AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
4 
those about to make a selection. Early —Red As- 
traekan, Early Harvest, Golden Sweet, Williams’ 
Favorite. Autumn— Gravenstein, Porter, Maiden’s 
Blush, Duchess of Oldenburg. Winter— Rhode 
Island Greening, Red Canada, Golden Russet, Ben 
Davis, Northern Spy. 
Varieties of Pears.— For orchard planting, the list 
may be : for Early— Doyenne d’Ete, Manning’s 
Elizabeth. Summer — Bartlett, Clapp’s Favorite, 
Beurre Giffard. Autumn— Beurre Hardy, Doyenne 
Boussoek, Seckel, Duchesse d’Angouleme, Belle 
Lucrative. Winter —Winter Nelis, Lawrence, Vicar 
of Winkfield, Dana’s Hovey. 
Peaches. —In every peach region, the selections for 
market vary with each locality. The following is a 
good selection for home use: Early York, Early 
Crawford, Old Mixon Free, aud Smock. 
Cherries. —Early Richmond, Black Tartarian, 
Coe’s Transparent, are the leading varieties. 
Quinces are often put in some out of the way, 
low, wet place, aud they often give fair fruit in 
spite of it; they should have as good soil and cul¬ 
ture as any fruit, and when thus treated, few fruits 
are more profitable. The old Apple or Orange 
Quince is best known, and good. Rea’s Seedling 
is very fine, and a new Connecticut variety, Cham¬ 
pion, gives high promise. 
Purchasing. —By all means purchase of reliable 
nurserymen, that you may be sure of good stock, 
and trees true to name. Other things being equal, 
it is best to buy as near home as possible, as there 
is less danger of injury in transportation. 
Insects. —The clusters of eggs of the Tent Cater¬ 
pillar are most conspicuous now, and should be 
found aud destroyed. They arc always glued in a 
band near the ends of the small twigs, and are best 
seen in dull weather. 
Protection. —Young trees must be secured against 
the attacks of rabbits by smearing the trunks with 
blood, or by placing common laths around the 
trunk, and fastening them in place with wire. In 
deep snows, mice may work beneath the surface, 
and gnaw the bark—to prevent this, tread the snow 
down firmly about the trunk. 
Manure may be drawn out and spread in the or¬ 
chard at any time. When the snow is on the ground 
a sled can be used with advantage, being lower than 
a wagon, and passing more easily under the trees. 
The Fruit 
For the benefit of the new readers, it may be said 
that under the “Fruit Garden,” we include what 
are generally known as small fruits —the various ber¬ 
ries, grapes, dwarf pears, etc. The fruit garden 
ought to be a reality on every farm, large or small, 
for the enjoyment it gives, and the health, and even 
profit which it brings when well cared for—giving a 
succession of delicious fruits from the time straw¬ 
berries come until the late grapes are gone. It is 
an unpleasant fact that the fruit garden is much 
neglected on many farms. With the good resolu¬ 
tions of the new year, we hope that many will re¬ 
solve to set apart a portion of ground to be devot¬ 
ed to the culture of small fruits. 
Soil. —The soil of the fruit garden should be rich 
and well drained, that it may be loose and allow of 
a free circulation of air, and not permit water to 
stand upon or below the surface. 
Manure of the best quality should be used. 
Strawberries. —The list is so large that a novice is 
bewildered in making a selection : Charles Down¬ 
ing, Seth Boyden, Monarch of the West, Duchesse, 
Forest Rose, and Sharpless, are all good. On heavy 
soils the old Triomplie de Gand aud Jucunda. 
Raspberries. — Brandywine, Cuthbert, Ilerstine. 
Slack Caps —Amer. Improved, Mammoth Cluster. 
Gooseberries. —Downing, Houghton. 
Currants. —Versailles, White Grape, Red Dutch. 
Blackberries. —Kittatinny, Snyder, are the best. 
Grapes. —Concord, Wilder, Delaware, Brighton, 
Telegraph ; Iona aud Catawba, where they succeed. 
Biitclien a it <3 Market Garden. 
This is a department of the household and the farm 
—falling uuder the two heads and joining them 
closely together. As is the Kitchen Garden, so is 
the dinner; and as the dinner, so the health, the 
disposition, and the general comfort of the house¬ 
hold. Aside from the needs of the family table, 
Kitchen Gardening, in many localities, may be 
made to pay. If a person is living near a manufac¬ 
turing town, many things, like cabbages, turnips, 
green corn, peas, etc., may often be grown and sold 
with satisfying profit. There are many cases where 
persons thus engaged have realized greater returns 
from the garden than from the whole farm. There 
is nothing small in growing peas or cabbages, if 
they pay better than field corn or wheat. It will 
pay in many cases to look closely into this matter. 
It must be borne in mind that, as a general thing, 
the products of the garden are perishable, aud the 
first condition of success is a near market. 
Manure is the foundation of good gardening; it 
is the food out of which plants, as factories, and 
the sunshine as the force, make the good things for 
the table. During tne winter aTl tne manure, and 
of the best quality, that is possible, should be made 
and saved. It is one thing to make manure, and 
another to save it. Be sure and do both. 
Leaves may be collected at any time during the 
winter when the ground is clear of snow. They 
make the best of litter, and act as an absorbent of 
liquid manure, while they are rich themselves. 
Cold Frames. —It is to be remembered that the 
plants in the cold frames should not be kept so 
warm that they start into growth. If such is the 
case, when a cold snap comes, the young growth is 
killed down, and the plants ruined. When the tem¬ 
perature is above 30° the sashes should be raised. 
Mot-beds will be started in the Southern States 
during this month. At the north the sashes, etc., 
should be put in order so that everything may be in 
readiness when the hurrying time of spring comes. 
