432 
June 23 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure atten¬ 
tion. Before asking a question, please see 
whether it is not answered in our advertising 
columns. Ask only a few questions at one time. 
Put questions on a separate piece of paper ] 
The Lawrence Pear; Dry Trees. 
H. C. M., Connecticut.—1. I noticed in The 
R. N.-Y. reference to the Lawrence pear 
and its great value on the market. What 
particular kind of soil is best adapted to 
this pear, and what culture is required for 
best results? 2. When fruit trees have be¬ 
come dry on account of long storage In cel¬ 
lar or packing-box, what treatment should 
they be given before planting out? Will 
puddling insure their living and growing? 
Ans. —1. The Lawrence pear does best 
on a clay soil, as do most other pears. 
It should be well drained, either natural¬ 
ly or artificially, for the pear does not 
flourish in any soil that has much water 
in it. The culture required to obtain the 
best results is about such as is neces¬ 
sary for other fruits. The soil should 
be kept reasonably rich, and cultivated 
during the Spring and early Summer. 2. 
In case trees are received in a rather 
dry condition, from bad treatment in the 
hands of the nurseryman, or from long 
delay in transit, it is a good plan to im¬ 
merse them, root and branch, in cold 
water for a few hours. This will fill 
them with all the water they need, and 
if there is enough vitality left in them 
to cause them to grow they will do so 
when properly planted. Their chances 
of living will be increased by puddling 
the roots in thin, sticky mud just before 
planting. This will cause the mellow 
earth to stick close to them, and enable 
them to extract moisture from the soil 
much earlier than would be possible 
without it. I have immersed frozen 
trees in a pond overnight, and planted 
them with as good success as though 
they had not been frozen, when, I am 
sure, if this had not been done, they 
would have failed to grow. h. e. v. d. 
Cultivating Steep Hillsides. 
J. E. Z. (No Address).—With a peach or¬ 
chard on a long and in parts steep hill¬ 
side, what is the best method of cultivation 
to keep the land from washing? Deep 
plowing, the common advice, will not do it, 
but some trash crop must be provided and 
still give trees sufficient cultivation. What 
tools or method of culture will keep land 
level on hillside where plowing must be 
with rows one way only? 
Ans. —Soil-washing on steep hillsides 
is a thing that is so hard to prevent 
where cultivation is necessary for the 
crops growing on it, that there is almost 
no way to do it aside from terracing. 
Where there are many stones on the 
land it will often be found profitable to 
lay them into low terrace walls in the 
lines of the rows running parallel with 
the slope. It is supposed that the rows 
are always set in this way; at least, they 
should be so, whenever possible, to avoid 
plowing in any other direction. Where 
the inclines are not steep and variable 
in direction, I have seen the rows run 
straight across the tract, regardless of 
the slopes, and a system of shallow 
ditches and banks used to prevent wash¬ 
ing. They were so made as to catch 
the flood water and hold it from running 
straight down the slopes, inclining it to 
follow the very slight grades of the 
ditches. They were necessarily very 
wide, and when dry, which was about 
as soon after a rain as any other part of 
the orchard or vineyard, they were cul¬ 
tivated just the same as any other part 
of the soil. The water was thus gently 
carried off to the outside of the tracts. 
In some cases these shallow ditches and 
low embankments were made every few 
rods, so as to prevent the collection of 
much water in any one of them. In 
some cases trees or vines were set in the 
ditches, where necessary to fill up the 
rows, and there seemed to be no damage 
and very little inconvenience resulting. 
Regarding a crop which will admit of 
cultivation and yet add trash to the soil, 
I can think of nothing better than the 
cow pea. It will grow quickly, is much 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
better for cultivation, and will shelter 
the ground both Summer and Winter, if 
allowed to die and remain until time to 
work the soil the next season. A hill¬ 
side or reversible plow is the best to 
use on steep land. Ordinary cultivators 
will do to follow this plow, which makes 
no dead furrows. In ordinary land, 
where it is level or the slopes very gen¬ 
tle, I have long followed the plan of 
plowing so as to have no back furrows 
and dead furrows between the rows, but 
rather at the rows alternately. One year 
I made the oack furrows at the first, 
third and fifth rows, and the dead fur¬ 
rows at the intermediate rows, and the 
next year they would be at the second, 
fourth and sixth rows, with the dead 
furrows where the back furrows were 
the year before. n. e. y. d. 
Rampion and Brussels Sprouts. 
U. S. J., Stella, O .—How shall I grow and 
use rampion and Brussels sprouts? 
