848 
December 23 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
least 100 instances where heavy dressings of fertilizer 
—some as high as a ton to the acre—have resulted in 
small crops. This was no fault of the fertilizer. We 
have never advised poor men to run in debt for fertil¬ 
izers. It is true that we believe in their use and are 
well satisfied that it is just as much the part of wisdom 
to buy fertilizers for a crop as it is to buy grain for 
cows. We have said hundreds of times that the test 
of the economic value of fertilizers should be to figure 
the cost of the stable manure. Our friend does not 
tell us anything about the crop, or how he proves that 
there was no benefit. If he put the fertilizers on as 
directed, there is still value in the soil, and his subse¬ 
quent crops will get it out, but don’t expect the fer¬ 
tilizer to make rain and prevent blight or disease. 
Another result of fertilizer advice is found in this 
letter: 
The Fertilizers Helped the Berries. 
In the spring of 1891, I set out one acre of Cuthbert 
raspberries intending to put them in rows four feet 
apart each way; but, being pressed with work, I did 
not take much pains in measuring, and so got only 
about 1,600 hills, which would make them five feet apart 
each way. The ground was old meadow broken up 
the year before with 15 two-horse loads of good 
manure spread on. The berries were not cared for as 
they should have been, and so made rather a poor 
growth. The following winter was a hard one on 
small fruits in this section, and they killed back the 
worst that I ever knew. Although my Cuthberts re¬ 
ceived good culture during the summer of ’92 they bore 
only about 20 bushels of berries. As they had received 
no fertilizer since they were set, I wrote to The R. N.- 
Y. the following winter about the best kinds to use, 
and how to use them. The advice was to use one part 
muriate of potash to four parts fine bone flour, and to 
apply from 500 to 1,500 pounds per acre according to 
my means. As my means were limited I bought 100 
pounds of the potash and 400 pounds bone flour, mixed 
it as well as I could, applied it broadcast to one half 
of the piece, and used 500 pounds of a mixed fruit and 
vine manure on the other half, giving the vines a 
severe pruning. I cut out all of the old wood and left 
from three to five good canes to a hill, cutting them 
back to from 18 inches to three feet to see which 
would do the best. Those that were pruned the most 
gave much the larger berries, sending out numerous 
branches from near the ground that were a sight to 
behold, and producing quarts of berries that were 
from three-quarters to one inch in diameter. 
All the cultivation given during the past summer 
was done with the horse, cultivating both ways and 
keeping them in hills. They made a very heavy growth, 
and produced 2,659 quarts of the largest berries that I 
ever saw, which sold for 10 cents a quart, the party 
buying them furnishing the crates and boxes. I think 
this is quite a good yield, and I owe it to The R N.¬ 
Y.’s advice to use chemical fertilizers. The bone and 
potash gave much the largest yield, and I think if I 
had used it on the whole piece, I would have got very 
nearly 100 bushels of berries, and this on a piece set 
in checks and cultivated both ways. I would set in no 
other way, for I think it is much less work to care for 
them, the berries are larger, and the pickers can get 
at them much better, and not leave so many as they 
will where they are grown in rows one way. If any 
one has done any better by growing them in rows, I 
would like to know it and to learn the method of cul¬ 
tivation and care. c. u. bkay. 
East Oxford, Me. 
A LESSON IN WHEAT SEEDING, 
Here is my story relative to increase in wheat: In 
the fall of 1890, I received from The Rural six small 
packets containing about a teaspoonful each of the 
Rural hybrid wheats, not over two ounces in all. I 
sowed the wheat, a kernel in a place, about eight 
inches apart each way, with a two-foot space between 
the different varieties, occupying in all about five 
square rods of ground. I did not manure the ground 
or cultivate the wheat, as I wished it to grow under 
the same conditions as the ordinary crop except as to 
the sowing. When it was in the milk, the English 
sparrows began work on it, and I was obliged to use 
a gun freely to save any of it. As it was, more than 
one half of three of the plots was destroyed by them. 
I saved 45% pounds of wheat out of the lot. In the fall 
of 1891, I sowed a part of this wheat. After preparing 
my ground, which was partly clover sod and partly 
corn stubble, I sowed the wheat with a Planet Jr. 
drill, set to sow as thinly as possible. The drill did not 
do good work, dropping sometimes a dozen kernels in a 
place and again skipping several feet without dropping 
any. I aimed to drop one kernel in a place four inches 
apart, but could not do it, and got in a good many 
times that amount of seed. On 1% acre I sowed a little 
less than half a bushel of seed. From that piece I got 
35% bushels of wheat, thrasher’s measure, and I think 
there were at least two bushels wasted on the ground , 
as I was ill at the time it was harvested, and not able 
to attend to it myself. 
