624 
AUG. 29 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
water. When dissolved, I add 50 gallons of water. I also 
spray with arsenical solutions to destroy the codling 
moth. I have, since beginning, sprayed the trees about 
every twelve days and I shall spray them once more. I 
have used the same preparation on my grape vines.” 
“ What fertilizers do you use in your orchard, if any ?” 
“ I give them a generous feeding ; I top-dress them with 
stable manure every year and at times use largely of com¬ 
mercial fertilizers. I have used Coe’s, also the Stock- 
bridge and others, and have also bought Canada hard 
wood ashes. I have no doubt that they have been profit¬ 
able for me.” 
“ What apples do you grow ?” 
‘‘Red Astrachan, Sweet Bough, Twenty Ounce, Gra- 
venstein, Fall Strawberry, Rhode Island Greening, Bald¬ 
win, Tompkins County King, Pound Sweet, Northern 
Spy, Roxbury Russet, Lady, Winter Sweet and Gilliflow- 
er.” 
“ Tell us how and where you market your apples.” 
“ My early apples are all sold in the Eastern markets— 
Springfield or Boston, sometimes other cities. You see 
we are picking Astrachans now. We pick the ripest, red 
cheeked ones first, going over the trees again and again as 
the fruit ripens. Twenty Ounce Apples I ship mostly to 
Europe—to Glasgow, Liverpool or London. These I ship 
in August to special customers and find it profitable. 
The freight varies from 75 cents to $1.25 per barrel, aver¬ 
aging about one dollar. My Greenings, Baldwins and 
Russets also go to Europe. My Northern Spys, Pound 
Sweets and Lady Sweets I put into cold storage and hold 
for late city markets. My cold storage room is under the 
ice-house in the barn. But I think I shall take them out 
and build elsewhere. I estimate my crop this year at 
1,500 barrels; last year I had only 400 barrels, but they 
netted me about $1,500. Gilliflowers all go to the South¬ 
ern States, mainly to North Carolina. The demand for 
these apples there is so great that they are very profitable.” 
“Do you make more than one grade of fruit 
“Yes, all are carefully assorted and graded. I never 
ship poor fruit with my name on it—I let the culls go as 
such and sell them for what they are worth. No part of 
our work pays better than sorting the fruit and rejecting 
uni-ound or defective apples.” 
Why the Pear Orchard Failed. 
From the beautiful apple orchards we strolled to the 
pear orchards and here was a sight to make one cry. He 
has about 3,000 pear trees, half of them in full bearing, 
but a Dest has struck them this season, which has made 
the orchards a picture of desolation. Last year the Pear 
Tree Psyllm appeared, but were not numerous enough to 
do any appreciable damage. This season they reappeared 
in force and have converted his beautiful orchards into a 
most distressing scene. For the benefit of Rural readers, 
I quote from Saunders’s “ Insects Injurious to Fruits” the 
following description of this pest: 
During the middle of May, when growth is rapid, the 
smaller limbs and twigs of pear trees are observed to 
droop; a close examination reveals a copious exudation of 
sap from about the axils of the leaves, so abundant that it 
drops upon the foliage below and sometimes runs down 
the branches to the ground. Flies and ants gather around 
in crowds to sip the sweets and by their busy bustle draw 
attention to the mischief progressing. With a magnify¬ 
ing leiis the authors of the injury may be observed in the 
sap about the axils of the leaves. This is ihe Pear Tree 
Psylla, a small, yellow, jumping creature, flattened in 
form, and provided with short legs, a broad head and 
sharp beak. With the beak are made the punctures from 
which the sap exudes. In rare instances they occur in im¬ 
mense numbers, when almost every leaf on a tree will 
seem to be affected, all growth is at once arrested, and fre¬ 
quently the tree loses a portion of its leaves. 
The color of the pupa is deep orange red, the thorax 
striped with black and the aodomen blackish brown. 
Towards the end of the summer they attain maturity, 
when they are furnished with transparent wings; the 
head is deeply notched in front, color orange yellow, with 
the abdomen greenish. Length, one-tenth of an inch. 
