1903 
299 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
CANNING FACTORIES FOR THE FARMER. 
Handling the Surplus Product. 
There are two main reasons why canning factories 
have not been established more generally, especially 
in the Southern States. One is the failure of some 
large factories under bad management, and the other 
is the costliness of large outfits which have been gen¬ 
erally thought necessary for good work. After inves¬ 
tigating the subject and experimenting with a small 
canning factory for two years I am thoroughly satis¬ 
fied that small canneries can be made to pay hand¬ 
somely, The first cost is very light, thus enabling in¬ 
dividuals to put them up and run them on fruit farms. 
When the market price of fruits and vegetables goes 
down so low as not to leave a good margin of profit 
for marketing these products can easily be canned by 
the grower and sold for ready cash. There need be 
no fear of over-crowded markets for fruits and vege¬ 
tables with plenty of small canneries. With these 
canneries in use there need be no fear of growing 
fruit and vegetables on a larger scale. The cost is so 
small for first establishment that individual growers 
would lose but little if they did not run them every 
year. In all of the cotton-growing States there are 
cotton gins with ample steam power which is usually 
idle during the canning season. After investigating 
the subject I see no reason why a small canning fac¬ 
tory could not readily be connected with a cotton gin. 
This would encourage diversified farming on many 
cotton farms and lessen the area planted to cotton, 
which has been much advocated during the past few 
years. Besides furnishing a good, wholesome food 
for those engaged in cotton growing these canneries 
would bring in good revenue and lessen the grocery 
bills. What is said in reference to cotton gins may 
apply with equal force where other steam power is 
not in use during the canning season. The boiler is 
the most costly item in establishing a small cannery. 
A factory that will put up 1,000 to 2,000 three-pound 
cans per day can be purchased for ?75 
to $100 exclusive of the boiler and the 
building. Almost any outbuilding could 
readily be fitted up for a small factory; 
the building usually found in co'nnec- 
tion with the cotton gins could be used. 
A supply of good clean water is neces¬ 
sary. Full instructions on how to set 
up the factory and run it are given by 
those who sell the machinery. Fre¬ 
quently it may be necessary to employ 
an expert for a week or two to start the 
factory. However, I have had persoins 
examine the small factory that I was 
experimenting with and then purchase 
an outfit, set it up and run it success¬ 
fully. One important thing in process¬ 
ing I learned was that we had to process 
longer in the hot climate of Texas than 
the printed instructions called for in 
processing in more northern latitudes. 
I learned of large quantities of canned 
goods spoiling in Texas that were pro¬ 
cessed according to instructions given 
for processing in Maryland. There usually will be no 
trouble in marketing these home-canned goods 
nearby towns. 
producing large crops of berries. These leguminous 
crops not only supply plant food, but by adding hu¬ 
mus make the clay soils more porous and in a bet¬ 
ter mechanical condition, holding more water, yet be¬ 
come warmer earlier in the Spring, drying out sooner. 
At the same time this humus helps to conserve the 
moisture during a drought if constant cultivation is 
given. For these leguminous crops that may be 
grown and turned under for strawberries Crimson 
clover no doubt is the best. In southeastern Indiana 
it may be sown in August or September, either on an 
old strawberry bed that has been plowed under or on 
a new field. The clover will make a fine growth be¬ 
fore Winter and will grow rapidly in the Spring until 
by the time the ground is dry enough to plow for 
straw’bez’ries the crop has made a sufficient growth to 
be turned under. Cow peas may also be used, but 
they are killed by freezing, and are not as good as 
the former. Ordinarily a complete fertilizer is neces¬ 
sary, but where leguminous crops are turned under a 
fertilizer must be used that is especially rich in phos¬ 
phoric acid and potash. 
My method is to apply before the plants are set 800 
pounds of a fertilizer containing eight per cent phos¬ 
phoric acid .and eight per cent potash. This applica¬ 
tion is made with a fertilizer grain drill by drilling 
the field both ways, thus applying it over the entire 
surface. As I always aim to produce not less than 
three and sometimes four crops of berries from one 
setting of plants I desire to have the fertilizer well 
distributed over the soil, so it will be within easy 
reach of the new plants as they take root along the 
side of the row. The fertilizer can be better and more 
cheaply applied at this time than later. There will 
be no danger of injurious effects from an over-appli¬ 
cation of a fertilizer containing only phosphoric acid 
and potash. Neither will that which is not taken up 
by the plants be lost by leaching, but will be held 
in an insoluble state until acted upon by the acid con¬ 
tained at the points of the feeding roots of the plants. 
