303 
aim should ho to remove as little wood as possible to 
attain these various objects. The ideal tree is 
broad and low. with the lower branches just as vig¬ 
orous, healthy and productive as the topmost, and 
sufficiently open to permit thorough spraying, and 
the full action of sunlight, at the same time easily 
accessible to the pickers. Such a tree must have 
ample space on all sides. It cannot be developed if 
Ben Davis Apple After a World's Journey. Fig. 130 
crowded Lty tillers, and it must have careful annual 
pruning.” 
“What is your theory and practice in regard to 
spraying?” 
"It seems to me what I have called the philosophy 
of pruning explains not only the relations of one 
branch to another on an individual tree, and the 
relations of one tree to another as in the use of 
fillers, hut it points also to the vitally important fact 
that the foliage must he protected from the parasitic 
attacks of insects and diseases. It must he ma.u- 
tained in a healthy condition at all times, whether 
the tree is bearing or not. .lust as the vital organs 
of the tree, the leaves, may be removed by unwise 
use of the pruning saw, so may they lie weakened or 
destroyed by an absence of sunlight by overcrowd¬ 
ing of branches or trees, or by parasitic attack 4 of 
insects or fungi. The principle is the same in either 
ease, and so, too, is the result. So then, spraying 
in necessary, not only to protect the fruit upon the 
tree. but. also to prepare the tree to produce fruit. 
Our methods of spraying are those usually followed 
by successful orchardists. The dormant spray with 
lime-sulphur in the powdered form is followed by 
the calyx spray with arsenate of lead and lime-sul¬ 
phur. A few days later this is repeated. For the 
later Summer spray, we sometimes use Bordeaux 
instead of the lime-sulphur. Special treatments are 
given if needed. We use pressure machinery with 
both the spray-gun and angle nozzle, and require 
very thorough work. w * J - 
The Ben Davis as a Globe Trotter 
T 1IE following story may he told mostly in let¬ 
ters. On November 1. 1021, J. Harris Perkins 
of Valatie, N. V., selected a good specimen of the 
Ben Davis apple and mailed it to his brother, Dr, 
It. B. I’erkins of Buitenzorg, .lava. The apple was 
packed in a shell box and started by mail via New 
York. Along with the apple went the following 
note: 
This apple, a perfect specimen of a Ben Davis, was 
grown in Columbia Co.. X. Y.. was picked October 1, 
mailed November 1. via New 5 ork to Java ; was opened 
there and found to lie in almost perfect condition 
slight bruise in the vcllow spot. Ilennliled from Java 
on December 14. 1021. via San Francisco, having com¬ 
pletely circled tin globe by mail. 'File object ot this is 
merely to prove or determine the keeping and shipping, 
qualities of the Ben Davis apple. Will you let your 
readers know, through THE R. N.-l., as to the* condi¬ 
tion of the apple Whop received by you. 
J. HARRIS PERKINS. 
Dr. Perkins, on the island of Java, as we see from 
the following letter, remailed the apple to The 
I t. N.-Y.: 
The enclosed apple and letter from my brother in 
Valatie. N. Y.. will explain themselves. The apple ar¬ 
rived here December 0 ill perfect condition, except for a 
slight bruise in the yellow spot: another about 2 in. to 
the left of the yellow spot (apple setting on stem), and 
a third below the second, near the stem. _ T am remaning 
it today, first-class registered post, iu its original con¬ 
tainer, a Remington shell box. 
Hoping that you will receive the package in good con¬ 
dition. I am. Very cordially yours, it. g. perkins. 
December 14. 
The apple arrived here on January 20, just 118 
days from the time it was picked, and S 8 days from 
the day it was mailed. It traveled completely around 
the world—not by the most direct route. We wish 
that we could go on and say that our old friend 
Ben Davis stood the trip without turning a liair or 
bruising a fiber. The truth of his condition after 
the long journey is shown by the picture at Fig. 130. 
This shows a photograph of the apple just as it came 
from the package. Apparently it did not decay m 
lht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the usual way. but slowly dried up and passed on. 
It could not be eaten, but if. was not exactly like a 
rotten apple. Old Ben did hi* best to live up to liis 
reputation as a shipper and traveler, but life in the 
ordinary mail bag was too much for him. We doubt 
if any other variety could have done as well. 
Dusting in Nova Scotia 
HIS year I plan to use a duster in place of a 
sprayer. For an orchard up to 20 acres the 
liquid sprayer puts on protection cheaper than a 
duster. When we have 60 acres of apples it becomes 
difficult to get good enough men to do a good enough 
job. I have been for years an advocate of the 
modified Bordeaux liquid spray, which in Nova 
Scotia has given such unbounded satisfaction, giving 
us three bumper crops since it became generally 
used, and driving lime-sulpliur completely out of use. 
We have no San Jos£> scale. At the same time I got 
great injury in using even this spray, due, as I think, 
to using the gun. I fail to see how this can ho alto¬ 
gether avoided, as to reach the top of trees some of 
the bottom limbs must, once in a while, get, too severe 
a dose. I think this is mainly a mechanical harm. 
