1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
243 
THE ARKANSAW APPLE. 
DEFINITE INFORMATION ABOUT IT. 
After considerable correspondence and study over 
the history and nomenclature of the valuable new 
apple which has gone under the names, Mammoth 
Black Twig, Black Twig, Paragon and Arkansaw, I 
have recently come to the conclusion that, according 
to the rules of the American Pomological Society, the 
latter, perhaps, has the precedence, and is, therefore, 
entitled to the place of honor. That it is a distinct 
variety, originated from seed in Arkansas, is fully 
proved by several persons who have seen the original 
tree. It is reported, by Mr. E. P. Babcock who 
formerly lived in Arkansas, that about 1831, Mr. 
John Crawford brought seeds of Winesap and Limber 
Twig from Tennessee and planted them near Rhea’s 
Mill, Washington County, Ark., and from the seed¬ 
lings, planted an orchard. One of these trees (prob¬ 
ably a seedling of Winesap), is the original of the 
variety under discussion, and is still in bearing con¬ 
dition. Whether Mr. Crawford ever gave it a name, 
I cannot learn, for my letter to him, written long 
ago, is unanswered. 
Perhaps the first person to bring it to public 
notice and give it a name, was Mr. Babcock who 
collected a large and attractive exhibit of fruit for 
the great exposition at New Orleans in 1884-5. As I 
understood the matter at the time (for I was present 
during nearly the whole of the exposition and 
greatly admired the Arkansas fruit exhibit), Mr. 
Babcock got his samples of this apple from young 
trees in an orchard about 10 years old ; but he 
then said that it was claimed to be a seedling of 
Arkansas origin, although I do not remember of any 
mention of the above history of the old tree at that 
time, and never saw it in print until within the past 
few months, from C. M. Stark of Missouri. However, 
Mr. Babcock may have then known of the old tree. 
The name Mammoth Black Twig was then and there 
spoken of as having been given to it by some persons 
in Arkansas, and if Mr. John Crawford did this, this 
name has the prior right, although it is too long, 
and, for this reason, contrary to the approved rules. 
When specimens became more numerous, and were 
examined by many pomologists, several, (myself 
among them), thought the variety to be the same as 
the Paragon which originated in Tennessee. This 
we concluded from similarity of specimens and wood, 
and from the absence of information as to the exist¬ 
ence of the old tree which we now know positively. 
The evidence was only circumstantial, which is, in 
many cases, good enough to hang people, but in this 
case, it led to much confusion, and I regret the mis¬ 
take as much as any one. 
The name Arkansaw (purposely spelled according to 
the local pronunciation), would be short and simple, 
and from my present understanding and belief, should 
have preference, although there are other very similar 
names for apples, as, Arkansas Black, Arkansas Red, 
Arkansas Beauty and Arkansas Traveler. Who can 
show a better way out of the muddle than to adopt 
Mr. Babcock’s name, Arkansaw ? Black Twig will 
not do, as some now have it, for that is a common 
synonym of Winesap in the South and also of Paragon. 
Paragon is a chance nursery seedling which origin¬ 
ated about 1870 near Fayetteville, Lincoln County, 
Tenn., in the orchard of Maj. Rankin Toole, and was 
named by Dr. W. L. Moores of that State. Recent 
experience among nurserymen and orchardists, proves 
that it is somewhat different and inferior in both 
tree and fruit when compared with Arkansaw, 
although, for a long time, this was not discovered. 
It is quite probable that it is also a seedling of Wine¬ 
sap, and is described under the name Black Twig by 
Downing in his third appendix. h. e. van deman. 
WHAT THEY SAY? 
“Like Father Like Son.” —The question is asked 
as to what readers would do in the place of the young 
man in “ Like father, like son !” “ I have obtained 
and read several copies of The R. N.-Y.” Good ! 
Obtain and read more—all of them. “ I secured the 
position of janitor.” Better ! ! “1 invested the money 
earned in thoroughbred poultry and Berkshire swine.” 
Best! !! “ Now the other is not so bright.” Is it not 
possible that the father of the young man is as much 
interested in his welfare as the “ people” that came 
to see his stock ? Is not 16 about the age at which 
“ 1” would be used 22 times in a letter of that length ? 
When about that age, my father told me that “ you 
must creep before you walk,” and since the responsi¬ 
bility has been mine, I know that his heart was 
bigger than my head. F. t. k. 
Lisbon, Ill. 
