1882.j 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
23 
•wood would pay for tlie clearing the land, 
and give a profit besides. The $600 received 
for the fourth year’s crop, gives the hand¬ 
some showing of a yearly return of $75 per 
acre for each of the four years, which is 
probably much more than the land originally 
cost, and much more than what is regarded 
as an average return in the celebrated peach 
districts of Delaware and Maryland. This re¬ 
port is a particularly unfavorable one, for it 
is rare that a peach orchard does not give 
more than one full crop—yet what could J. 
V. have done with two acres that would have 
paid him better? In what respect could our 
correspondent have done better with his first 
orchard? He says that the soil was “poor 
and sandy,”—“sandy,” so far 
as it means light, is well for a 
peach orchard—“ poor ” is not. 
While peach trees should never 
be put upon low wet lands, 
they should have what is con¬ 
sidered good com land. The 
growing of com between the 
rows until the orchard comes 
into bearing, is regarded as 
good practice in the great 
“Peninsula” peach district. 
The second drawback was in 
neglecting the borer until the 
third year. Every tree, before 
planting, should have been 
carefully examined to see that 
none had already made an en¬ 
trance, and every fall and 
spring thereafter, each tree 
should have been examined. 
The excessive crop of the fourth 
year, and the many props and 
the stays of twine indicate that 
the young trees had been allow¬ 
ed to grow at will, without any 
shortening of the branches to 
form a compact head. "While 
peach - growers differ as to 
whether it pays to do any 
“ cutting in,” as it is called, 
after the trees fairly come into 
bearing, all agree that it is de¬ 
sirable to do this upon the 
young trees, and cut back, 
in fall or early spring, one-half, more or 
less, of the growth of the previous season. 
There is another point for peach-growers 
to consider; much time was expended 
in cutting and adjusting the 1,000 props, 
and “several balls of hemp twine” cost 
Something, and time was consumed in apply¬ 
ing it. Suppose that all these items of ex¬ 
pense, in time and money, had been directed 
to thinning the fruit when small, would it not 
have been more profitable? We feel quite 
sure that it would have been, so far as the fu¬ 
ture of the trees was concerned. How it 
would have been in money returns for the 
fruit we cannot say. Of course the winter¬ 
killing, which was, in many localities, very 
disastrous that winter, could not have been 
avoided, though it might not have been so 
extensive had not the trees been exhausted 
by overbearing. We consider the experience 
of J. V. encouraging to those who, outside 
of what are regarded as peach districts, 
would like to experiment in peach culture. 
<£reeii Coi-sa ia» England.—The direc¬ 
tions for cooking green com which appear 
from time to time in the English journals are 
very funny. The last we have met with 
says : “ Boil the cob in milk for one hour, 
and then broil it, basting with butter and 
salt.”—We wonder what is done with the 
rest of the corn while the “cob” is being 
treated in this manner, and what is done 
with the “ cob ” after it is broiled and basted ! 
The Variegated Panic-Grass. 
Plants that will flourish in the usually dry 
air of our houses are not numerous, and every 
one that will do this is worthy of note. The 
little grass, introduced from one of the South 
Sea Islands some years ago, as Panicum va¬ 
riety atmn, is a capital basket or bracket plant. 
The grass has much the habit of the trouble¬ 
some “Finger”—or “Crab-grass,” its pros¬ 
trate stem taking root at every joint. This 
creeps where there is soil, and when it reach¬ 
es the edge of the basket or pot, hangs over 
in a graceful manner. The size and shape of 
the leaves are shown in the engraving, which, 
being from an upright stem, does not show 
the creeping habit. The leaves are light- 
green, with broad stripes of creamy white, 
and if the plant has sufficient sun, the foliage 
is tinged with pink. While the plant grows 
more rapidly in the damp atmosphere of the 
greenhouse, if well supplied with water it is 
veiy satisfactory as a window plant. 
The Cultivation of Peppermint. 
A letter before us from Lancaster Co., Pa., 
is a specimen of many. The writer claims that 
he knows nothing whatever of the culture of 
Mint, or if it will succeed in his locality, and 
wishes us to tell him how to grow it. We 
believe and constantly advocate a mixed hus¬ 
bandry, believing it better, save in a few ex¬ 
ceptional cases, than the plantation system 
with but one or two large crops. But in a 
variety of crops, we would not advise what, 
for the want of a better name, we call “ spe¬ 
cial crops,” that is crops that are outside of 
the usual farm products, and which can not 
be turned to account on the farm, but must 
be disposed of. Such crops, of which Pep¬ 
permint is an example, are subjects of specu¬ 
lation, and if any one makes much out of 
them it is usually not the farmer, but a 
dealer. Another reason why we do not have 
more to say about such crops as Peppermint 
is, they can only be sold in the manufactured 
state. With Mint it is not the plant that is 
sold, but its oil, and to produce this of the 
best quality requires a kind of skill which 
the farmer’s training has not taught him. It 
is safe to say that very few men, whether 
farmers or not, however intelligent, could on 
the first trial succeed in producing a first class 
Oil of Peppermint, and this is the only kind 
that can be sold. It is true that much money 
has at times been made by growers of Mint, 
but statistics show that, taken a series of 
years, the land in one of the celebrated Pep¬ 
permint districts did not produce an average 
of much over $80 an acre. We hear of the 
profits when they reach $300 an acre, but 
the average crops do not get into the papers. 
It is because we feel that we should not bene¬ 
fit the farmers by it, that we do not encour¬ 
age these unusual crops. Here and there one 
may make it fairly remunerative, but we are 
sure that the failures in the case of Pepper¬ 
mint would greatly outnumber the successes. 
For One Cherry—‘“ r FS»e Sientish.” 
—“ If you have room for but one pear tree, 
what variety would you plant ?”—The answer 
to this in ninety-nine cases in a hundred would 
he—“Bartlett.” A similar question about 
cherries would be answered by those familiar 
with varieties by—“Kentish.” One can form 
some idea of the value of a fruit by the 
synonyms, or different names that have been 
given it. The “Kentish” has over a dozen 
other names. It has been largely planted in 
the Western States as “Early Richmond,” 
and some experienced fruit growers still con¬ 
sider that as distinct from tlie Kentish. In 
some localities it is known as “ Early May.” 
The ti’ee has a rounded, spreading head, is 
very productive, and bears regularly. The 
fruit begins to 
color towards 
the end of May, 
when it is 
small and very 
sour, but may 
be used for 
pies; it hangs 
on the tree 
through the 
month of June 
or later, in¬ 
creasing in size 
to medium, 
and becoming 
less acid, and 
very juicy and 
rich. This va¬ 
riety is char- THE KENTISH CHEERY. 
acterized by the clinging of the remains of the 
flower to the stem, as seen in the engraving, 
and the tenacity with which the stem holds 
to the stone. When quite ripe, the stone may 
be pulled out by means of the stem, leaving 
the pulp ready for drying or canning, for 
which uses it is unequalled. It is an old 
European variety, and may be found in all 
nurseries as Kentish or as Early Richmond. 
It is an exceedingly profitable market cherry. 
the variegated panic-grass ( Panicum variegatum). 
