A Light Ladder for Farm Use 
Strong Construction and Moderate Expense 
‘IIE drawing, Fig. 473, which needs but little 
description, shows a light, strong ladder of 
cheap construction suited for many uses about the 
buildings of the farm. The side rails are made of 
two pieces of light, strong wood, with straight grain, 
about 1x4 inches in cross section and of the length 
desired. Spruce, basswood or North Carolina pine 
is best for these, because of the qualities of light¬ 
ness. stiffness and strength possessed by these woods. 
These are gained to receive the rungs, made from 
%x2-inch stock of the same material. These rungs 
are attached to the side rails or screws, and if the 
ladder is likely to see much wet weather should 
be well painted in the joints before fastening. 
The stiffening piece is made from a 
Mi-inch piece of light, strong wood, 
basswood perhaps being best, because of 
little likelihood of splitting. This should 
be laid in paint, as well as the rungs, 
and after securely fastening with 
screws or nails the whole ladder should 
receive a coat of weather-resisting 
paint or wood preservative. The result 
is a light, strong ladder, free from dis¬ 
agreeable side sway, because of the 
stiffening pieces, the same principle be¬ 
ing used as in angle iron constructions. 
Very handy horses can be made for 
supporting a plank for painting by 
bolting two of these ladders end to end, 
the bolts forming a hinge, and setting 
them up like an inverted V. Two sets, 
four ladders, are needed to support the 
plank, and pieces should be fastened 
across the bottom to make a base for 
them to stand upon. kobebt h. smith. 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
ground five or six inches wide. Then leave enough 
root on the little tree to fill this hole from side to 
side, and pack the earth firmly around the roots. 
These side roots will anchor the tree and hold it in 
the ground. We have frequently planted these little 
trees very much as we do cabbage or strawberry 
plants. This is done by driving a spade deep into 
the ground and working it back and forth to open 
up the hole. *L'he tree, closely root-pruned, is then 
put down into this hole, and dirt thrown in ^around 
it, the whole thing being firmed by stamping hard 
on the ground around the tree. When .T. II. Hale 
planted his first peach orchard in Georgia he fol¬ 
lowed this plan of close root pruning of .Tune-budded 
trees, and with holes made by driving in a spade as 
we have mentioned. It is better to use younger 
trees when following this plan, but our advice would 
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LADDER 1 
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Planting Trees in Crowbar Holes 
Some years ago you used to write about setting young 
apple trees in crowbar boles. We have an orchard of 
4.000 trees—or there were at one time. We have neg¬ 
lected it for several years, and there are now a number 
of vacancies. We have other business, and of course 
help is scarce, so I propose going out this Fall and 
setting in the vacancies with a crowbar. What do you 
think of it? F. M. C. 
Plainfield, N. J. 
W E thiuk that you will lose all, or the greater- 
part, of these trees if you carry out exactly 
the plan you have in mind. In order 
to get these apple trees into a crowbar 
hole you will be obliged to prune the 
roots so severely that they will have 
no anchor in the soil. The frost will 
lift and throw most of them out before 
Spring. This has been our experience 
when trees are planted in this way 
during the Fall. It is true that some 
years ago, in the Spring, we planted 
some 2.000 trees in this way. The roots 
were pruned down to stubs, with prac¬ 
tically no side roots whatever. We 
punched a hole in the ground with a 
crowbar, and put these little trees 
down into the hole. Sand was thrown 
in. and well tamped down, so as to 
firm the soil around the stub. The top 
of the tree was cut back to about two 
feet. It was a favorable season, and 
practically all of these trees lived and 
made a good growth. The root system 
was remarkable, as each tree developed 
a genuine tap-root, or a set of them, 
which worked down deep into the 
ground much like the roots of clover 
or Alfalfa. Most of these trees lived 
and gave us good results, although in 
the following Winter a number of them 
were lifted out by the frost. 
Another difficulty with this kind of 
a tree was caused by the wind whirling 
or twisting it around so as to make quite a large 
hole in the ground around the upper trunk of the 
tree. It seemed evident that while trees planted in 
this way will grow, it is better to leave short stubs, 
or side roots, so that the tree will be securely 
anchored in the soil. We now cut the roots back 
to three inches or less at the side, plant in small 
holes and pack the soil firmly around the roots. Of 
course with this severe root pruning the top of the 
tree must he cut hack to correspond. This is known 
as the Striugfellow system, or a modification of it. 
and we are satisfied that this method has given us 
a better root development than where the side roots 
are left longer and the tree planted in a larger hole. 
You could carry out your plan by using a post 
hole digger or auger, which would dig a hole in the 
A Light Ladder for Farm Use. Fig. 
be not to attempt this close pruning for Fall plant¬ 
ing in New Jersey. We would wait until Spring, 
and either use the post-hole digger or the spade, as 
here described. It is needless for us to say that the 
fruit experts will scoff at this plan of planting an 
orchard. 
