3014. 
THE RURAL NKW-VORKKR 
831 
SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION OF FINE APPLES. 
From Plowing to Packing. 
Part I. 
DEALS IN QUALITY.—It is the aim in this 
paper, the first of a series on apple packing, 
to discuss briefly some of the important points 
in securing good fruit. Wo all agree that the gen¬ 
eral appearance of the package has much to do 
with the sale of the fruit contained, yet sometimes 
fail to realize fully that the consumer is being 
rapidly educated to look beyond the external and 
place an increased value on the real quality of the 
fruit itself. It is a fact that a great deal of fruit 
which would best he sold in hulk is being handled 
in expensive packages, and the grower is often at 
a loss to know why he fails to got satisfactory 
prices, and frequently attributes ii to dishonesty on 
the part of dealers. The frequent stagnation of the 
apple market, which is very discouraging, especially 
to the small grower who is not prepared to hold 
his fruit, is almost wholly due to hick of distribu¬ 
tion, poor quality and faulty packing. Remove the 
latter two and distribution will he much facilitated, 
because it is so dependent on quality and packing. 
There is rarely if ever an over supply of good fruit, 
because people are willing to pay the price if they 
can only get a good article. Given any variety, the 
degree of quality will depend on how near it ap¬ 
proaches the ideal for that variety in size and color, 
and upon its freedom 
from insect and fungus 
infections, bruising and 
other forms of mechan¬ 
ical injury. Uniformity 
in size, color and sound¬ 
ness are also important, 
particularly when fruit 
is to he packed in box¬ 
es. Of the many fac¬ 
tors involved in secur¬ 
ing the above, the most 
important are likely to 
he soil management— 
including fertilization— 
spraying, pruning and 
thinning of fruit. Fail¬ 
ure properly to attend 
to any one of these, no 
matter how well all 
others may he looked 
after, u s u a 1 I y means 
failure to realize full 
returns from the effort 
and expense involved. 
SIZE OF FRUIT.— 
The size of fruit is 
largely dependent upon 
those factors which de¬ 
termine the amount of 
tree growth, viz.: moist¬ 
ure a n d fertilization. 
The former, however, is 
likely to be the m o s t 
important as w e 11 as 
the cheapest and surest 
means of controlling 
size; in fact, moisture 
control is likely to he 
the most important 
problem with which the orehardist has to deal. At 
the present time there are two systems of soil 
management available, either of which will meet 
requirements in this regard. These are tillage com¬ 
bined with some form of cover crop and sod mulch. 
Sod alone has failed miserably when carefully com¬ 
pared with these two systems, and except in a few 
special cases is hardly to be considered where more 
than average results are desired. Compared with 
tillage and cover crops, sod mulch appears to he 
somewhat the more efficient in conserving moisture; 
usually gives more tree growth, at least with young 
trees; tends to bring trees into earlier bearing, and 
may produce fruit of a little higher color. It is 
particularly adapted where the land is too steep or 
too rough for easy tillage, or on soils which are 
especially subject to washing. 
SOD MULCH, as here referred, to, consists of a 
permanent grass cover and the maintenance of a 
definite mulch extending from within a few feet of 
the tree trunk to somewhat beyond the tips of the 
branches. The material should not be brought up 
close to the tree because of danger of injury by 
mice, but in any case the mulch system should com¬ 
bine some form of trunk protection. This mulch 
may he secured by cutting and drawing up the 
grass and oilier growth from between the trees, sup¬ 
plementing this, if necessary, by sufficient outside 
material, such as swamp hay or straw to maintain 
a covering of several inches in thickness, or suffi¬ 
cient to keep down all grass and weed growth. 
The system is effectively started by allowing a rye 
cover crop to stand until it comes into bloom, at 
which time it is mowed and later drawn up to the 
trees. A permanent grass cover is easily started by 
sowing in the young rye, or after it is cut, as for 
clover or other hay crops. Tests at the Pennsyl¬ 
vania Station indicate that Alfalfa may he success¬ 
fully used as a permanent cover and source of mulch, 
and that it is possible to maintain satisfactory 
mulch and tree growth, at least until the trees are 
in profitable bearing, and use one cutting per year 
of Alfalfa as hay. So far as operating expense is 
concerned, studies by the Geneva Station appear to 
indicate that sod mulch is at least no more expen¬ 
sive than tillage. 
