242 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 7 
M. Stringfellow, of Galveston, Texas, by which the 
tree is reduced to a mere club, and the “let-alone” 
method recommended above, yet trees will live and 
grow not only under these extremes of treatment, but 
when any intermediate degree of pruning is prac¬ 
ticed. Evaporation of the watery constituent of sap 
takes place from the bark and branches, as well as 
from the leaves, and the removal of sufficient top- 
wood to balance, in some degree, the loss of root sur¬ 
face, which is practically unavoidable in transplant¬ 
ing, will generally give the best average results. We 
can indorse every word of G. W.’s directions as to the 
thorough preparation of the soil in which the trees 
are to be planted, and their after treatment. 
CUTTING POTATOES FOR SEED. 
NOT TOO MUCH FUSS.—The rule I would sug¬ 
gest in cutting potatoes for seed is, do not be too 
particular about it. The nicety of this work has been 
decidedly overdone, at least it seems so to many 
people who are more practical than scientific. Some 
say start at the seed end, and turn the potato round 
and round, cutting out one eye at a time, leaving a 
spoon-shaped cavity hollowed out under the eye. 
This is probably a very good method, but it takes too 
much time. Another says cut so as to have each piece 
reach the center of the potato in a point, because 
the potato has a system of nerves and veins, all of 
which reach the center, and this should be carefully 
respected. But we have never seen this nerve system, 
and know nothing about it. Another says, cut off the 
seed end and plant it, and eat the potato. Another 
says, cut off both ends and throw them away, and 
plant only the eyes on the middle belt. In view of 
all these conflicting theories of the wise doctors, we 
are inclined to keep the middle of the road, and say, 
dc not be too particular about methods. All methods 
will do very well, or no method at all, for it would 
seem, from what has been said and done, that one 
cannot hurt the potato much anyway; it is bound to 
grow, however carved up. But doubtless some 
methods are better than others, and there is probably 
a best method, if we could only find it. 
The machine method, by which several potatoes are 
laid on a system of diagonal knives and cut into 
squares or cubes by the pressure of a lever, looks 
like very reckless cutting, as it pays no attention 
whatever to the hitting or missing of eyes. But 
doubtless the results are quite satisfactory, as it saves 
much time, and as to splitting eyes in two, there 
seems to be no objection to that, for do we not know 
that prizes are sometimes won by halving and even 
quartering single eyes, so as to make a single potato 
go twice, or even four times as far, as it would if a 
single eye were left on each piece? We conclude that 
there is very little, if anything, gained by the exer¬ 
cise of great care and skill in cutting seed potatoes. 
On the contrary, there is comfort in the thought that 
one cannot hurt the potato, no matter how cut, only 
keeping within reasonable bounds. 
WITH BUTCHER KNIFE.—We have tried various 
methods, and are now inclined to adopt the follow¬ 
ing: The cutter is seated on a box or chair with a 
basket of potatoes at his left side; an empty basket 
or tub close in front of him, a barrel head on his lap, 
and a large, sharp knife in his right hand. A table 
knife would be good, but the handle is so small that 
it tires the hand after an hour’s steady work, so we 
much prefer a sharp butcher knife with a good-sized 
handle. The left hand is free to reach for the pota¬ 
toes, taking up two or three at a time. A cleat 
nailed across the middle of the barrel head keeps the 
potatoes from rolling off. Every potato, large or 
small, is first split in two endwise. If the size of a 
hen’s egg it is simply cut crosswise of the first cut, 
through the middle, thus making four pieces of the 
small potatoes, all of about equal size. Probably not 
one piece in 50 of these will be eyeless. Most of 
them will have two eyes, and sometimes more. 
Large tubeA are first split in two equal halves end¬ 
wise, then each of these halves is again split in halves 
endwise, then a cross cut through the middle of each, 
making eight pieces of this large potato. If very 
large it may be cut still more. 
