98 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 12 
WHEN TO PLOW UNDER GREEN RYE. 
SHOUTED WE MOW IT FIRST ? 
In using rye as a green crop to plow under in the Spring, in 
what stage of its growth would you prefer to do the plowing—in 
other words, when is rye at its best for this purpose ? Have you 
ever tried the plan of mowing a green crop of this kind several 
days before plowing under, and letting it wilt or partly dry on 
the top of the ground, then plowing underand packing down V Do 
you think this plan would have any advantage over the usual 
one of plowing this rye directly into the ground ? 
A Small Growth Preferable. 
Rye is one of the very best non-nitrogenous-fixing 
cover crops and, in some localities, may provide in 
early Spring some pasture for light stock ; but usually 
the ground is too moist and the air too cold for using 
it in any large way as pasturage. Rye should be 
plowed under before it makes any very large growth 
in the Spring. Six or eight inches, or even a less 
height, are better than to let it grow until it heads. 
If it is most convenient not to plow the land until 
the rye would naturally head out, then it would bet¬ 
ter be kept back by pasturing. There is enough car¬ 
bonaceous matter in the roots and tops, though small, 
to supply the land with all that is needed, and having 
served its purpose as a conserver of nitrogen during 
the wet months of winter, it has performed its full 
function. If it is left until it is well headed out, it is 
difficult to plow under, and there is great danger that 
it will do injury to the succeeding crop if the weather 
should remain dry after it is plowed under. More is 
gained by plowing it under when small and using the 
time which intervenes between the plowing and the 
planting of the next crop to set free plant food by 
extra tillage. i. p. Roberts. 
Cornell Experiment Station. 
When Full Size Is Reached. 
There is a point just before the grain begins to fill, 
when the stalk has reached full size and height, that 
is here considered the proper time to turn rye under. 
At that time, there is the most vegetable matter to 
put into the soil, and as it is humus, mechanical work 
of the roots and retention of nitrogen, that we expect 
from rye in the way of fertilization, the utmost limit 
of usefulness of the plant has then been reached. It 
will soon decay, and such a crop as corn can be at 
once planted on the inverted sod, after thorough roll¬ 
ing and harrowing. The harrowing may follow plant¬ 
ing, but rolling should precede it. Conservation of 
water in the soil must not be forgotten, and as the 
full growth of the rye may rob the soil of that most 
valuable item of plant growth, it is often best to plow 
under any green crop when it is one-half grown. Each 
user of rye, for this purpose, must decide this question 
from the rainfall during the growth of the rye, the 
use the land will be put to after the rye is turned 
under, the length of time ensuing before planting, 
and the probable rainfall after, the latter, of course, 
partly guesswork. I have never tried mowing rye 
before plowing, neither have I even thought of it. As 
I look at it, by so doing, I would not only do needless 
work, but turn an easy job into a hard one, as rye 
usually stands very straight, and is by use of a laying 
arm ora chain on the plow, one of the easiest crops to 
plow under. Also, I would lose considerable water in 
the event of rainfall which the plowed under soil 
would hold, but the hard, unplowed soil would not. 
Delaware. s. h. derby. 
When It Has the Greatest Weight. 
The plowing under of green crops serves more than 
one purpose. As generally understood, it is done to 
supply humus to the soil. Rut for what purpose is 
that vegetable matter required ? Is it not for render¬ 
ing the soil porous so that the air can penetrate it and 
store up within it moisture ? If it be true that humus 
and moisture are the two essential elements most 
needed in our soils, and I find it so in my experience, 
is it not reasonable to conclude that the vegetable 
matter, the growing crop, whether it be rye or any of 
the leguminous plants, should be plowed under when 
there is the greatest weight of vegetable matter, 
which is before the crop begins to mature ? At this 
time, it would be filled with rich juices, and the plowing 
under of the crop at this stage of its growth, and com¬ 
pacting it so that fermentation would set in, would 
supply in its decomposition the moisture necessary to 
dissolve the mineral elements in the soil, and thus 
serve a double purpose. In this indirect action lies 
the chief value of this green crop which is plowed 
under, therefore, you see that mowing and allowing 
the crop to dry before plowing it under, would be tak¬ 
ing from it this power of making the plant food in the 
soil available. Again, it could not be plowed under 
after being cut without being placed in the furrow, as 
it would bunch up and clog the plow, and very much 
of this dry matter would be on the surface after liar¬ 
rowing. Therefore, I would always plow under rye 
or any other green crop when full of moisture, for the 
reasons stated. Walter f. taber. 
