ver from getting into the butts of the bundles. 
The 15th of August I mowed this stubble and 
clover and had four large loads. The follow¬ 
ing year I cut the clover ou the last day 
of June, and drew eight large loads. In Sep¬ 
tember I again mowed this field and cured it 
without rain, and, thrashing with a clover- 
huller, I had'5% bashels of seed, for which 1 
received §7 a bushel. The chaff (for after 
thrashing it is all cut like chaff! I carefully 
secured for winter feeding of milch cows,.With 
excellent results. The sod is now five years 
old and produces each year abundant crops, 
which are cut twice. I have a pasture, now 
15 years old, upou which were sown three- 
quarters of a bushel of Timothy and 21) bushels 
- of wood ashes to the acre ou spring wheat. 
This sod is good aud produces abundant feed, 
even to this time. Money spent in abundant 
seeding is worth 10 per cent, any time. 
Fluvanra, N. Y. h. a. w. 
Scab in Potatoes. —We may well hunt in¬ 
to the cause of this evil for after all that has 
been said about it, we know but little. People 
still discuss the cause rather than the cure. 
A good-sized reward offered by the proper au¬ 
thorities might serve to stimulate experiment¬ 
ers to greater energy iu hunting into the rea¬ 
sons for this pest. Millions of dollars could 
be saved to farmers if a sure preventive could 
be discovered. A neighbor of mine, a careful 
man, has observed little white bugs ou his po¬ 
tatoes when t ie scabs were fresh and appar¬ 
ently forming. Two years ago. when har¬ 
vesting my potatoes, I discovered the old 
vines, as I drew them out, literally alive with 
flying ants. At that stage of growth they re¬ 
sembled small,white bugs. To all I would say, 
dig your potatoes before the vines are fairly 
dead; then you have clear, smooth tubers, 
generally quite free from scab. The past sea¬ 
son a portion of my crop was left in the 
ground till quite late—October. They were 
of good siz^ aud fair in appearance. When 
preparing them for cooking what was my as¬ 
tonishment to find nearly all required paring, 
for the entire surface was covered with a dry 
rot. Those dug a month earlier were general¬ 
ly quite free trotn scabs, clear aud smooth. 
Bureau Co. J. tv. B. 
Cutting Seed Potatoes Beforehand.— 
Some people write of Josses sustained by cut¬ 
ting potatoes before the time for planting, 
and keeping the sets iu lime. I have tried the 
plan eight or ID years and have never failed 
with it yet. I cut the tubers into pieces with 
one or two eves from eight days to two weeks 
before planting, aud then put on them all the 
fine lime aud wood ashes mixed that the mois¬ 
ture will hold. They stand in some airy 
place, and never fail with me. I select the 
best I can find for seed, and plant deeply, 
keeping the surface as level as possible. 
Sauk Co., Wis. h. m. jones. 
farm topics. 
AGAINST THE WASHINGTON SEED 
STORE; BUT IN FAVOR OF 
ITS WORK. 
Like the Rural. I think the “Washington 
Seed Store” has outlived its day of usefulness, 
for we have so many live, energetic seedsmen 
who are constantly on the lookout for new 
and valuable varieties, that 1 think we should 
favor and encourage them with our orders 
for seeds. Our arguments against it should, 
however, be truthful, aud not mere claptrap. 
They should state openly the real cause of our 
objections to it, and not conceal this by bas¬ 
ing our real objections on suppositions 
which have no foundation in fact, and faults of 
which it was rarely, if ever, guilty. The idea 
that it places us under obligations to vote for 
a Representative because he sends as a few 
packets of seeds in the spring is, however, 
nonaehsical. Then, again, for men who have 
beeu receiving and planting seeds from the 
“Government .Seed Store” to rise up at this 
late day and say the seeds were worthless and 
full of bugs or worms, is a little too thin. 
When I began practical or experimental 
gardening, over 20 years ago. I commenced 
with st eds sent me from ihe “Washington 
(Seed Store,” I got them twice a year for 
eight or ten years—garden seed in the Spring, 
and various kinds of wheat, oats and rye in 
in the fall. During all this *ime 1 never had a 
package of bad or worthless seeds, nor did I 
ever see a bug or worm in any of them. I 
expect most ot those writers who got such bad ' 
seeds are like some of my old neighbors—they 
sent with me every season and got seed, and 
then came to me for plants, aud then would 
have to come to me at last for their vegetables. 