In this process some eyes will get split in two, but 
this is no loss, but gain, as each will grow if not al¬ 
lowed to dry out. Occasionally a piece will be found 
with no eye on it, but not often. The saving in time 
will more than compensate the loss. Understand that 
the operator is cutting on the table, not holding the 
tuber in hand. When the three potatoes are thus 
quickly carved up, the table is tipped, and they are 
dumped into the basket in front, while the left hand 
is reaching for two or three more. By this method 
each cutter can easily cut about one bushel per hour, 
but he ought not to be kept at it more than five or 
six hours a day, for it is rather tiresome work. We 
cut 10 bushels on St. Patrick’s Day in the cellar, 
while it was snowing without, and have 40 bushels 
more to cut. We sprinkle the seed pieces with land 
plaster, so that they will keep fresh two or three 
weeks if necessary. w. c. D. 
Gunston, Va. 
K. N.-Y.—We prefer flowers of sulphur to plaster 
for dusting the potato seed. In our opinion a large 
tuber of such varieties as Carman No. 3 or R. N.-Y. 
No. 2 cut in this way would show nearly 30 per cent 
of missing hills from the lower-end pieces. The 
longer varieties, and most early ones, would probably 
do well. 
ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS. 
USEFUL PLOWING DEVICES.—When plowing 
down corn stubble, green crops, tall weeds, manure or 
straw, a number of devices are used to draw the 
stalks and litter into the furrow and distribute along 
so as to be covered by the plow, the most common of 
which is the chain arrangement shown in Fig. 77. 
The chain usually is about five feet in length, one 
end fastened to evener and the other to plow beam 
at the place where the coulter is attached, allowing 
the chain to drag along in bottom of furrow and 
over portion of the unplowed ground. Some prefer 
to fasten the chain farther back on the plow beam, or 
at the standard. In turning under very heavy corn 
stubble, the chain is sometimes found too light to do 
its work well, and an extra device, center of Fig. 77, 
is added. This is a round stick of wood, one foot 
long and two inches in diameter, one end pointed and 
the other flattened, and wired to chain at point chain 
leaves furrow to fasten to plow beam. The earth as 
THREE ATTACHMENTS FOR THE PLOW. Fig. 77. 
it leaves the moldboard, falls on the stick, and causes 
it to hold the chain always in the right position, 
drawing to the bottom of the furrow the heaviest 
cornstalks or weeds. A device used in place of a 
chain is shown below this. It is a round stick of 
heavy wood, about four Inches in diameter, and l x k. to 
two feet long, which is attached with a rope swivel 
to plow beam, about two feet in front of the standard, 
where it rolls along on edge of furrow, and acts like 
the chain. J- Q- a. 
Penn. 
PRUNING PEAR TREES.—I notice what Prof. 
Van Deman says on this topic on page 186, The R. 
N.-Y., March 17. I believe it essential that bearing 
pear trees be pruned quite severely every year, 
especially such heavy-blossoming kinds as the 
Duchess. As will be noticed, this variety has a 
very profuse bloom, so much so that I think it quite 
exhausts the energy of the tree in florescence. I am 
quite sure that in many years this is the reason so 
little fruit sets. If, just as the large buds, those hav¬ 
ing all the blossom buds done up in bundles, get open, 
so that the blossom buds begin to separate, the trees 
be pruned, so as to take off nine-tenths or more of 
the flowers, a much larger set of fruit will be the 
result. The reason for this will be that the energy 
of the tree will not be wasted in making flowers, but 
will be concentrated in the fewer number left. The 
best crop of Duchess pears we ever harvested was in 
a year when the orchard had got a little too high, 
and we wanted to bring it back to shape. Just at 
the stage mentioned, I cut the tops off so much that 
it looked as though I had taken off all the blossom 
buds, but so much fruit set that we had to pick 
more than half off. To have this most effectual it 
must not be done too early, as that would stimulate 
a large wood growth, nor too late, as then so much 
of the energy would be wasted that the buds left 
would not be properly nourished. I believe this is of 
great importance. J. s. woodward. 
TOMATOES AS A FIELD CROP. 
Give us advice on growing tomatoes for canning fac¬ 
tory. We expect to have a cannery here this Summer, 
for which 400 acres of tomatoes are to be grown. 
No. Vineland, N. J. w. o. m. 
