534 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AU6. 43 
Two Pictures —'The Connecticut Farmer 
presents these two suggestive pictures from l 
real life, that have come under its own obser¬ 
vations : 
"1. The boys like to read, and the master 
says, * no time for readin', them tater bugs 
must be picked off,’ and out the boy goes, 
though he only wanted to read just one piece 
after dinner. The best of everything is sold, 
for no buyer wishes second-rate articles, and 
it any suggestion is made concerning a new 
kind of pear tree or grape-vine, the answer is, 
1 I’ve no money to throw away for such truck, 
there’s plenty of apples and wild grapes.’ 2 
A pleasant home: attractive dishes of fruit 
always handy ; educated, home-loving boys; 
good society sought by father and mother and 
children j books by the best authors and 
• papers that smell of the printing office’; an 
exceedingly neat farm, whose walls are made 
to last, where trees of all kinds of choice fruit 
are grown and where the cultivated land 
yields J list the kind the farmer wishes, foi no 
weeds are allowed to grow, and, best of all. a 
proud mother saying to me, ‘ My boys never 
gave me an hour’s pain in their lives." 
Continuing our quotations from Secretary 
Garfield’s Report of the Proceedings of the 
Michigan State Pomologlcal Society and Pres¬ 
ident Lyon's remarks: The Hawley has no su¬ 
perior is flavor among the very large mid- 
September apples. Its exceeding delicacy of 
texture unfits it for marketing abroad; but 
during its veiy short season it can hardly be 
excelled as a dessert apple. ..... Jefferie ie 
of medium size, striped, bright-colored and 
ripe the latter part of September and early 
October. Boys, those excellent judges of 
quality in fruit, award due praise to the Jef- 
f er is.Jersey Sweet a6 an early sweet 
apple, is hardly equaled by any other in high, 
rich flavor.Melon has hardly an 
equal among the larger early and mid-Winter 
apples. Inbeautv. delicacy of texture and 
excellence of flavor it is unexceptionable. . . 
. Northern Spy is the King of the orchard, 
so far as the tree is concerned, and if by any 
fatality Mr. Lyon were compelled to choose a 
single variety for the supply of his own wants, 
t would beyond doubt be this.Pomme 
Gris only needs to be known to be appreciated. 
For the amateur it has no superior, if, indeed, 
it has its equal in all respects.Prof. 
S. W. Johusou says that (see Conn. Board of 
Ag. Reports, p. 86) one of the best partB of the 
education of children is the interesting matter 
which they read aloud in school. The giraffe, 
the kangaroo, the boa constrictor and other 
wonderful creatures that beloDg to strange 
countries, are not necessary to such instruc¬ 
tion. The Aldernty, the Devon, the Gotswold, 
the Colorado beetle and the codling moth 
would auswer the same purpose.Mr. 
Potter, of the Mich, Pom. Society, said that he 
once heard of a man who look a great 
amount of pride in his three smart boys. 
The old man said they worked industriously 
in good weather and when it rained they 
would borrow his jack-knife and go out to the 
barn and trade that old knife among them¬ 
selves until they had made fifty cents apiece, 
and then come and give him back his knife. . 
. President Lyon thinks the Early Joe is 
among apples what the Seckel is among 
pears. Its season in Southern Michigan is 
early September. ....... Scarlet Pearmain, 
he 6ays, is one of the richest and most beauti¬ 
ful of September apples. Lack of productive¬ 
ness is almost its only defect. No amateur’s 
orchard should be without it* .... Chenan¬ 
go Strawberry is one of the flneBt and moBt 
delicate in texture of the larger mid-Septem¬ 
ber apples, and its great beauty, juiciness and 
mildness give it a high rank among even 
dessert apples.Farms never were 
cheapen according to their value than they 
are to-day in New England, but it iB not be¬ 
cause they have been “small farms well 
tilled,” B8ys the Vermont Journal. It is be¬ 
cause they have been farms, large or small 
but generally very equal in sizs, not well 
tilled, for lack of money and lack of skill 
in their occupants.The man who 
acquires a skill superior to that of his fellow 
workmen and commands better wages is the 
one who thinks, says Dr. Hoskins. 
