ORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
APRIL  22 
^ifli)  (Lto|S. 
THE  NOMENCLATURE  OF  HYBRIDIZATION. 
Tiiouait  1  wi  itf  In  nil  kiiulneBB,  Jiiy  lldnr  Rural 
Life,  1  will  not  douy  a  literal  roailiiigof  Uie  irony 
you  eDijiloy  roBpfnrtiUR  youiHolf,  wliou  yon  write 
tKuuAi.  NEw-YonKBU,  March  25th,  p.  202,)  ui)oii 
tho  terminology  of  Jlyhridi/iitioii,  and  criticisn 
my  line  of  tho  word  “  llybridi/i!d’'to  indicate  tho 
origin  of  a  certain  lot  of  potato  aoed  prodnci^d  by 
cross-improgiintion  among  nonie  of  tlio  vuric.tioH 
of  SoUinuin  luhiTOnmn.  1  diatinclly  remembor 
anticipating,  when  I  made  use  of  the  word  in 
thin  jtarticnlar  iuHtauco,  juat  aueli  oriticiam  as 
you  heaUiw  ;  and  1  anHuro  yon  I  did  not  ventui'c 
upon  dangorouH  ground  without  tho  Hnpjiort  of 
authority. 
1  confeaa  having  myaelf,  being  sU’enuoua  to 
upi)ly  thorn  correctly,  juizzlofl  much  over  the  umo 
of  tho  terina  *■  hybrid  ”  and  “  croHs,” — tonu«  by 
wldch  the  earlier  hybridialJs,  with  tho  sanction  of 
the  botaniHta  of  Uieirday,  undertook  todcKignato 
reBjJcctivcly  the  progeny  from  a  union  of  two  dm- 
tiuct  BjMjcioH  and  those  from  tho  imiou  of  two 
viuie.ticH  of  the  Hame  sixicicM,  and  to  discriniirnitn 
botwoeu  Biioh.  At  the  Hturt  the  diHtlnction  be¬ 
tween  tho  two  claHHOH  iseiiKily  enough  maintained. 
When,  in  tho  beginuitig  of  my  hybridization  of 
plants,  I  united  separate  HiaicinH,  or  varioticB  of 
one  Kpecies,  1  found  no  dlllicnlty  in  choosing  tho 
right  term  of  tiieni!  a«  employed;  hut,  when  I 
came  to  roerosH  among  themselves  in  variouB 
ways,  or  with  their  parent  forma,  tho  results  of 
those  iiuiona,  hy  what  name  Hhould  1  coll  their 
offspring?  Commonly  such  issues  have  been 
styled  ‘'mongrels,''  a  vagno  tonu,  as  it  has  been 
used,  convoying  to  those  previously  ho  prociBC 
about  such  things  no  exact  idea  of  tho  origin  of 
tho  new  forms,  or  of  tho  relations  of  their  jiar- 
onts. 
Of  those  very  imidoc|uate  terms  Prof.  LECoy, 
in  his  most  oxoclloiit  work,  “  Do  la  Fecondation 
ot  Uyhridation,''  p.  2t,  very  justly  remarks,— 
“  Thoae  doHiguation.s  would  bo  useful,  if  wo  could 
always  apjdy  thoiii ;  hut  in  tho  practice  of  horti- 
cultm-e  it  often  liuppons  that  a  hybrid  is  fertil¬ 
ized  in  its  turn  by  its  own  imrouts,  or  that  a  hy¬ 
brid  iniprognatos  a  cross ;  then  ithocoiuos  utterly 
1  imiHisHiblo  to  rocognizo  among  all  Ihoso  cross¬ 
ings  the  different  degrees  of  hyhridity.’’ 
