324 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 29 
< Ruralisms ► 
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In so far as The R. N -Y. is aware, all 
who have tried the Sir Walter Raleigh 
potato are greatly pleased with it. Here 
is a note from Mr. P. A Lab, of Ban¬ 
croft, Michigan. He received “ one-half 
of a small potato having four eyes, two 
on the seed end close together.” He 
divided it into three parts, planting one 
in each of three hills. In the Fall (1897), 
the yield was “ 634 pounds of fine pota¬ 
toes”. These he planted last Spring, 
and harvested in the Fall five heaping 
bushelbasketfuls. They were all mar¬ 
ketable tubers except 23, the largest 
weighing 234 pounds. “ The quality is 
very fine.”. 
An experienced potato-grower honors 
us by asking the following question: 
“ In cutting seed for hill planting, would 
you cut the pieces larger than for drills, 
and would you use one or more pieces in 
the hill planting ? The hills will be 234 
feet apart each way.” 
To this we answered: “Cut medium- 
sized tubers lengthwise in halves, and 
use one-half in each hill.” We have 
never heard this way of cutting pieces 
advocated, and we have never tried com¬ 
parative experiments to determine its 
relative value. In theory, however, it 
seems to combine all of the good points 
that can be set forth for whole tubers or 
for one or two or three-eye pieces for 
seed. In the half tubers, one gets half 
of the seed-end eyes, half of the body- 
eyes and half the food support that the 
stem-portion renders the early growth 
of the vines. 
It will be remembered by interested 
readers that we alluded to two alleged 
novelties which were highly praised in 
the catalogue of the Dingee & Conard 
Company. One was called the Mountain 
Beauty, “the most famous climbing vine 
of modern introduction. This is the 
hardiest of hardy climbing vines. A well- 
established plant loaded with its gorge¬ 
ous carmine flowers, is one of the grand¬ 
est sights we have ever seen.” The 
flowers are shown in a colored plate to 
be borne in long Wistaria-like clusters, 
bright red in color, the individual flow¬ 
ers being over an inch in diameter and 
quite resembling those of double Be¬ 
gonias. 
The Cuban Belle was, also, offered. It 
was described as being the best of all 
blooming vines. The botanical name is 
given as Champania Chiquita. Of this 
plant we have no knowledge. A friend 
from Dickinson, Texas, takes the pains 
to write us (and we always feel indebted 
to friends who are willing to help us in 
such ways) that he believes the so-called 
Mountain Beauty to be botanically An- 
tig'onon leptopus of Mexico, frequently 
called there Rosa de Montana. It is 
also common on the Texas coast. If our 
friend is correct in his conjecture, it 
would be an error to compare its flowers 
to those of the Wistaria, or to call the 
plant hardy. 
Our friend ends his note thus: 
I do not write this for publication, or with the 
hope of reforming descriptions of novelties, but 
to assist The R. N.-Y. in its earnest efforts to elimi¬ 
nate from its columns, any apparent indorse¬ 
ment, even, of a misrepresentatiou. 
We are far from implying that the 
Dingee & Conard Company have inten¬ 
tionally misrepresented either plant in 
their catalogue description. We have too 
high an opinion of the firm. Plants of 
both kinds have been ordered, and we 
hope to tell our readers if any mistake 
has been made, as well as just how they 
conduct themselves at the Rural Grounds. 
The results of many of Mr. Tripler’s 
experiments with liquid air, according 
to The R. N.-Y.’s interview with him, 
are before our readers. His liquid air 
tests as to the degree of cold that certain 
seeds will stand are most instructive. 
The seeds tried, grown in the temperate 
zone, were such as wheat, peas, oats and 
barley, and among vegetables, squash 
and cucumber seeds. These, Mr. Tripler 
tells the Century Magazine, were kept 
for 110 hours at 312 degrees below zero, 
and then slowly thawed for 50 hours. 
After this treatment, they were still 
alive, and on being planted, germinated 
and grew. 
Granite State Potato. —This was No. 
10 in our “ outside” potato trials of last 
year. How it yielded, etc., are told in 
The R. N.-Y. of February 25, page 140. 
It originated with G. B. Barton, of Grant¬ 
ham, N. H. Mr. Barton tells us that it 
is a sport of the Hebron with a white 
skin. The vines are vigorous. The 
variety is very early, fully as early as 
Beauty of Hebron ; it is a good yielder, 
and the tubers form compactly in the 
hill. Mr. Barton claims that it is earlier 
than either Acme or Bovee. We quote 
from our own notes: “The vines were 
dead August 7. Six hills yielded 151 
ounces of tubers, which were rather 
long, of variable shape and having a 
light buff skin”. 
It must have been near the year 1880 
that the Cuthbert raspberry was intro¬ 
duced, and The R. N.-Y. had the honor 
of being the first paper to call attention 
to it. Several years later (we are writ¬ 
ing from memory), a yellow sport or 
seedling of the Cuthbert was introduced 
under the name of Golden Queen. 
Whether it was a sport or seedling, is 
not positively known. Our guess would 
be that it was a sport because it seems 
to be a perfect reproduction of its parent 
except in color. Here is another bit of 
interesting evidence that the Golden 
Queen is a sport rather than a seedling. 
