300 
tree was fed. Carman is another variety that like 
Elberta, may be left unthinned and yet produce fine 
peaches, though not as large size proportionately as 
the Elberta. Peach thinning generally greatly in¬ 
creases the size, beauty and quality of the fruit, while 
weakening its shipping and keeping qualities. Thin- 
skinned tender varieties like Carman and Champion, 
if they can be left a little over-crowded on the trees 
and yet forced up to fair salable size, will ship better 
and keep longer than the same varieties when proper 
thinning has been practiced. 
An ideal crop of peaches can best be had by the 
setting of a very full crop, thinning when as large 
as walnuts to 3 or 4 inches apart, then a month or 
so later go carefully over each tree and take off every 
peach that is not showing good strong perfect de¬ 
velopment or has a fault of any kind upon it. If 
season is favorable after that, what are left should 
be peaches as near perfection as it’s possible to 
get them. As to a succession of varieties for home 
use for most Northern sections of the country, the 
following list ripening in succession from early July 
to October, will come near filling the bill: Greens¬ 
boro, Carman, St. John, Champion, Belle, Elberta, 
Stump, Crosby, Fox, Stevens and Iron Mountain, 
three yellow and eight white-fleshed varieties. 
J. H. IIALE. 
SOY BEANS IN TENNESSEE. 
S. E. M., on page 189, asks for information re¬ 
garding cow peas and Soy beans in Wisconsin. While 
he wishes to hear only from those of his latitude, 
would say that from the 20th of May until the 15th of 
September is long enough to mature any variety that 
I know of, certainly for hay, which is cut at least two 
weeks earlier than for grain. Last year I planted 
Mammoth Yellow, the latest variety we have, on July 
1; it was in a hay cutting stage on October 1. Tokyo, 
the heaviest yielder I have tested, planted at the same 
time, was two weeks earlier. Nuttal, planted July 23, 
was cut for grain in September, producing 25 or 30 
bushels of grain to the acre. Chernie, the earliest of 
a score or more varieties I have grown, volunteered 
in my garden and was ready to cut for. seed July 1, 
while Chernie and Ito San, planted after late potatoes 
on August 8, ripened seed by the first of October. 
There is one objection S. E. M. will find in looking 
for a legume to take the place of clover and that is 
there is but one Soy bean, Mammoth Yellow, that 
thoroughly inoculates itself the first year, with the 
possible exception of Austin in a lesser degree. .S. E. 
M. would be safe to plant Mammoth Yellow and cut 
for hay just before frost; it makes a heavy growth 
and excellent hay. Plant in 30-inch rows, eight to 12 
seeds to the foot, and cultivate every week or 10 days. 
I have eaten Soy beans cooked as navy beans are, and 
also shelled while green as they do Lima beans, and 
consider them equally as good as either are. They 
will, however, require a much longer time to cook. 
Tennessee. w. j. g. Webster. 
AN APPLE ANALYZED. 
One of the readers has asked me to “analyze an 
apple, giving the names and descriptions of the various 
parts.” To anyone who is interested in scientific po¬ 
mology this is quite necessary to be well understood. 
For the benefit of the general reader, I will try to 
make the analysis as plain as can be, thus serving, if 
possible, both the scientifically inclined and the more 
ordinary worker with fruits. 
An apple is known in science as a pome, which is a 
fruit that contains its seeds in capsules surrounded by 
a fleshy pulp. Other examples of the pomes are the 
pear, quince, wild hawthorn fruits and those of the 
rose. All of these have five capsules containing the 
seeds, which together compose the core. In making a 
scientific or pomological description of an apple we be¬ 
gin with the outward appearances. There have been 
various systems or methods of classification by pomol- 
ogists for centuries past. Some of them have been 
very curiously, not to say absurdly, founded on cer¬ 
tain real or imaginary characteristics, while others 
were quite reasonable and practical. The best of them 
all, according to my judgment, is the system devised 
and published by Dr. John A. Warder, of Ohio, in his 
American Pomology. The first divisions in his classi¬ 
fication are based upon the shape of the vertical sec¬ 
tions and a re four in number: Class I, Oblate or 
Flat; Class II, Conical; Class III, Round or Globular; 
Class IV, Oblong. Next comes the shape of the cross 
or transverse sections, called Orders, of which there 
are two, Regular and Irregular. The third stage in 
the system is regarding the flavor, which are termed 
Sections, of which there are two. Section 1 includes 
the varieties that are sweet and Section 2 those that 
are subacid or sour. The last set of this descriptive 
classification is made up of three Subsections. The 
<THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
first of these includes all varieties that are yellow or 
green and may be blushed and even quite covered with 
red in some rare cases, but never striped. The sec¬ 
ond is striped and the third russet. By this system 
almost any apple may be properly classified, and if 
listed and described in detail might be identified by 
any careful student of pomology. While there was 
never but one edition of Doctor Warder’s book on 
apples, American Pomology, and that was issued in 
1867, and many valuable varieties have been intro¬ 
duced since that date, it is even now the best of all 
our books on apples, by which they may be studied 
and identified. While there are great ranges of vari¬ 
ation within the individual limits of any variety, there 
are certain characteristics that are quite constant and 
dependable, and upon these any intelligent classifica¬ 
tion must be based. Mere alphabetical or other ordi¬ 
nary arrangement is of much less value. 
