1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
629 
to spread on a good quantity of muriate of potash and 
bone black, say 600 pounds of each per acre this fall, 
after the ground is plowed and thoroughly harrowed. 
This winter, trim out all the limbs which grow in 
crossways through the top, Harrow again in spring, 
and sow on 300 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. 
In plowing, plow shallow so as not to cut off too many 
of the top roots. Dig under the trees where the plow 
cannot reach, with a fork or spade. If the limbs come 
down so low that it is difficult to get under the trees, 
saw the lower tier of limbs off, and coat the wounds 
with grafting wax made of two pounds of resin, one 
pound of beeswax and a half pound of tallow melted 
together and worked as one would molasses candy 
Next season, harrow the ground several times, and in 
the fall, give another dose of muriate of potash and 
bone black or S. C rock followed, in spring, with 
nitrate of soda. The trees will come into bearing 
when there is the proper food in the soil for them to 
make apples. It is natural for them to do so. Peed 
the trees every year. edwin hoyt. 
Connecticut. 
Great Results With Mulch or Manure. 
I have known most decidedly beneficial results in 
orchards by top-dressing in the fall or winter with 
coarse manure from the stable or yard. It not only 
operates as a fertilizer, but also as a mulch to keep 
down the grass, and mellow the soil. Top-dress the 
whole surface. In one notable case, swamp muck 
was freely used, a cart-load to a tree, followed by the 
most marked success—an abundant crop of the finest 
fruit. The good effects of this application lasted for 
several years, though gradually falling off. Rich 
turf from ditches or roadsides would answer a good 
purpose. We allow the swine to do the plowing, with 
good results, when not carried to excess. 
Connnectieut. t. s. gold 
Better Let the Orchard Alone. 
It is altogether too late now for him to do anything 
toward aiding imthe production of fruit buds for an¬ 
other season, as they are already formed if there will 
be any. The time-to have begun was early last spring, 
and to have given thorough tillage until now. Better 
let his orchard alone as far as tillage is concerned, 
until next April, and spend the winter in the orchard 
with saw, axe and knife, putting it in shape so that 
he can cultivate and care for it. I should want to 
plow it as a first step in cultivation. Plow shallow, 
and cultivate often. A large apple crop would, prob¬ 
ably, be worth more in ’99 than ’98 in Connecticut. 
Connecticut. G. s. butler. 
Plow Under Certain Conditions. 
I do not understand whether the orchard bore this 
year or not. If it did, then he would better let it 
alone and have the crop in ’99, as next year is the 
bearing year in this State. If there is no, or little, 
fruit this year, it is late to help the orchard, still it 
may have developed fruit bads, and a breaking up in 
any way will do it good. If the land is not stony, so 
that he can plow between the trees, even though not 
close, let him go ahead. He can be sure that the roots 
extend farther than the branches ; then break up as 
much closer as he can by cross-harrowing or other¬ 
wise. The sod under and near the tree does no harm 
aside from looks, if all the rest of the surface is cul¬ 
tivated. There is very little danger of starting the 
apples into new growth this fall by cultivating after 
this time, and none at all should the work not be done 
till after October 1, which I would prefer, as the main 
object now to be gained is to get the sod broken up 
and killed before spring. Should the orchard be one 
that has made rapid growth all these years, and never 
produced fruit, then the breaking up, if deep, will 
cut roots and, probably, start the trees to fruiting, 
but not till a year later, as it would take a season to 
produce the fruit buds. a. g. gulley. 
Storrs Agricultural College. 
Pruning Probably Much Needed. 
If I knew all of the conditions, I might answer the 
question better ; the location and soil may have some¬ 
thing to do with his trees. Prom the way he states 
it, I should think that manure of a nitrogenous char¬ 
acter had been used, which had produced too much 
wood and foliage growth, as against the formation 
of fruit buds. Without knowing the condition of the 
trees, I should say that a severe pruning would be the 
first step to check tree growth, but not until after 
the foliage had fallen. Then I would apply 10 pounds 
of muriate of potash to each tree, putting it as far as 
the branches extended; then, in the spring, as soon 
as the frost is out, mix equal parts of bone black and 
kainit, and apply 1,000 pounds per acre. If it is a 
heavy sod, harrowing would be of little use, but if 
the soil is loose, cultivation of that kind might do. 
He did not state whether the grass had been mowed 
or pastured ; I think the latter best, if not cultivated, 
and I am not sure but, with proper fertilization and 
close cropping, it would be just as well. I have no¬ 
ticed that buds that formed near together were more 
hardy than those that had a longer distance between 
them, and anything that had a tendency to produce 
bud formation, near together, made them more hardy. 
I do not know that the treatment I have stated would 
have any effect next year, as the trees have practi¬ 
cally put in their work for this year ; but if some 
attention be paid along the line I have suggested, and 
the trees are in a healthy condition at present, I see 
no reason why he cannot put his trees in shape to 
get a satisfactory return for his trouble and expense. 
