1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
629 
CLOVER, COW PEAS AND CHEMICALS. 
A NEW MEMBER OF THE FIRM. 
A Study of Delaware Farming. 
Part II. 
[editorial correspondence.] 
Watermelons. —A considerable part of the farm 
was in pine when Mr. Killen took it. He can remem¬ 
ber about 30 years ago, when corn was growing where 
now are pine trees over a foot in diameter. This 
growth has been made since that time, and now the 
trees are to be cut off again. Timber grows with 
great rapidity on this Delaware soil. Every year a 
number of acres of pine are cut off. The valuable 
timber is taken out and the brush is burned off. The 
first crop is watermelons, planted right among the 
stumps, often with an orchard of peach or pear trees 
set out at the same time. The watermelons do not 
require much cultivating, and usually make a fine 
growth on this new soil, and pay a fair profit. In some 
cases dynamite is used to blow out the stumps, but 
generally they are left to decay, which they do in 
a few years. It is quite remarkable how such land, 
when about exhausted by growing crops without fer¬ 
tilizer, may be left to grow up to woods, and in 25 
years, after producing a heavy growth of timber, act 
like new land ! 
Sweet Potatoes. —This is a favorite crop with 
Mr. Killen. On the day of my visit they were culti¬ 
vating for the last time, and to a stranger this is an 
interesting process. The vines of the sweet potato 
sprawl out along the ground in all directions—like 
melon vines. First the men went along the rows with 
hoe handles throwing the vines right and left, so that 
alternate rows would be clear, while all the vines 
would be in the others. The cultivators were run in 
these cleared rows, and then the vines were thrown 
over into the cultivated rows, where they were left. 
It struck me like rough treatment of vines. Many of 
them had rooted at the joints, and these roots were 
ripped up. No harm was done, however, and this 
seemed to be the only way to work the cultivators. 
For several years Mr. Killen has been conducting 
fertilizer experiments with sweet potatoes—mainly to 
determine the best form of potash and the value cf 
lime. He is trying this year, in connection with the 
others, a new potash salt, the silicate. This contains 
about 24 per cent of potash, and ranks with the sul¬ 
phate for purity and effect upon quality. So far as 
could be judged by the eye the silicate was fully equal 
to muriate or sulphate in forcing the vine. I never 
saw so forcibly shown before, the effect of potash on 
the color and thrift of the vine. The dark rich green 
color was noticed, not where an excess of nitrogen 
was used, but where the largest supplies of* potash 
were used with it. On the lighter soils of Delaware 
potash always gives a good account of itself. Mr. 
Killen’s experiments have fully demonstrated the 
great importance of potash on the sweet potato crop. 
The sweet potatoes this year will probably be followed 
by Crimson clover. 
Grapes. —Mr. Killen sells his crop in Wilmington 
at $30 a ton, packed in peach baskets. There is profit 
in this, considering that he uses no fertilizer and 
secures a good crop. Crimson clover is sown year after 
year without fertilizer. It makes a good growth, and 
is plowed under in Spring. A labor-saving way of 
handling this crop in orchards and vineyards is to 
plow it so that a fair proportion of the heads will not 
be covered. These heads ripen and form seeds. Then 
the harrow is run over the ground, and this scatters 
the ripened seed so that the whole piece is seeded 
again. This may go on year after year, with no cost 
for new seed. Most of the grapes in Mr. Killen’s vine¬ 
yard are Concords—he has not found a variety that 
can be said to be superior to it for market. Spraying 
is absolutely necessary in a Delaware vineyard. This 
low cost of fertilizing with Crimson clover is a great 
help in grape growing. Even California cannot com¬ 
pete with that. It is worth remarking that south of 
Wilmington California fruit is rarely found in Dela¬ 
ware. 
Strawberries. —This might be called an odd-corner 
crop, as it is grown on Mr. Killen’s farm. The plants 
were set between the rows of peach and pear trees. 
Some of them have been fruiting four or five years, 
and are still yielding profitable crops. The chief 
varieties are Bubach, Sharpless and Michel’s Early. 
After fruiting the spaces between the rows are worked 
up shallow, and the weeder is run lengthwise of the 
rows. This tears out most of the grass and weeds, 
and also thins out the plants, and answers on this 
light soil for hoeing. The only mulch used on these 
strawberries is a crop of dead Crab grass. 
This year Mr. Killen planted (on July 21), potatoes 
between the rows of strawberries. The cultivation 
and hoeing of the potatoes will keep the strawberries 
in good condition. Between the pear trees cow peas 
are sown, and these make a good growth, and add 
considerable fertility to the soil. Thus four crops 
(peas, potatoes, cow peas and strawberries) are grow¬ 
ing all at once in this orchard. As Mr. Killen says, 
“ What could I use that would do better in this or¬ 
chard ? 
