332 
May  21 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
and  of  early  potatoes  on  the  roots  at  the  same  time  will 
be  common  and  profitable.  All  the  spaces  and  spare 
corners  were  planted  to  beans,  and  a  mess  of  string 
beans  could  be  picked  at  any  time.  In  answer  to  the 
question  : 
“  Would  you  consider  them  a  profitable  winter 
crop?”  the  Professor  said  “  Yes.  We  could  sell  them 
for  a  cent  a  pod,  and  they  bear  well.”  The  cucumbers 
were  very  luxuriant.  The  English  Forcing  variety 
has  few  seeds,  and  makes  fine  eating.  Some  of  the 
leaves  were  a  foot  square,  and  the  fruit  very  large, 
one  specimen  being  33  inches  long  (see  Fig.  157,  page 
331.)  They  have  to  be  pollenizcd  by  hand. 
In  England,  growers  average  two  to  four  to  the 
vine,  while  Prof.  Bailey  gets  10  or  more.  Under  the 
benches  along  the  side  was  a  fine  bed  of  rhubarb. 
Lettuce  is  easily  grown,  sells  readily,  and  is  a  profitable 
crop  in  winter.  One  room  has  a  cloth  roof,  painted 
with  linseed  oil.  This  is  a  cold  storage  room  where 
shrubs,  plants,  heads  of  cabbage  for  seed-growing 
and  flow’ers  can  be  kept  in  just  the  right  temperature 
to  prevent  growth  or  decay.  They  can  be  taken  out 
and  started  growing  so  as  to  bloom  just  when  wanted. 
In  the  cellars  are  several  mushroom  beds,  which  pre¬ 
sent  a  fungoid  appearance.  It  takes  from  six  weeks 
to  six  months  for  the  plants  to  appear,  from  the  time 
the  beds  are  spawned.  They  constitute  a  peculiar, 
profitable  crop  for  those  who  know  how  to  grow  them. 
The  dark  cellar  and  that  where  electric  lights  turn 
night  into  day  afford  a  decided  contrast.  Here  the 
plants  are  allowed  no  chance  to  sleep.  The  effect  is 
very  marked  on  the  foliage,  which  is  faded  out  nearest 
the  light.  Lettuce  and  beans  stand  this  treatment, 
while  cauliflowers  head  best  in  the  ordinary  house. 
Beds  supplied  with  pipes  placed  at  different  depths 
give  lessons  in  irrigation.  So  far,  sub-irrigation  seems 
to  give  the  best  results.  A  complete  system  of  pipes 
connected  with  the  engine  affords  opportunities  to 
compare  steam  and  hot  water  as  to  cost  and  effect. 
Steam  gives  out  heat  quickest.  A  large  area  is  set  to 
trees  berries  and  shrubs.  Experiments  in  pruning 
are  made  every  month.  Budding  and  grafting  are 
taught. 
“  When  would  you  cut  your  scions?  I  asked. 
“  In  the  fall.  The  twig  may  be  injured  or  forgotten 
if  left  till  spring.” 
“  What  is  the  best  strawberry  ?  ” 
“  The  Haverland  with  proper  fertilization  is  good  ?” 
Mr.  Batsford,  of  Loche,  N.  Y.,  stated  at  the  institute 
that  he  had  saved  his  strawberry  blossoms  from  frost 
by  heating  water  during  the  day  and  storing  it  in  a 
wagon  tank  until  evening  when  it  was  sprayed  on  the 
plants. 
“  Do  you  think  cold  water  would  answer  as  well  ? 
“  I  have  often  saved  plants  in  the  fall  by  spraying 
cold  water  on  them  and  think  it  would  do  equally  well 
in  spring.” 
This  method  of  fighting  frost  I  had  never  seen  men¬ 
tioned,  and  it  is  worthy  of  a  trial.  Palms,  bananas, 
beautiful  flowers,  a  tropical  running  vine  called 
Granadilla,  a  tubful  of  water  lilies  just  beginning  to 
,rrow  and  many  curious  things  fill  one  with  wonder. 
Tin  boxes  made  to  just  fit  the  space  in  the  cupboard 
guard  the  seeds.  Each  year’s  surplus  seeds  are  kept. 
