1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
shall have Marshall strawberries from our own beds 
this Summer for 10 weeks in succession.” Thethought 
then occurred to me, “ Has this ever been accom¬ 
plished before in this, or any other country ?” I 
doubt whether it has. Yet customers gave orders for 
fruit to Mr. Divine’s man, ordering in this way, 
“ Bring us over half a peck of strawberries for to¬ 
morrow.” 
On my return home J uly 29, Mr. Divine insisted on 
my taking a grape-basketful of fruit to my family. 
Some persons on the train to whom I showed the 
fruit, remarked that they were the largest straw¬ 
berries they had ever seen, and that they must be 
some very late variety. I merely state these circum¬ 
stances to show the matter-of-fact way in which the 
great majority of us accept everything, giving little 
thought to the ways or means. 
The Marshall Leads. —The patch in fruit is just 
one-quarter acre. About two-thirds of this is in 
Marshall, the rest of the land in Brandywine, Parker 
Earle, Gandy and Warfield. As near as we could 
estimate, there were 100 quarts of ripe fruit on the 
vines the second day of my visit. The' Marshall 
plants were strong, vigorous-looking stock, averaging 
about 12 inches in height They were a mass of fruit 
in all stages of development. I gathered many sam¬ 
ples that measured 6% inches around; then there were 
plenty of blossoms yet on the vines. 
All fruit growers, probably, know that, from lack 
of fertilization during the cold, wet period in May, a 
good portion of the fruit gathered in June was knotty 
or buttoned. I was glad to see that this fruit was 
almost entirely free from this objectionable feature. 
The rows of the Marshall, as well as the rows of the 
other varieties, were about 10 inches wide. While 
writing of the Marshall, I might remark that Mr. 
Divine, Mr. Swift (who markets the fruit), his neigh¬ 
bors and pickers seemed all very en¬ 
thusiastic over this berry. The Gandy 
bears very fine fruit; as usual, the 
plants are large and strong, and more 
productive than I ever saw them. The 
fruit is large and the flavor and keeping 
qualities are all there. 
The Brandywine was a sight to be¬ 
hold, a mass of fruit of all sizes, with 
plenty of blossoms not then opened. 
The plants were healthy and fully as 
large as the Marshall. The Warfield is 
very prolific, but the fruit is very small 
and poor in flavor, in fact quite sour. 
Much the same could be said of the 
Parker Earle which is the most produc¬ 
tive variety in the test, but poor in 
flavor. The lesson learned from this 
is that varieties that are rich in sugar 
are the ones to use. 
For this line of horticulture, I con¬ 
sider it fortunate that Mr. Divine had 
several kinds in the experiment. Up 
to the day of my departure, July 29, they had al¬ 
ready picked 266 quarts of fimit. The first picking 
was July 16 of Marshalls. Mr. Divine expected to have 
fruit for, at least one month from that date, and his 
man, Mr. Swift, said that he would have fruit for, at 
least, six weeks. Mr. Divine is keeping strict account 
of every quart, and expects to get 1,000 quarts from 
the quarter of an acre. It certainly looked to us as 
though his estimate was none too high. 
Some Questions for Answer. —Of course I wish 
to see the experiment right through to the finish, and 
shall visit the place again, and try to tell the readers 
of The R. N.-Y. all about it. Will The R. N.-Y. read¬ 
ers think over the following questions, and many 
others that will come to them : 
Will this blanket of ice bring the early and late 
varieties into bearing at the same time ? 
Will the late varieties bear fruit for the regular 
number of days after the early ones ? 
Will the fruit be as firm as in the regular fruiting 
season ? 
Would there be a demand for fancy Marshall or 
Gandy in the New York market at this time of the 
year, and what would the fruit bring per quart ? 
What percentage of fruit growers would spend $25 
to have fine, handsome, good-flavored strawberries for 
their families for one month at this season of the year? 
Will this late fruiting change the time of ripening 
next season ? t. .j. dwyeb. 
Orange County, N. Y. 
