SEPT 7 
THE 
190 
fruit is beautiful and sells well. It may'be 
profitable, if people will keep on buying, at a 
good price, about as poor a pear for eating, 
cooking or canning as the country can fur 
nish. 
Flemish Beauty blights and cracks andds 
worthless. 
D’Alencon bears and keeps well. Indeed it 
usually keeps until March; but it is not very 
desirable. 
Diel blights in the leaf, and the fruit 
cracks: not valuable. 
Howell can not compete with the Bartlett. 
Osband’s Summer is a very good early 
pear, hardy in all respects. 
Parsonage looks like the Bartlett. A 
slight astringency spoils this fruit for the 
table; but improves it for canning. I agree 
with tbe late Mr. Charles Downing that “this 
is a superior pear for canning.” Hardy in all 
respects. 
Lucrative is a great bearer and very 
sweet; but it does not pay for market. 
There was a prospect of a pear crop with us 
this year; but there are disappointments in 
pear-growing as well as in other pursuits. The 
earliest blooming varieties set a fair crop of 
fruit; then we had several days of wet weath¬ 
er, and most of the blooms bad passed the 
period of fertilization. The late blooms also 
set well, especially on the Vicar, and they are 
full enough yet, although fungus attacked the 
fruit when it was about the size of a pea, 
and wherever it struck, the pears turned black 
and dropped as also did the apples. This dis¬ 
ease was especially destructive to the Green¬ 
ing Apple. There was a great set of apples 
and the weather was the finest when the trees 
were in bloom; but there isn’t very much left 
except on the Smith’s Cider, which promises to 
bear a good crop. No doubt this disease can 
be kept in check by spraying. Probably 
light showers may also help. That spraying 
the trees is beneficial, is, I think, established 
by experiment. I. J. blackwell. 
Mercer County, N. J. 
ALSIKE CLOVER 
WHAT THEY THINK OF IT IN WESTERN 
NEW YORK. 
COMPARED WITH TIMOTHY AND 
OTHER GRASSES. 
FROM F. P. ROOT. 
Alsike Clover has been quite extensively 
grown here in "Western New York for many 
years past, and is, I think, growing in favor 
with the most progressive class of farmers; 
not that it is prefeired to the common Medi¬ 
um Red Clover for fertilizing and renovating 
the soil; nor that it is preferred for pasturage 
or hay making; but it is liked because it is 
more sure to catch in seeding, and because it 
is the best substitute that we have yet found 
for Red Clover. It produces a fair amount 
of pasturage as well as a good addition to a 
hay crop, when sown with Timothy. During 
the past few years of extreme drought in the 
early part of the season, Red Clover sown on 
wheat, barley, or oats, has often failed of a 
catch and at the same time the Alsike has sel¬ 
dom failed; on the contrary, it has produced 
a fair return when common Red Clover has 
failed. As a renovator of exhausted soils 
I do not think it compares favorably with 
Red Clover. It has not the tap-root to pene¬ 
trate the subsoil to bring to the surface the 
elements of plant food, and hence it does not 
gather nitrogen to feed the succeeding crops 
as the other clovers do, and yet as it is a le¬ 
guminous plant, I look upon it as a better 
fertilizer, when plowed under, than Timothy 
or the other grasses commonly grown. The 
chief advantages in sowing Alsike, are its 
greater safety in seeding, and less liability to 
be winter-killed by the action of frosts, 
and also its staying in the land for a succes¬ 
sion of years. It gives a crop of seed from 
the first growth and yields a larger crop per 
acre than other clovers, producing often seven 
or eight bushels per acre. It makes as good 
hay as the other varieties and is less liable to 
fall dowa, as it grows shorter and thicker on 
the'ground. 1 have seldom sown it indepen¬ 
dently of other seed,* but have mixed one 
bushel of Timothy seed, one of Medium Red 
Clover and half a bushel of Alsike. The last 
being a much smaller seed, will, with that 
mixture, produce more plants than the large 
clover when all grow and stand, and in 
droughty seasons will fairly seed the land 
when others fail. 
