82 S 
THE BUBAL WEW-Y08KEB, 
cent plot. The plants grew about nine feet high. 
The stalks were comparatively slender, the 
joints closer together than usual, the leaves 
broad and many. Very few of the plants suck 
ered at all, and those less than the average 
dent varieties, Nearly every joint formed a 
a set, so that there were sometimes eight or 
even 10 sets to a plant. The ears are small, 
averaging rather less than six inches ami bear¬ 
ing a variable number of rows—usually 10. 
The kernels are rather small, white and 
starchy. Though the season was favorable, 
the grain did not mature and frost found the 
most advanced ears still milky. We cannot 
speak, therefore, of the {louring qualities of 
this corn. Several lots were gathered and 
boiled. The quality was rich aud agreeable, 
but rather dry and tough. We should say 
that the Brazilian Flour Corn would not ma¬ 
ture in average seasons north of Washington. 
We have never raised any kind of corn that 
bears anything like so many ears to a plant. 
The so-called Blount's Prolific is not to be 
compared to it. But the ears are not half so 
largo. The best ear of the Brazilian Flour 
Com weighs 1 1 ounces (the grain four ounces, 
the cob half an ounce). An average-sized 
ear of large Western white dent weighs 19 
ounces (the grain 14V ounces, the cob 4Rf 
ounces). It is safe to say that, t he grain of au 
average ear of the Western corn will weigh 
four times as much as an average ear of the 
Brazilian. We doubt if the latter will bear 
au average of four times as many ears as the 
former, while the time required iu husking 
would be at least four times as great. The 
value of the Brazilian Corn must, therefore, 
rest iu its flouring qualities, of which we can 
not judge. It may be well worthy of trial in 
more suitable climates. The illustrations, Figs. 
452 and 453, p. 923 (from uatuie) show what 
Mr. Wilson considers an average ear. 
* * * 
Midnight Cork—Potato Yields. —We 
have received four ears of Angel of Midnight 
Corn from Geo. W. Sherman, of Rhode Island, 
which weigh 2*. pounds. The longest ear 
measures inches, eight rows, til kernels to 
the row, or 4*8 to the ear. The shortest ear 
s 13 V inches long, eight rows, 58 kernels to 
the row or 424 in all. The ears are straight, 
the rows regular. Mr. Sherman writes as fol¬ 
lows: 
Angel of Midnight is the best com for 
(Rhode Island. I planted six acres this year 
and harvested 750 bushels of ears. I used 800 
pounds of Bowker’s Fertilizer to the acre, but 
no other manure, I also planted five acres ot 
potatoes: one acre of Pearl of Savoy yielded 
125 bushels, one acre of Early Rose 
yielded 100 Lishels; one acre Burbanks 210 
bushels; two acres of Rural Blush yielded (520 
bushels. All these were salable, small ones 
not having been measured. 
Ijmlxniiiural, 
GARDEN NOTES. 
WILLIAM FALCONER. 
Sweet Corn, Northern Pedigree. —The 
Rural’s notice of this variety, Nov. 20th., 
reminds me that I too grew it last Summer. 
I sowed the seed in warm, rich, sandy grouud, 
April 19th, and gathered the first, tuessof corn 
from it on July 9th. Plants some five feet 
high; oue to two cars to a stalk; ears five to 
seven inches long; quality unsurpassed for 
excellence hy any other sweet corn 1 ever 
ate. Indeed, I’d as soon eat it uncooked as 
cooked. 
Sweet Corn, White Extra Early Mar¬ 
blehead. —Sown April 9th, tit for use July 
7th. The earliest corn I had. Plants some 
five feet high: ears six to eight inches long 
and mostly two to the stalk. An excellent 
corn, but not as sweet as Northern Pedigree. 
Farquauar’s First Crop Sweet Corn.— 
Plants of about the same size as the Marble¬ 
head, earliness the same, ears smaller, white; 
a capital early corn, but I should prefer the 
Marblehead. 
Snap Bean, Cleveland’s Improved Val¬ 
entine. —I have grown this, another member 
of the Rubai. 1887 Seed Distribution, for the 
last two years, aud I must recommend it as 
being one of the finest beams grown. From 
the 80th of April till the first of September 1 
sow It twice a week; if I knew of a better 
ls-an I d use that instead. It. is six t.o nine days, 
according to season of the year, curlier than 
the common Valentine. But it isn’t the 
earliest.bean in cultivation by any means, the 
little White Flageolet, so far as my acquaint¬ 
ance extends, holds that honor. But the 
Flageolet is of poor quality. In iny trial 
grouud last Summer, sown May 27th, it was 
fit for use July 8th. Land, warm, sandy, aud 
rich. 