Remedies: Paint the twigs with a strong solution of 
soft soap or syringe the trees with strong soap suds. 
Mr. Powell’s most vigorous efforts, seconded by the 
wisdom of Dr. Lintner, the State Entomologist, were 
powerless to check the ravages of this pest, though they 
hope another season to be more successful. Possibly the 
pests may not reappear next season, as they come and go 
mysteriously. But they have done their work most 
effectually this season, and instead of 1,200 barrels of fine 
pears, which he had counted on, he will barely have 100. 
Early in June the pear midge also put in an appearance. 
With its long ovipositor, it deposits the egg deep in the 
blossom, out of the reach of the poisons. It also did con¬ 
siderable damage. These little pests have their prefer¬ 
ences—attacking the Lawrence first, then the Vicar of 
Winkfield, and Beuri6 Superfln—seeming to prefer pears 
of an astringent flavor. If the Psylla should come in 
force next season, Mr. Powell fears that his trees will be 
entirely ruined. The orchard looks to-day as if a fire had 
been near it—most of the leaves are blackened and very 
many have fallen off. 
“ Where do you market your pears ? ” asked I. 
“ I ship my Anjous to Europe, the others I market In 
different localities.” 
“ Which do you find the most profitable varieties t ” 
“I would put them in the following order: Bartlett, 
Anjou, Seckel, Bose and Clairgeau.” 
Smaller Fruits Give Big Returns. 
Leaving the pear orchard we strolled to his plum 
orchard, and here was another very annoying picture. It 
comprises 1,000 trees, just in fine bearing. Hitherto they 
have been comparatively free from black knot, an occasional 
8 >ecimen being easily cutout and burned. But this spring 
an avalanche of the disease struck the orchard. In two 
weeks’ time almost every limb on every tree was badly 
affected, the injury being so extensive that no system of 
pruning can remove it. At first, Mr. Powell concluded 
that he would have to extirpate the entire orchard, but he 
minks now that he will simply cut off the entire top of 
each tree, leaving only the trunk. The trees being young, 
he thinks they will grow new tops and they may escape 
further ravages of this nuisance. The tops, when cut off, 
will be burned, and the trunks painted over on the raw 
end. He would prefer to leave the cutting until spring, 
but as the spores of this disease are said to spread during 
the winter and spring, the work will have to be done this 
fall. The varieties grown are Gueii, Hudson River Purple 
Egg, Reine Claude, Quackenboss, German Prune and 
Damson. Mr. Powell is hopeful that some remedy for the 
black knot will be found ere long. 
Mr. Powell is a large grower of cherries, having about 
300 trees, 100 of which are in full bearing. The varieties 
are Black Tartarian, Black Eagle, Yellow Spanish, Napo¬ 
leon Bigarreau, Windsor, Elkhorn, Early Richmond, Eng¬ 
lish Morello and Montmorency. The Elkhorn, which has 
been in the past one of the most profitable cherries, will 
have to be abandoned, as the trees are all dying. Why 
this is thus no one can tell. 
“ Were your cherries a profitable crop ? ” queried I. 
“ They did very well Indeed. The crop was large; the 
quality good and prices averaged high.” 
“ How did you manage to secure high prices, when 
others received very low ones f ” 
“ It is simply a question of good taste and care in pack¬ 
ing and arranging for market. All my cherries were ship¬ 
ped in the Armstrong & Atwater crate, which is supplied 
with springs. They hold six boxes of nine pounds each. 
The fruit was all faced in the same style as the California 
cherries, a labor which cost me about seven dollars per day 
during the season, but it paid me very well. It was 
mainly sold in Boston.” 
Healthy Vineyards; Other Matters. 
