an incli and a half in diameter, and bo numerous 
were the roots on it, I concluded to count them 
on one foot of its length, and, to my surprise, 
there were 135 of them, of all sizes, from mere 
fibers to the size of wheat straw, and some of them 
near four feet in length. 
Now, some of the advantages of covering base 
vims are theseFirst, it saves the expense of the 
base wire, or slat, on the trellis. .Second, it saves 
the labor of keeping the base vine in its place. 
Third, the great increase of roots the vine gets. 
Fourth, the uprights can be brought out of the 
ground just where they are wanted. Fifth, it is 
now generally admitted that we will save a crop 
of grapes every three or four years, by covering 
the vines in winter, and the uprights coming out 
of the ground and being laid down 
S/j and covered in the winter, they can 
w] be placed in that position without 
it injury, till they ate two or three 
fi inches iu diameter. Sixth, a young 
f| vineyard, by laying in the vines as 
a soon as they get sufficient length 
for an upright, will be brought into 
/f full bearing much quicker than it 
i would if cut back two or three of 
mV 1 , the first years of growth. Theobjeo- 
J jit, tion Mr. & H. Ainsworth speaks of, 
* ® I'jjjl that some of the fruit is too near the 
J /fJj ground, is overcome by trimming 
M \ the uprights clean of bearing wood, 
W,.f to the desired height. 
M§ Alvin Wilcox. 
m West Bloomfield, N. Y., 1860. 
not the case. The value of this flower depends 
principally upon the form ol the spike and the 
arrangement of the single flowers or bells upon 
the flower stem. The truss of bloom or spike 
should be pyramidal, and the flowers close enough 
to entirely conceal the stalk. 
the tulips. 
The Tulips are divided into two general classes, 
Early and Late. The Early Tulips flower in 
this latitude about the first of May. The earliest 
of the class is the Hue Van Thol, single and 
double. Of the single variety we give an engrav¬ 
ing taken from nature, and we not, only recom¬ 
mend this, but the early tulips generally, to the 
favorable notice of all lovers of early spring 
flowers. 
COLORING BLACK, 
TO MAKE FRUIT TREES BEAR. 
Various methods nave neen proposed tor 
making fruit trees bear early. As a general 
thing, it is not best, to force trees into early fruit¬ 
fulness, as it. is necessary that they should have 
time to make a good and substantial growth, and 
obtain a proper form to bear, in after years, the 
strong demand made upon the vitality of the 
tree by successive crops. Root-prnning is apt to 
selfish terms. The well nigh drowned Stephen gladly 
aeeuedeli, aud fetor sighed and scaled the provisions 
thereof by pulling bis heretofore bitter adversary out iif 
the awful ditch. The peace so unauspieiously inaugu¬ 
rated was preserved inviolate to the (loath of ‘ Old Peter,' 
and Stephen Girard became his sole heir. 
11 After Stephen Girard became the fortunate possessor 
of old Peter’s heritage, he permitted grafts to he taken 
from the old Seoltel tree. By this meauH the variety was 
extended From this one tree, all the numerous Seekol 
pour trees, throughout the length and breadth of the 
Union at the present day, originated. Probaby hut few, 
even of our intelligent fruit growers, are aware of this 
indisputable fact." 
Mr. Downing gives a somewhat diiTorcnt account of 
the origin and introduction of this lino pear, ns follows:- 
11 The first pnmologists of Europe havo pronounced the 
Seckel entirely distinct from any European variety, and 
its allinity to the Rousisetet, a well Uuown German pear, 
leads to the supposition that tho seeds of the latter pear 
some of the Germans 
by a dyer. It is as follows: 
Black on Wool, Silk, or Cotton.— For every 
pound of cloth, it will require one onnee of the 
extract of logwood, and half an ounce of blue 
vitriol. Prepare an iron kettle with a sufficient 
quantity of water to admit tho yarn, or cloth, to 
bo worked in the dye without being crowded, 
bring tho water to scalding heat, then put in 
yarn, or cloth, a few minutes. When it, is thor¬ 
oughly wet, take It out and drain it. In the next 
case, add the bluo vitriol, and when dissolved, and 
the dye skimmed carefully, put in the materials to 
be colored, and k t it remain at a scalding heat 
half an hour, ailing it, occasionally, then take it 
out and rinse it In water. The vitriol water may 
now be turned into a, separate vessel, the extract 
of logwood dissolved in a sufficient quantity ot 
water brought to a scalding heat and skimmed. 