Roots put away in trenches will need some addi¬ 
tional covering as the cold increases. 
Seeds should be looked over and a list of those 
wanted made out and sent to the seedsmen. Or¬ 
der early, and thereby get the better attention. 
Implements .—See that they are put in good order. 
Flower Warden and Lawn. 
The work here will be mostly in preventing in¬ 
jury to the trees and shrubs from heavy snows, and 
the lawn from being trespassed upon by careless 
drivers. Evergreens will catch a great amount of 
snow and bend and break beneath the weight if not 
relieved ; it is best to shake off the snow soon after 
it falls, while it is loose and light. If the snow is 
deep, it may be necessary to dig it away from the 
long, lower limbs of large evergreens. That all 
persons driving into the grounds in winter may 
keep in the drives, a number of poles may be set 
along the roads, and if this is not thought suffici¬ 
ent, a wire may be stretched between them. It is 
a difficult matter for “ fast ” people to keep in the 
right path just after a heavy snow has fallen. The 
adornment of the surroundings of the house is a 
subject that most of us will do well to consider. 
Plan now for new walks and drives. Consider the 
planting and select the shrubs, herbaceous plants, 
the flower seeds for annuals, and order early. 
WreesaHaoJtse ffm«l Wistdow 
This is the season when in-door plants should be 
showing at th.eir best, and it is the holiday season 
for the greenhouse, wheu all without seems lifeless. 
Bulbs for forcing should be brought out from the 
cellar, and watered sparingly until they start into 
new growth. 
Annuals. —Sow seeds of Candytuft, Sweet Alys- 
sum, Mignonette, and other annuals, for later 
blooming. 
Insects, living as they do upon the juices of the 
plants, are a constant source of injury if not at 
once removed. The Red Spider may be kept off by 
thoroughly drenching the foliage, especially on the 
under surfaces, with water once a week or so. 
House plants, especially, suffer from the Red Spi¬ 
der, and also from accumulated .dust, because their 
owners think they need “syringing,” as usually 
directed, and this they know is not practicable in 
the dwelling room. Syringing is a quick and con¬ 
venient method of washing the plants, but by no 
means the only one. Take the plants to the bath¬ 
tub, lay the pot carefully on its side, and then use 
the watering-pot, holding it high, so that the fine 
streams will descend with force, and so direct them 
that they will strike the undersides of the leaves. 
Set the plants upright, and let them fiuish dripping 
before taking them back to their places. If the 
bath-tub is not at hand, the kitchen-sink will ans¬ 
wer as well. The Mealy Bug and Seale may be re¬ 
moved by hand-picking, or by the use of a brush 
and strong soap-suds. A wash of Tobacco Water 
is most effectual with the lice, or Green Fly; fumi¬ 
gation with tobacco smoke is used in greenhouses, 
and allows of wholesale application; this is not 
so practicable in the house, and tobacco water dili¬ 
gently applied answers as well. 
Worms in the pots are often a source of serious 
trouble, but can be removed by turning the ball of 
earth out of the pot, when the worms will general¬ 
ly be found upon the surface of the ball and may 
be caught. If clear lime-water, enough to saturate 
the earth, be applied, it will kill the worms, and not 
injure the plants. An hour or so after applying the 
lime-water, water abundantly with common water. 
Watering. —The soil should be kept moist and 
loose, that there may be a good circulation of air, 
not alternately soaking wet and powdery dry. 
Window Plants should have special care when se¬ 
vere weather comes ; take them from the window 
to the middle of the room, and cover with a 
sheet or other cloth, or with paper during the night. 
containing a great variety of Items , including many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we throw into smaller 
type and condensed form , for leant of room elsewhere. 
Too Important to be Overlooked.— While 
most of the Premium Articles offered by the Publishers 
are desirable, there is one proposition that demands care¬ 
ful consideration and action, on account of its far-reach¬ 
ing public benefits. We refer to the arrangement for 
supplying a Circulating Library of few or many Books, 
agricultural, horticultural, on animals, etc., including 
also many of the best Standard Works on other subjects. 
The details of the plan are simply as follows: 
Any ten or more persons, even up to a hundred or more, 
in any neighboi'hood or town, can, by uniting and contrib¬ 
uting $1.50 a piece , not only secure the American Agricul¬ 
turist for each person during 1830, but also as many Dollars' 
Worth of Books as there are members in the Club or Associa¬ 
tion. These books , put in charge of one of the members, 
from time to lime, can circulate from one to another until all 
have read them , and then be kept as a library for reference 
by all interested. It only needs some enterprising public- 
spirited person in every town or neighborhood to secure a 
large valuable collection of books for general use. 
Even where there are a large number of subscribei's al¬ 
ready for 1880, there are still remaining enough others to se¬ 
cure quite a library. Of course any person desiring can 
himself colled the subscriptions, and secure the books as his 
personal property. Many have done this. It is desirable, 
hoiuever , in this way, to secure a library for public use. 
For any School, Public or Private, there 
is not the slightest doubt that a most valuable and useful 
acquisition would be a good Compound Microscope. 
The wonderful revelations of this instrument would 
awaken great interest on the part of both teachers and 
pupils, give them a new, now unseen, world of objects 
to think about, and he very useful in many ways. The 
high cost and delicate machinery of good instruments of 
this kind have placed them out of the reacli of most or¬ 
dinary Schools hitherto. The new, most valuable and 
effective Compound Microscope devised and brought out 
the past year, aud supplied at less than a quarter of the 
cost of any equally serviceable instrument previously 
available, puts it within the reach of every school. Sev¬ 
eral Boards of Public School Trustees have already ap¬ 
propriated the $10 and purchased one—all others would 
be warranted in so doing. But it can easily be obtained 
