1864] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
QG1 
manner of training, and "ill vary from four to eight feet. 
Keens may be washed out as soon as the grapes are ripe, 
ami mixed with sand and kept in a cool cellar, or buried 
in the open ground, until spring, or the grapes may be al¬ 
lowed to dry and separate the seeds in spring. Sow i 
rich soil in drills as early as the soil can be worked, an 
shade young plants from the hot sun. It is in this wa 
lhai new varieties are obtained. For details see Fuller 
Grape Colturist .“ Diana in Despair,” Amber, N. \ 
The peculiar rot to which the Diana is subject is not we 
understood. In some localities it is impossible to ripe 
the fruit. It has been stated that the rot in the Catawb 
is due to freezing the roots, and that a heavy mulch ove 
them during the winter will prevent it. It miglit be trie 
witli the Diana ...C. M. East, Sinithfield, Pa.: the en 
closed leaf looks like the work of Prncris Americana 
Dusting with slaked lime while the dew is on, or if nu 
merous, to cut the leaves off and burn them, are tin 
proposed remedies, we can not say how successful 
Notes aia<l ({iicries on Slrawhcr 
rics.—C. H. VV'hecler, New London Co., Conn., wishe: 
to know how to preserve strawberries for exhibition it 
autumn. Weak alcohol would perhaps do, or salt anc 
water. It will be difficult to prevent shrinking_Mrs 
D. Garrigues, Waterbury, Conn. There is no harrr 
done by strawberries “ mixing,” unless you wish to sow 
the seeds. Of course the runners of different sorts should 
not get entangled, as this will lead to mistakes. Three 
or four feet between different sorts will give room enough, 
and if any runners are disposed to go beyond bounds, 
they can be turned in and made to root where they are 
wanted .. L. Church, Plymouth Co* Mass. It is not 
unusual in vigorous plants for runners to branch in the 
manner you describe. 
Natural Inarching -.— 1 Thomas Morgan, 
of Stamford, Conn., forwards a drawing of a curious 
growth found on an 
old apple tree, which 
we have had engrav¬ 
ed. A limb connect* 
two of the larger 
branches of the tree, 
and the union is so 
complete, and the 
cross-piece so nearly 
of a size at both ends, 
as to render it diffi¬ 
cult to say from 
winch branch the 
piece originated. We 
have seen a number 
of cases of this na¬ 
tural inarching, but 
none so large and 
striking as the one 
figured. Limbs which 
cross oiie another, will, when moved by the wind, 
chafe so as to expose the inner bark of each. A still 
time following, gives the parts a chance to unite, and 
thus produce naturally what the gardener often finds it 
to his advantage to do artificially. 
Apples for Wisconsin.— G. J. Kellogg, 
of Ilelie Cottage Nursery, Janesville, Wis., gives the 
following as his selection of varieties for that State : Red 
Astrachan, C. R. June, Keswick Codlin, Win. Favorite, 
Dutchess of Oldenburg, St. Lawrence, Fall Queen, Fall 
Stripe Lowell, Snow, Talman Sweet, Yellow Bellflower, 
English Golden Rus, Barrett Rus, Putnam Rus, Willow 
Twig, Jonathan, Rattle’s Janet, Winter Wine Sap, Red 
Romanite and the Siberian crabs, Hislnp, Golden Beauty 
and Large Red. These have passed our severe winters 
uninjured, while most other varieties have not stood the 
effects of the sun and frost of our changing February 
and March weather. 
Preventing the Onion CSi-nb.—C. IL, 
Strafford Co.. N. IL, states that he finds that pine saw¬ 
dust prevents the attack of the grub. He has succeeded 
with it for two years and has witnessed its good effects 
in the gardens uf others. About a half bushel of pine 
sawdust to the square rod is strewn over the bed just 
before the plants come up. Sawdust which has been 
used for bedding in stables answers well. Mr. II. sup¬ 
poses that the resinous matter of the pine is disagreeable 
to Hie fly that produces tire grub. It can hardly be that 
the sawdust acts merely as an obstruction to the opera¬ 
tions of the fly, as the quantity used is too small for that. 
Sometime ago a secret grub-destroying process was sold. 
Sawdust was put upon the beds and it was then watered 
with diluted gas-liquor. It would appear from Mr. II.’s 
experiments that the efficacy lies in the sawdust. lie 
also tried the same thing on radishes, and had them free 
from grubs, while before he was never able to raise 
them. Make a note to try this simple remedy. If it suc¬ 
ceeds as well as it seems to have done with him, Mr. 
