634 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 8, 
Ruralisms 
A Scanty Fruit Crop. —Protracted 
drought with unusual heat has still 
further reduced the already unpromis¬ 
ing outlook for orchard fruits. There 
are occasional fair local crops of peaches 
and Summer apples, but more numer¬ 
ous instances of practical failure. The 
dry heat of the past six weeks, by 
the temperature, moisture, season of year Fire-blight on Apples, 
and variety of plant to be treated. The IT. W. H., Syracuse, y. y.—I have some 
effect is more violent as the temperature a PP ]e trees, and the extreme end of the 
is higher and the season is later, but it is 
found there is greater tolerance than 
was at first believed. Chloroform is more 
energetic in action than ether, and not 
more than one-fourth the amount 
should be used. When the possibilities 
of this interesting, process are fully 
worked out it may be found that a con- 
checking growth, has apparently caused siderable number of tuberous or bulbous 
greater loss among peaches than rot in pIants and herbaceous perennials as well qumce and hawthorn trees, killing the 
a season of average humidity. There as shrubs are amenable to the treatment. new S rowth of twigs, and on the pear 
is better prospect for pears, especially No ben eficial effects have been noticed trees sometimes ruining large branches. 
Kieffer and Le Conte, than for other in tTia]s of asparaguS) potato tubers and 0f the P ear Jt ,s a common and destruc- 
branches starts to dry, and follows down 
towards the main limbs, I have cut them 
off and examined them thoroughly, but 
cannot find an insect. They seem just to 
dry up; in fact all the fcpple trees around 
this locality are affected the same way. 
What is it? 
Ans. —The apple disease is quite 
likely to be fire-blight. This is a bac¬ 
terial disease which attacks apple, pear, 
fruits, but even Kieffer trees are as a 
rule scantily filled and the pears at 
this writing none too large. Occasional 
Japan and hybrid plums are well loaded 
but native varieties generally failed, and 
European kinds are little better. Rot 
has appeared among the latter to an 
extent not anticipated in such dry 
weather. The bramble fruits naturally 
suffer much from the drought. Blackcap 
raspberries dried up before picking was 
half completed and the red varieties fell 
far short of expectations, Cuthbert, as 
usual, holding out best. Well cultivated 
blackberries are ripening undersized ber¬ 
ries, but with present conditions it is 
apparent they cannot hold out. Good re¬ 
turns were received from dewberries 
where the canes were protected from 
hard freezing by snow or other cover¬ 
ing, as the fruits ripened before the 
drought became severe. The grape pros¬ 
pect is very good. The set is excellent, 
and disease and insects have troubled 
very little. The most successful fruit 
crops so far this year on the Rural 
Grounds, aside from strawberries, were 
June berries, and hybrid gooseberries, 
descendants of our native species. 
The Etherization of Hardy Plants 
palm seeds, though it would often be 
desirable to hasten growth or germina¬ 
tion of the latter. 
The Farmer to the Rescue. —Al¬ 
though the North Atlantic States are 
parched with drought there is abund¬ 
ant rain in the West and South. Bumper 
crops of corn and grain are anticipated 
that will in due time quicken the wheels 
of transportation and commerce now so 
laggard in their motion. The farmer 
is again to furnish sustenance and en¬ 
ergy for the entire commercial fabric. 
He is hampered, snubbed, overtaxed 
and overcharged by the masters of fi- 
tive disease. On large apple trees there 
is scarcely anything to be done for it, 
but on small trees it is advisable to cut 
out the diseased branches as fast as they 
appear in order to check the spread of 
the disease. Some varieties are more 
susceptible than others, and rapidly 
growing trees are most likely to be af¬ 
fected. The disease cannot be success¬ 
fully combated by any method of spray¬ 
ing. F. C. STEWART. 
Keeping Qualities of Parsnips. 
