VOL. L. NO. 2i ; 3. 
NEW YORK, MAY 2 , i89i 
PRICE, FIVE CENTS. 
$2.00 PER YEAR. 
A PATH AND BORDERS. 
T HE little scene, shown at Fig. 115, shows a curving 
path in the Rural Grounds, and a number of t rees 
and shrubs growing nearby. The first tree on 
the left is a seedling Siberian Fir, called in catalogues 
Picea pichta. It is also known as Abies Siberica by the 
more recent nomenclature. This fir is about 15 years old 
from the seed, and about nine feet high. In so far as this 
climate is concerned, it has proved perfectly hardy, shows 
as yet no inclination to lose its lower foliage, and in form 
is more inclined to the narrow pyramidal than is the Bal¬ 
sam Fir. Further on is a specimen of the 
Golden or Sunray Pine—Pinus Massoniana 
variegata—" variegata” in this case, as ap 
plied to conifers, means something. Its 
golden color is constant and brightest dur¬ 
ing the winter months. Thus far it has 
proved hardy, though of slow growth. 
The specimen is but four feet high, its 
growth having been somewhat retarded by 
a removal. It was received from the Par¬ 
sons, of Flushing, L. I., about 10 years ago. 
It is as yet a rare tree, and the price for 
small specimens is $3. 
Between the Sunray Pine and the Siberian 
Fir is a single plant of the charming Mag 
nolia stellata. It is at this time (April 18) 
a mass of snowy white blossoms. They are 
feebly fragrant, pure white, with about 20 
narrow petals, two inches in length. It is 
in its fullest bloom when Soulange’s, Len- 
ne’s, etc., are just breaking bud. Its habit 
is dwarf and bush-like. It is a native of 
Japan, introduced by Dr Hall, as we re¬ 
member some 15 years ago, and at first 
called M. Thurberii, after the late Dr. Geo. 
Thurber. In the background and iu the 
middle of the picture is a small, narrow, 
light colored shrub. It is the variegated 
Euonymus radicans. By means of its root¬ 
lets, similar to those of ampelopsis, the 
slender Dranches are held closely together, 
so that it orms a compact bush. The leaves 
are half silver, half green, the variegation 
constant—the bush hardy. It may also be 
trained as a vine upon stone or brick work. 
In the near foreground on the right is a 
double flowering Japan Wistaria. That is 
what it was bought for at any rate some 10 
years ago. It has never bloomed. The 
plant is cut back from year to year, and so 
retained in a bush form, wbich may account 
for its declining to bloom. Back of the 
wistaria is the Dwarf White Pine, and 
still beyond, in the extreme background, is 
the Pyramidal Oak—Quercus robur fas- 
tigiata It was planted some 16 years ago, 
and though now 30 feet in height, is scarcely 
seven feet iu its widest diameter. As a 
fastigiate ties we do not know of its equal, 
the branches being long and slender and 
well clothed until after frost, with its sturdy 
foliage. 
ENEMIES OF THE PEAR. 
As an authority on pears, Mr. E P. 
Powell undoubtedly stands at tne head; 
but, like the rest of us, his knowledge is 
necessarily bjunded by his experience and 
observation. What is true in one place, 
may not be true a hundred miles distant 
or less. There are many things we do not know, but ought 
to know, and would know, if readers would communicate 
freely to the papers about their experience and observation. 
On page 282 of Thk Rural, Mr. Powell says that the 
apple has four enemies, and the pear none, except the 
blight. In Southern Michigan the case is very different. 
The codling moth has discovered that on the pear grow 
just a 3 good worms as on the apple, or better. Some varie¬ 
ties are as much troubled with the scab as the apple; 
others are becoming infected with a leaf rust; while the 
plum curculio and pear-tree aphis are on the increase. 
But perhaps the most destructive and wily of all enemies 
is the pear-tree [slug (Selandria cerasi). It did Immense 
damage last year to my pear orchard of 800 trees before 
I discovered the pest. In the early autumn the secoad 
brood came on. They were not so numerous in the pear 
orchard, but in the cherry orchard they were worse than 
ever; but on account of the lateness of the season I thought 
they would do little harm, and neglected them. In a few 
days the trees were stripped of every green leaf. These 
black demons do not rain down, bat have a history that all 
fruit growers should understand. 
