8i8 
FHE RTJ'P AL NEW-YORKER 
DEC 12 
evidently suffered worst from this prema¬ 
ture death. This variety requires a very 
long growing season. It is a remarkably 
vigorous grower,the vines covering the field, 
forming a perfect mat. The potatoes were 
dug in October and the crop was gathered 
and weighed with the utmost care. It is 
the first time, so far as we know, that the 
entire product of an acre has been accu¬ 
rately weighed anywhere in our part of the 
State. We dug from the acre exactly 
11,612X pounds. In plowing the acre later, 
the plowman turned out 195 pounds more 
that had been buried by the diggers. This 
makes a total of 11,807>£ pounds, distrib¬ 
uted as follows: 
Brownell’s Winner. 10,773 pounds 
State of Maine. 873>£ “ 
Early Puritan. 161 
We did not get anything like the heavy 
yield we had a right to expect in the early 
part of the season. However, we give the 
facts of the experiment just as they are. 
It would be pleasant to figure what the re¬ 
sult “might have been ” if the season had 
been more favorable. We have nothing to 
do with that. We only know that we dug 
11,807)^ pounds from the acre and that they 
have brought enough to pay for the fertili¬ 
zer, the seed, the labor, a fair rent for the 
land and give a profit besides. What is 
left of the fertilizer is still in the soil. We 
estimate that it will enable us to grow a 
good crop of oats and two crops of clover 
and thus fit the land for a profitable corn 
crop. A few yields of potatoes grown in 
fields near ours will enable us to make a 
comparative crop statement. A portion of 
the field directly over the fence from our 
experiment acre was rented to a neighbor. 
On one acre and a-half about 600 pounds of 
fertilizer were used. The product is given 
as 55 bushels. Over the road, on similar 
soil with “about 600 pounds per acre,” the 
report is “ about 50 bushels per acre.” No 
farmer near us has kept anything like an 
accurate record of the yield. We have no 
authentic record of a crop of more than 
6,000 pounds on a measured acre anywhere 
near us. The R. N.-Y. believes its small 
measure of success is due to a heavy dress¬ 
ing of the complete fertilizer, the trench 
system and the heavy seeding of varieties 
known to be heavy yielders and strong 
feeders. To judge from the experience of 
neighbors, if we had used less than 1,500 
pounds of fertilizer and the common varie¬ 
ties of potatoes the crop would have repre¬ 
sented a loss. The second application of 
1,000 pounds did not help the crop to any 
great extenfr because the vines died in less 
than a month after it had been made. Had 
they lived to maturity w T e should have 
expected great results from this dressing. 
As it is, “ it is all in the soil.” We are 
not in the least afraid of its disappearing 
except to reappear in the form of grain and 
clover. 
THE VARIETIES OF POTATOES. 
Brownell’s Winuer gave by far the best 
yield. It was planted on seven-eighths of 
the acre and yielded at the rate of a little 
over 225 bushels per acre. As before re¬ 
marked, it is a very strong, hearty feeder— 
the vines being enormous. The tubers aver¬ 
aged 17 or 18 to the hill. It is a late potato 
and should grow with usj| up to the time of 
first frost; when cut£.down, as.ours were, 
there are many small potatoes. As judged 
by this trial—not at all a fair one—it yielded 
far better than Early Puritan or State of 
Maine and is superior to either of these 
varieties for cooking. In quality we do 
not consider it quite as good as the Rpral 
New-Yorker No. 2; it has not the close¬ 
growing habit of that variety and is less 
regular in shape. It is, however, a stronger 
grower and sets more tubers. 
THE SUBSTANCE OF THE MATTER. 
The R. N.-Y. hoped to grow a very large 
crop of potatoes by the use of a very heavy 
dressing of complete fertilizer on a hungry, 
worn-out soil. An unfavorable season pre¬ 
vented this, but, in spite of all, the yield 
was larger than any other grown in the 
neighborhood. It was grown at a profit. 
