34 
JAN.45 
THE BUBAL HEW-YO 
4 
seedlings of ibis class, one in particular, a 
cross between Bicchns and Herbemont, to 
which I look with much interest. I am mak¬ 
ing collections of various sorts of wild /Esti- 
valis for the purpose of further experiment, 
and will inform you of the result, if anything 
of interest presents itself, 
Fishkill, N. Y. J. G. Burrow. 
JifUt Crops, 
THE WHITE ELEPHANT POTATO. 
The Rural has on several occasions ex¬ 
pressed doubts about the reputed parentage of 
new varieties of potatoes, and has assigned 
therefor very convincing reasons. My own 
obsei rations go to confirm what the Rural 
ha& said in this regard. Twenty years ago it 
was not uncommon to see balls on the potato 
viuee, particularly on those of late kinds, but 
within a period of ten years past I do not re¬ 
member having seen a Bingle ball. Al¬ 
though some kiuds flower plentifully, yet no 
fruit is produced, and this arises either from 
some defect in the organs of the flowers or, 
as I am more than inclined to suspect, from a 
change in our climate, which has resulted from 
the opening out of the country. The potato 
cannot resist the intense heat of our bummers, 
and as a consequence the vines are scalded and 
the flowers drop off prematurely. It is now a 
rare thing to see the vines decay in a natural 
way, while at the same time large crops of the 
tubers are raised. For this reason it is best to 
make the intervals between the rows closer 
than we have been in the habit of doing—say 
two feet—and to plant either very early in the 
Spring, so that the tubers shall be pretty well 
matured before the hot weather comes on, or 
else late in bummer—say July 1st—so that 
they shall catch the cool weather of Autumn. 
I speak here, of course, of very early varieties. 
The Peachblow is the only late variety which 
seems able to pass our Summer unscathed. 
I am inclined to believe that most of our new 
varieties of potatoes originate from what are 
called sports. What a sport is precisely, or 
what causes it nobody seems to know. We 
only know that it is a departure in one or 
more particulars from its original—in color, in 
shape, or in time of ripening. I cannot believe 
that potatoes, any more than other vegetables, 
can be crossed in any way except through the 
flowers, and therefore I am of opinion that a 
sport is an offshoot of a variety which has not 
entirely assumed a fixed characteristic. 
Two years ago I noticed among my Beauty 
of Hebron vines a hill which was two or three 
weeks later than auy other. Oa digging it 1 
found the tubers much longer, larger and 
rougher than the Hebron, bntof about the same 
color. I saved six of the largest, and from 
these I raised this year two bushels. I have 
just received specimens of the "White Ele¬ 
phant,” said tobe produced from a seed-ball of 
the Garnet Chiii, fertilized with pollen from 
the White Peachblow. Tais potato and 
the one which I have been raising are. beyond 
question, the same. The White Elephant 
might more properly be called the Late Heb¬ 
ron. I thought this was the case when I saw 
the illustration of the White Elephant 
iu the Fair Number of the Rural. I 
am now convinced of it. 1 saved also 
two potatoes from a sport of Bliss's Im¬ 
proved Peachblow. This was growing by the 
side of a hill of Snowflakes, and at first 1 sup¬ 
posed, as the potatoes were very smooth and 
white, that the Peachblow and the Snowflake 
had crossed in some way ; but, on planting the 
two potatoes and observing the vines, I 6aw 
they niff-red in no particular from the Peach¬ 
blow family. The tubers of this crop are 
smoother and more uniform in shape than 
Bliss's Improved, and are white with small 
specks of red. Hugh L. Wtbob. 
Pulaski Co., Va. 
Heavy Manitoba Root*. 
To show the fertility of the soil to English 
farmers, a consignment of roots grown in 
Manitoba the past season, was shipped thence. 
The Mammoth Long Red Mangel Wurzels 
weighed 75 lbs. each ; the Giant LoDg Yellows, 
65 pounds each; and the Prize Yellow Globes, 
63 pounds each. The most surprising thing 
about these is, that they were very symmetri¬ 
cal in form, and of Jine quality, without any of 
the coarseness usually found in roots of large 
size. We have occasionally grown in ourown 
grounds here in the Siato ot New York, roots 
varying from 15 to20 pounds each; but they 
were so poor iu quality and coarse in fiber 
that our stock would reject them unless very 
hungry. There is no doubt that more nutri¬ 
ment existed in the roots we grew of one-third 
to one-half the above weights, which our ani¬ 
mals of all kinds devoured with avidity, either 
raw or cooked. England having a inoirter 
and cooler Bummer climate than ours, can 
grow large roots of a better quality ,* they fre¬ 
quently get good ones of 20 to 35 pounds, h. 