The farmer who told Lord Landsdowne that 
he was 60 accustomed to the company of •' hon¬ 
est, plain-spoken people ” that he felt out of 
place in the presence of His Lordship, showed 
that the Bimple truth is sometimes the sharpest 
kind of sarcasm.It is the pride of 
America that she offers an oppor.unity to the 
humblest to become great. We knew a boy 
who was so poor twenty-five years ago that he 
had to secretly borrow a loaf of cake from a 
passing 1 aker’s cart to keep himself from 
starving, while now he is one of the best shoe¬ 
makers in Sing Sing.It is said that 
the real difference between a blunder and a 
mistake s this—When a man puts down a 
bad umbrella and takes up a good one he 
makes a mistake, but when he puts down a 
good one and take up a bad one he makes a 
blunder. For the former there is abundant 
excuse, but for the latter there is none at all. 
BOOKS, CATALOGUES, ETC. 
American Berkshire Record, published 
by the American Berkshire Association ; ed¬ 
ited by Phil. M. Springer, Secretary. Volume 
IV. Springfield. Ill-, 1880. This is a hand¬ 
some volume of 255 pages octavo, with num¬ 
erous illustrations, carrying the male pedigrees 
up to the number of 8,805 and the females to 
6,810. 
The swine interest is one of the most impor¬ 
tant of American agricultural industries and the 
production of a superior quality of hams aud 
bacon takes precedence in it. Bat these can¬ 
not be produced in the requisite perfection, 
unless a suitable breed of swiue is kept espe¬ 
cially adapted bv their nature to do it. Of all 
races of swine the Berkshire excels in much 
the greatest proportion of tender, lean, juicy 
meat in its hams, shoulders aud sldc-pieceB. 
Hence their superior value for growing these, 
their popularity and the extra-high prices at 
which they rule. This also was the cause of 
grade Borkshires being so often palmed off 
upon Jhe public by unscrupulous persons for 
thorougbreds, which made it a necessity a few 
years ago to get up a record for their pedigrees 
so that breeders might thereafter know where 
to resort when they wished to replenish an old 
herd or start a new one. 
Aside from the pedigrees, as above stated, 
this volume contains a valuable preface by the 
Secretary, Mr. Springer, the names of the va¬ 
rious officers—twenty-seven in number—all 
well-known and highly respectable gentlemen; 
the Fifth Annual Report, of eight pages; the 
ruleB governing entries ; and an essay on De¬ 
mand and Supply. 
We heartily commend this volume to all 
breeders of Berkshire swine, and assure them 
that they will greatly enhance the value of 
their stock by a record of their pedigrees in it. 
Geo. S, Wales, Bannockburn Farm, Roch¬ 
ester, N. Y. Catalogue, of Pot-grown and 
Layer Strawberry Plants, Raspberries, Black¬ 
berries, Currants, Grape-Vines, etc. This list, 
as to both old and new sorts, is well selected. 
Mr. Wales also offers the Manchester Straw¬ 
berry, which, he thinks, is the berry that ha6 
“ long been sought for.” 
W. L. Ferris, Jr., 387 Main Street, Pough¬ 
keepsie, N. Y., Midsummer Catalogue of Small 
Fruits. The Manchester and Bidwell Straw¬ 
berries and the Cuthbertjmd Gregg Raspber¬ 
ries are specialties. 
Jfiflii (tap. 
TOBACCO-GROWING NOTES. 
