278 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 16 
will select a vig- 
orous young 
cane from each 
arm just as near 
the heads of the 
vine as possible 
—as indicated by 
the arrows in 
Fig. 123. With 
four clips of the 
pruning shears, 
the entire old 
arms with all of 
their last sea¬ 
son's bearing 
wood or canes 
are entirely re¬ 
moved . This 
leaves the vine, 
after our se¬ 
lected fruiting 
canes have been 
shortened back 
to 10 or 12 buds 
each, as shown 
at Fig. 124. 
Many times, a 
vigorous vine 
will produce, 
upon its fruiting 
TREES ROOT-PRUNED FOR ARTIFICIAL canes, sublater- 
ROOT PRESSURE. Fig. 126. a ls or branches. 
I prefer to cut 
these back to one-bud spurs, rather than to remove 
them entirely, as the buds at the base of these spurs, 
upon the main arm, are rarely so well developed as 
those upon the spurs. A number of these spurs are 
shown upon the fruiting canes in Fig. 124. These 
fruiting canes are now carefully lifted and securely 
tied to the wires, in the same manner as shown in 
Fig. 122. 
Fig. 125 shows the same vine during its fifth sea¬ 
son’s fruitage. The foliage was, of course, removed 
to expose the clusters, 24 pounds of which 1 gathered 
from this vine immediately after the photograph was 
taken. Subsequent prunings are practically the same 
as that of the fourth year—always selecting healthy, 
new canes as near the heads of the vine as possible, 
and slicing off all the remaining wood. The Kniffin 
system is also known as the drooping system—the 
bearing canes being permitted to depend from the 
main arms. F. h. rali.ou. 
Ohio. 
ARTIFICIAL ROOT PRESSURE FOR NEWLY 
TRANSPLANTED TREES. 
If the root-hairs of a tree have been destroyed in 
transplanting, there is delay in the expansion of the 
leaf buds, because of the lack of root-pressure—that 
is, the force with which the plants lift the water ab¬ 
sorbed from the soil. The cells of the buds are able 
to absorb water, and the roots absorb water quite 
freely without root-hairs, but the water thus obtained 
is not lifted so rapidly to the buds, hence the slow 
resumption of growth. In view of these facts, Prof. 
E. S. Goff, of the Wisconsin Experiment Station, was 
led to make some experiments in supplying artificial 
root pressure to newly transplanted trees, with very 
successful results. 
The treatment applied consists in supporting a 
quantity of distilled water at a height equal to, or 
slightly exceeding, that of the tree, and connecting 
this by means of a tube with the cut-off end of one of 
the roots. The water is thus kept in contact with the 
root, and is also under pressure which tends 
to force it into the wood. The device used 
consists of a round glass flask holding about 
two quarts, in the neck of which is a rubber 
cork having two vertical holes through it. 
Through one of these holes, a short glass 
tube is inserted, to which a rubber tube is 
attached ; through the other hole, a longer 
glass tube is inserted, which reaches nearly 
to the bottom of the flask. The flask being 
inverted, the longer tube supplies air, per¬ 
mitting the water to pass out through the 
shorter tube, which is connected by the 
rubber tube with the root of the tree. In 
applying the apparatus to the tree, a tall 
stake is driven firmly into the ground, near 
to the top of which is placed a short, narrow 
piece of board, having a notch cut in it, near 
one end, to fit over the stake, and a hole 
bored through it, large enough to admit the 
neck of the flask, near the other end. The 
flask is then half-filled with water, the 
cork inserted, and the rubber tube attached 
to the shorter tube in the cork. The rubber 
is then passed downward through the hole 
in the board intended to support the flask, 
when the end of the tube is closed by pinching it 
with one hand, and with the other hand, the neck 
of the flask is passed through the support from 
above, the rubber tube being drawn through in 
the meantime. The closed end of the tube is then 
released sufficiently to permit a little water to pass 
through, and thus force all the air out of it, when it 
is slipped over the end of the root that has been pre¬ 
viously cut off, and tied on tightly with a bit of cord. 
The soil is then placed about the root, and the tree is 
thenceforth treated in the ordinary manner. 
The effect of this artificial water pressure is very 
quickly shown, sometimes within 48 hours. Fig. 126, 
from Prof. Goff’s report (14th Annual Report of the 
Wisconsin Experiment Station), shows some of the 
trees operated upon; they had been very severely 
root-pruned. In some of the cases described, the trees 
artificially treated started into growth 18 days before 
those without the artificial root pressure. In Fig. 127, 
also from Prof. Goff’s report, each alternate tree re¬ 
ceived the artificial injection, and an astonishing dif¬ 
ference in growth is shown. The injectors remained 
attached to the trees until the middle of August, but 
it is not considered that the advantage of the injector 
goes any farther than in aiding the starting of root- 
hairs. After the leaves have once expanded, new 
root-hairs are formed, and normal root pressure be¬ 
gins. Trees of which the bark is shriveled and the 
buds blackened by undue drying, or of which the 
roots have been killed by severe freezing, cannot be 
saved by this treatment. In the case of trees that 
seem unable to expand their leaves, although both 
bark and buds are plump, the process will be of value, 
especially when it is desired to plant without severe 
cutting back of the top. Clean rain water may be 
used in place of distilled water ; but hard water should 
never be used. 
HUMUS FOR SOUTHERN FARM LAND. 
COW PEAS ANI) CRIMSON CLOVER. 
