1909. 
333 
SEX OF STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 
Expert strawberry growers will con¬ 
clude that everyone should know the 
difference between perfect and imper¬ 
fect flowers. Our experience is that 
many who grow berries do not realize 
this difference. So we re-engrave from 
a bulletin issued by tbe Geneva Ex¬ 
periment Station tbe pictures shown at 
below with the following remarks: 
Some attention must be given to the sex 
of plants. Those varieties producing no 
pollen (imperfect) should alternate with 
the kinds producing pollen (perfect). if 
only those varieties which are imperfect, 
STRAWBERRY BLOSSOMS. PERFECT 
ABOVE, IMPERFECT BELOW. 
i. e., in which the blossoms contain no 
stamens in addition to the pistils, such as 
Cardinal, Columbia, Mark Hanna, Nettie, 
President, etc., be planted the result is 
usually a failure. Non-fertilization or in¬ 
complete fertilization is usually indicated 
by an abundance of nubbins, berries with 
hard greenish undeveloped apex. Heavy 
and continuous rains, unusually cool tem¬ 
peratures, or tbe absence of pollen-distribut¬ 
ing insects at blossoming time, may/ how¬ 
ever, greatly decrease the setting of fruit 
of even those varieties most prolific in pol¬ 
len bearing. These two classes should not 
be set in the same row, but from one to 
three rows of imperfect varieties may al¬ 
THE RURAL 
ternate with from one to three rows of per¬ 
fect varieties. The kind of pollen does not 
appear to influence the character of the 
fruit. The berries of Senator Dunlap, for 
instance, always seem the same in size, 
color, shape and flavor, no matter whether 
the pollen be supplied from Chesapeake, 
Fairfield, Marshall, or Joe, which differ 
widely. 
LAYING OUT AN ORCHARD. 
As tbe time approaches for setting 
out fruit trees possibly a method used by 
me last year might be found useful. Two 
years ago I set a 10-acre orchard by 
Van Deman’s wire method, soldering 
small copper wires on No. 12 fence 
wire at stated distances, and it worked 
very well on this level field, but try¬ 
ing on a field that had a knoll in about 
the middle to one side, I found that 
my rows would line up perfectly with 
the wire but not so well across the 
lot in the other direction, so I studied 
out the following plan: The articles 
needed are a few bundles of pine lath 
sharpened at one end, a quantity of 
small stakes split from old boards 10 
or 12 inches long, a board notched at 
each end and in the middle, three 
inches wide and six feet long, and a 
No. 12 wire, several feet longer than 
the field to be set, wound on cedar 
fence stake eight feet long, sharpened 
at the lower end with a hole bored 
through about three feet from the 
ground, through which a piece of fork 
handle three feet long is inserted for 
winding and unwinding and from the* 
top of this fence stake a rope for guy- 
rope. Also another stake of same de¬ 
scription to which other end of wire 
is attached. Now, to operate, I find 
right-angled corner of my field first 
and find where first tree in first row 
will come from corner of fence, as 
shown in diagram. I then determine 
the number of rows 2, 3, 4, driving 
in stakes. I then sfiretah wire, as 
shown, from one to five parallel with 
fence AB, and determine the trees c, 
d, e, f, g, h, i, setting a lath perpendic¬ 
ularly at each point. I then determine 
N B W-YORKER 
rows 6, 7 and 8, and stretch wire from 
4 to 8, and set lath in j, k. 1, m, n, o. 
I now have my rows determined and 
stakes as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and also 
my trees in the two parallel outside 
rows marked with lath as c, d, e and 
f. I now stretch my wire from 3 to 
7. I have two boys with basket of 
pegs and two hammers. One boy car¬ 
ries a lath, the other the notched board. 
T go to lath j, and sighting across to 
lath c, have boy stand his lath on wire 
at p, so it will sight in direct line 
across j, p, c. The other boy drops his 
notched board at right angles, as near 
as convenient, across the wire so that 
middle notch straddles the lath, when 
CL 
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PLAN FOR LAYING OUT ORCHARD. 
each boy drives a peg at each end 
notch, and then moves on the distance 
of one tree on the wire where I again 
sight as from k to d across his lath 
at 2, and boys again drive pegs, and 
so on until row is finished, when I 
move wire from 2 to 6, and peg in the 
same way. When the field is pegged, 
having also pegged my lath rows in 
the same way, I have for each row 
of trees a line of pegs on each side of 
the row, I now take team with plow 
and Sherwood harness or short evener, 
and plow a deep furrow up and back 
in center between stakes where my 
trees are to be set. Then with notched 
board dropped over pegs I set tree in 
middle notch in furrow and shovel 
dirt about roots, and when orchard is 
set plow up and down on each side 
of row, throwing dirt towards trees 
and filling up furrows. 
The wherefore of all this is: First, 
your trees will line exactly both ways 
in the field whether it be a plain or 
hills and valleys. Second, I find it 
much easier to take the trouble to 
stake and then plow the furrows than 
to dig the holes with a spade. At least, 
I dug holes for 10 acres one year and 
plowed furrows for 30 acres the fol¬ 
lowing year. If the field is very wide 
cloth may have to be tied to the tops 
of one line of stakes, and the use of 
a small field glass or opera glass be 
called into commission. If too uneven 
to see across, a central line of stakes 
may be added. fruit-grower. 
Want to Know. 
