1879.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



81 



hoe-harrow spreads the disease very rapidly 

 from the roots of one tree to the roots o;' another, 

 and even where the soil is not disturbed much 

 the spawn spreads under ground from tree to 

 tree. If the members of the Miciiigan socic^ty 

 liad done what several years ago we recom- 

 mended our readers to do, dig out a shovelfull of 

 earth from around a tree afflicted with yellows, 

 and put it in the ground around a tree tliat is per- 

 fectly healthy, they will soon see that the cause 

 of tlie disease is as " clear as the noonday sun." 



It would be a surprise to us that an experiment 

 so reasonable should not be made long before 

 this by those who are interested in the knowledge, 

 did we not know from past experience that a 

 large luimber of people in the world will talk 

 for hours and write for weeks, rather than spend 

 five minutes with their hands and eyes in experi- 

 ment and observation. 



B ai{tlk's American Dewberry. — A corres- 

 pondent of the Canadian HorticidtariH had abun- 

 dance of llowers of this variety, but none per- 

 fected fruit. 



The Downing Gooseberry. — In Canada the 

 foreign varieties of gooseberry finding a cool 

 summer soil usually do well, but the Downing, 

 according to the Canadian Horticulturist^ some- 

 time^ fails. 



Grafting the Pear on Apple Stocks. — 

 Some attention is being given in the West to the 

 value of the pear when grafted on apple stocks. 



Ohio Peach Crop. — The Cincinnati papers 

 report generally "'peach buds killed," and in 

 some cases ''peaches, plums and cherries killed." 



Ripening Grapes in the Shade. — In grow- 

 ing the foreign grapes under glass, the best 

 growers shade the house a little when the fruit is 

 ripening. The fruit is larger, sweeter and better 

 colored for this attention. A correspondent of 

 Colmaii's Rural World has been trying this prac- 

 tice with the native grape by enclosing the 

 bunches in paper hags and finds great profit in it. 



T03IAT0BS IN Winter. — Mr. Paget, gardener 

 to Senator Cameron, at Harrisburg, Pa., has 

 wonderful success in forcing tomatoes. They 

 are much better in average size and solidity to 

 Summer produced open air fruit. They are as 

 far superior to the best canned tomatoes as a ripe 

 fruit is to a green one. It is a Avonder that gen- 

 tlemen of means have not more of these luxuries. 



Dandelion Salad. — In many seed catalogues 

 we notice '' Dandelion Seed " for sale. It is 



quoted at wholesale at $2.00 i)er pound. It is 

 an admirable salid when blanched ; a fevv boxes 

 of it in a warm, rather dark '-ellar soon comes 

 HI to use. 



Lettuce. — The nicest he;uls of lettuce often 

 will go to seed and become unlit for the table. A 

 German ])aper says you can avoid this unpleas- 

 antness by drawing your knife throu..',!i one-half of 

 the stem to which the head is attached. The 

 sap, or as they call it in Germany, the milk, will 

 flow and rob the head of the power to open, yet 

 enough sap will remain to keep it fresh and grow- 

 ing for another week or so. 



The Apple Tree Borer. — Mr. Edwin Sat- 

 terthwaite reported at the Reading meeting of 

 the Pennsylvania Fruit Growers' Society that 

 he drew the earth around his trees in the Fall 

 several inches high. The borer early deposited 

 its eggs in the tree at the top of the little mound. 

 The earth was removed in the Summer, and the 

 places where the borer worked were more readily 

 seen than when the insect was permitted to 

 work in among the roots at the collar of the tree.' 



Olive Oil. — It is said that a large quantity 

 of " Olive " oil is made from the seed of the 

 sunflower, and from cotton seed. It is belived 

 to be better for culinary purposes than genuine 

 olive, but thos<3 who sell it for *' olive " excuse 

 themselves by saying the public will not buy it 

 under any but a " foreign " name. 



Cold Graperies. — Since the advent of the 

 California Gi'ape in Eastern markets it seems to 

 be taken for granted that it will not pay to force 

 the foreign grape under glass. But this does 

 not seem to apply to cold graperies, or the raisr 

 ing of the foreign grape under glass without fire 

 heat. At the recent fruit growers' meeting at 

 Reading, Pa., it was no surprise to learn that 

 good house raised grapes would readily bring 

 fifty cents per pound when the California pro- 

 duct was a drag at twenty-five cents, on account 

 of superior quality ; and it was reported of one 

 in the business that he had made good profits at 

 less than fifty cents per pound. At any rate, as 

 a cheap luxury, independently of any market 

 profits, many a person might have a cheap cold 

 grapery. There is very little cost to good results. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES, 



The Water Apple. — A Bucks County, Pa., 

 correspondent says : "The Water Apple is the 

 best apple to plant in Ioav frosty places. I have 



