276 
APRIL 25 
deep perpendicularly, as early in July or Au¬ 
gust as they are loBg enough to bend over and 
reach the earth, the soil having been made 
loose and fine. 
I cannot state the reason for the great pop¬ 
ularity of the black ra pberry. To my taste 
the blackberry is far superior, and yet it is 
not so popular evaporated,and does not bring 
half the price. It is evident that other peo¬ 
ple's tastes are not similar to mine in this re¬ 
spect, and the black cap appears to be adapt¬ 
ed to a greater variety of uses than the black¬ 
berry. 
THE SHAFFER RASPBERRY. 
Prof. Budd asks for information regarding 
the Shaffer Raspberry’, stating that be has 
seen berries similar in appearance in North¬ 
ern Russia. 
This raspberry was a chance seedling which 
sprang up in a garden 13 miles from Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y., among red and black raspberries. 
It has been thought by many that it was a 
hybrid, but no one has claimed this for a cer¬ 
tainty. It has some peculiar characteristics, 
one of which is to throw up bearing fruit 
canes the first season after plantiug, which 
bear large quantities of fruit iu October and 
November; it also occasionally throws up 
fruit stalks from bearing plants after the first 
season of fruiting is over. 
The fruit will remain on the bushes a long 
time after they appear to be ripe, and will 
continue to improve in quality, until they 
drop off on the ground. Those who have not 
eaten Shaffers w ith cream, after reaching the 
last stuges of ripening, have never tasted 
Shaffers in their best state, in this condi¬ 
tion, however, their color has become very 
dark, and they are exceedingly soft. There¬ 
fore, for market purposes, they are picked 
while the color is bright and before they are 
entirely iipe. I have not seen a raspberry 
that will equal the Shaffer iu growth of cane. 
A plantation of it on good soil resembles a 
field of second-growth timber as much as any¬ 
thing I can think of. In its early stages of 
growth 1 have often seen canes grow so high 
that a team and farm wagon would be en¬ 
tirely concealed behind the bushes. It thrives 
on sand or clay equally well, aud it is not ab¬ 
solutely necessary to have rich soil. It bears 
enormous crops here on thin land. I do not 
understand why the Shaffer should prove as 
hardy as it does in the severe sections of the 
West. I never recommended it for such 
sections. When it was first introduced, my 
friends in Northern Iowa asked if I could re¬ 
commends for that locality, and I told them 
I could not. I did not think that il, would be 
hardy enough. But to my surprise it succeeds 
there, ard gives the best satisfaction. Corres¬ 
pondents have written recently that it has 
passed through the Winter safely with the 
thermometer 40 degrees below zero. 
This raspberry is attracting the attention of 
canning houses. The proprietor of one of our 
largest at Rochester, says be thinks it is one 
of the very best for that purpose. Cauning 
houses desire a fruit possessiug marked char¬ 
acter. A sweet, mild, berry would be about 
worthless for canning. One suitable for that 
purpose should have a pronounced raspberry 
flavor, and possess great ucidity. * The popu¬ 
larity of the Wilson Strawberry as a canning 
fruit is largely owing to the acid it contains. 
Nothing but a sour berry will do. Sweet 
berries that are much better for table use 
fresb, are not valued by cauuiug houses. The 
Staffer Raspberry has a faculty of long 
endurauce. The parent plant remained in full 
bearing for 15 years, and I presume is in good 
condition yet. Its roots are far reaching, aud 
remarkably vigorous. The defect of color iu 
the Shaffer came very near consigning it to 
oblivion. On account of its purplish color, I 
hesitated long before introducing it. It is an 
evidence of its valuable characteristics, that 
it has become popular in spite of its uninvit¬ 
ing color. It is like a trusty friend, who may 
have a crooked nose; we forget the ofl’euding 
feature when we remember what a big heart 
he has, and how faithfully he stands by us. 
Rochester, N. Y. Charles a. green. 
(Xlje XHra'ijfli'cr. 
THE GRAPES OF CENTRAL ASIA. 
PROF. J. L. BUDD. 
When at the great commercial fair at 
Nishny Novgorod, on the upper Volga, in the 
Fall of 1883, we saw many tons of raisins and 
dried grapes of quality equal to the best grown 
and put up iu Southern France or Spain. 
These were put up and growu in Persia and 
North Bokhara,and we were told by the intel¬ 
ligent Persian Consul that varieties of equal 
excellence were grown in Turkestan, Afghan¬ 
istan, North Bokhara, and on the foothills of 
the North Himalayas. The leaves of these 
oriental varieties are thick and firm, like 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
those of the Eastern apples, pears, cherries 
and plums. HeDce we have the best reasons 
for believing they would prove more valuable 
for crossing with our native species than the 
varieties of the Vinif&ra we have tried from 
the soft, humid climates of South west Europe. 
