R U R AL N E V/-Y O R K E iR 
31J 
Cultivating the Apple Orchard 
Practices in Western New York 
W OKKIN<; F(»It KKSrLTS.—As 
factors in the iirixlucfion of a 
cro]) of apples in Western New York, 
spraying uiui cultivation are fully as 
imj)ortant as the various operations of 
harvesting. We spray to pro<luce fruit 
free from hleniishes. and we cultivate 
to i>roduce fruit of good size and of 
as good color as jiossihhv In a normal 
s(>ason it is jiossihle to arrange tin' 
operations of cultivation and secxling 
down so as to decide in very large 
part the character of the fruit pro¬ 
duced. In a peai' orchard, a very 
small change in the tinu‘ of six'ding 
(iown may mean a difference of many 
tons in the product and a much great¬ 
er difference in the quality of the 
fi-uit produced. In such a season as 
lOlO we can only do what is ]»(tssihle 
and hope for the best. 
SI’KIXtt OK FATJ. PLOW INC.— 
TlH're is much discussion of the rela¬ 
tive merits of Spring and Fall ]ilow¬ 
ing. Si)ring is the hurry time, and if 
some of the work can I'e as well done 
in the Fall it will relieve the luvssure 
next Si)ring. The question then arises, 
what ohjections are there to plowing 
ai»i)le orchards in the Fall? There 
seem to he two. There is a little dan¬ 
ger of Wint(M- in.iury to the roots if 
they are exi»osed in the bottom of the 
furrow where the idowing is away 
from the tree.s. A Avriter in a recent 
number of .some periodical mentions a 
severe case of Winter injuiw ajqiar- 
ently due (o digging away the earth 
from around some trees dn search of 
grubs lat(‘ in the Fall. The greatest 
objection, however, is in the matter of 
control of ajqde scab. It is generally 
bcdieved by those Avho have studied 
tlu' 'matter, Rhat this disease liveKi 
over Winter only, or almost entii’ely. 
in the old leaves. About all the.se are 
on tlie ground when Spring plowing 
time comes, hut in man.v cases half 
or more are on the trees when it woxdd 
he i)()ssihle to plow in the Fall. .\iv 
ple leaves on the surface of the 
ground in Si)ring or early Summer are 
a great danger t(t the next crop, hut 
if they can he covered with soil for 
three or four weeks they lose their 
jxiwer to do harm and become good 
fertilizer. 
SCAR INFECTIOX.— In the early 
part of 191,5 on this farm there wjis 
but one time when conditions Av«‘r<‘ 
riglit for .scab infection. In most of 
the orchards there were enoxigh spores 
.set free at tjiis time to insure a good 
croj) of stH*ondary infection when the 
wet season came later. In one block 
of X^orthern Sp.v, however, this early 
1 er'od produced eidy ti single strip 
of infected .aiq'Ies. about 50 feet Avide 
extending across the block almost 
])arallel Avith the roAvs and imintiug 
directly to a single Avild tree standing 
about 50 rods Avest of the Spy.s. The 
block of Spys AAjis jilowed early, ;ind 
file trees are headed high enough s<» 
tinit the Avhole field could he Avorked 
thoroughl.A'. and it .seems that ]»rac- 
ticall.v OA’ery infected leaf Avas eoA-- 
ered until it became harmless. A 
block of Rhode Island Greening stands 
almost alone. On the east it borders 
a small orchard Avhich is never spr.-iy- 
ed. On the west there is :i nari-ow 
belt of Avoods separating it from a 
neglected orchard about 100 rods dis¬ 
tant. Tho belt of woods is about fiA'e 
rods Avide and about inidAvay between 
the two orchards. In 1914 this Green¬ 
ing block received the poorest spray¬ 
ing of any on the farm, but bore the 
cler-nest apples. It AA’as ploAved care¬ 
fully early in the season. We ])1oav 
our oat ground or land that is to be 
prepared for some special seeding in 
the Fall and try to get to plowing the 
orchards as early as possible in the 
Spring. {Continued on paye S29.) 