From the cherry orchard to the vineyard was only a few 
steps and here we found a beautiful, healthy lot of vines 
and fruit. He has about 4,000 vines, mainly Concords, 
Wordens, Moore’s Early and Niagaras, all of which seem 
to be flourishing finely. I noted the vines carefully and 
they seemed to be entirely free from disease. Mr. Powell 
said he had no doubt that he would have lost more than 
half the crop, had it not been for the spraying, which was 
regularly done. His vineyards are in the best possible con¬ 
dition and he will undoubtedly reap his reward. 
Near the vineyard was a large lot of currants, about 10,- 
000 bushes. He will set out 10,000 more next spring, as he 
finds them a profitable crop. He grows Fay’s Prolific and 
a new variety known as the Queen. When in full bearing, 
Typical Norman Cow. Fig. 228. 
he will, during the currant season, ship two tons per day. 
They go mainly to Eastern markets—Boston, Springfield 
and Worcester. 
Small fruits are not grown by Mr. Powell, save for a 
family supply, owing to the difficulty in caring for them 
when his other crops are demanding his time. He has 500 
Orange Quinces now in bearing and they make a fine 
showing with their slender branches waving in the breeze, 
nodding under a load of fruit. 
“ You evidently find fruit growing profitable I” said I. 
“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Powell. “The farmer in Columbia 
County who confines himself to dairying and grain rais¬ 
ing, is needlessly handicapping himself in the battle for 
financial success. Too many farmers do not seem to un¬ 
derstand this matter, or else, through want of taste for 
the fruit business or because they cannot get out of the 
ruts, they do not touch it. Indeed, many of them do not 
grow fruit enough for their own use, as you would see 
by looking over my sales books, where records of many 
sales of fruit to farmers are noted.” 
The Rural representative came away from this enter¬ 
prising home, duly impressed with the fact that intelli¬ 
gence and careful training coupled with industry and 
integrity, are meeting their deserved reward. It would be 
unfair not to mention the fact that Mr. Powell has two 
sons, both thoroughly imbued with a love for horticulture 
and farm life, who prove admirable lieutenants in com¬ 
mand during his enforced absences, while his better half 
is a woman of culture, who presides with dignity and 
grace over this charming home. E. G. F. 
TWO FLOWER NOTES. 
Lilium Auratum. —From a case of imported bulbs I 
potted one for house culture. To day I counted 50 large 
buds and five that failed to perfect. The average results 
from good bulbs the first year I suppose to be from four to 
eight buds. The beauty and delicate fragrance of this 
magnificent lily, its hardiness and ease of culture, both in 
and out of doors, as well as its low price, should commend 
it to all who love flowers. 
Epilobium.— From my front door, looking over the 
Valley of the Jordan River, I see 100 acres, a solid purple 
sea of the beautiful Indian Pink, Purple Fire-weed, or, 
correctly speaking, Epilobium angustlfolium or Great 
Willow Herb. It is not only a feast of beauty to the eye, 
but a flow of honey to the greedy bees, who neglect even 
the loaded linden bloom for the delicious white nectar of 
this grand honey producer. Happy, indeed, is the apiarist 
who lives in the land where this plant reigns supreme 
among weeds. L. s. B. 
East Jordan, Mich. 
Live Stock Matters. 
THE NORMAN COW. 
The editor of the Herd Book de la Race Bovine Nor- 
mande Pure, Bends us the following facts concerning this 
breed of cattle. The picture shown at Fig. 228, is engraved 
from a photograph also sent by this editor. 
The Norman or Normandy cattle, seem to have been 
bred for the special object of developing a general purpose 
animal—one far above the average at producing milk and 
butter and yet large enough to make excellent beef when 
dry. Probably this is the animal most desired in that 
economical country where it seems hardly possible that 
cattle can be grown for their meat alone, as is done in the 
vast, cheap pastures of our own Western States. 
