1912. 
THE; RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ruralisms 
SLOW CHERRY TREES. 
C. K., Semper, Colo .—I set out 150 two- 
year-old trees the middle of May, apples, 
cherries and plums, all planted on the 
same ground and under the same condi¬ 
tions, The apple and plum trees are doing 
fairly weU, but the cherry trees are mail¬ 
ing no progress at all and seem to be at 
a standstill. Can you suggest anything to 
spur them on and stimulate growth ? I 
have read in a nursery planting book that 
a nitrate of soda solution, a teaspoon to 
several gallons of water, poured around the 
tree when planting would help to start the 
tree off in good shape. Do you think it 
would pay to try this after the trees have 
ben six weeks planted? If so, what would 
be the best way to apply it? 
Ans. —It may be that the cherry trees 
were damaged in some way before 
planting, which would not be hard to 
believe in view of the fact that the 
cherry is more subject to damage than 
most fruit trees. To stimulate a growth 
there is nothing that would be more 
effective than nitrate of soda, if the soil 
is lacking in nitrogen, which may be 
the fact. “A teaspoon to several gal- 
long of water” would be a very light 
application, but if all this water was 
put around one tree it might have some 
effect. A handful of the dry chemical 
scattered on the soil about each tree 
for the distance of a foot or two and 
raked in would be about right and be 
gradually dissolved and carried down 
to the roots by the natural soil moisture 
or by the water from irrigation. Mulch¬ 
ing the soil about the cherry trees 
would probably be a benefit by keeping 
it cool and moist, which is what tree 
roots need. h. e. van deman. 
BLACKBERRIES AND RASPBERRIES. 
C. J. H., Merchantvillc , N. J .—What is 
the best time to set out new beds of black¬ 
berries and raspberries? How best to pre¬ 
pare the soil for same, and which are the 
best all-around varieties? 
Ans.—A clay loam soil enriched by 
liberal manuring and prepared same as 
for a corn crop, is ideal for blackber¬ 
ries. They can, however, be profitably 
grown on light sandy soils, but require 
frequent rains during the Summer to 
mature the fruit. They should be planted 
very early in Spring, plants being com¬ 
monly secured as suckers from newly 
established fields. Plant in rows seven 
feet apart with plants four feet apart 
in the row, taking 1,556 plants to the' 
acre;, plants should be set three to 
four inches deep with the tops cut back 
to three or four inches in length. Po¬ 
tatoes, cabbages or any other low-grow¬ 
ing hoed crops may be grown between 
the rows the first year, but should have 
additional fertilizing. Not more than 
four or five new canes should be al¬ 
lowed to grow the first year, and after 
that only such as give evidence of being 
healthy and vigorous. Most varieties 
yield better and larger fruit if the new 
canes are pinched back to 18 to 24 
inches in Summer. The branches are 
cut back one-third or more in the 
Spring. The following sorts are mostly 
grown for market: Early Harvest, Erie, 
Snyder, Wilson, Rathbun, Taylor. Early 
Harvest and Wilson need Winter pro¬ 
tection, where the peach is subject to 
frequent injury by cold. With good 
treatment, a well-established plantation 
may be expected to continue profitable 
six or eight years, though much. de¬ 
pends upon the effect of severe Winters, 
Both red and black raspberries, to 
succeed well, require a well-drained, but 
moist, rich clay loam. Both fail on thin 
sandy or gravelly soils unless fertilized 
and then only when plenty of moisture 
is supplied. The reds are commonly 
grown from one-year-old suckers and 
are usually planted in rows six feet 
apart, with plants three to four feet 
apart in the row; as with blackberries, 
superfluous suckers should be promptly 
removed with the hoe. With the 
strong-growing varieties, fully half the 
suckers should be destroyed that spring 
up each year. Planting is done in 
Spring in the same manner as the black¬ 
berry. Pruning is commonly limited to 
cutting back canes one-third of their 
growth in Spring before leaves start. 
At the same time the old canes may be 
removed, if this has not been previously 
done. The varieties most widely grown 
and successful are Cuthbert, Marlboro, 
Miller. The blackcaps are less popu¬ 
lar than the reds but are consider¬ 
ably grown for home use, for canning 
and evaporating. They endure ship¬ 
ment well in the fresh state and will 
carry long distances without injury. 
Plants are obtained from rooted tips 
and should be set out the same as the 
reds. The canes should be pinched back 
on reaching a height of 24 to 30 inches, 
and unless plants are wanted for new 
plantations or for sale, the tips should 
not be allowed to root. Spring prun¬ 
ing should be limited to cutting out of 
the old canes and the cutting back of 
branches to a length of 12 to 18 inches. 
The varieties most widely grown are, 
Cumberland, Gregg, Mammoth Cluster. 
