1904 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
207 
AN EXPERIENCE WITH PERSIMMON SEEDS 
On page 36 a question was asked regarding persim¬ 
mon seeds. I give a little experience that may be of 
advantage to some readers. Several years ago in Feb¬ 
ruary, I ordered from a Rochester nurseryman sev¬ 
eral packets of persimmon seed, which were claimed 
to be in condition to grow upon being planted in 
early Spring. I knew nothing about persimmon seeds, 
but I did about some similarly horny seeds like Honey 
‘locust, etc., so was suspicious when my seeds arrived 
about the first of March, that more preparation than 
simply planting was needed to induce them into 
growth. I commenced soaking them, pouring on warm 
water every day, and allowing them to stand near the 
kitchen stove for three weeks, then mixed them with 
earth in a can, and when warmer weather came placed 
can out in the earth and awaited developments, but 
none came though I examined occasionally until June. 
Again in November I examined and found them sound 
yet, left them covered for frost to test its skill upon. 
In the following May I found them beginning to 
sprout, so planted them in nursery row, most of them 
growing. I have several times grown them from seed 
since, but always subjected them to freezing. If ob¬ 
tained as late as March 1 would put into earth, pour 
on water, and let the frost fit them for growth, which 
it invariably has done. If received in Fall I stratified 
in small box (not water tight), buried in the earth, no 
water being needed, as there was plenty of time for 
action of moisture and frost before Spring. Both tree 
and seeds start into growth very late in this latitude. 
I believe I could sprout persimmon seed as I used to 
treat dry seed of the Honey locust and of the Black 
locust. Put seed in tin pan, pour on a couple of quarts 
of boiling water (not simply warm), let stand 24 hours 
pour off the water, repeat process. After 24 hours re¬ 
peat again, which would always be enough for Black 
locust, sometimes twice was enough, and with the 
Honey locust after third 
scalding a few of the seeds 
would soften and begin to 
swell. They should he taken 
out and the rest subjected 
to repetition of hot bath, 
until all show change. This 
seems like heroic treatment 
but I am giving experience, 
not theory. If a narrow 
deep dish were used and but 
few seeds, somewhat less 
water was put on at a time. 
Whether persimmon seed, 
when fresh, if put into 
moist earth and kept from 
frost entirely, would grow 
the following Spring, I am 
somewhat In doubt. I am 
inclined to think they 
would require until the sec¬ 
ond Spring to start them, 
like ginseng seed, Red cedar and many others, 
though possibly in a warm climate like the ex¬ 
treme South, the horny integument would soften 
enough to allow growth the first Spring. 
Iowa. FRANK O. HARRINGTON. 
DUTY OF RURAL DELIVERY PATRONS. 
On page 49 we gave some of the instructions to rural 
delivery carriers regarding mail boxes. A carrier has 
asked us to print some of the duties of patrons. Here 
is the latest from Washington: 
On “drop” letters deposited in rural mail boxes or 
a United States collection box to he collected by rural 
carrier for dispatch, or for delivery farther along on 
his route, or from the postoffice from which the route 
starts, or on letters mailed in the postoffice to be de¬ 
livered to a rural patron by the rural carrier, post¬ 
age must be prepaid at the letter rate of two cents 
for each ounce or fraction thereof. A rural carrier is 
not permitted to collect or deliver any written mat¬ 
ter, whether in a sealed or unsealed envelope, upon 
which one full rate, or two cents in postage, has not 
been paid. 
Having succeeded in getting rural free delivery ser¬ 
vice established in a community, the residents thereof 
who wish to have the benefit of the free delivery ser¬ 
vice, must conform to the following requirements of 
the Post Office Department, as set forth in the Post¬ 
master General’s Order No. 739: 
Each person desiring rural free delivery service 
must erect, at his own cost, and in the manner pre¬ 
scribed by the regulations of the Department, a box 
which has been approved by the Postmaster General, 
which box must be erected by the roadside so that 
carrier can easily obtain access to it without dis¬ 
mounting from his vehicle. Persons neglecting or re¬ 
fusing to comply with these conditions will be re¬ 
garded as not desiring rural service, and the rural 
carrier will he directed not to serve them. Under a 
recent ruling of the Department it is permissible for 
two or more families to use the same mail box, if 
mutually desired, provided a notification be filed with 
the postmaster at the office from which the route 
starts, giving the names of all parties who wish to re¬ 
ceive mail in the same box. 
