THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A National Journal for Country and Suburban Homos. 
Conducted by 
K. S. CABMAN, 
J. 8. WOODWAB1), 
Editor. 
Associate. 
Address 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
No. 34 Park Row, Now York. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1885. 
Oor stenographic report of the pro¬ 
ceedings of the late session of the Ameri¬ 
can Pomological Society will be continued 
next week. 
We are now digging the potatoes of 
the poor-soil half-acre, the report of 
which will appear in due time. We are 
inclined to think that there will not be 
one, friend or foe, to dispute the state¬ 
ments of that report. 
It will not cost you anything, friends 
of the Rural, to comply with our re¬ 
quest, viz., that you present the R. N.-R. 
to a friend for the rest of the year, and 
for the usual price (§2.00) renew for 
the rest of this year and all of next. 
Of many varieties of celery growing at 
the Rural Grounds this season, the Perfec¬ 
tion Heartwell and Henderson’s Rose are 
the most vigorous and healthy. The 
more we see of the self-blanching kinds, 
the less we value them. All that is 
claimed for them is that they are self¬ 
blanching, a claim but partially true. 
Doea this compensate for poor keeping 
qualities and weakly growth? 
In a recent journey through the coun¬ 
try, we saw hundreds of gardens over¬ 
grown with weeds; and we thought 
could it be possible that the owners could 
realize that they were greatly adding to 
their labor hereafter by allowing these to 
ripen their seeds and scatter them over the 
ground. An hour spent now in cutting 
or pulling th<>se weeds and burning them, 
will save days of hard -work next year, 
and many, many aweary backache. Down 
with the weeds! 
Prof. J. M. McBhypf. President of the 
South Carolina College, says: “Let me 
congratulate you on your enterprise and 
liberality. Tbo Fertilizer Special bears on 
a subject of the highest scientific, as well 
as practical, importance,and is full of just 
such matter as the reader of average in¬ 
telligence desires. The management of 
your paper is beyond all praise—wise, 
progressive and liberal. As an agricul¬ 
tural weekly the Rural New-Yorker 
has no equal of its class in this country 
or Canada.” 
During the past few years we have 
discarded probably 50 different kinds of 
wheat which had originated at the Rural 
Grounds by cross-breeding, for the rea¬ 
son that they did not seem superior to 
the best of the many kinds now in culti¬ 
vation. But we have 40 kinds remain¬ 
ing, many of which do promise (in so far 
as they can be judged by the size of the 
beads, the number and size of the kernels 
in a spikelet, hardiness, etc.,) to be supe¬ 
rior to all other varieties with which we 
are familiar. The rye-wheat hybrids may 
or may not prove valuable. Several years 
must, pass ere any intelligent opinion can 
be formed. According to our usual 
method, only the best heads were select¬ 
ed, the grains of which were planted a 
foot apart both ways. Come and see 
them next Summer, friends. 
As the older readers of the Rural 
know, we have tried all the important 
breeds of poultry, from the dung-hill to 
the Langshan, including the first, though 
not the last. We ordered two settings 
of the Langshan. The first were broken on 
the route: the second infertile. Before try¬ 
ing the Plymouth Rock, we preferred the 
Light Bramhas. Now, for an all-purpose 
fowl we prefer the Wyandottes. They 
do not lay as large an egg as the Plymouth 
Rocks, but this is the only word we can 
say against them. Nearly 40 years ago, 
we were fond of the Crested Golden Spang¬ 
led Hamburgs, and we have now three 
cockerels and two pullets, the outcome 
of 15 eggs sent to us by a subscriber. 
They are non-sitters and not to be praised 
as an all-purpose fowl. But. for beauty, 
there is no breed to surpass them. Next 
Spring we shall again attempt to raise 
Lwigflhaus, though, in truth, we have 
always looked upon them as an improved 
Black Cochin. 
