836 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
December 25 
better to spend another dollar in protecting it than 
to lose it and have to replant. 
It would be a great job to tie strips of lath around 
2,000 or 3,000 trees, and some orchards in this vicinity 
contain more than 100,000 trees; besides, the laths 
may cramp the trees too tightly, or the strings may 
break and the laths fall off, but the wire screen will 
not blow off or fall off, and it will expand and adjust 
itself to the size of the tree as the tree grows. No 
grease of any kind should ever be put on a living 
fruit tree. Most washes, aside from soapsuds, are dan¬ 
gerous experiments. Even orchards that are sprayed 
the most seem to bear the least in the long run. 
Kansas. _ T. w harrison. 
THE STORY OF A RUN-DOWN FARM. 
A CROP OF POTATOE8 ; THE FERTILIZER COST. 
Part III. 
This immense growth of pea vines was allowed to 
lie on the surface all winter, and was turned under 
in the spring of 1897, for potatoes. The ground was 
well plowed, worked up with Cutaway and Acme 
harrows, and fertilized broadcast, with 1,000 pounds 
per acre, of the following mixture : 200 pounds nitrate 
of soda, 200 pounds of blood, 200 pounds of tankage, 
400 pounds of muriate of potash, 1,000 pounds of acid 
phosphate. It was marked both ways, 2^x2% feet, 
and planted April 23. Backward weather delayed 
the sprouting, so that it was May 1 before the rows 
could be seen plain enough to cultivate. July 15, we 
began to dig for market, at the average rate of about 
100 bushels per day. As we sold potatoes the summer 
before for 35 to 40 cents per bushel, we naturally 
wanted to get this crop on the market while prices 
were running from $1 to $1.05 per bushel. Not to 
weary the reader, suffice it to say that we got a little 
over $900 from that piece of potatoes. Of course, the 
price helped us out, you say ; that’s right, but dry 
and generally unfavorable weather caused a short 
crop, with a consequent increase in price, the country 
over. 
Our crop on this particular field suffered from dry 
weather proportionately as much as other people’s. 
The middle of June, good judges, who looked the 
field over, estimated the yield at 500 bushels per 
acre. At no time during the early part of summer 
did we have the normal rainfall; showers once or 
twice made the ground quite wet on one end of the 
farm, while at the other (where this particular field 
was located) none fell worth noticing. The latter 
part of June, and forepart of July, we were visited 
by a torrid wave, the thermometer making a record 
of over 90 degrees in the shade for days at a time. 
Every experienced potato grower knows that a week 
of that kind of weather is pretty sure to reduce the 
yield of tubers one-half, if not destroy it altogether. 
The varieties planted were White Bliss Triumph, 
second-crop seed from North Carolina, Now Queen, 
Early Sunrise, Carman No. 1, Manum’s Enormous, 
and Maggie Murphy. The respective yields were in 
proportion to their earliness. The White Bliss were 
planted on a portion of the field naturally quite 
damp; they matured, at least, 10 days earlier than 
any of the other varieties, and gave a bushel of mar¬ 
ketable tubers from 17 hills. Inasmuch as the field 
was marked 2}£ feet each way, we had over 6,900 hills 
per acre. It will be seen that this variety was good 
for 400 bushels per acre, but the quality is such that 
few merchants care to buy the second time. The 
poorest yield was from Maggie Murphy and Enormous, 
where I had confidently expected the best results, 
and no doubt, would have succeeded in obtaining 
them had not drought caught the crop too soon, 
and actually burned them to the ground in about 
three days. The numbers were there all right, but 
size was lacking. 
It might be well at this stage of the proceedings to 
figure up a little, and see whether we can get an idea 
as to about how much expense has gone on this 
patch. In the spring of 1895, we applied the follow¬ 
ing : 800 pounds of acid phosphate, worth $6 ; 400 
pounds of animal bone, worth $6.60; 400 pounds of 
muriate of potash, worth $9 ; in 1896, 400 pounds of 
nitrate of soda, worth $9 ; 1,600 pounds of acid phos¬ 
phate, worth $12 ; 400 pounds -of muriate of potash, 
worth $9. In 1897, the mixture was worth $14 per 
acre, or for four acres, $56, making a total for fer¬ 
tilizers applied in three years, $107.60. If we add to 
this the cost of stoning and subsoiling — $127.50 — 
we have a grand total of $335.10, on four acres of 
ground, almost $60 per acre. But the critical reader 
is ready to exclaim, “ You have made no charge for 
all the plowing, harrowing, cultivating, use of ground 
for two or three years, etc.” Very true, my friend, 
neither have I given the field any credit for its im¬ 
proved appearance, its increased possibilities in the 
way of crop production in the future, as demonstrated 
by the crop of rye growing on it now. I think I made 
a mistake just at this point; if I had sown Crimson 
clover after the potatoes were off, instead of^rye, it 
would, probably, have been better ; but in conse¬ 
quence of so much dry weather during the fall the 
past three or four years, I have not been as success¬ 
ful with Crimson clover as I could wish, and have 
about concluded to abandon it. But the rye on this 
field, before the snow fell, was a solid mat, and a 
rule with one end on the ground, showed a height of 
nine inches, while it was easy to straighten it up to 
15 inches. 
