7ht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
March  10,  1925 
380 
get  it.  They  must  demand  virgin  wool  with  tin* 
brand  and  the  manufacturers’  name  on  the  doth. 
Then  they  must  watch  sharp  to  got  it.  The  New 
Jersey  clothiers  have  just  met  at  Atlantic  City  and 
our  champion,  Alexander  Walker,  met  with  them  to 
discuss  the  question.  He  was  opposed  by  a  shoddy 
advocate.  Again,  he  presented  the  subject  to  the 
Massachusetts  clothiers  in  Boston  and  another 
shoddy  man  was  appointed  to  answer  him.  He 
claimed  it  is  “class  legislation.”  It  is,  for  a  class 
with  09  per  cent  of  the  people  in  it.  and  only  op¬ 
posed  by  one  per  cent  who  want  to  make  money  on 
wool  garbage.  The  people  must  help  themselves. 
Business,  transportation,  profession  and  manufactur¬ 
ing  have  boon  doing  it  for  them,  while  politics  never 
thinks  except  for  itself.  The  farmers  who  are  sullen 
have  no  right  to  blame  them.  The  men  who  wear 
shoddy  deserve  nothing  better.  w.  w.  KKVN'or.DS. 
No  Two  Buds  Alike 
Part  II. 
URPLE  BEECH. — One  of  the  most  striking  ex¬ 
amples  of  bud  variation  that  1  ever  saw,  and  a 
thoroughly  typical  case,  was  upon  a  tree  of  purple 
birch.  This  is  a  so-called  ornamental  variety  of  the 
common  white  birch  which  has  dark  purple  foliage 
instead  of  the  good  healthy  green  more  commonly 
seen.  My  surmise  is  that  this  originated  as  a  bud 
variety  of  the  white  birch.  At  any  rate,  this  large 
tree  of  the  purple  variety  which  grew  for  many 
years  near  my  otliec  -door,  used  to  throw  out  every 
Spring  two  or  three  shoots  bearing  typical  bright 
green  leaves.  In  order  to  keep  the  tree  to  its  pur¬ 
ple  character  it  was  necessary  every  Summer  to 
cut  out  these  reverting  green  branches.  We 
never  propagated  from  this  tree,  but  unques¬ 
tionably  we  might  have  reproduced,  by  suit¬ 
able  nursery  methods,  both  green  and  pur¬ 
ple  birches  from  this  one  plant.  Variations 
<>f  this  somewhat  extreme  type  used  to  bo 
called  “sports.”  Nowadays,  since  they  have 
caught  the  attention  of  scientists,  it  is  fash¬ 
ionable  to  call  them  by  bigger  names;  but  the  idea 
is  just  the  same  as  it  was.  Nobody  knows  what 
causes  them. 
“PEDIGREE  TREES.”— But  we  do  know  that 
such  sports  can  be  easily  reproduced  by  making 
grafts  or  cuttings.  It  would  be  fairly  easy  to  find  a 
thousand  instances  in  which  this  lias  been  done 
commercially.  And  the  fact  that  these  “sports”  can 
be  so  easily  and  successfully  propagated  has  been 
accepted  by  horticulturists  as  evidence  that  the 
smaller  variations  seen  in  their  everyday  orchards 
could  be  reproduced  with  equal  certainty.  Tn  recent 
years  this  has  been  attempted  commercially.  Cer¬ 
tain  nurserymen  have  offered  “pedigree  trees”  to  a 
hopeful  public.  Now  a  pedigree  tree  is  simply  one 
grafted  or  budded  from  some  known  parent  tree, 
presumably  from  one  producing  fruit  of  specially 
line  quality  or  in  great  quantity.  Some  nurserymen 
and  some  orchardists  think  they  have  achieved  sub¬ 
stantial  improvements  by  this  practice.  Unfortu¬ 
nately  for  our  wavering  faith  the  scientists  have 
come  along  and  east  doubts  on  the  whole  transac¬ 
tion.  Some  of  the  most  learned  and  solemn  gentle¬ 
men  in  the  fraternity  say  it  is  all  moonshine.  Now 
with  a  crop  waiting  to  be  picked,  and  barrels  yet  to 
be  found,  and  the  hired  men  waiting  to  be  paid,  we 
cannot  take  the  time  to  follow  their  intricate  argu¬ 
ments,  but  the  matter  is  so  serious  and  its  practical 
hearings  so  obvious  that  we  can’t  ignore  these  warn¬ 
ings  altogether. 
