1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER.  775 
the  alternatives  ere  simply  to  hold  In  h»  pe  of  a  profit,  or  to  get  out  of 
the  business  altogether. 
When  a  farmer  on  figure  out  a  clear  profit  on  his 
live  stock  products,  stable -manure  farming  is  safe. 
When  he  can  t  he  had  better  study  fertilizers. 
Something  in  the  Farmer. — It’s  about  the  same  the 
world  over — some  farmers  succeed  while  others  fail — 
the  only  difference  being  in  the  make-ups  of  the  two 
men.  Here  for  instance,  is  a  statement  made  in  an 
address  to  English  farmers  proposing  changes  in  legis¬ 
lation  : 
There  Is  a  farm  within  eight  miles  of  Chester.  The  tenant  took  It  after 
the  two  previous  tenants  had  failed.  He  was  able  to  keep  a  stock  of  30 
milch  cows.  It  being  a  mixed  farm,  he  has  so  Improved  it  that  It  now 
carries  80,  and  the  tillage  portion  is  as  much  Improved  as  the  perma¬ 
nent  pasture.  Now  If  he  had  farmed  as  his  predecessors  did,  the  rent 
of  that  farm  would  have  had  to  be  reduced  50  per  cent,  or  he  would 
have  gone  the  same  way  as  the  former  tenants.  Of  course,  If  ho  leaves 
now  the  landlord  would  not  suffer  a  reduction  In  the  rent;  he  might 
probably  get  an  Increase.  Now  this  farmer  Is  not  paying  an  In¬ 
creased  rent  on  his  Improvements,  but  It  Is  simply  by  his  Improvements 
that  the  rent  is  kept  up. 
The  great  problem  always  will  be  how  to  get  more 
farmers  to  see  the  real  difference  between  old  and  new 
farming. 
That  Single  Pear  Tree. — A  writer  in  one  of  our 
contemporaries  says  :  “If  I  could  have  but  one  pear 
tree,  I  know  it  would  be  a  Beurr6  Bose — sure.”  He 
is  evidently  a  gentleman  of  good  taste,  and  I  am  in¬ 
clined  to  agree  with  him  in  this  matter.  It  would  be 
hard  to  think  of  relinquishing  the  Seckel,  and  I  should 
occasionaliy  pine  for  a  Sheldon  ;  but,  when  one  thinks 
of  the  size,  beauty,  quality  and  length,  of  season  of 
the  Bose,  it  must  be  awarded  a  very  high  place  in  the 
list.  There  is  another  old  pear  which  I  value  very 
highly — the  Louise  Bonne.  This  fruit  is  greatly  modi¬ 
fied  by  the  soil  and  other  conditions  surrounding  it, 
but  when  grown  on  a  gravelly  or  slaty  soil  with  plenty 
of  fertilizer,  notably  of  potash  in  some  form,  is 
picked  in  good  season  and  properly  ripened,  it  is,  to 
my  taste,  a  most  delicious  fruit.  Its  slight  astringent 
flavor  seems  to  fit  its  other  good  qualities  perfectly, 
and  it  is  melting,  vinous  and  excellent.  On  soils  not 
adapted  to  it,  it  falls  far  short  of  this  standard.  F. 
(.Every  query  must  bo  accompanied  by  the  name  and  address  of  the 
writer  to  insure  attention.  Before  asking  a  question  please  see  If  It  Is 
not  answered  In  our  advertising  columns.  Ask  only  a  few  questions 
atone  time.  Put  questions  on  a  separate  piece  of  paper.] 
YOUNG  TREES  IN  OLD  ORCHARDS. 
THE  TARGET. 
A  writer  in  a  late  RURAL  says  that  planting  young  trees  in  an  old 
orchard  Is  a  failure,  because  the  ground  is  filled  with  the  roots  of  the 
surrounding  trees;  is  not  the  failure  due  more  to  planting  the  trees 
in  small  holes  where  the  old  ones  stood  and  exhausted  the  soil,  and  to 
the  shade  from  surrounding  trees?  I  would  suggest  that  in  renewing 
an  old  orchard  where  only  a  few  trees  are  gone,  large  holes  be  dug 
out  and  tilled  with  fresh  soil,  and  that  the  trees  be  then  manured  and 
the  soil  cultivated  or  kept  loose,  just  as  it  Is  properly  kept  in  a  newly 
set  orchard,  and  that  stock  should  not  be  turned  into  the  orchard  to 
do  the  trimming. 
