1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
16 b 
THE BEST EARLY APPLE! 
WIIAT BETTER THAN TETOFSKY ? WHY BETTER ? 
In New Jersey this past summer, the Tetofsky apple has proved 
very useful as an early variety. Can you tell us of any other early 
apple which embraces more good qualities which commend it to 
the general planter than the Tetofsky ? If so, what are the varie¬ 
ties, and what good qualities have they which are not possessed 
by this apple ? 
Habits of Tetofsky in Canada. 
I speak of it from the standpoint of its adaptability 
and usefulness to central and western Canada. My 
experience with it is somewhat as follows : The tree 
in nursery is a rapid, upright, almost pyramidal 
grower. It is a standard of hardiness throughout 
Canada. It is sometimes affected by blight, but not 
as seriously as other varieties of the Russian type. It 
comes into bearing very early—usually the second 
year after planting in orchard. It is a heavy alter¬ 
nate bearer, but bears some fruit every year. The 
apples, when the tree is young, are of full, medium 
size, and on limestone soils, take on considerable color 
at maturity. In sandy soils, they are likely to be 
water-cored and to decay rapidly after ripening. The 
fruit should not be allowed to hang on the tree till 
fully mature, as during the hot period, it decays very 
rapidly. The tree, if allowed to bear at will, over¬ 
loads and the fruit, in a few years, becomes small. I 
do not think that it will be a long-lived variety. On 
account of its very pyramidal habit of growth, rot 
frequently affects the large branches at the base, 
causing them to split and break off when laden with 
fruit. On the whole, for this locality. I prefer Yellow 
Transparent ; but at the same time would, if I were 
planting an orchard, include Tetofsky to the extent 
of 10 per cent. The serious defect of Yellow Trans¬ 
parent in this locality, and in most portions of Ontario 
and Quebec, is its liability to blight. It is better in 
quality than Tetofsky. joiin craig. 
Horticulturist Ontario Agricultural College. 
Tetofsky Ahead for the Northwest. 
The real merits of the Tetofsky have not been fully 
appreciated in many localities, and for several years 
past it has not been very extensively propagated or 
planted in the northwest. The tree is hardy, very 
free from scab and blight, and always matures its 
wood and buds early, so that it is in condition to 
endure the most extreme winters safely. The tree is 
not so rapid a grower as some others, but the growth 
is compact and upright, making it very desirable for 
gardens and small plantations, and it may be set much 
closer in the orchard. The fruit is of a very attractive 
appearance, especially where the trees are given 
plenty of room ; the quality is good for its season. 
The trees, as a rule, do not come into full bearing 
while very young, but with age, on rich, cultivated 
soil, they become very heavy bearers. I do not know 
of any early variety that has so many good qualities 
for general planting as the Tetofsky. The Yellow 
and White Transparent, also of Russian origin, are 
rather larger and better, of about the same season, 
and the trees come into bearing earlier; but my 
experience and observation convince me that, owing 
to the blighting tendency of the trees, they are not 
nearly so valuable for general planting as the Tetofsky. 
Minnesota. J. s. Harris. 
Poor Show for Early Apples in Delaware. 
This variety has been little grown here, although 
some orchards contain it. I would certainly prefer 
Fourth of July to it, for this lacks only a little higher 
color to bring it up to the standard. It has plenty of 
size, quality, appearance, etc., and is productive, too. 
William’s Early is being somewhat largely planted, 
and is, no doubt, a very excellent second-early variety, 
for it possesses, size, color and productiveness. Che¬ 
nango, coming in later, is certainly a beauty here, and 
so is Fanny. Yellow Transparent has been planted, 
but I think that its color is against it. For family 
use, I have found Red June the very best early apple, 
and when it is given high culture, plenty of manure 
and well sprayed, it has sufficient size, color, beauty 
and productiveness to commend it for any purpose to 
which an early apple may be put. Red Astrachan 
has, as a rule, been the standby for early market, 
and Early Harvest for family use. Hagloe is found 
in some orchards. At the Columbian Exposition, an 
apple was exhibited from Kentucky, called New York 
Early. It was as large as Early Harvest, very highly 
colored, smooth and beautiful, and ripened two weeks 
ahead of Early Harvest. It possessed more really 
good qualities than any other early apple, and it was 
so regarded by most of the fruit men there. 
But I wish to put the question, Why plant early 
apples for market ? I am fully convinced that, as a 
rule, they have ceased to pay in this locality. Years 
ago, they were, doubtless, profitable ; but that was 
before the days of cold storage and cheap transporta¬ 
tion. Now it is not much trouble and little more ex¬ 
pense, to put such varieties as the Baldwin, Spy or 
Greening of the North, or Ben Davis, Winesap or 
Missouri Pippin of the West, in cold storage, and keep 
them till May, June or even July, till berries, early 
peaches, pears, etc., are in the market; and who 
under the sun would buy a Red Astrachan or Trans¬ 
parent apple to eat out of hand when he can as readily 
get a Spy or Winesap ? I think that cold storage has 
solved the early apple question, and except for family 
use, I don’t think that we of the Delaware Peninsula 
at least, want to plant more than a few trees for that 
purpose. 