Raspberries rarely yield more than 
three or four profitable crops from a 
single planting. k. 
A PECAN BULLETIN. 
Bulletin No. 251, by C. A. Reed, recently 
issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry, 
is devoted to the pecan. Mr. Reed is a 
special agent in nut culture investigations, 
and the bulletin, which is freely illus¬ 
trated. includes the cream of our present 
knowledge regarding requirements, budding, 
grafting and varieties of the pecan. 
Many have the erroneous impression that 
the pecan is immune to many troubles 
affecting orchard trees, such as climatic 
variations and insect enemies. This is not 
true; long-continued rains at the blossom¬ 
ing period injure pollination; late Spring 
frosts kill buds or tiny nuts ; late Summer 
drought, severe storms and sudden freezes 
all affect the trees injuriously. There are 
insects that attack the buds in early 
Spring, girdlers which cut off twigs, often 
causing clusters of nuts to drop; web 
worms attacking foliage; shuckworins 
which destroy the nut by burrowing out the 
soft hull while immature; weevils which 
work in the nut, and borers which attack 
the trunk and main branches. A large 
number of fungous disease also attack the 
pecan ; one of these, pecan scab, is at times 
quite serious, attacking foliage, stems and 
hulls of the young nuts, also nursery trees. 
Inquiry made by the Bureau of Plant 
Industry in 1908 regarding the pecan or¬ 
chards then in existence showed a total of 
nearly 300.000 trees then under cultiva¬ 
tion, of which more than two-thirds were 
named varieties. Approximately 1.400,000 
have been sold from nurseries during the 
past five years. During the past five years 
the annual pecan crop of Texas has ranged 
from 3,645,000 to 17,820,000 pounds, the 
price to the producer ranging from four to 
10 cents per pound. The average midsea- 
son price, during the past five years, has 
been from seven to nine cents a pound. 
4he kernels of cracked nuts are prepared 
in “crackeries,” being cracked by machine 
and then shelled by hand ; they sell for GO 
to 85 cents a pound. 
The bulletin states that comparatively 
few of the improved varieties reach the 
general markets; they are largely sold to 
nurserymen as samples, to seedsmen, to 
tourists, fancy confectioners, and also to 
promoters engaged in selling orchard prop¬ 
erty. _ The wild nuts are thoroughly dried, 
put in burlap sacks holding 100 to 150 
pounds, and then sold to buyers in the 
local market. As the harvesting period 
extends over about two months, some of 
the nuts become soiled and discolored; 
they are cleaned and polished by rotation 
] n 111 dm' 8 ’ and are then known as 
polished pecans. Wild nuts are also 
prepared for market by staining with a red 
dye, after which they are polished. 
Propagation, grafting and budding, which 
have been discussed in The It. N.-Y quite 
iuHy, are treated on in the bulletin, with 
illustrations; soil and climatic conditions 
are also discussed. Example of top-graft¬ 
ing, making a new head in wild trees, are 
very interesting. There is a list of 67 
named varieties, with descriptions. In ad¬ 
dition to the top-working, examples are 
given of the development of a pecan grove 
from a wild forest by cutting out the less 
desirable trees, thus spacing the grove like 
©33 
'\ T ni ^ N y°« write advertisers mention The 
R. 1N.-1. and you’ll get a quick replv and a 
square deal. See guara ntee editorial page. 
thirteen years 
Unlucky Number for Dakota Woman. 
The question whether the number “13” 
is really more unlucky than any other 
number has never been entirely settled. 
A So. Dak. woman, after thirteen 
years of misery from drinking coffee, 
found a way to break the “unlucky 
spell Tea is just as injurious as coffee 
because it contains caffeine, the drug in 
coffee. She writes : 
“For thirteen years I have been a nerv¬ 
ous wreck from drinking coffee. My 
liver, stomach, heart—in fact, my whole 
system being actually poisoned by it. 
“Last year I was confined to my bed 
for six months. Finally it dawned on 
me that coffee caused the trouble. Then 
I began using Postum instead of coffee, 
but with little faith, as my mind was in 
such a condition that I hardly knew 
what to do next. 
. “Extreme nervousness and failing eye¬ 
sight caused me to lose all courage. In 
about two weeks after I quit coffee and 
began to use Postum, I was able to read 
and my head felt clear. I am improv¬ 
ing all the time and I will be a strong, 
well woman yet. 
“I have fooled more than one person 
with a delicious cup of Postum. Mrs. S. 
wanted to know where I bought mv fine 
coffee. I told her my grocer had it and 
when she found out it was Postum she 
has used it ever since, and her nerves 
are building up fine. 
“My brain is strong, my nerves steady, 
my appetite good, and, best of all, I en¬ 
joy such sound, pleasant sleep.” Name 
given by Postum Co., Battle Creek, Mich. 
