226 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 30 
When to Cut Apple Grafts. 
When Is the proper time to graft apples? Should the 
grafts be cut two or three weeks before setting? 
Mearns, O. a. f. c. 
Grafts should be cut while the buds are still dor¬ 
mant, and kept in some cool, moist place until the 
sap starts freely in the stocks. A common and very 
successful practice is to bury them in the ground on 
the north side of buildings until wanted. If grafting 
is done early the scions may be cut and used at once 
with good results. 
Wants to Kill Muskrats. 
I have a pond in my lawn, which is infested with musk¬ 
rats. They do much damage In burrowing under the 
lawn and cutting the roots of Magnolias, Arundo Donay 
and other plants. Can you tell me any way to poison 
them? o. s. 
Greenville, Del. 
Muskrats will eat almost any vegetable food. A 
few crystals of sulphate of strychnine packed in a 
slit in a small apple, which may be placed in their 
holes or runways, will be effectual as far as it goes. 
Pieces of fresh fish may be poisoned in the same 
manner. Persistent trapping by means of steel or 
box traps will probably accomplish more than casual 
attempts at poisoning, and is free from dangerous con¬ 
sequences. 
Triniiuing- Japan Plums ; Black Currants. 
1. I have some Japan plum trees about three years old. 
Some of them need trimming, as they are quite straggly, 
especially the Burbank. When is the proper time to trim? 
2. I bought some currant bushes, supposed to be Fay, 
but they proved to be a black variety. Can any profitable 
use be made of them? a. s. 
Chatham, N. J. 
1. Japan plums are best pruned similar to peach 
trees. Cut out all weak and interfering branches, and 
shorten the new wood one-half to two-thirds. Some 
varieties have a tendency to droop, and others are 
very upright in habit. These tendencies should be 
noted and corrected in the pruning if too prominent. 
2. Not unless somebody in your local market fancies 
the fiavor. The sale of black currants in the cities 
is very limited. 
The Care of Azaleas. 
How shall I take care of my Azaleas? They have now 
done blooming. How shall I care for them from now 
on, and during the Summer, in order that they may 
grow and thrive, and furnish the usual quantity of 
flowers next Winter? N. J. 
Cuba. Mo. 
Keep the Azaleas in a sunny position until warm 
w’eather, when the pots may be plunged in coal ashes 
in a partially shaded place. See that the soil is always 
kept moist, but not sodden, and frequently spray the 
foliage with clear water. They may be turned out 
of the pots into the garden soil if a position shaded 
from the midday sun can be found. Apply some 
wood ashes to the soil occasionally, whether plunged 
in pots or planted out, and water every week with 
diluted liquor manure. If your Azaleas are of the 
usual imported varieties they will not be likely to 
bloom so freely again. 
Wlieii to Sow Onions. 
When is the right time to sow onion seed, so as to have 
large onions for early market? What is the best soil for 
them? Is horse manure a good fertilizer for onions, 
cabbage and beets? a. l. m. 
Minard, Mich. 
In order to grow marketable onions directly from 
seeds it is necessary to prepare the soil as soon as 
it can be thoroughly worked without packing in the 
Spring. Seeds are usually sown in the vicinity of 
New York, early in April, but may be deferred until 
the end of the month. Onions greatly prefer a fine, 
rich soil. The kind commonly called sandy loam 
suits them best, but they will thrive on any well- 
cultivated soil if made sufficiently rich with well- 
rotted manure. Horse manure is preferred to any 
other kind by practical gardeners for the plants 
named, but it should be composted for several 
months, until the fiber is well broken up, before it 
is used. 
How to Plant Apple Seeds. 
Can you tell me how to grow apple trees next Summer 
from the seeds of the apples we eat this Winter? 
Phillipsburg, Pa. f. w. 
Seeds of the apple and similar fruits grow best if 
mixed with moist sand soon after being taken from 
the fruit, and freely exposed to frost until planting 
time. Hard drying weakens them very much. As soon 
as the ground is in condition in the Spring they may 
be sown thinly in rows three feet apart, in good, 
well-enriched soil, covering about one inch deep. 
Cultivate very carefully after the seedlings come up, 
and keep the soil mellow until August. Thin to two 
or three inches apart as soon as the second pair of 
true leaves has formed. Next Spring they may be 
transplanted to similar nursery rows, setting them 
about eight inches apart. Good cultivation should 
be maintained for a season or two longer, when the 
trees should be large enough to plant out in the or¬ 
chard. As they come into bearing inferior varieties 
may be top-grafted or budded with better kinds. 