WHERE TO SPREAD FERTILIZER. 
A HILL OF STRAWBERRIES ON FERTILIZED SOIL. Fig. 107. 
_ these home-canned goods in 
They can be put up and sold cheaper 
than canned goods shipped in, because the freight has 
to be paid upon those and usually one or two com¬ 
mission men’s profits. The labor is the most costly 
item. Large canneries usually pay by the piece, a 
certain price for tipping, capping, packing, labeling, 
peeling, etc. Others hire mostly women and children 
and pay by the hour. There are still smaller factories 
made to be attached to the cooking stove which are 
excellent for such things as peaches, apples, pears and 
tomatoes. I cannot recommend them for sweet corn 
and beans. Some of these can be purchased for $10. 
I might state that a small pickle factory and a small 
jelly factory could easily be connected with the can¬ 
nery. The South especially needs more such factories. 
When more experience is obtained by running these 
small factories where fuel is cheap the capacity could 
easily be enlarged if the farmer desired to go into the 
business more extensively. Let the canning factory 
come to the orchard and truck farm where the pro¬ 
ducts are grown and can be put up in a fresh condi¬ 
tion direct from nature’s hand before they leave the 
producer. k. h. price. 
Montgomery Co., Va. 
FERTILIZERS FOR STRAWBERRIES. 
The kind of soil upon which strawberries are 
grown, the variety used and the method of cultiva¬ 
tion will regulate to a certain extent the kind and 
amount of fertilizers to use. I prefer a clay soil, and 
always endeavor to plant some leguminous crop to be 
turned under. By this means nitrogen, the most ex¬ 
pensive of the three elements of plant food, is fur¬ 
nished at the least possible cost, as these plants ab¬ 
sorb the free nitrogen of the air and store it up in 
their roots to be used by succeeding crops. It also 
adds humus to the soil, a most important factor in 
Nitrogen, however, has the opposite effect, being in- 
juriou.s to plants where more is applied than neces¬ 
sary, and much that is not taken up by the plants is 
lost by leaching. When the plants are set 100 pounds 
of nitrate of soda and about 100 pounds of the above 
fertilizer is applied in the row, or sometimes the ni¬ 
trate and 200 pounds of the fertilizer is applied with 
a grain drill along the side of the row after the plants 
are set. The nitrate of soda being immediately avail¬ 
able gives the young plant a good start, and furnishes 
food for its growth before the organic nitrogen in the 
leguminous crops turned under becomes available. 
Another application of 600 pounds per acre is made 
in the Fall with a fertilizer containing more potash 
and less phosphoric acid. Again in the Spring an ap- 
plicatiou of 100 pounds of nitrate of soda is made to 
start the plants off well. After the crop has been har¬ 
vested and the field renewed an application of nitrate 
of soda is given to give new life to the old plants, and 
about the same amount of fertilizers is used as the 
year previous. With this treatment each year I usual¬ 
ly secure three and sometimes four good crops from 
each field, after which the plants are plowed under 
and the land sown to Crimson clover. Fig. 107 shows 
a hill of berries grown upon land that has never been 
fertilized with barnyard manure, but all the plant 
food, more than was in the soil, has been supplied by 
turning under Crimson clover and using high-grade 
fertilizers. bi,mer g. ti’fts. 
Indiana. 
This is the center of the Clearfield coal region and Is a 
good market for fruit and everything else. Clearfield 
County has enough high hills on which to grow all the 
peaches this section needs, but the owners do not know 
anything about varieties. One of my neighbors has had 
several crops on a few trees of Mountain Rose and Late 
Crawford, which were as fine as any that were shipped 
in here from southern points. Another neighbor had 
some very nice ones last year on young trees which we 
think were Beers Smock, but are not sure, as label was 
lost. ^ 
Ehillipsburg, Pa. 
