77o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 7 
live simply, but the children are well fed and happy 
and aH seem very fond of “Mother.” Besides the in¬ 
come from the State boarders, Mrs. Burton raises 
flowers and bulbs which she sells. Her Dahlia garden 
is a beautiful sight in the Fall. It is situated on high 
land, and so escapes the first light frosts that scorch 
the flowers in less favored locations. Some years she 
has nearly half an acre of Dahlias alone, and probably 
as much more land devoted to other flowers, bulbs and 
shrubs. She takes cut flowers to the city to sell, and 
sends the 1>oys to the village with baskets full of 
pretty bunches. She also exhibits at agricultural fairs 
and at flower shows, usually taking premiums. 
A WESTERN FARMER IN THE EAST.—Although 
born in New England, Mr. Grey farmed for a number 
of years in the West. When he returned Bast and 
settled on a farm he brought his western ideas and 
methods with him. He bought another farm shortly 
afterward, and he runs them both successfully. He 
is one of the men who accomplish a great deal, and 
yet never appear to be hurried or driven by their 
wiork. In spare time and in Winter he sometimes 
works for other people, but he never neglects his own 
work to do so. He is a progressive man, one who 
reads a good deal and studies his business, and he 
also finds time to enjoy the social side of life. His 
main crop is potatoes, and he has all the improved 
machinery for it. This year he planted 13 acres, and 
they were a handsome sight when I saw them. They 
had been kept free from weeds and the vines were in 
full bloom. They had been sprayed with Bordeaux, 
and were a rich dark green. Mr. Grey’s potatoes have 
a reputation and selli readily. He plants on sod and 
uses commercial fertilizer. He raises a good many 
strawberries, and as his farm is near the village sells 
a considerable portion of them at the door, thus sav¬ 
ing the middleman’s profit. An incident of last Sum¬ 
mer illustrates Mr. Grey’s resourcefulness. His straw¬ 
berry crop, ],ike everyone’s else, was in danger of 
being ruined by the drought. Instead of sitting down 
and lamenting he went to the town fathers and pro¬ 
cured the use of the street sprinkler, with which he 
gave his strawberries a good watering. He keeps two 
or three cows, selling the surplus milk, and is going 
into poultry raising quite extensively. 
A MARKET GARDENER AND PEDDLER.—Mr. 
Morris is an intensive market gardener. His farm is 
small, but it is very rich land and free from stones. 
He lives alone and does his own housework, but he 
has flowers always growing about his house in Sum¬ 
mer, Dahlias, Golden Glow Rudbeckia, Hydrangeas, 
and nasturtiums. He is a good worker and he does 
not undertake more than he can do himself without 
hiring help. He raises potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, 
onions, beans, sweet corn and strawberries. He keeps 
a few hens, one horse, and no other stock. The fer¬ 
tility of his land is maintained by the stable manure 
he hauls from the city in the dull season. He has a 
small orchard, so there are also apples and cider to 
selk While the amount of produce raised is com¬ 
paratively small, Mr. Morris probably makes more on 
it than some who do business on a much larger scale 
and sell at wholesale. He peddles all his produce, 
excepting, perhaps, his strawberries, so that he gets 
the full price for everything. He is not a great reader, 
but he has plenty of practical common sense. 
ANSEL FILLEBEOWN. 
WHITE LEAD AND OIL FOR YOUNG TREES, 
What Fruit Growers Say. 
Will you tell us what your opinion is about painting 
young apple and peach trees with a mixture of white 
lead and linseed oil? Prof. Alwood, of the Virginia Ex¬ 
periment Station, recommends this as a protection from 
rabbits and mice. He is quite positive that this is a sure 
and safe preventive for rabbits and mice. We would like 
to know' the opinion of practical fruit growers. What 
do you think of the remedy? Would you be willing to 
paint young trees in this way, or do you fear that it 
M'ould injure the trees? 
As I have never experimented with painting fruit 
trees with a mixture of white lead and linseed oil, 
as recommended by Prof. Alwood, I hesitate to ex¬ 
press an opinion concerning its use. I wmuld not 
care to use this treatment in my orchard without first 
experimenting in a small way for several years. 