CAUSES  OF  VARIATION.— These  men  who  are 
checking  up  on  the  facts  say  that  the  differences  of 
color,  maturity  or  fruitfulness  which  we  see  among 
various  trees  of  Elberta  in  our  orchard  are  due  to 
local  differences  in  soil  or  drainage,  or  to  the  influ¬ 
ences  of  variable  stocks.  These  causes  are  mani¬ 
festly  adequate  to  explain  the  differences  as  we 
commonly  find  them.  And  this  consideration  would 
leave  us  very  much  in  doubt  as  to  our  ability  to 
reproduce  such  differences  by  any  known  means  of 
propagation.  However,  the  horticulturist  is  prone  to 
fall  back  once  more  on  his  general  knowledge,  and 
to  say  that  there  are  still  those  differences  due  to 
organic  bud  variation,  and  that  these  certainly  can 
be  multiplied  just  as  is  actually  done  with  all  the 
bud  varieties  of  roses,  carnations.  Begonias,  purple 
birch  or  cut-leaf  beech.  The  most  striking  experi¬ 
ments  of  recent  rimes  have  been  those  made  by  A.  It. 
Shamel  on  lemons  and  oranges.  In  Southern  Cali¬ 
fornia.  where  this  work  has  been  clone,  good  types 
of  eitras  fruits  have  been  selected,  propagated  and 
planted  in  orchards  with  results  which  seem  to  be 
unequivocally  on  the  side  of  the  horticulturist. 
Equally  clear-cut  results  with  apples  or  peaches 
have  not  been  reported,  though  the  presumption 
would  be  that  the  same  practices  would  yield  the 
same  results.  It  is  not  possible  just  here  to  enter 
into  a  detailed  review  of  all  the  evidence,  to  cite  and 
criticize  all  the  experiments;  but  we  shall  have  to 
allow  that  until  the  thing  is  done  in  a  practical  way 
on  an  orchard  scale,  no  one  ought  to  claim  that  the 
case  is  settled ;  certainly  one  ought  not  to  recom¬ 
mend  a  practice  not  fully  demonstrated  for  general 
adoption;  but  quite  as  certainly  the  horticulturists 
still  believe  in  the  principle  of  “pedigree  trees”  and 
ho]>e  the  time  will  soon  come  when  this  principle  can 
be  us(id  in  general  fruit  growing. 
“TYPES”  GOOD  AND  BAD— In  the  meantime 
nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  important  differ¬ 
ences  do  exist  within  many  well-known  varieties. 
Different  types  of  Fameuse  apple  are  everywhere 
recognized,  though  some  of  the  most  striking  dif¬ 
ferences  in  this  old  variety  have  been  explained  as 
arising  from  the  French  habit  of  propagating  from 
seed.  Strikingly  different  types  of  Gravensteiu  are 
known,  however,  and  some  of  these  certainly  arose 
as  bud  variations,  and  some  of  them  can  certainly 
be  reproduced.  Baldwin,  Ben  Davis  and  almost 
every  other  widely  grown  variety  has  shown  sim¬ 
ilar  divergencies  of  type.  The  Bartlett  pear  is  a 
famous  case  in  point.  Some  of  these  types  are  so 
much  unlike  as  to  have  been  separately  described  in 
the  books  on  pomology. 
THE  PRACTICAL  SIDE— The  upshot  of  the 
whole  argument  is  this:  The  horticulturist  who 
most  closely  studies  the  material  with  which  he 
works,  be  it  birch  trees,  shrubs,  roses,  potatoes, 
strawberries  or  fruit  trees,  will  certainly  find  dif¬ 
ferences  between  individuals  of  the  same  variety. 
Some  of  these  differences  will  be  slight,  some  will  bo 
more  marked,  some  will  be  emphatic.  Some  of  them 
will  be  of  considerable  commercial  importance,  at 
least  potentially.  The  aforesaid  horticulturist,  if  he 
is  true  to  his  calling,  must  then  most  seriously  con¬ 
sider  whether  he  can  propagate  from  the  better  indi¬ 
viduals  in  his  collection  with  any  certainty  of  repro¬ 
ducing  the  observed  good  qualities.  Practical  ex¬ 
perience  and  scientific  reasoning  agree  that  the  more 
marked  variations  can  probably  be  propagated.  No¬ 
body  lias  yet  dared  to  say  in  advance  of  trial  wheth¬ 
er  minor  variations  can  he  reproduced  or  not.  But 
if  a  difference  seems  to  be  of  genuine  commercial 
value,  the  chances  are  in  favor  of  it,  and  the  hor¬ 
ticulturist  should  make  the  trial.  Only  he  should 
adopt  some  of  the  scientist’s  caution  and  not  jump 
at  conclusions.  When  he  has  really  increased  the 
yield  of  his  orchard  20  per  cent,  or  raised  the  qual¬ 
ity  two  grades  by  his  selective  propagations  will  he 
time  enough  for  him  to  file  his  claims.  Quite  clearly 
all  our  races  of  fruit  trees,  like  the  once  popular 
human  race,  are  far  from  perfect.  One  of  the  most 
conspicuous  things  about  them  is  the  possibility  of 
vast  improvement.  And  that  is  exactly  why  a  man 
with  brains  in  his  straw  hat,  who  thinks  hard  about 
what  he  is  doing,  is  most  likely  to  make  a  success. 
