1862 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
229 
closed in a soft shell, consisting of numerous angular 
plates like the scales of an alligator, on a small scale. The 
pulp though dried considerably is very delicious. 
Tariety in. Fruit-Growing is a matter 
of vital importance. Strawberries, perhaps, pay as well 
as any thing else, but the season only lasts three or four 
weeks. The same labor could be employed in picking 
raspberries, currants and blackberries, which come along 
in succession for two months after, when the Fall fruits 
are ready. Any one fruit is liable to fail, and a variety 
divides the risk. A fruit-grower who has a variety will 
ordinarily succeed better than one who makes a specialty 
of the strawberry. Of the latter fruit the Wilson’s Al¬ 
bany, and Triomphe de Gand, are among the best well- 
tested varieties. 
Strawberry Culture. —“ E. B.,” Pough¬ 
keepsie. The more thorough the preparation the better. 
Turn in the clover immediately. Use the subsoil plow, 
if the land is at all heavy. Manure after subsoiling, har¬ 
rowing or plowing it in three or four inches deep. If the 
runners have been struck in thumb pots you may look for 
quite a large crop next year. 
Profits ofFruit Growing.—“ G. W. C.,” 
Wings Station, asks what kind of fruit is most profitable, 
and what net profit fruits have been known to yield ? It 
is difficult to give a precise answer to these questions. 
A gentleman in Delaware expects to get this season a 
crop of 50,000 bushels of peaches from about 120 acres. If 
he gets two dollars a basket his crop is worth 120,000 dol¬ 
lars, or a thousand dollars to the acre. As much as this 
is sometimes realized from fruit. But the next 3 years the 
same trees may yield nothing. In cultivating the small- 
fruits, from two to four hundred dollars an acre are not 
uncommon results. 
Renewal of Strawberries.— “ W. H. 
W.,” Canada East. Strawberry beds will last a great 
many years, but most fruit-growers find it safest to renew 
after two full crops. The increased productiveness of 
the beds pays, and the ground is easier kept clean. 
Craiaberries from Seed.—“A. T.,”Iowa. 
The objection to producing plants in this way is the long 
time it takes to get them info bearing. They will grow 
from seed in any moist loamy soil, but a plantation can be 
had much sooner from vines transplanted with care. 
Cranberries osa High Groiuaal.— “E. 
P. T.,” Me. We have seen them growing in such local¬ 
ities, but consider it doubtful whether any will do as well 
there as on wet land. 
Tbt- Wlalte !>©yenne Pear is the old 
Virgalieu, which has generally failed at the East, except 
on the quince stock. The farthei a pear or other fruit 
tree is removed from. its wild state, the fewer thorns or 
other appearances of a native condition are seen. Hence 
a grafted tree has no thorns or spurs, while an ungrafted 
tree often shows them. 
Catawba anti Lenoir Grapes.—“ F. 
B.,” Wis. We have never heard of the Catawba turning 
black. The Lenoir is of nearly the same color with the 
Herbemont, dark-blue or violet, and for some time was 
thought to be identical with it. 
Delaware Grape in Maine. —“E. P. 
T.,” of Lewiston, Me., says this grape matured perfectly 
in open-air culture at that place. 
§weet-Sonr Apples. —“ J. E. Y.,” Ohio, 
asks if there are apples sweet upon one side, and sour 
upon the other. We have eaten such apples. They 
are a sport of Nature, and not the result of any direct ef¬ 
fort on the part of the cultivator to produce them. We 
have eaten splendid Northern Spy’s grown upon the sun¬ 
ny side of the tree, and insipid specimens grown in the 
shade. The red cheek of an apple we think is of higher 
flavor than the other, which the sun has not kissed. In 
tlie sweet-sour apples, the sun has carried the joke a lit¬ 
tle further, and turned all the acids upon one side into 
sweets. Such trees are valuable only as curiosities. 
Apples E*i*escrved by Salt.—“ G. L. 
W.,” Kings Co., recommends packing apples in barrels 
that have contained salt, to preserve them. We want at 
least several experiments before we can indorse it. 
Hardy Apples lor Minnesota.—“J. O. 
E.,” Goodhue Center, Minn. Apples from Canada and 
Northern New-England, will probably suit your climate. 
