JAN 6 
8 
not exoeed one foot in 100 these drains work 
• perfectly, and will last as long as tile. 
The zinc tree label is the thing (Brieflets, 
p. 815), but why use any wires at all ? By 
blowing in the wind they wear off, either the 
wire or the zinc, while if the labels are cut 
long and taperiDg, the narrow end can be 
wound around the limb, and expands with 
the growth without losing its grip. Old zinc, 
that has been exposed to wear or weather, 
takes the writing better and is otherwise 
just as good. 
The soap (or milk) and kerosene applica¬ 
tion for cabbage worms (p. 815), proves 
effectual here on cabbages; but will not do for 
cauliflowers because it imparts a taste, and 
also discolors the flower. Only mosquito-bar 
protectors have answered. Is there any 
better way l 
Rhubarb from seed (p. 815), is as easily 
grown as beans. But it will no more come 
true than apple seed. I have raised a thou¬ 
sand seedlings in a season from Downing’s, 
Collosal and Victoria seed, without getting 
one like the parents. Yet you will get some 
very good sorts, and may then propagate 
from the best. I have one seedling that is the 
biggest I ever saw, but not the best, 
I am glad practical men are telling us the 
facts about the draft of the sulky plow (p. 
831). Perhaps the difficulty may be greatly 
overcome, and no doubt there is a difference 
in the various makes; but from my own ob¬ 
servation I advise no man with a light team 
to invest in a Bulky plow. 
Agents are solicited to send for the new 
Posters and Premium Lists of the Rctral 
Nkw-Yorkkr. Its standing , enterprise and 
originality will be found materially to aid 
them in their endeavors to secure subscrip¬ 
tions. All progressive farmers that value 
the. teachings of experience and research 
support the Rural New-Yorker after one 
year's trial. 
3ntiustvial (Topics. 
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES. 
PETER HENDERSON. 
In the Rural of November 25th an article 
from Professor Caldwell, asking whether 
agricultural colleges are a failure, has ar¬ 
rested my attention. The reason why the 
average farmer hesitates to send hia son to get 
a “scientific” agricultural education, is from 
the fact that he has rarely seen a “scientific’’ 
farmer a success. The truth is, there are so 
many conditions of tempsrature, soil and 
moisture contending against so called science 
that a theoretical knowledge is of little use 
unless an actual working experience runs par¬ 
allel with it, the working operations to be 
guided, of course, by some one having a full 
and practical knowledge of all operations of 
the soil. That, in my opinion, is where the 
cause of the failure is. Students at agricul¬ 
tural collegia, 1 believe, are expected to study 
botany, entomology, chemistry, etc., any one 
of which is as much as auy student can mas¬ 
ter (t i be of auy practical value to him) in a 
lifetime, and yet boys from 16 to 20 are 
crammed with half-n dozen such studies 
which, when through with, are just of about 
as much use to them as Butler’s Analogy is to 
the average boarding school girl. 
In the past few years I have had some three 
young men, graduates of agricultural colleges 
under instructions in our horticultural de¬ 
partment, and 1 must say that not one of 
them, though they were active, ambitious 
young men, seemed to have derived any ben¬ 
efit commensurate with the time occupied at 
college. Last Spring the president of a well- 
known Western agricultural college wrote 
to me to supply him with a practical horticul¬ 
turist who, it was hoped, would have Intelli¬ 
gence enough also to give lectures to the stu- 
deuls. I was fortunate in procuring him a 
German gardener, of middle age, who spoke 
ai.d wrote English well, and who had most ex 
tensive experience iu all matters pertniniug 
to horticulture, both in Europe and lu this 
country, lie was a man of great energy and 
industry in hia profession and of a high order 
of intelligence. He filled the bill, I believe, to 
the letter as far as the working of the grounds 
was concerned, but was hardly thought pol¬ 
ished enough to lecture, and the last 1 heard 
of the matter he was to be supplanted by an 
“educated professor.” It would be infinitely 
better for students to receive one year of 
‘learning” in the open field, in handling the 
plow, spade or hoe, under the fostering super¬ 
intendence of such a practical man as this 
German gardener, than five years of lecturing 
in the school room by a “Professor of Agri¬ 
culture,” and until the trustees or directors of 
Agricultural Colleges realize that their ope¬ 
rations must be under the guidance of men 
who are actually working farmers or garden¬ 
ers, our crop of young men graduating there¬ 
from is not likely to advance the standard. 