The duster will use 90-JO sulphur dust, and go over 
the whole orchard once a week until two weeks after 
the bloom, when one can wait for three weeks longer 
and then dust once to finish. 
In the middle of the bloom T shall use sulphur 
Grand ltiver Orchard Company, R. /. Greening. Tree 
Set in 1915. Product in 1920. Fig. 131 
with 10 lbs. of hydrated lime, or may try pure sul¬ 
phur. placing a small frame of laths in the dusting 
hopper to keep the weight of this father compact 
material oil" the brushes. 
Two of my neighbors have used 90-10 sulphur dust 
for four or five years now. and 1 have followed their 
results closely. Sometimes 1 heat them considerably 
(my opinion) with liquid modified Bordeaux. Other 
years they, on certain varieties, seemed ahead. Take 
it all in all, T have made up my inind to take the 
plunge next year and use dust. I don't expect quite 
so clean a crop as extra good spraying would give, 
but I expect, say 96 per cent, as good on an average 
year. The truth is my orchard is becoming too big 
for my present way of spraying. What I conclude 
is the conclusion. of our Nova Scotian government 
horticulturists, though T believe one is rather doubt¬ 
ful. Dusting with us is done in early morning, when 
it is still and the trees are wet with dew. Maybe 
our climate is more moist than in other places, but 
such mornings come every two or three days with 
us in the spring. I experimented last year with the 
duster, using about 3*4 tons of sulphur dust. Now, 
after thus showing that I am, for a time at least, 
using a duster, I want to say 1 would feel safer with 
the liquid on the exceptional year. 
I don’t like the present gun. Anyone who used 
the Atseo (air and liquid coming out of bamboo noz¬ 
zle at the same time) knows what a great spray it 
March 4, 1022 
was. lifting well and with great covering properties. 
You talk of a combined duster and sprayer; what I 
would desire is a liquid sprayer using a large gun 
with maybe a 14 -iu. hole in the disk and putting out 
a mixture of compressed air and liquid. My big 300- 
gallon 10 -h.p. sprayer would then cover about twice 
as many trees and cover the leaves more evenly than 
with our present gun, reducing costs and increasing 
speed. I believe a nozzle could lie used, with an open 
end, using the compressed air to break up the swirl¬ 
ing liquid, and with 10 or 15 ft. of hose and a short 
gun. eCiiM-cie witli the dusters. M.v belief is that the 
great force is only needed to transport the spray to 
the leaf and that after that the more gently it lands 
on the leaf the better, so long as it covers all the leaf 
surface. john buchanan. 
The Biggest Apple Tree 
I S the Hope Farm man starting an office for the 
recording of record-breaking apple trees? Will you 
accept characters of interest other than height? The 
dairy people strive for pounds of milk per year, and 
pounds of lmtterfat: also per month, per seven days 
and per day. for period of year, and for cows of 
different breeds and ages, etc. I want to call your 
attention to an apple tree that is not 70 ft. high. It 
is nearer half of that, about 40 ft., but it. has a good, 
rugged, practically round trunk. 4 ft. 2 in. in diam¬ 
eter. It stands two miles south of the Connecticut 
Agricultural College, on the farm of “Judge” Storrs. 
A State road embankment goes up from its foot, and a 
60-ft. telephone line passes through its branches. Its 
spray has been an annual dusting from the road, 
and its pruning has been left to the linemen. Its 
fruit is probably wild, hut not sour; sort of a “hard- 
worked” Bolden Sweet Its age is—who would dare 
to make a guess? When Prof. A. G. Bully was alive 
he used to refer to this tree in his classes. Dr. 
Jarvis of Washington used to show this tree on the 
screen, in connection with an illustrated lecture on 
horticulture. Unless you know of an apple free with 
a truuK circumference of more than 13 ft., please 
enter this as the biggest apple tree in the world, and 
let the critics go to it and beat it if they can. 
Connecticut frank r. miller. 
It N.-Y.—It is done! Up to date this stands as the 
biggest apple tree on record. If others are larger 
we want to know where they are. We would like to 
have our readers engage in a contest or test to show 
the most productive apple tree for this season. If 
there is any particular interest taken in the idea, we 
will try to formulate a plan for such a contest. 
Potting Early Tomatoes 
I’rof. Massey has stated that for potting up early 
tomatoes and other plants the earthen pots are cheaper 
and better than paper pots or dirt bands. A\ ill the 4-in. 
pots he large enough for the final shift? S. s. c. 
Hardwick, Vt. 
DO not shift tomato plants, but do shift egg 
plants into 4-in. pots, as I do not set them in cold 
frame. I pot tomatoes into 214 -in. pots to prevent 
their getting crowded and injured before getting 
stout enough to go into the frames, and before the 
weather suits the change. But to make strong, short 
and stout plants I always put them in the cold frame 
4 in, apart. They come up with a mass of roots 
taken with a garden trowel. w. f. massey. 
Gathering Greenhouse Cucumbers. Fig. 132 
