1003 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
675 
APPLES WITHOUT COLD STORAGE. 
How a Rhode Island Man Keeps Them. 
During the past few apple years I had kept my 
apples in a cold harn cellar covered with forest leaves 
to the floor above, and the apples kept well, but two 
years ago last Winter rats had things all their own 
way, as there was no way either to trap them or for 
the cats to get them, neither could any oversight be 
kept over the apples, only to dig out the barrels as 
wanted in the order in which they came. To keep the 
apples the past Winter the same harn cellar was 
slatted above and around the sides and packed solid 
with eel-grass (seaweed) and double boarded in front 
with quite a space between which was also packed 
with the same material. Two thicknesses of old carpet 
were hung inside the inner partition, and outside the 
door a similar amount was also hung. Three times 
during the Winter when the thermometer was at a 
low point for several days, an oil stove or some 
brooder lamps were started and the temperature easily 
kept from dropping too low. These lamps I put in 
an old bathtub and washboiler to reduce the chances 
of fire to a minimum, as on account of rats a cat had 
to be kept in the cellar. The barrels were placed in 
double tiers and double rows on platforms, giving 
pussy opportunity to go all around under and over 
Them. Care was taken to have every barrel snugly 
covered either with boards, which did very well for 
the lower tier, and the heads nailed into shape by 
two laths across all the pieces and allowed to project 
an inch on each side, which kept them on and pre¬ 
vented their tipping inside. Heading the barrels is to 
be avoided until after they are finally picked over 
and about to be shipped. 
An important part of keeping apples is the picking 
and care of them previous to placing in 
a storage cellar. During the past few 
apple years I have made a lean-to shed 
on the north side of the barn with 16-foot 
matched boards, which were rested upon 
a three-foot fence previously made. In 
this the apples were stored as picked, but 
the loss was serious from dry rot. A year 
ago I built another barn, and being in a 
great hurry to get it sufficiently along to 
use for storage purposes only, it was 
boarded around on east, south and west 
sides without any windows or doors, and 
a large door hung on the north. Into this 
dark barn the apples were stored last Fall 
as picked in barrels and boxes double 
tiered, and later were moved to the sea¬ 
weed cellar without picking them over. 
IVhile stored in the dark barn they 
scarcely felt the heat of a warm day, there 
being no entrance except from the north, 
and the door being left open all the ben¬ 
efit of cool nights was obtained. The com¬ 
mon practice of leaving the barrels out 
of doors, whether headed and lying down 
or covered standing up, is a poor one for 
good keeping, as every warm day tends to 
ripen them. It should be the study of 
everyone who picks apples for Winter to keep them 
dry and cool. Every year previously dry rot has 
caused a terrible mortality among my apples, and I 
had begun to think perhaps I should have to give up 
Baldwins for this reason, but last Winter I think I 
did not see five apples thus affected. Prom the time 
apples are picked they should be kept covered tight, 
for if the air gets to them they lose their crispness, 
Apples wilt and shrivel if left open. It is also for this 
latter reason a poor practice to pile upon the ground 
after picking, for while it may improve the color it 
does so at the expense of the quality, for just note 
that all Baldwin windfalls turn red if left for a while 
upon the ground. 
