Hju 
reasons to fear that the spot or scab, to which it is 
subject at the East, will also attend it here. On 
young trees especially it seems disposed to bear only 
on the inner branches, for which reason the fruit 
lacks color and flavor, unless the trees are kept 
thoroughly pruned. 
With me the fruit averages very large, and doubt¬ 
less for that reason fails to keep as long as it has the 
credit of doing at. the East. It is now in its prime. 
Plymouth, Midi.. l>Vb. 11th, 1861. T. T Lyon. 
Tii u Northern Spy is now more abundant In our 
market than any other variety. In this respect it 
seems to have taken the place of the Baldwin and the 
Greening. A few such seasons as the past, would 
make the Spy very popular here. 
to examine and taste the last season, was the 
Dorchester Beauty, a seedling of Mr. Clapps, 
of Dorchester. Mass. It is inferior to Clapp's 
Favorite, which we before noticed, and far less 
promising; yet it is a handsome pear. The 
Native Fruit Committee of the American Pomo- 
logical Society describe it. as “ a handsome, but 
rather poor fruit.” The Fruit Committee of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, say “the 
tree is a line grower, and very productive; size 
rather large, 2$ by 2[; inches; torni, obovate; 
skin, yellow, with a carmine cheek, inclining 
to orange, and containing a few gray dots; 
stem, three-fourths of an inch long, inserted in 
a very small cavity, with several faint rings; 
calyx, medium; segments, erect, set in a super¬ 
ficial plaited basin; core, medium; seed, plump, 
light brown; llesb, not very juicy; flavor, pleas¬ 
ant; quality, very good. Ripe, irom the middle 
of August to the middle of September.” 
This is one of the most beautiful looking 
pears that have been produced, but the speci¬ 
mens tested by the Committee were dry. and of 
ordinary quality. The past season having been 
unfavorable for the production of fruit of high 
flavor, it is not safe to express a very decided 
opinion of any new fruit. 
VEGETATION OP SEEDS 
In a few weeks the chauging seasons will again 
bring “seed time.” The precious seed, containing 
the germ that under favorable circumstances will 
produce a plant like its parent, will he committed to 
the earth. But, much that is sown will fall in stony 
places, and be withered by the scorching sun as soon 
as the tender roots reach out in search of nourish¬ 
ment from the soil; some will he choked with thorns 
and weeds, and never reward the sower for his labor 
or expense. So it. was ages ago, so it is now, and so 
it will continue to be, perhaps, for ages yet to come. 
The lovers of flowers are now providing themselves 
INSECT POWDER 
dealers. We think it perfectly sate to say mat ax 
least eighty per cent, of these seeds are good, and 
will produce plants if properly treated, and yet we 
have no doubt that nine-tenths will never be seen 
again after they are committed to the earth. It is 
well then that we should investigate the cause of this 
destruction of valuable seeds, and ascertain if we 
can, the conditions necessary to their growth. 
A portion of the people think altogether too lightly 
of this snbject. They appear to entertain the idea 
that seeds will grow anywhere, and under any cir¬ 
cumstances. Hence it matters but little whether 
vegetable parasites, &c. Until recently, the botanical 
source of this powder has not been known. For a 
number of years it. was erroneously considered to be 
a native of Persia, but it has been traced beyond 
question by Dr. Koch, as having its origin in the 
Caucasian provinces, and to be the contused blos¬ 
soms and flowers of l’yrcthrum roseum and Pyreth- 
rum carnenra. It is of a yellowish, gray color, 
perfectly odorless, yet slightly irritating the nostrils; 
at first almost tasteless, but afterwards leaving a 
burning sensation upon the tongue 
This is simply a hot-bed frame, with glazed sash, 
as shown in the engraving, placed upon ft bed of line, 
mellow earth, in some sheltered place in the garden. 
