004 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[ Every query must be accompanied by the 
name and address of the writer to insure 
attention. Before asking a question, please see 
whether it is not answered in our advertising 
columns. Ask only a few questions at one time. 
Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
FAILURE WITH BLACKBERRIES. 
11. 11. H., Fennvillc, Mich .—Two years 
ago I bought 3,000 blackberry sets from a 
reliable nursery firm, with the understanding 
that they did not grow the plants, but 
bought them from a reliable firm with 
whom they were well acquainted. When 
the fruit began to color last season it was 
about one-dialf inch long and not over 
three-eighths inch in diameter. There 
were three varieties, one thousand each of 
Wilson, Kittatinny and Eldorado, all from 
root cuttings and all fruited alike, the crop 
on each being extremely light. Of the Wil¬ 
son there were about 300 plants that looked 
different from the others, and, thinking 
they might be of a different strain, I set 
them all together, but separate from the 
others. They produced beautiful Wilson 
berries. Later I learned that others here 
had been stung by the same deal, some from 
the nursery I bought from and others who 
bought elsewhere. Later, in a conversation 
with a fruit tree dealer I asked why a 
good nursery, or anyone else would grow 
such stuff when it was just as easy to grow 
the varieties wanted, or other good fruit 
and his reply was that it had just been dis¬ 
covered that with the blackberry, ro'ot cut¬ 
tings, from root cuttings, taken three or 
four years in succession without allowing 
the plants to fruit, would cause just that 
kind of degeneration, and to his certain 
knowledge some of the plants sold here 
were originally of choice varieties but the 
plants had been dug from nursery grounds 
several years without renewing the parent 
stock or allowing the the growth to ma¬ 
ture, and in his opinion the above was the 
cause of fruit failure. I am new in black¬ 
berry growing and anything you can say in 
this connection will be greatly appreciated. 
Ans. —Relative to the claims made by the 
man selling blackberry plants that when 
root cuttings are taken from the black¬ 
berry three or four years in succession 
without allowing the plants to fruit, we 
have a form of degeneration, such plants 
being very inferior, I do not think that 
this man can prove his claim as above, 
as nurserymen and planters both, I be¬ 
lieve, recognize that plants grown in this 
manner are the most satisfactory for 
transplanting. From your reader’s 
statement, I think that without any ques¬ 
tion the stock was mixed when shipped. 
Of course, this would be more likely to 
happen when root cuttings were grown 
for three or four years without allow¬ 
ing them to get full size or fruiting. 
Two or three years ago I had occasion 
to call upon a man who was digging 
blackberries which he had sold at whole¬ 
sale to a large nurseryman. I found 
that he was putting up and labeling four 
different kinds of blackberries from the 
same row. This nurseryman was buy¬ 
ing the plants in good faith, and as he 
happened to be a personal friend I told 
him the facts in the case and he dis¬ 
continued buying plants of this party* 
This shows that the nurseryman cannot 
always tell what he is selling, b. d. v. b. 
The explanation offered by the nur¬ 
seryman friend is certainly hypothetical. 
I do not believe you will change the 
nature of the Wilson blackberry by pre¬ 
venting it from fruiting for three or 
four years through the digging up of the 
previous year’s suckers. I think it is 
possible that if this process were carried 
on for several years—say 10 or 15, —a 
change in the reproductive and vegeta¬ 
tive habits of the plant might be brought 
about. I do not believe, however, that 
there is anyone who can back this up by 
conclusive evidence. Theories are very 
easily concocted and sometimes on a 
very slim foundation. I can hardly see 
how it would be possible in any event to 
take away all the shoots from a black¬ 
berry plant and leave it in such condi¬ 
tion that other suckers would be thrown 
up. A practice of this kind would 
simply run the plant out entirely in two 
or three years; I do not mean degene¬ 
rate it, but weaken the stolons so much 
that no suckers of any account will be 
produced. My notion is that there are 
more mistakes made and more troubles 
arising from carelessness in the labeling 
of varieties than from the cause sug¬ 
gested in your correspondent’s letter. 
JOHN CRAIG. 
Soil for Roses ; Layering. 
J. A. C., Omro, Wis. —1. Does the rose 
grow best in clay or sand? 2. What is 
meant by layering to propagate the plant? 