F. N. B., Bridgeton, Me .—Are the full 
crown parsnips better able to stand a 
Winter in the ground without crown rot 
than the hollow crown kinds? Will 
THIS DIGGER WON'T 
DISAPPOINT 
because it is not an experiment. We 
worked for years perfecting it before 
putting on market. We determined 
it should sustain thesamo high repu¬ 
tation other Iron Age Tools 
have made, and it has. Last 
year it replaced many 
other makes. Special 
features are: Light 
draft, durability, 
free from cost¬ 
ly repairs; 
adapted to 
varying 
condi- 
tiona 
SAVE 
HIRED 
HELPl 
Construction 
different 
from a 11 
others. Has 
paten ted 
features. 
BATEMAN MFG.CO.^ox 1Q2D,Grenloch, NJ. 
3^ to 200H.R Saw Mill Outfits 
Steam .Gasoline or Water Power. 
Planers, Shingle Mills, Corn Mills. 
f W rI.GHV DELOACH H.LLMANUFACruR,^^ = 
Bridgeport. Ala. 
nance, transportation and commerce for mulching them with straw help keep them 
all the needs he does not personally from rotting or will it make them worse? 
produce, but is expected to produce the h ? d ra * her an „ opan lot * 
T ’ H 1 . of rain and a good deal of thawing and 
wealth that pays for all, and rarely fails freezing of the ground, so that the parsnip 
if the seasons permit. We are all likely crown rotted more or less. I would like to 
to overlook the overwhelming import- know if 1 can do anything to help this, 
ance of the agricultural industry of Ans. —We think that a true stock of 
this country. It is not only the biggest the old Long White parsnip (full 
tiling we have, but comes near being crowned) is a little, and but a little, 
the most valuable output of human en- Hardier to resist severe freezing, and too 
ergy on earth. During the 10 years much water than the Student, Guernsey 
ending with 1906 American agricultural and other holllow-crowned sorts. Seeds- 
exports totaled more than eight billions men quite frequently, however, use the 
of dollars in value, over 60 per cent of name of Long White parsnip for seed 
the total exports of the nation. The 0I " indifferent «. uality, with little regard 
we think the liability of receiving infe¬ 
rior stock under Inis name more than 
balances the sligl t advantage in hardi¬ 
ness. When the roots are to remain in 
place over Winter, care should be taken 
foi the purpose of inducing eaily and home consumption of the products of to its distinct vrrietal character, so that 
piofuse. bloom under greenhouse con- our f arm ers’ work is not to be com- 
d it ions is gradually taking its place as a puted. Our coddled manufacturers un- 
practical commercial piocess. Its possi- der shelter of our protective dutie_ 
bilities have been widely investigated in failed to export as much as four bil- 
horticultural institutions throughout the lions of value during the same period, 
wo' Id, the Vermont and Cornell Experi- while the amounts credited to forestry, to select a spot where there is little lia- 
ment Stations taking the lead in this mining and kindred industries are barely hility of either water standing, snow 
country. The conclusions are that it is worth mentioning in comparison. It is drifting to great depth, or of its blow- 
commercially practicable as a florists apparent that granting the American m& °ff s ° as to leave the crowns ex¬ 
enterprise for forcing certain popular farmer is not quite the whole shooting P° se( i to frequent freezing and thawing, 
flowering shrubs that mature early and match, he is so large a part of it that suc h a location such varieties as the 
lia\ e a prolonged dormant or lesting be could with due organization control Student and Hollow Crown are rarely 
period, such as Azaleas, Deutzias, t be situation instead of submitting to injured by the Winter. 
Spiraeas, lilacs and Viburnums, and to the exactions of the lords of finance, 
a less extent is useful in forcing rhu- transportation and commerce. It is to 
baib, stiawberries and lilies. The be hoped that the promised crops will 
theory is that plants with normally well- materialize, and that all the expected 
maiked 'resting periods do not readily benefits willl ensue. The fact is that 
start into growth until certain vital pro- the average farmer conducts his diffi¬ 
cult occupation with thrift, industry and 
economy to a degree unknown to those 
W. F. MASSEY 
Writes the “Timely Suggestions” Department 
and contributes other articles to the 
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“I hear Mrs. Straitlace is opposed to 
all sorts of society functions and enter¬ 
taining.” “She is. She is that narrow¬ 
minded that she wouldn’t even entertain 
an idea.”—Baltimore American. 
cesses that naturally occur toward the 
end of the dormant season are com¬ 
pleted. The action of ether or chloro¬ 
form vapors under special conditions 
of temperature and lack of moisture, more efficient in developing the only real 
hastens this maturity to a remarkable and soIid wealth of his COU ntry. 
degree. The amount of bloom produced 
“For the Land’s Sake use Bowker’s 
engaged in other pursuits. As methods Fertilizers; they enrich the earth and 
are improved he becomes more and those who till it.”—Adv. 