p.  A.  WAUGH. 
Wind  Mill  Electricity’ 
THE  article  on  page  4  seems  to  me  is  hardly  fair 
to  the  wind.  I  am  an  old  man,  and  electricity 
from  the  wind  has  been  my  particular  hobby  for 
some  years,  so  you  and  your  readers  can,  if  you 
choose,  make  some  allowances.  Six  years  ago  my 
first  windmill  was  installed.  It  not  only  lighted  our 
humble  Florida  home  beautifully,  but  charged  my 
electric  automobile  so  I  ran  it  four  or  five  miles 
every  day.  lmt  as  improved  roads  came  I  rather 
wanted  to  go  more  and  a  little  further,  so  after  two 
or  three  years  I  put  up  a  second  windmill  and  in¬ 
stalled  flatiron,  heating  pad  to  warm  my  feet,  and  a 
little  foot  stove  at  my  desk,  when  we  did  not  want 
to  go  to  the  trouble  of  building  a  fire.  A  year  ago  1 
added  a  “fireless  electric  cooker.” 
Now  about  this  article,  which  gives  the  average 
life  of  windmills  as  eight  years.  Our  wind  wheels 
make  only  about  25  revolutions  per  minute,  and  run 
on  roller  bearings.  With  this  slow  motion,  and 
properly  eared  for,  the  electric  mill  should  last  sev¬ 
eral  times  eight  years.  The  writer  also  figures  bat¬ 
tery  for  three  years.  Tf  the  power  (wind  or  en¬ 
gine  l  is  applied  while  the  work  is  being  done,  the 
battery  has  little  to  do,  only  to  equalize  the  current. 
My  batteries,  six  years  old,  are  still  doing  good  ser¬ 
vice.  Of  course,  in  towns  and  cities  where  current 
is  offered  at  low  rate,  a  windmill,  or  even  a  lighting 
outfit,  may  be  a  poor  investment,  but  how  about  the 
farmer  and  small  towns  where  there  is  no  current  to 
be  had?  A  year  ago.  when  I  wanted  still  more  cur¬ 
rent  for  my  experiments,  I  installed  engine  and 
generator  (cost  about  $175)  to  be  used  when  the 
wind  did  not  blow.  The  present  Winter  so  far  has 
given  less  wind  here  in  Florida  than  fur  the  last 
six  Winters,  and  we  never  get  the  wind  here  they 
have  in  the  Far  West.  A  gallon  of  kerosene  that 
costs  15  cents  here  wul  run  the  electric  auto  about 
15  miles,  or  a  cent  a  mile.  When  there  is  no  wind 
at  all  it  takes  about  two  gallons  a  day  to  furnish 
current  to  do  all  our  work.  With  fair  wind,  the 
windmills  save  about  30  cents  a  day.  But,  hold  on ! 
When  we  have  a  big  wind  it  stores  the  batteries 
enough  to  last  two,  three  or  even  four  days.  When 
a  breeze  comes  up  in  the  forenoon  when  I  am  at 
work  among  my  potatoes  in  the  garden,  it  gives  me 
several  thrills,  and  one  of  these  is  the  dollars  it 
blows  into  my  pockets  on  saving  the  kerosene.  1 
think  the  maker  of  pumping  windmills  quotes  cases 
where  mills  are  now  running  that  have  run  20  or  30 
years,  with  almost  no  expense.  The  principal  ex¬ 
pense  of  my  mills  has  been  the  long  rubber  belt,  that 
costs  about  $15,  and  is  guaranteed  for  three  years. 
A  new  windmill  is,  however,  now  just  coming  out. 
that  needs  no  belt  nor  expensive  gearing,  and  the  one 
great  wheel  of  slow  motion  pumps  electricity  exactly 
as  a  pumping  mill  pumps  water.  With  any  electric- 
outfit  for  farm  use,  you  must  have  a  generator  en¬ 
gine,  batteries,  switchboard,  etc.  The  windmill  sim¬ 
ply  takes  the  place  of  the  engine.  When  I  go  up 
town  or  out  in  the  country,  l  tell  the  people  I  feed 
my  horse  neither  corn,  oats,  nor  hay;  I  feed  him  on 
“wind.”  a.  i.  root. 
