576 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 12 
Farmers' Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure atten¬ 
tion. Before asking a question, please see 
whether it is not answered in our advertising 
columns. Ask only a few questions at one time. 
Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
Van Deman’s Fruit Notes. 
ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
Pruning a Neglected Idaho Orchard. 
My orchard of apples and prunes, planted 
in the Spring of 1S97, was not pruned when 
set out, owing to the advanced state of the 
stock when received from the nursery. In 
the Spring of 1898 they were cut back and 
thinned to form skeletons of four to six 
limbs. Last Spring, owing to press of work, 
they were not pruned. What is the better 
plan to adopt, to thin out now and cut 
back, or let them go until next Spring? 
Idaho. J. w. l. 
The “advanced state” of growth of the 
trees when set was more reason for 
pruning them at that time than if they 
had been in a dormant condition. As 
to what should now be done in the way 
of pruning, it is impossible to give 
specific advice without seeing the trees. 
Even then, it might be that there are 
experienced fruit growers right there 
who could give much better advice than 
those who have never had experience in 
Idaho. The conditions of growth and 
fruitage are quite different there from 
those of the central and eastern States. 
However, it may be safely said that 
there may easily be too much pruning 
done for the good of the tree and the 
future fruit crops. It is rarely neces¬ 
sary to prune fruit trees there to cause 
them to bear abundantly. Too heavy 
fruitage is the more common fault. In 
no place are trees more prone to bear 
early in life and heavily afterward than 
on the Pacific slope. One principle in 
horticulture is that pruning in Summer 
tends to fruitage, and when the trees 
are dormant, to growth. If the trees are 
growing very rapidly, a little thinning 
out of superfluous branches and heading 
back at once, while the trees are grow¬ 
ing, will check growth to some extent, 
and be an advantage. No water sprouts 
will come where the cutting is done at 
this season, but if done in Winter or 
Spring, it will be the effort of nature to 
replace the branches cut away, and one 
or more sprouts will result where each 
branch had been. 
Treatment of Young Apple Orchard. 
I have an orchard of 600 apple trees, of 
which 450 were planted six years ago, and 
150 four years ago. The soil has been 
plowed and cultivated every year, for the 
last two years without crops. The field is 
rolling to such an extent that there is a 
constant wash which makes small gullies, 
and also gradually exposes the roots. I 
would continue to cultivate this orchard 
if it were level, but now it must be seeded. 
I have no wish to take hay off, but desire 
to pasture with hogs, if possible, or with 
sheep. How can I best seed it to clover, 
and how can I, at reasonable expense, pro¬ 
tect the trees so that hogs will not injure 
them. The soil is a good strong mixture of 
clay and sand, mostly clay. I am now giv¬ 
ing the orchard a second shallow plowing, 
as weeds got some start. I could separate 
the last planted trees from the others. It 
has seemed impracticable to protect the 
trees by staking, and I have wondered 
whether some form of wrapping would be 
advisable. s. w. g. 
Eaton Co., Michigan. 
A six-year-old apple orchard ought to 
be in fair condition for seeding to 
clover. If it has been well tilled, as one 
would judge from what the writer says, 
the trees should be of large size and in 
healthy condition. The four-year-old 
trees are barely big enough to cease to 
cultivate. If the clover be sown about 
September 1, or earlier if the weather be 
not hot and the soil dry, it would get a 
good start by Winter. I would advise 
the sowing of plenty of seed, not less 
than 25 pounds per acre, so as to get a 
good stand at the start. A very light 
seeding, perhaps half a bushel per acre, 
of buckwheat, would help to hold the 
soil from washing, as the frost would 
kill it, and the tops would lie upon the 
ground all Winter. They would, also, 
prevent freezing out of the little clover 
plants, to some extent. 
Unless a very large number of hogs 
are kept in the orchard, and there is not 
sufficient food for them, they will not 
hurt the trees. The way to protect the 
trees is to feed the hogs, and the same 
is true of sheep. If they are starved to 
it, they will gnaw the trees, and rarely 
touch them otherwise. 
Wrapping would be expensive, if sub¬ 
stantial enough to protect the trees from 
hogs. They would naturally rub against 
them, and this would remove anything 
else. Then, if they were disposed to eat 
the bark, they would do it. They might 
root away the earth at the base of the 
trees, and eat the bark there if they 
were hungry. I have known this to be 
done, but only when they were starved 
to it. Sheep are more inclined to gnaw 
trees than hogs, but with plenty of 
clover to graze, and corn and other grain 
or ground stuff to eat, there need be 
little apprehension of trouble from 
either of them. However, it would be 
wise to watch the trees, and if any signs 
of injury were seen, it would be time to 
act. In such case, a wrapping of wire 
netting, of inch mesh, or smaller, would 
be best and cheapest. A young orchard, 
or an old one either, should not be left 
in sod, even clover sod, for a long term 
of years. After about three years, 
whether the trees show signs of lack of 
growth or not, I would want it plowed 
and cultivated, for at least one season, 
before reseeding to clover. A seeding to 
cow peas at corn planting time would 
be a good change. The hogs should be 
kept from this crop until it has almost 
ripened the pods; then there is no more 
easy or profitable way to harvest it than 
to turn in hogs or sheep. Last year, I 
fattened some sheep in this way, that 
cost almost nothing. 
