5l2 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 1 
“ How far south, from your experience and corres¬ 
pondence, would you recommend these ?” 
“ I think that they would do very well about 150 or 
200 miles south of us.” 
“ What special methods of culture do you employ ?” 
“ We plant after any crop that leaves the soil in 
fair condition. If the ground is in condition good 
enough for corn, it is all right for peaches. We plant 
a little deeper than in the nursery, and aim to make 
the soil very firm around the roots. We let the tree 
get a good start before it is pruned, then prune it 
down to a little whip. I prefer rather small trees. 
We give them clean cultivation right along until 
about the middle of July or the first of August, and 
then seed down to rye, Crimson clover or something 
of that kind which makes a covering for the soil, and 
prevents the ground from getting frozen very deeply. 
This also keeps a certain amount of nitrogen that 
might be lost in the fall, if it were not taken up by 
the crop. This crop, also, by taking out part of the 
moisture from the soil in the fall, helps to ripen up 
the wood.” 
“ What manures or fertilizers do you use ?” 
“ I have used some barnyard manure, but chiefly 
Canada hard wood ashes.” 
“Do you observe any difference in the color or 
quality of the fruit where you use the ashes ? ” 
“ Yes, it makes the foliage a richer color, improves 
the fruit, and ripens up the wood. Of course, it is 
always essential in our part of the country, to get the 
wood ripened in the fall, because, although the wood 
might not be injured in the winter, the fruit buds 
might be hurt. We always select soil that is not too 
rich, a light, sandy loam.” 
“ Do you have any trouble with the yellows ? ” 
“ No, there is no yellows. We have found a little 
rosette this year, but we have an inspector who goes 
around, takes this out and burns it. We have some 
trouble in enforcing this law, but in the good fruit¬ 
growing sections, we are very particular.” 
“ How many years out of five do you have a crop ? ” 
“ I have been at my present place only six years, 
but there has been no failure in that time.” 
“ When does your season for ripening begin ? ” 
“We gathered the first peaches this year July 7. 
We usually get our first frost about October 20, which 
ends up the peaches. The peach season lasts about 
three months. We have quite a mild climate there ; 
usually one or two below zero is as low as the 
mercury goes in an average winter.” 
NOTES FROM DALE VIEW FARM. 
POTTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS ; CHEAP POTS. 
Those who failed to take advantage of spring plant¬ 
ing, yet desire that their bill of fare for next season 
may include an abundance of fine strawberries, as 
well as those who wish to increase their present fruit¬ 
ing area for next season, may yet avail themselves of 
potted plants. That potting strawberry plants is a 
bugbear to the average berry grower, may be easily 
attested by going on the market some sultry morning 
in July, and interviewing a few of them. In the first 
place, potting plants in the usual manner is tedious 
work ; second, the cost of pots is considerable ; third, 
if the months of July and August be very dry, the bit 
of earth in the pots, partially cut off from the action 
of capillary moisture from below, becomes as dry and 
baked as only a scorching sun can burn it, unless the 
ground be kept constantly moist and cool by faithful 
artificial soakings ; fourth, earthen pots, by the thou¬ 
sand, are very heavy to handle and must, necessarily, 
be handled with no little care to avoid breakage. 
But why discuss so unpleasant a subject, when we 
may completely revolutionize the good (?) old way 
by employing an entirely different method—one with¬ 
out a defect so far as I have been able to see, in which 
the cost of pots ought not to exceed one-half of a cent 
each ; one in which the pots, weighing but six or seven 
pounds to the hundred, may be shoveled about like 
corn or potatoes without any per cent of breakage ; 
in which, instead of having to fill the pots with earth 
one by one, by hand, they fill automatically as they 
are sent into the prepared soil at a single thrust; in 
which, if there be the least moisture in the ground, 
the soil in the pot has the full benefit of capillary 
action ; in which the roots never become “pot-bound,” 
no matter how long the plant may be left in it, as 
when they have completely filled the cup, they strike 
down into the soil in search of nutriment that will 
further develop it into a truly “ business” strawberry 
plant. 
The method is the most simple of any imaginable, . 
one that I have tested to my entire satisfaction, and 
is not patented so far as I know. After deciding how 
many pots are required, go to a tinner, and have him 
cut as many strips of tin, 2x6 inches. They make 
short work of sueh a job on a modern shearing ma¬ 
chine. Next, make a “form” or roller 1 % inch in 
diameter, and about a foot long. With a plane or 
sharp knife, take off a “shaving” lengthwise of this 
roller, leaving a fiat surface about one-half or three- 
fourths inch in width. Upon this flat surface, tack a 
quarter-inch strip of tin about three inches long. 
