lOA 
February 8 , 
Ruralisms 
A Fine Willow-leaved Oak. —The 
Willow-leaved oak, Quercus Phellos, is 
fairly common in moist woodlands with¬ 
in its range, from New York to Florida, 
and west to central Missouri, and is 
generally admired for its fine upright 
habit and the pleasing yellow Autumnal 
tint of its narrow willow-like foliage. 
It is rarely planted for ornament, 
though it deserves a fair share of the 
attention now given the very desirable 
and closely related Pin oak, Q. palus- 
tris, which is now grown by nursery¬ 
men in quantity for park and street 
plantings. While partial to swampy 
soils, the Willow-leaved oak thrives well 
on upland, and is hardy at least to the 
Canada line. When young it forms a 
close pyramid of slender gray branches, 
clothed with dark, glossy willow-shaped 
leaves, half an inch wide and three 
inches long. There is so little resem¬ 
blance to the usual broad, deeply-lobed 
oak foliage that the tree is not readily 
recognized as an oak when first seen. 
The little acorns, usually rather spar¬ 
ingly borne, are needed to convince new¬ 
comers that the specimen is really an 
oak. The tree broadens with age, oc¬ 
casionally reaching 80 feet in height, 
and more in spread of limb, with a 
trunk diameter of three to four feet. 
The tree shown in Fig. 49, page 99, 
lately uprooted to clear land near the 
Rural Grounds for garden purposes, was 
nearly of maximum size, and growing 
so near its northern limit of natural 
distribution, had long attracted atten¬ 
tion. The Willow-leaved oak is not 
highly valued as a timber tree. The 
wood is coarse and rather brittle, the 
main uses being for fuel, rails and barn 
timber. The yellow Autumn foliage is 
of a more delicate shade than that of 
most forest trees, and is associated in the 
South with the gold and crimson of the 
abundant Sweet gum or Liquldambar 
tree, making a most harmonious com¬ 
bination. Trees of the Willow-leaved 
oak are offered by leading ornamental 
nurserymen at prices approximating $1 
each. They transplant readily and grow 
well when established. 
Asparagus Prospects. —The mild 
Winter may be regarded as distinctly 
favorable for asparagus plants, though 
they are very hardy, and seldom appear 
injured by deep freezing. Though the 
crowns are dormant it appears possible 
that root action continues to some de¬ 
gree in the unfrozen soil. There is 
difficulty, however, in applying the an¬ 
nual covering of manure used by most 
growers, and they will not be averse to 
colder weather in February and early 
March. Prospects for satisfactory 
profits the coming season are flattering. 
The cut last year was small, owing to 
the late cold Spring, but fair prices 
were realized where the quality was rea¬ 
sonably good. An excellent growing 
season followed, so that the plants would 
appear to be in condition to send up 
strong shoots as soon as the weather 
permits. The good prices realized last 
year were not due solely to the short¬ 
age of the eastern crop. California 
failed to supply canners to the extent 
customary in former years. The rea¬ 
sons are variously given as injury from 
the newly acquired European Asparagus 
rust and flooding of the islands in the 
Sacramento Valley, where the largest 
commercial plantings are situated. At 
any rate no serious competition was felt 
from the Pacific coast, and it is not an¬ 
ticipated in the immediate future, as it 
is well-known California growers are 
engaged in fierce conflict with the rust, 
which appears more destructive under 
their stimulating climate than it has 
lately been in the East. Rust has given 
New Jersey growers little trouble for 
several years. In well established fields 
of the Palmetto and Argenteuil vari¬ 
eties this last season no material dam¬ 
age could be seen. Growers no longer 
spray or apply sulphur to control the 
pest, but rely on liberal fertilization 
and thorough culture to enable the 
plants to resist infection. The practical 
result of the rust invasion is to shorten 
the general cutting season three weeks 
or more, in order that vigorous growth 
may be made before the annual attack 
of the Summer spores, which is usually 
noticeable in mid-August. Fields are no 
longer cut over until July, except worn- 
out ones that are to be plowed out and 
replanted with other crops. 
