FRUITS RECEIVED. 
BY F. R. ELLIOTT. 
T ul'rs, 
or Tuft’s Baldwin, is of Cambridge, Mass., 
origin. In size and appearance much like 
Baldwin, but not as good. Wherever the 
Baldwin will succeed, no man should be so 
unwise as to plant this. 
Hen Davis. 
Here we have the great and popular West¬ 
ern fruit, about which, probably, more ink 
has been shed than of any other apple. It 
has stood prominent ns leader in all the 
Western lists, until within a year or two past, 
when it has about ns often found opponents 
as advacates, thanks to tiie refinement of 
taste, which is gradually growing and ex¬ 
tending with railroads and other items of 
civilization. The specimens sent me by 
Messrs. Ellwanoer & Barry, arc much 
smaller than the same grown in Kentucky, 
Illinois, Kansas, etc., and they are also of a 
closer, finer texture in flesh, so that one un¬ 
acquainted would take the growth of the 
two extremes ns two different points. 
lUnrMou'a Red Winter. 
Tins apple, (from Eli, w anger & Barry,) 
outwardly resembles Jonathan, and were it 
not for its flesh, which is more yellow, might 
easily he taken for that variety. 
Vo»t. 
This Pennsylvania apple (from Ellavan- 
ger <fe Barry,) is well described by Down¬ 
ing ; but, as in some localities it is a deserv¬ 
edly popular sort, perhaps an illustration, 
which i send herewith, may be aa'cII to in¬ 
sert. In quality many would class it as very 
good. 
fttarks. 
Another Pennsylvania apple, from same 
source, that., from its reputed habit of drop¬ 
ping from the tree, is one that planters 
should avoid, even were it of superior qual¬ 
ity, which it is not—being not quite good, 
llni’tford Sweet. 
To those who want a productive, sweet 
apple, this is perhaps one of the best. It is 
showy, a good keeper and a rich sweet, 
which bakes finely. It is of Connecticut 
origin. 
-- 
FRUIT AND TRANSPORTATION. 
Now that the first excitement of fruit 
growing as a means of becoming suddenly 
rich is over, let those who remain In the 
business set themselves to work to find out 
why it. has not been more profitable. 1 
would offer for I licit* careful consideration 
this suggestion—that it is owing more to the 
improper transportation of their fruits, than 
to any other cause; the low prices prevail¬ 
ing in all our large cities were caused by the 
fruit not being received In good condition. 
To prove this, I would call their attention 
to this one point: that in the report of the 
stale of the markets choice fruits are quoted at 
paying prices; but the larger proportion be¬ 
ing received in a damaged condition, the 
average price is below the rates that make 
it profitable to the growers; and this poor, 
damaged fruit Ims a strong tendency to keep 
down the price of the holler qualities. 
The recklessness of railroad officials in 
furnishing unsuitable ears for the transpor¬ 
tation of trails is everywhere proverbial, and 
it is remarkable that growers have not made 
it an object of special remonstrance, instead 
of submitting without a word of complaint. 
The growing of fruits has become a prom¬ 
inent feature of industry in this country; 
and, owing to the large quantity grown, the 
carrying of it has become or such import¬ 
ance that the various transportation com¬ 
panies enter into a competition for it; and 
as it is classed among the higher rates of 
freight, it is no more than just that these 
companies should furnish their patrons a 
mode of conveyance that will carry their 
fruit to market in good condition, and pro¬ 
tect instead of damage it. If farmers would 
pay more attention to this feature, and less 
to the reduction of the freight, they would 
do a vast deal more good. 
The truth is, considering the mode of 
conveyance, and the manner of handling 
the fruit, they now charge twice the amount 
they should ; hut it would he more jirofita¬ 
ble to the owner if they charged twice the 
present rates, and gave the value of it in the 
way of furnishing suitable cars. The con¬ 
sumer could well afford to pay the difference 
in freight, as the fruit would be worth it. 
