752 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
NoT«uab«r 10 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure atten* 
tlon. 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.] 
Planting Peach and Plum in Fall. 
8. H. W., Weston, Mass.— I would like to 
know whether any person In Massachusetts 
has been successful in setting peach trees 
in the Fall? I have often heard that stone 
fruit should never be set In the Fall. Many 
sayings have been handed down to us from 
our great grandfathers which have proved 
Incorrect, and as I am too busy in the 
Spring taking up strawberry plants, If I 
wait till then the probabilities are that the 
trees would not be set at all. 
I cannot advise from experience, but 
think it not a good practice. Three years 
ago I bought about 250 peach trees in 
the r ail, and heeled them in for Spring 
setting. It did not prove a success, and 
I shall not do so again. Very few of the 
trees taken up in the Fall did well, and 
about one-third of them died entirely. 
A few trees which I bought the next 
Spring to fill out the lot I wished to set 
did very much better. I think that the 
prejudice against Fall setting of peach 
trees is well founded. I do not know 
much about other stone fruits. 
M. MORSE. 
I have known of some peach trees hav¬ 
ing been successfully planted in the Au¬ 
tumn, and many that have been badly 
injured when planted at this time. If 
the trees in the nursery are well ripen¬ 
ed, so that the lower leaves are drop¬ 
ping off by November 1, and the soil in 
which they are to be planted is light and 
not too much exposed, I should not hesi¬ 
tate to plant during the first half of No¬ 
vember, but would not plant later. It is 
not often, however, that peach trees In 
the nursery mature at this time, and I 
would advise the general planting of the 
peach tree in the Spring only. 
[Prof.] S. T. MAYNARD. 
Mass. Agl. College. 
I would not advise setting peach trees 
in the Fall in New England, but I have 
found that plums and cherries can be 
safely transplanted in the Fall. When 
I say Fall I do not mean so late that you 
have to use an iron bar to get into the 
ground. If deciduous trees (with a few 
exceptions) were taken up and set as 
soon as the leaves fall, and mulched be¬ 
fore Winter sets in, there would be less 
complaint about setting trees in the 
Fall. With a tree set at this time the 
roots will begin to callus and form new 
roots at once, and will be better able to 
stand the hot, drying winds that we 
often have after tree planting. The 
peach being a native of Persia, a warmer 
climate than New England, I would not 
advise setting in the Fall. 
GEORGE CRUICKSHANK. 
The Problem of Fall Plowing. 
G. R. S., Ballston Lake, N. F.-We have 
had a very dry Summer; no rain to speak 
of since May 10. Meadows have not made 
any second growth, and other crops have 
suffered nearly as much. The soil must 
contain considerable available plant food, 
as the plants have not been able to use 
much, because of lack of moisture. Would 
you advise us to do any Fall plowing, if 
it rains enough so we can plow? Would 
the available plant food wash deeper if 
plowed than on unbroken land? There will 
be a great deal of land to plow next year, 
as many meadows will have to be broken 
up, and it has been so dry that we could 
not plow for Winter grain. Many pieces of 
new seeding were burned up and will have 
to be reseeded. If we can plow some this 
Fall It will prevent such a rush in the 
Spring. We generally do considerable Fall 
plowing, but growing plants usually take 
up and hold the available plant food. 
Ans. —There is without doubt some 
slight loss of plant food where land is 
plowed in the Fall and allowed to re¬ 
main exposed to the rains of Winter 
and early Spring. But this loss is in 
many cases more than compensated for 
by the improved physical condition 
which result* from the weathering. As 
a rule, land should go through the Win¬ 
ter with some cover crop growing upon 
it. But in many cases this rule should 
be broken, and the land be plowed in 
the Fall. Where there is a large area 
to be plowed in the Spring, and the work 
is likely to crowd, a part of the plowing 
should be done in the Fall. As a rule, 
clay soils are improved in their physical 
condition by being Fall-plowed. They 
may also be very materially injured if 
after being plowed in the Fall they are 
harrowed down and made fine on the 
surface. The rains of Winter will cause 
the particles to run together, and by 
Spring the clay soil is puddled and im¬ 
pervious alike to water and air. Fall- 
plowed lands should be left rough and 
uneven as left by the plow. If potatoes 
are to be planted upon sod land it is 
usually a good practice to invert the 
sod in the Fall. The improved condi¬ 
tions caused by the decomposition of 
the sod will more than compensate the 
slight loss of plant food which may take 
place. If the land is moderately level, 
so the rain which falls upon it does not 
run off by surface drainage, it is a ques¬ 
tion whether the loss of plant food is 
very great. Undoubtedly some of that 
which is most readily available is taken 
into solution and carried down into the 
sub-surface and the subsoil. We believe 
in cover crops most strongly, but there 
are occasions where we can make the 
frost and rain work for us, and these oc¬ 
casions should be improved, l. a. c. 
Late Sowing of Grass. 
