can easily determine whether his plants 
are genuine by the color of the canes. There 
is no blackberry with yellowish canes like the 
Taylor, large and stout. I now have Taylor 
true, and consider it one of the most valuable 
for home use or market. It begius to ripen a 
little later than Snyder, ripens much more 
slowly and continues in bearing quite late. It 
does not sucker so freely as some kinds, and 
the young suckers are not so stubbed and 
stubborn as those of the Snyder, and are more 
easily subdued. In productiveness it is un¬ 
surpassed with me. The bearing canes ap¬ 
pear to be one solid mass of berries. The 
flavor is superior to that of Suyder, and it is 
a sweeter berry. For my own eating I choose 
Taylor every time. The berry clings to the 
fruit-stem persistently. As far as this pre¬ 
vents loss of berries by falling (and oFten with 
other varieties the loss is considerable), this 
is a desirable feature, but in seasons of 
drought, especially if the berries are not 
picked as soon as ripe, the clinging faculty'is 
earned to such extremes as to be objection¬ 
able, both berries and fruit-stems often ap¬ 
pearing iu the baskets of careless pickers. 
The berries are long, like the Kittntiuny iu 
shape, but not quite so large as the Kittatinny 
when well grown. My farm at Rochester, 
N. Y., is a trying place for blackberries, but 
Taylor canes have never been injured by tbe 
severest winters though never protected. It 
is not thornless. A person will be reminded 
Golden Queen Raspberry. From Nature. 
Fig. 345. (See first page.) 
frequently of this fact in trying to pass across 
the rows. The chances ai’e that he will leave 
samples of his pantaloons and coat to mark 
his staggering course. I often wish that those 
marauding cattle which so delight iu imagin¬ 
ing every innocent tree or shrub a demon to 
be attacked with horus down and tail up,could 
be induced to attack tbe Taylor blackberry 
bushes as they grow on my place, as large 
around and nearly as tall as a fish pole, and 
with thorns long enough to be used for tack¬ 
ing shingles ou roof boards. I do not think, 
however, that the Taylor is much more thorny' 
than its bretheren, all of which are well cal¬ 
culated to defend themselves against sudden 
attack. 
No fruit is at its best estate uutil fully ripe. 
I make this assertion for fear some rash indi¬ 
vidual may partake of the Taylor the moment 
it colors, ami then remark with much unction 
that Mr. Green considers such berries of good 
quality. No. Let the sunshine and the dew 
fall upon them a few more day's; let them en¬ 
joy the warm August mornings aud the night 
breezes a little longer. “When the children 
cry; ‘The bees are eating the blackberries, 
father,’ then is the time to test the quality of 
the blackberries,” says the author of “Rever¬ 
ies of a Bachelor.” 
Monroe Co., N. Y. 
FROM \V. L. ASHTON. 
I have had the Taylor Prolific Blackberry iu 
fruit two past seasons aud like it well. It is 
hardy, productive, and of vigorous growth. 
The stalk is greenish, the berry beiug medium 
aud sweet. 
Flushing, 0. 
FROM H. B. COLBY. 
Taylor’s Prolific Blackberry has been in my 
fruit garden for six years. It is perfectly 
hardy. We have cold waves in winter, aud 
30 degrees below zero is tbe lowest point at my 
hill-side home, yet rarely is a cane injured. 
It is a strong, rank grower, but I think the 
canes rather brittle. This is the oDly fault 1 
find with it. Heavy snows break many good 
canes, although tied to stakes and trellises. 
SEPT 24 
Tbe berry is large. When first colored it is 
not ripe; but when ripe it is very' sweet with a 
rich, delicious flavor. It is an abundant 
bearer in supplying all the fruit wished for 
during three weeks. It has been all we desire 
in a blackberry, while iu hardiness and fruit¬ 
ing qualities Wachusset Thornless, Early Har 
vest, Early Cluster aud Crystal White have 
failed. Its easy culture, abmidant returns and 
sure cropping make the Taylor all the farmer 
needs in its line. .Where a hedge row is 
planted in open ground upon heavily enriched 
soil and a strong double trellis is put up to 
bold the canes, it will last for a life-time. I 
have strong, rough pasts four feet high about 
10 feet apart, with two rails, one at the top 
and one about a foot lower; three feet from 
this is another row; the berry hedge is between 
them. One can easily go on both sides to hoe 
and apply top-dressing, to pick the fruit aud 
to remove the old canes or tie up the vines. 
