THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 7 
86 
PENNSYLVANIA STATE HORTI¬ 
CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, 
The forty-fourth annual meeting of the 
Pennsylvania State Horticultural Associa¬ 
tion was held at the Board of Trade rooms, 
Harrisburg, Pa., January 21-22. The at¬ 
tendance was scarcely up to the average, 
but much Interest was manifested In the 
proceedings. The dominant topics were 
better education of farm children along 
the lines of nature study to create Interest 
and love for country life, and the great 
utility of thorough spraying If high-class 
market fruit Is to be produced. There was 
a most creditable display of State-grown 
apples, some of which exceeded In beauty 
and finish those exhibited elsewhere. The 
finest specimen shown came from a Dau¬ 
phin County orchard where little or no 
cultivation Is practiced. The grower, L. 
M. Simons, Piketown, Pa., has more con¬ 
fidence in intelligent spraying than tillage 
for bearing trees, and his exhibit was a 
convincing proof of the soundness of his 
local practice. There were some fine native 
and foreign chestnuts, Paragon leading In 
quality as usual among large kinds. This 
excellent variety is often chalky and in¬ 
sipid when immature, but when properly 
cured is sweet and excellent In flavor. A 
“spineless” native was shown in the hull. 
The nuts are of good size and flavor but the 
burs are small, with short recurved spines 
and can be handled with little trouble. 
Prof. S. B. Heiges, ex-Pomologrlst of the 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
and a former resident of Pennsylvania, 
made a stirring plea for State aid and 
recognition of horticulture. The Society 
has always carried its own burdens, and is 
almost alone among similar State organiza¬ 
tions in not receiving assistance In publish¬ 
ing its report and carrying on its investi¬ 
gations. Resolutions were passed favoring 
legislation creating a Division of Horti¬ 
culture in connection with the State De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, and making ap¬ 
propriations for instruction In spraying and 
orchard practice in various parts of the 
State. The idea Is to Instruct the farmers 
and fruit growers that they may avail 
themselves of modern methods and in turn 
teach their children to produce fruits of 
the highest quality. The report on Present 
Conditions of the Fruit Industry in Penn¬ 
sylvania, by Gabriel Hiester, was most In¬ 
teresting. Pennsylvania produces almost 
as many apples as New York or Ohio, but 
practically all -are consumed within her 
borders and thousands of barrels are 
brought in from other localities. There Is 
a great variety of soils, climate and eleva¬ 
tion. Ideal conditions may be found In 
every county for the production of finest 
qualities, but such conditions are often 
very local. The day of profitable grain 
growing has generally passed and pomo- 
loglcal products offer the highest Induce¬ 
ments to intelligent farmers. York Im¬ 
perial, Baldwin and Smith’s Cider now give 
most promising returns. Ben Davis apple 
and Kieffer pear have undoubtedly been 
over-planted, but often yield good profits. 
Small fruits sometimes pay exceedingly 
w'ell, and their culture Is increasing. 
Grapes are generally unprofitable with the 
exception of a limited district near the 
great lakes. 
Prof. L. R. Watts, formerly of the Ten¬ 
nessee Experiment Station, Is probably 
unique in relinquishing a professorship for 
practical horticulture. His address on 
apple culture was a model of brevity and 
conciseness of statement, and was listened 
to with great interest. The main points 
were the necessity of careful location and 
selection of soil. Only the best land should 
be planted to apples. When grown for 
market a few varieties only of known ex¬ 
cellence should be selected, but for home 
use a wider range is admissible. Trees can 
best be procured from a reliable nursery, 
but home propagation from selected bear¬ 
ing trees is very desirable. Pruning is of 
the highest importance, but no fixed rules 
can be laid down. Low-heading has many 
great advantages, and Is particularly use¬ 
ful now that spraying for insects and fun¬ 
gus diseases is* regarded as essential. Till¬ 
age or no tillage is a most debatable ques¬ 
tion, an^ greatly depends on the man and 
local conditions. It is undeniable that the 
finest fruits often come from orchards with 
little or no tillage, but where other essen¬ 
tials are w'ell carried out. Fertilization 
must always be sufficient, and a good sup¬ 
ply of humus maintained by manure, 
mulches or leguminous cover crops. Direct 
applications of chemicals, especially of 
nitrate of soda, are often of the highest 
value. Spraying can scarcely be too thor¬ 
ough, and is a necessai'y condition of suc¬ 
cessful production. Apples may often be 
grown of good size and quality without the 
use of sprays, but they are rarely free 
enough from blemishes for best price. 
A discussion on crown gall following a 
paper read by A. C. Richards, developed 
the wide extent of this obstinate and rather 
mysterious disease. It Is found In all lo¬ 
calities, and there are at present no prac¬ 
tical means of escaping the Infection, but 
It is poor policy to plant trees with a 
visible gall-like enlargement at the Junction 
of root-stock and scion. The small galls 
found on the roots are often caused by 
Woolly aphis, and are usually harmless. 
