i89i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
483 
FARMERS’ CLUB DISCUSSION. 
Continued. 
knows its natural habit of growth. Note 
the difference between a Hightop Sweet 
and a Rhenish May (or May of Downing.) I 
wish some one would give me advice on 
trimming the latter. I am inclined to fol¬ 
low the example of the Irishman who first 
cut the tree down. 
Watering Transplanted Trees. 
G. G. Groff, Union County, Pa.—I can¬ 
not agree with Prof. Massey that watering 
newly planted trees does not do good. To 
be sure, it must be done properly and with 
an abundance of water. I know that I 
have more than once saved the life of a tree 
by a timely drenching. In one case, I 
came home and found 15 quince trees ap¬ 
parently dead. They were liberally wat¬ 
ered and then mulched, with the result 
that every one recovered, only one losing 
its whole top. In the main, trees properly 
planted will live, but it is folly to see a tree 
die when a few buckets of water will save 
its life, The earth should be compacted 
about the roots, but I do it with the feet, 
and not with a post rammer, as Prof. Mas¬ 
sey seems to suggest. 
SAMPLES AND COMMEMTS. 
Bulletin No. 14 of the Massachusetts E. 
S. is received. It gives a report of well de¬ 
vised and carried out experiments designed 
to answer the question “ What must the 
farmer apply to produce a paying crop of 
corn ?” The experiments were tried on a 
dozen different farms and the several fer¬ 
tilizing ingredients of commercial fertil¬ 
izers separately and in various combina¬ 
tions were tried on each. The conclusion 
arrived at, which seems to be a legitimate 
sequence of the trials, is that potash proves 
more largely and generally beneficial than 
either nitrogen or phosphoric acid. 
It gave, as a rule, the largest Increase of 
both grain and stover. This is accounted 
for because barnyard manure is relatively 
deficient in potash and because farmers 
who have used commercial fertilizers have, 
as a rule, bought phosphates or fertilizers 
rich in phosphoric acid and containing lit¬ 
tle or no potash... 
The first conclusion arrived at by the 
Massachusetts Station is a wise one: “Our 
results show that our soils differ widely in 
their requirements.”. 
Suppose that the Massachusetts farmers 
were so far influenced by Jos. Harris’s ad¬ 
vice as to use nitrate of soda freely, while 
as is shown by the report under considera¬ 
tion, their soils need potash chiefly, evi¬ 
dently they would be out of pocket and out 
of patience with our friend, Mr. Harris_ 
As has been shown by years of careful 
experimentation, the Rural plots do not 
need potash any more than they need nitro¬ 
gen and phosphate. The Massachusetts 
Station from its careful and elaborate 
trials, should not insist that our New Jer¬ 
sey lands need potash chiefly. Truly, in¬ 
deed, “ soils differ in their requirements,” 
and the farmer who does not by small-plot 
tests, numerously duplicated, find out just 
what his land most needs will find himself 
in years to come one of the latter portion 
of the procession. 
“Soils differ in their requirements.” 
You will agree to this, will you not, 
good reader ? Because the Massachusetts 
trials show that the soils under experiment 
need potash, you surely will not conclude 
that your soil needs potash chiefly. Because 
the impoverished soil which (fortunately) 
has constituted the main trial lands of The 
R. N.-Y. for the past 15 years needs—as 
abundantly shown—a complete and highly 
complete fertilizer—you will not conclude 
that your soil needs the same ? No, no.... 
On the fertile sandy loam of the Rural 
Farm on Long Island, fertilizers (sepa¬ 
rately or in any combination) never, in any 
case, gave results from which we were jus¬ 
tified in drawing sweeping conclusions. 
All we could say was that we used fertil¬ 
izers and farm manure liberally and, in 
favorable seasons, raised splendid crops of 
hay, grain and corn—never of potatoes. 
Were we justified in concluding that fer¬ 
tilizers were worthless for farm crops In 
general and for potatoes in particular ?.... 
