DEC 2 
a 
849 
A Grand Treat For The 
Ladies. 
THE RURAL. MIXED GARDEN. 
A Treasure of the finest strains. 
Fifty different kinds of hardy shrubs ; of 
hardy perennial and annual seeds 
mixed in one packet. 
The Perfection Watermelon. 
All who have tested it say that in quality it 
is not equaled by any other kind. 
Flesh, a deep scarlet nearly 
joining the rind—very 
sweet and melting. 
Shapely, Early, Heavy. Productive, 
UelSciowK- 
The Black-bearded Centennial. 
This giant among wheats was first sown at 
the Rural Farm four years ago in the Fall 
and has been sown in the Fall every year. 
Only the largest heads and those first to ripen 
have been saved for seed. The past season it 
was harvested July 18, rip-ning only a few 
days after Clawson. The Bltcb-bearded Cen¬ 
tennial wheat which we shall Bend to sub¬ 
scribers was not raised at the Rural Faun but 
on the lands of the Colorado Ag. College, at 
Fort Collins. Last year the Rural offered 
prizes for the beBt five heads of wheat of any 
kind. Not less than 500 lots of five heads 
each were sent to this office and Prof. Blount 
of the above college drew the first premium 
with this wheat. The number of breasts of 
the average head was 27; the average number 
of grains 104 and the weight of kernels per 
head was 107 grains. It is not as yet grown 
anywhere in large quantities and has never 
as yet been offered for sale by seedsmen. 
Prof. Blount sowed this wheat by droppiug 
single kernels 18 inches apart. The yield last 
year was 58 bushels to the acrtf. Prof. B. 
writes us under date of August 1,1882: ‘‘It 
is the most fascinating wheat I ever grew. 
Everybody wants it, and is willing to pay an 
immense price for it merely as a curiosity. I 
am offered onedullar per pound in small quan 
tities right here—100 heads go quickly for $L 
The flouring properties are not yet known. 
The analysis shows it to be medium. It is best 
here when sown in the Spring, In the West- 
ern part of Maryland the Black bearded Cen¬ 
tennial has done well, and I think it will do well 
in dry sections and mountainous regions.” 
Mr. J. J. Thomas says: 
“ The leaves are thick, distinctly lobed, and 
hang long on the vine. The bunches often 
measure six inches long; they are compact, 
uniform and handsome; bemdes three-fourths 
of an inch in diameter, light greenish yellow, 
ripening about as early as Hartford. They 
are. much superior in quality to Concord. 
The rigor, productiveness and healthiness 
of the vine, the size and beauty of the fruit, 
and the facility with which it may be shipped, 
present an unusual combination of valuable 
qualities for market .” 
Chas. A Green says: “ Its vigor, produc¬ 
tiveness and beauty are iisstrong points. The 
“ Niagara ” grape overshadows all other new 
white grapes as completely as the great Falls 
bearing the same name, overshadow other 
like natural scenery .” 
The Niagara originated at Lockport, N. Y., 
and thus far the least that can be said of it is 
that it promises to be among white grapes 
what the Concord has long been among black 
grapes. It promises to be the 
Whit* Grape for the Million. 
Mr. Wo dward tells us that a one-year-old 
vine set in the Spring of 1778, produced 25 fine 
clusters in the Summer of 1879, and bore in 
1880, 57 clusters, and in 1882 a larger crop. A 
four-year-old vine bore in 1881, 140 clusters. 
It is claimed that it is freer from the atr 
tacks of phylloxera than any other, never 
having been injured. The vine is a remarkably 
strong grower, very hardy and has never 
shown the least symptoms of disease. The 
engraving is from life, showing a bunch as 
grown at the Rural Farm in the second year 
of the vine’s fruiting. 
Our readers will none of them take for 
granted that seedlings from the Niagara will 
produce Niagaras, any more than saeds of the 
Seckel Pear will reproduce that excellent 
variety. We guarantee the seeds we send out 
to be those of the Niagara—everyone—that is 
all. Great as has been the improvement in 
our native grapes during the past 15 years, it 
may well be supposed that we are only fairly 
started upon the improvement of which our 
native grapes a re capable. The dissemination 
of these seeds through the Rural New- 
Yorker will, it is quite reasonable to sup 
pose, result in the raising and cultivation of 
several hundreds of thousands of seedling 
vines throughout the country, and from these, 
children of. so grand a parent, we may hope 
for grand results. It may be well to remark 
that all may raise vines from good, fresh 
seeds as easily as they raise tomato plants, ex¬ 
cept that the grape requires a longer time to 
germinate. The best way is to sow the seeds 
in pots in early February and to thump them 
out in the open ground in J une. The care of 
the young seedlings' Is then the same as of 
other young graps-vines. The Rural New- 
Yorker proposes in due time to offer prizes 
for the best varieties of grapes springing from 
this seed, while many of the best as well as 
the prize taking seedlings will unquestionably 
command a generous price in the market. We 
hope that every Rural subscriber will heart¬ 
ily enter this contest of improving the 
American grape. 
The Blush Potato. 
This was tried at the Rural Farm in 1880, 
also the past season. In 1880 it was tested, 
beside 14 other new kinds. It was the only 
variety that did not materially suffer from 
the drought and it yielded more than any two 
others put together. The pest season we rawed 
it in quantity beside the White Elephant and 
B auty of Hebron, and it outyielded either. 
Jt seems to be remarkably adapted to a dry 
season. 
The tubers ‘are of medium size and singu¬ 
larly uniform—rarely growing very large 
and yielding very few small ones. The por- 
For the Gadies— Rural Mixed 
Garden Treasures. 
