H2 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKEB. 
FES, 28 
giirrg of a Jittralist. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
f 
Prom the Diary of n Centleman near New 
York City. 
SPREADING OVER TOO MUCH GROUND. 
Feb. 14.—I have just been reading a wry 
sensible article on farming, in which the 
writer says, “ Half our troubles come from 
spreading our labor over too much land.” 
This is all too true for both pleasure and 
profit, because extensive expansion is syn- 
onymous with spreading too thin ; the 
results are very little substauee ut any one 
point. The dew upon a thousand acres is 
dispelled by the morning sun; but if con¬ 
densed in a small compass, it would with¬ 
stand the heat of Old Sol for many a day. 
But we have, as a people, become so accus¬ 
tomed to “ ballooning” that it is very diffi¬ 
cult to como down to anything like a sub¬ 
stantial basis. If a man seeks a farm, he is 
more likely to t hink of the number of acred 
than the quality of the land, health of local¬ 
ity, convenience to market or capital re¬ 
quired to keep the machinery profitably in 
operation after it is secured. But farmers 
are not the only class of our people who fall 
into such errors, spreading their capital over 
too large a surface to produce profitable re¬ 
sults. The habit was born with the nation, 
and is the legitimate result which would 
naturally arise from giving a handful of men 
and women a continent to people, cultivate 
and improve. If there was ever an inborn, 
national characteristic, it is this one of ex¬ 
pansion or spreading over too much ground. 
It ramifies through every nerve and artery 
of our society, beginning with the child and 
endingin the magnified imaginative blessings 
and pleasures of a future life. The boy and 
girl is taught in school that they arc expected 
to know everything, consequently their little 
brains or talents are spread over so much 
ground that no point is covered with a solid, 
true knowledge. This is one of the principal 
reasons why rich men’s sons in this country 
so seldom become noted for their talent* or 
acquirements jn science or art. Their educa¬ 
tion was spread over too much ground to be 
effective or valuable, while poor men's suns 
study for a particular purpose, seeking a 
thorough knowledge of a few things, learn¬ 
ing to do what, is done well, and true great¬ 
ness follows. The reverse of all this may be 
sesn in nearly all European countries, com 
mencing among small farms well tilled, the 
sous and daughters studying specialties for 
the sole purpose of becoming eminent in one 
branch of art or science ; and we are ever 
ready to laud the result in a much lamented 
Agassiz, Humboldt, and hundreds of such 
familiar examples. 
We are not only ready to welcome such 
men to our shores, but give them the most 
honorable positions n our institutions of learn 
ing, showering wealth upon them at the same 
time. But are we ready to admit that the 
quality or quantity in the caput of foreigners 
is superior to those of our countrymen ? I 
think not; neither would it bo true if ad¬ 
mitted, and if we fall short of coming up to 
the h'gbCHt standard of human knowledge, it 
must be for the want of proper incentives or 
education. To aim high is certainly com¬ 
mendable ; but the mark must be some fixed 
object in life, else we shall never reach it. A 
man’s talents may be too widely scattered to 1 
accomplish anything as well as his cash cap- 1 
italin business at labor or farming. Agassiz * 
would, without doubt, have accomplished 
more had he confined himself to a less num- 1 
ber of branches of Natural History ; but he 1 
had to yield a little to our American custom 1 
of dabbling in many things and reaching per- ^ 
fection in none. 1 
It is time that we ceased spreading our- c 
selves over too much ground, and began to * 
concentrate capital, labor and brains. If 1 
every child was educated to follow some spe- *- 
clalty through life, there would be more sue- 
cessful men and women. ^ 
A SELECTION OF SMALL FRUITS. 
t 
Feb. 16.— A correspondent asks me t.o tell 
him something about small fruits, especially Q 
in regard to selection of varieties for home n 
use. I always like to hear people talk about t] 
fruits for '• home us?,” for it displays a spirit fi 
of commendable selfishness, quite the oppo- a 
site of my neighbor Hess, who says that his 
“ Family has the choice of everything grown 
upon the farm, but that choice is whatever 
is too poor to be salable.” In making a se- " 
lection of the small fruits for the garden, * 
soil and climate must necessarily be taken u 
into .account. 'Ve may desire to cultivate f' 1 
only the very best varieties ; still, eircum- , , 
stances may be against us, and should we I tt 
make the attempt, failure would be the re¬ 
sult. I have always held that an abundant 
_ supply of good fruit for a family was far 
— preferable than a half crop of superior kinds. 