Few growers realize the great change that 
takes place in the appearance and flavor of 
their fruit during its transportation to mar¬ 
ket; in fact, I have known some who have 
followed their fruit to market, and seen it in 
the hands of tire dealers after arrival, who 
denied it Avas the same fruit that they started; 
for they said it neither looked or tasted like 
it. They thought it must have been changed 
on the route; and I do not hesitate to say, 
that not one grower of berries in ten, who is 
accustomed to eat berries fresh from the 
I vines,in all their beauty and fragrance, could 
be induced to eat a dish of the same fruit, 
after it has passed into the hands of the con¬ 
sumers in the cities; and instead of com¬ 
plaining about the prices the fruit sold for, 
they would he surprised that any one could 
he so foolish as to buy it at any price. In 
fact., the transportation of fruit, as now con¬ 
ducted, is looked upon in the same light as 
the lottery business; if it arrives in good con¬ 
dition, the owners win ; if not, they don’t— 
and, like all lotteries, more lose than win. 
The transportation companies do not care 
of the springs, that there is no other to 
compare with it. There ought to lie all this 
difference bctAveeu a car for transporting 
fruit and one used for carting iron, or even 
dry goods; and, as before stated, if t his class 
of articles are charged first-class freight, 
they ought to have first-class accommoda¬ 
tion. 
Quite recently I have noticed articles in 
the papers giving a description of a Palace 
Stock Car for the transportation of cattle. 
Why should not fruit groAvers demand a 
Palace Fruit Car to transport their fruit? 
DAJTTJRA- STR^MOiNTITTM. 
Avliich it is, as in either case they make by 
the operation; for the more reckless the 
company is, the. more particular it is in se¬ 
curing its pay when the fruit is placed in 
their hands. 
1 have known entire car loads of berries 
to depreciate fifty per cent, in value during 
l.lieir transit, owing to the neglect of the road 
to furnish suitable, cars for its transportation. 
1 would make this suggestion:—that mem¬ 
bers of the various agricultural clubs name a 
committee to attend to this matter, and that 
the Farmers’ Club in New York City offer a 
premium for the best model for a fruit car, 
and that the Committee he composed of 
fruit growers and dealers who are thorough¬ 
ly posted in regard to the points most needed 
in a car of that description, and not an M. 
D., or reporters of newspapers, who know 
more about making pills or reporting their 
own speeches in their own papers, than they 
do anything else. 
1 know of no car in this country fit to 
transport small fruits in. As a general thing 
they are A T ery short, with but little if any 
ventilation, and few have any, and most of ^ dost rove d 
1 I ..... a. t . . ~» . a aa . 1 Aaa 4 1. Aaaa t t .... a * i' 4 1 . ft... 
them no springs under them. Many of them 
ark reeking with the filth of animals—per¬ 
haps confined in them the night before; and 
on being kept closed through the night, (as 
most fruits are transported in the night,) 
Avheu the doors are opened on arrival, the 
stench and steam that issues from them is 
sickening. 
Now, hoAv can any one ex¬ 
pect fruit to retain its own fla- . 
yor or even appearance in such /C.? 
an atmosphere? It is impossi- 
blc—it cannot be done. Even AiMW j& 
when the car possesses the or- 
dinary cleanliness of freight jf 
cars, it makes but a trifle differ- ImMipmi 
euce, for there is no ventilation; 
and should a farmer wish tore- i-f 
alize the amount of steaming 
and jolting that his fruit re- {ilyMifl Jj 
ccives on its passage to mar- 
ket, let. him get in one of these 
cars and try it, and on his nr- 'wH 
rival he will find himself in the 
same condition as his fruit— 
worth considerable less than 
when he started. After that, 
when his dealer tolls him that 
his fruit arrived in bad order, be will readi¬ 
ly believe it, and not be induced to call him 
a swindler or thief, because he did not get 
more for it. 
