Agriculture 
the former average yield of the staple product of the 
country. 
The intelligent reader is of course aware that 
lime will not prove alike beneficial on all soils, yet 
we believe its application would be vastly and per¬ 
manently useful on many farms in almost every 
wheat-growing locality of Western and Central 
New York. Mr. Johnston avers that if now a 
young man, he would lime his whole farm liberally, 
especially as the beneficial effects of one good appli¬ 
cation lasts nearly a life-time,—and if a second 
liming is necessary, a light one will answer. On 
wet land lime will lift of little or no benefit.—and its 
application would also probably be nearly or quite 
useless on soils based upon limestone. In the 
former case underdraining would first be neces¬ 
sary,— and in the latter, deep plowing would be 
the best remedy to restore or bring up the lime and 
other elements of fertility taken from the surface 
soil by constant cropping. 
Though we cannot say much for the direct influ¬ 
ence of charcoal as a manure, yet it is ol vast value 
to the farmer and gardener. Its mechanical effect 
is excellent on a stiff soil, rendering a cold clay 
warm and friable. For the growth of early vegeta¬ 
bles there is nothing better, as it absorbs both heat 
and moisture, and is not liked by insects. Then, for 
use in the compost heap as an absorbent, and a 
deodorizer of the best yet the most offensive ma¬ 
nures, it is almost invaluable. 
We give the following on this subject from one of 
Prof. Johnston’s Agricultural Lectures: 
The light porous charcoals obtained from wood, 
(especially from the willow, the pine, and the box,) 
and from animal substances, possess several inter¬ 
esting properties, which are. of practical application 
in the art of culture. 1. They have the power of 
absorbing in large quantity into their pores, the 
gaseous substances and vapors which exist in the 
atmosphere; and on this property, as I shall explain 
hereafter, the use of charcoal powder as a manure 
probably in some measure depends. 2. Thus of 
ammonia they absorb 95 times their own bulk, of 
sulphuretted hydrogen 55 times, of oxygen 9 times, 
of hydrogen nearly twice their bulk, and of aqueous 
vapor so much as to increase their weight from 10 
to 20 per cent. They also separate from water any 
decayed animal matters or coloring substances 
which it may hold in solution; hence its use in 
filters for purifying and sweetening impure river or 
spring waters, or for clarifying simps and oils. 
This action is so powerful that port wine is rendered 
perfectly colorless by filtering through a well pre¬ 
pared charcoal. 
In or upon the soil, charcoal for a time will act in 
the same manner, will absorb from the air moisture 
and gaseous substances, and from the rain and from 
llowiDg waters organized matters of various kinds, 
any of which it will be in a condition to yield to the 
plants which grow around it, when they are such 
as are likely to contribute to their growth. 3. 
They have the property also of absorbing disagreea¬ 
ble odors in a very remarkable manner. Hence 
animal food keeps longer sweet when placed in con¬ 
tact with charcoal—hence, also, vegetable.substances 
containing much water, such as potatoes, are more 
completely preserved by the aid of a quantity of 
charcoal — and hence the refuse charcoal of the 
sugar refiners is found to deprive night soil of its 
disagreeable odor, and convert it into a dry and 
portable manure. 4. They exhibit also the still 
more singular property of extracting from water a 
portion of the saline substances it may happen to 
hold in solution, and thus allowing it to escape in a 
less impure form. The decayed (half carbonized) 
roots of grass, which have been long subjected to 
irrigation, may act in one or all of these ways on 
the more or less impure water by which they are 
irrigated—and thus gradually arrest and collect the 
materials which are fitted to promote the growth of 
the coming crop. 
last year; they are bearing heavily the present 
season. 
On another lot, one hundred and sixty by two 
hundred and forty feet, Mr. M. planted tour hundred 
dwarf pear trees last, year—evidence enough that 
he gains confidence in the much abused dwarfs, in 
proportion as be gains iu experience, This last 
named orchard has also been thoroughly tile- 
drained, and is also thrown op in narrow beds, 
securing complete surface drainage—the trees being 
planted on the center ot the beds. 
On this question of the relative profit and pleasure 
derived from planting dwarfs and standards, Mr. 
