i89o 
835 
The Buffalo-berry. 
L E. R. Lam brigger, Sheridan County, 
Wy.—A t the foot of the first column of the 
first page of The Rural for August 16, I 
find this sentence : “ In spite of thousands 
of new fruits which have been introduced 
within the past few years; in spite of in¬ 
numerable ‘ valuable acquisitions to fill a 
long-felt want,’ this still exists; the variety 
that embodies hardiness, freedom from 
disease, productiveness and quality is a 
thing of the future.” So far as Wyoming 
is concerned, and I believe the entire world 
as well, the Buffalo-berry (Shepherdia ar- 
gentea) fills the bill. 
No one questions the popularity of the 
cranberry, or its commercial value; yet the 
Buffalo-berry is its superior in all save 
size. The former is never desirable to eat 
from the hand; not so with the latter; 
freezing renders it so sweet and palatable 
that as a dessert fruit in midwinter it is 
without a rival. I am of the opinion that 
it is in some respects superior to Elueagnus 
longipes; it evidently belongs to the same 
order. I do not claim that it is a new 
thing, neither did I pay a 1 ‘ thousand dollars 
per plant ” for it. New to the general 
public it certainly is, but not to the inhab¬ 
itants of the Rocky Mountain region. 
R. N.-Y.—Unquestionably the Shepherdia 
is well worthy of cultivation for its fruit 
alone, which is superior to that of Elasag- 
nus. Our friends should bear in mind that 
the sexes are borne on different plants and 
it is therefore necessary to plant the males 
and females together. 
Grafting on Wild Grapes. 
A. H. Mulloy, Pendleton County, Ky. 
—Two years ago last spring I saw an arti¬ 
cle in a horticultural paper on grape graft¬ 
ing, giving complete directions for grafting 
slips into the roots of old vines. I cut a 
few slips from the Delaware and Ives and 
grafted them into the roots of the almost 
worthless Black Winter Grape which grows 
wild in abundance with berries as large as 
buckshot. Five of my grafts lived and 
made a good growth and this year one of 
the Delaware vines bore nearly a peck of 
fine grapes. I thought they had a little of 
the strong taste of the Winter Grape, but 
suppose I am mistaken, because I have 
never heard of the fruit of a graft partak¬ 
ing of the nature of the fruit of the stock 
in which it has grown. I am not aware 
that any one else has attempted to graft 
tame grapes on. wild vines. I consider my 
attempt a success, however, and believe a 
plentiful supply of fine grapes may be ob¬ 
tained in a short time by this method. 
R. N.-Y.—We do not think the stock 
would change the flavor as to character. 
It might improve its characteristic flavor 
by improving the vigor of the vines and 
the size of the berries. Our correspondent’s 
idea of working cultivated kinds on thrifty 
wild stock is good. The plan is popular 
abroad where the phylloxera does great 
damage. 
Some Sweet Corn Experiments. 
M. Morse, Norfolk County, Mass.— 
During 1889 and ’90 I have been experi¬ 
menting somewhat in crossing different 
varieties of sweet corn. In ’89 I crossed 
tho Ne Plus Ultra on Potter’s Excelsior, 
and also the latter on the Ne Plus Ultra. 
Of the first cross I planted this season 
about half an acre. The stalks grew with 
great vigor to an average height of about 
one foot more than either of the parents 
growing beside it. The yield of grain was 
heavy and of excellent quality. Of the 
second cross I planted a few hills in the 
garden. The quality of the crop was very 
good, and it lasted long in a boiling condi¬ 
tion, but neither its prolificacy nor its ear¬ 
liness could be fairly estimated in the 
location where it was planted. The first 
cross w r as about one week longer in matur¬ 
ing than Potter’s Excelsior. This season I 
have been crossing Crosby’s Early on the 
Ne Pius Ultra, hoping to get a variety 
earlier and larger than the Ne Plus Ultra, 
with a greater capacity for a big yield than 
the Crosby’s Early. I find the shape and 
size of the grain are but little affected the 
first season after crossing. 
One of New York’s noted physicians. 
Win. A. Hammond, speaks his views in the 
Herald, upon the tobacco habit, with little 
reserve. Chewing is a thoroughly filthy 
and disgusting habit, and, moreover, is in¬ 
jurious, no matter how moderately it may 
be indulged in, says the doctor. It takes 
away from the system the saliva, one of 
the chief digestive juices; it vitiates the 
other secretions of the mouth, and it ren¬ 
ders the person who practices it offensive 
to those who come in contact with him. 
