i^TRY h ojA 
NEW YORK, JULY 18, 1885 
PRICE FIVE CENTS 
*2.0C P'-iR year. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1335, by the Rural New-Yorker In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
the past test Winters in Iowa, Minnesota, or 
North Dakota. 
The question as to their final value does not 
hinge on their hardiness, or the quality of 
their fruit; but on their habits of bearing 
with us, and their relative exemption from 
the attacks of the curculio. As they blossom, 
late, and the fruit develops rapidly, they will 
be apt, like our native De Soto, Wolf Plum, 
Rolliugstone, etc., to measurably escape the 
curculio on account of their succulence dur¬ 
ing the period of their rapid development. 
We are also testing a large blue plum, called 
“Moldavk*” in Central Russia, with six other 
sorts from Aral. They are all as hardy as our 
wild plums; all bear fine fruit in their native 
country, and all have the habit of late bloom¬ 
ing and rapid development of fruit. 
Permit me to add that this is only an ex¬ 
perimental station. Trees are sent out for 
trial at our experimental stations in Iowa, 
and to a few propagators and well known am¬ 
ateurs in other States. These notes are writ¬ 
ten with a view to drawing attention to the 
wants and needs of the West and coll North. 
We wish to do some pioneer work; but the 
odious kind. Perhaps, in that case, the ladies 
might take to smoking too much. I have 
been curing some for trial. 
* • * 
I have had a tantalizing experience with 
Nicotiana afliais. Among the last batch of 
seedlings (seed of my own rai3iag) were a num¬ 
ber entirely destitute of fragrance ;and not only 
this, but some of the flowers had changed their 
color. Sons ha 1 a strongly marked purple 
stripe on the under surface. In others, the 
purple was much diffuse 1, while in others, 
again, a slight tinge of purple could be seen 
on the upper surface. The delicious 
fragrauce, however, had entirely disappeared 
in all these. I can not account for this chauge, 
in a manner that satisfies me, unless it was 
owing to a change in the soil with which I 
was making experiments. It does not satisfy 
me to say that it was a “break.” I know, 
however, that soil will sometimes make re¬ 
markable ohaagss in regard to color and 
variegation. Has Mr Falconer had a similar 
experience with Nicotiana affiaisi It must be 
remembered that I have grown no other 
tobacco plant since I have had this one. 
* * * 
the seedsman to spend much time over the 
weevil; yet those who do it are entitled to be 
ranked as public benefactors, for they do much 
to keep the pest down. 
* * * 
A ride through Monmouth County, N. J., 
gave me an opportunity of seeing how destruc¬ 
tive the past Winter has been to the raspberry 
and blackberry. The strawberry, too, was 
badly hurt in large patches. These, with the 
peach, are the chief fruits of Monmouth Co,, 
and the loss, to both the public and the grow¬ 
er, will be great. With me, the Caroline and 
the Shaffer are the least injured of the rasp¬ 
berries. Blackberries suffered a good deal, 
being mostly cut to the ground. [With us the 
Shaffer was among the most injured.— Eds.] 
* * * 
On this same visit, and while riding along 
the road, I saw in the edge of the woods a 
Dogwood (Coruns florida) bearing pink flow¬ 
ers, or, more correctly, pink involucres. The 
color was so decided as to fix the attention at 
once. It was a V9ry pretty sight. I have 
seen nothing like it before. I made a note of 
the location, and propose to visit that tree 
again at the right time. [Pink invo¬ 
lucres are to be found here and there 
We called attention to the subject five 
years ago, since which time pink varie¬ 
ties have been propagated and offered 
for sale.—EPS.] 
* * * 
Hp Apropos of what I said about* 
f lish sparrows, it seems that New * ir- 
sey is going after them in dead ear¬ 
nest, the law protecting them having 
been repealed there. The Moorestown 
Agricultural and Indnstrial Society 
offers the following prize. “A prem¬ 
ium of $5 will be awarded for the 
greatest number of English sparrow 
k heads at the spring fair, heads to be 
strung on strings or wires of 35 each.” 
They are so much in earnest about it, 
indeed, that they add that if one string 
contains the head of any other bird 
the whole exhibit will be disqualified 
Prof. Merriam now has* charge of the 
bird business for the State of New 
York, and what the Legislature will 
do will probably depend much upon 
his report. He has an able assistant 
in Dr. Stirling. I am strongly in 
favor of protecting all birds that are 
in the least degree useful to the farmer 
and the gardener, and the most of our 
native birds are so; but the sparrow 
has proved himself to be worse than 
useless. His taste for bugs and cater¬ 
pillars seems to be a little too fastidi¬ 
ous for such as we have to offer him. 
