594 
SEPT H 
A VISIT OF THE FARM EDITOR OF 
THE N. Y. WORLD TO THE RURAL 
GROUNDS. _ 
Those Wheat and Rye Hybrids.—L. C. 
Benedict, the painstaking agricultural editor 
of the New York World, visited the Rural 
Grounds a few weeks ago. The following re¬ 
port of the visit is taken, word for word, from 
a late issue of that journal; 
“The wheat and rye hybrids produced on 
the experimental grounds of the Rcral New- 
Yorkkr, and about which World readers 
have already had two illustrated descriptions, 
continue to attract widespread attention and 
no little controversy among the scientists of 
the country, 
July IS a visit was made to the Rural 
Grounds to see the twenticth-of-au acre plot, 
which has been characterized as bearing plants 
that most resembled rye. All the plants 
thereon have sprung from one seed, as stated 
in the weekly World, Feb. 34. This one seed 
gave a plant bearing twenty-two heads in 
which only a few shriveled kernels were found 
and the plot above alluded to is the second 
year’s increase from tho-e shriveled kernels. 
Of all the rye-wheat hybrids this twentieth 
acre has proven the most interesting. At the 
time of our visit of inspection we might have 
selected no fewer than fifty different heads as 
distinct from each other as are any of the 
wheats in cultivation. 
Some of the plants were dwarf's, not over 
two and one-half feet high, with culms thrice 
as heavy as any ever seen in the .pure wheats. 
Heads seven inches long were not uncommon. 
Some were bearded as heavily as buckwheat; 
others wore beardless and still others showed 
every intermediate stage. Some were „*lub- 
headed, with breasts of spikelets densely 
crowded towards the top. Some bore com¬ 
pound spikelets; that is, two breasts growing 
instead of one. and the head partially double- 
breasted on each side of the rachis. Some 
heads were shapely, others twisted with long, 
curly awns and culms as crooked as the heads. 
Some heads were larger and contained more 
kernels than any wheats we have ever seen 
growing in this climate. Others were feeble, 
narrow heads, scarcely two inches long. The 
straws were of all colors, from yellow bo dark 
purple. They were of all thicknesses, from 
the size of rye to that of a small slate pencil. 
Some were densely downy, others smooth. 
Some were wiry and stroug, others weak. 
These plants were maturing variously, some 
with rye, some with wheat, while many were 
still perfectly green, with a good promise of 
not ripening at all. These strange plants, all 
from one seed, vary so remarkably, are so 
entirely different from either wheat or rye, 
that nothing short, of seeing them can give the 
reader a good idea of them or enable authori¬ 
ties on grasses to intelligently consider the 
matter. 
We pass now to the three-fourths rye plants, 
seeds of which were planted last Fall, having 
been produced by again crossing the half-rye 
plants by the application of rye pollen. About 
a dozen plants grew, every one of which is 
different from the others, and three of which, 
bearing from fifteen to twenty beads each, are 
evidently sterile. It is to be. hoped that a few 
seeds may be found in these heads, as thus 
far it is only from them that any progress 
towards rye has been made. One of these 
sterile plants was the fullest of any plants iu 
the several plots by six inches. The culms are 
as slender as rye culms, but iu color a very 
dark purple, nearly black. Seven heads of the 
three-quarter rye plants were again t his Hum¬ 
mer emasculated aud treated to rye pollen. 
If any kernels result their parentage will be 
seven-eighths rye. /All will be agaiu care¬ 
fully planted, one kernel a foot apart each 
way, and will, it is hoped, result, in further 
remarkable departures next Hummer. 
If by this continued use of rye pollen upon 
successive progenies, the first mother of which 
was Armstrong Wheat, real rye plants are 
again produced, it will prove a most interest¬ 
ing and instructive fact, especially to botan¬ 
ical science. One cannot, however, examine 
this varied collection of hybrids without being 
impressed that the immense culms and heavy 
heads of many plants will find a welcome 
place in tin future cereal husbandly of the 
country. 
“Fertilizers fob Worn-out Soils, —The 
hybrids above considered are the results of 
only one of many experiments conducted by 
the Editor of the Rural New-Yorker in the 
interests of progressive agriculture and sci¬ 
ence. The Rural Grounds is one of the fore¬ 
most practical agricultural stations of the 
land, and abounds in valuable lessons to farm¬ 
ers. Follow'ing are a few r items of interest 
gleaned during our recent hurried visit: 
Potato fertilizer experiments made on poor, 
impoverished soil produced results that prove 
the folly of bestowing on laud which requires 
all three of the essential plant foods, any one 
or even two of them. A profitable yield is 
gained only where a complete fertilizer was 
given. Animal manures are complete fertil¬ 
izers iu the sense of containing all the ele¬ 
ments of plant foods. A “complete” fertilizer 
among commercial or artificial fert ilizers is 
one that possesses more or less of nitrogen, 
phosphoric acid and potash. It may be w orth 
$50 or g5 a ton, according to the quantity of 
these three foods it. contains in available form. 
