1191 
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the: rural 
NEW-YORKER 
The Home Acre 
The Season On the Peninsula.—- 
The truckers on the Delaware-Maryland- 
Virginia Peninsula have found but two 
classes of crops profitable this year. 
Strawberries were profitable, and the 
melon crop, both cantaloupes and water¬ 
melons, has been fairly profitable. The 
N. Y., P. & N. railroad reports that there 
were 7,000.000 more quarts of strawber¬ 
ries shipped than last year. Of peaches 
310,000 baskets less than last year, not 
because of a smaller crop, but because it 
did not pay to ship them, and thousands 
of baskets rotted on the ground. The 
same is true of the early Irish potato 
shipments, these being 178,101 barrels 
against 100,400 barrels last year. The 
price fell so low that it would not pay the 
cost of barrels and freight, and as Acco- 
mae and Northampton counties had near¬ 
ly 100,000 acres in early potatoes there 
were hundreds of acres not dug at all. Of 
early tomatoes 20.000 baskets were 
shipped. Rut this does not touch the 
great canning crop which the eanners 
take, and which runs into the millions of 
bushels. Of cantaloupes 510.785 crates 
of 45 sizes were shipped. The water¬ 
melon season is not over, but so far 002 
carloads have gone up the road. 
Shade Trees.— I fully agree with Mr. 
Bley (page 1084) as to the worthlessness 
of the Carolina poplar. Here it does not 
wait for the first frosts to shed its leaves, 
but keeps shedding them all Summer. We 
have found here that the Norway maple 
is the most desirable street tree. It is of 
sufficiently rapid growth, and soon makes 
a shade, making it even more quickly than 
the poplar because of its more spreading 
growth. Cedrela Sinensis, first cousin to 
the Ailantlnis, but not smelling bad, is a 
very graceful tree and of rapid growth. I 
suppose that in cultivated ground they 
would sprout like (he Paradise tree, but 1 
have no trouble in this respect on my 
lawn. The American linden is also a 
very successful tree here. For a quick¬ 
growing tree of moderate size, to be taken 
out when other trees develop, the ash¬ 
leaved maple, Negundo aceroides, is very 
good. On strong, moist land the tulip 
poplar makes a magnificent tree. Trees 
of this kind which I planted 2(> years ago 
are now noble trees and have attained 
twice the size of maples planted at same 
time. But so far as my experience goes, 
none of the true poplars is of value as 
permanent trees. Some of the oaks are 
very desirable, and grow far more rapidly 
than is generally supposed. I saw at 
Raleigh, N. C., last week Pin oaks that I 
planted 20 years ago which are now 
noble shade trees, and a White oak plant¬ 
ed at same time is making a fine shade 
tree, while when I planted it I was told 
I would never live to see it make a shade. 
Time and Energy. —Fifty-five years 
ago I went to Houston, Texas, then a 
small place, on a steamboat up the crook¬ 
ed Buffalo Bayou. The stream was so 
narrow that the branches of the trees on 
the high banks almost met overhead, and 
the crooks so abrupt that the bend had 
to be excavated to let the steamboat turn 
around. Now Houston is a prosperous 
city and ocean ships can reach her 
wharves. 
Everbearing Strawberries.— Our very 
intelligent friend, Trucker Jr., who need 
not be ashamed to put his name to what 
he writes, suggests that pulling off the 
bloom is well for the plant grower. I 
have not donq so, and have been and still 
am getting the fruit, and the plants have 
made a great abundance of runners, so 
that I shall have all the plants I want to 
increase the plantation which I intend to 
make in November, the best time here for , 
setting strawberry plants. 
Farming Without Fertilizers.—I j 
would suggest that on lands well sup¬ 
plied with phosphorus it may be practic¬ 
able for a time to maintain productive¬ 
ness without the purchase of fertilizer. 
