i3o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
March 3 
house. No other has borne a higher reputation. The 
catalogue is intended to be useful, helpful in every 
way to the farmer, gardener or florist. It pre¬ 
sents ample, practical notes for the North and South 
of what to do and how to do it, for every month in the 
year. It tells us how to force seeds in the house, how 
to treat them in open-air culture. The market gar¬ 
dening and farm notes by Burnet Landreth are es¬ 
pecially instructive. Tho growing of onion sets has 
for upwards of a century been a specialty with the 
fifm. They offer two new sorts, viz.. Extra Early 
Go’d Seal and Extra Early Red Seal, varieties adapted 
Thk Bi-up: Solanum. Fig 40. (See page 135 ) 
to both autumn and spring planting in any climate, hot 
or cold, desirable in every garden from Halifax to 
Galveston. This firm is very cautious as to admitting 
novelties into its catalogue until they have been proved 
of superior value. Its convictions upon the subject 
are emphatically expressed in the following lines : 
We ventnre to ask the Intelltgeat purchaser of seeds If he does not 
think the time has arrived to commence to question the representa¬ 
tions of sensational seedsmen, who offer gifts as premiums to pur¬ 
chasers, and who always have so many new things that one tires of 
reading the adjectives of superlative degree used In describing them; 
and one becomes still more worn to And, after months of 
watching and waiting, that the highly extolled are no better 
than old familiar sorts. It really seems as if the creature, 
man, was as anzlons to be deceived In seeds as In quack 
medicines, for we do not hesitate to declare upon oar reputa¬ 
tion as seedsmen of repute that nine-tenths of the so-called 
new sorts advertised at high prices are, so far as merit goes, 
rank humbugs and It is time the public were told so. 
D. M. Fkkky & Co , Detroit, Mich.—This ex¬ 
cellent firm has trial grounds of its own and a 
very competent superintendent—Prof. W. W. 
Tracy—to study the varieties on trial. Hence it 
is that the praises given to novelties or the 
standard list are usually well merited. This 
manual has 90 pages with a colored page of the 
new sweet pea Emily Henderson, which has 
been tried at the Rural Grounds, and another 
beautifully portrayed colored page of 25 of the 
bett named varieties of this flower now so popu¬ 
lar in the humblest as well as most pretentious 
gardens. The Columbian White asparagus in¬ 
troduced by this firm last year, as noted in 
these columns, has during another year sup¬ 
ported the claims then made for it, viz : white 
shoots, superior flavor and tendfrness. Chal¬ 
lenge Dwarf Black Wax bean is regarded as the 
first to ripen a full crop of pods which are 
tender, stringless and of a clear waxy-white 
color. The Horticultural Pole Lima, grown at 
the Rural Grounds last season and described 
and illustrated on page 34 of this j ear, is regarded 
as a novelty of great merit, extreme earliness and 
hardiness. The catalogue’s words are: “The 
hardiest, the earliest and best in quality of any 
green podded pole bean. Especially adapted for 
using green shelled.” Early Dwarf Plat Dutch cabbage, 
Danvers carrot, Chantenay carrot. Ferry’s Half-long 
beet, Hickox Hybrid cern. Albino cucumber, are re¬ 
garded as really superior to any novelties which have 
since been produced. We do not see why Hickox is 
not raised more generally. It is one of the sweetest 
and most prolific varieties and of the first value for 
home use or canning. This was the opinion of The R. 
N.-Y. 12 years ago when a comparative test of all the 
sweet corns was made at the Rural Farm. Sweet 
Heart watermelon is a novelty that we fancy from the 
description, it would be well to try. It is said to be 
early, large, handsome, heavy, a good shipper, long 
keeper, bright color, best quality. Now, that is all 
that can be asked for in any melon. 
W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.—Farm 
Manual for 1894, 175 pages, colored plates of lettuce, 
tomatoes, sweet peas, pansies, etc. We have known 
this firm from the time it began business, and we at¬ 
tribute its success to the fact that it has earned it by 
well-directed enterprise and ability; by a love for the 
vocation, and a desire to win a first rate reputation. 
It has been rarely fortunate in the selection of its 
novelties, many of which now hold a first place in 
standard lists. A list of these introductions—77 in 
number—is presented in the early pages of the cata¬ 
logue. One of the most promising novelties, now for 
the first time offered, seems to be the Fordhook First 
tomato. The colored portrait shows a tomato of per¬ 
fect shape, without any cavity about the stem, and of 
a brilliant color between red and crimson. The claim 
is made that it is as early as any of the uneven sorts 
that have hitherto monopolized the earliest market. 
Barpee’s Bush Lima is regarded—and justly so in The 
R N.-Y’s. opinion—as the best of the dwarf Limas. 
The Black Lima is praised for its earliness and remark¬ 
able productiveness. It is a variety of the Sieva, and 
our reports from trials at the Rural grounds were pre¬ 
sented shortly after its introduction. The Jackson 
Wonder Dsvarf Lima is a speckled variety of Hender¬ 
son’s Dwarf—the beans averaging slightly larger, per¬ 
haps, and the bushes more prolific. It has merely the 
disadvantage of color when cooked. A trial quantity 
was sent to the Rural Grounds by A. W. Smith of 
Americus, Ga. The bushes grow only about a foot 
high without showing the least propensity to run to 
vine. The bushes gave us dry beans as early as 
August 20. The White Wonder cucumber is a won¬ 
der in that the cucumbers are white from babyhood; 
in that the vines are robust and exceedingly prolific. 