Pollinizer for Bubach Strawberries. 
Why are our Bubach strawberries knotty 
this year? They were fertilized with 
Michel and Williams; last season, they 
were fertilized with Wilson, and were much 
better. We have a large patch this season, 
and if they are not right, we might help 
them some by using some potted plants of 
better varieties. d. b. 
St. Davids, Ont., Canada. 
Michel blooms too early to be of much 
service as a pollinizer of Bubach. Wil¬ 
liams blooms later, and so does Wilson. 
Imperfect pollination is, probably, the 
cause of the knotty berries. If there is 
not about one row of Wilson for every 
three of Bubach, I would advise digging 
out patches here and there and setting 
in strong plants of Lovett or some other 
variety that blooms just at the time of 
Bubach. Wilson ought to be very good 
for the purpose, but there is no evidence 
so good as experience. If plants are set 
in, they should have plenty of room, and 
there should be no delay, provided the 
soil is moist. 
Peaches for Pennsylvania. 
J. H. G., Gillett, Pa .—I expect to set about 
200 peach trees next Spring, and have sod 
ground to set them in. Which would you 
advise me to do, plow the ground this Fall 
or in the Spring? The land slopes to the 
east. What kind of peaches would you ad¬ 
vise me to set in this part of the State? Is 
the Crosby a good one for market? 
To prepare ground that is at present 
in sod to receive peach trees next Spring, 
no time should be lost in plowing it. It 
would be well to plow it at once and 
sow turnips or buckwheat, or both, for 
this would help to rot the sod and mel¬ 
low the ground. Another late Fall plow¬ 
ing would still better prepare it for the 
trees next Spring, if the soil is not so 
peculiar as to be run together by Winter 
rains, and made more compact than if 
left unplowed. When planting time 
comes, deep dead furrows should be 
plowed up and down the slope where 
the rows of trees are to be, making three 
rounds with the plow. A light, single cross 
furrow will show where the trees should 
be set so as to make rows the other way. 
If care be used in making these furrows 
straight, and the dead furrows in the 
center of the plowed strip very deep, 
there will be little sighting to get the 
spot where the trees are to stand, and 
little work with the spade in preparing 
the holes for them. 
It would not be wise to depend on any 
one variety of peach. The earliest kind 
of much value is Triumph, but only a 
small proportion of the number should 
be of this or any other very early va¬ 
riety. Mountain Rose is the next in sea¬ 
son of ripening that I would use. It is 
a very popular peach for the market, 
and a heavy yielder. Family Favorite is 
the next in succession, and one of the 
very best of market and family varie¬ 
ties, although not well known in the 
East. Elberta should, also, be one of 
the main varieties planted. The depend¬ 
able Oldmixon Free is another that 
should not be omitted, and be followed 
by Salway and Henrietta for the latest. 
Crosby does very well in some sections, 
and is a peach of good quality, but it 
does not prove of superior value general¬ 
ly, and I would not advise planting it. 
There are other kinds ripening at the 
same time that make its loss not to be 
felt. 
Potted Strawberry Plants. 
+ * 
It. G. if., Milford, Conn .—In a patch of 
about 600 strawberry plants set the past 
Spring, many vacancies have occurred by 
reason of the drought. Can I reset these 
missing places with the potted plants now 
being offered by nurserymen, and secure a 
profitable crop of fruit next season? Is 
there anything to be gained by planting at 
once, and will extra culture be required? 
A ns. —Yes, the potted plants may be 
used, but they will not give more fruit 
next year than good transplants from 
your bed. With a Richards transplanter, 
you can take up strong young plants, 
and put them in the missing places with¬ 
out trouble. This transplanter is like a 
strong, bottomless tin can, with a long 
bale or handle. It fits down over the 
plant, and is driven into the soil with 
the foot. When pulled up, it lifts out 
the plant with a firm ball of earth 
around it the size of the tin can. A hole 
of similar size is made in the ground 
where the plant is to be set, and the 
plant with its ball of earth is pushed out 
of the can into the hole and pressed 
firm. Handled in this way, the plant 
seldom stops growing. If a little early 
work is done in pinning or weighting the 
runners so as to root them firmly, these 
plants will give fair yields of fruit the 
following Summer. The great reason 
for buying potted plants is that, in this 
way, we can obtain a fair supply of new 
and choice varieties, and breed a dozen 
or more strong plants from each one for 
next Spring’s planting. 
Peach Baskets. 
Sizes, 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , io, 12 , 14 and 16 qts. 
