smoothly,  and  everything  seemed  to  be  running  like 
clock-work. 
A  Talk  About  the  Farm. 
“  How  many  acres  have  you  ?  ”  I  asked  Mr.  Mayer, 
as  we  walked  from  his  residence  towards  the  cattle 
barns. 
“  About  2,500  in  all.” 
“  What  was  its  original  condition  ?  ” 
“  It  was  mostly  small  farms  which  were  bought  one 
at  a  time  from  their  former  owners.  The  original 
farm  contained  about  300  acres,  and  the  others  were 
added  until  it  has  attained  its  present  proportions.” 
“  Does  Mr.  Havemeyer  keep  on  buying,  or  isn’t  it 
his  ambition  to  own  all  that 
adjoins  him  ?  ” 
‘  ‘He  hasn’t  purchased  any 
more  recently,  and  if  he  has 
thought  of  it,  I  haven’t 
heard  anything  of  it.”  . 
plaything  for  Mr.  Have-  ■. 
meyer,  or  with  more  of  an 
“  It  is  run  for  revenue  Eft 
The  wealthy  New  Yorkers 
who  own  country  places, 
are  spending  more  time  on 
them  during  the  year,  after 
the  English  fashion.” 
“  To  what  branch  of 
farming  do  you  give  most  attention  ?  ” 
“To  the  dairy;  everything  is  made  subservient  to 
that?” 
“  Do  you  make  butter  ?  ” 
“No;  very  seldom.  We  sell  milk  and  cream,  and 
don’t  have  enough  to  supply  the  demand.  We  buy 
our  butter.” 
“  What  breed  of  cattle  do  you  keep  ?  ” 
“Nothing  but  registered  Jerseys.  We  have  about 
3C0  head,  including  the  young  stock,  and  milk  about 
150  head  the  year  around.  We  have  12  or 
15  cows  come  in  each  month,  and  as 
many  go  dry,  so  that  we  keep  the  num¬ 
ber  of  milkers  about  uniform.” 
Near  the  barn,  we  passed  a  large  m 
wagon  scale,  and  Mr.  Mayer  remarked 
that  on  this  everything  that  went  into  JSgfy 
the  farm  was  weighed.  “We  weigh  I&KfjiF''- 
everything  in,  and  everything  out,  and 
have  no  guesswork.  If  farmers  would  Msg|§S>'i‘ 
follow  that  plan,  they  wouldn’t  be  so 
poor  as  they  are.” 
The  main  cattle  barns  are  in  the  form  . 
of  a  cross,  with  the  transverse  arm  near  MiT'?*'!*} 
one  end.  The  upright,  or  main  part,  is 
20(3  feet  long,  with  storage  room  for  hay 
and  grain  overhead;  the  transverse  part  am 
is  somewhat  shorter.  Here  all  the  milch 
cows,  as  well  as  some  others,  are  kept. 
As  one  stands  at  the  intersection,  and  lagf-C  -A.* 
the  doors  to  the  wings  are  opened,  the 
eye  ranges  in  four  directions  along  four 
double  rows  of  pretty,  horned  heads, 
each  belonging  to  a  healthy,  happy,  j 
thriving  Jersey.  It  is  a  pretty  sight, 
and  one  worth  going  a  long  distance  to 
see.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  an 
arrangement  of  stables  more  convenient  and  labor- 
saving  than  this.  r.  h.  v. 
(To  be  Continued.) 
Notes  from  the  Rural  Grounds. 
TRIALS  OF  NEW  POTATOES. 
PART  III. 
Rockland  Prize. — From  Joseph  A.  Wilcox,  Mount 
Joy,  N.  Y.,  who  writes  that  the  variety  was  found 
among  Early  Puritans  ;  that  the  tubers  grow  close  in 
the  hill,  are  of  first-rate  quality,  and  mature  in  mid¬ 
season. 