Pat in the cloth, keeping the dye at the same 
temperature, and let it remain half an hour, airing 
frequently, then take It, out and drain it,—add the 
vitriol water to Iho dye, put it in again, and let it 
remain 15 imputes, airingns before. Rinse it, well. 
Clvde. N. Y„ 1860. Emily A, Whittlesey. 
having been brought here by 
settling near Philadelphia, by chance produced this 
superior needling. However this may he, the billowing 
moreen*. of its history may be relied on ns authentic, it 
having been related by the late venerable Hidmp White, 
whose tenacity of memory is well known. About K0 
years ago, when the Bishop wns a lad, there was a well 
known sportsman aud cattle dealer in Philadelphia, who 
was familiarly known as ‘Dutch .Tncoh.’ Every season, 
early in the autumn, on returning from his shooting 
excursions, Dutch Jacob regaled bis neighbors with pears 
of an unusually delicious flavor, the secret of whose 
place of growth, however he would nover satisfy their 
curiosity by divulging. At length, tljo Holland Land 
Company, owning a considerable tract south of the city, 
1 disposed of it in parcels, and Dutch Jacob then secured 
tho grouud on which hut favorite pear tree stood, a line 
strip nf laud near the Delaware. Not long afterwards, it 
became tho farm of Mr. Suckle, who introduced this 
remarkable fruit to tho public notice, and it received 
his name 
CAKES, FLITTERS, PUDDING, &c. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— Raving seen and 
tried many of the recipes in your valuable paper, 
and flndiug them good, f thought r, too, might 
contribute something that would be of benefit to 
your readers. 
Sponge Cake. — Six eggs; two cups coffee 
sugar; two cups silted flour. Beat the whites of 
the eggs to a still’ froth; stir sugar and the yolks 
together, and when light, add one and one-halt 
cups of the flour. Stir it lightly until thoroughly 
mixed, then add the whites of the eggs and 
remainder of the flour, stirring as little as possi¬ 
ble to have it mixed. Pat in a buttered tin, and 
place it iu a moderately heated oven. 
Cheap Flitters. —One pint, sour cream; ona 
pint buttermilk; four eggs; cue aud one-half tea¬ 
spoons soda; I teaspoon salt,— mix and fry as for 
crullers. To bo eaten warm. 
Indian Pudding.— One quart buttermilk; three 
eggs; two teaspoons soda; one teaspoon salt. 
for the truth of it; aud any person who will try this 
■experiment, will have an opportunity also to learn why 
a graft grows faster than tho stock into which it is set, 
and why a tree grafted in the top Is more likely to bear 
fruit than one grafted at tho toot.— Seth Pains, South 
Granby , Oswego Co., A’. 1'., I860. 
Another correspondent has been successful in 
inducing fruitfulness by pruning. This method 
we have described iu answer to inquiries and in 
articles on pruning, not less than ascore of times: 
Eos. Rural New-Yorker:—I wrote you asking what 
I could do to a tino Baldwin apple treo to make It hear, 
telling you what I had done. I also wrote the Farmers 
Club to the same ©fleet, hut recceivod from the Inquiry 
no very definite suggestions, hut a letter from a gentle¬ 
man In California and another in Ohio. The latter had 
l iron iliogn pTaee’d''roun'iY* tfuTtree, tho other, 
boring through to tho heart of the tree. J tried neither 
of these methods. But t pruned heavily in the branches, 
and cut one of the main roots close to tho trunk of the 
tree, not scientifically, 1 admit, hut could not disturb my 
garden to do otherwise. The result was that I bad some 
two or three bushels as handsome specimens of Baldwins 
as ever delighted my eye. But a great many fell, from 
being stung. It gave me pleasure to present them to 
those who had constantly predicted a failure. Like the 
coon, they gracefully came down.—C. D. D., Syracuse , 
N. Y, 1860, 
Afterwards the property was added to the 
vast astute of the late Stephen Girard.” 
