4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 4 
FRUIT NOTES FROM “DALE VIEW.” 
The past October, we gathered the first crop of 
apples from our young orchard. Trees of the Ben 
Davis, planted but seven years, averaged a trifle over 
two bushels per tree—some trees yielding three 
bushels of beautiful, highly-colored fruit. Trees of 
the Langford, although not yet in full bearing, ad¬ 
vanced us, as a generous sample of their production, 
several bushels of fine fruit of handsome color and 
good quality. They are excellent for sauce, pies, etc., 
and from their appearance now (December 20), 1 
would judge them to be first-rate keepers. One four- 
year-old Gano tree, the stem of which is but 1% inch 
in diameter, perfected 21 specimens. 
A row of Keiffer pear trees also fruited for the first 
time the past season. The pears were picked before 
fully ripe, and placed upon shelves in the dark where 
they ripened to perfection (in color). They were per¬ 
fect beauties—large, of the most brilliant, golden 
3 'ellow, and red cheeked. We shall refrain from say¬ 
ing much in regard to their quality, as it is a serious 
breach of etiquette to speak uncharitably of “ those 
who”-likewise “ that which is absent.” However, 
when properly canned or preserved, they are really 
very good, as that acidity so objectionable in their 
raw state, gives them a certain sprightliness which 
makes them really refreshing and delicious as a dessert 
fruit. Indeed, we regard the Keiffer as an extra 
good pear for culinary purposes. 
In spite of the very severe drought throughout the 
entire growing season of ’95, we were never permitted 
to help more beautiful or promising patches of straw¬ 
berries into their comfortable, winter overcoats than 
during the past November. Constant cultivation won 
us the victory. Our finest growth of strawberry 
plants was obtained upon a quarter-acre plat that 
had been deeply plowed in the late autumn of ’94. 
During the winter, this plat was heavily coated with 
a mixture of fresh, strawy manure from the horse 
and cow stables. By April, when the light, strawy 
litter was raked off, nearly every vestige of the 
manure had disappeared into the soil. The soil was 
then deeply stirred with the cultivator, harrowed, 
marked and set. I never saw ground in finer con¬ 
dition, and the way it resisted the drought was re¬ 
markable. 
It was a noticeable fact, the past season, that soil 
in which a liberal quantity of fine, even well-rotted 
manure, had been incorporated, did not withstand 
the blighting drought nearly so well as that which 
had received its allowance of plant food in the form 
of a solution—or by leaching. We used stable manure 
in almost every stage of decomposition, in order to 
have a sufficient quantity to cover all the plats in¬ 
tended for strawberries, and - What was that ? 
Did I not hear some one shudder audibly and say, 
grubs ? No, sir, not a plant was destroyed by grubs 
this season. We have used stable manure for straw¬ 
berries for many years, and never lost any plants 
from the ravages of grubs but once—the season of ’94 
—when we planted upon an old sod. The only trouble 
we have ever experienced in connection with the 
use of stable manure, is that the supply is not equal 
to the demand. And we certainly have not built and 
paid for a home by the cultivation of grubs either. 
Ohio. F. H. B. 
A SOUTHERN OHIO DAIRYMAN. 
MAKING OVER AN OI.D BARN. 
Not long ago I called on Mr. Paddock, who supplies 
butter to private customers in one of the suburbs of 
Cincinnati, O. lie has been dairying 10 years, formerly 
selling milk. “ Why did you change from milk to 
butter ?” I asked. 
“ The main reason for changing was because we 
could not procure the right kind of help ; that is, it 
was hard to get intelligent, cleanly help, and keep 
them. They all were looking for something easier. I 
think that there is no other place where such help 
is so much needed as in the dairy.” 
“ With what breed of cows did you start ?” 
“ We started with unregistered Jerseys and grades, 
which we still have. My ideal butter cow is an ideal 
Jersey ; that is, a working Jersey, one that has a 
large capacity for a rich ration, and turns it all to 
milk and butter. At present, we average about seven 
pounds of butter per week for each cow. We use a 
separator, and find it very profitable.” 
“ What do you figure as the cost of feeding a cow ?” 
“ It varies with the time of year, but with me, on 
an average, it is 15 to 17 cents per day the year 
through. Last winter I fed five pounds of gluten 
meal, seven pounds of bran, one pound of old process 
oil meal, with 20 pounds of clover hay—15 pounds 
cut in chop and five pounds fed long. I feed corn 
fodder as long as it lasts.” 
“ Is yourffiutter yield satisfactory ? ” 
“ No, I have some cows that will make 15 pounds 
per week when fresh, and keep up a profitable yield, 
while others fail after a few months. I have a Bab¬ 
cock tester, and expect to know my cows. Last year, 
I bought a fine Jersey bull, and shall raise heifer 
calves from the best cows.” 