Montross, with characteristic emphasis, gave the 
preference to the dwarfs. That it is entirely prac¬ 
ticable to succeed with dwarf pears in this county 
and latitude, there can be no doubt. A return may 
be expected from standards, if planted. And those 
who invest first and largest will surely reap a rich 
profit. 
BUT OF DWARF APPLES 
I gain no favorable experience, either North or 
South. Side by side with the pears, of the same age 
and planting, with the same culture, were fine look¬ 
ing trees, barren and unfruitful—“not worth the 
space they occupied—indeed, I would not have 
them in a barn-yard,” said Montross. I have seen 
standard trees of the same age, variety, and plant¬ 
ing, with the same culture, loaded with fruit when 
Mr. Dwarf was entirely innocent, of any other 
burthen than leaves. This is a matter of some 
importance here, tor thousands ot dwarf apple trees 
have been sold iu the West to those who swallow, 
without blinking, the specious stories of imaginative 
tree peddlers. Will not some one of your Western 
readers tell us if they have any experience going to 
prove the profit of dwarf apple culture? It would 
be a relief to hear. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
who know it. Its beautiful color and exquisite 
flavor render it both attractive and popular in 
market. 
Davis, with his inimitable chuckle, thus ex¬ 
pressed his npinion of the Hooker, —“Let anybody 
run down those berries; yes, be golly, let ’em run 
'em down if they want to! I tell ye, there are a few 
ol my friends in the city who nudge me under the 
ribs ami say, ‘the ’ooker for me, George’ !” 
It is evident that the Hooker enjoys good food 
and plenty of it — that it thrives under it, especially 
with the system of pruning adopted here. I noticed 
sundry barrels of liquid pigeon manure distributed 
convenient, to the Hooker plantation, and every evi¬ 
dence, in the condition of plants and amount of fruit, 
that it waR so distributed for a purpose. Indeed the 
vines, or a portion of them, are liberally “liquored 
up” two or three times a week. 
Longworth’s Prolific. —As before said, this 
berry is cultivated by Davis. He thinks highly of 
it; but ho does not call it as productive, or as prof¬ 
itable for market culture, as the Hooker, The Long- 
worth has been repeatedly commended to me, the 
present season, by cultivators, as a productive and 
palatable fruit.. Charles Kennicott thinks it an 
excellent berry for Egypt. It may be for home use; 
but it is doubtful if it will serve the purposes of the 
Egyptians as a fruit for this market 
Pruning Stkawrerrv Vines.— The season has 
been wet, and a heavy growth of vines has resulted. 
As I walked through George’s strawberry grounds 
and swept my hands over the vines in order the 
better to estimate the burthen of Fragaria they bore, 
l noticed a great many leafless stalks, which I was 
sure could not have grown without the aid of leaves. 
1 remembered to have seen this pruning practice 
recommended, and to have experimented with it 
once myself, with sumo salislaetion. Bid Ibis was 
the first time I had seen it, adopted and practiced on 
a large scale. I learned of one of the gardeners 
who accompanied me, that the German women em¬ 
ployed to pinch oil'the runners were also instructed 
to take off the tops of the rank BUckers which the 
warm wet weather pushed forward. These stalks 
are of no more use in the development of the fruit 
than so many weeds, and are equally as injurious. 
Talking with George about it, afterward, he urged 
that it was done to let in a little sunlight un the 
fruit and hasten its ripening. I asked if be did not 
think it would add a little to the size of the lruit; a 
slight twinkle of the eye said “ yes,” while he urged 
that he did not think it best to publish all these 
things, asserting that of the hundreds who had 
visited him, no one, that he knew of, had detected 
this feature of his culture. Hence it was one of bis 
professional secrete. Of course, the Rural reader 
must regard it a secret; he need not tell his neigh¬ 
bor of it, unless he chooses. 
Evergreens and Strawberries.— At Aurora, 
Kane Co., the other day, I had the pleasure of look¬ 
ing over Mr. E. Sims’ northern fruit farm of thirty- 
one acres—the greater proportion of it planted with 
Wilson’s Albany Strawberry. Mr. Sims adopts the 
hill culture — rows two and a half feet apart and 
plants a less distance in the row. Late in autumn 
he covers his beds with prairie hay or other coarse 
litter, and removes it from the vines in the spring. 
