270 
biiiks ari»uii<l tlio feed racks, or to soo the sheep all 
lyiii}; aft«M’\var(l in j)eace. The waterworks consist 
of a (leei) driven well, a little i)nin]an 5 i en^iine. and 
an st*-hhl. cistern in the hill, piped to the hams. 
Animals, like men, need a drink when their systems 
call for it, and 1 have found a maximum of profit 
Platform Wagon for Orchard Work. Fig. 99 
in siipplyinj,^ tlie'wants of animals. Some say, 
‘•Sheej) do not need water," and the same folks 
often say, "Sheep don’t pay." We look forward to 
a busy time when a doxen little helple.ss chajts will 
C(tme each day, and the sight of each walddy fel¬ 
low when he gets up and staggers around brings a 
thought. “Five dollars." Then later when the little 
idiots will be running, whirling and jumping at 
jda.v, it will take very important work to keep us 
fiom Avatching them. 
INTERESTS AT THREE-SCORE.—Now after 
my three score, at which time too many retire, it 
is a real joy to see the fields give yields for hai)i)y 
animals, and have a part in it. I have “retired" 
only from “the heavy end.” though it was a hard 
mental trial to let anyone, especially my own boy, 
take it, but wool growing is a very neces.sary, meri¬ 
torious work, because if any trouble should shut 
off our imi)orts, a great many would have thread- 
bai'e woolens, if an.v. It is a nice, easy, comfort- 
aide work. Shec]) do not need strong, high fences, 
nor tramj) the .soil up like large animals, nor de¬ 
mand i)ure grain, and s(]ueal. root and muss up 
places like hogs, 'i'hese are all right, of course for 
fillers, but for comfort, and fully as much profit, 
give jue the animals that go quietly about their 
business in Summer, and in Winter ai’e not early 
risers, demanding strenuous labor. If handled I'ight, 
they are the cleanest to work with and the easiest 
to change from place to place. No driving is needed, 
just go where you want them and they are with 
yen. I cannot imagine any endeavor in this nice 
old world l)etter than to own some land and use it 
to grow feed for sheep. We have a few hundred 
kindly eyes that look on us with hope, confidence 
and affection. w. w. Reynolds. 
Ohio. 
Cover Crops for the Hudson Valley 
S riT’LYINO IIFMUS.—The list of cover crop 
plants applicable and de.sirable to use in our 
Hudson Valley orchards is so short that it is most 
difficult to decide just what to choose or which 
kinds will make the best combinations. "VVe must 
build up the soil and return to it a little more than 
is removed by the fruit crop. AVe can no longer 
tolerate the taking of crops of hay, rye, oats or 
corn from oiir bearing apple orchards. Could we 
have all the barnyard manure needed many ques¬ 
tions would be easily settled. To furni.sh humus to 
hold the snow and prevent soil erosion in AA’’inter 
and to add nitrogen: these are the things we want 
in a cover crop. AVe must choose such plants as 
will make a vigorous growth in the early Fall and 
leave on the soil a mass of vegetable matter. AA'e 
want plants that will survive the AA^nter and make 
an early and rank start in the Spring. We must 
have some legume. No one plant will meet all these 
demands so that we will have to make such com¬ 
binations as will best seem to meet the case. 
JULY OR AUOTLST SEEDINO.—I'robably the 
idea of leaving off cultivation and getting a cover 
crop sown during Jul.y or at least early in August 
is right. The orchard that has been well tilled to 
this time has had enough stimulation for the year, 
and should have a chance to ripen up its wood and 
fruit buds for the next crop, to cease making wood 
growth and to bring to color and maturity its pres¬ 
ent crop. And as anything started in the Avay of a 
cover crop will not be growing strongly enough for 
several weeks to menace a fruit crop by taking too 
much soil moisture, it will appear that the above 
time is most approi)riate for seeding. 
COA'ER-CROP ROTATION.—1 have devised a 
IShe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
sort of rotation with cover crops which is <iuite sat¬ 
isfactory. One year in three 1 want a clover sod 
and I work it out about as follows: The first .year, 
apiffying what manure 1 have to the weak places, 
after good cultivation till July 10 to 20. I sow Red 
clover. I generally buy Aledium Red. I usuall.v 
have found no difference between this and Mam¬ 
moth, only on the hay label. I always use about 
one-third of Timothy seed with the clover, and a 
little Red-top also mixed in. the idea being to have 
something growing if clover fails. About seven or 
eight quarts of such mixture will seed an acre. To 
furnish additional vegetation, and especially for 
AA’inter jAi-otection to the clover. 1 sow with it 1A4 
to 11/2 bushel of oats to the acre. In cases where 
it seems to be re<iuired I am using lime ai)plied 
jtrevious to the sowing; about one ton of ground 
stone lime, and it is bringing good results. Rasic 
slag has served even bettei*. 
LATER I'REATMENT.—'I'lie next Summer, in 
June, the clover is mown and we leave it; we are 
not taking it up as formerly. AA’e again mow the 
second growth if it gets too raids. AA’e come to the 
third iieriod in our rotation and study out some 
''•ombinations that will seem to serve. AA’e have 
found the following jilan to work out very well. For 
one acre, four quarts of Crim.son clover, three of 
Apples! 
FROM GROWER TO CONSOMER! 
Virginia Apples! 
