138 
MOORE’S RURAL HEW-YORKER, 
in their hot - houses now, when, I doubt 
not, they will find it to produce beneficial 
effects. But although all means are taken 
to produce growth there will be many 
failures, which will arise from not having the 
proper bulbs for water. As a rule, single 
Hyacinths grow much better in water than 
the double varieties. The water ought to be 
soft, and when changed not colder than the 
temperature of the room or the place where 
the Hyacinths are kept. Many are the 
failures I have seen, owing to some ladies 
thinking if they just had a bulb struck in a 
glass with the water nearly over the bulb, 
it was all right. 
-♦ » «. 
BBISTLY BINDWEED. 
Inclosed please find sample leaf, flower, 
buds, and stalk or vine of what is to me, as 
also to every one who has seen ft, a strange 
vine or climbing flower. The seed from 
which it grew was found in a package of 
coffee, and i think it must be from some 
other country or some island. The vine 
grows quite luxnriotu and attains a bight of 
some twelve or fifteen feet. Please tell me, 
if you possibly, can, through the Rural New- 
Yorkeh all about it; giving the common ami 
scientific name, the country of which it is a 
native, and it' it is an annual or perennial 
vine. A number of us here are anxious to I 
find out what it is. — Wm. A. Graham, Flem¬ 
ing Co., Ky. 
It is much easier to say, “tell all about a 
plant ” than to find out all about it. The 
plant sent is lpornea setora, and we have 
coined a common name as given above, be¬ 
cause it belongs to the same genus as our 
native bindweed. The species you send is a 
native of Brazil and probably many of the 
Central American States and adjacent 
Islands. Probably a perennial, but of this, 
we have no means of knowing positively. 
We would like to obtain a few seeds if you 
succeeded in raising any this season, because 
we would bo pleased to know more of this 
plant than can be learned from our botanical 
works. 
-♦♦♦- 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES. 
Californian Lilies .—For several years we 
have been purchasing California and Oregon 
Lilies, and must now have from five to ten 
thousand. Wc have never dared offer one 
for sale, because we did not know what to 
name or how to describe them. We have 
obtained half a dozen varieties under one 
name, and half a dozen names to bulbs that 
were all alike. In our necessity, we wrote 
to Henry A. Bolander, Esq., Buperintendant 
of Public Instruc tion, and connected with 
the Geological Survey of the State of Cali¬ 
fornia as botanist, and from him we learn 
that this confusion of names is not accident¬ 
al, but designed, and for the purpose of 
fraud, and that “there are but four species 
(Afield <%o|s. 
A TRIAL 
POTATOES. 
Rural New-Yorker readers will remem¬ 
ber the controversy two years ago in regard 
to Late Rose Potatoes,—who was the origina¬ 
tor of the genuine, and which were the true 
Late Rose was the question. Mr. Jonathan 
Talcott, being engaged in the controversy, 
agreed to send any one enough of hoth kinds 
for themselves to try and be satisfied. I 
ordered a barrel of different kinds of Mr. 
Talcott ; beside both kinds of Lute Rose, 
were Excelsior Now Brunswick Seedling, 
Lapstone Kidney, Idaho, and oue called Red 
Jacket. Now, as they were packed so they 
would not mix, 1 had but very few of each 
kind to plant, I wanted to spread my seed 
as far as possible, but I had been used to 
putting 2 or 8 small potatoes in a hill, yot I 
was satisfied less seed would do. I cut them 
in two-eye pieces and put one piece in a hill 
planted them all in one day and dug them 
Oct- 10, 1878. Both kinds of Late Rose I 
planted side by side ; had eight hills more of 
I Campbell’s and they yielded a little more 
than the other, but were no more like a Rose 
Potato in looks or quality than a Sweet 
Potato. Thorburn’s look exactly like Early 
Rose and in quality are as near like them as 
can be. 
1 am fully satisfied with cutting potatoes. 1 
never had a finer lot of potatoes in iny life 
than from that barrel of seed. I had bushels 
of them that would weigh from 2 to $>£ lbs. 
each aud the beauty of it was, not a hollow 
one eould be found. 1 have found, however, 
that most varieties are liable to dry rot. I 
shall plant hereafter of the above kinds only 
Idaho aud perhaps the Kidney and Red 
Jacket. I have not found a black Idaho this 
year, while most others are affected more or 
less. Peerless one naif block. In conclusion 
let me say, it is about as hard work to 
convince men to cut and plant leas seed as it 
is to have them shorten the tops of trees at 
the time of planting. My advice to all Pota¬ 
to Growers is to plant less seed ; then all 
other things being equal you will have a 
fine Potato. 
