dural (Topics. 
®rprriwr«it (Sroundjei of tUo Itol 
^cw-lorfeor. 
CROSSING PEAS!—RURAL CROSS¬ 
BREEDS.—NEW POTATOES 
CONTINUED. 
CROSSING PEAS. 
Several years ago, tbe writer, after vain at¬ 
tempts to cross peas, concluded that crossing 
could not, in a given case, be effected 
with certainty. Tbe reason was that tbe gar¬ 
den pea is not only self fertilizing, but the 
sexual organs are so early maturejj that it 
seemed necessary to tear the buds to pieces ia 
order to remove the anthers ers they had shed 
their pollen, and fertilized the ovules. If the 
pea flower be examined just before the petals 
unfold.it wil 1 be seen that the lower part of the 
pistil—ovaries, as seen in Fig. 532-(4)— is a pod 
ber of seeds to a pod is but four or possibly 
five, and the quality is that of the male plant 
which is not very good. The three plants 
from this cross had 1(1 main stems, and each 
stem was supplied with many laterals. The 
three plants bore 315 pods, or an average of 
105 a plant. Some of the seeds are perfectly 
smooth; others are densely wrinkled, so to 
speak, while there is every intermediate form. 
All of the different kinds will be grown separ¬ 
ately next Spring. 
Peas, like Indian Corn, are susceptible to 
great changes by selection. Hence it is we 
have wrinkled and smooth, tall and dwarf, 
early, medium and late. No doubt, however, 
we mast look to cross-breeding for radical im¬ 
provements. That every farmer and farmer’s 
daughter or son may readily do this work and 
thus establish varieties of their own, which 
may be better adapted to their soil and climate 
thau any other varieties, we have endeavored 
to show in this brief article. 
TESTS OP NEW POTATOES CONTINUED. 
containing the embryo seeds. It will be seen 
also, that the anthers have shed their pollen, 
and that it is too late for any attempt at 
crossing. The work must be done as soon as 
the petals of the bad begin to show, as in the 
upper bud of Fig. 531 (1). All our earlier at¬ 
tempts at unfolding the petals (called, in all 
pea flowers, the vexilluia, wings and keel) re¬ 
sulted in destroying not ODly the petals, but 
the stamens and pistii as well. We therefore 
concluded that sweet peas were self-fertilizing, 
and that artificial crossing was impracticable. 
We are still of the opiuion that they never 
cross by natural agents (wind or insects), but 
their artificial crossing, when one learns how, 
may be as easily effected as in the case of 
most other flowers. It is only necessary to 
cut with a sharp pair of small scissors or pen¬ 
knife a small hole through the top of the 
flower, as shown in tbe lower bud, Fig. 531 (1). 
The ten anthers may then be readily removed, 
as showD in the enlarged bud Fig, 532 (3). and 
pollen from another variety can be applied to 
the top (stigma) of the pistil at once, and also 
the next day. Whether this is the method 
employed by others who cross peas we cannot 
say. It has never been described in print, 
so far as we have ever seen. The method is 
quite simple and effectual. It is only neces 
sary to guard carefully against auy injury to 
the pistil, which is easily distinguished from 
the fact that, unlike the stamens, it has no 
round body (anther) at the end. See Pig. 
531 (2). Fig. 581 (2) shows an enlarged 
Fig. 531. 
bud with one half cut away to show the 
stamens and pistils as well as they Ming pea 
(or ovary) below. Fig. 532(3) shows the same 
bud after tbe anthers has been pulled or cut 
off. This must be done as soon as the petals 
show above tbe calyx, as in the upper bud of 
Fig. 531 (1). 
Our first successful crossing of peas was 
effected last year. Many crosses were made 
which need not further be alluded to dow, The 
illustration on the first page (Fig. 520), is an al¬ 
most exact portrait of one of three plants 
which grew from crossed seeds. The female 
plant was Prince of Wales, the male a new pea 
received from Yilmoriu, Andrieux & Co. of 
Paris, France, called St. Michael. The other 
illustration. Fig 580 (p. 845), shows the same 
pea life size. It is the most prolific pea we 
have ever raised. The vines grow from 15 to 
18 inches high and each has half a dozen or 
more branches from the main stem. The pods 
are borne in pairs, though the average num¬ 
80TL, CULTURE, ETC. 
