NEW YORK. DECEMBER 11, 1886 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, by the Rural New-Yorker, In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 
ness may be greatly increased by seedling cul¬ 
tivation. No doubt worthless Japan seedlings 
will be distributed in numbers, but out of the 
lot of rubbish we shall in time settle upon 
varieties far superior to those known at pres¬ 
ent. 
A FATLCRE. 
J. N. Roberts, of Norfolk Co., Mass., gives his 
experience with Japan Chestnuts as follows: 
“Eight or 10 years ago, quite late in the 
season, while purchasing some pear trees of a 
nurseryman in Boston, my attention was at¬ 
tracted to a very foreign-looking package of 
what appeared to contain material for canes 
or sun-shade handles; but upon inquiry I was 
informed that the package contained about 
100 or more young Japan Chestnut trees which 
admiration of all who saw them. The foliage 
was striking, and unlike anything I had ever 
seen. 
In the Fall I took special pains to have them 
well protected during the Winter, and to that 
end I protected them in the best possible man¬ 
ner with straw and matting, and left them to 
their fate until Spring. When spring time 
came, and uew life was indicated by swelling 
buds, I carefully disrobed my new friends, ex¬ 
pecting all the while my reward would be am¬ 
ple ; but, alas! when I took off the last layer 
I found that the bark was cracked and ready 
to peel, leaving nothing but the bare stock, 
sapless and dead. Thus ended my first and last 
experience with the Japan Chestnut. 
“Now what was the matter? Was the eli- 
(f’xpmmcnt Grounds ot ilic gtural 
iJra-Xlorkcr. 
JAPAN CHESTNUTS. 
Is it a .Japan Chestnut? The possibilities of 
improving ehestnuls; a failure \< ith Japan 
Chestnuts; seedlings\ easy/ to raise. 
On October 11, we received from Messrs. H. 
M. Engle & Son, Lancaster Co., Pa., five large 
chastuute in a burr, as shown at Fig. 450. The 
quality was as good as that of our native 
chestnuts. Mr. Engle writes: 
“So far as concerns productiveness, vigor, 
hardiness and early fruiting, this variety is all 
that can reasonably be desired; in fact, it 
bears in the nursery the second 
year from grafts. The specimens 
are fair samples of the size of the 
fruit. Its history I_ cannot trace 
further buck than 10 or 12 years 
ago, when I received from an 
amateur a few cions bearing the 
name, “Great American.’ That if 
is n ‘rue native I have doubts; it 
may be from a foreign variety in¬ 
fluenced by native pollen, since 
for quality it is claimed to be 
nearly il' not altogether equal to 
any of the American sweet chest¬ 
nuts. I expected it to be identical 
with ‘Numbo;’ but on comparing 
their foliage l am sure they are 
different. Not having t he ‘Num¬ 
bo’ in bearing yet, l can not say 
how it will compare with ours for 
productiveness, size or other qual¬ 
ities of fruit; but. that it can pos¬ 
sibly be superior in any respect, 1 
can not for a moment believe. 1 
have seen Japan chestnuts larger 
than these; but some fruiting in 
this vicinity this season are not as A. 
large. As to quality, 1 have had 
no opportunity to compare them. 
“As to comparative vigor, the 
Japan seems small and feeble, and 
since its hardiness is questioned by — 
some, it is n<>t likely that it will 
prove superior to some varieties 
now cultivated. As to varieties, 1 *—- 
would just here suggest that 
any proving superior should bo 
authoritatively named before syn¬ 
onyms or a confusion of names can 
occur, especially since nut Culture 
will be rapidly extended in this 
country, and well it. should be. 
As the value of nuts as food for 
man is appreciated by only a few- 
just now, it would be of interest to 
learn the nutritive properties of 
nuts generally, and specially of 
chestnuts. The appetizing quality 
of the latter is well known to those 
who have eaten them fresh, Ik died 
or baked, and when they can be 
had of the size of some varieties 
now raised, we can make a meal 
without getting hungry while shelling them. 
“As to Japan chestnuts, since many are 
grown from seed, we may soon have as many 
varieties as there are now of Chickasaw plums, 
under the name of Wild Goose. ” 
IR N.-Y.—The size of the chestnuts aud the 
number in one of the burrs aie shown in the 
illustration, Fig, 450. The quality of this va¬ 
riety is fully; equal to that of the average Am¬ 
erican chestnut. We do not pretend to say 
whether it is American or Japan, not having 
seen the wood or foliage. No matter of what 
SELF-HUSKING, BRAZILIAN FLOUR 
ANGEL OF MIDNIGHT CORN. 
