RYE.

The following varieties, mostly from Prussia, have done very well. The kind called Eldenaer Bastard rye is very peculiar-more like wheat than rye, very large and thin-skinned :

Probstier rye, rye from the city of Tirnia, in Saxony, Spanish Double, Corren's, John's Day, Seelander, Champagner, Eldenaer Bastard, Mandschure, Riesen Standen, Shortheaded Corren Standen, Poland, San Joaquin, Bushy Summer, from Saxony.

OATS.

A few winter oats were sown in the fall, but they did not withstand the sudden frosts and thaws to which they were exposed. The following kinds were sown in March, and all drilled in at 13 inches between the rows. This was a very favorable season for oats, and those experimented with were all good but the Hopetown:

Potato oats, (from R. L. Dorr, Danville, New York,) Hopetown Potato, (from England,) Black Prussian, Great Flag, Cumberland, White Swedish, Yellow Lithuania, White Tartarian, Black Tartarian, Black Poland, Dyoick's Early, Nun's, Berlie, Blainslie, Late Angus, Early Angus.

BARLEY.

Barley requires a colder and more humid climate than this to promote its early growth; although some of the varieties grown did pretty well, still there was a shortness of straw which was against its weight considerably. The varieties grown are all first class of their kind when raised in England. The Hertfordshire Hero barley never came into ear at all. The following kinds have been grown:

Chevalier barley, Hudson Golden Melon, Moldavian, Thanet, Hertfordshire Hero, Golden Drop, Brewer's Delight, Page's Prolific, Peruvian, Great, Laland, Weizacker, Oderbruch.

The last mentioned barley is grown very extensively on the low, formerly swamp lands of the valley of the Oder, but which were drained during the reign of Frederick the Great, and has since produced the very best barley known on the continent of Europe. It is a very favorite variety for the porter brewers of England, and for which they pay a very high price. The sample experimented with, of this variety, was very small, and the season was too far advanced before it was received to test it properly. It, however, came up vigorously, and appears to be of robust growth, but had not time to mature.

RICE.

Four kinds of rice from Japan were sown; the seed must have got heated, or, perhaps, was too old, as none of it ever germinated.

SORGHUM.

black

Four varieties of sorghum have been grown, viz: red sorghum, sugar, and red, all from Shantung; the other is sorghum imported from China. They have all been planted as far separate as possible, so as to preserve the different kinds from hybridizing. They all look well, especially the first three varieties, and seem to be something new.

PEAS.

About seventy varieties of peas were sown, four feet apart in the row, on the same kind of land, and all about the same date. The whole did well except a few from Germany, which were in very small lots and did not appear to be of any merit. The following kinds were grown:

Early Sugar peas, Sugar, Green Dwarf Market, Knight's Dwarf Market, Dwarf Smooth Honey Market, Early Dwarf Market, Early English Crooked White Flowered, Pole, Green Mammoth, Small Mammoth, Large Mammoth, Dwarf Blue Imperial, Tom Thumb, Bishop's Early Dwarf, McLean's Little Gem, Philadelphia Extra Early, Emperor or Morning Star, Dwarf Sugar, Early Frame, Daniel O'Rourke, Deacon's Double Extra Early, New Early Telegraph, Veitch's Perfection, Eugenie or Alliance, Champion of England, Napoleon or Climax, Blackeyed Marrow, White-eyed Marrow, Evergreen Marrow, Beck's Gem, McLean's Epicurean, McLean's Princess of Wales, Bedman's Imperial, McLean's Premier, the Yorkshire Hero, Small Prussian, Saxton's Prolific, Carter's "first crop," Sutton's Long-podded Tom Thumb, Scimitar, Harrison's Glory, King of the Marrow, Dickson's Favorite, Warner's Emperor, Beck's Prizetaker, British Queen, Ne Plus Ultra, McLean's Princess Royal, Bishop's Long-podded Dwarf, Dickson's First and Best Early, Wheeler's First Early, Hair's Dwarf Mammoth, Knight's Tall Green Marrow, Advancer, Surprise, Early Green Marrow, Wonderful, Sangster's No. 1, Competitor, Wonder of the World, the Washington, White Russian, Partridge, Common Gray, Flack's Victory, Denyer's General Havelock, Champion of Scotland, Fairhead's Excelsior, Magdeburg Gold, Spanish peas from Port Mahon, Naples.

Dickson's First and Best Early" pea is superior to any of the peas experimented with for earliness, productiveness, and general good qualities. The pod of this pea was longer than any of the other early sorts, and was uniformly filled with large well developed peas. Sown 24th March, bloomed 10th May, and was ready for picking on 28th May.

Carter's "First Crop" is a very early pea, height 23 feet, not quite so productive as Dickson's "First and Best" pea, but has the advantage of ripening all its pods about the same time. Sown March 21st, bloomed 8th May, and ready for picking 28th May.

Wheeler's "First Early" pea, said to be earlier by one week than "Daniel O'Rourke" or "Sangster's No. 1," but did not prove so here; although a very good early pea, resembling Carter's "First Crop" pea very much, not quite so productive as "Sangster's No. 1." Sown 24th March, bloomed 9th May, and was picked 29th same month.

