1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
753 
markets usually prefer a yellow peach. Stump the 
World was a fine peach as we grew it in Maryland ; I 
have not tried it here. 3. I do not know of any. 
Chair’s Choice was promising some years ago, hut we 
have not grown it lately. It was later than Smock 
and, in Maryland, I have seen it as large as, or larger 
than, Crawford’s Late. For the border States, and 
the North, Beer’s Smock is hard to displace. It is of 
no value in the South for northern shipment, and 
will, probably, not be grown here to any extent till 
the canning industry develops. w. F. massey. 
What J. H. Hale Has to Say. 
I fruited the Crosby peach for a good many years 
here in Connecticut, and for three years past, in 
Georgia, alongside of most standard varieties. Its 
special value is the hardiness of its fruit buds, which 
enables it to withstand severe freezing in winter, and 
its late blooming, which often enables it to dodge 
spring frosts. It is always inclined to overbear and, 
if not severely thinned, the fruit will be small and 
somewhat lacking in color. With thorough thinning, 
it is always of medium to large size, and in 1895, it 
was the largest peach of any in our Connecticut 
orchards, a sort of monstrosity in size, for which I 
have never been able to account. The flavor is better 
than that of any yellow peach I know, and it is the best 
keeper of any variety I have shipped from Georgia. 
The objections to it are that, with ordinary culture 
and lack of thinning, it lacks in size and color, but 
its high flavor and small pit make it the most valuable 
yellow peach for canning. I would not advise plant¬ 
ing entire orchards of it, as many have been doing 
the past few years, but I believe that it should be in 
every collection of five or more varieties. In the 
latitude of Connecticut, Crawford’s Early, Oldmixon, 
Elberta, Crosby, Stump and Crawford’s Late, ripen in 
the order named. Sal way comes nearest the desired 
qualities sought in the third question. 
IVo Place for Crosby in Delaware. 
I have now fruited the Crosby peach two or three 
years, and can see no place for it in Peninsula peach 
orchards. It is too small ever to be of value here, 
even though we had no others. I have tried thinning 
the fruit and using plenty of fertilizer, but can’t get 
size on it. As to hardiness, I have had it killed 
almost entirely where Reeves’s Favorite, not 50 yards 
away, was not hurt at all under similar conditions. 
There is little demand for it except in localities where 
the tree agent and colored plate book get in their 
work. The time of ripening here is with Reeves’s 
Favorite and Oldmixon, two of our best varieties, 
hence this peach won’t sell at any price. What I have 
said applies only to what I know of Crosby. Else¬ 
where, it may do better than it does here, but if 
so, I do not wish to condemn it. The order of 
ripening of the varieties here is as follows : Craw¬ 
ford’s Early, about August 1 ; Crosby, Oldmixon, 
Elberta, Stump, Crawford’s Late. Elberta spreads its 
time of ripening with Oldmixon and Stump, and 
Crawford’s Late ripens about with Stump. Garey’s 
Hold-on is larger than Smock and, as a rule, is better 
every way, ripening at the same time as the Smock 
type. CHAS. WRIGHT. 
WHEN TO OPEN THE SILO. 
,J. S., Nova Scotia— What do you consider the best time to open 
a silo, that is, how lo ng after you have put in the corn and closed 
it ? Mine has been in about five weeks, and is very hot. What 
sign do you take as signifying when to open it, or do you go by 
periods ? ” 
The silo was carefully constructed. It is circular, 
22 feet in diameter and 21 feet in height. It has been 
filled four times with well-eared corn cut in one- 
fourth to one-half-inch lengths. Wet sawdust has 
been used for a covering. The silo has been filled 
about September 15, and opened November 1. The 
ensilage has uniformly been found quite warm, but in 
good condition for feeding ; the cows relish it, and 
gain in the quantity of milk, although previously fed 
with corn of the s ame quality that had been reserved 
from the silo for fall feeding. As the quality of the 
butter made while feeding such ensilage is satis¬ 
factory, I see no objection to opening the silo six 
weeks from the time of filling. In this climate, a 
good growth of well-matured corn cannot, usually, be 
secured before the middle of September, and I do not 
know of any other foundation feed for the dairy 
available in November that is equal to good ensilage. 
Opening the silo in six weeks after filling, appears, 
therefore, to be a necessity. c. s. bice. 
Lewis County, N. Y. 
Our fall silo is usually filled about October 1, and 
opened about November 1. Not much regard is paid 
to the condition of the ensilage in opening, but more 
to our need of the feed. One of the advantages of 
the silo is that, if corn in proper condition is put into 
a well-constructed silo, the rest takes care of itself. 
It may be opened soon, or kept over the season. July 
1, we partly fill our silo with oats and peas, and do 
not cover or wait for heating, but continue feeding 
from the top, green oats and peas at first, gradually 
shading into oat and pea ensilage. It is safe, I think, 
to have more regard to convenience and need of the 
fodder than to its cooked condition. e. c. bibge. 