I confess to have placed my own standard of 
excellence a little too high more than ouce, 
\n and then had to come down to a Second-rate 
sort, in oi’dpr to fill tin? hill for quantity. 
Currants .—It is to be supposed that almost 
everybody knows t hat a rather stiff soil and 
p cool climate are best for currants ; I nit some 
M do not. appear to know that heavy mulching 
,, the ground about the plants will, in a great 
jl measure, make up for natural defects hi the 
( soil. On light, sandy or loamy soils, mulch- 
ing is almost Indispensable, especially in dry 
p seasons. There being very little difference 
in the quality of currants, there is little dan- 
p gor of getting far out of the way in making 
seieotions for home nse. Red and White 
Dutch are among the most reliable and pro¬ 
ductive, The Cherry and Versailles are the 
largest varieties of red currants in cultiva- 
tion, but T doubt if they will produce as many 
, pounds or bushel per acre as t he Red Dutch ; 
3 and I am quite certain they are not equal to 
it in quality. The White Grape is a splendid 
white currant; the plants, however, are not 
as vigorous in growth as the White Dutch, 
s although very productive, 
j Gooseberri ex. — After trying all the various 
native sorts, I am inclined to cast my vote 
for the following three :—Downing, Smith’s 
Improved Houghton and Mountain. Similar 
j soils and culture are required as for currants. 
Blackberries .—If I could have but one va- 
riet.y, this would be the Kittatinny, It is the 
most liurdy, and is very productive when the 
plant s get well established—say t wo or three 
years old. The Wilson’s Early is the largest 
. variety in cultivation, but only succeeds 
I south of the latitude of New York City. 
There are several new varieties lately brought 
I out at the West which are said to bo even 
, more hardy*than the Kittatinny. The West- 
, era Triumph has certainly done well with 
me, and if it were not for the Kittutinny, i 
should consider it good enough. 
Raspberries, —1 have cultivated over 100 
varieties of raspberries for the purpose of 
learning which was the best one for my lo¬ 
cality ; still I am in doubt. Philadelphia 
gives more fruit than any other rod or purple 
sort ; and it will take something better than 
has yet. appeared to drive it. out of my gar¬ 
den. ) am ready to acknowledge that the 
fruit is not as large or of us good a quality as 
many others, and the berries are rather soft 
and of a dull color ; but then we always get 
plenty of fruit, no matter what may happen 
in the wav of unfavorable soils or seasons. 
The Brandy wine is a much more beautiful 
variety, the berries being a bright crimson, 
approaching a. scarlet. The plants are very 
hardy, moderately productive, but, like all 
the native sorts of the red raspberries, pro¬ 
duce a great, number of suckers from the 
roots. The Old Kirtland is still a favorite, 
being very early, plants hardy and product¬ 
ive ; but the berries are not very large. Add 
to this the Clarke and Herstine, and one has 
little more to find in the way of good rasp¬ 
berries for home use, unless the rather deli¬ 
cate, but delicious Brinckle’s Orange is want¬ 
ed. The last three may need, in Northern 
localities, winter protection : in fact, it is 
best to give it them if for no other purpose 
than to increase their productiveness, even 
where the canes do not kill down. With 
Black raspberries, one can scarcely go amiss ; 
but the following three are all good and large, 
besides ripening in succession and iu the or¬ 
der named—Doolittle, Seneca and Miami. 
Strawberries.—J never saw but one really s 
bad strawberry, aud that was the Royal ‘ 
Hautbois, so highly prized by many Euro- c 
peans. The odor reminds one of the Black 1 
English currant which I have omitted from c 
my list because so few Americans like its 1 
odor. But for strawberries that will be most 
likely to succeed over a wi de range of coun- 1 
try, I think Wilson, Charles Downing and ' 
Green Prolific can scarcely be excelled. For c 
large size, the Seth Boyden, Triomphe de h 
Gand and Jueunda, rank among the best of j 
the well known sorts. The Seth Boyden is 
the most vigorous of the three varieties last 
named, but must be Cultivated iu rows or 
or hills in order to secure a good crop. It e 
may be possible to make a better selection 1 
than the above, but I do not believe many 1; 
families would complain if supplied with an 1 
abundance of these sorts. 
©lie dtowtfltt. 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES. 
Wintering Blackberries. — Mr. P. C. 
