CLOVER IN THE ORCHARD. 
Theoretically clover is one of the most un¬ 
favorable crops to grow in the orchaed if it be 
removed from the land. The clover roots pen¬ 
etrate far into the subsoil in search of food; 
after the first season’s growth they draw but 
little nutriment from the top soil. Thus they 
come into competition with the roots of the 
trees; both are feeding in the same field. 
The perennial grasses, the roots of which 
make their growth nearer the surface, are less 
exhaustive to the soil; but they also form a 
more compact sod, and tbeir numberless surface 
fibers appropriate ail nutriment that comes from 
above, and prevent it descending to the roots 
of the trees. 
However, clover may be nsed to advantage in 
the orchard in three ways: It may be pastured 
off wiih sheep and hogs, plowed under, ormown 
and left on the surface as a mulch. It should 
not, nor should any crop, be taken from the 
land without a full equivalent of manure being 
returned; and in taking clover one should not 
forget that the richness of the subsoil — where 
the roots of the trees feed most—is removed. 
APPLES HALF SWEET AND HALF SOUR 
In the American Institue Farmers’ Club John 
G. Bergen revived the oft exploded notion that 
apples can be grown, at the will of the cultiva¬ 
tor, bo as to be partly sour and partly sweet. 
Such had been lately exhibited to him by Mr. 
Kimball of Brooklin, which he said grew upon 
a tree in Connecticut, and that the origin of the 
sort was the uniting of two buds, one sour and 
one sweet, wbicb being inserted in a stock grew 
into a tree which produced theee hybrid apples. 
Mr. Dodge contended that such an origin was 
an utter impossibility; that such dissecting of 
buds would destroy the life. He had often seen 
these mixed sweet aud sour apples, but it was 
only a freak of Nature. Dr. Jarvis thought 
that if any mixture had occurred it was through 
a mixing of pollen and not a union of buds. 
No such anamolies arc found in the natural con¬ 
dition of fruit* It is possible that the nature of 
these apples had been entirely changed by culti¬ 
vation, so as to produce the fruit of the hybrid 
character mentioned. Mr. Bergen contended 
strongly for the point as to the origin of the 
apples presented by Mr. Kimbat.l, because he 
told him that was the way in which they were 
produced. Dr. Snodgrass thought we must 
take that statement as authority in opposition 
to all theory. Mr. Dodge said he did not dis¬ 
pute the fact stated by Mr, Bergen, but did 
dispute the possibility of producing any such 
result. Wm. 8. Carpenter had investigated 
this matter, ami thought he had found what ap¬ 
peared to be the parent tree of this kind of 
apples; it grew in Putnam county. New York. 
A great many persons have obtained buds aud 
grafts from that tree for the mere curiosity of 
growing apples that are both sweet and sour. 
The kind is now pretty thoroughly difl'ased over 
the country. The fruit is nearly worthless for 
anything but curiosity, i te thought it had been 
proved that no two grafts from that tree pro¬ 
duced apples exactly alike. The character of 
the fruit is very much owing to its exposure to 
the sun. Solon Robinson— Now to put an end 
to this matter, I will here make this public 
proposition, that whoever will produce an apple 
by inserting the halves of two-buds from sweet 
and sour trees so distinctly marked that it shall 
be indisputably produced by such union, for 
iustance, the sweet half shall bo of a red apple, 
and the sour half, a white, yellow, or green oue, 
or showing any other characteristic of distinc¬ 
tion which mark the parent trees. I will pay 
the first producer of such apple 5100, whenever 
it is exhibited before this Club, with sufficient 
proof of the manner of budding and growth, 
Mr. Carpenter said he would iudorse this 
proposition, and Mr. Robinson said he .would 
publish it in the reports of this meeting, as a 
standing offer open to all the world, to the first 
man who should make an exhibition of an apple 
which should answer the requirements. We 
hope this will settle the sweet-and-sour-apple 
question for the next five years at least. 
A REMARKABLE TREE. 
