1889 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
681 
fkl^r Cuum. 
9 
RURAL POTATO REPORTS. 
Tiie small tuber received from the 
Rural was cut to 10 eyes, and planted 
April 3d, one eye in a hill, one foot apart 
in the row in a light soil with clay subsoil 
without fertilizer of any kind. The row 
was cultivated twice with horse and hoed 
twice. The crop was dug September 6th, 
yielding 19 pounds and 14 ounces, of fine, 
smooth tubers, free from any blemish—64 
tubers in all, 57 being of marketable size 
and seven small. The largest weighed 14 
ounces, and the next largest, 12 ounces. 
The smallest tuber counted as marketable 
weighs three ounces. j. E. 
Keokuk, Iowa. 
I HAVE dug my No. 2 Potatoes grown 
from the one sent me last winter. I did 
not prize it very highly at that time. It 
was very small and did not appear to be of 
much value; but it has proven itself very 
different. I planted it about May 6. with 
little hope of obtaining anything; but, to my 
surprise, I had 9 X pounds of tubers, one 
weighing one pound, and another weighing 
nine ounces. There were 35 in all. and 32 of 
them were marketable. The original pota¬ 
to I cut in six pieces, with one eye on each. 
One was cut off by a worm and one hill 
was destroyed by moles, so that I had a 
pretty fair yield after all. I think at the rate 
that little fellow yielded my big one-pound¬ 
er must produce a barrel. J. s. w. 
Freehold, N. J. 
The R. N.-Y. Potato No. 2 received last 
spring was about two-thirds the size of a 
hen’s egg. It was cut into eight one-eye 
pieces, and planted May 2. The pieces all 
grew. The hills were three feet apart each 
way. The soil was heavy clay loam en¬ 
riched with Stockbridge potato fertilizer at 
the rate of 1,600 pounds to the acre. On July 
25, the vines began to show rust or blight, 
and by August 5, they were nearly all dead. 
I dug them August 20; yield pounds; 
the best was one-half pound. All were 
sound. On an experimental plot of eight 
Viu-ieties, the R. N.-Y. No. 2gave the small¬ 
est yield, but it was the only variety that 
did not rot more or less. Had not the blight 
come, the result would, quite likely, have 
been very different. I. o. E. 
Oneida County, N. Y. 
I PLANTED the R. N.-Y. No. 2 Potato 
April 18. There were seven eyes and the 
pieces were cut to one eye. They were 
planted in a trench in rotted chips from the 
woodyard, one foot apart; five grew and were 
frozen down once and were cultivated twice, 
once with the garden rake and once with the 
hoe, and when they were ready to bloom I 
threw a wheelbarrow load of chips and horse 
manure around them. The Flea-beetles 
worked at them whenever the weather 
would let them; but it was very wet until 
the second week in August when we got 
some hot, dry days that finished up both 
early and late potatoes. I had never before 
seen so many beetles and they are working 
on the late vegetables yet. Well, I dug my 
No. 2 on August 19; the largest stal k yielded 
three tubers weighing 11 ounces each, mak 
ing 33 ounces. There were 28 in all, three 
small ones; in all 19>£ pounds. Not one rot¬ 
ted, nor was there a spot on them, and we 
tliiuk they are going to beat the Blush. Po¬ 
tatoes are rotting badly except the Stray 
Beauty. Is it not strange that all three of 
the largest No. 2 should grow on one stalk 
and weigh just alike and all look alike? I 
cannot make up my mind to cook any of 
them, for I want them all for seed. 
Moore’s Hill, Ind. MRS. R. A. c. 
Sometimes due to exudations f rom nectar 
glands in plants; but far oftener to the 
action of insects: exudations from 
plant-lice and from insect-made plant 
wounds; instances of the operation of 
different causes. 
The term honey dew originated in the be¬ 
lief that at certain times and under certain 
unknown conditions, a dew as sweet as 
honey, would collect upon plants during 
the night, and there are many who still 
hold to this erroneous idea. The causes 
that produce the so-called honey dew are 
many and sometimes there seems to be no 
explanation for its appearance, unless we 
accept the old notion as correct, but it will 
not do to say that it must be dew because 
we do not see what else it can be; that 
would be very unscientific. It has been 
learned that some plants have nectar glands 
in their leaves, which exude a sweet liquid 
upon their surfaces, but insects are by far 
the most common cause of such appear¬ 
ances. 