Fig. 164 fully illustrates the construction of the form. 
In making the pots, insert the end of the tins under 
the little quarter-inch strip, and upon a smooth, solid 
bench or table, roll the tin neatly around the form. 
Owing to the elasticity of the tin, this makes a cup 
\% inch in diameter, with a one-quarter-inch lap. 
These little, bottomless cups, may be made to last 
indefinitely by a good coat of roofing paint, which 
may be very rapidly applied by dipping them into the 
paint, and tossing them out on a sunny spot to dry. 
In potting the plants, first thoroughly prepare the 
soil along the rows by making it fine and mellow to 
the depth of two or three inches, and raking down 
smooth and level. The pots are then quickly placed 
in position by setting them upon one end at every 
point that a runner is desired to be rooted. Then, 
with a light trowel, press the keen-edged little pots 
down into the soil until the upper rim is upon a level 
with the surface, and place the runner in the proper 
position so that the embryo plant will strike root in 
the cup. A small clod or stone will hold the runner 
to the place, if gently laid upon it. 
Plants rooted in this manner may be safely planted 
at pleasure during August or September, and with 
good culture and a comfortable winter overcoat, will 
bear a good crop of the very finest berries next sea¬ 
son. The little pots or cups, not being soldered but 
merely clasping by their own elasticity, are remark¬ 
ably easy to remove from the “ ball ” of soil and roots 
which they contain. Never use zinc in the place of 
tin, as its galvanic or chemical action with the min¬ 
erals in the soil, will burn the roots entirely off 
wherever they come in contact with it. 
Ohio. _ F. H. BALLOU. 
THE R. N.-Y.’S FRUIT REPORTS. 
Hilbobn RA8PBEBBY in Vekmont. —Hilborn rasp¬ 
berry is making a good showing with us this year. 
It is medium early, and ripens its berries very evenly. 
It has borne an abundant crop of large, finely- 
flavored berries. It is a first-class blackcap, as far as 
this year’s evidence goes to show. f. a. waugh. 
Vermont Experiment Station. 
Some Michigan Notes. —The Fountain is again one 
of the finest and best strawberries on my grounds. 
TO MAKE TIN POTS FOR POTTING. Fig. 164. 
With one season’s fruiting, the Clyde promises to out¬ 
rank in yield of good-sized fruit our old friend, the 
Haverland. I am satisfied that the Brandywine is all 
that was claimed for it, and a most desirable variety. 
Bisel, Gandy, Marshall, Mary and Greenville, were 
all good. Beder Wood was the most productive, well- 
known, early sort. Gandy is still a prime favorite for 
late. Of a few Michigan received last fall in good 
condition, I counted only two weak plants this spring; 
those received this spring have made a good growth. 
If it’s anywhere as good as Gandy, it is worthy of trial. 
I have nearly 100 sorts including several seedlings, 
some of which are very promising. 
Ingham County, Mich. c. N. flansburgu. 
Delaware Strawberries. —Our strawberry crop 
suffered from dry weather and, later, a severe hail 
storm swept a large part of our beds, leaving neither 
leaf nor berry. Plow City, which sold at $2.50 per dozen 
the past season, proves entirely worthless with us this 
year, while Gertrude, which comes from the same par¬ 
ties, is a very promising, early berry of good size, 
somewhat pointed, long and of good color and 
quality. The vigor of the plant, along with its other 
good qualities, makes us hope that it will prove an 
acquisition. Ideal, we think the best berry we 
fruited, although it suffered very much from the 
unfavorable season. It ripened rather earlier than 
usual, coming just after the first early sorts. Berry 
large, uniform and shapely ; color the brightest and 
best we have ever seen. Plant strong and healthy, 
and sets lots of fruit. Of the very early kinds, we 
get the best results from Meeks’s Early, and of the 
medium varieties Bubach, Haverland, Greenville and 
Bisel all do very well here fertilized with Saunders, 
Lovett or Tennessee. The last sort looked any¬ 
thing but promising last year when it gave its first 
crop here ; but it has certainly reestablished itself in 
the estimation of growers. It is much like Crescent, 
but of larger size, and a perfect bloomer. Brandy¬ 
wine is a fine berry of the Gandy type, of the best 
quality and, apparently, more productive ; but grow¬ 
ers are much pleased with Gandy, and it will be 
largely planted next year, especially on the heavy 
land, where it has the necessary moisture to enable 
it to bring up.its late crop. ^Parker Earle ie a failure 
here, on account of its liability to rust. Wm. Belt is 
a most promising new sort that gave large, fine ber¬ 
ries, and seems likely to give more of them than any 
of the extra-large berries we have. Our growers are 
greatly pleased with the Miller raspberry, which is 
admitted by all who have seen it to be the finest red 
raspberry ever grown here for market. There will be 
heavy planting of this raspberry, and-also of Lucre tia 
dewberry next year. Berries never fail to pay well 
for careful attention, and the crop is becoming one 
of greater importance to our Peninsula every year. 
