1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
are likely to have, as I have never seen an August pass 
here 'without soaking rains. 
So, to recapitulate briefly, we shall, in case it is needed 
next season to bridge over short pasture, depend on 
the following crops, which if not needed for soiling 
will be cut and cured for dry feed. From May 1 to 20, 
Crimson clover and oats ; from then to July 1, winter 
oats ; July 20, spring oats and peas ; July 20 to August 
15, millet and peas ; August 15 to September, Whippor- 
will peas. Then if needed, corn can be used; but I 
have no fears of needing all of these, for, as said above, 
we have never yet passed an August without rain; and 
while this has been the worst year I have ever seen 
here, there was not more than five or six weeks that 
we needed to feed cows ; but in case of an emergency 
we hope to be ready for it. e. l oiffin. 
Loudon, Tenn. 
Saved by a Corn Crop. 
We have gone through the drought very nicely by 
the aid of a piece of Learning corn, drilled in rows 
three feet apart, with an Eclipse corn planter on very 
lich ground on May 10. The kernels average 6 to 10 
inches apart and the stalks are 9 to 10 feet tall with 
large ears on them Many of the stalks weigh three 
and some pounds. I repeat that the ground was 
exceedingly fertile, and the drought, while it made 
the leaves curl some hot days, does not 
appear to have seriously ii jured it. s 
Probably this corn would make 20 tons \ \ \ 
to the acre. We have fed an abundance , v 
of this scattered from the wagon on \\\ V 
the pastures—once a day at first, and ' 
later twice a day, so that no hay or 
grain has been required. I do not think Vv^ 
that the drought ever takes hold so \ \ 
severely on our Schoharie limestone soil \ 
as it does in some localities. If I knew ^ \ 
that it was to be equally dry next year, \ \ 
I don’t think that I would make any \ 
other preparation than to drill in plenty 
of some big, strong-growing variety of 
corn. Probably a mixture of oats and 
peas is a far better balanced ration, but ' 
the yield per acre is so much smaller 
and the time when it is in a proper con¬ 
dition to feed is so short, that I would 
prefer the corn. 
IrShould say that our September and 
October cows being dry in August have 
not required any extra feed beyond that 
furnished by the pastures. Probably 
the best way to overcome an August 
drought is to have your cows taking 
their annual vacation of two months at 
that season, .iared van wagenen, jb. 
Hillside Farm. 
Full Soiling of Cows Not Practicable. 
At LowviPe Station of the State 
Weather Bureau, the total precipitation 
in June, July and August in 1894, was 
5 75 inches. In the same months in 1893, 
it was 13.40; in 1892 it was 19 56, and 
in 1891 it was 13.77 inches. This year 
grass started very early in spring, but 
late frosts and subsequent drought re¬ 
tarded growth, and feed in pastures has 
been deficient through the entire season. 
The aftergrowth in meadows has been 
much less than in any other season in 20 
years, and dairymen have not been able 
to supply their cows with the right kind 
of feed in sufiBcient quantities to produce 
a full flow of milk. With the best management, it 
is not possible to overcome the effects of severe and 
continued drought, so that as good results can be se¬ 
cured as in a productive year ; but much may be done 
to avert disastrous losses. The farm should not be 
overstocked. If the stock kept consumes all the feed 
grown in a productive year, then in a less favorable 
season feed must be bought at a high price, or cattle 
must be sold at a reduced value. A productive year 
should furnish surplus hay that may be stored, either 
for consumption or sale when the crop is short and 
prices high. In a season when pastures fail in July 
and August, and meadows produce very little after¬ 
feed, and oats and peas and corn all suffer with 
drought, a mow of last year’s surplus hay may be very 
useful. 
It has been my practice to pasture much less than 
most dairymen do, and when needed, to supplement 
the pasture with cut clover in June and part of July, 
and later with peas and oats, cut after the grain had 
formed and before ripening of the straw. Meadows 
have been kept newly seeded, and the aftergrowth 
has usually provided the best of feed during August 
and September. After August 20 corn is fed once a 
day through the remainder of the season. By this 
method I have been very successful in securing a good 
yield of milk through the fall months. August is the 
trying month for the dairy, and if the cows are not 
supplied with suitable food at that time, they will 
not yield full profit later in the season. In this year 
of unusual drought, it has been necessary to feed 
some hay and some purchased shorts; but I see no 
reason to change my practice. So long as land is 
cheap and farm labor dear, full soiling of dairy cows 
will not be practicable. c. s. rice. 
Lowville, N. Y. 
ILLINOIS FRUIT NOTES. 
Wasps and bumblebees have been, owing to the dry 
season extremely numerous ; but the honey bees, from 
some unaccountable cause, were absent; and the 
grapes—what there are, have not been much injured. 
I feel like insisting as I have done before that “ when 
the honey bees come, the grapes go; and when they 
stay away, the grapes stay.” 
My experiment orchard has over 200 varieties of 
apples (mostly two trees of a kind), that are large 
enough to bear. There are also about 200 varieties 
that are large enough to show some specimen fruit 
here and there. But we will not have enough apples 
for family use. Yet many of my neighbors have well 
filled trees, and of varieties that failed to bear with 
Rural New-Yorker No. 57. Fig. 166. (See Page 634. 
me. How does this instance affect the theory that 
most varieties are not capable of self-fertilization— 
that “ single varieties should not be planted in large 
blocks”? But I will not insist, for candidly I think 
the real cause to be a cultivation that forced my trees 
into an early growth, only to be the more damaged 
when the March freeze came. It is worthy of note 
that some varieties of apples, pears and plums, pushed 
a second bloom, and some did not; also that among 
those that pushed, some bore fruit, and others dropped 
all the bloom—which was small and weak in nearly 
all cases. 
