206 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 22 
MR. STRINSFELLOW ON GRAPE PLANTING. 
On page 85 of “The New Horticulture” Mr. Stringfellow 
•peaks of planting grapes, but does not give much light 
on how to do it. Our grape roots are grown from eight- 
inch cuttings, which are tied in bundles, butts all one 
way and even. These bundles are placed in the ground 
In February, tops down, and covered with two or three 
Inches of earth, keeping it fine and moist when Spring 
opens. About May 10 a callus is formed over the butt 
ends of the cuttings, and they are then set in nursery 
rows. Would it be best to trim grape roots in March, tie 
In bundles and heel in tops down as with grape cuttings, 
setting them in the vineyard as soon as the roots have 
formed a callus over the ends? How long should the roots 
be left? We leave six or eight inches of root and one 
bud when setting in the usual way. Geo. T. Powell, at 
the Western New York Horticultural Society, answered 
the question, “Is the Stringfellow method of planting a 
success at the North?” by saying it is all right for the 
South, but here at the North it would not do on account 
of the drought of midsummer. The editor of The R. 
N.-Y. the same day told of his peach trees set with a 
crowbar in that stony pasture with sand in the bottom 
of the holes, but he would not advise anyone to plant by 
the Stringfellow method, although he had great faith in 
It himself. Now, our ground is good rich vineyard soil, 
in sod last season, Fall plowed, and ready to cultivate as 
soon as Spring opens. We are sure of moisture enough 
for a very dry season and we have sand, too, if it is 
really needed, but I think our soil is fine enough to tread 
firmly without it. I would like to know just how that 
vineyard of Mr. Stringfellow’s has fruited. Has it car¬ 
ried more foliage and better fruit than those set in the 
ordinary way? What kind of a tool would be best to 
plant with? If apple trees were set in the Fall by this 
method, would there be danger of freezing? H. e. m. 
Penn Yan, N. Y. 
The three acres, having been plowed and harrowed 
last Fall, need no further preparation except to har¬ 
row again just before planting, to kill any grass or 
weeds that may have sprouted. The same day, or 
not longer than the day before the vines are to be set, 
cut away all side roots entirely, and cut back those 
at the base to about a quarter of an inch, reducing 
the vines practically to cuttings again by also prun¬ 
ing the tops to about one foot. It is entirely unneces¬ 
sary to pack in bundles previously, for if set as soon 
as frost is out of the ground the fresh-cut stubs will 
callus and root very quickly. Place the pruned vines 
in a bucket or basket, tops up, and simply stick them 
down at the proper places as if they were cuttings. 
If the ground is hard or dry, use a dibble and water 
the vines, soon after which the ground next to them 
should be pressed firmly with the foot. Water is un¬ 
necessary if soil is reasonably moist. They will strike 
deep strong new roots, just as readily as they would 
feeble laterals from the ends of roots a foot long. 
Apples, pears, peaches and plums can be set with 
perfect success the same way, except that the stubs 
should be left an inch or so long to hold the trees 
more firmly in place. Cut the tops off to one or two 
feet above ground to compel the trees to branch low. 
and ram well to bring the earth in close contact with 
the stubs. Neglect of this is fatal to all close root- 
pruned trees as well as cuttings, which are practically 
identical. If the trees are large, saw off the roots and 
pare smooth with a sharp knife the same day they 
are set, as a callus will form much more readily on a 
fresh-cut surface. In planting such trees it is best 
to open a small hole with a spade and ram well after¬ 
wards, not forgetting to top-dress around each one 
with manure or fertilizer. My suggestion last year 
of driven holes applied to small one-year June-budded 
trees only. I use sand only because it would go down 
in the small holes in hard ground more readily than 
soil. Stub-pruned trees are now being planted all 
over the country with perfect success, and being to 
all intents identical with piece-root grafts and cut¬ 
tings, George T. Powell ought to see that wherever 
the latter will grow and stand a drought the stub- 
pruned tree cannot fail to do as well. 
H. M. STRINGFELLOW. 
EARLY WORK IN JERSEY GARDENS. 
New Jersey truckers believe in an early start, but 
the uncertainty of the usual Spring weather has 
taught them not to depend on fixed dates. The rule 
is to begin as soon as the ground may be worked 
without injury. There is such a variety of soils, often 
within a small compass, that a selection can generally 
be made of a sufficient plot for the very first plant¬ 
ings. Much preliminary work is done under glass, 
and hotbed specialties are often started toward the 
end of February, but taking the average of many 
years it is late in March before outside planting can 
be considered. 
