246 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 25, 
CRUDE PETROLEUM VS. SAN LOSE SCALE. 
A well-known author and gardener is giving his ex¬ 
perience with the use of petroleum in spraying, and 
strongly recommends it as the best insecticide for over¬ 
coming the San Jose scale. He has used it two or 
three times with success, and in reply to instances 
which have been cited of its injurious effects on trees, 
says that if he knew all the circumstances he could 
probably show that damage caused by its use was ow¬ 
ing to faulty application or t some other avoidable 
cause. With the knowledge I have of the instances 
where it has proved injurious to trees on which it was 
applied, and from numerous other instances given in 
the agricultural press, I am thinking that if he were 
to investigate them all he would have a big job on 
hand. If we admit that it is possible for the average 
fruit grower always to get just the right kind of pe¬ 
troleum for insecticide purposes, which matter, how¬ 
ever, is not beyond question, it still remains that cor¬ 
rectly to estimate its practicability as an insecticide, we 
must take average conditions of use, and not how it 
performs on some particular case when a specialist is 
using more than ordinary care, and has at his command 
the most approved machinery, The general farmer is 
demanding something to save his fruit orchards from 
the dreaded scale and does not like to be told to use 
something which his neighbor, similarly situated, has 
used with the result that his trees were killed more 
quickly than scale could ever do it. I have heard dozens 
say that they might as well let the scale eat up their 
orchards as to kill them with some spraying application. 
This county, Hunterdon, N. J., has been known as one 
of the leading peach growing sections of the country, 
but the scale is rapidly crippling the industry. Our 
peach growers were among the first to use crude petro¬ 
leum extensively. Carloads were shipped in, and hun¬ 
dreds of orchards were sprayed with it. 1 will not say 
that it invariably proved damaging to the trees, but, on 
the whole, its effects were more disastrous than the 
insect which was sought to be destroyed. Many felt 
encouraged with its use for the first or second year, 
but few orchards could withstand more than three appli¬ 
cations of it. Lime, sulphur and salt is now being used 
more than anything else. It is coming to be generally 
realized that no one application a year of anything is 
sufficient to eradicate this pernicious pest. The use of 
an insecticide not injurious to foliage, and applied two 
or three times during the breeding season, is now 
thought to be necessary in a successful fight against the 
enemy. g. davis. 
New Jersey. 
POKING POWDERS INTO TREES . 
Every year farmers are visited by “agents” who 
claim to be able to cure diseases or kill insects on 
trees by boring a hole in the trunk and pouring in a 
powder or liquid. We have repeatedly advised far¬ 
mers not to play with such “remedies,” have been met 
with the question—what harm will it do, anyway? 
We are now glad to give the following statement by 
Fred R. Maskew in The California Cultivator. It 
seems that a Mr. Stewart, representing what is known 
as the “Owens Process,” came before the Apple Grow¬ 
ers of Los Angeles Co., Cal., and made great claims 
for his “remedy.” Later Mr. Stewart came to Mr. 
Maskew’s orchard and operated on two trees. This 
excellent report gives the result. 
“A White Winter Pearmain tree, 12 years old, was 
selected. This tree had borne many large crops of 
fine fruit in the past. At the time of the treatment 
no insect pests of any kind excepting hibernating larvae 
of the Codling moth were found upon this tree. Dur¬ 
ing the season of 1903 this tree had shown evidence of 
disease, and the object of the treatment in this par¬ 
ticular case was to test its value as a cure for dis¬ 
eases. A Yellow Bellflower tree, eight years old, was 
selected as a second test. This tree was normal in 
health, so far as I could judge, but was infested with 
a few San Jose scale. The test in this instance was 
to prove the effect of the “Process” upon scale in¬ 
sects. The method of treatment—at least in this 
instance—was very simple. Taking an augur with 
an inch bit fitted into it, Mr. Stewart bored a hole 
into the body of the tree about one foot above the 
surface of the ground; taking a metal cylinder, he 
partly filled it with a dark-colored powder, and in¬ 
serted the cylinder into the hole bored in the tree 
trunk; then, with a wooden rammer, which fitted the 
cylinder, he forced the powder into the hole as he 
withdrew the cylinder. A wooden plug was then 
produced neatly turned to fit the hole; this was driven 
in, the end of the plug and the bark surrounding it 
painted, and—that was all. Nature would do the rest. 