I took my insect net and collecting case a 
few days ago and started for a little walk 
in the fields to see what I could catch. 
After sweeping my net for a short time 
among the tall grass and weeds along the 
border of a field, I sat down under a willow 
tree to examine my catch. The sun was 
shining brightly and there were no clouds 
overhead, but as soon as I had seated myself 
on the grass, I felt what seemed to be drops 
of rain falling on the backs of my hands. I 
had had similar experiences before and at 
once surmised that there were plant-lice on 
the limbs overhead. A glance among the 
branches was enough to confirm this opin¬ 
ion, as the lice were present in great num¬ 
bers on every part of the tree, and every¬ 
thing below was receiving a gentle shower 
of nectar. 
The sweet liquid from the little nectar¬ 
ies or honey tubes on the backs of these in¬ 
sects, sometimes falls in such abundance as 
to cover everything beneath with a heavy 
coating of white sugar, as it evaporates. I 
have a sprig of spruce in my collection, that 
is so heavily loaded with sugar produced in 
this manner that the weight of the sugar 
would be at least three or four times that 
of the twig after the sugar is removed, and 
the sugar itself is as sweet as any that you 
could buy at a confectioner’s store. 
Some who supposed that the aphides 
were the only cause of honey dew have 
found sweet substances upon trees where 
it was certain that there were no lice that 
could cause them, and have concluded that 
after all there is such a thing as a real 
honey dew. One warm day, last spring, 
before the buds began to expand, I came 
across a Bur-Oak that was swarming with a 
minute black four-winged fly belonging to 
the order of insects known as Hymenoptera. 
There were from one or two to a half-dozen 
or more of these little flies upon every bud 
that I could see. All were busily at work 
ovipositing in the embryo leaves, which 
was done by first insert ing a long ovipositor 
which might be likened to a sting of a 
honey bee. 
A week later I again visited this tree to 
see if the little flies were still at work punc¬ 
turing the buds and laying eggs. Instead 
of finding the flies, I found that all of the 
buds and the small twigs of the tree ap¬ 
peared as if they had been dipped in some¬ 
thing that had covered them with a sticky 
varnish, which I found, upon Listing, was 
sweet. This substance was most abundant 
upon the buds from which it had run down 
over the twigs and small branches. At 
this time the leaves were not yet out, and 
there were no lice to be seen on the tree and, 
if I had not happened to be present a^week 
before, when the buds were being wounded 
by the myriad lances of this little gall-fly 
which is as yet unknown to science, 
but which I have described in MS under 
the name Neuroterus verna, I could not 
have explained the presence of the sweet 
material. I know of other gall insects that 
produce sweet exudations from the oaks, 
and also of a small worm that gnaws into 
theyoung growing acorns, causing tliesame 
result. It is probable that there are causes 
still unknown that produce sweet sub¬ 
stances on leaves and twigs of trees, but it 
is not probable that there is such a thing 
as a real honey dew. c. p. Gillette. 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
Fodder Corn and Other Topics.— Fol¬ 
lowing the Rural’s advice last spring, I 
bought one bushel of Thoroughbred White 
Flint Corn. My neighbors laughed at me 
for paying such a price—$2 per bushel—but 
the laugh is on my side now, as I have four 
acres of as fine corn as one could wish, av¬ 
eraging 10 feet in hight. I planted it main¬ 
ly for the fodder, thinking that if it ma¬ 
tured I would come out so much ahead, 
and although it was planted late—May 30— 
if we have no severe frosts, 1 think it will 
get ripe. It is planted in drills, the rows 
being four feet apart, and two kernels in a 
place, 18 inches apart. It was planted with 
the Evans two-liorse corn-planter, planting 
two rows at a time. This machine I con¬ 
sider the greatest labor-saver I ever saw, 
and I own, I think, nearly all the machin¬ 
ery that can be used on a.farrn of 150 acres, 
excepting a potato planter and digger, 
which I have not as yet had any use for. [We 
want a picture of these tools to go with 
Mr. Terry’s group. R. N.-Y.] A man living 
near here has for a number of years used 
the following method of handling his com. 
