482 
July 13 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ferior grade, those who are growing a first-class ar¬ 
ticle can well afford the expense, and were the lice 
thick enough to threaten the life of the crop two 
sprayings would certainly be profitable. Mr. Brake- 
ley is spraying his whole crop of 510 acres this year, 
and though the lice are not thick enough to do any 
serious damage he believes that the spraying will pay 
in the superior quality of the peas, and we believe 
he is right. This sprayer was invented by Messrs. 
Brakeley and is covered by patents. They were un¬ 
able to give us any exact estimate of the cost, but it 
was thought by those present that the machine could 
be built to order for between $150 and $200, and pos¬ 
sibly for less if manufactured in quantities. Of 
coTirse a small grower could hardly afford to own 
and operate such an outfit, but where peas are grown 
for the cannery on contract the packer might own 
and operate the machine, or some one owning a trac¬ 
tion engine or doing similar work might find the 
work profitable. Messrs. Brakeley’s sprayer was 
granted patents upon the combination of the device 
for lifting the vines and nozzles for spraying them. Of 
course various arrangements of nozzles for spraying 
crops in rows have previously been patented, and put 
on the market by spray-pump manufacturers. Early 
in the season, while the vines are still upright, we be¬ 
lieve that any machine which will spray two to four 
rows with four nozzles to a row will be found satis¬ 
factory—and early in the season, before the lice have 
become numerous, is the time to spray with profit. 
But as soon as the vines fall over and run, a device 
for lifting them is absolutely essential, and Brakeley’s 
sprayer is of value. If the Pea louse is to be with us 
every year—as it now looks—and we must fight it by 
spraying, it will be found desirable to grow low- 
growing sorts and to plant in perfectly regular rows. 
Should the weather conditions be unfavorable for 
its development next year may see a practical disap¬ 
pearance of the Pea louse; but on the other hand, it 
may be as bad as ever, and should it not occur next 
year it may appear any time as suddenly as in 1899. 
As it should be fought early in the season to prevent 
injury we believe that spraying will be found profit¬ 
able, and that the possession of a first-class spray¬ 
ing outfit, and its prompt use, will solve the problem 
of growing peas in spite of the Pea louse. 
Delaware Exp. Station. [Prof.] e. o. sandekson. 
MODERN CRANBERRY CULTURE. 
essentia 1- PBINCIPLES OF THE BUSINESS 
How to Start a Bog. 
Part II. 
CLEARING THE LAND.—During the Winter it is 
a good plan to get rid of the wood and brush on and 
around the swamp. The brush can be cut with a 
heavy brush scythe, or a billhook, and should be piled 
up and burned. The upland around the swamp should 
be cleared at least a rod back from where the shore 
ditch is going to be. This is to prevent the young 
vines from being shaded, and it gives room for a 
road around the swamp, which in harvesting time 
will be very convenient. When the frost comes out 
of the ground, find out which end of the swamp is 
highest, and then dig a main ditch through the cen¬ 
ter from there to the lower end. The width of this 
ditch should be regulated by the amount of swamp 
to be drained, but usually three feet in width at the 
top and two at the bottom of it is enough. In swamps 
that have a small stream running through them all 
that is necessary is to dig the shore ditch and then 
run the cross ditches from that to the stream, strik¬ 
ing it at right angles. 
DRAINING.—'The upper end of the swamp being 
naturally the driest the work of turfing and grading 
is usually commenced there. The tools for this work 
consist of a broad-ibladed ax, called a turf ax, and a 
heavy hoe with a blade about four inches wide and 
eight inches long, called a stub or grading hoe. 
These can generally be obtained at hardware stores, 
or if they do not keep them in stock they can get 
them from any wholesale hardware firm in Boston, 
Mass. The turf ax is used in cutting the turf into 
squares of about two feet each way, and these are 
pulled bottom up with the hoes. It is very important 
that the turf be turned over for the reason that it not 
only gives the surface a chance to drain and dry, but 
it also gives the graders a chance to chop up the roots 
of many sprouts that would spring up if this were not 
done. It kills the vegetation and gives a better surface 
for working. If there are any holes or soft spots in 
the swamp these should be carefully filled up and al¬ 
lowed bo settle before any sand is put on. In grading, 
it is necessary to keep the surface as level as possible. 
All roots of any size should be taken out and burned 
or carried off. The surplus turf can be used to good ad¬ 
vantage in smoothing up the rough spots in a road 
around the bog, or in laying the foundations of a dyke 
at the lower end if there is water enough to fiow 
with. It is best, however, to keep the swamp level as 
high as possible, hence it is better to keep all good 
material on the bog. The surface of a bog that is 
continually wet in the Summer is worthless, and it 
will grow anything but cranberries. 
