794 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
grafted. But the fruit does not hold to the 
tree like Alexander, and I have not yet got 
a mature specimen to try the quality. The 
season is late Fall, here. 
I think the Rural's potato experiments are 
going to stir up a good deal of emulation in 
regard to large crops. If editor Cheever can 
get 488 bushels on an acre in Massachusetts, I 
don’t see why some Maine, Vermont, or Prov¬ 
incial farmer may not grow at least a thou¬ 
sand bushels. I have grown the Harison in 
the garden at the rate of 10 hills to the bushel, 
or about 700 bushels to the acre, and once 
grew 460 bushels of Prolifics (410 marketable) 
on a scant acre, no particular paius being 
taken. To get a big crop we should plant a 
variety that sets many tiibers, and then give 
the right treatment to make those tubers 
grow as big as possible. 
I am glad to see Mr. Hammond (721) rating 
the Salem Grape so high, for it does well here, 
and the Eumelan also. Israellais also a suc¬ 
cess over a series of years, a flue conical 
bunch, well Oiled but not crowded, and with 
a handsome bloom. 
Mr. C. G. Pringle brought me several of his 
new seedling grapes recently, art pure Ameri¬ 
can. One white variety is handsome, sweet, 
and with a genuine Muscat flavor. Another, 
a fine red grape of good size and fine cluster 
(cross of Walter on Eumelan), has the most 
aromatic fragrance, the finest flavor and the 
firmest flesh (when dead-ripe) of any Ameri¬ 
can grape I have known. Its skin is as free 
from bad taste, when chewed, as that of 
Poughkeepsie Red. It is also early. If the 
vine is right, this is at least one of the “ com¬ 
ing grapes.” 
Rural, Nov. 8.—Your experiment with 
nitrate of soda on corn (p. 729) accords with 
several of my own, and shows, I think quite 
conclusively, that the omission of nitrogenous 
material from corn fertilizers is not desirable, 
wheu the crop is to depend upon the fertilizer 
alone. But when stable manure is used iu 
connection with a fertilizer in the bill, I have 
no doubt that nitrogen may be profitably dis¬ 
pensed with in the latter. 
Mr. Harris asks (p. 782), “ will not the soil 
bo deficient in phosphate before it is deficient 
in potash?” In strong, rich clay soils undoubt¬ 
edly, but these are not our la)st potato soils, 
which, in Vermont, are more or less sandy. 
Such are soon exhausted of their potash by re¬ 
peated potato crops, but are immediately 
restored to their original productiveness by a 
free dressing of hard wood ashes. If then 
they are kept in pot <toes they will, after two 
to five crops, fall off again unless they receive 
a dressing of bone fertilizer. With raw bone 
and ashes 1 have raised potatoes right along, 
getting full crops for ID years, giving stable 
manure but twice in that time. 
I was glad to see Gen. Ij 6 Due’s remarks on 
the Land Laws (p. 754). The General was the 
best Commissioner of Agriculture we over had. 
Newport, Vt. 
NOTES ON BACK NUMBERS. 
T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
Rural, Oct. 25 —One ought to be very 
careful in objecting to what B. F. J, says; yet 
I think he is not quite right in saying (page 698) 
M. O'F. rather resents Mrs. Fisher’s remark 
about the superiority of Chinamen to Irish 
girls (p. 700). The initials give a clue to the 
cause of sensitiveness. One thing has always 
been strange to me—that people of a nation¬ 
ality which has been kindly received and well 
prospered amongst ns, should be so ready to 
treat people of other nationalities, seeking the 
same hospitality, with contempt, hate and 
often with outrage. The Irish, truly, are a 
trying people to those best disposed to like 
them and wish them well. Their perfervid 
temperament is as much too much for others 
i’uli) Crops. 
THE NEW METHOD OF ROOT CULTURE. 
The method of growing mangels described 
by Dr. Hoskins in a late Rural as that prac¬ 
ticed by Mr. Macomber of Vermont, is very 
nearly similar to one I have adopted for grow¬ 
ing Ruta bagas, I wish to call the attention 
of every farmer who wishes to grow beets or 
turnips with the least expeuse of labor, to the 
main feature of the Mr. Macotnber’s method 
—the substitution of intelligently used machin¬ 
ery for the slow and tiresome labor with hoe 
and fingers. 
