62 2 
THE RURAL MEAY-YORKER 
June 20, 
Ruralisms 
Prospects for Fruit. —Fair chances 
for many kinds of fruit but full crops 
of none, with the possible exception of 
strawberries, would likely be a fair sum¬ 
ming- up of present fruit prospects. The 
mild Winter, followed by a Spring no¬ 
ticeably warmer and earlier than the 
average, were in themselves favorable, 
but most unwelcome frosts and storms 
at blooming time dashed all hopes of 
banner crops. Cherries, especially the 
sour kinds, apples, pears, currants and 
gooseberries were more or less injured, 
while native plums were totally de¬ 
stroyed. Japan and hybrid plums came 
through well, and peaches were much 
less harmed than appeared likely at the 
time. More damage was done by lasting 
rains hindering pollination than by frost, 
though the full effect of the latter is 
probably not yet apparent. A rather ex¬ 
tensive “June drop” is looked for, which 
may relieve overloaded peach and plum 
trees, to their advantage. Pears had an 
overwhelming bloom that promised great 
things to the unobservant, but the young 
fruits have been constantly dropping, so 
that few orchards can bear anything like 
a maximum crop, even if no further loss 
occurs. There is a good set of the early- 
blooming apples such as Astrachan and 
Yellow Transparent, but the later va¬ 
rieties were caught when in full bloom 
by the fiercest gale of the season, and 
now appear discouragingjy bare of young 
fruits, though the gain in size may 
largely make up for sparse numbers. 
Brier fruits show considerable frost 
damage, as is often the case when March 
is unseasonably warm. Unprotected dew¬ 
berries suffered most, but blackberries 
and red raspberries showed many frost¬ 
bitten canes. There is now a fair bloom 
on the hardier varieties which may wind 
up in a tolerable crop. Grapes are still 
in bud at the beginning of June, and are 
not starting as vigorously as might be 
hoped for. 
Few Insect Pests. —Insect troubles are 
noticeable for their absence. May was 
comparatively the coolest and wettest of 
the Spring months, thus delaying the 
usual pests. Early roses, Deutzias and 
Paeonias are free from the rose beetle for 
the first time in many years. It is hoped 
their advent will be delayed until grape 
blooms are over and the fruits well set, 
but it is too much to expect that chest¬ 
nut catkins will escape, as the latter are 
by no means well advanced. Orchard 
scales were well cleaned out by the oil 
and sulphur sprays so generally used this 
Spring and are less in evidence than any 
time since the San Jose invasion began, 
nearly 15 years ago. Cutworms have 
been remarkably sluggish and little dam¬ 
age has so far been reported, but the 
Asparagus and Potato beetles are on 
hand as usual, though slow in breeding. 
Growers no longer attempt to poison the 
adults, but reserve their arsenicals until 
the larvae or slugs can be noticed in 
considerable numbers. The only pest 
more abundant than common in the 
vicinity of the Rural Grounds is the im¬ 
ported Currant worm. It is easily con¬ 
trolled by hellebore or other insecticides, 
but from the hidden manner which the 
larvae at first work, beginning in the cen¬ 
ter of the bushes, considerable damage 
is often done before they are noticed. 
Gooseberries suffer most, as the worms 
invariably come before the grower ex¬ 
pects them. 
Growth of Clover. —This is the year 
for clover. All kinds, Crimson, Red 
and White, have made remarkable 
growths. Alfalfa and Melilotus clovers, 
where they are found, are not far be¬ 
hind. On good soil Crimson clover is 
nearly two feet high, where it has not 
lodged, and the usually dwarf White or 
Dutch clover rivals Alsike in stature. 
It appears profusely on roadsides and 
barrens where its presence has.scarcely 
before been noted. This is, of course, 
due to frequent rains and the prevalence 
of moist heat in place of the ordinary 
Spring drought. Other grasses have 
grown in proportion, so that an enor¬ 
mous orop of hay is assured if suitable 
weather for the harvest is forthcoming. 
Attempts to make Crimson clover hay 
have already ended in the usual manner; 
instead of the expected well-cured and 
fragrant forage, a mass of blackened and 
rain-washed material has been stored. 
May weather in the driest of seasons is 
almost too tricky for haymaking, and in 
ordinary years storms, fogs and slow 
evaporation checkmate the best directed 
efforts at curing. Crimson clover is ac¬ 
knowledged to be one of the most val¬ 
uable plants grown in the Middle States, 
but its utility is\as a soil restorative and 
not as a forage plant. In combination 
with chemicals it has solved the problem 
of maintaining fertility on countless 
farms. Seed is now sown by the carload 
where a few bushels were used a decade 
ago. No one now doubts its value 
when used with ordinary discretion. We 
have altered worked-out soil on the 
Rural Grounds, of cement-like hardness 
—so devoid of humus that ragweed 
would not grow on it—to dark loam of 
sufficient fertility to grow any ordinary 
crop, by the persistent yearly sowing of 
Crimson clover alone. More rapid and 
profitable improvement could have been 
made by the sparing use of chemicals 
or stable manure, which seems to bring 
in the needed bacteria, without which 
the clover cannot thrive. From a spind¬ 
ling yellow growth at first, unable to en¬ 
dure the Winter, we now have stands 
that would do a clover crank good to 
see. With a good catch of Crimson 
clover all other clovers are assured, and 
even Alfalfa is a possibility, as proved 
by nearby experience. There is no profit 
in bare land over Winter, and only in 
exceptional cases is a crab-grass cover 
worth maintaining. w. v. f. 
