1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
247 
GmEN AND ORCHARD NOTES. 
CARMAN POTATOES.—I have much curiosity to 
know why Carman No. 1 potato is not noised about 
to a greater extent. An order for Delaware was filled 
largely with this Carman, much to my joy when I had 
gained a comparative knowledge of the two kinds. An 
immediate table test showed the Carman No. 1 to be 
twice as large and of equal quality. Again, the yield 
was about double. The next season following (1899) 
my Carman No. 1 was the only kind of three planted 
which resisted the rot, conditions the same for all. 
POTATO SUBSTITUTES.—What a pity that we can 
find no true root crop as a substitute for the potato. 
The potato fails with me one year out of two from rot 
or drought, one or both. I can raise two bushels of 
carrots or a barrel of beets as cheaply as a bushel of 
potatoes, even the best of seasons. I believe the at¬ 
mosphere of my locality is too dry for the potato at 
just that limited season when it must be grown, mak¬ 
ing evaporation too rapid. Another crop would lay 
to and stagnate for a while to recuperate later. I have 
often produced two bushels of early peas, selling at 
from $1.50 to $2 per bushel, on same area and as 
cheaply as would give one bushel of potatoes as a 
maximum crop. 
E.\RUY PEAS PAY.—I have found eai'ly peas my 
most remunerative garden crop. I select the right va¬ 
rieties for actual table quality and see that they are 
picked when not too young nor too old, taking them 
to the consumer as soon as picked. Any pea that has 
passed through a middleman’s hands is spoiled. The 
pea picked to-day is always handled so as to be eaten 
for to-morrow’s dinner. I can keep them over a sin¬ 
gle night by putting in a cellar so cool as to cause a 
dew upon the pods when brought ©ut next morning. 
The Premium Gem and Bliss Abundance are the kinds 
selected, after long searching among varieties. I for¬ 
merly made successive plantings as late as June 1, 
but since the advent of the Pea-louse I put in all peas 
by May 1. This year I shall go light on Abundance 
and put in a patch of Alaska. If handled quite fresh 
and sw'eetened a bit when cooking, these will not be 
complained of. The few peas planted last year I put in 
the apple orchard and did not see a louse. Shall plant 
paas more extensively this year, hoping that the 
shade will again prove effectual. In The R. N.-Y. for 
January 12, Prof. Johnson recommends the Alaska as 
in a certain degree louse-proof. This kind is also of 
a better eating quality than most of the early, round 
sorts. Examination shows it to be slightly wrinkled. 
[Mr. Proctor sells at retail, we believe.—Eds.] 
PLANTS IN SHADH.—I find the orchard an admir¬ 
able place to raise most garden crops. Potatoes may 
be made to grow fine vines, but a small yield of tu¬ 
bers. The trees both prevent evaporation from the 
surface and exhaust the moisture from below. A wide 
diversity of climate may be found between the dense 
shade and the more open spots. Where vacancies 
occur corn and squash did well. Lettuce grew nicely 
where too shady for other crops. Beans and peas take 
kindly to partial shade. Through a period of 10 years 
I have found the shade of apple trees an ideal place 
to grow the Cuthbert raspberry. A little more mois¬ 
ture is needed perhaps, but the vines seem to come 
through without winterkilling. A like experience 
with the Agawam blackberry has not proved so favor¬ 
able. A blight of the leaves has resulted in the fruit 
taking on tasteless flavor when ripening. This va¬ 
riety I should plant on elevated land with full expo¬ 
sure to sun and winds. But I am disposed to give up 
the blackberry in favor of more careful attention to 
the raspberry. Who can tell me whether the Super¬ 
lative is adapted to general culture? Are its canes as 
hardy as Cuthbert, and are the berries firm enough 
for a near market? Is its quality as to both flavor 
and appearance calculated to take the trade in com¬ 
petition with Cuthbert? 
A FINE APPLE.—I have looked through a dozen 
nursery catalogues in vain to And a description of the 
Garden Royal apple. While not a market sort, it is 
the most delicious dessert kind, in appearance like 
a small overripe Baldwin. Season early Autumn. 