The butter from this farm is sold to private cus¬ 
tomers at 30 cents a pound. A part of the skim-milk 
and buttermilk is sold to these customers. The rest 
is fed to pigs. Eight brood sows furnish pigs, which 
are sold to neighbors, or butchered and sold to the 
butter customers. October pigs make fine roasters for 
the Christmas trade. There are 30 acres on the farm 
—20 acres timber and Blue grass pasture. Most of the 
10 cultivated acres are in sweet corn and berries. 
With the exception of two acres of corn fodder, all 
the cow feed is bought. 
The farm originally had old buildings arranged as 
shown at Fig. 5. These old buildings have been re¬ 
paired and made over as shown in the upper part of 
Fig. 5, giving a much more economical arrangement. 
At Fig. 5, is shown the arrangement of manger and 
floor for cows, while Fig. 6 shows how the barns are 
now arranged. Two cows stand in each stall, fast¬ 
ened with chains. You will notice by the new ar¬ 
rangement, that the horses have been moved to an¬ 
other part of the barn, and that the cows are now 
all together. f. r. f. 
[Every query must be accompanied by ttie name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking- a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.] 
Seedling Peach Trees. 
R. V., Ambler, Pa.— I have a number of thrifty young peach trees 
grown from the stones which were planted last spring. Will it 
pay to set them out ? In what way does a budded tree differ from 
one not so treated ? I have seen good fruit from trees that were 
not budded, and I would like to know in what way such trees are 
inferior. 
Ans. —No one can tell whether it will pay to set 
them out until they bear, and thus give actual 
evidence of their value. The difference between a 
budded tree and one grown from the pit and not 
budded is simply this : The former is budded with 
wood from h bearing tree, and will produce fruit of 
the same variety as the tree from which the bud is 
taken. The tree not budded may produce any kind 
of fruit. Sometimes such trees produce excellent 
fruit, and our best varieties originated by selections 
from trees so grown. But to insure a continuance of 
the same kind of fruit, budding is necessary. Of a 
lot of seedling trees, at least a small proportion are 
likely to bear fruit of fair value. Some peaches come 
quite true from seed. 
Some Fruits for Indiana. 
Subscriber, Frankton, Ind.—l. What kind of strawberries do 
best on heavy, black soil with a heavy, stiff clay subsoil ? 2. Has 
any northern fruit grower tried the Lady Thompson, or the Mary 
strawberry, two of the most popular beries in the South? 3. Will 
plum trees budded on peach, take root if set above the bud ? 
4. What varieties do best in Indiana for general market plums? 
5. What are the best late pears? 6. Where can the new Imperial 
tomato seed be obtained ? 
Ans. —1. If the land is thoroughly underdrained, 
the Bubach, Warfield, Parker Earle, Greenville, 
Haverland, Lovett and Jessie will all do well. 2. I 
do not know that they have been tried in this locality. 
3. I am not quite clear as to the meaning of this 
question. Scions from almost any of our cultivated 
fruits will strike root if the point of union with the 
root is placed far enough below the surface to insure 
the proper degree of moisture. 4. Wild Goose, Robin- 
son, Lombard, German Prune, Bradshaw, Green Gage, 
Moore’s Arctic. 5. Anjou, Keiffer, Duchess, Seckel, 
Beurre Diel, Louise Bonne, Lawrence, Vicar of Wink- 
field, Winter Nelis. 6. Of Wm. Henry Maule, Phila¬ 
delphia. JAMES TROOP. 
Indiana. 
Value of the Lucretia Dewberry. 
If. E. B., Covert , Mich—Wow does the Lucretia dewberry rank 
as a commercial fruit? How will it compare with the blackberry, 
in yield, selling price, labor required in raising, general profit¬ 
ableness, etc., in a locality and soil where the blackberry does 
well? 
Ans. —Here in local markets it has been a success. 
Its productiveness, fine appearance, large size and 
uniform color, and the fact that it ripens nearly two 
weeks earlier than the Minnewaski or Lawton black¬ 
berry, should insure its acceptance as a valuable fruit 
in any market. But the fruit grower should remember 
that the peach season commences so much earlier than 
formerly, that nearly all fruits that ripen later in the 
season than strawberries do, will have to come in 
competition with peaches. Its exact requirements of 
soil and economical culture are not well enough 
known to permit a positive answer. In the sandy 
loams of Michigan and New Jersey, the different 
varieties of blackberry yield large crops. Whether 
the Lucretia dewberry would be healthy and pro¬ 
ductive there can be learned only by trial. In the 
Hudson River Valley, the plants are set about 6x6 
feet; the vines allowed to spread over the ground, 
and well mulched at the beginning of winter. In the 
spring, five or six strong vines from each hill are tied 
to a stake, the rest cut off and removed. This treat¬ 
ment insures clean fruit and prevents bruising the 
vines when gathering the fruit. Here it is thought 
the dewberry is grown as economically, and is as 
valuable for market, as any of the blackberries. 
