1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



351 



nial, the money went "somewhere," and none 

 came to these workers. The Ohio Society had 

 to stand the brunt of the cost. 



As a practical item, we select the following re- 

 marks of Mr. P. Barry on orchard culture, and 

 we do so because we once had to endure so 

 much contumely for expressing nearly the same 

 views. It is peculiarly gratifying to us that 

 teaching, in which we stood wholly alone at one 

 time, is now generally accepted as the sound 

 doctrine by fruit cultivators. 



" In the earlier years of an orchard, nothing 

 but good culture and plenty of manure will 

 answer, but when an orchard comes into bear- 

 ing, rapid growth of wood is not calculated to 

 produce the finest fruit. Fruitfulness is promo- 

 ted by seeding down and checking the growth. 

 Pasturing with sheep is an easy practical way of 

 taking care of an orchard, but manure must be 

 used to keep up the fruitfulness. Starving trees 

 , on grass is the extreme of grass culture. He 

 would not assert but what greater burdens of 

 fruit could be produced by 'high culture,' but 

 coat must be considered. He has as good quality 

 of fruit in grass as in clean culture, but cannot 

 have fine fruit in a crow'ded orchard." 



Transactions of the Nebraska State Hort. 

 Society for 1877. — From Dan'l K. Wheeler, 

 Plattsmouth. Beautiful plates of scenery in 

 various parts of Nebraska adorn the volume, 

 which gives also much valuable information as 

 to the fruits best suited to that distant region. 



The Microscopist's Companion. — By John 

 Phin. Second edition. New York Industrial Com- 

 pany. This is but a small book— but as a micros- 

 cope is now a part of the complement of every 

 intelligent household, it will be of great value to 

 many, Mr. Phin, the author, is a .j^ains-taking 

 and conscientious naturalist, and whatever comes 

 from his pen is sure to be reliable. He is alreadj' 

 known to our readers by one of the best works 

 on wine making. We are glad to see the present 

 little work in the form of a second edition, which 

 shows that the public has appreciated his work 

 as w'ell as we. 



Music. — '' Dear Old Homestead." — Song and 

 Music for the Piano. From F. W. Helmich, 

 Cincinnati, Ohio. 



A Good Michigan Nursery. — It is always a 

 good sign to be spoken well of by one's neigh- 

 bors, and this is Avhat has been done by the 

 Michigan Farmer for Bragg & Stearns of Kalama- 

 zoo. 



Journal of Forestry. — We have before us the 

 first number of this new English candidate for 

 public favor, and considering the increasing in- 

 terest in the subject of Forestry, have no doubt 

 there is room for its success. If there be such 

 a field, the present venture promises to fill it 

 very creditably. The only suggestion we would 

 make is, that there is a little too nuich of de- 

 pendence on Loudon and older writers, when 

 modern ones have contributed better material. 

 It would be astonishing if these good friends had 



exhausted all knowledge, or made no mistakes. 

 In an editorial here, Loudon is quoted as au- 

 thority that the " Black Italian Poplar" is 

 Populus monilifera. We all thought so in 

 Loudon's time, and he was excusable, but no 

 authority thinks so now. Populus nigra is the 

 Black Italian Poplar — a European kind. 



Pretty Feathers make Pretty Birds. — The 

 Poultry World sends us copies of the chromos 

 they intend to give as premiums next year, and 

 we must say that they are very nicely gotten up, 

 and will, no doubt, be an acceptable gift to bird 

 fanciers. 



L. B. Case, Richmond, Ind., sends us his green- 

 house catalogue, which is worthy of special 

 notice for the great amount of useful informa- 

 tion it gives about the plants offered for sale. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Fruiting op Akebia quinata. — A number of 

 correspondents send us fruit this season. It 

 must be a rare season for it. One suggests that 

 probably insects have been more abundant or 

 active in cross fertilizing, but we prefer to believe 

 it is a question of nutrition. 



A Twin Apple. — B. F. L. sends us an apple 

 with a small one growing out of it near the base. 

 It is useful as showing by how many ways nature 

 will bring out similar experiences. In the apple 

 and the pear, orange and other things, the branch 

 which normally is arrested in its growth when it 

 is turned into a fruit, still retains a little of its 

 original elongating power. In this case the twin 

 is formed by the development of two branch 

 buds from near one base. It is not easy to 

 explain these things in a few words, unless the 

 reader has already some idea of vegetable 

 morphology. 



Twin Peach.— A South Carolina correspon- 

 dent sends us a sketch of a twin peach. This is 

 another illustration of similar effects from differ- 

 ent physiological law. In the apple we have five 

 divisions in the core, and each of these divisions 

 (carpels) is formed of an original single leaf. 

 There is no other reason why the peach has not 

 five peaches side by side arranged somewhat as 

 the apple core is, except abortion. In the case 

 of this twin peach two have been produced, and 

 wc have seen as many as three together, and 

 would not be surprised some day to see five 

 together, but should be to find more than this. 



The LCentucky Coffee as a Fly Poison. — 

 Miss A. says : — " When in Virginia last year the 

 negroes told me that the Kentucky " locust," as 

 they called it — Gymnocladus Canadensis — was 

 boiled, and the juice mixed with molasses and 

 set for Hies to drink, by which they were poison- 

 ed. It is the great fly poison with them." 



Fertile Hydrangea.— S. sends a head of 

 hydrangea in which the flowers are very nearly 

 ail fertile. We may explain that the large rosy 