In Mr. Carman’s experiments chemical fertil¬ 
izers were used. Lime, ashes, sulphate and 
muriate of potash, kainit, nitrogen, etc., plas¬ 
ter, bone, etc., were applied separately with¬ 
out material increase of yield over unmanured 
plots. The effect of any two was much the 
same. It was only on those plots where bone, 
potash and nitrogen were all used that, the 
yields were increased. 
“Improving Corn by Selection. —An in¬ 
teresting plot that demonstrated what each 
farmer may do for himself in the way ot im¬ 
provement in corn gave the results of ten 
years’ selection. The variety originally was 
Tenuessee Prolific, which during the second 
year of trial was crossed with heavy white 
dent. Teu years ago it grew ten and eleven 
feet high, suekered badly and bore small ours. 
Every year small plots have been planted aud 
seed selected from only the most perfect 
plants. The tassels of all faulty plauts were 
cut off. The results, as seen recently, of this 
teu years’ improvement by selection are: It is 
two weeks earlier, there are few suckers; the 
ears are often four and five to a stalk, are 
borne lower, aud the plauts average not over 
eight to nine feet high iu good soil. 
“Earliness ofthe Early Ohio Potato.— 
The earlineSS of the Early Ohio potato is a 
subject of some discussion, as is also the fickle¬ 
ness of its yield. In some localities it. is the 
earliest sort known, and yields well; in others 
the yield is poor. A peculiarity of this varie¬ 
ty everywhere is smallness of the tops, and 
they hardly ever bloom. On the Rural 
Grounds Early Ohio and Beauty of Hebron 
were planted side by side. July 18 the vines 
of Early Ohio were nearly all dead, while those 
Of Beauty of Hebron showed no signs of chang¬ 
ing. Judging from the raised, cracked soil 
and one hill opened for inspection, the yield 
will be heavy; but then this was in extremely 
rich soil that had not been subjected to 
drought. Early Ohio was the earliest of sixty- 
one varieties under trial. , 
“Raspberry and Blackberry Cross.— 
Prof. Haunders, of Canada, and perhaps 
others, have effected a cross between raspber¬ 
ries and blackberries, but the results are not 
known. It. appears from Mr, Carman's ex¬ 
periments in this direction that the cross is a 
simple one to make. Both the raspberry and 
blackberry buds were opened and the anthers 
removed while greeu. Pollen from each was 
applied to the other, and carefully wrapped 
up in tissue paper to prevent contact of pollen 
from bees or wind. About fifteen berries 
formed from this hybridization* three-fourths 
on the raspberry and the remainder on the 
blackberry. The seeds of the raspberry have 
already been sown, aud those of the blackber¬ 
ries are to tie planted when ripe. 
“The Japan Chestnut.— The Japan chestnut 
which owes its introduction in this country to 
an accident, has proven iu New Jersey to be 
as hardy as the American Chestnut. Home 
trees will bear when three years from seed, 
aud there appears to be no difficulty in trans¬ 
planting the seedlings. Owing to its short 
joints and shrub-like tendency of growth the 
Japan chestnut, is peculiarly adapted as an or¬ 
namental tree for lawns; it is also of value for 
its fruit, which, while not of as good quality as 
the American chestnut, is better than that of 
the Spanish nut. On the Rural Grounds 
were seen seedlings one foot high from seeds 
that bad been planted this spring, 
“Peas will not Mix. —Farmers, many of 
them, believe that different varieties of peas 
will cross if planted iu close proximity. This 
is not the easts for the ovules of each (lower 
are fertilized by the pollen of the same flower 
long before the buds uufnld. Therefore, in 
crossing peas, the anthers must lie removed 
just as soon as the petals show themselves in 
the bud. If one waits beyond this period. It 
will be found, on opening the bud, that, the nu- 
toers are ripe aud have shed their pollen upon 
the stigma. It is impracticable to unfold a 
bud so small and immature, anil therefore 
many have concluded that peas could not be 
crossed even artificially. This difficulty is 
obviated, however, by cutting off the tip of 
the bud as soon as it appears, aud slitting 
down the flower a short distance ; the ten an¬ 
thers are then easily removed, leaving only 
the stigma, which may uow receive pollen of 
any other variety with which it is to be crossed. 