Nearly sweet, high flavored, of a melting quality, bet¬ 
ter than a pear. Tree of medium growth, very pro¬ 
ductive, an annual bearer. Why has this kind been 
so neglected? Probably, to my mind, as in the case 
of the Carman No. 1 potato, it has not been boosted 
to the front with ample capital. Was it the White 
Mountain grape that was only a poor, modest thing 
under its first name, to come into deserved recogni¬ 
tion when properly boomed? Speaking of grapes, i 
am going to set a few Campbell’s Early this Spring, 
hrom all I can learn it must be the one black grape 
which combines thrift, earliness, productiveness and 
quality. The Brighton has long been my favorite, but 
has for several years done poorly; I supposed from 
some fungous malady, but from a recent hint that its 
blooms are not self-fertile, it may be from that cause. 
Who can teli me the proper fertilizer for the Brigh¬ 
ton? F. W. PROCTOR. 
R. N.-Y.—Garden Royal is described in the latest 
edition of the American Fruit Culturist as a first- 
rate dessert fruit of fine flavor, but a poor grower. It 
originated at Sudbury, Mass., and, perhaps, has not 
become known far from its birthplace. 
STARTING A PINE FOREST. 
What is the best way of starting a White pine growth 
on a sprout lot of 50 acres, steep rocky hillside, from 
which a heavy growth of beech, maple, ash and hemlock 
was cut three Winters ago? Could pines, six inches to 
three feet high, that sprung up thick in a pasture, be 
transplanted, and how? Could pine seeds be planted 
right in the sprout lot, and how? The “how” means 
everything; manner of preparing soil, depth, distance, 
etc., and always bearing in mind the most economical 
way. Where can pine seed be obtained? 
For forest planting. White pines, two to three years 
old, are most satisfactory and least expensive to han¬ 
dle. It would not be good policy to take them larger 
A WOMAN’S HORSE “THAT IS A HORSE.” Fig. 102. 
unless expense is no object. The larger-sized ma¬ 
terial requires more care to handle, especially as re¬ 
gards the root system. On account of better root sys¬ 
tem, nursery-grown seedlings are preferable to ma¬ 
terial grown in a pasture. R. Douglas’ Sons, of Wau¬ 
kegan, Ill., and David Hill, of Dundee, Ill., besides 
others, make a specialty of growing such material. 
White pine seedlings, four to six inches in height, 
can be had at about $6 to $8 per 1,000, ana less for 
large quantities. Transplant material, which may be 
preferably used when planting into sprout lands, 
would come higher. Relying in part on natural 
growth, the planting of 400 to 600 pines to the acre 
ENGLISH WALNUT TREE IN CALIFORNIA. FlG. 103. 
would be quite sufficient, care being taken that they 
should not be overgrown by the neighboring volun¬ 
teer growth. Sowing pine seeds is less desirable, as 
it requires a larger amount of seed and a greater loss 
of plants, and in the end, as regards results, is much 
more expensive. The planting can be done in unpre¬ 
pared soil, using a grub hoe or a heavy iron dibble, 
according to the nature of the soil. The New York 
State College of Forestry has planted nearly 100 
acres, and will plant about 200 acres with pine and 
spruce this year. Last year’s planting, material in¬ 
cluded, with nearly 1,200 plants to the acre, cost $4.85 
per acre, less than half the cost of the previous year, 
showing that cost may vary according to varying con¬ 
ditions. It is quite possible to grow pine seedlings on 
your own account, but, in the end, the cost of such 
material, considering the time lost and the attention 
required, comes very near to the prices charged by 
reliable nurserymen. Pine seed may be secured 
through the same Arms as the seedlings. 
Cornell School of Forestry. b. e. fernow. 
A BASKET OF FRUIT QUESTIONS. 
Liate Grafting of Plums. 
Tt was suggested in The R. N.-Y. last Spring that 
plums might do as well grafted quite late as very early, 
according to the usual custom. Having a few dormant 
scions of the I^incoln plum on hand, I put one into a 
sprout of a I,ombard plum April 24, 1900, after the trees 
were in bloom. The sprout was growing from the 
ground, and quite close to the tree, and was grafted six 
or eight Inches from the ground. It made a growth of 
more than three feet last season. t. o. w. 
Manhattan, Kan. 
This was a new idea, and I thought it might be 
practical. I am glad to know that it has been suc¬ 
cessful in the case mentioned. It would be well to try 
further, and had I the chance it would be very inter¬ 
esting to me to try it. The scions should be held 
back in some kind of cold storage until the stocks 
get well into leaf before doing the grafting. Plums 
are rather difficult to graft. h. e. van deman. 
Winter Sun.scald ; Alfalfa in Orchard. 
