lSH(i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 28, 
WESTERN NEW YORK HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
The meeting of the Western New York 
Horticultural Society (fifty-eighth annual) 
in Rochester at so unusually early date— 
December 11 to 13 instead of last week in 
January—was nearly but not fully as well 
attended as were those held at the old- 
accustomed time during the past few years, 
but fully up to them in general enthusi¬ 
asm. The “boys” seem to have gotten into 
the habit of making their annual pilgrim¬ 
age to this Mecca, and a good lot of the 
older members are also still on deck. It is 
quite plain that the old organization is in 
a most flourishing condition, physically, in¬ 
tellectually, and also financially. As to 
the change of time for this meeting, it is 
almost self evident that as long as there 
seems to be no chance for the two or¬ 
ganizations to get together, it is only wise 
for them to get as far apart as possible! 
We now have a rest of about five weeks 
before another meeting comes around. 
Good. 
In the excellent annual address of Presi¬ 
dent Barry, who, like Secretary-Treasurer 
Hall, was as a matter of course, reelected 
for another term, reference is made to the 
steady progress that has been made in the 
fruit-growing industry, largely through the 
quiet and unostentatious efforts of the old 
organization during its 58 years of exis¬ 
tence, but the great mistake made in fail¬ 
ing to properly advertise this important 
industry, and the urgent need of correct¬ 
ing this error are also pointed out. The 
public should be more fully informed of 
the great value of our products, thereby 
combating the old notion that fruits are 
a luxury rather than what they are, a 
necessary article of food. Why buy for¬ 
eign, including Western, fruits when all 
sorts of fruits of so high a quality can 
be had here at home at almost any time?— 
he asks. Eastern fruit growers must more 
thoroughly recognize that every business 
in order to flourish, must be advertised. 
Agencies should be established in all larger 
cities in order to secure proper markets 
for the fruit growers. Among other press¬ 
ing problems he mentions that of proper 
thinning of fruits, of shortening the period 
between the planting of trees and their 
coming into bearing (by good culture and 
feeding, as a young tree if properly handled 
will make rapid growth and soon begin to 
bear), of agricultural education, saying 
that an educational system which does not 
include information on trees and tree grow¬ 
ing, forests, etc., is sadly deficient. Mr. 
Barry’s advice to remove at once the old 
worn-out trees and orchards, producers of 
poor fruit and diseases and insects, found 
as yet on the fafms all over the State, 
is certainly good and timely. By getting 
rid of an old eye-sore which is now giving 
a bad impression of the farm and its 
value, and by planting young trees, and 
making other improvements, the farm will 
be greatly improved in attractiveness and 
in actual value. He is not afraid of 
overproduction of fruits, provided that we 
quit raising diseased and wormy fruit, and 
produce a good article, in which case the 
growing population will easily take care 
of our increased production. Among legiti¬ 
mate and desirable farm improvements Mr. 
Barry includes the planting of shade trees 
along the highways, but recommends that 
they be set 100 feet apart, as too much 
shade is as bad as too little. 
Our good friend T. B. Wilson of Ontario 
County, now State Senator, tells, in his 
legislative report, of the law now in force 
which makes a standard barrel of about 
112 quarts, but thinks that the “short” 
barrel, of about 100 quarts when used for 
pears, should not be required to be 
stamped in such a way as to make the im¬ 
pression of being an inferior package. A 
change in the State laws now reduces the 
required percentage of acetic acid in cider 
vinegar from 4% to 4 which is in con¬ 
formity with the national law. 
The report of Prof. Stewart, botanist of 
the Geneva Station, deals exclusively with 
the White pine blister rust which disease 
uses the currant as an alternate host. 
This disease is now found in various places 
at the East, and Prof. Stewart's opinion 
is that we will not be able to stamp it out 
again entirely. All currants and gooseber¬ 
ries are subject to the attacks of this new- 
fungous pest. It does not show on the 
pine leaves until about a year after in¬ 
fection. The cultivated black currant is 
its favorite host. Measures of prevention 
include keeping all members of the Ribes 
family a good way (say at least a half 
mile) apart from White pine or other pines 
having five leaves in a cluster; the de¬ 
struction of all infested pines, getting rid 
Of black currants and refusing to plant 
them, etc. It is a new disease which re¬ 
quires prompt action, else- there may be 
trouble ahead. The station has issued a 
bulletin on the subject. The National De¬ 
partment of Agriculture also treats it in 
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 206. 
In his talk on “What constitutes fer¬ 
tility?” Station Director Dr. Jordan ad¬ 
mits that there are many problems re¬ 
lating to the matter of soil fertility which 
are as yet unsolved, and confesses his in¬ 
ability to answer definitely all the. ques¬ 
tions put up to him. He estimates the 
losses of plant foods to the American 
farmer, due to exports, sewage and leach¬ 
ing or fermentation of stable manures, to 
amount to the enormous aggregate of three 
billions of pounds, valued at $600,000,000 
annually. These losses seem to be to a 
great extent unavoidable. Considerations 
of livgiene and sanitation seem to exclude 
the iise of sewage for fertilizer, as nobody 
would want to eat vegetables grown on 
city sewage. What sources of plant food 
have we to make all these losses good? 
For nitrogen we have nitrates (from Chilil, 
sulphate of ammonia, the refuse from our 
fisheries (the only way in v-hich the ocean 
gives this element of plant food back to. 
us), and the atmospheric supply. Dr. 
Jordan builds much hope on the artificial 
production of nitrogen from the atmos¬ 
phere, and rightfully holds that the atmos¬ 
pheric supply is the solution of the future 
maintenance of the race. 
Quite pointed and suggestive were Dr. 
