1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
23 
O 
clean, until tlie double shovel-plow gets into it, and 
begins hilling. It is only occasionally that a sprout 
is broken off, and that soon throws up a new shoot. 
In fact, upon any deep-rooting crop, the number of 
injured plants is much less than would be sup¬ 
posed. Accidentally I learned to use the harrow 
broadcast even on melons, cucumbers, and other 
vines. Having set a green Scandinavian to harrow¬ 
ing between the rows of melons, after a driving 
shower had formed a crust, I was surprised upon 
my return to him an hour later, to find him work¬ 
ing the hills as well as the spaces. But while hur¬ 
rying over the field to speak to him, I could find 
but rarely a plant injured, and in consequence al¬ 
lowed him to continue. Since then I have some 
seasons harrowed as much as fifty acres of vines in 
this way, and found that upon deep plantings, just 
as the seed is sprouting, it is quite as beneficial as 
to corn; it cleans the crops, loosens the surface, 
saves expense in tillage, and does not injure the 
stand on a crop, in which seed was planted freely. 
This looks to be a radical method, and no.one 
should try it largely at first, however well it may 
succeed with me. I mention it in hopes it may 
suggest some other crops, upon which it may be 
found profitable to use this good old implement. 
Harrow-toothed Cultivator. 
The harrow-toothed, spreading cultivator, as de¬ 
scribed by Henderson, is an excellent similar im¬ 
plement, cheap, and always desirable for shallow 
tillage, while plants and weeds are small. It is 
greatly improved in its “ grip,” if the points of the 
teeth be flattened, and bent forward. 
For tillage purposes the best-sized harrow teeth 
are 91 inches long and 1 square, projecting ‘fl¬ 
inches below and 21 above the frame. When set 
this depth, the back of the harrow, especially on 
land full of trash and long manure, or veiy lumpy, 
is often quite as serviceable, as the front or points. 
But for lumpy lands, and for smoothing all soils 
after the harrow, for fine seeds, or even field crops, 
one of the most serviceable and inexpensive tools is 
“The Planker,” 
as we call it, for want of a better name, it being 
lighter and cheaper than the clod-crasher. For one 
horse it is made eight feet long, and for two it is 
twelve to sixteen. It 
consists of two heavy 
planks, side by side, 
fastened together by 
six-inch boards, nailed 
ou as cleats at an angle 
of 45 degrees, so that 
they meet in front of 
the center. At this point 
they are firmly nailed 
or bolted together, and 
a hole made for the 
clevis, by which the 
horse is attached. The 
line of draft elevates 
the front edge of this, 
so that it glides upon the lumps, and the 
rolling motion given them, together with the 
weight of the driver, who stands on the back edge, 
thoroughly fines the soil, and leaves a compact, 
smooth surface, in excellent condition to receive 
the garden drill. On our Western soil, free from 
large stones, by the use of this we have little occa¬ 
sion for a rake, even for our finest garden crops, 
except in spots where manure or trash have gath¬ 
ered. If one working of the soil is not sufficient, 
we again harrow and “ plank.” 
Upon corn and other tilled field crops, it leaves 
the ground in excellent condition, to receive the 
most benefit from the use of the harrow, or any 
tillage implement, and to show very plainly the 
traces of the marker. Total cost, 40 to 60 cents. 
Tlie Cultivator Shield. 
When working close to hills or plants, a sheet- 
iron shield, attached to the cultivator, is a most 
admirable help. This is made 4 to 6 inches wide 
and 15 inches long, with rounding lower front edge, 
and by an iron staff is bolted to the side of the 
beam, running nearest to the row, and by it can be 
raised or lowered. If no soil is to be thrown to 
the plants, it is let down to the ground, if little or 
considerable is to be thrown under the plants, the 
shield is raised in proportion. By the help of this 
we can run, without danger of injury, very close to 
even small garden drill plants, like mangels, ruta¬ 
bagas, carrots, etc. We use it most largely with 
the common double-shovel corn-plow of the West, 
(by the way one of the most serviceable tools un¬ 
trammeled by patents,) but it can easily be adapted 
to any cultivator. 
None of these implemente are patented, and if 
used with a little ingenuity, will answer in better 
stead than many expensive patented implements, 
as I have learned to my cost. 
Notes from the Pines. 
Autumn rains have been such a matter of course, 
that we have not appreciated their importance, but 
I think that in no summer’s drouth have I ever so 
earnestly wished for rain, as in the dry days of 
October and November, just passed. Upon No¬ 
vember, 23d, we had the first important rain for 
months. The old saying, that “ winter will not set 
in until the swamps are filled,” recognises a fact 
that we had seriously impressed upon us in the_ 
winter of 1872-73, that plants suffer as much from 
a dry winter, as from an excessively cold one. A 
nurseryman in Georgia, who sent me a few trees, 
wrote that the ground was so dry, that he could 
only get the plants up by the use of a pick and by 
watering. And so it seems to have been all over 
the country, and unless we have abundant rain 
before winter sets in, our evergreen growers will 
have a sorry story to tell next spring... .It may be 
regarded as one of the certainties in horticulture, 
SECTION OF GREENHOUSE AND EXTENSION. 
