7ht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
I 113 
Horticultural Notes 
Dropping of Peaches and 
Plums 
We have a number of peach trees about 
three years of age. They were laden with 
peaches up to the middle of June, but all 
dropped. The leaves are already turning 
yellow at this time ( July 15). We also 
have a few plum trees, but the fruit never 
matures. Is it possible that the trees are 
weak from lack of nourishment? R. E. A. 
Millington, N. J. 
This question of dropping of fruit has 
been long and carefully studied, and it 
seems that every time somebody takes up 
the subject he finds another interesting 
contributing cause. In the case of plums, 
dropping is most commonly due to im¬ 
proper fertilization, either because of im¬ 
proper pollen or because the weather is 
adverse at blossom time. Again, brown 
rot may cause dropping of both peaches 
and plums, whereas curculio is often re¬ 
sponsible. In some localities one of the 
fruit flies has caused repeated loss of 
plums, and lack of vigor ascribed to in¬ 
jury from borers or severe cold or to poor 
soil are other causes. It would not be 
unwise to try from % to 1 lb. of nitrate 
of soda per tree to see if it will help to 
hold the fruit. H. b. t. 
Getting Lettuce to Head 
Will you kindly tell me why I cannot 
head lettuce? I set out two rows of Big 
Boston in April and I had the finest let¬ 
tuce you could buy. Then I set out two 
more rows about three weeks later and it 
went right to seed. G. S. 
Rockville Centre, L. I., N. Y. 
Of course one must recognize the fact 
that there is head lettuce and leaf let¬ 
tuce, and he must plant the head lettuce 
seed if he expects to grow head lettuce. 
But, aside from that point, it should be 
said that lettuce is a cool season crop. 
If you will notice the shipments of head 
lettuce during the season you will observe 
how they begin in Florida, travel up the 
Atlantic coats, and finally, late in the 
Summer, come from Duluth and the north¬ 
ern sections. 
In the central latitudes it is next to im¬ 
possible to raise head lettuce from out-of- 
doors plantings before the arrival of hot 
weather. If the heads have not formed 
before hot weather the plants will go to 
seed. If the heads have just formed as 
the hot weather arrives, the plants may 
suffer from tip burn or may become bit¬ 
ter. Consequently most head lettuce is 
started under glass so as to have it ma¬ 
ture in the cool, moist conditions of 
Spring. Some of the black-seeded vari¬ 
eties are more tolerant of hot weather 
than others. H. b. T. 
Training Currant Bushes 
What is the proper treatment for old 
currant busdies in the Fall? Shall I cut 
the old canes down and allow the new 
shoots to grow for next year’s crop, or 
can I divide the large bushes and reset 
them and have them bear next season? 
Madison, N. J. H. E. F. 
The canes that are over three years old 
may be taken out any time between the 
harvest of the fruit and before growth 
starts in the Spring. Usually they are 
removed in the Fall, since growth begins 
very early in the Spring and one may be 
caught unprepared in the rush of an on¬ 
coming season. It is the practice to leave 
from three to four to six to eight canes 
to the bush. The weak and low canes 
from the new growth should be cut out, 
leaving enough of the new ones to pro¬ 
vide a continuance of new wood to re¬ 
place that whidi has been taken out. 
h. b. t. 
Sunscorch of Maples 
I am inclosing a twig with some leaves 
on from one of our maples. Can you tell 
what is wrong with the trees? Three 
years ago one of the trees started to turn 
brown during July or August, and as we 
had but little rain those Summers we 
thought possibly that was the reason. 
This year, as soon as the leaves were 
about half grown the points started to 
curl up and turn brown. If it is a 
blight like the chestnut trees had, then 
there is nothing that can save the maples. 
Suffern, N. Y. F. S. 
