I860.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
165 
A Wew Winter Pear.— Duchesse de Bor- 
deaux. J, S. Houghton, a well-known pear grower of 
Philadelphia, informs us that he has fruited this variety 
for several years, and considers it to possess every good 
quality. The pear is of French origin, but seems per- 
fectly adapted to our climate. Mr. n. says: U I know of 
no winter pear which can compare with it for size, beau- 
ty, keeping qualities, and general excellence, and no tree 
more hardy, thrifty, robust, and fruitful." It keeps until 
March and April. Mr. n. has no trees for sale, but says 
that it is being propagated in the nurseries. 
Quinces. — " G. W. G." These require a deep 
and rich soil. They will do well on a sandy soil that is 
properly manured. Muck or woods' earth will be useful. 
The BSueHanan Pear is a chance seed- 
ling found by Mr. Isaac Buchanan near Astoria. It is of 
g;ood size. St. Germain shape, and of positively good 
qualities. We tested it in February, and though the spec- 
imen had become shriveled from being kept in a warm 
room, it was very sweet, juicy, and vinous, With proper 
care it would no doubt keep very late. 
Crop for .in Orchard. — "Subscriber," 
Alexandria. Va. If your trees are 15 years old and the 
tops nearly meet, why put in any crop at all ? No profit- 
able crop can he raised in the shade, and trees of this size 
need all the soil. You cannot eat your cake and have it 
too, and a given area of land can not do double duty. 
Apple SSIossoms its January. — Doet. 
Win. II. Trowbridge, Stamford, Ct., sends us some apple 
blossoms. His son cut from an apple tree a stake to sup- 
port a climber, and the flowers expanded in a warm 
room. This serves as a hint for experiments with flow- 
ering shrubs. 
Peach Orchard. — "W. II. Finley. If yon 
can raise peaches in your locality (which is not given) at 
all, land that is in good condition for farm crops will do 
for peaches. 
Trouble with 1'herry Trees. — Cor- 
responding Secretary of Farina. 111., Agricultural Society. 
Please forward a specimen. From the description, it 
looks like the beginning of the Black-knot. 
SmaSIFniits.-E. B. H.," Mil ford, O. 
Barn-yard manure, well decomposed, is as good or better 
than any other application. Ashes are valuable, as Is 
'bone-dust. Guano should be used with caution; about 
200 lbs. to the acre is enough. Canes of blackberries that 
have once fruited are to be cut away. Your fruit for 
next year will be borne on the wood that grows this year. 
Cut quite down to the ground when they have done bear- 
ing. A shelter of pines or other trees would be a great 
advantage. You would have fewer plants winter-killed, 
and the crops would be earlier and surer. 
The fttarlc Apple Agfalfii. — On page 99, 
last March, we gave Dr. Warder's description and outline 
of the Stark, and in a Basket item, recorded the opinion 
of the Fruit Committee of the American Pomological So- 
ciety, that the apple is an oid variety, the Pennock. 
Nei ther of these articles exactly suits some of our Western 
friends. A. II. Gaston, Henry Co., Illinois, writes that 
the statement that it '" bears heavily on alternate years," 
(which is Dr. Warder's), is a mistake, as it is a certain 
and annual bearer. Mr. D. B. Page, of the same county, 
Bays, that the Stark and Pennock are as unlike as a 
"pumpkin and mask-melon," and thinks some one must 
have played a joke upon the Committee, by sending them 
the Pennock for the Stark. Mr. Gaston sent the speci- 
mens. Mr. II. McMasters, Leonardsbnrgh, O., also writes 
us an article defending the identity of the Stark, which is 
too long for us to insert. We can assnrc our correspond- 
ents that we have no desire to do other than justice to 
the Stark or any other apple. Such experienced pomolo- 
gisis as Downing, Barry, Elliott, and others, may be in 
error; still we think their deliberately considered opinion 
worth recording. We here give the opposing opinions 
more Bpacc than we did the statement which called them 
forth, and we would suggest as a final settlement of the 
matter that the parties interested in the Stark present 
their arguments to the Fruit Committee of the American 
Pomological Society, who, if shown that they erred in 
their decision, will be very ready to acknowledge it. 
TroiibSesomc lliig-s. — "C. C. P., 1 ' Sal in a, 
Kansas. If you will send some specimens In a box we 
will try and find out what your annoying insect is. 
Smashed specimens are not to be identified. 
