Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-04-06
A BATCH OF TIMELY QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS.

A BATCH OF TIMELY QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS.
CUTTING sCloNS AND GRATING. PRUN-
ING FONTS. FACTS ACoUT CoRELESs
ArPLEs. BEST CHEMICALS FOR CORN.
A correspondent asks how 10 cut sci
ons, and wants recipe for grating wax.
Scions NAV be cut any warm day IN
winter or early spring before the buds
begin 10 swell. They should be stored
In cool cellar where they will neither
dry nor start to grow. Slightly damp
sand will keep them perfectly, so viii
damp moss. Scions are sometimes cut
the day they are set, but this Is not a
safe practice except early in spring
when IL Is usually too cold TO graft
with comfort. IL there Is any differ
ence the scion should always be little
behind the stock in starting into growth.
Grating wax is made Of rosin, beeswax
and tallow melted together in proper
tions TO suit the operator. An old
recipe Is four parts rosin. two OF bees
wax and one part OF tsllow. Another
reverses the last two. Both OF these
will stick 10 the hands IL used dry.
With wet hands they may be applied
more readily. A better wax, though
more costly, is made Of three parts each
OF rosin and beeswax and two OF tallow.
When the ingredients are melted they
should be poured into a vessel OF cold
water, and when cool the mass can oe
worked like molasses candy. Drawn
out into convenient sized sticks aud
rolled in paper they may be kept any
length Of time and be always ready for
use.
Another correspondent asks how TO
pruue a grape vine and when 10 do IL.
To answer the last question first, the
best time is as soon as the leaves are
all of in the fall. IL done then IL will
not be neglected later as is too often
the case. The vines cannot be handled
when frozen without danger of break
ing or splitting, otherwise there would
be no harm in cutting of the surplt :
wood so any time In winter before tie
sap begins TO run. Some successful
growers claim that no hsrm will follow
pruning up TO the time growth Begin.
How 10 prune depends upon the cond :
ton OF the vine. II IL Il an old one
long neglected, IL may be as well 10 cut
n back so severely as To get no CROP
the first season but strong growth OF
new wood for the next years product
There are several methods Of pruning
but sll pointing in one direction, th'
encouragement of healthy new WOOD
for next years fruiiing, the old 10 b''
cut away after bearing one crop. also
the shortening ia of the new wood Il
prevent the setting of more fruit than
the vine can carry u perfection. A
common fault in pruning Is Ia leave an
excess o: new wood and more bunches
of fruit than the vine can ripen thor
oughly. After summer growth Is well
l, il well TO nip the ends Of
the new shoots 70 prevent wood growth
Al the expense OF fruit. This should be
done after the fruit is set, but few
good thrifty canes should be saved
without nipping 10 grow for next years
fruiting. IL too much fruit sets part OF
il should be taken of and in some cases
il is well TO thin out the berries on the
bunches.
Mr.. Gilbert OF the Maine Farmer"
apples being produced by grating the
scion wrong end up. Neither have |,
bat there are such apples and | would
like 70 learn as much about them as
possible, and il was for this reason that
/ asked readers 20 tell me what they
knew in the matter. and | AIN glad that
Mr.. Gilbert has made like request of
the orchardists of Maine. None OF the
writers thus far heard from have had
suy personal experience in producing
coreless apples; they have known OF
trees that produced such fruit, but the
origin l. in the dark. or little better
than darkness. Mr.. u. >. Bliss OF
Georgis, VT, has eaten such apples
grown last season by neighbors living
near him who have few trees that
came from scions OF trees known 10
have produced coreless fruit in their
dav. bat nothing Is definitely known OF
how the original variety Was produced.
The Georgia apples begin 10 ripen early
and continue 10 mature all the fall. The
owner of one OF the trees says there are
cores aud even seeds 10 some OF the
latest, though very iDfrequently. This
was true. think, of some OF the fruit
Of the Hopedale tree alluded 10 in my
previous talk on the subject. | have AS
much faith in producing coreless apples
BY setting scions the top end down as |
have in that old story OF apples half
sweet and half sour being produced by
dividing scions or buds OF different vari-
eties and adjusting the halves so nicely
that they will grow single shoot as
though no such nice job OF surgery had
beenper formed. Facts are wanted, not
hesr Who has or who can produce
a coreless apple;
AZ of Blackstone. Mass, has an
acre Of land which he wishes to plant
10 corn this spring, and asks which are
the best chemicals TO buy for II. III
was wood land thirteen years ago and
he burned il over, sowed TO grass seed.
IL has been in pasture ever since.
That Is a question that no human be-
ing can answer and be sure that IL Is
answered right. ANY complete fertil-
izer from manufacturers with good
reputation NAV be applied with reason
able hope OF success, provided always
that the user does his part In the way
OF cultivation, aud the season is fairly
favorable. IL unmixed chemicals are
bought it will be safe 10 rely on muriate
of potash, dissolved bone and nitrate OF
soda. The latter would be most profit
ably applied at two or three different
times through the early summer. "a, II
il is all put on At once, II might be
partly wasted by heavy rainfall. Last
wear cottonseed meal was one OF the
cheapest forms in which to buy nitrogen
What fertilizers 70 buy will be perez
nisl question, expect, for some time
vet TO come.-A. W. CHEEyER, In New
England Farmer
Eight sugar-beet factories have been
:. ,ha nasf sQasDu in this