Planting Nursery Trees. —Your striking frontis¬ 
piece picture of March 14, is an invaluable object 
lesson to young growers of nursery trees. It shows, 
on the one hand, just how the roots and tops of 
young plants, one year from the bud or graft, should 
be cut in to a mere straight stick, ready for setting 
out, either in the orchard, or in wide nursery rows to 
remain a year or two before final planting. On the 
other hand, it shows the usual growth made during 
the next summer in fairly good soil by plants so pre¬ 
pared. Stakes are only necessary for such trees in 
the case of some bend or crook which the shortening 
could not sufficiently remove. But the general direc¬ 
tion given that “a final cutting back of the roots 
should be done shortly before planting, so as to pre¬ 
sent a fresh surface for the callus to form,” needs 
modification. True, it is the old empiric habit of 
gardeners so to pare the bases of cuttings and stocks 
just when planting in spring ; but it is attended with 
trouble and loss that can and should be prevented. 
If the stocks or cuttings, made as soon as the leaves 
strip off readily in the fall, are trimmed and at once 
heeled in in damp, sweet mold, permeable to the air, 
and protected from excess of wet and cold through 
winter, as in an airy cellar or cave on the damp floor, 
or in a dry bank, there will be a slow ooze of growth, 
a callus will slowly form and film over the wounds, 
and rootlets will be formed in its soft texture or 
behind it, ready to issue with the first impulse of out¬ 
door growth, as quickly and strongly as in the case 
of plants not moved. The growth will then be full 
and strong, and it will ripen fully early in the fall. 
Only when the bases have become too dry and hard 
for a callus to issue through, is a paring off of them 
needed in spring, and the issue of roots is necessarily 
much delayed. w. 
Blair Countv, Pa. 
Raw Potatoes Suit Milch Cows ; Another’s Expe¬ 
rience.—In The R. N.-Y. for March 21, M. A. G. has 
an interesting article on raw potatoes for milch cows, 
giving his experience in that line. Our experience 
in that line is diametrically opposite. Our three cows, 
which are young to middle aged, came in during Sep¬ 
tember. On being placed in the stable for the winter, 
we began feeding them one-half bushel of beets and 
turnips chopped, with about seven quarts of corn and 
oats ground, at noon. The morning and evening feed 
was corn fodder, and during the middle of the day, 
for two hours, when they were turned out for exer¬ 
cise, providing the weather would allow, theyTiad all 
the wheat and oat straw they desired. Later on— 
about holiday time—our supply of turnips becoming 
exhausted, we used potatoes in their place. As we 
wished to reserve our beets for our yeaning ewes, 
the proportion of potatoes was gradually increased, 
till the entire noon feed was composed of nearly one- 
half bushel of potatoes with about eight quarts of 
ground oats, corn, and wheat bran, equal parts, and 
now they have hay at night instead of corn fodder. 
The result is most satisfactory, a churning just 
completed this morning “ coming ” in eight minutes ; 
the butter is strictly first-class as to quality, both in 
flavor and consistency, and the quantity under this 
feed has actually increased since the potatoes were 
fed alone. This may be partially attributed to the 
slight increase in the ground feed, but of one thing 
we are certain, we can feed eight-cent potatoes to 
milch cows with profit when we can receive 22 cents 
per pound for our butter, while store butter is quoted 
at 14 cents. Possibly the reason M. A. G. did not 
derive equal benefit from potato feeding, was that he 
did not feed them enough. But whatever it may be, 
facts are indisputable things, and what may be true 
in regard to one man’s experience, may appear im¬ 
possible to another. So, after all, the only way to de¬ 
cide these matters is to experiment with them our¬ 
selves, and thus prove them to our own satisfaction. 
South Byron, N. Y. i. c. H. c. 
Sex in Animal Breeding. —I have read the article, 
Sex in Animals and Plants, on page 194, and I think 
that we should have more information on the subject. 
Some years ago, I read that the sex of the offspring 
was the same as the weakest of the parents ; that is, 
if the father were the stronger both physically and 
mentally, the offspring would be female, but if the 
mother were the stronger, the offspring would be 
male. I looked around to see whether I could find 
any proof of the statement being correct. One of my 
neighbors who was a large, strong man, and active 
intellectually, married a small woman who always 
submitted to her husband in all their affairs. Their 
children were eight girls and one boy. Another case 
is a man who married a woman comparatively larger 
than himself, and more active intellectually ; the re¬ 
sult was seven boys and one girl, the girl being the 
youngest of the family. 
I think that any person who looks around among 
his acquaintances, will find similar proof that the sex 
of the offspring is the same as the weaker of the 
parents. The question may be asked, “ What has 
that to do with breeding stock ? We do not wish to 
make our cows weaker, to get heifer calves.” Very 
true, but can’t we make the bulls stronger ? Here 
the Jersey bulls are kept in the stable all the time, 
because it takes too strong a fence to hold them in 
the field, and as a result, the pet Jersey cows have 
more bull calves than their owners desire. My theory 
is that, if the bulls were well fed, and had as much 
exercise as the cows, the percentage of heifer calves 
would increase. Last ypar, some of the readers of 
The R. N.-Y. told us to take the sow to the boar after 
she had been in heat two or three days, if we wish 
large litters of pigs. Result, my sow had 14 pigs the 
third day of March, 189(5. I got a Jersey bull calf a 
few days ago, and burnt his horns with caustic potash 
so that he can’t tear down the barn and fences with 
his horns. I thus expect to let him have more exer¬ 
cise, and get more heifer calves. f. w. 