I was so impressed with the simplicity of the “Proc¬ 
ess,” and Mr. Stewart’s sublime faith in Nature,'that 
I drew the line at two trees. 
“These trees were so situated that I passed them 
every day. No change was apparent until the latter 
part of May. At that time the Pearmain tree developed 
the disease with which it had been affected during 
the previous season, in a very aggravated form. The 
leaves dried up at the points and edges first ; t and in 
a few days the entire foliage succumbed and fell to 
the ground. The tree made a feeble attempt to put 
out a new growth, but failed. What little fruit set, 
remained upon the tree, but did not develop. In the 
DOING BUSINESS WITH POULTRY. Fig. 104. 
case of the Bellflower tree, the San Jose scale devel¬ 
oped and increased at such an alarming rate that I 
destroyed the tree the first of June. 
“On December 16, 1904, I cut down the Pearmain 
tree and sawed out a section containing the part that 
had been treated by Mr. Stewart. The cross-section 
showed the tree to have been seriously affected by the 
act of boring into it. To the extent to which the 
hole had been bored the body of the tree was ap¬ 
parently dying, the line of demarkation between the 
healthy and affected tissue being very distinct. Im¬ 
mediately above and below the augur hole the wood 
was dead and dry. On December 17 at the meeting 
of the apple growers and in the presence of the mem¬ 
bers, this section was carefully split open, and the 
dark-colored powder was found in the augur hole in 
apparently the same quantity and condition' as when 
put there by Mr. Stewart in January, 1904. The hole 
was found to be about four inches deep, and the plug 
had been driven in one inch and a half, thus passing 
into the heart wood and shutting off any connection 
whatever with such parts as the sap might circulate 
through. In so far as the apple trees of Los, Angeles 
County are concerned, the “Owens Process” has proven 
a failure, and in the case of this particular tree, the 
consensus of opinion of those who witnessed the 
dissection and saw the effects, the “Process” was not 
only worthless, it was evidently injurious.” 
PROFITABLE TRUCKING ON SMALL FARM. 
Fig. 105 shows the buildings on a small truck farm, 
located in Burlington County, where during the season 
of 1904 it was possible to derive a profit of $100 per 
acre from this small piece of ground of less than 10 
acres. This may seem interesting to the general class 
of truckers, who are situated on large farms, where 
much less profits are realized, and a partial explanation 
A TRUCK FARMER’S HOMESTEAD. Fig. 105. 
of such success is necessary. To begin with, the basis 
of all the crops was well-tilled ground, with a very 
liberal supply of well-rotted stable manure, but little 
commercial fertilizer being used. The crops raised on 
this place were few in number, in the following rota¬ 
tion : Early peas, second early peas, peppers, Lima beans, 
string beans and late tomatoes. No early tomatoes 
were raised. The labor performed on this place, with 
the exception of the beans which were picked by pick¬ 
ers, was done by the owner and one additional farm 
hand employed during the commencement of the sea¬ 
son, in helping to get the ground in condition and keep¬ 
ing the crops free of weeds. Two horses, one cow, six 
pigs and about 50 chickens were kept on this place in 
the stock line. In Winter the ground is down in rye, 
which is used partly for cow pasture, and the remaincer 
for humus for the next year’s crops. The secret of this 
man’s success was in the marketing of the crops after 
they were grown. This is a very important feature of 
the trucking business. The custom of hogging up truck 
is a bygone paying business. There was a time when 
topping out packages of inferior quality with fancy 
quality went to a certain extent, but that time has since 
passed. Good quality all the way through is necessary to 
secure the best price, and in this particular case the good 
was marketed and the cull stuff was fed to the pigs; 
especial care was taken with the packing of each crop, so 
that in looking through the packages uniformity was 
in evidence, and in consequence the mark sold, when 
other marks of inferior quality were held over. As 
an illustration: Tomatoes sold readily from this farm 
for 60 cents per package, when other nearby farmers 
were glad to get 10 cents per package for theirs. When 
a package of tomatoes was taken from this farm, they 
were tomatoes, not odds and ends suitable for hog feed, 
or the catsup tub. The entire output from this farm 
was sent to the New York market, and after all ex¬ 
penses were deducted, the year’s work netted a trifle 
over $100 per acre. L. A. p. 
