1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
3o7 
are in a dormant state. Mr. Bassett says: “We read 
that the fungous diseases are most active in damp, 
muggy weather and are practically dormant through 
the Winter, or until about the time the buds begin 
to swell.” Exactly. But where are these dormant 
fungus spores? We read, also, that they are fast¬ 
ened to the underside of the loose or partly lifted 
bark; in the crotches of the limbs where any foreign 
matter like small leaves, pieces of bark, moss or other 
dirt may lodge, and in various other places where 
one’s eye would not detect them; that while the tree 
is dormant a much stronger solution of sulphate of 
copper can be used in spraying than when the tree 
is in foliage, and that by spraying in February or 
March (as best suits the locality), the destruction of 
these dormant spores, so far as the tree sprayed is 
concerned, is sure; for if the spraying is thoroughly 
done, every part of the tree can be hit with the 
copper solution. Again, we also read that it is wise 
to rake up all fallen leaves lying under the trees and 
burn them, as they also harbor or contain myriads of 
these fungus spores which “lie dormant until about 
the time the buds on the trees appear.” Do not, how¬ 
ever, try to burn them when covered with snow or the 
howling winds are raging. It would not be practicable. 
There is no need of spraying but once in the Win¬ 
ter, as one spraying, if thoroughly done, will be suffi¬ 
cient, until the warm weather comes and the unde¬ 
stroyed fungus spores wake up and make ready to do 
their Summer work. About this time the tent cater¬ 
pillars hatch out and commence their work of eat¬ 
ing the little leaves as they push out, which is about 
the time the blossom buds show some red. Then 
spray the second time with the regular Bordeaux 
Mixture with five or six ounces of Paris-green added 
to 60 gallons. This spraying will destroy the cater¬ 
pillar and serves to keep in check the fungous. The 
next or third spraying use the same mixture as the 
second, and spray after the blossoms have fallen and 
the fruit is formed (I will leave out well, as it was 
not properly interpreted); this spraying will not only 
destroy many of the Codling moths, but the Canker 
worm, which (if it come), appears about the last of 
May. The fourth spraying, in about 10 days later. 
Now I do not see that Mr. Bassett and myself are 
very far apart in this spraying business. He sprays 
four times, twice before and twice after the blossom 
falls. I advise for first spraying in February. He 
sprays first about April 10 or 15. In February we 
have many pleasant days, and nothing driving in our 
work. In April I am in the middle of plowing, sow¬ 
ing, planting, etc. Time is with me worth more in 
April than in February. Is the spraying any more 
effectual in April than earlier? Not at all, but 
rather the strong solution of sulphate of copper used 
(say double the strength used when the foliage is 
out), has longer to work and act upon these “dor¬ 
mant” spores than if used six or eight weeks later. 
If Mr. Bassett has no other farm work to do than 
attend to his orchard (as I believe no thorough and 
large orchardist should have), then spray the first 
when most convenient to do it, yet I fuliy believe if 
done a month earlier than he does it, it would be 
rather more effectual. edwijm hoyt. 
Fairfield Co., Conn. 
THE STArUAN AND SOME OTHER APPLES. 
The stay man apple, which is referred to in The 
R. N.-Y., March 23, has wholly superseded the old 
Winesap here, being (as Professor Van Deman states), 
equal to it in every respect, and superior in 
some. As between Stayman and York Imperial, the 
latter has a little advantage in the red being rather 
more brilliant, but in quality it is somewhat behind 
Stayman, and in the growth of the tree a good deal 
behind; while the peculiar oblique form which York 
Imperial usually assumes is against it as compared 
with the smoothness and symmetry of Stayman. A 
choice early Winter apple about which not much has 
been said is Evening Party. It is a most beautiful 
fruit, bright, dark red, over the whole surface gen¬ 
erally, with a bloom, and is just the right size for 
a dessert apple. The texture is very tender, and the 
mingling of sweet and acid—the latter slight but dis¬ 
tinct—makes it welcome to young and old. It origi¬ 
nated in Pennsylvania, but was received here (20 
years or more ago) from the late I. D. G. Nelson, of 
Fort Wayne, Ind.; a man who had a just apprecia¬ 
tion of fine apples. The tree is a beautiful, upright 
grower and a profuse though somewhat tardy bearer. 