Reynolds of Rochester, N. Y., has discovei-ed 
that blackberries and raspberries will not 
usually winter kill, unless the ground is cul¬ 
tivated late in summer. The ground should 
be cultivated in spring, and then allowed to 
run up to weeds. Blackberries iu grass, win¬ 
ter as well as wild ones. 
e Mr. Gkoroe R. Drake, Pittsfield, N. H., 
sends u.s the following additional notes to 
it those published in the Rural New-Yorker 
d of Jan. 17, page 45 : 
0 Cabbage.' I prefer the Early York for very 
Z early use, but tor size and solidity of head 
t the Early Wyman and the Early Wakefield 
e are each superior; but both are inferior to 
- the Early Wlnningstadt, a superior variety 
F for home or market use. For late market 
e the Marblehead Dxmmhead is without a. 
* rival in size, but inferior to the Savoys for 
? home table use. 
Coi n .—The different flint and dent vario- 
* ties will have to be tested under local influ- 
3 ence to decide their merits ; but the Early 
* Minnesota Sweet has proved the best with 
’’ me for early home or market use. The Con- 
? cord and Stowell’s Evergreen Sweet are 
good late sorts, and comprise, with the Min¬ 
nesota, al) the really desirable kinds from a 
1 dozen that I have tested. Tic California 
» Popping is the sweetest of all varieties for 
that purjio.se. Among the list of 
3 v 
Cucumbers , the Early Russian is the ear¬ 
liest ; the Frames and Cluster come next, 
5 followed by the Long Green for pickles. The 
Bismarck fails to prove of more than ordi- 
' nary value. The White Spines and the 
’ Gherkins are not highly valued by me. 
Egg Plant.— Ferry & Co.s Purple is a 
’ valuable acquisition to the short list. 
Kohl-Ilnhi is mainly valuable for an ex- 
i perlment, resembling the turnip aud cab¬ 
bage in flavor, with which it is a cross. 
- Melon (Musk).— The Cantaloupe is a good 
i early sort. The Nutmeg is of better flavor. 
The Pineapple is good, but the Green Citron 
it the most toothsome. The Cassaba grows 
the largest. 
Melon (Water). —The Mountain Sprout, 
Phiimey’s Black Spanish, and Sweet Moun¬ 
tain rank in the order named, but Ferry’s 
Peerless is truly the peerless of them all, and 
he who once cultivates it will prefer it to all 
others in point of sweetness, yield, thinness 
of rind, melting and delicacy of flavor. It 
is the nc plus ultra of its species. 
Onion. —The Top or Button varieties are 
the earliest , but of those the Reds, the Yel¬ 
low, or Pcrtagal, are inferior to the Danvers 
for general cultivation ami flavor, the Reds 
being too strong. 
Parsnip, —The Long Hollow Crown aud 
Dutch are not so good varieties as the Stu¬ 
dent, which 1 commend to all fruit growers. 
Peppers. —The Large Bell, Cheny, and 
Sweet Mountain sorts are all good and ear¬ 
lier than the Cayenne. 
Pumpkins , when raised for stock feeding, 
should bo selected on account of their size 
and weight; but for culinary pui-poses the 
Cheese Is decidedly superior to any and all 
other kinds. 
Radishes , not being u favoi’ite among my 
dishes, I have never raised meny vax-ieties ; 
but the Early Olive-Shaped is as good as any 
I have tried. 
Salsify is a good semblance to the original 
when rightly cooked; but I prefer the ani¬ 
mal to the vegetable oystei-. 
Squash.—Having practically' tested the 
merits of ten varieties, I am prepared to 
say that only four of the whole number of 
squashes are worthy of cultivation. For 
early or fall use the American Turban is de¬ 
cidedly the best. Then, for late use, I know 
not whether to recommend the Marblehead 
or not. My cultivation of it is not rewarding < 
me with specimens of extra quality. On ' 
the strength of others’ statements 1 believe 1 
it to be a valuable acquisition, and another 
year's cultivation of it will be given ere it is s 
denounced or recommended. The Marrow < 
is called good for fall use, but 1 consider it i 
inferior to Gregory’s introductions. The 1 x 
Hubbard is what, its originator justly claims, t 
the tie plus ultra of all. , t 
Tomato. — Hubbard’s Curled Leaf is the 1 
earliest, but the surface is not smooth, Fer- c 
ry’s Hmonth Red has a fair skin, is solid, but c 
later than the first named. The Smooth aud 
the Large Reds were formerly called excel- 1 
lent, but the introduction of the Trophy and !l 
Gen. Graut. have worthily superseded them. ^ 
The Gen. Grant in point of smoothness and 
perfect ripening excels the Trophy ; but 
aside from these defections the Trophy is I 
best. 1) 
Turnip.— The White Stone is better than a 
the Flat Turnip and the introductions of Mr. 1 
Carter. , a 
I conscientiously commend these state- p 
ments to the Rural family, having culti¬ 
vated every variety herein named. 