The leaves of the hard maple which 
were received were brown in spots and 
patches. This is a common occurrence 
on hard maples and is ascribed to “sun 
scorch.” There is nothing that can be 
done unless it be to cut back some of the 
branches if the trees are seriously af¬ 
fected, so as to reduce the leaf surface. It 
seems that the trouble is due to insuf¬ 
ficient water supply, either because there 
is not enough moisture in the ground to 
supply the losses through transpiration, 
or because the roots have been injured by 
Winter injury or through some other 
means and are therefore unable to pro¬ 
vide sufficient water to the leaves. It is 
not a blight like the chestnut trees have 
suffered. Most often maple trees over¬ 
come what appears at the time as a seri¬ 
ous malady. h. b. t. 
Leaf-spot of Raspberry 
I am sending a leaf of raspberry. The 
leaves are turning yellow very fast. Can 
you, tell us what is the matter and sug¬ 
gest a remedy? I. W. G. ,, 
In ordinary years there is little trouble 
from leaf-spot, though in some seasons 
severe injury has been reported from va¬ 
rious sections of the country. The leaves 
which I. W. G. sent showed the small 
spots characteristic of the disease. Some 
varieties suffer more from it than do 
others. Herbert is more frequently af¬ 
fected than most other commercial varie¬ 
ties, and in wet seasons foliage injury 
may be so severe that Winter injury the 
following Winter may result from de¬ 
vitalized shoots. Either Bordeaux 4-5-50 
or lime-sulphur is recommended as spray, 
making applications shortly after the leaf 
buds unfold and at intervals of two or 
three weeks for several applications 
thereafter. More often it will not pay to 
spray, because in most years the leaf-spot 
is not of economic importance. H. b. t. 
North Carolina Notes 
The writer sympathizes with the lady 
who writes from Tennesee. We have had 
the same old rainy weather, and indeed 
still have it. My adjoining neighbor cut 
his wheat a couple of weeks ago, saying 
to me that he meant to stack it as soon 
as possible to keep the English sparrows 
from getting it all. There it stands, a 
water-soaked mess. 
Yes, we have the Mexican bean beetle 
with us now, and he is no minor problem. 
He looks much like the helpful and honest 
little ladybird; indeed he is a ladybird 
gone bad. He has departed from the tra¬ 
ditions of his family, and turned traitor 
to the farmer. The remedy is to dust 
with lime-arsenate and lime or hand¬ 
pick and either plan has its serious draw¬ 
backs. When one goes into a wet patch 
of rank growing beans and paws them 
over daily to pick off the disgusting little 
fuzzy larva which are found on the under 
side of the leaves, it can well be imagined 
what sort of a mess comes off it in a few 
days. Who could retain his appetite for 
string beans when he had to think of 
them having been seasoned with arse¬ 
nate? Of course it can be washed off. but 
I confess, no amount of washing could 
remove the thoughts of it for me. No— 
no beans for me, thank you. Then just 
how much dusting would be necessary 
during such a rainy spell as we are now 
having? Just how far this pest will 
spread, or to what extent the damage 
will be, one can only surmise. If he 
gets so numerous that he will attack the 
Soy bean and cow pea, I think yours 
truly will retire from the farm. F. E. B. 
Biltmore, N. C. 
Notes from Ontario Co., 
N. Y. 
We have been having changeable 
weather the past month, getting a good 
rain July 31, which was much needed. 
Haying is about through with, and was 
not a heavy crop, especially mixed hay. 
Wheat harvest is very late; but very lit¬ 
tle harvested as yet. The crop is poor, 
being thin on the ground and short straw. 
It is a puzzle what has become of it, as 
it looked good in the Spring. Spring 
crops are looking good, considering the 
lateness of the season. The Summe” 
meeting of the fruit growers was held 
July 30 on the large fruit farm of Chas. 
S. Wilson at Halls. The meeting was 
largely attended, considering the rain in 
the forepart of the day. Spraying and 
dusting demonstrations were given by ex¬ 
perts with their various rigs, also trim¬ 
ming trees and culling fruit. The large 
packing house was open and the differ¬ 
ent grades shown. A large tent operated 
by the ladies of the church furnished eat¬ 
ables for the crowd. Games were enjoyed 
by the young people. Several counties in 
the State were represented. e. t. b. 
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