From these two trials, I came to the conclusion that 
we sow altogether more seed than is necessary. If I 
could have seed that would all grow and could sow it 
as I wish, I would put one kernel in a place at not less 
than six inches apart each way, or four inches one way 
and eight inches the other. This would not require 
over four quarts of seed per acre for the largest sized 
kernels. Can wheat be sown or planted in that way 
by machinery ? It seems to me that it can, and that 
there is a fortune for the party who supplies the proper 
implement. Our present thrashing machines crack 
and spoil a great deal of wheat for seed. We would 
have to thrash seed wheat with a flail or some equally 
good way. We would also have to grade the kernels 
to a uniform size. All this seems perfectly practi¬ 
cable, and, when done, millions of bushels of wheat 
may be saved annually, for no man would sow two 
bushels where two quarts would answer just as well. 
_ F. HODGMAN. 
FERTILIZERS AND FRUIT. 
AMONG THE HUDSON BIVER FRUIT GROWERS. 
Part VI. 
Big Doses of Fertilizer. 
The next farm visited was that of David Allerton, a 
very intelligent farmer, who lives a few miles from 
Mr. Barns. Here was something of a change in 
method. As we have explained, Mr. Barns uses very 
large quantities of manure because he is in a position 
to secure it at very reasonable rates. He uses it heavily 
on grapes, too, because the currants and strawberries 
are set among the vines, so that all are fed from the 
same plate. Mr. Allerton uses less stable manure and 
more fertilizer. There are 40 acres in his farm, the 
fruit ground divided as follows: 11 acres of grapes, 
three of currants, four of strawberries, two of peaches, 
one of sour cherries, with young orchards of pears and 
apples coming. 
“What stock do you keep, and what plant food do 
you buy ?” I asked. 
“We keep three horses and one cow, and buy about 
40 tons of manure and five tons of fertilizer. We use 
the manure on strawberries and currants. We prize 
it for its mulching p.operties rather than for its plant 
food. Like others, I have noticed that manure tends 
to wood growth in plants and vines; an excess of rich 
manure is as sure to do this as an application of nitrate 
of soda, and for the same reason, viz., it supplies an 
excess of nitrogen as compared with the potash and 
phosphoric acid.” 
“Then you use fertilizer in addition to the manure 
on your strawberries?” 
“I should say so. I never use less than 1,500 pounds 
per acre for strawberries, and oftener a full ton. I 
would consider it useless to use less than 1,000 pounds 
per acre. On grapes I use 600 to 1,000 pounds per 
acre. Yes, there is a limit to the amount of fertilizer 
that may profitably be used on grapes. About 1,200 
poupds per aere of the Fruit and Vine manure, is, I 
would say, about all average vines can profitably use. 
Delawares need heavier feeding than some other 
varieties.” 
“Strawberries pay you, do they?” 
“Yes, they pay well when well grown and large. 
Ours are mostly Sharpless and Bubach. We average 
5,000 quarts to the acre, one year with another. As 
with grapes, I am satisfied that fertilizers give fruit of 
better flavor and color, and firmer texture.” 
“ What about your peaches ? ” 
“ I use ] ,000 pounds of fertilizer to the acre. I have 
experimented with superphosphate and sulphate of 
potash on some of my trees with, I think, fair re¬ 
sults. But I never use stable manure in a bearing 
peach orchard.” 
“ Could you conduct your farm without any stable 
manure ? ” 
“ That is a hard question that cannot be answered 
off-hand. On some of my clay soil I consider that 
some sort of humus or vegetable matter is necessary 
to lighten and loosen up the land. If I could get 
straw or other vegetable material cheaper than I can 
get the manure, I would say that we do not need the 
latter. As it is, however, stable manure is the cheap¬ 
est form in which we can buy this mulching material 
when we count the plant food that comes with it, and 
so it is bought. Should you ask me, ‘ Could you con¬ 
duct your farm without chemical fertilizers?’ I 
would not hesitate to answer ‘No! ’ for it would not 
be possible for me to raise the quality and quantity 
of fruit I now do on manure alone.” 
