592 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 30 
Hastening Bearing of Pecan Trees. 
One of our readers is interested in the 
culture of nuts, especially pecans. There 
are a number of trees in his orchard which 
for some reason fail to fill out their nuts 
properly. He says that by pruning his 
trees he is usually able to remedy this de¬ 
fect, but he does not like to mutilate them. 
He thinks there might be some way of 
manuring the trees that would force them 
to fill out the nuts, and wishes to know 
what elements of fertility would be most 
likely to remedy this defect. He is now 
using potash as an experiment but he is 
not able to give results. 
As it is not said where this pecan or¬ 
chard is, it is impossible for me to give 
an opinion about it of much value. If it 
is rather near the northern limit of the 
pecan it may be that the nuts are cut 
short in their development by the com¬ 
ing of frost. I have seen this occur with 
wild trees in Kansas, whereas the same 
trees usually filled their nuts well. As 
the varieties differ in time of maturity 
several weeks it may be that the trees 
complained of are very late ones in the 
ripening of their nuts. In such a case 
manuring will not likely remedy the 
evil, although this tree delights in rich 
soil. If pruning has done it then I 
would continue it. I have known pecan 
trees to be made more fruitful by short¬ 
ening in their terminal branches and 
causing them to form more fruit buds. 
This should be done in the dormant 
period. I would not object to the trees 
being somewhat changed from their 
normal growth. It will not injure them. 
It is the nuts we are after, unless the 
trees are for mere ornament. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
R. N.-Y.—The trees are in Louisiana. 
It is supposed from general observa¬ 
tion, though so far as we know no defi¬ 
nite experiments have been made, that 
some of the pecans are self-sterile. So 
it is possible that the trouble lies in 
that direction. We would not suppose 
that any special fertilizer would help 
the trouble, though as a matter of fact 
no definite knowledge is available re¬ 
garding the effects of fertilizers on pe¬ 
cans. If your correspondent has been 
able to correct the trouble by pruning, 
I think he has the remedy in his own 
hands. If he pursues the pruning care¬ 
fully, there will be little danger from it. 
G. HAROLD POWELL. 
Building a Stone Dam. 
P. K. L., Maine .—What is the cheapest and 
best way to build a dam of field stone and 
cement to flow a 20-acre cranberry bog? 
The bog is nearly level and contains one 
small brook. How much cement would be 
needed ? 
Ans.—T o answer the above obviously 
calls for a good deal of guesswork, and 
to answer it definitely with anything 
like accuracy would be impossible. 
Slight variations in the character of the 
location might make a great difference 
in both the manner and cost of building 
such a dam. In general, locate the dam 
so as to gain all the advantage possible 
of the converging banks and then be 
sure to dig well down to solid dry dirt 
before beginning to lay the foundation. 
Dig a trench from six inches to a foot 
deep, or even carry it below danger of 
upheaval by frost—which would be far¬ 
ther down in Maine than in Florida. Let 
the trench be the exact width desired 
for the foundation of the dam. Fill, or 
at least partly fill, this trench with 
grouting (cement, sand and small 
cracked stones mixed) well tamped 
down to make sure there are no crev¬ 
ices. On this lay the wall a little nar¬ 
rower than the foundation, narrowing it 
to say 14 inches at the top and making 
sure to leave no projecting stones or 
badly uneven surfaces near the surface 
of the ground for the frozen ground to 
lift on, or near the surface of the water 
for the ice to lift on from that side. Be 
sure that each stone is put in a good 
bed of cement, and that it is reasonably 
clean from dirt or moss, lest the water 
work between the cement and the stone 
and freezing, cause cracks and leaks. 