II. will have the gratitude of the gardening community. 
Chincsfi Rose Colored Winter Rad¬ 
ish. —There are several varieties 
of winter radish which keep like 
a turnip and have the genuine 
radish flavor. The general fault 
with these is the tough quality of 
the flesh. Tins Chinese variety is 
a great improvement upon the old 
white and black sorts, as it is 
crisp and tender, though a little 
firmer than early radishes. The 
color is brilliant rose, with lighter 
streaks, and its shape, which is 
shown in the figure, is odd and 
peculiarly Chinese. The leaf-stems 
are marked with ros<5 color. They 
are grown like other radishes and 
preserved for winter use in sand. 
The specimens average about 5 
Inches long, ana Ct”' inches in 
their largest diameter. In tavoi- 
able localities they may be sown 
the first of this month, though it 
is rather late, especially in far northern localities. 
'Worms o» Gooseberry and Currant 
Bushes.— In the last Agriculturist. Mr. S. Edwards 
Todd’s successful use of the powder of White Hellebore 
to repel currant worms was noticed. We now find in the 
London Florist and Pomologist that the same thing is 
applied in a different way. One ounce of powdered Hel¬ 
lebore and two ounces of powdered alum are stirred with 
a small quantity of water until the alum is dissolved and 
the powder of Hellebore thoroughly wetted and mixed. 
The whole is then put into a gallon of water and thrown 
upon the plants by means of a syringe or watering pot. 
It is said that this is superior to the use of the Hellebore 
in a dry state, and that the alum causes it to adhere to the 
leaves. Make a note to try this. 
To clean Tomato and Cucumlicr 
Seeds, and others having a pulp attached. “ G. R. B.,” 
of Missouri, holds that every one benefitted by the Agri¬ 
culturist should contribute his mite for the benefit of 
others, and sends the following: “Put the seeds, pulp and 
all, just as they come from the vegetable, into a bowl, 
cup or other earthen-ware dish, and set them in a cool 
place for a week or ten days, when a thick mould will 
appear on top and a thin watery substance beneath the 
mould. Then pour water into the vesse’ stir the con¬ 
tents, and the mould and other impu'HVs can L c poured 
off, anu the seeds will be found perfectly clean and free 
from pulp.” Having tried this two years the writer knows 
it does not injure the germinating properties of the seeds, 
and is the easiest way to remove the pulp. 
Insect* to I»c Named.— J. E. Breed, Wau- 
pacca Co., Wise., and Sidney Squire of the same State, 
send Micropus leucopterus. the Chinch Bug, one of the 
most inveterate enemies of the cultivator. It attacks 
all kinds of small grain, and when that is out of the way 
it goes to tlie Indian corn. It flourishes best in hot and 
dry weather ; a heavy shower will de¬ 
stroy them. There lias been no prac¬ 
ticable method proposed for killing 
them. J. Hays, Jr., Washington 
Co., Pa., under the name of “potato 
bugs,” sends Lytta Fabricii, the size 
and shape of which are shown in the 
figure. This and two or three other 
species mucli like the one figured, 
are often very destructive, not only to 
potatoes, but to almost all garden vegetables. We have 
found them very fond of beets and spinach, which they 
actually covered. Shaking them off into a pan of water, 
and sweeping the plants with a muslin scoop net, are the 
only remedies we have seen proposed. 
Plants for Names.— E. Breed, Waupacca 
Co., Mich., sends the Sweet Fern, Comptonia aspleni/o- 
lia. It does not belong to the ferns, but probably re¬ 
ceived its popular name from the fact that its leaves re¬ 
semble the divisions of the frond of some ferns. It is a 
small shrub, from one to two feet high, and grows in sandy 
places from Maine to Georgia. Its leaves have a very 
spicy odor and are used by boys to make imitation cigars, 
and by older people as a remedy for dysentery. It grows 
readily from seed and lias been recommended as a nurse 
plant to shade young hickory trees.G. B. Petterr”', 
Hancock Co., Me.: The seed is that of the Wild Balsam 
apple, Echinocystis lobata. It belongs to the same family 
as the gourd, cucumber, etc., Is a native riant, which Is 
sometimes grown as an ornamental climber, and occa- I 
sionaily is troublesome in low grounds. G. W. Hindi- 
man. New York city, lias left witli us the Globe Thistle, 
licit inops sphaerncepltalus, an oil thistle-like ornamental 
plant, with a globular head of very fragrant lavender-col¬ 
ored flowers.S. G. Noyes, Carver Co., Minn. The 
specimen is Dodder, Cuscutn Gronovii. It is a parasite 
which germinates in the ground and soon attaches itself 
to other plants, from which it draws its nourishment: the 
lower portion of tlie stem soon dies away. One species 
lives upon flax which it sometimes greatly damages. .. 
