ao4 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
SHAPING THE SUTTON APPLE. 
Last Fall the Hope Farm man gave a 
picture of a Sutton apple tree, and 
thought the head would spread under 
the weight of fruit and assume a better 
shape. I think he is doomed to disap¬ 
pointment. The branches of this tree 
are too stout and stiff to droop or be 
much influenced by the weight of fruit 
borne upon them. The writer is familiar 
SUTTON APPLE TREE. 
with a block of Suttons 16 years old in 
Tompkins Co., N. Y., the body branches 
of which are as erect as a pole and as 
stiff as a fine stake. Unless the natural 
habit of growth of Sutton be corrected 
by a rational and judicious "heading in - ' 
of the young tree, the mature tree will 
be disappointing—form high and erect 
with comparatively little fruit-bearing 
area. 
Last Summer I practiced the above- 
named system on a Sutton in Wayne 
Co., and photographs herewith show the 
tree “before and after” the operation; 
see pictures above and below. Where 
suitable outside laterals were present at 
proper height, the main-branch was cut 
off just above; the laterals in some 
cases are so small that camera does not 
bring them out. Where there is no lat¬ 
eral several will form in next growing 
season, because of the reaction that will 
manifest itself in a mass of new shoots 
issuing from the buds already formed, 
some of which would otherwise have de¬ 
veloping into fruit spurs. Every new 
shoot takes a diverging angle from that 
of the parent limb, which law of tree 
growth in utility is the tree artists key 
to changing the natural form of a given 
tree or type. Of the new growth, new 
shoots, only those issuing from the outer 
SUTTON AFTER CUTTING. 
half of the parent limb should remain, 
the others to be early eliminated and 
these again “headed in,” next season, 
unless the growth be rank, when it may 
be cut back say to 18 inches about July 
1. By the above system, if intelligently 
performed, and persistently pursued, un¬ 
desirable habit of form in certain de¬ 
sirable varieties may be corrected, or 
individual trees in anv variety be shaped 
to suit. C. F. BLEY. 
March 2 , 
KILLING OUT JOHNSON GRASS. 
On the farm adjoining me th>ere is a 
grass that in this country is without a 
name. After reading in The R. N.-Y. an 
article on a kind of grass growing i-n Ala¬ 
bama I think possibly it may be the John¬ 
son grass. One thing sure, a man may as 
well abandon a piece of ground for trucking 
that is infested with it. It grows to a 
height of 10 or 12 inches above ground. 
The greater part by far is below. With 
roots almost as tough as wire and complete¬ 
ly matted in the ground it is almost impos¬ 
sible to work the ground. What concerns 
me most is this: it has spread up to my 
line and over in several places. Can you 
tell me how to keep back, or better, how 
to annihilate it? Will plowing in Winter 
do any good? e. d. b. 
New Jersey. 
It appears, from the statement in this 
letter that the grass in question is Johnson 
grass. This may become a serious pest, 
especially in lighter soils. Methods for the 
eradication of Johnson grass are referred 
to in Bulletins 72 and 90 of the Bureau 
of Plant Industry, Department of Agricul¬ 
ture, Washington, D. C. Copies of these 
bulletins could, no doubt, bo secured by ap¬ 
plication to the Department. To quote 
from Bulletin 72, mentioned above, it would 
be feasible to eradicate Johnson grass com¬ 
pletely in a single year in the following 
manner: "First, in the Autumn, at a time 
when the land is in good condition to cul¬ 
tivate, plow to a moderate depth with a 
turning plow, being careful to cut and turn 
every inch of soil. A good disk plow so set 
as to cut every inch of the soil would an¬ 
swer as well. Harrow the land immediately 
so as to get it smooth and well pulverized. 
It is perfectly useless to try to use the 
root digger unless the land is brought into 
excellent condition and is free from clods. 
