70 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
and dried in the sun. In this state it some¬ 
times becomes an article of commerce, and 
is sold to the farmers, who never make use 
of it in its compact state. Their first care is 
to construct large cisterns for containing, be¬ 
side these cakes and dung of any kind, all 
sorts of vegetable matter—as leaves, roots 
and stems of plants, mud from the canals, 
offals of animals, and even to the shavings 
collected by the barbers. With all these 
they mix as much animal water as can be 
collected, or of common water as will dilute 
the whole, and in this state, generally in the 
act of putrid fermentation, they apply it to 
the plowed or broken ground. In various 
parts of the farm, and near paths and roads, 
large earthen vessels are buried to the edge 
in the ground, for the accommodation of the 
laborer and passenger who may have occa¬ 
sion to use them. In small retiring-houses, 
built also upon the brink of roads and in the 
neighborhood of villages, reservoirs are con¬ 
structed of compact materials, to prevent the 
absorption of whatever they receive, and 
straw is carefully thrown over the surface 
from time to time to stop the evaporation. 
And such a value is set upon the principal 
ingredients for manure, that the oldest and 
most helpless persons are not deemed wholly 
useless to the family by which they are sup¬ 
ported ! 
The deficiency of cattle, which makes all 
these arts of procuring manure necessary, 
still makes the supply too scanty. It is sel¬ 
dom applied to the raising of grain, but is 
reserved for the purpose of procuring speedy 
and successive supplies of culinary vegeta¬ 
bles. The seeds are steeped in liquid ma- 
mre before they are sown, and liquid manure 
s from time to time applied to the roots of 
the plants. 
The Chinese are too sparing of their grain 
to sow broadcast. They are convinced that 
by drilling they procure much more luxuri¬ 
ant crops. Every kind of grain, therefore, 
is either sown in drill or dibbled. The drills 
run north and south, as that is supposed to 
be the best direction. The fields are not 
laid out in ridges, but every where present 
a level surface. H. McK. 
CALIFORNIA PRODUCTS. 
Specimen Sweet Potato. —The Sacramento 
Union editor has been called on to inspect a 
sweet potato of extraordinary size. It was 
grown on Allmond’s Ranch, at Oakwood 
Farms, on the Sacramento River, thirteen 
miles below the city. This specimen meas¬ 
ures longitudinally two feet and three inches, 
and latitudinally seventeen inches, and 
weighs five pounds. It is of a clear yellow 
color, without speck or blemish, and appar¬ 
ently is as sound internally as externally. 
Another Vegetable Wonder. —The Marys¬ 
ville Herald tells of two enormous squashes 
on exhibition in that city. One weighs 
eighty-four pounds, and measures five feet 
eight inches in circumference. They were 
both grown on the south side of the Yuba, 
two miles from Marysville. 
Mammoth Muskmelon. —The Marysville Ex¬ 
press tells of one grown on the Kennebec 
Ranch, which exceeds in size any of the 
monsters of this class which have yet ap¬ 
peared. It measured four feet in circumfer¬ 
ence the longest way, two feet eleven inches 
around the center, and weighed thirty-eight 
pounds. 
Watermelon Wonder. —The Empire Coun¬ 
ty Argus claims a watermelon of forty-five 
pounds weight and thirty-three inches cir¬ 
cumference. 
The Biggest Yet. —The Sacramento Jour¬ 
nal beats the San Joaquin Republican's water¬ 
melon. They have been shown one in Sac¬ 
ramento weighing fifty-two and a half pounds 
and measuring two feet ten inches in length 
and two feet nine inches in circumference. 
portirdtral geprfntent, 
NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Tins Society held its regular meeting at 
its Rooms, No. 600 Broadway, on the 2d 
instant, Vice-President John Grosiion in the 
Chair, and Peter B. Mead, Secretary. 
Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter laid on the tables 
several specimens of a new seedling Peach, 
which gives decided promise of being an ac¬ 
quisition. It is very large—equal in size to 
Crawford’s Late and Early. Some speci¬ 
mens were over eleven inches in circumfer¬ 
ence. Flesh pure white to the stone; no 
red ; and is juicy, sprightly, of good flavor, 
and a good bearer. Its large size, color, and 
lateness of ripening, will make it particular¬ 
ly desirable for preserving. Last year it did 
not ripen until the middle of October. This 
year, owing to the drouth, the peach ripened 
two weeks earlier. The present is the sec¬ 
ond season of its bearing, and it seemed 
worthy of particular notice. 
Mr. R. G. Pardee presented a Winter 
seedling Pear, from Connecticut, of fair 
quality. 
Mr. D. Boll exhibited a handsome variety 
of Double Balsams. 
Mr. Wm. Cranston exhibited a fine speci¬ 
men of Brugmansi Knightii. 
