3oo 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 23 
[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.1 
A BASKET OF FRUIT NOTES. 
ANSWERS BY II. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Training Graph Vines to Stakes.—I expect to set, for trial of 
varieties, some strong two-year-old grape vines, this Spring, and, 
to save space, wish to train them to upright stakes. Will you 
please give directions for training the vines in this way ? g. w. s. 
Connecticut. 
One of the simplest methods of training grape vines 
to stakes is the spiral style. Simply wind the young 
vines around the stakes as they grow, at an angle 
above 45 degrees. The second year, cut off all hut 
about two strong vines, and cut them off at four or 
five feet high. Allow one or two strong shoots to come 
up from near the ground every year thereafter, to use 
in replacing old canes that have become somewhat 
devitalized by heavy bearing, and need to be cut away. 
Diseased Twenty Ounce Apple Trees.— I have a number of 
Twenty Ounce apple trees that are badly infected with some 
disease that attacks the limbs. The bark turns black, the sap 
of the wood dries up, and when the limb is completely girdled, 
it dies. Would it be. best to cut out all diseased wood where it 
would take most of the top ? J. a. m. 
(No address.) 
Twenty Ounce is a rather tender variety as regards 
the tree. I have seen it affected on my own place in 
Kansas about as described by J. A. M. It is, probably, 
what is known as sunscald that affects his trees. 
There is no remedy for the diseased trees. Thorough 
cultivation acts as a preventive in some degree, as it 
induces a healthy growth. The subject of sunscald 
has been recently treated in The It. N.-Y., and J. A. 
M. is referred to that article. 
W hat Direction for Grape Hows?— I have a hill planted with 
small grape arbors; the hill slopes from east to west. Which 
would be the better way to run the trellises, up and down, or 
crosswise—north aud south ? m. s. 
(No address.) 
There is a difference of opinion among vineyardists 
as to whether it is better to have the trellis run east 
and west or the contrary. The north and south plan 
is the more popular, and for the case under discussion, 
it would be preferable to have the rows run that way, 
as the cultivation should be across the slope, that the 
land may not wash badly. In case of a hillside being 
somewhat circular, the rows should follow the curva¬ 
ture of the hill. Keeping the rows nearly on the 
level is of more importance than their direction as to 
the points of the compass. 
Fruits on Overflowed Land. —I have a piece of creek bottom 
land; the soil is about four feet deep. It overflows sometimes, 
but the water seldom remains over it more than 8 or 10 hours. 
Part of it is planted to fruit trees, mostly plum. There are, also, 
raspberries and gooseberry bushes on a part. Will trees and 
small fruits do well on such land ? It is well drained. a. t. k. 
Gold water, O. 
It would seem to me that fruits of all ordinary kinds, 
except peach trees, would do well on the land men¬ 
tioned. As A. T. K. has some kinds already growing 
there, he should soon know better than any one else 
about the matter of success or failure, by the results. 
At some times of year, there might be considerable in¬ 
jury to strawberries by being inundated, but other¬ 
wise, they ought to do well on such deep, loamy soil. 
Our native American plums, such as Whitaker, Smiley, 
American Eagle, Stoddard, etc., would be very suita¬ 
ble for such land. 
Fruits for Indiana. —1. What varieties of apples would you 
recommend for family use for southern Indiana ? 2. What four 
varieties for market ? 3. What varieties of peaches for market ? 
4. Do you know anything about the Lorentz peach ? 5. What 
varieties of plums would you recommend for market? 6. Do you 
know anything about the Mooney and Murdy plums? f. m. d. 
Indiana. 
1. For southern Indiana, there are plenty of good 
apples suitable for family use, as all varieties do well 
there. I would recommend F. M. D. or any one con¬ 
templating planting family orchards of any kind, to 
choose a good many varieties ripening in succession, 
and only a few of each, that there may be a constant 
supply of fruit throughout the year. On page 120 of 
The R. N.-Y. is a list of apples and pears of this char¬ 
acter. A few of the apples may be named as follows, 
but the reader is referred to that page for fuller in¬ 
formation : Yellow Transparent, Fanny, Lowell, 
Jefferis, Wine, Grimes Golden, Jonathan, Stayman 
and York Imperial. 2. Four good market apples are, 
Rome Beauty, York Imperial, Stayman and Ben Davis. 
These are all red Winter varieties. 3. Among the 
very best peaches for market are Mountain Rose, El- 
berta, Oldmixon Free and Chairs. 4. Lorentz is a late, 
yellow, freestone peach of the Crawford type. It is 
good in quality, large, and is said to be productive, 
although I have never had opportunity to observe its 
behavior in the orchard. 5. If I were going to plant 
plums in southern Indiana. I would stick quite close 
to the native or American types, and the Japans. 
There are many very good kinds among our native 
varieties ; they bear well, and are usually red and 
very attractive. In the latter respect, they surpass all 
other classes of plums, therefore attract the buyer. 
For home use, they are not so good, because of being 
very sour when cooked ; but for jelly, none is superior. 
