190S. 
8.36 
TROUBLES OF A SOUTHERN GROWER. 
E. V. H., of Cleelum, N. C., has a number of apple, 
pear, peach, plum and quince trees planted within the 
last eight years in the characteristic red clay soil of 
that region, and in large holes in which good top soil 
and hardwood ashes had been put before planting. 
Most of them grew well for awhile, but a late Spring 
frost came after the leaves were out and damaged 
SCHNADELBACH SEEDLING CHESTNUT. NATURAL 
SIZE. Fig. 390. See Ruralisms, Page S38. 
them badly. T he bark on the trunks turned dark, 
and some of it came loose, leaving the trees in very 
bad condition, and some of them dead. He fears that 
because some of his trees did not grow well they are 
starving, and wants to know what to do with the whole 
orchard, including the trees hurt by the late frost. The 
land is part of an old field that has long been under 
cultivation and badly run down. He has been trying 
the cow pea and other legumes, but has made little 
success in growing them so far. 
This man is on the right road to bring his land 
into a proper state of fertility, and when he does the 
trees will grow well and bear. By manuring rather 
.heavily when he planted the trees in large holes well 
prepared with top soil and wood ashes he evidently 
started them to growing rapidly, but as this fertility 
did not extend beyond the prepared holes the roots 
found little available food after a few years. What 
they need is the whole surface of the soil to be en¬ 
riched, and especially with humus and nitrogen. These 
two go together. He should continue the growing of 
cow peas in cultivated drills in Summer and Crimson 
clover during the W inter. 1 hese will soon add the 
needed humus and nitrogen. If hardwood ashes that 
have not been leached are available the more that is 
applied the better, but it should be scattered over the 
entire ground, because the tree roots will soon be feed¬ 
ing over all of it. Put on some stable manure at least, 
for that contains the ferments that are needed in the 
soil. It matters little when these things are applied, 
so they are well scattered. The injury to the trees by 
the late Spring frost is only temporary, and those that 
survived it will outgrow it entirely under good culti¬ 
vation and feeding. h. e. van deman. 
INFLUENCE OF STOCK ON SCION. 
Your correspondent (page 762) asks a question 
about the influence of stock on scion: I want to con¬ 
tribute a closely related question and perhaps a partial 
answer. A nurseryman of wide experience, when 
asked why working English walnut (Juglans regia) 
on native (nigra) would correct the former’s tend¬ 
ency to keep growing too late and so winter-kill, 
said, ‘The scion determines almost wholly the char¬ 
acter of the root. To prove it we bud or graft all 
our trees on seedling roots that are raised by the 
carload in the West, all grown from seed from the 
Vermont cider mills; but after two years’ growing 
in the nursery row each tree has the distinctive root 
system of the kind, so that I can tell, in digging, one 
kind from another by this test.” L. P. R. has two 
blocks of Baldwins from different sources behaving 
differently; he thinks there is a difference in the root- 
stock; perhaps the trees furnishing the scions were 
different. Experts tell us to top-work slow and tender 
growing varieties on vigorous growing stocks, and 
so get hardier trees. Does the presence of the hardy 
stem control the top scion, while when the bud is in¬ 
troduced directly to the root the control is reversed? 
I have asked this question in another paper and have 
no answer. 
Another suggestion: Does L. P. R. know that both 
blocks are Baldwins? I called on a neighbor a month 
ago and found him sorting peaches. I asked him 
how he did, and he said he’d been in a bad humor 
for two weeks. Then he showed me a block of 100 
trees set eight years ago for Stayman’s Winesap, 
fruiting this year for the first a nice sprinkling of— 
Paragon. Why shouldn’t he be in a bad humor! On 
the Repp farm at Glassboro an orchard of Wine- 
saps planted part with two-year and part with three- 
year trees shows a very marked difference in size and 
vigor of tree in favor of the two-year stock. 
Pennsylvania. s s> D 
THE RUR.A.L, NEW-YORKER 
AN INTERFERING HORSE. 
I have a valuable mare which interferes somewhat (not 
badly) with her hind feet. She strikes the inside of one 
ankle with the inner edge of the other hoof or shoe. I 
suggested to the smith that he trim the inner edge of each 
bind hoof a little (say one-quarter inch) shorter than the 
outer edge, to make her set her hind feet farther apart. 
But he said that in Asheville (the nearest city), the horse- 
shoers do just the opposite and trim the outer edge shorter, 
that is, cut off more. Is that the best way to remedy the 
trouble? Please explain why this helps the matter, if it 
does; also give me the best remedy for the trouble. 
North Carolina. e. v. ii. 
No specific treatment can be prescribed in such cases, 
as what will help one case often aggravates another. 
We find, however, that quite commonly interfering is 
first induced by trimming down the feet of an unshod 
horse to what looks like normal proportions. For in¬ 
stance, it is common to shoe a horse in front, on the 
farm, but proceed to shoe the hind feet when he has 
to be used on the roads, and the hind feet meanwhile 
have grown out wide at the quarters and look bad— 
to the smith—but they suit the horse and he can 
travel safely on them. Cut away the flanging quarters 
and he does not know how to handle the feet, and 
proceeds to interfere, and when the fetlock has been 
struck once the accident is very likely to happen again 
from the awkward way in which the horse travels try¬ 
ing to avoid the experience which caused so much pain 
the first time. A horse also will interfere if overdriven 
when out of condition, weak when recovering from an 
attack of sickness, or if a colt and undeveloped. This 
leg weariness needs rest, and that may put an end to 
the interfering. If your mare has recently had the 
PARAGON CHESTNUT, HYBRID CHINQUAPIN AND 
WILD CHINQUAPIN LEAVES. MUCH REDUCED 
IN SIZE. Fig. 391. See Ruralisms, Page 838. 
hind hoofs trimmed down take off the shoes and turn 
her to pasture until the hoofs regain their normal 
shape. 1 hen put on plates without much trimming of 
the hoofs. If the hoofs have not been trimmed as in¬ 
dicated then rasp away the wall a little at the inside 
of the toe and inner side of the hoof, so that the wall 
at the ground will be straighter in place of the usual 
curve from toe to quarter. Then put on shoes having 
long trailers on the outer heel, and with the shoe fol¬ 
lowing exactly the straight edge of the inner walls. 
