364 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 27 
What Is To Be The End Of It. 
“But suppose a shipper insists on having his crates 
returned?” 
“ Then he will pay for having it done, and the lower 
price at which his berries must be sold, not to mention 
the fact that many commission men will not receive, 
and many retailers will not buy at any price fruit 
under such conditions, will render it extremely un¬ 
profitable for him.” 
“ But isn’t there considerable opposition among 
growers to this state of affairs ?” 
“ Among some of them, and the growers having tht 
oldest and dirtiest lots of crates and baskets make the 
most fuss as a general thing. I know of one Jersey mar 
who claims to have §5,000 worth of packages, and he 
must have them returned, but to my certain knowl¬ 
edge the style of basket he has, has not been manu¬ 
factured for the last 20 years, and he has been using 
them all this time. He wants me to sell his berries, 
but I told him that he wouldn’t get his baskets back 
if I did.” 
“ Are there any other products of any account that 
are now sent to this market in returnable packages?” 
“ No, not to amount to anything. Of course, there 
are some special products, and those which are sent to 
particular dealers that are exceptions, but as a general 
rule no packages are returned.” 
“ How about the peas that come in those neat 
baskets from the South?” 
“The baskets go with the peas. Now, look at these. 
There is a neat, strong basket holding about a bushel, 
with a wooden cover. The Southern grower furnishes 
that, pays heavy freight, and doesn’t expect to get it 
back. A man from Long Island will stand in the 
street and dicker for a half hour over the return of an 
old dirty bag that costs him not over five cents.” 
The sum of the whole business is that new methods 
are taking the place of the old, necessitated by new 
conditions. When the shipment of produce was 
carried on a small scale from nearby points, and 
packages were comparatively costly, the return of the 
empties was all right. But now when shipments are 
made to distant points, and often reshipped once or 
twice, and the business has assumed such immense 
proportions as at present, a change is imperative. 
The strongest competitors of our Eastern fruit gro wers 
are the Californians. They don’t ask for their pack¬ 
ages back. There are doubtless commission mer¬ 
chants who' will agree to return packages, but from 
my present knowledge of the facts and the condition 
of the trade, I wouldn’t recommend a friend of mine 
to ship to such. The change has come, and it has 
come to stay. The wisest thing to do under the cir¬ 
cumstances is to plan accordingly. F. H. v. 
LEFT OVER. 
A Sensible Man’s Sweet Corn. —In The R. N.-Y., 
page 336 I read : “ Why does a sensible man draw the 
‘ color line’ at Blaok Mexican sweet corn ? It is the 
best in quality. Does a man taste with his eyes?” I 
claim to be a sensible man, but I draw the line at 
Black Mexican sweet corn—not a “color line” exactly, 
for it cooks white when in the right state, but 1 
object to it because it is only in the cooking state 
about one or two days. Too green, it is watery ; and 
too iipe, it is tough and black. I also object to the 
statement that it is the best in quality. I admit that 
tastes differ and 1 also admit that during the few 
hours it is eatable it is very good, but to my taste not 
nearly so good as the Evergreen, and it is not good 
one-fourth as long a time, and it will not yield half as 
much ; so I draw a line at Black Mexican. W. L. 
Ridgeland, N. Y. 
Alfalfa “At Home.” —I was much interested in 
Mr. J. E. Wing’s experience with Alfalfa, or Lucern 
in Ohio, but I think there are one or two points, per¬ 
haps three, about which he is mistaken. Alfalfa is at 
home in the arid regions of Colorado and no amount 
of cold or freezing will kill it if the ground does not 
heave. We always sow it in the spring, usually with 
wheat or oats, and I have myself had a fine stand 
without even harrowing when a storm prevented. I 
have also seen it sown on stubble ground, on the 
snow in early spring with the Cahoon seeder and it 
gave a fine stand. It is being extensively used in 
Colorado to improve our lands. Last year I plowed 50 
acres that had been seeded only one year and cut 
twice ; the result was nearly 30 bushels of wheat on 
land that had previously borne only about 10 bushels. 
We think it a very profitable crop in rotation. It is 
true, that there is danger in pasturing it by ruminants, 
but many of our farmers are pasturing it from the 
time when it begins to blossom in June until the 
frost nips it in October. It is especially dangerous in 
early spring, though no man need lose his cattle if he 
looks after them faithfully Our soil is both gravel 
and clay loam and Alfalfa does well on either if it is 
not wet. I do not see why it will not grow East 
where the soil is dry and is not heaved by frost. 