With a few central stakes it has proved satis¬ 
factory. A space of 50 feet m length gives us 
all the fruit we wish and we require, an 
abundant supply. 
Merrimac Co., N. H. 
FROM A. M. SMITH. 
I consider the Taylor Prolific Blackberry 
fully' as hardy as the Snyder, and though 
perhaps not quite as productive, the berries 
are more uniform in size and about equal in 
quality though not up {in my estimation), to 
the old Dorchester or the Agawam which, in 
this respect, rank first among blackberries. 
St. Catharines, Out. 
FROM W. H. CASSELL. 
Blackberries ate so abundant here, in the 
wild state, that our people are not taking hold 
of improved varieties. Years ago I tried the 
Lawton which rusted so badly that I gave it 
up. More recently, however, 1 have tried 
the Kittatinny, which has produced several 
crops of delicious berries. I now have Wilson 
Jr., but it will not fruit until next, year. My 
only information concerning Taylor’s Prolific 
is derived from a discussion of its merits by 
the American Pomological Society in Sep¬ 
tember, 1885. Some of the Northern cata¬ 
logues recommend it also. The drift of the 
discussion referred to was in favor of the 
Taylor. This season I fruited three varieties 
of the dewberry, which ail bore fine crops. 
They were the Bartle, Mammoth and Lueretia, 
and I was much pleased with them though I 
did not think them equal to the Kittatinny in 
quality. 
Canton, Miss. 
FROM T. V. MUNSON. 
Some years ago I planted a few vines of the 
Taylor. They grew strongly, but were rather 
of a straggling, thorny habit, and did not 
easily train in rows like Early Harvest, which 
takes the lead here over all others as a profit¬ 
able, early market variety. With me it came 
slowly into bearing and bore berries too small 
for its season. We prefer Kittatinny, al¬ 
though it so easily rusts. I hold the rust in 
check to a great extent, by planting strong, 
root-cutting plants and vigilant!}- taking out 
every affected plant on the first Hppearauce 
of rust, before auy spores have matured, and 
burniug or burying them at once. When not 
rusting we find Kittatinny ahead of all other 
large, later berries. 
Denison, Texas. 
FROM E. H. HART. 
I have not heard of Taylor’s Prolific being 
cultivated in this State. But little attention 
has been paid here to tbe cultivated black¬ 
berry, as the wild varieties, both creeping and 
upright, are abundant and of excellent, qual¬ 
ity, especially the former. Raspberries are 
very uncertain here, but Dr. Schralfranck, of 
Palutka, reports satisfactory results from the 
Cuthbert, which is highly recommended by 
Mr. P. J. Berekmans, of Augusta, Ga,, for 
cultivation in the extreme South. 
Federal Point, Fla. 
FROM T. T. LYON. 
I have grown the Taylor blackberry for 
several years; in fact, almost since its advent 
before the public. I have it standing in rows 
adjacent to Suyder; in thesame soil, and with 
similar treatment, I find it similar in quality, 
considerably larger in size, quite as produc¬ 
tive, if not even more so. The plant, is abun¬ 
dantly vigorous,of a somewhat spreading hab¬ 
it, with light yellowish-green canes, fully as 
hardy as Snyder, or any other of the large 
number of so-called hardy blackberries; 
although, even here, on the shore of Lake 
Michigan, 1 have occasionally known the tips 
of the canes to he slightly injured during very 
severe winters,'as is also true of Snyder as 
well as any and all the so called iron-dads. 
The appropriate place for the blackberry is as 
undergrowth, with partial shelter; and it is 
my conviction that a blackberry able to bear 
a full exposure during our severest winter, is 
yet to be originated, if indeed such origination 
be not impossible. 
South Haven. Mich. 
FROM J. C PLUMB. 