But to leave the early apple, does any one know 
why we can’t grow late apples profitably ? I would 
like to see this question discussed by Peninsula grow¬ 
ers. My idea is that if some one with a little spare cash 
and the right kind of land, will plant 8,000 apple trees 
largely of Stayman, Paragon, Missouri Pippin, York 
Imperial, Winesap, Ben Davis or Jonathan here, it 
will, in a few years, prove a very profitable invest¬ 
ment. CHAS. WRIGHT. 
Delaware 
Four Good Early Substitutes. 
The Tetofsky is small, when in full bearing, and 
not a regular bearer while its fruit is of very low 
quality. Its chief recommendation is the extreme 
hardiness of the tree. The Red June (Carolina June) 
would probably do well as far north as New Jersey, 
at least with good, rich cultivation. It is immensely 
better in quality, more beautiful, and so very produc¬ 
tive as probably to require thinning. Early Harvest 
would “fill the bill” if more productive and less 
liable to scab. Primate commences to ripen nearly 
with Tetofsky, but ripens its fruits in succession, ex¬ 
tending over a considerable period. It is the prince 
of dessert apples, also cooks well. The Colton (Early 
Colton) is another quite recent variety of large size, 
fine appearance and superior flavor, which promises 
well as a dessert and, probably, also as a culinary 
fruit for this season. Two old and almost forgotten 
varieties, Buffington and Sine Qua Non, are doubtless 
also desirable varieties for this season. The Yellow 
Transparent is one of the earliest ripening varieties. 
The tree is vigorous, hardy and productive, and the 
fruit of fine size and attractive appearance. It is an 
admirable culinary apple, but rather too acid for the 
dessert, to suit most tastes. t. t. eyon. 
Michigan. 
The Yellow Transparent is another Russian of about 
the same season, fully as good, productive, as large 
and well formed, rather better, in fact. I grow both 
—have about 100 trees of the two. Some buyers pre¬ 
fer one, and some the other ; but both are very sal¬ 
able. My personal preference is for the Yellow Trans¬ 
parent. T. II. HOSKINS. 
Vermont. 
WINDOW FLOWERS IN WINTER. 
Those who have not prepared a few plants in ad¬ 
vance of the season, often find themselves without 
much bloom in their windows in the early days of win¬ 
ter. There is less and less sun for a while, and newly- 
potted plants, taken from the flower bed in late 
autumn, do not flower much before February. To 
those who are without many flowering plants, hya¬ 
cinths and tulips are good to start with. Those who 
grow them largely for market, put them in four-inch 
pots, place them in a frame, and then cover pot and 
all with sand or some other material, till the tops of 
the pots are three to four inches under ground. The 
farmer can do the same on a small scale, using 
a small box in his cellar for a frame. The bulbs 
make roots and tops quickly when covered in this 
way. When the tops are about to push through the 
covering, the pots must be lifted out, cleaned, and 
introduced to the farmhouse window, where flowers 
will soon appear. 
Where access can be had to small-sized hardy 
shrubs, there are several kinds which flower beauti¬ 
fully in ordinary windows, requiring but little warmth 
to start them into growth, after they have had a short 
autumn rest. The following list is a desirable one : 
Deutzia gracilis, Viburnum plicatum, Jasminum nudi- 
liorum, Forsythia viridissima, Daphne Mezereum, 
Exochorda grandifiora, Spiraea lteevesii, and Weigelia 
rosea. Such very early ones as the Jasminum and 
Daphne would be in flower by Christmas, if started a 
few weeks before that time. If not obtainable this 
season, it would be well to look to getting some small 
ones on hand for the purpose next season, for, besides 
their merits, it surprises many persons to see these 
shrubs in flower in windows in winter. 
Among common plants not difficult to obtain, which 
are good for winter flowering, are the following: 
violets, Chinese and English primroses, double daisies, 
pansies, abutilons, Daphne Indica, Catalonian jasmine, 
cyclamen, nasturtiums, begonias, geraniums, helio¬ 
tropes salvias, etc. Some other good ones, and which 
are not hard to get, are these: Ruellia macrantha, 
Libonias, several sorts; Linum fiavum, Genista, 
Cypripedium insigne. Besides these, in the moderate 
heat of a room, there are some foliage plants such as 
the rubber plant, a fern. Nephrolepis tuberosa, and a 
palm, Areca luteseens. Some of the begonias, such 
as Saundei’si and fuchsioides, pretty in both leaf and 
flower, often prove excellent window plants. In the 
way of vines, a few should be had, perhaps, to be 
twined on strings along the sides of the windows. 
