AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
151 
much trouble and expense for a few grapes. 
But “ what is worth doing at all, is worth 
doing well,” will be found a safe maxim in 
gardening. The bill is not very extravagant. 
One bushel of lime, 50 cents ; one load of 
bones, $2 ; oyster shells, 50 cents ; manure, 
$3 ; four days’ labor, $4 ; sixty horse-shoe 
tiles, at four cents each, $2 40—making the 
whole bill $12 40. If any one thinks this 
too much to pay for grapes for his family, 
for a generation, he appreciates that fruit 
less than we do. Any man of common in¬ 
genuity can do the whole work, and where 
the manure is made upon the premises the 
expense would be lessened. The vines were 
of our own growing, and these we have not 
reckoned in the cost. If they must be pur¬ 
chased, it will bring your whole bill within 
twenty dollars, which is much less than 
many a head of a household wastes on much 
meaner gratifications. 
FACTS IN GRAPE CULTURE. 
E. A. McKay, of Naples, N. Y., gives, 
through the Horticulturist, some interesting 
facts in regard to the mode adopted by him 
in the cultivation of an acre of Isabella 
grape vines. The vines were planted five 
years ago last spring, one vine to a square 
rod. The holes are dug to about two feet 
deep and six to eight feet across. In the 
bottom of eadh of these holes was placed 
half the carcass of an ox—a drove of eighty 
oxen having died in the neighborhood while 
on their way to market. The holes were 
then half filled with good surface soil. Six¬ 
teen loads of leather shavings, which had 
been accumulating at a currier’s shop, were 
then divided equally among the 160 holes, 
which were then filled by surface soil, mixed 
with the leather. A bushel of well-rotted 
stable manure, mixed with the same quan¬ 
tity of charcoal dust, completed the prepara¬ 
tion for the vines. He states that most of 
the vines measured last spring, a foot in cir¬ 
cumference, some of them fifteen inches, 
and one seventeen inches. He allowed them 
to bear considerably the past season, and the 
quality of the fruit was so superior as to 
command fourteen cents a pound, when most 
grapes of the same kind were selling at the 
same place at twelve and a half cents a 
pound. The crop of the present season he es¬ 
timated at 20 lbs. to the vine, or 3,000 lbs. to 
the acre. He states that he has repeatedly 
dug down to the bones, and found them 
“ completely surrounded with a net-work of 
living , fibrous roots.” 
SULPHUR WITH LIME VS. MILDEW. 
In a small vinery here, 34 feet long, two 
vines were planted, one at each end; three 
shoots were trained horizontally from each 
other alternately. At the end of five years 
the shoots from each had nearly reached the 
opposite ends ; they have been spurred and 
have borne abundant crops every year, a 
little fire heat has been used, and the fruit 
ripens generally about the middle of August. 
In June, 1852, although it will be observed 
the vines were trained horizontally, mildew 
made its appearance in spots all over the 
house ; a little sulphur was used, but the 
disease increased over every shoot, leaf and 
bunch, and the grapes were nearly all use¬ 
less. Again, in .Tune, 1853, the mildew 
made its appearance, sulphur was more lib¬ 
erally used, but the disease increased, al¬ 
though checked a little, and the bunches 
were all affected. This year, 1854, early in 
February, the house was washed with lime- 
water with a little sulphur in it, every avail¬ 
able piece of plaster and brickwork, the fine 
included, being operated on; in June, the 
same suspicious spots of mildew made their 
appearance ; in the evening when the flue 
was just hot enough to bear the hand on it, 
it was done over with a mixture of sulphur 
and water, with a little lime in it, and again 
repeated at a week’s end. The mildew en¬ 
tirely disappeared, and the grapes ripened at 
the usual time, an excellent crop. The idea 
of washing the flue with sulphur was taken 
from an article in your volume for 1853, and 
I think it is an invaluable recipe. D. S. 
Woodbiiidge, Suffolk. Gardener’s Chronicle. 
SEEDLING PEACHES. 
We consider it to be an object for all en¬ 
gaged in the cultivation of peaches to regard 
more favorably the importance of raising 
seedling peach trees, and not depend too 
much upon raising foreign varieties by bud¬ 
ding. September is the most favorable month 
for selecting pits of the most choice kinds to 
grow seedlings from. Procure peaches of 
the largest and most desirable sorts, ripen¬ 
ing from the middle of August to the last of 
September, and a few October peaches of 
good quality. When the pulp is removed, 
place the pits in seperate parcels, according 
to variety, in a cool and rather moist place. 
We prefer white peaches, because in a cold, 
wet season the yellow varieties are more 
acid. If possible save no pits from a tree 
that grew in a garden or orchard where in¬ 
ferior kinds were grown; if this can not be 
done, get them from trees as far distant as 
possible. 