Olazin^ Slower Pots*.— "J. F. B. " 
asks for a " Solution for glazing flower pots." Earthcu- 
ware is glazed in the furnace al? the time of baking, and 
we know of no ready means of doing it otherwise. Why 
glaze flower pots at all ? All florists reject them as worth- 
less. The porosity of the pot is essential to the well- 
being of most plants. A sickly plant in an old or over- 
baked pot, which has its pores filled up, will often recover 
if put into a new and porous one. 
la Season ana Yet Out of Season. — 
Several correspondents have sent us late in the winter, 
suggestions and devices suited to that eeason only. By 
the time we could present them to our readers they would 
be untimely. A number of them are good enough to salt 
down for next winter. 
Tomato Experience. — Mr. J. A. Potter, 
Lowell, Mass., reports his experience with tomatoes as 
follows : " I planted on the 17th of March, seven different 
kinds of tomatoes, viz.: Large Smooth Red, Orangcfield, 
Keyes' Eariy,Tilden, Cedar Hill, Sims' Early Cluster, and 
Maupay's Superior. Some of each kind were set May 
23d., in a sloping piece of ground facing to the Bonth, 
where the road-dust and sand had washed on about one 
foot thick some five years ago. They all did well last sea- 
eon. The Large Smooth Red I consider one of the most 
profitable of any in this vicinity, it being large, Braooth, 
solid, and of good flavor, and about as early as any in tho 
market; first ripe July 27th Orangcfield. First ripe 
July 25th ; the plant dwarf and very stout; very prolific; 
fruit of good flavor and fair size, but rather too rough for 
market Kcyes' Early. First ripe July 2Sth ; a great 
bearer; fruit of good flavor; rather too small for market ; 
rather backward about ripening up to the stem Til- 
den. First ripe August 4th; large, smooth, fine-flavored, 
not very prolific, cracks badly before ripening up to tho 
stem. ...Cedar Hill. Ripens with thoTilden ; too rough and 
irregular for this market. . . .Sims' Early Cluster. A rapid 
grower ; great bearer and fruit of good flavor ; too small 
for market ; ripenswith Cedar Ilill and Tilden Man- 
pay's Superior ripens with me the same time as the Til- 
den ; a strong, healthy vine, and an enormous bearer; 
solid, splendid flavor ; good for this market ; one of tho 
best The Large Red Smooth and Maupay's Superior 
are the best I have ever seen. I would not be willing to 
change them for any others I ever saw. 
Hedges in Ivnitsas. — F. Snyder, High- 
land, Kansas, writes : "This is decidedly a country for 
Hedges. In fact it is the best and cheapest method of 
fencing here, and a few years will see nearly all the 
old farms enclosed with hedge. The season must be 
favorable for a hedge of any kind to do well on freshly 
plowed sod, (prairie) in this section, and one of the im- 
portant points of raising a hedge is to have a good 
growth and good 'stand 1 the first season of planting. It is 
not advisable to plant on ground that Is not in good con- 
dition for the growth of plants. The article on page 90 
(March)is calculated to mislead the inexperienced. I have 
no doubt bat the person who wrote it did just as he said, 
and was successful, but according to my experience he 
would fail nine times out of ten here. I have tried every 
way the books and papers tell about, adding my own 
ways, and have planted early and late, fall and spring, 
andean positively say that early spring planting, done 
right, with good plants is preferable to any other time. 
As a general thing a hedge planted here in June would 
not make more than one-half the growth it would if 
planted in April. Millions of hedge plants are annually 
lost by following the plan recommended by "G. N. 
M.," although I have known a few to succeed tolerably 
well in following it under very favorable circumstances. 
drains and Trees.— " J. J. S." If your 
drains are four feet deep, as they should be, plant the 
trees as near ns yon please. The usual way in draining 
orchards is to lay the drains between the rows. 
Flowers. — The new ones tested last year are 
described in the Horticultural Annual, by Peter Hen- 
derson. Beautiful illustrations are given. 
Onions. Tobacco, IFIax, ISops. — 
Our pamphlets upon these special cultures continue to be 
the standard works. They are each made up of essays 
from a number of practical cultivators living in different 
parts of the country, and one supplies what another 
omits. Sent by mail at a very low price. Onion Cul- 
ture. 00c. ; Tobacco, 25c; Hops. 40c. ; Flax, 50c, by mail. 
Hjininsf Tor a Fountain ESasan. — 
tk A 10-years' Subscriber" has cemented his basin with 
water lime and it is plastered upon the clay cracked by 
the frost. We are not informed of the size of the basin. 
