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AP11IL 18 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER,: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
found it profitable to do so. During the winter of 
1855 an agent of theirs, or a person assuming to 
be such, traversed this entire region of conntry 
with a drawing of a Mammoth cluster of this 
grape and excited the wonder and astonishment of 
many an honest old farmer who had never seen 
the like before, by telling them of its astonishing 
productiveness and very great excellence. Thou¬ 
sands of plants were sold at prices ranging from 
$2 to S3, and tho quickest to saeh mea as would 
not plant an Isabella or Catawba if they could 
get them lor nothing, or in other words such as 
never plant a tree or read an agricultural paper. 
Germantown, N. Y. Count hu Co. 
GROWING VINES FROM CUTTINGS. 
About a year since, in a communication upon 
this subject, I referred to my experience in grow¬ 
ing vines from cuttings — and the advantages of 
shade in their early cultivation. Having had, re¬ 
cently, occasion to dig np some of one year’s 
growth, it is only modest to say that the extent they 
have rooted is truly astonishing. I deem it proper 
to state that after one year’s growth, in my judg¬ 
ment, they should then be transplanted to a sunny 
place where it is intended they are to be perma¬ 
nent.—S. N. Ho i. YES, Syracuse. 
ornamental shrubs. 
Among the Ornamental Shrubs, there are so 
many beautiful varieties that are perfectly hardy 
and of the most easy culture, that there is no ex¬ 
cuse for a bare luwn, or ill-looking shrubbery. 
The Lilacs are universal favorites. The com¬ 
mon purple is very tine, the white is good for a 
variety. The Persian white and purple are good, 
but not much better than the common. 
The Snow Ball is about as common as the 
Lilacs, and too well known to need a description. 
This plant looks best when trained as a miniature 
tree. 
Tub Purple, or Venetian Sumach, is a popu¬ 
lar shrub, remarkable for its curious brown, hair 
like flowers that covers the plant in July, making 
it to appear as if surrounded with smoke, and 
causing it to be sometimes known as the smoke tree. 
Tub Flowering Currants we described pretty 
fully in a previous number of the Rural. The 
variety known as Ribts Gordoni is the best for 
general cultivation. The yellow flowering is a 
well known common shrub. 
Tub Double-Flowering Dwarf Almond is a 
very pretty dwarf shrub, covered in April with 
small double rose-colored flowers, about the size 
and somewhat resembling the double-daisy. The 
branches look like wreaths of miniature roses. 
The Syringas. — The common sweet-scented 
syringa is well known, and is found in almost 
every collection of shrubs. There is a donble- 
floweriug, and a dwarf variety, both fragrant; and 
one with large white flowers without odor. 
The Altheas are particularly desirable, as they 
bloom late in autumn when flowers are scarce.— 
There are several varieties, both single and double, 
and the flowers have much the appearance of the 
blossom of the Hollyhock. They are very pretty 
shrubs, attaining the height of seven or eight feet 
Tub Purple-leaved Mauonia is one of the 
finest of evergreen shrubs, particularly for a 
northern climate. It is a low spreading shrub, 
with leaves of a purplish color, and an abundance 
of showy yellow blossoms in the spring. 
TnE .Japan Quince is a prickly irregular grow¬ 
ing bush, covered in April with brilliant scarlet 
flowers. 
The Rose-colored Wiegela is one of the most 
beautiful of our shrubs, bearing fine clusters of 
rose colored flowers in the 
UiUKj-,y a IMPROVED CORN-PLANTER. 
The accompanying engravings represent Dick¬ 
ey’s Improved Corn-Planter, an implement, of com¬ 
paratively recent introduction in this State, though 
coming into general use in some sections of tho 
Vest. It is thus described by tho manufacturer: 
“The advantages of this machine consist in its 
simplicity of construction, the certainty of its 
operation, its durability, and great saving of labor 
rendering it a desirable implement on all farms 
where from 10 to 15 acres of corn are grown. And 
as it is a fact generally conceded that corn planted 
in drills grows more vigorously, and yields larger 
crops, it is believed farmers will find it greatly to 
their advantage to adopt this mode of planting, 
now that there is a machine offered them »o well 
- adapted to their 
In the 
WHAT FRUIT SHOULD I PLANT ? 
This is a question often asked and often answer¬ 
ed. We meet it in onr office, in the street, in 
our travels, in postscripts to letters—everywhere.— 
It is a question of no small importance; one on 
which we can freely give our opinion, and yet, 
often very difficult to answer. It is answered by 
onr Horticultural and Homological Societies, and 
the answer is reviewed, corrected and repeated at 
every session. Still, the question is asked as fre¬ 
quently as ever, and the answer is looked for with 
the same anxiety. We will present a few facts 
which may perhaps aid each one in giving this 
question an answer for himself — confining our¬ 
selves in this article to the Apple alone. 