Rural carriers are not permitted to deliver mail to 
houses except in the case of registered matter, spe¬ 
cial delivery and pension letters; neither are they 
permitted to deviate from the line of route as official¬ 
ly laid down by the Department, to deliver mail to 
any box located back from the main road, or which is 
not erected in accordance with the requirements of 
Postmaster General’s Order above referred to. 
Patrons are expected to cooperate with the Depart¬ 
ment in the interest of obtaining efficient service to 
the extent of properly locating and erecting their 
boxes and keeping the roads in passable condition. 
Failure on the part of road commissioners or super¬ 
visors to keep the roads in good repair, or failure on 
the part of patrons to keep the approach to their own 
boxes passable, so that carrier can easily gain access 
thereto without dismounting from his vehicle, will 
be regarded as an indication that rural free delivery 
service is not appreciated, and may result in the with¬ 
drawal of the service from the individual or the com¬ 
munity, as the case may be. A rural carrier is not 
expected seriously to imperil the life of himself or 
his animal, nor to jeopardize the safety of the United 
States mail or his equipment, in an attempt to de¬ 
liver his route under extraordinary conditions of 
weather, or to reach a patron’s box the approach to 
which is impassable by reason of snowdrifts, ditches, 
or other obstacles which the owners of the boxes 
neglect or refuse to remove. c. a. conrard. 
THE CHEMISTRY OF “ DRY BORDEAUX.” 
I was much interested in the article by Prof. Jenkins 
(page 129), and wish to ask whether or not the 
same change results (the copper sulphate into copper 
hydroxide) from taking enough of a very strong solution 
of bluestone to slake lime dry enough to float in the air 
as dust. I am very anxious to use a dust form of Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture on my vineyard but want to know that 
the same thing can be arrived at from a chemical stand¬ 
point in dust as in liquid. Is the “poudre podechard” of 
the French the same, chemically speaking, as Bordeaux? 
There is a Arm out west who have made the startling 
discovery that bluestone, lime and water brought to¬ 
gether in any way form inert compounds totally worth¬ 
less for the purpose of destroying fungi. b. a. 
When powdered quick lime and blue-stone are 
mixed in dry condition it is not likely that any reac¬ 
tion takes place between them unless, indeed, the 
bluestone may lose a part of its water of crystalliza¬ 
tion, which might be taken up by the lime, thus dry- 
slaking a part of it. If the dry-mixed powder is scat¬ 
tered on wet leaves the same reaction probably takes 
place as when Bordeaux Mixture is made, i. e., blue- 
stone and a part of the lime dissolves, then the cop¬ 
per is precipitated as hydroxide and a corresponding 
amount of lime as sulphate. In other words, a Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture is formed on the spot. Whether such 
a mixture has ever been tried practically I do not 
know, nor should I want to risk it, except in a very 
small experimental way, for if there is not water 
enough on the leaves to carry the reactions through 
promptly, or if the chemicals are not very finely 
ground, or if the mixture is not a perfect one, the fo¬ 
liage would be ruined by the dissolved bluestone. 
Dry Bordeaux Mixture, as I understand it, is pre¬ 
pared by pouring a concentrated solution of blue- 
stone into thick cream of lime and thoroughly mix¬ 
ing, which converts all the copper into hydroxide, de¬ 
canting or straining off the water and mixing the 
wet mush of copper hydroxide and lime sulphate 
with enough fine, dry-slaked lime to absorb the mois¬ 
ture and, after further drying, to make a dry powder. 
Bulletin 60 of the Missouri Station gives the details 
of this process and promises a statement of the re¬ 
sults of experiments with it in 1903. I am not at all 
familiar with the use or effects of dry Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture. The statement quoted by B. A. that bluestone, 
lime and water brought together in any way form 
inert compounds, totally worthless for the purpose 
of destroying fungi, is simply untrue. I do not know 
what the “poudre podechard” of the French is. 
[Dr.] E. H. JENKINS. 
TWO CROPS EACH YEAR. 