“Welcome Oat under Many Names.— 
Trial plots devoted to oats make it appear that 
“Welcome” is really the “White Australian” 
introduced by ex-Commissioner Le Due while 
in office ; but then again it is not Australian, 
because Australia is not an oat country. “Da¬ 
kota Chieftain.” “Clydesdale,” “White Bel¬ 
gian,” “Race Horse,”aro all really “Welcome” 
or “White Australian.” Ho, likewise, are the 
new “ Yankee Prolific,” the “‘Russian White,” 
or “White Russian.” 
"The Blush Potato. —The Blush Potato, 
introduced by the Rural New-Yorker four- 
years ago, lias proven all that was claimed for 
it. It is of the Peachblow kind, but one of the 
heaviest of yielders, and in quality as good as 
any Peachblow, It is a late sort- and one of 
the best of keepers. Its one failing is that it 
straggles in the hill, thereby rendering it 
more difficult to harvest than some other 
kinds.” 
Feeding Apples to Cows.—O wing to the 
tendency of cows to over-eat when they can 
get food which they like and to which they 
are unacnistomod. the Natural Live Stock 
Journal thinks that probably there is nothing 
more dangerous for them to help themselves 
to than apples, yet they readily become 
accustomed to them, so that they can be as 
safely trusted in au orchard as a sheep or 
horso. They should be fed moderately at first, 
and the quantity bo gradually increased till, at 
leug h, they learn to measure the quantity 
their stomachs can mauage. 
Apples are a dainty bit for cows, and when 
fed judiciously, are a healthful aud excellent 
milk-producing food, and as safe as any other. 
The great danger in the case of bovines over 
that of other animals, comes in part from an 
extraordinary development, of the rumen by 
habitually overcrowding it with coarse herba¬ 
ceous food iu the effort to furnish the means 
for supplying the demands of abnormally ac¬ 
tive udders. The rumen becomes stretched to 
such a capacity that it. will hold more concen¬ 
trated food than cau be digested before fer¬ 
mentation becomes active enough to prove 
detrimental, if not fatal; aud the auimals arc 
not able, until educated by experience, to dis¬ 
criminate in the use of coarse and concentrated 
foods. Non-ruminants have no such organ for 
hastily taking in a store of food to be after¬ 
wards worked over, aud hence are not so 
likely to be led into overloading; nor do ewes, 
which have a drain through their udders very 
much inferior iu proportion to cows, feel such 
a strain ujion their appetites as to induce an 
over-distension of the rumen, but would in all 
probability do so with a corresponding devel¬ 
opment of milking capacity, since they are 
also ruminants and have analogous stomachs. 
Herefords as Butchers’ Stock.— An im¬ 
portant characteristic in Hereford cattle is 
that they carry flesh most heavily on the parts 
of the frame from which the best meat is cut. 
Their broad backs are usually loadetl with 
meat of the very finest quality, aud the aver¬ 
age Hereford carcass is found to have its fat 
and lean mixed in the most admirable man¬ 
ner. Butchers aud consumers alike hold Here¬ 
ford beef iu high esteem in England. Indeed, 
the grass-fed Hereford beef enjoys quite an 
enviable reputation, and brings top figures in 
the best markets of that country, as we are 
told by Farm and Home. The perfect mixing 
of Hereford beef has been notorious for gener¬ 
ations, and has frequently been illustrated 
both by brush and pen. The proportion of 
lean to fat is exceptionally large, and the 
whole is juicy, tender, aud choicely flavored. 
- ♦♦♦- 
THE LATEST AND BRIEFEST. 
The New York Times says that “the pur¬ 
pose of roost of the agricultural schools is not 
so much to make farmers as to make teachers 
of the art, but it seems to n practical man that 
the best kind of a teacher is one that can fli-st 
show a young man how to use the plow and 
harrow by explaining to him the principles 
upon which they arc constructed and work, 
and teaching him how to handle them. This 
should come before the study of c hemistry, or 
at least be held equally important with it.” 
By all means. But it strikes ns that a young 
man should know how to plow, harrow, hoe, 
etc., before entering an agricultural college, 
as an elementary education necessary to pass 
an examination. . 
The hams which won the first of four pre¬ 
miums, offered for the best cured hams by the 
Maryland Agricultural Society, were cured as 
follows : For every-100 pounds of meat take s 
pounds of the best pork salt, 2 ounces of salt- 
jieter, 2 pounds brown sugar, 1>* ounce of 
potash and 4 gallons of water. Mix them and 
pour over the hams after they have lain in 
the tub 2 days, having been rubbed with fine 
salt when put in. Lot them remain in this 
pickle for ti weeks ; then let them dry several 
days before smoking. 