Subscribers sbouM understand that these tests arc 
made In a rich, moist, garden soil. The crop never 
suffers seriously either from drought or too much 
wet. as the land is well drained. Not only has farm 
manure been liberally supplied, but fertilisers of ev¬ 
ery kind have been used lu abundance. Potatoes have 
been raised on this plot for six consecutive years. 
Trenehes are dug one foot wide and six inches deep, 
and three feet apart. Two Inches of soil are raked 
back in the trenches, and the seed pieces (two strong 
eyes each) arc plnr ed one foot apart Two Inches of 
soil are then raked over them, and the fertilizer is 
strewn evenly at the rate of about pounds to 
the acre, The rest of the soli is then returned to the 
trenehes as loosely as possible. The cultivation Is 
then effected by baud cultivators, and hilling-up ts 
studiously avoided. 
Stray Beauty. This was received from 
Samuel Wilson, Meohanicsville, Bucks Co., 
Pa., who claims that besides being of extra 
quality and productiveness, it is the earliest 
potato in the world. It was planted April 25, 
and matured August 4th, being a few days 
earlier thau the Beauty of Hebron. The vines 
were smaller than most others. The tubers 
straggled somewhat. The skin ts piukisb,shape 
irregular, eyes rather deep. The shape, as 
shown in the illustration, Fig. 533, p. 847 (from 
what we took to be a typical tuber), inclines 
to roundish, with a valley about the stem end. 
The six pieces plauted yielded 48 tubers, of 
which 25 were of marketable size. The weight 
was BJ4 pounds, and the best five weighed one 
puund 14 ounces. At the above rate, tbeyield 
per acre would be 2C2,GG bushels. Eaten the 
day they were dug, they were judged to be 
not so dry as Early Rose. 
Kennebec Beauty was sent here by O. F. 
Frost, Monmouth, Maine. Parentage un¬ 
known. He says that it is “a. week earlier than 
the Beauty of Hebron, and a little earlier than 
Lee’s Early; quality best, and yield equal to 
that of any early potato.” With us it proved 
to be a little later than B. of H. The yield 
of the nine pieces planted was 16 pounds, or 
at the rate of 430 21 bushels to the acre,estim¬ 
ating a bushel, as we always do, at 60 pounds. 
There were 07 potatoes, 63 marketable. Best 
five weighed pounds. It is a fine-looking 
potato (see Fig. 534.1, (p. 847), with nothing dis¬ 
tinctive as to shape, which is oblong-flattened; 
eyes medium, skin white. Eaten Oct, 20. flesh 
nearly white, quite mealy, of fair quality. 
Ontario, from Frank T. Logan, Edinburg, 
Ill. A beautiful potato with buff, russeted, 
smooth skin; a few eyes. Late intermediate. 
The yield of five pieces was b}4 pounds, or 
266 bushels to the acre. Shape elliptical. 
There were 48 tubers, of which only 13 were 
of marketable size. Best five weighed but 
one pound five ounces. Eaten Oct. 27; flesh 
white, mealy and good. 
Owen Seedling, from L. W. McElwain, 
Wilawaua, Pa. “It originated,” he writes, 
“with Allen Owen, Fennville, Mich. It yields 
well and the tubers are of excellent quality. 
They ripen with the Burbank.” The yield of 
four pieces was pounds, or at the rate of 
499.10. bushels to the acre. Best five, two 
pounds teu ounces. There were 29 tubers, 20 
marketable. Broad and short, half roundish, 
half flattened. Eyes not deep, but large; 
skin buff. Eaten Nov. 15. White flesh, of 
good quality. 
Remarks.— We shall continue these re¬ 
ports of new potatoes every other week or so, 
with true portraits, until May. Our testa of 
new kinds of corn, pons, wheats, oats, etc., 
etc., will appear as we are enabled to prepare 
and find space for them. 
Ijnsbaiitinj. 
FEEDING LAMBS. 
