608 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
start after the rye dies. If oats or barley is used for 
a nurse crop they will have to be harvested or the 
Alfalfa will be injured. Sometimes this harvesting 
cannot be done. It is expected to secure two hay 
crops this year. That in the aggregate will be worth 
as much as a crop of corn. The writer is not advising 
this plan to others till it is tried out on this farm. At 
the same time it is open to criticism. If it wins it is 
hard to estimate its value, as it gives the Alfalfa a 
full season to grow before Winter. 
Ross Co., Ohio. john m. jamison. 
TRIANGULAR ORCHARD PLANTING. 
I would very much like to hear Mr. Van Deman discuss 
the pros and cons of the equilateral triangular system of 
orchard planting. My own orchards are upon the square 
system, but the triangular seems to present many most 
important advantages, though it is a much more difficult 
and complicated one. The chief advantage seems to lie 
in the fact that in the triangular arrangement, the fruit 
gets nearly double the amount of sunshine, a point, which 
here in the East cannot be overestimated. Then it is the 
only system by which all the ground can be utilized with¬ 
out overcrowding. And again it would seem to admit of 
greater facility in spraying, cultivating, picking and prun¬ 
ing, and thus far I can see no single objection to it, but 
would like to bear expressions from men Who have actually 
worked in both kinds of orchards. I would also like to 
hear from those who have carried a tree through from 
planting to maturity, concerning the proper number of 
branches (leader not included) to he left at planting to 
form a well-shaped but not too thick a head. My own 
experience and observation has been, that (excepting in 
case of King), where more than three or at the most four 
branches have been left, it made it necessary when the 
tree was eight or 10 years old to remove the leader or one 
of the branches, making a bad wound in a bad location. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. h. l. 
When I began to plant orchards for myself in 1872 
the hexagonal plan seemed to be the one above all 
others that should be followed, because by it the trees 
would be equally distant apart. This would give all 
sides of each tree an equal share of light and circula¬ 
tion of air, and the roots would be evenly distributed 
in the soil. Theoretically this is correct, and it is so 
in fact. But when the matter of fillers was considered 
I met with the fact that all would have to be taken 
out at one time, to which I did not then see any special 
objection.. And that is the way I planted, and felt 
that it was a very superior plan, for I had decided to 
interplant the permanent apple orchard with varieties 
that would come into bearing very early and have 
served their purpose in time to give their room to the 
permanent trees. So far as I know this was the first 
interplanting of this kind, that is of apple trees be¬ 
tween apple trees that had been done, although I may 
not have been the first to do it. 
A few years after my main orchard was set I 
was talking with that great orchardist, Judge Fred 
Wellhouse, of Kansas, about the filler system in apple 
orchards, and together we devised the one that I have 
followed ever since. For the benefit of others I have 
described it many times in print and otherwise and 
will here do so again in response to the present re¬ 
quest. It is so simple and so easily understood and 
carried out in practice that I think it will commend 
itself to anyone who will study it or use it. It will 
stand the test of time and experience and be used, 
perhaps, as long as orchards are planted. It is not 
only good for apples, but for cherries, prunes, olives, 
Citrus fruits, nuts or any trees that live long enough 
to need cutting out a portion to give room for those 
remaining. For peach trees I do not think it especially 
needful, because they are short lived and are usually 
all dug out at once. However, it is as good as any 
other plan for peach orchards except in the more 
even distribution of light and space by the triangular 
system. If there is a better plan for planting any 
kind of fruit, I will be glad to know it and to adopt 
it if it proves to be worthy. 
The diagram which I have made, Fig 217, is 
largely self explanatory, but for the clearest under¬ 
standing it may be well to mention the main points of 
advantage. The distance apart I had once adopted 
for apple trees was 20x20 feet, but after many 
years’ experience and close observation I have 
concluded that 25x25 feet is better except it be 
in the regions where apple trees do not attain great 
s;ze and age. There are many of our apple growing 
regions where the trees have a spread fully 50 feet 
and live to be a century old under good treatment. 
