1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
535 
STRING FELLOW TREE CULTURE. 
On the horticultural grounds we have from time to 
time put out a number of young trees pruned 'accord¬ 
ing to the String-fellow method. We have tried plant¬ 
ing them in sod, as recommended by him, and have 
also tried pruning in the same manner and giving clean 
cultivation. Under our conditions the method has not 
given satisfactory results in our hands. Trees pruned 
in this way and given clean cultivation have done 
far better with us than trees similarly pruned 
and planted in sod as recommended by Mr. String- 
fellow. While neither peaches nor apples have 
done as well by this method as by the ordi¬ 
nary method of less severe pruning, peaches have suc¬ 
ceeded far better than apples have, or perhaps I 
might say conversely, apples seem to have suffered 
from the severe pruning more than peaches. A large 
portion of our trees so severely pruned at the time of 
planting have each time died. 1 will say, however, 
that those trees which have lived through the first sea¬ 
son have invariably shown remarkable capacity for 
taking mi accelerated growth in subsequent years. Those 
trees, whether peach or apple, which have pulled 
through the first season have invariably made good 
growth the second season, and in many cases have 
fully caught up with the trees which were not se¬ 
verely pruned during the third season. 
If in our soil and under our conditions • we can 
succeed in getting the trees to live during the first year 
in sufficient proportion to get a good start, I should 
consider that the greater cheapness of planting and 
handling, and the capacity which the trees show in later 
years to develop well, would certainly make this method 
of handling worthy of trial on the part of the com¬ 
mercial growers, even in this section. In many other 
sections of the State I have seen this method tried by 
commercial growers, both with peach trees and with 
apple trees. Some report unfortunate results from it, 
while others report most excellent success. Generally 
speaking, it has been more frequently reported as suc¬ 
ceeding well with peaches than with apples in this 
State, so far as I have heard. A number of men, par¬ 
ticularly in the Ozark section, in the southern third 
of the State, say that they would not plant peach trees 
any other way than by the Stringfcllow method. Pos¬ 
sibly a still greater number incline to the ordinary 
method of planting. 
I have seen comparatively few growers who have 
tried the process in the clay loams of the northern half 
of the State who have not reported about the same un¬ 
fortunate results which we have secured. Some of 
the apple orch&rdists in south Missouri report that 
they have secured excellent results by the Stringfcllow 
method, but I have not heard of its being successfully 
carried out north of the porous red soils of the Ozarks. 
Even while the Stringfellow method is not adhered 
to, I believe it has done us at least a splendid service 
in showing us that it is not necessary to retain any¬ 
thing like the large quantity of fibrous roots which was 
formerly supposed. Many of the largest orchardists 
of the State are cutting back the roots of their trees 
much more severely than formerly, even though they 
have not approached the Stringfellow method. Many 
of them agree with me that a large quan¬ 
tity of small fibrous roots, almost sure to 
dry out in handling, are a detriment to 
the tree rather than a help to it; that 
the soil can be much more firmly com¬ 
pacted about the main roots provided the 
fibrous roots are hastily slashed off at 
the time of planting. In other words, 
these small roots may be (particularly if 
dry) a disadvantage rather than an ad¬ 
vantage to the root system of the tree. 
Missouri Exp. Station, j. c. whitten. 
GET READY TO SAVE SEED . 
Why are farmers as a rule so indiffer¬ 
ent as to the seed they plant? Is it care¬ 
lessness, or is it a lack of knowledge ? 
Twenty years ago, in my early experience 
along this line, I planted anything that 
answered to the name; that is, corn was 
corn, melons were melons, and so on. I had not long 
to wait for results; several fiat failures in rapid suc¬ 
cession soon taught me that everything grown and sold 
under the name of seeds was not the proper thing to 
plant and then expect best results. We may fit our 
fields in the best possible condition, fertilize sufficient 
to grow maximum crops, give thorough and intelligent 
cultivation, and have fair climatic conditions; still, 
without proper seed, the result will be disappointing. 
Yet on every hand we see farmers failing from this 
cause every season, and ever ready to explain the 
cause and lay it to something else, when in reality poor 
seed was the primary cause. I venture the assertion 
that more money is lost every season from planting 
poor seeds than from any one cause, and this without 
fear of contradiction. 
Is this the seed merchant’s fault? No, certainly not. 
The demand for cheap seeds is far greater than the 
demand for good pure seed, and so long as the far¬ 
mer demands cheap seed, that is what he will get, and 
be disappointed in his crop almost every time. Good 
seeds cannot be produced and sold at a cheap price, 
and until.seed buyers realize this fact, conditions will 
remain the same. It has been clearly proven by numer¬ 
ous experiments that large seed will germinate better 
and produce a larger crop than ordinary seed, yet we 
see quite often farmers selling their best and keeping 
the poor to plant, or buying the poor because it is 
cheap, hoping to save money by so doing. Where can 
there be any gain in saving one or two dollars on the 
purchase of seed, then losing all, or nearly all, the crop? 
I know of one instance where certain grass seeds were 
A TREE KILLED BY PAINT. Fig. 225. 
bought for $5.50 per bushel, and it was so mixed with 
dirt and foreign seeds that the good germinable seed 
cost over $7 per bushel. How is this to be remedied? 
By having a better knowledge of the seeds we plant. 
