1054 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
August 28, 1015. 
that the method of procedure best for 
one season may not be best for the next. 
In our own work early Spring-plowed 
clover sod, cleaned and stored with mois¬ 
ture by occasional ■workings till about 
.Tune 20, planted with good, clean sun- 
sprouted seed, with the use of 300 or 
400 pounds of acid phosphate, has usu¬ 
ally given the cheapest and best potato 
crop. 
Ohio. F. L. ALLEN. 
Rotten Apples. 
Let us have the whole story of the ap¬ 
ple shipment business. The picture here¬ 
with is made from the photograph of an 
apple just as it came from a package sent 
to New York to be sold on commission. 
It was supposed to be Duchess of Olden¬ 
burg, but you never could tell it. The 
folly of sending apples of this size into the 
market this year is bad enough, but to 
send small rotten apples is like throw¬ 
ing decayed eggs at your own perform¬ 
ance on the stage of life. 
They tell the story of the man who 
sold apples to a buyer and delivered the 
fruit at the railroad. The buyer became 
A Poor Advertisement for the Packer. 
Fig. 397. 
a little suspicious, and he stopped the old 
man with one load, rolled out a sample 
barrel, dumped it and poured out the 
fruit. It was badly “stove-piped,” with a 
small pumpkin and half a bushel of cider 
apples in the center. The buyer thought 
he had the old man, but no—he rubbed 
his head in sorrow and surprise and 
said: 
“It is a fact that my wife did pack 
same of that fruit.” 
Now Avho will say that man’s wife 
should not have the power to vote for 
the enforcement of a strict packing law? 
A Bunch of New York Notes. 
Thinning Apples. — This is a year 
when this operation will be very import¬ 
ant. Many of the growers feel that the 
crop is so short there is no need of pick¬ 
ing any off. This is a great error, for 
the apples take the vitality of the trees, 
help to reduce the size of the perfect 
ones and make trouble in all the later 
operations. This year none but imper¬ 
fect apples should be picked off in most 
cases. It is really a first sorting of the 
fruit It takes no longer to pick the poor 
apples now than later, and they do not 
have to be handled several times before 
being finally thrown away or sold for 
about the cost of handling. Also it takes 
less time to handle the smaller number 
of good apples, and any time we can save 
in the busy season is a very great help. 
Tent Caterpillar. —We find a few 
masses of the eggs of the tent caterpillar 
in our orchards while thinning and, of 
course, pull them off. These insects were 
rather numerous here this season, but 
spraying in the orchard is so common that 
they are held in check. A small amount 
of arsenate of lead will end the trouble 
wherever the nests may be found. This 
was shown very well last Spring in a 
cherry tree at the edge of one of our 
orchards. A few nests 'were noticed 
as we were spraying near it, and an 
attempt was made to spray it. The rig 
was about three or four rods away, and 
the wind was not very good, so only a 
few branches got any poison, and those 
were not at all well covered. A week 
or so later the tree was examined, and 
all the worms in the nests on that side 
of the tree were found to be dead. If 
the nests had been noticed a few seconds 
sooner all could have been cleaned up. 
Arsenate of lead seems to be the best 
for this purpose, as it stays on the tree 
best. 
Wild Cherry. —It seems to us that 
the campaign against wild cherry should 
be modified a little. There are at least 
three species of wild cherry found in 
the East and none of them has any place 
in the fence row any more than maple, 
beech or walnut. Two of them, the pin 
cherry and the choke cherry, can well 
be dispensed with. The black cherry is 
is a tree of great value. If it were less 
subject to insect attack it would be a very 
good ornamental tree. The wood is quite 
valuable, and it has a place in the wood 
lot. Orchard and ornamental trees are 
easily protected from tent caterpillars by 
spraying. 
Alfalfa. —We have seeded a portion 
of our orchard to Alfalfa, with the in¬ 
tention of trying it a few years. The 
plants have made a very fine growth, 
and are now six to 10 inches high over 
a large part of the field. This has been 
a great season for sowing cover crops. 
