232 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 14 
with Stowell’s Evergreen for fodder. I plant with a 
one-horse drill, running it deep in the mark already 
made so as to get the corn next to the sod that is 
turned under. The Pride of the North is dropped, one 
kernel every foot, and the Evergreen one every six 
inches. I plant somewhere from the middle to the last 
of May according to the season. I also put in with the 
drill about 200 pounds per acre of corn fertilizer. After 
the corn is planted, the pumpkin seeds are planted by 
hand, one seed in a place, six feet apart in every other 
row. As soon as the corn is up enough so that one 
can follow the rows, I begin to cultivate and continue 
frequently until the pumpkin vines prevent. It pays 
to hire a boy at 25 cents a day to ride the horse to 
cultivate. The cultivator can be made to do much 
better work when one attends to that alone. The 
crop is hoed once, about the last of June. 
Last year, being unable to secure enough help at the 
right time, the Evergreen corn was not hoed, and it 
made a big difference with the crop. I shall try not 
to let it happen again. I commenced cutting the Ever¬ 
green corn about the first of August and fed it every 
day to the cows. The Pride of the North was cut 
about the last of September, and yielded about 200 
bushels of ears from the 3}^ acres. Owing to damage 
done by crows and cut-worms, the yield was not as 
large as the year before, but the corn is of extra qual¬ 
ity. It is the best kind of corn I ever raised. 
Some Pumpkins About This Crop. 
• 
The pumpkin crop is much neglected by farmers. 
Mine were the pure Connecticut Field pumpkin. From 
the 3^ acres that were hoed, we had, by weight, 23 
tons of pumpkins, all but about a ton being fit for 
the canning factory, had I seen fit to draw them there; 
but I think it paid best to keep them to feed to the 
dairy of registered Ayrshires. Some weighed 50 pounds 
and over, while many weighed 40 pounds. The 
acres not hoed produced only six tons of inferior qual¬ 
ity. The seed came up just as well, but lack of hoeing 
caused the poor crop. I say poor crop, yet it is about 
the average of what farmers generally raise. There 
were, therefore, 29 tons of pumpkins to feed the cows. 
I commenced September 11, feeding a half bushel to 
each cow once a day. They were sliced up with a 
knife and fed in the mangers, and there was no waste, 
all being eaten. They were fed once a day for one 
month. Then for another month I fed twice a day, 
or one bushel to each cow, and then for two or three 
weeks a half bushel per day to each cow. When I 
commenced to feed pumpkins, the cows commenced 
gaining in their yield of milk, and kept up a good 
yield as long as the pumpkins lasted. Corn fodder was 
fed with them, but no mill feed or grain. But very few 
were lost by rot. When we gathered them, we were 
careful not to break off the stems or bruise them. If 
we did BO accidentally, such were put by themselves 
and fed out first. I think that our pumpkin crop was 
worth for feed at least $2 per ton, making it amount 
to $58. Besides the cows giving a large yield of milk, 
they also gained in fiesh, and were in good, first-class 
condition at the beginning of winter. 
Now, here is the interesting part of the story : After 
feeding pumpkins for some time, the thought occurred 
to me to save the seeds and sell to some seed firm. 
Accordingly I did so after that. They were saved from 
the best pumpkins, and thoroughly dried, after which 
they were run through the fanning mill and thor¬ 
oughly cleaned. On December 2, we shipped to W. 
Atlee Burpee & Co. 14^ bushels of seed at $1 50 per 
busbel of 27 pounds, making a total of $22, they fur¬ 
nishing the bags to ship in. We kept enough for home 
customers to make the seed crop amount to $23, which, 
with the value of the crop for feed at $58, makes a 
grand total of $81 for the pumpkin crop. I shall try to 
do better this year. 
After the Corn Comes Oats. 
We now come to the second year in the rotation of 
crops. This same piece of ground that has raised corn 
and pumpkins the first year, is plowed and harrowed 
the next spring, and sowed to oets—all but a small 
piece which is planted to potatoes. The oats are 
sowed with a drill, and the ground is then rolled, so 
as to make it smooth and good for the self-binder. The 
oats are sown as early in the spring as possible. No 
fertilizer is used, but from 30 to 40 bushels per acre 
are raised. I do not raise many potatoes. Enough 
for family use is all, usually somewhere from one-half 
to three-fourths of an acre. Only early varieties are 
grown, and they are planted early, and put in deep— 
somewhere from the middle to the last of April. As 
soon as they begin to appear above ground we go over 
the ground with a smoothing harrow. Later, when 
the rows can be followed, we begin to cultivate, and 
do so frequently until the shovel plow is used about 
the last of June. They are also hoed. We were not 
troubled with the blight last year, but the bugs were 
numerous and required much attention. Six varieties 
were raised last year. The Six Weeks Market was the 
earliest, the Mayflower next, and the Early Vermont 
next. All are about equal in quality—good. I shall 
raise these three kinds this year. As soon as the oats 
are harvested and the potatoes dug, we start the plow 
once more and begin preparing the ground for winter 
wheat. As soon as plowed the manure is hauled out, 
of which there are usually 100 or more large loads. 