Peach Covers. 
Wood, Burlap and Cotton. 
Grape Baskets. 
Sizes, 3h>< 5i 8, i° and 15 lbs. 
Berry Baskets. 
Quarts, Shorts, Pints,Thirds, 
etc. 
BERRY, PEACH AND GRAPE CRATES. 
Crate stock and box shocks in all sizes, direct 
from the manufacturers. Special prices to deal¬ 
ers and carload buyers. Write for catalogue. 
A. H. MONTAGUE & SON, 
Manufacturers and Agents, 
xao Warren St., New York City. 
fil AflQTMIF Strawberry Plants — 
ULHIIw I UI1C Strong potted plants after 
Aug. 1, II per doz., by express. Circular, with reports 
from many States, free. F. F. Merceron.Catawissa, Pa. 
A I Northern grown. 
List free. 
A fnll crop next season. 
P. SPEER, Passaic, N. J. 
Potted Strawberry 
Plants, 50c. 1ft 100. List free 
T. C. Kevitt, Athenia, N. .1 
.iSS,CRIMSON CLOVER 
All Tested Seed. Write for Samples and Prices. 
H. W. DOUGHTEN, Moorestown, N. J. 
THOMAS McELROV, European Seed Commis- 
mission Merchant. Mercantile Ex. Bldg. Harrison 
St., New York, offers Essex English Dwarf Rape Seed 
and lligh-g'-ade Crimson C.over Samples and prices 
on app.ication. Dealers only. 
FAB CHI C—<500 bushels home-grown Crimson 
run dALb Clover Seed. 
J. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
S eed Wheat—Best varieties—Dawson's Golden 
Chaff, $1.40 per bu. Gold Co n and Harvest King. 
$1.10. Bags free. W. D. HOWE, Cortland. N. Y. 
QooH Whoate - 'Circular compares yields 15 t< 
uGCU If IICO Id 50 bushels. 17 varieties. 
S. J. SMITH’S POTATO FARM. Manchester. N.Y 
Rudy Seed W h k a t. —1,200 bushels, 
guaranteed pure, $1.25 per bushel. 
JOHN HERR SllENK, Lancaster. Pa. 
FULTZ SEED WHEAT. 
PURE, PLUMP ANI) CLEAN. 
The pick from the tlnest wheat llelds in the world 
Yields this year of 30 to 40 bushels per acre. $1 per 
bushel; bags free. THE O. C. SUEl’ARl) CO.. 
33 Public Square, Medina, Ohio. 
CHOICE SEED WHEAT S Eft 
head, very hardy and productive, straw stiff, bead 
long and compact. Strictly pure and free from foul 
seeds. Price, three bushels, $.3.25; nine bushels or 
more, $1 per bushel, including bags. Samples free. 
Cash with order Post-office money order office. 
Caledonia, N. Y. D. C. MCPHERSON SEED CO.. 
Garbutt, Monroe County, N. Y. 
IMPROVED SEED WHEAT 
Choice New Sorts grown along the 
Lake Shore. The finest farming 
section in the country. 
Change Your Seed and Better Your Crops. 
SIEGEL,SeeLm.ERIE, PA. 
Mention this paper. 8end for descriptive circular. 
If yoti are a farmer or want to be one, 
send for the “Western Trail.” Published 
quarterly. Full of pointers as to settling 
in Kansas, Oklahoma and Indian Terri¬ 
tory. Handsomely embellished and con¬ 
cisely written. Mailed free. 
Address by postal card or letter. 
John Sebastian, G.P.A., Chicago .—Adv 
Gold Coin Wheat. 
We offer a limited amount of this best 
of all Wheat, specially cleaned, at $1.50 
per bushel. Cash with order. 
W. & T. SMITH CO., GENEVA, N. Y. 
THU STOKRS Ac HABKISON CO., PMNESV1LLE, OHIO, 
Leading American Nurserymen, offer one of the most complete assortment, of 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, BULBS, eto 
45 Yenr*. 44 Greenhouse*. lOOO Acre*. Correspondence Solicited. Catalog Free. 
POT 
CROWN 
STRAWBERRIES 
j 
We shall have our usual 
supply of fine plants ready 
about July 15th. Catalogue 
containing correct descriptions of the best varieties with cultural directions mailed on request. 
ELLWANCER Sc BARRY, Mount Hope Nurseries, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 6»th Year. 
Pot-Grown Strawberry Plants. 
Set out now will bear a large crop of choice fruit next season. We 
have all the tried and valuable varieties. Also, a full line of trees 
and other nursery stock for fall planting. Summer and Autumn 
Catalogue Is now ready. Write to-day. 
T. J. DWYER & SON, Box 1, Cornwall, N.Y. 
Business Trees & Best Trees 
ROGERS TREES are BUSINESS TREES. Remember the name and the 
place to buy. THE ROGERS NURSERIES, Dausvllle, New York. 