I have grown the Taylor five years and it 
has never given a full crop, even with winter 
protection.,. The wood is too green at layiug 
down time to winter well even if covered. The 
fruit is fine, but too delicate for Wisconsin. 
The Britton, Stone and Snyder’all ripen their 
wood seasonably, and so can be laid down 
safely for winter 
Milton, Mo. 
FROM J. A. PEFFER. 
On my place the Taylor is as hardy as Sny- 
der, more productive, larger, and of better 
flavor, and it ripens its fruit not half green on 
one side and ripelon the other. 
South Bend, Md. 
MULCHING STRAWBERRIES. 
In Michigan nearly all plants aud vines 
suffer more or less during the winter season, 
if no protection is given. There are so many 
contingencies connected with small fruit 
growiug that we can hardly go amiss in giv¬ 
ing some protection during winter, especially 
to strawberry plants. When properly pro¬ 
tected, they come through the winter strong 
and vigorous, ready for duty, aud make an 
early and rapid growth, which enables them 
to withstand the effects of protracted droughts, 
which sometimes occur about the time straw¬ 
berries begin to ripen. Hay, straw, coarse 
manure or forest leaves make good covering, 
which should be placed before too much feez¬ 
ing in autumn has injured the roots of tbe 
plants. Cover two inches thick. More de¬ 
pends upon the fact that you give the plants 
some sort of protection than the material used. 
Allegan, Mich. G. H. L. 
Rural topics. 
BUCEPHALUS BROWN’S NOTIONS AND 
IDEAS. 
Beginning to Show.—I fear the Rural is 
a little over-sanguine in calling the farmer 
“Master of the Situation,” even in the matter 
of reforming the fail's. But certainly those 
of us who have been working many years to 
arouse the farming class to a sense both of 
their dangers and their power, can see many 
reasons to thank God anil take courage. Your 
artist apparently forgot to put the horso-gam- 
blers among the fugitives, iu his excelleut 
cartoon. Or did he, with sly sarcasm, wish 
to intimate that they are yet sustained by 
too many farmers to be in danger of the judg¬ 
ment T 
Unregulated Transportation is work¬ 
ing the greatest injury of all to the farmers. 
It is hopeless to expect auy reform from with¬ 
in in this matter. It must come from with¬ 
out, under governmental authority. This 
will be difficult, aud may prove impossible; 
but it is the only alternative to government 
ownership, which will always be strongly op¬ 
posed in a country so anti-socialistic in its 
prepossessions as America. 
Individualism Our Principle.— It seems 
very surprising to many that the socialistic 
idea takes so little hold upon the American 
mind. But the truth is that the American is 
not built that way. He wauts individual 
freedom, and is as much opposed in his feel¬ 
ings to being “bossed” by society, as by any 
external authority. The only socialistic au¬ 
thority he submits to—and that irks him—is 
the authority of public opinion. His ideal of 
government is that it should be simply a po¬ 
lice power to keep order, and prevent the 
strong from harming the weak. “That 
people is governed best , which is governed 
least,” is the American theory. Under this, 
the more just aud honest the citizens, the less 
they would feel the existence of auy govern¬ 
ment. 
The Evil of Corporations.— A corpora¬ 
tion must be either monopolistic, like a rail¬ 
road company, or socialistic, like a Shaker 
society. Either way, it has the seed of tyran¬ 
ny in it. The perpetual succession of corpo¬ 
rations is allied closely iu principle to that 
class privilege, with its law of entail, which is 
to-day the weakness, as in a less civilized time 
it was the streugth of English institutions. 
Corporations seemed nccessn ry to the success 
of large operations when this count-y was 
poor. In this era of great individual fortunes 
they have ceased to be necessary, aud are a 
growing dauger. 
Farmers Unprivileged.— In the very na¬ 
ture of things it is impossible for American 
farmers to bec°me a privileged class. They 
are l y wind of competition that 
blows, and the only “protection” possible to 
us, as farmers, is protection from tbe injustice 
and aggression of the impersonal lordship of 
the corporate nobility we have set up. Unless 
these corporations can be thoroughly regu¬ 
lated and controlled by law (bey must be 
abolished, and their funct ions divided between 
individuals and the local and general Govern¬ 
ments. 
