MARCH 26 
206 THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
fessor John W. Draper, Luther Bradish, Pro¬ 
fessor Gardiner and others, all of whom, ex¬ 
cept the first, have passed away- I have since 
then many times preserved bunches of grapes 
suspended in pots of sand or charcoal pow¬ 
der, the bunches inverted generally, and the 
sand or charcoal keptmoiBt, but not Boddened. 
This is only a hint. 
Again, last Summer bushels of apples were 
blown from the trees by the great gale of 
wind which all will remember, and some of 
theBefell on a piece of ground which had just 
been dug over and on which boards were 
placed for a walk. Some early Summer ap¬ 
ples got uuder one of these boards and were 
pressed into the soft soil by repeated tread¬ 
ing. In October this board was lifted and the 
apples then discovered. They were in a per¬ 
fectly sound condition. 1 6imply state the 
facts, and leave others to make the comments. 
The Epipbyllum truncatum and its varieties 
bid fair to become popular plants for Winter 
blooming in rooms, and they are worthy of 
being a good deal more popular than they 
are in the greenhouse. The inquiries of the 
lady of St. Louis have been followed by others. 
I have heretofore stated that my plants began 
blooming in November, and now (March 5) the 
last flowers are just fading. It is not meant, 
of course, that one plant or one variety has 
been in flower all this time, but a collection 
of varieties, which, with a little management, 
will give a succession of bloom daily during 
the period above mentioned. There is not a 
dwelling in the whole countiy that has not at 
least one window where a few of these plants 
will grow well and bloom profusely, and with 
as little trouble as any plant that grows. 
And then they look so gay and cheerful. They 
must receive treatment, however, a little dif¬ 
ferent from that generally recommended to in¬ 
sure this succession of bloom. In the room I 
have them suspended, and in the greenhouse 
set on brackets, and either way they are 
beautiful. _ 
Thebe are many who take pleasure in oi- 
namentiug, or rather adorning, the home, who 
are unconscious of the beautiful and inex¬ 
pensive material that is always at haDd to those 
who live in the country or the suburbs of a 
city. I was much pleased recently, on making 
an evening call at a neighbor’s, to see the re¬ 
ception-room beautifully adorned with a rush 
very common in marshy places and commonly 
called Cat’s Tail (Typha latilolia). I had 
never thought of it as an ornamental plant be¬ 
fore, though I can never see it without going 
hack along the path of time to a period when 
there was no Fourth of July to a boy without 
a bundle of Cat’s Tail—now, alas! robbed of 
all its poetry by "punk” and other vulgar 
inventions. The rushes had been cut pretty 
close to the ground. And placed against the 
wall all arouud the room, the butte resting on 
the floor. The effect waa not only pleasing, 
hut exceedingly picturesque. The young ladies 
who arranged them had the good sense and 
good taste not to cut them all of the same 
length, but to use them just as they came from 
the meadow, and this not onlyavoided stiffness 
&ud monotony, but secured a charming natur¬ 
alness and variety. In addition to the rushes, 
vases were tastefully filled with native grasses 
mixed with the culalia aud erianthus. The 
effect of Lhe whole was delightful; and as 1 
threw myself on the lounge, involuntarily 1 
found myself humming the pretty and plaintive 
old song, "Green grow the rushes, 01" I com- 
tneud the example of these young ladie6 to 
others. There is no part of the country that 
will not afford similar material for making 
home pleasant daring the Winter, 
Horticola. 
♦ * ♦ 
Small Fbuit3 in Kansas.— In Bpite of a very 
severe Winter grapes are all right. Blackber¬ 
ries are badly damaged, and so are strawber- i 
ries, except where well mulched. Of raspber¬ 
ries, the Mammoth Cluster has stood the 
Winter about as well as usual. So has my Cuth- 
bert without any protection whatever, and the 
ground has been free from weeds. I left them 
it this condition in order to test their hardiness 
thoroughly, and must say that I am well 
pleased with them. During the last ten years, 
I have tested most of the leading varieties of 
promise, and have discarded all but Mammoth 
Cluster. It is the berry for this climate. »I can 
raise them, any ordinary season, measuring 
three-fourths of an inch in diameter. To the 
inciedulous 1 will say that I have even beaten 
that; and although I have never tried the 
Gregg, I will pay a liberal premium for any 
Greggs that will beat my Mammoth Clusters 
in size. I shall plant Loth Gregg and Turner 
this Spring. A. B. d. 
Edgerton, Kan. 
--- 
NOTES FROM THE BUBAL GBOUNDS. 
How to Treat the Seeds of the Free Distribu¬ 
tion of the iiurnl New-Yorker. 
White Elephant Potato. —We would ad¬ 
vise to cut the potato bo that there shall be but 
one eye to a piece and bo that each eye shall 
have as much flesh as possible. These pieces 
we should plant in rich, loamy soil not less 
than one foot apart. In case of threatened dry 
weather, a mulch of leaves, straw or manure 
would be found serviceable. 