To describe an apple in such manner as will lead to 
an understanding of its individual peculiarities I have 
made a drawing of a specimen of the Delicious that 
was grown in California. The most important parts 
are named and poirted out in such a way that they 
may be studied. To begin with, the form, which is 
one of the first points that anyone will notice, may be 
flat, conical, round or oblong, as looked at from the 
side, and round, elliptical, irregular or even angular 
when observing from either end. The size may be 
large, medium or small. The depression in which the 
stem is set is called the cavity, and it may be regular, 
irregular, or lipped; large or small; deep, medium or 
shallow; with a steep, abrupt or wide slope; it may 
have russet markings that are large, medium or faint, 
or none at all. The stem may be long, medium or 
short; slender, stout or fleshy. Sometimes a variety 
will have stems of all these descriptions, but they are 
generally of one type. The depression at the calyx 
or blossom end of an apple is called the basin. It 
may be regular, irregular, waved, furrowed or knobby; 
deep, medium, shallow or wanting; wide or narrow; 
marked with russet either cracked or smooth. The 
calyx may be open or closed; with the sepals long 
or short, upright or reflexed. The surface is smooth, 
rough, bloomed or russeted. The color, yellow, green, 
blushed, red striped and with all possible variations of 
intensity and lightness of shadings, mottling, splash- 
ings and suffusions. The dots are very characteristic 
and quite constant. They are numerous or scattering; 
large or small; dark or light; round or pointed; with 
light, dark, green and sometimes on raised bases. The 
skin may be thick and tough or thin and tender. The 
flesh is yellow, white or stained with red and very 
rarely pink throughout; and its texture may be fine 
or coarse; firm, tender or soft; and in weight light 
or heavy. The core may be large, medium or small; 
conical, round or oblate; open or closed; meeting or 
separate from the tube. The calyx tube large or 
small; long or short. Axial diameter long or short. 
Seeds numerous or few; large or small; plump or 
narrow; light or dark brown. Flavor sweet, subacid 
or sour; rich aromatic or spicy. Quality good, very 
good, best or poor. Season very early, early, mid- 
Summer, Fall, early Winter, mid-Winter and late- 
Winter. 
Thus it is that a pomologist would describe an apple. 
Blanks for descriptions are prepared for the govern¬ 
ment records and also by some of the States. I have 
them for my own private use in keeping records of 
the varieties I have examined. Paintings, models and 
historical notes of all interesting fruits are also made 
and carefully preserved in the office of the U. S. 
Pomologist at Washington, which is work that I 
planned and instituted when I was in charge of that 
office over 20 years ago. These records are of in¬ 
estimable value and will be more and more so as time 
advances. h. e. van deman. 
The Idolatry of the dollar seems to be a popular form 
of worship. 
We find many fruit growers who fear that the long 
continued cold has hurt the young apple trees as was done 
some years ago. Better look them over. 
March 23, 
PROFITABLE CORN RAISING. 
Prizes heretofore offered to stimulate the growing 
of corn in New England have been given to those 
producing the heaviest yields per acre, with little 
regard to profit Last season saw a change. The 
Coe-Mortimer Co. offered $500 in three prizes, to 
persons raising the three most profitable acres of 
corn in New England. Any method could be pursued, 
much, little or no fertilizers or manure would be in 
order. While no interest was charged to the land, 
a uniform price was established for labor, and ran 
per hour, as follows: One man, 20 cents; man and 
one horse, 35 cents; man and two horses, 50 cents. 