Stoddard, Oclieeda, Smiley, and Whitaker are good 
plums of this class. The Damsons will, also, do well 
in that region. Shropshire, Farleigh and French are 
the best of them. 6. Of the Mooney and Murdy plums, I 
know nothing except what I have read. If others 
know positively of them, either good or bad. it is 
boped that they will tell us. 
Scraping and Whitewashing Apple Trees. —1. Does it harm 
apple trees to scrape the old bark away from the trunk and 
large branches ? 2. Is it desirable and advisable to whitewash 
apple trees, and when should it be done ? 3. Will KiefTer pear 
trees produce fruit when several rods away from other varieties? 
Bethany, N. Y. w. 8. P. 
1. It is not harmful to scrape off the old bark from 
apple trees, except that it makes the trunks a little 
more sensitive to the sudden changes of temperature. 
This, however, is not generally of much consequence. 
On the other hand, it is of some benefit from the de¬ 
struction of the cocoons of the Codling moth, that are 
often hidden in the rough bark. 2. Whitewashing 
the trunks is of little or no benefit. Some persons 
think that it makes them look ugly, and I am of that 
number. It can be done at any time without damage 
to the tree. 3. The Kieffer pear is somewhat self- 
sterile. It has often proved more productive near 
other varieties, and it is easy for the pollen to be car¬ 
ried to them by the wind and by insects, when the 
varieties are several rods apart. 
Apples That Cook WhoLe. —What is the very best kind of ap¬ 
ple for stewing whole, or in quarters ? Some fall to pieces in the 
process of cooking, or become flat and insipid; but there are 
others that keep their shape, and come to the table firm, rich and 
delicious. At least, there is one such variety, but I don’t know 
its name. n. 
Cincinnati, O. 
Speaking in general, sweet apples cook without 
breaking down badly. Talman is one of the most 
common of this class, and is often seen in the mar¬ 
kets. It is of medium size, yellow color, and good in 
quality, either fresh or cooked. Gilpin is another 
variety that is generally grown. It is small, red, 
and a very late keeper. It has several synonyms, by 
which markettnen and growers know it, among which 
are Carthouse and Little Romanite. It is remarkable 
for remaining whole after being stewed. White Win¬ 
ter Pearmain is a medium-sized, subacid variety of 
high quality that also remains quite solid after being 
cooked. It is not commonly seen in the markets. 
The state of maturity of any variety has much to do 
with its cooking qualities. The later it is kept, the 
less it will melt down after being cooked. 
Cultivating and Cropping an Orchard.— My orchard occupies 
about 46 acres. I had thought of dividing it into four lots of 11)4 
acres each, and making a four years’rotation on the following 
plan: I would plant lot No. 1 to corn and apply fertilizer, say 500 
pounds per acre potasli’and phosphoric acid, and at the last work¬ 
ing of the corn, I would sow Crimson clover. The following 
Spring, when the clover had made a good growth, say May 15, I 
would plow it under and sow cow peas, applying the same 
amount of fertilizer on the peas per acre. 1 would let the peas 
grow, and when the seed begins to harden, I would turn in hogs 
and let them harvest them. My desire then is to have this lot in 
clover the two following years, and have hogs on the closer the 
first part of the season. This plan would give me one lot of 11)4 
acres in corn, oue lot of 11)4 acres in peas, two lots in clover, 23 
acres, each year. What do you think of this plan ? Would my 
land increase in fertility, and would the orchards be likely to 
prove profitable under such a system of management? How 
many hogs would I be able to keep? I would raise Spring pigs 
and turn them on the clover, the 23 acres divided into two lots, 
aud shift from one to the other until the peas come, and then get 
them on the peas until time to fatten and market them. I do not 
know how I would get the ground seeded to clover after the peas, 
so as to have the pea lot in clover the following year. Can you 
suggest a plan ? I do not care to raise wheat and hay in my 
orchards, as it takes needed fertility from the trees, and makes a 
heap of work working and harvesting among the trees. My idea 
is to keep my land up and make a good profit from it out of the 
hogs, and at the same time, make the orchards profitable with as 
small an amount of labor as possible, as I have no help but what 
I hire. a. h. h. 
Baltimore County, Md. 
The idea of A. H. H. to fertilize and cultivate his 
orchard is all right in a general way, but he does not 
say of what fruits it is composed, or how old the trees 
are. If they are young, that is, not in bearing con¬ 
dition, it may be well to try to get some kind of field 
crop off the land; but there is danger of taking off 
more than is added in the way of fertility. The plan 
to put on potash and phosphoric acid is very good, 
whether the trees are young or old, for these two 
manures are the most important of all to the fruit 
grower. The addition of nitrogen to the soil is correct 
in a measure, and the getting of it from the air through 
the agency of Crimson clover and cow peas is the most 
economical plan of which I know. The plowing under 
of these crops will also benefit the land by adding 
humus to it, making it light and porous. But it is 
possible to get too much nitrogen in the soil by this 
means for the good of the fruit crop. Nitrogen in¬ 
duces a succulent, leafy growth, and tends to stimu¬ 
late wood growth and retard the ripening of the fruit. 