Washington Oats. —These had better be 
sown thinly in drills of prepared soil. Each 
plant should have plenty of room so as to 
tiller and to produce the best yield. 
The Bubal Branching Sorghum.— The 
R N.-Y., contrary to its wont, has praised this 
sorghum almOBt unqualifiedly as a fodder 
plant. And our faith is as strong now as at 
any previous time. We have tested it for 
three years and the results have been such 
that we prefer it to any other forage plant 
which we have ever seen or tried. The early 
growth of the Branching Sorghum is disheart¬ 
ening. All who try it wonld, if not cautioned 
to suspend judgment, consider it a failure one 
month after it appears above the ground. It 
then giveB no promise of the splendid growth 
which shortly thereafter takes place. When 
it attains the higbt of five feet, and a half-dozen 
or more leafy stalks are cut from each seed 
and every stalk continues to grow as if no in¬ 
terruption had occurred, its real value begins 
to break upon the cultivator. 
It 1 b of the first importance that the prepared 
plot be free and be kept free of weeds. If 
otherwise, those unfamiliar with its slow ger¬ 
mination and its resemblance to grass, would 
probably be unable to distinguish the rows. 
Prepare the soil as for corn—the mellower the 
better. Sow the seeds from one inch lo one 
foot apart in drills four feet apart. PresB the 
soil over the seeds and cover half an inch 
deep. If sown but one iuch apart, the plants 
at the first hoeing should be thinned out so aB 
to stand not less than 18 inches apart. This 
thick sowing would thus insure an even stand, 
but where, as in the present case, it is desir¬ 
able to raise as many plants as possible, the 
seed supply being very limited, six inches 
apart might be better, in which case It would 
be necessary to destroy fewer young plants. 
Another method is to plant four seeds in a 
place—a fiat hill, if the expression is allow¬ 
able—these hills to be two feet apart, all but 
one plant to be destroyed at the first cuitiva 
tion. We advise our friends not to sow before 
late May or even June 1st for this climate. If 
in late Summer those who raise this sorghum 
will make the trial of placing equal quantities 
of this and corn stalks and leaves before their 
borae6 or cattle, they will ascertain that the 
sorghum will be eaten first. For ensilaging 
purposes we should suppose it would prove 
iar more valuable than corn, while we are in 
hopes that the sorghum industry may find in 
this a rival of the several canes now employed 
for the production of sirup and sugar. 
The Abgkntbuil Asparagus.— Our friends 
are advised to prepare small plots for this 
asparagus thoroughly. Select a rich, loamy 
soil if possible. If not, make it rich by the 
addition of well-rotted manure. Work it over 
several times with hoe and spade. Sow the 
seeds six inches apart in the drills—the drills 
12 inches apart. Compact the soil over the 
seeds and leave the surface smooth and mel¬ 
low. Let it be borne in mind that asparagus 
seeds are often slow to germinate—requiring 
sometimes a month or more. Attend to this 
seed-bed—Keep it free from weeds and the 
plants may next Spring he set in their perma¬ 
nent teds and cuttings for the table be made 
the year after. 
Giant Ddtch Pbbple Asparagus. —Same 
instructions in every respect as for the French 
Argenteuil. 
Piootees, Cabnations and Chinese Pinks. 
- Thesemay be sown,as soon as received,in box¬ 
es, pans or flowerpots. It does not matter so 
long as a thorough drainage is provided for. 
Use for this purpose plenty of broken flower 
pots—or bits of charcoal, or even pebbles or 
small stones will answer. Fill with rich 
fibrous soil, such as that from decayed sods, 
and add a liberal proportion of sand. Mix 
thoroughly. Sow the seeds at least an inch 
apart (two inches would be better); compact the 
soil by pressing the bottom of a flower pot upon 
it and cover to the depth of an eighth of an 
inch. Again press the soil—but gently and 
evenly. Place in a temperature as uniform as 
possible; avoid hot sunshine, and cover with 
paneB or pieces of glass. Later these seeds 
may be Bown in the open ground. Iu this case 
we would advise sowing in pots or boxes, as 
above explained, and plunging them in the 
ground until the rim of the pot is on a level 
with the surrounding soil, using glass to cover 
as before. Again, the Beede may be sown in 
late May in a well prepared, out-of-door border 
where the plants are to grow. In this case the 
percentage of loss, of course, will be greater. 
We may be excused for insisting that the 
seeds ot this present seed-distribution are 
worthy of especial care. They are, in so far 
as we may judge, the best of their kinds. The 
White Elephant, we believe, will prove as a 
late potato ail that the Beauty of Hebron (pre¬ 
viously Bent out by the R. N.-Y.) has proven as 
an early potato. It is now offered for sale 
but cannot be purchased for less than one dol¬ 
lar per pound. The Rural Branching Sorghum, 
whatever it may prove in different climates 
and soils, has cost us $25 per hundred pounds. 