Golden Hop Tree: Close Well.—F. H. P., Melrose, Mass.— 
The Golden Hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata aurea) is hardy at the 
Rural Grounds, also at Rochester, N. Y. We have precisely 
such a well as you describe, boarded tightly over the top, except 
that the diameter is nearly three feet. The last tile is nearly two 
feet above the surface of the soil. This is tightly covered with a 
wooden cover which extends down the side nearly to the soil, 
thoroughly excluding dust and insects. This well was dug about 
15 years ago—purer water we have never drank. We don’t con¬ 
sider special ventilation necessary. 
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.] 
Strawberry Growing in Texas. 
It. P. E., Vernon , Tex .—I have been experimenting with straw¬ 
berries for several years, with but little success. The trouble is, 
that the long, dry, windy Summer months kill my plants. I have 
windmill irrigation, and apply plenty of water to my beds, by the 
trench system, still the plants die. I keep them well cultivated 
and free from weeds. Our elevation is 1,300 feet, and the 100th 
meridian is about 25 miles west of us. What are the beet strawber¬ 
ries to plant here, and the best plan to carry the plants through 
our dry Summer ? 
ANSWERER BY JAMES NIMON. 
If I were to answer R. P. E. in the fewest possible 
words, I would simply say : “ Confine your plants to 
narrow rows, and give them thorough and perfectly 
clean cultivation.'' The most critical period with 
which those who would grow strawberries in Texas 
have to contend, and especially those situated as he 
is, in the semi-arid section of the State, is the long 
and usually dry, hot Summers, accompanied at times 
by scorching hot winds that prove very disastrous to 
strawberry plants, even under the most favorable 
conditions. One would naturally think that, at such 
a time, water is the only thing needed to save the 
plants ; but I have not found it to be of much value, 
as seems to be the experience, also, of R. P. E. Water, 
of course, would bridge them over a short period of 
such weather, but if the drought is long continued, 
it only seems to aggravate the case, and hasten the 
death of the plants, by producing a young, tender 
growth that is repeatedly dried to a crisp by the 
scorching wind, until the plants become exhausted 
and finally die. Irrigation won’t save them. 
THE PICTURE OF A KATYDID. Fig. 261. 
For about 20 years, I have been experimenting to 
discover, if possible, methods and varieties that could 
be relied upon to overcome the difficulties complained 
of. During all this time, I have tried every method 
that would suggest itself to me, as well as those sug¬ 
gested by the reading of everything published on the 
subject that I could get my hands on, with the result 
that I have found no plan so practical and simple as 
the following : Set the plants as early in the Spring 
as the soil can be put in the best possible condition, 
in rows at least three feet apart, the plants from 
2K to 3 feet apart in the row. When the runners 
begin to grow, train one each way in the line of the 
row until they meet between each mother plant. Dur¬ 
ing this time and ever after, destroy all other runners 
that start, the same as though they were weeds. This 
gives a narrow, straight row that makes cultivation 
easy. 
Further to insure the safety of the plantation, after 
the young plants are well established, sever the con¬ 
nection between them and the mother plants, and 
remove the latter by digging them out and mellowing 
the soil where they stood. The treatment for the rest 
of the season consists in keeping these plants well 
mulched with from two to three inches of well-pul¬ 
verized soil, stirring the soil as soon after each rain 
as it is in the best condition to pulverize well. If this 
method, carefully followed, fail, it is little use to try 
further. 
My next best plan is to secure strong plants any 
time from October 15 to November 15, set them in 
beds about 12 inches apart each way, and get what 
fruit you can from them the following Spring. After 
they are through fruiting, thin them to a stand of 
three feet apart each way, and treat as described 
above. As to varieties, I find it best to select the 
strong, vigorous-growing kinds that have strong, 
deep roots and make few runners, such as Parker 
Earle, Bubach, and Gandy. The Arizona or Mexican 
Everbearing is one of the new varieties I find well 
561 
adapted to this climate, though hardly prolific enough 
for a good market variety. It produces most excellent 
fruit during a longer period than any other variety I 
have ever grown, producing berries this year for fully 
three months, and stands the hot weather remarkably 
well. 
Gold-bugs on Sweet Potatoes. 
W. M. M. I)., Nankin, 0 .—I send two bugs which I found eating 
sweet-potato vines. I would like to know the name, and whether 
they are something new. Do you have Gold-bugs ? I have seen 
none on anything but the sweet-potato vines, and they are scarce 
there. 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLING ERRAND. 
