in 
such an orchard. 
Best Top Worked. 
A considerable proportion of our best and 
most profitable varieties of tree fruits are 
weak, or otherwise defective in tree. This is 
especially true of some very productive and 
early bearing sorts, such as the Baldwin and 
Wealthy apples. Root grafted or low budd- 
ed trees of these varieties are usually short 
lived, especially where the climate is a little 
that folic 
