203 
climate, soil or location, they thrive as well 
and furnish equal records of milk in Virginia. 
Massachusetts, Vermont. New York, Illinois or 
California. Be it on the highlands or lowlands, 
in the cold climes or warm, under all circum¬ 
stances, with all kinds of food and divers man¬ 
ners of supplying St,—under all these condi¬ 
tions they still maintain that same superiority 
as milkers and beef animals with which they 
have been here accredited. They are remark¬ 
ably vigorous and are seemingly little given 
to disease; and. standing l.eside the popular 
breeds of this couutry. they are far less affect¬ 
ed by the extremes of 01 # variable climate than 
others, while they bear exposure far better than 
most other breeds. 
Their Prepotency. 
The power of transmission of prominent 
charaeterisiics by the Holstein males, is re¬ 
markable; for they invariably stamp their pro¬ 
geny with the color markings, form and size 
of the breed as well as with its all-essential 
milking qual^ies. This power is not con¬ 
fined to crosses with our Native or grade cows 
alone, but is equally manifest in crosses on 
full-blood animals of any breed or race. 
A few instances that have come under my per¬ 
sonal observation are sufficient to satisfy my 
readers on this point. Dolly Dutton’s dam 
was a grade Durham that would hardly give 
milk enough to raise her calf, while Dolly on 
coining iu at 18 months, gave thirty-eight 
pounds of milk a day. Auother half-blood 
gave, as a two-year-old on dry feed, 40 pounds 
of milk per day, and when pnt on grass, 42 
pounds iu a day. Favorite, a half-blood, came 
in at twenty months, aud gave milk iu good 
quautity for over two years without cessation, 
aud it was with difficulty she was dried off 
before her third calving. Aud here let me 
state as one of the very prominent and to the 
breeder au all-important characteristic of 
cows of this breed, tlieir continuously large 
flow of milk during the whole year, as it is 
often with difficulty the cow can be dried off 
beiore calving. 
After the presentation of such an array of 
facts as the foregoing, I feel justified in saying 
that iu the Holstein cattle, the breeders aud 
dairymen of the United States will find a breed 
possessing more desirable qualities aud more 
fully meeting the demands and the wants of 
this country than any other ; for in them we 
have si 2 e. form, finish, wonderful development, 
uniformity in color aud general appearance, 
vigor and the production of remarkable quan¬ 
tities of prime milk, butter, cheese aud beef. 
Onondaga Co , N, Y. 
ijortuuitural. 
NOTES FBOM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
Select Plant*. 
Peas—Earliest.— Philadelphia Extra Early 
is the earliest and poorest of green peas. This 
variety owes its continued existence to the 
fact that a few market-gardeners obtain a 
higher price for it for two or three days thau 
for any other. All of the extra early peas are 
inferior in size of pods, number of peas in 
them, and in flavor. Early Daniel O Rourke. 
Carter’s First Crop, aud for dwarf, Tom 
Thumb aud Laxton's Alpha are among the 
earliest. The last is the best of any very early 
pea that we have ever tried—aud we have tried 
nearly all. 
Early —The best among the early peas is 
McLean's Little Gem. This comes in three or 
four days alter Carter's First Crop, and W aite s 
Caraciacus and Kentish Invicta. Little Gem 
does not require brushing, though itisbeiter 
for a little support. In quality and fruitful¬ 
ness there is not one other better pea than 
this. The vines grow about 15 to 20 inches 
high. American Wonder Pea (Bliss) was tried 
here, and found to be as early as Little Gem. 
It is an excellent pea. hut we do not know why 
it should take the latter's place. In fact, it. 
would seem that auy' real improvement upon 
older varieties is impracticable. The most 
that we can do, is to select good seed and to 
keep varieties pure and distinct. 
Main Crop.— From our own trials we pro¬ 
nounce Eugenie as good as any for a main 
crop. It is sweeter than Champion of Eng¬ 
land, and does not grow so tall by a foot or so. 
