straw or grain from it. Below is a statement 
of our observations:— 
The Hybrid Mediterranean Wheat was 
planted September 33rd, 1882, in Hiram Sibley 
& Co's tost grounds, in very rich garden soil, 
seed four inches apart in drills two feet apart. 
The seed vegetated October 3 vory evenly. 
The young plants grew vigorously uutil snow 
came. During the Winter the ground was 
bare much of the time, and on several occa¬ 
sions ice rested upon the plat for a number of 
days. The wheat came through the Winter 
all right, being thoroughly hardy, and in early 
Spring appeared the best of any of nine varie¬ 
ties, among which wore Martin’s Amber, 
Lovett’s White, Red Mediterranean, Turkey. 
Velvet Chaff, etc., and it has kept the lead 
throughout, being at this time nearly ready 
for harvest. The varieties all Lad an equal 
chance being planted in tlie same manner. 
The growth of the wheat in the Fall was no 
special advantage as protection against frost, 
because the distance between the plants pre¬ 
vented any protection of the soil. To-day we 
counted 12 stools, selected as near as possible, 
to obtain an average. One had 72 stems and 
heads; one 40; one 46; oue 48; one 41; one 89; 
one 34; one 33; oue 30; two 28; oue 27. The 
average hight was about five feet; the average 
length of head about three inches, some of 
them running three-and-a-half to four inches. 
The excessively wet weather seems to have pre¬ 
vented some of the blossoms from fertilizing, 
and the birds have picked out so many kernels 
that it is impossible to get a fair count of the 
grains in the heads. The fields of this wheat 
being grown in lighter soil and more exposed 
situations near Rochester, show much better 
sample heads than this garden plat, although 
the yield will bo less, probably 35 and 30 
bushels per acre. 1 ’ 
A fricud at Vermont writes as follows: 
“ The so-called Mediterranean Hybrid Winter 
Wheat I think very favorably of, and now ex¬ 
pect to sow a quantity of it next Fall. If we 
can find a Winter wheat that will yield as 
well as Clawson and give us better flour, and 
stand our Winters, we shall feel pretty 
good about it. I think this variety Jills the bill 
well. It stands up well under our heavy 
winds and does not lodge.” 
- 4 ♦ «- 
FOTJETH. 
A NEW RYE—“THOUSAND-FOLD.” 
In our Fair Number of last year were given 
the results of our test of this rye, received 
through a friend from Germany. They were 
sown October 2 and yielded heavily, though, 
being but a single drill, no fair estimate of the 
yield per acre could be given. The illustration 
Fig. 613 is taken from an average head while 
still green. Some of the stools had 19 
stems measuring six feet three inches in hight. 
FIFTH. 
HORSFORD’S MARKET GARDEN PEA. 
This was sent to us to be tested by Mr. F. H. 
Horsford of Charlotte, Vermont, the origina¬ 
tor. It was grown in a plot among many 
other kinds and selectod by us on account of 
its productiveness, the size aud quality of the 
seed, though, as will be seen from our accurate 
engraving, Fig, 616, the pods ore not large. But 
they are borne in pairs. Mr. Horsford writes: “1 
made the cross in the Summer “of ’79 by using 
the pollen of Laxton’s Alpha on the American 
Wonder. There were three peas one of which 
produced the Racket, the other two the Mar¬ 
ket Garden. Unlike most of my crosses, the 
Market Garden has shown almost no variation 
since the first two plants came up. They were 
so nearly alike that 1 put them together. 1 
compared the quality of it with the Wonder 
and could see no difference, I quote from 
Prof. S. M. Tracy's (Mo.) report: ‘Ripened 
about with McLean’s Advancer and have a 
full crop ripening entirely w ithin eight days— 
quality excellent. I think the fact that the 
crop ripens within so short a time is one of its 
best ooints for the Market Garden.’ ” 
sixth 
BLACK CHAMPION OATS. 