Pittsfield, N. H. o. r. d. 
-- 
HIGH CULTURE FOR VEGETABLES. 
It may be possible to ovei'-stimulate some 
kinds of plants, but this is so seldom done 
t that it nny be considered an exception to a 
general rule. Big vegetable products, to 
frequently at fairs, or received from more 
I settled regions of country’, are always the 
result of rich Foils : and we never heard of 
big beets or monstrous melons coming from 
poor sa nd banks or clay beds; and this fact, 
alone is enough to let every farmer and 
gardener into the secret of success. We 
never were the lea-.t afraid of overdoing the 
point- in heavy manuring the vegetable gai'- 
den, even if it was naturally a rich soil, 
With most kinds of vegetables rapidity of 
growth means excellent quality. Tough, 
stringy Beets, Carrots, or other roots, are 
1 usually the result of slow growth and want 
of moisture, which comes mainly from a 
' jioor, shallow soil. When we see pcoi-, 
small, half-ripened, scurfy tomatoes in mar¬ 
ket, we knotv the man who raised them 
neglected to curich the soil. The notion, 
which is far too prevalent, that this fruit 
does not require a rich soil, is a great error ; 
for the best tomatoes arc always produced 
on good laud. A few early ripened speci¬ 
mens may be procured on a light, poor sand ; 
but it is never of good quality, aud the 
plauts seldom produce euough to be consid- 
ei'ed a fair crop. W© do not know of a plant 
that will give a more generous return for 
high culture than the tomato; therefore, 
our advice is, put in the manure, and in lib- 
eral quantities, even if it should become 
necessary to prune the vines in order to let 
in the light and hasten ripening. 
Melons .•—-Who ever saw a good crop of 
melons on a poor soil ? Overcrowding the 
plants and Starvation has more to do with 
the failures than all other conditions com¬ 
bined, at least in climates where this fruit 
ever succeeds. As au instance of what a 
melon vine will do if it lias a chance, we 
may relate one in our own expei*ienee : A 
water-melon vine appeared a few years since 
in one corner of our garden, .springing, prob¬ 
ably, from an accidentally sown seed. The 
soil where it appeared was quite rich, being 
the site of au old hot-bed. We had t his vine 
hoed, and cleared the ground about it so 
that it could have a fair chance t.o make its 
way, which it did to the extent of about a 
square rod, giving us fourteen melons, the 
smallest weighing about twenty pounds, the 
largest nearly thirty, and all the product of 
a single seed ! There are certainly txo secrets 
about such kind of melon culture ; the rich 
soil and free use of the hoe did it, and nothing 
else. If the soil ia naturally too heavy for 
melons, it is not an expensive job to plow up 
ridges or make large hills, and even add a 
little sand, or light, leaf mold or comjxost, at 
jilanting time. A liberal ujjplication of wood 
ashes to the bills during growth will also be 
beneficial. The same system may be adopted 
for all kinds of vines, such as Cucumbers, 
Squashes, aod Pumjikina, 
Beets.— Plow deeji and make rich should 
be tho rule for ail kiuds of root crops, and 
especially for beets. We never could suc¬ 
ceed -with long beets on a very light soil, 
however rich ; but the turnip-shaped sorts 
always have done well. 
Onions.—New and very rich soils are best; 
but the old garden will pi oduce good crops 
if fresh, unfermented manures are not ap¬ 
plied the same season the seed are sown. An 
onion patch should be placed in the same 
list with the asparagus bed, and when once 
well fitted with these bulbs, kept for this 
special purpose and no other; for onions 
will grow on the same ground as long as its 
fertility is kept up, but not so with 
Cabbages .—if this vegetable is grown for 
several years in succession on the same land, 
the cabbage maggot is likely to become so 
abundant that what is termed club-foot will 
render tlieir culture a failure. Of course 
there are localities where this insect (An- 
thomyto brassioct) is unknown. Best Mam¬ 
moth Cabbages are jiroduced only on land 
containing the elements necessary for jiro- 
ducing them. 
But v.m need not specify further. Our 
readers will see the point at which wa have 
aimed, viz.: High culture is the certain road 
to great and profitable results. 
Where Can Lima Beans be Bought ?—A “ 
Reader,” Keene, ,N, H., asks “where the 
large Lima Beaus can be bought low." He 
adds, “ Probably in some part of the South 
they are raised generally and can be bought 
at a price that will admit of their being used 
as a baking bean. Please ask where and the 
price they cun be had for there.” 