But the time will surely come when the 
phosphates will be deficient, and must be 
supplied. With a good rotation of crops 
and the growing and using of the legumes 
1 am sure that on any of our clay loam 
soils the farmer will never need to buy 
any fertilizer except a carrier of phos¬ 
phorus. Most of this class of soils is 
abundantly supplied with potash, which 
can be brought into use by an occasional 
liming and getting the soil stocked with 
vegetable decay, and by the use of the le¬ 
gume crops we can get an abundance of 
nitrogen, so that phosphorus is really the 
only element we must apply artificially, 
and no method of cultivation will ever en¬ 
able us to avoid this, especially if young 
cattle are making their bony system on 
the land. 
Sweet Clover. —Some of my Northern 
friends write to me saying that I am 
wrong in my opinion of Sweet clover. I 
have never said that it has not value in 
the North, but here and southward where 
we can grow cow peas and Crimson 
clover, to say nothing of Alfalfa, and can 
make better hay than the Sweet clover 
will make, we simply do not need the 
Sweet clover. It grows wild rankly along 
roadsides and in waste places, but is 
never used or sown because there is no 
place for it in Southern agriculture, ex¬ 
cept perhaps on certain lime lands in Mis¬ 
sissippi where better things do not suc¬ 
ceed. 
Golden Bantam Corn. —Doubtless 
W. A. S. of New York State (page 1037) 
is perfectly right as to the Golden Ban¬ 
tam corn in his section. But climate con¬ 
trols many things, and because this corn 
does finely in the State of New York, it 
does not follow that it will do equally 
well here, for we find that none of the 
extra early sugar corns is worth grow¬ 
ing here and southward. What we can 
get on the Golden Bantam is good, but 
we get too little of it to make it pay 
for growing. We therefore for the earli¬ 
est use the Norfolk Market corn, an early 
dent, and an improvement on the old 
Adams. Then after the Country Gentle¬ 
man comes in we have no difficulty in get¬ 
ting good sugar corn with that variety 
and the Stowell Everygreen and Egyp¬ 
tian. W. F. MASSEY. 
Destroying Yellow Jackets. 
IN hat can I do for a yellow-jackets’ 
nest that is over the porch between the 
ceiling and roof? A torch will set fire to 
porch. Can you suggest any fumes to do 
it, as they are very bothersome. They 
light on anyone who goes to the pump 
and pumps, the noise seems to offend 
them. y q 
New York. " ‘ ’ 
If the ceiling and roof of the porch are 
tight, or can be made so by caulking or 
laying blankets over the roof, you will 
probably be able to kill these yellow 
jackets with the fumes of carbon bisul¬ 
phide, obtainable at any drug store. After 
making the chamber in which the yellow 
jackets have their nest as tight as possi¬ 
ble, place a shallow open dish containing 
a few ounces of the carbon bisulphide in 
the chamber as near the roof as possible. 
The stuff evaporates rapidly, making a 
deadly gas heavier than air. It will kill 
any animal life exposed to it, and, inci¬ 
dentally, is the quickest and cheapest 
way to dispose of woodchucks in their 
holes that I know of. As carbon bisul¬ 
phide is highly inflammable and explo¬ 
sive, no light should be taken near it. 
Handled with reasonable care, it is not 
dangerous and may be used in many ways 
to kill vermin. m. b. p. 
Wiikn you write advertisers mention The 
I t. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
Safety for 
Young Trees 
Safety for young 
trees—first, last and 
all the time—from 
the ravages of gnaw¬ 
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willbeassuredifyou 
surround them with 
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It is made for long wear, 
heaviy galvanized to 
prevent rusting, reason¬ 
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Sizes to suit the tree. 
Let us tell you how to 
eliminate all danger and 
worry at a low cost. 
Address for further par¬ 
ticulars, 
WRIGHT WIRE CO. 
Dept. R, Worceiler, Mats. 
Big Ben 
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Farm Experience 
On thousands cf farms Big 
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He’s husky, deep-voiced and 
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addressed to his makers, 
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The Rural New Yorker, 333 West 30th St., N. Y. 
tin «wm 
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