THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
643 
U>03 
alluvial earth, or a few feet of soft crumbly sandstone, 
or the upper carboniferous shales but little harder 
than soft coal. As most of these “holes” are sunk to 
find coal the drillers rarely case their wells. Unless 
the precautions before mentioned in regard to size of 
drill and smaller casing are observed, it will be ex¬ 
tremely difficult to have power enough to handle a 
heavy weight unless a common pile-driver is carefully 
employed. By carefully studying the soil and calcu¬ 
lating the depth at which water has been obtained in 
neighboring w’ells, knowing the cost of your materials 
and labor in each instance you can easily decide which 
of the three wells is best suited to your needs. 
New York. h. s. 
CLARK CRASS SEEDING. 
TifK R. N.-Y. having asked for facts in regard to 
experiments with the Clark method of growing hay, 
I will briefly give my experience. Starting out with 
the original proposition that “the soil is right side 
up.” and does not need turning, I spent a month off 
and on with a disk harrow—not a Cutaway, however 
—and got the surface of my field as mellow as an 
onion bed. It was not a poor old wornout, sandy, 
gravelly hillside, but was midway in a 30-acre field 
practically level, and adjoined a plot that the United 
States, with Prof. Phelps, of Storrs College, as direc¬ 
tor, experimented on for five years with interesting 
results. On one acre 1 put $20 worth of commercial 
fertilizer, on the other acre 20 loads of stable ma¬ 
nure, The young grass came up so nicely and looked 
so promising in the Fall that I ordered 
a harrow. With the exception of the 
clover, that died out in the Spring, the 
grass looked well to start with, but it 
didn’t grow. I cut a jag of bay on the 
two acres, and the last week in May this 
year, as it promised even less, I plowed 
it and put in fodder corn. As I have a 
big growth of corn and only applied 
about $9 worth of fertilizer on the two 
acres when the corn was planted, I as¬ 
sume that I am getting something from 
last year’s application. Now I am not 
going to express even a doubt as to peo¬ 
ple in the Connecticut River Valley or 
on Long Island growing four or five tons 
of hay to the acre on their land. How¬ 
ard R. Stevens, now owning a farm in 
Orange, Conn., and formerly foreman on 
my farm, will make affidavit that, in 
trying to hurry a pair of stout horses 
through fine thick grass on the field 
that the experiment detailed was tried, 
ho was thrown heels over head off the 
machine, owing to its clogging. I have 
grown grass on the same field so heavy 
that we had to keep a man turning the 
mowed swath away, ahead of the ma¬ 
chine. I have had plenty of grass lodge 
hut I never got five tons of hay at a crop 
on an acre of my land. 
Now I have a proposition to make. I 
will furnish an acre of level land in ex¬ 
cellent condition, no sand or gravel or 
cobbles, not a fast stone in it, and if any 
man can grow five tons of clover, Tom- 
othy or Red-top, or all of them mixed, 
hay on it at one crop, I will pay for 
the fertilizer and give him $100, Again, if by 
using any cultivator that does not turn over the 
soil as deeply as I do with a plow he can grow more 
grass on an acre of my land than I can on an ad¬ 
joining acre, after plowing, using the same fertilizer 
and seed, I will give a like amount. A Cutaway har¬ 
row is a grand farming implement. So is any disk 
harrow, and so is a Thomas smoothing harrow and a 
Shares harrow. They are all good in their places, 
but if I w'anted to prepare a piece of turf ground on 
my land for a seed bed I would rather have a good 
plow one day than any harrow I ever caw a week. 
Thorough tillage is all right, and when George M. 
Clark suggests plowing at some stage of the game, 
he knows what he is talking about, and anyone who 
has known him for a quarter of a century knows that 
he doesn’t talk of “plowing” with any sort of a har¬ 
row. It. S. IIINM.XX. 
Connecticut. 
THE CLIMAX PLUM. 
At Fig. 244 is shown a group of Climax plums (nat¬ 
ural size) as grown by H. S. Wiley, of Cayuga, N. Y. 
