780 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
per acre. The only possible modes of increas¬ 
ing the crops, Major Hallet remarks, are by 
increasing the number of the ears, or their 
contents, or both. It appears that the number 
of the ears Is practically the same whatever 
the quantity of seed employed, say 28 to the 
square foot. But when these 23 ears,instead of 
beiDg produced from an equal number of 
weakly, half starved, crowded plants, are pro 
duced upon one fully-developed plant (from a 
single graiu) whose roots have bad free 
growth; they are of double the ordinary size, 
and can, by repeated selection, he made to 
contain, on an average, at least double the or¬ 
dinary number of grains. But the advantage 
of such fully-developed ears, Major Hallett 
says, does not stop there, for grains so grown 
are very large, and 460,000 fill a bushel instead 
of 700,000, Twenty such cam per square foot, 
averaging 48 grains per ear, means a crop of 
'JO bushels per acre, while 33 such ears per 
square foot, averaging 50 grains, would give 
108 bushels per acre. Exceptionally good 
plants have l»een grown of 21 ears, averaging 
79 graius per ear, or 1,900 for one of seed! 
The mere increased size of the grain is of im¬ 
mense importance, fora crop of the same num¬ 
ber of grains measures, In the case of wheat, 
70 against 40, and in the case of barley, 56 
against 39 bushels per acre. The foregoing 
are not theories of Major Hallett, but abso¬ 
lute facts, be says, for grain-growers to pon¬ 
der upon and investigate for themselves. In 
a word, there is a best aDd properly scientific 
way of growing wheat, as w ell as other plants, 
notwithstanding that the universal practice 
ignores its very nature. 
hole under the barn floor, or a deep, damp 
cave with a dirt, roof over it. 
The sketches, Figs. 482, show the ground 
plan (Fig. 8); perspective (Fig. 2), and a sec¬ 
tional view (Fig. 1) of one constructed for a 
root cellar. When intended for a house eel- 
there is not one of them that shows these de¬ 
fects of skin; nor is this their only gain—the 
higher qualities of the Eumolan’s botanical 
class are generally carried into its hybrid seed¬ 
lings, thereby improving the quality and gen¬ 
eral tone of our more common Labrusca 
grapes. I have every confidence that some of 
these seedlings are even more hardy than the 
Concor<L There will therefore be no more 
room for Concord seedlings when these come 
into general cultivation. 1 see no improve¬ 
ment or advance in ringing so many changes 
in and upon Concord seedlings; our horticul¬ 
tural skill should rise to higher attainments. 
Such seedlings exhibit little evidence of speed¬ 
ing to higher standards ( there is usually rever¬ 
sion), unless there comes to their aid the Infu¬ 
sion of a finer organization through hybridi¬ 
zation. Mr. Bull grew some twenty five-hun¬ 
dred different seedlings; Mr. Miner nearly as 
many; yet the Victoria, and the Concord, etc., 
are the only results. 1 cannot help adding 
that I am amazed at the lack of recognition of 
the higher value of the Eumelan for hybrid¬ 
izing purposes. It is now more than fifteen 
years sine© the Eumelan was introduced, and 
1 know of no horticulturist who has recog- 
nized its possibilities and capabilities and 
made use of it for this purpose, other than 
myself. Are real botanical distinctions, 
adaptations, and capabilities of no meaning 
or value to our practical horticulturists? All 
writers upon the topic recognize the higher 
qualities of our AE^tivalis class. It iR either 
from this or liiparia that the Delaware ob¬ 
tains its fine qualities. Its seedlings unlform- 
ily go to the Labrusca side, and the question 
as to which class it belongs, Is not easily deter¬ 
mined. None of its seedlingB seem equal to 
the parent. Seed from hybrid viues uniform¬ 
ly revert, but my experience goes to prove that 
there may bo both profit and progress In the 
use of pollen from hybrid vines for hybrid¬ 
izing purposes. 
Jefferson Co., N. V. 
ing up numerous sprouts or suckers ;tbe strong, 
vigorous, upright canes, branching a little 
toward the top, nearly smooth, with a few 
short, scattering spines; the peculiar reddish 
color of the young leaves at the ends of the 
new shoots; the color and flavor of the fruit, 
all strongly indicate its native origin. 