Apples should not be picked too early. The trees 
in sod, and the longer they have been so, are apt to 
ripen their fruit first, and on rich cultivated land the 
season sometimes does not seem long enough. Again, 
a tree with a sparing crop will ripen before one with 
a heavy one, and a strong wind will injure the light 
crop more than it will the heavy one unless a very 
severe blow, for if the branches are heavily laden 
they are not easily shaken. My method for gathering 
is to pick each day the apples that seem to need 
picking first, and the parts of trees that are the ripest 
if there is a difference in their ripeness. A heavily 
laden tree will have the ripest apples in the top and 
on ends of south and upper branches, while inside of 
the tree and the lower branches may be green. Don’t 
be frightened if your heavily laden trees seem to be 
dropping a great deal of fruit; nature in the great 
majority of cases will keep the load about right, and 
though many bushels may drop, the growth of those 
that remain keeps the trees up to the limit of their 
capacity. To pick apples too early is to experience too 
many warm spells before the Winter Storing is done, 
which places an additional limit upon their keeping 
qualities. I believe that the labor of picking over, 
heading the barrels, carting to some cold storage 
and paying the charges will build anyone who has 
many apples to keep a suitable place for keeping 
them. In April I had good Hubbardston, Greening, 
Northern Spy, Baldwin and Russet, but as the weath¬ 
er warmed they began to decay fast, and without cold 
storage I .should not attempt to keep any but Russets 
after April. A few days ago one of the most particu¬ 
lar fruit dealers of Providence told me he never be¬ 
fore handled such fine apples all through the Winter 
as he had received from me. In fact, after my Gra- 
vensteins and ripest Spies were gone he did not want 
Baldwins; said the Baldwin was not a first-class apple 
to retail, and for a few weeks he purchased the finest 
Kings and Spies. Then he asked for a sample bushel 
of Baldwins, and shortly after he dropped all othei-s 
for them. f. t. j. 
Drownville, R. 1. 
AN EXPERIENCE WITH CONCRETE. 
I am glad to add my experience to the article on 
page 610 about laying a concrete foundation. Last 
year I had charge of the concrete work on a largo 
dwelling built of concrete faced with white flint rock. 
The foundation and cross walls were all built of con¬ 
crete. Any sized stones of all shapes were used that 
were say two inches smaller than the thickness of 
the wall, .so as to leave say one inch for face of wall, 
so as not to have any stone project through; instead 
of laying in a tier of stone and using grout to fill 
spaces, put in the grout mixed as for thin mortar, or 
so it can be handled well with a square shovel, and 
fill the form two or three inches in depth; then 
plunge or bed into it all the stone it will hold of any 
size or shape you may have. When well filled by 
pushing down the stone into the grout with a stick, 
fill again and continue until form is filled. In this 
way all spaces between the stone will be well filled, 
cementing the whole mass together similar to one 
solid rock. The grout we used was made of one part 
Portland cement to eight parts sand and gravel, one 
of sand and two of gravel. This proportion made a 
concrete strong enough to make flat arches between 
timbers four inches thick with a four-foot span. 
Clifton Station, Va. J. d. l. 
A MULCHED ORCHARD IN ILLINOIS. 
We have 45 acres of apple orchard, five years old, that 
we wish to get down into the mulch system. The or¬ 
chard is located in central part of Montgomery County; 
the soil is a light timber land, clay subsoil, underlaid 
with lime. The soil is especially adapted to growing 
Timothy, but not for clover, as it is difficult to get a 
stand. What would be the objection, if any, to using 
Timothy for that purpose, cutting it before it blooms? 
What grasses, if any, would you advise mixing with the 
Timothy? We purpose cutting this once or twice a year 
and leaving it as a mulch. e. m. m. 
Hillsboro, Ill. 
In an orchard five years old it is harder to establish 
the mulch system than in a newly planted orchard. 
To succeed with the mulch method it is necessary to 
accumulate vegetable matter in the soil to act like a 
sponge VO hold moisture, and to furnish a medium for 
bact rial action. The earlier in the life of the or¬ 
chard this accumulation of vegetable matter begins 
the better for the orchard. A grass that makes a fine 
thick aftermath is to be preferred; this aftermath 
shades the entire surface of soil and is just what the 
soil needs. Blue grass is as good as any for this pur¬ 
pose. and I would sow this Fall one-half bushel of 
Kentucky Blue grass and ooe-eighth bushel of Tim¬ 
othy per acre. Next Spring sow one-fourth bushel 
of clover par acre. The clover helps very much to get 
the soil in right condition, and I would make quite an 
effort to obtain a catch. Fertilizing with an applica¬ 
tion of stable manure on the surface of soil this Win¬ 
ter would he as good an insurance as any. Mulch 
trees with any available vegetable matter early in 
Spring to hoid moisture until grass in orchard be¬ 
comes available. Any of the following will answer; 
stable manure, straw, cut cornstalks or sawdust. 
