376 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
gallons to the acre a very large crop, and 300 gallons a 
good average yield, 2,400 vines to the acre, Mr, Axt 
plants only 1,000, or one-third less. 
Now, if Mr, Axt can succeed in establishing vineyards 
to bear such immense crops for a series of years he will be 
a greater benefactor to the South, than the inventor of the 
Cotton Gin, 1 fear, however — and I hope I ntay be par- 
doned for this doubt — that tasking young vines with such 
large crops at first may be a permanent injury. Such, at 
least, is the experience of vine-growers here. But, on the 
other hand, were we sure of such crops — or even half as 
great — we could afford to re-plant our vineyards every 6 
or 7 years. 
It would afford me pleasure to meet Mr. Axt and other 
Southern Wine Growers at Augusta on the 5tli Novem- 
ber, as proposed, for a test of Wines, but engagemerrs at 
home will prevent me. Some of my neighbors, however, 
have suggested that a meeting be field at Nashville for 
that purpose, at a later period, when river navigation may 
permit us to reach that place by water, in whice J most 
cordially concur. 
I congratulate rny Southern friends on their brilliant 
success with the Catawba Grape, and hope to hear often 
from them through your columns on this interesting topic. 
R. Buchanan. 
Cincinnati^ Ohio, Oct 16. 1858. 
PLANTING FRUIT TREES. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — As the season for 
planting fruit trees is now at hand, we hope a word or two 
from Us on the subject may not be deemed impertinent or 
construed into a desire to render ourselves notorious, but 
a simple history of our experience in that department of 
Pomology. 
Our remarks will be addressed more particularly to 
small cultivators rather than to orchard culture as gener- 
ally understood ; as many are deterred from engaging in 
the cultivation of fruit from the fact, as liiey suppose, of 
being obliged lo'watt a great length of titne before enjoy- 
ing the fruit of their labor. The peiiod itsuaiiy occupied 
by afruit tree bclore it arrives at a producing size, may, 
by judicious culture be materially hastened, and this, too, 
in many cases svidioutany extra expense or labor. Theie 
is scarr ely a pianiei , larrner or mechanic, who resides in the 
country, but who is the owner of dointstic animals, to a 
greater or le-^s extent; these, Irotsi time to time, rile. Now 
what do you dr> with their carcasses '? V/hy, haul them 
off in some ob.scure, out-uf the- way pftce to becoine food 
for buzzards and iiutii^ry dogs, We will now respectfully 
suggest that wheit you again have a liorsc, mute, cow, 
pig or even a Sliarighai to die, just dig a hole soine two or 
three feet deep where you wi:!h to, or siioahi plant a tree 
and tliere deceiitiy bury it; if a horse, mule or cow eptar- 
ter it, it will do hu- Idod for four trees. After .s niie six 
rrionths or a year hivi; ei.-ipseci, jhant a tree on the top of 
the grave, Ks vigor and tlinftinc^s will aoiply ivpay you 
for ail the n-iniLiic. Tonble, duf i >ayf — we think Ustivitig 
oi time and truu die tiias to dispose of a dead aiiinial in- 
sienp of h.i'..ihng it off a hslfniile or so into the woods. 
Thus, a dead .tninial may be made to yield as nuu-.h 
pleasure and ]irolit as when alive Here are all the ele- 
ments needed i)y a. growing tree, and that, in as concen- 
trated a fdimas ilmi o( the best guano. If we are correct 
in our esiiin-ate oftiie wortli of this species of manure, a 
dead cow thus di-sposeti of is worth as mtich or more than 
when alive, esdriLited at the same pnee per pound with 
guano 
Our attention was forcibly called to an instance of tlie 
predilection trees have tor this species of manure, some 
yeur.s smee, by an incident, of the following character ; 
We were called upon to suptrintend the digging of a 
grave for a friend who had lost a child; in selecting a 
spot for the grave, we inadvertantly chose a place be- 
tween two old graves which had disappeared on the sur- 
face of the ground, where we commenced to have the 
grave dug; on going a few feet down we found we were 
cutting into a grave on either side, but as we were exca- 
vating an intermediate space of unbroken earth about one 
footwdde, we concluded to finish that we had commenced 
and did so. As the grave yard is located in a grove of 
trees, the roots of which, we found, had left their usual 
horizontal position near the surface of the ground and had 
gone down perpendicularly to the bottoms of these two old 
graves where they had rioted for unknown years on the 
remains, per chance, of some sturdy yeoman or maiden 
fair. ^ 
What an eloquent appeal to plant flowers and trees around 
the graves ofdeparted loved ones! Here, in a few months, 
through the agency of some lovely flowering shrub, with its 
resurrection powers, rmry we see the atoms we once loved 
as flesh and blood again exhibited to our senses in the 
form of some lovely flower; or what was once some 
stalwart youth, now a more sturdy and enduring oak. 
Since the day our attention was attracted to this pheno- 
menon, if we may use that term, we have made it a rule 
to bury all dead animals in our possession upon the site 
we intend to grow a tree. Many a Shanghai we have 
resting from his crowing lalmrs beneath some promising 
fruit tree; and although he can crow no more, we occa- 
sionally do a little of it over some Shanghai specimen of 
fruit grown on his grave. 
Dead cats, dogs, old boots and shoes, bones from the 
dinner table and kitchen all make the best manure for the 
purpose we have indicated, if deposited fiom day to day 
in some hole kept prepared for this .species of offal, besides 
we are ridding our premises of what is often a common 
nuisance. 
1 From these hints, we hope it wilt be perceived that by 
imparting a degree of luxuriance to a growing tree it 
would not have when planted in the ordinary way, we 
will sooner enjoy the fruit thereof. 
Yours &c., J. Van Buren. 
Clarksville, Ga., 1856. 
THE GILLY FLOWER (MATHIOLA.) 
Editcirs Southern Cultivator — I have, in some for- 
mer numbers of your excellent journal, given descriptions 
of such Roses and Evergreens as are suited to the Southern 
idmi'if*-.. But roses and evergreens are not sufficient to 
give all such charms to our gardens as they ougiu to pos- 
sess. \ vvill, therefore, at present, draw the attention of 
your fair readers to such annuals, biennials and perenni- 
als, as are deserving of a place in even the smallest gar- 
dens. [ will, for this time, however, confine myself to 
ihe “Gilly Flower,’' and feel coniident that the ladies will 
I be higluy pleased with Hiis beautiful iribe, which, though 
well known by name, still is so seldom to he met with, 
that it almost might be called neio. It is true, plenty of 
Gilly Flower and Ten Weeks Stocks seed is offered in tlie 
seed stores, tmi in most c.-ises it i.s such trash as not to 
deserve planting. 
I Horticuiiurists have particularly turned tlieir attention 
; to twos[>ccies, the “Ten Weeks Stock,” {MatkioUi aivivua') 
I and the “Stock Gilly Flower” {Malhiola iacana). 
\ It is a v/ell known fact, that where persons have de- 
I voted their whole attention to the cultivation of one, or, 
i at most, a few tribes, the results have been most satisfac- 
I tory. The city of Erfurt, in Germany, is thus equally 
I as famous for its unsurpassed Gilly Flowers as Haarlem, 
j in Holland, Idr Hyacinths and other bulbs. 
I The Gilly Flowers are all raised from seed, but as the 
i double varieties do not produce any seed, this most be 
taken from the single varieties, and it can never be avoid - 
I ed, that some single flowers, will appear in any bed. 
