18 
ameiiican 
[January, 
dryer atmosphere and more sunshine to mature 
the fruit in the open ground. American cultiva¬ 
tors would hardly be satisfied with a yield of only 
Eix to nine fruit on a single plant. 
*- 
■ «-—O p- ' -> »- 
Notes upon Garden Beans. 
We planted May 7th several rows of three 
Kinds of early beans, side by side. They were 
put thickly in drills, and thinned out from time to 
time, as they became too crowded in the rows. 
Manured in the hill with bone saw-dust. The 
following notes were made. 
Early Mohawk Dwarf Beans .—Ready to cook 
July 4th ; a large yield of pods, with little string, 
and very good. Continued bearing several days. 
Early Valentine Dwarf Beans .—Ready to cook 
July 9th. Yielded well. Pods long and nearly 
round, with no string. Quality good. 
Early China Dwarf Beans .—Ready to cook 
July lltli. Yielded well. J.ittle string on the 
pods ; very tender, and cooking quality good. 
Early Snap Dwarf Beans .—Ready to cook July 
loth. Prom some unknown cause the pods had 
frequent black spots upon them. But for these 
spots they were quite as good as the Early China, 
both in yield and quality. 
Lima Beans .—These were very successful. 
They were planted thickly on the tops of ridges, 
as early as May 4th ; came up quickly; were 
thinned out as needed, and trained up on twine 
fastened upon a frame, 8 feet high, as described 
on page 166 of last volume (June No.) We began 
to cook them July 20, and the two rows, each 
25 feet long, furnished an abundant supply for 
family use, for drying green, and near two bush¬ 
els of unshelled ripe pods. The vines were kept 
shortened in at the top of the frames. We can 
strongly recommend the mode of culture, which 
was described, as above referred to. 
Notes upon Garden Peas. 
The following notes are taken from our garden 
memorandum book. The soil is a fair loam, not 
very rich, and during the last season—our first of 
cultivating it—no manure was added, except a 
little fine bone dust (bone saw-dust), intimately 
mixed with four times its bulk of dry loam, and 
put into the drill with the seed. 
Daniel O'Rourke Pea. —Sown May 5th. First 
mess picked June 20th. Averaged about 2)- feet 
high ; yielded well. Kernel small, of fair cooking 
quality. Chiefly valuable for its very early ma¬ 
turity. Crop ripe and gathered, and ground re¬ 
sown July 5th. Second crop fair. 
Champion of England Pea. —Sown May 5th. 
Cooked first, July 15th. Averaged 5 feet high ; 
well podded, and well filled. Kernel large, and 
quality very good. One of the best peas for a 
general garden crop. 
Napoleon Pea (new).—Planted May 5th. First 
cooked July 16th. Averaged 3i feet high ; well 
podded ; averaged 4 peas in the pod, of large 
size; quality very good. Not quite so productive 
as the Champion of England, but more convenient 
for bushing. 
Eugenie Pea , (new).—Planted May 6th. Cook¬ 
ed first on July 19th. Averaged 3£ feet high; 
well podded ; 3 and 4 peas in a pod, sometimes 5, 
but not quite averaging 4. Quality very good. 
The peas were of large size ; cracked open some- 
\\ hat in the pod. 
Champion of Scotland Pea, (new).—Planted 
May 5th. Cooked first on July 23d. Averaged 
C feet high. Not very full of pods when picking 
commenced, but-had many blossoms which yield¬ 
ed afterwards. Kernel large, and of good flavor. 
IGPJOULTUKIST. 
flight of the vines 
A good garden pea, but the 
(haulm) an objection. 
“Strawberry Pea ."—Under this name we re¬ 
ceived a package of smajl peas last Spring. 
Planted May 8th. Ripe and pulled July 8th, 
and second crop planted and gathered. Averaged 
only about 6 inches high, very full of pods. They 
are only of moderately good quality. May be 
planted thickly in drills only 12 to 15 inches 
apart, and of course require no brush. We think 
they will yield quite as much, on the same space, 
as the larger kinds, and may perhaps prove valu¬ 
able an account of their early maturity, and re¬ 
quiring no bushing. We have before seen peas 
called by the same name, but these appeared to 
be superior, both in yield and quality—due per¬ 
haps to the soil and season. We shall try them 
further. 
Killing Strawberries with Kindness. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist : 
I little expected to find anything in mid-winter 
in your paper to assist me with my little farm of 
“ four acres,” but you have saved my choice 
strawberry bed: I was “killing them with kind¬ 
ness.” Wishing to do something extra for them, 
and sawdust being the most accessible, I spread 
it on liberally. Had I covered them with dry 
sawdust the case would not have been so bad. 
A portion had been spread under the horses as 
litter and to soak up the liquids, and thinking this 
more valuable on that account I literally 1 uried 
the plants with it, and should have left them so, 
but for your timely warning in the Decei tber 
Agriculturist. After reading about the dange ' of 
smothering the plants, I examined my bed, and 
found a portion of them already as black as my 
hat. A timely removal of the heated mulch will 
probably save them. On that portion of the bed 
where dry dust was used, the plants are all right. 