LARGE BODIES ON SHORT LEGS, 
with legs and faces quite black, are tbe main 
points to have in mind when purchasing 
lambs for winter feeding, and the more per¬ 
fectly all these are combined in the stock put 
into the pens, the greater certainty of success, 
and the larger the profits of the feeder. With 
the present fashiou in breeding, it is not at 
all easy to secure the black legs and faces; but 
it is possible to get the short legs and plump 
bodies. He who ignores these good points 
and puts in a class of lambs with Jong legs and 
gaunt bodies, such as are quite too commonly 
bred in some sections, will, at selling time, be 
troubled to find buyers, and will wonder how 
any one can think there is money in winter 
lamb feeding. 
Lambs dropped in April or May, that have 
been kept on fairly good pasturage aud which 
weigh from 55 to 65 pounds in October, are 
not hard to find, and these when a cross be¬ 
tween a Down male and Merino female, are 
the best to be found, but when they are the 
deseeudauts of a Merino mother and any of 
the long-wooled sires, they will make very 
good feeding stock. When buying, select 
those with bright eyes, cleau faces and that 
are plump and sulid. Sort every flock, aud 
throw out every little skinny runt that shows 
too much of the Merino for profitable feeding, 
and especially shun all that in any way have 
an unhealthy appearance. It is safe to reject 
a flock of lambs with drooping ears; this is a 
bad sign, although it may be caused by ex¬ 
posure to a cold rain or possibly a severe cold 
wind. 
A HEAVY FLEECE 
of good quality is also a desirable feature, as 
it shows health and vigor in the lambs and 
adds materially to the receipts by the sale of 
the fleece, when shorn, as will be described 
later on, and such lambs as have grown one 
heavy fleeceduring the Summer; when highly 
fed with rich nitrogenous food, will grow a 
much more valuable fleece during Winter 
after having been shorn. When 
BLACK LEGS AND FACES 
can be had by paying from 25 to 30 cents 
extra, no one should hesitate a rnomeut in 
selecting them. Such lambs are usually good 
feeders and make ample gaiu for the food 
eaten; but even were such not the case lambs 
so marked when offered in the market com¬ 
mand from 50 to 75 cents per head more than 
those equally good, but without these features. 
In fact, so well known is this preference that 
the faces and legs of many long-wool crosses 
are blackened by the use of a solution of ni¬ 
trate of silver, applied with a brush aud comb, 
after the fashion of spatter work. 
Oflinj IjiisbaruJri]. 
COUNTERFEIT BUTTER. 
T. D. CURTIS. 
Importance of the subject; the possible and 
desirable scope of legislation; analogous 
legislation; fradulent nature of oleomarga¬ 
rine products; the question in politics; fair 
dealing imperative. 
This subject occupied most of the attention 
of the convention of the National Butter, 
Cheese and Egg Association, held in Chicago, 
last month, aud bids fair to be an absorbing 
topic iu all the dairy conventions of the Win¬ 
ter. It is one in which the dairymen feel a 
deep interest, because it seriously injures 
their business, both by competition and by 
the lessening of the consumption of dairy 
products, because of the public fear of decep¬ 
tion in purchasing, none wanting to use the 
counterfeit goods. All consumers, too, are 
interested in it, because every oue wishes to 
know what he is eatiug, and it is not gener¬ 
ally believed that the counterfeit article is as 
good, as wholesome or as clean as the genu¬ 
ine, while it is known that it is made of 
cheaper material and not worth the money- 
charged for it. In view of the situation, 
therefore, it becomes interesting and impor¬ 
tant to know just how far legislation can and 
ought to go for the protection of both pro¬ 
ducer and consumer of honest dairy goods. 
F ortunately, the experience of the State of 
New York goes a long distance toward solv¬ 
ing this problem. Under the general statute 
all frauds are punishable. Wo legislate 
against forgery and the making aud passing 
of counterfeit money, and also against the 
counterfeiting of private brands, trade-tuark, 
and the iufriugement of patents. Wo have 
laws against the adulteration and impoverish¬ 
ment of milk and its products, which have 
thus far stood the test of judicial decisions. 
Only ouu clause of our State legislation on 
this subject has thus for failed, and that was 
one prohibiting “substitutes." which is a very 
different thing from prohibiting counterfeits, 
imitations and adulterations. We have laws 
compelling the manufacturers of fertilizers 
to plainly stamp on their package the names 
and proportions of the several ingredients 
composing them. We have laws to protect 
the health of the people against the selling of 
unclean, diseased or other unwholesome 
foods, and for the suppression of nuisances. 
