DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



63 



ous stocks arc thus afforded upon which to graft the 

 choicer sorts. 



V^2i.c\i-Amygdalus persica. — Peach stocks are raised 

 by planting the stones two or three inches deep in 

 autumn or winter, or even in the spring, though the fall 

 is better. If the stones are cracked they are more sure 

 to grow. The after-treatment is about the same as for 

 apples, though budding can be commenced sooner than 

 grafting in apple stocks. 



Quince — Cydonia communis. — Quinces generally 

 produce the same variety from seed, but occasionally 

 var>'. The stock is much used for budding and graft- 

 ing the pear. The fruit is used for preserves, pies, 

 tarts, &c. The mucilage from the seed is often used as 

 a toilet article for the hair. The culture from seed is 

 the samQ as for apples. 



HEDGE SEEDS. 



Osage Orange — Madura aurantiaca. — How to 

 Plant, Cultivate and Make a Hedge. — The osage 

 orange is a native of Texas, but can be grown and cul- 

 tivated advantageously in all parts of the United States. 

 The ground should be thoroughly pulverized \>y either 

 plowing or spading, before the seed is planted. The 

 surest way is to sprout the seed before planting, as it is 

 very slow to germinate when put into the ground without 

 being sprouted, sometimes taking a whole season to 

 come up. To sprout the seed, put into a vessel and 

 cover with warm water, not hot. Keep the vessel in a 

 warm place, and change the water once a day. Let the 

 seed soak about five or six days, after which pour off 

 the water and cover the vessel with a damp cloth. Keep 

 in a warm room and stir the seed occasionally. In about 

 one week more they will begin to sprout, and are ready 

 for planting. Many people freeze the seed, but in some 

 section? it is impossible to do so, and we think the above 

 the better and quicker method. There are about ten 

 thousand (10,000) seeds in a pound, and it is fair to pre- 

 sume one-half of them will grow, or that a pound will 

 produce five thousand (5,oc») plants if properlj' man- 

 aged. The seed should be sown in April or May, with 

 twelve good seeds to the foot, in drills twentj- inches 

 apart. If the season should prove dry, they will want 

 watering freely, and the plants will usually make their 

 appearance in from two to six weeks after planting, de- 

 pending on the amount of rain or r.'atering they have 

 had. They should be kept free from weeds, as the 

 young plants are verj' tender and delicate until thej' 

 get from three to five inches high. They can be set out 

 in permanent hedges the following spring in rows, plac- 

 ing them six inches apart in the row, but should be cut 

 back to within a inch of the ground before they are set 

 out ; and to make a thick hedge, it will be necessary to 

 cut back the first three years' growth, leaving only 

 about eight inches of the season's growth. This sj'stem 

 must be pursued everj- season until the hedge is of the 

 desired height and form. Under proper treatment, a 

 good hedge can be grown from seed in from three to 

 four years, which will turn stock. 



Honey 'L.ozxast—Gleditschia tricanthos. — ?>om^- 

 times called Three Thomed Acacia. It makes an im- 

 penetrable hedge, through which it is almost impossible 

 for man or beast to pass. Is very hardy, of remarkably 

 rapid growth, and admirably adapted for our Western 

 prairies, succeeding in many localities where the osage 

 orange fails. The seed should be planted in March, 

 having been previously soaked in warm water for twelve 

 hours. Any good, common soil will answer, though 

 good soil and cultivation are desirable. 



Australian Blue Gum, or Fever Tree — Eucalyp- 

 tus globttliis. — This wonderful tree is now being extens- 



ively planted in our 

 Southern States, and in 

 California, where it has 

 become famous for 

 draining damp soils, 

 and destroying malaria. 

 Prof Bentley, in speak- 

 ing of this tree before 

 the Royal Horticultural 

 Society in London, 

 says : '* The first and 

 most important influ- 

 ence which the tree ex- 

 erts, and that which 

 has brought it more 

 especially into notice, 

 is its power of destroy- 

 ing the malarious agen- 

 cy which is supposed 

 to cause fever in marshy 

 districts, from which 

 circumstance it has be^a 



called ' The Fevei^destroying Tree.' It is in this respect 

 commonly regarded as being ser\'iceable in two ways — 

 first, by the far-spreading roots of this gigantic tree 

 acting like a sponge, as it were, and thus pumping up 

 water and draining the ground ; and secondl^^ by emit- 

 ing odorous antiseptic emanations from its leaves." It 

 is believed by many that when this tree has been ex- 

 tensively planted in the swampy and malarious districts 

 in the Southern States, that they will be equally as 

 healthy as any other portion of the country. 



Eucalyptus Globulus. 



BIRD SEEDS. 



Canary Seed— /'/za/arzV canarienszs. 

 Hemp Seed — Cannabis sativa. 

 Maw — Papaver rhceas. 

 Millet Seed — Panicum inilicu:euTn. 

 Rape Seed — Brassica napes. 

 Lettuce ^Qt.6.—Lacti4ca sativa. 



CLOVER SEEDS. 



The soils best adapted to Clover are tenacious or stiff" 

 loams. It is a fertilizer, as its long, powerful tap roots 

 loosen the soil, admit air, and when the roots decay, 

 add largely to the black mass of earth. It helps destroy 

 annual weeds by its luxuriant foliage, and by shading 

 the surface of the soil, increases its fertility. Clover 

 seed is sown in spring or fall, though there is a growing 

 sentiment that the spring is a better season to sow it, 

 especially in the Eastern, Western and Middle States 

 on account of its liability to freeze out during winter. It 

 is often sown upon the late snows of March or April, 

 and soon finds its way down to the soil, where, aided by 

 the moisture of early spring, it quickly germinates, and 

 rapidly shoots up its leaf stalks. 



Mammoth, or Large Red Clover — Trifoliu7n 

 pratense. — This variety is the best for plowing under 

 for manure. It grows five or six feet high, and its stalks 

 are so coarse and large that stock will eat only the 

 leaves. By its judicious use, lands which have been 

 exhaused can be reclaimed, and unexhausted lands pre 

 ser\'ed. Green manuring has rarely or never failed of 

 producing satisfactorj' results. Sow at the rate of about 

 ei?ht pounds per acre. Sixty pounds per bushel. 



Medium Red, or Jvne Clover — Trifolium pra- 

 tense. — This is by far the most important of all the va- 

 rieties for the practical purposes of agriculture. It is 

 grown for ha-; or for pasture, and for milch cows it is 

 better than timothy, while it improves the lands on 



