1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
399 
iture lot, putting it in as good condition as the rj r e 
field. Would you not then get three or four times 
as much for the money every year you live, and 
your sons after you ? Would it not pay to borrow 
the money, if we are misinformed about the sav¬ 
ings bank and the mortgage ? Would it not pat 
■to sell off ten acres of some other poor part of the 
farm, even at thirty-five dollars or forty dollars an 
acre, and expend the proceeds in the pasture lot ? 
Suppose you should sell ofE half of your whole 
farm, and with the money put all the other half 
into as good condition or better than the rye field, 
and then, with half the work and care, get more 
crops and far better paying ones, and more real 
profit?” 
F.—“ Well, that’s bringing farmers down to the 
"book or to arithmetic. I guess there’s more in 
*book farming’ than I had thought of....Here, 
boys, the Editor says he’s going to print this talk 
in the American Agriculturist. Let’s go right into 
■that pasture lot before it gets into print. But see 
iere, Mr. Editor, don’t you say anything about 
that savings bank or mortgage, or I shall never 
bear the last of it. Don’t say you have been 
within a thousand miles of this farm, or print my 
name, or they’ll twit me about the rye and pasture 
field and the savings bank all the rest of my life, 
and make me pay more taxes, too. I’ll go right 
at that field, and two other fields you haven’t seen, 
just as 60 on as I can get the mortgage money.” 
Diseased Gooseberries. 
Mr. Wm. H. Livingston, Fulton Co., N. Y., sends 
ns specimens of gooseberries, which are covered 
with a peculiar brown coat of felt. Under the 
•compound microscope, this covering is fouud to 
consist entirely of minute fibres or threads, that 
are so interwoven as to make a thick mass. The 
cause of this trouble is a fungus, known to science 
as Splicerotheca pannosa. This parasitic plant at¬ 
tacks the leaves, young stems, and berries of the 
gooseberry, and in the worst cases, the affected 
parts are completely covered with the superficial 
felt-like growth, above mentioned. The growth 
develops from spores, which probably are carried 
by the wind, and find lodgment on the leaves, etc., 
and there germinate, producing the# “ disease.” 
As far as can be observed, the threads do not run 
deeply into the substance of the gooseberry, but 
.small projections from the filaments penetrate the 
surface cells of the part infested, and through 
these the parasite extracts the juice necessary for 
its growth. These minute projections are some¬ 
times called “suckers,” and resemble the small 
Toots that grow from the clinging stems of the 
English Ivy, or the dreaded Poison Ivy. 
The fungus, when it first appears, is light- 
colored, and to the naked eye an affected leaf 
•seems covered with a coat of dust. As the season 
advances, the filaments grow darker, and scattered 
among them appear small spherical bodies. These, 
.at first colorless, become dark-brown, and when 
fully developed, contain the winter spores, as they 
sre termed. Multitudes of summer spores are 
formed on the tips of the filaments through the 
•early part of the season, and serve to spread the 
trouble from leaf to leaf and bush to bush. 
These form in a day, or less time, while the winter 
•spores are of slow growth, and not ready to ger¬ 
minate until the following spring. 
We have not heard of any remedy being applied 
for this disease ; but as it is quite superficial, and 
may be observed in its first stages, it is probable 
that flowers of sulphur, dusted on, would be 
•effective. This has proved of great value upon 
grape vines infested with the mildew, and we hope 
it may be a successful remedy for the gooseberry 
mould. All the leaves, stems, etc., that are cov¬ 
ered with the brown felt should be removed and 
Burned, as they bear the maturing winter spores 
■upon their surface. If these are destroyed, the 
means of preserving the mould through the winter 
•ure cut off. In early summer, dust on sulphur 
with bellows or otherwise, and later in the season 
Burn all infested portions that have escaped. We 
ask those who try these means of destroying the 
gooseberry mould, to report to us their results 
at the end of the season. 
Wooden Water Pipes. 
For conveying water short distances (less than 
fifteen rods), and where the amount desired is 
greater than can be supplied by a half-inch pipe, 
wooden tubing will be found cheaper than iron, 
lead, or other metallic pipes. Wooden tubing, of 
from one and a quarter to two-inch bore, may be 
obtained of all hardware dealers. In purchasing, 
observe that the ends are iron-bauded, to prevent 
splitting when placed together, and to prevent the 
tubes bursting when under a heavy head of water. 
Before the pipe is laid, it is best to give it one or 
two coats of oil; even crude petroleum will do , 
this adds greatly to the durability. In pipes 
through which there is a constant flow of water, 
there is but little danger of decay ; in fact, we have 
known of old-fashioned pump logs being removed 
after nearly fifty years of constant use, and found 
sound upon the inside. Wooden, as well as other 
pipes for conveying water, should be laid below 
the frost line. If the water be intended for drink¬ 
ing purposes, place the pipe at least three feet 
under ground, and if in sandy, porous soils, to a 
still greater depth. After the pipe is in position, 
and before the water is admitted, pour hot coal- 
tar over it, especially at each joint, which is readily 
done by using a watering-pot or an old tea or 
coffee-pot. Always test wooden and other pipes 
after they are laid, by admitting water before cov¬ 
ering them with soil, in order that a leak, if 
found, may be easily stopped. 