Happily,  however,  the  German  botanists  come 
^  to  U8  in  the  midst  of  this  perplexity  and  offer  a 
much  uioro  pnu'.ise  and  oomyjlete  nomenclature 
for  Hylnidizatiou.  Dr.  .Im.riis  Haciia,  professor 
in  the  niiiversily  of  Wurzburg,  in  his  "Text- 
hook  of  Hiitany,’'  u  work  just  translated  into  oiu’ 
langn.'fge  in  England,  and  aeknowle<lged  by  Urili- 
ish  botauiBts  as  a  more  prolound  and  acenrnto 
troatise  on  vegotable  physiology  tbanonrEugliah 
literature  has  yet  produced,  thus  BiM.jit  s  of  hy¬ 
brids:  ■'  .Recording  a»  tlie  union  takes  place  ho- 
twoon  diffeient  varietii'S  of  one  Bixioies,  differeut 
Bjiecies  of  one  genus,  or  between  two  Hpecies  Is- 
longing  to  diffcr.mt  genera,  the  resulting  liyhriil 
may  bo  termed  a  viuiuly-liybrid,  specK's-Jiybrid, 
or  geiuiR-hybrid."  ■’ Whon  a  hybrid  is  miule  to 
unite  w  ith  one  of  its  paronl^forms,  i>r  with  an¬ 
other  iiareut-form,  or  with  a  hybrid  of  dilVi-ront 
origin.  Uio  product  is  termed  a  derivution-hybrid.” 
“  When  a  hybrid  unitoB  with  a  now  imreid^l'onu 
or  willi  a  hybrid  of  anotlier  six'cies.  a  derivation- 
hybrid  results  in  which  throe,  four,  or  more  s]ie.- 
cioH  (or  varieties)  am  comhineJ.  Hybrids  of  this 
kind  may  be  conveniently  termed  combined- 
liybriils.  Book  HI.,  Sec.  .'12.  Here  the  issue  of 
cross-iniyirogualioiifi  of  every  Borl  receive  the 
general  name  of  "  hybrids;"  and  we  arc  able  to 
indicate,  if  nec<'ssar\,  in  a  very  siinplo  manner 
:ind  with  entire  pri'ci.sion.  tho  botanical  artinities 
of  their  yjarents,  and  in  the  case  of  continual 
iuter-crossiug  to  sbow'.i.y)proxiuiately  thenumhor 
of  spccios  that  have  cutorod  into  tho  combina¬ 
tion. 
Now,  my  Dear  Rural  Life,  desiriug  to  see 
adopted  in  America  ho  excellent  a  Kysteinof  term¬ 
inology  for  my  art,  an  event  which  seem.s  to  mo 
.'klmost  inovitablo,  and  wilhug  to  draw  upon  iny- 
Kclf  the  thimdor  of  critieisiu  for  attempting  an 
iuiiovalion.  I  advisedly  wrote  thu  yihrase 
‘‘Pringle’s  Hybridized  Potato  Seed,’’ which,  as 
it  appears,  lias  como  so  near  terminating  tli« 
sanity  and  UBorulnetts  of  our  most  delightful  hor- 
tienltiuid  WTil<'r.  Should  you  c.aro  to  know, 
further,  the  yireeiso  natmeor  degree  of  hybrlvlity 
of  the  ni'W  jjutatoes  w'hioli  came  of  that  seod,  1 
should  inform  you,  (hat  they  will  ho  hotli  vaii- 
ety-hyhrids  and  devi\  ation-hyhrids. 
And,  now,  since  you  iuijuire  directly  and  in  a 
manner  tliat  imy'lies  doubt,  I  will  aver  that  there 
7S  a8y)ecitjB  of  potato  whnii  ]  am  employing  to 
yirodnce  with  the  eoninum  sjieeleri  hybridized 
seed,  that  will  give  mo  Kpocies-hybjida.  It  is 
Solanwii  Fundh  ri,  Hio  wild  syiocie.s  of  Now  Mex¬ 
ico.  A  thu  d  wpecios.  mmffoiiu/n,  a  native  of 
Peru,  I  am  so  de.-irous  of  obtaining  for  the 
same  yuu’yiose.  (hat  he  who  helps  mo  to  it,  will 
yilaco  me  under  life-long  obligations. 
