■Uhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
837 
RURALISMS 
Fruit Notes from Missouri 
Man and the plant world had to en¬ 
dure the severest Winter in a great many 
years. Here there was a temperatnre 
as low as 20 below zero wdth long con¬ 
tinued zero and below zero weather. 
Fortunately this was accompanied by 
the deepest snow within memory, so that 
the earth was securely blanketed. As a 
result, wheat is promising, although a 
large acreage was sown too late for 
safety and would surel.v have frozen 
without the snow protection. On account 
of the Plessian fly the State College has 
advised farmers to make their sowing 
about two weeks later than usual and 
with this excuse for dilatoriness some 
were drilling far into November, while 
the traditional date has been close to 
October 1. 
Noting frost damage I find that only 
a small minority of fruit-bearing plants 
succumbed to the cold. In grapes, Rog¬ 
ers hybrids suffered most as a class. 
Agawam appeared tenderest; Gaertner, 
Massasoit, Wilder, Goethe, showed dam¬ 
age ; young vines of Herbert, none. For 
budding out strongly and evenly, the 
promising new Texas Xlnta is the best 
in the vineyard, another qualit.v of great 
value, with Ives as second. Campbell’s 
is also a good one in this respect, and 
Moore’.s. 
In bush fruits, the new McDonald dew¬ 
berry was killed to within a foot of the 
ground, but canes on the ground are full 
of buds. We are mowing off the dead 
tops. Raspberries came through in good 
shape, the blackcaps with much less dead 
wood than usual, never more promising. 
The reds, too, endured W'ell. In black¬ 
berries the early King was damaged con¬ 
siderably, Harvest not so much, and may 
produce a fair crop. The later midseason 
sorts, such as Eldorado, Taylor, Blowers, 
etc., are in fine condition. Gooseberries 
and currants are untouched, and have set 
a heavy crop. 
In tree fruits, peaches, after four suc¬ 
cessive crops, show serious injury. Fruit 
buds were a rarity and many trees are 
putting out only a sickly growth. J dis¬ 
horned all my old trees and all others 
showing damage. All the other tree 
fruits, except apricots, bloomed in pro¬ 
fusion, but it is too early to say how 
large a percentage of fruit set and will 
not drop. A whole week of cold weather 
swooped down upon us in April, and for 
two nights ice formed in quarter-inch 
thickness, yet there was no apparent 
injury. Even the sti’awberries showed 
very few dead blossoms and buds, but I 
fear pollination has been interfered with. 
My two hardy .Japanese persimmons, 
Tamopan and Eureka, found 20 degrees 
below too much for them and I was in no 
way surprised to find them killed, but the 
fact of their enduring 10 degrees below 
in 1917 showed that they were equally as 
hardy as some other fruits that we never 
think of discarding as too tender for pro¬ 
fitable culture. 
Early bearing should rightly be con¬ 
sidered a valuable quality in all trees, 
and especially in the apple, but there is 
a great difference in this respect. I have 
five apple trees standing in a short row. 
Champion, Delicious, King David, Sena¬ 
tor and Pound Sweet. King David bore 
two crops before the others began. Then 
Champion and Delicious came in with 
two good crops and this Spring, for the 
first time. Senator and Pound Sweet are 
full of bloom. If they produce full, they 
will be from four to two crops behind the 
othei'S. This is a point that should not 
be lost sight of in selecting varieties. 
Winesap is an early bearer, earlier than 
Stayman, though the latter is not tardy. 
My first largest planting was of .Tefferis, 
due to the recommendation of the late 
Prof. Van Deman, but this variety has 
proved a great disappointment in its fail¬ 
ure to yield for the 14 years of its 
trial here. Perhaps over-rich soil was 
partly respon.sible. This Spring I note 
more bloom than ever before, and it is 
possible they will begin to redeem them¬ 
selves. If they fail again I do not think 
I shall have patience to wait longer. The 
Jefferis is a dessert apple of the highest 
quality, and when fruitful should be a 
money maker. What little of the fruit 
I h.ave sold has always brought out calls 
for more. It has another fault, that of 
rotting when ripening. I have not yet 
sprayed for this, but it will be imperative 
in case there is a good crop to be saved. 
