85® 
JUNE 5 
THE BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE SEEDLING PEAK—IRONS’S FAVORITE. 
This new Peat' was flret brought to tny no¬ 
tice in 1877, since, which time i have been 
watching it somewhat critically, and am happy 
to state I have yet found nothing to dissipate 
the favorable impression made on first seeing 
it. A plate of this pear on exhibition at Ihe 
annual meeting outlie New Jersey Slate Horti¬ 
cultural Society, last January, received marked 
attentiou and commendation from those pres¬ 
ent. 
Its chief points of value are its superlative 
keeping qualities, one gentleman asserting “ it 
required no more trouble to keep it than so 
many potatoes,” and its hutid tome showy ap- 
pearauce. In size uud form it is very likn the 
Bartlett, as will be seen by referring to the 
engraving below, which, while giving the 
general outline with striking accuracy, is 
rather below the usual size. In color it pos¬ 
sesses the rich golden yellow of a well ripened 
Bartlett, and although it does not ripen until 
March and April, yet, strange as it may be, it 
assumes its brilliancy of color eveu when 
hard and quite unripe. 
IRONS’S FAVORITE.— FIG. 190. 
Regarding its curly history and the growth 
of tbe tree, Mr. 11. E. Ackerson, Hazlot, New 
Jersey, an experienced and practical fruit 
grower, who has had trees Jof this Pear in fruit¬ 
ing for some years, writes “ The Pear called 
Irons’s Favorite originated on Ihe farm of 
Mr. Jaiue6 Irons, on the shore of Barnegut 
Bay. It was first discovered in a swamp near 
at hand, and was removed, when a very small 
tree, to Mr. Irons’s yard. IIow many years 
it has becu in bearing I don’t kuow ; but it is 
now a large tree and has borne as high us five 
barrels, or fifteen bushels, of fruit iu one sea¬ 
son. In growth, the tree, to 6oiuo extent, re¬ 
sembles the Bartlett, but is rather more 
spreading. The foliage is a light green, and 
remains on the tree until very lute iu the sea¬ 
son—being in this respect the most remarka¬ 
ble of auy Pear that 1 have yet seen. The 
pears are very regular iu bizc ai d arc very 
evenly distributed throughout the tree. It is 
an excellent ktvptr and requires no more care 
in haudling than au oidinary apple, and does 
not come In season until March. The tree has, 
witli me, been a hardy, healthy grower and a 
good bearer, and 1ms never shown the least 
disposition to blight. Although not of the 
best quality in flesh or llavor, I esteem it, 
tuking all things into co&sideratiou, the best 
winter pear I have ever seen." 
The principal featares of this Pear may he 
therefore summarized in the following man¬ 
ner : The tree is of free growth; an early, 
regular and prolific bearer, and thus far free 
from blight, it never having been known to 
blight at all. The fruit is of fair size, very 
handsome ami showy, and an exceedingly 
good keeper, but decidedly inferior in quality. 
Since, lamentable us it is, it Is yet a fact that 
appearance counts for much more than quality 
in the markets, I am satisfied this will prove 
a highly profitable pear to the fruit-grower; 
but eun never become popular with amateurs, 
except us u fruit for eulinnr; purposes. In 
this last regard it lias a marked resemblance 
to that prince of culinary fruits, the quince, 
and is said to approach it more closely in this 
respect than any other pear. Having never 
tested it except as a dessert fruit, I cannot 
vouch for tills; but eau testily to its resem¬ 
blance to the quiuce in the consistency of its 
flesh and, like that fruit, in its abundance of 
what is now termed, “ bouquet.” 
Little Silver, N. J. J. T. Lov ktt. 
INTRODUCTION OF PLANTS THROUGH 
COMMERCIAL AGENCIES. 
.1A NIKS UOOG. 
Apart from those who make a speciality of 
botauical studies, few persons are aware of the 
great number ot plants introduced into our 
country through the indirect agencies of com¬ 
merce, especially in the neighborhood of our 
seaport towus. Borne thirteen years ago, a 
geutleman given to botanieul investigations 
published au article ou thlsBubjeet in the Pio- 
ceediugs of the Academy of Nutural Sciences 
of Philadelphia. This drew the attention of 
other gentlemen of similar tastes to the sub¬ 
ject, aud Lists of the foreign plants they found 
iu the baliust grounds of Philadelphia and 
Pensacola, were published in the prevlous- 
natned work and in the Botanical Gazette. Iu 
1878 and 1879 several members of the Toney 
Botanical Club in this city, look up the subject 
and Investigated the various wharves, ballast 
grounds, and tillings-in of lands in the neigh- 
borhpod of this city, with some very caucus 
results. 