A traveler gives the following account of 
the “ Zamang,” a tree belonging to the sub¬ 
order Cicsalpinece, which he saw iu Venezuela, 
South AmericaIts head is somewhat the 
shape of an open umbrella aud covers very 
nearly au acre of ground. In 1*57 I measured 
the head in its greatest diameter from E. 8. E. 
to W. N. W., most carefully, and found it to be 
200 l'cet 11 inches. Fifty years preceding it was 
found by Humboldt to measure in its great¬ 
est diameter 192 feet, French measure, which 
is equal to about 204 feet 0 inches, English. 
Hence we see that this extraordinary tree has, 
within fifty-seven years, Increased the horizontal 
diameter of its head only by two feet six inches, 
from which we may infer that it is of a good old 
age. The natives assert, moreover, that as far 
back as the discovery of the country by the 
Spaniards, three and a half centuries ago, the 
“ Zamang ” was, even at that early day, reputed 
for its enormous 6ize. At the time I saw it, it 
was but thinly covered with leaves, and seemed 
to lack vigor of growth. The natives hold it in 
high veneration, and it was against the law to 
break even the smallest twig from it.” 
The Chemist of the Agricultural Department 
publishes the results of his analysis of grapes, 
by which it appears that the “ Blue Concord,” 
grown near Washington, D. C., yielded 17.(15 
per cent, of dry grape sugar. The wine makers 
waut 24 per cent. 
conducting material, which would have pre¬ 
vented alternate freezing and thawing, there is 
no doubt every seed would have grown. 
We saw another very remarkable case last 
year. A nurseryman got a piece of ground 
ready for Ma*zard Cherry stones In October, and 
left orders for a man to set them. There were 
a few left over from the preceding year in sand 
in a 6hed, of which the proprietor knew noth¬ 
ing, but which the mau understood were to he 
sown ; when these were half planted the error 
was discovered, and, supposing the old stones 
to be worthless the new ones were sown in with 
them, and the balance of the old ones thrown 
away on the manure heap. The 6tones sowed 
were lightly covered, and by Spring many were 
drawn, by the thawing, to the surface,—but 
not one, new or old, grew, while the manure 
heap in June when we saw it, was completely 
covered with young Cherries from the old seed 
sown there. 
We have said that burying deep prevented the 
ORNAMENTAL LEATHER WORK. 
Last December there was a call in the Rural 
for information on the above Iu reply I sent 
directions, which were published in the Rural. 
of June 30th, 1800. In that article I offered to 
send Inquirers patterns in consideration of three 
or four red stamps for expenses of postage, etc., 
since which timo I have had some fitly or sixty 
inquirers, all of which have been answered with 
patterns, and an error of the printer corrected. 
He made me say “ green shellac,” when I wrote 
gum shellac for dissolving in alcohol in which to¬ 
rn ix the colors. I herewith give a few further- 
directions for making leather flowers. 
t irst, the Rose. This is made of live or seven 
pieces,cut as 1 have given patterns; etch piece 
lias five petals; these are shaped and put to¬ 
gether by drawing a strip of leather for the 
changes of temperature from injuring the seed, B ^ cm trough the center; the petals are brought 
— but it must not be forgotten that deep burial together by placing the thumb in the center 
is opposed to germination, Mauy seeds 4 to 0 un< ^ turll l D K ®P the petal, pulling to shape when 
ROGERS’ HYBRID SKEDLINQ GRAPE, NUMBER FOUR. 
ROGERS’ HYBRID GRAPES. 
Some eight or ten years since Mr. E. 8 . Ro¬ 
gers of Salem, Mass., originated forty-four 
seedling grapes, by crossing a native variety 
with the Block Hamburg and White Chasselas. 
The forty-four seedlings tbu3 produced were all 
preserved, and arc known by their numbers. 