that no greenhouse is ever large enough, that is, an 
amateur’s greenhouse. I find it so myself, and I 
judge from the number of friends who complain of 
having more plants than they can make room for, 
that the experience is general. It is easy to accu¬ 
mulate plants, but 
Enlarging a Greenhouse, 
is a matter which often presents other difficulties 
besides that of paying the bills. If one’s house, as 
is the case with mine, was built to fit a particular 
place, it is difficult to enlarge it. The house is a 
wide lean-to, with a curvilinear roof. It is 11 feet 
wide, and the front to the eaves trough, is 5 feet 3 
inches high. The only possible way to get more 
room, was to extend in front. This has been done, 
and I am so well pleased with the result, that I 
give a diagram, thinking that it may be of use to 
others who would like to enlarge in a similar 
manner. The main house, with its two benches, is 
shown in section at the right of the plan. The 
addition is about 6 feet wide on the ground. Its 
front wall, at the extreme left of the diagram, is 
18 inches high, from this starts the roof, and meets 
the other house directly under the eaves trough. 
The roof is fixed, but has four ventilators of three 
panes each, arranged to lift from within. In order 
to gain head room, the path, 2 feet wide, is exca¬ 
vated, and the bench consists of the unmoved 
earth, planked up in front, and then cemented 
over the surface. The roof of this addition has a 
water conductor, and is furnished with a set of 
light shutters, which may be put on when the 
weather is unusually severe. In the front wall of 
the main house, and opposite the water pipes, are 
four openings, 12x18 inches, closed by sliding 
shutters. By opening these, and by lifting the 
front sashes of the main house, heat maybe let 
into the addition whenever necessary, I have not 
tried it, but I think my heating apparatus is suffi¬ 
cient to heat both houses, if desired. It is very 
difficult to keep a varied collection in a single 
house ; even if we omit the proper stove plants, the 
temperature required for the blooming of most 
greenhouse plants, is greater than is needed by 
many things, and did it not give me over one half 
more room, I should value the addition as furnish¬ 
ing a cool house for roses, azaleas, ferns, and other 
plants. It is a great comfort to have a thing done 
just as you want it, and I will give Mr. Hand, 
of Jersey City, the credit of having made an ex¬ 
cellent job. I only made a rough sketch upon 
paper, detailing exactly what was to be done, and 
did not bother myself any more about it....I 
wonder if the 
Japan Quince, or Pyrns Japonica, 
fruited as freely everywhere as it did with me. 
Even small bushes were fairly loaded with the 
fruit. This quince has a very pleasant fragrance, 
and this has been regarded as the sum of its good 
qualities, but a friend showed me a sample of jelly 
made from it, which was handsome to the eye and 
pleasant to the taste, saving that the acid was ex¬ 
ceedingly sharp. 
The Cultivation of Native Plants 
has for some years been a hobby of mine, and I 
have several times alluded to it in these “Notes.” 
The collection has increased to such an extent that, 
while I do not neglect the exotics, I find the ter¬ 
ritory devoted to the native Americans each year 
extending its borders. To meet the requirements 
of certain species that are fastidious about their 
locality, we have made a new rock-work for the 
mountaineers, and by the aid of peat have prepared 
a ground for the “ bog-trotters,” and now the only 
lack is a pond for aquatics, which must be ac¬ 
complished somehow, though I do not yet see my 
way to that. One pleasant thing about the matter 
is that my mention of bringing native plants into 
the garden has brought out the fact that there are 
a number of others, in different parts of the country, 
who are engaged in the same thing, and “The 
Pines” received contributions from these, for which 
it returned an equivalent, and is ready to reciprocate 
similar favors from all lovers of native plants. 
- — - — . — ■--- 
The Mystic Apple. 
BT WILLIAM CLIFT. 
This beautiful fall apple, illustrated in our pres¬ 
ent issue, originated in the Mystic Valley, and very 
appropriately bears its name. It was taken as a 
seedling from the farm of Alden Fish, about the 
year 1837, and was planted in the garden now occu¬ 
pied by Asa Fish, by James D. Fish, now of New 
York. The tree, though a vigorous grower, was 
rather late in coming into bearing, and did not 
yield much fruit until 1856. Since then it has 
borne large crops in the even years, with few or 
none in the odd years. It had 30 bushels this year. 
The illustration is from a specimen of medium 
size. The fruit is medium to full medium, oblong, 
regular; surface smooth, shaded red on yellow, 
with irregular and broken stripes of red ; russet 
dots distinct; basin medium, regular or slightly 
plaited; eye long, small, and closed; cavity acute, 
regular ; stem long, and slender; core, large, regu¬ 
lar, oval, closed, clasping ; seeds numerous, plump, 
brown; flesh, white, slightly suffused with red 
near the core in some specimens, fine grained, ten¬ 
der and juicy; flavor, sub-acid, sprightly, and re¬ 
freshing; quality best; use, dessert, kitchen, mar- 
