6 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
Apples for loTva.— D. W. Adams, AUuma- 
kee Co., Iowa, gives the following as his experience with 
apples in the Northwest : " 1 have a young orchard of 
about 1,400 trees, situated on a high swell of prairie, 650 
feet above the Mississippi River, latitude 43° 20', fully 
exposed to winds from all quarters. It is composed main- 
ly of the following varieties, and now after enduring 
seven of our fierce northwestern winters, I am ready to 
unite my opinion with the unanimous verdict of visitors, 
that it is as promising an orchard of its size as can be 
found East or West : Summer— Early Harvest, Red 
Astrachan, Red June, Sops of Wine, Augustine, Sweet 
June. Fall — Duchess of Oldenburg, St. Lawience, Col- 
vert, Golden Pippin, Bailey Sweet, Fameuse. Winter— 
Jonathan, Yellow Bellflower, Wine Sap. Northern Spy, 
English Golden Russet, Talman Sweet, Rawle's Janette. 
The above sorts give a succession of fruit for the 
entire year, of unexceptionable quality, and thorou^hiy 
tried hardiness, having all (last winter) passed through 
the ordeal of— 36** Farenheit. If confined to four sorts, 
lake Red June, St. Lawrence, Fameuse and Jonathan." 
Kea1>1>Ui$ and Trees.— Various preventives 
to keep rabbits from injui ing young trees, have been from 
time to time suggested by correspondents, and some have 
been published that others may make a trial of them. 
B. Sherman says that with him the sulphur and soap 
mixture has proved a failure ; but that a composition of 
two parts of fresh cow manure, and one of wood ashes, 
mixed with water enough to apply readily with a stub 
broom was successful. He says, if spread on thickly, it 
■■will last six months. 
Barl£-1>onnd Clierry Trees. — J. L. Hol- 
man, Dearborn County, Indiana, wishes to know if it is 
beneficial to slit the bark of trees, and when to do it. If 
the tree is liable to crack we should slit the bark in the 
growing season with a sharp knife. The cut soon heals, 
while a ragged crack often makes an unsightly seam. 
Medicated. Trees. — Some mouths ago we 
published accounts from correspondents who claimed 
to have prevented the attacks of insects by introducing 
substances into the circulation of the tree. Although we 
at the time disclaimed all belief in the efficiency of this 
treatment, we have had several letters asking the best 
time to introduce sulphur, etc., into the trunk of the tree. 
We refer to the matter to repeat that we do not advise 
the thing at all. If one has a worthless tree he can amuse 
himself by plugging it either before or after it is cut down. 
Blisses Patent Isabel.— This label, wliicli 
was noticed some years ago, has, after standing the test 
of exposure through 
six or eight years, 
proved itself "inde- 
structible" for that 
length of time. Its 
neatness and legibil- 
ity will commend it 
to those amateurs 
who do not mind tlie 
slight expense. The , 
cut shows the label 
of the actual size. 
The back is of zinc, 
with an edge turned 
over the label, which 
is clearly printed on 
white paper, and has 
over it a sheet of transparent mica. The whole is wa- 
ter-proof, and with ordinary usage is likely to remain 
perfectly legible for many years. 
A Prolific Apple Tree.— Mr. C. W. 
Wright, of Westchester Co., N. Y., gives an account of a 
remarkable tree in his neighborhood. It is a greening, 
fi-om wliich'ie barrels of fiuit have been gathered in one 
year, which, assorted, gave 20 barrels of marketable fruit. 
I^owL-beariHg B*ear Trees.— Upon look- 
ing over a number of letters complaining of a want of 
success with dwarf pear trees, we find the general re- 
mark that the tree is very tlu-ifly but does not bear. Many 
kinds are along while before they fruit, even when on 
quince roots. Frequently the early fruiting tendency 
which working on quince gives to the pear, is counter- 
acted by setting the tree so low that roots start from the 
pear, and the main object of dwarfing is thus neutralized. 
Trees on quince may be kept dwarf by proper treatment 
when young. See page IT. Th- se which have been neg- 
lected and have become rampant may be brought into 
fruiting by a gradual shortening of both tops and roots. 
M^bite IVillow for " Hedging. "— 
Many inquiries come in regard to this subject. The wil- 
low does not make a proper "hedge, "as the word is 
generally used,but a^jue,/Vnce, furnishing a considerable 
supply of timber or fencing stuff, either when it attains its 
full growth and is cut down, or when it Is topped period- 
ically. We have no doubt that there are a great many 
places where the willow will succeed well, and make 
a very rapid growth and a secure fence. The views of 
one of the editors who visited the most notable localities 
where the willow has been used for live fences, wind 
bieaks, etc.. are given at length in tlie Americaji Agri- 
culturist for December, 1863, and fur January, 1864. 
