19lb. 
THE RUR.A.T-, NEW-YORKER 
13 
“COVER CROP” AND SOIL. 
W E have many times read of your opinion of the 
value of cover crops. We would like your ad¬ 
vice in regard to late Fall or Winter plowing 
of level ground in sod, good dark soil that is 
inclined to be somewhat wet during Winter and 
early Spring; ground to be plowed for corn and left 
without being harrowed. We have noticed quite a lot 
of plowing done by farmers while riding on the trolley 
oars from Summit to Elizabeth. N. J. Would there be 
much leaching of nitrogen or other plant food? In the 
Spring our incubators, spraying, and .'1,000 or more 
peach trees to plow make it a little late for us to get as 
much corn ground ready as wo would like. Our horses 
are practically idle a lot of this time of year. 
New Jersey. faitoute imos. 
Under those circumstances we should plow this 
Fall. Here is a case of what we mean by not fol¬ 
lowing a cast-iron rule. While we advocate cover- 
crops, to he seeded in the Fall and plowed under in 
Spring, we do not mean that this is the only way to 
handle the ground. We must all use good judgment. 
This level sod will not lose much if any of its plant 
food by washing. The frost will help break it up 
and will kill some of the insects. With the furrows 
left open and rough, the soil will dry out faster in 
the Spring than if the sod were left unplowed. By 
plowing it now you will have the work out of the 
way. Next year you can harrow and break up this 
plowed sod and plant to corn with a saving of la¬ 
bor. When we talk of cover crops we have a very 
different thing. Our crops are not grass sod which 
has been growing several years, but rye, clover and 
turnips seeded in August. Our desire is to let this 
crop grow as long as we can so as to get all possible 
organic matter to plow under. Thus we can let this 
crop stand until late May or June before plowing. 
You will see from this what we mean by adapting 
a rule to the conditions. 
Cotton and Southern Farming. 
A N investigator has recently said that the average 
farm home in Georgia produces less than two eggs 
a week, less than two-thirds of an ounce of but¬ 
ter, two-thirds of a pint of milk a day, one-third 
of a hog, one-twelfth of a beef, and one one-hundredth 
of a sheep a year for each member of the family, and 
that the cotton crop of the State does not pay the 
State’s food and feed bill. No Southern State is giv¬ 
ing sufficient attention to the production of foodstuffs 
either for human beings or for live stock. A conserva¬ 
tive estimate indicates that Texas imports from other 
States annually more than $50,000,000 worth of wheat, 
corn, and oats; Georgia annually more than $24,000,- 
000; South Carolina more than $20,000,000. 
This is taken from the annual report of Secretary 
of Agriculture David F. Houston. It is an old story. 
Everyone has kntnvn it for years, yet times of de¬ 
pression like the present make the truth cut like a 
naked sword. So long as cotton found ready sale 
at fair prices only the more progressive Southern 
farmers realized the facts so thoroughly that they 
acted. The trouble with the boll-weevil frightened 
some farmers into a change of crops and methods, 
but it needed the present tragedy in the cotton trade 
to bring matters to a head. The European War has 
done greater injury to the fortress of King Cotton 
than to the forts in France or Russia. The great 
siege guns which batter down concrete and steel 
have been heard on the Southern plantation. With 
the world’s demand for cotton reduced the Southern 
planter must now change his method of farming or 
go down and drag down with him the towns and 
cities which have been built up on the labor of 
handling farm crops. It is a hard and thoughtful 
Christmas for the South—yet it may be made the 
most hopeful one since the Civil War. With its 
climate and soil the South may supply the world’s 
cotton, and at the same time feed its own people 
and produce a surplus of meat. 
H ERE we go on record once more in advising 
fruit growers never to buy or plant trees af¬ 
fected with crown gall. We know that the 
nurserymen and some scientists claim that this 
disease is of little consequence, and that they can 
show old orchards grown from gall-infected trees 
We do not attempt to dispute them, but we would 
not plant such a tree ourselves. Another thing to 
advise against is planting bush berry plants between 
tree rows. These plants often carry the crown-gall 
disease. In one case we feel sure the disease spread 
from these bush fruits. 
