142 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 2 
that the climatic conditions from Ohio westward de¬ 
mand a different classification of varieties. I only 
wish that that great nursery firm in Missouri, instead 
of saying in its truly interesting catalogue, that the 
kinds I have found to be superior are worthless, would 
make this small concession to us by setting them 
down as successful in the East. It is no secret that 
New England has great advantages in soil and climate 
for the growing of apples unrivaled in quality. It may 
be that the great West also has better facilities for 
rearing our nursery stock. At least, it should be to 
their advantage in securing the trade they seem will¬ 
ing to receive, to acquaint themselves fully with the 
varieties which the East demands. Adaptability of 
varieties to certain localities is the key-note of suc¬ 
cessful orcharding. This question should receive the 
utmost attention of the nurseryman if he is to merit 
patronage. The Roxbury Russet is wellnigh worth¬ 
less with me as compared with its productiveness and 
fairer quality in locations perhaps not more than 30 
miles away. Such facts as this are of the gravest im¬ 
portance to the man who plants an orchard, and it 
would be businesslike on the part of the nurseryman 
minutely to map the country as to the most favor¬ 
ably habitat of each variety, and furnish the cold 
facts to prospective buyers. As the nurseries are 
proverbially novelty-mongers, here is an appropri¬ 
ate field for experiment stations to work more thor¬ 
oughly than it has yet been done. 
SOILS AND CLIMATE.—The question of soils and 
exposures I have but briefiy touched upon, but is one 
of importance. We often have not mere frosts, but 
one or more sharp freezes, while the Winter apples 
are still properly upon the trees. And here the ques¬ 
tion of varieties and locations comes up again. The 
Baldwin will stand the effects of partial freezing 
rather better than most of its class, and the higher 
the elevation above the adjacent lower levels the less 
will the crop suffer. The immediate surroundings of 
an orchard may become a determining factor of pro¬ 
fit. A neighbor lost his entire crop from a high wind 
this season, while mine, in a more secluded situation, 
was thinned to just about the right proportions to 
Improve the quality. The moist winds from the At¬ 
lantic generally visit our orchards every Winter, and 
often deposit a mail of ice an inch or more in thick¬ 
ness on even the smallest twigs. If this wind can 
be broken by high hills to the eastward, it may mean 
much in saving large branches, or in some instances, 
entire trees from destruction. Our Eastern country 
abounds in land especially adapted for apples, but 
still in the rough, adjacent to tillage fields or mow¬ 
ings, often, like them surrounded by stone walls, 
but with the bowlders still undug. These are gen¬ 
erally used for pastures, and are frequently reclaimed 
from forest. The question often arises whether or¬ 
chard planting is advisable under such conditions. 
Is it necessary to have land so thoroughly prepared 
to warrant the planting of apple trees? The original 
seedlings which come up in odd corners, and in sea¬ 
sons of scarcity often yield $1 or $2 each at cider 
values, are often cited as proof that apple growing 
under neglect is as well justified by its frequent re¬ 
turns as is timber growing where the sole crop comes 
after waiting 40 or 50 years. With trees obtainable 
at from five to eight cents each for the younger and 
cheaper grades, the problem is changed from for¬ 
mer conditions, when the high cost of trees was the 
chief factor of expense. I think the proper solution 
of such problems is to plant orchards, giving the best 
soil and care available, but to plant orchards, using 
cheap and poorly-prepared land, if this is unavoidable. 
Massachusetts. _r. w. proctoh. 
THE ESSENTIALS OF BLACKCAP CULTURE 
A Small Planfation Well Tilled. 
LOCATION, SOIL AND FERTILITY.The blackcap 
raspberry is truly at home on the deep, loamy, shel¬ 
tered slopes of our central Ohio hills. Blackcaps may 
be grown successfully upon any well-drained soil that 
will produce a really good crop of Indian corn. But 
they especially delight in a partially-sheltered loca¬ 
tion, such as is afforded by the eastern slope of a lofty 
hill or the leeward side of a forest. However, let the 
location be what it may, the soil should abound liber¬ 
ally in the elements necessary to the development of 
sturdy, fruiting canes. In the absence of stable ma¬ 
nure, which is usually somewhat deficient in potash, 
clover, wood ashes (or muriate of potash), and fine 
ground raw bone will supply the proper elements for 
the production of blackcaps. However, upon rather 
heavy, clayey soils potash is usually available in such 
liberal store that stable manure, if it can be procured, 
will prove to solve the entire problem of fertility. 
