1900 
fHE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
« 
ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS. 
“GRIMES IS DEAD.”—You say in a late issue that 
“Old Grimes may be dead.” Yes, Old Grimes is dead 
—Thomas P. Grimes, the introducer of the Grimes 
Golden Pippin, died November 1, 1895, in his 81st 
year, and like the author of the Concord grape, died 
poor. He had been engaged for years in selling nur¬ 
sery stock, traveling over the country on foot, and 
was at the time of his death making^iis Fall delivery. 
On coming down stairs this last morning, to kindle 
the breakfast fire, his lamp went out. No granite or 
marble column marks his residence in the Silent City, 
but a hundred thousand pathways lead to where the 
flowers of Spring and the golden fruit of Autumn per¬ 
petuate his name. f. a. s. 
Weedsburg, W. Y'a. 
SELLING POTATOES BY WEIGHT.—The editorial 
suggestion in 'hie R. N.-Y. for February 3 is highly 
sensible. By ah means potatoes should be sold by 
weight rather than by measure. They are a most 
bungling commodity to measure, and the seller re¬ 
ceives no encouragement to furnish potatoes of high 
starch content so long as he sells his crop by measure. 
When sold by weight, on the other 'hand, the more 
starch the tubers contain, the more a given bulk 
weighs, and the more money it brings the seller; 
the more is it worth also for food. The only truly 
equitable way of selling potatoes that are intended 
for food is to base the price upon the starch content, 
which can be determined by a simple test. Two 
potatoes that, to a casual observer, look just alike, 
may actually vary more than 100 per cent in food 
value. The next most equitable way is to sell them 
by weight. e. s. goff. 
University of Wisconsin. 
TAMARACK TIMBER.—I wish to say to E. A. H., 
page 52, in regard to his tamarack timber, that in 
this part of Michigan (Sanilac Co.), such timber Is 
considered very useful for nearly all building pur¬ 
poses. I have a granary and shop sided with seven- 
eighths-inch tongue-and-groove tamarack, also a floor 
in the granary. This building has been built about 
four years, and the siding and floor is as perfect as 
pine in the same place, and is much better for floor¬ 
ing. Tamarack is used here for barn plates, rafters, 
girths, posts and overlayers. For either rafters or 
girths I would advise nailing on either side of the 
center or heart, for it is apt to check and loosen the 
nails. We use tamarack for sheathing and studding, 
even for rafters and joists in house material. Over 
1,000 acres of this timber nave just been lumbered 
and sawed here; anything that would saw out a 2x4, 
six feet long, was taken, and was sold readily for 
from ?8 to 515 per 1,000. Tamarack plant?, or 2x4, is 
likely to warp unless stood on edge in the pile. 
Sanilac Co., Mich. f. f. h. 
POP-GUN POWER.—We have seen one or two 
cases where the geared windmill did considerable 
farm work, such as pumping, grinding, and turning 
the saw. Our own mill has a 10-foot wheel, which is 
hardly large enough to do much of any work. The 
wind is variable, and the trouble is that just when 
one wants to work his various tools there will not 
be wind enough to turn the wheel. In theory, the 
use of a windmill for such work is ideal, but in 
actual practice it does not prove satisfactory. We 
have heard of a plan for using compressed air. The 
windmill is used to force air into a steel tank by 
means of an air pump. The force is thus stored, and 
can be used at will by letting the compressed air 
through a tube into a suitable motor. This has been 
talked about a good deal, and we understand that ex¬ 
periments are now being made with a small motor 
which would bg suitable for farm purposes. If such 
a plan can be carried out, we think it would prove of 
great advantage to the ordinary farmer. This mill 
could be put at work on the air pump when the water 
pump was not needed, and the power stored up in 
the steel tank could be used at will for a variety of 
purposes. We hope to give tuis compressed air motor 
a trial as soon as a practical device is perfected. 
