476 
T  H  E  RURA  L  N  E  W- Y  ORKER. 
July  23 
ordinary  tin  pail,  but  find  this  form  the  best.  Either 
of  two  such  receptacles  may  be  furnished  with  the 
pail,  one  which  will  take  10  six-ounce  bottles,  or  one 
for  seven  eight-ounce  bottles. 
The  apparatus  is  used  in  the  following'  way:  The 
pail  is  filled  to  the  level  of  the  groove  with  water, 
covered  and  put  on  the  stove  to  boil,  the  receptacle 
for  the  bottles  being  left  out.  Now  the  bottles  of  milk 
are  filled  and  stoppered  with  cotton,  and  dropped  into 
their  places  in  the  cylinders.  Sufficient  water  is  now 
poured  into  each  cylinder  to  surround  the  body  of  the 
bottle.  This  is  very  necessary  for  conduction  of  heat. 
When  the  water  in  the  pail  boils  thoroughly  it  is  taken 
from  the  stove  and  set  on  a  mat  or  table  or  other  non¬ 
conductor,  the  lid  is  removed  and  the  receptacle  con¬ 
taining  the  bottles  of  milk  is  set  inside.  The  lid  is 
now  put  on  again  and  the  whole  is  allowed  to  stand 
half  an  hour,  after  which  the  bottles  of  milk  are  put 
in  a  refrigerator. 
The  theory  of  this  process  is  that  as  water  boils  at 
212  degrees  a  certain  amount  of  boiling  water  and  a 
certain  amount  of  milk  surrounded  by  water  at  an 
ordinary  temperature  would,  when  placed  together 
raise  the  temperature  of  the  whole  ma«s  to  about  170 
degrees.  A  little  practice  will  enable  one  to  regulate 
the  size  of  the  pail  and  the  amount  of  water  so  that 
the  proper  temperature  will  be  gained.  In  Dr.  Free¬ 
man’s  experiments  he  found  that  the  milk  was  kept 
above  1G7  degrees  for  half  an  hour,  after  which  there 
was  a  loss  of  one  degree  every  15  minutes.  He  says 
that  milk  treated  in  this  way  shows  no  change  for 
several  days.  In  a  week  or  10  days  a  precipitation  of 
easein  takes  place. 
Dealers  in  bottled  milk  ought  to  be  able  to  use  this 
method  very  successfully — as  they  can  add  several 
days  to  the  life  of  their  milk  by  so  treating  it.  At  any 
rate  the  plan  is  excellent  for  consumers,  as  it  can  be 
carried  out  easily  and  cheaply  at  home. 
From  The  R.  N.-Y.  of  July  5,  1879,  page  421 : 
Weevil-Eaten  Peas.— Will  they  grow  or  will  a  majority  grow  ? 
What  proportion  will  grow  ?  One  farmer  tells  us  that  there  Is  one 
kind  of  pea  that  will  not  grow  unless  it  is  weevil-eaten  !  All  unite  in 
contradicting  the  result  of  The  Rural's  experiment.” 
From  Tjik  R.  N.-Y.  of  July  5,  1879,  page  428. 
WEEVIL-EATEN  PEAS. 
The  Country  Gentleman  says  : 
WEEVIL-EATEN  Peas.— The  Rural  New-Yorker  insists  that  very 
few  seed  peas  infested  by  the  weevil  will  grow.  The  experiment  was 
made  of  selecting  7J  peas  that  contained  the  Insect,  and  carefully 
planwng  them.  Only  one  out  of  70  grew,  producing  a  sickly  plant. 
These  peas  had  been  undoubtedly  pretty  thoroughly  cut  up  by  the  In¬ 
sects;  but  when  they  have  not  destroyed  the  plumule  the  peas  will 
grow. 
We  do  not  know  to  what  extent  the  peas  were  “  cut  by  the  weevil.” 
We  selected,  as  we  found  them,  70  peas  that  had  been  Injured  by 
the  grub  of  this  insect,  from  a  quart  or  more,  and  planted  them  as  we 
would  any  other  peas.  It  might  have  happened  that  we  hit  upon 
those  In  which  the  embryo  had  been  destroyed.  But  this  seems  im¬ 
probable.  “  If  the  plumule  Is  not  destroyed,  the  peas  will  grow.” 
