242 



THE Y SA Y. 



of the soil, owing to the presence of a large per cent, of 

 humus and the fine division of its particles. Thus the 

 soil may contain moisture enough to provide for the 

 solution of the plant food, but the hygroscopic attrac- 

 tion is stronger than the force that feeds the plants, and 

 the roots starve to death. It is, probably, due to this 

 soil peculiarity that fruit trees have died and will con- 

 tinue to suffer, in a large portion of the valley of the 

 Mississippi, west of the Wabash, north of the Ohio, 

 south of the Great Lakes and east of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. On a soil of less hygroscopic capacity, the aver- 

 age annual rainfall of 40 to 45 inches is found sufficent ; 

 hence, in certain narrow areas, in the valleys named, 

 the fruit trees are reasonably healthy and bear semi- 

 annual, if not annual full crops. — B. F. Johnson, 

 Illiuflis. 



[Note. — It is doubtful whether the soil has anything 

 to do with these difficulties. So far as trees are con- 

 cerned, the arid atmosphere is at fault. The moisture 

 is carried off faster than the mutilated roots can supply 

 it, and cuttings from trees with low vital power never 

 have the chance to grow that cuttings from more robust 

 individuals have. — Thomas Meehan.] 



Cassava. — The eatable part of the cassava is the 

 root, which grows from 3 to 5 feet long and from 

 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The appearance of a 

 broken root is enticing, resembling a huge pink radish. 

 When eaten raw, they have a peculiar nutty flavor. 

 Cassava is used here in all kinds of pastry, in a grated 

 state mixed to stiffen cakes, puddings, custards ; mixed 

 with equal proportion of cornmeal and made into frit- 

 ters it has the flavor of fried oysters. The stalk attains 

 to the size of a small tree or large bush. We cut the 

 stalks in pieces 4 inches long and set out on wide rows 

 6 feet apart and set 4 feet apart on the row. The bush 

 is an ornament to any garden. 



For feed for cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry it is very 

 fine. Hogs will quit corn for it and thrive and fatten 

 very fast. Milch cows fed on it give a richer flow of 

 milk than from any other food. 



The roots or tubers will not keep a week in open air. 

 We dig them as we want them. The roots keep all 

 winter here in the ground and we turn our hogs on them 

 in the fall, and by January they are fat This plant is 

 now attracting a great deal of attention here in the 

 South. Every one who has seen or tasted the cassava 

 is going to plant a patch of it this year. It is planted 

 from the first until the last of April, and then it can be 

 multiplied again by pulling up the suckers and cutting 

 •■hem in pieces about 5 inches long and setting perpen- 

 dicularly in the ground. One must not expect as large 

 and as well developed tubers if planted after April. 

 Late planting is mostly resorted to in order to multiply 

 the plants fast, to make stalks large enough to put away 

 for next year's planting. The stalks are kept over win- 

 ter by first selecting a dry place or knoll where the 

 water does not stand. A layer of stalks and a layer of 

 sand are placed on top of one another until a rather 

 steep bank is made, and then we place a shed over that 



to keep off the rain. It needs a certain amount of damp- 

 ness, but not too much. 



I candidly believe that there is no other single article 

 of food on the face of the globe that will go further to- 

 ward sustaining animal life than the cassava, and there 

 is nothing of the root crops that will outyield it. — J. L. 

 NoRMAND, f.oiiisiaua. 



Melon Notes. — The ripeness of a melon is unmis- 

 takeable. The watermelon gives forth a dull dead 

 sound when thumped ; the bottom is hard where the 

 light shade is, and the fruit, when stirred, almost parts 

 from the vine. A melon should never be pulled in the 

 heat of the day, but in early morning or late evening for 

 best flavor. Placing it for a time in a dark, cool place 

 makes a surprising difference in taste. 



A clover sod is the ideal soil for this delicious fruit. 

 Plowed under in early fall in full blossom, then re-plowed 

 in spring, very thoroughly harrowed, liberally dressed 

 with fully rotted manure, again harrowed both ways, 

 and you have ground that you may count on for monster 

 melons, season favoring. Sprout your seeds — several 

 years old — in inverted sod, two vines to the hill. Keep 

 hills solid — never loosen — prune suckers and too re- 

 dundant vines, cultivate and harrow as long as growth 

 will permit, then ply the hoe continuously. Remove 

 misshapen ones and here and there one when they set 

 too thickly. I have had three dozen on a hill, by far too 

 many for best results. The best thing in cultivation is 

 to mulch them with straw. 



Varieties are legion, but few "pass muster." I have 

 tested many. Florida Favorite is a favorite with me. 

 The old Ice Rind holds its own among many competi- 

 tors. It is a superb melon. Among muskmelons I think 

 the Perfection unsurpassed. There are other good ones. 

 Stame's Favorite is fine. Give ample space to all 

 melons — 12 and i5 feet for watermelons, 10 for musk- 

 melons. — RusTicus, Lexington, Ky . 



The Bloomless Apple. — Some months ago a farmer 

 named Wm. Lagle, of Bra'dford, Ind., sent me a seed- 

 less apple. It was opened at the Farmers' Institute in 

 this county and found seedless, but with a partly formed 

 core. The grower writes that he bought two trees from 

 an Ohio nursery agent, name and location unknown. 

 One tree died, and the other has borne two years. He 

 watched closely for bloom, but failed to find any, and so 

 far not a seed has been found in any of the apples, 

 although many have been opened. In size and appear- 

 ance the fruit is about the same as the first one in the cut 

 accompanying Mr. Bailey's article in January American 

 Garden. — J. P. Applegate, Indiana. 



Fruit Prospects in Arkansas. — Le Conte pears are 

 badly killed in Judsonia, in some localities the entire 

 crop. Some of the late, shy-bearing varieties of peaches 

 are badly damaged, but early and medium are all right yet. 

 The Wild Goose plum is very slightly damaged, but the 

 Chickasaw has suffered to some extent. The berry crop, 

 which is the most important to us, is all right, though a 

 great many growers think differently. The Wilson has 

 suffered some, the Sharpless also ; but of late years these 



