4889 
THE BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
863 
Cro|JS. 
(Continued from Page 558.) 
It would be interesting to gather statistics 
this season to prove the truth or error of this 
opinion. 
An extended inspection of potato fields to¬ 
gether with many reports received from all 
directions shows that this is to be a potato rot 
year. In many places where large crops of 
the finest potatoes were naturally expected the 
yield will not be half and that of inferior 
quality. This is principally due to the attack 
of the mildew, which, starting in the middle of 
July upon the upper leaves, has spread to 
the stems and probably in many instances to 
the tubers. Now the vine3 are all dead, and 
of course all growth or maturing of the pota¬ 
toes has ceased. The mill cannot grind with 
the water that has passed, neither is there any 
remedy that will restore life and vigor to dead 
potato vines. It is too late to apply a remedy. 
That must come next June upon a succeeding 
crop if at all. 
The chief point now is to do the best that 
can be done for the potatoes that are on 
hand. If it is borne in mind that moisture 
and warmth are the prime conditions for the 
growth of the rot in the vines; and that the 
same conditions will favor the rotting of the 
potatoes, it follows naturally that, other 
things remaining the same, it is wise to place 
the tubers in a dry cool place. The heavy 
rains of the last week have soaked the sod and 
carried down many of the germs (spores) of 
the rot from the leaves to the potatoes. As 
soon as possible therefore the tubers should be 
taken from the soil and the exposure to the 
germs. After digging leave them to dry 
thoroughly in the field and then store them in 
small masses where they will be kept free 
from surface moisture and in a cool dry airy 
place. Shallow bins may perhaps be best. 
Watch the bins from week to week and re 
move any affected potatoes before they be¬ 
come the centers for rapid decay. The pota¬ 
toes will bs worth looking after this fall and 
winter. 
New Jersey Experiment Station. 
SELECTION OP SEED. 
W. B. PRATT. 
Ought small kernels of grain to be riddled 
out and only the larger ones be used for seed? 
Should the unit be the single kernel or the 
whole head? These are important questions 
and are answered theoretically and practically 
in one and the same way by nearly everybody. 
Are they rightly answered? 
Doctor Sturtevant announced from the Gen¬ 
eva Experiment Station a'few years ago, what 
some practical farmers have already learned, 
that neither tip nor butt kernels of the ear 
should be rejected. If the whole ear should 
be the unit in the production of Indian corn, 
should not the whole head or panicle of other 
gram also? It is often said of some particular 
variety of grain once popular and profitable, 
that it appeared to run out and its cultiva¬ 
tion was therefore discontinued. The remedy 
in all such cases has been sought in a change 
of seed from one section of country to another, 
or in trying some new and perhaps loudly 
heralded variety. May not the cause of the 
deterioration have been in the farmer’s prac¬ 
tice of planting but a part of the head in¬ 
stead of the whole of it? May not the outer 
small tip kernels be essential to preserve the 
length, balance and completeness of the heads 
of the future crop and may not a failure to 
give them an opportunity of doing so tend to 
cause a general decline? Small kernels are a 
feature of the normal panicle; every seed 
planted may be of full size, yet there will be 
“screenings” in the crop; and these facts 
make questionable the practice of rejecting 
the small berries as seed. 
Twenty-five years ago I bought some thin 
soft shuck seed oats bearing the name 
“Golden Yellow," and I have used them con¬ 
tinually since. They have grown white in 
color and have run down both in yield and 
weight. For several years they averaged 
some 70 bushels to the acre, iu favorable sea¬ 
sons weighing as high as 39 pounds to the 
struck bushel. Tuen the yield began to run 
down to 05 and 00 bushels, and so on to below 
45, the berry steadily growing lighter in 
weight. I reasoned that this could not be 
owing wholly to bad seasons, nor at all to a 
soil of lesseued fertility, and that possibly my 
practice of grading seed and sowing only the 
largest kernels may have had something to 
do with it. Thereupon I changed my practice 
and have since run the seed over a fine screen 
instead of a coarse one, dropp ing out but few 
of the small kernels and merely blowing out 
the straws to facilitate distribution from the 
seeder. Within two years after this change 
of practice, improvement in the yield began 
to be apparent, gotting last year up to 60 
bushels, with prospects of further increase 
the present season. 