A NUMBER of boomers and windbags are try¬ 
ing to sell swamp muck, ground rock, coal ash¬ 
es or garbage disguised as “fertilizer.” The 
man who buys this stuff will pay a large price for 
plant food, yet these boomers have a monopoly in 
offering it. We often wonder why some of the 
large poultry farms do not get on the market with 
a genuine fertilizer. Dried hen manure ground line 
and mixed with a good combination of chemicals 
would make a good mixture for gardeners or green¬ 
house men. A man who knows how to do it could 
mix and guarantee a fertilizer which would prove 
popular and yield a fine profit on the manure. 
The New York Tree Law. 
HAT are the fruit-growers of the State of New 
York going to do about the nursery tree law? 
You say you thought that matter all settled. 
So did everybody else, but is it? 
After a struggle for years between nurserymen and 
fruit-growers, the latter went to the Legislature two 
years ago and asked for a law, the principal purposes 
of which were two: First, to secure the delivery of 
trees true to name, and second, to let the buyer know 
where his trees were grown. Like much good legisla¬ 
tion proposed, the bill failed the first year, but the idea 
gained enough force to induce the nurserymen to come 
to the legislative committee of the New York State 
Fruit Growers’ Association and ask for a conference 
on the new bill that they knew was coming. One con¬ 
ference was held in Rochester and a final one in Albany. 
The differences between the two sides seemed irrecon¬ 
cilable, but in the end a bill was agreed to, and with 
such care that every word was written down that, was 
to go into the bill. After all was done, Mr. Morrell 
said: “As I understand it, we are all agreed on this 
bill: neither your side nor ours is to offer any opposi¬ 
tion to it.” To this all assented. 
After providing that nothing should be construed to 
deprive a purchaser of his remedy at law to recover 
damages by reason of trees proving not true to name, 
the bill further provided that in any such action “the 
seller shall have the burden of proof in establishing 
that any contract exempting the seller from liability 
or limiting his liability was fully understood and agreed 
to by the purchaser.” These provisions, with some 
others in the bill, calculated to strengthen t’-em, prom¬ 
ised the fruit-growers greater security than they had 
ever before possessed in the matter of trueness to name 
of trees bought. 
But Bobby Burns was right about “best laid plans.” 
When the bill emerged from the Legislature in the 
closing hours of the session, a little amendment had 
been written into it at the instance of the nurserymen 
making “contract” read “contract not in writing .” And 
whoever heard of a contract for fruit trees that was not 
in writing! This amendment not merely defeats the 
provision ; it leaves the fruit-grower more helpless than 
before the law was passed, for by implication it puts the 
burden of proof on the buyer in case the contract is 
in writing, as it always will be. Now, I believe that 
every man at that final conference meant it when he 
agreed 'to the bill as it then stood, but that some of 
them later changed their minds. I am willing to as¬ 
sume that they took all proper steps in the introduc¬ 
tion and passage of the amendment. I am not con¬ 
cerned with this phase beyond showing the fact that 
the nurserymen reopened the question and closed it 
with an amendment that was designed to, and did, 
nullify the law in one of its most important provisions. 
But is the matter now closed? Are the fruit-growers 
checkmated or is theirs the next move? 
UATUS C. SMITH. 
Adams County, Pa. Fruit Growers Meet. 
HONEY PRODUCERS MEET.—The annual meet¬ 
ing of the Western New York Honey Producers’ Asso¬ 
ciation was held in Akron on Dec. 16. These officers 
were elected; President, John DeMuth, Pembroke; vice- 
president, .1. It. Lincoln, Niagara Falls; secretary and 
treasurer, William Vollmer, Akron. The meeting was 
pronounced a success and the honey industry is in a 
flourishing condition, which is due largely to the fact 
that bee-keepers have been active in educating the pub¬ 
lic to the use of honey as a food. A mid-summer meet, 
ing will be held at the apiary of John DeMuth at Pem¬ 
broke on Aug. 7, 1915. 
FRUIT GROWERS MEET.—At the annual meet¬ 
ing of the Chautauqua and Lake Erie Fruit Growers’ 
Association held Dec. 19 at Brocton, secretary A. M. 
