714 
THE RUHAli NEW-YORKER 
September 12, 
STRAWBERRIES TRUE FROM SEED. 
During the past 10 days we have re¬ 
ceived from readers many copies of a 
circular sent out by the Gardner Nurs¬ 
ery Company. This concern offers seed 
of an everbearing strawberry called 
“Blizzard King.” Here is an extract 
from the circular: 
How would you like lo join with us and 
help to introduce a new variety of straw¬ 
berry, of large size and splendid flavor, that 
hears an abundance of choice fruit from 
Spring until freezing weather in the Fall? 
We have recently found such a variety in 
France. It comes true from seed; per¬ 
fectly hardy, and fruits the same year from 
seed and continues to bear for years after¬ 
ward. Now we have no plants for sale, as 
we can now secure but a limited amount of 
seed, and that at a very high price. The 
price of one-year-old plants will be $1 each 
or $10 per dozen. We will furnish you 
with enough seed from our first shipment 
to grow upwards of 25 first-class plants of 
the “Blizzard King,” with complete direc¬ 
tions for culture, all for $1. 
Readers write to ask if it can be true 
that any variety of strawberry can be 
guaranteed to come true from seed? 
Some of the wild varieties will come 
reasonably true, but they would be of 
no commercial value. We wrote The 
Gardner Nursery Co. and received the 
following reply: 
The Everbearing Strawberry referred to 
in our circular letters is one recently intro¬ 
duced in France, and has had but one year's 
trial in this country. The party growing 
the plants from seed in Spring of 1007 and 
they commenced fruiting in Summer and 
were loaded witli fruit in October when 
season closed. Our understanding of the 
variety is that it is a cross between the 
Bush Alpine, which, as you doubtless know, 
comes true from seed, with some of the 
large fruited sorts. It takes the coming 
from seed from its parent, and the party 
who sells us the seed claims that it comes 
true from seed or as near as any seed repro¬ 
duces a certain variety, there always being 
some variation when technically considered. 
The variety produces runners, hut not freely 
as do common sorts. Our first batch of 
plants is just coming on and will be in 
fruiting inside of 30 days. 
TIIE GAHDNEIS NUIlSEItY CO. 
The Bush Alpine strawberry comes 
true fron> seed, but the fruit is of little 
value except for amateur use. As we 
understand their own statement the 
Gardner Nursery Company offers seeds 
of an untested variety which they know 
little or nothing about, while their cir¬ 
cular gives the impression that the va¬ 
riety is thoroughly tested! For a man 
to pay four cents apiece for straw¬ 
berry seeds seems to us about as ridic¬ 
ulous a small proposition as we have 
heard of lately. 
BEARDED OR BALD WHEAT. 
Arc there any reasons why a bearded 
wheat is superior to one without beards? 
We have no evidence that bearded wheat 
has any advantage over a smooth variety. 
As a matter of fact, the two wheats which 
have given us the best yields year after year 
in our station trials are Boole, a beardless, 
and Fulcaster, a bearded variety. There is 
something of a demand at present for a, 
variety which will not lodge on rich land. 
In such a case we recommend Fultzo-Medi- 
terranean, a beardless variety. Other, things 
being equal, we would of course choose a 
beardless wheat, because it is easier to han¬ 
dle and the straw is better for feeding to 
StOCk. C. A MOOERS. 
Tenn. Exp. Station. 
The general impression is that bearded 
wheat is safer from the Summer storms 
when in bloom. Bald wheat is often blight¬ 
ed badly by rain when in bloom, forming 
what the farmers call “scab.” which is not 
a disease, but merely the failure of the pol¬ 
len to perfect the grain. Bald wheats are 
generally more productive, have heavier 
heads than bearded wheats, and when the 
season is favorable will make heavier crops. 
But in many sections the farmers adhere 
to the bearded wheats as safer in the aver¬ 
age run of seasons. In the best wheat¬ 
growing section of the Eastern Shore of 
Maryland the scab cut the crops badly this 
season. We had a long dry spell here, but 
in the South there have been constant rains, 
and last week there was a terrible flood in 
the coast country of North Carolina ex¬ 
tending through the southeast counties, and 
I saw cotton fields standing in water and 
dead. A preacher on the train told me that 
he was marooned in a small town on Trent 
River where the water rose 31 feet, and a 
steamboat had to come up the street to take 
hem off, and in another place people stayed 
up in trees all night. The cotton crop in 
North Carolina is unusually fine, but in the 
flooded district it is badly cut: off. In our 
humid climate I would use mainly the 
bearded wheats, but in the upper country, 
under different clima.tie conditions, I would 
certainly use the bald wheats, and get a 
heavier average crop. w. f masse>y. 
We have just finished a three years’ va¬ 
riety test of a number of wheats. I might 
state that out of about 20 other varieties 
than the 12 I shall give, the records in 
yield compare in a similar way to those 
given helow; that is to say, in some cases 
the bearded wheats give a better yield and 
in some cases the smooth; you will be able 
to draw conclusions from the records which 
follow. The following is the record of the 
12 best-yielding varieties, and also a rec¬ 
ord of whether they are bearded or smooth 
wheats: Jersey Fultz, 31.16 bushels per 
acre, smooth; Kansas Mortgage Lifter, 
30.61 bushels per acre, bearded; Fulcaster, 
29.59 bushels per acre, bearded; B-37.7, 
29.36 bushels' per acre, bearded ; Beech W. 