Those who plant a few trees for family use, will re¬ 
quire a far different assortment from those who plant 
largely for market, and even those who cultivate 
for sale, must be governed a good deal by circum¬ 
stances— distance from market, Ac. For family 
use it is desirable to prolong the season as much 
as possible, and to do this, it will be necessary to 
plant the earliest varieties, like the Early Harvest, 
and the latest and longest keeping sorts, as the 
Northern Spy and Roxbury Russet. Tastes differ 
so much that it is hardly possible to get even two 
or three intelligent cultivators to agree as to the 
best six varieties to planr, if want of room or other 
circumstances should render it impracticable to 
plant more than this number. We have asked 
this question of many of our best fruit growers 
within the past few weeks, and no two of the an¬ 
swers have been exactly alike. We give our read¬ 
ers two of the answers received, one naming the 
best six, the other the best ten varieties for family 
use: 
Red Astrachan, American Summer Pearmain, Pall Pip- 
piD, R. I Greening, Ballwin, EsopugSpitzenburp.—6. 
Early Harvest, Early Joe, Fall Pippin, Autumn Straw- 
berry, Fameuse, R. I. Greening, Northern Spy, Esopns 
Spitzeabm-g, Tallman Sweet, Roxbury Russet—10. 
Mr. Barry recommends the following, as twen¬ 
ty choice garden varieties: 
Summer .—Red As tree ban, Early Strawberry, Early Joe, 
Keswick Collin, Summer Rose—5. 
Autumn .—Autumn Strawberry, Fail Pippin, Gravenstein, 
Jersey Sweet, Lyman's Pumpkin Sweet, Pomme Hoy; 1—6. 
Winter. — Fameuse, Lady Apple, Melon, Northern Spy, 
Pomme Grise, Red Canada Swaar, Esopus Spitzenbnrg, 
Wagener—9. 
The farmer in selecting trees for an orchard for 
family consumption, should consider well the uses 
to which they are to be appropriated. The pro¬ 
portion of street and sentr desired is quite an im- 
portont matter. Then, some varieties are more 
suitable as a dessert fruit than for cooking. An¬ 
other question to be considered is whether it is 
desirable to raise apples for feeding to stock —if 
so, hardy trees and abundant bearers should be 
planted. 
Those who plant for market must be governed in 
selecting trees by their distance from a good mar¬ 
ket, Fruit growers living within a few miles of a 
large city, find it very profitable to grow su - mer 
and early fall apples pretty largely, as they can get 
them to market in a few hours. The fruit growers 
of the interior, however, who must barrel their 
fruit, should grow only winter sorts, as these can 
be packed and transported to a great distance in 
safety. It would be better, too, to grow only a few 
of the best sorts. 
The American Pomological Society, at its last 
sessiou in Rochester, recommended the following 
list of apples as worthy of general cultivation: 
Summer. —Red Astrachan, Summer Rose, Early Harvest, 
Early Strawberry, American Summer Pearmain, Benoni, 
High Top Sweeting, Large Yellow Bough, Williams’ Fa¬ 
vorite, except for light soils. 
Autumn —Fall Pippin, Gravenatein, Hawley, Porter, 
Primate. , 
Winter.— Baldwin, Bullock's Pippin, Danvers' Winter 
Sweet, Fameuse, Hubharbgton Nonsuch, Jonathan, Lady 
Apple, Ladies' Sweet, Melon, Minister, Rambo, Rhode 
lajasd Greening, Roxbury Russet, Sw.a-ir, Yandevere, White 
Seek-no further, Wine Apple, (or Hay’s Winter,) Winesap. 
Some varieties of apples that succeed welt, and 
are particular favorites in one locality, are quite 
inferior in others. Several of our best apples are 
not prized at the west, and there are other varie¬ 
ties known as Western apples, that seem particu¬ 
larly adapted to Western culture. For an orchard 
ot one hundred trees for general purposes, the 
Cincinnati Horticultural Society recommends the 
follosving list: 
For July and August_ 
“ July and August_ 
*♦ September end October. 
“ October and November. 
“ Nov.jund Deomber.__ 
*' Nov, MlO December_ 
“ Nov. and December_ 
“ Janu-ry and February. 
“ February to April__ 
“ March.._____ 
wants. 
^ second cut, A ia 
- ^ the seed box. B, 
JLffQ °_\ a circular iron 
Cmlf* j O \ P late . revolving 
fll o 3 e f >) on the bottom of 
„ C/ the box having 
-in . .. g. Q o°/ j holeH, e, each of 
i -J 1 which contains 
one grain of corn. 