In putting manure or chemical fertilizers on your orchard 
of fruit trees where do you try to spread it? Do you try 
to cover the entire ground or merely put it as far out 
as the branches extend? Our ow,n idea is that most of 
the fertilizer should be put out as far as the branches 
extend, with but little near the trunk of the tree. 
When our orchard trees have attained fair size we 
spread all fertilizers as evenly as pi-actical over all 
the ground. We know of no place within reasonable 
distance from the trees where they will not find it. 
Worcester Co., Mass. n. o. mead. 
My experience has taught me to keep fertilizers and 
manure for fair-sized fruit trees away from the 
trunk in circle of about 10 feet and spread just be¬ 
yond the growing branches, and for older fruit trees 
all over the surface. ailbert wood. 
Orleans Co., N. Y. 
For quite young trees we scatter the fertilizer with¬ 
in a radius of a few feet from the tree. As the tree 
grows we would put the fertilizer in a greater circle, 
and ultimately broadcast over entire ground. We 
never seek to reach nor to avoid the immediate vicin¬ 
ity of the crown of the tree, not considering the point 
important. Wherever you put it the roots will go 
for it and find it. e. h. bajstcroft. 
Delaware. 
Underneath nearly all our trees are planted currant 
bushes in rows. These we manure heavily, and the 
trees derive some benefit. However, if we were to 
manure for fruit trees alone we should spread the 
manure broadcast, covering the entire surface under 
the tree. Both methods we consider good, there be- 
ing, we think, little to say more in favor of one than 
the other system. the hittinger fruit go. 
Middlesex Co., Mass. 
If wishing to get the greatest possible benefit I 
would place the larger part of the fertilizer within a 
circle covered by the spread of the branches, and not 
very close to the body, where the trees 
had attained much size. This is a good 
general rule, but might be varied ac¬ 
cording to the variety and style of 
growth, as with trees of upright growth 
the roots will spread very much beyond 
the branches. i>. r. pease. 
Tompkins Co., N. Y. 
The question came up years ago where 
to put manure and other fertilizers un¬ 
der apple trees in order that the trees 
could most readily get it. We put piles 
of manure in different places and found 
the next Spring that no matter where 
the piles wei’e, it within a reasonable 
distance of the spread of the branches 
the ground under the piles was full of 
fibrous roots. We did not find as many 
feeding roots near the trunks as farther 
away, so our practice has been to cover 
the whole surface except a few feet near 
the trunk of the tree. My individual 
opinion is that the trees will get the 
fertilizer if anywhere within reach, but 
prefer an even spread over the whole surface except 
near trunk. The distance to keep away from the trunk 
varies according to size of the tree; small trees one 
foot away and large ones three to five feet away. If 
spread of branches does not cover the whole surface 
we only go a few feet beyond the branches. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. b. j. case. 
I fail to see how fruit trees of fair size can take up 
much plant food close up or near the trunks, as trees 
of this size always have large roots near the trunk, 
a kind of support to hold them in place, with very 
few feeders, while farther out around the tree the 
ground is just full of them all ready for the plant food 
we should give. We always broadcast the fertilizer 
in our peach orchard, sowing the larger part out 
nearer the spread of the branches, as we know the 
feeders are there in great abundance. 
Hampden Co., Mass. ethelbert bliss. 
My practice is with a young tree (two to four years 
old) to put the manure or fertilizer pretty close up to 
the body of the tree. The manure then acts as a 
mulch as well as a fertilizer. Later, I am not so par¬ 
ticular, but with apple trees get a foot or more away 
from the body of the tree, and spread a little farther 
than the branches go. With a mature tree the ferti¬ 
lizing material, of whatever sort, should be put over 
the entire surface. Recently I had occasion to dig 
up some tile that were stopped in an apple orchard 
10 years set. These are good thrifty trees, and I was 
surprised to find the tree roots in the tile, twice the 
length of the branches from the body of the tree. If 
the fertilizer had been only under the limbs certain¬ 
ly those outlying roots would not have received any 
benefit from it. With peaches and more particularly 
pears the roots are seldom if ever found much beyond 
the branches. edwjVrd van axstyne. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
