4 88* 
827 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
acre. Eyes medium; skin pink: shape round¬ 
ish, half-cylindrical. The best five weighed 
two pounds 5)4 ouuces. Eaten Sept 25, flesh 
white, not dry. 
Dr. R. P. Greenleaf, of Henry Clay P. O., 
Delaware, sent us a lot of potatoes with the 
following note: “Several potatoes came up 
where Wall's Orange grew last year, I al¬ 
lowed them to grow. The yield was very 
large. What surprised me was that, as I dug 
them, I noticed several fibrous roots which I 
followed up, finding good-sized tubers at six 
and ten inches apart until I had dug 37 inches 
before 1 got the last tuber and end of the root. 
Other fibers ran 15, 23 and 27 inches and, like 
the first,, had tubers at intervals. Some of my 
seedlings were found at a depth of 11 inches, 
and these were found to be deep-eyed; the 
others shallow. 11 Dr. Greenleaf asks the ques¬ 
tion: “Does deep-planting iu a heavy clay 
soil produce coarse growth and deep eyes?” 
To which we would reply that such has been 
our experience, as last year reported in these 
notes. 
Again, Dr. Greenleaf presumes that the fact 
of potatoes forming so far from the plant may 
explain the supposed mixing in the hill, since 
the roots may extend to adjacent hills and the 
tubers form there. 
The potatoes which grew where the Wall’s 
Orange were raised the previous year, were 
here planted April 7 and dug August 18. The 
yield was at the rate of 810,75 bushels to the 
acre. The average was to a hill, of ! 
which 80 per cent, wero of marketable size. 
Among the largest, five weighed five pounds 
eight ounces. The tuber, of which our illus¬ 
tration (Fig. 520) is a careful portrait, weighed 
one pound two ounces. Tne skin is pink, 
shape Irregular, eyes deep—a coarse, lumpy 
potato. A singular fact is, that from the same 
seed, cue hill gave Wall’s Orange pure and 
simple. The others (except, perhaps, in color) 
wore as different from Wall’s Orange as two 
potatoes can be from each other. The Wall’s 
Orange were not estimated lu the yield. 
A Seedling from Dr. Greenleaf, planted 
the same day as the above, gave an average 
of 13>£ to a hill, of which per cent, in 
numbers were marketable. Inclined to egg- 
shape or oblong. Skin white; few and small 
eyes; yield (505,00 bushels to the acre. They 
were dug September 1; tbe largest live weigh¬ 
ed one pound niue ounces. 
Another Seedling from tbe same, matur¬ 
ed at the same time, giving a yield of 242 
bushels to the acre— 1)4 tubers to the hill. 
Long, cylindrical, tapering at both ends; eyes 
deep; skin reddish-huff; poor. 
farm (Topics, 
NUTRITIVE QUALITIES OF CRUDE 
FILER. 
PROF. W. H. .JORDAN. 
The cases are numerous where both science 
and practice have found it necessary to revise 
principles uud methods. Science has often 
been obliged to admit that conclusions have 
been stated iu too great, haste. Progress in 
scientific knowledge has been a series of ad¬ 
vances aud retreats, tbe encouraging fact 
being that with every advance some ground 
has been taken to be permaueutly held. In 
the application of scientific facts and princi¬ 
ples to agriculture, hasty deductions have 
sometimes t>eeu made from insufficient data, 
which, in the light of increased knowledge, 
have been shown to be far from the truth. 
Borne late investigations in the chemistry 
of animal nutrition have given results that 
not only illustrate well tbe above facts, but 
w hich, as recent results, are very interesting 
aud significant. Reference is made to the in¬ 
vestigations of Tappeiner, at Muneben, on the 
changes that take place with the so-called 
digested cellulose in the alimentary canal. It 
was formerly believed that the crude fiber of 
plants w s useless in animal nutrition, not 
being digestible. Later investigations, how¬ 
ever, established tbe fact that a large per¬ 
centage of the crude fiber comsumed by her- 
bivorae does not appear in the excrement, or, 
in other words, is digested, the amount in 
some cases being as high as 75 per cent, of the 
whole liber in the material fed. It seems to 
have been at once assumed, in a hasty manner 
and upon insufficient grounds, that this di¬ 
gested fiber is equal in value to digested 
starch, the composition of tbe two bodies be¬ 
ing the same. The German fodder tables, 
including the relative money values of differ¬ 
ent kinds of cattle food, as based upon com¬ 
position aud digestibility, have been arranged 
in accordance with this assumption. 