The bright scarlet, color of the fruit (which 
adds greatly to its market value); its good 
size, quite firm flesh, which retains its form 
and color well, and keeps well, are all quali¬ 
ties which make the Marlboro promising as a 
market berry. This is what I now believe : 
but my practical experience with the fruit has 
not been sufficient to warrant my giving a 
more decided opinion. Charles downing." 
[Mr. Downing has never compared the qual¬ 
ity of the Marlboro with that of the Brandy¬ 
wine alone,— Eds.] 
SOME STATISTICS FROM TRIALS OF PEAS 1884. 
T have been experimenting with peas the 
past season, and as the results may be of inter¬ 
est or benefit to some fellow farmers, I send 
them to my favorite paper: 
No. of pods on largest vine.... 
“ “ “ “ smallest '• .... 
” “ ** " average “ .... 
Largest No. of peas on 1 vine.. 
•" . 1" 1 pod .. 
Average bight of vine 'Inches). 
“ No. of branches. 
Fertilizer.—Three pounds to 100 feet of row, 
of mixture of Mapes H. G. Phosphate four 
pounds, muriate of potash one pound, and 
sulphate of ammonia two pounds. No other 
fertilizer on tho soil for 15 years. 
The Abundance Pea is the best I ever raised. 
Its product is simply wonderful. It averages 
100 to 1. B. F. 
Keene Valley, N. Y. 
Hale of Htekrs at the Ontario Agri¬ 
cultural Station,— The Ontario Experi¬ 
mental Farm will sell at. auction, December 
17th, seven grade steers, which are a part of 
those experimentally fed at the statiou. The 
first is a Short horn grade, just three years 
old; weighs 1,950 pounds, and has made a 
daily gain of 1.78 pound. The second is 
also a Short-horn grade, 2 years 0 months old, 
and has made a gain of 1 90 pound per day, 
weighing 1,890 pounds. The third is a Here¬ 
ford grade, 2 years 8 months old, weighs 1,700 
pounds, and has gained 1.76 pound per day. 
The fourth is an Aberdeen Angus grade, 2 
years months old, weighs 1,650 pounds, 
and has gained 1.85 pound per day. The fifth 
is another Hereford grade, is 2 y« ars lj< 
month old, weighs 1,640 pounds, and has 
made a daily average of 2.12 pounds. The 
sixth is a Short-horn grade, two years old, 
weighs 1,530 islands, has an average daily 
gain of 2.10 pounds. The seventh is a Short¬ 
horn grade, 1 year months old, weighs 
1,250 pounds, having made au average gain 
of 1.93 pound per day. The lot average 2 
years 4>£ months; 1,000 pounds—nearly two 
pounds of dally growth. Their estimated 
cost at market prices charged for all food: 
First year, Including calf value, milk, all 
other food au>1 attewlance. #39 9 « 
Second year food and care... 57 77 
Four months Of third year. 20 88 
Total. ,..#119 61 
Less profit realized ou food grown, charged at 
market rates. 42 88 
Actual cost of product. $75 73 
This is 4J<2 cents per pound. Their food con¬ 
sisted of hay, roots, green fodder, bran, peas, 
corn, oats, oil-cake, averaging during Winter 
of second year 9 pounds hay, 25 pounds roots, 
8 pounds grain, and 2 pounds of cake daily. 
Charging these steers with the market price 
of everything eaten, tho cost would be about 
7 j^ cents per pouud; but we think they were 
kept in the stable the year round, and are 
quite sure that the grain, with tho exception, 
perhaps, of btfen, peas, and oats, would cost 
considerably more than In the States, and 
then we have serious doubts as to the economy 
of oats as a fattening ration. But we saw' 
these steers, and they were prime Christmas 
beef, and should readily sell in any good mar¬ 
ket at a price that should give a good margin 
to the feeder. We hope Professor Brown will 
kindly give us some notes on the methods of 
feeding aud the results generally. 
