720 
October 27 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
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.] 
Humus Crops in Orchards. 
B. J. C., Sodue, N. Y.— Will J. W. S., Chau¬ 
tauqua Co., N. Y., (page 657), tell us what 
he uses for cover crop, and humus in his 
grapes? Our experience coincides with his 
on Crimson clover. 
Ans.—I sometimes use weeds. That is 
not orthodox, 1 know. I am free to say 
that 1 sometimes fall from horticultural 
grace, and am then very repentant, and 
hope such will never happen again. I 
often use rye. It is my ideal in only two 
respects, which are these. I can get a 
crop by later sowing, and on poorer soil 
than anything else I can sow. As a hu¬ 
mus-maker, it beats nothing by a great 
deal. Even when sown in early Octo¬ 
ber there will be quite a body to turn 
under May 25. Peas and oats have given 
me much satisfaction, and if left un¬ 
plowed will remain green surprisingly 
late. Buckwheat gives a quick growth. 
I have sown it July 20, and had a good 
stand to plow under in September, to 
be followed by rye. Some think that 
buckwheat poisons the soil. I do not 
think that mine has suffered by such 
treatment. I wish to make the following 
point emphatic. Fall conditions are far 
more favorable for plowing under green 
crops than June, July, or the larger part 
of August. If I planned to give an or¬ 
chard and application of commercial fer¬ 
tilizer 1 would apply it by hand, so I 
could give a larger amount on the lean 
ridges and Knolls, and then follow by 
a cover crop. The fruit-tree roots would 
get all the fertilizer in the end, with the 
humus added. Much has been said about 
the superiority of legumes as a cover 
crop. That they have a superiority, I 
will not deny, but I think that the ad¬ 
vantage is sometimes over-rated. Re¬ 
sults from pots of soil in a laboratory 
is one thing, and in field culture under 
vicissitudes of climate is another. In 
speaking 01 adding humus to soil I sel¬ 
dom refrain from giving this caution; 
add small quantities often rather than 
large quantities seldom. Clean culti¬ 
vation depletes humus very fast. 
Chautauqua Co., N. Y. J. w. s. 
Our Native Papaws. 
H. IF., Clinton, III— About a year ago Mr. 
Van Deman told about varieties of papaw's 
that were very fine and worthy of propa¬ 
gating. Will he tell where they can be 
had? I would like a few grafts of a couple 
of the best. I have a tree that has bloomed 
for several years, but did not bear any 
fruit. This year a graft on it bloomed for 
the first time, and the main tree had a 
few 7 papaws on, which shows, I think, that 
it is pistillate the same as some kinds of 
strawberries. I have a number of per¬ 
simmon trees, and have plenty of persim¬ 
mons every Fall. They are great bearers. 
The fruit is sweeter, earlier and of better 
flavor where the ground slopes to the south. 
They seem to need the hot sunshine to de¬ 
velop them best. The trees are very hardy 
here. Some are grafted to improved va¬ 
rieties. The seedlings should grow until 
they are six or eight feet high, then cut 
them off about four feet from the ground 
and graft. If set at the ground they are 
not a success with me. Kansas and Early 
Golden are very fine varieties and ripen 
before frost. 
Ans. —The best and most productive 
papaw's I ever saw grew about my old 
home in southern Ohio, and from there 
into Kentucky. Those who may wish to 
experiment with scions from the best va¬ 
rieties could probably get them of Henry 
W. Hope, of Paint, Ohio, who is a farmer 
living among them. This fruit is well 
w r orthy of being tested and brought un¬ 
der cultivation. It will flourish in thick¬ 
ets where there is partial shade from 
trees, or in the open. It must have rich 
land. It may be that some varieties 
have imperfect flowers. Our native per¬ 
simmon is another wild fruit that is 
worthy of much more attention than it 
gets. The trees are hardy w’herever the 
peach is, and will bear abundantly in 
most cases. Grafting them is rather 
difficult, but it can be done, as H. W. 
testifies. He succeeds best with top¬ 
grafting, w 7 hile the most and best graft¬ 
ed trees I have seen had the work done 
at the collar. Early Golden and Kansas 
are good kinds and so are Marion, Gold¬ 
en Gem, Hicks and many more. The 
seeds grow readily. A few of the nur¬ 
series are beginning to propagate them. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Do Plants Show their Food Needs ? 
J. M. R., Cornwall, N. Y .—The unscientific 
farmer becomes confused W'hile pondering 
on the very able articles relating to soil 
fertility. I w'isn to know how 7 to judge what 
element is needed, by the appearance of 
the crops growing on the land. If my fruit 
trees and currant bushes grow strong, and 
produce much wood and fine leaves, but 
little fruit, does it mean that I have enough 
nitrogen in the soil and not enough potash? 
Does this rule apply to strawberries, rasp¬ 
berries and blackberries, or am I w 7 rong 
altogether? What I w 7 ant is a very simple 
statement of how to judge by the appear¬ 
ance of my crops during the growing and 
fruiting season, of the chemical elements 
needed by my land to increase and main¬ 
tain fertility. I can’t afford money or 
time for chemical analysis. 
