ally acquainted with the merits of the fruit 
before sales can be readily made. 
Augusta, Ga. 
[The concluding article next week will de¬ 
scribe the chief kinds grown by Mr. Berclc- 
mans, illustrated with sketches of the fruit.— 
Eds.] 
♦ * » 
RUSSIAN APPLES NOT ALL IRON¬ 
CLAD. 
PROF. J. L. BUDD. 
Hardiness a relative term; the Longfield, 
Good Peasant, Wealthy , Bogdanoff , Duch¬ 
ess, Babuschkino, Bed. Astra.chan, Bed 
Transparent , Borsdorf, Alexander and 
Win ter Apart apples . 
The valuable notes of Dr. Hoskins under 
the above heading are suggestive. The word 
harcln is a relative term. The beech and the 
kalniia are hardy, I think, in Vermont, but 
they fail to endure our extremes of summer 
heat and aridity of air. On the other hand 
Lonicera sempervirens is an iron-clad in 
Iowa, but kills back severely in the Kow Gar¬ 
dens near London, England. Applying this 
principle to the Russian apples, we find the 
Longfield apple to be native to Sarepta on the 
lower Volga, where the rainfall is light, and 
the summer heat often reaches 106 degrees in 
the shade with only 20 per cent, of moisture 
in the air. Hence it is exactly at home in our 
climate, even through extreme heat and 
drought of t he past summer. 
Literally without rain to wet the roots of 
plants the Longfield, and its near relative the 
Good Peasant, have matured a full crop of 
fruit of nearly the usual average size. Even 
as far north as Baraboo, Wiscousiu, the Long- 
field has stood quite as well as the Wealthy, 
although it has not missed a crop of fruit on 
Mr. Tuttle’s place for the last six years. It is 
“not a true iron-clad for the North, but if not 
cut too severely for cions, it has stood fully as 
well as the Wealthy on dry soils. 
Again, Bogdanoff is native to the black- 
soil region of central Russia, and we have 
never known its terminal points of growth to 
be injured by winter, yet we have only sent 
it out tor trial south of the 43d parallel In 
Iowa, as Us native home in Russia is 400 miles 
south of the natal home of the Duchess. So 
far in Central Iowa the Bogdanoff has shown 
no defect except an occasional show of twig 
blight on back soil and in sheltered positions. 
Babuschkino [460 of the Department list), 
did not stand our trying winter of 1S84-5, and 
we have thrown it out of our trial list, but 
our Babuschkino from Moscow [No. 6 m.), 
from Voronisli (84 var.l, is apparently as 
hardy as Duchess, aud promises to be a true 
iron clad winter apple for North Iowa. 1c 
should be far hardier thau Lougtteld or 
Bogdanolf us we found the true Grandmother 
in perfect condition at Tula, st a tiding among 
the survivors of the famous test winter of 
1.V70 I think the true Babuschkino will prove 
hardy in any part of Vermont, yet it may not 
be as perfectly at home there as in Iowa. 
Red Astrachan is a Swedish apple, reported 
to be u seedliug of the Red Transparent. 
The latter is a true iron-clad in the West, 
hardier than Duchess, but the Red Astrachan 
does not stand much better thau Fameuse. 
The department Borsdorfs also fail with us 
as they are iudigeuuous to North Germany 
aud West Russia, yet Zweibel Borsdorf, of 
Central Russia is a true iron clad. Alexander 
is hardy enough here, but especially subject 
to blight and a shy bearer. On the other 
hand, the A ports of Central Russia are per¬ 
fect in tree, good bearers, and some of them 
fairly good keepers. The Winter Aport ex¬ 
hibited by A. If. Tuttle at our recent State 
fair attracted much attention. 
Ag. College, Ames, la. 
THE IOWA RUSSET. 
I have before me a letter from Prof. Budd, 
of the Iowa Agricultural College, under date 
of December 7, 1873, in which he says he has 
sent me in the same mail cions of the Iowa 
Russet, of which he observes: ‘’Iowa Russet 
originated iu my own nursery. [Mr. Budd 
was then in the nursery business at Sholls- 
burgh. Burton County, Iowa.] it is eminently 
hardy, and the best Russet of large size I 
have ever seen. It is about as good as Pomme 
Grise, and as large as a medium sized North¬ 
ern Spy. It is heavily russeted with bright 
yellow russetiug, with some color next the 
suu.” 
