464 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July b 
FARMERS' CLUR 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to in¬ 
sure attention. 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.] 
A Nursery Rogue Abroad. 
tv. IV. K., Pennsylvania.— What do you 
think of a fruit tree agent who comes with 
samples of very large fruit, in alcohol, 
fruit supposed to be off some of his stock? 
The peach trees are grown so the wood 
will be hard, one variety of which has such 
dense foliage and grows in such a manner 
that in case of late frost it will protect 
the peaches. He has plums that no insect 
will sting. The company is to trim the 
trees for five years; in case any trees die 
they are to be replaced free of charge. 
They will also plant one acre with fruit 
trees, a certain number of apple, pear, plum, 
etc., and the fifth year they will take half 
the apples for half what they charged for 
the trees. As to the price of trees I cannot 
tell you, for I did not ask the agent. 
Ans.—W hat do we think of such a 
man? He appears to be a direct descend¬ 
ant of Ananias, and a fraud of the first 
water. One would think that not only 
his fruits but his head was well packed 
in alcohol when he told such stories. 
This is an old game, only worse than 
usual. The strong leaves that keep frost 
away from the fruit have grown since 
the story was told last year. Of course 
no reader of The R. N.-Y. will be taken 
in by such talk. It is absolutely foolish 
and not entitled to respect. 
Prof. Roberts on Potato Fertilizers. 
,/. J. P., Preston, Mich.—I have just finish¬ 
ed planting six acres, on clover sod, to Sir 
Walter Raleigh. I used no fertilizer, or ma¬ 
nure. It is clay ground, and I plowed down 
big clover; planted three feet one way, two 
feet the other; will cultivate both ways. 
Would you advise me to use phosphoric 
acid and potash on the potatoes after they 
are up? I think I have atmospheric nitro¬ 
gen to carry crop to maturity. I purpose 
planting potatoes on this same piece of 
land about five consecutive years. How am 
I to keep the land in good condition? 
Should I sow rye every Fall, use fertilizer 
in Spring, or use phosphoric acid and pot¬ 
ash in Fall when I sow rye, then use ni¬ 
trate of soda in Spring, or use high-grade 
fertilizer in Spring? About how much 
fertilizer to acre? Is 600 pounds enough? 
ANSWERED BY TROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
Most certainly we would advise you to 
use on a part of the field phosphoric acid 
and potash and leave a part of it un¬ 
treated. Stake off plots of a dozen or 
more rows and treat them; then leave 
as many rows untreated. These experi¬ 
mental plots could be made large or 
small. We suggest, however, that you 
use at least six rows across the field. 
Weigh the phosphoric acid and potash 
you apply on these six rows. Then 
leave one row vacant, or rather one row 
which shall not enter into the experi¬ 
ment, which row is to be dug in the 
Fall and removed before the experi¬ 
mental plots are dug. Then leave a like 
number of rows untreated. Do this on 
two or more plots for not only this year 
but the succeeding years. It might also 
be well to treat one plot with phos¬ 
phoric acid alone and one with potash, 
leaving an untreated check plot between 
them. Next Spring, if you decide to ap¬ 
ply some nitrogenous fertilizers, see if 
by the plot system you cannot discover 
with a good deal of accuracy which of 
the plant foods, if any, are deficient. 
Give superior tillage. Measure the pota¬ 
toes. The potatoes will come off so late 
that it will not be practicable to sow 
any cover crop except rye. However, it 
would be very interesting to know how 
Melilotus (Sweet clover) will do as a 
cover crop in your climate and on your 
soil. Sow at the rate of one peck per 
acre when you sow the rye, and see if it 
will not grow to be 10 to 12 inches high 
by the time you want to plow the potato 
ground next year. That is, sow a part 
of the field as an experiment. The only 
way to keep the land in good condition 
is to plow under some sort of a cover 
crop. The legumes will do far better 
than the rye, but even the rye will do 
much towards keeping the land light 
and loose. Do not let it get taller than 
18 inches or two feet before it is plowed 
under in the Spring. A large mass of 
mature rye plowed under late may seri¬ 
ously retard capillary attraction, in 
which case the plants will suffer greatly 
in midsummer for want of moisture. As 
a stock mixture, for next Spring we sug¬ 
gest that you mix 100 pounds acid phos¬ 
phate, 30 pounds dried blood or 30 
pounds of nitrate of soda and 30 pounds 
muriate of potash, and if gypsum is con¬ 
venient at least 40 pounds of gypsum. 
