482 
JULY 22 
MEW-VORIfB. . 
fyoxticnltuval. 
Experiment EroundjS ot the $untl 
$tcur - ^Joihee. 
Long Island, N. Y. 
Wheat and the Army Worm. —Our wheat 
crop looks to be the heaviest ever raised on 
this farm. The Army-worm confined its 
ravages to the Timothy and clover with which 
the wheat fields were seeded and did not 
barm the wheat perceptibly. But the grass 
and clover are utterly destroyed and the fields 
will have to be resown after the grain is 
harvested. While the Army-worm threatened 
to destroy our crops, double furrows were 
plo wed on the south of the wheat field and 
through the middle of the oats to arrest their 
march. This was not needed. An excessively 
hot day followed by a drenching shower 
destroyed them utterly. Only here and there 
has one been seen since. Whether it was the 
heat or the rain or both is problematical. 
Perhaps it was neither, we merely record the 
facts. Ruuuiug across the north of half of our 
main wheat field is a narrow poultry yard 
inclosed by a picket fence. The worms 
crawled under this fence in masses and were 
as quickly devoured by the hens. 
Wheat. —Wheat is fine everywhere on this 
Island. That ours is better than ever before 
we attribute wholly to a better fitting of the 
field by harrowing and leveling, not alone 
for the present crop, but for the oats and corn 
preceding it. We heartily wish from our 
own experience that we could show farmers 
that it pays to bestow this care; that while 
fields are poor or of average fertility manure 
isneeded,yet that tillage Is just as much needed 
and that while it is always poor economy to 
apply manure without a thorough preparation 
of the land, it L always economy thoroughly 
to prepare the laud whether manure is spread 
or not, Our main field of wheat is sowed to 
the following kinds: Oregon (1% bushel to 
acre),a bearded very hardy wheat with rather 
short heads but very large kernels. This is 
not the wheat generally known as Oregon. 
The seed came to us three years ago under that 
name, and it has since been retained. Fultzo- 
Clawson, one bushel to the acre. This ripens 
with Clawson this year—the straws at this 
writing (July 0) being of a bright golden 
color, strong and five feet high. Shumaker, 
1)4 bushel to the acre. Thi9, last year, 
lodged in places. This year there is no sign 
of weakness and it is now ready to cut. 
Silver Chaff, 1)4 bushel to the acre, will 
give a far heavier yield than last year. It is 
a week behind Shumaker in ripening. It is 
4)4 feet high, the straw is strong, the heads 
heavy and it will yield at least 3U bushels to the 
acre, which, considering the splendid quality 
of its flour, makes this variety of high value 
where it thrives. Silver Chaff has never been 
winter killed here. 
Fultz, \)i bushel to the acre, is three feet 
high and ripening. The heads, as usual with 
us, are small and the yield will be less than of 
any of the kinds above named. Fultz and 
Clawson are wheats we no longer value,though 
a few years ago Clawson with us headed the 
list, as it still does with the majority of Long 
Island farmers. 
Dallas Wheat, from the Com. of Agricul¬ 
ture, completes the field and of this we shall 
speak later. 
Our special plots of wheat this year, as last, 
are at present the great attraction of this 
farm. Any body interested in wheats can 
profitably spend half a day in their examin¬ 
ation and comparison. A greater part of 
them were planted by hand, one seed nine 
inches apart each way; the rest drilled in by 
hand at the rate of a bushel or less to the acre 
—rarely more. Where land is prepared as 
these plots were half a bushel of seed to the 
acre, if eveuly drilled in, is ample. Some of 
our plots upon which the seeds were planted 
nine inches apart are as well covered as the 
best of the others receiving one bushel of seed 
to the acre, while the heads are much larger. 
In such small plots, for some reason which 
we do not understand, it is impossible to learn 
much as to the hardiness of a given wheat. 
For instance, many kinds which stood the 
trying Winter of ’30 and ’SI well, were more 
or less injured by the past mild Winter. 
Again, wheats which are perfectly hardy 
when sown or drilled in at the rate of a bushel 
or more to the acre, are often killed when the 
seeds are planted separately six inches or 
more apart. For instance, we preserved a 
few heads of Clav^on, tne largest we have 
ever seen, and planted the seeds nine by nine 
inches apart. But a single plant survived the 
Winter. Again, on one plot Black-bearded 
Centennial was planted as above on one- 
fortieth of an acre. But two poor plants are 
living. On another plot simiarly situated, at 
the rate of one bushel to ihe acre was drilled 
in. This yields heavily. We may say precisely 
the same thing as to the Rural Winter Defi¬ 
ance. With various other kinds the above is 
so nearly repeated that it is safe to say that 
wheat so thinly sown as to admit of cultiva¬ 
tion will not stand the Winters of this climate 
as well as if sown in the usual way. Doubt¬ 
less many would say that this is owing to the 
protection which each plant gives to its im¬ 
mediate neighbors. 