Connecticut. 
I consider a silo ready to open and feed about four 
weeks after filling ; I care not how hot it is, as heat¬ 
ing is a necessary process for it to pass through before 
it is cured and ripened for feed. Of course, it does 
no harm to let it remain much longer before feeding. 
I have a quantity of sweet corn which I did not put 
into the silo which will last me this month, and then 
I shall open my silo and feed from it until the 
ensilage is gone. I mean to take from the top all 
the time, and that keeps it from spoiling. As I feed 
40 cattle, I can take the top from mine every three 
days. L. B. b. 
Fulton, N. Y. 
We have filled silos and started feeding from the 
top of the silo the day after we completed filling. 
We have likewise let them stand until the following 
July before opening. In both cases, the ensilage was 
of good quality. The heating of the ensilage, of 
course, is to be expected, and unless it is inordinately 
hot, it may not be much the worse for it. We ordin¬ 
arily do not start to feed ensilage for from six to 
eight weeks from the time it is put in. 
Vermont Experiment Station. Joseph l. hills. 
Planting Dwarf Apple Trees with Standards. 
A. E. 11., Vernon, N J— As it is 10 years or so from the time of 
planting, before the apple orchard yields much return, why would 
it not be well to plant between the rows dwarf apple trees? 
These little dwarfs, so I am told, will begin bearing in three years, 
and with good cultivation, should yield, each apple year, a bushel 
of fruit until the standard trees begin to bear. If such varieties 
as Northern Spy, Fameuse, Baldwin, King, Wagener and 
Jonathan succeed as dwarfs, it seems to me that it would pay to 
plant them. I have a two-acre field planted with apple trees in 
1895, which are growing finely. I have been thinking of planting 
dwarfs between the rows, but before doing so, would like the 
opinion of some of The R. N.-Y. readers who have had more ex¬ 
perience than myself. 
Ans. —There is no objection to planting dwarfs 
(Paradise stock) between the standards. They will 
bear for 10 years before they need to be destroyed, 
because of any interference with the standards. 
Only give the orchard plenty of food meanwhile. 
Storing Celery for Winter. 
II. W.. Fairfield, N. J.— I have put away my Giant Pascal celery 
in an old cowshed in rows six feet wide, as close together as pos¬ 
sible. I dug up the soil and made it as loose as possible, and 
watered it well. I can keep it dry and air it at any time. I am 
going to cover it over with boards, and then plenty of leaves. 
What would The R. N.-Y. suggest for me to do to keep it till late 
in the season ? 
Ans. —Our only suggestion would be to air it dur¬ 
ing mild weather. Regulate the covering to suit the 
temperature. 
Whole-Root vs. Piece-Root Apple Trees. 
J. M., Golden, Col. —Do piece roots or whole roots make the 
strongest apple trees ? I wish to set some apple trees, and I wish 
the strongest and healthiest, and the ones that will live the long¬ 
est. I wish the best, no matter whether it is piece root or whole 
root. 
Ans. —There is not much real information upon this 
question. Our own impression is that whole roots 
will make stronger, quicker-growing trees than scions 
grafted upon pieces of roots. If, therefore, one does 
not consider the difference in expense, we would 
choose the former method. 
Crimson Clover Hay for Stock. 
W. W. H., Bunker Hill, 111.— Has any one experienced evil re¬ 
sults from the feeding of Crimson clover hay ? I have succeeded 
fairly well with Crimson clover. I cut the crop for seed, flailed 
off the seed and stored the straw. Now, I hear of the death of 
stock, especially horses, from the accumulation of balls of fiber 
in the stomach. 
Ans. —VVe would not feed such hay to horses. There 
are numbers of reports of death from such feeding. 
The clover heads are large, and when mature are cov¬ 
ered with stiff hairs or bristles which may catch in 
the horse’s stomach, and form large balls which can¬ 
not be digested. When the hay is cut early—before 
the head fully forms—there is no danger in feeding 
it; but such straw as you describe should not be fed 
to a horse. It will be safe enough to feed it to cattle. 
The great stomachs of horned stock are designed for 
moistening and grinding rough and bulky fodder, 
and the hard heads of Crimson clover will not trouble 
them. 
A Muskrat-Proof Dam, 
J. A. B., Granby, (No State).— How can I keep muskrats out of a 
small pond ? They dig through the dam and let out the water. 
How can I build a dam that they cannot get through or get 
around ? I have caught quite a number in traps, but still there 
are rats left. 