Some of them are likely to prove valuable; 
they are of different shades of color, from black 
to a light amber. We give an illustration of a 
cluster of No. 4, which is considered oue of the 
moat promising of these Beedlings. It is a 
splendid looking fruit, and very much resem¬ 
bles a Black Hamburg; the berries are large 
aud slightly oval; the skiu thin with thick 
bloom; the flesh tender, sweet, and melting; 
it is rated as early, if not earlier, than the Con¬ 
cord. These grapes are good growers and we 
believe healthy. Whatever reputation they may 
have attained they fairly deserve, as they have 
not been brought to public notice by any trum¬ 
peting which usually attends the introduction 
of a promising new grape. 
■WWW- ' ■ • 
BARBERRY HEDGES. 
The editor of the Oneida Circular is of opin¬ 
ion that the common Barberry of the Northern 
States is the best hedge plant known for this 
climate. He has tested the matter thoroughly 
and is highly pleased with the result, as evi¬ 
denced by several hedges on his place which are 
from six to ten feet high, with a firm, compact 
base, perfectly impervious to the smaller ani¬ 
mals and strong enough to turn or keep out 
cattle from ills fields. These hedges are eight 
years old from the seed, which was sown in 
drills, the same as with the apple, and trans¬ 
planted to the hedge row when one year old. 
These plants were set one foot apart iu the row 
at an angle of forty-five degrees and cut down 
to within about eight inches of the ground. 
This plant does Dot sucker from the root but 
sends up strong shoots from the collar, which 
in four or five years makes au admirable hedge. 
ORCHARD AND GARDEN HINTS. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker:—I send a few 
hints that may be useful to some of your 
numerous readers. 
Protuiion of Fruit Trees. — Those low trees, 
standing where cattle prune them, daub with 
their droppings, made soft enough to apply to 
the stems and limbs, a3 far as may be, with an 
old broom or swab of common woolen cloth, 
and they will not rub or eat them. 
To Protect Trees from Insects. — Wash them 
with whale-oil soap. If rough, scrape them so 
smooth that they cannot find a place to deposit 
their eggs for another army. To prevent them 
from depositing their eggs under the surface, 
stir the ground around them often.- Apply 
occasionally a top dressing of ashes, lime or 
charcoal. 
For Winter Protection,—Mulch well with rich 
dirt, wood or swamp muck, or good compost 
manure, well pulverized. Theu be sure to 
spread it well in the spring, as soon as the 
hard freezes are over. 
To Transplant extra large Trees .—Dig a circu¬ 
lar trench around them—distance and depth iu 
proportion to the size of the tree. Fill the 
trench with straw or some coarse litter. Take 
it np in winter, with all the earth inside the 
trench, and place it in a hole prepared to re¬ 
ceive it. If the bark becomes dry and hard in 
spots, cut it away, and if you have to cut to 
and into the wood, cover the wound with wax. 
If bark bound only, slit the surface of the bark, 
say from the 1st of June to the 15th of August. 
To Destroy Mack Ants .—Cover their nests with 
a flat stone; bait them with molasses; raise the 
stone, sprinkle dry ashes over them, then pour 
boiling water from a water pot upon them. If 
this does not use them up, place a cap of sul¬ 
phur and kerosene oil just below them; then, 
when all are at, home, set lire to the fuse, and I 
think they will smell fire and brimstone. 
Bb'nuiberry Plants , and other tender vines, 
cover with leaves, and theu hold them down 
with evergreen boughs. 
Raspberry Canes, Tlose Bushes, aud other ten¬ 
der plants which require protection in winter, 
bind with straw or hay, covered with evergreen 
boughs, standing, or laid down, as may be most 
convenient. ^ ** 
Cabbages—Storage for Winter .— Pack them in 
a cool cellar, roots in the middle, touching each 
other, lapping or crossing bouio of the longest 
stumps to hold your stock of them together. 
Retain dirt enough on the roots to keep them 
from wilting, and not moist or close enough to 
cause them to grow or rot. 
Carrots will keep enough better to pay for 
cording them. 
Beets and Turnips pack in bins, boxes or bar¬ 
rels, with dirt enough to keep them from wilt¬ 
ing aud not warm enough to cause them to 
9prout. R. l. G. 
Garrattsville, N. Y. 
RAISING SEEDS. 
