6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 1 
A friend living - in Austin, Tex., mar¬ 
vels that so little is said or written re¬ 
garding the pomegranate. Has any im¬ 
provement in this fruit been made or at¬ 
tempted ? Our friend finds it more hardy 
than the fig. It bears plentifully when 
five or six feet in height, and the bush, 
being flexible and tough, is as readily 
protected during cold weather as tender 
varieties of raspberries. The foliage and 
blossoms are noteworthy, and the flower¬ 
ing season continues for nearly three 
months. The fruit can be kept a long 
time, and from those not familiar with 
it, often elicits such questions as “ What 
are they ? ” and “ Are they good to eat ?” 
The latest report (1897) issued by the 
United States Department of Agriculture 
—a catalogue of fruits recommended by 
the American Homological Society—men¬ 
tions five kinds of pomegranates, viz., 
Acid, Dwarf, Purple, Sweet and Violet. 
Acid is of the largest size (10), color red¬ 
dish yellow ; quality not given. Dwarf is 
the smallest (3-4) red color, quality 7-8 
or medium. Purple is red-yellow of the 
best quality, 10. Sweet is 8-9 in size, of 
the best quality. Violet is of a violet 
color, of the largest size and of the best 
quality. All except Purple are given dou¬ 
ble stars for North Carolina, South Caroli¬ 
na, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis¬ 
iana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, south¬ 
ern Illinois, western Kentucky, and Ten¬ 
nessee. Purple succeeds best in Florida, 
the Gulf coast of Alabama, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, and Texas. 
The Vineless Sweet Potato. —Last 
spring, we ordered two tubers of this 
variety from Johnson & Stokes, Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa., who described it in this 
wise : The yams attain marketable size 
in (SO days, maturing fully in 100 days, 
yielding from 400 to (500 bushels to the 
acre. “ It has no vines whatever, sim¬ 
ply a bush like a white potato. The yams 
are said to contain 20 per cent more sugar 
than other varieties ; they are very easy 
to keep, cultivate and harvest; they will 
grow in any soil or climate.” Bulletin 
No. 36 of the Texas Experiment Station, 
has this to say of the Vineless yam: 
“ Perhaps no other vegetable novelty 
which has been introduced in the South 
during recent years has caused more 
comment than the Vineless sweet potato. 
The experimental stage has been passed, 
and its value has been established beyond 
question. With nearly level culture, we 
have grown over 300 bushels per acre of 
this variety, and all the tops could have 
been easily cut with the mower. The 
high value of the tops has been proved, 
but it is. best to feed them green, as they 
do not cure well. Owing to the short 
vines of this variety, which seldom grow 
over two feet long, it has, in some cases, 
been planted in corn fields, and grown 
with fair success between the rows of 
corn. There is only one strain of the 
Vineless potato that we can indorse. 
There are two others somewhat inclined 
to be vineless, but they have proved to be 
less productive than the true Vineless. 
This may account for some partial fail¬ 
ures that have been reported. Just how 
the true Vineless originated is not 
known.” 
Our yams were planted in large flower 
pots, and when fairly sprouted, were set 
in good garden soil. Our first notes 
taken September 19 were as follows: 
The plants are now eight to ten feet in 
diameter; leaves deep green, broadly 
heart-shaped, five to six inches in diame¬ 
ter ; petioles a foot or more long, leaves 
not attacked by any insects . a beautiful 
oval mass of foliage. On September 28, 
a frost occurred which injured the foli¬ 
age. The potatoes were dug October 5. 
The best hill yielded 12 yarns which 
were of all shapes, the largest being 12 
inches long and two inches in diameter, 
weighing 1 4 pound, the weight of all 
being A l 4 pounds. A more unshapely lot 
of sweet potatoes we have never seen. 
When cooked, they were dark colored 
and watery. 
Hales's Paper-Shell Hickory.— This 
variety of the hickory nut, the best, all 
things considered, that is known to-day, 
was first described in Tiie R. N.-Y. 
of Nov. 19, 1870, p. 382. The original 
tree was, and we think is still, growing 
upon Mr. Hales’s farm not far from the 
little town of Ridgewood, New Jersey. 
The late A. S. Fuller, then associate 
editor of Moore’s Rural New-Yorker, 
estimated that the tree was then more 
than 100 years old, and was about 75 
feet high, the trunk being about two 
feet in diameter at the base. The nut 
averages fully an inch in diameter, and 
the shell is thinner than that of many of 
the pecans that are sent to the New York 
market from the South. The kernel is 
thick, meaty and plump. A special 
merit is the keeping qualities of the 
Paper-shell, the kernel rarely becoming 
rancid even wdien two years old. Mr. 