Experience, Alfalfa and Crimson Clover 
Why is experience the best guide to the forage plants 
best adapted to a given region? Why is Alfalfa such 
a great success in some parts of the country and not 
in others? Why is it so diflicult to raise good grasses 
White Leghorn Cock “White Eagle .” Fig. 
m 
in the Southern States? Why is Crimson clover uot 
so good a forage plant as common Red clover in some 
parts of Pennsylvania? w. M. o. 
Tyrone, Pa. 
F OR the same reason that experience is the best 
and final guide in all practice. There never was 
a 10-acre field exactly uniform in soil or conditions. 
There are wider differences in townships, counties 
or States, and one must know these conditions in 
order to get the right combination. No one can 
understand these conditions without experience. 
Certain varieties of corn do best under certain con¬ 
ditions. We know of counties side by side where 
one variety of dent corn fails in one place and 
succeeds in another. Sudan grass without doubt 
gives a great yield in some places, while in others 
it is quite inferior to a good variety of millet. 
1483 
Alfalfa has been “boomed” for some localities where 
experience shows that Alsike clover is far superior 
to it. Ask the soil is a more sensible question than 
ask science, though both questions are necessary. 
Many a man has planted an orchard on general 
advice and found his Northern Spy and R. T. Green¬ 
ing on light open soil, while Baldwin and McIntosh 
were in the swamp or moist ground. The result 
was more or less failure for all these varieties. 
Alfalfa is a crop requiring certain conditions for 
its success. It will not stand wet feet, and needs 
an open subsoil, so that its roots may extend down. 
The soil must be sweet and well supplied with lime 
and sulphur, and rich enough for a good com crop. 
There must also be a full supply of the bacteria 
which work on the Alfalfa roots. Where these 
conditions are found naturally Alfalfa thrives and 
is a success. Where any of these things 
are lacking Alfalfa will not live much 
longer than Red clover. These condi¬ 
tions may be artificially supplied. Wet 
or hard land may be drained and thus 
opened for a better root system. Great 
quantities of lime may be added to 
sweeten the soil or land plaster or acid 
phosphate used to supply sulphur. The 
needed bacteria can be provided by 
inoculation either with soil from a good 
Alfalfa field or through the commercial 
bacteria. All these things can be done 
so as to grow Alfalfa almost anywhere. 
It is a question whether Alfalfa grown 
in this expensive way will give you any 
greater profit than Red and Alsike 
clover grown at moderate expense. 
There are several grasses which 
grow well at the South, but most of 
our Northern grasses are better suited 
to our cooler climate, just as on the other hand 
Crimson clover is far better suited to the climate 
of the South. 
There are a number of reasons why Crimson clover 
is not so useful in Pennsylvania. In most parts of 
the State north of Philadelphia Crimson is not sure 
to survive the Winter. With us, in Northern New 
Jersey, Crimson is killed seven times in 10. It 
grows well during the Fall, but is usually thrown 
out of the soil in March or early April. This clover 
has a single tap-root, not firmly fixed in the ground. 
In our Northern Springs there are many cold nights, 
followed by warm, sunny days. The 
action of the frost is to lift the plant. 
Each succeeding thaw leaves it just a 
little more out of the ground, and 
finally it gets so far out that it dies. 
Even if it gets through this trial the 
Crimson is inferior to Red clover. It 
must be seeded each year. It is ready 
for cutting about corn planting time. 
This is usually a season for showers 
and bad hay weather, and everybody 
is busy planting or cultivating. On a 
good farm work is best done in rota¬ 
tion, and bay-making follows corn 
planting and cultivating. Crimson 
clover comes at the wrong time. The 
bay from Crimson is good quality and 
excellent for cattle. There has been 
some trouble from feeding it to horses. 
The head of the Crimson is long, and 
when ripe carries a number of “hooks” 
or spines. There have been cases 
where these heads have caught in the 
stomach of the horse and formed balls 
which caused colie or even death. Out¬ 
side of the Southern States we think 
Crimson clover is better as a green 
crop than for forage. As an improver 
and renovator of soils no longer pro¬ 
ductive because lacking in vegetable 
matter and fertility, Crimson clover 
has done excellent work in the Southern 
and Middle Southern States, where its full season 
of growth may be had. 
White or Albino Blueberries 
S EVERAL readers have written us about finding 
plants bearing white or pink blueberries—think¬ 
ing these must be an exceedingly rare novelty. Miss 
Elizabeth C. White of New Lisbon, N. J., is deeply 
interested in the work of improving the blueberry. 
Early iu the season she conducted an advertising 
campaign in the hope of securing blueberries of 
superior size and quality. These reports about 
white blueberries were referred to her. and she 
makes the following comment: 
This campaign has resulted iu over 700 letters from 