Dutchess County, N. Y. 
Just as It Is Coming in Head. 
I should prefer to plow under a green crop of rye 
just as it is coming in head. It usually reaches this 
stage about May 1, when it is desirable to prepare the 
land for cqrn, tomatoes or other crops. If allowed to 
stand until fully matured, the crop, of course, con¬ 
tains more food, secured both from the atmosphere 
and the soil, but in the ripening process, it absorbs 
the moisture very rapidly from the soil, and becomes 
hard and woody, two conditions which it is desirable 
to avoid, first, because the more nearly mature the 
plant is, the drier and less liable to decay it is, and 
second, because the greater mass of vegetable matter 
placed between the subsoil and the dry surface soil 
would have a tendency to prevent the proper circula¬ 
tion of water throughout the soil and subsoil, thus 
causing the subsequent crop to suffer from lack of 
moisture ; of course, this would be serious only in a 
dry season. I have never tried the plan of mowing a 
green crop several days before plowing under. 1 do 
not think that there would be any advantage in this 
plan. I should much prefer to turn under the young 
and succulent growth, which would interfere less with 
the circulation of the soil water than if allowed to dry 
first. It is my judgment that, in green manuring in 
spring, the crops should be plowed under before they 
have matured. e. b. vooriiees. 
New Jersey Experiment Station. 
VEGETABLES FOR PHILADELPHIA MARKET. 
WHAT SOME OF THE GROWERS SAY. 
Varieties, Methods and New Ideas. 
Part I. 
Philadelphia truck gardens are famed for the excel¬ 
lence of their products; they cater to an exacting 
trade, and one that differs, in many respects, from 
that of New York. The milder Winters give an ad¬ 
vantage over Long Island and northern New Jersey ; 
frames can be used to more advantage, and there is 
thus rather more economy in production. 
What About Asparagus. —The excellence of Phila¬ 
delphia asparagus is shown by the fact that the 
Waldorf-Astoria hotel management, of New York, 
goes to the former city for its supply. This is grown 
by Daniel Starkey, who has the record of producing a 
bunch of asparagus, consisting of 90 stalks, which 
weighed 70 pounds. Some of the individual stalks 
weighed 2% pounds. On being asked what variety he 
grew, to produce these immense stalks, Mr. Starkey 
said : “ The original variety was Conover’s Colossal, 
but it has been so improved by constant selection that 
my asparagus may now be considered a distinct sort. 
1 have been selecting it for years, saving seed from 
roots showing extra vigor, and discarding those that 
fall below my standard.” 
“ IIow long do you continue to cut from one bed ? ” 
“ From five to seven years. After that, the quality 
depreciates, although the cutting may be large. Where 
a high-grade product is desired, it is a mistake to con¬ 
tinue cutting from old beds. My plan is to plant fresh 
beds every year, so that I have them continually com¬ 
ing on. Our market differs from that of New York, 
in that it demands green asparagus. The purple-tipped 
white sticks will not sell ; our customers consider 
them woody in texture and bitter in flavor. Some¬ 
times a lot of the white Jersey ‘ grass ’ is shipped into 
our market, but it never brings the price of the fine 
green product.” 
“ Have you had any trouble from rust, or do you 
think it necessary to take any special precautions 
against it ? ” 
“I do not anticipate any trouble from rust so long 
as proper cultivation is given. I believe in keeping 
asparagus clean at all times ; cultivating constantly. 
Tf it is always kept in the highest state of vigor, I do 
not think that it is likely to be attacked by disease.” 
“ Do you regard mulching as a good practice ?” 
“It certainly is, but I have given it up, because it 
is too expensive when growing asparagus on a large 
scale. Where it can be done, there is a decided ad¬ 
vantage in mulching twice a year, once early in the 
Spring, and again after cutting is over. Continuing 
the cutting season too long is a mistake often made ; 
I believe that ^one can cut only a certain length of 
time, without weakening the roots.” 
Most of the Philadelphia truckers confine them¬ 
selves to stable manure from the city on their aspara¬ 
gus, though some add commercial fertilizers to it. 
