820 
IHK RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
December 7 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to in¬ 
sure attention. Before asking a question, 
please see whether it is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few 
quesMons at one time. Put questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
The Mann Apple and Persian Walnuts. 
C. A. //., RingUnen, Pa.—1. I have a block 
of Mann apple trees and 1 noticed some 
time since that you are not a very strong 
advocate of the variety. What are its 
faults, and would you advise me to top- 
graft my trees to some other sort? My 
trees are four years planted, but have not 
borne any fruit yet. They are about four 
inches in diameter. 2. Will Persian and 
Japan walnuts and pecans grow in our 
climate? 
A.\s.—]. The objections to the Mann 
apple are, as I see them, that it is usual¬ 
ly very dull and unattractive in color, 
rather poor in quality, except where the 
conditions are very favorable for its full 
development, and it is not entirely satis¬ 
factory as a bearer. I would not advise 
top-grafting a small lot of the trees of 
this variety in Pennsylvania, but if 
there are many I would work over the 
greater part to Grimes and Rome 
Beauty. 2. Yes, the hardier varieties of 
the Persian walnut will grow and bear 
in Pennsylvania. There are trees now 
in good and productive condition in 
western New York and even farther 
north. But most varieties are too ten¬ 
der for those regions. The hardy ones 
are chance seedlings. The Japan wal¬ 
nuts are all hardy. Only the type called 
Cordiformis is valuable for its nuts. 
The northern types of the pecan are 
har4y, but those from the regions near 
the Gulf of Mexico are too tender. 
11. E. V. D. 
Fruits for Central New York. 
If. //. L.. Dimnsville. Y. V.—I am to set 5(X) 
apple trees next Spring, as follows: 200 
York Imperial. 150 Baldwin. 50 Giimes 
Golden and 60 Arkansas or Mammoth 
Blacktwig. I can get them from a nursery 
in Pennsylvania for 10 cents, for three to 
four-foot size. 1 wanted 50 Rome Beauty, 
but they would not sell so many at that 
price. Imt offered Ben Davis instead. That 
apple will not sell in my mai ket. which is 
Schenectady. Would you advise any other 
or different collection for this part of the 
State? I know the Baldwin does well, as 
I have 100 trees bearing; sold my apples 
all at $3 per barrel, both first and second 
grades, and retained the Esopus, which I 
sold in the local market at $4.50 for the 
firsts and $.3 for the seconds. 
Ans.—W hile York Imperial is a very 
good apple for many parts of the coun¬ 
try, it has not been sufficiently tested 
in New York to warrant planting it 
largely. The time may come when it 
will be safe to plant orchards of it there, 
but I would not now advise anyone to 
do so. My main doubt regarding York 
Imperial in New York State is that it 
may not develop to a sufficient degree. 
Samples that I have seen grown in that 
State have not been so large as I had 
hoped to see, but some from Michigan 
that were at the Pan-American fruit 
show were much better, and it may be 
that when more trials have been made 
my opinion will change more in its fa¬ 
vor. Specimens of York Imperial shown 
at Buffalo, N. Y., from Nova Scotia this 
Fall were larger than I had expected. It 
is a perplexing question to settle, when 
it comes to deciding what Winter apples 
to plant in any section, and central New 
ioi-k is no exception. Baldwin has long 
been the leading market variety for that 
region, but it has faults that make it 
desirable to find something better to 
plant. Sutton may be one that is more 
desirable. It surely is better in quality 
and of about the same size and color as 
Baldwin. Jonathan is still better in 
quality, more highly colored and a good 
bearer, but it may not be large enough 
for market when grown there. ' How- 
5 
for 
$4 
Send u.g a club of four subscriptions with 
$4 and we wi:l advance your own sub¬ 
scription one year free. New yearly sub¬ 
scribers will now get the pap r from 
tbe time subscription is received until 
January 1, 1803. Get up a club at cnce. 
ever, I think it will be of sufficient size, 
and would advise its trial in a moderate 
way. Grimes is of most superior qual¬ 
ity, rich yellow color and fair size. It 
is well worth planting, for it already 
has been sufficiently tried in New York 
to prove that it is a good Winter apple, 
and will sell at a good price in the 
fancy markets. Rome Beauty is good 
for that region, and if trees of it cannot 
be obtained at one place they can at 
another. Arkansas is a new variety that 
is of doubtful value in New York. It is 
a seedling of Winesap that is larger but 
not so good in quality nor so bright red, 
but rather dull in color. Ben Davis 
made a far better showing in the New 
York exhibit at the Pan-American Ex¬ 
position, and I was really sorry to see 
it, because we should encourage the 
growing of better apples. As H. E. 