> 
Very litte is known of this subject. The 
generally received theories of the process are 
unsatifactory. For instance, we say that Peach 
seed to germinate well muot. be frosted ; or else, 
if not frosted they must be cracked boforeplant- 
ing. A Southern friend recently remarked to ua 
that freezing must be unnecessary,—“ for,” said 
he, “we have no frost; yet stones put in the 
ground in the Fall always come up in the Spring 
without any trouble.” 
For our own part we have no doubt but that 
freezing is often an injury to many seeds. Per¬ 
haps it is not the frost, but rather the circum¬ 
stances under which seeds aro frozen, that do 
the Injury, Just the same as we tied it in vegeta¬ 
tion generally. A potato will often live through 
the Winter entirely uninjured Iu the ground, 
provided tt is four inches deep under the surface, 
no matter how severely it, may he frozen,— but 
at one or two inches it has not the shadow of a 
chance for its life. So with some Evergreens 
well known to be hardy under severe tempera¬ 
ture when shaded, but which exposed to the 
Winter’s sun when .frozen will not resist com¬ 
paratively low temperatures. 
Thus wc suppose that absolute frost is no in¬ 
jury to seeds, but successive freezings and thaw¬ 
ings evidently are; and this is more apparent 
with thin-skinned, fleshy seeds than with hardy 
ones, as wc should naturally suppose it to be, if 
the theory we start with be correct. 
Every seed raiser knows the difficulty of get¬ 
ting anything from a sowing of Pavlas, Horse- 
chestnuts or Acorns, if the season be very 
severe, or the beds be in the full sun in the open 
ground,—and yet in the woods where the seeds 
fall, and are nearly entirely on the surface un¬ 
covered, every one not taken by mice or squir¬ 
rels, lnvariubly grows. Bat last season we saw 
a peck of English Acorns taken from a tree and 
planted immediately in an open spot in the 
garden. In the Spring only one grew. The 
bed was examined and the Acorns found about 
one to two inches under the surface to be brown 
and partially decayed. The one which grew 
had got, by some means, lull four inches under 
ground. If these Acorns had been sown on the 
surface and then covered with some light, non¬ 
inches under the surface would either rot away 
in a short time or stay many years without 
growing. 8eeds mnst be near the air to Bprout, 
and therefore the shade aud protection neces¬ 
sary to secure regularity of temperature must 
be supplied by artificial means. We had a very 
singular illustration of the shallow planting of 
seeds the past season. The writer received 
some seeds of Vhilopsis linearis from the Colo¬ 
rado last year. Anxious to raise this beautiful 
American tree, wc sowed and tended it person¬ 
ally. The seeds were barely covered, but none 
of them showed any signs of growing until one 
night drip came on, and made a narrow channel 
all through tho center of the pot, uncovered the 
seeds in its path, all of which grew and none 
other but these exposed ones. Many wonld 
have said it was the rain water, but as all iu the 
pot was saturated, it could only have been the 
uncovering. 
The lesson is clear. To grow seeds well, they 
must have air arid moisture in tegular amounts, 
— and the only way to secure this is to sow on 
the surface to secure the air; aud to cover the 
surface alter sowing witli some thin non-con¬ 
ductor, which will preserve areguiarity of mois¬ 
ture and temperature.— Gardener's Monthly. 
Horticultural Notes and Queries, 
Strawberries Blossoming out of Season.—“A 
Subscriber” writes for iu formation about strawber¬ 
ries; having set a few plants in September, runners 
of thin year’s growth, tho kind being Wilson’s Alba¬ 
ny, and the first he has ever tried to raiBo. ** Now, nt 
the present time, (Nov. 5th) nearly every plant is in 
blossom. Will some or the readers of tho Rural 
please to Inform me through its columns whether it 
is of common occurrence, and will It he a damage to 
tho plants or not?" 
It it a Common occurrence for borriea to blossom 
out of season. It will injure your fruit crop another 
year, but the harm will not be great* as from the tlmo 
of planting, you could not have reasonably expected 
much any way. 