But,  liwfuro  I  close,  permit  me  say  a  few  words 
for  yoiu'  garJeuor  John,  which  I  do  with  all  the 
leRB  reserve,  because  I  have  no  pecuniary  inter¬ 
est  in  the  seed  in  question.  I  am  not  certain 
that  it  IB  “lucky”  for  you  anymore  than  for 
John,  that  he  cannot  read.  You  have  allowed 
him  to  crowd  yonr  greenhouBc  with  ytlants 
‘‘raisodfrom  seed-halls,  as  gathered  in  the  field 
wiUiont  any  regard  to  variety.”  Evidently  you 
have  never  told  liini  that  in  tlio  browhiig  of  plantH 
]>wligroG  and  hleod  are  of  just  as  much  oonso- 
qiioncc  as  in  the  hreedtng  of  animals,  and  that  in 
practice  we  slioulil,  us  iniicli  In  the  one  field  as 
in  the  other,  eiid<(avor  t"  crmihino  in  the  jirc- 
gouy  the  doslrahle  tpialifies  we  find  in  the  poten¬ 
tial  parents,  and  to  exclude  tho  iufrrior  charac- 
terfi,  whether  by  interfering,  as  far  as  we  can, 
with  tho  bmdency  of  diroet  iuhoritanoc  (more  or 
loss  isitont  as  it  always  is)  in  the  niotlicr,  or  hy 
aiiticLijaUng,  as  wo  certainly  may,  uiipropitious 
accidental  impregnations. 
Yon  failed  last  summer  to  send  Jons  into  tho 
field  to  make  a  few  jndiciouHerosBes  ;  and,  there¬ 
fore,  instead  of  a  small  and  select  lot  of  sood- 
lings,  ho  lias  a  coufuHcsl  host  of  sowllings  of 
unknown  hneago,  good,  had  and  inUiffuront, 
ovorrunuing  your  grcenhouHC.  TJiat  lie  would 
liavo  had  no  bad  ones,  had  he  hybridized,  I  will 
not  jiretoud,  for  over  tlio  tendency  to  revert  to 
inftiri()r  aucoBtors  w)  pfjtont  in  in'ioritance,  and 
over  tho  tondonej'  I'von  more  general  with  iusuf- 
flciontly-hrcd  iilants  U>  vary  widely  m  their  seed- 
lingH,  the  hybridist  has  put  little,  if  any,  control. 
Nor  would  I  diBCiiurage  .Iohn  in  hi.s  ho|s;  to  find 
among  Ids  bfd'Ch  of  secdliPK”  the  coming  potato. 
He  has  a  ohanee.  But,  in  bis  ex]ierinumt,  it  ia 
only  chanot!.  Hybridization,  it  cannot  he  gain¬ 
said,  offers  us  poBitive  advantages ;  and,  wiUi 
those  advantages,  wo  need  not  invest  m  so  many 
tickets  to  sociirc  a  prize.  T'he  batch  of  soisl- 
hngs,  among  which  the  Snowilake  and  Alpha  up. 
peared,  wore  less  than  a  Imndrod  in  number. 