Eighteen  pieces  yielded  27  pounds,  of  which  102 
were  large  (marketable),  and  24  small.  This  is  at  the 
rate  of  359.70  bushels  to  the  acre,  Long,  cylindrical; 
eyes  few,  not  prominent;  some  russeted.  White  skin. 
pounds,  of  which  97  were  large,  64  small.  This  is  at 
the  rate  of  484  bushels  to  the  acre.  Variable  in  shape, 
pink  skin.  Eyes  medium  as  to  number  and  prominence. 
White  flowers.  Vines  begin  to  die  August  3.  Resem¬ 
bles  Brownell’s  Winner. 
Seedling,  from  E.  C.  Brown  &  Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
who  write  :  “  Not  yet  named.  Twelve  specimens 
weighed  33%  pounds.  Quality  very  good.  Not  wet  or 
soggy  as  might  be  looked  for  in  a  potato  of  its  large 
average  size.”  Nine  hills  yielded  15%  pounds,  of 
which  43  were  large,  22  small.  This  is  at  the  rate  of 
423.50  bushels  to  the  acre.  Eyes  often  deep.  Like 
Beauty  of  Hebron  in  shape  and  color.  Flowers  white, 
feebly  purple. 
Quick’s  Seedling,  Snow¬ 
drop,  Rink  Rose,  Ideal  and 
srr-i  ii.  iL  and  1  In- 
the  No.  3  was  substituted  on 
were  made  up  and  it  was  too 
in  order  to  correct  the  error, 
tributed  among  our  readers 
scriber  is  that  it  produces 
very  few  small  tubers  and 
the  supply  will  be  limited. 
In  such  a  dilemma  the  best  we  could  do  would  be  to  cut 
larger  tubers  and  send  the  cut  pieces  to  applicants.  It 
is  the  furthest  from  our  wishes  to  amplify  the  merits 
of  the  variety.  That  would  end  in  disappointment  to 
our  subscribers  and  injury  to  ourselves.  We  may 
speak  of  it  only  as  it  behaves  here  in  a  naturally  poor 
soil,  well  fertilized  and  raised  by  the  R.  N.-Y.  trench 
method.  In  shape  it  is  much  like  the  No.  2.  It  is  a 
seedling  from  seedlings  of  our  own  raised  through 
several  generations.  The  flesh  is  peculiarly  white 
the  quality  perfect.  It  is  an  early 
variety,  but  just  exactly  how  early  we 
are  unable  to  say.  The  tubers  are  of 
marketable  size  before  those  of  Early 
i  Rose  by  a  week  or  more  though  the  vines 
do  not  die  so  soon.  It  yields  more  in 
our  trial  plot  than  any  other  early  variety 
ever  tried.  It  will  be  introduced  as  the 
W?  t-WK  Carman  No.  1,  that  name  having  been 
\  selected  by  those  who  control  the  stock. 
ifpPm  We  would  prefer  to  have  had  it  called 
the  Rural  New-Yorker  No.  1,  but  the 
name  is,  commercially  speaking,  open  to 
'A!  several  valid  objections. 
