New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-30
CURRENT FAKM TOPICS.

Mr.. Charles VI. iinvcy refers m The MdssachHsciis
PioHghmdH to u matter rarely mentioned IN print
but which fgu Growers aud housekeopcr must
often have thoug AIT Of-tho SIZE oF STRAWBERRY
STEMS AND HULTs We picked some berries, Of tho
newer kinds tai, season which seemed to be about
one-thr1 cayx. aud Others IA which like the old
Hoyey IN. waste was comparatively small This
Is a consideration which should not perhaps bo IL
uored By propagators IN making up standard Of
excellence for their guidanc" m the ceasoless quest
OF the elusive perfect strawberry:
Every person who has had experience in hulling
strawb berries realizes how much better 10 ~ to have
"a berry pointed at the end where the stem IL at
tached. Such berries cannot only he hulled very
rapidly but the work can bc well done. leaving tho
berry without "A bfuise and tho skin unbroken
WHAT uond such strawberries as Sharpless. Bid
well. Wilson, and even Downing look like If sent TO
market without the huils a. strawberries were
twenty years agof lhuy could bc sent only as
Jam aud how many quarts could he gathered IN
Que day by oEe picker IN TINS wayI let TIE late
Mr. j. q. Wellington. If Belmont. had
pickers who could pick put up top oil and
prepare for the market 10 boxes day
ct HOycys Seeding without tho belnish
Of q single fruit Sharpcss and many others have
n stem thick and stout II can scarcely be sepa-
rated by the fingers on the contrary, the stems
even OF the very argcst berries of the lloVcy arc
scarcely larger than pm. and snap on as ist rs
the berries can lac handled, without breaking the
stem OF the adjoining uurpN berry. Then aIan the
form OF the hull IL quite "s mpor ant - the ne.
Manchester IN gotrge towers nearly halfo tho lar
gcst berries aud adheres close 10 tho fruit ana 40
do most II not all the neN strawberries: On the
contrary, li0ycy's has short neck, and the very
eIna calvx is reileXcd TO be seized hold Of at
once. without touching the fruit"
Major Henry Emery. Lowell. Mass, has
RECLAIMED swAMPIAND once constantly covered
with water using 20. 900 feet Of underdrain stone,
plank and tilel. so that teams travel over any
portion Of it with perfect safety. Further pirlicu
lars OF the work and It's results g,vcn in The ".
T.. Farmer:
In connection with and making part Of the
drainage system. are numerous wells aug ana
stoned mp, into which the water flows from various
directions before being taken away bg single main
drain These serve tho double purpose OF furnishing
good drinking water for men and cams at work. and
enabling inspection OF The flow and condition OF the
drains at all tines while IN winter the open wells
take of any surplus surface water that otherwise
might he retained ard form an ice covering very
damaging 10 the crops underneath. sixty tons OF
hay now annually grow, where but two Oh three
years ago wafer covered the gouhd INC Sear
through"
Concerning the LIBERAL FERrlLIZINd OF the
farm above referred to, &c havo this information:
Tho annual application Of inanurcs includes
about 700 cords OF night SOIL 40 TO 100 cofhs OF
horse manure from the city and Is tons OF chemical
fertilizers besides the manure made from fifty cows
kept for supplying milk To city customers Inc
night SOIL collection is paid for By the ornors at
rates which mako 10 OF very low cost delivered on
the land ready for composing with sand ana Ioai'
Extra wages are paid for thus work, but help
enough rs always at command, some OF tno VOTE
being done in the daytime, tight casks taxing tho
place of the regulation night soil wagon box
The comparative exemption Of wAYslDE FRUIT
TRIES from deprodatons OF insects and blight aud
consequent profuctveness. Is referred to by the
The Germant0pn Telegraph, and the suggestion made
that this effect may I've largely due to road-dust rs
the crop is usually in proportion 10 the quantity that
settles on the leaves:
This has been frequently noted in regard 10 Ola
pear trees In gardens along roadsdes but as 10 the
cherry II Is very striking especially low,headed
pie cherries. which moro easily covered WIN
dust than trees of larger size. The trees do not
seem to lind II In the least. IL Ia supposed mat
the plant breathes through its leaves-how III does
tins when covered with dust IL is not for us TO say.
IL may be that the minute insects which crowd on
fruit trees generally don't like dust indeed, people
do say that II 10 TO destroy insects that chickens so
love 10 cover themselves with dust. Again some
people have notion that mauy fruit diseases come
IRON minute fungi, which develop on the leaves ana
branches and soon cover the whole surface. de-
stroylng tissues as they 20. 1t may be that aoso-
lutely dry dust falling these minute Juicy little
plants may suck the moisture out of them and
leaves them high and dry. We do not pretend 10
discuss any Of these proDos tons At the same timo