582 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
August ir> 
; Ruralisms 
i 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Fkw Plums Tins Yeah. —With the ex¬ 
ception of a few localities in central 
New York the eastern plum crop seems 
to be having an off year. J. W. Kerr, 
the noted plum originator of Denton, 
Md., thus explains the situation at his 
place: 
This season is almost a total blanK as 
to plums, the first in my experience to be 
wholly and entirely without fruit of 
Americana^ Miners, Waylands and nearly 
all hybrids. There is not a tenth of a 
crop on either Wild Goose or Jap.ans. 1 
sometimes feel very lonely under these un¬ 
usual conditions—hundreds of hybrid seed¬ 
lings that 1 hoped to see fruit of this year 
seem almost to present a shamefaced ap¬ 
pearance when 1 go axnong them. Last 
year every little bush was loaded. 
This is essentially the condition 
throughout the Atlantic coast region, 
though now anu then a tolerably well- 
filled tree is found. Climatic conditions 
greatly favored the development of the 
Monilia rot on the Rural Grounds. All 
classes are about equally affected, pos¬ 
sibly Golden Beauty, of the Waylaud 
group, shows less of the trouble on ac¬ 
count of its late bloom and development. 
The Uomesticas and Americanas are 
fully as bad as the Japans. The disease 
was conspicuous earlier than usual, af¬ 
fecting many twigs and bloom clusters, 
and it was liutle checked among the scat¬ 
tering young fruits during the severe 
May drought, but the real cause of the 
shortage in stone and other fruits was 
undoubtedly the late freeze following 
the warm and stimulating weather of 
March and early April. 
SniHO THE Best Beaker. —Of the 
many vai’ieties of plums under test a 
ti ee of Shiro, budded on peach stock, is 
the only one ripening a full crop of 
fruit. Another five-year tree on plum 
roots carries about a dozen good fruits. 
The buds forming the bearing tree were 
put in a thrifty young seedling peach 
about 20 inches from the ground, thi’ee 
years ago, and form a head 10 feet high, 
overtopping and starving out the peach 
side of the stock. It bore a fruit or two 
last year, and set a large crop this 
Spring, notwithstanding the adverse 
conditions. As Shiro was reported quite 
free from rot it was decided not to thin 
the fruits on this tree, but to let them 
lake their chances through the season. 
Rot began first to show during the con¬ 
tinuously rainy June, and hung on until 
actual ripening began late in July. About 
half the fruits became affected, and were 
promptly removed. The remainder 
ripened perfectly and compared most 
favorably in size, appearance and qual¬ 
ity with the finest plums appearing in 
the markets. The best specimens w'ere 
much larger than the one illustrated on 
page 566, R. N.-Y. for August 17, 1901. 
Their translucent golden color is very 
attractive, and would render them very 
salable, while they are sufficiently firm 
when in good eating condition to stand 
the needed handling and keep weli. 
They cannot quite come up in juicy 
richness to Abundance, when at its best, 
but are far more uniform and attractive. 
Shii’O as previously noted is one of Bur¬ 
bank’s hybrids, combining American, 
European and Japanese species, but the 
habit of tree and general character most 
resemble the Japans. The European 
blood comes fi’om a cross with Myro- 
balan, and not with the large Domesti- 
cas, and can only be recognized in a 
slight stringiness of the flesh. Shiro 
must now be piaced in the category of 
piums weii worthy of trial. 
Reh June managed to bring through a 
few perfect fruits, though much troubied 
by curcuiios and rot. They ripened eariy 
in July. The color is a I'ather showy 
dusky red, size quite large; form, conical 
but somewhat lopsided. The flesh is yel- 
iow and firm, with stone of moderate 
size. Quality as grown here is rather 
low—about like that of unthinned Bur¬ 
banks. The tree is a spreading grower, 
inclined to be productive and bear early. 
Red June has several Japanese names, 
and is a popular market fruit in many 
piaces. The fruits are often soid as 
early Burbanks, but are generally in¬ 
ferior in flavor to those of that variety. 
Red May. —This is a hybrid between 
a Japan and one of the Wild Goose va¬ 
rieties. It is said to be about 10 days 
earlier than Red June, but otherwise to 
resemble it in fruit. Our tree proved a 
poor grower from the start, and died 
this Spring soon after blooming. Few 
reports have yet been made of the be¬ 
havior of this plum. 
