1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
783 
THE MULCHED ORCHARD DISCUSSED. 
Mr. Van Deman Open to Conviction. 
So far I have not seen Mr. Van Deman’s opinion of the 
Hitchings plan. I regard him as a high authority, and 
would like to hear from him, and to know what he would 
advise. At present I am inclining towards a cautious 
adoption of the Hitchings method. s. w. o. 
Eaton Co., Midi. 
There have been several requests lately for my opin¬ 
ion of the Hitchings plan of orchard culture, .but it 
seems unwise for me to say much on this subject with¬ 
out first seeing his orchard, and more important still, 
others that have been treated in like manner. In¬ 
deed, I would like to try the plan myself, before giv¬ 
ing a very decided opinion on its merits and demerits. 
That Mr. Hitchings does produce good apples in his 
orchard I am sure, for I passed judgment on many 
that he sent to the Pan-American Exposition last 
year, and gave him a gold medal for their excellence. 
More than this I know nothing of the facts from ob¬ 
servation. His may be a very exceptional case, as to 
conditions of soil, etc. In a general way, however, I 
may say that he is following nature’s plan of growing 
trees in some degree. But the ends to be attained in 
natural tree growth are the production of timber and 
the perpetuation of the species by seeds. The trees 
grow very close together and shade the ground while 
their leaves and dead bodies and branches furnish the 
mulch. We are after the fruit—the fleshy part around 
the seeds. This requires more room than in the forest, 
where wood is the main object. It is at once obvious 
that the leaves and dead wood from the apple trees 
will not mulch the ground sufficiently to fur¬ 
nish plant food, prevent undue evaporation of 
soil moisture, and to keep down other growth. 
Neither is there shade enough to assist in 
these two last and very important matters. To 
, have an apple orchard grow its own fertility 
and mulch, as I understand Mr. Hitchings 
claims his trees are doing, seems to me some¬ 
thing like the old plan of one lifting himself 
by his own bootstraps. That there is latent 
plant food in the soil and subsoil, there is no 
doubt, and that the growing of vegetataion 
will change some of it into available forms and 
finally leave it, upon their decay, for the apple 
roots, we must grant. I fully believe and have 
said in public, over and over, that if we could 
provide sufficient trash or coarse manure ef¬ 
fectually to mulch the entire surface of an 
apple orchard and keep it up indefinitely, it 
would be the very best kind of culture. There 
could be no washing of the soil by heavy 
rains, there would be little undue evapora¬ 
tion of soil moisture and there would be plenty 
of fertility. But who has the ability thus to 
provide for an orchard of anything like com¬ 
mercial size? I am open to conviction on this 
subject, or any other that has a shadow of 
reasonableness. h. e. van deman. 
Green Manuring With Tillage Wanted. 
I believe that for the best apple-growing 
sections of western and central New York til¬ 
lage with green manuring is better than any 
mulching method that can be devised. That 
is my belief. 1 may be wrong, however, be¬ 
cause it is almost impossible to obtain a con¬ 
census of experience on a matter of this na¬ 
ture; one way is satisfactory with one man because 
he carries it out thoroughly—he believes in it. An¬ 
other man perhaps under somewhat different condi¬ 
tions has been successful with another method and 
believes in it, and so on. My own experience with sod 
orchards began about 20 years ago, when I helped 
plant one in a field so filled with bowlders that trees 
were only lined approximately the rocks permitting. 
This orchard has been left of necessity in grass and 
has been clipped wit', the scythe, at least once a year 
and top-dressed every second or third year. The va¬ 
rieties are mostly Oldenburg, Alexander and Wealthy 
—all heavy and early bearers. They have done well. 
We have had difficulties, however. First came mice. 
These were “fenced out” with wire netting and tarred 
paper. Then came borers. These are not so easily 
scared off or evicted. The orchard has been “grubbed” 
regularly, but the enemy still keeps up the fight. Cer¬ 
tainly the Apple borer is partial to trees in sod. It is 
true that the Round-headed apple-borer is often local 
in occurrence, yet I believe his preference is for trees 
whose roots are protected the year round with grass. 
Will nitrifying organisms work more energetically 
in sod-mulched ground than in tilled soil? This is at 
least a debatable question. Humus is unquestionably 
necessary to secure their presence and to promote 
their activities. It is required also to furnish carbonic 
acid to assist in the breaking-down process which re¬ 
sults in the liberation of essential mineral elements. 
Will mulching furnish more humus than any other 
system of orchard tillage? When a cover crop, for 
instance, is turned under, the entire mass of vegetable 
matter is converted into humus—the first step in the 
manufacture of plant food. From the fertility stand¬ 
point, it is a question which method gives most to the 
soil. I may be prejudiced, but I am in favor of the 
method which warms the soil in Spring through til¬ 
lage, conserves the moisture by the same agency and 
adds potential plant food in the Autumn. Are any 
ill results likely to accrue to the trees from the sys¬ 
tem? It has been argued that continuous mulching 
tends to make trees shallow-rooted and therefore sus¬ 
ceptible to drought and root killing. Apart from the 
principle that roots will forage where most plant food 
is to be found, I think no serious results are to be 
looked for in this direction. As a rule, each tree will 
follow its own peculiarities whether of upright or 
spreading habit, of deep or shallow rooting character. 
A question of greater weight is this: How long can 
the system be continued in an orchard? Is it possible 
to grow a good crop of grass year after year in a 
thrifty orchard where the trees almost completely 
shade the ground for four months of the Summer sea¬ 
son? Will not the natural mulch need supplementing 
with other material to the extent of becoming labori¬ 
ous and burdensome? Under such conditions grass 
usually gives way to chickweed—the harbinger of 
Spring and the tenant of the orchard in the Fall. Can 
we no; improve on this kind of mulch by sweetening 
our soil with tillage and introducing a more valuable 
short-lease tenant in the form of a leguminous plant? 