He puts on two or three tuns per acre. It is left on 
the ground between the rows during the summer, 
and serves as a mulch, and keeps the fruit from the 
soil. 
Here, as in Egypt, his soil is thrown up in nar¬ 
row beds, affording excellent, surface drainage. He 
prefers the low, wet soils, for the strawberry and 
raspberry. He finds his plants gvow belter, bear 
more fruit, and are equally safe with his system of 
suriace drainage. I noticed he was planting ever¬ 
greens in different parts of his strawberry grounds. 
He said he had experimented somewhat, and had 
found that he could grow more and better lruit with 
the protection and shade which evergreens and 
deciduous trees afforded. In latitude 404 he planted 
a fourth of an acre with McAvoy’s Superior Straw¬ 
berry. On this quarter acre there were seventy 
evergreens, many of them large, and at least one 
hundred other trees and shrubs; and he gathered 
from the McAvoy’s, thus planted, thirty-five bushels 
of fruit Other experiments have convinced him 
that shade in our climate is no disadvantage in the 
production of this fruit. Perhaps not, where irrigaj 
tion is impracticable in latitude 404. lie proposes 
to plant the Early Richmond (Kentish) Cherry with 
the evergreens on his strawberry ground. 
Tue Austin Seedling. — Mr. Sims thinks this a 
promising fruit. His experience with it has not 
been great, but very satisfactory, lie intends to 
give it further trial and will report. n« is more 
confident of success with it on the prairies than with 
the Triomphe de (land, with which he is experi¬ 
menting. He is not highly gratified with the 
promise the latter gives. Davts has plowed his 
under and don’t believe in the foreigner at all. 
Nevertheless, with the testimony for it, it ought not 
to be discarded without further trial. 
TnE LEADING AMERICAN WEEKLY 
RURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
CONDUCTED BY D. D. T. MOORE, 
With an Able Corps of Assistants and Contributors. 
CHAS. D. BHAGDON, Western Corsesponding Editor. 
The Rural Nbw-Yokker is designed to be unsurpassed in 
Value, Purity, Usefulness and Variety of Contents, and unique 
and beautiful in Appearance. Its Conductor devotes his per¬ 
sonal attention to the supervision of its various departments, 
and earnestly labors to reude.r the Rural an eminently Reliable 
Guide on all the important Piactioal, Scientific and other 
Subjects intimately connected with the business of those whose 
interests it. zealously advocates. As a Family Journal it is 
eminently Instructive and Entertaining - being so conducted 
that it can bo safely token to tho Hearts and ITomi’s of people 
of intelligence, taste and discrimination. It embraces more 
Agricultural, Horticultural, Scientific, Educational, Literary 
and News Matter, interspersed with appropriate and beautiful 
Engravings, than any other journal,—rendering it the most 
complete Agricultural, Literary and Family Newspaper 
in America. 
Mr. Moore—D ear Sir :—I notice your article on 
lime, and you state our conversation as correct as 
could be expected, considering we were traveling 
in railroad cars in the night. I will try to explain 
it more fully. 
I commenced liming about 30 years ago by experi¬ 
menting with 20 bushels on half an acre. That half 
acre looked so much better the next spring that I 
contracted for 900 bushels for the succeeding fall, 
and pul it on at the rate of forty bushels per acre. 
That gave me a great crop on land that was said to 
have been cropped 30 years without any manure; I 
then got Ume for nine cents per bushel, taking a 
whole kiln at once. 1 kept liming until I had all 
the old land limed; and it paid well—the first crop 
always paying well for the cost, besides making 
much more straw to increase the manure. The last 
I limed was fourteen years ago; I then made an 
experiment with 100 bushels to the acre on two 
acres, and 55 bushels to the acre on the remainder 
of the field (16 acres.) The two acres with 100 
bushels to tho acre yielded an immense crop; had it 
not been on the hardest and poorest part of the 
field 1 presume it would have all lodged. Although 
lime stiffens (he straw much, the wheat is clearer, 
plumper, and of finer quality, A good liming will 
last 20 to 25 years, and then (he land may require 20 
to 25 bushels to (he acre. I said that if I were a 
young man I would lime all my unlimed land at the 
rate of 80 bushels per acre. It would be little cost 
lor a few hundred (aimers in Western New York to 
each try 25 bushels on half an acre of wheat this fall, 
and next harvest, and in all probability long before, 
they would see the result. There is nothing that 1 
can say, or any other man can say, that will con¬ 
vince men like their own experience. 