Dams are sometimes built convexly 
toward the water to stand pressure bet¬ 
ter, and only stones with freshly split 
or cut surfaces are used, so there shall 
be perfect adhesion of the cement, and 
hence water-tight joints. In all proba¬ 
bility the location is such that a good 
wide dirt dam can be built most of the 
way, and the stonework reduced to 
building a gateway and overflow. In 
this case the overflow might be in form 
of an H across the dirt dam to prevent 
washing. Build the dirt dam 10 to 20 
feet wide and two or three feet higher 
than the surface of the pond. If pos¬ 
sible build it soon enough to have it get 
solid before using. Liberal supplies of 
water thrown on it during construction 
will help to solidify it. Round it up 
like a properly-built roadway so it will 
shed water and keep out frost. Let it 
grass over to prevent washing. Built 
in this way the cement bill ought not 
to be large for a dam to overflow a 
swamp that is “nearly level,” and using 
one barrel of cement to two of sand. 
A. W. 
Handling Wild Mustard. 
8. B., Andover, N. J — We have a weed 
which has a yellow flower like a mustard 
blossom, is filled with many seed pods, and 
has the odor of a turnip. What is it, and 
how can we get rid of it? It grows so 
thick that it ruins grass or oats, making 
them unfit to cyit. 
Ans. —The description given indicates 
that it is probably one of the wild mus¬ 
tards of the genus Brassica. As it has 
the odor of a turnip, and bright yellow 
flowers, it may be the wild turnip, Bras¬ 
sica campestris, which is often trouble¬ 
some as a weed. In some parts of the 
Northeast it is called rape. It has 
smooth, usually glaucous leaves. The 
copper solution used for the destruction 
of charlock, Brassica arvensis, which 
has hairy leaves, has little effect upon 
the smooth leaves of Brassica campes¬ 
tris. It has been used with success on 
charlock, however, in several experi¬ 
ments in England, also in France, Ger¬ 
many and Australia. Prof. H. L. Bolley 
of the experiment station at Agricul¬ 
tural College, N. D., has conducted some 
trials with it and has obtained favorable 
results. It is prepared in two to four- 
per-cent solutions, and applied at the 
rate of about 50 gallons per acre by 
means of some form of apparatus which 
will produce a fine spray; that used for 
spraying potato plants is effective. It 
should be applied when the grain and 
weeds are not more than five inches 
high, and again about two weeks later, 
as it has little effect on plants that are 
well advanced in the flowering stage. It 
is rarely injurious to grain when solu¬ 
tions not stronger than four per cent 
are used. lyster ii. dewey. 
U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
Cover Crop for Shady Orchard. 
F. A. W„ Pulaslci, N. Y .—What is the best 
cover crop for a bearing apple orchard lo¬ 
cated four miles from the lake, 33 miles 
north of Syracuse? Have tried Crimson 
clover without success. The orchard is 
closely set and shady. Could cow peas be 
grown here? 
Ans. —Probably the best cover crop 
for a shaded orchard in Oswego County 
is a mixture of Alfalfa, Mammoth clover 
and Cowhorn turnips. I would use 10 
pounds of Alfalfa, eight of clover and 
three ounces of turnip seed per acre. 
If these are not sown before the middle 
of August they cannot be expected to 
make very much of a showing this Fall, 
but the clovers will thicken up quickly 
next Spring before the apple leaves ap¬ 
pear. Hairy vetch (vicia villosa) is a 
cover crop plant which I am much in 
favor of, particularly if the soil is 
sandy. The present trouble is that the 
seed is scarce and high-priced, but if it 
can be secured even at some little ex¬ 
pense, it will pay to get it, because then 
one can grow his own seed. Cow peas 
do not make much of a showing when 
grown in the shade of apple trees. They 
are sun-loving plants and need plenty 
of heat and light. If I were using them 
I would sow at the rate of 65 to 75 
pounds per acre. john oraig. 
IMPORTED “MALAKOFF” WINTER SEED WHEAT 
50 Bushels per Acre; Product of our own crop; grown from seed imported by us last year 
from near Black Sea in Crimea. Russia. PRICE, $2 per bushel here, bags free. All other leading 
sorts of Seed Wheat, both hard and soft, $1 per bushel and up. Write for free catalogue, samples 
and descriptions. Address J. K. KATEKIN & SON, Shenandoah, Iowa. 