Ans. —To build a dam which shall be proof against 
muskrats, requires some care and expense. But it 
can be done, and if the dam is a small one, the ex¬ 
pense need not be very great. Dig a trench, at least 
three feet deep, along the line of the dam. In the 
bottom of this trench, drive piles down to the clay or 
hardpan. These piles may consist of long stakes or 
posts similar to common fence posts, and are driven 
with an ordinary maul. They should be long enough 
so that, when driven home, they will project several 
feet above the ground. To these piles, on the upper 
side, nail planks horizontally, putting the first plank 
at the bottom of the trench dug, and planking it up 
solid to the top of the piles. Then planks should be 
sharpened and driven into the earth until they strike 
clay or hardpan, or extend five or six feet below the 
bottom of the trench. This will give a double layer 
of planks, backed up by the piles and should extend 
four or five feet into the bank on each side to prevent 
the muskrats burrowing around the end. The trench 
may be filled with stones, and the earth for the dam 
put in above the piles and planks with the assurance 
that muskrats will not get through. L. A. c. 
Habits of the Cranberry Fruit Worm. 
S. 1). W., North Livermore, Me.— I send a little box of cranber¬ 
ries containing specimens of a worm. On some of the berries, 
the worm has done his work, and on others you will find him 
inside the berry. It is, of course, now too late to be of any benefit 
this year, but I hope that you may be able to give some remedy 
that will be good for another year. It is said by some that flood¬ 
ing when the fly or miller is about, is the only remedy; but the 
majority of growers about here grow only small quantities, and 
are notable to cover their vines with water; so that remedy is of 
no benefit. 
ANSWERED BY M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
Within the infested cranberries, I found what is 
known as the Cranberry Fruit worm (Mineola vac- 
cinii). The worm is a little more than one-half inch 
in length, of a bright green color, usually with a red¬ 
dish tinge on the back ; the head is narrower than the 
succeeding segment, and is yellowish in color. The 
adult insect is a pretty little moth, dark ash-gray in 
color, mottled with white. The moth appears on the 
bogs early in July, usually about the time the berries 
are beginning to set. It is a shy creature, not easily 
stirred up, flies with a darting motion, sometimes for 
quite long distances, and is not generally recognized 
by the grower, even when the berry worm is abund¬ 
ant on his bogs. The female lays her flat, round, 
yellowish eggs on the young berry, preferably in the 
blossom-end just beneath one of the triangular lobes 
of the calyx. The eggs hatch in five or six days, and 
for a day or two, the young caterpillar feeds on the 
outside of the berry in the blossom-end. After this 
brief survey of the outer world, the caterpillar makes 
its way into the berry, eats out the seed chamber, 
and then migrates to another. The vacated berry 
turns red and, eventually, shrivels and drops off. 
The caterpillar, on entering the new berry, care¬ 
fully closes the entrance hole with a dense web of 
fine white silk, so that it is sometimes diflicult to see 
where the hole was made. In this berry, it becomes 
half-grown, and, working out, leaves a jagged hole 
and again enters a new berry. The berries are, by 
this time, well grown and, sometimes, the worm 
reaches its full growth here. The port of entry is as 
carefully closed as in the previous case, and soon the 
berry begins to show a red color, denoting, to the 
practiced eye, the presence of the enemy, but to the 
casual observer, appearing only to be nicely ripening. 
Where the caterpillar does not complete its growth 
in this berry, it migrates to a fourth one, this time 
not closing the entrance hole. Sometimes two or 
three berries will be fastened together by a cater¬ 
pillar, and each hollowed out in succession. 
The caterpillar matures in September, sometimes 
not being fully grown at picking time. At this time, 
it leaves the berry, and, among the sand at the base 
of the roots, forms a dense cocoon of silk, in which it 
changes to a brown pupa. In this stage, it remains 
during the winter, the moth issuing the following 
July. The insect is present in most of the cranberry 
regions of this country, and is, in some localities, the 
most injurious pest of the bogs; as high as 90 per 
cent of the berries on some bogs have been infested. 
Flooding the bogs to destroy this Cranberry Fruit 
worm, is out of the question, unless the crop be sac¬ 
rificed. Even if flooding for 48 hours would not in¬ 
jure the berries, it would not injure the worms 
either, because the water would not, in that time, 
penetrate the silken covering to the entrance hole in 
the berry. The entire life history indicates only a 
single possibility of combating it, and that is at the 
time of hatching and before the little caterpillar gets 
into the berry at all. As in the very similar case of 
the Codling moth, the effort must be to give the little 
caterpillar a poisonous menu for its first meal. It is, 
therefore, advised to spray the bog with Paris-green, 
one pound to 200 gallons of water, just after the blos¬ 
soms are all or nearly all off, and the berries are gen¬ 
erally set. Do thorough work, covering the plants 
well and taking especial pains to aim at the blossom 
ends of the berries ; the calyx will afford a ready 
lodgment for the poison, it will not be easily washed 
out, and will be where the worm can scarcely fail to 
include it in his first few mouthfuls. Where the dam¬ 
age done is usually very great, a second spraying, a 
week afterward, would be advisable. 