I know that, if I had that many trees of that age, 
with the present demand for fruit, I would try some 
means to induce them to bear. I am watching an 
orchard of my neighbor, who had put on two very 
heavy applications of stable manure ; he plowed it last 
year and has kept it harrowed this. I told him that 
I thought he would grow too much foliage, and shut 
out the sunlight too much. The results will come later. 
Connecticut. dennis fenn. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
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The German Prune in Pennsylvania. 
A. W. W., Sugar Grove, Pa. —Can the German Prune be grown 
in this locality, and is it of more value than other plums ? I was 
told so by the agent. I have bought a lot to be delivered in 
October, but will have time to change the order. What other 
variety would be better, if any ? I cannot find a German Prune 
around here. 
Ans. —The variety of plum most commonly called 
German Prune, which is the true Quetsche of European 
orchards and nurseries, is a success almost anywhere 
in the central and eastern States, and will likely do very 
well with A. W. W., but he-may get any one of about 
six kinds that go under the name of German Prune. 
The fruit of the tree is long oval, one side larger than 
the other, dark purplish blue and a freestone. The 
tree is not a very good grower, but bears well, and, 
on the whole, is a profitable fruit. Fellenberg is 
thought by some of the best plum growers to be the 
best of the prune class, as it is larger than the com¬ 
mon Quetsche, and sells at a top price. Bradshaw 
and Grand Duke are two very choice market plums. 
H. e. v. D 
Questions About Plums and Grafting. 
0. 6'., Dark County, 0. —1. I have a Peter’s Yellow Gage plum 
tree which has been planted six years, and ha3 borne but three 
or four plums. It sheds its leaves mostly in August, is a poor 
grower, and would be a poor variety on which to bud other varie¬ 
ties. I am tempted to dig it out and plant to some more produc¬ 
tive and healthy variety. Would I better dig it up or try it another 
year ? It seems to have set no fruit buds for another year. 2. 
What does The R. N.-Y. or its readers know about the following 
plums: Field, Prince of Wales, Black Diamond, and Monarch? 
Are they productive and valuable for home use or market ? 
I have one tree of each, two years planted; Field and Diamond 
seem to be poor growers, Monarch some better, and Prince of 
Wales a good grower. If they are not more productive than 
Peter’s Yellow Gage, I want to know it, as I have no room for 
deadheads. 3. What two or three varieties of Japan plums would 
you plant, if you had room for only three trees, and on which you 
wished to bud other Japan varieties as they are introduced and 
found wortny ? 4. Can whip or splice grafting be successfu.ly 
performed on one-year planted Lombard plum trees, in the spring 
of 1898 ? I budded other kinds in the tops, and not all grew or 
lived, and I wish to get the tops to other kinds as soon as pos¬ 
sible. How long do you leave the whip or splice graft tied before 
cutting the strings ? I tried cleft grafting in bearing trees, and 
when I jarred them to catch the curculio, I jarred loose all of the 
grafts, which had made a growth of two to six inches. I fruited 
the following kinds this year, and they were very tine—Niagara, 
Gueii, Duane’s Purple, Shippers’ Pride, Quackenboss, Richland, 
Reine Claude, Lombard, Grand Duke, and two varieties of 
Damsons. 
Ans.— 1. Peter’s Yellow Gage is an old and highly- 
prized variety for a family collection. Perhaps it 
drops its leaves so early with O. C. owing to some 
disease that is preying on them. If the tree is other¬ 
wise healthy, and other varieties under the same 
treatment have healthy foliage, it may need spraying 
with the copper solution. Try this, and if it do not 
bear well afterwards, then graft it to some other 
kind. 2. All the varieties named have a good name 
among plum growers who have tried them, Field and 
Prince of Wales especially so. 3. Abundance, Bur¬ 
bank, and Red June are all well tested Japan varie¬ 
ties. 4. Splice or tongue grafting is the strongest 
style of grafting, for, if well done, it heals up the 
first year without any open wound. The string used 
in tying the parts together should not and need not 
be so strong as to need cutting. I often use old woolen 
yarn, which is somewhat elastic. Strips of old muslin 
soaked in hot grafting wax and then tied, make very 
good bandages for top grafts on small stocks, and 
make any other binding unnecessary. h. e. y. d. 
An Apple Orchard for Iowa. 
V. S. H., Buck Grove, la.— I intend to plant an orchard of 200 
apple trees next spring. What varieties should be planted for 
commercial purposes? What proportion would you plant to 
each kind ? Are there any varieties of pears or peaches that 
would do well here ? My location is the western part of central 
Iowa, Crawford County. 
Ans. —One of the first things to do, in any country, 
before planting fruits of any kind and for any pur¬ 
pose, is to see what kinds and what methods of cul¬ 
ture pay best on the farms of your most successful 
neighbors. Local experience is an almost unmistak¬ 
able guide in such matters. But there are many 
other varieties that may never have been tried by 
one’s neighbors, that might prove to be even more 
valuable than those already growing in a given local¬ 
ity. My advice to V. S. H. is to see what his neigh¬ 
bors have done, and after considering well the whole 
subject of commercial apple culture, and the demands 
of the markets to which he expects to ship, to plant 
accordingly. As he lives where the protracted cold 
spells and blizzards of winter are quite severe, he 
must not expect to succeed with any but the more 
hardy kinds of apples. Winter varieties altogether 
would probably be the most profitable to sell; be¬ 
cause early kinds are, usually, over-abundant; but 
there comes the rub. Hardy late keepers are scarce. 
