1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



233 



bor or protect it, and Michigan even pays a 

 bounty of tliree cents for each sparrow's 

 heml at the town clerk's offices. 



Although the bird is doing us no serious 

 damage, yet we believe that the excessive 

 number .should be kept do\vn. The bounty 

 feature, however, involves some risk that 

 other and useful birds are killed for spar- 

 rows, and the bounty claimed for them. A 

 recent bulletin of the Michigan .Agricul- 

 tural College ExperimentStation names the 

 following birds as liable to be mistaken for 

 the Engli.-ih sparrow: Purple (inch, red- 

 polled linnet, yellow bird, song sparrow, 



Bill of Engligh Sparrow and of Catbird 



tree sparrow, field sparrow, and chipping 

 sparrow. 



While some birds of other families have 

 heads somewhat like the Epglish sparrow, 

 they can always be distinguished from it 

 by the form of the bill. The members of 

 the thrush family have larger and more 

 slender bills, as may be seen at the right of 

 annexed illustration. A 'sparrow's bill is 

 shown at the left for comparison. 



Xo one should receive sparrows on a 

 bounty or prize that has not thoroughly 

 studied the bird, says Prof. C. B. Cook in the 

 bulletin mentioned. Far too many of the 

 tovsTi clerks in Michigan do not know the 

 English sparrow's head from that of a linnet 

 or thrush. As a result, a great many birds 

 that have been sent in for a bounty, are 

 most beneficial birds. Thus many heads 

 have been sent to this station on which 

 bounty was claimed, of such valuable birds 

 as song sparrow, red-polled linnet and 

 evening grosbeak, birds that Michigan laws 

 protect by a fine of S.5.00 against their 

 slaughter. Every person presenting such a 

 bird to the town clerk's office should pay 

 that penalty. The law does well to protect 

 such valuable birds as the song sparrow and 

 the red poll. To slaughter them, as has 

 been done the past year, is a serious wrong; 

 to get pay for so doing Is absurd. Thus far 

 the Michigan Bulletin. 



We have given this extract to show that 

 putting a premium on killing sparrows has 

 its dangers, and may result in more harm 

 than good. Legislatures must take this 

 feature into consideration. 



The Outcome of the Strawberry 

 Season in Ohio. 



E. W. REED. BELMONT CO., OHIO. 



The following varieties possess merit, and 

 people who have planted them this season 

 are in luck: Warfield Xo. 2, Haverland, 

 Bubach (Xo. :>), Gaudy's Prize, Pearl, and 

 Stayman's Xo. 1. The season's record of the 

 various varieties on my grounds is as follows: 



May King. Somewhat like Crescent, and 

 after the nature of the Cumberland; uni- 

 form in size, soft, early, but not so product- 

 ive as Crescent. 



Glendale. Size, fair; very Arm; good ship- 

 per, and good to plant with late pistillate 

 sorts, as its season is late; quality not of the 

 best: fairly productive for late. . 



Ontario. Size, large; vine healthy, but we 

 can see no merit worth mentioning over 

 many others. 



Mammoth. Large, but irregular in shape; 

 not profitable to grow. 



Summit. Size, large; very late; productive; 

 but fruit too large to ship. Our vines this 

 season are very full of fine fruit. 



Belmont. This variety is the most profuse 

 bloomer we ever had, but will not perfect 

 its fruit regularly. It is a good sort to plant 

 with pistillate sorts, as it produces pollen 

 and heavy bloom. 



Jessie. From our experience with .Jessie 

 we would not recommend any one to plant 

 it. It produces some fine fruit at first, but 

 lacks in amount, and runs to buttons after 

 second picking. Good as a pollen 

 producer. 



Monmouth. Early; size, good; 

 quality fair; not so productive as 

 some others, but it has the merit 

 of being early, firm, and of good 

 color. Think more of it than of 

 Jessie. 



Crawford. Very large, good 

 grower, quite firm, and of much 

 promise. 



Eureka. Late; size, medium. 

 A good grower and free to run. 

 We expected more from this 

 variety, but will not condemn 

 until tested longer. It is all one 

 wants in growth, but not in fruit. 

 Florence. Size, medium; growth of vine 

 and of fruit fair. 



Mrs. Cleveland. Size, fair; excellent 

 grower, with good vines; color light, with 

 white flesh, but fruit not as good in propor- 

 tion to growth of plant. 



Townsend Xo. 3. Very large, good grower 

 and very productive. Gives the best promise 

 of any seedling on our grounds this season. 

 Ohio Centennial (from Townsend) is also a 

 good berry. Vine not so robust as that of 

 Mrs. Cleveland, but superior in fruiting 

 qualities. 



