1015. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
63 
Pollination of Kieffer Pear. 
U S BULLETINS and other authori¬ 
ties seem to differ on the power of 
* Kieffer pear blossoms in fertilizing 
themselves. Some say that they are self- 
sterile and need other pear trees planted 
near in order that they may set fruit, 
and others say not. If they are se f- 
sterile what other variety would be the 
best to plant with the Kieffer? I mean 
for our soil here in Western Pennsyl¬ 
vania I know it is always better to 
plant different varieties together, but is 
it absolutely necessary with the Kieffer? 
AVe have plenty of bees to carry pollen. 
Clarion, Pa. R - 6 * R - 
There are different opinions about the 
self-fertility of the Kieffer pear, because 
it behaves differently under different cli¬ 
matic conditions. Sometimes everything 
works just right at blooming time for the 
pollen of its own flowers to fertilize them¬ 
selves; other times it is reversed. Hence 
it is safer to plant other varieties with 
the Kieffer that bloom at the same time. 
It has been found that Garber, which is 
a variety of the Asiatic type, is quite ef¬ 
fective in pollinating it. There are other 
varieties that are found that are useful 
in this way, among which are Anjou and 
Bartlett. As these are more valuable 
varieties than the Kieffer there will be 
no waste of space in the orchard to have 
a large number of them. In fact there 
are too many Kieffer pears grown now. 
The markets are flooded with the fruit, 
so they cannot be sold for fair prices. 
This year I saw them wasting in or¬ 
chards, within easy reach of markets, be¬ 
cause it would not pay to pick and de¬ 
liver them. However, the Kieffer has 
a place in the orchard, and market that 
it will no doubt maintain. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Goldfish; Wild Mushrooms. 
W HY are not goldfish propagated 
for food? Could they not be easily 
raised in an open cistern covered 
with fine wire netting or otherwise? Is 
not their flesh palatable? What is their 
largest size? How long does it take for 
them to make their growth, etc.? 2. Will 
you give a description of the toadstool, so 
that an amateur can gather the wild 
mushroom with safety, as there are va¬ 
rious kinds of the latter? Why are the 
toadstools poisonous and not the mush¬ 
rooms when both are of a fungus growth? 
What are the poisonous constituents of 
the toadstool? L. M. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
1. Growing goldfish under the condi¬ 
tions which L. M. W. evidently has in 
mind would be likely to be a failure. 
Goldfish are hardy, but they must breathe, 
and deep tanks require some method of 
stirring the water from top to bottom 
so that there is a movement of the sur¬ 
face water to the bottom, or else of 
pumping air down into the water. I 
know of one case where 50 or more gold¬ 
fish are kept in a circular tank about 15 
feet in diameter and with the water 
about 15 to 18 inches deep. The fish 
are fed freely and the water changed 
once or twice a month. Fish kept like 
this will breed. Goldfish are known as 
“Sand perch” in the markets of Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., where they usualy sell for 
three to five cents per pound. They are 
considered about as good eating as a 
carp but, of course, are much smaller, 
seldom weighing more than half a pound 
each. This price is for fish sold at re¬ 
tail. A person going to the fish auctions 
at the wharves early in the morning can 
buy all the cheaper fish he wants for 
about five cents a string of 30 or 40 
fish. The strings include sunfish, suck¬ 
ers, goldfish, small carp, small White 
perch, etc., and each string would weigh 
five to 10 pounds. The rate of growth of 
any kind of fish depends entirely on the 
amount of food they can get. Fish 
hatched from the same lot of eggs may 
vary several inches in length at the end 
of the first season. Goldfish fed all 
they can eat should weigh four to six 
ounces at the end of the second year. It 
may not be generally known that gold¬ 
fish are not usually red unless they have 
been kept in aquariums and specially 
treated. Probably less than one in a 
hundred of those seen in the markets in 
Washington have any different color from 
a carp. All of these are descended from 
red or brightly colored goldfish which es¬ 
caped into the river. 
2. It is more correct to speak of edi¬ 
ble and poisonous mushrooms than of 
mushrooms and toadstools. Some of the 
species in certain groups are known to 
be edible, while others in the same groups 
are known to be poisonous. For in¬ 
stance, the Deadly Amanita (Amanita 
phalloides), the most deadly of all, be¬ 
longs in the same group with the Royal 
Agaric (Amanita caesarea), said to be 
one of the most delicious. The greatest 
trouble in selecting the edible ones comes 
from the fact that the poisonous ones 
look very much like some of the edible 
ones, and that the marks of the poison¬ 
ous ones are sometimes absent or very 
faint. The safest way is to stick to the 
common mushroom, which has the gills 
white in very young buttons, then pink, 
changing to brown and then to black. 
