-tV. atomaria oculala is a very pretty variety, 
the outer edges of the petals being light blue’ 
growing gradually paler towards the large, dark 
purple eye, which gives the flower a marked 
appearance. 
The Nemophila, is a delicate, yet beautiful ai *coiddU 9 degans is a rich, velvety maroon, 
and showy flower. We have been a little careful borde red with white, a new and flne sort 
In recommending them to onr readers, because 
BOmetimcs in a dry spring they do not succeed 
w-ell, especially if the seed is sown late, so that 
they are in bloom during the hot and often ex- Ej 
tremely dry weather of July. They like a cool, Met- 
damp soli, and if a little shaded, all the better, era’ 
In conversation with Mr. Downdjo, who loves tlon 
flowers as well as fruit, a few weeks eince, he lighl 
remarked Unit his Nemojihilas had been splendid rent] 
the present, spring, and thonght they should be qalt< 
more generally known and cultivated. With this 
this opinion we entirely agree. During t.he befoi 
month of June we had nothing among onr an- oogb 
nuals that could compare with the Nemphllas prop 
for beauty. They are almost or quite hardy, shalo 
and self-sown seed will often produce tho finest place 
flowers. To make sure of flowers sow in cold even 
frame or liot-bed and transplant early, though upon 
seed 60 wn early in the open ground often sue- offer 
ceed admirably. 
tying up the canes, would avoid the trouble 
after trying the plan we recommed. 
Pruning. — The onlv labor rpnnivprl 
SUMMER PRUNING OF GRAPES, 
THE NEMOPHILA 
RECIPE FOR BREAD, 
CAKES, &c. 
Eos. Rural New-Yorker;—I thought per¬ 
haps a few of my cooking recipes might be 
acceptable to some of the readers of the Rural, 
so I will send some, and with them the inquin! 
how to make Graham Crockers: 
Potato Bread. —Boil some potatoes until 
thoroughly done, mash them flne; add to them 
the water they were boiled in with yeast and 
flour, make into a sponge and let it rise over 
night; then mold up and let it rise the Becond 
grapes were grown, and sought I lme 1 -’ cfore Pitting in the tins for baking, and 
1 you will have good bread. 
Fried Potatoes—B oll your potatoes until 
done, peel and mash them fine; make them out 
into cakes like biscuit; spread some flour over 
them and fry them brown in lard. Gravy left 
from ham, or some roast meat, is very good to 
summer pruning. A few years ago I saw at one 
of our wine presses a lot of grapes, among which 
were many clusters entirely white; others that 
were slightly colored, and many that had berries 
of all the different shades of color from a green¬ 
ish white to a dark pnrple. The grapes were 
of more than average size, extremely tender, 
not unpleasant to taste, but deficient in acid, 
sugar and firmness. The pile looked like a 
family of mulattocB. As the winemaker could 
afford no explanation of this phenomenon, I in¬ 
quired where the grapes were grown, and sought 
a solution of the mystery by an examination of 
the vineyard, and by inquiries of the owner. 
The vines wore twelve years old, of the common 
variety, planted at the usual distance apart 1 , and 
had grown vigorously from the time of planting, 
an d were of good height from the ground. There 
had been a heavy growth of canes on the vines 
that season, owing in part to the heavy rains of 
the winter previous, 1SG1-2, so as to interlock 
and cover the field. About the time the hurries 
had attained their growth, and just as they were 
beginning to take color, the owner, in order to 
give the grapes a better opportunity to ripen 
and acquire sweetness, went through the 
PEAR BLIGHT 
which the fruit, is produced. The plantation 
must be gone over several tljnes diuiDg the sea¬ 
son, as new canes are raising themselves, and 
their tops mu6t be cut oil us before recommended. 
If the laterals get too rampant and in the way, 
as they will, they must be shortened in. The 
only implement required for this work Is a corn- 
knife, and one man will prune several acres per 
day in this manner. 
I would particularly recommend that after the 
plantation Is established the ground between 
the rows should not be disturbed. It will break 
the roots, and cause an immense amount of suck¬ 
ers to put, forth and greatly weaken and lessen 
the productiveness of the bearing canes. The 
best plan is to spread a heavy mnicbing of straw, 
or, what ia better, course manure between the 
rows, thus keeping down the weeds, render¬ 
ing the soil moist andenrichiDg it at the same 
time— N. J. Caiman, before the Horticultural So- 
fry them 
Pancakes from Broken Bread— Break up 
the bread fine and soak it over night in sweet 
milk ; add eggs and flour to give it consistency. 
Soda Biscuits— To two quarts of flour take 
four teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, two of soda- 
one pint of sweet milk, and half a teaenpful 
of lard or butter. 
Ocean Cake—To one cup of milk add two 
| ea P s powdered sugar; one half cup of butter- 
the whites of five eggB, well beaten; three cups 
of flour; two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, and 
one of soda. Flavor to your taste. 
