The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1127 
Summer Horticultural Gatherings in Penn¬ 
sylvania, New Jersey, New York, 
Connecticut 
C OMBINED MEETINGS—The Summer meet¬ 
ings of the State horticultural societies in 
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connec¬ 
ticut were held this year in conjunction with the 
national fruit growers’ organization, the American 
Pomiologioal Society. Beginning a three-d'ays’ tour 
of Pennsylvania at Waynesboro on August 4, a large 
gathering of growers spent the day in Franklin 
County under ideal weather conditions, and en¬ 
joyed the excellently planned tour north to Cham- 
bersburg and then across to Gettysburg for the 
night. Here the sod orchard is seen at its best, and 
clean cultivation becomes the exception 
and not the rule. Yet the trees ap¬ 
peared vigorous and thrifty, while the 
growers explained that the prevention 
of washing on the hillsides was of ut¬ 
most importance. Here in one of the 
most progressive sections of Pennsyl¬ 
vania the system of orchard manage¬ 
ment best suited to conditions has 
been reached through trial and ex¬ 
perience. If sod is the best system for 
this section, then sod it should be. 
AN INSTRUCTIVE TOUR. — Of 
course to outsiders Gettysburg be¬ 
comes famous for historical reasons, 
but removed from this setting it still 
has a charm. Nothing more could be 
desired than the heights and slopes of 
surrounding orchard land. The tour 
through Adams County, long known in 
fruit-growing circles, was as delightful 
as it was interesting. In and around 
Riglerville some excellent orchards 
were seen. At the field laboratory at 
Arendtsville a half-pint of leaf-hoppers 
were exhibited as the catch from one 
single apple tree—not counting those 
that got away—and the proximity of 
the Japanese beetle was foretold by the 
discussion of that pest. The afternoon 
was spent in and around Flora Dale, 
where a most interesting stop was 
made at the Tyson Brothers’ orchards, 
while in the evening a meeting with 
the York County Growers completed 
the day. 
HOME OF THE YORK IMPERIAL. 
—The third day of the tour, August 0, 
saw the string of cars heading towards 
the Springwood Orchards of John C. 
Schmidt, and the monument to the 
York Imperial apple, but some eai’ly 
risers were blessed with the good for¬ 
tune to visit the vineyard of J. K. 
Gross at York, whose writings on in¬ 
arching of grapevines have recently 
been seen in these columns. There is a 
great deal more that this revered 
octogenarian might tell, and we hope 
that he will let no opportunity slip. 
But to return to the tour—there is no 
doubt that the past success and fu¬ 
ture welfare of this section of Pennsyl¬ 
vania is bound up with the York Im¬ 
perial apple. A meeting at Elizabethtown with the 
Lancaster growers at noon, combined with the run 
from there to Bridgeton, N. J., via Wilmington, 
Del., completed a full day. To those to whom this 
part of Pennsylvania is new, there is an amazing 
realization of the agricultural prosperity of the sec¬ 
tion. The sturdy Dutch “L-shaped” houses, each 
with its garden, the fields of tobacco and corn, in¬ 
dicated the reasons Lancaster County is reputed to 
be the richest agricultural county in the United 
States. Talks from visiting and home orchardists 
and horticulturists at the various stops were added 
attractions of an excellent tour. 
THE NEW JERSEY ROUTE.—In New Jersey, 
Bridgeton was the starting place. The line of march 
had been most thoroughly prepared, and each place 
of interest was designated by number and recorded 
by number on printed sheets so that all who passed 
knew what they were supposed to see. But it had 
to be well-planned for there are over a thousand 
members of this vigorous State society, and there 
were over 100 cars in line. The Seabrook Orchards 
with their hundreds of acres of peaches and apples 
were the wonder and amazement of all who had not 
seen them before, and the vegetable and flower and 
nursery activities were quite inspiring. It would 
take too long even to enumerate the many points 
of interest from Bridgeton to Glassboro, but any 
who were not along missed a real treat. The follow¬ 
ing day saw a continuation of the tour through Cam¬ 
den and Burlington counties, finally winding up at 
the home of Senator Emrnor Roberts for a delightful 
luncheon. The ravages of the Japanese beetle were 
plainly to be seen on almost every class of foliage 
and the Oriental peach-moth was always in evidence. 
Speaking programs both days were full of informa¬ 
tion. 
A NEW YORK PICNIC.—New York held its east¬ 
ern meeting at Claverack on the following day. Un¬ 
like the meetings in the other States, this meeting 
was one primarily for a picnic and a good time. A 
goodly number enjoyed to the utmost the hospitality 
This shows a rural songfest experiment in Wayne Co., N. Y. Cars gathered on 
Sunday afternoon for a service of song. 
Photograph of asparagus grown by W. C. Renehan, Windsor Co., Vt. ( who, by the 
way, has named his place Hope Farm). The variety is Argenteuil. The bunch of 
four stalks weighs an even pound, while the other bunches have six and seven stalks. 