A tree grown from one of these cions has 
fruited with me for several years, aud last 
season bore quite a crop. It seems entirely 
iron-dad, certainly hardier than the Golden 
Russet of Western New York, and apparently 
unharmed by our two recent test wluters, 
1884-6 and 1886-7. The tree stands in grass, 
near the top of a steep bank in a dry place, 
and the fruit has not been quite as large as it 
grows iu Iowa. It is, how r ever, larger than 
the Golden Russet of Western New York, far 
more hardy in tree, and very much superior 
in the quality of fruit. It is, in fact, the only 
Russet that I find quite iron-clad. The fruit 
is very handsome, though not so perfect in 
form as most Russets, nearly round, rich in 
color, and a delicious dessert apple, as well as 
a long keeper. In the present dearth of iron¬ 
clad long-keepers the Iowa Russet seems to me 
to deserve more prominence than it has yet 
obtained. T. h. hoskins, m. d. 
Orleans County, Vt. 
SOME SMALL FRUIT NOTES. 
Here are the results of my observations 
during the season just passed, combined with 
previous experieuee with the following and 
other leading sorts of strawberries, etc. 
Captain Jack Strawberry —This season’s 
experience only confirms the favorable opin¬ 
ion I had previously formed of this variety. 
Grown in hills or narrow rows ou very rich 
ground, I believe I have never tried a better 
sort, all things considered. Iu quality it is 
good if not the best, it begins early and holds 
out late and with these desirable qualities, it 
combines hardiness and vigor of plant. 
Crescent still retains its place as one of my 
most profitable sorts. 
The Manchester does fairly well, though 
the foliage inclines to rust somewhat and the 
quality of the fruit hardly pleases one for 
table use. and on my soil it is too soft for dis¬ 
tant market, though it sells well at home. 
James Vick has never given me more than 
one crop of berries in four’yeare’ trial, and I 
have discarded it. 
Jewell has disappointed me, lacking pro¬ 
ductiveness and vigor of plant, and I shall 
not try it farther, being satisfied I have 
manj' better sorts. 
Mrs. Garfield should never have been 
dissemiuated unless it has good qualities I 
have failed to discover. 
Marlboro Raspberry seems perhaps bet¬ 
ter adapted to our soil and climate than any¬ 
thing I have tested, at least it is very satis¬ 
factory so far as tried here. 
Shaffer’s sustains its claims as the largest 
and most productive of raspberries ever 
tested on my grounds, and for a family berry 
it should find a place in every collection. 
Fay’s Prolific Currant has never re¬ 
ceived more praise than it deserves, if it does 
as well everywhere as here. It seems to me 
those parties who have claimed it as identical 
with the Cherry cannot have genuine plants 
of Fay’s. All who sa.w it this season on my 
grounds pronounced it far in advance of any¬ 
thing they had ever seen. 
Delaware Co., N Y, E. J. Brownell. 
THE TAYLOR AND M1NNEWASKA 
BLACKBERRIES. 
From what I have seen of Taylor’s Prolific 
Blackberry I would not advise planting it. It 
is too small, seedy and inferior iu quality, and 
besides, it is far less productive of mature 
fruit than has been claimed for it, or than its 
absurd name would seem to imply. It is later 
than the Snyder, a trifle larger perhaps, but 
little if auy better, and neither variety is a 
perfect iron-clad in the valley of the upper 
Hudson. I don’t w-aut it. I would rather risk 
an occasional crop from the Kittutiuny. The 
Minuowuska impresses me as the coming black¬ 
berry. It has borne an immense crop again 
this year—larger thau ever before. The qual¬ 
ity is good and so far it stands the winter well 
in this latitude. The crop lasts into Septem¬ 
ber. I picked ripe fruit of it from my gar¬ 
den to-day—September 3d. If this variety has 
had auy general trial throughout the country 
I hope the results may be sent, to the Rural 
for publication. Give us the bad points as 
well as the good, iu order that growers may 
not invest in it at high prices with their eyes 
shut. If 1 Ynistake uot this is one of the very 
worthy objects for which the Rural is 
priuted. h . hendrick. 
[The Miunewaska was first sent out but two 
years ago, so that we cau hardly hope for 
trustworthy repoitsas yet— Eds.] 
CiltVrtl £o}UC$. 
A LETTER FROM SIR J. B. LAWES. 
It will not pay to feed weeds with nitrogen; 
we must give up artificial manures or farm, 
on cleaner land; an experiment ; rotation; 
cleaning crops; ensilage. 