Ans. —i. Roses will succeed in any. 
ordinary garden soil that is well drained 
and free from standing water. If very 
sandy it is well to spade in leaf mould 
or clay to give more body; if a tough 
clay it can be made more friable by 
working in wood ashes or burnt earth. 
Thorough spading and working will 
make clay suitable if it is not too sour 
and tough. If there is doubt whether 
the drainage is good and tiling is not 
practicable, dig a deep hole and put some 
bricks or rough stones in the bottom. 
It is also well to throw any bones at 
hand in the bottom of holes dug for 
roses; as they decay they are very help¬ 
ful. 
2. A layer is merely a cutting that is 
allowed to remain attached to the parent 
plant until rooted. Select a convenient 
branch, bend it down to the ground, and 
selecting a place just below a bud where 
it can be brought in contact with the 
soil conveniently, cut through the bark 
a short way into the wood, splitting 
lengthwise so as to make a tongue. Then 
bend down the branch, fastening in place 
with a hooked peg, cover over the cut 
place with soil, and then tie the end of 
the branch up to a stake. When well 
rooted the layered branch is cut from the 
parent, and a nice plant is thus easily se¬ 
cured. Sometimes a number of layers 
are secured from a single branch. This 
process is an excellent one for many 
hardy shrubs and vines. 
A Parcels Post Notice. 
The following notice is sent by Henry 
Field, the seedsman. It goes into every 
express shipment: 
“IF YOU HAVE TO PAY HIGH CHARGES AND 
GET POOR SERVICE ON THIS SHIPMENT, 
remember that ours is the only civilized or 
semi-civilized country in the world that does 
not have PARCELS POST for such shipments. 
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?” 
Such a slip should go into every ex¬ 
press package. It will help the express 
companies to argue against themselves. 
Effects of Lime. 
Could I use lime on a piece of land this 
year for cabbage and next year put in po¬ 
tatoes and not have them scab? What ef¬ 
fect would lime have on late turnips, by 
that I mean injurious effect? E. H. b. 
Bridgewater, Mass. 
If you soak the seed potatoes well in the 
formalin solution you need not have much 
fear. It would help to sow rye in the cab¬ 
bage this Fall and plow it under next 
Spring when planting potatoes. The lime 
will not hurt the turnips. 
ANOTHER SIDE OF THE “SAND HILLS.” 
F. H. Brooks says that the sand hill 
country usually has an abundance of rain. 
Would it not be better to say that they 
have about 18 or 20 inches of rain, and 
let men judge if that be an abundance when 
the “hot winds” blow? I am not a knocker 
on the sand hills; 1 like the country and 
the people. But if men down East would 
live in mud houses and burn cow dung, 
could they not save .$75 or $100 per year 
for five years, and that is more than men 
from the East would average after they 
count government fees, locaters’ fees, freight 
and passenger fare, improvements, etc. Do 
you want to leave all the advantages of 
civilization, school, church, society and 
mankind for five years to win a home that 
will sell for perhaps $500 more than it 
cost you? If you have a family it will 
cost you nearly $500 more for fuel, cloth¬ 
ing and living expenses than in the East. 
If you look at a map of this country you 
will find it dotted with names. Do not 
take it that these are towns. Most of 
them are only little places that would 
hardly be considered crossroad stores in 
the East. Twelve miles through this shift¬ 
ing sand, where there are no roads, and 
you have to get out and open and shut 22 
gates going to town (general store and 
perhaps railroad station) and back is a 
.Tune 10, 
harder drive than 24 miles on an average 
eastern road. When you go far from 
manufacturing and market centers you must 
pay the freight both ways. You pay two 
prices for oil and shoes, and sell chickens 
and eggs at half price as we count it down 
East C. f. h. 
Vistula, Ind. 
INVESTMENTS IN MINING STOCKS. 
An acquaintance of mine has just been 
summoned by a United States Marshal to 
appear in a Western State as a witness 
against a certain mining stock promoter 
who has succeeded by aid of the U. S. mails 
In swindling certain parties out of consid¬ 
erable money. It is doubted whether any 
attempt was ever made to develop any 
mine by the aid of the money that was 
secured by this advertiser, and possibly 
there were no property rights acquired at 
all. It is thus in many of these enterprises. 