The asparagus seedB have cost us to import 
$175 per hundred poundB. The picotees and 
carnations have cost ns to import from $10 
per pound (the lowest) to $150 per pound (the 
highest). In making these distributions it is, 
as has often been stated before, no part of our 
plan to offer the seeds in large quantities. Our 
object is merely to Introduce new plants for 
the farm and garden which (without cobI to 
our readers) give the best promise of proving 
superior to well-known kinds ; and we may 
call attention to our previous distributions to 
show that thus far we have been as successful 
as could reasonably have been expected. 
If half of our new native grapes turn out 
half as good as they promise to do, the misera¬ 
ble Malaga Grape now sold everywhere In 
such immense quantities should soon become 
a fruit of the past. 
fomologital, 
EXTRA-HARDY APPLES. 
T. H. HOSKINS, M.D. 
The list of extra-hardy apples given on page 
802 of the Rbbal of December 4, in which the 
Messrs. Chase, of Geneva, mention 15 varie¬ 
ties as being " as hardy as the Duchess of Otd- 
enburgh,” contains many which are far from 
being as hardy as that variety in Northwestern 
Vermont. Differences in hardiness that would 
not be noted in more favorable localities are 
very conspicuous here. The Tetofsky is as 
hardy as the DucheBS, but Alexander, though 
a "Russian,” is not. It must take its place 
considerably lower, alongside of Red Astra- 
chau and St. Lawrence. Though hardy, Te¬ 
tofsky is of little value ae an orchard apple, on 
account of its habit of dropping nearly all its 
fruit before ripening. The Fellow Transpar¬ 
ent is equally hardy, a little earlier, of much 
better quality, and does not drop. It is not 
quite so large a9 Tetofsky, but is of good, even, 
merchantable size, ranking with Early Har¬ 
vest. The Tetofsky was dropped from the list 
of the Iowa Horticultural Society at its meet¬ 
ing of December 4, 1879, and the Yellow 
Transparent favorably reported on. 
The " Peach,” if by this name is meant the 
" Pomme Peohe or Peach of Montreal, ranks 
very near the Duchess of Oldonburgh in hard- 
iaess, and is better in quality, but not nearly 
bo valuable as a market apple, being much 
more easily defaced in handling. This variety 
is not in "the books," and must not be con¬ 
founded with various others bearing the same 
name. Its season is with the Duchess,—the 
first half ot September, here. 
Aucdbafolia, instead of being very hardy, 
is a quite tender variety, long ago rejected 
here and in the Northwest on that account. It 
is a nice apple where it can be grown. The 
genuine may be easily known by its leaveB be¬ 
ing spotted with white, for which peculiarity 
the name was given—I have reason to think 
other sorts have been distributed uuder that 
name. 
Clark’s Orange I do not know. If it is the 
Fall Orange, or Holden Pippin, it is neither 
hardy nor profitable liu very cold localities. 
Plomb’sCideb is hardy, aud a good late Fall 
variety. It has not proved productive with 
me on trees 12 years planted. 
Wealthy is the king ot " iron-clad” early 
Winter apples, sometimes keeping well until 
April. If always reliable as a keeper, it would 
be preferable to the Baldwin anywhere, being 
equal in size aud productiveness, finer in color, 
and better in quality. 
Bethel (known in St. Lawrence Co., N. 
Y., under the name of the Stone Apple, having 
been carried there from Bethel, Vc., by a man 
of that name), is the equal of the Wealthy in 
size and quality, and a far better keeper. It is 
a free bearer in rich valley land, but rather shy 
on the hlllB, except in favored spots. It is 
about equal with Alexander and 8t. Lawrence 
in hardiness. The Messrs. Chase give it as 
keeping only as long as Wealthy, which is a 
great mistake. It keeps fully as well as the 
Baldwin. 
Haas, ob Gkos Pomier, is hardy, produc¬ 
tive and of fair size. It is very popular at the 
Northwest; but, so far, in the East it has been 
found quite poor in quality. It is a late Fall 
variety, and not a good keeper. The Messrs. 
Chase err greatly in giving its season as " De¬ 
cember to March.” 
" Rubicon ” (which is a synonym for the 
Pawpaw, or Western Bald win of Michigan), is 
not veiy hardy, and so far is not regarded as 
valuable in tbiB vicinity. The Michigan Hor¬ 
ticultural Society say of it "must have suit¬ 
able soil and go<4h culture.” This makes it a 
garden apple, likely to fail in ordinary orchard 
culture, which quite agrees with experience 
here. 