Of this mixture use 200 to 600 pounds 
per acre. Here again is opportunity for 
experiments which will serve to give in¬ 
dications as to whether your land needs 
any fertilizers whatever under superior 
tillage. 
Apple Curculio Attacking Pears. 
E. O. D., Paola, Kan .—I send you under a 
separate cover a small pear with an insect 
that is at work on the fruit on this place. 
It seems to delight in boring holes in the 
fruit. Will you name the insect, and sug¬ 
gest treatment? 
Ans. —The little, long-snouted beetle 
found boring holes in young pears is 
known as the Apple curculio (Anthono- 
mus quadrigibbus). It is an American 
insect, and has become quite a pest in 
some of the Western States. The beetles 
eat pits into the fruits both when feed¬ 
ing and laying eggs. The grubs tunnel 
into the fruit and cause it to drop, when 
they go into the ground and soon trans¬ 
form to the beetles, which hibernate. 
In its habits and life history tnis Apple 
gouger or curculio is much like the well- 
known Plum curculio, and they resemble 
each other in size and general appear¬ 
ance. The beetles can be readily cap¬ 
tured by jarring them into sheets or 
“curculio catchers” every morning. Some 
recommend thorough sprayings with 
poisons when the beetles are on the 
trees in the Spring. 
M. V. SLINGEKLAND. 
Hay Grass for Connecticut. 
G. D. S., Stepney, Conn.—I have a field I 
am preparing to seed to grass for a per-t 
manent meadow. Will you give me a list 
or mixture of grass seeds suitable for 
southwest Connecticut? Our soil is a light 
loam. The field raised potatoes last sea¬ 
son. I have plowed twice and thoroughly 
harrowed this season; expect to plow again 
and sow about August 20. 
Ans. —For a Connecticut meadow we 
should use equal parts of Timothy and 
Red-top seed, with a small quantity of 
clover added in the Spring. For pasture 
other grasses would be desirable, but for 
hay good results may be expected from 
the two common grasses. G. M. Clark, 
who grows such enormous hay crops, 
has found that the Red-top crowds in 
among the Timothy stalks and adds a 
ton at least to the acre’s yield. Four to 
six quarts of clover seed per acre will be 
ample. You cannot work the ground 
too much before seeding to grass. Kill 
out the weeds and foul grass whenever 
they start. We prefer to seed just be¬ 
fore a gentle rain, as close to September 
1 as possible. 
Fruit Questions. 
G. .4. B., Philadelphia, Pa.— 1. An emer¬ 
gency gardener in my absence cut through 
the bark of a cherry tree, from the ground 
up to a height of seven feet, making at 
least eight cuts. He claimed that the 
tree was bark-bound, although it was in 
apparent good health. Was this proper? 
How can you tell whether a tree is bark- 
bound? 2. Several cherry grafts of March, 
1901, are full of blossoms. Should they be 
allowed to fruit? 3. Which do you con¬ 
sider the best late peach for home use 
only? 4. What fertilizer do you advise for 
strawberries? 
Ans. —1. There is generally little ne¬ 
cessity of slitting the bark of healthy 
trees to aid expansion, though amateur 
gardeners are fond of talking about the 
hide-bound condition of certain trees. 