Schoharie Co., N. Y. 
--- 
GRASSES-A SUGGESTION. 
I wish you would call the attention of 
seedsmen, through the Rural New-Yorker, 
to the following in relation to grass seed. 
They offer a dozen or more varieties of seed | 
for sale. Now I think there is not one man 
in ten—and I do not believe that there is one 
in a hundred—that is acquainted with and 
knows the names of more than two or three 
point upon which further information is 
needed, and may suggest the proper means 
of preventing the continuance of the disease- 
in any given locality, by warning agricultur¬ 
ists against planting then* potatoes in a spot 
where they mast, at some time, inevitably 
be destroyed. 
-♦-*-•-- 
FIELD NOTES. 
Potatoes in Nevada.-— John D. Pasco, one 
of our old and esteemed correspondents, 
who is at present farming in Nevada Terri¬ 
tory, writes us that among the different ! 
varieties of the potato cultivated on his 
ranch, the Goodrich and Neshannock com¬ 
mand the best price among the miners. The I 
Early Rose grows well, and yields even 
better than the above named, older sorts, 
hut for some reason it does not sell readily 
iu market. Probably there is some¬ 
thing in a name even when attached to a 
potato and in a wild, new country like 
Nevada. But if the old Neshannock is as 
good a potato in Nevada as it was in this ! 
Wheat in Japan .—In Japan, wheat is 
sown in November in drills sixteen inches 
apart, one and a quarter bushel of seed to 
the acre. In three or four weeks a row of 
peas, turnips, onions, cabbage, or some other 
kind of vegetable, is planted between the 
drills, and then the wheat is regularly hoed 
and irrigated with the vegetables. 
Drilling Corn for a Crop .—An Indiana 
farmer is satisfied that the immediate result 
of drilling in corn is an increase of ten to 
fifteen bushels per acre, to say nothing of 
the economized labor both in planting and 
tending. 
Jiutustijral 
DEFENSE OF TREE PEDDLERS. 
I read in the Rural New-Yorker of Feb. 
0 an article about “ Tree Peddlers” from that 
gentleman near New York City. I would 
like to say a few words in defense of that 
state when we first cultivated it, thirty or much-abused class of peddlers, for I have 
forty years ago, there is not much chance of been there and "know how it is myself.” 
obtaining a better sort among the later Of course, like all other departments of busi- 
vovelties. ness, some arc an honor to it while others are 
Extra Early Vermont Potato.— Last season not; and 1 am P rc P ared to state that one 
1 purchased two pounds of this much praised reaby dishonest “tree peddler” can open 
variety of potato. Planted them where more gaps witb one deliv ery of stock than 
Early Rose had been grown the year pre- t ' Vcnt >" hones t ones can close in two years, 
vicus. The consequence was, both varieties But the honesfc y in the business is not allcon- 
grew together, and J have so far been unable bne>d to tbe peddlers or agents. The growers 
to decide “which is which.” Could dis- °r stock have a share in it. 
tiuguish no difference in the vines while ^ canvassed nearly a year for a man doing 
growing, or in the potatoes when grown. I u htrge business raising and shipping a large 
am inclined to think (but am not sure) that a,nount of nursery stock and holding high 
Extra Early Vermont,” is another [ °/ bC0B trust in the State and himself con- 
of Lilies in this wide western eoast. It is I varieties and therefore dare not purchase 
true they vary, but in no case, sufficient to 
warrant a now name, is a reliable distinction 
to be made.— Vick’s Guide. 
Flowers and Dugs in Georgia .—I was glad 
to see in your last issue that one of your 
correspondents wanted “ Daily Rural Life ” 
to write more about flowers. I have always 
taken deep interest in his articles, aud more 
particularly when ho touched on the floral 
domain. Down here, where the “beautiful 
mantle of snow ” is rarely ever thrown 
around the deformities of nature, the Roses 
bloom in December, the Hyacinths peeping 
above the g round in January, speak in softer, 
sweeter tones, saying, “ lie will cover thy 
nakedue??, oh, Mother Earth, with flowers 
never ceasing to bloom in this sunny land of 
ours 1” We can go around here and pick up 
“bugs” at -any time, and 1 really wish that 
“Daily' Rural Life” had all our stock of 
certain species.—J, G. Rhea, Griffin, Ga. 