J. H. R., Portland, Me .—Is it a good plan 
to sow grass seed in this climate so late 
before Winter sets in that it will not ger¬ 
minate before the following Spring? Where 
land is low it is often too wet to sow so 
early in the Spring that it will grow suf¬ 
ficiently to withstand the Summer. 
Ans. —If the grass seed is sown so late 
in the Fall that it does not germinate 
until Spring, no harm will be done. If 
it is sown early enough so that germina¬ 
tion takes place and the young and ten¬ 
der shoots are killed during the Winter 
the seed wouid better have been left in 
the barn until Spring. In the latitude 
oc central New York grass seed sown 
about the middle of September usually 
makes a good growth, and with normal 
conditions comes through the Winter 
well. At the present time we should 
prefer early Spring sowing rather than 
sowing this Fall. n. a. c. 
Oak Staves for Silo. 
L. P. P., Delhi, N. Y .—Will Red oak make 
good staves for a silo? How large should 
they be sawed? Should they be matched 
or jointed? If sawed now will they be 
seasoned enough to use next Summer? 
How many tons will a silo hold when 12 
feet in diameter and 30 feet deep? 
Ans. —We know of one stave silo in 
which the staves were of oak. The 
staves warped so that the silo had to be 
taken down. They were not cured be¬ 
fore being put in place, and thus they 
probably were more obstinate than they 
would otherwise have been. We should 
prefer good hemlock to oak because of 
the well-known tendencies of oak to 
warp out of shape. If oak is used it 
would better be sawed into plank one 
foot wide and two inches thick. The 
plank one foot wide will not warp out 
of shape in curing, as will plank only 
six inches wide. When ready to con¬ 
struct the silo the staves should be split, 
making them six inches wide by two 
inches thick. With oak staves the round 
steel hoop should be used, and not the 
woven wire fencing. In building stave 
silos it is better not to have the staves 
tongued and grooved. If they have 
tongue and groove, when the silo is 
empty and the staves dry out, as they 
are certain to, the tongues will be drawn 
from the grooves in places, and owing to 
the warp in the staves they cannot be 
made perfectly tight again. Beveling is 
not necessary. We make this statement 
not as a matter of theory but as a mat¬ 
ter of actual practice. There is no ob¬ 
jection to slight beveling of the staves 
could it be properly done. But if over¬ 
done it were better not done at all. If 
sawed now the lumber will be in good 
condition to use next Summer, We will 
give a simple rule for calculating the ca¬ 
pacity of a round silo: Multiply the 
square of the radius by 3.1416 and mul¬ 
tiply the product by the depth in feet of 
the silo, and this product by 40; this will 
give the approximate capacity of the 
silo, could it be filled to the top with 
well-settled silage. In practice not more 
than three-quarters of the total capacity 
of the silo can be estimated as the work¬ 
ing capacity, a silo 12 feet in diameter 
and 30 feet high will have a total capac¬ 
ity of 68 tons, but in practice only about 
50 tons would be put into such a silo. 
L. A. CLINTON. 
Big Crop of Silage Corn. 
J. A. H., Lampeter, Pa.—I noticed In the 
Issue of October 6 a little report from the 
Maine Experiment Station, by Prof. Q. M. 
Qowell. He says that he grew 26 tons of 
Sanford corn for silage per acre. As we 
fill a silo every Fall, It would be interest¬ 
ing to know under what conditions and 
with what treatment this corn was grown. 
Ans. —While 1 do not regard this as an 
excessive crop, it was a very satisfactory 
one. There was nothing peculiar in the 
management of the crop. It was sod 
land, gravelly loam soil, with manure 
from cellar, applied in March and 
plowed under six inches in June, two 
days before planting. The land was 
finely fitted; planted with Sanford corn 
in drills 2% feet apart, about one plant 
to every eight inches in length of drill; 
400 pounds of commercial fertilizer were 
applied in the drills at planting time 
and 400 pounds more, when the corn 
was about three feet high, were spread 
broadcast. A Breed’s weeder was used 
before and after the corn came up, and 
shallow cultivation continued with the 
cultivator until the corn was pretty well 
grown. Most of the stalks had two ears 
each, and were in the dough stage when 
cut into the silo, when the crop was 
weighed as above indicated. 
G. M. GOWELL. 
The Carman Grape.— In reply to your 
request for reports on the Carman grape, 
I have to say that my experience with 
that variety Is limited to the vine re¬ 
ceived from The R. N.-Y. Judging by that 
one, the vine Is a thrifty grower, hardy 
and fairly productive. The fruit, In size of 
berry and In size and compactness of 
bunch, Is between the Clinton and the Con¬ 
cord; the quality Is medium. If It has any 
especial merit It is in keeping quality. I 
think It ranks with the best in that re¬ 
spect. J. d. 
Elmwood, Ill. 
