( 
1900. 
THE WONDERBERRY AND THE WIZARD 
BURBANK. 
“I'm a very humble reader, with a home among the 
hills, and the thought of eating nightshade all my 
sou] with anguish fills. I’m the ultimate consumer, 
and I only want to know, if the berry is a wonder, 
whether Burbank made it so!” 
The “Wonderberry” appeared this season as one of 
the “novelties’’ which are sprung upon the public 
without official test or preparation. We had no 
chance to test it, but botanists of high reputation 
were sure it was in no wise different from the well- 
known Solatium nigrum. We think there are too 
many half-baked novelties put before the public, and 
that a thorough roasting will either prove their value 
or their worthlessness. A correspondent of “The 
Gardener’s Chronicle,” of London, England", exam¬ 
ined the seeds and made this report: 
The seeds looked ordinary and the given origin excited 
curiosity, so I proceeded to look up the history of the 
two reputed parents. They proved to be nothing other 
than forms of S. nigrum, a weed in every country; there¬ 
fore, tile Wonderberry is S. nigrum also. The seeds,' on 
careful comparison, proved it beyond doubt. Then I re¬ 
membered that this same story had been round in another 
form about two years ago, -but the name given then wtis 
huckleberry, instead of Wonderberry. We grew some 
plants of it and they turned out to be simply nightshade—• 
S. nigrum. What does it all mean? Every intelligent 
child shuns the fruits of this weed of waste land and 
manure heaps, the poisonous properties of which are un¬ 
doubted. Children who have eaten the fruit have died 
soon after from its effects, which are very distressing- 
vomiting, colic, convulsions, etc. Mr. N. E. Brown informs 
me, however, that in some countries the fruits of Solanum 
nigrum are not onl innocuous, but they are actually eaten, 
and on consulting various books I found several records 
to that effect. A Russian chemist who had investigated 
the question as to the berries being poisonous in some 
countries and harmless in others concluded that the differ¬ 
ence was not due to any difference in the plants, but to 
variations in the climatic conditions under which the 
fruits were grown, the narcotic principle being either un¬ 
developed or finally dispelled under the influence of certain 
conditions, of which heat and light were probably the most 
important. It is, therefore, quite possible that the night¬ 
shade is poisonous in Great Britain and harmless in Amer¬ 
ica. After all, are we so hard up for fruit as to be forced 
to turn to one of our most pestiferous weeds, which is also 
known to he a deadly poison, because we are advised to do 
this by some seedsmen hi America? 
A man in New York bought seed of the Wonder¬ 
berry. naturally expecting that “Burbank’s creation” 
would prove a prize indeed. A sea captain from 
England had read the article in “The Gardener’s 
Chronicle,” and he told our friend what is printed 
above. This man wrote Luther Burbank about it, 
and received the following reply: 
It is very kind of you to inquire at headquarters about 
the “Wonderberry.” The name “Sunberry” is the one 
which 1 rather preferred when I sold my rights in it to 
John Lewis Childs. As you probably know, newspaper re¬ 
porters are not always as well posted as they should be. 
/ am ready to make an offer of ten thousand dollars 
($10,000) cash, cold coin, if any living person on earth 
proves that the ‘•Wonderberry” is the black nightshade or 
any other berry ever before known on this planet until I 
produced it. 
I have seen some criticisms, especially in The Rubai. 
New Yohker of New York City, where they simply show 
their ignorance of the whole matter. 
Now, I have made a good offer and it would please me 
very much if you would publish it in The Rural, New- 
Yorker and in the English publication you mentioned, the 
“Gardener's Chronicle,” as it is not in good taste for me to 
meet these statements personally, and, furthermore, they 
will find out how mistaken they are. 
(Signed) i.utheb burbank. 
If Mr. Burbank would make as sure of his novel¬ 
ties as lie makes safe in his offers little fault could be 
found with him or them. We name Burbank himself 
as the “living person on earth,” who is well qualified 
to finger that $10,000. He proves by his own state¬ 
ments that the “Wonderberry” resulted from crossing 
S. villosum and S. guineense. As “The Gardener’s 
Chronicle” stales above, the result of this cross must 
be nightshade! Mr. Burbank should at once hand 
himself that $10,000, for he has earned it If, how¬ 
ever, he does not consider it good taste to have 
money or honors thrust upon himself The R. N.-Y. 
will put in a- modest plea for the amount. Wfe have 
a plant of the “Wonderberry” in bloom and with the 
fruit formed. Botanists declare that it has all the 
characteristics of S. nigrum. Readers in Louisiana 
have compat-ed the “Wonderberry” with the wild 
plant and declare that they are the same! As proof 
we shall print the pictures of these plants. If Mr. 
