314, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
'I'wo I’eiiis of Clovei" per Acre, (or 
rather what would make tliat amount after cutting and 
drying for liay,) plowed in green. Dr. Warder tells us lie 
thinks is fully equal to 10 cords of ordinary barn yard 
manure. Manure costs the farmers in the yicinity of New 
York, on an average, delivered on their farms, fully $6 per 
cord. To spread and plow it in costs about the same as 
plowing in tlte clover. Now the cost of raising these 
two tons of clover, allowing $10 per acre for rent of land, 
cannot exceed $20, if o-ver $15 on the average. It would 
tiien require the addition of a little bone dust, guano or 
some salts to make it equal in general quality to 
barnyard manure, wliich would add to its cost. Tlie 
question now is wliether it is not cheaper to plow in 
clover, buckwheat, turni|)S, or some green crop, tlian to 
purchase city stable manure at a cost of $6 per cord, de¬ 
livered on the farm ? In deciding tins matter, it must be 
recollected tliat tlie city manure is exposed more or less 
to tlie we.ather when unloaded on the dock, and its 
wastage and deterioration are often considerable. 
Aslacs OBI —F. Rutcliff, of Henry 
Co., Ind., asks : “ Will ashes be good to bring up an old 
orcliard ; if so, wlien and how sliall I apply tliem ?” 
Adding: “ Tliere are plenty at a saw-mill miles from 
our farm.” Tliere is nothing better, as a general rule, 
for old orchards than a liberal dressing of uiileached 
wood ashes. It would be hard to tell how much it would 
not pay to apply ; a barrel or two to each tree, spread as 
far as the outmost boughs, plowing 4 to 6 inches deep, 
will probably rejuvenate the orchard, provided tliere is 
any soundness left in the trees. Lime is nearly as good. 
It should be spread freshly slaked, after plowing, and 
be harrowed in ; ora light dressing, say K of the whole, 
may be first spread and plowed in, and the rest put on 
the surface after plowing, and then harrowed in. Calcu¬ 
late tc put about 3 bushels to each tree, though more 
would do no harm ; make the application in the autumn. 
Saijiie on Wet a-ituitJ.—“ J. TV.,” New 
London, Ct., has a piece of wet land which lacks only 
drainage to be excellent meadow, fie has drained as 
deep as he can, but to drain the piece, his neighbor below 
must deepen his drains also—which he will not do. Mr. 
W. has legal right to go on and deepen his neighbor’s 
drains, or to lay a tight drain across the piece, and so 
benefit himself only, but does not want to do it yet. ‘‘Will 
lime help the land ?”—We think it will, w liere tlie ground 
can be plowed in time for corn or potatoes, but not much 
elsewliere. Apply after plowing, and harrow in. 
El>ealia to Cssiiaada 'S'Jaistle.s.—David 
Newport, of Evergreen (no State), “actuated by the de¬ 
sire to do good and communicate,” says : “ I would in¬ 
form the readers of the Agriculturist that I have suc¬ 
ceeded in destroying two considerable patches of Canada 
thistles, by the perseveiing use of small quantities 
of coal oil applied to each plant.” — If Canada 
thistles are cut in the summer, after they throw up 
their flower stalks and before they bloom, perhaps 
also at otlier times, and a pinch of salt is dropped into 
the hollow stem, they die. When they are cut frequent¬ 
ly with a spud just at or below the surface, they will 
rapidly disappear. The application of coal oil will kill 
any weed, or any other plant, it comes in contact with, 
and may prevent growtli of any vegetation on the same 
spot for a considerable time. So be careful. 
WlaiSc Willotv ITciiiccs. — The public 
have heard the growls of the dissatisfied and humbugged 
people through the press, while those well satisfied with 
their willow fences, that is, those who obtained the 
genuine article and took good care of the fencos as they 
grew, we seldom heai- from. It is therefore worth while 
to read such a letter as this now .and then. Levi Smith, 
of Story Co., Iowa, writes to the American Agriculturist 
as follows: “In tlie Juno number of the Agriculturist 
you make some inquiries about the white willow. James 
Smith is the man who first introduced the white willow 
In Illinois, in 1843. lie theie tested it successfully. 
There is a fence on tlie old farm in Illinois twelve years 
old, for which the owner refused $S a rod for the'trim- 
miiigs some years ago, it was to be cut high enough to 
leave an everlasiing live fence. I have known it to form 
sterns in one season ]‘i inches in diameter. Designing 
men have procured such samples, .and with them have 
canvassed the country and obtained orders, which have 
often been filled with a spurious article easier to procure. 
Our farmors have been so shamefully humbugged with 
worthless trash, that they are of ojiinion itiat all willow 
is alike worthless. I have now six miles of it, three and 
four years old, and it is a substantial fence, ready to turn 
and defy any stock. I consider It worth more to-day 
than the land it enclo.se-s. For fuel I grow five times the 
amount I can consume. Every year I can cut enough 
poles to fence 2000 acres of land, and still leave me a 
Bub.stantial live fence when they were cut. You may say 
to the readers of the Agriculturist that the white willow 
is no humbug, and if any of them will call, I will show 
them six miles of fence, which will settle the question.” 