I agree with The R. N.-Y. in its estimate of the 
Dwarf Rocky Mountain cherry. There is, however, 
another drawback here not mentioned, and that is 
blight. Often in June one-third of the shrub is killed 
by blight. By the side of this new cherry I have the 
old “ Sand cherry ” from Nebraska. Some years ago 
from among them came up, what I supposed were 
seedlings. I even sent plants to Mr. Pennock of 
Colorado, as seedlings of the Nebraska Sand cherry. 
Now they appear to be common plums of the American 
type, and would have fruited this year had the weather 
been favorable. Query : Are they crosses of the “ Sand 
cherry ” with the American plum ? I have not seen 
the fruit from my “Mountain Thimbleberries” and 
now hardly expect to—they are not built for this 
locality. 
The Carman potato has done well with me—sea¬ 
son considered ; from half of a small tuber I weighed 
3% pounds of fair, smooth, shapely potatoes of good 
quality, but hardly “ mealy” enough for “best.” No 
small ones ; vine large and strong ; rather early. 
I have decided in my own mind that the Bordeaux 
Mixture with Purple will drive away or kill the blister 
beetles which have swarmed through all the garden 
this year. Does it kill or repel ? Plant lice have 
withered cucumbers and melons, so that half a crop is 
a large estimate. How do you manage them ? I see 
tobacco stems recommended. It is hard to spray the 
under sides of the leaves of such vines. Is there any¬ 
thing that can scare the impudent and repulsive squash 
bug away ? He rules in my patch—seems to stand as 
much as the vine can. rkn.i. buckman. 
Farmingdale, III. 
THE EXPORT TRADE IN AMERICAN APPLES. 
WHAT TO SHIP AND HOW TO SHIP IT. 
The amount of this trade during the last few years 
shows its importance to American producers, while 
its conditions or requirements are of corresponding 
value. The English buyers cannot be imposed upon 
by inferior fruit or that which arrives in 
poor condition from bad packing or 
I other cause. None but first-class apples 
/ j should be shipped, finely packed in clean 
// barrels, preferably not only clean, but 
/ , new, of the full size, two bushels and 
y/ j three pecks. The Newtown Pippin, from 
n / its firmness, high flavor and enduring 
/ (/ / qualities, stands in the highest favor 
I and brings the highest price; if my 
I memory is correct, as high as 40 shillings 
|i (89 74) per barrel in some cases. But 
the eagerness of shippers to meet this 
demand has allowed the substitution of 
the Peck’s Pleasant for the true New¬ 
town Pippin. The Peck’s Pleasant is a 
fine apple, but lacks the staying qualities 
of the Pippin, and the fraudulent name 
will not sell them in the English market; 
hence Newtown Pippins may sell from 
four to forty shilling at the same sale. 
Red apples are preferred aside from 
Newtown Pippin, and King leads in 
favor. The quantity of these is not 
large Spitzenbergs are also favorites. 
The Baldwin leads in quantity all other 
varieties, and commands a fair price 
Jlljj when of good size and color. As soon 
mjl as a cargo is lauded at Liverpool, the 
/.§ I fruit is sold at auction. One or two 
;,|jj I sample barrels of each lot are opened-or 
|IM| poured out on a table, and the lot is 
JjU judged by these samples. The barrels 
f//w. that are opened slack packed, wasty or 
wet, sell very low, down to the value 
#' J of the barrel. In the common reports 
of sales only those in good condition 
^ are reported. They also say, “slack 
packed and wasty two to four shillings 
less.” A detailed report of all sales is 
also made weekly, with names of con- 
. signors, varieties, condition, price per 
barrel, etc. Prom these lists, it appears 
that small mixed lots of many varieties 
sell poorly. Larger lots of 50 or 100 
■) barrels bring the best prices. 
The cost of freight, from New York 
or Boston with commissions, etc., average about 81 
per barrel. Shipments may be made through large 
dealers in New York or Boston, who will make ad¬ 
vances, but sales are telegraphed to them so that 
payment may be expected in about two weeks. Apples 
sent to Boston in car-load lots are loaded on the steam¬ 
ers directly from the cars which run on to the docks. 
Last year American apples were scarce and of poor 
quality, while English apples were fine and abundant. 
The total imports at Liverpool and other British ports 
of American apples from the United States, Canada 
and Nova Scotia for the past season only reached 175,- 
000 barrels, against 1,204,000 barrels in 1892-93. Prices 
for this small quantity were generally unsatisfactory, 
and at a loss to shippers, except towards the close of 
the season when we could not meet the demand. For 
a term of years 12 shillings (82.93), has been a common 
price for sound fruit, thus allowing 82 per barrel for 
the apples at port of shipment. Canadian and Nova 
Scotia apples rank higher than Maine or from the 
other States. The English crop this year is reported 
to be very scanty and hence there will be a large de¬ 
mand for American apples, but the price will depend 
upon the quality, and none but the best should be 
shipped. 
Arrange with reliable shipping houses in New York 