There are so mauy who expect to get good 
vegetables from poor effort There are huu 
dreds ol farmers in Middle Tennessee who 
have been greatly benefited by one quart of ‘ 
winter wheat sent me from this same seed 
store. I was living in Tennessee when I experi¬ 
mented w ith those seeds. From two quarts 
of white winter wheat I raised two and a half 
bushels, and from this amount I grew 00 bush¬ 
els. I raised several crops of this (Taphan- 
nock) that weighed 70 pouuds per struck 
measured bushel. This wheat, besides being 
of extra weight, always brought me five to teu 
ceuts more per bushel than any other variety. 
When I left Tennessee it was the standard va¬ 
riety,having spread all over the country from 
the small quantity received from the Wash¬ 
ington Seed Store. There are many other va¬ 
rieties of grain and vegetables I could give 
good reports of. 
Since I have been in Iowa 'past five years) 
I have not had a seed from Washington, nor 
do I want any more, for I am growing seed 
myself., and what seed I need I get from such 
reliable seedsmen as Ferry, Henderson aud 
Burpee. 
While I am perfectly willing that the Wash¬ 
ington seed business should be abolished, at 
the same time I feel grateful to the best Gov¬ 
ernment on earth for the mauy valuable seeds 
sent me at a time when I needed them aud at 
a time when I knew nothing of our great 
seedsmen. Another thing—I never received a 
single package from a Congressman, 
but the seed was sent me direct from 
the Commissioner of Agriculture. I 
write this because the Rural wished to 
hear from any one w’bo has ever been ben¬ 
efited by the “Washington Seed Store,” and 
because the many thousands of others who 
must have been benefited are slow to acknowl¬ 
edge the favor, F. S. White. 
Des Moines Co., Ia. 
R. N.-Y.—We are not aware that any one 
has denied that valuable seeds have been sent 
out by the Department. But. ou the other 
hand, it will not be denied by those who are 
well informed in the matter that the mass of 
the seeds so sent out have been of common 
kinds aud of very low average quality. Throw¬ 
ing out of the question the fact that Congress¬ 
men favor the contiuuance of the seed distri¬ 
bution as a means of gaining favor among 
their constituents, we beg to say that if the 
actual cost of maintaining the .Seed bureau 
were placed beside the actual value of the 
seeds so distributed, there w’ould no longer lie 
room for two opinions as to whether the seed 
busiuess as it has been conducted should or 
should uot be continued. 
IN FAVOR OF THE “WASHINGTON 
SEED STORE.” 
In a late Rural, a member of the N. J. 
Hort. Society said he had received bushels of 
seeds from the ‘'Washington Seed Store,” 
which be fed to his poultry, etc. My first 
thought on reading this was that he has seeds 
to sell and is therefore opposed to that “Seed 
Store.” He could not get seeds by the bushel 
unless he is in with some political ring, aud 
who would care to trust such a man? If he 
didn’t want those seeds himself, wliy didn’t he 
sell them to his friends or neighbors, any of 
whom would, like myself, give #1 per bushel 
for all the seeds he can get from the “Wash¬ 
ington Seed Store,” 
In a late Dsue you asked any one who had 
been benefited by the Washington Seed Store 
to let .toil know. Several of my neighbors 
have been in the habit of getting seeds from 
that place, which have always proved to be ex¬ 
cellent varieties. I never got any till last 
year, tecause 1 always thought seeds had to 
be obtained through some friend in Washing¬ 
ton. Last year 1 got some good seeds which 
produced very excellent vegetables. This 
year I have just received a lot that would 
have cost at least £2 if bought of any seeds¬ 
man. and from their appearance, I be¬ 
lieve them to be first-class: but I have much 
less than a bushel, I knew no one personally 
in Washington, neither did I have the help of 
anyone: I simply wrote to the Department 
asking for a few seeds, and they were sent to 
me. The foregoing is all the experience I 
have had with t he National seed basineas. I 
do not wish to defend the “store” or wish to 
continue, or discontinue it, 1 do not know 
enough about it to pass upon it either way; 
but I like to have fair dealing. Such remarks 
as that of the New Jersey man are too un¬ 
reasonable and 1 think show that some one 
has selfish motives. Whatever benefit there 
may be from this seed bureau to the poor 
fanners-ot tbiscountry it is all they have from 
the Government, and they have to work too 
hard and constantly to waste time in asking 
any favors from the Government which 
they more than any other class keep in exist¬ 
ence, mostly for the benefit of others. 
Columbia Co., N. Y. H, C. Harvey. 
R. N.-Y.—The Rural is always read}’ to 
give to the supporters of all sides of every 
question discussed in Its columns an opportu¬ 
nity to express their views, it has no ‘axe to 
grind,” no object to promote except the high¬ 
est good of the agriculturists of the country. 
Satieties, 
MICHIGAN STATE HORTICULTURAL 
CONVENTION. 
(RURAL SrECIAL REPORT.) 
