io6 
niK RURAL 
N E W-Y O R K E R 
February 14 
HUDSON VALLEY FRUIT MEN MEET 
The fruit growers of the Hudson River 
Valley had an exceptionally Interesting 
meeting at I’ougiikeepsie on January 30 and 
31. Thi.s was the eastern meeting of tlie 
New Yoi'k State Fruit Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion. The attendance was good, and the 
interest exceptional throughout the whole 
proceeding. 1 have attended a great many 
conventions I'eiircscnting the varied in¬ 
terests of tlie country, and I have rarely, 
if ever, met a more intelligent or progres¬ 
sive class of men representing in conven¬ 
tion any interest in any place. The first 
day's session was especially fortunate in 
the presence of three strong speakers. Dr. 
Jordan, l*rof. Jiailey and J. H. Hale. Dr. 
Jordan spoke on his favorite subject. “The 
t’ommei'cial Fertilizer Situation.” 1 am 
not going to repeat what he said, because 
he covered much tlie same ground as has 
been reported from his speech at Buffalo. 
1 always enjoy Dr. Jordan’s talks to farm¬ 
ers, because lie impresses me with the 
honesty and sincerity of his purposes. He 
never jollies the farmer, as many speak¬ 
ers are inclined to do. He has the courage 
of his’ convictions, and he is not afraid to 
tell the farmer where he himself, as well 
as the dealer or the manufacturer, is re¬ 
sponsible for some of the defects of the 
fi rtilizer trade. Prof. Bailey took up the 
subject of pruning. He would first foTm 
his ideals and prune afterwards. He might 
in line to produce fruit buds, for growth of 
wood, for removal of disease or form of 
tree. He would top-prune so as to keep 
the top close to tlie ground, to admit .sun¬ 
light. to produce vigor. To check growth, 
he would prune during the growing sea¬ 
son. He summed up the situation by say¬ 
ing that pruning, after all, is only one of 
the essentials of fruit growing. Spraying, 
fertility and culture are quite as necessary. 
To the criticism that it is not na'tural to 
prune trees, he showed how the withering 
o'' stems and failure of buds was nature's 
way of pruning. He alleged further that 
it isn't natiii-al for trees to grow in rows, 
nor to have their fruit picked by man, but 
tliat these artificial conditions seem im¬ 
portant, nevertheless. Dressings for wounds 
of trees, he explained, had no other effect 
than to keep the exposed part free from 
disease. Anything that would act as a dis¬ 
infectant, and protect the exposed parts, 
will do. He considers a good paint as satis¬ 
factory as anything for this purpose. 
Mr. Hale talked on the general subject 
of orcharding, and also spoke on peach 
growing in the North. Mr. Hale believes 
that we have the best conditions in the 
world for successful fruit growing in gen¬ 
eral, and peach growing in particular, 
right here in the East and in New Eng¬ 
land. In the matter of soil and climate for 
the production of good fruit, he believes 
that there is no better place in America. 
The demand for the best products is right 
here at our door, where the highest price 
may be demanded for them, and we have 
the local advantage of being able to learn 
by telephone in the morning, while the fruit 
is yet on the vine, wliat the conditions are 
in tlie different markets that may be sup¬ 
plied in the afternoon. He believes it will 
be to the advantage of the young man to 
plant his orchard right at home and in the 
locality where he was born, where he 
knows all the conditions of the soil, climate 
and market. He would grow the fruit that 
he liked best, because he believes that no 
man can be entirely successful with fruit 
growing unless he has an especial affection 
for the tree that he is cultivating. He 
would plant apple trees close together 
with no other trees or plants as a general 
thing intervening, but when the orchard 
grew up so as to crowd each other, he 
would thin out the trees. 
I was greatly Interested in the varied 
personality and noticeable difference in the 
way these three strong men presented their 
subjects. Dr. Jordan gives us the impre.s- 
sion of much vigor, great earnestness and 
dignity. He forces his point home with 
sledge-hammer blows. His force is that of 
the water over the precipice, in plain sight. 
Prof. Bailey gives one the consciousness of 
great force, but his expressions reminds one 
of the great force of water at the spigot 
where the faucet is turned. We know that 
away back on the hilltop somewhere is a 
large supply of stored-up water giving 
force to a little outlet at the spigot, and 
though the force is not so visible, we are 
equally conscious of its strength. Both 
these men, it seems to me, appeal to the 
more favored and more intelligent class of 
farmers. It is the farmer of some intelli¬ 
gence and culture who gets the mo.st out 
of their discourse. They seem out of touch 
and wanting in fellowship wilh the aver¬ 
age farmer who tills the soil wilh his 
own hands. Mr. Hale comes in, it 
seems to me, wilh Jiis practical experience 
and familiarity with the soil, to help out 
the men in a stratum of resources and 
ability, low'er down than those reached by 
the other men. Mr. Hale has force, vigor, 
sprightliness, but perhaps his most distin¬ 
guishing trait is enthusiasm. He is usually 
sound in liis ducli'ine, but I surmise that 
whether sound or faulty, he would carry 
his audience with him just the same. It 
occurs to me sometimes that his logic Is a 
little bit faulty, and that an important term 
is often overlooked in the forming of his 
syllogisms, but in the main, he has learned 
the fact from actual experience, and his 
good nature and bubbling wit cheer, in¬ 
duce enthusiasm, and popularize him. 
