1903 
6oi 
T 
Events of the Week. 
domestic.—L ightning struck a sheep shed at the 
Bourbon stock yards, Louisville, Ky., August 6, starting 
a fire which entailed a loss of $225,000.Two 
sections of a circus train collided at Durand, Mich., 
Augu.st 7, killing 23 persons and injuring over a dozen. 
It was a rear-end collision, said to be due to failure of 
the air brakes.The fall of a wooden balcony 
tluring a baseball game at Philadelphia, Pa., August 8, 
killed eight persons and injured more than 60 others, 
some fatally.Philadelphia, Pa., is suffering 
from a severe epidemic of smallpox. The disease is also 
reported prevalent in Chicago.Two outlaws, 
for whom rewards amounting to $12,000 were offered, 
were killed by deputy marshals in the Osage Nation, I. 
T., August 8. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—A frightful accident 
occurred in the tunnel of the underground Metropolitan 
Electric Railway at Paris, France, August 9, by which 
84 persons were killed. A train took Are through de¬ 
fective insulation, and ran into other trains, causing a 
general conflagration. The tunnel where the first tram 
caught fire was imperfectly ventilated, and soon became 
almost as hot as an oven. The doors of all the stations 
in the Belleville section, in which the disaster occurred, 
close automatically. The ventilating openings are few 
and far between and work badly. The extent of the dis¬ 
aster was due to the fact that the cars were built of 
pitch pine, which, upon catching fire, burned like tinder. 
The blaze was communicated to the other trains and 
finally to the sleepers, which burned all night. The 
sleepers were prepared w'ith creosote to prevent their 
decaying, and this added a choking quality to the smoke 
that it would not have possessed otherwise. The fumes 
were so overpowering that it was impossible to work 
air pumps at the ventilating orifices or the openings at 
the stations.A cyclone swept over the Island 
of Martinique August 9, leaving 5,000 persons homeiosa. 
.... An earthquake, having the region of Mt. .<I5tna 
as a center, was felt throughout southern and central 
Italy and islands adjacent to the peninsula August 11. 
The shock lasted two minutes, but little damage is re¬ 
ported. Mt. Vesuvius is again in eruption. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The National Apple Shippers’ 
Association opened its ninth annual convention at Ni¬ 
agara Falls, N. Y., August 5. 
The eleventh National Irrigation Congress will be held 
at Ogden, Utah, September 16-18. Government and lead¬ 
ing irrigation experts, practical farmers, Irrigationists, 
fruit growers, representatives from State agricultural 
institutions. State engineers. Government and noted 
foresters, business men, officials and law-makers, will 
be in attendance and participate in the discussion. 
'The New York State Department of Agricuiture has 
taken action to stamp out rabies in the town of Mont¬ 
gomery, Orange County. Twenty-two cows have died of 
tlie disease in the town, and 10(1 dogs have been killed. 
Commissioner Wieting has ordered all dogs in the town 
to be confined or muzzled. 
Tlie Summer meeting of the Indiana Horticultural So¬ 
ciety was held near Pendleton August 4-5. During the 
meeting the Horticultural Society presented to the State 
of Indiana an experimental fruit farm in Lawrence 
County. Joseph A. Burton, of Orleans, superintendent 
of the experimental farm, said that up to this time all 
of the experiments have been with apples. Seedlings 
were taken from many varieties of good apples and at 
this time there are 240 varieties of apple trees growing 
on the experimental farm. The start was made in 1899, 
with seedlings. These trees, of course, are not bearing 
yet, but are growing nicely, and results will be better 
demonstrated in about two or three years. • In some 
cases experiments are being made on old trees, fruit be¬ 
ing crossed until the variety is improved and better 
apples are produced. Later on, experiments will begin 
with pears, plums, peaches and smaller fruits, and in 
the experimental farm Indiana is taking a lead over any 
other State in the matter of Improving fruit conditions. 
President Stevens is gratified over the deep interest by 
the Indiana Horticultural Society in the proposed ex¬ 
hibit at the St. Louis Fair. The appropriation of $5,000 
for the exhibit will be handled by a committee from 
the Society—W. B. Flick, of Law'rence; Sylvester John¬ 
son, of Irvington, and J. C. Grossman, of Lagrange, con¬ 
stituting the committee. President Stevens is a member 
of the Indiana World’s Fair Commission and chairman 
of the committee on Indiana exhibits of horticultural, 
agricultural and live stock exhibits. He will have a good 
report to make to the commission for the State Horti¬ 
cultural Society. 
