APRIL 1, 1913 



239 



poorly in growing- celery that he started 

 this year to give it up, and he has been 

 working out by the day at painting, his 

 regular trade. As a consequence of the 

 terrible freeze in California this year, cel- 

 ery, oranges, grapefruit, and many other 

 things are " way up " in price. If tliis 

 neighbor of mine, who became discouraged, 

 and gave it up, had kept right on growing 

 celery he would be out of debt now, and 

 perhaps had money in the bank. You can 

 see from this that the successful gardener 

 must take the seasons, conditions, etc., as 

 they come. Sometimes he hits it just right, 

 and again he doesn't; and the proper way 

 for him is to keep right on at his chosen 

 occupation, and he wnll eventually succeed. 

 Just a word more in regard to this choice 

 celery seed. I see this seed quoted in the 

 catalogs all the way from 15 to 25 dollars 

 per pound; and very likely the best is the 

 cheajDest. What does the cost of the seed 

 amount to when the crop sells for some- 

 thing like between one and two thousand 

 dollars per acre? 



SOMETHING ABOUT APPLES. 



My first package by parcel post was three 

 enormous and delicious apples, sent by 

 Stark Bros. Xurseries and Orchard Co., 

 Louisiana, Mo., by the request of our good 

 friend S. W. Morrison. 



I asked Stark Brothers to send you specimens of 

 Stark's Delicious. I have eaten them for four years 

 and pronounce it the best winter apple in the world; 

 good from Feb. 1 to April 1. 



Oxford, Col., Jan. 20. Dr. S. W. Morrison. 



Thei'e were three apples in the package 

 sent by Mr. M., of immense size, and 

 they are certainly " delicious " — at least the 

 one I sampled was. If there was any fault 

 with it, perhajDS it was rather too much on 

 the sweet order for my taste. Stark Bros, 

 tell us that the tree is a very thrifty grower, 

 and bears at an unusually early age. The 

 apples came to me just a little after New 

 Year's day; and in oi"der to test their keep- 

 ing I am holding two of them yet. Although 

 we have had the warmest spell, perhaps, 

 during the month of January here in Flori- 

 da for years past, the two remaining apples 

 are keeping, up to this date. Mar. 3, in per- 

 fect order, while other good apples in the 

 same box all decay. It seems to me if all that 

 is said in regard to this most beautiful and 

 luscious apple is true it certainly is an ac- 

 quisition indeed. We may well call it one of 

 God's new and greatest gifts to the children 

 of men. The apple is so large that one of 

 them makes a large " supper " indeed for 

 myself. The trees are offered at the very 

 reasonable price of only 40 cts. each by the 

 single tree. When they are ordered by the 



tens or hundreds the price is quite reason- 

 able indeed. We are hoping that parcel 

 post may do gi-eat things in the way of 

 furnishing an apple-loving people with an 

 abundance of apples at a reasonable price, 

 making a short cut from the producer, 

 where apples are often allowed to go to 

 waste because there is no paying market for 

 them, ^to the consumer, and especially the 

 children. The Rural New-Yorker has been 

 for years talking about more apples and 

 better apples for the health of our people, 

 and I believe they have started what has 

 been called the "Apple Consumers' League." 

 May God be praised for our beautiful lus- 

 cious and health-giving apples that now 

 ought to be in great plenty all over the face 

 of the earth. Especially let us try to make 

 it possible for the growing children to have 

 all the apples they care for, without stint 

 and without extravagant price. 



Here is something additional in regard to 

 the Delicious apple, clipped from the Rural 

 Xew-Yurker: 



Next to the King David stood a tree of the Deli- 

 cious, of the same age, and it bore just two speci- 

 mens. This is no great disparagement, however, for 

 I know the Delicious to be a heavy bearer, and the 

 tree is beautiful in its vigorous growth, with clean 

 bark and strong shapely top. A friend who has sev- 

 eral trees tells me that they are regular bearers, and 

 that he has customers who make him special oflfers 

 of $6.00 per barrel for their private family use. So 

 far as I can learn the Delicious will take its place as 

 a permanent addition to our standard lists, though 

 the assertion that its quality is unexcelled by any 

 other apple requires modifying. I have seen people 

 of cultured taste who, when not told the variety they 

 were testing give it second place to Stayman Wine- 

 sap. Both kinds were fine specimens from Pacific- 

 slope orchards. 



DASHEEN AT BROOKSVILLE, FLA. ; FROM BROOKS- 

 VILLE BOARD OF TRADE. 



Mr. A. I. Root: — Your favor of February 1 to 

 Mrs. R. J. Crather, of this place, has been referred 

 to the undersigned for answer, and in reply thereto 

 I will say that we take great pleasure in giving you 

 some data concerning what we regard as the most 

 remarkable root vegetable in this country. 



About eight years ago the Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C, began experiments in 

 propagating the dasheen. They had discovered it in 

 Japan, where it was considered more popular than 

 either the Irish or sweet potato. The Japanese had 

 imported it from Trinidad Island, north of South 

 America ; and, although they had never propagated 

 it to any great extent, yet the best families of Japan 

 were cultivating it in patches not more than fifteen 

 feet square. 



When the experts of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture discovered that the dasheen contains about ten 

 per cent more starch, and from fifty to severity per 

 cent more protein than the potato, they concluded 

 that it was worth trying. Some of the tubers were 

 brought to Washington and propagated under hot- 

 house methods, where the results were favorable, 

 and the tuber was then given a trial in various 

 States, including Maryland, North Carolina, South 

 Carolina, and others, and northern Florida, but 

 without satisfactory results, as they could not make 

 a good tuber. 



