THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 16 
178 
nose, his tongue, all gave positive proof of the fact. 
No fresh meat bills that month, as every one prefer¬ 
red the berries, and was the better natured and better 
tempered for it. The pride that wife took in the mat¬ 
ter was fully compensating for all my labor. To see 
upon the table a large glass berry dish holding three 
or four quarts, tilled and rounded up with the glisten¬ 
ing, black Greggs as large as chestnuts, and mingled 
with the blushing, red Cuthberts, as large as my 
lady's thimble, and thoroughly mixed with white 
granules of sugar, is, indeed, one of the pleasures of 
life. It costs you nothing to speak of, but a little 
labor, and makes your wife your sweetheart again. 
To know that the limit of appetite or capacity is 
the only restriction in connection with such a dish, is, 
indeed, another of the pleasures of life. No little, 
mincing saucedishful, but a large-sized tea-saucer, 
well heaped, and when that is empty, pass it up again 
with no apologies. For seven years, these bushes 
have abundantly supplied all that a family of six per¬ 
sons could use, with a plentiful quantity dried, can¬ 
ned and jammed. The occasional luxury of giving to 
appreciative friends a liberal supply, is yet another of 
the pleasures of life that these same berry bushes 
have furnished. Seven years of plenty of raspberries 
right at our own door, with very little effort! Think 
of that, ye farmer, as your wives or children go tramp¬ 
ing vainly through the rough fields for the wild ones 
they cannot find, and you with plenty of good land 
going to waste. Think of it, now, for now is the time ; 
and let the actual experiences above narrated, and the 
certain promise of an abundant supply for the future, 
be your starter. a. b. Phillips. 
Ohio. 
THE CULTURE OF Q Ul NCES. 
IIOW TO FIGHT BORERS ANI) BLIGHT. 
History of a Little Orchard. 
Ten years ago next May, I set a small quince 
orchard, planting the trees 10 feet apart each way. 
The ground between was planted to corn the first 
year, but has not been cropped since. It has been 
plowed and cultivated each year since, until the trees 
were seven years old, when it became impossible to 
cultivate them longer because of their being planted 
so close together. The trees were heavily mulched 
with coarse horse manure immediately after setting, 
and no fertilizer of any kind was applied till the 
winter before they were nine years old. Coal ashes 
in abundance were applied each spring for four or five 
years. They bore a little fruit the fourth year, and a 
full crop each year since. By a full crop, I mean all 
the trees ought to carry. The first few years, the new 
wood was all cut back to two buds each spring, and 
the branches kept well thinned out. The trees are 
not pruned at all now. As long as a bushel or more 
of coal ashes were kept about each tree, no borers 
could be discovered. The ashes were omitted one 
year, and straightway the rascals took possession. 
Their presence is readily known by the deposits like 
chips or sawdust at the base of the tree, which they 
work out behind them as an auger or gimlet throws 
out its cuttings. I take my annual fishing excursion 
in the quince orchard, with a basket containing a 
light mallet, a half-inch chisel, a number of bits of 
pliable wire from six to ten inches long and a sharp 
knife, an old carriage cushion to sit or lie on, and the 
fun commences. After locating one, 1 use knife or 
chisel till I find the direction in which he has worked, 
then a bit of wire will follow in the track he has 
made. A little experience with the wire will soon 
enable, even a novice, to hook or spear the game, and 
so end his career of destructiveness. 
Experience With the Blight. 
The season the trees were seven years old, the blight 
appeared on both leaves and fruit. The trees were 
nearly defoliated by September 1, and the fruit was 
so poor and knotty, and so covered with black spots 
and scab, that I would not ship it in my own name. I 
took it to one of our local fruit buyers, and he sold it 
for a fair price, considering its poor quality. The 
following spring, I sprayed as soon as the trees were 
fully leaved out, and again when the fruits were as 
large as hickory nuts, with Bordeaux Mixture—12 
pounds of copper sulphate and eight pounds of lime to 
50 gallons of water. The fruit was large and pei-fect, 
and the leaves were healthy, and remained on the 
trees till winter. I now spray once each year with 
Bordeaux one-half the strength of the above, and get 
perfect fruit and healthy foliage. I have had but little 
experience with the twig or limb blight. Two or 
three trees were somewhat affected about the sixth 
year. I immediately cutout all the disease! parts, 
cutting several inches below the dead bark. In one 
tree I cut out the whole upper half of the top, thus 
spoiling the whole symmetry of the tree. The disease 
has not reappeared. 1 don't think there is any known 
remedy or cure for it, but I believe that the trees 
which are kept covered with the strong Bordeaux men¬ 
tioned above, will be much less subject to attacks of 
this or any other disease. 