S. E. Gruman. 
Fairfield Co., Conn. 
“Grafts” (cions) may bs cut Now. 
Cions or grafts of apple and other fruit trees 
may be cut at any time after the fall of the leaf 
in Autumn, until they are wanted for use in the' 
Spring. In practice, it is found tliat early cut 
grafts do better than those taken off at tire graft¬ 
ing season. We advise those "whoiiave trees to 
graft in the Spring to secure their c.iahs'noty. 
On any mild day when tlie twigsVre not frozen, 
cut off only the last season’s growth. Be care¬ 
ful to select from trees nf known varieties. Much 
confusion and disappointment, not to say vexa¬ 
tion, has resulted from mistakes in cutting grafts, 
which, after three years’ nursing, have turned out 
to be common fruit. Not only should great care 
be exercised in selecting the right kinds, hut 
they should be kept separate and plainly marked 
as soon as cut. Arrange the huts evenly, and 
tie in handful bunches, using two stout strings, 
one near each end. Write the name plainly upon 
a good label and attach it with wire to each bun¬ 
dle. Set these upon end in a wooden box in the 
cellar, and sift in moist sand, or cover with 
damp moss. They will keep very well when 
buried in a dry soil in the garden, but it is 
important that no water stand upon the 
ground. When thus buried, cither in the cellar or 
in open ground, it is better to previously wrap the 
bundles in old newspapers to keep them clean 
and free from grit, so that the knife will not be 
dulled in fitting them for setting. 
Grafts can be sent long distances by mail or 
express when properly prepared and packed. 
They are best secured by coating the cut ends 
lac dissolved in alcohol ( and wrapping ■ them in 
oiled silk. The only requisite is to keep the sap or 
moisture they now contain from evaporating. 
When grafts are received in a shriveled condi¬ 
tion, bury them at once in earth and they will 
frequently recover their plumpness and be suita¬ 
ble for use. They should not be put into water 
as has sometimes been recommended. 
What Varieties of Apples to Plant. 
Mr. A. Skein, of Montgomery Co., Pa., allud¬ 
ing to our November article where it.vvas advised 
to plant only a few varieties of apples, asks what 
sorts, and where we would buy them. We could 
reply better if we knew whether the fruit was for 
market or for home use. If for market, Winter 
fruit would be desirable. The Baldwin and R I 
Greening are generally good, while, in almost ev¬ 
ery locality there are one or two sorts which suc¬ 
ceed better than others, and for which a market 
is easily found. We can not advise you where to 
buy. There should lie in your vicinity one or 
more good, reliable nurserymen. We buy of our 
neighbors, Parsons & Co., because we know them 
to be entirely trustworthy, and it is convenient .to 
get them there. The cards of other good nur¬ 
serymen will be found in our advertising columns 
at the appropriate season. 
*® *- ■■*-© ** ►— - —— 
Barren Grape Vines. 
The inquiry is often made, why certain grape¬ 
vines bear no fruit. They make a great show of 
blossoms at the proper time, but bring forth no 
grapes. We are asked whether some new style of 
pruning or training, some appropriate manure, or 
other treatment, will not bring such vines into a 
bearing state. To all of which we briefly reply : 
If the vines in question blossom and set their 
fruit , but fail to perfect and ripen it, the trouble is, 
probably, in an unwholesome soil, bad position, 
or overcrowded branches', etc. 
But if they flower and do not set their fruit, 
(i. e. if the fruit does not form at all.) the defect is 
in the blossoms, and it is-a radical defect. They 
have not both stamens, and pistils, and therefore 
cannot of themselves form fruit. It is just so 
with many kinds of strawberries. If the barren 
grape-vines are lacking only in'stamens, they 
can be fertilized by bringing the pollen by hand 
from other fruitful vines, and applying it to the 
pistils. But if they have stamens and not pistils, 
the case is beyond remedy. The vines should be 
plucked up at once, to make room for others of a 
perfect organization, or they should be grafted 'in 
the root.' • 
Origin of the Delaware Grape. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist 
In your article about the Delaware.Grape iuJhe 
last No. of the Agriculturist you. say, “ we can 
not tell the history of its origin and no pne can, 
with any certainty.” Now, 1 think I can. lav¬ 
ing in the vicinity of Frcnehtown, I have had a 
good opportunity of learning its history.- We have 
two kinds of grapes growing in our section of the 
country that resemble each other very much. I 
have two large vines growing in my garden, 
which are poor bearers, and which I always 
thought were the true Delawares. I did not find 
out my mistake until this Fall. I have since felt 
a great interest in learning the history of the 
Delaware Grape, and have visited a great num¬ 
ber of old vines, some between thirty and inly 
years old. In every instance I could trace them 
back no further than to Mr. Prevost’s at French- 
town, N. J. Mr. Prevost was a French gentle¬ 
man of wealth, and came to this ' counlrv some 
seventy years ago. He owned an estate of about 
600 acres, with allot Frenehtown. He not omy 
cultivated the vine hut also some of the most dc- 