Mr. Renehan says that no special treatment was given. In that case our folks will 
want to know what common treatment is in his country. Except as a matter of 
curiosity these big stalks are not very desirable in most markets. People want a 
medium-sized tender stalk. 
of Clifford Miller, and turned homeward with old 
acquaintances renewed. 
CONNECTICUT FEATURES.—For those who 
continued the trip into Connecticut there were two 
profitable hours to be spent at Greenwich at the 
Conyers Farm. Here is one of the finest, largest, 
and best managed orchards in Eastern America. Its 
proximity to market makes it all the more valuable. 
At Mount Carmel the annual field day of the Ex¬ 
periment Station was held in conjunction with the 
Connecticut Pomological Society and the American 
homological Society. After a tour of the grounds 
and after the completion of a short speaking pro¬ 
gram the societies continued their journey through 
the orchards of W. A. Henry and J. A. Martin, and 
from thence on past the Barnes Brothers’ Nurseries. 
The next day was not auspicious for an orchard 
tour, but it is a question whether the heavy rains 
were not of more value than the tour. Surely the 
travelers who had endured a temperature of 100 at 
Lancaster and the dazzling heat of Bridgeton en¬ 
joyed the downpour to their hearts’ content. And 
in spite of the rain a meeting was held at the 
Rogers Orchard at Shuttle Meadow that lacked not 
at all in hospitality, cordiality, interest, and good 
will. In the packing house a most delicious lunch¬ 
eon was served, and a speaking program in the 
afternoon followed a brave and profitable trip 
through the rain-soaked and well-kept orchards. The 
American Pomological Society on its 5,000-mile tour 
through 17 States furnished speakers at all the 
gatherings, adding greatly to the success of the sev¬ 
eral tours, and thousands of growers carried the 
new slogan throughout Eastern America — “eat 
fruit.” 
AMERICA’S BIGGEST ORCHARD TOUR. — 
When the 23d day of August is ended and the last 
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society program 
has been completed, the curtain will ring down on 
one of the biggest orchard tours ever planned and 
carried out. On July 14 the tour of the American 
Pomological Society to increase the consumption of 
fruit began in Kentucky with the pur¬ 
pose of visiting 17 States east of the 
Mississippi River, so arranged as to 
fit in with the dates of the Summer 
meetings of the various State horti¬ 
cultural societies through which the 
tour progressed. In the official car 
journeyed relays of fruit specialists 
picked up in different States and car¬ 
ried into others, helping to round out 
the programs of the horticultural so¬ 
cieties and adding to the interest of 
the trip. The total mileage will be 
over 5,000 miles, and the States visited 
will have included Kentucky, Indiana, 
Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, 
West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, 
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, 
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, 
New Hampshire, and Vermont. The 
American Pomological Society through 
this effort to bind the fruit growers of 
America together once more comes into 
its own, and takes its place among the 
leading horticultural agencies of Amer¬ 
ica. Seventy-five years ago there was 
no question of the importance of this 
society to American fruit interests, but 
with the advent of the experiment sta¬ 
tions and other publicly supported in¬ 
stitutions the major part of the so¬ 
ciety’s activities have gradually been 
taken over. But now with the crying 
need for the expenditure of effort and 
thought upon marketing problems, the 
“national association of fruit growers” 
has seized upon a golden opportunity 
and started out to popularize fruit in 
the eyes of the American people with 
an “eat more fruit” campaign. 
STATE MEETINGS.—The meeting 
in each State is in charge of the State 
Horticultural Society and has usually 
consisted of a tour within that State 
together with, a regular speaking pro¬ 
gram supported by the speakers 
brought into the State by the national 
society. Attendance has run as high 
as a thousand, and the cars on tour 
have reached well over the hundred. 
A part of the time has been devoted to 
explaining the “eat more fruit” cam¬ 
paign, and orchardists returning from 
the meetings have carried the slogan 
“eat fruit” into every section of the States through 
which the tour has passed. Any effort that re¬ 
ceives the whole-hearted support of the American 
fruit grower is worth consideration. Not only are 
the growers receiving valuable technical informa¬ 
tion from out-of-State speakers as well as those 
from their own State, but they are also catching 
the trend towards united effort, while the consum¬ 
ing public wherever the tour has passed has heard 
and seen the slogan “eat fruit” many times over. 
'There is no question but that a live and welcome 
chord has been struck in the hearts of American 
fruit growers. The progress of the campaign and 
the results of the tour will be worth watching. 
H. B. T. 
Statement of an Alfalfa Problem 
How I wish I had some fields seeded to Alfalfa ! I 
want to try it, and am asking your help in advising me. 
The contemplated field is about two acres. It slopes 
gently to the west. It is now in meadow. Last time 
I seeded it there must have been some Alfalfa in the 
clover seed, because here and there Alfalfa stems came 
in and have lived three years—are alive today—and 
this with no inoculation. How shall I proceed? 
Here is my plan : Plow this Fall, all one way, east and 
west to insure drainage. Put on lime and manure this 
Winter. Seed to millet next year. Plow again. Lime 