Dosch, of Oregon, says of it: “Where- 
ever we find Ben Davis it always has 
that delightful sawdust flavor,” and this 
is even more true of it in New York than 
in the South and West. I cannot agree 
to the planting of Ben Davis in New 
York, although there may be money in 
it. Why not*plant Esopus (Spitzen- 
berg) which is one of the best of apples? 
With the use of modern help in the way 
of spraying it can be grown as well as 
in the days when fungus diseases and 
insects were rarely troublesome. 
H. E. VAN REMAN. 
Fruits for Connecticut. 
J. J. A’., Rockville, Conn.—I Intend planting 
about 125 apple trees next Spring, and about 
50 pears, standard. vVill you advise me 
what varieties to plant, and about in what 
proportion? I want to grow both apples 
and pears for market, but want them to 
be first quality, so if a purchaser buys once 
he will buy again. I want quite a few pears 
for Fall and Winter, to be planted in 
northeastern Connecticut: apples to be 
mostly all Winter varieties, and not too 
many kinds. 
Ans. —I would name Baldwin, Sutton 
and Rhode Island Greening as Winter 
apples, and Hurlbut and McIntosh for 
late Fall. All very good in this section. 
I should use about one-third each of first 
two named, and make up the other third 
of the rest. As to pears, Bartlett and 
Anjou would be used, to which should be 
added Bose if top-grafted trees can be 
obtained. Where mere profit is consid¬ 
ered the Kieffer will come in, for it 
bears very young, gives large crops, and 
as yet sells well. a. g. gullev. 
Conn. Ag'l College. 
Mr. Hitchings and His Orchard. 
A'. /'. R„ Dyer, Moa.'t.—'i am very much in¬ 
terested in the article on Grant Hitchings’s 
orchard. Will you explain his method in 
full, from the time he puts the young tree 
into the ground? Does he set the trees in 
grass land? How does he fertilize? Do 
you think it is possible to use the same 
method on all kinds of land? 1 have a side 
hill with fruit on it that washes badly, 
and 1 would like to try his way. 
REPr.Y BY GRANT M. HITCHINGS. 
The best possible place to set a young 
orchard is in soil well filled with decay¬ 
ing vegetable matter or humus. If you 
will examine the soil in a field that has 
been used as a pasture for a number of 
years, you will find it in a very mellow 
and fine condition. This is just right 
for an apple tree to do its best in, pro¬ 
vided you mulch it over its roots so that 
the moisture will not dry out until its 
roots are well established. The next 
best place is in a new seeding of one- 
third clover, one-third Timothy and one- 
(nird Red-top, 12 quarts to the acre. 
Mulch trees with straw when first set 
until grass is large enough to mow; 
tnen place what grows in orchard 
around trees, gradually extending as 
trees grow, until 10 years old; then let 
lie where cut. By doing this you soon 
get the ideal condition of looseness of 
soil and abundance of humus that tells 
so favorably in fruit production. After 
a few years the Red-top takes the place 
of the other grasses, and it makes a fine 
aftermath that covers the ground like 
a carpet. You notice by this method 
that you gi-ow hijiijus in the Spring, 
which checks excessive wood growth of 
trees, and that it decays during the Fall 
which stimulates fruit-bud formation; 
also that it is a very cheap method, re¬ 
quiring no fertilizers. Experts have told 
me that it was my soil that caused the 
results, but this same soil when culti¬ 
vated for grain only showed ordinary 
results. My soil is a quite heavy clay 
loam, and w'ould wash badly if culti¬ 
vated. I have faith enough in the 
method so that I shall treat all kinds of 
fruit trees the same. But just how it 
will act in other soils and locations 
must be ascertained by trial. 
