5i4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 26 
uralisms 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Plum Sense Lacking. —Fig. 203, first 
page, represents about one foot of a 
bearing branch of Burbank plum cut In 
late June, after the regular “drop” of 
weak and unpollenized stone fruits had 
ceased. The remaining plums—there 
were several more which were broken 
off before the photograph was taken— 
were firmly attached, and would prob¬ 
ably hang unless blown off by storms, 
weakened by starvation or destroyed by 
rot. The branch is not an unusual spe¬ 
cimen, there were scores of similar over¬ 
loaded ones on our five-year Burbank 
tree, but a glance will show the manifest 
impossibility of bringing such crowded 
fruit clusters to anything like perfection. 
The only thing to do when a fruit tree 
displays such a lack of sense in setting 
more fruits than it can possibly ripen 
satisfactorily is conscientiously to thin 
out, after the natural drop has ceased 
and before the stones harden, to some¬ 
thing like a reasonable number, spacing 
the remaining fruits as regularly as pos¬ 
sible along the branches. The twig 
shown in the picture could carry three 
or four plums fairly well, and the relief 
from crowding would be quickly shown 
by rapidly increasing growth. The Bur¬ 
bank plum is especially susceptible to 
the Monilia fungus or brown rot, and it 
may be taken for granted in the Atlan¬ 
tic coast region that whenever one plum 
of this variety touches another both will 
be destroyed by rot before ripening, un¬ 
less the weather should be especially dry 
and unfavorable for the spread of fun¬ 
gous troubles. Other Japans, notably 
Satsuma and Red June, have a similar 
weakness; while such kinds as Abund¬ 
ance, Chabot, and in some localities 
Berckmans, while not exempt from rot, 
seldom lose the whole crop by this pest. 
The writer undertook scientifically to 
thin the young plums from the tree 
bearing the branch illustrated and found 
it required nearly five hours’ careful 
work. At this rate of progress it is not 
likely he could soon get a job as fruit 
thinner in a commercial orchard. The 
effort was made to space the most prom¬ 
ising fruits five or six inches apart, and 
allow no growing plum to lie in contact 
with another. The result is, at this 
writing, very comforting, as the tree 
hangs as full as it ever should of finely 
developed fruits, among'which no rot 
has yet appeared. Burbank is almost 
unique among plums in the density of 
its flower clusters, a single spur often 
developing a ball of bloom so crowded 
as to resemble the inflorescence of the 
common garden onion, and a surprising¬ 
ly large number of these compressed 
blooms are effectively pollinated in good 
weather. This reckless prodigality in 
setting more fruits than.can possibly be 
developed is at the bottom of the disfa¬ 
vor this otherwise excellent Oriental 
plum is falling into in the East and 
South, as rot is quite sure to carry off 
the crowded fruits if they escape the 
usual period of early starvation. Some 
of the new hybrids of the various Japan 
varieties appear to be rather sparse 
bloomers, on young trees at least, and 
in this respect, by avoiding crowding 
and consequent direct transmission of 
rot, are superior to their parents. Shiro, 
one of Luther Burbank’s promising hy¬ 
brids, blooms in a rather scattering 
manner, and the delicious fruits have 
almost entirely resisted the rot the last 
two trying seasons. We have hopes 
that several more of these new creations 
will prove of real utility, and are bud- 
ding over our Satsuma and other dis¬ 
carded varieties with the most promis¬ 
ing kinds. We want sorts bearing 
plenty of good fruit, while possessing 
more “plum sense” than regularly to 
set more fruits than can come to ma¬ 
turity without the trouble and expense 
of careful hand thinning, or the danger 
of breaking down the trees from over¬ 
loading. 
Good Garden Peas. —Probably the 
greatest debt our gardens owe to Brit¬ 
ish horticulture is the late wonderful 
improvement in culinary peas. There is 
scarcely another economic plant show¬ 
ing such real improvement, largely 
brought about by careful and systematic 
selection by English growers. A flood 
■of new varieties is announced every 
Spring, but most, while excellent in 
themselves, fail to show distinct quali¬ 
ties. The Gradus or Prosperity, now be¬ 
fore the public several years, is taking 
rank as a standard, and gives almost 
universal satisfaction from its large 
size, earliness, productiveness and su¬ 
perb table quality. We have just grown 
samples of Thomas Laxton, from Lax- 
ton Brothers, Bedford, England, the 
originators of many of the best large- 
podded peas now in cultivation. It is 
an extremely early variety for a large 
sugary, wrinkled sort, coming in a day 
or two ahead of Gradus. The pods and 
peas were about as large as those of 
that favorite. The quality is of the very 
highest, tender, sweet and delicious. The 
plants were rugged and hardy, growing 
about 16 inches high, and as even as if 
trimmed by hand. The crop produced 
was large, and could have been cleared 
in two pickings, had it not seemed ad¬ 
visable to save some seed. This origi¬ 
nator’s seed had been very carefully 
bred, as was shown by a planting sown 
at the same time and place, of the same 
variety from one of the most reliable 
American seed firms. The latter sample 
had probably been grown a season in 
this climate, and while identical with 
the imported seed in all essentials, was 
much less even in growth. The largest 
and finest pea, in the fresh shelled state, 
grown this year was Magnum Bonum, 
which came for first trial in 1901 from 
F. Ambler, Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 
flavor is unsurpassed, and it is strong 
growing and hardy, but scarcely as pro¬ 
ductive, from this second generation 
seed, as Gradus or the new Laxton. 
