Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, well known for his 
liberality and disposition to advance the culture of 
fruit and flowers, has recently given to the Massa¬ 
chusetts Agricultural College more than one thou¬ 
sand green-house plants for position in their new 
class houses at Amherst. Embraced in the collec¬ 
tion are the rare and beautiful Now Seedling Camel¬ 
lias, which have been grown with care, and on 
account of their great beauty, named in remem¬ 
brance of members of Col. Wilder's family. Of 
this collection, one named after his present estima- 
is certainly one of the most beauti- 
En. Rural New-Yorker I notice in your issue 
of Jan. 18, an article entitled “ Grapes in the New 
York Market,” which purports to be editorial, and 
in which you manifest a limited knowledge of what 
persona and what localities first supplied New York 
with grapes the past Season. Now, my dear sir. you 
do not oxeite in me any jealousy, nor do 1 feel that 
my reputation as a grape grower will Be injured if 
the article referred to should mss unnoticed, Still 
there is a rivalry between certain 
communities as to which shall take 
■i the first premium for maturing the 
earliest fruit, and such being the case 
gfu I cannot remain silent when you 
place our locality at the tail end of 
your list of premiums. You give 
CTL g E. II. Bancroft of Camden, Del., the 
credit for delivering grapes in New 
York on the 12th of Sept., Mr, Ros- 
nkranse of tiainmondsport, forde- 
Ijvering grapes in New York the 14th 
s$!w§P^!t Sept., and our locality you place third 
' and last OS delivering on the 21st of 
Sept.; and the only way for ub to 
get our proper place in the runic and file of grape 
"rowers will bo to commence writing for the papers. 
? hope I shall be able to vindicate the claims of our 
locality without displaying any egotism or wish to 
injure the reputation of any one. 
On the 11th of Sept. 1 shipped by Express (as 
you will see by the receipt* inclosed,) tluce crates of 
Hartford Prolific Grapes, and by the due eourso of 
trains they should have been received in New York 
the next morning at 10 A. M.,~but they did not ar¬ 
rive there until the lfitb, as you will also see. by the 
inclosed receipt of J. C. Davjs «St Co., No. 5 Erie 
Buildings, or at least they did not arrive at* then- 
store until the Eltli, and Mr. Davis wrote mo (to 
quote his words)—” Your gropes arc Jive and Ihcjcrst 
in market this season,” which compliment I felt quite 
satisfied to enjoy all to myself, and should have con¬ 
tinued to be self-satisfied, except for the article re¬ 
ferred to. Will it be asking too much for you to 
place this locality up in the credit list, right by the 
side of No. 1, — not that we rival our Delaware 
friend, hut that our nearer ndghbors, who have so 
adroitly in “New York Correspondence” in the 
In most of our large cities the Nyce patent fruit 
house is now in operation, for the purpose of keep¬ 
ing frnit9. The claim for it is that it will keep the 
fruits a longer or shorter time, as may be desired, in 
a condition without change from their period of 
being pieced within its walls. In some instances 
that we have examined, this statement apparently 
holds good ; in others the fruit has decayed, and in 
others, while the fruit has not decayed perceptibly, 
it has shrivelled and lost character. 
Recently we examined Beurre d’ Anjous that had 
entirely lost character, being no better than Napo¬ 
leon in its poorest condition, while, fruit from the 
same trees kept in the grower’s cool, dry cellar had 
its character as good as at any time. Merriam and 
Louise Bon of Jersey were apparently as perfect as 
when placed in the house. So, also, Barronnc do 
Mello; but the latter when cut was anything but 
good. Beurre Superfine was excellent, while the 
Sheldon had lost character. We might record much 
more, hut this is enough for our present purpose, 
which is to say that without more thorough and 
perfect knowledge, of varieties, aud their suscepti¬ 
bility to the effect of atmospheric condition, the 
fruit-house is simply an experiment, the handling 
of which may succeed, but is equally liable to fail. 
A system cheap iu its management, that can be con¬ 
ducted by any business man — not a student of 
pomology—for the. keeping of fruits is a desidera¬ 
tum much to be desired, and while large houses 
under the care of experienced men may answer on 
the Nyce plan, it is yet far from what is wanted by 
the fruit grower. 
Cooking Tribe. — 1st, Make an egg batter same 
as for pan-cakes, only a little thinner; take some 
pickled tripe, cut it in pieces four or tive inches 
square; lay it ] n the batter while you are preparing 
the spider or griddle with butter or pork fat; when 
sufficiently hot, drop the pieces of tripe in; cook 
brown on both sides; season according to taste 
while cooking; when nicely browned it is done. 
