1892 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
727 
Short  and  Sharp. 
In  the  judgment  of  our  readers,  which 
varieties  of  potatoes  average  the  best  in 
quality — early,  intermediate  or  late?... 
Prof.  Lazenby,  of  the  Ohio  Experi¬ 
ment  Station,  while  traveling  in  Eng¬ 
land,  visited  the  Royal  Agricultural  Col¬ 
lege.  He  says,  in  the  Country  Gentle¬ 
man,  that  it  is  the  oldest  agricultural 
college  in  England,  and  owes  its  origin 
to  a  meeting  of  the  Cirencester  and  Fair- 
ford  Farmers’  Club,  held  during  the  year 
1842. 
It  is  probable  that  some  of  the  original 
plans,  hopes  and  ideas  have  never  been 
realized,  The  expectation  that  the  col¬ 
lege  would  be  largely  patronized  by 
farmers’  sons  was  never  fulfilled.  Gener¬ 
ally  speaking,  the  students  are  the  sons 
of  land  owners,  estate  agents  or  profes¬ 
sional  or  business  men,  although  the 
larger  farmers  are  patrons  to  some  ex¬ 
tent. 
There  is  no  compulsory  labor  system, 
but  those  students  who  desire  it  have  op¬ 
portunity  to  take  part  in  all  the  opera¬ 
tions  in  progress  upon  the  farm.  Skill  and 
excellence  in  the  various  kinds  of  work, 
such  as  plowing,  sheep-shearing,  horse¬ 
shoeing  and  the  like,  are  rewarded  the 
same  as  proficiency  in  the  class-room. 
Another  excellent  feature  is  that  each 
student  is  required  to  keep  and  submit 
for  examination  a  labor  journal,  con¬ 
taining  a  brief  account  of  all  the  work 
done  on  the  farm.  They  also  keep  what 
is  termed  a  cultivation  book,  showing 
the  condition,  progress  of  growth,  yield, 
etc.,  of  every  crop.  Excursions  are 
made  by  the  senior  students  to  the  best 
dairy  farms  and  stock-breeding  establish¬ 
ments  in  the  neighborhood,  and  reports 
of  these  visits  are  made,  a  prize  being 
awarded  to  the  best.  A  prize  is  also 
given  every  session  for  the  best  report 
on  the  work  of  the  college  farm  during 
that  period. 
The  ordinary  college  course  extends 
over  two  years,  or  six  sessions  ;  but  in 
order  to  receive  the  diploma  seven  ses¬ 
sions  must  be  attended.  There  are  no 
entrance  examinations,  but  it  is  ex¬ 
pected  that  each  applicant  for  admission 
has  received  a  good  general  education. 
They  must  be  18  years  of  age.  The 
number  of  students  varies  from  60  to 
100.  Only  once  or  twice  in  the  history  of 
the  college  has  the  latter  figur*  been 
reached . 
It  was  in  1888  that  we  received  from 
A.  J.  Caywood  &  Son  two  vines  of  his 
seedling  grape  then  locally  known  as 
“  Black  Delaware”  and  since  introduced 
as  Nectar.  It  is  rather  small  in  size  of 
berry  and  bunch  ever  to  become  popular 
as  a  market  grape,  but  it  is  nevertheless 
well  worthy  to  become  a  market  as  it  is 
a  home  favorite.  The  vine  bears  early 
and  abundantly.  It  is  healthy  though 
but  moderately  vigorous  in  growth.  The 
berries  are  of  high  quality,  sweet, 
sprightly  and  pure.  They  have  some 
pulp,  but  the  seeds  are  few  and  small  and 
easily  rejected.  The  Nectar  is  a  fine 
grape  and  we  commend  a  trial  of  a  vine 
or  so  to  all  of  our  readers . . 
To  educate  the  market  is  a  long  and 
seemingly  almost  hopeless  task.  But  it 
is  capable  of  education.  In  a  few  years 
it  finds  that  the  great,  beautiful  peaches 
of  California  are  worth  less  than  the 
smaller  kinds  grown  in  the  East  and 
South.  It  finds  the  Keiffer  a  pear  to  be 
let  alone.  It  finds  the  little  Seckel  of 
the  finest  quality  and  is  willing  to  pay 
for  it . * . 
