LIGHT FROM THE SOCIETIES. 



63 



planted 70 years ago, and in this valley I have seen 

 vigorous peach trees known to be more than 30 years 

 old. Pruning is very important, not merely to give 

 symmetry to the form of the tree, and to thin out the 

 fruit, but it has a powerful effect in invigorating and 

 preserving the tree ; and properpruning, done annually, 

 ought to keep a peach tree in good condition for a hun- 

 dred years or more. — 5. B. Galny, before the Oregon 

 Farmers^ Institute. 



Small Greenery. — At a meeting of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, W. D. Philbrick described a 

 cheap and simple arrangement for keeping greenhouse 

 plants in the winter. It consists of a small apartment 

 attached to the dwelling, and heated by a coil of pipe 

 from the furnace in the cellar. It must be 'partitioned 

 so tightly from the house that when smoking the plants 

 with brimstone or tobacco, none will find its way into 

 the rooms. A good way is to fit sashes between the 

 posts of a piazza, to be removed in summer with all the 

 shelves and pots. The heating-pipe, one inch in diame- 

 ter, may extend around the piazza floor. 



Preparing for Planting Strawberries. — The land 

 should be brought into good condition the season before 

 the plants are set, by deep fall plowing, and liberal ma- 

 nuring if the ground is not already rich. Potatoes are 

 about the best crop to grow on the land the year pre- 

 vious to setting strawberries. Spring is the best season 

 for setting strawberries. If the ground was plowed 

 deep and well in the fall, no plowing will be required 

 in the spring ; but to prepare it for the plants, go over it 

 once with a cultivator, with the teeth set to cut deepi 

 then with a harrow making the ground fine and level. — 

 /. ^S". Harris, before Southern Minnesota Hort. Soc'y. 



Native and Foreign Strawberries.— The strawberries 

 of Europe are mostly descended from the Chilian and 

 Virginian stocks, while those of the United States are 

 the progeny of the Virginian stock almost exclusively. 

 There is no shadow of whim or taste in the matter, for 

 the South American race suit the European climates, 

 and the North American race suit the North American 

 climates ; for in those states in which strawberries are in 

 the greatest demand, the winters are too cold and the 

 summers too hot for the progeny of Fragaria Chilensis. 

 Thus, the question of staminates and pistillates is sim- 

 plified, for the southern plants are more distinctly her- 

 maphrodite than the northern ; and this fact accounts 

 for our indifference to the subject of sex m this fruit. - 

 Shirley Hibberd, before the British Fruit-Growers' Ass'n. 



A German Horticultural Society in Missouri.— The 

 name of Montgomery County Horticultural Society has 

 been changed to Hugo Obst und Gartenbau Gesellschaft , 

 with headquarters at Hugo, Mo. This society is local, 

 and all the business is transacted in German. The fruit- 

 industry of this locality was started only about 10 years 

 ago by Germans, who found the land better suited to 

 fruit-growing than to anything else. Soon the Mont- 

 gomery County Horticultural Society was organized. 

 The greatest drawback was, that but few of the Ger- 



mans could understand English, so the change became 

 necessary. A great many orchards have now been 

 planted. We plant about three-fourths Ben Davis, bal- 

 ance mostly Jonathan with afew Willow Twig. Straw- 

 berries are also grown quite extensively. A good many 

 will be shipped from here the coming season.- — F. Lion- 

 bergcr. 



Fighting Weeds. — The laws for the prevention of 

 weed-spreading are ample in the state of Ohio, but alas, 

 they are not enforced. It is a sorry commentary upon 

 the intelligence and spirit of the land-owners if they will 

 permit the whole state to become infested with wild 

 carrot, Canada thistle, and the like, when by simply en- 

 forcing the law these pests could be gradually stamped 

 out. Farmers who do not yet suffer from this cause 

 scarcely realize how much these and other weeds depre- 

 ciate the value of farm-land. If unwilling to summon 

 the law to their aid, they can still do much by indi- 

 vidual effort to prevent the spread and establishment of 

 injurious weeds. The way to accomplish this is : (i) See 

 that no weeds are sown with any crop. (2) Destroy, 

 root and branch, all intruders as they arise, and thus 

 prevent them from becoming thoroughly established. 

 (3) Where land is already infested, cultivate some hoed 

 crop for a few successive years. — A. D. Setby, before the 

 Coluiiibiis ((^.) Horticultural Society. 



School of Technical Horticulture in England. — A 



scheme for the establishment of such a school is being 

 considered by a joint committee of the Gardeners' 

 Company and the Royal Horticultural Society. The 

 object is to impart a higher class of education in the 

 principles and practice of the cultivation of fruits, 

 flowers, vegetables, etc., than is at present obtainable 

 in Great Britain. No student will be admitted who 

 does not already possess some elementary practical 

 knowledge and experience of gardening or garden-farm- 

 ing. All students will, in ordinary circumstances, be 

 expected to continue their studies for at least two years, 

 and all students must be prepared to devote themselves 

 to the manual as well as to the scientific branches of 

 the work, and to yield implicit obedience to the direc- 

 tors. It is proposed that the Gardeners' Company and 

 the Royal Horticultural Society should secure suitable 

 land where experimental and practical gardening may 

 be carried on ; pending which, arrangements are being 

 made to utilize the gardens of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society at Chiswick, for the instruction of students in 

 connection with the scheme. 



Apple Questions Discussed. — At a recent meeting of 

 the Grand River Valley (Michigan) Horticultural Soci- 

 ety the president asked if any improvement had been 

 made in getting the Northern Spy hardier by trying 

 grafting on different stocks. E. C. Phillips said that 

 Ben Davis and Talman Sweet were found to be best for 

 grafting with the Spy. Mr. Jacobs prepares land for 

 planting by setting his stakes in the fall, and plowing 

 the patch in lands just the size to make the dead furrows 

 come right for planting ; then he plows as deep in the 



