180 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



\June, 



else could make up their minds to follow his ex- 

 ample. Too many followed it years afterwards, 

 though, and found out to their own loss that 

 there was no room at the top. Some years after 

 Reybold had gotten well under way, Reeves and 

 Ridgeway, also of Delaware City, planted im- 

 mense orchards that also did well. Heni-y Todd, 

 of Dover, and Jehu Reed, of Frederica, followed 

 the next year, the former on a larger scale than 

 any up to that time. His orchards covered 

 hundreds of acres, and he has told me that his 

 returns from one week's sales, have given him 

 *3,000 clear profit. This was in 1840-45; and 

 not much later people began to awaken to the 

 fact that peach growing might be made a vast 

 source of revenue. Having realized this, they 

 at once embarked in the industry, until it became 

 almost general. As people became more ac- 

 quainted with it, and more decided that it was 

 profitable employment, the whole peninsula, 

 from the Delaware to the Chesapeake, and from 

 the Brandywine to the Breakwater, became 

 more and more like a vast fruit orchard." 



Sparrows and Gooseberry Bushes. — The 

 London Journal of Horticulture says that spai'- 

 rows and other small birds, have been very de- 

 structive to the Gooseberry bushes during the 

 past severe Winter in England. 



The Snowflake Potato. — According to 

 Dr.Warder,as reported in the proceedings of the 

 Montgomery County (O.) Horticultural Society, 

 this fine flavored variety is unproductive in the 

 West. 



Early Peaches. — J. H. Parnell, West Point, 

 Georgia, writes that he will probably have Alex- 

 ander, Amsden, and Beatrice peaches ripe by 

 the 25th of the month. 



EiNE Plu3i Orchard. — Some weeks ago we 

 noticed the plum orchard of Judge Ramsdell, of 

 Traverse City, Michigan, an account of which 

 was given by Prof. Beal in the Rural New Yorker. 

 The orchard consists of 700 trees, set twelve by 

 sixteen feet; these have been planted at differ- 

 ent times within the last six years. Hoed crops 

 have been planted in the orchard ; a sown crop 

 of buckwheat injured the trees. Half a bushel 

 of wood ashes to each tree much improved them. 

 .Judge R. excludes insects from climbing the 

 trees by a belt of tin encircling eivch, the ends 

 of which hook together, the lower edge is pressed 

 into the soil. The insects cannot crawl up over 

 the smooth surface of the tin. Curculios are 

 killed by the means of an unremitting applica. 



tion of the jarring process, which we have fre- 

 quently described. Erom past experience, he 

 would plant at the following rate for market, for 

 each hundred : 

 20 Washington, 20 Jefferson, 



17 Bradshaw, 17 Smith's Orleans, 



16 Lombard 10 Lawrence Eavorite. 



Erom 200 of his oldest trees, he picked three 

 years ago fifty bushels ; the next year seventy- 

 five bushels, and the past season 150 bushels — 

 the trees then six years old. The average price 

 was ^?4.00 a bushel. — Country Gentleman. 



Grafting Wax. — Yellow wax, one pound 

 nine ounces ; black pitch, three pounds two 

 ounces ; white pitch, three pounds two ounces : 

 tallow, five ounces. Place the whole in an 

 earthen pipkin over a gentle fire, stirring it with 

 a spatula as it melts, taking care to incorporate 

 the ingredients thoroughly. This kind of graft- 

 ing wax will remain solid at ordinary tempera- 

 tures. In order to use it in the rose garden, we 

 must provide ourselves with a charcoal or coke 

 stove, or if only a small quantity is to be used, 

 a spirit lamp will serve the purpose, more espe- 

 cially when the spot is at a distance from the 

 house. — Garden. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Hardiness of the Japan Persimmon. — J. 

 R., Cincinnati, Ohio, says: "Japanese Per- 

 simmon was tried in S. S. Jackson's nurseries 

 this last Winter, and was killed. He had several 

 kinds." 



Disease in Strawberries. — E. S. B., Bris- 

 tol, Pa., says : "In the January number of the 

 Monthly I read Chas. Black's theory of the 

 strawberry blight being caused by the presence 

 of lice on the roots. I shall not demur from 

 such authority as Mr. B., but I would like him to 

 give me a reason for the blight on the Forest 

 Rose, Jucunda and French, when there was no 

 sign of lice on their roots ; and wh}^ it was that 

 the Sharpless and Crescent Seedlings showed 

 no signs of blight, but grew luxuriantly when 

 their roots were covered with lice ? In the 

 April number Mr. John T. Lovett gives a cure 

 for the blight by the application of wood ashes, 

 which he says is a dead shot to the louse. I 

 think Mr. L. is mistaken about this, as he used 

 ashes as a fertilizer on his strawberry patches 

 last year, and the lice flourished as well among 

 the ashes as they did elsewhere. Will he please 

 tell whether he used leached or unleached ashes.'' 



