benefit from the grape. They seem to be utter¬ 
ly unable to .manage their vines skillfully, or at 
least sufficiently to secure paying crops. I am 
surprised to see the condition of vines, when 
called upon occasionally to inspect some old, 
sturdy farmer’s vines, which have failed, with 
his treatment, to yield him fruit. I find, gener¬ 
ally, one or two difficulties are all that are In the 
way to a moderate crop, yet they make a good 
many mistakes if a large yield were desired. 
The first mistake, aud it is universal, is trying 
to secure fruit before the vine has been allowed 
to make a sutfioient amount of root growth. 
Farmers are very much discouraged if they get 
no fruit the first year, and if little or none the 
second, they get out of all patience. Another 
trouble is that of pruning, or rather not prun¬ 
ing, as they seem to think that the more cane, 
the more fruit, and therefore fail to prune their 
vines at all. 
and the sheep and cows, profusion and extrava¬ 
gance. Sheep, especially in England, are 
highly fed and forced to be ripe mutton at an 
early ago and there is no doubt of sheep paying 
as well in the United States only the poor 
trembling gentlemen farmers as well as all the 
rest are afraid of good feeding, and cannot be 
made to understand that it will not do to shut 
breeding ewes and ewes with lambs in barns, 
stables or sheds aud keep them there for months. 
A woman when she farms is not craven-heart- 
fruit of different sizes and shapes, and a careful 
selection of seed specimens can make either a 
small smooth, or a larger creased variety of this. 
Had I not received my seed direct from the or¬ 
iginator, I should have thought it was mixed, 
there being so ranch difference in the fruit. 
•The Little Gem is the earliest variety now be¬ 
fore the horticultural community, but E. S. 
Beownell, who shares with the originator of 
the Little Gem, the modern honors of potato 
hybridization, claims to have an unintroduced 
variety earlier than it. Although it is small, I 
prefer the Gem to its parent the Conqueror, and 
the reader of Prof. Beal’s article will see it is 
much earlier, as he Bowed the seeds when the 
Conqueror was transplanted. The Golden 
Trophy is large, late and prolific, and when 
grown in land under a high state of cultivation, 
there will be an enormous growth of stalks and 
fruit. But the latter will be very uneven in 
surface and like three other yellow varieties I 
have tested, I do not consider it a desirable ac¬ 
quisition to the list of tomatoes, although they 
may add to the beauty of the table when served 
with tire rod varieties. 
For successive use in a family, I would select 
Little Gem, Canada Victor and Trophy, adding 
Hathaway's Excelsior for the fourth kind and 
substituting it in place of tho Trophy, whenever 
the soil is adapted to its cultivation. 
CHUFAS. 
Having cultivated chufas or ground nuts two 
years, aud there being slight indications of a 
“ fever” on them, I would adviHe farmers not to 
let their ideas run too high on this subject, for 
they are nothing new, and, although very pro¬ 
lific and edible, are not delectable. The great 
labor incident to harvesting will prevent their 
being extensively produced for swiue or poultry, 
and when estimated in bushels Artichokes will 
exceed them in yield. Frost kills their germina¬ 
ting powers. 
Merrimack Co., N. H. 
premises, few there are who are willing to give 
the necessary time and trouble to applying the 
remedy with tho regularity aud thoroughness 
needed to render it effectual. Either in locali¬ 
ties where this mischief abounds we must aban¬ 
don tbe cultivation of the finer varieties of the 
plum, or we must content ourselves with varie¬ 
ties so thick-skinned that they are proof against 
its attacks. Bassett's American Plum, of which 
we furnish an engraving from life, is said to be 
curculio-proof, and although of inferior quality, 
Late this fall I dug and worked in around my 
grape vines from two to four bushels of well rot¬ 
ted manure, ashes, anvil cinders, and am giving 
them all tbe soap-suds on washing days. I ex¬ 
pect a wonderful yield next season. 
Hugo, 111., Jan. 5. 
THOUGHTS FROM A FARM 
LET THE FARM REMAIN UNKNOWN FOR THE PRESENT AND 
THE WRITER REMAIN INCOGNITO. 
WOMEN FARMERS, ETC. 
