THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
180 
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A BASKET OF FRUIT NOTES. 
QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS. HINTS. 
ANSWERS BY II. E. VAN DKMAN. 
Some Natural Fruit Trees. —I have on my place quite a num¬ 
ber of natural-fruit apple trees that have come up themselves, 
and in size from an inch to three or four inches through. Would 
it be advisable to graft them ? If so, at what time should they be 
grafted ? n. 
Troy, N. Y. 
If these trees are where they are desired to grow 
to old age, they may be top-grafted just as they 
stand. If it is desired to move them into an orchard, 
it can be done; and in such case, I would not graft 
them until they had grown one year in their new 
places. But it would hardly pay to transplant and 
graft seedlings, instead of buying good nursery trees, 
because the latter are so very cheap. 
Grafting the Plum.—W hich is the best method for grafting the 
plum—cleft or whip grafting ? At what time should the grafts 
be set ? Which are the best varieties of plums for my locality, 
both of European and Japan varieties? 3. N. k. 
Alexandria, Pa. 
Whip grafting is the best method for small branches, 
such as are from the size of a lead pencil to one- 
half inch in diameter. Cleft-grafting is all right 
for larger stocks. Either style is suitable for the 
plum. I always like to graft the plum and cherry 
very early ; as soon as severe cold weather is over is 
the best time. In setting an orchard of both European 
and Japan plums, in Pennsylvania, the following 
kinds are desirable : Grand Duke, Imperial, Abund¬ 
ance, Red June and Burbank. 
Trees too Thick.— Eight years ago next April, I planted about 
75 plum trees, 10 to 12 feet apart each way. Now I find that they 
are entirely too close. What would I better do, hire a man to cut 
out each alternate tree, and I go to town while he does it, or dig 
up and transplant in another place half the trees, try to prune so 
that each will have room, or let them alone ? t. t. h. 
McKeesport, Pa. 
If the trees have done well, they are too big to 
move profitably. It may take much courage to cut 
out such large trees, but it must be done in order to 
give the rest a chance. If one had too many cattle on 
a pasture, it would he necessary to take out a part, 
and this is a similar case. The fruit grower who does 
not have the nerve to thin out his trees when they 
crowd each other, should give up the job to some one 
who has it. 
Cherry Stock for Grafting. Can old-fashioned cherry trees, 
the fruit of which is sour, be grafted with success to other kinds? 
If so, what kinds would be preferred in this locality ? At what 
season of the year would it be advisable to do the grafting ? 
Washington County, N. Y. r. p. 8 . 
The common Morello cherry is, probably, meant. 
This can be used as a stock for grafting the sour 
cherries, such as Early Richmond and Montmorency, 
but not for the Heart and Bigarreau classes. The 
grafts of the latter kinds will overgrow the stocks, 
and finally break off in nearly all cases. But there is 
another objection to the Morello as a stock, and that 
is its sprouting. The Mahaleb, which is a French 
stock, is the best for the sour cherries, and the Maz- 
zard for the sweet and similar kinds. Neither will 
sprout from its roots. 
Stark and Boiken Apples.— Wlmt do you know of the Stark 
and Boiken apples for New Jersey ? N. w. 
Hornerstown, N. J. 
The Stark apple is a very late keeper in New 
Jersey, and in all parts of the country. It is medium 
to large in size, and striped with dull red over a green 
surface, which finally turns to yellow. The tree is 
thrifty and bears well. If the color of the fruit were 
not dull, it would be a good market variety. As it 
is, it is good for family use late in the Winter, because 
the flavor is quite good for a late apple. Boiken is an 
apple of European origin, that has been but little 
grown in this country. It is rather small in size, 
yellow in color, of sub-acid flavor, and of medium 
quality. It may he woithy of trial in New Jersey. 
Peach Trees for Washington.— Were you to set a peach orchard 
in this section, say of 1,000 trees, what varieties would you select? 
Why would you select them, and how would you divide them ? 
What is your opinion of the St. John peach ? j. f. k. 
Washington, D. C. 
A list that may prove to be one of the best 
for the region named is as follows: Triumph 100, 
Mountain Rose 100, Elberta 300, Oldmixon Free 200, 
Chair 300. These varieties are placed in the order of 
ripening, and are all reliable bearers, and of good 
quality. All have been thoroughly tested in the Wash¬ 
ington market, and elsewhere as well. The Triumph 
is the earliest good peach to ripen, yellotv in color, is 
as early as, and much better than, Alexander and its 
type, and does not rot so easily. Mountain Rose is a 
red and white peach, of the best kind, and finds ready 
sale when well thinned on the tree to give good size. 
