4:36 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
and our gi-otinds are tilled wiili miserable, dis¬ 
torted, imsigluly abortions, called weeping va- 
thing’ for Ibe would be scieutilic, to attribute 
phenomena they cannot explain to electricity— 
and Ibis agent has been the refuge of several 
of those who have written upon the diseases of 
plants. We have one letter before us from a 
photographer—wdio, taking a photograpic view 
of tlie subject, is quite sure tliat the pear bligiit 
is due to tlie effect of lite sudden liglit of flasli- 
es of ligiitning in a dark nigiit—tliough lie fails 
to tell us why this affects one tree, and leaves 
another of the same varietj’-, next to it, untouch¬ 
ed. In discussing this subject, we must recollect 
that all fruit trees are, in a measure, unhealthy; 
that the larger or finer our apples and pears, the 
more they have departed from the natifral con¬ 
dition. This being the case, we ought not to 
look for perfect health in every cultivated va¬ 
riety. As to our ability to cure diseased trees 
by an}'’ medication, we doubt if it will ever be 
attained. To many %vho write us with the view 
that we can prescril)e something to cure their 
trees, -we must confess our inability to do so. 
If good feeding will not help them, together 
witli drainage, we fear that the case is hopeless. 
Want of vigor or health is often due to a lack 
of alkaline matter in the soil, and benefit is 
often experienced from a free use of lime or 
ashes—but this is fertilization and not medica¬ 
tion. Some of the most serious troubles, such 
as bark bursting and cracking, are due to 
changes of temperature beyond our control. 
The selection of varieties that mature their wood 
early, and the use of low heade<l trees, rather 
than those with long and naked stems, are the 
best jireventives against these troubles. As to 
the leaf blight, that as yet remains a mystery. 
Until its real nature is understood, we must act 
empirically, and cut severely whenever it ap¬ 
pears, even if it takes the tree down to the 
ground. Our pomological societies have, as a 
general thing, given too much attention to the 
quality of fruit, to the neglect of the character 
of the tree. Of late years there has been an 
improvement in this respect. We have good 
fruits enough, now let us go in for healthy trees. 
Grafting Nut-bearing Trees. 
This subject seems to be one that is exciting 
considerable interest, and we have asked for 
the experience of cultivators without receiving 
any satisfactory replies. We find in a French 
journal an article by M. Peretti, who claims to 
have had satisfactory success with ordinary 
cleft and crown grafting. He jirepares his trees 
beforehand by cutting them back so as to in¬ 
duce them to throw out numerous young shoots, 
and when these shoots are a year, old, he saws 
them off about 18 inches from the trunk and 
inserts a cion iii Spring in the usual way, by 
cleft or crown grafting.—We shall be very glad 
to hear of the success of this or any other 
method of grafting the walnut and chestnut, as 
there are many trees that produce fruit of so 
fine quality that it is desirable to i)ropagate it. 
Cut-leaved and other Odd Plants. 
We are never satisfied with the ordinary way 
of things. If we have a new plant with a red 
fiower, we are not content unless it “breaks” 
into all the shades that red flowers are capable 
of, and if it will only sport into stripes and 
blotches, our happiness, as far as this flower is 
concerned, is complete. Trees, in branching, 
have their limbs form some respectable angle 
with the trunk, but let one get tin unnatural twist 
and it is forthwith propagated as a “Weeper,” 
rieties of trees, that in their normal state are 
beautiful. There are some graceful weeping va- 
Fig. 2.— CUT-LEAVED SUMACH. 
rieties, however, that are really fine, “ we only 
protest against every miserable thing that don’t 
know how to grow decently, being catalogued 
as a weeping variety. Then we have plants 
with variegated foliage — sold 
often at enormous jirices. Some 
of these with distinct and well 
defined markings, are Avell 
enough to make up a variety, 
but the most of them are poor, 
sickly things, that forlunirtely 
.soon die out. Another class of 
v.ariations from the usual con¬ 
dition is found in the cut-leaved 
plants. In these the blade of 
the leaf has its margins more 
or less deeply indented—some¬ 
times quite down to the mid¬ 
rib. Now we do not object to 
the striving after novelties, for 
it is to this spirit, that satiated 
with its present achievements, 
strives to attain to something 
beyond, that we are indebted 
for our great progress in horti¬ 
culture. But we do dislike the 
indiscriminate praise of a thing 
simply because it is new or odd. 
In matters of horticulture, taste 
should be considered, and if we 
are to have monsters, let them 
be lovely ones, and possess real 
beauty of color and form. There 
are many of these abnormal 
forms of vegetation that ■u'c 
really like, and many others, that, like ani¬ 
mal monsters, ought never to be propagated. 
Some of the most pleasing of these freaks are 
found among the cut-leaved plants, in which 
we often get a remarkable effect from the finely 
divided condition of their foliage. Cut-leaved 
birches, beeches, maples, etc., are not rare, and 
are to be had at our principal nurseries. We 
have seen in the grounds of a friend a new thing 
in the ■nmy of cut-leaved trees—the “ skeleton¬ 
leaved” Horse-chestnut. One would suppose 
that the leaf of the Horse-chestnut was cut up 
enough naturally; but in this the leaflets them¬ 
selves are sub-divided, giving the leaf a most 
singular appearance, which we have represent¬ 
ed in fig. 1. We recently saw in the grounds of 
Mr. D. D. Buchanan, of Elizabeth, N. J., a cut¬ 
leaved variety of the common Sumach. This 
, was discovered many years ago in Westchester 
j Co., Penn., and we first saw it in the grounds of 
I our venerable friend—the late Doct. Darlington. 
Every one knows the common Sumach, Ehus 
glnhra, so frequent in sterile soils. In this va¬ 
riety, the long pinnate leaves are sub-divided in 
such a way that the whole plant presents a del¬ 
icate fern-like appearance. We have only I'oom 
to illustrate a single leaf, and this does not con¬ 
vey an adequate idea of the beauty of the whole 
shrub. The green of the leaf is very dai k, and 
the stem is of a rich purple color, that contrasts 
finely with that of the leaves. This A’’ai icty in 
autumn takes on the same gorgeous scarlet and 
crimson colors as does the usual form, which is 
a plant that, by its intensity of color, adds 
much to the brilliancy of our autumn scenery. 
- - -I I m 
The Surprise Appi.e.— This is an old va¬ 
riety, though one that is seldom seen. It has 
no great value as an eatable fruit, but is worth 
growing in large collections as a curiosity. It is 
astnall, rather pretty apple, with a clean yellow 
skin, and when cut, the flesh is found to be red 
throughout. From the appearance of the 
exterior no one would expect to find it red 
within, and when cut it is truly a surprise. 