GRANT G. HITOIIINGS. 
AN ORCHARD ON ROUGH LAND. 
I spoke last week of some rough, hillside lan.I 
which J. H. Hale of Connecticut is planting in or¬ 
chards. Those who have ever seen a New England 
pasture, full of rocks and grubs, and grown up into a 
thick, dense mat of trees will appreciate the job which 
Mr. Hale has undertaken. Such land was considered 
so unpromising that it was abandoned years ago—the 
trees and brush coming in to take possession of it. 
On one large field of such land we found three Ital¬ 
ians at work with ax and billhook cutting down all 
growth—making a clean sweep of trees and bushes. 
They had been at this for weeks—camping on the 
ground and toiling patiently at this slow and un¬ 
promising work. They had done a good job, for as 
Mr. Hale says, they take pride in their work, and 
look forward to the time when the hill will be crown¬ 
ed with a fine orchard of apple and peach as a partial 
result of their labor. A man can make even such a 
job as this noble if his heart is in it. The ground was 
covered thick with the fallen trees and brush. Mr. 
Hale’s problem is what to do with this dead growth. 
If it were not for the danger from fire he would plant 
trees among the stumps and leave the fallen brush 
around them to serve as mulch and de¬ 
cay on the ground. There is also much 
of the larger wood that could be cut up for 
fuel, but labor is high, and if a fire once 
started in the hill every fruit tree would 
be killed. Mr. Hale has about decided to 
burn the whole field over this Fall, mak¬ 
ing a clean sweep of timber and trash. To 
be sure this will destroy not only the 
brush, but also the leaves and humus in 
the upper soil, but Mr. Hale thinks that 
all things considered it is the wiser plan. 
Having cleared the field by fire he will 
plant peach and apple trees about as he 
has already done on another part of the 
same farm. 
Small trees are severely pruned both 
top and root, and planted in true rows 
right among the stumps and stones. The 
tops are cut back in some cases so that 
barely a foot is left above ground. The 
roots were pruned off to mere stubs. Mr. 
Hale digs a larger hole when planting 
these trees, but otherwise his practice on 
these rocky hills is the same as the plan 
I am following on my own farm. The 
spaces between the rows were roughly 
chopped up with a Cutaway and seeded to 
cow peas. These cow peas have made a fair growth. 
The peach trees have received some fertilizer, and 
have grown well. In the rows and around some of 
the trees are a few weeds which are to be cut with 
a scythe and used for mulching. Mr. Hale has not 
yet decided just how he will treat these trees in the 
future. From what he said I think his plan will be 
to scratch over the field again with Cutaway or 
spring-tooth and again sow cow peas. He then plans 
to start several Italians in the orchard with scythe 
and grub hoe, digging up grubs and small stumps, and 
cutting weeds to be thrown around the peach trees. 
It will surprise many who have heard Mr. Hale 
talk on cultivation to learn that he is even willing to 
try this rough method of culture. Under the circum¬ 
stances Hale is doing a brave thing in attempting it. 
I feel sure that the orchard will succeed and its suc¬ 
cess will do more for New England than most of the 
horticultural teachings of the last 25 years. Much of 
this teaching has been out of the reach of the com¬ 
mon or average farmers, since it has meant expen¬ 
sive and scientific culture. Here we have a simple 
plan which, if successful, will enable a farmer to make 
rough $10 land pay interest on a valuation of $200 per 
acre! Others are quietly testing this plan. We know 
of one man who planted trees among the stumps and 
piles dead branches around them. They have made 
a good growth, and are well colored and thrifty. It 
may be urged that even should this plan succeed only 
the enterprising and well-to-do will take advantage 
of it. That may be, but at any rate, it will put op¬ 
portunity within the reach of the poor man who 
cannot afford to pull the stones and level the ground 
so as to fit it for intense culture. New markets and 
new conditions have made this new caUure possible. 
w, 0 . 
A GEORGIA BOY AND HIS PIGS. Fie. 254. 
