1893 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
7 i7 
which ripens 10 days in advance of the Bradshaw. I 
would, I think, plant some Bradshaw. If my market 
demanded Damsons, I would put in more or less of the 
French Damson. I would plant, certainly, a few 
Reine Claude and Coe’s Golden Drop as the two best 
light colored varieties fitted for market. I would plant 
some Hudson River Purple Egg and Gueii, and would 
also try a few of the Botan [?], Abundance, Burbank 
and Yellow Japan. The last to me is the best of all the 
Japan sorts so far as tested. Then I wotild endup my 
planting for late sorts with Stanton Seedling, Grand 
Duke and Monarch. Perhaps this list may be re¬ 
garded as too elaborate for one engaged in putting out 
100 trees. If so you will bear in mind that it is a little 
difficult for a man wilh several thousand trees, grow¬ 
ing 40 or 50 different varieties to get within the cir¬ 
cumscribed limits. s. D. WILEARD. 
Use an Abundance of Abundance. 
You do not state what part of the country the plums 
are for. I would not make the same selection of the 
older sorts for the South that I would for the North, 
neither would I select the same kinds for the East that 
I would for the West. With this lack of information, 
I would say plant the whole 100 of Abundance for any 
point south of the latitude of New York city. If much 
north of that latitude, the trees might be injured in 
winter, as the tree of Abundance is not much hardier 
than a peach. j. t. lovett. 
Profitable Selection for Market. 
We would name the following varieties of plums as 
most pr Stable for market: Lombard, Reine Claude, 
Bradshaw, Fellenberg, Grand Duke and German 
Prune. The Grand Duke is a new variety that ripens 
late, and is particularly valuable on that account. 
The fruit is large, handsome and of good quality ; 
the tree a vigorous grower and very productive. We 
think there is a great future for the Grand Duke. 
The other varieties named are all standard sorts of 
recognized value. eeewanger a barry. 
A List of Tested Plums. 
In regard to the list of plums given by H. J. C., of 
Jeddo, Mich., page G85, let me say that the kinds he 
mentions, the Bradshaw and Niagara, if not identical 
are so nearly alike that no one can tell the difference 
either in tree, foliage or fruit. At least, I cannot, and 
1 never saw the man that could. But it or they are 
good, first-class, healthy, good growing and produc¬ 
tive and the fruit is of fine quality. Lombard is all 
The R. N.-Y claims for it, but of all the plums grown 
it is most subject to black knot; but while the plum is 
of good quality and productive; it is a low-priced 
plum. Abundance and Burbank are both good plums 
of the Japanese type. Quackenboss does not succeed 
well here and has never been popular. I doubt if it 
will succeed in Michigan. 
More than nine-tenths of the plums sold in the 
markets as German Prunes are not German Prunes at 
all, but are Fellenberg or Italian Prunes; a very 
different plum and one far better. I have a friend 
who was so highly taken with what he saw selling in 
the Buffalo market as German Prunes that he bought 
500 trees and planted an orchard; but imagine his 
chagrin when they came into bearing to find that what 
he had was a plum very productive of the same length 
as the Fellenberg, but of not more than one-half the 
size. He asked me to go and look at his orchard and 
on doing so I saw at once that he had the German 
Prune correct as he had ordered, but that the plum he 
wished to grow was the Fellenberg. The Fellenberg 
I regard as one of the most profitable of all plums. 
The tree is of slow growth, but very healthy. Its 
leaves are large, dark, thick and it holds them very 
late. It never overbears, but is a very regular cropper. 
The plums ripen the first half of September, are large, 
dark-purple, of fine quality, and where the trees are 
well cared for I know of no other plum that will give 
more money for a number of years. Only when the 
plum is sent to market should it be marked “German 
Prune.” They sold in Buffalo this year readily at 
seven cents per pound, when it was hard work to 
get 2% for Lombards. Another plum not in his list 
is Reine Claude. This is an extra good bearer, the 
fruit is of good quality, light color, and brings a good 
price. The tree sun-scalds worse than that of any 
other plum, and as a consequence of this and of its 
overbearing the tree is but short-lived. Another plum 
not in H. J. C.’s list is the Grand Duke, which is a 
coming plum. It is of the same season as Fellenberg, 
productive, plums of good quality, dark blue in color. 
It is of very slow growth, in fact is a worse grower 
when young than the Fellenberg. I would recommend 
working all of the last three named above on some 
good vigorous grower at the proper height for form¬ 
ing a top. j. s. woodward. 
Something About Rose Propagation. 
H. C. D. R., North Baltimore, O .—Can roses be propa¬ 
gated from seeds? If so, will they all be alike or be like 
the parent stock ? When should the seeds be planted ? 
Are the roses you send out all hardy ? Will they stand 
the winter outdoors without protection ? How soon 
will they be sent out ? 
