THE FARM AND GARDEN, 



since, Ave years ago, I could travel many miles 

 over our country road and not see a windmill, 

 now I go over the same road, and the siglu is 

 quite different: on nearly every farm is a wind- 

 mill, and Mr. Farmer assures us that it would be 

 quite impossible for him to do without it, and so 

 it is with the engine. Farmers are just discover- 

 ing that with these they can save a great amount 

 of labor, and that they pay for themselves in a 

 short time. They cut feed, punip, run fanning 

 mills and grindstones, put in hay, and can be 

 made to do many other things. All who use 

 them, I am sure, will sa.v as X do ; and as is said 

 about the windwill, " Inipo.ssible to get along 

 without it." We are just waking up to this im- 

 portant fact. 



As for being managed bv " hired l|,elp," this all 

 depends on what kind of help is hired. All en- 



fines require watching, tlierc is the water-gauge, 

 he steam-gauge, the pump, the oil-eups, and llie 

 Are that require it; we learn in a short tinn' to do 

 this, taking up but very little of our tinn-. If an 

 engine and boiler are left alone, to take care of 

 themselves, miaethiinj is going to happen, and It 

 Is best to leave them entirely by themselves when 

 this does happen. 



We have used an engine for many years, and 

 I believe we would as much think of giving up 

 our horses as our engine. 



I think the engine will become as popular on 

 the farm as the windmill is now, or even more so. 

 I want all to think of this, and see If an engine 

 could be profltably used on their farms." 



We often ^tend time in looking up valuable, 

 tuygeslions and testing them for our readers. 

 We want no untried theories, but facts. Plain 

 facts always sjyeak for themselves. 



SEEDLINGS AND NEW VARIETIES. 

 Sy IT', a Steele, .Siritzerland, Florida. 



If there are any readers of The Farm ANn 



G.iRDEN Who are experimenting in the raising 

 of new varieties of fruits from seed, I wish to call 

 their attention to some facts wliicli may be of 

 interest to them. 



I have been comparing the list of strawberries 

 offered by a prominent nurseryman In 1881, with 

 the list he offers this year. I find that in msi his 

 list contained' fiftv-three varieties, in 1SS4 he 

 offers fifty-seven. But in the fifty-three oflered 

 in 18.SI only thirty-two find a place in his cata- 

 logue this year. Two old varieties werti restored 

 to the list this year, but of the fifty-seven cata- 

 logued twenty-three were entirely unknown 

 three years ago. Of the twenty-one dropped by 

 him in three years, only ten are now ollered by 

 other nurserymen. 



.Another catalogue for 1881 contains a list of 

 Bixty-five varieties, thirty-two of which are not 

 found in the list first mentioned. Of these thirty- 

 two, fifteen are still found in the catalogues of 

 other nurserymen, but seventeen are not found 

 many list that 1 have at hand. Here, then. Is a 

 total of twent.v-elght varieties that were listed 

 three years ago which are not offered now. Jlore 

 than that, over twenty varieties, included above, 

 that are still olli-red, are vi'ry selilom called for, 

 and it usually costs nurscrynieii iiicnc t<i keep up 

 their stocks of su.-li kinds, than tli.> total amount 

 ot their receipts from all sales of these varieties. 

 More tlian one-fourth of these fifty varieties 

 were sent out only a few years ago with wonder- 

 ful descriptions and most extravagant claims. 

 Many of them proved utterly worthless for 

 general cultivation, though often valuable In the 

 locality where they originated. At least two 

 proved to be old varieties sent out a second time 

 under new names. 



In the catalogues for this year there are over 

 twenty vaWeties marked ••nne," though some of 

 them have been out two or tliree years. It is 

 safe to say that not five of these "new" kinds 

 will be known ten .years hence. 



In raspberries a similar state of affairs exist-s, 

 though the lists are hot so long. In fact not 

 more than a dozen new rasplwrrles have been 

 offered to tlie public In the last three years. And 

 among these are two which, if not Identical, are 

 so nearly alike tliat It puzzles an expert to detect 

 the difference. Several others are worthless for 



feneral cultivation, and will never be successful 

 eyimd the narrow liiiuts of their original home. 



I do not wish to discourage the growing of seed- 

 lings by these statements, for there is still i,I,,ntv 

 of room for Improvement. We have, as yd, n.. 

 strawberry of !/n„d t/i,„lili, that Is so unlversallv 

 successful and prolitable as the Wilson. I think 

 however, tliat many experimenters are strivui'' 

 for the impossible. They are aiming to get a 

 nrst-elass table berry, and a solid, tougli, shipping 

 berry in the same variety. I do not believe that 

 this will ever be done. A strawberry may be 

 ".■;'" ."•hd solid as the Wilson or Glendale, and 

 still be very much sweeter and better flavored, 

 nut it must be comparatively dry. A sufiiclent 

 quantity of Juice to make a berry first-class for 

 "ible use. renders It too soft for shipping. 



