74o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
November 13 
by putting on the Crimson clover with potash and 
phosphoric acid, it will be stimulated so as to make a 
growth sufficient to bold the leaves from being blown 
away, protect the roots from too severe freezing, and 
when plowed down, the clover will give the trees an 
abundance of nitrogen. 
I have said nothing about pruning or spraying, be¬ 
cause he asks nothing about either ; but both are 
very important. There is another thing not mentioned, 
the distance apart of the trees. It may be that they 
are planted so closely that the sun can not shine on 
the soil, a practice quite common, and which, I be¬ 
lieve, has very much to do with the unfruitfulness of 
many orchards. J. s. woodwaed. 
Niagara County, N. Y. 
Would Graft on the Baldwins. 
Either plan proposed would be good. I think I 
rather like the first the best, however, and am in¬ 
clined to favor the use of common peas as, up to date, 
I have seen but little of the use of the cow pea in this 
section, hence know little about it. It is well known 
that I am a strong advocate for grafting over many 
of the Baldwin orchards of the country, as I believe 
that a disproportionate number of Baldwins are pro¬ 
duced in seasons when we have a Baldwin year, and 
that the future apple grower must find his money in 
growing other sorts that can, and for years will be, 
grown with profit. Oldenburg is good, but Longfield 
is better, providing the orchard man will thin the 
crop as he should for best results. It is an excellent 
apple, sent out as a winter sort, which it, doubtless, 
would be in the northern sections, but it is a late fall 
variety as grown here. One important feature in the 
make-up of the tree is its perfect foliage. No spray¬ 
ing is required to save the foliage and fruit, and 
mature the latter in perfect condition. Is not this an 
important matter to the future apple grower, which 
is quite too often lost sight of ? Maiden’s Blush is 
desirable, but I should add Hubbardston Nonsuch 
and Sutton Beauty, and discard King and Spy, in 
doing which it would be with a sharp eye to the 
money-makers. Pound Sweet is good in a limited 
way. s. D. WILLARD 
Ontario County, N. Y. 
THE NEW CHAINLESS BICYCLES. 
The part of the bicycle that has caused the most 
annoyance to users of the wheel, is the chain. For 
years, inventors have been striving to devise some 
satisfactory means of doing away with this. A 
chainless bicycle has long been promised. It is now 
here, apparently a practical machine. Its price is 
about the same as the former selling price of the old 
high-grade wheels, which is considerably above the 
price for which chain wheels are now selling. A 
large number of patents have been taken out for 
chainless wheels, and it is reported that one extensive 
manufacturer has bought up so many of these patents 
that a number of other manufacturers will manufac¬ 
ture under these same patents. This will be likely 
to restrict competition, hence tend to keep up prices. 
The oldest bicycle-manufacturing firm in this 
country is the Pope Mfg. Co. This firm has put a 
chainless bicycle on the market. The Scientific 
American illustrated the driving gear of this wheel, 
and we reproduce this illustration at Fig. 311. The 
driving gear is inclosed, and is as fully protected from 
foreign substances as the bearings themselves. This 
is a good thing for the rider as well as for thfe 
machine. In appearance, the chainless is neater and 
more compact than the old-style machine. As will 
be seen by the illustration, motion is communicated 
from the pedals to the wheel by means of a bevel 
gear. One great difficulty was to get a machine that 
would cut these bevel gears so that they would run 
with the smoothness and silence necessary. This 
has been accomplished by the use of an ingenious 
machine specially designed for this purpose. Then 
there was the question whether these gears could be 
mounted in so light a construction as the frame of a 
bicycle with sufficient rigidity to insure their being 
kept in perfect alignment. This is accomplished by 
the great strength of the material used, and the 
special design and rigidity of the frame for keeping 
the gears in alignment. The general construction of 
the wheel is much like that of the latest models of 
Columbia chain wheels. 
Another chainless wheel now offered is the Bayvel- 
gere, which was exhibited at the recent American 
Institute Fair. One of the machines shown was said 
to have been ridden several thousand miles. The 
designer of this wheel aimed to provide a construc¬ 
tion which would maintain each pair of gears at all 
times in proper alignment, yet allow of considerable 
deflection in the connecting shaft. This has been 
accomplished by inclosing and supporting each pair 
of gears, both at the crank hanger and at the rear 
wheel, in a rigid casing, which is incapable of 
being sprung out of shape, no matter to what rough 
usage the bicycle may be subjected. The power is 
transmitted from one set of gears to the other by 
means of a shaft formed with a knuckle joint at each 
end. This mechanism is entirely inclosed by the 
casings and connecting tube, and it is said that when 
filled with oil or other lubricant it will run for 
months without any further attention. This construc¬ 
tion is shown at Fig. 312. 