What is the best Variett of Wheat?— 
Prof. Tracy, of the Missouri Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, has been engaged for several years in 
testing the comparative yields of different 
varieties of wheat. He has carefully tested 
over one hundred sorts, and not being satisfied 
with the results of these tests alone, desires to 
learn what the yields have been in other por¬ 
tions of the country. Parties engaged in 
wheat growing will confer a favor bj' eending 
him a postal card giving the names and varie¬ 
ties grown in the neighborhood, and the yield 
of each. These reports will be published in 
connection with Prof. Tracy’s report, and a 
copy sent to all who render assistance in gath¬ 
ering the information desired. The question 
of what is the best variety of wheat for gen¬ 
eral cultivation is oue of the very greatest 
importance to all, and it is one that the Rural 
is hard at worn to solve ; it is hoped, there¬ 
fore, that every farmer who reads this -will 
forward a statement of the crops in his im¬ 
mediate locality. 
Address: S. M. Tract, Agricultural College, 
Columbia. Mo. 
Jfarm (txortomy. 
THE YEAR’S RESULTS IN SORGHUM 
SUGAR MAKING. 
So far as concerns the past year’s experience 
with Northern sugar-cane, the season has gen¬ 
erally been of an unfavorable character,never¬ 
theless there has been a decided progress. Bet¬ 
ter results than heretofore have been obtained 
by most new beginners, although some have 
made signal lailares. I have generally dis¬ 
suaded people without experience from going 
headloug into the business. I have been stren¬ 
uously urging the necessity of experts' skill 
to make the production of sorghum sugar 
profitable, and I must still repeat that witnout 
such skill the business is seldom likely to 
turn out satisfactory; for iu an extensive tour 
of observation I have always found that fail¬ 
ures were the results of ignorance, either in 
the construction of apparatus or the process 
of converting the juice into sugar. It is 
true some sections have very nearly failed to 
get a crop of cane; but, strange to say, this 
crop has an astoai&hiog vegetative recupera¬ 
tive power. In Kansas, for instance,where the 
drought hud cui down ail crops to the first of 
August, the rains that fell that month revived 
the cane, and a fair crop was produced, al¬ 
though it was not of as good a quality as it 
would have been under more favorable condi¬ 
tions of weather. 
A few essential points have been settled this 
season. The first of these is, that the bagasse, 
or crushed cane from the mill, properly 
handled, will furnish ample fuel for grinding 
the cane by steam as well as for evaporating 
the juice. Furnaces for this purpose differ 
only slightly in construction from those lor 
other sorts of fuel, aud are only a few dollars 
more expensive. The second point settled 
has regard to the method of securing the cane 
from frost and prolonging the season of work. 
Thisis effected by ealtu re of the crop, bind¬ 
ing it into bundles and shocking the cane, with 
leaves and tufts on as soon as the seed is gen¬ 
erally ripe. In this condition, with the tops 
tied, it has been standing in the interior of 
Kansas since the 10th of October until the 
present lime (Dec. 14), and is now being 
worked into sugar, with good results. I have 
always favored the shocking of cane with the 
butts upon the ground. This is nature’s posi¬ 
tion for it, and the standing of the freshly cut 
ends of the severed canes on the soil will pre¬ 
vent the action of the atmosphere that 
produces fermentation. The benefit of 
cutting as soon as ripe is shown by the 
fact that, if this is not done, new branches 
6tart directly from the upper joints of the 
cane, which may greatly impair the quality 
of the Juice. 
Another point gained this season is the de¬ 
velopment of a new variety of cane possessing 
greater sugar-making properties than the 
Early Orange, and for it the Mississippi 
Valley Cane Growers’Association is entitled 
to the credit; for it was in response to its call 
that a farmer in the extreme western part of 
Missouri Bent on a Bingle tuft of remarkable 
appearance, and from this has sprung the new 
variety which has returned some of the most 
remarkable results, not only iu the quality of 
BUgar, but also In the growth of cane per acre. 
It is somewhat later than the Early Amber, 
but still it ripened its seeds in Nebraska and in 
some places in Minnesota, while in Texas it 
matured in 65 days, besides being very large 
and rich in sugar. 
Another very valuable feature in the manu¬ 
facture of sorghum sugar, which is sure to be 
extensively established in the near future, is 
the value of the forage of the crop, for in all 
the reports received by the above Association, 
the seed ranks high in nutritive vaine. More¬ 
over, the skimmings from the sunar works 
will be found more valuable when fed to hogs 
or cattle than the same number of gallons of 
milk. I. A. Hedges. 
Pres. M. V. C. G. A., St- Louis. Mo. 
