1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
595 
very fast, and new kinds have to be obtained. The 
list, as it now stands, brings out a show of relics, but 
is no guide for future planting. c. e. c. 
SUIT THE VARIETY TO THE SOIL. 
SPECIAL FRUITS FOB SPECIAL LOCATIONS. 
Prof. L. H. Bailey says, in his latest book, “ It is possible that 
each distinct family or type of fruit varieties, has preferences 
of land and location, and it will be the business of coming gen¬ 
erations to determine what these peculiarities are.” He thinks 
that, in time, local and special sorts will tend to drive out of 
local culture, general and cosmopolitan varieties. Can you give, 
from your own experience, any instance of a variety that seems 
peculiarly adapted to any certain soil or locality ? Will you tell 
us of several well-known varieties that have marked peculiarities 
in this line ? 
The Views of T. T. Lyon. 
I do not understand Prof. Bailey to propound this 
as an established theory, but rather as a remote pos¬ 
sibility, or perhaps, even a probability. A notable 
case pointing in this direction is that of the New¬ 
town apple which, originating in eastern New York, 
is rarely successful away from the valley of the Hud¬ 
son ; yet, even this fastidious variety finds another, 
if not even a more satisfactory, home along the 
slopes of the Appalachian Mountains, in Virginia, if 
not even in other adjacent regions, to say nothing of 
remote California and Oregon. Another 
similar though less notable case is that 
of the Fameuse apple, which is especially 
successful about Montreal, while it is, at 
best, only temporarily or occasionally 
successful in most other localities, al¬ 
though it is supposed to be of European 
origin. Many other less notable cases 
could be quoted, affording warrant for 
Prof. Bailey’s proposition. But there is 
little, if any, warrant for the assumption 
that varieties are, even generally, spe¬ 
cially adapted to the localities in which 
they originated. Even the cases already 
quoted fail to justify such assumption, 
while the notoriously cosmopolitan char¬ 
acter of such fruits as the Wilson straw¬ 
berry, the Ben Davis apple, the Bartlett 
pear and numerous other well-known 
fruits militate quite forcibly against the 
probability that the practice indicated 
will become at all general. Indeed, it 
seems quite possible, if not even prob¬ 
able, that, with the constantly improving 
rapidity, cheapness, and safety of trans¬ 
portation, the very human itching for the 
remote and “ far-fetched,” may result in 
even a more cosmopolitan practice, by bringing both 
northern and southern hardy and tender fruits within 
easy reach of all classes, whether north or south. 
Michigan. T. T. lyon. 
Differences with the Plum. 
There is no doubt in my mind that varieties differ 
in their tastes and requirements for the production 
of the fruit, both in quantity and the greatest per¬ 
fection. In my own experience, this has been observed 
in The Prune and Quackenboss that, for some reason, 
I have failed to grow with satisfaction on one orchard, 
while two miles away, on another piece of land, the 
results have been far different. The same is true of 
Heine Claude de Bavay which, to my mind, I have 
grown with greater success in every respect than 
have some others on a different soil. I am now re¬ 
minded that I have never seen The Prune grown in 
any such perfection here as I have found it on the 
sandy land in Oceana County, Michigan. It must be 
a something, or lack of something, in the soil that 
makes the difference. It’s possible that climate and 
soil combined in the latter case may have their influ¬ 
ence. S. D. WILLARD. 
New York. 
Instances in Apples and Strawberries. 
Instances of this idea are particularly noticed in 
the strawberry; the old Jucunda, while fruiting 
superbly on certain kind3 of heavy clay soil, was 
never known to thrive upon sand, and rarely upon 
sandy loam. At the present day, if one is planting 
on light, sandy loam, he selects berries of Crescent, 
Lovett, Haverland or Tennessee type, while for 
heavy clay, such varieties as Sharpless, Jucunda Im¬ 
proved, and Gandy are preferred. The Crawford 
family of peaches prefer a clay soil, while most other 
types of peaches do best where there is considerable 
sand. Here in the Connecticut Valley about Hart¬ 
ford, we have a special variety of apple commonly 
known as the “ Bounder,” but noted in Downing’s 
fruit book as Belle et Bonne. It is the most vigor¬ 
ous and productive apple tree in America as grown 
here, and old residents going from this section of 
the country to other parts, have often taken buds 
or scions of this valuable and local apple ; but so 
far as I know, although it has been grown for 100 
years, I do not know that it has been successfully 
fruited to any extent outside of the range of 25 
miles of the city of Hartford. I have no doubt 
that, when we get down to the real science of fruit 
culture, we shall localize our fruits quite systemati¬ 
cally and to our profit as well. j. h. hale. 
The Mystery of It. 
There is no doubt that certain varieties of fruits 
require special kinds of soil, and that other sorts are 
not so particular. The Captain Jack strawberry was 
one of the best we ever grew on the old home farm, 
and continued to be so, as long as we grew it there 
on a clay loam, while it is of no use whatever here 
on the sandy loam of this locality. Reine Claude 
plum is another case in point ; this variety succeeds 
well on clay loam, while here on the sand, it will not 
grow as much in five years as it should grow in two. 