While we need to avoid drawing conclusions 
too hastily in the other direction, the investi¬ 
gations of Tappeiner leave but little doubt 
that a large part of the so called digested 
crude fiber does not serve the purposes of a 
nutrient. It has been well known for a long 
time that large quantities of intestinal gases 
and considerable quantities of acids are pro¬ 
duced during the digestion of the food of the 
herbivone. Tappeitier’s work indicates that 
these gases and acids are almost entirely the 
result of the decomposition of the cellulose 
that is digested. 
The following facts seem to be more than 
probable: 1. That the digestion of crude fiber 
or the solution of a portion of the cellulose, 
which it contains, is caused solely and entirely 
by a true fermentation, and not by an action 
similar to that of the gastric juice upon the 
cellulose can take any part in the nutrition of 
the animal. If further investigation substan¬ 
tiates this conclusion, our views of the relative 
nutritive value of coarse fodders, as compared 
with that of grains, will be much modified. 
State College, Pa. 
CHESS IN WHEAT. 
Out here in Illinois some of us practical 
farmers think good, plain, “horse” sense with 
regard to the business in which we have been 
engaged for years, is quite as likely to be cor¬ 
rect as the scientific sense shown in regard to 
the same thlugs by those who have had little 
or uo practical experience iu the business. 
This remark is made with regard to an opinion 
expressed in a late Rural as to the impossi¬ 
bility that chess could bo degenerate wheat. 
Now, T am an old man, and sowed my first 
crop of wheat 52 years ngo on a rough hill¬ 
side tu Broome County, N. Y. I always took 
special pains to get good, clean seed; hut 
sometimes,iu spite of the greatest care, I would 
ground or that bad been injured, than on that 
which had remained unharmed on good 
ground? w. p. 
Loda, Ill. 
CHESS OR CHEAT. 
I see that the Rural does not believe that 
chess or cheat can be produced from wheat. 
Now eight years ago last June, I picked a 
large head of wheat, which had been self- 
• eeded from the previous crop. It was per¬ 
fect in every way except that there were in it 
two kernels of chess or cheat. Now, I should 
like to kuow how those two kernels of chess 
found a place, in regular order, arnoug the 
kernels of wheat. d. r. 
Adrian, Mich. 
(The question of wheat turning to chess or 
cheat has been often discussed in agricultural 
and scientific publications, and all scientists 
aud most intelligent farmers declare such a 
transformation is impossible. Is our friend 
certain the two exceptional kernels were 
really chess? Did he sow them, so as to learn 
for certain (lint such wus the ease? We have 
seen cases like the one above cited, where it 
appeared almost certain that the cheat ker¬ 
nels wero produced on the wheat plant; but 
In every case careful dissectiou showed that 
tboy had either been accidentally caught or 
placed there by design. What, say intelligent, 
practical farmers; what say scientists with 
regard to the above cose? Why don’t some 
one who thinks it possible, go to work aud 
produce cheat from wheat?—E ds.] 
THE WHITE PRIZE POTATO. 
In telliug, in a late issue, how the White 
Prize Potato turned out at tho Rural Grounds, 
the Editor said that the name aud address of 
the originator had been mislaid. It was origin¬ 
ally produced by tbe undersigned. During the 
past season l tried it on a light sandy loam ou 
which barnyard manure, at the rate of 20 
loads per acre, wus spreud. On April 18 the 
ground was well harrowed and marked both 
ways, the rows boiug 34 iuches apart. On 
May 13, seed cut to a single eye lu a piece was 
planted, two pieces in a hill, at the rate of 5.3 
bushels per acre. The crop matured about 
July 20, yielding at the rate of 375.4 bushels 
per acre. G. h. colvin. 
Dalton, Pa. 
- *♦« - 
CASTOR nEANS AND MOLES. 
