less.i 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
121 
they must be kept dwarf by a persistent course 
of summer pinching, and to this may be added 
root pruning as described on pages 17 and 18, 
(Jan.) of the current volume. Mr. L. B., of 
West Nottingham, Md., some ten years ago 
came into possession of an old and partly neg¬ 
lected orchard. Since taking the trees, which 
were from 20 to 25 years old, under his care, 
each one has received a load of manure yearly. 
Some rows of potatoes or other crop demanding 
care are planted between the trees, not for the 
sake of profit, but to ensure the cultivation of 
the ground. The result is, from three to seven 
barrels of marketable apples from each tree, 
and a large quantity of the less handsome 
fruit is made into cider. While all through his 
section of country a good crop of apples is the 
exception, his crop is generally abundant, and 
xast autumn, which was not generally a good 
Iruit season, he gathered about 1500 bushels of 
fruit from four acres of orchard, the trees of 
•which were mostly planted 40 feet apart. The 
necessity for manuring trees which afford a crop 
year after year, would seem to be so obvious that 
it is unnecessJfy to insist upon it; yet a 
well cultivated orchard of any kind is the ex¬ 
ception, and not the rule throughout the country. 
- — w— —- - 
Plant Currant Bushes this Spring. 
1 " ’ 
Strawberries and raspberries, like all delicate 
and delicious things, are soon gone and then we 
fall back on the substantial and ever refreshing 
currant. This fruit is so healthful, so generally 
liked, and so easily raised, that no farmer nor 
any one who has a garden spot, need be without 
it as long as the season lasts for it in the fresh 
state, and an abundance of preserves can be 
made for the winter. There is no plant more 
easily grown from cuttings than the currant. 
The cuttings are best set in autumn, but m.ay 
be put out now with a prospect that a majority 
will make plants. Six inches to a foot of the 
wood of last year’s growth makes a cutting. 
Set them early and leave one eye above ground. 
Much of the success with cuttings depends upon 
having the earth closely in contact with them. 
Open with a spade a shallow trench, deep 
enough to receive the cuttings, set them six 
inches apart, and put on a little soil, and then 
with the edge of a board, or some similar im¬ 
plement, crowd the earth firmly about their 
lower ends. As to the form of bushes, they 
are sometimes grown in a tree form, with a sin¬ 
gle stem; or vase shaped, with several stems 
arising from the ground. The latter form is 
preferred by many good cultivators, as there is 
less difficulty from the breaking down of branch¬ 
es, and if the bush is kept open by pruning, good 
results may be obtained. The subject of varie¬ 
ties was discussed at a recent Fruit Growers’ 
meeting, and it was the opinion that the Cherry 
and Versailles were the best for red, and the 
White Grape the best white variety. The Prince 
Albert was recommended for its late bearing. 
Starting Vegetable Seeds in Pots.—A 
Hundred or two pots will cost but little. A 
quantity of these, filled with good surface soil, 
mixed with well-rotted manure, may be plant¬ 
ed with various kinds of vegetable and flower 
seeds some w'eeks before the open ground 
is warm and dry, and set together on the south 
or east side of a building or fence, where they 
can be watered a.« needed, and covered with a 
blanket, carpet, or straw, on cold nights. The 
plants will be weii up, and ready to plant out 
as soon as the ground will admit, and two to 
five weeks in time be gained. Small, cheap 
pots, with one plant in each, are most desirable. 
Cranberries in the Garden. 
In reply to inquiries, it has been more than 
once stated in these columns that we had seen 
no attempts at growing Cranberries upon dry 
soil which would warrant its practice upon the 
large scale. That Cranberries will grow, and 
sometimes bear fairly in ordinary garden soil, 
we have no doubt, and while we would say noth¬ 
ing to deter those from making the experiment 
who have space and means, we have consider¬ 
ed it a duty to our readers to caution them 
against those interested parties who would ad¬ 
vise them to plant by the acre, as a profitable 
investment. That some variety of the Cran¬ 
berry may be so far changed from its ordinary 
character as to fruit with certainty in dry soil, 
we hope, and even believe, may be done, but 
thus far, we have not seen this desired result. 
One of the most favorable accounts of the 
garden culture of the Cranberry is given by Mr. 
B. H. Stevens, of Middlesex Co., Conn. Some 
years ago, he planted out 10 square rods of 
cranberries in his garden, where the soil was 
rather moist, but still such as would grow corn 
and potatoes. The bed gave a return of one 
bushel of fruit the second season, which increas¬ 
ed each year until the crop harvested amount¬ 
ed to fourteen bushels. The only failure was 
last season, when the drouth reduced the crop 
to one bushel. Mr. Stevens has experimented 
with many different varieties, and has promised 
an account of his results, which we shall be glad 
to receive. Those who wish to make the experi¬ 
ment, should procure vines from the drier part 
of bogs, or those which have become somewhat 
acclimated by cultivation in dry localities. The 
plants should be set in a moist place, about a foot 
apart each way, and kept carefully weeded until 
they take complete possession of the ground. 
