1911. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
5GC 
Ruralisms 
' STRAWBERRIES IN ARKANSAS. 
A letter from central Arkansas relates 
that early strawberries are in bloom 
February 15, as well as plums and some 
peaches. All through the Central States 
there is a dread for the fate of fruit, 
generated by the extremely mild Winter 
which has advanced trees and plants a 
full month beyond their allotted time. A 
failure in 1911 will be adding discour¬ 
agement to discouragement, for there 
has been a succession of lean fruit years 
and owners of orchards have little spirit 
to spray and do the needful work as 
they reflect over their investment which 
gives no dividends. Yet man’s ingen¬ 
uity finds some means of relief in every 
emergency, and just now he is preparing 
to cope with the great primal elements 
themselves. As usual we receive in¬ 
struction from the clever and highly or¬ 
ganized fruit growers of the mountain 
States and, as the only alternative, re¬ 
luctantly add to our original investment 
an outfit of burners, oil, tanks, etc., for 
smudging, at a first outlay estimated at 
$75 per acre, though subsequent years 
will luckily require only a small frac¬ 
tion of this amount. The small fruit 
grower is also presented with the same 
alternative, and with some change in de¬ 
tails, will emulate his brothers of the 
orchard. Here is another charge to be 
added to the first cost of fruit and to 
be ultimately borne by the consumer. At 
the present rate, fruit growing will soon 
be monopolized by highly educated 
specialists provided with full war chests 
and an arsenal of weapons manufactured 
by science, but it will be a national mis¬ 
fortune if the poor are to be deprived of 
health-giving fruit that has passed into 
a luxury for the rich alone. 
Down in middle Arkansas we find the 
little station of Judsonia marking a 
strawberry center that yearly sends 
many carloads of berries to northern 
markets. The country is still only half 
developed; there is much forest land, 
and farms can be bought cheaply. The 
soil varies greatly with much red sand¬ 
stone cropping up or littered about in 
loose bowlders. There are fields of black 
rich loam contiguous to others of al¬ 
most pure sand, but sand is in some evi¬ 
dence almost everywhere and has proved 
itself an asset of much value. It hastens 
the maturity of the extra earlies and 
puts them into market while prices are 
still high, and greatly aids the work of 
the plant shippers, of whom two do 
quite a large business. With them dig¬ 
ging begins in the middle of our Winter 
to fill orders for southern planters, and 
in March they begin supplying custom¬ 
ers to the north. With them digging is 
play compared to what it is on clay soil. 
With one stroke of a prong-toothed po¬ 
tato digger a man will throw out a dozen 
or so plants, and with one shake of the 
fingers their roots are clean enough for 
packing. Thus the expense is reduced 
to a minimum. 
Figs. 117 and 118, page 347, show 
Spring scenes one one of these Arkansas 
plant farms. In Fig. 118 the method of 
digging is shown, three pickers to each 
digger; the woman on the right will be 
observed tying the plants as fast as she 
collects 25. This would be possible only 
in such a soil. The blossoms are plainly 
to be seen as well as a scant growth of 
grass between the rows. No mulching 
is done beyond permitting a growth of 
Fall grass which dies down and affords 
some protection to the berries against 
the dirt. In Fig. 117 the full family 
force with some extra are busily setting 
plants. Low ridges are thrown up for 
the plants and hole’s made with dibbles 
or the fingers; at the right is seen a 
man with a tin tube applying a fer¬ 
tilizer beneath the plant. This fertilizer 
is usually bone meal, which has been 
found efficacious for this soil. Children 
are employed as plant droppers. An¬ 
other present of generous nature is moss 
for packing, which can be had for the 
gathering, as well as .cheap lumber for 
box material. All in all it is a favored 
region for the plant shipper, but the 
plant grower cannot boast of equal 
blessings. Hailstorms and frosts are as 
common visitors here as they are far¬ 
ther north. Strange to say, this unde¬ 
veloped district is famous as the origin 
of more varieties of the strawberry than 
any other in the United States. From 
here came both our standard extra 
earlies, Michel’s and Excelsior; the for¬ 
mer an accidental and the latter a cul¬ 
tivated seedling. Also the Texas or 
Hathaway, Fremont Williams, Bismarck, 
Almo and St. Louis, besides a number 
of others less widely known. The popu¬ 
lar market berries for shipping north 
are the Excelsior, Annie (local seed¬ 
ling), Klondike, Aroma and Gandy. 