Ans.—Y es, easily enough. Collect the seeds and 
plant them in shallow boxes of rich soil. This may 
be done in October. Sink these boxes in a well-drained 
part of the garden and cover them with fine wire net¬ 
ting. Then spread a mulch of fine material like cut 
straw or pine needles an inch thick on top of the wire 
netting. Cover with soil and leave the boxes until 
February. Then remove them to a cold frame or to a 
conservatory. The seeds will begin to sprout in about 
three weeks. If one has neither glass nor a frame, 
keep the boxes in the soil until late May, when they 
may be taken up and treated as any other hardy seeds. 
As soon as the plants are an inch high, they may be 
pricked out and planted in a carefully prepared plot of 
fine, rich soil. In the fall of the first year it will be 
necessary to protect the little plants by careful mulch¬ 
ing. Roses will vary from seed indefinitely as a rule. 
True species like Rosa rugosa will not vary at all, 
or very little. But all crossbreeds and hybrids will 
vary, as we have said, indefinitely, and most of the 
seedlings will be inferior to their parents. Tiie 
Rurae's hybrid Rugosas are all hardy, no matter what 
the male parentage, for the reason that we expose all 
the seedlings to the same severe weather conditions. 
The tender ones perish the first winter. We have not 
“ sent out ” any, to the infinite regret of the editors of 
The Rurae. But we ertainly intend to send them 
as soon as they can be propagated. See answer to M. 
R. G. in this column. 
A Talk About Pears. 
B. C. A., Beverly, N. J. —1. Will you please inform 
me about the Wilder Early pear, time of ripening, 
size, flavor, color, and whether hardy and productive? 
Does it come into bearing young ? Is it a profitable 
pear ? 2. Is the Clapp’s Favorite subject to blight ? 
3. Is Clairgeau profitable? What is its habit of growth? 
4. Does Bose come into bearing early and yield well ? 
5. Is the Idaho pear equal to the Keiffer for bearing 
and size ? 6. Are Warder’s Seckel pear trees on the 
market ? 7. Will you please put these pears in the 
order in which they are fit to pick for market : Wilder 
Early, Clapp’s Favorite, Bartlett, Seckel, Anjou, 
Duchess, Lawrence, Clairgeau, Idaho, Bell, Catherine, 
Bloodgood ? 8. Is the Bloodgood a good bearer ? 
Ans.— 1. It ,-ipeus in western New York about 
August 1. The size is medium or rather below. In 
quality it is very good, sprightly, tender, rich, sub¬ 
acid. It is said not to rot at the core. It is perfectly 
hardy for your locality and certainly productive. It 
comes into bearing early according to C. A. Green, of 
Rochester, N. Y., its introducer. In color it is yellow, 
with an emphatic red cheek and many reddish dots. 
It will probably prove as profitable as any pear of its 
seasc n. 2. No, we have never heard that Clapp’s 
Favorite is inclined to blight. 3. Yes, where it suc¬ 
ceeds. It is a beauty as to size and color in many 
places. So, too, in many places its quality is good ? But 
in other places it is inferior. It is a most variable va¬ 
riety. Its habit of growth is upright. 4. Yes, it bears 
very early and it yields well. 5. Idaho is in the trial 
period. We fear it will not prove of much value at 
the Rural Grounds. It will not grow as large as 
Keiffer anywhere, but the quality is as good as a Bart¬ 
lett. We do not know as to its bearing qualities. 6. 
We know nothing about it. 7. Wilder Early, Clapp’s 
Favorite, Bloodgood, Barlett, Seckel, Duchess, Anjou, 
Idaho (?), Clairgeau, Lawrence. Catherine Lambre 
ripens in October. Catherine Gardette ripens in Sep¬ 
tember. The Bell is what is known as the Windsor 
by pomologists, Sumner Bell being its more common 
name, and one of its more than a dozen synonyms. It 
ripens the last of August. 8. Yes, the Bloodgood is a 
good bearer. It sometimes cracks and rots at the core. 
A Statement About Those Roses. 
M. R. O., Cambridge, Pa —What is the difference 
between the Premium Hybrid Rosa Rugosa and Rosa 
Rugosa, or other roses ? Are they perfectly hardy in 
the northern States ? Do they make a large or small 
bush ? Do you expect to send them out this fall ? 
Ans.—T he Rugosa hybrids, injudiciously, though in 
good faith, offered by the recent publisher of The 
R. N.-Y., are 17 in number. They differ from one 
another as much as any other roses differ. Indeed, 
they are a most remarkable and diverse lot. Nothing 
like them has ever been seen before. Some have tiny 
leaves, others large leaves—larger even than the 
mother parent; and the flowers vary just as much. 
All are extremely hardy and vigorous. Our later 
subscribers should know that The R. N.-Y. was the 
first ever to make valuable crosses with Rugosa. 
When the assortment was offered to subscribers, it 
was believed by the late publisher that, by a new 
process, they could be rapidly propagated and the 
promise faithfully kept. It was later found that the 
new process was no better than the old, and that it 
would be necessary to bud every one upon foreign 
stock. This is the first promise The R. N.-Y. has ever 
made its readers and failed to keep. That is no ex¬ 
cuse and we do not offer it as such. We mention it 
because it has been a source of deep mortification to 
the editors. We are having them propagated as fast 
as our means will allow, and hope to send them some 
day in the future, according to agreement. 