Hybrid, 29.23 bushels per acre, smooth; 
Fultz, 28.88 bushels per acre, smooth ; Im¬ 
proved Rice, 28.66 bushels per acre, smooth ; 
Lancaster Red, 28.50 bushels per acre, 
bearded; Blue Stem, 28.39 bushels per acre, 
smooth ; Gold Coin, 27.87 bushels per acre, 
smooth ; Extra Early Oakley, 27.55 bushels 
per acre, smooth; 1.1606, 27.41 bushels per 
acre, smooth. w. h. scherffids. 
Kentucky Experiment Station. 
Many plant breeders and others who have 
made a study of the wheat plant and its 
characteristics consider beards are an indi¬ 
cation of hardiness in the variety. Prob¬ 
ably the reason for this opinion is that the 
wild ancestor of the wheat plant is sup¬ 
posed to have been a bearded form. How¬ 
ever, this is only speculation, as we have 
no direct evidence as to what the ancestor 
of the wheat plant really was. Neither 
have we any good evidence that beards are 
an indication of hardiness more than that 
many of our best varieties are bearded. 
But we also have varieties that are just as 
good in every respect and are not bearded. 
There is little or no direct evidence that 
hoards are an advantage; they are, how¬ 
ever, in some cases a decided disadvantage. 
For example, in wet weather a bearded 
head catches more water than a beardless 
one, and is more subject to damage from 
decay and fungus diseases, and also lodges 
more easily, and in dry windy climates the 
bearded heads knock against each other in 
the field and shatter out more grain than do 
the ones without beards. In harvesting the 
beards also clog in the harvesting machin¬ 
ery, and the men do not like to work with 
the bearded variety on account of the 
beards getting in the clothing and giving 
considerable annoyance. This annoyance to 
harvest hands and the inconvenience to live 
stock when fed grain and straw with beards, 
are the chief reasons for farmers preferring 
varieties without beards. It would be uifli- 
cult to say which gives the better average 
results. Where the best beardless varieties 
are tried against the best bearded sorts 
there is practically no differeifce in yield. 
There are many more bearded varieties than 
there are beardless, and the chances of get¬ 
ting a good variety are, of course, greater 
thin they are with the beardless. It not 
infrequently happens that a rather poor 
beardless sort will be grown without its 
comparative merits being known by farm¬ 
ers who grow it. 1L A. MI LEER. 
Department of Agriculture.' 
When to Pick Peaches. 
Perhaps I could not tell just how our 
pickers tell when.a peach is ( ready to pick. 
Some of them can do so fairly well, and 
others we wish they could. But a good and 
fast picker must pick by lpoks. We let 
the fruit get nearly ripe for our local mar¬ 
kets (not soft). The best test for that is 
that the stem does not adhere to the peach 
at all. When peaches hang ‘tight and the 
stem shows a .square break it is too green 
for our trade. Picking pegches depends 
upon the circumstances thatjsurround one. 
We generally pick a little gfeener Fridays 
tind sometimes Thursdays for the Boston 
market, as we do not pick Sundays unjess 
actually driven to it. A gang of pickers 
need a good boss who understands his busi¬ 
ness, or somb will cause the grower quite a 
little loss. If one is to pinch a peach It 
.should be just beside the stem. 
H. O. MEAD. 
Picking Peaches.- 1 — Our pickers are in¬ 
structed to be guided invariably by color; 
in the white flesh varieties the uncolored 
portion of the fruit should be a creamy 
white. We want the fruit firm, although 
there will be a certain percentage some¬ 
what soft which does not injure for a 
nearby market. In the yellow varieties 
the green portion of the peach should show 
the golden tinge. Of course, in shipping 
to distant markets fruit should be picked 
somewhat greener. It requires some little 
discrimination on the part of the picker to 
pick peaches properly. We live up to these 
rules as near as possible. Good pickers 
are not overly plenty. j. r. Cornell. 
and it DOES wear, better than any other prepared roofing. 
You don’t have to take our word for it. We can refer 
you to thousands who have used 
TRADE MARK REG. U. 8. PAT. OFFICE 
with entire satisfaction during the past 17 years. 
Their experience with Ruberoid is the beet evidence ol 
its durability. 
There is no guess work about it. They KNOW. 
Ruberoid is used on all kinds of buildings under all con* 
ditions. It docs not rot, crack, melt or rust, and is fire-resisting, 
Any bandy man can lay it. 
Write to-day for Free Samples and ’Booklet tto. 35 • 
THE STANDARD PAINT COMPANY 
100 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK 
CHtCAGO, ST. LOUIS, KANSAS CITY, BOSTON, PHILADELPHIA, HEW ORLEANS 
| .* « ,‘*4 
1 * * * 
1 • ^ 
■e '-“mf 
1 r : 
■ - - • • . t *. 