Wherever it will, I am sure there will be no need of 
any other member of the clover family, as this easily 
surpasses all others. c. o. upton. 
Weld County, Colo. 
A Place for Everything. —In selecting places for 
trees, it is wise to consider special points of environ¬ 
ment. For instance, a cherry tree near the house is 
not apt to be molested by robins. Pear trees bearing 
very large and heavy fruits should have the spots most 
sheltered from rough winds; so should those whose 
burden of fruit must be carried several months in the 
autumn; the hardest winds blow after Bartletts, 
Clapp’s Favorites and the smaller early varieties have 
been gathered. For the same reason plant the King 
and Pound Sweet Apples in the middle of the orchard 
or in the shelter of buildings. Keep elms far from 
the garden, for they are the prince robbers among 
trees. Let them find their living in the public high¬ 
ways. Put the most attractive fruits—the reddest 
and yellowest peaches—in the least conspicuous 
places; dull-colored fruits seldom allure passersby. 
But for artistic effect, let a few brilliantly colored 
fruits hang in front of a clump of evergreen shrubs. 
So also, in placing the vegetables for the use of the 
house, select nearby spots for the articles that will 
be most frequently in demand. Parsnips will prob¬ 
ably be sought but once or twice in the year ; they 
can take a distant bed ; but the beets, onions, lettuce, 
beans and early cabbage will be wanted every day 
through many months, and should be at a handy dis¬ 
tance. Most of these suggestions should, however, be 
considered in connection with the soil characteristics 
and other points of adaptability. Asparagus, for in¬ 
stance, must have a light, rich soil, if one has to go a 
half mile for it. J. t. r. 
[Every query must be aooomp&nled by the name and address of the 
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not answered In our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions 
atone time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper . 1 
TO FIGHT THE CURCULIO. 
TO MAKE A WHOLESALE JAB. 
What devices are In use among plum growers for jarring trees to 
catch the curculio? Are there any machines for doing the work on a 
large scale? If so, how are they operated ? What hand device Is 
least liable to injure the trees? How often should jarring be done ? 
Are there any cases where black knot has been treated by cutting off 
the diseased part and treating with tincture of Iodine? 
In collecting curculios from large orchards, some 
large growers use a device like a large inverted 
umbrella fastened on a wheelbarrow. An opening is 
left just wide enough to allow the trunk of the tree to 
stand in about the center of the device, when it is 
jarred. A spike is driven into the body of the tree 
and three or four blows from a mallet jar the pests 
down, when the wheelbarrow is run quickly along a 
row of trees, at the end of which the curculios are 
gathered up and destroyed. For a few trees two men 
spread a large sheet under the tree, then jar, and 
turn the curculios into a pail of water with kerosene 
in it. Jarring should be done daily for nearly two 
weeks to save the fruit. I have sprayed with Paris- 
green with decided results, and this is less expensive 
than jarring. I know of no instance where black- 
knot has been treated with iodine. That being a 
fungous trouble, no outward application yet known 
will stop or prevent it, though careful experiments 
will be tried the coming season, to test different fun¬ 
gicides in the line of prevention. geo. t. powell. 
Some use a sheet tacked to a frame and carry it 
from tree to tree ; others make it in the shape of an 
inverted umbrella, though not quite so much turned 
up, and attached to a contrivance like a wheelbarrow. 
In either case there must be a slot from one side of 
the frame to the center to admit the trunk of the tree. 
In the latter device a sack should be suspended from 
the center of the catcher into which the curculios 
roll; in the former tl*ey are usually picked off by 
hand. Where the trees are few, some grow them in 
the chicken yard, feeding the chickens under them 
and jarring them every morning for about two weeks. 
Where the ground is free from stones and rolled 
smooth a man can bug a large number of trees. 
While the trees are small a plug of half inch iron may 
be inserted in the trunk of each to strike against. 
But after the tree gets too large for this, the hammer 
must be well padded and each of the larger limbs be 
struck separately, being careful to strike squarely 
against the branch. Jar two mornings in succession, 
and if there are many bugs the second morning con¬ 
tinue every morning until only a few are caught 
under a tree. Then jarring every second or third 
morning will do. This must be continued for two 
weeks or more. It should be remembered that the 
curculio may come from neighboring orchards of 
plum, peach or cherry, thus prolonging the supply. I 
have never tried iodine, but have been successful in 
some cases, and in others not, by the use of kerosene, 
depending, I think, on the age of the knot. 