There is no rest for the successful tobacco 
grower from the time the seed is sown in the 
seed-bed until the fully matured plants, with 
their heavy green leaves, are safely housed in 
the curing bam. The entire season is a long 
struggle with weeds and insect enemies, and 
then “continual cultivation” is Decessary iu 
order that the plants may attain their fullest 
development._ 
It is the general opinion among experienced 
tobacco growers, that the seed bud of a tobacco 
plant should be broken off before the blossoms 
can be 6een. AH growth of top after the plants 
have produced their whole number of leaves, 
is practically lost, and the more strength that 
is allowed to pass into the top before the “ top¬ 
ping” iB done, the greater the loss of plant 
force. It is plainly Been that if the buds are 
pinched out as soon as they appear in the 
plants, there is less Iobs of plant growth than 
when allowed to form long tops with leaves 
and blossoms. 
There iB no definite rule that can be safely 
followed in the work of topping tobacco. It 
is impossible to fix a rule as to just how much 
of the plant should be broken off or the exact 
number of leaves that should be allowed to 
remain upon the stalk. Experience and good 
judgment are required to perform the work 
correctly. It is safe, however, to say that 
there is less danger of breaking off too many 
leaves with the top, than too few. If the top 
is broken off before it becomes of full growth, 
the strength of the entire plant is confined to 
leaf growth, which is the obj ect desired. The 
best rule that can be given ou the subject of 
topping tobacco, Is to top early and low. 
It Is not best to undertake to top all the 
plants in a row. at one topping. The rows 
should be passed over as soon as the seed buds 
show above the leaves, aud the tops of the 
most forward plants be broken off. The remak¬ 
ing backward plants should in turn be topped 
when they show their buds, and in order to 
make the crop ripen evenly it is best to top the 
late plants a leaf or two lower down than the 
earlier plants were topped, which will cause 
an even maturity of the crop. 
It should be remembered that soundness of 
leaf is an important point in judging the qual¬ 
ity of tobacco. Hence it is that great care 
should be used in wonting among the plants 
after they have become large, not to break or 
tear the leaves- The tobacco worm (8phinx 
Carolina) should be thoroughly looked for and 
all that can be found destroyed. If worms of 
large size are found on plants, it is evidence 
that the tobaceo has not been thoroughly 
“wormed.” In seasons when the worms are 
numerous, the plants should be looked over at 
least twice a week, and all worms and worm- 
eggs that can be found, destroyed. 
Chemung Co., N. Y. G. A. G , JR. 
-a - 
Experience with Chester Co. Mammoth Corn. 
The Rural Corn Number of last Jan. 1, filled 
me with a strong desire to try my skill with 
* Chester Co. Mammoth.” My experience thus 
far being Bomewhat different from that on the 
Rural Farm, it might interost Rural readers 
to know it. My first seed I bought of B 8, 
Wood, Doe Run, Chester C mnty, Pa., hut not 
a quarter of it came up, owing to worms 
I think. I sent to Landreth & Company, of 
Philadelphia, and got seed to replant with. I 
have a fair stand now. A large portion of 
the field (10 acres) is in silk now, and unlike 
your experience, I find that generally each 
stalk has three ears growing from differ¬ 
ent j tints. Here and there I find a 6talk with 
two earB, quite a large number with four ears 
to the stalk, and occasionally I find a stalk 
bearing five and six ears, all from different 
joints, and as yet I have lound none with but 
one ear to the stalk. I think iu my case it 
would be desirable to “fix this habit,” and 
I am now marking the earliest top ears on 
such stalks for my seed corn for next year. 
My corn field had a heavy growth of clover, 
which was turned nnder in March, and har¬ 
rowed twice with the “Acme” Harrow. Tha 
com was dropped with an “Albany” Planter, 
30 inches apart, one grain in a place. As soon 
as it sprouted I ran the “Thomas" Harrow 
over it, aLd kept it going until it was one foot 
high; I then worked it three times with 
Perry’s Scarifier, working shallow and level. 
The land is Bandy 1 am, and has not been 
worked for four years. There was au old 
worn-out peach orchard on it, which we 
grubbed up la-t Fall. Before plowing down 
the clover, we scattered a thin coat of barn¬ 
yard manure over the land. No other fertilizer 
was used. I inclose grain of the “ Chester Co. 