Then there was another reason why I sowed rye. I 
intend to apply more or less (probably more rather 
than less) stable manure this winter, for early cab¬ 
bage next summer, and as the field in question is 
somewhat sloping, I thought the growth of rye would, 
to some extent, help to keep the manure from being 
carried down the hill by melting snow. And now I 
suppose that the reader is quite ready to ask, if fer¬ 
tilizers are a good thing, why not continue their use ? 
If you can succeed in growing profitable crops of 
potatoes, why can you not grow cabbage as well ? A 
very proper question ; I am glad you asked it. I will 
answer it next week. m. garrahan. 
Luzerne County, Pa. 
FROM WHEAT TO FRUIT. 
CHANGES IN DELAWARE FARMING. 
Varieties and Methods of Culture. 
The old town of Seaford, in lower Delaware, is in 
the heart of the famous peach belt. Years ago, before 
the war, many of the slave-holding farmers in that 
section raised large crops of wheat and corn. Labor 
was cheap in those days, and wheat was worth $1 50 
and more per bushel. The war put an end to slave 
labor, and the great wheat farms of the West put an 
end to high prices for Delaware wheat A change 
came over these grain farms of Delaware, a change 
in which Crimson clover, cow peas and chemical fer¬ 
tilizers had a large share. Probably no class of 
farmers suffered more from the decline in wheat 
prices than the gentlemen farmers of this peninsula, 
for these men invested most of their capital and 
energy in wheat-growing. A peach tree, with smaller 
fruits in its wake, captured the grain fields, and the 
canning factory took the place of the flour mill. 
The old times have gone, but they have left solid 
evidences and memories behind them. The substantial 
old mansions of slavery days are yet to be seen. They 
usually stand back from the road behind stately white 
pillars, which gleam through the shadow on sunny 
days, when patches of sunshine break down through 
the live oaks in front of the house. There is usually 
an old-fashioned garden with its rods of box hedge, 
and its flower beds. In the old days, it was easy to 
keep two or three pensioners from field work in the 
garden, but in these busy, fruit-growing days, the 
gardens are too often neglected. “ Roseland,” the 
home of Mr. Charles Wright, is just such an old-time 
place. The house and its surroundings carry one 
back to the days before the war, but the modern barn 
and the orchards of fruit and nursery stock crowd 
the present in upon it. I had little to do with old- 
time memories on my visit, but I was anxious to learn 
something about the more prosaic side of life. 
“ Why-do you claim that Delaware nursery stock is 
particularly valuable ? ” I asked Mr. Wright. 
“ We do not claim to beat the world on all classes 
of stock,” he replied, “ but we do excel in certain 
lines. For example, this peninsula produces a peach 
tree just about the right size at one year old. It is 
straight and clean, with plenty of roots. It usually 
grows the entire season, making a straight stem and, 
if properly grown, will ‘ put out ’ at any point along 
the stem wherever you wish to form the head.” 
“ At what height do you usually top your trees ? ” 
“ About 13^ to 2 feet is the practice with us.” 
“ What gives the tree a superior root growth ? ” 
“Our land is a nice mixture of clay and sand. It is 
easily cultivated, and we fertilize with soluble fer¬ 
tilizers. The tree never stops growing, and the long 
summer and autumn give it the best chance to ripen 
and not injure the bark. When these trees are trans¬ 
planted to a richer soil, they appreciate it, and do 
their best.” 
“ How do these trees compare with stock grown in 
other sections ? ” 
“ You may have noticed many peach trees grown in 
the North. They have a dark-green bark, often while 
the tree is in full growth, and a cold snap kills the 
leaves and stops all growth. Our trees are usually 
very stocky, but not tall unless forced. Western trees 
are often tall, but being grown on a very rich soil, 
they are likely to have poor roots and a long stem, 
and in many cases, will not transplant so well. We 
can grow peach, plum or apple trees, but our soil is 
not rich enough to produce the best pear stocks, un¬ 
less it be Keiffer, Garber or LeConte.” 
“ What is claimed for southern-grown strawberry 
plants ? ” 
“ On our light soil, &nd with favorable seasons, our 
experience is that strawberry plants have a better 
system of roots and, as a rule, make more plants than 
they do in the North or West. In digging, we can 
get all the roots, which cannot be done on a heavy 
clay soil.” 
