THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



59 



TIMBER FOR FENCES. 



This qiK'stiiin Wils, or was to liiivo bocn, dis- 

 ciisscil at a luoi'tiiig of the Ayrindlural and 

 HorlicullKntl iSiiriiii/ of Lnwd.tlrr Count;/. 



I believe the riiiestioii was ''what kind of 

 timber is (luiel^est and easiest raised for feuc- 

 ma purposes." 



I would answer, the willow, the ailantus 

 and tlie loeust. Willows can be raised in from 

 twenty to tliirty years. I planted two willows 

 twenty-live years a>;o, and eut them into rails 

 last summer. I made fourteen panels of 

 "worm fence" from the rails of these trees, 

 and mitrht, no doulit, have made twenty-live 

 panels of four-rail post-fence. Willow rails 

 are as lasting as chestnut rails, when cut at 

 the proper time. I have some on my place 

 that were cut forty years aijo, and they are 

 still sound. I tliink the proper time to cut 

 them is when the saii is u]) — in May lor in- 

 stance — in order to facilitate the peeling oil' 

 of the bark. 



The ailantus is a very rapid growing 

 tree — almost as much so as the willow. If it is 

 well sea.soned, it will last as long and as well 

 as locust, and it is also very good for fuel. 

 There may be a doubt about its durability as 

 a post, but it is worth trying. The locust is 

 also a fast growing tree, when planted in 

 favorable ground, and free from the "tree- 

 borer" (Cli/tvs rohinm). At twenty years 

 growth you can make from live to six posts, 

 b\it at ten years longer, you can make from 

 fifteen to twenty posts out of a single tree. 



I believe, however, that locust timber ought 

 to lie well seasoned before it is used for fencing 

 and especially trees that had been growing 

 very rapidly. 



Another word about willows. They can be 

 raised on any kind of waste ground, but moist 

 ground .is preferable, and they ought to be 

 raised in thick groves, in order to make them 

 grow straight. Xast spring I planted some 

 sixty young willows along a small water 

 stream shaded more or less on both sides by 

 forest trees, and at a place too where the 

 cattle have access the whole summer, thinking 

 at the time, that the cattle, by rubbing them- 

 selves against them might possibly retard 

 their growth more or less. I planted at the 

 same time some lifty in a low, wet place in a 

 corner of a field which had been intended for 

 corn, sujiposing those in the field would be 

 midisturbed, and would all grow, l)ut to my 

 suriirise the reverse was the case. Of those 

 shade<l and exposed to the cattle, nim out of 

 ten grew and thrived, whilst of those in the 

 open field and in the wet ground, nine out of 

 ten died. 



Planting trees is mie thing, and getting them 

 to grow jiroperly is another thing. 



It is the same in planting fruit trees. They 

 are too often planted, left to take care of 

 themselves and perish from neglect. — L. S. R. 

 Warwirk, April. 187.5. 



[In .iddilion to tlic trops above n.iinofi, wp would 

 mention a kind of poplar, known as the "Balm of 

 (iilead," as a more rapitl trrowpr than anj' of them, 

 if that fdcl has any merit in relation to fpncinf; 

 material. Ed. J 



LETTERS, QUERIES, AND ANSWERS. 



The Flower Garden. 



^fr. Kditor: Can we not have a Floral Dppartmint 

 in your exeellent paper? I have just read the Mareh 

 number of the Farmer, and your eordini invitation 

 to lady eontriliutors has prompted me to use my pen ; 

 hut rather for the i)urpose of ftu-itlmi information, 

 than for communieatini; it . I want some helpful smr- 

 pestions as to.tht; ease of my Ilower garden. I am 

 not a farmer's wife or daughter, elsp 1 should blush 

 for the confessions of in;noranee I must make. I live 

 in the eity, and have a small flower t'arilen ; I liud 

 niueh pleasure in the pare of plants and tlowers, and 

 deliirht preatly in their fragranee and beauty, but I 

 do not always have the gooil Hucrt-KX I desire. I want 

 now to solieit from yourself, or your readers, sueh 

 instruetivc suggestions as 1 need to beeome a better 

 gardener. 



In the first place I want to enquire alx)ut the soU. 

 What is necessary to secure a good soil for flower 

 beds? Mine does not look right, or net right! It is 

 hard, light colored, and when watered, in the sum- 

 mer, gets packed and unmanageable. While visiting 



at the West, last fall, in Illinois, I was so delighted 

 with the appearance of the soil there in its native 

 stale, that I briMight a pint of it home, in a box, to 

 show to my friends. It was very dark, nullow, anil 

 rich l(H)king; and it was really mortifying anil dis- 

 eoiirjiging to compare the soil of my garden with this 

 tieauliful loam. 1 decitlcil then that 1 wouM certain- 

 ly change the color of my soil, at any rate, l)y adding 

 imlverized charcoal to It., this spring. Will some on<; 

 inform me whetluT this would be a prudent course? 