C.  0.  PniNOLK. 
I  was  perfectly  well  aware,  when  making  my 
remarkH  on  tho  use  of  the  term  “Hybridized 
Potato  8c<'d,"  that  plenty  of  anthorities  for  its 
UBO  could  be  found  in  foreign  hooks,  periodicals, 
and  OMi>eciallv  iu  seedsmen’s  and  nurserymen’s 
catalogues.  Tim  Froiioh  arc  especially  fond  of 
using  the  high-sounding  and  pretentious  term 
“  liybridc,”  and  it  has  heou  gradually  creeping 
into  our  own  horticultm'al  literature,  and  used 
without  t)m  least  regaid  to  its  tiuo  scientilio 
meauiug.  All  of  our  host  iiorliciilturol  and  ho- 
tanioal  writers  in  tins  country  use  the  term  "  hy¬ 
brid,”  to  indicate  tbe  oilspring  liotwecii  two 
HpccioH,  and  with  all  due  dereKinci'  to  Dr.  .loi.uis 
Sachs,  or  tho  ojunioii  of  our  ICngli.sh  cousins  in 
regard  to  his  aliilitii'.s,  1  think  w  o  .4moriean';  have 
no  need  to  travel  qniUi  so  far  to  find  an  ^inj(iidty 
equally  as  reliable  and  i.'a))ahlu  b>  dtxide  so  sim¬ 
ple  a  question  as  ‘‘  what  is  a  hybrid."  Dr.  Aha 
Guay  detiuus  a  bybrul  as  a  ‘■‘cross-breed  between 
two  allied  species,"  and  (  bis  dclinidoii  is  backeil 
by  uiuc-tonths  of  all  Um  liotamcal  and  horticul¬ 
tural  writers  of  uiiy  note  in  tlm  world. 
Of  course,  110  one  faiuilliar  with  liorticultiiral 
literature  of  tlm  iiroscnt  day,  woiilil  bo  led  astray 
by  tlm  use  of  t  he  term  “  hybridized  imtato  seed,” 
for  I  presume  when  Mr.  Puinhi.i:,  or  anybody 
else,  succeeds  iu  obtaining  a  true  liybrid  between 
Siilouuiii  /(da'ivfsum  and  F.  Fftiiltorior  any  otJier 
sjmoios,  it  will  ho  annoiiuecd  in  very  delinite  lan- 
ginige.  Bui  if  we  are  going  to  use  tliis  word 
"hybrid”  indiscriminalely  for  true  liylwids  as 
well  as  distiiii  (  species  and  crossi^a  of  varieties, 
it  will  at  once  put  an  end  to  lines  id' demarcation, 
which  should  not,  foi  the  good  of  hnrtioulliiral 
and  agrii’ultiira.1  scioiice,  hu  ohiitoratod.  Men 
who,  alter  years  of  |>alienl.  labor,  succeed  In  hj- 
hridlziug  grapes  slmuJii  receive  lim  credit  of  ac¬ 
complishing  something  more  than  riiisiug  a  seed¬ 
ling  from  a  variety  of  one  sjiecies,  wlueh  by 
natiu'c  IS  so  hable  to  v<uiatiou  that  no  uiiin  is 
able  to  tell  whether  (he  otl-repcaled  claim  of  iir 
Idioial  crossi ng  lias  acliially  heen  accomplished 
or  not.  If  wo  jicrmit  the  word  hybrid  to  ho  used 
without  careful  discruainatiou,  wo  shall  soon  Ic 
confronted  with  all  sort.s  of  seedling  plants  under 
this  uaine  as  a  prefix. 
Now,  as  true  or  genuine  hybrids  :.re  exceed¬ 
ingly  rare  and  dilficult  to  obtain,  1  will  leave  it  to 
Mr.  Piw  noi-k's  owii  good  sense  to  say.  if  it  would 
not  ho  hotti'r  to  retain  Ibis  muim  for  such  a  pro- 
duotioBtliau  to  permit  of  ito  being  apphtxl  to 
evei7  seedling— good  or  bad— which  some  illiter¬ 
ate  or  dishonest  dabbler  in  horlieultm-o  may 
produce.  MC'ssr.s.  T’juxoi.e,  Btia.s,  CAXirnEU., 
CosirroN,  ami  other  woU-knowu  geutlcmen,  aie 
doing  a  good  work  by  raising  and  iutrodiiciug 
choice  varieties  of  tho  iwtato,  and  1  think  they 
cannot  afford  to  use  descriptive  terms  in  present¬ 
ing  their  |)rodnctious  to  the  public,  which  are  not 
strictly  in  accord  witli  tho  delinitiou  given  iu  oiu' 
dictionaiioH  of  tho  English  laugiiage,  as  well  as 
those  of  OIU*  best  scientific  authoxities. 
