THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ORCHARD CULTURE FOR TEXAS. 
Variations from Northern Practice. 
The discussion going on for some time in The R. 
N.-Y. pro and con as regards cultivating orchards 
elicited a number of strong points. The consensus of 
opinion of our best authorities appear to be that pro¬ 
vision be made by cultivating for receiving and re¬ 
taining moisture and then that there should be vege¬ 
table matter to assist in feeding the trees, as well as 
to prevent washing, and while decomposing keeping 
the ground mellow, thus assisting to retain moisture. 
Thus neither a sod nor too clean cultivation can be 
desirable for most cases. We tried perpetual motion 
(clean cultivation) during the growing season here a 
number of years ago, but found that if this went on 
we Avould soon have no land left fit for anything; that 
all w'ould be w'ashed away. Then we delayed plowing 
orchards until after blooming time. This gave many 
of our native Spring weeds opportunity to mature 
seeds, which gave some cover for the ground the Win¬ 
ter following. Sowing yet some seed of the Rescue 
grass and always starting cultivation late in Spring, 
we have now established a perfect sod of Winter¬ 
growing annuals that perfectly prevent washing, as 
w'ell as furnish excellent pasturage for hogs 
at a time when the trees do not require any 
possible cultivation. This sod turned over 
with a turning plow about four inches deep, 
say about the first week in May, will decom¬ 
pose rapidly and leave the ground in the best 
condition for the production of high-class 
fruit. A few harrowings after this are all that 
is required in the way of Summer cultivation. 
Now some of our friends might think that 
siarting the cultivating in orchard at as late 
a day as I mentioned is not early enough, and 
that they would rather start in as soon as 
blossoms fall. Nearly 30 years’ experience and 
close observation convince me that with our 
long growing seasons here it is absolutely a 
disadvantage to over-stimulate a bearing tree 
by early and frequent cultivation. I take it 
that a tree hardly ever needs help in a normal 
season, before the fruit is well set. A certain 
amount of foliage is essential for favorable re¬ 
sults, but if we produce any more leaves or 
growth than are needed and the season later 
OH ends in a drought, as is often the case in 
Texas, the crop (peaches in particular) is go¬ 
ing to suffer in order that the surplus growth 
may survive. On the other hand, if the sea¬ 
son, as fruit approaches maturity, chances to 
be at all wet, the more shade and leaves the 
more fungus and rot. Of course this condition 
may not exist in the States farther north, I 
only sj)eak for Texas, or a country similarly 
situated. As Prof. Bailey correctly puts it, 
“there is a limit to cultivation.” Without any 
whatever there is no probability in an average 
season of growing good fruit m these parts. 
But just as essential as cultivation I would 
deem the presence of hogs to clean up the 
wormy and decaying fruit as it comes to the 
ground. Where the soil is loose and sandy, 
not ^easily injured by tramping while wet, 
hogs may be allowed among old trees the year 
around. Where soil is otherwise it is well to 
have an Alfalfa and Rescue (it is well to mix 
the two) or a Bermuda grass pasture adjoin¬ 
ing in which the hogs can run for the time 
being till drier again. While orchard is yet 
young, no old hogs should be permitted at 
large. Once a day they may be turned in 
until fruit is cleaned up, and then taken out. 
New'ly-planted and young trees are always getting 
thorough cultivation with cow peas planted between 
the rows, thus we sometimes get as much as six-foot 
growth of an inch or more thick at base in a season. 
But as soon as they get to bearing we want the Winter 
sod to turn under in Spring and then allow the hogs 
to help clean up waste and keep under control rot and 
curculio. Following the above course we have thus 
far prevented the washing of the land entirely, and In 
the meantime have succeeded in growing as clean and 
fine fruit as anyone needs anywhere, and this has been 
done with less labor than is usually accorded average 
bearing orchards. j. w. s. 
Mexia, Texas. 
