A'/' Y 
Vo l. XLIII. No. 1805 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 30, 1884 
PRICK FIVE CENTS. 
$2.00 PKR YEAR. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress. In the year 1884. by the Rural New-Vorfcer In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
that the grain is not so thick and is a little 
lighter in color. The stems are not so thick, 
and are of a straw or golden color. 
Pig. 307 has white chaff, a dark-colored 
grain scarcely larger than rye, and most 
of the heads are partially sterile. Fig. 
338 is beardless, and closely resembles the 
mother plant. Fig. 839 is a distinct grain, it 
is neither wheat nor rye, nud as different from 
either as wheat is from rye, or rye from 
wheat. The portrait is true, except that the 
beards are nearly twice as long as shown. 
There were 10 heads to tho plant, which bore 
but 19 kernels altogether, the two largest of 
which aro shown iu the engraving. The 
othera were about half the size of tho smaller, 
and it is doubtful if they will grow. The 
stems resemble those of rye, except in color, 
having the whitish down near the head, which 
never appears in wheat. 
The other four plants bore heads that so near¬ 
ly resemble one or the other of those illustrated, 
that a separate description is unnecessary. 
What do they promise? If the hybrids give 
us a grain loss valuable than rye or wheat 
nothing will be gained in this case, except 
the curious fact that a cross between two dif¬ 
ferent genera of grain is possible. Tilts 
established, however, the way is opened for 
further hybridization, the pregnant results of 
which cau only he guessed at. Weshall plant 
this hybrid grain very carefully one kernel, 
every foot each way, hoping than another soa- 
sou may develop n grain with characteristics 
which so combine tho best qualities of both 
wheat and rye os to make it worthy of propa¬ 
gation and general trial. 
quired, since tho plants meet boforethe weeds 
start. Tho soil is never hillud-up about the 
plants, but kept at the same level over tho 
entire plot. In testing new potatoes hero, our 
object is to ascertain their quality, growth of 
vine, time of maturity and tho greatest yield 
of which they arc capable in a rich soil specially 
prepared for them. 
Vnut's Extra Early.— The claim is made 
for this that it is the earl lest potato in cultiva¬ 
tion, and of excellent quality. It was sold 
for $2 a pound last season by James 
Vick, of Rochester, N. Y„ of whom 
we received the seed. it was planted 
April 7. The vines were bushy and 
low. They began to die July 10, and the 
tubers wore dug July 80. The .yield was at 
tho rate of 870.55 bushels to tho acre. Among 
the best, five weighed ono pound three 
ounces. They averaged 18% to u hill, and 37 
percent, were of marketable size. The.shape, 
as shown iu our true portrait (Fig. 340) is a 
roundish-oval, flattened. . The skiu is white 
and smooth, oftou russoted; the eyes are nearly 
upon tho surface, and the form and appoar- 
ance of tho potato may bo said to bo perfect. 
Ou this account, smaller potatoes were allowed 
among tho “marketable” than would other¬ 
wise have been the case. 
Pbarl ok .Savoy; Fig. 341.— Planted the 
same morning. 
This was the first 
to sprout—the first 
to bloom. The fo- 
1 i a g e was wido 
spreading, and be¬ 
gun to dio July 16. 
The seed was badly 
• sprouted when 
\ \ planted. That of 
\ \ Vick’s was per- 
\ \ fectly preserved. 
J \ \ The tubers were 
/ \ \ dug July 39, The 
/ \ \ yield was at the 
\ \ rate of 099.09 bush- 
\ \ u 1 els to the 
Experiment (Srounrt.st ot the ^urnl 
3teu?-^orher. 
jri&v hybrid between rye and wheat 
was little to have been thought 
of, aud our experiment was 
made with scarcely any hope 
of> MK ‘ cess - We selected u head 
of Armstrong Wheat (see Fig. 
'"33) for the mother, because it 
> s tt beardless, hardy, prolific 
KHIr variety—as much so as any of 
ifr the 250 kinds we have tested, 
JIF unless it may he the Diehl- 
JIL Mediterranean. The anthers 
4|| were removed while they were 
M perfectly green, and the head 
J was covered for several days, 
fT when pollen from rye (Fig. 334) 
was applied to tho stigmas. 