Barberry Sledges. — J. Scliofielfl, Suffolk 
Co., Mass., observing that the barberry grows freely on 
rocky soil, asks if it would not be advisable to plant a 
hedge in two rows and place stones between them. We 
see no necessity for this, as we have known a fine hedge 
on land where not a stone was to be found. It makes 
a dense hedge if prnpeily clipped, and, like all other 
hedges, should be cut back quite severely while young. 
Ijarg-e Beecli Leaves. — H. C. Sanxay, 
Jefferson Co., Ind., sends specimens of remarkably large 
leaves from the lower branches of a bffech. They meas- 
ure a trifle over nine inches long and six inches wide. 
*' Tlie MorticiBlturist." — This lon^; es- 
tablished 'magazine is now entirely under the control of 
the Messrs. Woodward, who have engaged a corps of 
well known contributors, and in other ways display a 
commendable spirit of enterprise. We are assured that 
its columns will not be devoted to puffing the stock of 
any parlicular nurserymen, but that they shall express 
unbought opinions. Under its new management we hope 
that the Horticulturist will regain the tone and spirit 
which it lost with the lamented Downing, and that it will 
deservedly receive the patronage due to a well con- 
ducted Horticultural monthly of high character.^ 
Upland Craiil»errtes.— H. P. Thornton 
and others. We have not seen any very successful beds 
upon upland or ordinary garden soil,but have known cases 
in which the plants were a long while in determining 
whether to live oi' die. If any of our readers have a good 
and profitable fruiting bed upon any upland soil we shall 
be glad to hear about it, and if not too far away, to visit it. 
Boole on Nursery Cnlture.— W. R. Tip- 
ton. Munroe Co., Ohio. Barry's Fruit Garden is good 
for.a beginner with a nursery of fruit trees. We do not 
recall any work published in English which is wholly de- 
voted to the propagation of ornanienttil trees and shrubs. 
Cvrinding Horse Batli^ilK. — Jessy A. 
Kelly, Canada West, wishes to know in what kind of a 
mill horse radish is prepared. The principal manufac- 
turer in this city uses a cylindrical grater of tin, of 
large diameter, which has a balance wheel attached, 
and is revolved by means of a treadle, in the same man- 
ner as a lathe. This does not prevent the pungent odor 
from arising ; but the workman gets used to it after a 
time, just as the sirls who peel onions in the Detsicated 
Vegetable Establishments do not shed a tear, while a 
stranger finds the atmosphere of the room intolerable. 
Canada Thistles Once More. — About 
every month we are requested to say how Canada this- 
tles may be killed. We know that frequent and per- 
sistent cutting down the plant will kill it, for we have 
tried it. We know that in one instance a few plants 
were killed by cutting close to the ground, and putting a 
handful of salt on the root. They smother the thistle at 
the West with a heavy mulching of straw ; we once part- 
ly succeeded thus. These are all the feasible remedies 
we know of. Good friends, if we learn anything new 
about the tliistle we will tell it. but please don't ask us 
for tl;e next three months " how to kill Canada thistles." 
A IVe-^' Weed.— Mr. J. F. Halstead, of 
Dutchess Co., N. Y., sends a specimen of the Bladder 
Campion, (Silene inflata,) which he states is abundant as 
a weed. We have seen the plant frequently, but never 
in sufficient quantities to be considered as troublesome. 
Mr. H. says that fall ploughing will not kill it. It lias a 
very strong root, and if the plants are nnt too numerous, 
they might be pulled one by one, and thus be eradicated. 
Is "Wild BnclcTvlieat Poisonous ?— 
C. E. BUick. Olmstead Co., Minn., wishes to know if 
the seed of the wild buckwheat may be fed to stock with 
safety. We suppose tliat the Climbing Polygonum (P. 
dumctorum'), wilh fruit looking much like buckwheat, is 
the plant referred to. Can any correspondent give the 
Information? The different species of Polygonum vary 
ao much in their properties, that it is not safe in this case 
to judge from its botanical relationship. 
Thirty-nine Biisliels for One.— W. H 
Coleman. Orange Co., says that a neighbor who planted 
one bushel of peach-blow potatoes, cut in very small 
pieces, harvested thirty-nine bushels of good potatoes. 
