1904 
4ot 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
Grass is making rather a slow start. Wheat is badly 
frozen and some pieces to-day, (May 1) have to be ex¬ 
amined closely to find much life. As to fruit, it is 
making a slow start: peaches seem to be about done 
for, but some reports from back among the hills on our 
extremely high north slope claim trees came through 
well. Scarcely any oats sown yet. Some just started 
plowing. Coarse feed is scarce and high, and pastures 
not ready for stock. April 28 to 30 rather warm and 
some rain, and we hope for better weather. w. y. 
Bradford Co., Pa. 
The season is fully two weeks later than last year, 
and farmers and gardeners are proportionately late. I 
cannot say that hotbed and greenhouse plants are any 
later than the average, but some damage will result from 
their not being planted out in proper time. There will 
not be much change in acreage except in onion sets, 
which are very scarce and high, and cucumbers. Some 
are not going to plant this year on account of the blight. 
Winter spinach and kale is all killed. I had a heavy 
crop of peaches last year, and the prospect is good for 
a fair crop this year. A few trees on the north side of 
orchard that were trimmed in March are killed quite 
badly. Cherries promise a full crop if not killed later. 
Brooklyn Heights, O. j. l. f. 
The early budding of the peach trees in this part of 
the country caused a freezing from which there is no 
possible chance of recovery. The steady cold weather, 
continuing very late in the season, has been of especial 
value to the apple trees. It held back the buds until a 
time when there was an assurance that freezing weather 
would be a thing of the past for the present season. 
The appearance of bloom will be later than usual, but 
the setting of buds is unusually good, and the orchard- 
ists of the Middle West are very much encouraged over 
the cheering outlook. Of course, many obstacles may bo 
met before picking time, but at present there is a great 
unanimity of opinion among apple growers that the 
prospects at this season of the year were never brighter. 
It is thought that the exceptionally cold weather of the 
past Winter had some effect upon cherry trees; still 
there no doubt will be a satisfactory yield of this fruit, 
and pears and plums give the same assurance that has 
been accorded to apples. J - H * 
Quincy, Ill. 
We have more than the usual prospect for fruit of all 
kinds, and with good weather we expect a bountiful har¬ 
vest of apples, peaches, plums and some pears and 
cherries. Peaches, pears and plums have been out in 
full bloom for some time, and we have had very cold 
weather for the time of year, but it did not kill all of 
them. April 4, the thermometer registered 24, April 20 
it was 25, April 21, 28, and it has been warm since then, 
till April 26. It commenced to rain a shower occasionally 
April 23 and continued that way till April 25, when it 
just poured, and it has rained nearly all the time since 
then, and is 44 with north wind blowing some. The 
early blooming apples were just opening out and our 
Home Beauty will soon open when it gets warm again. 
The Ensee is full of bloom now, but not all the buds have 
opened yet. We got about three-fourths of the orchards 
sprayed before it commenced raining, and will try to 
finish when it quits. The gasoline engine is the power 
for me to pump. What we need next are good roads and 
the parcels post. u - T> c - 
Lawrence Co., O. 
In central Pennsylvania the past Winter has been one 
of the coldest and most severe in 20 years. Stock has 
suffered much on account of the cold. At the present 
writing, May 2, practically no plowing has been done, 
nor other farm work. Farmers are discouraged at the 
present outlook. Grain is badly frozen and thrown out 
by the hard frost of March and April. Fruit trees of 
last year’s planting are frozen to the snow line. Bart¬ 
lett pears have suffered more than other kinds; Kieffers 
stood the cold much better. Bee-keepers are practically 
out of business here in Clearfield Co., central Pennsyl¬ 
vania. In many localities 98 per cent, of their bees are 
dead, the cold having frozen the honey so that the bees 
could not get at it. Potatoes are selling from $1 to $1.85, 
and they are expected to go higher. A large acreage 
will be planted this Spring. A close examination of the 
fruit buds shows that they are nearly all black; peach 
buds are all frozen without exception. Grape buds are 
50 per cent frozen. Strawberries, where not heavily 
mulched, are dead, but where protecled, show up finely 
at this date. Taking it all together, the outlook is any¬ 
thing but encouraging; with the season one month behind 
and the damage done to grain and otherwise, farmers 
have reason to be a little discouraged. N. f. m. 
Frenchville, Pa. 
FRUIT PROSPECTS IN MIDDLE SOUTH. 
I think the report in regard to the destruction of the 
fruit has been very much exaggerated. From what I 
can see there has been some damage to the fruit trees, 
but to no great extent, especially to peaches. J. G. h. 
Berlin. Md. 
The recent cold snap did not in any way do us injury. 
All fruits are promising; the early strawberries slightly 
damaged where there was-bloom. We are two weeks late 
in vegetation. Wheat is looking bad except early seed¬ 
ing, the latter quite promising; grass is good but short. 
