288 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 25 
would be well to mix about three parts of Alsike to 
one of Red clover in future seedings. Four quarts of 
Alsike and two of Red would suffice. The seeds of 
the former are much smaller than those of the latter, 
and this amount would be equal to, at least, seven 
quarts of Red clover seed, so far as the number of 
seeds is concerned. If any Timothy be sown, it should 
be done simply for the purpose of helping the clover 
to stand up. It might be w r ell to mix with the six 
quarts of clover seed, one quart of Timothy. 
Waring on Drainage is a most excellent book, though 
some farmers like French quite as well. The lands are 
entirely too narrow. In order to relieve clay soil of 
surface water, it should be plowed in wide lands, from 
20 to 30 paces, and these lands should be kept perma¬ 
nent, for a time, at least, in order that enough fall 
between the ridge and the furrow may be secured to 
carry off the water quickly to the open furrows, 
where, by the greater concentration of water at one 
point, it will be pushed along in the furrow and off 
of the field. A good plan would be to throw two of 
these lands together this fall, and re-plow in the 
spring, keeping the ridges and furrows in the same 
place, or, perhaps, two plowings could be done in the 
fall. If so, it would be advisable. This would make 
the ridges high and dry enough to plant with trees. 
Keep the rows wide apart one way and trees rather 
close in the rows, and take pains to keep the land 
sharply up in the middle and deep in the furrows. 
As soon as possible, put underdrams in the bottom 
of the open furrows, and partially fill them up, pre¬ 
serving, so far as possible, the general contour of the 
lands. The draining will relieve the subsoil of stag¬ 
nant water, and as soon as this is done, the roots of 
the trees will penetrate deeply into the soil. Do not 
seed the orchard, but keep it in constant culture. 
The intervals between the rows of trees during the 
first two years, may be used for raising any crop de¬ 
sired except grass, if a space of not less than six feet 
on each side of the rows of trees is kept clear of all 
kinds of plants by frequent surface culture up to 
about the middle of July. These unoccupied strips 
may then be sown to Crimson clover, the ground to 
be re-plowed shallow in the spring, and surface cul¬ 
tured as before. 
Should the trees give any indications that they are 
receiving too much nitrogen by virtue of the clover, 
then sow rye instead of clover, and plow it under in 
the spring, and treat in the same manner as before. 
As soon as the trees get in bearing, do not attempt to 
raise any kind of crop in the orchard, except fruit 
and “cultivators.” 
How to Fight the Canker Worm. 
E. H. O., Phelps, N. Y .—What is the most successful method of 
destroying the Army worms in an apple orchard ? 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
E. H. G.’s “Army worms” are, doubtless, the cater¬ 
pillars which are more commonly known as Canker 
worms. The true Army worm is the caterpillar of a 
very different insect ; it is one of the cutworms, and 
rarely ravages trees, but works mostly in grain and 
grass fields. Canker worms are the caterpillars of 
certain small, delicately-built moths, the females of 
which are curious, degraded forms, having no wings, 
so that they can only crawl, not fly, from one place to 
another. There are two distinct kinds of Canker 
worms, which are commonly designated as the Spring 
Canker worm and the Fall Canker worm. Both kinds 
are what are popularly called “ measuring worms,” 
from their peculiar looping gait when they walk. 
The worms of both kinds hatch about the same 
time in the spring, and feed upon the foliage during 
the same period of about a month in early summer. 
Sometimes both kinds work together on the same 
tree, but usually either the Spring or Fall form pre¬ 
dominates in a locality. In western New York, most 
of the damage is being done by the Spring Canker 
worm. When the worms get full grown, they leave 
the trees, and, dropping to the ground by their silken 
threads, go into the ground a short distance, and 
there, in a slight cocoon, enter the pupa state. In 
the case of the Fall species, the moths emerge late in 
the fall, and the wingless females crawl up the tree, 
and lay their eggs in large clusters on the bark. The 
insect then winters in the egg. In the case of the 
Spring Canker worm, however, the pupa does not give 
out its moth until the next spring ; the moths appear 
very early in the spring, some having appeared in 
Niagara County, this season, as early as March 27. 
The wingless females at once proceed to crawl up the 
trees and lay their eggs in small clusters in the crev¬ 
ices of the bark. This is, in brief, the life-story of 
Canker worms. If they are allowed to multiply in an 
orchard, they will soon become a very formidable foe. 
In fact, they are one of the worst pests of the orchard- 
ist, but are not usually numerous over large areas 
at a time. 
