68 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ May, 



2ad. Very few plants are known to be 

 physiologically self-sterile when pollen of a 

 flower is placed on the stigma of the same 

 flower. 



3rd. Several plants are known to be mor- 

 phologically* self-sterile, in that pollen cannot, 

 without aid, reach the stigma of a contiguous 

 flower, but is effective on that of the same 

 flower. 



4th. Self-sterile plants, from both the above 

 causes, can become self-fertile. 



5th. Highly self-fertile forms may arise 

 under cultivation. 



6th. Special adaptations occur for self-fertili- 

 zation. 



Queries and Answers. 



Mr. F. B. i*.— The large, long-winged in- 

 sect you sent us is the " Great Shad-Fly "— 

 Perla xanthenes, one of the largest of the 

 species, and which usually make their appear- 

 ance in the spring. They are, perhaps, later 

 this spring than they usually are. Some of 

 the smaller species appear as early as the end 

 of February or the beginning of March. The 

 larva lives a whole year in water, and some 

 of them for a longer period, feeding on small 

 water animals, but the Imago never eats any- 

 thing. Length of body, 1^ inches; caudal 

 spine, i inch ; length of wings, 2 inches ; ex- 

 pansion of wings, 4 inches ; antennse, 1 inch ; 

 color, gray, orange and brown. Order, Neu- 

 EOPTERA ; section, Fseudoneiiroptera; family, 

 Ferlkke. 



Essays. 



SMALL FRUITS. 



The following eutertaiuing and instructive 

 essay on " Small Fruits " was read by Henry 

 M. -Engle, Esq., at a meeting of the Donegal 

 Township Farmers' Club, April 5, 1879, held 

 in Marietta : 



The great majority of land owners and 

 cultivators of the soil look upon small fruit 

 culture as too small a business for their con- 

 sideration, and more so to plant and attend to 

 it for either pleasure or profit. We admit that 

 too large a proportion is grown in such a slip- 

 shod manner, and offered in our markets in 

 such an uninviting condition that many who 

 would otherwise be consumers pass it by with 

 disgust. On the other hand, what is more in- 

 viting to both the eye and the palate than ripe, 

 fresh, well-grown strawberries, measuring 

 from an inch to two inches in diameter, and 

 which cast their fragrance quite a distance V 

 What is more delicious, appetizing and health- 

 ful than a dish of ripe strawberries, as the 

 heated season comes in, and when the system 

 requires such food; and which is followed with 

 raspberries, blackberries, currants and the 

 larger fruits during the summer season, all of 

 which supply thehuman system with just what 

 nature designed for the health and happiness 

 of man? When we consider how prolific 

 "mother earth " yields her bountiful supplies, 

 with such little intelligent care on the part of 

 man, it seems next to criminal on his part to 

 be so negligent in this department, which his 

 Creator designed for his welfare. A^o adults 

 who have blunted their finer sensibilities with 

 all manner of stimulants and narcotic poisons, 

 and having no longer that keen relish for sucli 

 delicious food, we have only to say, let them 

 follow their idols and reap their legitimate 

 harvests ; but how shall we deal with the chil- 

 dren, whose unpreverted appetites crave so 

 irresistibly such a natural relish that in many 

 cases they seem to be almost forced to pilfer 

 for their natural good that which is in so 

 many cases denied them, and which often 

 might be supplied with the money spent by 

 their parents for health and soul destroying 

 articles ? This may be a question for philan- 

 thropists and benevolent societies, but who is 

 better prepared to make progress in this great 



field than the tiller of the soil ? But while the 

 latter has all the advantages possible his table 

 is generally more scantily supplied with small 

 fruits (and I may add the best of vegetables,) 

 than that of the working classes in the cities 

 and larger towns throughout the country. 

 This is rather a sad commentary upon the 

 mass of farmers, but it is, nevertheless, a 

 true one. At a time when only a small pro- 

 portion of land was under tillage, and wild 

 berries generally abundant, and the improved 

 kinds few and far between, and prices high, 

 there was some excuse for indifterence in the 

 matter ; but since the larger propojrtion of 

 land is under tillage, by which most of the 

 wild fruits are destroyed, and the plants of 

 the new and improved kinds so cheap and in 

 such abundance, there is no longer a plea for 

 the neglect of this important branch of in- 

 dustry, which brings pleasure and health to 

 the consumer, and pays so well the producer. 

 It is pretty safe to measure the intelligence, 

 comfort and general health of a family by the 

 variety of earth's products which they con- 

 sume. Those who avail themselves of the 

 greater number of the bounties of " mother 

 earth " stand highest in the scale, while those 

 who are content with hog and potatoes stand 

 at the foot. It will, no doubt, be conceded 

 that a larger proportion of fruits (and especi- 

 ally small fruits) should compose the general 

 bill of fare, but the question arises, "How 

 shall this be brought about?" In answer I 

 would say, let a half dozen leading men in 

 every township organize a farmers' ' club, and 

 hold regular monthly meetings (or oftener if 

 the interest will justify), and dTscuss topics of 

 interest on horticulture, and hold annual or 

 semi-annual exhibitions of the finest of earth's 

 products and the object will be to a great de- 

 gree gained. Demand and supply will meet 

 each other, and a review of the past will 

 cause both surprise and regret over benefits 

 which might have been enjoyed. Few persons 

 have an idea how soon they can learn enough 

 to grow small fruits with as much success as 

 any other crop, and how ready consumers are 

 to patronize them, provided a good article is 

 produced and offered fresh and in good condi- 

 tion. Strawberries can be produced with as 

 much certainty as any other crop, and no crop 

 will pay better ; but such results must not be 

 expected with slovenly cultivatiou. We are 

 often asked, " When is the best time to plant 

 strawberries ?" 



