Pennsylvania. 
Baden, Beaver Co., March 21.—Weather 
beautiful. Wheat looks remarkably well, 
although some of it was sowed late on account 
of the drought last Fall. Some of the young 
Timothy was injured by dry weather also. 
We had a fair crop of wheat last season, also 
of oats; but a very poor crop of coni—scarce¬ 
ly enough to fatten our hogs. The potato 
crop was light. The apple crop was very 
light on account of the drought, although it 
was our bearing year. I am selling choice 
apples for $4 per barrel in Pittsburg now, and 
I sold them at $a per barrel two years ago. I 
am afraid that there will soon be no “ off ” 
year for apples ; they will be as plentiful one 
year as another. The prices of farm produce 
are as follows: Wheat, $1.30; corn, 85c.; oats, 
55c.; hay,$15 per ton; butter, 43c.per lb.; eggs, 
18c. per doz. The farmers here are a very wise 
people; they cannot be told anything which 
they do not know already. Of about 100 farm¬ 
ers whom I am acquainted with not more than 
5 or 0 take any agricultural paper, and of 
that .small number any who take the Rural 
will not be offended at me, as they are not 
included in the number of old-rut, wiseacre 
farmers who are smart enough. One farmer 
bought a manure-spreader, and as it lay at 
the station I was amused to hear the opinions 
of the farming public on it. Borne thought it 
would not work at all; others that it would 
work so well it would cause people to be too 
lazy; others, again, that it might be a good 
thing to load manure, but as to unloading, 
they thought it would be a failure ; still 
others said it might do good-enough work 
going up a very steep hill, a3 the manure 
would go out itself; still others contended that 
it was not a manure-spreader at all, that it 
probably was a trammy machine. So much 
for my smart neighbors 1 f. w. s. 
floriatltitml 
earliest and most productive varieties, the 
yellow, transparent pods being produced in 
the greatest variety. 
MONKSHOOD OR ACONITE, 
Two comparatively new (to me at least) 
sorts of bush beans have been sent to me for 
trial this season, viz., the Red and Green Flag¬ 
eolet. I intend to give them a fair trial, but 
in the mean time can some of the Rural’s 
readers give me some information concerning 
them ? (We first raised the Green Flageolet 
as a string beau, but found them as such quite 
inferior, being very stringy. It is a shell 
bean, and cooked the same as a Lima, they 
are excellent. They retain when cooked a 
lively green color.— Eds.] 
The common Blue-fiowered Monkshood is 
one of the oldest cultivated of our garden 
perennials, and frequently met with in country 
gardens. Botanieally it is known as Aconitum . 
Napelius. It is a native of Central Europe, 
and from its striking form and beauty has 
been cultivated in gardens since the Christian 
era. Besides the typical blue form there are 
white and variegated-flowered varieties of it, 
all handsome and decorative. This species, 
which yields the aconite of commerce, is the ; 
first to bloom—in early Summer, and, if cut 
over as soon as it has done blooming and before 
it matures any seeds, a partial second crop of 
flowers may be expected in the Fall. But 
there are als<> several other species indigenous ; 
to the northern countries of the Old World, 
from the Himalayas and Japan, westward j 
through China, Siberia, Central and Southern . 
Europe. Among the most ornamental of them j 
are Aconitum variegatum, three to four feet 
high, blue-and white; paniculatuin, five to six 
feet, deep blue or variegated; Japonieum, 2}^ ; 
to three feet, lilac blue, dense short spikes; and i 
Lycoctonum, yellowish, three to four feet, and 
very bushy, and all of which blossom from 
midsummer till late Summer Autumnale, a 
tall-growing species with large spikes of laven¬ 
der blue flowers, and Septentrionale, also tall 
and with ample panielod clusters of claret- 
colored flowers, blossom in late Summer and 
Fall. Anthora is a small sized, yellow-flower¬ 
ing species from the Pyrenees. In our owu 
Middle and Southern States, especially in the 
Alleghanies, we have two native species, 
namely uneinatum and reclinatum. Uncina- 
tum, known as Wild Monkshood, grows wild 
in*rich, shady soil along the banks of streams, 
has loose panicles of blue flowers, and is of 
somewhat slender growth As a garden plant 
it makes itself at home in slightly shaded 
places and blooms from late Summer till de¬ 
stroyed by frost in late September or early Oc¬ 
tober. Reclinatum, known as the Trailing 
Wolfsbane, has white flowers and long, slender 
stems that recline upon the ground; it is sel¬ 
dom cultivated as a garden plant. 
The Monkshoods are of the easiest possible 
culture, but prefer a rich, moist soil and a 
slightly shaded situation, still they will grow 
satisfactorily under ordinary garden con¬ 
ditions. They are increased by division of the 
root crowns and by seed. For naturalization 
in wild places, as they are represented in our 
illustration, they are among the most appro¬ 
priate of plants. Such is their natural con¬ 
dition anyway, and they are so persistent in 
their character that they will maintain their 
own against our ranker weeds, and their tall 
and handsome spikes and panicles of flowers— 
blue, purple, white, yellow and variegated— 
have a telling effect in the landscape. 