'The Maryland State Horticultural Society joined with 
the Peninsula Horticultural Society in holding a field 
meeting at W. F. Allen’s farms, near Salisbury, Md., 
August 6. More than a hundred members were present 
and enjoyed a delightful day in viewing Mr. Allen’s 
large operations. He has about 60 acres in canteloupea 
and was then shipping three carloads per day. The 
canteloupes were planted in rows feet apart, and 18 
inches in the row. A good coat of stable manure is ap¬ 
plied broadcast and 1,000 pounds of high-grade fertilizer 
per acre is sown down the rows. About 700 acres are in 
cultivation on this farm. About 100 acres are in straw¬ 
berries, and there are large plantings of tomatoes, 
cucumbers, cow peas and other crops. Onions are plant¬ 
ed among the strawberries at setting and thousands of 
bushels are secured annually in this way at but little 
cost. Mr. Allen is building a barn 140x48 feet, with a 
central section extended to 60 feet in width, and is plan¬ 
ning to put up a handsome residence near a beautiful 
grove in the center of the farm. 
'The annual field-meeting of the New York State Fruit 
Growers’ Association will be held at Niagara Falls, N. Y., 
August 27. The speakers will be Dr. W. H. Jordan, Hon. 
S. Fred Nixon, and Hon. Jean L. Burnett. Among sub¬ 
jects to be discussed are “Adequate Legal Protection for 
Priilt Growers,” “Some of the Needs of New York State 
Farmers,” and others. 
HE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
THE STORY OF A GOOD ORCHARD. 
Our orchards are in the same town with Mr. Hitch- 
ings’s, and we have been friends all our lives. I have 
entire confidence in what he states as facts. I have 
had success and seen success without resorting to his 
methods of culture. Our soil is similar to his, and it is 
in part quite steep hillside. There are three sections of 
the family orchards on our farm. The first acre was 
planted about 1848, long before our ownership. Trees 
were planted about 25 feet apart, and have never been 
thinned. They have gone skyward and are awkward to 
handle. The second acre was planted the year of Gettys¬ 
burg, which would be 1863. To continue the original rows 
these were put 25 by 40 feet. They have locked horns 
long ago. I remember distinctly helping my father to 
pour water on the dusty ground to keep those baby 
trees alive while the cannons were roaring out the 
tidings of Lee’s retreat. The third acre we planted In 
1875, putting the trees 36 feet apart. I was then study¬ 
ing civil engineering in college, and the laying out of 
that orchard was one day’s exercise in class work. More 
knowledge of horticulture and of the possibilities of our 
soil would have dictated 45 by 45 feet. 
These orchards, all now in one piece and hardly dis¬ 
tinguishable as to age, have been treated by what I 
may call the cow method. We have always been en¬ 
gaged In dairying, and the orchards have shared in the 
experience of all on the farm. The first five or six years 
the young trees were given clean tillage, usually with 
a crop of potatoes, beets or cabbage. Then they were 
seeded to clover and Orchard grass, which has been 
mown for hay for at least 10 years. About 15 years ago 
the first and second plantings became a night pasture 
for the cows. From time to time the cows have eaten 
off some of the lowest branches, and they may have 
caused other injury. By reason of extreme richness of 
soil or of dense shade the grass long ago disappeared 
from this ground, and the greater part of it is as bare 
as a cattle yard, although the cows are no longer kept 
upon It. The third plantation was tilled longer than the 
others, but since 1890 it has been meadow. During all 
the years of its meadowhood it has been heavily ma¬ 
nured from the stables, sometimes so heavily as to 
kill the grass for a Summer. We have tried to keep 
these trees in presentable shape as to thinning, etc., 
but the bustle of the farm has hindered generally, and 
the heads of many are much too thick to please me or to 
be convenient or healthy, as I think. We call it a low¬ 
headed orchard, yet a step-ladder is required for mount¬ 
ing most of the trees. In no case do the branches start 
nearer than three feet from the surface of the ground. 
Sometimes we have sprayed with Paris-green; more 
often not. I was the first in the county to advocate and 
practice spraying for the destruction of the larvae of 
the Codling moth. 1 found that I was killing the tent- 
caterpillar, and scores of the people hereabouts adopted 
the practice. I never spray now except for the cater¬ 
pillar, and our pumps have not been touched this sea¬ 
son. We have never used Bordeaux. 
A small corner of the third orchard was. In 1885, ap¬ 
propriated for garden purposes, and, of course, was re¬ 
turned to the category of tilled orchards. The seven 
trees in that part have made more rapid growth and 
produced somewhat larger fruit, perhaps larger crops. 