My conclusion is that the correct way of pre¬ 
paring seed to prevent “ running out” would 
be to weed out the foul stuff from so much of 
a crop as will be needed for the next year’s 
seeding; or, better still, to sow the grain for 
whatever seed may be needed in wide drill 
marks and by cultivation insure absolute 
cleanliness, and then sow every kernel, large 
and small, that grew on the seed plot. How 
the small tip berries operate to maintain the 
future panicles in their original perfection 
and thus prevent decline can not perhaps be 
explained; but that they do have such effect 
is reasonably certain. 
I have heard it claimed that neither large 
nor medium-s'zad nor small potatoes should 
be exclusively planted, but that seed should 
be promiscuously taken from tubers of all 
sizes. My own general practice has been to 
plant a medium-sized, single potato in a hill, 
and I am quite sure that there has been steady 
deterioration following this selection. It may 
be worth while for experiment stations and 
young farmers to test this matter, both as to 
potatoes and the cereals, and ascertain if 
what would seem to be an unnatural tendency 
to “run out” in grains and vegetables that 
are as old as history, may not be traced to a 
disturbance of Nature’s balances. 
Prattsburgh, N. Y. 
j^exiuuituxai. 
A LITTLE EXPERIENCE IN THE FRUIT 
GARDEN. 
A year ago last spring the writer set out a 
small fruit garden. It contains 100 rods of 
ground. The rows of grapes, raspberries, 
blackberries, etc., were put eight feet apart. 
So far all right. But a friend advised me (I 
was entirely green at the business) to put a 
row of stawberries between the raspberries, 
etc., all through the garden. I wanted to set 
out a new bed of strawberries of about that 
size, and thought this a good plan. Now, I do 
not think so. I wouldn’t do it again. What 
did I save ? Why the use of a few rods of land. 
What is that to a farmer with plenty of acres? 
What was the trouble ? Why I could do but 
little of the cultivation this spriug with a 
horse. Much had to be done by hand, at 
greatly increased expense. When I found the 
grape roots, and those of the raspberries and 
blackberries too, occupying almost all the 
ground, I began to see that they were stealing 
from the strawberries and the strawberries 
from them. This wasn’t what I wanted. I 
desired to give all the best possible chance. 
And then, again, the tramping of the ground 
while picking the strawberries (it rained 
most of the time) and also whilo taking up 
plants in the spring, left this, my pet garden, 
in a shape I never allow a field to get in. 
But never mind. We had perhaps 30 bush¬ 
els of strawberries and raspberries any way, 
and the former are all cut up now, and the 
coast is clear to attend to the other plants. But 
I paid an awfully big rent for the little land 
that was in strawberries. Another time I 
would put them on land by themselves, so 
that I could do more of the work on them and 
the other small fruits with a horse, cheaply, 
and so I could take better care of both. 
t. b. terry. 
THE LAWTON AND ERIE BLACKBER¬ 
RIES. 
Within the past year the opinion has been 
frequently expressed, by persons of high stand¬ 
ing as horticulturists, that the Erie Black¬ 
berry is merely the old Lawton or New Ro¬ 
chelle, re-introduced under a new name, and 
so confidently has this conclusion been put 
forth that, to some extent at least, it is appar¬ 
ently being acted upon by planters, if not also 
by nurserymen and dealers. Having both 
growing and fruiting on my grounds in con¬ 
siderable quantity, 1 was impelled to institute 
a comparison between the two. This allega¬ 
tion attracted my attention, in 1888, at too 
late a date for a comparison while they were 
iu fruit ; but an obvious similarity was no¬ 
ticeable in their habits of growth, save that 
the Erie appeared to be of lower and more 
spreading habit, with somewhat more numer¬ 
ous and stronger spines. 