Among varieties of home origin Nott’s 
Prolific, which originated with Richard 
Nott, Burlington, VL, is most generally 
useful. It will not produce as great 
bulk of shelled peas as the above large 
sorts under high culture, but it is very 
handy to have around. It can be sown 
at any time from early Spring to late 
August, in any unoccupied place, and is 
quite certain to return in due time a fair 
crop of good-sized, well-flavored peas, 
not quite as sugary perhaps as the large 
fancy kinds, but far better than the best 
of the round-seeded varieties. The 
Dwarf White Marrowfat sent out by 
Gregory, of Marblehead, Mass., is a 
iplendid late pea, more compact, pro¬ 
ductive and reliable, in our estimation, 
than any of its class, and with the true 
rich marrowfat flavor. It is of tolerably 
rapid growth for a marrowfat, and may 
rather be classed as a second early or 
main crop than a really late variety, but 
by delaying the planting until May one 
can get good peas in late July if mildew 
is not too prevalent. The Dwarf Mar¬ 
rowfat does not greatly exceed three 
feet in height and can be well grown 
without staking. In moist weather and 
when well fed it produces pods for a 
considerable time, affording several 
pickings. There are so many peas, list¬ 
ed in the catalogues, that every garden¬ 
er may have his own little list of favor¬ 
ites, but we have no occasion to plant 
other than the varieties above-mention¬ 
ed except for trial purposes. 
BrG Gooseberries. —A quart of Tri¬ 
umph gooseberries received from G. M. 
D., Stuyvesant Fruit Farms, Irvington, 
N. J., counted out just 75 berries, weigh¬ 
ing 27 ounces, and made a remarkably 
fine sample of this excellent variety. 
They came very close to exhibition size 
of the best European sorts. The Tri¬ 
umph gooseberry is "a great success in 
the Middle States, wherever it is given 
a fair trial. w. v. f. 
CHAUTAUQUA STRAWBERRIES. 
Having made quite a specialty of straw¬ 
berries for the Chautauqua Lake trade for 
several years, I wish to add my mite of 
testimony for the superior quality of the 
Van Deman strawberry for first early. I 
think this matter of quality has been well- 
nigh overlooked or set aside in the Van 
Deman as in many other very desirable 
varieties, in the struggle to get something 
that would produce “big berries and lots 
of them,” and often seemingly regardless 
of quality. It is true that varieties differ 
as to quality in different localities, and it 
is equally true that any variety will vary 
from year to year in a variable climate 
and under different methods of culture. 
But this tendency seems to be much 
greater with some varieties than with 
others. With me. under various condi¬ 
tions, the Van Deman is uniformly of 
high quality and, while moderately firm 
holds up -well and looks bright in the 
market. The blossoms suffered very little 
from frost, while such varieties as New 
York, Maximus and Nick Ohmer and some 
others were damaged from one-half to 
two-thirds this Spring. The Excelsior colors 
up several days earlier, but being very 
firm should be left that time to ripen In 
flavor, otherwise it is unutterably sour. 
One drawback we find with Van Deman; 
it is impossible to make it load up with 
berries as it should to be a profitable majr- 
ket berry. We have never yet succeeded 
in making it set nearly all the bloom. 
Clyde has proved quite variable with us; 
rots badly in moist cloudy weather. 
Plant growth needs stimulating in Spring 
of fruiting year, when with plenty of pot¬ 
ash and sunshine the quality and color 
will be very good, while the yield is some¬ 
thing prodigious. If these conditions are 
not present they are about the poorest ex¬ 
cuse for a strawberry that can be found. 
True, they are immense, and size is well 
sustained to the last. But I am a great 
believer in "good goods” even if they do 
come in wee bundles. When the Fameuse 
apple, the Seckel pear and the Delaware 
grape yield the standard of excellence to 
some of their coarse-grained overgrown 
competitors it will be time enough to turn 
down the Van Deman strawberry and 
plant in its place some marvelous novelty 
with a catchy name, whether it can be 
relied upon to gro%v berries that are fit to 
eat or not. I have tested a multitude of 
varieties in the past 10 years, and have 
cut down to a very few that are best 
adapted to my soil and market. We made 
our first picking for market this season on 
June 10 and to-day, July 14, we are still 
selling berries from the field. We grow 
for first early Excelsior and Van Deman, 
followed closely by Crescent. Greenville, 
Clyde, Wm. Belt, Sample aud Nick Ohmer, 
closing the season with Gandy and Hunn, 
which makes a long unbroken succession. 
We are planting less Clyde and shall drop 
them entirely. We have been testing 
Rough Rider, which does not prove satis¬ 
factory so fat. We expected an extra 
late berry, and found it ripening through 
a long season with only a few small ones 
as late as the Gandy which I think far 
superior, as it ripens all its berries very 
late and is much ahead in quality. Hunn 
we find the best for extra late, but 
worthless unless sprayed. j. w. w. 
Stow, N. Y. 
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