From the standpoint of the trucker or market gar¬ 
dener more care should be exercised, because the crops 
grown arc such that failure entails great loss. In se¬ 
lecting seed for market garden crops there are several 
essentials necessary to success. The variety we wish 
to grow, its form or type, formation of the plant, pro¬ 
ductive qualities, earliness, hardiness, and quality of the 
product. All these should be taken in consideration 
before seeds are saved for future planting. Can we buy 
such seeds as these? No, not to-day. Then we should 
save our own. Any farmer, trucker, or market gar¬ 
dener, can, if he will, improve almost any crop he 
grows, provided seed selection is done along the lines 
referred to above. Some seeds are better grown in 
certain localities where soil and climatic conditions 
are ideal for that particular crop; for example, the east 
end of Long Island is famous for its cabbage, Connecti¬ 
cut for carrots and onions, and so on. Aside from this 
there are numerous crops grown by farmers that should 
receive their special attention as to seed saving at 
home. 
The tomato and pepper growers of this section are 
very particular as to the seed they plant. They go 
through fields selecting only such plants as conform 
to their ideals of what such plants should be, not tak¬ 
ing a few fruits that happen to be large from any 
plant, but by taking the plant as a whole, its forma¬ 
tion, the amount of crop it has produced, the perfect¬ 
ness of the fruit as a whole, earliness, if that is a point 
to be considered, etc. These two crops have been so' 
improved by this method that they would hardly be 
recognized along with what was grown 20 years ago. 
1 he same may be said of corn and many other crops. 
After selection conies the gathering and care till needed 
for planting. If this is carelessly done all previous 
work may be wasted. All seed should be left on the 
plot till thoroughly ripe before picking, and in the 
case of wet seeds they should be separated from any 
pulp or foreign matter as soon as possible, washed and 
spread out to dry, and thoroughly air-dried—but not 
in the direct rays of the sun. As soon as dry they 
should be bagged in good manila paper bags. This is 
not so essential in the case of large seeds, but very 
much so with small ones, as it has been clearly proven 
that small seeds lose their germinating power much 
faster where exposed to a circulation of air. Store in 
a dry, cool place; this is important, as some seeds are 
injured by too much drying. The germ may also be 
injured by severe freezing. If farmers as a whole 
would be more exacting as to seeds they plant, a more 
profitable and more salable product would be pro¬ 
duced, and that with scarcely any financial outlay. 
New Jersey. c. c. hulsart. 
AN AIR PRESSURE WATER SYSTEM. 
We understand that you have used an air pressure water 
system. Will you tell us how it operates, and where you 
plan to force the water? Does it give satisfaction? What 
power do you use on the pump? 
It operates like any ordinary pump; u... be operated 
by a little engine or windmill. It forces the water all 
through my home, giving perfect satisfaction. We 
pump by hand. It is advantageous, has no drawbacks. 
When you have it put in you have no further expense. 
It is a godsend to those who suffer from want ot 
water from town supply being short or want of force 
to send it to different places. F. m. ward. 
Pennsylvania. 
For many country homes the air pressure water sys¬ 
tem is a most desirable equipment. Gravity or water 
power by means of the hydraulic ram are desirable 
systems, but many places have to depend on wells or 
cisterns for a water supply, and then one has the 
alternative of a tank in the attic or the underground 
air-pressure system. In either case the water has to be 
forced, and I doubt whether there is much difference 
in the power required to lift the water to the attic or 
to charge an underground tank. The attic tank is sub¬ 
ject to leakage or liable to freeze up. In either of 
these cases it may cause unpleasantness in the house. 
The pressure system is possibly more costly, but when 
once installed it is a blessing to country people who 
have to depend on wells and cisterns for their water 
supply. The tank can be charged either by hand power 
or by the use of some kind of small motor. When a 
limited quantity of water is needed it can be supplied 
by hand, but where the supply is abundant and the 
use liberal a motor should be brought int© service. 
We use only hand power to supply the kitchen on first 
floor and bathroom on the second. But charging a 
tank is not a diversion by any means, nor is pushing 
water up to the third or fourth story of a house. The 
pressure tank should be as close to cis¬ 
tern or well as possible to insure best re¬ 
sults. The success of the system depends 
much on the plumbing. For four years 
it has worked satisfactorily on my place, 
with practically no expenses for repairs. 
In a word, the system is all right if the 
work is done right. h. c. snavely. 
Pennsylvania. 
Our air-pressure water system consists 
of a tank 30 inches in diameter by 10 
feet in length, located in the cellar. In 
this water and air are forced by a pump 
of special construction (located for con¬ 
venience over the sink in the kitchen) 
from the cistern in the cellar. The pump 
differs from an ordinary force pump in 
having a small cylinder for the purpose 
of compressing a little air and forcing it 
in with the water at each stroke. The 
pressure is retained in the tank by a check valve. The 
inlet and outlet being on the under side of the tank, 
the air will (as in the air chamber of a force pump) 
raise the water to any height, according to the 
pressure. We get a good flow on the second floor with 
less than five pounds. We have a regular steam gauge, 
which, though not necessary, is a great convenience. 
By about five minutes’ work I can pump enough to raise 
the pressure five pounds, which will be enough to last 
all day, on an average. The advantages are that we 
have all the comforts and conveniences of a water sup¬ 
ply; closet, bathtub and lavatory, with hot and cold 
water on first and second flomrs at a merely nominal 
cost. The disadvantages are that we have to pump 
the water. I hope at some time to have a small gaso¬ 
line engine for that. If our well water had been soft 
enough for domestic purp.oses I would have had a 
windmill arranged to fill the tank. 
New York. clarence j. elting. 
TWO HOLSTEIN COWS FROM OAKLAND FARM. Fig. 220. 
See Page 540. 
