374 
THE RURAL IMIS W-YORKER 
March 7, 
Abnormal Apple Growth 
Fasciation or the lateral growing to¬ 
gether of buds or tissues that normally 
are separate is not an uncommon phen¬ 
omenon in rapidly growing plants. It is 
seen most frequently in the stems and 
fast growing sprouts of the sweet potato, 
the black raspberry, asparagus and cer¬ 
tain lilies when stimulated by intensive 
fertilization and ample supplies of moist¬ 
ure, but may be found in a wide variety 
of cultivated plants, though rare in na¬ 
ture. Fasciated stems form wide ribbon- 
like growths, often with a multitude of 
small leaves and buds or growing points, 
which blend together at the edges as 
Abnormal Apple. 
growth progresses. Such abnormalities 
are plainly the result of over-nutrition, 
and contribute nothing to the welfare of 
the plant. 
Presumably every bud, branch, leaf 
and flower arises from a single growth— 
all which normally takes the lead in de¬ 
velopment and its associated cells fall 
methodically into the proper order to 
form the new growth. Sometimes it ap¬ 
pears as if two or more cells get an even 
start under special stimulus, which we 
cannot readily understand, and grow side 
by side, forming twin or fasciated 
growths. Thus in lower cut the twin ap¬ 
ples have possibly developed from multiple 
blooms on single stems or pedicels, though 
close examination might show the fusing 
or fasciation of two pedicels, each with 
a single fertile bloom, as in the normal 
flower. Such monstrosities have no val¬ 
ue, but are interesting as showing what 
may happen when nature is off guard. 
The apple or typical pome is a very 
symmetrical and highly developed fruit, 
Little Points With Big Profits in Potato 
Growing. 
Big profits in potato growing come 
from attention to little details which the 
average grower overlooks. To this mat¬ 
ter of thoroughness E. I’. Smith of 
Oswego County, N. Y., a recent lecturer 
at Cornell during Farmer’s Week, at¬ 
tributed his success. Mr. Smith ought 
to know, for he has had to learn the 
potato game from seed to market. 
Ten years ago he came into possession 
of a farm known as the poorest in the 
township. Ilia farm experience was very 
little, the crops for the first year were 
failures and to cap the climax, Ins house 
was destroyed by fire early in the Winter. 
In the face of all these discouragements 
and in spite of advice to quit, Smith de¬ 
termined to stick it out and make good 
or go down fighting. 
His first potato lesson was in the mat¬ 
ter of deep plowing. The only plow left 
from the fire was minus a clevis and in 
his inexperience, Smith turned over the 
first field knee deep. All his friends 
told him the land was ruined, but to 
everyone’s surprise, this land gave the 
biggest yield in the vicinity at digging 
time. From that time since the land has 
been plowed 10 inches deep or more. 
This deep plowing is followed by thor¬ 
ough harrowing. Even after the soil is 
apparently worked into ideal shape it 
is harrowed over a few times extra for 
luck. Sometimes Smith has kept up this 
harrowing until his neighbors were sus¬ 
picious of his sanity, but the extra work¬ 
ing has always paid. 
Another detail which receives careful 
attention is that of securing a perfect 
stand. Most potato patches have five to 
10 per cent, of the hills missing. This 
means that in a field of 20 acres, from 
one to two acres are worked and cared 
for at a dead loss. A perfect stand 
means attention to the two operations 
of cutting and planting the seed. Here, 
the seed is cut so that every portion con¬ 
sists of a good sound chunky piece with 
one or more eyes, and every poor or 
questionable piece is thrown out. In 
planting, every hill is seeded. If the ma¬ 
chine skips, it is stopped and the hill 
planted by hand. Smith claims that it 
pays well to keep every hill working. 
A little detail which many potato 
raisers overlook is the care of the out¬ 
side rows. If these are neglected or 
carelessly trampled in turning there is a 
loss which amounts to a considerable 
sum in a large field. Mr. Smith uses 
TWIN APPLES. 
with its five-loculed ovary developing 
into the star-shaped core surrounded 
with mellow flesh, and is far less given 
to twinning than the drupes or plum- 
formed fruits, in some varieties of which 
it is quite common. Thus the ovary or 
incipient fruit of the plum, cherry, peach, 
apricot and almond contains but two 
ovules, only one of which, as a rule, de¬ 
velops into a seed. Occasionally we find 
two kernels or two seeds In a pit, as a re¬ 
sult of the development of both ovules, and 
less often a twin fruit with one or two 
normal pits each with single kernels. 
Twin cherries and plums are very com¬ 
mon in California, where these fruits 
are grown to great perfection and does 
not greatly affect the value of the 
fruits owing to the compact form of the 
combined growth. In the apple or pear 
twinning or fasciation if at all common, 
would prove a great nuisance. v. 
Smith : “Do you believe in the sympa¬ 
thetic influence of music?” Brown: 
"Sure; whenever I hear an automobile 
siren I always start into a quickstep.”— 
just as much care with the boundary j 
hills and rows as with the rest and it i 
is hard to find an injured hill on his 
whole patch. Another factor which has 
shown up on the profit sheet is that of 
seed selection. By choosing the best 
yielding plants and growing these for 
seed in a separate plot a high yielding 
strain adapted to local conditions has 
been produced. Last season this selected 
seed gave a crop 30 per cent, larger than 
that obtained from the ordinary seed. 