While in the nursery rows all branches and sprouts 
should be trimmed off as they start up to the point 
it is intended to form the head. If it is intended to 
raise seedlings for root-grafting proceed in the same 
way, except that the roots are taken up one year 
after planting the seeds and grafted in the usual 
manner with desired varieties, the scions being pre¬ 
ferably taken from bearing trees, then planted out 
and grown on in the same manner as seedlings. 
How to Haiulle Cuttings. 
What is the best time and proper soil for cuttings of 
grapes, currants and gooseberries? p. m. h. 
Littleton, Mass. 
Any well-drained soil, fairly retentive of moisture, 
is suitable for grape, currant and gooseberry cuttings, 
but preference would be given to a moist loam. Cur¬ 
rant and gooseberry cuttings are usually made be¬ 
fore freezing weather, and planted out at once in rows 
far enough apart to admit of convenient cultivation, 
placing the cuttings three or four inches apart in the 
row. They are made about eight inches long, and 
only one or two buds are left above ground. The soil 
is very firmly packed about the lower end of cut¬ 
tings before the trenches are filled. Grape cuttings 
may be planted out in the same manner, but the usual 
practice among propagators is to make the cuttings 
during mild weather early in Winter, allowing two 
or more buds to each cutting. Make them up into 
bundles and pack away in moist sand or old saw¬ 
dust in a cool place, free from severe frost, until 
Spring, when the cut ends should be callused over. 
They are then planted out like the currant and goose¬ 
berry cuttings. 
Priming' tlie Alinoiul Trer. 
Will you advise me as to pruning the Hard-shell al¬ 
mond? I planted two trees last Spring, and as they re¬ 
sembled the peach so much, I cut off the entire top just 
the same as I do the peach when planting. The result 
was very satisfactory: the trees made a fine growth, 
many limbs reaching five to six feet in length. Shall I 
cut them back this Spring from one-half to two-thirds 
of last year’s growth, or would that be too severe? Are 
they long-lived trees? a. d. c. 
Sweetwater, Ill. 
The almond tree is practically identical with the 
peach in habit and characteristics and should have 
the same treatment as to pruning and culture. The 
FORK FOR PICKING STONES. FiO. 94. 
tendency of both, if left unchecked, is to extend their 
bearing wood out on the ends of long, pole-like 
limbs, which are liable to break down under the 
weight of the ripening fruit. It is a safe practice to 
cut the new growth back about one-half every sea¬ 
son, and to endeavor to produce an open, vase-like 
top without interfering limbs. Almond trees are not 
quite as hardy as peaches, and are very intolerant of 
a wet subsoil, but in other respects they are as last¬ 
ing as peaches. The great defect of the almond as 
regards its culture in the East is its great propen¬ 
sity for early blooming, and consequently liability to 
damage from late Spring frosts. 
Apple Pomace for Potatoes. 
Having no other place, I piled the pomace from over 
1,200 barrels of cider on about one acre of ground last 
Fall. The potatoes grown there last season were some¬ 
what scabby. Will the pomace remedy the evil by sour¬ 
ing the land? Will the pomace injure young plum and 
pear trees, as there are a few trees, about 12, where it 
is piled? w. b. m. 
Auburn, N. Y. 
I think there can be no question but that the im¬ 
mediate souring of the soil by the introduction of 
apple pomace would tend to decrease scab. Upon gen¬ 
eral principles, however, I do not like the idea of hav¬ 
ing such a large amount of readily decomposible sub¬ 
stance in immediate contact with the tubers, and if 
the material is not put in the drill, it will not ac¬ 
complish much. It may, however, be a serious ques¬ 
tion whether the acid condition will last, until the 
new tubers are formed, since the organic acids to 
which the acidity of apple pomace is due are very 
likely to be destroyed before that time arrives. I 
think the best plan where soil has a tendency to pro¬ 
mote scab is to employ a fertilizer containing muriate 
of potash, acid phosphate, and which supplies all of 
its nitrogen in the form of sulphate of ammonia. It 
would doubtless be still more efficient if kainit were 
used in place of muriate of potash. Potatoes may not 
be of so good quality if grown with kainit and muriate 
of potash as where high-grade sulphate of potash is 
employed, at least to furnish half of the potash. Up¬ 
on our soil, where lime has been used, we are never¬ 
theless able to grow potatoes of good quality even by 
the employment of muriate of potash for the entire 
potash supply. The idea of using apple pomace upon 
young plum and pear trees savors a little of the old 
idea that “eating a part, strengthens a part.” Of 
course it would furnish a little potash, very little 
nitrogen and extremely small quantities of phosphoric 
acid. If I were to apply it, I should prefer to com¬ 
post the material with lime, and allow it first to be¬ 
come well rotted. h. j. 'wheeler. 