WHOLESALE GROWING.—Many requests are re¬ 
ceived at tnis season for information concerning the 
field culture of tomatoes for the use of canneries and 
other wholesale consumers. Everybody is, of course, 
familiar with tomatoes as a garden crop, as they are 
successfully grown in a small way under the most 
varied conditions, but when they are to be planted 
by the acre a well-tried plan of procedure is in order. 
Dates of planting vary with the latitude, as a matter 
of course. In the canning districts about New York 
tomato seeds are planted for this purpose about April 
1 in frames without bottom heat. They are sown in 
drills about seven inches apart. The soil has pre¬ 
viously been made light and rich, and the seeds are 
covered half an inch ueep, and well packed with the 
pressure of a board on which the planter walks while 
planting the next row. The soil is then well watered, 
the sashes put on and kept rather close until the 
seedlings come up, after which abundant ventilation 
is given in clear weather. An average of 1,000 plants, 
requiring about one ounce of seed, is commonly 
grown under each ordinary sash, six feet by three. 
The plants should be kept well weeded, and the space 
between the rows often stirred with a narrow hoe. 
Good plants can often be raised in seed beds in the 
open ground, without the use of sashes, but the dan¬ 
ger of loss by late frosts is too great to put much 
reliance on this method. 
THE LAND AND ITS PREPARATION—Good corn 
or potato land, especially if light and well drained, 
will usually produce satisfactory tomatoes in an 
average season. The field is plowed and harrowed in 
the usual manner about the middle of May, and fur¬ 
rowed out in checks, three feet apart each way. Fer¬ 
tilization is effected by putting a shovelful of com¬ 
posted manure, or a handful of a complete chemical 
fertilizer in each check, and incorporating it well 
with the soil. The plants are set out from May 25 
to the middle of June, choosing dull weather when 
possible. The plants are taken to the fields standing 
in buckets of water, and dropped by boys in the 
checks. They are firmly set by men following closely 
after. If the plants are tall and drawn, they are 
layered to some extent; that is, they are laid nearly 
flat, and the roots and stem covered with earth to 
within three or four inches of the top. Additional 
roots are thrown out from the buried stem, and the 
plant is less likely to suffer from dry weather. A 
better stand of tomatoes can be expected from trans¬ 
planted plants, and by puddling the roots in thin, rich 
mud, just before planting, but at the low prices rul¬ 
ing for the past few years, the tendency has been to 
simplify all methods, and the plants are generally 
transferred directly from the frames to the field with 
as little handling as possible. A larger proportion of 
plants will live under ordinary conditions where 
chemicals are used to fertilize the checks or hills, 
than in the case of stable manure or composts, as 
there is less tendency to dry out at the roots before 
the plants become established, though the yield, 
especially late in the season, is rather in favor of 
animal manures. 
CARE AND CULTIVATION—Cultivation begins 
within a week after the plants are set, and is con¬ 
tinued after each rain, or at intervals of 10 days in 
dry weather, until the growth of the vines interferes. 
One or two dressings with a hand hoe is generally 
needed to take out the weeds in the hills, and at the 
last working the hills are ridged up somewhat in 
order to keep the tomatoes from too close contact 
with the soil. The practice of pinching out the top 
of the growing plants to induce an early formation of 
laterals is not generally followed now, as it has not 
been found to add greatly to the yield. The tomatoes 
begin to ripen in August, and from that time until 
frost they are picked two or three times a week, and 
hauled directly to the canneries or market. The con¬ 
tract price for several years has been varied from $5 
to $8 per ton, according to locality; $6 is considered 
a fair price in northern New Jersey, and usually 
yields a small margin of profit over expenses in the 
hands of an experienced grower. 
VARIETIES GROWN.—As for varieties, each can¬ 
ning section has its favorites, which should always 
be adopted by the beginner, though it is well to make 
cautious trials of other sorts which may appear 
promising. Generally speaking, large, solid, bright 
red tomatoes like the Paragon, Stone and Matchless 
are preferred, especially by catsup makers, as they 
give a brighter and more attractive product. The 
darker varieties, such as Beauty, Acme, Perfection, 
etc., while productive and reliable, do not find general 
favor on that account, although they are largely can- 
