230 



BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



of rich-flavored date-like pulp. Whether the Chinese 

 grow them in their little gardens on our western coast, 

 or whether they are imported, no one seems to know ; but 

 they are well worth growing, and there is nothing that 

 cannot be made to grow in some quarter of America. 

 The pistachio-nut comes from the shores of the Medit- 

 terranean and from Persia. The nuts grow in clusters 

 upon small trees, and are much used by oriental nations. 

 They are covered with a delicate husk of bright red and 

 purple, which rubs off showing a kernel of bright green. 

 It is this kernel which gives to our American ices and 

 confectionery such a delicious flavor, and beautiful color 

 of delicate, cool green. Sometime we may grow our own 

 pistachio-nuts instead of importing them. — L. Greenlee. 



Saving a Girdled Tree. — I have a Hubbardston 

 Nonesuch apple tree thirteen inches in diameter, which 

 three years ago became girdled by tying a cloth around 

 it soaked in kerosene to keep the ants from 

 running up its trunk. With the exception 

 of the place just under the knot the cov- 

 ered part was as bare as if it had been 

 planed, for a space of five to seven inches 

 in width. Previous to this time it bore 

 only a few straggling apples, but the first 

 year after that it bore nearly a barrel, and 

 has borne a good crop since. Nothing was 

 done to the tree for two years, but last 

 season I bridged the bare spot over with Saving a 



. r , • , ,- , ■ , , Girdled Tree. 

 six grafts, four of which lived, so it looks 



about like the rough drawing. I think I shall save the 

 tree, as it showed new life and vigor last summer. — 

 J. C. BiGELow, Oneida Co., X. Y. 



Chemical Manure for Vegetables. — The special 

 crop most largely grown at the east end of Long Island 

 is the early potato. In connection with a good soil, pre- 

 ferably a clover soil, the use of chemical fertilizers will 

 .give results quicker, surer and with less expense than 

 other manures. I work a small place of about 25 acres, 

 and the use of fertilizers, instead of so much stable 

 manure, enables me to dispense with the services of an 

 extra man, and to grow more potatoes on the same land 

 two years in succession. We do not care so much for 

 lasting effects ; we simply wish to get our money returned 

 as soon as possible with a good percentage of profit. I 

 grow about 10 acres of potatoes each year, one-third 

 Ohios and two-thirds Early Rose or a similar variety, 

 followed the same season by late cauliflowers and other 

 green crops for winter storage. The yield from g!^ acres 

 the past season was 3,000 bushels. I give the preference 

 to the Mapes manures. One ton per acre is the amount 

 used for the potato crop, with something added for the 

 green crop following. — E. E. Petty, Loiiff Island. 



Ailantus Foliage and the Rose-Beetle. — In Bulletin 

 No. 82, of the New Jersey Experiment Station, discussing 

 the rose-chafer (Macrodactylus subspinosiis), Prof. 

 Smith states that among other things "decoctions of 

 peach-leaves and the blossoms of ailantus " were 

 found to be valueless in destroying the beetle. This is 

 the only reference I have been able to find to this tree 



in this connection until recently. While attending a 

 farmers' institute at Martinsville, Ind., my attention was 

 called to the fact that during last summer the rose-chafer 

 was very troublesome in that vicinity, defoliating whole 

 vineyards as well as doing much damage to roses and 

 other cultivated plants. There seemed to be no remedy for 

 the pests ; but later on they were found to be feeding in 

 countless numbers on the foliage of an Ailantus glan' 

 dulosus tree which stood in the court-house yard, and 

 it was also discovered that in a very short time the beetles 

 commenced falling to the ground dead ; and, as the janitor 

 of the court-house expressed it to me, " the ground under 

 the tree was literally covered with dead insects, and they 

 did not recover again either." I was shown the tree, 

 which was certainly Ailantus glandulosus. May it 

 not be possible that the foliage of this tree, if not the 

 blossoms, possesses poisonous properties which may 

 render it an effectual remedy for this insect ? — Prof. J. 

 Troop, Indiana Affricultural Expei'iment Station. 



The Sixth Annual Orchid Exhibition, under the 

 auspices of Siebrecht & Wadley, was held in the Eden 

 Musee, New York city, March 2 to March 10. The en- 

 terprising firm who arranged the show were the largest 

 exhibitors and drew heavily on their great resources in 

 the decoration of the hall, which, by the way, is not suited 

 very well for such an exhibition. W. S. Kimball, of 

 Rochester, sent some beautiful hybrid cypripediums and 

 other orchids. There were also fine flowers from the 

 extensive collections of Frederick Goodrich, of Riverdale, 

 N. Y., and Hicks Arnold, of New York city. Siebrecht 

 & Wadley's exhibit included a great quantity of the showy 

 cattleyas and odontoglossoms, among the latter being fine 

 specimens of O. crispum and O. Pcscatorci. A beauti- 

 ful pure white Cattleya Triance alba was noticed, the 

 flowers having a rich yellow throat. Cymbidium Lovui- 

 anum, Dendrobium nobilis, D. Wardianum and several 

 fine oncidiums were in full beauty, the delicate bee and 

 butterfly-like flowers of the latter attracting much atten- 

 tion. Lycaste Skinneri was present in great masses of 

 rich flowers. 



Ferns and decorative plants were prominent ; the 

 elegant clumps of Adiantum Farleyense and Ncphro- 

 Lcpis Davallioides . furcans were very fine. Great 

 tree-ferns, including a Dicksonia antarctica nearly 20 

 feet high, carrying over 100 fronds, were very effective. 

 Other rare plants were scarce forms of alocasia, an- 

 thurium, croton, ficus and the like. The pitcher-plants 

 were fine. This firm makes a specialty of these odd forms. 



Palms of great size were a feature, and immense 

 specimens of Livistonia Chinensis, Cocas plumosa, 

 various kentias, and Cycas circinalis were shown. Many 

 smaller palms of especial beauty had been grown at the 

 United States Nurseries, in the West Indies, controlled by 

 Siebrecht & Wadley. Some tropical oddities, brought 

 recently from Trinidad by Mr. Siebrecht, were most in- 

 teresting. The peculiar and handsome fruit-pod of 

 Theobroma cacao, from which the cocoa and chocolate 

 of commerce are produced, was especially noticed. A 

 huge flower of an acrocoma, the palm which supplies the 