The winter Beason with its long eveuings, 
gives ample tirao for reflection on the past and 
thought for the future ; consequently, the past, 
the present, and the future are before the mind, 
the latter partaking of foreboding in some res- 
peots. Thoughts are hidden by all designing 
minds, aud almost all niggardly dispositions en¬ 
deavor to bide their intentions because, if known, 
the knowledge might interfere with the carrying 
of them out; and moreover, all stingy, dishon¬ 
est, and overreaching men, are somewhat asham¬ 
ed, and defer the exposure of their meannesses 
till the last moment possible. It is, therefore, 
thought by the world “ smart” to lie reticent; 
many however, are naturally so, having always 
from childhood beeu reserved, allowing others 
to do the talking ; and this is very fortunate, for 
a taciturn person escapes many little difficulties 
and some serious oues sometimes, by habitual 
silence. Yet, when a man who is not silent by 
nature endeavors to mislead people and uses 
speeoh for the purpose of hiding his thoughts, 
it is pretty nearly certain ho is far from being 
an honest, straightforward man. 
It is supposed a great deal of good is done to 
agriculture by the correspondence carried on in 
a newspaper like the Rural ; but much more 
benefit would accrue to farmers if they would 
be particular to curb all prejudice aud be Bure 
they are right before condemning any course of 
husbandry, before they decry any breed of ani¬ 
mals, and also before recommending any new 
kind of cultivation of soil, or auy steaming of 
food and expensive cutting of chaff, Ac. 
As tho beat farmers in England, and those 
likewise who make money and win the prizes of 
tho Agricultural Society as the occupiers of farms 
which arc in tho best possible form aud condi¬ 
tion, aro all high feeders of stock and thus feed 
the laud till they succeed beyond all other farm¬ 
ers, it is thought to be a fact beyond contradic¬ 
tion that high feeding of animals of every de¬ 
scription must I io tho only road to prosperity as 
an agriculturist where the situation prevents 
the purchase of manures, It is likewise believed 
that as women are winning more premiums in 
proportion than men, that tho old feeble-minded 
trash about so much bodily labor being indis¬ 
pensable, is really nonsense of tho worst kind, as 
it leads to so runny farmers placing dependence 
on working alone, so that it is seen that men of 
this class moil and toil till they are thin as a 
bean pole, and their wives are, poor things, 
PEERLESS MELON 
In the Rubal of June 9, 1877, page 359, your 
able correspondent, W. H. White, contributed 
a very practical article on “The Melon—Its 
Culture and Varieties.” 
In the list of Watermelons he mentions only 
Black Spanish, Mountain Sweet, Ice Cream and 
Citrou Watermelon, all of which I have culti¬ 
vated. and Phinuev’s Early Black Italian. Good¬ 
win’s Imperial, and other kinds to the number 
of nearly a dozen. The most of those varieties 
were tested several years ago, and tho Mountain 
Sweet selected as the best and the one with 
which to compare novelties as they were intro¬ 
duced. 
In 18751 procured a package of Peerless Melon 
seed, and all who ate of the fruit pronounced it 
vastly superior to the Monntaiu Sweet, and ever 
since then the Peerless has been withont a peer 
in my estimation. The introducers of the melon 
give the following description of it:—" This is 
unquestionably the best Watermelon in cultiva¬ 
tion. Of medium size, thin rind, light, mottled 
green ; fiosh, bright scarlet, solid to the center, 
crisp, meltiug, aud sweet as honey. Our stock 
of this variety all came from one melon selected 
several years ago." 
With me the melons grow to equal the size of 
any other variety I ever tested, and have proved 
to bo quite early. Tho seeds are white and, as a 
rule, aro rather inferior. o. k. d. 
Mcrrimac Co*, N. n. 