Suppose  all  of  the  cotyledons  are  destroyed— will  they  then  grow?  We 
think  not  and  believe  it  will  be  found  (1)  that  weevil-eaten  peas 
are  generally  worthless;  that  (2)  they  are  Injured  in  proportion  as  the 
cotyledons  are  injured  (of  course  always  supposing  the  plumule  Is  not 
eaten)  and  that  (3)  at  least  nine-tenths  of  such  peas,  taken  as  they 
come,  will  not  geminate  at  all.  8ince  we  published  our  experiment 
we  have  received  a  dozen  letters  or  more,  stating  that  our  experiment 
was  not  trustworthy.  We  are  therefore  trying  another  experiment 
with  100  weevil-eaten  peas,  planted  with  much  care  in  moist  soil,  and 
If  necessary  to  settle  the  question,  we  will  try  still  another.  It  is  im¬ 
portant  to  know  whether  weevil-eaten  peas  are  good  or  worthless.  If 
the  latter.  It  Is  not  right  that  farmers  or  gardeners  should  pay  the  full 
price  for  seeds,  one-tenth  at  least  of  which  will  fall  and  which  might 
easily  be  rejected  by  the  seedsman.  If  wrong  we  shall ‘'own  up.’  It  is 
easy  to  arrive  at  the  truth  in  the  matter. 
From  The  R.  N.-Y.  of  July  19,  1879,  page  454  : 
We  have  asked  the  question  of  at  least  50  farmers;  “  What  propor¬ 
tion  of  weevil-eaten  peas  will  grow?  ”  and  we  have  received  the  same 
answer  from  every  one,  strange  as  It  may  appear  to  the  thoughtful 
reader:  “All  will  grow.”  Our  late  experiment.  No.  2.  which  we 
now  place  before  our  readers,  shows  that  the  vegetative  powers  of  all 
weevil-eaten  peas  are  weakened. 
WILL  WEEVIL-EATEN  PEAS  GROW?  EXPERIMENT  NO.  2 
One  hundred  weevil-eaten  peas  were  planted  in  a  drill,  nearly  three 
Inches  deep,  on  the  afternoon  of  June  23.  The  peas  had  been  soaked 
make  It  appear  that  they  will  not  grow  because  he  knew  they  would! 
“But  have  you  tested  them  for  yourself?”  we  asked.  “No,”  he  said, 
'*  I  have  sold  them  too  long  to  make  that  necessary."  Well,  we  give  It 
up.  If  people  are  determined  to  believe  that  weevil-eaten  peas  will 
grow,  in  spite  of  trustworthy  tests  which  prove  the  contrary,  we  must 
e'en  leave  them  to  think  so.  It  may  seem  strange  that  many  will 
believe  that  wheat  sometimes  turns  to  chess.  In  this  case,  however,  It 
is  really  hard  to  prove  that  it  will  not.  But  if  any  incredulous  body  that 
reads  this  will,  next  spring,  sow  only  weevil-eaten  peas  depending  upon 
them  for  his  main  crop,  we  are  confident  that  he  will  never  again  feel 
Itke  casting  doubt  upon  the  results  of  our  experiments. 
Here  is  evidence  enough,  the  reader  will  think, 
though  we  are  tempted  to  give  more.  We  wrote  to 
Prof.  Riley  personally  requesting  him,  in  the  interests 
of  every  farmer  and  gardener,  to  admit  his  error  in 
insisting  that  weevil-eaten  peas  were  just  as  good  as 
sound  peas.  He  replied  that  he  had  not  changed  his 
opinion  and  would  explain  later.  The  “later”  explana¬ 
tion  comes  in  the  form  of  an  answer  to  a  question  in  a  re¬ 
cent  government  publication,  “Insect  Life,”  as  stated  in 
the  beginning  of  these  remarks,  and  the  credit  of  the 
proof  that  weevil-eaten  peas  are  practically  worthless 
is  given  to  Prof.  E  A.  Popenoe,  while  no  allusion  to 
The  R.  N.-Y.’s  ample  proof  to  the  same  effect,  though 
presented  13  vears  ago.  is  made. 