Ans. —There is no definite rule by 
which you can tell by the appearance of 
the plant what the soil needs. There 
are four elements that must be present 
in the soil—nitrogen, potash, phosphoric 
acid and lime. Nitrogen has been called 
the legs of the plant. When present in 
excess it gives a dark-green, rich foliage, 
a quick rank growth v 7 lth soft wood or 
a thin, leggy stem. We notice this re¬ 
sult when liquid manure is used on 
house plants, or w r hen heavy dressings 
of stable manure are used on grain or 
grass. The plants make a quick growth, 
but they are not solid, and the grain or 
grass is quite sure to “lodge.” The ef¬ 
fects of nitrogen are most quickly seen 
on plants tnat make most of their 
growth above ground, like grass, grain 
or caDbage. Too much nitrogen is likely 
to retard the development of fruit and 
seed. By using nitrate of soda a tomato 
plant may be driven to produce a heavy 
vine growth and thus delay fruit pro¬ 
duction for several weeks. These are 
about the only sure indications in the 
plant itself. An excess of potash will 
give a dark rich green color to the leaf 
and stem. This effect of potash may 
often be mistaken for the effect of too 
much nitrogen. The chief effect of pot¬ 
ash will be noticed in the color, flavor 
and firmness of the fruit itself. It is a 
common saying that “potash paints the 
peach,” although this is not strictly true. 
A crop of strawberries grown where 
potash was lacking, but where nitrogen 
■was present, would make large, hand¬ 
some plants with large dark leaves but 
slender stems. The berries might be 
large and numerous, but would be 
light-colored, flat and “mushy,” so that 
they would not ship well. The addition 
of potash, especially as sulphate or in 
wood ashes, would give a firmer, dark¬ 
er-colored berry with a higher flavor. 
Phosphorus was in old times regarded 
as the life-giving principle. In the ani¬ 
mal it is found largely in the brain and 
nerve cells, and combined with lime it 
forms the bones or framework. Natur¬ 
ally we find it largely in the seeds and 
frame of the plant. Its lack is harder to 
detect in the outward signs of the plant 
than is that of either nitrogen or pot¬ 
ash. Most fertilizer experiments show 
that on many soils phosphoric acid is 
greatly needed, and most mixtures con¬ 
tain more of it than of either potash or 
nitrogen. In fruit growing it is always 
safe to use it freely. Except in the case 
of nitrogen the “outward signs” are not 
clear enough to be safe. The analysis 
of the soil is not a safe guide. We know 
that all soils contain plant food enough 
to grow hundreds of crops if it could be 
utilized, yet in the midst of this plenty 
the plants often fail completely unless 
a small amount of plant food is added. 
The chemist, with his powerful acids, 
can tell the total amount of plant food 
in the soil, but he cannot tell what part 
of it the plant can use. This soil analy¬ 
sis is not a safe guide in using fertil¬ 
izers. The surest way is to ask your 
soil questions. Use what you know to 
be a combination of all three elements 
for the standard, and on average strips 
or squares leave part or all of one or two 
together of the elements out. On other 
small spaces use double the quantity of 
one element and study the results. Re¬ 
member that nitrogen influences the 
growth, that potash affects color, flavor 
and firmness, and that phosphoric acid 
will show in seed, frame and shape. Fruit 
growers who use stable manure heavily 
will most likely prove by these tests that 
they are using too much nitrogen in 
proportion to potash and phosphoric 
acid. As a rule heavy soils containing 
a large amount of humus or vegetable 
matter, are likely to be strong in nitro¬ 
gen. The clays are usually rich in pot¬ 
ash and on these soils phosphoric acid 
usually gives its best results. On the 
lighter sands nitrogen and potash are 
usually lacking. 
The Chemicals for Fumigation. 
O. E. 8., Cralcy, Fa.—Will you give me in¬ 
formation regarding fumigating nursery 
stock? My room is 6x6x9 feet. What 
amount of chemicals are required? 
Ans. —Your room contains 324 cubic 
feet. The rule is to use one-quarter 
gramme of cyanide of potash for each 
cubic foot; therefore you need 81 
grammes, 't here are 28.35 grammes in 
an ounce, so you need 2.8 ounces, or a 
scant three ounces. You take 6% ounces 
of water and 4% ounces of sulphuric 
acid, and pour them into an earthen jar. 
Then when all is ready and the room 
closed, take three ounces of the cyanide 
in a paper bag or parcel, reach in and 
drop it into the jar. Do not breathe 
while doing this, and at once close the 
door or window. The rule is to use one- 
half, by weight, more of acid than of 
cyanide, and one-half more of water 
than of acid. 
*4* 
T 
! 
A Very Bad Combine 
is that of 
A Very Bad Sprain 
and 
A Very Black Bruise 
It often happens, 
but just as often 
St. Jacobs Oil 
makes a clean, sure, 
promp cure of both. 
