1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
5i3 
the valleys. This is because trees bloom later on the 
hills, so are more likely to escape the last frosts. Tree 
fruits are seldom injured by a white frost. Peaches 
in full bloom often stand temperatures as low as 30 or 
even 28 degrees, if the air is dry. It is the Spring 
norther which carries the thermometer well down in 
the twenties after the trees are in bloom, and which 
so often kills the southern peaches, and the hilltops 
are more often exposed to this than the sheltered 
valleys. 
An advantage of the hill lands is their greater free¬ 
dom from rot, and in the higher color and better ship¬ 
ping quality of the peaches. This, also, is dependent 
upon the character of the soil. An orchard from 100 
to 200 feet elevation on a well-worn clay soil, may give 
better shipping stock than one of 500 feet on rich, 
black, new ground. He would prefer a gently slop¬ 
ing field at a moderate elevation, to a broken, rocky 
hillside at a greater elevation. The question of trans¬ 
portation is, also, important. He would prefer a 
moderate elevation within a mile of the shipping 
station, to the finest kind of a hilltop 8 or 10 miles 
from the railroad. Another fact is that orchardists 
must, to meet present trade conditions, either grow 
enough fruit to load refrigerator cars themselves, or 
locate where they can join with others in loading 
them. In these cars, peaches properly handled may 
be safely carried for a week or more, but they must 
be got into the car as soon as possible after leaving 
the tree. Carting long distances over rough roads in 
a hot sun would spoil them for shipment. 
So far as strawberries are concerned, localities par¬ 
ticularly subject to frost should be avoided. His ex¬ 
perience is that immunity from frost depends on com¬ 
parative rather than actual elevation. The main 
thing is to secure unobstructed cold air drainage. 
Other things being equal, he would plant either 
peaches or strawberries on the highest land available, 
but would not sacrifice other equally important con¬ 
ditions for mere elevation, neither would he pay fancy 
prices for fruit lands, simply because of their high 
elevation. 
Elevation Not Everything. —J. H. Hale says 
that actual elevation is not of so great value as com¬ 
parative elevation. The question of frost lines in any 
particular locality, must be worked out by observa¬ 
tions covering a series of years. He would prefer a 
northern exposure in the section named. 
R. L. Watts, horticulturist of the Tennessee Experi¬ 
ment Station, says that the general opinion among 
peach growers in eastern Tennessee, is that the higher 
the ground the more nearly exempt it is from late 
Spring frosts. His observation has been that the peach 
crop has been fully as good on the lower ridges of the 
valleys as on the highest elevations. He visited one 
orchard recently, near the Smoky Mountains, at 1,(500 
feet elevation, and scarcely a bud had escaped late 
frost, while on peaches planted at from 900 to 1,200 
feet elevation, sufficient buds had escaped to make a 
good crop. Every peach tree examined, about Knox¬ 
ville, is loaded with fruit, although at an elevation of 
not more than 1,000 feet. Peach buds at Asheville, 
N. C., at an elevation more than twice that of east 
Tennessee orchards, have been exempt. A few hun¬ 
dred feet difference in elevation are of no special ad¬ 
vantage or disadvantage, so far as exemption from 
frosts is concerned. The higher grounds of Tennessee 
produce peaches of better color and of better quality, 
than lower elevations. Northern slopes are less liable 
to late frosts, but trees on southern slopes yield the 
handsomest fruit. 
Lower Elevation May I5e Satisfactory.—H. N. 
Starnes, horticultui-ist of the Georgia Experiment Sta¬ 
tion, says that elevations suited for orchards in north 
Georgia vai-y from 200 to 500 feet, while in middle and 
southern Georgia, lower elevations are just as satis¬ 
factory. Height is a x-elative, not an absolute mat¬ 
ter. An elevation of 100 to 300 feet above the level 
of the surrounding country is usually sufficient to 
place the orchard above the frost line, and is equally 
as safe as a ridge three times that height. He thinks 
it an error to state that a southeastern exposure is 
generally selected for a peach orchard. A northerly 
exposure is preferable to one where the cold winds 
have a tendency to prevent premature blooming. A 
southern or southeasterly exposure will pi-oduce earlier 
strawberries, but a northern exposure will keep the 
plants fresh and in bearing a longer time. 
P. J. Berckmans says that answers are difficult, 
and no general rule can be laid down. In the moun¬ 
tain I’egions of Geoi'gia and North Carolina, are what 
are called vernal zones, where Spring frosts are said 
to be unknown ; but what causes the constitution of 
these zones is a matter of speculation. The solution 
given is that warm cuiTents of air prevail in certain 
sections, owing to the formation of surrounding moun¬ 
tains. It is impossible to say on what elevation the 
frost line is found. As a rule, Spring frosts prevail 
less on higher ridges than in the valleys, but he has 
frequently noticed that orchards planted in a valley 
escape a frost when those of higher elevations have 
the fruit killed, the reason being the fog that settled 
in the valley and preserved the trees from injury. 