FIGHT THE SAH JOSE SCALE THIS FALL 
I noticed, a few weeks ago, in writing of San Jos6 scale in some 
place in the States, the owners are reported as intending to de¬ 
stroy the worst infested trees. From my experience, I would 
strongly advise not to do so if the tree is of sufficient value to 
make any effort to save it. I find it far easier to get rid of the 
ninety and nine on the trunk and larger branches, than the one 
on the smaller limbs. I would say for fall treatment to cut back 
as far as will leave the tree a chance of a good growth next 
spring, and waste no time on spraying or painting the masses of 
scale on the trunk; but with a wire brush made of fine, hard wire 
about two inches long, so as to be limber enough to move aside 
on buds or shoots, but stiff enough to break the back of every 
scale it passes over, commence at the trunk next the ground, and 
with long sloping sweeps, draw the brush diagonally upwards. 
Use the brush dry, and you will be surprised to see the scales fiy, 
first sweeping off the scales and then the bare insects. A few 
sweeps will leave the bark as clean as if San JosG scale had 
never been heard of. Clean out the forks of the limbs and follow 
each as far out as there are scales to be swept away, always 
working out along the branch. Follow this up by a heavy spray¬ 
ing of soap solution, both on the tree and the ground, and there 
will not be many adult scales to winter over. I have tried the 
wire brush only the last day or two, and hasten to let it be known 
how effective it is. The brush I have is like a large, narrow nail 
brush about six inches long in the brush part, but it would be 
better if made fiat like a varnish brush, and the wires close 
enough to support each other for the smaller branches, but the 
nail or tooth brush shape is good where there is room for a long, 
free sweep. The scale has spread badly among my trees this 
season, although sprayed each week with a one-pound-to-flve- 
gallon soap solution. I think the quality of the soaj> is not suit¬ 
able. I noticed Prof. Slingerland’s account of treatment at 
Cornell, and should be glad of a description and the price of the 
spraying machine he used, where it is to be got, and if it is well 
made. I have used a Knapsack sprayer bought in the States, 
and find it a great convenience, but hope never to have another 
like it; every part appears put together in a way that will cause 
most annoyance and delay in the working and keeping it in order. 
Niagara, Ont. c. t. 
C. T. is right in saying that, if a tree is worth an 
effort to save, it should not be burned, no matter how 
badly infested it may be with the San Jos6 scale. We 
are now sorry that we burned a few dwarf apple trees 
which were found almost incrusted with the scale 
here on the horticultural grounds. Our experience 
in treating the remaining less-infested shrubs, as de¬ 
tailed in The R. N.-Y. of August 7, leads us to be¬ 
lieve that this insect can be controlled just about as 
THE BAYVELGERE CHAINLESS WHEEL. Fig. 312 . 
easily as many other insect pests ; for instance, the 
Pear psylla or the Pear midge. The main point in all 
efforts to control these little foes is thoroughness. 
There is altogether too much hap-hazard, half-way 
spraying done by our fruit growers. This San Jos6 
scale has come to stay with our eastern fruit growers; 
it is so thoroughly distributed now that one hardly 
dares to hope that it can ever be exterminated in 
the East. Only the other day, we received a dozen or 
more pears grown on a young tree in the Hudson 
River Valley, which were so nearly covered with the 
scales that it seemed as though they could not have 
been grown in the East, where the insect has so re¬ 
cently made its appearance. 
In August, we reported that a very careful exami¬ 
nation of the sprayed shrubs here at Cornell had 
failed to reveal any living scales. We made another 
search a few days ago, and after half an hour’s 
closest scrutiny, one young scale just settling down to 
work was found. Near by, two or three other very 
young ones were located, and soon the live mother 
of these was seen only about a foot away on the same 
branch. Further search on a shrub which had received 
only the two sprayings with the kerosene-water 
mixture (the trunks had not been washed with the 
whale-oil soap), revealed a dozen or more live scales 
on several branches. Thus the pest was not entirely 
stamped out here this summer. However, the results 
already attained are beyond what we had expected 
when the thousands of living scales were seen massed 
on the trunks of these s hrubs in the spring. If we 
had not made the mistake of burning the worst in¬ 
fested trees, we are confident that our experiment 
could have been ma de still more decisive. 