»!♦>}*»}< «$, .r. 4 * «j« *$*♦$» •$►«!.•£< 
PI ■ l|TC— CAB15AOE. New Early H. Succes- 
1 L.Mil I O sion. Early and Late Flat Dutch. 
Charleston, Jersey Wakelleld, etc. *1 per 1,000 : 75c. 
per 10,000. LETTUCE.—Big Boston. Boston Mar¬ 
ket, White Loaf. Tennis Ball, etc. $1 per 1,000; 7£c. 
per 10,000 Cash with order. 
J.S. LINTU1CDM, Woodwardvllle. Md. 
SEED POTATOES. 
FULL LIST. PURE STOCK. 
We want good reliable Agents to take orders. 
LIBERAL COMMISSIONS. Address 
LKCLARK & MANNING. Farm Seeds, Brighton, N.Y. 
ForestTrees. ForestTrees. 
Sugar. Norway. Sycamore, Silverleaf, and other 
Maples by the 1,000 or 10,000. Also Lindens, Poplars, 
Elms. Willows, Mountain Ash, Birch, etc., in large 
quantities, and Shrubbery by the acre. We can fur¬ 
nish trees from one to three inches In diameter. 
Address STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS, New Canaan. Ct. 
Asa rule we have found that peach trees 
obtained from the South, as well as some 
other plants, do not succeed nearly as well 
as those from the latitude In which we 
live. There seems to be a lack of consti¬ 
tutional vigor, which Is not recognized In 
trees grown in this section. 
S. D. WILLARD. 
Hessian Fly.—I was pleased with article 
in a recent Issue on the Hessian fly. I 
do not think that accurate knowledge ol 
the habits of this little pest is widespread. 
A neighbor, and a good farmer, too, said 
to me this Summer: “Late planting 
amounts to nothing; last Fall I tried one 
piece, and at harvest It was as bad as 
others.” I am experimenting on lines sug¬ 
gested in the article; have promise of all 
our near neighbors to plant late, and 
sowed several weeks ago a “catch crop,” 
to be plowed under at time of final sowing. 
w. H. M. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
1 am now booking orders for 
LUCRETIA DEWBERRY PLANTS 
1 grow sixty acres of this fruit for market, and And 
it the most profitable of all the small fruits. Inci¬ 
dentally, in growing so many for market, I have a 
very line lot of plants (no liner can be produced), 
which lam selling for from one-third to one-half 
less than most nurserymen offer them, and I could 
not sell at these prices were I not growing them 
largely for fruit. November is the best time to plant. 
Correspondence solicited. Catalogue free. 
W. F. ALLEN, Salisbury, Md. 
■peach Trees—One year from bud, 2 to 
K. S. JOHNSTON. Box 4, Stockley, Del. 
TQEFC at Wholesale prices. Apple, Plum 
I nCCO and Pears at ?8 per JOO. Don't buy any 
kind of stock until you get our prices. Catalogue 
Free. RELIANCE NURSERY, Box 10, Geneva, N. Y. 
200,000 Peach Trees. 
We offer a choice lot of Peach trees, grown from 
Tennessee pits. These trees are healthy and fine. 
Address STEPHEN HOYT'8 SONS, New Canaan, Ct. 
K TREES SUCCEED WHERE 
largest Nursery. OTHERS FAIL. 
ruit Rook Free. Result of 76 years' experience. 
BROS., Louisiana, Mo.; Dansville, N.Y. 
YORK IMPERIAL - KIEFFER. 
One tree to a carload. 
Business trees at business prices. (They are bear¬ 
ers.) Inducements to Peach buyers Let us 
quote you on vour want list. 
WOODVIEW NURSERIES, Box 100, Uriah, Pa. 
October Purple Plum Trees. 
The best of all of Mr. Burbank's Plums. We offer 
a large stock of tine trees, one and two years old 
Address STEPHEN HOYT S SONS. New Canaan, Ct. 
OUR FRUIT TREES GROW. 
We have thousands of all the best varieties of 
TREES and PLANTS. APPLES 8 cts.. BEARS 
9 cts.. PEACHES 4 ets., etc. We can save you money. 
Handsome Illustrated catalogue FREE. Send for it 
to-day. Highland Niksehy Co.. Rochester, if. Y. 
Fall is the Best Time 
TO PLANT all the Trees, Plants, Vines and Shrubs, hoth Fruit 
and Ornamental, that are listed. See our Autumn Catalogue. 
Send for it at once. The prices are right. 
T. J. DWYER & SON, 
Orange County Nurseries. Box 1, CORNWALL, N. Y 
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 $3.25. Full line of Nursery Stock. Certificate. 
ARTHUR J. COLLIN8 Moorestown, Burlington County, N.J 
etc., advertise themselves. The best always 
cheapest. Have hundreds of car loads of 
Fruits and Ornamentals. 
40 acres of Hardy Roses. 44 greenhouses of Palms, 
Ficus, Ferns, Roses, etc. Correspondence solicited. 
Catalogue free. 47th year. 1000 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Painesville, O. 
