1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST, 



83 



protect the effort to make sugar in America. Mr. 

 J. J. Gregory, of Marblehead, takes up the Jour- 

 nal, and shows that there has been remarkable 

 progress of late years, and the American Agricul- 

 turist gives the following figures in support of this 

 position : 



"The fact is well established that some varieties, 

 especially the "Amber" and the " Orange," will 

 yield a large amount of crystallizable cane sugar, 

 and that the cane contains the largest percentage 

 of sugar at the time the seeds are ripe. It is found 

 that after the cane is cut, the cane sugar in the 

 juice rapidly changes to grape sugar, and that the 

 cane should be worked up within a few hours after 

 cutting it. The making of sugar, on account of 

 the expense of machinery and the skilled labor 

 required, cannot be profitably followed by individ- 

 uals. There needs to be co-operation among 

 farmers to establish and operate sugar w-orks on 

 the same plan that cheese factories are carried on, 

 or they may agree to cultivate a certain number of 

 acres in cane, provided capitalists will establish 

 factories to work it up. In several Western States 

 companies have erected factories and cultivated 

 their own cane on a large scale. These have gen- 

 erally been reported as financially successful." 



Good Potatoes. — Referring to potatoes, Mr. 

 Benj. P. Ware, in a recent address before the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, remarked : 

 "As to potatoes, since the Early Rose was raised 

 and sold for three dollars a pound, and a cow given 

 for a single tuber, farmers have seemed to be 

 crazed on the subject, and we have been flooded 

 with new varieties, many of which are seedlings 

 from the Early Rose, and some of them are better. 

 Burbank's Seedling is a better cropper, keeps well 

 and is white and of excellent quality. The Early 

 Ohio is earlier than the Early Rose and has the 

 requisites of a first-class variety. Goodrich's Seed- 

 ling originated near Haverhill, and received a 

 prize offered by the Essex Agricultural Society for 

 the best seedling potato. It is a strong grower, 

 keeps well and is a firm variety. Clark's No. i is 

 excellent. The Bell is probably the best new va- 

 riety ; several persons who have tested it in com- 

 petition with twenty others claim for it better qual- 

 ities than are possessed by any other ; it is very 

 productive and remarkable for its uniform size ; of 

 pinkish color." 



Green Corn. — Mr. B. P. Ware believes that 

 the early varieties formerly raised were not 

 sweet, but now we can have sweet corn from the 

 earliest ripening to frost. The Marblehead is 

 earlier than any other — even the Narragansett or 

 Minnesota. The stalks are small and the ears are 

 produced near the ground. Mr. Ware recom- 

 mended to plant three or four varieties, which 



would become fit to use in succession, and in this 

 way two plantings would be enough. Next after 

 the Marblehead comes Crosby's Early, then 

 Moore's Early, and for a late variety either the 

 Marblehead Mammoth, the Burr's Improved, or 

 Stowell's Evergreen. 



Squashes. — At the December meeting of the 

 Mass. Horticultural Society, Mr. B. P. Ware, 

 told what he knew of squashes, naming first the 

 Butman, of American origin, a beautiful variety, 

 with fine colored flesh and excellent quality, a 

 good keeper, and showing handsomely at fairs ; 

 very desirable for amateurs, but not sufficiently 

 productive for a farm crop. The Marblehead 

 squash, Mr. Ware thought a sub-variety of the 

 Hubbard, obtained by selection. It generally 

 commands a higher price than the Hubbard, but 

 does not crop so well. It is very similar to the 

 Butman, and, like that, desirable for amateurs. 

 The Essex hybrid was raised by Aaron Low, of 

 Essex, by crossing the Turban and Hubbard, and 

 is a very remarkable variety, uniting the form and 

 fine quality of the Turban with the hard shell and 

 keeping properties of the Hubbard. It is a very 

 rapid grower, so that it may be planted as late as 

 the 4th of July, or in connection with a potato 

 crop, every fourth potato row being left vacant and 

 afterwards planted with squashes. When planted 

 late, it avoids the maggot, the worst enemy of the 

 squash, which has probably deposited its eggs else- 

 where before this variety is ready. The American 

 improved Turban is the best early variety, not ex- 

 cepting the Marrow. 



Onions and Celery. — " Chronicler," in some 

 notes recently received from him, refers to the use- 

 fulness of the essays on the culture of onions and 

 celery recently published by D. Landreth & Sons. 

 The essays, he says, are complete guides to culture, 

 giving facts as to growth and profit. He predicts 

 that before many years pass by Northern growers 

 will find much profit in the exportation of these 

 vegetables to our Southern States and to the 



tropics. 



«-•-» 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Campdell Plum. — Mr. L. B. Case remarks : " I 

 am anxious to see a point more thoroughly made 

 known to the horticultural world in regard to the 

 Campbell Plum, page 49, Gardeners' Monthly, 

 but of course that can only be satisfactorily ob- 

 tained next summer when the tree is in foliage, 

 flower and fruit. So please keep an eye on your 