Horticultural  Gossip. 
The  gooseberry  is  coming  to  the  front.  A  large, 
well  ripened  gooseberry  is  a  delicious  fruit  and  when 
put  on  the  market  will  be  sure  to  sell.  In  our  large 
markets,  the  gooseberry  is  looked  uoon  as  something 
green  and  sour,  fit  for  stews,  pies,  etc. — scarcely  one 
in  ten  thousand  of  our  people  ever  saw  a  ripe  fruit  of 
this  family.  We  have  learned  how  to  fight  mildew 
easily,  and  we  have  several  new  and  very  desirable 
varieties  for  cultivation.  We  think  it  will  be  a  profit¬ 
able  fruit  to  cultivate. 
Notes  from  the  Rural  Grounds. 
Here’s  Science  for  You! 
A  copy  of  Insect  Life,  Vol.  IV.,  Nos.  9  and  10,  pub¬ 
lished  by  authority  of  the  United  States  Secretary  of 
Agriculture  and  issued  June,  1892,  has  just  been  re¬ 
ceived.  This  publication  is  edited  by  Prof.  C.  V.  Riley, 
United  States  Entomologist.  On  page  297 
is  an  editorial  article  on  “  The  Pea  and 
Bean  Weevils.”  A  question  is  asked  by  1 
Peter  Henderson  &  Co.,  and  we  quote 
from  Prof.  Riley’s  answer  : 
The  statement  has  been  generally  made  that,  In 
feeding,  the  larva  of  the  pea  weevil  seems  In  the 
majority  of  cases  to  avoid  the  gerin  of  the  future 
sprout  so  that  most  of  the  “  buggy  ”  peas  will  geirni- 
nate  as  readily  as  those  which  have  been  un¬ 
touched.  This  must,  however,  now  be  qualltled,  as 
we  6hall  show  in  a  later  paragraph.  ***»■* 
We  have  just  noted  the  current  Idea  that  the 
larva,  while  working  in  the  Interior  of  the  pea,  gen¬ 
erally  avoids  the  germ  or  plumule  and  from  this  s 
fact  the  impression  has  become  more  or  less  pre¬ 
valent  that  peas  which  have  been  eaten  by  weevils 
are  none  the  less  available  for  seed.  There  has 
In  water  for  several  hours  previously.  The  variety  was  Philadelphia 
or  one  closely  resembliDg  It.  The  soil  was  moist  and  rich,  and  we  have 
since  had  sufiiclent  rain  to  keep  it  so.  July  10— 17  days— but  one  pea 
had  appeared  above  the  ground,  and  that  looked  as  If  it  needed  a 
doctor. 
From  The  R.  N.-Y.  of  August  9,  1879,  page  502. 
TEST  CONCLUDED. 
Test  No.  8.— June  29,  (i  p.  m.— One  hundred  weevil-eaten  peas  which 
had  been  soaked  in  water  for  six  hours,  were  planted  In  sandy  loam 
three  iuches  deep.  They  were  afterwards  watered  as  needed.  The 
Simple  Device  for  Sterilizing  Milk.  Fig.  208. 
Grapes  will  soon  be  on  hand  in  all  their  glory  and 
the  old  battles  as  to  quality  will  be  fought  over  again. 
After  all,  these  questions  as  to  the  relative  quality  of 
fruits  are  largely  matters  of  taste  and  must  so  remain. 