THE RURAL N 
THE SECRET OF THRIFT. 
A celebrated teacher wrote above his desk 
for the benefit of his pupils, “ Do as I say, 
and not as I do,” and this is always the 
safer counsel, says the Journal of Com¬ 
merce. The precept may be perfect, while 
the example is sure to be faulty ; we need 
no Divine revelation "to prove to us that 
“there is none that doeth good, no, not 
one.” We wish that those who study the 
character of Micawber, as depicted in the 
immortal works of the great novelist, would 
heed the motto we have quoted, and thus 
reverse the rule of their lives. 
There is not a week or hardly a day in 
which some young farmer, or clerk, or 
bookkeeper, or person who occupies some 
other subordinate position in a mercantile 
house, bank or insurance eompany, who 
sees no prospect of promotion, does not come 
or write to us and ask what he can do 
to better himself. Our advice for most 
cases may be stereotyped: “ Stay where you 
are and better yourself by a change in your 
habits and mode of life.” There is not one 
who will read this who may not follow the 
counsel given. Every one may begin to-day to 
cut off unnecessary expenses, and from this 
hour commence to grasp the coveted for¬ 
tune by laying in store something for 
future wants. We know that many will 
say the self-denial is too costly; it calls for 
too strong a battle with present indulgence. 
They prefer to have a good time now and to 
let the future take care of itself. We can 
only say that unless they die young they 
will only live to regret it. There is in this 
also a similar lesson for heads qf houses ; 
men who are doing, it may be, a large busi¬ 
ness and indulging in large expenses that 
eat up all their income even if they do not 
leave a balance on the wrong side of the 
ledger. A large business does not pay the 
same percentage of profit it did a few years 
ago, while on the other hand the fashions 
of this present world call for a larger ex¬ 
penditure. Wives and daughters and ex¬ 
pensive sons should read this little treatise 
when the father takes the paper home, and 
lighten the load for the shoulders that bear 
the family burden by a little more thought¬ 
fulness in the use of the purse. There is 
one rule that ought to be obeyed by all who 
would not make for themselves a bed of 
thorns: " Live within your income and lay 
by something for future needs.” 
BOILED DOWN AND SEASONED. 
The objection to the best kind of pipes is 
that very much more of the nicotine and 
oil of the tobacco is absorbed into the 
system than is the case with cigars. With 
common pipes, especially those with short 
stems, the degree of irritation which is ex¬ 
cited in the lips and interior of the mouth 
is far greater than that resulting from 
tobacco used in any other form. 
The influence of tobacco upon the heart 
is frequently more strongly marked than in 
any other direction. There are few persons 
who use this substance to excess who do 
not suffer from the disordered action of the 
organ in question. The pulse is rendered 
weaker and more irregular, so that faint¬ 
ness, intermittent pulse and palpitation 
are induced. The tobacco heart is so well 
known and recognized by physicians that 
when the organ is found to be in an abnor¬ 
mal condition questions to the patient in 
regard to the use of tobacco are never 
omitted, and prohibition is insisted upon 
in every case without exception. Dr. 
Hammond is very sure, from his own ex¬ 
perience, that many young persons lay the 
seeds of organic disease of the heart from 
the excessive use of tobacco or from begin¬ 
ning it too early in life. It not only lessens 
the nervous influence by which the heart 
is kept in action, but it causes a deteriora¬ 
tion of the organic muscular fibers of which 
the organ is composed. “ Weak heart ” 
and “ heart failure,” so commonly met 
with in our day, are, very often, the direct 
consequences of the abuse of tobacco. 
The use of tobacco by minors should be 
absolutely prohibited, not by laws which 
are impossible of enforcement and which 
encumber the statute books, but by home 
influence and command. If this were 
done we should have much less of the del¬ 
eterious effects of tobacco, for it is very 
certain that no young person can use this 
substance, even in moderation, without 
suffering more or less severely at tho time 
and laying up for himself future troubles 
of even more serious import. 
EW-YORKER. 
Mr. Edison says, as reported in the N. Y. 
Herald, that electricity is getting cheaper 
every day and gives a better light than 
gas. He does not mean to say that gas 
will be driven out of use, for it will not. It 
will certainly be done away with as light¬ 
ing material, and will be used chiefly to 
heat—nothing more. Already many gas 
companies have turned their attention to¬ 
ward heating and succeeded admirably. 