Fuller gave many years of study to 
hardy nuts and hardy nut culture, and 
he placed the Paper-shell, which he 
named, at the head of the hickorynut 
list, and as the most valuable sort as yet 
discovered. 
Soon after Mr. Fuller published his 
description of Hales’s Paper-shell (1870), 
requests for scions were received from 
amateurs and nurserymen. Mr. Hales 
responded by sending scions to many of 
the applicants in various parts of the 
country, as he naturally desired to have 
so valuable a nut propagated and dis¬ 
tributed. With nurserymen to whom he 
sent scions, the agreement was that the 
trees were to be raised on shares, one- 
half of the grafted trees to be sent to 
Mr. Hales. To one firm in central New 
York, he sent 4,000 scions. His share 
was four sickly plants. These died. Mr. 
J. R. Trumpy, the skillful propagator of 
the Ivissena nurseries of Flushing. N. Y., 
was more successful. Mr. Hales’s share 
from the scions sent to him (we do not 
know how many) was about 30 grafted 
trees, which are now thrifty and about 
25 feet high, so that there is little likeli¬ 
hood of the variety becoming extinct. 
Mr. Jackson Dawson’s (Jamaica Plains, 
Mass.) method of grafting the hickory, 
as explained in Garden and Forest, is to 
side-graft, using a scion with part of the 
second year’s wood attached, binding it 
firmly and covering it with damp 
sphagnum until the union takes place. 
He finds that the best time for grafting 
under glass is during February, keeping 
the plants under glass until midsummer, 
and wintering the first year in a cold 
frame. For outdoor grafting, it seems 
to the writer that the Rural’s scion-bud 
grafting would prove the simplest and 
most effective. This method was first 
explained and illustrated in these col¬ 
umns April 3, 1886. 
In a recent interview with Mr. Hales, 
he stated that he was in hopes to propa¬ 
gate this hickory by root cuttings. He 
would cut the roots late in the fall, keep 
them in moss in the cellar during the 
winter, setting them out early in the 
spring. “ How long,” we asked him, 
“ would it probably be before they would 
bear nuts ?” 
“ About 20 years.” 
“ L Please tell us in what way this hick¬ 
ory is-superior to other hickorys ?” 
“ There is no comparison. The nuts 
are nearly as large as walnuts, and in¬ 
stead of being in ridges, their surface 
is undulated just like English walnuts, 
and the shells are very thin.” 
“Can you crack them w ith your teeth ?” 
“ Yes, I can.”. 
(Continued on next page.) 
Scrofula and 
All other blood 
Diseases are promptly 
And Permanently Cured 
By Hood’s Sarsaparilla. 
If you suffer from 
Any form of Blood 
Disorder, you should 
Take Hood’s and 
Only Hood’s. 
$200 FOR A NAME 
for this IVew Tomato and a 
New Kf*ot which we shall intro¬ 
duce in 1899, to those wishing to test them 
this season and compete for name prizes we 
will send a packet of the seed of each, also 
of our Star Prize Collection 
NEW WHITE PRIZE ONION 
NEW WINTER QUEEN CEI.ERY 
CINCINNATI MARKET RADISH. 
AH for 1 Oc. in stamps or silver, together 
with 1808 GARDEN AND FARM MANUAL. 
JOHNSON & STOKES 
Dept. 44. 217 Market St. PHILADELPHIA 
B 
erry Boxes 
Best Whitewood, 
@ $2.50 $ 1000. 
Send for New Catalogue, FREE. 
Peach and Grape Baskets. 
Melon Baskets. 
10c. for Detail Drawing of a new Berry Crate. No 
hinges; no division slats. T. C. Kevitt. Athenia, N.J. 
SSGRAPE VINES 
100 Varieties. Also Small Fruit*, Tree*, Ac. Bestroot- 
edstock. Genuine, cheap 2 sample vines mailed for 10e. 
Descriptive price-list free- LEWIS KOEscil. Enniunla, N. i. 
HARRISON’S 
BERLIN, MO., 
have one and a half million 
PEACH TREES 
grown from natural seed. Send for prices, 
PEACH TREES 
75 Varieties in Stock. 
Largest stock of Peach Trees in the 
country. Descriptive Catalogue FREE. 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO., 
Village IfuraeritMIGHTS TO WN, N. J. 
Jerry's 
grow paying crops because they’re 
fresh and always tlie best. For 
sale everywhere. Refuse substitutes. 
Stick to Ferry’s Seeds and prosper. 
1898 Seed Annual free. Write for it. 
D. M. FERRY & CO., Detroit, Mich. 
Seeds! Seeds! 
74th Annual Priced Catalogue of 
VEGETABLE, FARM AND FLOWER SEEDS, 
is now ready and mailed FREE to all ajiplicants. 