We pay a higher price for nitrogen in the 
form of salts of ammonia, or as nitrate of 
soda, than for nitrogen in any other form, 
because our crops can feed upon these sub¬ 
stances at once. The quantity of a crop which 
can be obtained by the application of a given 
quantity of these manures depends upon the 
character of the season, and the amount of 
weeds which share with the crop the artificial 
food applied to the soil. The farmer has no 
power over the season, but he can, to a cer¬ 
tain extent, reduce the quantity of weeds 
upon his land. It will never pay him to feed 
weeds with nitric acid, and sooner or later it 
will be found necessary either to give up 
artificial manure, or to farm upon cleaner 
land. 
As an example of what increase of crop can 
be obtained by artificial manures upon land 
free from weeds, I may take the average of 
10 crops of barley grown in succession on the 
Duke of Bedford’s experimental farm at 
Woburn. The average produce of the un¬ 
manured crop has been 21 bushels per acre; 
mineral manures alone have added nothing to 
the crops; 200 pounds of salts of ammonia, 
and 275 pounds of nitrate of sola have pro¬ 
duced very similar crops, adding to the crop 
19 bushels. The two manures were considered 
to supply the same quantities of nitrogen, 
and they gave very' nearly the same increase 
of crop. The soil of the field upon which 
these experiments are earned on is a light, 
fertile loam on the surface; below the first 
nine inches it is almost entirely sand. It is 
quite evident that to grow a grain crop for 
10 yeai^s in succession by a manure which only 
supplies the plant with nitrogen, is not using 
the manure to the best advantage; still the 
increase of crop obtained in these experi¬ 
ments is large,equal to seven bushels of barley 
by the application of 100 pounds of nitrate of 
soda. The increase of wheat at Woburn, by 
these manures, was not so large as the increase 
of barley, the soil not being so suitable for 
wheat; still in both crops there is evidence 
that those manures can be used with profit by 
farmers provided that the graiu crop cau ob¬ 
tain the full benefit of the manure, and that a 
considerable portion is not employed in add ig 
to the growth of weeds. The yield of my 
unmanured wheat at the end of 44 years is 
to the average wheat crop of the 
world, due, not to the superior fertility of 
my land, but to its freedom from weeds. A 
few years ago, I left a portion of the crop to 
seed itself; about 15 bushels therefore fell 
upon the ground; a good crop came up, no 
further attention was paid to it, and the 
wheat was left to contend with the ordinary 
weeds which might spring up. The first crop 
was too small to estimate, bur was certainly 
less than one bushel per acre, and at the end 
of the third year the wheat had ueen entirely 
di'iven out. So loug as our crops are grown 
hy[mtans of the soil fertility, the loss of crops 
by weeds is not so important, and the cost of 
removing these weeds may amount to more 
than the value of the increase in crop. The 
loss is much more serious when we grow our 
crops by means of artificial manures, and 
where these are employed n ordinary farm 
practice, it will be found necessary to adopt a 
rotation, including some cleaning crops, such 
as turuips or mangels. These are, no doubt, 
costly crops, and of late years attempts have 
been made iu Great Britaiu to supersede them 
by means of ensilage crops. The success at¬ 
tending this is somewhat doubtful, and in my 
opinion the root-crop will always occupy an 
important position when laud is under an ara¬ 
ble cultivation. 
Rothamsted, England. 
fifltr Crops. 
ALFALFA OR LUCERNE FOR PERENNI¬ 
AL PASTURES AND HERBAGE. 
B. F. JOHNSON. 
A splendid crop on a large scale; for scarci¬ 
ty of green fodder and water during sum¬ 
mer Alfalfa a remedy; Alfalfa for hay; 
for pasture; good for horses , sheep, mules 
and hogs; seeding; care of crop. 
My personal experience and observations 
within a year and a half, have led me to make 
as high au estimate of the value of this crop 
for summer forage aud winter hay, on tbe 
black-soil prairie of Illinois, as is entertained 
by those who have grown aud fed it for years in 
Colorado aud California. An example of how 
hearing aud reading instruct us, while seeing 
convinces, I found satisfactorily demonstrated 
in the case of Alfalfa that I saw growing for 
the first time iu most luxuriant fashion iu 
many fields about Greeley, Col,, late in July, 
1886. I had previously read much about it, 
and had experimented ou a small scale, aud 
all very satisfactorily; but how extensive aud 
magnificent a crop it might be when grown on 
a grand scale in a rich soil and sustained by ir¬ 
rigation, I had no previous conception of, and 
I resolved I would do what I could by precept 
at first and example after, to introduce it to 
the black soil prairie and contiguous country. 
