menced improving this corn, it required 156 
days to mature it. It now ripens in 120, and 
some season* in less. I am indeed glad that 
Dr. Chamberlin and the other prize-takers of 
the Rural have made such large yields. They 
are much larger than I myself have ever beeu 
able to make. The fact is, the point I have had 
constantly in view was, not to make large 
yields on a given space with a cerfain quantity 
of seed, but the largest quantity on the single 
stalk and from the general crop, to improve 
the grain in quality, to lessen the cob, to make 
the stover loss in proportion to the grain, and 
finer, to shorten the time of its maturity and 
adapt it to any climate and soil as well as to 
all localities. 
In my endeavors to accomplish these things, 
I have made many notes, among which I find 
that m 1874 I shelled from the ears that grew 
on 611 of the best stalks selected from a meas¬ 
ured acre, 784 pouuds, or 14 bushels. In 1875, 
from picked stalks taken from an acre, I shelled 
176 pounds, or 8 1-7 bushels. The largest yield 
of grain, the sameyear, from a single stalk, was 
60& ounces. All these experiments were made 
on upland clay soil without a single pound of 
any commercial fertilizer whatever. Ou each 
acrelput20 two-horse loads of home-made com¬ 
post, two years old, aud uotbiug more. My 
general crop of 10 acres after 1874, never 
yielded less, on an average, than 70 bushels, 
and more than 96, at a cost of only 13 cents per 
bushel. My experimental grain cost 22 cents 
during four successive years. 
I have no suggestions to make about fertil¬ 
izers further than that composts made up of 
material to which corn—both grain and fodder 
—can be reduced in various ways, are best for 
it aud will effect better results thau the inten¬ 
sive forcing system many adopt in the use of 
highly eouceutratcd fertilizers. Those soils 
that contain large deposits of alluvial matter— 
6uch as are found on river bottoms and prairie 
lands—have a tendency to make corn sucker. 
The fact is, such soils give corn an overdose of 
stalk food aud sacrifice the grain. Upland 
soils are better for wheat as well as corn so far 
as the making of grain is coueerncd, unless the 
farmer can apply some neutralizing elements 
to reduce the alluvial. Dr. Chamberlin was 
right in removing the suckers, and 1 hope he 
aud oil corn raisers will do the 6ame until they 
are able to dilate their fertilizers sufficiently 
so that the suckers will not appear. I have 
been improving this corn for over nine years, 
and it has never borne a sucker over a foot high 
until this season, when I pluuted on prairie 
soil. I have beeu planting it on uplaud soils 
with clay subsoil iu hills 3x4 feet, leaving but 
one stalk iu the hill, and always Ubing level 
culture. I hope those who wish to keep this 
corn for their field crop will take a little pains 
to keep up its standard, Like all corn and 
other improved seed, it will degeuerate or 
relapse aud iu a low years the fodder will be as 
coarse, the stalks as sterile or infertile and the 
period of its maturity as long ua when I com¬ 
menced improving it. 
The top ear only of those stalks that rlpeu 
first and ure most uniform, should be used for 
seed. These should always bo selected in the 
field before the crop is ripe, and cut and 
shocked aloue, when the husk Is fairly dead 
aud tho grain well glazed. To keep my seed 
genuine aud free from being impregnated by 
the pollen of foreigu varieties and sterile stalks, 
I cover with muslin 200 or 800 ears, just before 
they silk, and when the tassel aud silks are 
ready, I remove the muslin, put the pollen of 
the selected stalks upon the silks and re-cover 
them. This iusures genuine seed, a fully devel¬ 
oped ear iii every case aud much better graiu. 
Agricultural College, Fore colllns, Col. 
than the supply. Seed is generally worth in 
the market here from $1 to $2 per bushel. 
We grow mainly the Black Running, a late 
and profitable variety which keeps well, but 
is objectionable as it pulls down the corn, run¬ 
ning to the top of the stalks and down again, 
completely matting the ground. We also 
have a black pea, like the “ Claybank," which 
runs very little in ordinary seasons and on 
thin land. The speckled, or Whip-Poor-Will, 
is the earliest. Two crops may be raised in 
one season if planted in May or Juno. The 
above are all valuable varieties and will keep 
until eaten up by stock. Hogs generally are 
fattened on peas, with very little corn for a few 
weeks to improve the pork before killing time. 