“ What else do you raise besides fruit ? ” 
“Our own potatoes and some vegetables. I used 
to raise prime egg plants for sale, but the Southern 
product has about destroyed my market for this, 
though 1 still grow some. We buy all our hay and grain.” 
How much help ?” 
“ We have five men lor six months, two men for 
eight months and one man through the winter.” 
“ What were your sales for 1893 ?” 
“ Of grapes, about 35 tons. They were mostly Con¬ 
cord, Delaware, Worden and Pocklington. Of course 
we test all the promising new sorts. We also sold 
about 14,000 quarts of strawberries, 2% tons of cur¬ 
rants and 150 baskets of peaches.” 
“ Do you follow the double system of cropping ?” 
“ We have a few currants among the grape3, but in 
mo3t of the vineyards the vines are alone.” 
“ What are your main reasons for advocating the use 
of fertilizers ?” 
“ Besides what I have already said, I ma$ add that 
the fertilizers are easier to handle and apply. There is 
less labor involved in their handling. They are also far 
better suited for some fruits, like grapes and peaches. 
They give higher color and flavor and firmer texture 
and also promote maturity. As a matter of cost, at 
present prices they are cheaper than stable manure. 
The fair way to test the two is to put the same value 
into each and use them side by side. Buy $50 worth 
of manure and $50 worth of good fertilizer and put 
them on equal sized fields. On such a test the fertil¬ 
izer will win every time at the prices we are called 
upon to pay.” 
“ Do you think fertilizers will pay on any kind of 
soil ?” 
“ I see no reason why not. Of course, in using fer¬ 
tilizer, it is necessary to have the soil in a fine mechan¬ 
ical condition. It must be well worked and fined. No 
use to expect fertilizers to do their best in a poorly 
prepared and rough soil. On many heavy lands, there 
is no doubt that vegetable matter in the form of 
manure or a green crop is needed to loosen or lighten 
the soil. How much of this effect may be produced by 
thorough working, I am not prepared to say, as I do 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of the 
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not answered in our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
CAN RASPBERRIES STAND TOO MUCH 
RICHNESS? 
J. H. B., Croton , Ohio .—Is there any danger of get¬ 
ting clay ground too rich for blackcap raspberries? 
It was in corn this year (sod, plowed last spring, pre¬ 
viously mowed one year and pastured two—with corn 
stalks fed on the poorest of it). The corn yielded 60 
bushels or more per acre. We are applying 25 or 30 
loads of manure per acre. The ground is partially 
tiled, and we expect to tile more this winter where it 
is needed. 
Too Much of a Stimulant. 
Yes, there is danger of having ground too rich for 
raspberries. By heavy manuring, a strong growth of 
cane is stimulated late in the season, which, being 
immature, is liable to be winter killed. An excessive 
growth of cane is often made at the expense of fruit 
buds. I would prefer ground of moderate fertility. 
WM. PARRY. 
Too Much Manure Means Wood. 
I do not feel competent to answer. First, I have 
not succeeded with raspberries because of anthracnose. 
Second, I do not understand the manure question very 
well. But I think the correspondent’s ground rich 
enough as far as stable manure goes without the 25 or 
30 loads more. So far as I see, much stable manure 
means a heavy growth of wood and a decrease in 
quantity and quality of fruit. It also increases the 
tendency to winter-kill and to injury by fungous 
diseases. The latter is no small consideration. Our 
rich prairie soil grows inferior grapes, sorghum, and, 
I think, most fruits—or anything requiring a sugar test 
for excellence. I have planted strawberries on very 
rich soil (feed lots), have tended them well and for 
returns got only a tremendous growth of plant with 
few and small berries. Probably an excess of nitrogen 
was the cause, but I do not know. 
Again, I have seen vineyards on the points of the 
poorest clay hills that border our streams, that pro¬ 
duced on an average over 20 pounds of first quality 
grapes to the vine yearly for a period of 10 years, and 
this without any manure whatever. Blight is more 
prevalent in blackberries when much stable manure is 
used. Peaches and grapes rot worse, and anthracnose 
is more fatal to raspberries. 
A manure for corn is not a perfect fertilizer for 
fruit. Here we say : “ This ground is rich,” because 
it produces fine corn. We can pasture clover and keep 
it rich without expense, so the manure question does 
not concern us who want nothing but corn. But if we 
raised grapes, we would call that clay hill point rich 
and the blaek soil poo:. So the question of food to 
