4888 
544 
later. "We had one bed in hills, grown for 
show purposes. On this bed there was a 
heavy crop of extra-large berries worth going 
a long way to see, while adjoining, not ten 
feet distant, strawberry beds in matted rows 
were withering, and the plants dying. Even 
green berries there were soft and spongy from 
drought .The Jessie berries were larger than I 
expected to see, and the variety gave evidence 
of remarkable productiveness. The quality 
was excellent, the color attractive, the form 
regular and the fruit firm for large berries. 
I am iuclined to the opinion of Professor 
W. J. Green, of the Columbus Experiment 
Station, that while the Jessie may disappoint 
some people from the remarkable statements 
that have been published regarding it, it can 
hardly fail to become a standard variety. I 
get many good reports from other localities. 
Secretary E. Williams, of Montclair, New 
Jersey, considers it promising, also Mr. Hale 
and Mr. Lovett, etc. 
Remarks. —The above is plainly not in¬ 
tended for publication. But the R. N.-Y. 
takes Mr. Green’s view that it must not be ex¬ 
pected that any fruit whatever will do equally 
well in all localities in all seasons, and the 
Jessie which is known to thrive and yield 
splendidly in many parts of the country, 
must not be condemned because it failed dur¬ 
ing a single season to meet the highest expec¬ 
tations encouraged by the announcement of 
its introduction.— eds. 
Prize Jessies. —It appears that prizes were 
offered for the largest Jessie Strawberry and 
the most pounds of the same grown from 12 
plants. The prize was awarded to E. C. Davis, 
of Northampton, Mass. The largest berry 
measured 2% inches in diameter and 9% 
inches in circumference from the stem to the 
top,and 3% inches in diameter and 2% inches 
in circumference measured at right angles 
with the first measurement, or across the 
berry, and it weighed 4% ounces. The total 
weight of berries picked this season from the 
12 plants was 41% pounds. 
YALE STRAWBERRY. 
Samples of this berry (see Figs. 277 and 278), 
were sent to this office by Stephen Hoyt’s sons, 
of New Canaan, Conn., who write the follow¬ 
ing concerning it: 
“ This new berry originated near New 
Haven, Conn., hence its name, “Yale.” It is 
a chance seeding, a very vigorous grower and 
free from rust. It makes a large hill and is a 
profuse bearer. The flowers are perfect and 
can be planted by the acre without other sorts 
.Fig. 278. 
to fertilize them. The berries are round, with 
no cox-combed berries like Sharpless and 
many other sorts. They are of good size; 
color, a deep, dark red, much like the old 
Wilson, but a little darker. The flesh is solid 
and is blood-red. The seed is not imbedded 
into the berry, but nearly one-half of it sets 
out above the flesh. It is a firm market 
berry, is 10 to 12 days later in ripening than 
the Sharpless, and this year berries were 
picked until the middle of July. For canning 
it has no superior. The berries being so Arm, 
they stand up well and hold their shape in the 
can. For a late family or market berry this 
is one of the most promising of the new sorts. 
The berry will not be offered for sale until it 
has been tested another year or until it proves 
that it is fully worthy of cultivation and that 
it will do credit both to the name given it and 
to the introducers.” The R. N.-Y. will try it. 
MICHIGAN BERRY NOTES. 
The Gregg, Cuthbert , Doolittle, Turner, 
Marlboro and Tyler Raspberries ; Early 
Cluster, Taylor's Prolific, Snyder, Wes¬ 
tern Triumph, Lawton , Kittatinnxj, Wil¬ 
son, Early Harvest Blackberries ; winter- 
protection ; a list of choice varieties. 
In raspberry culture we pay little or no at¬ 
tention to hardiness since all varieties grown 
here usually go through our winters without 
much damage, hence we give them no winter 
protection. Some are more tender than 
others, and kill back somewhat during hard 
winters. The Gregg and Cuthbert are some¬ 
times damaged in this way so as to reduce 
the crop, but not to cut it off. Notwith¬ 
standing this defect, they are more generally 
grown, and give better satisfaction than any 
other two. The old Doolittle, although we 
never had a better, more prolific, or more 
profitable blackcap, had to be abandoned 
many years ago, on account of fungus leaf 
rust. Turner’s Seedling has been more gen¬ 
erally grown here than any other red variety. 
So many were cultivated and they turned 
out to be so prolific that they glut¬ 
ted the market in their seasons. We lockei 
about for a substitute and many of us went 
for the Marlboro. With me it has proved a 
failure. The foliage rusts and drops prema¬ 
turely, and the fruit dries on the canes. In 
future it may do better, but it must redeem 
its character this year or go. The Tyler 
(black) is a vigorous grower, a prolific bearer, 
and being of good quality and early, gives 
good satisfaction. Many of the newer varie¬ 
ties have not been tested sufficiently to estab¬ 
lish their relative merits for market purposes. 
The blackberry is quite extensively 
grown here, on account of our usually mild 
winters. We have in cultivation varieties 
that are hardy, semi-hardy and tender. Many 
growers prefer to grow the different varieties 
on account of the difference of quality, time 
of ripening, etc. Among the hardy ones is 
the Early Cluster, which has absolutely noth¬ 
ing but its hardiness to recommend it. Tay¬ 
lor’s Prolific is hardy here and a good grower. 
