852 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 9 
Farmers’ Club. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure atten¬ 
tion. Before asking a question, please Bee 
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.] 
Trees in Poultry Yards. 
A., Texas.— Will fowls give trouble in 
roosting on trees instead of in house? Will 
they trouble the ripening fruit? If trees 
are planted close to the division fences, are 
fowls liable to fly on them and enter the 
adjoining yard? What will be the most 
simple structure for shading in Summer 
which could be removed readily in Winter? 
Ans. —Our bens are inclined to roost 
in the trees. During the hot nights of 
July and August, over half our fowls 
go to the trees. After picking up this 
habit they will not willingly go back 
to the house, even in wet and frosty 
weather. They do not injure the fruit 
on the trees. A few of them climb along 
the limbs and fly over the fence, but 
not all do it. A fairly good shade may 
be made by tacking old fertilizer sacks 
over a light frame. These fertilizer 
sacks are about the cheapest cloth in 
the eastern States. 
Value of Catskins. 
Several Subscribers:—Is It possible to sell 
catskins in New York? What are they 
worth? 
Ans. —It is possible to sell almost any¬ 
thing in New York. Mayers & Tigner, 
of this city, say: 
There is always a small demand for 
catskins; but no matter how thick the 
fur is, the value of them is never above 
25 or 30 cents. The demand is not large. 
They can be used in small quantities in 
any color; but all colors outside of 
black are much cheaper, say about 10 
or 15 cents. Cats are caught in all parts 
of the country. The handling of the 
skins is not, and would not be, very 
profitable. There are large quantities of 
skunks caught every year. At present 
the quantity coming in is as small as 
usual; the quality also is not good. They 
are being used for all kinds of pur¬ 
poses, trimmings, muffs, capes, collars 
and neck scarfs. 
A Rhode Island Greening Orchard. 
E. R., Albion, N. Y.—I have an orchard of 
Rhode Island Greening apple trees, 20 
years old, planted two rods apart each 
way. The trees are very thrifty and the 
branches already interlocking, and I have 
decided that I must resort to one of two 
things; either remove every other tree, or 
top-graft every other one with some quick¬ 
growing, upright, early-bearing variety. 
Which shall I do? I much prefer to graft, 
and in case you recommend this course, 
advise what variety to use. I had thought 
of Hubbardston, Sutton, Rome Beauty, 
Wagener or Arctic. Which would you 
prefer? Give a description of these kinds, 
with advantages or defects. I desire an 
upright grower, and an early and annual 
bearer. If you know of any variety more 
desirable than these mentioned, will you 
inform me? 
Ans.— If the branches of the trees 
are interlocking at 20 years of age, what 
may be expected at 40 years? An apple 
tree in western New York ought to be in 
good bearing condition at the latter age. 
Moreover, if the branches come together 
now, the roots have long since been 
struggling with each other for the food 
and moisture in the soil. Top-grafting 
would be of little benefit. The branches 
m'ight be cut back and varieties of up¬ 
right habit grafted in, but the roots 
would still interfere. The trees need 
more room. I would advise cutting out 
alternate trees in every row, which will 
leave them about 45 feet apart, in rows 
running diagonally to the squares as 
they now stand. The wood in such 
healthy apple trees as these probably 
are might bring something for tool 
handles. If the orchard is large, and 
Rhode Island does not pay, then I say 
to graft all or a part of it to some better, 
variety. A small orchard of a variety 
that is unprofitable some years might be 
endured for the sake of the occasionally 
profitable crops. The old “Greening” is 
a good apple, but is being abandoned 
commercially, in some degree, for the 
red varieties. The owner should decide 
for himself whether a red apple would 
probably pay him better than to hold 
on to the green one. It will be rather 
costly to graft over such large trees. 
Besides, there would be some failures 
among the grafts, and it would be three 
years before a perfect stand of bearing 
wood could be had. 
If it be decided to graft over the trees 
the varieties mentioned are all very 
good for that region. I would not graft 
all the trees to one variety, but try sev¬ 
eral; Hubbardston would be my first 
choice, and Wagener my second. 1 
would put in some York Imperial and 
some Jonathan for trial. There is no 
up-to-date book that describes “all va¬ 
rieties of apples.” Downing’s Fruits 
and Fruit Trees of America is the most 
comprehensive we have. The American 
Fruit Culturist, by Thomas, is good, but 
not so complete. h. e. y. d. 
Tomatoes for Forcing. 
Reader (No Address ).—Name the best va¬ 
rieties of tomatoes for early Spring fruit¬ 
ing in a greenhouse. I find Atlantic Prize 
and similar very early varieties fair crop¬ 
pers, but they are too rough and angular 
to please my customers. 