By the exclusion of air, and the admission of sun, 
the earth becomes warm, and the moisture is confined, 
as in the hot-bed. After the frame is secured in its 
place, a couple of inches of fine earth should be placed 
inside, and the frame closed up for a day or two be¬ 
fore the seeds are planted. As the cold-frame tle- 
Tho high price 
obtained for it, taken in connection with the scarcity 
of the article, has induced dealers to adulterate it 
with plants of similar characteristics, such as chamo¬ 
mile flowers, Henbane, &c.; but the presence of these 
extraneous substances can, without difficulty, be 
detected by their peculiar odor, and from the fact 
that, in proportion as these substances arc intro¬ 
duced, the efficacy of the power is impaired. 
From experiments lately made in Europe, it has 
been Hiillieiontly demonstrated that the plant can be 
propagated from the seed, anrl that It will thrive in a 
climate similar to that of our Northern States. 
I have recently heen informed by a gentleman who 
obtained some of the seeds of this plant from the 
Agricultural Bureau at Washington, that, the plants 
therefrom are in a flourishing and prosperous condi¬ 
tion. 
As its effects for the destruction of bugs, roaches, 
parasites on delicate plants, Ac., have been fully 
established, and it being otherwise harmless, its 
introduction into general use would be of great 
importance to families and horticulturists, from the 
fact that it would exclude the use of poisonous arti¬ 
cles, now resorted to for such purposes, which are 
often the cause of serious accidents.— Amer. Journal 
of Pharmacy. 
itself in this vicinity, is European, and has not else¬ 
where taken such a hold. Celandine, which fills our 
waste places with its delicate green leaves at the very 
beginning of spring, and displays its pretty yellow 
blossoms later, with which children anoint their 
warty fingers to rid them of their excrescences, is 
European. The Water Cress, common in our mar¬ 
kets in spring, the Hedge Mustard, which sends up 
its gaunt spikes of fruit so commonly by the road¬ 
sides, the Shepherd's Purse, covering waste places 
everywhere with its early greeu, the Wild Radish, 
which lias become a very troublesome field weed, are 
all European. Among the common and more or less 
troublesome usurpers of the soil are St, John’s Wort, 
Bladder Campion, Mouse Kur Chickirecd, Purslane, 
Common Mallow, or cheeses as the children call 
them, nearly all the Clovers, May Weed, and White 
Weed, This last is a thorough plague in grass lands. 
Its strong roots kill out. the grass and are dillieult to 
extirpate. Its origin here is differently explained. 
Some say it was introduced as a pretty flower; others 
that it was brought over, like many others, with 
grass seed or in luggage. In Europe it is a pet of 
the poets, and, under the ‘romantic names of Ox Eye 
Daisy and Marguerite, it has been celebrated inverse. 
Here it is universally execrated as an intolerable 
pest. The Canada. Thistle is not liy any means a 
Canadian visitor. It comes from Europe, and its 
legion of seeds have spread it broadcast over tin- 
land. The Burdock, equally common and the sport 
of children, comes from the same source. Succory 
or Cicory has established itself thoroughly around 
Boston. This is the same plant, cultivated abroad for 
the “ Chicory,” which is used to adulterate coffee; 
the root being used niter roasting and grinding. 
Here it is only km>’vh|4' its beautiful starry 
blue flowers. The False rmudelitm has completely 
established itself in our grass lands, and sends 
up its brandling flower-stems In autumn, cover- 
Domestiu Duties.— A knowledge of domestic 
duties is beyond all price to a woman. Every one of 
our sex ought to know how to sew, and knit, and 
mend, and cook, and superintend a household. In 
every situation of life, high or low, this sort of 
knowledge is of great advantage. There is no 
necessity that the gaining of such information should 
interfere with intellectual acquirement or elegant 
accomplishment. A well regulated mind can find 
time to attend to all. When a girl is nine or ten 
years old, -die should be accustomed to take some 
regular share in household duties, and to feel respon¬ 
sible for the manner in which her part is performed, 
such as her own mending, washing the cups and put¬ 
ting them in place, cleaning silver, or dusting and 
arranging the parlor. Tins should not be done occa¬ 
sionally, and neglected whenever she feels it con¬ 
venient; she should consider it her department. 