I would say spring, as a rule, is the most 

 certain, as the ground is then cool and moist. 

 The soil being in proper condition and good 

 plants, well put in, well cultivated during the 

 summer, and a light mulch for winter, will 

 usually yield a full crop of fruit the first sea- 

 son after planting, which is more than can be 

 said of any fruit in this latitude. As to varie- 

 ties, the Wilson continues to stand prominent 

 on the list, while Jucunda, Charles Downing, 

 Green Prolific, Boyden's No. 30, and others 

 of the older kinds are preferred by many. 



Among the newer kinds, Monarch of the 

 West, Cumberland, Capt. Jack, Great Ameri- 

 can, Centennial, Forest Rose, President Lin- 

 coln, and others, have all proven excellent 

 with some growers, and may become standard 

 varieties, but none have been more highly 

 extolled than Crescent Seedling and Sharp- 

 less, the former for its wonderful vigor of 

 plant and great productiveness, and the latter 

 for its good quality, fine appearance and 

 firmness, and as the largest berry yet pro- 

 duced. Unless indications fail, some of the 

 older standard varieties will be cast in the 

 shade by the newer. 



Raspberries are the next fruit in order of 

 ripening, sometimes overlapping the straw- 

 bei-ry season a httle, and therefore indispensa- 

 ble to keep up supplies in their line. The 

 cap varieties, which propagate from tips and 

 generally as hard as oak, are preferred by 

 some. Doolittle, Miami, Mammoth and 

 Seneca are among the older standard varie- 

 ties, while the Gregg promises to supersede 

 all others of this class. 



Amon^ the reds, the Hudson River, Ant- 

 werp, Philadelphia, Brandywine, Turner 



and Herstine are standard varieties, while 

 Pride of the Hudson, Henrietta and Queen of 

 the Market, among the newer, may, oh ac- 

 count of their larger size, supersede the 

 former. 



The reds are not as hardy as the cap varie- 

 ties, but most of the above-named are suffi- 

 ciently so to make them reliable, and, as they 

 bring higher prices as a rule, they are more 

 extensively grown. Those multiplying with 

 suckers (unless intended for planting) should 

 be treated as weeds, except three to five on a 

 bush, left stand for fruiting, which should be 

 topped when three to four feet high, so as to 

 form side branches, which should also be 

 topped when growing beyond reasonable 

 length. By this method stouter canes will be 

 produced, which will not be so likely to fall or 

 be blown over. The caps may be treated the 

 same way. As an inducement to planting 

 raspbeiTies, they will flourish very well in the 

 shade and may be planted along tree rows, 

 where, by liberal manuring, they will yield 

 surprising crops. Three by six feet is a proper 

 distance for planting raspberries. 



Blackberries will follow the former very 

 closely and keep up the succession of small 

 fruits. They should be planted four by eight 

 feet and treated similarly to raspberries. 

 They are great feeders and will respond well 

 to liberal manuring. The Lawton, being the 

 first to make a sensation in blackberry culture, 

 continues to be largely grown, but the Wilson, 

 being earlier and fully as large, is the market 

 berry for New York and Philadelphia. 



Kittatinny is a berry of best quality, nearly 

 as large as either of the former and more 

 hardy, but has of late been more subject to 

 red rust. It has lost much of its former 

 popularity. Snyder, Wallace and Taylor are 

 newer varieties and quite popular in some 

 sections. The currant is a bush that is con- 

 sidered indispensable in' almost every garden 

 or back yard of reasonable pretensions, but as 

 a rule has to make its way among so many 

 serious obstacles, that it would not be sur- 

 prising if it had succumbed and gone out of 

 existence long ago. When properly treated 

 it will yield "as liberal and as fine as any other 

 fruit, and it is of more value than it generally 

 gets credit for. Cherry and La Versailles are 

 the largest varieties, but the old Red Dutch 

 will yield more than either and is less acid. 

 The White Grape and White Dutch are less 

 acid than the reds, of fair size and quite pro- 

 ductive. 



The gooseberry can only be grown in a cool 

 and humid atmosphere, so that in this latitude 

 we scarcely learn to know what a gooseberry 

 is ; therefore the nearer we can bring about 

 the above conditions the greater will be our 

 success with this fruit. Our native kinds, 

 however, yield crons as regular and abimdant 

 as any other fruit, but small and inferior to 

 perfect foreign gooseberries. 



Contributions. 



LARGE FARMS AND STOCK-RAISING 

 IN LANCASTER COUNTY. 



Although Lancaster county, being noted 

 for its fine farms and its good farming and 

 farmers, we cannot, as a general thing, boast 

 of large farms like some other counties and 

 States, our farms averaging from fifty to one 

 hundred acres, seldom over one hundred and 

 fifty, and a few two hundred acres. As an 

 exception to this, however, we find a few in 

 the northeast and northern sections of the 

 county that may be worthy of notice and 

 interest some of the many readers of The 

 FAR5IER, of which we will endeavor to give 

 a short descriijtion. 



About twenty miles northeast from Lan- 

 caster and about five miles from Ephrata, 

 near the Berks county line, there is a farm 

 containing about seven hundred acres, owned 

 by Mr. Texter, who manages the whole farm ; 

 he has it stocked with common stock of all 

 kinds, from sheep, swine and cattle to horses 

 by the score, mostly or [always a surplus on 



