our readers may judge whether the Rural 
New-Yorker is open to the censure which 
Mr. Caywood attaches to it. 
As to Mr. Downing’s “emuity,” we do not 
believe that he ever permitted oris capable of 
permitting either a dislike or a friendship for 
an individual to influence to the smallest ex¬ 
tent his estimate of the value of that individ¬ 
ual’s plant productions. Herein we have one 
of the chief reasons why his judgment is so 
respected. 
That we sent Secretary Campbell’s letter to 
Mr. Downing before it was published, is quite 
true, and it was done sincerely in the interests 
of justice to all concerned. 
Mr. Caywood has worked hard through his 
life, and has originated a number of excellent 
fruits, for which all should feel indebted to 
him. But we think that he has (unwittingly 
perhaps) become so absorbed in his work that 
he can not fairly discriminate between the 
pecuniary interests of the individual and the 
horticultural interests of the countrj r . His 
latest announced novelty is the Minnewaska 
Blackberry, figured from nature aDd describ¬ 
ed in these columns on page 561 of the Fair 
Number. We have asked Mr. Caywood for 
specimens to test in these grounds, but he de¬ 
clines to send them for the reaoon, no doubt, 
that he fears they will be as unkindly treated 
as he believes his Marlboro Raspberry to have 
been. 
October 9, 1883. They seem quite vigorous, 
though not very productive. The fruit is 
large, somewhat wedge-shaped, as shown in 
Fig. 34, often irregular, fairly firm, of a 
bright red color, but of poor quality. The 
flower is often imperfect. 
Mrs. Garfield. This was received from 
G. H. & J, H. Hale, South Glastonbury, Conn , 
Aoril 13, 1883. It originated with Matthew 
Crawford, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, a seedling 
of the Crescent. The plant is fairly vigorous, 
makes few runners, is of average productive¬ 
ness, and bears a pe- feet blossom. The fruit 
averages medium, is of a bright red, with 
golden seeds on the surface, ripening early. 
The quality is good, the berries firm and of a 
regular ovate-conical shape, as shown in our 
cut from nature, Fig. 35. 
grafting eyes of the Early Vermont into the 
Snowflake. We need scarcely remark that 
this grafting would no more produce a new 
variety tbau would inserting an eye (bud) of 
a Bose Pear under the hark of a Lawrence. 
Planted April 7 aud dug August 19. Small 
vines. The yield was at the rate of 730 bush¬ 
els to the acre—10}£ to a hill. Best five 
weighed two pounds six ounces. Shape oval 
flattened, often egg-shaped; buff skin inclin¬ 
ed to pink, smooth; few eyes and these not 
deep. Eaten October 1st; quite mealy, nearly 
white flesh. 
Carnival, from O. H. Alexander, Char¬ 
lotte, Vermont. Said to he a cross between 
Dakota Red and Compton's Surprise. Plauted 
April 7 ; dug August 15. Low, spreading 
tops. The yield was at the rate of 315 bushels 
to the acre. Best five weighed two pounds 
eight ounces. Irregular in shape, skin mot¬ 
tled, buff and pink. Homely in every way. 
The average numher of tubers was 7 2 5 to a 
hill,of which about 50 percent, were market¬ 
able. Eaten September 19; flesh nearly white 
—quality fair only. 
A notice, —Hitherto the R. N.-Y. has occa¬ 
sionally tested new varieties of potatoes under 
numbers. In the future we shall require the 
names under which the new varieties are to 
be introduced or sold. 
Among white oats we might further mention 
the White Zealand, Challenge and Race-horse 
as having succeeded fairly well here. 
It would seem that there is a good oppor¬ 
tunity for the improvement of oats. We have 
tried to cross varieties, but failed, while the 
said to-be crossed varieties sent here to be 
tested, have proven old kinds or, at least, 
practically the same. 
THE WYANDOTTE* 
Since the first of December until January 
1st. inclusive, we have received from our nine 
Wyandotte hens—hatched in the Spring—131 
eggs. That is at the rate of four and seven 
thirty-firsts eggs per diem—the best average of 
eggs lor December we have ever received from 
any breed of hens we have ever experimented 
with, and we have raised nearly every breed 
adapted to this climate. The eggs now aver¬ 
age a fraction (one-sixteenth) over eight to a 
pound. 
NOTES ON BACK NUMBERS 
T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
Its “small size and lateness” (p. 810) is ex¬ 
actly the objection I have to the Perfect Gem 
Squash. It may be occasionally useful, or 
preferred, for amateur planting; but I think 
it useless to the commercial grower. 
