notes has conversed from time to time with a 
number of gentlemen who spoke confidently 
of the parentage of their new grapes,potatoes, 
wheat or oats, who, though no doubt sincere 
in the belief that their assumed ciosses had 
actually been made, bad performed their woik 
in a way that left scarcely a chance of any 
ci oss breeding having been effected, That seed¬ 
ling fruit varies, istoo often taken as proof that 
the variation isowjng to such ineffectual work. 
In this way the accuracy of the history of 
the origin of new plants is impaired, and those 
who, in a really scientific manner, begin 
their siudies or practice, accepting such his¬ 
tory as reliable, will find much to unlearn in 
separating real facts from empirical preten¬ 
sions. 
The Rural has been taken to task be¬ 
cause it has doubted that the Kieffer is a 
cross-bred pear. The original Japan pear- 
tree grew near a Bartlett, heed of the form¬ 
er was planted, and the fruit of the seedling 
varied considerably from the Japan pear. 
Therefore, it was called Kuffei’s Hybrid. 
There is no pretense that any further infor¬ 
mation exists as to its being a cross. It is so 
with the Le Conte Pear. It is merely a “sup¬ 
posed hybrid.” The position we take is, that 
merely because the original Chinese or Japan 
pear grew Bear another, or because the seed¬ 
ling fruit is decidedly different from its 
parent, we have no right to assume am tiling 
of the kind. 
During tie past season our Kieffer pear- 
tree, four years from the nursery, bore three 
or four umbels of blossoms. While still 
in the bud, the petals were unfolded and 
the anthers, still quite immature, of course, 
were remoi ed, In a few days, and continu¬ 
ing for a week or more, we every day applied 
pollen from either or both the Seeks] and 
Anj< u. Three pears ter, two of which either 
fell off or were broken off by biids. The third 
matured and contained seven perfect seeds 
which were planted in November. Here we 
have, without the slightest doubt, a cross be¬ 
tween the Kieffer and either the Seckel or 
An jou— w hich, of course, can never be known. 
Ourfriends may ask why we did not use pol¬ 
len from either the Anjou or Seekel. The 
reason w as that atter using Anjou pollen for 
two or three days, we could net find any more. 
As the stigmas of the emasculated Kieffer 
blossoms seemed still immature, resort was 
had to the Seekel pollen. The pear itself is 
shown both entire and in half-section at Figs. 
9 and 10. In flavor it fully resemoled the 
Kieffer at its worst; that i c , the flavor of the 
flesh was not changed by the hybridization. 
Among the rough and pronged, one went as 
high as five pounds five ounces. For a long 
time New York was the successful State, with 
a potato weighing pounds; then Dakota 
came to the front with one 3^ pounds; then, 
Montana reported one 4}£ pounds, and it 
seemed settled; but ouly a day or two before 
the time for the contest expired, a box came 
from Jacob Shcuriy, of Dakota, with four 
weighing four pounds, or over, each, and one 
a 4j>§pounder, and thus Dakota becomes the 
banner large potato State, aod Mr. Shoudy 
the successful man. 
We had in our office at one time 17 potatoes 
that aggregated 54 pounds, an average of 
three pounds each. Was this ever ex¬ 
celled? We have had four, the largest of 
each of four kinds, drawn and engraved, 
Daniel Stevens, Steubeu Co., N. Y. 
A. M Allen, Orleans Co , N. Y., 
S. H. Cam, Darke Co., Ohio, 
Mrs. H. E. McCormick, Stark Co., 
J. McCleary, Decatur Co., la.. 
EXPERIENCES WITH POTATOES 
Mr. A. M. Allen. Orleans Co., N. Y., says: 
“My two pound potato was raised on new 
land which last year bad its first crop—oats. 
I'be potatoes planted were medium sized, cut 
into three or four piece* each, and planted in 
hills three feet apart each way, one piece to 
the hill. 1 used no manure of any kind Bur¬ 
bank yielded 175 bushels per acre; from three 
rows of Rural Blush, each 48 hills long, though 
some lulls were missing, I dug nine bushels, 
ft 
Kieffer Pear, crossed with either Seckel or Anjou. Fig. 9. 
(at the rate of 300 bushels per acre.) I tried 
au experiment on one eighth of an acre. I 
sowed 25 pounds of Homestead Phosphate and 
three bushels of ashes, broadcast, and then 
plowed out trenches from five to seven inches 
deep, dropped my seed pieces, with three or 
more eyes to a piece, 12 inches apart, sprinkled 
25 pounds of bone flour in the row, and cov¬ 
ered them; they were White Stars, Blushes, 
and Buroanks. The yield was no better than 
from those planted on the surface and hilled 
up. I have some seedlings, two of which 
promise well. I would like to send some to be 
tried at the R. Ex Grounds.” 
