THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



173 



dltlon of the plant, there will be little mildew to 

 annoy, and the continuation of the plant in vigor and 

 health during the natural term. Is assured. 



I have known the blackberry to extend its roots 

 downward over six feet in sandy soil, the stalk a 

 (Treat growth where the surface of the soli was too 

 poor to grow grass or other small plants. It was the 

 great extent of feeding space for the roots and the 

 moisture in the depth that here favored. The soli in 

 the clearings of the North Woods is an example of 

 this, being nearly all sand with very little fertility, 

 and yet the blackberry, as well as the raspberry, 

 thrives there to a remarkable extent, requiring only 

 to be left sloue. With a little manure, perfection 

 may be reached in these clearings, with their second 

 growth of timber, which affords a partial shade for 

 the berries. The cultivation is next to nothing; the 

 ground is easily kept clean, and may be worked im- 

 mediately after a rain, always being loose as an ash 

 heap. But as most of the country is largely com- 

 posed of clay, a considerable outlay of labor is re. 

 quired. Draining and deep working of the soil — 

 plowing, sub-soiling and fining it — are the require- 

 ments here, in connection with the partial relief 

 from the sun, for putting berry culture on a safe 

 basis, securing the finest fruit and largest returns 

 even with the strawberry, and, no Joubt, the goose- 

 berry Si}&o.— Cotttttry Gentleman. 



Shaffer's Colossal. 



The editor of the Rural Home recently visited some 

 of the farms in Western New York, belonging to the 

 Wayne County Evaporated Fruit Company, and says 

 as follows : 



Mr. Van Dusen has taken a great fancy to the 

 Shaffer raspberry, and is planting them as fast as he 

 can make plants. As we saw it bearing on the 

 Lyons farm we are not surprised at his enthusiasm 

 in his favor. It was bearins an in: mense crop. The 

 Shaffer was, evidently, a chance hybrid of the red 

 and black found on the farm of a Mr. Shaffer, of 

 Wheatland (we think), Monroe county. Was intro- 

 duced by Charles A. Green, of Clifton, in the same 

 county. When we first saw it on Mr. Green's 

 grounds, about four years since, we said that it was 

 the largest raspberry we ever saw, but thought its 

 color— a dark purple — would prove an obstacle to its 

 ready sale in market. But that objection has been 

 avoided by not offering it for sale in its fresh state, 

 but by canning or evaporating. Mr. Van Dusftn 

 evaporated his crop last year, and disposed of the 

 dried fruit at 50 cents per pound, 20 cents more than 

 he received for black caps dried. He was offered, 

 this year, 10 cents a quart for his Shaffer's for can- 

 ning. So it would appear that no difficulty need be 

 feared in disposing of the fruit. It loses consider- 

 able more in drying than Ohio or juciest blackcap. 



We believe that it will yield as much or more than 

 any other variety, and as it is perfectly hardy and a 

 wonderful grower, it will readily be seen that it has 

 strong claims. We have seen no other red raspberry 

 which equals it for canning purposes. 



Flowers Grown from Seed. 

