86 



men's catalogues. Abies pygmaea, A. compacta 

 and A. clanbri^iliana are all Dwarf Norway Spruces. 

 We see no difference between yours and others ; 

 but, as hahit has more to do with the value of a 

 variety of evergreen than foliage, the value of yours 

 cannot be decided by leaves alone. J 



Making Tender Grapes Hardier.— Our cor- 

 respondent "Horticola," in reply to a New Jersey 

 correspondent noticed last month, will, in a future 

 article, give some further ideas on this subject — our 

 reference to the Clinton Grape roots for grafting, 

 being only a portion of the processes he would em- 

 ploy. 



Our notice was rather premature, as Horticola 

 usually writes only after actual experiment. In this 

 instance, at the request of our correspondents, he 

 will give his ideas, and perhaps then the experi- 

 ments of others will aid his own. 



Raising Trees in the Far North-west.— A 

 correspondent at Maddin, Minnesota, writes : — 

 "There is no place in the North-west where the 

 planting of forest trees is of more importance than 

 in the western half of this State. It is one wide 

 expanse of prairie, with very little timber. The 

 soil is of the most fertile description, and produces, 

 when planted, forest trees with wonderful rapidity. 

 I have measured growths of the past season of the 

 White Ash, Red Elm, Red Oak and Cottonwood 

 from three to six feet in length. I intend to grow 

 lines of them around my fields as shelter belts, and 

 to preven-t the snow from blowing off. What think 

 you of the Norway Fir for this latitude, 430° north, 

 93° 5^ west longitude ? The Red Cedar is indige- 

 nous to this State, also the White, Grey and Nor- 

 way Pine ; but they cannot be transplanted in the 

 prairies successfully, without incurring expenses too 

 great to justify it. 



"I am growing the Rock and White Maple, 

 Black Walnut and Wild Plum in a grove,, to pro- 

 tect my buildings and yards. I have now in trench 

 2500 yearling Maples, procured in the forest ; also 

 several hundreds of the White Ash and Ash- 

 leaved Maple; which I shall set the coming spring, 

 I have a strip, 20 rods long, six rods wide, planted 

 one year ago with Black Walnut. They made a 

 growth last season of from six to twenty four 

 inches. 



" My farm is situated on the southern end of a 

 Idke, half a mile wide, and a mile and a half long. 

 The ground is dry, and rolling very slightly. Soil 

 two to four feet deep, snuff-colored sand and clay 

 loam. Subsoil yellow clay, mixed with gravel to 



the depth of twelve feet, then a tenacious blue 

 clay, from ten to fifteen feet thick, below which we 

 find water in quicksand." 



[The Norway Spruce should do very well in this 

 case. ] 



Strawberry Raising near Richmond, Va. 

 — A correspondent says : — "I think there is a good 

 chance for making money at it here. We com- 

 menced picking them on the 10th of May, or rather 

 commenced shipping on that day last summer, 

 which, you see, gives us a chance to get into mar- 

 ket before there is much competition. We culti- 

 vate Wilson's Albany, and I could not wish any 

 berry to do better thafi it does. Peaches — Troth's 

 Early and Tillotson commence ripening about July 

 4th, and every thing else proportionately early. 

 Land is cheap, and there are also many other ad- 

 vantages offered to any one wishing to go into the 

 growing of earJy fruits for Northern markets. But 

 come down and see for yourself" 



Vinegar erom Sugar Maple Sap.— A Wash- 

 ington correspondent writes : — " I have somewhere 

 seen it stated, that vinegar of good quality can be 

 made from the water drawn from the Sugar Maple 

 tree, as used for making maple sugar. 



"Will you be so good as to communicate, in the 

 next number of j^our Monthly, any information you 

 may possess on this subject, and invite information 

 from others? It would be well, at any rate, to call 

 the attention of such as may have opportunity of 

 experimenting on this matter. Something may 

 grow out of it useful to the community. Any per- 

 son who may be successful in producing a good ar- 

 ticle, would do well by forwarding a sample to the 

 Museum of the Agricultural Department in Wash- 

 ington." 



I We have no information on this point. No 

 doubt it could be accomplished, as the elements are 

 there. We shall be glad to hear from any one who 

 knows.] 



Mr. Barnett's Plan of Rooting Grapes.— 

 We have a note from this gentleman, in which he 

 says he has referred to our past volumes, but does 

 not find any sentence that bears against his claim. 

 He objects to our calling his plan a "secret," and 

 says that he intended to make the plan public some 

 day in the Gardener s Monthly, but, if Mr. Bate- 

 ham's method suits its readers, he shall wait till a 

 proper time. 



In another note he also objects to Mr. Bateham's 

 "infringing his copyright," by using the word 



