i34 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
February 25- 
of lactation advances, both the fat and solids not fat 
increase; that is, ‘stripper’ milk is richer than that 
from a fresh cow.” 
“ An idea is very prevalent that different feeds 
affect the per cent of fat in the milk. Is this true ? ” 
“ So far as the per cent of fat is concerned, there is 
little if any change. You will get more milk as a re¬ 
sult of heavier feeding, but not richer milk. In a 
herd, a change of feed will, perhaps, cause some of 
the cows to give richer milk, and others will give 
poorer milk. Any change of feed is likely to affect 
the fat content, but you cannot, with any reasonable 
degree of certainty, increase the per cent of fat in 
milk by a change of feed.” 
Here the Doctor cited numerous experiments in proof 
of this, and called attention to the fact that the more 
extensive the experiments, the more marked were the 
results. An experiment lasting for a week with a 
single cow, was of no value. An experiment con¬ 
ducted in Denmark with milk from 1,000 cows during 
the whole of two periods of lactation, showed a varia¬ 
tion of less than one one-hundredth of one per cent. 
“You mention natural causes that affect the com¬ 
position ; what other causes exist ? ” 
“ Anything that disturbs a cow tends to reduce the 
per cent of fat in the milk ; especially is this true if 
the disturbance is at the time of milking. I will 
guarantee that, by milking an animal, I can affect 
the per cent of fat more than the most expert feeder 
can by feeding, and I will milk dry every time, but 
will milk as I please.” fbederic cranefield. 
Wisconsin Experiment Station. 
VAN DEMAN’S FRUIT NOTES. 
The Ingram Apple. —One of the new apples that 
is deserving of general trial, especially in the central 
and southern States, is Ingram. It was originated 
by Martin Ingram, of Green County, Missouri, from 
seed of Ralls Genet (which is often called Geniton, 
etc ), something more than 25 yearB ago. It resembles 
that old favorite somewhat in both tree and fruit. 
Like its parent, the tree does not come into leaf and 
bloom so early as most apples, and is, therefore, not 
so often caught by late frosts. It is a regular, de¬ 
pendable bearer, and makes a fine orchard tree. The 
fruit is of medium size, and in this respe.it, decidedly 
larger than the old variety. Fig. 45 shows the shape 
fairly. In shape it is oblate, conic, and somewhat 
angular. The color is yellowish when fully ripe, 
covered well over with quite distinct red stripes and 
some mixed red of a duller color. Many specimens 
are quite handsomely colored, and as they run, the 
apples are decidedly superior in general appearance 
to the parent variety. The flavor is subaeid, and 
would be considered by the average person as very 
good eating. It is a late keeper so far as tested. In 
Missouri, considerable orchards of Ingram are already 
planted and in bearing, and its popularity is steadily 
extending. The commercial orchardists of the West 
are taking it up, and it would be well for others to 
try it, especially in the regions where Ben Davis and 
Winesap are popular. 
The Emma Peach. 
Will you give a full history and description of the Emma 
peach, originated by Samuel H. Rumpb, of Georgia. r.^o. l. 
Pattonville, Mo. 
The Emma peach is a chance seedling from a lot of 
miscellaneous seeds planted about 10 years ago by the 
late George B. Plant, of Marshallville, Ga. It was 
first propagated by Samudl H. Rumph, of that place, 
who was among the first to discover its good qualities. 
He secured buds from the original tree, and now has 
an orchard of considerable size in bearing. He gave 
it the name Emma in honor of the oldest daughter of 
the originator. It has been stated unwittingly by 
some persons that this new peach was originated by 
Mr. Rumph and from seed of the Elberta, but I have 
this information direct from him. He also informed 
me that the fruit had brought the highest price of 
any peach he had sent to market. The tree is an 
abundant bearer. The fruit is about the same size, 
shape and color of the Elberta, but ripens two weeks 
later. 
Color as Related to Flavor in Fruits. 
Ruralisms asks whether any one has noticed that 
color affects the flavor of fruits of any kind. The 
cases of the mild flavor of white currants and other 
fruits mentioned have often been noticed. In my 
opinion, it is with them rather a matter of less sour¬ 
ness than more sugar or higher flavor than the red 
ones. The white blackberries are almost worthless, 
in point of high quality, when compared with such 
kinds as Eldorado and Kittatinny ; and I have tested 
very many wild ones as well as several cultivated 
kinds. The same is true of the yellow and white 
raspberries, except it be the Golden Queen, which 
is, probably, a bud variation of Cuthbert. 