Remarks.— We think there were two errors 
in Mr. Allen's experiment; odo was in putting 
the bulk of the manure on the ground before 
plowing out the trenches; the other, in using 
true to nature in size and appearance, which 
we present this week. Of the competitors, we 
have tabulated the names of those reporting 
potatoes passably smooth ancl weighing two 
pounds and over, together with the weight of 
the potato grown by each: they are as fol¬ 
lows:— 
Lbs. Oz. 
Jacob Shoudy, Lawrence Co., Dakota, 
Blue Victor, . . . .48 
J. W. Collins, Custer Co., Montana, Early 
Rose.4 4 
E. C. Barrow, Spink Co., Dakota, 3 8 
C. W. Bower, Tompkins Co., N. Y., 
W. E , . . . .34 
J. H. Benner, Licking Co., Ohio, . 3 0 
D. H. Howes, Genesee Co., Mich., the 
Rural Blush.2 14 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER’S 
LARGE POTATO CONTEST. 
A Collection of illaui moths 
THE LAKGEST SMOOTH POTATOES OH 
EECOED. 
THE CLOSING STRUGGLE, 
BETWEEN MONTANA AND DAKOTA 
DAKOTA WINS BY ONE-FOURTH 
OF A POUND. 
As will be remembered, we, last Spring, of¬ 
fered a prize of ->10 for the largest shapely po¬ 
tato that should be grown; not that we wished 
to encourage the growth of such monsters, but 
because we had a curiosity to know just how 
large a potato could be produced We even 
made several experiments, selecting the larg¬ 
est tubers we could find aud allowing only 
one stalk to grow, keeping this trained to a 
stake and forcing it by every mean* at our 
command; but the more we tried to force 
them, the more they would not respond, and 
all resulted in failure, so fax as the production 
of extraordinarily large potatoes was con 
cerned. We have acquired the knowledge 
necessary to grow a large crop, we think: but 
how to t,row a very large, shapely potato is, 
as yet, to us, a hidden mystery. 
In order that our subscribers should not be 
put to extra expense in sending us a large 
number of potatoes, we subsequently an¬ 
nounced that i hey should merely report to us 
the weight of their largest, and not forward 
any specimens until advised by us to do so. 
As the cards came pouring in, the wisdom of 
this precaution became apparent; for had all 
who reported sent their potatoes, we should 
have been compelled to go into the produce 
business, or procure addilioual room for their 
storage. Their numbers went among ihe hun¬ 
dreds ; and such a lot! potatoes long, round, ob¬ 
long, flat and oval; smooth, pronged, and 
knobby; red, pink, blue, white, black aud 
buff; solid-colored, spotted, “ringed, streaked 
and speckled.” Could they have been all 
gathered, they would have formed au attrac¬ 
tive annex to the New Orleans Exposition. 
Kieffer Pear, crossed with either Seckel or Anjou. Half Section. Fig. 10, 
Wm. Graham, Worcester Cc., Mass., 2 14 
C. H. Clark, Cayuga Co., N. Y., White 
Elephant, . . . . . 2 13 
J. J. Kiesling, Clinton Co., Micb., “ 2 10 
Azro Smith, Lawrence Co., Dakota, 
Beauty of Hebron, , .28 
Mrs. J. Morse, Bradford Co., Pa.,Chili, 2 8 
J. E. Everett, Northumberland Co., Pa., 
Seedling, , . , 2 7% 
E. J. Bartholomew, Madison Co., N.Y., 2 6 
J. J. Elliott, Marquette Co., Manitoba, 2 4 
A. E. Roorda, Marion Co., Ia,,. . 2 3 
T, W. Lyon, Tuscola Co., Mich., . 2 3 
A. A. Wright, Renfrew Co., Out., 2 1 
G. Shoeufeldt, Chautauqua Co., N. Y.,2 X 
R. Walker, Laramie Co., Wyoming, 2 0 
F. Peck, Prince Edward Co., Ont., 2 0 
too much seed. \ 
the new seedlings. 
Mr. C. W. Clark, Cayuga Co., N. Y., 
says: “1 have no new method of growing po¬ 
tatoes; have never used any fertilizer except 
barn-yard manure. My present crop was 
grown on a one-year-old clover sod turned 
down, with no manure, well harrowed and 
cultivated. The ground was marked with a 
three-legged marker having cultivator teeth 
to make the furrows, two feet ten inches 
apart; the seed pieces were cut with three 
eyes each, as nearly as could be, and dropped 
two feet ten inches apart, so that the rows 
were the same distance apart each way. I used 
for covering them a five-toothed cultivator 
with the front three Teeth removed; the two 
which were left and used weie those, mold¬ 
board-shaped. and they covered very nicely. 