Speaking of Climax, Mr. Wiley says: “'rhe quality 
is good, beauty all that could be asked. As this is my 
first cron and limited at that I would hardly w^ant to 
say it would be profitable commercially until I had 
more experience with it. It certainly sets enough 
fruit, but as this year through western New York is 
a plum year (everything being loaded), it may be un¬ 
fair to estimate its productive qualities on this year’s 
crop, and again, I think it best to take a conservative 
position on new varieties. I would not hestate to say 
it would be well to try it in a small way. The tree 
from which the specimens were taken were not 
thinned at all.” 
We have had the Climax since 1900 and do not think 
it will live over four years in our climate, or ever 
bear fruit. We understand it does better in New 
York State. ^ g. s. niTTr.KK. 
Connecticut. 
In reference to Climax plum I can give you but lit¬ 
tle help. 1 have not yet fruited it, but have it grow¬ 
ing, and so far it does well. I shall probably have 
the fruit this year. I do not think it has fruited much 
in Connecticut yet. I have not near the faith in the 
whole Japan plum class that I did five years sin(-e. 
They are failing to hold out. [Prof.] a. g. giu.i.ky. 
Connecticut. 
My experience with the Climax plum has not been 
6wer yes. It may possess merit as a market variety 
(?) where atmospherical conditions are less humid, 
but with me it Is severely and unalterably superseded 
by other kinds more resistant to lot, larger in size 
and earlier. ,t. w. KF.nn. 
Maryland. 
PLUM PROPAGATION IN NEW YORK. 
There Is no man who writes for Tiir-; R. N.-Y. ,for 
whom I have higher regard than Prof. Van Deman. 
But in his answer to E. O. M., of Geneva. N. Y.. on 
page .'iSl, he either mistook the scope of the inquiry 
or he could not be farther wrong in his answer. K. 
O. M. evidently wants to know whether it is better to 
plant a plum orchard of varieties named from trees 
on their own bodies, or to set some strong-growing, 
deep-rooted trees and top-work to the desired varie¬ 
ties after one or two years growth. It is a well-known 
fact that Reine Claude on their own bodies are short 
lived, they bear well, but for some reason sunscald. 
overbear and show other trouble, the bark crack.s open 
and the trees soon die. Grand Duke and Fellenberg 
are crooked, scraggy growers and it takes many years 
to make them into decent trees. There are other 
kinds like Lombard. Bradshaw, and best of all Gen¬ 
eral Hand that are strong growers with straight 
bodies and deep roots. Now if such trees be bought 
and planted and the second Spring grafted at iiroper 
height for a top, they will bear much sooner, make 
very much better tops and be longer lived. By all 
means buy such trees, then bud or graft them with 
scions from such bearing trees as bear 
the finest type of the variety wanted 
and the orchard will be far more uni¬ 
form and longer lived. I would find no 
fault with the remarks as to varieties 
except that under no conditions would 
I plant the German prune. The Fellen¬ 
berg is so much better and less liable 
to disease. There is no fruit with which 
care has so much to do with productive¬ 
ness and value as with the plum. With 
the Niagara, Bradshaw, Grand Duke 
and Fellenberg it is impossible to ma¬ 
nure too highly, to spray the trees too 
carefully and to thin the fruit too much 
on first two for best results. We have 
this year the seventh successive cro]) 
without a skip on the Niagara or Brad¬ 
shaw, all due to requisites of care and 
culture above mentioned. 
J. S. WOODWARD. 
PUL’IT IN CONNEiCTICU'r.—The fruit situation in 
^’onnecticut this year may be summed up in one short 
St ntence—extremely light crops, especially of tree fruits. 
Not for a number of years has there been such a scai-ciiy 
peaches in this State. Compared with last season it 
is a failure. Probably 25,000 baskets will cqver the entire 
• rops. while in 1902 the yield aggregated nearly TOO.CKKt 
baskets. The severe freeze of December, 1902, is given 
by nearly all growers as the cause of failure, while late 
Spring frosts, extreme drought in April and May. followed 
by a long period of wet weather, had the effect of making 
this an “off-year” for fruits of all kinds. There will 
probably be a quarter of a crop of apples, taking the 
State through, but the quality is poor, owing to preva¬ 
lence of aphis and curculio early in the season. A few 
orchards, however, will yield a good crop. Pears are a 
fair crop: plums light. Berries of all kinds yielded well 
‘ xcept strawberries, which in many cases were much in- 
inred by extremes of dry and wet weather at fruiting 
lim'^ The bulk of the peaches this year will be from 
orchards along the coast in southern Connecticut. Our 
growers will certainly not be troubled to find a market 
[or their fruits this season, and prices bid fair to be high. 