OoON ripened a few handsome me- 
dium-isized fruits. They are iight yei- 
low in color, rather flat in shape and 
have firm dry flesh The quaiity is very 
ordinary, some specimens having a pro¬ 
nounced noyau flavor. It comes nearer 
being a freestone than any other Japan 
we have tried. The tree is a spreading, 
unthrifty grower, tardy in bearing, and 
not inclined to be productive. The 
plums would doubtless be desirable for 
cooking but the variety is usualiy con¬ 
demned on trial for its shy bearing. 
Berckmans or white-fleshed Botan is 
carrying the best crop of all with the 
exception of Shiro. The color is quite 
uniform, deep red, flesh light colored, 
sweet and rather dry. The quality is 
inferior to Abundance, but the tree 
seems more uniformly productive, and 
there is less tendency to rot in the ear¬ 
lier growth of the fruits. Ripens here in 
early August; clingstone. 
OuK Satsuma trees have been grafted 
over with more promising kinds. The 
variety grows vigorously and bears enor¬ 
mous crops, 95 per cent of which rot be¬ 
fore reaching full size. It is liked in 
some localities, but we can find no use 
for the sour, red-fleshed plums when we 
get them. 
Burbank is having a resting Vear, 
opening but few blooms and setting an 
insignificant number of fruits that have 
grown to good size and quality where 
spared by the Monilia fungus. The enor¬ 
mous crop of young plums borne last 
year was vigorously thinned by hand to 
the great benefit of the fruits left on, 
but with no apparent gain in the way 
of developing fruit buds for this season. 
Abundance (yellow-fleshed Botan), 
bloomed too early and was caught in 
the worst of the April rains. Very few 
fruits ripened. They were of the high¬ 
est quality, as they aiways are when 
not crowded. Abundance is a misiead- 
ing name for this indispensable plum, 
as it is not a reiiable cropper when the 
tree gains maturity. Little trees often 
make a sui'prising show of fruits, and 
one or two overwheiming crops are 
usually borne on vigorous trees from 
four to six years after planting, but our 
experience is that the plums are more 
and more sparsely set as the tree gains 
size. This is a reai advantage, as crowd¬ 
ed Abundance plums are insipid and 
watery, while perfectly developed speci¬ 
mens are oniy exceeded in quaiity, if at 
all, by the old Green Gage. Our Abund¬ 
ance trees showed weakness after the 
sixth year, and some look as if they 
would not long survive, though no spe¬ 
cific disease can be made out. w. v. f. 
Mistletoe is reported as a serious trouble 
in some districts of Australia, where it is 
spreading so rapidly as to destroy trees. 
Some of the Australians differ from the 
European and American types in having 
red berries. 
Cold Storage Trees.—I think the nur¬ 
serymen are right as to what they say 
about trees in cold storage. I know of a 
firm keeping thousands of lily-of-the-val- 
ley over, and I have seen them try it with 
lilacs and other flowering shrubs, but with 
poor results. If the temperature ever hap¬ 
pens to go over 32 degrees for a day things 
will soon start to move, and then as it 
gets colder again everything is spoiled. 
This, of course, is a freezer. Cold -storage 
as they have it in the cities I don’t know 
anything about. g. l. e. 
Carlstadt, N. J. 
w 
Wdiilwit 
These 
books are 
compiled from 
the publications 
of the various 
Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Sta¬ 
tions, and are of 
great value to all 
practical farmers. 
We mail them /ree to all 
farmers who apply for them. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau Street, New York. 
Best for Water 
WRITE 
FOR 
PRICES 
>YPRES$ 
WRITE 
FOR 
PRICES 
RALPH B. CARTER CO. 
26 Cortlandt St.. New York, N. Y. 
RUBERQID 
’ ■ (TRADE-MARK' RESISTEREO) 
R O O F I IM G 
For residences, barns, poultry 
bouses and silos. Positively tbe 
most durable and economical 
roofing on- the market. ’ Anyone 
can apply, it. Water-proof. Con¬ 
tains no tar. Will not melt. Lasts 
indefinitely. 
.. . SEND FOR BOOKLET-K. 
THE STAHDARD PAINT CO. 
. too William St., New York. 
ARROW BRAND 
can be laid on 
top of old 
shingles with¬ 
out tearing off 
the old roof. 
ASPHALT READY ROOFING CO. for 
88 Pine St., New York. samples. 
For Sale—Steel Fencing. 
Ten cents per rod. Write for description and sample. 
ROCHESTER RADIATOR CO., Rochester, N. Y. 
BIG BARGAINS IN FARM SUPPLIES 
WE ARE CONSTANTLY BUYING COMPLETE STOCKS 
OF GENERAL MERCHANDISE AT 
SHERIFFS’ AND RECEIVERS’ SALES 
STEEL ROOFING. 
Strictl.v new, perfect, Serai-Hai-dened 
Steel Sheets.two feet wide, six feet long. 