Sunshiny Slopes Wanted. —II. Garman, horti¬ 
culturist of the Kentucky Experiment Station, says 
that, in that State and elsewhere south of the Ohio 
River, slopes that receive sunshine in the forenoon, 
are considered best adapted for fruits ; yet many or¬ 
chards cover hilltops and extend downward on all the 
slopes. An old fruitgrower tells him that, three times 
in 20 years, the orchards on the hilltops in eastern 
Kentucky have been frozen so that no fruit was ob¬ 
tained from them, while in the valleys where the trees 
were more sheltered, the fruit was not injured ; still, 
danger from frost is greater in the valleys, hence, 
slopes and hilltops are always selected as orchard 
sites, when possible. The height is not of so much 
importance provided the soil is good. The local 
features of a region should be studied before a final 
decision is made. The frost lines are not hard and 
fast anywhere, but vai’y in latitude, nearness to the 
sea, etc. This past Spring, they had a cold wave in 
Kentucky, snow, falling and ice forming, after many 
pluru and peach blossoms had expanded, and the finest 
prospect for a peach crop in years vanished ; this was 
at an elevation of about 1,000 feet above sea level, but 
from there westward, is a gradual fall in altitude, 
and a gradual improvement in fruit. At 500 feet above 
sea level, the prospect is moderately good, while 
beyond the Tennessee River in western Kentucky, on 
an average height of 300 feet, there is one of the finest 
px-ospects for fruit ever known in that part of the 
State. There is no frost line in this case. In general, 
such a frost will prove less destructive towards the 
hilltops. Four thing's must be considex*ed by the fruit 
grower in selecting a location: soil, frost, freezing - and 
market, and the last is as important as any of the 
others. It is unwise to count on making money by 
hauling fruit 10 miles over a rough road in a hot sun, 
before loading for shipment. 
The Farmers’ Club 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. 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.] 
Wheats and Wheat Rusts. 
J. Ii. L., Eubanks, Ay.—Will some one recommend a variety of 
wheat that would be likely to succeed best under the following 
conditions: My soil is a sandy or gravelly loam with yellow clay 
subsoil, naturally thin, but now in a fair state of productiveness. 
In preparing for wheat, I mow a heavy growth of cow-pea vines 
about September I, and work the ground with the Cutaway and 
Acme until about October 1; then drill one bushel of perfectly 
clean seed per acre, applying 150 pounds of complete fertilizer at 
the same time. This gives good results except that my wheat 
seems very liable to the attacks of what is known here as Black 
rust. This will sometimes cause the whole crop to fall in a few 
hours, and when, as happened this year, the wheat is quite green 
when the rust strikes it, the crop is almost all lost. The rust first 
appears as a red dust on the leaves, and soon withers them; then 
blackish spots appear on the stalks, causing them to break over. 
Will you give a history of this disease, and suggest a remedy V 
Will an excess of nitrogen in the soil favor the development of 
rust? The wheat I am raising is a bearded variety known here 
as Blue-stemmed Mediterranean or Swamp wheat. 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINOEKLANI). 
There is scarcely a wheat field in our country that 
does not suffer more or less from what wheat gi - owers 
commonly call Wheat rust. The rust of wheat is 
caused by a fungus, and there are, apparently, two 
distinct kinds of fungi at work in our wheat fields, 
one producing what is commonly called the Orange- 
leaf rust, and the other, the Black-stem rust. Often, 
both of these rusts affect the same field of wheat and, 
evidently,.!. B. L.’s wheat has suffered from the two 
kinds. One who has studied these rusts has recently 
recorded that he is confident that the Orange-leaf rust 
does very little, if any, damage to the grain in this 
country, although, pex-haps, it injures the straw con¬ 
siderably ; and that all experiments heretofoi’e made 
by botanists in this country with a view to prevention 
or i - emedies, have been entirely with the wrong species 
of rust. 
From pei-sonal observation and inquiries extending 
over four years, he was led to believe : “ In all cases 
of really serious damage to the grain by rust, the 
Black-stem rust was the real cause, although the 
Orange-leaf rust might, also, be present in abundance. 
When wheat is affected with the Black-stem rust, the 
grain often shrivels to almost nothing in from one to 
three days, and the straw at harvest time is almost 
rotten, and is easily rubbed into small bits. Such 
blasting effects, however, occur, as a rule, only in 
southern latitudes, but are occasionally seen in Ohio, 
Michigan, Indiana and southern Illinois. In the 
South, the destruction is quite often complete, and in 
such cases, the fields are pastured instead of harvested, 
in order to get as much good from them as possible. 
In Texas, vast districts of some of the best wheat lands 
of the plains have been abandoned by wheat growers, 
solely on account of the destructive effects of this para¬ 
site. So far as known, there is no resistance against 
this Black-stem rust by any variety. The very hard 
durums, which are practically proof against Orange- 
leaf rust, yield readily to this Black rust. As yet, the 
life history of this latter rust in this country is not 
wholly understood, and until it is, there can be but 
little hope for the wheat industry in the South.” 