Ground that is naturally cold and wet should be 
avoided as fatal to success with black raspberries. 
PLANTS.—It has been suggested that the training 
of a child should begin with the birth of its grand¬ 
mother. This is quite pertinent with regard to young 
blackcaps. Plants grown each succeeding year from 
thrifty young plantations never having borne a crop, 
develop to a wonderful size and vigor. The greatest 
drawback to the transplanting of such youngsters is 
their immense bulk and weight, necessitating the use 
of a team and wagon, or sled, in removing tnem, with 
the adhering soil, to their destination. I have often 
dug young Greggs that, with the soil tenaciously 
grasped by their thousands of rootlets, weighed five 
pounds or over. These plants are such as we may 
grow under good culture at home. I have never seen 
any of this size when purchasing from a distance, nor 
can I say that I would particularly relish paying ex¬ 
press charges on such young giants. However, these 
excellent home-grown plants, when once settled down 
to business on a plot of strong, generous soil fulfill, 
to a surprising degree, the promise of their childhood. 
PLANTING.—Blackcaps should be planted only in 
the Spring, Autumn setting being quite unsatisfac- 
A KANSAS PIGPEN. Fig. .59. Ske Page 149. 
tory, even when each plant is well mulched. Trans¬ 
planting should take place either very early in the 
season, while the young shoots are yet dormant, or 
be deferred until they have attained the height of sev¬ 
eral inches. At the intermediate stage they are so 
tender that a touch will break them, and it is prac¬ 
tically impossible to proceed without much trouble 
and loss. Indeed, I have come to prefer setting the 
plants when they have attained an average height of 
12 inches. Carefully lifting the plants with the soil 
adhering, they are crowded as closely together as pos¬ 
sible upon the bottom of the sled or wagon-box, in an 
upright position. Before driving to the prospective 
plantation these youngsters are given so thorough a 
shower bath that the roots and adhering soil are thor¬ 
oughly soaked. It is then perfectly safe to proceed at 
one’s leisure, so far as the safety of the plants is con¬ 
cerned, as they will remain fresh and bright for hours. 
However, we waste no time in hustling them into 
the ample, freshly-made furrows. As each plant is 
A SCARECROW THAT SCARED. Fig. 60. See Page 150. 
set the tip is pinched out with the thumb and finger. 
The plants rarely wilt at all; but the first evidence of 
renewed growth will not appear for several days. This 
new growth will push out at the axils of the leaves, 
along the main stock, and in a surprisingly short time 
the young plant will develop into a sturdy tree form. 
CULTURE; DISTANCE APART.—The distance 
apart at which the rows should, or may, be spaced de¬ 
pends in a great measure upon the method to be pur¬ 
sued in the culture of the plantation. If continual, 
clean cultivation is to be practiced the rows should 
not be closer than seven feet; the plants 2i^ feet apart 
in the row. We have grown blackcaps, however, and 
very profitably, planted much closer. Indeed, the ten¬ 
dency is toward this plan upon the steep slopes at 
Dale View, where continual cultivation simply means 
that our ground will not only very promptly assume 
the form of a huge stairway, but that every heavy 
rain will carry away tons of rich, mellow soil. Our 
first plantation of Greggs was set 3x3 feet apart, and 
was very profitable for eight years, although this i» 
too close to admit the pickers readily. By their own 
luxuriance weeds were not permitted to encroach, al¬ 
though cultivation was not continued after the first 
season. The past season we planted a few hundred 
Greggs 2x4 feet. No doubt it will be urged that soil 
will not profitably sustain such dense planting, yet 
from the fact that a small area is more readily sub¬ 
jected to heavy fertilization than a large one, the ob¬ 
jection does not carry much weight. We always give 
our plants extra care and culture the first season, after 
which they take such complete possession that weeds 
cut no figure. Thus established upon our steep, loamy 
hillsides, we may safely calculate to harvest at least 
six heavy, profitable crops of extra fine fruit, and with 
no extra expense above an annual thorough pruning, 
which is never by any means neglected. At our place 
we are so situated that the steep ground must be de¬ 
voted to those crops that especially thrive under the 
conditions that must be maintained to preserve the 
soil, its deep loamy character and its fertility. The 
limited area of lower and more nearly level ground 
is demanded by the products that from year to year 
bring the soil constantly under cultivation. 
