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Sprouting Holly Seed. — C. H., Egg Harhor 

 City. — I have repeatedly tried to raise hedge plants 

 from the seed of the holly, but did not succeed. 

 What process would you follow. 



[It must be mixed with earth and kept to rot one 

 year before sowing.] 



Norway Spruce Hedge and Cattle.— J. 

 Harrishurg, Fa. Correspondent, says: "But so far 

 as young hedges are concerned, he can say that cattle 

 will utterly destroy them — as he has learned from 

 sad experience ; and, that if they will turn cattle at 

 all, it can only be after years of existence have given 

 them a hard woody texture; and even then from his 

 experience, he fears cattle would make them look 

 very unsightly." 



Evergreens for Wind Screens in Sandy 

 Soil. — >S'. A., Cmnamlnson^ N. J. — "I would like 

 to inquire of yow or your readers, v/hat would best 

 answer the pui-pose of a protection from heavy winds 

 on light sandy soils, such as blow to serious disad- 

 vantage during winter and early spring ; whether 

 evergreen or deciduous trees. A quick strong growth 

 is most desirable; and, if evergreens, what varieties 

 that would be cheap enough, and what time to 

 transplant in spring. 



[The Scotch Pine grows remarkably fast in sandy 

 soil-, is cheap and easily transplanted in your lati- 

 tude in April. They can be planted tolerably thick 

 to form an immediate Wind Break, and the thin- 

 nings, as the plants grow, will be a source of profit, 

 as the timber is good.] 



Variation IN the Dahlia. —J. B. TF!, Wash- 

 ington^ Pa. — I send you by this mail, a few flowers 

 from a Dahlia I have had some years. Owing to 

 a very dry spell of weather just past, these speci- 

 mens are not as fine as I would wish, some are of 

 imperfect form. Generally the form is perfect, and 

 scarcely two flowers arealike, unless in dry weather. 

 I find there are a good many light colored ones ; 

 sometimes the flower is one half Maroon and one 

 half Hose color divided equally in the middle, but 

 generally, the two colors are interspersed. 



I have never seen sucli a Dahlia described, and 

 therefore concluded it was a sport. The first year I 

 had it, 1 was under this impression, and thought it 

 might settle down to one color or the other ; this is 

 the third year I have had the variety, and it is still 

 true to t\\Q variety. 1 have now three stocks bloom- 

 ing. If it is anything out of the common way, you 

 can notice it if you think proper, I hope the spe- 



cimens will reach you safely. A vase of this variety 

 attracted a great deal of attention at our Agricul- 

 tural Exhibition last year. 



[Parti-colored Dahlias often behave this way. 

 When th.ere are two colors in a flower, tbe flowers 

 sometimes come all the one or all the other. It is 

 a beautiful variety of the Lilliputian style of Dah- 

 lias, and they would naturally attract great attention 

 anywhere.] 



Names of Plants— R. Lipton, Ind.—l. I 

 have found in the southern part of the State, in 

 rather wet places, a bulbous plant, resembling some- 

 what the Amaryllis; the bulb sometimes three inches 

 in diameter, Amaryllis-like leaves and a white 

 flower, the corolla of which is entire, not consisting 

 of single leaves, (comparable to the flower of Con- 

 volvulus major. ) What is the name of this plant? 



2. In the same section of country, I came across 

 a climbing plant with pinnated leaves, (five to seven 

 leaflets in each,) running ten to twelve feet high ; 

 the root of which resembles in shape a potato, but 

 has a rough skin, and is of a woody texture ; as it 

 was not in bloom when I saw it, I cannot describe 

 the flowers. 



Is n :t that the Apios tuberosa? 



3. What botanical work could you recommend me 

 from which I could in future draw the information 

 I have now to ask of you ? 



[1. Pancratium rotatum. 



2. Perhaps Apios tubero^^a, especially if the roots 

 were rather small potatoes. 



3. Gray's Manual of Botany for plants north of' 

 Virginia and Kentucky, and Chapman's Flora of 

 Southern United States for plants belov/ that line.] 



Pears IN Grass.— Pt/z-ws, Vineland^ N. J., says: 

 "I would like to get a clear idea of your system of 

 cultivating pears in grass. The idea, if sound must 

 be important ; but my own views and experience are 

 so opposed to it, that I think perhaps I have not 

 fully understood you. If I can raise a crop of red 

 clover every year in my own orchard, not only with- 

 out injury, but with decided benefit to the trees, it 

 is certainly very desirable to do so. 



Will you fully describe the process step by step 

 for say five years, from the planting of the tree? or 

 otherwise name the particular articles in back num. 

 bers of the G. M., where it may be found. In 

 making my lawn, I have encroached somewhat upon 

 the pear-orchard, and I can see a marked difl'erence 

 against the trees in grass, in growth, productiveness 

 and quaUty of fruit. 



I am interested also in the subject of "unfruitful 