 I should like to know, also, whether soil, such as Is 

 found under Ibrcst trees, in tin; country, is suitable 

 for garden plants. 1 have been iuforuied that it is not 

 so good as " made " soil. 



You will see, .Mr. Kilitor, that I certainly jwcd In- 

 formation, anil 1 trust that some of y*»ur readers who 

 have had superior advantages in such matters, will 

 gciuTously aid me. If they will ilo so I shall, in an- 

 other letter, apply for help in regard to the culture 

 of roses and otlier tlowers and plants. 



Eaknestine. 



In reply to our "fair correspondent," we 

 would say that w(^ U^lieve we oi(<//(( to have a 

 "lloral deiKirtment, " and can have one if our 

 florists will assist us with their contributions 

 on FhriaiHure. The mo.st beautifid results 

 incidental to tilling the soil are those which 

 perttiin to the cultivation tjf llowering plants, 

 and in their sphere they occupy a plane of use 

 not inferior to anything that " mother earth " 

 produces, albeit tuey cannot be converted into 

 Suur-Krdut. 



As to the proper kind of soil, we would spe- 

 cifically refer her to the article on "Ko.se Cul- 

 ture," in this number of our journal, as com- 

 ing from "one who knows." Of course, 

 different kinds of plants require a somewhat 

 dilleicnt kind of soil. Proliably, her garden 

 is not dug deep enough, h;is not enough of 

 vegetable manure, and too much lime and 

 sand. Lime and sand, with the addition of 

 water, are the elements of mortar, which, as 

 soon as the water evaporates, results in a 

 htirdened tind ailhesive mass, and there are 

 .approximations, more or less, to this condition 

 in the soil of many gardens. Note the follow- 

 ing selection : 



SOOT AS A GARDEN KERTU.IZER. Perhaps it may 

 have occurred to some of our lady readers that the 

 refuse soot of our chimneys is one of the most valu- 

 able stimulants and fertilizers they can have for their 

 garden llowcrs. The following iueict^-nt of practical 

 experience is from a lady contributor to the Uurnl 

 Curolininn: During two seasons we nursed, fed and 

 petted the Hartford i)rolifie graiie vine — as much for 

 its sliade over the winilow as for its fruit — but it [)er- 

 si.sted in remaining a stunted cane, yellow, and refus- 

 ing to climb. Despairing a shade, grapes and ropes, 

 we finally iicthought ourselves of soot as a manure, 

 and forthwith made a "soot tea" l)y steeping a tea 

 cup of soot in a quart of water. This we adnnnistered, 

 two doses each, to both the trees and the vine. The 

 vine grew six feet in height in the space of six weeks, 

 the rose bush four feet in the same length of time — 

 both therefore rejoiced in living green. 



The Chinese Yam. 

 Prop. S. S. Rathvon : 



Dear Sir ; Can you itiffirm me where I can get 

 Chinese Yams (Uioxeorea Bnlaliis) . In view of the 

 Potato Bug pest, we thiidi of giving them a trial if 

 thi'y can lie got at a rea.sonablc rate. I sec one seeds- 

 man advertises at the modest rate of .?'2.0II per oz. 



Would it be too late to have an artrcle on them in 

 The Farmer? I am under the impression you know 

 all about their culture and merits. — A. B. K., ,Siife 

 J{art>or, JMiicnuler county^ /'«., Mareh oti. l.S7o. 



We know of no place within the county of 

 Lanciister nmn where the Y;im is kept for Siile, 

 btit we presume they can lie obtained fromaiiy 

 of the seedsmen of Philadelphia, ISallimore or 

 New York. It is very likely, however, that 

 the price will be comparatively high wherever 

 they may be olitiiined. VVe admire the 

 " pltick " of om- correspondent, and we wish 

 we could encomtige him in his efforts to 

 "head off" the potato-beetle liy planting the 

 Yiun instead of the potato, but really we 

 fear it would result in failure. 



According to observations made in various 

 parts of the country, the "Colorado Potato- 

 beetle " has been seen to feiMl on Jiotatocs, 

 tomatoes, eggi)lants, night .shade, corn leave.s, 

 lambsquarter, amaraiitlius, lettuce, ciibbage, 

 thistles, .strawberry, currant and rasplx'rry 

 letives, plantain, potfito tubi'rs. and sundi'y 

 other vegetable substances, but its preference 

 is the potato. 



