Magazine of Horticulture, “ in setting gardens of 
half an acre and upwards, are frequently im¬ 
pressed with the idea that it is desirable — for 
some reason not clearly distinct in their own 
minds — to iutersperse apple and pear trees in 
the same line or to plant alternately.” This 
practice he found erroneous for the reason that 
the apple tree, being an uncommonly gross feed¬ 
er, and rapid grower, robbed tho pears of the ali¬ 
ment. essential to growth and productiveness. 
About Watering Plants .—Some journals recom¬ 
mend a free application of water to cucumber 
and melon vines during dry weather, Is this 
application beneficial to the plants or the re¬ 
verse ? Last year we had a few cucumber vines 
In the garden. The weather was scorching hot 
and the vines wilted dally. At evening a liberal 
supply of rain water was applied to the roots, 
at intervals of a day or two, with the exception 
of a single hill. All the watered ones withered 
away and finally died prematurely, while those 
which were spared the evening drenchings flour¬ 
ished and bore fruit. Was not the water the 
cause of premature decay and death, in this 
instance ?—b. 
CULTURE OF CELERY 
INQUIRIES, ORIGINAL RECIPES, kc. 
Lamb’s Knitting Machine. — Will you in¬ 
form me through tho Rubai., as to the merits of 
the Lamb Knitting Machine ? Is it what the 
manufactures recommend it to be ? Is it worth 
the price they ask for it ?-or, will it pay to 8end 
for one?— Subscriber, 
Years ago wc examined and voluntarily com¬ 
mended the Lamb Knitting Machine, and have 
had no occasion to change our opinion of itd 
merits. The Rural’s notice was the first, or 
among the first, it received from any paper, and 
given before the machine had been introduced 
or offered for sale. Since then It has been greatly 
Improved and Is now being extensively manu¬ 
factured in this city, and also In Springfield, 
Mass. We do not know how highly it la 
This excellent and valuable vegetable is un¬ 
known in the majority of farmers’ families. 
Yet it may be easily grown, and in abuudance. 
The seed should be sown early, as it is slow to 
germinate. A 6mall bed will supply plants 
enough for a large number of families. If you 
have neglected sowing the seed it is best to pro¬ 
cure the. plants when they are about two inches 
high. Set them out in fine, moist soil, three 
inches apart. They bear transplanting well. In 
this position they will grow stocky, and become 
well rooted. The middle of July is soon enough 
to transplant to the rows when the crop is de¬ 
signed for winter use; but if the plants attain 
a height of four or five inches, they may be 
moved earlier. It is not well to let them get 
too large before the last transplanting. 
The soil should be rich, but not made so with 
coarse or unrotted manure, for that might im¬ 
part a bad flavor 10 the celery. The best is 
grown on dry, mellow soil. It should be deep 
and rich to give room and food for the roots, 
which are numerous and strong. Make the rows 
three or three and a-balf feet apart, and plant 
six to eight inches apart in the row. The old- 
fashioned method of planting in trenches is not 
followed by the large growers of this vegetable 
for market. Plant on the surface where the soil 
is rich and warm. When tho plants have at¬ 
tained a height of ten or twelve inches, earth 
them up for blanching. A dry day should be 
chosen for that operation, and the dirt, should 
be made fine. Draw up the leaves so they will 
not be covered, and be. careful not to plant any 
earth on the top of the plants—in the axils of 
the leaves. That would cause them to decay. 
Repeat the earthing up from time to time as the 
plants increase in 6lze, 
At the approach of winter the celery may be 
taken up, the waste leaves removed, and all 
rotten and worthless parts separated from the 
sound. A good way to store It for winter use 
is to pack in sand or fine mold, in a dry, cool 
cellar. It is then accessible at all times. Large 
growers for market pack it in trenches In the 
field, and cover with boards, straw and the like, 
to keep it from freezing. 
Celery grown on the surface requires more 
room than when grown in trenches, as there 
must be soil enough between the rows to earth 
up with, but it is much less labor. It is one of 
the very best of vegetables for winter use. • If 
not liked at first, a taste for It Is soon acquired, 
as with tomatoes. It is convenient and healthy, 
and all farmers’ families should be liberally sup¬ 
plied with it. 