About the year 1808 llie Central Railroad of 
New Jersey commenced tilling In about 300 
acres of marsh land extending southwesterly 
from Jersey City to Commuuipuw. The tract 
was about three quarters of a mile in length 
and about half a mile in breadth. It was tilled 
in to about two feet above the highest tide 
level with all sorts of mateilals—sand, earth, 
gravel, ashes, cinders, garbage, city refuse, 
dredgings from the docks and such ballast 
material as could occasionally lie obtained. Iu 
1878 from the middle of May until the end of 
October it was visited by some ot the members 
of the Toney Glub every two weeks, and the 
result was that they collected sixty eight spe¬ 
lts of pluuts not Indigenous In this section, aud, 
with three or four deceptions, all natives of 
Europe, the East Indies and South America. 
Extending their explorations to other locali¬ 
ties in the neighborhood of the city, they last 
year made frequent visits to Hunter's Point, 
the Atlantic Mocks, Gowanus Creek, Hobokeu, 
Weehawken, the llarlem Flats, and the north¬ 
erly end of the Eighth Avenue, and were re¬ 
warded by bciug able to collect 190 more 
species which they were able to determine, 
making 258 species collected in two years, 
which were foreign to this section. 
Besides those which they were able to deter¬ 
mine, they also collected a number of others 
which, up to lust January, they had not been 
able to make out. The species found, were 
mainly natives of Britain, Germany, aud the 
Mediterranean regiou ; a few were from the 
West Indies, Central and South America, the 
Southern States, and one I t orn llie Cape of 
Good Hope. Iu some few eases only a single 
specimen was found, Lut several were found in 
large quantities, and evidently hud come to 
stay, if they could w ithstand the severe cold of 
our winters. 
Some of them were uninteresting weeds; un¬ 
interesting to any but botanists, except that in 
a few years they may. become pests to our 
farms and gardens. It once thoroughly estab¬ 
lished In this section, it will uot be many years 
before our cultivators will bo wondering 
whence came sumo troublesome weed, which 
they had never seen before, taking possession 
of their cultivated lauds. Some of ihem, how¬ 
ever, were plants which we cultivate iu our 
gardens and greenhouses, and others, although 
uot cultivated, were, nevertheless, plants of 
some beauty or useful in the arts or in manu¬ 
factures. 
- +■+■■* -- 
HOW TO SAVE STRAWBERRIES IN A DRY, 
HOT SEASON. 
Just as our Btrawherries began to ripen one 
season, a very violent, hot, southern wind pre¬ 
vailed, which dried up the ripening fruit and 
began to shrivel the green. Having tin abun¬ 
dance of dean, coarse, water-meadow lmy in a 
stack, wo took from this and spread It about 
three indies thick over the aim wherry bed, and 
let it lie there till the evening of the third day. 
We then raked it oil the outBido row and 
fouud the berries filled out large and full as In 
cool, calm weather. Wo picked tlio ripened 
fruit from this row, aud the next, eveniug 
raked off the hay from the second row to 
cover the first, and thus proceeded front day 
to day till rain fell and the weather became 
cooler. Then we removed all the hay from the 
bed, except what was wanted to mulch uuder 
the vines, to keep the berries clean from the 
ground. 
if the fruit of two rows were wanted, one 
for tea at evening and the other for breakfast 
the next morning, we raked off two rows, 
leaving one uncovered during tbe night, as it 
seemed all the better for getting the dew, and 
the berries were fresher and finer for picking 
iu the morning than eveu those were iu the 
evening. 
(Jleuu straw, wo presume, would have been 
just as effectual as hay, aud eitherof these, scat¬ 
tered thinly at ulghtover a bed of strawberries, 
would preserve them from frost. It would he 
prudent for those who grow only a small patch 
of strawberries for their own eating to have a 
little straw or hay on hand with which to cover 
them in ease of severe drought or frost. 
Javtn ®opus. 
WESTERN FARMING—VI. 
W. I. CHAMBERLAIN. 
Drought. 
