1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
789 
AMONG MAINE APPLE GROWERS. 
Tlie Maine Pomological Society held Its 
Winter meeting in Dexter, Penobscot County, 
November 6 and 7. The Society scored a 
good point in the selection of date, and an¬ 
other in the place of its meeting. The 
weather was all that could have been hoped 
for and much finer than jcould have been an¬ 
ticipated for the season and latitude. In¬ 
deed, the Maine Autumn of 1901 will go 
down as a record season in the number of 
bright warm days and the fine opportunity 
thus presented for closing up farm work, 
gathering fruit, and preparing for Winter. 
Dexter and vicinity has been a notable fruit 
locality in Maine from the earliest times. 
The local growers vied with those who 
brought exhibits from a distance, and won 
their share of the liberal premiums hung 
up by the Society. 
The meetings were well attended, but not 
to the extent of filling the galleries of the 
spacious town hall. The officers and other 
members of the Association were on the 
ground early, and by the hour for opening 
had a large and well-arranged display of 
Fall and Winter apples spread out on tables 
extending the length of the hall. Two 
tables on each side were separated from the 
wall, each other, and the seats for the au¬ 
dience by walks, while the pear and jelly 
exhibits wei’e placed on either side of the 
entrance In the back of the hall. The flower 
exhibit occupied a prominent place on the 
front of the stage, and on tables just under 
the footlights. 
President Gilbert called to order on the 
completion of the exhibit, and in a few 
well-chosen words greeted the members and 
citizens and opened the meeting with prayer 
by one of the Dexter pastors, and then intro¬ 
duced the first speaker, W. S. Brown, prin¬ 
cipal of the Dexter schools, who gave an 
address of welcome. The response was made 
by Secretary D. H. Knowlton. In this Sec¬ 
retary Knowlton referred to some of the con¬ 
ditions which make it needful for orchard- 
ists to confer in these meetings for the 
benefit of all, and also a few cases which 
make the future of orcharding in Maine 
bright to the intelligent persons In the craft. 
The proceedings of the morning session were 
concluded with music following the Presi¬ 
dent’s address. Every session of this meet¬ 
ing was enlivened by selections of good 
music. The afternoon programme consisted 
of four irarts under the general head of 
“The Care of the Orchard,” viz: “The Im¬ 
portance of It,” by R. li. Libbey; “Methods 
of Culture,” by V. P. De Coster; “Fertiliza¬ 
tion,” by Chas. S. Pope; “Results of Cul¬ 
ture,” by John W. True. The first speaker, 
clinching his argument on the importance of 
care in the management of the orchard, cited 
a case of two orchards on two farms sep¬ 
arated only by the line fence, and the differ¬ 
ence between neighborly owners. One with 
no cultivation produced 10 to 15 barrels of 
apples, while the other for better care and 
cultivation yielded 200 bai’rels per year. A 
neighbor 80 years old had grown an orchard 
from apple pomace seed and lived to use 
some of the fruit. His successor had under¬ 
taken to improve this orchard. He has 
grafted 199 of the trees, and receiving a 
yield of 75 barrels of apples, finds this part 
of his operations to be paying better than 
any other. He will soon plant 200 more 
trees of good varieties. 
Under “Methods of Culture,” farmers were 
urged to raise their own trees; to graft in 
several ways. One case was cited where a 
boast was made of the large number of 
trees which had been set in a single day, but 
which was followed by serious loss of trees. 
It is safe to dig deep wide holes and plant 
the trees well; two feet deep by three feet 
wide in a circle is not too large a hole to 
set a small tree in, while they should in no 
case be set nearer than 30 feet. In cleft 
grafting let sprouts grow the first year to 
save scions from being pushed too fast. 
Prune for fruit, and thin the fruit well back 
to induce annual rather than biennial 
bearing. An orchard properly thinned, 
pruned and manured, should bear every year. 