The  market  is  not  so  dreadfully  stupid 
after  all.  It  likes  size  at  first  sight  and 
all  the  time  if  a  sufferable  quality  goes 
with  it.  But  it  rejects  size,  after  a  time, 
when  it  finds  the  quality  insufferable. . . 
For  this  climate  and  further  north 
we  prefer  to  plant  hardy  fruit  and  orna¬ 
mental  trees  in  the  spring  rather  than 
now  as  a  general  proposition.  But  spring 
is  a  pressing  time,  while  fall  is  an  easy 
time  for  the  farmer  and  it  would  be 
better  to  plant  in  the  fall  with  all 
due  care  than  in  the  spring  in  a  hasty, 
slip-shod  manner.  We  have  no  absolute 
proof  in  favor  of  this  preference 
of  spring  to  fall  for  transplanting  : 
nothing  but  comparative  trials  through 
several  years  could  establish  it.  Still 
we  act  upon  the  conviction  that  ex¬ 
perience  gives  in  the  shape  of  circum¬ 
stantial  evidence . 
To  those  of  our  readers  who  have  an 
available  garden  plot  of — let  us  say — 25 
feet  square  and  who  would  like  to  find 
out  how  many  potatoes  may  be  raised 
thereon  next  year,  it  is  suggested  that 
they  now  spade  it  up  to  the  depth  of  a 
foot.  Spread  as  evenly  as  may  be  10 
pounds  of  bone  flour  and  five  pounds  of 
muriate  of  potash.  Merely  rake  in  these 
fertilizers  and  leave  the  plot  until  spring. 
Then  again  spade  it  to  the  same  depth 
and  proceed  according  to  The  Rural’s 
trench  system,  using  five  pounds  of  nitrate 
of  soda  upon  the  seed  pieces  after  they 
have  been  covered  with  two  inches  of 
soil . 
It  is  with  no  little  satisfaction  that  we 
may  now  state  that  17  of  The  Rural’s 
Hybrid  Rugosa  Roses  have  been  placed 
in  the  hands  of  one  of  our  most  prominent 
florists  for  propagation  and  introduction. 
They  are  certainly  unlike  any  other  roses 
and  will,  if  planted  in  a  plot  by  them¬ 
selves,  form  a  most  interesting  group, 
and  one  that  will  be  prized  by  all  except 
florists  who  prefer  flowers  that  may  be 
plucked  singly  with  long  stems  for 
bouquets . 
The  R.  N.-Y.  tried  montbretias  during 
the  past  season  with  much  satisfaction. 
The  flower  may  be  popularly  described 
as  a  gladiolus  nearly  two  inches  in  diam¬ 
eter,  the  petals  being  a  bright  red  grad¬ 
ually  becoming  an  orange  about  the 
stamens  and  pistils.  This  is  M.  crocros- 
muuflora.  There  are  several  varieties,  but 
all  are  either  yellow  or  red  and  the  above 
is  perhaps  the  best.  The  corms  are 
nearly  hardy  and  would  probably  endure 
our  winters  if  carefully  covered.  Each 
corin  sends  up  several  stems  about  two 
feet  tall  bearing  from  a  dozen  to  two 
dozen  flowers  as  above  described.  They 
begin  to  bloom  in  midsummer  and  con¬ 
tinue  until  frost . 
It  would  seem  that  the  montbretias 
ought  to  cross  readily  with  the  gladiolus 
as  both  seed  quite  freely — but  we  were 
unable  to  effect  it  during  the  past 
season. 
This  is  the  driest  time  of  the  year,  and 
there  are  many  things  that  may  be  done 
best  in  a  dry  time.  The  New  York 
Times  mentions  among  them  repairing 
the  roads  about  the  farm,  and  there  is  no 
good  reason,  but  quite  the  contrary,  why 
other  roads  may  not  be  included  in  the 
fist;  hauling  stones  off  the  fields;  mak 
ing  drains  ;  killing  weeds  in  meadows 
or  pastures  ;  repairing  fences  and  build¬ 
ings,  especially  the  roofs  of  them,  and  in 
general  in  every  way  preparing  for  the 
rainy  days  to  come  when  no  man  ought 
to  work  out-of-doors. . . 