With regard to other fruits, I cannot deduce any 
theory such as we might from the berries ; that is, 
a principle that white color and mild flavor go to¬ 
gether. There are all kinds of flavors among white, 
yellow, green, red and purplish-black apples. I now 
recall a series of critical notes which I made from 
week to week and year to year in the fruiting season, 
in a seedling apple orchard in Kansas, where there 
were 150 trees Some of the darkest and some of 
the lightest were both sweet and sour in each class. 
Some of the handsomest were the poorest in quality, 
and some of them were the best. The same was true 
of the least attractive. I then and there made up my 
mind that color and size had nothing to do with the 
good or bad qualities of an apple. The same is true 
of pears, peaches, plums, cherries and grapes. Take 
the Sheldon, Seckel, Bartlett and Lawrence pears, 
which are all of the highest quality, and notice how 
diverse are their size, shape and appearance. The 
Vicar, Kieffer, Jefferson and Golden Russet pears 
are all poor, yet they represent green, yellow, r<. d 
and russet colors, and all grades of shape from very 
CROSS SECTION OF THE INGRAM APPLE. Fig. 45. 
long to flat. The same variations run through the 
red, yellow and white peaches, and the blue and yel¬ 
low plums. The Catawba, Concord and Winchell 
grapes are all of high quality, yet they represent the 
red, black and green varieties ; yet what ones are 
poorer than the black Champion and green Elvira ? 
In oranges and other Citrus fruits, of which I have 
studied hundreds of varieties, there is no rule as to 
correspondence of color and flavor. The dark, almost 
reddish Pineapple orange is one of the sweetest of 
all, and so iB the pale yellow Paperrind. 
GROWING MUSHROOMS OUTDOORS. 
A Simple Bed. —Referring to your directions for 
growing mushrooms, in The R. N.-Y. of February 11, 
it may be interesting to add that this crop may also 
be profitably grown out of doors in the Spring and 
Fall. 
Fig. 46 shows Mr. Gardner’s plan for outside cul¬ 
ture. First dig out a trench five feet wide and 14 to 
16 inches deep, sloping towards the center. Mix to¬ 
gether manure and soil, and form a bed in the trench 
high enough to be nine inches above the level when 
well tramped down. The shelter is formed with 3x4 
AN OUTDOOR MUSHROOM BED. Fig. 46. 
Reproduced from the American Florist. 
hemlock for a span roof, allowing the north side 
rafter to overlap the south eight inches. The length¬ 
wise boards overlap like a shingle roof to turn water. 
The north side boards may be nailed fast, and the 
south side left movable, leaving in the south side six 
inches of space for ventilation at the top, where the 
overhanging rafters of the north keep rain out. 
When gathering mushrooms, the south side boards 
may be taken off to allow space to reach in freely/ 
The only attention a bed of this kind needs is a 
slight watering when the crop is being cut, and a 
covering of litter or long manure to keep off sun 
and frost. The bed must not be water-soaked, and to 
prevent this the ground has to be carefully graded, 
so as to turn water. During July and August, the 
bed is allowed to become dry on the surface, and is 
not watered to start the crop again until September. 
In a Pasture. —Any one who has a good pasture 
can have mushrooms by planting the spawn under 
the sod in May or early in June. Cut the sod V-shape, 
raise and insert the spawn underneath, and when the 
Fall rains come, one will have lots of mushrooms. A 
rich cow pasture is best—the mushroom will not grow 
on poor, gravelly or wet soil, or under trees. Con¬ 
sidering the ease with which it can be grown, it is a 
wonder that more of our farmers do not have a liberal 
supply of this most delicious esculent, which, accord¬ 
ing to Liebig’s analysis, is the nearest approach to 
beefsteak, and, as the immortal high priest of gas¬ 
tronomy, Brillat-Savarin, well says, “ Combines the 
best qualities of both flesh and fowl, but is unspeak¬ 
ably superior to either.” G c WATSON. 
Philadelphia. _ 
BEST DROUGHT-RESISTING STRAWBERRIES 
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF IRRIGATION. 
