1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
453 
EVERYBODY'S GARDEN. 
Forcing Outdoor Vegetables. —The 
weather conditions prior to May 15 were 
not such as would make the heart of the 
vegetable grower rejoice. Dry weather 
with temperature nearly down to the 
frost line every night made the growth 
of such vegetables as were in the ground 
very unsatisfactory. Many varieties 
could hardly be put in with safety. The 
drought was finally broken by heavy, 
and in some localities disastrous storms, 
and the silver lining reveals itself in the 
almost phenomenal growth of vegeta¬ 
tion. As a whole, of course, this is not 
true, for in some localities too much rain 
prevented cultivation. Where conditions 
allowed following up the showers with 
culture, before the surface became crust¬ 
ed, I have hardly ever seen more rapid 
growth. This reminds me of a theory 
that I have long held, and hope to put 
into more general practice, viz., that 
thorough underdrainage is the ideal plan 
for nearly all heavy soils at least, be 
they high or low. Unstinted yet judi¬ 
cious fertilizing together with intensive 
culture will force outdoor vegetables 
even when other conditions were not so 
favorable. Some of our crops have been 
too much neglected and are chiding us 
for it. We are getting to them as fast 
as possible, and only regret that there 
are not more hours in the day, or that 
help was a little more plentiful and less 
independent 
Some Things of Promise. —The toma¬ 
toes transplanted beginning with May 25 
at present writing, June 6, look very 
promising, and some fruits large as wal¬ 
nuts are in evidence. The plants are 
strong and vigorous, with good color, 
and have been twice cultivated. This is 
early for this locality, but still I am not 
satisfied that we cannot improve upon 
this two or three weeks in ordinary sea¬ 
sons. If reasonably fortunate next year 
I hope with the aid of plant protectors 
to have them well on toward maturity 
at this date. This is what I am planning 
for, and believe we can get June toma¬ 
toes upon our soil. The Black Mexican 
and Peep o’ Day sweet corn are trying 
for the honors of getting to the table 
first, and though the plants are still 
small, they are hardy and growing fine¬ 
ly. This is not a tost to see how early 
it can be matured, for it was planted late, 
but rather to find the quickest time 
made; then if other good qualities are in 
evidence I shall try later on (next year 
I hope) to see how early I can get it. 
The Early Sunrise potatoes, though late 
planted, are looking up through the 
ground and promise good things in the 
future. The peach and cherry trees were 
loaded with blossoms at blooming time, 
but the fruits are not in evidence. Frost, 
we fear, was a little too previous, but 
the same conditions prevail pretty gener¬ 
ally throughout this section. In general, 
however, the fruits and vegetables give 
promise of good things to come if only 
we are able to do well our part. 
Strawberries. —This season has been 
a sort of record breaker in many ways, 
and in strawberry culture the intensive 
culture seems to be a little off in color. 
Experienced growers here claim that the 
hill, half-matted and matted culture has 
proven faulty. The beds that have been 
left to fill up and spread all over the 
ground are coming through to picking in 
far better shape than those closely train¬ 
ed to rows. I do not believe in that kind 
of cultural method, but am glad for 
once that it has proved the correct thing, 
for I have three beds that are growing 
in just that slipshod way, and I guess 
for once it has hit the mark. The theory 
is, that the matted beds, containing some 
weeds and grass, as they naturally 
would, have withstood the late frosts 
better than those trained in the rows. I 
will never preach the haphazard method 
and certainly never practice it if possible 
to avoid it. This year it was the only 
possible thing in sight, and thus for once 
1 am glad that it has proved the right 
thing. J. E. MORSE. 
Michigan. 
ASPARAGUS NOTES. 
Reports from a Dry Season. 
I can only give you my experience of 
seven years, but from observation In 
traveling through Virginia, Maryland, Del¬ 
aware, New Jersey, Long Island, New 
York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania I find 
the farmers have all about the same rule 
for growing asparagus. I open the rows 
in the middle and put horse manure In 
deep; then about May 25 broadcast 200 
pounds of nitrate of soda to acre in center 
of rows, so the ridges will not get it; then 
when I plow off about 150 pounds on top 
of row. This will grow a good top, and 
keep off the rust. We find about June our 
grass always grows thinner; then after we 
use the soda it takes on a new start. We 
put the horse manure in the middle as soon 
ns we plow off in July or early Fall. Any 
good fertilizer will do as well as horse 
manure on top of ground cultivated in; 
high-grade potato fertilizer Is best. I al¬ 
ways cultivate my bed once a week and 
ridge up every 10 days, wet or dry. The 
more you work the bed the more grass you 
cut. Cut every day; this year our grass 
up to now Is just as good as last year; 
not as good flavor, but just as tender, and 
cuts as many bunches. Nitrate of soda Is 
good for peach trees, blackberries, rasp¬ 
berries and corn; for trees and fruit 200 
pounds to an acre when the fruit is one- 
fourth size; for corn when a foot high to 
be put on top of ground, and let go In 
itself; just before a rain is best. 
Red Bank, N. J. f. a. b. 
While we have no fault to And with the 
quantity we have cut so far, the size of 
our asparagus has been much smaller than 
we have ever known it to be on beds of the 
same age, besides being very crooked. As 
to my experience with fertilizers, I have 
come to the conclusion that the longer I 
am in the business the less I know about 
it. I never took better care of my “grass” 
than I did last season, both in fertilizers 
and cultivation, yet this season I cut more 
culls than I ever did under the same con¬ 
ditions. I do not think the dry weather 
had any effect on the size of the “grass” 
for the first two weeks, but ours was even 
smaller than it has been the last two 
weeks. I do not believe that the use of 
nitrate of soda while cutting would be any 
advantage. Those who have tried it say 
that while you may cut a larger number 
of bunches you will cut more culls and ex¬ 
haust your bed so it will not be up to the 
standard the year following. We have not 
found that the asparagus was any less 
tender or poorer in quality than in former 
seasons. Possibly this might be due to the 
high prices. w. b. c. 