To  look  over  the  farm  and  yard,  how 
many  losses  may  be  discovered  ?  Cows 
that  do  not  pay  for  their  feed  ;  flocks 
that  are  not  productive  ;  horses  that  are 
not  suited  for  their  work  ;  fields  not 
properly  cultivated  ;  crops  that  are  un¬ 
profitable  ;  in  every  way  loss  instead  of 
profit.  All  this  should  be  stopped  with¬ 
out  delay.  An  entire  revolution  is  ur¬ 
gently  needed  on  a  very  large  number  of 
farms.  The  whole  routine  should  be  cut 
off  as  an  incurable  wound,  that  the  sys¬ 
tem  may  be  relieved  from  a  deadly  drain. 
And  then  a  new  beginning  is  to  be  made. 
What  better  time  for  such  a  change  it 
there  than  the  present  ? . 
The  question  of  keeping  cows  confined 
in  the  stables  the  whole  winter  is  one 
that  is  engaging  attention.  It  may  be 
mentioned  in  connection  with  it  that  one 
of  the  strongest  objections  against  what 
are  known  as  the  swill  milk  stables  of 
the  cities  has  been  the  constant  confine¬ 
ment  of  the  cows  in  them  without  the 
exercise  that  is  necessary  for  the  health 
of  the  animals.  The  most  frequent  dis¬ 
eases  incident  to  this  confinement  are 
the  worst  that  affect  cattle,  viz.,  pneu¬ 
monia  and  tuberculosis . 
But  aside  from  this  element  of  danger, 
there  is  the  unquestionable  danger  aris¬ 
ing  from  the  suspended  muscular  action 
of  the  cows,  an  action  that  is  indispens¬ 
able  for  the  health  of  any  animal.  It 
may  be  that  this  inaction  saves  food  ;  no 
doubt  it  does,  but  so  it  would  save  food 
to  knock  the  cows  on  the  head,  but  this 
is  not  economy.  The  saving  of  food  or 
the  claimed  increase  in  milk  and  butter 
which  may  quite  possibly  result  from 
this  suspension  of  muscular  exertion  is 
not  profitable  in  the  end,  although  for  a 
time  it  may  appear  to  be  conducive  to  a 
larger  product  at  less  cost . 
Word  for  Word. 
— — J.  J.  H.  Gregory,  in  The  New  Eng¬ 
land  Farmer  :  “  While  the  sweetness  of 
corn  depends  largely  on  varieties,  still  it 
is  a  fact  that  sun  heat  has  a  good  deal  to 
do  with  the  matter,  all  kinds  being  much 
sweeter  hot  summers  than  cold  ones.” 
“Cut  short  your  losses  and  let  your 
profits  run  on.” 
- P.  H.  Jacobs  :  “  No  one  has  ever  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  the  poultry  business  who  began 
with  very  large  numbers.” 
- T.  H.  Hoskins:  “It  ought  to  be 
widely  known  that  the  Peach  apple  is  the 
best  of  all  canning  apples.  It  keeps  its 
shape  in  cooking,  and  can  be  taken  from 
the  can  unbroken.  It  also  fully  retains 
its  qualities  in  canning.” 
- Bill  Nye  :  “  With  all  due  respect  to 
the  farmer,  I  will  state  right  here  that 
he  does  not  know  how  to  make  roads.” 
- New  York  Witness:  “As  a  wage- 
earner,  do  your  work  so  well  that  the 
boss  will  be  compelled  to  give  you  a 
raise — a  better-paid  place.” 
IN  writing  to  advertisers  please  always  mention 
Tub  Rural. 
mm  GRAPE  VINES 
100  Varieties.  Also  Small  Fruits,  Trees,  Ac.  Best 
rooted  stook.  Qesnine,  oheap.  9  simple  Tines  mailed  for  10c. 
Descrlptlrs  prioe  list  free.  LEWIS  ROESCH,  Fredoals,  N.  T. 
AGENTS  WANTED. 
Geneva  Nursery,  Geneva,  N.  Y. 
Salary  ana  expense 
paid.  Address 
W.  &  T.  SMITH  CO., 
Established  1846. 
A  NEW,  GOOD  AND  PROFITABLE 
CHERRY. 
THE  VILLAGE  NURSERIES 
have  the  honor  of  Introducing  to  the  public  a 
grand,  new  cherry.  At  Prof.  Van  Deman’s  sugges¬ 
tion  they  call  It 
“  MERCER.” 