The best time to prune is while you are 
bringing up the orchard to bearing; probably 
Fall and Winter are the best seasons. Plow 
and cultivate the orchard often. Some prune 
in June, which has been observed to spoil 
some trees. Thin the fruit any time alter 
it is set, the sooner the better. 
Under “Fertilization,” which was taken 
up as manuring, the speaker spoke of the 
early richness of the soil when it was only 
necessary to plant a good tree in a pasture 
where the wealth of forest fertility had not 
been exhausted, and it would grow quickly 
to perfection. Now it is necessary to use 
commercial manure or the elements of plant 
growth in other ways by plowing and keep¬ 
ing turf well rotted when one has been 
grown, and the application of ashes and 
manures as they seem to be needed. Culti¬ 
vate the first part of the season, and in 
August put in some mulch crop. Weeds are 
better than none to increase the vegetable 
fibers in the soil and help it hold more 
water. Rye, wheat, and peas were named. 
Stable manure was commended, but was said 
to contain too much nitrogen, and the sug¬ 
gestion was made to supplement a small ap¬ 
plication of it with lime, potash, chloride. 
ground bone, and phosphoric acid; afraid of 
ashes, as cost of elements may be too high. 
Prof. Munson read a report of the Society’s 
exhibit at the Pan-American Exposition. The 
Secretary could not attend to that display, 
and it was put into Prof. Munson’s hands, 
and this report gave many details and facts 
concerning the exhibit and the keeping qual¬ 
ities of Maine apples which were sent to 
Buffalo to be shown. Under “Results of Cul¬ 
ture,” the speaker cited several cases brought 
up by previous speakers, and the presence of 
the fine display of fruit in the hall as evi¬ 
dence of the value of good culture, which 
would seem to make any further discussion 
superfluous. His mother’s father had planted 
trees which fruited in seven years. Trees 
set in 1835 are now 30 or more Inches in 
diameter, which speaks for the good culture 
these trees have received. Trees well set, 
but neglected, often are lost or ruined be¬ 
fore five years. Keep grass down, especially 
Twitch grass, as it will sap the life of the 
trees early. Sometimes accidents and ice 
storms destroy trees, but these will be the 
small losses if trees are well cultivated. 
At this session J, H. Hale, of South Glas¬ 
tonbury, Conn., entertained, instructed and 
enthused the audience with an illustrated 
lecture on fruit growing in Connecticut and 
Georgia. Mr. Hale included a large fund 
of humor and anecdote which pleases and 
instructs. The character sketch and folk¬ 
lore tales of the Georgia negroes were drawn 
on, and show that as devoted laborers those 
people have few equals and probably no su¬ 
periors. It is not easy to give anything 
like a summary of this lecture without cov¬ 
ering too much space. To be appreciated it 
must be heard, and the hearer then gathers 
something of the earnestness and enthu¬ 
siasm of the speaker. R. N.-Y. readers 
should miss no opportunity to hear Mr. Hale 
on the subject of raising fine fruit for good 
markets, for he creates if he does not find a 
good market. 
At the morning session on November 7 
the reports of the officers were received. 
These showed a very satisfactory condition 
of affairs. Although the State Legislature 
had defeated every other call for an exhibit 
at the Pan-American Exposition, an appro¬ 
priation of two hundred and fifty doilars was 
awarded this Society to help it make an ex¬ 
hibit of the State’s fine fruit. With only an 
equal amount added from its slender means, 
a show so creditable as to medals received 
and approval by leading authorities attests 
the high quality of the small show made, 
and the care and economy with which this 
small sum was handled, when it was shown 
that the $500 appropriation was exceeded by 
less than $44 for all expenses of the exhibit. 
The afternoon programme was disturbed 
by accident, and several parts omitted, the 
main part of the session being given to 
Messrs. Hale and Powell, of Washington, D. 
C., for talks on the general subject of or¬ 
charding. In the evening Mrs. Alonzo Towle 
delivered a very instructive and entertaining 
lecture on “Living for Health,” and Mr. 