John Johnston. 
VST For Termii und other particulars, see last page. 
CHARCOAL AS A MANURE 
A very interesting discussion took place at the 
meeting of the Fruit Growers’ Society, on the value 
of charcoal as a manure. The President had 
planted a large orchard, and a portion of the trees 
occupied ground where, two years before planting, 
had been a charcoal pit. As there was much refuse 
charcoal left, a bushel or so of the coal was given to 
some of the trees in the neighborhood, and not occu¬ 
pying the site of the old pit. The growth of the 
trees manured with charcoal was really surprising, 
as a gentleman present testified, who, but a week 
before, had been upon the ground, They were 
about twice the size of tboBe that had received no 
charcoal, and had made a most extraordinary 
growth. Some gentlemen who had used charcoal 
without apparent benefit, and others who considered 
this material of no manorial value of itself, being 
insoluble and almost Indestructible, sought for some 
means to account for the benefit received by the 
trees other than the direct Influence of the charcoal. 
Of course, in every ofd coal pit a great amount of 
ashes are found, which all know to bo of great value 
to most soils and crops. The earth, too, becomes 
burned, and the good effects of burning, on a clay 
soil, are very apparent This is a common practice 
in Europe, and we have now a piece of ground, in a 
heavy clay soil, as “mellow as an ash heap,” and 
producing twice as much as tho land around, where 
two yearH since we burned a brush heap. How far 
the ashes and (he burning helped the growth of the 
trees, we will not attempt to say, but that the benefit 
from these sources was very considerable, we can¬ 
not doubt. From remarks made at the meeting, we 
thought that perhaps the nature of charcoal was not 
perfectly well understood by all, and that a fewfacts 
might not be uninteresting or unimportant to our 
readers generally. 
Nearly all plants are composed of fifty per cent, 
of carbon or charcoal, that is, when dried, and of 
course they require a great amount of this substance 
for their growth and maturity. But, it must be 
remembered that plants take up their food either in 
the gaseous or liquid form, and therefore particles 
of charcoal that cannot be dissolved or made 
gaseous, are of no direct benefit in supplying their 
wants. It is the opinion of those who have given 
this matter special attention, that plants obtain 
most of their carbon from the atmosphere. Botrs- 
8 LVOaglt made a series of experiments to test this 
point, and found that the common Borage, after a 
growth of five months, from the 3d of April to the 
5th of September, produced ten times as much 
vegetable matter as the soil in which it grew had 
lost during the same period. In other words, it had 
drawn nine-tenths of its carbon from the air. In 
other experiments with potatoes, beets, clover, 
wheat, and oats, with a given quantity of carbon 
applied as manure, after a course of experiments for 
four years, he found that the crops gathered during 
Bus time contained three times the quantity of car¬ 
bon given in the manure, while the land contained 
as much as at the commencement of the experi¬ 
ments, and that, therefore, the plants, during their 
grjwth, must have derived two-thirds of their car¬ 
bon from the air. 
The question may arise in the minds of some, how 
this large demand for carbon iu an available form 
is supplied, and why the air does not become 
exhausted. All ot our ordinary manures are com¬ 
posed largely of carbon, and (his by decay is gradu¬ 
ally re-converted into carbonic acid, and thus is 
furnished a portion of the carbon required. A 
large portion of the carbonic acid ab. orbed by 
plants is almost immediately restored to the air by the 
respiration ol men and animals. Ordinary combus¬ 
tion gives back to the air much of the carbon taken 
up by plants. The air emitted from the lungs con¬ 
tains one hundred times more carbonic acid than 
when it is respired. It has been estimated that an 
individual in the course of twenty-four hours emits 
from the lungs five ounces of carbon, and thus in a 
year gives off from the lungs upwards of one hun¬ 
dred pounds of carbon in the form of carbonic acid. 