Puck (the illustrated comic journal) says 
that the man who labors with his hands lias a 
way of arrogating to himself all the dignity 
of labor. He calls himself a workingman, and 
denies that title to the men who labor with 
their brains. He will not recognize as a fellow- 
laborer the accountant, the editor, the artist, 
the inventor. He never thinks that, such men 
may work as hard as he does, most woik as 
hard as he does to get on in the world, aud to 
make their living. .-- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Delaware. 
Camden. Kent Co., Aug. 31—Lately I have 
done a good deal of traveling through the New 
Jersey, Delaware aud Maryland peach region. 
Only a few of the evaporators in the Delaware 
and Maryland peach region were run before 
the first part of this week, as the excess of rain 
during the first part ofthe fruit season made 
the peaches of ]>oor quality for can¬ 
ning. Lately there has been a good spell of 
dry weather, however. A basket of peaches 
should yield, if Oldmixons in prime condi¬ 
tion, upwards of seven pounds of evaporated 
fruit., but this season only from two to three 
pounds have been secured from a basket. Con¬ 
sequently the cost has been too great for the 
busiuessto be profitable. The opportunity on 
the peninsula for evaporating white or red 
fruit lias passed, but tbe dry weather if it con¬ 
tinues will cause the Smocks, the yellow 
peaches generally used for that purpose, to 
be in prime condition, aud the evaporators 
may secure the usual supply-. M bite or red 
evaporating fruit, will probably be scarce ex¬ 
cepting for unpeeled fruit, aud that will 
probably be abundant. There may- be a few 
Smocks ready for market this week from Low. 
er Maryland, but there will be an abundance 
of them next week. This is the most desir¬ 
able yellow peach for canning and preserving, 
aud housekeepers will do well to bear this iu 
mind and be prepared by next week. The 
season will be a short one, and there w ! ll be 
but very- few peaches from Delaware after 
Sept. 10. H. r. s. 
Illinois. 
Chicago, Cook Co., August 24. —Duringthe 
last seven days we have been drifting again 
into very hot weather, and advices from the 
West indicate that the recurrence is not local. 
The lute rains, however, have been very bene¬ 
ficial. Iu many localities where corn two 
weeks ago did not promise anything, a half 
crop at least now seems very probable. 
Another favorable change is the revival of 
vast areas of pasturage, so important for 
stock feeding. Fall pasturage in the West is 
greatly- relied upon for the fitting and prepar¬ 
ation of stock for winter feeding. The long, 
dry weather had completely exhausted the 
fields, and they were totally destitute of 
the slightest sigu of life or vegetation, but a 
favorable change is plainly visible to-day 
everywhere from the lakes to the Mississippi 
River. The reports on spring wheat have 
been very eonflcling. but the burden of the 
evidence increases to the effect that in many 
areas of Minnesota, where forty days ago the 
crop was reported to be a failure, a very fail- 
yield of spring wheat is now I icing thrashed out. 
Good progress has been made with plowing for 
wheat, in Ohio aud Indiana, and we expect 
to see seeding of winter wheat iu these States 
soon commenced. The movement of winter 
wheat still continues very fair. Farmers lost 
very heavily- last season on their wheat, where 
they had any, by holding for higher prices. 
But this season there does not seem to be any 
disposition either in the spring or winter 
wheat, belts to hold for an advance, but to sell 
as the necessities of the case require. Oue 
good general rain (which we have not yet had) 
would put everything in the farming world iu 
excellent shape for fall work. The rains 
have come during the last two or three weeks 
only in areas, and were confined more or less 
to States. 1 do not think that during the last 
forty or fifty days Illinois received any rain 
which would cover the Htate as n whole dur¬ 
ing a consecutive period of twenty-four hours, 
and this is one reason why the reports on the 
corn situation have been of such an irregular 
character. W. H. L. 
MaMBchimeUa. 
Wollaston, Norfolk Co., August 24.— 
Grapes almost a failure on account of mildew; 
none escaped. Pears very light owing to frost 
about, the time ot blossoming. As a general 
tli lug, in most other sections of East ern Massa¬ 
chusetts, the crop will bo good. Apples 
plenty, the ravages of the canker-worm not so 
apparent as in previous years. Plums a fair 
crop. Peaches—none—trees dead or dying. 
Tomatoes very late and inclined to rot befoic 
ripening. J- K - 
Up** 1 ork. 
Middletown, Orauge Co., August 31.—The 
