1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
877 
BLANCHING CELERY. 
S. II. Y., Montrose, Pa .—What is the best 
method for blanching celery? Does any 
other method make it as sweet and tender 
as banking with earth? 
Ans. —To answer the inquirer's ques¬ 
tion as to the best method for blanching 
the celery, whether any other method 
makes it as sweet and tender as soil, one 
short word will do it, no. What is com¬ 
monly believed by many in blanching 
celery is that piling dirt, boards, paper, 
or tile, etc., around a mature celery 
plant causes' the natural color of the 
celery plant to bleach out and become 
white, crisp and tender; but this is an 
error. The mature leaf stem, the eatable 
part of the celery plant, does not bleach 
out and become crisp and tender, no 
matter what method is used in blanch¬ 
ing. These old leaf stems gradually give 
up their store of plant food for the pro¬ 
duction of new stalks from the heart of 
the plant. When the various artificial 
methods are used, if I may be permitted 
to use that term, such as boards, paper, 
etc., celery never has that crispness and 
nutty flavor peculiar to it, when blanched 
with dirt. Then, too, in blanching with 
boards, it all has to be done at one time. 
If the boards be 10 or 12 inches wide, 
they are set up the whole length of the 
row, and many times much of the celery 
is too short for so deep shading at one 
time; then if the soil be moist and the 
weather in a good growing condition, the 
plant begins to grow as rapidly as it 
can to get its leaf service out into the 
sunlight, hence the leaf stems are apt to 
becomes too long, and this at the ex¬ 
pense of stoutness. Further than that, it 
NEW YORK STATE FRUIT GROWERS’ 
ASSOCIATION. 
Part III. 
A trip was made on Saturday to the Held 
laboratory of the Department of Plant 
Pathology of the New York State College 
of Agriculture and its experiments on sev¬ 
eral adjoining farms. Sixty automobiles 
were kept busy taking the growers back and 
forth, and several trips had to be made to 
accomplish it. In a building near the orch¬ 
ards where the experiments are being car¬ 
ried on a laboratory with complete equip¬ 
ment is fitted up, and two men spend all 
of their time here and in the orchards. 
Ninety different experiments are being made 
to solve as many phases of this one prob¬ 
lem, “Lime-Sulphur as a Summer Spray,” 
as possible. In the orchards fairly repre¬ 
sentative trees in each experiment were 
plainly identified by large cards bearing a 
statement of the spray mixture used and 
the time and number of applications. All 
cards were hung on the same side of each 
tree from the lower branches, so there was 
no difficulty in finding them. As all the 
trees in the orchard were sprayed with 
lime-sulphur just as buds were opening for 
blister mite this was not mentioned on the 
card. Several men from the Department of 
sprayed with lime-sulphur and Bordeaux 
by the owner showed exactly the same re¬ 
sults in scab control and Bordeaux injury. 
The next orchard visited was the Bald¬ 
win orchard of Mr. Case, which is this year 
bearing its seventh consecutive crop, where 
the same experiments were repeated with 
like results and other experiments were 
shown. In most of the experiments the 
lime-sulphur was used at a strength of one 
to 30, and two pounds of arsenate of lead 
were added to each 50 gallons. Three ap¬ 
plications were made ;just before blossoms 
opened, just after blossoms fell and the 
third two weeks later. In experiment No. 
0 arsenite of lime was substituted for the 
arsenate of lead in connection with the 
lime-sulphur, and the rows sprayed with 
this could be picked out as far as they 
could be seen, the foliage was so badly 
burned. This was the only noticeable case 
of foliage injury in the orchard. Another 
experiment comparing lime-sulphur at dif¬ 
ferent strengths seemed to show as good 
results in controlling scab with a one to 
40 mixture as with a one to 30 mixture. In 
check rows that were not sprayed Baldwins 
showed as much russeting from natural con¬ 
ditions as was found on lime-sulphur treat¬ 
ed trees while Bordeaux caused as bad rus¬ 
seting as in the other orchards. 
