36G 
AMEEIOAE" AGEIOULTUEIST. 
[September, 
is therefore very remarkable, that the first season 
in this country she should have so far regained her 
health and vigor, as to have produced in one day 
eighty-one pounds thirteen ounces of milk, in one 
month two thousand one hundred and nineteen 
pounds five ounces, and in one year, terminating 
in May last, fourteen thousand seven hundred and 
twenty-four pounds one ounce. This, it will be 
noticed, is equivalent to over seventy pounds of 
milk a day for the mouth, or thirty-four quarts, 
and to over forty pounds on an average, which is 
nearly tw'enty quarts, daily, throughout the year. 
This is certainly a most wonderful record. Such a 
quantity of milk, if of only moderate quality, 
must yield a good deal of butter, so we need not 
be surprised to learn, that she made nineteen 
pounds nine ounces of butter in one week, of ex¬ 
cellent quality, texture, and color. 
-Apples for Exportation.—Small Barrels. 
In his “ Walks and Talks on the Farm ” this ' 
month, Mr. Harris discusses the subject of pack¬ 
ing apples. The dealers in this city have now 
organized a movement, the object of which is to 
induce the apple-growers of Western New York to i 
pack their apples in flour barrels. For many years 
past, the legal apple barrel in this State is made to 
hold not less than one hundred quarts of wheat. 
This legal barrel is what the dealers now derisively 
term the “ pony barrel,” to distinguish it from the 
flour barrel. The latter holds about one hundred 
and twelve quarts, or one-seventh more apples 
than the legal barrel. In other words, if the fruit 
in the pony barrel is worth one dollar and forty 
cents, that in the flour barrel is worth one dollar 
and sixty cents. 
A flour barrel is made to hold twenty-eight 
stone of flour, or one hundred and ninety-six 
pounds. Neither the millers, the dealers, nor the 
consumers ask to have it made to hold two hundred 
pounds. No one asks for a change. Taking it for 
granted, therefore, that the flour barrel size is to be 
the standard barrel, the apple dealers ask that 
apples be packed in barrels of this size. The 
dealers say, that the apple-growers in New England 
■and in the Western States pack their fruit in flour 
barrels. And when they come ro sell the apples, 
their customers naturally prefer the larger sized 
barrels. Furthermore they claim, that the charges 
for height, cartage, storage, handling, and com¬ 
mission, are as much on the smaller as on the 
larger barrel, and these charges, especially on 
apples sent to Europe, are very high. We believe 
that all the apple-growers are perfectly willing to 
use the flour barrel size, provided the dealers will 
pay a proportionately increased price. Hitherto, 
when a farmer packed apples in a flour barrel, the 
dealers would not pay a cent more for them than 
for the smaller barrel. This the dealers themselves 
admit. They admit, furthermore, that if nine- 
tenths of the farmers in the vicinity of such ship¬ 
ping points as Lockport, Brockport, and Spencer- 
port, should pack their apples in flour barrels, it is 
possible that transient buyers, who want only a few 
car-loads for such places as Harrisburgh, Pitts¬ 
burgh, or Bradford, might come in and pay nearly 
or quite as much for the smaller as for the larger 
barrels of fruit. They have orders to buy a certain 
number of barrels at a given price—and a barrel is 
a barrel. Confessedly, therefore, the New York 
dealers cannot control this matter. And it will be 
unwise and unjust on their part, to hastily and 
arbitrarily endeavor to force farmers to make the 
change. 
The winter apples grown in the vicinity of the 
Lakes and on the limestone soils of Western New 
York, are unsurpassed in quality. They keep 
well, and are admirably adapted for exportation. 
It is asserted, however, that these apples cannot 
be sold abroad, because they are carelessly and dis¬ 
honestly packed in small barrels. We believe that 
this statement is exaggerated. It is true, that 
many of our apples reach the foreign market in 
bad condition. But the fault is not wholly due to 
the farmer. When apples are scarce and the de¬ 
mand likely to be brisk, the dealers get excited and 
take anything that is offered them. The careful, 
skillful, and honorable apple-grower gets no more 
for his fruit than his neighbor. The buyer gets 
his commission, and the apples are hurried forward 
to New York. To ship such apples as these, indis¬ 
criminately, to Europe is folly. To carelessly and 
hurriedly place thousands of barrels in a close, 
warm, unventilated steamer, to face the storms of 
the Atlantic, and expect them to keep well and sell 
well, can result only in disappointment and loss. 
For the dealers, smarting under their losses, to 
turn round and abuse the farmers is not unnatural, 
though it is very unjust. 
The dealers and farmers must work amicably to¬ 
gether in effecting a reform. The farmers have 
got good apples this year, and are able and willing 
to pack them in the best manner. It is not the size 
of the barrel that injures the reputation of apples 
abroad. It is the want of proper care in selecting 
and packing, and handling the fruit, and in secur¬ 
ing cold, dry, well-ventilated room on board the 
steamer. Apples should receive as much care in 
this respect as dead meat. The subject is one well 
worthy the attention of steamship companies. 
The Influence of Pollen. 
ANDREW S. EULLER. 
The effect of pollen upon the fruit and seeds of 
plants is a subject that has frequently engaged the 
attention of both practical and scientific horticul¬ 
turists during the past score or two of years. All 
admit that pollen is an important factor in the pro¬ 
duction of seed. Furthermore, if there is seed, there 
must be some other organ present to support it—a 
fruit-stalk ; an envelope to enclose it, as in the ap¬ 
ple, pear, cherry, and similar fruits, or something 
to rest upon as in the stiawberry, raspberry, and 
blackberry. Consequently we must admit that the 
influence of the pollen does necessarily extend be- 
yqnd what we term the fruit or even the seed. 