The  No.  3. — This,  without  any  ap- 
proach  to  an  exception,  is  the  greatest 
yielder  we  have  ever  raised.  As  shown 
in  the  illustration,  Fig.  328,  it  is  of  the 
shapeliest  form  though  of  the  largest 
size.  It  might  fairly  be  said  that  it  does 
not  yield  small  tubers  at  all.  In  a  dozen 
hills — the  entire  crop  of  the  past  season 
— not  a  dozen  unmarketable  tubers  were 
gathered,  and  the  season,  as  has  been 
stated,  was  exceedingly  dry  and  favor 
able  to  distorted  growths.  We  have  never 
seen  any  other  variety  that  bears  its 
tubers  so  close  to  the  plant.  A  single  turn  of  the  fork 
throws  out  every  potato  and  it  is  useless  to  hunt  for 
more.  They  will  average  a  pound  each  as  grown  in  a 
very  dry  season,  all  of  perfect  shape,  and  the  yield  of 
the  12  hills  was  at  the  rate  of  somewhat  over  1,100 
bushels  to  the  acre.  What  are  the  faults  of  this 
remarkable  variety  that  yields  so  heavily  in  a  droughty 
season  ?  We  do  not  know.  Neither  do  we  know  any¬ 
thing  as  to  its  quality.  It  will  be  distributed  among 
our  applicant  subscribers  just  as  soon  as  a  sufficient 
quantity  can  be  raised  for  that  purpose  ;  and  of  this 
due  notice  will  be  given.  This  will  complete  our  set 
of  an  early,  the  No.  1 ;  an  intermediate,  the  No.  2  ; 
and  a  late,  the  No.  3,  and  this  is  what  we  have  been 
working  for  ever  since  we  began  experimental  potato 
culture  about  15  years  ago.  Three  new  varieties  worthy 
of  introduction  in  15  years !  This  could  not  be  made 
profitable  from  a  money  point  of  view.  As  for  the  rest 
the  potatoes  will  tell  their  own  story. 
The  R.  N.-Y.  No.  3  Potato.  Fig.  828, 
It-is  a  shapely  potato  of  the  long  class.  Vines  begin 
to  die  August  3.  Eaten  September  24.  Nearly  white 
flesh,  fairly  mealy  outside,  fine  grain,  and  of  good 
quality. 
World’s  Fair. — From  L.  L,  Olds,  Clinton,  Wis. — 
Two  pieces  yielded  3%  pounds,  of  which  12  were 
large,  14  small.  This  is  at  the  rate  of  436.83  bushels 
to  the  acre.  A  handsome,  round-oval,  russeted  potato. 
Few  eyes,  not  prominent.  Late.  Eaten  September  30. 
Nearly  white  flesh  breaking  to  pieces  when  boiled. 
The  R.  N.-Y.  No.  1  Potato.  Fig.  32’ 
Good  but  not  best  quality.  Mr.  Olds  “  intends  to  in¬ 
troduce  it  next  year.” 
Sir  William. — This  was  also  tried  last  year — seed 
from  R.  D.  Burr,  23  East  State  Street,  Gloversville, 
N.  Y.  He  says  it  is  a  sport  of  the  White  Elephant,  of 
medium  earliness  and  first-rate  quality.  The  yield 
last  year  was  from  three  hills,  12%  pounds,  of  which 
29  were  large,  11  small.  This  was  at  the  rate  of 
1008.30  bushels  to  the  acre. 
The  past  season  three  hills  were  also  planted.  They 
yielded  nine  pounds,  of  which  25  were  large,  nine 
small.  This  is  at  the  rate  of  726  bushels  to  the  acre. 
Rather  long,  cylindrical,  slightly  flattened,  often 
russeted.  Eyes  few,  not  prominent.  Buff  skin,  white 
flowers.  Late. 
A  seedling,  from  Elmer  B.  Rowell,  Skowhegan, 
Me.  Fourteen  pieces  were  planted,  and  yielded  28 
We  received  one  small  specimen  of  the  Rural  New- 
Yorker  No.  2  potato  when  sent  out  three  years  since. 
I  am  growing  this  variety  principally  now.  I  con¬ 
sider  it  the  most  valuable  sort.  Grown  side  by  side 
with  such  heavy  yielders  as  the  Empire  State,  Monroe 
County  Prize  and  Late  Beauty  of  Hebron,  it  outyielded 
them  all.  I  sprayed  my  potatoes  this  year  with  the 
Bordeaux  mixture  with  gratifying  success.  I  used  3% 
pounds  of  sulphate  of  copper,  four  pounds  of  lime  and 
40  gallons  of  water.  There  was  no  appearance  of 
blast  except  on  the  cheek  rows.  I  also  met  with  good 
success  spraying  fruit  trees.  Spraying  plum  trees 
was  too  much  for  the  curculio.  The  trees  were  loaded 
with  large,  fine  fruit.  t.  e.  w. 