, Middletown, N. J. 
No doubt you know that for several years 
back asparagus has not been cutting as It 
should in this part of New Jersey. The 
farmers used to cut it every day, but very 
few now cut more than three or four times 
a week. The dry weather certainly has 
had a bad effect on my old asparagus bed. 
I am not cutting over two-thirds of the 
bunches I did last year. Nearly half of 
the product are culls. My young beds 
have cut very fair and the “grass” has 
been of good size. This is no doubt due to 
the beds being young. I do not think that 
asparagus has been as tender this year as 
in former seasons. I have never used fer¬ 
tilizers, so cannot tell what effect they 
would have. Horse manure is mostly used 
in this locality. w. t. v. 
Keyport, N. J. 
EXPERIENCE WITH AN ACRE OF 
STRAWBERRIES. 
Our start was from nine plants, increas¬ 
ing from one-eighth to half an acre for 
several years. Then we decided to try an 
acre, so late In the Fall of 1891 a measured 
acre was staked off and plowed. This land 
was in the apple orchard, but no trees 
shaded it. The soil was a mixture of sand 
and clay loam, with some heavy clay on 
parts of it. For two years this land was 
in potatoes, and well cultivated, so it was 
in trim for strawberries. During the fol¬ 
lowing Winter fresh manure from the horse 
stables (with cement floor that saves all 
the manure) was drawn and spread over 
this acre. We put on all that could be 
plowed under nicely, something like 15 
good loads. Early the following Spring, in 
March, the acre was plowed, turning the 
manure under. This soil would grow about 
200 to 250 bushels of potatoes to the acre. 
As we were so anxious to get the plants 
started the plowing was done when the 
ground was quite wet in places, but a 
strong wind was blowing from the south, 
and in a few days It was dry enough to 
prepare. It was dragged and harrowed, 
rolled and made fine as a flower bed; all 
small stones removed, then the floater was 
put on to level it up, and to leave it in a 
good mellow condition for setting out the 
plants. We did not roll it before setting 
the plants for fear of packing the ground 
too much. 
Setting was done with a spade; they were 
set out 3x4 feet, the marking was done 
by first drawing a straight line with a 
twine, then the rest of marking was by 
hand marker. The plants were set in 1'/^ 
day. A spade was shoved down several 
inches in the loose but compact soil, then 
pushed both ways, making a V-shaped 
hole. Then with the trowel and plant the 
job was complete, and almost every plant 
lived set this way. Part of the sets were 
home-grown and part sent from a western 
plant breeder, which afterwards proved a 
loss by being another variety from the 
ones we ordered. We have been growing 
the Haverland and Jessie as a fertilizer. 
Just as the plants began to grow the five- 
tooth cultivator was started, tearing up 
between the rows that had been tramped 
down by going over the ground so much 
in transplanting. Then we used a small 
11-tooth cultivator drawn by one horse, and 
that was kept going off and on all Summer. 
They were hoed at different times and all 
the blossoms and the first runners cut off, 
so as to have the strength go into the 
development of a strong mother plant that 
could produce strong sets around it. When 
Fall came we had a fine bed of straw¬ 
berries in matted rows. 
When the ground was frozen hard enough 
to hold up a team and wagon the mulch 
was put on. We used strawy manure, 
buckwheat straw, bean pods and almost 
anything that we had handy. It was 
spread on about three or four inches deep. 
It takes a lot of mulch to cover an acre 
that depth, but it pays. The best time to 
put on the mulch is just before a big snow¬ 
storm; then the snow will hold the mulch 
in place, if there Is much wind. The next 
Spring the plants were helped through this 
heavy mulch; they made a grand growth, 
and looked fine at blossoming time, but 
the three heavy frosts that came May 11, 
14 and 16 of that year, destroyed all blos¬ 
soms as fast as they came out, so we gave 
up all hopes of harvesting any fruit from 
that acre and were going to plow it up. 
but we thought it over and left It to do 
whatl it might. We picked and sold 3,000 
quarts, netting us after all expenses $200 on 
that acre. If there had not been any frost 
we would have got $400 without any doubt. 
These fruit were all firsts, as there were 
not any seconds, but other years we usu¬ 
ally sell here to farmers who come and get 
them. We get six to seven cents a quart; 
sometimes selling 20 quarts for $1. Our best 
sales were from one-eighth of an acre, $75. 
This year we have the same acre; it was 
left to bear fruit this year. All weeds were 
cut out, and it made a good start early in 
the Spring. When blossoming time came 
there were some good frosts at different 
dates in May that killed all early blos¬ 
soms, and then the protracted drought, 
which has nearly finished up the vitality 
of the plants. c. k. Vanderbilt. 
Wayne Co., N. T. 
A STRAW HAT MOVES 
THE BEAM. 
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that he had never seen Scales so sensitive and accu¬ 
rate. When they are balanced, If you throw a straw 
hat on them the beam goes up. 1 can weigh anything 
from a load of hay down to a pound of butter. They 
entirely till the bill, and I would not be without them." 
When a straw hat will move the beam of a five-ton 
scale, or when a man says that a ten-penny nail will 
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To he sensitive and stay so, a scale must be very 
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103 Central Street, liiughauiton, N. Y. 
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BALES 
15 Tonis 
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WORK ONE HORSE 
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