Cows  Make  Toilet  on  Young-  Trees. 
As  regards  setting  young  trees  in  an  old  orchard 
there  are  many  theories  why  they  don’t  do  better. 
Some  claim  that  the  necessary  fertilizing  ingredients 
in  the  soil  have  been  already  used  by  the  old  trees  ; 
others  hold  that  the  ground  is  too  full  of  roots  of  the 
older  ones,  etc.  My  observation  leads  me  to  believe 
that  the  failure  is  owing  more  to  first-class  neglect 
than  to  anything  else,  A  thrifty  apple  tree  will  grow 
and  thrive  wherever  other  trees  have  grown,  if  it  has 
proper  care  and  attention.  The  farmer  is  apt  to 
pasture  his  orchard  at  various  times  during  the  sum¬ 
mer  with  horses  and  cattle,  and  the  smaller  trees 
make  fine  scratching  posts  for  such  stock.  My  at¬ 
tention  was  called  to  this  fact  last  September  when 
passing  through  an  old  orchard  in  which  there  were 
about  30  trees  three  or  four  years  old.  It  was  in 
clover,  and  as  I  drove  by  I  saw  two  old  cows  making 
their  morning  toilets  on  the  young  trees. 
The  owner  of  that  herd  and  orchard  who  was  driving 
the  cows,  will  say  young  trees  won't  thrive  in  an  old 
orchard — and  they  won’t  in  his.  His  theory  may  be, 
that  the  land  is  too  lean,  and  that  young  trees  must 
have  the  best  of  care  or  be  a  failure  every  time. 
Use  plenty  of  wood  ashes  and  keep  the  ground 
around  the  trees  well  loosened  and  there  will  not  be 
much  trouble  in  renewing  an  old  orchard.  Care  should 
also  be  taken  that  the  little  trees  should  not  be  set  in 
the  shade  too  much,  as  sunshine  has  more  to  do  with 
the  growing  of  a  good  tree  than  anything  else  except 
good  soil.  Anyhow  I  would  not  favor  the  resetting  of 
an  old  orchard.  I'd  much  rather  set  the  trees  by  them¬ 
selves,  for  the  chances  would  then  be  better  that  they 
would  get  the  food  they  need.  Setting  young  trees 
among  old  ones  is  too  much  like  putting  little  pigs 
with  the  big  ones  and  expecting  them  to  do  well, 
which  they  never  will  do,  for  they  can’t  stand  the 
racket-  W-  H,  H. 
Better  Keep  Out  of  An  Old  Orchard. 
My  experience  and  observation  in  replanting  trees 
in  an  old  orchard  have  been  such  that  1  would  not 
recommend  it  unless  only  a  few  trees  were  missing,  and 
those  living  were  not  too  old  and  were  in  fair  condition. 
Then  young  trees  planted  even  where  old  ones  had 
stood,  can  be  made  to  grow  and  do  well  if  properly 
cared  for.  Dig  a  hole  at  least  three  feet  across  and  a 
foot  or  more  deep.  Haul  away  the  old  soil  and  fill  up 
the  hole  with  good  top-soil — clay  loam  if  it  can  be  had. 
Plant  and  attend  to  the  young  tree  as  though  it  had 
cost  a  $10  bill.  If  this  be  done,  the  prospects  are  that 
it  will  grow  well,  and  bear  good  fruit.  If  there  are 
many  trees  missing  in  the  old  orchard,  it  would  be 
better  to  plant  a  new  one  tnan  to  try  to  renew  the 
old. 
Most  failures  in  planting  trees  in  an  old  ofehard 
result  from  not  having  done  as  above  recommended. 