As a lighting material gas smokes, but 
used in heating it does not. The smoke 
from a gas stove naturally goes up the 
chimney and gas as a fuel is much cheaper 
and cleaner than coal. There are no ashes, 
no trouble, and none of the annoyances 
that come with handling coal. 
This is beginning to be the era of gas 
heating. Look at the gas used in many 
towns where natural gas has been discov¬ 
ered. Why cannot gas be made for heat¬ 
ing purposes just as reasonable in price as 
for lighting ? The cost is much smaller 
than coal or wood heat and infinitely pref¬ 
erable. Electricity is essentially adapted 
for lighting purposes and is superior in 
many respects. Only two per cent of the 
coal is turned into light, while nearly all 
the electric force is turned into light. It is 
xeally a saving to use gas for heat, and 
within the past two years it has become 
very popular as a heating medium. 
Hellreigel, sensibly enough, insists that 
the roots of plants do not naturally form 
a chaotic tangle, but strive always to grow 
in harmony with a symmetrical plan, 
which is just as definite and well propor¬ 
tioned, and as characteristic for each par¬ 
ticular kind of plant as are the forms ex¬ 
hibited by the stems, boughs and leaves of 
the plant above ground. Anything, there¬ 
fore, that prevents the original plan as to 
root structure from being carried out will 
affect also the development of the crop.... 
One prime object of tillage, says Prof. 
Storer, and of draining also, is the admis¬ 
sion of air to the soil. Every well tilled 
field is in some sort a saltpeter yard. In 
such a field, much of the manure and of the 
remains of plants and of the humus in the 
soil, will readily be converted into salt 
peter and all experience teaches the great 
value of this substance considered as a 
manure..*... 
John Thorpe praises the pink ostrich 
plume chrysanthemum called Louis Boeh- 
mer. 
“Mums” is a sensible abbreviation of the 
ruling favorite among fall flowers. 
ABSTRACTS. 
-T. A. Edison in N. Y. Herald : “ Peo¬ 
ple have wrong ideas about many of the 
edibles made artificially, and yet they are 
just as healthy as the natural product. 
You perhaps have heard that butter is 
often made out of mud from the bottom of 
the Thames River, London. It is not ac¬ 
tually from the mud, but from the grease 
from sewers that gathers in the mud. Why, 
oleomargarine is as good, if not better, and, 
to my idea, decidedly more wholesome and 
purer than butter, if made in an honest 
way. It is often made by dishonest people 
and therefore is impure. No doubt some 
manufacturers make it better and purer 
than others, but when bad people, in order 
to get bigger profits, manufacture cheap 
oleomargarine it forces others to adopt the 
same dishonest method. But what is the 
use of talking about all people being 
honest ? I do not expect the end of the 
world to come soon, and that would be the 
case if all the people were honest.” 
-American Florist: “Under the new 
tariff law, no refund will be made if perish¬ 
able goods are found to be damaged or 
worthless on opening, but importers may 
examine their goods on arrival, and if 
worthless abandon the same.” 
“The entire crop of seed beans this year 
is so poor that several seedsmen propose 
to print on their bean labels a state¬ 
ment referring to the very unfavorable 
weather and the impossibility of furnish¬ 
ing a good sample.” 
-Gov. Hoard : “ A rich man can afford 
to burn green wood—a poor man can not.” 
-Country Gentleman : “ If there is any 
evil that calls for immediate, united and 
determined attack by every farmers’ organ¬ 
ization in the country more loudly than 
this insane haste to bring into direct com¬ 
petition with our established agricultural 
industry every inch of uuoccupied tillable 
soil within the borders of the United States 
as fast as anybody can be induced to take 
it, we do not know what that evil is.” 
Good Rural Books. 
The following Books are selected from 
our extended list as the most desirable on 
the subjects of which they treat. Sent by 
mail post paid on receipt of price. A com¬ 
plete list of books on rural subjects sent on 
request. _ 
Fruits, Etc. 
American Fruit Culturist. Thomas 
(593 p. ; illustrated). $2.00 
A. B. C. of Strawberry Culture. 
Terry (140 p.; ill.) Paper.40 
Apple Culture, Field Notes on. 
Bailey (90 p. ; ill.).75 
Fruits and Fruit Trees of America. 
Downing (1.500 p.; ill.). 5.00 
Fruit Garden. Barry (500 p.; ill.)_ 2.00 
Grape Culturist. Fuller (283 p.; ill.). 1.50 
Peach Culture Rutter. Paper, 50 cts.; 
Pear Culture for Profit. Quinn 
(136 p.).. 1.00 
Propagation of Plants Fuller 
(350 p.; ill.). 1.50 
Propagation, Art of, Jenkins. (papf*r; 
30 p.; ill.).30 
Small Fruits, Success with. Roe. 
