798 
November 18 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
be necessary to grow Stocks, pits should be saved 
from ripe fruits and mixed with moist sand to pre¬ 
vent them from drying. Late in the Fall these should 
be planted in shallow drills, and the rows covered 
with boards to prevent the soil from being compacted 
by rains, also tin order to head off vermin. The seed¬ 
lings may be worked one year from the following 
Spring. Top-working wild stock or worthless varie¬ 
ties, with the (improved varieties, may also be prac¬ 
ticed. 
INSECT ENEMIES.—Native plums have many ene 
mies, the most destructive of which is the curculio. 
Jarring seems to be about the only effective method 
of keepling this pest in check. In jarring, we also 
catch another and a closely related pest, that is al¬ 
most as destructive as the curculio, viz., the Plum 
gouger. In the Station orchard the gouger has been 
found in nearly as great numbers as the curculio, and 
is quite as destructive. The Plum aphis and Pear 
slug occasionally call for a meal, but are more easily 
kept in check. Among fungous diseases that affect 
the native plum, the most common are premature rot¬ 
ting of the frulit, Plum scab and black knot. 
All of the species of native plums, and especially the 
Americanas, tend to overbearing. This is a serious 
fault, and requires courageous and thorough work in 
thinning of the fruit if the vigor of the trees is to be 
maintained. 
DISTILLED VS. SPRING WATER. 
Many of our readers have little Idea of the extent of 
the water-selling business in the eastern States. Im¬ 
mense quantities of water from New England springs 
are sold in casks and bottles—often at higher prices than 
dairymen obtain for their milk. In some of the large 
cities “Pure spring water” is sold on the street corners 
at two cents a glass. There is a growing demand in 
some large towns and cities for a pure table water, and 
a controversy between those who sell spring water and 
distilled water. In parts of the West the natural waters 
are bad, and distilled water is quite popular. In the 
German navy small quantities of salts are added to the 
RELATIVE VIGOR OF AMERICAN AND 
EUROPEAN PLUMS. Fio. 21)6. 
a large amount of unnecessary work, and injury may 
result therefrom. 
Waters that contain more than 200 parts of solids 
per 1,000,000 are not of the best. Waters that con- 
taJin more than 600 parts of solids per 1,000,000 are 
not to be recommended. Again, waters, the mineral 
matters of which are largely Epsom salts, or Glauber 
salts, and sodium and magnesium carbonates, are not 
desirable. Many spring waters on the markets are 
of this class—they are medicines to be used by those 
needing such remedies, but not to be recommended 
to those not in need of such medicine. There are 
many spring waters that contain not to exceed 50 
parts of solids per 1,000,000, and generally such are 
among our best drinking waters. 
The objection has been offered to distilled waters 
that they are poisonous, that they destroy the proto¬ 
plasm of the living cell. Granted that this may be 
true, providing they come directly in contact with 
this living protoplasm. But do they do this in the 
system? The stomach always contains food-material 
salts, hydrochloric acid, etc., and before the water has 
been taken into the circulation, or even come in 
contact with the tissues, it is no longer chemically 
pure water. In my opinion distilled and aerated 
water is highly to be recommended in place of much 
of the drinking water containing considerable quan¬ 
tities of solids, and particularly for the great west¬ 
ern plains and plateau region, where the waters con¬ 
tain notable quantities of alkalies. The same may be 
said for waters contaminated with organic matters, 
or with sewage. Distilled water is used exclusively in 
the navies, and we hear no complaints of its being 
poisonous. On the contrary, many physicians highly 
commend lits use. Distilled water is particularly to 
be recommended, in my judgment, for infants, in¬ 
valids and those suffering from kidney trouble and for 
dyspeptics, and some have claimed its use in middle 
life will be a means of retarding old age. 
North Dakota Exp. Station. e. f. ladd. 
SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED.—The questions 
that are most likely to be asked are: How can the 
fruit be used? Is there any market for it? Will it 
pay to grow them? In answer to the first question, I 
will certify from several years’ experience that most 
excellent jam and jelly may be made from native 
plums, and the fruit of many varieties is not to be 
despised as dessert fruits. Native plums sell readily 
in western markets at good prices in competition 
with imported fruit, when properly handled and of¬ 
fered in attractive shape. As to prices, the plums 
from the Station orchard have brought from $1 to 
$1.50 per bushel on the local market. Many growers 
will say that we sold too cheap, and that much higher 
prices are obtained, which is true. But commercial 
orcharding has many advantages over experimental 
orchard work in the matter of marketing products. 
When but one tree of a sort, or at most two are 
grown, there is seldom enough fruit to establish a 
reputation for any particular kind. Some western 
growers reported as high as $2 per bushel at whole¬ 
sale in 1898. 
The greatest drawback at present in marketing is 
the “wtild plum.” These are invariably small, poor in 
quality, overripe, and brought to market in a potato 
basket, and always wet and sticky from exuding 
juice. These are sold at prices that de¬ 
moralize the market, for unfortunately, the 
buying public has not been educated to 
seek the choicer varieties of the natives 'in 
preference to “wild plums.” The remedy' 
lies entirely with the grower. Grow but a 
few of the best varieties, and establish a 
reputation for these by offering them only 
under the varietal name, as: Wyant, 
Quaker, etc., as is done with other fruits. 