Persons Avho travel much know, at a 
glance, which car to get in, in order to haA r e 
a pleasant ride; they know better than to 
get in a caboose, or even the old style car; 
if there is a palace car on the train, they 
know, by its extreme length and the quality 
and no man, who cares for the good of his 
own domain or that of his neighbors, will 
allow a patch of Datura dramoniinn to per¬ 
fect its seed. 
Although this plant contains a deadly poi¬ 
son,—as avc fear many parents have learned, 
to their sorrow, for children often eat its 
handsome black seed or the green capsules, 
—yet it is, in skillful bauds, a valuable medi¬ 
cine. It lias often been used Avith success in 
cases of epilipsey, convulsions, ticdoloureux, 
• etc., etc. Bigelow recommended the leaves 
to Vic dried and then, smoked, in the same 
way as tobacco, for asthma. There arc 
many apparently vile Avecds which infest 
our fields and roadsides that contain proper¬ 
ties valuable to mankind; slill they should 
be exterminated, except by those avIio may 
want to cultivate them for a particular pur¬ 
pose. 
-- 
MY CANDYTUFTS. 
“ It’s not every new thing that is best, or 
most beautiful,” the truth of which old say¬ 
ing all of us, from time to time, learn to 
realize and understand ; and so thought T the 
past summer, Avlien from day to day I pass¬ 
ed my massy bed of this old-fashioned,good 
hardy annual. My mother had it in her gar¬ 
den, and I there and then learned to Avork 
among the plants, and as they grew to fioAv- 
ers, my sisters taught me how to arrange 
and mingle the delicate blooms within, 
among, and around other flowers. 
I cannot say that there has been any great, 
stride of improvement in the class, and yet 
some of the colors are new and more dis¬ 
tinct than, according to my recollection, I hey 
Avcre twenty years or more since; Avhile the 
fragrant or sweet scented sort, shown in the 
left hand figure I send you, (and which I 
have borroAved from Vick,) is assuredly more 
delicate and finely formed, in addition to its 
fragrance, than that of the older, more com¬ 
mon sort., shown in the right hand figure. 
And just here I must say that in growing 
the candytuft I find a dry and yet a deep 
soil, ever moist at the bottom, one of the 
best, and hence, I suppose, the cause why 
those I had in and among my rocky bed 
were superior in midsummer; for Avhile no 
wet, or water was there, yet moisture was 
always there. Frank Amon. 
Now, Messrs. Editors, won’t you agitate this 
subject in your paper, and induce some of 
your most abm writers to take it up. Even 
if some of their ideas do not “jingle” 
with mine, perhaps they Avill do more good 
by giving us better ones. c. av. I. 
Jflarmtlhtrc. 
DATURA STRAMONIUM. 
This plant is known by a great variety of 
names. Jamestown or Jimson weed is 
probably the most common; but in some 
localities it is called Thorn Apple, in allusion 
t o t he prickly seed pods. The Germans call 
it, Dev Stcchapfel; the French, Pomne 
cpimuse ; Spaniards, JMranwnio ; while the 
generic name, Datura , is supposed to he 
from the Arabic, Tatorah ; blit it makes but 
little difference wliat it is called. Every 
one who has met the vile thing will agree 
Avith us in saying it is a weed that ought to 
Perhaps we should qualify this statement 
by admitting that the root is sometimes used 
in medicines, and a 1'cav plants of Datura in 
the corner of the garden are a grand attrac¬ 
tion for certain species of large moths, avIio 
seem to delight in sucking the juices of the 
flowers. We have known entomologists to 
TILE YOST APPLE. 
cultivate a few plants for this purpose. The 
flowers are neither very attractive nor ugly, 
being long, funnel-formed, ns shown in the 
accompanying illustration, and either pale 
violet or white. 
