■Ghe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
73 
Practical  Points  in  Commercial  Apple 
Growing 
THIS  was  the  name  of  a  paper  read  at  the 
Farmers’  Institute  at  Red  Rank,  N.  J..  on  Dec. 
10.  by  John  II.  Barclay,  the  champion  apple  grower 
of  Middlesex  Co.,  N.  J.  He  has  made  a  startling 
success  at  the  apple  growing  business,  for  his  fruit 
is  always  sold  at  excellent  prices  as  soon  as  it  is 
grown.  He  told  the  interested  audience  the  reason 
for  his  success  in  a  very  clear  and  concise  manner. 
He  said  the  keynote  of  success  is  thoroughness  in 
every  detail,  doing  each  thing  just  when  it  should 
he  done.  Procrastination  is  the  thief  of  efficiency. 
Financial  success  depends  upon  exactness.  To  ob¬ 
tain  success  he  advocates  a  succession  of  varieties 
so  that  the  picking  and  selling  can  be  done  to  best 
advantage.  Yellow  Transparent  is  the  first  to  be 
ready  for  market,  it  is  a  sure  bearer  and  a  money 
maker,  maturing  in  early  July.  This  is  followed  by 
the  Duchess,  Nynck  Pippin  and  Williams  Early 
Red.  The  Twenty  Ounce  Pippin  is  his  best  money¬ 
maker.  as  it  is  a  heavy  bearer  of  large  fruit.  Those 
apples  are  good  size  about  the  first  of  August  and  at 
this  time  there  is  a  big  demand  for  a  large  green 
apple  on  the  New  York  City  market, 
His  best  late  Summer  varieties  are 
Oravenstein  and  Wealthy.  The  Fall 
varieties  are  McIntosh,  Crimes  Golden 
and  Jonathan.  Tlie&e  are  excellent  for 
fancy  box  trade.  The  McIntosh  he 
says  is  perhaps  the  finest  quality  of  all 
apples.  It  requires  especially  careful 
spraying.  Two  excellent  commercial 
Winter  apples  are  the  Rome  Beauty 
and  Stay  man.  Delicious,  he  believes 
is  a  successful  variety.  Success  in  the 
apple  business  of  the  future  depends 
upon  varieties  of  the  highest  qualities 
grown  and  packed  to  perfection. 
When  establishing  an  apple  orchard 
it  is  a  good  practice  to  plant  quick¬ 
bearing  apple  trees  as  fillers;  never 
use  peach  trees,  for  their  presence  pre¬ 
vents  tire  proper  care  and  development 
of  the  standard  apple  trees.  Plant  the 
besl  trees  obtainable  and  be  sure  they 
are  free  from  diseases  on  roots  and 
branches. 
Pruning  is  of  great  importance  dur¬ 
ing  all  stages  of  the  orchard.  The 
young  tree  should  be  started  low,  and 
its  branches  should  be  allowed  to  de¬ 
velop  into  a  low  compact  head.  Trim 
the  young  tree  sparingly,  removing  the 
cross  branches  and  those  that  develop 
to  spoil  symmetry.  Never  out  off  fruit 
spurs  in  the  centre  of  a  hearing  tree; 
hut  rather  keep  the  centre  of  the  hear¬ 
ing  tree  open  lo  permit  the  free  circu¬ 
lation  of  air  and  the  entrance  of  sun¬ 
shine.  Allow  as  much  fruit  as  possi 
hie  to  develop  in  the  centre  of  the  tree, 
because  there  it  is  most  easily  support¬ 
ed.  Cultivated  orchards  need  the  more 
pruning.  When  the  pruning  is  going 
on  keep  the  best  man  on  the  ground 
to  direct  the  cutting  and  shaping  of 
tin*  tree. 
Spraying  is  absolutely  indispensable. 
The  first  is  the  dormant  spray.  Care 
must  he  taken  to  get  the  first  Summer 
spray  on  just  when  the  cluster  buds 
show  tints  of  pink  as  this  is  most  im¬ 
portant.  When  the  blossoms  have 
about  fallen  I  lie  second  spraying  is 
applied  primarily  to  take  care  of  the 
Codling  moth.  This  spray  and  succeeding  ones  are 
applied  under  good  pressure  with  small  nozzles  to 
get  a  misty  spray.  This  helps  to  prevent  rusting  of 
the  fruit.  Here  Mr.  Barclay  explained  that  each 
variety  is  a  study  in  itself.  The  proper  time  and 
kind  of  spray  to  apply  varies  in  many  cases.  The 
third  spray  is  applied  three  weeks  later,  and  on  the 
later  varieties  a  fourth  spraying  is  applied  about 
the  first  of  July  to  prevent  fungus.  lie  says  that 
(best*  sprayings  will  take  care  of  most  insects  and 
fungus  provided  the  proper  material  is  carefully 
applied  at  the  right  time. 