Their  Descriptive  Catalogue  describes  It,  and  also 
gives  a  fair  description  of  the  stock  they  have  of 
Ornamental  and  Fruit  Trees, 
STRAWBERRY  PLANTS  AND  OTHER 
SMALL  FRUITS. 
Stock  by  mall  postpaid.  No  extra  charge  for 
packing.  Special  estimates  on  very  large  orders. 
Catalogue  Free.  Address 
JOS.  H.  BLACK,  SON  &  CO., 
Village  Nurseries,  Hlghtstown,  N.  J. 
Dnqnkno  1  For  the  past  2  years  I  have  grown 
reacnes  i  the  earliest 
Peaches!  PEACHES 
Peaches ! 
Peaches ! 
Peaches ! 
In  the  United  States, 
on  the  muck  lands  of  FLORIDA 
and  they  brought  as  high  as  $8  per 
box.  For  Information  on  Fruit 
Growing,  Sugar,  Rice,  Tobacco  and 
muck  lands,  Inquire  or  address 
Jl  |  LIU  10  *'41  Bullitt  Building, 
.  I.  LLlTIO,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
THE  PALOUSE  APPLE 
originated  in  the  famous  Palouse  country,  Is  a  beau¬ 
tiful  winter  apple  of  unsurpassed  quality  and  Iron¬ 
clad  hardiness.  Small  trees  sent  postpaid,  one  for 
75c.;  5  for  12.  Larger  trees  by  express,  $30  per  100. 
Address  orders  to  Geo.  Ruedy,  Box  207,  Colfax,  Wash. 
Money  Books. 
The  Business  Hen;  Breeding  and  Feed¬ 
ing  Poultry  for  Profit. — By  H.  W. 
Colling  wood,  P.  H.  Jacobs,  J.  H. 
Drevenstedt,  C.  S.  Cooper,  C.  S. 
Valentine,  Arthur  D.  Warner,  Henry 
Stewart,  Philander  Williams,  James 
Rankin,  Henry  Hales,  I.  K.  Felch, 
Dr.  F.  L.  Kilbome,  C.  H.  Wyckoff, 
H.  S.  Babcock,  C.  E.  Chapman,  etc. 
We  believe  that  this  little  book  will  meet  with  a 
hearty  reception  at  the  hands  of  all  of  that  vast  num¬ 
ber  of  people  who  are  Interested  In  the  doings  of  “the 
little  American  hen,  *  and  especially  In  the  methods 
by  which  practical  poultrymen  make  her  so  profitable 
an  egg  and  meat  machine.  Price,  cloth,  75  cents; 
paper,  40  cents. 
The  New  Potato  Culture. — By  Elbert 
S.  Carman,  editor  of  Thf.  Rural 
New-Yorker;  originator  of  the  Fore¬ 
most  of  Potatoes — Rural  New-Yorker 
No.  2.  This  book  gives  the  result  of 
15  years’  experiment  work  on  the 
Rural  Grounds 
How  to  Increase  the  crop  without  corresponding 
cost  of  production.  Manures  and  Fertilizers.  The 
Soil.  Depth  of  Planting.  Seed.  Culture.  The  Rural 
Trench  System.  Varieties,  etc.  It  Is  respectfully 
submitted  that  these  experiments  at  the  Rural 
Grounds  have,  directly  and  Indirectly,  thrown  more 
light  upon  the  various  problems  lnvofved  In  success¬ 
ful  potato  culture  than  any  other  experiments  which 
have  been  carried  on  In  America.  Price,  cloth,  76 
cents;  paper,  40  cents. 
Chemicals  and  Clover. — Rural  Library 
Series.  (105th  thousand)  By  H.  W 
COLLINGWOOD. 
A  conelso  and  practical  discussion  of  the  all-ln. 
portant  topic  of  commercial  fertilizers,  In  connection 
with  green  manuring  In  bringing  up  worn-out  soils, 
and  In  general  farm-practice.  Price,  paper,  20  cents. 
Practical  Farm  Chemistry. — A  Prac¬ 
tical  Handbook  of  Profitable  Crop- 
Feeding  written  for  Practical  Men, — 
By  T.  Greiner. 
Part  I.  The  Raw  Materials  of  Plant-Food.  Part 
II.  The  Available  Sources  of  Supply.  Part  III. 
Principles  of  Economic  Application,  or  Manuring  for 
Money.  A  concise,  practical  work,  written  In  simple 
Btyle.  adaptod  to  the  wants  of  the  practical  farmer. 