After this is all spread and the soil well harrowed, the 
wheat is sown with a drill, two bushels per acre of 
well cleaned seed. The grass seed is also sown at this 
time, using 10 quarts of Timothy and three quarts of 
clover per acre. I think we shall sow more clover 
after this, as it makes such an excellent quality of hay 
when well cured. After the seeding is done, the 
ground is well rolled, which completes the work until 
harvest the next year. For the 15 years we have 
lived on this farm we have never failed to raise a crop 
of winter wheat, usually from 25 to 30 bushels per 
acre. We raise the Clawson, although this year a 
small piece was sown with Jones’s Winter Fife, from 
which we hope to get a larger yield. If so, we shall 
continue to raise it. 
We do not sell wheat for less than $1 per bushel. 
When it does not bring that, it is ground into feed for 
the stock. Much of it is also fed whole to poultry, and 
it is the cheapest and one of the best feeds used. This 
piece of ground is kept in meadow about five years, 
when the same rotation of crops is commenced again. 
Collins Center, N. Y. lawtox m. conger. 
[Ever; qaery must be aooompanied by the name and addresa of the 
writer to Insnre attention. Before asking a question please see If It Is 
not answered In onr adyertlslng oolnmns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper.] 
BREEDING FOR BIG BEANS. 
In cleaning up beans, by having a sieve that Is small enough to take 
out all stones and pods, some of the beans will run over behind the 
mill. There Is some variation In the size of beans from year to year, 
and between different specimens of the same kind In any given year. 
The larger beans are much more likely to run over the mill with the 
pods than the smaller ones. What would be the effect of planting 
those large beans for several years in succession ? 1. Would it per¬ 
manently Increase the size of the beans, i. e., that strain and variety ? 
2. Would It be an advantage to do so? 3. Would it probably Increase 
or decrease the yield per acre ? I have been thinking on this point for 
a year or so, bat have not as yet found much light on the subject. The 
variety we plant is the Marrow Pea, and there Is perhaps more varia¬ 
tion In the size of that kind than of some others. I am almost fearful 
that if the course 1 suggest were to be followed, it would In time di¬ 
minish the number of pods to a stalk and the number of beans to a 
pod, but at the expense of large size In the bean. How that would 
affect the total yield per acre I cannot say. 
Go to the Vine in the Field. 
My experiemce is, and 1 think it does not differ from 
that of others, that it is a difficult matter to adjust 
sieves to take out small stones from seeds when they 
are of the same size. To clean such, there is but one 
method, hand picking. 1. By carefully selecting the 
largest beans, and planting none others, that type 
would be gradually developed, providing selection is 
systematic. To pick from a given quantity, the largest 
and most desired shapes would be a move in the right 
direction, but would not accomplish the desired pur¬ 
pose. Selection must be made before the vines are 
pulled. Carefully go over the field before the crop is 
ready for the harvest, select the plants that have the 
most well-filled and perfect-shaped pods, and put a 
stick to them. When fully ripe, again go over the 
field and pull the vines ; when dry and ready to thrash 
shell the pods from each separately ; should there be 
any with beans under the required size or of undesir¬ 
able shape, discard the whole plant, or rather its prod¬ 
uct, saving only for seed purposes from vines where 
the pods are all well filled, and of the desired shape 
and size. It is not the plant that bears some good 
fruits, but the one that bears all good fruits, that is 
valuable in the line of selection to develop a type. 2. 
Yes, most decidedly, because you are selecting for a 
purpose. You choose the most healthy and vigoroqs 
vines, which are the ones that yield the most, and 
those, too, that yield a uniform sample, which is 
always desirable. The principle of selection applies 
to the vegetable, the same as to the animal kingdom. 
3. Again yes, and just as decidedly. The yield per 
acre can be easily doubled in a few years by carefully 
pursuing this plan. Not only the yield will be in¬ 
creased, but the sample will be more uniform, conse¬ 
quently more desirable. c. n. allen. 
How Novelties Are Sometimes Nursed. 
By planting the large beans, F. W. P. would un¬ 
doubtedly have a tendency to increase the s’ze of suc¬ 
ceeding crops, and make a more marketable sample, 
as the best grown crops are more attractive and more 
readily sold. As to the increase of yield, experiment 
alone would show for a certainty. A surer way to 
improve the strain would be at the time of harvesting. 
