48 



THE GARDEXER'S MOXTHLY 



[February, 



to do. But if it be thought they are longer in 

 comins into bearing, root-prune them. The best 

 way to do this is to dig a trench two feet deep 

 around the tree, about sis feet from the trunk, 

 fillins in the earth again when finished. This is 

 the best plan of root pruning. 



The Peaxut.— Our Peanut plays no mean 

 part in the oil trade of Europe, judging by the 

 followinir, which we find in the Gardeners' Chro- 

 nicle. Our readers mostly know that the Peanut 

 is Arachis hypogrea. 



" Large quantities of oil-seeds, such as Arachis 

 hyposfea. Sesamum indicum, Elaeis guineensis. 

 etc., find their way, it seems, to Xantes, for the 

 manufacture of a household soap known as 

 • Marseilles soap,' from the fact of its first be- 

 ins manufactiu-ed in that city. This manufac- 

 ture was started about 1850 by a firm who have 

 since been most successful. At first they im- 

 ported direct the raw materials with which to 

 supply their factory, but branch houses have 

 since been established to purchase the oil-seeds 

 and oils direct from the natives oa the West 

 Coast of Africa at Sawpit. Tamalamba and Mar- 

 ambo. and also at Coromandel.from whence the 

 merchandise is shipped to Xantes, principally in 

 vessels Ijtlonging to the firm. The productions 

 of these works find their way in quantities into 

 the various departments of France. The oil- 

 cakes are sold principally to the Departments 

 of the Xorth of France, to the French colonies 

 and to England."' 



T03IAT0ES i:s' England.— These must "be get- 

 tins: iuto some favor at length in England. — 

 when new English varieties are being advertised, 

 Xisbet's Victoria is among the announcements 

 of the season. The fruit is represented to be 

 about the size of a good sized plum. 



Dr. Wylie's Grapes.— These well known 

 and excellent hybrids have been placed in the 

 hands of Ed. J. Evans & Co.. of York, Pa, for 

 propagation, with the view sometime of ofiering 

 them for sale for the benefit of the late Dr. Wy- 

 lie's family. 



The Best English Strawberries. — In our 

 country •■ the best kind ever raised'' of Strawber- 

 ries appear every year. It is remarkable that 

 in England, the country above all favorable to 

 fine Strawberries, they seem to have found per- 

 fection long ago. The Gardeners'' Magazine gives 

 the following as the best at present : Yicountess 

 Hericartde Thury, Sir Joseph Paxton, President, 



British Queen, Elton Pine and Eleanor. These 

 are mostly a quarter of a century old. How 

 would a list of our kinds do made up of that pe- 

 riod, — say Burr's Pine, Hovey's Seedling, Long- 

 worth's Prolific. Peabodv's Seedling, and so 

 forth ? 



Almond Culture. — California has succeed- 

 ed so well in soft-shell almond cultiu-e. that the 

 European trade with America begins to feel the 

 pressure. 



The Prentiss Grape. — This fine white grape 

 was exhibited at Rochester as it grew on the 

 vine. A branch twenty inches long, had seven 

 canes, on which were nineteen clusters weighing 

 seven pounds. 



Apple for South of Baltimore.— An 

 American Farmer correspondent names the Lim- 

 bertwig as one of the best varieties for planting 

 south of Baltimore. 



Phylloxera in California. — Since this 

 insect pest has found its way to California, the 

 grape growers are following the French in graft- 

 ing their plants on the varieties of the riparia. 

 and cordifolia classes, the roots of which resist 

 the insects to a great extent. Of course our 

 readers know that the European race of grapes 

 furnish the varieties commonl}- grown in Cali- 

 fornia. 



Grafting the Grape. — The American Wine 

 and Grape Grower — a recent venture, and de- 

 voted wholly to the subject of grape growing 

 with all that it implies — says well, that in graft- 

 ing the grape to resist Phylloxera, the graft miLst 

 be above ground, or the graft will take root,, 

 and its final condition becomes as bad as the 

 first. 



The Foster Peach. — The Country Gentleman 

 says this is often replaced by the Early and Late 

 Crawford, but it is not the same ; it is sweeter 

 and higher colored. 



A Large Cucumber. — A correspondent 

 sends in the following from Reynold's Newspaper 

 , of London : 



'•Sir C. W. Oakley. Baronet, of Frittenden,. 

 has just grown a cucumber five feet long and a* 

 foot thick. Madame Tu^saud will exhibit the 

 dream of the man who eats it for supper in the 

 Chamber of Horrors." 



He asks " What do you think of it ? " We do- 

 not see why we should be asked this question,, 

 for the thing is big enough to speak for itself. 



