66 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 2 
growth is much less than it would be in thoroughly 
cultivated land, but this last condition may be more 
or less overcome by cutting the grass and under¬ 
growth several times, during the early part of the 
Summer; this may be done very cheaply with a mow¬ 
ing machine if the land is not very rocky. The ad¬ 
vantages are the very low cost of the land, and the 
trees can be trained very close to the ground, so that 
thinning, spraying and harvesting can be done at a 
much less cost than with trees trained high enough 
to cultivate under. After an experience in growing 
the large fruits for nearly 40 years, under a great va¬ 
riety of conditions, and having seen many of the large 
orchards and fruit-growing sections of the country, I 
have no doubt but that more profit can be made from 
an orchard in strong land thoroughly cultivated from 
the start, that it will make a larger growth, come into 
bearing earlier and produce more and larger fruit 
than under turf culture, unless, under the latter con¬ 
dition, the land is strong and moist, and much more 
fertilizer is used than upon that under cultivation. 
The extra cost of cultivation, however, will largely 
offset this extra cost of fertilizer. 
On hillsides, or sloping land that washes badly, 1 
have found just as good results obtained by cultivat¬ 
ing strips from six to 10 feet wide between the rows 
of trees as when the whole surface has been cultivated. 
1 am inclined to look with favor upon the String- 
fellow method of pruning for small trees from % to % 
inch in diameter for planting; cutting back the root 
severely and the top to a stub, or quite down to the 
ground. With peaches especially, I feel sure that bet¬ 
ter trees will be produced from a single shoot coming 
from near the ground than from one or more branches 
starting out on a stock two or three feet from the 
ground, and perhaps this may apply to the other large 
fruits, but not to the cherry. s. o. maynard. 
Mass. Agl. College. 
R. N.-Y.—In asking northern fruit growers for an 
opinion regarding the Stringfellow method of plant¬ 
ing fruit trees we have been told repeatedly of an ex¬ 
periment tried by Prof. S. T. Maynard, of Massachu¬ 
setts. In order to put the facts before our readers 
we have asked Prof. Maynard for a statement, which 
he gives above. 
r//f PffOP£/l CONDITIONS FOR CURRANTS 
The Hillside Beats the Valley, 
FAILURE IN THE VALLEY.—We do not claim to 
be experts in currant culture; however, we grow lots 
of them and can tell how we do it. We live in a val¬ 
ley, through which winds a small creek; grand land 
for wheat and corn, worth $100 per acre for such pur¬ 
poses. Here it was we began growing fruit, without 
experience. We planted a general line of small fruits, 
but will dwell on this only so far as it touches on the 
currant. We planted an assortment of varieties in¬ 
cluding Fay, North Star, Wilder, White Grape, 
Pomona, Red Dutch, Versailles, Victoria, Cherry and 
Lee’s Prolific. At two years old we had a magnificent 
growth of wood, and everything looked encouraging 
for a great crop of fruit. After blooming freely we 
began to notice that the bloom was setting but little 
fruit, and the bunches were very imperfect; many 
having only a few scattering berries. This was a 
great disappointment, and we were unable to account 
for it; however, we expected that the next year the 
plants would redeem themselves, but not so, for year 
after year we experienced much the same results 
This lowered our enthusiasm considerably, and we 
finally had to abandon the enterprise entirely, cut 
down our bushes even with the ground, and used the 
plantation as a stool bed for growing currant cuttings, 
each year cutting the young growth even with the 
ground for propagating wood. We attributed our 
failure to late frosts and cold winds, which affected 
the tender bloom of the currants, located as we were 
in the valley, susceptible to frosts that bloom on the 
higher ground would have escaped. 
A HILL FARM.—Looking southward across the 
valley, just one mile from our home, is located a farm 
on a very sharp elevation, towering high above the 
valley and surrounding farms. The nature of this 
soil too Is altogether different from that of the valley. 
This farm was at that time not considered an extra 
good one, as farm land generally was valued in the 
community. The soil is red clay and gravel loam, with 
several of the fields on the south approaching a white 
clay. The owner of this farm was doing a little work 
with small fruits; had planted a few acres at about 
the same time that we began, and among other things 
he had a small plantation of Cherry, Fay and Red 
Dutch currants. Those bushes did not receive the at¬ 
tention that we gave ours, and in a few years they 
even stood in a stiff Blue-grass sod; yet they bore 
fruit year after year even in this neglected condition. 