It is the best white that we have tried. The Great 
Divide is a new potato for the main crop, and is given 
a prominent position and liberal space in the cata¬ 
logue. The sum of $175 is offered in several amounts 
for the largest yields from one pound of seed. A 
rather unique offer is that of five varieties of field corn 
selected as the best in the immense collection of the 
World’s Fair. These are put up in separate packets 
with the name and State where grown printed upon 
each, for 10 cents—not for each but for the five. There 
are 40 pages given to novelties and rare sorts of seeds 
for the garden and farm. Every one of our friends 
should look overth’s excellent catalogue before order- 
ing. 
James J. II Gregory & Soxs, Marblehead, Mass.— 
A catalogue of home-grown seeds, free to all, is the 
Rosa Wichurainia. Fig. 41. (See page 134. 
title of this excellent list of garden, flower and farm 
seeds. A plain description is given of How to Raise 
Onions, which all onion raisers ought to read. The 
Golden Champion Pole bean is regarded as the earliest 
of all the wax varieties. The Arlington Favorite beet 
is now the favorite of the Arlington (near Boston) 
growers because of its earliness, dark color, form and 
flavor. The Pearl White egg plant Mr. Gregory pro¬ 
nounces the handsomest and best novelty of the kind 
ever sold. The fruit is pure, creamy white, with 
slight shading of a very light green near the stem ; 
beautiful in shape, resembling somewhat the purple 
variety, as large or larger in size and more prolific. 
In eating quality it is superior, being more delicate, 
of very fine grain, and well flavored. It makes one of 
the most palatable dishes, either baked or fried 
Attention is called to what is said of the new Faxon 
squash, page 5. Golden Wonder millet is said to be 
the earliest of the large millets, growing about four 
feet high. Superiority for the new Lincolu oat is 
claimed in earliness, productiveness, in being nearly 
rust-proof, in standing up better than other kinds, 
and, finally, in having a thin hull and heavy meat. 
This firm has long made a specialty of the Longfellow 
Yellow flint corn. It is considered the most prolific 
variety—bearing the longest ear of any that it is safe 
Jules Cretien Dahlia. Fig. 42 (See page 134 ) 
to plant in Massachusetts. The R. N.-Y. has raised 
the Longfellow, off and on, for many years and we 
regard it as in every way the best yellow flint, both 
as to plant and ear. 
Alfred Bridgeman, 37 East Nineteenth Street, New 
York.—A clean, neat, well-arranged catalogue is this, 
and one that The R. N.-Y. has taken pleasure in call¬ 
ing its readers' attention to for many years. It is 
simplicity itself, and one examines it without losing 
his way or becoming so confuddled by fine 
print, glowing descriptions and the many and 
crooked breaks made necessary by squeezing in 
illustrations on every page, that he is scarcely 
the wiser after than before an examination. 
The novelties and specialties in flower and 
vegetable seeds are given on four pages. Then 
follow the regular lists every other page being 
wood cut illustrations without the least attempt 
at exaggeration. Lists of tuberous roots, hardy 
grasses, lilies, small fruits, shrubs, vines and 
trees complete the catalogue. 
Geo. S. Josselyn, Fredonia, N. Y.—This is a 
catalogue of grape vines, small fruits and plants. 
There is no better list of grapies. Mr. Josselyn 
is the introducer of the Red Jacket gooseberry 
to which we have often alluded of late. He 
now offers two new grapes, the Esther (white) 
and Rock wood (black), both originated by the 
man to whom every one is greatly indebted, 
E. W. Bull, the originator of the Concord. The 
catalogue contains a colored plate of the Red 
Jacket and Fay’s Prolific currant. 
Peter Hendersox & Co., 35 and 37 Cortlandt 
Street, New York.—The claim is made that this 
catalogue of 160 pages (11x8 inches) is the hand¬ 
somest work of the kind ever issued. We will 
support their claim to the extent of saying that 
it is certainly as attractive as any we have ever 
examined. The most striking novelty offered is 
Henderson’s Pink Plume celery, the introduction 
of whic]j has been foreshadowed in The R. N.-Y. 
for several months. It is claimed that this new 
comer is an intermediate between white and red 
celeries, combining the good qualities of both. Every¬ 
body knows of the White Plume introduced by this 
firm. Now, this Pink Plume resembles it in most re¬ 
spects as to self-blancbing and size. The stalks are 
white, suffused with a delicate pink, possessing the 
nutty flavor and crispness of the red kinds and their 
long-keeping qualities. It is said to be a compact 
grower with no disposition to rust. It is not only 
extra early but, when properly trenched, will keep in 
perfect condition until spring. We have tried Hender¬ 
son’s Succession cabbage, and consider it well named. 
It is an early cabbage and as such forms the largest 
and hardest heads of any variety we have ever tried. 
It is also an excellent late kind^^ We commend it to 