Philadelphia, Pa. Howard a. chase. 
I was very much interested in Prof. Alwood’s ac¬ 
count of his treatment of young trees wuth white lead 
and oil. I once painted several young apple trees, 
that had the bark stripped from their sides by some 
heifers that got out. I have not only seen no injury, 
but they have nearly all lived. This would not be 
exactly a parallel, case, as the paint was put on the 
inner wood or bark; still it shows there is nothing 
hurtful to the tree in the lead. I should, however, 
hesitate about putting it on the outer bark of healthy 
trees in any but an experimental way, as I have found 
the tendency of all such applications is to injure the 
tree. To stop up the pores of the skin of a tree, I 
believe, has much the same effect as a similar opera¬ 
tion on the skin of a man or animal. Some one in an 
agricultural paper recommended tar as a preventive 
for mice. A man whom I know made the application 
to several hundred young apple trees, and lost them 
all. I don’t doubt the first man was truthful and 
honest, but conditions were probably different. Bet¬ 
ter mound up with earth, use tar paper, which can 
be removed before w'arm weather, or a piece of tin 
sprung around the body, and watched carefully. Then 
try a few trees with the white lead and oil. This 
will be safe, and if after more than one trial the paint 
works well^ go ahead. 
New York. edward van alstyne. 
I have never had any experience in painting trees 
with oil and w'hite lead, and would hesitate to re¬ 
commend it, except in an experimental way. If in 
no other way it would probably harm the trees by 
NATIVE HAZELNUTS. Pig. 289. See Ruralismb, Page T74 
making the bark too thin to stand cold. Whitewash 
with lime will do this if kept up for a few years. 1 
shall try the painting in a small way, for the borers. 
If all trash is kept away and heavy snow is trodden 
down, mice will do but little harm. 
New Jersey. Charles black. 
I have never had any experience with above mix¬ 
ture, but would be afraid it would injure the trees. 
My method of protecting my trees from mice has al¬ 
ways been to clean all rubbish away from the trees 
late in the Fall, then throw a few shovelfuls of fresh 
dirt around the trees, enough to heap up the dirt six 
or eight inches. I have never had any trouble with 
mice where a thorough job was done. In regard to 
rabbits I advertise that I will give 10 cents for every 
rabbit tail caught within one mile of my farm. This 
has kept the rabbits pretty scarce in my neighbor¬ 
hood. u. ,j. CASE. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
I had my attention called to the matter a few days 
ago by a grower who proposed to try it, and my ad¬ 
vice was that it is a dangerous experiment. I know 
that in sawing off large branches of trees, or any 
wounds that we wish to protect, a heavy coating of 
white lead paint is one of the most satisfactory appli- 
NATIVE HAZEL BURRS. Fig. 290. See Rubaeisms, Page 774 
cations that we can make to the wound, as it seals 
up the pores tightly, keeps sap from coming out, and 
water from getting in, but to put such a mixture- 
entirely around the body of a young tree I should 
fear would kill it. It may be all right; I don’t say 
it is not, but I should rather at present risk the de¬ 
struction by mice and rabbits than to paint all my 
young trees. I am going to try it on a tree or two. 
Connecticut. j. h. hale. 
I never have tried painting the bodies of trees to 
protect them from rabbits and mice. I am glad that 
Prof. Alwood has been experimenting along that line, 
for it would be a great help if found safe. For many 
years I have used paint freely for wounds on trees, 
and never have seen any injury to the bark resulting. 
At the same time I do not think I should have the 
courage to paint the bodies -of an entire orchard with¬ 
out first trying it on a small scale, and for more than 
one season. I am glad you called my attention to 
this matter, as I have a young peach orchard upor 
which I shalj do some painting this Fall, and know 
for myself whether it proves safe and efficacious. 
New York. geo. a. sweet. 