“ Soils differ in their requirements.” Re¬ 
member that and give yourself up to ascer¬ 
taining just what your soil needs, guided 
by all the Information you may collect from 
trustworthy sources. 
In the U. S. Pomological Report for last 
year, just received, Mr. Van Deman, writ¬ 
ing about his “ trips of investigation,” says 
that he has never seen thriftier pear trees 
than those near Asheville and Waynesville, 
N. C. The fruit, he says, is of the finest 
quality. He ought to have visited the 
Tryon Valley in the region of the famous 
“ thermal belt” of that section. He would 
have seen peaches higher in color and of 
perhaps finer quality. The altitude is not 
over 1,200 feet. 
Mr. Van Deman tells us that the quince 
seems especially adapted to the cool, moist 
climate and rich soils of the mountains and 
no more profitable fruit can be planted 
there. Native and foreign plums and na¬ 
tive grapes thrive. Small fruits of all 
kinds grow In greatest luxuriance. The 
strawberry seems peculiarly adapted to the 
moist climate of the mountains. The cur¬ 
rant and gooseberry, which usually fail in 
the South, succeed in the higher altitudes 
of the mountains. 
Mr. Van Deman visited our long time 
contributor Dr. T. H. Hoskins (near the 
southern part of Lake Memphremagog) 
whom he regards, and very justly too, as 
one of the most careTul experimenters in 
fruit growing in all New England. 
Dr. Hoskins has tried almost every kind 
of fruit that would be at all likely to pro¬ 
duce successfully so far north, and an ex¬ 
amination of his orchards was exceedingly 
interesting. It is a notable fact that last 
year, when nearly all of the orchard fruits, 
especially the apple, failed to produce even 
a small crop in a large part of the country, 
the apple orchard of Dr. Hoskins was found 
loaded with fruit. A number of trees of 
Yellow Transparent, which is one of the 
best of the Russian apples, had been fairly 
loaded, as the trees gave evidence, but be¬ 
ing out of season, the fruit had all been 
gathered before the time of Mr. Van De¬ 
man’s visit. The Wealthy, which is a seed¬ 
ling originated by Peter M. Gideon, of 
Minnesota, is among the varieties which 
seem most profitable. The trees were load¬ 
ed with all they could hold of very hand¬ 
some apples of fair size and quality. Scott’s 
Winter, a native seedling of New England, 
although rather small in size, was abund¬ 
antly loaded. This is a variety which keeps 
well through the winter, and the tree is as 
nardy as any other variety, either native or 
foreign, yet tested. McMahon’s White, a 
seedling of Wisconsin origin, was one of 
the most promising varieties in his orchard. 
Although the trees were quite young and 
only just beginning to bear, they were well 
loaded with fruit of large size and very 
delicate flavor and attractive appearance. 
Switzer, which is one of the Russian vari¬ 
eties elsewhere described in this report, is 
of much value. The trees were loaded, and 
the fruit was of good size and appearance.. 
Trees of Oldenburg were well loaded, and 
a more attractive orchard view could rarely 
be found than these trees in full fruiting. 
Dr. Hoskins was preparing for shipment 50 
barrels of this variety, for which he received 
a good price, and there were plenty more 
left in the orchard. Besides these varieties, 
there were many more just beginning to 
bear which gave promise of good success... 
Of the cherries there were found in 
healthy condition a number of the lately 
introduced Russian kinds, but the trees 
were not old enough to bear. From what 
Mr. Van Deman knows of these elsewhere 
he is led to believe that there is much to ex¬ 
pect from them for the extreme North and 
it may be for the whole country. 
Some of the Russian plums were quite 
promising and certainly the trees are quite 
hardy even in that cold climate. Several 
of our native varieties seemed equally 
hardy. It was a surprise to him to find so 
many kinds of our cultivated grapes bear¬ 
ing and ripening so well so far north. How¬ 
ever, those ripening early seemed to be the 
best suited to the short summer season. 
