cross with the quince. This I do not consider 
very improbable. 1 ’ As grown around Peking, 
China, this race is shaped like our Bergamots, 
and Koch—the highest modern authority on 
the origin and races of the pour—gives the 
decided opinion that the Kuang-1L of Northern 
China is the original type from which all lie 
Bergamots have descended. Some of those of 
this class we have from Moscow have the pre¬ 
fix Bergamot. As an instance, one of our 
ftrongest growers, the first year in tho nurs¬ 
ery, is called Bergamotte Sapieganka. We 
grew last season plants five feet in hightof 
tins variety from short cions whip-grafted in 
the cellar on apple roots. Yet every terminal 
buil v. aaperfect before the adventof the first se¬ 
vere frost. But all the va rieties of this class are, 
to quite an extent, crooked growers in the 
nursery. Some of them want to go in every 
direction except up. 
These Northern Bergamots seem very hardy 
when they go into Winter in tho right condi¬ 
tion. Last year the foliage was healthy, and 
not n twig was injured. I now notice that 
our recent trying weather has a tendency to 
cut I i lie leaves, as it has curled those of the 
cherry and of most sorts of the apple. It may 
prove that the foliage will not fully meet our 
climatic repuiremonts. All things considered, 
they rlo not seem as promising as the more 
globular Snow Pears. 
Agricultural College, Ames, la. 
--- 
AGRICULTURAL FAIRS AND POMOL¬ 
OGY. 
1'RKS. T. T. LYON. 
Suggestions for Exhibiting and Judging 
Fruits, etc. 
Probably in no branch of agriculture is 
the necessity of careful discrimination, and of 
great accuracy, on the part of both exhibitor 
5. All names of fruit exhibited should be 
distinct and dear, and should be so attached 
to tho fruit or dish containing it, as not to be 
liable to accidental displacement. 
6. No person, whether exhibitor or visitoi i 
should in any case be permitted to handle 
fruits when once placed upon exhibition, ex¬ 
cept by permission either of the superintend¬ 
ent or the awarding committee in discharge of 
their duties. 
7. Committees should be definitely instructed 
to base their awards—1st, upon the varieties, 
only, which have been correctly named by tho 
exhibitors ; 2nd, upon the value of the varieties 
for the required purpose, whether general or 
special ; 3rd, upon the color, size and evenness 
of the specimens ; 4th, upon tlicir freedom 
from insect marks or other blemishes. 
8. The exhibitor should be required to sub¬ 
mit a list of the varieties in each entry, ar¬ 
ranged in the order of their value for the re¬ 
quired purpose, in his estimation , and the 
committee should be required to report the 
lists to which premiums have been awarded, 
arranged as estimated by such committee for 
such purpose. 
9. It would seem that, with the growing im¬ 
portance of this whole subject, we have reached 
a point at which some influential authority, 
(as by preference, tho American Bornological 
Society) should frame and submit for general 
adoption, a full set of rulesor principles cover¬ 
ing this entire subject, as a means of inviting 
unity and harmony of action thereon. 
Every person possessing ground for a tree or 
a patch of berries should ignore tho peripatetic 
“ tree agent,” and the nurseryman as well, and 
should, instead, look over tho trait lists of tho 
societ ies, or the standard pomologieal works, 
or both, and go to tho fairs, and make the 
act ual acquaintance of these fruits aud of 
those who have grown thorn, after which lie 
will bo able to choose wisely for his own in- 
though their sprightly, refreshing qualities are 
enjoyed by some, the number of persons who 
value such fruit for table use is comparatively 
small. Among the Duke and Morello varie¬ 
ties there are a few large, fine-flavored sorts, 
but unfortunately they are mostly shy bear- 
era. This being the case, it is gratifying to 
be able to draw attention to two Morello 
cherries which, besides possessing the valua¬ 
ble qualities peculiar to tho class, have such 
fine flavor as to render them suitable for des¬ 
sert purposes. 
The kinds I refer to are Montmorency Or¬ 
dinaire and Montmorency Large - Fruited. 
Both were received from Fra m e a few years 
ago, and, after having been tried in the ex¬ 
perimental orchards of Ellwanger & Barry, 
proved to be of high merit. They have also 
been tested in Illinois, Kansas and New Jer¬ 
sey and have been found to be equally desira¬ 
ble at the East and West. Even where the 
Sweet cherries can be grown successfully they 
are much esteemed, and people who enjoy ac¬ 
idulous fruits consider them more palatable 
than the Hearts and Bigarroaus. 
Montmorency Ordinaire is of medium size, 
and of a beautiful light-red color; flesh juicy, 
molting, with just enough acidity to bo pecu¬ 
liarly refreshing. Tho tree makes a handsome 
growth, and is extremely hardy and produc¬ 
tive. The fruit ripens about a week after that 
of the Early Richmond, For cooking and 
canning it is unexcelled. 