SWEET-AND-SOUR APPLE.—Not long since I 
was favored by being shown, when at Albion, New 
York, several specimens of an apple which has long 
been called Sweet-and-Sour. It may be remembered 
that much was said in Tiie R. N.-Y. about this va¬ 
riety, or others of the same character, about two 
years ago, and one or more specimens described, 
'those just noted were by far the best developed of 
any I have seen, and averaged a little over two inches 
in diameter. They were about the shape of R. I. 
Greening, and something like that variety in color, 
but were undoubtedly distinct from it. Some of the 
specimens were all yellow on the outside, and de¬ 
cidedly sweet in flavor throughout. Others were 
green over a part of their surface, in some cases only 
on a small section, running from stem to calyx, and 
in others on half or more. Under these green sur¬ 
faces the flesh was not sweet, but of a mild subacid 
taste. Some were all green and subacid, and it was 
stated by the grower that when they were gathered in 
the Fall all were green in color, the yellow portions 
becoming so when they ripened in midwinter. Hence 
it seems well established that there is a variety of 
apple having portions of a single specimen, or now 
and then a whole apple, that turns yellow and sweet 
while the rest remains subacid. This is from the 
THE MILKLESS CALF ONE YEAR OLD. Fio. 44. 
peculiarity of the variety which causes one part to 
mature before another. But the idea held by some 
that this peculiarity was originated by splitting and 
splicing buds or grafts of a sweet and also of a sour 
variety, and causing them to grow into a single va¬ 
riety having the characteristics of both, as above de¬ 
scribed, is only founded on rumor. Moreover, if it 
THE MILKLESS CALF READY FOR BUSINESS. FlO 45. 
was done in reality, it can be done again, and with 
diverse colors as well. n. e. v. d. 
“UNCLE BEN DAVIS.”—I send you, by express, a 
little crate of Ben Davis apples, which were awarded 
first premium at our Ohio horticultural meeting. It 
will be evident to you that these specimens have had 
a pretty hard siege of it, having passed through the 
ftrsj -■ ■■ Mjgjy — 
<4 
THE MILKLESS CALF AT WORK. Fig. 40 
For Description of Illustrations, see Page 149 
ordeal of a rousing horticultural gathering. As they 
won first prize they attracted much attention; con¬ 
sequently, much handling. I entered a second basket 
of “Uncle Ben” as the best market apple for southern 
Ohio, and much to my surprise I was given first pre¬ 
mium on them also. I am a friend of “old Uncle 
Ben.” I do not claim that it is a good quality apple 
(the best of them are just about "fair”), but I do 
claim that it is to be depended upon when it comes to 
the questions of vigor of tree, early bearing, attrac¬ 
tiveness, good keeping and money-getting. We had 
10-year-old trees that bore 10 bushels of marketable 
143 
fruit this season, and several that bore eight bushels 
per tree. They were thoroughly sprayed four times. 
No scab at all—but some damage by Codling-worm. 
Ohio. F. H. BALLOU. 
R. N.-Y.—These apples were pronounced by The 
R. N.-Y. judges as the best specimens of Ben Davis 
they have ever seen. They were very handsome, 
large and shapely. They were also fair in flavor and 
firm in flesh—not like the dry, mealy mass found in¬ 
side the average Ben Davis. These apples were good 
enough to eat—when it is impossible to get really 
first-class fruit. 
PEACH CULTURE ON ILLINOIS HILLS. 
In the issue of The R. N.-Y. for February 3, I 
notice the criticism by Mr. Nathan C. Moore, of Mr. 
Goodrich’s method of cultivating peacn orchards. 