This need is becoming far too common 
in many portions of the country, and may 
be seen by the roadside and in the fields 
where it should never have been allowed to 
grow. It i9 a sure sign of slovenly farming, 
(Tlic (barbcncr. 
_ *§ _ 
CABBAGE HISTORY. 
Wuetrer a dish of cabbage will taste any 
better for knowing that the ancient Greeks 
and Romans delighted in this kind of food, 
depends somewhat upon the peculiar char¬ 
acter or inquisitiveness of the partaker. As 
for ourselves, we confess a weakness in this 
direction, and the calling to mind of the say¬ 
ings and doings of okl-tiraes folks adds a 
piquancy to a dish of coklslaw, whether it is 
made of Drumhead or Savoy. It. is not to 
be expected, however, that everybody likes 
cabbage, or would eat it if they did; for 
many persons affect, to believe Avith Druses 
C-'Esar, that it is a “ base and homely food ;” 
or, like Aricics, the noted Roman glutton, 
despise it; Avhile another class bestoAv upon 
it the most flattering adjectives to be found 
in their language. Pliny said “ I dwell 
long on this vegetable, because it is in so 
great request in the kitchen and among our 
riotous gluttons, ” Crrysippits, Cato, 
Dieuciies and Pythagoras, each wrote a 
book on the cabbage, thus forestalling Peter 
of Jersey by about two thousand years; but 
avc think the latter author made the most 
money out of both book and vegetable. 
We cannot vouch for the truth of the 
story, but it is related that the ancient Ro¬ 
mans, at one time, expelled all of their 
physicians and took to cabbages, thereby 
preserving their health for six hundred years, 
soothing every infirmity by applying this 
vegetable. We do not suppose that the 
ancient Romans possessed varieties that 
would compare favorably with the Marble¬ 
head Mammoth or Early York; in fact, it is 
doubtful if they ever suav what avc call cab¬ 
bages, the sorts cultivated being some of the 
inferior species of the great braftsica tribe, 
but they answered a good purpose, and were 
highly esteemed, not only for food, but as a 
medicine. Pitii.isTAN recommended the 
juice of cabbages Avith goats’milk as a cure 
for cramp. Apollodokus says lliut either 
the juice or seed is a good antidote for 
poisoning with mushrooms. Cato advises 
mashed raw coleworts, with vinegar, honey, 
rue and mint, as a cure for headache. 
Erasistratus prescribed cabbage for palsy 
and all nervous trembling of the limbs. 
But it is unnecessary to quote farther 
from ancient authors to show that the cab¬ 
bage family is an old and highly respectable 
one, the various branches bearing honored 
titles; the origin of some of them, however, 
are of rather uncertain derivation. The 
generic name, Drasnica, is supposed by some 
authors to have been derived from Prmcco, 
because the bead was cut off from the stalk. 
It was also called, in Latin, Ca/ulis, on ac¬ 
count of the goodness of the stalk, hence 
from caulu came the English Avoid cole, 
Coleworts, &c. The more common name, 
cabbage, is probably derived from caput, or 
the French cab, signifying head. The Italian 
name cabuccio and the Dutch kabutfs allude 
to the firm head or ball. 
If Ave examine the names of the different 
species similar changes in the names become 
apparent. For instance, Gf.rarde, one of 
the earliest of English authors of works on 
gardening, mentions a netv kind of colewort 
introduced from Italy, called Rape-cole, in 
Latin, Caulo-rapum, or l.apa-caulin, which 
lias a swelled stem, participating of both the 
coleworts and turnips. This plant is now 
called Kohl-rabi , a name which some per¬ 
sons think is preferable to and an improve¬ 
ment upon the more correct one of Caulo- 
rap/i. Our cauliflower was formerly known 
as Colc-Jlom, and Avas either derived from 
flowering cole wort, or, as some authors say, 
from caulis, a stalk, and fero, to bear. Ge- 
rarpe speaks of it as cole Jlourey, and the 
French still call it cTiou fieur, or cabbage 
flower. The common kale, broccoli, sprouts, 
and oilier species and varieties of Bramca, 
have a history which is far from being unin¬ 
teresting to those avIio have a head differing 
in structure from the vegetable mimed. 
