March 14 
188 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to in¬ 
sure attention. Before asking a question, 
please sec whether it is not answered in 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few 
questions at one time. Put questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
Horst Hay Fork in Small Barn. 
K. Ij. S., No. Truro, Mass.—Last Fall 1 
built a small horse barn 18x24 with 13-foot 
posts and roof half pitch. Prom peak to 
floor of loft is 13 feet. Can I utilize a horse 
fork for putting in hay from the outside, 
and how large should the door be? I think 
I would use a single harpoon fork, but am 
not sure. The building is so small there is 
no drive floor, so have to use fork outside 
if at all. I failed to get any helpful advice 
from dealers in haying tools, but have no 
doubt some of your readers can give in¬ 
formation. 
Atns.—Y ou can put in a track, letting 
it carry out about six feet outside the 
building. Cut out a door eight feet high 
and six feet wide; this will do fairly 
well. Of course the track will have to 
run the whole length of the barn sus¬ 
pended under the ridge. A pulley can 
be fastened at the corner of the barn 
near the ground to draw from. You 
have lost nothing except the small extra 
cost of cutting out and putting in a 
door. 1 should prefer making a double 
door, swinging half each way on the 
outside of the barn. The double har¬ 
poon works in my experience better 
than the single, although either will do. 
H. E. r. 
Peach Culfure in Maine. 
A. R. B., Dexter, Me.—Do peach grower.? 
spray to prevent rot, and Is It a practical 
thing to do? What peach would you ad¬ 
vise next to the Triumph for Maine? Are 
there any peach orchards in Maine, New 
Hampshire, Vermont or any farther north 
that are making a success? 
Ans. —Spraying early in the Spring 
with Bordeaux Mixture, and once or 
twice later in the season with the am- 
moniacal solution of copper carbonate 
(five ounces copper carbonate, three 
pints ammonia, 50 gallons water) is a 
practical way of controlling the peach 
and plum rot. Instead of the copper 
carbonate solution, sulphide of potas¬ 
sium (“liver of sulphur”), in the propor¬ 
tion of one-half oance to the gallon of 
water, is sometimes used. Commercial 
peach growing cannot be recommended 
for Penobscot County. A few peaches 
are grown in York, Androscoggin and 
the southern part of Oxford, but the crop 
is too uncertain for a commercial ven¬ 
ture. By affording Winter protection or 
growing in the lee of buildings a few 
sorts like Crosby or Hale’s Early may be 
grown for home use. w. m. munson. 
Maine Agr’l Exp. Sta. 
Blue Outlook for Blue-Grass Pasture. 
4 Render, Tndinnn.—l have a seven-acre 
plot. It was sown in 1885 to mixed seed in¬ 
tended for permanent pasture. For a few 
years the outlook was promising, but owr 
ing to drought, weeds crowded the grass 
and now interstices of a foot square and 
over of bare ground are throughout the 
field. The soil is a limestone, hilly and 
rolling. Can I with any assurance of suc¬ 
cess succeed in renewing the pasture by 
sowing in February a mixture of Blue 
grass. Orchard grass and clover, and what 
amount of each to the acre? 
Ans.—T he Indiana Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Station has a Blue grass pas¬ 
ture that probably has not been plowed 
for 25 years. This pasture of about 18 
acres is suffering from the same trouble 
indicated by “A Reader.” The grass has 
apparently died out in patches, and 
weeds more often than not have taken 
its place. Grass seed has been used on 
this field, it has had manure applied to 
it from time to time, it has been cut up 
with a disk harrow to give it a fresh 
start, but tiie weeds grow in vigor, in 
spite of annual mowing off, and the 
grass is less and less firmly established. 
This pasture was a source of consider¬ 
able thought to the writer while con¬ 
nected with that Station, and after the 
various attempts to renew its Blue-grass 
growth it was agreed by a number of 
those most interested that about the best 
thing to do would be to plow and crop 
that field for a year or so and give it a 
thorough cleaning, and then reseed it. 
In your case, if in March or April you 
will sow White clover over the field, es¬ 
pecially on the bare spots, it may help 
drive out the weeds, without injuring 
the Blue grass. About 15 pounds of seed 
per acre will do. Of course you could 
sow Red clover and Orchard grass, but 
I should prefer something smaller, that 
would furnish grazing uniform with the 
Blue grass. Orchard grass is so tus¬ 
socky and coarse that it has never met 
with popular favor for pasture, and only 
slightly so for hay. Red clover might 
catch but White clover would no doubt 
do better. Blue grass should come in 
naturally if the others make a good catch 
and suppress the weeds. Candidly, how¬ 
ever, I doubt if you rejuvenate this field 
excepting by the plow. c. s. plumb. 
Ohio State University. 
Tree Fruits for a Small Plot. 
E. P. J., Mt. Vernon, N. 7.—I wish to plant 
a plot 20x35 feet with dwarf apple, pear and 
peach trees of select varieties for eating 
put of hand. What varieties of each should 
I get, and what distance apart should I set 
them? Plot is well drained and has been 
used for vegetables for several years. 
