344 
June 2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKE 
1887, my brother and I went on farming pretty much 
as father directed. About this time we commenced 
reading Thk Rural New-Yorker and other agricul¬ 
tural papers. In the spring of 1887, my brother was 
married and went on the other farm ; this left me 
with father to look after the home farm with some of 
the 31,400 yet unpaid. We were then keeping six or 
eight cows and making and shipping butter to some 
friends in Pittsburgh at 25 cents per pound by the 
year. 
Getting Into More Fruit. 
This was a slow way of making money, and we 
seemed to have very little more to sell. I commenced 
looking around for something to raise to get more 
money. I noticed that blackberries always sold well 
in the city markets and very few were cultivated by 
the berry growers, most of whom grew strawberries 
and raspberries. Wild blackberries appeared to be at 
home on our land, so in the winter and spring of 1888, 
I concluded to plant an acre of blackberries. I hauled 
manure from my nearest town and covered the patch 
pretty well, plowed it in the early winter, and planted 
2,000 blackberry plants early in the spring—1,000 
Taylor and 1,000 Snyder. About 15 or 16 months from 
the time I planted, I picked and sold 75 bushels from 
this patch. The next year, the summer of 1890, I 
picked and sold from this patch 150 bushels, and they 
averaged me 34 per bushel as there was no fruit in 
this part of the country that year. By this time, I 
had commenced planting other berries as well, and on 
ground that was poor and needed something to make 
them grow. To buy manure, was out of the question. 
What little was made in my nearest village, was not 
sufficient to go over my ground, besides it was full of 
all kinds of trash, corn stalks and other foreign 
matter that made it undesirable among the berries. 
A large part of it was under the eaves of the stables 
and had the best part leached out. Then others were 
after this as well as myself, and they run the prices 
up to 50 cents per load for this trash. To haul it all 
up hill, and a good part of the road was very steep at 
that, did not pay. 
In and Out of Stable Manure. 
In the spring of 1890, I had about eight cows, and a 
friend in Pittsburgh, and a milk dealer, advised me to 
buy some more and ship him milk. I had some very 
good high-grade Jerseys, and he offered me two cents 
in summer and three cents in winter more than the 
market price, after I had shipped him a few sample 
cans. I reasoned thus: If I can get some more cows 
and feed them high on grain, I can make a fine lot of 
rich manure. I bought cows until I had 14, and com¬ 
menced shipping milk more for the manure than for 
the money I expected to get for the milk, for I could 
not raise grain to feed them and take care of 20 acres 
of berries as well. But it did not take long to see 
that the two were going to confiict. We had to ship 
milk on a train at 6 p. m. This made it necessary for 
us to quit work in the field at half past four, and go 
to the barn to milk, in order to have the milk cooled 
in time for the train. By the time we got the milk 
off and supper over, we got very little more done in 
the field. Another objection was that we were tied 
down as closely in the winter as in the summer. In 
other words, we were slaves all the year around. I 
finally came to the conclusion that keeping the cows 
to make manure was a little like the Indian’s gun, it 
cost more than it came to. 
By the time I had commenced shipping milk, I had 
also commenced trying special fertilizers on almost 
everything I planted, and I appeared to be getting 
better results from the fertilizer than from the ma¬ 
nure. I finally sold all my cows but two, and I would 
not now keep these if it were not for the trouble of 
getting good milk and butter. I certainly believe 
that on a farm where fertilizer and clover are used, 
and no stock kept, except what is absolutely neces¬ 
sary to meet the wants and requirements of the family 
and help, much heavier crops can be raised, and the 
farm brought up to a higher state of cultivation than 
if the farm is overstocked, and the fields gnawed to 
the ground, and all the half-leached stable manure 
that a large per cent of these people produce from 
their stock is used. I don’t want to be understood as 
crying down stable manure, but lam satisfied that 
too many overestimate its real value, and very often 
either keep stock or buy and haul manure when it 
would be much cheaper to buy a good fertilizer. I 
have an old blackberry and raspberry patch which I 
expect to plow up this summer, and I am satisfied 
that the soil is deficient in humus. My plan is this : 
Plow and pull out all the old roots and haul them off. 
Then give a liberal dressing of fertilizer, sow to buck¬ 
wheat, plow this down and seed to wheat in the fall 
and sow clover in the spring. Cut the first crop, let 
the second grow up, turn it under, and plant to ber¬ 
ries the spring following. w. A. freed. 
Homewood, Pa. 
A VILLAGE FRUIT FARM. 
PEARS AND PRUNES IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 
From Hops to Fruit. 