BBHDINO  up,  or  CHANCE  SEEDUNOS. 
It  ia  true  Uwt  I  have  not  cxjilained  to  my  col¬ 
ored  gariicuer,  Jon.':,  tho  impurtiiime  of  pedigree 
iu  potatoes,  for  I  liave  yet  failed  to  Icaru  that 
any"  one  who  has  practiced  any  such  system  of 
breeding  the  potato  produced  better  rcBults  than 
those  who  trusted  to  chance.  Mr.  Goodhich 
staited  out  with  this  idea,  and,  after  luxtoen 
years  of  eximriinenls  with  sixteen  thouBand  secd- 
Ung».  ho  could  not  show  a  variety  mpial  to  some 
of  the  old  sort  s  which  wwo  common  when  ho  vraH 
a  boy.  Dr.  Kxioiit  of  England  pursued  tlio  Home 
pxodigroe  system  with  fruits,  more  than  half  a 
century  ago,  and  left  nothing  worth  pori'cluat- 
ing.  Dr,  Van  Moxb,  however,  of  Belgium,  started 
with  the  wild,  pemr  crab  pears,  and  from  these, 
ttoongh  a  few  gcncratimiH  of  sceilllrigs,  jirisluced 
hundreds  of  most  excclleiiL  sorts,  many  of  which 
will  ri'iiiaiu  in  cultivation  for  ceuturies  to  como. 
I  might,  if  iieccssarj',  cite  hundreds  of  instances 
where  tJic  chunco  wXHiliiigs  from  inferior  jiarcnt- 
ngc  excelled  tlio  scieiitifically-proilunod  offsjiring. 
Of  oourse  in  raising  a  sciMllmg  plant  of  any  kind. 
I  would  Bcleot  tho  parents  most  likoly  to  produce 
desired  icBulte,  but  just  bore  there  might  bo  a 
wide  difference  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  Ix'st 
method  of  ]iroceoding  to  roach  this  end. 
Wo  have  had  some  very  fine  variotios  of  pota¬ 
toes  iutrodiicod  williin  tbo  past  few  years,  hut 
there  are  few  persons  who  would  not  gladly 
throw  thorn  all  aside  if  they  could  see  tlio  old 
F’i'uhtmnack  aiiiij  /'I'nlceve  of  forty  or  more  years 
ago  nistoj  wi  in  all  tlieir  pristine  glory. 
Daily  ItuiiAi.  I.ifk. 
- - - 
ORCHARD  GRASS -FERTILIZERS. 
I  wiHii  to  ask  a  few  questions,  to  ho  answered 
in  your  oolumuB  if  you  see  fit.  Many  of  my 
neighlxxrs  and  uiysclf  are  tliinking  of  Bowing 
orchard  grass  seed,  the  price  of  clover  is  so  high. 
Now  I  would  like  to  have  some  one  that  knowH 
tcU  ns  if  it  will  do  well  on  land  u  little  inclined 
Lj  heave,  how  uiiioh  it  needs  hi  the  aero,  and  is 
it  best  to  BOW  it  alone  or  muHt  wo  mix  clover  witli 
it?  Another  tiling  ;  as  we  lead  yonr  paper,  we 
hocAimo  intcrestoxl  in  the  experiments  witli  fer¬ 
tilizers  of  different  kinds.  In  your  i.HHUo  of  March 
25  wo  road  of  farmers  making  sujierpliosphatos 
and  getting  good  rotiu'iis  for  outlay  and  labor ; 
now,  if  it  can  be  made  at  home,  wo  would  like  to 
know  what  to  moke  it  of  and  how  to  do  it,  or  find 
whore  to  get  it  and  what  it  costa.  Tlio  time  has 
come  that  we  must  do  flomothing  more  than  fit 
tho  land  to  got  good  crops.  I  will  not  try  yonr 
patienoo  longer,  but  must  say  that  I  would  not 
trade  tlio  throe  nnmbcrB  of  tho  IUtiial  that  I 
have  received  for  tw'cnty  of  any  that  can  he 
named.  I  learn  somctliing  from  every  paper 
that  is  worth  the  price  of  the  paper  for  a  yeai- ; 
the  one  sent  me  is  read  by  live  or  six,  and  all 
unite  in  saying  it  is  the  best. 