Mr. George G. Walker, of Williams- 
town, Mass , tells us that he was picking 
berries in a field of Cuthberts, and found 
a large cane, heavily laden with red ber¬ 
ries, near the top of which was a second¬ 
ary branch “which was loaded with as 
perfect Golden Queen raspberries as this 
variety itself produces. This branch 
issued from the Cuthbert cane, at least 
two feet from the soil ”. 
Looking Backward. —If we are to 
credit the evidence of the authorities 
(good and bad) of to-day, we must admit 
that, among hardy fruits, few have been 
more improved during the past 20 years 
than the red raspberry. That improve¬ 
ments have been made we have the. 
Loudon and Cuthbert as evidence that 
few who have fully tried them will care 
to contest. Mr. F. W. Loudon, of Wis¬ 
consin, originated it, C. A. Green, of 
Rochester, N. Y , introduced it. Mr. 
Loudon was kind enough to send us trial 
plants May 10, 1892, so that we were en¬ 
abled to tell the public about it before 
Mr. Green bought the entire stock, and 
began to introduce it, which was during 
the Fall of 1894. In what does the 
Loudon surpass the Cuthbert ? Our reply 
is that the plant is hardier—the hardiest 
red variety we have ever tried—the ber¬ 
ries are fully as firm, and hold to the 
stem a trifle more firmly. It begins to 
ripen with Cuthbert, and its season con¬ 
tinues longer. According to Mr. Loudon, 
its parents were the Cuthbert and 
Turner. In some respects, however, 
raspberries have not been improved at 
all. We have yet to originate a berry 
for home use that will equal the old 
Turner in hardiness of plant, in earliness 
and in quality. In those three respects, 
it has no equal in the estimation of the 
writer of these notes, and if he were 
again to plant a small-fruit garden, he 
would select the Turner first for family 
use. The berry is rather soft for distant 
shipment. 
The Caroline and Orange (Brinckle’s) 
Raspberries —How many of our readers 
have tried them ? They were among our 
earliest collection. The Orange was 
highly prolific, large, orange berries of 
the finest quality. It is not in our col¬ 
lection now, but from memory, we would 
say the berries are of finer quality than 
the Golden Queen which, all things con¬ 
sidered, must rank first among the yel¬ 
lows. The Orange, in the climate of the 
Rural Grounds, needs careful protection. 
Not so the Caroline which, according to 
the not-well-supported claims of some, is : 
a cross between the old Catawissa, of the 
Purple-cane family, and the Orange, a 
foreign kind. Here we have a variety 
as hardy as the Golden Queen, bearing 
larger berries of a quality as good as 
Golden Queen, if one does not mind a 
sub-acid flavor. We should say that the 
plants are fully as hardy as those of 
either the Cuthbert or Golden Queen.... 
Mr J. L. NoRMAND,of Marksville, La., 
has successfully crossed the Oonshiu with 
the Citrus trifoliata, producing “ a good 
orange and one that will stand the cli¬ 
mate in all parts of the State.” Citrus 
trifoliata, which of late years has been 
offered by most nurserymen, is a Japan 
species of orange, the oranges being 
over an inch in diameter, and too astrin¬ 
gent to be of value. At the Rural 
Grounds, the plant is always more or 
less cut back by the Winters, so that it 
has never bloomed. We dare say that it 
would bloom and fruit if the plants were 
suitably protected for the Winter. The 
leaves are thick, small and trifoliate, and 
the stems thorny. The bush grows to 
the height of three or four feet. What 
sort of an orange the Oonshiu is, we do 
not know. It would seem, however, 
that the most that could be hoped for in 
any hybrid between Citrus trifoliata, 
and the ordinary edible oranges would 
be an increase of hardiness at the ex¬ 
pense of quality. 
Mr. A. H. Griesa, of Lawrence, Kan¬ 
sas, after a recent examination of trees 
in his orchard, writes us that there is no 
hope for the peach crop th’s year, and 
very little for most of the Japan plums 
Choice varieties of the Russian apricots 
Kieffer and other varieties of pears 
plums, cherries and apples are in good 
sha ne. _ . . . , . 
Of all the intermediate varieties of 
sweet corn for home use, we prefer thr 
Zig-zag; first, because the plants gro* 
to a medium height, and bear the ears 
not too high. Second, the average of 
ears to the stalk is as large as any other 
excellent variety. Third, the ears are 
just right in size and form, tapering 
from the butt to the tip. The kernels 
form as close together as possible. Thej 
are deep, the cob is small. . 
■ 
An Apple Canker —At the annual meeting ol 
the Western New York Horticultural Society, at 
Rochester, last January, Hr. Paddock, of the 
Geneva Station, read a valuable paper on 
apple canker, which was printed in The R. N.-Y. 
of February 4. This paper may now be obtained 
in pamphlet form. 
