120 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Feb. 25 
farm manure. But, on the other hand, we don’t want 
our readers to underestimate the value of fertilizers. 
It is but a few years ago that many of our Western 
readers protested that The Rural talked too much 
about fertilizers. We told them that in the near future 
they would sing a different tune 
and, sooner than we predicted, they 
are singing it lustily. It is the be¬ 
lief of the writer of this note that 
The R N.-Y’s Webtern circulation 
was materially lessened by its per¬ 
sistent discussion of fertilizer prob¬ 
lems. All the same we kept it up, 
and delighted in doing so, con¬ 
vinced that we were endeavoring 
to serve the best ultimate interests 
of the farming public. With firmer 
confidence than ever we now insist 
that those of our readers who till 
the soil, whether in the West, East, 
North or South, will fail to make 
the best of their opportunities if 
they assume that to experiment 
with fertilizers is time thrown 
away. 
The Mapes Company issue half 
a dozen pamphlets and treatises 
as, for example, Chemicals and Clover, Fertilizer 
Farming, Seeding to Crass, Tobacco Manures, Pota¬ 
toes, and several general descriptive pamphlets all 
of which will be mailed free of charge to those who 
apply to the Mapes Company. 
1). M. Ferry & Co., Detroit, Mich.—One of the 
largest and most prosperous firms in America. The 
new Horticultural Lima bean seems to be a great 
acquisition. It is said to combine the delicious flavor 
of the large Lima with the mealy character of the 
Dwarf Horticultural, while the bean matures, fit to 
use green shelled, as early as the latter. It is said 
that it is a true cross between Dreer’s Lima (pole) and 
the Dwarf Horticultural; that it CDmes absolutely 
true from seed and combines the many good qualities 
of both parents. It may be raised far north of where 
the Jjima may be grown successfully. Another most 
promising novelty is the Columbian Mammoth White 
asparagus, which seems to be a really distinct variety. 
It produces shoots which are rvhite and which remain 
so as long as they are fit to be eaten, and over 80 per 
cent of the plants come true from seed. This most 
valuable characteristic is not, as the catalogue informs 
us, the result of chance, but the legitimate outcome of 
years of patient selection by the originator, whose 
name does not appear. Fourteen years ago a single 
plant having white shoots was found in a field of 
Conover’s Colossal. Seed was sown and a small per 
cent came true. This was repeated 
with the final outcome of the Co¬ 
lumbian Mammoth. A beautiful 
colored page of sweet peas shows 
nine named varieties very true to 
life. Another colored page shows 
the Early Michigan tomato, a 
large, solid and shapely variefy, 
early and prolific. The catalogue 
is free of exaggeration either in 
illustrations or descriptions. 
Cjias. A. Green, Rochester, N. Y. 
—An illustrated catalogue (80 
pages) of fruits, ornamental trees, 
shrubs and herbaceous plants. The 
new red raspberry, Royal Church, 
the Royal apricot, Lancashire Lad 
gooseberry, the Wilder Early (core¬ 
less) pear are among the specialties. 
Leading pomologists unite in pro¬ 
nouncing the Royal Church rasp¬ 
berry one of the best of the red varie¬ 
ties. The fruiting branches are 
long and heavily laden, the berry 
large, round, juicy and rich in 
flavor; the color dark crimson, 
fairly firm. 
Of the Wilder pear, Pres. T. T. 
Lyon (there is no better authority) 
says: “ One of the best, if not the 
best, of its season.” Thomas 
Meehan says: “ Larger and juicier 
than any of the earlier pears grow¬ 
ing here.” Ellwanger & llarry 
say: “Handsome, melting, sweet, 
pleasant.” United States Pornolo- 
gist Van Deman says: “It has come 
to stay. No pear of its season 
pleases me better. I never ate a 
better early pear.” 
John A. Salzer Seed Co., La Crosse, Wis.—A large¬ 
sized catalogue (10% x 8 inches) of 120 pages crammed 
with illustrations of all kinds. It is hard to deter¬ 
mine the special from the general features so much 
emphasis is given to everything. Salzer’s Colossal 
blackberry, Mammoth dewberry Erfurt Giant goose¬ 
berry, Mastodon strawberry, Everbearing raspberry 
are, as they appear in the illustrations, larger than 
any fruits of their respective kinds we have before 
seen. A colored plate displays 10 flowers which are 
Superlative Rasprebry. Fig. 48. See page 123. 
named “ Unknown Beauty of Bolivia,” which resemble 
large specimens of salpiglossis. The sum of $300 in 
three parts is offered to those who grow the greatest 
number of colors, the prizes to be awarded August 15. 
Burpee’s Melrose. Fig. 49. See page 123. 
Another colored plate portrays “The Three Novel¬ 
ties,” viz., Salzer’s Giant Tree tomato, Salzer’s Mexican 
Banana melon and Salzer’s Firs.; of All carrot. 