He, however, sometimes discourages a timid 
or modest questioner by a caustic sar¬ 
casm where a patient and sympathetic ex¬ 
planation would be more fruitful, if less 
brilliant. Jordan strikes, Bailey allures 
and Hale makes fun. Each in his own way 
inspires the listener to better things. 
Two other strong men in this meeting 
were our old friend S. D. Willard and Prof. 
E. P. Felt. Mr. Willard discussed the 
farm crops of the future and Mr. Felt took 
up his favorite subject of insects. Their 
discussions deserve more attention than I 
shall be able to give them. Prof. Felt has 
given a good deal of attention to crude oil 
spraying and has been successful, but owing 
to the difficulty in securing a uniform 
standard of oil and the danger of want of 
sullicient care in operating the pump, he 
di.es not recommend it generally. The im¬ 
pression prevails that the lime, sulphur and 
salt formula will yet be used to displace oil, 
and possibly the Bordeaux Mixture also. 
T. 10. Cross, who was largely responsible 
for the success of the present meeting, 
was elected chairman of a local committee, 
with power to choose his own associates, 
to provide for the meeting next year, which 
is to be held at Poughkeepsie. There was 
an especially nice lot of fruit, notably 
apples, on exhibition, for which some sub¬ 
stantial prizes were awarded, among them 
being a Buckeye mower given by Adriance, 
Platt & Co. _ D. 
Setting Celeiiy by Machine.— It takes 
time to feed the plants into a machine, 
;ind it cannot be done quickly enough. 1 
have had a good many people tell me that 
lliey have invcnled a machine for setting 
onion plants which docs good work, but in 
every case thus f.ar investigated by me, 1 
found that the machine was w'ortliless for 
the purpose. So I have come to the conclu¬ 
sion that the only machine we must rely on 
for setting onion plants is the nimble 
fingers of active youngsters. Celery plants 
on account of the long tap-root or root 
system, present still greater difficulties for 
the solution of the problem than onion 
plants. T. GREINER. 
Niagara Co., N. Y. 
For the land’s; sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
Thoroughly Pulvorizes (ho Soil, Kills All Weeds and 
Makes a Perfect Seed Bed. 
It Is suite*! to fitting anj kintl of soil for any kind of crop. 16 patent 
crimped spring teeth each fitted with inch rcversilde points. Cuts a 
strip 6 foot wide. Good high wheels with wide (.’1 in.) tires. Carries the 
rider and at the same time reduces draft to the in nimum. Twoconvenient 
levers control the gangs perfectly. It is m«>Bt tnoiiem steehconstruction 
tbroughout,which means the maximum of lightneas.neatncss and strength 
cumhined. Krerr tooth cuts its own furrow. NotraiUng. Cannotbe 
clogged with stalks, stubbles, weeds or rubbish. Once over loaves the 
soil (d lietter condition than two or three times with ordinary harrows. 
We want a good agent in each locality. Write for catal*^ and a)»ec]al terms. 
REED MFG. CO., Kalamazoo, Mich. 
This Wheel Harrow 
Light 
Draft 
Wide 
Wheels 
'Y THOUSAND 
riFT 
r Apple Trees. Best Commercial Sorts 
■ ^ clean, smooth, thrifty: no end to 
^ roots. Peach, Plum, Pear, Cherry, Quince, 
etc., cheap. Woodview Nurseries, Mt. Hoav Springs, Pa. 
TR 
JItii 
PCGROWN BEAR I NG^-TREES 
w.FREE’ 
OUR BOOK 
HOW TOGROW 
FRUIT 
TITUS NURSERYi^nSJSTneb 
FREICHTpaVi^t 
”!i!!!TREES 
Specialties: Apple, 16c; Peach. l‘2c; Cherry, 15c. Small fruit plants 
Roses, vines. KX^page catalogue free. 2 New Red Cross currant 
HecreU of Fruit Growinic, 150 photos, lOe. Cop* 
Greeks Fruit Grower free. Good salary paid for work at home 
GREEN’S NURSERY CO., Rochester, N.Y, 
standard 
Pear Trees! 
Buy Where Disease 
Is Unknown. 
