1912 . 
THE RDRAIi NEW-VOEKER 
815 
Ruralisms 
FASCIATED APPLE SHOOT. 
The accompanying photograph, repro¬ 
duced in Fig. 340, shows an unusual 
case of fasciation, or abnormal, flat¬ 
tened growth in an apple shoot. The 
shoot grew at the base of an injured 
FASCIATED APPLE SHOOT. Fig. 340. 
tree and is about 30 inches in length. 
This is not a disease, but the best known 
explanation is that it is the odd effect 
occasionally produced by an excess of 
food. W. G. BRIERLEY. 
Wash. Agrl. College. • 
SUPPORT FOR TOMATOES. 
Fig. 341 shows a tomato support that 
I have used several seasons with much 
satisfaction, as it takes so little time and 
trouble to place it, and performs its 
office so perfectly. All that is required 
is three stakes 2 l / 2 feet long and one 
inch or more square, sharpened at one 
end, and notch cut on one side at the 
other, just sufficient to hold the hoop 
up, and two barrel hoops of different 
sizes; a sugar barrel hoop and a flour 
barrel hoop work well, or hoops from 
end and middle of flour barrel. Drive 
the three stakes on a slant on a circle 
around base of plant as much smaller 
than the smaller hoop’s diameter, as the 
difference in diameter of the two hoops. 
Place the larger hoop in place, in the 
notches on top, and then press in the 
smaller one till all is taut. At end of 
season I make a bundle of all the stakes, 
and another of the hoops, and hang up 
out of the way till wanted the next sea¬ 
son. Mine have been used five seasons, 
and are still good. henry c. little. 
Massachusetts. 
Horticultural Briefs. 
A special report of the British Board of 
Agriculture tolls of an English tomato crop 
raised last year which amounted to 600 
tons on 20 acres, an average yield of 30 
tons an acre. Under what is known as the 
French system of intensive culture, the 
Board of Agriculture states that there are 
about 50 truck farms in England on which 
‘A™ is conservatively estimated at 
*500, or about .$2500 an acre. 
A new fruit exhibited in England is 
called the newberry. It is described as a 
toss between the loganberry and raspberry, 
having raspberry flavor, but no core; it is 
arger in size than either of the parent 
fruits. 
Setting Plum Sprouts. 
8. Kenton, Mich .—I wish to know 
whether sprouts from plum tree (Wyant 
and Do Soto) are good to set out for trees 
to fruit on. I think they are native plums. 
Please name three good hardy plums. 
Ans. —It is almost certain that the 
sprouts from the plum trees mentioned 
are from some kind of seedlings that 
are of little or no value for their fruit. 
Nurserymen often propagate them on 
the Myrobalan, which is a species from 
Europe that makes an excellent stock,, 
has small and bitter fruit, but does not 
sprout much from the roots. The na¬ 
tive American plums are much given to 
this latter fault and are, therefore, 
rarely used for this purpose. Wyant 
and De Soto are both varieties of this 
class, but bear fruit of superior value 
and are budded on inferior stocks, 
usually the Myrobalan. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Trimming Off Strawberry Plants. 
IF. P. N., Cliardon, 0.—In renewing old 
strawberry beds, if the plants are green and 
growing, and sending out strong runners, do 
the tops need to be cut off to produce bear¬ 
ing crowns for next year’s fruiting? Is 
there any scientific reason for cutting off 
the tops after fruiting? 
Ans. —We should cut the tops for two 
reasons. It is much like pruning a tree^ 
to stimulate wood growth. When wood* 
or vine is cut back Nature starts in to 
repair the damage by driving out clean 
new wood, and this stimulates the entire 
tree or plant. We see what happens 
when an old tree is “dishorned” or cut 
back. A new and much stronger top is 
forced out. Another reason for clip¬ 
ping is that the stems and foliage carry 
many disease germs or eggs or young 
insects. Cutting and burning or carry¬ 
ing the clippings away clears these out. 
Doctoring the Apple Trees. 
E. M., Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y .—-I have 
about 30 large old Baldwin apple trees 
which I wish to preserve, as they are very 
beautiful and decorative as shade trees in 
a meadow. I have recently noticed a few 
dead branches. I should like to have some 
pruning and cultivating done, but having 
had sad experience with "tree experts” I 
am at a loss how to get the proper treat¬ 
ment for them. The sod grows thick 
around the roots. Should that be cut away? 
What is the proper time for pruning? I 
do not want to change the appearance or 
shape of the trees, only wish to keep them 
as nearly as possible as they now are. I 
do not wish to cultivate the orchard, 
merely cultivate near trees or at roots of 
trees. 
