40 
are apt to be shorter-lived from the fact that early 
bearing saps their vitality. There is one way which 
I think of whereby Ave can hasten early bearing, and 
that is by grafting these standard Winter varieties 
on trees of bearing age. But what if we do gain two 
or three years? Is it not better to let nature take 
its course, make our trees grow moderately, and 
trim lightly? If we want early bearers there are 
plenty of good commercial kinds to select from. 
Seneca Co., N. Y. w. a. bassett. 
A Case of Early Bearing 
AM able to answer affirmatively your question as 
to Avhether I have ever observed apple trees of 
standard varieties which came naturally into bear¬ 
ing earlier than usual, as I have . n orchard of 
Greenings, one of McIntosh and one of Newtown 
Pippins, all of which bore a few samples at four 
years, and have been bearing more or less ever since. 
These orchards have been under cultivation ever 
since setting, plowed each Spring, then Avorked with 
harrow until about the last of June or first of July, 
when cover crop was sown. The Greenings. set 
eight years ago, and this year some of the trees 
bore tAvo barrels of apples. The McIntosh wade an 
even better record, and the Newtown Pippin—one of 
our slow-growing and late maturing varieties—came 
in at four years with a good showing of samples. 
My explanation of this early bearing is that the trees 
have had very little pruning since they Avere first 
set. Now and then an interfering branch has been 
taken out, but otherwise the trees were allowed their 
own Avay. and soon developed into good shape with 
many fruit buds. I have reached the conclusion 
that by over-pruning a young apple tree you force 
the development of leaf buds rather than fruit buds, 
and the fruit bud is what we are after. I believe 
it is possible so to over-prune a young tree as to 
retard the time of its coming into bearing from five 
to eight years. I am very glad to see that Prof. 
Waugh in a recent communication has gone on re¬ 
cord against severe pruning of the young tree. 
Orange Co., N. Y. cyrus av. shaav. 
It. N.-Y.—A life-size sample of these NeAvtoAvns— 
fruiting at four years—is shown at Fig. 8. 
Experience with Sod Culture 
N the Spring of 1911 I bought 200 McIntosh Red 
and 20 Winter Banana apple trees. tAvo years old. 
I set them out in five acres of land that had been 
planted to corn two years. It Avas heavy loam soil. 
Every tree lived and grew Avell the first year. After 
the trees Avere set the lot was seeded doAvn with 
clover and Timothy. The next year three pounds of 
ground bone Avas put around each tree. The grass 
was cut and left on the lot. That plan has been 
followed from the start up to the present time. The 
fourth year there Avere some apples of both kinds. 
The bone has been increased from year to year; now 
I put on six to eight pounds per tree. The fifth 
year I had 37 barrels; the sixth year, on account of 
a freeze. I only had seven barrels; the seventh year 
I had 50 barrels, and this year, the eighth, I had 
225 barrels of McIntosh and 25 barrels of Banana. 
The trees have grown very fast. They are from five 
to six inches in diameter and about 12 feet high. 
The apples are very dark red and very large. They 
have been sprayed twice a year and have been well 
cared for, and I find that it pays Avell to do so. Other 
kinds do not bear as early as these do with the 
same conditions. Chester e. may. 
Connecticut. 
Grafting Tomatoes; Use of Formalin 
1. In grafting tomatoes on potatoes what kind of avox 
b used? I have grafted one tomato vine, and had quite 
a lot of trouble in preparing the wax. 2. Where can I 
get formaldehyde for sterilizing hotbed soil? How much 
is used per square foot, and how soon can I plant the 
seed in safety? R. H. M. 
Lansing, O. 
1. As regards the tomato-potato experiment, the 
first requirement is that the cambium layers of the 
tAvo stems meet. The cambium or living part of the 
stem can best be shown by examining a tree, the 
area between the bark and Avood being the groAving 
or living part. The reason for making a diagonal 
cut on each stem is to give more living surface than 
if cut straight across, and this also gives a place to 
fasten the tAvo sections together. With hardAvood 
cuttings or grafts a long time is required to join 
together, so wax is necessary to protect the cut and 
avoid excess evaporation. But with succulent stems, 
such as tomatoes, the healing occurs quickly, so 
waxing is unnecessary. After cutting the stems 
diagonally, be sure to fit the cambium rings together, 
then tie with damp raffia or string just enough to 
hold in place. We placed the grafted plant under a 
bell jar (large glass jar) to conserve moisture so 
that the tomato would not wilt. At the end of the 
•Pk RURAL NEW-YORKER 
week the cut sef't lons have united and the jar is 
gradually raised admitting fresh air, and is finally 
removed. We pave planted tubers from the double 
plant, and also seeds of the tomato from the same 
plant, and intf' n< * repeating the grafting from these 
parts of our double plant. We hope by repeating 
this process several generations to be able to find 
some change or uniting of the characteristics of the 
two plants. 
