•z-ei 
July 6, 
BURNING THE STRAWBERRY PATCH. 
While not a new practice it is not 
generally known that the strawberry 
patch may be burned off after harvest 
without injury. As soon as the berries 
are harvested my practice is to mow 
off all weeds and the leaves of the 
plants, being careful not to cut the 
crowns. After a few days’ drying I 
set fire to the patch, which burns up the 
mown leaves together with the mulch. 
It is preferable to burn it off just be¬ 
fore a rain. Almost immediately the 
plants will start to grow again. This 
is also a good time to spray the plants 
with Bordeaux and arsenate of lead. 
Pennsylvania. david plank. 
EXPERIENCE IN GIRDLING TREES, 
I have just been reading question by 
T. E. S. and answer by U. P. H. about 
ringing apple trees, and am willing to 
add my experience. Upon the advice 
of Prof. Van Deman, whom I met at 
the Ohio State Fair in the Fall of 1910, 
I began last June, 1911, to girdle apple 
trees to bring them into bearing, at 
first with fear and trembling, but as 
the first trees girdled healed I grew 
bolder and girdled others, and so con¬ 
tinued till late in July, with the result 
that the latest girdled young trees, six 
or eight, did not heal at all and are 
now dead. Although I kept no record 
of dates of girdling, the trees girdled 
in June and early July all healed and 
now have a crop of fruit, while other 
trees of same size and variety but not 
girdled have not yet started to bear. 
I also girdled some big old Bellflower 
trees in late July that healed all right. 
These trees have always bloomed full, 
but do not set well. I cannot see that 
these girdled Bellflowers set any more 
fruit this year than those not girdled, 
but can tell more accurately at picking 
time. We have not been planting 
Northern Spy of late years, because they 
are so tardy about bearing, but will now 
plant some, hoping to bring them to 
bearing by girdling. r. a. gill. 
Ohio. 
SHORT STORIES. 
Sterile Apricot Trees. 
My apricot trees bloom freely, but rarely 
set any fruit. What can be the matter? 
J. s. 
The apricot is notorious for having a 
large number of varieties which are shy 
bearers. Occasionally this is a matter of 
self-sterility, but more often seems to be 
inherent in the variety. It seems to me 
that it might be worth while to try graft¬ 
ing in a few scions of one or two other 
varieties of apricot. This ought to correct 
the difficulty if it is due to lack of cross 
pollination. I <lo not believe that grafting 
in the plum would be likely to have any 
effect. Of course it is possible that some 
change in the cultural or fertilizing treat- 
nent of the trees might also help. If they 
are making too rank a growth, withholding 
cultivation and nitrogenous fertilizers ought 
to be beneficial. F. c. s. 
Squash Bugs. 
The vines of my Summer squash die the 
latter part of August. I find the ground 
literally covered with what are commonly 
called “stink bugs.” What will save the 
vines? s. l s 
Bound Brook, N. J. 
This offensive smelling, rusty black col¬ 
ored squash bug affects the plants in the 
arval and mature state; it destroys the 
leaves by sucking out their juice, hence it 
is practically impossible to poison them. 
Air-slaked lime or soot applied around the 
stems of the vines is usually effective in 
keeping them away. A friend told me re¬ 
cently that he had used naphtha flakes as 
a remedy for all kinds of melon and squash 
bugs for the past three years and found it 
very effective. Naphtha flakes are insoluble 
in «- w , ate JV and . one application is usually 
sufficient for the entire season. k. 
Setting Onion Plants in Texas. 
I want to tell you how we set plants, 
especially onions in the Rio Grande country. 
I have seen 90 Mexicans in one gang setting 
onions. I have seen plant beds so large 
that at a distance they looked like wheat 
lields. I here are thousands of carloads 
of onions shipped out every season. I am 
sa.ying this much to let you see that we 
ought to know how. We, as a rule, make 
?al a 3 rid ® e ® l 6 . inches apart distribute 
plants about oO in a bunch along the row 
a E a ?°!£ th ? P r °P cr distance; the plants are 
about the size of a pencil, and trimmed at 
foots, left about one inch long 
and the top cut back till the plant is about 
four inches long. Then we take a bunch 
in our left hand, set a foot on each side of 
tne row stoop over resting our left elbow 
ioft knee, taking a plant in the 
„^ht hand with the first finger a little be¬ 
yond the bottom end so as to press on 
the roots; reach forward an inch or so 
from where you want the plant to sit, tilt 
tne plant to about 45 degrees, and press 
it back and in by pressing mostly on the 
roots to the plaeei you want it. Then with 
your fingers flirt a little dirt in the hole, 
leaving the plant perpendicular. Just why 
anyone with a plant already in his hand 
would drop it down for some one else to 
come along and take time to pick it up 
again is past my understanding. If they 
fj®. dis t^ibuted in bunches I can set them 
they are dropped, and one 
hand can bunch them on the row, taking 
two rows at a time as fast as six can set 
We set them about four inches 
apart, taking care not to press the roots 
up against the bottom and not press too 
hard on the bHib; two inches is plenty 
Texas. S - W - FLom 
the; rural 
Alfalfa Seeding on Long Island. 