Montmorency Large-Fruited is larger, of a 
darker color, richer and in every way a finer 
cherry than the above-mentioned; but the 
fruit is not produced so abundantly, though 
tho tree yields what everyone would call a 
good crop. It is also very hardy. The ac¬ 
companying illustration. Fig. 42§, enables one 
to f orm a correct idea of tho size and appearance 
of the fruit. I have watched these varieties 
is another advantage of the small flock, for it 
costs no more to raise a good sheep than a poor 
one, and, indeed, a pure-bred Merino or a good 
grade sheep is much hardier than the poorly- 
bred native sheep. The scope for sheep keep¬ 
ing is large and wide. Sheep may be kept as 
easily as a flock of fowls and, like them, will 
live on what would otherwise be wasted ; they 
will glean the stubbles, pick over the rough 
ground, clean a fallow field, range a wood lot, 
clear the fence rows and comers of tho field, 
and in the Winter will do well on a few tur¬ 
nips and straw. On this feed they will even 
fatten and bo healthier than if fed on com. 
If a farmer will count Up the cost of a flock of 
10 or 20 sheep, and tho profit from a tew fat 
lambs and wethers through tho Summer, he 
can easily see a hundred per cent, income from 
the investment, leaving the fleeces to pay for 
the keep. There is no other farm stock more 
profitable when tho size of the flock is judic¬ 
iously proportioned to the conveniences for 
keeping them. Crowding is as fatal to sheep 
as it is to fowls. They must have pure air 
and clean quarters, and aa soon as tho flock 
begins to increase too rapidy it comes to grief 
at once. 
-♦♦♦- 
Dr. E. Lewis Sturtevant , of Mass., says “The 
Rural New- Yorker has the best list of contrib¬ 
utors of any paper of its class and is doing 
a noble work." 
StuiudjfriL 
DIFFERENT BREEDS OF PIGS. 
COL. Y . D. CURTIS. 
All breeds of pigs have merits. Some of 
them have quite similar ones. The black and 
Montmorency large-fruited cherry, from a fainting from life. 
and observer, more important than in horti¬ 
culture and especially in that branch of it 
known us pomology, nob only on account of 
the immense number of varieties of fruits 
grown ; but equally on account of their dis- 
jKi.-ation to vary under change of soils, differ¬ 
ence of seasons and other circumstances. 
Hence I submit the following suggestions : 
1. No general exhibit of fruits should bo at¬ 
tempted, except under the superintendence of 
au expert, or a committee of experts in the 
nomenclature of fruits. 
2. No fruit should be permitted to appear on 
exhibition under an erroneous name ; and, if 
doubtful, it should bo so marked. 
3. The exhibition of large and showy but 
worthless sorts, should bo discouraged ; and, 
if shown ns a means of education, such worth- 
1; mess should in some manner be clearly in¬ 
dicated to visitors. 
4. All wormy aud imperfect fruits should be 
excluded fmm competition for premiums, if 
not even from exhibition, 
dividual purpose. To such I suggest:— 
1. Never ehoose a variety for your own use 
upon its popularity alone as a market fruit. 
2. Never select a fruit, for your own plant¬ 
ing and use, because itis showy or of very large 
size. Such, as a rule, are undesirable, if 
not worthless. 
3. If your grounds are limited, it will be 
found better to plant the earlier fruits, and de¬ 
pend upon the markets for the long keepers. 
4. Whatever you plant, you can be sure, at 
the fairs, to find the most successful cultivators 
who are sure to bo alilo to toil you how best to 
manage to secure such results as you will find 
illustrated upon the exhibition tables. 
TWO VALUABLE CHERRIES. 
W. C. BARRY. 
Most people consider the so-called sour cher¬ 
ries toq acid, foy desseyt oy table use, pud, al- 
closely since their introduction, and I think 
orchardists and amateurs will find them 
| worthy of attention. 
i - — 
5l)ccp tjttsbauki). 
THE PROFITS OF A SMALL FLOCK 
OF SHEEP. 
Large flocks of sheep or poultry are rarely 
profitable excepting when the sole attention of 
the owners is given to them. The greater part 
of the whole number of the sheep in tho coun¬ 
try is kept in small flocks, aud the profit from 
these is relatively more than that from the 
large flocks of hundreds or thousands each. 
A large flock on the plains returns, on tho 
average, ti profit of a dollar per head, A small 
flock kept on a mixed farm usually returns a 
profit of three to five dollars per head. It is 
true, the shpep are of better quality, but that 
red breeds are the least liable to mange or any 
skin disorder. This peculiarity fits them for 
any climate belter than the white bi'ceds. 
They also have more loan meat in proportion 
to the fat than the white ones. The Essex will 
keep easier than the Berkshire because they 
are usually smaller and finer-boned. Both of 
these breeds will fatten at an}' age. Red hogs, 
which are an old family of Berkshire's, will 
grow tho largest and are remat kable for breed¬ 
ing and the length of body, which makes them 
rho best breed for bacon, as they also possess 
the same characteristic of more lean meat 
than white breeds. 
White hogs have the advantage of a more 
pleasing color—more popular—but they are 
more liable to get sun-burnt and scabby in the 
Summer and also in the W inter. 
Choster-Whices are the coarsest white breed 
and will attain to a large size. They have a 
good coat of wavy hair, which fits them for 
exposure. They aw large breeders aiul, wel^ 