When older than twelve, girls should begin to take 
turns in superintending the household, making pud¬ 
dings, pies, cake, Ac.; to learn effectually to do those 
things themselves, and riot stand by and see others 
do them.— Mrs, Child. 
hot-bed frame. 
pends upon the sun for Sts warmth, it must not be 
started as 30on as the hot-bed, and in this latitude 
the latter part of April is early enough. Plants will 
then be large enough for transplanting to the open 
ground as soon as danger from frost is over, and as u 
general thing they will he hardier, and better able to 
endure the Bhock of transplanting, than if grown in 
a hot-bed. A frame of this kind any oue can manage. 
Watering occasionally, will he necessary, and air 
must be given on bright, warm days. 
we plant in the same manner. Our weeds are hardy 
and prolific, very tenacious of life, and are able to 
propagate themselves under the most unfavorable 
circumstances, otherwise they would not be weeds. 
Most of our troublesome weeds arc of foreign origin, 
the seeds being brought here by accident. Perhaps 
the largest part thus introduced have lived for a sea¬ 
son and perished unnoticed, while the hardiest 
became naturalized. If the florist would bo satisfied 
with only the most hardy and prolific flowers, snch 
as would take care of themselves, then ho might 
pursue a careless system of planting and cultivation, 
fill his garden with dandelions and poppies; but be 
wants the rare and beautiful flowers of every land, as 
far as climate will permit, to adorn his garden. He 
ranst have those that flourish naturally in warmer 
climes, and under more genial skies, and to do so, 
care and skill is required, and a different system of 
culture than is necessary for the propagation of wcedB. 
There are others who have altogether an exager- 
At»U «*»' Uut difficnltiait to be encountered in the 
growth of plants from seed. These views may have 
been the result of repeated failures. They think a 
Hot-Bed or a Green-House essential, and that without 
these conveniences little can he done in growing 
valuable plants. This iB not the case, yet it is a fact 
that in a hot-bed, if properly managed, seeds will 
grow freely; and, it is well that wo should ascertain 
why this is so. 
In the first place, however, we will examine the 
causes of failure. If line seeds are planted too deep, 
they either rot in the damp, cold earth, for the want 
of the warmth necessary to their germination, or 
after germination perish before the tender shoots can 
reach the sun and air, so that that which was 
designed for their support and nourishment proves 
their graves. 
If the soil is a stiff clay, it is often too cold at the 
time the seeds are planted to effect their germination, 
for it must be understood that warmth and moisture 
are necessary to the germination of seeds. Neither 
of these will do alone. Seeds may he kept in a 
warm dry room, in dry sand or earth, and they will 
not grow. They may be placed in damp earth, and 
kept in a low temperature, and they will most likely 
rot, though some seeds will remain dormant a long 
time under theBe circumstances. But place them in 
moist earth, in a warm room, and they will com¬ 
mence growth at once. Another difficulty with 
heavy or clay soil is, that it becomes hard on the 
surface, aud this prevents the young plauts from 
“coming up,” or, if during showery weather they 
guides: and gw,$wn\i? 
INJURY TO AN ORCHARD BY MICE. 
T am In trouble, and if you, or Home of your numerous cor 
respondents, will help me out of it, 1 shall consider it a favor. 
Two years ago iust fall I commenced to set a young orchard 
Of the first set, (ISO,) I lost fifty I then tried another nursery, 
setting iu the Billing, nnd lost hot very few Yet my field was 
not filled. r,nst spring I filled out the fluid, and lost hut three 
Last tall I had three hundred trees all alive doing first rale, 
of the best varieties that I could obtain from three different 
nurseries, ft made me feel good to walk through the lot. 
Ihnlng the present week 1 was out, to see my trees, and ton ml 
that the mien had eaten the bark from oue third of them, 
clear round, limn one to ..r iru lies up live frees. My anxiety 
is to save the trees alive—A sa Ckonjuan, Cota, Frl>., 1861. 