R. H M. says (p. 811) that he has successful¬ 
ly fought the pear blight in South Carolina 
with a dressing of ashes. I have long thought 
that blight, yellows, and other tree maladies 
of that class, are due to malnutrition of some 
sort, being analagous to animal diseases of the 
class of “hog cholera.” And, by the way—to 
show that there is “nothing new under the 
sun”—I recently noticed in reading the Massa¬ 
chusetts Agricultural Report for 1855, ip. 52), 
that Horace Collamore, of Plymouth, Mass., 
suggests, from his own experience, the use of 
wood ashes as a preventive of yellows in the 
peach tree, thus anticipating the experiments 
of the Massachusetts Agricultural College by 
a quarter of a century. 
What Mr. Atkinson is it, that thinks the 
people should choke the monopolies to death? 
(p. 813.) Mr. Edward Atkinson, of Massachu¬ 
setts, who is au able and voluminous writer 
on industrial topics, has heretofore given quite 
contrary advice.—[Wilrner Atkinson, of the 
Farm Journal. —Eds.1 
oats. 
We are having inquiries as to the best kinds 
of oats to sow in the Spring. The Rural has 
tried nearly all the so-called new and old va¬ 
rieties, numbering perhaps 50. The White 
Russian Oats, which were much advertised 
and talked about three years ago,are not par¬ 
ticularly praiseworthy in anyway. We have 
read that they have yielded over 100 bushels 
to the acre; that they are rust proof even in 
the South; that they often weigh over 40 
pouuds to the bushel—all of which in our tests 
have proven untrue. The American Triumph, 
BANANA MUSKMELON. 
According to our tests of novelties last 
Summer, the much advertised “ Bauana ” 
Muskmelon was worthless. If any of our 
readers raised it and care to raise it another 
season, let us hear from them. 
Mrs. Garfield 
TESTS WITH NEW POTATOES 
(CONTINUED.) 
SOIL, CULTURE, ETC. 
CHAMPION OATS. 
We are having inquiries for the Rural 
Champion Oats, sent out last year in its Free 
Seed Distribution. It may lie gathered from 
the hundreds of reports received, that though 
a distinct, they are an inferior variety, their 
chief excellence consisting in tillering more 
than other varieties. The oats are small and 
they ripen late. 
WHY HE DID NOT SUBSCIBK FOR THE R. N.-Y. 
One of our subscribers showed the Rural 
to a frieud and solicited his subscription. The 
friend, while examining the Rural, saw the 
statement that we had raised “at the rate of 
l,391>i bushels of potatoes to the acre." He, 
however, read it that we had actually raised 
that amount of potatoes on an acre, aud 
therefore refused to subscribe for any' paper 
that would make such a statement. As a 
matter of fact, we have never raised over 
275 bushels of potatoes on an acre of laud, aud 
all our earlier experiments were attended 
with discouraging results until we hit upon 
our trench method, which, besides the use of 
a “trench,” involves several other practices 
not followed in the ordinary way. One year 
we raised potatoes in GO different ways, From 
one to ten eyes were used; small potatoes and 
large potatoes were planted. Seed was 
planted at different distances, in both hills 
and drills. The results were, as our older 
readers know, so contradictory thut we never 
learnt anything from the trial. We con¬ 
cluded that we could not raise large yields of 
potatoes at the Rural Farm, and so we frankly 
stated iu these columns. It was about this 
time that, under level and shallow cultivation 
and broadcast manuring, or fertilizing, we 
succeeded on five acres of land in raisiug over 
100 bushels of shelled corn to the acre, aud on 
one acre over 130 bushels of shelled corn. 
This was doubted at the time, aud has since 
The soli Is a moist, mellow loam. Inclining a little 
to clay, and this Is ihe fourth consecutive year In 
which potatoes have been raised on It. It has re¬ 
ceived liberal quantities of potato concentrated fer¬ 
tilizers and occasional dressings of Bair, kalnlt.bone. 
etc , perhaps at the rate of l,2uu pounds to the acre 
Mrs. Fisher tells us (p. 813) that while Cali¬ 
fornians are aglow with an instinct for beauty 
and adornment in the way of gardens, etc., 
these are the last things for which Oregonians 
seem to care. The cause of this is to be found in 
original immigrations. California was filled 
up from among the most energetic and intel¬ 
ligent classesof the East,while the Willamette 
Valley was largely peopled by “Pikes,” whose 
ideas on all subjects are not much above those 
of the Indian tribes with which their progen¬ 
itors fought, aud often intermarried But 
common schools will develop the aesthetic fac¬ 
ulties. even of “Pikes,” iu a few generations, 
especially when school gardens and floral 
school room adornments constitute a part of 
the means of iustiuetion. All the horticult¬ 
ural societies ought to offer premiums for and 
otherwise stimulate this sort of education. In 
Maine even the railroads fiud an advantage 
in so adorning their passenger stations. 