As before stated, oats will be sown in the 
spring and the acre seeded to clover. Two 
crops of clover will be cut when stable ma¬ 
nure will be spread on the sod and the 
whole plowed under for the corn crop, 
which will be followed by potatoes again, 
We will report results with the oats and 
clover in due season. If the experiment 
succeed we shall be inclined to believe 
that there is no farm land in New Jersey 
that cannot be brought up to a state of 
profitable fertility, and that farmers will 
make more money by condensing their 
fertilizer on smaller areas until they can 
produce a heavy clover sod at will. A pic¬ 
ture of the field and the diggers is shown at 
Fig. 296, on the first page of this issue. 
umuiogkul 
♦ 
If 
TO PROTECT THEM FROM MICE. 
Beneficial or Injurious? 
Prevent Mice But Cause Ice. 
“THE DOCTORS DIFFER.” 
The following note called out the dis¬ 
cussion given below it: 
“It has always been considered sound 
practice to hill the earth around young 
fruit trees at this season. Now comes a 
friend who says: ‘ Don’t do it! ’ He says 
the swaying of the trees in the loose earth 
will make a socket in which ice will form 
and cause the bark to die. Please tell me 
what you think about it ? ” 
FROM AN OLD FRUIT-GROWER. 
Many mistakes are made by applying 
fixed rules to varying circumstances. If 
young trees have been newly transplanted, 
there is danger of injury by the wfind, if a 
large top has been left on them. But new¬ 
ly transplanted trees should have the tops 
so reduced, when removed, that the winds 
cannot stir them, especially in winter when 
there is no foliage on them. If, in addition 
to this, a proper amount of roots has been 
taken up with them, and they have been 
securely set, they will stand so firmly that 
no wfind will stir them. The mound is 
probably intended to exclude mice; and if 
so, the earth should be compactly beaten 
around the stem, which will further add to 
the security. An acquaintance set out a 
large orchard in grass, and banked with 
masses of turf around the trees, w r hich in¬ 
vited the mice between these masses of 
turf, and they ruined his intended orchard. 
Had the mounds been made of compact 
earth, smoothly beaten, his trees w r ould 
have been saved. The careless and super¬ 
ficial way in which young trees are some¬ 
times dug, where the roots are cut short, 
and the setting out is badly performed, 
with no pruning of the tops, would cause 
the objection made to possess full force. 
These remarks apply to newly set trees. If 
the orchard has stood longer, the trees 
have become firmly fixed by the new roots, 
and the mounds of earth about them to ex 
elude mice, will not be disturbed. 
FROM PROF. J. L. BUDD. 
I have practiced the mounding of recent¬ 
ly set fruit trees in the autumn during the 
past 30 years wfithout observing the injury 
resulting therefrom noted by the corres¬ 
pondent of the R. N.-Y., yet it might hap¬ 
pen in sections having a close, retentive, 
clay soil. With us the mounding is prac¬ 
ticed for tw r o reasons : 1. The mice often 
girdle newly-set trees and the mounding 
seems to be the only certain preventive ; 
2. We are obliged to use for root-grafting 
and budding stocks which are not perfectly 
hardy with us and we find the mounding 
an advantage while depth of root is being 
attained. On one occasion we mounded 
about one-half of a cherry orchard on Ma- 
haleb roots when a sudden freeze stopped 
the work. The mounded part came 
through in perfect order, while the larger 
part of the unmounded trees were root- 
killed. 
Storey County, Iowa. 
FROM T. H. nOSKINS. 
I have never before heard that hilling the 
earth around young fruit trees is consider¬ 
ed good practice. I have set out many 
thousands, and have always left the ground 
level, after treading the earth firmly about 
the trees. A little elevation may be per¬ 
mitted, to make sure that the ground is 
not dishing. It is, however, equally w r rong 
to allow a tree to be so worked by the wind 
as to make a cavity by swaying. If the 
young tree is tall enough, or has top enough, 
to be in danger of this, it should be firmly 
supported bv securing it to stakesibut 1 al¬ 
ways prefer to plant trees so small as not 
to require this support. 