The bunches were filled with berries to the tip ends, 
and showed no sign of the trouble we experienced. 
There were many things about that little currant 
plantation that were of interest to us, and we watched 
it closely. A frost that would knock us out entirely 
in the valley would do but little or no damage on the 
elevation. This man seldom failed to grow a crop of 
fruit, and his wagons went to market day after day 
with loads of fruit when he often had absolutely no 
competition. The owner of this farm gave us a special 
invitation to come over and see his fruit. After show¬ 
ing us around carefully over the entire farm of 144 
acres, to our surprise he announced that he was going 
to sell the farm. We bought it then and there; 
mortgaged to the last dollar everything we owned to 
make first payment. Perhaps this was not a wise 
course. We would not advise anyone to do it; yet we 
Faumkk Wii.fiON (of the Aj?riciiltural Department): “Why, 
you never saw a ‘gold brick’ shaped like this !’’ 
Plain Hoeb and Sowek: “No, that’s a fact, Mr. Secretary. 
Btit all the same that’s just what it is—‘a gold brick.’ ’’ 
—Philadelphia Recobd. 
wanted that farm to grow fruit upon. We knew its 
value for this purpose. 
CURRANTS AND TREES.—No sooner was the deed 
transferred than we began plowing and preparing to 
plant fruit of all kinds. Now It was that the desire 
again to grow currants came back, and there was no 
use putting it down. We plowed in December 10 
acres of clover sod on the highest point of the farm, 
and planted in early Spring, and this time we did 
grow currants, and see no reason why we will not con¬ 
tinue to grow them there for years to come. With 
practically the same varieties and culture as we gave 
the former plants with no results, we now are able 
to grow about 150 to 200 bushels per acre. In making 
this last plantation we have endeavored to make the 
PROF. EDWARD B. VOORHEES. Fig. 29. 
conditions as near the ideal for the currant as we 
could. The currant is a fruit that requires partial 
shade and a cool moist soil for its roots. Can you 
not remember currant bushes standing along some 
neglected garden wall or fence, that year after year 
produced a crop of fruit, untrimmed, uncared for and 
neglected, yet It bore abundantly? The fence held 
the moisture and broke the direct rays of the sun; 
kept the roots cool and fi'.mished sufllcient fertility 
for growth. With these facts in mind we planted our 
commercial currant plantation. To give them partial 
shade we planted cherry trees 30 feet apart each way, 
planting in the currant rows so as not to interfere 
with cultivation. The currants are planted six feet 
one way and three feet the other, in check rows, so we 
can cultivate both ways and reduce hand labor to the 
minimum. These trees not only furnish the desired 
amount of shade, but are a great protection against 
cold winds and late frosts. They check the drying 
winds of Summer, which so rapidly drink up the sur¬ 
face water in the soil. We are aware that the trees 
require for their growth both fertility and moisture, 
and must draw from the same source as the currants, 
yet we are positive that the great good they do more 
than outweighs the evil. Notwithstanding the advice 
from high authority not to plant trees among small 
fruits, with us we will continue to do it so long as 
we get the results we now do. 
ESSENTIAL POINTS.—We trim our plants so as to 
keep an open head, and the bush symmetrical in form. 
For fertilizers we use good stable manure spread 
evenly over the surface, with an occasional dressing 
of wood ashes. In these shaded orchards our pickers 
delight to work. We allow each one a small box .to 
sit on, with a carrier holding 69 baskets for their fruit. 
After a hard morning’s work in the hot sun gathering 
strawberries or raspberries, such a change is a de¬ 
lightful rest to them. The three essential points suc¬ 
cessfully to grow the currant as our experience pre¬ 
sents to us, are elevation to avoid frosts in Spring, 
partial shade, and a cool moist soil. Varieties of 
course must be governed by the markets, as some 
markets want the larger currants, as Fay, Cherry and 
Red Cross, while in other markets the smaller 
varieties sell as well as the larger ones, and produce 
much larger quantities per acre. It has been an in¬ 
teresting study to us to watch the behavior of plants 
on these two farms. Not only in currants, but in 
other small fruits as well. Some of our most profit¬ 
able varieties on the Hill Farm are failures in the 
valley, and many varieties that do not do so well on 
the heavy clay thrive and are profitable in the lighter 
and warmer soil of the valley. w. n. scabff. 