During the present drought, which began in 
June and seems not likely to end before Oc¬ 
tober, if there has been a lack of one or two 
things more than others, deeply and almost un¬ 
iversally felt, it has been the want of green 
forage and the scarcity of water for stock. If 
there is fresh forage vegetation, the scarcity 
of water is not so severely felt; if there is 
enough grass in the pastures, it is not a very 
serious mattei if it is as dry as hay, if only 
water abounds—when there is neither the case 
is a serious one. 
Now that for the larger portion of the black 
soil counties, the water level of the country 
has been sunk from an average of eight or 
ten feet forty years ago, to three times that 
depth at present, and the only real perennial 
wells are those sunk from one to two hundred 
feet to the sand strata between the two blue 
clays, it will be found cheaper to furnish 
stock with a portion of the moisture they 
need in the hot and dry season, in a rank and 
lush forage crop. Anil this Alfalfa furnishes 
on all deep, strong soils, where the wo ret and 
severest droughts are not euougb to prevent 
the large development of the oak, the walnut 
and the ash. As to depth and quality of soil, 
any good natural corn, wheat or clover land 
will sustain Alfalfa, and if the laud is subse¬ 
quently reinforced by manures and fertilizers, 
every second or third year, it will yield abun¬ 
dant crops as long as a well made bed of 
asparagus. For the black soil of the prairie, 
though the summer drought was long and 
severe'ynough to deaden the Timothy and Red- 
top, bleach the Blue Grass to the color of 
light straw, kill most of the weeds and ad¬ 
ventitious grasses, the roots of Red Clover 
penetrated deep enough for it to sustain life 
and make a feeble growth. On such soils, 
Alfalfa, once a full stand and a strong growth 
had been attained, would smile at the heat, 
laugh at the lack of rain, get the first crop 
ready for the mower early in June, the sec¬ 
ond after the 20th of July, and the third be¬ 
fore severe frost in September. 
But this is treating an Alfalfa field as if it 
w’ere al ways to be mown and never pastured. 
And so it never should be, if it is to be over¬ 
stocked and the herbage eaten bare to the 
ground. If the three-steers-to-the-nine-acre 
rule be adopted, as with the best Blue Grass 
aud Timothy pastures of Illinois and Iowa, 
Alfalfa will submit to pasturage as cheerfully 
as clover—an example of which I saw on Mr. 
Max Clark’s farm, some miles out of Greeley, 
Col., where horses had been pastured five sum¬ 
mers aud they were then cutting the seven¬ 
teenth crop, the last week in July. Here the 
herbage was so thick and heavy that the visi¬ 
tor to get through had to lift bis feet high and 
go slowly as if wading through two feet of 
snow. For horses, sheep, and mules, there is 
no green food superior to Alfalfa, and as for 
mules the woody nature of the plant is pecul¬ 
iarly gratifying to the somewhat ravenous 
character of their digestive organs. Hogs will 
live and do fairly well upon it, but the herb¬ 
age for them is inferior to that of Red Clover 
and also as green food for milch cows. For 
horses and mules doing fast work, or those 
very severely tasked. Alfalfa, whether green 
or dry, loosens the bowels too much and must 
be avoided, but for slow work this is no objec¬ 
tion. Indeed, for shining coats aud other evi¬ 
dences of high health and complete digestion, 
there is nothing superior to the single and 
double teams of the gentry of Denver, where 
the hay portion of the daily ration is well- 
cured, second-crop Alfalfa. 
But as so much space has been taken, stat¬ 
ing the main good points about Alfalfa and 
correcting some of the numerous misconcep¬ 
tions regarding it. there is little left to devote 
to the matter of its cultivation. Perhaps in 
average cases, the best method will be, after 
selecting a piece of strong, deep-soiled land, 
that has uever failed to make a crop in a wet 
season, to give it the extra preparation by 
deep plowing, harrowing and fining, one 
would give for a premium crop of wheat. 
They iu course of September for northern 
latitudes, October for middle and November 
for southern,sow rye at the rate of owe peck to 
the acre, and harrow' and roll. If a heavy 
growth is made, pasture the rye down in the 
late fall and early spring months, aud then 
as soon in spring, for all latitudes, as danger 
from severe frost is over, sow the Alfalfa seed, 
24 to 30 pounds to the acre, on the rye, and 
roll the field so as to get the seed well covered. 
When green-ripe, harvest the rye and allow 
the Alfalfa to keep undisturbed possession of 
the field for the whole season, except cutting 
the weeds in September, which have grown 
during the summer. 
Remember that the young Alfalfa must not 
be pastured or otherwise disturbed, except as 
above, the first year of its life. Like many 
