746 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Straw Blanched Celery. 
E. L. C., Evans Lakk, Mich. —During 
the harvesting of my crop of celery this 
fall, I find, the same as last season, that 
the straw blanched is much superior to 
that blanched in boards or earth, as to 
size, and especially in quality. The proc¬ 
ess is slower, but the quality far better. 
What Destroys the Lawn ? 
G. IL. Covington, Va.—I have had 
many years’ experience with lawns ; the 
trouble is not all with the mower. Most 
soils are full of weeds before they are 
made into lawns. The continual cutting 
makes the weeds grow faster than the 
grass, especially where much water is 
used. In this Dlue grass country, I have 
seen pastures that retained their purity 
for many years, though grazed as closely 
as though cut by a lawn mower. The 
weeds have become so bad that on some 
public grounds they plow up the lawn 
every fall and re-seed very thickly. To 
make a good lawn, one year should be 
spent in killing weeds—better two years 
—before sowing the grass seed. Noth¬ 
ing but commercial fertilizers should be 
used. 
Pickett’s Late Peach Once More. 
11. G. K., San Jose, Cal. —We are still 
eating Pickett’s Late peaches, and know 
of nothing better for fi-esh table peaches. 
They are attractive outside and in, 
are not too juicy, and their season is a 
long one. We expect to have them for 
a week longer, which will end the peach 
season which is about four months long. 
We are still drying Sal way peaches in 
the sun, and making very nice fruit, too. 
R. IL S., Ogden, Tenn. —We have been 
growing the Pickett’s Late peach trees 
for 11 years, herd in the Cumberland 
tablelands, and for the last six years 
they have been the most productive and 
healthiest, and have borne the best fruit 
of any of over a dozen varieties of late 
peaches grown by us. 
Sensible Irrigation Talk. 
W. V. J., COLDWATER, Micii.—I See 
The R. N.-Y. is very much opposed to 
these irrigation schemes. That is all 
right enough : but please make a dis¬ 
tinction between “schemes” and real 
irrigation. Here we do not need large 
tracts watered, but we do need to get 
every farmer into the notion of water¬ 
ing a small plot for growing his own 
fruits and vegetables. They cannot be 
grown successfully without watering. 
The farmer must do the work himself at 
his own expense. It pays well to do 
this, and by doing it, we can support a 
very much larger population. Then, 
when these farmers grow their own food 
supplies, they will have the money from 
their wheat and cattle to buy manufact¬ 
ured articles from Eastern men, thus 
giving employment for more men and a 
greater home market for the Eastern 
farmer to supply. 
Some Michigan Green Crops. 
C. F. C., Elgin, Mich. —On September 
.5, 1 sowed 114 pound of Crimson clover 
seed upon about four square rods of 
ground, sowing turnip seed with it. The 
ground had had peas upon it previously, 
and received about 2 >4 bushels of un¬ 
leached wood ashes. It is my intention 
to put on a bushel or two of hen manure 
within a few days. Roth clover and 
turnips are growing finely. Under the 
turnip leaves the clover is from two to 
three inches high. Where there are no 
turnips, the clover has stooled out won¬ 
derfully, but is not so tall. Next spring 
I shall let you know how it stands the 
winter. 
May 20, last, I sowed one pound of 
Spurry seed, obtained of J. M. Thorburn 
& Co., upon an irregular piece of ground 
in my garden. In five days, it was up as 
thick as a mat, and three days later we 
had a hard freeze which did not hurt it 
in the least. It grew about eight inches 
high and lodged. On July 24, we pulled 
it, and thrashed it with a flail. The flail 
does not break the hulls very well, and I 
wish to run it through a clover huller. 
On account of the terrible drought, the 
catch crop did not come up until about 
September 10; it is very thick and is 
from three to eight inches high. I can¬ 
not see that the heavy frosts have hurt 
it in the least. The land is poor, but 
would probably yield 10 to 1.') bu.shels of 
wheat per acre in a good year. The soil 
is a sandy loam. The yield is small, but 
is as large as I have had from Alsike 
clover in 14 months growth. I shall sow 
several pieces of very light sand with it 
next year. 
To Heal Tree Wounds. 
J. S. Harris, LaCrescent, Minn. —In 
my experience, I have found very little, 
difference in the value, for curing 
wounds, bruises and borer marks on 
trees,between the old-fashioned methods. 
I am satisfled that there is no prepara¬ 
tion made that will heal wounds or de¬ 
fects in a tree. It is a process of nature, 
and will progress just in proportion to 
the health and vigor of the tree, the fer¬ 
tility of the soil, and the ability of the 
roots to take up and the foliage to digest 
and assimilate, plant food. The use of 
the outward applications is to protect 
from the weather, thus preventing decay 
and evaporation, and protecting from 
insects and additional injury. The 
wounds and bruises should be clean and 
dry before the protecting substances are 
applied. The borers should be hunted 
out, the castings and dead bark removed, 
and the hole plugged with seasoned 
wood. 