FIELD OF BAGGED NIAGARA GRAPES. Fig. 383. 
is practically impossible to use any of 
the “artificial” methods for blanching 
this crop and exclude the light as ef¬ 
fectually as can he done by pressing dirt 
firmly around each plant. I have frequent¬ 
ly noticed that with celery blanched with 
pine hoards, the flavor from the boards 
could be detected in the celery. The 
same thing is true when blanching with 
diet; the celery receives a flavor from 
the soil that cannot he gotten in any 
other way. Then, too, in blanching with 
dirt it is done gradually, the leaf stalk is 
continually in the moist earth, it does 
not have that tendency to get tall and 
leggy. For me there is only one method 
for blanching celery to have it at its best, 
and that is blanch it with dirt. 
C. C. HULSART. 
THE PARCELS POST CAMPAIGN. 
I’lant Pathology took charge of the vis¬ 
itors and piloted them around among the 
experiments, each man taking a group of 
from 20 to 30, explaining the experiments 
as they came to them and answering ques¬ 
tions. All of the experiments could not be 
shown, but the most important had been 
labeled and were numbered. No. 1 com¬ 
pared lime-sulphur with Bordeaux on Green¬ 
ings and Baldwins. Both were effective in 
controlling scab, and neither gave notice¬ 
able foliage injury. The fruit on the Bor¬ 
deaux sprayed trees was- badly russeted and 
in some instances cracked open, whereas 
on the fruit on the lime-sulphur sprayed 
trees the russeting was light. No. 2 com¬ 
pared home-boiled lime-sulphur with the 
commercial lime-sulphur. No difference 
-was apparent in scab-controlling effective¬ 
ness, and the foliage on all the trees was 
clean and healthy. No. 3 was a compar¬ 
ison of the sediment taken from a heavy 
commercial mixture thoroughly washed to 
remove all of the clear solution and then 
used at a strength of one to 15 with arse¬ 
nate of lead added. It compared favorably 
with the clear lime-sulphur solution in con¬ 
trolling scab. T’nsprayed trees left as a 
check were badly covered with scab on 
both fruit and foliage, and nearly every 
ap/ple was wormy. Aside from the wormi- 
iness it would he hard to find a No. 1 
apple on these trees. The next orchard 
President Case’s fruit farm was the next 
thing to be inspected. lie has 1X5 acres 
of land.#105 of it in fruit and a hundred 
acres of this in bearing. He cultivates 
thoroughly using a cover cron every year, 
fertilizes well and thins annually unless 
crop sets very lightly. lie is very thor¬ 
ough in spraying, and from all indications 
these orchards are very profitable. lie has 
just had a gasoline tractor built for farm 
work, and it attracted much attention. 
When we saw it they were cultivating a 
young apple orchard. It looks as if this 
engine would with a gang of harrows be 
able to cover all the ground between two 
rows of trees in from one to two trips. The 
engine is a 40 horse-power water-cooled, 
and is fitted with a fan to draw the air 
through the radiator. The power Is trans¬ 
mitted to all four wheels and both front 
and rear axles turn. In turning both 
axles turn as in a cross-reach wagon, re¬ 
quiring much less space in which to turn 
around. It seems to work very well, but 
actual work in the field will probably sug¬ 
gest improvements. Mr. Case makes a spe¬ 
cialty of Niagara grapes, and several acres 
were bagged as shown in Fig. 383. Besides 
the Niagaras he grows some Concords and 
Wordens, hut these are not bagged. In 
1007 over 330,000 paper bags were used on 
the Niagaras. lie has in all 21 acres of 
grapes. o. a. s. 
Your effort to obtain the parcels post in 
i 
H 
m 
■ 
* 
I 
W/ 
H 
m 
,///. 
m 
V. \ 
'///// 
W/, 
m 
w.‘A 
^'7 
m 
m 
'///// 
m 
The Most Useful 
Fork That the 
Farmer Can Own 
T HE True Tem¬ 
per Vegetable 
Scoop-Fork en¬ 
ables you to lift your 
potatoes from the hill 
and transfer them 
quickly and easily to 
barrel, wagon or bin. 
The flattened ends of 
the tines prevent cutting 
and bruising. 
Time and labor is saved in 
handling corn, potatoes, beets, 
turnips, apples and many other 
fruits and vegetables. 
The perfect shape and hang 
enable you to carry a large 
load with an easy swing, screen¬ 
ing out dirt or snow in the 
process. 