Further on we are introduced to Salzer’s Eiffel 
Tower mangel, Salzer’s Lightning cabbage, Ideal 
The Timbrell Strawberry. Fig. 50. See page 117. 
cabbage, Salzer’s Telephone sweet corn, Salzer’s 
Earliest cucumber, lettuce, Queen of All musk-melon, 
Salzer’s King of the Earliest onion, and Salzer’s Red 
Wethersfield. Salzer’s Gladiator onion grows to such 
a size that it is quite as much as a man can do to wheel 
it in a wheelbarrow. Salzer’s Earliest and Best pea is 
(as shown) a marvel of productiveness. The “ Cali¬ 
fornia Golden Fig ” tomato, as tried at the Rural 
Grounds, is an exceedingly productive strain of the 
Little Yellow Pear. It is claimed that it is prized in 
California for making figs. 
The straw of Salzer’s Monster 
rye is alluded to as “standing up 
like a stone wall fully six feet 
high.” Queen of the North corn 
has been found “one of the ear¬ 
liest, finest and most productive 
deep-grained yellow dent varieties 
grown.” Salzer’s Great Northern 
oats, it is claimed, yielded in 1891, 
102 bushels (40 pounds to the 
bushel) per acre, machine measure. 
The potato list is certainly well 
selected both as to standards and 
new sorts. Salzer’s Early Wiscon¬ 
sin, as shown by the trial of a few 
hills at the Rural Grounds, in 1891, 
yielded at the rate of 730 bushels 
to the acre. 
William Henry Maule, Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa.—A catalogue of the 
largest size (8x11 inches, 130 pages) 
highly illustrated in black and white with about a 
dozen colored presentations. Mr. Maule is the intro¬ 
ducer of the Freeman potato which is of excellent 
quality, almost perfect shape and among the earliest 
in cultivation. As tried at the Rural Grounds during 
the past two seasons, it is not a heavy yielder and the 
proportion of small to large tubers was excessive. 
Rut in many trials made elsewhere—and fair trials 
too—it has yielded well. Mr. Maule considers the 
Shropshire Hero the most valuable pea introduction 
since the advent of the Stratagem. “Earliest of All,” 
it is claimed while of goodly size and fine flavor is three 
days earlier than any other tomato Mr. Maule has 
tested. It is not claimed that the shape is perfection. 
None Such corn is offered for the second year as of the 
best quality, while ears 12 inches long are not rare. 
Mr. Maule controls and for the first time offers 
Geradeau’s Favorite water-melon which, it is claimed, 
“ will discount anything in the melon line heretofore 
grown.” Nott’s Excelsior pea is justly given a con¬ 
spicuous place in the catalogue. It is about the best 
dwarf early wrinkled variety we have ever tried. 
Maule’s Prizetaker onion was first offered in 1888. 
The catalogue says that it is the “largest, handsomest, 
finest flavored Yellow Globe ever introduced.” 
Johnson & Stokes, Philadelphia, Pa.—“ Money 
Growers’ Manual,” being a catalogue of 120 pages, and 
a decided improvement on all previous catalogues 
issued by this firm in that the illus¬ 
trations, being fine photo half-tones 
are well printed and quite true 
to nature. The firm began this re¬ 
form last year and it is one that 
all reputable seedsmen, florists and 
nurserymen will be constrained to 
follow in the near future if they 
would gain or retain the patronage 
of progressive customers. 
Donald’s Elmira asparagus, now 
offered for the first, is said to be 
notably different in color from 
either Barr’s Mammoth or Pal¬ 
metto, while the stalks are more 
tender. It is said that bunches of 
12 stalks will average four pounds 
in weight and measure 10 inches 
in length as shown in a photo por¬ 
trait with a measure beside it. A 
fine photograph is given of Dreer’s 
Bush Lima as grown in the trial 
grounds of the firm, who regard 
it as the “ best of all bush Limas.” 
In The R. N.-Y. grounds as tried 
last season, it did not differ notably 
from the Kumerle strain which 
was offered to the public first, but 
lost sight of for a year or more be¬ 
cause of stock seed failure. 
A new tomato (controlled by 
Johnson & Stokes) is called “The 
Great B. B.” or Brenton's Best. 
It is said to be “wonderfully large, 
smooth and solid, ripening evenly 
and being a good shipper.” The 
color, as shown by a colored illu¬ 
stration, is crimson or, if not quite 
that, an intense red. 
Frank Ford& Son .Ravenna, O. 
—A perfectly plain catalogue (issued by a first-rate 
firm) of vegetable and flower seeds, seed potatoes, 
small fruits, «fcc. Growing potatoes for seed has been 
a specialty with Mr. Ford for over 20 years. During 
this long period nearly every variety of potato has 