After it is cut he allows it to wilt in the 
field three or four days, according to the 
weather; then he hauls it to the barn 
immediately, storing it in the mow as one 
would hay, except that he uses about a pail¬ 
ful of salt to a load. I saw it last year about 
two months after it was put in, and it was 
in prime condition, being apparently as 
sweet and bright as when put in. He says 
he has no difficulty about its heating, and 
as he has done it a number of years, I sup¬ 
pose he is well satisfied with the plan. This 
year, however, he has a silo. Now what I 
want to know is this: Can any of our 
brother fanners or experiment stations give 
me any more light on the subject? As this 
is a fact, I do not see that we have need of a 
silo. When I saw the corn it was stored in 
a floor bay, and there was no weight or cov¬ 
ering whatever on it, and I think there had 
not been any. I climbed up on top of it 
and put my arm in as far as I could and 
pulled out a stalk. I could see no sign of 
excessive heat; in fact, it was in first-class 
condition, beating all the silage I have ever 
seen, being sweet, which is more than I can 
say for the silage. G. w. s. 
Andover, Mass. 
R. N.-Y.—We will try to get all the infor¬ 
mation we can in this matter. We intend¬ 
ed to handle our own stalks this fall in 
much the same way as that employed by 
your neighbor, but the rains have been so 
constant and severe that the stalks could 
not be dried out sufficiently. We feel sure 
that with careful packing and the use of 
enough salt, stalks can be packed in the 
mows before teeing completely dried and 
thus make the best of fodder. We hope 
some of our friends will tell us why such 
dried stalks cut and steamed are not as 
good as the ordinary silage! 
Rapid Marketing of Produce. —That 
some more rapid and economical method of 
handling all perishable fruits and vegeta¬ 
bles in our large wholesale markets is 
needed is self-evident. The old methods 
answered well enough at the time of their 
first inception, but the world moves, and 
improvements are the order of the day on 
every hand. By the present system, fruits 
and other produce are sent to commission 
men to be disposed of to the best advantage. 
Buyers go from one to the other, jewing 
down the price, and buying, of course, 
where they can make the best terms. This 
tends to lower prices. This class of goods 
has been sold at auction for many years in 
Europe and other parts of the world, and 
efforts are being made to introduce this sys¬ 
tem here. Imported and California fruits 
have been so handled in New York and 
some other cities, but not until recently. 
Arrangements for handling the Florida 
orange crop have been contemplated, and a 
meeting was recently held at Vineland, the 
principal fruit-shipping center of Southern 
New Jersey, to devise means for selling the 
fruits and vegetables of that section at auc¬ 
tion. The advantages of this system are 
rapid handling, prompt sales and settle¬ 
ments, competition among the buyers in¬ 
stead of among the sellers, and a clean 
sweep of everything offered, at some price. 
It also necessitates a combination of ship¬ 
pers, and the consignment of goods to a 
limited number of auction rooms. This 
would make buyers of many who are now 
simply receivers, and would tend to drive 
some of them out of business. Very nat¬ 
urally they are opposed to the change, but 
it is quite likely that the system will have 
a more extended trial in the near future. 
I shall watch the outcome with interest. 
OBSERVER. 
Law Against “Oleo.”— The only way I 
know of to get pure lard is to buy dry salt 
side meat or pork and try out the fat. Is 
there any provision of the oleomargarine 
law that requires the boarding-house or 
hotel keepers to inform their patrons 
whether the so called butter on their tables, 
is butter or oleomargarine or, in other words, 
is there any law to prevent the hotel-keep¬ 
ers from buying oleomargarine in bulk and 
furnishing the same to their guests as pure 
butter? Would such a law be of any bene¬ 
fit to the dairymen? c. c. w. 
Grand Bay, Ala. 
