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EAC? SEED: DIVISION, 96°00 “4 
S ABYSSINIAN GRASS (Hragrostis Abyssinica). 
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Texas Agricultural Society: Had much to contend with in wind and rain, but 
some of it being cured for hay it proved to be very fine. Pronounced the finest’ a 
grass seenin this region. Cattle are very fond of it. 
Texas Horticultural Association : Perennial rye-grass and Texas Blue excel all. 
others in central Texas for winter pasture. Whoever invests in these grasses will 
make no mistake. 
MILLET (Oryzopsis cuspidata). 
Kansas Agricultural State College: Indian millet does remarkably well in north- 
eastern Texas. 
POTATO. 
Michigan Agricultural College: The Polaris variety is smooth, good shape, fair 
size, ripens earlier than most of the early varieties. 
New York Agricultural Experiment Station: Thirty-three single eye cuttings of 
the Polaris yielded 17 merchantable tubers weighing 51 pounds 3 ounces, and 70 
unmerchantable tubers weighing 51 pounds 9 ounces. 
A correspondent in the District of Columbia thus writes: ‘‘I planted the Polaris 
Potato inalternate rows with the Early Rose and Beauty of Hebron, treating them 
all alike as to day of planting, fertilizing, and cultivation. The Polaris came up 
first, blossomed first, and were ready for the table six days before the Early Rose and 
eight days before the Beauty of Hebron. We considered the! Polaris the best eat- 
ing potato of the three, white, mealy, and free from core; in fact, the best early 
variety I have ever raised, and I have tried all the new ones that have been put | 
upon the market during the past dozen years.” 
SORGHUM. 
Sorghum is well adapted to the soil and climate of Texas, both as a forage plant 
and as a sugar-cane, and if the planter had suitable machinery for sugar making it 
would no doubt become exceedingly valuable. 
Texas Horticultural Society: One acre ‘‘ Orange” Cane made 96 gallons fine 
_ sirup. 
Texas Bee-keepers’ Association : Sorghum is a desirable forage plant, producing 
two crops of 3 or 4 tons. per acre. 
Texas Agricultural Society : The Early Orange Cane has proved entirely satisfac- 
tory, and will probably take the lead in the southeastern part of Texas. 
SUNFLOWER (Giant Russian). 
From queries submitted by the United States Department of Agriculture with re- 
gard to the qualities of the Giant Russian Sunflower, we summarize the following : 
It will yield when planted on bottom-lands along the Potomac 60 bushels per acre. 
In feeding value it was found superior to corn for the following reasons : It contains 
more carbon as a heat-giver when fed to hogs; it produces a peculiar laxative 
effect on horses and cows, giving them a fine, glossy coat similar to that of the 
Arab horse. To horses and cows it was fed at the rate of 1 pint perday. When 
ground and mixed in the proportion of one-third sunflower to two-thirds corn or 
wheat middlings it is superior to any fattening or condition corn or condiment. As 
fuel it is of little value, but as fiber it is valuable and we have a sample of paper of 
unusual strength made from its fiber by the natives of Tashkand. Nooil has been ex- 
presse for want of machinery, but by chemical analysis it was found to contain 11 
per cent. of the total weightof the grain. The oil is palatable as a condiment and far 
superior to Olive oil for domestic purposes. While it may have a value ina sanitary 
point, it is most likely an indirect one, not by absorbing air [miasm] but by absorb- 
ing an immense quantity of water and throwing off an excess of ozone, rendering 
by this means an excess of miasm innoxious. 
VEGETABLE SEEDS. 
Tilinois Crop Reporter: Burbridge’s Eclipse Peas, Red Wetherfield Onion, and 
Eclipse Beet do remarkably well. 
Kansas Farmers’ Institute: Golden Refu-ee Bean, Sutton’s Gem Lettuce, Laxton’s 
Earliest of All Peas, Golden Sugar Corn seem to be well adapted to central Kansas. 
