the; KUKAb NEW-YORKER 
February 27, 
200 
WESTERN NEW YORK HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
Part II. 
Commissioner Pearson made a few brief 
remarks about tbe Agricultural Department, 
especially tbe work recently done against 
tbe foot and moutb disease and the present 
work against the Brown-tail moth. 
Prof. S. A. Beach spoke on “The Reputa¬ 
tion of Fruit as a Commercial Asset.” lie 
said it had been his privilege to visit most 
of the important apple regions of the coun¬ 
try, and the growers of New York do not 
know how good this State is and are not 
working it for all there is in it. The 
meetings of this society have always been 
devoted to the production of fruits and the 
equally important subject of marketing has 
received but little attention. The time is 
here when the selling problem must take 
the front and the sooner eastern growers 
realize this fact and act upon it the better 
off will they be financially. Competition is 
going to grow, and grow rapidly, and with 
the completion of the Panama Canal and 
with improved facilities of transportation 
the freight rates will be lower, thus re¬ 
ducing one handicap of the western 
grower. He said in all points but external 
appearance the eastern apple was superior, 
and they could be much improved in ap¬ 
pearance by better methods. Is the western 
New York product being put on the market 
in the best possible manner to gain a 
reputation ? Not only do packages of the 
same grade vary greatly in size, color and 
perfection of specimens, but the fruit in 
the same package often varies as much. 
Small and inferior fruit in the middle of 
the package not only damages the grower 
putting up same, but also ruins the reputa¬ 
tion of the vicinity from which such pack¬ 
ing comes. That New York quality is 
recognized is shown by the fact that Chi¬ 
cago commission men were offering in the 
Iowa markets New York Winesaps. This 
variety is almost unknown in this State, 
and the words “New York” were merely 
used to deceive the purchaser on the qual¬ 
ity of the fruit. This recognized superiority 
in quality should be made the most of by 
eastern growers, even as the westerner ad¬ 
vertises his products, and backs that quality 
with uniform grading and honest packing. 
Co-operative marketing is a great help in 
building up a reputation as more uniform¬ 
ity of grade can be maintained than by 
individual packing. The manager can keep 
posted on market conditions much better 
than the growers and be ready to take 
every advantage the market offers in buy¬ 
ing supplies as well as selling the fruit. A 
reputation is of little benefit unless the 
supply is equal to the demand created and 
this is a very strong point in favor of 
co-operation. lie cited instances where by 
these methods the growers bad received 25 
to 30 per cent net gain in prices. The one 
fact that buyers are willing to buy fruit 
put up by some of these co-operative asso¬ 
ciations by grade given on package only 
without any inspection, should convince the 
eastern grower of the practicability of these 
methods. M. C. Burrit, reporting for the 
publicity committee, asked for the aid of 
the agricultural press, and urged the writ¬ 
ing of articles for the press and magazines. 
Much can be done in advertising and in 
looking into the packing and distribution of 
fruit and the committee asked for money 
to carry on the work. A motion was passed 
to refer tbe matter of funds for this com¬ 
mittee to the executive committee. 
Prof. U. P. Hedrick read a paper on 
“The Size, Color and Quality in Fruits.” 
He said nature had given us an apple with 
a flavor that cannot be approached and with 
proper methods we can add to this both 
size and color. There is a misconception 
in the relation of size, color and quality, 
and while the Northwest has us beaten in 
size and color the fruit is only tolerable 
in quality. lie referred to it as bloated 
and unnatural. Quality is gaining on the 
market and the consumer’s taste should be 
cultivated to this quality. Nurserymen can 
help greatly in this advancement by boom¬ 
ing quality fruits rather than the varieties 
that grow best in the nursery and make 
the largest percentage of No. 1 trees. Or¬ 
ganizations and exhibits can help greatly 
in this direction and higher premiums 
should be paid for the best varieties. He 
would like to see fruit shows held similar 
to the recent show held at Spokane, Wash¬ 
ington. 
Member’s hour, conducted by George T. 
Powell, toook up the subject “Grapes; How, 
When and With What to Fertilize.” The 
discussion was started by a short paper by 
A T. Witbeck.. He uses dissolved bone and 
muriate of potash mixed in the proportion 
of four of the former to one of the latter, 
applying 500 pounds of the mixture per 
acre. He has plenty of wood growth, but 
if wood growth was lacking he would add 
some nitrogen. He has harvested 51 tons 
from nine acres. He cultivates to the 
middle or last of July. Sets Worden 9 by 
10 feet. He closed his paper with Joe 
Green’s opinion of the agricultural college. 