While I am a firm believer in thorough cultivation of 
the peach, as well as of other orchard fruits, I know 
from observation that Mr. Goodrich’s practice of 
growing rye in his orchard until late Spring is the 
only sound one for his locality. I Know, too, from 
observation and experience, that this same method 
cannot be pursued in most other counties of Illinois, 
nor in Rhode Island and some other places. Were 
Mr. Goodrich to follow Mr. Moore’s advice, his peach 
orchard would probably not live more than three or 
four years. In other words, the Union County soil is 
a light, friable loam on a clayey subsoil, and it is 
very easily washed away by the heavy Spring rains 
so common in tnat region. All of Union County, in 
which Mr. Goodrich resides, is exceedingly hilly, even 
making terracing or benching necessary in many of 
their peach orchards. This, of course, requires dif¬ 
ferent treatment from the comparatively level peach 
lands of Rhone Island. 
The date at which the rye might be plowed under 
varies very much with the season, but usuany it 
could not be uone before June 1. The soil can then be 
cultivated during the dry weeks of June and July, and 
seeded to cow peas, which may be plowed under in 
the Fall prior to sowing the rye, or left upon the land 
until the following Spring, thus taking the place of 
the rye entirely. I feel certain that even four weeks 
of shallow cultivation on those Union County hills 
would be of very great advantage to the trees, and if 
eight weeks—June and July—can be secured, so much 
the better. Less than 100 miles north of Union 
County, on me heavier and more level soil, peaches 
cannot be profitably grown without the cultivation, 
such as Mr. Moore describes. [prof.] j. c. blair. 
Urbana, Ill. 
R. N.-Y.—We must remember that a general theory 
often gets badly hurt when it runs against a local 
condition. We cannot manage the country on the 
plans that are suitable for our home county. It is a 
good thing to read about the methods of distant farm¬ 
ers. We cannot imitate them, and yet some point in 
their plan may be just what we need to improve our 
own practice. 
Rural Mail.— Among the bills Introduced Into Congress 
at this session is one by Congressman Stokes to extend 
the free delivery of mail along the star routes. It pro¬ 
vides that hereafter all contracts for carrying mail on 
such routes must include the deposit in the proper boxes, 
placed along the line for this purpose, of any mail matter 
that may be given to the carrier by the postmaster. The 
carrier is also obliged to take up such stamped mail mat¬ 
ter as he shall find in the said mail box. Provision is 
made for those who desire to have mail delivered or taken 
in this way, so that they may put up a local mail box, 
and such boxes are to be protected. This is a good bill, 
and we hope It will pass. Many so-called star routes run 
through the country sections where these boxes would 
prove very useful indeed. For example, In many sections 
the mall carrier drives from the railroad station back into 
the country several miles to the town center or cross 
roads, where the post office is located. If the farmers 
could put up boxes along the road and have their mail de¬ 
livered to them in this way, it would certainly prove a 
great convenience and help. 
Bees in California. —I have had some experience sim¬ 
ilar to Mr. Phillips. Years ago when I kept bees, as they 
often glued the top to the upper side of the frames, I put 
paper on top of the frames before putting on the top 
cover. In a short time I found the paper full of holes, so 
I tried burlap, which shared the same fate, so I failed to 
head off the bees that way. If they did not destroy the 
paper and cloth, they must have had help from some other 
source not yet discovered by me. As to their eating 
grapes and other fruits, they do that too. Every year 
I have more or less fruit eaten and destroyed by bees. 
Grapes and figs are just in their line, but good ripe fruit 
of almost any kind, such as peaches, plums, persimmons, 
etc., are not all passed by. I keep no bees now. Not 
many are kept around me, except those that care for 
themselves; in fact, they run wild. Some are in trees; 
some in holes among the rocks, and I have seen them in 
the hillsides in holes in the ground. They seldom store 
much honey during the season, so they resort to the 
fruit business, for a mere existence. Most of the honey 
stored during their breeding season seems to be nearly 
gone, by the time figs and grapes ripen, so they manage 
to exist on the fruit crop until the rain and flowers come 
again. Some argue that we must have bees to Insure our 
fruit crops, but I would prefer to take chances without 
them. I began fruit-growing in California before bees 
came near enough to meddle with the blossoms, but the 
trees were laden with the finest fruit soon as old and 
large enough to bloom. p. n. capwell. 
Santa Barbara County, Cal, 