QUINCES AND APRICOTS 
Are producing fineiy on Mr. Montross’ grounds. 
He thinks the former may be grown here with great 
ease and profit as a market lruit. 1 think so too — 
certainly profitably if easily, judging by the prices 
asked for this fruit in the Chicago market last fall. 
And I can see no reason why the quince may not 
become a standard product of these Egyptian fruit 
farms. 
BRUSH FOR PEAS. 
This item for towns people who cannot get brush 
easily. Mr. Montross had purchased a few rods of 
woven wire, fence, which he uses as a brush for his 
peas. The peas do not hesitate to cling to it; and it 
lasts. When the season is over, it is rolled up com¬ 
pactly and stowed away in Mr. M.’a convenient and 
well furnished barn, where it is always in order for 
another season. Let those who object to any other 
than Tom Thumb peas, because of the brush, look 
out the cost of wire fence. 
WESTERN EDITORIAL NOTES 
FEEDING SUGAR TO BEES. 
While conversing with Mr. Sims about wine¬ 
making, an incidental remark of mine led him to 
say that there was a great deal accepted as axiom¬ 
atic which could easily be proved the reverse by 
any man bold enough to attempt it. For instance, 
ho had seen it asserted that it was not profitable to 
feed bees sugar with a view to increase their pro¬ 
duction of honey—others had asserted that the bee 
would not manufacture honey from sugar at all. 
lie had proved both to be errors; for he fed to his 
bees, one season, eight hogsheads of sugar, arid they 
manufactured it into honey, which he sold at thirty- 
five cents per pound. Except white clover honey, 
ho had never seen any to compare with this sugar 
honey. He said, “ Let a man eat sugar honey thus 
made and he will not eat blossom honey, it he can 
get the former.” He said one stand of bees tnude 
eighty-four pounds of honey from sugar in thirty 
days, lie took it to the Fair, received a premium 
for it, and sold it afterwards for twenty-four dollars. 
But he says it is not profitable thus to manufacture 
sugar into honey, except a large price can be 
obtained for the product. The best of sugar should 
be used, 
BUO-S AND TIN. 
I noticed a pile of funnel-shaped tin cylinders, 
the smaller end of each four inches in diameter, 
perhaps, and the larger end six inches. Length of 
cylinder six inches, 1 should think. 1 asked their 
use and, was told they were made to protect vines 
from the hugs, &c. The smaller end of the cylinder 
is put in the ground and is an effectual protection. 
The inside of the funnel should be painted a dark 
color. The outside tnay be left bright. These cost 
three dollars per hundred, and are regarded a good 
investment. 
USE OP LIME AS A MANURE 
In answer to the inquiry of a correspondent—who 
wishes to know how much lime to use to the acre 
and mode of applying the same—we re-publish the 
following articles from a former volume: 
» * » ipjjp benefit of Hme as an ameliorator 
and fertilizer of the soil has often been alluded to 
and discussed in the Rural, and hence we need not 
now enter into particulars, in a recent conversa¬ 
tion with Mr. John Johnston, of Seneca county— 
the meritorious pioneer of tile draining in this 
country, and one of the most thorough and profita¬ 
ble practical farmers in Westuru New York—we 
learned some important and interesting particulars 
relative to the value of lime, founded upon his 
experience. Mr. Johnston is of opinion that lime 
is the great panacea for our wheat soils, both in sec¬ 
tions where the elements of fertility are lacking, and 
where the midge prevails. He commenced the use 
of lime some twenty or more years ago, by applying 
twenty bushels on a half acre of wheat. The benefit 
was so marked and astonishing to both himself and 
others, that he soon after lined two acres, which 
producing like beneficial results, induced him to 
subsequently apply lime to a large portion of his 
farm. The quantity used has varied from forty to 
eighty bushels per acre, and his practice has been to 
apply at the time of or just previous to sowing 
wheat—placing the lime in heaps ol a bushel or 
more, allowing it to remain a sufficient length of 
time to become air-slaked, and then spreading and 
harrowing in with the wheat. 