We should have the sod dug up in 
a space about four feet out from the 
base of the tree. Let it be dug over 
and the sod well chopped up. Then 
either put on a thick coat of good ma¬ 
nure as far out around the trees as 
the branches extend, or scatter 10 or 
12 pounds of some high-grade fruit fer¬ 
tilizer over the same area. Cut the 
grass and let it remain on the ground 
under the trees. During late Winter 
cut the dead branches off far enough 
back so as to take two or three inches 
of live wood. Have the stubs of these 
cuts painted with some good lead and 
oil paint. The trees probably need ■ 
spraying. This should be done with the 
lime-sulphur mixture next March or 
April. 
Troubles of Plums. 
IF. 8. R., Ridgefield, Conn .—Why do 
plums shrink up and fall from the tree long 
before they have even attained half size? 
My plum trees have been carefully attended 
to, cultivated, etc., but for the second year 
in succession, on Lombard trees, the fruit, 
that set well, has quite failed. The soil 
is sandy loam; one of these trees, seven 
years old, is in my chicken yard. 
Ans. —Several factors may cause 
plums to fall from, the trees before they 
are half grown. When the blooms of 
the plum are not properly pollinated, the 
fruit sets, but begins to fall from the 
twigs before it is much larger than a 
green pea. The plum curculio makes 
its appearance about the time the petals 
have fallen from the blooms, and when 
the plums arc about the size of a green 
pea it commences feeding and egg-lay¬ 
ing upon them. These egg-laying punc¬ 
tures can be detected by the ordinary 
observer by the crescent-shaped cuts or 
stings in the fruits. Affected fruits will 
commonly fall early in June, before 
they are larger than walnuts, and when 
the larvae of the curculio have done 
considerable feeding at the pit. The 
fungus disease, known as brown rot, 
may also cause the destruction of the 
fruit in early Summer. This disease 
causes the decay of the small fruits, on 
the tree, to which they sometimes cling 
for a considerable time in a dried up 
condition. Plums which are badly in¬ 
jured by the curculio are also most 
likely to be destroyed by the brown rot. 
By noting the behavior of your plum 
trees closely you can probably deter¬ 
mine which one of the three troubles is 
the cause of the falling of the plums 
from your trees. If it is caused by the 
curculio and brown rot, the trees should 
be sprayed with arsenate of lead and 
self-boiled lime-sulphur. In fact, this is 
a practice to be recommended in any 
case. To be effective, the first spray¬ 
ing should be applied just after the 
petals have fallen from the blooms, and 
a second spraying when the plums are 
about the size of a small green pea, 
with a third spraying of the self-boiled 
lime-sulphur only, applied three weeks 
after the second spraying. 
M. A. BLAKE. 
N. J. Experiment Station. 
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Valuable information on Ceiling, Siding* Roofing 
CHICAGO HOUSE WRECKING CO. Dept., J37, Chicago 
The Ground-Cherry Seed-Moth. 
I am very fond of husk tomatoes but find 
it very difficult to raise them in sufficient 
quantities to meet my needs. We have no 1 
trouble iu bringing the plants to maturity, 1 
and they are usually loaded with fruit, 
but the fruit is eaten inside the husk by 
worms—the larvte of some insect. I)o ybu , 
know of any remedy for this trouble? I 1 
do not see how spraying could bring relief. 
This region abounds in wild husk toma- ' 
toes iu which the insect mentioned above 
works the same as it does in the cultivated 
varieties. It would be of no use therefore . 
to move the plants from place to place. 
Battle Creek, Mich. w. h. l. 
The insect infesting the husk tomato, 
referred to in the accompanying letter, is 
undoubtedly what is known as the ground- 
cherry seed-moth. Unfortunately, wild 
ground cherries or husk tomatoes, are us¬ 
ually badly infested with the small larvie 
of this moth, aud thus serve as breeding 
grounds for the insect. The small cater¬ 
pillars live within the berries and, of 
course, finally destroy the fruit. When 
full grown they form a cocoon at the blos¬ 
som end of the berry and there change to i 
the pupai. The moths seem to appear dur- 
iug the latter part of September and first 
part of October. Probably the moths win¬ 
ter over in some secluded nook, aud the i 
next Spring lay their eggs where the cater¬ 
pillars can find their favorite food. For¬ 
tunately, the pest is subject to the attacks 
of a minute wasp-like parasite that aids 
somewhat in keeping it down. A certain 
fungus has also been found to kill the pupae 
in the cocoons aud prevent the moth from 
emerging. It is a difficult pest to control 
because of the fact that it infests the wild 
plants, aud if allowed to develop on them 
will, of course, attack the cultivated oues 
in the vicinity. If the cultivated ones were 
the ouly plants growing in the locality it 
could be controlled by picking off the in¬ 
fested berries in August or early Septem¬ 
ber and either burying them or feeding them 
to hogs. If this were done thoroughly one 
year, the following year there would be no 
moths to reinfest the crop. It is possible 
that a thorough spraying of the plants just 
after the blossoms fall with arsenate of 
lead at the rate of 2% pounds to 50 gallons 
of water would give some protection. Par¬ 
ticular effort should be made to get the 
poison into the calyx cup at the blossom 
end of the berry, where the small caterpillar 
would get it in his first meal. 