Piattso" S4 .b*si'»v AsBioaBg- Clover iiii 
Stactviiig is an English practice. The straw absorbs 
the juices from the clover, and arrests all tendency to in- 
jurioits fermentation. The hay is sweeter, and cattle eat 
the straw with avidity. If you have a heavy crop of 
clover, that Is a little green, put thin layers of bright straw 
between the layers of hay, and there will be no danger. 
for l>ecj> — “ B & B,” 
Adamsville. Ohio, ask, “ What is the best plow to break 
up the ground 14 inches deep, and throw up the sub¬ 
soil 1 ” There are as many patterns of the “double Mich¬ 
igan,” or “ sod and deep soil” plows, as of single plows. 
The plowman must suit himself as to shape atid price. 
We described and figured the operation of these plows 
on page 145, of the last volume, (1865). The sod and 
deep soil plow is like any other large strong plow, with 
a small plow, called the skimmer, Jittached to the beam. 
The beam is subject to severestraiuBand should be strong 
accordingly. Such a plow will do the work required, 
burying the sod either in the bottom of the furrows if the 
slice is thin enough, or folding it like a book and setting 
it edgewise, while the big plow follows and covers it up. 
'fSie ■^Yater Cari’ier Sim|5i'ove4l.— 
B. C. Dodge, Washington, D. C., writes to the Agricul¬ 
turist suggesting an improvement upon the Water Car¬ 
rier, described on page 218, (June). He says : “Instead 
of the number of posts and the wooden track or rail there 
used, a good strong telegraph wire may be substituted to 
great advantage. A strong wire, firmly secured at each 
end and stretched tight, may be thus used for a distance 
of from one to two hundred feet, without any intervening 
posts or supports. If a longer line is required than can 
be thus used, it may be made of any required length by 
the addition of an occasional post—care of course be¬ 
ing taken to so arrange the arm that supports the wire, 
as not to form an obstruction to the passage of the pul¬ 
ley, which is easily done. A common iron pulley can 
be used on the wire. I have seen two sucli devices in 
use, one about 100 feet, and the other nearly ‘200 feet 
long, at an angle of fully forty degrees, without any sup¬ 
port except at the ends, and they worked admirably and 
had been in use for years. One is in Wisconsin and the 
other in Minnesota, and both raise water from fine 
springs situated in deeji hollows, summer and winter. 
CoiiiveBaieiacc aii«l 2*i‘a,ctical Utility 
of Fraane Hives.—On May Sist we swarmed—and 
arranged ready for work—32 swarms of bees in 5X 
hours, by simply lifting out the combs, and sh.aking % of 
the bees together witit the queen into a new hive. While 
under the practice of drumming, it required a whole day 
to drive even 20 swarms. Bidwell Bros., St. Paul, Minn. 
r^'e'tv Ag’alBa.—“A Lady Gardener” 
writes : “ I am tempted to give you my experience with 
Carter’s First Crop. I sent for a package of them with 
other seeds last spring, had them planted uhen the 
garden was m;ide (which is not, in the north part of 
Worcester, Jl.ass., usually “very early.”) I htid peas fit 
for the table July 4th, leaving a portion of the vines un¬ 
touched for seed. The vines so left grew about 2 feet 
high, the peas ripened and were planted again on the 
same ground, and now, July 2Sth. I have a second set 
of vines growing for late ones. Those vines from which 
I plucked the peas green are some of them still growing, 
but none more than 3 feet high. We threw out the Dan. 
O’Rourke years ago as poor in quality, and poor bearers. 
There’s a difference somewhere. I sincerely sympathize 
with your venerable correspondent In his care for the 
green peas, but still think that those I bought under the 
style of Carter’s First Crop are a good pea.” We have 
had other letters speaking well of “ Carter’s First Crop 
Pea,” and doubtless our correspondent, whose letter 
was published last month, got the wrong sort. 
S®l:imi!s i^'swaicd.—“ New Rochelle No. 1, 
Salishuria adiaiiti/'o/fo, the Japtin Ginkgo, and not rare 
in cultivation. No. 2, Periploca Grtsca, often called 
■Virginia Silk, but not a native of this country,.. J. M. 
Wooley, Ogdensburg, N. Y. No. 1, liohinia hispida. 
Rose Acacia. No. 2, Cytisus Laburnum, the Golden 
Chitin, or Laburnum. No. 3, Spiraea prnnifolia _M. R, 
Allen, York Co., Me. No. I, QHnolhcra pumila. Dwarf 
Eviming Primrose. No. 2, Tiarella cordifolia. False 
iMitre-wort — .Miss E. Goss, Wellington, O,, Tlinlictrum 
dioicum. Early .Meadow-rue. You were puzzled with 
this because it is dimeious, anil for the same reason R. 
G. Fuller. Kent, Conn,, could not make out ChamtElirium 
luteum, the Blazing Star _R. II. McCarty, Mottville. 