Self-Husking Corn. —Seed received from 
Peter Henderson & Go., of New York. It was 
planted May 1st in drills one foot apart—the 
drills four feet apart. The soil was a sandy 
loam much impoverished by constant cropping 
for a dozen years or more Complete chemi¬ 
cal fertilizers were sown upon the plot at the 
rate of about 000 pounds to the 
acre. The plant averaged six feet 
high and bore one and two ears to 
a stalk—generally one. The ears 
were about nine inches long, eight 
rows, very regular. They resemble 
the yellow Canada flint. The ker¬ 
nels are a trifle larger, however, 
and the cob very small. The crop 
might hare been harvested Au¬ 
gust 15. The husks begin to wither 
while yet the plants are vigorous 
and green, and finally fall down 
around the stalk, exposing the ear 
fully. Many kinds of flint com 
and some kinds of dent have the 
same habit, though not, so far as 
we have observed, to the same 
degree. At any rate Mr. Hender¬ 
son is the first to have utilized this 
peculiarity by bringing it promin¬ 
ently before the public for what¬ 
ever it may be worth in saving 
labor in husking. Some may ob¬ 
ject to it on the ground that the 
naked ear invites the attacks of 
sparrows, blackbirds, etc. It was 
- not so in this case. The kernels 
were well glazed before the husks 
began to free themselves from the 
ear, and the birds were unable to 
iujure them, Icing closely set and 
SPiSfcStt 'V\\ han 1 frora tbo C-husking 
■ C' habit, this corn may be regarded 
»jv\ fiYAy'yy-'' as eaJ 'ly and prolific. The accom- 
i'VMA pauyiug illustration, Fig. 451, page 
shows one of the best ears. 
The New Brazilian Flour 
Corn.— Seed received from Samu¬ 
el Wilson, Mechanicsville, Bucks 
Co., Pa. Mr. Wilson says that 
^ it is largely grown in Brazil, S. 
A., and constitutes the princi¬ 
pal article of food for the inhabi¬ 
tants. Ho claims that when this 
corn is “properly ground and bolt¬ 
ed, it will make as good flour as 
that made from the best of wheat.' 1 
"The flour," he continues “is much 
whiter than wheat flour; will rise 
as well aud will make bread, pies, 
cakes, biscuits etc., equal to the 
best wheat flour." He further claims that 
this corn is very productive and will grow 
iu almost any climate, and, owing to the un¬ 
usual number of ears produced on one stalk, 
that it will produce as many bushels of shelled 
corn to the acre as any variety of field corn. 
He further claims that it is unusually valuable 
as a forage plan r ow ing to its immense stool- 
ing properties, rapidity of grow th and abun¬ 
dance of blades.' He further claims that the 
Brazilian Corn is equal if not superior to the 
best varieties of sugar corn for boiling or 
roasting when green. 
The seed was planted May 1st in the same 
way as the Self-Husking Corn, and in an adja - 
UillUi’ .N\\ 
Drawn from Nature. Fig. 450, 
CHESTNUTS from II. M. Engle 
had been ordered several months previous by 
some lover of novelties in or near Boston, but 
upon their arrival by express from California 
so late in the season, there was no one to claim 
and pay charges on them, aud they were, 
therefore, placed in the hands of the aforesaid 
nurseryman to be disposed of as best lie could. 
1 was induced to try a couple at 25 cents each, 
and set them out iu a favorable situation. 
It being the latter part of June. 1 did not 
see any signs of new life until along in July 
when thi» buds began to expand and new 
growth to assert itself in a very gratifying 
manner. The young shoots and leaves that 
during the season kept multiplying were the 
mate too severe, or did I kill them with kind¬ 
ness? 
R. N -Y.—We doubt not, that they were 
killed owing to late growth. Possibly they 
were the Spanish Chestnut. 
On Dec. 2 we received frolu Stores, Harri¬ 
son & Co., of Paiuesville, Ohio, three chest¬ 
nuts, marked “Japan Chestnuts,’’ which 
weighed four ounces, the largest we have ever 
seen. The flesh was coarse and inferior to 
that of American chestnuts. Storrs, Harrison 
& Co., are confident that these are Japan 
Chestnuts, but we have never seen any grown 
iu this country so large or of such poor qual¬ 
ity. They resemble the Spanish chestnuts 
sold from the street stands. 