PREPARE YOUR HOT BEDS. 
In the course of a Tcav w eeks from now— 
say about the middle to the last of February, 
hot beds should be filled with flesh stable 
manure and seeds of tomatoes, early cabbage, 
celery, pepper, lettuce, egg plant, etc., sown, 
if you would have an early supply of these 
vegetables. In order to avoid depredations 
of rats, a pit should be dug about two feet 
deep, and lined Avit.li brick, stone, or stout 
plank, running the frame up about a foot and 
a half above ground in the rear, and about 
one foot in front ; bank up all around with 
dirt firmly. In this pit, at the proper time 
as above suggested, place your fresh manure 
about two feet deep, pressing it firmly ; and 
If it is dry, Avet it all through slightly. Over 
this put three inches of good, rich, lightloam 
or chip manure, finely sifted, and in three or 
four days thereafter sow your seed and Avater 
lightly immediately. Put on your sash, and 
every warm, bright day, elevate the sash a 
little, and give your rapidly growing plants 
plenty of air. Bo sure, however, to put down 
the sash tight before sun down; and if a cold 
spell comes on, throw straw or hay, or old 
cloths over the sash until the weather mode¬ 
rates. Water as required, and you Avill be 
independent of the professional gardener or 
green house proprietor, whoso plants, too 
often, are delicate and worthless. 
Woodman. 
-♦♦♦- 
GARDEN NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Pern, SSciiinwIi. 
At the last meeting of the Farmers’ Club 
of the American Institute, some one — avc 
did not learn avIio — presented a cooked 
sample and a full grown specimen of a Avin- 
ter squash, called Pern Squash. Kittatinny 
Williams championed it after the Com¬ 
mittee of the Whole had tasted ancl com¬ 
mended its flavor. Mr. Williams calls it 
good quality, good keeper, very productive 
and excellent in every respect — better than 
the Boston Marrow, in his judgment. Dr 
Hexamer also spoke highly of it, and said 
it was first introduced here by Col. Wil¬ 
liamson to the Fruit Growers’ Club, lie 
having obtained it from South America. It 
is of a dark green color, smooth skin, ribbed, 
and the specimen from which our drawing 
was made was a trifle over a loot long and 
oyer thirteen inches in the largest, circumfer¬ 
ence perpendicular to its greatest length. 
Of course, Avith this testimony in its favor, 
about ten thousand, more or less, enterpris¬ 
ing subscribers of the Rural New-Yorker 
will ask us where they can obtain the seed. 
In order to save them the trouble, Ave an¬ 
nounce that we do not know of a person in 
the wide, wide world who hits a seed to sell; 
if there is such an one, he will doubtless 
make the fact known in our advertising 
columns._ 
To Grow Toninio Plants. 
Dr D. L. Halt, says:—S ow the seed in 
hot beds about the 10th of February, being 
governed more by the Avoathcr than any 
exact date, as seed sown in bright, moder¬ 
ately warm weather, during the latter part 
of the month, Avill make better plants Ilian 
if sown three weeks sooner, if in such ex¬ 
treme cold that but little light and air can 
be riven. Sow thinly in drills, and Avhen 
about two inches high transplant to a new 
bed three to four inches apart in rich, loose 
soil, so ns to induce a vigorous root growth, 
A r cry essential at this time. When the plants 
cover the surface of the bed, transplant 
again from eight to ten inches apart; this 
time a cold bed or frame will answer, the 
sides of the frame being sufficiently high to 
allow a growth of fifteen or eighteen inches. 
During all these operations plenty of light 
and air must be allowed the plants, and for 
the last ten days no covering should be al 
lowed unless in danger of flost at night 
