Vol. LXIV. No. 2897. 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 5, 1905. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR 
JULY ON THE TRUCK FARM. 
Lively Work for the Month. 
LATE CULTIVATION.—Perhaps at no time during 
the season is the timely accomplishment of the various 
tasks connected with the truck business more essential 
or more vital to the ultimate results than right now 
during the latter part of July. In the matter of cultivat¬ 
ing, it is extremely important that we should succeed 
in getting the last farming of our various crops so 
accurately timed that it will not only leave them clean 
and well tilled, but that it should be done at the latest 
possible moment that it can be done without injury to 
the crop concerned. Take cantaloupes, for instance. 
It is always our custom to turn the vines and cultivate 
at about the time they are meeting across a five-foot 
row. This is not generally practiced, and I admit it 
means a great amount of work. The vines must be 
turned carefully by hand, no turning sticks being al¬ 
lowed in the field. Then after cultivating they must 
be replaced in practically their original position, and 
of course the question 
comes, Does it pay to do 
it? We thoroughly believe 
it does. In the first place, 
the later the ground is tilled 
without injury to the crop 
the better, and secondly, if 
the vines arc large they will 
cover the ground thoroughly 
within a week or so after 
farming, thus smothering 
and preventing any growth 
of filth, thereby giving a 
clean, decent 1'ieUcl during 
the entire Fall, whereas if 
the last cultivation is given 
so early that the grass and 
weeds have time to sprout 
and get started before the 
vines cover the ground a 
dirty field will be the result 
This is not oidy a disagree¬ 
able circumstance at picking 
time, but a positive disad¬ 
vantage to the full develop¬ 
ment of the crop. At the 
last cultivation, about the 
middle of July here in south 
Jersey, it is our custom to 
sow Crimson clover with a 
small portion of turnip seed 
mixed with it. The seed is 
sown immediately after the 
cultivators and then harrowed in with a small har¬ 
row. This gives a good cover crop of clover for 
Winter and frequently the turnips are pulled and sold 
in the late Fall at a fair price. They practically cost 
nothing except the seed, and all that you get is clear 
profit. 
SWEET POTATOES.—Again, in cultivating sweet 
potatoes we use the same argument. It is done just 
when the vines are at that stage where they will 
shortly cover the entire ground, thus preventing the 
growth of all grass and weeds. But here we must 
look out that they do not get rooted to the ground 
and thereby become almost impossible to turn. So 
on through all the midsummer and late Fall crops; the 
main point seems to be to cultivate just as late as 
possible not to injure the crop. In summing up the 
advantages of this late cultivation are so evident that 
it scarcely seems worth while to emphasize them, but 
in passing I will just note a few. Of course the thor¬ 
ough tilling of the ground at this time goes far in 
preserving the moisture to bring the fruit to maturity, 
a time when water is of more importance than at any 
other period of development. Also, as I have already 
mentioned, it secures a clean condition of the ground, 
free from weeds and all other trash. It leaves the field 
in a satisfactory condition at picking time. 
BORDEAUX SPRAYING.—In our spraying opera¬ 
tions this Summer we have continued on the same 
plan as last season, that is, using Bordeaux (five pounds 
copper sulphate and five pounds of stone lime to .'><) 
gallons of water). We are using a Niagara gas power 
for our work, and find it as satisfactory as any machine 
we have ever used. Last season in cantaloupes the 
benefits of thorough spraying were unquestionable. The 
sprayed portions of the field withstood the ravages of 
the fungus diseases some days longer than the un¬ 
sprayed, thereby greatly increasing the yield and profits. 
In watermelons the results were not quite so certain, 
but on the whole the spraying operations were a success. 