Ginger l hackers, —One quart of molasses; 
three-quarters of a pound of butter; one teacup 
of sugar; four teaspoonfuls of cinnamon; one 
tablespoonfui ginger; one teaspoofnl of soda, 
and flonr enough to make a good dough. Bake 
quick. 
Currant Cake—O ne cup of butter, two of 
sugar; three eggs; one enp of water or milk; a 
small teaspoonful of saleratus; a little grated 
nntmeg, and a cup of currants. 
Racine, Wis., ists5. Mrs. Mattie Murray. 
DISEASE OF ONIONS, 
vuu-- 
yard, dipping off enough of the ends of the 
canes so as to open a space between rows to 
permit ventilation and allow the rays of the sun 
to reach the ground. The vines being in a luxu¬ 
riant state, immediately threw out numerous 
new branches from the clipped canes, with new, 
and fully developed, but rapidly growing leaves. 
The phenomenon was fully ami satisfactorily 
explained. When the berries needed thrifty and 
well developed leaves, to collect heat, light and 
other elements from the air, and elaborate the 
sap, so as to furnish color, sugar, etc., they had 
been deprived of them, and the vines were al¬ 
most exclusively engaged, and the sap consumed 
Thf, onion corp is sometimes severely injured 
by a disease resembling mildew. The tops of 
the leaves die and the whole plant is more Or 
less covered by patches of this white bljfat. 
From the effects of it the onions almost cease 
tbelr growth, and tho crop finally obtained is 
This disease in seme sections is 
rust.” It is more 
small in size, 
known by the name of “ 
frequent in extraordinary wet seasons, and is 
more common on old beds than new. The best 
remedy yet known for old beds is to run the 
plow a little deeper, and thus mix in a little new 
soil. 
The onion maggot is hatchedfrom the eggs of 
a fly which are deposited in the plant very near 
the surface of the ground. Its presence may be 
detected in the crop when very young by the 
sudden turning yellow and falling over of .the 
plant, when, if the attempt is made to pull it, it 
will usually break off near the surface, and on 
squeezing several Tery small maggots will pre¬ 
sent themselves. Some writers Btate that the 
fly deposits its .eggs only at an early period lu 
the growth of the plant. It is true that some 
SAVE YOUR OWN SEEDS, 
How to make Currant Wine. — Press the 
juice from the currants, and to every quart of it, 
add four pounds of sugar, and three quarts 
of water, which if previously turned over the 
pressed currants, will add to the strength of the 
wine. Put into a keg which should be full, and 
some of the wine kept to fill it as it works off. 
After it has ceased working it 6honld be bunged 
up, and not disturbed at least for six months, 
when it may be drawn off and bottled, or put 
into a clean keg. It is better when a year or two 
old, than when first drawn. This same recipe 
nemophila insignis. 
One of the varieties longest known is iV. in- 
stijnUi, it having been discovered by Douglas in 
California, in 1S32. The flower is of the most 
delicate light blue that can be imagined, this 
color gradually becoming lighter toward the 
center, which is nearly white. For many years 
we have never missed this delicate annnal from 
our collection. There is a striped variety of 
iumyni,,, blue and white, and a variety edged 
with white called Marginata. 
aepenacnce on seeds which never germinate. 
Last spring we received a largo assortment of 
flower seeds, and having the nicest soil for a 
flower bed, told wife we would blaze out in 
great style. We made the beds and raked them 
as fine as muck, wife put in twenty kinds of 
seeds, and we waited in high hope. By-and-by 
our seeds began to come up, and showed 
mighty thrilty plants, whereat we felt glad. 
But as they grew apace, we remarked that all 
had a great similarity, and finally we found they 
were all petunias/ and we had not sowed a single 
petunia in the lot. Tho secret of it was, that 
last year petunias had gone to seed on that spot, 
and the seed had lain in the ground all winter' 
and now came up to greet us with its uew life 
of sturdy thrift, while our adopted pete forgot 
to come up at all I Maybe all the other flower 
seeds turned to petunias, just as some folks 
think wheat turns to chess. But as we prefer 
the kind of seeds that will come up what we get 
them lor, instead of all coming up petunias, we 
shall look out in season for our next, vwr’c 
r-LDERBERHY Wine.—E lderberries can be 
made to produce excellent wine, allowing to a 
ten-gallon cask forty pounds of fruit, forty 
pounds of sugar, and a quarter of a pound of 
tartar. "When elderberry wine is desired for & 
warm cordial it is made in the following man¬ 
ner: Twenty-five pounds of fruit are to he 
boiled for an hour in eleven gallons of water; 
and along with it, tied in a piece of linen, an 
ounce of allspice and two of ginger. Forty 
pounds of sugar being put. into a tub, the boil¬ 
ing liquor is strained over it, pressing the fruit 
quite dry; and a quarter of a pound of crude 
tartar, or cream tartar, is then added to the 
liquid. When it has stood two days in the tub, 
it may be removed to the cask, treated as for 
sweet wine, sn the usual manner, and bottled in 
March tollowing. When to be drank, a portion 
of it heated with some sugar. 