Powell an illustrated lecture on orcharding 
and clover crops. 
The following officers were elected: Z. A. 
Gilbert, president; D. S. True and U. L. 
Lealand, vice-presidents; D. H. Knowlton, 
secretary ; Chas. S. Pope, treasurer. Execu¬ 
tive Committee: R. 11. Libbey, V. P. De 
Costa, C. A. Arnold. Trustees: A. C. 
Day, J. W. Dudley, J. W. True, E. P. Pur- 
ington, E. W. Worcester, E. A. Lapham, 
Alonzo Butler, A. J. Simmons, A. A. East¬ 
man, Will E. Lealand, Frank E. Emery, 
Fred Atwood, G, W. Campbell, C. A. Hooper. 
Experiment station councilor, Chas. S. Pope. 
F. E. E. 
Grafting Grapes. 
W. K. N. Dilley, Ore .—I wish to graft 
Niagara, Green Mountain and Diamond grapes 
to Worden and Concord. When is the proper 
time and what the best method? Can Dela¬ 
wares be grafted to Concord? 
Ans. —Yes, all the varieties mentioned 
can be grafted successfully on Worden 
and Concord. Early Spring is the 
proper time to do the work. The cleft 
method is the one most suitable, es¬ 
pecially where the vines are large. The 
union must be below the surface of the 
ground, and the earth well packed 
around it, and so high as to leave but 
one bud above the surface, h. e. v. d. 
Feeding Hens: Rape for Green Manure. 
T. 8., Camden Co., N. J.—l. What is con¬ 
sidered a proper quantity to feed at once 
to 12 hens and 12 four-months-old chick¬ 
ens? 2. What would you advise for Dwarf 
Essex rape tibout 12 inches high now; 
that is, when plow under to benefit the 
ground most? I would like it to remain 
as long as practicable to serve as a cover, 
the soil being very sandy and inclined to 
blow very much. 
Ans. —1. We have found in our experi¬ 
ence that five ounces of dry grain food 
is quite ample for a fair-sized hen. Of 
course much depends on the size of the 
hen’s run. If at wide range less grain 
will be needed. If kept yarded closely 
green food of some sort must be added. 
For the 24 birds if closely yard/ed we 
should feed about seven pounds of grain 
—not all of one kind—in two rations, 
night and morning. 2. We should let 
the rape grow. It will keep alive until 
Christmas anyway, and some of it may 
even last until next year. Let it grow 
as long as it will and plow it under 
next Spring. 
Sutton Apple in Northern New York. 
R. M. P., Fruit Valley, N. Y .—Will Sutton 
apples do well in northern New York, and 
will it be well to graft into Baldwin trees? 
Will they bear every year under high cultiva¬ 
tion and spraying? 
Ans. —Sutton is thought to be a little 
more hardy than Baldwin, and will 
flourish wherever that variety does. I 
can see no reason why it should not 
do well in northern New York. Many 
fruit growers are putting to a test the 
question of the probable advisability of 
grafting over Baldwin trees to Sutton. 
In my opinion it will prove a benefit. 
Sutton is said to bear much more regu¬ 
larly than Baldwin, but there are very 
few varieties that will bear every year 
under any conditions. Spraying, thin¬ 
ning and good tillage will do much to 
bring about regular and profitable bear¬ 
ing. H. E. V. D. 
Bowker's Animal Meal is the best food for fowls. 
It is better than scraps, because It is finer, cleaner, 
contains less water, more bone and more protein. 
It Is better than bone alone, because It supplies 
bone In connection with thoroughly cooked meat. 
It Is better than shells, because it supplies not 
only the lime necessary for the shell, but also the 
constituents required to make meat of the egg 
For sale by dealers generally. 
In answer to many inquiries received 
from the farmers, we are making them 
a proposition, which is worth money 
to them. 