PItmnolli,  N.  V.  -A  New  .SUBHOHIBKU. 
*‘New  RvimemuEu”  will  not  find  orchard  grass 
cheaper  than  clover  seed,  oven  at  the  present 
liigh  jirioo  of  the  latter.  It  X’oquii'os  fully  a  bushel 
of  orchard  grass  seed  jx'r  acre,  and  two,  three, 
or  even  four  huahels  would  be  better.  Tlio  seed 
is  very  light— only  12  to  14  lbs.  per  bushel.  Much 
of  it  will  probably  fail,  and  leave  the  grass  iu 
"  hunches”  tlio  first  your.  Hence  it  is  advisable 
to  sow  clover  seed  with  orchiud  grass.  Tho  I’ust 
year  tho  clover  will  noiuiy  mouo[K)lize  tliogrouud ; 
but  clover  is  a  biennial,  dying  out  after  tho  soiv 
ond  year,  and  tho  bunches  of  orchard  grass  will 
Hjji'ead  and  occupy  the  whole  surface,  and  last  as 
niHiiy  years  as  it  is  left  unplowod.  It  is  not  Ukoly 
to  Ix!  injured  on  land  iucliuod  to  "heave,”  as  its 
roots  aie  spreailing  and  do  not  sti'ikc  deep  into 
tiio  siiliBoil,  as  clover  does.  For  this  reason  it  is 
not  HO  VienoficiaJ  to  tho  soil  as  clover,  but  i>refer- 
able  to  tiinotliy.  Orchard  grass  does  bettor  sown 
in  (iio  fall ;  hut  if  sown  iu  spring,  the  caiiier  it 
is  done  the  bettor. 
\Ve  have  had  some  trials  iu  making  suixirphos- 
phatc.  Itor  this  hnruod  hone,  or  bone-black  got 
from  tho.  HUgiir  rc.liuorics,  is  needed.  It  is  al- 
moBl  impossible  with  the  facilities  fai'inorH  have, 
to  reduce  raw  bones  fine  enough  to  be  available. 
Even  ground  bone  dissolvos  very  slowly,  and  un¬ 
less  in  the  fox'm  of  hono  (lour,  often  docs  not  do 
so  much  good  the  tirst  soaBon.  We  know  some 
farmers  who  tried  making  supcrpJiosphatos  out 
of  huiio-hlack,  or  bm’ued  hone.  In  this  way  tliey 
lost  tint  iiiiuinmia  wlfich  the  unbiirnod  hone  con¬ 
tains  ;  but  this  un-amrnoniated  snpox'phosphato 
pi'oduced  an  excellent  effect  on  wheat.  It  was, 
however,  foimd  to  cost  fully  as  much  as  tho  doaJ- 
urs  asked  fur  ammouiated  Huperphobphate  of 
good  quality.  lienee,  we  have  always  pnrchnscil 
tho  BupcrphoHphate  ive  liave  uaed,  jiajang  ^40  to 
ijeO  jx'r  lull  for  it— the  latter  an  extortionate 
price. 
Our  correH’xmdent  need  not  fear  of  purchasing 
superphosphate  of  any  dealer  that  advertiKes  in 
the  Rdual  New-Yokkee.  We  will  not  advertise 
any  one  who  woifid  cheat  our  customers.  Buying 
will  px'ohahly  bo  quite  as  cheap  as  making,  and 
save  a  great  deal  of  tvt'y  disa<jreeahle  woi’k. 
Boiio-hlack  costs  a  cent,  or  more,  a  pound  and 
Bulpburic  acid,  oil  of  viti’iol,  costs  Stif  cts.  pea*  lb. 
hy  the  quantity.  He  had  better  get  amuioniated 
suiierphosjihatc  and  ti’y  a  little  before  buying 
largely,  to  see  if  it  is  adapted  to  hia  soil  and  crops. 