Formalin and Angleworms. 
TT. TT. C■, Connecticut. —There lias much 
1>oen said in Tnn It. N.-Y. about formal¬ 
dehyde lately as a preventive of scab. In 
using recently a very weak solution, one 
pint to 30 gallons of water, or one to 240, 
when the mixture was thrown upon the 
ground after dipping the potatoes an enor¬ 
mous number of dead angleworms appeared 
on the wet surface. They seemed to have 
crawled hurriedly to the ground and died 
almost immediately. Of course I know it is 
a poison, but the solution seemed too weak 
to hurt as tough an animal as a ground 
worm, which can live when cut in several 
sections. 
Ans. —I am much interested in the 
correspondent’s accidental discovery that 
a weak solution of formalin seems to be 
so destructive to angleworms. I do not 
know that the solution has been tested in 
this way. I experimented with the fumes 
on bedbugs and found that although 
used very strong they had practically no 
effect upon the bugs. I do not con¬ 
sider the fumes an insecticide, and still 
doubt the insecticidal properties of the 
solution. Angleworms are quite differ¬ 
ent from insect larvae, and I doubt if the 
latter would be killed with such a dilute 
solution. However, the correspondent’s 
experience is very suggestive, and when 
opportunity offers I shall try the solu¬ 
tion upon these underground insects. 
M. V. SLINGERLAND. 
Repairing Cistern; Barn Roofing. 
L. J., Readinp, Pa. —Will you tell mo the 
best way to repair a cistern that will not 
hold water on the sides? in a former issue 
some one advised washing it with cement. 
Do you consider this effectual, and must 
the old cement be removed ? What is the 
best and most lasting rooting for a large 
barn ? 
Ans. —To stop the leaks in an old cis¬ 
tern the only practical way I have ever 
found was to wash the cistern out thor¬ 
oughly and scrape the walls clean with 
a thin iron of some kind, and then if 
there are any places peeled off plaster 
them up with mortar made of just clear 
Portland cement wetted, but first wash 
the places over with cement wash made 
with cement and water. After the plas¬ 
tered places set up a little go over the 
whole thing with a couple of coats of 
cement wash, and brush it in cracks, 
etc., till it is well covered. If it docs 
not hold first time do it over with a 
couple more coats, but do not-have your 
wash too thick, or it will be more apt to 
peel when it hardens. As to what is 
the best roof for a large barn, for my¬ 
self I would put on nothing else but a 
standing seam galvanized iron roof, 
made with 20 gauge iron, on tight roof 
hoards, the pitch of roof to he not 
more than one-fourth. Of course if it 
is an old roof it would have to remain 
what it is. I know such roofs that 
have been on 20 years or more without 
a nickel’s worth of repairs, and it is 
likely they will not need it for as many 
more. Where it was practical I should 
use cement for a roof, but circumstances 
would have to govern a case like the 
question asked. R. C. A. 
Apple Questions for Grant Hitchings. 
L. C. 8., Rochester, Y. Y. —Will you ask 
Mr. Grant Hitchings to tell whether he has 
tried the mulch system with Bartlett pear 
trees, and if so. with what success? Also 
does he raise the Wolf River and Constan¬ 
tine apples, and what does he think of 
them? How should they be trimmed in 
order to bring them to fruiting as soon as 
possible? 
Ans. —I have about 50 pear trees at 
present that are being grown by the 
mulch method. They are making a very 
satisfactory growth. The block originally 
contained 100 trees. Three years ago the 
blight came along, starting from an old 
Virgalieu pear tree, and before we got 
the best of it practically destroyed half 
of the block. The Wolf River is hardy 
and a good producer of show apples. 
As a member of the Apple Consumers’ 
League I would not recommend the 
planting of this variety. I have no Con¬ 
stantine in bearing, but I believe it is 
an improvement over the Alexander and 
a safe variety to plant. My plan to pro¬ 
mote early bearing is to start head low 
and to defer pruning until bearing habit 
is established. After this occurs prune 
moderately each year, until desired form 
of head to tree is asquired. 
GRANT G. HITCHINGS. 
Burbank Plumb. —In a recent issue | 
there was an article about Burbank plums, 
in which the writer spoke of them rotting 
on the trees. We have a few trees of the 
Burbank plum, and bad 1 l>o same trouble 
the lirst two years; then we read in a fruit 
magazine that this variety of plum should 
be picked before it ripens, as soon as it 
commence s to turn red. and should be laid 
on trays in a dark place. We tried that 
and they ripened beautifully in three or 
four days, turning a dark red and very 
sweet and juicy. M. M. 
New Jersey. 