Two Good Potato Eyes. 
C. I). L., Elkland, Pa. —I have read 
with interest the various reports pub¬ 
lished in The R. N.-Y. from time to time 
in regard to the Carman No. 1 potato, 
and especially the report of C. C. McD., 
on page 69.5. My piece weighed consider¬ 
ably less than one ounce, containing only 
two eyes, and they were from the stem 
end of the small potato. 1 planted the 
two eyes March 21, in two tin cans, and 
they appeared above the ground in just 
one week. It was quite a long time be¬ 
fore I could obtain any cuttings, but I 
finally succeeded in getting 11 plants. 
They were planted in open ground (not 
specially prepared and not manured or 
fertilized) about June 1. They received 
no extra cultivation, were simply hoed 
twice, and were dug September 28, the 
vines having been killed by frost. The 
following is the result : Number of hills, 
II ; number of potatoes, 61 ; number of 
merchantable tubers, 51 ; largest num¬ 
ber in any hill, 11 ; smallest number in 
any hill, 2 ; total number of pounds, 29. 
Who can make a better showing, all 
things considered ? 
Shall We Broadcast Fertilizers ? 
E. D. G., Ashburnham, Mass.—The R. 
N.-Y. in referring to my article on page 
648, admits never having made any com¬ 
parative experiments to prove which is 
the better way to apply the fertilizer. 
As The R. N.-Y. says, the roots certainly 
extend from drill to drill, and it is some¬ 
times dry under the plants when it is 
moist between the drills. Yet there is 
usually a spot between the plants that 
is not dry, and I would rather trust the 
little spot in the drill, well filled with 
fertilizer than if it were broadcasted. 
Will The R. N.-Y. please test this next 
season (mixing the fertilizer in the bot¬ 
tom of the drill 10 inches wide and three 
inches deep) and report results ? I be¬ 
lieve it will be surpi-ised, and all have 
faith in Thp: R. N.-Y.’s fair and impartial 
way of conducting experiments. I cer¬ 
tainly believe that for the crops that are 
to follow potatoes, the broadcast method 
is the best, though if the potatoes are 
dug by machinery, the differences will 
not be great. 
My experiments with new varieties, 
have, with one exception, been a disap¬ 
pointment. Neither Great Divide nor 
Irish Daisy, yielded as well as old kinds. 
and both were of quite inferior quality 
for the table. Columbus was of fine 
quality, but not a heavy yielder. Halo 
and Rochester yielded at the rate of 220 
bushels per acre of splendid quality. 
The one kind I tested that I think will 
prove better than any I have before 
raised, is the Fillbasket, a white potato 
of finest texture and flavor. The yield 
was at the rate of 225 bushels per acre. 
I intend to try to grow 400 bushels on 
one acre next season. I may not suc¬ 
ceed—probably will not—but I don’t in¬ 
tend, if I fail, to feel that it has been my 
fault. 
Inquiry was made a few weeks ago 
about the two new plums, Gold and 
Splendor. They are now offered by 
Stark Hros., of Louisiana. Mo. They 
originated with Luther Burbank, who 
sold his stock and the control for $3,000 
each. Gold is a cro.ss between the Rob¬ 
inson (Chickasaw) and Abundance 
(Japan). It is nearly round, about two 
inches in diameter, of a clear, semi-trans¬ 
parent, light golden yellow, which later 
is overspread with a hazy carmine blush, 
making it, Mr. Burbank thinks, the hand¬ 
somest plum in existence. Splendor is a 
cross between Prune d’Agen with Hun¬ 
garian Prune. The color is that of 
Petite d’Agen, three times larger and a 
perfect freestone. It is thought that 
this cross will change the whole prune 
industry of the world. It is said to have 
no rival as a combined drying, shipping, 
market and table variety. 
“ Wii.YT can be done for poor Miss 
Paragon ?” A Michigan friend under 
this heading writes as follows : 
In 1889, I purchased from Mr. Eng-le a Paragon 
chestnut, and that it might have lirst-class care, I 
planted it in a vacancy in my pet pear orchard, 
planted the previous year. It produced catkins 
the second year, and every year since has been 
loaded with burrs, b\it all barren. I suspect'that 
it wants a mate. Is it a Miss or a Mr. ? And 
what shall I do ? There is no vacancy nearby in 
which to xjlant another one. 
We have never heard of a strictly male 
or female chestnut tree. The male flow¬ 
ers are borne in slender, long, round 
aments or catkins. These appear before 
the female flowers, which are borne be¬ 
low in threes, covered by an involucre 
which becomes the prickly burr. The 
catkins may be compared to the tassels 
of the corn plant; the females to the 
silk and embryo ear. It happens with 
corn as with chestnuts, that the female 
flowers are receptive before the males 
shed their pollen, and vice versa. In 
either case, there will be no proper fruit 
unless the female flowers receive pollen 
from other plants. Now we have a 
(Continued on next page.) 
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