CULTIVATION IOF THE BLACKBERRY 
Soil—T he blackberry delights iu rich, rather 
molstsoil. It would bealmost impossible togeta 
soil too rich. We have seen a portion of a black¬ 
berry patch receiving the wash of a barn-yard, 
and the canes grew to an immense size, and pro¬ 
duced the largest berries we have ever seen, 
while the quantity borne was almost incredible. 
Preparation of tub soil— Tho soil should 
be deeply plowed and trench-plowed in the fall. 
By trench-plowing the soil is deepened and a 
portion of the subsoil is brought to the surface, 
where it is subjected to the ameliorating influ¬ 
ences ol the frost, air and sun. In February or 
Mureh the ground should be plowed, and the 
MANURE FOR TREES, &c 
Wno ever knew corn or meadow land too 
highly manured ? I never did. Mho has seen 
rhubarb aud currant bushes too liberally sup¬ 
plied !■* I should like to kuow. Bu; manure for 
such gross feeders may bo all rigid, and often 
necessary; while with every fruit tree, great 
caution in its use, or its entire abai donmeut, is 
the only course. As a rule you give young 
orchards too much, and your old Rearing ones 
too little manure. Aud in either ease do you 
discriminate as you should, or give or withhold 
manure for a specific reason. IfjglMgo propor¬ 
tion of onr virgin soil, the yougg tiee, well cul¬ 
tivated, is likely to grow fast laioouh; and too 
fast for safety, if it is a tender sort. Here fut 
inauures will do much more hurt than good—so 
far as the tree or plant is concern d. But, by 
and by, the crops taken from between the trees, 
and occasional large yields of l'rair, will begin 
to tell on the trees, and then vegetable and 
animal manures may come in. to keen tin a 
mow to Drt Sweet Corn— When the corn 
is in good condition for eating, the grains being 
Billy grown, boil a quantity of ears just enough 
to cook the starch, and then let them 
dry a few hours, and then shell 
REMEDIES AGAINST INSECTS. 
TV E found It next to impossible last year to 
protect tho young cantaloupe vines against the 
presistents attacks of the black and the striped 
bug. Young radishes planted close around the 
hill, repeated applications of ashes in the morn¬ 
ing when the dew was ou, strong aloes water, 
etc., had little or no effect. Eventually soap¬ 
suds was applied, which seemed to do tho busi¬ 
ness, both in driving them away and keeping 
them away. It should be applied several times, 
and always after a rain has washed off the effects 
of the previous spriukling. Whale oil soap is 
the best for this purpose, using about one pound 
to four gallons of water. This soap can be ob¬ 
tained at the agricultural stores, generally, as 
well as some of the drug and grocery stores! 
W e see that other remedies are suggested, and, 
among them, one in an English journal, that the 
common elder bush scattered among the vines 
will keep off all bugs usually infesting them. 
But- we ilo not believe it. We have often tried 
similar appliances aud found them all to bo 
worthless. Try the whole oil soapsuds ; and if 
this substance cannot be obtained, use the com¬ 
mon soap in the same proportion .—Germantown 
cool and 
or ..-lit off the 
grains and spread them in the sun till dried. 
The best way to dry the corn is to nail a piece 
of cloth of very open texture on a frame, which, 
if two feet wide and five long, will be of a con¬ 
venient size to handle, if the corn is spread 
upon this eloth it will dry quickly, without sour¬ 
ing. It should be covered with a mosquito net¬ 
ting to keep off the flies. 
Ginger Wine— Boil together, for half an 
hour, seven quarts of water, six pounds of sugar, 
two ounces ol the best ginger, bruised, and tbe 
rind of three good-sized lemons. When luke¬ 
warm put the whole into a cask, with the juice 
ot the lemons, and a quarter of a pound of sun 
raisins; add one teaspoonful of uew yeast, and 
stir tho wine every day for ten days. When the 
lermentation has ceased add half an ounce of 
isinglass and half a pint of brandy; bung close, 
aud in about, two months it will be tit to bottle. 
•eaxsAJir .marmalade.—T ake some ripe red 
currants, pick them, and squeeze out the juice 
Irom some ol them. Put to it some juice of 
raspberries; then put to this the whole currants, 
boil them gently, then, when they begin to 
break, put in an equal weight of sugar boiled to 
candy height. Boil them together, mashiug 
tlietu as they boil; aud then skim them, put iu 
some rose-water, and, when it becomes as thick 
as marmalade, put into pots. 
the I ’each Crop— A late number of the Utica 
Beraid says—“We learn from a gentleman who hs« 
recently looked through tho peach orchards in tho 
western part of tho Star.., that the poach crop about 
Rochester will average irom one fourth to one-half a 
crop. About Seneca and Cayuga lakes the averago 
wilt be perhaps loss than half a crop. At the head of 
Senacs lake. In tho vicinity of Frost’s nurseries, the 
crop Is good, many of the trees bending nuder the 
weight of fruit. This point is some COO feet higher 
than the lake. The section where nenehea are o,.,. 
NEMOPHILA ATOMARLA Of!PLATA. 