“AN ACRE OF STRAWBERRIES.’’-Cost of growing 
an acre of strawberries in Bergen Co., N. J. Preparing 
ground, cost of one acre for two years, $6; plowing in 
September and harrowing, $5; sowing and harrowing in 
IVz bushel rye, f3; plowing under rye in June when full 
grown, $4; harrowing once and harrowing in again the 
fertilizers, $20. Fertilizers. 500 pounds animal bone, $8; 
BOO pounds Mapes potato manure, $11; 200 pounds sulphai*. 
of potash, $4; 500 pounds gypsum. $1.25; total. $24.25. 
Plants^ mulching and labor: 14,000 plants, 15x30 inches 
apart, $42; trenching plants until rye is buried, $1.75; 
planting 14,000 plants, $10; cultivating once a week for 12 
weeks, $6; hoeing once a week, $10; dusting gypsum and 
ru.st ijowder, $3; two tons salt meadow hay, $20; spread¬ 
ing on the hay, $1; labor in Spring pushing aside hay, $2, 
$05.75; total cost, $140. 
THE USE OF POWER SPRAYERS. 
Successful in the Park. 
The first power sprayer was put in use about seven 
years ago, and has done admirable service ever since. 
It is a one horse-power Daimler motor and a triplex 
pump, mounted upon a wagon with a 100-gallon tank 
for the emulsion. In addition we last year purchased 
a two-horse-power motor and larger triplex pump, 
and now have in use two machines that are admir¬ 
ably adapted for our park work. They are light and 
convenient, and with either of the engines we can 
throw 10 sprays, or can use four men with double or 
triple sprays, a.s the case may require. The use of 
the small one-fourth-inch cloth insertion rubber hose, 
and the plain Cyclone nozzle and the extension poles 
that elevate the nozzle about 35 feet, give us a very 
successful apparatus. The material used for spraying 
is also used for keeping the motor cool, and the 
amount that passes through the motor is forced 
through four small pipes in the bottom of the tank, 
which keeps the material well stirred at all times 
when the engine is at work. Bamboo poles 18 feet 
long are used, as they are light and stiff, and the hose 
after being attached to the end is tied from the nozzle 
downward, about three feet, only leaving the hose 
free to be handled by the sprayer as he deems best. 
With the hose the spray can be taken any distance or 
height that the trees may require, and the engine will 
send the material through the nozzles with great 
force. It is shown in Fig. 72. e. b. southwick. 
Entomologist N. Y. Dep’t of Parks. 
A Machine for Spraying Asparagus. 
I have used a power outfit for spraying trees, pota¬ 
toes, asparagus, etc. The engine is a gasoline 1]^ 
horse-power. Spraying on a large scale the power 
outfit far surpasses a hand pump. Taking into con¬ 
sideration eight years of personal attention to spray¬ 
ing, 1 will say that the gasoline outfit far surpasses 
anything I have yet known for applying spray. Fig. 
73 shows the gasoline spraying outfit as it looked 
ready for spraying asparagus. It was made like this: 
Using the same wheels that were on the outfit for 
orchard and potato work I had a ‘‘special truck” made 
allowing SYz feet clean from all obstruction when 
set up. When the platform with engine, tank, etc., 
was adjusted 1 was then ready for the rack for the 
nozzle. 'Phis I made of three-fourths-inch pipe, vary¬ 
ing it in length and breadth as desired, using from 
187 
three to nine nozzles according to the growth of the 
asparagus. I found it necessary to use a “rake” ar¬ 
rangement to keep the grass from under the wheeis. 
Spraying 20 acres of asparagus, I consider it paid for 
itself and the mixture, as the asparagus stayed green 
until killed by frost, while all other asparagus in this 
vicinity was dead from one to three months, j. m. r. 
Frederica, Del. 
What Sprayer Shall We Use? 
