©78 
PLANTING A PENNSYLVANIA ORCHARD. 
Below is a list of apple trees to be planted next Spring 
in Allegheny County. Kindly advise the writer as to 
the proper distance the trees should be apart, and 
whether or not it would be desirable to plant peach 
trees between the apple trees. List of trees: Yellow 
Transparent, 25 trees; Sweet Bough, 5; Duchess of 
Oldenburg, 25; Maiden Blush, 25; Wealthy, 25; Stark, 
50; Grimes Golden, 50; Jonathan, 70; Gano, 50; York 
Imperial, 50; Stayn.an Winesap, 70; Baldwin, 50; Kambo, 
5; total, 500. w. v. 
Pittsburg, Pa. 
If I were to plant the above mentioned trees in Alle¬ 
gheny County I should divide them into two classes. 
First, the larger growing, slower maturing varieties, 
which I should consider as permanent trees, and 
PLAN FOR ORCHARD PLANTING. Fig. 38(1. 
which I should plant 40 feet apart each way; second, 
the quicker maturing, smaller growing varieties, which 
1 should consider as semi-permanent trees, to be cut 
when the permanent trees needed the room. These I 
should plant in the center of each square formed by 
four permanent trees. ’(See diagram.) In reality 
the rows would be 20 feet apart each way, but the 
trees, since they alternate, will be a little more than 
28 feet apart the nearest way. 
In the first class I would place the Maiden Blush, 
Stark, Jonathan, Gano, York Imperial, Stayman 
Winesap, Baldwin and Rambo. This would make 370 
trees, which, at 40 feet each way, would require be¬ 
tween 13 and 14 acres. Of the remaining varieties, the 
Yellow Transparent and Oldenburg are both early 
bearing Russian sorts, which bear young and do not 
reach a large size. The Wealthy is also an early ma¬ 
turing variety, medium size in tree; the Grimes bears 
fairly young, is not a very vigorous tree, especially in 
the section mentioned, and is subject to blight and 
other troubles, so that it rarely reaches a very great 
age. It is of excellent quality, however. These vari¬ 
eties, together with the Sweet Bough, which is of 
small importance commercially, I would plant as semi¬ 
permanent trees, as indicated. 
There will still be remaining vacancies for about 
160 trees. I should hesitate to advise planting peaches 
without knowing the local conditions, but if they were 
right, these vacant spaces might be so planted, select¬ 
ing the higher part of the field in order to avoid 
frosts if possible. In case the grower should not wish 
to plant peaches, the Jonathan and Maiden Blush 
might also be planted as semi-permanent trees, though 
the former is of too much promise to warrant plant¬ 
ing with the necessity of cutting out later. If this 
plan were followed, between nine and 10 acres would 
be required. 
Another plan would be to plant all trees as perma¬ 
nent trees, in which case the proper distance would 
ALL READY FOR THE HORSES. Fig. 387. 
be about 35 feet each way. This would require be¬ 
tween 14 and 15 acres. This method of planting ad¬ 
mits of growing hoed crops, such as potatoes, cabbage, 
corn or garden truck between the trees for the first 
few years, which will largely if not entirely pay the 
expenses of caring for the orchard. The chief objec¬ 
tion to the planting of semi-permanent trees is that 
they are seldom cut out until they get so large and 
the orchard becomes so thick as seriously to interfere 
with orchard operations, and the permanent trees are 
seriously injured. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
The YorkTmperial and Stayman Winesap are both 
excellent commercial varieties in Southern and South¬ 
eastern Pennsylvania, but are apt to prove disappoint¬ 
ing in Allegheny County as to size, quality and color 
unless given the best of care. Another important item 
to keep in mind in planting an orchard in the above 
section is the proximity to coke furnaces or factories. 
Smoke, while it may not injure the fruit, makes it 
unattractive, but the gases seriously affect the trees. 
This injury is more apparent in fruit than in grain 
crops. w. j. w. 
OATS FOR MULCH IN STRAWBERRIES. 
In answer to the call, page 904, “Brevities,” for 
definite information about sowing oats in strawberries 
as a mulching crop, I will say I tried the experiment 
with very gratifying results, a number of years ago 
when trucking in the vicinity of Harrisburg, Pa. 