Mammoth” received from Landreth. I 
suppose it is the same you refer to in your 
Corn Number. J. w. l, 
Marshall Hall, Charles Co., Md. 
[Yes, it is the same. Quite enough of 
“seta” also appeared on many (most) of our 
stalks; but except one or two, they did not 
develop Hope to hear from your field after 
harvest.—E ds | 
—--♦ » » - 
How to Tell Hound Seed Cora. 
i notice in the Rural crop reports that a 
,, great many have had trouble with their seed 
com. I used to have the same trouble a good 
many years ago; but I have not had any 
for the last 15 years, since i learned to pick 
good seed corn, and 1 always take it out of 
the crib. 
Now 1 will tell you how anybody can find 
out good Beed corn, and if readers of the 
Rural will pay attention, it will benefit them 
thousands of dollars in the future. It is 6imp)y 
this:—Look at the chit of the grain; if it is 
smooth and glosBy it will grow, and if it is 
blistered, it will not grow. I generally exam¬ 
ine it by breaking into the ear and looking at 
the chits. Of course, the middle of the ear 
might be good and the ends not; but a little 
care about that will save all trouble. Now if 
any of my readers wishes to test this, he can do 
so now while he has some of the same corn he 
had last Bpring. Let him pick out some in 
which the chits are smooth with not a blemish 
on them, and count the grains and put them 
in the ground, and see if every grain does not 
sprout; then take some in which the chits ate 
blistered, and see how few of them will grow, 
ancPhe will be satisfied that he can tell good 
seed corn. There is a difference between a 
chit that is blistered and one that is wrinkled: 
some are wrinkled naturally and are good; but 
if there is a blister on a chit, don’t plant it—it 
will not grow. If you will take your knife and 
dig into it, you will find the germ, the sprout, 
dry and hard and loose, or the grain dried 
away from it, while a good, smooth one is soft 
and oily. Samuel Miller. 
Allen Co., Ind. 
-- 
Good Rural Branching Sorghum Beed. 
I see by the issue of July 16, a statement 
that not over 15 percent, of the Rural Branch¬ 
ing Sorghum seed germinated on the Rural 
Farm. This does not correspon 1 with my 
experience. I planted only 25 hills in the 
Spring, putting six seeds in a hill, and I got 
not less than two and not over four seeds to 
germinate per hill. When I saw the state¬ 
ment I got my package of seeds, and poured 
ont 60 seeds, as they came out, and planted 
them in a box, and in about eight days 48 
were up. I let them grow until now, bo that 
I know that itiB Sorghum. The wav I manip¬ 
ulated the seed was to soak them in water 
near the stove for 48 hours and then I planted 
them. My sorghum is growing very fast. It 
Is branched all it ought to I should think ; it 
averages two and one-half feet high. I write 
this for I know that the seed that I have is 
better than the Rural calls for. r. w. c. 
Stratford, Ot., Aug. 1. 
.-- 
Cheat or Cheiw. 
About 83 years ago, when I was about 17 
years old, my father said to my brother and 
myself, “Clear that three-acre field of new 
land, I will furnish seed and team aud you can 
have the first, crop." Well, we sowed it to 
wheat, and in the Fall the crop looked as well 
as the average run of wheat crops in the 
neighborhood; but iu the Spring it seemed to 
have been much injured by the frost- On the 
three acres we had sowed four bushels and one 
half of seed as nice as any one could desire. 
Now mark the resnlt: we harvested four 
bushels of inferior wheat and twenty-seven 
bushels of Chess. Now will the writer of ihe 
article on Cheat or Chess, in the Rural of 
July 16. explain the cause of the change. 
Wayne, Mich. A subscriber. 
[There was no change; for every plant of 
Chess that grew, a seed was either sown, or 
lying in the ground.— Eds ] 
-M-*- 
A. Large Vlelil of Wheat. 
From two and three-fonrlhs bushels of Red 
Stem Amber Wheat I thrashed, last Friday, 
July 29, 06 bushels of clean wheat. The drill 
was set to sow two bushels per acre. The plot 
was summer-fallowed and one-half was fertil¬ 
ized with phosphates; no other manure was 
used—soil fair loam, partly drained, and about 
one-half of the piece had a heavy clay snbsoil. 