There are those who are honest promoters, 
even in these lines, and such are injured 
by the rogues, as well as the investors. 
Speaking of those mining schemes to a 
friend who spent some years on the Pacific 
slope, he gave some details of a venture 
that he saw carried out while there. In 
this case the mining property was real. It 
was being promoted by French capital. 
Frenchmen were in command. They built 
houses, dug long and expensive sluice-ways, 
erected an extra heavy stamping mill, but 
did almost nothing towards the develop¬ 
ment of the mine itself. They consumed 
vast quantities of good French wines, and 
sank some three hundred thousand dollars 
of Investors’ money. At length no more 
money could be secured, as the home people 
became discouraged, and so the project was 
abandoned. It stands deserted to-day, and 
yet Is probably a good property. 
H. H. LYON. 
R. N.Y.—We could tell of similar experi- 
BULLETIN 33 
Containing the complete farm uses of Avenavius 
Carbolineum will be mailed free upon request. 
Country Gentleman says: " Every reader should 
have it.” The entire agricultural press endorses 
its use, as does the United States Department of 
Agriculture. 
CARBOLINEUM WOOD PRESERVING CO. 
181 Franklin St., New York, N.Y. 
EVERY FARMER 
himself against the dealer who shortweighs 
him and the stock which puts more in its 
belly than onto its ribs. 
ANY FARMER 
who believes in fair 
play can buy scales 
from me at dealers’ prices because the 
cowardly-trust-controlled dealer says that I 
can't sell you if l sell him, and your money 
is as good as his and your credit better. My 
price, my approval plan and all information 
is free. Tell me the scale and I will make 
you an otter. No dealers wanted. 
Jones, He Pays the Freight,” 
20 Ney St., Binghamton, N. Y. 
500,000 New StoneTomato Plants For Sale 
From selected seed that grow the big crops ready 
.June the First. 51.00 per 1000; 5000 for $4,00. 
CELERY, CABBAGE, RUBY KING PEPPER, CAULIFLOWER and 
SWEET POTATO PLANTS in tlieir season. 
Send for our ton Catalog 
If you want 50,000 or 100,000 Tomato Plants we can 
supply yon with extra fine plants. ROMANCE SEED S 
PLANT' FARM, CALEB BOGGS & SON, CHESW0L0, DEL. 
OLYMPIC NATURE NURSERY 
Rhododendrons, 51 adronas,Oregon Grapes, Huckle¬ 
berries and other wild shrubs, plants and flowers. 
By mail, 10 for 50 cents, 24 for SI.00 postpaid. 
Money back if not satisfied. 
JOEL SHOMAKKR, Nellita, Washington. 
enn CAI r— Cow Peas, $2.50 to $3.00 bushel; 
run OHLC Crimson Clover Seed, $8.50 bushel: 
Black-Eyed Peas, $3.00 bushel. 
JOSEPH E. HOLLAND . . Milford. Del. 
cnees from personal observation. In most 
eases if a farmer would invest his money 
right on his own farm in mining for drain 
tile or stones he would make sure and 
sound dividends. We can see no reason 
why any reader of The R.N.-Y. should go 
into such games. They certainly have had 
“line upon line” of warning. 
Rape Did Well.—J. L. P. has a friend, 
of Tuckerton, N. J., who failed to raise rape 
“only two inches high.” That’s bad luck 
sure. The Spring of 1910 I put five large 
loads of stable manure on lot 50x200 feet, 
had it plowed under on stiff clay land, 
which I had tiled well, and planted it to 
dwarf apples and pears, then covered it 
over top with fine manure as mulch. 
August 1 I had it harrowed and sown 
with English rape—the trees were 2 l A to 
3 feet high, and I was obliged to pull it all 
away around the trees to find them. It was 
fully two feet high. November 1 I plowed 
It under throwing furrows toward trees, 
used cultivator this Spring; all trees are 
growing fine and some of the rape was still 
living, with roots a foot long. None of my 
farmer friends knew what the rape cover 
crop was. Many of these trees are full of 
bloom and the dark green foliage speaks In 
praise of rape and thorough fertilizing. I 
might add the ducks and chickens had 
enough green food all Winter long except¬ 
ing when covered with snow, and had there 
not been trees in the patch It would have 
made feed for a couple of cows from Sep¬ 
tember 1 nearly all Winter, had it not been 
plowed under. doctor. 