Heige’s Prolific and Dr. Lawes’s wheat. 
—Among our special plots there are two kinds 
which give as high a promise as to yield as 
any others. One is Heige’s Prolific. The heads 
average four inches in length, with eleven 
breasts to a side and four kernels to a breast. 
The seed wassentto us by Prof. Blount of Col¬ 
orado with whom, as we remember, it was 
raised as a Spring wheat. Another was sent 
to us hy Sir J. B. Lawes, of England, with 
whom it has yielded SO bushels to the acre, 
under the ordinary cultivation he usually 
gives. The heads he sent to us averaged 45 
kernels each, large and plump and of an am¬ 
ber color. The heads are but three inches in 
length, but they have nine breasts to a side 
and each breast or spikelet bears three to five 
seeds. It is extremely hardy, tillers amazing¬ 
ly and hence gives promise of great value as 
to productiveness. Among our special wheats, 
we can show heads eight inches long, with 
fewer grains. We shall Illustrate Dr. Lawes’s 
wheat in our Fair Number. 
Rural Cross breeds of 1881.— Little need 
be said at this time as to our cross-breeds de¬ 
rived from last Summer’s work. The most 
notable case of the offspring bearing a close 
resemblance to its father is a cross in which 
Black-bearded Centennial gave the pollen, the 
mother plant being beardless. The offspring 
would readily he chosen as the Black-bearded 
Centennial, the chief difference being thatthe 
beards are but half as long. 
Oats. —The season has been very favorable 
to oats. We have eight acres of the English 
variety raised last year, growing upon the 
field which then was the experiment corn 
field. It will be remembered that plots (1 20 
acre each) were manured differently for the 
corn. One plot received nitrate of soda; 
another phosphoric acid; another nitrogen 
and phosphoric acid; another potash, nitro¬ 
gen and phosphoric acid, &c. Then it will 
also be remembered that one measured acre 
received 600 lbs. of “corn fertilizer.” As 
stated in our report, we were curious to know 
to what extent the oats raised this year would 
show the effects of the above special manures 
applied last year. We may now say to our 
readers that., judging by the eye alone, at this 
date (July 9) there is no evidence that the oats 
are receiving any benefit from tbe chemical 
fertilizers applied to the several plots of corn 
last year, though in the future growth of the 
oats and in the yield a difference may show 
itself. 
Corn. —We have three kinds of corn thi# 
year, viz.: the Rural Thoroughbred Flint, 
Blount’s and Chester Co. Mammoth. The first 
was manured with 20 tons of farm manure to 
the acre, the seed drilled in a foot apart—the 
drills four feet apart—the field rolled after 
sowing. This field of corn looks well. The 
only objection we see to it is that the plants 
sucker too freely. 
Blount’s was planted on an old Quack sod, 
which was turned under late last Fall. The 
design was to plow it this Spring half the 
depth of the Fall plowing and to plant after 
the very best preparation by r harrowing. The 
man having this field in charge, forgetful of 
instructions, merely harrowed the field and 
then drilled in the seed. The stand was good 
enough, hut the plants during the cold, rainy 
weather of the season died off here and there 
as if the roots were squeezed to death, while 
most of the rest present a root-bound, dwarfed 
appearance, though the color is good. A 
heavy yield upon this field is now out of the 
question. 
The Chester Co. Mammoth, owing evidently 
to bad seed, is the worst of all. There is only 
half a stand, and it would be a wise course, 
perhaps, to plow it up and sow Hungarian 
Grass or some other crop that has yet time 
fully to mature. 
We have raised our best crops of wheat 
upon a firm seed bed. But corn to do well 
must have a mellow soil in which the wide- 
spreading, quick-growing roots may ramify 
and spread in all directions vyithout opposi¬ 
tion. 
Lucerne and Grasses. —Our experiment 
with Lucerne (Alfalfa) is so far a failure. It 
was thickly sown with oats in the Spring of 
1881, four bushels to the acre on one plot and 
half a bushel to the acre on another. It is 
now a foot high and in full bloom, but most 
of it was winter-killed. Our tests with Italian 
Rye Grass (2)4 bushels to the acre) and 
Orchard Grass (four bushels—12 pounds to 
the bushel) show that these grasses are less de¬ 
sirable for this farm than Timothy. Other 
farmers about us have tried Orchard Grass, 
and they tell us that except for shady places 
it can never take the place of Timothy for 
this soil and climate. 