ANNUAL MEETING OP THE ILLINOIS 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
(Rural Special Report.) 
This strong and well known society has 
just closed a three days’ session. Your corres¬ 
pondent gives below some of bis impressions. 
O. B. Galusha, of Morris, has acted most 
acceptably as Secretary' for 13 years. He 
positively declined re-election. The society 
lets him down easily by' electing him Presi¬ 
dent. Mr. L. Small, of Kankakee, was run 
in as Secretary by local influence. The Ex¬ 
ecutive Board and nearly all the old members 
so disliked the move that they created the 
office of Assistant-Secretary who is to make 
the report and draw the pay. The young 
Secretary had not before identified himself 
with the society. The Assistant-Secretary 
is A. C. Hammond, of Warsaw. 
Many of the papers presented consisted of 
reports of permanent committees on different 
departments of horticulture and kindred 
topics. At Alton, the peach buds have already 
been killed by' the cold snap. It has been a 
bad year for graues; the crop light; the wood 
not often matured, which forebodes a light 
crop next year. 
Some very touching resolutions were offered 
and unanimously passed concerning Arthur 
Bryant, Sr. He is an old and valued member, 
and is not likely to live more than a few days. 
Much of Illinois seems to be adapted to the 
Iron-clad apples, such as Ben Davis and Rome 
Beauty; to the Wild Goose plum and toughest 
grapes, to the Snyder Blackberry and Ducheese 
Pear. Pear blight Is rampant; insects are 
terribly sharp aud profusely abundant. The 
markets are good, and this spurs on the fruit 
growers to supply St. Louis, Chicago and the 
North with early fruits. More nod more 
attention is given to selecting favorite spots 
for certain fruits. Efforts are now seldom 
made to raise the best fruits ou every fat m. 
it does not pay. This is a country of great 
and severe extremes of weather. It is dry 
or wet, hot or cold, and often windy. 
The rust of blackberries and raspberries is a 
prominent foe. Some think they have com¬ 
batted it successfully with potash; but more 
experiments are needed. In many places 
tney only attempt to take two to four crops 
of berries aud dig out the briars, aud plant iu 
a new spot. Grape-vines which overbear 
never recover. A complete failure of peaches 
every other year is by no means considered 
the greatest calamity. The trees get a rest 
and the curculio is much reduced in numbers. 
A dead curculio, like a dead Indian, is cju- 
sidered the safest. The appie crop this year 
has beeu very good. Long lived orchards of 
apples, pears or peaches are not generally 
profitable in Illinois. Fruit from young trees 
is the best. Gome of the old trees die; others 
dwindle and become unprofitable. Ot many 
sorts of apples the trees are set close and dug 
out when about 12 years old, <rt least by some 
growers. A young orchard is most profit¬ 
able. Reach trees are allowed to bear three 
or four crops and are then dug out. Trees are 
not set on the same ground till after one or 
more crops of some other sort. Old tree* are 
likely to beeome weak and break to pieces be¬ 
cause the wood becomes tender or rotten. Sec¬ 
retary O. B. Galusha bad tried to kill the 
white grub in his strawberries with salt, but 
it did not succeed. [We have tried it also 
without any effect. Eos.] 
A lively discussion followed on the value of 
stripping the hark from apple trees to induce 
bearing. Several had failed by getting one 
crop and killing their trees. It Bhouid be 
tried with cautiou, taking care to see that 
the tree is well fed and not allowed to bear 
heavily. Experts favored taking off care¬ 
fully a circle of bark four to twelve inches 
long as early in the season as the bark would 
slip well. Buds then set for a crop the next 
year. To Baw about a trunk is dangerous un¬ 
less care is used. 
E. C. Hathaway, an expert, thinks corn aud 
pens are fit to eat two days earlier for getting 
seed one degree north, and so on, two days for 
every- degree uorth. There was a good ex¬ 
hibit of potatoes. It was quite g rierally be¬ 
lieved that the Beauty of Hebron and E trly 
Ohio were not surpassed in Illinois. The 
Early Ohio was preferred in Southern Illinois, 
because it kept better in Spring. Professor 
Burrill had found soft soap and kerosene in 
equal quantities well mixed, then diluted with 
20 parts of water and sprinkled on cabbages, 
a good remedy for the cabbage worm. 