As soon as I can see the rows I cultivate 
both wan s, and in about ten days I cultivate 
again one way, and use a winged shovel plow 
the other, and then follow with hoes, clos¬ 
ing up a little dirt around the vines. I prefer 
to do this when the vines are not more than 
six inches tab, aud hoe but once. After this, 
1 keep horse and plow going quite often, just 
scraping the surface until the 7iues begin to- 
lop over. My largest potato weighed two 
pounds thirteen ounces. Though a little T- 
sbaped, it was smooth. It was a White Ele¬ 
phant. 
Remarks.— Would it. not pay to try the 
Rural’s method of wide trenches, mellow 
soil and flat culture, in a limited way? 
Mr. E. C. Barrow, of Spink Co , Dakota, 
says: “1 plow the land deep aDd barrow it 
thoroughly. I then furrow it out deep, mak¬ 
ing the furrows large, three feet apart. I 
drop the potatoes, cut so as to have two eyes 
on each piece, fourteen inches apai t. I cover 
them with the Acme Harrow, which is the 
best tool for this purpose I have ever found, 
as it leaves the laud in the best condition. 
Just as they begin to show above ground, I 
harrow well. After this, 1 use a two horse 
cultivator, goiDg over them as often as neces¬ 
sary to keep all weeds down and the ground 
mellow, keeping the surface always level; 
this retains the moistui’e aud secures the best 
results. 1 use no fertilizer, as our land is well 
adapted to all root crops, and especially to po¬ 
tatoes. The potato sent was raised under prai¬ 
rie sod plowed the last of May, amt they had 
no cultivation whatever: 50 weighed 104}4 
pounds; they were Beauty of Hebrons.” 
The one received weighed three and one- 
half pounds, but it was not very smooth. 
Mr. J. W. Collins, of Custer Co., Montana,, 
says: “I ship you by express an Early 
Rose Potato raised on the bottom lands bor¬ 
dering on Toiu^ue River in this county, which 
seems particularly adapted to the potato.” 
This potato we illustrate, exact size, in 
Fig. 7. page 9. It weighed 4 ft pounds, beiog 
only one-quarter of a pound lighter than the 
successful one. It is, although so very large, 
as perfect a specimen of the Early Rose as we 
ever saw. 
Mr. Francis Peck. Prince Edward Co., 
Ont., says: “My method of growing potatoes 
is as follows: I use common farm-yard and 
stable manure, with what uuleached wood 
ashes I have. 1 put 75 one horse-cart loads to 
the acre every other year, spread it broadcast 
aud plow under, 1 also spread my ashes 
broadcast. I plant in rows three feet each 
way, and cultivate with a one-horse cultivator 
both w’ays, which is all the billing I give 
them. In plautiug, I cut the largest potatoes 
to one eye in a piece, and the medium-sized 
ones to two eyes in a piece, aud put two pieces 
in a bill (Early Ohio should have three pieces 
to a bill). 1 am satisfied with the yield aud 
quality, except where they are affected by 
scab, which 1 cannot account for.” 
Mr. Jacob Shoudy, of Lawrence Co., 
Dakota, seut us a box containing 14 potatoes 
which weighed38 pounds Among these were 
seven Blue Victors weighing 23 pounds, or an 
average of 3 2 7 pounds each: four White 
Victors, weighing 9}£ pounds, or 2;ft pounds 
each, and three Beauty of Hebron* weighing 
pounds. The heaviest potato was a Blue 
Victor weighing pounds, a true likeness 
of which we give in Fig. 11. on page 3. 
The largest V\ bite Victor is shown in Fig. 12, 
page 5, and weighed three pounds. The 
largest Beauty of Hebron weighed 2}£ pounds 
and is shown in Fig. 8, page 11. Mr. 
Shoudy says, “You will see by the sample 
seut the size of potatoes we grow. 1 raised 
this year 500 bushels of Blue and White Vic¬ 
tor, very few of which weighed less than two 
pounds, aud from that up, many weighing 
fout pounds, aud being perfectly solid. I 
have never yet seen one with a hollow in it. 
The 20th of July we had a hail storm that 
destroyed everything and beat the potato 
tops into the ground, cutting them all to 
pieces. Only for tnat I think I should have 
had some of lair size; as it is, I send these to 
show what tho Black Hills can do under diffi¬ 
culties, and promise now, that next year, if 
the hail doesn’t hit us, 1 will send you some 
weighing at least six pounds, aud maybe 
more.” 
This Blue Victor was a fine potato, and en¬ 
titles Mr. Shoudy to the $10 prize. 
C. W. Bower, Tompkins Co., N. Y., for a 
loug time the leading contestant, says: “I 
planted my potatoes on a plot of black muck 
overlying tt clay subsoil, in rows 3% feet 
apart, the pieces, cut to two eyes iu each, 
being placed 18 inches from each other. They 
were cultivated twice and not hoed at all, so 
