750 
will result in dormant buds, pushing out from the 
stronger or standard stock above, when the trees 
will revert to standards. A number of these have 
made journeys to “Orchard Farm” to examine the 
trees, and in digging the soil from below the union 
of the stocks they have been much surprised to find 
only an occasional tree over 20 years from planting 
that had but one root close down to the union, and 
not over 3 ft. in length. This is true of the first 
trees planted over 40 years ago, which have been 
held to 22 ft. in height, and to 18 ft. in spread of 
branches, some of which have pi’oduced 12 bushel 
boxes to the tree of the Red Astrachans, that sold 
in the Boston market in 40-lb. boxes for $2.50 per 
box, years before the later war prices. The dwarf 
roots in deep planting have grown down in the soil 
instead of outward, and evidently have had a dom¬ 
inating influence upon the future growth of the trees 
in keeping them in the dwarf form. 
METHOD OF SETTING.—We put out a six-acre 
block of Doucin dwarfs, interplanted with Para¬ 
dise, one way. The root stocks were of an extra 
selected class, imported from France at a cost of 
more than double the generally used grades. These 
were sent to a Western New York nurseryman, and 
later we selected buds from two Northern Spy 
trees, planted by my father over 80 years ago, with 
which the stocks were propagated. This orchard, 
now over 20 years old, has produced large crops of 
apples of unusual uniformity in shape, like the par¬ 
ent trees, that have packed 95 per cent fancy, and 
which have produced a larger acre income value 
than any standard trees of the variety. The plant¬ 
ing of this class of trees commercially is, without 
doubt, wise only by specialists; those who will study 
their nature and requirements, and give the culture 
required, which, however, is no greater tlian with 
standard trees. There are some problems ahead 
for our Eastern apple growers that at the present 
time are not fully realized. The high-colored, larger 
sized, skilfully packed apples of the Pacific coast 
states have steadily absorbed our Eastern markets, 
and are now met on the table of the best hotels, res¬ 
taurants, and in high-class fruit stores, as also upon 
the family tables of many, who generally buy only 
the most attractive apples in color. 
MARKET PROBLEMS.—Another problem is that 
of the very large quantities of inferior apples that 
demoralize the market, and prejudice buyers against 
our Eastern apples. A prominent cause for this is 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
of the trees. The cost at the present high scale of 
labor would be more than doubled. There are fruit 
spurs that will set from two to 10 apples each, which 
upon thrifty trees, well sprayed, will not drop to any 
extent or grow to any valuable size, but perfecting 
seeds, are exhausting to the trees, causing a too 
large proportion of only medium-sized fruit. We have 
had 30 apples set from one bud. 
INSECT TROUBLES.—In very tall trees spray¬ 
ing is not always well done, with the result that 
many of the best apples have curculio, codling moth, 
'Several readers have asked to see a picture of a first- 
class Pekin duck. This one took first prize at the great 
Madison Square Poultry Show, and is considered a fine 
specimen of the breed. Owned by R. L. Pardee, Long 
Island. 
scab, and other blemishes, that are put in bai’rels, 
to the serious injury of Eastern apples in sales. 
Because of the ever-increasing hoi’des of insects that 
add heavily to the cost of production, a lower type 
of tree in height is becoming felt by many growers 
as necessary. In a letter recently received from one 
of the best growers of apples in Southern Illinois, 
he states that the San Jose scale has l’eappeared, 
and that in 1922 he lost 15,000 barrels of his crop, 
but by the use of an oil emulsion in 3923 he saved 
his entire ci*op. Notwithstanding the stiff quaran¬ 
tine upon foreign ti’ees and plants, a large number 
of most destructive insects have been imported, that 
will keep fruit growers of Amei’ica busy for many 
years to control. For this reason there has been 
inci’eased intei’est and inquii’y about dwarf trees. 
We have proven that they have high value in com¬ 
mercial culture. Their culture is more economical, 
as also the spraying, pruning, thinning and packing 
of the fruit, which has a finer finish in color and in 
general quality than is grown upon standard trees. 
GEORGE T. POWEIX. 
May 10, 1924 
buy a baseball, a mask, catcher’s glove and a bat. 
They acquire the baseball fever before they desire 
clothes. Within 10 yeai’s those natives are wearing 
velour hats, patent leather shoes, watches, silk 
stockings and Palm Beach suits, and buying tooth¬ 
paste, talcum powder and lipsticks! And they work 
to earn the needed money. The same tactics may be 
employed to make those banana-eaters feel that it 
would be a sin to fail to eat a baked apple for break¬ 
fast and a raw fruit before going to bed! There is, 
without question, a great chance to develop a fruit 
mai’ket in the Oi’ient. This market natui’ally be¬ 
longs to our Westei’n growers. Why do they 
not develop it, rather than crowd in upon the East¬ 
ern market? 