Fameuse, Baldwin, Roxbury Russet, R. I. Greening, are 
veiy hardy. It is quite possible that seedlings raised there 
will prove more hardy than any thing from abroad. The 
experiment should be tried. The location for an orchard 
or nursery should be well sheltered from prevailing winds 
by a belt of evergreens, if possible. Shelter alone will 
make a difference in climate of three or four degrees of 
latitude. The cutting back in August is a good plan, but 
a well drained soil is better, to ripen the wood. 
Northern Spy.— “ T. W.,” ofCannstota, says 
he has fifty trees of this apple set twelve years. In 1849 
he had three or four bushels, in 1860 sixty bushels. He 
has kept the ground cultivated all the while with corn and . 
potatoes, until last year when he seeded dowrn. He says 
the trees need a good deal of thinning and high culture. 
Plum Stools for the Peach.—“ J. B.,” 
of Richview, Ill. In England the plum stock is univer¬ 
sally used for the peach. It is thought to make the tree 
more hardy, and to give it a dwarfish habit. If the wild 
plum is a free grower, peach orchards would probably do 
well upon it. We have never seen the experiment tried, 
but should have no doubt sf its success in skillful hands. 
Tar on Fruit Trees.— F. A. Jones, Ohio. 
If the tar was applied directly, it will be likely to kill 
them. Young fruit-growers frequently “get bit” in this 
way. The tar should be applied to a strip of stout can¬ 
vas before it is put around the tree. The only remedy is 
to scrape off the tar if the trees are not already dead. 
BSaidding the Pencil.— “ S.,” Bradford 
Co., Pa. Any of our articles on buddingin back numbers 
will convey the desired information. Single buds or 
eyes are the leaf buds. Any one who has ever noticed a 
shoot of new wood can detect the difference between a 
blossom and a leaf bud in a moment. The process of 
budding is so simple, that a child can perform it,- after a 
little practice. See full explanation in July number. 
Angers Quince.— 1 - A. B.,” Ill. This quince 
is cultivated principally for dwarfing pears. The fruit is 
not desirable. 
Shortening-in Evergreens.—“ G. W. 
C..” Wings Station. This will thicken the foliage to any 
desired extent. The Arbor Vitae, Norway and White 
Spruces, bear the shears well. They can be trained to a 
perfect cone, or sheared into a hedge of almost any form. 
Priming Evergreens.- “ H. D. C.,” 
Florence, Mass. The best time is while they are making 
wood or just before. Hedges are usually clipped in May. 
The spruces we have shortened-in, in June. They should 
be pruned in the shape of a true cone, the longest limbs at 
the bottom. Each tier of branches should be shorter than 
the one below. If you shorten above it forces growth 
below. An evergreen stripped of its lower limbs is a de¬ 
formity. Better cut it down and start a new one. 
Soil for Nursery.—“ Z. J.,” Wis. Any 
good loam suitable for corn will make good land to grow 
young trees on. We have seen fine evergreens growing 
on reclaimed swamp. The soil should be well drained. 
Dry apple seed should be soaked in water before planting. 
Hedge Plan! s lor Gardens.—“ H. A. 
B. C.,” Kansas. A good hedge will of course take up 
some land, but it will make what remains very much more 
valuable for all garden crops. An evergreen hedge breaks 
off winter winds and enables us to cultivate fruits and 
flowering shrubs that would perish without their protec¬ 
tion. The Osage Orange will probably do well in Kan¬ 
sas. We should prefer two-year-old plants, but would 
use four-year-old, if younger were not to be had. 
Norway Spruce for Shelter.— H. Grun¬ 
dy, Ill. It will be much cheaper to purchase the plants 
than to try to raise them from seed. It requires consid¬ 
erable skill to get the plants through the first season, and 
special conveniences which only nurserymen have. The 
growth is slow at first, but rapid after the fourth or fifth 
year. Plants from one to two feet high are the most de¬ 
sirable for setting—those thick and bushy at the bot¬ 
tom. Small trees can be had for four or five dollars a 
thousand, but if time is any object with the cultivator it is 
better to buy a little larger and pay more. Not a root 
should be suffered to get dry in transplanting. 
Early Sowing - of Oats.—“J. L.,” Pa., 
claims as results of this practice, stiffer straw, a larger 
yield, and heavier grain. He is quite right. 
Hop Culture.—“ L. M. M., n Port Covington. 