The article on page 139, “A Little Farm Well Till¬ 
ed,” was of unusual interest to me, as several years 
ago I was in relatively the same position as youi 
Long Island friend. My farm is only 44 acres, and 
after taking out the land occupied by the house, the 
tenant house, farm buildings, barnyard, lawn, drives, 
etc., I have only about 30 acres left. During the past 
year I have kept eight horses, seven cows, 15 pigs 
and about 50 chickens. The only feed I have pur¬ 
chased has been one bag of wheat middlings and a 
ton of dried barley grains. In addition to the milk, 
butter, young pigs and calves I have sold 50 bushels 
of buckwheat, 335 pounds of buckwheat flour, and 
have about 150 bushels of seed corn, five tons of Tim¬ 
othy hay and two tons of rye straw to sell this 
Spring. I have been able to achieve this result be¬ 
cause I grow two crops a year on every part of my 
land. My corn ground grows turnips and pumpkins 
as well as corn, so that it is fair to count that land as 
producing two crops. Of course I do not consider 
that my land produces nearly what it is capable of 
producing, but when I consider that when I first be¬ 
gan farming the land six years ago the whole 44 
acres only produced 17 loads of hay—if you can dig¬ 
nify a mixture of daisies, thistles, blackberry vines 
and wild carrots by the name of hay—I am pretty 
well satisfied. 
If I were in the position of your Long Island in¬ 
quirer I would divide the 12 acres as follows: Four 
acres in yellow flint corn, planting some pumpkins 
and sowing Purple-top turnips at the last cultiva¬ 
tion; four acres in oats and peas cut green for hay, to 
be followed by buckwheat; one-half acre in drill 
corn, one-half acre in oats to be cut and fed green, 
the half acre of oats to be followed by rutabaga tur¬ 
nips; three acres of potatoes of some early variety, 
to be followed by millet. If he has plenty of good 
barnyard manure and will 
purchase some fertilizer 
fairly rich in nitrogen, so 
as to give his second crops 
a quick and steady growth, 
he can easily keep 12 head 
of stock on his 12 acres. 
Perhaps somebody will tell 
him he is “wearing out” 
his land. I have seen old 
gardens in Italy and Eng¬ 
land that have grown two, 
three and even four crops 
a year for hundreds of 
years, and yet are they 
“worn out”? How often do 
you hear a man speak of 
an especially good piece of 
land and say it is “as rich 
as an old garden.” The 
old saying: "A little purse 
well filled, a little wife well 
drilled, a little farm well tilled,” is just about true. 
The second article, however, is rather difficult to 
procure. h. f. 
Bedford, N. Y. _ 
FRUITS FOR EASTERN NEW YORK. 
Give a list of best varieties for family use in order 
of their ripening for this locality: Apples, pears, plums, 
peaches, cherries, sweet and sour, currants, red rasp¬ 
berries, blackberries, blackcaps and grapes. Would 
you advise planting any pink raspberries? The soil is 
an exception in Orange County, being a gravelly loam 
underlaid with gravel. What would be the best varieties 
of strawberries for the above soil? w. j. B. 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
Apples: Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, Yellow 
Transparent, Gravenstein, Fall Pippin, King of Tomp¬ 
kins County, Grimes Golden, Rhode Island Greening, 
Hubbardston Nonesuch, Sutton Beauty, Baldwin, 
Newtown Pippin. Pears: Doyenne d’Et§, Manning’s 
Elizabeth, Tyson, Bartlett, Seckel, Worden Seckel, 
Beurre Bose, Beurre d’Anjou, Winter Nelis, Josephine 
de Malines. Plums: Red June, Abundance, Burbank, 
Chabot, Wickson, Satsuma. Peaches: Triumph, Moun¬ 
tain Rose, Champion, Oldmixon, Elberta, Stump, 
Stevens Rareripe, Chairs Choice. Sweet cherries: 
May Duke, Gov. Wood, Black Tartarian, Windsor. 
Sour cherries: Early Richmond, Large Montmorency. 
Red raspberries: Marlboro, Loudon, Cuthbert. Black 
raspberries: Cumberland, Kansas, Souhegan. Black¬ 
berries: Wilson Jr., Eldorado, Erie. Currants: White 
Imperial, Fay, Wilder. Grapes: Moore’s Early, Camp¬ 
bell’s Early, Delaware, Worden, Concord, Niagara, 
Iona, Brighton. Strawberries: Beder Wood, Jessie, 
Cumberland, Triumph, Chas. Downing. 
I have had no experience with the pink varieties of 
raspberries. The soil mentioned is not ideal for 
strawberries, especially during a drought. The Bose 
pear possibly will not succeed on this kind of soil, 
but owing to its high quality would try it. For fam¬ 
ily purposes many varieties are generally desired, so 
I make the list a generous one that can be reduced 
if desired. -J* c * 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
A PEN OF CHOICE WHITE LEGHORNS. Fig. 91. See Page 221. 