Mr. Burgess, from Glenwood, presented 
some large well-grown Pears, from trees 
transplanted last Spring. They were Lou¬ 
ise Bonne de Jersey, Duchess d’Angouleme, 
and Vicar of Winkfield. 
Letters were read from Messrs. Wilson 
G. Hunt, and Louis Baker. 
Mr. Thomas Hogg, Jr., Chairman of the 
Fruit Committee, reported favorably on Mr. 
Carpenter’s peach, naming it “ Carpenter's 
White." Adjourned. 
THOROUGH DRAINAGE FOR GRAPE VINES. 
We have, in our garden, two Isabella vines, 
both well covered with fruit. The older and 
larger vine, which ought to give the finer 
fruit, has many of its bunches badly mil¬ 
dewed, though its exposure is on the south 
side of the house. The younger vine has 
scarcely a mildewed grape upon it, and the 
bunches are very uniformly ripened, though 
it stands upon the south-east side of a board 
fence, and has little sun after ten o’clock 
a. m. The latter has a very perfect drainage, 
the bottom of the border being laid with 
ox sculls. The former has no such pro¬ 
vision to cariry off the surplus water, 
though it is abundantly furnished with bones. 
We attribute the whole difference to drain¬ 
age. 
In preparing vine borders, make provision 
for thorough drainage, and make the border 
deep, broad, and,rich. If we were to prepare 
a border, as thoroughly for a vinyard, 
we think we should have Isabellas, and Ca- 
tawbas of much larger growth, and finer 
quality. If we could in this way get bunches 
of two or three pounds’ weight, instead of 
half a pound, it would pay for the extra ex¬ 
pense. Thorough drainage, we are convinced 
by our experiment, is a great safeguard 
against the mildew, and hastens the maturity 
of the fruit. 
Now is a good time to prepare the borders, 
though we have found Spring much the best 
time for setting the vines. A southern ex¬ 
posure with a little slope is the best location 
for a border, but a trench four feet wide, at 
least, and four deep; and at the lower end, 
see that there is some provision made for 
the water to pass off. Put a layer of coarse 
cobble-stones at the bottom, say six inches 
thick—then a layer of bones, and then your 
compost, and surface earth. This will give 
you grapes worth eating. 
Black Knot on Plum Trees. —A writer 
in the Cultivator says that MlWm. Smith, of 
Ballston Centre, this season “ removed all 
the diseased branches from his trees, and 
around a portion of them set out the tomato 
plant, leaving a part uncared for. Those 
with tomatoes at the roots have no knot what¬ 
ever, while those not treated in this way, 
were full of black bunches the same as last 
year.” 
We shall be glad if the above proves a 
permanent remedy to this spreading disease; 
but we have our doubts, whether it was the 
tomato or the superior cultivation around the 
trees, which prevented the black knot. We 
trust W. S. will persevere in his experiments. 
A few years’ test will be requisite to fully 
decide upon the efficacy of the tomato plant. 
Allen’s Hybrid Grape. —The horticul¬ 
tural friends of Mr. J. F. Allen have been 
for some years aware that he has been exper¬ 
imenting, to produce a hybrid grape, possess¬ 
ing the requisites which no one hitherto 
has combined, of sure and early ripening, 
rich flavor, and abundant crop, and freedom 
from “foxiness.” All lovers of good fruit 
will be gratified to learn, that his long and 
patient efforts for this object have at length 
been crowned with complete success. He 
has obtained a white grape of the full size of 
the Isabella, of a flavor unsurpassed by the 
best hot-house grapes, totally free from the 
“ foxy” taste and smell, and which ripens 
securely by the middle of September. He 
has also a purple grape, possessing similar 
qualities, but not quite so early. So says the 
Salem Gaxette. 
FEARS ON QUINCE STOCKS. 
Mr. Barry, of New-York, remarked he 
that had seen it stated in several news¬ 
paper paragraphs, that the cultivation of 
the pear on quince stocks had proved to be 
a failure. Fie regretted to have such state¬ 
ments sent abroad. They are not correct. 
He considered it a great blessing to the 
country that pears could be cultivated on 
quince stocks, because it enabled thousands 
upon thousands of our citizens to enjoy de¬ 
licious varieties of fruit years earlier than 
they otherwise could. Perhaps the best way 
to check this erroneous impression would be 
for the Society to recommend a list of pears 
that succeed best on quince stocks. He had 
prepared a brief list of sorts, and would 
submit it for the consideration of the meet¬ 
ing. All the pears enumerated were not, 
indeed, of the best quality, but they have 
been successfully proved on the quince. 
Before giving the list he would say, that the 
best quince stocks were the Fontenay and 
another variety. The common apple or 
orange quince of this country, is not a suit¬ 
able stock for budding. It may grow well 