It (is, of course, unnecessary to say that 
only sound fruit should be offered for sale. 
Ten-pound grape baskets are probably the 
neatest and most economical package to 
use. The plums should be picked as soon 
as well colored, and not allowed to ripen 
fully on the tree. They will ripen quite 
as well, and keep much longer in this way 
if kept in a dark place. 
NO SELF-FERTILIZATION. — Progres¬ 
sive orchardists in the West are giving 
close attention to the natiive plums, and the 
best informed are giving them much atten¬ 
tion. Investigations made by Prof. Waugh, 
of Vermont, and Prof. Goff, of this Station, 
lead to the conclusion that the majority, 
if not all of the native plums, are incapable 
of self-fertilization. In this fact lies great 
hope for the future of the Americana sec¬ 
tion. By persistent planting of pits from 
the best varieties, from a mixed plantation, 
may we not hope for a freestone plum as 
large as Surprise or Hawkeye, with the 
high quality of the former and with the 
thlin skin of Wild Goose or Robinson? If 
this should be accomplished, we will have 
a fruit that will far outrank any European 
or Japan plum. Thoughtful fruit growers 
realize the value of ironclad fruit for the fertile 
Northwest, and the native plums present great possi¬ 
bilities. FREDERIC CRANEFIELD. 
Wisconsin Exp. Station. 
The Fruit Trade Journal says that a fruit dealer in 
Syracuse, N. Y., who recently bought a lot of bananas, 
found a nest with two Mexican squirrels in one of the 
bunches. He now has them in a cage, and is pleased 
with his “premium.” 
distilled water before it is used by the sailors. The fol¬ 
lowing article by Prof. Ladd is a fair statement of the 
matter: 
I do not think any person, who has given careful 
study to this question, will for one moment question 
the superiority of good pure spring water as a bever¬ 
age. What constitutes purity? The presence of or¬ 
ganic matter is objectionable, often dangerous to 
health, therefore organic matter should be absent, 
or nearly so, from drinking waters. Two spring 
waters, free from organic matter, may differ markedly 
in the amount and character of the mineral matter 
AITKIN PLUM. Fio. 297. 
(salts) which they contain. Both waters may be 
clear and sparkling, and agreeable to the taste, but 
one of them may have so much mineral matter, and 
of such a nature, as to be positively injurious. All 
of the mineral matters, not required by the body, that 
are in solution must be again eliminated by the 
kidneys, and there is thus thrown upon those organs 
PREPARING BEES FOR WINTER. 
Bees ought to be prepared for Winter before very 
cold weather sets in. In the Middle States the be¬ 
ginner will have better results by wintering on the 
Summer stands; cellar wintering requires more ex¬ 
perience and watchfulness. The first requisite neces¬ 
sary for successful wintering is to have bees enougn 
to cover at least four Langstroth frames. They 
should have from 20 to 30 pounds of good ripe honey. 
If lacking in stores they should be fed good granu¬ 
lated sugar; iy 2 cupful of sugar to one cupful of hot 
water makes a syrup of the right consistency. If you 
have on hand some extracted honey add a few table¬ 
spoonfuls, which will prevent its granulat¬ 
ing. Bees wlill winter well on good sugar, 
which is about the only substitute that can 
be used. Unripe honey or honeydew often 
kills the bees in Winter, as they cannot 
stand a long confinement on such food. If 
the bees are in a double-walled chaff hive 
nothing more is necessary; if in a hive of 
single thickness an outer case of some sort 
should be put over the hive, but lin no wise 
close up the entrance. Bees need plenty of 
fresh air; the entrance should be left open 
full width, which will also prevent the' 
combs from becoming moldy. On warm 
days during Winter, when the thermome¬ 
ter registers 50 degrees or more the bees 
will fly out for a cleansing flight, after 
which they will be able to stand another 
month of rigorous weather. With cellar 
wintering I have had no experience, but 
the conditions necessary thereto are to have 
a good ventilated cellar kept dark, with an 
even temperature of about 45 degrees. Some 
time in November, right after the bees have 
had a good flight, remove them to the cel¬ 
lar, selecting the time towards evening; the 
bees should be handled as gently as possi¬ 
ble to keep them from filling themselves 
with honey, for It will be from four to five 
months before they will have a cleansing 
flight. The essentials for successful cellar 
wintering are an even temperature, quiet¬ 
ness, darkness and ventilation. 
_ V. a . HERMAN. 
“A Water Witch.”— The “water witch” 
article, page 734, recalls riding with a young 
woman who professed to be a Witch-hazel 
wand operator. To test it, I cut a Witch- 
hazel fork beside the road. She held the wand, a limb 
in each hand. I held her wrists to detect involuntary 
muscle contraction. There was none. She was passive. 
The wand turned downward powerfully at various points 
along the road. It wouldn’t budge for me at any point. 
Her method of holding it was with elbows at sides, fore¬ 
arms and hands straight out in front; wand held upright 
with top slightly from her. It would make a distinct 
bend over her fingers. There may have been water in the 
earth at those points—probably was, oceans of it on the 
other side! reader. 