It  is  equally  true  that  the  great  mijority  of  grape 
eaters,  especially  those  who  are  at  all  critical,  do  not 
admire  grapes  with  a  foxy  flavor.  In  this  family  are 
the  Northern  Muscadine,  Woodruff  Red,  Pocklington, 
Niagara,  Dracut  Amber  and  Wyoming 
Red.  In  the  South,  thousands  of  people 
esteem  the  Scuppernong  very  highly, 
while  if  offered  in  our  Northern  markets, 
it  would  not  sell  at  all.  One  thing  is 
reasonably  certain:  now  that  spraying 
has  become  popularized,  we  shall  have  a 
far  greater  supply  of  many  fine  fruits, 
which  have  not  been  profitable  hereto¬ 
fore,  especially  those  having  Vinifera 
blood,  such  as  the  family  of  Rogers’s 
Hybrids.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  finer 
fruit  than  well-ripened  specimens  of 
Agawam,  Goethe,  Herbert,  Lind  ley, 
Massasoit,  Merrimack,  Salem,  Wilder, 
been  many  a  discussion  on  this  subject  in  the  columns 
of  the  agricultural  press ,  and  while  the  weight  of  evidence  has  always  been 
contrary  to  the  use  of  damaged  seed  peas  [!  Eds.  R.  N.-Y.],  still  the  ques¬ 
tion  cannot  he  said  to  have  been  definitely  set  at  rest  befoie  the  publication 
of  the  results  of  Prof .  E.  A.  Popenoe' s  careful  experiments,  in  Bulletin 
No.  19  of  the  Kansas  State  Experiment  Station.  I  his  investigator 
conducted  a  germination  test  of  500  peas  of  10  sorts  with  the  result 
that  but  one-fourth  germinated,  and  the  partial  destruction  of  the 
variety  was  a  rather  small,  early  pea.  Of  these,  three  only  germinated. 
Test  No.  4. — On  the  same  date  as  above,  25  weevil-eaten  peas  were 
planted  2 H  Inches  deep.  They  had  been  soaked,  as  In  the  above  test, 
for  stx  hours.  They  were  not  artificially  watered  afterwards.  None 
appeared  above  ground. 
Test  No.  5. — Twenty-five  weevil-eaten  peas,  variety  “  Champion  of 
England.”  were  soaked  In  water  for  three  hours.  This  Is  a  large, 
Aminia,  Barry  and  others  of  this  family, 
and  we  hope  to  see  them  become  popularized  in  our 
markets.  The  Eumelan  is  another  grape  which  we  hope 
now  may  be  profitably  grown.  It  has  a  most  dis¬ 
tinctive  flavor  and  when  finely  ripened  has  few  equals 
among  our  grapes. 
cotyledons  rendered  the  further  growth  of  these  doubtful.  A  check 
lot  of  the  same  number  of  sound  peas  gave  a  germination  of  97  per 
cent.  An  examination  of  275  injured  peas  showed  but  69  in  which 
the  germ  was  not  wholly  or  partially  destroyed.  Moreover,  Prof. 
Popenoe  further  states: 
In  a  field  test  of  the  growth  of  sound  as  compared  with  wpeviled  peas, 
the  results  were  more  decisive  f  rom  a  practical  standpoint.  In  this  case 
23  varieties  were  represented,  each  by  100  sound  and  100  weeviled 
peas,  taken  as  they  came,  without  further  selection.  The  seeds  were 
planted  in  the  garden  In  parallel  rows,  the  sound  and  weeviled  neas 
of  each  sort  side  by  side,  the  rows  18  Inches  apart.  The  planting  was 
done  on  the  5th  of  June,  and  the  dryness  of  the  season  hindered  the 
perfect  germination  and  growth  to  a  noticeable  degree.  Of  the  sound 
peas  68  per  cent  came  up.  and  R4  per  cent  made  strong  plants.  In  10  varie¬ 
ties  of  the  weeviled  pens  no  seeds  germinated;  the  remaining  13  varie¬ 
ties  were  represented  in  all  by  58  plants,  or  4.4  per  cent,  in  germination, 
of  which  but  49,  or  3.8  per  cent,  grew  to  average  size  and  strength. 
This  evidence,  comments  Prof.  Riley,  practically  settles  the  long 
mooted  question,  and  It  is  safe  to  say  definitely  that  weeviled  or 
“  buggy  ”  peas  should  not  be  planted. 
The  italics  in  the  above  quotations  are  the  writer’s. 