Gibson Co., Tenn. n. b. p. 
graft fruited, but the fruit was neither like 
Aston Town nor Beurre Clairgeau but in¬ 
termediate between the two. as shown in fig¬ 
ure 74. A twig of the Aston Town e(o?k bore 
fruit the outline of which is seen in figure 75 
a Beurre Clairgeau of the tree from which the 
sprinkling with a mixture of kerosene and 
water, will not bill even our tender house 
plants, though I would not recommend In such 
cases the heroic treatment I gave my Pbyllo- 
dium. In the case of bark lice on trees, such 
as infest our fruit trees and perhaps our 
Maples, I think the application of kerosene 
would be of great advantage, but the mode of 
application should depend upon where it is 
to be applied. If to the tender leaves, then it 
should be mixed with water and some form of 
sprinkler be used; for covering the surface of a 
growing leaf checks for a time the growth of 
that part of the plant, probably because of 
stopping the pores and thereby stopping 
respiration. If, however, the wish is to <t«- 
1NFLUENCE OF THE STOCK UPON THE 
GRAFT. 
All pomologists are agreed that frequently 
the stock exerts an influence upon the graft, 
which tends to vary its habit of growth, as 
well as the size, color and qua! ty of the fruit. 
It Is, indeed, upon this principle of variation 
that the Paradise stock is chosen for the Ap¬ 
ple, and the Quince stock for the Pear when 
these are desired to produce a dwarfed growth. 
ASTON TOWN.—FIG. 75. 
cion was taken is represented in figure 73. The 
graft hybrid possesses as much of the charac¬ 
teristics belonging to the stock as those of pecu¬ 
liar to the graft, or more, aud the variation 
extends even to the form of the seeds. 
Trapping the Codling-Moih. 
Last season I used bands upon my apple trees 
to trap the codling-moth, and the result was 
nineteen larvae were caught from 75 trees, ia 
the course of the summer. Cotton flannel was 
used-strips about four inches wide folded once, 
making them two Inches wide when on the 
trees, with the rongh edges downward, and the 
soft side next to the bark, put on rather loose. 
Will some oue tell me what was the cause of 
my failure ? The apples were usually wormy, 
but my loss in this direction has never been 
very severe. These bands are so often rpf'nm- 
BAEK LICE AND KEROSENE, 
G. D. FRENCH 
As the expediency of using kerosene to de¬ 
stroy insects on growing plants is by many a 
doubtful one, I wish to give here some of 
my experience and the conclusions I would 
draw from that experience. Among my house 
plants, I have had for several year# a 
semi-shrubby x>lant known here as Ladder 
Fern, but which, I think, is a species of 
Phyllodlum. During the summer of 1878 it 
was, with others, set out iu the yard where it 
became covered with bark lice—a species of 
either Lecanium or Coccus. When taken into 
the house, soap suds aud carbolic acid solu¬ 
tion and baud picking were resorted to, 
but the only effect was to lessen the numbers, 
coming far short of extermination. Last sum¬ 
mer the plant was again transferred to the 
yard, 60 weakened by the lice that but few 
leaves remained, the principal office of the 
leaves being performed by the broad green 
stems. While in this condition, I sprinkled 
it on an average of twice a week for a 
few weeks with water into which I had 
poured a tcaspoonful or more of kerosene. 
As a result of this I noticed that all the lice 
ou the tops of the stems and leaves, or wherc- 
cver the kerosene touched them, wore dead, 
and the plant putting out uew leaves. Where 
the mixture had not touched, there were yet 
plenty of lice and upon stopping the applica¬ 
tion they began to spread. I next took a 
small brush, such as is used in marking 
freight, and painted the under side of several 
of the broad stems and oue of the several 
main stalks with clear kerosene. 
BEURRE CLAIRGEAU.—FIG. 73. 
The limits of this influence are undetermined, 
at least as far as the quality of the fruit is con¬ 
cerned. Nor is it known with certainty wbat 
is the real cause or why some stocks influence 
the graft more than others, or what cauecs 
this influence to bo more strongly rnaiked iu 
some cases than in others in the same varie¬ 
ties. But it is supposed that plants to a cer¬ 
tain extent conform to the eaiuelaws that gov¬ 
ern progenlture in the breeding ofauimals; 
the more Used a species or variety has be¬ 
come by being propagated iu a direct line for 
a long time, the greater will be its power to 
stamp its characteristics upon other and less 
fixed varieties wheu united with them, whether 
DEVICES FOR EVAPORATING FRUIT. 
^ ARtotJS methods and devices for evapora¬ 
ting fruit have beeu employed, all having one 
common object—to remove the natural juices 
in the shortest possible time, so as to prevent 
surface decomposition and consequent deeol- 
orization, which can be removed only by the 
use of sulphurous acid or chlorine. To effect 
this object, all the principal evaporators have 
adopted one or other of the following four 
principles :— 
1. The first method introduces the fruit into 
a humid atmosphere at the top of a vertical 
hot-air chamber, and, as It becomes heated, 
causes it to descend by machinery & few inches 
at a time, until it reaches the heating apparatus 
at the bottom of the trunk or ehumber. Every 
time one hurdle is lowered, another is Intro¬ 
duced above it. and so on until it comes out at 
the bottom dried. This is not philosophical 
evaporation. 