Late Crop. —For this purpose Britisb Queen 
is our choice. The vines grow very tall, but 
they are prolific and they give green, tender 
peas, through an unusually long period. They 
are very juicy, much wrinkled, thick-skinned, 
tender aud sweet. 
Remarks.— As we have before remarked, it 
is perhaps the best way, for our climate, to 
plant the very-early, early, intermediate and 
late about the same time. Brush or support 
(for the garden) all varieties that grow over 
one foot in hight, and, for those that do not, 
straw or hay, placed beside the plants, will 
serve to keep' them green and in a growing 
condition for a longer time thau when not so 
treated. We have never thought that late- 
sown peas were worth the trouble of produc¬ 
ing them, taking our summers as they run. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Tomatoes —Front careful trials and inquiry 
wc believe the Acme and the Trophy the best 
tomatoes for family use. Little Gem is ihe 
earliest, but it is small and watery, keeps poor¬ 
ly, and in short, has only its earliuess to com¬ 
mend il. Hundred Day is one of those varie¬ 
ties that a person will never be anxious to 
plant twice. Golden Trophy is the best of the 
Goldens. Green Gage. Yellow Cherry. Pear- 
shaped and Strawberry Tomato are the best 
for preserves. 
Asparagus— There is virtually but one sort 
—the Conover’s Colossal. Unless stronsr, 
healthy roots are purchased and planted, it is 
best to sow seed. Sow thinly in rows in early 
May. Thin out. retaining onlv vigorous plants. 
Next year the permanent bed may he formed, 
aud the year-old plants set therein. 
Beans. —For Dwarf, Early Mohawk and 
Golden Wax. The new variety of dwarf, 
Golden Wax, is excellent for pickling. For 
Pole, the Improved Lima (Dreer’s). 
Beets, —Vilmorin's White Sugar iB the sweet¬ 
est aud most tender beet we have ever tried. For 
early summer use, the Early Bassauo; for 
general and later use, the Long Smooth Red. 
Cabbage. —Early Jersey Wakefield aud Early 
York are the earliest. For main crop. Large 
Flat Dutch. Late Drumhead and Marblehead 
Mammoth Cabbage. For pickling, Eaily Blood- 
red Erfurt is excellent. 
Cauliflower —For early, Early Snowball; 
Lenormaud's for main crop. It may be well to 
remind our readers that a rich soil, good cul¬ 
tivation and a steady supply of moisture are 
e.'Seutial to the perfecting of this tine vegeta¬ 
ble. Too often the crop is rendered worifiless 
by neglect. The Cauliflower is not worth 
planting unless it receives unremitting atten¬ 
tion.. 
Celery.— The golden and red sorts are this 
seasou biought out promtnemly iu a number 
of catalogues. But, in so far as the color of 
the stems is concerned, be it golden or red, 
this need not induce anybody to try them, lor 
the reason that the color almost entirely 
blanches out. The “ Golden Heart" is, how¬ 
ever, early aud of tine flavor, while the red is 
dwarf aud of good flat or also. Giant White 
Solid and Dwarf Crystal White are best for 
family use. 
Cucumbers. —Tailby’s Hybrid is still the best 
variety for cucumbers we have ever tried. It 
is rather long, pointed, greenisb-lleshed, Ex¬ 
tremely tender aud with few aud small seeds. 
Green Prolific is best for pickles. 
Sweet Corn. —We have repeatedly praised 
the Black for table Use. Tne ears me- too 
email for market purposes, and the color 
objectiouable; but for sweetness aud richness 
this variety is unsurpassed. Early Miunesota 
Sugar, Early Narragansett, Early Dwarf Sugar 
are best for early ; Mammoth Sugar and Stow- 
ell’s Evergreen for late. 
Lettuce —For forcing, Curled Simpsouand 
Golden Stone Head; for summer crop, Ameri¬ 
can Gathering; for winter, Brown Dutch aud 
Red Winter Cabbage. 