W k n| 
1 1 -‘M V.V* 
-by a v 3g 
* » 
88 V« • ** 
Our Bulb Catalogue 
Handsomely illustrated witli full and 
reliable cultural directions, and con¬ 
taining the largest assortment of high 
class Bulbs in America, is now ready, 
■ 1 ■ and FERTILIZER 
GRAIN DRILL 
The YORK FORCE FEED DRILL combines 
lightness with strength. Most complete drill made. No 
complex peanut: to get out ot order. Boxes are close to 
ground. Easily _ Fully 
regulates 
quantity 
of seea 
or fer¬ 
tilizer. 
AWARD¬ 
ED ROM) 
MEDAL 
St. Lonis 
World’s 
Fair. 
Weight, 
Only 700 lbs. 
Agents Wanted. 
Write for catalogue. 
THE HENCH & DR0MG0LD CO. 
Mfrs., York, I’a. 17AUK ALSU WITH DISC 
and will be Mailed Free on application. 
A Postal is sufficient. 
J. M. THORBURN & CO., 
33 Barclay St., thro’ to 38 Park Place, 
NEW YORK. 
SEED WHEAT 
LARGEST YIELDING IMPROVED SORTS. 
Thoroughly recleaned from impurities, and 
light and small grains. 
OUR FALL CATALOGUE OF 
SEED GRAIN, CLOVER and 
GRASS SEEDS, ALFALFA, 
VETCHES, RAPE, ’ VEGETABLE 
and other seeds'for Fall sowing. Contains 
valuable information for all planters. 
WRITE TO-DAY. MAILED FREE. 
WOOD, STUBBS & CO., Louisville, Ky. 
NOTICE. 
TO FARMERS, FRUIT GROWERS, DAIRYMEN: 
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF 
COMMISSION MERCHANTS 
formed of reputable, reliable and honest 
commission merchants in twenty-nine of 
the leading cities, invites your shipments. 
Any inquiry addressed to the secretary 
will bring you the names of the League 
members in those twenty-nine cities. 
Make your shipments to members of 
the League and be assured of highest 
market prices, fair and honorable treat¬ 
ment. 
For full information, address : 
A. WARREN PATCH, Secretary, 
17 North Market Street, Boston, Mass. 
. ^,V'- As 7'/ 
N UTICA C 
Ribbed Fleece Underwear 
Made by a patented machine which 
knits an elastic rib outside and a 
warm fleece inside—two entirely dif¬ 
ferent fabrics in one. The elastic rib 
insures fit, comfort and ventilation. 
The inside fleece maintains an even 
bodily temperature and affords pro¬ 
tection against sudden chills. 
J'rices—men’s and women’s garments, 50c; 
ladies’ union suits, * 1 . 00 ; children's union 
suits, 50c, single garments, 25c per garment. 
Look for the Yellastie. trademark, 
in red sewed on every garment. 
Booklet awl sample of Vellastic 
falmcfree. 
UTICA KNITTING COMPANY. 
Utica, New York. 
Use This Plan To Get 
The One Best Roofing 
At Low Cost 
There's just one best 
roofing. We've got 
it and we know it. 
We want you to prove 
it. No money down 
Nothing to pay till 
you get the goods and 
are satisfied. There is 
nothing to compare with 
SCALE DESTROYER 
FOR SAN JOSE SCALE 
For sale at a thousand agencies 
covering all important fruit sec¬ 
tions. Send for name of dealer 
nearest you. Evidence proving it 
CHEAPEST as well as 
MOST EFFECTIVE 
remedy also mailed free on request. 
TARGET BRAND, Box 721, Martinsburg, W. Va. 
FUMA 
KFRBBfl M 9V, un . ]s Prairie Dogs, 
™ m “■ Woodchucks, Gophers, 
and Grain Insects. 
"The wheels of the gods 
grind slow but exceed¬ 
ingly small.” So the weevil, but you can stop their 
•SBS "Filina Carbon BisulphideSSKZ 
EDWARD R. TAYLOR, Penn Yan, N. Y. 
In ready roofings. Select long wool felc base, 
every fibre and thread saturated with asphalt: 
then tills dense, water-prool'ed base Is coated 
with flint, both sidesalike. It’s our special secret 
process or flint coating. Superior to any other. 
Weather cannot afl'eet it. Adds and gases irom 
beneath do not injure It. Weather-proof, spark- 
proof, a Mintlike surface, but always flexible. 
All ready to lay. Cement and caps In every roll. 
Now see the wonderfully low prices; 
1- Ply, 108 sq. ft. in roll,weight 57 lbs. SI.40 
2- Ply, 103 sq. ft. in roll, weight 67 lbs. SI.85 
3- Ply, 108 sq. ft. in roll, weight77 lbs. S2. i5 
Our Unito Rubber Roofing (sample free) Is su¬ 
perior to anything of its kind. Write us about it. 
Don't take a risk on your roof. Use the tested 
long-lived UNITO, and still save money. Make a 
start toward a safe roof now—today—by writing 
foi rooiing catalog and samples, and our sa'e 
plan of buying. Address 
THE UNITED FACTORIES COMPANY, Dept 31 .CLEtfELAHD. OHIO 