These oats also were sent to us to be tested 
by Mr. Horsford. Ho received them with 14 
other varieties from Europe under a foreign 
name, and being the most promising of all in Lis 
climate (Vermont.) lie renamed thorn as above 
and raised a stock. Our own plants grew to 
the bight of five feet and over with heavy 
stems and broad leaves, as shown at Fig. 612. 
The panicles are spreading and the size 
of the oat is shown in the figure. The remark¬ 
able thing about this oat is that It tillers 
more than uny variety we have Over 
raised, so that half the quantity of seed 
usually sown per acre would suffice The 
RttUAt. misrelt r»1}t t,M* blank fflV 
3 
trial, without any further knowledge of how 
it may behave in other parts of the country- 
Mr. Horsford writes us. “If you will com. 
pare its panicles with others, you will find, I 
think, that its shape is apt to mislead and that 
the average number of grains in a panicle 
will compare favorably with other lands. I 
have selected five of the best heads I could 
find of each of five varieties of oats, including 
the Black Champion, aud have countol and 
averaged the grains per head: 
| Si* i 
ill I 
Black Champion. I nil K.s to 
White Probestelr .I 81« •! ltP.3-5 
White Belgian.. | ?’t; 11151-5 
Hallett’s Pedigree Wlilte Canadian_I 427 S">2-5 
White Challenge.I 3U3 | 73 3-5 
The White Probosteir and White Belgian 
have the advantage from the fact that they 
have bad good cultivation and been selected 
for several years. Ihe Black Champion Is 
less inclined to rust with me than most sorts, 
though quite late in maturing.” 
SEVENTH. 
THE RURAL GARDEN TREASURES. 
For our lady friends it is proposed to make 
this collection of mixed seeds as valuable as 
possible aud to send to each axiplicant a 
quantity sufficient to fill a little garden with 
all the most desirable bedding plants in culti¬ 
vation, not including, os we did last year 
seeds of hardy shrubs, which, requiring a 
longer time to germinate, should not be sown 
TOMATO SEEDS OF ALL THE LATEST 
AND BEST VARIETIES. 
For the past seven years we have made 
selections from our best strains of tomatoes 
with a view to increase their solidity, keeping 
qualities and smoothness. No cross-breeding 
lias been attempted; neither have we en¬ 
deavored to produce earlier kinds. The 
largest and smoothest specimens of fruit have 
been spread out on boards and the seeds have 
been saved from tbosu alone which remained 
sound and Ann the longest.. Besides our own 
strains, the collection will be made up of Liv- 
ington’s Favorite, Perfection and Paragon 
(Acme is excluded because it rots in many 
places), Rochester, Mayflower, Cardinal, Cli¬ 
max, etc., etc., etc. Thus it will be seen that 
every applicant for this Seed Dist ribution will 
have the .opportunity, without expense, of raid¬ 
ing a few plants of all the best kinds of toma¬ 
toes known as well as of u number of kinds not 
yet offered for sale, und In this way h* enabled 
to make his own selections for another season 
from those which he deems iu all respects the 
best for his soil and climate. 
INSTRUCTIONS. 
One packet of each of the abovo Eight 
Kinds of seeds will be sent post-paid to every 
subscriber of the Rural New Yorker who 
applies before April 1st, 188-1. inclosing a three- 
eont stamp as guarantee that he or she is in¬ 
terested in the farm and garden. 
The Distribution will begin early in the 
New Year. 
Applicants need not request us to substitate 
any other kinds of seeds for those offered. The 
entire distribution will be scut te each appli¬ 
cant. 
A large per cent, of miscarriages are caused 
by the fact that t,lie names and addresses are 
Rural Union Corn, Cross Section. 
Fio, 615. 
with those which germinate freely. Many of 
our subscribers have already kindly offered to 
furnish the Rural with scodsof rare or choice 
varieties which they have gathered and are 
gathering for the purpose, and we shall hope 
from this source aioue to make up a varied 
and rare collection which, without such aid. 
it would l>e difficult to do. The rest of the 
seeds will bo gathered at the Rural Grounds 
and imported from Europe. 
--- 
EIGHTH AND LAST. 
. n Ftrt «l4n 
C.Faftner 