The bcKt Kouflng, Siding or Celling 
you enn use. We lui nish nails free and 
|)alnt roofing, two sides. Comes either 
flat corrugated or “V” crimped. Deliv¬ 
ered free of all charges to all points in U. 
S. east of Mississippi River and north of 
Ohio River at $8.85 PEK SQUARE. 
Prices to other points on upplicatiou. 
A square means 100 square feet. 
2-HORSEPOWER 
GASOLINE ENGINE, $70 
We have in stock 150 3-Horse¬ 
power ab.soiutel.v new, modern 
t.vpe, guaranteed engines. Our 
price with pumping jack, $7JS 
Without pumping jack, 70 
Also Machinerv. such asSAW 
MILLS, ENGINES, BOILERS, 
PUMPS, etc. Write for our list. 
THRESHER BELTS. 
We purchased at Sheriffs’ sale a carload of new, 
red canvas stitched, endless Belts. 
They are six inches wide, four-ply. 
‘ We offer them to you as follows: 
150 feet, per belt. $20.00 
140 feet, per belt. 10.00 
We also have some endless Itubbrr Belts. 
PREPARED ROOFING FELTS. 
We can save you money on your 
wants in this line. We offer you 
Two-Ply Tarred Roofing Felt, 108 
square feet to the roll, complete 
with caps, nails and cement, per 
roll. $1. IS 
Three-ply complete, per roll, 1.35 
Vulcanite, the highest grade on 
the market, complete as above. 
Price per roll. $1.50 
STEEL TUBULAR 
FENCE POSTS. 
Absolutely indestructible. A per¬ 
manent Fence Post suitable for fields, 
farms, pastures, etc. Made of a one- 
piece hollow tube. Costs no more than 
the ordinary cedar post. Write for 
descriptive circular. 
GARDEN HOSE. 
We will sell you fifty feet, three- 
fourth inch new Rubber Garden 
Ho.se, complete with couplings and 
nozzle. $2.25 
We have better grades also; let 
us know your wants. 
Farm Forges, from $6.35 up 
We boBght several carloads of new Portable 
Forges at a low price. We have also for 
sale horseshoes, horseshoe nails, 
blacksmith tools of all kinds. 
UADnuiADC OVOdoz. Single Bitted 
nAKUWAKt. Axes at 85e. 175 
doz. Double Bitted Axes, 2d qual., 
at 4()e. 6,000 Dietz Lanterns, few 
slightly an'ected by water. 'Write 
for prices. 
LONG DISTANCE 
TELEPHONE, $5.00. 
Rebuilt, guaranteed condition, 
complete with batteries and a per¬ 
fect phone in every way. Costs 
twice as much, ordinarily. We 
have other kinds of phones, and 
are sure we can save you money 
on your wants in this line. 
WIRE. 
New two and four 
point Galvanized 
Barbed Wire.- 
Per 100 lbs. 
$ 2.00 
Painted, per 100 lbs. 2.BO 
Smooth Galvanized Wire Shorts, 
guages 13, 13 and 14, per lOO lbs. $1.40 
We have other kinds of wire. 
Send for 
We purchased and dismantled The 
CHICAGO HOUSE 
13113 P Good second-hand Wrought Iroc 
“ ■ ■ Ci ■ Steam, Gas or Water Pipe, in 
sizes from one-half to twelve inches diameter. 
It is complete with threads and couplings. 
1 inch, per foot. 3 1-4 centa 
134 “ “ “ . 4 1-4 '' 
We handle all kinds of well casing. 
Write us your wants in the pipe line. 
BUILDING MATERIAL 
Lumber, Sash, Doors, Plumb¬ 
ing Material, Builders’ Hardware, 
Nails and in fact everything in the 
Building line. We purcha.sed ail 
the famous Expositions of modern 
days. We can save you money on 
your wants ift this line. Do not 
build until you send for our esti¬ 
mate. 
COLD WATER OR 
READY MIXED PAINTS 
We bought at Receiver’s Sale from a leading 
paint hou.se, a very large quantity of Cold 
Water Paints and Ready Mixed Paints. Equal 
in grade to any on the market. Here is a Genuine 
Paint Bargain. Before placing your order, write 
us for our special prices, You can surely save 
money, without sacrificing quality. 
PAINTS 
Free Catalogue No. 57 on all kinds of Merchandise, Machinery and Supplies. 
World’s Falr-The Pan-American Exposition-The Trans-Mississippi Exposition-The Ferris Wheel, Etc. 
WRECKING CO., West 35th and Iron Streets, CHICAGO 