A margin of stone laid in cement would stmid. The 
trouble is probably in the freezing of the clay margin. 
Manuring ftrapes.-" F. W." TVe should 
not use manure at ail, unlcs3 the land is very poor. 
Manure should never be put in contact with the roots of 
a vine or tree at planting, but be thoroughly incorporated 
with the soil. 
Windsor ISenns. — J. C. Le Touzcl, Ber- 
muda, writes: "I have now growing in my garden a 
nice bed of Broad Windsor Beans, that look as promis- 
ing as any I ever saw, bat will bear no fruit. The vines 
have been flowering for at least two months, without tho 
sign of a pod ; new flowers replace the old ones on tho 
stalk, and wither oft" just at the time one would suppose 
the vines would bear. My neighbors are not better off 
than myself; their vines blossom, but yield nothing, al- 
though planted at about the same time. "—We doubt if 
Windsor Beans can be raised in your climate. Even tho 
heat of our summers is too much for them. They can 
be had in perfection only in cool, moist climates. Try 
them in your coolest month, and top them when they 
commence to flower. * 
Tlie £»elioolnia*ter Very TOneh 
" Abroad."— At one of the State Fairs last autumn, 
we saw a collection of Dahlias, on which was the follow- 
ing notice: "Any person wishing to buy any of these 
delliea can select any coller." 
A H,.o-\v Hedge.— J. G. Caulkins, Dutchess 
Co., N. Y. We have never seen any attempt to keep tho 
Honey Locust as low as IS inchos. The stems would 
probably get very " stubby " after a while. The nurseries 
have now several dwarf forms of Arbor Vita; which would 
answer the purpose, as would the Holly-leaved Barberry, 
the Mahonia of the nurseries. 
ISugs and Vines. — F. C. Blanchard. The 
plan of placing a frame with a pane of glass over the hill 
is a very old one and has often been mentioned in these" 
columns. It is, however, very effective. 
Trimming- Trees. — A practical Fruit 
grower writes : " In a lale No. of the Agriculturist, It was 
suggested that in trimming, large limbs must be support- 
ed or have a piece first taken out from below the branch, 
to prevent the falling limb from splitting oft" a portion of 
the wood or bark, which should be preserved unharmed. 
My method has been, first to saw the branch off. a foot or 
fifteen inches above the point of final trimming; thus 
making it easy to hold the stump with one hand while 
safely sawing it oft* with the other. Unless a person Is 
well skilled and careful, and the saw keen and fine, it 
may be well first to cut through, tho bark below, while 
using this method. With care and a good saw, it is not 
necessary. Sometimes, where the angle of a branch is 
very small above, it is best to saw wholly through from 
below. My modo is convenient for this." 
Lavender. — Anna, (wlio doesfcnot give her 
address). Lavender Is a low, shrubby plant with pale 
green, narrow leaves. Sweet Basil is in some localities 
called Lavender. That is an annual with green broad 
leaves, and is probably the plant you have grown 
Gardening for YroHt. — No person who 
grows vegetables for market, whether on the large scale 
or in a smaller way, should be without this valuable work. 
Though written by a market gardener, it is full of interest 
to the private gardener, and no one who has a garden can 
fail to find it of use. Price by mail, $1.50. 
Concentrated Manure. — W. Vintner. 
Peruvian Guano is used with great success in vegetable 
gardens. If stable manure has already been plowed in, 
300 lbs. to the acre is sufficient. If no other manure is 
nsed, 1.000 lbs. to the acre is applied. In cither case it is 
sown broadcast after plowing and harrowed in. Most 
other concentrated fertilizers vary so that it is difficult 
to tell much about them ; a good superphosphate may be 
nsed in the above qnantity, and probably equal quantities 
of that and guano, for general use, would be better than 
cither alone. For plants set in hills it is better to In- 
corporate tho fertilizers with the soil of the lull before 
planting than to sow broadcast. 
Tuberous Cnervil. — C. D. Smith has 
tried the seeds spring and fall, and failed to raise any 
plants. We tried them once in autumn only, with the 
came result. The French, who grow it more or less ex- 
tensively, say, that if sown too late the seed will not 
germinate until the second year. The probable trouble 
is that the seed is too old. 
Chinese Yam.— "S. W. C," Deer Isle, Me. 
The Chinese Tarn will probably mature with you. It is 
not raised from seed, but from pieces of the roots, and 
little bnlblets found upon the stem. It is not worth 
growing, as the labor of digging is too great. Those who 
arc fond of it grow a few plants as a garden vegetable. 