This collection has been made up for the 
most part of the seeds of the most desirable 
plants growing at the Rural Grounds. The 
rest have been purchased to make up the de¬ 
sired quantity. We can assure our lady 
readers that, mindful of having neglected 
them in our last regular seed distribution, 
we shall endeavor to make amends in this. 
Among the kinds are the following: 
1 Mi SELICTION. 
For our first Seed distribution for 1883. 
The Giant Wheat, 
BLACK-BEARDED CENTENNIAL 
e hundred and four kernels to a selected 
head— weight 107 grains. For sowing 
either in the Fall or W inter 
according to climate. 
Everybody wants it and is willing to pay an 
immense price for it merely as a curios¬ 
ity. Fifty-eight bushels to the acre— 
single seeds 18 inches apart.” 
Professor A. E. Blount, 
Col. St. College. 
EDS or THE GREAT 
NIAGARA GRAPE. 
THE WHITE GRAPE TOR THE 
MILLION. 
The Niagara Grape overshadows all other 
new white grapes os completely as the 
great Falls bearing the same name 
overshadow other like natural 
scenery 
” C. A. Green. 
LURAL New-Yorker premiums for the best 
varieties produced from this seed, 
et all Rural readers enter the contest and let the 
Rural Nkw-Yobker he the Indirect means and 
Its readers the direct m-ans of a new era In 
Krape culture ! It wit) be worth millions to 
the Orape ludustry of America. 
he Blush Potato. 
drought-resisting intermediate variety 
surpassed in quality — in keeping 
ualitiks and, s*> far as tested, in 
YIELD. 
We know of its having done well, so far as 
it could be tested in very small lots, in many 
different parts of the Eastern and Western 
Middle 8tatee. Our portrait is from a speci¬ 
men sent by Prof. Blount, though we have 
many heads raised at the Rural Farm fully 
as large though the grain is smaller, which 
may be seen at the Rural office. It is heavily 
bearded as it matures. But later the beards 
turn dark-colored and many drop off, leaving 
the head beardless, os shown. The beards of 
some heads, however, do not change color. 
A small envelop of this seed, (B. b. Cen¬ 
tennial) will be sent in our Seed Distribution 
to all applicants. In Soring wheat sections it 
should be sown as a Spring wheat—in many 
Winter-wheat sections, as at the Rural Farm, 
it will unquestionably thrive as a Winter 
wheat. The seed we send out is much shriveled 
owing to a failure on the part of the farm 
managers of the agricultural college to irri¬ 
gate at the right time. We guarantee it, 
however, to be pure Black-bearded Centennial 
and that it will all germinate. 
SEEDS OF THE NIAGARA GRAPE. 
This remarkable white grape cannot be pur¬ 
chased or procured at present, except on spe 
cial terms. Vineyards, under the control of 
the owners, have been planted in 12 States 
and in Canada in order to test it—payment 
being made contingent on one-half the net 
sales of the fruit. 
Dr. F. M. Hexamer says of it: With the 
Niagara the long felt want of a hardy, 
purely native white grape seems to be sup¬ 
plied. It is the greatest step in advance since 
the Delaware. 
The Rural’s New Drought resisting Potato —Blush.—F ig. 418. 
trait shows the characteristic shape. The 
vines bear small leaves and the stems are 
notable for their branching habit and slen¬ 
derness. They seldom bloom profusely and in 
field culture occupy less space than most 
other kinds. The potato is of the very first 
quality. The skin is white, sometimes in¬ 
clined to pink except at the seed end where it 
I assumes a deeper color from which the name 
of Blush was suggested to the originator. 
The Rural Nkw-Yorkeu has disseminated 
the Beauty of Hebron for early ; the White 
Elephant for late, and now offers the Blush 
j for an intermediate to complete the set. This 
will, we believe, be found to possess distinct 
qualities that will in some respects render it 
] more valuable than either of its associates. 
The Persian Insecticide Plant.— Pyre- 
thrum roseum—from plants growing in the 
Rural Grounds. The colors range from bright 
crimson to rose and white, blooming from 
May until July. One of the most beautiful of 
hardy herbaceous perennials. 
Imperial Poppy —immense flame-colored 
flowers jet black at the bottom. Hardy. 
Geranium Sanguineum. A true geranium 
—perfectly hardy. Flowers rosy-purple and 
borne in great numbers from May until Sep¬ 
tember. 
The Black-bearded Centennial Wheat.— 
From Nature —Fig. 449. 
Erianthus Raveunae and Eulalia Japonica, 
the handsomest of the hardy ornamental 
grasses; Yucca filamentosa, the finest of 
broad-leaved hardy evergreens; Double flow¬ 
ering Hibiscus; the finest of the improved 
annuals and perennials, etc., etc. 
One packet of these mixed seeds will be 
sent to each applicant, so that all may have 
a bed of mixed flowers. It is best that these 
seeds should all be sown in a cold-frame or 
glass-covered box, and that ample space be 
given so that every one may be transplanted 
without interfering with its neighbors, since 
the seeds of so varied a collection cannot be 
expected to germinate at the same time. 
We are taking great pains to gather this col¬ 
lection of seeds and we hope that our lady 
readers will give them the care of which they 
will be found to be fully deserving. 
The Perfection Watermelon. 
It is thought by all who have fairly tested 
this watermelon that it is in quality perfect. 
The white rind or flesh is often no more than 
a quarter-inch thick. The edible flesh is a 
deep red, melting,very sweet, tender and de¬ 
licious. Those who can raise this melon will 
find that others eaten at the same time are 
comparatively insipid. 