Ans. —The Mayflower and Lorillard 
have always been preferred in the forc¬ 
ing districts about New York, as both 
produce good crops of very smooth, 
handsome, and fine-quality tomatoes. 
Mayflower is an early-fruiting variety, 
with rather scanty foliage, and is 
especially adapted, on this account, for 
fruiting during the dull weather of mid¬ 
winter, when sunlight is very limited. 
Lorillard is more productive, and is 
usually very satisfactory if good seed 
is secured. Two English tomatoes, 
Frogmore Select and Sutton’s Earliest 
of All, were recently tried by a few 
growers, and, we believe, have given 
great satisfaction, as they have been 
developed especially for greenhouse cul¬ 
tivation. Frogmore Select is an early 
small-leaved sort, bearing its small but 
smooth and well-colored tomatoes in ex¬ 
ceptionally large clusters. Earliest of 
All, despite its suggestive name, re¬ 
quires more time to develop and ripen 
its fine fruits, and is therefore grown 
as a second crop. In quality and ap¬ 
pearance it is all that can be desired. 
Red Raspberries in Indiana. 
O. H. M., Covington, Ind.—We have about 
one-eighth mile of creek bank, which is too 
steep to farm, as it is near 45 degrees 
slope. I am thinking of setting it to red 
raspberries. Would it be advisable to do 
so? 
Ans. —It would seem to me inadvisa¬ 
ble to plant berries of any kind on a 
creek bank that lies at an angle of 45 
degrees. The soil would wash dread¬ 
fully, and, it may be, that the creek 
would overflow and wash the land in 
times of high waters. My advice would 
be to set it to some kind of tree that 
would occupy the land permanently, and 
at the same time withstand the floods 
when grown up. The Japan walnut, 
Cordiformus, would' be a beautiful, 
hardy and profitable tree. Some of the 
choice varieties of our native persim¬ 
mon would also pay well. There are 
a few small orchards of this fru'it now 
bearing in Indiana, and they are very 
profitable to their owners. There is a 
bulletin published by the Indiana State 
Experiment Station (Lafayette), on the 
persimmon, that gives a description of 
some of the good varieties anu other 
valuable information about this fruit. 
Some of the good kinds of the pecan 
might also be grown profitably on this 
creek bank, if the soil is rich. If the 
land is very well drained and loose, the 
improved varieties of the chestnut 
might succeed there. If the slope is 
rocky, the stones should be made into 
terrace walls just below the tree rows. 
II. e. v. D. 
For the land’s sake—use Bowker’s 
Fertilizer.— Ada). 
Culture of Horseradish. 
A. F. C., Raymond, 111 .—What is the cul¬ 
ture of horseradish, soil, number of plants 
to the acre, how far apart plants are to be 
set, how long (average time) before the 
crop will be ready for market? I under¬ 
stand that this will not pay to turn one’s 
whole attention to, but thought that about 
one acre of good soil planted to horse¬ 
radish and properly cultivated would pay. 
by securing orders before shipping to the 
market. 
Ans. —It is usually considered that 
horseradish can only be grown at a 
profit under present conditions as a sec¬ 
ond crop, following early cabbage, beets, 
etc. It is hardly possible to secure or¬ 
ders in advance from commission men, 
as the supply is generally ample, and 
they take consignments as they come. 
The soil should be of the best, mellow, 
deep and rich. Horseradish is a great 
feeder, and will not attain marketable 
quality on thin soils. The sets, which 
are pieces of roots about the size of a 
lead pencil, cut four to six inches long, 
are planted 18x24 inches apart, making 
12,000 to 13,000 to the acre. They are 
usually planted between the rows of 
beets, cabbages or cauliflowers, before 
May 1. The planting is done by making 
a hole eight or 10 inches deep with a 
planting stick or light crowbar, into 
which the horseradish set is dropped, so 
that the top will lie two or three inches 
under the surface when covered. The 
sets are previously prepared by cutting 
the top end square and small end slant¬ 
ing, so that there will be no danger in 
planting them upside down, which 
would greatly injure the appearance of 
the resulting root. The reason for 
planting so deep is to delay growth and 
allow of shallow cultivation over the 
top, for the benefit of the early crop. 
The holes are filled in by pressing the 
earth alongside with the planting stick. 
Horseradish makes its main growth in 
the Fall, and one or two good cultiva¬ 
tions after the early crop has been re¬ 
moved are about all that is required in 
ordinary seasons. It is usually dug and 
marketed in December. The large roots 
are trimmed and washed, and the small 
branches made into sets for planting 
next Spring. If grown as a main crop, 
it may be planted early in April, barely 
covering the top ot the set. The result¬ 
ing roots will, of course, be larger by 
Fall, but the increase in crop will not 
usually equal the value of an early crop 
of some other vegetable grown on the 
same ground. 