Mr. Lansing prefers sulphate of potash 
on heavy land, as the salts in the muriate 
prove detrimental. Mr. Morrell uses 
Mammoth clover as a cover crop with good 
results. D. K. Falvay gave a paper on 
“The Grape Industry of the Chautauqua 
Grape Belt.” Previous to this he read 
a short paper prepared on grape fertilizing. 
His soil is a gravel and his vines lack wood. 
He begins fertilizing at time of setting, 
using one pound to each vine and puts a 
forkful of manure on each side of vine as 
soon as set. His old vineyards receive 
barnyard manure one year, following the 
next season with an application of GOO 
pounds of a fertilizer analyzing 10 per 
cent of phosphoric acid and eight per cent 
of potash. Rotate the manure with the fer¬ 
tilizer. One year lie used GOO pounds of a 
fertilizer analyzing 2-8-2 and left part of 
the vineyard as'a check. The gain per 
acre from the fertilizer was $50 less the 
cost of fertilizer which was $9. He uses 
a cover crop. 
J. II. Hale, of Connecticut, gave a gen¬ 
eral talk and answered a few questions. 
He laughed at apple growers in fearing 
western competition and said when our 
trees were reaching an age when they were 
just getting ready for business the same 
age tree in the West was dead or dying. 
He did not agree with the men who ad¬ 
vised against fillers and told of the peach 
fillers in his Connecticut apple orchards. 
Their main dependence for cover crop is 
Crimson clover and Cow-horn turnip, but 
they have used some Russian vetch lately 
with good results. Apple trees are headed 
2 % feet from the ground and manage to 
work the entire surface among these low 
heads by using machinery adapted to the 
work and very little hand work is neces¬ 
sary. 
The following questions were brought up 
during the meeting: “Can we recommend 
dwarfs for fillers in the apple orchard'/” 
Mr. Hale said dwarfs were nonsense. Plant 
the same varieties on standards. “How can 
we cheapen the cost of harvesting apples'/” 
Mr. Page hires Poles, paying 15 to 20 cents 
per barrel and keeping them under close 
supervision so apples are handled properly. 
Cheapness of harvesting not first considera¬ 
tion. 
“What experience can be offered on the 
use of Kieffer pear as a stock for Bart¬ 
lett?” Mr. Wood reported no success. Mr. 
Powell thought the method was at fault 
as a rule rather than the stock. He said 
most people want to work them over in one 
season but if three years are used in com¬ 
pleting the change good results will follow. 
His finest trees are on Kieffer stock. 
“Of what value are some of the so-called 
fire-blight remedies now being exploited?” 
Prof. Whetzel said this disease was the 
most serious in the State and while proper 
cutting out was effectual it was a slow 
and expensive operation and growers were 
looking for an easy way. I^ast season the 
station at Cornell tried a fire-blight remedy 
known as Callahan's. They followed in¬ 
structions to the letter and the trees 
blighted as bad as any of the untreated. 
Upon later examination they found the 
wood killed for a considerable distance 
around the hole in which the preparation 
was placed and the trees were in worse 
condition than the untreated ones. An 
analysis of the preparation showed it was 
composed of sulphur, charcoal and aso- 
foetida. Some one reported using another 
remedy, with the result that it caused the 
leaves to fall and he expected the trees 
would be dead in the Spring. Prof. Whet¬ 
zel hoped an effective remedy would be dis¬ 
covered. but his faith was rather weak that 
remedies of the paient order would ever 
prove of any value to anyone but the 
promoter. . 
“Is the lime in basic slag as good for 
the land as lime in other forms?” Yes; it 
is carbonate of lime, the best form. “What 
causes shelling of grapes from the bunch 
after picking?” No one seemed to know 
the cause. Mr. Powell recommended grow¬ 
ing grapes not subject to the trouble. Mr. 
Falvay said the station men gave 1G 
reasons for shelling, any one of which 
might be responsible. He thought it due 
to some seasonal condition and said it 
might happen this year and not again in 
many years. In regard to girdling grapes 
Mr. Powell said it was of no value or profit 
Grapes from girdled vines were not fit. to 
put on the market and it hurts the grape 
industry. 
“What is the best system of pruning for 
the grape?” Uncle John Spencer said it 
depended on bow you were brought up. If 
a Hudson River man were to go to Chau¬ 
tauqua County and advocate the Kniffin 
system he would likely be mobbed because 
that system was not popular there. The 
secret is to preserve a balance between 
top and root, no matter what system of 
pruning is adopted. 