It is for these conditions the unit is made 25 feet at 
the beginning, in part, and to allow the filler trees to 
stand long enough to serve their greatest usefulness 
before having to be removed. If they are only 20x20 
feet they cannot stand as long as they should without 
too much injury to those remaining. At about the 
age of 15 years from planting the trees will begin to 
crowd each other for light and free circulation of air’ 
above ground, and the roots will be contending for 
the plant food in the soil. Before any real damage re¬ 
sults is the time to use the ax and stump puller. Each 
alternate diagonal row should be taken out bodily. 
This will leave the remaining trees over 35 feet apart, 
which is ample room in which to spread and get the 
full benefits of soil and light for at least 10 years 
longer. And in some places and with some varieties 
there may never be need of future cutting out in the 
orchard, for this distance may give ample room for 
the whole life of the trees. It is quite certain that in 
4 ^ dp §3 
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A PLAN FOR ORCHARD PLANTING. Fig. 217. 
an orchard that differs in its fertility in different sec¬ 
tions, as for instance, where the land is rolling and 
there are hills and valleys, the trees on the hills are 
not likely to need the same space or at the same time 
as in the more fertile hollows. Good judgment will 
dictate the time of cutting out and leaving the fillers 
to stand. But when the permanent trees that stand 50 
feet apart need all the room occupied by the fillers 
the remedy is at hand as before—the ax and stump- 
puller. 
It is argued by some that there is not sufficient sun¬ 
light in an orchard planted by the square system. This 
is a mistake from the point of practical experience. 
Theoretically it may be all right. If the trees are 
planted the distance apart suggested and the fillers 
cut out in time there will be no trouble from lack of 
sunlight. It is also claimed that those who plant by 
the filler system will not thin the orchards in time. 
This may be true in some cases, but anyone who does 
not have business sense enough to do it when the 
proper time comes should not plant that way. It is as 
reasonable to cut out a thrifty apple tree when it has 
served its purpose as to kill a pig at 200 pounds that 
might be left to grow to 400 pounds. Human nature 
is greedy and short-sighted, but our fruit growers are 
usually as sensible as hog raisers. The matter of 
heading trees is most important and should be so done 
that there would not be all the main forks at one 
place but continuously from the lowest place up the 
central stem for several feet. Such apple trees will 
not need any of their main branches cut away to 
make bad wounds. h. e. van deman. 
WHEN TO SPRAY. 
The season to begin our thorough spraying with 
the poisons to kill the Codling worm will soon be here, 
and every year there are requests for information as 
to just when to spray. A bulletin from the Nebraska 
Exp. Station gives the picture shown at Fig. 218 to 
SPRAYING FOR CODLING MOTH. Fig. 218. 
illustrate the proper time for putting on the poison. 
They state that Fig. 1 shows the proper time for mak¬ 
ing the first spraying, when the larger proportion of 
the buds have assumed this appearance. Figs. 3 and 
4 show when to make the second spraying; accord¬ 
ing to this advice Fig. 2 is somewhat early, while Fig. 
5 is late for the second spraying, while it would be 
May 11, 
difficult to force poison into the bud as shown at 
Fig. 6. Of course, the theory of spraying for the 
Codling worm is to put the poison into the calyx of 
the bud cup, so that the worm when hatched out will 
feed at this end of the fruit and find the poison. The 
general advice is to begin to spray after the bloom 
falls. Now and then we have reports from people 
who say they spray while the bloom is full. This is 
considered a mistake, for not only is the spray dan¬ 
gerous to the flower at this period, but there is also 
danger of killing bees that visit the flower to obtain 
nectar. 
A TOWN IMPROVEMENT CLUB. 