_ _ recom¬ 
mended by the manufactures, but we believe it 
to be a very meritorious machine, that it is 
worth the mouCjyisked, and will prove a good 
investment, to those- having much “knitting 
work ” on hand.' 
About Bad Varnish,— Can you tell mo what 
will remove bad varnish, that will not dry, from 
furniture V I have tried strong 6oap-suds and 
benzine, neither of which are effectual. The 
varnish is sticky und the dust settles In It., which 
looks very badly.— A Subscriber's Wife. 
If the varnish was copal, there is no solvent, 
except at u very high heat j but a strong solu¬ 
tion of potash or wood ash lye, 
brush, will destroy the oil in which the 
dissolved 
FRUIT TREE WORMS-A WORMIFUGE 
Mr. Rural :— In your issue of June 9th H. T. 
B. set6 forth a me6t piteous howl and lament, 
which is heard from one end of the land to the 
other, as far as your broad ivgis extends, and all 
about worms. Whiiehoiamakiugsuehalament- 
able howl, thousands upon thousands are la¬ 
menting in silence over the same evil. Hereto¬ 
fore I have been troubled with the same com¬ 
plaint, but now 1 walk forth with the air of a 
conqueror, aud go forth (among the trees) from 
conquering to conquest—carrying certain and 
instant death and destruction to everything in 
any caterpillar's nest that can be found. Only 
one application to each nest is necessary; and 
three times over the orchard to find nests that 
were not found before, is all the time necessary 
to devote. The remedy is simple, effectual, and 
docs not injure the trees; and if all farmers 
should try it, I verily believe in three yearathe 
whole country would be rid of the pest. I have 
tried it three years, and have had hut few this 
year. 
The remedy is this : 1st, a long pole with a 
swab on the cud. 2d, a pan of kerosene oil. 
ltd, dip the swab In the oil and swab the nest, 
twisting the swab round the nest, and in less than 
a minute every worm and egg is killed. The best 
time is early in the morning or late in the after¬ 
noon, as all the worms are in the nest then. 
It wants but little kerosene, 
It wants but little time; 
The trees will all tho better seem, 
The fruit more fair and fine. 
Then try It, fanners, one and All, 
Extirtninatc the foe; 
The worms that cause the fruit to fall, 
Are in your jjower now. 
Yates Co., N. Y. V. T. B. 
applied with a 
gum was 
Wash off and re-varnish with a vax- 
nish that is first proved as to its drying qualities. 
How to Color Shirts.— In answer to an in¬ 
quiry of a member of the 4th Heavy Artillery in 
reference to coloring shirts, a lady correspond¬ 
ent writes: — The bark of the beech, hemlock,, 
chestnut and oak will make nearly the same 
color. Cut the bark Into small pieces; steep 
over the tiro till the strength is out. Then take 
out the bark and put, a little copperas into the 
dye in about, tho proportion of a small teaspoon 
ful to each shirt.. After stirring well put in the 
goods and lu half an hour you will have a good 
pntrplo that will not fade. It will color cotton 
and wool nearly the same shade,—L. C., Albion , 
Eric Co., Jht. 
A Disinfectant. — One pound of green cop¬ 
peras dissolved in one quart of water, and poured 
down a sink drain, will effectually destroy the 
foulest smells. For water-closets on board ships 
and steamboats, about hotels and other public 
places, there is nothingso ulce to cleanse with as 
simple greeu copperas. Dissolved under the bed 
in anything that will hold water, it will render 
a hospital or other place for the sick free from 
unpleasant smells. For butchers’ stalls, fish 
markets, slaughter houses, sinks, and wherever 
there are offensive putrid gases, dissolve cop¬ 
peras and sprinkle it about, and in a few days the 
smell will pass away. 
Canning Fruit.— J. 8. G., Livonia, N. Y., 
writes:—As a caution to those canning fruit in 
glass or using the same, T would like to state- 
through your paper what may already be known 
by many, that particles of glass uro liable to 
flake off the inside of the can and mix with the 
fruit, which renders obvious tho propriety of 
carefully removing all such particles before using 
the can, us much as possible, and examining the 
fruit before eating. 