A Good Early Crop.— Asparagus is a 
boon to those who successfully grow it. 
When of good quality it is readily mar¬ 
keted, and brings in revenue at the time 
it is most urgently needed for farm 
;; • f :c r- 'f> :• < iii..- :u t 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
operations. It is the first money crop 
of the season, and as such is highly 
appreciated. A successful field means 
considerable outlay, and the waiting of 
at least three years for returns, which 
though small at first, rise iii'good years 
to more than $300 profit per acre. Once 
established an asparagus bed should 
yield fair compensation for about 12 
years, after which decline is usually 
rapid. There is little use, however, in 
planting asparagus for commercial pur¬ 
poses in heavy soils. Good treatment 
may induce satisfactory yields in such 
soils, but the “grass” will be too slow 
in starting and too late in market to 
command best prices. Warm, sandy 
land, of good depth, sloping, if possible 
to the south or west, is best for market 
asparagus. It need not be of high fer¬ 
tility—manure, chemicals and tillage 
will compensate for any natural lack of 
richness—but it must be of warm, open 
and responsive texture if early and at¬ 
tractive sprouts are to be produced in 
quantity. Some of the most profitable 
asparagus fields in our vicinity are on 
sandy lands, formerly too poor to grow 
paying crops of corn or grass. Al¬ 
though the output of asparagus is in¬ 
creasing it scarcely keeps pace with the 
demand. 
Growers Prefer White “Grass.”— 
Although green asparagus sprouts are 
preferred by most individuals and they 
are steadily gaining in market favor, 
growers generally prefer to furnish the 
white or blanched article, which is pro¬ 
duced by ridging the soil 10 inches or 
more high over the crowns. This labor¬ 
ious work is much facilitated by special 
horse-drawn tools now in general use. 
The operation also indicates the usual 
nature of asparagus soils, as it is 
scarcely practicable in heavy loams or 
sticky clays. The ridges must be main¬ 
tained by shaping after every rain, and 
cutting is done by deeply thrusting a 
long, square-pointed knife to the base 
of the shoot as soon as the top pierces 
the surface, thus often wounding other 
sprouts that cannot be seen. Neverthe¬ 
less growers assert they are rid, by this 
method, of the nuisance of Asparagus 
beetles, that swarm on the young green 
shoots every warm day, quickly disfigur¬ 
ing them, and gain a greater yield, as 
green shoots are observed to spindle or 
diminish in size above the soil line. 
There is no doubt concerning the free¬ 
dom from beetle annoyance of bleached 
asparagus spears. The pest only works 
above ground, and it is the aim of the 
“white grass” growlers to cut every 
shoot as it appears, but the question of 
comparative yield is not definitely 
settled. After growing nearly a foot 
above the natural surface of the soil in 
order to penetrate the ridge the shoot 
may well be excused for spindling or 
attempting to branch when it reaches 
daylight. Our trials appear to show 
that vigorous shoots on level land dim¬ 
inish very little until they are nine 
inches or more above the surface. 
When cut level with the soil at that 
length, the green shoots are almost as 
large and shapely throughout as when 
bleached by ridging. When we consider 
the number of short spears severed, and 
the crowns undoubtedly injured, by 
deep cutting with long knives, it may 
be that the yield of green shoots will 
equal in bulk that of the blanched. The 
difference in price for similar grades is 
generally slightly in favor of green 
“grass.” 