The  vitality  of  seeds  can  be  tested  and  plant  variation 
be  shown  by  growing  specimens  from  original  seeds. 
Grass  and  grain  can  be  preserved  for  future  reference 
by  drying,  but  the  shape  and  size  of  fruits,  flowers 
and  vegetables  were  formerly  lost.  The  Professor  and 
assistant,  L.  C.  Corbett,  are  now  able  to  photograph 
every  thing.  The  collection  of  views  already  numbers 
over  1,900  and  gives  an  object-lesson  upon  every  page. 
I  have  given  but  a  hint  of  the  many  interesting 
things  to  be  seen.  Any  farmer,  gardener  or  seeds¬ 
man  can  spend  a  day  profitably  among  the  greenhouses 
.  _  ,,  C.  E.  CHAPMAN. 
The  American  Beet  Sugar  Industry. 
Synopsis  of  American  Experiments. 
PROF.  C.  L.  INGERSOLL. 
(Continued.) 
THE  Labor  Problem  is  the  one  great  problem  in 
America  to-day,  and  in  various  ways  must  it  be  care¬ 
fully  adjusted.  When  undue  pressure  is  brought  to 
bear  upon  one  point  lowering  wages  to  the  danger  line, 
then  skill  and  tact  must  be  used  to  keep  matters  level 
till  the  equilibrium  is  restored.  By  the  danger  line  we 
mean,  a  point  in  wages  below  which  an  honest  and 
intelligent  workingman  cannot  go  and  support  his 
family  comfortably  when  in  health. 
In  Canada  there  have  also  been  some  attempts  to 
make  sugar,  dating  from  1872  when  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  interested  itself  by  sending  a  man  to 
investigate  the  industry  in  Europe  and  obtain  seed  for 
r,0  acres.  In  1874  the  Quebec  Legislature  offered  825,000 
to  the  first  successful  factory  in  operation.  This  led 
to  the  establishment  of  factories  at  five  or  six  places  ; 
they  had  but  a  brief  run  each,  with  a  single  exception, 
ana  attribute  the  failure  to  the  meager  supply  of  beets. 
Prof.  Saunders  says  of  the  Berthier  factory,  that  the 
only  way  to  make  it  a  success  would  be  for  the  com¬ 
pany  to  purchase  3,000  acres  of  land  and  raise  their 
own  beets  and  at  the  same  time  take  those  “  that  the 
farmers  condescend  to  raise.”  Farnham  factory, 
closed  in  1884,  was  re-opened  in  1890  by  the  giving  of  a 
bounty  of  50  cents  a  ton  for  each  lot  raised  by  the 
farmers. 
The  Canadian  farmers  seemed  to  tire  of  raising 
beets  ;  they  did  not  care  to  raise  a  crop  which  needed 
such  labor  to  secure  a  stand  and  carry  it  successfully 
through  the  season  where  early  frosts  might  ruin  it. 
The  Sugar  Outlook. — But  what  of  the  present  ? 
Can  we  hope  to  carry  on  this  industry  to  a  successful 
Plan  of  C.  R.  Beach’s  Cow  Stable.  Fig.  158. 
issue,  and  if  so,  how?  These  are  the  problems  which 
confront  us  to-day,  and  science  is  being  importuned  as 
never  before  to  give  her  aid  to  this  work. 
The  experiment  stations  have  been  at  work  for 
periods  varying  from  one  to  four  years  and  their  re¬ 
ports  are  now  quite  full  and  complete. '  Let  us  take  a 
brief  resume  of  their  results. 
California.— Three  factories,  Watsonville,  Alvarado 
and  Chino,  in  operation  with  quite  successful  results 
in  1891.  Beets  with  sugar  contents  of  11.65  to  14  per 
cent  with  co-efficient  of  purity  of  75  to  90. 
Nevada. — Experiments  carried  out  carefully,  show 
that  beets  to  the  number  of  210  samples  raised  over  the 
State  and  including  those  at  the  station  were  analyzed. 
Of  these  20  per  cent  showed  over  18  per  cent  sugar,  46 
per  cent  had  12  to  14  per  cent  sugar,  while  the  degree 
of  purity  was  85  to  95  per  cent. — (Bulletin  13.) 
