256 Editors' Letter-Box. 



A Southern correspondent inquires whether the sterile (staminate) trees 

 of the persimmon, of which he has too large a proportion, can be made fruit- 

 ful by grafting them with scions from bearing trees. — We see no reason 

 why they may not, of course leaving a sufficient number of staminate trees to 

 impregnate the others ; but, as we have no positive information upon the subject, 

 we should be glad to receive from our readers an account of any experiment 

 which they have made to test this question. 



The following notes on strawberry-culture, from Charles E. Brown, Esq., 

 Yarmouth, N.S., may be interesting to our readers in that region • — 



" I have been so often disappointed, that I am growing very incredulous about 

 new varieties of the strawberry. The immense cut of Col. Ellsworth and his 

 confreres in ' The New- York Tribune,' started me in strawberry-culture : it 

 would be hard to grow a more worthless plant than that same Col. Ellsworth. 

 The Agriculturist was my next heavy disappointment, and I think Durand's 

 Seedling the last. Out of thirty varieties that I had in fruit last season, I re- 

 served only eight, giving the rest away. Wilson's Albany stands at the head of 

 the list with me, followed, at a considerable interval, for productiveness, by 

 Knox's 700. Triomphe de Gand does well with special culture and frequent 

 renewing. 



" I grow them in rows, two feet by two and a half; keep the ground clear, cut 

 off runners, remove old leaves after the crop is off, and fork over the ground 

 with a dressing of compost. The plants, with rare intervals, nearly cover the 

 ground. I doubt if you can beat us in Massachusetts." 



Do you know aay thing of the three-thorn^:! acicia {Ghditschia triaca?ithos), 

 as a timber tree ? — We do not know that this tree has ever been planted for 

 timber; but the wood is extremely hard and solid like the yellow locust, and 

 apparently as durable. Though of slower growth than the common locust, we 

 would recommend its trial, as it is free from the borer which has ruined the locust. 

 The seeds should be selected from the thornless variety, and from tall and 

 straight trees. We think the experiment highly promising. 



J. H. B., Dyer, Ind. — Can you give me any information concerning the 

 " Mexican Everbearing Strawberry," and whether it would do to cultivate it for 

 profit ? — We know nothing of this variety, but should say the berries were too 

 small and the shape not desirable for a market-fruit. If any of our readers 

 know any thing about it, will they please give the information .'' 



C. H., Union Village, writes that he has had excellent success grafting the 

 finer kinds of grapes on wild-vines, late in the season, after the latter have made 

 four or five feet growth. 