Near the outskirts of the village of South Byron, 
N. Y., is located the little fruit farm of Mr. M. W. 
Cook. The plot of ground consists of five acres ; a 
portion of which is used for garden, lawn, a small 
apple orchard, dwelling house, barn, etc. The remain¬ 
ing 3}^ acres are devoted principally to the growing of 
pears and prunes, though the income from the sale of 
peaches, berries and quinces is becoming a prominent 
factor. In 1874, the place was pasture. The extreme 
prices of hops then prevailing, induced him to plant 
nearly the entire plot in this crop. The first crop 
sold at 25 cents per pound and the last at 31 per bale. 
He became fully convinced of the necessity of''making 
a change in his methods of farming. Accordingly, in 
1878, he planted a portion of his ground to 468 Duchess 
pear trees. Thorough cultivation was given, and 
crops of corn, beans, or potatoes were each year grown 
between the trees, until 1885, when the first shipment 
of pears netted him 338.17. A year previous to this 
time he had, from observation, been led to believe 
that the cultivation of the German prune could be 
made a profitable industry. Accordingly he planted 
193 trees of this comparatively new variety of fruit. 
That number has recently been increased to 243, All 
of these trees, both pear and prune, are planted 13 
feet apart each way. Recent additional plantings of 
peaches, cherries and quinces having been made, the 
whole plot is now devoted to fruit growing. 
Since his first shipment of pears, he has each year 
with varying degrees of success, gathered his crops of 
fruit. His sales of pears for 1891, amounted to 3683.55; 
the past season, 1893, the sales of prunes, and a 
partial crop of pears sold for over 3500. 
Points About Picking and Shipping. 
“Do you have any diffijulty in disposing of your 
prunes ? ” I asked Mr. Cook. * 
“On the contrary,” he replied, “I am not able to 
supply the demand. The rich raisin-like fiavor,of this 
fruit is sure to make friends.” 
“ What are your methods of harvesting and selling?” 
“ I commence picking as soon as any are sufficiently 
ripe, that the shipping season may be extended as 
long as possible. They are then assorted and care¬ 
fully packed in five and ten-pound baskets, with a 
cover nicely fitted over each. The latter size seems to 
have the preference with consumers. I send all of 
my prunes to a large commission house in Buffalo, 
the proprietor of which informed me last year that 
there was no competition—that my prunes were the 
only ones handled. However, owing to the financial 
disturbance, he was unable to obtain the prices he 
had formerly.” 
“Would you object to stating the prices you have 
been receiving for prunes ? ” 
“ To show about the average sales the past season, 
I will take the account of sales for September 12 : 
29 lO-pound baskets at 76 cents. J 21 75 
4 S-pound baskets at 40 cents. 1 OO 
18 6 -pound baskets at 30 cents. 6 40 
29 5-ponnd baskets at 24 cents. 6 96 
Total.$35 71 
Previous to last year they have averaged from 50 
cents to 31 per basket. The past season's crop 
amounted to 600 baskets. Of course I expect the 
yield to increase as the trees become larger, and the 
later plantings commence to bear.” 
“ What course do you usually pursue in marketing 
your pears, and what prices are realized ? ” 
“I usually sell to outside parties f. o. b. cars, at a 
stated price per barrel of 100-quart size. Last season 
I sold to parties in Indianapolis at 33.25 per barrel for 
No. 1, and 32.25 for No. 2. I am very particular in 
the work of assorting, ship in cold storage cars to in¬ 
sure keeping, and find that so doing always gives 
good satisfaction at the other end of the route.” 
Care of the Trees. 
“Does your experience in fruit cultivation teach 
that spraying is essential ? ” 
“ I am certainly in favor of spraying the pear, both 
for the extermination of insect enemies, and to destroy 
fungous diseases that have proved so disastrous in 
years past. I am becoming convinced, however, that 
for best results for the latter trouble, we should com¬ 
mence with the Bordeaux Mixture as soon as the 
leaves begin to appear. Since destroying nearly my 
entire prune crop two years ago by applying a mix¬ 
ture of Paris-green and water which, I suppose, was 
much too strong, and also from the fact that a bounti¬ 
ful crop was grown the past season without making 
any application, I can say that I am not an enthu¬ 
siastic advocate of spraying prune trees, though a very 
weak solution might prove beneficial and perhaps re¬ 
sult in no harm.” 
