1614. 
THIS RURAL NEW-YORKER 
2K 
The Home Acre. 
BEHAVIOR OF JAPAN PLUMS. 
On page 45 I notice answer from W. 
S., Beaver Falls, about Japanese plums. 
As this is only a short distance from the 
district in which I have spent the last 
two years, I venture to criticise the 
answer. In Allegheny county the Jap¬ 
anese plum is a failure. They bloom too 
early. About one-half of the time they 
will bloom the last week in March or the 
first week in April, being put out of busi¬ 
ness by the frosts, so that I would not 
advise planting them. Most growers 
about here use the German and Italian 
prunes, Lombard, Green or Blue Mag¬ 
num and the Damson. P. T. B. 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 
R. N.-Y.—We want such suggestions. 
The behavior of varieties is often so pecu¬ 
liar that only personal experience can de¬ 
cide. 
BROOM CORN FOR GARDEN BORDER. 
Various suggestions are made from 
time to time relative to what I term 
commuters’ gardens; small plots ranging 
from one-quarter to an acre of ground, 
on which after the labors of the day, the 
rural commuter can find profit, pleasure 
and relaxation from the care and turmoil 
of “trade,” and enjoy healthful relaxation 
with a hoe. With the one exception of 
horseback riding, there is nothing which 
is equal to that same homely utensil, the 
hoe, as a health preserver, and physical 
recreator. The man who knows how to 
use it as it should be used, exercises every 
muscle of his body and, if corpulent, will 
find his waist measure reduced without 
the aid of patent nostrums or deleterious 
drugs. The real hoe man is an artist, he 
can shave the surface, digging deeper, 
loosen the soil, and deeper still, turn up 
three inches from darkness to sunlight, 
lie can clip a weed within a quarter of 
an inch of a plant, or thin out a row 
with equal dexterity. I did not start out, 
however, to expatiate on the merits of the 
hoe, but rather to tell of a beautiful 
border for any garden, which I have 
never seen used by any other commuter 
than myself. Each year across the rear 
of my garden or along the footpaths I 
plant a row of broom corn, planting the 
seeds in drill, and thinning out (with the 
hoe) to four inches. In the Fall the 
stalk has reached the height of eight or 
10 feet (last year some of my stalks 
were 12 feet) and its seeded tassel has 
a very picturesque effect. When fully 
ripened the top should be bent over about 
three feet, and allowed to hang down, so 
that the weight of the seed will straighten 
the splints. When fully ripened and 
hardened, cut off the seeded stalk, thrash 
out the seed, and make the splints into 
hearth brooms. For this purpose take 
eight stalks, fasten with small copper 
wire, cut off the stalk to within two 
inches of the broom and the thing is 
done. Last year I made 40 hearth 
brooms from my row 100 feet long, and 
gave one of the brooms to each of my 
neighbors. I found hearth brooms not 
so good as mine selling in the city for 
25 cents apiece. Let some of your sub¬ 
scribers try this broom corn border and 
I think they will repeat the experiment. 
Garden City, N. Y. w. or. Y. 
Fertilizer for Garden Crop 
I have a small garden plot which has 
a clay soil. The top soil had been graded 
off several years ago when the house was 
built. I have manured it well, and it 
produced a splendid crop of vegetables 
the first year, but last year it was a lit¬ 
tle off, particularly the corn, which leads 
me to believe that it is deficient in either 
potash or phosphorus, or probably both. 
We had a good many beans, which did 
well, and these vines will be plowed along 
with the other remains of last year’s crop. 
Half of the plot was spaded and sown in 
turnips last Fall. A good many are still 
there to be plowed under, along with a 
good layer of rotted horse manure. Beets 
have grown on the ground last year, 
Memphis, Tenu. H. B. 
If this soil is to have manure each 
year, and still fails to grow suitable 
vegetables the indications are that potash 
and phosphoric acid are lacking. The 
usual suggestion is to mix three parts of 
acid phosphate with one part muriate of 
potash, and apply 400 pounds or a little 
more per acre. In some places it is diffi¬ 
cult to obtain these chemicals. In such 
cases a mixed fertilizer high in potash 
and phosphoric acid will answer. 
Ashes and Strawberries. 
I have a fertile acre that four years 
ago got four or five tons of hard wood 
ashes, and has grown Alfalfa and been 
heavily manured every year since. Is it 
safe to plant it with strawberries this 
Spring, because of the ashes? a. p. 
Crosby, Pa. 
There will be little trouble from the 
effect of the ashes on the strawberries 
after four years. The advice against 
using lime or ashes means that they 
should not be applied at the time of 
planting, or within a year before. After 
four years, however, there would be 
practically no danger. 
Hen Manure for Fruit Trees. 
As I clean my chicken house every 
week, I take the manure and spread 
about a bushel of it to the tree, around 
peach trees set out a year last Fall. If 
I use wood ashes with this when is the 
best time to use the ashes, now or early 
Spring, before plowing under? How 
much ashes per tree? Would you advise 
using anything else and what? Trees 
made just a fair growth, 18 inches to 
2 y 2 feet; soil sandy loam. It is out of 
the question to keep this chicken manure 
in a dry place till Spring, as I have no 
place to store it, so spread it on ground 
as hauled out. n. s. T. 