We were obliged to cut nearly all of it with the 
scythe, ns it was lodged badly. R. c. h. 
Canajoharie, N. Y. 
lUtorintltaal, 
THE WINTER-KILLING OF JAPANESE 
MAPLE8 IN FLUSHING, L. I. 
SAMUEL PARSONS. JR. 
The Winter of 1880 and 1881 in Flushing 
was unquestionably a severe, and in many 
ways, a peculiar one. Japanese maples in 
company with many other plants suffered con¬ 
siderably. It is only justice, however, to dis¬ 
tinguish the Japanese maples that were 
injured from those that were not injured; 
for the number of the species of maples in 
Japan iB great, far greater than elsewhere, 
and in one species at least, i. c. Polymorphum, 
the number of varieties also is legion. It is 
noteworthy, too, that all these species aud 
varieties a:e widely diverse iu behavior as well 
as iu appearance. Indeed, the effects of last 
Winter, if nothing else, prove this conclu¬ 
sively. Members of the best known species or 
type—Polymorphum—suff red much in Flush¬ 
ing, avd, eontraiy to ordinary experience, 
particularly In the case of the parent, Poly- 
morpbimi itself. Good-slaed, well-established 
plants of Polymorphum wore, in some in¬ 
stances, cut down to half their original size. 
Roseo-marginatnm, Cristatnm and Alba lacin- 
iata, all Po.ymorphnm varieties, were much 
injared, Altro-purpureum, likewise of the 
Polymorphum race, proved, Uowever, unex¬ 
pectedly hardy. The popular and splendid A. 
polymoiphutn (more properly palinatum) san- 
guii emu and a beautiful weeping form also 
did will. The A. Japoincuro and it* varieties, 
large-leaved and ragged-looking, magnificent 
in form and color, suffered somewhat, while, 
strange to say, the delicate, tropical-looking 
foliage ot the Palmatifidum and Pinnatifiilum 
varieties, both purple and green, as well as 
thetender-looking.shred-iike A. polymorphum 
rosec-pictis, st owed no lack of enduring qual¬ 
ities during the past Winter. 
On the other hand i saw lately on the south 
side of Long Island, on Mr. W. K. Vanderbilt’s 
lawn, where the wiod and sun hud great 
power, all these varieties that have shown 
weakness in Flushing, si nding entirely free 
from signs of injury, although laboring under 
the difficulty of having been transplanted only 
las. year. Perhaps it was the sudden and pro¬ 
tracted cold following a dry, hot seasou that 
did the damage, and perhaps much damage 
was done ea ly in the Spring. It is very 
strange, however, to note how here, iu this 
vicinity, they are injured aud over there not. 
Of one thing we may be assured though : 
wherevir the ground is co’d, low aud even 
rich there will be found, as a rule, the most 
winter-killing. A late, over-stimulated growth 
must succumb to au early and protracted cold 
spell. Fortunately, now, at the date of writ¬ 
ing, all Japanese maples are so far recovered 
in their new growth from the effects of the 
past Winter, that, except in diminished size 
one would not ki ow, unless told, that any 
damage had been done then*, it may be a 
dozen years and more before a similar mishap 
will occur again ; and. doubtless, it is because 
we prize these exquisite Japanese maples 60 
much that we dwell with concern on t’ eir late 
unsatisfactory behavior. If there were only 
existing carefully kept records txtendiug over 
a period of years, we would find, l believe, 
that almost all trees . utter at one time or an¬ 
other from wiutei-killing. The commonest 
hardy ;hrubs and trees die badly, we. kuow, 
daring some exceptional Winters, we must 
nut condemn, theiefore, Japanese maples m a 
sweeping manner on account oi one partial 
failure strictly limited to certain varieties and 
localities; nor do I believe that a year or two 
