8 



THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



Orghaf^d AND Small Fi^uits 



WOLF RIVER APPLE. 



We give our readers a cut oi an apple valuable 

 for the Ndftliwest un account of its great hardi- 

 ness. It is one of the iron-clads, and is also de- 

 sirable on account of its line size, which is shown 

 In our accurate cut taken from an average size, 

 ■well-grown apple. The Wolf River was originated 

 oy W. A. Springer, of Wolf River, Fremont Co., 

 Wisconsin, from wh'ich it takes its name. The 

 original tree, we learn, is still growing in the 

 northwestern portion of Winnebago Co., 

 Wis. on the Wolf River, about twenty 

 feet above low water mark. The soil 

 is a red, sandy clay, very impervious 

 to water, and Wius originally cover- 

 ed by white oak, ash and elm tim- 

 ber. The land wliere the Wolf 

 River now grows was once set in 

 a large orchard of seedling ap- 

 ples, and now it is almost the 

 only one which has l)een hardy 

 enough to stand the climate and 

 surroundings. The Wolf Rivei 

 will succeutl in wet sf>ils better 

 than any variety so far tested. 

 The tree is a strong, spreading 

 grower, wood dark, and buds 

 pinkish, and what may be 

 called an annual bearer al- 

 though it bears a heavier crop 

 on alternate years, and sets the 

 fruit evenly through the tree. 

 We describe the fruit. Size, large 

 to very large. Kpcdmens have 

 been shown of twenty-eigiit ounces 

 Form irregular, usually roundish- 

 oblate and often angular. Color, dull 

 red or crimson in the sun on a yellow- 

 ish greenground with obscure stripes and 

 many small liglit dots. Cavity nuu-h rus- 

 sotod, stalk short. Only fair in quality, and 

 iccops well into March, apt to shrivel in keeping. 

 \\'e are indebted to G. P. Pefter, of Pewaukee, 

 Wis., for our specimen and information on the 

 apple. Our cut gives the exact size and shape of 

 the apple, size of stem and core of the apple; In 

 fact, it is a perfect reproduction of the Wolf 

 Rivor. Tree a vigorous grower. 



the graft, and will grow and heal the stock over. 

 We have liad stocks of one inch in diameter heal 

 over in a year; when set as is sometimes done, 

 fail to heal at all, and blow olf. Wax all exposed 

 wood over well. 



WHIP-GRAFTING. 



Where the graft and stock are about the same 

 size, cleft-grafting gives place to whip-grafting, 

 the plan of wliich is shown in figure 4. The stock 

 and graft are each cut on a slope, as shown in the 

 illustration, with a shar]) thin knife, making a 

 snntoth <-lelt. Both are united as shown and the 

 points of stock and graft are then trimmed 

 evenly, and securely Tied with a string, well 

 waxed. The whole is then waxed over. When 



CLEFT-GRAFTING. 



Cleft-grafting Is the best mode of grnfting large 

 stocks, and the plan generally used. The art is 

 one that requires careful attention to small par- 

 ticulars, for if in)t done properly the graft may 

 grow, but will take years to make a tree. If well 

 done it will a.t once grow rapidly; more in one 

 year than one poorly grafted will in three. Our 

 cuts are so perfect Unit you can at once see how 

 to become an expert in grafting. These cuts are 

 are made expressly t<) show what no work on 

 grafting h;is done before, new and \aluable fea- 

 tures in the art of grafting, and a great improve- 

 ment on the common i>la!i. By cxatnlning the 

 cuts, it will appear plainly to the reader. 



Thestock you graft on liiust be cut very smooth 

 with a sharp saw. If the stock is large, it Is bet- 

 t<?rt0 4nit it t>tf twice— once above where you in- 

 tend to graft — so that if it should split, you can 



cutiigain,and 

 have a good 

 stock to graft 

 on. Split your 

 stock, and 

 thenmakethc 

 graft, as is 

 shown in the 

 cut. See rtgurc 

 2.in which the 

 huil forms a 

 part of the 

 graft that is 

 Inserted in 

 the cleft. This 

 idea is a new 

 one, and when 

 the graft is 

 set, the pecu- 

 liar curve of 



(FuU Aizff and eza4*t shape,) 



the tree 1ms grown, the string needs loosening. 