Harvesting Cow Peas.— We are harvest¬ 
ing our cow peas, and find one man can 
pick pods for about two bushels shelled 
peas In a day. We pick In large baskets, 
and dump into sacks (fertilizer). These 
are dumped on the barn floor and left to 
get quite dry, then shoveled into sacks and 
pounded with sticks (broom handle), then 
emptied Into fanning mill and separated. 
Two men will pound out and separate 
about 30 bushels per day. We like the 
Missouri, one of the Crowders, much the 
best; It Is not funny work harvesting cow 
peas. l. j. post. 
Michigan._ 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
October Purple Plum Trees. 
The best of all of Mr. Burbank's Plums. We offer 
a large stock of fine trees, one and two years old 
Address STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS. New Canaan, Ct. 
Apple Seedlings. 
We offer the following grades: 
First-class, 3-16 Inch and up, straights. 
Second class, 2-16 to 3-16 inch, straights. 
Branched, 3-16 Inch and up. 
These Seedlings are equal to any on the market, 
and offered at reasonable prices. We also have 
a large stock of Root Grafts. Address 
F. S. PHOENIX, 15 looming!on. Ill 
ForestTrees. Forest Trees. 
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. 
Special Sale. 
In order to increase Fall Planting, and 
reduce a large stock of Extra Fine Fruit 
Trees, Call’s Nurseries, Perry, Ohio, are 
having a SPECIAL THIRTY DAYS’ 
SALE of Fruit, Shade and Ornamental 
Trees, Shrubs, Roses, and Berry Plants 
of all kinds, at very low prices A large 
number of our readers are taking ad¬ 
vantage of this Thirty Days’ Sale, both 
for Fall and Spring Planting. Write 
them for prices. 
D A1 |)W1Y—York imperial, three years. One. Price 
DnLlMI Ill list free. C. D. Wenger, Dayton. Va. 
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 your want list. 
WOODV1EVV NURSERIES, Box UK), Uriah, Pa. 
■peach Trees-—One year from bud, 2 to 4c. each. 
17 H. S. JOHNSTON, Box 4, Stockley. Del. 
200,000 Peach Trees. 
We offer a choice lot of Peach trees, growu from 
Tennessee pits. These trees are healthy and fine. 
Address STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS. New Canaan. Ct. 
ADK TREES succeed where 
ttp Largest Nursery. OTHERS FAIL. 
' Fruit Foot Free. Result of 76 years' experience. 
STARK BROS., Louisiana, Mo.; Dansville, N.Y. 
•PQPPQ at Wholesale prices. Apple, Plum 
| V*CCO and Pears at $8 per 100. Don't buy any 
kind of stock until vou get our prices. Catalogue 
Free. RELIANCE NURSERY, Box 10, Geneva, N. Y 
Look and Read This! 
We save you money on all kinds of FRUIT TREES 
and Plants. Apple Trees, line, at $6 and $10 per 100. 
Peach Trees, $2 per 100 and up. Send us fist of your 
wants, and ask for price list. 
ERNST'S NURSERIES, Moscow, Ohio. 
Paragon Chestnut Trees. 
A large and fine lot. All grafted on Paragon 
Seedlings. Address 
H. M. ENGLE & SON, Marietta, Pa. 
Q| CABB4GE. New Early H. Succes- 
r LB IV I d sion. Early and Late Elat Dutch 
Charleston, Jersey Wakefield, etc. $1 per 1,000 : 75c 
per 10,000. LETTUCE.-Big Boston, Boston Mar¬ 
ket, White Loaf. Tennis Bail, etc. $1 per 1,000 ; 7fc 
per 10,000 Cash with order. 
J.S. LINTHICOM. Woodwardville, Md. 
SEED POTATOES. 
FULL LIST. PURE STOCK. 
We want good reliable Agents to take orders. 
LIBERAL COMMISSIONS. Address 
LECLARE & MANNING. Farm Seeds, Brighton, N.Y. 
1 am now booking orders for 
LUCRETIA DEWBERRY PLANTS 
I grow sixty acres of this truit for market and find 
it the most profitable of all the small fruits. Inci¬ 
dentally, in growing so many for market, i have a 
verv fine lot of plants fno finer can be produced), 
which 1 am 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. 
FaSI is the Best Time 
TO PLANT all the Trees, Plants, Vines and Shrubs, both 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 $i I will send by express or freight, i Alpha, i Paragon 
i Numbo Chestnut Tree grafted, worth $2.20. Full line of 
Nnrcerv fVrtifiratP ARTHUR J. COLLINS, 
t’ UloCiy OLULlv. v— cl LlllCclLc. Moorestown, Burlington County, N. J. 
1 
THE STORKS & HARRISON CO., PAINBSVIEL.E, OHIO. 
Leading American Nurserymen, offer one of the Most Complete Assortments of 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, BULBS, ETC. 
4T Years. 44 Greenhouses. 1000 Acres. Correspondence Solicited. Catalog Free. 