WON’T YOU WRITE TO US? 
Prolong your lives, save time and 
money by having a 
telephone system on 
your premises. Our 
Telephone 
is up-to-date, being 
an automatic s y s- 
tem and so simple, 
that anyone can op¬ 
erate it. 
CHRISTMAS IS COMING ! 
WRITE US ANDWE WILL 
TELL Y OU ALL ABOUT IT. 
THE U. S. ELECTRIC MFQ. CO., 
300 Etna Street, Butler, Pa. 
Agents and Dealers Wanted 
to Kippley^A 8 and 5 Oallon Com- 
prCttKCd Air Rpruycr(», also large orchard spray¬ 
ers. We have the best, and sell them under a guaran¬ 
tee. A card will bring catalogue and terms. 
Rlppley Hardware Co., Box 223, Grafton, Illinois, 
A Wooden Washer works hard, rubs and destroys clothing, leaks 
and falls apart, is heavy and awkward to handle. 
A Steel Washer —galvanized—never rusts.never leaks, never falls 
apart, is cleanly and will last a lifetime. That is why the 
Syracuse Easy Washer 
is made of steel. It is easy to operate, because it washes by air pres¬ 
sure. Air forces soap and water through the clothes and takes out the 
dirt. No rubbing on washboards, no wood or metal pegs to destroy 
clothes, as in other machines, but simply air pressure, without hard 
work, without friction, wear or waste, making washing ea.sy. 
It washes fast, washes clean, washes everything. It is on rollers 
to move about easily. 
Thousands in use, each one a testimonial. 
You take no risk on the EASY washer. Try it four weeks, then 
return it if you wish. Write for full information. 
DODGE & ZUILL, 539 S. Clinton St., Syracuse, N. Y. 
SEINT FREE 
MONEY IN HAND 
IS WHAT WE ALL WANT. 
OUR NEAT 
Pocket Coin Purse 
will hold your money handily. Furnished 
either in russet or black. It is small and yet 
roomy enough to carry quite a sum. It is 
strong. Its rounded shape permits it to fit 
comfortably in the pocket. State color wanted, 
for Fifteen cent Stamps to Cover Cost and Mail¬ 
ing, just to show you of what strong, whole leathe’' 
our ideal, roomy and stylish Embalmers’ and Dress Suit Cases are made 
Send for the curved coin -purse. It protects the pocket and saves lots 
LEATHER CASE CO - 
money. THE WESTPORT LEATHER 
Westport, Conn. Dept. R 
of 
UNCLE SAM'S SEPARATOR 
HAS GROWN TO SUCH LARGE PROPORTIONS THAT IT IS 
AN ELEPHANT TO THE DE LAVAL PEOPLE 
The U. S. Separator is such a bugbear to them that 
they expect an elephant in everything connected with 
it, so it is not surprising to find them using an 
elephant to run a U. 5. Separator with; neither is it 
surprising to see tears in the eyes of the elephant. 
It is enough to make an elephant weep to have to do 
work that a dog he could play ball with could do easily. 
^ That a dog can run a U. S. Separator will be 
seen by reading the following letter; 
84-lb. Dog Runs No. 7 U. S. 
Separator Without Trouble. 
Minot, Me., Sept. lo, iqor. 
I see your competitors, the De 
Laval Co., are passing out cir¬ 
culars at fairs, showing an ele¬ 
phant runiiiug a dog-power, and 
printing the statement that it re¬ 
quires much power to run one 
of the U. S. Separators. 
Now I have run one of your 
No. 7 new capacity machines for 
more than a year, and operated 
the same by dog-power. My 
dog weighs only 84 ihs., and 
commenced to run the separator 
when he was only four months 
old. I h.Tve no trouble in main¬ 
taining the required speed, and 
am greatly pleased with the 
separator and power. 
A. K.P. QUIMBY. 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE GO., BELLOWS FALLS, VT. 
