Farm Notes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4435, 13 July 1909, Page 4

Farm Notes.

. . ‘ * . THE DELICIOUS APPLE. !>• • A KECENT INTBODUOTION. fcf; The American apple, Delicious, which Was introduced to this State a few sea* sons ago, is now being extensively planted. Concerning the tree and its fmit an’American paper states that the most discriminating city trade is satisfied with the variety. It is a Jar ere, handsome apple, well coloured, tender, and with the most exquisite flavour. It originated in Madison County, something like 13 years ago, and has since been grown in many of the leading apple sections of the United States. Its high quality makes it especially satisfactory as a table fruit, and for this purpose the demand is Unlimited. Mr Jesse Hiatt, the originator of the variety, still has the original tree on his lowa farm. It is' 15 years old, and 13 inches in di* ameter at the ground. The tree is a very vigorous grower, and branches something like the Winesap. The vicissitudes of the climate, the report continues, and the attacks of insects seem to have little effect on it, and Mr Hiatt states that it bears an - nually and can always be depended upon. It has a peculiarly pleasant flavour, and a delicious fragrance. It keeps well during the winter, and many of the best judges place it at the head of the list for all purposes. M,r J. M. Zion, an apple orohardist of considerable reputation in Indiana, states that the cold weather has little effect upon it. The fruit is of such high quality that it is always sold in boxes. In Chicago a bushel box sells at the uniform price of £1 to 255. At least, that has been the ruling price of the last tWo years of rather advanced values for apples. It is exceedingly doubtful whether any other apple surpasses it, all things considered. Its leading characteristic is its splendid flavour, and the tenderness of its flesh. It is aim a * handsome apple, and will attract attention anywhere.

41 Next season's wool clip will be the greatest ever known in the Wait a" rapa,” is the opinion of a farmer in that district, The beneficient autumn and winter seasons experienced up to the present time, he says, have made the wool grow so rapidly that already there is on the sheep's back a quantity almost equal to an ordinary year's yield, though there are three or four months yet to pass before the shear* log season comes.

To kill the weeds on the lawn there is nothing better than sulphate of ammonia ; a pinch is death to all weeds, and strange to say, it is a valuable manure for grass, though too much of ir. is detrimental. The spreading roots of the plantain can best be killed' by stabbing them with a pointed instru* meat, and then putting sulphate oj ammonia upon them, a piece about the size of a marble will be quite sufficient, It is also the time for trim* ming np lawns, Baking the lawn all over »the first step, after cutting it, pulling up any pieces of Yorkshire fog or cocksfoot that may have crept iD. Then the places should be marked where the patches will require to be sown and dressed, Places where the grass is good, but a depression exists, cm easily be remedied by spreading finely sieved soil over it, and raking it level before rolling. In spring, any parrs that are bare should then receive a good top-dressing of light, fine soil after sowing the seed—Crested dogs tail, hard fescue, sheeps fescue, or other of the small grasses—and the whole rolled level. By going systematically over the lawn it is wonderful what an improvement can be made.