Henderson’s Earliest Red Valentine 
Bean. —This is just as early and good as 
Cleveland’s; indeed, I don’t know what is the 
difference between them. 
Family Beans. —By this I mean beans for 
home use exclusively. “ Nearly the whole 
crop can be taken at one picking.” I think 
that is one of the poorest recommendations a 
family bean can have; for our own use we 
waut a bean we can pick for to-day, to¬ 
morrow, the day after and longer; we want, 
fresh, brittle beans every day in the week, and 
iu order to have them we don’t want, to make 
a fresh sowing every day. 
WTiKN to Pick Beans.—I pick them as 
soon a.s they are three inches long; the mo¬ 
ment there is the least string to them, they 
are too old, and all I can do with them is to 
root them out and feed them, plants aud all. 
to the hogs, and in with a fresh supply. For 
this reason I sow twice a week the whole Bum¬ 
mer through. 
Jerusalem Artichokes.— We have better 
artichokes this year than ever before. We 
planted them last. April in rows three feet 
apart and two feet asunder in the row, one 
middle-sized tuber in each hill. The land had 
been subsoiled or well manured, and during 
Summer kept cultivated and clean, so long as 
we could get in among them. In September 
and October the “vines” were 10 to 14 feet 
high, and all iu bloom; but that didn't, hurt, 
the crop of tubers any. It was enormous. 
We store in a very cool pit with sandy earth 
among aud over the tubers. 
Salsify, Sandwich Island Mammoth.— 
Yes, it Ls bigger than the common one, but 
really the difference isn’t much. In good 
ground it requires timely thinning; iu poor 
ground it doesn’t amount to anything. But 
the idea of its being as big as a fair-sized pars¬ 
nip is all nonsense. 
White Plume Celery.— This wastbehard¬ 
est year for celery I ever knew. Wo usually 
sow our main crop in the fourth week of April 
and in due time pick them off, and plant them 
out in July or in early August after peas, 
beaus, potatoes or cauliflowers. Last Sum¬ 
mer we had lots of rain till after the middle of 
July wlieu a drought set in that lasted till to¬ 
ward the eml of October, just the time when 
celery should be growing. It was only with 
the watering cart we kept our celery alive. 
But on the 27th of October we bad a good.soak¬ 
ing rain. Between that time and November 
15th, when we bedded our celery,you could al¬ 
most see it grow. And the White Plume is the 
very best celery 1 have got. I earthed it up 
twice, not to whiten It, for it is white enough 
naturally, but to make it tender. In all we 
grow some 10,000 heads. 
Leeks. —On November 18 1 lifted and bedded 
my leeks for the Winter. In doing this I 
shorten their tops, then plant the leeks deep— 
to the tops of their necks—and close up against 
each other, in rows about five inches apart in 
a cold-frame. About the first of December I 
will throw an armful or two of dry oak leaves 
over t he leeks in the frames, put on the sashes 
and let them alone for the rest of the Winter, 
except so far as taking out what I need is con¬ 
cerned. They are hardy enough only I mustn’t 
let them get locked in by frost if 1 want them 
in Winter. In growing leeks there arc some 
points to particularly observe: Seed over a 
a year old is almost good for nothing; the leeks 
don’t go to seed the first year no matter how 
early you sow them; the earlier leeks are sown 
the bigger the plants will be, and later sow¬ 
ings never overtake the earlier ones. In sow¬ 
ing, sow broadcast or in quite close rows in a 
frame or outside nook as you would cabbage 
or celery, and when you get ready to plant, 
shorten tops and roots, and with a hoe d raw 
drills four to five inches deep and plant 
therein. 
Globe Artichokes. —I cut the last lot Nov. 
Kith. They were small but plump and good, 
and from plants raised from seed sown m the 
greenhouse last Spring. This is a fancy vege¬ 
table, but it is becoming a fashionable one, 
not so much for fashion’s sake as for taste’s 
sake,—many people arc loud of it. It is un¬ 
reliably hardy, Old plants yield their first 
heads about the end of June; those from 
Spring sowings about the first of August. 
We reckon on them constantly between the 
first of July and the middle of October. A 
slight frost doesn’t hurt them. There are 
many varieties. The round, sharp prickly 
ones are the poorest; the oval, flat-headed 
ones the best. You inuy buy what, named 
sorts you pleuso, you have got to select your 
stock after you see them flower. For fashion¬ 
able dinners there is always a run on this 
vegetable, one head for each guest is the 
rule. 