Talbot Co., Md. c. l. 
The peaches are not all killed, some sections escaped, 
others suffered severely. If there is a fair stand of blos¬ 
soms now showing there will be an average crop. Plums, 
with us, are white with bloom; some killed. I do not 
think apples are hurt, and small fruits only to a limited 
extent. The greatest loss was to our garden acre. An 
acre of the Fall-planted Wakefield cabbage was killed; 
green stuff, as kale and spinach, scarce and much hurt. 
White Marsh. Md. r. v., jr. 
Fruit of all kinds uninjured at this time. Peaches, 
pears and strawberries are now in full bloom, trees well 
filled, prospects never better. Apples axe not as yet in 
bloom. Apricots, cherries and plums may, probably, be 
injured from the excessive cold April 15-18, as they were 
in bloom at that time. Wheat and grass very much 
benefited by recent rains; wheat very backward, very lit¬ 
tle corn planted; farmers well advanced with plowing 
and the acreage for com large. w. b. e. 
Centreville, Md. 
It looked for awhile as if all buds of peach, pear and 
plum were killed. About 50 per cent of peach are alive 
at present, but I am afraid many of them will drop 
later. Pear and plum are not damaged to any extent. 
Strawberi'ies are not damaged much, only the very early 
blossoms killed; all farm work backward. Spring thus 
far has been very cold and disagreeable. Irish potatoes 
not up yet (April 29); some corn planted. Wheat and 
oats are looking better, also grass; farm labor very 
scarce. Crimson clover not yet in bloom, usually in full 
bloom at this time, and ready for plowing under. 
Pocomoke, Md. F. E. m. 
There may be some cases where depleted orchards have 
suffered damage, but as far as I can find all healthy or¬ 
chards are safe. The weather, while cold, was very dry, 
and buds being backward, w'ere not injured. From pres¬ 
ent prospects the crop will be a fair one, but not exces¬ 
sive. Peach trees do not show as much bloom as I have 
seen; small fruits, Japan plums, cherries, pears and 
apples promise well. Wheat is improving but much is 
winterkilled. Grass shows a fine stand, but short; plow¬ 
ing is advanced far enough. f. o. s. 
Dunkirk, Md. 
I do not think any tree fruits have been hurt here in 
this mountain plateau except peaches and cherries, and 
we do not grow enough of them to count for much—buds 
had not perceptibly started on anything else. Ten days 
ago I was rejoicing in the prospect of a fine crop of 
Rathbun blackberries. I noted to-day they are agtun 
killed to the ground, the same as was the case last 
Spring. We are trying to head off Apple scab, Pear 
blight, Plum rot and curculio with the dust as the buds 
open and again just before bloom opens. c. t. s. 
Garrett Co., Md. 
In Piedmont, Virginia, the mountain orchards are not 
injured by the cold and frost of the past month. The 
peach crop promises to be very heavy; apples, cherries 
and plums unhurt. The cherries and peaches in orchards 
on lower ground are slightly injured, pears also, but ap¬ 
ples are uninjured. There will also be a fairly good 
crop of plums in the lower orchards. The ability of fruit 
in blossom to withstand severe cold is remarkable and 
indicates that there is a good deal about it that we do 
not understand. samuel, b. woods. 
Prest. Va. Hort. Society. 
Fruit bloom is abundant, with no sign of injury from 
cold on plums, cherries, pears and peaches, and if there 
is no cold snap later we will have an abundant crop, 
particularly the Keiffer pear, which only had a partial 
crop last year. All fruits are late in blooining. Apples 
are only in bud; buds are plentiful. We will have a full 
crop of strawberries; not in bloom yet. Grapes do not 
show as yet. Wheat is late and shows the effect of the 
hard Winter. Everything is late in starting, whicfl 
makes it busier for the farmer. There will be a large 
acreage of potatoes planted. 
Spencervilie, Md. 
I do not think that any fruits are damaged as yet in 
this vicinity. Of course, the temperature at times this 
month has been extremely low (and very unseasonable 
weather for this time of the year), and some early fruits 
had advanced somewhat, but though the temperature 
was rather low, there was at the same time a dry and 
windy spell, which i think saved the fruits. Had it at 
ihe time been wet the buds would have been frozen and 
fruit killed. At the present time everything looks pros¬ 
perous (a cominued rain has set in), and if there is not 
a sudden hard freeze, there is no danger of alarm. 
Ellicott City, Md. R- s. 
The most noticeable feature of this season is the back¬ 
wardness of all vegetation, due entirely to continued low 
temperature. We had no January thaw nor warm spell 
at any time to swell buds. They are swollen to bursting 
now, but even the Japan plums are not in bloom here 
yet, but 48 hours of warm weather would make a sheet 
of bloom. With these swollen buds it is easy to see the 
healihy germ in most of them. Wheat is looking healthy 
aiid may make a fair crop with short straw. Grass is well 
set on all cur mowing fields, and soil in good order to 
sprout the lied clover on the wheat where it is just sown. 