Strawberry Cream.— Mash the fruit gently; 
drain it on a sieve; strew a little sugar on it; 
when well drained, without being pressed, add 
sugar and cream to the mince, and, if too thick, 
a little milk. Whisk it in a bowl, and as the 
froth rises, lay it on a sieve; when no more wilt 
rise, put the cream in a dish and lay tho froth 
upon it. 
To Remove Iron Rust.— The juice from the 
rhubarb, or ple-plant, will remove Iron rust from 
clothes as effectually as lemon juice, and ia 
much more convenient to country people ; .>md 
its economy is, we think, preferable. — ITettie. 
Inquiry. - Will some one of your numerous 
readers, please inform me through the columns 
of your paper, the best method of making ry e 
bread? and much oblige. — E. II. P., C&benlry, 
Ohio. 
Porridge for Invalids.— The yolk of two 
eggs, three tablespooufuls of maizena, three of 
cold water, a little salt; mix well together, then 
add ono pint of boiling water; sugar if desired. 
—A Reader, New York. 
We give an engraving of The Giant of Battles, 
one of the best of the dark Hybrid Perpetual 
Roses. Its color is a most brilliant, glowing 
crimson, and its size aud form are weU Bhown. 
There are several excellent seedlings. 
The Giant of Battles is of dwarfish habit, hardy, 
a con stunt bloomer, as In favorable seasons, 
when weU treated, It Is scarcely ever out of 
flower from June to October. On tins point it 
w ill perhaps be well enough to give a hint. The 
Perpetual Roses will bloom constantly if they 
grow constantly, and not otherwise, ub It is only 
the young wood that hears the flowers. To 
keep the plants in constant growth, then, it is 
necessary to have a very rich and deep soil. One 
hnlf sod from an old pasture and one half well 
rotted manure, makes an excellent soil for roses. 
There iB very little danger of getting the soil for 
rosgs too rich, and there is very little pleasure 
in growing them in a poor soil. 
liorticoltnral Notes arid Queries. 
A CHAPTER ON ROSES, 
FORMING ROSE PILLARS. 
Roses of more moderate growth are often 
trained to poles or small pillars from 6 to 12 feet 
high. Some of the Hybrid China roses are well 
adapted to this use; and even some of the niOBt 
vigorous Moss roses, such as the Princess Ade¬ 
laide, may bo so trained. Where a pole is used, 
two stems are sufficient. These should bo ex¬ 
amined, and cut back to the first strong, plump 
bud, removing the weaker buds always found 
towards the extremity of a stem. Then let tho 
stem so pruned lie fiat on the earth till the buds 
break into leaf, after which they are to be tied 
to the pole. If they were tied up immediately 
the sap, obeying its natural tendency, would flow 
upward, expanding the highest, bud, and leaving 
many of those below dormant, ho that a portion 
of the stem would be bare. (The same course 
of proceeding may be followed with equal ad¬ 
vantage in the case of wall and trellis roses.) 
The highest hud now throws up a strong loading 
shoot, while the stems below become furnished 
with an abundance of small side shoots. In the 
following spring the leading shoot is to be prun¬ 
ed back to the first strong bud, and the treat¬ 
ment of the previous year repeated, By pur¬ 
suing this proecBs, the pillar may, in the course 
of two or three years, be enveloped from the 
ground to the summit with a moss of leaves and 
blossoms. 
STANDARD ROSES. 
We may choose some of the most hardy and 
vigorous ones of the June roses—we mean such 
especially in the class known as the Hybrid Chinas 
— and encourage the growth of a single strong, 
upright stem, removing all other shoots from 
the base of the plant as fast as they appear. The 
stem should be kept straight by tying it to a 
stick till it has gained strength enough to hold 
itself erect. Thus, in a single season, wc shall 
have, with some varieties, a stem five or six feet 
high. Early in the spring prune it down to the 
first healthy and plump bud. During the follow¬ 
ing season, allow no shoots to develop them¬ 
selves, except at the top; and, in the succeed¬ 
ing spring, prune back these top shoots to two 
or three eyes. All these eyes will, in turn, de¬ 
velop into shoots, and these, again, are to bu 
pruned back like the first. Thus, in two or 
three seasons, we obtain a thick, bushy head 
at the top of a tall, upright 6tem—in short, a 
standard, capable of bearing even a New- 
England winter, 
CLIMBING ROSES. 