This year we have used considerable Bordeaux Mixture 
on string beans with gratifying results, although the ad¬ 
vantage of this work is hard to measure definitely, yet 
there is no question that it pays to follow it up. In canta¬ 
loupes, melons and cucumbers, we begin when the plant 
begins to shoot the first runners, and continue at intervals 
of about 10 days during the rest of the season up to pick¬ 
ing time. The best results are obtained by this thor¬ 
ough method, but I believe that each spraying is of 
sufficient value in itself to warrant doing even if not 
followed up. In other words, I think the results will 
be just in proportion to fhe number and thoroughness 
of the sprayings performed. This holds true in regard 
to all crops—tomatoes, potatoes, etc. I feel certain that 
spraying field crops as a preventive for fungus diseases 
of various kinds is a practical operation, and one that 
pays as well as any other labor expended on the crop. 
GATHERING TRUCK CROPS.—I believe our aim 
should be so to gather our various produce that it may 
be put on the market in the best possible selling condi¬ 
tion, in a certain sense, irrespective of cost. Determine 
the methods that secure the best results, the proper 
time and method of picking, the best package possible 
to use for shipping, the care in sorting, etc., and a 
hundred other items of detail that every grower must 
work out for himself, depending upon local conditions 
and facilities. Having obtained the results, then spare 
no amount of time and effort to reduce the cost of se¬ 
curing them that the transactions ipay net the greatest 
amount of profit possible. The man with the determina¬ 
tion to do this will surely win in the long run. If 
produce is worth raising, it surely is well worth spend¬ 
ing enough on in gathering, packing and shipping to 
make it attractive and desirable. I sometimes think 
there are more failures in this line of work than in 
the growing. 
GA I HER WHEN READY.—One of the most im¬ 
portant points in gathering produce is in the frequency. 
The natural tendency is to wait until there is a large 
picking ready, but it has always been our experience that 
this gives a varied article, some over-ripe and some in 
condition. If you keep the thought uppermost that the 
really essential point is to have it in the best possible 
shape the moment it is put upon the market I believe 
the right idea has been found. In picking cantaloupes 
we aim to pick every day in the cool of the morning. 
I he fruit is picked, loaded and put upon the market in 
three to four hours; therefore we pick just as soon as 
the stem can be made to peel from the fruit by exer¬ 
cising a small amount of 
pressure. No fruit that 
shows any amount of color¬ 
ing is shipped. This se¬ 
cures a package that will 
be ready for table use the 
following morning; a pack¬ 
age that will run uniformly, 
or in other words, that the 
dealer can depend upon 
without any great amount 
of waste. It takes an ex¬ 
perienced eye to pick canta¬ 
loupes accurately, but by 
perseverance it is possible 
so to train a crowd of men 
that comparatively satisfac¬ 
tory results may be ob¬ 
tained. These observations 
hold true in regard to most 
of our crops. Pick so as to 
keep them in good condi¬ 
tion. The one essential 
point at this time of year, 
more than at any other, is 
to be in a position to do 
each job at exactly the right 
time, thus avoiding injury 
to your crop and accom¬ 
plishing -the task more eco¬ 
nomically. It pays to have 
an excess of help occasion¬ 
ally rather than a shortage 
because one miss in the late season may make useless 
all your previous effort. Joseph barton. 
Burlington Co., N. J. 
AN AIR PRESSURE WATER SYSTEM. 
I have one in my home, and it works to perfection. 
The tank is 30 inches in diameter, and 10 feet long, 
and is placed horizontally in the cellar. I use a com¬ 
bined pump; that is, a pump that is so constructed that 
it forces the air and water into this large tank at the 
same time. The pipe that runs from the pump to the 
tank is one inch in size and enters the lower side of the 
tank. This air passing through the water and collecting 
at the upper part of tank purifies the water just the 
same as a water elevator does hi a cistern. At the 
lower side of the other end of the tank the discharge 
pipe leaves the tank, and can be placed in any part of 
the house where you want water.. The pump I have 
is placed on the porch and we operate it by hand. I 
have a bathtub, closet and hot and cold water both in 
the kitchen and bathroom. On the cold water line up¬ 
stairs there must be a 200-pound water gauge to tell 
how the pressure stands. The pressure can be pumped 
