Ibt RURAL NEW-YORKER 
577 
The Cortland Apple, a Coming Variety 
STRONG ENDORSEMENT. — Because of the 
many inquiries about the merits, possible place, 
and future of the Cortland apple constantly coming 
to me from all parts of the country, I feel a report 
of its behavior the past season will he of interest to 
many, and some of the questh as will be answered, 
so far as I am able. I feel like saying at the outset, 
the more I see of it, the more deeply I am impressed 
with its value, and more sure I feel it will soon take 
its place as one of, if not the leading apple, the 
McIntosh, Baldwin and others notwithstanding. I 
realize this is a strong statement and without some 
strong underlying reasons to back it up of little 
value. Some of these reasons I will try to set forth. 
A TREE OF QUALITY.—Dr. Hedrick made the 
statement at the Rochester meeting: “Most of our 
leading varieties of apples are char¬ 
acterized by their faults, rather than 
their merits.” If the Cortland has a 
weakness, it has not shown up to my 
knowledge so far, and certainly bids 
fair at this time to be one variety 
which may gain fame because of its 
good points, among which these may 
be enumerated. The tree is ideal in 
both nursery and orchard being vigor¬ 
ous, healthy and-hardy. It is as young 
and prolific a bearer as any variety 
among 40 with the possible exception 
of Golden Delicious whose habit of 
bearing it closely resembles; i.e., set¬ 
ting fruit buds freely on two-year 
wood, and also at terminal buds. The 
fruit averages as large and good color 
as any of our leading market varieties, 
being large enough, and good enough 
color for any market. It is as good 
quality as any apple grown anywhere 
for dessert, and is as good a cooking 
apple for any purpose from stewing to 
baking. And while Cortland is a fine, 
tender, high quality apple when ripe, 
one of its most valuable features is, at 
picking time, it will stand about as 
much handling without bruises as 
Baldwin, and more without showing 
black spots. It has been generally 
reported as one month later than Mc¬ 
Intosh. I have figures which I will 
submit, and which I believe show plain¬ 
ly, it will hang without injury two 
months later than McIntosh, and as 
long as any apple ever grown should 
be let hang, and that without drop 
worth mention, and without any ap¬ 
parent detriment. 
KEEPING QUALITY.—As to its 
keeping quality, perhaps the box shown 
in the Experiment Station exhibit at 
Poughkeepsie is the best evidence. My 
information is these apples were picked 
at my place at Kinderliook, October 11, 
shipped in basket to Geneva where 
they were packed, shipped from there 
to the New York show in October, returned to 
Geneva; shipped to the Rochester show in January 
and returned to Geneva: shipped to the Poughkeep¬ 
sie show in February, and were never in cold stor¬ 
age. On February 29 they were in as good shape 
as any box in the exhibit, and better than most of 
them. In addition to this, it would be hard to es¬ 
timate how often some of these had been taken out 
and examined. They showed some bruises of course, 
but were practically free from black spots so char¬ 
acteristic on McIntosh that has been handled. 
There is another valuable point in regard to Cort¬ 
land I have never seen mentioned; that is, it does 
not deteriorate in color after being picked, as some 
varieties do, but stays bright. 
PICKINGS.—As to time of gathering, etc., before 
referred, we started picking McIntosh September 
6 at which time they were hardly fit. The man I 
had sold them to wanted some, however, and as they 
had already started to drop considerably I was glad 
to get him off 100 bushels. We finished on Septem¬ 
ber 20, and the last two or three days were more or 
less a scramble to see how many we could get be¬ 
fore they dropped, at which time some of the trees 
began to look rather thin and the ground more than 
well covered. We picked our Cortland (25 trees) 
October II, almost five weeks after we had started 
McIntosh, and nearly three since we finished our 
race with the elements for the last. Mr. Tukey of 
the Experiment Station staff was here, and will 
I believe bear me out when I say the drop at that 
time was not only practically nothing, but was not 
more than 1 or 2 per cent of that of Baldwin, Spy, 
Stark and other Winter varieties growing on the 
same land, and with the same care, a most notice¬ 
able feature being a lai’ge per cent of those on the 
ground were without the stem, having been blown 
off the stem which remained on the trees. 
LATE HANGING FRUIT.—At the time of pick¬ 
ing I determined for my own satisfaction to find 
how long they would hang, so one of the smaller 
trees was left and the apples counted. This was on 
October 11. There were on the tree 148 apples; on 
October IS one had dropped off; on October 25 five 
more had fallen; on November 1 practically all ap¬ 
ples of every variety having been harvested I de¬ 
cided it was no use to leave them longer, and al¬ 
though a wind, amounting to heavy gales had pre¬ 
vailed for three of the last seven days, 18.3 were 
still on the tree and nine on the ground. Those on 
the tree were in perfect condition and not too ripe 
for storage or any other purpose. 
A RIVAL TO BALDWIN.—After this I am ready 
to go on record and answer in my humble opinion 
the one question asked more often than any other. 