Occasionally for some obscure reason 
the growth of a tree is checked during 
the season, and the outer bark hardens 
unduly. This condition can be told by 
its appearance, and undoubtedly a few 
longitudinal slits may be of advantage 
in aiding expansion caused by the 
growth of new wood just under the 
bark, but as a general thing a healthy 
tree is able to take care of itself in this 
respect. 2. We would not advise you to 
let cherry grafts set last year bear fruit 
this season. Even should the cherries 
set, they would probably fall off before 
maturing, so it would be good policy to 
pick off the blooms. 3. We are inclined 
to rate Emperor (yellow) and Iron Age 
(white) as the most desirable late peaches 
for home use, but a more extended test 
may develop weaknesses not apparent in 
young trees now in bearing. 4. Other 
things being equal, well rotteu stable 
manure is probably the best fertilizer 
for strawberries, as it supplies humus 
as well as the necessary chemical con¬ 
stituents, and also aids in the conserva¬ 
tion of moisture. If it cannot be had in 
sufficient quantities, Spring and Fall ap¬ 
plications of any good complete chemical 
fertilizer containing about four per cent 
of nitrogen, eight of phosphoric acid, 
and 10 of potash, applied at the rate of 
400 to 600 pounds per acre, should give 
good results. The chemicals should be 
scattered along the rows about a foot 
from the plants, and quickly mixed with 
the soil by cultivation. 
Fruits for Ontario. 
J. S. V., Godrington, Ont. —1. My planting 
of grapevines includes Moore’s Early, 
Niagara, Rogers No. 4 and No. 44, Brigh¬ 
ton, Delaware, Campbell's Early and Wor¬ 
den. Have I a good selection? Should I 
cover them in Winter? 2. What are the 
best cherries for this locality, hardiness, 
productiveness and vitality considered? 
Ans. —1. We would not think it neces¬ 
sary to cover vines of the grapes you 
mention in your locality, though it would 
do no harm. You have made an excel¬ 
lent selection, covering all the useful 
types. 2. For sweet cherries we would 
recommend Napoleon, Windsor and 
Black Tartarian. Among the sour sorts 
none is better than May Duke for early 
and Montmorency Ordinaire for main 
crop. 
Locust Sprouts ; Market Gardening Queries. 
G. B. A., Roscoe, O.—1. What will kill 
locust sprouts? The trees have been cut 
for two or three years. 2. What are the 
best varieties for home market of the fol¬ 
lowing: Tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, beans 
and peas? 
Ans. —1. The only effective cure for 
locust sprouts is thorough grubbing 
every time a bud appears above ground. 
Locust roots are very tenacious of life, 
and if allowed to expand their foliage 
even in the slightest degree they seem 
to renew their strength. 2. We would 
scarcely venture to name market varie¬ 
ties of the vegetables you mention. This 
is entirely a local matter, and at this 
distance we would be certain to make 
mistakes. The best way is closely to 
watch the successful growers in your 
neighborhood, and note what varieties 
they find most profitable 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
API CT DY Plants, G. S. B. $1 per 1.000; 
V# ULL IV 1 70 cents500: $4 50, 5,000; W.P.. 
1 20 per 1,000 : 80 cents 500; $5.50, 5 000; G. Pascal,$1 40 
per 1,000 ; 90 cents 500; $6.50, 5,000. Strong, stocky 
plants. Seed sown thin In rich beds. Plants kept 
in even, steady growth by Irrigation. Plants shipped 
in ventilated boxes, roots in damp moss. Circular 
free. F. W. ROCHELLE, Drawer 1, Chester, N. J. 
Cabbage Plants^ Wr’^ooo. 
B. A. BASSETT, Afton, N. Y. 
nnn celery and Cabbage Plants; now 
J ready. See our Catalogue. 
' Caleb Boggs & Son, Cheswold, Del. 
piDDJIftC Dl AfelTC shipped safely any- 
ilADDAUC rLAIl Id where Allvarieties 
$1 per 1,000; $7.50 per 10,000. Circular free. 