So far as these statutes do not cover 
the question of counterfeit dairy pro¬ 
ducts, it would appear that the legislature 
is perfectly competent to afford the 
necessary legislation for the protection of 
an honest and important industry, and the 
consumers of its products against all kinds of 
frauds. It is conceded and known to be a fact 
that all the proposed substitutes for butter 
have thus far been imitations or counterfeits as 
close as it was possible to make them, and have 
reached the consumer under the guise of 
genuine butter. Except to hotel, boarding¬ 
house and restaurant keepers, their true 
character is kept coucealed from the pur¬ 
chasers, and those who are informed as to the 
character of the counterfeits are the only ones 
who call for them, and they intend to put 
them on their tables as butter and have their 
customers consume them in utter ignorance 
of what they are eating. The manufacturers 
are compelled to openly confess that they 
counterfeit butter as nearly as they can, aud 
that they could not sell their products if they 
did not. They are wealthy and have a large 
amount of money invested iu the business" of 
counterfeiting butter, and os their profits are 
large, they intend to evade, violate and test 
to the utmost all statutes that interfere with 
their busiues3. They are also well organized 
and thus far the contest has been between or¬ 
ganized capital and unorganized labor. 
But tbe public mind is gradually taking 
shape aud settling down to definite action. A 
movement has already begun for carrying 
the question into politics by refusing to vote 
for candidates for legislative positions who 
are not pledged to favor all legitimate legis¬ 
lation for the suppression of frauds in the 
production of dairy goods and of all counter¬ 
feits, imitations aud substitutes for the gen¬ 
uine. Substitutes must not be either counter¬ 
feits or imitations, nor sold under any other 
name but their real one. A substitute may 
and must be of different appearance, aud may 
be of very different appearance from that of 
the genuine. To illustrate, whale oil was a 
substitute for tallow for illuminating pur¬ 
poses, theu followed burning fluid, kerosene, 
gas and electricity—all under their own 
names, and never as counterfeits or imitations. 
This was in the legitimate line of progress. 
Such must bo the general character and mode 
of introducing all substitutes. A substitute 
must be either belter or cheaper (if not both), 
than the genuine, to command the sanction of 
the public. If it is satisfactory and desirable, 
it does not need disguise in any shape, but 
will sell better for just what it is. If the arti¬ 
ficial butter men have such a substitute, the 
field is open for them, and their better policy 
is to come before the people directly and hon¬ 
estly with their goods. No one can object to 
this. But the opposite course, which they now 
appear to be pursuing, must sooner or later, 
bring them to grief, for public sentiment will 
rise to such a point that all dishonesty in this 
direction must stop—and stop it should im¬ 
mediately. 
Vitmnan). 
EXPERIENCE WITH ABORTION IN 
COWS. 
Here is my experience with this trouble 
I began four years ago with teu head of native 
cows. One aborted tbo first Winter. The 
second Fall I procured 15 grade Short-horns; 
six of them aborted, aud the same number 
the third Winter. In addition to my cows, 
I have wintered two yoke of work-oxen and 
a Short-horn bull Now, in common with 
other men who have suffered from the same 
cause, I began to look for a reason. At the 
start 1 began by Isolating those affected; but 
room running short, I gave it up and at the 
sixth case It stopped. Now I think it it had 
been epizootic or contagious, it would have 
gone through the herd. If it had been in the 
feed the same result would have followed. 
We raise a great deal of flax here, aud I next 
attributed the evil to the cows running to the 
flax straw; but during the fourth Winter they 
bad the same feed as in the previous years 
and 1 lost none. Now observe, the native 
cows were restless and ugly, hooking any¬ 
thing they could master. At the.end of the 
third year I turned them off, and the fourth 
Winter I kept the work oxen and the bull 
separate from the cows, leaving the grades by 
themselves, and lost none. There is no doubt 
that large herds suffer most, which bears out 
my theory that the main cause is injury from 
ugly stock. My idea of prevention is to keep 
all males, above yearlings, from the cows dur¬ 
ing the Winter, and if you have an ugly 
cow sell her to the butcher, and you will 
reduce the number of abortions 99 per cent, 
Minnehaha Co., Dak. L. B. MOORE, 