Another choice apple which usually lasts until the 
middle or end of April, is Stuart’s Golden. It is an 
Ohio variety, having originated in Fairfield County, 
about 40 miles southeast of Columbus. In color it 
resembles Grimes Golden, but it generally has a 
blush; and in quality it is worthy to stand with any 
of the varieties mentioned. The tree is a vigorous, 
spreading grower, and an early and profuse bearer, 
not dropping its fruit as Grimes does. It was named 
from the family in whose orchard the original tree 
grew; and Mr. Downing placed it in his large work, 
“Fruits and Fruit Trees of America.” The outline 
there is below the usual size. 
About the only kind troubled with twig-blight here 
i.s the fine old Fall Pippin. Its place can be taken, 
however, by the excellent variety raised by Dr. L. S. 
Mote, of Miami County, Ohio, and named Celestia by 
Dr. John A. Warder, author of “American Pomology.” 
It is less acid than Fall Pippin, and not quite so 
desirable for the kitchen, but better for eating out of 
hand. It is about the same color as Fall Pippin, 
and many specimens closely approach it in size. The 
tree of beautiful, vigorous growth and a good, but not 
very early bearer. Lankford, recently introduced 
from Maryland, hardly sustains its reputation thus 
far, but it may do better after a further trial. Tomp- 
THE MATTITUCK CAULIFLOWER. Fia. 12-4. 
kins King and Tolman Sweet are comparatively of 
no account here. The best Winter sweet apple is 
Broadwell, a variety said to have originated on the 
Ohio River above Cincinnati. It usually keeps until 
April. Baldwin is generally on the ground at pick¬ 
ing time, and beginning to decay; too far South of 
its native locality. The same may be said of Palouse, 
the beautiful variety from the Valley of the Colum¬ 
bia, in eastern Washington, where it keeps until 
April, but ripens here in September. It is thought to 
be a seedling of the old Bellflower. Two others, 
known to be seedlings of Bellflower, Marshall (from 
California) and Dickinson (from near Philadelphia), 
are promising, but have not borne sufficiently yet to 
fix their standing. Arkansas Beauty is superior to 
Arkansas Black, though hardly as brilliant in color 
as represented though still a “beauty.” It is a very 
promising apple, and bids fair to be a very early 
bearer. One three-year-old tree (which had not been 
moved), bore three apples in 1899, and last season 
it bore no less than 13. n. j. black. 
Fairfield Co., Ohio. 
SOME COW-PEA FACTS. 
Are you still advocating the use of cow peas? 
Certainly. Reports are nearly all favorable. 
What soil are they best adapted to? 
The lighter, poorer soils of the farm. We would not 
ROPING A COW’S TAIL. Fia. 125. See Page 319. 
SOW them on good corn ground. Put them on the 
poorest field in the rotation. 
Do you advise their use as fodder or hay? 
No, not in the North, though some northern farm¬ 
ers have found them very useful. At the New Jersey 
Station an acre of cow peas gave 16,000 pounds of 
green forage per acre, or 384 pounds of protein. This 
would equal the protein in 2,500 pounds of wheat 
bran. At the Nebraska Station cow peas were used 
as a pasture for cows. It was found that an acre of 
cow peas produced more milk than an acre of sor¬ 
ghum fed under the same conditions. 
What would you plant cow peas for, if not for hay? 
To plow in as manure, or to make a hog pasture. 
In an Inclosed field near the house the hogs might 
run on the cow peas and eat them to advantage. 
Usually such fields will produce corn or some better 
forage crop. We plow the cow peas in as manure. 
What are they worth as manure? 
At the Louisiana Station it was estimated that the 
leaves, stems and roots of an acre of drilled cow peas 
furnished 108% pounds of nitrogen, 25 pounds of phos¬ 
phoric acid, and 123 of potash. The yield was below 
the average. 
What does that mean? 
It would require more than 10 tons of average 
stable manure to provide this amount of available ni¬ 
trogen and potash. 
Suppose the crop had been cut for hay? 
In that case, most of the nitrogen would have been 
taken from the field. The roots of the cow pea are 
comparatively small. The nitrogen, which is taken 
from the air, comes into the plant by means of the 
roots, but is found at maturity in leaves and stems. 
Are such experiments conclusive? 
No. They are more or less estimates. A pound of 
nitrogen in cow-pea vines may not be equal to a 
pound in manure; still, from our experience, we would 
as soon have the crop grown on the average acre as 
the 10 tons of manure. 
