382 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 2 
SETTING TREES IN SMALL HOLES. 
On page 306 we referred to an experiment by Mr. H. M. 
Stringfellow, of Texas, in setting an orchard under pecu¬ 
liar ^conditions. The trees were closely root-pruned and 
s§t- in, two-inch holes made by driving down an iron bar. 
Mr. Stringfellow now sends us further particulars: 
your recent remarks on my new experiment of 
ing 1,000 peach, 1,000 apple, and 1,000 pear trees 
on virgin sod, in holes made by an iron bar, you say, 
“After«all, his final success would only show that his 
method is of value in that particular locality where 
there are special conditions of soil moisture.” I 
moved here to conduct this experiment because the 
favorable conditions you mention are altogether lack¬ 
ing. I am 300 miles from Galveston, in the dry por¬ 
tion of Texas, where it often does not rain for three 
months or more, and at an altitude of 1,200 feet above 
the sea, while well water is from 50 to 100 feet below 
the surface. There is not a successful apple orchard 
in this section. Your remark, quoted above, should 
hold in failure, as well as success, and include the 
experiment stations as well as myself. Ought not the 
failure of certain eastern ones with root pruning to 
apply to their localities only, inasmuch as certain 
kinds of cuttings and piece-root grafts, practically 
identical with my method, are entirely successful 
throughout the Eastern States? If two inches of root 
will unite with an eight-inch scion, and make a fine 
tree there in one season, why will not the same tree, 
if taken up and root-pruned to two inches, do equally 
as well when planted? But my present experiment is 
to demonstrate, further, that deep preparation of the 
ground by the plow, or digging of large holes, is un¬ 
necessary, in fact, harmful. If a tree with long roots 
in a two-foot hole can penetrate downwards and side- 
wise into the walls of the hole, why cannot the roots 
of a tree in a two-inch hole penetrate the walls as 
well? That they can, my 3,000 are now demon¬ 
strating, for though planted very late, February 20, 
they now (May 1) have vigorous tops from eight to 
12 inches high. 
But my experiment is intended to go further still, 
and show that for stub-pruned trees, practically seed¬ 
lings, all cultivation or cutting of surface roots is also 
unnecessary and injurious, and prove by a comparison 
with cultivated orchards that such trees are healthier 
and more productive, just as chance seedling fruit 
trees, in fence corners, backyards, and other out-of- 
the-way places, where the plow cannot reach them, 
are universally known to be. In fact, I aim to grow a 
“natural” orchard, except that Nature is compelled to 
plant her trees upon the surface of the firm ground, 
while I insert mine in as small a hole as possible. To 
prevent danger from fire, my trees will be hoed 
around for a year or two until they shade out the 
grass, branching as they will right from the ground. 
The ground between the rows will be mowed wben 
necessary, and all clippings left where they fall. If 
my experiment is successful, it will demonstrate that 
these great principles of horticulture are applicable 
all over the country, for I have purposely chosen a 
very unfavorable location, incomparably more so than 
any locality in the Eastern States. That my experi¬ 
ment would be a success if I had set long-rooted trees 
in large holes I have no idea, for such trees often die 
here from drought on well-cultivated land. They re¬ 
establish themselves exclusively on lateral roots from 
the cut ends of the long ones, while mine Strike only 
perpendicular roots the first year, and resist the 
drought. H. M. STRINGFELLOW. 
THE ROCKY FORD MUSKMELON IN FLORIDA 
This muskmelon originated at Rocky Ford, Col., 
fully 15 years ago. It is of the Netted Gem variety, 
but shaped like the Paul Rose. It is as much superior 
in quality to the ordinary muskmelon as the latter 
is to a turnip. During the last few years a lot of seed 
has been on the market, claimed to be the Rocky 
Ford, but anyone wishing to get the genuine article 
has to go to headquarters for it. This accounts for 
the diversity of opinions regarding it, but anyone who 
has ever eaten a genuine Rocky Ford will be hard to 
please with any other variety. It is an excellent ship¬ 
per, being solid in flesh and tough in rind; its seed 
cavity is the smallest of any muskmelon that I have 
ever seen. It is green-fleshed, turning to a light 
salmon color just at the edge of the seed cavity. The 
most satisfactory way to eat it is to cut it into sec¬ 
tions and pare the outside skin as you would an 
apple, for it is eatable clear to the very outside (and 
the paring is as thin as an apple’s). It does not 
grow very large, from iy 2 to 1% pound is the average 
size; any larger than that is looked upon as a little 
doubtful as to its genuineness. 