Shelled corn of 12 per cent moisture was placed at 
75 cents per bushel, and the stover, 40 per cent mois¬ 
ture, at $8 per ton. Even the cobs were included at 
$7 per ton. With these regulations about 60 con¬ 
testants scattered all over New England, eagerly em¬ 
braced the opportunity “to see what they could do.” 
I have a Morgan team; they were instructed to walk 
fast; they did, and turned over one acre of green 
sward in just four hours, cost $2. The ground was 
muck, with no stones, stumps or other obstructions 
and being soft, like an ash-heap, required but two 
hours’ harrowing; cost, $1. There was no rolling, 
marking or other handling of the land. It took 40 
minutes only to plant the acre. This was done with 
a grain drill putting in three row's at a time; cost, 
33J4 cents. Ten quarts of seed corn at six cents per 
quart, the price agreed upon, was used; cost, 60 cents. 
There was no cost for chemical or yard manure, this 
being the only acre reported in the contest where no 
manure whatever was used. 
Before the corn was up, just as the weed seeds 
began to germinate, the ground was gone over and 
stirred thoroughly with an improved weeder. The 
w’ork was perfect. To do this required one man and 
horse 25 minutes; cost, 15 cents. After the corn was 
well up the ground was again gone over, the teeth of 
the weeder over the corn row's having been removed. 
This required two men and one horse and careful 
attention. But it worked. Two rows were cultivated 
at a time. It took 33 minutes; cost, 30 cents. The 
use of the weeder for the third time came 10 days 
later with same expense. This concluded all team 
work except 40 minutes with a two-horse cultivator 
at an expense of 34 cents. Hand hoeing, eight hours, 
45 minutes, cost $1.75. There were also a few' inci¬ 
dental expenses; as keeping off the crows, clearing 
out dead furrows for the water—which never came, 
and the like, making the total expense of the crop 
up to July 1, $7.64 1-3. 
Cutting the corn with harvester, setting it up, bind¬ 
ing tops, cost of twine, picking up scattered ears, 
husking the crop and storing in corncrib and stover 
in the barn, and all other expense items were duly 
accounted for; the entire expense of the crop—not 
including interest on land, amounted to $26.75. This 
was one of the cheapest of the acre crops though 
not the most profitable one. 
COUNTER ACCOUNT.—'There were 82 bushels of 
shelled corn, harvest measure; this the chemist re¬ 
duced to a water-free basis, and added 12 per cent 
moisture and reported 62.5 bushels of commercially 
dry shelled corn. This at 75 cents per bushel equals 
$46.87 for the grain. The cobs and stover were valued 
at $12.72, making total receipts $59.59. Deducting 
total expense, $26.75, and we have $32.84 as the net 
profit. Lest a wrong inference be drawn from the 
above recital, permit an explanatory word. While 
using no chemical fertilizers in this contest, the 
w'riter is in favor of their discreet use, having applied 
a ton on one acre last year. But in this contest, the 
man using no fertilizers, and accounting for none, 
w'orked at an advantage, provided his land contained 
available fertility for one good corn crop, and he 
ought, and other things being equal, w'ould have been 
nominally first instead of fourth in the list. But 
“other things” w'ere not equal. Elijah was not here, 
but a terrific drought was. The corn leaves turned 
white, asi if bitten by frost. For weeks they sighed 
for rain, but none came, and to make a painful 
climax, there were present in the soil wireworms 
by the million. They ruined at least one-fourth of the 
crop, and imposed a heavy toll upon all the rest. 
Nevertheless, including value of stover, that acre, 
without any applied fertilizers w'hatever, produced 
62j4 bushels of dry shelled corn costing only 22 / 2 
cents per bushel. Truly corn is king. l. w. peet. 
Vermont. 
LONG WINTER.—From all over the country come 
reports of the fearful cold of the Winter now (let us 
hope) passing away. There has been much suffer¬ 
ing both north and south. Reports from Florida 
even state that the usually mild Winter has often 
been cold and raw. Yet there have been others! For 
instance, look at the snow scene at Fig. 138. You 
might not think it, but this was taken April 9 of last 
year at a point only 35 miles north of Philadelphia! 
It was probably “warm snow” and did little damage, 
but it looks like the South Pole! 