In  fact,  such  trees  are  usually  totally  neglected,  and 
allowed  to  take  care  of  themselves.  Consequently,  if 
perchance  they  do  live,  they  seldom  amount  to  any¬ 
thing.  N.  OHMER. 
How  I  Plant  an  Apple  Tree. 
A  writer  in  a  late  Rural  has  said  that  planting 
young  trees  in  an  old  orchard  is  a  failure,  because  the 
ground  is  filled  with  the  roots  of  the  surrounding 
trees.  If  such  are  the  conditions,  no  trees  should  be 
planted,  as  the  ground  is  already  occupied  ;  but  I  pre¬ 
sume  in  the  majority  of  cases  such  conditions  do  not 
exist.  If  the  trees  are  30  or  35  feet  distant  from  each 
other,  there  should  be  no  failure  from  setting  in  young 
trees,  provided  that  the  ground  is  properly  prepared. 
To  dig  a  small  hole  beside  the  old  stump,  in  which  to 
place  the  young  tree,  as  I  have  seen  done  many  a  time, 
leaving  it  to  fight  the  battle  for  life  against  the  en¬ 
croachments  of  a  stiff  sod  and  the  depredations  of  the 
insect  enemies  that  make  their  home  about  the  old  de¬ 
caying  stump,  must  surely  give  every  reason  to  expect 
a  failure. 
Reason  teaches  and  experience  proves  that  the  most 
successful  orehardists  are  those  who  both  fertilize  and 
cultivate  their  orchards.  If  such  be  the  needs  of  thrifty 
growing  trees  whose  roots  have  obtained  a  firm  hold 
upon  the  soil,  how  much  more  necessary  is  it  to  deeply 
pulverize  and  fertilize  the  soil  where  the  young  tree, 
whose  roots  have  been  bruised  and  broken,  is  to  be 
placed.  A  living  evidence  of  its  effect  can  be  seen  in 
a  row  of  my  trees  set  about  20  years  since,  one  of  which 
was  set  where  a  large  tree  had  been  dug  out  and  the 
hole  filled  up,  the  soil  having  been  loosened  to  the 
depth  of  three  feet  and  six  feet  across.  When  the 
trees  were  10  years  old,  this  particular  one  had  made 
four  times  the  growth  of  those  next  beside  it  of  the 
same  kind,  and  at  the  present  time  is  fully  50  per  cent 
larger.  In  no  particular  point  is  the  average  farmer 
more  at  fault  than  in  planting,  including  in  this  con¬ 
nection  the  preparation  of  the  soil;  and  the  slipshod 
manner  in  which  it  is  done  accounts  for  the  doleful 
cry,  “  farmin’  don’t  pay.” 
Now  to  the  subject  of  “  How  plant  we  the  apple 
tree  ”  :  I  would  say  that  I  would  plow,  if  not  already 
plowed,  the  whole  vacant  space  between  the  trees, 
having  first  dug  out  the  old  stumps,  put  on  a  coat  of 
manure  this  fall,  next  spring  plow  and  pulverize  as 
deeply  as  possible,  set  my  tree,  and  expect  it  to  grow, 
not  forgetting  to  cultivate  and  keep  the  ground  mel¬ 
low  and  fine  as  we  would  our  corn  field,  for  surely  the 
apple  tree  is  worthy  of  our  best  care.  w.  F.  taber. 
Grubs  in  Strawberries;  List  of  Grapes. 