Some of the more hardy kinds of climbing 
roses, as for example, the Queen of the Prairies, 
may be induced to wear borrowed robes, and 
assume beauties beyond those with which nature 
endowed them. At the proper season they may 
be budded here and there with some of the most 
hardy aud vigorous of the June and Hybrid Per¬ 
petual roses. As these varieties bloom earlier 
than the Prairie rosea, the period of bloom of 
the climber will be greatly protracted by this 
process, while at the same time it will be made 
to bear flowers incomparably liner in form and 
color than its own. It will be necessary, how¬ 
ever, in our northern climate, to protect it by 
nailing mats over it, since otherwise many of 
the bnds will be killed; and, as it is expected 
to yield more than its natural share of bloom, 
it should be stimulated with more than the usual 
manuring, and pruned more closely than the 
ordinary climbing roses. — Turkman's Book of 
Boses. 
Why don’t the Ladies Attend the Fruit 
Growers’ Meetings ? This question lms occupied 
my mind for some time and us l have not been able 
to solve it,, I conclude to ask you about it. For my 
part I see no reason why there should not bo a full 
und free attendance oriadies nt these meetings. Tito 
subject would interest every ono; the object cannot 
fail to cull forth the hearty co-operation of every true 
American lady, and is worthy the attention or the 
noblest minds. 
If It 1 b proper for ladies to attend Agricultural 
Fairs (and who would question the propriety?) und 
even a horse race , why should it be out of place for 
them to attend Fruit Growers’ meetings ? Dave any 
of the gentlemen objected ? If so, was It only t hrough 
fear that the ladies would draw ofl' nil the prizes. 
There certainly can ho no more laudable or health- 
giving employment for ladles than fruit growing 
whether pursued as a means of support, or mere rec¬ 
reation, — and these meetings seem to me Just tho 
place to obtain needed Information, and Bottle mooted 
question 9. 
Come, sisters, let ub accompany the “ I.orda of Cre¬ 
ation" to these meetings; grace their halls with 
(lowers, and their tables with fruits of our own rais¬ 
ing— such fruit as man never raised before, and cause 
them to regret their long neglect of us.— A Farmer's 
Daughter, Erie Co., .V. Y,, June 10. 
HORTICULTURAL HINTS, 
WILD FLOWERS-CULTIVATION 
Training the Tomato .—It don’t pay to let the 
tomato vines trail on the ground. The fruit 
decays, and docs not ripen. Brush, cut fine and 
placed under the plants before they lop over, is 
a clean, cheap and excellent support. The vines 
may be tied to a single stake, if pains are taken 
to pinch off the side branches and lead up a cen¬ 
tral shoot. This is a French method and ia said 
to be successful. Trellises of various forms will 
suggest themselves to every tomato grower. A 
pile of stone laid uronnd the plant would be ex¬ 
cellent, for it would keep the fruit clean, aud 
also radiate a good deal of heat to the plant. 
The tomato is a native of torrid climes and re¬ 
quires heatv The stone-pile would admit of the 
plant taking a natural and advantageous form of 
growth. Grass, straw or boards will answer—at 
any rate put something under the vines to pre¬ 
serve the fruit. A small shrub, having many 
limbs, may be stuck in the ground by the side of 
a plant, and it will afford a good support. 