Winter House Plants .—I saw, last winter, 
in the room of a lady friend, a dozen or more 
of our common native hardy ferns. She told 
me that she left them in the ground until the 
earth was quite frozen, then dug them and { 
potted them in leaf mold, not half rotten 
leaves but well rotted, leaf mold. Into this 
she mixed one-fourth quantity of pare char- 
coat dust. The Ferns, when I saw them, 
were as fresh and bright as in the field or 
woods in June. No glass was needed and \ 
only'good common sense in attending to the I 
keeping of an even moisture for the roots.— 
F. R. e. 
Fuchsias, says an English gardener, when - 
planted out and pruned back in July, will 
make a now growth aud bloom beautifully' i 
through the autumn and winter months, | : 
Fuchsias, hov\ ever, attain their greatest per- 1 
faction when trained along the tie rods sup- 1 
porting the roof, as then they entirely' hide t 
their supports and produce a wondrous i 
wealth of gracefully-drooping floral beauty. £ 
any new variety for fear of getting some- 
tning that he cannot get rid of If he wants 
to. What I started/,to say is this. Let the 
men who keep grass seed for sale have one 
good specimen, or several, in different stages 
of grow th, root aud branch carefully taken 
up and fastened on to pieces of pasteboard 
and hung in their stores, where those who 
wish to purchase seed can see just what is 
the habit of growth of both root and top. If 
this were done I think it would be a be-uefit 
both to the purchaser and to the seller ; for 
then people could see the growth and could 
tell almost without giving them a trial what 
they w’ould be. At any rate, they would not 
be afraid to try new varieties if they' were 
sure they could kill them out by plowing. If 
my suggestion was curried out each specimen 
should have its name and also any remarks 
in relation to the number of years it lives, 
&c., &c„ printed under it. I hope, if this 
tiling has not already been done by seedsmen 
you will call their attention to it. 
Westport, Conn. A. s. if. 
“Potato swindle.” Should be pleased to 
hear from others in t-Ws respect; so as to 
learn whether these two kinds are identical ; 
or whether it. is my “stupidity ” that can 
detect no difference.— Nelson Ritter, Syra¬ 
cuse, N. Y. 
To Sou i Light Grass Seed .—A correspon¬ 
dent of the Practical Farmer has not found a 
machine capable of properly distributing the 
lighter and more chaffy grass seeds, such as 
blue grass. He therefore, still clings to 
hand sowing, and he does it as follows : 
The course which I now pursue is thoroughly 
to mix one part of the seed with one part of 
coarse, sharp sand, or fine gravel, (the 
sharper the better,) and moisten the mass, 
carefully manipulating it until the seeds and 
chaff are well separated and caused to adhere 
to the rough particles of sand. The weighty 
sand thus becomes an effective vehicle with 
which to distribute the bouyant seed, which 
by moisture is made to adhere to the sand. 
llow to Save Seed Corn .— Tu answer to the 
query of y'our correspondent in late issue of 
Moore’s Rural New Yorker how to save 
seed corn, I will give my experience. At 
the time of husking I save all the perfect 
and thoroughly ripe ears and leave a few 
husks to each ear ; having secured a sufficient 
quantity, 1 pleat them in bunches about 
throe feet long, and hang each bunch ' 
separately in the corn crib, or any place 
sidered good for any reasonable amount, who 
to-day, 1 hear, is not worth a dollar. My 
orders were to sell at his prices and to deliver 
such as he put up ; consequently, trees were 
ordered at very high prices, and when the 
bundles were delivered some contained seed¬ 
lings at those prices and very poor at that. 
Of course, the “tree peddler” was to blame. 