The helmet of the flowers suggests the name 
of Monkshood. Wolfsbane is also a common 
name for the aconites and is the translation 
of the Greek Lycoctonum—a species of aconite 
indigenous to the lower Alps, and the juice of 
which was used as a poison on arrow tips and 
baits for the destruction of wolves. 
But notwithstanding the variety and beauty 
of the Monkshoods and their goodly property 
of blooming in late Summer and Autumn, 
Kansas. 
Edgerton, Johnson Co. We had the pleas- 
When speaking of poinsettias I should have 
remarked that my plants of Poinsettia pul- 
cherrima major have this Winter produced a 
second crop of blossoms; last year it did the 
same. The secoud flowers are much smaller 
than the first. 
Plumbago rosea (the Rose-colored Lead- 
wort) is a very attractive plant when in full 
bloom, that is, wheu one is so fortunate as to 
possess a large specimen. With me it com 
mences to flower in January and continues 
until March. On account of tbeir delicate 
texture the flowers are of no value for cut¬ 
ting, but iu the warm greenhouse the plant is 
especially valuable on account of its singular, 
ly attractive appearance. It is a plant of the 
easiest cultivation, requiring good drainage, 
a compost composed of two thirds well rotted 
sods and one-third well rotted manure. It 
does best in a light, sunny situation and a tem¬ 
perature ranging from 55 to 00 degrees. Prop¬ 
agation is readily effected by cuttings. 
Monkshood. Drawn by Alfred Parsons.— After 
tub Wild Ga.rdkn.-Fio. 119. 
antestaud mildest Winter duringmy residence 
of 25 years here. There was hardly a week 
when farmers could not plow. Stock of all 
kinds have wintered well, and are mostly in 
good condition. Winter wheat never looked 
better at this time of the year, although there 
is not half the acreage there was last year. 
Farmers have their work well advanced, and 
if the Spring is favorable, they will have their 
crops in early. Fruit is all right yet, but the 
warm weather has so advanced the early peach 
buds, that we fear they will get nipped. 
Corn is worth 60c.; oats, 45c,; wheat, 00c to 
$110.; hay, |5. per ton; butter, 25c. per 
pound ; eggs, 15c. per dozen. a. b. d. 
Minnesota. 
Edgerton, Pipe Stone Co., March 14, 
We had a very fine Winter; so mild has the 
weather been that it hardly seems as though 
we had had any Winter. Some wheat was 
sown the first week in March, but the weather 
turned cold all at once and the ground was 
frozen again. a. h. h. 
Missouri. 
Golden City, Barton Co., March 19. —Win¬ 
ter very mild. Wheat looking splendid. A 
great many have made some garden and 
planted potatoes. Peaches were in bloom ten 
days ago, hut a cold snap came on about that 
time and 1 fear it greatly injured the peach 
and other fruit trees. e. a. h. 
North Carolina. 
Henderson, Vance Co. Grass and grain 
are starting and we saw peach blooms on 
March 1. Such produce as we have to sell is 
bringing fair prices:—Butter 25c.; eggs, 20c.; 
fodder, $1.50 per hundred; corn, $1.; seed oats 
One of the prettiest and most distinct be¬ 
gonias is the Necklace Begonia—B. manica- 
ta. This is a somewhat shrubby species 
growing about two or three feet high, produc¬ 
ing its numerous small, white flowers, in loose 
terminal panicles. The leaves are large, of a 
bright-green color, with a frill-like row of 
dark-brown spines surrounding the leaf where 
it is attached to the leaf-stalk. These spines 
are also produced in clusters on the vines on 
the under side of the leaf. This species re¬ 
quires a similar treatment to that usually 
given begonias. When well-grown it forms a 
very pretty specimen. 
Illinois. 
Waterman, De Kalb Co., March 13.—A 
mild Winter with a good deal of mud. The 
roads were most of the time very bad. Last 
week it snowed for two days; we have more 
snow now than we had any time the past 
Winter. The pork market has been good with 
us—from 6X to 7cts. per pound live weight; 
corn, 55c.; oats, 40c.; Timothy seed, from 
$2.25 to $2.40 per bushel. j. f. 
Massachusetts. 
Pittsfield, Berkshire Co.—My W. Ele¬ 
phant had 17 eyes and yielded 63 tubers, some 
of them too large for comfort. I cooked one, 
and I must say it was the best potato I ever 
saw cooked. I saved the remainder for seed 
this Spring. j. f. o. 
0 
Michigan: 
Lowell, Kent Co.—My W. Elephant I cut 
to 12 eyes, planted one in a hill and dug 21]^ 
pounds of good-sized tubers, not counting 
some small ones. The other seeds did well, 
considering the severe drought we had last 
Summer. j. h. g. 