It has rained every few days since we 
started sowing and the crops are all 
doing finely. 
Crimson Clover. —This is our main 
cover crop. It does very well on all our 
land and rarely kills out in’ Winter. It 
does not seem to stand pasturing well, 
and we spoiled a few crops by turning the 
stock on them late in the season. 
Budding. — There is one remark in 
Prof. Hedrick’s article, page 954, which 
should receive much more attention than 
he seems to think is needed. This is the 
statement that nurserymen almost always 
take their bud sticks from trees in the 
nursery. This practice is undesirable 
for many reasons. If there is any dif¬ 
ference in the fruit-producing possibili¬ 
ties of different buds it will be likely that 
the least productive will be the strongest 
growing and the ones that will be used 
most freely. My grandfather considered 
that the trees he propagated, taking the 
scions only from bearing trees, were much 
more productive than the trees he bought 
from nurseries. If by accident a tree of 
similar appearance but stronger growth 
should get into any of the nursery blocks 
it would be used for propagating. In 
a few years a whole block or several 
blocks might be untrue to name. A cata¬ 
logue received last Winter tells that the 
whole stock of one variety is budded from 
two trees, and that in another year or 
two all will be from the best of these two. 
Such “pyramiding” of the stock may be 
all right if one can be sure that no one 
ever makes a mistake in handling the 
trees; but the introduction of a single 
bud of some other variety may mean that 
many thousand trees will prove unsatis¬ 
factory after the time has passed when 
any legal redress may be had. We find 
the operation of budding very simple, 
and the growing of good trees simply a 
matter of good farming. Our trees do 
not make quite so large a growth as 
some which the nurserymen show for ad¬ 
vertising purposes, but it is not yet 
proven that very rapid growth is an 
advantage. 
Skunks. —One of the defects of the 
present game law of this State is of 
much interest to us this Summer. The 
law prohibiting the digging out of skunks 
seems to be different from all the others 
in that it has really increased the num¬ 
bers of these animals. The part which 
seems unfair is the prohibition of taking 
skunks alive for propagating during the 
closed season. A skunk found making 
a meal on one of my young chickens a few 
days ago was a very good “No. 1,” and I 
had no choice but to kill it or let it go. If 
it could have been kept until the chickens 
were old enough to roost off the floor 
and then turned loose it would have been 
very valuable as a breeder if not caught 
during the Winter. About the same time 
several females were killed in chicken 
houses in this neighborhood and their 
young left to starve. These could not 
legally be fed nor protected. The result j 
has been the loss to this community of 
fur worth probably more than a hundred 
dollars because of an unnecessary por¬ 
tion of a good law\ Alfred c. weed. 
Wayne County, N. Y. 
Cover Crops and Fall Plowing. 
The articles on cover crops in the last 
two issues of The R. N.-Y. are very in¬ 
teresting to me. In fact I have always 
favored the idea of cover crops, and have 
sown them to some extent in a small 
orchard with good results. We are 
dairying mostly, and of course plant from 
16 to 22 acres of corn every year for the 
silos. This corn is harvested from the 
middle of September to the first of Oc¬ 
tober. Do you think that it will pay to 
sow a cover crop after that time in Sar¬ 
atoga County? What would be the best 
to sow if the land is to be plowed in 
the Fall before November 18, if not to be 
plowed till Spring? Do you think that 
sowing cover crops in the corn at the 
last cultivation will take too much moist¬ 
ure from the soil in a dry season? We 
should have sown something at the last 
cultivation this year, but too much other 
business was planned. This has been a 
very wet season with us. We like to get 
all the plowing possible done in the Fall 
because it is cooler then, and makes less 
work in the Spring, when it is some¬ 
times hot and our soil is quite dry. If 
the Spring is late we sometimes have to 
plow when the soil is too dry. 