In the Southern States some of these thick¬ 
leaved varieties may prove desirable without 
modification by seedling production or cross¬ 
ing; while at the Noith, crosses on our hardy 
native forms may give us the perfect leaf and 
the relatively perfect fruit we have been seek¬ 
ing for the Upper Mississippi Valley. As tbebe- 
lief is general that the raisin, and the best des- 
sertgrapes of the Old World are all of the Vini- 
fera family, it may be urged that the phyllox¬ 
era will head off the culture of these thicker- 
leaved varieties of the East On this point 
we cannot be certain; but it it proper to say 
that Dr. Karl Koch and Dr. E. Regel have 
raised the question of the separate aud distinct 
origiu of tbe grapes of West Asia The foli¬ 
age of all of them comes nearer to that of the 
primitive forms known as Vitis Aumrensis, 
and Vifcis Davidii, than to any primitive or 
cultivated forms of the West. 
Again, it may be urged that some of the 
Turkish and Indian grapes have been tried in 
West Europe, aud with us, and found want¬ 
ing. On this point it should be remembered 
that we have imported, so far, from tbe coast 
climates, while the present thought is to intro¬ 
duce the varieties of the arid ulterior. With 
bis well known love for, aud sympathy with 
the “art which does mend Nature,” we can 
hope and trust that Col. Column, our new 
Commissioner of Agriculture, will aid in in¬ 
troducing, not only the grapes, but the fruits 
generally, and tbe cereals, grasses, and shrubs 
of the iittle-kuown region of Western Asia. 
With needed instructions, our Consul at St. 
.Petersburg can aid in securing the products 
of Bokhara, while the Persian Consul, if eu- 
couraged to do so, can secure many valuable 
products from Persia, Turkistan, and even 
Afghanistan. 
Ames, Iowa. 
A DOZEN HARDY SHRUBS. 
I see by tbe Rural of Feb. 28th, page 
136, that a correspondent asks for the names 
of a dozen of the best ornamental flowering 
shrubs, aud it has occurred to me that I could 
give him a little information concerning 
them. It is really a difficult affair to select a 
dozen ouly, for there are so many beautiful 
sorts, and all of tuem present so many claims 
to our notice that it appears to be altogether 
unjust to neglect the many on account of a 
few. But as there are many who, like your 
cor respondent, only desire, or have room for, 
a few, one cannot do le.-s than make the at. 
tempt at a selection. First, I would choose 
Weigela nana variegata, one of the most 
beautiful shrubs in cultivation. It is of 
dwarf habit, with clearly defined variegated 
leaves of a bright golden yellow. Tbe flowers, 
which are of a pale rose color, are produced 
in the greatest profusion early iu June. 
Weigela rosea Desboisii is of erect, compact 
growth, and has deep rose-colored flowers in 
June. Splram Tbunbergii is a beautiful low- 
growing shrub of rounded form, and has 
delicate green, lanceolate foliage, and small 
white flowers, which are produced early in 
May in such profusion as almost to cover tbe 
entire plant. Spine a Reevesiuna is a very 7 
graceful, slightly drooping species, with 
white flowers; while S. callosa alba is a low- 
growiDg variety, producing iu small, white 
flowers iu large corymbs during Juno and 
July. Philadelphus coronarius is rather a 
long name for a very popular and well known, 
strong-growing shrub that, produces its large, 
pure white, sweet scented flowers about tbe 
middle of June. Hydrangea paniculate 
graudiflura is so well known as to need no 
further description than to say that it is one 
of the best, if uot the best, ornamental shrub 
we have iu cultivation. Buist’s Variegated 
Altha'a is another choice variegated shrub, tbe 
leaves of which are beautifully marked with 
creamy white. It stands the sun well, is of 
free growth and is attractive at all times. 
Then we must include the Golden Bell (For- 
sythia viridusima), which is well known as 
one of the earliest flowering shrubs, the bright 
yellow flowers appearing before the leaves. 
Deutzia erenata fl pi. alba produces its double 
white flowers in racemes four or five inches in 
leugtli late in June, aud is a shrub of vigorous 
growth; while D. gracilis is one of the most 
graceful of shrubs. It. is of dwarf, compact 
habit and the pure white flowers are most 
freely produced. The Persian Lilac tSyringa 
Persica) is a shrub of medium size, having 
small leaves and purple, fragrant flowers. 