Sold by hardware dealers every¬ 
where. If your dealer doesn’t 
handle , write us and we’ll see you 
are supplied. 
American Fork & Hoe 
Company 
Largeit Manufacturers of 
Farm and Garden Hand- 
Tool* in the World 
m 
Steel Wire Bale Ties 
Quality guaranteed. TUDOR & JONES, We.dniiort, N. Y. 
delivered 
quickly 
at factory 
prices. 
©VIRGINIA 
THE 
GARDEN 
SPOT 
We have new list of select Va. farms now 
ready. All special bat gains. Rich lands $10 
per acre and up. Close to blK markets. Mild, 
healthy climate. Catalog tells all about this 
country; sei t free. NVi ite at once. Come to 
Va. ami let us show you. Dept. D, 
Middle Atlantic Imm. CoCom¬ 
monwealth Bldg., Richmond, Va. 
the United States is most commendable. 
The absurd rates demanded by certain ex¬ 
press companies are an imposition upon 
the people, and the wonder is that there is 
not a universal uprising, as indeed I think 
there soon will be against the tariffs im¬ 
posed. The majority of our citizens are 
too busy apparently to engage in reforms 
of this nature. Some time ago I had an ex¬ 
perience with an express company which 
well demonstrates certain business methods. 
A piece of property was injured in trans¬ 
portation. and it took me several months 
and gave me the trouble of writing 25 or 
30 letters before the claim was settled. 
Even when the company finally acknowl¬ 
edged liability an endeavor was made to 
make settlement for less than the market 
value of the property injured, but by per¬ 
sistent effort full payment was eventually 
obtained. Later*I was told by a former em¬ 
ployee of the company that it was its policy 
to postpone action in claims of this nature 
as long as possible, for by so doing in many 
cases it exhausted tin' patience of the claim¬ 
ants, and thereby avoided compensation. I 
find a growing conviction that it is high 
time the masses of the people in this coun¬ 
try receive recognition in their demand for 
radical reforms. As a matter of fact, the 
special interests which have been so care¬ 
fully cherished have been able to make us 
purchase inferior goods at the very top- 
market price. We have to take second-rate 
goods in many instances because the special 
interests control the markets in such a way 
that we cannot afford to buy the best qual¬ 
ity, and in the same way we have to pay 
ridiculous prices for the transportation of 
small chattels because the express and the 
transportation companies are our masters. 
Therefore while you wage this warfare upon 
this iniquity, everyone in sympathy with 
your action should support you by every 
means within his power. 
Massachusetts. 
The Rural 
Telephone 
Brings the Whole 
Country Together 
^ FOR PROTECTION it places you in 
instant communication with your neigh- 
' h/fc bors when help is needed. 
FOR BUSINESS, it enables you to place 
your market before trucking your produce. 
FOR PLEASURE, it solves the problem 
of rural isolation and brings your friends, 
far and near, within sound of your voice. 
BUT BE SURE YOUR TELEPHONE IS A 
Western>£JtcTrfe 
Rural Telephone 
They have proved best in the severest kind of service—they are always in work¬ 
ing order. When making arrangements for telephone service, insist on having 
only Western Electric telephones. 
Let us send convincing literature on Western Electric Telephones. 
Simply fill out attached coupon and mail to nearest house. 
The Western Electric Company Furnishes Equipment for Every Electrical Need. 
■BAVETIMEANO fRElOm' 1 _ 
WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY 
Chicago, Manufacturers of Saint Louis, San Francisco, 
Indianapolis, R nflf) nnn Kansas City, Los Angeles, 
Cincinnati, 4 , Jn >, ti ’u DaPlas r ’ Seattle, 
Minneapolis, “Bell ” Telephones 2maha, Salt Lake City, 
Toronto, Winnipeg, Vanco’uver, London, 
Antwerp, Berlin, Johannesburg, Sydney, Tokyo. 
tvow bqi mmtowtj 
New York, 
Philadelphia, 
Boston, 
Pittsburg, 
Atlanta, 
Montreal, 
^UUPHoat owittAfffiST House Paris, 
AMSUffl tUOBt ItlfftOt 
SANBORN GOVE TENNEY. 