 I am often asked what hardy flowers I like best, 

 both annual and biennial, that are sown in garden 

 beds with a view to usefulness, to be picked for their 

 fragrance, either as corsage bouquets, or to makeup 

 for table or hand, and not exactly for show, as many 

 flower beds are kept. To be sure there are "the 

 roses, and lilies, and violets sweet," the elegant bon- 

 vardias and fragrant heliotrope, but these are to be 

 grown from slips, and many people like to raise 

 plants from seed to fill their little flower pots, and to 

 wear. Petunias, though fragrant, cannot be made 

 up well, and many other flowers have the same 

 fault. If I am to be restricted to six of such as live 

 one and the same number that survive for two years 

 I would choose mignonette, sweet peas and ten 

 weeks stocks for fragrance, with Phlox Drummondi, 

 verbena and asters for variety and richness of color- 

 ing. The biennials that are hardy lo live over the 

 winter of their lives and give best satisfaction are 

 pansy, carnation, columbine, forget-me-not, polyan- 



thus and daisy. The small seeds are best sown in 

 the house in shallow boxes early In spring. They 

 must be placed where they will not be likely either 

 to dry or to damp off: and transplanted into other 

 boxes as they grow. The sweet peas and mig- 

 nonettes are best sown out of doors as early as the 

 season permits, and just now there Is nothing more 

 in favor for corsage bouquets, the blended fragrance 

 being very rich, and the mignonette toning down the 

 rather gay coloring of the peas. To select any six 

 from the formidable array in the catalogues is quite 

 an undertaking, but the old, tried friends surpass 

 many of the newer lavorites, and from early summer 

 until frost conies, sharp and decisive, the pansy, 

 phlox and verbena will remain In their beauty to 

 brighten the garden, when others are frost-blighted. 

 — Annie L. Jack. 



Frost on Strawberries. 



All berries set and all blossoms open were killed 

 on all varieties. Wilson's Albany about one-halfout 

 in blossom; many killed which were not open. 

 Crescent Seedling, about one-fourth out ; not many 

 killed not out; plenty of blossoms left for a crop. 

 Very promising. Kentucky and Captain Jack, not 

 many out, but few hurt not out. Daniel Boone, Man- 

 chester and James Vick, just beginning to open ; not 

 hurt to any extent. These appear to be safest against 

 late spring frosts of any of the varieties thus far 

 tested. 



It is safest to plant such varieties as Crescent 

 Seedling, Daniel Boone, Manchester, James Vick 

 and Captain Jack ; for large plantations they will 

 give the best satisfaction of the many varieties we 

 have tested. — Canadian Agricultural. 



The Father of the Concord. 



Mr. Bull did not weary in well-doing. Year after 

 year he planted grape seeds, and from the seedling 

 he obtained many rare and excellent varieties of 

 grapes, narrowing down the selections from 22,000 

 until there remained twenty-one, which he recom- 

 mended for cultivation. 



TheHon. Marshal! P. Wilder, Patriarch of Pomolo- 

 gy, in a recent letter to me, says that Mr. Bull " Is 

 and ever has been a most worthy, unpretending gen- 

 tleman. Far a long course of years he has devoted 

 his energies and skill to the production of new 

 grapes, by which he secured the famous Concord 

 Grape some thirty years ago, since which no other 

 modern variety has been so extensively cultivated 

 in our northern climes, or so appreciated by the pub- 

 lic. Had Mr. Bull done nothing else for the benefit 

 of mankind his name would be held in grateful re- 

 membrance while the fruit of the vine shall cool the 

 parched tongue or its juice make glad the heart of 

 man." — Rural Nem Yorker. 



Russian Mulberry. 

 This valuable fruit, timber and ornamental tree 

 was brought to this country from Russia, latitude 

 forty-nine degrees, by the Mennonlles, and is, as 

 near as I CB,n learn, a cross between the Morus 

 Nigra, or Black Mulberry of Persia, and the Morus 

 Tartarca, a native Russian variety. The tree is a 

 very rapid grower, and grows to be Very large, often 

 reaching the height of fifty feet and from eight to 

 five feet in diameter, and is perfectly hardy, standing 

 heat and cold, dry and wet weather alike. The 

 timber is hard and durable, and is used in the manu- 

 facture of cabinet ware, and proves as lasting for 

 fence-posts as oak or red cedar. It comnnences to 

 bear when three years old, is a prolific bearer, the 

 fruit being about the size of a Kittatinny Black- 

 berry ; ninety-five per cent, of the berries are jet 

 black, the balance a reddish white. They have a 

 fine aromatic fiavor and sub-acid sweet taste, and 

 are used for eating out of hand or table use. Its 

 fruit is ripening for six weeks or more, and during 

 that period your cherries, blackberries, strawberries, 

 and raspberries will never be molested by birds, as 

 they prefer mulberry to any other fruit. The leaves 

 are mostly lobed or cut, and are valuable food for 

 silk worms. The bark is grayish white, branches 



drooping. The Mennonites use It as an ornamental 

 hedge plant, and It makes a beautiful hedge, and 

 stands shearing as well as the Osage, and will make 

 a hedge so dense that a rabbit can scarcely get 

 through. In Nebraska young trees have been ex- 

 posed to summer's heat and winter's cold In every 

 possible form In order to test their hardiness In the 

 bleak climate of this state, standing the test well 

 and making a larger growth than the Cottonwood. 