They should, be cut away when noticed. 
Some nurseries are badly Infected with 
root gall—more than half the trees In some 
shipments plainly showing the trouble. The 
gall parasite gets entrance at junction of 
graft, and it Is possible that budding on 
whole-root stocks may diminish the trouble. 
The subjects of tree agents and irrespon¬ 
sible commission merchants were touched 
on in the papers and discussions. The lat¬ 
ter were condemned as the fruit growers’ 
greatest enemy, and the former criticised 
mainly because they are disposed to dictate 
varieties to purchasers and to urge plant¬ 
ing of too many untested kinds. San Jos6 
scale is recognized as an enemy which must 
be faced, but the scare caused by its rapid 
spread is about over. Infected orchards 
must be treated yearly by some of the ad¬ 
vocated sprays In order to escape serious 
injury. Good words were said for the lime, 
salt and sulphur mixture as being a fairly 
effective fungicide, especially against Peach 
leaf-curl, as well as a cure for the scale. 
The robin was denounced as one of the 
chief factors in spreading Pernicious scale. 
The birds haunt orchards and carry the 
larvae from Infected trees to healthy ones. 
Not much was brought out concerning 
peaches. Elberta and Champion are quite 
subject to leaf curl. Iron Mountain is an 
excellent late white variety in many locali¬ 
ties. Yellows Is more loc.al In Pennsylva¬ 
nia than in many States. It Is believed 
the maximum of damage from yellows has 
been passed In Delaware and the Peninsula. 
Lancaster was selected as the meeting 
place for the next annual meeting and 
a strong effort will be made to Increase 
the membership, which is now confined to 
the older fruit growers of the State. The 
officers of the current year were reSlected 
without dissent. w. v. r. 
Germinating Japan Walnuts. 
J. H. 8., Wapakoneta, O .—Will you tell me 
how to treat Japan walnuts before or at 
the time of planting the seeds for nursery 
trees? 
Ans. —Japan and other walnuts for 
planting should be kept in a cool, moist 
place, and not allowed to become dry. A 
box of moist (not wet) sand in the cel¬ 
lar makes convenient storage. They 
may be planted either in Fall or Spring, 
but in the former instance il is well to 
cover with boards to keep out vermin. 
Plant in rows three or more feet apart, 
placing the nuts five or six inches apart. 
Do not cover more than two inches deep, 
pressing the soil well down along the 
rows. More failures result from deep 
planting than from any other cause. 
These walnuts usually grow readily if 
not dried out or otherwise injured be¬ 
fore planting. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth,— Adv. 
THE VERY FINEST 
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Black 
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Beautiful, ilhistrated catalogue of 50 pages, giv¬ 
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J. T. LOVETT, Little Silver, N. J. 
-SEEDS- 
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54 & 56 DEY ST., NEW YORK. 
The Farmer’s Wife 
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“Seedsmen to the American People." 
FARMERS 
t—Don’t grow Corn all cob. Enclose 
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Yellow grains threii-fourths inch long; small cob. 
Red Clover Seed at Wholesale. 
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Sweet 
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We have Apples, Plums, Pears, 
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'Y thodsand 
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THE WM. H. MOON CO., MORRISVILLE, PA. 
60 miles from New York; 30 miles from Philadelphia. 
75000 Peach and 60000 Apple Trees 
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REST SMALL FRUITS. 
Standard and improved varieties of Raspberries, 
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Money in Strawberries 
' If tou get Good Plaxts. One of my cus- ( 
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I Strawberries from one acre. I sold him the' 
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Leslie, Mich. 
CACTUS DAHLIAS 
300 varieties. Hardy Phlox, 100 varieties. Hardy 
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Send for Catalogues. 
NORTH SHORE FERNERUBS, Reverly.Mass. 
I!!£Hieley Peach. 
Hardy stock and very early. Fruit 
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•BSTABLISHBD 1824. 
HIGH-GRADE 
GARDEN SEEDS 
BRIDGEMAN’S SEED WAREHOUSE, 
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Descriptive Illustrated Catalogue mailed free to all 
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NqUI Fra Pnui Poac”'^*'® earliest and most 
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CHIT live POTATO FABM-^obblers, 6 Weeks, 
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^ I ^-Second-growth Seed Potatoes, $1.25 
I or wQlv per bushel; Home-grown Crimson 
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PCTATCES 
MAINE GROWN. 
Fifty varieties. Ad¬ 
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Ea. Whiton Potatoes 
Whiton’s White Mammoth 
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Single-CombWhite Leghorn 
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W. W. WHITON, 
Box 3. Wakeman, Ohio. 
POTATOES 
$2.50 
a Bbl. 
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Seed 
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Box AS , BAY CITY, MICH. 
Largest growers in America of Vegetable, 
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s mil, Specialist, 
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THE LIVINGSTON SEED CO., Box 309, COLUMBUS, OHIO. 