Ballston Spa, N. Y. V. s. C. 
In a reasonable season with a fair 
amount of moisture we would sow cover 
crops in the corn even if the soil is to be 
Fall-plowed. There will be enough growth 
during the Fall to more than pay for the 
seed and labor. In such a situation we 
should use half and half barley and rye 
and two pounds of rape to the acre. Put 
in the seed by the middle of August if 
possible. In a very dry time the cover 
crop will take too much moisture, and 
injure the corn crop, and in such a sea¬ 
son we would not sow the cover crop un¬ 
der your conditions. 
Sheep and Bees. 
Can sheep and bees be kept successfully 
on the same farm? What is the cost of 
keeping a sheep during Winter? g. f. s. 
Wyoming, Pa. 
There is no antipathy between sheep 
and bees that would prevent their being 
kept on the same farm, but whether they 
could be kept successfully or not would 
depend somewhat upon the farm and 
more upon the farmer. A few sheep are 
sometimes allowed to graze in an apiary 
for the purpose of keeping the grass 
gnawed close to the ground and, while 
they are occasionally stung about the face, 
their only vulnerable part, they do not 
seem to be injured. As self-acting lawn 
mowers sheep are a success, and their 
mild dispositions prevent their resenting 
insults that might cause other animals to 
kick over a hive. M. B. D.' 
Slings or Harpoon Forks. 
I notice on page 1009 an inquiry as to 
slings vs. harpoon forks. My experience 
is as follows: Everyone knows the in¬ 
ability of the harpoon fork to handle loose 
oats or bundles satisfactorily, also certain 
fine grasses one finds in an old meadow. 
All of these the slings will handle nicely. 
However slings are somewhat cumber¬ 
some, and in the way transporting from 
the barn to field on the wagon. Perhaps 
one reason why few people own them, 
while many praise them, is that a double 
harpoon fork may be bought for the price 
of one sling, while three are necessary. 
Too, I have found that four slings are 
better where one draws big loads or uses 
a small team to “drive off” on the rope. 
In changing from fork to slings a new 
type of car is often necessary, and one 
dislikes to discard that which still works 
well. H. w. c. 
Wilseyville, N. Y. 
Mr. Fruit Grower:—See fol¬ 
lowing issues of Rural New- 
Yorker for the most interesting 
sprayer story you ever read. 
Sincerely 
“FRIEND” MFG. CO. 
HARDY FRUIT TREES PLANTING 
Apple, Plum, Pear and Cherry; also small fruits, 
ornamental trees and shrubs, direct from grower 
to planter. Write for free illustrated catalogue. 
WELLS WHOLESALE NURSERIES 
73 Wellesley Ave., - Dausville, N. Y. 
SEED WHEAT 
VARIETIES THAT YIELD MORE AND RE¬ 
QUIRE LESS SEED. GROWN IN THE FAMOUS 
LANCASTER COUNTY VALLEYS. SMOOTH 
AND BEARDED SORTS. CLEAN _ SOUND— 
GRADED. OUR “ WHEAT BOOK ” FINEST 
YOU EVER SAW —WITH SAMPLES —FREE. 
A. H. HOFFMAN, Landisville, Lane. Co., Pa. 
Winter Seed Wheat 
JONES’ ST. LOUIS GRAND PRIZE and RED WAVE 
Grown in the Genesee Country from stock obtained 
of the Originator and Seed we put out, is selected 
and recleaned in our usual careful manner. Put up 
int new Cotton bags, 20c. each. $1.05 per bushel. 
llickox-Rumsey Co., Inc., P. O.Box N, Batavia, N. Y. 
SEED WHEAT 
Sow Russian Kharkov Red Winter Wheat this fall; 
saves work, inconvenience and bad weather delays of 
spring planting; hardy as rye; will grow anywhere; 
averaged 47 bushels acre at Kansas Experiment Sta¬ 
tion for three years. Big profits in wheat next year. 