Burbank desires further proof will he kindly state 
what will satisfy him? When we demonstrate the 
true character of this “Wonderberry” Mr. Burbank 
will no doubt realize how the American public has 
been held up for petty plunder on the reputation 
which goes with his name. Let us now see what this 
“good offer” is good for! 
Have your titles examined by some one who knows. 
Some men seem able to read their “title clear to mansions 
in the skies,” when their wives would see flaws In it. 
THE IX 11IX A. L NEW-YORKER 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK. 
DOMESTIC.—Alexandria. Ya., eight miles from Wash¬ 
ington and once a part of (lie city, came near to being 
wiped out by fire May 12. The timely arrival of two 
engines and Washington’s firolioat saved the little Vir¬ 
ginia city that was a thriving place long before the Revo¬ 
lution and where George Washington from boyhood up 
came regularly to worship at Old Christ Church, and 
where also he presided over a Masonic lodge. The fire 
was controlled after a loss of about $75,000. 
Gov. Donaghey of Arkansas announced May 12 that he 
would call a special session of the Legislature to con¬ 
sider Statewide prohibition. The House defeated by two 
votes a resolution censuring tlie Governor for sending it 
a message urging it to submit prohibition to the people. 
. . . Twenty-nine men were killed May 12 following 
a premature explosion of dynamite in the Callauan quar¬ 
ries at South Bethlehem, twelve miles south of Albany, 
N. Y. The dead include eight. Americans and 21 Italians, 
the latter not being known by name. The ten holes for 
blast were drilled twenty feet back from the face of the 
bluff, which was 80 feet high. The holes were 70 feet 
deep and 5 inches in diameter, using over four tons of 
dynamite. The blast was expected to dislodge material 
for 25,000 wagonloads of crushed stone. Those killed had 
successfully placed the charges in six of the holes and 
were working on the seventh when the shock came. The 
explosion is supposed to have been caused by a defective 
cap. All hut one of the twenty-nine bodies were blown 
to pieces and scattered all over the quarry. . . . The 
old Pemigewasset House, adjoining the railroad station at. 
Plymouth, N. If., burned May 12 together with the station 
and express office. The loss is more than $100,000. The 
hotel was built in 1861. In one of the rooms of the 
hotel Nathaniel Hawthorne died in his sleep in May, 1864. 
Five persons were drowned by the upsetting of 
a boat on the Hackensack River, Hackensack, N. J„ May 
14. They were employees of a paper mill who were being 
ferried across, when a storm struck the heavily loaded 
boat. ... A new indictment has been found by the 
Federal Grand Jury at New York against F. Augustus 
Ileinze, the copper man, and president of the Mercantile 
National Bank at the time of the panic. The latest indict¬ 
ment charges Mr. Ileinze with taking sums from the Mer¬ 
cantile aggregating $2,250,000 between March 14 and 
October 14, and misapplying them for his own use and 
benefit. The indictments were handed in May 11 .and May 
14 Ileinze appeared with his counsel, ex-Judge William ,1. 
Wallace, before Judge Hough in the Circuit Court and 
pleaded not guilty, with leave to withdraw the plea within 
a week. On January 7, 1908, Ileinze was indicted for 
overcertifying checks amounting to $4.'57.144. these checks 
having been drawn by Otto Ileinze’s firm and paid to dif¬ 
ferent brokerage firms to which the firm was indebted for 
United Copper stock bought for it at the time of the 
manipulation of the pool in that stock by Ileinze and his 
associates. Of the 16 counts in the new indictment only 
one has reference to these transactions. The other counts 
refer to notes drawn by various individuals, as well as the 
Ileinze firm, all of which, it is charged, wrn given with¬ 
out any collateral and were discounted by Ileinze. While 
if is not so charged in the indictment it is believed that 
the sums obtained by ileinze in this manner, amounting 
to $2,250,000, went to the Ileinze firm in most eases in 
the effort to pull that firm through when the attempt to 
corner United Copper failed. . . . Two fires May 15 
at Reno, New, caused over $50,000 loss. An early morn¬ 
ing blaze destroyed a large residence. Several occupants 
were badly burned. At noon Manning’s Block caught fire 
and was destroyed. There were stores on the first floor 
and the two upper stories were a lodging house. 
The lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature, May 15, put 
the finishing touches on the Hull hill, making it a mis¬ 
demeanor to swear in public. The bill as introduced simply 
prohibited swearing in the presence of persons under 18 
years old. When the hill reached the Senate in that form 
Senator Iludnall submitted an amendment striking out 
the reference to age. The amendment was adopted and 
the hill passed. , . . The State Education Department 
of New York is actively Investigating and punishing frauds 
by young men without education who have attempted to 
secure the certificates necessary to enter on the study of 
seme profession. In order to begin the study of a pro¬ 
fession the candidate must have the equivalent of a four- 
year high school course. In case a candidate lias not 
had the necessary high school training he is permitted to 
take Regents’ examinations, which are equivalent to four 
years of high school work. This is absolutely necessary 
before he can begin the study of a profession. Thus it 
becomes a temptation to the young man who lias the 
money necessary to study a profession to cut off the 
required time of high school study, and it becomes also 
a temptation to the dishonest individual to secure for a 
candidate by some fraudulent means the immediate pos¬ 
session of the desired certificate. It lias been brought to 
light recently that in two years a certain professional 
personator earned between $3,000 and $4,000 for liis 
work. As a result of tlie investigation of the impersona¬ 
tions it has been found that one Max Sosinksky, a gradu¬ 
ate of the College of the City of New York, has written 
papers for 14 different men, and the investigations of 
Sosinksky’s activities have not yet been brought to a close. 
Of those 14 men two are graduates of law schools, one 
had entered on a law school course, one is a graduate 
of a dental college, two were about to receive their 
degrees this month from a dental college and two have 
completed the second year of work in a dental college. 
The holder of one certificate has completed his first year 
in a New York medical school. The rest have either not 
yet applied for their certificates or have not yet entered 
any professional school. . . . Fire in a manufacturing 
block at Akron, O., May 18, caused a loss of $1,400,000. 
. . . Four fires, one of them causing a death and 
three of them being within a mile of each other on the 
Chicago North Side, endangered the lives of many persons 
May 18. There were evidences of incendiarism in connec¬ 
tion with all of them. The blazes gave the firemen no 
rest from their hard work of the last two days, and con¬ 
vinced Fire Attorney Frank J. ITeanan that a notorious 
pyromaniac who escaped a short time ago fr<jm an 
asylum at Elgin Is again at work. The damage was 
$ 100 , 000 . 
Norway compels factory owners to provide accident 
insurance for their workmen. 
35© 
CROP PROSPECTS. 
The present outlook for fruit of all kinds seems to be 
very good indeed. Peaches even seem to be in nowise in¬ 
jured by the cold ; they are just going out of blossom, aud 
the apple is just coming In. Pears, if anything, are scarce 
in blossoms. Everything opens quite favorably in the out¬ 
look of the farm with work backward and laborers few. 
Holden, Mass. g. s. g. 
The outlook for fruit at present is very encouraging. 
It lias been cold enough to hold the buds hack so there 
lias been no danger of frost. I think if nothing happens 
there will be a very good crop of apples in our section, 
also other fruits look equally well. Wheat looks very 
well, as we have had lots of rain. The rain and cold 
weather have held farmers back from putting in oats and 
is likely to result in shortening this crop to quite an 
extent. c. c. si. 
Perry, N. Y„ May 17. 
The prospect for fruit is very good. The strawberry 
crop will be short, as the dry weather last Fall hurt the 
plants very much. Wheat is coming out and farmers 
claim it looks as though it might make a Half crop, where 
some time ago they thought there would not he any. 
Possibly one-half of the acreage was plowed up and put 
in oats and corn in this county. Oats are looking tine, 
and the corn is being put in a very good seed bed this 
season. Tobacco plants doing line; old crop tobacco not 
moving as we would like to see it. s. k. w. 
Miamisburg, O. 
As far as we can judge from blossoms, Hie prospects 
for fruit seem to be “blooming,” cherries and plums es¬ 
pecially. Apples are out in plenty, excepting those trees 
and limbs which bore last year. Peaches rather scatter¬ 
ing. We are seven miles from the river, out in the Hills; 
lower down the buds did not winter as well. Grass and 
grain never looked better. For the past 10 days (May 15) 
we have had warm weather, with occasional showers, and 
things have “jumped.” Bat I have seen as many blossoms 
with scarcely any fruit; I have seen the fields and 
orchards look like the "garden of the Lord,” followed by 
dry weather and a very short hay crop. We cannot tell. 
He only knows “who maketh the grass to grow for the 
cattle and herb for the service of man.” b. c. 
Red Hook, N. Y. 
The peach crop is a total failure; in strawberries, 
light; cane fruits in good condition. Apples promise fair; 
some trees in full bloom, but majority passed through 
full bloom in rainy, cloudy, cold weather last week. 
Wheat is very spotted, some being plowed up for corn. 
Weather was too dry last: Fall. There was some Winter 
injury, which, however, lias been partially repaired by 
cool, wet weather forcing plants to stool. Pastures are 
tint*; hay crop promising. Stock looks good; corn in 
farmers’ hands 79 cents: wheat $1.25; hay $12. choice 
Timothy; potatoes and garden are backward; ground too 
wet, out of condition. Oats promise only fair; too many 
weeds. w. c. 