In the spring of 1887 a field on my farm was 
seeded with the above mixture. The early 
season was very dry, (there being no rainfall 
from early in May till near the first of Au¬ 
gust). I regarded the seeding as nearly a 
failure, but of necessity it was mowed during 
the season of 1888, but a light crop of hay was 
harvested. In tbe season of 1889 it was mowed 
again, producing a good crop of excellent 
hay, Alsike Clover and Timothy, but no Red 
Clover could be seen in it. My soil is a dry, 
calcareous clay and clay loam, on which, in 
former years, the Red Clover grew abundant¬ 
ly and there were seldom any failures in seed¬ 
ing; but in later years failures, or at least 
partial failures, have been frequent, and it 
seems necessary to have something to fill the 
ground which would otherwise be but thinly 
seeded. So beneficial do I regard Alsike that 
I have not failed to mix in some of it with 
the usual quantity of Red Clover to be sown 
on my wheat fields. A full seeding of clover 
affords the surest guarantee of successful 
grain growing to the farmer. 
Monroe County, N. Y. 
FROM L F. ALLEN. 
I have cultivated Alsike for the past six or 
eight years, and esteem it more valuable than 
either of the Red Clovers for either hay or 
pasturage. It branches from near tbe root 
like a currant bush, with slender stems, grows 
a foot to 18 inches high on good soils. It bears 
a pink-colored flower full of seed in its first 
bloom, unlike the common red variety, which 
bears its seed only in its second growth after 
cutting for hay. Instead of a tap-root run¬ 
ning deep in the soil, and apt to be drawn out 
by heavy frosts in winter aud spring, it has a 
fibrous, spreading root, and stays in the ground 
for several yearsafter wards, not “running out” 
as tbe Red Clovers are apt to do. It makes 
a fragrant bay when properly cut and cured, 
and all classes of my stock prefer it to any 
other of the grasses. The flowers are am< n* 
the best for honey-making, and bees seek it 
wherever they can find it. It blooms a few 
days later than the Red Clovers, and comports 
better with Timothy grass in season for hay¬ 
making. The seed is only about half the size 
of the red kinds, and but about half the quan¬ 
tity is required per acre. My rule of sowing 
is usually two quarts; while of the red kinds I 
use four quarts. Either of them, when laid 
down for hay, should be mixed with six to 
eight quarts of Timothy to the acre. For 
pasture 1 prefer it—as my cattle also do—to 
the Red Clovers. It is considerably grown in 
this vicinity, and largely grown in the Cen¬ 
tral New York counties; also to some extent in 
the adjoining province of Ontario, Canada. 
Its price at the seed stores ranges from six to 
eight dollars per bushel of 60pounds, accord¬ 
ing to its yield in the previous year, in the 
succeeding spring markets. The soil where I 
grow it is a good clay loam. I do not know 
how it will thrive in a sandy or gravelly soil. 
Niagara County, N. Y. 
FROM HENRY IVES. 
Alsike is better suited for sowing with Tim¬ 
othy, making a thick, fine bottom, ripening 
only a little earlier and the Timothy aiding 
to keep it upright, as it lodges badly when 
grown alone. The fact that its roots spread 
in the surface soil saves it from being killed 
by frosts on heavy lauds. It will last many 
years in the land and it makes a better horse 
feed than Red Clover. It does well on all 
open soils from the Hint hard-scrabble to the 
light muck, but not well on heavy clays. It 
is not sown to one-fourth the extent about here 
that the common early Red Clover is, for 
that is grown principally to improve our soil, 
for which purpose it is considered the best of 
all green crops. 
Genesee County, N. Y. 
POTATO NOTES. 
THICK PLANTING OF POTATOES. 