I read the letter by J. A. F. S., on page 247, with 
considerable interest. Mr. Garrahan’s reply is to the 
point, and should be received by J. A. F. S. as the best 
general advice that could be given. Mr. Garrahan 
has driven the nail home, but as I have lived a con¬ 
siderable portion of my life in the South, and have had 
some experience not many miles whence J. A. F. S. 
writes, I have a better knowledge of locality, customs 
and requirements which may still further help .1. A. 
F. S. He has. certainly, stated the facts as to the 
needs of the land, the condition of the farmers, soil, 
methods of cultivation, etc., clearly and exactly. I 
presume that J. A. F. S. is in the same boat that hun¬ 
dreds of others are, especially western men ; they go 
to the South expecting to find better conditions, etc., 
but they fail to grasp the fact that farming in the 
South is very different from farming in the West. I 
have seen many western men who came to the South 
make dismal failures. Yet, to my thinking, there is 
no country like the southern country. 
I think .1. A. F. S. is pretty near the mark in saying 
that there is no humus in the soil, and he wants to 
know how to fill his soil with humus in the quickest 
and cheapest manner. I answer, cow peas ! cow peas ! 
cow peas ! or, as they are called in his section. Black 
peas. If, as 1 suppose, his means are limited, let him 
take 10 acres for a start ; the land should have been 
plowed during the Winter, subsoiled if possible, 
and left in that condition until time for sowing the 
peas, which would be in May. Fertilize as per Mr. 
Garrahan’s directions, and if the land is very poor, I 
would add 150 or 200 pounds of cotton-seed meal, if 
means would permit. I would also add 50 pounds 
nitrate of soda; it would pay in the end. but if he 
has not the ready cash, leave the nitrate out; the cotton¬ 
seed meal will make its mark. Let him keep a portion 
of the 10 acres to raise his own seed for another year. 
If he has a Cutaway harrow, when he is ready to put 
on the fertilizer, harrow it in one way, then sow the 
peas about 1% bushel to the acre, and harrow them 
in the other way, that is, at right angles to the first 
harrowing. An Acme harrow will cover them beau¬ 
tifully. He can buy his seed ’round about from vari¬ 
ous parties, or in Petersburg ; it will cost him from 60 
to 75 cents per bushel, but if bought from a seedsman, 
will be more. The peas he would buy from farmers 
would, probably, be mixed, so in planting the portion 
for seed, he should pick his seed over carefully to get 
the pure cow pea. If he has any “clay galls,”as they 
are termed, that is, places where the top soil has been 
washed off, spread a little stable manure over them, 
so as to bring the pea patch up to a uniform state of 
fertility. 
Not for one moment would I think of turning those 
pea vines under in a green state, for the reasons stated 
by Mr. Garrahan. I would, also, follow his advice by 
sowing Crimson clover on, at least, a portion of my 
pea patch, but T would wait to do so until I saw the 
leaves beginning to fall, then early some morning, I 
would be out while the dew is yet heavy, and sow my 
clover seed. The falling leaves from the pea vines 
will cover the clover seed. The reason why I would 
doit while the dew is on the leaves, is because I would 
not knock off so many as I would if I waited until the 
sun had dried the dew. I have sown Crimson clover 
as late as October 15 without covering at all, and got a 
good stand. The field in question had been broken up 
early in the Spring, after having laid idle for years. 
It was given a good fertilizing; \% bushel of Canada 
field peas to the acre was harrowed in about three or 
four inches deep, then one-half bushel of oats to the 
acre was sown and lightly harrowed in. An excel¬ 
lent stand resulted, and people would stop and ask 
what I was growing. We had all the green peas for 
our own table we wanted ; then, just when the peas 
had pretty well filled the pods, and the oats were in 
the milk, we made hay of them. 
The plows were started before the hay was off the 
ground, the land was fertilized again, and a quick¬ 
growing variety of field corn was planted for fodder, 
and grew amazingly. The corn was cut ; of course, 
there was very little grain, but grain was not my 
object. A cultivator was opened out wide, and run up 
those rows, once to the row : we just had time to get 
the clover sown by night. Next day was Sunday ; a 
gentle rain had come down during the night, and had 
sunk the seed into the loose earth. That Winter, we 
had considerable snow. In the Spring, the Crimson 
clover came out fine, and I had plenty to feed my 
Stock. VIRGINIAN. 
THE GAPES IN YOUNG CHICKENS. 
WIIAT THE DISEASE IS ; HOW CURED. 
Prof. II. Garman, of the Kentucky Experiment Sta¬ 
tion (Lexington), has issued Bulletin No. 70 on The 
Gape Disease of Young Poultry, in which considerable 
speculation in regard to origin and treatment is in¬ 
dulged, and the results of a single experiment are 
given. Many well-known facts are stated. In Ken¬ 
tucky, as in other localities, the trouble is not uni¬ 
form in its occurrence ; it may be prevalent and de¬ 
structive on one farm, and not appear at all on a 
neighboring one. Once well established on land, it 
seems to maintain itself there, and to render the loca¬ 
tion unsuited to the raising of chickens. The cause 
of the trouble is the presence in the windpipe of the 
chicken of the Gapeworm (Syngamus trachealis) 
which obstructs the passage of the air to and from the 
THE EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL ROOT-PRESSURE ON THE OPENING OF THE LEAF-BUDS. Fig. 127. 