 Take a sharp knife and give a drawing cut across 

 the string and leave It alone. The growth of the 

 tree will now spread the ends of the cut apart 

 and allow the tree roon» to grow. 



A LETTER FROM NEW ZEALAND. 



CficirU-.s Ii;/lri/. TYMramiki, ^^'cw Zfalarui, 



I have not written to you since the 10th of Sejv 

 tcmber and In the Interum, we have pjtsscd 

 through the most dismal attempt at a summer 

 that anyone ever remembers, either here or else- 

 where. I should think October, November, and 

 December, were nothing but an unt>roken spell 

 of wet weather, with almost constant gales of 

 cold, wint(*rly winds. The consequence is, that 

 most fruits have been a failure. Cherries ali 

 dropped oft" before ripening, with the exception 

 of a few of the hardiest kinds. Of pears, I do not 

 believe that a bushel remained on the trees In 

 the whole district. Plums are almost a total 

 failure. Of the quinces, not one has set. Apples 

 are a very poor crop, excepting where the shelter 

 isexeepti<mally good, and even then the fruit is 

 small and poor. Strawberries were mi-serable; 



Fig. 1 



Fig. 3. 



the wood and bark la sure to find a sp-wt in the 

 stock to form a perfect union, wliile in a graft, as 

 commonly made, one sometimes fails to tindsuch 

 condition for the union when the graft is inserted. 



In all cases you must have the wood of the 

 stock and that of the graft even, no matter if the 

 graft is inserted beyond the thick bark of the 

 tree. The graft should be so Inserted that if the 

 V»ark of both graft and stock wer« to be removed, 

 they would just be even, for the sap always 

 starts and flows flrst between the wood and bark, 

 and the graft should bo set so the sai>-wood of the 

 graft and stock meet. This is important, and 

 must never be neglected. By cutting the graft 

 on the bud i)Ian, as we show in the cut, this is 

 sure to be done in some part of the graft, and 

 seldom fails, even with a novice. 



Do not insert the graft too deeply; no deeper 

 than shown in the cut, where a sjMt't of white is 

 on thegraft.aliove the stock. FignrcS shows apart 

 of the slope of the graft at a left above the stoek. 

 The graft should never be inserted so that the 

 white wood '•f the graft does not apjiear above 

 thestock. This is Important, for if you graft as 

 we advise, the new wood will at once start from 



PriTi&TlirQ ("lioice Seed. 101 Kind^, Send for 



r" e Lis" Geo. A. Bonnell, Waterloo, N. Y. 



SEEDS, Q 

 PLANT%^ ( -.".rn, Wolcfitne Outs. Seed Polatoe- . 



nther vf'seiiihti' ami Hower st-eil, iiicliiiliMs bf-st iioveliies. 

 ItOSES! KOSF.S! Verbenns hi qvianiines. Cnr- 

 nntioim. Grrnniiiiii!*. <4rni»e, Srrn\vberry» *"d 

 Siiinll Frilil PliinfM, whule^inie and rHiail. Cuialoffues 

 Free. ('. K. AL1L.EN. liriittlvborn, Vcrmonl. 



Ilfst f'aljhaKe, Sweet Corn, Peas, 

 Hash. rurniD Et)sila:;e Corn, Field 



•P. S. CABBAGE. THE REST SEEDS In the 



ifurld supplied by ISAkC F. TILIINGHKST, La Plame, Pa. 



and so were all bush fruits, excepting gooseber- 

 I'ies, whii'h bore in a most unusual manner, the 

 bushes being loaded with heavy ci'ops of very 

 large berries. 