Notes on Strawberries. 
As the season for planting is now at hand, 
and many are still in doubt as to what varieties 
they shall select, we shall endeavor to aid them 
by brief opinions of varieties condensed from 
remarks made at some of the recent Fruit 
Growers’ Meetings. It is to be regretted that 
the Triomphe de Gand, which has so many good 
qualities, has in some localities proved a total 
failure. In places far inland, it seems to succeed 
better than it does near the coast. Mr. Cavanagh 
places the Monitor and Brooklyn Scarlet very 
high for quality and productiveness. The Brook¬ 
lyn Scarlet will doubtless prove a good market 
fruit, as its brilliant color is very attractive. 
Doct. E. Ware Sylvester, of Wayne Co., N. Y., 
regards Burr’s New Pine as the best amateur 
berry. This variety has a remarkably high 
flavor, but, according to Dr. S., it is very difficult 
to procure true to name. The Austin he re¬ 
gards as a profitable berry for a near market, 
but is too soft for distant transportation. Feast’s 
Fillmore is a fine variety in his locality. 
Mr. E. Williams, if confined to but one vari¬ 
ety, would choose Downer’s Prolific, which is of 
excellent quality, and an abundant bearer, and a 
good market fruit. It continues a long time in 
bearing. Judge Vanderpool, of New-York, ob¬ 
jected to Wilson’s Albany, at the present price of 
sugar, the fruit being so acid as to require a 
great amount of sugar when eaten. He had 
been better satisfied with the old Hovey’s Seed¬ 
ling than with the newer sorts he had tried. 
Mr. W. S. Carpenter considered that the 
Hovey had had its day, and though in some 
seasons it bore well, it must give place to better 
sorts. Russell’s Prolific will, in his opinion, be¬ 
come very popular. It is a great bearer, but 
has the fault of not holding up its fruit. He 
had seen nothing among the new varieties that 
would compare with the “ Agriculturist,” it be 
ing the most beautiful, hardy, and the greatest 
bearer. Mr. C. thought that Lennig’s White 
had not received the attention that its good 
qualities deserve. It is the best white variety 
5 ''et introduced. For a selection for family fruit, 
he would choose Wilson’s Albany, Russell’s 
Prolific, Downer’s Prolific, and Lennig’s White 
from among the generally known varieties, but 
he believed the “ Agriculturist ” would prove 
itself in every respect superior to either of these. 
- ^ -- 
Some Notes on Cabbages. 
Noticing that Mr. Gregorj^ of Marblehead, 
Mass., advertised a new early cabbage, the Can¬ 
non Ball, we requested some account of it. It 
is to Mr. G. that we are indebted for the Marble¬ 
head Drumhead, and other valuable winter 
varieties, and from the excellent qualities of 
these, we look with interest upon his attempts 
to introduce a new early sort. Of the Cannon 
ball, he says: “ This matures about 10 days 
later than the Early York. It is remarkably 
round, hard-headed, and heavy for its size, 
being about as ‘round and hard as a cannon 
ball,’ excelling in hardness every known variety 
of cabbage. It is of good qualit}% and perfectly 
reliable in heading. The size of the head will 
depend somewhat on the soil, manuring, dis¬ 
tance apart, and cultivation. With me it grows 
from 6 to 8 inches in diameter. It may be pro¬ 
nounced a first-class cabbage, among the early 
sorts, for market purposes. It is somewhat 
singular that, with such varieties as this, and 
Winningstadt, Earl}’ Wakefield, and Ox-heart, 
the flabby trash called Early York should be 
cultivated so extensively.”—We hope that none 
of our cabbage-loving friends will forget the 
Savoys. They are so different from, and supe¬ 
rior to the ordinary cabbages, that English 
writers treat of them under a separate head. 
To those who do not know them, we can say 
that, next to a cauliflower, a Savoy is the 
richest and most marrow-like of all the numer¬ 
ous sports of the cabbage. It is a remarkable 
vai'iety of the cabbage, with its leaves very 
much wrinkled and blistered, and in point of 
flavor and richness is vastly superior to any of 
the drumhead kinds, while in hardiness it ex¬ 
cels them. The original Savoy has been much 
improved upon, and has given rise to many 
sub-varieties. While that was late, small, and 
uncertain in heading, we have now an Early 
Savoy, a Late Drumhead Savoy, and the Im¬ 
proved Green Globe Savoy, extending the sea¬ 
son of this choice class of cabbages, and giving 
us all that is desirable in regard to size and 
certainty of heading. While we would have a 
stock of the Drumhead sorts for slicing raw, we 
would not, for cooking, grow any for family 
use but Savoys. Whenever the soil is in good 
condition, the seed of the early sorts maj 
be sown this month, though where there is % 
hot-bed the plants should be well along by thi|' 
time. In garden, as well as in fleld culture, cat^J 
bages are not likely to do so well on land thftl 
has been cropped by them within three or fotUf' 
years, as upon a fresh spot. Give an abundanc0 
of good, well-rotted manure; that from tho 
hog pen answers well for this crop. 