1. I have some thrifty Hale plum trees that were plant¬ 
ed in the Spring of 1898. Part of them are on warm south 
land, and part on north land. They have made enor¬ 
mous growth. Last Spring I noticed one tree that did 
not seem to be doing well, and upon examination I found 
that the bark was perfectly dead entirely round the tree 
at th® ground, and for perhaps a foot from the ground. 
While pruning, I found two more in the same condition, 
but the tops were perfectly green and full of fruit buds. 
I have dug up the trees and will burn them. I am of 
the opinion that the injury was done to the trees this 
Winter, as they all held a fine dark green foliage very 
late last Pall. All the trees that have died were on the 
warm south land. Can you tell me the cause and a 
remedy? 2. When a tree dies with yellows, which part, 
top or root, dies first? 'The roots of the plum trees I dug 
up were seemingly in fine condition, and some European 
plums right by the side of the Hale plums were not in¬ 
jured at all. 3. Would it be advisable to sow Alfalfa in 
a young plum or peach orchard? 4. Is Japan clover a 
good thing, or is it a noxious weed? 5. I have a good 
many Japan plum trees and I fear they will bloom too 
early for this section. I will give them a trial, and if I 
find such to be the case, could I successfully top-work 
them with some European variety? h. j. w. 
Pearisburg, Va. 
1. While I do not feel competent to make the posi¬ 
tive statement that the plum trees mentioned died 
from what is commonly called Winter sunscald, I 
think this to be the trouble. If I clearly understand 
this disease, it is not the effects of a specific germ that 
works upon the sap and tender tissues, as is the case 
with some diseases of similar character, but is the 
result of violent changes of temperature. The loca¬ 
tion of the trees is circumstantial evidence on this 
point, which in every case is on the south slope. It 
was evident that the trouble came suddenly and dur¬ 
ing the Winter, when there was not sufficient time 
elapsed to allow either roots or branches to die. It is 
barely possible that if a good job of bridge-grafting 
had been done before Spring opened the trees might 
have lived, and if the injury was merely mechanical, 
from the separation of the bark from the wood, caused 
by the sudden changing of temperatures, I fully be¬ 
lieve it could have been done. This would be an in¬ 
teresting experiment to try in some future case. 2. 
Trees that have the true yellows begin to show signs 
of faint coloring of the foliage, closely followed by 
weakening of the top growth, and later by death of 
twigs and the sending out of bunches of slender, wiry 
shoots along the main branches. The roots seem to 
be less affected by the disease than the tops. 3. No, 1 
would never allow Alfalfa in an orchard of any kind. 
It is a very gross feeder, and has seriously hurt many 
orchards in the Western States, and a few in the East. 
It is a deep rooter and long-lived. 4. Japan or Burr 
clover is quite different, being a quick annual grower 
and is sometimes used in orchards with good effect, 
especially in California. It can be killed out without 
very much trouble. 5. Yes, the Japan plum trees can 
be used as stock for other species of plums with fair 
success, although there has been but little of it done 
as yet. ii. e. van deman. 
THE WOMAN’S HORSE.—The discussion under 
Hope Farm Notes about the animal which “officiates as 
woman’s horse” has waxed warm. We have a number 
of letters about it, and the farm women certainly 
seem disposed to stand up for their rights. Now we 
are pleased to receive a letter from the original horse 
woman, inclosing a picture of the horse shown at 
Fig. 102. She says of him; “A farm horse that is a 
beauty, a great pet, a first-class worker, a good driver 
and also ‘officiates as a woman’s horse.’ ” He cer¬ 
tainly is a fine-looking animal, powerful enough to 
haul his share of the farm load and gentle enough to 
act as policeman and guide for the women folks. 
A CALIFORNIA WALNUT TREE.—About 22 years 
ago I planted a nursery where the English walnut tree 
shown in Fig. 103 now stands. All of the other trees 
1 sold or removed to plant on a piece of land that I 
had bought in 1879. I was then living at home, help¬ 
ing my parents care for a 20-acre orchard. This tree 
is located in the backyard of a nice residence where 
my father and mother now live, having built there 
since I left home. Little did I dream at that time 
that my own children would be climbing in the 
branches of the trees that I was raising, 20 years 
hence. This tree makes a beautiful shade in Summer 
and bears abundant crops of nuts of good quality. 
I have a number of other walnut trees raised from 
the same lot of nuts, and transplanted on my own 
place, but none of them is quite as large or thrifty 
as this one. This tree also excels in size and beauty 
the parent tree, which is still thrifty, although 40 
years of age or more. The picture was made at the 
time of our annual reunion about Christmas time. 
California. h. g. keesling. 