S.  B.  H.,  Waterbury,  Conn. — 1.  This  summer  my 
two-year-old  strawberry  bed  bore  a  good  crop,  and  as 
far  as  I  could  see  looked  in  first-rate  condition  until 
about  10  days  after  the  berries  were  all  gathered,  when 
one  day  during  a  rather’dry  spell  I  found  that  all  the 
leaves,  within  an  irregular  spot  (or  spots,)  embracing 
about  half  the  bed,  were  wilting,  looking  as  though 
they  had  not  sufficient  moisture.  Three  or  four  weeks 
from  that  time  those  leaves  were  all  brown  and  the 
plants  dead,  though  there  had  meantime  been  plenty 
of  rain.  In  the  rest  of  the  bed  the  plants  seem  to  be 
all  right,  except  that  the  old  leaves  have  a  good  many 
small,  irregular  holes  in  them.  By  the  time  the  leaves 
were  brown  (in  the  plants  that  died)  they  were 
pretty  thoroughly  riddled  with  the  holes.  I  could  not 
find  anything  eating  them,  though  there  were  a  great 
many  little  grayish  worms  about  half  an  inch  long, 
with  so  many  legs  that  they  had  the  appearance  of 
being  hairy,  and  they  gave  me  some  trouble  eating 
the  berries;  but  as  they  seemed  to  be  as  thick  in  the 
part  of  the  bed  that  lived  as  in  that  which  died,  I 
hardly  think  they  can  have  caused  the  trouble. 
2.  What  are  the  best  five  varieties  of  grapes  for 
home  use — not  market — that  will  stand  this  climate  ? 
Ans. — 1.  The  strawberry  plants  were  probably  des¬ 
troyed  by  white  grubs,  the  larvae  of  the  May  beetle. 
They  are  often  very  destructive  in  old  beds.  The 
holes  in  the  leaves  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  trou¬ 
ble.  If  the  grubs  caused  it,  the  only  help  is  to  plow 
up  the  bed  and  start  a  new  one  on  land  which  has 
been  well  cultivated  for  at  least  two  years. 
2.  It  is  impossible  to  say  for  any  given  locality  with 
which  we  are  not  familiar  in  a  practical  way  what  are 
the  best  varieties  of  grapes.  Even  on  the  same  tract 
of  land,  or  farm,  or  field,  some  kinds  will  succeed 
better  on  one  part  than  on  another,  owing  to  differences 
of  soil  and  exposure.  We  would,  in  a  general  way, 
select  from  the  following:  Ulster  Prolific,  Moore’s 
Diamond,  Ester  (Esther),  Green  Mountain,  Colerain, 
Brighton,  Yergennes,  Jefferson  (late),  Niagara,  Dela¬ 
ware,  Berckmans,  Nectar,  El  Dorado,  and  for  large, 
showy  blacks,  Eaton  and  Moore’s  Early. 
To  Mulch  or  Irrigate  Strawberries. 
L.  D.,  Nova  Scotia. — 1.  I  inclose  three  advertise¬ 
ments  of  agents’  directories  ;  are  they  reliable  ?  2.  I 
am  growing  strawberries  and  other  small  fruits.  I 
am  thinking  of  putting  in  a  hydraulic  ram  to  raise 
water  for  the  purpose  of  irrigating  about  four  acres 
of  sandy  loam.  We  generally  have  rain  about  once  a 
week.  Would  it  be  necessary  to  irrigate,  or  would  a 
mulch  of  three  tons  of  hay  or  straw  per  acre  do  as 
well  ?  This  year  was  a  very  dry  one  ;  but  my  straw¬ 
berries  turned  out  at  the  rate  of  2,700  quart  boxes  per 
acre,  by  leaving  the  covering  between  the  rows,  and 
using  no  water.  A  ram  and  three  quarter-inch  pipe 
of  sufficient  length  to  take  the  water  across  the  field 
would  cost  about  $100.  The  question  is,  will  it  pay  to 
irrigate,  or  will  the  mulch  retain  enough  moisture  to 
sustain  the  crop  ? 