Planting, Varieties, Soils and Water. 
I would recommend planting quinces not closer than 
15 feet one way, by 10 or 12 feet the other, so that 
cultivation may be continued, at least one way, after 
the trees become large. Plant thrifty, strong trees, 
one or two years old. I prefer yearlings, as the shock 
of transplanting is not so great as with older trees. 
Such trees should not cost more than .$10 or $12 per 
hundred. Cut the roots back to about six inches, and 
the top all off except one bud on each branch ; start 
the head of the tree not less than 18 inches from the 
ground—I think 24 is better—then the branches of the 
matured trees will rest on the ground with the load 
of fruit if they are well cared for. I prefer the Orange 
to any of the other well-known kinds. Meech’s Pro¬ 
lific I do not find to be prolific, neither is the quality 
so good as the Orange. Rea’s Mammoth and Cham¬ 
pion are too late in ripening to suit me. 
Do not attempt to grow quinces for market unless 
the quince thrives naturally in your soil If the old 
quince bushes in the corners of your neighbors’ gar¬ 
dens, thrive and bear fruit every year, you may safely 
attempt to grow them. Twenty miles from here in an 
adjoining county, on higher, colder, less fertile soil, 
the quince is a failure. Here the quince is a sure 
bearer. The fruit buds are not formed the previous 
year, as is the case with the peach and some other 
fruits, but they come on a little shoot that starts 
early in the spring ; hence the buds are never killed 
by severe cold in the winter, or by spring frosts, as 
they bloom very late. I don’t think the quince is par¬ 
ticular as to the kind of soil it grows in, provided it is 
rich in plant food. My trees are in a heavy loam. I 
know they do well in a light sandy or gravelly loam, 
and in black soil. The idea is prevalent that a quince 
tree needs water ; so we often see them set in low, 
swampy, soggy soil, that is seldom or never dry, and 
then the owners complain that their trees don’t do 
well, and that quinces don’t pay, anyhow. 
Quinces do need water ; in fact, I believe that it would 
pay splendidly to irrigate them, provided the land 
had good drainage so that the water would not stand 
about the trees. Quinces do need water, but they need 
it for the same purpose that a human being needs it— 
for a bath and to drink ; but they can’t live and pros¬ 
per with their feet wet all the time. The best quince 
orchards of which 1 know, are on high, well-drained 
land. In two orchards in this vicinity, one side is in 
a low, moist place, and in both instances the trees are 
inferior in growth, healthfulness and productiveness 
to the ones on the higher land in the same field. 
The fruit from my orchard netted at the rate of $240 
per acre last season ; the preceding crop brought from 
$100 to $150 per acre. 
The Financial Side of the Crops. 
Now, don’t let everybody go to setting out quinces 
largely, expecting to reap as large returns as $240 per 
acre. In this vicinity are at least four quince orchards 
that are as old as or older than mine, that have never 
paid the first cost of the trees and the cultivation. I 
have not carefully examined the trees in any of these 
orchards, but can guess pretty closely the causes of 
failure : 1, borers; 2, lack of cultivation and plant 
food ; 3, lack of proper cutting back when the trees 
were young. Young trees will not thrive in sod. Old 
trees will if given enough to eat. They can reach 
their food from the surface of the ground, for the 
roots run very shallow 7 . My trees are turned out to 
grass now, for the branches nearly touch in each 
direction, and cultivation is impossible. But I don’t 
expect they will go hungry; I can not afford that, for 
the little quince orchard is the most profitable piece of 
ground on the farm, and now requires no labor except 
the spraying, fishing for borers, and gathering the 
fruit. The fruit will hang on the trees for weeks after 
it matures, and, with careful handling, will keep for 
some time after picking. It should be handled as 
carefully as eggs at all times, for a slight bruise will 
make a spot that mars the looks, if it does not induce 
rot. As to the future of quince culture, I am not pre¬ 
pared to act the part of prophet. The market has 
been well supplied, and prices low, for several years. 
The price paid by our local fruit buyers, last season, 
was about 50 cents per bushel. Mine sold at the pack¬ 
ing house for more than twice that sum. 
Yates County, N. Y. e. c. gillett. 
Some Irrigation Questions. —I wish to ask several 
questions in regard to irrigation of strawberries, 
hoping that some of your subscribers have had ex¬ 
perience along these lines. Using a steam pump to 
draw the water from a lake and to force it through 
pipes and hose where wanted, will surface spraying 
or showering give paying results ? Will the increase 
in size of fruit pay the cost? Will the quality of the 
fruit be increased or diminished ? Can the water be 
applied in any other way during the picking season ? 