Water and Stone Lime. 
H. 8., Pattenhurg, N. J.—What is the diftei- 
ence between w'ater lime and stone lime to 
mix with skim-milk for paint? 
Ans. —As most readers know “lime” is 
obtained by burning limestone. The 
heat drives off carbon dioxide and leaves 
oxide of calcium, which is “lime.” Some 
limestones contain a certain amount of 
clay. When they are burned this clay 
remains with the lime, and will “set” 
or form a hard cement under water. 
Such limestones are called hydraulic 
and the lime burned from them is hy¬ 
draulic or water lime. 
When to Plant Cow Peas. 
L. E. IV.. Edrn. .V. V.—Are cow peas a crop 
that will stand the Winter? 1 asK this 
question after reading what J. T. C. says 
on page 755. I am ignorant in regard to 
anything of this sort, because they have 
not been raised in this localit.v. We grow 
a large number of acres of peas for the 
canning companies liere, and after the 
earliest are picked we plow tlie vines under 
and plant potatoes, in all accounts that 
I have read in The R. N.-Y. eastern farm¬ 
ers cultivate their peas, an unheard-of 
thing here. We sow ours with either a 10 
or 11-hoed drill, using every hoe. as we 
would with grain. If the cow peas are 
sown in April, as we sow other peas here, 
would they get large enough to plow under 
for potatoes by the middle of June? I 
have been in the habit of sowing rye in 
September and plowing that down for po¬ 
tatoes in June, but 1 have read so much of 
late in regard to cow peas that I think I 
would like to try them if it will not take 
too long for them to grow. What we want 
here is some quick catch crop to take the 
place of manure, because we do not keep 
stock enough, and have no faith in com¬ 
mercial fertilizers. 
Ans. —We have tried to make it plain 
that the cow pea is a tender plant—just 
as liable to be killed by the frost as gar¬ 
den beans. They die at the first hard 
frost, and cannot be planted in April 
like field peas or canning peas. They 
should be planted just after corn. They 
make a quick growth, but occupy the 
land during June, July and August. 
They may be sown after wheat, rye or 
oats, and make a fair growth, but for 
the best results they should have the 
whole season to grow in. We do not see 
just where you could use them to ad¬ 
vantage since your canning peas give 
you a good crop for plowing under. We 
recommend them especially lor poor or 
“worn-out” fields which are not pro¬ 
ductive, and for which there is little 
manure or fertilizer. In such fields the 
cow pea will usually make a fair growth 
of vine, and if this is plowed under, the 
field will give about as much rye or corn 
as would be grown after a fajr dressing 
of manure. The proper place for the 
cow pea, at the North, is on these poor 
fields. We would not plant it in a field 
already rich enough to grow a fair crop 
of corn, and irr do not adrise its use us a 
for (I (If plant. 
When j'ou write adverti.sers mention The 
R X.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
"asquaredeal”. See our guarantee 8th page. 
Don’t Kivo up the farm, hnt during these 
winter months take our home study course m 
MODERN AGRICULTURE 
and learn to make the farni pay. 
Treats of soils, tillage, drainage, fertilizers, 
crop rotation, stock feeding, dairying, etc. 
Text-books free to our students. 
Send for 36-page booklet telling all about it. 
The Home Corresposdence School, Springfield, Mail. 
I 
with the “Incompirable’ 
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Agents and Dealers Wanted 
to sell Kipplcy’s 8 and 6 Gallon Com¬ 
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Secrets of Fruit Growing. 
A new book by Charles A. Green, with 
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.sent free with this publication. Send 10c 
and get both. Address Green’s Nursery 
Company, Rochester, N. Y. 
P otatoes —Bovee, Carman,Cobbler, Harvest,6Week8 
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New Early Yellow DCipil 
FREESTONE rbllUn 
W. J. GRAVES, Originator, Perry, O. 
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Price-list free. See onr Bulb Offer 
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Earlierthan Elberta; skin tough 
a good shipper. Consult our bud¬ 
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lUKKlSOX’S NVKSEKIE8, Berlla, Hd. 
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STEPHEN HOYT’S SONS, New Cinaan, CaM. 
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THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Painsville, O. 
