1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
239 
VAN DEMAN’S FRUIT NOTES. 
Treatment of Frozen Peach Trees. 
We have never before had any trouble wi-.h winterkilling of the 
peach, but that cold spell in February fixed our trees this time. 
Out of 3,000 trees, I think not one is alive above the snow line. I 
have an orchard of 800 trees eight years old, 300 three years old) 
1,000 one year from setting, and 1,000 in the nursery ready to set. 
My brother has 1,100 three and four years from setting, as fine 
an orchard as I ever saw. The cambium layer is discolored, and 
I think every tree is killed. The mercury ranged about as fol' 
lows: 27%, 22, 17, 15 below zero. What is the best method of 
handling these trees ? Would it be best to saw efT and see 
whether they will sprout, or would we better pull them out ? I 
have also 1,000 set one year ago that I think will sprout all right. 
Is it worth while to try to raise trees from the one-year peach 
trees in the nursery rows 7 They are sound far enough up to 
sprout above the bud. h. w. g. 
Palmyra, Ohio. 
These and millions more peach, and some other 
trees, that were badiy damaged by the severe cold of 
the past Winter, may yet make very good trees. For¬ 
tunately, the snow is often a protection from the se¬ 
vere cold which comes with it. Do not despair of 
these orchards. In Kansas, we bad almost similar 
experiences. I have, also, seen the same occur in 
northern Michigan. Our peach trees were all in¬ 
jured, but many that were discolored under the bark 
overgrew the injury, and formed newiayersof healthy 
wood. Some of these parts died outright as the sea¬ 
son advanced. The safest way is to cut off every¬ 
thing as far down as it is dead, but do not go too far. 
Use moderation and common sense. Where the cam¬ 
bium is not very dark brown, stop in heading back 
the older trees. If vigorous sprouts do not come out 
as the Spring advances, then cut back farther. It 
will be better to have to cut twice than to cut too far 
at one time. The nursery trees should be cut back to 
perfectly sound wood. If an inch or so of it is left 
above where the bud was set, a new sprout will start) 
and one can be trained into a nice top. I would set 
these stumps into the orchard just as was intended to 
be done with them had the trees not been killed back. 
What Nourishes the Bud ? 
1 . I wish to know when to prune my three-year-old peach trees. 
Last Spring, I pruned them before the buds started, and I am con¬ 
vinced that the sap which was intended to nourish all the buds 
was forced Into the few remaining ones, and caused them to 
swell several days before those on trees not pruned. The result was 
that they were mostly killed by a late frest. If there is any truth 
in this theory, when should I prune for best result 7 2. Last Win¬ 
ter, I think about two-thirds of the fruit buds were killed by the 
unusual cold. Will these buds w ith blackened centers swell In 
the Spring the same as others 7 it. r l. 
Pennsylvania. 
1 In my opinion, it wai not the pruning that caused 
the buds to swell, but it might have been so. It is 
the warmth of the air that causes the buds to swell in 
Spring on all kinds of trees. They require sap, of 
course, to assist in their development, but the food—the 
nourishment by wl ich the blossoms will be formed— 
is already in the buds and adjacent parts of the twigs. 
The nourishment for the buds on the parts cut off 
was taken away with them in the trimming. The 
most that the sap furnishes in the early Spring is 
wa er. This is the theory of this part of plant physi- 
o'ogy as held by me at the present time, but I am 
always ready to change my views upon sufficient evi¬ 
dence. I have never made any special experiment 
in this line for the special purpose of proving the 
truth or fallacy of the above, but I have never noticed 
anything to lead me to believe to the contrary. It may 
be that the theory is wrong, and I will at once cut 
bick some peach trees, and others, too, that I may 
have the opportunity to notice the results. The same 
varieties must be worked upon in order to make sure 
of the exactness of the experiment, and their condi¬ 
tions of culture, vigor, age, etc., must also be the same. 
2. Fruit buds that are dark inside will never develop 
into bloom. I have sometimes known them to swell a 
little, but this is rare. 
COMMERCIAL VALUE OF JAPAN PLUMS. 
HABDINESS COMPAKED WITH PEACHES. 