The little beetle sent is among the most beautiful of 
the insects. When alive, it closely resembles a piece 
of golden tinsel, or a drop of molten gold, hence may 
be aptly called a Gold-bug. The insect is commonly 
known as the Golden Tortoise beetle. It is about 
three-eighths inch long, and bears the scientific name 
of Coptocycla aurichalcea. 
The pretty beetles appear soon after the potato 
plants get started, lay their eggs on the leaves, and 
cover them with a protective excrementitious matter 
which gives them the appearance of irregular black 
daubs not exceeding one-sixteenth inch in length. 
From these eggs, the larvae or grubs hatch in a few 
days, and they are as ugly and repulsive as the beetles 
are pretty and attractive. They are flattened oval in 
shape, and spiny, and are furnished with a fork at 
the tail end of the body, that is usually carried as a 
shield turned up over the back, upon which the grub 
piles its excrement and all its cast-off clothes or skins ; 
thus, when half-grown or more, these grubs are very 
repulsive in appearance. This habit has earned for 
them the common name of “ peddlers.” The reason 
for this habit of carrying a shield of excrementitious 
material is, probably, that it serves as a protection 
from natural enemies. Few birds or 
predaceous insects attack such a filthy 
mass as these larvao seem. In the case 
of the Golden Tortoise beetle, the 
grubs carry the tail fork directly over 
the back, and the excrement is ar¬ 
ranged in a more or le. s regular 
trilobed pattern on the back. When 
full-grown, the grubs change to pups®, 
and in about a week later, the beetles 
develop. 
These pretty beetles may be killed 
with Paris-green used at the rate of 
one pound in 150 gallons of water. It 
will be necessary to do the spraying 
very thoroughly, putting it on to the 
undersides of the leaves as far as pos¬ 
sible. The application should be made 
as soon as the plants are well rooted, 
and when the beetles make their first 
appearance. The object should be to 
kill the adults before they can find a 
chance to lay eggs, and two applica¬ 
tions at intervals of a week should be sufficient, if 
thoroughly made. 
What Katydid Doesn’t Do. 
II. T. A., New Jersey .—I inclose a Bartlett pear twig’ with some 
kind of louse or insect attached. What is it ? Is it loaded ? 
Last year, the tree was covered with green aphides, and made 
very little growth. I send the whole crop of insects; don’t send 
them back. We have enough of other kinds. What are the 
habits of this particular chap ? Is he friend or foe ? I hope it is 
not of a dangerous character. The green lice were here on plum 
trees last year in great numbers, but not on pear trees. 
Ans.—T he twig bore the curious, large, overlapping 
eggs of the Katydid grasshopper shown in Fig. 261. In 
the South, Katydids have sometimes become numer¬ 
ous enough to do noticeable damage to orange leaves, 
but in the North, they are rarely injurious to fruit 
trees. Sometimes another but similar kind of these 
grasshoppers is quite destructive on cranberry bogs, 
where they eat the berries. Thus H. T. A. need not 
lie awake wondering how he may “circumvent ” this 
Katydid. Let the pretty creature continue its shrill 
cry, and do not worry if she does glue her harmless 
eggs on to the bark of your fruit trees. m. y. s. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Hones ami Grapes.—E. E. D., Ghent, Minn.—Whole green bones 
put around grape vines will not do much good the first two or 
three years. The bones should be crushed or fined in some way, 
and used in connection with wood ashes to give best results. 
Hogs in Orchards.—R. T. E., Orange, N. J.—It is a good plan 
to let hogs run in apple orchards. They will make pork out of 
windfalls. Overstock the orchard—put more hogs in it than can 
live on the apples alone. Feed some grain, and make the hogs 
hunt for every apple that falls. 
Bumble-Bees for Honey.—Subscriber.—A. I. Root says that 
bumble-bees have been kept in little boxes just for the fun of it, 
by bee-keepers at different times, and sometimes, they have suc¬ 
ceeded in getting a small quantity of honey, about as much as 
the boys get when they rob a bumble-bees’ nest in the hay field. 
All who have undertaken the experiment are satisfied that it can 
never amount to anything, certainly nowhere near the product of 
the honey bee. Any one who has studied up the natural history 
of the bumble-bee will find there are unsurmountable difficulties 
x n the way of ever making him a honey producer. 
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