Jordan’s remarks on the question of the 
selection and purchase of plant foods by 
the average farmer. In his opinion, the 
latter often buys more potash, and in 
some cases perhaps more phosphoric acid, 
than is really needed. It is also a highly 
unintelligent proceeding for the farmer 
to buy- just such fertilizer as happens to 
be offered. The wiser course is to buy 
the ingredients separately, then test them 
singly and in combinations on a few rows 
of corn, or other crops, and thus ascertain 
what will give the desired results, or 
what is needed. It will be remembered 
that the station in tests lasting through a 
decade, made in the application of various 
fertilizers for fruit trees, obtained rather 
negative results, and came to the conclusion 
that for that particular land or orchard 
the application of any manurial substance 
was not needed and a pure w-aste of 
money. The station had to face severe 
criticism in 'some quarters for publishing 
a statement of this kind. Dr. Jordan very 
properly comes to the defense of the sta¬ 
tion, and holds that for the station there 
is nothing else to do but to report re¬ 
sults as they are actually found whether 
people like them or not. 
More than ordinary interest was mani¬ 
fested in the discussion on the question of 
“thinning apples,” lead by pomologist C. 
S. Wilson, who believes the time has come 
when thinning must be adopted as a regu¬ 
lar practice in New York apple orchards. 
As to methods, picking by hand is found 
to be better and quicker than picking with 
shears. The tiny apple is removed by a 
little twist, or by breaking the stem or 
twig. All wormy and imperfect , apples 
should be thus removed ; then thin further 
to from four to six inches apart. Mr. 
Frazer says he has thinned the past season 
to six inches apart, but will try seven or 
eight inches next year. No definite rules 
can be givbn, however. The best distance 
apart may vary with different varieties, 
and perhaps different trees of the same 
variety. Thin in June, July and up to 
early August. The earlier you can thin, 
the better. Try to do a good job the first 
time, so that little or no second or third 
thinning will be required. The result is 
larger apples of more uniform size. The 
thinned trees may yield slightly less in 
bulk than the unthinned trees, but the 
apples will have a much greater money 
value. The color does not seem to be 
much affected by thinning. The cost of 
thinning is an important consideration. It 
should not exceed 50 cents for a large 
tree heavily set with fruit. Others give 
the average cost as ranging from 40 to 75 
cents per large tree. It also results in 
easy picking, easy packing and generally 
makes for the welfare of the tree. The 
claim that it makes the tree an annual 
bearer does not seem to be well founded. 
A number of our older orchardists are en¬ 
thusiastic tliinners. Mr. Geo. T. Powell 
states that he began thinning his Wealthy 
apples when of hickorynut size, then 
thinned the second time and found a 
market for the thinnings at $2.25 per 
barrel, and for the thinnings at the third 
going-over at $3 per barrel. He finds that 
it pavs him well to thin Jonathan, Rome 
Beauty, etc. From the discussions it 
seems to show that quite a number of 
our orchardists have already adopted thin¬ 
ning as a regular practice for overladen 
trees. 
The subject of currant culture was given 
full consideration at the “round table talk” 
on small fruits. Mr. Rotating of Kinder- 
book, who opened up the discussion, how¬ 
ever, did not talk very encouragingly about 
planting more. If you have an outlet for 
your crop at satisfactory prices, he says, 
currants are all right. Otherwise go slow, 
as the demand is limited. We have to de¬ 
pend for our sales either on local markets 
and private consumers, or on canners and 
preservers. lie prefers light soils for the 
currant crop, and they must be well 
drained. If good enough to produce a 
good crop of corn, it is all right for cur¬ 
rants. For manure, fine stable manure 
is all right. The leading varieties arc 
Wilder, Fay and Cherry, Red Cross, Per¬ 
petual and Pomona are promising. Fay 
has a lopping bush, aud the berries at the 
ends of the clusters are usually small. 
Cherry is undesirable on account of the 
bush being short-lived and bearing short 
clusters. Wilder has given most satis¬ 
faction. It has good foliage, and long 
clusters of large berries. The foliage of 
Red Cross is not as good, and the berries 
smaller. White Imperial and White Grape 
are good for family use, but not com¬ 
mercially important. For setting, Mr. 
Hotaling prefers a good two-year old plant, 
but a good year-old, or good three-year 
plant will answer. He makes the rows 
six feet apart, and sets the bushes foui- 
feet apart in the rows. This for culti¬ 
vation one way. For cultivation both 
ways he prefers five by five feet; but six 
by six, with good cultivation, has also 
been found satisfactory. As to pruning, he 
shortens the bush iu well at time of set¬ 
ting, afterwards removing weak and smug¬ 
gling canes and shortening in, leaving the 
desired thickness of growth. After third 
year, prune for renewal, but carry a fail- 
proportion of three year wood if in thrifty, 
healthv condition. Mr. Hotaling finds lit¬ 
tle vaiue in any kind of small fruits unless 
they are well cultivated. The currant is 
a ‘rank feeder and thrives under high 
cultivation and high feeding. He uses 
cover crops, such as oats and vetch, sow¬ 
ing about August 16, and plowing the 
growth under in early Spring. The San 
Jose scale is apt to make the life of the 
currant grower troublesome, while the 
green worm is easily controlled by spray¬ 
ing with lead arsenate solution, or later 
using white hellebore. Dime-sulphur solu¬ 
tion, one to eight, is the remedy for the 
scale. As to yields, he gets from a strong 
three-year bush about one quart the first 
year after setting, two quarts the next 
year, and after that a full crop, from 2% 
quarts upward. The life of a currant 
plantation is given as from 10 to 12 
years, but a 20 year plantation well taken 
care of will out.vield and outlast a 10- 
year plantation neglected. Many of the 
‘members, expressed their preference for 
heavier soils for the currant, and state that 
they can secure considerably bigger yields 
than on lighter soils. t. greixek. 
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