For Ruta bagas I prefer to scatter the fertil¬ 
izer along the drills to sowing it broadcast. The 
first few days after the young turnip plant 
makes its appearance above ground is usually 
the critical period of its growth; a turnip 
plant stunted then, rarely afterwards makes 
amends for the check it has received. Then is 
the time It requires the full benefit of some 
easily assimilable fertilizer placed near to 
its young roots, to push it ahead, that it may 
quickly gain strength to withstand the attacks 
of insects and the vicissitudes of weather. My 
practice is to mark the rows SO inches apart, 
scatter the fertilizer along the drill opened by 
the marker, and mix it with the soil by ninning 
a narrow' cultivator along the rows. I do not 
find it necessary tore-mark: a large tooth in 
the rear of the center beam of the cultivator 
re-marks with sufficient accuracy to serve as a 
guide for running a seed-drill. 
As soon as the plants are fairly up, run jthe 
double-wheel hand hoe along the rows, the 
machine hoes passing once on both sides of 
the row, and if the ground is properly pre¬ 
pared and is free from clods and stone, it will 
work quite close to the plants. Keep the 
than most tall-growing vines usually do. 
They are generally borne in pairs. 
Laxton's No. 1 is a cross between the Ear¬ 
liest of All and Ringleader. It is early. The 
seeds are round In shape,and iu color blue. The 
vine* grew two-and one-half feet high. 
Laxton’s No. 9 is a cross between Omega 
and Telephone. Vines two-aud-one half feet 
high, very branching and strong. Very pro¬ 
lific. Pods well filled and often*-r single than 
in pairs. First picking July 8. Fifty pods 
weighed 14 ounces, contained 854 seeds which 
weighed seven-and-one-eighth ounces. Mar¬ 
rowy, sweet, binder. 
Laxton’b No. 14 is a cross between an unin¬ 
troduced seedling aud Telephone. Seed green¬ 
ish-white, wrinkled. Vines three feet high, 
large leaves. The pods, which are very large, 
are borne singly. The vines are fairly pro¬ 
lific. Fifty pods weighed 17ounces, contained 
890 seeds which weighed seven-and-eight- 
ninth ounces. Very tender, meaty, sweet. 
Dark green when cooked. Skin rather 
papery. 
Comparing the above latest novelties among 
peas with our report of the Btratagem, to be 
sent to Rural subscribers, it will be seen that 
little if any, real improvement over the Strat¬ 
agem seems to have been secured. The past 
season the latter ripened July 1st, the vines 
being two-and one-half feet high. Fifty peas 
(pods) weighed YA% ounces—contained 374 
seeds which weighed nine-and-one-eigbth 
ounces. The pods grow in pairs and the vines 
are very prolific. 
NEW POTATO TESTS. 
SOIL, CULTURE, ETC. 
Thb soil U a moist, mellow loam, InohntnK n little 
to olay, and this 1* the fourth conaecutlveyear In 
which potatoes have hern raised on It. It has re¬ 
ceived liberal quantities of potato concentrated fer¬ 
tilizers and occasional dresHlDgB of salt, kalnlt.bone. 
etc , perhaps at the rate of 1,3(10 pounds to the acre 
altogether. Trenches two spade* wide, flve inches 
deep and three feet apart, as In past, seasons, were 
duR. The soil In ihe bottom was raked mellow, the 
pieces (two eyes each), placed one foot apart upon 
this, aud then cover, d with an Inch of soil. The 
fertilizers were then evenly strewn, utid tin- trench 
filled to the surface. The cultivation Is done be¬ 
tween the rows entirely with wheel cultivators, and 
between the plants with the hoe. Very little hoeing 
is required, since the plants meet before the weeds 
start. The soil Is nrvrr hillr.d-ui> about the plants, 
bat Keptat the same level over the entire plot. In 
testing new potatoes here, ourobject Is to ascertain 
their quality, growth of vine, time of maturity and 
the greatest yield of which Ibey ure eupuble in a 
rich soil specially prepared for them. 
Early Maine was received from Mr. J. J. 