Railroads. —The most oppressive corpora¬ 
tions, just now, are the railroads. Give men 
power out of which they can get money and 
they will inevitably abuse it. That is just 
what we have done in granting franchises and 
subsidies to railway corporations, which neces¬ 
sarily become autocratic. The railway kings 
are kings indeed. Henry VIIT. “would have 
no priest to tax anil toll in bis dominions,” but 
the sovereign American people have admitted 
a power to do that very thing into the very 
bowels of their commonwealth. 
Favoritism of Railroads.— Even in Deir 
inception, favoritism, the bane of every sort 
of co-operation, marked the course of rail¬ 
road management. In the very choice of 
routes, divergencies were made from the best 
to favor towns ami persons. Favoritism is 
still their leading characteristic. Towns are 
built up and pulled down by them. The very 
people whose money built them are discrimin¬ 
ated against, for the advantage of their most 
dangerous rivals. New England agriculture 
is being suffocated by its railroads, and this 
just in the proportion that they are tbe sole 
means of transportation for agricultural pro¬ 
ducts. 
Statistics Prove It.— The only counties 
whose farms maintain their value in New 
England are those along the coast and on 
navigable rivers. Here the railroads have to 
compete with water transportation. Iu pas¬ 
senger traffic the result is seen clearlv. The 
fare from Boston to Bangor, Me., is half that 
from Boston to St. Albans or Newport, Vt.— 
au equal distance. The difference iu freights 
is even greater. Yet the Maine Central is a 
much more prosperous road tbau the Vermont 
Central, though the former is entirely local, 
while the latter is a great through route. 
Controlled for their Own Profit.— 
There can be no doubt that a firm and just 
governmental control of railroads would 
make them better property. At present they 
are enriching their managers at the expense of 
their stockholders, who are iu tbe process, 
generally, of being “ frozen out.” These 
mauagers, though “smart,” are greedy, nar¬ 
row and short-sighted. Even when not so, 
competition compels them to seem so. The 
heavy hand of a just authority must be laid 
upon them in order that they shall serve 
themselves best bv serving their country best. 
farm ^couanup 
MANURE FROM STRAW. 
Waste of at raw; different methods employed 
in turning it into manure; st raw as an ab¬ 
sorbent; as a fodder; its manurial value; 
straw compost. 
Thousands of tons of straw are wasted 
every year. Where agriculture is new and 
grain is raised on a large scale, fanners appear 
to think that the sole purpose of the pluut is 
to produce the kernel, and that the straw is a 
waste product, to be got,ten rid of as easily and 
cheaply as possible. Bo in the far West, on 
the great wheat fields of Kansas or Colorado, 
the match is applied to the straw stacks. Fire 
reduces the great mass of unsalable material 
aud the farmer is glad to get rid of it. Where 
straw cannot be given away or sold, has no 
market value, iu fact, probably fire is the best 
reducing agent, but there are thousands of in¬ 
stances where straw is placed so near the farm 
buildings that fire “ reduction” is out of the 
question, and yet the straw is wasted. Many 
farmers are buying vast quantities of stable 
manure or chemicals, while several old straw 
stacks are slowly rotting down on their prem¬ 
ises. It is with the hope of turning the atten¬ 
tion of fanners to the methods employed in 
manufacturing this straw into manure that 
this article is prepared. 
Farmers near the city clearly recognize the 
feeding value of rye straw. There is a good 
demaud for it at the paper factories, but far¬ 
mers as a rule believe that unless they can get 
more than five cents per bundle it will pay bet¬ 
ter to feed it out. Tbe straw is chopped, 
mixed with the feed and moistened. There is 
a general “farm legend” that a diet of chopped 
rye straw will keep a horse free from worms 
and hasten the departure of hots front the stom¬ 
ach. Many farmers feed some nat anil wheat 
straw. A favorite way to feed oats iu some 
localities is to cut when quite green, cure like 
bay, anil then tie in small bundles, to be fed 
entire—the grain and straw together. Clean 