OTASH gives color , 
flavor and firmness to 
all fruits. No good fruit 
can be raised without 
Potash. 
Fertilizers containing at least 
8 to \o% of Potash will give 
best results on all fruits. W rite 
for our pamphlets, which ought 
to be in every farmer’s library. 
They are sent free. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. 
PEAR POSSIBILITIES 
[are only fully realized by those.who plant our 
Standard Kiefer Pears. 
' Our stock is renowned lor vigor and rapid 
growth and absolute freedom from disease, etc, 
This pear is enormously productive, large size, 
tine flavor and handsome appearance. A good 
seller. Trees are free from blight; ripens late, 
r stock is the best the growers’ art can produce. 
UARlilhOxN’S JS (JliSElllES, Box 21),' Berlin, Md. 
Weak 
Children 
How sad it is to see weak 
children—boys and girls who 
are pale and thin. They can¬ 
not enjoy the sports of child¬ 
hood, neither are they able 
to profit by school life. They 
are indeed to be pitied. But 
there is hope for them. 
Scott’s Emulsion 
has helped such children for 
over a quarter of a century. 
Your doctor will tell you it is both 
food and medicine to them. They 
begin to pick up at once under its 
use. Their color improves, the flesh 
becomes more firm, the weight 
increases and all the full life and 
vigor of childhood returns again. 
At all druggists; 50c. and $1.00. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists, New York. 
iadoo Fibre and Jadoo Liquid 
Will Rive yon Early Crops and Large Crops 
of Vegetables or Fruit. 8end for Catalogues 
and be convlnoed of the merits of these 
new Fertilisers. 
THE AMEBIC AN JADOO CO., 
816 Falrmonnt Avenue. Philadelphia, Pa. 
X WWWWVtAWWWtVWVVWWWI 
t vt\vvvwvwwvvvvvvvvvvvvw.v\\v; 
I MUSHROOM SPAWN 
Choice English Mill track. 
FRESH CONSIGNMENT JUST RECEIVED. 
Price, 10c. per pound; $7 per 100 pounds: in 
500-pound lots at $6.50 per 100 pounds. 
Send for Our 1900 Carden and 
Farm Manual. 
If you Keep Hens, you should have our new 
Poultry Supply Catalogue. 
JOHNSON & STOKES, 
217-219 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Ol nVED and other Grass Seeds FOR SALE. 
ULUVCli Write tor samples and prices. 
Bourbon Elevator and Milling Co., Bourbon Ind. 
Seed Potatoes Wanted.— Good New 
York State stock. 2.500 bushels Green Mounta n. 
Early Bose. State of Maine. New Queen White 
Star. B. W. SAl’TEBfH WAIT, Yardville, N. J. 
Seed Potatoes.— Early Ohio. Hebron, 
Bose, Bovee, Thoroughbred. Queen. Irish Cobbler. 
King of Boses, Good News, Sir Walter, Oncle 8am. 
85 kinds. Fair prices. What kinds and how many do 
you want ? C. W. Ford & Co,, Fishers, Ont. Co., N. V. 
UfDAD each box of berries in Wax Paper. 
VWIlMr Samples 10c. T C. Kevitt, A.henla, N.J 
TREES 
at Wholesale prices. Apple, Plum and 
Pears, $6 per 100; Peach, 3c. Cat. Free 
Reliance Nursery, Box 10, Geneva, N. Y. 
Grape Vines 
Descriptive and Price List free. 
Ctarranti, Gooseberries and other Small 
Fruit Plant*. Extraquality. Warranted true. 
T. 8. HUBIIARl) CO., PREDOMA, N. Y. 
Pedigree Strawberries 
Keoommended to all strawberry growers by Rurai, 
New-Yorker March 11, ’99, and praised by it July 17, 
’97. and July 16, '98. We offer JOE, CABBIE SILVERS, 
STELLA and BE BA in pot-grown plants at 25o each, 
$2 per doz.. $5 per 100; and BOBBIE and NETTIE, the 
best late strawberries yet introduced, at 25c. each, $2 
per doz., $6 per 100. Plants to be all pot-grown and to 
be delivered after July 1st. Order quick; stock limited 
JOS. H. BLACK , SON & CO., Hightstown, N. J. 
Choicest Fruit and Ornamental Trees. 
Shrubs, Plants, Bulbs, Seeds. 40 Acres Hardy Roses, 
of Palms, Everblooming Roses, Ficus, Ferns, Etc. 
solicited. Catalogue Free. 
44 Greenhouses 
Correspondence 
the STORRS & HARRISON GO., Painesville, O. 
your t Chestnut Trees 
A few grafts put in your seedling chestnut tree will make it pay hig I name price and kinds In catalogue. 
Free. Full line nursery stock- AKTIIliK J. COLLINS, Moorestown, Burlington Co„ N.j. 