Root Cellar. 
lar, it should adjoin the kitchen, or be con¬ 
nected by a covered passage. The foundation 
is built solid to the floor-level, where the 
double walls begin (see cross section, Fig. 1). 
In latitude 40 the double walls need not be 
over 12 inches apart. Farther north t.bpy 
should be 20 to 24 inches. The space between 
is packed with dry sawdust, aud about 30 
inches of the same material are placed be¬ 
tween tlie ceiling and the roof. The venti¬ 
lator extends through the sawdust, as shown 
in the sketch Fig. 1. There should be a close- 
fitting sliding cover over the lower end. The 
window should be in the south or east side, 
and be fitted with a sliding shutter inside the 
building. The floor is brick luid in cement, 
and then covered w ith a coat of cement. The 
sketches show the manner of construction 
plainly. 
With the thermometer indicating 30 degrees 
below zero, frost never entered the cellar 
shown in the cut, though the walls are only 
12 inches apart. It is absolutely vermin- 
proof, and makes a first-rate dairy room, “p.” 
THE DELAWARE GRAPE. 
The tradition, current in this State for 
many years, is that the Delaware Grape is a 
native of Ponn’s Grove, (not) Freuchtown 
New Jersey, a place ou the Delaware River 
nearly opposite the City of Wiliniugtou, 
and that growing wil l there, it wus trans¬ 
planted into a garden in the village. x. 
Dover, Del. 
THE SKIN OF GRAPES, 
D. S. MARVIN, 
Sittin« here in the nursery this morning, 
surrounded by more than u hundred different 
kinds of grapes, having returned from an in¬ 
spection of the fruit, I am more than ever 
impressed with the unsatisfactory condition 
of tho skin of mauy of our popular grapes, 
and the desirability of replacing such defec¬ 
tive varieties with those of a tougher skin. 
The value of the fruit depends, in a great de¬ 
gree, upon its keeping qualities. Fruit that 
endures but for a day eoa never be of more 
thuu temporary value. Grapes, like apples, 
can utid should be kept for winter use, when 
we need them most for dietetic purposes. 
There have l>een several w r oeks of rainy aud 
damp weather, which liu* proved disastrous 
to mauy varieties of grapes, causing the 
skin to burst, entirely ruining them, except 
for immediate use. Observing readers will 
know what I mean, and that 1 refer to a few 
of our native hybrids, and to the Concord fam¬ 
ily. Another great fault— l find many of 
them shelling off from the clusters aud going 
to waste upon tho ground; the berries upon 
the best clusters are in the worst condition. 
There is, perhaps, no botanical class entirely 
exempt from these shortcomings; but our 
Northern Labrusca grapes, with some of their 
hybrids, are certainly the worst offenders. 
Bueb hybrids as Delaware and Elvira are ev¬ 
en worse tbau the pure Labrusca. Salem, 
one of Mr, Rogers’s foreign hybrids, is decay¬ 
ing and looks anything but inviting und ap¬ 
petizing. Concord, Lady, Worden, Moore and 
Cottage are all affected more or less. But we 
need not jump at conclusions, aud infer that 
there are no grapes free from these defects; 
for 1 find there is no injury to our Northern 
vKstivalis grapes, uud few of their hybrids 
suffer. Delaware has usually been classed 
with those; but its tender skm leads me to in¬ 
fer that it is a hybrid between Labrusca and 
Riparia. 
It is just hero that the Eumelan, nearly the 
only Northern representative that we have of 
Vitis tcstivalis, comes to our aid; although 
itself defective, because of its emasculated 
clusters, it has a firm, tough skm, and as it im¬ 
parts this quality to its seedlings, and to 
most of its by brid seedlings, its value to us 
for hybridizing is so very great that it can 
hardly be overestimated From experiments 
and results already before me, I predict for 
these new hybrids a great future. They seem 
to murk u rapid advance in American viticul¬ 
ture. Dr. Grant seemed dimly to recognize 
this when he found the Eumelan, and wus far- 
seeing enough to buy tho entire stock. 1 have 
upon my grounds already hybrids between 
Eumelan and Concord, and Eumelan and 
Delaware, and also several other crosses, and 
A CONVENIENT PIG-PEN, 
Fig. 481 represents one end and side of a 
very convenient pig pen that can be construct¬ 
ed by any farmer at all handy with tools. It 
is made of rough boards, or it may be made 
of planed lumber and painted. The end of 
Wheat Growing.— Major Hallett, in a 
communication to the Agricultural Gazette 
of London, refers to two growing plants of 
wheat, each from a single grain, and each in a 
box two feet square aud two feet deep, inside 
measurement, which he exhibited years ago. 