Few of our readers can realize how “salesman¬ 
ship is employed to pxish American business in 
foreign lands. For example it has been noted that 
the Turkish people are fond of “soft drinks.” The 
Koran enjoins against drinking intoxicating liquors 
and the warm climate calls for frequent cooling. 
There are no “soda” fountains in Constantinople 
and the scheme is to open several in various parts of 
the city and “educate” the Turks to drink “soda 
watei - .’ That will lead to a gi’eat demand for foxin- 
tains, fixtui’es, syrups and other parts of the outfit. 
That is one way of developing foreign trade. There 
will be an organization of manufacturers willing 
to put up the money for this advertising. It will all 
come back in ti’ade. The Turks might be as easily 
induced to eat and di’ink apples—the latter in the 
form of apple juice. Such work cannot be done 
without complete organization. 
Handy Ladders 
send pictures of ladders which we have been 
using for some yeai’s, principally for picking 
cherries. The step-ladder has a platform on the 
top which makes a good safe place to stand or sit 
while picking. I have three of this kind mounted 
on buggy wheels, which makes them stand very 
securely, if the bracing is done propei’ly, while at 
the same time they can be moved as easily as a 
wheelbarrow on soft land. The women will not 
use any other if they can help it, and with the 10-ft. 
one the top of a good-sized tree can be reached. 
The rung ladder, also mounted on wheels, can be 
either touching the tree, which prevents tipping'up, 
or as in one picture, a pole used to prop it, when xt 
Step-ladder Mounted on Buggy Wheels. Fig. 273 
that with old, tall trees, thinning of the fruit cannot 
be done satisfactorily, and lai’ge qixantities of blem¬ 
ished fruit is sent to market. For years we prac¬ 
ticed thinning apples on large trees; men with 22- 
ft. ladders working upon the tops, and women with 
5 and 10-ft. step-ladders working xipon the lower 
branches. The cost for this work vai’ied fi’om 50 
to 80 cents a tree, according to yield and height 
An Oriental Apple Market 
On page 638 I noted your editorial on the disposal of 
the Western apple crop in competition with that of the 
East.^ I have long been wondering why those people in 
the Far West do not seek and build up a trade in the 
Orient. 
Two or three years ago a Filipino who was studying 
here at our institution roomed with me, and when I 
took him one evening a McIntosh apple, he was very 
enthusiastic and said: “Do you know that we never 
have these in our islands only at Christmas time, and 
then they are 25 cents each?” I doubt not that this is 
a condition that prevails in much of the Far East, and 
1 believe the Pacific coast growers could build up a 
trade there which would be far superior to the one they 
are crowding to build here, and one which our Eastern 
growers will probably never try to supply. Can you 
not suggest this through your far-reaching paper to the 
people of the Pacific coast ? a. t. stevens. 
Connecticut Agricultui-al College. 
T HE Pacific coast people seem to have developed 
a great Oriental trade iu some products; it 
seems reasonable that vast quantities of their fruit 
could be sold in that distant territory. Our Amer¬ 
ican people consume gi’eat quantities of bananas, 
and we think that with proper effort a great trade in 
apples might he developed among the banana-grow- 
ing folks. “Trade follows the flag,” and salesman¬ 
ship has worked out mii-acles in wild places. The 
American salesman lands upon some far distant 
island where the inhabitants seem well satisfied to 
go about clothed in a palmleaf fan and a smile, and 
find their needed vitamines in bananas and bread 
fruit and an occasional shellfish. The so-called ne¬ 
cessities of civilization are not of enough value to 
pay for the exertion needed to chase after them. 
Then comes the salesman, with his appeal to human 
nature. Within a year the natives ax’e actually will¬ 
ing to work in order to earn the money needed to 
Another Handy Fruit-picking Ladder. Fig. 274 
will stand xip entirely alone, so that the outer ends 
of limbs can be safely picked. Every cherry-picker 
knows how difficult it is to pick the ends of high 
limbs. I find the step shown in the picture, which 
hooks onto any l’ung ladder, a gi’eat convenience, 
as with it a person can turn with his back to the 
ladder if he needs to, and use both hands for pick- 
in &- J. B. JOB. 