There is, however, a wide field open to experi- 

 menters, where there are, at present, very few 

 at work, and where tiio reward of success is sure 

 to be large. There has been but one new variety 

 of currant olfered for sale for many years that 

 was of American origin, and that undoubtedly 

 V'!^vea a bonanza to the disseminator. There Is 

 «ri p''®*'' room for Improvement In currants. 

 ^'\i^<iWe need is a variety as productive as the 

 TIM r"^''" superior to, or even equalling, the 

 White Dutch in fiavor, and as liirge as the 

 Cherry. 



Gooseberries have been Improved in England 

 until their size has become enormous, their 

 quality excellent, and their productions wonder- 

 lul. Every one there who grows fruit at all has 

 gooseberries. In this country they are very 

 scarce, and we have no varieties that will com- 



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 editors. 



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 EvansviUe, Indiana. 



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 Austin, Texas. 



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Mrs. Mary E. fiRovER, 

 Za Paz. Marshall Connly, Indiana. 



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 AND Garden that I will uot be without it." 



R. Herriot. 

 Princeton, Indiana. 



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 Tifflin, Heneca Oo.. Jf. V. 



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Temple, Ma ine. 



"I received more benefit from mv Adv. in Farm and 

 Garden than any other paper." G. A. Bonnell. 



Waterloo, X. Y. 



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 the subscription price of the paper for a year." 



C. A Parker, 

 Little Sock, Ark. 



"We think we can't keep on the farm wiihout the 

 Farm and Garden." o. H. Goodhue. 



McBride, Montcalm Co., Mich. 



"January number of Far.w andGardkn received last 

 evening. I will give it to one of our best lariuers, as I 

 prize it. Will you please send me anotlu-i ei,i.\ ?" 



GE(>i;i;e J.a'siier, 

 Marianvitle, .'ijchenertady, Co. 



"!• want always to he a subscriber to the Fap.m akd 

 Garden." Willia m L. Estlee, 



Canton, Fla. 



"The best farmer's guide that was ever put throUKh 

 the press." j. k. now, 



Macon City. Macon County, Mo. 



•Farm and Garden has given us much valuable 

 information during the past vear." 



Mrs. M. D. E. HopFt-NE, 



Otiden City, Vlah. 



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 premiam." i;. T. Osbokn, 



Ea.^t Mosiches, iv. 1'. 



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 the best papers of the many I take.'' 



Charles W. Parker, 

 142 diaries .Street, Boston, Mass. 



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J. W. RisT, 

 Chicopee Falls, Mass. 



pare favorably with those of England. Foreign 

 varieties of gooseberries do not succeed in our 

 hot, dry climate, yet in view of the fact that 

 wild gooseberries are common tiiroughout the 

 United States, and that we have two or three 

 cultivated varieties that ciin be grown success- 

 fully there is no excuse for the present state of 

 affairs. It Is simply neglected opportunities that 

 has produced it. 



Willie the raising of seedlings from our best 

 native varieties will undoubtedly lead to great 

 improvement, yet crossing them with some of 

 tile better Mnglish kinds seems to i)roiiiise better 

 results. Some have chiimcd that foreign goose- 

 berries can be successfull.v grown in tiiis country 

 by training them to single stems, not allowing 

 them to send out any branches until they reach 

 a height of from twenty to thirty Inches from 

 tlie ground. Probably if grown in partial shade, 

 and trained in this way, they would at least 

 afiord an opportunity for crossing with our 

 native varieties. Beion- closing this article I 

 w^h to say a word about sending out new fruits. 



1 he reason that .so many highly pufl'ed varieties 

 of fruit drop from sight almost as suddenly as 

 they appeared, is because they had only been 

 tested in one locality. While they might possess 

 great merit at iiome, yet on different soil and 

 under different climate and cultivation they may 

 prove to be utterly worthless. The onlv remedy 

 for this is to send out plants to parties' in other 

 slates to be tested. Yet this course Is open objec- 

 tion. It is a sad fact that originators of new 

 fruits have had tlielr trusts betrayed, and found, 

 when ready to ott'er their seedlings for sale, that 

 others had larger stocks of ]>laiits for sale than 

 they possessed. I see no wa.v, as our laws now 

 stand, to prevent this except by exercising great 

 care In selecting tlic parties to test the new seed- 

 ling. Still, if I had a new fruit to offer, I think 

 that I should run the rislc and have it thoroughly 

 tested before sending It out to the public. 



THE LAWSON PEAR. 



By Williant Parry, J'arry, S\'ew Jt rsey. 