Mansfield, O. 
The prospects for a good crop of peaches, 
cherries and early varieties of apples are 
very good. The Winter varieties of apples, 
such as Baldwin, Northern Spy and Wolf 
River will be less than 50 per cent of a 
crop. Gooseberries, strawberries and rasp¬ 
berries promise a big crop. This Spring 
in 20 counties in Western Michigan, this 
county included, there have been nearly one 
million trees planted. e. v. a. 
Newaygo County, Mich. 
NEW CRIMSON CLOVER SEED 
Ready Jane mh. COW PEAS. SORGHUM. 
MILLET, VETCHES. Circular Free. 
E. G. PACKARD, Seed Grower, Dover, Del. 
^Ufoot Pftiatn Plante only $2.00 pel - 1000 , special 
OnGGI rUialU rlalllo p r jces on 5000 lots, Price 
list free. W. S. FORD & SON, Hartly, Del. 
CAD CAI C— 1 900,000 Sweet Potato Plants. Tomato 
ri/n OHLC and Cabbage Plants. Send today for 
catalogue. Fine plants. M. N. BORGO, Vineland, N.J. 
C ABRAUK PLANTS of all kinds, $1 per IIIOO: Tomato and Sweet 
Potato Plants, $l.. r iO per 1000; Cauliflower and Peppoi 8,42.60 
per 1000. Plants ready for field. J. C. Schmidt, Bristol, Pa. 
J APANESE MILLET SEED ; sound, clean seed. $1.50 per 
bushel. M. HATCH, JR., .Marshfield, Mass. 
Monarch 
Hydraulic 
Cider Press 
Net owners 254 to 1004 
on investment per year. 
Ask for Free Cat¬ 
alog and "(rood 
"Tip” booklet tell- 
ing how. I 
Monarch Machinery Co., 609 Hudson Terminal, New York 
Wantprl -A K°°^• faithful representative to travel 
It ulllGU the neighboring towns presen tin" our 
reliable nursery products. Any man of good address 
who is not afraid of work can make this a satisfac¬ 
tory and permanent business. If you are not just 
suited witli your present environment write us for 
full particulars, VVe will help von to a good thing. 
11KOWN BROTHERS NURSERIES 
Rochester, N. Y, 
DO YOU NEED FARM HELP? 
The Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid 
Society has on its lists men wishing to obtnin em¬ 
ployment upon farms. Most of them are without 
experience, but they are able-bodied and willing 
to work. They speak little or no English, although 
many of them speak German. If you can make 
use of such help, please communicate with us, 
stating what you will pay, whether the work is 
permanent, and whether you prefer a single or a 
married man. We are a philanthropic organiza¬ 
tion, whose object it is to assist and encourage 
Jews to become farmers. We charge no commis¬ 
sion to employer or employee. Address 
THE J. A. & I. A. S., 174 Second Avenue. NEW YORK CITY. 
A WATER SYSTEM 
WITHOUT a WATER tank 
Equipment may be placed at any distance 
iron) tbe weH. Outfits supplied for any lift. 
Don’t use an immense tank, either 
elevated or buried, for storing 
water. Stored water is unhealtbful 
for your family and your stock. 
Pump the water direct, with com¬ 
pressed air, as you use it. Supply 
the home with water fresh from 
the well by using the 
PERRY PNEUMATIC WATER SYSTEM 
The only water system which stores no water 
YX/TTH the Perry System, the water stays in the well until it is needed. Continuous 
v v pressure in the pipes at all times, same as city supply. The Perry System forces 
water from the source of supply to the faucets by direct air pressure. It stores com¬ 
pressed air, which is the power that forces the water from the cylinders of the pneu¬ 
matic pump. This stored air is reserve power, making it necessary to operate 
the compressor only occasionally ; therefore the motor, engine, or whatever power 
employed may, in the meantime, be used for other purposes. 
One air-compressing outfit will supply both hard and soft water, if desired. 
Easy to install and operate. 
The Perry System is adapted for open or driven wells, lakes, rivers or springs. 
Economical in operation. Endorsed by architects and engineers. Fully guaranteed. 
Write for descriptive catalog. 
UNITED PUnP AND POWER CO. 
473 ODD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO. 