Florida Bananas. —In a recent issue of 
The It. N.-Y. a reader asks about bananas 
in Orange County, Florida. In low ground 
on the sout heast side of a lake he will get a 
fair crop about one year in five ; none at ail 
one year, and the other three years probably 
what he can eat. The horse banana com¬ 
monly grown is really a plantain. It is 
coarse; I would plant Hart’s Choice, a 
much finer variety, and it will stand the 
cold as well as the coarser sort. They 
come from eyes at the base of the old 
plant, and when they are a foot high slip a 
sharp spade between the young plant and 
the older one. Set out the younger plants 
eight by eight feet ; keep the weeds and ! 
liners cut out of them, give some commer¬ 
cial fertilizer rich in potash, and in IS 
months, if it does not get too cold next 
Winter, you will have something that feels 
mighty comfortable under a hungry man's 
jacket. Let them hang till Hie first fingers 
turn yellow, unless there is danger of frost, 
then cut ; though green as grass they will 
ripen ; all we buy are cut green as can be. 
They have been propagated by slips as 
above till they have lost, the power to pro¬ 
duce seeds, but in a banana you will see 
the little dark streaks that are the remains 
of seed embryos. It is not generally known 
that the famous Manila hemp is produced 
from a variety of banana. Musa textilis. 
Here if we want to tie a hog or small ani¬ 
mal tliere is nothing better than the dry 
leaf stems of a banana; it is soft, strong 
and pliable. I. K. | 
Bowling Green, Fla. 
Genasco 
Ready Roofing 
is made of the great water- 
proofer—asphalt from Trinidad 
Lake. And the Lake is ours. 
Ask any up-to-date dealer for Genasco. 
Write for Book JO and samples. 
THE BARBER ASPHALT 
PAVING COMPANY 
Largest producers of asphalt, and largest 
manufacturers of ready roofing in the world, 
PHILADELPHIA 
New York San Francisco Chicago 
THE DEYO 
POWER SPRAYER 
It is protected from spray mixture. Our 3-H.P. 
air-cooled engine can be easily detached and used 
-where ever power is needed. Six years of success. 
Ask the user. Write for catalog 19. 
R. H. DEYO 6 COMPANY., Binghamton, N. Y. 
Leggett’s Dusters 
DISTRIBUTE 
INSECTICIDES 
IN DUST FORM 
NO WATER TO HAUL 
LEGGETT'S 
CHAMPION 
DUSTER 
The CHAMPION 
dusts two rows of pota¬ 
toes or tobacco as fast 
as you walk. 
The BEETLE 
Potato Duster (llorse 
Power) dusts four rows. 
Illustrated Spray Calen¬ 
dar gives concise infor¬ 
mation with name of 
nearest agent. Mailed 
on request. 
LEGGETT & BROTHER, 301 Pearl St., New York. 
For Rapid, Easy Spraying—The 
"AutO-Pop” nozzle. 
Slight pressure on lever starts dense 
spray. Automatic shut-olL Doubles ca¬ 
pacity. Saves solution, time, labor. 
INCREASE THE CROPS 
by using the "Auto-Pop" nozzle on 
the “Auto-Spray" pump. 
Write if you want agency. 
E. C. Brown Co., 98 J.jBt., Rochester, N. Y. 
FERTILIZER 
Tankage an ideal Fertilizer for Wheat and the 
permanent enrichment of all soils. Free from sul¬ 
phuric acid or other injurious chemicals. Licensed 
for sale and analysis guaranteed under the laws of 
the State of New York. Sold direct front factory 
to farm. $15.00 per ton delivered freight prepaid 
to any railroad station in New York State. 
AMERICAN REDUCTION COMPANY OF 
PITTSBURGH, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
CUTAWAY TOOLS FOR LARGE HAY CROPS 
Clark’s Reversible 
Bush & Bog Plow 
Cuts a track 5 ft. wide, 
1 ft. deep. Will plow 
a new cut forest. His 
double action Cutaway 
Harrow keeps land true, 
moves 1S00 tons of earth, 
cuts 30 acres per day. 
His Rev. Disk Plow cuts a 
furrow 5 to 10 in. di-ep 14 
in. wide. All Clark’s ma¬ 
chines will kill witch-grass, 
wild mustard, charlock, 
hardback, sunflower, milk¬ 
weed , thistle or any foul 
plant. 
A WONDERFUL INVENTION 
CLARK'S DOUBLE ACTION COM¬ 
BINED CULTIVATOR & HARROW. 
Can be used to culti¬ 
vate rowed crops, as 
a listing harrow, also 
when closed together 
is a harrow cutting 4*a 
feet wide. 
CUTAWAY HARROW CO., 
39 Main St., Higganum,f 
' 
NIAGARA BRAND LIME SULPHUR SOLUTION 
Most effective winter and summer spray there is, for all forms of sucking insects and fungus. 
Universally endorsed, as we can prove. Absolutely guaranteed. 
NIAGARA ARSENATE OF READ for chewing insects. 
NIAGARA READY BORDEAUX. NIAGARA GAS SPRAYERS. 
Booklet that everybody should have, FREE for the asking. Address 
NIAGARA SPRAYER COMPANY, MIDDLEPORT, N. Y. 