Haul or Sell the Night Soil? 
N. L. F., Ball's Pond, Conn .—Will it pay me to 
draw night soil six miles over a common country 
road, or would I better sell it at $1 per two-horse 
load ? I have 75 or 80 loads in one heap covered with 
coal ashes. 
Ans. —Night soil varies so much in composition that 
it is difficult to estimate the value of such a lot. The 
fertilizing value of the night soil is probjbly about $2 
a ton. That is, it will cost you about $2 to buy the 
same amount of fertility in commercial fertilizer that 
you would get in a ton of the night soil. To make a 
clearer comparison, the night soil is worth about 15 
per cent more than ordinary stable manure. Six 
miles is a long haul for $2 worth of fertility. We 
cannot advise about selling it, as so many things un¬ 
known to us enter into the problem. 
A Mare With the Dropsy. 
K. R., Plerport, Mich. —I have a bay mare five years 
old that has been in pasture all summer with a colt, 
now five months old. I have been in the habit of put¬ 
ting them in the stable nights, but one night last 
week it was quite warm so I left them in the field. 
Next morning the mare’s head was very badly swollen 
on both sides of the lower j aw, the swelling extend¬ 
ing up to the ears. She does not show any sign of 
having taken cold, can eat well and has a good appe¬ 
tite. After standing in the stable awhile the swell¬ 
ing goes down, but on coming out to pasture it re¬ 
turns. There is no poison in the field. 
Ans. —I suspect that the mare is out of condition, 
in which case the swellings about the head are prob¬ 
ably of a dropsical nature, due to a diseased condition 
known as anasarca. Give the mare one-half ounce 
doses of chlorate of potash three times daily, either in 
the drinking water or on the feed, and continue until 
the swellings begin to subside. Then reduce the dose to 
one-fourth ounce, to be given until the swellings disap¬ 
pear. The following powders may also be given in 
two-tablespoonful doses twice daily on the feed : sul¬ 
phate of iron one-fourth pound, nitrate of potash one- 
half pound, and powdered gentian root one pound, mix. 
Special attention should be given to the diet, and a 
more nutritious ration supplied. Feed oats twice 
daily and a bran mash once daily, or a chopped feed 
of ground oats and middlings in place of the oats. 
Give daily light exercise, but avoid exposure to cold, 
or cold draughts of air. f. e. kieborne. 
Better Let a Yet Do This. 
W. T. S., Chester County, Pa. —I have a mare with a 
stubborn fistula of the withers. It had been treated 
and healed last winter by a veterinary surgeon, but it 
swelled very large and broke again this summer on 
both sides. At present it seems inclined to heal, but 
I know it is not well, or likely to be. Can the veter¬ 
inary surgeon of The Rurae give me any advice as 
to treatment? The mare is seven years old, a good 
breeder and otherwise sound. 
Ans. —Fistulae of the withers are usually very obsti¬ 
nate, especially if of long standing, and require the 
personal attention of a competent veterinary surgeon 
to treat them successfully. A surgical operation will 
probably be necessary, so that I cannot advise W. T. 
S. to undertake the treatment himself. It is better to 
have the case treated again by a veterinary surgeon ; 
and after recovery, do not allow any pressure in that 
region by the harness for several months. F. L. k. 
Make Mince-Meat of the Stalks and Straw. 
A. L. S., Baldwinsvllle, N. Y .—I have about 30 acres 
of corn stalks. I think of cutting them up fine and 
putting them into the mow that way. Suppose this 
whole mow should heat and mould, would the stock do 
well on mouldy feed for a long time, say two months ? 
I have had stalks mould in the mow and the cattle 
seemed to like them, but I have never fed them for a 
long time so as to know what the effect would be. 
Ans. —On page 085 of last year’s R. N.-Y. a question 
much like this was discussed. A man in New Jersey 
proposed cutting his entire winter’s supply of stalks, 
straw and clover hay at one time and storing it in the 
mow. This was discussed by a number of good dairy¬ 
men and all agreed that the plan was sensible—several 
stating that they did this very thing. The corn 
fodder, if cut up alone, should be very dry, and even 
then there would be some danger of its moulding. 
While a small amount of mouldy corn might do no 
harm, a long feeding of it might be objectionable. If 
you can cut straw in with the stalks, putting them in 
layers in the mow you can save much of the moulding. 
This is probably the best plan for you to follow. If 
you had a silo you could follow the plan recently sug¬ 
gested by Mr. Talcott, If, when you feed out the cut 
stalks, you can wet up each day’s feeding, mix the 
grain with it and let all heat up well, you will get 
results almost equal to feeding ensilage. Our advice 
therefore is, not to cut up the stalks alone, but to cut 
straw or hay in with them. 