Both are now, (August, 1889), fruiting free¬ 
ly in adjacent rows, unde r the same mode of 
treatment, having been planted in the spring, 
qL 1888. The peculiar differences already 
mentioned are even more noticeable than they 
were last year; in addition to which, the Erie 
showed ripe fruit on August 1; while none 
appeared on the Lawton till the 7th. In form 
also, the Erie, although quite as large as the 
Lawton, is shorter and more regularly round¬ 
ed. Of the 20 or more varieties growing on 
my grounds the Erie is one of the most vigor¬ 
ous, and also the most unpleasant to handle, 
on account of its strong and hooked spines. 
As to its relative productiveness, and its con¬ 
sequent value as a market variety, I am hard¬ 
ly yet prepared to speak confidently. 
CHERRY TREE NETTING. 
The birds in the prairie region congregate 
where trees are planted on the homestead 
grounds to such an extent that cherry-growing 
without protection is clearly impracticable. 
This season we havo covered a few trees with 
mosquito netting and have picked from them 
full crops of perfectly ripened fruit: but from 
trees of the same varieties not covered, we 
have not been able to secure a single ripe 
specimen. I write this to ask Rural readers 
if netting suitable for this use is obtainable in 
this country, and if so, where? J. L. budd. 
Ames, Iowa. 
gtotc.s from the sSural ©round.*. 
THE AGAWAM BLACKBERRY. 
The R. N.-Y. ha3 never had much to say 
respecting the Agawam Blackberry for the 
reason that not until of late years has the va¬ 
riety been cultivated at the Rural Grounds. 
The plants were received from J. T. Lovett 
in April of 1884. They are somewhat less vig¬ 
orous than the Lawton, Kittatinny or Minne- 
waski ; the canes are less thorny and not so 
deeply grooved. The plants have never been 
seriously injured during the winter, and it is 
rankpd in several of the Eastern States as 
being as hardy as the Snyder or Taylor. The 
berries are of medium size, that is to say, 
larger than those of either the Taylor or Sny¬ 
der, smaller than those of Kittatinny, Wilson, 
Minnewaski or Lawton. The illustration, 
see Fig. 215, is a photo-engraving from nature 
and presents the size better than any descrip¬ 
tive words, always bearing in mind that fruit 
portrayed in this way always looks to be 
smaller than it really is. 
They are firm, of a jet black color, and the 
drupelets, though smaller than those of larger 
berries, are more uniform as to size. In qual¬ 
ity the Agawam is not excelled in our opinion. 
It is sweet, tender, without any core and the 
seeds are smaller than those of the largpr va¬ 
rieties. It ripens with Kittatinny, though it 
does not remain in fruit so long. We have 
seen the Agawam commended as a very pro¬ 
lific variety, a commendation not sustained 
by the R. N.-Y.’s observations. Still for 
home use, where one is not limited to a few 
square feet of land for a blackberry planta¬ 
tion, this variety is surely worthy of trial. 
DANGER IN ROTTING POTATOE S. 
Here is a letter recently received from a 
subscriber; 
“ Thousands of farmers alarmed at the re¬ 
port ot potato rot, are digging the crop and 
shipping it to market. Many diseased tubers 
aro being sent in this way. In view of the in¬ 
terest taken in the matter will you be kind 
enough to furnish answers to the following 
questions? 
1. Is a potato.eontaiuiug the germs of the rot 
necessarily injurious for eatiug purposes? 
3. What injury or disease, if any, will it 
cause? 
3. How long do the germs live? 
4. Is there auy danger to public health in 
the general digging aud marketing of pota¬ 
toes known to bo diseased?” 
Here are answers. 
FROM DR. PETER COLLIER. 
I am unable to answer either of these ques¬ 
tions concerning rotten potatoes or rather 
those which are diseased. At best I should 
think it an open question, and in practice I 
would not kuowiugly eat such potatoes, nor 
would I be willing to feed them in quautity 
to any valuable animals. That they are fed 
in large quantities, aud apparently without 
any very serious results following, by no 
means necessarily establishes their healthful¬ 
ness, but rather the ability of the animal to 
resist attacks of such diseases os they are cap¬ 
able of causing. Then, too, these bacteria, 
microbes, or whatever they are called, many 
of which are so closely associated with one or 
another disease, and which are claimed to 
produce the diseases, have such a way of be¬ 
ing' associated with each other—a sort of 
microscopic happy family—that it would al¬ 
most seem a justifiable precaution to avoid, so 
far as possible, this whole crowd. What do 
the bacteriologists say? 
