3070 
John H. Barclay, one of New Jersey’s famous apple 
growers, told me that he could not grow peaches, as 
his trees would shed their leaves about the time the 
young peaches were as large as hickory nuts, and of 
course the peaches also dropped. Then the trees 
started into growth again, and made a normal healthy 
growth for the remainder of the season. I advised 
him to apply a heavy dressing of lime last Summer, 
and in the Fall or following Spring follow with a 
heavy application of potash. After following this ad¬ 
vice Mr. Barclay wrote me this Summer that his 
peaches were doing well, and he sent me some of his 
Elbertas grown in his orchard. I counted the peaches 
in one half-bushel basket and found 39 peaches filled 
it heaping full, and the peaches in another basket aver¬ 
aged a half pound each—evidently his soil lacked 
lime and potash. This brings up the question asked of 
me by The R. N.-Y. some time ago about my experi¬ 
ence in feeding heavily peach and pear trees, especially 
the Kieffer pear, and the wisdom of keeping large 
flocks of poultry among peach and pear trees. My 
own experience is to follow a common sense course, 
suitable for the different soils and conditions in which 
the orchard was grown. If I had light sandy soil I 
would be glad to have a flock of hens running among 
my trees to furnish the necessary nitrogen to insure 
enough growth of wood. One orchard I have in mind 
now which had not brought out the fruit in color or 
flavor as it should have done, was used as a hog pas¬ 
ture. The result of turning in a large number of 
hogs in that orchard was a long-lived paying orchard 
that produced fine colored and fine flavored fruit. I 
would not advise a general use of hogs or chickens 
for peach orchards, but am convinced that in many 
of the pear and apple orchards 1 see starving to death 
both hogs and chickens might benefit them. It is not 
possible to get any number of persons, either practical 
fruit growers or scientific men, to agree as to the kind 
of soil, fertilizer or method of cultivation necessary 
for any variety of fruit. Only practical experience 
for each planter and for his own soil and conditions 
can ever solve this serious problem; it has to be gov¬ 
erned more or less by individual needs and conditions. 
Years ago, when New Jersey was a peach growing 
State, no attention was given to the subject of fer¬ 
tilizers, the soil seeming to contain natural food ele¬ 
ments for the trees. Barnyard manure was used, also 
lime, when the growers had either to apply. Finally 
the soil became exhausted, having given up all the 
phosphorus and potash that it naturally contained, and 
the trees died for want of these essential elements of 
food. Then, instead of furnishing these foods in high- 
grade fertilizers, the peach growers took the easy 
course of quitting, excusing their action by saying 
peaches could not be grown in the State any longer. 
The grandsons of these men, hearing of the great 
crops of peaches that had been grown by their grand¬ 
parents, began the planting of trees again, at first in 
dooryards and gardens, using hen manure, sheep 
manure, barnyard manure, soapsuds, and lime as food 
for the trees. As success came to the grower for home 
consumption, orchard planting began to expand, and 
the same methods of feeding the orchard tree as were 
practiced by the dooryard grower. Immense crops of 
the finest Oldmixon, Stump, Crawford, etc., were 
grown in this way. The result of this method of 
fertilizing often caused a long soft growth of wood; 
a hard Winter would kill the tree outright, or put it 
back for several years, when a paying crop would en¬ 
courage planting again. As in all other things, the 
peach grower began to study the needs of his trees, 
and more common sense and scientific methods were 
pursued. Wood ashes, bone, potash and lime became 
the most popular and profitable fertilizers for the peach 
orchard, nitrogen being supplied when necessary 
through the legumes or nitrate of soda. I know that 
some of the best peach orchardists say stable manure 
must not be used under any conditions; I also know 
some equally successful growers who say they could 
not successfully grow profitable crops without the use 
of stable manure. 1 know that I have had individual 
trees in orchards that seemed to be dying of what the 
average man would call yellows, and I have brought 
these trees back into strong vigorous growth and made 
them produce fine crops of splendid fruit by the use 
of heavy applications of hen manure and potash. I 
have in mind one case, an Elberta peach tree planted 
20 years ago near a stable. This tree stands in one 
of the original scale-infested districts and has never 
been sprayed since it was planted. Not a single tree 
was left alive anywhere near it, as the scale destroyed 
them all. Yet this tree has survived and bore heavy 
crops of the finest Elbertas that I ever saw. The soil 
is a heavy loam with clay subsoil; near by in a hen- 
yard are growing young trees (four years old) that 
are free from scale and have fruit on them that also 
is fine. Another tree of Oldmixon grows with other 
trees in a chicken yard. This tree is eight years old 
and has never had any fertilizer or cultivation except 
what the hens have given it. The fruit is fine and the 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
growth is normal, healthy and vigorous. On this same 
farm near Long Branch is an orchard of 300 trees 
that were planted four years ago. When this orchard 
was planted the ground was trenched three feet deep 
and 10 feet wide for each row of trees, and 12 tons of 
ground bone was spaded in when the trenching was 
done. 