School of Practical Agriculture 
and Horticulture. 
Courses in Fruit Culture, Gardening, Landscape 
Gardening and Fanning Begins September 9,1002. 
Open to men and women for training in practical and 
scientific work Catalogue. 
GEO. T. POWELL, Director* 
Briarcllff Manor, N. Y. 
In writing, mention advertisement. 
Wheat 
—Choice Harvest King Seed Wheat. 
$1.10 per bushel; sacks included. 
Scott Hanna, It. F.D. No. 3, Shelby,O. 
ui|jr||j CCtn- Pure Mea]y Wheat Seed, 
WI1EA I wLkll recleaned Prices reason¬ 
able. Address GEO. W. STRICKLAND, Ravenna, O. 
NEW 
STRAWBERRY. 
The flower of 
the world. Six 
be rri es fill a 
a quart box. 
Fruit it 1903. 0 
strong ro >ted 
I lauts by mail 
for $1.50) eneli 
plant will yield 
a full crop next 
season. 
T.C. KEVITT, 
Introducer, 
Athenla, v.,j 
Dawson Golden Chaff, Red Russian and 
White Chaff Mediterranean Seed Wheat for sale. SSI 
perbu.; sacks extra. John N. Metz, Swormville, N.Y. 
K.F. D. No 1. 
S eed Wheat for Sale.— Harvest King (beardless) 
recleaned; new sacks furnished free; $1 per bu.; 
good yielder Capacity 50 bushel* per acre. 
DANIEL WILLIAMS, Hillsboro, Ohio. 
CJEED WHEAT—Dawson Golden Chaff, American 
k ' 5 Bronze. Fultz-Mediterranean, Harvest King, 
Rudy. Fulcaste .from heavy yielding fields Clean; 
moderate prices. Samples free. Circular shows re¬ 
sults of comparative tests made at experiment sta¬ 
tions. A. H. HOFFMAN, Bamford, Pa. 
D WYER’S Summer and Au 
tumn Catalogue (now ready ) 
of Pot-Grown Strawberry Plants 
Pot-Grown Clematis, Honey¬ 
suckle, Ivy, etc. A full line of 
Fruit and Ornamental 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. 
Big New Seed Wheats. 
Strong, vigorous new blood; pure, clean, fly-proof; 
immense yielders Samples and catalogue No. 45 free 
for the asking. Onr choice graded seed will double 
your yield. Maplewood Stock Farm, Maplewood, Mich 
SEEDS 
—WHEAT—KYE-TIMOTHY, The 
best varieties, carefully selected, per¬ 
fectly clean. Fresh stock, sure to grow. 
Lending wheat varieties. Mealy and Dawson's Oolden 
Chaff. Other kinds. Poole, Fultz, Red Cross. Send for 
circulars and prices O. C. SHEPARD CO.. Medina, O 
14/11 C A TC tested 20 to38 bushels; W. 
Vi II CM I 0 Chaff, Jones. McKinley, 
Bald, Democrat, Reliable. Rudy, Tus¬ 
can, Arcadian, Gold Coin, Mealy. Fultz, 
Red Wonder, Dawson. Description; 
save dollars experimenting. Prices 
reasonable. Write at once. SMITH'S 
Wheat Farm, Box A, Manchester, N.Y. 
The New Wheat Invincible. 
Heaviest yielding, most reliable wheat grown. 
Winter proof, fly-proof water-proof. Tall, stiff 
straw, long bald heads tilled with bright red grain, 
2,000 bushels from 00 acres. 
Mammoth White Rye. 
Outyields all other kinds. Twelve acres giving 45 
bushels and over two tons of straw per acre. 
Illustrated Catalogue Free. 
EDWARD F. DIBBLE, Seed Grower, 
Honeoye Falls, Monroe Co., N. Y. 
Crimson Clover Seed.—New crop now 
ready. K. 8. JOHNSTON, Box 4. Stockley, Del. 