Colora, Md. 
The recent cold weather did not hurt the fruit in this 
section All kinds of fruit are late in blooming, from 
live to 10 days later than the average time, and more 
than three weeks later than last year. We do not ex¬ 
pect a good apple crop, as it was very heavy last year, 
but peaches, plums and other fruits promise a very 
heavy crop. Peaches were in bloom May 1, and before 
me as I write are two rows of Japan plums which are 
about as full as they can get. There are reports of 
serious damage in central and southern Virginia. Our 
critical time will come during the next few days. Grass 
has a splendid set, wheat looks only fair, but has im¬ 
proved very much the last few days. Owing to deep 
freezing the ground plows in g.ood condition. a. l. t. 
Smithsburg, Va. 
It takes extremely low temperature to injure small 
fruits before they are in blossom. No such conditions 
have occurred here. Japan plums had a small per cent 
of their precocious blossoms killed, but as you well 
know, 50 per cent of the blossoms of these and other 
kinds of types of plums and tree fruits generally can 
be spared, and still plenty will remain, were they all 
to set and develop fruit to break down most of the 
trees. Please note though, that just at this date, April 
30, the peach, pear and plum crop of this locality is in 
its most critical stage. Trees are in full bloom; frost 
would play havoc now but weather indications are favor¬ 
able You can say to your city readers who appreciate 
the superior quality of Peninsula fruit, that unless some¬ 
thing subsequently happens to it, this year’s crop will 
be up to the standard. J. w. kerr. 
Maryland. 
There will be something over half a crop of apples set; 
some late blooming varieties are scarcely hurt at all, but 
nearly all varieties show a comparatively small per cent 
of bloom, owing to overbearing last year. Peaches have 
been fully half killed, early sweet cherries were nearly 
all killed; pears will be a fair crop, plums a fair crop; 
late sour cherries a full crop; strawberries only slightly 
damaged. The season has been extremely backward, and 
while the weather was cool it was very dry, consequent¬ 
ly we shall have about an average crop of most fruits. 
This is far better than I expected. In the mountain 
sections of the State where the Albemarle Pippins grow, 
1 expect a good crop. East of the Blue Ridge, where 
the season is much more forward, considerable damage 
has been done to strawberries and other fruits, but even 
there the crop is very likely to be larger than we ex¬ 
pect. We can learn valuable lessons now in regard to 
hardiness of varieties. Some varieties of apples which 
are about in the same stages of blooming as other va¬ 
rieties, show a much larger per cent of killed bloom. In 
Texas, for instance, I noticed the North China race of 
peaches extremely hardy in bud. My orchard of Mamie 
Ross variety did not fail in five years. Many other in¬ 
stances might be cited. R. h. p. 
Long’s Shop, Va. 
Our season here is at least two weeks late; peaches 
just coming into bloom April 28. and up to present time 
no injury whatever to fruit of any sort in the Shenan¬ 
doah Valley. Some reports of slight injury to stone fruits 
from Albemarle, but as that section produces compara¬ 
tively little fruit of that description, the loss cannot be 
heavy. In the Valley section we cannot have a large 
crop of apples this year, owing to the enormous crop of 
last year, but quite a number of orchards report a 
fair prospect for apples. We had no peaches last year, 
while the season was unusually good for tree growth; 
consequently the peach trees are in fine condition and 
loaded with healthy buds. We should have heavy crops 
of extra fine fruit this year, and as our peach growers 
like to sell here if possible this would be a good point 
for buyers to operate in this year. We have both the 
B. & O. and Pennsylvania railroads, and transportation 
facilities are excellent north, east and west. Our peaches 
come in just after the Georgia crop is done. Corn plant¬ 
ing is about half done; wheat looking bad Until yes¬ 
terday the Spring has been dry and cold. We are now 
having a good warm rain and look for good growing 
weather from now on. s. d. lupton. 
Sec. Va. Hort’l Society. 
The present indications are that there will be prac¬ 
tically a full crop of fruit on this peninsula. There were 
a great many peach buds killed, but there is undoubted¬ 
ly enough left to give us a crop of fruit. Possibly 20 
or 25 per cent of the strawberry blossoms were killed 
of the very early varieties, such as Excelsior, Michel’s 
Early, etc., but the later varieties, which constitute a 
great portion of the berries grown in this section, were 
probably not hurt two per cent. In fact, the total amount 
killed altogether I do not think will be missed. With 
seasonable weather and favorable conditions from now 
on I see no reason why we will not have as good, and 
probably a better crop of berries than we have had for 
several years. The Winter was especially favorable, 
owing to the fact that the ground froze up early and 
staid frozen solid all the Winter, a condition that sel¬ 
dom exists here. This is much better than the alternate 
freezing and thawing, which lifts the plants, breaks 
many of the roots, and thereby weakens the constitution 
of a great many of the plants during our mild Winters. 