The fire blight has caused more trouble to the pear 
grower and scientific men than any other disease of 
the pear. If the orchard was well manured and cul¬ 
tivated, the advice of the scientist was “seed down 
your orchard and stop cultivation.” When just over 
the fence a neighbor’s orchard was standing without 
cultivation or fertilization, and blighting just as bad 
or worse, the reason given was as unsatisfactory as 
'the first. The fact is that pear, apple and quince 
blight under adverse and favorable conditions. The 
Kieffer, in my opinion, is more often starved to death 
than any other tree; as it bears more fruit than any 
other variety, it needs more food to sustain it. I 
knew of an old Kieffer standing close to a henhouse 
where its roots must extend in and around it, yet it is 
healthy with no signs of blight, and bearing heavy an¬ 
nual crops. I also know a Bartlett standing in a hen- 
yard and close to the henhouse; this tree has never 
been sprayed and has resisted the scale and is healthy 
with a fine crop of beautiful fruit. E. s. black. 
New Jersey. 
November 19, 
as an investment (five per cent on a permanent invest¬ 
ment). If it will produce $2 an acre net, it is worth 
$40 an acre. If it will produce $5 an acre net, it is 
worth $100, etc. Now, most men who have had ex¬ 
perience will admit that an acre of well-drained land 
can be cultivated for $1 less than similar land un¬ 
drained (the work is easier and can be done on time). 
At present prices, a few bushels more of grain or a 
few hundred more pounds of hay makes several dollars 
added to the income of the acre. It is an exceedingly 
conservative estimate to say that drainage will add $2 
per acre in increase of crop. (Most men will say $5 
at least.) But at $2 in increased crop and $1 saved 
in cost of production, we have $3 added to the net 
income of an acre by drainage, which means $60 added 
to the value of the acre of land. If by the expenditure 
of $30 in drainage, we can increase the value of an 
acre $60, surely there is no way in which the farmer 
can make money faster. I have put in tile that have 
paid 100 per cent on the investment each year, and, 
speaking very conservatively, I do not think I have 
ever put money into drainage that did not bring me 
10 per cent in cash returns, besides the satisfaction it 
gives and the spirit of confidence it engenders. One 
of the chief things the owners of cheap eastern lands 
need is confidence in their business and their ability to 
make good upon those soils. f. l. allen. 
Ohio. 
THE PRACTICE OF TILE DRAINAGE. 
Part II. 
LAYING THE TILE.—A word might be said to 
the inexperienced in regard to laying the tile. Try to 
lay the tile so that the joints will be close on top, and 
if they must be open anywhere, let it be at the bottom. 
If a tile is slightly warped, lay it bow up. That will 
enable you to keep the line of the tile straight, and will 
bring the joints together close on top. If soft tile are 
used do not try to lay them as close as possible. They 
will absorb considerable water, and in so doing will 
swell slightly, and if they are laid as closely as may be 
when dry, will be almost too close when wet I have 
had occasion many times to dig into and make connec¬ 
tions with an old drain of soft tile, and have found 
them jammed together exceedingly tight from this 
cause. 
FILLING THE DITCH.—Very little hand work is 
necessary in filling the ditch. We cover the tile by 
hand, with just enough earth to hold them in place, 
and to prevent stones falling upon and breaking them. 
Then with the plow we can turn a heavy furrow of the 
loose dirt over into the ditch. For the first furrow 
we use an evener long enough so that the team will 
straddle the ditch and pile of dirt. Now we put on 
the short evener, and letting one horse follow the 
furrow made by the previous plowing, turn another 
furrow towards the ditch. Next we hitch a team to 
each end of a long, heavy square stick of timber, and 
keeping it diagonally across the ditch at the proper 
angle, scrape the ditch full. After the loose dirt has 
settled in the ditch we sometimes loosen up the dirt 
that is left with a disk harrow, and once more going 
over with the timber scraper finishes the job. Drains 
must not be expected to do as good work the first 
year as after they have been in some time and the soil 
begins to get into shape. In fact they should increase 
in efficiency each year indefinitely. 
COST OF DRAINAGE.—Of course the cost varies 
with the character of the soil, depth and distance 
apart of drains, size of tile, cost of labor, etc. With 
us the greatest problem has been that of labor, and we 
have been driven to the use of a machine to do our 
digging. With it we have put in 22 miles of tile on 
the farm, besides a considerable amount for our neigh¬ 
bors. It is a steam traction ditcher, digging the entire 
ditch, to the depth of 4feet if desired, with once 
passing over the ground. The bottom of the ditch is 
left clean and grooved for the tile, which can be laid 
as soon as the machine has passed over the ground. 