Uni an Ca^A -N o more of them. Sow my 
Unlwll 0019 hardy White, earliest, Yellow 
and Red. 3 kinds. Send for testimonials and prices. 
BEAULIEU, the Onion Specialist, Woodhaven, N.Y. 
PCI CDV Dl JlftlTC~ DOt spindling ones 
OCLCltl r LAI1 I O and not raised by irri¬ 
gation method—$1.50 per thousand, CLOVER SEED 
—Choice, clean Crimson orScurletof mvown raising. 
$3.50 per bu.: sacks free. J. C. ELLIS, Milisboro, Del. 
n f IV ^PM«-«c rnl ' nale d seccl ready to Plant 
UliliZJrvim this Fall. Full directions for 
growing, and price of seed and plants. FREE 
ROYAL GINSENG GARDENS, Little York, N. Y. 
TREE PLANTING IN FALL 
Ts recommended by horticulturists of highest author 
ity. The soil Is always in better condition, the trees 
are dormant and start early in Spring, a- d any pos¬ 
sible loss on account f unfavorable weather the fol¬ 
lowing season is prevented by Fall planting My 
catalogue is free. MARTIN WAHL, Rochester, N Y. 
Fruit & Ornamental, 
Shrubs, Roses, Bulbs 
and Plants. 
Correspondence solio- 
lted.Valuable Catalogue tr«». 
49th year. 44 greenhouses. 1000 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., 
Painesville, Ohio. 
POTTED STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 
The choicest and best reliable sorts. Plant now 
and get good crop next year. 
Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Small Fruits, 
FOR FALL PLANTING. 
Finest Varieties for the Country Home. 
8end for Catalogue, free. 
H. G. Corney, Windsor Nurseries,Red Bank, N.J. 
THE PRESIDENT 
STRAWBERRY 
A small number of potted plants potted In latter 
part Of July for sale. Prices, per dozen, $3; per 50, 
$10; per 100, $18. A limited number of layer plants 
for sale after September 1 at same prices. Send for 
circular. Mention this paper. 
THOS. R. HUNT, Originator, Lambertville, N.J. 
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., Phiia., Pa. 
o- FOR A -o 
Sweet Cider Apple 
PLANT THE HONEY. 
It, produces the most and best. Seventy-five other 
varieties orf apples and a complete line of stock. 
Catalogue Free. 
C. D. WENGER, Dayton, Va. 
Trees, Vines and Plants. 
Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum and Cherry Trees, 
eJ all the loading varieties, in any qua) lty, at verf 
low piio s 'Trees, extra fine, free from scaleor Insect 
pes’s. W e offer, by the thousand or carload, a beau 
tlful lot of Peach Trees. _ Don’t miss wrltin ns for 
prices on them, anu for Landsom doscrlptl o 'ata^ 
logue. One dormant bud tree o£ our new Liston 
peach mailed free to ea?h perse n answering tm« 
advertisement Address .. „ 
THE VILLAGE NURSERIE8, HamedsvP . Pa- 
TBCCO mill Dl AMTC —Free fr0m Scale ’ New and Ch0lce Varieties. 
IfCbo Arail r LAW I a Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries. 
Our FREE CATALOGUE will save you money. MYER & SON, BrldgevlUe, Del. 
TREES 
AQ nrn Iflfl apple, PEAR, PLUM and PEACH; healthy, true to name 
OU ■ 11 If IUUi and Fumigated. All kinds of trees and plants at low whole¬ 
sale prices. Don’t 
for special price. 
buy until you get our catalogue, which is free, or send list of wants 
Address RELIANCE NURSERY, Box 1, Geneva, New York. 
of BEST VARIETIES 
for different sections, corrected 
and approved by H. E Van 
Deman, .Tchn Craig, F.A Waugh 
and others will appear in the next TRKE BREEDER, ready uinth month, 1st. It's a safe guide 
for the beginner, and worth a postal card to any fruit grower. It’s free. 
The Tree Breeders. ROCERSiON THE HILL, Dansville, N. Y. 
ROGERS’ LIST 