As  a  test  whethor  phosphate  ia  needed,  a  suix'i- 
phosphato  without  ammonia  is  better  than  the 
other. 
POTATOES-CAUSE  OF  POOR  QUALITY. 
Col.  D.  C.  Rioumonu  in  tho  Ohio  Farmer,  says 
one  cause  for  tho  poor  quality  of  potatoes  last 
yoar  was  that  planters  periuitteil  the  hugs  to 
prey  on  tho  vinos  to  a  cmisidcr.ablc  extent  during 
tho  latter  part  of  the  season,  Vicforc  the  tulxirs 
wore  matuTf'd,  and  holds  that  another  reason  for 
tbe  poor  quality  lies  in  the  new  viiricticH  recently 
iiitroduceil  which,  while  they  jtrodue.e  well,  are 
not  of  first-rate  quality  like  the  Pink-Eyo  and 
Neshunnock.  He  Ixelieves  that  the  ipialily  of  our 
potatoes  is  deteriorating,  and  that  the  day  may 
not  be  fai‘  distant  when  they  will  cease  to  bo  gen¬ 
erally  usihI  as  food.  He  has  tlxis  to  say  of  soil 
and  ])lfinling ; 
“  New  sandy  loam  priMluccs  tho  best  iinality  of 
jiotatoes.  Any  sandy  loam,  not  wet,  esjiooially 
in  clover,  will  grow  good  potatooB.  I.ow,  mucky, 
black  soil,  which  Ixx'onies  very  hot  in  the  middle 
of  the  day,  and  ooxtls  rajiidly  at  ifight,  will  pro¬ 
duce  a  large  crop  in  a  favorable  season,  but  tlie 
jxitatoes  are  generally  too  large  for  tho  niarkci 
and  not  of  good  quality.  A  niedium-sizod  tuber 
suits  tho  mai'ket  best.  Clay  laud  will  somotirnos 
grow  a  good  crop,  hut  in  a  dry  season  tho  tubers 
are  small,  and  in  a  wet  one  tliey  are  inclined  to 
rot.  Gravelly  soil,  if  rloh,  answers  well.  Under 
favorable  ch'ciinistAuoes  they  will  grow  in  almost 
any  soil,  and  they  are  always  a  failure  where 
water  stands  on  the  land. 
‘  ‘  Heed  jiotatoos  should  be  of  good  size  and  free 
from  long  sprouts.  Keveral  davHlx'forc  jilanting, 
out  thorn  into  mcilimn-sized  pieces,  each  contain¬ 
ing  two  or  three  eyes.  It  is  well  to  cut  thorn  in 
a  warm  room  and  sjirinklo  warm  water  over  them, 
so  as  just  to  start  tho  sprouts;  they  will  then 
come  up  quickly.  Fiurow  (lie  ground  in  rows 
alsiiitSl.j  tex't  apart  and  jilant  in  hills  or  drills, 
according  to  circumstances.  New  land  works 
best  in  hills.  Put  one  piece  in  a  hill  and  cover 
with  tho  hoe  alxmt  four  inches  deej),  so  that  a 
light  harrow  can  pass  over  without  disturbing 
them,” 
- - 
DEEP  PLOWING  FOR  CORN. 
A  oouKKsroNDRNT  of  tho  Jluial  World  ro- 
marka  as  follows : 
It  is  better  to  raise  one  hundred  husliels  of 
corn  on  one  acre  of  ground  than  fifty  huHhols  an 
ai'rc  on  two  aerixs.  'I'he  yielil  could  Isi  iloiiliKsl 
on  noarly  every  acre  of  ground  in  cultivation  in 
tlie  West.  Wliat  is  wanted  is  deeper  jilowing 
and  Is-tter  prepai'atiou  of  the  soil  and  uiore 
thoroiigli  after  cultivation.  Tliis  skinimiiig 
over  tlio  ground  is  one  of  (lie  greatest  evils  in 
Western  farming.  Plow  deep  and  then  ernsB- 
plow  deep,  and  you  prepare  food  and  moiBturo 
for  the  jilaiits  and  enable  them  to  I'esist  tho 
dx'ouths,  and  make  them  laugh  and  thrive  and 
hear  ahuudantly. 