McIntosh Red is a new variety, resembling 
the Fameuse in appearance and flavor, but 
generally larger. Specimens of the same size 
as Fameuse cannot be distinguished from that 
variety, but the tree is quite distinct, and so 
far, with me, seems hardier—I doubt its keep¬ 
ing much longer than the Famense. 
Pewatjkeb, though a seedling of Duchess, 
is very inferior to it in hardiness. It kills 
badly here, and I burned a large number of 
three-year-old trees last Spring, as unfit to 
sell. I regret this, as it was a promising, and 
if hardy, would have been a valuable sort. It 
is less hardy than Fameuse. 
The Quince, if either the " Quince,” or 
" Cole's Quince ” of the books, is not a Winter 
apple—See Downing. Cole's Quince is about 
as hardy as St. Lawrence. I annex a list of 
Genuine “ Iron-clad ” 
varieties, as tested in my grounds during the 
past 14 years, that are all productive, good and 
profitable. 
Yellow Transparent.August. 
Duchess of Oldonburgh.September. 
Peach of Montreal.September. 
Pringle Sweet.September. 
Switzer.October. 
Prolific Sweeting.October. 
Riabinouka.November. 
Wealthy.December to March. 
Magog Red Streak_December to May. 
St. JohnBbury Sweet. Dec’b’r. to February. 
Newport Sweet.December to May. 
Scott’s Winter.February to July. 
All of the above-named varieties, except 
Switzer and the three last-named sweets, have 
been illustrated and described during the last 
two years in the Rural. Switzer is one of the 
new Russians, closely resembling Red Astra- 
chan in size, form and color, but later ia sea¬ 
son and much superior as a dessert fruit. Pro¬ 
lific Sweeting is also one of the new Russians, 
large, roundish-oblate in form, good for cook¬ 
ing or eating out of the hand. The St. Johns- 
bury and Newport 8weets are good baking ap¬ 
ples, and the former a fair eating fruit. Both 
are of good size, the 8t. Johnsbnry beautifully 
striped with red, the Newport something like 
the Talman, but flatter. I hope to forward 
specimens of all these to the Rural, during 
the coming year. 
Orleans Co., Yt. 
-- 
MORE ABOUT PEACHES. 
T. T. LYON. 
Variegated Free is a name that came to 
us with trees imported from Pennsylvania. 
I fail to find the name in any of our recent 
works on fruit, or even in the catalogues of 
nurserymen. It may very possibly prove to be 
an old variety Bailing uuder a pseudonym. 
Whether old or new, it proves here to be an 
exceedingly beautiful, pale-fleshed, purplish- 
red peach, tender and delicate in texture, very 
juicy, mild, but rich in flavor, ripening this 
season from the 20th to the 80th of Septemoer. 
Productive, 
Richmond, which with Atlanta, is a seed¬ 
ling of the late Dr, Sylvester, of Lyons, N. Y., 
is characterized by W C. Barry as unsatisfac¬ 
tory in Western New York. Both are highly 
successful here; Richmond taking high rank 
as a market peach in defiance of the compe¬ 
tition of Early Crawford of nearly the same 
season, and Atlanta vindicating its claim as a 
prominent amateur variety on account of its 
line appearance and high qualify. Both are 
apparently growing in estimation among 
planters. 
Crawford's Late has a fine reputation 
here as a market peach on strong soils, and 
has been extensively planted within the last 
three or four years. I fancy, however, that 
the popular verdict would be that it is only 
good to sell—not good enough to be grown for 
home use as compared with many others of 
the same season. Iu fact, my advice to all ex¬ 
cept market planters, would be to let it severe¬ 
ly alone. There are dozens of better sorts, 
aDy one of which would more than fill its place 
for this purpose. 
Hill’s Chili (with a very long array of syn¬ 
onyms) seems to have taken a prominent po¬ 
sition among commercial planters here on ac¬ 
count of its hardiness and fine shipping quali¬ 
ties. Experienced and discriminating plauteis 
have long since condemned it for lack of quali'y, 
unattractive appearance and deficient size, un¬ 
less thoroughly thinned. Its popularity is rap¬ 
idly waning. Indeed, it seems surprising that It 
has so long stood in the way of more desirable 
and, elsewhere, more popular varieties. 
Keyport White— a variety whose origin l 
have not been able lo trace—has had u place iu 
our lists Bince the early days of peach planting 
in the Michigan "fruit belt;” but it seems 
never to have been extensively planted, al¬ 
though a better, and especially on light soils, 
a more productive peach than Late Crawford. 
Had its originator been imbued with Borne of 
our modern ideas and succeeded in infusing 
into it a little of the aureate coloring, so 
temptingly commended to the dairymen of to¬ 
day, it would, very possibly, have taken a 
much higher place in the estimation of plant¬ 
ers. Its entire freedom from color at the pit 
and its late ripening, conspire to render it de- 
