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. Pumpkins as Food fob Stock.— I have often seen root 

 crops reootnmended very highly for feeding to stock during 

 ■winter, and I believe in using something of the kind ; but 

 it seems to me that the culture of roots must be somewhat 

 tedious. Now, I would ask, cannot something which Is 

 Nmore easily cultivated be substituted for roots? I think 

 that pumi>kins would answer the purpose, and that an 

 equal quantity could be raised at much k^s cost. But do 

 they contain as much nutriment in a given weight as the 

 roots generally recommended 1 or how much are they infe- 

 rior to Indian corn ? Can they be saved through the win- 

 ter? These are questions which I am unable to answer. 

 ]t would be conferring a favor on mo, and probaWy on 

 many others, i<" you or some of your numerous correspond- 

 ents would answer them through the Farmer, and tell us 

 all about the proper soil, mode of culture, keeping, &c., &c. 

 MAKcrs M. MosER. — Flint Eock, Oataicba Co., N. d 



Bee Rot.— Last spring I purchased two swarms of bees, 

 both large and healthy. The season being quite cold and 

 wet, they cast ofif but one swarm. This fall I found the 

 swarm which swarmed in the summer, to be badly affected 

 with the " bee rot," a disease quite common in this section 

 for a few years past. It appears that the young bees die 

 while in the larva state, and the bees refuse to uncap the 

 cells and rid themselves of the evil. Their decomposition 

 goon cause* an effluvia as poisonous to the parent hive as 

 it is disagreeable to the smell. The cause can not lie in the 

 dampness of the season, for we have had it for several sea- 

 sons when very dry and warm ; neither can it lie in the 

 peculiar kind of honey gathered, for a few years since the 

 disease was unknown. Will some of your readers inter- 

 ested in bee-culture state, in your columns, their opinion of 

 the cause, and if possible, suggest a remedy. D. G. Foet. 

 — Apulia, N. Y. 



HORTICULTURAL. 



(M. B. B., Fredricka, Del.) "Burning Steatv- 

 BERRY VrNEs." — AVc do not practice nor approve 

 of the operation. 



Sea Kaxe. — ^Take a piece of good garden soil, 

 trench eighteen inches to two feet deep, turning 

 in about a couple of cart loads of manure and half 

 a bushel of salt to the square rod; plant the i-oots 

 in rows two feet apart, and about twelve to fif- 

 teen inches apart in the rows. Tlants can be had 

 at the nurseries at $1.00 or $2.00 per dozen, or 

 may be grown from seed to be obtained at any of 

 the seed stores. To be fit for use it must be 

 blanched, either by covering the plants in spring, 

 as it begins to grow, with suitable pots or with 

 light sandy earth. It may also be forced by put- 

 ting warm stable manure around it^ 



Rhubarb, or Pie Plant. — For this, trench the 

 soil deep and manure heavily. Any good garden 

 soil treated thus will be suitable. Plants should 

 be set three feet apart each way. To be sure of 

 having a certain variety, you must obtain roots, 

 but very good sorts are sometimes produced from 

 seeds. A great deal depends upon the treatment^ 

 good deep soil and abundance of manure being the 

 chief requisites. 



(L. B., Out "West.) Six best Swnmer Apples. — 

 Red Astracan, Early Harvest, Early Strawberry, 

 Large Sweet Bough, Early Joe, and Summer 

 Rose. Six best Fall Apples — Fall Pippin, Gra- 

 venstein, Pomme Royal, Jersey Sweet, Porter, and 



St Lawrence. Six best Winter Apples — Baldwin, 

 Swaar, Esopus Spitzenburg, Northern Spy, Tal- 

 man Sweeting, and Rhode Island Greening. — 

 Scions can be sent by mail, if the quantity be 

 small, but express companies are now so numerous 

 that you can procure them easily and saJely 

 through them. You will find nurserymen's ad- 

 vertisements in the Farmer. We cannot recom- 

 mend any one in particular. 



(W. B., Blenheim.) Peaches ai-e rarely grafted 

 and do not succeed well. They can be budded 

 on the plum or almond as well as on the peach. 



(A. W., Galesburg, 111.) Half decayed saw dust 

 is a valuable ingredient in manure, and especially 

 stiff soils. We have seen plants growing well in 

 it alone. We have no experience in the applica- 

 tion of coal ashes to fruit trees in a special way. 

 Has any of our readers ? The art of feeding fruit 

 trees to make them proof against blight, is un- 

 known — a great subject for future investigations. 

 We know, from experience, that a dry and moder- 

 ately fertile soil is most conducive to their general 

 well being. 



(A Subscriber, Buffalo.) Your soil being an 

 "old brick yard" will not be suitable for the 

 peach, which requires a dry friable loam. Tlie 

 apple, p<?ar, and plum, may do well on it, provi- 

 ded it be properly prepared by freq\ient plowings, 

 and by turning in light siibstances, such as leaf- 

 mold from the "woods, swamp muck, saw-dust, if 

 conreuieut, and stable manure ; sand would also 

 improve it, by increasing its porosity. For select 

 varieties refer to a nurseryman's catalogue, or to 

 back numbers of the Farmer. 



(J. P., Frcdonia.) The preparation of manure 

 for hot-beds consists in turning it over repeatedly, 

 in order that it maybe uniformly decomposed and 

 not burnt, as heaps genei-ally are when left to 

 themselves. After being turned several times, the 

 first violent heat passes off and then decomposition 

 going on gradually gives out a more temperate 

 heat and it is fit for the bed. 



(Ida, Haviland Hollow.) Petunias, Verbenas, 

 Salvias, Heliotropes, Cupbeas, Lantanas, and Scar- 

 let Pelargoniums, will answer your purpose — 

 blooming all summer. Among hardy Clintbing 

 Roses, Queen of the Prairies and Baltimore Belle 

 are two of the best Tlie new Phloxes are wor- 

 thy your attention. Six fine cheap Dahlias — 

 Queen of the Eiist^ Purple Standard, Striata Per- 

 fecta, Triomph do Mixgdeburg, Stern von Miedling, 

 and Indispensable White — all distinct and good. 



A REQUEST TO Frufi Growers! — Mr. A. Porter, 

 Nettle Lake, Ohio, has an orchard of apple trees 

 to graft and desires us to request fruit growers, 



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