s 
1884.] 
AMERICAlSr AGEICULTUEIST. 
36T 
A New Cherry. 
Mr. James Dougall, one of our subscribers living 
in Ontario, Canada, sends us specimens of a new 
seedling cherry named The Dougall, in honor of the 
raiser. It is a seedling of 
the Early Purple Guigne, 
a variety well known to 
fruit-growers as an early 
and profitable cherry. The 
fruit of The Dougall is ripe 
about a week before that 
of its parent, and is larger 
and finer flavored. The 
tree is noted for its hardi¬ 
ness and vigor of growth, 
and as being a most abun¬ 
dant bearer. The speci 
mens sent us show its 
great fruitfulness, and also 
the large size and vigor of 
Its foliage. The engraving, 
from a photograph, shows 
the cherry of its real size. 
The fruit is of the darkest 
purple-color, almost black, 
■with a remarkably juicy 
flesh of great richness. We 
accidentally discovered a 
quality of the fruit for 
which the raiser makes no 
•claim. It is a remarkable 
keeper. A number of loose 
cherries were, by chance, 
left in the box, and when 
■discovered a week or more 
after their arrival, save a 
slight shrivelling of the 
skin, they were unchanged. 
There were no indications 
of decay. We hope The 
Dougall may retain the 
good qualities shown by 
the original tree. The 
“ Windsor,” anotherof Mr. 
D.’s seedlings, has already 
received the attention of 
fruit-growers. We are glad 
to see a renewed interest in the cherry, which of 
late years has been much neglected by fruit growers. 
Wagoa Shed and Tool Housb. 
* 
Every farmer should provide shelter for his wag¬ 
ons and farm tools. The engraving shows a com¬ 
bined wagon shed and tool house, so constructed 
that a wagon can be drawn under at one end, and 
out at the other. The shed should be long enough 
to leave the door into the tool house free, when 
the wagon is housed. A place over the shed is con¬ 
venient for storing many small articles. The loca¬ 
tion of the door enables one to unload articles into 
the tool house from the rear of the wagon. If it 
A -WAGON SHED AND TOOL HOUSE. 
is desired to economize space, the wagon shed may 
be in the roadway, and the fence joined to the 
house on each side, as shown in the engraving 
given above. In this case, there should also be 
a door opening into the tool house from the yard. 
made of two hard-wood planks, fourteen or sixteen 
feet long, rounded at one end and joined by three 
stout cross-pieces. Short standards should be 
placed at both ends of the sled, to hold the corn in 
place. The two runners may be separated four or 
A NEW EARLY CHERRY—"THE DOUGALL.” 
five feet, according to the length of the stalks. 
When corn is to be thus removed, the shocks 
sliould be made smaller than usual. After the corn 
has been curing a week or more, the team with the 
sled is driven alongside the shocks, when they are 
pushed over upon the sled until it is filled. The 
corn is easily set up again in another field or in the 
barn, and the com ground is ready for tlie plow. 
A Sled for Drawing Corn-shocks. —A sled 
.suitable for removing com-shocks from the field, is 
Care of the Work Team. 
A poor work team makes farm operations more 
costly. Grooming is essential, as it gives rest to 
tired muscles. It is second only to proper food. 
It has been said ; “ A good grooming is worth four 
quarts of oats.” Feed liberally, but do not over¬ 
feed. Feed regularly, and see that the team has 
its breakfast, dinner, and supper, before you have 
your own. It is poor policy to give horses no grain 
until they are about to do some hard job, or a sea¬ 
son’s hard work. Over-feeding with grain or grass, 
causes derangement of the digestion. Imperfect 
digestion means impaired usefulness in the long 
run. A horse will do more work on oats than on 
corn. Corn will prepare a horse for labor, but oats 
make a better ration during hard work. Oil and 
starch in corn make it an undesirable summer food; 
it is heating. Old hay, cut and mixed with bran 
or a little meal, makes a good work ration, if old 
hay is not plenty, feed newly cured clover or timo¬ 
thy. Give an occasional feed of roots, apples, and 
the like ; they afford a variety and help digestion. 
If at all possible, let the team during hard sum¬ 
mer work drink once in the forenoon and once in 
the afternoon, besides at their regular meals. Judge 
them somewhat by yourself. See that the breast 
and shoulders do not chafe. To prevent it, take care 
to have well-fitting collars, and bathe the shoulders 
with cool water on returning from the field. 
Sericulture in California. 
Silk culture has been gaining surely and steadily 
in the confidence of our people for several years, 
and is evidently to be one of the leading industries 
of the future. Like most 
enterprises, it was begun 
by a few people of ability, 
but the greater number 
were over-sanguine parties, 
without any experience, 
who expected to reap a 
fortune in a short time. 
The rearing of silk-worms 
was begun in California 
about 1860, and soon after 
the industry grew rapidly. 
The best cocoons were first 
produced in Santa Clara 
County. Many persons not 
understanding sericulture, 
but intent on quantity 
rather than quality of pro¬ 
duct, placed millions of co¬ 
coons on the market, which 
were almost worthless, and 
wholly unfit for reeling. 
This done,a reaction began. 
It proved well nigh fatal to 
a project which should, ere 
this, have furnished profit¬ 
able work to thousands of 
ladies and youth, who are 
now almost withoU't em¬ 
ployment. Even with so 
favorable an inauguration, 
the enterprise rested in the 
hands of only a faithful 
few, who, for several years, 
did little more than hold 
their own. Within the past 
few years silk culture has 
received a new impetus, 
owing in a large part to the 
enterprise and persever¬ 
ance of the ladies. The in¬ 
dustry is now under the 
fostering care of the State 
Board of Sericulture, consisting of nine members, 
five of whom are ladies. The rearing of cocoons and 
cultivating the mulberry are only in their infancy. 
Drain Tiles for Blanching Celery. 
Nothing is superior to drain tiles for blanch¬ 
ing celery. The plants are hilled up as shown 
at a, in the engraving, and the tiles placed over 
them. Wrap a piece of stiff pasteboard around the 
plant, pressing the leaves together closely. Slip 
on the tile, and press the lower end into the soil as 
shown at b. Draw out the paste-board through the 
opening at the top. By this method celery can be 
grown in rows two feet or less apai't, as only a little 
soil is required for eiirthing up. The leaves will 
TILES FOR BLANCHING CELERY. 
generally fill the opening at the top of the tile suf¬ 
ficiently close to exclude light from the stalks. 
Last season our celery came out of the tiles 
clean, white, and tender, the stalks being crisp and 
solid, while that of a neighbor, whose celery was 
earthed up in the ordinary way, rotted considerably 
before it was blanched. The economy of space 
alone will pay for the tiles in two years, to say 
nothing of the great saving in labor. If the tiles are 
carefully stored, they will last many years. F. G. 
