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Published by 
The Rural Publishing Co. 
333 W. 30th Street 
New York 
The Rural New-Yorker 
‘ The Business Farmer’s Paper 
Weekly, One Dollar Per Year 
Postpaid 
Single Copies, Five Cents 
Von. LXXVI. 
NEW YORK, .JANUARY 0, 1917. 
No. 4411 
A Top-worked New Jersey Orchard 
Choice Varieties on Cider Stocks 
IDER AND VINEGAR APPLES.—In 1878 Wm. 
F. Ely set 500 Canipfield apple trees on the Ely 
homestead in Alorris County, N. J. The land had 
been in apples for many years, mainly seedlings of 
little value commercially. As the trees were old 
and the varieties worthless, they were i-emoved. At 
that time cider and vinegar were profitable side 
issues and the new orchard was set with this in 
view, the Canipfield being considered specially good 
for cider, as well as a strong growing tree and a 
heavy yielder. When the trees commenced bear¬ 
ing Mr. Ely bought a small mill and press, and 
started cider making. Ilis wife, busy with her 
household duties and the care of a large family, 
had paid but little attention to the farm, and had 
apples were sold in Newark, N. .1., at $2 per bushel 
or 75 cents for a peach basket of 15 apples. They 
were sold not at Wolf Rivers, which were unknown 
commercially, but under the popular name of 
Roo.sevelts, and later as Wilson.s. Many more scions 
were obtained from Wisconsin, Virginia and other 
States. Mr. Ely made special effort to get wood 
from bearing trees and good individuals of the va¬ 
riety. Among the grafts Avere Iluhbardston, Green¬ 
ing, Newtown, York Imperial, MclNIahon, Grimes, 
Baldwin, Pound Sweet, Nyack and Pewaukee. 
RAPID WORK.—The orchard was worked over 
very rapidly, only two years being taken for some 
trees. IMr. Ely considers three 3 'ears a much safer 
plan, however, as this avoids removing so many 
limbs in any one year. In the pruning and grafting 
every tree was studied to get a well-formed head, 
open enough to let in the sun and air and with a 
ORCHARD TREATMENT.—The trees in this 
orchaid were set 45 feet apart and crops grown be¬ 
tween for several years. One j'ear $1,000 AVorth of 
asparagus Avas grown in the orchard. As the 
branches began to extend far out betAveen the rows, 
the ground Avas seeded and has remained in sod 
since, dressings of commercial fertilizer and stable 
manure being used. Among other fruits set Avere 
200 Kieffer pears Avhich have proven very profitable, 
great care being taken to ripen them so that they 
could be put on the market in the best possible 
condition. With these pears as well as with most 
apples, this is a matter in which the man selling 
near home has a great advantage over the one Avho 
has to ship, and must put the carrying condi¬ 
tions of the fruit first, disregarding the degree 
of I'ipouess Avhich adds so much to its table 
qualities. The orchards luiA'e been only a part of 
Mr 
The Ely Homestead and Scenes in the Orchard. Wolf River at Left, Pound Sweet at Lower Right and Hubbardston at Upper Right. Fig. 2 
never asked Avhat the apples Avere to be used for. 
When she saw the cider making she became intei’- 
ested. ‘Ts that AAhat j'ou are going to do Avith this 
orchard?” she asked. 
“Wh.v j'e.s, that was what I had intended.” 
“Well, we have eight children, and I should be 
sorry to see a cider-making business cari-ied on 
here.” 
This Avas more effective than a long argument or 
lecture, and Avithout he.sitation Mr. Ely said: “You'll 
not be Sony, because the cider AA’on’t be made.” 
TOP-WORKING TO TABLE VARIETIES.—That 
ended the cider business. The next thing Avas to 
put those Campfield trees at a more desirable job 
by top-Avorkiug to table varieties. While on a trip 
to Wisconsin Mr. Ely met the late Prof. E. S. Goff, 
and from him got scions of a then little-kuoAvn ap¬ 
ple, the Wolf River, named from its place of origin 
in that State. The first jdelds of these enormous 
Avifle si)read of bearing surface. The grafting Avax 
used was made of one part tallow, tAvo of beesAvax 
and four of rosin, Avell worked as molasses candy 
is pulled. 
HARVESTING THE FRUIT.—In 1007 the grafts 
Avere j'ielding salable quantifies, arid the apples 
Avere mainlj' hauled to NeAvark commission houses. 
They Avere put into crates holding a full bushel, 
bearing Mr. Ely’s name and address, and it Avas a 
condition of the sale that no other man’s apples 
.should be put into these crates. Any commission 
liouse permitting such substitution got no more of 
Mr. Ely’s fruit. Some items from his business diary 
in the early bearing of this orchard run as folloAvs: 
Sept. 30, 1007. 
14 bu. No. 1 Roosevelts .$1.75 
9 bu. No. 2 Roosevelts . 1.50 
Oct. 9. 
3 bu. Hubbardston .$1.75 
18 bu. Roo.sevelts . 1.50 
15 bu. No, 2 llooseA^elts . 1.00 
Mr. Ely’s farming, as he has raised potatoes ex- 
teu.sively and other vegetables on a moderate 
scale. 
The picture shoAA's several of the trees as they 
looked the past year. At the loAver left corner is a 
Wolf River; loAver i-ight is Pound SAveet, and upper 
right is Hubbardston. The l)rick house shoAvn Avas 
built by Mr. Ely’s grandfather in 1802, and the job 
Avas so Avell done that the building noAv stands Avith¬ 
out crack or blemish. The foundation Avails are 
tAvo feet thick and the cellar seven feet high. The 
brick used Avas made and burned on the premi.sos. 
The floors are six-inch curled maple and Avater- 
tlght. The original shingles Avere removed in 1908, 
after 100 j-ears of service. They Avere of shaved 
pine, and a large number were still good enough to 
have stood many more years of Aveather. In 1858 
the Avood Aving .shoAvn on the right AAms added, and 
the bricks of the main building painted. 
