Ms 
VOL. XXXVIII. No. 39., 
WHOLE No. 1348. I 
NEW YORK, SEPT. 27, 1879. 
I PRICE FIVE CENTS. 
I Sa.OO I’Elt TEAlt. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by the Rural Publishing Company, in the office of the Librarian of Conirress at Washington. - Entered at the Post-Office at New York City, N. Y„ as second-class matter.] 
STRAWBERRY NOTES. 
I read with interest the strawberry notes of 
Mr. Nash in the Rural of August 30. ITe 
speaks of the Old Kentucky as a pistillate sort 
—are we to infer there is a new Kentucky ? or 
what has he under that name ? The true Ken¬ 
tucky, as we know it, is, so to speak, a twin 
brother of the Charles Downing, raised by the 
late J. 3. Downer of Kentucky from seed of 
Downer’s Prolific. It is perfect in its flower, 
a vigorous, strong grower, with tall foliage 
and fruit stalks, and, if my memory serves me, 
of a brighter scarlet color than the Charles 
Downing, being in this respect between that 
and Downer's Prolific, and about a week later 
than the former. 
It was introduced about ten years ago—long 
enough to be called au old sort. We grew it a 
number of years, but discarded it on account 
of the low standard of the fruit in quality. Iu 
this respect it was much below Charles Down¬ 
ing on our soil, and although of good size, 
handsome, and late, our customers preferred 
the Charles Downing even to their close. I 
hardly think it possesses any shipping quali¬ 
ties superior to the Downing. I believe we 
had it true , and ray memory is that it was per- 
fect-flowering—hence the query: “What va¬ 
riety lias Mr. Nash uuder that name, that is a 
pistillate ?” 
That one word tells ns we each have in mind 
a different berry. There Is far too much con¬ 
fusion in strawberry nomenclature, largely re¬ 
sulting from the carelessuess of cultivators. 
A case iu point:—A veteran and thoroughly 
posted amateur and an intimate friend of Mr. 
Downing, asked me a few weeks ago if 1 could 
furnish him a single plant, of a certain variety, 
that I could wan ant true to name. He pro¬ 
cured quite a collection last season of Mr. A. 
Among them were six plants purporting to be 
the kind iu question. He had taken good care 
of them in anticipation of the fruit this season, 
when, sad to telh five of them proved to be 
untrue, and he was in doubt about the sixth 
one; in fact, the whole collection was so badly 
mixed, he had dug them all under and bad re¬ 
solved on a uew departure ; hereafter ho would 
try and yet a single plant of a kind that was posi¬ 
tively true, to start with, and thus save himself 
ail this vexation and loss of time and labor, 
and know what he was doing. 
where the details of the business are attended 
to with some commendable degree of accuracy 
and painstaking, but they don't make a great 
parade of their great profits and superior vir¬ 
tues before the public.’’ 
“That has been iny experience,” he replied, 
“ hence my new departure. A single genuine 
plant of a kind, to start with, is worth 
PIT FOR WINTER PROTECTION OF GAR 
DENERS’ STOCK. 
WHEAT 
HENRY STEWART. 
I here present to readers of the Rural 
New-Yorker the plan of a cellar I am build¬ 
ing, and which, f think, will answer admirably 
the purposes for which it is intended. 
The floor is mainly for celery. At one end 
there are bins for potatoes, carrots, beets, etc. 
Along the sides and down the middle are 
bencheslike those in a greenhouse, ouly higher. 
There is a walk around the middle bench ; 
this bench is intended for Roses which are to 
be kept there until it is time to put them in 
the greenhouse to force them for spring sale. 
The side beuches are for apples, onions, etc. 
The cellar is 16x36 feet. Two feet of the earth 
were dug out for banking up on the outside. 
The walls are 3£ feet above the level of the 
ground and two feet below it, making the side 
walls feet high. These arc hoarded with 
inch planks, on cedar posts set four feet apart. 
The hoards are nailed from the outside. The 
earth taken from the cellar is banked against 
them to a thickness of two feet at the top and 
five at the bottom, all around, except at the 
doors and windows. Both ends of the cellar, 
above the level of the embankment, are double- 
boarded on the gable-ends, with a space of 
eight iuebes between the boardings, to be filled 
with sawdust. Below this is the banking of 
earth from the pit. 
The roof is shingled and double-boarded, 
having between the two boardings a space of 
four inches, which is to be filled with sawdust. 
It laps over the side walls a foot and a half, 
and from that point tliu ground is banked up 
fio liard that it cannot settle, and after a good 
ruin it is sodded all round, which gives it a 
nice green appearance in grass time and keeps 
it still warmer in winter. To have plenty 
light and air, I have on each side of the roof 
three sashes, 3x6 feet, like hot-bed sashes, 
hinged at the top, just as on a greenhouse, 
aud at the lower end of each sash is an iron 
bar having holes punched iu it, so as to raise 
the sash to a greater or less bight, for the pur¬ 
pose of ventilation, whenever desirable. Each 
sash fits closely into the roof, and is battened 
to prevent the entrance of 
rain. Underneath the sashes 
are shutters, which can be 
opened or shut, and between 
them and the sashes are 
spaces of four inches, which 
can be filled, whenever ne- ‘^5 
cessary, with straw or a ^ 
straw mat. I don’t think, 
however, that frost will ' 
penetrate through sash aud f F-— 
shutter from the roof, though 
might from the sides. 
In the most convenient » — — _ ^ 
end are double doors. The —~—i r , - — 
insidu ouc is made like the '-r - - “ 
door of a stable, having a 
window sash which can be 
opened or closed atpleasure. 