Ans. —As it will be very difldcult to find 
a nursery that has many varieties of 
dwarf apple trees it may be necessary 
to take what they have. If there is a 
chance to secure any of the following 
kinds they will be found good for a small 
plot of ground in New York: Early 
Harvest, Summer Rose, Primate, Fanny 
and Gravenstein. Of dwarf pears there 
is an ample list to select from. Tyson, 
Howell, Bartlett, Seckel and Bose are all 
good, and as they are arranged in order 
of ripening there will be opportunity to 
choose such as may be desired. One or 
two peach trees may be set if room is 
left for them. Mountain Rose and El- 
berta are good kinds to bear and also in 
quality. H. E. v. d. 
T ^PPEGROWN 
TREICHTpaV.^t free 
TITUS NURSERYnemai^vneb 
moM setrcTED 
BEARING TREES 
OUR BOOK 
HOW TO GROW 
FRUIT 
SEND FOR IT 
WSTMICmAN TREES 
are “bred for bearine.” That's why we 
cut all buds from the TCSt fruited, bearing 
trees. Italso insures stock true to name and 
variety. Over three million trees—913 acres. 
All new and standard varieties of Apple, 
Peach, Pear, Plum, Quince, etc. Also orna- 
mentai trees and shrubs. We sell direct at 
wholesale prices. Illustrate d cata logue free. 
' ■WEST MICHIGAN NURSERIES, 
^ THE TREE OF LIFE 
is one budded upon a branched root Beedllng, buds 
taken from bearing trees, grown upon tlio famous 
Michigan fruit land, dug by our root protecting 
tree digger and handled in our mammoth storage 
cellars. Small fruits and everything in nursery 
and greenhouse lines true to name at wholesale 
prices. BT We guarantee sate delivery. 
Catalogue FREE. Write today. 
CENTRAL MICHIQAN NURSERY, Kalamazoo, Mich. 
MichigaWaMt^mmothNurseries 
fAPPLEyr. 
GROWERS 
must recognize the superiority of our stock 
this spring. Clean, smooth, vigorous trees, 
from 314 to 6 feet high, every one guaran¬ 
teed on wliole root and free from all dis¬ 
ease. Note the varieties: 
WINTER 
Jonathan, Northern Spy, King, Missouri 
Pippin, N. W. Greening, Limber Twig, 
Rome Beauty, Stark, Scott’s Winter, Tail- 
man Sweet, Smith’s Cider, Wine Sap, 
Willow Twig and others. 
SUMMER 
Red Astrachan, Summer Rambo, Red 
June, Early Harvest, Yellow Transparent, 
Golden Sweet, Early Strawberry, etc. 
FALL 
Haas, Maiden’s Blush, Duchess of Olden- 
berg, Gravenstein, Fall Rambo, Fallawater 
and many others. Over 100 varieties, all in 
superb condition. 
We pack so we can guarantee absolutely 
safe arrival anywhere in United States. 
Give us a chance to please you this spring 
from our matchless stock. Let us send our 
Free Special Apple Tree Liat. 
Fine stock of Peach and Kieffer Pears, 
Strawberry Plants, Asparagus Roots, etc. 
Catalogue mailed free. Write for it to-day. 
HARRISON^S NURSERIES, 
Box 29f Berlin, Md, 
THE PIERSON FERN 
(IMephrolepis Pierson!) 
Will he ready for delivery after April 1st, 1903. 
Our large descriptive catalogue of everything necessary 
for large or small country places, will be sent free to all 
readers of The Rural New-Yorker. Send for it. 
This wonderful new fern, w'hich originated in our establishment, has attracted more 
attention and received more favorable comment than any other new 
plant that has ever been offered in this country. 
IT HAS BEEN AWARDED 
SIX GOLD MEDALS by 
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society—a rare distinction, having been 
awarded only a very few times in the history of the. Society; 
The Hortieultural Society of New York—for the best horticultural novelty; 
The Society of American Florists—the only gold medal ever awarded by 
the National Society; 
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; 
The Rhode Island Horticultural Society; 
The Kansas City Flower Show; 
Ttiese are exceptional awards, never tjeforc hestoived on any hortieullnnil niwelly in 
America. 
Nephrolepis Fiersoni originated from the Boston Fern, and has all its free- 
growing, hardy characteristics, hut the Boston Fern cannot be compared to Nephrolepis 
Fiersoni for beauty and general effectiveness. Every one who sees it is charmed with 
it. As some one has expressed it, “ There is nothing like it in cultivation. In 
decorative effects it so far outdistances the original variety—the Boston Fern—that 
there is positively no comparison to he made. ” The accompanying illustration conveys 
hut a slight idea of the grace and beauty of the feathery, plume-like fronds, which more 
nearly resemble the graceful ostrich plume than anything else in nature to w’hich we 
can compare them. The fronds grow broad and heaA'y, measuring six inches across, 
increasing in beauty as they develop. 
IT IS THE MOST NOTABLE INTRO= 
DUCTION IN DECORATIVE FERNS 
SINCE ADIANTUM FARLEYENSE, 
and is the most valuable novelty introduced in many years. 
PRICE : Strong young plants from 214 inch pots, SI.00 each ; extra-sized plants 
from 4-inch pots, S2.00 each ; nice large specimens from 6-inch pots, S3.00 each. 
R. PIERSOIM COMP/IIMY, 
TARRYTOWN-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK. 