All in all, there is no doubt that fruit-grow¬ 
ing in northern New England is far from a 
failure. 
A report is being put together regard¬ 
ing American nut culture. Mr. Van Deman 
truly says that there is a large part of our 
country suitable to the culture of several 
kinds of nuts, and already the chestnut, 
pecan, Madeira nut and almond are being 
planted. The industry is only now well 
started. We annually import large quan¬ 
tities of almonds, Madeira nuts and filberts; 
and there are no climatic reasons why all 
that our markets need may not be grown at 
home. The two former are grown in Cali¬ 
fornia for the market to some extent. One 
grower has about 1,000 acres planted to the 
almond alone. The filbert is not grown 
here, except an occasional plant; but there 
is good reason to believe that it will flour¬ 
ish, especially in the Puget Sound region; 
steps are being taken to have the trial 
made.*. 
Mr. Van Deman tells us what was al¬ 
ready fairly well known, that the Wilson is 
still thriving in many parts of the country; 
that the Bubach is one of the best of the 
newer sorts; that more of the Crescent is 
sent to our markets than of any other; that 
the Parker Earle seems well suited to the 
extremes of temperature which our country 
affords... 
A FRIENDLY contemporary says that 
young asparagus plants when they blos¬ 
som, do not show the distinction between 
the seed bearing flowers and the infertile 
ones. The difference is always plain enough. 
The male blossoms are twice the size of 
the females aDd the anthers of the former 
are quite prominent, while in the latter 
the ovary is the conspicuous part. The R. 
N.-Y. has very little doubt that it will pay 
asparagus growers to destroy every female 
plant. 
When the Bordeaux Mixture was first 
announced The R. N.-Y. destroyed some 
potato and other plants by applying it at 
the then regulation strength. We told our 
readers about it at the time and advised 
them, as a simple and serviceable formula, 
to use just one-quarter pound of copper 
sulphate to one gallon of water and one- 
quarter pound of lime to one gallon of 
water. The formula) of the professors are 
more and more leaning to The Rural’s 
recipe.. 
ABSTRACTS. 
- Puck : “ The woman who ‘ lived in a 
shoo ’ evidently had neighbors who kept 
hens.” 
-S. M. Owen : “ People never run out 
of debt.” 
“ A Good Selection.— President of the 
Walton Club: ‘We ought to adopt a 
flower for our fishing club. Will some 
member please suggest one ? ’ Elder Toots : 
'My choice would be the modest dandy 
lyin’’” 
“ Shock to the Summer Boarders.— Mr. 
Summerboarder: ‘I was startled by the 
dishonesty of these people last night.’ Mr. 
Citicaller: ‘ Indeed.’ Mr. Summerboarder : 
‘ Yes. I saw them watering the cows be¬ 
fore they milked them.’ ” 
“Too Ambitious.— The young man 
strives to make his mark, the young woman 
her market.” 
How to Multiply Plants. 
How to Graft. 
How to Bud. 
How to Seed. 
How to Inarch. 
How to Increase by Cuttings. 
How to Increase by Layers. 
How to Increase by Separation. 
How to Hybridize. 
How to Produce New Varieties. 
How to Propagate over 2,000 
varieties of shrubs, trees and her¬ 
baceous or soft-stemmed plants: the 
process for each being fully described. 
All this and much more is 
fully told in 
The Nursery Book. 
A new book, by L. H. Bailey, 
assisted by several of the most 
skillful propagators in the 
world. In fact, it is a careful 
compendium of the best prac¬ 
tice in all countries. It con¬ 
tains nearly ioo illustrations, 
showing methods, processes 
and appliances. 
Over 300 pages. 16mo. Price, library 
style, cloth, wide margins, $1.00; Pocket 
style, paper, narrow margins, 50 cents. 
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