1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
and become useless. Galvanized iron pails can be 
used, but the galvanizing is soon eaten off, and the 
iron will then rust. Wood pails and receptacles are 
best for the lime-sulphur washes. Caustic soda dis¬ 
solved in water has not been as satisfactory in our 
experiments as the- lime-sulphur mixtures. A well- 
sprayed orchard is shown in Fig. 66, while Fig. 7a, page 
165, shows a spray barrel upon a stone boat. 
W. E. BRITTON. 
HOW TO SPRAY. 
Unless your orchard is small, 50 trees or less, don't 
use a barrel; it wastes time. Get a 200-gallon half- 
round wagon tank. Above this erect a scaffold six 
or eight feet high, with sides still higher, to support 
the operator of the spray. Bind the tank securely to 
the wagon bolsters; otherwise the operator’s weight 
will turn it, and the wash of the licpiid will slide it 
endwise. From this scaffold, with a 10-foot extension 
rod, the operator can hit the high tops, and completely 
cover the tree; unless this is done spraying is not 
effectual. At the second spraying, when the petals 
have fallen and flower stems still stand erect, a fall¬ 
ing spray is most effectual in reaching the inside of 
the blossom cup, which at this time is still open. At 
other times the essential 
thing is to cover the surface 
of both leaf and fruit. It 
is found that quite a per cent 
of worms are hatched and 
take their first meal from 
the leaves mostly on the un¬ 
der side. The operator, stand¬ 
ing on the scaffold 10 or 12 
feet above the ground, and 
with a 10-foot extension rod 
crowned with a “four-way” 
nozzle, so adjusted as to 
spray the inside of an open 
umbrella all at once, is in 
the best obtainable position 
to do effectual work. 
High wind, light wind, no 
wind, are all good days to 
spray. If windy, drive 
straight ahead across the 
path of the wind, and allow 
it to carry your spray for 
you. Stop in such positions 
as will allow you to reach 
three sides of the tree in 
passing. Keep the nozzles 
moving up and down to fit 
the outlines of the tree, and 
keep at it till the branches 
drip before moving on. The 
trees can be finished the first 
change of wind, or on a quiet 
day. It has been proven 
over and over that it is prac¬ 
tically useless to spray 
against even a light breeze. 
Much depends on the man at 
the pump. If you have plen¬ 
ty of pressure the nozzles 
will not clog. The spray will 
be finer and cover more sur¬ 
face. If he cannot give you 
pressure, remove two noz¬ 
zles. If he cannot then, get 
down and show him how. If you would succeed spray 
on time and get ready in advance. A few or one- un¬ 
sprayed tree around the house or yard will damage 
the whole orchard. j. j. jakway. 
Berrian Co., Mich. 
into a box with sloping ends, and a loose bottom to 
which a strap is attached. When the box is set on the 
frame and the bottom pulled out, you have the bushel 
all bagged. This machine is 30 inches long and 24 
inches in diameter, and octagonal in shape. A smaller 
one we made, which was round in shape, did not work 
as well. One and one-fourth inch stuff was used for the 
ends. A block 6 inches square was put on the outside 
of the handle end, in the center. Tobacco lath were 
nailed one-half inch apart on five of the sides, and the 
door occupies the other. The door is hung with strong 
leather hinges, and kept shut with fasteners taken from 
berry crates. The handle and axle are made of one- 
inch galvanized iron pipe. The axle is fastened to the 
barrel of the machine by a big nail which passes through 
it and is stapled to the block. The handle and axle 
could be made of wood, but the pipe is better. We 
use the machine nearly the whole year round. It is 
fine for radishes, but, of course, for such tender things 
it must be turned slowly. a. c. willard. 
R. N.-.Y.—Thorough and careful washing of small 
vegetables intended for market is an important matter. 
They ought to be clean and yet not bruised. We often 
see bunches of radishes, beets, carrots, etc., which are 
defaced by rough handling in washing or tied in such 
but over and above that, by always taking the most 
vigorous, thrifty specimens, you are selecting those 
that thrive best under existing local conditions, thereby 
developing a strain peculiarly adapted to your immedi- 
THE WARD BLACKBERRY, NATURAL SIZE. Fig. 69. 
an uneven and slovenly manner as to cut 25 per cent 
from their selling value. 
A VEGETABLE WASHING MACHINE. 
Root crops, like carrots, parsnips or turnips, can 
easily be washed clean for market in this barrel-like 
contrivance. As is seen in the pictures, Figs. 68 and 
MACHINE FOR WASHING VEGETABLES. Fig. 68. 