Some other kinds, also said to be edible, 
have the gills pinkish when old. Avoid 
old mushrooms with pink gills or young 
buttons until the gills show without 
breaking the stem out. I believe the 
poisonous properties of the mushrooms 
have not been much studied. Phalloidin 
and muscarin are names which have 
been given to the poisonous principles of 
two of the most deadly. A bulletin is¬ 
sued by the U. S. Department of Agri¬ 
culture “Principal Poisonous Plants of 
the United States,” gives careful descrip¬ 
tions of poisonous fungi. 
ALFRED C. WEED. 
Fuel Value of Wood. 
W IIAT is a cord of wood worth as 
fuel compared with a ton of coal? 
We all understand the difference in meth¬ 
od of burning, but under the modern sys¬ 
tem of “heat units,” how do the two fuels 
compare? The U. S. Forestry Service 
has just issued a statement about this : 
The fuel value of two pounds of wood 
is roughly equivalent to that of one pound 
of coal. Certain kinds of wood, such as 
hickory, oak, beech, birch, hard maple, 
ash, elm, locust, longleaf pine, and cherry, 
have fairly high heat values, and only 
one cord of seasoned wood of these 
species is required to equal one ton of 
good coal. It takes a cord and a half 
of shortleaf pine, hemlock, red gum, 
Douglas fir, sycamore, and soft maple 
to equal a ton of coal, and two cords of 
cedar, redwood, poplar, Catalpa, Nor¬ 
way pine, cypress, basswood, spruce, and 
white pine. Equal weights of dry, non- 
resinous woods, however, are said to have 
practically the same heat value regard¬ 
less of species. The heavier the wood 
the more heat to the cord. Weight for 
weight, there is very little difference be¬ 
tween various species; the average heat 
for all that have been calculated is 4,r>00 
calories, or heat units, per kilogram. 
The available heat value of a cord of 
wood depends on many different factors. 
It has a relation not only to the amount 
of resin it contains but'Vo the amount 
of moisture present. Furthermore, cords 
vary as to the amount of solid wood they 
contain, even when they are of the stan¬ 
dard dimension and occupy 128 cubic 
feet of space. A certain proportion of 
this space is made up of air spaces be¬ 
tween the sticks, and this air space may 
be considerable in a cord made of twisted, 
crooked, and knotty sticks. Out of the 
128 cubic feet, a fair average of solid 
wood is about 80 cubic feet. 
Each section of the country has its fa¬ 
vored woods, and these are said to be, 
in general, the right ones to use. Hick¬ 
ory, of the non-resinous woods, has the 
highest fuel value per unit volume of 
wood, and has other advantages. It 
burns evenly, and, as housewives 
say, holds the heat. The oaks come 
next, followed by beech, birch, and 
maple. Pine has a relatively low heat 
value per unit volume, but has other ad¬ 
vantages. It ignites readily and gives 
out a quick hot flame, but one that soon 
dies down. This makes It a favorite with 
rural housekeepers as a Summer wood, 
because it is particularly adapted for hot 
days in the kitchen. The fuel qualities of 
chestnut adapt it particularly to work in 
brass foundries, where it gives just the 
required amount of heat and it is there¬ 
fore in favor. Coastwise vessels in Flor¬ 
ida pay twice as much Tor Florida but¬ 
tonwood as for any other, because it 
burns with an even heat and with a 
minimum amount of smoke and ash. 
Corn in North Dakota. 
C ORN growing in North Dakota! 
Some 30 years ago, the writer was 
one of a party of young men who 
planned to go to Dakota, take up gov¬ 
ernment land and go to farming. We 
were discouraged from doing so by the 
emphatic statement on the part of the 
scientific men of that day that it would 
never be possible to grow corn profitably 
in that State. So far as human intelli¬ 
gence could look into the future at that 
time, that statement was probably cor¬ 
rect, but see how events have worked out. 
For the third time this year there has 
been conducted in North Dakota an acre 
corn-growing contest among the boys, and 
this year Walter Granlund actually grew 
08.8th bushel of corn on one acre, and 
Noel Thorpe raised 92.0 bushels. The 
average of 15 winners in the southern 
part of the State was 70.6 bushels and 
15 winners in the northern part 62.3. 
The corn was planted in early May and 
most of it was ripe before the middle of 
September. 
Trees, Shrubs, etc. 
At Big Bargain prices—about half what agents 
charge you. Some surprising Combination Offers 
you should know about—at prices that will keep 
dollars in your pocket. 
Everything absolutely the finest fresh-dug stock, 
guaranteed true to name, state inspected for 
health. Not a dissatisfied customer last year. 
We Prepay Transportation On AM Orders 
and guarantee delivery in good 
condition. Big stock of Apples, 
Cherries, Peaches, Pears, Shade 
and Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, 
Small Fruits, etc. Our cata¬ 
logue is brimful of valuable 
information—Lend for a copy 
today—it’s free. 
WM. P. RUPERT & SON 
Box 20, Seneca, N. Y. 
nser a Carry 
Supplied the Trees 
fYour Great Grandfather Planted 
For 75 years the most suc¬ 
cessful planters have used 
E & B nursery stock. Such 
leadership must mean abso¬ 
lute integrity. For “Safety 
First” write for our 
75th Anniversary Catalog 
Showing most complete stock in 
America. AH guaranteed true to name, perfect, ard 
delivered safely. No agent’s commission to pay. Send 
postal to-day for the nursery book of authority. 