“Are Wealthy and Duchess good as fill¬ 
ers?” Mr Woodward said don’t set Duchess 
on clay land. It is all right on light soil. 
Mr. Powell would set both. Don't set 
peaches or other fruits with apples. Fill¬ 
ers should be of the same fruit as the per¬ 
manent orchard. 
The following officers were elected : Presi¬ 
dent, W. C. Barry; vice-presidents, S. D. 
Willard, J. S. Woodward, S. W. Wadhams, 
Albert Wood ; secretary-treasurer, John 
Hall, Rochester. Executive committee, C. M. 
Hooker, D. K. Bell, Dewane Bogue, S. 11. 
Dewey, II. S. Wiley. g. r. s. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and yon’Il get a quick reply and. 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 16. 
Dreer's Garden Book 
1909 
W'i 
Sags 
J UST what every amateur wants to 
know—clear, "Concise, dependable 
cultural instructions for success¬ 
fully growing flowers and vegetables. 
Over 100 Special Articles 
on every phase of gardening, most of them 
written expressly for the 1909 Dreer’s Garden 
Book by such eminent authorities as: 
Mrs. H. Rutherfurcl Ely, author of “A Woman’s 
Hardy Garden.” 
Prof. Zj. H. Bailey, of Cornell University. 
Mr. Wm. Falconer, former editor of'•Gardening-.” 
Mr. Geo. W. Oliver, expert plantsman and writer. 
Mr. W. C. Egan, the eminent amateur. 
Mr. E. E. Rexford, the noted writer on house plants 
Mr. T. Greiner, author of •• How to Make the 
Garden Pay,” etc. 
And Special Articles by our own experts. 
You would have to read an entire library of 
books on gardening to acquire the information 
contained in Dreer's Garden Book for 1909. 
We will mail you a copy WITHOUT 
CHARGE if you mention this magazine. 
Henry A. Dreer ^ 4 il c adelp H s ia 
ALFALFA 
All Northern Grown and 
guaranteed to be 99 per cent 
pure. Should produce hay 
at $40.00 per acre annually. Write for Fr 
and instructions on growing. 
free Sample 
GRAIN AND GRASS SEEDS 
Northern Grown and of strongest vitality. Wo invito you to 
fet Government Tests on our samples. Send for Cat. No. 23 
THE J. E. WING & ItROS. SEED CO. 
Box 223. Mochanio.sburg, Ohio 
SI 
$ 
SI 
SI 
Si 
SI 
SI 
Si 
si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
§J 
iii 
Si 
8 
I 
1 
i 
rf 
at 
in 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
m 
Si 
si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
iS 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
SI 
Si 
Si 
§§£ 
Cash Prizes 
for the best 
crops of CORN and POTATOES 
^rown on the 
Stockbridge 
SPECIAL 
Manures 
Send for our Prize Announcement, now ready. If you do not 
use the Stockbridge regularly, put in an acre this year and try for 
one of our prizes. 
In the great potato contests conducted by the “American Agricul¬ 
turist,” the celebrated prize crop, 7*38^ bushels, “Dakota Reds,” together 
with the 20 largest and best crops, were grown exclusively on the 
Stockbridge. The crops, table varieties, which took the Stockbridge 
prizes for 1908 are as follows: 
J. M. Pease, Variety, “ Belle,” 436 26-60 bush. 
J. L. Libby, Variety, “Green Mountain,” 432 
S. D. Knight, Variety, “Green Mountain,” 399 5-60 “ 
C. A. Lowell, Variety, “ Green Mountain,” 390 42-60 “ 
The Stockbridge prizes for Corn were awarded for the follow¬ 
ing yields in 1908, of shelled corn: 
A. W. Butler.82 
J. L. Libby,.77 
Dr. H. M. Moulton.75 
Amos Hunting,. 74 
bush. 
What one farmer can do, another can do; and in using the 
Stockbridge you do not run any risk as to fertilizer, but stand a good 
chance to win a substantial cash prize. 
Address for all particulars, 
FERTILIZER 43 Chatham St. 
COMPANY Boston, Mass. 
Before purchasing fertilizers or chemicals , 
get our p7'ices and terms of payment 
BOWKER 
1 
I 
I 
*3 
Si 
Si 
i 
1 
Si 
§ 
i 
1 
I 
C) 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
Si 