Mr.  Barclay  believes  that  the  future  problem  for 
him  to  tight  is  that  of  plant  lice  on  his  trees.  He 
saw  many  adults  in  his  orchard  last  year,  and  be¬ 
lieves  many  eggs  from  these  are  deposited  in  his 
orchard  even  though  his  careful  search  has  failed 
to  find  them. 
I'lenty  of  early  cultivation  gives  high  quality; 
sow  a  Cover  crop  in  July.  Fertilize  generously  yet 
judiciously  anti  apply  lime  every  three  or  four 
years.  Those  orchards  to  which  potash  has  been 
abundantly  applied  in  the  past  have  an  advantage 
at  this  time.  He  will  use  acid  phosphate,  hone  meal 
and  salt  next  season.  Last  Summer  he  saw  where 
200  pounds  of  agricultural  salt  to  the  acre  was  bene¬ 
ficial  due  perhaps  to  the  fact  that  it  supplemented 
the  potash.  Thinning  of  the  fruit  is  a  most  profit¬ 
able  practice.  It  is  very  hard  to  get  the  men  to 
thin  enough.  To  thin  just  after  the  June  drop  in¬ 
duces  the  tree  to  develop  lmds  for  the  next  year's 
crop,  thus  annual  crops  are  induced. 
When  harvesting  the  fruit  it  should  he  handled 
very  carefully.  The  markets  should  he  carefully 
watched;  often  some  varieties  will  bring  more  green 
than  ripe.  Many  trees  should  be  picked  over  more 
than  once  to  get  the  best  production  from  a  tree. 
In  conclusion  Mr.  Barclay  said  that  we  can  grow 
just  as  beautiful  fruit  as  the  West  and  far  better 
in  quality.  What  we  need  is  more  men  growing 
the  perfected  fruit  so  that  the  buyers  will  demand 
our  product.  He  has  more  orders  for  li is  fruit 
than  be  can  fill  even  at  a  very  fancy  price.  Es¬ 
pecially  numerous  have  been  the  inquiries  the  last 
three  months  for  box  apples. 
We  have  the  best  markets  in  the  world  right  at 
our  door.  An  excellent  public  exhibition  each  year 
stimulates  demand.  Mr.  Barclay  said  that  the 
A  Promising  Young  Apple  Orchard.  Fig.  19.  See  page  71 
A  Central  New  York  Farmhouse.  Fig.  20.  See  page  71 
State  Experiment  Station  had  been  a  great  help  to 
him  in  his  achievement.  To  he  successful  a  man 
must  study  his  specialty  and  apply  all  available 
science  in  a  practical  manner. 
Sweet  Clover  in  Iowa 
UNDER  what  conditions  is  Sweet  clover  to  be 
recommended  as  a  field  crop?  This  question 
is  being  asked  every  day  by  more  and  more  farm¬ 
ers  who  have  awakened  to  the  possibilities  of  this 
crop.  That  Sweet  clover  is  a  valuable  crop  cannot 
be  gainsaid.  Indeed,  it  is  undoubtedly  destined  to 
become  one  of  the  leading  soil  improvers  that  we 
now  have.  Unfortunately,  a  few  enthusiasts  have 
recommended  its  use  under  any  and  all  conditions, 
with  the  result  that  failures  with  the  crop  have 
been  experienced.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  brief 
article  to  set  forth  the  conditions  under  which  this 
crop  is  to  he  recommended. 
PASTURE. — Sweet  clover  is  a  valuable  forage 
crop,  fully  as  nutritious  as  Alfalfa,  and  more  nu¬ 
tritious  than  any  of  the  other  clovers.  It  remains 
green  in  the  Fall  longer  than  any  other  pasture.  It 
larely,  if  ever,  produces  bloat.  It  can  he  pastured 
close  without  danger  of  killing  the  plants.  Cows  do 
well  on  it.  although  it  is  said  that  sometimes  the 
milk  is  tainted.  Sheep,  when  accustomed  to  it.  pre¬ 
fer  it  to  any  other  pasture.  Experiments  conducted 
at  the  Iowa  Experiment  Station  have  shown  that  as 
a  hog  pasture.  Sweet  clover  is  not  so  good  as  Al¬ 
falfa.  Horses  eat  it  readily  when  accustomed  to  it, 
and  are  kept  in  good  condition.  One  objection  some¬ 
times  raised  to  Sweet  clover  as  pasture  or  hay  is 
that  livestock,  particularly  horses,  refuse  to  eat  it 
until  the  taste  is  acquired.  This  cannot  be  said  to 
constitute  an  objection,  for  there  are  cases  on  rec¬ 
ord  where  cattle  have  refused  to  eat  corn,  where 
they  have  not  been  accustomed  to  it.  Willi  man, 
too,  there  are  a  number  of  nutritious  foods  which 
formerly  were  never  eaten,  but  for  which  now  a 
taste  lias  been  acquired.  As  a  pasture  crop.  then. 