This was repeated tho next day, and the next, 
the head being again covered after each oper¬ 
ation. Ten graius formed and wero planted 
September 20, ubout a foot apart aud nine 
germinated, pass- i 
ed safely through \ I 
the Winter, and \ / 
matured, some be- \ ( 
ing early,some me- \ I l 
dium, some late. \ I 1 
There was no per- \ / l 
cepttblo difference l iW\/ . \ 
in the appcurunce I \' I 
of tho plants dur- VVwlli/ 1 \ 
ing their early tyjoBrnMU \y ( lu 
growth, except - VWrl'fW / l \' \\ 
that some tillered NjCSl \r/ /4 
more than others. vranHgil. I 
That tho color of \ /Ju 
the leaves should \m ewf 
have been the same \ Vi 
as that of wheat, hHnHhba/ i lUv 
a as held by seve- wMfctT wfafl 1 \V 
ral who saw the V'w 
plants to be proof WyA\V \ 
that a cross had v Mil 
not been effected. 'SkOV \ * 
tho heads appear- \ •] 
ed, it was at once yjC yS p WmMSJ \i\ 
apparent that the \ '.L 
nine plants were la 
all different, aud yw , \ 
that some of them,- J \ 
though differing mYv V 
trom either, resem iWjmM \ 
bled rye as much 
337,338 and889 are 
carefully <lrawu 
from nature, and jU 
will serve to show 
the changes effect- V • 
ed by the cross. 
Fig. 335 averages 
eight breasts, with 
three and four to 
abreast. The chaff \ fflf 
is brown and par- 
tially bearded, 
some more than 
the engraving Wjl 
shows. The grain 
is translucent, and [v\ 
of a dark amber Pj 
color—not dark 
enough to be called 
red. The straw is 
heavy and of a lead 
Fig. 336 resem- 0N 
bles this, except Fi „ 
NEW I’OTATOES. 
We aro now testiug 77 different kinds of 
now potatoes, a report of two of which, viz.. 
Vick’s Extra Early and Pearl of Savoy, is 
given below. Tho soil is a moist, mellow loam, 
inclining a little to clay, and this is the fourth 
consecutive year in which potatoes have been 
raised on it. It has received liberal quantities 
of potato concentrated fertilizers and occa¬ 
sional dressings of salt, kuiuit, bone, etc., per- 
lmps ut the rate of 1,200 pounds to tho acre alto 
gether. Trenches two spades wido, five inches 
deep and throe foet apart., as iu past seasons, 
were dug. The soil in tho bottom was raked 
mellow, tho pieces (two eyes each), placed ono 
loot apart upon this, and then covered with an 
inch of soil. The fertilizers were then evenly 
strewn, and the trench filled to tho surface. 
I he cultivation is done between the rows en¬ 
tirely with whool cultivators, and between the 
plants with the hoe. Very little booing is re- 
acre— 
18% to the hill. 
Among the best, 
five tubers weigh¬ 
ed two pounds 4% 
ounces. Sixty per 
cent, of tho yield 
were of market¬ 
able size. Tho skin 
is nearly tho color 
of Early Hose; eyes 
not prominent; 
quite uniform in 
size and shupe; no 
very large pota¬ 
toes; few small 
ones. The seed was 
r a c o i v o d from 
Breek & Bous, Bos- 
tou, Mass., who 
claim for this va¬ 
riety that it is a 
cross between 
Clark's No. 1 and 
Extra Early Ver¬ 
mont, and that it 
is from 15 to 20 
days earlier than 
the Early Hose. 
As these potatoes 
were raised in a 
naturally retent¬ 
ive soil, during a 
season the middle 
and hitter part of 
which wero very 
wot, we should not 
thus early pass any 
opinion as to their 
quality. 
Our potato tests 
will be continued 
from time to time, 
Fig. 335. . Fig. 336. 
HYBRIDS BETWEEN WHEAT AND RYE. 
Fig. 339. E 
(Drawn from Nature.) 