This melon does best where there is very bright 
sunshine continuously, and very little rain during the 
growing period. In Colorado, where It is largely 
grown, they use irrigation to a limited extent, but 
rainy weather spoils the flavor and quality. There is 
a strong “melon-growers’ association” at Rocky 
Ford, that controls the growing and selling of this 
variety; it has about 300 members, and controls be¬ 
tween 3,000 and 4,000 acres. This melon is also very 
prolific, and a uniform grower. I grew by actual 
count last season upwards of 9,000 on one acre, and 
that has been often exceeded. In all the markets of 
the country where it is rightly known, it is a favorite, 
and it has a particular shipping crate known as the 
Rocky Ford crate. This is 12x12x24, and holds a little 
over a bushel; 45 melons is the average number to a 
crate. We have been very successful here in western 
Florida in growing it to perfection, as we have the 
sandy loamy soil it delights in, and It is grown at the 
time of the year when very little rain falls. We plant 
the seed about March 15, and the melons are ready 
for shipping the first week in June. The average 
price last season was about $2.50 per crate gross, or 
5V 2 cents each. This gives very satisfactory returns 
to the grower. The question is often asked: “Will 
not the markets get overstocked when it becomes bet¬ 
ter known?” There is no fear of that, as there are 
few sections of the country adapted to growing this 
melon of a perfect quality. Any place where there is 
much rain during the growing period will not pro¬ 
duce a good article. It is a child of the sun, and 
must have it to do its best. _ c. K. mcq. 
Walton Co., Fla. 
SLAUGHTERHOUSE REFUSE AS MANURE. 
The inquiry made by T. E. C., in The R. N.-Y. of 
February 1/, recalls some experience which I had 
years ago. There was a tannery in the village in 
ALSTRCEMERIA ERREMBAULTTI. Fig. 112. 
See Ruralisms, Pape 386. 
Pennsylvania where I had an adjacent farm. The 
refuse went begging, and when I proposed to remove 
it without cost to the owners of the unfragrant heap, 
they were eager to make a bargain with me. I dug 
out a pit in the field where I proposed to use it the 
first year, and got several loads of lime from a kiln 
near. The stuff, bones, hide clippings, and offal, was 
put into the pit along with the fresh air-slaked lime 
mixed with the soil dug out of it. The stuff was 
heaped up several feet in alternate layers, well mixed 
together, however, as the heap was made, and the 
whole was well moistened with water. I had several 
such pits, in all over 100 loads of the stuff. I gathered 
all the piles of wood ashes and the sweepings of the 
tree-lined streets in the village, and had work for 
several weeks in making big heaps of a sort of com¬ 
post, which, in the course of two months was well 
decayed, and the bones softened so that they fell into 
fragments when the heaps were moved and spread on 
the land. The field was put into oats after corn, and 
the crop was grown from imported seed which weigh¬ 
ed 45 pounds to the measured bushel. The crop made 
the biggest oats I ever saw, averaging fully five feet 
high in the straw, and most of the heads were over a 
foot long, and many 15 inches. The crop was thrashed 
in my barn in a two-horse-power thrasher, and made 
over 90 bushels to the acre of grain weighing as 
heavy as the seed sown. 
The field was sown the next year with Timothy and 
clover, and from 13 acres I cut over 30 tons of hay. 
The aftermath was pastured down by a flock of sheep 
which was passing along the road to the market at 
New York, and when they were turned into the field 
in October, the grass and clover was a dense mass 
over a foot high. Three hundred sheep pastured for 
a month, when they went on to market, but still left 
the grass thickly covering the ground. The third 
year the field was in corn, the sod being turned under, 
and the corn was husked by a family of Polanders, 
who got three cents a bushel for the work, and made 
$3 and something over a day; and by actual count 
and measurement I had over 90 bushels of shelled 
corn, taking two bushels of ears for a bushel of grain 
per acre. I sold the farm the next Spring, and the 
field had been sown with Fall wheat on the corn 
stubble; the variety was the Treadwell, a kind which, 
curiously had both bearded and bald heads on the 
same root, and my successor wrote me in answer to 
my inquiry, that it made him over 40 bushels to the 
acre. I was then keeping 15 cows and four horses, 
all the manure of which was put on another field of 
the same size, but it did not yield nearly as much as 
this one fertilized with this refuse stuff. The neigh¬ 
bors said it was the lime that did it, but I knew that 
while the lime helped it did not make all the differ¬ 
ence in that field._ H. stewart. 