The first seeds sown in the open with us (Mon¬ 
mouth Co., N. J.) are usually early peas, of the round, 
hard, Daniel O’Rourke type. Many strains of this 
reliable pea are offered under the names of First of 
All, First and Best, etc. They often have the name 
of the seller tacked to them, but are understood to 
be well-rogued selections of the type mentioned. The 
strains vary somewhat in length of vine and uniform¬ 
ity of ripening, but are generally reliable when pro¬ 
cured from first-class seedsmen. A few growers pin 
their faith on Carter’s First Crop, and find it satis¬ 
factory in heavy soils. For second early, or Fourth 
of July peas, McLean’s Advancer is generally relied 
on. They are sown about April 1, and often imme¬ 
diately followed by Little Gem or American Wonder 
where the soil is very rich. Nott’s Excelsior is tak¬ 
ing place wherever tried as the earliest and most pro¬ 
ductive sweet wrinkled pea, but is not yet generally 
adopted. Champion of England and Bliss Abundance 
are most frequently planted for the latest varieties. 
The latter is productive, but the quality is not high. 
Chemical fertilizers are not liked for early varieties. 
The general impression is that germination is injured. 
Finely rotted manure is the reliance, and best results 
are gained when thoroughly incorporated in the soil. 
The plants for the earliest cabbage are grown the 
previous Fall, and wintered over in frames, or else 
started under glass in February. The former practice 
is declining, as fungus germs often find their way in 
cracks in the stems caused by frost, and cause much 
loss. Vigorous plants, not quite as early, are easily 
grown in the greenhouse or hotbed. Jersey Wake¬ 
field and Early Spring are more largely grown 
than other varieties, with Charleston Wakefield 
at times as a second crop. It forms a larger head 
than Jersey Wakefield, and takes more time to do it 
The cauliflower used is the Snowball, and the treat¬ 
ment is about the same as early cabbage, except that 
more plants are carried over, and it is frequently al¬ 
lowed to head under glass. These crops are generally 
planted out during the first half of April in ground 
highly enriched with both chemicals and stable ma¬ 
nures, often with a dressing of fresh lime to control 
club-root. 
Radishes go in as near April 1 as possible. The 
Early Scarlet Globe, in many varieties, notably the 
STRONG CORMS OF TIGRID1A. Fie. 74. 
Prussian Scarlet Globe, is almost exclusively planted. 
There are many radishes, but none seems to approach 
these brilliant little fellows in popularity. 
The first lettuces are usually grown from wintered 
plants, but the stem rot or “drop” is getting so bad 
that glasshouse plants will soon be exclusively used. 
Big Boston is the most profitable head variety, and 
Grand Rapids is grown for close markets. 
Onions are set in March whenever possible, and are 
one of the earliest crops to go out. Sets of Yellow 
Globe Danvers and White Portugal or Silverskin are 
preferred. Red onions, such as Wethersfield, are 
grown from seed for Fall use. A cardinal point in 
onion culture is never to plant in poor soil. 
Beets quickly follow onions in order of planting. 
The Early Egyptian is preferred for first crop, and 
Eclipse for quick succession. Glass-grown plants may 
be handled with profit. There is usually a gain of 10 
days or more when they are used. 
The best early carrot for outside planting is the 
Early Horn. French Forcing is too small, but excel¬ 
lent for glass culture. Guerande is large and good, 
but later. Chantenay is best for main crop; large and 
handsome. The “scarlet” carrots are all of bright 
orange color, regardless of the fanciful name. 
No better parsnip has been found than the Hollow 
Crown. In rhubarb, Linnaeus is planted for early and 
Victoria for main crop. There is a difference of opin¬ 
ion as to the best early tomato, and considerable 
home-saved seed is sown. Atlantic Prize, Early Ruby 
and Freedom all have their advocates. Plants are al¬ 
ways started under glass in March and April. The 
first early sweet corns are not largely grown, owing 
to southern competition. Country Gentleman and 
Evergreen are the favorite standard sorts. The fa¬ 
vorite first potato is the Early Ohio. The Ruby King 
pepper is likely to give way to the new Chinese Giant, 
which is much larger and of fine quality. w. v. f. 
STILL ANOTHER'NURSERY FRAUD. 