The amount of the manure used is limited only by the 
returns received ; a fair average is, perhaps. 15 tons 
per acre. Salt and kainit are used, though not invari¬ 
ably. in conjunction with the stable manure, though 
the salt would seem superfluous with kainit. Both 
one and two-year-old roots are used for planting, the 
latter naturally giving quicker results. The soil is 
deeply worked in preparing a new bed, and manure is 
very lavishly applied, from 25 tons per acre up to three 
times that amount being given. Sometimes a layer of 
manure is put under the roots when planted in addi¬ 
tion to that worked into the field. The rows are four 
to five feet apart, the plants two feet apart in the 
row. The first year, no cutting is done, and the 
ground is stirred constantly with the cultivator. Cut¬ 
ting begins when the roots are three years old. but 
the first year with the young bed cutting ceases earlier 
than with -old beds. Shallow planting produces an 
early-crop, but the shoots are small, and the bed more 
quickly exhausted; deep planting gives a finer product 
with large, .succulent shoots. The crowns naturally 
go deeper each year. 
Lettuce and Lettuce Houses. —Lettuce, or salad, 
as it is generally called, is a very important crop, 
although the increase in the southern product has 
made alterations in this branch of the business. Few 
try to compete with this stock ; they aim to bring their 
lettuce in from early in February onwards, when the 
southern salad is beginning to deteriorate in quality, 
and to suffer in transit. This lettuce is fall-sown, and 
grown .without heat. Some is in frames, and some in 
“ shanty-houses,” a Philadelphia institution in high 
repute among the truck-growers. Asking how these 
houses were built and managed, George Farrell, an 
extensive grower in the northern suburbs, stated 
as follows: 
“ Bothframes and shanty-houses are built right on 
the ground ; there is no hotbed foundation, or any¬ 
thing more than field cultivation. Owing to the way 
the structures are built, we can remove the whole 
thin g^and work up the ground with a horse and plow 
or cultivator. The frame is built with boards laid 
right on the top of the ground, the sashes over them ; 
nothing could be simpler. The shanty-houses are 
built just like the frames as to the bed, but a ridge-pole 
and rafters are set up and, instead of a single line of 
sash, there is a double row meeting at the top to 
form a high-pitched roof. The roof is much steeper 
than that of a greenhouse, having a pitch of about 
six inches to the foot. The sides are formed with 
a single board one foot high, this being nailed 
to short posts in the same manner as one would do for 
a cold frame. The center posts and ridge-pole are 
made of 3 x 4 scantling. The roof is composed of 6 x 3 
feet sashes nailed or screwed to the sides and ridge. 
The ends are closed in with barn boards or any kind 
of cheap lumber, and a door about 2x4 feet 6 inches 
for entrance. There are no raised beds, the lettuce 
being planted on the ground level.” See Fig. 35. 
“ What is the advantage of these shanty-houses ? ” 
“ They catch and hold a greater body of heat than 
the frames, and hurry the salad along. Their con¬ 
struction is very cheap and, like the frames, they can 
be removed bodily in the summer, and the ground 
worked by horses.” k. t. r. 
APPLES IN COLORADO. 
SUNSHINE AND WATER FOR PERFECT FRUIT. 
The eastern Ben Davis is, perhaps, the most thor¬ 
oughly-abused apple entering the market, its tough, 
dry texture and woody lack of flavor causing it to be 
regarded with contempt by all lovers of good fruit. In 
an article on western apples in cold storage, published 
in The R. N.-Y. January 12, reference was made to 
the superior quality of this variety when grown upon 
irrigated land in the high altitudes of Colorado. In 
response to a request for information, R. J. Coffey, an 
extensive orchardist, of Delta County, Col., gives us 
the following notes: 
“ In my opinion, the cause of the handsome shape 
and extra large size of our Ben Davis apples must be 
attributed to our fine, rich soil, which produces the 
same effect on all varieties of the apple, pear, peach 
and plum or prune. As to the fine, deep color found 
on all our fruits grown in the Delta Valley, there are. 
in my opinion, two causes : First, our almost perpetual 
warm and genial sunshine during the whole growing 
season, and second, the large amount of iron and other 
useful minerals in the soil all over the western slope 
of Colorado. 
“ Why the Ben Davis apple should be more juicy and 
spicy here than in New York State and other parts of 
the country, is a question not so easily answered, but 
from my observation on all our fruits, I am led to be¬ 
lieve that our bright sunshine and our methods of 
