378 



LIGHT FROM THE SOCIETIES. 



e-venly ; be mealy or dry, and yet not readily burst open 

 and fall in pieces ; of fine flavor, free from rank or 

 earthy tastes. The form should be an elongated oval, 

 as probably the best, all things considered, for cooking, 

 as well as the most pleasing in appearance. There 

 should be few eyes, and those even with the surface, 

 making it smooth and handsome. The tubers should 

 grow to a uniform size and shape, and should yield with 

 fair cultivation not less than from 200 to 400 bushels an 

 acre. To do this it must be of a strong, vigorous 

 growth, able to withstand wet and drouth, not subject to 

 blight — hence, free from rot. The tubers must keep 

 well, remaining in good edible condition until new po- 

 tatoes come again. Color matters little, so it is pleasing 

 to the eye. As a rule, we find that those varieties which 

 have the purest flavor are usually only moderate yield- 

 ers, more subject to blight, more influenced by undue 

 moisture and drouth than ordinary potatoes. On the 

 other hand, those of great productiveness, as a general 

 thing, are poor or only passable in quality. There has 

 been a vast improvement in the potato in the last few 

 years, and new varieties are constantly replacing older 

 ones. In looking for a potato to produce the largest 

 yield, we must select one not very far removed from the 

 seed. If for fine quality it should be farther removed. — 

 Frank Ford, before /he Ohio Horlicidtural Society. 



Reliable Currants.— The Victoria is a prime favorite, 

 as it blooms late, produces enormous crops of large ber- 

 ries on long bunches, resists drouth and borers better 

 than any other, and holds its foliage late. The next 

 best is the old Red Dutch. Fay's Prolific, I presume, 

 has disappointed more people than any fruit introduced 

 in the last twenty years. I have seen a few bushes do 

 fairly well in sheltered locations or when protected from 

 spring frosts. It is a general failure in Michigan. In 

 black currants, Lee Prolific and Black Naples are the 

 best of the well-known sorts. Black Champion may 

 prove superior ; but don't waste any money on the 

 Crandall — it is a worthless thing. — jSIich. Hart. Society, 

 Fitting Poor Soil fox Fruit Crops.— The poorest of all 

 soils for this purpose is a poor sand resting on loose 

 sand or gravel ; but even this can be made to produce 

 fairly well. Prepare it as follows ; First apply a fair 

 dressing of manure very early in the spring. Then plow 

 not more than six inches deep ; apply 75 or 100 bushels 

 of wood-ashes, broadcast, and harrow m ; then sow one 

 peck of Mammoth clover-seed and roll or ha/row in 

 lightly. When the clover is nicely up, sow about 100 

 pounds of land-plaster to the acre. The clover will 

 begin to show heads the latter part of July ; put on a 

 mower and cut the clover and weeds, letting them re- 

 main just where they fall. Next season let the clover 

 grow as it pleases. In the fall or the following spring 

 plow under, and your ground is in prime condition for 

 fruit or any other crop ; but there is one thing that 

 must be done to make this plan always a success ; the 

 seed must be sown as early as the ground will work well; 

 and another thing that must not be done, is sowing a 

 crop of oats or other grain at the same time. Any land 



that will not respond to this treatment is not worth cul- 

 tivating. Where ashes can be secured in abundance, 

 two or three hundred bushels per acre will be much 

 better than less, but clover is almost certain to catch 

 and grow well on any sandy land which has a dressing 

 of ashes. — Roland Morrill, Mich. State Ilort. Society. 



Raising Strawberry Seedlings. — As soon as the fruit 

 is thoroughly ripened, it may be broken up, the pulp or 

 flesh well washed out and separated from the seed 

 through a fine sieve or piece of muslin. The seeds are 

 dried, and at once sown in a box of rather light soil, kept 

 moist and in a shady situation until vegetation takes 

 place, which will probably occur in two or three weeks. 

 As soon as the plants are large enough to handle they 

 may be pricked out into boxes, or potted off at once and 

 afterward repotted from time to time, or planted out as 

 may be required. Or the fruits may be dried in a sunny 

 place and retained until early in the following spring, 

 when the seed may be rubbed or picked out, sown, and 

 treated as above. The former method has the advan- 

 tage of gaining time, and from it I have been able to 

 obtain fruit from some of the seedlings in about four- 

 teen months after sowing the seed. The latter mode 

 avoids the preservation of and carrying through the 

 winter a number of small plants and the attendant risk 

 of loss from slugs and insects. — Thomas Laxton, before 

 Conference of British Fruit Crozvers' Association. 



High Grade Fruit Wanted. — We cannot plant young 

 orchards in land from which we have taken continued 

 crops of grain and grass for years ; and while the trees 

 are growing continue to take off potatoes, oats and grass 

 for fifteen or twenty years longer, and then hope to se- 

 cure full crops of good fruit. The trees must be well 

 planted in the first place, with roots pruned back to half 

 their length and ths tops cut in quite as severely. The 

 branches of a nursery tree are not where they are 

 needed ; often two of them are nearly opposite, which 

 will make the tree liable to split apart. Therefore, it is 

 good practice to take off the top entirely, leaving only 

 buds on the main trunk where the future branches are 

 desired. When trees are thus prepared for planting, 

 pruning for the next ten years can be done with a pocket 

 knife, and the fruit and foliage will be where they are 

 needed. Since the foliage plays so important a part in 

 preparing plant-food for use, a good growth of leaves 

 should always be ensured. It is of little consequence to 

 use poisons against insects that devour fruit, and fungous 

 diseases which destroy fruit, when the leaves are left to 

 be infested with insects and parasites. Since I have 

 sprayed the foliage of my orchard good Spitzenburgs can 

 be grown once more. Before they were treated in this 

 way these trees set full of fruit, but they never matured 

 into large handsome apples. Healthy wood and healthy 

 foliage are essential to vigorous fruit-buds and perfect 

 fruit. There is a demand abroad for fruit of high qual- 

 ity. In the Old World flavor counts for more than ap- 

 pearance. Every barrel of Ben Davis apples we send 

 abroad depreciates the value of the best American ap- 

 ples.— Ct-o. T. Po-ccell, ll'cstcrn X. Y. Hort. Society. 