Causes of deterioration; root-grafted trees 
denounced; negligent culture a cause of 
failure of orchards; selection for improve¬ 
ment preferable to crossing; local societies; 
points in purchasing nursery stock; two- 
year-old trees best for planting; evapora¬ 
tion of fruit; grafting; horticulture in cit¬ 
ies and villages; apples for market; potato 
culture; sctioots and horticulture. 
This meeeting was held at Hillsdale on Feb¬ 
ruary 22. President Lyon said our horticul¬ 
turists are growing fruits so exclusively for 
profit that the finer fruits are scarcely grown. 
Iu mauy large orchards none of the good des¬ 
sert apples aud plums fiud a place. All the 
finer and more educational advantages of hor¬ 
ticulture are thus never experienced. Ben¬ 
jamin Hathaway said the causes of the de¬ 
terioration of apples in Southwestern Michi¬ 
gan are three: Increasing rigor of climate, 
due to the destruction of timber; unsuitable 
varieties, and poor methods of cult ure aud har¬ 
vesting. We must plant wind-breaks espec¬ 
ially to the southwest in that part of the State. 
Mr. H. has 3,000 transplanted forest trees, 
and they pay as a wind-break. We must get 
varieties so far as possible, indigenous to our 
locality. If we cannot do this we should se¬ 
lect those from climates most liku our own. 
It is desirable to get new varieties by erossiug 
with the better Russians. He denounced root- 
grafted trees as unfruitful aud tender as com¬ 
pared with those which are top-grafted. He 
•wohld graft in the orchard at standard bight 
on the hardiest stocks. Although such trees 
cost double the price of root-grafted trees, 
they are nevertheless cheaper in the long run. 
President Lyon agreed with Mr. Hathaway iu 
regard to the relative hardiness aud longevity 
of root and top grafts. However, he would 
discourage top-grafting on seedling stocks. 
Many seedlings are tender and otherwise make 
undesirable stocks. He would top-graft ou 
Northern Spy or others which uniformly do 
well as root-grafts. 
L. D. Watkins and others observed that 
apparently healthful old trees do not bear 
such good crops as formerly. Mr. Collier said 
much of this failure is due to sheer neglect in 
methods of culture. Prof. Bailey of the Ag¬ 
ricultural College, said, Mr. Collier had hit 
upon the secret of much of the failure in apple 
growing. By the time the orchard is fully 
matured, the soil has usually become partially 
exhausted and good crops cannot be expected. 
The very fact that the trees are old, precludes 
the possibility of the best yields. We should 
plaut new orchards to take the place of the 
old ones. The speaker did uot tliink it ad¬ 
visable to couut upou getting hardy and 
desirable sorts for Michigan from crossing 
with Russians. To breed up by crossing is a 
long and laborious process, and is especially 
uncertain now when we have uot learned the 
Russiau sorts thoroughly. Really hut few 
of our apples are known to be tender iu Michi¬ 
gan. Of 2u0 promising sorts already upon 
our lists, there are probably some which can 
take the place of the Baldwin and Greening. 
We need to test these new sorts thoroughly. 
Among these wo could undoubtedly find some 
desirable sorts before we could get any from 
erossiug. Every orchardist should set, out a 
row of such experimental varieties. 
Sec. C. W. Garfield spoke, upon suggestions 
for local horticultural societies. The success 
of the society depends more than anything 
else upon the will of the individual members 
who compose it. He commended the social 
plan ot conducting societies. Have au all-day 
session at-some member’s house, in the fore¬ 
noon. giving up the t ime to conversation, then 
serving a dinner, after which hear a report 
upon the place visited ami listen to an essay. 
L. B. Pierce, Ohio; Merchandise, such as 
nursery stock, should never be taken to these 
societies; DD to 00 people at a meeting are ful¬ 
ly enough. Have pennonent committees ap¬ 
pointed on various subjects, as apples, vine¬ 
yards, small fruits, botuny. insects, forestry, 
etc. Pres. Lyon: Besides sustaining interest, 
another advantage of the social plan is that 
the man whom the society visits clears up his 
place to prepare for the visit. 
E. H. Scott considered the following points 
necessary to the satisfactory purchasing of 
nursery stock: 
1. Take one or more good horticultural pa¬ 
pers. 2. Study the advertisements aud send 
for maiiy circulars. 8. Aslc of a bank at the 
dealer’s home concerning the standing of the 
firm. 4. Consider well the kinds of fruit you 
wish to plant. 5. Study also the varieties of 
each kind you want. (1. Be careful in pur- 
chasiug new varieties. 7. Do uot buy trees 
because they are cheap. 8. Pay a first-class 
price and insist upon it that you get first-class 
trees. 0. Insist that the stock shall be well 
packed. 10. Examiue the stock immediately 
upou arrival, and if it is uot satisfactory do 
not accept it. 