Marketing Fruit by Motor-Truck in a Western New York Orchard. Fig. 118 
A Champion Peddler and His 
Motor Truck 
S TAR.TIX"G YGFX’G. —The champion 
peddlers and gardeners around 
hoi-e are fAvo hrntlie'rs. Fred and Lester 
Shea. I'oung men in their 'teens, 
without capital or experience, the.v 
learned Iioaa’ to raise stuff b,v raising 
it. c nd hoAV to sell b.A’ selling it. and 
the.A' are ])ast masters of truck sales¬ 
manship. as AA'ell as all-around g.-ii'den 
hustlers. Receijits of .$199 (>r more in 
a da.v were not unusual in the ludgld: 
of business. The past season they had 
!i light motor truck ami did more iaisi- 
ness than oA'er. 
FROSPEGTS IX RKI)D1.IXG.—The 
starting ])oint Avas the desire of the 
(dder brother to pji.v for his college 
educiition. Ilis tirst thought Avas to 
work in a shop in vacation, an outlook 
neither very profital»Ie nor attractive-. 
The sight of .some men Avith pu.sh c.arts 
suggested another idea: "'rhese nn-n 
could Avork in .shops, but tluw ehui't. 
There must be money in peddling. It 
Avould be .safe anyhow if aax- r.iise the 
stuff instead of buying it." So after 
making AA'hat inquiries tlie.v could 
about prices and conditions. th(>y 
started in, tlie two brothers .and :i 
.selling partner Avho.se home was in 
the large market town .six miles aAvay. 
"X'one of us kncAv anything .altout the 
busines.s,” admits Fred, "so avc had 
to read it up. We got all the farm 
liapers .and bulletins Ave could, and 
looked up things as AA'e Avt-nt along. 
'I'he famil.v had l*et‘n t-xpressing doubts, 
and Avhen the,v saw us reading Iioaa' 
to raise crops, they laughed at us men- 
than eA'er for tr.ving to lye gardem>rs 
from books. But they stood by us the 
best they could, and raised $50 for us. 
.and our .selling partner. Mux, bor¬ 
rowed .$50. We put the .$100 into a 
cheap hor.se and Avagon, but the horse 
turned out not good for much, ;iud 
Ave sold him at a loss. Then AA’e hired 
a horse part of the time and for aAvhile 
AA'e had one for his keep. The ganh-n- 
ixig Avas all done on credit; the pIoaa-- 
ing of the sod land, the seed, the fer¬ 
tilizer. There Avas a little coav and 
hen manui-e on the placi*, and Ave 
bought a little hoi'se manure for the 
hotbeds Avhich Ave steirted March 1 
for our Earliana and Stone tomatoes. 
When AV(> Avere .setting out tomatoes in 
the field later, somebod.v let out the 
hens Avhile Ave Avere at dinner, and 
the.v .spoiled about a thousand plants. 
We felt blue at first, but there 
Aven- three or four thousand plants 
left, and they were good money 
makers. 
IVORK OFT OF SCHOOL IIOFRS. 
—"Our garden av.is a four-acre jileee 
that AA'as .sometimes used a.s a ball 
ground. It Avas OAvned b.A* our famil.v 
and they said Ave could idant it. We 
Avere going to .school all the Spring, 
you knoAA', and we had to jdant and 
tend the garden the best Ave could be-* 
tAA'een times. We began earl.v and 
Avorked late. Lester Avorked in tln^ 
garden and I peddled the stuff' with 
the help of my friend in tlu* market 
town. By the time the AAMrk became 
hai-dest av> jvere all three out of school 
and Ave all Avorked in the garden aa’Iu'ii 
Ave could. At first AA'e had,thought tlie 
garden would suppl.v the route, but 
w(* Avere soon buying more tlian Ave 
raised of some things, from the far¬ 
mers and from the small garden.s. We 
added oranges and other outside fruit, 
and bought .some southern truck earl.A' 
in the .sea.son. aAvaiting chances to 
pick up bargains in such things. But 
our own garden Avas the backbone of 
the business. It AA'as most all cle:ir 
profit except for our labor, and Ave 
got all there Avas in it. The peddler 
makes more out of it than the grower, 
to judge by the prices at which AA'e Avere 
able to buy some of the truck from 
the fanners. {Continued on paye 352.) 