Okra.— A few plants of this iu every garden 
are desirable for seasoning soups. Tbe dwarf 
variety is best, simply for the reason that it 
takes less space aud causes less shade. Tbe 
flower is like that of the cotton plant, belong¬ 
ing to tbe Malva family. 
Radishes.— Of these we continue to try all 
novelties, by which trials we are not shaken 
in tbe belief that the old Scarlet Turnip is still 
the best. For late or winter radishes, we ha\e 
no varieties to commend. We do not detm 
them worth cultivation at all. 
Egg Plants —Among these Loug and Early 
Dwarf Pm pie are earliest; New Yoik Purple 
the largest and best. 
Melons — Among musk-melons, we prefer 
the Nutmeg and Christina. We have tried al¬ 
most every sort praised abroad, aud find that 
our climate is not suited to them. Among 
water-melons, we prefer tbe Black Spanish and 
Mountain Sweet. 
Peepers —For ornamental jars of pickles, 
Red African, Oxheart and Cranberry are pre¬ 
ferred. For mangoes, Sweet Mountain. 
Squash. —Summer Crook-neck, Early Green- 
striped Bush and Early Goldeu Bush, are best 
for early summer; Yokohama, Hubbard. Bos¬ 
ton Marrow aud Marblehead for winter. 
Parsley.— The Fern-leaved is pretty as well 
as a good variety. Extra Curled and Moss 
Curled are. the best for general use. 
Carrot —Extra Early Forcing is good for 
early and late; Half-long Carenton aud Long 
Orange are best for main crop, while the last 
is best for stock. 
Pumekins.— Of these the Large Cheese is 
best fur home use, while Improved Mammoth 
is more profitable for maiket. Connecticut 
Field is perhaps best for stock. 
Rhubarb.— Roots can be purchased £or from 
$1 to $1 50 per dozeu. Seeds may now be 
sown aud the plants set a foot or less apart. 
Next spring the plants should be set about 
three feet apart each way, and the year after 
the stalks will be large enough to cut. For 
family use, it is economy to buy a few roots. 
Small Fruit*. 
Strawberries —Of the many new varieties 
that have, been made known of late years, there 
is no doubt that several have come to stay. As 
we look over our vines to-day (March 20), we 
sec that of all these new candidates for favor, 
tbe Sharpies bears the largest, greenest, 
heaithiest-looking leaves; the Duncan next; 
Golden Defiance next, and Duchesse uext. As 
between the others, there is no marked differ¬ 
ence. To those who care to purchase any of 
the newer varieties we would recommend the 
following for trial; 
Golden Defiance. Prouty's Seedling—Sharp¬ 
less. Cumberland Triumph, Captain Jack (for 
maiket only), Duchesse—Pres. Lincoln—Par- 
malee’s Crescent Seedling. Forest Rose, Dun¬ 
can (for early home use), and Cinderella. 
To those who desire to purchase old, well- 
tried sorts ouly. wc would name: Wilson (for 
market), Triouiphe de Gaud, Charles Downing 
and Seth Boydeu (Boyden 30) aud Monarch of 
the West. 
Wc would remind all who raise strawberries 
for their own tables or friends, that good druiu- 
ago, rich soil aud moisture are the secrets of 
e.itire success. 
Blackberries.— Kittatinny is the best so 
far as we are enabled to judge— Snyder for 
trial. 
Raspberries.— Brinckle’s Orange is the best 
of the yellows. It is of fine quality and quite 
prolific, if the canes are well protected during 
winter. 
Of Black-Caps — Doolittle and Mammoth 
Cluster ; of the native Reds, Herstine, Philadel¬ 
phia, Brandywine ;—of the foreign. Franconia, 
or Naomi, and Clarke. For trial we commend 
the Montclair, Cutbbert. and (for market) 
Thwack. 