I shall continue to grow pears, and expect to succeed In 
the face of enemies. But let no one plant a pear orchard, 
cultivate it a few years, seed it down, turn in the hogs to 
A PATH AND BORDERS. Fig. 115. 
keep the worms down, get behind his fast horse and “git 
there” with the expectation of reaping $100 or $200 an 
acre annually, for he may not realize his hopes. 
Washtenaw Co., Mich. w. F. bird. 
“ Me Too” as to Anjou Pears. 
I feel like saying “ me too” to E, P. P.’s commendation 
of the Anjou Pear as a profitable market variety. The 
handsomest pear orchard I ever saw was that of the late 
Capt. Coit, of Norwich Town, Conn., composed, as the re¬ 
sult of much experience, almost exclusively of the Anjou 
variety. His only secret in the cultivation was an open 
one—judicious thumb and finger pruning. K. H. N, 
New York. 
A BEAUTIFUL TREE-THE SASSAFRAS. 
When the uncommercial-minded is moved to suggest the 
planting of certain trees for foliage effect among other 
qualifications, why does he never include tho sassafras, one 
of our fragrant native trees which abounds in certain lo¬ 
calities, particularly about Philadelphia? Of all the trees 
which, last fall, excited my admiration, none equaled the 
superb beauty of a sassafras which stands in front of 
“ Stonebye” and which for several days was a sight well 
worth a journey to see. Tnis tree has a height of probably 
50 feet, with an equal breadth across the lowest branches, 
the form of the top being pyramidal. When 
budding in the spring it is very beautiful, 
and in the sunshine looks as if studded all 
over with exquisite gems, while in any 
light the twigs seem holding up tiny can¬ 
delabra; and all through the summer the 
'j fine green leaves of elegant sheen and shape, 
are beautiful. But last October, when 
leaves began to “ turn,” those of this sas¬ 
safras yielded to their fate in the most 
picturesque fashion. The undermost leaves 
of all the branches were the first to become 
yellow, shading off in the higher layers 
through tones of orange, crimson and red- 
brown, while the topmost leaves that were 
in full light remained green. So the tree 
stood, like a huge bouquet of brilliant 
colors, and iu certain effects of sunlight the 
gorgeous hues seemed illuminated in some 
mysterious manner from beneath, as if the 
brilliancy emanated from the bright yellow 
undermost leaves, forming a splendid spec¬ 
tacle. And now that the tree stands in 
winter undress, with its crooked, fantasti¬ 
cally turned branches revealed in all their 
“idiosyncrasies,” it is still an object of 
charming interest, and trees to my eye are 
almost finer in winter than when in foliage, 
the beauty of form and the beauty of the 
bark being so much more apparent, and 
close acquaintance with these beauties is 
certainly facilitated when “trees are bare 
and fields are brown.” 
MARY WAGER FISHER. 
The only objection we know of to this 
tree of many excellent qualifications is its 
propensity to sucker.— Eds. 
We need grapes as good as Brighton and 
as nearly seedless as possible, consistently 
with tho laws of propagation. Rogers’s 
hybrids are notable for large seeds. 
We need a gooseberry of the native stock 
as large and fine as Whitesmith or Crown 
Bob of the English sorts. We shall never 
popularize the gooseberry in this country 
till we can offer larger berries of more at¬ 
tractive colors. 
We much need a strain of hardy peaches. 
There is no difficulty in getting Crawfords 
and Hales, or nearly any of the trees 
through safely, but while the leaf buds are 
all right the blossom buds are killed That 
a series of experiments would secure a per¬ 
fectly hardy, first-class peach for a climate 
like that of central New York and Mas¬ 
sachusetts I have no doubt. 
Improvements in the strawberry should 
be entirely in the plaut and root. Parker 
Earle and Haverland are illustrations of 
vastly elongated roots. Our trouble with the culture of the 
strawberry is winter heaving. We have to cover our beds, 
not to protect the fruit buds so much as to prevent the 
frost from heaving the plants out. We need large, strong 
foliage and long, abundant roots. No new sort deficient 
in these lines should be sent out. Larger or better berries 
we are no longer in need of. 
We need a determined effort to produce quinces fit for 
dessert. In this frait lie great possibilities. Bo far we 
have hardly made a break in the line of evolution. Nor 
have we developed the quinci largely as yet on its natural 
or wild line as a cooking fruit. We shall see a fortune 
made in this way soon. These are a few of the improve¬ 
ments to be worked for in small fruits. E. p. p. 