Very much of the efllciency of spraying depends 
upon the thoroughness with which the mixture is ap¬ 
plied. As too often done the mixture is put on in 
drops, and while the trees may be drenched until it 
runs off a large part of the leaf surface may not be 
touched at all. No matter what the style of nozzle 
used, unless it has plenty of pressure behind it the 
mixture will not be sent in as fine a spray as is most 
effective. To do most good it should be sent in a fog, 
not a rain, and this cannot be done without plenty of 
pressure. Each of the pump makers claims superior 
excellence, but really a “pump is a pump,” and if 
made as it should be, all the working parts of brass, 
the amount of pressure depends upon three things, 
diameter of cylinder, length of stroke and length of 
handle or lever; and the law of mechanics is 
that “what is gained in power is lost in quan¬ 
tity” of mixture that can be thrown. With 
any of the pumps on the market a pressure of 
80 to 100 pounds per inch can be shown, but 
human muscle is too weak; it can’t endure the 
strain of keeping such a pressure constantly 
for any great length of time. Hence, the 
spraying of the future, especialiy in large or¬ 
chards, must be done by some power beside 
human muscle. Sprayers operated by horses, 
the power derived from the wneels of the 
vehicle, may answer for vineyard and very 
small trees, but even for these anyone who 
will attach a pressure gauge to the machine 
will be surprised to see how low the pressure 
is, and how constantly it varies. We have 
now left only two sources from which we can 
hope for power, steam and gasoline. Which 
shall it be? Each has advantages and each dis¬ 
advantages, What is needed is power, cheap¬ 
ness, efficiency and simplicity. There is no 
question but either will .develop all the power 
needed. There is not much difference In the 
cost. Each will do the work, so the question 
largely depends upon the simplicity. We as 
a rule do not have a skilled machinist to han¬ 
dle a sprayer, but must have to depend upon 
a hired man who knows very little about ma¬ 
chinery. Now a gasoline or steam engine has 
a good many parts and has to be very nicely 
adjusted or it balks so we decided to get 
simply a steam pump and steam boiler. The 
Bordeaux and steam cylinders are in direct 
line, both on same piston, so no power is lost 
in being transmitted through any wheels or 
shaft. The steam cylinder is of cast iron and 
the Bordeaux of phosphor bronze. The agi¬ 
tator in the Bordeaux tank is operated by a 
lever worked direct from piston. The beauty 
of this sprayer is there are but few parts. It 
is entirely automatic, so that when pressure 
in the Bordeaux cylinder equals the pressure 
in the boiler the pump stops entirely still and 
so remains until a nozzle is opened when it 
goes to pumping, and the pump works fast or 
slow as to the number of lines of nozzles used. 
The boiler is an upright 1^4 horse-power, 
burns about 75 pounds of anthracite chestnut 
coal per day, and we carry from 90 to 125 
pounds pressure. We got a set of wain wheels with 
six-inch face to tires, and though our Bordeaux cyl¬ 
inder holds 225 gallons, a team handles it easily. We 
have now had it in use three years and it has never 
been out of sorts or balked or cost a cent for repairs, 
and the greenest emigrant from the old world, if he 
knows enough to put coal on the fire and oil on the 
parts, can run it._ J. s. woodward. 
THAT “CLARK GRASS.”—On page 104 a little 
thing strikes me, “Clark” grass. Poor Mr, Clark, how 
tired he must feel sometimes on seeing articles like the 
above, a lot of land seeded after Clark method and 
then the question asked: “Now, when and how much 
fertilizer shall I apply?” As if Clark’s method con¬ 
sisted in simply putting on a lot of seed. It makes 
me think of one of T. B. Terry’s followers, who blamed 
Mr. Terry because he had a poor crop of potatoes after 
following Mr. Terry’s method of growing them. In¬ 
quiry showed that he followed them about as far as 
cutting the seed with a curved knife. Clark’s method 
consists in thorough work from start to finish, in¬ 
cluding heavy fertilizing. It is not fair to follow part 
of a man’s method and then blame him for results. I 
think Mr. Clark is solid, but it would not pay me to 
follow him all through. With a market for hay at 
$18 to $20 a ton heavy fertilizing pays, but with a 
market at $8 to $10 the proposition is changed. Be¬ 
sides, I can grow four to five tons to the acre on my 
ground without special fertilizing.. t. e. 
Waterloo, P. Q. 
FLOWERING SPURGE OR EUPHORBIA COROLLATA. Fio. 74. 
See Ruralism's, Page 192. 