2, A second method is to lay tho fruit ou 
endless, horizontal or iuelined carriers. The 
heat is applied when the fruit is Introduced, 
while a blower is stationed at the other or 
“wrong" end- This device, as might have 
been expected by a philosophical mind, haa 
not been a great success, nor has it become a 
favorite. 
S. The third device starts philosophically, 
but ends in an unphilosophical manner. The 
fruit is introduced, immediately over the heat¬ 
ing apparatus, into a vertical hot-air chamber 
from twelve to thirty feet high, and going up 
oue side of the chamber returns on the other 
back to the place where it was introduced, the 
trays all the time maintaining their horizontal 
position ou tho principle of the revolving 
6wiug. This is convenient. 
4. In the fourth and last device, the fruit la 
introduced, immediately over the heat, Into a 
vertical hot-air chamber of greater or less 
bight, aud is taken out at the top. While this 
device is not as convenient as the last to oper¬ 
ate, it is more philosophical and if neither 
used sulphur or chlorine for bleaching, it 
would make lighter-colored fruit in the same 
I did not 
kuow but this would kill the plant, but it only 
killed the bugs, leaving the plant after a few 
days to grow more vigorously. By these ap¬ 
plications I succeeded, as I thought, iu killing 
all the lice before it was time to transfer the 
plant to the house in the fall, but after a few 
weeks I noticed there were still a few left. 
My next experiment was to fill a vessel with 
water and pour on kerosene enough to make 
a complete coveriug over the top. Taking the 
part containingthe pJaut, 1 turned it bottom- 
side-up and completely immersed tho top 
in this preparation, leaving, when I took ic 
out, a film of kerosene over the whole plant 
as well as much running dowu the stalk* upon 
the upper part of the roots. This checked 
the growth of tho plant for several weeks, 
indeed was a severe test of the effects of ker¬ 
osene on vegetation, but it killed all the lice 
and the plant Is now growing again. 
At the same time that I treated the Phyllo- 
diurn to the kerosene bath, I had a Cape Ivy, 
a variety of the German Ivy, that had a few 
green aphides ou tho growing end. I immersed 
the end of this, far enough down to include 
all the part covered with lice. It checked the 
growth for a couple of weeks perhaps, but did 
not kill the youug leaves that were just com- 
iug out, as they expauded with others wheu 
the plaut resumed its growth. In making the 
above experiments I had two objects In view— 
to kill the lice and to see just how the kero¬ 
sene affected tho plants. That it will kill plant 
liec wherever itcau be applied to them, there ia 
no doubt, whether it be the bark lice or the aph¬ 
ides or those that make galls in tho leaves. 
I think from my expeiimeuts I am safe in as¬ 
suming that a moderate application, such as 
THE COW P^. IN TENNESSEE 
This is a valuable crop for hogs and all 
other kinds of 8tock, also for hay or soiling 
and enriching worn lauds. I heartily indorse 
what our North Carolina friends say of 
it. For years it has beeu called “the 
clover of the South." Iu West Tennessee 
It grows to perfection. We could not well 
get along without it. Nothing else that causes 
Bolittlu trouble or expense is so profitable. All 
our best farmers plaut at least as many hills 
of peas as of corn. Sown broadcast after 
wheat harvest—with us from 1st to middle of 
June—tons of pea-viue hay are made, equal if 
not superior to clover hay. Cow peas will 
grow where no other crop cau be raised to 
profit, and they are one of the best fertilizers 
and the cheapest we kuow of. They may be 
grown with eorn—they generally are with us— 
plauted iu the drill, or about the last plowing, 
between the rows, and they are often sown 
broadcast Avhcu laying by the corn. Ou 
good land aud iu a favorable season the peas 
are almost cquul iu value to the com crop. 
Stock are turned ou the land as soou as the 
corn is gathered—very frequently before we 
have frost to damage the vines. Enough seed 
for planting is picked when ripe—say oue 
bushel for six acres in the hill, or about two 
to three bushels per acre if sown broadcast. 
Iu this cotton region fanners neglect saviug 
seed sometimes, and the demand is greater 
GRAFT I1TBRID.—FIG. 74. 
the union takes place by grafting or through 
the more Intimate connection of fertilization. 
Wc present hero a very marked and curious 
lnstauce of tho Influence of the stock upon the 
graft, the illustrations of which have beeu re¬ 
drawn from the Gardeners' Chronicle. Ayoung 
tree of the Aston Town Pear which proved 
unproductive, was cut back aud grafted with 
cions from Beurrii Clairgeau. In due time the 