I have been watching the Rural’s reports 
about raising potatoes by the Trench System 
ever since it began to report, and last winter 
I noticed in one article that all the potatoes 
grew in the trenches—there were scarcely any 
between—and that set me to thinking whether 
it was necessary to have a wall of earth two 
feet thick between the rows. Why not have 
potatoes all through the soil ? Then I thought 
that if we could have a row every foot, the 
tops would be *o close together that they 
would smother the weeds and keep them down 
the same as wheat or oats do. So, finally, I 
concluded to try the plan and took a piece of 
sandy loam that had been manured the year 
before, and plowed and harrowed it as soon as 
it was in good order. Then I made a furrow 
near one side with the shovel-plow and 
dropped pieces of potatoes about every foot; 
then with the shovel-plow I made another fur¬ 
row so close to the first as to cover the pota¬ 
toes in the latter. Then I dropped pieces in 
tbe second furrow, and so on, till we got the 
plot planted. After the vines came up and 
were four or five inches high, with the garden 
rake I raked the ground down smoothly, and 
that was all that was done to the crop till we 
dug them when they were ripe. I dug a few 
and found out how they would yield, and 
then went to the village and got several wit¬ 
nesses to come to see some dug. We measured 
just one red square and dug from it four 
bushels and something over a peck, making 
680 bushels per acre. 
I think that Is pretty good, without using 
any manure and without any tending except 
the raking The potatoes kept the weeds 
down and the ground is clean. 1 saw a while 
ago a statement in the Rural to the effect 
that a man, somewhere in the East, tried close 
planting, but I have not seen how he succeed¬ 
ed. I would like to hear from him. 
I have also a piece of corn planted on the 
same plan, but can’t tell yet how it will pan 
out. It looks nice and is clean without any 
work since it was planted, but I am a little 
afraid it is too thick to ear well. s. M. 
Harlan, Indiana. 
REPORTS ON R. N.-Y. NO. 2. 
The sample tuber of the R. N.-Y. No. 2 po¬ 
tato was cut in 14 pieces, and planted in the 
garden. One piece did not sprout and one 
that sprouted was killed by a worm, so I had 
12 left which grew nicely and gave me 12 
pounds ot nice potatoes, 45 tubers in all: nine 
under-sized, 36 of good size, the largest weigh¬ 
ing nine ounces; one was rotten. J. c. E. 
Bain bridge, Pa. 
The Rural New-Yorker No. 2 potato seut 
me last fall, wasplauted May 7. On August 
17, as the tops were dead, I dug the tubers. I 
made two hills, putting one-halt the potatoes 
in each, and from those two hills I got four 
pounds and two ounces of smooth, handsome 
tubers entirely free from rot. There were 15 
in all,only four of which would be called “small 
potatoes,” and those four together weighed 
one-half pound. The largest of all weighed 
nine ounces, and the smallest a trifle over one. 
They were planted in quite wet land aud in a 
piece near them the potatoes are rotting 
badly. J W. c. 
Southampton, Mass. 
I planted the R. N.-Y. No. 2^potato about 
April 15th. The potato was the size of a hen's 
egg and had 10 eyes. I cut it into pieces of 
one eye each. These I planted in a poor, clay 
soil (without fertilizer) 12 inches apart, four 
inches deep in a trench, making one row 10 
feet long. All the working they got was two 
hoeiugs. The last time I drew the earth slight¬ 
ly to them. The plants were a long time com¬ 
ing up, but grew very fast after they bad 
started. They grew about three feet high, 
having purple blossoms and short-jointed 
stems. I dug them on August 16‘.h and the 
yield was remarkable. There were 68 pota¬ 
toes, which weighed 19% pounds. They were 
almost all of one size. The largest weighed 10 
ounces and there were but six smaller than a 
hen’s egg. They are certainly a fine lot of po¬ 
tatoes and I am much pleased with them. 
Several who have seen t hem pronounce them 
very fine. G. r w. 
Lyndon, Ky. 
farm 0tjcmonu). 
POTATO PLOWS 
How they Work in Various Soils. 
Are they Ahead of the Potato Fork ? 
OTHER POTATO INFORMATION. 
The R. N.-Y. has had coasiderable te say 
in past seasons about the werk of potato dig¬ 
gers Most of what was said referred to the 
expensive machines which are beyond the 
reach of the smaller growers. We now give 
notes from farmers who use “potato plows” 
of various designs. These tools are made and 
sold under different patents, thongh they all 
work on essentially the same principle. The 
potatoes are thrown out of tbe ground by 
meaus of a contrivance like two plows, one 
right and the other left, placed together so as 
to throw the earth in both directions. Above 
these plows are fastened long bars, The earth 
is to fall through the bars while the potatoes 
are supposed to roll off to the ground. In ad¬ 
dition to giving their experience with the 
plows, our correspondents have been asked to 
tell us what varieties of potatoes are most 
popular with them, how the crop pays as 
compared with former seasons, and what can 
be done to make the business more profitable. 