Have you reached a decision as to the 
best time for sowing. Alfalfa on Long Is¬ 
land? I know of three late-sown plots 
about here that winter-killed this year. I 
intend to try a small plot next Spring on 
a piece of land that has been in garden a 
number of years and well manured. This 
year I have it in mangels. Clover does 
splendidly on my place. I have one lot 
that yielded a crop of rye grass last year 
with a scattering of clover, and this year 
it will cut a good crop of clover which 
has come in of itself. j. g. k. 
The best information we can get indi¬ 
cates that late Summer is the best time 
for seeding Alfalfa in the Atlantic coast 
region. In the interior of the country 
many farmers prefer to seed Alfalfa with 
oats or barley in Spring, but. nearer the 
coast, August seeding is preferred. The 
chief reason given is that the worst weeds 
in this section make a rapid Spring growth 
and are likely to smother the Alfalfa. Dur¬ 
ing the hot weather of late Summer the 
Alfalfa has a fairer chance to get started. 
Fruits for Valley. 
My home is in a deep valley between 
two high mountains from 40 to 60 rods, 
or part running due north and south, a 
creek running on the east line of my gar¬ 
den. Last Fall we had a killing frost 
September 14 and late frost in Spring. 
What kind of apples, cherries and peach 
would be safe to set out in such a location? 
There is a big sawmill one-half mile north 
of me, keeping six horses. Would that 
sawdust manure be good mulching for 
young fruit trees, gooseberry and currants 
to keep the grass and weeds down? Give 
the name of the apple that will bear soon¬ 
est after setting out. j. j. b. 
Athens, Pa. 
Varieties of apples suitable for the vicin¬ 
ity of Athens, Pa., are as follows : Yellow 
Transparent and Oldenburg for early Sum¬ 
mer ; Primate and Wealthy for Summer 
and early Fall; Smokehouse for late Fall; 
Baldwin, Greening, Spy and Paragon for 
Winter. Sawdust manure will do no dam¬ 
age to orchards. For some crops which 
will not! thrive on acid soils, sawdust man¬ 
ure should not be used as it has a ten¬ 
dency to sour soils more than straw man¬ 
ure. The Yellow Transparent and Olden¬ 
burg will usually bear within three or 
four years after planting. Good varieties 
of cherries for the same locality are Early 
Richmond and Montmorency for sour ; Gov¬ 
ernor Wood and Windsor for sweet. For 
peaches, Greensboro, Carman, Mountain 
Rose, Elberta and Late Crawford, ripening 
in the order mentioned. 
Lime Sulphur for Potatoes. 
Will you advise me whether one gallon 
lane and sulphur to 33 gallons water is a 
good spray for potato blight? I have been 
told it worked fine last Summer. What 
should I use to spray cucumber vines? 1 
have never raised any before, but am told 
that some disease affects them. I have a 
large patch this year and would like to 
know what to use to spray, if it is neces¬ 
sary. s. H. 
Easton, Pa. 
I have had no experience with lime-sul¬ 
phur as a Summer fungicidal spray pre¬ 
vious to this season, as I have always 
used the Bordeaux mixture. However I 
understand that many are using it on 'all 
kinds of fruits and vegetables with varied 
success. One great advantage that lime- 
sulphur will have over Bordeaux mixture 
is the fact that it stays in suspension 
much better. I would think that one gal¬ 
lon lime-sulphur to 30 gallons water would 
not be too strong for potatoes, as it is 
used stronger than this for apples without 
injury. The 3-4-50 Bordeaux formula is 
excellent for potatoes. Two pounds of 
arsenate of lead is added for destroying 
the bugs. Cucumbers are subject to sev¬ 
eral diseases such as downy mildew leaf- 
blight and anthracnose. The treatment for 
all is practically the same. They may be 
sprayed with weak Bordeaux mixture, say 
114-3-50 or with lime-sulphur solution at a 
possible strength of one to 50. They should 
be frequently sprayed, say every week, but 
never drenched. Use fine nozzle. 
DAVID PLANK. 
Cropping on Shares.— I wish to ask the 
readers of The R. N.-Y. the custom in re¬ 
gard to cropping on the shares. In raising 
corn does the owner of the land furnish 
the seed and fertilizer or either, and what 
share does each one get, and how divided? 
would like information also about oats, 
wheat and potatoes in regard to seed and 
fertilizer and how divided. j. k. b. 
Ohio. 
Dried Potatoes.— The latest suggestion 
from Washington is a plan for holding 
back the potato crop. One trouble with 
the potato is the fact that the crop is 
short-lived. It cannot be held like grain, 
butter or cheese, but must be sold within 
the year of its production. If it could be 
held over from one year to another, prices 
would naturally bo steadier, and the fear¬ 
ful loss which occurs in some seasons need 
not occur. It is stated that the Germans 
have a method of slicing potatoes and dry¬ 
ing the slices somewhat after the plan of 
evaporating apples, and that in this way 
the product is carried over from one sea¬ 
son to another. We understand that ex¬ 
perience with this will be tried in this 
country, but we doubt if the dry potato 
would prove very acceptable to many of 
our American consumers, who are so thor¬ 
oughly used to cooking and eating the 
whole tuber. 
