Vol. LYIII. No. 2584. 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 5, 1899 
II PICK. YEAR. 
AN ORCHARD OF BOSC PEARS. 
HOW IT WAS STARTED. 
Advice for Pear Growers. 
GETTING A START.—The orchard shown at Fig. 
213 contains 100 trees, and was set in the Spring of 
’06. The trees were obtained of a nearby nurseryman, 
the Sheldon variety being set. The trees made a vig¬ 
orous growth, and were in good shape for budding the 
same year. This was done in August, my nurseryman 
sending a budder and a tier to do the work. 
I paid them for their time and railroad fare, which 
resulted in an extra expense of about five cents per 
tree above the original cost. It was necessary to cut 
the bands in about two weeks, and in the following 
Spring, to prune off all the Sheldon growth, and to 
watch that none of it grew during the Summer. I 
do not think the idea ought to prevail that it is a 
difficult matter to start a Rose orchard. To be sure, 
it is some bother and trouble to set a tree of one 
variety, and then change it over to another. Rut the 
man who loves his trees doesn’t mind this, and the 
man who does not love his trees, might better never 
set them out. For 
those not living 
within easy distance 
of a nurseryman, it 
would be better to 
buy the trees already 
budded. They should 
be ordered the year 
before they are 
wanted, and the 
buyer could select 
any stock he pre¬ 
ferred on which to 
bud them. 
T H E RES T 
STOCK. — Although 
I have no cause for 
complaint in the 
growth my trees 
have made thus far, 
were I to set an¬ 
other Rose orchard, 
I would use 
Kieffer as a 
tree. Fig. 215 shows 
a tree which I bud¬ 
ded last August. The 
picture was taken 
June 30, and repre¬ 
sents the growth 
made thus far. The union appears to be good, and 
some of the best orchardists are making this combina¬ 
tion. Fig. 213 represents the orchard as it stands 
to-day. It has been plowed each year, and kept cul¬ 
tivated in hoed crops. Each Spring, the growth has 
been cut back from one-third to one-half in order to 
form a compact, symmetrical head. 
HARITS OF ROSC.—The Rose makes a somewhat 
straggling growth, but our poet editor rather over¬ 
draws it when he calls it “a feeble, crooked thing—a 
most outrageous tree.” Some of the trees have made 
a growth of four feet in one season, and many of them 
already present as much surface as Seckel and Bart- 
lett varieties set the same year. I was led into grow¬ 
ing the Rose pear from an old tree which my father- 
left on the homestead. Although it was set over 40 
years ago, it is still quite vigorous and healthy. It 
has nearly always stood in grass, and is only of me¬ 
dium size, but it seldom fails to bear over two bushels 
of choice fruit every year. This is, probably, not a 
top-worked tree. I have never had any trouble with 
the fruit rotting as M. speaks of on page 481. 
Seneca Co., N. Y. w. a. hassette. 
EARLY-BEARING NUT TREES. 
We have been often asked how soon after plant¬ 
ing apple, pear and other trees will come into bear¬ 
ing. Of course, one cannot give a definite answer. 
A combination of circumstances will influence the 
result. A Paragon chestnut tree planted in the Fall 
of ’96, had, July 25, 38 perfectly developed burrs. 
The tree is less than five feet in height, quite stocky, 
with fine, healthy foliage. It gives every promise of 
maturing the nuts. The burrs are growing rapidly, 
and are six to seven inches in circumference. They 
are borne in clusters of from two to five. There are 
only three single ones on the tree. 
In the same row with the Paragon, and next to it, 
is the Japan, Success. This tree was also planted in 
the Fall of ’96, and has made a much more vigorous 
growth than the Paragon. The Success is over six 
feet in height, and has an abundance of luxuriant 
foliage, which of itself is beautiful. It has but five 
burrs, which at this time are not as large as the 
burrs of the Paragon. 
Next in order of planting comes the Numbo, which 
is of the same general order and habit of growth, 
and planted at the same time. The tree has made a 
growth of about five feet in height, and is more 
stocky in its formation. The Numbo has but one 
single burr. 
Our trees of the Japan Mammoth in the same row 
and planted at the same time as the ones named, 
are not more than four feet high, and will measure 
fully that much in diameter. They are of a very 
stocky, vigorous growth, but have no promise of 
fruit this season. 
The trees of Japan Giant and Yellow Spanish 
planted in another and colder part of our place, are 
always more or less harmed by the Winter. They 
were put out in ’94, and have not as yet borne any 
fruit, although they have made a good growth, and 
the outlook for a crop next season is favorable. 
Our English walnuts were also planted in the Fall 
of ’94, along the roadside in rather a cold, unfavor¬ 
able situation. The trees have been more or less in¬ 
jured each Winter, but we are glad to see that the 
injury is very much lessened each year, as the trees 
develop with age. They were but slightly harmed 
last Winter. They have not as yet borne any fruit. 
Orange Co., N. Y. T. J. dwyer. 
SOUTH JERSEY POTATOES. 
HOW THE CROP IS HANDLED. 
Seed, Thinning and Digging. 
A GREAT LITTLE MARKET—Mullica Hill, N. J., 
is said to be the greatest little potato market in the 
country. The farmers shipping from that station 
raise large crops of early potatoes, and digging 
time makes lively business all through that section. 
On July 20, I went down to see how the potatoes 
are dug and handled on Mr. Warren Atkinson's 
farm. Mr. Atkinson has 37 acres of potatoes this 
year. The crop is short, owing to the dry season; 
yet large quantities of potatoes were being barreled 
at the station. 
“It is a good thing,” said Mr. Atkinson, “that we 
went through and thinned out our potatoes. But 
for that, most of them would have been very small, 
hardly larger than seconds. This thinning was all 
done by hand. The men went through and pulled 
out all but one stalk to the hill. It does not do to 
break the stalks off, for they will start growing 
again. You must break them entirely away from 
the seed piece, like 
taking sweet potato 
slips from the seed. 
I can show you the 
difference made by 
thinning.” 
Suiting the action 
to the word, Mr. At¬ 
kinson dug into the 
hills where one 
sprout had been left, 
and also where sev¬ 
eral sprouts had been 
permitted to grow. 
A single sprout pro¬ 
duced four or five 
good-sized tubers. A 
collection of sprouts 
often had eight or 
ten tubers, but few if 
any of them iarge 
enough to sell as first 
size. It occurred to 
me, too, that the sin¬ 
gle-sprout hills ma¬ 
tured earlier than 
the others. This 
was an advantage 
for early potatoes, 
which are wanted be¬ 
fore August 1, if possible. The extra sprouts are 
pulled by hand, for Mr. Atkinson does not hoe at all. 
With digger and cultivator, he is able to keep the 
crop clean. This year, however, owing to the late 
maturing of the crop, Summer grass and weeds have 
crept in, until the crop is fouler than at any time in 
20 years previous. 
SULPHUR ON SEED.—In pulling up one hill, Mr. 
Atkinson found the seed piece still firm and solid 
“Why,” he said, “the sulphur is still left on that 
piece.” 
“Do you use sulphur on the seed pieces, then?” 
“Yes,” he said, "of late years, we have used sul¬ 
phur freely. We cut the seed pieces into peach has 
kets, and when about half full, we put a handful of 
sulphur on top, and shake it thoroughly down through 
the seed pieces. More is put at the top, and shaken 
down. The basket stands on a cloth so that the sul¬ 
phur which goes down through is saved.” 
“Why do you use the sulphur?” 
“The chief reason is that we think it prevents the 
seed pieces from rotting. In some cold, wet seasons, 
we have had the seed rot in the ground, and this, ol 