70, it is a very simple affair. Everyone who has vege 
tables to wash should have one. It is easy to bag 
up the things by using a frame. Nails are driven up 
through the top of the frame, and the bags hang on 
them. The vegetables are turned out of the machine 
LIVE NOTES FOR TRUCKERS. 
GOOD SEED.—In any line of truck, there is noth¬ 
ing more vital to success than the proper selection of 
seed. Probably in no one particular is a certain class 
of truckers more lax than along this line. 'Too much 
cannot be said on the importance of practical, intelli¬ 
gent home saving of seed. Have a definite object in 
view, a definite type, and let your selection of speci¬ 
mens for seed be made in conformity to this type. For 
instance, in saving early tomatoes for seed, where 
earliness is the primary object, and crop in a certain 
sense secondary (for it is the first half of the crop 
that counts in the returns), select the hills which have 
a good bunch of hill sets and at the same time give 
promise of a large yield. Then save the whole hill. 
The individual specimen is not the whole story. The 
growing qualities, the cropping propensities, and the 
general vitality of the whole plant must be taken into 
consideration. A small, weak plant will not produce 
good, strong, healthy seed. By this intelligent selection 
of seed specimens we not only maintain the standard 
of our crop, but are gradually improving it just in 
proportion to our carefulness. 
SEEDS “RUNNING OUT.”—The fact that strains 
of seed deteriorate (become non-productive) is due, 
in the majority of cases, to carelessness in the selec¬ 
tion of seed specimens. By careful home saving of 
seed yon not only improve the quality of your product, 
VEGETABLE WASHER OPEN. Fig. 70. 
ate vicinity; a strain that is much more certain to 
thrive than anything brought in from a distance, where 
conditions, both as to soil and climate, probably differ 
materially from those of your own locality. Just here 
is a point not always sufficiently recognized. It is 
one of the infallible laws of 
nature that all animals and 
plants (from the fact of “the 
survival of the fittest”) in 
the course of time adapt 
themselves to the conditions 
thrust upon them. I firmly 
believe that all this talk of 
seed “running out” is a false 
idea, or rather an idea fos¬ 
tered and nourished by the 
carelessness practiced in the 
saving of seed. With all due 
respect to our reliable seed 
houses, past experience 
teaches that by careful, in¬ 
telligent, home-saving of seed, 
and by no other means, arc 
we sure of our results. 
SOAKING SEEDS. — A 
point well worth emphasizing 
at this time of the year, and 
one not as generally prac¬ 
ticed as its merits deserve, is 
the soaking of early truck 
seeds in warm water before 
planting, thus giving them a 
start that they are by no 
means sure of getting in the 
cold ground of Spring. Take, 
for instance, the early toma¬ 
to, and what is true for one 
vegetable applies in a gen¬ 
eral way to all of our truck 
crops. Put tomato seed in 
water at a temperature of 90 
to 100 degrees for 12 hours; 
then pour off the water, 
cover with a damp cloth and 
set in a warm place, keeping 
as near 100 degrees as possi¬ 
ble, for 12 hours more. Now 
plant the seed in the hot¬ 
bed about the time they be¬ 
gin to show indications of 
sprouting, and you will have, not only a quicker come- 
up, but much more certain one. Again, in the case of 
cantaloupes, melons and all other cucurbs, the same 
facts hold true, and the advantage is equal; but an¬ 
other advantage may be gained by mixing sprouted seed 
with dry seed, quart for quart, thereby securing prac¬ 
tically two plantings at one operation. Thus if weather 
conditions prevail advantageous to sprouted seed, well 
and good; if, on the other hand, for any reason your 
sprouted seed is destroyed, you still have another 
chance from your dry ones. 
SOUTH SIDE OF RIDGE.—Another point, ap¬ 
parently small and of little importance, yet on further 
thought of great practical value to early truckers, is 
the simple act of planting on the south side of a ridge. 
Take the cantaloupe, for instance. Run the ridges east 
and west; then make an opening on the south side 
of the row, being careful not to break the crest of the 
ridge, and plant the seed down the southern slope. Be 
sure to leave the surface of the hill sloping, thus af¬ 
fording drainage for excessive rainfall. The ridge, 
extending up over and above the young plants, breaks 
off the cold north winds, but, more than that, the sun’s 
rays strike the southern slope of this ridge more nearly 
perpendicularly than they would a level surface on top 
of the row, thereby obtaining much more heat. I have 
seen plants at the bottom of the ridge uninjured when 
those near the top have been totally killed by frost. 
This protected surface seems to retain a great quantity 
of heat. This idea can be practiced to advantage in 
growing early cucurbs, boiling corn or any crop that 
will admit of being planted down at the bottom of 