Fruits Bkokivkd—F rom David Nevin, Gatos, two 
Hne apples, for name—proved to ho Baldwins. 
— From N'klson Hatch, llolley, Cut air lm and Isabella 
Grapes. Tho Isabellas were iu fair condition though 
having lost considerably in flavor. The Catawba* were 
excellent, the flavor equal to the very hast Cincinnati 
grown, fresh from the vines. If Mr, If. lots a mode of 
keeping different from what we havo recommended in 
the RuIiaL, he will please give OS the facts. 
_From E. Williams, West Bloomfield, N. J,, a col¬ 
lection of apples, among them a variety rnaiked Canfield; 
another, tho Queen Apple, which proved to hit the Rox- 
bury Russet; what was supposed to he a new variety of 
R I. (fennlng, proved to bo tho genuine old Rhodo 
Island Greening. 
Inquiries antr ^lustuers 
INDIAN BREAD, HONEY, &c. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: —Being a reader of 
your valuable paper, and finding a large number 
of good recipes in it, I thought I would try aud 
help others. 
Indian Bread, — Ono pint of buttermilk; 1 
pint flour; I pint Indian meal; teaspoorrful sale- 
ratus; 1 of salt; half teacup of sugar,— stir all 
together and steam two hoars. This makes tho 
best Indian bread I ever ate. 
Honey. —Four pounds loaf sugar; l.| do.honey; 
1 quart of water; l big spoonful gum arabic; l 
teaspoouful cream tartar, — put all together aud 
boil fifteen minutes. This will almost cheat the 
bees themselves. 
To Color Soar LET. —One oz. cochineal; 1 oz. 
cream tartar, and 1 oz, madder compound to 1 lb. 
of yarn or cloth. Have the cochineal ground, 
steep it an hour or so, then add the others. Put 
in your yarn, and let it lay until it is as dark as 
you want it, airing it occasionally. Will some 
one give a recipe for coloring yellow?—A Suu- 
SCRiceb, Phoenix, Oswego Co., N. Y., I860. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
THE SEASON. 
We are very apt to complain of the backward¬ 
ness and unpleasantness of our springs, and 
forgetting the past, we often think that the 
present is more backward and unpleasant than 
any that has preceded it, while a reference to the 
facts will show a very different state of things. 
By reference to our memoranda of last year, we 
find that on the 23d of April we had a snow storm 
here, followed by cold, and that iu shady places 
banks of snow could be seen for a week after. 
On the 2d of May we made notes of the late 
Crocuses. The present season they have been 
gone some time. At the same date we noted 
that the Hyacinths were not sufficiently developed 
for examination. To-day, (April 30,) they are in 
full flower. 
HYACINTHS. 
The weather has been somewhat unfavorable 
for a good show of Hyacinths; although we have 
had sufficient warm weather to bring them into 
flower quite as early as usual, wo have had some 
very severe frosts, which have seriously injured 
the flower. Among the flue varieties, we notice 
the following as worthy of commendation:— Han¬ 
nah Moon —single, white, forming fine compact 
trusses. States General —Very fine blue. Tuber- 
fiora —single, rose-color, very fine trusses. Die- 
bile —siogle, one of the finest aud brightest reds. 
llerrtelde —pale delicate red. Mars— bright red. 
iiouge —delicate pale red, double, f.ord Nelson — 
tingle, dark blue. Haller— single, light blue, fine 
tmss. Good Hyacinths may be raised in any 
ordinary loamy soil. If the garden soil is heavy 
clay, then remove a portion, and add good sandy 
loam from the woods. 
The latter part of October is the best time to 
make Hyacinth beds, which should be from three 
to four feet wide. Set the bulbs from six to eight 
iucht^ apart each way, and four inches deep. It 
is a good plan to surround the bulb, when setting, 
with a little clean sand. Before winter sets in 
cover the bed with leaves, or a little straw or litter. 