There is no more truthful saying Ulan that prevention is 
better than cure. Perhaps most of these trees may yet bo 
saved, but if so, it will be at the cent of a good deal of time 
aud anxiety. If a piece of tarred cloth had been tied around 
the base of each tree, they would have been saved. A piece 
of tin may bo bent around mo as to keep the mice from tho 
bark, or a couple of horse shoe drain 
I ? 1 1 tile, or a wooden box, will answer the 
h i Ai-Lml same purpose. It Is well also to destroy 
Comfort Within Doors— How to Makea Lounge .— 
Many a oue lives a lifetime wanting the little luxuries 
pertaining to comfort within doors, because of an 
impression that he cannot afford to buy. and there¬ 
fore cannot have them. It is not so although the 
glosH of silk, or mahogany polished, may not be had, 
a little application iu leisure hours, a little thought 
and considerable determination or perseverance, will 
procure all the comforts, if not the show. Money 
expended to lit up one show room, or to purchase 
one marble-top table, if applied in tho purchase of 
even more simple, n y hand-glasses. me engraving 
above shows one form. The baek may be either 
boa/d or glais, and if the funner, it should he. placed 
so as to face south-east, tho’ 
the better way is to have the 
ends board and the sides 
■v\ glass. Another and very 
" L — -: —i —convenient style of hand- 
"i- r - | glass is made square, being 
\ i \ a simple frame with glass 
■_i_1_ set in the sides and top. 
square hand-glass. A simple frame with a 
pane of glass on the top, will answer a very good 
purpose, though it would bo better to have the front 
glass. Otherwise the box should be lower than shown 
in the engraving. These contrivances, though so 
■ r > suggest the best remedy we Know or n 
the tree is small, and only a small portion is girdled, cut the 
bark even at the edges, and then take the hark from some 
limbs, and lit it as nicely as possible iu the place girdled, thus 
restoring the back taken from the trunk, by that, taken from 
the limbs. It may lie iu one. or iu more pieces, and secured 
in place by grafting wax, aud over this any soft material may 
he tied. The way it is done is shown in the engraving above 
If tho tree Is too large, and the 
bark is removed too great a dis- B||| j 
tauce up tho tree for this opera- O i|| 
tion,.after smoothing the injured ffipwciUj 
hark, cut scions, and by them ilf 
connect tho upper and lower por j | jc J 
tious of tho bark, as showuin the ‘ | [jl 
second engraving. TheBe shoots j. I JJ 
or sciiiUS must be made wedge 
shaped, and inserted in a cut 
made by a chisel, about an inch 
above aud below the edges of tho gnawed bark, and well 
seemed in their places 
A correspondent, of Indiana, writes:—“ I think I have found 
out a very satisfactory way of disposing of those trees whose 
trunks liavu been winter killed or girdled by mice. I cut the 
tree olf with a saw just below where the hark is sound, and 
then insert, between /lie baric and waod, scions, as for cleft 
grafting. These make ft thrilly growth, and if allowed to 
grow without being mutilated with tho knife, will make fruit 
in a short time. Had 1 known this plan five years ago, I think 
Curb for Neuralgia. —Some time since we pub¬ 
lished, at, the request of a friend, a recipe to cure 
neuralgia. Half a drachm of sal ammonia in an 
ounce of camphor water, to he taken a teaspoonful at, 
a (lose, aud the dose repeated several times, at, inter¬ 
vals of five minutes, if the pain he not relieved at 
once. Half a dozen different persons have since tried 
the recipe, and in every case an immediate cure was 
effected. In one, tho sufferer, a lady, had been sub¬ 
jected to acute pains for more than a week, and her 
physician was unable to alleviate her sufferings, when 
a solution of sal amnfbriia in Camphor water relieved 
her in a few minutes.— Alta Californian. 
BOX HAND-GLASS. 
changes, cold storms, and frosty nights. In this way 
seeds usually considered difficult of growth, can be 
grown with ease. For melons, cucumbers, Ac., these 
hand-glasses are exceedingly useful. Indeed, in this 
latitude it is almost impossible to raise good melons 
without them. 