You may tell your northern friends that we are expect¬ 
ing an abundance of fruit, notwithstanding the reports 
of the northern papers. w. f. a. 
Salisbury, Md. 
It was only the early varieties of strawberries that 
were blossoming at all, and while some showed injury, 
a sufficient number of blossoms were left to insure good 
crops, unless subsequent conditions are responsible. 
Plums were the only one of the tree fruits in bloom 
April 19, and the trees were beautifully white with the 
profuse blossoms. Examination to-day (April 27) of Bur¬ 
bank and Abundance shows far more fruit setting than 
would be possible for the trees to hold should all come 
to maturity. Peaches, pears, apples and cherries show 
no evidence of being hurt at all. On the morning of 
April 20 (about 5 A. M.), the mercury stood 28 degrees, 
and the wind blowing hard, as it had been doing since 
noon the previous day. No doubt the dry conditions 
were much in favor of the fruit grower. On April 5, 
1903, the temperature was 28. but there was no wind, 
so a heavy frost accompanied it. The past Winter was 
very disastrous to most of the Crimson clover. My own 
was badly hurt, and will scarcely recover sufficiently to 
be worth anything. I also had some Winter vetch 
(Vicia villosa), which was entirely killed out. Wheat 
was damaged to a considerable extent, and though it has 
improved wonderfully during past two weeks, it cannot 
yield more than 75 or 80 per cent of a full crop. 
Cambridge, Md. w - D - 
It is true that we have had a remarkably cold Spring, 
and several serious frosts which have undoubtedly de¬ 
stroyed the stone fruits quite generally on the lower 
portions of the Piedmont country, and doubtless also 
throughout the whole middle and tidewater sections, but 
i believe that the stone fruits are in many cases unin¬ 
jured on the higher slopes of the Piedmont, and in some 
cases in the valley they are not greatly injured, but there 
is no probability that we will have a full crop. In re¬ 
gard to apples I think that quite probably the crop is 
considerably injured in middle Virginia and the lower 
portions of the Piedmont, but I believe that the buds 
are still mostly sound in all the upper part of Piedmont 
and largely throughout the Valley country. These two 
areas last mentioned comprise the real apple growing 
districts of Virginia. However, this statement does not 
imply that we expect a large crop of apples, because 
last year the orchards bore quite abundantly over a 
large" portion of Virginia, and we do not expect a set 
of fruit on orchards that bore last year. It will be the 
off year with us, though I shall not be surprised to see 
in some localities a considerable crop, and believe that 
up to the present the great majority of apple buds are 
undamaged in our best orchard districts. I have had oc¬ 
casion to notice some rather interesting things in con¬ 
nection with the killing of stone fruits on slopes of the 
Blue Ridge. At some points only a mile or so apart, 
peaches have been killed quite dead at one point, while 
at the other point higher up they seem to be sound. 
Thus the limit of frosts has been quite sharply drawn 
this present Spring. [Prof.l wm. R. alwood. 
Blacksburg, Va. 
BUSINESS BITS 
The Baker traceless harness, manufactured by the B. F. 
Baker Company, Burnt Hills, N. Y., is an acknowledged suc¬ 
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scraper, hauling logs, stones; in fact, all kinds of general 
farm work, including use on wagon with pole. For cultivat¬ 
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pensable. Send for circular to above address. 
Few if any dairymen now dispute the advisability of dis¬ 
horning all stock. Cattle are affected less by dishorning in 
warm weather if the fly pest can be controlled. Shoo Fly 
Horn Paint makes a never-failing remedy for flies. It is 
equally effective on any wound or cut. Send for booklet and 
full information to II. B. Read, Ogalalla, Neb. 
We had quite a discussion last week on the subject of 
drain tile. Those wanting further information will do well 
to send for a little booklet, “Benefits of Drainage and How 
to Drain,” published by John H. Jackson, Albany, N. Y. 
For many years Mr. Jackson has been engaged in manufac¬ 
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The results obtained through mechanical refrigeration 
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the usual cost of natural ice. The Pennsylvania Iron Works 
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Booklet and full particulars can be had on application to 
the Pennsylvania Iron Works Company, 5001 I>ancaster Ave., 
Philadelphia. 
“Thinkful Thoughts for Thoughtful Thinkers” is the title 
of a neat little booklet that tells all about the handy wagon, 
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A low down or handy wagon is generally recognized as one 
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The new factory of the American Saw Mill Machinery Co. 
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