4.36 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
tiling for the would be scienlific, to attribute 
phenomena they cannot explain to electricity — 
and this agent has been the refuge of several 
of those who have written upon the diseases of 
plants. We have one letter before us from a 
photographer — who, taking a photograpic view 
of the subject, is qui>te sure that the pear blight 
is due to the effect of the sudden light of flash- 
es of lightning in a dark night — though he fails 
to tell us why this affects one tree, and leaves 
another of the same variety, next to it, untouch- 
ed. In discussing this subject, we must recollect 
that all fruit trees are, in a measure, unhealthy ; 
that the larger or finer our apples and pears, the 
more they have departed from the natural con- 
dition. This being the case, we ought not to 
look for perfect healtli in every cultivated va- 
riety. As to our ability to cure diseased trees 
by any medication, we doubt if it will ever be 
attained. To mant who write us with the view 
that we can prescribe something to cure their 
trees, we must confess our inability to do so. 
If good feeding will not help them, together 
with drainage, wo fear that the case is hopeless. 
Want of vigor or health is often due to a lack 
of alkaline matter in the soil, and benefit is 
often experienced from a free use of lime or 
ashes — but this is fertilization aud not medica- 
tion. Some of the most serious troubles, such 
as bark bursting and cracking, are due to 
changes of temperature beyond our control. 
The selection of varieties that mature their wood 
earlj', and the use of low headed trees, ratlier 
than those with long aud naked stems, are the 
best preventives against these troubles. As to 
the leaf blight, that as yet remains a mystery. 
Until its real nature is understood, we must act 
empirically, and cut severelj' whenever it ap- 
Ijears, even if it takes the tree down to the 
ground. Our pomological societies have, as a 
general tiling, given too much attention to the 
quality of fruit, to the neglect of the character 
of the tree. Of late years there has been an 
improvement in this respect. We have good 
fruits enough, now let us go in for healthy trees. 
Grafting Nut-bearing Trees. 
This subject seems to be one that is exciting 
considerable interest, and we have asked for 
the experience of cultivators without receiving 
any satisfactory replies. We find in a French 
journal an article by M. Peretti, who claims to 
have had satisfactory success witli ordinary 
cleft aud crown grafting. He prepares his trees 
beforehand by cutting them back so as to in- 
duce them to throw out numerous young shoots, 
and when these shoots are a year old, he saws 
them off about 18 inches from the trunk aud 
inserts a cion in Spring in the usual way, by 
cleft or crown grafting. — AVe sliall be very glad 
to hear of the success of this or any other 
method of grafting the walnut and chestnut, as 
there are many trees that produce fruit of so 
fine quality tliat it is desirable to propagate it. 
Cut-leaved and other Odd Plants. 
We are never satisfied with the ordinary way 
of things. If we have a new plant with a red 
flower, we are not content unless it " breaks " 
into all the shades that red flowers are capable 
of, and if it will only sport into stripes and 
blotches, our happiness, as far as this flower is 
concerned, is complete. Trees, in branching, 
have their limbs form some respectable angle 
with the trunk, but let one get an unnatural twist 
and it is forthwith propagated as a "Weeper," 
and our grounds are filled with miserable, dis- 
torted, unsightly abortions, called weeping va- 
'/^c^V' 
Fig. 1. — SKELETON-LEAVED nOIlSE-CHESTNtJT, 
rieties of trees, that in their normal state are 
beautiful. There are some graceful weeping va- 
Fig. 3. — CUT-LEAVED StTMACH. 
rieties, however, tliat are really fine, " we only 
protest against every miserable thing that don't 
know how to grow decently, being catalogued 
as a weeping variety. Then we have plants 
with variegated foliage — sold 
often at enormous prices. Some 
of tlicse with distinct and well 
defined markings, are well 
enough to make up a variety, 
but the most of them are poor, 
sickly things, that fortunately 
soon die out. Another class of 
variations from the usual con- 
dition is found in the cut-leaved 
plants. In these the blade of 
the leaf has its margins more 
or less deeply indented — some- 
times quite down to the mid- 
rib. Now wo do not object to 
the striving after novelties, for 
it is to this spirit, that satiated 
with its present achievements, 
strives to attain to something 
beyond, that we are indebted 
for our great progress in horti- 
culture. But we do dislike the 
indiscriminate praise of a thing 
simply because it is new or odd. 
In matters of horticulture, taste 
should be considered, and if we 
are to have monsters, let them 
be lovely ones, and possess real 
beauty of color and form. There 
are many of these abnormal 
forms of vegetation that we 
really like, and many others, that, like ani- 
mal monsters, ought never to be propagated. 
Some of the most pleasing of these freaks are 
found among the cut-leaved plants, in which 
we often get a remarkable effect from the finely 
divided condition of their foliage. Cut-leaved 
birches, beeches, maples, etc., are not rare, and 
are to be had at our principal nurseries. We 
have seen in the grounds of a friend a new thing 
in the way of cut-leaved trees — the " skeleton- 
leaved" Horse-chestnut. One would suppose 
that the leaf of the Horse-chestnut was cut up 
enough naturally ; but in this the leaflets them- 
fSlves are sub-divided, giving the leaf a most 
singular appearance, which we have represent- 
ed in fig. 1. We recently saw in the grounds of 
Mr. D. D. Buchanan, of Elizabeth, N. J., a cut- 
leaved variety of the common Sumach. This 
was discovered many j-ears ago in Westchester 
Co., Penn., and we first saw it in the grotmdsof 
our venerable friend — the late Doct. Darlington. 
Every one knows the common Sumach, Wius 
glabra, so frequent in sterile soils. In this va- 
rietj', the long pinnate leaves are sub-divided ia 
such a way that the whole plant presents a del- 
icate fern-like appearance. We have only room 
to illustrate a single leaf, aud this does not con- 
vey an adequate idea of the beauty of the whole 
shrub. The green of the leaf is very dark, and 
the stem is of a ricli purple color, that contrasts 
finely with that of the leaves. This variety in 
autumn takes on the same gorgeous scarlet and 
crimson colors as does the usual form, which is 
a plant that, by its intensity of color, adds 
much to the brilliancy of our autumn scenery. 
The SuRPnisE Apple.— This is an cid va- 
riety, though one that is seldom seen. It has 
no great value as an eatable fruit, but is worth 
growing in large csllections as a curiosity. It is 
a small, rather pretty apple, with a clean yellow 
skin, and when cut, the flesh is found to be red 
throughout. From the appearance of the 
exterior no one would expect to find it red 
within, and when cut it is truly a surprise. 