- — — 
Transplantino Labor Turks. — Tho “frozen 
ball ” system has been highly recommended for 
transplanting large trees. This consists in digging 
a trench around tho trunk of the tree, before the 
ground is frozen, so as to leave a ball of earth at¬ 
tached to the roots that are not severed from tho 
tree. When solidly frozen lids ball with thetreo is 
removed to tho previously prepared hole. In tho 
spring tho hole la filled In with dirt, But If sufiiclont 
attention iagiyeu to taking up tho tree, preserving 
the tine roots, and not permitting them to dry, suc¬ 
cess can be attained as well by the ordinary method, 
when practiced at tho proper season. 
-■ - ■ 
A New Grape.— Mr. T. W. Snyder, Canton, Ill., 
sends ns a specimen of a grnpe of which he pays : 
“It is a stranger to all grape growers in this vicinity. 
It is a great grower aud bearer, and stands tho win- 
ter as well as the Concord. At the State Fair it was 
examined by over one hundred grape growers, and 
was universally pronounced a fine grape.” Thocolor | 
is somewhat darter than that of tho Cutawba; size 
good; skin thick: pulp considerable; clusters fine; 
a very fair grape, and unknown here. Mr, 8. neglect¬ 
ed to state the lime or ripening, which is an Impor¬ 
tant point In deciding the value of new grapes. We 
have doubts of tho specimen being rally ripe. 
Gf.apk Show. —According to the Ohio Farmer the 
late Grape Show at Cleveland (O.) was the largest 
and best ever witnessed in the United Statos. Over 
two hundred samples were displayed upon the tables 
upon plates, besides a profusion of suspended bunch¬ 
es, and clusters of an appetizing character. About 50 
varieties were exhibited, embruciug samples from 
the vineyards along the lake shore, Detroit, Cincin¬ 
nati, and from Massachusetts. The fruit wub gener¬ 
ally well ripened, showing the general adaptability of 
the regions where the samples were grown to the 
production of the grape. 
Keeping Apples.— This fruit will stand without 
injury a high degree of cold. It is the practice of 
many New York dealers to store their apples in lofts 
where they freeze, if undisturbed until thawed out 
they are but little Injured; hut they will not keep 
long thereafter. A Kentucky farmer recommends 
laying apples on the ground, and covering them six 
or eight Inches deep with earth. If the fruit freezes 
the earth draws out the frost again and the flavor Is 
uninjured. 
- .4 » 
Look to your Orchard.— Clean away all clods, 
grass, weeds, or any harboring material for vermin 
from the trunks of the trees. A slight mound of 
fresh, compact eanh aronnd the collar of tho tree 
should bo made for the winter. Otherwise you may 
dud that the mice have gnawed the bark. The young 
orchard should he in such condition as to offer no 
inducement as a harboring place for mice or vermin 
in the winter. 
■ ■■«« — 
Japan Piuyet.— The Gardeners’ Chronicle says the 
beauty of this shrub is insufficiently known, though 
it Is extensively planted by tho landscape gardener. 
Large In leaf almost as a goodly orange, aud pro¬ 
ducing flowers almost as large as the white lilac, and 
very sweet, it possesses first class attractions as an 
ornamental shrub. 
damp. After drying color with tho coloring 
solution, and that being sticky place tho petals 
so tho edges will lap a little—bringing them 
into good shape—and press them together with 
tho fingers; hold them a moment and they will 
be fast. A natural rose to look at will assist in- 
shaping tho petals, etc. Convolvulus und some' 
other flowers have the centers shaped in the 
nose ot a bottle of proper size; press tho center 
into the nose, with a cork, when damp; astripof 
leather drawn through the center forms thcotem. 
A111 y is sown, 1 he lower part np to tho petals, also 
all other tubular flowers, and then moistened;, 
stretched and pinched into shape; those having 
stamens bavo them cut in strips, rolled and 
twisted to form, and are fastened in with the- 
coloring size. The rose hud Is mudo of two 1 
pieces of leather; tho outer side is sewed up to 
the. petals; the Inner is sewed and stuffed with 
cotton placed In the oater and tho petals brought 
Into shape over it, and made fast with the size. 
