251 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



WILD FLOWERS. 



To those of our lady readers interested in floricul- 

 ture, we -would recommend, for the adornment of 

 their gardens, one great and inexhaustible storehouse 

 of beauty ; namely, the woods and fields, with tlicir 

 wealth of uncultivated blossoms. It is in the power 

 of almost every one to draw from this source, and, 

 such is the perversity of human nature, perhaps 

 on this very account, the opportunity is neglected. 

 While various flowers, neither graceful nor fragrant, 

 are admitted into the limited precincts of a garden, 

 because, perhaps, they are rare, of difficult growth, 

 or foreign extraction, many a wild, sweet native of 

 our own hills and valleys would be altogether denied 

 a place there. This is in bad taste, and the usual 

 plea, " O, they are so common ! " is by no means a 

 reasonable or satisfactory objection. Whatever is 

 perfectly beautiful might claim a place, though this 

 would include so immense a collection that, of course, 

 we Avould recommend a judicious selection from so 

 vast a stock. How often in gardens have we seen 

 the coarse and common althea towering in pride, 

 and usurping a place which might have been filled 

 to great advantage by a clus.ter of wood laurel, with 

 its evergreen glossy leaves, and its rich, heavy clus- 

 ters of rosy blossoms, or even by a specimen of the 

 magnolia, with its white, glittering flowers, and its 

 delicious perfume, scenting the whole garden ! We 

 have heard it advanced, particularly by foreigners, 

 that our wild flowers have no smell ; but let any one 

 ride along the skirts of a wood, on a calm si)ring 

 morning or evening, and judge for himself. Nothing 

 can exceed their delicate odor, and we liave often 

 discovered their hiding-places by this telltale charm. 



We have not the slightest wish, in this article, to 

 discourage the cultivation of our numberless and 

 beautiful garden plants. We would not bo so un- 

 derstood. Their strong claims shall meet our atten- 

 tion in due season ; but, at present, we think of ad- 

 vocating the cause of the too much neglected ofl"- 

 spring of the fields. In gardens in the city, their 

 presence is always desirable and grateful, and they 

 improve amazingly by cultivation. 



One objection often urged against them is, that 

 they are single. This, to us, is a great charm ; and 

 if our readers will but compare the hue of a single 

 blossom with that of a double one, they will be con- 

 rerls to our opinion. Take, for instance, a single 

 dahlia or wild rose, and compare the color with that 

 of a double one. Has the latter the same brilliancy 

 of color ? Does it glitter like the former, as if sprin- 

 kled with gold-dust ? This difl"crencc, too, is very 

 perceptible in all white double flowers. They never 

 have the purity of single ones. Still, all the cfl'orts 

 of some of our gardeners seem to be directed to the 

 one point of creating monsters in the floral world. 

 No matter how delicate and beautiful the original 

 blossom, it must be reproduced with three heads in- 

 stead of one, to satisfy their elegant taste. Flowers 

 are often totally ruined by this plan. AVe have seen 

 hyacinths so double that they could not possibly ex- 

 pand, and were worthless ; and last spring we re- 

 ceived a bunch of violets, — violets ! ladies, — with 

 heavy little monster heads, which they seemed to 

 hang down, as well they might, in very shame. We 

 expect soon to see a double heart's-ease, or lily of the 

 valley. If so, bad taste will have reached its cli- 

 max. — North American Farmer. 



A NOBLE HORSE. 



Grant Thorburn says, "I once saw a horse, in the 

 neighborhood of New York, dragging a load of coal 

 (twelve hundred weight) in a cart. The lane was 



very narrow ; the driver, some distance behind, con- 

 versing with a neighbor : the horse, on a walk, came 

 up to a child, sitting on his liind quarters in the 

 middle of the road, gathering up dust with his little 

 hands, and making ' mountains of molehills.' The 

 horse stopped — he smelt of the child ; there was no 

 room to turn off. With his thick lips he gathered 

 the frock between his teeth, lifted the child, laid him 

 gently on the outside of the whole track, and ' went 

 on his way rejoicing ' — and well he might rejoice ! 

 he had done a good deed." 



SUMMER MANAGEMENT OF PYRAMIDAL 

 TREES. 



No matter how well trees may have been pruned 

 before the growing season commenced, a little atten- 

 tion during summer is absolutely necessary. It is 

 impossible for the most skilful pruner in existence to 

 cut exactly, in all cases, at the proper point, or at 

 least at the point that would induce the precise de- 

 velopment of buds and branches that he wants ; cer- 

 tain buds will push with greater or less vigor than he 

 had reason to expect, from their appearance and po- 

 sition, and thus the balance proposed to be main- 

 tained is broken. In such eases, we must, at the 

 proper moment, when growth is going on, resort to 

 what is called pinching — nipping off" with the finger 

 and thumb (a sharp knife is better) the point of such 

 shoots as are exceeding their due relative propor- 

 tions. The leading shoot, that is intended to consti- 

 tute the main trunk of the tree, should always take 

 the lead ; none of the lateral or side-shoots should 

 be permitted to dispute its supremacy. If these shoots 

 had been timely nipped, the branches below them 

 and the leader above would all have had their just 

 proportions. We therefore point this out as an 

 item of very great importance in growing pyramidal 

 pears. When the tree is left to itself during the 

 whole season, and in the fall we find it grown so out of 

 proportion a great deal of severe pruning is necessary 

 to restore the balance, these strong branches next the 

 leader have to be cut to one eye, perhaps, and the 

 whole pyramid is injured and considerably retarded. 

 What we have said has reference mainly to the lead- 

 ing shoot and those in its vicinity ; but it applies 

 with exactly the same force to all the main side- 

 branches, which may be considered as so many lead- 

 ing shoots, and will require the same care and treat- 

 ment. 



There is another evil that must be remedied by 

 pinching ; for instance, when we cut a leading shoot 

 or a side-shoot, expecting all, or nearly all, the 

 buds below the point where we cut, to break and 

 make side-shoots or spurs, and, contrary to our ex- 

 pectations, only two or three at the extremity grow, 

 leaving the others dormant. To make these lower 

 buds break, we must pinch those above them at a 

 very early day. This checks the flow of sap, and 

 concentrates it in the lower parts, causing the buds 

 there to break. This is the way to have all the 

 branches covered with fruit-spurs their whole length. 

 Pyramidal pear-trees on quince stocks are naturally 

 so fruitful, generally speaking, that pinching to form 

 fruit-buds and spurs is rarely necessary. The i)rin- 

 cipal point to keep in view is the form. On pear 

 stocks, however, both objects must be kept in view. 

 All we have suggested on this point will be necessary 

 in both cases. Pinching to promote fruitfulncss, 

 consists in pinching or breaking ofl' the ends of the 

 small side-shoots, stopping their elongation, and turn- 

 ing the sap into the formation of fruit-buds. This is 

 practised continually as growth advances, and the 

 condition of tlie trees renders it proper, principally 

 through July and August. 