Paying for Farms.— A somewhat un¬ 
usual example of cooperation in farming by 
English farm laborers is described by the 
Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon in the 
London Daily Mail. Major Poore, a mem- 
th ? Wiltshire County Council, in 
1892 bought a farm at $50 an acre and 
sold it to forty-five men at $75. These 
men formed tithe committees, the chair¬ 
man of which constituted a land court. The 
payments were all completed in 15 years 
Major Poore recovered all the money he 
had invested, and the balance of the pay¬ 
ments made a reserve fund, which was held 
by the land court for the benefit of the 
! gr0l, fl\ °f buyers. Thus in 15 years 
Wiltshire laborers at 16 shillings a week 
Pay—paid for their farms, built 37 cot¬ 
tages and had a reserve balance of $7500 
There was never a dispute of any kind! 
Major Poore did not lose a penny and the 
men were made independent without los¬ 
ing their self-respect, all by using good 
sense. b 6 
NEW-YORKER 
ELECTRIC-EIGHT 
HWgM| ■ MM 
iMMwii Mm 
illlli 
SLj** 
Light for all your buildings at any hour of the day or night. 
No danger of fires or explosions from lamps or lanterns. No lamps to 
clean and fill. And with all its advantages 
Electric Light Is Not Expensive 
Burning all 50 lights of this system for 5 hours would 
only cost about 10 cents for fuel 
oils. You would seldom burn all 
lights at once hence this low cost would be 
much reduced. Let us give you full partic¬ 
ulars. Write for Catalog No.CD 598 
Fairbanks,Morse & Co. 
Chicago New York Cleveland 
Cincinnati 
50-Light, 
30-Volt 
Outfit 
Complete 
including 
Mazda 
Lamps and 
Fixture* 
$500 
SWITCHBOARD 
STORAGE 
BATTERY 
GASOLINE. 
ENGINE I 
Less than 2V2C per dajr 
for five years will not only buy an 8’ Goodhue Windmill 
and 80’ Steel Tower, but will pay for all your pumping, 
buy all your repairs, and furnish you with a new mill and 
tower if yours is destroyed within five years by cyclone, 
tornado, run-away teams or any other cause except 
willful abuse or neglect. 
You cannot even pump your water for that sum In any 
other way. The time you lose starting and stopping 
your engine will amount to more than that. You simply 
cannot a fford to use any other power for pumping. 
Goodhue Windmills are strong, durable and 
safe, are self-oiling, close governing and will get 
the most power out of any wind. Write us to¬ 
day for our catalogue and the details of our 
Rif ¥ 1 V O really remarkable proposition. Delays are 
VV I 111 If |V| I I - I ^ N expensive. Do not delay, 
* ^APPLETON MFC. CO.. 327 Fargo St.. Bata*!*. Ill. 
GOODHUE 
Inoculated Alfalfa Soil 
75c. per 100, or $10.00 per ton, f. o. b. cars Ashvillo, 
Pa. Send lor free booklet. “Uow to Grow Al¬ 
falfa.” DR. H. SOMERVILLE, Chest Springs, Pa. 
WE BUY OLD BAGS 
Sound...3—4— 6 Cents 
Torn 2—3—4 Cents 
We Pay the Freight 
IROQUOIS BUG CO. 
725 BROADWAY, BUFFALO. N. Y. 
The Right of 
Railroad service and telephone 
service have no common factors— 
they cannot be compared, but pre¬ 
sent some striking contrasts. 
Each telephone message requires 
the right of all the way over which it 
is carried. A circuit composed of a 
pair of wires must be clear from end 
to end, for a single conversation. 
A bird’s eye view of any railroad 
track would show a procession of 
trains, one following the other, with 
intervals of safety between them. 
The railroad carries passengers in 
train loads by wholesale, in a public 
conveyance, and the service given to 
each passenger is limited by the 
necessities of the others; while the 
telephone carries messages over wires 
devoted exclusively for the time being 
to the individual use of the subscriber 
or patron. Even a multi- millionaire 
could not afford the exclusive use of 
the railroad track between New York 
All the Way 
and Chicago. But the telephone 
user has the whole track and the 
right of all the way, so long as he 
desires it. 
It is an easy matter to transport 
15,000 people over a single track 
between two points in twenty-four 
hours. To transport the voices of 
15,000 people over a single two-wire 
circuit, allowing three minutes for 
each talk, would take more than 
thirty days. 
The telephone system cannot put 
on more cars or run extra trains in 
order to carry more people. It must 
build more telephone tracks—string 
more wires. 
The wonder of telephone develop¬ 
ment lies in the fact that the Bell 
System is so constructed and eq uipped 
that an exclusive right of all the way, 
between near-by or distant points, is 
economically used by over 24,000,000 
people every day. 
American Telephone and Telegraeb CdMPAJSLy 
And Associated Compan ies 
One Policy One System Universal Service 
