10 
THE NEWER VEGETABLES. 
NOTES FROM OUR SEED FARM. 
In common with a large number of our 
readers, we are passing through a very se¬ 
vere and protracted drought which must 
greatly shorten all our crops and will no 
doubt greatly diminish the number of re¬ 
markable specimens which are usually sav¬ 
ed for exhibition at the fall fairs. At this 
writing, (Sept. 10th), few reports have come 
in concerning the various new vegetables 
sent out by us last spring. We presume 
few crops have yet been harvested and hope 
our friends will yet report, for if we have 
sent out any thing not unusually meritori¬ 
ous we want to know it. We have just 
begun harvesting our potato crop, which, 
although very much injured by the drought, 
seems healthj T and well ripened. The boys 
have been bringing in a few specimens of 
the newer varieties, some of which would 
do credit to an average season. Fred 
brought ten White Elephants which turn 
the scale at eleven pounds, and I think the 
crop will average as large as any kind we 
have. Of their table quality, we are, as 
yet, unable to speak. Bert brought in live 
samples of the Belle, which weigh an even 
pound a-piece, and one which goes thirty- 
one and one-half ounces, and all are smooth 
and certainly handsome enough to exhibit 
at any fair. I know these are as good as 
they look, unless they have changed great¬ 
ly since last spring. I forwarded a few to 
Dr. Geo. Thurber, Editor of American Agri¬ 
culturist , for inspection, and extract the 
following from his reply: “A trial on the 
table was made to-day, and the whole fam¬ 
ily endorse my verdict of, ‘splendid in every 
respect. ’ I do not now recollect a better po¬ 
tato.*’ This was first sent out by us last 
spring, and will probably be offered in most 
catalogues the coming year. 
The Defiance has stood the drought better 
than most kinds on our grounds this season, 
the vines having kept a healthy green color 
without blight, until now they are ripening. 
We carefully washed the soil away from 
one hill, leaving the potatoes together on 
the vines. It contains 38 tubers, very even 
in size, none large and but few small. The 
weight of the lot was 6£ lbs, at which rate 
less than ten hills will make a bushel. 
We have many varieties in our trial plot 
not yet examined, which we think will do 
admirably, considering the season. 
Last spring we gave a neighbor a package 
of potato seeds, such as we have been sell¬ 
ing for several years. It was saved from 
balls of the Superior grown near Burbank, 
which may have cross fertilized to some 
extent. Yesterday he showed us his har¬ 
vest; it consisted of, perhaps, a couple of 
quarts of tubers of all shapes, sizes and 
colors. In shape and color, however, a 
majority of them resembled the parent, be¬ 
ing long and smooth and of a deep rose 
color. In size they mostly ranged from 
that of a pea to a hen’s egg, but one vine 
produced three handsome tubers which, to¬ 
gether, weigh 12 ounces; the largest of the 
three, alone, weighing 5f ounces. This 
beats anything we ever saw grown in five 
months, from the seed ball, and we shall 
watch its development with interest. 
A WORD TO B USINESS MEN. 
Cards for all kinds of business of interest 
to Farmers, Gardeners ,Nurserymen, Seeds¬ 
men. Florists, &c., will be inserted in our 
Directory and a copy of Seed-Time and 
Harvest sent to any address for $1.00 per 
year, always in advance. It will contain 
only the leading and most responsible deal¬ 
ers and must prove very valuable as a refer¬ 
ence sheet to our readers. 
If any kind of advertising in the world 
will pay a card in this directory at this 
price must pay, and if you are engaged in 
any business of interest to our readers, your 
card is solicited. Although you may be al¬ 
ready well known, your correct address is 
not always remembered by your customers, 
and keeping it where they can readily turn 
to it will many times bring you orders that 
might otherwise go to other parties. 
—Don’t pour alcohol on the fire and don’t 
take anything that has alcohol in it to help 
inflamed kidneys. Warner’s Safe Kidney 
and Liver Cure is purely vegetable and acts 
directly upon the kidneys and liver. 