Thornvtlle, Lapeer Co.—From my White 
Elephants (two of them) I got 15 pounds of 
nice tubers. Yield far better than Early Rose 
or Burbank. The oats grew finely but I had 
to pull them up just as they had begun to 
turn, to prevent the fowls from harvesting 
them. I have about two quarts. There is a 
fine bed of asparagus. Not a sorghum seed 
sprouted last year—too dry. e. d. c. 
Missouri. 
Shackelford, Saline Co.—The W. Oats 
came up well, but the chinch bugs—very de¬ 
structive here—ruined them. They also ate 
up the R. B. Sorghum. All the asparagus 
seeds sent up shoots, but they wore a long time 
about it. The plauts did tolerably well The 
flower seeds, planted in a box, not having re¬ 
received proper attention, all died. My W. 
Elephant had 15 eyes, was planted on as many 
hills and yielded 52 tolerably fair-sized tubers 
which I am treasuring up to plant this 
Spring. H. D. 
Wisconsin. 
Newton, Vernon Co.—My White Elephant 
I cut into 20 pieces, planted one piece in a hill, 
and I dug 90 pounds; 14 of them weighed 17J£ 
pounds. The asparagus came up and did well. 
The Washington Oats did not amount to any¬ 
thing. G. F. J. 
Rosedale, Fond du Lac Co.—My l-ounce 
W. Elephant had five eyes, was cut into five 
pieces, planted in five hills, and yielded 14 
pounds of good-sized tubers, the largest weigh¬ 
ing one pound. The asparagus did well. The 
oats rusted badly. The flowers did splendidly. 
Some of them, potted and taken into the 
house in the Fall, were in bloom at Christmas, 
and I have a lot ready to bloom just now. The 
R. B, Sorghum grew finely to a hight of nine 
feet. I cut the ripened heads off and left the 
row for a w ind-break for the Winter, as it 
reaches all across the garden. H. w. 
(Continued on'page 246.) 
The Perfect Gem Squash is certainly an 
important addition to our list of squashes. 
Whore the garden space is limited, and only 
one variety can be grown, one cannot do bet 
ter than to choose this. It is excellent, both 
as a Summer and Winter squash, having the 
useful properties of both classes. It is very 
productive and is au excellent beeper. The 
fruit is from five to six inches in diameter, 
with a smooth, thin skin. 
I am very much pleased to observe that the 
majority of our seedsmen have dropped from 
their lists that worthless tomato, the Turk’s 
Turban. Why it should be noticed in any 
collection is more than I can imagine. 
Where a larger-sized squash than the Per¬ 
fect Gem is desired, I know of none better 
than the Butman. This is a running variety, 
and one that is entirely distinct from any 
other sort. Externally it is of a green color, 
occasionally marked with white, while the 
flesh is of a lemon color. It is very sweet and 
delicious in flavor. 
The Egyptian or Washington Market Sweet 
Corn is the very best variety for a second- 
early sort as well as for a continued succes¬ 
sion. For the latter purpose it should be sown 
at least every ten days. It has a rich, sweet 
flavor and one that cannot he found in any 
other sort. With mo, however, it grows rather 
tall, and some may consider this an objection 
where space is limited. It is, however, such 
a decided improvement on Stowell's Evergreen 
that I have rejected the latter. 
Queens Co., L. I. Chas. E. Parnell. 
“ Evergreen ” Blackberry. 
The Evergreen Blackberry is said to have 
been discovered by a wrecked sailor on an 
island in the Pacific. The canes trail along 
the grouud like vines, not being stiff enough 
to maintain an upright position. The tips 
take root like those of the black raspberry. 
The foliage is quite attractive. I have not seen 
the fruit. I supposed it would not prove 
hardy, but the wood is well ripened and it 
looks hardy. It was sout from Oregon last 
Spring. It is a vigorous grower, and is at¬ 
tractive enough to he planted as an ornamen¬ 
tal climber about the piazza. 
[The portrait resembles closely the Cut¬ 
leaved Blackberry, a variety of the European 
Rubus frutico8iis, in some catalogues as R* 
laciniatus. But this is not evergreen, and does 
not trail in the manner described by Mr. 
Green.—E ds.] 
Spray of the “Evergreen” Blackberry.—From Nature.—Fig. 120. 
when the majority of handsome pereunials 
have done flowering, they are most terribly 
poisonous plants. Every species of them is 
poisonous, and so, too, is every particle of 
their bodies—root, stem, leaves and flowers- 
And for this reason alone some people will not 
have them in their gardens nor on their 
grounds any where. The common garden Blue 
Aconite—A. napelius— is the species from 
which the alkaloid termed aconitina, is ob¬ 
tained. But A. ferox, a species from the Him. 
alayas, is considered the most deadly of alL 
75 to 85c. ; tobacco rules high, I hear it reported 
that one small lot of extra fancy yellow, sold 
for $6. per pound. m. b. p. 
Oregon. 
Prinkville, Wasco Co., March 18.—This 
county is settling up very fast. If the Spring 
is favorable a fourth more grain will be sown 
than ever before. Wa need it, too, for here 
we have never grown enough grain for home¬ 
made bread. J. h. la f. 