A. B. KATKAMIKR, Macedon, N. Y. 
C elery and Cabbage Plants, SI per 1,000 
rimson Clover Seed, S4 pe*r bushel. 
SLAYMAKER & SON, Dover, Del. 
("\RDERS booked now for new crop Crimson Clover 
seed ready June 15. Popular prices. Seed guar¬ 
anteed. Write JOHN J. ROSA, Milford, Del. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee8th page. 
Will produce a full crop of berries 
next June, if planted this Summer. 
DREER’S 
Mid-Summer Catalogue 
offers a choice line of these; also Celery, 
Cabbage, Cauliflower and other season¬ 
able plants. Write for copy, FREE. 
HENRY A. DREER, 714 Chestnut St., Phila., Pa. 
THE PRESIDENT 
STRAWBERRY 
The Rural New-Yorker calls it "the most 
promising new variety of the year.'' 
It has been carefully tested for four years, and 
not offered for sale until fully matured. It has 
been grown in field culture, and marketed in 
large quantities by the side of other leading 
varieties leading them all in the qualities de¬ 
manded in big berries for a critical market. 
Large, Firm, High Colored, WeU Flavored. 
POTTED PLANTS FOR SALE! 
Per dozen, @3. Per 50, 810. 
Per 100, 818. 
Stock all in originator’s hands. Buyers protected 
THOMAS R. HUNT, Lambertvillt, N.J. 
Send for Circular. Mention this Paper. 
D WYER’S Summer and Au¬ 
tumn Catalogue (now ready ) 
of Pot-Grown Strawberry Plants, 
Celery, Cabbage, etc. Pot-Grown 
Clematis, Honeysuckle, Ivy, etc, 
A full line of Fruit and Ornamen¬ 
tal Trees Vines and Plants. 
This Catalogue, with beautiful colored plates, 
mailed free—write for It. T. J. DWYER & SON, 
Orange County Nurseries, Box 1, Cornwall, N. Y. 
Potted Strawberry Plants, July I. 
T. C. KEV1TT, Athenla, N. J. 
p I Id CCillS—Greatest money-making plant. 
UlllvCIlU Seeds and plantB for sale. Circu¬ 
lars and Instructions Free. E M P 1 R E STATE 
GINSENG CO., Box 3, Marcellus, N. Y. 
_ I 500 bushels Early Black Cow 
L Ol Ocll6 Peas. $2 bu.; 100 bushels Early 
Black-eyed Peas. $2 bushel; 600 bushels Delaware- 
grown Crimson Clover Seed. $3 bushel. 
J. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
AE| CDV Dl AIITC~ not spindling Ones 
UCi.Cn I rLAIl I O and not raised by irri 
gatlon method—$1.50 per thousand. CLOVER SEED 
—Choice, clean Crimson or Scarlet of my own ralslDg. 
$4 per bu.; sacks free. J. C. ELLIS. Millsboro, Del. 
1*EACH 
BASKETS 
2,4,6,8,10,12, Hand 
16-quart sizes. 
Peach Covers. 
Wooden, Burlap and 
Cotton. 
Berry, Peach and Grape Crates, etc. 
Write for new 1902 Catalogue. 
COLES & COMPANY 
109 & 111 Warren Street, New York. 
Established 1884. 
We Make Carriers for Peaches, Grapes and Plums 
No. 41—The new South Side Patent Nesting Carrier with six four-quart baskets. Car load 2,000 
more or less. Made up ready for use. 
No. 41—The Panel End Carrier with six four-quart baskets. Car load 2,500, more or less, in K. D. 
No. 18—The nine-quart Peach and Plum Basket, handle and cover, and a raised slat top. 
If interested, send for Illustrated Catalogue and Prices. 
THE SOUTH SIDE MFC. CO., Petersburg, Va. 
HCiP Strongest Guarantee under the Sun. See Rogers’ 5 to l.^fgU 
Tree Breeders. ROGERS ON THE HILL, Bansville, N. Y. 