Delaware. a. w. slaymakeb. 
A Massachusetts Plum. —I have about a dozen 
trees of the Greeley plum with which I am much 
pleased. It is a large size, purple, of excellent 
quality, and very early, ripening only a few days 
after the Abundance. The trees did not come into 
bearing so early as some varieties, but they are now 
bearing their third crop, and much thinning was 
necessary. It is a native of Maine, perfectly hardy, 
and I think is known very little outside of New Eng¬ 
land. The Abundance plum has borne full every 
season since fruiting, until this year. It is bearing 
some this season, though most of the fruit buds were 
killed by the severe freezing of last January after 
the soft weather of December. All peach fruit buds 
in this vicinity were killed, with many of the tender 
branches. m. m. 
Medway, Mass. 
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Accident to An Apple Tree. 
F. W. IS., Portchester, N. Y. —I have an early red apple tree near 
the house that has dropped its fruit for the last three years. We, 
at that time, built the house and, in blasting the cellar, a piece of 
rock fell against the tree and broke off o ne of the largest branches. 
Can you tell me of any remedy ? 
Ans.—T he breaking off of a large b ranch I would 
not think to be the cause of the premature falling of 
the fruit. However, it might have very seriously 
injured the vitality of the tree. There may be some¬ 
thing else the matter with it. “ Dig about it and 
dung it,” using plenty of potash, and if it do not 
become healthy, cut it down and plant another. 
H. E. V. D. 
Advice About Planting Plums. 
It. F. P., Shanesville, 0. —1. Do you think the fall the best time 
of year to plant plum trees ? 2. Will you name a few of the best 
varieties to plant ? Our soil is a rather close, clayey nature, and 
situated on a hill with a northwest exposure. Raspberries have 
done very well on this land. 3. Do you think my scheme a good 
one? 
Ans. —1. As R. F. P. lives within the territory where 
fall planting of the stone fruits is risky, I would ad¬ 
vise him to get his trees next fall, and bury them 
almost or entirely, root and branch , in a well-drained 
spot, and plant them next spring. 2. Abundance, 
Burbank, Berckmans, Chase, and Red June, among 
the Japanese kinds ; and Wild Goose, Moreman, Hawk- 
eye, and Wayland, of the native American type. These 
are all partly proof against the curculio, but never 
entirely so. If R. F. P. is willing to fight a battle 
with “ the little Turk,” he migh t plant of the Euro¬ 
pean class of plums, Clyman, Spa ulding, Lombard and 
Niagara. Almost any of the Damson varieties ought 
to do well at his place. 3. Yes, plum growing, wisely 
conducted, ought to pay him a nd many others simi¬ 
larly situated. Watch The R. N.-Y.’s advertising 
columns. I have not seen a nursery advertised therein 
from which I would be afraid to order. h. e. v. d. 
Root Pruning ; Chestnut Grafting. 
G. G. G., Vail, W. J. —1. I am satisfied that Mr. StriDgfellow’s 
method of planting trees is all right for fruit trees set in the 
spring ; but will it do for fall setting ? 2. Will it do for nut 
trees? 3. I have some seedling chestnut trees that I wish to 
move, and would like to know when and how best to do it. I 
wish to graft them next summer. 
Ans. —1. In any climate where fall setting of trees 
is advisable, I can see no reason why the close 
pruned method of preparing trees for planting, will 
not work as well then as in the spring. My own ex¬ 
perience with fall setting is, that young rootlets start 
out during the cool fall weather, and prepare the 
trees for an early growth in the spring. Try it. 2. I 
would be afraid to cut back severely the roots of 
nut trees, which are never very easy to transplant. 
However, I have never tried it, hence, cannot posi¬ 
tively say that the plan would not suit them. Try a 
few and report the result in The R. N.-Y. next year. 
3. If the seedling chestnuts are in the forest, there is 
little hope of making them live well in the open. If 
they are nursery trees, and not too large or too 
