75o 
OCT. 24 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
pins hold It In place. The side guy ropes are made fast to 
the ends of this boom. The other guy ropes are made fast 
to the front and rear parts of the machine. Fonr rope 
loops are made fast Inside of the frame and are so placed 
that by passing a rope aronnd the trunk of the tree and 
through these loops two or three times, a rope ring Is made 
around the tree that will keep the trunk In the middle of 
the frame and not allow It to hit either the edges or the 
rollers—a very necessary safeguard to prevent injury. As 
the tree Is slowly lifted by the windlasses the guy ropes 
are loosened, as needed. The tree will pass obstructions, 
such as trees by the road-side, but In doing so It is better 
to lean the tree backward. 
When the tree has arrived at Its new place, the two tim¬ 
bers are placed along the opposite edges of the hole so that 
the hind wheels can be backed over the latter. The tree Is 
then lowered to tne proper depth, and made plumb by the 
guy ropes, and good mellow soil Is thrown In and packed 
well Into all the cavities under the roots. When the hole 
Is half filled several barrels of water should be poured In ; 
this will wash the soli Into the cavities under the center of 
the tree much better. When the water has settled away, 
fill in and pack the soil till the hole Is a little more than 
full. Leave a depression so that all the rain that may fall 
will be retained. The tree should now be judiciously 
trimmed and the machine removed. Five men can take 
up. move and plant a tree In a day if the distance is short 
and the digging not too hard. The tree should be properly 
wired to stakes to prevent the wind from blowing it ov»r. 
The front part of the machine is from our platform spring 
market wagon, while the hind wheels are from a wood 
axle wagon. A tree 10 Inches In diameter with some dirt 
There Is a disposition, It would seem, on the pait of some 
farmers to speak of their successes, and to keep all else in 
the background. There might be as much profit in dis¬ 
cussing the points that bother one. The seeding of corn 
ground and the existence of ridges In some fields “ that do 
not grow clover as well as they formerly did ” (without 
manure) were the two sore points with me. I cannot agree 
that these narrow strips that do not produce clover as I 
would like, and that are not naturally responsive to com¬ 
mercial fertilizers, prove that the farm is losing its 
natural fertility and making a “dark picture” for its 
owner. My best potato yield—over 300 bushels of large 
potatoes to the acre—was raised two years ago. Last year, 
when the crop was a failure here as In many other places, 
and the price was very high, my best land yielded 140 
bushels to the acre. Two acres yielded almost nothing 
owing to the wet season, but I have thoroughly tiled them 
this year. Notwithstanding the fact that part of my 
wheat ground was corn-stubbled, and that one small field 
had lodged before it filled, and two acres were the same I 
tiled this fall because the land was not productive, yet 
my small wheat acreage of 28 acres averaged 25 bushels 
this year, and is in better shape for a higher average next 
time. 
Last year incessant rains delayed my corn planting until 
nearly the first of June, and the average yield was about 
60 bushels; but this year the planting could be done in 
time, and I am safe in claiming a yield of 2,400 bushels on 
my 82 acres, while my neighbor says my estimate is too 
low. I rarely enter into these personalities, and the reader 
will excuse them for the once, but I cannot pose as an ob¬ 
ject of S. M.’s pity, however kindly he may express it. 
first time obtained two good full crops of fruit, with a 
third following during the current season. In the use of 
water I may describe the increase from year to year by 
saying that I first let on water enough to wet the feet of 
the trees ; the next year the water was permitted to come 
up to their ankles, and the third year up to their knees. 
This course began in the spring and continued through the 
heat of midsummer into autumn. This experience, to¬ 
gether with outside observations, led me to the conclusion 
that apple trees love water as much as orange trees, and 
that the more there is of it the better, provided it is not 
stagnant nor enough to leach the fertility out of the land. 
Since the appearance of Dr. C.’s article, I have visited sev¬ 
eral orchards and found that where tile had been put in, 
barrenness and decay were the rule, and, on the other 
hand, low-land orchards not leached by drains, were, as a 
general thing, healthy and fruitful. 
