30(5 
AMERICAN AGP3GULT URIST. 
mark tlie row, open a trench with a hoe, about 
three inches deep, and distribute the seed as 
evenly as possible. Then cover with soil to the 
depth of three inches. A thin layer of old and 
well-decomposed manure spread over the rows 
will be of advantage. This is the usual way of 
planting apple and pear seeds. Pear stocks, 
however, need rather more care than the apple. 
Every means should be taken to hasten the 
early Spring growth, and a liberal supply of 
ashes to the soil will he found beneficial, 
and, unless in a limestone country, a good sup¬ 
ply of lime should be given to the soil. When 
the seeds start in the Spring, the plants should 
be thinned out so that they will not crowd one 
another, and the growth promoted by frequent 
cultivation and weeding. In thinning, leave the 
most vigorous looking plants. In Autumn the 
seedlings are to be taken up, with care not to 
injure the roots. They are to be cut back, both 
at the top and roots, from one-third to one-half. 
Those large enough for root-grafting are placed 
by themselves, and the weaker seedlings are 
put together to be planted out in the Spring, to 
make another growth. Both sizes are to be pre¬ 
served in slightly damp sand or earth in the 
cellar. During the Winter, the grafting may be 
done, and all be ready to put out in nursery 
rows as soon as the ground is fit to receive 
them. Cherry stones may be treated in the 
same way. Keep them in boxes of sand until 
Autumn, and then plant. In collecting peach 
pits for stocks, we cannot too often repeat the 
necessity of securing them from perfectly 
health}^ trees. The pits may be kept in boxes, 
mixed with sand or earth, and exposed to the 
full influence of the frost; or if the quantity is 
large, they may be mixed with earth, and 
made into a mound well covered with soil, in 
a convenient place. When the germ shows 
signs of starting in the Spring, the seeds may 
he planted with a dibble in nursery rows. By 
the following Autumn the seedlings will usu¬ 
ally be large enough for budding. 
---—eea^g rr- . 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Currants and How to Propagate Them. 
Communicated by an Experienced Cultivator. 
The Currant is one of those fruits which 
seem to thrive in spite of neglect, and to give 
tolerable crops in almost any soil and location. 
They will grow and produce some fruit if the 
bushes are allowed to have their own way and 
are choked with weeds. Let any one compare 
the fruit as ordinarily produced, with the fine 
specimens which have been shown on the 
tables at the American Agriculturist Office, and 
he will see that there is something to learn, 
even about currants. Any sort properly culti¬ 
vated and pruned, will give far better fruit than 
it will if neglected, and there are new and fine 
sorts, requiring no more care than the old ones, 
which will produce fruit vastly superior. For 
red sorts, the Cherry and La Versailles, and for 
white, the White Grape and Provence, will give 
a good selection, though there are many others 
which have their advocates. The sorts in culti¬ 
vation are generally of foreign origin, but some 
native species have lately been introduced from 
the far West, of which we have great hopes. 
For the present, however, we must be content 
with the European sorts. There is, perhaps, no 
plant more easily propagated than the currant. 
During the present month (October) select strong 
wood of last year’s growth, and make cuttings 
of six indies to a foot long, cutting them off 
just below a bud, and square across. To pre¬ 
pare the cuttings for planting, cut out every ejm 
or bud except two or three from the upper end. 
Cuttings may be planted and grow without 
all this trouble, but if good tree-like plants are 
desired it is necessary to take some pains to 
procure them. Stretch a line across the bed 
where the cuttings are to be planted, and then 
take a spade, place its back against the line, 
force it into the ground nearly perpendicularly 
to the depth of about six inches, and throw out 
the soil, thus making a trench the shape of a 
letter V. Now set the cuttings about three 
inches apart, along in this trench, witli their 
upper ends about even with the surface, as the 
soil will settle enough during the Winter to ex¬ 
pose the upper buds. Throw a little soil into 
the trench, j ust enough to cover the lower part 
of the cuttings for one or two inches, and then 
witli the handle of the spade, or the edge of a 
piece of board, crowd the soil down firmly 
around them. It is essential to success to bring 
the soil closely in contact with the freshly-cut 
portion, so as to exclude the air. If the cuttings 
are set in the latter part of September, or early 
in October, they will often become well rooted 
by Winter, and be prepared to make a vigorous 
growth in Spring ; indeed they will do twice as 
well as cuttings put out in Spring. When cold 
weather comes on, the cuttings should have a 
covering of three or four inches of leaves or 
straw, not so much to keep out. the frost, as 
to prevent them from being thrown out by 
frequent freezing and thawing. In the Spring 
the covering may be removed altogether, or it 
may be parted just over the cuttings, and left 
as a mulch. The soil for cuttings should be 
well worked; only old, fine manure be used, and 
a dry situation should be selected for the bed. 
Healthfulness of Currants. 