Utah.— The  Lehi  factory  was  operated  successfully 
this  year.  It  was  almost  exclusively  built  in  the 
United  States  and  represents  home  industry  through¬ 
out.  Utah  made  an  early  effort  to  make  its  own 
sugar,  but  with  the  methods  then  in  use  it  did  not  suc¬ 
ceed  well.  But  now  the  campaign  closed  seems  to 
show  that  if  the  beets  are  raised,  there  will  be  no 
trouble  about  the  chief  production  of  sugar.  The  sugar 
content  is  good  and  the  purity  high. 
Wyoming. — The  experiment  station  has  done  a  lai  gc 
amount  of  work  on  sugar  beets,  and  has  analyzed 
specimens  from  every  agricultural  portion  of  the  State. 
The  Real  and  the  Ideal  Dairymaid.  Fig.  159. 
The  average  per  cent  of  sugar  in  70  analyses  was 
found  to  be  15.79,  with  purity  78.08.  No  definite  con¬ 
clusions  are  drawn  but  the  work  will  be  pushed  this 
season  vigorously. 
Colorado.— This  station  has  experimented  with  sugar 
beets  for  four  years  and  finds  that  the  results  are  as 
good  as  the  best,  and  that  large  areas  are  adapted  to 
the  work.  The  State  convention  and  permanent  or 
ganization  will  do  much  to  hasten  the  introduction  of 
factories.— (No  bulletin  has  been  issued  on  this  sub¬ 
ject  in  1891-2.) 
North  Dakota  — The  number  of  samples  analyzed  in 
1891  was  129,  with  an  average  sugar  content  of  11.43 
per  cent;  the  result  of  the  first  season’s  organized 
effort  (Bulletin  5).  The  purity  seems  to  run  very  low, 
with  now  and  then  a  notable  exception. 
Sonth  Dakota. — The  experiment  station  began  work 
in  1888  with  poor  results  as  to  sugar  contents  but  with 
good  yields  ;  in  1889  better  results  were  obtained,  the 
average  of  good  samples  being  about  10.5  per  cent.  In 
1890  the  per  cent  of  sugar  increased,  but  the  co-efficient 
of  purity  was  low,  the  highest  being  77.  In  1891  a 
large  number  of  packets  of  seeds  were  sent  out,  and 
Bulletin  27  says  that  with  good  cultivation  there  was 
a  high  per  cent  of  sugar  and  good  purity. 
Minnesota.— Bulletin  14  gives  the  result  of  culture 
in  that  State;  the  sugar  content  of  beets  averaged 
about  11.5  per  cent,  and  the  purity  75  to  80. 
Wisconsin. — Three  hundred  and  seventy-five  samples 
of  beets  raised  by  the  farmers  showed  12.56  per  cent 
sugar  as  an  average,  while  those  at  the  station  gave  a 
little  better  results,  but  the  yield  for  1891  was  very 
low  on  account  of  severe  droughts.  Further  work  will 
be  performed,  says  Bulletin  30. 
Michigan.— Dr.  R.  C.  Kedzie  in  his  inimitable  style 
shows  in  Bulletin  82  that  16  counties  report  15  tons  per 
acre  with  an  average  of  13.84  per  cent  sugar  in  the 
juice,  with  purity  at  80  and  over.  People  are  advised 
to  “  go  alow"  about  building  a  factory. 
Ohio. — The  experiment  station  summarizes  as  fol¬ 
lows  with  reference  to  its  work  :  ^  ield  seven  to  nine 
tons  per  acre,  with  about  six  per  cent  sugar.  If  it 
were  possible  to  raise  a  crop  of  12  to  15  tons  per  acre 
there  would  then  be  no  margin  for  producer  or  manu¬ 
facturer.  Beets  in  northern  Ohio  might  do  better  and 
probably  would  have  greater  sugar  content,  but  this 
State  cannot  compete  with  the  great  West. 
Indiana.— Work  at  the  station  shows  that  average 
sugar  beets  can  be  raised.  A  large  number  of  analyses 
is  reported  with  an  average  of  about  12  per  cent  sugar 
in  the  juice,  and  purity  from  70  to  86.  Large,  medium 
and  small  beets  were  worked  separately  and  careful 
reports  made.  (Bulletin  39). 