The Beetle a Difficult Pest.— The 
Asparagus beetle is a troublesome pest, 
not easy to control. Chickens are fond 
of them and will rid garden beds of the 
adults, but, of course, can be of little 
benefit in large fields. Clean cutting, 
especially in ridge culture, keeps them 
well under control in Spring, but the 
slugs or larvae do considerable harm 
later. Seedling beds and young plant¬ 
ings are constantly infested during the 
growing season, but slugs or beetles 
yield readily to arsenites when sprayed 
or dusted on the top when wet with 
dew. The foliage of asparagus is so 
smooth and filmy that care is needed to 
get the insecticide to stick. Paris-green, 
London purple and Slug-shot in the 
proportion used for Potato beetles 
answer very well. If only a small 
quantity is needed, as for seed beds, the 
arsenite may well lie mixed with flour 
and blown on while the foliage is wet. 
Even road dust forcibly thrown on is 
beneficial. Beetles do comparatively less 
damage in large plantings than small 
ones. Growers with a considerable 
acreage treat them with silent contempt, 
just as wholesale cabbage growers do 
the green Cabbage worm or caterpillar, 
trusting to good culture to make up for 
incidental damage, but seed-beds are 
generally treated with arsenite as 
needed. w. v. f. 
|k& 
Oats Respond Readily 
to Nitrate of Soda, not only in yield but especially in quality. Here 
is one of many reports we get: Without Nitrate of Soda, 36 bushels 
of oats to the acre ; with Nitrate of Soda, 64 bushels per acre—the 
oats weighing in the latter case 41 lbs. per bushel. 
Test It for Yourself 
We send Nitrate of Soda, free 
of all cost, for a trial plot, on the simple condition that you follow our directions in 
using it, and give us exact reports of the extra yield. To the twenty-five farmers 
who show the best results will be sent, as a prize, Prof. Voorhees’ valuable book, 
u fertilizers,” dealing with natural, home-made and manufactured fertilizers, with 
suggestions as to the use for different crops. 327 pages, handsomely bound; also 
another valuable book, Grass Growing for Profit.” 
Apply for Nitrate of Soda at once, as this offer is necessarily limited . 
A few copies of “Food for Plants ,” a 2 30-page book , are left 
for distribution. Send name and complete address on post cai'd . 
WILLIAM S. MYERS, Director, John Street and 71 Nassau, New York. 
THE DEYO 
POWER SPRAYER 
Mounted complete with mechanical agita¬ 
tor. Better thau ever. New air-cooled engine. 
Other new features, all important 1o the man 
whosprays. Write for new catalog 19—just out. 
R. H. DEYO 6 COMPANY., Binghamton, N. Y. 
GET THE BEST 
A Good Spray Pump earns 
big profits and lasts for years. 
THE ECLIPSE 
is a good pump. As 
> practical fruit grovv- 
\ ers we were using common 
i sprayers in ourown orchards 
i —found their defects and 
{ invented the Eclipse. Its 
success forced us to manu¬ 
facturing on a larp 2 scale. 
You take no chances. We 
have done all the experi¬ 
menting. Large fully illustrated Catalog 
and Treatise on spraying FREE. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, Benton Harbor, Mich. 
Don’t Allow “Pests” to Destroy Your Fruit. 
Did you ever stop to think why you gathered so few 
perfect apples last year? More than likely the failure 
of your fruit crop was caused by a fungus, or the cod¬ 
ling moth, which blighted the blossoms and young fruit 
as it was forming. They were your enemies last year— 
they will be this year. 
Study up the subject and be prepared to give the pests 
battle royal this com¬ 
ing year by spraying 
trees and vines at the 
proper time. 
jl \ This matter of spray¬ 
ing is no longer a 
question of policy or 
of experiment, but of 
stern necessity to 
farmers and fruit 
growers. 
The war against the 
destructive army of 
pests must be aggressive—exterminating if you would 
save the fruit as well as the trees and vines which bear it. 
If you are at all interested in securing a better crop of 
fruit or vegetables it will be well worth your while to 
write the William Stahl Sprayer Co., Box 70 U, Quincy, 
III., for a copy of their free book telling all about spray¬ 
ing and how, when, where and what to do it with. 