Michigan. . w. F. bird. 
The curculio is combatted in two principal ways, 
namely, by spraying and jarring. The devices used 
for jarring in this vicinity consist of two-wheeled 
carts which support light frames over which cheap 
muslin is stretched so that the frames have an appear¬ 
ance similar to inverted umbrellas. The trees are 
headed in very closely, and one of these frames has as 
great a spread as the heads of most of the trees. A 
slit in one side allows the center of the frame to come 
next the body of the tree. A tin box underneath 
catches the bugs as they are swept with little brooms 
downward to an opening in the center of the cloth. 
Padded crutches or mallets (padded) are used for jar¬ 
ring the trees. The frequency of jarring depends on 
the prevalence of the insects. No rule can be given 
for this work. The spraying is advocated by Prof. 
Bailey, lime being mixed with the Paris-green to neu¬ 
tralize its caustic effect on the foliage, and jarring is 
also recommended as a measure of success with spray¬ 
ing. That is to say, he would not depend on spraying 
alone, for sometimes the insects come in droves from 
outside the orchard, and may do a great deal of in¬ 
jury before the spraying has any effect on them. The 
Geneva growers do not practice spraying at all. We 
have used tincture of iodine to some extent in treat¬ 
ing wounds made by removing black knot from the 
side of limbs which we do not like to sacrifice by 
pruning out entirely. Other mixtures have also been 
used for this purpose. Of course, this method is only 
adopted occasionally, for it is best to trim out the 
knot, cutting from four to six inches or more below the 
diseased part. peter collier. 
New York State Experiment Station. 
I do not know of any growers of plums in this 
locality who take the trouble to molest the curculios 
to any great extent; but when they do, they use a 
heavy mallet for jarring, and spread a sheet on the 
ground to catch the little pests. I prefer a large 
square of cotton cloth fastened on two sides to light 
poles, with an opening cut from one end to the mid¬ 
dle. This can be quickly placed under and around 
the trees, and for jarring I use a long-handled mallet 
weighing three or four pounds, faced with old rubber- 
boot heels. The rubber keeps the mallet from cut¬ 
ting the bark. This outfit costs but a trifle and 
answers every purpose. After jarring each tree the 
curculios can be quickly collected and disposed of. 
The time of jarring can be ascertained by keeping 
close watch of the fruit, and on the first appearance 
of the little crescent-shaped cuts or marks, the trees 
should be jarred once a day for a week or ten days. 
Some varieties of plums need more looking after than 
others; those that get hard and downy sooner than 
others require less attention. With some heavily 
bearing varieties I think the curculios could be looked 
upon as necessary evils, as they save the grower the 
trouble of thinning his fruit by hand. Black knot 
receives but very little attention in this section and 
is fast getting the upper hand of those who would 
like to keep it within bounds, and if allowed to con¬ 
tinue its course, plum-growing will soon be an occu¬ 
pation of the past. I have tried cutting back when 
the knot has started too thick ; by so doing we lose 
quite a large bearing surface. I prefer to use the 
iodine, for that is a sure cure. I have never seen a 
knot start after a second application. In my experi¬ 
ence, when the soil is kept in a high state of cultiva¬ 
tion and the trees are not set too thickly, so as not to 
cause too much shade, black knot does not thrive well. 
Chittenden County, Yt. w. h. h. 
The Whole Story of the Plum Curculio. 
Fighting the pium curculio with the spray pump 
and London-purple or Paris-green is not giving the 
satisfaction attained by the use of this remedy against 
the codling moth. I attended farmers’ institutes, 
the past winter in the region of Oceana County—our 
most noted plum region. I find that the general ver¬ 
dict is that the arsenites will not take the place of the 
jarring method. True, the beetles do eat the fruit 
and foliage and are poisoned, but not till many 
eggs have been laid in the fruit. This must be the 
case as I proved two years ago. We first jarred the 
trees to surely remove all curculios, and then picked 
off all stung plums. We then sprayed half the trees 
thoroughly with London-purple, covered all entirely 
with a cloth bag, within which we liberated an equal 
number of curculios. In a week we examined, and 
found many dead curculios in the bags about the 
sprayed trees, and no dead ones in the others. We 
also found many stung plums in all the trees, though 
fewer in the trees that had bean sprayed. That we 
found live curculios under the cloth covers of sprayed 