I have not tested it long enough to determine 
its real merits. I don’t admire the quality or 
the flavor of the fruit. Being late, it may 
prove a valuable market berry here. The 
Snyder and Western Triumph on our heavy 
soils are considered hardy, but on a light 
sandy, gravelly, porous soil they require win¬ 
ter protection. The Lawton and the Kitta- 
tinny, without protection, will winter-kill 
about every other winter. The Wilson and 
Early Harvest are among the tender ones, 
and must, to insure a crop, be protected. It 
requires more care and labor to lay down such 
strong, heavy-growing canes as the Lawton 
and Kittatinny than some other varieties that 
grow more slender and are less stocky. Some 
bend the tops to the ground and hold them 
down by means of the rails or poles. In a 
season when we have plenty of snow this 
plan may answer, otherwise the body of 
the cane in the curve is liable to kill and 
render the labor useless. The better way 
is to remove some soil from one side, 
bend the bush carefully over on that side 
with a common four-tined fork and then 
cover the whole cane or bush lightly with 
soil enough to keep it well in its place until the 
frost is out in the spring. In the case of Wilson, 
Early Harvest and canes of that habit a more 
speedy and, I think, a better way, is to plow 
the soil well up to the row on each side, then 
let two men pass along, one with a four-tined 
fork and another with a spade, one to bend 
the canes down and the other to cover them. 
As it is not natural for fruit-bearing wood to 
be under the ground, it is well to defer this 
work until late in the fall, just before freezing 
up. In spring, when all danger of frost is 
over, the cane can be lifted up by the use of a 
potato hook or fork. If allowed to remain 
too long under ground in the spring, the soil 
becoming warm, the buds start and may be 
injured by subsequent frosts. As between a 
hardy variety of medium quality and a tender 
one of better quality, if I was growing for 
home use I would grow the tender one every 
time. But when we grow for market we aim 
to grow that which sells the most readily and 
yields the most profit. As to the real quality 
of much fruit, one can judge only for himself 
and not for another, as there is no account¬ 
ing for taste, and such is the longing desire of 
the human appetite for all the good things of 
this world, that we are ever on the point of 
changing from one to another, in the hope of 
finding something better. Therefore, I would 
not limit myself to any one variety, for I would 
select enough to go through the whole season 
and double up at the end. 
Of raspberries I would select the Turner and 
Cuthbert (early and late) for red, and Tyler 
and Gregg for black both for home use and 
market. Of blackberries I consider the Early 
Harvest a most valuable acquisition ; indeed 
there is none better for home use or market. 
The Wilson is mostly, if not entirely grown for 
others, because they want it and we don’t, and 
they are willing to pay for it. The Snyder and 
Western Triumph are good for home use or 
market. w. A. smith. 
Berrien Co., Mich. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see if it is not answered In 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on a separate piece of paper. 
ABOUT THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT 
STATIONS. 
Several Subscribers. —Will you print a list 
of the experiment stations in the country and 
state whether the various bulletins are free to 
all, whether residents of the State in which 
the station is located or not ? 
A ns. —The bulletins are not supposed to be 
sent to parties outside the State, but probably 
until the circulation of these bulletins is gen¬ 
eral, copies can be secured by outsiders. This 
is the most complete list yet published : 
Michigan.— -Agricultural College postoffice; 
director, Edwin Willets. 
Indiana. —Lafayette ; director, Prof. J. W. 
Sanborn. 
Illinois. —Champaign ; director, Dr. S. H. 
Peabody. * 
Nebraska. —Lincoln ; director, Prof. Chas. 
E. Bessey. 
Kentucky. —Lexington [director, Prof. M. 
A. Scovel. 
Nevada. —Reno; director, Leroy D. Brown. 
Ohio. —Columbus ; director, Charles E. 
Thorne. 
Pennsylvania.— State College postoffice, 
Center County ; director. Dr. H. P. Armsby. 
Alabama. —Auburn ; director, Prof. J. S. 
Newman. 
Kansas. —Manhattan ; director, Prof. Ed¬ 
ward M. Shelton. 
Mississippi.— Agricultural College postffice; 
director, S. M. Tracy. 
South Carolina.— Columbia; director, 
Prof. S. M. McBride. 
Wisconsin.— Madison ; director, Prof. W. 
A. Henry. 
North Carolina —Raleigh ; director, Dr. 
H. B. Battle. 
Maine. —Orono; director, Prof. W. H. 
Jordan. 
New Hampshire. —Hanover; director,Prof. 
G. H. Whitcher. 
Vermont. —Burlington; director, Prof. W. 
W. Cooke. 
Massachusetts.— Amherst; director, H. 
H. Goodell. 
Connecticut. —New Haven; director, Dr. 
S. W. Johnson, Mansfield; director, Prof. W. 
O. Atwater (Middletown post-office). 
New York. —Ithaca; director, Prof. I. P. 
Roberts. 
Tennessee.— Knoxville; director, Dr. C. 