^Tree agents now sell about all the trees 
and plants. People seldom buy directly of 
nurserymen. Tree pedlers are often cheating 
the people. Tree growers regret it nearly as 
much as the purchaser, whose regret is almost 
certain to come when his plants begin to bear. 
Ignorant men are not always the only ones 
imposed on, but active work in a live horti¬ 
cultural society is the best known preventive 
against the persistent attacks of t he itinerant 
sellers of trees and vines. 
There are some very large seed dealers. All 
of these send out some poor seeds. There 
seems to be a growing necessity for small, 
careful growers all over the country. There 
is a talk of having some wax models of fruits 
prepared for a museum. 
Among those from other States were J. W. 
Ragan, of Fillmore, Indiana; T. C. Plum, of 
Missouri, and Professor W. J. Beal, of the 
Michigan Agricultural College. The latter 
gentleman gave an interesting lecture on hor¬ 
ticultural experiments. Mr. Ragan and Prof es- 
sor Beal were elected honorary members, w. 
Seedling Rhubarb, Etc. 
Uncle Waldo, who is said—p. 314—to 
have resorted to seedlings as a means of im¬ 
proving his rhubarb, will run a risk of disap¬ 
pointment. The seedlings are easily raised, 
and the plants fresh from seed are healthy 
and vigorous; but they vary in quality as 
seedlings of all plants do. Some have flavors 
that are actually nauseous, and I remember 
one fine root given to a friend, in the belief 
that it would be found an acquisition which 
he told me afterwards, with a wry face, tasted 
as if it was a root of skunk eabbage. A choice 
sort, once established is easily increased by 
taking off eyes with a bit of root in October. 
Has anyone tried whether a specially choice 
and male plant of asparagus could be made to 
furnish sets for a whole uniform bed in a sim¬ 
ilar way ? [J. B. Moore has, we think. Eds ] 
As to the Salem grape, it is uniformly tine 
here, in Central Pennsylvania. The nest eyes 
of the best canes are left for bearing (long 
cane or renewal pruning)—and these are laid 
down and weighted close to the surface in 
November. Only one or at most two best 
bunches are left on about June 1st, and bags 
are successfully used. Agawam, though not 
quite so large and handsome is even finer in 
flavor, and Wilder and Merrimac (as blacks) 
are nearly as excellent. All do well annually 
with similar treatment but Concord—or better 
—Worden yields more. w. 
f iorinillnrai. 
RAYS. 
About three months ago I promised to give 
you occasionally some plain, practical hints 
about growing plants, and I have seemingly 
failed in doing so. But serious sickness in my 
family called me suddenly to another laud, 
hence my silence. But now that I am with 
you again 1 shall endeavor to honor my 
promise. [Welcome back, Leon! Eds.] 
* * 
In answer to S. S. M., p. 817: If your Cala- 
diums are the big green leafed ones known as 
Esculentum, winter the roots as you would 
those of cumins or dahlias, aud in a tempera 
ture not under 45 degrees. If they are of the 
beautifully variegated sorts and are in pots, 
leave them undisturbed till Spring and till 
that time keep them dry and in atemperature 
of about 55 degrees or a little more, but do uot 
keep them near a furnace, in a drafty place 
or elsewhere where they would get too dry. 
* * 
To C. A. B., p. 817: Lilium pulchellum and 
L. tenulfolium are more easily raised from 
seeds then are any other species of the genus. 
From seed tenuifoliuui will yield some flowers 
when two years old, and both species when 
three years old will give a fair crop of blos¬ 
soms. Sow the seeds in pots or shallow boxes 
in the house, or in a shaded cold-frame; they 
should germinate in nine or ten days. After 
they come up leave them alone for some days; 
then, if they are in pots, you may transplant 
them thickly into boxes; if in boxes or a 
frame, and they do not seem over-crowded, 
do not disturb them till they are of goodly 
size. Indeed, I usually transfer the potful of 
seedlings, without disturbing them in the 
least beyond removing the pot, into the earth 
in a cold-frame, and let them stay there till 
the seedlings are a year old, when I lift and 
transplant them into rows. Both are early- 
blooming, bright lovely lilies and very hardy. 