BRIDGEMAN’S SEED WAREHOUSE, 
.'17 East 19th Street, New - York City. 
GET OLDS’ silk CATALOG 
it illustrates unit describes the Best Potatoes, including Vlg- 
oroMH, Bovee, Sir Walter Raleigh, Thoroughbred, 
Early Mieh., Acme, Uncle Sum, .Joseph, World’* 
Fair, Carman’s 1 and 8, Banner, Ac. Smooth, Pure 
Stock, carefully grown, at Low Prices. Also Choice 
Field and Garden Need* of all kinds. 
L. L OLDS, Drawer G, GIInton, Wla. 
Medium Bed, $4 CO per 
bu.; Mammoth, $4.75. 
carefully re cleaned. 
Sacks free Sample of either for 2-cent stamp. Bovee 
Potatoes; $2 per bu.. 2 nd size. $1 60; other varieties. 
$1 per bu. J. M. FLUKE). Nankin. i*hlo 
Clover and Timothy Seed for sale; fre8h fl0m 
PAUL S STEARNS, Prairie City, 111. 
Clover Seed 
PEACH 
Reliance Nursery, Box 10, Geneva.N.Y 
STANDARD VALUE 
Counts for more in the selection of fruit 
trees than almost any other place. Why ? 
Because fruit trees are bought on faith. \Ve 
have the standard kind of all the leading 
varieties. Fruit Tree*,Berry Plant*, 
Evergreen*, etc., etc. Strong, healthy 
trees free from Black Knot, Yellows, 
Blight, Scale, etc., etc. Do not place your 
spring order until you get our catalogue 
and prices. Sent free; write to-day. 
J.W. MILLER CO.Box 268,Freeport,Ill. 
ARE RELIABLE. 
Everything grown In Reid’s Nurseries is 
healthy, well-rooted and true to name. Every effort is' 
made to save expense to customers. We sell direct and ship' 
direct, saving fifty per cent, on Trees, Shrubs, Vines. Write for cata- ,, 
logue, estimates or suggestions. Try Star Strawberry, Eldorado w 
Blackberry. REID’S NURSERIES, Bridgeport. Ohio 
We PAY FREIGHT 
is only one oi Stark 12 Challenge Points —the 
_full 12 plainly show WHY Stark Bro’s grow and 
sell the most trees. Then, we will not cut quality no matter how LOW our price 
If interested in trees or fruits drop postal for cm jni/ K’DTTYT RAflF 
new edition; finest, most complete yet issued io A JI\ I\ r IYU1 I DUlYIY 
sent free. STARK BR0§, Louisiana, Mo. Stark, Mo. Rockport, III. Dansviiie, N.Y. 
5,000 KEIFFER PEAR TREES 
Three years. Clean, bright, healthy, thrifty. Just the kind to plant a new orchard or REPLANT an 
old one. Al l the leading sorts of Fruit Trees and Plants. PRICES RIGHT. Catalogue Free. 
ARTHUR «T. OOXilillVS, Moorestowu, 3ST. «T. 
Q I Pi g{™ A D D B ET O WHY NOT PLA NT THEM ? Kinds 
^ E m. M | P M M fA I for business are Sutton Beauty, York 
* wwm ■ t* B ami I ww Imperial, Mammoth Black Twig, 
Jonathan and others. Our prices are not the “ lowest on earth,” but if you want the best trees that 
{/row— hONEST TREES at HONEST PRICES, let us tell you about these and other BUSINESS 
t rees. _ ROCERSiNU RS ER1ES, Dansviiie, N. Y. 
TREES-SHRUBS-ROSES 
The largest and most complete collections in America, including all desirable 
novelties. General Catalogue (168 pages) free. Every intending buyer should have 
it. “An indispensable catalogue ”—Country Gentleman. 
ELLWANCER & BARRY, Mount Hope Nurseries, Rochester, N.Y. H 
etc. advertise themselves. The be&. 
always cheapest. Can supply all your wants 
from Flower and Vegetable Seeds to 
Street Trees at low rates. We publish one ol 
the leading Seed, Plant and Tree Cata¬ 
logues issued which we mail free. Try us, 
our stock and prices will please you. Can refer 
you to customers in every state and territory in the Union. 43 years of square dealing has made us 
patrons and friends far and near. Have hundreds of car-loads of FRUIT AND ORNAMEN¬ 
TAL TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, PLANTS, ETC. We send by mail postpaid Seeds 
Plants, Bulbs, Roses, Small Trees, etc., safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed, larger by express, 
or freight. 44 th year. 32 Greenhouses. 1,000 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Box 26, PAINESVILLE, O. 