Kale For Winter. —Now' I aui very fond of 
kale greens iu Winter, fchay are so sweet aud 
tender. But 1 can assure you it is we old 
fogies who ought to know better than to get 
caught napping the ofteuest. For a long time 
I have been trying to get a real dwarf, hardy, 
early kale that will stand an American Win¬ 
ter: but I haven’t got it yet. Last Spring I 
bought “tme” Scotch kale from a Scotch 
firm in Boston, and have therefrom a nice 
cup of long-legged purple kale! Yes, I’m dis¬ 
gusted. I sent to London and got Veitch’s 
Dwarf Late Curled, “a very superior and dis¬ 
tinct variety for late use, dwarf, beautifully 
curled and exceedingly hardy,” also Road’s 
New' Hearting, “very late, hardy, dwarf and 
compact growing . „ . forming large, 
compact, crisp and well-curled heads. . . . 
It resists any amount of frost and wet. with¬ 
out. being injured ” All was lovely and I bad 
large plantations of kale, for every bit of laud 
as it became vacant was filled up with kale or 
turnips. But on the 17th of October we had a 
piercing frost (4“') aud a driving wind, and 
my half-mature English kales were half killed, 
aud my young plantations completely killed. 
But of common and Siberian kales I’ve got 
enough. 
Novelties.—I buy almost everything that 
turns up year after year in the way of novel¬ 
ties, uo matter be they flowers or vegetables, 
I never depend on a novelty for a crop, but 
take much pleasure iu growing ami comparing 
it, in my trial ground. Folks talk about get¬ 
ting “sold” aud “swindled” in novelties; hut 
isn't it curious that it is we old fellows that 
have been practically engaged iu this growing 
and experimenting business for a quarter of a 
century or more who buy and try the most of 
the novelties every yearf We are od1,v doing 
a little tow ards keeping posted in our business; 
wo never look for a bonanza, no matter how 
loudly (niffed the alleged novelty may be. We 
“take it easy,” keep our tempers, and make a 
note of it. 
-»»» 
A New Flower-pot has been invented by 
a lady in Arkansas. The pot has two walls, 
one within the other, the space between form¬ 
ing a reservoir for water. Near the bottom 
of the inner wall there are holes through 
which the water flows to moisten the earth. 
Water is poured in through a spout tixed to the 
side of the outer wmll. It is said that where 
the water is supplied at the bottom in this 
way the roots of the plants are sent down 
deeper to find the moisture, and surface roots 
are not so liable to be formed. 
MINER’S GRAPES. 
The Antoinette (of Minor) isn very strong 
grower, a healthy vine, and some seasons very 
productive, bearing large and handsome clus¬ 
ters. with bunches and berries larger than any 
I have ever seen of the Victoria, and in quality 
much the same. Indeed, all the white seed¬ 
lings which Mr. Miner sent me were very much 
alike in flavor and quality, and were in this 
respect similar to most of the White Concord 
seedlings that I have seen. Although the An¬ 
toinette seems both hardy, healthy, and vigor¬ 
ous in this climate, it is variable, bearing well 
in some seasons, and but little in others: and 
from what I sa w of the Victoria at River Edge, 
I thought it. might have the same habit. The 
best in quality of Mr. Miner's seedlings that. 1 
have grown lias been the Carlotta, though it 
is not as vigorous in growth; and the berries 
and clusters are smaller. The past season it 
ripened at the same time ns the Francis B. 
Hayes, aud was so much like it in every way 
that i could hardly see auy difference. Both 
were really very good. None of the black 
seedlings of Mr. Miner’s seemed to me worth 
perpetuat ing, as none of them was as good ns 
Concords in auy important particular. 
. G. w. c. 
R. N.-N.—The Carlotta is iu quality the best 
of the Miner’s grapes tried at the Rural 
Grounds. It is not very prolific, however, 
and the vines are less vigorous than those of 
the Victoria. 
Bogus Wines. —A profitable business is 
being done iu this city in the production of 
bogus wines. Dried fruits, such as raisins, 
currants, and peaches, are mascerated with 
water to which a certain amount of sugar Is 
added. The mixture is then fermented, aud 
when fermentation is sufficiently advanced, 
it is checked by the addition of salicylic acid. 
The stuff is then flavored and colored to re¬ 
semble various wines. It is a dangerous cou- 
COCt-ion, likely to cause sickness. Salicylic 
acid should never bo taken into the stomach. 
Bogus wine, like bogus butter, needs a bush— 
smartly applied to the backs of the makers to 
drive them into the light. 
£axm rks. 
PITHY PARAGRAPHS. 