Two methods are now employed in fighting these 
insects. Either may prove successful when thor¬ 
oughly, faithfully and honestly dope, When the 
worms are very numerous, I would advise a combina¬ 
tion of the two methods. Before the advent of spray¬ 
ing, the method most often relied upon to check them, 
was the banding or trap system. This consists in 
painting a strip, several inches wide, of tar, printer’s 
ink, or other sticky substance around the trunk of 
the tree, either on the bark or on a band of paper 
tied around the tree. This band prevents the ascent 
of the wingless female moths to lay their eggs: if the 
eggs are laid below the band, then the ascent of the 
young caterpillars is stopped. Of course, the secret 
of success with this method is in getting the band on 
at the right time, and in keeping it sticky. The time 
to apply it will depend upon which kind of Canker 
worm you have to fight. If the Fall species, the trees 
must be banded in the autumn, but in western New 
York, as it is the Spring form that is doing the dam¬ 
age, the bands need not be applied until about March 
15, and should be kept on and fresh for at least a 
month or six weeks. There would be little use to 
apply the bands after April 20 in western New York. 
Last year, the worms were at work early in May. 
[Why not use dendrolene for this purpose ?— Eds.] 
After May 1, the trees should be examined every 
day, and as soon as the newly-hatched worms are 
seen, preparations for thorough and frequent applica¬ 
tions of Paris-green (1 pound to 200 gallons of water) 
should be made. As some had expressed doubts about 
the success of arsenical sprayings against the worms, 
Prof. Bailey last year demonstrated, in a western 
New York orchard, that “ The Canker worm can be 
killed by honest spraying with Paris-green.” Details 
of this interesting and instructive experiment may be 
obtained in Bulletin 101 of the Cornell Experiment 
Station. Had the trees been thoroughly treated with 
the sticky bands in March and April, I believe that 
the same results could have been accomplished with 
much less spraying. 
If there be reason to expect an onslaught of Canker 
worms in an orchard, I believe that the most success¬ 
ful method of fighting them will be to get in one 
blow with the sticky bands (the new insecticide, cater¬ 
pillar lime, may answer the purpose very well) in 
March and April, and then be ready to give the newly- 
hatched worms a menu of Paris-green for their first 
meal; and have every subsequent course consist 
largely of the same food until the foe is conquered. 
It will require prompt and thorough work, and must 
be begun early, the earlier the better, as it takes 
much less Paris-green to kill a young worm than one 
half or two-thirds grown. I believe that a good pre¬ 
ventive against the attacks of these pests is thorough 
cultivation ; one rarely, if ever, hears of a well-tilled 
orchard suffering from them. 
The Use of Bordeaux Mixture ; Sulphate of Copper. 
M. 0., Niskayuna, N. Y.— In the spring of 1894, 1 used the Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture with Paris-green on some apple trees. I made the 
mixture and used it according to the directions given by the Cor¬ 
nell Experiment Station, and when the apples matured, they were 
covered with brown rust where the mixture had been on them. 
The variety affected most was Gravenstein. What was the 
cause ? I intend to use the Bordeaux Mixture again this season. 
For what price can sulphate of copper be bought in 25-pound lots ? 
Ans. —Many who sprayed in 1894 with the Bordeaux 
Mixture, either with or without the Paris-green 
added, complained that it “rusted” their apples and 
pears. Several theories have been advanced to ex¬ 
plain the “rusting.” Careless and unskillful prepara¬ 
tion and application of the Bordeaux Mixture, the 
addition of too much, or of an impure, Paris-green, 
the use of the yellow prussiate of potash test in mak¬ 
ing the Bordeaux, whereby not enough lime was put 
in, and certain undefinable climatic conditions were 
among the causes assigned to account for the rusty 
appearance of the skin of the sprayed fruit. These 
supposed causes have been gradually sifted out, until 
now it seems to be the opinion of those who have 
studied the matter closely, that certain climatic con¬ 
ditions peculiar to the spring of 1894, were the prin¬ 
cipal causes. 
Mr. Lodeman, a recognized authority on spraying 
matters, tried in every way possible to rust fruit in 
the spring of 1895, but without success, although the 
same mixtures that rusted the fruit in 1894 were used. 
In his volume on “ The Spraying of 'Plants,” which 
has recently appeared, Mr. Lodeman says: “When 
dew or rainwater gathers upon a leaf, the liquid 
always contains a certain amount of carbonic acid gas 
in solution, obtaining it both from the air. and from 
the leaf itself. If the foliage has been sprayed with 
Bordeaux Mixture, the carbonic acid comes in contact 
with the copper sediment, and a certain amount of 
the copper is dissolved. This much has been proved. 
That the dissolved copper may be in the form of sul¬ 
phate, is, also, very probable, since it is well known 
that a solution of copper sulphate is injurious to foli¬ 
age, and well-prepared Bordeaux Mixture has, also, 
caused a similar injury. * * Thus, if the weather 
is of such a nature that the foliage is constantly wet 
by light showers, not enough rain falling to wash off 
the leaves, but ouly to wet them, aud if this were 
continued for some time, much injury might be ex¬ 
pected to result from the use of even such a safe 
preparation as the Bordeaux Mixture. During the 
early part of the year 1894, such conditions did exist. 