 The scarcity of fuel In this state Is like to make the 

 people plant largely of the mnXbdTry .— Exchange. 



The Le Conte Pear. 



It is getting to be very common of late years to 

 hear complaints from all sections of the country of 

 blight In pears, and from the numerous remedies pre- 

 scribed, and the number of failures reported. It li 

 likely to continue, as heretofore, a great drawback 

 to the best of fruits. In fact, it appears extremely 

 doubtful whether there be any certain remedy for the 

 relief of the pear-grower while the old varieties are 

 planted. The Le Conte pear, so far, has been free 

 from blight, and is fast taking the place of the Bart- 

 lett, which it very much resembles, both In shape 

 and flavor. The Le Contre is a very thrifty grower, 

 often making a growth of six or eight feet the first 

 year — not from the seed, however, as this pearl* 

 grown only from cuttings. This variety begins bear- 

 ing at from two to three years, and at five they will 

 have attained a size sufficient to yield a nice lot of 

 fine luscious fruit. They are easily grown from cut- 

 tings or limbs taken from the trees In pruning. The 

 limbs are cut about ten inches long and set In loose 

 soil, leaving about two Inches above ground, and you 

 can count on one-half or more of them growing; 

 often ninety per cent, will take root. This pear is 

 comparatively a new variety, and tree peddlers have 

 sold them at exorbitant prices, often making the 

 purchaser pay from $1.00 to $1.50 per tree, when 

 they ought not to cost more than half the amount at 

 which they are sold. As they can be bought, now, at 

 about fifty cents each of the nurserymen, every one 

 owning even a small piece of land ought to secure a 

 dozen or two trees, and after a second year the cut- 

 tings from them will supply all the trees that are 

 needed on an ordinary farm. The fruit bears ship- 

 ping much better than ordinary apples, and so far 

 has found ready sale In the large cities at from three 

 to five dollars per bushel. Try some of the trees; 

 you will not regret it; or, at least, I never have re- 

 gretted, even the price 1 gave. — S. L. Barker, in Oer- 

 tnatUoii'n Telegraph. 



Planting a Nut Grove. 



Black walnuts, hickory nuts, chestnuts and butter 

 nuts for planting should never be allowed to dry 

 and the fresher they are from the tree the more cer- 

 tain they arc to grow. If the ground can begot 

 ready for planting In the autumn it Is well to put 

 them in the rows in the vegetable garden, where 

 they are to grow for the first two years. All of the 

 four kinds mentioned should be planted in rows 

 three and a half or four feet apart, and five or six or 

 eight inches apart in the rows, and all about three 

 inches in depth. If the ground cannot be got ready 

 in autumn, place the nuts in a shallow lx>x of sand, 

 and bury them In the garden where they may freeze 

 during the winter. The bottom of the box must be 

 loose enough so the water can run out. 



Whether planted in autumn or In spring In the 

 garden they should be cultivated as soon as thg 

 young trees make their appearance. They should be 

 kept perfectly clean the first summer and also the 

 second summer. Some of the nuts may not come up 

 until the second spring. When they are two years 

 old they are ready to transplant. It is best to wait 

 until early In spring, however, to do thts work. The 

 ground should be thoroughly plowed and leveled. A 

 crop lA potatoes upon sod ground is a good prepara- 

 tion. Select the largest, straightesi trees in the rows 

 fur >uurown use. If any of the trees have grown 

 puny and crooked from the first, throw them away. 

 They will never overtake their more thrifty neigh- 

 bors. 