Come to 117 South Front Street, Opposite the 
Market House, Wilmington, N. C., and See a 
Whole Carload of Apples 
Look for the Big Signs 
DDirre +0 CENTS PER PECK 
1 IYILliJI 70 CENTS HALF BUSHEL 
- $1.35 PER BUSHEL 
WE HAVE APPLES AT 25c PER PECK 
Discount to the Trade 
JOHN E. WALKER 
OF SALEM, VA., GROWER OF VIRGINIA APPLES 
The above low prices due to Atlantic Coast Line not 
permitting retailing from car, notice of which 
has just been served on me. 
How a Virginian Sells His Apples. Fig. 100 
Essex rape and one-quarter pound of (Jlobe turnip.s 
for the small seed, and a bushel or more of oats— 
or oats and buckwheat. This makes a good mix¬ 
ture. It gives a lot of vegetable fibre and at least 
(ine kind of growing plant in the Spring. The Crim¬ 
son clover may die during AA’inter: oven so, if it ha.s 
ii'.ade a good stand it has paid its way. Oats and 
buckwheat add to the mass. In the Spring the rape 
is alive and will take a strong start. I do not use 
Cow-horn turnips, which are more generally recom¬ 
mended. They are objectionable in an orchard in 
the Spring when spraying, on account of the diffi¬ 
culty of dragging the hose; every turnip seems to 
be in the wa.v. Under aboA'e practise the Crimson 
clover may be omitted if .soil is good and more of 
the rape, etc., sown. 
OBJECTIONS TO RYE.—I do not like rye for 
the reason that if Spring plowing in the orchard 
is delayed for any reason the rye may become too 
far advanced, and much harm done the soil by turn¬ 
ing it under when it is too strawy. Buckwheat is 
a good Fall plant only: when the frosts come there 
will not be much left of it. Oats are better; when 
frozen down there is quite a bulk of material to 
give protection to young clover plants. Canada field 
])eas are sometimes spoken of; they may be de¬ 
.sirable if sown late, but will not gi-ow in August. 
A’ETCH.—AA’inter vetch is highly thought of by 
many. Personally I do not care for it. Its growth 
in the Fall is not strong, and in the Spring it is not 
early enough to furnish anything of consequence to 
plow under. It does not really make good for this 
purpose till late in May. It has but little fibre in 
its root system, and to my mind does not in any 
way compare with Red clover. Common weed.s, 
they grow rank, will do very well occasionally, 
though they will not look quite so neat nor seem to 
savor of good orcharding, w. s. teatob. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. 
February 24, 3 017, 
Platform Wagon for Orchard Work 
O UR platfoi'in wagon. (Fig. 09). which has been in 
use for several years, and has proved very sat- 
i.sfactory, is about 0x14 feet. The platform is made 
of inch matched hard pine flooring laid across two 
2x.'> planks set on edge between the bolster stakes. 
set of ordinary .’iOOO-lb. wagon springs under this 
makes a good rig for hauling out of the orchard. 
This ]ilatform takes five ordinary “bushel’’ crates 
side by side, and nine end to end. These 4.5 crates 
can all be loaded by one man, without getting on 
tin' wagon. If more are needed becau.se of long 
haul, two men can (piickly load lOS crates in three 
liei's. In .short hauls a man can make better time to 
(any ju.st what he can load from the ground than to 
try to take a larger load. The picture shows a load 
(if 72 crates. 
Other growers in this region u.se .similar plat- 
fdrins in their work and each has his own idea of 
what is best. Many nail a board or piece of scant¬ 
ling around the outside of the platform, to keep 
the crates from sliding off. AA’e used lath for this 
purpose wlien building the affair, but in u.se these 
came off, and have not been replaced, and few crates 
have been lost. 
There is on the market a similar rack with attach¬ 
ments so that it can be used for hay-rack, calf-rack, 
broad wagon-box, <ffc. It has the disadvantage <jf be¬ 
ing two inches higher when in place on the .same 
truck, and it is much heavier than the form used 
here. A. c. w. 
Corn in Southern Jersey 
T he picture at Fig. 102 shows a cornfield in 
Southern New Jersey. 'J’he AAVstern people 
who come from their rich, dai’k land where corn 
gi-ows well, are astonished when they strike the 
thin land ni Southern Jersey and see the kind of 
corn which grows there. It ai)pears to upset all <mr 
theories of agriculture when this light soil comes 
forward and jjroduces a larger .stalk and a better 
yield of grain than much of the rieh clover land 
in the Middle AA’est, yet it is true that this is done. 
This (piick, light, Jersey soil when it can have plenty 
of moisture will certainly make things grow. It 
is well filled up with stable manure at intervals, 
and cover crops are seeded in the standing corn, and 
after most of the Summer crops, to cover the land 
and save plant food. ’Ehen when these cover crojjs 
are i)lowed under and the field planted to corn, with 
acid phosphate and potash added, there is no rea¬ 
son why the corn should not grow if it can only 
have enough to drink. Few of us are apt to remem¬ 
ber that in ancient times the world as it was iiop- 
ulated then, was fed not from the heavy, strong 
lands above the Alediterranean, hut from the light 
sands of the desert, thoroughl.v watered and well 
tilled. .Inst as soon as these dry soils receive water 
enough they will quickly stand up and .show them- 
Picturesque Work of a March Squall. Fig. 101 
selves. That Jersey corn is certainly all right, and 
so is the thick, heavy young man standing in front 
and reaching up to the ear. AVith his .shape aiid 
solid attitude he certainly makes one think of the 
ideal conception of a Jersey man—solid, strong ajid 
enduring. 