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 from 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 
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Harrow keeps land true, 
moves 1800 tons of earth, 
cuts 30 acres per day. 
DO U BLE ACTI ONiV J 01 NTED'POLE CUT^ T 
OO • SEND FOR *—~I—* 
% Ul II Cl RCULARSTO THE 
NO c £ ?—- - CUTAWAY £3 
rj° RE harrow 
;■< use co.V o 
p -3 EOF? /= 0 C . V HIGGANUMv 
PLOW. 
Cider Mills 
CONN.U.S.A.j''^^ 
Jointed Pole takes all the weight off Horses 
and keeps their heels away from the Disks. 
Farmers’ 
Favorite 
are simple, strong, durable, 
easy to take apart, easy to 
clean, and give perfect satis¬ 
faction. Made in eight sizes. 
Produce more juice from the 
same amount of fruit than 
any others. 
Clark’s Root Cutter 
TWO SIZES 
Cuts 1 or 2 bushels per minute, 
for Fowl or Beast. Gouge cutters, 
never choke or clog. 
A WONDERFUL INVENTION 
CLARK’S DOUBLE ACTION COM¬ 
BINED CULTIVATOR & HARROW. 
Can be used to culti¬ 
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a listing harrow, also 
when closed together 
is a harrow cutting 4ki 
feet wide. 
CUTAWAY HARROW CO., 
39 Main St., Hlgganum,Conn. 
The Funk Plum. —A tree of the 
Funk plum, from the Munson Nur¬ 
series, Denison, Texas, planted in 1904, 
has fruited the past and present sea¬ 
sons, and ripens the earliest of any va¬ 
riety we have ever tested. Fig. 279, 
page 631, shows in natural size plums of 
this variety picked perfectly ripe July 2, 
but larger and better specimens matured 
a week later. The quality is very good 
for so early a kind. Munson describes 
it as an Abundance-Chickasaw hybrid, 
originating in Texas. The tree is a 
fine, healthy, upright grower, with ap¬ 
parently none of the weaknesses of 
other hybrid plums of southern and 
western origin. Most of the fruits are 
above medium in size, bright red in 
ment is not difficult nor particularly ex- color, roundish heart-shaped. Flesh 
pensive. Plants are chosen that are in orange-red in color, agreeable flavor; 
the earlier periods of the dormant stage, clingstone. The most promising first 
and subjected to the vapor of ether or eariy plum we have tried; scarcely af- 
chloroform in air-tight cases or rooms, fected by rot or curculio. Burbank’s 
the anaesthetic being poured through a F jrst an d the Japan Berger, heretofore 
ti’be into an open vessel within the j Ur e ^ r ^ est kinds, ripen here about 10 
, T , . , days later. Gonzales is weak in tree, 
receptacle. The amount of vapor per much affec ted by rot, and rarely ripens 
cubic foot of air space is gauged by before July 20. w. v. F. 
is considerably increased, and the bloom¬ 
ing period is hastened from 15 to 30 
days under the usual forcing treatment. 
Rhubarb as a rule is earlier, produces 
more and larger stalks when anaesthe¬ 
tized, but appears to need previous 
freezing as in ordinary commercial 
forcing, and strawberries are claimed to 
crop better under glass when given sim¬ 
ilar treatment. The etherization of 
plants is only in the experimental stage 
in this country, but is already in exten¬ 
sive use in many large commercial flor¬ 
ists’ establishments in France and Ger¬ 
many, though generally confined to the 
flowering shrubs above mentioned. 
Treating the Plants. —The treat- 
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AMERICAN FARM LIFE 
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