A. Fulton, Logan Co., O., sends Asclepias tuberosa. the 
Butterfly-weed or Pleurisy-root. It is not very rare an* 
makes a very showy plant in the garden_Mrs. Lee, 
Peoria Co., Ill. The plant in question is the Trailing 
Arbutus or May Flower. We never have seen it in cul¬ 
tivation though doubtless it might be, if its natural loca¬ 
tions were imitated. It would probably require the care 
of an experienced gardener to raise it from seed .. R. *> 
Handy, Ridgeway (no State) sends Viburnum lantanoides, 
the Hobble-bush. It is closely related to the Cranberry 
Tree figured in July ...M. R. A. Elliot, Me: The plant 
is Epilotium angusti/olium or Great Willow-herb. Vun¬ 
common in clearings. Dicentra belongs to the Fumitory 
fatally — L. «. Ganneau, Isle Vert, Canada, sends what 
is apparamiy an undeveloped specimen of Spiraea talici- 
folia, cr Meadow-sweet. 
Straw Rope Twister. —A Scotch friend 
after reading the article on page 0, (current voL) about 
various uses of straw, sent 
tne accompanying drawing, 
and writes: “The above is 
a rough sketch of a “ Th rav 
eruik ”, or implement to 
twist strew ropes, which thi 
larmers nf Scotland, in my 
younger days (some fifty 
years ago) used to improvise 
at the fireside of a winter evening. Its great simplicity 
is the only advantage it has over the implement depict¬ 
ed in your January number. The proportions of the 
wood essential to symmetry I can not give to an eighth 
of an inch.-’ This simple crank is certainly superior to 
the straight stick with a hook, in common use. 
The White Daisy lor Hay.— A “Two 
years Subscriber” writes to the American Agriculturist, 
though not advocating the use of such hay, that cattle 
will thrive as well on a less quantity of “white” daisy hay 
than of any other. It should be cut in full bloom. No 
doubt mar.y a daisy patch is neglected and suffered to 
ripen its seed and scatter it, from which several hun¬ 
dred-weight of good fodder might be secured. 
“ Peruvian Wheat.”— E. Knlb, write* 
from Fairfield Co., O., that II. B. Eyman. Justice for Ills 
township, handed him twenty-one heads of wheat the 
product of one seed, and adds : “ I shelled the grains 
and counted fourteen hundred and twenty two (1422) sol¬ 
id grains. Can any one beat it t The Squire's veracity 
is unimpeachable. The wheat is called Peruvian.” 
Harley for Horses.— The idea that bar¬ 
ley is Injurious to horses, giving them tender feet, arises 
from prejudice. We hold barley in high esteem for horse 
feed, but oats are usually more economical, and seem 
to be peculiarly adapted to this use.—It is held by some 
that feeding corn or anygrain but oats, gives more or less 
tendency to scratches, unless special care be taken, and 
the animals have a reasonable variety and have salt eon- 
stantly before them. There may be foundation for this, 
as we know certain kinds of diet affect the secretions and 
certain cutaneous diseases. 
Hon't buy a Lawsuit, nor Will one 
to your Heirs.— “ R. M. II.,” of Rensselaer Co. 
N. Y., writes thus sensibly to the American Agriculturist. 
“ Recent surveys sometimes overrun those made fifty 
years ago, and this induces farmers to take deeds depend¬ 
ing upon old surveys when buying land, thus causing 
almost endless litigation and disputes about boundaries 
between neighbors. If the buyer believes a new suryev 
will compel him to pay for more land, an agreement 
should be made to adopt the area of the old survey, tint 
with new courses and distances, in conformity with' th* 
undisputed corners and lines. The variation of the 
needle in the Surveyor’s compass is so great, and the 
carelessness of farmers in keeping their corners marked, 
so remarkable, that the surveyor has a veiv difficult and' 
delicate duty to discharge when deciding boundaries 
according to old deeds and surveys. Buyers of land 
should not buy old disputes with it. Therefore have it 
iutveyed, go over the lines with the surveyor and the 
seller, and when bought set substantial hewn stone snon 