On this farm spraying, harvesting and 
every other step in the work receives 
the same careful attention. If genius is 
defined as a capacity for taking infinite 
pains then Mr. Smith has earned the 
right to be called a genius in potato 
growing. This thoroughness in little 
Points has brought success, and the de¬ 
termination to make good has been re¬ 
warded. Last season’s crop from 20 
acres sold for over $4,000, with an aver¬ 
age yield around 300 bushels to the 
acre. 
How About Your Harvest? 
A certain farmer found himself confronted 
with the same problem at every harvest 
his yields seldom reached die 
mark they should. His profits 
were disappointing and, some¬ 
times, distressingly small. He 
sought for the cause without 
-until one day he read a 
Rigid main frame 
Jointed pole 
success- 
crops 
(often 
doubling them) 
from the same 
land, at pro¬ 
portionately smaller cost, 
by using Cutaway (Clark) disk har¬ 
rows. He got an entirelynew ideaabout 
disk harrows and disk harrowing. 
Do you know how much you lose where 
there are little hard ridges between the 
surface and the subsoil in your fields ? 
Often the surface looks mellow and fine, 
and you are deceived. Do you know how 
much you lose every year because there 
is a clumpy strata between the seed-bed 
and the subsoil ? You can stop these 
losses. Cutaway (Clark) disk harrows 
pulverize all the soil m^Forged-edgedisks 
to tile full depth to ft All-steel 
which they run, and 
they are lighter 
draft than 
other h a r - 
rows, size for 
size. There 
is a style 
and size 
for every 
farmer. In our catalog you will find illus¬ 
trated and described Double Action Engine 
Harrows; Double Actions for horse power 
for both orchard and field work; Corn 
and Cotton Harrows; one-horse har¬ 
rows for field, grove and garden; Bush 
and Bog Plows; Right Lap Plows; 
California Orchard Plows—in fact, the 
tool you need. Remember, our catalog 
“The Soil andjntensive Tillage” is free 
for the asking. Write for it today. 
THE CUTAWAY HARROW CO., 839 Main St., H1GGANUM, CONN. 
Maker of the original CLARK disk harrows and plows 
advertisement about Jim, the farmer 
whose land produced double that of his 
neighbor’s, simply because he took a 
look ahead to the harvest when mak¬ 
ing the first preparation for planting. 
He followed the advice Jim gave his 
50%-farmer neighbor and that very 
day wrote to us for a copy of “ The Soil 
and Intensive Tillage.” In it he read 
about the chemical and physical prop¬ 
erties of the soil, about how plants 
feed, and about intensive tillage. He 
learned that he could make much larger 
Rigid main frame 
Axle draft rods 
Adjustable hitch 
Forged-edge disks 
Balanced 
Reversible 
The Barker Weeder, 
Mulcher and Cultivator 
Is a Practical and Inexpensive Garden Teal 
Runs Light. Self-adjusting 
Makes a Perfect Soil Mulch 
“THE BEST 
WEED KILLER 
EVER USED” 
Write for descriptive 
circular and our 
special ‘Factory to 
User” offer 
David City 
Write 
Today 
The Barker Mfg. Co. 
Nebr. 
HaveY ou Clay 
Soil? 
Sticky, heavy, hard to cultivate? 
To make it light and crumbly, 
to improve drainage and prevent 
surface washing, and to allow the 
easy access of air| and water so 
necessary to the healthful develop¬ 
ment of plant roots, use 
New Farquhar Riding Cultivator 
Real Rigid Gang Shovel or Disc Openers 
Not a weak point in it. Adjustable 
and meets all possible conditions. Ax¬ 
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Light draft because pulling power is 
principally applied to the openers. 
Write For FREE Illustrated Catalog 
FARQUHAR 
EFFICIENCY 
is the result of 58 
years of machinery 
manufacturing. 
Our experience 
means your gain. 
A. B. FARQUHAR CO., Ltd. 
Box 730, York, Pa. 
The FARMERS’ BUREAU 
an agency ex¬ 
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agricultural help. Only first class farm help and positions solic¬ 
ited. References investigated. Scientific advice on farm prob¬ 
lems. Dept. It, 150 Nassau St., N. Y. Phone, 5565 Beckman 
5aLANDL,ME 
One application often lasts for 
years. It is sold under a guaranteed 
analysis and a reputation of more 
than a century standing back of 
the product. 
Write today to our nearest office for free 
illustrated booklet telling how, when and 
where to use lime, and how to make tests. 
Rockland & Rockport Lime Co. 
Rockland, Me. 
Boston, 45 Milk St.; New York, 101 Park Ave 
MORSE HEAD 
Pulverized raw phosphate builds fertile soils—maintain# 
fertility. High test. Laboratory analysis with every car 
WE WANT AGENTS. Successful experiments have 
P?ved the way. Price, your railroad station—liberal terms. 
THE HASERO r CANNERIES CO., Cleveland. Ohio 
HOCKING VALLEY 
BLOWER ENSILAGE CUTTER 
The Ilocking Valley Blow 
er Ensilag-e Cutter is 
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any Silo Filler made, and 
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capacity. Write for illus¬ 
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and address of nearest 
general agent. 
Hocking Valley Mfg. Co., 
Lancaster, Ohio. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply 
and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
e. d. v. 