Among the best of those that have been well tried as 
far north as apples grow, are Northwestern Greening, 
Patten Greening, McIntosh, Utter and Avista. For 
late fall or early winter in central Iowa, there are 
many more, among which are, Wealthy, Lubsk 
Queen, McMahan, Longfield and Switzer. It is not 
likely that any variety of the peach will pay V. S. 
H., from a financial standpoint, but he might try 
Bokhara No.2,which I know from observation, various 
reports and specimens sent me from Atlantic, la., to 
be grown successfully there and elsewhere in the 
southern part of that State. It is not certainly known 
just how far north it will grow. Some kinds of pears 
will do fairly well in central Iowa. Flemish Beauty, 
Seckel and Anjou are about the hardiest of any of 
the finer varieties. Bessemianka is hardier in tree 
but of inferior quality of fruit. h. e. v. d. 
Some Facts About Lime—What is the Best Form to Buy ? 
0. R. 8., Ellicottville, N. Y .—This year, I bought caustic lime, 
unslaked, for use on my farm. I don’t know which is the best 
way to buy. Last year I took it from the car and spread it from 
the wagon directly on the land, but suspect that I paid for a lot 
of water. The lime showed plainly that It was watered as they 
put it into the car. I think that they have to water it in order to 
handle it. This year I took caustic lime from the car, unloaded 
it, and slaked as I used it. That made a great addition to the 
work. I made a great mistake in putting 16 tons into two piles, 
and not putting water on it as fast as it was unloaded. There 
should be one pail of water to one bushel of lime as fast as un¬ 
loaded ; if covered with earth or any material that will not hinder 
it from spreading, all the better. If it is not covered, it will not 
blow away; it forms a crust on the outside, and the wind doesn’t 
affect it. It’s a job to handle it, the best way one can fix it. I 
made a box 10 feet long, fastened it across my truck wagon, made 
a lot of holes in the bottom—or rather holes in a double bottom—• 
and made the inside bottom so that it could be moved with a 
lever so as to open and shut, and I could get rid of the lime very 
much faster and more perfectly spread than could be done by 
hand. But to do it with the box, we had to sift 1 it, which made a 
lot of very disagreeable work, and I have come to the conclusion 
that, to take the air-slaked lime from the car and broadcast it 
directly on the field, as evenly as possible, is the cheapest way. 
Which is the cheapest and best for us to buy to sweeten our soil— 
the caustic or air-slaked lime, that is, which will do the most 
sweetening for the least money ? I am offered the following by 
local dealers: 12 tons of caustic unslaked lime, $48; 12 tons of 
air-slaked lime, $34; car-load lots. 
Ans. —It is difficult to say j ust what the relative value 
of caustic lime and air-slaked lime is. If the lime 
were kept dry and had not been exposed to the air 
for a great length of time, $48 for the caustic lime 
would be about equivalent to $36 for the air-slaked 
lime ; or in other words, the air-slaked lime at $34 
would be slightly cheaper. If freight for long dis¬ 
tances were to be paid and the material had to be 
carted a considerable distance, then the caustic lime 
would, probably, prove cheaper in the end than the 
air-slaked lime. If the air-slaked lime had been 
rained upon so as to make it moist, the other would 
be cheaper, even if it were bought on the spot for use 
near by. It is very difficult to give a definite answer 
to such inquiries unless the amount of actual lime in 
the air-slaked is guaranteed. The whole thing comes 
down to the actual difference between caustic and 
air-slaked lime. This is water and carbonic acid, which 
compose a large proportion of the weight of air- 
slaked lime. Prof. H. J. Wheeler, in his valuable 
Bulletin No. 46 of the Rhode Island Station, says that, 
when 100 pounds of caustic or quick lime fully water- 
slakes, it takes up 32 pounds of water. Air-slaked 
lime also takes up some carbonic acid gas and, if ex¬ 
posed to the air long enough, the 100 pounds of actual 
lime will be found in a combination that will weigh 
178.6 pounds, so that there will be over 78 pounds of 
useless weight and bulk to handle. It is generally 
understood that, when ordinary limestone is burned, 
the heat of the fire drives away the moisture and car¬ 
bonic acid gas. After burning 178.6 pounds of the 
limestone, we have 100 pounds of caustic or quick 
lime. The tendency of tnis lime is quickly or slowly 
to unite with more water and gas to form carbonate 
of lime again. This is the form that we mostly find 
in wood ashes. Pour water on the caustic lime and 
it slakes —that is, makes a chemical combination with 
the water. Leave the lime exposed where the air can 
pass over and through it, and it takes up both water 
and carbonic acid gas, and becomes air-slaked. In 
buying lime, therefore, the chief question is, How 
much actual lime is there in the sample, and how 
much useless water and gas to mane extra bulk and 
weight ? 