But doesn’t the cow pea demand the use of the land 
for a whole season? 
Yes, in order to make seed, but a fair manurial 
crop can be grown after an early crop, and before 
frost. 
Do you know that? 
Yes, we have grown a fair crop of cow peas after 
early potatoes, also after picking strawberries. In 
the South cow peas are drilled in the corn after the 
last cultivation, or dropped in the hills when hoed. 
Have others done it? 
Yes; Prof. Cottrell, of the Kansas Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, tells of 15 acres of cow peas that were planted 
in Kansas on oat stubble. The planting was done 
July 16. The variety was Whippoorwill. By October 
4 the vines covered the ground, and yielded more than 
one ton of hay per acre. One great virtue of the cow 
pea is that it makes a fair growth in a dry season. 
Most people are inclined to sow it too early. It is a 
bean, and will not stand frost or cold soil. 
NOTES ON POTATO GROWING. 
A POTATO ISLAND.—Victoria Island, about 20 
miles west of Stockton, Cal., is said to contain the 
largest potato patch in the world. The land is “new,” 
having been reclaimed from swamps. This year about 
40,000 acres will be planted in potatoes. 
The tracts are divided Into districts, and small camps 
are established in each district. A white foreman is put 
in charge of several Chinamen, who are paid a certain 
sum for each acre they care for, and in this way the 
results are said to be far better than any other ever 
attempted. The payments for the work are made at in¬ 
tervals, and the services Include planting, cultivating, 
digging and sacking the potatoes. When the tubers are 
ready for the market the final payments are made to the 
Chinese bosses, who distribute it among the laborers. 
These potatoes are sent to San Francisco and 
shipped all over the Pacific country. 
DIGGING IN SOUTH CAROLINA.—Our labor is 
very much opposed to potato diggers, thinking they 
are to take the place of the laborers in handling the 
potato crop. I can dig and sort, pick up and load into 
cars 1,000 to 1,500 barrels of potatoes per day by hand, 
digging with a potato fork, at about 12 cents per bar¬ 
rel. A man and two boys or girls will dig and sort 
30 to 40 barrels of potatoes per day. We pay them 10 
cents per barrel for digging, sorting and putting the 
potatoes into barrels. It costs about two cents per 
barrel to cover and haul the potatoes to the car, which 
is never over one-quarter of a mile from the potato 
field, as I haul spurs all through my fields. A man 
and two small boys or girls will earn $3 to ?4 per day 
digging with forks, and they will not pick up the po¬ 
tatoes behind a potato digger. I have offered them 10 
cents per barrel to pick up behind the digger; they 
say nothing, but simply walk out of field and leave 
mules and diggers alone. In the Fall I use the dig¬ 
gers all right, and gather my potatoes for about five 
cents per barrel, but cannot do it in the Spring when 
the whole country is planted in potatoes. w. c. g. 
Youngs Island, S. C. 
THE MATTITUCK CAULIFLOWER.—Fig. 124 
shows heads of the Mattituck cauliflower grown by C. 
\/eckesser, Wayne Co., 0., who writes us that he 
grew about 2,200 of this sort, side by side with about 
3,000 plants of Erfurt and Snowball. The Mattituck 
is exceptionally solid, single heads weighing 10 pounds, 
and it proved a favorite in the fancy trade, selling for 
a higher price than other varieties. The originator, 
Mr. March, has selected the strain of seed very care¬ 
fully, and Mr. Weckesser says it gives uniform re¬ 
sults which he has not heretofore obtained with 
American seed. Hereafter he thinks he may grow no 
other cauliflower unless It loses its present high 
qualities. 
THE STRINGFELLOW METHOD.—I would say to 
those intending to experiment with root-pruned trees 
that it is not necessary to pound the ground except 
where it has been deeply plowed before. If already 
settled and firm, drive the holes about eight or 10 
inches deep and use sand instead of soil to pour in 
with the water. Sand settles compactly, but I find 
that loam or soil will shrink. If such is used, then 
ram earth around the trees at the bottom, before 
watering. Fertilize well on top, mulch, or keep a three 
or four-foot circle clean, and this is all that is neces¬ 
sary. My trees, so planted a year ago, now have nice 
heads, and several peaches to the tree. I hope every 
reader of The R. N.-Y. will risk at least one tree. 
Texas. h. m. btmnofellow. 
