1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
GROWING RHUBARB IN THE DARK. 
The following notes were written on March 26. We 
print them now, seemingly out of date, so that those who 
wish to try the plan next Winter may have ample time 
to prepare: 
On January 15 I fixed a place in my cellar next to 
the furnace, nearly six feet square; furnace wall on 
one side, cellar wall on two sides. The fourth side 
was tarred paper (felt) tacked on old screen doors; 
one screen door fixed so as to be opened when neces¬ 
sary. I covered the bottom of the enclosure with 
rhubarb roots, except a space about a foot wide run¬ 
ning through the middle; filled in dirt around the 
roots and gave all a good watering. The roots were 
whole roots that had been dug late in the Fall and 
stored in a shed to freeze, as much of the dirt kept 
on as possible. The long roots were trimmed off, 
leaving each stool about the size and shape of a peck 
basket. In due time the plants began to grow, and 
we began using the pieplant about February 5. Feb¬ 
ruary 10 1 took 30 pounds to market, have sold over 
50 pounds to grocers at from seven to 10 cents per 
pound. Besides what has been sold we have given 
from time to time to friends and neighbors over 60 
pounds. We have given to 22 families over two 
pounds each, some of them nearly four, five and six 
pounds; have used a large amount in our own fam¬ 
ily, and have plenty yet and to spare. We shall have 
plenty for two weeks yet, though the stalks are get¬ 
ting smaller. The roots were strong and had not 
been weakened by excessive picking of the pieplant 
during the last Summer, and the seed stalks had been 
kept picked off. For about one foot next the furnace 
wall the plants did not do well, too much heat. There 
should have been an open space next the furnace. The 
space occupied by the roots was about 30 square feet. 
Very old roots are not very good for forcing. The 
crowns are so numerous that the stems will be small 
and not salable. Three or four-year-old roots are 
about right; most persons with small gardens and 
a few roots will pick tne pieplant to death, and won¬ 
der why the stalks are not larger and of better qual¬ 
ity. Roots for forcing should be sparingly picked in 
the Summer, so that they can store up in the roots 
and crowns plenty of plant food for Winter and 
Spring forcing. If one wished only pieplant enough 
during the Winter for his own family, and had the 
roots he could supply himself very cheaply by taking 
or making a tight box about 18 inches square, and 
a foot high, and filling the same with rhubarb roots, 
putting over the same a box, barrel or cabinet about 
three feet high, excluding the light, and placing it 
in a warm place in any part of the house or cellar. 
As one set of roots was exhausted others could be 
used. I have such a cabinet made on purpose, two 
feet square and four feet high, but having used a 
portion of the cellar the wife has had shelves put in, 
and is using it in the dining room for milk and but- 
JULY FOURTH PLUM. Fig. 243. 
ter. The cabinet is made of four-inch pine ceiling, 
and is a nice piece of furniture—cost of material less 
than $2. When not in use for pieplant it can be made 
useful the remainder of the year for many purposes, 
being ornamental it can be set in any warm room to 
grow the pieplant. 
One word more about cooking pieplant for sauce 
when so fresh and tender. Cut the stems into pieces 
about one-half or three-fourths inch long, put in the 
sauce dish to cook; pour on boiling water to cover, 
and as soon as it comes to a boil remove from the fire 
at once and sweeten to suit the taste. Most of the 
pieces will remain whole and will not be dissolved 
into a mash. You will by so doing have a dish both 
pleasant to the eye and enjoyable to the taste, and 
the good cook will enjoy the pleasant remarks that 
win be made. So says my good wife, and she ought 
to know, for she has cooked pieplant for our family 
over 55 years. s. s. bailey. 
Michigan. 
NEW PLUMS FROM LUTHER BURBANK. 
Last July we received from Luther Burbank, of 
California, specimens of some of his newer plums— 
pictures of which are shown this week. Mr. Burbank 
writes as follows concerning his new fruits: 
Their names are only temporary. I sometimes 
have used numbers until an appropriate name could 
be selected, but when they got up into the hundred 
thousand was obliged to take names as suggested at 
the moment, for the best ones. A number is very in¬ 
definite. 
“Climax’s brother,” b ig. 244, is from the same cross 
and the same lot of seed as the now well-known and 
very popular Climax. The tree is a more upright 
THE CLIMAX PLUM. Fig. 242. 
grower, in that respect resembling its staminate par¬ 
ent (Prunus Simoni) and also in the form and gen¬ 
eral appearance of the fruit, but unlike it the fruit 
is never bitter, never cracks, and is of better quality 
in other respects. Tliougn not as handsomely col¬ 
ored as Climax it is even better for long distance 
shipping. “Best black blood,” Fig. 245, is remarkable 
in the fact that unlike nearly all other plums of Tri¬ 
flora (Japan) parentage, it has a firm flesh which does 
not give one a shower bath of juice when eaten. 