All of the above are perfectly hardy and 
can be cultivated by any one, even by those 
who possess but little skill or experience, and 
if properly cared for, they will prove very 
satisfactory. They are not rare or expensive, 
and nice specimens can be obtained at a very 
moderate price of any of our leading nursery¬ 
men. C. E PARNELL. 
Queens, L. I. 
MORUS FAKIVA. 
On the fine specimen grounds of A. Rosen¬ 
thal, near Vienna, Austria, I was much 
interested iu a peculiar locking and growing 
mulberry with the above name, It is a clean, 
upright grower, with medium-sized, thick, 
regularly shaped leaves The fruit was said 
to be large, and of excellent qualify. I failed 
to learn its native clime, and 1 have not been 
able to find t lie name iu Keck’s Dendrogie, or 
to hear of it from any oilier source It proves 
on our grounds hardier than the Russian Mul¬ 
berry introduced from the section north of 
the sea of Azrff, by tbe Menuonites; hence is 
of interest to the West. If any reader of the 
Rural knows of the origin of this interesting 
species or anght for or against it, I hope it 
will be reported. j. l. budd. 
€l)e ijnrtlsmim. 
STOCK NOTES AND NOTICES. 
B. F. JOHNSON. 
I don't think the public, outside of the 
profession, as one may say, has a just idea at 
whnt a pace the Normans are gaining on the 
Clydes, the Shires and other lieavv breeds of 
horses in the race for popular favor. This is 
probably largely because the Normans aud their 
crosses come nearer to being general-purpose 
borsis than the others. For slow work and 
heavy draft, the Clydes and the Shires are 
as good as can be, and will get away with any 
load put behind them; but wheu they are re¬ 
quired to move at a smart pace, Unir feet fail 
them. And this is a weakness which extends 
to their crosses. Tbe feet of the Normans are 
one among their inauy strong points, a point so 
strong that we sometimes soo grades of that 
breed, the produce of light-limbed dams, 
with tbe round, deep, solid, black hoofs of 
their lull-blood sire, but with limbs so small 
as to be a deformity. When the Norman’s 
hoofs are added to bis bony aud muscular legs, 
we get the capacity for hard and fast work 
on rough roads, and hard and slippery city 
pavements, and heucethe growing popularity 
of the Normans for the town aud country 
both, 
And by the way, if you will allow me so 
much liberty, I shall venture to criticse ad¬ 
versely the “group of Nofmau horses" figured 
on the first page of the Rural for January 
31. The head and neck of the animal id front 
are disproportion ly large, and tbe hoofs are 
represented altogether too small and shaflow 
for the high-bred stock of tne Messrs. Dillon. 
The question of the causes of abortion in 
milch cows does not seem to be nearer to a 
correct and satisfactory answer than it was 
teu years ago—perhaps fifteen. If we may 
say the cause is the arrested development of 
the fictus in consequence of insufficient nu¬ 
trition, we seem to get a reasonable and 
logical explanation. A cow iu calf and giving 
milk, has three demands on her, which she 
has to meet at one and the same time. These 
are,— she must cat, digest and assimi¬ 
late food enough to sustain her life, the 
growth of the young within her, and to fur¬ 
nish her owner milk. But suppose the food is 
insufficient, or, being abundant, is not of the 
right kind to meet all these requirements. 
Her owu life hus the strongest claim, the de¬ 
mands of her owner for milk, are inexorable 
and she is compelled to, and does yield, at the 
weakest point—the growth of the foetus is 
arrested, it soon dies and a premature birth, or 
abortion follows. Though “a Short horse is 
soon curried,” the veterinariaus don’t thiuk 
so. 
The hog cholera howl is dying out, aud on 
the subject of contagious lung plague there is 
a marked silence. I suppose we hear less of 
bog cholera, because there are less of them, 
tbe bulk of the crop having beeu marketed. 
But still there are other reasons. Previous to 
the corn crop of 1884, there were two notori¬ 
ously poor corn crops in the West. Feediug 
on this unsound corn, theswine of the couutry 
suffered iu health aud strength, aud were on 
that uccouut less able to withstand adverse 
weather and hygienic influences. When the 
remarkably sound crop of 1884 began to be 
fed them, cholera made its appearance; that 
is, hogs suffered from overeating aud a change 
from a poor to a rich and nutritious diet. 