Gooseberries —Downiug, Houghton. Avoid 
the standards about which so much fuss was 
mude in Ceutennial limes. 
Currants —The Red Dutch is the most fruit¬ 
ful. Cherry, Champagne, White Grape, aud 
(tor jelly) Black Naples. 
Grapes.— For market or general use, the old- 
sort Concord must still bo mentioned first. 
According to locality, the Isabella, Catawba, 
Delaware, Iona, Hartford Prolific. We think 
that Lady may now be mentioned among our 
reliable standard Grapes. 
It would seem that there were scores, if not 
hundreds, of new varieties that must prove 
superior to well-known sorts. W r e would men¬ 
tion for trial all of Rickett’s that are as yet foi 
sale, such as Lady Washington. Don Juan, El¬ 
dorado, Newburgh, Highland, etc. — auy of 
Roger’s Hybrids—many of them do remarkably 
well here and iu various other parts of the 
country—Moore’s Early—Eqmelan—Champion 
—Telegraph. 
ONION (Allium Cepa). 
The culture of onions has for many years 
past been a very remunerative branch of mar¬ 
ket gardening, aud at present there are per¬ 
haps more ouiou growers than there have 
been at any previous time. It is not a crop 
that can be universally grown throughout the 
United Slates. Successful union culture is 
mostly confiued to the area between the 40th 
aud 43 d parallel; farther north the seasou is 
too short for the crop to ripen, aud south of 
this it is too hot for them to develop. 
Soil. 
It is generally believed that onions require 
a peculiar soil in order to do well; this is not 
tin- case, however; they will succeed on al¬ 
most auy soil, except on very stiff clay and on 
dry sand. Success depends not so much on 
the nature of the soil as on the preparation of 
the laud and the cultivation of tbe crop. 
Some growers have raised immeuse crop9 on 
low and peaty lands, while others recommend 
a sandy loam, aud frill others have beeu equally 
successful ou a rather cl *yey soil. Experience 
goes to show that a soil that has beeu in cul¬ 
tivation for many years is preferable to com¬ 
paratively new laud, aud that onions maybe 
raised on the same plat year after year, with¬ 
out auy diminution of the crop. New land is 
too poor aud not so easily pulverized, aud the 
ability of older land to produce the same crop 
for a long time without intermission, cannot 
be accounted for on the score that onions 
follow onions, but is rather duo to the con¬ 
stant enriching of the soil, the thorough pul¬ 
verization that is necessary, aud the vigilance 
with which the weeds are kept down. 
Preparation. 
The onion patch should he plowed in the 
fall, and if the manure one has at disposal is 
rather coarse, it may then he plowed under ; if 
guano or auy other fine manure is used, it 
should not be applied before spring. As early 
iu tbe spring as the ground is fit to work, it 
should be prepared to receive the seed. It 
should not be plowed deeper than four inches, 
for ouiuus feed on the surface soil; and if 
plowed in the fall, but not manured, fine ma¬ 
nure may now be worked iu by a thorough use 
of the cultivator. Pulverize the soil well; 
harrow, back-harrow and harrow agaiu, level 
the plat with a Bcraper if necessary, aud, final¬ 
ly, dress any uneven spot with the rake. It is 
of great Importance that the land should be 
level, otherwise a single heavy shower will 
wash the seed away and the crop will, of 
course, be a failure. Any kind of manure may 
be used, some growers giving preference to one 
kind, others to another; the maiu point is to 
give a liberal supply. Stable and barn-yard 
manure must be well decomposed before it is 
applied. Night soil, where it cau be obtained, 
thoroughly mixed with dry earth, is considered 
the best kind of fertilizer for this crop. 
Sowing the Seed. 
Wheu the ground is thus prepared, the seed 
should be planted in drills from 12 to 15 inches 
apart. Either mark out the whole plat with a 
marker, or use a seed-drill that marks the row’s 
as the ^operator proceeds, in either case taking 
particular care to get the first row sti aigkt. 