We have for sale 4,000bushelsKharkov seed, thissen- 
son crop. Send for samples, prices and field photos. 
Adirondack farms 
Glens Falls, - - New York 
Seed Wlieat 
“ Stoner’s Miracle” and Jones’ “ St. Louis Grand 
Prize.” Write for descriptive circulars and prices to 
j. n. McPherson, - Scottsvuie, n. y. 
errn U/ ur/l .Poole, Red Wave, 
p. C C ** WV n C. A If Mediterranean. 
Miracle, Gypsy, Mammoth White Rye, Timothy, 
Alfalfa, Vetch. Catalog and Sample Free. 
W. N. SCARFF, - New Carlisle, Ohio 
\AIkp ft *-"Daws°n’a Golden Chaff.” 
' JCCU iical Nicely recleaned seed, $1.50 per 
bushel. GEO. E. REED, Amenia Union, N. Y. 
PURE FIELD SEEDS 
SEED WHEAT— Red Wave, Poole, and Winter King. 
Clover, Timothy, Alsike, Alfalfa, and all kinds of Pure 
Field Seeds direct from producer to consumer. Free from 
Noxious weeds. Ask for samples. BIG TYPE Poland China's, March 
and April pigs at reaaonaklc prices. A. C. HOTT S CO., Fastoria, Ohio 
For Sale-Winter Vetch andRye mixtuM foJ 
cover crop. Sow in corn, beans, cabbage or cauli¬ 
flower, or after potatoes. $3.50 per bushel, f. o. b. 
Eastport. Ezra A. Tuttle, Eastport, L. I., N. Y. 
Riiooian Pitlriio SEED RYE. Rank grower. Enormous 
nUSolall rllKUo yjelder. tl.30perbu., subject to advance. 
Supply limited. Orderearly. Cloverdale Farm. Charlotte. H. T. 
S W F FT SEED, of high quality, specially 
vj v v t-t a treated for full, quick germination. 
r'l CW/IPD Prices and information on request. 
LLDV HvK E. BARTON, Box 29. Falmeuth, Ky. 
Cabbage and Celery Plants 
fine stocky plants, of all the Leading Varieties, $1 
per 1,000; $8.50 per 10,000. J. C. Schmidt, Bristol, Pa. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS 
RUNNER and POT-GROWN for August and Fall plant¬ 
ing. Will bear fruit next summer. Raspberry, 
Blackberry Plants Fruit Trees. Catalogue free. 
Agents wanted. HARRY L. SQUIRES, Remsenburg, N. Y. 
K n Quarts of Strawberries Next Spring 
W U from 100 plants. All my plants are now well 
rooted. 100 strong-rooted young plants for $1.50. 25 
YEARS’ SPECIALIST. SEND FOR MID-SUMMER Catalogue. 
T. C. KEV1TT, . . Athenia, N. J. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS-"™ e p " d N J s 
55 varieties, including the FALL BEARING 
Asparagus Roots, etc. Catalogue free. 
J. Keif ford Hall, Route 2, ltliodesdale, Bid. 
APPI F RARRFI C— Best standard. Hand made. 
HrruDnnncLA Any nnmber . p r0 mpt ship¬ 
ment. ROBT. GILLIES, Medina, New York 
The Standard Inoculation 
MAKES 
BUMPER CROPS 
Alfalfa, Clover and all 
legumes^ 
Big Results Assured. 
Farm land becomes much 
more valuable after using 
FARMOGERM $2 per acre, 5 acres for $6. Write to-day for the “Legume Grower” a free 
book about FARMOGERM that you should have. FARMOGERM at all seed stores or direct from 
Hl(jh-Bred Nitrogen Gathering Bacteria. 
EARP-THOMAS FARMOGERM COMPANY, 
Dept. No. 82 
BLOOMFIELD, N. J. 