I have known some serious results to fruit crops from 
too much nitrogen from plowing under large crops of 
Crimson clover. Another point to be guarded against 
is. letting the clover grow too late in the Spring. 
Whether the orchard is young or old, cultivation 
should begin early in Spring, even before there are 
any signs of the trees starting into growth. This 
should be done to keep the moisture in the subsoil by 
making the surface as loose as possible. The growth 
of the clover will take up the moisture that the trees 
will need later in the season, as well as at the time it 
is growing. I believe in Crimson clover in an orchard 
of any kind every two years or so, but it should be 
plowed under very early in the Spring—May 15 is too 
late in Maryland. It would be almost, if not quite 
ready to bloom by that time there. 
If the orchard soil is in fairly fertile condition I 
would not work into it a crop of clover or cow peas 
oftener than every other year. I would put on a mix¬ 
ture of 200 pounds of muriate of potash and 500 pounds 
of dissolved phosphate rock per acre, with the clover 
seed or peas, and cultivate thoroughly whether I had 
a crop of fruit or not. If the orchard is young and 
does not occupy all the ground with its roots, I would 
put in potatoes or corn until the trees have grown a 
little more. Crimson clover may be sown with the 
last cultivation, or about August 1 to 15. Cow peas 
may be sown about June 1 in drills and cultivated, 
or broadcasted later. Ilogs can be turned on them 
before frost. They will get much good feed from the 
peas, and do no harm to the trees. But the main idea 
in orchard treatment should be to cultivate early in 
the season, and work for the benefit of the fruit crop, 
whether it is present or prospective, and not expect to 
get much from the soil except the fruit crop, unless it 
be a little as a by-product that did not detract from 
the main crop. It would be too late to seed to Crim¬ 
son clover after cow peas are hogged down in the Fall. 
I would let the pea vines lie until Spring as a partial 
protection to the soil, which is better than plowing 
them under in the Fall. These plans are followed by 
some of the largest as well as the best orchardists in 
the central United States. 
Diseased Tompkins King Apple Treks.— 1. What is the matter 
with my 25-year-old King apple trees? The bark is rotting off 
next to the ground ; two trees have died, and others are in danger, 
the bark being partly gone. No other trees in the orchard are 
affected except oue Fallawater which has died. I can tind no 
evidence of insect work. The trouble appears to be general with 
the Kings in this locality; I know of a number of trees that have 
died from the same cause. 2. Why don't my plum trees bear? 
They are seven years old, are thrifty, well cultivated and manured, 
are full of blossoms every year, but have not set a plum. They 
are of different varieties, and 20 feet apart. j. R . w . 
Ontario County, N. Y. 
1. Tompkins King is one of the very worst of all 
varieties of the apple to be affected by the rather 
mysterious disease called sunscald Since the days of 
my boyhood, this peculiar affection, which is so well 
described by J. R. W., has been noticed in this variety 
in particular. My father set some of the first trees of 
it that were set out, and they were troubled so badly 
that, as early as 18(50, we decided to plant no more. 
It is generally considered a very “ tender ” tree all 
over the country. Whether it is really its inability 
to endufe the violent changes of climate, or some other 
unknown reason, I am not certain, but this is my be¬ 
lief. Sunscald, so-called, is caused by such changes, 
as have been quite fully described in The R. N.-Y. 
Fallawater is also inclined to be affected in like man¬ 
ner. and so are Sweet Bough and some other varieties 
of the apple. 2. It is impossible for me to tell what is 
the reason J. R. W.’s plum trees do not bear. It 
may be the result of curculio. 
Fruits for Nova Scotia.—1. I am at a loss what to plant for 
new strawberries. My old ones are running out. There are too 
few perfect flowering varieties. We buy our plants here mixed, 
aud do not know the proportion of perfect and imperfect plants. 
I don’t like this way, and want to get the best varieties of both 
kinds, and keep part separate for resetting. The catalogues only 
muddle one. What varieties would be considered best for the 
Annapolis Valley, N. S., for the Boston and Provincial markets ? 
2. What kinds of pears would be most profitable to grow here for 
the English market? I have Koouee, Krull, Rutter, Boussoek, 
Garber, Kieffer and Wilder Early. None has fruited yet. Are 
there any better varieties for our climate that are profitable for 
nearby and foreign markets? My trees come from a western 
nursery, and may not be adapted for our moist climate. I want 
early, medium and late varieties that will succeed here. 3. What 
is a well-balanced fertilizer for fruit trees ? r. d. l. 
Waterville, N. S. 
1. So manj’ excellent varieties of the strawberry 
are being grown all over the country that it 
would seem an easy matter for R. D. L. to select 
suitable kinds for his locality. It is commonly 
thought that from one-third to one-fifth of the rows 
in a straw’berry field should be of perfect flower¬ 
ing kinds. It is always best to keep each vari¬ 
ety separate, that there may be no guess work about 
the matter of sex, or about knowing the value of each 
in every way. Among the perfeet flowering kinds, 
the following are some of the best: Aroma, Wm. Belt, 