BASSETT’S A.TVI 
ed. She hears or reads of good farmers who 
purchase oil-cake and feed it to their stock, and 
she buys great quantities and thereby fattens 
her beef and mutton to a first-class quality and 
sho hastens the maturity of all the young stock 
saving a year’s slow feeding, and also she gains 
iu wool. Bat her gains do not stop here, for she 
has made her calculations and sho doubles her 
crops of grass, grain aud roots by the exceed¬ 
ingly rich manure she obtains by tin's high feed¬ 
ing ; so that she is a gainer every way, and the 
much coveted prize is gained over the heads of 
tho othor sex at the Royal Agricultural Society, 
Thinking over these facts aud knowing that 
many herdsmen and shepherds are valued most 
highly because of their being able to manage all 
fattening animals so as to keep their appetites 
sharp, that in short, those are the best “ carters” 
“ cowmeu” or shepherds who can contrive to 
make the animals eat most, it iH odd that here, iu 
tho Uuited States, instead of trying to make the 
auimals eat as much good feed as possible with¬ 
out being cloyed, one man steams the huts of 
corn stalks to save feeding more costly food, a 
second has the cobs of corn ground with the 
corn, a third cuts rough, weedy herbage into 
chaff, a fourth will cook all the food, aud a fifth 
deprives full grown cows of every kind of food 
excepting three quarts of meal fur feed, or some 
such ridiculous quantity. Aud men believe cows 
will live all winter on such short allowances! 
But it cannot be and what the object of those 
who make these assertions can he it is very dif¬ 
ficult to imagine. There are many extraordi¬ 
nary statements made relative to agricultural 
subjects, most of which aro errors; yet, proba¬ 
bly iu Borne instances, although notoriously er¬ 
roneous they are implicitly believed iu by a 
few families. Even now, iu 1878, there are old 
women, not in petticoats, who still think there is 
a baleful influence on meat, or vegetables and 
on the blood Ac. at certain stages of the moon, 
and that cows with horns have diseases which 
polled cattle cannot have Ac. 
TOMATOES 
GEO. E. DEUCE 
BULBS FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN 
W. C. L. DEEW. 
NARCISSUS. 
The oldest bulbous plants in cultivation are 
without doubt the Narcissus. For many hun¬ 
dred years they have decorated tho dower gar¬ 
dens of the world. To toll the present ad¬ 
vanced florieultural world, that, 290 years ago, 
there were more varieties of these favorites in 
cultivation than we now have, would astonish 
many, yet the records which time has left behind 
prove that, with the exception of the Tazetta 
group, such was tho case. 
In examining into tho records of the Narcis¬ 
sus, I tiud that according to the best botanical 
authorities there are over one huudred varieties 
now in cultivation. Many of these must, to an 
inexperienced amateur, appear to be (&o and the 
same. In systematizing the Narcissus, bota¬ 
nists have divided them into three groups, Nar¬ 
cissus proper, including the single and double or 
jlove plena, also the old-time Daffodil; Narcissus 
Tazetta, including the double and single Poly¬ 
anthus Narcissus , the third group beiDg the old- 
fashioned andstih popular Jonquils, both double 
and single, great aud small. 
These groups are distinguished by their habits 
of growth, and shape of flowers. In color their 
worn 
out, aud die of broken constitutions, through 
the worry of a farmer's home. 
Here is proof that 
** Tie who by the plow would thrive,” 
Noeil neither hold tuo plow nor drive: 
for these lady farmers certainly never touched 
the plow, and nobody can be foolish enough to 
arguo that they ever said “ come along, hoys,” 
or that they did carpenter’s work, or painted 
their implements, or did all errands at night, 
after the sun was down. 
But these farmers in petticoats more than 
made up for the loss of their husbands by looking 
forward and well considering tbe results follow¬ 
ing abundant uso of oil-cake and other foroiug 
food, aud these liberal-rnimled widows, although 
only reutiug the 300 or -190 acres by tbe year, 
feed thus freely for the sake of the rich manure 
thereby made and continue to do it annually; 
but here, in the United States, the farmers would 
term such a generous diet for the young stock 
BASSETTS’ AMERICAN PLUM 
The only successful method of fighting the 
curculio is that of jarring the trees and collect¬ 
ing tho insects upon sheets spread under them. 
This must be commenced at tho time tho fruit 
is the Bize of a pea, and continued, daily, irntil 
it begins to ripen. As effectual as this method 
may be, aud as desirable as it is to raise this 
beautiful and delicious fruit upon one’s own 