The original Lawson pear tree is now over one 

 hundred years old, anci still healthy, and grows 

 In a cleft of rock in Ulster County, New York. 

 The fruit of tlie Lawson was such a beautl- 

 lul and early pear, that it soon had a great 

 local popularity, and was highly esteemed in 

 market, and the trees are now ottered to the 

 jiublic by nurserymen, and will be widely dis- 

 tributed, and the public will find it one of the 

 most beautiful and siileable pears ever intro- 

 duced. The Lawson ripens with the little Doy- 

 enne d'Ete, but equaling in size and earlier than 

 the Beurre Giflard and Chamber's pears. The 

 tree is a vigorous, upright grower, with clean, 

 healthy foliage, mudi resembling the Early 

 Harvest and .Jeirerson pears in appearance and 

 habit of growth. The trees are very healthy, 

 and the original tree has never suft'ered from 

 diseaseor blight, but is still vigorous In growth, 

 and grafts cut in 1S.S3 from the original tree are 

 now making a rapid growth tit the Pomona 

 Nurseries, Burlington County, New Jersey. The 

 young trees are very productive and early hear- 

 ers. Fruit is large for an early pear, many 

 measuring nine inches in circumference, firm, 

 and a good shipper, most beautiful yellow, nearly 

 covered with a rich crimson color; flesh crisp, 

 juicy and pleasant^, good, though not best m 

 quality, and should be used before It gets over 

 ripe, which is in central New York fnna the 

 middle of July to the first of August. When 

 grown farther south, where the climate is two or 

 three weeks earlier, the pear will be valuable to 

 filant for early shipment to New York markets, 

 where It has already sold at from two to four 

 dollars for a half-bushel basket, or at the rate of 

 from ten to twenty dollars per barrel. The 

 Lawson will always seil well on account of Its 

 exquisite beauty. It will prove one of the most 

 valuable and stilable early pears grown. 



HAVE YOU A 



GARDEN? 



IF YOU HAVE YOU WILL NEED 



SEEDS 



And wil! want the Best at the least 

 money. Then my new Seed Catalogue will 

 surprise you. No matter where you have 

 been dealing ii will save money. It is mailed 

 Free to all, and you ougbt to 

 ha'Ve it before buying anywhere. 



WM. H. MAULE, 



129 & 131 South Front St., Philadelphia. 



IIV.OOO Hiibscribers from each Stale wrill innke 

 one list ;{00.U00 and over. Please do yomr share 

 and Henii us a club ot* Vi, Ijei it be here by 

 February 1.5tli, if you.can. 



WELCOME 

 OATS! 



N 



E 

 W 



The f-arlii-Ht httuiefit and im-st pro-iudive oats ever intro- 

 duced, weighing 50 lbs. per level bushel. JStrunu, xtraiuhi, 

 sfif .t(ra'r, o to 6 feet high, heads "Jtl to 24 inches long ; they 

 stool abundantly.Bingle grams producing 40 to 75 BtaJEs ; sac- 

 ceed everywhere in the U. S. Our supply is grown from 

 original hew/'fiartt r.s s'-fd, a.nd ff'iara/tl^ed airictlif pure and 



ffnuine. Prices: lb. 4()cts ; :5!b8., $1.00. postpaid; bushel 

 1.50; 10 bushels. $1.3; Sobushwlsand over, $1.20p6rbu8hel, 

 bags included. Ainrricaii Triutnph Oat.-^, a handsome 

 newvanety from Vermont; has yielded over 1 1)0 bllt§lie!s 

 totheacre. Bushel,$1.50; 10 bushels, $i;j. \V/>>fe Iie!'/ia>i, 

 Washington, Cunadum. Surprise, and other good varieties 

 atlowpnces. ^;^'Order noir and get onr new f?ar.#^/f and 

 Fttrmjlanualin ffl Ann in t^ASH PRIZKS for best 

 which we offer J)l JUUU productsof ourseodsin I 885. 

 JOHJVSOM &. STOKES, PhUadelphtg, Pa. 



FIKST-CLASS In every I 

 RESPECT. FEW EC ^ 

 NONE BfiTTF 



BURPFF'S SEEDS 



UUnikb Q FARM ANNUAL fOR 18851 



I Will be sent FREE to all who write for it. It 1b a Handsome Book of 1 20 pases hundreds of I 

 I beautiful new illuBtrationfl, two Colored Plates, and tells all about thn bi=st Farm and G arden I 

 I Heeds, including IIVIPORTANT Novelties ot Heal Merit. Farmers, Market Gardeners, audi 

 I Planters »ho want the BEST SEEDS at the i.OWEST PRICES send address on a postal to I 



IW. ATLEE BURPEE & CO.. PHIUDELPHIA. PA.f 