Tuu great enemy to successful farming in 
some parts of the West is drought. Nearly all 
parts of our land are more or loss subject to it, 
but some parts of the West are peculiarly so. 
In such regions two questions become Import¬ 
ant : first, can we, as individual farmers, so 
plan tillage and crops us to counteract the 
disastrous pecuniary effects of drought ? Sec¬ 
ond, can the farmers of au extended region 
subject to drought, by concerted actiou so 
change the physical conditions and features of 
the region as to make droughts less lrequent 
and less severe ? 
The first question Is most eusily answered, 
and 1 will try to answer it by specific reference 
to a certain droughty region with which 1 am 
most familiar, and whoselessons I have learned 
to my cost. Experience is an expensive teach¬ 
er, but she teaches very thoroughly. The 
region to which I refer Is the Ohio Western 
Reserve. It lies hi the north-eastern part of 
Ohio, aud is about 125 miles long, east and 
west, by about 50 miles wide, north uud south. 
Most of the soil is clayey except near the riv¬ 
ers and creeks, aud dairying has very lurgely 
predominated in its agriculture, and as pur¬ 
sued here has, 1 doubt not, increased our 
liability to severe droughts ; aud 1 believe 
and shall try to show in auother article, that 
a genurul concerted change iu our style of 
agriculture will greatly diminish their frequen¬ 
cy and severity. But such general chango is 
difficult to secure, aud it therefore becomes 
the individual furuier to shape liis owu farm¬ 
ing to the existing state of things. We have 
been badly pinched again and again, and sure¬ 
ly ought to learn wisdom. Probably three 
yeais out of Hour we have quite a Ecvere 
May drought. Sometimes it begins by the mid¬ 
dle of April and extends till alter June 1st. 
The lake, especially after a severe winter, 
when the iee is slow in thawing, is cooler than 
the adjacent land, and prevailing uorth winds 
are the rule. And north winds are not the rain- 
bearers here, Lu May at least. By about Juue 
the first, other more complicated meteorologi¬ 
cal causes chauge the prevailing.currents, and 
we usually have more or less abuudant rains, 
but about one year iu four or five our soil be¬ 
comes so hot and dry it seems impossible for the 
rain to condense above it and fall upon It, any 
more than on Sahara, and the terrible drought 
lasts till September; aud uuless the Juuo 
rains are very copious, eveu in years when 
they come, our old meadows cannot recover 
and give a heavy crop of hay. And so about 
One year in three there is great scarcity of 
hay and pasturage, and dairymen see bard 
times, and hundreds of cows are sold at ruin¬ 
ous prices to shrewder men from other coun¬ 
ties or States. This has occurred again and 
again. 
Is there any need of It? It seems to me 
not. Like eauses produce like effects, aud 
hence there is considerable uniformity in the 
matter from year to year, and wo eau plan 
accordingly. Ab lor hay, there is no trouble 
if we will but plow and seed properly. But 
lUtle plowing has boeu done here till recently. 
The farms have bccu divided between perma¬ 
nent pasture and permanent meadow, if rains 
are abundant and regular, week by week, feed, 
too, is abundant—if not, uot. But, uow, if 
we have good clover tields, tbe April rains 
push the clover so that it covers the ground 
and grows well till the Juno raius give It a 
sufficient rankness at time of blossoming. 
And if cut early on rich grouud, the Juue and 
early July rains insure a heavy second crop. 
On rich ground, I say, for richness Is In part a 
substitute for moisture. 
Another means of securing abundaut hay for 
winter is to sow Hungarian grass. But this 
requires skill and care in advance of sowing. 
The ground must be plowed early, say iu 
April, while moi6t enough, and cultivated 
often enough to keep it well pulverized and 
mellow aud moist. Then if even a light rain 
comes early In June, and the seed is promptly 
sown and brushed in with a smoothing har¬ 
row, and the ground “firmed'’ with the roller, 
the crop is almost sure on tleh grouud. It 
comes up in less than a week, aud lu two 
weeks more it shades the ground, If rich, and 
its roots get so good a hold on the turf or 
manure below, that there is sure to be a crop. 
If the pastures become too short, the Uow of 
milk in August can be kept up by “half-soil¬ 
ing;” that is, by stabling the cows at night 
and feeding Hungarian grass or fodder corn 
or second crop clover. The individual farmer 
can even make money out of our droughts, 
too, by the sale of hay wisely kept over from 
years of plenty, or by buying cows very low 
in fall and wintering to sell ut u brisk advance 
in spring, or by wintering cows at so much 
per head for liis less provident neighbors. He 
can, too, raise wheut aud corn, the two erops 
least damaged by May and August droughts. 