* * 
It is disappointing tome to note the confes¬ 
sion of Robert Douglas, that “ alibis attempts 
to produce something nice from sports or 
hybrids have been absolute failures," especi¬ 
ally when I remember how many beautiful 
and distinct varieties of shrubs, notably of 
Arbor-vitiss, I saw in his nurseries at Wau¬ 
kegan, some months ago, and which he, as well 
as myself, admired so much and regarded so 
sacguinely. But perhaps he does not include 
them among his “sports and hybrids,” but 
classes them as natural varieties? 
* * 
Although Mr. Sturtevant grew and flow¬ 
ered that noblest of tropical water lilies, the 
Victoria regia, in his out door pond at Bor- 
dentown, N. J., he did not do so without the 
aid of artificial heat. It is not possible to 
cultivate the Victoria regia in our Northern 
or Middle States without the assistance of 
artificial heat. 
* * 
W E often put our ivies, oleanders, tea roses 
and other pet plants that are too large for our 
windows in Winter into a warm corner in the 
bam or cellar, and find in Spring that they 
have wintered first-rate ; but again, these 
winter-quarters by reason of draft, turnaee 
heat or other means, may be drying in their 
effects, and. our plants may suffer because of 
dryness at the root. See to it that this will 
not occur. A deciduous plant, as a Fuchsia, 
Lemon-scented Verbena or Crape Myrtle, w-ill 
bear w ith impunity a good deal of dryness 
at the root; but anevergreen plant, as an ivy, 
oleander, Cape Jessamine, or Myrtle, will 
suffer considerably if allowed to become dry. 
If azaleas and camellias get dry'in Winter, 
t hey may not show-the evil effect immediately, 
but when blooming time comes heir buds are 
likely to drop off without opening. 
* * 
Century Plants and Prickly Pear Cactuses 
may be kept in the cellar or barn, providing 
they are kept dry overhead and away from 
frost, but when so imprisoned they dislike the 
hot breath of a furnace, a high temperature, 
draft or other undue drying influence. Other 
cactuses, if kept dry, wi l winter well in your 
dullest or north-facing windows, in company 
with ferus and begonias; but, of course, you 
cannot expect them to blossom there. Night¬ 
blooming Cereusea and Lobster-claw Cactuses 
and bright blossomed phyllocaccuses like 
moderately warm aud suuny quarters, and 
are grateful for a seat behind Chinese Prim¬ 
roses, cyclamens, geraniums, petunias, abuti- 
lons, and bonvardias. 
Keep cinerarias and calceolarias near the 
glass and in a cool room; if frost is merely ex¬ 
cluded, that is warm enough. Pansies and 
violets in pots blossom better in cool than 
warm rooms. Oxalises, g raniums, bouvar- 
dias, abutilons, heliotropes, roses, and most 
other w inter-blooming plants like the sunniest 
places iu our windows. Chinese Primroses 
blossom well enough in east or north-facing 
windows; if yon prefer th?m in south-facing 
windows a thiu muslin screen in freutoi them 
may be necessary to keep them from wilting 
by reason of noonday sunshine. If you have 
a lot of tulips, hyacinths and other bulbous 
plants potted and stored in the cellar or else¬ 
where, bring in a few cf the more advanced 
ones of them, keep them in a moderately 
lighted place for some days till they grow a 
little and assume a natural green color, then 
you can introduce them with safety to sum¬ 
mer quarters. Narcissuses, crocuses, snow¬ 
drops, squills, and some others so often grown 
m pots and indoors for midwiutei decoration, 
should be treated very moderately—if intro¬ 
duced hastily iuto warm quarter they fail to 
blossom satisfactorily. 
* * 
Let no evergreen plant suffer for want of 
water. Carnations, cal las, tea roses, and 
other plants that are in full vigor of growth 
and blooming, require a deal of water, and if 
J they are pot bound, libations of weak manure 
water will help them considerably. Use 
water of about the same tempierature as that 
of the room in which they are growing, and 
soft water iu preference to well or hard water. 
If any of your pdauts are sickly keep them 
somewhat dry and inactive. 
* * 
Keep gloxinias, achimeoes, ealadiums, 
tuberous-rooted begonias, and the like quite 