Although Mr. Cook makes liberal applications of 
rotten manure to his fruit trees, he is also a firm be- 
R. 
liever in constant and thorough tillage, and that it is 
even of more importance than manure in successful 
fruit culture. Level and shallow work wholly per¬ 
formed with the cultivator, is the method pursued, 
and the entire absence of weeds and other foul growth, 
and the uniform, thrifty and beautiful appearance of 
the trees, certainly indicate a degree of painstaking 
care seldom met. i. d. c. 
RASPBERRY FARMING. 
SENSIBLE RULES FOR THK CROP. 
Planting. —Mark the rows seven feet apart, and 
wherever practicable run them up and down hill. 
Mark 21^ or 3 feet apart across the main rows. Make 
the rows as straight as possible, if you have 'to use a 
line. Open the furrow with a shovel plow. Set out 
the plants as if transplanting a tree ; cover lightly at 
first, then sow 200 pounds of potato fertilizer per 
acre along the furrows, and fill up the latter with cul¬ 
tivator or hoe. The point is to get the greatest possi¬ 
ble vigor of growth early in the season. 
Cultivation. —For the first year it is impossible to 
have too much cultivation up to the last of July, 
when the tipa are to be laid down ; but it is possible 
to do serious damage by too deep cultivation. The 
best implement yet found for use in a raspberry field, 
is a common 18 tooth spring-tooth harrow. These 
harrows are five feet, nine inches in width, and can 
be used with two horses very eflSciently. The teeth 
should be set so as to go no deeper than three inches. 
The roots of the raspberry run very near the surface. 
After the first year, we use the harrow as soon as the 
ground will do to work in spring, and as often as once 
a week until we are nearly through picking. At the 
proper time after the canes have been trimmed in 
spring, we go through crosswise with a common corn 
cultivator. 
After the berries are picked, no cultivation what¬ 
ever should be allowed. The great danger is winter- 
killing, and the more dormant the plant enters the 
winter, the more successfully it will come out of the 
ordeal. Very little hand labor is required, and all 
plowing up in ridges against the plants on properly 
drained land is wrong, and will in the end shorten 
the life of the plantation. Never plow more than 2)4 
inches deep. By keeping up the harrowing at inter¬ 
vals of one week, all weeds are killed before they 
come in sight, except thistles, docks and similar hardy 
plants that must be cut out with the hoe. In this 
way raspberries nay be, and have been, kept clean 
six or eight years, and when the July drought comes 
that many times shortens the yield more than one- 
half, the land is in the best form to withstand it and 
yield a full crop. 
Trimming. —In nothing connected with the business 
are so many mistakes made or so much ignorance dis¬ 
played of the real ends desired, or of the true nature 
and habits of the plant. The first year, as soon as a 
shoot reaches 8 or 10 inches in height, the terminal 
bud should be pinched off, and under no circumstances 
should any other cutting or trimming be allowed until 
the next spring. We can have but one cane, and we 
seek to make it as branchy and vigorous as possible. 
Hence the pinching back. After the first year, no 
trimming whatever should be made until the follow¬ 
ing winter or early spring. This has been against the 
almost general practice, but it is sound, not only when 
tested by experience, but in theory, also. We aim to 
prevent winterkilling, to have the plant complete its 
round of growth, the wood mature, and the leaves 
drop, because they are ripe, and not from frost. There 
are from four to eight canes, and these, without any 
branches of old growth, will fill the rows with their 
new shoots the next season. It is upon the new shoots 
alone, that the fruit is formed, and the more vigorous 
these new shoots, the greater the yield. One shoot, 
20 or 30 inches long, will produce far more than five 
or six, four inches long. Don’t cut anything in the 
fall. Don’t 1 Don’t I ! Let the patch remain as near a 
wilderness as possible. In the winter or early spring 
cut out the old wood close to the ground, and then cut 
off the new canes as nearly three feet in height as pos¬ 
sible. They will then be in the shape of straight 
sticks without a branch. But the roots are the ma¬ 
tured product of an uninterrupted year’s growth, and 
as soon as spring opens, will develop the buds with 
great vigor. In no instance is the law of pruning 
more markedly shown than with the raspberry : Sum¬ 
mer pruning dwarfs both root and top; winter or 
spring pruning increases the growth of both. Late 
summer and fall cultivation and summer and fall 
pruning have cost the raspberry farmers thou¬ 
sands of dollars each year. The idea that the 
more work they do the greater the crop, has 
ruined thousands of acres every year. Two good 
crops is about the average number, while side by side, 
other farmers with less work get from five to eight 
crops. The unvarying rules for raspberry pruning 
are: 1. Pinch the terminal bud when less than 12 
inches high the first year. 2. After the first year do 