Though filled with most delicious, highly-flavored 
juice, the flesh is firm, anu when fully ripe can be 
handled and sliced like an apple. Tree productive 
and vigorous, upright growth and large, long Simoni- 
like leaves. Climax, Fig. 242, is too well-known to 
need description. The largest California growers and 
shippers have fully indorsed it and are grafting over 
their mammoth orchards to it extensively. “July 4,” 
CLIMAX’S BROTHER PLUM. Fig. 244. 
Fig. 243, is without any exception admitted to be the 
most perfect plum in existance for quality. It stands 
with Seckel pear and the Carden Royal apple as the 
very standard of excellence. There is no difference of 
opinion in that respect. It is a second-generation 
seedling from a French-prune, Japan-plum, Ameri¬ 
can-plum cross. The combination of flavors, like one 
of my White nectarine Wager peach crosses, is some¬ 
thing never to be forgotten when once tasted. 
My “Plumcots,” produced by combination of the 
apricot and various plums, are the latest wonder 
among pomologists and fruit-growers, these have the 
form of an apricot, the same general outside appear¬ 
ance, but more highly colored than either plum or 
apricot with a skin unique—soft, slightly silky, downy 
with a shadowy bloom, the flesh generally yellow, 
often deep crimson; either freestone or clingstone; 
seed more generally like a plum-stone, hut often vice 
versa. The rich flavors of these fruits are a revela- 
655 
tion of new fruit possibilities, and are not duplicated 
in any other earthly fruit. 
The “stoneless” prunes and plums are gradually 
improving in size and quality and promise unexpected 
usefulness. The hardy Minnesota combinations with 
large Japanese and Domestica plums are now fruit¬ 
ing; about 8,000 of these ripening this month for the 
first time; and the wonderful combination of size, 
form, color, growth, foliage, etc., make them an ab¬ 
sorbing study. The size and quality have in almost 
every case been improved from one to 500 or 600 per 
cent, and often the growth of tree also. The hardy 
little beach plum (Prunus maritima) has also been 
induced to form a combination with some of the 
giant ones, and from their never-failing productive¬ 
ness, small seed and other superior qualities will 
make themselves felt later on in pomological enter¬ 
prises and investments all around the world. 
_LUTHER BURBANK. 
COMMON SENSE ABOUT BELGIAN HARES. 
In reply to several inquiries directed to me in re¬ 
spouse to what I wrote several weeks ago about Bel¬ 
gian hares, I have to say that they are no fake, if 
sensibly handled. There is a sort of craze now on the 
minds of many and such may pay big prices for stock 
and ther never succeed; just as is done in every line 
o f business. In my opinion there is no more tender 
and toothsome meat than a well-fattened Belgian 
hare. I had my first taste at a Grange dinner in In¬ 
diana several years ago, and after talking with the 
man who raised the hares I concluded to get a start. 
The expense was little and the progeny has paid its 
way ever since, and given us many nice meals. Last 
year, with four breeding does we raised more than 
100 curing the Summer, and might have had more 
than twice that many by late Fall by breeding the 
young does; but we did not care to keep so many. 
This year we have reared too many Leghorn chickens 
—about 600—to have much time for the hares, and 
have not raised many. 
Those who have a little time to spare once or twice 
a day can easily find a way to keep a few, and where 
there is plenty of time and opportunity to grow food 
they will usually pay very well on a larger scale. There 
are books on the subject of hare breeding, which it 
would be well to get, but a small start and a little ex¬ 
perience will soon show any sensible person, either 
man, woman or child, how to care for them. There 
is no danger of these animals overrunning the coun¬ 
try as some have feared, for they may easily be kept 
down; and, strange to say, they seem to refuse to 
stay in wild haunts, but return to the farm buildings 
when turned out in the woods, as I have known to 
be done I have known big hares to chase cats to 
cover. They fight by kicking, and fight hard, too. 
The dogs will kill any of them and cats catch the 
young ones. It will never be here as it is in Austra¬ 
lia with the wild English hare. That is a different 
animal, and will not cross-breed with the Belgian 
hare, as I am told. 
BEST BLACK BLOOD PLUM. Fig. 245. 
In reply to some specific questions I may say: The 
price for a pair that will serve practical purposes 
should not be over $5, but those with all the standard 
points as to position and size of ears, color of hair 
and such fancy marks often go for $10 to $100 and 
more each. Some good young ones sometimes sell 
for $1 each. They are worth about 50 cents to eat 
when nearly full grown. The game dealers buy them 
at a fair price in city markets, but we have never 
sent them any, choosing to eat the surplus at home. 
I believe there will be a fair demand for them, but 
not above prices for good poultry. There is danger 
of too much inbreeding and it is necessary to keep 
up the stock by getting outside blood frequently, or 
keeping different strains at home. One buck is suffi¬ 
cient for 10 does. Four or five litters of about six 
each are enough for any doe, however strong and 
healthy, in one year. Each doe should be kept by 
herself in a pen about six feet square and with a 
board floor. She needs some litter to make a nest, 
or the young will die. If she is kept on the ground 
she will dig a deep hole and there rear her young. 
Some like this plan, but I do not, so far as experience 
goes. H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