Outside this is a box as high 
as the door and four feet 
wide, so that the outside 
door will be four feet from tuc inside one. 
riie outer door is made double, with a 
four-iuch space for sawdust. The top of the 
box, between the doois, is double-boarded, like 
the outside door, and filled with sawdust. The 
sides of the box are protected by au earth em¬ 
bankment. On the other end of the cellar 
there is a window, guarded with a box like 
that protecting the door, only not so large, 
and having a shutter at. the other eud. A cou- 
'cnieuce of this sort will pay for itself every 
v> inter and should be used, iu sizes to suit their 
needs, by all largely interested in flower or 
vegetable culture. D. Mylius, Jr. 
Wayne Co,. Mich. 
Wheat is again the staff of life. Heretofore 
it had come to be considered as an unprofita¬ 
ble prod net. and thousands of farmers refused 
to grow their own bread. It was easier to 
earn the money to purchase a barrel of flour 
in other ways than to grow the wheat. But a 
“change has come o'er the spiritof our dream.’ 
Money is not so easily earned as formerly ; 
prices of produce are low, and (be wherewithal 
to buy flour is not so easily procured. Wheat 
is our staple agricultural product. The pres¬ 
ent seasou we have every reason to look for 
an unprecedented demand for our crop, and 
nothing will be more salable than wheat. 
Farmers, too. are learning that they can grow 
wheat more cheaply than they can buy it. 
The cost has been an imaginary bugbear—a 
creation of the fancy ouly. The labor involved 
has been figured up as so touch money spent, 
When, in fact, the seed ouly has represented 
any money. So, in reality, the crop grown has 
cost absolutely nothing hut labor and the value 
of the seed. This discovery having forced 
itaelt upon the minds of men. they are growing 
wheat for their owu consumption, if not for 
sale. The product of this grain is increasing, 
even in Massachusetts, aud all through New 
England and the Middle Stales unwonted sights 
of wheat fields gladdou the eye. We look upon 
this as a favorable symptom of returning agri¬ 
cultural health aud prosperity. 
Now wc would suggest that it is advisable to 
study how a maximum product can be reached. 
No oue doubts or denies that it costs but little 
more to plow and cultivate the soil and harvest 
50 bushels per acre than to grow 15 bushels ; 
while the income is more tbau three-fold. The 
possible yield of wheat is 60 or 70 bushels per 
acre; eight quarters, or 64 bushels per acre, is 
a frequent yield with the best English farmers, 
but they hoe their wheat and hand-weed it, 
and use fertilizers liberally. I think it would 
pav any farmer to prepare one acre, at least, 
by two plowings, several harrowings, good 
manuring and the use of 500 pounds of super¬ 
phosphate, and then sow 
half a bushel of seed in drills 
_ 10 or 18 inches apart, and 
__ cultivate the ground thor- 
oughly aud carefully as for 
x.-c-IJnF' a pet crop of corn. It would 
probably yield 60 bushels or 
over. Then let the cost be 
figured up ; not the farmer’s 
22=.- own labor, or rent of land, 
or taxes — because these 
either cost nothing or would 
sectioal view 
more to me than any quantity of doubtful 
purity. To those who cultivate largely for the 
fruit alone, the slip-shod, careless style so 
prevalent, may answer, but for my purposes— 
experimental crossing, etc.—it would not do 
at all.” Agreed unanimously! But comiug 
back to Mr. Nash’s Kentucky:—Has he been 
Victimized? If so, what is it? 
I aru gl-1 to know the Duncan has fouud a 
congenial spot with him. In perfection it is 
really too good to be east aside. Probably no 
variety has shown the great variations caused 
by soils aud locations in a more marked degree. 
A New r York commission merchant takes 
pleasure in citing two farmers in Monmouth 
Co., N. J., one of whom grows the Wilson aud 
the other the Duncan to perfection; yet neither 
can grow both, and a fence ouly divides tlicir 
farms, aud then he asks, “ How do you account 
for that?" I give it up. Of the Sharpless I 
think it can be truly said Lbat no variety ever 
sent out has given so great satisfaction, so far 
as growth is concerned, iu so short Oytime. I 
have seen it in the very light soils of Mon¬ 
mouth Co. and the heavier soils of Essex, and 
everywhere the owners are astonished at its 
vigor aud healthy foliage aud rampant 
growth. One mau says•• I never saw anything 
like it; if it will only produce a good crop of 
fruit that will stand shipping, and maintain 
its health and vigor, I shall say ‘ Good-bye, 
PROTECTING PIT FOR GARDENER’S STOCK 
Sympathizing with him iu his misfortunes 
from similar experieuce, I asked if he had 
called Mr. A.’a attention to the fact. “ Yes, 
and hia reply was that he got them of Hon. 
Friend B., and be knew the fault wasuot liis." 
“Just so, but on learning the source whence 
they came, l am not surprised ; hut it speaks 
well (?) for the 50 years’ experience, the num¬ 
berless varieties, extensive acres, and the groat 
profits that his friend B. boasts so persistently 
about. He is always ready io herald the great 
virtues of new tilings, as the most extraordin¬ 
ary of their kinds extant, aud I wonder your 
friend A. allowed himself to be caught with 
such bait. There are large establishments 
Growing Strawberries in Winter.— Strong 
plants from runners that appeared early iu the 
summer, aud which are now In six or seven- 
inch pots, can readily be made to fruit iu auy 
greenhouse or warm plant-room where they 
can get plenty of suu. Keep the plants in an 
open shed where they will be exposed to the 
frost and can still be kept dry, until the latter 
part of December: then they should be thawed 
out, the upper two inches of soil scraped off 
and replaced with well rotted manure, aud 
henceforward treated as growing plauts. 