The “ Cabbage Bug ,"—A correspondent writes 
that “ tho ravages of the cabbage bug may be 
prevented by placing pieces of woolen cloth, 
saturated with kerosene, among the plants. The 
cloth must be re-supplied with kerosene from 
time to time, as it evaporates. I have saved 
plants of the Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Dian- 
thus in this way, the beetles leaving at the first 
application, Many plants liable to be attacked 
lj y the cut-worm, may be saved by encircling 
each plant with a walnut leaf, set edge down¬ 
wards.” 
llrnedy for Mildew.—In 1852 the French Gov¬ 
ernment recommended the following remedy- 
first proposed by a gentleman, M. Grison, in the 
Journal de la Societe d' Horticulture Pratique de 
l'Ain: — Oue pound of flour of sulphur, aud 
one pound of slack lime, to which three quarts 
of water are added, gradually, by stirring the 
mixture; the whole put over a slow fire, and to 
remain boiling, stirring it until redneed to 2)4 
quarts. The liquid, after the solid matter has 
deposited, is to be corked in bottles, and in case 
of want, mixed with one hundred times the 
quantity of rain water, and applied all over the 
plants, first before the buds open, and a second 
time before the blooming, and the cure gener¬ 
ally is radical. 
Oil versus Insects. 
W ithin the last lew months wc have received 
a number of letters from the West, enclosing 
samples of various wild flowers common to the 
Western States. They grow, some on the prai¬ 
ries, and others in the wooded sections, while 
several are common to both. It Is said by those 
who are experienced in the business of flower 
culture that some wild varieties are difficult to 
manage when transferred from their native wilds 
to the flower garden, but, as a general thing, 
the effort at domestication has proved success¬ 
ful. According to the opinion of tho “Culti¬ 
vator,” the maiu reason for lack of success with 
wild plants is found In the fact that they are 
transplanted, as a general rule, at the wrong or 
growing season of the year. The proper time 
for transplanting is when the leaves begin to 
decay and the stems to fold down. On being 
removed it is recommended that the roots be 
covered with soil corresponding to that in which 
they grew most vigorously when in their natu¬ 
ral state. With these precautions taken it is 
believed that a large portion of the wild flowers 
of the West can be successfully domesticated, 
adding variety and beauty to the weU arranged 
flower garden, both in city and country. 
Tub Agriculturist Strawberry.— Last spring 
(while in the army in Arkansas) I ordered from J. 
Knox, Pittsburg, I'a., about 40 strawberry plants, in¬ 
cluding 3 of the Agriculturist, to bo sent to Delaware, 
my native State, in the hope that 1 might live to 9 ee 
tho close of the war, and return to tho farm to enjoy 
this excellent fruit, lu this I was not disappointed, 
for the three plants produced more runners than u'l 
tho others,and endured the winter without protection. 
The soil is a stiff clay, and I expected to find the 
plants all dead after such a remarkably cold winter. 
The other kinds were ono dozen Golden-seeded, one 
dozen ituaaell, and one dozen Fillmore. Though the 
frnit of the Agriculturist Is not yet ripe (as I removed 
the plants this spring) tho berries promise to be tho 
largest I have ever eecu.—B. H., Odessa, Bel. 
TURNIP FLY AND CURRANT WORM 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker :—For the benefit 
of “ A Subscriber," and others interested in 
cabbage and turnip raising, let me say that soak¬ 
ing the seed 12 hours in a warm and strong de¬ 
coction of tobacco, will prevent the fly from 
injuring tho first two leaves. If the fly attacks 
the third und fourth leaves, dust them with a 
mixture of 20 parts plaster, 3 or 4 of ashes — 
such as are cleaned from under the oven in 
cooking stoves, — aud one of sulphur. For the 
cabbage worm apply soot, —a tablespoonful 
around the stem at transplanting. I have used 
the above several years, with success. 
Copperas — sulphate of iron — a solution one 
pound to eight gallons of water, applied from a 
watering pot, will destroy the currant worm. It 
is cheaper aud more easily applied than white 
hellebore. N. B. Pearsall. < 
Morris, Otsego Co,, N. Y. 
Evergreens.— Those set last spring Bhould be hoed 
frequently ro as to keep the grass and weeds from 
around them. Mulching with cut gras is good treat¬ 
ment. If a drouth comes on do not let a handsome, 
newly planted evergreen die from want of moisture. 
But be sure to water freely; drench tiie roots. Loosen 
up the soil around the trees with a fork, when it is 
dry, so that the air may penetrate it, and then beat 
It down again. 