We  have  here  another  striking  instance  in  which 
credit  for  original  investigation,  which  is  manifestly 
and  wholly  due  to  The  R.  N.-Y.,  has  been  given  to 
others,  and  this,  too,  in  the  present  case,  by  the  United 
States  Entomologist,  who  knew  that  The  R.  N.-Y. 
was  the  first  to  prove  that  weevil-eaten  peas  were  practically 
worthless — an  inestimable  service  to  the  country,  which 
the  United  States  authorities  should  be  the  first  to 
recognize.  Fortunately  files  of  The  R.  N.-Y.  give 
ample  evidence  of  the  accuracy  of  our  statements  and 
justness  of  our  claims. 
From  The  Rural  New-Yorker  of  May  31,  1879, 
page  342  : 
Some  time  ago  we  noticed  a  short  article  In  a  contemporary  in  which 
the  writer  pronounced  weevil-eaten  peas  utterly  worthless  for  seeding 
purposes.  Later  we  read  in  an  article  by  Prof.  Riley  a  statement  en¬ 
tirely  contradictory  to  the  above,  saying  that  such  peas  would  grow 
almost  as  well  as  sound  ones. 
To  satisfy  ourselves  on  this  point  we  selected  70  weevil-eaten  peas 
and  carefully  planted  them.  Of  these  70  peas  only  one  grew,  producing 
a  sickly  plant.  We  cannot,  therefore.  Indorse  Prof.  Riley's  statement 
in  regard  to  the  vitality  of  such  peas.  Sometimes  the  embryo  is  in¬ 
jured,  at  others  not;  but  it  stands  to  reason  that,  though  the  plumule 
should  bo  untouched,  the  vitality  of  the  peas  must  necessarily  be 
weakened,  as  a  considerable  portion  of  the  nourishing  matter  in  the 
cotyledons  )s  eaten  away. 
wrinkled  pea.  and  only  the  best  specimens,  or  those  which  were  the 
least  eaten,  were  selected.  They  were  planted  two  inches  deep  in  a 
clayey  loam.  The  ground  was  moist  when  they  were  planted,  and  It 
was  kept  moist  afterwards  by  artificial  watering  as  often  as  needed. 
Two  seeds  germinated.  In  the  same  manner,  near  these,  In  a  parallel 
drill,  24  peas  of  the  same  variety  were  planted,  which  were  not  weevil- 
eaten.  Of  these  13  germinated. 
It  appears  from  these  experiments  (all  made  out-of-doors  In  garden 
soil  of  various  sorts)  that  weevil-eaten  peas  are  substantially  worth¬ 
less.  Taken  as  they  come,  less  than  10  per  cent  will  grow.  Our  readers 
may  not  be  convinced  by  these  tests;  but  we  have  no  prejudices  In  the 
matter,  and  they  are  as  trustworthy  as  we  are  capable  of  making 
them.  We  are  quite  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  fact  that  the  impres¬ 
sion  Is  general  among  farmers  and  gardeners  that  weevil-eaten  peas 
are  just  as  good  as  those  which  are  not  weevil-eaten.  Even  such  good 
authorities  as  our  respected  contemporary,  the  Country  Gentleman, 
and  Prof.  Riley  incline  to  this  opinion,  as  a  published  letter  of  the  lat¬ 
ter  and  a  commentary  of  the  former  upon  our  first  tests,  will  show. 
We  have  lately  examined  a  number  of  bags  of  seed  peas  offered  by 
seedsmen.  Some  of  these  were  grown  lu  Canada  and  were  eutirely 
free  from  weevil-grub  holes.  Samples  from  other  bags  showed  that  as 
many  as  one  in  three  had  been  eaten.  The  price  of  seed  peas  ranges 
from  $3  to  $15  per  bushel,  according  to  variety.  Supposing  $5  to  be  the 
average  price  paid  for  seed  peas,  and  that  they  were  as  badly  Infested 
as  in  the  last  instance  above,  the  buyer  would  lu  reality  pay  $5  for 
two-thirds  of  a  bushel,  plus  the  10  per  oent  of  weevil-eaten  peas  that 
might  germinate.  But  we  have  found  that  of  the  less  than  10  per 
cent  that  do  germinate,  a  largo  proportion  will  produce  feeble  plants 
that  will  either  dwindle  away  or  not  bear  green  peas  enough  to  pay  for 
the  ground  they  occupy.  Many  of  our  friends  have  written  to  us  that 
we  are  wrong  and  that  weevil-eaten  peas  are  as  good  as  any  others. 