In response to E., page 523, have a number of your 
leading people call a meeting (in the schoolhouse, 
maybe). They should be prepared to state what the 
club proposes to accomplish in the way of neighbor¬ 
hood betterment, and have influence enough to secure 
names of those they desire for members. A state¬ 
ment is made in a book as to the objects of organiza¬ 
tion and the joiners sign. Then follows the election 
of officers, president, secretary and treasurer. Rules 
and by-laws are proposed and voted upon, and the 
secretary enters these in the book after the names. 
Elect officers for one year. As far as possible have 
no tax placed upon members in the way of dues or 
fines. An entertainment once in a while could be got 
up to raise a small fund for expenses. I think such 
a club should include the farmers living near the vil¬ 
lage or town, as then there would be a good roads 
and other committees at work aside from those work¬ 
ing in the town’s interests. A club of this kind must 
carefully avoid treading upon the toes of individuals. 
Tree planting along the streets or the public highways, 
the doing away with an old bridge and an appeal to 
the county officials for one of concrete, the grading 
down of a road with a hill too steep, and similar af¬ 
fairs may be thrashed out in monthly meeting, voted 
upon and, when found feasible, passed to a commit¬ 
tee. These three, or five, report back to the club in 
session, and they work until the object of the club 
is accomplished or they announce failure. Of course 
the secretary keeps a book of minutes, those of the 
previous meeting being read after the roll-call. 
a. s. w. 
SHALL IT BE CLOVER OR ALFALFA ? 
Can you give me any information about the difficulty 
in plowing a good Alfalfa sod? Where Red clover is 
grown with ease is Alfalfa of very much advantage, and 
wh T ? c. w. m. 
Maryland. 
The trouble about plowing Alfalfa is that the roots 
grow so tough and large that they are almost like 
small ropes holding the plow back. An Alfalfa sod, 
for this reason, is much harder to plow than clover. 
In the West, where much Alfalfa is grown, they 
fasten a piece of sharp steel at the front of the plow. 
This slices off the roots and makes it easier to turn 
the furrow over. There is an argument in some sec¬ 
tions as to whether Alfalfa is really more valuable 
than good Red clover. The following report is a good 
sample of the arguments: 
“I am having a two-acre Alfalfa field of three 
seasons’ growth plowed to-day for corn. It is on a 
dry gravel soil, and while I had no trouble whatever 
in getting a good stand when it was sown, using lime 
and inoculation, the meadow has been a disappoint¬ 
ment to me. It has cut one good crop and two small 
ones for three seasons, but they did not total more 
than one good crop of clover or mixed hay, such as I 
should undoubtedly have been able to cut had I used 
the same amount of fertilizer and care upon them. 
It has been an exceedingly difficult crop to cure prop¬ 
erly; in fact what I did get was very inferior as fod¬ 
der on that account, as it practically never failed to 
rain at least once before I could get a crop of it in 
the barn, and one shower after the stuff was partly 
cured about spoiled it. It also takes a field out of 
rotation, and so far as I can see from feeding it has 
no greater food value than good clover. I know that 
this does not agree with the chemists’ analysis, and 
maybe it is not true. I judge only from the apparent 
effect upon my cattle. At any rate I know that Al¬ 
falfa field—the pride of my heart—has not given me 
the equivalent of two good crops of mixed hay and 
one of corn in the three seasons that I have cut it, 
labor considered. A heavy team has to work hard to 
pull a walking plow through the roots, which stand 
up above the ground like a miniature forest as the 
furrows roll over. I shall be interested to see what 
they do for the corn crop as they decay. I shall use 
no stable manure, but shall try to give each hill of 
corn a handful of hen manure mixed with acid rock. 
It is a natural corn ground, and while I am giving it 
no potash, I should get a good crop.” 
There are a fair number of farmers who take the 
same view—that where they can grow good Red 
clover they do not need Alfalfa. The Alfalfa costs 
more to start, and it is harder to obtain a good 
“catch.” While clover will last two years the Alfalfa 
will stand five years or more, and give on the whole a 
larger yield. 