H. Gregory, of ( _- 
Marblehead, 
Mas*., and planted ^ 
April 28. The seed 
planted, were in a wlff 11(111®^ 
perfect state of 'ISISiS^E i 
preservation. § j '( {j\\\\mfelE 
Vines spreading. Ij j 
The crop was bar- jl ■ IBfift 
vested August 19. Ifllft 
The color is about llKlIGKIK 
tlmt. of Early Rose, I || 
sometimes of a 111111 
deeper piuk about J ffi lf ML 
the eyes, which are jfc 
not so prominent j ftlllBi: 
as in that variety. ! IllftlS 
The shape of tenest I 
shape, as shown in ' ||||| ft 
our accurate illus- II | |j| W, 
tration, Fig. 491, 
was at the rate of 1 
acre, averaging I f flfllm 
nine to the hill. Ij I 
Among the best, j 1 1 j Bul l ft 
five tubers weigh- Ijjjj . f i ! 
ed two pounds 14 | 'M! 
ounces. In num- J 1 
were of market- / 
able size. Eaten //; mIJmM 
Oct, 2, the quality 
was thought to be ' 
the flesh nearly ^ 
Laxton’s New Pea, No. 4. 
TREMONTwasre- Fig m (See page 793.) 
ceived from B. K. 
Bliss & Sons, of 
New York, and planted April 7. The shoots 
were among the first to appear above 
ground. Dug Aug. 8; the yield was at the 
rate of 617.10 bushels to the acre—14 7-10 tub¬ 
ers to the hill, of which but 50 per cent, in 
numbers were of marketable size. As shown 
in the engraving (Pig. 492, p. 796), the Tremont 
is smooth with few eyes, and those are on 
the surface. The sba | >e is round- oblong, some¬ 
times flattened. The best five weighed two 
pounds 4 ounces. Eaten Sept. 11, they were 
found to be of line quality, dry and mealy 
with white flesh. 
r-- -n _ 
ra 
V 
& 
Convenient Barn Yard and Sheds. Fig. 486. (See page 793.) 
that cool, moist climates are best for the apple 
tree. If I am rightly informed, the apple tree 
does not thrive so well in Northwestern 
Europe, or in Oregon aud Washington, as it 
does in New England, New York, Ohio, aud 
Michigan. Its failure in the prairie States is 
due chiefly to the lack of varieties suited to 
their peculiar soils and climate. These may 
perhaps lie found in North eastern Europe, 
as it is for themselves, oftentimes. The "per- 
fervidutn Scotorum” of the Roman conquerors 
of Britain Is still to the fore as a characteris¬ 
tic of the Gallic race of both islands. Yet 
they have their share of good qualities, aud 
perhaps no more bad ones than the rest of us. 
The Rural’s remarks on Extortionate 
Charges (p. 704) will elicit a sympathetic re- 
PLAN OF. BASEMENT. 
Fig. 487. 
and, no doubt, will in time be developed from 
native prairie seedlings, like Salome. 
Mr. Hicks’s notes on apples (p. 698) interest 
me. Long Island’s own seedlings no doubt 
will in the end suit Long Island best. I see he 
likes Duchess (of Oldenburgh.) It is rather 
curious that out of our original scanty impor¬ 
tation of Russian apples (four sorts) Duchess, 
sponse from every farmer who has to do with 
corporations anywhere. In New England (or 
at least in Vermont) the railroads cut our 
throats at every turn, aud are now lobbying 
our Legislature to prevent the establishment of 
an efficient board of railway commissioners, 
with every prospect of success. 
Rural, Nov. 1.—All hail to Secretary Gar- 
P|AN OF MOW FLOOR 
Fig. 488. 
Astracban and Alexander are widely grown, 
aud Tetofskyonly rejected. The latter is use¬ 
ful lar north, but the Yellow Transparent is 
everyway better. 
G. B., of Georgia, has the right idea about 
potatoes (p. 699). I once planted some of the 
old long reds on a spot where an old barn and 
barnyard had been, in Kentucky. The tops 
grew as high as a ten-rail fence, but “nary” 
potato was worth digging. 
field’s acute and genial face (p. 713). He is 
much younger than I had supposed him, but 
he carries his characteristics, as I have gath¬ 
ered them from a study of his work, in his 
countenance. There is not a more useful 
mau, ora man more happy in being useful, 
amongst all our good farmers and fruit men. 
Lo lg may he wave! 
The Red Beitigheimer apple, figured ou 
p. 716, seems to be hardy here, at least top- 