Over a large area, with western Missouri 
as a center, the Aroma has won its 
way to the head as the main crop ship¬ 
ping berry, but still it is a berry that 
has never shown the adaptability of a 
true standard. From Missouri east it 
begins to decline, until it fails to find 
a footing in the Atlantic States. Even 
here in east Missouri it is not a suc¬ 
cess. A. T. Goldsborough, of Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., wrtes me that “Around 
here Aroma is worthless. The fruit 
wilts and turns flabby in hot weather. 
It is good only in favorable spots. 
Gandy is Aroma’s equal in every way 
and superior in firmness, shape and 
flavor. When Oliver H. Gandy, of New¬ 
port, N. J., gave us the berry bearing 
his name (1885) we had a fruit in a 
class all to itself and in uniqueness it 
still stands alone. The Gandy must 
have been the result of a strong outcross 
for it lacks prepotency. During the 
last 25 years I have fruited hundreds of 
its seedlings but they harked back to in¬ 
ferior types.” The Gandy is indeed 
unique. For many years it has held the 
throne as the queen of all late varieties 
and even now its rule is not seriously 
threatened though we constantly read 
of claimants who arrogate superior 
qualities. Invariably these claimants 
prove to be not quite so late or not quite 
so good and soon retire from the con¬ 
test. L. R. JOHNSON. 
Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. 
New Head On Old Trees. 
I have some apple trees that are dead on 
the trunk and up, but they send out new 
sprouts. The sprouts are above the graft. 
They are Baldwins. Will the apples be 
Baldwins from the sprouts, or do you think 
it will be best to pull the tree out and set 
in new ones? n. B. 
Ilicksville, N. Y. 
Y'ou do not sav how old these trees are. 
If not too old, and if the stumps are noi 
split or decayed, we should saw off the 
trunks, paint or wax the stump, and let 
the sprouts grow, since they start above 
the graft. 
Nitrate of Soda for Strawberries. 
Of what benefit is nitrate of soda to 
strawberries? How much, when and how 
applied? Will it not have a tendency to 
make the berries soft? Can it be applied 
without working it into the soil, as to do 
so would cause the berries to be gritty? 
s. 
Nitrate of soda contains nitrogen which 
is the element most likely to promote rapid 
growth. It is seldom wise to use over 150 
pounds to the acre. The best way to use It 
on strawberries is to scatter in the rows 
about a foot from the plants and work into 
the soil with cultivator or hoe. This is 
for hilled plants. For matted rows you 
can mix the nitrate with dry soil and bioad- 
east over the rows before the plants start. 
It seldom pays to use nitrate on straw¬ 
berries. The crop should he fertilized, dur¬ 
ing the Summer and Fall before fruiting. 
S tiring fertilizing will not increase the 
number of fruits, but may increase the size 
of both vines and berries. Nitrate used 
in excess will make the berries soft. 
ETWEEN you and your 
profit are the insects 
destroying your crop. 
Do you get the price for your 
fruits and vegetables that you 
could if they were free from 
worms or blemishes ? The 
appearance of your produce 
determines its price. Per¬ 
fect fruit brings the largest 
returns. 
Sherwin - Williams 
Insecticides 
will enable you to keep your crops 
clean so that you can obtain a larger 
crop and a better price. S-W Lime- 
Sulfur, New Process Arsenate of 
Lead, Bordeaux Paste and Paris 
Green are chemically right to give 
you the best results at a very slight 
cost compared with your greatly in¬ 
creased profit. Send for our spray 
book. 
The Sherwin-Williams Co. 
635 Canal Road 
Cleveland, 
Ohio toai 
Sent free, “Spraying, a 
Profitable Investment.” 
Spray 30 Acres a Day 
Potatoes, Small Fruits, Vines 
Spraying that counts. 6 rows at a time with force to do 
work right. Foliage sprayed aU over, under as well as 
on rop. The Perfection hprayer is also great at orchard 
work. Spray trees by hand. Ensy to maintain 160 
pounds pressure with two nozzles going. Strong 60 
gallon tank, perfect agitation, absolutely best spray 
lump made. Spray pipes fold up—you can 
drive close to trees and in narrow places. 
Over 23 years a sprayer builder. I know re- 
.quirements, and 1 know the Perfection is 
right. Over lOOO In use, 
all giving satisfaction. 
Write for Free Catalog. 
Don’t buy any sprayer 
till it comes. 