Florida. 
A  Handy  Belt  Shifter 
THE  picture  (Fig.  139)  shows  a  simple  but  bandy 
belt  shifter  which  will  hold  the  belt  ou  either 
pulley  when  two  pulleys  are  used.  It  was  made  by 
cutting  slots  in  a  short  G-in.  board  (see  15 g.  1). 
The  sliding  part  was  made  from  a  fi-iu.  board  about 
10  in.  long,  cut  down  to  a  handle  on  one  end  and 
•two  20-penny  nails  driven  in  the  other  end  far 
enough  apart  for  the  belt  to  run  between  (see  Fig.  2). 
Spools  or  wooden  rollers  can  be  used  on  these  nails, 
which  will  reduce  the  weight  on  the  belt.  Drill  two 
holes  in  sliding  board  to  fit  slots  and  place  a  holt 
in  each  one,  using  two  nuts  on  each  bolt,  one  each 
G= 
L I 
Slots 
o 
< 
o 
1 
-i 
I 
-> 
Nut: 
3 
Details  of  Belt  Shifter.  Fig.  139 
side  of  board.  Of  course  bolts  must  first  be  placed 
through  slots;  then  one  nut  put  on,  after  which 
sliding  board  and  other  nut  is  put  in  place  (see 
Fig.  3).  It  can  be  fastened  to  the  wall,  as  in  my 
case,  or  to  the  floor  possibly  in  some  other  cases, 
that  depending  on  where  the  machine  the  belt  oper¬ 
ates  is  set.  When  the  shifter  is  moved  to  either  end 
of  the  slots  it  drops  down  %  in.,  which  holds  it  in 
place  until  lifted  and  moved  to  the  other  side. 
New  York.  roy  bighxow. 
Half  the  Garden  in  Sod 
I  am  planning  to  divide  my  garden  in  two,  and  crop 
one-half  to  vegetables,  the  other  half  to  put  down  to  a 
clover  or  clover  and  grass  crop,  to  plow  under  for 
humus  either  in  the  Fall  or  Spring.  What  crop  is  favor¬ 
able?  Which  is  better?  Fall  or  Spring  plowing  under? 
It  is  pretty  costly  here  to-  grow  a  garden  of  any  size. 
My  garden  is  80x100  ft.,  and  I  haven’t  much  time  to 
work  it.  During  1920  I  worked  a  tract  75x185,  about 
one-fourth  acre,  plowed  and  harrowed  ouce.  The  esti¬ 
mates  were  $20  ami  $14.  L  finally  had  it  done  for  $10. 
I  planted  a  piece  75x100  last  Fall  to  rye  and  vetch,  to 
be  plowed  under  in  the  Spring,  for  potatoes.  I  limed  it 
and  am  now  spreading  poultry  manure  over  it|  and  will 
broadcast  phosphoric  acid  on  it  in  the  Spring,  and  after 
plowing  and  harrowing  expect  to  use  a  potash  fertilizer 
of  ground  tobacco  stems.  What  do  you  think  of  that? 
Willow  Grove,  Pa.  a.  w. 
WE  should  use  Aisike  clover,  either  alone  or 
with  rye,  seeded  in  the  Fall  after  the  garden 
has  been  cleared.  Our  understanding  is  that  you 
will  follow  a  rotation — one  year  in  garden  and  one 
year  in  a  sod  of  clover  or  some  similar  crop.  We 
advise  plowing  such  a  crop  under  in  Spring.  It  is 
true  that  men  with  gardens  must  pay  dearly  for  a 
small  job  of  farming.  If  rye  is  used  with  the  clover 
it  might  be  better  to  clip  off  the  rye  at  about  two 
feet  high,  and  also  the  second  growth.  Leave  these 
cuttings  on  the  ground  to  protect  the  clover.  With  us 
Aisike  has  been  very  useful  for  this  sort  of  cropping. 
The  plan  you  outline  is  good,  except  for  using  the 
lime.  Neither  rye  nor  vetch  respond  freely  to  lime, 
and  we  do  not  like  to  use  it  just  before  potatoes. 
This  plan  of  conducting  a  garden,  one-half  in  sod 
each  year,  is  a  good  one.  It  keeps  the  soil  well  filled 
with  humus,  and  also  keeps  it  clean  and  quite  free 
front  plant  diseases. 
