1895 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
287 
pint to 90 feet of row, requiring nearly two bushels 
per acre at four feet apart. 
An average yield is from 75 to 100 baskets (%-bushel) 
of the early varieties, to each bushel planted, and 
from 50 to 150 baskets to the bushel of the wrinkled 
kinds and Marrowfats. This difference in yield is 
mainly according to the time of planting. The custom 
is to plant a succession of crops ; as soon as one plant¬ 
ing is up, another is .planted. The first planting 
always yields the best. The late plantings, owing to 
mildew and drought, sometimes yield poorly. The 
cost of picking is 15 cents per basket for the small- 
podded, early peas, 10 cents for Marrowfats, and from 
8 to 10, according to the crop, for the large-podded, 
wrinkled peas. The picking is nearly all done by 
tramps and Italians, large gangs coming from Phila¬ 
delphia at the proper time for this purpose. The 
profits of the crop depend entirely on the market 
prices, which are variable. When early peas bring 
50 cents per basket, and Marrowfats 40, there is a fair 
profit in the crop. During 1895, however, thousands 
and thousands of baskets were sold for 10 cents, for 
which 15 cents had been paid for the picking, causing 
a very heavy loss to the growers. Charles parry. 
New Jersey. _ 
" THE STOVE SHARK” APPEARS. 
In various parts of Vermont and northern New 
York, a squad of agents have been at work the past 
year, selling kitchen ranges for a Western stove com¬ 
pany. Reports that have come to my ears of the 
peculiar methods employed by these agents, in foist¬ 
ing their wares upon the farmers wherever they have 
operated, lead me to speak a word of caution to the 
readers of The R. N.-Y. to give them 
a wide berth. Their plan is to drive up 
to a farmers door and, in many cases 
without asking permission, commence 
unloading a range. Unless told posi¬ 
tively and firmly that no stove is de¬ 
sired under any conditions, they will try 
to get the range into the kitchen, set up 
ready for business, just to show its 
merits, promising to take it away if 
not wanted after a short trial. If they 
succeed in getting the range into a 
kitchen, nine times out of ten, they 
make a sale, either for cash or a note. 
The simple fact that a large number 
of purchasers have set the ranges out 
of doors, or sold them to junk dealers 
within a few weeks after purchasing, is 
presumptive evidence that the supposed 
value was not received. I recently met 
the general agent or foreman of the 
gang, and in conversation he told me 
very frankly that they were “not doing 
business for their health, but were after 
blood.” I asked him if he did not have 
trouble in collecting his notes and he 
replied, “Yes, we do have some little 
trouble, but when a man gives us his 
note, he might just as well make up 
his mind to pay it first as last, as we 
have a million of money to back us, and lawyers hired 
by the year to fight these cases in the Supreme Court 
if necessary, and that nearly always brings them to 
time.” I concede to these men the legal right to sell 
their goods to whom they will, but reserve the right 
to suggest to those wanting stoves or ranges, to buy 
them of responsible, local dealers who are sure to 
treat their regular customers with fairness and satis¬ 
faction. c. w. SCARKK. 
Vermont. 
A DOZEN GOOD COMMON SHRUBS. 
I think it probable that, in no other country, is such 
use made of shrubs as here. Not only are the best of 
our native ones culled from their wild retreats, but 
the flora of other countries has been searched for 
treasures, so that there are few sorts that will live 
out in our climate that we do not possess. In England, 
little effort is made to procure flowering shrubs. Far 
greater efforts are made to secure new evergreens, 
and, in consequence, this class of shrubs largely pre¬ 
dominates. But few of the lovely blooming ones 
which we so much esteem, are in general cultivation. 
It is pleasing to notice that many farmers are making 
their homes more attractive than they have been, by 
inclosing a portion of the grounds about them, and 
ornamenting it by planting flowering shrubs, trees 
and attractive plants. 