Wk fear that in our report of the Grand 
Rapids meeting of the American Pomo- 
logieal Society, we gave unnecessary cause 
for anxiety to his host of friends, by our 
allusion to the feeble health of its beloved 
President. We should have said that the 
great distance and the very unfavorable 
weather were the causes of his denying 
himself and friends the pleasure of his 
attendance. We are sure our readers will 
be glad to know that his health is quite 
good, and that he attends daily to his 
usual official duties, and to the oversight 
of his orchards and greenhouses, etc., aud 
is present at many public meetings. We 
hope he may be spared uutil the next bi 
enuial meeting of the Society; aud we 
urge upon every friend of the American 
Pomological Society to plan from now on, 
so tnat he may attend its session at Bos 
ton in 1887. Let us there show by an 
immense meeting how we honor and love 
both the society and its worthy President, 
the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, 
A subscriber makes the remark that 
the Rural paid too much for the new 
French Flageolet Bean, viz., 82 shillings 
per bushel. Yes, it is true we did; and 
it is also true that wo have paid too high 
a price for many other kinds of Heeds sent 
out, in our Frflu Seed Distributions, as, for 
example, the Black-bearded Centennial, 
Defiance and Champion Wheats, Pearl 
Millet, Johnson Glass, Rural Branching 
Sorghum, etc., etc. It would be an ex¬ 
tremely easy thing for us to select the 
best of the old hinds for distributing, and 
tlie cost would be very much less. 
Toe object of the Rural’s Seed Distri 
burion, however, must not be overlooked. 
It is to enable subscri tiers to test uew, 
promising and high-priced varieties, with¬ 
out cost to themselves, that they may re¬ 
ject the inferior and hold on to the good. 
It is true we have bought or raised, aud 
distributed many kinds of liitle real value. 
But on the other hand, there are many 
others which are generally recognized as 
the best of their kinds. 
“THERE WAS A PHARISEE.” 
The Editor of the Ohio Farmer, in an 
“I-am-hoher-thun-thou” sort of way, calls 
our attention to the. humiliating fact that 
the New York State Agricultural Society 
permit s the sale of beer on its fair grounds; 
and then, in a pharisuical way, says, 
“Shame on you! Ohio doesn’t do such 
things." 
We admit, with pain, the fact that the 
New York Society has still the one great 
fault of allowing beer selling. Wc have 
labored earnestly, and we propose to con¬ 
tinue to labor on and ever until this 
oldest and best of all our State Agricul 
tural Societies shall be rid of this last re¬ 
proach, and we thank the Ohio Farmer 
for calliug attention to this fault aud for 
what aid it may render in correcting it. 
We cannot forget, however, that when, 
only a short year ago, we attended the 
Ohio State Fair, and were compelled, very 
reluctantly, to call attention to the same, 
and still greater abuses that were allowed 
to pollute the grounds, this same Ohio 
Farmer Editor called us a “falsifier,” a 
*‘greeney,”und said we were entirely “too 
good and we must have pin-feathers start¬ 
ing on our shoulders;” while now one 
would think he was the angel who had 
preached repentance, and had brought 
about Ohio’s reform. 
We rejoice, all the same, that Ohio has 
done the right thing in purging her fairs 
of the beer-seller; we were sure Bhe would 
if the attention of her good, intelligent 
people was directed to the abuse, and we 
can forgive the editor forhis rudeness aud 
unchristian conduct then, and overlook 
his boasting now. Like all old sinners 
just converted, he now seems to feel as if 
he was just fitted for heaven without fur¬ 
ther trial or work. But, brother, had 
you not better look around a bit? Have 
you not still a little trace of sin in the 
way of side-shows, roller coasters, cheap 
jewelry peddlers, and horse-racing, with 
its attendant pool-selling? 
Wc don’t care who brings about these 
reforms, or what you say of us for work¬ 
ing in this field, hut we pray God to 
continue the good work until our fairs 
may all be cleansed and purified, and 
made only elevating and ennobling, and 
until such a time shall come, there is work 
enough for us all to do. May wo have 
the moral courage to do it! 
♦ - - 
FINAL GRAPE NOTES. 
September 25. It should be premised 
that the season has been a peculiar one for 
grapes. The early portiou was cold; a 
little later it was excessively warm, and 
then, in August, when heat was needed, 
again unusually cool. The growth of vine 
has been excessive; but the fruit has never 
before, that we can recall, ripened so late. 
There lias been very little mildew, but 
rot has been far more general than usual. 
Jefferson. Not one perfect bunch. 
Berries not ripe at this date. 
Yergennes. No perfect bunches. The 
berries have rotted and dried up or fallen. 
Wilder yields a fair crop, as usual; not 
yet fully ripe. The bunches are rather 
loose, aud few are without imperfections 
of some kind. 
Eldorado. The vine is always vigor¬ 
ous. The lower bunches have rotted and 
fallen; the upper ones, though not as large 
as they should be, are fair and of exqui¬ 
site quality. The berries (white) have 
beeu fully ripe for a week or more. 