The next treatment is to run over the land 
with some implement which acts on the 
same principle as the root digger. First, 
run crosswise of the furrows and then 
lengthwise. The roots left on the surface 
by this treatment may either be removed 
from the field or left to decay during the 
Winter. In the Spring, plow the land again 
with the turning plow and then put it In 
cotton in the usual way and give the cotton 
ordinary good tillage. Pay no attention to 
the Johnson grass until the first sprigs get to 
be about six inches high, then go carefully 
over the land and pull out every bunch of 
Johnson grass visible. By doing this 
work carefully it will be possible to re¬ 
move every sprig, root and branch, because 
the grass sprouts come from small loose 
pieces of roots in the soil. By repeating this 
operation, never allowing a sprig to get 
more than six inches high, the grass can 
be completely eradicated during the Sum¬ 
mer, and the amount of labor required will 
not be excessive. We have found that the 
treatment given in the Autumn by the root 
digger leaves comparatively little to be done 
the next Summer. This is probably the 
most practical method for eradicating the 
grass on cotton farms. Similar methods 
could be pursued in a cornfield.” 
N. J. Exp. Station. j. g. lipman. 
Di aector. 
Sapsucker Working on Apple Trees. 
On several of my apple trees (15 years 
old) I find the bark is punctured in rather 
a peculiar manner. About three feet from 
the ground I discovered holes about one- 
quarter inch in diameter, and apparently 
about the same in depth; these holes are 
spaced in regular order all around the 
trunk, and there are several rings of them. 
The bark is healthy looking. Is it the work 
of insects, or do you think it is done by 
woodpeckers? If borers are at work how 
shall I treat these trees? L. M. 
Pennsylvania. 
This undoubtedly is the work of the sap- 
sucker, a bird of the woodpecker family, 
which has developed some rather objection¬ 
able traits. It should not be confused with 
the usual downy and hairy woodpeckers, 
however, which it resembles somewhat, both 
in size and coloring. The latter birds 
can be most readily distinguished by their 
distinct white stripe down the middle of the 
back. They also are usually with us all 
through the Winter, while the sapsucker is 
conspicuous only in the Spring and Fall 
during its north and southward migrations. 
Pa. State College. J. p. stewart. 
Lime to Kill Peach Borers. —Dig ditch 
around tree, loosen ground so the lime can 
soak in. Place three pieces of lime as big 
as a fist in ditch, oue pint of wood ashes 
on each piece; put enough water on so lime 
will not dry till all is slaked. The tree will 
show the proof. g. k. m. 
Pennsylvania. 
The American Florist states that tomato 
seed, formerly a waste product of Italian 
canneries, is now made into oil; it has the 
quality of drying rapidly, and is valuable 
for varnish. The canneries in the Province 
of Parma can 54.000 tons of tomatoes an¬ 
nually, and have an output of 600 tons of 
tomato seed oil. 
Dynamite 
Doubles 
Yields 
of corn, cotton, cere¬ 
als, and all fruits and 
vegetables. 
Ordinary plowing turns 
over the same shal¬ 
low top-soil year after 
year, forming a hard 
and nearly impervious 
“ plow sole ’ ’ that lim¬ 
its the waterholding 
capacity of the land and 
shuts out tons per acre 
of natural plant food. 
Dynamiting the subsoil 
makes this plant food 
available, aerates the 
soil, protects vegetation 
against both drouth and 
excess rainfall, and soon 
repays its cost in saving of 
fertilizer expense and 
largely increased yields. 
There is a new and better 
farm right under the 
old one. Subsoiling 
with Red Cross 
Dynamite gives 
you 6 feet of top 
soil instead of 6 
inches. 
Write for 
Free Booklet 
To learn how pro¬ 
gressive farmers are 
using dynamite for 
removing stumps 
and boulders, plant¬ 
ing and cultivating 
fruit trees, regener¬ 
ating barren soil, 
ditching, draining, 
excavating and road¬ 
making, ask for 
Ne w Farms For Old," 
No. 30 
DU PONT POWDER CO. 