On this matter of tile drainage I have never contested 
that it is not beneficial on certain soils and on some and 
perhaps many geological formations. I speak only of the 
black soil of Illinois. Here, no doubt, tile drainage in¬ 
creases crops on wet lands and is essential for the redemp¬ 
tion of sloughs and swamps, still It is a question whether 
the increase of liability to drought and the loss of crops Is 
not more than the benefits. 
If I were to plant an orchard of apples and pears—and I 
will embrace peaches—on the black soil with a view to 
rapid and healthy growth and early and generous fruiting, 
I would choose the lowest naturally well-drained land I 
could find and endeavor to provide for irrigation in sum¬ 
mer. If I could not obtain that, I would not undertake 
the enterprise unless with means at command to give each 
adhering to its roots, will weigh a ton or more. By con¬ 
structing a highpr frame the tree could be tipped back¬ 
wards so as to go under telegraph wires. 
Queens Co., N. Y. EDWARD hicks. 
THE “WHEAT AFTER CORN” DISCUSSION. 
Can’t We Talk About Our Failures? 
In answer to the question raised by the writer in The 
Rural in reference to the seeding of corn ground to wheat, 
Prof. Morrow well says that “the case is a good illustra¬ 
tion of the Impossibility of giving specific directions applica¬ 
ble to all soils.” Within a few miles of me there is land 
similar to the black prairie land near him, and on this land 
good crops of wheat are raised without any preparation 
for the seeding other than what the tillage of the corn 
gives. But with all the diversity of soils, the diseussion 
has brought out many helpful hints. 
It seems to me that at least two of them should be 
emphasized by repetition. Mr. Crosby’s theory that when 
there is an inch or two of loose soil on top and the rest of 
the ground is solid, the wheat is injured because the top 
layer freezes and thaws Independently of that beneath, is 
in full accord with my observation, and I firmly believe 
the chief injury in heavy soils is due to this cause. In 
loose soils this difficulty is not met, and the wheat does 
not suffer so much from freezing. 
Then Prof. Roberts’s contribution is worth much to every 
wheat grower. I have practiced cultivating my corn as 
long as possible when it was to be followed by wheat, but 
believe in shallow cultivation for corn, and the professor 
calls attention to the need of repeated stirrings immed¬ 
iately before seeding in order that new plant food may be 
set free. This is, of course, partly the reason why we give 
fallow ground repeated harrowings. The lack of available 
plant food and the independent freezings and thawings of 
the loose soil are sufficient to account for the shortened 
wheat crop that farmers often obtain from corn stubble 
land. The weight of evidence is against seeding such 
ground, and I have always tried to have as little of it to do 
as was convenient, but, as all practical farmers know, 
there are often some local conditions that make a “bad 
rotation” the best one at times. 
I have looked through my first contribution on the sub¬ 
ject with some care to see what it was that led S. M. to 
come to the conclusion that in spite of all my efforts with 
manure and clover and fertilizer, my land is steadily grow¬ 
ing poorer from year to year—a dark picture, as S. M. 
well says, “to look at to be sure.” 
Possibly it is a similar experience to this one that has led 
some men never to admit any failures or difficulties in 
their farming operations. 
But no matter how satisfactory or unsatisfactory these 
averages—and they are not as high as I want them, or hope 
to have them as I learn more and am able to underdrain 
more—the fact remains that some of the ridges do not do 
their share, and especially as they are slow in feeding 
themselves on clover, and I wish they were responsive to 
fertilizers, but I do not want the farm judged by these 
ridges any more than common sense readers judge the fer¬ 
tility of some people’s farms by the remarkable yield of 
some one well-manured field In a most favorable season. 
Gallia Co., O. _ ALVA Agee. 
THE OTHER SIDE OF TILE DRAINAGE FOR 
ORCHARDS. 
Trees to their Knees In Water. 