Such are specimens of the means by which 
the shrewd Individual farmer may prevent 
for himself the disastrous pecuniary conse¬ 
quences of drought, aud even make it put 
money lu his pocket. 
But is It possible by concerted action so to 
change the physical conditions of the Western 
Reserve, for Instance, as to make droughts 
actually less frequent aud less severe. This 
must be answered iu unother number. 
INDIAN CORN AS A STARCH CROP. 
IKOFR9SOR F. U. STOKER. 
It is interesting to note from time to time 
how easily ludian eoru retains Us supremacy 
among American field erops uud how widely 
aud in what varied directions its influence is 
felt. The comparatively recent extended use 
of corn as a commercial source ot starch, and 
of glucose, shows perhaps more clearly thau 
anything else the merit of the crop, and serves 
to define with a considerable degree of preci¬ 
sion the place and standing of corn as com¬ 
pared with the other products of American 
agriculture. 
it is not many years since the potato was ex¬ 
tolled as capable of producing, upon a given 
area of land, more nutritive matter thau auy 
other crop; but, as analysis shows, the merit 
of the potato is In great part due to the sturch 
which is contained In It in largo proportion. 
Yet the statistics of American eommoreo show 
that, considered as a sort of merchantable 
starch (and glucose), corn has become much 
more important than the potato, lu a word, 
the potato, when put in competition with maize, 
has failed to justify itself at the very poiul 
where the natural superiority of the potato 
would have seemed to be the strongest. It may 
be said, iu passlug, that the old notion of the 
superiority of the potato among nutritive erops 
was disproved years ago, and in uo way more 
clearly than by the “hog-crop” of America, 
which, as every one knows, could not possibly 
be produced by potatoes alone, though readily 
raised upon corn. 
It is true enough that the potato has for mauy 
years suffered more or less from disease and 
has been greatly discredited on account of its 
liability to the attacks of the rot-fungus, to say 
nothing ot the Colorado becllo, bnt these consid¬ 
erations make it appear only the more clearly 
that the failure of the poluio to hold way 
with maize must be due to Us real inferior¬ 
ity as a crop, under the conditions of soil, 
labor, and climate, which obtain iu this coun¬ 
try. Tbe yearly production of mUJious of 
pounds of starch and of glucose, from In¬ 
dian eoru; and the constantly increasing con¬ 
sumption and export of these products point 
clearly to the conclusion that as a source 
of these materials the potato has been beateu 
iu the race. It Is true, <>f course, that a grout 
deal of potato starch continues to be made lu 
some parts of the country. Indeed, potato 
starch is even now quoted in the market re¬ 
ports as Belling for a cent more per pound than 
corn starch, aud there is little doubt that for 
some particular purposes It is better suited than 
the other kinds of starch. Potato starch still 
profits, withal, to a certaiu extent from its old 
reputation, and from the fact that it (and not 
corn starch) Is specified to bo used lu inuuy re¬ 
ceipts employed iu household economy aud by 
manufacturers. But for the great general 
uses to which starch is put, and notably for 
making glucose aud “corn sirup," the product 
obtained from eoru stauds pre-eminent. 
All this, like the current export of cattle and 
grain to Europe, marks one particular phase 
of American agriculture. It Is one mote Item, 
among mauy, going to prove the immediate 
advantage of onr system cl "extensive " farm¬ 
ing. That is to say, the system of growing 
small crops at little cost. 
It Is uot at all unlikely that, e veu witb a ell- 
mate like ours, the potato might hold Its own 
against maize as ft starch-producing crop, lu 
countries where high farming Is practiced , for 
as much starch eau be got out of 250 bushels 
of potatoes as from 80 bushels of corn; aud, 
tuking one vear w ith auother, it would be easi¬ 
er ou the whole lo raise 250 bushels of potatoes 
to the acre thau 80 bushels of eoru, uud easier 
still to Increase lids yield of potuoea thau to 
increase this yield of eoru. It is true, in fact, 
that in Genu my large quantities of starch and 
of glucose are made every your from potatoes, 
although corn succeeds well enough in the 
southern parts of that country, and admirably 
in mauy parts of Austria aud Italy. But hero 