All but four of these have since been removed for the 
benefit of other crops. Those that remain are Maiden 
Blush, Spitzenburg and Primate. “By their fruits ye 
shall know them,” is Mr. Hltchings’s favorite quota¬ 
tion. I am willing to have our orchard put to that test. 
While our crops may not be phenomenal, I can say that 
only one year since 1870 have we been without apples. 
Since the State Fair was established in Onondaga 
County every tree in the second and third sections has 
won a first or second premium, and only three trees in 
the old planting have failed to win. We also have a 
Pan-American bronze on our apples. The old crowded 
Fall Pippins have given us apples that weighed 18 
ounces, and were absolutely perfect in form and quality. 
The crop of this year is perhaps the heaviest and by 
far the best ever grown here. Every one of our 36 va¬ 
rieties is bearing, though a few, particularly Spy and 
Sops of Wine, are for once scantily supplied. One of the 
Primate trees, whose branches spread over a circle of 
36 feet diameter, has at least 30 bushels of perfect fruit 
on its magnificent shoulders. It is claimed that this 
best of all early table apples originated in the orchard 
or nursery of Charles P. Cowles, about a mile from our 
house. Can this be verified? On July 18 we were pick¬ 
ing two bushels a day from this great tree, and you 
could hardly see any shrinkage. A fine Greening tree 
next to it will have even more bushels. The apples at 
that date would cover the width of The R. N.-Y.’s 
columns. 
While I shrink from dogmatizing on the subject, I 
cannot fail to find In the facts observed certain import¬ 
ant conclusions. I do not believe that it is important 
whether we till the orchard or not after it becomes 
strictly an orchard. The tree roots are so much more 
powerful than the grass roots that they have no damag¬ 
ing competition. If there is plenty of food around they 
will find It. But the food must be there and never fail. 
You may call It mulch if you please, and let it take the 
form of the mown grass, or you may use the grass for 
hay and substitute something more substantial. We 
never mulch a herd of pigs, but put something good in 
the trough, and that it what we do with our trees, call 
it by whatever name. As for trimming, I cannot see 
any way around it. I find no good fruit growing in a 
thicket. The low-heading idea has, as I think, been 
carried to extremes in modern recommendations. With 
the base of our heads four feet from the ground we find 
ourselves completely housed in by the branches when 
they are loaded down with the harvest. We do not ask 
for room to drive a team beneath our trees, but we 
must have access to the trunks ourselves. Ours must 
be trees, not bushes. I can see no advantage whatever 
from eliminating the tree trunk. We know very well 
that the fruit growing next the ground is poor stuff 
The finest specimens and the bulk of the crop will al¬ 
ways be found on branches that lead strongly upwards. 
'The weight of matured fruit will often bring these 
branches down to a horizontal position, but I believe 
that during the growing season all finest specimens are 
located above the plane on which the branch starts from 
the trunk or main stem. This is particularly noticeable 
in the case of Bartlett and Lawrence pears, perhaps 
even more so in the Clapp’s Favorite. A pear growing 
on a branch that “hugs” the ground is never fit to eai. 
As for the quality of this year’s fruit, I can say that 
not to exceed two per cent of our early apples will be 
in any way defective. This year is most peculiar In its 
treatment of friend and foe. john t. Roberts. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
After seven lean years I am having a bonanza crop 
of Triumph potatoes, Rome Beauty and Winesap apples. 
We are now marketing “spuds” and they bring net only 
25 cents per bushel, and many of them weigh a pound. 
Apples bring $1.50 per barrel. Corn a maximum crop; 
season late and cold until July 1. Since that time “all 
nature smiles.” 1 planted two acres to Iowa Silver Mine 
corn July 10. It is now waist high to a sawed-off portly 
party. d. w. d. 
Hickman, Ky. 
POOR ONIONS.—The onion outlook in this section, 
within a radius of 25 miles, is utterly disheartening. We 
have I'aised onions for the past eight years on three- 
quarters of an acre, and have always done pretty well. 
One year we harvested 385 bushels of good onions. It 
broke the storage room floor, and the record in town. 
'Phis year we sowed an additional half acre where we 
had potatoes last year, and next to our strawberries, a 
“south field” piece. We raise our own seed fi'om select¬ 
ed bulbs. The drought bothered. The seed didn’t 
“come” well on the south, and although ihe tiny green 
points were thick on the old bed, nothing grew, and 
weeding was almost useless. Then came the deluge, 
soaking everything and floating off half a man’s land. 