THOMAS 
PEPPLER 
Box 45,Hightstown,H.J. 
The Best Spray Pump 
Sprays the tallest fruit trees from the ground. 
Special nozzle for grape vines, shrubs, etc. 
Sprays quickest and best. Does the work in 
half the time and does it thoroughly. Always 
ready. Used with bucket, barrel or Lank. 
Basts a lifetime. No leathers to dry up, wear 
out, or make trouble. 
Standard Spray Pump 
Warranted for 5 Years. Price $4.00. 
It will not cost you a cent to try it. Our 
special offer gives complete details. Write 
for it today and we will also send our illus¬ 
trated circular showing how this pump pays 
for itself many times over the first season. 
The Standard Stamping Co. 
94 Main Street Marysville. O. 
CDDA V Adopted by the N.Y. State Fruit Growers’ Ass’n 
OrnAI IT WILL PAY YOU TO USE EITIIKK. 
TJ 
L PASTE OR POWDERED' 
FOR ALL LEAF EATIN6 INSECTS 
RESPONSIBLE DISTRIBUTERS ahd AGENTS WANTED 
KEY BRAND 
RIGHT PRICE and MATERIAL 
^ FUNGICIDE ANO INSECTICIDE 
—. USE 
I 
INTERSTATE CHEMICAL. CO. 
14 BAYVIEW AVE..JERSEY CITY. N.J. 
WRITE FOR PRICES.CIRCULARS ETC. CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED. 
“ONE FOR ALL,” No. 1 
O OtATM TO IN•tCT& A FUNOI 
Barrels, 425 lb. . .. »05e. per lb 
>5 Bb!«..20Glbj—__ f -p 
10O Ibi _ _ i — ')6 1 ' 
50 lbs.....,,.— in "‘T " 
25 lbs_—. | - , —, rift 
F O. B. NEW YORK 
Wool Create, Arsenate of Lead, Lime-Sulphur 
Combined. A Contact and Poiton Spray. 
Ah Insecticide & Fungicide. 
Only Thing Needed for all Petta or Fun gut. 
WRITE FOR BOOKLET. 
MANHATTAN OIL COMPANY 
K.wbliihod 1883. 
(51 Front Street. New York 
GET RID OF TREE PESTS 
San Jose Scale, fungi and other pests will ruin your crops. 
Get rid of them quickly and surely by spraying with 
Good’s Potasif Whale Oil Soap No. 3 
Kills all enemies to trees and plants and quickens 
healthy growth. Contains nothing injurious. Used and 
endorsed by State Experimental Stations and 
IT. 8. Department of Agriculture 
60 lbs., $2.50; 100 lbs., $4.60; larger quantities proportion¬ 
ately less. Write for free “Manual of Plant Diseases .” 
JAMES GOOD, Original Maker, 945 N. Front St., Philadelphia 
Empire King. 
l- _ _ ia ___ * . ... _2. — mitVi ayiI a CInr. vnF 1 Q 1 1 fulfil* 
Ho who attempts to grow fruits without a Sprayer is handi 
m ^ capped. Blight and bugs, rot and rust, mold and mildew, all 
w — conspire to damage the crop, and in all cases succeed if the farmer does 
^ not spray. This is the only hand pomp having automatic agitator and brush for clean¬ 
ing strainer. Valuable book of instruction free. FIELD FORCE PUMP C0. t <2 llTH ST., ELMIRA, N. Y 
Sprayed with 
Bowker’s PVPOX 
brings more money 
because it is free from injury by worms-, 
scab, etc. Over 300 testimonials in our 
new catalogue show the great value of this preparation on all kinds of fruits 
and vegetables. Pyrox serves two purposes ; it kills insects and prevents dis¬ 
ease and blemish. It adheres to the foliage even through heavy rains, saving- 
labor and cost of re-spraying. Perfectly safe. It is all ready to use by mixing 
with cold water. Every grower who seeks fruit and vegetables free from 
blemish needs “Pyrox,” the “one best spray.” It 
tt 
Fills the barrel with the kind they used to put on Top” 
Send for new catalogue with photograph of sprayed and unsprayed fruit in 
original colors. Will convince the most skeptical. Say how many and what 
kinds of fruit trees, or how many acres of potatoes you have to spray, and ask 
for special prices. We ship from Boston, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. 
T) AW TV U T» INSECTICIDE COMPANY, 
D U TT XV Ih XV 43 CHATHAM STREET, BOSTON, MASS. 