For Rapid, Easy Spraying—The 
”AUtO-POp” NOZZLE 
| Slight pressure on lever starts dense 
spray. Automatic shut-off. Doubles ca» 
pacity. Saves solution, time, labor. 
INCREASE THE CROPS 
I by using the "Auto-Pop’* nozzle on 
the “Auto-Spray” pump. 
Write if you want agency. 
jE. C. Brown Co., fiSJaySt., Rochester, N. Y 
Some Comments on 
HUBBARD’S 
FERTILIZERS 
‘‘I get 50% more potatoes by using Hubbard’s” 
“Best asparagus I ever raised was with Hub¬ 
bard’s Soluble Potato Manure” 
“$28.00 worth of Hubbard’s Fruit Fertilizer 
is equal to 50 loads of manure" 
“500 to 700 bushels of onions per acre with 
Hubbard's Soluble Tobacco Manure” 
“We are beginning to see the benefit of ‘Bone 
Base' goods” 
“750 lbs. per acre of Hubbard's Soluble Cora 
and General Crops Manure has given splen¬ 
did com” 
“My ensilage com, about 11 acres, will aver¬ 
age about 12 feet high on the Complete 
Phosphate” 
“Hubbard’s Bone for poultry strengthens and 
invigorates the fowls ” 
Send for Almanac and Prices 
THE ROGERS & HUBBARD CO. 
Fertilizer Manufacturers 
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. 
— _ _ __ m It will pay you to spray your 
NR Fruit Trees and Vines for pro- 
BJLf H 1 tectionfrom scale and all insect 
SI I pests and fungus diseases. FREE 
■ IS Instruction Hook shows the 
W p famous EMPIRE KING. ORCHARD 
MONARCH and other sprayers; also gives a 
lot of formulas and other valuable Information. 
FIELD FORCE PUMP CO.. No. 2 11 th St., Elmira, N. V. 
The Mill on the Farm 
Every farmer needs a good feed mill 
for grinding corn meal, all kinds of feed, 
cracking corn, etc. Here’s an opportu¬ 
nity to get the best mill made at a rea¬ 
sonable price and on trial for two weeks. 
Write for free catalogue describing 
MONARCH 
Feed Mills 
This booklet gives lots of 
honest advice on milling 
methods,and tells just 
i _ what kind 
of a mill 
you need. 
Sprout, Waldron 
& Co. 
P. 0. SCI 263, 
MUNCY, PA. 
THE PERFECTION SPRAYER 
Sprays Ever,thing— trees, potatoes, etc. Furnished 
complete with Cart and Barrel, Combined hand and 
horse power. Don’t buy until you get my catalogue, Free. 
THOMAS PEPPLER,Itox45,Hightstown,N\J. 
THE “KANT-KLOG” SPRAYERS 
[ Something Now. Gets twice the results withs ame labor 
and fluid. Flat or round, fine or coarse sprays from same 
. ■ im iin» ■ gk Nozzle. Ten styles. For trees, vines, 
vegetables, whitewashing, etc. 
Agents 
Wanted. 
[Rochester Spray ^fi^ihr^UiEast Are., Rochester, R. T. 
HAS MADE SPRAYING EASY JSvrTree!? lect 
The N. Y. Herald, November 17, ’07, says; ‘ The chances are about a hundred 
to one that you have the San Jose Scale on your place and do not know it,” and 
advises the use of “ SCALECIDE.” This is good advice. “ SCALECIDE ” has 
been tested and tried, and found thoroughly effective. The same yesterday, 
to-day, and all the time. One gallon makes 15 to 20, ready to use, by simply 
adding- water. 
Prices: lgal., SI.00; 5 gal., $3.25; 10 gal., 6.00; 50 gal. bbl., $25.00, F. O. B. 
:y. Or ' 
/<ORDER 
A 
\BARREL 
xNQW 
our factory. 
)rder to-day. Write for booklet N and free sample. 
B. G. PRATT CO., Mfe. Chemists, 
IX Broadway, New York City. 