Orleans County, Vt. 
FROM PATRICK BARRY. 
Our practice at this time of the year is to 
plow among our young fruit trees and the 
earth gets thrown up around the trees a little 
above the ground level, but we never “hill 
up.” The objection raised to hilling up by 
the R. N.-Y. correspondent is not so serious 
as he represents. Hilling is frequently 
done to prevent damage by mice. 
Monroe County, N. Y. 
FROM G. P. WHITNEY. 
The practice of hilling around young 
fruit trees, has for years been recommended 
by some of our fruit-growers. The location 
and kind of soil vary so much that the ex¬ 
perience of one would hardly be a good rule 
for all. The swaying of the trees in the 
loose earth forms a socket and after thaw¬ 
ing and freezing one may find his trees set 
in ice instead of being protected from it. 
Young trees ought not to be set in sod. 
Should there be any in sod or by the road 
side, I would recommend cutting the grass 
around them to protect them from mice, or 
in case of deep snow it should be tramped 
about them. This should be done if the 
trees are small. Cut the grass around the 
tree and put a shovelful of earth about it 
and tramp it down. I have never banked 
trees and have lost but few T either by mice 
or frost. 
Orleans County, N. Y. 
FROM J. N. STEARNS. 
I have several times heard the same ob¬ 
jection raised, but I look upon it as I do on 
many other plausible theories which wfill 
not hold good in practice. I have between 
3,000 and 4,000 fruit trees—peach, pear, 
plum and cherry—planted on all grades of 
soil, from light sand to the heaviest clay. 
It has been my practice for 10 years just be¬ 
fore the ground freezes to hill up all my 
young trees, and even those three and four 
inches through, always with the best re¬ 
sults. In fact, experience has taught me 
that trees so treated are much less liable to 
be affected by ice than those not banked up. 
Kalamazoo County, Mich. 
FROM W. M. BENNINGER. 
The earth should be hilled and tramped 
firmly around all fruit trees in the fall and 
if this is neglected 10 chances to one the 
water will settle in the loose hole and the 
roots will freeze to death. The hill will 
cause the water to run aw'ay from the tree, 
and will also keep the latter firm so that it 
will need no stake. 
In the nursery row and in our young or¬ 
chards we plow a furrow to the tree every 
fall and this is done by all successful nur¬ 
serymen and fruit-growers. The earth 
must be leveled dowm in the spring. The 
hill also prevents the mice from gnawing 
the trees, as they never work up a mound 
for fear they will get on top of the snow 
and freeze. We never had any trees injured 
by hilling up and no pockets can form if 
the mounds are properly made. If pockets 
should form they should be destroyed by 
tramping the earth to the trees before 
freezing. 
Northampton County, Pa. 
FROM P. M. AUGUR. 
In regard to banking up around young 
trees, much depends upon circumstances. 
As a protection against mice, when proper¬ 
ly done, it is generally effective; but is it 
bad for the trees ? As a rule, no; though 
in some cases it undoubtedly may be. I 
will take an average case and give my 
“ modus operandi.” I take a two-acre field 
and plant with first-class Bartlett pears, 
wfith very good roots, 16x20 feet apart. The 
work takes nearly 300 trees. I plant in 
May. Each tree has been so thinned out in 
the top that it cannot sway at all in the 
wind. I apply a mulch of, coarse manure 
or coarse hay. Not a tree of the 300 fails; 
not one has made a socket by swaying. 