In about five or six weeks after flowering, when 
the leaves are dead, the bulbs may be taken up, 
dried, and packed away in paper for full planting. 
I! the bed is wanted for other flowers, they may be 
removed in three weeks after flowering, the flower 
stem cut off, and the bulbs laid on a dry bed and 
covered with a little earth until the leaves have 
ripened, when they should he packed away as 
before recommended. 
-Many persons ordering Hyacinths from the 
seedsmen and nurserymen entertain the idea that 
none but the double ones are desirable. This is 
GRAPE CULTURE. 
TREATMENT OF BEARING VINES. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:— This is an age of 
improvement The jirogrcssive man may advance 
ideas this year that seem to he correct and well 
founded; when another year’s experience, in the¬ 
ory and practice, teaches him that your motto is. 
well chosen and iu place, namely, “Excelsior.” I 
am reminded of this by reading the discussion at 
the Annual Meeting of the Fruit Growers' Society 
oj Western New York, held at Rochester, January 
4th and 5lti, lsflO. Iu that discussion, my friend 
and neighbor, S. 11. Ainsworth, is correct when 
he said that my practice with grapes was to cover 
the base vines from -1 to G inches with earth, and 
train uprights from them two feet apart. As this 
practice conflicts with views I recommended, and 
which were published iu the Rural of last year, 
r feel it is reasonable that the nnmerous readers 
ol the Rural should understand what has pro¬ 
duced the change in my practice. 
Three years ago I had about 12 vines, 3 or 4 
ye^isin bearing, standing in my garden by the 
fence. I concluded to add more laud and make a 
vineyard where they stood. When I set the vines 
for a vineyard, the hearing vines did not corres¬ 
pond with them, but I built the trellis for them to 
correspond with the trellis I intended for the vine- 
yard. This required quite a length of the vines 
to lay on the ground, before they reached the trel¬ 
lis. A year ago last winter, I concluded to lay 
these vines under grouud, and fetch them out un¬ 
der the trellis. Last season these vines showed a 
very thrifty appearance—some of the young wood 
more than 15 feet in length,—the fruit very large 
aud some leaves more than a foot broad. In till¬ 
ing the ground I found the part of the vines I 
ad covered with dirt had pushed forth a thicket 
of small roots, which seemed to he the cause of the 
extra growth. By close observation, I came to 
the conclusion that base vines had better be un¬ 
der ground. 
The past winter I have take these vines down, 
dug a trench, and laid the base vines under. To 
do it, I had to move the position of one, less than 
Cookies and Bread. —The following recipes, 
we think, are excellent: 
Mother's Cookies. —One cup of butter; two of 
sugar; three eggs; nearly one-fourth teaspoon of 
sale rat us, dissolved iu a very little water; nutmeg 
to your taste,— roll very soft. 
Steamed Bread.—Two cups of Indian meal; 
one cup of flour; two tablespoonfuls of molasses; 
a little over a enpful of sour milk, and the same 
of sweet; nearly a teaspoon of saleratus. Steam 
an hour and a quarter, and bake a quarter of an 
hour. Eat it warm.— Lizzie, Rome . N. V, 18(10. 
Fruit for Minnesota,— I have long been a resident 
of Southern Illinois, and ant passionately fond of fruit 
growing, hut last fall removed to this cold Northwestern 
State, Minnesota, where the mercury sotnetioies lulls 
forty or forty live degrees lielow zeio, Now can you, or 
some oue of your contributors, give tne a lint of sour* 
five or six varieties, of both apples And pears, which 
would he likely to succeed In tine climate, and would 
combine the loading good qualities, — large size, good 
flavor, and, above all, be regular and good bearers: A 
little reliablo information on these points might save us 
years of experimenting and labor, and perhaps much 
disappointment. W. M H , Minneapolis, Min, 
A friend in the Northwest not long since sent us the 
following .lit of apples which he had tested, and found 
to he perfectly hardy :—“ Best fir odrie ties for an orchard 
of one hundred trees. Early Strawberry, 15; Early Har¬ 
vest, 10; SI. Lawrence, 15; Famcuse, 10; King of Tomp¬ 
kins Co., 36; Golden Russett, 15, 
“ llcst twelve sorts for an orchard of one thousand trees. 