Ans. —Rampion is seldom grown in 
this country, except by foreigners. It 
belongs to the Campanulaceae, or Can- 
terbury-bell family. The roots and 
leaves are prized in many parts of Eu¬ 
rope for salads. The seeds may be 
sown in May, either broadcast or in 
drills, 10 inches apart. They are very 
fine, and only need to be pressed into 
the soil, which should be rather rich and 
moist. The seedlings are likely to come 
up too thick, and should be thinned out 
to stand about three inches apart. Water 
freely, if possible, in hot, dry weather. 
It is a hardy biennial, and the roots 
may be allowed to remain in the ground. 
They can be gathered for use, as wanted, 
from October throughout the Winter. 
The leaves are used at any time when in 
tender growth, but may be blanched and 
used in Winter salads. The roots are 
eaten both boiled and in the raw state. 
Brussels sprouts is a variety of cabbage 
that has taken to producing a number of 
little heads, or Winter storage buds, 
around the stem, instead of a single 
large one at the apex. It requires the 
same treatment as main-crop cabbages. 
The seed should be sown in May, in a 
seed bed or frame, and transplanted one 
foot or more apart in rows, which should 
be from two to three feet apart. Give 
ordinary cabbage culture throughout the 
Summer. The sprouts are very hardy, 
and can be used direct from the plant a 
long time after freezing weather sets in. 
Some time ago we printed several ex¬ 
cellent recipes, for cooking Brussels 
sprouts, in The R. N.-Y. They can be 
found on page 806, November 18, 1899. 
Fighting the Melon Louse. 
T. J. S., Shaker Station, Conn.—A neighbor 
of mine has been raising early muskmelons 
for several years, and with good success 
until last year, when the leaves of the vines 
were attacked by an insect that worked on 
the underside of the leaves, and sucked 
the life out of the vines. My neighbor calls 
the lice “aphis,” but I doubt whether it is 
aphis. Can some one explain what it is that 
attacks the melon vines, and tell how to 
combat the pest? I was intending to raise 
early melons this year, starting the vines 
in the greenhouse, and setting out doors 
later on. It has occurred to me that pos¬ 
sibly tobacco stems spread on the top of 
the ground and around the plants might 
destroy them. I would like to know Mr. 
Slingerland’s opinion about this. 
Ans. —The only insect which I know 
of that sucks the life from the underside 
of the leaves of melons is the Melon 
aphis, or plant-louse. This insect feeds 
on 25 or 30 different kinds of plants, in¬ 
cluding many weeds. It is said that the 
winged lice fly into the melon fields from 
weeds or other plants in the Spring, and 
start colonies of wingless forms on the 
vines. These multiply very rapidly, and 
in favorable seasons soon overrun the 
plants and sap their life so that they 
begin to die. These lice, like other suck¬ 
ing insects, must be hit to kill them. 
One cannot feed them poison. Two 
methods are now strongly recommended 
for fighting this aphis. One consists in 
spraying the underside of the leaves 
with kerosene emulsion made by the 
standard formula, and diluted with from 
12 to 15 parts of water. To do this suc¬ 
cessfully one must use what is known 
as an “under-spray” nozzle, or a nozzle 
at the end of a tube bent at right angles. 
This method is practised by thousands 
who grow melons by the acre in Mary¬ 
land and other States. The other method 
is to treat the vines with carbon bisul¬ 
phide. To do this one must have a lot 
of covers, such as wash tubs, barrels, 
boxes or the covers used on hay cocks. 
The vines should be gathered up in as 
small a compass as possible, the cover 
placed over them, and carbon bisulphide 
(at the rate of one dram, or a teaspoon¬ 
ful, to each cubic foot of space) be 
poured in a shallow dish and put under 
the cover. This will usually evaporate 
in half an hour, and is said to be sure 
death to all the lice, and does not injure 
the plants. In every case one must get 
at this insect early in the season before 
it gets very numerous; examine the 
vines carefully early in the season, and 
as soon as there are any indications of 
the lice by the curling of the leaves or 
otherwise, spray the vines or treat with 
carbon bisulphide at once. Only by thor¬ 
ough and prompt work can the pest be 
controlled. Bulletins No. 121 of the New 
Jersey Experiment Station, No. 48 of the 
Maryland Station, and No. 45 of the 
Georgia Station, discuss this pest in de¬ 
tail. I do not know about the trans¬ 
planting of plants from greenhouses into 
the field. m. v. slingerland. 
Bordeaux Mixture; Trees on Building Lots. 
Subscriber (.No Address)—1. For one who has 
a small amount of spraying to do, is there 
any simpler way of securing Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture than that of home-mixing, as given by 
the various experiment stations? Are any 
of the readymade formulas or dry mixtures 
now on the market equal to the homemade 
Bordeaux? 2. Will the planting of fruit 
trees, especially apples, on land intended 
for building lots prove profitable, either in 
the fruit secured or in increasing the at¬ 
tractiveness and value of the property? 