Get the little book in pkg., “The Road 
to Wellville.” “There’s a reason.” 
Ever read the above letter ? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, true, and full of human interest. 
J1 
Simplest and Strongest 
John Deere Spreader 
The Spreader with the Beater on the Axle 
TS as much an improvement in spreader manu¬ 
facturing as the self-binder was over the old 
reaper. _ It is made along entirely new and dif¬ 
ferent lines from any other manure spreader. 
No 
Adjustments 
The Greatest Improvement in 
Spreaders Since Their Invention 
I MAGINE a manure spreader without 
any of the chains; with all the clutches 
and adjustments removed; one that 
has no extra shaft for the beater, no stub 
axle or counter shafts; one on which the 
parts that drive the beater all surround 
the main axle and are within a distance 
of twelve inches from it; and one that, 
besides being of much lighter draft than 
any other you have ever seen, is so low 
down that it is only necessary to lift the 
manure as high as your hips when load¬ 
ing. Imagine all that and you will have 
some sort of an idea of what this new 
John Deere Spreader —The Spreader with 
the Dealer on the Axle —is like. 
It is absolutely the simplest and strong¬ 
est manure spreader ever invented. It 
has from one hundred and fifty to two 
hundred less parts than the simplest 
spreader heretofore made. 
Easy to load. It is always ready for 
business. It cannot get out of order. 
There are no adjustments to be made. 
The Beater on the Axle 
It is a fact that most of the trouble ex¬ 
perienced with the ordi¬ 
nary manure spreader 
has been with the parts 
that make up the beater 
driving mechanism. 
On the John Deere 
Spreader all the shafts 
and chains necessary to 
the old style of mount¬ 
ing the beater have been 
done away with. 
All of the driving 
parts are mounted on 
the main axle within 
the beater. 
The strains and 
stresses of spreading are borne by the 
main axle—the strongest part of the 
spreader—and are not transmitted to the 
side of the box or frame of the spreader. 
Power to drive the beater is taken from 
the rear axle and operates through a 
planetary transmission (similar to that 
used on automobiles) mounted on the 
rear axle. _. . _ 
Light Draft 
There are at least two main reasons 
why the John Deere Spreader is the light¬ 
est draft spreader made. 
You can readily see how decreasing the 
number of working parts on a manure 
spreader will reduce the draft correspond¬ 
ingly. That is one very essential reason 
for the light draft of 
the John Deere 
Pour sets of roller 
the other reason. There are two in the 
front wheels and two between the main 
axle and beater. They reduce the draft 
materially. 
When the John Deere Spreader is out 
of gear it is simply a wagon. 
✓ 
Easy to Load 
It is easy to lift manure the first three 
feet when loading a spreader. The real 
hard work is from this height to the top 
of the ordinary spreader. 
It is only necessary to lift each forkful 
these first three feet when loading a John 
Deere Spreader. The hard work is done 
away with. 
Besides, it is possible to see inside the 
spreader at all times. Every forkful is 
placed exactly where it is needed, insuring 
an even load. 
No Adjustments 
On the John Deere Spreader no ad just- 
ments are necessary. On the simplest 
Bpreader heretofore made, there are from 
ten to twenty adjustments that have to 
be properly made before spreader can be 
used. Any one of these 
adjustments, if not 
made exactly right, will 
either put the machine 
out of business or in¬ 
crease the draft, which 
necessarily means un¬ 
due wear. 
Positive Non-Racino 
Apron 
Even spreading is 
necessary for an even 
seed-bed . and an even 
seed-bed is necessary to 
insure an even stand of 
the crop. The apron on a John Deere 
Spreader cannot race when spreading up 
hill or over exceedingly rough ground. It 
is positively controlled by a simple and 
effective locking device within the ratchet 
feed apron drive. This insures even 
spreading under all conditions. A feature 
that is not used on any other spreade-. 
Steel Bridge-Like Frame 
Like the modern steel railway bridge, 
the frame on John Deere Spreaders is 
made of high-carbon steel—the strongest 
known mechanical construction. 
The Jonn Deere Spreader frame will 
not become loose and out of alignment, 
as the frame on 
ordinary manure 
spreaders very often 
does. 
Roller 
Bearings 
Easy to Load 
Valuable Spreader Book — Free This new, special spreader 
.. ... 1 book contains valuable in- 
* .. . — ,, , ~ ~ uuok contains vaiuaDle in- 
concerning the reasons for using manure on the land, how it should bo 
applied, how to store it and the benefits of using it in various ways 
In addition there is a detailed description of the John Deere Spreader, with illus¬ 
trations in color of this new spreader working in the field. 1 mus ^ 
To get this book free, post paid, ask us for it as Package No. Y33 
John Deere Plow Company, Moline, III. 
N 