The call a is brought together at the bottom and 
made fast with Ihe eizo and then shaped; the 
pistil Is placed In the center, and made fast the 
same as before directed. Fuchsias are made of. 
three pieces; the corrola is shaped in the noB© 
of a bottle and placed In tho outer covering, 
after being sewed and having the petals shaped 
and fastened ns before; the stamens and pistil, 
arc cut from a nnrrow strip of leather about an 
Inch long, the pistil being (he longest; these 
aro live, seven or nine In number, and aro cut 
iu quite fine strips aud rolled or twisted and 
fastened in the bottom of the corrola. For 
ucortis I can find nothing better than natural 
ones; these should be glued to the frame to 
fasten. It is best to rernovu the seed from the 
cup and fasten it with glue; Or when it gets dry 
it will fall out; these should be colored with 
colors mixed with oil or varnish — oil ij the 
best—or the color may flake oil in timo. The 
dahlia is put together the same as tho roue; the 
petals are shaped by natural (lowers, pinched, 
stretched, etc. All flowers with a stem drawn 
through (lie center have that passed through 
the. frame to fasten thereto. All tho foregoing 
directions are for flowers, etc:., where the frame 
is to be covered entire with leaves and flowers. 
Having “put my foot in,” I will send patterns 
to all who enclose me four red stamps, as before 
offered, for expenses. Wm. If. White. 
South Windsor, Conn., Oct. 15,1800. 
■ ■■ ■ - 1 ■ » »- . 
Curing Meats. — “.Massachusetts Hams’' 
writes: “I euro and smoko 50,000 to 100,000 
pieces per year, and know my business. Meat 
cured in pickle made of water is not as good, 
and only used because more profitable and lest 
laborious. The (lavor of cured meats depends 
mainly upon the kind of wulassess used. The 
best temperature is 40\ frozen meat will uat 
cure, and If above 50“, will be liable to taint: 
For 100 lbs. meat take 8 lbs. salt, 1 quart best 
molasses or 2 lbs. sugar, }■£ lb. saltpeter, 2 oun¬ 
ces ground alum; mix and rub on the fleshy 
side of the meat place in pans, so as to keep all 
the mixture; repeat the rubbing every three 
days, rubbing in thoroughly. For large pieces, 
and cold weather, 00 days will be required; if 
mild weather, 50 days, and 15 days less for small 
pieces. The skin and fat of hams should be cut 
clearn from the face, as far down as the second 
joint, to allow He salt to enter. Tho recipe for 
keeping meat, viz., in ashes, given in September 
Agriculturist, is good. Smoking is of no bene¬ 
fit; it is only a quick way of dryiug. Most 
people would prefer drying without smoke. If 
yon smoke, use only walnut or yellow birch 
wood, or mahftgony saw-dust. Be sure your 
meat is well cooled off before malting, ten days 
after killing Is better than ten hours. 
A PERFECT Antidote for all Poisons.— 
A plain farmer says:—“It is now over twenty 
years since I learned that siecet oil would cure 
the bite of a rattle-snake, not knowing it would 
cure other kinds of poison. Practice, observa¬ 
tion and experience have taught me that it will 
cure poison of any kind, both on man and 
beast. I think no farmer should be without a 
bottle of it in lxis house. The patient must take, 
a spoonful of it internally, and bathe the wound, 
for a cure. To cure a horse it requires eight 
times as much as It does for a man. 
Here let roe say of one of the most extreme 
cases of snake bites in this neighborhood. 
Eleven years ago this summer, where the case 
had been thirty days’ standing, and tho patient 
had been given up by his physicians, I heard of 
it, carried the oil and gave him one spoonful, 
which effected a cure. It is an antidote for 
arsenic and strychnine. It will care bloat in 
cattle by eating too freely of fresh clover, it will 
cure the sting of bees, spiders, or other insects p 
and will cure persons who have been poisoned 
by a low, running vine growing iu the meadows, 
called ivy,” 
