editor's table. 



New York Fakmers' Club. — The Secretary read translated extracts from a paper in the 

 Revue Horticole of Paris, Sept., 1855, by M. Klotzsch, of the Royal Academy of Sciences, 

 Vienna, on the utility of hybrids. M. Klotzsch has crossed the Pin us Nigricans with the 

 Sylvestris, the Quercus rohur with the Quercus pedunculata. Their seeds produce trees, 

 which, in eight years, are one-third larger than trees from the seed of the parents sepa- 

 rately. They were all planted on the same day, and under similar circumstances. 



The Secretary read a letter from Dr. Underbill, of Croton Point Vineyards, in which he 

 suggests, that by planting plum-trees so as to overhang water, they are very certain to be 

 free from the curculio and other insects, which are deterred by instinct from depositing eggs 

 where they will be likely to fall into the water. The doctor commenced his experiments 

 eight years ago, and now has about 200 plum-trees, the larger portion of which have come 

 into bearing, and over 50 have produced fine crops of fruit — and during this time they have 

 been entirely exempt from the ravages of all insects. The doctor constructed a small arti- 

 ficial lake, upon the margin of which the trees were planted. 



Mr. Atwill, of Iowa, gave an interesting account of the climate, products, and social 

 condition of that State. 



Mice axd Rabbits. — Mr. Editor : From diflferent sources I hear of the depredations com- 

 mitted upon trees, the past winter, by the mice and rabbits. Thinking the method, whereby 

 some can be yet saved (which will otherwise perish), may be new to some of your subscri- 

 bers, I give it, claiming no originality, however, for it is old. Tlie 

 annexed figure may give you a better idea of the modus operandi than 

 I could detail. 



A, A. The trunk of a tree in part. B. The part barked all around. 

 C. A crooked scion, prepared to insert. D. A scion, inserted into 

 the bark below and above the girdled part. E. The bark of the tree. 



Many trees of value are girdled all round, and, without something 

 like the foregoing, cannot easily be saved. 



I this evening finished fixing some of my most valuable trees, three 

 inches in diameter, that have been barked all around for six inches 

 from the surface of the ground upwards ; they may be stuck all 

 round the tree, which, when the sap begins to rise, may be commu- 

 nicated from the root to the trunk, above the girdled part ; bank up 

 the earth so as to cover the whole of the scions. 



Where the girdle is but narrow, and near the ground, the banking 

 of earth over it may sometimes save a tree, as there will be buds 

 sent out from the bark above the injury, but it is not always sure. 



Trees barked high up by the rabljits, may be treated in like man- 

 ner, but, in that case, a grafting box must be used to cover the wounds, 

 keep air out, &c. Trees treated thus ought to be staked, so as to 

 prevent rocking about, otherwise the scions will not have a chance 

 to grow fast. If you can make anything out of the above, and have 

 nothing better on hand for the occasion, it is at your service ; if not, 

 all right, &c. 



While on the subject of mice, let me tell those that are breathing 

 out vengeance against the little vixens, that if they will prune their 

 trees in the fall, throw the green brush under the trees, the mice will 

 feed upon them, and let the trees alone, as I observe, invariably, that 

 wherever I left cuttings or limbs under the trees, they were all peeled 



off, while the tree, but one foot off, was untouched. Let horticulturists mark this for the 

 future. S- M. 



Calmdale, Lebanon, Pa., April 15, 1856. 



[To prevent the ravages of mice another winter, tread the snow firmly round the trees the 

 first time it falls, and keep up the process during the whole winter, after every successive 

 fall.— Ed.] 



The Smokehouse Apple. — I suppose you are aware that many of our Eastern nurserymen, 

 and some of our own State, have been crying out against our favorite Lancaster County 

 Smokehouse Apple, or, as it is called by some, Millcreek Vandevere, for the very reason of its 

 being a straggling grower, and hard to raise a nice, straight sto.;k ; but when it becomes a 

 tree, it forms a fine head ; to avoid raising it from root-graft, the better way is to g""" 

 the same on a good, straight stock, standard height, and you will have a tree 