By this means Mr. J. is of the opinion that he has 
greatly and permanently enhanced the wheat pro¬ 
ducing qualities of his soil—his average product of 
wheat for the last eight years being as large as that 
of any equal period in the last thirty years. In 
addition to liming, however, he has nnderdrained 
most of his farm, and made liberal use of barnyard 
manure, (an important item, as considerable stock 
has been kept and fattened on the farm.) so that 
his large crops are not attributable to lime alone, 
though it has proved a highly remunerative fertilizer, 
lie believes, however, that lime is the great need on 
most, of the wheat, soils of New York, and that its 
application would prove a source of marked and 
lasting benefit—restoring the fertility of wheat farms 
which are deteriorated, and so increasing the crops 
in sections where the midge prevails aB to maintain 
THE CONCORD GRAPE. 
Testimony continues to accumulate in my note 
book, in favor of this grape, because of its hardi¬ 
ness, rapid growth, productiveness, and freedom 
from all diseases of vine and fruit which destroy or 
affect Lho profitable culture of other varieties. Mr. 
Montross says, “It is the grape of all others for 
this country. The fruit never rots, and it makes 
more wood than all the other grapes on my place. 1 * 
This confirms other testimony heretofore, published 
in the Rural. 
STRAWBERRY NOTES FOR 1802. 
Two weeks since, I was lookiug over George B. 
Davis’ ten-acre strawberry patch, in the north part 
of the city. This plantation embraces, as leading 
varieties, Wilson’s Albany, Hooker’sSeedling, Long- 
worth s Prolific, and British Queen. In this garden 
two kinds of culture are adopted. One is hill 
culture; the other is that of allowing two or three 
rows of vines to run together, renewing these beds 
every third year, and keeping them thinned out. free 
from weeds and well cultivated. This last process 
is applied in the culture of the Wilson’s Albany and 
Longworth’s Prolific; the former to the Hooker and 
British Queen. In both cases the runners are cut off 
Hooker’s Seedling.— There is little need that I 
commend the flavor of this fruit. But it is not 
generally known as a valuable market berry. For 
carriage, long distances, it is not adapted; but it 
will carry as well as Hovey’s Seedling; and that 
has been sent hither, in drawers, from Kentucky. 
Produced near market, however, it proves profitable 
— especially under the system ol culture adopted 
by Davis. When I saw it, I could detect little 
difference in the amount of fruit promised by it and 
the Wilson’s Albany. The trusses Beemed equally 
numerous and well filled. But the culture costs 
more; and the fruit brings more among consumers 
DWARF PEARS IN EGYPT. 
My friend, Charles Kennicott, proposes plant¬ 
ing an orchard of standard pears. And he repeatedly 
expressed his distrust of dwarfs for Egyptian plant¬ 
ing. While bis large horticultural experience ought 
to give weight to his horticultural opinions, I am 
led to believe that his prejudices created by a disas- 
terous experience in latitude 42, with untried and 
ill-suited varieties, have much to do in influeucing 
his opinions in latitude 39, where climate and soil 
bear no analogy. 
Together, we rode down to Centralia, the junc¬ 
tion of the main line and Chicago branch of the 
Hlinois Central Railroad, and called upon C. A. 
Montross, Esq., whose little plantation of dwarf 
pears 1 had visited soon after it was planted, a few 
years ago. On seventy-two feet square he has 
seventy-two dwarf pear trees. The soil is like that 
heretofore described—a prairie soil, with perhaps a 
greater proportion of red clay iu it than in that of 
the prairie on which my notes were written. I 
think this dwarf orchard is underdrained. It is 
certainly well cultivated; and each individual tree 
is a delight to any one who likes to see success 
follow well directed effort. The trees are healthful 
and full of fruit. A good crop was taken from them 
THE PURPLE CANE RASPBERRY. 
I have seen several small plantations of this fruit, 
the present season, which promise well. And the 
testimony is all in its favor as a productive and 
delicious fruit. That it will carry to market, in 
drawers, as well as the Black-Cap, is doubtful; but 
put up in quart packages, as strawberries are sent, 
RVING Chaut Co N Y 
