310 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15. 



the tops of the potato boxes; but these shallow 

 trays do the business to perfection; and if you 

 are engaged in the small-plant business, they 

 are just the thing for plant- boxes. You can 

 take them by the handles, one in each hand, 

 and carry them out to the fields where you 

 want your celery, cabbage plants, or any other 

 kind of plants. The idea of this tray for seed 

 potatoes, plant-boxes, and other uses, is of it- 

 self worth a big lot. By the way, the berry- 

 stands, composed of four shallow trays, may be 

 used, I think, very well for sprouting seed po- 

 tatoes, especially if you have some old trays too 

 much soiled to be used longer for berries. 



NEW POTATOES THAT ABE SIMILAR IN CHARACTER, 



ETC.; SOMETHING FROM THE OHIO 



EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Ml-. Boot:— J see that, in your price list of pota- 

 toes, you state that the Bxperiroent Station calls 

 White Bliss Triumph the same as Salzer's Earliest. 

 This is a mistake, as we had reference to the Red 

 Bliss Triumph. Of course, we do not mean to say 

 that Salzer's is not a seedling, but we have not been 

 able to distinguish it from the other; and, so far as 

 we can see. Stray Beauty is another name for the 

 same thing. It often happens that potatoes are re- 

 produced from seed, and the Ohio is agood example. 

 No one can distinguish between Early Ohio. Ohio 

 Jr., Everitt's Six Weeks, and Salzer's .Six Weeks; 

 and we have a seedling of exactly the same type. 

 How many times the Early Rose has been reproduc- 

 ed, no one can tell. I suppose that, when the fact 

 can be established that a variety is a seedling, it 

 should be recognized as new, although it may have 

 no distinctive merits, W. J. Green. 



Wooster, O., Apr. 4. 



Friend Green. I really beg your pardon. It 

 was my stupidity in saying that you pronounc- 

 ed the White Bliss Triumph the same as Salzer's 

 Earliest. I overlooked the fact that a white 

 Bliss has been recently produced from the red 

 one. Your communication reveals a wonderful 

 fact— at least it is new and wonderful tome; and 

 that is. in the pursuit of new varieties of plants 

 and vegetables the same thing may be brought 

 out by different parties widely separated from 

 each other. I know that you have pronounced 

 the Early Ohio and the different Six Weeks 

 potatoes as one and the same thing. But sev- 

 eral have written me that it does not prove so 

 in their exnerience. Now. both the Early Ohio 

 and the Early Rose are old and worn out. if I 

 may use the expression. Is it not possible that 

 the same thing brought out later (say by rais- 

 ing potatoes from the seed-balls) will have 

 more vitality and be a better yielder? T. B. 

 Terry says the new Thoroughbred reminds him 

 very much of the Early Rose when it first made 

 its appearance. If one of these new seedlings 

 has no merit at all over the old one which it re- 

 sembles, it does not seem as though it should be 

 pushed upon the public, just to confuse people; 

 and herein is where you people at our experi- 

 ment stations are going to help us. 



AVHOLE POTATOES FOR SEED. 



I have never failed to obtain the largest yields 

 from the use of whole tubers for seed, and I liave 

 made comparative tests every year for a long 

 period. This is why I have never looked with even 

 the least favor upon the idea of using single-eye 

 pieces in planting. There are some growers who 

 having the right (but unusual) conditions for it, 

 claim great success from single-eye planting. I am 

 sure, hewever, that the average grower, like myself, 

 can do better by using larger seed-pieces. Tt is 

 chiefly a question of cost of seed. The only valid 

 objection that I have ever found to the use of 

 whole potatoes (when these are la good condition 

 for seed) is their cost. In many cases this objection 

 will arao\mt to very little this year. Potatoes are 

 so cheap that all people can have a chance to try 

 the virtues of heavy seeding. 