Loomis reported on several important matters among 
which were fruit acreage and fruit shipments. It ap¬ 
pears that in the seven towns which the work of the 
association covers, there are 35,160 acres of grapes, 
and that the shipments amounted to 6.420 carloads and 
the local consumption, as by grape juice factories, was 
12,475 tons or an equivalent of 7,670 cars, total. The 
secretary said that these figures are subject to correction 
and are only preliminary to a complete report which 
will be issued later. The question of standard con¬ 
tainers occupied much of the time of the meeting. The 
present federal law requires that the net weight of the 
fruit in every enclosed basket must be stamped on the 
cover thereof, but the shippers secured the consent of 
the government officials not to enforce the law the past 
season, they promising in return to get a law the past 
at the present session of Congress by which the size 
of fruit containers should be definitely settled. Com¬ 
mittees from the different associations interested will 
take the matter up with Congress this Winter. The 
association elected D. Iv. Falvay, Westfield, president; 
A. M. Loomis, Jamestown, secretary, and a vice-presi¬ 
dent for each township was appointed by the executive 
committee. 
DUTCHESS FARM BUREAU.—The annual meet¬ 
ing of the Dutchess County Farm Bureau was held 
Dec. 19 and elected E. O. Meuser, Salt Point, presi¬ 
dent; John M. Ham, Washington Hollow, vice-presi¬ 
dent; Benjamin Tremper, Rhinebeck, secretary and 
Frank Teets, New Hackensack, treasurer. Manager 
Lacy reported that he had made 1,200 farm visits dur¬ 
ing the year; 600 business calls had been made on the 
office in person and 600 telephone calls. He had ad¬ 
dressed 49 meetings. j. w. n. 
Notes By Grain Experts. 
L EWIS & CO., of Minnesota, give the following as 
to wheat supply and requirements for eight months, 
Dec. 1, 1914, to August 1, 1915: 
Bushels. 
Country elevator stocks on railroads. 17,400.000 
Minneapolis elevator stocks . 17,200,000 
Minneapolis and country mill stocks. 3,000,000 
Duluth elevator stocks . 8,000,000 
Wheat in transit . 800,000 
In farmers’ hands, exclusive of seed. 33,600,000 
T HE Fruit Growers’ Association of Adams Coun¬ 
ty, Pa., held its tenth annual convention at 
Bendersville last month under the most favorable 
auspices. Attendance and fruit display were bet¬ 
ter than ever. At the three evening entertainments the 
hall, which seats 500, was comfortably filled. This en¬ 
tertainment feature is characteristic of the society’s 
work, the day sessions being devoted to addresses. No 
business such as reading of reports, passing of resolu 
tions and election of officers interferes with either ad¬ 
dresses or discussions. They are confined to the month¬ 
ly and the annual business meetings. 
The addresses that attracted most interest was that 
of Prof. II. B. Knapp of the New York State College 
of Agriculture on the influence of of the New York 
apple grading and branding law in the season of 1914— 
its first season. After showing how the Western New 
York Horticultural Society, the New York State Fruit 
Growers’ and the International Apple Shippers’ Asso¬ 
ciations worked for its passage Prof. Knapp outlined 
the law and then quoted from letters written mainly 
by shippers east and west. All of these men declare 
that the law has been the salvation of the industry this 
year. Next in interest was the address of .7. W. Burk 
of Batavia, N. Y., on the workings of the Fruit Grow¬ 
ers’ Association of Genesee County. This association 
employs expert advisers in growing and packing, men 
paid from a fund raised by a $10 annual due and an 
acre assessment of $1 to $3. Already, though only in 
its third year the association controls 600 acres of or¬ 
chard, more than 80% of its sales are made on track 
at shipping point, the remainder going forward on 
consignment. The first season, 1912-13, sales reached 
almost $81,000; the second over $38,000. This season 
is expected to exceed.that of 1913, but not reach that 
of 1912. 
The address that attracted most interest was that 
grade fruit by Prof. M. G. Rains of Pennsylvania State 
College aroused a great deal of interest because this is a 
serious problem. After outlining the methods whereby 
low-grade fruit may be reduced in quantities—good prun¬ 
ing, cultivating, fertilizing, spraying, thinning and the 
choice of business varieties—the speaker discussed can¬ 
ning, evaporating, jelly, fruit butter, vinegar and cider 
making, and then said the surface has scarcely been 
scratched for there are over 30 ways in which apples 
alone can be worked up and sold. He then told how 
two women had developed industries in fruit preserv¬ 
ing; one uses 70 tons of grapes annually to make jelly, 
the other now sells over $100,000 worth of her home¬ 
made products. Both women started in their own or 
their mothers’ kitchens. Such instances, the speaker 
declared should prove encouragements to other -omen, 
perhaps more favorably placed with respect to fruit 
supply. j. a. 
