THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
APRIL 25 
fifty cents per pound. The seed is long in 
germinating, and should be sown on well pul¬ 
verized soil, the richer the better, and lightly 
harrowed—then let it rain and your grass 
Will grow. R. E HYDE. 
Tulare Co., Cal. 
grower, spreading and upright. The branches 
are inclined to grow quite thickly. The ori¬ 
ginal tree is now 18 years old, and has borne 
good crops every even year since 1878. Graf¬ 
ted trees show promise of being early and 
good bearers. 
The young shoots are slender, short-jointed, 
of a reddish-brown; the buds are not promi¬ 
nent. The fruit is borne singly, but so close 
together that two can often be taken in one 
hand. It bears on alternate years, and is very 
liable to over-bear. The fruit holds very 
firmly to the limbs, and is never blown off 
A specimen is shown at Fig. 149 and a sectiou 
at Fig. 150 As will be seen, it is a little one¬ 
sided. Skiu greenish yellow; but in the sun 
the greenish tint is replaced by a fine blush. 
Stem long, {% inch) slender, curved and 
planted in a small, rather deep cavity; calyx 
I. EGYPTIAN SUGAR CORN. 
Date 
ANOTHER OF THE MACOMBER PEARS. 
The Little Gem which is also a chance 
seedling is another of Macomber's seedling 
pears. Tree very hardy, rather a tall grower, 
spreading with age and cropping; young 
shoots quite slender. A good aud very regu¬ 
lar bearer; fruit often in clusters. We show 
the fruit at Fig. 151; also a cross-section in 
Fig. 152 This pear is small, not being larger 
than the Seckel. The stem is quite long—over 
an inch—and slender; color a golden yellow, 
a little russeted around the stem. Season 
September. Flesh whitish, very juic-y, sweet, 
spicy. Very good. Dr. Hoskins says of this 
pear; 
July 25. 9.5 2.8 1.4 80.20 2.67 5.07 
August 1. 10 2 3 1.3 59.27 3.21 7.69 
August 17. 9.5 2.3 1.2 57.00 3.50 4.34 
Sept. 2. » 1.5 1. 57.39 2.59 12.80 
SAME VARIETY AFTER EARS WERE PLUCKED 
August 18, 9.5 1.8 1.4 60.60 2 98 7.46 
Sept. 1. 7.8 1 8 1. 60. 1 76 12.57 
II. LINDSAY’S HORSE-TOOTH. 
It 3. 1.7 66.45 3.06 8.28 
10.5 2.6 1.5 58.04 2.51 7.85 
10.3 3.7 1.9 58.95 2.23 6.66 
8.9 2.7 2.1 61.18 1 53 12.25 
THE SASKATCHEWAN WHEAT. 
I notice in a late issue of the Rural a 
query as to who knows auythiug about this 
new wheat, the Saskatchewan Fife? I bought 
2> a ' bushels last Spring and raised 05 bushels, 
machine measure, all nice No. 1 Hard Wheat. 
I have sold some of it to my neighbors; but 
intend to sow the remainder this Spriug, and 
then I can give it a fair trial along with 
other varieties. j. m. b. 
Murdock. Minn. 
July 25. 
August 1. 
August 18. 
Sept. 2. 
III. CHESTER COUNTY MAMMOTH. 
July 26. 8.1 2 3 1.2 56 01 2.6-1 7.76 [10 40] 
August 1. 8.7 4.2 1.9 58.89 2.11 5.64 7.75 
August 18. 8.5 2 5 1. 52.41 3.36 5.12 '8.13 
Sept. 2 10 1.7 1.4 53.11 1.44 13,18 [15.33 
* Weight Indicates the weight of one stalk only. 
+ The per ccntage refers to the sugar In the Juice 
only. 
t The glucose represents the grape sugar, and the 
sucrose the cane sugar. 
Ocean County, N. J, chas, e little. 
FARM ^MANURES. 
PROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
In our investigations this Winter more 
pains have been taken to get exact facts, and 
hence the results are more valuable than those 
giveu in my last. 
The products of the farm and the animals 
have been increasing to such an extent that 
JOHNSON GRASS IN CALIFORNIA. 
I have been much amused by reading the 
different letters recently published in the Ru¬ 
ral, regarding Johnson Grass (Sorgham baL 
apense). I have nearly 100 acres of this grass 
growing on two ranches here, and my views 
are, that while an excellent forage plant it. 
Little Gem, From Nature. 