No reservoir or tank is supposed to be used. t. 
HOW TO GROW "FANCY VINELAND SWEETS.” 
FROM THE SEED TO THE STOREHOUSE. 
Selecting the Seed. A Manure Bed. 
Part I. 
Probably there is no other place in the United 
States where the sweet potato attains greater perfec¬ 
tion, than in southern New Jersey. At any rate, the 
prices received seem to indicate that “ Vineland 
Sweets” are far superior to those raised in other 
sections of the country, bringing, as they do, from 50 
cents to $1 per barrel more than any others. This is 
largely due, no doubt, to the almost general use of 
chemical fertilizers, and to the superior methods of 
culture, as well as to the adaptability of the soil and 
climate. 
One of the most important points is the selection of 
the seed stock. The New York market, which re¬ 
ceives a very large proportion of the sweets raised in 
this locality, demands a short, chunky potato of a 
bright yellow color, free from spot or blemish. Such 
potatoes are known as “ Fancy,” and those grown in 
the vicinity of Vineland, are known as “Vineland 
Fancys.” The variety locally known as the “pumpkin 
sweet,” comes about as near the ideal potato as any, 
and is more largely grown than any other. The 
practice of the largest and most successful growers, 
is to go into the field at digging time, and select the 
seed stock from the hills that approach nearest to the 
desired type, being extremely careful that such hills 
are entirely free from disease of any kind. Some 
even split the main stem of each hill, and if there are 
any black streaks or other signs of disease, no seed is 
taken from that hill. The size of those usually taken 
for seed, is from 1 to inch in diameter, and as 
short as can be found—the potato shown at Fig. 57 is 
a sample. Tubers larger than this make the plants 
which start from the under side too long and spind¬ 
ling. Great care is used in handling the seed to avoid 
bruising, or scraping the skin. My practice is to 
select the seed myself, placing it in a common five- 
eighth truck basket as it is picked from the stem. 
The baskets are taken directly to the place of storage 
and carefully emptied into bins. The potatoes are 
not again disturbed in any way until it is time to 
place them in the hotbed in the spring. I always 
handle them as carefully as I would eggs. 
Where the crop is grown in a small way, the ordi¬ 
nary hotbed, made with manure, is as good as any in 
which to raise the plants. I. make such a bed in the 
following manner : It should be ready to receive the 
potatoes about April 10. A sheltered spot is selected, 
and a pit dug, six feet wide, two feet deep and as long 
as desired. The sides may be shored up with boards, 
slabs, or rails, or, if the ground is sufficiently firm, 
nothing of the kind will be needed. Boards one foot 
wide are set on edge around the sides, and held in 
place by short stakes. They are then banked up on the 
outside with the earth thrown out of the pit. Braces 
should run across the bed every three or four feet, to 
keep the sides from pushing in. In the bottom is 
placed a layer of damp forest leaves, which should be 
18 inches deep after being tramped down solid. Over 
this is placed a layer of fresh horse manure, six or 
eight inches deep, also tramped solid. This plan is 
much cheaper than to use all manure, and is also much 
better, as it will not create such a fierce heat, and will 
maintain heat longer. Two or three inches of sandy 
loam are placed on the manure and made perfectly 
smooth and level. The potatoes should be laid on 
this, allowing from a quarter to a half inch space be¬ 
tween each one. Then cover with two inches of the 
loam. It should be a little more than two inches deep 
when first put on, as it will settle somewhat. The 
earth used should contain enough sand so that it will 
not bake. Over all is spread salt hay or straw a foot 
deep. The temperature should range from 70 to 80 
degrees for the first two weeks. If the bed should get 
too hot, holes may be punched through the side into 
the manure, to allow the surplus heat to escape. 
As soon as the sprouts appear through the surface, 
the covering should be removed during the daytime, 
replacing it at night until the third or fourth week, 
when it may be kept off altogether. If, however, 
there should be signs of frost, the cover must be re¬ 
placed until the danger is past. After the plants are 
up, the soil of the bed should be kept moderately damp 
in order to encourage the growth of small rootlets, on 
which the plant depends for sustenance after it is re¬ 
moved from the potato and set in the field. Such a 
bed is the cheapest of which I know, and it answers 
every purpose. It may be made more permanent by 
walling it up with stone. A great many growers con¬ 
sider it necessary to use sash of either glass or heavy 
cloth. Others use wooden shutters for covers. But in 
an experience extending over a period of several years, 
1 never but once missed raising first-class plants, and 
plenty of them, with only hay for a covering. The one 
year that I missed it, I used a larger percentage of 
manure, and did not properly attend to regulating the 
temperature. The consequence was th it the bed gat 