The common English ivy, the Senecio scandens and 
nasturtiums, are useful for this purpose. 
Philadelphia County, Pa. JOSEPH MEEHAN. 
WHO BENEFITS BY GAME LAWS? 
On August 3, The It. N.-Y. published a brief ab¬ 
stract of the new game laws of New York State. 
Ostensibly, they are for the protection of the game ; 
really they seem to be for the benefit of the profes¬ 
sional sportsman. (?) The season when game may be 
killed is, as a rule, very short, and the penalty for 
violation very severe. Generally, during the months 
in which game may be killed, considerable quantities 
are sent to this market by farmers’ boys and others. 
In the more wooded parts of the State, where game 
is plentiful, many a poor man or farmer's boy, has 
made quite a little pocket money during the winter 
by sending in game and furs, and no one was injured 
thereby. Now, this privilege is cut off except to 
those who live more than 300 miles from the State ; 
they may ship at any time. Others can not ship deer 
at any time, without accompanying the carcass, and 
then not to exceed two deer in any one season. Quail, 
woodcock and grouse or partridges, can not be shipped 
anywhere in this State, or shipped out of the State, 
unless accompanied by the owner, under a penalty of 
$25 for each bird so possessed. That is, the farmer’s 
boy who should kill a dozen quail, and send them to 
market to get a little spending money for Christmas, 
would render himself liable to a penalty of $300 ; but 
the millionaire pot hunter could go into the farmer’s 
fields—if a trespass sign forbidding him to do so, 
were not displayed'—kill all he can, and carry them 
away with him, or ship them to accompany him, and 
be blameless in the eyes of the law. The fish laws 
are equally severe. Penalties vary from $10 to $1»00 
for each offense, and, in some cases, 30 days’ imprison¬ 
ment is added. The farmer’s boy must not fish 
through the ice in waters inhabited by trout, salmon, 
etc., during the close season, and he is liable to a fine 
of $25 if he be caught fishing for trout during the 
close season, even though he do not catch any. The 
same applies to bass, pickerel, pike, etc. Now, laws 
for the protection of game are all right ; but laws 
that favor one class at the expense of another, are all 
wrong, and that is just what these game laws do. 
The few are favored while the many must suffer. 
Any one interested should send for a copy of these 
laws to the Secretary of State at Albany. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Do you want Cheshire pigs ? C. E. Chapman, Peruville, N. Y., 
has some of his prize stock that lie is willing to sell. 
Isaac C. Rookks seems determined to profit by his new location 
and advantages at Dansville, N. Y. His special announcement 
for this week only, will interest any one who wants trees. 
The raisin seeder made by the Enterprise Mfg. Co., Philadel¬ 
phia, Pa., will also seed grapes very satisfactorily. This will be 
interesting to housekeepers who have performed this rather 
tedious task by hand. 
Two of the objections to feeding roots to stock, are overcome by 
the use of the Banner root cutter. They are cut so as to prevent 
choking ; and the dirt is removed from the roots by an ingenious 
contrivance which leaves them perfectly clean. O. E. Thompson 
& Son., Ypsilanti, Mich., make them. 
Some idea of the increasing use of smooth wire fencing is found 
in the report that comes to us from the DeKalb Pence Co., DeKalb, 
Ill. In 1893 their output was 20 miles a day ; this year it is 40 
miles a day. Enough to build three lines of fence from Maine to 
California. Of course, this includes all their different lines of 
fencing. 
We have made our premium offers for November so broad that 
every one who sends us 20 yearly subscriptions is guaranteed a 
$5 cash prize, besides his commission and daily prize, and 
chances for one of the big prizes. There is a good suit of busi¬ 
ness clothes sure, and chances for something better, in this for any 
one who devotes his spare time to getting up a club for The R. 
N.-Y. this month. Don’t put it off ! Make a start at once ! 
If the men of this country had to wash the dishes, and disliked 
the work as much as most women do, as no doubt they would 
there would be a dishwasher in every house in the country. Think 
of washing dishes without wetting your hands, and doing it 
quickly and well, and even drying them easier than by hand 
washing. Write to the Quaker Novelty Co., Salem, O., for full 
particulars about it. 
We recommend a careful reading of the announcement of The 
Youth’s Companion on the last page of this paper. It will give 
some little idea of the valuable matter to be found in The Com¬ 
panion during the next year. Boys and girls; men and women of 
all ages can read such matter with profit and pleasure. You get 
in these articles the thoughts of the very best minds m the world, 
and at a price so low that it is almost criminal negligence to go 
without it. It is an education in itself, surpassing the advantages 
of a year at some of the schools of the country. The special in¬ 
ducements to subscribe this month will be found on the last page 