Ans. — 1.  These  parties  try  to  secure  names  and  ad¬ 
dresses  which  they  sell  to  papers  and  manufacturers 
who  want  to  send  out  sample  copies  or  novelties.  The 
business  is  legitimate  enough  if  you  do  not  object  to 
having  Tom,  Dick  and  Harry  filling  your  post-office 
box  with  circulars  and  pamphlets.  2.  It  will  pay  any 
fruit  grower  to  have  a  supply  of  water  that  can  be 
used  at  will.  In  a  single  very  dry  season  a  good  water 
system  will  almost  pay  for  itself.  Unless  you  have  sev¬ 
eral  big  tanks,  we  doubt  if  the  ram  will  answer  to  irri¬ 
gate  the  whole  four  acres.  The  mulch  is  good  even  if 
you  irrigate.  Several  of  our  readers  use  the  mulch  to 
hold  the  water.  The  space  between  the  rows  is  well 
covered  with  straw,  and  then  the  water  is  turned  on 
all  over  the  field.  The  straw  is  soaked  all  through 
and  prevents  rapid  evaporation,  keeping  the  ground 
cool  and  moist  longer  than  if  no  mulch  were  used.  Put 
the  mulch  on  anyway  and  use  the  water  as  far  as  it 
will  go. 
How  About  Asparagus  Tops. 
S.  E.  P.,  Doylestown,  Pa. — What  profitable  use  can  be 
made  of  asparagus  tops?  It  seems  wasteful  to  burn 
them,  as  they  probably  contain  a  large  percentage  of 
nitrogen.  I  have  not  the  analysis  of  the  dried  stalks, 
but  the  sprouts  are  said  to  contain  .32  of  one  per  cent 
of  nitrogen,  .12  of  one  per  cent  of  potash,  and  .09  of 
one  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid.  Can  The  R.  N.  Y. 
give  an  analysis  of  the  dead  “  tops”  which  are  usually 
burned  in  the  fall  ?  I  have  thought  of  putting  them 
through  a  fodder  cutter,  butts  foremost,  and  using  the 
product  for  stable  bedding.  The  seeds  might,  how¬ 
ever,  be  troublesome  weeds,  as  the  plant  is  a  perennial. 
Then,  again,  I  have  thought  of  cutting  into,  say,  two- 
inch  lengths  and  spreading  over  the  asparagus  bed  it¬ 
self,  for  winter  protection  and  for  plowing  under  in 
the  spring  ? 
Ans. — We  can  find  no  analysis  of  the  dried  tops. 
The  ash  of  the  stems  contains  42  per  cent,  of  potash 
and  12  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid.  It  is  a  question 
whether  the  work  of  gathering  and  cutting  these 
stems  would  pay  any  better  than  to  mow  them  off  and 
lay  in  swaths  over  the  beds.  We  doubt  if  the  work  of 
running  them  through  a  cutter  would  be  profitable. 
Killing  Grain  Weevils. 
A.  H.,  Portland,  Kan. — What  will  destroy  weevils  in 
grain  or  keep  them  out  of  it  ? 
Ans. — Weevils  may  be  destroyed  by  the  vapor  of  bi¬ 
sulphide  of  carbon.  It  is  heavier  than  air,  hence  will 
descend  between  the  kernels  of  grain,  and  is  easy  of 
application.  One  and  one-half  pound  of  bisulphide  is 
said  to  be  sufficient  for  one  ton  of  grain.  Dr.  Riley 
gives  the  following  method  of  applying  it :  A  ball  of 
tow  is  tied  to  a  stick  of  sufficient  length  to  reach  the 
middle  of  the  bin  containing  the  grain.  The  tow  re¬ 
ceives  the  charge  of  bisulphide  like  a  sponge,  and  is 
at  once  plunged  into  the  grain  and  left  there,  the 
mouth  of  the  bin  being  tightly  closed.  When  neces¬ 
sary,  the  stick  may  be  renewed.  The  action  of  carbon 
bisulphide  lasts  in  ordinary  cases  six  weeks,  after 
which  period  a  fresh  charge  is  required.  The  bisul¬ 
phide  is  said  to  do  no  harm  to  grain,  either  for  culinary 
purposes  or  for  seed,  provided  that  not  too  much  is 
used,  and  its  action  is  not  too  long  continued. 
Miscellaneous. 
P.  S.,  Naper'Ville,  III. — Ellwanger  &  Barry,  Roches¬ 
ter,  N.  Y.,  sell  the  Columbus  gooseberry. 
J.  F.  N.,  Macoda,  Pa. — The  Green  Mountain  potato 
may  be  had  from  O.  H.  Alexander,  Charlotte,  Vermont. 