D, the shaft which turns the seed plate;— f, a brush 
which prevents more than the required seed pass¬ 
ing out of the box;—o, holes in the plate, each 
containing a grain of seed;— g, the place where 
the seed drops through into the tube, C, which 
conveys it into the coulter as seen in the general 
cut of the machine. 
The price of this Planter is 313, we believe. It 
is manufactured by Mr. John Outram, Elmira, N. 
Y., as advertised in this paper. 
A correspondent of the Scientific American 
sends the editor a specimen of rubber, which he 
statesis a common product in all of the States south 
of latitude 39°. The editor says the sample for¬ 
warded looks like the real caoutchouc, and exhibits 
the same elastic pi'operties, but we do not detect 
any smell. If it differs from common rubber.it is, 
for aught we see to the contrary, as likely to be 
better as worse. We give the article in full, as it 
is a matter of importance to the industry of the 
country: 
“After a long interval of country life I again open 
a communication with yoo, my main object being 
to present to the American public through the 
medium of the Scientific American, the cheering 
intelligence that the question so long propounded, 
as to whether there was uuytbing to be found in 
the wide expanse of our national domain that par¬ 
took of the nature and characteristics of caout¬ 
chouc, or India Rubber, may now be safely an¬ 
swered in the affirmative. I have the gratification 
of being able to state that the article not only ex¬ 
ists in onr conntry, but that it is a common product 
in all of the States south of latitude 39 c . I send 
you a small specimen of the substance, remarking 
that it is found in this country in a solid form, in¬ 
stead of the fluid or milky condition in which the 
ordinary rubber is found, consequently being in 
minute parts, cohesion of those parts can only be 
effected by the action of heated rollers, such as are 
used in all India Rubber factories. 
The specimen I send you is small and rather 
ragged, from the cause already stated, the cohe¬ 
sion in this case being effected by the action of a 
hammer with a heated plate of iron. From a very 
imperfect and unprofessional analysis, I am led to 
believe that the physical properties of this article 
and the substance imported are identical. With¬ 
out pretending to absolute accuracy in my results, 
I think the approximation is C. 87.2, H.12.8. The 
flame resembles the imported article as well as the 
smell and taste. 
‘Honor to whom honor’ is 3 motto I sometimes 
find to fail in the application; lest some other per¬ 
son should set himself forth as the discoverer of 
this American product, I shall invite the attention 
of such to the announcement I now make, and if 
any one has preceded me in the field, let the fact 
be known during the coming six months, or I shal'. 
take to myself the credit, if any be due. As I be¬ 
fore stated, the growth of this substance is gene¬ 
ral, and though unlike the other, it can easily be 
reduced to a suitable shape for export or domestic 
use.” 
spring. 
1’iie Upright Honeysuckles are tall, erect grow¬ 
ing shrnbs, attaining the height of eight or ten 
feet. r I he plants are covered in the spring with 
small, dedicate flowers. 
The African Tajiarix is a very pretty shrub 
with delicate foliage, somewhat resembling the 
Juniper,hearing five spikes of delicate rose-colored 
flowers. 
The Berbbrry. —There are several varieties of 
the Berberry. The pnrple-leavcd is one of the 
finest, having yellow flowers and purple fruit. 
The Wiiitk Fringe is a very large shrub, with 
very singular white flowers, looking very much 
like cut paper. 
The EuonymuS make very pretty small trees, 
and are very beautiful, particularly in the autumn, 
when the seed vessels become a bright red. 
THE CONCORD GRAPH 
THE G It A PE AND ITS CULT USE 
fruit growing, and although all other fruit crops 
occasionally fail, yet I have never known, in twenty 
years, an entire iailure of the grape crop. I chal¬ 
lenge the county of Chautauque to show as much 
clear profit from a given piece of laud, as cun be 
shown here in Portland for twenty years past from 
a vineyard ot the Isabella Grape. Some of our 
Iruit crops will perhaps be overdone — the grape 
never can. But few of our people know its value. 
—Lincoln Fay, Portland, Chant. Co. r .X. Y. 
NORTHERN MUSCADINE GRAPE. 
Mr. Editor: —For tea years I have been en¬ 
gaged in the cnlture of the grape and other fruits, 
and whenever a new grape is sent to a Horticul¬ 
tural Society for their honest and impartial opin¬ 
ion, await the result with impatience, and if they 
report favorably, r purchase it at once regardless 
o! the cost This course I have invariably pur¬ 
sued and am happy to state that I never yet 
have had cause to regret bo doing. The article in 
CONCORD GRAPE. 
Our readers will see that we give them this 
week, a fine engraving of a bunch of the Concord 
Grape. It is large and very beautiful, and some 
two weeks earlier than the Isabella. It is not quite 
equal to the Isabella in flavor, but is very valuable, 
particularly Id sections where that variety will not 
ripen. It was raised from seed by Wx. Bull, of 
Massachusetts, and iB place-1 upon the list of the 
American Pomological Society as promising welt. 