Delaware, fully ripe. This never fails 
to do well, though in alternate years the 
crop is light. 
Early Victor ripens nearly will Moore’s 
Early. Berries black, and bunches from 
small to medium. Quality as good as 
that of Concord; vine quite healthy. 
Centennial (Marvin). Vine of slow, 
weakly growth—leaves small. 
Pocklington. It is ripening a few ber¬ 
ries, while the rest arc still green and sour. 
The bunches and berries are from medium 
to large and perfect; quality of the poor¬ 
est. 
Concord ripe, and bearing a small crop, 
which ripens a week later than usual. 
Burr’s No. t. Berries aud bunches me¬ 
dium. Ripe witli Moore’s Early, and as 
good as Concord. Vine healthy. 
Rockingham (Miner) ripens with Con¬ 
cord. For the fifth consecutive year it 
bears a large crop. Bunches medium to 
large; berries like the Concord but better 
in quality. Foliage healthy. 
Burr’s No. 4. Lost its loliage early. 
Berries large and reddish—rotting. Not 
yet ripe. 
Carlotta (Miner). Vine healthy. Bunches 
and berries (white) about the size of 
Concord, ripening at the same time. The 
quality is better (more vinous) than Con¬ 
cord. It bears for the fourth year a full 
crop. 
Victoria. The most productive and 
hardy white grape ever tested at the 
Rural Grounds. It ripens with Concord. 
Bunches large and perfect; berries medi¬ 
um to large and free from rot. 
Lady. This variety is variable. One 
year it ripens early; the next with the 
Concord. The vine will not support a 
full crop. As its quality is no better than 
that of the Concord, its early ripening is its 
best characteristic. To insure this, the 
fruit should be thinned severely. 
Burr’s No. 3. Vine vigorous—not yet 
fruited. 
Cottage (Bull). Many perfect bunches. 
Both the berries aud buDches are larger 
than those of the preceding years. Ripe 
a few days after Moore’s Eurly, ahd de¬ 
cidedly before Concord. Viues exceed¬ 
ingly vigorous and perfectly healthy. Not 
so prolific aB Concord. 
A vine sent to us by the originator as 
Ulster County Prolific proves to be Pough¬ 
keepsie Red. Planted in April of 1883, 
it bears few bunches which are ripening. 
The quality is good. 
Lady Washington. Some bunches are 
ripening, others remain green and hard. 
Vine always makes a rank growth. It is 
bearing a full crop; the bunches are very 
large and shouldered. We cannot perfect 
this grape oftener than one year in three; 
hut its fiue bunches and daintily colored 
berries when the season suits it, justify the 
waiting. 
Ii. B. Hayes, planted Dec. 1, ’84, is 
live feet high; foliage quite healthy. 
Brighton ripe aud ripening—no perfect 
bunches; has lost most of its foliage. 
No. 2 Eumelan Seedling (A. V. Gerbig) 
has not made a strong growth. Neither 
the Eumelan nor any of its seedlings do 
well at the R. G. 
Cayuga (Marvin) from II. S. Anderson, 
has not made a satisfactory growth— 
planted last Spring. 
Moore’s Early. Against this it may 
be said that the quality is no better than 
Concord, and that, it is less fruitful. In 
other respects, less important though they 
be, there are few hardy grupesto equal it. 
Early Dawn. Small, imperfect bunches. 
Berries rather small, black, quality of 
Concord. Vine loses its foliage. Ripens 
but a day or two after Cottage. 
Duchess will not thrive at the Rural 
Grounds. 
Niagara has disappointed us here this 
year. There arc few perfect bunches, 
many berries having rotted and dropped; 
but at the Western N. Y. Farm it is doing 
splendidly and ripening a full crop. 
Irving has made a strong growth. 
Berckmans, planted last Spring, has 
also made a fair growth. 
A tuberous-rooted grape-yine l'roip John 
Saul grew to the hight of six inches as a 
low, bushy plant. The leaves underneath 
and stems arc hairy, the former on the 
upper surface being smooth and glossy. 
The first cool weather killed them. 
Jessica (from J. T. Lovett) has made a 
fair growth. The leaves are rather small. 
Woodruff* Red (from Evart II. Scott) is 
four feet high, anil holds its leaves well. 
It was planted last Spring. 
Lindley (Rogers) does not bear a per¬ 
fect bunch. Loses its leaves early. 
Herbert (Rogers) bears very large,dark- 
blue berries aud bunches of medium size, 
a few of which are perfect. The vine is 
a strong grower. 