I think The R. N.-Y. has done good service to the 
fruit growers of the country in showing up the merits 
of a system which, in the hands of an intelligent man¬ 
ager, has brought excellent results. Let us examine 
all systems and hold fast to the one best adapted to 
our own conditions and in closest acdord with our own 
convictions. A man does his best work when his 
labors are in line with and are supported by personal 
bias. JOHN CRAIG. 
Cornell University. 
THE CONFESSIONS OF A PEDDLER. 
How to Peddle. 
Part II. 
NECESSARY QUALITIES.—Whether the peddler 
is a boy or girl, a man or woman, grit and persistence 
will be needed. Selling vegetables is like selling any¬ 
thing else, and it will never do to give up discouraged. 
I have heard people say to a story writer: “If I sent 
a story off and it was rejected I never should have 
the courage to send it off again.” There should be no 
nonsense of this kind about a peddler. If people re¬ 
fuse to buy, let him take it pleasantly and try again 
at the next house. It may be very discouraging at 
first, but just keep in mind that the goods you have 
are well worth buying, and in time you will make 
others understand it. If possible it is better to begin 
on a small scale and feel one’s way. There are things 
to be learned, and they are learned with less expense 
and trouble in this manner. The choice of a market 
is an important matter. In our own case it has proven 
that “that is best which lieth nearest,” in spite of 
serious disadvantages. There is a good market four 
miles away, but the little country village a mile and 
a half distant is much more accessible. To be sure, 
nearly every other family has a garden, there are three 
markets, several peddlers drive through and the milk¬ 
men carry vegetables. On the other hand, we have a 
good many acquaintances there. All these things 
must be taken into consideration. The reason why 
we could dispose of our produce so easily in such a 
poor market was that what we sold was best quality. 
MAKING SALES.—It is a good way to have a large 
shallow basket and take in samples to show. Often 
the sight of fresh, appetizing vegetables or fruit will 
sell them, when if you merely said you had them your 
prospective customer would refuse to buy. Remember 
that to the average town dweller green peas, for in¬ 
stance, mean pale, wilted, perhaps slimy pods, with* 
bullet-like peas inside, that have stood in the market 
a week or so. The fresh article will be a revelation. 
If you show samples this way always be sure to have 
the goods come up to the sample and even be a little 
better. Another point is very important, and that is 
never to promise anything unless you are sure you 
can do as you promise. Be on hand when you say 
you will, no matter what happens. I have had people 
look at me in surprise when I appeared on some bit¬ 
terly cold or stormy day. “Why, I didn’t think you’d 
come!” they would exclaim. This showed that it was 
something of a novelty to them to have a peddler keep 
his word. One should always be in good spirits, so 
that people will be glad to see one. Do not growl 
about the weather, or find fault with other customers, 
or criticise other peddlers, or recount your 
personal grievances. But if your customers 
do any or all of these things, listen sympa¬ 
thetically and try to say some helpful or 
cheering word. 
PERSONAL POINTS.—Having everything 
neat and attractive about the cart, and the 
goods in neat packages, will be a help. Most 
important of all is personal neatness. Not only 
to look tidy in one’s dress, but to carry no dis¬ 
agreeable atmosphere about with one. There 
are peddlers who smell strongly of the stable, 
and have a general odor of unwashedness that 
is most unpleasant and repellant to a sensitive 
person. Shoes worn in the stable carry a 
strong smell with them, and should invariably 
be changed before starting on one’s route. But 
after all it is mainly the high and uniform 
quality of the goods and the “dependability” 
of the peddler that will bring confidence and 
patronage. It is a good plan to speak of the 
things that are coming on, and then custom¬ 
ers will not go and buy them of some one else 
Having regular customers and taking orders 
ahead is the pleasantest way to peddle, and if 
one cares to go every day, and can have some 
staple article, like milk to carry, that will help 
to sell other things. At first, however, unless 
there is milk to sell, it may not be necessary 
to go more than twice or three times a week. 
CASH, NOT CREDIT.—But even though the 
peddler be neat, honest, reliable and have first- 
class goods, there is still one point which will 
be the means of his undoing if he is not care¬ 
ful. That is giving credit. I know of a very 
successful peddler who was ruined and had to 
give up the business on this very account. A 
few years later he started in again on a strictly cash 
basis, and was wonderfully prosperous. This is one 
great advantage of peddling among acquaintances; you 
know, or can easily find out, who the people are who 
always pay their bills, and the others you can let se¬ 
verely alone. Unless you have the courage to dun 
persistently, it is best not to sell at all to the doubt¬ 
ful class. If on the other hand you are willing to keep 
at them and are determined that they shall not cheat 
you out of a cent, why then they may be very good 
customers. This may sound grasping and parsimoni¬ 
ous, but I am referring to the class who can pay if 
they want to; who spend their money for trolley rides 
and ice cream and have none left for the grocer and 
milkman. It is better for them to be forced to be 
square and honorable if they will not be of their own 
accord. Besides, if the peddler is working hard for 
his living and is paying his own bills it is not right 
that he should have to help support dead beats. In 
dealing with this class the danger point is reached 
when the bill gets to be over a dolla-r. They can pay 
a small bill much more easily than a large one, so it 
behooves the peddler to look after them sharply, and 
not depend too much on promises. Even in a rather 
small business an order book is a necessity, as it is 
difficult to remember every little thing, and to be per¬ 
fectly reliable one must never forget even the least 
thing, it will also be a help in making out the cash 
account, which every farmer should keep, even of 
small transactions, and induces more business-like 
management. susan brown robbins. 