Ohio. 
A PRACTICAL SCIENTIST. 
We are glad to show our readers in Fig. 29 the pic¬ 
ture of a man who combines in a high degree the 
qualities of the skilled scientist and the practical far¬ 
mer. Prof. E. B. Voorhees is the director of the New 
Jersey Experiment Station, and has just been elected 
president of the Board of Agriculture—the famous 
farmers’ association of his State. Prof. Voorhees 
is a Jerseyman by birth and education. A farmer’s 
boy to begin with, he was educated at Rutgers Col¬ 
lege at New Brunswick, where the Station is located. 
He is by profession and education a chemist, yet both 
laboratory and farm at the Station show how science 
has been made “soluble” and brought Into those com¬ 
mon farm operations which are familiar to farmers. 
For example, a first-class herd of dairy cows supply 
milk which is sold at retail in the city of New Bruns¬ 
wick. The problems involvea in feeding, milking and 
caring for the milk provide the opportunity for scien¬ 
tific investigations which are of great value. Prof. 
Voorhees has demonstrated on this farm of 70 acres 
the great possibilities of feeding large numbers of cat¬ 
tle on a limited area by growing a succession of crops 
on the soiling system. Here one may see large fields 
of Alfalfa, cow peas, oats and peas, corn and other 
fodder crops following one another in a complete 
round of feeding. This succession of fodder crops is 
so successful and complete that The R. N.-Y. expects 
to report it this year, and follow it through the sea¬ 
son from early rye to late Crimson clover. Prof. 
Voorhees has been remarkably successful in filling 
the Station with strong men It is probably the 
strongest collection of practical scientists to be found 
at any station in the country. Naturally we are glad 
to show our readers the face of such a man, for he 
who organizes on permanent lines an institution like 
the New Jersey Station deserves well of his fellow- 
men. 
Wanted! Plant Medicine m Small Packages. 
I wish to follow up your answer to T. C. C. In December 
8 lissue. I find one great trouble In using Bordeaux and 
other Insecticide solutions, is in their preparation. It 
seems that those to whom we look for information and 
instruction along this line go upon the theory that these 
preparations are only for professional fruit growers and 
gardeners. I used last year a preparation of Bordeaux 
put up in one pound cartons, and with good success, 
except in its preparation for Immediate use. The one 
pound was to make a solution of 50 gallons, and with 
the few vines and fruits that I desired to spray I did 
not care to use more than from five to 10 gallons at a 
time. I undertook to divide the packages, but I found it 
unsatisfactory. What I want to say is that if the prepa¬ 
ration could be put up in doses or one-eighth, one-fourth 
or one-half pound, etc., or in bottle solutions to mix with 
five, 10 or 15 gallons of water for immediate use, it would 
go a long way, in satisfying and accommodating the 
amateur, and those who have a few vines and trees for 
family use. You see, when it comes to dissolving six 
pounds of copper sulphate in so much water, and six 
pounds of lime in so much water, and the two to 50 
gallons of water, unless a fellow is an expert, and fully 
prepared for it, he is downed on the first round. I know, 
of course, the cost of preparations as I suggest would be 
more than otherwise, but it would greatly simplify the 
use of them, and I believe with as good results. 
Indiana. w. s. t. 
The above suggestions concerning the trouble and loss 
in handling liquid fungicides in small quantities by am¬ 
ateurs and home gardeners are worthy of careful at¬ 
tention from manufacturers. The increasing necessity 
for their use is evident to all, but the trouble of making 
up small quantities of the solution is so grreat In pro¬ 
portion to the visible good they do that the operator 
soon grows disgusted. Dry preparations, such as Leg¬ 
gett’s Funglroid, are excellent in their way, but do not 
replace fresh Bordeaux Mixture in effectiveness. If 
some one will place a concentrated mixture on the mar¬ 
ket in quantities sufficient to make up five to 10 gallons 
ready for spraying, it is quite certain to meet a welcome 
from amateurs and small growers. 