Empire State, planted March of 1884, 
nearly died. It has recovered enough to 
make a foot of growth. 
AVorden fruits with us for the first. 
The vine is a strong grower with healthy 
foliage. The bunches are not so large as 
those of Concord, with which it ripens. 
The quality being much the same, it does 
not as yet appear wherein the AVorden is 
superior to the Concord. Another season 
may reveal it. 
Owosso holds its foliage well. By some 
this is said to be the Catawba. 
Transparent (Rommel) has made a fair 
growth. This is said to be a wine grape 
of high character. The color is light- 
green or, when ripe, greenish-yellow. 
Pearl (Rommel) is said to ripen with 
Hartford, but it is still unripe at the 
Rural Grounds. The bunches are small 
and compact. The berries are small, light- 
colored,with thin skin. Foliage healthy. 
Faith has made a moderate growth. It 
is a white grape and said to be one of the 
best of Rommel’s seedlings. 
Elvira has been ripe a week or more. 
The vine is vigorous and productive. The 
bunches arc small, berries crowded. The 
color is light-green, quality sprightly, 
tender and juicy. The skin is very thin 
hut firm. This is said by others to ripen 
after the Concord 
BREVITIES. 
Why have not our readers sent us more re¬ 
ports as to the Diehi-Mediterran>an Wheat? 
Ark you afraid of frost? Then pull the 
largest green tomatoes, and let them ripen in 
the barn or cellar. 
Charles A. Green will begin a series of 
most interesting articles next week entitled 
“Experience on u Run-down Farm.” 
Our fowls are fond of green sweet corn, 
aud they have been fed plenty of it duriug 
the entire season, apparently to their benefit, 
in the place of wheat. 
The Lucretia Dewberry. Have you tried 
it? What do you think of it? The Early 
Harvest, Wilson Jr. and Early Cluster 
Blackberries, how do you like them? 
The Canadian Horticulturist for Septem¬ 
ber gives a colored plate of several Jewell 
strawberries, “representing tho exact size of 
fruit picked from one plaut on which there 
were 225 berries.” 
Send tbe Rural New-Yorker as a present 
to a friend for the rest of the year at the 
Rural's expense—and renew your subscrip¬ 
tion from now until Juuuary 1,1887, for the 
regular yearly price—$2.00. 
The best way to test the hardiuess of dif¬ 
ferent kinds of wheat, is to plant the kernels 
in small plots a foot apart each way. Then 
the plants do not make a sufficient growth in 
the Fall to protect each other. 
The Kieff’er Pear is still green and hard at 
the Rural Grounds. It does not even disguise 
its worthlessness by the yellow skin and 
bronze cheek. Can any fair minded pomolo- 
gist say that the Rural has ridiculed this 
fruit unjustly? 
Clyde, N. Y., Sept. 22, 1885—Tho Fertil¬ 
izer Number, September 12, is a jewel. It is 
worth as much as the best treatise on this sub¬ 
ject could be. It alone is worth what several 
years’subscription to the Rural would cost. 
w. l. dev ere a ux. 
Director Lazknry, of the Ohio Agricultu¬ 
ral Experiment Station, write*: “I have read 
with equal interest and profit, tbe Fertilizer 
Number of the Rural. You are doiug yeo¬ 
man service in tho field of progressive agri¬ 
culture. aud I wish you the most abundant 
success.” 
The gooduess, simplicity, sincerity aud ben¬ 
evolence of Murshall P. Wilder never shone 
forth more impressively than in his late ad¬ 
dress before the twentieth session of the Amer¬ 
ican Pomological Boeiety. tlow one mau of 
his grand nature may gladden and elovate 
the hearts of thousands! 
R. P. Greenpeak, M.D., who conducts 
many valuable experiments upon his farm in 
Delaware, writes us: “Allow me to congratu¬ 
late you on your Fertilizer Number. It Is 
more thun worth the whole subscription. My 
only regret is that it does not enter more 
families. Its safe counsels aud wise hints 
niuke It invaluable in any family.” 
The Michigan Horticulturist. Wel¬ 
come! If there is a State in the Union that 
should support a horticultural journal hear¬ 
tily it is Michigan. If there is ft man in that 
State that, quicker than another, we should 
select as its editor, he is Cbas. W. Garfield. 
The magazine is a mouthly, and it is publish¬ 
ed by W, H, Burr,of Detroit, Michigan. 