Ellwanger & Barry, Mt. Hope Nurierie* 
P. 0. Box 216 Rochexter, N. Y. 
‘Apples for Profit and Use” 
—wafronloada for market and barrels for 
the home. The interesting chapter on 
apples in our 1915 Fruit Book tells best 
methods of selecting, planting and 
growing and lists our many standard 
varieties — al 1 guaranteed true-to- 
name, hardy and well rooted. Other 
chapters describe our full line of pears, 
plunvi, strawberries, currants, ornamen¬ 
tal shrubs. Write for book today. Free, 
Barnes Bros. Nursery Co. 
Box 8 Yalesville, Conn, 
APPLE 
PEAR 
PLUM 
CHERRY 
PEACH 
DWARF 
FRUIT 
TREES 
Bear Quicker 
Less Room 
Finest Fruit 
Best For 
Home Garden 
ALSO ALL KINDS STANDARD FRUIT TREES 
CATALOGUE FREE 
THE VAN DUSEN NURSERIES 
W. L. McKAY, Prop. Box R. GENEVA, N. Y. 
Fruit Book 
Write at once. Secure valuable informnti«>n 
early. Gives all best varieties : Apple, Peach, 
F n p p Pear, Plum, Cherry, Quince, even Berries, 
I\ EL EL Roses, Ornamentals; Sold direct from Nurs- 
ery Highest quality, healthy, hardy, guaranteed true to name. 
Secure your choice now—pay in Spring. Special price* on your 
list, freight paid. BENTON, WILLIAMS & DENTON 
Wholesalo Nurseries, 172 Elm fct*, DaiiMville, N. Y. 
BUY 
TREES BY CALIPER 
The market value of a tree is deter¬ 
mined by its diameter, rather than the' 
height, yet ours is the only catalog that' 
gives caliper measure as well as height. 
Special Sample Collection 
30 Two Year Old Fruit Trees S3.50. First-class 
caliper, six best orchard varieties of five each, 
agent's price $7.50. Our price only S3.50. 
“Direct from Grower” “less middleman’s 
profit” means you receive fresh dug nursery 
stock of superior vitality when you buy from 
us. Don’t fail to write for our free catalog 
—We prepay freight. 
L. W- WALL CO.. Inc. 
518 Cutler Bldg. _ , ., . . 
Rochester, N. Y. ZJ. i • ! 
878 Grown Right, Handled Ri^ht 1915 
3 000.000 fruit trees. 4c each and up; p.000. W0 
.mall fruits, thousands of roBes. climbinK vines, 
hedge plants, ornamental treea and shrubs at 
lowest pricei. WRITE FOR BREE ILLUS¬ 
TRATED CATALOO TODAY. 
RTNO BROTHERS NURSERIES, V Oak St 
BALDWIN-THE BUSINESS APPLE 
“I wish every tree in my orchard was a Baldwin; they are the 
money-makers.” This man knew that Baldwin trees give more 
high-quality fruit per tree than almost any other sort. 
Plant Baldwins This Spring 
in New England and New York. Plant Harrisons’ trees, 
for they are hardy, big in trunk and root, healthy and 
full of vigor. We grow the trees we sell. 
Our 1915 Catalogue Free 
If you write at once. Best fruit-tree catalogue published; full of 
facts about Apples, Peaches, Pears and other fruits. Write to¬ 
day— we want you to have this book. 
HARRISONS' NURSERIES. Box 594. Berlin. Md. 
Largest Growers of Fruit Trees In America 
Established for 61 years. Seeds, bulbs, plants, shrubs and trees of the best 
quality. Sixty acres of home grown roses. 
Our new illustrated catalog No. 2 describes the above. Catalog No. 1 gives detailed 
description of fruit and ornamental trees. Either or both maded upon request. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO. 
Box 558, PAINESVILLE, OHIO 
Nurserymen, Florists and Seedsmen 
Bartlett Fears 
At Half Price 
Deal with us and save half. 
How is it done? We deal 
direct only—no agents, no 
canvassers. Our catalog is 
our salesman; you pocket 
the agent’s profit. There’s no 
nursery like Green’s for value. 
Big Supply of 
Apple and Peach Trees 
Our trees are all clean, healthy and hardy—northern 
grown. 35 years’reputation as sure growers. That 
guarantees you satisfaction. Largest and best 
stocked nursery in the country. 
" Thirty Years with Fruits and Flowers,” or 
C. A. Green’s Book on Canning Fruit. Tell us 
which you would prefer. We ’ll send it free. 
Our free catalog is brimful of practical informa¬ 
tion on fruit cultivation — a necessity for every 
fruit grower. Write us today. 
GREEN’S NURSERY COMPANY, 22 Wall Street, Rochester, N. Y 