One will be likely to find individual plants that are 
more prolific than others, growing in a more compact 
form and, it may be, having a larger seed ; these may 
be taken for the experimental stocks, and an improved 
strain will scon result. Many novelties are started in 
this way^ I know of a case in point: An observing 
market gardener noticed in his seed beans a much 
earlier, more compact and heavily loaded plant. He 
kept it, and in a year or two had the reputation of 
having the earliest Refugee bean in the neighborhood. 
Its reputation came to the ears of an enterprising 
seedsman, and it was put on the market as a novelty, 
at high prices. It was a good thing. I grew 42 
quarts, dry measure, from one quart of seed, liquid 
measure, and made no great effort for a large yield. 
This is the line I would recommend rather that the 
hap-hazard way over the tail of the fan mill. 
NICHOLAS HALLOCK. 
What is the Good of Big Beans ? 
It is not desirable to have Pea beans of large size, 
but on the contrary, small Pea beans are preferable. 
Thrashing machines frequently carry Mediums and 
Marrowfats from one barn to another in which they 
thrash Pea beans, and in this way mix other varieties 
with the latter. By screening out the large beans, a 
man is likely to get other varieties mixed with his 
large Pea beans. The only variety of commercial 
beans, which it is particularly desirable to have of 
large size, is the Marrowfat. There might be more 
advantage gained in the plan suggested by F. W. P. by 
screening out a few of the largest Marrowfats, but 
this work should be followed by a careful inspection 
of the growing crop, taking out all such as are not of 
the true Marrowfat type of vine. The better way to 
select choice strains of beans is to do it in the field, 
choosing perfect specimen plants which are true to 
the correct type not only in plant but in pod, and at 
the same time healthy, vigorous growers. In this 
way, a pure, desirable strain may be selected. In the 
case of Marrowfats, it is necessary to screen them 
every year, using only the larger ones for seed. By this 
we mean using the larger two-thirds of the crop in¬ 
stead of screening out one or two per cent as suggested 
by F. W. P. 
We have a choice strain of Marrowfats called the 
Peter Marsh strain. Peter Marsh selected perfect 
specimen plants away back in the Go’s, and from these 
choice specimens, grew a thrifty stock of pure Mar¬ 
rows. By screening these over a coarse screen every 
year, and by taking out all plants found in the grow¬ 
ing crops which are other than the genuine Marrow¬ 
fat type, these beans have been kept remarkably 
pure and true; but in the case of Pea beans, it would 
be necessary to screen out the large and also the small 
ones, using only the intermediate size for seed. Suggest 
to F. W. P. to select a dozen perfect specimen plants of 
remarkable vigor and productiveness in his field this 
year, marking these first by tying a piece of red yarn 
or tape to the plant, and then driving a stake near 
this plant which will enable him to secure the speci¬ 
mens when fully ripened. Start a pure strain from 
these selections, or, what is better still, let the prod¬ 
uct of each plant be shelled separately and planted 
separately next year, but placing them side by side, 
and giving each an equal chance with the others. 
Then select from next year’s crop the lot which seems 
to be most uniform in size and shape of plants and 
most vigorous in growth and prolific in yield. Produce 
a stock from that strain, discarding all others, and 
the result will be much more satisfactory than by 
screening the large Pea beans, and using these mixed 
with Mediums, Marrows and all other large-sized 
beans. n, b. keeney a son. 
No Brains in a Wire Sieve. 
In the specific case mentioned, the variety named 
is the Marrow Pea, a sort wherein uniformly small, 
even-sized beans are considered an excellence, and it 
requires constant attention to prevent a stock having 
so many large beans in it as to grade No. 2 or lower. 
But, answering the more general question, will the se¬ 
lection from seed by means of a sieve, of the largest 
bean or grain of any kind, tend to increase the size, 
yield and quality of the crop ? I answer, no. Select a 
few of the most perfect ears of corn, and also nubbins 
enough to give the same bulk of shelled grain. Mark 
the grain on the perfect ear by drawing a line down 
each ro v of kernels, and then shell and mix the corn 
from the two lots of ears. Now separate by means of 
a sieve, the largest tenth or twentieth, and you will 
find that you have four grains from a nubbin to one 
from a good ear. Select in the same way full heads of 
wheat from plants giving four to twenty good heads, 
and other half-filled, poorly-developed heads from 
plants giving but one. Mark and mix, and select by 
means of a sieve, and you will find that you have the 
most grain from the poor heads. This does not come 
wholly because the grains from the nubbins and poor 
heads are larger or heavier, but partly because they are 
ill proportioned and out of shape. In beans, pods often 
contain but a single bean, and in that^case it is very 
likely to be large and ill formed. Select by a sieve, and 