But they have partly become accustomed to 
it, and as soon us they huvo fully, hog cholera 
will disappear as completely as some years 
ago. _ 
The World's Exposition at New Orleans has 
been unfortunate in respect to the weather, 
Up to the first of February it had rained 
nearly half the time since the opening on the 
16th of December. Over eight inches fell in 
December and nearly ten in Jinuary, which is 
about double the usual average. It seems 
snow storms aud cold weather in the upper 
Mississippi Valley, mean rain in the lower. 
But a rainy December or January in New 
Orleans is pretty sure to be followed by a 
comparatively dry February and March, and 
the reasonable probabilities are tbe spring¬ 
time there will be a lovely one. But having 
been in New Orleans in January, March and 
May, I should choose the latter month or 
April, if the Exposition closses May 1st. Iu 
mb-tropical latitudes, like New Orleans, more 
is to be feared from cold in the Winter than 
from beat iu the 8ummer. 
Those who have bad some expeiitnce with 
both, tell me quite as much is to lie feared 
from the “butting" of tbe polk d breeds, as 
the‘ booking” of the breeds with horns. To 
be sure, more light wouuds are given with 
horns, but when the polls use their heads as 
battering rams, they crush the life out of 
every thing they go for. The Galloways in 
particular are noted for their lighting quali¬ 
ties, and stubborn and vindictive temper. The 
bull calves when lassoed,thrown and trimmed 
never yield, and when let up ottaek the first 
thing that opposes them. Nevertheless,they are 
a wonderfully attractive breed of cattle, with 
their long shining, curly, black hair, their 
short legs, large bodies, sulleu faces, bull dog 
beads and eyes with fires in them alwavs 
lighted and ready to burst into a conflagration 
on the slightest provocation. 
A MARVELOUSLY PROLIFIC COW. 
My brother, W. L. Morley, who lives 
mile south of this place, had a cow that gave 
birth, on the 5th of April, to five fully devel¬ 
oped and well formed calve* — two males 
aud three females. One died at tbe time of 
birth; the other four together willi the cow, 
are doing well. Tbe five weighed 135 pounds, 
or 25 pounds each. The cow is eight years 
old, of medium size, and an excellent milker. 
Two years ago ste bad ft ur calves, but they 
were dead when i hey came,making nine calves 
in a little over two years. She bad one calf 
at two years old; two at the next birth; one at 
the next; four at the next, and five at the last 
birth, making, in all, 13 calves. The sire of 
the last “herd” is a full-blood Jersey. She is 
now on exhibition here, and is owned by Mr. 
Frank Martin. Can Eastern stockmen beat 
this record i w. f. mosley. 
Sparta, Monroe Co., Wis. 
IDftmwimj. 
“BLACKLEG.” 
The disease known to stockmen as “black- 
quarter” is eertaiuly not tbe true anthrax fever. 
It was formerly considered one of the forms 
of anthrax, but the Investigations of Arloing 
and Cornuvin have shown that though it, like 
anthrax, is duo to a bacillus or bacterium, its 
bacillus is different from that of ordinary 
anthrax. Moreover, it is at first but a local 
disease, and, so far as I have now learned, is 
never so suddenly fatal as anthrax. Then is 
time for the use of remedies. Young cattle 
are especially subject to this disease, particu¬ 
larly if they are highly fed aud are thriving. 
I cannot see how cattle that, are allowed to 
run in the “stalk fields,” and fill themselves 
at will with the coarse herbage they find there, 
should be considered in special danger. No 
doubt, care should be exercised in changing 
from green to dry food; but, indigestion con¬ 
sequent upon neglect iu this matter, cau 
scarcely be called tbe cause of this disease. 
It is infectious and may be easily transmitted 
by inoculation or through the digestive 
organs; but thousands of cattle suffer from 
indigestion, none of which have any symp¬ 
toms of *'black-quarter,” or Charbon symto- 
malique, as the French call it. 
The treatment recommended by Mr. Stew- 
ax-t, in a late Rural, is, no doubt, good, but 
I should prefer to call iu the aid of a veterin¬ 
ary surgeon if possible. I should Isolate the 
infected animals immediately, and, if possible, 
procure au attenuated virus to inoculate those 
liable to the disease. 1 should be careful to 
bury all dead cattle with their skius ou 
for anthrax may be communicated to men by 
handling tbe skins or flesh of diseased animals 
or their products; uud I shouldn’t want to risk 
coutaet with an animal affected with sympto¬ 
matic anthrax in an advanced stage, m. j.>\ 
OUR SHEEP RACKS. 
In tbe winter-feeding of sheep much of the 
profit depends upon the completeness with 
which they consume the food given. Only a 
very small waste of forage or grain each day 
