Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-12

The supply of first grade apples is
exceedingly short throughout the
country and exports are far in excess
of previous years at this season. The
crop was nearly a total failure in the
Western and Middle States and very
short in New York and Pennsylvania.
Michigan, Wisconsin and New England
furnished the main supply. The fail
nre of the crop was, in the main, due
10 excessive rain at the blooming
period, which prevented the fertiliza-
ton of blossoms by insects, and also
to the fact that the following weeks Of
humid weather were favorable to the
development of insects and diseases
both of fruit and tree. With this state
vi affairs before him, the farmer or
fuit grower who has supply of ap-
PIES large or small should make money
but of them. Don't put them on the
market just as gathered from the field,
but grade them carefully, sending the
pS1lCCI SpOclluCHo well pdShOu III oAibii
packages to the city markets to be
sold as fancy fruit, and selling the i'll
ferior grades in bulk at the home or
nearby market. This way of handling
a crop will increase the returns very
materially when the market is short
with increasing demand.
Tree Protector.
One of the serious troubles of fruit
growers in most sections is the dam
age done the trees during the winter
by rabbits and mice. All sorts of
plans have been tried to prevent this
gnawing of the bark smearing the
bark with axle grease, tar and other
preparations has been found only par
tially successful Protecting the trees
with wire netting is expensive, he
cause only the finest meshed wire will
answer the purpose. The lath protec-
tor is better than any other protector
used, and may be constructed at leis-
ure times under cover and put on as
rapidly as they are completed. The
laths may be cut two or three feet long,
according to the height of the tree
trunk Use No 10 wire or iron or cop
per. The wires are fastened to each
lath either with loop or by staples,
one wire being placed two or three
inches from the top and bottom, and
third in the middle. The lathes are
placed about quarter of an inch
apart so that when drawn together in
the cylinder form they will not quite
touch each other. In fastening the
wire to the lathe allow each end to
project two or three inches. After TIE
protector is put up and drawn together
In circular form the two ends of the
wire are twisted close together holding
the lath in place. The protectors are
allowed to remain around the trees
winter and summer until they rot or
She trees outgrow them.
Late Work Among Strawberries.
From anxiety to mulch strawberry
beds the mistake is frequently made of
putting on the mluch too soon, or of
putting it on before the beds are in con-
dition to receive it. Wet weather pre-
vented late cultivation of many straw
berry beds, and the general plan is to
let the work go over until spring. This
is all wrong. There will be open days
in early winter before the proper time
for application of mulch, when the
ground is sufficiently dry for work,
and such days should be utilized in
cleaning out the weeds between rows
and among the plants, work that would
have ordinarily been done in late sum-
mer and early fall. 1t will pay to do
this work and thus prevent heavy
crop of weeds in the spring, which
otherwise would get good start be-
fore the ground is dry enough to work.
If this wedding is thoroughly zone and
the beds are mulched after the ground
freezes the result will be a good crop
of berries and poor crop of weeds
next season.
Orchard and Garden Hints.
Peach yellows, that formidable enc
my of the peach grower, can be pre-
vented, it is said, if the following treat
ment is applied in the earlier stages of
the trouble. Just before the buds swell
pour boiling soap suds over the trunk
and larger branches. The soap used in
making the suds should be of the hard
kinds usually used in kitchen work.