3882 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
35T 
condition, brings good prices. Two years ago, tak¬ 
ing advantage of the unusual scarcity abroad, par¬ 
ties sent over large quanties of apples, without re¬ 
gard to their quality or condition. As a conse¬ 
quence, this fruit in Convent-garden market, as it 
would have been in Washington market, was left 
on the dealer’s hands. Hundreds of barrels did not 
bring the cost of the freight, and American apples 
fell into disfavor. The same course, if followed 
this year, will meet with a similar result. Only the 
best fruit, packed in the best manner, will pay in 
England as at home. The English received their 
first impressions of American apples from the New¬ 
town Pippin, which several years ago was the only 
kind sent abroad, and was in demand there, how¬ 
ever large their own crop of fruit might be. But 
this variety is now far from abundant, and others 
have been forwarded of late years. The “ Bald¬ 
win,” “Greening,” “ Spitzenberg,” “Northern 
Spy,” “King of Thompkins Co.,” etc., have sold 
well, when good of their kind. The rascally prac¬ 
tice of “topping,” has injured the reputation of 
our fruit, so at present, it is not bought by the ap¬ 
pearance of the top layer, but the contents of the 
barrel are poured out for the inspection of the pur¬ 
chaser. Properly managed, the export of apples 
might be very profitable, and we hope that some 
method may be devised, by which a share of the 
profits may reach the grower of the fruit. 
'I'lie Time for Planting; an Orchard. 
The discussions as to the most favorable time for 
tree planting, as a general thing, favor the autumn, 
but notwithstanding this, by far the greater num¬ 
ber wait until spring. There are many points in 
favor of autumn planting in all the milder parts of 
the country. In the far northern localities, where 
winter sets in abruptly, spring planting is to be 
preferred. But as a general thing, our autumn is 
prolonged, the transition from summer to winter is 
very gradual, and we have then the most delightful 
weather of the whole year. At this time the soil 
is in the best condition for working, not having 
lost its genial warmth ; not only can the work be 
done with greater comfort and more rapidity, but 
the soil is in the best condition to receive the roots. 
A tree is not a mere dead stick, to be set in the 
ground as if it were a post; it is still alive, though 
its vitality is not manifest; after the roots are 
placed in the soil, a certain growth takes place be¬ 
fore winter. The wounds on the roots, made in 
taking up the tree, commence to repair damages, 
and often new fibres are formed, to be ready for 
active work by healing over in the coming spring. 
In autumn, there is not in the nurseries so much 
of a rush of work as in spring, besides the stock 
has not been reduced by many sales, and the trees 
are likely to be better. One objection to purchas¬ 
ing the trees in fall made by some, is that the nur¬ 
seryman, in order to fill his orders, must strip off 
the foliage. This has but little weight, if the 
nurseryman understands his business. In our mild 
autumns, when the leaves have done their work 
and have fully ripened—for leaves ripen as well as 
fruit—they will often remain attached to the tree 
for weeks, or until a severe storm shakes them off. 
When the leaves are in this state, they require very 
little force to separate them from the branches, 
and the stripping, if done at this time, can not in¬ 
jure the tree. The thorough planting of a tree 
requires that the soil should be in immediate, close 
contact with all the roots ; no two roots should 
touch one another, but every root and root-fibre 
must be surrounded with earth, and no air-spaces 
left among them. This can not be done with a hoe 
or with the foot, but requires the hands to work 
the soil in among the small roots. At this time of 
the year the soil is in that genial condition that 
one does not hesitate to handle it and perform 
the work of placing the roots with thoroughness. 
At this season, the planting of the tree should 
be finished by making a mound of earth a foot or 
more high around its base ; let this be made steep 
and as smooth as possible. A mound of this kind 
serves several purposes : it greatly stiffens the tree 
and prevents injury by violent winds ; it serves to 
protect the roots in severe weather, and if no rub¬ 
bish is allowed to accumulate upon it, will keep off 
the mice, so often injurious to young trees. While 
a mound of this kind will generally avoid the use 
of stakes, there are localities in which, on account 
of violent winds, staking is necessary. When 
staking must be done, set the stakes first. Having 
made the proper excavation (not a mere hole) for 
the tree, drive down the stake, and then put the 
tree in position, arranging the roots upon each side 
of it. If the trees are planted, and the stakes 
driven afterwards, many of the roots will be 
bruised and broken, and the tree injured. 
Disfigured Raspberry Canes. 
Fig. 1. 
THE RED-NECKED 
BUPESTRIS. 
One in working in a Raspberry plantation, espe¬ 
cially after the leaves have fallen, will frequently 
find the canes disfigured by irregular longitudinal 
scars, as shown in figure 2. It is 
not rare for the stem to be 
broken off by the wind at this 
point. If such a stem be care¬ 
fully examined by cutting it 
open, there will be found numer¬ 
ous pale yellowish eggs, placed 
somewhat diagonally across the 
pith, as at b ; one of the eggs, 
somewhat magnified, is shown 
at c ; this, upon its more round¬ 
ed end, is marked with opaque 
granulations, a kind of rough¬ 
ening of the surface, more largely magnified at d. 