2. Formal* 11 m ay be secured from practically any 
large drug company. In using formalin for soil 
sterilization the beds are prepared for planting. 
Then the, v are watered thoroughly, so that every 
part is well soaked. The beds are left until the 
gurpptS water has drained aAvay, or about long 
eU( mgh so the top inch of soil can be raked Avithout 
the\ s °il adhering to the rake. There are tAvo reasons 
for Vtering, to bring all bacteria and fungi into an 
ac ti\h stage of life, and to take the least amount of 
forn/alin to complete the task. In a dry soil the 
pests are generally in a resting stage, and are harder 
to ki\* than Avhen active. The soil is raked finely 
a~r*w, an inch deep just before applying the mixture. 
This allows it to soak in the more readily and keeps 
it from spreading over the surface. The mixture is 
composed of 4 lbs. of 40 per cent formalin to 50 
gallons of water, and one gallon per square foot of 
area is required. The soil should be soaked to the 
bottom and alloAved to stand from 10 days to two 
Aveeks before planting. If planted too soon the young 
tender plants are injured. This solution kills fish 
worms and other tender-skinned insects, but Avill not 
destroy the nematodes or root galls.. 
T. H. TOWNSEND. 
NeAA T York School of Agriculture. 
How to Load Packed Manure 
My custom is to keep the bovine stock in a roofed- 
over enclosure, which has cement side walls and bottom. 
As often as required I add stalks, leaves or straAV. until 
it is about four feet deep. You probably can realize 
how solidly it is packed together and what a vast deal 
of effort is required to pull it loose by the forkful Avhen 
Ave are putting it on the field. I have tried pulling it 
loose in exactly the same way that Ave unload hay from 
the wagon, viz., by using the hay-fork and having the 
horses pull. One of two results is inevitable—either 
the tines cut through the material, or else they 
straighten out. due to the tremendous resistance of the 
matted manure. Has there not yet been devised by 
some inventive genius a tool or device that Avill pick up 
and then drop barnyard manure? H. P. perry. 
New Jersey. 
W E have appealed to all places where it Avould 
seem that such a device ought to be knoAvn, 
but have not succeeded in finding it. One report is 
that a device somewhat like this was exhibited at 
a Western fair, and Ave are now after it. We shall 
have to appeal to our readers—who have never failed 
us yet. It seems as if a contrivance of this sort 
would be popular, for there are a good many farmers 
who handle the manure much as Mr. Perry describes 
his method. What do they say? 
ChemicalFertilizers and Soil Improvement 
.1 AA’ould like to have your opinion about the folloAving 
clipping: 
“High prices are due to the war only in that it caused 
a decrease in production, according to the opinion of 
II. D. Watson, of Kearney, Neb., the ‘Alfalfa King,’ 
who was in Kansas City for the International Farm 
Congress. “If Ave are to bring about a decrease in the 
cost of living.” Mr. Watson said, “the farmers must 
increase the productivity of their land and lower the 
cost of production. Through the negligence of the 
American farmers land throughout the country has de¬ 
teriorated to an alarming extent, and if steps are not 
taken at once a large portion of our agricultural terri¬ 
tory will be ‘dead.’ 
“The use. of commercial fertilizer is very costly and 
unnecessary,” Mr. Watson continued. “By sowing 
Alfalfa and turning under the roots after the crop has 
been harvested the fertility of the soil is increased from 
50 to 100 per cent, and crops will sboAV an equal in¬ 
crease.” H. J. 
R. WATSON lias a right to his opinion—the 
same as anyone. No doubt the decreased pro¬ 
duction and increased demand has affected prices. 
In addition to this, the war has stimulated spend¬ 
ing. We are not as thrifty as a nation as Ave were, 
and food prices ha\'e risen, partly in sympathy with 
prices of other goods. Mr. Watson is right in saying 
that land must be improved. We think that con¬ 
siderable poor land is likely to be abandoned for 
cultivated crops and go back to pastures and Avood- 
land. The owners and the country in general Avill 
be better off for that change. The better land Avill 
be improved and handled to good advantage. As 
for “dead” land—any soil which is naturally strong 
can be brought back to good production whenever it 
will pay a farmer to do it. In Nebraska Mr. Watson 
may find for the present that Alfalfa alone Avill noAv 
keep up or improve the soil. That is not true of most, 
jeetions of the Atlantic coast region. Much of our 
January 10, 1920 
land has been under cultivation 200 years or more, 
and the most profitable farming is where chemicals 
are used freely, either with manure or with green 
crops. Every now and then some man starts up with 
a new* theory of fertilizing, which is to revolutionize 
the whole system. These new theories come and go, 
but in tbe end most farmers continue the old plan of 
using lime, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash to 
supplement their supply of manure properly. They 
do not alAA'ays buy plant food in the most economical 
way, but in general it is safe to say that wherever 
land has been farmed for 50 years lime and some 
form of chemicals Avill become necessary. 
