248 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mat 



has occasional warts, the ends of which are 

 smooth — that is, are not russet like the other por- 

 tions of the skin. It is a juicy and excellent des- 

 sert apple, for those fond of sweet apples, and 

 when baked has a thin skin, and is really de- 

 licious. 



Among the winter apples we should recom- 

 mend the Danvers Whiter Sweet, Minister, Xorih- 

 ern Spy, Winter Green Sweeting. We are now 

 using — middle of April — the Northern Spy and 

 Winter Green Sweeting every day, and find them 

 all that ought to be expected of a late apple. 

 While the best Baldwins are slow at $1,50, we 

 have known sales of the Northern Spy at $4. 



There are not half enough sweet apples used, 

 as no food seems to us more profitable or healthy 

 than good hiked sweet apples. They ought to 

 take the place, from the first of March to the first 

 of June, of tons of the flesh that is consumed by 

 our people — and especially so with children. We 

 do not believe that more than one family in fifty 

 in the State has a barrel of sweet apples in the 

 house to-day, if, indeed, they have them of any 

 kind ! This should not be so. 



HORTICULTURAL HINTS. 



THE CLIMBIIira PLANTS. 



No class of plants are more useful in the hands 

 of the skilful gardener than the climbers. They 

 possess almost miraculous powers, transforming 

 any unsightly out-building into an object of real 

 beauty. No good gardener will have any bare 

 board fences about his premises, — all are 

 wreathed and festooned, and made gay and grace- 

 ful. Then for covering- cottage verandahs, what 

 can equal this class of plants ? They put to the 

 blush all the expensive work of the architect, and 

 the builder, and make the poor man's cottage ap- 

 pear more elegant — possessing more of nature — 

 more of quiet grace — than the palace of ?. prince. 

 For this purpose, the hardy varieties ot grape 

 vines are very useful. 



The Virginia Creeper is an excellent climber, 

 and although a native of our own land, much 

 more popular in Europe than with us. Its leaves 

 are digitate, of a dark rich green in summer, ard 

 becoming of a rich crimson in the autumn. It 

 throws out little roots at the joints, by which it 

 fastens itself to anything it touches. 



The Honey suckles we have in great variety, and 

 evcrjbody loves them, though we are sorry so few 

 show tlieir love in a practical way. 



The Periploca Virginian or Silk is a rapid grow- 

 ing, fine climber, and will twine itself round a 

 tree or any other object for twenty or forty feet 

 in height. The foliage is bright and glossy, but 

 the flowers are brown and not showy. 



The Chinese Wistaria is one of the most rapid 

 growing of all climbing plants, after it gets a fair 

 start. Sometimes, for some unaccountable rea- 

 son, it refuses to make any material growth for a 

 year or two after being planted, but all at once 

 takes a start and makes a splendid growth, throw- 



ing out shoots ten, fifteen, and twenty feet in 

 length, in one season. It commences blooming 

 early in June, and a large plant will be literally 

 loaded with thousands of rich clusters or pendu- 

 lous racemes of delicate, pale blue blossoms, so 

 numerous that the plant seems to be a floral 

 wreath. The racemes are from ten to twelve 

 inches long, and well filled with delicate sweetly 

 perfumed flowers. The foliage is abundant, and 

 of a pleasant lively green. It succeeds best in a 

 rich deep loam. It does not flower until the 

 plant gets strong, and the older the plant the 

 more freely it seems to flower. 



The Climbing Hoses are now to be had of al- 

 most every variety of color, and should be exten- 

 sively planted. 



The Bignonia or Trumpet Flower is a mag- 

 nificent climbing plant, producing large trumpet- 

 shaped climbing flowers with something of an 

 orange tinge, and of great beauty. They are pro- 

 duced in clusters. A good plant trained to a 

 pillar or trellis, when in flower, presents a most 

 splendid sight. — Exchange. 



FLOWEB CULTURE—ASTERS, &c. 



The cultivation of flowers is becoming more in- 

 teresting of late than formerly, and well it may, 

 for great improvements have recently been made 

 in producing new and choice varieties, which far 

 excel in form and beauty those of former times. 

 It is especially so with the family of Asters. We 

 have grown many varieties the past season, such 

 as "Trvjjmit's New French Fccomj Flowered," 

 ^'German Quilled," of all colors and tints, "lian- 

 unculvs," '^Poeonij Perfection," and 'N'egleg's Gi- 

 ant Emperor," extra large, and every variety of 

 colors. We planted a bed, some 6 by 8 feet, con- 

 taining all of the above varieties, mixed, and we 

 were highly gratified with the result. We had a 

 splendid bed of flowers, and think we had a finer 

 display than to cultivate each variety separate. 



We had specimens three inches in diameter, 

 and there were all sizes from these to the half 

 globe, an inch across. They were of all colors, 

 (except yellow,) from dark purple to deep red, 

 rose, pink, lavender and white, with all the in- 

 termediate shades. Instead of the single ray of 

 the old sorts, the entire centre was filled with 

 petals or quills beautifully tipped with various 

 colors. We have with much care preserved a 

 quantity of seeds of the above mixed varieties, 

 and anticipate a more beautiful display the com- 

 ing season. 



The Green Centered Heliantiius. — This 

 new and beautiful annual attains the hight of the 

 Dahlia, displaying a profusion of flowers of a 

 bright golden border, with a green centre, with a 

 fine velvety appearance, in the form of a half 

 sphere — some 3 to 7 inches across. One plant 

 will produce from 10 to 23 blossoms at one time, 

 and will last in perfection ten or twelve days. 

 This new and improved species of the Helianthus 

 needs only to be seen growing in all its s])lendid 

 beauty to be appreciated — the flowers truly rep- 

 resent a "golden cushion, fit for a royal crown at 

 a grand coronation of Flora." We deem it one of 

 the greatest of the recent acquisitions to our an- 

 nual flowers. Being easy of culture, it should be 

 grown by all who are fond of flowers. — Country 

 Gentleman. 