* * * 
In regard to Mabel Morrison, Baroness 
Rothschild and some other fine roses that are 
difficult to propagate from cuttings, I would 
have them worked low, and plant them as the 
editor suggests. There is no reason why they 
should not be root grafted, except that it is 
more trouble. Balded roses are very seldom 
winter killed when the buds are beneath the 
surface. Some of these roses will send out 
roots from the buds even when budded two 
inches above che ground, and the buls left ex¬ 
posed. They will probably all root when the 
bu l is covered. My experimental bed is made 
up again for further trials iu a different 
direction, by which l hope to save budded 
plants that are worked high, but at the cost 
of some trouble. The two roses that suffered 
least of all with me were Magna Charta and 
Rev. J. B. M. Camm, scarcely an inch of 
their wood being injured, which rather sur¬ 
prised me In the case of Magaa Charta. The 
Rev. J. B. M. Catnm is not yet much known, 
but it is anexcellent rose of sturdy yet moder¬ 
ate growth. * * * 
PURPLE-LEAVED PLUM, 
On page 715 of last year’s R. N.-Y. (Nov. 1) 
a true portrait of the foliage of this beautiful 
ornamental plant was placed before our read¬ 
ers from a specimen growing at the Rural 
Grounds. Another illustration of the leaves 
and fruit was presented, drawn from a color¬ 
ed plate of the Revue Horticole. We now 
show (Fig. 2D5) both fruit and foliage of this 
plum (Prunus Pissardii), the stem and leaves 
from our own specimen; the fruit from P. J. 
Berc-kmans, of Augusta, Gel, who kindly sent 
it to us June 17th. 
Our specimen bloomed with other plums, 
but no fruit set. On the left the plums are 
shown life size; on the right a half section, 
showing the seed and flesh, and below is a 
side view of the seed. Prunus Pissardii has 
come to stay, because it retaias the purple 
color of its leaves better than any othBr plants 
valued for the same reason. The first leaves 
are of a purplish, rose, which changes to a 
purplish-green in Summer—but the 
newer shoots which grow during the 
season are rosy-purple, and the entire 
plant is thus charmingly varied in 
color. The fruit is of the Myrobolan 
order of a peculiar color, a3 nearly 
that of an Acme Tomato ns anything 
we can think of. The suture is ob¬ 
scure. Tbo fruit was kept until July 
2nd, and theD gave every promise 
that it would keep a month longer, as 
it was still sound, though a little 
shriveled. The skin is very thin, but 
exceedingly tough and would stand 
almost any amount of hard usage 
without breaking, so that this plum 
could be shipped great distances if 
grown for market. The flesh is quite 
firm, of flesh color, juicy, moderately 
acid and not of high flavor; it adheres 
quite firo ly to the pit, which, as shown, 
is quite small. The fruit would uu- 
doubtedly make a good sauce or pre- 
serve. Its bright color aud beauty 
must add much to the good looks of 
the tree. 
HARDIEST KNOWN GOOD 
PLUMS. 
PROF. J. L. BUDD 
Mrs. A. P. of New Hampshire, after 
saying that Moore’s Arctic has not 
proven hardy, asks is there a hardier 
plum known of good quality. 
On the grounds of the Agricultural 
College near Moscow, aud later at Kazen, 
aud through Central Russia, we saw trees 
laden with red, yellow, blue and dark pur¬ 
ple plums, of really excellent quality. 
These cultivated varieties seem to have or¬ 
iginate! from the apparently indigenous, 
low, round-topped bushes which we fouud 
ou the edges of the timber belts along the 
Volga and other streams of E tst Russia. Iu 
leaf, bud and texture of fruit, these indige¬ 
nous forms resemble the i’ruuus spinosa of 
Siberia. We saw thousands of these bushes 
laden with blue fruit with a rich bloom, 
which wore not more than threo feet in hight. 
The cultivated varieties make low, bushy, 
rouud-topped trees not over ten feet high. 
We imported small trees from Moscow of red, 
yellow and dark-blue varieties, which we have 
seut out ns Nos. 1, 2 and 15. The Russian 
names received are long and to us unmeaning. 
The specimens have not fruited as yet, but 
the foliage endures perfectly our hot, dry 
Summer; wood ripens up perfectly in Au¬ 
tumn, and has not colored iu the least during 
PRUNUS PISSARDII. From Nature 
filling up must be the work of our regular 
propagators East and West. 
Ames, Iowa. 
The information given by the editor in re¬ 
gard to the percentage of weevil-eaten peas 
that will grow is precise, and valuable accord¬ 
ingly. The readers of the Rural will do well 
to remember it. I have learued euough, on 
investigation, to mane it easy to reconcile the 
conflicting opinions ou this subject, which 
prevail to a wider extent than is generally 
supposed. I cannot tell how many times I 
have been consulted about it. It is scarcely a 
week since a correspondent wanted to know 
if such peas were worth sowing. Of those 
who buy peas largely, some say that about 
half grow; others, more, and others, again, 
less. These differences will be measurably ac¬ 
counted for when it is stated that some con¬ 
scientious seedsmen carefully clean out the 
weevils and the most imperfect peas, while 
others do not, but sell the peas just as they 
come from the grower. Thus it will be seen 
that the percentage of peas that will grow 
will depend a good deal upon the seedsman 
from whom they are bought. In the present 
condition of the seed trade, it will not pay 
1 see that Mr. Falconer's experience with 
Nicotiaua ufliuis has been longer than mine. I 
am pleased to know, however, that he agrees 
with mo in regard to its value. His article, 
without his knowing it, will help very much the 
object l had in view in calliug special atten¬ 
tion to the plaut. Duriug the past two yeEirs, I 
have received many thanks from friends, es¬ 
pecially lady friends, for having sent them 
plants of this sweet-smelling tabacco. One of 
the latter, with equal simplicity and wit, 
asked why the men could not have such odor¬ 
ous tobacco to smoke, instead of the other 