* * That season showed that the preparation is not 
a very safe one to use except in dry seasons, or in 
regions where the rainfall or dew is but slight. In 
the presence of much water, the Bordeaux Mixture 
will injure both foliage and fruit. In some seasons,, 
it may be used with impunity', while in others it may 
cause a loss which will more than overbalance any 
advantage derived. * * It is probable that much 
of the injury in 1894 was caused by an insufficient, 
amount of lime having been used, this being due to> 
the fact that the potassium test did not show plainly 
the true condition of the prepai'ation.” He then em¬ 
phasizes the necessity of putting in quite a little; 
more lime after the test is apparently satisfied. 
Owing to the increased and growing demand for 
copper sulphate, its price has been raised this year. 
It now costs five or six cents per pound in 600-pound 
lots. It may now be bought of most druggists in 
localities where much spraying is done. Last year, 
druggists sold it at six cents in any quantity desired. 
It will, probably, retail for from 7 to 10 cents per 
pound this season. W. S. Powell, Baltimore, Md.,and 
E. R. Taylor, Cleveland, O., are reliable wholesale 
dealers. m. v. s. 
Value of the Pissardi Plum. 
A. D.F., Warren Co., la. —lathe Pissardi plum of any use beyond 
being an ornamental tree ? Does it ever bear fruit ? 
Ans. —No, its foliage is its one merit. The purple 
color is retained from the time it appears until killed 
by frost. Yes, it bears small, purple plums of inferior 
quality. 
To Propagate Red Raspberries. 
J. L. W., Windsor , Mass.— How shall I propagate my red rasp¬ 
berries ? 
Ans. —Let them alone in good soil, and they will 
propagate themselves. Simply keep down the weeds. 
As soon as the ground becomes filled with roots, suck¬ 
ers will spring up around them thick enough to re¬ 
joice the heart of any propagator. Some increase 
them by root cuttings; simply cut the roots into two 
or three-inch pieces, an<] plant them two or three 
inches deep in fertile, mellow soil. 
Early Vermont and Melrose Sweet Corns. 
II. F. C., Ilingham, Mass—l see that The R. N.-Y. recommends 
the Extra Early Vermont sweet corn as first in a succession. Do 
you think that it is as early as the Cory, or earlier? At what 
time does the Melrose mature in comparison with the Cory ? 
Ans. —From our own trials, we have, as yet, noth¬ 
ing to say as to the Vermont corn. Others who should 
know, claim that it is earlier than Cory, bears larger 
ears, is of better quality, and has a white cob. The 
tornado destroyed our plot last summer. We shall 
try it again this season. Melrose is said to be as early 
as Cory, with much larger ears. 
Peaches on a Hill; Japan Plums. 
J. II., Kent, 0. —1. How shall I prepare a steep hillside for a 
peach orchard ? 2. Are the Japanese plums hardier than peaches? 
Ans. —1. Our plan on a very steep, gravelly hillside, 
was to plow all one way with a sidehill plow, not too 
close to the lower side of the row. Scatter a little 
grass seed, either Red-top or Orchard grass, on the 
small terrace between the trees, and by the time they 
begin to bear, the open spaces between the rows will 
be nearly level, and the terraces steep but well held 
up by the grass roots and weeds, which are cut twice 
each summer. 2. We can tell with more certainty 
about the plums, a little later in the spring, but my 
opinion is that they will stand more cold than the 
peach. The peaches are all dead with us, but a few 
of the Japanese plums have pulled through so far. 
Orange County, N. Y. e. w. babnes. 
What About the Bismarck Apple ? 
L. M. D., Troy, N. Y.— It is stated that the Bismarck apple tree 
is dwarf, and will bear in two years. Is this statement true ? 
Ans. —We are not aware that it has fruited in this 
country. We fancy that the Bismarck is grafted upon 
some dwarfing stock—like the Paradise—which in¬ 
duces early fruiting. We would, at present, advise 
only a trial of this variety. 
A Compost for Raspberries. 
J. T. T., Oneida, N. Y. —I have 200 loads of muck just drawn 
from the swamp, that I intend to mix with an equal amount of 
stable manure during the summer, as a dressing for my rasp¬ 
berry plants next fall. What other materials would be best to 
make this compost the most valuable for this purpose ? Would 
it be well to mix unleached ashes, and if so, how many to a ton of 
the compost ? Would you advise using bone or lime in any way, 
and if so, in what proportion ? My soil is a sandy loam, with clay 
subsoil two to four feet from the surface. 
Ans. —The thing to bear in mind when preparing 
plant food for fruits, is that the potash is the most 
necessary element to give an abundant crop of good 
color and quality. Muck contains little or no potash. 
In raw muck, the nitrogen is inert—that is, locked up 
in such forms that it is not readily available as plant 
food. By piling the muck with manure so that it will 
heat and ferment, the muck is fined and broken up 
so that the nitrogen is made more available. We might 