(380 p.). 1.50 
Small Fruit Culturist. Fuller (325 
p.; ill.). 1.50 
Vegetables, Etc. 
Celery Manual. $0.25 
Cabbages. Gregory (25 p.).30 
Carrots and Mangold-Wurtzels. .30 
Gardening for Profit. Henderson 
(350 p. ; ill.). 2.00 
Gardening for Young and Old. Harris 
(190 p. ; ill.). 1.25 
Garden and Farm Topics. Henderson. 1.50 
Gardening, Success in Market. Raw- 
son (p. 210.; ill.). 1.00 
Garden—How to make it Pay. 
Greiner (260 p.; ill.). 2.00 
How Crops Feed. Johnson (400 p.: ill.) 2.00 
How Crops Grow. Johnson (375 p ).. 2.00 
Mushroom Culture for Amateurs. 
May (Eng.; 50 p.; 111.) paper.50 
Money in the Garden. Quinn (150 p.).. 1.50 
Truck Farming at the South. Oemler 
(265 p. ; ill.). 1.50 
Floriculture. 
Azalea Culture. Halliday (110 p ; ill.) 
Special price. $0.75 
Bulbs. Rand (350 p. ; ill.). 2.50 
Every Woman Her Own Fiower Gard¬ 
ener. Daisy Eyebright (130 p.)... 1.00 
Gardening for Pleasure. Henderson 
(400 p.; ill.). 2.00 
Hand Book of Plants. Henderson 
(520 p.; ill.). 4.00 
Home Florist, The. Long. 1.50 
Practical Floriculture. Henderson 
(320 p.; ill.). 1.50 
Rose, The. Ellwanger (290 p.). 1.25 
General Agriculture. 
Agriculture. Storer (2 vols.). $5.00 
Ensilage and Silos. Colcord. 1.00 
The Silo. A. J. Cook.25 
Grasses and Forage Plants. Flint. 2.00 
How tne Farm Pays. Henderson and 
Crozier. 2.50 
Irrigation for Farm, Garden and Or¬ 
chard. Stewart. 1.50 
Manures, Book on. Harris (350 p.)... 1.75 
Culture of Farm Crops. Stewart_ 1.50 
Live Stock, Poultry, Etc. 
Cattle Feeding, Manual of. Armsby 
(500 p.).$1.75 
Feeding Animals Stewart. 2.00 
Milch Cows and Dairy Farming. Flint 
(450 p.). 2.00 
Dairyman’s Manual. Stewart. 2.00 
Practical Poultry Keeper. Wright 
(236 p.; ill.). 2.00 
Poultry Culture. I. K. Felch. 1.50 
Harris on the Pig. Joseph Harris_ 1.50 
Veterinary Adviser. James Law_ 3.00 
Miscellaneous. 
Annals of Horticulture. Bailey. 
Paper, 60 cts.; cloth. $1.00 
Botany, Lessons in. Gray (226 p.; ill.). 1.50 
Botany, Manual of. Gray (800 p. ; 
Botanist and Florist. Wood (431 p. ; 
California Views (in color). Nutting.. .50 
Forestry, Practical. Fuller (280 p.; ill.) 1.50 
Home Acre. Roe (252 p.). 1.50 
Horticulturists’Rule Book. Bailey.. 1.00 
How Plants Grow. Gray (216 p. ; ill.). 1.00 
Insects Injurious to Plants. Saunders 
(425 p. ; ill.) . 2.00 
Insects, Injurious. Treat (270 p.; ill ). 2.00 
Nature’s Serial Story. Roe. 2.50 
Ornamental Gardening. Long. 2.00 
Rural Essays. Dowuing. 3.00 
Suburban Homes. Scott.. . 2.50 
Talks Afield. Bailey. 1.00 
The Garden’s Story. Ellwanger. 1.25 
Woods of the United States. Sargent. 1.00 
Any $ 1.00 book published in the United 
States sent prepaid, together with a year’s 
subscription to either The Rural New- 
Yorker or The American Garden, for 
$‘2.50. Any $1.50 book, ditto, for $*2.75. 
Any $2.00 book, ditto, for $3.00. 
THE RURAL PUBLISHING CO., 
Times Building, New York. 