Celery. —At the lower part of the farm, along a 
creek or “branch”, is a strip of low swampy land. 
This has been drained and worked up carefully, and 
part of it is producing celery. The seed was drilled 
in wide-apart rows right across the field. When the 
plants were large enough, these rows were thinned 
out—the removed plants being used for setting new 
rows, while the original rows were left as thinned. 
In this way the whole field is quickly and easily put 
out. Mr. Killen says that the original rows—where 
the plants are not disturbed—give the best celery. 
Mr. Killen has spent much time in propagating im¬ 
proved varieties of chestnuts. Next week I will try 
to speak of this department, and also refer to the 
value of cow peas and clover in this remarkable sys¬ 
tem of farming. _ H. w. c. 
WHEN TO FERTILIZE BUSH FRUITS. 
ARGUMENTS FOR FALL AND SPRING. 
We have been interested this year in the question of 
fertilizing bush fruits like raspberries, blackberries 
and currants. What is the proper time for feeding 
these fruits? Our observation has been that late 
Summer and Fall is the best time for applying most 
of the fertilizer with, possibly, an application of nitro¬ 
gen in some form in the Spring. We find that fruit 
growers are not of one mind concerning this matter. 
Fertilize in the Fall. —J. H. Hale, of Connecticut, 
says that his experience leads him to believe that 
August and September are the best months for fertil¬ 
izing all bush fruits. There is a tendency to their 
ripening up and shedding their leaves too early in the 
Fall, and liberal feeding in late Summer, and good 
culture at the same time, stimulate a vigorous growth 
in the Fall, which enables them to winter better and 
come out brighter in the Spring. 
Dr. J. B. Ward, of New Jersey, also believes in late 
Summer fertilizing. He believes that he gets better 
results in this way. In any event, he would always 
apply the potash and phosphoric acid at this time. He 
uses a quantity of compost on the bush fruits, and it 
is more convenient to apply this in Winter after the 
ground is frozen. 
The Hittenger Brothers, of Massachusetts, say that, 
in putting in their bush fruits, the ground is manured 
heavily at the time of planting, then no more manure is 
used until the bushes are four or five years old. This 
refers chiefly to currant bushes. If manure is put on 
every year, more wood and less fruit is the result. 
When the bushes are four or five years old, they have 
begun bear fruit quite plentifully, and then extra 
manure is needed. They have found that the best 
time to use manure on currants is in Fall, but not 
being able to get at the bushes at that time, they do 
not apply it until late in the season, sometimes not 
until the ground is frozen. They use stable manure, 
but if there is not enough of it, they use dried blood, 
which they have found a good substitute for manure. 
In Favor of Spring.—T. C. Kevitt, of New Jer¬ 
sey, says that he fertilizes raspberries and blackber¬ 
ries, currants and grapes early in the Spring. His 
opinion is that, if a fertilizer is used in the Fall, a 
good deal of its strength is lost by washing out of the 
soil. His experience shows that Spring is the best 
time for using nitrogen, in any event. 
A. W. Slaymaker, of Delaware, prefers to fertilize 
raspberries and blackberries in the early Spring. His 
reason is that the fertilizer has plenty of time to be 
worked into the soil, and is just in the most active 
condition when the fruit is forming. On light soil, a 
large part of the fertilizer is washed out during the 
Winter, especially when the land is not covered with 
Crimson clover. He thinks it better, all things con¬ 
sidered, to use Crimson clover only about every third 
year, and depend upon the application of fertilizers 
in the Spring, or manure during the Winter. On his 
land, a mixture in which phosphoric acid predomi¬ 
nates, seems to give the best results. He does not find 
it useful to give these fruits extra heavy dressings of 
either manure or fertilizer. The main essentials with 
these crops are a clean patch, with all unnecessary 
stock kept out, so that all the growth comes into two 
or three canes in each hill. This leaves room on 
every side for the sun and air to reach the plants freely 
in the growing and ripening season. It is good-bye 
to good fruit when you let your bed become a hedge 
row of thickly-set plants, each one crowded and 
dwarfed by its neighbor, and unable to produce its 
natural fruit either in size or quality. 
C. W. Stuart, of Wayne County, N. Y., says that ex¬ 
cellent results are obtained from fertilizing bush 
fruits in August. He would, under no circumstances, 
apply nitrogen in the Fall. Most plants have a season 
of rapid growth in the Spring and early in Summer. 
By August, the plant has stored food for the Winter, 
ripening its new wood, and preparing for the cold and 
for its early growth next year. Then is the time to 
give it plenty of food and to stimulate it into the 
greatest activity. By Fall, in this case, its branches 
and roots are full of food and blossoms for fruits for 
the following year. He aims to give the plant its food 
when most needed, and in return expects to get several 
weeks longer growth and greater vitality and strength. 