Tho  poaitivo  iteration  of  generalities,  and  cs- 
jxicially  the  cinjihasis  jilacoil  on  dissp  plowing  for 
com,  invites  tho  siiBincion  tliat  tlie  writer  was 
airing  sonic  very  plaiisihlo  thoorios,  instead  of 
writing  from  practical  cxjx'rieiico.  It  may  ho 
under  certain  circumsUinces  that  corn  will  do 
Ix'ttcr  on  deeply -plowed  laud ;  but  wo  never  saw 
such  a  case.  As  for  “cross-plowing”  deep  for 
corn,  wo  know  that  this  is  only  thoon-;  for  if 
corn  is  planted  on  a  ncwly-turnod  sod,  as  it 
shoulil  Im,  cro.ss-plowing  would  only  tuni  the 
sod  upixinuust  again.  Most  probably  the  writer 
of  tho  iHvragniph  quoted  does  not  know  anything 
of  tho  subject  which  ho  was  disenssing,  hut  has 
horrowed  some  plauhihle  ideas  from,  tho  agricul- 
tiu'iil  wisdom  always  iloatirig  in  tlio  nowap.ajiers. 
- »  ♦  » 
PRIZES  FOR  POTATOES. 
Mu.  1).  A.  CoMi'Tox  of  Hawley,  Peuua.,  ia 
widely  known  as  tho  originator  of  Compton’s 
Surprise,  and  other  valuable  potatoes.  Two  of 
these— the  Acme  and  tho  Hawley— have  never 
hefovo  been  offered  to  tho  public,  hut  have  been 
fully  tested  by  gentlemen  well  known,  and  whOBc 
coouneiidation  for  prolificacy  and  quality  is  very 
high.  The  originator  offers  six  premiums, 
amounting  to  ijsloO,  for  tlie  largest  ainount  grown 
from  one  isjuud  of  the  Hawley,  and  two  pre¬ 
miums — oue  of  5175  and  ono  of  ■'?25 — fi>r  growers 
of  the  Acme.  Circulars  giving  details  of  thcHO 
premiums,  with  description  of  tlio  now  vaxieiicB, 
and  much  vnluable  information  about  growing 
potatoes,  will  ho  HOiit  to  any  address  on  applica¬ 
tion  to  Mr.  Ooinn’ON, 
It  is  rather  discouragiug,  planting  potatoes 
largely  this  spring;  but  there  is  no  queHtiou, 
that  whctlier  priocH  be  high  or  luw,  vaiicties 
which  are  most  easily  grown  and  most  prolific, 
pay  host.  It  will  pay  fanners  wlio  grow  potatoes 
for  Bale  to  make  a  trial  of  Hawley  and  Acme, 
even  though  they  may  not  coiitend  for  tho  pio- 
miimiB. 
^  »■  -  - 
IIAaRow^NO  Wheat.— It  is  a  goml  plan,  both 
for  the  wheat  and  the  catch  of  clover  seed,  to 
haiTow  wheat  iu  the  spring.  Hclect  home  day 
wlien  tiie  ground  is  dry  en'->ugh  to  pulverize 
freely,  and  if  possiblo,  just  before  a  rain.  Where 
wheat  has  heen  ihillcd-iu  a  coiumoii.  heavy  ilrag 
will  only  break  down  tlxc  l  idges  hetwccn  the  rows 
and  cover  exposed  roots.  If  sown  hroiidcast,  the 
Thomas  Hmoothing  Hairow  should  be  Uood,  and 
is  preferable  under  any  ciicumstauces. 