Currant Jelly.—A n “Old Housekeeper” 
sends to the Massachusetts Ploughman a recipe 
for making currant jelly, thus:—“The fruit 
should be as abort a time from the bushes as 
possible. Pick over the currants to remove any 
leaves, dirt or twigs; have a square of wool flan¬ 
nel that has been well washed; put as many cur¬ 
rants into it as a woman can squeeze dry. To 
every bowl of juice measure the same of granu¬ 
lated sugar. Put the juice Into a China-lined 
sauce-pan ; let it boll, and immediately add the 
same amount of sugar as of juice. Let it boll 
twenty minutes, skim it, and it is ready for the 
jars or glasses. Let it stand a couple of days, 
covered with gauze or muslin. Cut paper large 
enough to cover over the sides of the jars. Dip 
them in white of egg, and cover. Uuse no brandy 
papers, or paper, next the jelly. Set in a cool 
place.” 
— ■ ♦ » ♦ -—■ 
To Preserve Cider.— Oue of the lady read 
era of the Maine Farmer tells how to preserve 
"cider sweet and dear. To one barrel of cider 
add one pound of mustard seed, two pounds of 
raisius and one-fouith of a pound of cinnamon 
in the stick. This will preserve the cider finely. 
The Lawns. - Frequent mowing makes the green, 
smooth lawn. Common farm scythes are hardly fit 
for lawn use; short, broad scythes are best. Keep 
them sharp. When lawns are mown often it is not 
necessary to remove tho grass — it soon withers and 
is unnoticed. Where the grass is long use it as a 
mulch for some part of the garden. 
•The slightest drop of sweet 
oil put on the back of a hornet, bee, beetle or 
similar thing, will cause its instant destruction. 
^ e are fold that the breathing pores are closed, 
and life is instantly smothered. Hence greasy 
>'ater ia a good application to destroy insects. 
A tablespoouful of coal oil put in a common 
garden-pot of water and sprinkled over a seed¬ 
bed when tbe little jumping beetle is noticed on 
; thG y° UD S cabbages, will instantly destroy the 
"hole brood. Coal off also acta as a manure to 
) fetation When used, care must be taken to 
} - tir the w& Ar and oil, so that the latter, floating 
fi Gn the to P> will not run off first. g 0 6aith the 
V ( ' ardener &’ Monthly, Wonder if the same rem- 
■J cdy would banish the currant worm V 
Flower Pots. — Ladies who are fond of cul¬ 
tivating flowers in the house, will find a great 
benefit to the plants by spreading a coating of 
moss over the earth in their flower pots. This 
keeps the water from evaporating, and the tem¬ 
perature more uniform. Tea-grounds are often 
used for the same purpose.* Where a flower pot 
sets in a saucer, with a hole in the bottom of 
the pot, put a little sand in the saucer, and you 
have a simple and admirable arrangement.— Ex. 
Trap fob Insects.—A gen' Soman in New Haven, 
Ct., has caught in his garden, with twenty-four wide* 
mouthed bottles, partly filled with molasses and vin¬ 
egar, three bushels of (lies, bags, millers, etc. The 
bottles were hang upon his garden fence. During 
the first seven days, the amount of files, etc., caught 
was forty-two solid qnarts. 
Names of Flowers. (D. W. M,, Winchester, Iud.) 
The samples of flowers sent, were duly received but 
iuadvertentiy mislaid at tile time and hence the delay 
in complying with j >ur request. The munca of the 
flowerB are as follows :— No. J. Ma/tnsta Virginica. 
No. 2. Claytonia Virginiana. 
Cabbage and Cct-Wop.ms. — An exchange 
states that cabbage plants may he easily and 
perfectly protected from the ravages of the cut¬ 
worm by wrapping around the stem of each 
plant a piece of writing paper extending an inch 
or two above and below the surface of the 
ground when the plant is set out. 
Profitable Cabbaue Crop.— A. B. Fay of Lunen¬ 
burg, MasB., on one and three-fourths acres of land, 
raised forty tons of cabbage headB, which sold for 
$1,500. He thinks the nee of superphosphate of lime 
had much to do in causing so large a crop. 