THE AMERICAN WONDER PEA. 
[See First Page.l 
Rural Grounds, N. J. 
Five years ago, upon its introduction, we 
first tried this pea. It did not then seem to 
us to be sufficiently distinct from McLean’s 
Little Gem — the only marked difference 
appearing to be that it ripened, or rather was 
ready for the table, a few days earlier than 
that excellent variety. The singular popu¬ 
larity which it has since gained induced us 
again to try it among our pea tests of the 
present season. The seed was sown in fairly 
rich soil April 2d, beside McLean’s Little Gera 
on tbe one side and Landreth’s Extra Early 
on the other. The first picking was made 
from the Extra Early June 21st, and on June 
23d from the Wonder. The vines of tbe Extra 
Early grow four feet in higbt aud bear an 
average of seven or eight pods to a vine, the 
best of them holding eight seeds. On June 
26th, we picked 200 pods and found that they 
contained 1,202 seeds which weighedJlSounces. 
The American Wonder vines grow from six 
to 18 inches high, depending upon the situa¬ 
tion and character of the soil. In our test 
plot they grew to the average bight of one 
foot; in a neighboring garden where they 
were sown later and in poorer soil they grew 
only from six to eight inches high. There are 
often from 10 to 15 pods to a plant. The 
stems are strong needing no support.and gen¬ 
erally branch near the surface of the soil, as 
shown in our engraving, the branch bearing 
from two to four pods. The best pods hold 
from six to seven seeds, the average being not 
over five. 
On June 26th 200 pods of the Wonder were 
also picked. These gave 954 seeds which 
weighed 10 ounces. 
McLean’s Little Gem is scarcely less prolific 
than tbe Wonder. But the vinas grow taller 
under the same conditions and the variety 
seems to be about oue week later. The pods 
average fepver seeds, but the seeds average 
larger while the quality is much the same—it 
can hardly be bettter On July 1st we picked 
200 pods from the Little Gem, which shelled 
720 seeds, weighing 10)4 ounces. Thus we 
have 
Landreth's Extra Early, 
June 26.—200 pods—1202 seeds—weight 13 
ounces. 
American Wonder, 
June 26.—200 pods—954 seeds—weight 10 
ounces. 
McLean’s Little Gem. 
July 1st.—200 pods—720 seeds—weight 1Q)£ 
ounces. 
It is claimed that the American Wonder 
Pea is a cross between McLean’s Little Gem 
and the Champion of England, produced by 
Mr. Charles Arnold of Canada, Without 
meaning the slightest disrespect for Mr. 
Arnold, whom we do not know, we doubt that 
it is the result of a cross or that there is any 
case in which it is positively known that peas 
have been crossed. This subject need not be 
pursued at present. Peas are as sensitive to 
the perpetuation of changes by solectiou as 
any other plant that we have any knowledge 
of, snd faithful attention in this regard is a 
necessity on the part of the grower, or any 
given strain will become worthless or at least 
lose its distinguishing characteristics in a few 
years. The Wonder Pea gives no evidence of 
any immediate relationship to the Champion. 
It bears every resemblance to the Little Gem— 
an improved strain, in short, by a happy 
selection, by which all of the best qualities of 
the one strain are preserved in the other, 
while the advantage of a week in the time of 
ripening is added—an advantage which is 
precisely what was needed, since we have now 
quality and earliness combined. And herein 
lies the reason for the Wonder’s groat popu¬ 
larity. It may justly be classed as among 
the earliest of all peas and a9 the very earliest 
of the wrinkled kinds. There is so little dif¬ 
ference in the time of the first picking as 
between it and the smooth earliest kinds, such 
as the Philadelphia, Daniel O'Rourke, Carter’s 
First Crop, William the First, etc., that all 
who appreciate quality in peas and who raise 
them for their own table will greatly prefer 
the Wonder after a first fair trial, while it is 
a question whether it is not destined to take 
the place, in a great measure, of those old, 
smooth kinds as a market variety. 
Oi%r engraving is an exact reproduction of 
an average plant (June 26,) of the American 
Wonder Pea as here grown. We have no 
motive to exaggerate its merits—we have a 
desire only to place its real merits before our 
readers—and these are, in a word, that it is the 
best early pea in cultivation. It will be 
offered by all seedsmen next season. 