On land free from stones one man with it should get 
100 to 125 rods of ditch ready for the tile in a day. 
On our own farm we have a good many stones, and I 
cannot finish up on the average more than 50 to 75 
rods per day. If one contemplates a large job of drain¬ 
ing the use of a machine is to be recommended. It 
is in line with the advance of the times. Man power 
is the most expensive power. Horse power comes 
next, and is still too expensive. We must use the 
cheap power of steam or electricity wherever practical. 
The cost of thoroughly draining an acre need rarely 
go beyond $35 or $40 per acre, and in most cases 
will be very much below these figures. It seems large, 
and men ask “Will it pay?” We think it will. On a 
large part of the cheap lands it is either drain or give 
up. From our point of view, nothing will justify bor¬ 
rowing money to the extent that drainage will. 
INCREASED VALUE OF DRAINED LAND.— 
Most men have a somewhat crude idea of the value 
of land. Land that will produce $1 per acre net (after 
all expenses, taxes, etc., are paid) is worth $20 an acre 
EXPRESS COMPANIES AND “EMPTIES.” 
Until about three years ago the Adams Express 
Company used to return free of charge crates in which 
eggs, berries, etc., were sent to market. Now they 
charge 10, 15 or 20 cents for returning same a distance 
of 15 to 30 miles. The company's agent in this place 
says it is in compliance with a ruling of the Interstate 
Commerce Commission forbidding transportation free. 
Is such the fact ? The company made enormous profits 
under the old arrangement, and the present practice 
adds 40 to 50 per cent to their receipts for this line of 
service. In addition to the charge for returning 
empties, the company has increased the charge for in¬ 
itial service as much as or more than 23 per cent. Is 
it the Interstate Commerce Commission that compelled 
the company to make heavier charges for service which 
was already yielding a high profit to the company, thus 
increasing the already heavy express burden which"the 
public had to pay, and giving the express company an¬ 
other plum? M. M. 
Massachusetts. 
It is true that charges on returned empties have been 
increased. Rates on produce forwarded to market have 
also been advanced. It is easier to raise rates piece¬ 
meal by dividing the increase, as has been done by 
placing part on the rate and part on the returned 
emptj-, than to raise the forwarding rale. The public 
will not see the real advance except as individuals get 
wise. I will place in parallel columns the charges on 
returned empties, mentioning only a few as samples: 
3 906. 1910. 
Boer cases, free. % Seale K. 
Egg cases, 5 cents each. 10 cents each. 
Fruit empties, 36-qt., 5 cents, 10 cents and 15 cents, r«~ 
over 36-qt., 10 cents. spectively. 
Milk cans, free. 10 cents each. 
Mineral water cases, free. % Scale K. 
Chicken coops, 10 cents each. 15 cents each. 
Meat boxes, 5 cents to 25 10 cents to 50 cents each. 
cents each. 10 cents to 25 cents each. 
Oyster empties, free. 10 cents to 15 cents each. 
Flower baskets, 5 cents and 10 cents each. 
Scale K is about 60 per cent of merchandise rate. 
M. M. states that formerly egg and berry crates 
were carried free. I know that about 10 years ago 
egg and berry crates went free, but they are not so 
classified in Adams Company’s classification in. 1906. 
This governs on interstate business, while if the busi¬ 
ness referred to by M. M. is State business the local 
tariff doubtless provided for free return. In fact there 
is nothing to hinder the company providing for free 
return on all business. State or interstate, if they pub¬ 
lish in their classification that returned empties are 
carried free. The statement by the agent that the 
Interstate Commerce Commission compels the express 
company to charge for these returning empties or that 
increased rates are required, is pure falsehood. Under 
the law the companies make such rates as they see fit, 
and publish those rates, and the companies must charge 
no more and no less than their published tariff sched¬ 
ules. The Commission would not object if the ex¬ 
press companies carried all their business free or at 
half the present rates. All they are required to do is 
to see that everyone gets the same rate, no more and 
no less. It may be of interest in this connection to 
give a statement of how profitable the business of the 
Adams Express Company is. Three years ago the 
Adams Company doubled their capitalization, giving 
the new issue of stock free gratis to their stockholders. 
_ F. C. 
One apple was recently sold at auction in Covent Gar¬ 
den Market, London, England, for 14 guineas (about $70). 
It was a specimen of Gloria Mundi weighing 27 ounces, 
which was 16 inches in circumference and five inches 
high. The “Gardener’s Chronicle” records a Warner's 
King apple exhibited in 1888 which weighed just over 
two pounds. 