How to Grow Root Graff .s. 
Will you give directions how to plant and grow root 
grafts of apple and plum? How far apart, and what is 
the treatment the next year? g. h. 
Larchwood, Iowa. 
Root gi-afts of orchard trees are usually planted in. 
rows far enough apart for loose cultivation, and set 
eight to 10 inches apart in the row, choosing the 
greater interval where the soil is poor. A spade is 
used in planting, one man walking backward down 
the line and thrusting the spade in the soil at right 
angles to the line the full length of the blade, with a 
forward and backward motion. An assistant places 
the graft carefully in the opening, holding it so that 
only one or two buds appear above the surface. The 
spade is again thrust in the moist soil about two 
inches from the first cut, and the slice of ground be¬ 
tween firmly pressed to the graft, so as completely to 
close the opening. It is essential that firm pressure 
be made at the bottom of the graft, or it is not likely 
to root well. The after care consists simply in thor¬ 
ough cultivation and sufficient fertilization to keep 
up a good growth. Wood ashes make an excellent 
fertilizer when they can be had, but any form of ma¬ 
nure or fertilizer will prove beneficial. All sprouts 
and branches should be trimmed off as they appear 
up to the heading point, which depends on the wishes- 
of the propagator. In two or three years, under fair 
conditions, the trees should be ready for the orchard. 
Wliat About Tomato Blij^ht ? 
Can you give me the remedy for Tomato blight? I 
raise 10 acres of tomatoes for canning factory, and 
for the past three years the blight has nearly ruined 
them. In July the lower leaves begin to die; then the 
next above until all are dead but the very top of the 
plant. Will be glad to hear from anyone’s experience. 
Adrian, Mich. t. f. 
We confess with much regret that a practical and 
economical remedy for the Tomato blight is yet un¬ 
known to us. The experiment station people will 
say: “Spray frequently with ammoniated copper so¬ 
lution or Bordeaux Mixture,” but we submit that 
such treatment is too costly and troublesome for the 
ordinary commercial value of the product. Something 
may be done in the way of selecting more resistant 
varieties and supplying them with an abundance of 
plant food. We have noticed that the affection called 
blight in tomatoes is usually accompanied with symp¬ 
toms of general starvation of the plant. The leaves 
die progressively from below upwards, the ends of the 
growing shoots remaining green. If a light applica¬ 
tion of nitrate of soda or other fertilizer, rich in ni¬ 
trogen, is made, the plants at once begin a new 
growth, and if fertilization and liberal culture is con¬ 
tinued they may throw off the trouble to a great ex¬ 
tent. The older text-books claimed that tomatoes 
should not be grown on highly-enriched land, as too 
much available plant food stimulated the vine at the 
expense of the fruits. This was probably true of the 
varieties grown at the time, but the newer kinds now 
in favor are much more productive and will utilize a 
greater amount of fertilizer. 
Van Demands Fruit Notes. 
ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
Grapes and Small Fruits. 
I. Ho'W' shall I treat my grapevines? I have lost nearly 
all the fruit by black rot for three years. 2. Is McPike 
grape as strong a grower and as productive as Worden? 
3. Is Mersereau blackberry as large as Erie? 4. Is 
Pomona currant as profitable to grow as Red Dutch? 
Independence, Mo. t. a. v. 
1. Grapevines, trellis and posts should be sprayed 
or swabbed before the buds open with a very strong 
solution of sulphate of copper to kill as many as 
possible of the germs of the black rot that are lurk¬ 
ing in the vineyard. When the fruit is just past the 
bloom the Bordeaux Mixture should be sprayed into 
the vines in a most thorough manner. In about two 
or three weeks longer another spraying of the same 
should be given. If this is done thoroughly, and with 
the mixture as described in the directions given in the 
bulletins and rural papers, there will be little or no 
rot on the grapes. 2. McPike is said to be as strong 
a grower and as productive as the Concord or Worden 
grapes. 3. The Mersereau blackberry has been tested 
but little as yet, and so far it seems to be about as 
large as Erie. 4. Pomona is a rather new currant, 
and is thought by some to be as profitable as Red 