I recommend the following dozen, none of them 
expensive, and all of them bearing pretty flowers. 1 
name them in the order of their blooming, as nearly 
as possible, with the explanation that two or three 
kinds flower at about the same time, towards the close 
of May in this State. The name, botanical or Eng¬ 
lish, under which they are best known, is used: 
Golden Bell, yellow ; Magnolia Soulangeana, pinkish 
white ; Japanese Judas, rosy pink; Exochorda grandi- 
flora, white ; Pyrus arbutifolia, white; Weigela rosea, 
rose ; Japanese Snowball, white ; Deutzia crenata, 
double pink ; Spiraea Bumalda, pink ; Hydrangea 
paniculata grandiflora, white, and Clethra alnifolia, 
white. From the time of the opening ot the Golden 
Bell until the last of the Hydrangea and Clethra flowers 
are over, some four or five months will have passed 
away. In the meantime, what a deal of pleasure will 
have been derived from the watching of the develop¬ 
ment of the different kinds, one after the other. All 
of those mentioned, save the clethra and hydrangea, 
flower from shoots made the previous season. There¬ 
fore, when pruning, these shoots must not be cut 
away, or there will be no flowers. The two men¬ 
tioned as exceptions, may be cut in quite closely if 
desired, as they flower on strong shoots of the same 
season’s formation. .Joseph meehan. 
Pennsylvania. _ 
DISKING CORN GROUND. 
The 100th meridian has been set as the western 
boundary of the region where rainfall is sufficient 
to grow the ordinary farm crops. Perhaps this limit 
is as good as any arbitrary line, but during the 
season of 1894, it swung away east, and well into 
Iowa. Here, in central Iowa, that season and the 
early part of 1895 were, as regards rainfall, very 
similar to those usually prevailing 500 miles fur¬ 
ther west. On account of the absence of heavy 
rains, the ground by that time was very mellow, and 
it occurred to some farmers to disk their corn ground 
instead of plowing it. The idea spread, and consider¬ 
able corn ground was prepared that way. On account 
BUDDED POTATOES, EXPOSED TO LIGHT. Fig. 95. 
of the very general failure of grass and clover seeding 
the previous year, an extra amount was to be put into 
corn, and any device that would lessen the work and 
shorten the time, was hailed with delight. I took 
pains to look up the outcome, and have selected the 
following case as typical: 
Mr. McElroy is one of our best farmers, and a care 
ful, observing man, making his testimony especially 
valuable. “ I hear that you planted some corn on 
disked ground. Will you tell me about it ? ” 
“ I planted 29 acres that way. The ground was 
clean ; it had grown corn the year before, and the 
corn had been cut and taken off. The year before 
that, it grew oats, and when it was plowed for the 
corn, it was broken about eight inches deep. Last 
spring, I had so much corn to put in, and so much 
plowing to do, that I was practically forced into it. 
It was disked twice, diagonally each time ; but the 
second working was at right angles to the first. The 
disk went in up [nearly to the axle, as the ground was 
so mellow, so that it was pulverized deeper than 
many people plow. I disked 20 acres a day, and as 
it was followed by the planter without harrowing, 
that is fitting 10 acres a day for planting. To have 
plowed and harrowed it, my man could not have done 
over three acres a day; besides, the disk left it in better 
shape than a plow would, as it tore those corn roots or 
stumps to pieces more than any plow. The corn yielded 
between 65 and 70 bushels per acre ; that was, proba¬ 
bly, more than it would have done had it been plowed.” 
“ Would it be advisable to disk ground, as a rule ? ” 
“ No, only under certain conditions, and one of them 
is that the ground must be perfectly clean.” 
Corn demands a deep, mellow seed bed, and where 
it can be secured by disking, there is a great saving of 
time. E. B. WATSON. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
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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.] 
What AUs the Newtown Pippin Apples ? 
(J.L. IF., Crozet, Va .—What is the matter with my Albemarle 
Pippin apple trees ? They are from six to nine years old, and I 
have about 800 planted. Every year I lose some. They seem to 
be affected at the roots. Where the roots join the body of the tree, 
they appear to rot. They are planted in new land, a rich, black 
loam with a gray subsoil. They are cultivated every year, but not 
fertilized with anything. I think the land rich enough. I have 
two neighbors who complain in the same way. The trees were 
grafted on piece roots. We think that the aphis is, probably, the 
cause. If so, can you name a remedy ? Iam sure that they are 
not affected by borers, as these are kept out by close watching. 
