Vtt RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
RURALISMS 
The Russet Apple 
Can you toll me if New York growers 
are planting the old Winter Russet ap¬ 
ple? J.L. 
I expect by Winter Russet the Roxbury 
Russet is meant, as that is the one most 
generally grown, though a few Golden 
Russets are still grown in some places. 
I say most generally grown; yet, as a 
matter of fact, I know of no one who has 
set a Russet tree in the past 10 years, 
and of course while there may have been 
a great many set without my knowledge, 
yet I feel sure few have been set in the 
Hudson Valley. For some reasons I re¬ 
gret this, because it seems like the passing 
of an old friend. There are surely few 
apples today in cultivation (regardless 
of the many valuable late additions to our 
list) that are better for either dessert or 
cooking than the Russet at its best. This, 
coupled with its great keeping qualities, 
make it one of the varieties that all good 
housewives thought a few must be stored 
in the cellar; otherwise arrangements for 
the Winter were not complete. 
Before the days of cold storage the Rus¬ 
set was also a money-maker. There came 
a time each year when its only competi¬ 
tors were Newtown and Lady Sweet, and 
prices (for the times) were good. Today 
its keeping quality is of minor impor¬ 
tance. Then, too, today a great many 
people value an apple by the amount of 
bright red color it carries, and while a 
few varieties like Greening, Fall Pippin, 
Grimes, Yellow Transparent, etc., sell 
well on markets where well known, most 
dull or poor-colored apples are at a disad¬ 
vantage on most markets. The Russet 
also seems rather capricious as to soil re¬ 
quirements ; under certain conditions it 
bears regularly and well, and fruit is good 
size. However, many times it is very 
shy, and fruit is small and irregular. 
With me a few trees of both Roxbury 
and Golden Russet (set for something 
they were not when they came into bear¬ 
ing) set 15 years ago, have not paid one- 
half as much per tree as Grimes and 
Winesap, both poorly adapted to our sec¬ 
tion, while compared with a number of 
other varieties of same age and under 
like conditions, the return has not. been 
over 10 per cent per tree. All have now 
been grafted. 
To sum up, then, under our conditions, 
the Russet has good quality, a fine keeper, 
tree a strong grower, under some condi¬ 
tions a good bearer of good fruit, but 
under many conditions a light cropper of 
ordinary fruit, with light, demand on 
many markets. Where it can be well 
grown it will always be a valuable, long- 
keeping variety for home use, but some¬ 
thing to go slow with in most sections on 
a commercial scale, and in many cases 
something to be laid on the shelf with 
other pleasant memories, wm. HOT AUNG. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
The Chewing Gum Tree 
A Summer issue of the Missouri Botani¬ 
cal Garden Bulletin states that one of the 
plants grown there under glass which al¬ 
ways attracts the attention of children as 
well as some older people, is the sapodilla, 
or chewing gum tree (Achras Sapota). 
It is a native of tropical America and the 
West Indies and is generally cultivated 
in the tropics. The wood, called by the 
natives “the wood of eternal life,” is very 
hard, with a perfectly straight grain, and 
is used for rafters in buildings, and the 
fruit, which resembles the persimmon 
both before and after it is ripe, is much 
relished. But it is the dried milky juice 
of the sapodilla tree which makes it of so 
much commercial importance. This juice, 
known locally as “chicle” (the native 
word for juice, now universally applied to 
the product of the sapodilla), is collected 
during the rainy season when it flows most 
freely. The native laborer makes a series of 
v-shaped incisions in the bark, being care¬ 
ful not to cut too deeply, and the milk-like 
juice flows into a canvas bag or other re¬ 
ceptacle at the base of the tree. Contact 
with the air speedily thickens it as well 
as changing it to a deep yellow hue. The 
thickened juice is collected daily and re¬ 
moved to camp, where it is boiled and 
kneaded to remove the superfluous moist¬ 
ure. By this time it is like fresh taffy 
and gray in color and is Teady to be 
molded into square blocks for Shipment. 