Vineland, N. J. 
L'nder the circumstances this practice 
will answer. Leave the manure around 
the trees until Spring and then plow it 
under. After plowing scatter five or six 
pounds of wood ashes and rake or har¬ 
row in. This ought to give them a good 
start on that kind of soil. 
Bark Bursting. 
Last November we set out about 20 
two-year-old apple and pear trees. Many 
of these trees seem to have small slits 
in the bark, though none seem to be dead. 
We have scraped these slits and applied 
white lead. Can you tell us if this is a 
serious condition and if we have treated 
it correctly? w. f. 
Valley Stream, N. Y. 
The trouble with these trees is what is 
called “bark-bursting” and is caused by 
their being in a flush condition and not 
well ripened when there came one or 
more cold spells. The contraction and 
expansion of the bark caused it to crack 
open. The painting with white lead is 
all right, but a coating of wax, put on 
with a brush while hot, would be better. 
This is easily and quickly done. Melt 
together five pounds of rosin, one of bees¬ 
wax and one of tallow or linseed oil, and 
apply while warm. This is good for 
wounds made in pruning or as grafting 
wax. if. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Hen Manure on Sandy Land. 
What would you advise to use on land 
that has a good deal of hen manure? I 
have about one acre and keep 600 hens. 
Is there any danger of using too much? 
The land is sandy. h. ii. b. 
Merchantville, N. J. 
lien manure is rich in nitrogen. This 
is the element which induces a quick, 
strong growth of leaf and stem. The 
best crops to grow where there is an 
abundance of nitrogen are those which 
make most of their growth above ground 
—like grass, corn, cabbage, etc. Too 
much nitrogen will drive the crops into 
such a quick growth that they will 
“lodge” or fall down through weakness 
of the stems. One way to overcome this 
is to use chemicals with the hen manure. 
Three parts by weight of acid phosphate 
to one paijt of muriate of potash is a 
good mixture to use with the hen ma¬ 
nure. 
Destroying Poison Sumach. 
Will you advise me how I can dispose 
of a poison sumach tree, which I have 
growing on my place? a. b. 
Mountainside, N. J. 
The bad reputation of the poison su¬ 
mach, (Rhus venenata) make it an ob¬ 
ject that is carefully avoided by every¬ 
one who is familiar with it. It is com¬ 
monly supposed or believed that it con¬ 
tains so virulent a sap, that it will 
cause fever and severe inflamation in any 
one who cuts it down, or for any other 
purpose comes in close contact with it. 
It is probable its inoculating power is 
considerably over-estimated, for it is no 
common thing to hear of anyone being 
severely poisoned by it. All the sumach 
family have a habit of sending up sprouts 
from creeping roots, and to get effectually 
rid of them, they must be pretty thor¬ 
oughly uprooted by the use of grub-hoe 
or plow. When there are only a few to 
be exterminated, it can be accomplished 
by heavy applications of salt to the roots. 
K. 
1111 mu 
i mu ii i 
:ru 
$1420 
from 133 J. H. HALE 
Peach Trees This Year 
“ . . . from one measured acre of 133 trees we 
picked, September 14th, 748 bushels, or an average 
of 5 '/i bushels or 8 crates per tree, over 95 % of this 
fruit being high class merchantable fruit, selling f.o.b. 
at the farm at $2.00 to $2.50 per bushel ...” 
(Signed) J. H. HALE—in his report on hij 1913 crop. 
(Figuring on the basis of 95 % of the crop 
from this acre, at the lower price of $2.00 
per bushel, the figures quoted above are had.) 
Why Such Profits are Possible 
The J. H. Hale peach is J to i larger than Elberta; ex¬ 
tremely juicy; golden yellow flesh, brilliant carmine skin; 
meat is solid as a cling, yet a perfect freestone ; round shape, 
excellent for preserving; stands shipping much better than 
Elberta; ripens a week earlier and hangs longeron trees; 
skin smooth and thick— almost fuzzless; hardier in wood and 
bud than Elberta, Georgia Belle or other hardy peaches; 
healthy, vigorous grower, withstands severe drouths and 
still fruits enormously. 
And these features, embraced in one peach for the first 
time in horticultural history, have made the J, H. HALE 
the greatest commercial peach of America. 
You con obtain genuine J. H. HALE peach trees, propa- 
g'ated from buds cut from Mr. Hale’s bearing' orchards only 
from William P. Stark Nurseries, Stark City, Mo. 
To be sure of your trees order now. Hundreds waited 
last spring until we were oversold. Don’t let yourself be 
among the disappointed this year. 
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We have no agents, no salesmen. Every tree is sold direct 
to you from our great nurseries at 
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30% to 50% in agents’conimissions. 
Our catalog is our only repre¬ 
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pay. Note the saving under what 
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Write for New Catalog 
Describes and prices J. H. Hale 
peach trees, Delicious. Stuyman. Black 
lien anil all profitable varieties of apple, 
peach, plum. pear, cherry, apricot, 
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Box 362 Stark City, Missouri 
I 
dug, upland grown, hardy, healthy, vigorous, free from 
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Ars fresh 
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