Ans. —Without specimens, it is impossible to tell 
what ails C. L. W.’s trees. If it is the “Wooly Aphis,” 
also called “ Apple-tree Root Louse” that is destroy¬ 
ing them, he might easily find the knotty, warted 
roots and with the aid of a glass, the lice on them. 
The ground about the roots usually has a moldy 
appearance. They cause a part of the roots to die 
and decay, while the tree is yet living, and if very 
numerous, death is the result. They are pale yellow, 
and are found under flaky coverings in the crevices of 
the diseased roots. Sometimes in summer the mature 
lice crawl up the bodies and branches of the trees, 
and form in colonies with a sort of cot¬ 
tony or wooly covering of a bluish-white 
color. They prefer a cool climate. This 
pest has several natural enemies, such 
as the “ lady birds” and lace-winged 
fly, which keep it in check ; but often 
artificial means are necessary to de¬ 
stroy it, and this is not always an easy 
task, because of the difficulty of getting 
at it in the ground. If the roots be 
partly laid bare, and boiling water 
poured on, it will kill the lice without 
injuring the roots. This would be a 
very difficult thing for C. L. W. to do, 
as his trees are large. Nursery trees 
may be dipped in hot water, but the 
temperature should not be above 150 de¬ 
grees Fahr. A spray of kerosene emul¬ 
sion will destroy the insect when above 
ground. If root lice be not the cause 
of the trouble, it would be well to 
have the matter carefully studied in 
the orchard, by the officials of the State 
Experiment Station. In any case, it 
would be wise to consult them. New¬ 
town is the correct name of the apple 
which C. L. W. calls “Albemarle Pip¬ 
pin.” This synonym has been given 
because the variety flourishes exceed¬ 
ingly in Albemarle County, Va., and 
other regions along the foothills of the Appalachian 
Rauge from Virginia to North Carolina. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Clover and Trees on Ciay Soil. 
E. W. •/., Pearline, Mich. —I have about six aeres of Medium 
clover which is not doing very well; it did not grow as large as in 
other years, because of insufficient rains. The subsoil is clay or 
hardpan, and below this is blue clay—how deep I do not know 
exactly, but when we dug a well, we bored 30 feet and did not go 
through all of it. The water came from a streak of sand which 
we bored through, of about an inch. The soil is clay loam, not 
very heavy, about eight or ten inches deep. It appears to be sour, 
as tested according to the litmus paper lest, so it needs lime. 
Would it benefit the soil, or rather, the clover, to put lime on broad¬ 
cast this spring early ? If so, how much ought to be put on per 
acre ? I intend to underdrain it as soon as I can. It is plowed in 
lands, and the dead furrows run most of the water off into an 
open ditch in the middle of the farm. What mixture of clovers, or 
grasses and clovers, would be best to sow ? How much per acre 
on this kind of soil (which is inclined to be wet), for the purpose, 
first, of building up the fertility, second, to obtain a good yield 
of forage ? Would Alsike and Medium clover do well together, or is 
there something better ? What book is better than Waring’s on 
draining ? If I set plum and pear trees next fall, would the trees 
hurt if they were put in before I underdrain the land ? Would it 
be better to wait two years, and then plant after it is under¬ 
drained ? 
ANSWERED BY PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
Lime should improve this land in many ways. Pur¬ 
chase stone lime, place in heaps of five to ten bushels, 
slake immediately by pouring on enough water to 
cause it to break down into a fine, dry powder, and 
broadcast by means of a sled or stoneboat and shovel. 
It is probable that the clover has become so weakened 
by last year’s adverse conditions, that it will not 
give a good yield the present season. 
Alsike clover does much better on wettish land 
than Medium, and although it is not so good, on 
account of its root habit, for building up the fertility 
and opening the subsoil by means of roots, yet it 