The e.Ncess of moisture appears to have aggrar 

 vated the disease known here as " root-fungus," 

 and the mortality from it has been unusually 

 great. Our other insect pests were also particu- 

 larly troublesome this season. The small, green 

 lady-bugs, on the plum, were far more numerous 

 than I ever saw them before. Instead of staying, 

 as they usually do, two to three weeks, they 

 remained fully five, contining their attention 

 nut only to the plum, cherry, and .*^panish chest- 

 nut trees, as they generally do, but making 

 attacks, as well, upon the apple trees and goose- 

 berry bushes, materially affecting the health 

 andvigorof allof them,and in some cases, 

 stripping them of every vestige of a leaf. 

 None of our small hird.s seem to eat 

 these insects. The fowls can onlj ge( 

 them whentheyare helped tothem 

 then they devour Ihem gicodil.'i 

 Constant feeding of them increa,s- 

 es the powers of laying eggs. The 

 plan that I adopted to give my 

 trees some protection from these 

 vorucious inse<-ts, was to have 

 a couple of frames, eight feet 

 by fcuir, covered with calico, 

 and a hinge down the centre of 

 eacli. These are laid on the 

 groinid, underneath the trees, 

 and the trees are beaten with 

 switches. The beetles fallon the 

 sheets by thousands, and are 

 then jioured into a can containing 

 El lilllc water. When the can or 

 pail is full, it is taken to the fowls. 

 This operation can only be success- 

 fully perforincd between sunset and 

 dark, when the insects are stupid. If 

 c/ disturbed when the sun Is shining, the 



r/ greater part of them tly away. This nat- 

 urally prescrilies the time available tor this 

 work; but, as it was raining heavily and 

 blowing hard nearly all the time they were here, 

 I found my.self at a very great disadvantage in 

 attempting to catch them. 



We had not been rid of these creatures more 

 than a tort night before our friends the leeches 

 arrived In full force. These loathsome vermin, 

 if I may call them ,so, also come in millions, and 

 devote their attention, principally, to the pear 



and cherry 

 trees, but are 

 not above hav- 

 ing a feed on 

 quince and 

 jilum trees, too. 

 The,\- are called 

 the leech or 

 do Ip h i n, and 

 are said to be 

 the larva of the 

 saw fly. From 

 this fact, I 

 gather that the 

 said fly has no 

 natural enemy 

 here to restrain 

 his increase. 

 We are so help- 

 less against the 

 ravages of these 

 things, that I 

 know of o r- 

 chardists who 

 are cutting 

 down their pear 

 trees In despair. In other pl.aces, where smaller 

 trees only are grown, the proprietors find that 

 sprinkling the tree with a solution of white 

 hellebore, (two ounces to a gallim of water), has 

 a beneflcial effect. Sprinkling the tree, or rather 

 the larva, with air-slacked linic and ashes will 

 also kill the pests, l>ut it is not always easily done. 

 I have growled and expatiated on our trouldea 

 enough for one time, and you will think there 

 Is no one so .discontented. 



Figure i. 



GENUINE VUELTA ABAJA 



HAVANA TOBACCO SEED. 



ITnvtnp; import'-d h lot of Inie seed of iiils variety, I 



otfersameat loe. per packet. We. per oimce, and ^4 per 



pound. Free by mail. ('Hlaloijiies upon appliealion. 



F. E. MrAI*C*ISTKR. 29 and 31 Fttllolii St.. N. Y. 



For a p:.rkacp of Sf UAR TROUGH 



GOI'lcn SF.KD, and Ilhistraied Cata- 

 loKue. Ciourds ert>w to hold from five lo 

 ten s:allons. > WAl>DO F. BROWN, 

 Address. / Box 4, Oxford, Ohio. 



If you want the BEST SEEDS for the I^EAST :>IONEY, our Catalomu' will aid yon to procure them, 

 because it contains everrtliin«[ «oofl. hnih old and new. in the trade. Our long experience enables 

 us to secure the best nnd iiioNt relinb|p »<torkH we oiTer. and it will surely jtay you to buy ot 



us. By sending us jour ;nldres.s we will send vou a Catalogue free bv return mail. 



HOVEY & CO., 



16 SOUTH MARKET STREET, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 