The above which I clip from the Farm and 



Fireside, I can heartily indorse. Some years 

 ago. when potatoes were a drug in the market, 

 I had some very nice ones that I could neither 

 sell nor give away. In a fit of desperation I 

 planted them, making rows about three feet 

 apart, putting a large whole potato every foot 

 or fifteen inches in the row. I think I must 

 have planted toward 40 bushels on an acre; but 

 I was rewarded by getting toward 300 or 400 

 bushels. The only difficulty was that the enor- 

 mous lot of tubers burst the ground open so as to 

 to let in the sun, making a good many of them 

 green. This hurt them for table use, but it did 

 not injure them for seed. The next year there 

 was a scarcity, and I got about •?! a bushel for 

 every one of them. Now, rio not throw your 

 potatoes away because you can not sell them. 

 Plant them on .«ome good ground, as above, 

 and they may bring a better price in the fall. 

 By the way, when I want to raise potatoes very 

 early I have always had better success with 

 whole potatoes put in something as above. 



THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER NO. 3; ITS ADAPTABILITY 

 TO AVERAGE FARMING. 



Friend Roof;— Knowing the active interest you 

 have always taken in gardening-topics, I must tell 

 you how the Rural New-Yorker has. during the past 

 dry season, proven to my satisfaction its iron-clad 

 nature, and ability to withstand drouth. 



During the month of June the rainfall was suflB- 

 cient to mature a full crop of early-planted pota- 

 toes. Following my usual custom, my main crop 

 planting was done very late in the seas^on to take 

 advantage of the fall rains, which last fall failed to 

 materialize. Ohlos. Queen of the Valley, and Ru- 

 ral, were all planted during the first week in June 

 (a good two weeks later than the Rural should ever 

 be planted in this latitude) Through June the sur- 

 face soil remained moist; but in July and August 

 the rainfall amounted to almost nothing at all. 

 Considering that three years of continued drouth 

 had left the subsoil as dry as powder, this was a 

 critical period for the development of a crop; but 

 It afforded the best possible opportunity for testing 

 the hardiness of varieties. 



Continuous shallow cultivation was practiced, 

 using the smoothing-harrow until potatoes were up 

 sufficiently to show the rows, when its place was 

 taken by the one-hor&e cultivator, using five narrow 

 shovels, with a piece of board attached back of the 

 shovels to act as depth-regulator and leveler. The 

 cultivalion was kept up just as long as the tops 

 would permit; after this the only attention given 

 was to pull seed weeds wherever they appeared. 



The Ohios suffered most from the start, and by 

 the last of July there were spots on the lightest 

 soil where they were all dead. August 15th they 

 were ready to dig, having matured a crop of 65 

 bushels per acre of small potatoes. 



Up to this time the luxuriant tops of the Queens 

 and Rural New-Yorkers showed but little sign of 

 the dearth of water. From now on, however, its 

 effects became more and more apparent. At the 

 close of each scorching day their drooping foliage 

 told the story of consiiming thirst. At this stage 

 the extraordinarily heavy top and root growth of 

 the Rural proved invaluable. The rank growth of 

 tops covers the ground completely before much is 

 done toward developing tubers, so shading the 

 ground as to materially check evaporation, while 

 the innumerable searching roots are wringing every 

 drop of 'available moisture from the cool well-shad- 

 ed soil. By early September the Queens were out 

 of the race, giving a crop of a trifle over 100 bushels 

 per acre of fairly large, though very rough, mis- 

 shapen tubers. 



Sept. K) the Rurals, still thrifty and growing vig- 

 orously, were cut down by the fiost. They were 

 left in the ground until late in October, to allow of 

 their ripening thoroughly. 



From the ten acres, wo dug IVOO bushels of perfect 

 potatoes, remarkably free from blemishes of any 

 kind, and practically all of mai-ketable size. In an 

 ordinary season 1 should consider ITO bushels per 

 acre a light crop, considering the adverse conditions 

 under which it was grown. I look on the compar- 

 ative yields as a strong testimonial for the hardi- 

 ness of the Rural. Not long since I asked a garden- 