R. N.-Y. There is such a law in some of the 
States—in New York among others—but it 
is badly enforced. The law requires that 
where “ oleo ” is used, a notice stating 
the fact must be conspicuously displayed 
where the guests can see it. There is no 
doubt whatever that “oleo” is used in a 
large number of restaurants and hotels, 
but we have yet to see a single case in 
which the required notice is displayed. If 
the law were properly enforced, it would of 
course be a benefit to farmers. 
We are told that we should seek only 
such things as are commendable. With 
this idea in mind when I visited the New 
Jersey State Fair, I spent most of my time 
in the cattle sheds and fruit and vegetable 
tent. The show of cattle was very credit¬ 
able; indeed it was worthy of a much more 
appreciative patronage than it received. 
The fruit and vegetable exhibit was taste¬ 
fully arranged, and contained many spec¬ 
imens of considerable merit, considering 
the fact that this is an “off ” year for fruit 
in this State. A very fine display of pota¬ 
toes was made by one of your old subscribers, 
Mr. N. W. Pursell of Elizabeth. A basket 
of the Rural No. 2 attracted much at¬ 
tention. J. H. G. 
Woman’s Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
T HIS is the season of fall openings in 
the dry-goods districts, and gorgeous 
are the shopping streets of New York. 
Most noticeable among the costly and 
beautiful fabrics are the brocaded silks, 
both for trimming and for elaborate gowns. 
One which suggested itself as an old lady’s 
evening gown was of pale steel-gray satin. 
Looking as if lightly strewn upon it, were 
large sprays of maple leaves in darker gray 
and black. The sprays were about two feet 
long, the leaves more than natural size and 
they really looked more like the work of 
the brush rather than the loom. 
Another design, more lovely still, was a 
white corded silk, strewn with garlands of 
pink morning-glory and its leaves in natur¬ 
al colors. Another, with ground of cardi¬ 
nal red satin, had golden sumach leaves 
scattered over it. A black satin was 
brocaded with bunches of scarlet gladi¬ 
olus, the spikes being natural size. 
Yet another black was brocaded with aloe 
plants, the thick, shiny leaves with a spike 
of flowers in the center, all in one color,deep 
golden yellow. The gorgeousness of these 
fabrics may be imagined. Other lovely bro¬ 
cades showed designs in deeper shades of 
the ground color; the patterns are almost 
invariably floral. Among the new silks 
shown are some of the old fabrics revived, 
such as taffeta and peau de soie or padua- 
soy, as our grandmothers called it. A no¬ 
ticeable house dress was of scarlet padua- 
soy, having a plain accordeon-plaited skirt; 
the round waist had a short little shoulder 
cape in accordeon plaits, full sleeves, and a 
little garnishing in black lace and velvet. 
Capes reaching to the waist are quite fash¬ 
ionable this autumn for young ladies; in 
cloth there are the Directoire capes, very 
close-fitting, consisting of four or five 
capes, one above the other. Sometimes the 
edges are finished with braid, but they are 
noticeable for their simplicity; some beau¬ 
tiful capes are of surah or India silk in ac¬ 
cordeon plaits, gathered into a square or 
pointed yoke, such as have been worn by 
children, but they are so pretty that their 
elder sisters now adopt them. 
If 
* * * 
Such hats and bonnets! The little 
bonnets get smaller, and the big hats 
larger—probably the milliner’s bill. too. 
There is not a great difference in shape, so 
far, from last winter; the bonnets are a 
little rounder in the crown, but narrow 
towards the front, the trimming being 
chiefly on the top. Very pretty little 
bonnets and turbans of chamois leather are 
seen; a little bonnet with a chamois crown, 
trimmed with green velvet and green os¬ 
trich tips was really charming. A great 
many birds are seen on hats and bonnets; 
sometimes one really large bird, or three or 
four small ones. We hope none of our 
readers will turn her hat into a mausoleum 
for departed songsters; it is certainly time 
this senseless and cruel fashion was abol¬ 
ished. We don’t think women are entirely 
to blame, for they buy these poor little 
bird corpses thoughtlessly, simply because 
they see them in the shops, and admire 
them. But 
“ Evil is wrouKlit by want of thought, 
As well as want of heart.” 
A woman who would shudder at the 
thought of killing a snake will buy a poor 