The Abundant Peach Crop. 
Notwithstanding winter killing, the destructive 
frosts at blossoming time, and that remarkable bug 
or worm that the papers report, the peach crop is 
likely to be very large this season. Old peach- 
growers need no advice, but there are many 
orchards in various parts of the country which will 
this season yield their first crop, and these are 
owned by persons new to the business. To those 
who find themselves, for the first time, with a crop 
of peaches on their hands, the most important 
question is—how to dispose of it ? If a commission 
dealer in a city market has not been selected, this 
should be attended to at once. It is not difficult to 
ascertain the reputation of such men, and having 
selected one, stick to him. All sorts of shysters 
will come along, as the fruit is near ripening, offer¬ 
ing better terms than any one else ; usually these 
have no regular place of business, but sell on the 
dock, or at the depot, if they get a consignment. 
In many localities drying or evaporating, and can¬ 
ning factories, have been established; it will be 
well to ascertain if the fruit may not be contracted 
for at these on favorable terms, and thus avoid 
much of the labor and uncertainty of marketing. 
If the crop is to be marketed, of course the kind 
of packages has been decided upon and procured. 
If these are to be returned when emptied, see that 
they are properly marked. The novice in peach 
growing has much trouble with his pickers. He 
can not afford to pick himself, but must watch the 
others. The great trouble is from over-ripe fruit. 
A single soft peach will spoil a crate or basket, 
should it become “leaky.” Where experienced 
pickers are to be had, they assort as they pick, but 
even in the large orchards it is now becoming the 
custom to assort afterwards. All the fruit properly 
ripe is picked, and then taken to the “ sorters,” or 
“ cullers,” who make three or four qualities, as 
may be decided upon. This work is done in a shed 
for the purpose, or temporary tables of boards 
upon horses, upon which to spread the fruits, are 
placed in the orchard. The very finest peaches go 
as “ extra,” and the packages of these are “ twigg¬ 
ed,” i. e., a small branch of peach leaves is placed 
at the top. A second and a third quality are made 
by some, while others send but two. All the over¬ 
ripe, badly-shaped, specked, or otherwise faulty 
peaches, are placed in a third or fourth basket, as 
may be, to be used at home, or fed to the pigs. 
Whether two or three grades are sent to the mar¬ 
ket, let them be distinctly marked. Let the quality 
be the same all through the package, if the grower 
wishes to have his brand acquire a good reputation. 
It is allowable to place the top layer with their color¬ 
ed sides uppermost, but not to “ deacon ” or “top 
off” with large peaches, while all below are in¬ 
ferior. Retailers, who buy the most of the peaches 
sent to market, soon learn which brands turn out 
the best, and select accordingly in purchasing. 
Improved Brush Rake. 
One of the most disagreeable tasks connected 
with a hedge fence is gathering and burning the 
annual or semi-annual trimmings. It is generally 
done with pitchforks, and often causes pain. To 
have a long shoot, covered with thorns an inch 
long, spring out from a roll of brush and hit one 
square across the countenance, is exasperating in 
the extreme. To avoid this danger, many expedi¬ 
ents are resorted to. Among the best of these is 
a long, strong rail, with a horse hitched to each 
end by means of ropes or chains eight or ten feet 
long. A boy is placed on each horse, and two men, 
with heavy sticks eight or ten feet long, follow. 
The horses walk on each side of the row of brush, 
and the men place one end of their sticks just in 
front of the rail, and hold them at an angle of 
about forty-five degrees, to prevent the brush from 
sliding over it. When a load is gathered, the 
horses are turned about, and the rail withdrawn. 
The device shown in the engraving is an im¬ 
provement on this method. A good, heavy pole, 
eight to twelve feet long, has four or five two-inch 
hard-wood teeth set in it, as seen in the cut. These 
teeth may be twelve to twenty inches long, and 
slide on the ground in front of the pole similar 
to those of a revolving hay rake. The handles 
are six to eight feet long, of ash or other tough 
wood, and fit loosely into the holes in the pole. 
Two horses are employed, one at each end of the 
rake. One man holds the handles, and raises or 
lowers the teeth as necessary. When a load is 
gathered, the handles are withdrawn, the ends of 
the teeth strike the ground, throw the pole up, and 
it passes over the heap. After a little practice, a 
man can handle this rake so as to gather up either 
large or small brush perfectly clean, and do it 
rapidly. 
Rod Traces for Lead Horses. 
An experienced horseman has invented and used 
a rod-trace, made of three-quarter inch rod-iron, 
which is much better than the common leather 
trace for leaders in a four-horse team. With this 
trace the lead horses are not annoyed by the wliif- 
fletree rattling around their heels when the horses 
are held up on a down grade, thus avoiding a fre¬ 
quent cause of kicking. If a horse should get 
down in a bad road, he, could not be injured by 
these rods, as they would be clear above his back, 
if other parts of the harness were properly at¬ 
tached. A good, sound piece of leather tug from 
an old harness, will answer for the piece to which 
the rod is riveted, and which is buckled to the 
“ hames-tug!” Any blacksmith can make one at 
a small cost. These rods cannot be used for single 
teams on the pole. W. D. B. 
