RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1375 
RURALISMS 
Transplanting Dasheens 
Since the dashecn is tender to frost and 
also requires a growing season of about 
six months in order to produce a profit¬ 
able crop, its culture has been confined to 
the extreme Southern parts of the coun¬ 
try. There is a method, however, by 
which this valuable new root crop can be 
grown in sections as far north as Mary¬ 
land and Tennessee. This is by starting 
the pl.ants under glass four or five weeks 
before conditions are right for outdoor 
planting. Healthy conns weighing from 
one to two ounces are selected and bedded 
two or three inches deep in sand in a 
greenhou.se bench or in a hotbed. Only 
moderate heat is necessary to start them 
into growth, shoots with one or two leaves 
being sent up, and quite large root sys¬ 
tems are formed from the base of the 
conn. In about four weeks plants a foot 
high will be ready for transplanting. 
These should be taken up with as much 
of the root system as possible, and set in 
rows in the field, four feet apart and 30 
inches apart in the row. If possible the 
freshly-set plants should be watered. 
These transplanted plants will start into 
growth quickly if the weather is warm, 
and mature a crop three or four weeks 
before conns planted direct in the field 
in the ustml way. Whether or not this 
method will be practical on a commercial 
scale is yet to be found out, but it will 
serve nicely for small lots. The dasheeu 
does best in a well-prepared and rather 
rich soil, and on such soils it will give a 
heavier yield of roots than is generally 
gotten from either Irish or sweet potatoes, 
for which crops the dasheeu is a fine sub¬ 
stitute. J. T. B. 
Grape Notes From Missouri 
Mericadel and Xinta. —The past sea¬ 
son was a favorable one for grapes. Some 
of the Itogers’ Hybrids did not pollinate 
well. Wilder was an offender in this re¬ 
spect and its croi) was very disappointing. 
The Munson seedlings under test con¬ 
firmed previous estimates. I wrote of 
these in The R. N.-Y. of March 17. I 
said then and must repeat now that the 
two most valuable are the Mericadel and 
Xinta. Ten young vines of the first 
variety were loaded with as beautiful and 
showy fruit as I have ever seen. The 
bunches are very handsome, long, seldom 
shouldered, exceedingly compact, beauti¬ 
fully colored. The vines are very pro¬ 
ductive, very vigorous, exempt from rot 
and shunned by the leaf roller. The qual¬ 
ity of the fruit is first-class, among the 
very best, as might be expected from its 
half Delaware parentage. The color is 
black. The Xinta also added considerably 
to its former estimates. This is a black 
grape that ripens some days before the 
Concord. Most of its blood is derived 
from the wild grape, and its flavor is 
piquant and agreeable, better than that 
of the Concoi-d, to my taste. Compared 
with the Concord it is more vigorous in 
growth, healthier in foliage, equally as 
productive, larger in berry, tougher skin¬ 
ned, a better keeper and will outsell it on 
the market. 
Displacing Campbell’s Early. —This 
year it was able to advance to the high 
honor of a full substitute for Campbell’s 
Early, which has always stood at the head 
of all the varieties in the vineyard. I had 
not thofight it capable of rising to this 
distinction, but this year it proved its 
claims by deeds. The Italian fruit ven¬ 
ders. who generally monopolize that line 
of business, want a large showy black 
grape that is a good handlei’, that will 
not shell off and is not easily crushed. 
In these respects Campbell’s is unrivalled. 
They will accept Moore’s Early because 
it is about the same size as Campbell’s, 
but it does not handle nearly so well. We 
cut and sell Moore’s first because it is not 
so good a keeper and because the fruit 
vender.s. if first given Campbell’s, are apt 
to grumble when it is replaced by Moore’s. 
This year, to our surpise, when Xinta 
became ripe, it was so nearly equal to 
Campbell s in size, general appearance 
and in keeping and handling qualities, 
that we passed from Campbell’s right on 
to it without hearing a word from the 
keen Italians to indicate that they had 
even noticed the change. I considered 
this a remarkable tribute to the Xinta, 
Its one weakness, strange to say, is identi¬ 
cal with the greatest weakness of Camp¬ 
bell’s. and that is the imperfect pollina¬ 
tion of its flowers. Although both Camp¬ 
bell’s and Xinta were planted in close 
proximity to numerous other varieties, 
this weakness has always been apparent 
In this region, at least, I believe it is con¬ 
genital with them. 
IMuencii and Eern. —Another IMunson 
creation that has shown a distinct value 
is the Muench, of wild blood parentage, 
and a worthy companion to this is the 
Fern. I was searching for late black 
grapes that would prolong the season, and 
having the qualities essential to good 
market grapes. Heretofore I had nothing 
later than the Wilder, except Norton’s 
Virginia, and this latter was too small 
in bunch and berry for table use. The 
season, then, for black grapes, terminated 
here about September first, with the extra 
earlies ripening the last of July. Camp¬ 
bell’s could be depended on to last a 
month by sacking, and so could Xinta. 
'i*uench and Fern do not begin to ’ipen 
till September, about same season as 
Catawba. This year my young vines bore 
their first full ci’op, and it was a prodig¬ 
ious one. The Muench is the bettor keep¬ 
er. Its fruit will hang on in good con¬ 
dition till it freezes. Its bunches average 
very large; they are long, cylindrical, 
sometimes shouldered. An extra fine spec¬ 
imen weighed three-quarters of a pound. 
The berries are larger than those of 
the Delaware, about the size of the Green 
Mountain; they are not juicy but well- 
flavored ; they never crack and are good 
keepers and handlers. The Fern is a 
cross between wild blood and the Ca¬ 
tawba ; the berries are as large as the 
Catawbas and with .a tinge of red so 
.slight that they would pass as black ; the 
most pei-sistent to the stem of any grape 
I know of. Unfortunately the leaf-roller 
destroyed so many leaves on these vines 
that I could not justly estimate the ripen¬ 
ing power of this variety when loaded 
with a large crop. On the other hand, 
the ^lueiTch, in the next row, was prac¬ 
tically immune from this insect and held 
its leaves well till the last. As far north 
as the Catawba will ripen these two va¬ 
rieties could be safely planted for market 
purposes. A picture of the Muench, Fig. 
638, is shown on page 1360. 
L. R. JOHNSON. 
Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. 
Vegetable Forcing, by Ralph L. 
Watts, dean of the School of Agriculture 
and Experiment Station of the Pennsyl¬ 
vania State College.—Prof. Watts is 
widely known as an authority on ege- 
table growing, and in the above book he 
discusses his subject very fully, and with 
exact knowledge. A variety of crops are 
■treated, greenhouse structures, insects and 
diseases, soils, fei’tilizers, shipping and 
marketing. The book is authoritative and 
up to date, giving much practical infor¬ 
mation not otherwise found in book form. 
It contains 425 pages, and is freely illus¬ 
trated ; published by the Orange Judd 
Co., New York; price $2. 
“This seems to be a very dangerous 
precipice,” remarked the tourist. “I 
wonder that they have not i)ut up a 
warning-board!” “Yes,” answered the 
guide, “it is dangerous. They kept a 
warning-board up for two years, but no 
one fell over, so it was taken down.”— 
Harper’s Magazine, 
A Succossful 
Grindor 
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Grind All Your Feeds—• 
Use 10% to 25% Less 
Serve your own interests and help the 
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310 East Road 
Crown Point, Ind. 
70 
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