192 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
each week, if very dry, because the moisture is essential to growing 
nursery stock; and if possible, we prefer to have the stock worked twice 
each week "when very dry. 
Our method of cultivating during very dry weather is to use a two- 
liorse cultivator, a two row, Planet Junior, which will do one row at a 
time, and then if there are several unmashed clods, we take the clod 
masher, or sled and run down the center of each row, so the clods will 
not be exposed to the sun and get dried out, as we want to keep the 
moisture near the surface of the ground. But we do not believe in work¬ 
ing in this manner and leaving it under sled for long at a time. Thorough 
cultivation will save one-half of the fertilizer bill, and if you keep 
a mulch crop of sorghum, cow peas, and crimson clover on during the 
winter, it will save you the other half of the fertilizer bill. 
Berlin, Md. J. G. Harrison & Son. 
Editor of the National Nurseryman: 
We enclose renewal of our subscription. Your journal is very inter¬ 
esting to us as it gives information on the fruit tree side of the business 
in which we are specially interested, whereas the other trade papers 
seem to cater more for the greenhouse side of the trade. 
Yours faithfully, 
Lowdham, Notts. A, & C, Pearson. 
Correspondence. 
A SHOT AT STRINGFELLOW. 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
The claims that our friend Stringfellow sets up, reminds one very 
much of the patent medicine men who never allow but one side of the 
story to get into print. I have been living in the adjoining county to 
that in which Mr. Stringfellow now lives, some thirty years, so when I 
heard of him planting out about two thousand fruit trees in the sage 
grass prairie of Lampassas county, and with all the side roots cut off to 
conform to a small hole made by a crowbar, of course it suggested some¬ 
thing supremely ridiculous. I soon learned from one of his near 
neighbors, as might be expected, that failure was complete, but Mr. 
Stringfellow continuing to advocate the same principals together with the 
ability'- to produce some fine samples of fruits, my curiosity lead me to 
visit and see for myself, his home orchard. I found it to be in what I 
consider—the highest state of cultivation, and not untilled, as his 
statements would indicate. It is true the lot is sodded with grass, but 
its also true that none of it is allowed to encroach near enough to in any¬ 
way damage the trees. Every blade is perfectly under control, cor¬ 
responding to a well kept lawn, each tree growing in the centre of 
thoroughly prepared and worked fertile soil. This orchard with his 
residence, is beautifully situated on the hillside, and underlaid with 
rock at just about the right depth to make drainage perfect, even in 
excessively wet spells, as was the case here this year, up to about the 
first of July. Allowing the grass to grow this year also helped to ex¬ 
tract the surplus moisture. Here we have the one extreme under per¬ 
fect control. Now for the other, it’s a well-known fact here in Western 
Texas, that it makes no difference how rich the land is, if there 
is no moisture, nothing will grow. But what do we see when a 
drought is on? An oasis in the desert as it were, by the influence of 
subrigation. 
To understand the advantages of subrigation ovei surface irrigation, 
one will have to see for themselves. Mr. Stringfellow it must be re¬ 
membered, is a gentleman of leisure, and is able to personally attend to 
every detail. He is a close observer, also a fluent and prolific writer, 
hence it’s to be deplored that he lacks the ability to be better able to 
discriminate. A small part of my Pecan orchard! call the Stringfellow 
orchard, it is struggling for existance, while the other part is fruiting 
nicely. The next time I have the pleasure of talking with Mr. String¬ 
fellow, I hope to find out the results of his experience from sowing 10 
acres of wheat out in the unbroken prairie which he claimed would be 
free from diseases, and is the natural wav for it to grow. 
San Saba, Tex. ' ' G. E. Risien. 
DEPARTMENT STORES. 
Referring to your note regarding Department Stores, we have to say 
that while in Philadelphia they have been handling Dutch Roses and 
odds and ends, for the last few years, these however, only reach a certain 
class, and we do not think interfere largely with our trade, although 
occasionally they secure customers who are attracted bv the extremely 
low prices at which they sell the stock, but we are perfectly able to make 
sales in competition with them owing to the fact that they give no 
guarantee as to the plants living, or their being true to name, etc. We 
have never had any orders from any of the Department Stores to sell 
our stock, as they usually import the cheap Dutch Roses. 
West Chester, Pa. Hoopes, Bro. & Thomas. 
JNotc and Comment 
Kieffer pears in Burlington County,-N. J., were sold on the track the 
latter part of October, for half a cent and less per pound. Bartlett 
pears in western New York brought two and two and one-half cents per 
pound in August. All things tend to gravitate to their natural levels in 
this world. 
AGRICULTURAL CAPITALISTS. 
We hear organization of capital in various parts of the country. A 
striking note comes from England, where it is said a syndicate with a 
capital of $500,000, entirely contributed by land owners in northeastern 
England, has been formed. The purpose of this syndicate is to market 
the fruit and farm products more economically that has been possible 
in the past. 
FUZZY PEACHES. 
The Rural New Yorker has a symposium on the question of whether 
wooly skinned peaches are more rot-resistent than are those which are 
relatively smooth-skinned. The evidence and opinions of such men as 
S. D. Willard and Geo. T. Powell, of New York; Waugh, of Massachu¬ 
setts; Ballou, of Ohio; Trinkle, of Indiana, and Skilman, of New 
Jersey, are unanimous in believing that the fuzz is no protection against 
rot. 
IN THE SOUTHWEST. 
Large farming enterprises are being organized in Arkansas, and the 
Southwest. Kansas City capitalists have incorporated a company 
under the name of the Sunflower, Truck, and -Fruit Co., to develop a 
thousand acres of land on the Kansas City Southern Railway, in the 
vicinity of Lipton, Ark. The crops to be grown are largely fruit crops. 
Orange picking began in Florida early in November, and the move¬ 
ment of oranges was under way vigorously by the middle of the month. 
The shipment of Florida truck, cabbage, cauliflower, egg-plant and, 
the like, began to appear in the New York market early in November. 
Cauliflower sold at $2 to $2.50 per barrel, egg-plants, from $2 to $2.75 
per barrel. Florida peas sold at from $1,50 to $1.75 per half barrel 
basket. 
Shippers in the vicinity of Fennville, Mich., are making preparations 
to bring action against the local railway for the heavy losses sustained 
in the transportation of fruit this fall. The Fennville Fruit Shipping 
Association is the active complainant. 
APPLES IN STORAGE AND CROP OF 1905. 
According to the estimates of the American Agriculturist the apple 
crop of the year just closing is practically one-half of the average of the 
three preceding years. It appears that New York, Pennsylvania and 
Michigan contribute twice as much as any other three states of the 
Union. Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee have moderate crops, 
while New England has less than half a normal yield. 
It is estimated that on the first of November, there were 125,000 
barrels of apples in cold storage in Chicago. The arrivals were not 
heavy but fairly regular. There were about 500,000 barrels on the 
Falls road, N. Y., this fall as compared with two to three millions last 
year at this time. There is confidence among apple dealers that some 
money is to be made in handling this staple fruit in the year 1905-6. 
VEGETABLES IN EASTERN TEXAS. 
The conditions among vegetable growers in eastern Texas appear to be 
very discouraging. The potato crop is one of the staple crops of the 
region, and in the past has been a standard money maker. Last year 
potatoes failed. This year many potato planters were unable to raise 
money to buy seed. The extremely wet Aveather of the summer of 
1905 prevented groAvers realizing the usual large return from the 
secondary crops, such as tomatoes, peppers and the like, so that there 
is a general stringency in the money market of the region. It is prob¬ 
able that a good season or two will set the growers on their feet again, 
but at present the outlook is rather discouraging. 