They Stand the Cold. — I am growing these plums 
in orchards quite extensively in Connecticut and in 
Georgia, and am convinced that many of the varieties 
have points of merit that will make them perma¬ 
nently valuable orchard fruits in these two sections, 
but in the central Atlantic States, say from south of 
Philadelphia to South Carolina, they bloom so early 
that they are often liable to be caught by Spring 
frosts. At the North, they will stand a great deal 
more freezing than peaches. I think it is safe to plant 
them anywhere where the mercury does not go much 
below 25 degrees below zero. In my orchards in Con¬ 
necticut at this time, peach buds, even on the most 
hardy varieties, are all killed, and while the plum 
buds are hurt somewhat, there are more than enough 
left for abundant crops j probably very severe thin¬ 
ning will have to be resorted to to secure full size 
fruit. 
In til© South. —In Georgia, the middle of February, 
after weeks of warm weather, many of the plums 
coming out in bloom and peach trees just showing the 
pink, peach bud* were entirely killed and trees badly 
injured, yet enough buds were left alive on some of 
the varieties of Japan plums so that there will be 
quite a little crop of fruit. For two or three years, 
varieties like Red June, Abundance and Burbank 
have been shipped to the northern markets from 
Georgia, and sold on an average 25 per cent higher 
than peaches, with an increasing demand each year 
for the fruit. In New England, they have been mar¬ 
keted for the last three years to a considerable extent, 
have sold 50 per cent higher than peaches in the same 
markets, and the demand has always been ahead of 
the supply. They have thick, tough skins, and are 
not seriously injured by the curculio. Trees will 
thrive on very light, thin soil, or on that quite heavy 
and moist. The quality of the fruit is good, and they 
can be kept in the market from one to two weeks 
after being picked from the tree, in fair eatiDg con¬ 
dition. 
Th© Best Sorts. —Red June, Abundance and Bur¬ 
bank are the most satisfactory of the well-tested 
varieties. Satsuma needs more maturity of tree be¬ 
fore coming into full bearing, for while the first three 
named will fruit freely two or three years after plant¬ 
ing, Satsuma requires about five. Of the newer sorts, 
Wickson is the largest and most attractive in appear¬ 
ance, while the Hale is best in quality of all the 
Japans ; but these two varieties and the Satsuma are 
extra early bloomers, and on this account, more liable 
CLOTHES DON’T ALWAYS MAKE THE MAN. Fig. 102. 
to be caught by late frosts in Spring than some of 
the others. Of other well-tested sorts, Willard and 
Berckmans should be rejected as far too poor in qual¬ 
ity to be worthy of propagation. Ogon and Normand, 
both yellow varieties, are vigorous and productive 
trees, but not very high in quality. Chabot, some¬ 
times known as “Yellow Japan,” “ Chase,” etc., is a 
late ripening plum of fine appearance and good qual¬ 
ity. The Gold is a small, weak-growing tree, with 
fruit somewhat like the Ogon, only not so good in 
quality. 
Many new varieties are being tested ; probably some 
of them will prove of greater value than those we 
already have, and an orchardist will not go astray in 
planting the best ones here mentioned. Every one 
who owns a family fruit garden in the central north¬ 
ern States makes a big mistake if he does not have a 
good number of these trees on his grounds, for the 
best of the Japan plums can be grown almost as 
cheaply and abundantly as the most common apples. 
J. H. HALE. 
SPRAYING AND SPRAY MIXTURE. 
IMPOBTANT POINTS NOT FULLY DESCBIBED. 
Primer Talk Needed —At the institutes, I find 
that the common people do not understand much 
about this matter. Take Bordeaux Mixture for in¬ 
stance ; it makes all the difference between free work¬ 
ing of the nozzle, or constant filling up and clogging, 
simply by the way in which the lime is slaked and 
the ingredients put together. It can be done so as to 
have the mixture a thick, curdly mass, or it can be 
done so as to pass the nozzle almost as freely as water. 
It is very annoying to have to be continually clearing 
nozzles. “Bordeaux Mixture: Copper sulphate, six 
pounds; quick lime, four pounds; water, 40 to 50 
gallons. Dissolve the copper sulphate in four gallons 
of water. Slake the lime in an equal amount of 
water, then mix the two, and add enough water to 
make 40 gallons.” 