A good share of our success must be credited to the 
one who held the nozzle. Mr. Gould, who assists Prof. 
Bailey in his spraying ex periments, understands what 
spraying means, and he sprays to kill, not to see 
how quickly he can get the disagreeable job done. 
I do not attribute so much importance to the kero¬ 
sene-water mixture that we used as to the thorough¬ 
ness with which it was done. I believe that equally 
thorough work with kerosene emulsion or whale-oil 
soap would have given equally as good results. The 
kerosene-water mixture has the decided advantage 
of req uiring no trouble to make it. The Deming Co. 
make several styles of pumps with the kerosene 
attach ment. We shall spray the infested shrubs here 
at Cornell again this fall as soon as the leaves are 
off and, while we can hardly hope to exterminate 
every solitary specimen, I believe that we will have 
very hard work to find enough live ones to make a 
quorum next spring. 
C. T.’s brush plan is good, and will help very ma¬ 
terially in the warfare. One cannot hope to exter¬ 
minate this pest with one or four sprayings, in one 
week or one year ; but the pest can be controlled and 
held in subjection quite as easily as the Pear psylla 
or many of our common insect pests, providing that 
the one who holds the nozzle is made of the kind of 
stuff that pervades our most successful fruit growers. 
This San Jos6 scale is not so big a “ bug-a-boo” as it 
has been painted. Give it a “big black eye” this 
fall, after the leaves are off, with whale-oil soap, 
Leggett brand, two pounds dissolved in one gallon of 
water. Be sure you hit it in the eye ; don’t shut 
both eyes when you shoot, or let the hired man guess 
at it. Then, before growth begins in the spring, get 
in another good shot, “blacking its other eye,” if 
possible. Perhaps the kerosene-water mixture, one 
of kerosene to five of water, will prove equally as 
effective as the whale-oil soap in the fall and spring. 
I know of one man who has 300 bearing apple trees 
in the center of a large orchard which he will treat 
for this pest with the kerosene-water mixture until 
he gets the upper hand of the chap, or finds that the 
mixture cannot be depended upon to do the business. 
Don’t let an infested tree go through this winter 
without a bath of soap or kerosene. 
M. V SLINGKKLAND 
A COTTON FIELD IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 
It is a “ far cry ” fr om the apple orchards of Lake 
Champlain to a cotton field in South Carolina. That 
is one reason why we bring them together by means 
of picture and description on our first page this week. 
Such contrasts give one an idea of the vastness of our 
country and the wonderful variety of our products. 
The cotton crop provides employment for a multitude 
of hands, and the money it brings is well distributed. 
A large share of the crop is still grown on small 
farms with ordinary tools. Grain growing has very 
largely gone into the hands of large growers and 
capitalists. This is chiefly because inventors have 
been able to produce machines which utilize horse or 
even steam power for gathering and handling. Not 
so with cotton. An average crop of 4 000,000,000 
pounds must be picked by hand—a fraction of an 
ounce at a time. The bulk of the cotton is picked, 
ginned and baled at the farm, and even then, between 
the farm and the factory, nearly 300,000 persons find 
permanent empl oyment in handling and carrying the 
crop. 
Cotton not only gives employment to these thou¬ 
sands of workers, but it helps pay our nation’s debts 
abroad. Last year, we exported $190,056,4(50 worth of 
cotton besides providing 18% pounds of the raw 
product for every man, woman and child in the 
country. We shall be sorry to learn that some genius 
has invented a cotton picker that can compare in 
value with a modern wheat harvester. The world 
has no need of cheaper cotton, and such a change 
would take labor from thousands of workers who, 
in the present state of affairs at the South, need the 
work. The photograph reproduced at Fig. 306, was 
taken in a field used by the G erman Kali Works for 
experimenting with various combinations of chemi¬ 
cals. It is hardly a typical scene, as the New Black 
Men put on their best clothes for the occasion. The 
girls will leave their Sunday dresses at home when 
they pick for business, and the man at the left will 
hang up his new hat. The picture, however, gives 
a good idea of the size and appearance of the cotton 
as it grows in the field. Later, we hope to give some 
original views showing the development of this plant 
from field to factory. 
