92 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
February, 1917 
High Priced Raspberry Plants 
A little incident came to observ- 
ance a few days ago which is only 
one of the many which comes to 
me from time to time. 
A friend came to me with a bill 
for nursery stock that he had or- 
dered of a nursery agent asking 
my opinion in regard to the varie- 
ties. prices, etc. This bill is as fol- 
lows : 
18 Blowers Blackberry plants 
107 Rathbun Blackberry plants 
75 Gregg blackcap 
50 St. Regis red raspberry 
250 total. Price $11.25. 
I might have overlooked the ex- 
orbitant price charged for this 
stock if it had not been for the fact 
that most of the varieties recom- 
mended by the agent are not reli- 
able and prove a disappointment 
to sav the least. My experience 
with the Rathbun blackberry is 
that it has proved a failure here in 
Wisconsin and from most of the 
fruit growers I gather they have 
had about the same experience. 
The Blowers is a better vai'ietv 
but I would not prefer it to the 
Eldorado, Stone’s Hardy or Anci- 
ent Briton as it is not as hardy 
and more difficult to handle than 
the above named standards. 
The Gregg blackcap is not a suc- 
cess hei*e. Plum Farmer, Cumber- 
land or the Columbia Purple Cap I 
find are far more profitable anc 
reliable. 
The St. Regis was the only varie- 
ty I could recommend in the list 
and I advised two varieties of red 
laspberries instead of one, St. 
Regis and King. 
My opinion was that $5.00 would 
buy direct this same stock from 
most, any of the nurserymen adver- 
tising in WISCONSIN HORTI- 
CULTURE. 
Now in regard to the farm 
orchard I find about the same 
conditions prevail. The nursery 
agent knowing nothing of fruit 
growing advising the setting of a 
lot of novelties and untried varie- 
ties at an exorbitant price which 
in nearly every case proves worth- 
less. 
I do not object to selling novel- 
ties and untried varieties if they are 
sold as such but to sell and recom- 
mend these in place of good stand- 
ard varieties (which is being done 
all over the country) I think it is 
almost equal to a crime. 
Usually the nursery agent is so 
bigoted that it is a waste of time 
to try to advise him. 
Henry Blackman. 
Something New to Meet Ladder 
Difficulties 
G. H. Townsend 
The writer has tried many things 
to meet the loss of time adjusting 
ladders to uneven ground, and to 
prevent pickers from knocking 
down apples putting laddei’s up 
into the trees, and has met the dif- 
ficulty by inventing a ladder with 
adjustable legs pivoted to clips that 
are pivoted to a band link which 
swings up and down and also slides 
back and forth on a. cross rod be- 
tween the sides of the ladder. 
The general plan of the link, 
clips and mounting is shown in the 
upper drawing. A back view — 
elevation — is shown in the middle 
drawing. The adjustible legs may 
be spread as widely at the bottom 
as desired to brace the ladder, and 
are held by passing through a link 
pivoted to a cross bar attached to 
the base of the ladder. The band 
link on the cross rod swings so that 
when the ladder is lifted the legs 
drop enough to loosen the legs in 
the links on the cross bar, when 
the ladder is set on the adjustible 
legs and raised to a vertical posi- 
tion the legs automatically adjust 
themselves by pushing the band 
link on the cross rod enough to 
shorten the leg on the high side and 
let the leg down on the low side, so 
that the ladder automatically ad- 
justs itself to level ground, bumps, 
holes or side hill and locks by slid- 
ing the leg holders down the ad- 
justible legs. 
A back view is shown of an ordi- 
nary straight ladder. For short 
ladders— ten or twelve feet — a 
third leg is added. It contributes 
to safety and saves its cost in time 
and fruit, in a few days use. The 
views are frem part of patent 
drawings. 
The hardy gaillardia is among 
the best perennials to furnish cut 
flowers. It blooms well about the 
last of June and the flowers stand 
up well. 