The above is copied from a very popular bulletin, 
but I am sure that any one who follows it in making 
his mixture will soon make up his mind that spray¬ 
ing is a nasty job, and will not pay. Let me give a 
little more explicit directions, and every sprayer will 
be thankful for them. 
Use Good Lime. —In the first place, one should be 
sure to get the purest white lime. This is a limestone 
country, and our best lime can be bought for about 15 
cents per bushel; but I would rather pay 81 a bushel 
for the best Norwalk white lima than take this as a 
gift. The Norwalk lime, if properly used, will be 
almost as constant in solution as milk. It is also 
necessary to get the lime fresh and unslaked, and I 
find that, if slaked in boiling water, plenty of it, and 
well stirred while slaking, it will be much finer, and 
stay in suspension very much longer. I also find that, 
if the lime and copper sulphate are put together when 
strong, they form a curdly mass which can never be 
reduced so as to work satisfactorily. 
A Stock Solution. —When spraying, I make a 
stock solution of copper sulphate, one or two pounds 
to the gallon. I then slake the lime in & barrel so as 
to have it of the consistency of thick cream; this 
should be kept covered so as to keep it perfectly 
clean. Now, instead of putting these stock solutions 
together in the propjr proportions in the spray tank, 
and adding water, better fill the tank half or more 
full of water, and dip the needed amount of sulphate 
solution into this, stirring well before the lime is 
added. Then add plenty of water to the lime solu¬ 
tion, and stir until like thin milk. If let stand an 
instant, the heavy particles will subside, and the thin 
lime milk can be dipped into the tank of dilute solu¬ 
tion ; if well stirred, it will not sett’e in a long time. 
By constantly adding more water to toe lime solu¬ 
tion, it can be nearly all dipped off, and nothing taken 
that will in the least obstruct the nozzle. When the 
operator thinks he has lime enough, and the mixture 
is well stirred, it should be tested with the ferrocyan- 
ide of potassium test, and lime added so long as it 
shows any color. [This test is made by adding a few 
drops of a 20-per-cent solution ferrocyanide of potas¬ 
sium. So long as dissolved copper exists in the 
mixture the addition of this chemical causes a reddish 
brown precipitate to appear. Lime should be added 
till no change takes place when the reagent is added 
Eds ] It is well to add a gallon or two of milk of 
lime beyond what is necessary to neutralize the sul¬ 
phate ; especially should this be done if Paris-green 
is used with the mixture. 
The Arsenic Poisons —I prefer Paris-green to 
London-purple, because it is more uniform in strength, 
but I like the arsenite of lead better than either. It 
costs no more, will stay in suspension better, and is 
fully as destructive to insects ; then there is no danger 
of injuring the foliage by using it. To make this 
m'xture, dissolve 11 ounces acetate of lead (common 
sugar of lead) in four quarts of water, also dissolve 
four ounces of arsenate of soda in two quarts of water, 
using wooden, glass or stone ware to hold these solu¬ 
tions. When dissolved, pour them, one at a time, into 
40 or more gallons of water, and add enough to make 100 
or 150 gallons, according to the purpose for which it is 
to be used. If for canker worms, not more than 100 
should be used. The same strength is right for 
potatoes. j. s. woodwabd. 
A MAN TO SCARE THE CROWS. 
The object shown at Fig. 103 is not a relic of the 
Spanish War, neither has he been out with the boys. 
He seems to have a sort of tired feeling, a discouraged 
air; but that may come from his lack of a spinal column, 
or perhaps from the coarse fare under that tattered 
vest. For be it known he is only a man of straw. 
Beneath that ragged hat, no active brain is found. 
That impassive face shows neither fear nor joy, and 
the same vacant stare greets both friend and foe. That 
massive head is not the seat of giant intellect. He 
seems a little askew in all his parts, and after looking 
him over carefully, no one with due regard to truth 
can say that he is a thing of beauty. 
Yet who shall say that, with all his imperfections, 
he has not played well his part on life’s mimic stage ? 
Our correspondent, Jas. M. Stanfield, found him 
guarding a corn field in Tennessee, and no one may 
say that he did not do his duty well, much better, 
perhaps, than some of nobler mien or more richly en¬ 
dowed with natural gifts. He had a mission to per¬ 
form, and he never shirked his duty. Would that 
we might all have as good a record in our life’s work. 