However, my main object in sowing the oats was not 
so much to secure a surface mulch as to secure favor¬ 
able sub-surface conditions for the free development of 
the new, tender rootlets that start in the Spring, and 
on which, of course, must depend largely the success 
of the crop. I had observed that on my soil, which 
was quite deficient in humus, though a good loam with 
a fair admixture of sand, strawberries yielded best in 
spots where a light growth of crab-grass or other an¬ 
nual weeds and grasses had come in late in the season 
after cultural vigilance had been relaxed. It was 
scarcely believable that the very small amount of ma¬ 
terial on the surface could account for the benefit to 
the crop, but it took no great stretch of the imagina¬ 
tion to comprehend that the fine network of roots of 
A FAMOUS OLD VIRGINIA CHERRY TREE. Fig. 388. 
these annual weeds, holding their form in the soil 
through the Winter, and as warm weather came on, 
decaying, would thoroughly ventilate the soil, furnish 
ideal channels for the tender rootlets of the straw¬ 
berry plants and at the same time yield needed nour¬ 
ishment. 
In line with these conclusions, having a l)4-acre 
tract set in the Spring in the usual matted row meth¬ 
od, rows 3)4 feet apart, plants 18 inches along row, 
late in August when the runners had pretty thoroughly 
occupied the ground, about three bushels per acre of 
clean oats were broadcast among them. Of course 
there was no way to cover them except in the narrow 
strips between the rows, through which the cultivator 
was run for the last time. Fortunately there was a 
spell of rainy, moist weather following the sowing, 
resulting in quite an even stand over the whole tract. 
By the time for killing frost, there was a growth of a 
foot or more, and the plat had the general appearance 
of a patch of fairly vigorous, half-grown oats, but 
closer examination showed they were not so heavy as 
seriously to shut out sunlight and air from the berry 
plants beneath. During the Winter the frozen oats 
formed a very efficient mulch, keeping the snow from 
being blown away and preventing undue freezing and 
thawing, but by the time the fruit was ripe the oats 
had largely disappeared. 
As to the crop of fruit, it was one of the best I 
have ever grown, 8300 quarts from the 1)4 acre, and 
would have been about double that had they all been 
of the best of the five varieties which the plot con¬ 
tained. A part of them were Excelsior, which, while 
making a splendid showing very early in the season, 
was caught in an early drought, just as the fruit began 
to ripen, and was nearly a failure. One other variety 
October 7, 
was ill adapted to the locality, and did not amount to 
much, but William Belt was magnificent, and yielded 
well nigh at the rate of 10,000 quarts per acre. This 
on gravelly upland of very moderate natural fertility, 
without stable manure or plowed down cover crop; 
nothing but commercial fertilizer. The point I am 
emphasizing here is that while it is generally sup¬ 
posed that a generous supply of humus is necessary to 
produce a good crop of strawberries, should this be 
lacking the defect may be relieved if not entirely 
REAR VIEW OF LOADED WAGON. Fig. 3SU. 
corrected, so far as this crop is concerned, by the use 
of late-sown oats. Also I would not think it useless 
to sow at a much later date than I have named, say 
even as late as October 1. When we reflect that with 
most plants, in their earlier stages of growth, at least, 
the roots are about three times the length of the top, 
thickly sown oats that reach a height of only a few 
inches may fill the soil with a mass of rootlets to the 
usual depth of plowing. D. L. hartman. 
Florida. 
CAPITAL vs. “JUDGMENT AND ABILITY.” 
Two men entered into an agreement to run a farm, one 
to put in a capital of $40 per month and his labor; the 
other put in judgment and ability to carry on the farm 
three years. The one with the capital failed to be a farm 
help; ho could only do little odd jobs around and help in 
the kitchen, equal to a little boy, with the exception of 
helping to lift a heavy weight once a week. It was under¬ 
stood that if he could fill the bill the profits should be 
equally divided, which have been $400 a year. IIow 
much would you consider he is entitled to under the cir¬ 
cumstances? w. w. 
New Jersey. 
Every week brings several propositions like this. 
Two or more people have made some sort of partner¬ 
ship agreement. When it comes to dividing loss or 
profit one or all want to change the terms. As a 
rule such people do not make any written contract 
at all. They just “agree” among themselves and later 
one or the other can “forget” just what the Terms 
really were. No one should ever go into a oartner- 
ship involving payment or receipt of money without 
writing out a legal agreement. It is always safer to 
consult some lawyer friend and have the contract so 
that it will stand. 
In the present case, as the statement reads, one 
man agreed to put up $40 each month in cash and to 
give his labor. The other man was to “put in judg¬ 
ment and ability,” but we do not see that he promised 
to do any work. The $40 per month is a tangible 
STARTING OUT WITH THE LOAD. Fig. 390. 
asset. We have no way of estimating the value of this 
“judgment and ability,” but it would not amount to 
much on a farm unless good hard labor went with it. 
Unless the man with the “judgment” also worked, the 
man who put up the $"40 in cash is certainly entitled 
to his share of the profits. We print this whole thing 
to show how impossible it is for a stranger to settle 
any such case. It should have been specified in writing 
just what this man was expected to do, and also 
how much work the other man should do to back 
up his “judgment and ability.” 