You cannot take a crop off the land without more 
or less depleting the food elements in that land. The 
Alfalfa Avill bring some nitrogen to the soil by taking 
it from the air, but it also takes lime, phosphorus, 
sulphur and potash, and does not return these ele¬ 
ments as it does the nitrogen. The loss may not be 
noticed for some years, but sooner or later it will be 
felt, and must be made up in some way. A good 
illustration of this is shown in the Avay farmers in the 
Central West are turning to the use of phosphates. 
At first their soil Avas so strong that these farmers 
would have laughed at the thought of using fer- 
tilizers. Yet each ton of live stock carried away 
nearly 40 lbs. of phosphoric acid, and each ton of 
wheat nearly 12 lbs. This drain, kept up for 50 
years, made it necessary to use some form of phos¬ 
phorus even Avhen through the use of clover or Al¬ 
falfa the soil may have gained in nitrogen. That, Ave 
belieA-e, Avill be the history of all soils where cattle 
and grain are produced. 
In Oregon it has been found that on certain soils 
lime and phosphorus do not. supply all that Alfalfa 
and clover need unless sulphur is used Avitli them. 
Thus it has come that farmers in some sections are 
using sulphur by the carload, in addition to acid 
phosphate and land plaster. Some lands will hold 
out longer than others, but sooner or later the food 
requirements of Alfalfa or clover must be supplied, if 
these crops are expected to maintain fertility. 
Packing Down the Silage 
There is one machine Ave need yet in filling a silo, and 
that is a machine that will pack the silage solid in the 
silo as fast as the elevator throws it in. I ha\ r e heard 
that such a machine has been made, but I have not seen 
it, nor even seen an advertisement of it. I understand 
it is a simple roller Avith a light gasoline engine at¬ 
tached. which rolls round and round. It is so con¬ 
structed that Avhen this machine gets to the top of the 
silo and its job ie done for that silo it can be quickly 
taken to pieces and Avith a rope let down to the ground 
a piece at a time. There are some men here Avho put 10 
or 15 goats in the silo and they are driven round and 
round, and it is claimed they pack doAvn the silage rea¬ 
sonably well. But as it takes sometimes three or four 
days to fill a large silo one cannot help thinking that it 
is a great imposition on the poor cows to have to eat the 
dung and urine Avith their food AA’hich these goats leaA'e, 
as they are never taken out. day or night, until the silo 
is filled. Knowing how easily milk and butter are 
tainted Avith many things Avhich the cows eat, wild leeks 
and various weeds, for instance, I actually would not 
want to eat such dairy products. . a. av. f. 
Illinois. 
E have heard of these “packers” and have 
some reports of their use coming. Most farm¬ 
ers have seemed satisfied to keep a man in the silo 
Avalking about during the filling. Many claim that 
no packing is necessary Avhere the silage is Avell 
spread out. We Avould like to have full information 
about this. 
Cull Apples in the Barrel 
T The picture at Fig. 9 shotvs the exact size and 
condition of half a dozen apples from a barrel 
marked “New York Standard Grade A.” These 
apples Avere bought in Newark, N. J. The buyer 
reports that the barrel Avas faced Avith good-sized 
fruit, but that most of the apples Avere just like 
these shoAvn in the picture. This man naturally feels 
that he has been cheated, and he says he Avill never 
buy another barrel of New York apples. No one can 
blame him—for we saw this fruit and Iuioav Avhat 
it Avas. The price paid Avas not the highest, but the 
marking led this buyer to believe that he was getting 
first-class fruit. This kind of Avork is a direct injury 
to the buyer and an indirect injury to every Ncav 
York groAver, because it throAvs discredit upon the 
Ncav York brand. It may be said that apples are 
scarce and high this year, and that an occasional 
fraud <>f this sort does not matter. It does matter. 
hoAvever—every attempt at deception matters. There 
is a time coming in the future Avhen apples Avill lie 
more plentiful, and when the immense orchards in 
Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia will come into 
Hill bearing. These orchards Avill enter into direct 
competition with New York, and Ave shall need all 
the help avc can obtain to meet it. In that day such 
a reputation as this cull fruit is giving will be like 
u business black eye. 