Quite recently this subject has come up anew, and 
interesting discussions have foliowed at several 
meetings of horticulturists as well as in the 
columns of various agricultural and horticultural 
journals. Mr. J. T. Lovett, a successful cultivator 
of small fruits, claims that the influence of the pol¬ 
len not only extends to the seed in the strawberry, 
but also has a decided effect in fixing the size, form, 
texture, and flavor of the fruit. While those who 
have given this subject close attention will agree 
to this, there are others who stiU doubt, even if 
they do not openly deny that the influence of the 
pollen extends as far as claimed. At the last meetr 
ing of the American Pomologieal Society this ques¬ 
tion was discussed, and a number of our leading 
strawberry-growers stated riiat the Manchester, 
which is a pistillate variety, was notably effected 
by the pollen-bearing variety employed for fertili¬ 
zation. The Secretary, Professor Beal, of Michi¬ 
gan, said at the close of the discussion ; “ This is 
an exceedingly interesting topic. If the results 
are as claimed by the former speakers, they are in¬ 
deed wonderful. The edible portion of the straw¬ 
berry is not a true fruit in the botanical sense, but 
a large torus or receptacle, which is the tip end of 
the flower stem, very much enlarged.” We con¬ 
clude that Professor Betil doubts the truth of what 
has been claimed for the influence of the pollen in 
the strawberry. We find the same influence exists 
in melons, squashes, cucumbers, and similar fruits, 
and often to such an extent that a choice and high- 
flavored variety is almost ruined by being planted 
near an inferior one. A more striking and familiar 
example of the influence of pollen is that of sweet 
corn fertilized by the pollen of field corn. If a 
yellow variety of field corn is planted near any 
variety of sweet corn, and both come into bloom 
at the same time, there will be yellow kernels in¬ 
terspersed among the grains of the sweet, and the 
flavor of these will be as distinct as their color. 
The influence of the pollen in this case, not only 
extends to size, color, texture, and flavor, but often 
still further, for the coloring matter will usually be 
seen in the cob. It will be the same with two 
white varieties, but the effect is more readily 
observed when one-variety is either red or yellow. 
A quarter of a century ago, when the Hovey was 
our best and most valuable pistillate strawberry, 
we conducted a series of experiments for the pur¬ 
pose of determining the influence of pollen on its 
fruit, but at that time there were so few persons 
making small fruits a specialty, that a man who at¬ 
tempted to talk of “ influence of pollen ” on a 
strawberry, would Bnd that he had a small audience 
and not a very attentive one. But when writing 
the “Small Fruit Culturist,” we inserted an epitome 
of the results of the investigations which appears to 
have been overlooked by most fellow-laborers in 
the same field, and we refer to them now, even at 
the risk of being thought egotistical. In the first 
Editon, 1867, page 44, we said: “ But without 
presuming to advance a theory on the subject, we 
would suggest whether it is not possible that varia¬ 
tions may have been made on growing plants, by 
the influence of the pollen from different varieties. 
It is generally supposed that no eflect is produced 
except on the seeds, but as it is most conclusively 
proved in animal physiology that the female retains 
the effect of impregnation in her system for years, 
may not the same be true of plants, and the admix¬ 
ture or deterioration of one, and the improvement 
of another kind growing in close proximity, be 
caused by the absorption of qualities, each from 
the other. If the effect of the pollen reaches no 
further than the seed, why is not the fruit (recep¬ 
tacle) produced without them. But we find that 
wherever the pistils are not fertilized, the recepta¬ 
cle also fails, or if a portion only is supplied -with 
pollen, then the receptacle is deformed in propor¬ 
tion. Remove one, two, or more pistils before they 
are fertilized, and the berry, just at that point fails 
to enlarge or come to maturity. No seed, no berry, 
is the rule.” 
A Liquid Manure Cart. | 
A large part of the fertilizing elements of liquid 
manure go to waste, without provision is made for [ 
storing it and applying it to the soil. A brick- 
walled cistern holding several thousand gallons, 
can be built for about fifty dollars, and this will se¬ 
cure a constant supply of the best and quickest ! 
acting plant food. A cheap and substantial cart ' 
for spreading the liquid manure upon the land, 
is easily made. The box should be water-tight, : 
provided with two tail-bo.ards. The outer one has 
several holes bored in it, through which the liquid , 
passes when the inner board is raised for a short i 
distance. It is easy to make a water-tight box out ; 
of tongued and grooved stuff, fitted together with , 
paint or tar. The box is hung upon a bent iron 
axle, to bring it near the gi-ound. Persons with 
large lawns may keep them luxuriant during mid¬ 
summer drouths, by using such a cart. Liquid 
manure produces its good effects upon vegetation 
at once, and needs therefore to be applied frequent¬ 
ly and in small quantities. This is especially true 
if the soil has an open texture without retentive 
power. 
Ax,l the Eggs in one Basket. —We do not be¬ 
lieve in it. The eggs may all be of excellent qual¬ 
ity, and the basket strong and large enough to hold 
them, and yet we think it unwise to risk them all at 
once. There are many chances which a farmer must 
take, but he is rarely warranted in hazarding his 
present comforts in the hope of great gains. A 
man may invest all his capital in hops or cranber¬ 
ries, or some other special crop, and—lose. He 
may clog all the machinery of his farm operations, 
by going largely into grape-growing, when he 
might better have kept to his wheat. Farmers 
have been sold out by the sheriff because the 
horses possessed too much speed, and the race¬ 
track had greater fascinations than the corn-field. 
Some men run all to eider, have a mill to make it, 
and that is all they make. Others raise only hay, 
and sell it off the farm. Their eggs are all in one 
basket. Mixed husbandry, and not specialties, 
for American faimers wins in the long run. 