Sangster's No. 1, a synonym of Daniel O'Rourke, height 33 to 4 feet, very nearly as productive as Dickson's "First and Best Early" pea, strong habit, and early. Sown 24th March, bloomed 10th May, ready for picking on 29th May.

McLean's "Little Gem" pea, a dwarf, prolific, green wrinkled marrow pea, is a great acquisition; having a fine flavor, sugary, early, and requires no stakes, growing about 14 inches high. Sown 20th March, bloomed 10th May, and was ready for picking 10th June.

Of second early peas, Advancer, Warner's Emperor, Ne Plus Ultra, McLean's Epicurean, McLean's Princess of Wales, McLean's Premier, Saxton's Prolific, Magdeburg Gold, The Yorkshire Hero, and Dickson's Favorite are all good, and come in soon after the more early varieties, being all good bearers, and suitable for general cropping.

BEANS.

Thirteen kinds of the long-pod Windsor bean, and four varieties of horse beans, were planted. Very few of them ever came to any perfection, being en

tirely destroyed by insects, and the climate generally being too hot and dry them. The kidney bean comprises the several sorts grown, viz:

Early Six Weeks, White Kidney, China Red Eye, Newington Wond Early Valentine, Robin's Egg Dwarf Kidney, Cream-colored Dwarf Kidn Canadian Dwarf Yellow, Common Brown Haricot, Variegated Dwarf, Wh Haricot, Dwarf White Sugar Pearl, Negro Long-podded French, Thousan fold Dwarf White, Dwarf White Kidney, Black and White Sugar, Wh Bush, Parts Sugar Dwarf, Dwarf Yellow Sugar, Large White Lima, Hortic tural, Black Mexican, and five kinds without names.

POLE BEANS.

White Kidney Pole Bean, Arabian White Flowered, Variegated Runne Black Stake, Scarlet Runner, and Arabian Colored Runner.

GRASSES AND CLOVERS.

About three acres were seeded down with timothy the first week in Octobe It came up very regularly, and the land being in good condition, it made a f start before frost. The winter was very severe, and in the spring its appearan for a crop was very indifferent; but it gradually tillered out, and in the month of June there was cut and cured about eight tons of splendid hay. The after math has grown tolerably, and produced about two and a half tons of good hay The Alsike clover and Alfafa, or Chili clover, both produced good crops of a succulent and nutritious nature. The Alfafa, when young, would make a very fine feed for soiling cattle, but it has a tendency to grow very woody and har when allowed to mature. The Alsike, on the contrary, keeps green and luxu riant up to its period of ripening, and has not the same tendency to get hard and fibry. The other grasses sown are as follows:

Medicago lupulino, Trifolium filiforme, Trifolium repens, Trifolium incarna tum, Onobrychis sativa, Apium petroselinum, Cynosurus cristatus, Plantag lanceolata, Festuca duriuscula, Festuca pratensis, Festuca ovina, Festuca tennifolia, Festuca elatior, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Alopecurus pratensis Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis, Poa nemoralis, Poa annua, Bromus Schraderi Dactylis glomerata, Avena Flavescens, Evergreen rye-grass, Ayrshire perennial grass, Pacey's Perennial grass, Esparset, Pimpernell grass, Franz Raygrass, Black Nonesuch or yellow clover, yellow suckling clover, white clover. scarlet crimson or Italian clover, sainfoin, sheep parsley, crested dogstail, rib grass, hard Fescue grass, meadow Fescue grass, sheep's Fescue, fine-leaved Fescue, tall Fescue, sweet-scented vernal, meadow foxtail, smooth-stalke meadow, rough-stalked meadow, annual meadow (from Australia,) orchard grass, yellowish oat grass, burr clover, cocksfoot grass, English Italian ryegrass, clover from Richmond or Turkey clover, soft hairy cockle grass.

CABBAGES.

Eighteen varieties of cabbage have been grown, viz:

Little Pixie, Early Dwarf York, Nonpariel, Early Emperor, Sugar Loaf Couve Tronchuda, Carter's Matchless, Imperial Oxheart, Extra Fine Red. Shilling's Queen, McEwan's Early, Enfield Market, Wheeler's Imperial, Fearnought, White Cwt., Robinson's Champion Drumhead, Winningstadt, Red Pickling.

Little Pixie, Early Dwarf York, Early Emperor, Carter's Matchless, and Imperial Oxheart, are the five earliest of the above-named varieties. All were sown in the drill March 31, never transplanted, and were fit for table 220 June. Little Pixie is very small, but makes a compact head early. Early

peror forms a good large firm head, but the best of the five was Carter's chless, having the largest and best formed head of any of those experiated with. Several of the others are very good, but later, especially Robin's Champion Drumhead, which grows to an immense size..

SAVOYS.

The following kinds have been tested:

Feather Stem Savoy, Dwarf Ulm, Dwarf Green Curled, Drumhead. The Dwarf Ulm Savoy is the earliest and decidedly the best. The Drumid is also very good.