But, under any circimistances, we think the 



cultivation of the yam should not have been 

 discoirtinued. Previous to the, "rebellion "it 

 wa.s cultivated by a immber of per.scuis in thif 

 county, iind especiallv in and about Marietta 

 — .ludge Libhart, II. M. Kngle, anil others — 

 iind its yield and (|tiality were genenilly ap- 

 jiroveil, but the great objections were the great 

 labor in digging out the crop, on .acciiunt of 

 the grciit deptli to which the roots and tubers 

 IH'nelrated. We have always considered Ihein 

 excellent — to our tasle at least — tmd we should 

 like to see their cultivation resumed, as a 

 change in the productions of our soil. 



They are easily rai.sed, for once plaiit,ed they 

 will not need to be planted soon again. Every 

 root fibre will send out a shoot iit the following 

 yi^ar ; moreover, the vine it.selfiirodiices .small 

 inters from which the plant can Ik- grown. 



In looking over our exchtmges We were 

 rather suriiri.sed thiit so little is said about 

 did.sri/rea. Hut a single tirticlc on the subject 

 has cotne under our observation for months, 

 and that writer gave them a high edible, pro- 

 lific, ecimiimic, aiul healthful chtiracter, tiiid 

 slated that when they once became domiciliated 

 they are like the artichoke, (tomiiig up every 

 year of tluur own accord, liut unlike that tuber 

 they are as good the si'cond year as they were 

 the first, and therefore absolutely need no 

 gathering and housing as other tubers do ; 

 but he al.so deplored the great distance they 

 travel towanls their antipodal origin, and the 

 labor involved in unearthing them. Of course, 

 the snrlace of the soil where they grow should 

 be kei)t<:lear of weeds, but they grow .so deep 

 that a surface cro)) can also Ik; grown on the 

 same ground, if necessary. Some years ago 

 we cultivated them in boxes, but t"liis would 

 be imi)racticable oti a large scale. Oin- boxes 

 were square, and the tubers got down its low 

 as th<\y possibly could, llattenifigand penetrat- 

 ing the corners and even the fissures in ihe 

 boards. As the tubers increased in size they 

 heiived the ciirth upward, .so that the boxes 

 which were not qtiite full of soil in the spring, 

 were heaped full ;uid riuming over in the fall, 

 and the yield was good, but they had all sorts 

 of shapes and many angles. 



The Persimmon and the Scuppemong Grape. 



Our genial friend, the Editor of the Lancaster 

 F.XRMrR, it appears, cannot comprehend what is 

 meant when writers say, "Persimmons as large as 

 an apple," whether they mean "a Siberian crab, or a 

 jiound apple," and, after quoting some writer who no * 

 ilouiit mistakes the Chinese Ilioxiii/rux Knki, for JJiuit- 

 pyrnx .Taponiea, but not to commit hini.«elf tells us, 

 "as forourself, we kick out of all individual respons- 

 ibility — except the — it is represented." 



Now , a few words in furl tier explanation. I will just 

 say that a friend in California wrote me some years 

 ago, that 1h' saw a drawing in 8an Francisco of the 

 .Japan variety, and that it, was "as large as your fist; 

 or a large sizeil apple!" They hadn't it fruiting there 

 then. "The man who had the drawings, also had 

 four trees that his son brought ilircct from .lapan." 

 From the above I think our friend will understand 

 that the large fruited variety is really the .Japan va- 

 riety, and not the Knl,-i, or Chinese — and that it is 

 some trifle larger than a "erali apple ! " 



No, friend K., 1 did not sueccid in growing the 

 Kaki, even as large as our wild Persimmons — and 

 that variety never will grow larger than a small Si- 

 berian cral', I venture to say, even in China. No, I 

 did not succeed in growing the scuppemong grajic as 

 large as I hey grow in the .South, for I failed to fruit 

 it at all, and so will every one who tries to grow it 

 north of" .Mason and Dixon's line." 



But as l« the Chinese variety of Persimmon being 

 mistaken for the.Ja|iaii variety — any person who can 

 see them both, will at once see llie dltt'crenee — the 

 Chinese plant being small, with thin branches and a 

 yellow bark, while the .Japan variety is of nuire uj)- 

 right growth, stronger and thicker branches, and the 

 color of tile bark dark lirown, so that the very ap- 

 pearance of the plants will at once convince the most 

 skeptical that it is the .Japan variety that bears the 

 largest fruit. Then Mr. Hogg, of Brooklyn, having 

 the trees bearing fruit, would certainly i»ot have in- 

 vitcil C. Downing and others to eome, see, and lest 

 It, if it were no larger than a Silierian crab apple ! 

 Kespcctfully 



J. B. Gaurer, 



Columbia, Pa., Ifareh 20, 187.5. 



Of course, this ditcu.fion iibout exotic |)cr- 

 simmons is not onr.s, but tetweeii a foreign 

 writer and tin American experimentalist. 

 Under any circumstances, it illustrates that 



