1902 
497 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
EVERYBODY'S GARDEN. 
As It Now Look's. —At this writing 
(July 5), it is doubtful if the future out¬ 
look for the gardeners bas ever been 
quite as dark. This is speaking for tbe 
general conditions of Michigan. From 
every part of tbe State the reports of 
unprecedented damage by rain and flood 
come pouring in, and it seems practical¬ 
ly certain that destruction to crops, both 
farm and garden,has never been so wide¬ 
spread. Early in the week the bursting 
of a large drain in the great celery¬ 
growing district inundated hundreds of 
acres of celery, and the only hope of 
saving the crop was in cool weather af¬ 
ter the water ran off. Clearing skies 
with a broiling sun and temperature 
above 90 degrees soon dispelled this 
hope, and the fields for the most part 
are a blackened waste. Much of the 
southeastern part of the State was flood¬ 
ed and the potato crop is “done to a 
turn.” This loss Is better understood if 
we consider that the advanced season 
will almost certainly preclude maturing 
of the late crop, and that the seed stock 
of either early or late varieties is prac¬ 
tically exhausted. In the gardening dis¬ 
tricts along the Detroit River the celery, 
cabbage and other crops on the lowlands 
are for the most part either drowned 
out or cooked by the sun, and can be 
only partially replaced, as the supply of 
stock plants has suffered alike with the 
main crops. The Rouge River district 
largely devoted to cabbage growing, has 
also suffered severely. One grower with 
a field of 14,000 cabbages ready for mar¬ 
ket, began cutting in the downpour of 
July 2, and floated the cabbage out to 
high ground in a wagon box used as a 
boat. The field soon became a lake, with 
the cabbages entirely submerged, and the 
work had to be abandoned, and when 
the water ran off the sun soon finished 
the crop. This is but a single incident, 
but is a fair idea of the condition of 
crops, both farm and garden, in many 
sections of the State. This of course 
is true of only certain localities, and the 
higher portions of country have suffered 
far less; but thousands of acres became 
lakes and rivers for the time freing, 
where water had not been known to 
stand for many years previous. 
wise refitting at the earliest possible mo¬ 
ment The country is being sought over 
far and near for tomato, cabbage, cauli¬ 
flower, celery and other plants. Early 
varieties of potatoes will be planted 
where seed can be obtained. The best 
early and medium varieties of sweet 
corn will be planted to some extent, and 
with an average Fall the half long sorts 
of carrots will still mature a fair crop. 
Late turnips as also rutabagas may still 
mature a full crop, and barring further 
disaster there will still be a fair show¬ 
ing. There is now an admirable oppor¬ 
tunity to give some of the old manure- 
sick gardens a much needed change and 
thereby a rest. Much of the garden soil 
has been so loaded with manure year 
after year, that seemingly its actual ele¬ 
vation has been raised. With all this 
feeding the land fails to respond as in 
former years, and there is now an al¬ 
most forced opportunity for a change. 
In spite of the efforts to the contrary, 
much of the ground will remain idle in 
so far as vegetable crops are concerned. 
If this enforced opportunity is improved 
by a liberal use of Crimson clover, oats, 
rye and other cover crops to be turned 
under in the Spring, the present losses 
will be more than compensated for by 
the improved soil conditions. 
Odd Jobs.— During the dry weather of 
the early season it was more than con¬ 
venient to postpone all the extra jobs 
that accumulated, promising that at a 
more convenient season they should re¬ 
ceive attention. The weather remained 
fine so long that these extras amounted 
up to far more than me»-p ^obs, and 
came to be almost steady work. The 
dull tools with loose bolts and missing 
nuts were waiting for promises to be re¬ 
deemed and, many of them have caused 
extra labor to work them successfully. 
Not one quarter of the rain was needed 
to give ample time for all these jobs, but 
it came, and with it comes the opportu¬ 
nity to make all needed repairs. If 
properly attended to now the tools will 
be ready for much greater service more 
easily performed when the ground is 
again ready for working. 
Michigan. J- E - morse. 
about four feet long, and then one 
branch or arm should extend each way 
along the wire, half way to the next 
vines on either side and until they meet 
the arms from there. These arms may, 
therefore, each be four or five feet long. 