Pres. Lyon. People too often expect to get 
something for nothing. 
A discussion followed concerning the age of 
trees for planting. It was the sense of the 
convention that for general planting, apple 
and pear trees should not be more than two 
years from the graft. It costs too much to 
plant older trees, as more care is required iu 
setting them, and they do not often admit of 
easy training. See. Garfield: Our local horti¬ 
cultural society, at Grand Rapids, has educat¬ 
ed our people to believe in cooperation in pur¬ 
chasing stock. Some of the interested mem¬ 
bers combine their or ders and secure trees in 
car-load lots and at wholesale prices. 
S. B. Mann discussed the busiuess of fruit 
evaporation It is a great industry and has 
come to stay. It is a business in which it Is 
easy to fail, however. Engage in it very care¬ 
fully to start with. Except, for apples and 
peaches, he does not think fruit evaporatiou as 
yet a full success. He does not like to use 
sulphur for bleaching. Sulphur keeps away 
the insects; anythiug which insects cannot eat 
is not fit for the human stomach. Unbleached 
fruit, although less attractive, has as good 
quality as bleached fruit. The principle iu 
evaporating fruit is to keep it moist while the 
water is being expelled. If dried too much, 
it becomes crusted. Forborne use fruit can 
be nicely evaporated by cutting it into thin 
slices crosswise of the core, spreading it on a 
board and covering with a thin cloth and then 
placing it in the suu. H. W. Davis, a fruit 
evaporator of Lapeer, said that the evaporator 
has come to stay os thoroughly as has the 
creamery. There is always a demand for our 
product to the westward He pays little at¬ 
tention to the quality of the apples he evapo¬ 
rates for market, for the reason that quality 
never figures in the sales of evaporated fruit. 
Ben Davis is one of the best for evaporating 
purposes. 
Mr. C. S. Crandall had traversed the litera¬ 
ture of reciprocal influence of stock and graft, 
and had emerged with uo settled idea concern¬ 
ing the subject. There is no unanimity among 
authors on this matter. Much interest centers 
iu root-grafting, especially in a comparison of 
the whip or tongue and veneer methods By 
this process no incision is mado in the wood. 
Simply the alburnums of the stock and scion 
come in contact, and there is a complete un¬ 
ion. Wood does not. often heal; therefore the 
tongue of the ordinary root graft dies in the 
center and leaves a cavity. Magnified cross- 
sections of the grill ted portions of apple-trees 
in which union had takeu place were thrown 
upon the screen by means of a stereopt icon. 
The great cavities in the whip graft caused 
some astonishment. 
Professor Bailey, iu speaking of what horti¬ 
culture can do for cities and villages, advised, 
first, that city horticultural societies be 
formed, whose province should be t he encour¬ 
agement of all horticultural tastes. Such so¬ 
cieties should see that the grounds of all pub¬ 
lic buildings are laid out properly, and should 
iu every way foster a love for landscape, art. 
Iu reference to city landscape ornarneu ration, 
he argued that all terraces and banks be 
avoided so far as possible. If the house is near 
the highway and a couple of feet above it, he 
would make the lawn iu front level or nearly 
so aud sustain it in front by a retaining wall 
of masonry. He preferred this plau to that 
of grading the lawn on a level with the street 
and retaining a terrace against the house. If 
the house is very much higher than the street, 
he would make the lawu level or nearly so, 
and let it full off in front iu a bold bank to the 
highway. On the crest of this bonk he would 
plaut thickly au irregular border of low plants 
to hide the bank from the residence. If the 
house is much lower t han the street, he would 
have the b»nk against the street as before, 
only below it, of course, and would plant 
thickly just at the bottom of the bank so as to 
hide tho bunk and most of the street from the 
residence. The speaker would not plant Nor¬ 
way Spruces or the larger pines in city lots. 
He favored specimen plants and groups of 
shrubbery. If large deciduous trees exist, as 
a rule keep them trimmed very high. If a 
residence stands within twenty feet of the 
street he would reach the front door by a 
straight walk. Upon this point, Elias A. 
Long took a contrary view. 
Mr. J. F. Fitzsimmons, of Hillsdale, would 
plant the following varieties of market upples: 
N. Spy, 20 per cent..; Red Canada, 15; Goldeu 
Russet, 15; Baldwin, 1ft; Spitzcnhurg, 10; 
Feck’s Pleasant, five; Greening, five; Taltnau 
Sweet, five; Shiawasee Beauty, three: As- 
trachan, two; Early Harvest, Hawley, St. 
Lawreuce, Golden Sweet, aud Garden Royal, 