TILLAGE still remains a favorite means of or¬ 
chard soil management, but if not practiced so as 
to insure a good soil or dust mulch it will prove 
little better than sod alone. Tillage should not 
continue later than mid-season, although this will 
depend somewhat on the amount of rainfall, the 
size of crop and the cover-crop used. During dry 
seasons or seasons of very heavy crops, tillage may 
continue a little longer. A cover crop should be 
sown at the last, cultivation. If nitrogen is lacking, 
as indicated by scant, weakly tree growth, it is 
possibly best to use a legume, such as one of the 
clovers, vetch, or Soy beans, but where nitrogen is 
not needed or appears to be in excess, then rye. 
millet, buckwheat, rape or Cow-horn turnips will be 
cheaper and quite satisfactory. Rye has an added 
advantage in that it may be sown quite late in the 
season. Vetch appears well suited to use as a cover 
crop because of its low moisture requirements, com¬ 
parative hardiness and ability as a nitrogen gath¬ 
erer. The cover crop should he turned under the 
following Spring and before it begins to draw too 
heavily on the soil moisture. Deep plowing in any 
case should be avoided, particularly within the root 
area, and with old trees, or those which have not 
been cultivated for a number of years. 
State College, Pa. u. h. bell. 
TWO EPOCH-MAKING DAIRY MEETINGS. 
Y mind runs back to a February day in !s72, 
when in compliance with a call I had issued 
in the Wisconsin State press seven men met 
in the city of Watertown to organize a State Dairy¬ 
men's Association. Very faint and feeble was that 
beginning. The total value of the dairy product of 
the State did not exceed a million dollars. To-day 
the value of the annual dairy product—cattle sales 
included—is over a hundred million dollars. 
From that February day till now the Wisconsin 
Dairymen’s Association has been the leader and 
guide of the industry every hour of the time. (Hit 
of it have come some of the most potent educational 
forces of the State for the promotion of a more 
enlightened agriculture, among which I would men¬ 
tion the Dairy and Food Commission, the Farm 
Institute, the Dairy School. The College of Agri¬ 
culture itself has been greatly nourished and built 
up by the powerful influence of this association, 
which in its advocacy of wise laws, in its defence 
of sagacious measures, in its absolutely non-partisan 
course, has been constantly respected as a great 
force working for the true advancement of the 
►State. The proud preeminence of Wisconsin as a 
producer of dairy thought, dairy product, dairy cat¬ 
tle, and dairy machinery is due in a very great 
measure to this organization. “Behold how great a 
fire a little spark kindleth.” 
In 1881, while presiding at the session of the 
Northwestern Dairymen's Association at Lake Gen¬ 
eva, Wisconsin, I was waited upon by Mr. Knapp, 
assistant freight agent of the C. & N. W. R. It., and 
Judge Bureliard, land commissioner of the same 
road, with the request that the Northwestern Asso¬ 
ciation hold its next session at Mankato, Minne¬ 
sota. These men stated that the farming interests 
of that State were in a deplorable condition through 
the ruinous effect of constant wheat growing. The 
product per acre had fallen so low, and the quality 
as well, that the railroads were threatened as well 
as the farmers with a ruinous loss of business. 
“Something must be done at once,” said Judge 
Burchard, “to pull the 
Minnesota farmer and 
the railroad out of this 
hole. The farmers have 
heard of what the cow 
is doing in Wisconsin and 
Northern Illinois for 
your redemption. Your 
convention to-day con¬ 
vinces me that here is 
a great redeeming force 
if we could once set it 
at work in our State.” 
The result of the con¬ 
ference was that the 
Chicago & Northwestern 
and the Chicago & St. 
Paul railroads agreed to 
give free transportation 
to one hundred dairy¬ 
men from Illinois and 
Wisconsin to Mankato 
and return, if the North- 
wester n Association 
would hold a conven¬ 
tion in that city the 
next Winter. That con¬ 
vention was one of the 
most memorable in its 
character and final ef¬ 
fect of any in my recol¬ 
lection, covering a pe¬ 
riod of over 40 years. 
The daily attendance of 
farmers was over 1,200 
for three days. All of 
the speakers were prac¬ 
tical dairy farmers, and 
their thought and ad¬ 
vice shed such a flood 
of light upon the subject that hundreds of farmers 
made preparation at once to install the cow 
in place of the plow. The next Winter another 
great convention of the same organization was 
held in the same city. From the impulse thus 
started and the seed sown at these two conventions, 
the dairy industry in Minnesota at once took on 
definite shape and progress. Out of it came the 
right organization of forces, the passage of favoring 
legislation, the creation in the minds of the Minne¬ 
sota farmers of a determined, definite purpose to 
prosecute the industry thoroughly and steadfastly. 
To-day Minnesota occupies a front place in the 
extent, and particularly in the quality, of all her 
dairy products. The value of her dairy products 
now exceeds that of any other branch of her agri¬ 
culture. 
These two present to my mind the most notable 
instances of the effect of concentrated thought and 
purpose in the promotion of advanced agriculture 
as shown by after results. They show with pro¬ 
nounced clearness the power of right ideas in the 
furthering of the prosperity of the farmer. 
W. D. Hoard, 
Editor Hoard’s Dairyman. 
Many refugees from Mexico have appeared in the 
Gulf States—driven out by the revolution. Even should 
there be war between this country and Mexico these 
people would continue to come here for protection. 