Massachusetts.— Seed  from  Saxony  sown  at  the  sta¬ 
tion  gave  9.72  to  15.61  per  cent  sugar  in  the  juice.  A 
comparison  was  made  with  beets  grown  in  New  V  ork 
and  Canada.  The  former  showed  7.80  to  15.10  per 
cent;  the  latter,  8.83  to  11.38  sugar  in  the  juice.— An¬ 
nual  Report  of  State  Experiment  Station,  1891. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Noteworthy. 
Here  in  Lewis,  Iowa,  I  find  the  Chemin  Market 
Tomato  the  best  for  our  locality.  It  is  of  the  finest 
flavor  and  excellent  for  canning  ;  ripening  all  over  at 
once.  It  doesn’t  blight  and  is  very  firm  and  a  good 
keeper.  In  the  Pea  Special  Burpee’s  Profusion  is  said  to 
be  a  poor  yielder.  I  find  it  a  strong  grower,  averaging 
three  feet  in  height,  while  the  pods  contain  from  six 
to  eight  large  and  fine-flavored  peas.  It  stood  drought 
better  than  the  Stratagem.  p-  B-  H- 
Chemicals  and  Strawberries.— Here  in  West  Han¬ 
over,  Mass.,  our  way  of  using  fertilizers  differs  con¬ 
siderably  from  that  practiced  by  the  New  Jersey 
farmers.  We  make  strawberries  our  humus-forming 
crop.  We  fertilize  for  potatoes  with  from  1,500  to 
2,000  pounds  of  potato  fertilizer,  all  in  the  drill.  Next 
year  strawberries  are  grown  with  50  barrels  of  wood 
ashes  and  nearly  a  ton  of  fine  bone.  The  strawberries 
are  picked  two  years  and  then  one  year  we  grow  green 
corn  for  market,  with  but  a  little  potato  fertilizer  in 
the  -hill.  Then  come  potatoes  again,  making  a  five- 
year  rotation.  It  works  well,  but  sometimes  we  vary 
it  by  putting  corn  in  for  several  years  ;  then,  of  course, 
we  increase  the  amount  of  fertilizer  on  the  corn  the 
second  or  third  year.  F-  B- 
The  Oriental  Spruce  is,  as  The  It.  N.-Y.  says,  on 
page  287,  a  shapely  little  beauty,  and  one  of  the  most 
desirable  of  all  evergreen  trees,  particularly  for  small 
gardens.  One  of  its  best  points  is  its  habit  of  keeping 
its  branches  right  to  the  ground  even  in  large  speci¬ 
mens;  and  one  of  its  worst  points  is  that  it  is  one  of 
the  most  difficult  of  spruces  to  transplant  successfully. 
But  don’t  let  this  fault  deter  any  one  from  planting 
so  symmetrical  and  beautiful  a  tree,  for  I  have  suc¬ 
cessfully  transplanted  many,  large  and  small.  Just  be 
careful  with  them,  keep  their  roots  moist  while  they 
are  out  of  the  ground,  plant  firmly,  and  for  a  season 
protect  them  from  drying  or  searing  winds. 
Should  the  tops  of  asparagus  be  left  on  the 
plants  over  winter,  or  cut  off  and  cleared  away  in  fall  i 
page  295.  For  tidyness’s  sake  in  the  garden,  we  cut  over 
the  “  grass”  in  November  and  burn  the  tops,  and  then 
spread  a  liberal  dressing  of  rotted  manure  over  the 
beds  and  fork  it  in  enough  to  cover  it.  In  fall  the 
stumps  of  the  “grass”  cannot  be  pulled  out,  but  in  early 
spring  they  can  be  pulled  up  with  very  little  effort, 
and  raked  off;  and  perhaps  this  is  the  best  way  to  do 
in  what  is  simply  a  family  patch,  be  it  in  field  or  gar¬ 
den.  But  where  asparagus  is  grown  as  a  market  crop, 
as  it  is  in  this  (Oyster  Bay)  township,  the  farmers 
usually  leave  the  tops  alone  over  winter,  and  in  early 
spring  rake  them  off  with  a  horse  rake  and  burn  them 
up.  The  rake  clears  them  off  the  ground  perfectly  ; 
they  part  from  the  crowns  readily  and  without  leaving 
any  stumps  The  objection  to  leaving  the  stumps  in 