The raw product is imported into thie 
country from Mexico, British Honduras, 
Venezuela, Central America, and Canada, 
the latter being supplied from certain 
British possessions. After the chicle 
reaches the manufacturer it is first 
chopped into fine particles, then dried, 
and finally boiled down in vacuum pans 
to further purify it and remove any nat¬ 
ural moisture. Sweetening and flavoring 
ingredients having been added, the dough 
is kneaded, rolled, cut into strips, and 
wrapped in the regulation manner. All 
these operations are accomplished by ma¬ 
chinery. While originally the natural 
gums of spruce, sweet gum, tamarack, 
peach, and other trees were resorted to 
for the basis of chewing gum, and later 
paraffin was used, chicle seems to be the 
most satisfactory and h"s practically re¬ 
placed all other materials in the making 
of this popular confection. The chewing 
gum industry of the United States has 
grown to such proportions in the lust de¬ 
cade that it now exceeds each year by 
fseveral millions of dollars the value of ail 
syuthetic chemi^ls, dyestuffs included, 
imported annually befo* T the war. 
a' 
ampion 
Champion 
Heavy Stono 
Price $1.25 
Dependable Spark Plugs 
Avoid Substitutes 
Look for “Champion” 
On the Porcelain 
A VAST majority of car owners 
know from experience the wis¬ 
dom of getting the Champion Spark 
Plug especially designed and recom¬ 
mended for their type of car. 
For your protection, we suggest 
this caution—be sure the name 
“Champion” is on the porcelain as 
well as on the box. If it is not, 
you know it is not the genuine, de¬ 
pendable Champion Spark Plug. 
Most dealers call your attention 
to the name “Champion” on the 
porcelain when they recommend 
this make of plug. 
There is a Champion Spark Plug 
for every type of motor car, motor 
truck, tractor, motorcycle and 
stationary engine. 
Champion Spark Plug Company, Toledo, Ohio 
Virginia Farms and Homes 
fFRKE CATALOGUE OF SPLENDID BARGAINS. 
It. 15. CHAFFIN A- CO., Inc., Ulclimoiid, Va. 
SAVE AVOID PUNCTURES AND BLOW-OUTS 
tire send for circular 
VERNON K. GOULD 
MUnt.1 131 Co. Parkway. Cut Orange, N.w Jersey 
Farm fnr'talaP.ho'in Farming pays around Salisbury, 
rdim Toroaieoneap We have good land and mild cli¬ 
mate. Address 8. P. WOODCOCK, Salisbury, Md. 
f\nr\ • fi 7 miles Scottsrille, Va. Adapted 
Ahll-flrrp harm 8h« e P. hogs, or farm crops 
cMJV nu Claim Level Good buildings. *8,BOO: 
$1,000 cash. HARRY VAIL, New Milford, Oraug. Cfc, H. I. 
Astern Canada's 
“Horn of Ploivtif" 
OfferaYouHcahh&Wlt 
Western Canada for 
years has helped to feed 
the world—the same responsi¬ 
bility of production still rests upon her. 
While high prices for Grain, Cattle and Sheep 
are sure to remain, price of land is much below its value 
Land capable of yielding 20 to 45 bush¬ 
els of wheat to the acre can be had on 
easy terms at from $15 to $30 per 
acre—good grazing land at much less. 
Many farms paid for from a single year’s crop. Raising 
i§y\\ cattle, sheep and hogs brings equal success. The Government 
encourages farming and stock raising. Railway and 
Land Co’s, offer unusual inducements to Home Seek¬ 
ers. Farms may be stocked by loans at moderate interest. 
Western Canada offers low taxation, good markets and ship¬ 
ping; free schools, churches and healthful climate. 
For particulars as to reduced railway rate?, location of land, illus¬ 
trated literature, etc., apply to Supt. of Immig., Ottawa, Can., or 
O.G. RUTLEDGE, 301B. Genesee SU Syracuse, N.Y. 
Canadian Government Agent. 
GRIMM’S Maple Syrup Evaporators 
What the GRIMM EVAPORATOR haa done for others— 
itwiil do for you—fast and shallow boiling and the siphon, 
which clarifies the liquid, produces QUALITY. We will 
start you on the road to bigger profits by giving you the benefit of 
our experience and particulars about the BEST APPARATU8 made. 
Prices for PURE MAPLE PRODUCTS are higher. The supplv is ex¬ 
hausted—the demand 
la increasing rapidly. 
Our COMPLETELY 
S LIPPED EVAP- 
ATOR will pro- 
e the best quality 
of MAPLE SYRUP 
ORDER NOW. 
Ask for catalog 
“B” and state 
number ot trees 
you tap. 
G. H. GRIMM ESTATE Rutland, Vt 
Works in any soil. Makes V-shap 
ditch or cleans ditches up to four fe 
deep. AH steel. Reversible. Adjustab] 
Wnte for free book and our propositio 
Owensboro Ditcher & Grader Co., In 
Box 334 Owensboro. Ky. 
I! 
FERTILIZERS 
and CROPS 
An excellent work 
on soils, manures 
and fertilizers, 
crops and practical 
farm information 
in general. Price 
$2.50. For sale by 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 W. 30th St, New York 