I wish to make a clean breast and own up 
for all “tree peddlers.” I suppose, take all 
the farmers and land owners and those sup¬ 
posed to be the persons wanting trees and 
fruit, not one in ten of these men know where 
trees are raised and for sale (of course they 
don’t take the Rural, consequently are not 
posted); and if they do not a tenth of them 
would never take the trouble and bear the 
expense of going after them. “ Tree ped¬ 
dlers” are to blame for hunting them up and 
telling them what is iu store for them, even 
good things they never dreamed of ; and all 
they have to do is to order what they want 
and in due time it will be forthcoming. But 
we find In our travels some whom it is im¬ 
possible to so describe the pecuniary advan¬ 
tages in buying trees or oven the conven¬ 
ience or heaith in raising luscious fruit to eat 
in nearly all seasons of the year iu such a 
way as to induce them to invest on any ac¬ 
count ; in fact, we arc powerless to interest 
them. In such cases, we have to resort to 
that “book of deception.” 
Who gave it that name and why does it 
where they will get plenty of air. After 10 deserve it t Some say it is easy enough to 
POTATO DISEASE 
ENGLAND. 
Announcement lias already been made of 
the selection of Prof. De Barv of Strasburg 
by the Royal Agricultural Society of England 
to make a series of investigations into the 
life history of the potato fungus, for the 
purpose of filling up a certain blank iu our 
knowledge of the development of this de¬ 
structive object. This gentleman, in carry¬ 
ing out liis investigations, has lately dis¬ 
covered that the disease -is not propagated 
by defective tubers, aud that although the 
mycelium was distinctly apparent in the 
stalks of plants raised directly from diseased 
tubers, yet that neither gonidia- nor germs 
were evolved. He also expresses the hope 
that he has at last discovered the resting- 
places of the oospores, or the active primary 
germs of the fungus. This is the special 1 
years experience I can speak with confidence 
having never once during that time failed. 
An old subscriber and great admirer of your 
valuable paper.—F. B., Wellingtdh Junction, 
Ontario. 
Keeping Seed Com.—I would like to tell 
“A correspondent of the Rural” of my 
way of keeping seed corn ; I go through the 
fields in the fall in advance of the cutter and 
take the corn off the stalks that have got two 
well-formed ears and put it in a basket. I 
then take it to the barn and strip the husks 
down to the end of the ear and pleat the 
husks all together aud hang them up in 
some dry place by a cord. In this way it is 
free from the attacks of mice and rats. If 
this will do “ A Correspondent,” any good, 
please print it in the “ Good Old Rural.”— 
Lark, Altoona, Pa. 
Peas as a Field Crop .—Will not some of 
your readers who have experience and can 
speak therefrom tell through the Rural 
New-Yorker the name of the best variety 
of field pea for sowing for stock food, in 
North Central New York? Is it better to ' 
sow them, when designed for grinding and 
feeding any kind of live stock, with oats or 1 
barley—either or both i—c, a. f. a. 
“ Proper ” TFheaf is the name of a Cali¬ 
fornia variety which is said to he attracting 
attention there because of its early maturity, 
great productiveness and the excellent 
quality of the flour made from it. It is said 
to have brought $1.(30 in the San Francisco 
market, when the best other varieties were 
selling at $1.50 and S1.53X 
paint nice pictures, but they are overdrawn ; 
the fruit never grow* as nice as the pictures. 
Of course, the “ tree peddler” is to blame for 
that. I have found farmers who actually 
dig up trees from the fence cornel’s and woods 
to set an orchard of respectable size with 
little or no expense, utterly regardless of 
quality or future returns. 
Now, I hold if some good, smart, “tree 
peddler” can take his “book of deception” 
I under his arm and induce such men to buy 
and plant grafted trees on their farms, he is 
doing good service for his country and reach¬ 
ing a class of men which all the nurserymen 
with their catalogues and advertisements in 
the country could not touch. If “ tree ped¬ 
dlers” should all suddenly change their busi¬ 
ness and leave nurserymen depending upon 
orders received from farmers and others 
holding land for the &n!e of their stock on 
hand, I think much of it would bear fruit in 
the rows where they grew instead of being 
transplanted where most needed ; and if one 
man thinks the “tree peddler” hus charged 
him a dollar too much, perhaps five other 
men would be fully satisfied with even double 
the amouut for the same stock. 
I phink “tree peddlers” have done more 
and better service for this country than any 
other class of men, trades or profession. They 
have carried trees (which, with proper care 
and protection, would hear the best fruit in 
the land) to the most distant and lowest hov¬ 
els which it is possible to reach ; and even in 
some where the Bible is not allowed a place 
may be found specimens of golden fruit 
through the agency of some “ tree peddler 
and if that is not a step toward civilization 
and refinement I am mistaken. j. c. l. 