[Those of many other States are doing the 
same.— Eds ] 
;y' ( ,y v v^ v; - 
Underwood Potato, 
altogether. Trenches two spades wide, five Inches 
deep and three feet apart as In past seasons, were 
dug. The soil In the bottom was raked mellow, the 
pieces (two eyes each), placed one foot apart upon 
this, and then covered with an Inch of soil. The 
fertilizers were then evenly strewn, and the trench 
Ailed to the surface. The cultivation ts done be¬ 
tween the rows entirely with wheel cultivators, and 
between the plants with the hoe. Very little hoeing 
is require j, since the plants meet before the weeds 
start. The soil Is never hilled-up about the plants, 
but kept at the same level over the eutlre plot. In 
testing new potatoes here, our object U to ascertain 
their quality, growth of vine, time of maturity and 
the greatest yield of which they are capable In a 
rich soil especially prepared for them. 
which was originated by C. G. Pringle of 
Vermont, and introduced by B. K. Bliss & Son 
of this city, is late and unsuited to this partic¬ 
ular climate. Good reports of it come from 
the North as to vigor, strength of straw and 
productiveness. The White Australian Oats 
which we sowed years ago, weighed over 50 
pouuds to the bushel. But the crop was much 
lighter. They are productive, vigorous, tall- 
growing and early. Grown beside the Wel¬ 
come Oats much advertised of late years, the 
one can not be distinguished from the other. 
The Red Rust-proof Oits of the South are 
Rural Dec. 13. Prof. Budd’s notes on the 
Chinese Pears (p. 835) are in¬ 
valuable. In sending Prof. 
Budd on his’horticultural trip 
through Northeastern Europe, 
, vV the Iowa Agricultural College 
has conferred a lasting bene- 
§88^ ■ fit upon a large section of this 
continent. Mr. Charles Gibb 
of Canada, who accompanied 
Mr. Budd, at his own expense, 
is entitled to equal praise. 
Canada pays immense salaries 
to its officials, but was too poor 
to send Mr. Gibb as Iowa sent 
Prof. Budd. Yet we can not 
crow much over Canada, for 
I do not know of any Eastern 
State likely to be any more 
liberal toward horticultural 
investigation. Still, we may 
hope that Iowa's example will 
not be lost in the future. 
A seedling, without name, from J. L. Per¬ 
kins, Little Sioux, Harrison Co , Iow’a. Said 
to be from u cross between Silver Skin aud 
Wall’s Orange. Planted April 7; harvested 
August 15—an intermediate. Yield at the 
rale of 877.25 bushels to the acre. Medium 
sized tops. Tubers none large, few very 
small; the illustration, Fig, 37, shows the 
average. Shapely, smooth, few eyes, purple 
skin. Badly worm-eaten, or scabbed. The 
average was 19 to a hill, of which three-quar¬ 
ters (iu numbers) were marketable. Among 
the best, five weighed 15 ouuees. Eaten Sep¬ 
tember 11; a little “strong”; not quite dry; 
sometimes hard iu the center. 
Underwood No. 34. Grown by Mr. Under¬ 
wood, of East Scott, Cortlandt Co., N. Y. It 
was said to be 10 days earlier than White 
Star. Planted April and dug August 23. 
Strong-growing vines. The yield was at the 
rate of 1*07 50 bushels to the acre. Among 
the largest, five weighed four pouuds three 
ounces. Average number to a hill, 15 2-5, of 
which 75 per cent, were marketable. Skiu 
white; shape cylindrical, sometimes oblong- 
flattened. Eyes not deep. Eaten September 
21; it can not bo called a dry or mealy potato 
as grown iu moist soil. Flesh nearly white. 
Our faithful illustration shows the typical 
form, Fig. 30. 
From H. B. Williams of Bear Creek, 
Wisconsin, a few seed pieces were received of 
a variety which he claims originated from 
STRAW BERrtlES. 
oone. This comparatively new 
s now being praised by many cub 
mu 
In reply to G. E. B.. (p. S26) 
I can say that the common 
cherries make a good union 
with the Bird Cherry (P. Pennsylvanica) when 
grafted early, or budded late. Early budding 
fails on account of the rapid and late growth 
of the stock. I have not yet tried the Griottes 
of Northeastern Europe on this stock. They 
are a very distinct variety (species?), and may 
not succeed.- 
My friend, Mr. Atkins, of Maine (p. 826), 
Seedling Potato. 
with us really rust-proof. But the straw is 
short and the heads light. Priugle’s Hy¬ 
bridized Hulless differ very little, if any, from 
the old Chinese Hulless, Of the older kinds of 
oats we prefer the Scho'ueu and Probsteier. 
The Black Tartarian is the best of our dark- 
colored oats. The straw is very large, the 
blades wide. It is a side oat and rather late. 
Daniel Boone Fig. 34* 
tivators. Our plants were received from 
John S. Collins, Moorestown, New Jersev 