New York State News. 
N EW AGRICULTURAL LAWS WANTED.—At 
the conclusion of a meeting of dairymen at Fulton 
a few days ago a movement was begun which looks 
to the appointment of a county veterinary inspec¬ 
tor for each county by the Board of Supervisors to re¬ 
place State Department inspectors. There is also em¬ 
bodied in the resolution a clause which asks a minimum 
return of $25 for each cow killed by the State found 
to be tubercular, or 75 per cent, of the appraised value 
of any animal destroyed when that animal is in an 
apparently healthy condition. It is stated that the 
movement is to be worked out largely through the 
Granges whose members will get in touch with the 
legislators from their respective sections or counties. 
The county inspector, it is understood, would be under 
the direction of the State Department of Agriculture. 
Total . 80,000,000 
Requirements— 
Minneapolis, Duluth and country mills, 
eight months .100,000,000 
Eastern mills, April, May and June. 9,000,000 
Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa mills. 3,000,000 
Total .112,000,000 
Less stocks . 80,000,000 
Leaves deficit which will have to be made 
up from the Southwest of. 32,000,000 
Broomhall gives European visible supply of wheat 
as 81,024,000 bushels, an increase for the week of 
3,060,000 bushels, or a two weeks’ increase of 8,044,- 
000 bushels. 
Bradstreet’s visible supply statement is: 
M heat— Dec. 19, ’14. 
U. S., east Rockies. 84,114,000 
U. S., west Rockies. 4,552,000 
In Canada .. 38,192,000 
All in and afloat for Europe 81,000,000 
World’s wheat .207,858,000 
Corn, America . 15,231,000 
Cats .1914 1,275 40,162 
Dec. 20, ’13. 
70,422,000 
3.977,000 
53,749,000 
77,400.000 
205,548,000 
6.817,000 
1,141,060 
Government Crop Report. 
T HE crop reporting bureau makes the following com¬ 
parative statement. Acreage and production in 
thousands, i.e., 000 omitted. 
CROPS. 
NEW YORK. 
u. s. 
Acreage 
Production 
Production 
Corn . 
..1914 
550 
22,550 
2,672,804 
1913 
527 
15 020 
2,446.988 
Wheat . 
..1914 
360 
8,100 
891.017 
1913 
340 
6,800 
763,380 
Oats . 
..1914 
1,275 
40,162 
1,141,060 
1913 
1,275 
42,712 
1,121,768 
Barley . 
..1914 
75 
2,100 
194,953 
1913 
77 
2,056 
178,189 
Rye . 
..1914 
129 
2,283 
42,779 
1913 
133 
2,228 
41,381 
Buckwheat .. . . 
..1914 
274 
6,302 
16,881 
Flaxseed . 
1913 
..1914 
280 
4,004 
13,833 
15,559 
17,853 
1913 
Rice . 
. .1914 
23,649 
1913 
25,744 
Potatoes . 
”67 
53,215 
405,921 
1913 
360 
26,640 
331,525 
Sweet Potatoes. 
..1914 
56,574 
1913 
59,057 
Hay . 
. .1914 
4.653 
5,584 
70,071 
1913 
4,700 
5,358 
64,116 
Tobacco . 
..1914 
4.6 
5,980 
1,034,679 
Cotton . 
1913 
..1914 
4.3 
4,386 
953,734 
15,966 
14.156 
1913 
Sugar Beets . . . 
.. .1914 
5,147 
1913 
5,659 
(Quantities of hay and sugar beets in tons; tobacco 
in pounds: cotton in bales; other products in bushels. 
Prices for hay and beet > in dollars per ton ; cotton and 
tobacco, cents per pound; flaxseed dollars per bushel; 
other products, cents per bushel.) 
Wheat sown this fall in the State 177.000 acres, com¬ 
pared with 364,000 last year; condition, 96% of nor¬ 
mal. compared with 10-year average of 95. Similarly, 
in the United States, 41,300,000 acres, compared with 
37,100,000 acres sown last year; condition, 88.3%, com¬ 
pared with 90.3, the 10-year average. 