One  of  our  contemporles  has  stated  that  we  have  “discovered  a 
Mare’s  Nest.”  We  call  upon  them,  as  well  as  upon  Prof.  Riley  to  show 
by  their  own  tests  wherein  ours  have  been  defective,  or  else  for  the 
benefit  of  the  pea-planting  community  to  accept  our  results  as  a 
trustworthy  guide. 
From  The  R.  N.-Y.  of  August,  23,  1879. 
Prof.  Riley,  will  weevtl-eaten  peas  grow  as  well  as  others?  Now, 
answer  please.  You  know  those  who  have  the  promotion  of  scientific 
or  any  other  truths  at  heart  always  hasten  to  “own  up”  when  they  go 
astray. 
From  The  R.  N.-Y.  of  October  11,  1879,  page  660. 
AGAIN. 
We  thought  we  had  convinced  at  least  those  who  read  this  Journa 
(except,  It  may  be,  Prof.  Riley  perhaps)  that  a  small  proportion  only 
(very  small,  Indeed,  according  to  our  own  careful  experiments)  of 
weevil-eaten  peas  will  grow.  An  experienced  seedsmen  of  this  city 
told  us  a  few  days  ago,  however,  that  there  was  no  use  In  trying  to 
The  late  Charles  Downing,  whose  memory  is  re¬ 
vered  by  every  one  who  knew  him,  is  reported  to  have 
once  said :  “If  I  could  hive  but  one  pear,  I  would 
take  the  Sheldon.”  There  are  few  who  would  feel  in¬ 
clined  to  question  this  judgment  as  they  bite  into  a 
large,  finely-ripened  specimen  of  this  fruit,  and  with 
difficulty  prevent  its  copious  juice  from  streaming  from 
the  corners  of  their  mouths.  It  is  most  delicious.  It  is 
not,  as  a  rule,  among  the  most  profitable  pears.  Its 
appearance  is  against  it.  It  is  not  at  all  handsome, 
and,  side  by  side  with  pears  of  greater  beauty  but 
of  inferior  duality,  will  have  to  yield  the  palm  to  its 
handsomer  brothers.  By  the  way,  one  is  seldom  able 
to  find  Beurre  Giffard  pears  in  the  summer  mar¬ 
ket.  To  our  taste  this  variety  is  one  of  the  very 
best.  Like  all  pears,  and  more  especially  summer 
pears,  it  needs  to  be  picked  very  hard  and  house- 
ripened.  Another  pear  that  Mr.  Downing  greatly  ad¬ 
mired  is  the  Bose.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  and  best. 
If  it  had  a  red  cheek  to  add  to  its  attractions,  it  would 
be  a  beauty  indeed.  It  is  a  cranky  tree  to  grow— that 
is,  to  grow  into  anything  like  a  pyramidal  shape.  It 
is  a  vigorous,  rank  grower,  but  the  limbs  go  winding 
about  at  their  own  sweet  will,  curved  and  crooked. 
The  fruit  is  very  large  and  fine. 
By  the  way,  the  writer  well  remembers,  in  a  con¬ 
versation  with  Mr.  Downing,  hearing  him  express,  as 
his  personal  taste,  a  preference  for  a  finely-ripened 
blackcap  over  all  other  small  fruits,  though  he  loved 
all.  It  is  rather  flattering  to  one's  vanity  to  note  simi¬ 
larities  between  oneself  and  great  men,  and  we  re¬ 
mark,  parenthetically,  that  we,  too,  are  very,  very  par¬ 
tial  to  the  blackcap. 
The  late  A.  J.  Cay  wood,  to  whom  the  horticultural 
world  is  indebted  for  many  good  things,  was  the  recipi¬ 
ent  of  much  undeserved  abuse  at  one  time.  He  origi- 
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