D ! II Dr Attachment with Corn Harvester 
nl III I Ip r( cuts 11,1,1 throws in piles on harvester 
UNI IJ LI a ovwinrows. Jlan and horse cuts ami 
. 11 1 » 1 ® shocks equal with a Corn Binder. Sold 
in every State. Price *20.00. W. II. BUXTON. of Johns¬ 
town. Ohio, writes: “The Harvester has proven all you 
claim for it; the Harvester saved me over $25 in labor 
Inst, year’s corn cutting:. I cut over 500 shocks; will make 
4 bushels corn to a shock,” Testimonials and catalog 
free, showing pictures of harvester. Address 
NEW PROCESS MFC. CO., _ SAUNA , KANSAS 
CORN HARVESTER 
That beats them all. One horse cuts two rows. 
Carries to the shock. Worked by 1, 2 or 3 men. No 
danger. No twine. Free trial. We also make Stump 
Fullers and Tile Ditchers. Catalog Free. Agents 
wanted. C.D.BEN> ETT & CO., Westerville. Ohio. 
EXTENTS 
that Pay. $427,530 made by cli" 
ents. 2 Books—"What & How 
._._ to Invent—Proof of Fortunes 
in Patents’ & lX 2 -p. Guido Free I Send sketch or model 
for report. E. E. Vrooman, Pat. Atty, 838 FSt. Wash, D. C 
WE BUY OLD BAGS 
Sound...3—4—5 Cents 
Torn.2—3—4 Cents 
We Pay the Freioht 
IROQUOIS BAG CO. 
725 BROADWAY, BUFFALO. N. Y 
Late Seeding.— In your reply to Maine 
correspondent you suggest that October is 
too late to sow grass seed. Here in Ver¬ 
mont farmers have a way of sowing Tim- 
other any time up to Winter. Sometimes it 
is sown after the late potatoes are dug. One 
of our neighbors seeded a piece in No¬ 
vember last year. The seed laid dormant 
all Winter and came on all right this 
Spring. One farmer tells me that he has 
good success in seeding Red clover in the 
Fall when he sows his Winter rye, but as a 
rule most seeding is probably done in the 
Spring with oats or some similar grain for 
a “nurse crop.” s. s. c. 
Hardwick, Vt- 
DO YOU NEED FARM HELP ? 
The Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid So¬ 
ciety has on its lists men wishing to obtain em¬ 
ployment on farms. Many of them are without 
experience. They are able-bodied and willing to 
work. If you can make use of such help, please 
communicate with us, stating what wages you will 
pay, whether the work is permanent, and whether 
you prefer a single or a married man. with or with¬ 
out experience. Ours is a philanthropic organiza¬ 
tion whose object is to assist and encourage Jewish 
immigrants to become farmers. Wo charge no 
commission to employer or employee. Address 
FARM LABOR BUREAU, 17G Second Avenue, New York City. 
EXPERIENCED COUNTRY WOMAN WANTED 
about Sept. 15, as housekeeper, to cook and wash 
for bachelor owning small farm, and when neces¬ 
sary for one mail, in exchange for board and lodg¬ 
ing. No objection to one boy old enough to earn 
his hoard by helping on farm part of the time. 
Answer, D. G. .J., care Rural New-Yorker 
"FULLY GUARANTEED" 
ALFALMYOUR 
A BARM? 
2D acres means at least sixty tons of feed equal to a 
full grain ration—or $1,000 clear profit if sold in the 
market. Worth while Isu’t it. Write us today and 
let us tell you how, when and whero to plant this 
groat forage crop, so it will bo a permanent success 
on your farm. Enrich your corn land this year by 
planting between the rows or in the hills. 
COW PEAS—CLOVER—SOY BEANS 
INOCULATED WITH 
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SEED AND SOIL INOCULATION 
Smd for Free Book No. 11 
IT GIVES VALUABLE INFORMATION 
EARP-THOMAS FARMOGERM CO., Bloomfield, New Jersey 
[ 
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Martinsburg, W. Va. 
Hon. ino. W. Sperow, 
Martinsburg, W. Va. 
C. N. Porterfield, 
Bunkerhiil, W. Va. 
James B. Porterfield, 
Martinsburg, W. Va. 
T. H. Porterfield, 
Hedgesville, W. Va. 
Want 
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You know the six Pi rterfield brothers. 
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shrewd men selected and enthusiastically 
endorse 
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Cream Separators 
They will use no other make. It is all be¬ 
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When whole families cast their solid vote 
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Bedington, W. Va. 
Geo. A. Porterfield, 
Hedgesville, W. Va. 
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