To The Rural New-Yorker of August 29, Dr. Chamber- 
lain contributes a long article with large illustrations, for 
the purpose of demonstrating the beneficial effects of tile 
drainage on his orchard in Hudson, Ohio; further, the 
article undertakes to show B. F. J. to be grossly in the 
wrong in reporting that on the black soil of Illinois, mois¬ 
ture and a good deal of it is essential, first to the health 
and vigor of the apple and pear, and, second, to their fruit¬ 
fulness. I do not undertake to say that orchards situated 
on soils like Dr. C.’s are not benefited by tile drainage, 
but I do say that there is nothing worse for the health and 
fruitfulness of black prairie orchards than such treatment. 
Dr. C. relates his experiences and emphasizes them by 
graphic illustrations. I will relate mine without similar 
advantages, and I beg the reader to take my word for the 
truth of the narrative. 
In the spring of 1864 I planted a dozen or so large, but 
vigorous young apple trees, and cultivated them as well as 
I knew how. They all made a fair growth and by 1872 got 
Into the habit of blooming full every other spring, and 
not far from half full the off year. But the blossoms failed 
to develop into fruit, and from 1875 to 1887 I don’t think 
the total annual crop reached a peck to the tree. In 1887, 
getting water from the city water-works at command, I 
began irrigating more than half of the entire row, at the 
same time using the phosphate and potash fertilizers with 
moderation. Being possessed by the common delusion that 
apple trees dreaded nothing so much as wet feet, I used 
the water with caution. The trees bore some fruit In 1888 
and noticing that they were making healthy growth, I 
gave more water in 1889, and more still in 1899, and for the 
and every tree a copious watering in the spring just before 
the bursting of buds and blossoms, and again in August, 
when the fruit buds were developing. 
The climate of New South Wales is not very much un¬ 
like that of portions of the Valley of the Mississippi above 
Cairo, and therefore if I quote how drought had come to 
that region more than 20 years ago. and give some of the 
causes which produced it, inferentially it may be seen how 
finally the Illinois prairies would have dried from similar 
causes, even though no tile draining had been done. The 
rainfall for the last 14 months has not been above 26 
inches, and that is a two-foot deficiency. Two grass crops 
in succession have partially failed. The feeding season in 
1890 stretched through the long eight months from Sep¬ 
tember to May ; that of 1891 began in August and will be 
nine months long. The outlook is for a severely cold win¬ 
ter, which intensifies the worst features of drought more 
even than the burning heats of midsummer. Now read 
what an observer says of the operation of natural causes 
without the assistance of tiles in a region very similar to 
prairie Illinois: 
“ It has already been observed—this account dates before 
1860—that the climate of New South Wales is becoming 
every year more dry and hot, that is, more subject to 
severe drought. Creeks and rivers which were navigable 
20 years ago almost to their sources, cin no longer be so 
used, and swamps of immense area have been converted 
into rich pasturage by the sole processes of nature. 
“ Many have thought to see in these phenomena the 
effects of cultivation, but the extent of cultivated land in 
New South Wales is too insignificant in comparison with 
the total superfices of the country to exercise a parallel in¬ 
fluence. These changes indeed have declared themselves 
where the cultivation of crops has not yet penetrated. 
Therefore, this transformation, so important from the 
agricultural point of view, must be attributed to other 
causes. This region in its native state, before It had been 
invaded by the numerous herds of the colonists, was covered 
by a veritable mantle of grass, extending over the plains 
as far as the eye could see. This luxuriant and powerful 
growth which carpeted the earth served two purposes: it 
screened the soil beneath from the direct rays of the sun, 
and at the same time it retained the largest part of the 
rainfall, which, soaking little by little into the ground, 
supplied numerous ponds, sloughs, creeks and rivers. 
Now conceive what would be the effect on a region like 
this, of millions of sheep and thousands upon thousands 
of horses and cattle, which were raised, fed and fattened 
upon it. 
“ The sheep bite the herbage they feed upon even to the 