The Normandy cow looks, from her photograph, like a 
“ chunky ” animal with thick, heavy quarters and good 
back. She has more of the “beef type” than cows we 
would usually select as dairy animals, yet her heavy udder 
and large teats show that she Is a large milker. We permit 
M. Henri Delesques, editor of the Herd Book, to describe 
the Normandy cow in his own English : 
“ Of a deep-dark coat, very often mixed with white spots, 
the Norman race offers a variety of color which takes 
nothing away from the homogeneousneps of that race very 
ancient and endowed with an excellent herd book very 
rigorously established. The Norman cow has a large 
head with eyes very prominent; the muzzle is thick and 
turned up ; the horns are fine and bent forward ; the skin 
Is supple, the breast wide and spacious, the back is straight 
and the train behind of fine amplitude. The general confor¬ 
mation is, then, that of a good animal for butchers. An ud¬ 
der well made and of good dimension, covered with a fine 
and supple skin, extends even under the belly, and permits 
us to see, on its surface, big lactiferous veins, a certain 
sign of the copious function of the teats. 
“The Norman race holds in French breeding the best 
place. It spreads more and more in the regions of the 
north and east of France, but especially in the environs of 
Paris and the large towns, where its milk and butter quali¬ 
ties are largely appreciated. 
“The Belgian breeders who have had the opportunity of 
appreciating this race and of buying a certain number at 
the international exhibitions at Antwerp (1886) and at 
Brussels (1888), are at present making large importations. 
As copious a milking cow as the Dutch and Flemish, she is 
far superior to these last in the quality of the butter. The 
acclimatation of this race in Belgium has caused no disap¬ 
pointment, thanks to its rustling abilities, as it demands 
only good food in the cow house or good pasture. 
“ Although the Norman race Is not delicate, it must 
have abundant nourishment. It would be childish, in 
fact, to expect a considerable yield of milk and meat from 
animals fed parsimoniously. Experience has proved that 
the same quantity of fodder consumed by 10 cows gives 
more milk and profit than if it were consumed by 15 or 20. 
Every milking cow ought to be well fed; and the breeder 
who considers his interest will never forget this Swiss 
proverb: ‘ A cow is like a cupboard; you cannot get out 
of it anything that you did not put into it.’ 
“ The Norman cow reaches the weight of 1,200 to 1,800 
pounds, and keeps always an aptitude for fattening, which 
permits it to supply for slaughter, after an abundant lac¬ 
tation, a return of meat very remunerative. It is In the 
breeder’s interest to possess cows which, after having fur¬ 
nished him with a great quantity of milk, can be sold with¬ 
out any heavy loss. This adaptability to two purposes has 
besides, a far greater advantage for breeding; for the male 
calves which are not kept as bulls furnish oxen that are 
quickly developed and soon get fat. Moreover, if they are 
sold as veals, they are large in size and bring good prices. 
Norman oxen fattened at the age of 2X or three years 
reach an average weight of 1,600 to 2,000 pounds. It Is not 
rare to find some weighing 2,400 pounds at the age of three 
years. The meat Is excellent, and so highly appreciated in 
the market of La Villette (Paris) that it commonly fetches 
a quarter to half a cent per pound more than the special 
races for the shambles such as the Durhams, the Limou- 
8 ins, the Nivernais, or their grades. 
“When the Norman race is better known, it will 
promptly obtain that reputation which has perhaps been 
granted with too much precipitation to other races.” 
THE HACKNEY HORSE. 
The recent discussion anent the standard of registration 
for the Hackney in this country and that across the sea, 
assisted by the attempts of the Western and Eastern as¬ 
sociations to amalgamate, will cause many to give this 
beautiful breed more than a passing thought. It is to be 
hoped that its friends will not endanger its success just as 
the horsemen of this continent are recognizing its merits. 
It is now generally accepted that the Hackney has a 
monopoly of a special city trade. In our large cities where 
fast driving comes under the ban of the law, speed must 
give precedence to dash and style. While the French 
Coachers may surpass the Hackney in matched teams, 
owing to their lithe forms and more suitable and pleasing 
colors for matching, yet, for the dog cart or single family 
carriage the Hackney is free from competition. For the 
dog cart the French Coach is too light and though as 
smooth in contour as the Hackney, it lacks the symmetrical 
plumpness of the latter. Beyond cavil, the French Coach 