In the Summer of 1857, we visited the hop-growing dis¬ 
tricts in Otsego County, and gave a full description of the 
methods of culture and curing adopted there, for which 
see Agriculturist, August and September 1857. The prac¬ 
tice of suspending wires from large border poles, and sub 
stituting strings for hop poles was then coming into use 
The expense of furnishing a yard with poles was estima 
ted at about two hundred dollars per acre. It was claim 
ed for the wires that they were cheaper, and, the cords 
saved much labor in handling poles. The hop-growing 
interest is very limited in comparison with other agricul¬ 
tural products, but shall receive its due share of attention. 
Wheat iu Utah.— 11 T. B.,” of Great Salt 
Lake City, says ninety bushels of White Taos wheat 
were grown on a city lot, one and one quarter acres, a 
rich black loam, irrigated three times. Another man in 
Cache Valley raised 71J4 - bushels on one and one quarter 
acres. Seventy two bushels of wheat to the acre makes 
a “ great country.” 
Sorghum in Minnesota.— A subscriber 
writes that eighteen gallons of syrup were made from 
cane grown on nine, square rods in Morrison County. 
Chess Again.—“ J. A.,” Ashtabula Co., O., 
says, he is in for the premium, and now knows just how 
to get it. He tried last season, but somehow, what he 
took for chess stalks, bore wheat heads, and concludes he 
did not sow in the right phase of the moon. He is now 
carefully watching the moon, and is so positive of it next 
year, that he wants the “shiners” kept for him, unless 
we will send him a few in advance.—Can’t do it, friend 
Josiah, but will keep our bank account ready, to draw 
out that amount at any time.—E d. 
How many Pounds ©1 Corn to tlie 
Bushel “ J. S.,” Tyre, N. Y. Previous to 1857 the 
standard weight of corn was fifty six pounds to the bush¬ 
el. Two pounds were added by the legislature of that 
year which operates unfairly upon eastern farmers as 
their corn weighs more per bushel than the corn of the 
west which constitutes the great bulk of what is in the 
market. But the speculators not satisfied with this, de¬ 
mand, in some places, sixty pounds to the bushel, which is 
a still further shave upon the farmer’s profits. Farmers 
should have conventions to protect their own interests 
and refuse to sell except at the standard weight. 
Pedigree Wheat.— “J. F. H.,” Lancaster, 
Pa., thinks this wheat Very fine, a single head measuring 
7 inches. It is very productive and later than the com¬ 
mon wheat. Any notes throwing new light on the culti¬ 
vation of farm crops will be acceptable. 
Gi'onnd Hone Healing - .—“ T. L. H.,” 
Wilkesbarre. Heating to the utmost, we should think, 
would release ammonia. Any strong acid would decom¬ 
pose the bone, and lime would Increase the heat. We 
think if the ground bone were well dried before it was 
packed in barrels it would not heat. If the bone had any 
thing mixed with it, it would be difficult to fix the price. 
Sumach Tannery Refuse.— 11 D. W. 
R.,” Greenville, Ct. It will probably answer for mulch¬ 
ing as well as other vegetable matter, and can not be 
worth much for manure, until it, is composted. We should 
be glad to hear of experiments with it. 
Liqnitl Manure vs. Mitelc.—“ T. G. S.,” 
West Brattleboro, Vt. It takes off the profits to cart 
muck two miles. The objection to carting the urine to 
the field is that it will not be done often enough to save 
its most valuable constituents. The moment the muck 
absorbs it, it is safe. If it lies fermenting in the vault a 
week or two, especially in warm weather, much of the 
ammonia escapes. If a cistern be attempted we should 
make a large one, mix water with the urine and apply it 
with a watering cart to grass and other growing crops. 
Good Squash Seed.— L. L. Knox, Wis. 
The seed should be taken from a well ripened squash, 
should be well dried, and kept in a dry place. 
Asparagus SSed.— Z. Cooke, Wis. If we 
could have the handling of the roots we should prefer the 
three-year-old roots to the seed. It takes three years to 
get a good bed from seed. If the old roots are not badly 
mutilated they would yield some cuttings the first season, 
and plentifully the second. Two-year-old roots are best. 
Cauliflowers—Malcing them Head. 
—“A constant Reader” transplants them into the cellar in 
good soil in the beginning of winter. With an occasional 
watering they head finely. 
Lilliputian Top-Onion.- 11 J. W. B.,” 
Macedon, O., claims for this onion, that it is milder than 
any other, more uniform in size, more sure than the com¬ 
mon seed. One pound contains about 8000 miniature 