Banana Apple. From Nature, 
“It has the important advantage over the 
Seckel that each specimen is in good eating 
condition for four or five days, instead of as 
many hours. Its approach to ripeness is also 
indicated by a distinct change of color from 
light gr^en to clear yellow. If one buys a 
dozen Seckels on the street corner he will find 
most of them immatui e. while of these fine little 
pears every one would be delicious. I believe 
this will become a close rival of the Seckel.” 
small, closed, aud in a sraall.corrugated basin: 
core large with medium seeds. Flesh white, 
fine-grained, tender, juicy and sweet: quality 
good. It is a handsome, sweet apple,. Our 
samples were eaten on March 1st, but the 
apple is said to keep well to the middle of 
April. 
is too coarse for bay. This grass is best adapt¬ 
ed to warm climates, is affected by frost as 
easily as corn, and does not commence grow¬ 
ing in the Spring until the weather is warm, 
when it grows rapidly. Cattle aud horses 
like it when small; but, if fully grown, it is 
too woody for forage. I have a field of it 
mixed with Alfalfa, aud I regard it as a val¬ 
uable pasture, my only objection being that 
the Johnson Grass does not commence grow¬ 
ing in the Spring as soon as the Alfalfa. I 
believe that, when eaten with Alfalfa, it will 
prevent bloating in cattle—a thing quite com¬ 
mon here and often fatal, Johnson Grass can¬ 
not be drowned with water—it seems to grow 
by what it feeds on. Last Spring an irriga¬ 
ting canal broke aud flooded several acres, 
and it remained under water for two weeks; 
afterwards its growth was amazing. I have 
also tried growing it on dry laud without ir 
last Fall we were competed to build a second 
covered yard 24x30 feet aud 13 feet high. 
From these two covered yards we have hauled 
199.273 tons of manure. This was made 
between October 1st and March 1st, and was 
the product of the following animals, includ¬ 
ing bedding, which was less liberally supplied 
than last year; 12 spring calves, seven winter 
calves, one bull, 34 cows, 12 horses, one colt; 
total, 57. 
Allowing that the 20 young animals would 
equal 10 of mature age, we have 47 animals of 
full size. 
Samples were taken as previous!y described 
and the result of au analysis, as we had ex¬ 
pected, showed a less value per ton than last 
Winter. This was due. without doubt, to the 
fact that very little cotton-seed meal was fed 
during the time. The details of the analysis 
made by Mr. A. M. Breed, a student in agri- 
“JUST TOWARDS ALL.” 
In an article on the Niagara Plum in the 
Rural of February 14th, 1885, allusions were 
made to Mr. O K.Gerrish, of Portland,Maine, 
which ou investigation and testimony of an 
incontrovertible nature, we are convinced 
were unjust and liable to do him an injury. 
From facts which have since come to our 
knowledge, we believe bim to be an honorable 
businessman and nursery man. Desiring to do 
full justice in all matters, we take pleasure in 
making this public statement to correct auy 
impression that may have been made to his 
prejudice. 
THE BANANA APPLE, 
In Winter we quite relish a good, baked, 
sweet apple at breakfast, and no dish is more 
wholesome for supper than bread, milk and 
baked sweet apples. The number of good 
winter sweet-apples is quite limited. Since 
the failure, in so many sections, of theTolman, 
it is quite difficult to obtain in market a bar¬ 
rel of sweet apples after New Year's. We 
SWEET vs. FIELD CORN 
Dr. Hoskins raises an important inquiry 
in a late Rural, when he asks, “Who knows 
by actual experiment, with no admixture of 
guessing, that sweet corn is really any better 
for these uses (foddering cattle) than Hint or 
dent corn?” 
It is important because of the cost and in¬ 
convenience of getting sweet corn for seed, 
and the smaller amount of fodder afforded by 
it. If the food is not decidedly richer in fat¬ 
forming elements, it is folly to sow it for 
fodder. 1 certainly am unable, from my 
own knowledge, to answer the doctor’s ques¬ 
tion; yet I am convinced that sweet corn is 
not so valuable a crop as common corn. 
The extensive tables prepared by Prof. Peter 
Collier, the late Chemist of the Department 
of Agriculture at Washington, which may be 
found in the report of that Department for 
1881 and 1882, have fully satisfied my mind on 
this point. 
Amid many tables of analyses of sorghum 
and sugar cane he has prepared a few to show 
the comparative amount of sugar in corn¬ 
stalks, both stripped and unstrlpped. 
I select a few extracts from his tables: 
Little Gem. Half Section, 
Banana Apple. Half Section. 
received, about the middle of February, from 
Blackwell Bros , of Mercer County, New Jer¬ 
sey, a box of sweet apples marked “Banana.” 
Of this they wrote us that it was an acciden¬ 
tal seedling; from seedlings raised from 
seed obtained at the cider mills, and planted 
on mountain land too rocky to plow, for the 
purpose of being grafted to desirable sorts; 
but this, among others, was not grafted and 
in a few years produced fruit. It is a good 
culture, under the direction of Prof. Caldwell, 
areas follows: 
Water.75.57 per cent. 
Nitrogen. ... 0,68 “ “ 
Phos. add. 0.286 “ 
Potash.07 *• “ 
VALUE i’lCIl TON AS COMCUTICD BY MU BREED. 
Nitrogen...0.68 per cent, x 2.000-13.6 n> <* 15c.-t2.lH 
Ph6s. Acid.0.286 “ “ x “ - 5 721b ft* 8c.- .457 
Potash ....0.7 *• “ x “ —14.1b <£ 4X— .595 
rigation, and find that drought will not kill 
it when well rooted. The objection of some 
of your correspondents to it, seems to be a fear 
of not being uble to get rid of it, but why 
they should want to get rid of a permanent 
forage plant, they do not say. I was anxious 
to increase my acreage of this grass this year, 
bnt could not procure the seed for less than 