Why, we have a neighbor who found all his manure 
and strawberry plants down on his swamp In a neat 
pile. When the sun finally shone again, the south bed 
took a start and about half the seed “came.” So far, 
we thought we were doing fairly well. One day Father 
came in with a white grub. He put it in a pint fruit 
jar, and I inquired what it was. “Well, I never saw a 
pesky maggot before, and I guess it is all I’ll have left 
of the onion bed.” “What?” I asked. “They can’t eat 
it all?” “Can’t they? All right, glad to hear it,” an¬ 
swered Father grimly. They have at this time cleaned 
the old bed nicely, and half ruined the new one. There 
is only one way to help matters; by dusting thickly 
with wood ashes every morning early. One man plowed 
his bed up. Another set out raspberries. We have 
transplanted the survivors into one corner and use the 
rest for a highway when we cultivate the potatoes. One 
man estimated our crop at five bushels, when I said we 
might get three. Dear old fellow; he wanted to be en¬ 
couraging. If quantity regulates price I am sure wa 
shall eat sparingly of the wholesome onion next Winter, 
in this section of our glorious United States, at least, 
Massachusetts. a. m. c. 
ESTl'mTE OF THE APPLE CROP. 
As your paper reaches probably more apple growers 
than any other publication, it seems to me that you 
should endeavor to prevent a report being circulated 
which is incorrect in regard to the growing apple crop. 
'Phe National Apple Shippers’ Association has put for¬ 
ward a statement which is evidently Intended to frighten 
the farmers, and give them an idea that the crop of ap¬ 
ples is larger than it really is. In this statement, which 
I have before me, they put down the crop, of New York 
State for Instance, as 80 per cent of last year’s crop, 
while I have the best reason to believe from the many 
reports from the best apple growing sections, that this 
year’s crop is probably less than 50 per cent of last year’s 
crop. In regard to other States—they have put down 
Maryland, Vii'ginia and West Virginia, at 300 to 350 per 
cent, and in a circular which has been Issued they say: 
“Please note that these reports are based not on an aver¬ 
age crop, but on that of last year, therefore 100 per cent 
means the same as last year, and where the increase ap¬ 
pears unreasonable, it is accounted for by there being 
practically no crop in those districts last season.” Now 
if there was practically no crop, what ditference does it 
make whether it is 300 per cent or 1,000 per cent? These 
figures are simply made to Impress careless -eaders with 
the idea that there is a very large crop in these States. 
Three of the largest apple producing States in the Union, 
Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, are put down at 30 per 
cent, which more than offsets the increased quantity in 
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia several times over. 
In short, the whole statement is erroneous in fact, if not 
in spirit, and we believe that the farmers who hold on 
will get a good price for their apples, notwithstanding 500 
per cent in Nova Scotia. We have no Interest in barrel 
apples whatsoever, and simply write this to correct what 
we think is an erroneous statement. Within three days 
the Apple Shippers’ Association put forth a new state¬ 
ment reducing their estimate 6,000,000 barrels, and I think 
they are still 10,000,000 out of the way. a. c. worth. 
New York. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
There Is a good array of silage cutter machinery rep¬ 
resented in our advertising columns this week. This we 
take as an Indication of the popularity of the silo with 
our readers. Any of our readers needing an outfit this 
year will do well to make a selection from our advertis¬ 
ing columns. 
The Foster steel stanchion has recently been put on the 
market by Frank H. Battles, the seed grower of Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y., and it bids fair to meet with public favor. In 
order thoroughly to understand the advantages of this 
stanchion we would advise cow owners to ask Mr Bat¬ 
tles for a circular which gives full particulars. 
In Page Pence Age the manufacturers of the fence of 
that name give the following three reasons for using the 
Page. 1. The wire is high-carbon basic open-hearth steel 
2. It is constructed In the plainest way, that is, horizon¬ 
tals and cross-bars woven together is all there is to it 
No locks, staples or other separate devices to hold it to¬ 
gether. 3. It has “loop top” or sliding top section, so it 
can be climbed hundreds of times without deforming or 
Injuring it. 
“Shoo-Fly” is appropriately named. It makes the milk¬ 
ing of cows comparatively easy. It will also cure sores 
scratches, skin diseases, hoof ailments and anything of 
a like nature that cows are troubled with, and is harm¬ 
less to man or beast. If it cannot be bought at the deal¬ 
er’s, write to the Shoo-Fly Mfg. Co., 1005 Palrmount Ave 
Philadelphia, Pa., for price and particulars of this won¬ 
derful stock protector. 