Spiraea opulifolia. Nine-bark, a shrnb worth cultivating 
-A. W. Tabbut, Columbia Falls, ,Me. No. 1, Ledum 
/nffyofmOT, Labrador Tea. ^o. 2, Juniperus communis, 
Common Juniper_C. W. Bemis, Holliston, M:iss. 
The shrub with yellow flowers and bladdery pod is Cotu 
tea arborescens, Bladder->enna ; the oilier is Amorpha 
fruticosa, False Indigo. ..J. J. S., West Point, O. Di¬ 
centra spectabilis, the Bleeding Heart: the other a Pha- 
eelia, but not enough of it to determine which ...W. S. 
Van Doren, Kansas. We cannot undertake to tell 
double roses from dry specimens.“ Subscriber,” 
Baskingridge. The Scarlet Lyclmis, Lychnis Ckalced- 
onica, n very old garden plant_J. Johnson, Camden, 
N. J. No. 1, Rhexia Virginica, Deer-Grass. No. 2, 
Polygala sanguinea _Mrs. O. D. Frost, Neosho Co., 
Kansas. Sabbatia angularis, one of the species of 
American Centaury; and something of the Mint Family, 
but no flowers to determine it by.— We have a number of 
other specimens which will be determined as soon as we 
have time. 
Sti'si'»vl»cri*ies isi Sowja.. — J. Bouland, 
Winneshiek Co., Iowa, has tried several varieties, and 
they all failed. He does not say whether they were cov¬ 
ered in winter. Plant in spring and when the weather 
is cold enough to freeze the ground, cover with straw, 
corn stalks, or leaves. Wilson’s Albany is perhaps as 
safe as any, but it is no hardier than the Agriculturist 
and many others. 
in Sasi Urasicisco.—Mr. T. Hart 
Hyatt writes, that apricots and green corn appeared in 
the markets of San Francisco on May 20th, and at the 
date of his letter, June 29th, ripe fresh figs have been on 
sale for several days. 
SSetttsBS? ©sag’c 46rang’e Mealg’cs.- J. 
T. .McLain, Morrow Co., 0. It will not do to set Osage 
Orange plants in autumn. The yearling plants are very 
tender, and need to be taken from the seed bed and pro¬ 
tected through the w inter, by setting them in boxes of 
earth in the cellar, or by stacking them up out of doors 
and covering sufficiently with earth to prevent freezing. 
S®iBil£S *8.BS4l I®aiB8s5es.—J. Bouland. If 
your pinks are carnations they should have been layeied 
when in bloom. If they are of the China, or other bien¬ 
nial sorts, you must rely upon seed. Pansies strike 
readily from cuttings taken early In the season from 
near the bottom of the plant. 
Awts iBi tlie <Ssii*4leii.—“H. W.” We 
never had much success in fighting ants, but have not 
tried Mr. Rivers’ preparation, which is : boil 4 oz. quas¬ 
sia chips for 10 minutes in a gallon of water, and add 4 
oz. soft soap. This is poured into the holes and sprinkled 
about in the places where they congregate. 
E“esic1Iics ill l^'ias’sarsi Co.—We are glad 
to learn from a Lockport correspondent, that the promise 
of peaches was never better than it is at present. 
E®i*esci*viiig Celei'y in Cellars.—R. 
Reed, Wayne Co., N. Y., asks the best way to preserve 
celery in cellars, as he finds his to rot by January 1st. 
The best way to preserve celery is to keep it out of the 
cellar altogether. Make a trench in a dry place, a foot 
wide, and as deep as the celery is tall. Set the plants up¬ 
right in the trench, packed close together, and leave them 
until severe weather comes, when straw or other litter is 
to be thrown over, putting it on gradually as the weather 
gets colder, until it amounts to a foot in thickness. 
Tlie ■^Yilson’.s H3ai*Iy siiid S^^ifltatasi- 
ny ISlackberi’ies.-The experience of another .<-ea- 
son shows the great superiority of these v;irieties. The 
Wilson’s Early is especially valuable as a market fruit, 
being early and ripening rapidly. We have seen fine 
specimens from Mr. John S. Collins, of Moorestown, N, 
J., and shall have more to say of this variety at anolher 
time. Tlie Kittatinny has tins year more than sustained 
the high praise've have heretofore given it. It is a little 
laler than the Wilson, and the sweetestand most delicious 
fruit of any variety tliat we have seen in cultivation. 
A. “ Nfest ” isi Yisielstiml.—The 
Vineland people have discovered that their Wilson’s 
Strawberry plants are mostly “bogus”—a variety we 
have not heard of before. A committee has been ap¬ 
pointed by the Agricultural Society to visit the plant.itions 
and point out the true and the “bogus” Wilson. This 
committee find from three fourths to one-eighth of the 
plants to be “ bogus.” The singular thing about it is that 
the conimiilee con-sists of two dealers, who have straw¬ 
berry plants for sale and benevolently pull up “bogus 
plants,” if paid for it, and also furnish the true for a com¬ 
pensation. This is as a corrcspomlent states, and ac¬ 
cording to this, it looks like a rather smart operation. 