Never purchase a farm without having a 
search made, back to the State, to know that 
your title will be perfect; and be sure that 
there are no incumbrances. 
Never accept the farm or the title, until it 
has been surveyed, and the corners located 
and permanently marked with a stone that is 
not common to the locality. 
If the line fences are not on the exact line, 
have them put there at once. You cannot af¬ 
ford to quarrel with any one. 
Iu building fences, take the cost and the 
time that they will last into consideration. A 
cheap fence may be too cheap. AU fences are 
costly, and tlx 1 fewer you have the better. 
A stone fence only wants binding crosswise, 
it does not fall down lengthwise. A crooked 
rail should never be put in the fence near the 
bottom. A crooked rail, like a crooked man, 
makes more trouble than it is worth—better 
make wood of it. 
Board fences are usually made with two 
good boards; they hold too much water aud 
rot too quickly. Joints are often too wide, 
the wind has too great an effect. The best 
wooden fence cannot stop a mad bull. What 
is the use of trying to do it; 
Iron posts and wire are to be the fence of 
the future. The quicker the farmer is pre¬ 
pared for it, the better, 
A stone fence is a costly fence if you have to 
buy the stones, but if you have to take them as 
an incumbrance from the ground and pile 
them up, it pays at both ends. 
Have your new house on naturally dry 
ground, but if this be impossible, drain it at 
least three feet below the bottom of the cellar 
wall. Do not lay the cellar wall plumb on 
either side. Have it broadest at the bottom, 
and just ns wide as the sill at the top. If it is 
likely to freeze, put in a brick wall inside. 
Do not. build a borne larger than you really 
want. A thousand dollars worth of house for 
other people to look at is a costly vanity. Have 
a good cistern and a large one, with a brick fil¬ 
ter in it. It will pay the cost ten times over 
in a single year. 
Have the conductor pipes comedown on the 
inside, where they will keep open the year 
round. You will lose a little of the roof; to 
be sure, but iu the Winter you can have all 
the water that there is. If the corners of the 
house are to the north and south, the sun can 
shine into every wiudow, every day in the 
year and the house will be far more healthy. 
Never live on the north side of a house in 
this cold climate, but on the sunny side, or the 
children will grow spindling, the eyes will 
fail at 30, and the women folks will drop into 
early graves. 
The parlor should not have the most cheer¬ 
ful prospect, that is the room to be enjoyed on 
the imide. Let the outlook from the living- 
room be the most pleasant, where most of the 
time is spent. 
The barn should be handy, far enough off 
so as not to bo Lu dauger if the house burns, 
aud not to endanger the house if it burns. 
One barn large enough for all, is better 
than several small ones. Have everything 
under one roof, and have it. well insured. 
Plant on the road side the whole length of 
the farm, such trees as naturally grew on the 
same place. Put them eight feet f rom the 
line. 
Have some planted around the dwelling, 
and iu the gullies and waste places, where 
nothing else can grow, and cover the couutry 
with trees. They will help the climate, aud 
water supply. 
You cannot do everything with one plow. 
You might as well expect to obtain all knowl¬ 
edge from one book. For stiff clay soil have 
the mould-board long and slim, and for a 
light, sandy soil have a short one with a sharp 
turn. Turu over green sward flat -roll it be¬ 
fore harrowing, and never harrow across the 
furrows. 
If your farm is not thoroughly drained, do 
it at once, or commence at once, aud finish as 
soon as possible. I do not advise the extremes 
that some recommend, but drain the worst 
places first, and the gain will pay for the re¬ 
mainder. A farm that needs draining is but 
half as productive as one fully drained. 
The best seed grain Is grown on the high¬ 
lands, because it matures slowly. Always 
get your seed from the best farmers in your 
vicinity, and if it is not all right they will be 
the most likely to make it all right. Do not 
purchase poor seed at a lower price. 
Sow your spring grain with the drill, be¬ 
cause it saves seed and rime, put* it. all at one 
depth, and insures better germination. 
Roll all fields in the Spring, On meadows 
it puts the stone out of the way; on grain, it 
makes the surface smooth for the reapor, and 
the rake. Besides, a compacted surface holds 
the heat, aud moisture. Sow none but per¬ 
fect seed, nolle that has been broken, and 
no trash. 
Gauge the quantity of seed to the quality 
of the soil. It is nonsense to sow two bushels 
to the acre, if you know that, the soil will not 
produce but twenty. Those farmers only sow 
two bushels who expect to raise 4(1. It is sets! 
thrown away. 
The best thing round a home is a good gar¬ 
den. To insure one it needs to be well drained, 
thoroughly trenched if the soil is tenacious, 