-*-*--•- 
‘•Banking-Up ” Houses—Ventilation of Cellars. 
Mary Wager-Fisher asks (page 838) '* Can¬ 
not much of the "bankiDg-up” of the country 
house be advantageously made permanent ?” 
My answer is that all "banking-up” can be 
advantageously dispensed with. Build your 
cellar walls of stone, well laid in cement, 
taking care that none of the stones reach 
through the wall; put in double windows, 
tightly fitted, aud you will have a cellar frost¬ 
proof. The amo unt of time consumed in ten 
years in " banking-up" would build a good 
wall. Banking up the house is always a dis¬ 
agreeable and often a filthy job, discoloring 
the house, littering the yard, etc., and it is 
wholly unnecessary. 
The best way to ventilate the cellar is to 
build the chimney from the cellar bottom, 
leaving a hole at the base for the escape of 
the bad air, and from which the 600 t can also 
be taken. Where the chimneys are already 
built, a ventilator running from the cellar to 
the chimney can be cheaply arranged. Fresh 
air can be admitted by the windows ; or. bet¬ 
ter still, ventilators can be placed in the cellar 
walls. These can be opened, closed, or par¬ 
tially closed, a« the weather varies. Plenty 
of light Is most convenient, and promotes 
cleanliness. A dark cellar is almost sure to be 
a dirty one, and vice versa, kelson ritter. 
Onondaga Co , N. Y. 
Advantage of Caring for Implement*. 
In 1870 1 purchased from R. H. Allen «fc Co., 
N. Y., a farm wagon, with hay rack; also two 
dumpingearts all complete with iron axles and 
steel tires, all of the best quality. I have had 
them in constant U6e ever since, and to-day 
they are almost as good as new, their wheels 
and tires are the original ones. When not 
in use I keep them clean, under cover, using 
for that purpose the lower part of my corn 
crib, open on all sides, the wheels resting on 
planks instead of the ground. As soon as 
harvesting is finished and the Winter has set in, 
they are thoroughly cleaned, wood-work and 
all, and after any crack6 are properly filled 
with putty, they get a substantial coat of 
paint, generally metallic, and are then ready 
for another year. The expenses for repairs 
have been trifling indeed. I do the same with 
plows, mowing machines and oilier imple¬ 
ments and have used the most of them for 
many years at trifling expense for repairs, 
and they are in excellent condition. 
Passaic Co., N. J. Wm. F. Heins. 
- - ♦ - 
Apple Crate*. 
Crates are better and more convenient for 
storing apples in the cellar tnan barrels, be¬ 
cause they are more easily handled, and they 
also admit of a tree circulation of air. They 
may be made to hold a bushel or a bushel and 
a half, and they are cheaply made, too. The 
ends alone shoald be made of a whole board, 
(and a place should be cut out in each end to 
put the hand in to carry the crate by) ; the 
bottom and sides are formed by nailing on 
narrow strips about an inch or an inch and a 
half apart. If a farmer has not a supply of 
crates, now is a good time to make them and 
have themreadyfor nextyear’stse. f h d. 
artindtnral, 
RURALISMS. 
In "going np and down through the earth” 
on the railroad and otherwise, I have been 
making the Winter aspect of deciduous trees 
a study, not, however, for the first time by any 
means, but I have been looking at them now 
in reference to the epray that adorns them after 
they have dropped their green garniture over 
their feet, as it were, to protect them from the 
Winter's cold. There are certain kinds and 
degrees of beauty in the aspect of the trees aDd 
woods in Winter, which cannot fail to interest 
and delight the true artist; and he who, be he 
artist or not, passes the trees by in Winter 
without a thought of their beauty or expres¬ 
sion, deprives himself of a real pleasure. Day 
after day I have looked at the trees to deter¬ 
mine, if I could, which of them all stood pre¬ 
eminent for the grandeur of its form and the 
beauty of its spray, aud I finally decided that 
this pre-eminence belongs to the American 
Elm (Ulmus Americana), (here is no time 
of us life, Winter or Summer. In which It is 
not a beautiful tree, but iu Winter it is espe¬ 
cially so. Take an old and full-grown tree, 
such as may be found on the college grounds 
at Fordhura, or at New Haven, or occasionally 
on a lawn, or on the outskirts of the woods 
and elsewhere within a handred miles or so of 
New York, and the Elm is a great lofty tree of 
marked gracefulness and grandeur. Its largest 
limbs have become curved or pendulous at the 
top, aud are finely furnished with a light, 
feathery spray, purple-tinted, which naturally 
suggests the name of Fountain Elm. Take a 
young tree, from ten to fifteen feet high, and 
its feathery epray suggests a Beautiful combi¬ 
nation of plumes. Anywhere from five to 
eighty feet in higbt, this urn-like tree is the 
most beautiful of all deciduous trees in its 
Winter dress. It is, beyond all peradventure, 
the best tree for plantiug on roads and ave¬ 
nues. and deserves a conspicuous place on all 
lawns where it can have room to develop its 
grand proportions, and is especially adapted 
to planting in public parks along the drives 
where shade is needed. One never knows all 
about a tree (for ornamental purposes at least) 
till he has studied it in the undress of Winter. 