Rec’y. Conn. Pomplogical Society. h, c. c. milbs. 
(’LIMAN PLUM AS GROWN IN NEW YORK. Fift. 244. 
satisfactory; that, is, 1 would not try to grow it in a 
general way for commercial purposes. While my ex¬ 
perience with it has not been quite what t '"otild like, 
it may not be so with others. Location and soil con¬ 
ditions often affect a variety very differently, and it 
might do well for some one else. It is a very attrac¬ 
tive plum. S. D. WII.I.ARD. 
New York. 
The plum crop was cut off by the frost of .May 1, 
so that we can make no comparison this season. 
P^'rom the liehavior of Climax last year and its growth 
this Summer 1 think very favorably of it. As with 
all other new varieties, no one can judge of the real 
merits until it has been grown several years under 
both favorable and unfavorable conditions of weath¬ 
er. and in a variety of soils, and much risk is run in 
planting largely. s. t. maynard. 
Massachusetts. 
1 have only had the Climax i)liun in fruiting two 
years, and so far it has been a disappointment, first, 
because it does not ripen as early as its introductory 
description led me to expect, but more seriously ou 
account of its predisposition to rot. While a top- 
worked tree of fine vigor and growth, that this sea¬ 
son was abundantly set with fruit, failed utterly fully 
to mature one single sound specimen of Climax, be¬ 
side it stands a tree of the Texas Six-vvee!<s. that rip¬ 
ened up a nice crop fully two weeks earlier than the 
season of Climax. I know you are ready to inquire 
"Did you spray or try to prevent the rot,” and I an- 
CREATING THE “AGRICUL¬ 
TURAL SPIRIT. 
Do the agricultural colleges create the 
agricultural spirit? Doubtful. If there 
had been no agricultural spirit abroad 
in the land there never would have been 
any agricultural colleges. If mankind 
could exist without food, or if the grains, 
grasses, roots, fruits and flowers grew 
spontaneously, as they did in Eden, there 
never would have been any agriculture, 
because there would have been no need 
,of it. The spirit came into existence from 
dire necessity. .As soon as our first par¬ 
ents wmre driven from that famous gar¬ 
den, and had to eat bread in the sweat of their faces, 
by cultivating the ground, they began to cultivate the 
agricultural spirit, and not till then. The agricul¬ 
tural colleges do not create the agricultural spirit. 
They were created by it. Tbeir principal business is 
the education of farmers’ and mechanics’ sons in the 
branches of learning connected with their trades, 
which are not taught in the common schools. They 
experiment, investigate, and assist in solving difficult 
])roblems. When they have made any new discoveries 
or obtained information not generally known, it is 
sent out in bulletins. The colleges are worth all they 
cost. As for the creation of the spirit of enthusiasm 
in farming the agricultural papers are 1U times more 
effective than the colleges, or any other agency now 
in existence. They come quietly into the farmer’.s 
house like a wmlcome visitor once a week, and afford 
him and his family instruction, entertainment and 
news. They .give him advice, admonition, and re- 
I)roof, which he would not receive kindly from any 
other source. They place him in the society of the 
most intelligent, and best-educated husbandmen in 
the world. They keep him informed in regard to the 
inventions of new agricultural implements and labor- 
saving machines. But great as are the value of these 
things, they are as nothing when compared to the 
inestimable benefit which these papers confer upon 
farmers in getting them interested in their own busi¬ 
ness, and creating in them an enthusiastic love for it. 
The agricultural fairs with their exhibits and prize 
lists, have done something towards creating the agri - 
cultural spirit among farmers; the farmers’ institutes 
have done more; the Granges have exceeded the in¬ 
stitutes, but the agricultural press has done 10 time.* 
more th^n all other agencies combined. 
J. W. INUllAii. 