Elberta is a pale yellow' peach that is to-day the most 
popular among orchardists and marketmen of all that 
are grown. Oldmixon Free is the standard of excel¬ 
lence in its season, which is almost the same as 
Elberta. It is red and white, and a great favorite 
everywhere. Chair is about the season of Crawford 
Late and, like it, is yellow. Some have thought them 
identical, but they are not. Those who have grown 
both kinds in the same orchard often prefer Chair. 
St. John is a fairly good yellow peach that ripens just 
before Mountain Rose, but I did not include it in the 
list because the latter is larger and more salable. 
The American Papaw.—I have a papaw tree about 15 feet high, 
that blooms full, but the young fruit all drops off in a few days. 
There was no frost. Has the papaw imperfect blossoms like 
some kinds of strawberries? What can I do to make it bear? 
Clinton, Ill. h. w. 
The wild papaw of the central United States is 
perfect in its flow'ers, and I have often seen single 
bushes in full hearing that were far from any other 
that could have pollenized their flowers. There may 
be some peculiar imperfection of the flowers of this 
particular bush or tree, as it is called. The straw¬ 
berry is nominally a perfect-flowered plant, that is, 
it has both sexes in one flower ; but there are many 
imperfect varieties of the strawberry. This papaw 
tree may have no stamens, or imperfect ones. I 
would suggest grafting its branches with scions cut 
from some wild tree that does bear well, and that has 
fruit of good quality. There are marked differences 
in the size, shape, and time of ripening, and some¬ 
what in the flavor and seediness of the varieties that 
grow in the w'oods. The terms, bush and tree, are 
both used in regard to this species (Asimina triloba), 
because, in many cases, old bearing plants are bushy 
in size and form, and sometimes, it makes a tree a 
foot in diameter and 25 feet high. 
Poor Flavor in Strawberries.—A few years ago, I noticed 
that my Crescent strawberries were of much inferior flavor at 
one end of my berry field, where, the soil changed from limestone 
to an ironstone soil. At that time, I could not account for it, ex¬ 
cept that I used the Van Deman for a fertilizer at that end of the 
field, or as it happened, in the ironstone soil, the Van Deman also 
having the disagreeable flavor. The same Spring, when these 
fruited, I had sold some of my Crescent plants to some of my 
neighbors who had quite different soils. The year following, when 
these fruited, I noticed that those who planted on red clay soil 
found complaint that their berries were too tarty, while some of 
these same Crescent berries grown on limestone soil were pre¬ 
ferred before the Sharpless. I would like to hear from some other 
berry growers on this line. I have, also, noticed that a number 
of berry growers recommend fresh stable manure for a mulch. I 
have had a little costly experience with fresh horse manure for 
mulching, therefore would say, use it sparingly, or it will kill 
your plants. a. g. w. 
Lancaster County, Pa. 
The peculiarity mentioned by A. G. W. of soil 
with an excess of iron in it giving a poor flavor 
to strawberries, has never been noticed by me. Ex¬ 
cessive applications of nitrogenous manures, such as 
rich horse manure, have had such an effect in a few 
instances that have come to my notice. If others 
have noticed a lack of good quality in any kinds of 
fruits in soil that is surcharged with iron, it would be 
interesting and helpful to have them tell us of it. It 
has been my belief that the reddish or chocolate soils, 
which get their color from oxide of iron in them, were 
quite as good as any for fruits, and better than some. 
Fresh stable manure, if put on berry plants or about 
trees as a mulch, is liable to ferment and heat, thus 
injuring them, especially if it is in piles. I have 
known large fruit trees to be killed by it. 
San Jose Scale ; Fertilizer for Orchards. 
W. A'. M ., Markham , Va. —1. How does the San Jose scale look 
on the tree, and can the novice detect it without the aid of a 
microscope ? What are its first effects on the health of the tree ? 2. 
I notice, when working for borers in peach trees, bunches of little 
thread-like white worms knotted under the gum ? What are they ? 
3. What is a complete fertilizer for a peach orchard ? 4. Would 
lime be of benefit upon an orchard now in heavy clover and Tim¬ 
othy sod, in preventing scab on apples, if the orchard is plowed 
before it is applied ? 
Ans. — 1 . The external appearance of the San ,Tos6 
scale is that of a grayish-brown ashy coating over 
the trunk and limbs of a plant. When the scale is 
quite numerous, there is generally no difficulty what¬ 
ever in telling the species, hut when there are only a 
few present, there is always doubt of any determina¬ 
tion made except by an expert. Another character 
which is very plainly seen, and usually can be relied 
upon, is that the bast tissues of the plant are stained 
a bright carmine. When this character is present 
under the scale, you can generally conclude that it is 
San Jos6. 2. The little thread-like worms noticed by 
you in the gummy matter exuding from peach trees 
have nothing to do with the injury. They are simply 
present because this is a favorable situation for them 
to live. 3. The formula for a complete fertilizer for 
a peach orchard must always depend upon the charac- 
March t 
ter of the soil on which the trees are grown. The 
word “ complete” implies that the fertilizer shall con¬ 
tain nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid. In a rough 
way, I will say that the proportions ought to be from 
two to four per cent of nitrogen, six to eight per cent 
of potash, and four to seven per cent of phosphoric 
acid. 4. The plowing of the orchard will in no wise 
prevent scab on the fruit and leaves. The addition 
of lime to the sod after plowing will help to decom¬ 
pose the sod, and make the plant food available, 
thereby strengthening the growth of the trees, but 
mere vigorous growth will not prevent scab. 
