25 
February, 1891. 
ORGH RRD // rnd % Gt\RDE N 
beautiful products of the Pacific coast, as 
^regards the Eastern market? Are they to 
attain a paying popularity ? For the dried 
and canned fruits, unquestionably yes. 
For the choicest grapes, also yes. The 
same may be the case with other fresh 
fruits, coming in when the market is bare 
of native sorts. But it cannot be denied 
that with even the greatest care, the short- 
lived fresh fruits of California seek, and 
must continue to seek, the eastern markets 
under very great disadvantages. Hardly 
any of them are capable of ripening, in any 
true sense, after being immaturelv plucked. 
They will s >ften and rot, but they will not 
develop their sweetness and their aroma in 
the trans-continental car. This is the uni- 
versal verdict, and experience is showing 
that with all the energy in pushing them 
into every available market, they do not 
become more popular. Their beauty 
^attracts buyeis which their quality 
does not hold. All over New England, 
people who have tried them declare 
that “California fruit has no flavor 
like our own.” This is a mistake. 
California fruit in California is good 
enough, when ripened on the tree. 
But gathered green, and whirled to 
eastern fruit stands, it will never hurt 
the market for well grown native 
stock.— T. H. Hoskins. 
Root Grafts. 
In the last number the statement 
of friend Stayman, in which he re- 
lates instances where apple trees 
planted after cutting off the tap roots 
have done better than those not thus 
treated, and that those planted on 
flat stones surpassed others planted 
at the same time without the slabs 
under them, attracts my attention. 
Does this correspond with nature ? 
Why is it that a tree, left standing 
where it first comes up, will outlast 
any root piece graft? This I have 
noticed for fifty years, and if a flat 
stone under the roots is good for a tree 
one would suppose that trees would flourish 
on soil where the rocks came close to the 
surface, which we know they will not do. 
Is it not possible that the trees which had 
their lower roots cut off with a sharp knife 
possessed an advantage over those which 
were bruised in taking up, and did not heal 
ov« r as the others did. When the methods 
to which the Doctor alludes were practiced 
piece roots were not made as now. Then 
pieces of three inches or more were used, 
instead of the inch and a half piece as 
generally used now, to make more out of 
them. One thing I do know, that in a 
nursery of half a million young apple trees, 
where a part were grafted on whole- roots, 
and the rest on piece-roots, I could see the 
difference fifty yards off, the whole-root 
trees being so superior. — S. Miller. 
by Mr. W. F. Massey, in which he takes issue 
with a statement, which he says was made 
by Prof. Green, of the experiment station at 
this place, to the effect that “a good variety 
of fruit is good always and everywhere,” 
“and that* he variability of fruits w’asonly 
a hole for nurserymen to creep out of.” 
That Mr. Green should have made a 
statement, intending it to be understood as 
Mr. Massey interprets it, I cannot believe, 
as I have known him intimately for years. 
I have no doubt that his intention was to 
assert the direct opposite of the inference, 
that “because a fruit is good in a particular 
locality, where it originates, it is good 
everywhere,” and intended lo assert, that 
no fruit can be called “good” or should be 
offered for general dissemination, until it 
has been shown to he good in all localities. 
The abuse assailed is shown to be, the in- 
The Variability of Fruits.’ 
In the last number of Orchard and Gar- 
den, there was anarticleon the above topic, 
Quince Tree, Pruned. Fig. 114. 
discriminate introduction of new fruits, 
with a great spread of printers’ ink, before 
they have been proved to be good out of the 
neighborhood of their origin. 
The man who should offer the Albpmarle 
Pippin for general cultivation in all places, 
knowing it was only suited to a few soils, 
would not deserve the name of an honest 
man. The one who with a great flourish of 
trumpets sends out a new fruit for general 
distribution, without having first learned 
that it is good, if not “always” and “every- 
where,” at least “generally” and in “many 
places” is but little better. 
While the requirement that a fruit to be 
called “good,” or be worthy of introduction, 
should be proved to be good everywhere 
and always, may be a little too severe, it is 
certainly not too much to ask, that it shall 
be good in a great variety of locations, and 
under adverse circumstances, in order to 
entitle it to be called good. — A. W. Aldrich, 
Franklin Co., Ohio. 
Conducted by F. J. Niswander, 
Agricultural College, Ingham Co, Mich. 
Insecticides. 
The Various Classes of Insecticides— What they 
do, and Howi.they do it— Arsenical Poisons for 
Insects that Eat— Spraying Fruit Trees— Arsenites 
for the Plum Curculio— Vegetable Poisons— Poisons 
that Kill by Contact— The Value of Tobacco— Kero- 
sine as an Inseiticide— Killing by Fumigation. 
The season is fast approaching when 
every orchardist and fruit grower, as well 
as gardener, will be called upon to fight 
his insect foes. A remedy to be successful 
must be cheap and easily applied, as well 
as thorough and effective in its work. 
We will therefore mention only those 
which possess the qualifications men- 
tioned and which have been thorough- 
ly tried. They may be divided into 
three classes. (1.) Those that kill by 
being eaten. (2.) Those that kill by 
contact. (3 .) Those that by their pe- 
culiar properties drive insects away. 
It is the first two classes that require 
attention at the hands of the orchard- 
ist and gardener. 
The first class embraces those sub- 
stances that are used against insects 
furnished with biting mouth parts, 
such as the canker worm, the codlin 
moth, and the tent caterpiller. These 
are the foliage destroyers and fruit 
eaters. 
PARIS GREEN AND LONDON PURPLE. 
These are compounds of arsenic, 
and from the poisonous properties of 
the arsenic are used against leaf-eat- 
ing insects, and the codlin moth. 
Paris green was first recommended 
as a specific against the codlin moth 
by Prof. A. J. Cook, and is now used 
against other insects where no serious 
results are liable to follow its applica- 
tion. It was first used in the proportion of 
one pound of the poison to fifty gallons of 
water, but this has now been found to be 
too strong, as one pound to two hundred 
gallons of water does the work as well, and 
is much cheaper. Paris Green is entirely 
insoluble in water, hence in its application 
some means must be resorted to in order to 
keep it well mixed. The manufacturers of 
spraying apparatus have so arranged their 
pumps that two streams are thrown; one 
into the bairel and the other in distributing 
the liquid. By this simple arrangement a 
more equal distribution of the poison may 
be obtained. It is also necessary that the 
pumps have sufficient power to dash the 
water upon the foliage and young fruit, for 
upon this often depends the result of the 
fruit crop. London purple is a cheap sub- 
stitute for Paris green, and as it is less 
expensive it is more practical. It should 
never be used upon delicate foliage such as 
the leaves of peach trees, for, being slightly 