Japan Pldm Records.— J. H. Hale, page 239, 
refers to Satsuma plum as an extra-early 
bloomer. By a record kept during 1898, I find the 
first blossom (average 75 trees) four days after 
Burbank (average 100 trees); full bloom three 
days after Burbank. Trees stand beside each 
other, in one orchard. Wood of both varieties 
was received direct from Luther Burbank. The 
season was quite cool, but I think it will aver¬ 
age two to three days later. Although Sai- 
suma has not proved so free a grower, and 1 
think, will prove shorter lived, I find that it fruits 
freely upon quite small trees. Juicy bloomed 
11 days after Burbank, the only valuable char¬ 
acteristic I have found in it. In regard to prices, 
if there is a commission house in Boston which 
claims to be able to sell plums as high, or as 
freely, as peaches, unless in very small amounts, 
I have failed to find it. A leading house re¬ 
marked : “ Plums we cannot sell on a glutted 
market; peaches we can clean up at some price.” 
Massachusetts. h. o. head. 
450,000 TREES 
SoOvnrIetlei*.A!Bo<r rape*. Sin all Fruits, etc. Best root- 
ad stock- Genuine, cheap, 2 sample currants mailed for 
lOe. Deso. price-list free. LEWIS KOKSCH, Fredonli, S. Y. 
THE READING NURSERY 
and its illustrated catalogue, to be appreciated 
should be patronized. Price-List Free. 
JACOB W. MANNING, Prop., Reading, Mass 
Trees Live 
If bought of us, because they are so often 
Transplanted, to make roots thrifty 
RARE Evergreens our specialty. 
HENRY E. BURR, 
Ward Place, South Orange, N..) 
Telephone 2004 Orange. 
Trees and Plants. 
Japan Plums, Quinces, Kieffer Pears and other 
leading kinds. Choice Peach Trees, Osage Orange; 
full line of Shade Trees and Evergreens. 
Strawberry Plants, Currants, Gooseberries and 
other siu'all fruits. Write for prices, stating wants 
Satisfaction guaranteed. Address 
RAKE9TRAW & PYLE, Willowdale Pa. 
The President 
Wilder Currant 
heads the list as a producer and 
a money-maker. Plant no other. 
Prices given on application. 
S. D. WILLARD, Geneva, N. Y. 
nr i nu trpfc * to ° ft - at 3 ^c.; 3 to 4 ft. at 
rrSIjn 1 ntt «2^c.; all lyr. from bud. healthy 
L w 1 and thrifty; no scale. Official certificate 
accompanies each shipment. Sample by express if 
wanted. Can ship any time. Trees kept dormant 
till May 10. R. S. JOHNSTON, Box 4, Stockley, Del. 
TrOOC 5 to 7 ft—Collection best varieties. Total 
llbCOJS $350. Freight paid. To close out stock; 
7 Pears, 7 Plums 3 Cherries, 4 Peaches, 2 Quinces, 
8 Currants, 4 Gooseberries, 3 Urape A r ines. 
G. C. STONE'S WHOLESALE NURSERIES. 
Send for circular giving varieties. Dansville, N. Y. 
Fruit Trees, Plants and Vines. 
Prices lower than ever. Catalogue free. 
SOUTHERN VERMONT NURSERY, 
North Bennington, Vt. 
I A PA II PLUMS, PEAR and QUINCE, *5 per 100 
JHlrtll Peach, 3c. All kinds of stock CHEAP. 
Cat. free. Reliance N ursery, Box 10, Geneva, N.Y. 
ABUNDANCE PLUM afSWJnLiK 
R. 8. JOHNSTON, Box 4, Stockley, Del. 
have a 74-YR. Record. Fruit Book Free 
SffiSttPAY FREIGHT 
FAYS’ PROLIFIC RED CURRANTS 
are the most productive. Write for cut-rate prices. 
FRED. H. BUHDETT, Clifton, N. Y. 
BIGGEST LITTLE 
BUG KILLER 
ON 
BUGS 
KILLS 
POTATO 
At one-fourth expense in labor 
and material of any other method, 
alesmen wanted everywhere. Big Profits. 
MORRILL & MOBLEY, 
Benton Harbor. Mich. 
Do You Wont 
of the merits 
of our 
HAND 
Cultivator 
Weil we have hundreds oflettersjust 
good as this: 
Gentlemeu: The Cultivator came to hand 
few days ago and I am delighted with 
. II. T. Cunningham,C arrollton. Mis 
for sample delivered. Agent, uante 
JIFCi. CO., 20 ltlver St., ltoek Fall., II 
« IEFF “ BARTLETT FE »« BALDWIN APPLE'™* 
E inest Stock we ever offered. Ask for Bulletin No. 1. Don't delay now. Catalogue 
free. CHOICE SEED POTATOES—all in cellar ; no frosted stock. 
Cayuga Nurseries Estah 1847. WILEY & CO., Cayuga, N. Y. 
Fruits for Market! Fruits for Home Use! 
The best varieties for both purposes are propagated in the rich soil of the 
Orange County Nurseries. We have had 25 years of practical experience. 
Write for our Free Catalogue, and for any information you need about 
fruit. The Catalogue and reply to your questions will be forwarded by 
Sixteenth Year. T. J. Dwyer & Son, Box I, Cornwall, N. Y. 