His favorite fertilizer is barnyard manure, to which are 
added 20 to 25 pounds of muriate of potash per load. 
Manure is not well rotted, as he believes that the me¬ 
chanical effect of the straw on the land is worth a 
great deal. 
AMONG THE MARKETMEN. 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
Is There a Short Apple Crop ?—Many apple 
buyers keep saying that there is a plenty of apples, 
that there will be no shortage, and that we shall see 
when the crop is all gathered that there is a great 
plenty. There are some few small locations where 
the crop seems to be pretty good, but we notice that 
all dealers are quite ready to buy all the good apples 
they can find. It is possible that some who have 
apples to sell, have got their ideas too high as to 
price, and will be disappointed ; but it is likely that 
all good apples, well assorted, and put up in good 
shape, will bring good prices this Fall. Do not give 
them away for a low price, in any event. 
X X X 
The Way One Fruit Grower Does It. —Our old 
friend, J. S. Woodward, of Lockport, N. Y., sends us 
the following, which shows the method his firm is 
taking to market its peach crop this year : 
Dear Sir: There is quite a crop of peaches in a limited section 
of northwestern New York, but unfortunately the curl leaf has 
been more prevalent this year than ever before. Hardly an or¬ 
chard has escaped, and as a result a very large proportion cf 
the peaches will be small and of inferior quality. 
Our orchards are on natural peach land, have been well cared 
for and have no curl leaf. They were never in finer condition. 
We have severely thinned the fruit and have the best show of 
the finest peaches we have ever grown. We sort our peaches 
close and ship nothing but perfect fruit. 
We propose to ship our peaches on orders, and only to one cus¬ 
tomer iD each town, thus giving him control of the best trade of 
his place, and to ship to each customer, as ordered only, two 
qualities and put one of the inclosed cards in each basket. The 
first quality yvill be all selected fruit and will have a red card. 
The second quality will all be perfect fruit, only a little smaller 
peaches, and will have a white card. 
The card will be on top of the fruit under the netting and will 
be a guarantee that the fruit is all through the basket as shown 
on top, so that a customer who buys one basket will be sure to 
come after more, and will take no other. 
We shall handle no peaches except those grown on our own 
orchards, and in order to be prepared for the harvest we would 
like to arrange with customers at once. When we have done so, 
we will refer all orders from same place to him. 
If you think well of this plan we should be glad to hear from 
you at once with an estimate of about how many you could 
handle daily. Yours truly, woodward & jaques. 
Here is tbe card : 
Grown ami Packed by 
WOODWARD & JAQUES, 
Wright's Corners, N. Y. 
There are several points about this circular that I 
like. It states the conditions of the peach crop, fairly ; 
also states just what the firm has, and what it pur¬ 
poses to do. Notice, the fruit is to be graded and 
marked for quality. I believe, however, that it will 
be better to have the grade of fruit printed on the 
card instead of depending upon different colors. 
Taken together, the plan is a good one, for ordinary¬ 
sized towns. New York is a pretty large place to give 
any one man a monopoly ; in any ordinary town, it is 
a good thing for the grower. f. h. v. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
Mr. R. J. Culbertson, East Groveland, N. Y., praises the Scien¬ 
tific corn harvester. He cut 25 acres of drill corn with it last 
year. It is made by Foos Manufacturing Company, Springfield, 
Ohio. 
The E. W. Ross Company, of Springfield, Ohio, have put out 
several sizes of their machines, and to say that they are success¬ 
ful and thoroughly appreciated by farmers, is telling the whole 
story in a nutshell. The Ross cutter is a favorite for preparing 
green fodder for the silo. Several sizes are made with capaci¬ 
ties of from four tons to 30 tons per hour, and they work just as 
well on dry fodder. The Ross cutters may be run by hand power, 
horse power, or by a large engine. The company issue a hand¬ 
some circular. 
Woven wire fences have been coming rapidly to the front dur¬ 
ing recent years. The Lamb Wire Fence Company, of Adrian, 
Mich., say that the best recommendation they can give their 
fence is to state that they are continually being compelled to en 
large their manufacturing facilities. The Lamb fence has the 
joint at the corners of the meshes independent of the upright 
and horizontal wires, thus avoiding the weakening effect of a 
wrap or bend, and admitting the use of larger and stronger up¬ 
rights than are found in the ordinary interwoven fence. The 
horizontal wires are of hardened steel and capable of withstand¬ 
ing any reasonable strain. A person who is interested in the 
fencing problem can get many valuable pointers from the circu¬ 
lars issued by this company. 