W. Dabney, Jr. 
California.— Berkeley; director, Prof. E. 
W. Hilgard. 
Minnesota.— St. Anthony Park; director, 
Prof. Edward D. Porter. 
New Jersey.—N ew Brunswick; director, 
Dr. G. H. Cook. 
Colorado.— Fort Collins; director, Charles 
L. Ingersoll. 
Dakota. —Brookings; director, Lewis Mc- 
Louth. 
Louisiana. —Baton Rouge; director, Prof. 
W. C. Stubbs. 
Maryland. — Agricultural College post- 
office; director, Maj. H. E. Alvord. 
Texas. —College Station; director, Prof. F 
A. Gulley. 
Iowa. —Ames; director, R. D. Speer. 
Delaware.— Newark ; director, Prof. F. 
D. Chester. 
West Virginia. —Morgantown; director, 
E. M. Turner. 
Arkansas.— Fayetteville; director, A. E. 
Menke. 
A STERILE SPOT. 
C. N. B., Elizabeth, N. J. —In the midst of 
a fertile meadow on my farm there is a spot, 
about 50 feet square, upon which nothing 
will grow. 1 have tried grass, corn, cabbage, 
potatoes and tomatoes, but without success. 
Fertilizers or barn-yard manure are of no 
avail. I have tested the soil with blue litmus 
paper, and am satisfied it is not sour. The 
meadow is low and level, lying alongside a 
brook, and consists of very black soil of a 
sandy nature. What is the cause of its bar¬ 
renness, and what is the best thing to do? 
ANSWERED BY PROFESSOR F. H. STORER. 
It is probable, in this case, that even a mo¬ 
mentary glance at the meadow might help a 
chemist to solve the riddle. The limited area 
of the bad spot suggests the thought that per¬ 
haps a ledge or some great rock may rise 
nearly to the surface there, in which event a 
cure might be effected either by means of 
irrigation or of dynamite. It is not impossi¬ 
ble that the conditions may favor the forma¬ 
tion of copperas at one particular spot, to 
poison the soil, or it may be that the humus 
at the infertile place is particularly “sour.” 
The test with litmus paper is here of little 
worth, for humic acid is nearly insoluble in 
water, and it might readily happen that a 
soil too sour to bear crops would give no read¬ 
ily appreciable reaction with litmus. In case 
the lack of fertility is due either to sour hu¬ 
mus or to copperas, liming that particular 
patch of land would be the best means of cor¬ 
rection. Possibly the bad spot may need to be 
drained also. 
PINUS INSIGN IS—THE MONTEREY PINE. 
A. H., Ballarat, Australia .— Is the tim¬ 
ber of the Pinus insignis of any value ? 
If so, mention some of the principal uses 
it is put to. When is the tree matured ? 
What are its dimensions when full-grown and 
what is its longevity ? Does the locality or 
soil alter the quality of the timber ? If so, state 
the best. 
ANSWERED BY ROBERT DOUGLAS. 
The timber is not considered of much value 
and as far as I could learn is used only for fuel. 
I cannot say from experience. My son, who 
is iu charge of the California forestry stations, 
told me last winter that at Chico, (one of the 
experimental forestry stations is located there) 
this tree showed signs of coming to maturity 
at a very early age. This tree is a wonderful 
grower,and makes more growth in eight years 
than any of ours would make in 20 years, 
judging from its growth in very many places 
where I have seen it planted in California. 
It has a very circumscribed habitat, and that 
on the coast, but it makes a very healthy and 
rapid growth away from the coast wherever 
I have seen it planted, and it is planted almost 
everywhere in the Southern part of the State, 
and as it is growing at Chico, 450 or 500 miles 
north of Los Angeles, one would infer that 
although only a native of Montex*ey, it will 
thrive far from its native place. Pinus pon- 
derosa is the lumber pine of California, and 
all the mountain region east to Denver, Col¬ 
orado, and with the Redwood and Douglas 
Spruce, it supplies all of California and the 
Pacific Coast except that the Port Orford 
Cedar (Cupressus Lawsoniana) and the Giant 
Arbor-vitge are used in some localities. 
RAISING CANARY SEED. 
J. E. C., Norfolk, Va .—Would it pay to 
raise canary seed here? How is it raised and 
could I sell the product? 
Ans. —You could doubtless sell all you could 
raise. Little can be said about the culture 
or profits of this crop, because little is known 
about it. Mr. William Saunders of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture states that the 
amount entering into consumption annually 
is about 200,000 pounds, and it is mostly 
brought from Turkey and Barbary. The 
same authority says:— 
As cultivated in those countries, the seeds 
are sown early in spring, in drills six inches 
apart, and the plants thinned to two inches 
apart in the rows. It is a slow-growing, 
slender-stemmed plant, requiring frequent 
hoeing to keep weeds from destroying it. 
Mach care is required in harvesting, as the 
seeds fall off easily; birds are fond of it when 
it is opening. In some countries the seeds are 
fed to race-horses, as they are said to 
strengthen muscle without being fattening. 
Probably there would be but little profit in 
its production. This can only be ascertained 
from a practical experiment. 