I have one-half acre of land, a gravelly loam, nearly level, 
naturally dry; a creek flows along one side six feet below. The 
piece has had 10 tons of green cow manure in two years, and has 
grown sowed corn. I wish to set strawberries. 1. Which will suc¬ 
ceed better, the Marshall or Bubach, on account of dryness ? I 
can pipe water enough the first year to start plants growing 
nicely, but cannot the second, as I have but one-inch pipe. 2. 
Can I mulch heavily enough to hold moisture and not interfere 
with the growth of plants ? t. b. n. 
Center, N. Y. 
Dry Weather Berries. —1. Nearly every variety 
of strawberry has a natural preference for soil of a 
certain character. For light, sandy soils, Beder Wood, 
Bubach, Cumberland, Haverland and Michel have 
done best. Varieties best adapted to heavier soils are 
Brandywine, Clyde, Glen Mary, Leader, Lovett, Mar¬ 
shall, Parker Earle, William Belt. Crescent and 
Sharpless are without a decided preference for any 
particular soil. In the fields of many commercial 
growers, the following varieties have stood up bravely 
during continued dry weather: Beder Wood, Bubach, 
Crescent, Gandy, Meek, Marshall, Michel, William 
Belt. Those which are usually poor dry-weather 
varieties, are Brandywine, Clyde, Glen Mary, Green¬ 
ville, Sharpless. It must not be taken that these varie¬ 
ties will behave thus on your soil and under your cul¬ 
ture. This grouping but indicates, in a general way, 
what their record has been the country over. 
Of the two varieties, Bubach and Marshall, I should 
say that T. B. N. would far better plant the former. 
Although Marshall has withstood drought admiraoly 
in some places, notably at the Arkansas Experiment 
Station, it needs a deep, rich and rather heavy soil 
to bring out its superb qualities. Bubach has little 
to recommend it in the way of color and firmness, but 
excels in productiveness. Michel and Bubach have 
been for years the standard combination in Tompkins 
County, N. Y., and it has seemed to me that our com¬ 
mercial growers might find it profitable to introduce 
new blood into their strawberry patches. Some of the 
more progressive are now testing such varieties as 
Clyde, Glen Mary and William Belt. I would suggest 
that T. B. N. consider these before planting the old 
reliable but somewhat inferior Bubach. 
Mulching and Irrigation.— 2. The most reliab'e 
method for conserving moisture is constant and thor¬ 
ough cultivation. By all means mulch, but let it be 
a soil mulch. A straw mulch may, perhaps, conserve 
as much moisture as a finely-pulverized surface soil, 
yet it necessitates a tedious hand-pulling of the weeds 
which surely come. Furthermore, the great benefi¬ 
cent action of air and sunshine in unlocking the ele¬ 
ments of fertility, and putting the soil in proper 
texture, is largely lost by heavy mulching. I like to 
see the soil dry and mellow around a growing straw¬ 
berry plant; not hard and sour as it is likely to be 
under a mulch. 
There is still another factor to the mulch problem. 
A heavy mulch lowers the temperature of the soil, 
and often retards the strawberry season a week to 10 
days. If T. B N. had a stiff clay, and planned to 
profit by the brisk demand for late berries, he would, 
probably, plant Gandy or Parker Earle, perhaps the 
Hunn, a new extra late variety of promise. Under 
these conditions, it might be profitable to use a 
mulch ; but since his soil is light, he would naturally 
grow early berries, hence a mulch would not be ad¬ 
visable. 
Irrigation has two distinct advantages: it dis¬ 
counts the possibility of loss from drought, and in - 
creases fruit production. Some commercial growers 
have even trebled the average yield by j udicious irri - 
gation. But there are disadvantages, also. The 
fruit is likely to become soft and unfit for long ship¬ 
ment ; a deterioration in quality usually accompanies 
an abundant water supply ; and, again, the season is 
retarded several days. If one is catering to a per- 
sor al and discriminating market, where quality is 
aj predated, it would be wise to think twice before 
irrigating frequently during the fruiting season. 
None of these objections holds where irrigation is 
practiced during the Summer preceding fruitage, and 
to my mind, this is its legitimate place in strawberry 
culture. I believe that crop production depends 
more on conditions during the first season's growth 
than the second, and that our aim should be to carry 
great lusty crowns into the Winter with plenty of re¬ 
serve strength. s. w. fletcher. 