LETTUCE.

Fourteen varieties of lettuce have been tested.

Snow's Matchless, Hardy Hammersmith, Moor Park, and Neapolitan are the st, and much deserving of further experiment. Wheeler's Tom Thumb is ry good, said to be, by the raiser of the seed imported, the smallest, pretst, and finest flavored lettuce in cultivation. It has proved itself to be so ere. Some of the others are tolerably good, but not equal to those men

oned.

ONIONS.

Thirteen sorts of onions have been grown, viz:

James Keeping, White Globe, Brown Globe, Brown Portugal, White Porugal, White Spanish, Giant Madeira, Nuneham Park, White Lisbon, Danrers New Yellow, Silver Skinned, Red Italian Tripoli, Blood Red.

The onions were sown on the 29th of March, the seed being drilled in three eet apart. They were kept clear of weeds, and the earth constantly stirred with horse hoes and cultivators all summer. The Giant Madeira, White Lisbon, and Red Italian Tripoli have yielded immensely; the others have turned out tolerably well, but are not so large in size. Specimens of the Giant Madeira weigh 14 pound, White Lisbon 12 ounces, and Red Italian Tripoli 14 ounces, respectively. All of the different kinds of seeds not enumerated in any of the above lots, but tested here, have turned out, with few exceptions, to be very good. Some of them require to be harvested before much can be said regarding their merits. About thirty-six varieties of seeds were received from Japan. They were all put into the ground, but scarcely one-half of the different kinds came up. There is something very peculiar in the most of those which have grown, and all are evidently new varieties unknown in this country.

There is a cucumber which beats anything grown on the grounds here, for size and productiveness; all the seeds of this kind are being carefully preserved for distribution. Some of the beans promise to be good, but they are not far enough advanced to judge of them sufficiently. There were several varieties of seeds sown which came from Vienna; among them is a white curled endive, which is one of the finest grown. It seems to do well here, and is much superior to the others. There are also six varieties of radishes growing, and there is a white variety called the white monthly radish which is very fine, and pronounced by those who have tested its qualities to be superior to anything they have ever tasted. There are four varieties of Kohl rabi, which are quite distinct from the common English kinds, seeming to be of much finer quality, and likely to be better adapted for domestic purposes.

TOMATOES.

Several varieties of tomatoes have been tested, but the Tilden, and Carter's Yellow tomato from London, England, are the best. The Tilden merits all

Seed of

that has been said about it by those who have recommended it to public notice; but Carter's Yellow far surpasses it in richness and quality of flesh. this kind is being carefully saved for further experiment.

POTATOES.

Forty-three varieties of potatoes are being tested. Eight of them are directly from the celebrated growers of seedling potatoes, viz., Messrs. Paterson & Son, Dundee, Scotland, and are named, respectively, Paterson's Early, Paterson's Blue, Paterson's Victoria, Paterson's Scotch Blue, Paterson's Alexandra, Paterson's Regent, Paterson's Napoleon, Paterson's Red. These all have great reputations in their native country, but time will develop what they will do here. They look very well and appear to yield good crops here also. The other varieties are very promising and are likely to turn out well. When they are gathered, the ground will be measured, and the quantity produced of each particular kind will be weighed, so that an estimate of their produce per acre may be ascertained. The Goodrich Early keeps ahead of any of the varieties tested, for earliness, although the Samaritan is not far behind it, but does not yield as largely.

MELONS.

Upwards of thirty kinds of cantaloupes and watermelons have been tested. Among the cantaloupes and muskmelons, particularly, there is one from Spain, which has been very much regarded as superior to anything hitherto grown in this country. There is also one called Michies's netted muskmelon, a very superior variety. Several of those from Buenos Ayres and Port Mahon are very good also. The watermelons were late planted, but notwithstanding the coolness of the season they have grown amazingly. There is a watermelon from China which puts all the others in the shade for sweetness, firmness of flesh, and general good qualities; the seed of this kind is perfectly white. There are also some from Russia which have grown well and are very good, having a very thin rind, and the flesh firm and solid.

Several kinds of pumpkins and squashes have also been planted, but at this time have not sufficiently matured to speak of them definitely

One kind of tobacco was grown which was sent to you from Turkey, without any name, but which, from its appearance while growing, resembles the Latakia tobacco. It is quite different from any of the known varieties of tobacco grown in this country. It does not produce such an amount of leaves as some of the others the leaves being wider apart on the stem-but they are much thinner and finer in quality. All the seed has been carefully saved off this lot, and will be distributed from the department.

On a place like this, where so many varieties of seeds have been tested, it is almost impossible to arrive at a fair conclusion with one year's experiments; but by carefully comparing the different qualities of each separate variety, and experimenting in succeeding years with those known to be good, and compar ing them with new varieties, a more reliable opinion will be arrived at, and also better methods of managing and securing the different kinds of seeds, so that only those which can be relied on will be secured; as it is almost impossible on so limited a space to keep some kinds from hybridizing.

Hon. I. NEWTON,

GEORGE REID.'