THE SAN JOSE SCALE IN CALIFORNIA. 
Will H. G. K., page 221, or some other wideawake hor¬ 
ticulturist from California, tells us how they are combat¬ 
ing the San Jos6 scale out there? We learn that as 
early as 1885 the scale had become pretty generally 
spread over the State and up into Oregon. Yet we don’t 
seem to hear much about devastated orchards, or dismal 
forebodings about the future in horticulture, after a 
lapse of 15 years. w. a. b. 
Farmer, N. Y. 
I haven’t a doubt but that every California fruit 
grower who passed through that serious period when 
the San Josd scale (so called) threatened to put us 
out of business, has a kindly feeling of sympathy for 
our friends in the East who now have that pest in 
their orchards. Our experience with the San JosS 
scale is remembered as some horrible nightmare that 
we don’t like to dwell upon when the day comes. My 
first acquaintance with it was in the apple orchard of 
a neighbor, where only a few trees, perhaps five or 
six, were affected. These trees were located near the 
middle of the orchard. The trees, foliage and fruit 
showed its presence plainly to the naked eye. The 
owner was alarmed, and had reason to be. No one 
knew of a remedy. Spraying was resorted to. The 
next year a large area of the orchard was affected, 
and spraying was continued. In another year many 
trees were dead, and finally the whole orchard was 
dug out as a hopeless case. A bearing prune orchard 
now stands in its place, clean and thrifty. Later our 
own orchards and our neighbors’ for miles around 
became the battle ground whereon the intelligence 
and ingenuity of man was arrayed against the tena¬ 
cious and rapidly-spreading scale. Sprays of many 
kinds were used, and with no lack of vigor. Con¬ 
centrated lye and caustic soda, as strong as one pound 
to the gallon, drenched and soaked the scale without 
serious injury to the insects, but badly injuring the 
trees. Ruin stared us in the face. The scale was 
spreading more and more each year, and our trees 
were dying. Then appeared the remedy in the form 
of the little ladybug, the one with a bright red spot 
on each wing, sometimes called the “twice-stabbed,” 
I do not know its scientific name, and do not care to; 
it is enough to be acquainted with such a benefactor 
of the fruit growers of California. I do not know of 
any reason why the Twice-stabbed ladybug should 
not thrive in the East and rid the orchards of the 
San Josd scale there, as effectively as it has here. If 
it will live there I can say to any orchardist who has 
a start of scale on his trees, that they are well worth 
their weight in gold to him, and don’t waste your 
time and money spraying a pest that cannot be ex¬ 
terminated that way. A new scale called the Italian 
scale has made its appearance on some of our trees 
the past year, and wherever this scale is found, there 
also may be found the Red-spotted ladybug feeding 
on them, and we feel no uneasiness about the out¬ 
come. H. G. K. 
Edenvale, Cal. 
R. N.-Y.—This “ladybug” was brought to New Jer¬ 
sey and carefully handled in the hope that it would 
live and thrive here. It did not survive the Winter. 
Prof. Smith, who tried to make a Jerseyman out of 
this useful little stranger, says that it cannot endure 
our climate. _ 
Steel Roofing.— In your issue of May 12, page 336, is 
an article on value of steel roofing. The greatest trouble 
among farmers is the painting. As a general thing, 
farmers will put off having their steel roofing painted 
for five to six years, and then have two heavy coats of 
the cheapest paint they can buy applied, when they 
should have one light coat of best metallic paint (ground 
in oil), applied every two years. The cheapest roofing 
'in point of years is of galvanized ifon. I know of several 
buildings In Ohio with roofing of galvanized iron that has 
been on for 17 years, that have not cost their owners 17 
cents for repair in that length of time, and are apparently 
as good now as when put on. p. o. d. 
Red Lion, N. J. 