If these eggs are allowed to remain until next 
May, they will produce a brood of minute crickets. 
One of these is shown when full grown, in fig. 3. 
It is called the Snowy Tree-cricket ((Eeanthics 
niveus). Its general color is a very delicate pale 
green, or greenish-white, and it has a peculiar 
semi-transparent appearance. During their young 
state the crickets are useful in destroying plant- 
lice and the eggs of other insects, but later, when 
they get their wings, which is early in July, they 
become destructive to plants. The Raspberry stem 
appears to be preferred as a place for its eggs, but 
in the absence of this, it will make use of the 
Blackberry, the Grape, and even the White Willow 
and Soft Maple. But 
the injury it causes by 
wounding the stems of 
various cultivated plants 
is but a part of the mis¬ 
chief it does. It will cut 
__ off the leaves of plants, 
I it having been known to 
completely strip a young 
vine of its foliage in a 
single night. Worse still, 
it will cut the stems of 
the young grape clusters, 
and when the ground is 
found to be mysterious¬ 
ly strewn with green 
fruit, the work is proba¬ 
bly due to this innocent 
looking little cricket. 
The chief remedy is to 
destroy the eggs; the 
punctured stems should 
be cut away, and these, 
as well as any that may 
have been broken off by 
the wind, etc., should be 
burned. The cricket it¬ 
self will sometimes be 
seen when one is work¬ 
ing among plants, especi¬ 
ally among grape-vines, 
and though very lively, should be captured if possi¬ 
ble. The stems of the Raspberry often show, more 
especially at the West than at the East, irregular 
gall-like swellings, like that represented in fig. 4. 
This is due to a borer, the larva of the small beetle 
shown in fig. 1, the natural size being indicated by 
the line at its side. It is called the Raspberry- 
borer and the Red-necked Bupestris (Agrilus rufi- 
collis), its neck, or properly thorax, being red. 
Cutting and burning all such excrescences will 
keep the insect in cheek. 
CEL 
Fig. 2.— EGGS OF SNOWY 
TREE-CRICKET. 
Spinach for Next Spring-. 
Spinach is to be found in the City markets all 
the year round, save in the hottest months. It is 
always in demand at a fair price, and is regarded. 
Eig. 3.— SNOWY TREE-CRICKET. 
in view of the little labor it requires, as a profitable 
crop. Singularly enough, spiuach does not appear 
to be generally known among our farmers, either 
to grow for their own use, or as a crop to take to 
market. Especially those who are market farmers, 
and supply vegetables to a not very distant town, 
would find it to be easily raised, and to meet with 
a ready sale, especially in towns and villages where 
the population is largely European. The spinach, 
to be marketed in early spring, must have the seeds 
sown this month. It may follow onions, early cab¬ 
bages, potatoes, or any other early crop. Give a 
good dressing of stable manure, or its equivalent 
in some artificial" fertilizer; make the soil fine, as 
for a root crop, and sow the seed in drills 15 inches 
apart. It is customary to sow thickly, using 10 lbs. 
or more of seed to the acre. Near New York, the 
sowing is done from the first to the middle of this 
month, following with a roller, or if this is not at 
hand, the gardener’s ready substitute, the feet, 
passing over the rows 
and treading them down, 
to bring the soil in close 
contact with the seed. 
The catalogues often re¬ 
commend the Prickly- 
seeded variety as best for 
fall sowing, but we have 
not found it preferable 
to the Round-seeded. 
Usually the plants will 
be large enough to allow 
of thinning before win¬ 
ter sets in, and a supply 
for use or for sale, may 
be had from the thin¬ 
nings which should be 
cut out where the plants 
stand thickest. In very 
cold localities, the spin¬ 
ach should have a thin 
covering of straw, leaves, 
or other litter, but this 
is not usually done near 
the coast, though even 
there, a slight covering 
preserves the leaves in 
better condition. In 
spring the soil is loosen¬ 
ed between the rows, 
and the plants soon start into growth; when 
new leaves are formed in the center of the plant, 
the crop may be cut for use or for sale. 
The Strawberry Be<l. 
Those who followed the instructions given in 
July last, and made a strawberry-bed last month 
with pot-layered plants, are sure of a good crop 
next spring, unless some accident prevents. Good 
results may be expected from a bed made the pres¬ 
ent month (September,) but the sooner the work is 
done, the better. Those who have not pot-layered 
the plants themselves, can procure them of all the 
principal nurserymen, who now propagate in this 
manner a supply of plants of the leading varieties. 
Of course they cost more than the ordinary plants, 
but many are willing to go to the extra expense, if 
they can only be sure of a crop of fruit a year 
soonerthan they could have it in any other manner. 
Those who raise fruit for market, do not need to 
be told that good strawberries can only be raised on 
good soil. In private gardens the plants are rarely 
properly fertilized. Well decomposed manure is 
best, and a liberal coating, three inches thick is 
none too much, should be spread over the surface 
and spaded in. In the absence of manure, a good 
dressing of some of the artificial fertilizers may b& 