It seems that those who wish to make money by 
fraudulent tree selling are still active. Not long since 
I met some victims of agents who claimed to be sell¬ 
ing peach trees at $25 per 100 for a Rochester, N. Y., 
firm, in the neighborhood of Sodus, N. Y. They are 
reported as claiming that the trees they have sold 
were budded on plum roots and that they would never 
be affected with Peach yellows, because of this fact. 
This is a clear case of fraud, for peach trees so pro¬ 
pagated are not exempt from the attacks of yellows, 
nor are any others. Moreover, peach trees on plum 
roots do not bear well, as may be conclusively proved 
by visiting the orchards of B. J. Case, of Sodus, N. Y., 
where such trees have been well tested, although these 
agents have claimed that the best peach growers, the 
only really successful ones, use such trees. As these 
claims are positively false and the trees bargained for 
are not to be delivered until the coming Spring, it 
would seem to me that there are just grounds and 
abundant time and opportunity to resist, by all who 
have thus been swindled. If they will join issues and 
contest in the courts the delivery of the trees they 
can almost surely get relief; provided steps are taken 
at once. No reasonable jury would grant these rascals 
the right to rob their neighbors. The testimony of 
such experts as the proper officials of the State of 
New York and of the United States Department of 
Agriculture would be very good if not conclusive. 
Good peach trees on peach roots, which are far pre¬ 
ferable to those on plum roots, can be laid down at 
Sodus or bought of home nurseries for $10 per 100 or 
a very little more, so I learned from those who had 
bought them there recently. n. e. van deman. 
WHEN SHALL WE CUT TIMBER ? 
On page 145 H. M. S. has brought up the question of 
“powder-posting” of cut timber. As I see it, this is 
a very important question, and it with kindred sub¬ 
jects, should be made the object of exhaustive inves¬ 
tigation by experiment stations. It costs as much to 
set a post, to lay a rail, or nail on a board that lasts 
only tnree years as one enduring 30 years, and 
if the former can be managed so as to last like the 
latter the saving to the whole country would be far 
up into the millions. The lasting of timber is de¬ 
pendent on many things besides the name of the tree 
from which the timber is taken, as, for instance, soil, 
season of cutting, insects, fungi and many more things 
—some known, some as yet unknown. I have always 
thought it possible that even such short-lived woods 
as White elm, buckeye, sycamore, persimmon, etc., 
could be treated by some cheap process with chemi¬ 
cals so as to give them the permanence in the ground 
of the oak, mulberry or Black locust We need all 
of our timber now, and it is certainly time that strong 
efforts should be put forth to save it. If one tree can 
be made to do the work of three then the dollar spent 
in building this or that is doing the work of $10. I 
know of four mulberry posts four inches square sup¬ 
porting a picket fence surrounding a small lot in a 
cemetery that were placed there in 1861. Forty years 
was the life of these posts. Why should they have 
stood when two or three generations of mulberry 
posts of similar size passed away? There is a rea¬ 
son, and it should be searched out. 
As to the powder-post of hickory, experience here 
confirms the partial conclusions of Prof. Hopkins. 
Years ago a certain fence called “rough and ready” 
was popular here; it consisted of hickory poles or 
timber split thinly enough so it could be spiked to 
posts. When the hickory was cut in late Winter and 
Spring it was attacked invariably by borers, and soon 
rotted. But if the trees were cut in June and entirely 
stripped of bark, split and nailed at once to the posts, 
the fence was very enduring, and the strongest fence 
we had. However, all hickory should be kept from 
contact with the ground. Our best lasting posts here 
are osage orange. This was planted here years ago 
for a hedge, and by the thousands of miles. It is by 
far the most valuable timber we have for posts, and 
it would pay to plant it for growing posts commer¬ 
cially. Yet even this timber, hard and enduring as 
it is, if cut in the Spring and piled for seasoning is 
attacked by some small borer that works mostly in 
the sap wood, and I have seen the dust at the bottom 
of the pile fully six inches in depth. Yet if cut in 
August (in the latter part) no such injury shows. I 
am of the opinion that while it may be best to cut 
most post timber in the last of August, yet it is partly 
a matter of variety, and possibly weather also. A 
tree may be in the right condition as to sap for cut¬ 
ting in most years by August 20, while in exceptional 
years, as when copious rams follow a protracted dry 
spell, it is all wrong, and both fungi and insects com¬ 
mence their work of destruction. Prof. Hopkins is 
engaged in a far-reaching valuable work. 
Illinois. BENJ. BUCKMAN. 