Orange County, N. Y. w. d. barns. 
Time to Prune Peach Trees. 
E. T ../., Boonville, Ind .—When is the best time to prune peach 
trees ? 
Ans. —As soon after the frost is out in the spring as 
possible. Better prune in the winter than not at all. 
Peaches and Apples Together; The Banana Apple. 
./. P. Z., Troy, Kan .—Is it death to apple trees to set peach trees 
between them when set out? How will pear trees do between 
apple trees? I have 1,200 one-year-old apple trees which I in¬ 
tend to set out in the spring—Missouri Pippin, Gano, Ben Davis 
and York Imperial. I thought that as the peach is short lived 
here, I would set them between the apple trees. Is the Banana 
apple any good for this part of Kansas ? 
Ans. —It is a bad practice to set peach trees among 
apple trees in the orchard, because they grow very 
rapidly, and rob the apple trees of nourishment. 
Neither are pear trees suitable for planting between 
apple trees, for standard pear trees live as long and 
need as much room as apple trees, and dwarf pear 
trees do best where they have a fair chance. It is 
much better to plant apples and all other fruit trees 
by themselves. My plan in Kansas, was, to set per¬ 
manent apple trees two rods apart in hexagonal form, 
the rows running north and south. In these rows, 
set trees of Missouri Pippin, as ‘•fillers,” making 
them one rod apart north and south and 28% feet east 
and west. The Missouri will bear early, and pay all 
the expenses of the orchard by the time the other 
kinds, such as Ben Davis, etc., need all the space. 
Then “ the fillers ” can be cut out. The Banana apple 
is as j r et only on trial. Set a tree or two, and wait for 
successful results before planting more. h. e. v. d. 
Winter Pears for Arkansas. 
W. M. B., Newport. Ark. —1. Is the Keiffer a profitable winter 
pear, and if so, how late can it be kept without cold storage ? 2. 
How does it compare with other winter varieties ? 3. Are Keiffer 
blooms perfect, or does it require some other kind to fertilize it ? 
4. What are the best three varieties of winter pears with descrip¬ 
tions of each ? 6. Pears seem to do as well as or better than apples 
Which would you advise planting for profit? The soil is of a 
sandy nature—loam. I have a good local market. 6. What do 
you think of Garber, Idaho and Wilder Early as to profit? Is 
not Keiffer liable to be killed on account of early blooming? 
Ans. —1. The Keiffer is not a late winter pear, 
especially in Arkansas. I would say that it cannot 
be kept later than the last of October in that section 
without cold storage. 2. It is not as good in flavor as 
many winter pears. 3. Keiffer blossoms are not per¬ 
fect ; they will do better to be planted near other 
varieties. 4. Lawrence is a medium-sized, rich pear, 
of yellow color when ripe. Jones is a russet of 
medium-size, of excellent quality. Winter Nelis is a 
russet, good size and of fine flavor—these are the best. 
5. I would raise both apples and pears, as that section 
gives to both good quality. 6. Idaho is not desirable. 
The varieties named above represent the best for 
quality and market. geo. t. powell. 
How to Handle Peach Pits. 
N. G. //., Rothsville , Pa .—How should Tennessee peach pits be 
treated so as to insure sprouting in the spring ? 
Ans. —Peach pits should never be allowed to become 
dry for more than a few weeks, if they are expected 
to sprout readily. No time should now be lost in 
burying them in the ground where they will be 
moist ; or they may be mixed with equal parts of 
sand in a box, and kept thoroughly moistened until 
early spring, when they should be planted as soon as 
they begin to sprout. Freezing is not necessary to 
open them, as some suppose ; but moisture is essential 
to the dissolving of the natural glue which holds the 
halves of the shell together. In some climates where 
it never freezes, peach seeds sprout freely. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
The Celery Will Not Blanch. 
A.C.R., Wichita, Kan.— I would like to know why my celery 
doesn’t blanch. I have it in a good, waterproof, permanent pit, 
with space over it and ventilators in the roof. I took it up, with 
quite a bit of earth, trimmed off the outside leaves, and set it in 
close. The earth under it and on the roots was wet, so that it is 
growing or jrashing up some center stalks; but that is all that 
is getting white; the rest is as green as when put in the pit a 
month ago. The varieties are White Plume and Pascal. How 
long does it take to blanch after being put away in the dark ? 
Ans.—T he mistake here made is, doubtless, in not 
having the air sufficiently confined about the tops of 
the plants. Mere darkness is not sufficient to make 
the plants brittle and tender, though, in time, the 
green color will be lost. A closely-confined atmos¬ 
phere about the leaf-stocks, one which will prevent 
rapid evaporation, is essential to the production of 