Palmyra, N. J. 
AN OREGON GLASSHOUSE. 
On page 167 Dexter Field, of Oregon, made the 
following statement: 
During 1904 I sold 12,000 lettuce at five cents; 100,000 
early cabbage plants at $5 per 1,000; 35,000 tomato plants 
at $10 per 1,000, and 6,250 cucumbers for $225, beside a few 
thousand cauliflower and celery plants. I have no heat ex¬ 
cept from the sun. 
Some of our readers have asked how this was done, 
and Mr. Field gives the following information: 
“A portion of my garden, 60 by 150 feet, is covered 
with glass; it has no heat except what the sun fur¬ 
nishes. The outside beds are seven feet wide; four 
paths run lengthwise each two feet wide; the re¬ 
mainder is divided into three beds, each about 13 feet 
wide. Water pipes are placed with faucets by the 
side of each path, so I can water any part of the house 
by the use of 25 feet of hose. I have used the house 
15 years, and never have changed the soil, but put on 
a heavy coating of fine manure every year. I commence 
sowing cabbage seed about October 1. After getting 
the seed bed in a fine condition I mark it off in rows 
three inches apart and one-half inch deep; then sow 
the seed quite thickly, treading it all down with my 
feet. This is all the covering I give it. I keep it wat¬ 
ered and do not allow the surface to become dry. In 
from three to four weeks the plants are large enough to 
transplant, when I prick them out or transplant them 
about l l / 2 inch apart each way, or a part of the time 
I set my lettuce in rows 12 inches anart and eight 
inches in the row. If the cabbage plants are ready 
at the time I set the lettuce, I set two rows of cabbage 
plants between every two rows of lettuce, putting the 
rows of cabbage two inches apart and the plants one 
inch apart in the row. This brings it November 1. 
In about four weeks the plants are large enough to set 
out in the field. The demand is not very much in the 
Fall, so most who get them take them from the beds 
and set them in the field to stand through the Winter 
and mature in May. I make new sowings of seed as 
often as I want the plants to get to the size for setting 
out; those I sowed December 1 are ready in February; 
those I sow February 1 are ready the latter part 
of March. 
“About March 1 I commence putting the plants in the 
market for sale. I have boxes 2*4 inches deep, 10 inches 
long and nine inches wide; these I fill with dirt. I 
put 112 plants in a box; as I take them from the beds 
I put them in bunches of 28 each, then put four bunches 
in a box. I use a mason’s trowel, it being the best tool 
I have ever tried. I commence about an inch from 
one end and cut down to the bottom of the 
box, and take out enough of the dirt so I can put 
a bunch of the plants in the row so they stand upright 
and the roots near the bottom; then fill up the row 
with dirt and press it down so it holds the plants well, 
then put in another row two or three inches from the 
first one, and then another till the four rows, or the 
112 plants are all in the box; when filled the plants 
fill the whole box. I then give it a good wetting and 
set it aside. In a few hours the plants are standing 
upright, and if properly cared for will stand in the 
box for several days and keep in good condition. I 
sometimes put the plants in the market the same day 
I put them in the boxes, but generally I let them stand 
one day before taking them away. The seed merchants 
and grocerymen sell for me. I take the boxes of 
plants to their stores once a week or oftener when there 
is a brisk demand, leaving as many boxes as I think 
they will sell. The next time I go there with plants I 
take away any that are injured so they are not salable, 
keeping only good and fresh plants on sale. I take all 
the losses from any cause where the merchant is not 
to blame, and allow the merchant 15 per cent commis¬ 
sion on what he sells. I put 112 plants of cabbage, 
cauliflower or celery in a box, 56 tomato plants in a 
box and sell at a uniform price of 50 cents a box.. I 
have read quite a number of books on gardening 
and plant raising, and have a good many volumes of 
The R. N.-Y. and other agricultural papers, and learned 
all I could from them, and yet the most I have had 
to learn by experience. I have been raising plants for 
the market ever since 1875, and am learning something 
new about the business every year,” 