PUTTING ON SAND.—The next thing is to open a 
sand-hole. This is done by clearing away the loam 
from the surface of a high bank until good sand is 
found. In some places around the swamp, the loam 
is not so deep, and it is a good plan to dig small 
holes in the banks until a shallow spot is found. Of 
course where there is only one high bank convenient 
this must be entered, no matter how deep the loam 
may be. When sand is found, a runway is dug into 
the bank about on a level with the swamp, and 
planks a'lK)ut six inches wide and two inches thick 
are laid from it out upon the swamp. The sand is 
then shoveled into a wheelbarrow and rolled out and 
dumped on the bog, where it is spread out very even¬ 
ly at an average depth of three inches. When the bog 
can be flowed in Winter many wait until the water 
is frozen, and then do their sanding on the ice. This 
dispenses with the use of planks, and where the 
swamp is large saves quite a sum. The sand is spread 
on the ice the same as on the bog, and it soon works 
its way through, and will be found in Spring as level 
as desired. 
SETTING THE VINES.—The month of April is the 
best time to set out vines, and they may be set out 
as late as June if the water can be raised so as to 
keep the bog wet. Some set them out in the Fall, 
but nothing is gained by that, as the vines do not 
root any sooner than if they were set out the next 
Spring. The vines are set out in hills consisting of 
five or six pieces of vine about six inches long. There 
are no roots connected with these, and one end of the 
hill is shoved through the sand into the mud or peat, 
and the other end is left projecting an inch or two 
above the sand. Just how far to set these hills apart 
is a matter of some discussion among growers, and 
perhaps the distance should be varied according to 
the variety of vines used. Eighteen inches apart each 
way for early vines and 14 or 15 for late ones is a 
safe rule to follow. A good marker is made by in¬ 
serting hard wood or iron pins about an inch in diam¬ 
eter, with the points rounded, in a piece of 2x4 scant¬ 
ling at the desired intervals. By dragging this first 
one way and then the other, and setting the hills 
where the lines intersect, a regularity is obtained 
which will enable the grower to ascertain the exact 
progress of the vines in covering, and which variety 
covers the quickest. It is best to keep each variety 
ditched off on a section by itself. This prevents mix¬ 
ing the varieties, and gives the grower a chance to 
see if he is getting what he ordered, and what is 
more important, it enables him to teli what variety is 
best suited to his bog. 
THE VARIETIES.—'It is a good rule to choose 
vines according to the climate that they are to be 
grown in. There are about 200 different varieties, but 
many of them are worthless, and have only been re¬ 
sults of experiments in crossing good varieties. 
Among those that can be relied upon are the Early 
Black and Early Red for early berries that ripen from 
the first to the middle of September, the Howe and 
Smalley’s, that come a little later, and for late va¬ 
rieties, the Bugle berry and the McFarland. For 
those desiring early shipments on account of frost, 
sound fruit and good yielders, I cannot speak too 
highly of the Early Black and Early Red, especially 
the latter, which is a large, round berry, solid to the 
core. This berry ripens about September 10, and 
while it is a fair keeper, I advise immediate ship¬ 
ments, relying upon its good appearance for a ready 
sale even though the market is temporarily over¬ 
stocked. The advantage of the Early Black lies in its 
early ripening and rich, dark appearance, and also 
from the fact that it is a heavy yielder. 1 have seen 
200 barrels of this fruit gathered from a single acre, 
and though they were marketed in the early part of 
September, they found a ready sale at a good average 
price. 
Probably there is no berry better known to grow¬ 
ers than the Howe. It ripens about September 25, and 
good reports are heard from it wherever it is grown. 
It is a sound berry of good size, of a purplish tinge 
when ripe, and is valued especially for its keeping 
qualities. It is a very hardy variety, and it takes a 
severe frost to injure the fruit. The Smalley is about 
the same except that it is more pear-shaped than the 
Howe, and when ripe its appearance is apt to be 
mottled or spotted, but it is a good yielder and keep¬ 
er, and a favorite with most growers. The Bugle or 
Bell berry is an old-fashioned, late variety that takes 
its name from its shape, and was a favorite in the 
days when swamps were fiowed to prevent frost from 
injuring fruit. It ripens very late, and as it does not 
keep any better than the Howe or Smalley, it is fast 
going out of use. The McFarland is a very large, 
fancy fruit, and is raised chiefiy to take prizes at 
fairs. It rots quickly either on the vines or off, and 
is not a very profitable kind to grow. In another ar¬ 
ticle I shall describe a model screening and packing 
house, also how to take care of young vines, and de¬ 
scribe best methods of harvesting. 
F. A. MAKEPEACE. 
ROOT-PRUNED TREES FAIL FROM DROUGHT 
Mr. Stringfellow’s Texas Experiment. 