Some Old Ruts. —In some cases, it is well to keep 
in the old ruts ; but again, there are many instances 
in which it would be of decided advantage to get out 
and strike new ones. Farmers, as a class, may be 
placed among those who follow the former course. 
Over a large part of the country, where there has 
been little snowfall, the grass fields have suffered 
severely, and the hay crop will, in consequence, be 
short should even a favorable season follow. Under 
such conditions, it has become quite common to sow 
corn for fodder as a substitute for hay, also other 
coarse grasses, all of which I have practiced ; but 
the most satisfactory method has been to sow oats, 
and when the grain is in the milk, cut and make into 
hay. When thus cut and properly cured, horses and 
cattle relish it as much as any ordinary good hay, and 
I believe that it is equally nutritious. By sowing the 
oats not too thickly, and sowing clover seed, I have 
had as good a stand of clover as by any other method. 
My course has been to harrow in the oats, then sow 
clover seed and follow with a plank drag. As the oats 
will be cut before wheat harvest, the young clover 
will grow ahead of that sown in winter wheat or rye, 
and if the season be favorable, may be cut for hay in 
late August or early September, and still make suffi¬ 
cient growth for winter protection. 
Crimson clover is a late but valuable addition to the 
farmer’s resources, and has, no doubt, come to stay, 
and gives the farmer an additional “string to his 
bow.” It makes excellent hay. I have tested it this 
winter for the first time, alternating with Medium 
clover, and find that horses and cattle prefer it to the 
latter. Both were grown side by side in the same 
field, and both were well cured with little or no rain. 
The Crimson is softer and not so coarse and brittle as 
Medium. I regret that the Crimson is nearly a total 
failure in this section, caused by the dry season which 
prevented seeding or germinating until too late in the 
season to make sufficient growth to withstand the 
past open winter ; but the Medium clover promises 
little, if any, better. 
Wheat generally grows too rank to fill well, espec¬ 
ially when it lodges ; in such cases, it is worth more 
for hay than if left to ripen, make half a crop, and, 
be sold at 50 to 60 cents a bushel. Powell Brothers 
of Shadeland, Western Pennsylvania, famous stock- 
men, sow wheat purposely for hay, which is also 
ignoring old methods. The most successful farmers 
nowadays are not those that sail with, but those that 
sail against the current. We sometimes quote Horace 
Greeley—who said that his Tribune did not gain its 
reputation by sailing with the current, but against 
it- H. M. ENGLE. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
F. J. Mekch & Son, seedsmen, Charlevoix, Mich., are reported 
as not responsible, and accounts against them uncollectable. 
We know of no advertiser who has pursued a more honorable 
course in any and every way, than Macbeth, the maker of “pearl 
glass,” “pearl top,” and “tough glass” lamp chimneys—that get 
good light from a lamp without smoke or smell (provided you 
use the chimney made for your lamp—and he prints an Index to 
Lamps). 
We are often asked the cost of advertising space under “ Busi¬ 
ness Bits.” Sometimes we are offered three or live times our reg¬ 
ular rate for the space here. To all we say, “ No.” Whatever 
appears here is our say. It is either our experience or our best 
information, at least, and the experience or information we give 
readers never has been, and never will be bought or influenced 
by trade considerations. 
The Empire fence machine has an advantage in being able to 
weave from three to nine cables with w-ood pickets of any size or 
kind. Or where wood is not available or desired, they will fur¬ 
nish steel pickets which make one of the very best farm fences 
ever devised. Their catalogue contains much valuable informa¬ 
tion in regard to fence building. It will be sent free on applica¬ 
tion to Empire Machine Co., Richmond, Ind. 
Two years ago, we offered one of the Osborne spring-tooth, ad¬ 
justable harrows as a premium to club raisers. C. E. Chapman, 
Peruville, N. Y., won it by sending a club of subscriptions. In a 
subsequent article in The R. N.-Y. he told of its merits. He was 
evidently very much pleased with it. Mr. Chapman is a success¬ 
ful potato grower, and used the harrow for preparing the ground, 
and he reported that he never had a tool to do the work so well. 
It is made by D. M. Osborne & Co., Auburn, N. Y. This house 
makes a large and complete line of farm implements, and their 
name on an article is a guarantee of a tirst-class article. They 
publish an illustrated article that will be mailed free on appll 
cation. 