Experiment Corn Field —Our corn ex¬ 
periments are here the most interesting of 
any we have ever made. The comparative 
value of concentrated fertilizers as compared 
with farm-yard aud hen manure is strikingly 
well shown. The very poor quality of the 
natural soil and the fact that it has received 
no manure for 20 years for certain, and pos¬ 
sibly not in many more years, give the most 
favorable conditions for such tests. Of the 
five plots (one-fifth of an acre each), the chem¬ 
ical fertilizers are plainly ahead—next tbe hen, 
then the farm manure, and last, and very 
much the least, the no-manure plot We have 
already hoed and cultivated the field twice 
and do not propose that any inattention on 
our part, shall mar tbe results of this set of 
experiments which promise to show on a 
nearly barren soil—the only fair medium for 
such tests—the comparative, values of farm 
manure, hen manure and chemical fertilizers 
prepared especially for the corn plant. 
Oats on adjoining plots will in a 
measure corroborate these results. We 
wish that all of our readers could see 
the seven plots. Three of them, as already 
stated, received respectively at the rate of 
two, four an! eight hundred pounds of twenty- 
five dollar fertilizer—three, the same of a fifty- 
dollarfertilizer, and the remaining plot no fer¬ 
tilizer of any kind. Now, the fact is that 
anybody possessed of the above facts looking 
upon these plots for the first time, could with¬ 
out a miss tell how each plot was treated; 
that is, the quantity of fertilizer each plot had 
received and its price. 
Our Potatoes have made such a growth 
of vine that we fear there will be few and 
small tubers. There are over fifty kinds 
mostly new. 
Bagging, —We are now bagging a few 
bunches of each of our many kinds of grapes 
both to protect them from the all-destructive 
rose-bug just at present; from the birds two 
months hence and also to ascertain what there 
is in bagging grapes anyhow.- It is very easily 
done. Two slits are cut down in opposite 
parts of tbe bag an inch or more, so that the 
top may be folded over the arm. Then the 
opposite top of the bag between the slits is 
folded over this and pinned. A little hole Ls 
then cut in tb^ lower end of the bag as it 
hangs so as to allow water to run out. These 
bags will easily last, we are told, through the 
season. Wherever tendrils, leaves, laterals or 
other bunches interfere they must be pinched 
or cut off. We find that with a little practice 
the work may be rapidly done. 
Raspberries. —Caroline and Turner are the 
first of our raspberries to ripen. We cannot 
say too ranch in favor of the yellow Caroline. 
It is the most prolific in these grounds of any 
raspberry we have hitherto tried, and the ber¬ 
ries are of very good, through not of the best 
quality. For hardiness and productiveness 
there is no other kind superior to it, while the 
quality is too good ever to ba set up as any 
objection. The Turner, of good quality, pro¬ 
lific and everywhere the hardiest and earliest 
of its class, and the luscious Caroline which 
is all that the Turner is aud very much more 
productive, we freely and enthusiastically 
commend to all who have them not. Our 
Souxiegans turn out to be Turners, owing 
to a mistake in selection on the part of the 
Messrs. Hales, who kindly sent them here to 
be tested. What we have said regarding their 
hardiness and early blooming therefore be¬ 
longs to the Turner. 
HOVEY’S SEEDLING. 
We have received the following note from 
Mr. C. M. Hovey: 
This famous old strawberry was first intro¬ 
duced to the public in 1838, five years after it 
was raised from seed. It was soon dissemi¬ 
nated all over the country, and was awarded 
prizes from Maine to Louisiana. After culti¬ 
vation for 18 years, the Cincinnati Horticul¬ 
tural Society appointed a special committee 
to report on the varieties of strawberries tnen 
in cultivation in that vicinity, the most promi¬ 
nent of which was McAvoy’s Superior. The 
report of that committee was as follows: 
“ With regard to Hovey’s Seedling—uatil 
other berries have been properly aud com¬ 
pletely tested in the same soils and under those 
same favorable circumstances, or under the 
circumstances at least best suited to their 
particular requirements—cannot but arrive at 
the conclusion that, under all the respects in 
which they have been able to examine it, it is 
at this time one of the very best fruits of the 
kind for general, or, at any rate, for market 
cultivation; for its large size and uniform 
shape, its very good and sweet flavor when 
fully matured, its fine yield of large berries, its 
brilliant color when nearly ripe, and its deep¬ 
er shade when fully ripe, its firmness for car¬ 
riage and maintenance of form, texture and 
fine appearance for many hours after being 
gathered, its hardiness and vigor, its general 
adaptation to nearly all soils, a d its easy 
impregnation, combine to render it, in your 
Committee’s estimation, one of the most promi¬ 
nent, valuable and reliable berries in the 
country, in general cultivation, with which 
we are acquainted.” 
Signed by S. S. Jackson, 
E. J. Hooper, 
Rob’t Reilly, 
M. McWilliams. 
Cincinnati, 1856. 