“ What about blackberries ? ” 
“ I do not know that we can produce better black¬ 
berries than other sections. Here we grow Wilson’s 
E arly, which is one of the best in point of size and 
quality. It is not, however, hardy farther north, 
and thus we have an advantage in it ” 
“Is this a raspberry country, Mr. Wright ?” 
“ Yes, indeed, with fields of 25 to 100 acres in rasp¬ 
berries, you can readily see that this fruit is becom¬ 
ing a paying crop. Blackcaps do not pay us, and 
very few are grown. Our reds, like Miller or Turner, 
come so early that we find the price per quart for 
these is more satisfactory than the price for blackcaps. ” 
“ What about varieties of strawberries ?” 
“ Cuthbert was formerly the variety for us, but 
Miller has now almost entirely superseded it. Miller 
is firmer, comes earlier, and sells at higher prices, so 
we all grow it in preference. We find that a moderately 
stiff clay soil is best for raspberries. As a rule, few 
insects or diseases have troubled our red raspberries. 
I have seen canes of Cuthbert eight feet high grown 
during a single season on rich land Miller is not so 
strong a grower, but is more stocky and, as I have 
said, hardier.” 
“ I suppose that strawberries are really considered 
a farm crop down here ? ” 
“ Yes, indeed, all over lower Delaware and Mary¬ 
land, there is hardly a farm but has from 1 to 10 acres of 
strawberries, and many run up to 50 and even 75 acres 
of this fruit. I could give many instances of a single 
season’s profit in strawberries. Our light soil ripens 
berries early, and they come on very rapidly. Of 
course, we hear of yields of 7,000 quarts per acre, 
but I think 2,000 quarts for the average is high 
enough. Oftentimes, thousands of quarts are left 
unpicked in the field, as when the lower Jersey ber¬ 
ries begin to flood the markets, we must stop ship¬ 
ping. Hence, we often do not get our full crop to 
market.” 
“ What about fertilizing the strawberry crop ?” 
“For one thing, I have observed that nitrate of 
soda used on soft berries like Parry, Sharpless or 
Phillips’ Seedling, causes them to lose color and be¬ 
come softer. On Wilson, Lovett, Meeks’s Early, or Hoff¬ 
man, all of which are firm berries, the nitrate gives a 
good crop with strong growth and plenty of color.” 
“You would use nitrogenous manures with care 
then ?” 
“ Yes, such manures are excellent to start a patch 
the first season, but should be applied sparingly the 
second year, if fruit is the object. With us, plenty 
of phosphoric acid is necessary the second year, and 
we find it cheapest in the form of dissolved rock. 
Some potash in the form of muriate is necessary, but 
if you want the ideal strawberry patch, turn under a 
growth of Crimson clover and sow cow peas on the 
sod, and let the vines lie through the winter. In the 
spring, plow deep and get the soil in the best possible 
condition. Then apply dissolved rock and fish or 
tankage in the furrow, three or four weeks before 
the plants are set.” 
“In what proportion would you mix the tankage 
and rock ? " 
“ About 1,600 pounds of the rock to 400 pounds of 
fish, and I would use 600 pounds per acre of the 
mixture. Set the plants about April 1 , and about a 
month later, apply 200 pounds of muriate of potash 
per acre. If wood ashes can be had at a fair price, I 
prefer them to muriate of potash.” 
“ Is it necessary to mulch in this country ? ” 
“ No, we never mulch, but perhaps it would pay us 
to do so.” h. w. c. 
(To be continued). 
Keeping the Fruit Patch Clean. 
M.. Massachusetts .—What tools and methods shall I use in order 
to keep my blackberries and other small fruits free from weeds ? 
Ans. —My practice in the cultivation of raspberries 
and blackberries is, as soon as the surface canes are 
removed and rows put in shape for fruiting, to plow the 
spaces between the rows, turning the soil away from 
the rows ; then clean out what remains with hoes. I 
fertilize, if necessary, and plow the soil back toward 
the rows. After this, I u se the spring-tooth culti¬ 
vator, and keep up the cultivation as often as neces¬ 
sary to prevent the evaporation of soil moisture, by 
making a fine mulch upon the surface, and continue 
it as long as we can pass between the rows and not 
injure the fruit. I set my blackberries seven and 
eight feet apart, as they need more room than rasp¬ 
berries. I use for small fruits, after setting, the 12 - 
tooth Planet Jr. and the 14-tooth Iron Age cultivators. 
After heavy rains compact the soil, I sometimes use 
the spring-tooth to looser* up the middles. 
WALTER F. TARER, 