Adams Co., Ill. 
The prospects are favorable at present time for a large 
crop of small fruit—-plums, cherries, pears and some 
peaches. Some varieties of apples are blossoming full. 
Baldwins are resting this year, hut Greenings and Spy 
will produce a fair crop. A large acreage of potatoes is 
being planted, but owing to a shortage in seed it will he 
less than it otherwise would. The acreage of tobacco will 
be lessened from last year as prices do not warrant sulli- 
cient remuneration for the work and expense in grow¬ 
ing. The wet, cold Spring has prevented farmers from 
sowing oats until present time, which will mean light oats 
at. harvest time. It is too early to tell what the condi¬ 
tions will he for a corn crop, as only a few have yet 
planted; it will he late when the crop is all in. w. f. b. 
Onondaga Co., N. Y. 
I regret, to say that the outlook for a fruit crop in 1 His 
section of Missouri is bad; in fact very had. At blooming 
time the Winesaps were the only apples that showed any 
bloom, and I felt encouraged that we were to- have plenty 
of so good an apple, hut yesterday (May 16) I went 
through my orchard and was surprised to find only a few 
apples on the trees—nearly all falling off. I have talked 
with several of my neighbors who have large orchards of 
thousands of trees especially of Ben Davis, and they tell 
me thev will not have a bushel to the acre of trees. The 
prospect for peaches is a little better, but not good by any 
means. Of other fruits especially small fruits, the pros¬ 
pect is for a fair supply. As we had no apples last year 
or the year before we confidently expected a bountiful crop 
this year, hut alas, we are again doomed to disappoint¬ 
ment. As to other crops, the p-rospect just at present is 
not at all good; too much rain and devastating floods 
have done much damage. But it is time enough yet to 
replant corn, and we hope to have enough and some to 
spare. N - -f- 
Cuba. Mo. 
This is a dairy section, therefore, except on the truck 
farms, fruits are a side issue and receive little or no atten¬ 
tion. There are no large commercial orchards in tlijs 
vicinity. I plan to put out 30 or more late apple trees this 
Fall, hut few plantings are even as large as that, yet there 
are some good apples grown about here and they aggre¬ 
gate a good many hundred bushels a season. From all 
present appearances earlv apples will be plentiful and late 
ones scarce in this locality. Bears will be a small crop, 
hut cherries, plums and peaches have blossomed heavily. 
All small fruits, especially strawberries, look well and 
promise a big crop. The wet Sipring is holding the oat 
and grass seeding hack on all clay and hill lands where 
the soil is at all heavy. The river lands are earlier and 
on such farms oats are mostly in and up, and the grass 
seeding looks good (May 17). The continued rains and 
warm weather have given new life to last year’s seeding 
and a bountiful hay crop is the prospect. If the weather 
permits a heavy planting of potatoes will he made. Tin- 
retail price of potatoes is about $1 a bushel. Oats 70 
cents; hav $14 in the barn, hut pretty well cleaned up. 
Eggs 20 cents a dozen by the case, cash. Asparagus Is 
very low, there being a heavy crop and poor demand. 
Union, N. Y. *'■ a. f- 
The outlook appears to he normal. I have heard some 
complaint that Baldwin trees were not set with buds in 
some orchards. I have examined niy own and one or 
two near-bv orchards and find the Baldwins which did not 
bear last vear, well set with buds: Greenings in same con¬ 
dition. Blossoms are coming a little late, hut I think not 
as late as in 1907. Cherries and peaches in full bloom 
(May 15), peaches in fine condition, with excessive bloom: 
this, of course, proves nothing as to crop, but without 
bloom we know we have nothing to expect, and with it we 
can have good hopes. Tears just ready to open a normal 
bloom from all indications. Japan plums normal, native 
plums also. Raspberries in lx-st condition in several years; 
did not freeze back last Winter, and look tine. Oat seed¬ 
ing not near all done yet on account of wet weather: some 
few fields on early land got in some time ago, up and 
looking well. Wheat looking fair, some late-sowed wheat 
seems to have rather a thin stand, but is making good 
growth. New meadows seem to he starting well, hut old 
ones and and pasture are slow : it has been very cold as 
well as wet, which I think will account for these condi¬ 
tions. The onion crop not nearly all in yet; probably 
some will not. he put in that was intended to be sown. 
Stock high, especially pigs: from $3 up is being paid for 
Spring pigs. Bees wintered finely until April 1 ; then the 
cold month gave them a bad setback, so that the first of 
May found them no further ahead than April 1. May 
lias so far done much better, and they are building up 
fast, tint they will probably make small surplus from 
fruit bloom. They should, however, lie iu tine shape to 
harvest the clover honey when it comes. J. a. c. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