Jonathan here averages a little larger 
than King David, but it is not so hand¬ 
some nor so heavy a bearer, nor so 
tenacious to the tree. Colton has proved 
to be a more regular bearer than Early 
Harvest, which it resembles, and the fruit 
is larger and earlier. Fanny, a late Sum¬ 
mer apple, has made a fine record as a 
regular and heavy yielder. Its fruit is 
large, good quality, but lacks some in 
high color. l. r. Johnson. 
Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. 
we expect them to eat. Paris green and 
hellebore act very quickly, and the poison¬ 
ous properties of the material are gone 
within two days after the application. 
The snails may be captured by laying 
chips and small pieces of boards around 
on the invested soil. They will hide un¬ 
der these during the day. However, 
most of the trouble may be overcome by 
frequent cultivation, so that a dust mulch 
is maintained to discourage the activities 
of the pests. 
make sure that song birds or other pro¬ 
tected birds d<» not sulTer the usual fate 
of the innocent by-stander. For instance, 
if you shoot at a starling and by mistake 
or accident killed a robin, you would be 
liable to a penalty. There will be no 
trouble in the State of New .Terst'y where 
a spirit of fairness is shown in a matter 
of this sort, and a fruit grower would be 
justified in protecting against the star¬ 
ling. 
Snails in the Garden 
I have been trying to raise some lettuce 
in my garden, but the snails keep eating 
or biting off the tender leaves. They even 
attack the young tomato plants set out 
recently. They did this last year, but 
we thought that it was due to the wet. 
Could you give us directions to kill these 
snails or to drive them away? They seem 
to be all over the garden. p. b. g. 
Binghamton, N. Y. 
Snails are often destructive, and some¬ 
times when they do considerable damage 
we do not know what did the damage, be¬ 
cause they have a habit of hiding during 
the day. They are more apt to be de¬ 
structive in a shady, wet or overwatered 
garden than they are in a regular field. 
Plants may be protected from injury by 
applying powdered lime in a ring around 
each plant; their slimy bodies cannot 
stand dry dust, and especially lime. Since 
they eat the leaves of lettuce, spinach, 
carrots, beans and other plants, all we 
have to do is to apply poison to the foliage 
New Jersey and Robber Birds 
Is it lawful to kill the English starling 
during the entire year in the State of 
New Jersey? Have any of your readers 
discovered a method of keeping these birds 
out of the fruit trees? The bird referred 
to above looks and acts like the American 
blackbird, but eats like the American hog, 
being ready to tackle anything from a pile 
of garbage to the choicest apples, cherries 
or strawberries. Can anyone tell of any 
beneficial qualities of this’bird? n. c. R. 
Metuchen, N. J. 
Our experience with the starling is 
about the same as that given above, and 
personally we would include the robin in 
the list of feathered robbers. The New 
Jersey game laws are complicated, but 
the Fish and Game Commission says that 
the law prevents hunting or shooting ex¬ 
cept during the regular hunting season. 
The commission, however, holds that the 
law against using hounds and firearms for 
hunting game does not apply to a farmer 
personally protecting his property against 
hawks, crows or vermin when in the act 
of destroying poultry or game. Thus, in 
a case where the starlings ai'e causing 
actual danger to property there is no ob¬ 
jection • to shooting them. In shooting 
at a starling, however, you will -have to 
Trimming California Privet 
What is the proper time to trim Cali¬ 
fornia privet hedges? One man says trim 
every month for a good dense hedge, as 
every sprig cut shoots out three or four 
more when trimmed. Another says cut 
only in .Tune and September, or it will 
winter-kill. j. g. 
Norristown, Pa. 
California ludvet may be trimmed any 
time it may need it. The number of trim¬ 
mings that will be necessary during the 
growing season will depend on the fer¬ 
tility of the soil and the precipitation 
during the Summer. Usually a thrifty , 
hedge will need shearing about once a 
month from latter part of iMay until 
September, I have not observed that 
trimming at any season will have any 
effect on the plant’s hardiness. Here in 
New Jersey we trim at all periods of the 
Summer as the plants reipiire it. K. 
“De mule has too much de best of it,” 
remarked Mr. Erastus Binkley. “If I 
lays hands on it dey’ll have me up befo’ 
de Animal Prevention Society. But spos’n 
de mule kicks me.” “What then?” “He 
ain’ g’ineter git reported. All my friends 
jes’ laugh an’ ack like dey thought de 
mule showed good judgment.”—Washing¬ 
ton Star. 
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MOLINE, ILLINOIS 
JOH\ DEERE PLOW^S 