This may he best accomplished by stretching 
the gardeu-line to mark the first row. The 
B: ed drill should be set to drop about five 
seeds to two inches, which may be ascer¬ 
tained by trying it on a board or a row of 
paper, and the seed should not be put more 
than one-half to three-quarters of au iuch 
under the surface ; if planted deeper, much of 
the seed will uot germinate, and some hold 
that still-necks, or scullions, will be more nu¬ 
merous. It requires about four to six pounds 
of seed to the acre. There are several seed- 
drills in the market that opeu the drill to any 
desired depth, sow the Beed, cover it up, and 
roll the row. all at the same operation; of 
course, they can be used for other seeds as well. 
Never use poor seed. Nothing in onion cul¬ 
ture is more important than to get the be6t 
quality of seed that can be procured. Only 
American seed should be used; foreign seed 
caunot be depended on for a good crop. And 
it should always be purchased either from the 
grower direct, or from a reliable seedsman, 
never from peddlers or small local dealers in 
seed. A difference of a few dollars in the price 
of seed, may rauke a difference of as many 
huudreds when the crop is harvested. 
Cultivation 
As soon as the onious are so far up that the 
rows can be seen, the plat should receive the 
first hoeing. Keep the weeds dowm by never 
allowing them to start. One man can go over 
more ground in one day, before the weeds 
start, thau five men can in the same time when 
they are a couple of inches high. Occasion¬ 
ally they must be gone over on the hands and 
knees, and all weeds removed from the rows 
with the fingers. When the onions are about 
three iuches high, they should be ikiuued to 
about one to two inches apart, but it is better 
to sow reliable seed at tbe distance the plants 
are wanted, than to thin too much, as those 
left studding will be more or less injured by the 
operation. 
Iu August, when about two-thirds of the tops 
have fallen, it is time to pull the crop. This is 
done by haud, to avoid bruising them, each 
man taking three rows as he goes along. Six 
or eight rows are thrown together in a wind¬ 
row, where they remain for several days till 
they are thoroughly dried, heiug stirred once 
a day to dry them the quicker. Next, the tops 
are cut off, tbo onions measured and carted to 
the barn, where they are placed about a foot 
thick ou an airy loft, till they are marketed. 
It is not advisable to lay them much over a 
foot in thickness ; eo, where space is limited, 
shelves may he erected, or some special ar¬ 
rangements made for keeping them. 
Marketing ami Storing. 
About the middle of October, when shipping 
has commenced, is the best time to market 
onious. The prices arc then apt to be higher 
titan earlier in the season when the market is 
glutted with the newly-gathered crops. The 
price varies greatly. It has been as low as 75c 
per barrel and some years ago as high as $14 or 
even $16 pet barrel. During the winter, onions 
should be kept in a cool, dry place, free from 
hard frost. It will do no harm if the thermom¬ 
eter should sink a few degrees below freezing 
point in the 8tore-room ; but by repeated hard 
frosts aud thawings they become soft aud un¬ 
fit for use. They may be stored in a dry cel¬ 
lar in barrels which are perforated with air¬ 
holes. They will thus be ready to ship, as 
soon as spnug opens, without further trouble; 
or they may bo placed on a barn floor under¬ 
neath which it caunot freeze, aud covered 
with hay. Large quantities should never be 
stored during winter iu an unsuitable place, 
and they must be thoroughly dry. 
Varieties. 
Of themauy varieties of ouions in cultivation, 
three seem to be standard : the White Portugal, 
the Yellow Danvers and the Red Wethersfield. 
The White Portugal is rather a small onlou of 
mild tlavor, and is excellently adapted to cul¬ 
tivation iu private gtu cleus for family use. It 
is rather a poor keeper. The Yellow Danvers 
is an early onion, and a favorite iu the Boston 
market. Red Wethersfield is mostly grown 
for the New York market, and for shipping 
purposes. It attains a large size aud is an ex¬ 
cellent keeper. 