Have her wear interfering boots until the right way 
of shoeing her has been determined by experimenta¬ 
tion. __ A. s. A. 
DRIVING A TEAM TO FLORIDA. 
In Hope Farm Notes, page 769, is an inquiry from 
R. D. L. about coming to Florida with team to work. 
Your advice to him is good; may I add a little? For 
health’s sake go to the sea coast, say Pablo Beach, 
just east of Jacksonville, or in the southern elevated 
portion of the State—like ours. I knew a family who 
drove to Florida from Michigan in 1880. It was a 
heroic task, and hardly to be repeated in these days 
of cheap homeseeker’s or settlers’ tickets. Team 
would have to spend the Winter recuperating for the 
Spring return. Better leave them with a friend unless 
you intend to stay. Our climate is our main resource, 
and should induce you to locate permanently when you 
find a suitable location. You can make several crops 
here while you get one there, and fresh vegetables and 
fruit everj' month in the year can be had with probably 
the same work you give your garden now, divided. 
You will long for frost after a spell, and our Sum¬ 
mers are also far more comfortable than yours— 
though few believe it on hearsay. Of course we need 
more good farmers; it is so easy to make a living 
that many natives will not exceed that, but there is a 
little more here for those who want it. Our State has 
suffered more from exaggeration than any other cause. 
Orange picking begins here about November 1. Pick¬ 
ers and packers get five cents a box, and can handle 
30 to 50 or more a day. Box nailers at 1% cent 
earn $3 to $4. Team could haul fruit. Orange season 
is about over by January 1. If he brings some pota¬ 
toes along he can plant them and get off his crop at 
say $3 a barrel by the time the home folks get the ice 
out of their gutters. We are about 50 miles from 
Tampa, in a section novel for its hills in a generally 
flat State, 16 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, a little 
north of what some call the “frost-line.” I suppose 
we average three frosts a Winter; the lowest in three 
past was 27, for a couple of days. We want R. D. L. 
and will try to instruct him, or show him a better 
place. As to weeds, we plant them here, beggar-weed, 
the finest quality of forage I ever saw; expect to sow 
in corn for hay next Spring. I admire the independ¬ 
ence of The R. N.-Y. and hope you’ll get the primary 
law for New York. We have it, and only the politi¬ 
cians find fault. m. l. s. 
Hernando Co., Fla. 
Take the Train to Florida. 
The orange season has commenced already. I am 
working in a packing house that opened up September 
24 with fruit shipped from a point 45 miles south, in 
bulk, which will last probably till about October 20. 
Then the home crop will come in, and by November 1 
four or perhaps five packing houses will be running, 
sending out at least a car a day each. The work will 
last till about February, then the East Coast will ship 
a month or six weeks longer. I would advise R. D. L. 
(page 769) to get an immigration ticket and put his 
horses, wagon, etc., on a car, and come down and 
haul oranges. If he has a good heavy team they will 
stand the Winter all right, and he can drive and clear 
from $3 to $5 a day, as V/2 cent a field box is paid per 
mile for hauling, and 20 boxes is a good load for two 
horses or mules. Horses stand the Winters the first 
season if brought in the Fall, but the first Summer is 
trying to them if not cared for properly. If R. D. L. 
should start November 1 and drive 1200 miles he 
would miss the best of the work, and have a jaded 
team to start with. If he really wants to drive that 
distance he can go back through the country, as by 
leaving here in the Spring he would have time to get 
back to New York State before farm work com¬ 
menced. Candidly, I don’t think he would go back, 
at least not to stay, if his health is bad. Of course he 
would have to take his chances of a good job; other 
people are hunting the same things, and the only way 
I ever found to get them was to be on the ground 
ready when the work called, and stick when you got 
one, so you would be wanted again next season. For 
instance, I came here four years ago, struck a job at 
$1.50 in the packing house, and am now getting $2.25 
at the same job in the same house. No hay fever 
kc re. r. a. t. 
De Soto Co., Fla. 
“AUTO TRAPS.”—Out on the shores of Lake Erie, on 
the main road between Buffalo and Erie, where automobiles 
run thick and fast, lies a little hamlet whose inhabitants 
were much alarmed at the reckless speed with which many 
auto drivers ran through their village. To be sure they 
had placed large signs at the limits of their town, but the 
drivers did not seem to be good readers. So they placed 
two men one-eighth mile apart with flags, so that they 
could signal each other. When the auto passed one he 
would signal the other, who would time the machine. If 
it exceeded the speed limit he would signal the driver 
to stop and arrests would follow. But this “trap” did not 
work well, as two-thirds of the drivers, when they got the 
signal to stop, would put on full speed and throw a cloud 
of dust in his face, and in less time than it takes to tell 
AN ILLINOIS SUGAR BEET CROP. Fig. 392. 
it would he out of the lawful jurisdiction of the town. 
There happened to be a good-sized bridge within the limits 
of this town, so they placed a third man and a good 
strong gate at the bridge. If the third man at the bridge 
gets the signal he closes the gate. In this way they are 
able to prevent a violation of the speed limit across the 
bridge. At last accounts they were catching enough to 
make it pay. D M - 