But, where these conveniences arc not to he had,— 
though we hope there are few of our readers so tin 
fortunately situated,—make a good bed of light, mel¬ 
low soil, in a sheltered situation in the garden, and 
as soon as the weather becomes settled, and the 
ground warm, sow the seeds, carefully covering with 
a little fine earth, and if the seeds are sinal^ sift it on. 
Then cover tho bed with damp moss, which will pre¬ 
vent the surface from drying. The covering must be 
removed as soon aa the young plants make their 
appearance above thq ground. 
If these hints are heeded, we think our readers will 
have little cause to complain that their seeds refuse 
to grow. In a future number we will resume the 
subject. _ 
To Make Hard Boat of Soft. —Take good soft 
soap, any quantity you choose, bring it to a boiling 
heat, then add salt, gradually, stirring it constantly 
till you observe it separate,—something like curds 
and whey. Then let it cool, and you can cut it into 
bars and take out, leaving tho ley iu the kettle. To 
purify it further, put the soap again into the kettle, 
and add an equal quantity of water, and for every 
five pounds of soap, one-fourth pound of rosin, — 
make it boil, and again add salt as before. When 
cold cut it into bars and lay it up to dry. —A Prac¬ 
tical Housewife, Gorham, N. Y., 1861. 
is not so apparent. The soil, we will suppose, is well 
prepared, line a8 it can be made, aud of that loamy 
or sandy character best fitted for small seeds. We 
will suppose, too, that the seed were sown on the 
surface with a little earth sifted over them, and that 
this was not done until the season was so far 
advanced as to furnish the warmth necessary to 
secure vegetation. Under these very favorable cir¬ 
cumstances many seeds will grow, and if the weather 
is both warm and showery, very few will fail. But 
if, aa is very common at the season of the year when 
we plant our seeds, we have a succession of cold 
rain storms, many will periBh. A night's frost will 
ruin all. If, however, the weather should prove 
warm and without showers, the surface will become 
very dry. and the seeds having so slight a covering 
will be dried up and perish aa soon as they germi¬ 
nate, and before the roots attain sufficient size and 
strength to go down where the soil is more moist. 
It is to overcome these evils that Hot Beds are 
useful. By being protected on the sides and ends 
with boards and covered wi|h glass, they confine the 
moisture which arises from the earth in mist, and 
thus the atmosphere is kept humid and the surface 
moist, and the plants are not subjected to the 
changes of temperature, as a uniform state can be 
maintained, no matter what the weather may be. 
The bottonu-heat of the hot-bed warms the soil, and 
enables the grower to put in his seed early and 
obtain plants of good size before the soil outside is 
warm enough to receive the seed. The principal 
advantages of the hot-bed, however, can be secured 
by what is called a Cold Frame. 
Tun Colvkkt Apple. —I noticed In the Rural of Feb. 2d, 
au inquiry from a subscriber iu regard to tho Calvert apple. 
1 have several young hearing trees of this kind. They fruit 
well, are large, red striped, pleasant sub-acid, good for cnli 
mu-y purposes for eating tolerably good rather coarse flesh, 
hut liable to fall when tolly grown on account of tlieir size 
and weight. It I*a late fall"apple, and often keeps till Jari 
uurv Cooper's Market apple is a stranger here, 
1 wUti now to make an inquiry, to wit; how much Orchard 
grass seed is required per acre, and the best time to sow it.— 
I. S Avkuy, WiXplpqvilb-, Mad. Co., N. Y Feb 6, 1861. 
About twenty-four pounds, or two bushels of orchard grass 
Is usually sown on an acre, either in the autumn or early in 
the spring. When sown with clover, only about one-half 
this quantity of seed is necessary. 
Grafting. Ac.— In my orchard, which l am trying to im¬ 
prove iu various ways, are two thrifty apple trees tho larg¬ 
est iu the orchard— from eight to twelve inches In diameter 
below the limbs, but they bear little fruit, and that is worth 
less. Will you, or some correspondent, liavo tho kindness to 
inform roe which is the surest and quickest way to obtain 
good fruit, —to graft, or remove ■them, and supply their 
places with youtig and thrifty tree") 1 Also, which is the best 
time to paint outside work — spring or tallV—C. W. TcKNr.R, 
IfighUm, Feb. 15, 1861. 