PRUNING.—In pruning the plant we thin the fruit. 
In thinning the fruit we increase the size of that re¬ 
maining to such an extent that the labor in harvest¬ 
ing is greatly diminished, while the product sells at 
an increased profit. For several years we practiced 
Spring “pinching” of the new canes—taking out the 
tips at the height of about 18 inches. This causes 
them to throw out laterals or branches which con¬ 
tinue growth through the season. The laterals, the 
following year, are pruned back to from 12 to 18 
inches. This forms a broad, tree-like head. Fruit 
is borne only upon the laterals—the main cane or 
body of the plant remaining destitute of new shoots. 
We have discontinued this plan with the exception of 
pinching back the newly-set plant, as mentioned, the 
first season, which is merely to check evaporation and 
prevent wilting. The objection to Spring “pinching” 
is that it practically stops the growth of the new plant 
or cane for about two weeks. The laterals are a new 
development or production that did not enter into the 
calculation of the tender young shoot in the dawning 
of its career, and very often do not sufficiently ma¬ 
ture to stand the rigors of a zero experience. We now 
prefer to allow the young cane to grow and develop 
in its natural form. If any part of it winterkills it 
will be but the extreme tip. In the annual Spring 
pruning these heavy single canes are pruned, with a 
single clip of the shears, back to the height of 3% 
feet. We have found by experience that a hill of 
blackcaps will yield almost as abundantly, pruned in 
this way, as with a broad, branched head, inasmuch 
as the canes, from the ground up, will send out strong 
fruiting shoots, while the branched plant bears only 
upon the laterals. The labor and expense of pruning 
is, by this method, reduced fully one-half. 
OlliO- _ F. n. BAXLOTT. 
ALFALFA HAY AND WHEAT BRAN. 
In some recent publication I saw a statement to the 
effect that well-cured Alfalfa has was worth “almost as 
much, pound for pound, as wheat bran.” Either there is 
a large colored gentleman hidden under the word almost, 
or the blessed R. N.-Y. man and some others have failed 
to give us poor beginners a little shred of primer science, 
not too hard for our proper mastication, nor too large 
for our swallowing. I have for the last six years had 
to pay from $18 to $21 for wheat bran. Now, if The R. 
N.-y. will tell us how near “almost” means almost, a 
whole lot of farmers will start a quarter of an acre or 
more Into growing wheat bran or its—almost—equivalent 
Alfalfa. 
Crooked Creek, Pa. 
There certainly is a “large colored gentleman” un¬ 
der this word “almost,” as we shall try to explain 
later. At the New Jersey Experiment Station a prac¬ 
tical experiment has just been finished. Prof. Voor- 
hees undertook to learn how near Alfalfa comes to 
taking the place of grain in a cow’s ration. Wheat 
bran contains about 15% per cent of protein, and dried 
brewers’ grains about 24 per cent. By analysis, 11 
pounds of Alfalfa contained as much protein as eight 
pounds of an even mixture of bran and dried grains. 
The cows were fed on this eight-pound grain ration 
for a time. Then it was stopped and 11 pounds of 
Alfalfa were fed in place of it—this feeding trial 
being continued for two months. The result was that 
the grain produced only 4% per cent more than the 
Alfalfa. It requires 11 pounds of bran to furnish the 
protein found in the eight pounds of bran and dried 
grains. This makes the value of the Alfalfa 95.7 per 
cent of that of bran. That is as near as the “almost” 
can be figured out at present, and it is surely close 
enough. It is certainly enough to start “a whole lot” 
of farmers into the feed business by planting a “bran 
factory” on the farm. But how about that “large col¬ 
ored gentleman?” His name is “IF.” 'I'his is all true 
if the hay is of the finest quality. Everyone knows 
that sour or moldy wheat bran would be worth less 
than half a pure, sweet article. Alfalfa is a hard fod¬ 
der to cure properly—harder than Red-clover hay— 
nearly as hard as cow peas. The leaves are small and 
easily rattled off, and they contain the best part of 
the vine. Even the most careful farmers, in handling 
this crop for the first time, will not be likely to make 
first-class hay, and, of course, poorly-cured Alfalfa 
hay will not be “almost” as good as wheat bran or 
anywhere near it. Properly handled, however. Al¬ 
falfa hay will give the equivalent of several tons of 
wheat bran per acre. 