A Sulky Side-IIill Plow. —The side- 
bill fields on my farm have been wellnigh 
ruined by being plowed down hill. I have 
a walking side-hill plow, but cannot turn a 
furrow up hill with it. Is there a sulky 
side-hill plow made that will turn a sod 
furrow up hill? I have but two horses; 
will they handle such a plow, and are they 
practical? Will some one give experience 
in this work? j, F- s . 
Auburn, N. Y. 
Handling Cutworms.—F or over 30 
years I have been telling people how to 
save their tomato plants from cutworms. 
Simply make a little mound of earth as 
large as an inverted teacup around the 
base of each plant. A cutworm can't 
t'liDlh. M. CRAWFORD. 
Ohio. 
A Bird Dog for Crows. —About keeping 
crows out of cornfield, I tied my black bird 
dog with about three or four feet of chain 
in center of field, which was level, and con¬ 
tained about four acres. He did no run¬ 
ning, jumping nor barking, but not a crow 
dared come in that field. if sun is hot 
seme shade should be provided for the dog. 
I have known crows to eat tarred corn 
when the stalks were eight and ten inches 
high, but this bird dog seems to be the 
real thing. I think the idea is original 
with me, and you need not be afraid to 
proclaim it aloud. j. F . g. 
Auburn, N. Y. 
U1C 
On This 
Big Cut 
ces Slashed Now! 
Hurry Your Name In To Us For 
(Note—Don’t Delay even if you may not want to actually buy for 6 months. 
Get these prices now and we will deliver when you say the word.) 
^XFREE BOOK and FREE SAMPLES 
Direct to Your Home 
The United Factories Co., Dept. C-31 , Cleveland, Ohio 
Here’s my name and address. Let me know all the facts 
v about why you are cutting prices right now on all Steel ami 
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v \ se nd me your Free Roofing Book and Free Samples— 
k no obligation on my part to buy. 
Uses For and Big 
Savings on Highest 
Quality Guaranteed 
EXCELL 
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on every building — for 
roofs, siding or ceiling. 
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hen houses, hog houses— 
all out houses—an abso¬ 
lute protection against all 
weather. 
3. Rust-Proof — galvan¬ 
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wish, and proof against 
wind, rain, hail and sun. 
4. No experience neces¬ 
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furnished complete so you 
or your man can put it on. 
5. Order what you need 
now at these cut prices and 
lay it when you get a day’s 
time — or reserve the 
amount you want at these 
prices to be delivered 
when you say so. Then 
pay if absolutely satisfied 
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high quality. Send no 
money now. 
Costs Much Less Than 
Shingles if Ordered Quick 
Now — and Practically 
Indestructible. 
■\T7E come out here quick to tell you the facts. We give our customers all the direct benefit 
of these prices at once. Steel and iron prices have been cut and slashed to rock-bottom 
costs in the big fight between the Steel Trust and the Independents 
1 hat gets us big reductions on highest quality Steel and Iron Roofing and Siding raw 7 naterial^\L> 
because we have a oted quickly. As large manufacturers of all kinds of high grade guaranteed Steel and\V a' 
Iron Roofing and Siding, selling direct to the user we offer you all the savings. Vv 
\Ve can afford to do it. 3 hat’s how we get and hold our customers. Dealers can’t do it—as they are^ 
stocked 7tp at old high prices. No other manufacturer offers you these reductions. Satisfaction guaranteed or 
no pay is our plan. So get your name down here to us—at once—so we can give you these enormous 
reduction prices on 
Town. 
Address. 
No matter whether you have figured to buy at once or not—get your name 
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will save you, and get our free book and free samples by return mail. 
Remember that our EXCELL brands are of the very highest quality. 
That's what we offer you at these cuts in prices. 
Sent Direct From our Factory To You 
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that metal roofing Is all alike. 
QUALITY plays a more important part in metal roofing than in mostthings 
you use. In the first place there is a great difference in the quality of the gal¬ 
vanizing and the way it is applied. 
SIZE UNIFORMITY AND WEIGHT of the sheets-all are so vastly dif- 
ferent and most important to the roofing buyer to be careful about in buying. 
THE UNITED FACTORIES CO., 
Selling Only Direct From 
steel ROOFING 
and 
IRON and SIDING 
SEND NO 
'oN MONEY 
v, * w x -, 
Galvanized or Painted 2%-Inch Corrugated 
Excell Roolhrg 
EXCELL stands for the best there is in metal rooting. It Is 
made from the best materials money can procure—the painting and 
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EXCELL ROOFING is worth to you twice as much as the cheap, light 
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Guaranteed Satisfaction or No Pay 
Send your name now by postal, a letter or the free coupon above for our Free Roofing 
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Investigate these prices Investigate our direct plan—don't pay two prices elsewhere. 
Keep your money In your own pocket right now until you get all the facts. 
Then decide for yourself. 
We leave it to you—just write—use postal, a letter or the free coupon above. 
Cleveland, Ohio 
our Factories to the User 
Dept. .C-31, 
Galvanized or Painted 1^-Inch Corrugated 
Excell Rooting 
.. 
***$« - «*#*-- 
... .i • ' — - '—»»*• 
.. 
“ - 5 - - .> ^ 
. ...... ....:• .... 
■ 
Galvanized or Painted %-Inch Corrugated 
Excell Roofing 
ALSO ALL OTHER KINDS BT METAL AND OTHER ROOFING SHOWN IN OUR FREE CATALOGS. 