“Can the Cortland take the place of Baldwin?” And 
I answer most emphatically, yes. The reasons 
briefly are: It is a better tree, earlier bearing, and 
more prolific, though Baldwin may occasionally carry 
a heavier crop; is as large or larger, much better 
color, is of infinitely better quality for any purpose, 
hangs much better, handles as well, keeps better in 
common and probably in cold storage. What rea¬ 
sons are there it cannot replace Baldwin or any 
other variety now grown? 
And now I would like to say I believe I can get 
as unbiased a view as most people, growing probably 
as many varieties, on a commercial basis, as any 
man in New York and possibly in the United States. 
I feel rather positive this would hold true if all 
fruits were included. I am also inclined to claim 
the record for net income per tree per year for Mc¬ 
Intosh. Only in either case, however, that I may 
qualify as an unbiased witness. Also for the same 
purpose, as well as to stop a continual stream of 
requests for grafting wood, etc., I want to say I 
have nothing to sell. It has been the policy of the 
introducers, the New York State Experiment Station, 
to encourage its propagation by reliable nurserymen, 
so as soon as possible dependable trees might be ob¬ 
tained through regular trade channels. Believing 
this policy sound all of the buds, scions, etc., I have 
had to spare of Cortland, with the exception of a 
very few to personal friends, have gone to nursery¬ 
men for propagation. wm, hotalino. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. 
Shall We Keep Hens? 
We are a young married couple and have a great de¬ 
sire to go to California and start in the poultry busi¬ 
ness. We have both been working since we married, 
and have been able to save quite a little money. My 
husband went to poultry school and had a farm of his 
own before he was called into service during war time. 
This farm was located 200 miles up New York State. 
My father has retired from business and is living on a 
beautiful farm. Where do you think it would be best 
to locate and make money. Long Island, New York 
(’way up-State) or California? We are both employed 
in offices at present but hate city life, 
although both of us were born in Brook¬ 
lyn. it. a. c. 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
S your husband has had farm ex¬ 
perience and has studied the poul¬ 
try business, the best advice 1 can give 
you is to go where you think you will 
be happiest, whether to California, 
Long Island or up-State, and get a 
position on a real poultry farm, and 
work for some successful poultrymau 
for at least a year before starting for 
yourself. You would then be better 
able to judge about what location 
would suit you best, and would stand 
a much better chance of succeeding 
without making too many mistakes. 
Wages are high, and this is the time to 
work and lay up some money which 
will be necessary for capital when you 
get ready to start in business for your¬ 
selves. There are, no doubt, wonder¬ 
ful opportunities for young people in 
California if they have the desire, 
ability and ambition to make good. 
Personally I prefer Santa Cruz for 
poultry, because conditions appear to 
be nearer ideal there than they are in 
many other sections of the State. Of 
course Petaluma is the great poultry 
center, but to my mind it cannot com¬ 
pare with Santa Cruz. After all, the 
proper location is mostly a matter of 
individual shoice and preference; and 
any man or woman who would make a 
success in the West would very likely 
be successful if starting right here in 
the Empire State, near the best mark¬ 
ets in the world. Land is cheaper here, 
poultry feed is just as cheap, and tin* 
marketing facilities are much better 
than in the West. In studying this 
proposition you should understand that 
there has been a great rush into the 
poultry business during the past three 
or four years, and we cannot look for 
any “easy money” to be made in the 
business in the near future, especially 
for people who are only starting in the game, on ac¬ 
count of over-production and low prices which 
usually follow a prosperous period. c. s. greene. 
Experience With Sweet Clover 
T HE article by F. N. Hagmann, page 457, will 
mislead those not familiar with Sweet clover. 
I followed advice in the same literature as Mr. 
Hagmann, experimented on a small scale, and like 
him, got good results. Then it cost me over $200 
to learn that the experiment was the time when 
it happened to work. The very best seed bed that 
can be made for Sweet clover can he brought about 
by harrowing sod with a sharp spring-tooth harrow. 
Some prefer a disk, but if there are small stones the 
spring-tooth will be at work in the spots where the 
disk is being carried over the stone. Tike any 
other crop, the better the preparation the better the 
crop. Do not depend on a stand from scattered 
shattered seed. Run over the ground with a spring- 
tooth late in the Fall. 
Mr. Hagmann’s failure with Ilubam “on well pre¬ 
pared ground” was probably because the gound was 
plowed and left too loose. Sweet clover requires 
hard firm ground underneath. If he had put the 
same amount of work on top of the ground without 
plowing the chances are that he would have met 
with success. 
On well prepared soil S lbs. of Sweet clover seed 
is the best amount to use for pasture, seed and fer- 
“Trucker Jr.,’ or Willard B. Kill*', of South Jersey, lias long been known by our 
readers as a man who knows how to farm and tilso how to tell about it. The 
child crop is a leading one. 