Many careful experiments have been tried with 
many different substances to prevent wheat rust. Ap¬ 
plications have been made to the soil, the seed has 
been treated, and the growing - plants have been 
sprayed at all seasons of the year, with the result 
that, as yet, no preventive or remedy for wheat rust 
has been discovered. Some spraying experiments 
wex - e partially successful, but it is impracticable to 
spray large fields of grain. 
“ For some time, strong efforts have been made, in 
sevex - al different countries, to discover and establish 
rust-resistant varieties, but so far, only partially suc¬ 
cessful and rather conflicting results have been ob¬ 
tained. It has been found that certain varieties are 
highly resistant to the Orange-leaf rust, and that some 
of these varieties are, fortunately, the best bread 
wheats, being hardy and bearing hard grains with 
good milling qualities. They are, however, not gen¬ 
erally good yielders. Even among the varieties of the 
bread-wheat gx-oup, a few are found to be somewhat 
rust-resistant, but otherwise, do not possess good 
qualities, and again, quite a number arc hardy and 
productive, but ax - e not rust-resistant. 
“ Varieties that are quite rust-resistant in Australia, 
sometimes become badly rusted here, and this is true 
even to a greater extent of American sorts in Australia. 
There are differences in resistance of the same variety 
in different localities in the same country. Such varia¬ 
tion is most likely due to changes in the constitution 
of the plant caused by chang'es of climate. On account 
of the great variation and consequent uncertainty in 
the rust-resistance of varieties, it seems that the pro¬ 
duction of early varieties that will ripen soon enough 
to escape the rust, is nearly, if not quite, the most im¬ 
portant feature in sowing wheat. Our Early May 
(though rather a soft sort), Roseworthy and Allora 
Spring, of Australia, and a few Japan sorts are worthy 
of notice in this respect. Even the most rust-resist¬ 
ant varieties are occasionally much injured during the 
seasons when rust is unusually bad, or the wheat un¬ 
usually late in ripening - .” 
The Buttner’s Yellow Cherry. 
•J. L. li ., Plainville, N. ./.—Wliy lias the Buttuer’s Yellow cherry 
gone out of fashion ? If I should ask this question of a nursery¬ 
man, he would say, “ Because we have better kinds ”. I admit 
there are better kinds, but when it is Buttner’s Yellow or none, 
as has been the case here for several years, I prefer Buttner’s. I 
am now picking the 19th consecutive crop from a very large tree 
of Buttner’s. The tree is, perhaps, 50 or 60 years old, was in full 
bearing when I came in possession of it in 1880, and seems as 
hardy as an oak. The tree is so large now that we can't get much 
more than half the cherries. We picked more than eight bushels 
from the tree last year, and will, I think, get as many this year. 
In 1880, I could pick one-half bushel without changing my posi 
tion in the tree, and I have picked a bushel from a long ladder 
standing against the outside of the tree without moving the 
ladder. 
Ans. —It would be impossible to tell why Buttnei - ’s 
Yellow chei - ry is not more largely grown. Perhaps 
very few have tried it and know of its character. If 
it does better with J. L. B. or any one else, than any 
other kind, then it is just the one to grow, at least at 
their places. There are many worthy fruits that ai - e 
somehow overlooked or neglected without any just 
reason, only ignorance of their goodness. This chei - ry 
may be one of that class. It originated in Germany, 
and has been grown by a few persons for many years 
past. Perhaps it would be well to send buds from 
this tree to some good nurseryman and have some 
tx - ees px - opagated. This is just the time of year to 
do it. h. K. v. D. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Hungarian Grass for Horses.—J. R. R., Kentucky.—Hungarian 
grass should be cut while the heads are iu bloom, and before the 
seed begius fainy to form. We would never feed either Hun¬ 
garian or millet to horses, especially if the grass has stood until 
the seeds are formed. There seems to be some injurious principle 
in this hay that affects the kidneys of the horse, and there is 
almost universal complaint when it is used. It makes excellent 
cow teed, and is good for fattening steers, but we much prefer 
either corn stalks or Timothy hay for horse feed. 
Cutting Oats and Peas.—G. W. S., Pennsylvania.—Your oats 
and peas, sown at the rate of oue bushel of peas to nearly three 
of oats, should be cut for hay when the first of the oats show the 
grain iu the dough stage, that is, when the grain will crush 
readily between the thumb and huger. If the weather be favor¬ 
able, cut at once when the first heads are iu this condition. Cure 
about as you wouul clover hay, taking about as much time as 
you would for heavy clover. Such fodder, cut at the right time 
and properly cured, will make excellent cow feed, and a fair hay 
for the horses. 
Bad-Smelling Drain.—C. E. S., Chisaco City, Minn.—The best 
way to prevent the ditch running from the drain pipes of your 
creamery to a lake, from giving a foul smell, is to continue the 
drain pipe to the lake. In other words, have a closed drain until 
the lake is reached. It is quite impossible to keep an open cream¬ 
ery drain like the one mentioned iu a clean condition during the 
hot weather. The liquids passing through it are of such a nature 
that they will ferment in hot weather. Some good might be done 
by running hot water through them, or sprinkling freely with 
copperas, but the best and cheapest way is to continue the drain 
pipes to the lake. L _ 