By grafting the old trees you will obtain good fruit several 
years before yon could obtain any from young trees, and in 
larger quantities. Paint either late in the autumn or very 
early in the spring. 
Cooking Ego I’lant.—A correspondent asks how 
to cook egg plant. Cut tho plant in thin slices, 
sprinkle with salt, and let them stand half an hour, 
pour off the water that the salt extracts, and dry the 
plant with a towel. Beat an egg, dip the plant in it 
and then in rolled cracker, fry brown in butter. Some 
prefer simply dipping them in the egg witlfont the 
cracker, or rolling them in flour without the egg. 
Season highly aud cook slowly.—S. J. T., South 
Side, Staten Island, N. Y., 1861. 
THE NORTHERN SPY APPLE 
INTRODUCED PLANTS 
In the last year’s Transactions of the Massachusetts 
Horticultural Society, we find an interesting article 
under the above heading, by Charles J. Sprague, 
from which we make the following extract: 
“There are few places which afford such an abun¬ 
dance and variety of naturalized foreign plauts as 
the vicinity of Boston. The number of plants 
recorded in Dr. Gray : s Manual of the Northern 
States, as being acclimated iu that region, is 260 out 
of 2351, or just one-ninth of the whole. Of this 
number more than one-third are to be found more or 
less commonly around Boston. The causes of this 
are the immigration of people of many nations who 
have brought with them, in their apparel or luggage, 
the seeds of the commoner plants of their own 
country, which would be likely to adhere to them; 
seeds mingled with the grass seed imported here; 
and others attached to the many articles of merchan¬ 
dise coming constantly into the country. 
Some of these have spread themselves so widely as 
to have become intolerable peBts to the agriculturist, 
who does not know, perhaps, that the enemy he 
Beeks to destroy iB a foreign one. It is a singular 
fact, that nearly all the weeds which have become 
the special curse of New England farmers are intro- 
First Premium Corn Bread.— Scald a pint of 
Indian meal, add to It a pint of sponge; half teacup 
of molasses; small teaspoon of aalaratus, stir in flour 
with a spoon till quite stiff, put in pan, let it rise, and 
bake it one hour. Mrs. E. S. II., Rochester, N. I. 
[special notice.] 
Taken. — However, that is neither here nor there; she 
went home to breakfast, and hail scarcely caught the full fla¬ 
vor of her first sip of tea, wheu the servant passed her a 
plate of biscuit, the sight of which, to say nothing of smell, 
immediately threw her into violent hysterica. 11 Oh!" she 
exclaimed, iu an agonizing tone of voice, ' take the horrid 
things from my sight.” TIiIh sad spectacle would have been 
prevented had the cook used D. B )>k I.axd A Co. s Chemical 
Saloratus, instead of the worthless, impure stuff which did 
find its way into that otherwise peaceful and happy house 
hold. I). B. Dk Land A Co., Fairport, Monroe Co., N. Y., 
make a perfectly pure and reliable Saleratug. It can be pro¬ 
cured of most dealers in groceries, and at wholesale from the 
grocers in large towns, and of the manufacturers. 
I.occst Thorn For H*o#* 8. — Will the Rural, or some 
of its numerous contributors, please Inform mu whether 
Honey Locust is adapted to the purpose of making a hedge. 
When is tho proper time for planting the weds'/ Is it beet to 
plant the seeds in a nursery, or iu the hedge row? Is it 
uec.e»sa.ry to scald or soak the need before planting) 1 — N. E. 
Prentice, Oiutalia, Ohio, Feb., 1861. 
Pour hot water upon the seeds and allow them to soak 
twelve bourn. Plaot in April, in rows, and transplant to the 
hedge when one or two years old. For further information, 
see Rural of January 12, of present year, page 14. 