Lombard, Bradshaw, Improved Gage and many other 
sorts make a fine growth by the side of them. Many 
varieties of fruits succeed well on certain soils, while 
within a mile, they may not succeed. Every variety 
of fruit requires certain soil elements, but soils that 
differ considerably in appearence may contain these 
elements in the proportions required. It is a mystery 
why some kinds in all the different families of fruits 
are more fastidious than others. There will always 
remain much difficulty in making a study of special 
varieties, suited to certain localities, as the soil con¬ 
ditions vary so much within a small radius that it is 
impossible to tell whether a certain variety will 
succeed without actual experiment. In this county, 
thousands of acres are being planted to the peach. I 
find here and there a patch where it appears to be 
almost impossible to get peach trees to grow, while 
THE LINCOLN PLUM. Fig. 253. See Ritualisms, Page 598. 
all around these patches the trees succeed finely. I 
can see no difference, neither in the soil nor location, 
between the plot that succeeds and the one that is a 
perfect failure. I have seen some of these patches 
replanted two and three times, still they fail. 
Ontario, Can. w. w. hilborn. 
Nearly 2 000 new subscribers for the rest of the 
year. Better join the majority ! Costs only 25 cents ! 
Try.it I 
GIRDLING GRAPES; IS IT ADVISABLE? 
The method of performing this operation has been 
described so frequently, that it is not necessary to 
publish anything further on the subject. But the 
gain or loss to the grower by girdling, is a matter of 
opinion to a great extent. That some intelligent and 
successful vineyardists continue to girdle certain 
varieties of grapes, year after year, demonstrates 
that they are satisfied that it pays them. It is equally 
certain that many other growers have had poor 
success, have injured the health and productiveness 
of their vines, have, after the first year, lowered the 
quality of their fruit without greatly improving its 
appearance, and given up the practice in disgust. The 
advantages sought to be secured by girdling are 
earlier ripening and improved appearance of the fruit. 
A few years ago, early ripening in the neighborhood 
of New York and Boston, was of great importance to 
the grower. In this region, by girdling a portion of 
the crop, the season was extended, and thus the daily 
supply lessened, a glut in the market avoided, and 
the crop was practically all in the market before reg¬ 
ular shipments from central and western New York 
commenced. 
Recently, however, early fruit is not so valuable to 
the grower. North Carolina, West Virginia, Mary¬ 
land and southern Pennsylvania send 
fine Moore’s Early and Delaware grapes 
to New York long before they can be 
fitted for market in the Hudson River 
Valley or in northern New Jersey. There¬ 
fore, the only practical benefit to be de¬ 
rived from girdling is the more attractive 
appearance or better quality of the fruit 
secured by the operation. 
Although it has been claimed by scien¬ 
tific experimenters that girdled grapes 
contain a larger percentage of sugar, yet 
the almost general opinion is that, in no 
case, is the palatability or quality of the 
fruit improved, and in many cases, ap¬ 
preciably lowered. Where girdling is 
properly done, there is no doubt that the 
appearance of the fruit is improved. The 
size of the berry and weight of the bunch 
are materially increased, besides, the fruit 
is fit for market at least a week sooner 
than that from vines of the same variety 
not girdled. It is now pretty generally 
understood that, if a heavily loaded vine 
be girdled and all the fruit left on, the 
vitality of the vine will be so lowered that 
it cannot crop heavily the next season. In 
some cases, the vine has required several years to re¬ 
cuperate; this is more frequently true of the Delaware 
than of other varieties. Tender-skinned varieties 
like Worden and Concord are liable to crack if not 
marketed as soon as colored. In fact, the Worden is 
too tender-skinned ever to be profitably girdled. 
In conclusion, it seems to me that only those who 
are willing to give their vineyards the best of treat¬ 
ment in every respect, and severely thin the fruit 
each year, will find the practice profitable. It does 
not seem that it is practiced as largely as formerly. 
While there are, undoubtedly, advantages to be 
secured, the risks of failure to secure these, or even to 
sustain injury, are so great that the practice is not to 
be recommended. w. d barns. 
Orange County, N. Y. 
DON’T BE ROBBED! 
“on account of the tariff.” 
“ There you have it, in black and white !” exclaimed 
a clothing dealer, yesterday. 
“ What ?” I asked. 
He read, “ The suits you have been ordering from 
us at 88 50 are now raised to 810. This is on account 
of the tariff ” “ What do you think of that," he asked. 
“Just this,” I replied. “The wool from which 
those suits are made was purchased long before the 
tariff bill was passed, and those fellows are simply 
using the bill as an excuse for raising the price of 
their clothing, and you are a John-donkey if you 
pay it !” 
I reported the conversation to another clothing 
dealer, and he related the following: “Soon after 
the Wilson bill passed, a man-came to my store to buy 
an overcoat. I showed him a regular 815 coat, and 
as it fitted him nicely, I offered to wrap it up. No-; 
he wasn’t quite ready to buy. Would call again. 
Then he went down to the other store and spoke of 
overcoats. ‘Now,’ said the proprietor, ‘ we can give 
you the best bargain you ever ran up against in your 
life—a grand bargain I Here is a lot of overcoats that 
a short time ago were selling at 825. Since the Wilson 
bill passed, they have tumbled to 815. They are an 
unparalleled bargain !’ And they made the fellow 
think he had struck a Klondyke, and he bought the 
coat. A few days later, he came in and showed me 