Sweet  clover  enjoys  a  high  rank. 
HAY. — Sweet  clover  is  not  an  ideal  hay  crop, 
and  there  is  no  reason  for  growing  it  as  a  hay  crop 
where  either  Alfalfa  or  Red  clover  can  be  success¬ 
fully  grown.  It  is  harder  to  cure  than  Red  clover 
or  Alfalfa,  owing  to  its  large  succulent  stalks.  At 
the  most,  only  two  cuttings  a  year  can 
be  obtained,  and  two  tons  of  hay  per 
acre  is  a  fair  yield.  At  present,  there 
is  no  established  market  for  Sweet 
clover  hay.  As  a  hay  crop  alone. 
Sweet  clover  is  not  to  be  recommended 
under  conditions  where  other  legumes 
can  lie  grown. 
SEED. — As  a  seed  crop.  Sweet  clo¬ 
ver  is  a  very  profitable  crop,  if  han¬ 
dled  intelligently.  The  yields  are  from 
almost  nothing  to  eight  or  ten  bushels 
per  acre.  Undoubtedly,  the  present 
high  price  of  Sweet  clover  seed  will 
not  prevail  when  the  growing  for  seed 
becomes  general.  Experience  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  know  just  when  to  cut  the  crop, 
and  how  to  harvest  and  cure.  Often 
the  entire  crop  may  be  lost  by  shat¬ 
tering  of  the  seed,  when  the  harvest¬ 
ing  is  done  improperly,  or  at  the  wrong 
time.  It  may  be  remarked  here  that 
as  a  bee  pasture.  Sweet  clover  has  no 
rival.  Sweet  clover  honey  is  milder  in 
flavor  than  Red  clover  honey,  and  is 
nf  a  light  color. 
SOIL  IMPROVER. — 1 1  is  as  a  soil 
improver  that  Sweet  clover  is  especial¬ 
ly  valuable.  Under  the  proper  condi¬ 
tions,  meaning  soil  conditions,  it  is 
probably  superior  to  any  other  legume. 
Its  fleshy  roots,  which  decompose  read¬ 
ily  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  plant  is 
t  biennial,  add  large  quantities  of  ni¬ 
trogen  and  organic  matter  to  the  soil, 
improving  its  texture.  As  a  cover 
crop  for  orchards,  it  is  gaining  more 
and  more  favor.  Tt  plays  an  import¬ 
ant  part  in  keeping  up  the  fertility  of 
a  soil  where  barnyard  manure  is 
scarce.  It  is  unexcelled  for  run-down 
nr  badly  eroded  soils. 
SOIL  REQUIREMENTS.  —  Sweet 
clover  thrives  on  almost  any  type  of 
a  soil  from  a  sandy  soil  to  a  heavy 
clay.  On  a  very  light  sandy  soil,  it  is 
imt  so  well  adapted  as  vetch.  Inocu¬ 
lation  is  absolutely  essential  for  the 
making  of  a  vigorous  growth.  Sweet 
clover  cannot  he  inoculated  in  an 
acid  soil.  Sweet  clover  is  also  a 
heavy  feeder  on  calcium  or  lime,  so 
that  for  the  best  growth,  it  is  not  only  es¬ 
sential  that  the  soil  be  not.  acid,  hut  that  it  contain 
a  good  supply  of  lime  besides.  The  simplest  test 
to  determine  whether  or  not  the  soil  is  adapted  for 
this  crop  is  to  pour  a  little  dilute  hydrochloric  or 
muriatic  aciu  ou  a  portion  of  soil.  If  it  bubbles, 
the  presence  of  lime  is  indicated,  essential  for  Sweet 
clover.  If  it  does  not  bubble,  lime  is  probably  ne¬ 
cessary,  or  at  least  will  be  beneficial.  Sweet  clover 
is  just  as  particular  in  regard  to  lime  as  Alfalfa, 
but  in  fertility  requirements,  it  is  less  exacting.  It 
is  more  resistant  to  drought  than  other  legumes. 
Due  to  its  branching  root  system,  it  can  he  grown  on 
wet  soils,  or  where  the  water  table  is  near  the  sur¬ 
face.  much  better  than  Alfalfa. 
Sweet  clover  is  to  lie  recommended  for  hay  whei’e 
other  legumes  cannot  he  successfully  grown,  and  for 
pasture  and  as  a  soil  improver  under  any  conditions 
where  it  can  be  grown.  The  two  essentials  in  Sweet 
clover  culture  are  lime,  and  inoculation. 
Iowa  State  College.  o.  f.  jexsen. 
Ix  the  West  they  are  getting  a  good  gain  ou  beef 
cattle  by  feeding  silage  and  clover  hay  alone. 