Our stock is unex¬ 
celled. Includes all the 
approved, standard 
summer, fall and win¬ 
ter varieties. Budded 
true to name, thor- 
J oughlv rooted, smooth and in the thriftiest possible 
condition. Headquarters for famous Genesee Valley 
apple and other truit trees, shrubs, vines.etc. Lowest 
I price,. Health certificate from State of New York. Write for free cataloft. 
GEO. A. SWEET NURSERY CO., Box 1603. Dansville, N. Y. 
mTMICHIGAN mELS 
arc “brc'd for bearliis:.” That’s why we 
cut all buds from the best fruited, bearinfv 
trees. It also insures stock true to name and 
variety. Over three million trees—913acres. 
All new and standard varieties of Apple, 
Peach, Pear, Plum, Quince, etc. Also orna¬ 
mental trees and shrubs. >Ve sell direct at 
''hoVsnIe priees. lllustratc<l catalogue free. 
WEST MICHIGAN NURSERIES, 
Box 54, Benton Harbor, .iJich. 
HAPGOOD 
REVERSIBLE 
OR SIDE HILL 
DISC SULKY 
has all the good points of the Hancock and in addi¬ 
tion is especially adapted for hillsides, plowing 
back and forth on same land. Send for special circular with 
full description, AGENTS WANTED. Liberal discount 
on first machine to introduce. Address 
HAPGOOD PLOW CO., Exclusive ¥frs., Box SDS'-^AIton, III. 
PM pup Don’t grow Corn all cob. Knclose 
I lllllilCIlw stamp for free sample KEAljiJORN. 
Yellow grains three-fourths inch long; small cob. 
lied Clover Seed at Wholesale. 
MT. BLANCO POULTKY FARM, Mt. Blanco, O. 
rtfkWIU Ofr/| Q—Supply your ground with 
wW nitrogen from the air, and 
add humus to the soli. This can be done by the use 
of Southern Cow Peas, which are recommended by 
leading agricultural papers and Experiment Stations 
for the building up and making iirofltable of all run¬ 
down soils. Whippoorwill at $1.35 per bushel 69 lb.s.; 
Clav’s or Unknown at $1.25 iier bushel. Cash with 
order. WM. B. ELLIS, Fort Valley, (Ja. 
ONION SEED-Southpori Globe. 
MEEKER’S SMOOTHING HARROW. 
Send for prices and catalogue. 
TUB C. O. JBLLIFF MFG. CO., SOUTUI'OBT, CoNN- 
AQPARARII^ n-bOOO Ibs. pure Palmetto 
MOrAnnUUu OLlU AsparagusSeedfor sale. 
ROCKY FORD 
SEED 
1,000 lbs., carefully selected under my personal 
supervision In Colorado last Fall. 
300 bus. Address 
for price and par¬ 
ticulars 
IRON COW PEAS 
C. H. MATHIS, Blackvilie, S. C. 
GIANT ARGENTEUIL ASPARAGUS 
Fine plants. 
G. E. PACKARD, Dover, Del. 
potatoes- Bovee, Carman, Cobbler, Hebron. 6Wks. 
*^Queen, Ohio, Kose. 85 kinds. C.W. Ford, Fisher, N.Y. 
S KCOND-CKOP SKKD I'OTATOKS-Mature 
. earlier, yield more and larger potatoes than any 
other seed. 1 grow them. Catalogue free. 
ALF. A. WHITTINGTON, Marion Station, Md. 
POTATOES 
MAINE GROWN. 
_ Fifty varieties. Ad¬ 
dress OAKTEB & COKEY, Presque Isle, Maine, or 
310 Washington Street, New York. Catalogue. Shij)- 
ments can bo made either from Maine or New York. 
For Sale 
-Second-growth Seed Potatoes, $1.25 
Clover Seed, $8 per bushel; Cow Peas, $1.75 per bu. 
JOSEPH K. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
SWEET CORN. 
j. A. 
Wanted te buy for planting 1 bu. 
up. Send sample and write. 
EVEKITT, Indianapolis. Ind. 
Yellow S-rowed Corn; White Star Oats, 
V !■ L 11 first at N. Y. State Fair; Beardless Bar- 
■JLLU ley,$l per bu. POTATOES—Cobblers, 6 
Weeks, Chios, Kaleighs. 20 kinds. De¬ 
scription 11 kinds Field Beans and yields. Write to¬ 
day for free package Iceberg Lettuce. 
SMITH’S I’OTATO FAUM, Manchester, N. Y. 
Northern-Grown FruitTrees 
Grown In the best section of northern New York. 
Hardy, thrifty and well grown. “Highest quality; 
lowest price.” Headquarters for I’aeking Deal¬ 
ers’Orders. 75,000 Peaches, large stock of Apples, 
Pears, Cherries and Plums; three grades. Send for 
my free and Interesting Spring Catalogue. Valuable 
Premium with early orders. 