I have tried all sorts of mixtures on young apple 
and peach trees, but never happened to use white 
lead and linseed oil. I do not believe it would injure 
the trees in the least. Very likely it will be as good 
as anything else in protecting them from the attacks 
of rabbits and mice. I have never found similar means 
of prevention altogether satisfactory, however. In 
this section we are seldom troubled by rabbits. The 
best means of protecting young trees from the work 
of mice during the Winter in this section seems to be 
to bank them up about 10 to 14 inches in the late 
.4utumn. This can be done without a great deal of 
work. If barnyard manure is to be hauled into the 
orchard, it is quite convenient to distribute it at this 
time of the year, pushing it up about each tree trunk 
in a little cone. This will answer the purpose of pro¬ 
tection. and in the Spring the manure can be raked 
away and spread about the tree. 
Mass. Agricultural College. f. a. waugh. 
I have used a great many things to keep mice and 
rabbits from gnawing fruit trees, also some tree paints 
made for the purpose of keeping insects from injur¬ 
ing the trunks of trees. I have used yellow ocher and 
oil in a small way without any evil results. I do not 
think white lead and oil would injure the bark of 
trees, unless they were too young and tender, but do 
not know whether the application would be efficient 
in keeping away rabbits and mice. Pine tar is the 
best paint I have ever used. Smear some of the tar 
on the north side of the tree from the ground up a 
foot or so high and the rabbits will not touch the 
tree as long as the tar is there, and usually the ap- 
pljcation lasts two years. Put it on the north side 
for the reason that it will not melt so readily as on 
the south side, and get away. We used the tar on 
an orchard of 12,000 trees, and there were not a half 
dozen touched by either mice or rabbits. 
Indiana. w. w. .stevens. 
The remedy suggested for mice and rabbits by Pro! 
Alvwood may happily combine effectiveness and safety. 
It would be a very good thing, I think, for the or- 
chardist if it does, but I am afraid to paint my trees, 
and I would not do it with any number of them until 
I had given it a thorough trial on a few. White lead 
and linseed oil are the things we use to preserve 
our fences and buildings, and it seems to me contrary 
to the intent of nature, though I know no scientific 
reason why, if it, is. If it is a remedy, then we have 
to consider the extent of its probable harm to the 
tree, and its cheapness against other remedies. We 
are not bothered to any extent here, and I cannot 
speak from experience, but it seems to me that wire 
netting is the best thing for rabbits. You can get it 
any height you want it, and its natural tendency to 
roll up makes it easy to put around the trees. It can 
be used for years, and on different orchards; it does 
not wear out. I know this to be effective against 
peeling by rabbits. Tramping the snow solidly about 
the trunk of the tree in Winter will prevent attacks 
by mice, and if grass and litter is kept away a little 
they will not attack the tree in Summer. These are. 
probably, a little more trouble, but they are effective 
and not injurious. They may cost more, and if there 
is anything harmful in the paint it will have to be 
reckoned against the cost of the latter methods sug¬ 
gested to determine the superiority of one over the 
other. EARL PETERS. 
Pennsylvania. 
Prof. Alwood Sticks to Paint. 
1 have used the white paint on apple trees for 15 
years with perfect success, and have never injured a 
single tree. I have had this same material applied 
to thousands of trees by others with equally good re¬ 
sults. Regardless of what people say about the dan¬ 
ger of this remedy, my statements are based upon 
careful observation and are certainly trustworthy in 
this climate. In my opinion, there would be less 
danger from the use of paint in the Northern States 
than in the South. It must, however, be urged upon 
person^ who contemplate the use of paint upon their 
trees, that no matter what dealers may say they 
should not be led into buying ready-mixed paints, 
because these may contain mineral oils or turpen¬ 
tine, possibly both, and if so, thej^ will likely prove 
dangerous to the trees. I feel certain if anyone will 
luiy good white lead and make the paint as directed 
in my article which appeared in The R. N.-Y. on page 
707, and apply the same in the manner directed, there 
will not be the slightest injury. This statement ap¬ 
plies to apple only. I have used it freely on peach 
and cherry, but in some cases have thought there was 
slight damage, but this has been so slight in the case 
of peach that I am still recommending the white lead 
paint for the peach borer. Some of the finest young 
apple orchards in this State have been treated with 
this paint in a most thorough manner, with the re¬ 
sult that scarcely one tree in a thousand has suffered 
injury from mice, rabbits or borers. It may appear 
expensive, but I have found it the least expensive 
remedy ever tried, considering the results attained. 
WM. B. ALWOOD, 