To prove how greatly mistaken your Mexican cor¬ 
respondent, H. L. T. (page 397), is in supposing that 
the success of root-pruning is “merely a question of 
latitude,” I will state that my planting of 3,000 trees 
this year is almost a total failure from drought, 
while I feel confident that nearly every one set at 
Hope Farm as well as at Boonsboro and Coleman in 
Maryland will grow. It is simply a question of mois¬ 
ture, not latitude. New York nurserymen every year 
grow thousands of vines and trees from cuttings and 
short-piece root grafts, identical with the root- 
pruned tree, nor have I ever before seen a Winter and 
Spring so dry that a root-pruned tree would not cal¬ 
lus and grow off readily. This immediate locality has 
had only a total of five inches of rain since the great 
storm of September 8, and of that we have only had 
as much as one inch at a time once. The remainder 
has fallen in light showers that wet the ground but 
a few inches. I planted my trees in driven holes 
about 10 inches deep in November, pouring into them 
about a pint of water to the hole. This of course was 
quickly absorbed by the thirsty earth, and since then 
not a particle of moisture has ever reached the roots. 
This applies to all but about 100 trees planted imme¬ 
diately along the base of the hill where the moisture 
has been forced up to the surface. Every tree there 
is growing nicely, while all on the fiat 10-acre hill¬ 
top and on the valley below have failed to push a bud, 
and are as dead as the proverbial “door nail.” But 
the trees set on a part of this hilltop last year, which 
was quite seasonable, are standing the drought brave¬ 
ly and a few of them have peaches on them, which, 
if it ever rains and they mature, I will send the editor 
as the first fruit ever grown on a “driven hole” tree. 
As to planting orchards in this way in droughty sec¬ 
tions like this, where the soil is rocky and the water 
level 75 feet or more below the surface, I give it up as 
too risky. The safer plan will be to plow in Summer 
and cultivate for two years, when the trees should be 
put to grass and mown, leaving clippings on the 
ground. As to best depth to set, two trees were 
planted last year In driven holes 18 inches deep, only 
one inch of the tops with a single bud being above 
ground. The trees alongside were planted from eight 
to 10 inches deep, and I see no difference now be¬ 
tween them. As to my whole experiment here I will 
say that I moved to Lampasas only 18 months ago, 
from the coast country of Texas, where it generally 
rains too much, and while I give it up that the driven 
hole in sod ground is too risky for dry countries, I 
feel confident that the experiments now being made 
will prove it to be a success in all sections with a rea¬ 
sonable amount of rainfall. For the encouragement 
of those who are experimenting, I will give an ex¬ 
tract from the report on close root-pruning by Prof. 
Henry E. Dosch, of the Oregon State Horticultural 
Department. He says; 
I procured 50 trees, one, two and three years old. of 
pears, apples, prunes, plums and cherries, grafted on 
different kinds of roots, removing every fiber from the 
stubs; the tops were cut off to 30 inches. The first year 
the trees made but a few Inches growth, and I had 
fears, as my soil is a heavy clay underlined with hard- 
pan, and a very dry season followed. I hoed and culti¬ 
vated as if ph^nted in orchard, but when Fail came, 
concluded it was a failure and paid no further attention 
to them. The following Spring, when preparing my 
garden, where they were planted, I started to pull them 
up, when to my surprise I could not do it. On examin¬ 
ing the little things I noticed the buds were swelling, 
so allowed them to remain, and when they did begin to 
grow I thought they never would stop. The prune trees 
grew eight feet, the apple and pear trees three and four 
feet. The fruit growers’ convention met that year in 
July at Newburg, to which I took a number of these 
trees to show the result of my experiment, and, like 
myself, all present were greatly astonished. The most 
surprising fact of all was, not the large top growth, but 
the perfect root system these trees had formed, all of 
them throwing out three or four strong roots from each 
stub, which struck diagonally down into the soil. Those 
which I exhibited at Newburg had grown roots down 
into this heavy clay soil over four feet, penetrating the 
hardpan and throwing out hundreds of lateral rootlets, 
but none grew near the surface, hence out of reach of 
the plow. A more perfect and symmetrical root system 
could not be formed. As to age of tree best adapted to 
this method, I could see no difference whatever, the 
three-year-old trees making the same perfect root sys¬ 
tem as the one and two-year-old. The only difference 
wns that the three-year-old pear and cherry trees set 
.some fruit which matured nicely. 
So don’t be discouraged if root-pruned trees do not 
do as well the first year as you think they ought to. 
II. M. STBINGFEM.OW. 
4 WANT to tell you how much your investigation of 
the apple crop and probable prices did for me last Fall. 
Buyers were around here trying to make us believe that 
they could almost get apples given to them in New 
York State. Many of my neighbors sold their crops for 
■50 cents per barrel; pick them and haul to the station. 
Acting on the advice of The R. N.-Y. I would not sell 
to them, but put them in barrels and sent them to a 
commission man in Philadelphia. They netted me above 
$1 per barrel. 
New Hope, Pa. 