If the arms are of this year’s growth, 
as they should be in this case, the lat¬ 
erals which grow from them ought to 
bear next year. The following year a 
part of them should be cut back to about 
18 inches long, or, just long enough to 
be tied at their ends to the two outer 
wires, and the rest cut back to stubs to 
form new bearing wood. The renewal 
of bearing wood should be from the 
main arms each year, as has just been 
described. In case of an accident to the 
main stem or one of the arms a new one 
must be grown, as has to be done by any 
other system of training. 2. Supposing 
the cap raspberries are meant, which are 
the only ones that grow in hills or 
stools, four or five canes are enough to 
allow to grow in any one year. 
H. E. V. D. 
A Harvest of Grasshoppers. 
Reader, New Jersey.— The newspapers say 
there is such a plague of grasshoppers in 
Utah that in some localities the people or¬ 
ganize entertainments at which the ad¬ 
mission fee is charged in grasshoppers. Is 
there any truth in this? 
Ans.—T hese statements are not ex¬ 
aggerated. We are at present troubled 
by two "hoppers,” the locust and the 
grasshopper. The county officials pay $1 
a bushel t(ib pounds) for them. A grass¬ 
hopper uance was given at Ephraim, 
where they took 1,950 pounds of hop¬ 
pers at the door, which formed a bonfire 
afterwards. chris. panberg. 
Sanpete Co., Utah. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See our guarantee 8th page. 
> ■!«tt* it, ’* k, V v v M 51 1 
Every farmer 
should know 
all about 
POTASH 
Our books contain 
the teachings of the 
best agricultural au¬ 
thorities. 
We mail them free 
to farmers. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS 
93 Nassau St., New York 
EVAPORATOR mS 
EASTERN MEG. CO., 25T So. 5th St., PHTLA., PA. 
Crumbs of Comfort. —The damage is 
of so recent occurrence that prices for 
vegetables have not yet been forced up¬ 
ward to the extent that they will doubt¬ 
less go in the near future. As yet, the 
markets are liberally supplied, but this 
cannot long continue, as so much of the 
surrounding country will be unable to 
furnish anything like its quota. As 
stated above, much of the damage is be¬ 
yond repair through lack of seed, stock 
and plants, and many of the large gar¬ 
den industries are wiped out for this 
season. In a great measure other crops 
will be substituted and the work will 
go on, although of necessity through 
different channels. One hopeful view 
taken by the sufferers in the lowlands is 
that what has been saved will bring 
much higher prices, and thus in a great 
measure compensate for the losses sus¬ 
tained. The celery, cabbage and cauli¬ 
flower will be renewed as far as it is 
possible to obtain the plants; some early 
varieties of potatoes will be planted 
when possible to obtain the seed. The 
onion crop, which this year was above 
the average as to acreage, has no doubt 
suffered severely, as in the main it is 
confined to the lowlands. This tale of 
woe is by no means to be understood as 
the funeral dirge of the gardeners, as 
they will survive and continue business. 
Repairing the Damage. —As fast as 
the dry land appears the damage to 
crops is noted, and whatever gives 
promise of weathering the storm is be¬ 
ing cared for as far as is possible. Wher¬ 
ever the soil will admit of stirring the 
hill crops are being straightened up, 
ditches are being reopened and the land 
is being prepared for the plow or other- 
“ Hardwood Peach." 
TP. 8., Pandora, O .—Do you know of any 
variety called “Hardwood peach?” Some 
fellow sold one here for a big price. 
Ans.— This is another fake. There is 
no such variety of peach as “Hard¬ 
wood,” so far as the true records of 
horticulture go. Some sharper is play¬ 
ing a confidence game on those who are 
dull enough to be taken in by him. 
H. E. V. D. 
Pruning Grapevines and Raspberries. 
R., So. Sudbury, Mass.— 1. I adopted the 
suggestion of H. E. Van Deman as to 
building a grape trellis (the canopy). The 
business all is new to me and the grapes 
have been set but two or three years. I 
built the trellis early the past Spring, and 
the man who came to prune the vines, 
while he liked the trellis, said he did not 
think it best to trim the vines much this 
year, consequently he left nearly all the 
branches. I wish to know whether the 
idea is to cut out all except one stem, and 
train that straight to the central wire, and 
from this train two branches horizontally 
on this central wire? If so, then, how far 
would you allow these two horizontal 
branches to extend? Supposing these two 
branches to be this year’s growth, would 
the short branches reaching to the outside 
wires be of next year’s growth? If so, 
then, while these are growing and bear-* 
ing fruit, from what part of the vine 
should branches be grown to be ready to 
produce fruit the following year? 2. With 
raspberries, about how many canes would 
you leave in each hill? As these produce 
fruit this year, how many more would 
you allow to grow from the ground for 
the next year’s production of fruit? 