Clnh-root in Cahhage.— E. Partridge, 
Waldo Co., Me. This most generally affects plants 
grown on ground which has borne tiie same crops sev- 
eral years in succession. Land should not be planted 
with cabbages oftener than once in three or four years. 
Plants on new land are seldom troubled with club-foot. 
Ho-w Mnch Asparag'flts in a Buncli? 
— F. A Schultz. Mo. The bunches are not put up by 
count, for the New York market, but by size. A bunch- 
ing box is used, which is filled by a few large or many 
small stalks. The bunches are 6 to 8 inches in diameter. 
The Fluke Potato.— T. F. S. The quality 
of this is excellent, and it is extensively grown in Western 
New York. We cannot speak of its productiveness. 
Iflany Sqiiashe.s from One Seed.— Mr. 
C. S. Coxhead, Fort Lee, N. Y. raised 13 squashes on a 
single vine of the Yokohama, the smallest of which weigh- 
ed 8, the largest 16 lbs. The weight of the whole— 141 '-jj 
lbs.— shows that this excellent variety is also prolific. 
A IL.ars:e Bassano Beet.— W. F. Trues- 
dell, Pike Co.. O., has raised a 10 lb. beqt, which is very 
large for the Bassano. They do big things in Ohio. 
Taliie of Certain Boots for Feed- 
ing.—" J. W. p." Po'keepsie, N. Y. The value of 
roots of the same kind, though of different varieties, as 
of the several kinds of turnips for instance, may be ascer- 
tained by comparing Iheir specijic gravities. The heavier 
they are in proportion to the bulk, the belter. Thus any 
one can tell without weighing that French turnips are 
heavier than the common white, alid that Rutabagas are 
heavier than either. The rule does not hold so well 
when applied to different kindsof roots. These take rank 
about as follows :— turnips of the English and French 
varieties lowest ; then Swedes and Russia turnips ; next 
Field beets, mangel-wurtzels, parsnips and carrols. 
A Clood Crop of Onions. — W. R. Tatem, 
formerly with a Shaker Society in Pennsylvania, gives an 
account of his success wilh onions. The bed, 20x40 feet, 
had been plowed deeply the previous autumn. In spring 
it had a shallow plowing, after which three horse loads 
of fine old manure were spread on and thoroughly har- 
rowed in. Tne bed was then covered wilh slraw, ten 
inches deep, which was burned. The seed was sowed in 
drills Hinches apart and rolled. As soon as the seed was 
up, the bed was sowed over wilh one bushel of a mix- 
lure of fs hen manure, and >3 ashes, which applicalion 
was repeated three times during the early part of the 
season. The anions weie caiefully hoed and weeded, 
and when as large as one's thumb, they were thinned to 
two inches in the row. The result was 30 bushels of 
large onions, equal to. about 1,000 bushels to the acre. 
Baked Beans. — A. J. Aldrich suggests thai 
the kidney bean is much better when baked, than the 
common white field bean. True, and Lima is better still. 
Carrots <br Horses.—" J." Franklin Co., 
Mass. It is not w^orth while to feed horses carrots in 
very large quantity. The feed you refer to (corn and 
oats ground together, and used on cut feed wet up,) is very 
good. Carrots produce good effects, which cannot be 
attributed solely to their nutrient qualities, but are a little 
similar to those compounds which ostlers give to horses, 
called " condition powders," — mixtures of ginger, gen- 
tian, and anise seed, with a small quantity of sulphur, 
antimony, or aloes. This effect is noticed when these 
roots are fed in small qimhtities, and does not seem to he 
increased, if they are fed very freely. Potatoes, sugar 
beets, and in fact any roots in moderate quantities, are 
good for horses, but none are equal to carrots. 
Even a Small <?lirden Pays. — Mrs. 
E. Ripley, Crawford Co., Pa., gives us an account of 
the returns of a lot of cround, 20 by 25 feet, which 
yielded vegetables valued at $15, and she had also 
sweet herbs and flowers, not included in the estimate. 
Strawl>erry Qneries. — "M. R"., Cannudai- 
gua, N. Y. The Wilson is a perfect variety. The ques- 
tion if the quality of the fruit of a pistillate variety is 
affected by the characlei" of the staminate vine by which 
it is fertilized, is yet an unsettled one. We can give 
equally good authority to prove that it is, and that it is 
not. If M. R. would make some careful experiments in 
this direction, he would do something towards settling a 
disputed point in horticulture, that needs elucidatiou. 