Mi'S. W. Hauff, Richmond Co., N. Y., in a 
communication to the American Agriculturist says: 
“ Whenever I see the abundant planting of cur¬ 
rants recommended by you, I feel as if I must 
tell you that I have found this excellent fruit a 
sure preventive of dyspepsia. For three sum¬ 
mers past I have made my breakfast of them as 
long as they were to be had, and eaten them 
frequently during the day besides. I find that 
a plateful of currants eaten with sugar in the 
morning, disposes of all the bad accumulations 
in the stomach, without giving diarrhoea, and 
helps to strengthen the digestive power through 
the wholesome acid this fruit contains, in 
which it is superior to the strawberry, rasp¬ 
berry, etc., for I have tried each in its turn. I 
can digest, without trouble, a hearty dinner after 
I have had a breakfast of currants, while at 
times my stomach has been so weak, that a cup 
full of broth or soup only, would give me pain 
as if a cancer was gnawing within me.”—[This 
accords with the experience of many others, 
but in the treatment of dyspepsia, or any other 
disease, it should be borne in mind that “what 
is one man’s meat, is another’s poison.” Each 
must experiment and determine for himself 
what is suited to his particular case. In gen¬ 
eral, however, it may be safely asserted that a 
more liberal use of this and other fruits during 
Summer, in place of meat, would greatly dimin¬ 
ish dyspepsia and other ailments of the digestive 
organs.—It is to be remembered, however, that 
■when currants are eaten, every berry is to be 
broken, before it is swallowed; the gastric juice 
of the stomach can not act upon the unbroken 
skin, and whole currants produce irritation 
through the whole alimentary canal, often caus- 
[OCTOiiUI*. 
mg colic and diarrhoea. Children and per¬ 
sons having defective teeth, too often swallow 
them unmasticated, and suffer therefore.—E d.] 
Renovation of Fruit Trees. 
Mr. Wm. H. Morgan, of Harford Co., Md., 
writes to the Agriculturist: “I had a fine large 
apple tree which was very thrifty, but did not 
bear in the Spring. I dug a ditch just under the 
outer ends of the limbs, cutting off all the ends 
of the roots; and some months before the leaves 
of the other trees faded, this tree’s leaves turned 
yellow. That Fall I manured the ground 
heavily, and in the following Spring strewed a 
peck of bone-dust over it, and plowed it in, and 
then put on a half bushel of ashes. This sea¬ 
son the tree looks very flourishing, and has 
half a crop of apples upon it, while before it 
scarcely ever yielded a dozen, and they were 
small and knotty. Others of my trees which 1 
treated in like manner, except cutting off the 
roots, have borne full this season.” 
Manuring Fruit Trees Injurious. 
An indignant subscriber writes us that, in ac¬ 
cordance with the advice of this paper, he dressed 
his young fruit-trees last Fall with horse manure, 
forking in the same the following Spring, but 
that his trees were injured \>y it. They did not 
put forth leaves until June, and then only after he 
removed the manure, headed them back severe¬ 
ly, washed the trunks, soaked the ground, etc. 
Did we ever advise to apply “ horse-dung,” 
and that in a fresh or decomposed state, 
as we learn yours was? Well-rotted manure, 
cow and horse dung together, composted with 
muck or sods, would be nearer to our doctrine. 
We have often said, and now repeat it, that per¬ 
haps the safest and best fertilizer for young trees, 
both fruit and ornamental, is swamp muck com¬ 
posted with lime at the rate of two bushels to 
the cord evenly distributed through it, or of 
ashes at the rate of about six bushels. This 
should lie in a heap several months, and be 
forked and shoveled well together several times. 
And when used, it will do no such harm as did 
our friend’s hot horse dung. It will keep the 
soil healthfully moist in Summer, porous and 
sweet at all times, and will furnish vegetable 
food for the roots in a gradual way, just as they 
need it. A little old dung mixed with it will do 
no harm. And when applying it, let it be 
spread over the entire surface of the roots, not 
in a heap close to the trunk of the tree. 
What Early Apples to Plant, 
Several letters have been sent to the Agri¬ 
culturist office asking advice as to early varieties 
of apples, but no letter has stated whether they 
were to be grown for market or for home con¬ 
sumption. Those who prefer a moderate quan¬ 
tity of choice fruit for their own use, would re¬ 
quire a different selection from those who wish¬ 
ed to get the most for their fruit in the market. 
As the best summer kinds we name : Primate, 
Gravenstein, Early Joe, Red Astrachan, Sum¬ 
mer Queen, and Yellow Sweet Bough; the last 
three being best adapted for marketing. The 
Primate is an apple which will give general 
satisfaction and is in some places cultivated as 
the Early Bough, and Early Harvest, to both 
of which it is greatly superior. Gravenstein is 
a remarkably high flavored fruit, and the Early 
Joe is probably the best of all early apples. It 