Ans. —1. Training grapes on the can¬ 
opy trellis is very simple and easy when 
understood. The central wire should 
be stapled to the posts about six inches 
below the place where the three-foot 
cross pieces are fastened on. There 
should be but one stem or main vine 
extending from the ground to this cen¬ 
tral wire, which will necessarily be 
The President Strawberry.— I tried the 
selling qualities of the President in the 
Philadelphia market by sending two crates 
down with a man from New Hope, Pa., 
across the Delaware from here. He marked 
the berries 20 cents which, as results 
showed, was too low. His stall was crowd¬ 
ed within live minutes, and he could do 
no other business until the berries were 
gone, which was 10 minutes after he opened 
the crates. He said the people crowded 
around him like at a side show at a coun- 
try fair. thos. r. hunt. 
On July 10 the first class was graduated 
at the Briarcliff School of Practical Agri¬ 
culture and Horticulture at Briarcliff, N. 
Y. Six men and one woman received di¬ 
plomas and certificates. There was an in¬ 
teresting programme and a goodly com¬ 
pany gathered to inspect the buildings and 
grounds. As most of our readers know 
this school differs from the State agricul¬ 
tural colleges. It is part of a plan devised 
for the purpose of interesting town and 
city people in country living. The students 
are mostly well-to-do people who have a 
natural love for farm life. Under the able 
direction of George T. Powell the school 
is doing work of a high character and 
promises to be a powerful force in agri¬ 
cultural development. 
“Fence-Corner” Trees.— I am astonish¬ 
ed that in the present age there should be 
any question why the “fence-corner” peach 
tree should be more prolific than the one 
under cultivation. This fact has been 
known so long that the maxim “The earth 
is motfier to the weeds and stepmother to 
the plants,” has been laid down. The month 
of June has been the coldest (the average 
temperature lower) for many years. The 
last days of the month have been very wet, 
consequently the corn crop is backward. 
Farmers meeting comment and will say 
they have been unable to cultivate their 
corn; that it will be some time before they 
can, that the color is bad and it does not 
grow, but they will always add “the weeds 
grow.” It is observed by those who raise 
poultry that where hens steal their nests 
the average hatch is larger than where 
nest boxes are furnished. Enough illus¬ 
trations might be furnished to fill your 
paper. What is the use of filling the world 
with words trying to find a reason when 
the reason is in plain sight? w. i. b. 
Parkman, O.__ 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
GUT 
AND 
GRIND 
your coru 
lXr _ crop with 
“^>rl these 
machines. 
I The Scientific Corn Harvester 
I saves time, labor and money. Should there he 
I danger of frost you can cut your whole ciop of 
I corn in time to save it. Safety seats and safety I 
I shafts protect both men and horse. Don t knock 
I off the ears. The 
Scientific Sweep Grinding Mill 
I is the best thing of its kind made. Best for the 
1 farmer, feeder, dairyman, etc. Crushes and 
j grinds ear corn and nil grains, We make other 
I grinders, both sweep and power. Don t buy a mill 
I of any kinduntilyousendforour new catalog K 
| Mailed free. —T\_, JHE fOOS MFC. 
CO., 
I Sprlngilcld, ©. 
I Straight Straw, Rye and Wheat Thrasher. 
Combined with Spike-Tooth Oat 
and Wheat Thrasher. 
Our Machine will 
thrash Rye or Wheat 
without bruising or 
l reakiug the straw, and 
tie it ago In In perfect 
bundles Can be changed 
in lifteen minutes to a 
spike-tooth Oat. Wheat, 
Buckwheat, Barley and Coru Thrasher with stacker 
attached. Will thrash more grain with less power 
than any Thrasher built. Seud for catalogue B to 
the GKANT-FEURIS COMPANY. Troy. N Y. 
MACHINERY 
Best and cheapest. 
Seud for catalogue 
BOOMER & B0SCHERT 
PRESS CO., 
118 West Water St., 
SYUACL’SK, N. Y. 
PEACH 
BASKETS 
2, 4, G, 8,10,12,14 and 
IC-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. 