FROM JOHN DRESHER. 
I have used and sold a potato digger manu¬ 
factured at Hamilton, Ohio. The diggers have 
all been laid aside. The people prefer digging 
by hand. Among varieties the Ohio Junior 
and the New Queen are my choice for early 
potatoes; the Empire State and the Bell for 
late. We have had such dry seasons for the 
last two or three years that we didn’t have 
much of a crop. The potatoes are mostly 
sold in Chicago in the fall of the year. It 
does not pay to raise them as well as formerly, 
the price is so low. We are having a large 
yield this year and expect the price to be 
low. I can’t suggest anything to make the 
business more profitable, for when there is a 
large crop potatoes are low with us here. 
St. Joseph County, Mich. 
FROM H B CLOTHIER. 
1 use the Knox Potato Digger manufact¬ 
ured at Gowanda, New York. 1 think it digs 
as cleau as a man would ordinarily dig by 
hand, and it will dig from three to five acres 
according to the condition of tbe ground. I 
should think it costs to dig with this digger 
from one-half to two-thirds as much as by 
hand. For early potatoes I prefer Clarke’s 
and Beauty of Hebron; for late sorts the Late 
Rose and White Star. 1 have also raised the 
Early Sunrise one year as an early potato and 
liked it very much. 1 think about 150 bushels 
is the average yield hereabouts. We sell 
them from the field when it is possible to get a 
fair price, as it saves handling. They are 
sold mostly to commission merchants in Brad¬ 
ford, Pennsylvania, and Buffalo, New York. 
I do not think the business is as profitable as 
formerly, because of extra expense for fertil¬ 
izers and help, and also in keeping the crop 
free from bugs. I would suggest that ma¬ 
chinery be used as much as possible. The 
ground should be well fitted and fertilized. I 
should plant with a planter and cultivate 
with horses. 
Chatauqua County, N. Y. 
FROM ISAAC K MORRIS. 
I have not raised potatoes extensively—not 
more than from one to ten acres in any one 
year. I use the plow made at Hamilton. By 
harrowing the ground, I can get about all as 
clean as by hand digging. The plow is work¬ 
ed by two horses, and can throw the potatoes 
out as fast as the horses can walk. I would 
not exchange it for any machine I ever saw 
or used. I would not try to get along without 
it if I had but one acre of potatoes. I think 
the cost of digging is reduced from 50 to 75 
per cent. Tbe Burbank has been a favorite 
in our market—Cincinnati. The Early Rose 
has been profitable with me. The average 
yield is about 100 bushels per acre. We sell 
in Cincinnati or ship to other places. I do 
not see but what potato culture pays as well 
as formerly. My suggestion is to use plenty 
of fertilizers or manure In the ground where 
potatoes are planted. 
Butler Co., Ohio. 
FROM FRED. HARRIS. 
1 sent for a potato digger made somewhere 
East. It was so highly recommended that I 
thought I would try one; but it was not the 
one for our country. When our fall is wet 
and weeds and grass are heavy we use the 
mower to cut the growth, and rake it off. 
Then we can run our potato plow without 
clogging, throwing a wide furrow both ways, 
and as fast as a team can go. After picking 
up all in sight, we barrow, getting out all the 
crop as clean as by hand digging. We canuot 
get along without a plow. As compared with 
hand digging, plow digging is one-fifth better 
and it leaves the tubers in better condition 
for market. The variety mostly raised here 
is the Shaker Russet, but other varieties, such 
as the Peerless, Early Rose, Early Ohio, Mam¬ 
moth Pearl, and Burbank are also grown. Our 
yield varies according to the season. Taking 
the seasons for a number of years, we average 
about 100 bushels to the acre. We usually 
sell in the fall in New Orleans and the South; 
but for the past two years our market has 