At any time before the ground freezes up, 
select a safe place—put the pits in the earth 
and cover them with about three inches of 
soil, and permit them to remain unmolested 
until early in the Spring. Having prepared 
the ground, mark it oft' into drills with a plow 
or hoe. Crack such of the pits as are not 
opened by the action of the frost; plant them 
about ten inches apa in the drills, and cover 
about two inches. When sufficiently large 
prune all the branches off that are below one 
foot from the ground. Cut none from the 
tree above a foot.—in after culture trim ac¬ 
cording to the shortening-in mode of pruning. 
Transplant at one year old. 
If proper care is observed in selecting and 
preparing the pits, lliere will hardly be a fail¬ 
ure in having peaches as good, probably 
some superior, to the parent trees, the seed¬ 
lings often partaking of the qualities of the 
two kinds growing near each other. 
Michigan Farmer. 
ABELIA UNIFLORA. 
The management of this really pretty, hard- 
wooded green-house plant is very simple, and 
although it is considerably less vigorous in 
habit than Abelia floribunda, it flowers much 
more freely than that species, producing, 
when well grown, its delicate purplish-white 
pentstemon-like flowers in profusion. Cut¬ 
tings of this Abelia, selected from the half- 
ripened wood, root readily in the propagating 
house, if inserted under a bell-glass not later 
than the middle of October. The contents 
of the cutting-pot should be one-third crocks 
for drainage, one-third finely-sifted peat and 
sand, surmounted by an equal quantity of 
clean silver sand. By the second week in 
November the cuttings will be sufficiently 
rooted to dispense with the bell-glass ; the 
young plants should then be gradually inured 
to light and air, preparatory to being removed 
to their winter quarters, on a shelf as near 
the glass as may be convenient, in an airy 
part of the green-house, where, if proper Care 
be taken not to over water them, by the first 
week in the following March the young stores 
will have acquired sufficient strength to be 
potted singly into 3-inch pots. For compost 
use two-thirds turfy peat and one-third sharp 
sand. After potting, and until the roots be¬ 
gin to penetrate the fresh mould, the plants 
should be kept close, after which they can 
be removed to the platform or stage of the 
green-house. They will now commence 
growing freely, the pots will become filled 
with roots, so as to require a second shift 
into 5-inch pots. The same compost as be¬ 
fore should be again employed ; pot firmly, 
and drain well. The plants should be neat¬ 
ly staked and tied out, and should be re¬ 
arranged in their former situation. They will 
now require plenty of water and a constant 
supply of air; and in order that the future 
specimens may exhibit a stocky and fur¬ 
nished appearance, the laterals should not be 
permitted to grow (without being stopped) 
any length beyond what the intended shape 
of the plants require. Pursue this course 
until the middle of the following August, 
when the final shift for the season may be 
given with safety, using 6-inch pots for the 
purpose. They should be allowed to com¬ 
plete their growth, and be wintered in the 
green-house. Treated as above, this Abelia 
may be had in full bloom by the end of the 
following May, and it will continue to pro¬ 
duce a good supply of flowers during the 
three succeeding months. R. Miles. 
Gardeners’ Chronicle. 
OHIO P0M0L0GICAL SOCIETY. 
This society will hold its sixth session at 
Cleveland, on the 5th of December. An 
effort is being; made to collect a valuable 
class of facts in regard to fruit culture at the 
West. A circular, addressed to the mem¬ 
bers, requests each to come prepared to sub¬ 
mit accurate information on the following 
points, viz : The fruits cultivated in his re¬ 
gion, both by himself and others, giving the 
proper name, and all local and other syno¬ 
nyms within his knowledge. The character 
of both surface and subsoil where each fruit 
is grown ; the aspect and elevation ; wheth¬ 
er level or sloping; the varieties of soil; 
locations; manures, method and time of ap¬ 
plying them ; productiveness; pruning, &c. 
The influence of the stock on the health 
and duration of the varieties grafted, or bud¬ 
ded on the same, and the relative merits of 
the two modes of propagation, if any. Also 
the relative effect of root grafting—as prac¬ 
tised by many nurserymen—and stock graft¬ 
ing, on the health and duration of the tree. 
Observations on insects injurious to fruit, 
trees, and vines. The diseases or maladies 
to which they are subject, with the best 
modes to counteract these evils—with any 
other information of interest on the subject. 
A New Plan to save Peach Tkees. —A 
writer in the New-York Times recommends 
the sowing of tansy about the roots of peach 
trees, as a means of preserving them. He 
says that he once knew a large peach tree 
which was more than forty years old, while 
several generations of similar trees, in the 
same soil, had passed away. This led to an 
examination, and a bed of tansy was discov¬ 
ered about the trunk. It was naturally in¬ 
ferred that the preservation of this tree to 
such a green old age was attributable to the 
presence of this plant. I was decided to try 
the experiment on others, and accordingly a 
few of the roots were placed about each of 
the other trees on the premises, some of 
which gave signs of decay. Not only has it 
preserved for several years the sound trees, 
but renovated those that were unsound. The 
odor of the plant, he says, doubtless keeps 
off the insect enemies of this kind of tree, 
and it might have the same effect on others, 
as the plum, apple and pear, as well as the 
elm, sycamore and other ornamental trees. 