Crimson Cluster. Size, large, and quality 

 fair; but not recommended for commercial 

 growers. Soft and light in color; grows 

 well when kept in hills, and will do for 

 home use. Fine grower; did better this 

 year than heretofore. 



Bubach Xo. 3. Size, large to very large; 

 makes a fine growth with good color of leaf. 

 We have fruited Bubach this season on four 

 different soils, and it was the same. We 

 think more of it each year. 



Gandy. Large and very late; holds its 

 fruit well from the ground, and is the best 

 late berry on the market that we have any 

 knowledge of, except a seedling received of 

 John Little of Ontario, Canada. 



Pearl. Fruit large, quite firm, of good 

 color. We think well of it. 



Burt. This again did well, and we would 

 not hesitate to plant for fruiting on deep, 

 moist soil. Fruit, large, to very large. A 

 good producer of fine fruit. 



Hampden. Poor in vine and fruit; poor 

 grower; will not shade its own fruit, which 

 lays on the ground. Xo good. 



Haverland. One of the most, if not the 

 most, productive berry grown ; early; of good 

 size; very profitable. We can recommend 

 this to the grower for field culture. 

 Gold. Late and of little or no value. 

 Bomba. Early, and first fruit very large. 

 Color good: size runs smaller at last of 

 season, and soft. Were it not for this fact 

 it would be very valuable, as it is a very 

 heavy fruiter . 



Logan. Size, large to very large; color 



good. A good grower with fine plant. We 



still think as well of it as we did last season. 



Lida. Very productive wdth us this season. 



Large, but a little of the soft order. 



Warfield Xo. 2.We place this with Bubach 

 in first place, as it is of the very best; size, 

 large; holding its own better than others 

 throughout the season, and being very pro- 

 ductive. 



Itasca. Very productive, but do not favor 

 it for culture, as it runs .small, and some 

 buttons are noticed after first picking. 



Little's Seedling No. <1. Extra large and 

 productive, ripening in mid-season; good 

 grower; promises well. 



Parry. I.,arge and productive; its season 

 being quite long, the first to ripen and the 

 last to pick. We are still of the opinion 

 it is a good berry for home market, but will 

 not stand long shipment. Plant not a robust 

 grower, and fruit resembles Cumberland. 



Cloud. Fruit of fair size; vine a good 

 grower. It holds its burr well, which is a 

 point in its favor for shipment. Were it as 

 productive as Crescent or Wilson we would 

 heartily say, grow Cloud. Pistillate. 



Pine Apple. As for a plant it is the best, 

 but it has next to no fruit. 



Jucunda. Not holding its own in past 

 years. 



Carmichael. Fruit this season very fine. 

 People who have beds are in luck, as the 

 plants are full and selling at double the 

 price of other varieties, owing to lateness; 

 but if not on soil that suits them may not 

 do so well. 



Crescent. Held its own in its class, and 

 proved to be the best paying berry we can 

 grow, as it ripens more fruit the first pick- 

 ing, and continues to pick more fruit than 

 any other unless it would be the Haverland. 



Cumberland. If you have a soil that will 

 suit it, is the best paying large berry grown, 

 holding its size through the entire sea.<ion ; 

 being of a good color. On unsuitable soil, 

 poor and soft. In quality it is very poor, 

 but being qiiite large is readily sold at good 

 rates. It is one of the berries that seem to 

 grow better each season instead of going the 



Fi^i. 5. Plant of Desmodium pendiflorum 

 mipported by trellKC. See next paye. 



other way. Plant it on poor clay soil with 

 a good covering of compost, and throw your 

 soil up hill so the manure will not be out of 

 reach of plant roots. Uo not plant in rich 

 loam: it wUl only produce top growth. 



Sharpless. This berry will do very well 

 for a few years, but then will run out. We 

 have stopped trying to fruit it for profit as 

 it was too uncertain, and easily killed by 

 frost. Fruit very large, irregular, with 

 green points, which is against it as a desir- 

 able berry for market. 



Chas. Downing. A good shipper, but un- 

 certain in some localities. Good seller. 



Manchester. Resembles Cumberland in 

 some respects, but is not so good. 



Wilson. We are about the only ones grow- 

 ing the Wilson in this county. But if there 

 were more Wilson grown, better returns 

 would be netted per acre than in many cases. 

 Vines are as healthy and productive as ever; 

 it is the best all-around berry for family 

 use we have in KHl varieties. 



Parker Earle. We like its appearance very 

 much, but do not like to set our opinion on 

 stock from distant parts before further tests. 



Michael's Early. It was the first to ripen 

 with us. Foliage not quite as good as we 

 would like, but fruit fair for extra early. 



Stayman's X^o. 1. We are highly pleased 

 with it, both in fruit and vine. Holds its 

 fruit stems well from ground; has a fine 

 plant and is a good grower. 



Osceola. Seems to have a bright outlook. 