At the introduction of almost every new fruit, 
there are various opinions in regard to its value: 
many, on a short acquaintance, giving it a charac¬ 
ter which further knowledge proves it unworthy 
of, while others, more cautious, hardly do justice 
to its real merits. In the above brief remarks, we 
of the American Pomological Society on the mer¬ 
its of the Muscadine grape, is, in my humble 
opinion, a reflection on the ability of that honora¬ 
ble body, composed us it is of the most distinguished 
pomologistsin America. It is presumptuous, even, 
to suppose that men who make it their pleasure 
and business to hunt up and obtain everything in 
the way ot Iruit that has any pretensions to merit, 
should make a “ mistake ” in the identity of this 
grape; and this grape, as they assert, has been in 
cultivation for fifteen years. Can it be possible 
that a grape of so much merit as the Shakers 
claim this to possess, should fail to be appreciated 
by our most experienced fruit growers? If I am 
not greatly mistaken, certain gentlemen who helped 
give the decision complained of, have been present 
at other times previous to the one named, when a 
similar verdict has been given. 
For many years 1 have been a careful reader of 
the reports of the various Horticultural Societies, 
and I must confess that I never yet have heard or 
seen i report where a responsible Society have 
even recommended it for “especial localities.”— 
The Horticulturist of January 1S5C, page 52, gives 
sir able. The whole plant is covered in May with 
innumerable clusters of snow-white flowers, giving 
the branches the appearance of wreaths, for which 
purpose the children gather them, to adorn their 
heads or the school room. The Doug/assi is a 
good sort, with spikes of rose-colored flowers in 
the fall, 
The shrubs wo have described aro all perfectly 
hardy in a northern climate, and though we might 
name many more, we have given enough to beau¬ 
tify the lawn or garden, and aa many as most of 
our readers perhaps will desire to cultivate. 
♦- 
Ruurakb.—H ow should the Rhubarb be culti¬ 
vated to avoid the rough taste, or is it natural?_ 
It is a line vogetanle were it not for the persim¬ 
mon taste it leaves behind. Please answer the 
above questions and oblige yours.—T. S., Lownes, 
Powder for Razor Strops. —Take equal parts 
of sulphate of iron, (green copperas of commerce,) 
and common salt; rub them well together, and 
heat the mixture to redness in a crucible. When, 
the vapors have ceased to rise, let the mass cool, 
and wash it, to remove the salt, and when diffused 
in water collect the brill;.urn scales, which first 
subside; these, when spread upon leather, sharpen 
the edge oi a razor, and cause it to cut smooth. 
An ink that will stand the test of oxalic acid, 
and be indelible on cloth, can be made of the fol¬ 
lowing cheap ingredients: To a gallon of soft wa¬ 
ter, add one pound of logwood, and boil it ena. 
hour; then add twenty-five grains of bichromate 
of potash, and twelve grains of prussiate of pot¬ 
ash. Stir a iew minutes while over the fire, take 
it off, and when settled strain it. The ink is ex¬ 
ceeding black, and flows freely from the pea. 
Summer Ruse. 
Strawberry, 
AG THIS RAVAGES OF liUGS ON VINE8._ 
Having read tho communications in your valuable 
paper on tho bug question, I will offer to the read 
era of the Rural my experience. On preparing 
for viues, in my garden, I lay off a square from 9 
to 15 feat, and plant for a border around the square 
the common low beans, then plant my vines in 
hills three feet apart and drop in a fovv beans 
about the hills, and let them grow until the bug 
time is over, then pull them up. In this way, I 
never fail in raising good vines. — L. Lewis, 
Coventry, N. 1'., 1S57. 
A certain and exceedingly simple method for 
testing silver coin has been discovered. When a 
doubtful piece of silver coin is received, rub its 
edge with blue vitriol stone, and then slightly wet 
it. The effect is immediately seen. If the coin is 
spurious, it will at once turn black; but if genu¬ 
ine, there is no alteration in its appearance. 
Baover’s Wiuti-r Sweet, Pou me Royal, Rubbardstou Non¬ 
such, Fall Pippin, Fnim ufo, American Sutum-T Pearmain 
Benoni, Red Astrachan, Fall Harvey, Williams' Favorite- 
Ladies’ Sweet, Jonathan, Peck's Pleasant, Esopus Spitz- 
euburg. 
The spring of a watch weighs 0.15 of a grain; 
a pound of iron makes 50,000. The pound of steel 
costs 2d., a single spring 2d.; so that 50,000 pro¬ 
duces £416. 
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