Ans. —1. We have used Leggett’s Fun- 
giroid with much satisfaction as a sub¬ 
stitute for Bordeaux Mixture in a small 
way. It is a dry powder, and is easily 
applied with an ordinary powJer bel¬ 
lows, and should generally he used Then 
the plants and foliage are wet with dew. 
It cannot be considered altogether as 
efficient as Bordeaux Mixture, but is a 
handy substitute. There are, doubtless, 
otner meritorious preparations of the 
kind, but none has yet superseded the 
standard Bordeaux Mixture. The prep¬ 
arations made by the Bowker Chemical 
Co. are very promising. We shall try 
them soon. 2. This is altogether a local 
question. Under some circumstances a 
good profit could be secured from the 
fruit, and the property rendered more 
attractive, and on the other hand it 
might prove a losing game from the 
start. If the work of selection, planting 
and cultivation is thoroughly carried 
out, a fair return on the investment 
could reasonably be expected, provided 
the trees get time enough to develop. 
Different sizes and prices. Illustrated Catalogue free. 
THE BLYMYEK IRON WORKS CO., Clm-innatl, O. 
B.L. RYDER CO.. Box 42U, Philadelphia, l*a. 
JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT S:ir. 
sample; most productive variety. Price, $1 per bushel, 
bags free JEROME B. RICE SEED Co- 
Cambridge Valley Seed Gardens. Cambridge. N. Y . 
400,000 Premium Flat Dutch Cabbage 
Plants, $1 per 1,000 ; 5,000 for $4; 10,000 for $7.50; 
Pepper and Egg Plants, 30 cents per 1(K). 
CALEB BOGGS, Cbeswold, Del. 
Tomato, Celery, Cabbage, 
etc. CHEAP IN LAKGl 
.1. S. L1NTHICUM,Woodwardville. Md 
CELERY AND CABBAGE PLANTS FOR SALE. 
Leading varieties, carefully packed with moss in 
baskets, and delivered here at Express Office; 250 
plants for 00c.; 500 for 00c.; 1,000 for $150. Special 
price on quantities over B,100 Cash with order. Celery 
plants ready July 1. Early Cabbage plants ready now 
WOODLAND EARM.Canastota, Madison Co., N.Y 
Pepper, 
; LOTS. 
CELERY PLANTS 
Grown by the acre on land especially adapted to 
them. With our system of growing and irrigating, 
each plant is strong and stocky, with a large mass of 
fibrous roots. We ship safely to all parts of the 
United States and Canada. Varieties: White Plume, 
Golden Self-Hlanehing and Golden Heart. 
Price: 500,75c.: 1,000, $1.25; 5,000, $5. 
WILSON BROS. & CO.. Tecumseh. Mich. 
CAD CII E"~L000 Bushels Crimson Clover 
rlln wALC Seed; 1,000 Bushels Cow Peas. 
JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del 
10 
Peach Trees 
10 Apple, Plum or Pear 
80c.; 10 Dwarf Pear 60c. j 
10 Quince 75c.; 10 Grape, 
Gooseberry or Currant 
Me. Write Quickly. C. NURSERY AND ORCHARD 
CO., Charleston, W. Va. 
50c. 
best by test—74 VFARS. Wf, p^y CASH 
r’ c cc WANT MORE Salesmen d /» » miiui 
fKLLdStark Nursery, Louisiana, Mo; Uansvillc, S.Y. 
WHKIV 
|l|OF!| A We are Headquarters for 
CmbfcNU SMd & Plants. 
I 1 Valuable book about it, telling how togrow thousandsof 
dollars worth, what used for and who in grow lug it. Sen t for I Oe 
AMERICAN GINSENG GARDENS, ROSE HILL, New York. 
3uds. Buds. Buds. 
PEACHES: 153 varieties, including Admiral 
lewey and Victor. PLUMS: Over 200 varieties. 
;uds cut by experienced help from Nursery Stock. 
i T ell grown, clean and healthy. 
Write for prices to-day. 
HARRISON’S NURSERIES, 
For $2, I will send by express or freight, i Alpha, i Parry’s 
Giant, i Early Reliance and i Paragon chestnut tree grafted, 
worth Full line of Nursery Stock Certificate. 
ARTHUR J. COLLINS, Moorestown, Burlington County, N.J. 
New York State Fair 
August 27 to September 1, 1900. 
Grounds greatly improved ; buildings repaired, repainted 
and renovated. All stock buildings thoroughly fumigated. 
Everything in first-class con- 
dition for the Largest and 
Best Agricultural Exposition 
ever held in New York State. 
$40,000 in Premiums and Purses. 
Send for Premium List. 
J. H. DURKEE, Manager, s * c * SHAVER, Secretary, 
Sandy Hill, N. Y. Alban ^ N ’ Y ’ 