My own experience agrees with that of fcta 
writer iu tho Rural, who says that a castor- 
bean plant does not repel moles. Although 
statements to this effect have been printed a 
number of times in reputable journals, a trial 
will convince anybody that moles pay little 
or no attention to castor bean plants. 
Eldon, Mo. j. n. s. 
MR. DOWNING AND TFIE MARLBORO 
RASPBERRY. 
I notice in the Rural of November 15 an 
article from Messrs. A, J. Cay wood & Son. 
which appears to be rather vindictive towards 
America’s greatest and most venerable porno- 
logist, Mr, C'hus. Downing, tor Ids opinion of 
the quality and flavor of the Marlboro Rasp¬ 
berry. Now, I do not think that Mr. Down¬ 
ing’s opinions require any defence from such 
n novice in pomology as 1 am; but as I have 
given especial attention, “by bis request,” to 
the Marlboro, for the purpose of arriving at 
the truth of all its merits, 1 deem it a duty 
to give some of the conclusions relating to 
thiR berry. Iu the first place as to quality 
and flavor: it is precisely the same as the 
Highland Hardy, andno person without know¬ 
ing the bushes from which the berries were 
picked can tell the difference by tasto. I hap¬ 
pened to lie present when Mr. Downing read 
the article of the Rural’s anonymous cor¬ 
respondent, “A. B. (J,” and he expressed in¬ 
dignation that any person should give such 
erroneous opinions without giving his name, 
when there was nothing in the character or 
appearance of the plant or fruit to justify 
them. Mr. Downing's article was, therefore, 
written iu defence of tbe Marlboro, describing 
Its true character and appearance, and vin¬ 
dicating its right to a high claim for extreme 
hardiness, thus proving it to bo really of na¬ 
tive origiu, and also giviugitsexcellentpoints 
as a market berry, all of which does not ap¬ 
pear to be appreciated by Mr. Cay wood. In 
doing this much, Mr. Downing did not feel 
called upon, aud could not conscientiously 
give it a character for quality and flavor 
above its merits, and thus impair tbe weight 
of his opinions, which can not be controverted 
by the best experts. It appears thut Mr. Cay- 
wood could see only this ail verse opinion, and 
wus very ninch displeased thereby. 
In reference to qbtaining Mr. Downing’s 
opinion, I feel called upon to state that be is 
the most ebary (especially upon new produc¬ 
tions) of all I have ever met; and it matters 
not who the person is, whether his best friend 
or bitterest foe, he knows nothing but the sub¬ 
ject before him, and bis opinions are given 
for the information of the public, and not for 
the pecuniary benefit of the originator or 
Rural New Yorker posters and Rremium- 
Lists are now ready. Send for them. We 
will gladly send them to any address free of 
charge, postpaid. 
The Queen Pea. Fig. 517. (See page 82(5.) 
albuminoids. 2. This digested cellulose is fur¬ 
ther broken up into carbonic acid, marsh gas. 
and a mixture of volatile and non-volatile 
organic acids. 3. No other constituent of the 
digested food is broken up in a similar man¬ 
ner, but digested cellulose is the source of 
nearly all of tho intestinal gases. 
Carbonic ueid uud marsh gas have no value 
as nutrients, as they are simply waste pro 
ducts. Certain of the acids formed pass out 
in the excretions unchanged. The material 
used in producing the other acids certainly has 
a diminished nutritive value, owing to the 
fact that a partial oxydation has taken place 
before its passage into the blood. Tappeiner’s 
conclusion is that not over half of the digested 
find more or less chess when reaping the crop; 
for in those days we used tho reaping hook in 
harvesting grain, and accordingly we had a 
good chance to pick out all foul seeds or 
chess, especially from the wheat we intended 
to use as seed. I know I never sowed chess, 
and I seldom found any in wheat sown on 
good, dry ground; ut 1 often found it among 
that sown on low, wet. ground, where the 
frost had heaved it out and brolo u the roots, 
or where it had been trampled on by cattle, or 
hogs had rooted it up, so as to break or injure 
the roots. From that time to this my exper¬ 
ience has been the Burnt' in regard to this mat¬ 
ter. How came it about that much more 
chess appourod among tho wheat sown on poor 
A Sport of Wall’s Orange Potato. Fig 520. 