Geneva. N. Y. 
FROM DR. T. H. HOSKINS. 
1. Not if it be well cooked. It is not known 
that the potato-rot fungus is poisonous at all; 
but it is so offensive that animals will not eat 
tubers even slightly affected with it. 
2 There is no disease known to be so pro¬ 
duced. The terrible outbreak of fever which 
accompanied the Irish famine of 30 odd years 
ago, was supposed to be intensified by eating 
partly rotten potatoes, but this never was 
demonstrated, and the disease was amply ac¬ 
counted for otherwise. 
3. It is not positively known. 
4. Possibly, if extensive rotting should 
take place in potatoes stored in cities. In 
such cases, the sanitary authorities would, no 
doubt, promptly interfere. But the very 
danger of rot makes the buyers very careful 
about collecting large stocks; aud the supply 
will be one of hand to mouth until the true 
state of the case is established. I believe that 
the scare is unnecessary, as the great sources 
of supply are,—at bast as yet,—not much 
affected. There is no rot in Northern Ver¬ 
mont at this date,—August 10. 
Orleans County, Vermont. 
FROM ROLAND THAXTER. 
1. No. Unless the potato has begun to rot, 
when the injury would be similar to that pro¬ 
duced by eating any other rotting vegetable 
matter. 
2 and 3. The “germs” of the disease as it 
exists in the tuber consist merely of the fun¬ 
gus threads; that is, the vegetative part of 
the fungus plant. These threads of the fungus 
are supposed in some cases to remain inactive 
in the tuber until it is planted in the follow¬ 
ing year, when they develop and thus perpet¬ 
uate the disease. 
4. Potatoes attacked by the rot should be dug 
at once as soon as the foliage has become bad¬ 
ly affected. Such potatoes are liable to rot 
after digging to a greater or less extent ac¬ 
cording to the greater or less virulence of the 
disease upon the foliage. If stored in a cool, 
dry place and thoroughly sprinkled with dry 
air-slaked lime at'the rate of one bushel of 
lime to 25 bushels of potatoes, they will keep 
much better. It is unwise, however, to at¬ 
tempt to keep such potatoes if they can be 
disposed of, since a certain percentage, if not 
the whole of them, will rot in time. 
Connecticut Experiment Station. 
FROM WM. A. BDCKHART. 
1. No. 
2. None. 
3. Not definitely known. Under favor¬ 
able conditions certainly long enough to con¬ 
tinue the infection from year to year. 
4. None whatever. 
It is understood that the questions relate to 
potatoes that are affected by the common 
potato rot fungus—Phytoohthora iufostans— 
and that are apparently sound. Potatoes 
which have begun to decay are probably un¬ 
wholesome, even though they produce no spe¬ 
cific disease. 
Pennsylvania Experiment Station. 
£l)f (Sarfont. 
VEGETABLE NOTES. 
WM. FALCONER. 
Salsify. —About this time of year a large 
number of the outer leaves die off. To leave 
them on in dry weather does no harm, but in 
wet weather they had better be removed as 
they tend to increase rot. The Sandwich 
Island Mammoth is less subject to this than is 
the ordinary Long White. 
Scorzonera is not much subject to leaf 
rot, but a good many plants run to flower. 
Pull out these and discard them as their roots 
are tough. 
Parsnips. —You cannot hoe among these 
any more; just pull up' any rag-weed, pig¬ 
weed or other big weeds that may come up 
among them; and be careful not to touch them 
in wet weather, else they will poison you as 
badly as will poison ivy. Pull out and throw 
away any that run to flower. Tne long-root¬ 
ed sorts are not liable to do this, but the 
round or turnip-rooted sort is very apt to 
bolt if sown early. 