PIONEER POWDER MAKERS OF AMERICA 
WILMINGTON, DEL. 
((■■■■■■ B 99. kills Prairie Dogs, 
"" “ “ ■ ^ Woodchucks, Gophers, 
and Grain Insects. 
"The wheels of the gods 
grind slow but exceed¬ 
ingly small." So the weevil, but you can stop their 
*with “Fuma Carbon Bisulphide are doing. 
EDWARD R. TAYLOR, Penn Yan, N. Y. 
FUMA 
HARNESS 
that outlives the horse 
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KING HARNESS CO. 
6 Lake St., Owego, Tioga Co.,N. Y 
Drain Your Land 
for 4 cents a Rod 
We guarantee this horse' 
' power Cyclone Tile. Ditching 1 
’Machine cuts tile ditch, 10 in -1 
' ches wide, 24 inches deep, afl 
F rate of 300 rods a day. Finished! 
' ditch cut, tile laid and covered, for 
3 or 4 cents a rod in average soil. 
Read our free bookgivinginformation J 
from U.S. Govt, authorities on Drainage 1 
Cyclone Tile Ditching Machine] 
pays for itself in first 20 to 40 acres you 
drain, according to spacing of laterals. | 
Increased crops all profit. Make hun¬ 
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and cutting ditches for neighbors. 
Anyone who can plow can oper- 
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book showing. The Money Making Way 
of Draining Land. 
Jeechke Manufacturing Co. 
BoxllS JBdlcvae) Ohio 
:i0 : 
JW? 
wmmm 
vv . fx>.'; v • 
i. ■ -uiyi 
$ 10 , 000.00 
Deposited With Bank 
to Protect You 
You’ll be a delighted customer if you buy this 
Greencastle Grain Drill, or we’ll have to take 
machine back and pay freight both ways. There’s 
no other way out of it—we’ve put up a $10,000.00 
legal bond with our bankers to refund all your 
money if this Drill isn’t, exactly what we say it 
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free at our risk—sow all your seed—and if the 
Greencastle 
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HERTZLER & ZOOS CO., Box 100, Belleville, Pa. 
Puts a Set of 
Steel Wheels 
on Your Wagon 
Try wheels 30 days for heavy haul¬ 
ing on roughest roads. If wheels are 
r as represented, pay balance. If not, 
back comes your $4. Write for Free Measuring Device. 
EMPIRE STEEL WHEELS 
Made in one piece! All sizes, to fit any axle. Sava 
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Life-savers for men and horses. Book’Free. 
Empire Mfg. Co., Box 954, Quincy, Ilk 
Lirp f ¥ DRILLING 
TT Ju Lf 1/ MACHINES 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep or 
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WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. Y. 
Are Your Boots Made To Order ? 
If you had a pair of rubber boots made to order, you couldn’t 
have them made better than 
The Century Boot 
(Beacon Falls Brand) 
No matter how carefully they were made you wouldn’t secure a better 
wearing boot. 
CENTURY Boots are made of the best rubber produced in the world. 
The vamp is made extra strong by forcing rubber under powerful 
hydraulic pressure into the best quality of canvas duck.* To prevent cracking 
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reinforcement is used. 
CENTURY Soles are made of the toughest compound known. This 
sole is so compounded that it will rebound when it strikes a hard substance 
rather than chip off, as the soles of an ordinary boot would do. 
Century Boots Are Cheapest D °7„ p A "„™? UTe 
because best —best in material, best in workmanship and best 
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can’t secure CENTURY Boots from your dealer, 
write us. Send his name. We will see that you are 
supplied. A handsomely illustrated booklet, 
describing Beacon Falls rubber footwear, free. 
Write for it. 
Beacon Falls 
)Ho^ 
Co. 
The Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Co. Trade Mark 
New York Chicago Boston Look for the cro»« 