This little paragraph is intended for the lady 
readers of the Rural who delight to grow 
plants in rooms. Orchids are plants that they 
seldom or never indulge in. They are sup¬ 
posed to be difficult to grow and to require a 
good deal of Bkillful care and attention, and a 
house built specially for them, and this is 
mainly true in regard to many of Hum, if 
the best results are to be attained ; but it is 
not true of all of them. There is one terres¬ 
trial orchid which I do not hesitate to recom¬ 
mend to any lady accustomed to growing 
plants In rooms. I refer to Cypripedium in- 
signe. It Is generally supposed to need a 
warm greeuhouse, or even a hot-house, but 
it is really a half-hardy plant, and does very 
well indeed in an ordinary sitting-room. An 
eastern or western window will suit it now, 
for while in flower it does not need sunshine, 
but a clear light. It should be regularly 
watered, but not saturated, till it has done 
flowering, aud should never be allowed to dry 
up. though it needs less water after it haB 
made its new growth. The flowers will remain 
good for at least six weeks, and sometimes 
longer. It is hardly a good time to buy lliia 
plant in Winter, unless one can be fouud 
growing in a cool greenhouse, as the sudden 
change to the air of a sitting-room does not 
always agree with the plant; still, it is worth 
while to buy a small plant in bud aud run the 
risk. Of all who have t ried it on my recom¬ 
mendation, only one ha3 been unsuccessful. 1 
can 6how a plant now with 39 flowers and 
buds on it, which has been growing for weeks 
in a night temperature ranging from 32 deg. 
to 45 deg. Fahr., and it looks as fresh as a 
daisy. Still the low temperature is to be 
avoided, as I find the flower stalks are not 
thrown sufficiently above the foliage, and this 
was an experiment. 
Many readers of the Rural may know the 
Libonia floribnnda. It is one of the best of 
winter flowering plants for the sittioe-room, 
being in flower from the early part of Novem¬ 
ber till the following Spring. A variety or 
seedling ot this, named Libonia Penrhosiensis, 
is in most respects a great improvement upon 
it, and a plant worthy of a place even in a 
small collection ; and I So not recommend a 
plaDt for room culture until I have thoroughly 
tested it in a room. L floribunda produces 
one and two tubular flowers iu the axils of the 
leaves, and seems to be almost covered with 
flowers when at its best; but the new plant, 
L Penrhosiensis, produces from four to six 
flowers in the axil, with more red aud less yel¬ 
low in the color. It has darker foliage, and 
makes a denser growth, and what is import¬ 
ant, the foliage is now persistent. It comes 
into flower a little earlier, and when the plants 
are quite small. It should be placed near the 
light, and abundantly watered ; otherwise the 
loliage will drop, especially from L. flori¬ 
bunda. This is a plant that will please the 
ladies. I have no room for full description and 
culture in this column. 
La6t Winter the florists began to force pretty 
largely tbe Paris or Michaelmas Daisy (Chrys¬ 
anthemum frutescens), for floral decoration, 
including especially the decoration of ladies' 
corsages. I noticed that some floriste, not yet 
being provided with plants of the Pari6 Daisy, 
had recourse to the common Ox eye Daisy, 
(Leucauthemum vulgare) aud many people do 
not yet know ihe difference. There is a yellow 
variety of the Paris Daisy, recently introduc¬ 
ed, which is said to be finer than the white. 
I rather like this growing taste for flowers as 
Nature made them. This t&6te ouce establish¬ 
ed. the florist might find among our natives 
many a pretty plant, that would "force" and 
suit his purpose. But it remaius to be seen 
whether this Daisy "boom” is not mere fash¬ 
ion, aud not a real cropping out of taste for 
nature's simple forms. I hope it may prove to 
, be the latter. Hokticola. 
--•»♦»-- 
A8PARAGU8 PLUM03US. 
i - 
This is an exceedingly handsome evergreen 
i species, a slender, shrubby climber, indigen¬ 
ous to tl e Cape of Good Hope, Kufflrland and 
Natal. It was Introduced to garden culliva- 
; tion in Europe some five or six years ago, re- 
i oeived a first-class certificate from the Royal 
Horticultural Society of Loudon April 22.1870, 