Perhaps  the  best  and  most  understandable  book  yet 
written.  Price,  cloth,  $1. 
The  Nursery  Book. — By  L.  H.  Bailey: 
assisted  by  several  of  the  most  skill¬ 
ful  propagators  in  the  world.  In 
fact,  it  is  a  careful  compendium  of 
the  best  practice  in  all  countries.  It 
contains  107  illustrations,  showing 
methods,  processes  and  appliances. 
How  to  Propagate  over  2,000  varieties  of  shrubs, 
trees  and  herbaceous  or  soft-stemmed  plants;  the 
process  for  each  being  fully  described.  All  this  and 
much  more  Is  fully  told  In  the  Nursery  Book.  Over 
300  pages,  lOmo.  Price,  cloth,  $1.  Pocket  style,  paper 
narrow  margins,  60  cents. 
Horticulturist’s  Rule-Book. — By  L,  H. 
Bailey.  It  contains,  in  handy  and 
concise  form,  thousands  of  rules  and 
recipes  required  by  gardeners,  fruit¬ 
growers,  truckers,  florists,  farmers. 
Insects  and  diseases,  with  preventives  and  reme¬ 
dies.  Waxes  and  washos,  cements,  paints,  etc.  Seed 
Tables.  Planting  Tables.  Maturity  and 
Yields.  Keeping  and  storing  fruits  and  vegetables. 
Propagation  oe  Plants.  Standard  Measures 
and  Sizes.  Water  held  In  pipes  and  tanks.  Effect 
of  wind  la  cooling  glass  roofs.  Weights,  per  bushel. 
Labels.  Rules  of  nomenclature.  Rules  for  exhibi¬ 
tion.  Weather  signs  and  protection  from  frost.  Col¬ 
lecting  and  Preserving.  Chemical  Composition 
of  Fruits  and  Vegetables;  Seeds  and  Fertilizers; 
Soils  and  Minerals.  Names  and  Histories:  Vege¬ 
tables  which  have  different  names  In  England  and 
America.  Names  of  fruits  and  vegetables  In  various 
languages.  Glossary.  Calendar,  etc.,  etc.  Price, 
In  pliable  cloth  covers,  only  50  cents.  New  edition  In 
cloth  covers,  $1 ;  paper,  60  cents. 
Annals  of  Horticulture  for  1891. — By 
L.  H.  Bailey. 
As  a  work  of  reference  for  all  students  of  plants 
and  nature,  this  Is  Invaluable.  An  especial  feature 
Is  a  census  of  cultivated  plants  of  American  origin. 
This  Includes  ornamentals  and  esculents,  and  has 
hundreds  of  entries.  The  novelties  of  1891,  tools  and 
conveniences  of  the  year,  directories,  recent  horti¬ 
cultural  literature,  and  other  chapters  on  the  various 
departments  of  horticultural  effort,  are  well  worth 
many  times  the  cost  of  the  book.  (Illustrated.) 
Price,  full  cloth,  fl  i  paper,  60  ets.  (Tho  series  now 
comprises  the  Issues  for  1889,  '90  and  '91;  all  at  same 
price  as  above ) 
Howto  Plant  a  Place  (10th  revised  edition.) 
— By  Elias  A.  Long. 
A  brief  treatise  Illustrated  with  more  than  GO  orig¬ 
inal  engravings,  and  designed  to  cover  the  various 
matters  pertaining  to  planting  a  place.  Following 
are  tho  leading  divisions:  Some  reasons  for  planting; 
What  constitutes  judicious  planting;  Planning  a 
place  for  planting;  How  and  what  to  order  for  plant¬ 
ing;  the  soil  In  which  to  plant;  Caring  for  the  stock 
before  planting;  On  the  sowing  of  seeds;  After  plant¬ 
ing;  Future  management  of  tho  plants.  Just  the 
Miing  for  the  busy  man.  Price,  cloth,  20  cents. 
Window  Gardening1. — Written  by  ex¬ 
pert  flower  and  plant  growers.  Covers 
every  phase  of  plant  culture  in  the 
house. 
A  lot  of  delightful  and  practical  articles  and  pleas¬ 
ing  Illustrations— all  on  Window  Gardening— make  np 
Mils  pretty  little  work.  Price,  10  cents. 
THE  RURAL  PUBLISHING  00„ 
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