Early Strawberry, 100; Early Harvest, 60; Summer 
Queen, 50; St. Lawrence, IhO; Fameuse, 50; Dyer, 
(Pomrue Royal.) 50: Bailey Sweet, 50; King of Tompkins 
Co., 300; Golden Russell, 100; Pound Royal, 50; New- 
town Spitsutnburg, 60; Male Carle, 30. 
“Fora list of twenty varieties, add to the foregoiug, 
Ponad Sweet, Fall Orange, ■ ewark Pippin, Northern 
Spy, Kibston Pippin. Wes tile Id Seek-no-Fort her, William¬ 
son, aud Swaar.” 
He also eaye:— 11 1 have tested upwards of twenty varie¬ 
ties each of pear aud cherry, and could not find one sort 
that would endure the seventy ol' the past winters,— 
even seedling apple trees have suffered.” 
Notlring hut actual experience will prove what peare 
will endure tho extremity or frost specified by our cor- 
re»pondeut, but we would try the Beurre Gifford and 
Tyaou for Summer , the Bulfum, Flemish Beauty, Swan’s 
Grange, and Seckel, for Autumn, and the Lawrence for 
Winter. ]j any of our readers at the West are possessed 
of information on this subject, either from observation 
or experience, we hope they will send us notes. 
horticultural iKctcs, 
The Shekel Pear.— The precise origin or the Seckel 
Pear Is unknown. The otlginal tree, afew years ago. was 
alive and fruitful, and specimens from it were exhibited 
at the shows of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. 
A pomological friend recently handed us the following 
singular account, written by a correspondent ol the 
Minnesota Times, which he wished laid before our 
readers: 
" About the year 1761, ft Frenchman was banished 
from his native country-, and settled on the 1 neck’ below 
Philadelphia. This point of land, then deemed value¬ 
less, U a low rnar.-h, lying between the Delaware and 
Schuylkill rivers, immediately ubove their confluence. 
He built his 1 cabin’ on the bank of the Delaware. Some 
years after taking possession, he observed a small tree 
growiug up near his door. He guarded it with scrupu¬ 
lous care. It proved to be a pear tree. When of suf¬ 
ficient age to bear fruit, he found, much to liis surprise, 
that the pears were of a superior quality and luscious- 
ness. Carrying some to market, they attracted unusual 
attention, and were speedily sold. For two score years, 
he derived quite a revenue from that source, obtaining 
fabulous prices. 
“I have been told by persons fully acquainted with 
the tacts, that, in some instances, he obtained thirty dol¬ 
lars a bushel. From the fact that ‘Peter’ (his name) 
was in the habit of banging bis ‘sickle,’ a useful harvest 
implement, on a branch of said tree, it took the name 
of the 1 Bickle ’ tree. Modern parlance has refined said 
vulgarity into 1 Seckle.' The art of grafting not being 
Coloring Cotton Green.— In a late Rural I 
saw an inquiry how to color green without the 
compound of indigo. I will give you my recipe, 
which I think is very good:—Three pounds of fus¬ 
tic; half an uunce of vitriol; 2 ounces logwood 
chips. Add the vitriol and logwood together,— 
soak tho fustic one day before coloring, dip your 
cloth first in one dye and then in tho other, and 
then into cold water as soon as taken from the 
dye. it needs no other washing. 
Molasses Cake. —One cup molasses; one cup 
sugar; throe even teaspoons soda; ono cup nearly 
full of buttermilk; one tablespoon ginger; half a 
cup batter; two tablespoons warm water on the 
soda. Mix soft.—L. V. E., Mimmlle Hill, N. Y. 
Lead Color. —Will some of the readers of the 
Rural tell me through its columns how to color 
a lead color, and oblige?—G eorgia, Lamingville, 
Tompkins Co., N, Y., I860. 