With such an orchard a moderate and firm 
banking up of the trees in autumn, on land 
naturally or artificially fairly well drained, 
is a safe and commendable operation. I 
have, after banking, thrown a shovelful of 
unleached wmod ashes loosely over the cone 
of earth as an additional safeguard and 
also to secure its manurial effect. We 
should allow no trees in our orchards with 
sockets at the base. The way to treat such 
a tree is, first, to take out three-quarters of 
the branches, which ought, probably, to be 
done in any case, and then we should flrpi 
the earth around the base, manure well, 
and avoid tearing off the roots with the 
plow or cultivator. A loose tree in an 
orchard is an abomination, and should at 
once be made firm, or replaced by a better 
one. On wet laud mice me nut »u apt to be 
found, and a good dressing of coal and 
wood ashes mixed just around each tree 
will probably be a sufficient protection. It 
is proper here to say that when trees have 
been banked up with eai’th in autumn, the 
banking should be leveled down in spring 
and if any swaying has occurred, do as 
above indicated. 
Middlesex County, Conn. 
FROM JULIUS HARRIS. 
Although some fruit growers have prac¬ 
ticed hilling young fruit trees to prevent 
the depredations of mice, yet my experi¬ 
ence proves that there is more danger of 
trees being injured by ice when hilled, 
than by mice when the earth around them 
is left in a natural condition. I have known 
young peach trees to be seriously damaged 
and many ot them killed during the winter. 
The sockets made by the swaying of the 
trees are much more liable to freeze so as 
to hold water when the ground is raised 
around the trees than when left level; 
therefore I am satisfied that the labor in 
hilling fruit trees is not only useless but 
damaging. 
Orleans County. N. Y. 
FROM I. D. BALDWIN. 
I have practiced hilling around small 
fruit trees for more than 20 years, tak¬ 
ing the mounds away as soon as the ground 
gets settled in the spring, and my trees 
have never sustained any damage from ice 
forming about them. If the work is prop¬ 
erly done, and at the right time, water can¬ 
not stand around the trees. My soil is 
clay, and I wait until it is damp from late 
rains, then bank up eight or 10 inches, mak¬ 
ing the earth firm about the trees with the 
spade or foot, and very little water can get 
in. I bank my trees for winter protection 
against field mice and severe cold weather. 
Washtenaw County, Mich. 
FITZWATER PEAR. 
ElGnT specimens of this pear, wdiich 
will not be offered for sale until the 
fall of next year, have been received 
at this office. The size is shown by the 
engraving at Fig. 297. The color is a 
bright yellow with russet dots about the 
calyx. It ripens from November to Janu¬ 
ary. The flesh is tender, buttery, juicy, 
sub-acid, spicy and excellent. Mr. Herbert 
A. Jones, of Himrods, N. Y., is propagating 
it for sale. Its origin is unknown further 
than that it is from seed brought by his 
grandmother or great uncle or aunt, and 
planted in their settlement some 40 years 
ago. From what country the seeds were 
brought or what variety the seeds were tak¬ 
en from is not stated. 
<H)c (Drcl)oriX> 
Dodging the “Yellows.” 
Planting Southern-Grown Peach Pits, 
REASONS FOR USING THEM. 
The R. N.-Y. has, of course, known for 
some time that a good many nurserymen 
use peach pits grown on the high lands of 
Tennessee and other Southern States for 
producing young trees. The business of 
handling and selling these Southern-grown 
pits has assumed a distinct shape and in¬ 
creases with every year. Knowing that its 
readers will be glad to learn more about 
this means of combatting the dreaded “yel¬ 
lows,” the R. N.-Y. herewith presents the 
views of a number of nurserymen who have 
used these pits for some years : 
FROM S. & O. N. BRANT. 
Would seedlings from healthy, natural 
Texas or Tennessee peach seeds, grown on 
the right kind of soil, budded with healthy 
buds produce healthy trees ? Peach seeds 
or buds procured from trees which have 
the yellows, will produce the yellows. 
Peach trees which have the yellows in or¬ 
chards, should be either pulled up by the 
roots or cut close to the ground and;burnt. 