MAKTIN WAHL, Dept. H, Rochester, N. Y. 
SGRAPEVINES 
100 Varletloii. AlsoSmall Fruit*,Trees,Ac. BestRoot- 
e<l stock. Genuine, cheap. 2 sample vines mailed for 10c. 
Descriptive price-list free. BBITIS BOK8C11, yr*d«BiB,ll. T. 
Beardless Barley 
is prodigally prolidc, yield¬ 
ing for Mr. J. K. Wells, Or¬ 
leans County, New York, 109 
bushels par acre. Docs well 
everywhere . Tha t Pays. 
20th Century Oats. 
The oat marvel, producing 
from 200 to 300 bus. per acre. 
8alzerV Oats are warrant* 
cd 10 produce great yields. 
The II. S. Ag. Dept, calls 
Salzer‘8 Seed Oats the very 
best. Thiit Pnya, 
Three Eared Corn. 
2(K) to 256 bus. por acre, is 
extremely profitable at pres¬ 
ent price*efcorn. Knlzcr^a 
New Goliem Gate Corn yicldi 
800 bushels per acre. 
Macaroni Wheat. 
Greatest wheat on earth 
for arid, dry, hotsolls—yields 
63 bus. per acre. Introduced 
by U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. 
It’s a woudcrlTJiut pays* 
Speltz. 
Greatest ccrcnl food on 
earth—80 bus. grain and 4 
tons magnificent hay per 
Acre. Thfitpuya, 
Victoria Rape 
makes it possil>]e to grow 
hogs, sheep ami cattle at n 
cost of hut lo. a Ib. Marvel¬ 
ously prolilic, doe.a well 
evcrywha rc. Th at pays. 
Bromus Inermis 
this and Billion Dollar Grass 
are the two most woiulerful 
B rasses of the century. Pro- 
ucc 6 tons of hay and lots 
and lotsof pasturage besides 
per acre. Grows wherever 
soil is found. Thot poya. 
$10.00 for 10c. 
We wish you to fry our 
great farmsceds,hence offer 
to fiend 10 farm seed sam¬ 
ples, containing Macaroni 
wheat Toosiiite, Rape, Giant 
, "lover, Speltz, etc.,(fiillv worth 
$10.00 to geta start) together with 
5 . our great catalog, for 10c. postage. 
JohnASalierSeedCo.'-*&?l“" 
Hammond’s 
Seeds Lead 
in vigor, yield, earliness 
and quality. Better can¬ 
not be had. Prices very 
low. We can save you 
money. Northern Grown 
, always the BEST. Our 
handsome 100-page catalog 
of Garden, Field and Flower 
^seeds mailed free on request. 
^arry N. Hammond Seed Co., Ltd. 
BOX 42. 
BAY CITY. MICH. 
Peach Trees 
For valuable information 
showing best varieties, write 
HusTEU CO., Lowell, Mich. 
“»w LIVINOSTON 
THE 
TOMATO MAN? 
WE ARE ORIGINAL INTRODUCERS OE 
Beauty, Stone, Acme, Paragon, Favorite, Perfection, Etc., Etc. 
THESE TOMATOES have made us famous the world over. You 
ought to get your TOMATO Seed, at least, from us. Try It once—Just ouce 
is all we ask. Our SEED ANNUAL, 104 pag:e8, FREE. 
THE LIVINGSTON SEED CO., Box 309, COLUMBUS, OHIO. 
HARRIS’ SEEDS 
From the Grower to the Sower 
Wholesale Prices to All. They are not 
“cheap seeds,” but the best seeds grown, 
at prices which dealers often have to pay for seeds not so good, 'tt^e raise them on our own farm 
and save middlemen’s profits. We raise Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Seed Potatoes and al' 
kinds of Farm Seeds. Large Catalogue free. Don’t miss seeing it. Send us your address now 
JOSEPH HARkIS CO., Moreton Farm, Coldwater, N. Y. 
,Cf$aer47 Northern Grown Flower Seeds 
" 27 ^^^ 0 ^ 6 , 0 ™ Vegetable Seeds 
Isbell’s new illustrated Catalogue, giving prices on 
a complete line of seeds, FREE with either order. 
Send today. S. M. ISBELL & CO., Depi.B, Jackson, Mich. 
Spark’s Earliana 
Most profitable Tomato ever grown. One 
trucker cleared $ 6000 . Many others in 
proportion. For history of this and other 
Money Making 
Novelties 
See our Garden and Farm Manual for 1003. 
Most complete and practical catalogue published. 
Tells all about the best Seeds, Plants, Inipleiiients, 
Poultry Supplies, etc. Sent free to Seed buyers—write now. 
JOHNSON & SYOKES, 