Virginia Experiment Station. wm. b. alwood. 
A Dip for the San Jose Scale. 
Subscriber, Ontario. —Burying ’nursery stock in the Fall is said 
to destroy some scale insects; would it destroy the San Jose 
scale ? Is there any way practicable on the farm, of treating un¬ 
known nursery stock, that would kill all the San Jos6 scale with¬ 
out much injury to the trees ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGKRI,AND. 
I do not know whether the San Jos6 scale would be 
killed by burying the infested nursery stock in the 
soil in the Fall. I do not know whether it has ever 
been tried. I have serious doubts about its killing all 
the scales, or even a large percentage of them. The 
question as to how a farmer may practicably treat 
nursery stock for this scale, is a very important one. 
for I believe that, eventually, after the law-making 
alarmists have had their innings, we must depend, for 
the control of this pest, upon the reliability and 
honesty of the nurserymen who send us stock, and 
finally upon our own individual scrutiny and treat¬ 
ment of the trees. There are, at least, two methods 
by which farmers can treat suspected nursery stock, 
and kill the scales. Probably the simplest but not 
always the surest method will be by dipping the trees 
in a strong solution of whale-oil soap. Have your tin¬ 
smith make a galvanized iron tank, about 8x2x1 
foot, and something in shape like the one shown at 
Fig. 82. Use the soap at the rate of two pounds in a 
gallon of water ; about GO to 70 gallons of this solution 
will be found the most convenient to use in a tank of 
the size mentioned. It may be necessary to warm the 
solution once in a while, to prevent its partially 
solidifying, like soft soap ; hut the best brands of the 
soap will often remain liquid, even when used at the 
strength recommended. Perhaps a water-tight wooden 
tank could be made cheaper, that would answer every 
purpose. If the stock be dipped in a tankful of this 
whale-oil soap solution and left in it for a moment, 
until every part of the trees is thoroughly wet, it is 
very doubtful whether any of the scales survive the 
bath. The trees can be dipped much quicker, and I 
think it will be more effectual than the brushing or 
spraying of the soap on the trees. 
Some nurserymen are fumigating their trees with 
the hydrocyanic acid gas, with excellent results so far 
as killing the scales is concerned. This gas treatment 
is, doubtless, the most efficacious method of dealing 
with the pest yet suggestedor tried. While it requires 
more care in its manipulation, it is not beyond the in¬ 
genuity of the average fruit-grower. Make an air¬ 
tight box* large enough to hold what one desires to 
treat, of matched flooring, using white lead in all 
mortises and putty in the larger joints. It would be 
well to make this box still nearer air-tight by cover¬ 
ing it closely with oiled muslin which should, also, 
be well painted. Place the stock to be fumigated in 
this box, tacking some cleats across to hold the stock 
in place when the box is inverted. Turn the box 
bottom side up, and bank up around it with well- 
packed earth, leaving two places on one edge where 
you can insert the chemicals. The chemicals neces¬ 
sary are fused cyanide of potassium (98 per cent pure) 
and commercial sulphuric acid. For each 150 cubic 
feet of space in the fumigating box, use two ounces 
of the potassium cyanide, three fluid ounces of sul¬ 
phuric acid, and eight ounces of water, for dormant 
plants ; plants in full foliage may not stand so strong 
a dose of the gas. 
Entomologist F. A. Sirrine, who has used this treat¬ 
ment successfully on Long Island, says : “ An ordi¬ 
nary glass fruit jar makes a good generator. The 
fused cyanide of potassium should be weighed and 
put into packages containing the proper amount re¬ 
quired for each generator, so that all the workmen 
will have to do will be to empty the package into the 
generator after having placed it under the box. He 
should be provided with two measures, one for the 
acid and one for the water. The acid and water should 
be put into the generator before the latter is placed 
under the box. Put the generator containing the acid 
and water under the box, and as soon as the potassium 
cyanide is dropped into the generator, the hole under 
the box should be closed with a short piece of board, 
and banked with earth. It is best to run the gener¬ 
ator during cloudy days, or during early morning and 
late in the afternoon. The gas should be allowed to 
act for one hour.” 
There is now no possible chance of ever externum 
1C- 