The number of ears upon each plant closely 
approached 100; but bis principal object in 
exhibiting the plants was to show their root 
development Fart of one side of each box 
was made with hinges, to fall open, and the 
little white rootlets were seen pressing against 
the whole inside of the box, exactly as a plant 
“pot-bound" in a flower-pot too small for it. 
Thus, the roots of a plant from a single gram 
having full room for development, absolutely 
filled the soil throughout eight cubic feet. 
Above ground a plaut from a single grain of 
the same wheat has been found, in May,to have 
so “tillered" flat over the surface as, measur¬ 
ing to the extremities of opposite leaves pulled 
out straight, to cover a circle upwards of five 
feet in diameter! He refers to the fact that 
our present method of cultivating wheat does 
not at all correspond to the nature of the 
wheat plant. A bushel of wheat contains 
600,000 to 700,000 grains: a seeding of two 
bushels per acre consists of 1,200,000 or 1,400, 
000 grains. How many ears grow on an acre? 
One bushel, drilled October 15, gave 812,860 
ears; l)£ bushel, drilled November 20, gave 
934,120 ears. The same year, ou the same 
light land, single grams planted 12 inches 
apart both ways, or a single grain on each 
square foot, gave: Flanted September, 1,001,- 
880 ears per acre; planted October 4, 966,792 
ears per acre: planted October 17,958,320 ears 
Pig Pen. Fig. 481, 
the trough and its place in the pen are indi¬ 
cated by the dotted triangle D. The swinging 
door, a 6 c d, is made by nailing inch plank 
to the scantling, A B, which is let into the 
corner-posts of the pen at A and B, so as to 
make au axis upon which the door swings. 
The door is fastened shut by the bolt C, made 
of three quarter-inch rolled iron. When the 
pigs are to be fed, draw up the bolt, push back 
the door, and let the bolt fall in front, of the 
trough. Then the trough can bo filled while 
the pigs are kept out of the way. Raise the 
bolt, let the door fall back into its place aud 
bolt it, and the pigs have undisturbed access 
to their food. w. o. R. 
A New Remedy for Diphtheria.— The 
medical world is just now all alive concern¬ 
ing a new discovery in the manner of treating 
diphtheria, commonly known as “croup" or 
“buffy augina." To Dr. Delthil we are in¬ 
debted for this new improvement (says La 
Poussin). It appears that the idea was thought 
of to try on fowls the remedy intended for the 
cure of uiau. Mr, Weber reported to the 
Veterinary Society that he had experimented 
on a whole poultry-yard invaded by diph¬ 
theria. From the moment the treatment was 
adopted, all the fowls which were not ill were 
safe from infection, and the epidemic ceased 
immediately. The following is the treatment 
employed: “Turpentine and tar are mixed 
together, and the whole is burned in a well- 
closed house, where the victims of the disease 
are roosting. Immediately a thick, black 
smoke fills the place, converting the inmates 
into “regular sweeps,” aud shortly after the 
ABOVE-GROUND CELLAR. 
The advantages of an above-ground cellar, 
properly' constructed, are almost too mauy to 
enumerate. Among them may be mentioned 
the avoidance of noxious vapors, of which au 
underground cellar is prolific, aud w hich are 
almost certain to penetrate through the floors 
and poison the air of the rooms above. Then, 
it can be easily entered, there being no run¬ 
ning down and up dark and cranky stairs. 
Pure air can be admitted without letting in 
the miasmatic vapors that creep along the 
surface of the ground. Finally, it ia light, 
dry aud can easily be kept clean and sweet. 
A root cellar constructed in this manner is 
vastly superior to the dark, dirty, noisome 
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