Serve up hot. 2d, Take pickled or fresh tripe, roll 
in Indian meal ; prepare the griddle or spider the 
same as No. t; brown it nicely on both sides; season 
to taste, and serve it up the same as above. 3d, 
Broiled Tripe. — Broil the same as you would beef¬ 
steak; season with butter, pepper, salt, &c. You 
can use either fresh or pickled tripe for this. 4tb, 
Take fresh tripe, place it in an earthen jar, and pour 
over it new Bour buttermilk; cover it up; let it 
stand twenty-four hours; take it out and cook either 
iu batter or Indian meal, orBomo prefer it fried with¬ 
out either, with the exception of a little butter, 
seasoning nicely.— Utica Herald. 
To Cook a Fresii Codfish. — A cod is a very nice 
fish when it is fresh. When it comes from market 
if the weather is cold, after it is cleaned put into it 
two hand fills of fine suet and hang it up till next day. 
When Die time comes to cook it, plunge it into a 
kettle of boiling water for ten minutes, and then 
draw the kettle back amMet it cook gently for twenty 
or twenty-five ininuteB.^If the fish weighs nine or 
ten pounds, a piece of alum the size of a hickory nut 
should be put into the water.— Germantown Telegraph, 
Delicious Soft Gingerbread. — Take 1 cup of 
molasses, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of butter, 3 cups of 
fiour, 3 eggs, L tablcspoonful of ginger, aud the same 
of allspice and cinnamon, a wineglass of brandy, 1 
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a cup of milk, to bo 
added the last thing before baking. Mix the butter 
and sugar to a cream, then add the molasses, eggs, 
Hour and spices, lastly the milk. 
TO Cook and Dress Salt Cod.— Wrap the fish for 
thirty-six hours in a a damp cloth ; It should he very 
wet; simmer slowly for four or five hours; when 
served have ready plenty of mashed potatoes and egg 
sauce; when the people at the table arc preparing 
their fish, they should mince it very fine and mix it 
with the potatoes and egg sauce. 
Cracks in Stoves. —When aeraek is discovered in 
a stove, through which the fire or smoke penetrates, 
the aperture may be effectually and readily closed 
with a composition consisting of wood ashes and 
common salt, made into a paste with water. Blaster 
this over the crack. _ 
French Jumbles,—O ne pound and a half of flour, 
one pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pound of 
butter, three eggs; dissolve one teaspoon ful of soda 
in ouo-half cup of milk; add this, also one nutmeg, 
and roll out the dough, and cut into small cakes of 
any shape, and bake them in a quick„OVen. 
Corn Bread. —Take two quarts of Indian meal; a 
pint of thin bread sponge, aud water sufficient to wet 
it up. Mix In a half a pint of wheat [flour and a 
spoonful of salt. Let it rise, and then Knead again 
and hake one and a half hours. 
bio wife, Julia, 
ful of all the beautiful varieties of this magnificent 
flower. In form it is a regular symmetrical, imbri¬ 
cated, a rosy flesh color, say two shades darker than 
Lady Hume, each petal tipped with a lighter shade 
and striped with Lake. Beside these Seedlings, the 
collection embraces a large number of the best 
known varieties of Camellias, together with lilies 
and peonies of his own productions from hybridiza¬ 
tion. The gift is a noble one aud worthy the donor, 
and by it in all probability these rare varieties will 
be continued in existence, and gradually become 
among us as household gods, and as mementos of 
one of the noblest men and most liberal aud intelli¬ 
gent horticulturists which the world has ever 
known. F. R. Elliott. 
HORTICULTURAL GLEANINGS 
Parker F.ari.e, South Pass, Ill., writes to the 
ardenera’ Monthly, that his attention has been call- 
W. M. R., Clyde, Ohio, inquires what kind of 
evergreens would he most suitable for a nice front 
fence. Would it be best to buy plants or seed 'l Is 
Osage Orange well adapted for hedges on sandy land? 
Also the best way to get the seed out of the oranges. 
Would freezing help the seed or be an injury? 
We know of no better evergreen for ornamental 
hedges than the American Arbor Vita?. It is hardy, 
a vigorous grower, and bears clipping well; with 
some care iu the beginning to induce, by good 
priming, a close growth at the bottom, it may be 
pruned into a compact, ornamental evergreen hedge 
of such width aud height as may be desired. 
Would recommend buying young plants rather than 
sowing seed, if only a moderate quantity was needed. 
Much time would be saved. 
The Osage Orange for hedges has elicited much 
discussion. We have never doubted its ultimate 
success when properly planted and treated. Sandy 
soils, if sufficiently fertile, would suit it best, as it 
will not succeed in wat or imperfectly drained soils. 
Seed, to he reliable, should be obtained from the 
South, where the longer season matures the fruit, 
though some good seed has been grown in the Mid¬ 
dle States. Seed is separated from the pulp by rot¬ 
ting, and if the fermentation proceeds too far the 
seed is rendered worthless. Should be washed and 
thoroughly dried, or it will mold and heat. The 
seed may be frozen as are apple seeds before, plant¬ 
ing. At a future time we may give details of culti¬ 
vation of Osage. Orange and other hedges, as the im¬ 
portance of the subject aud the large number of in¬ 
quiries received render such an article in order. 
During the past season we have noticed this 
grape in different localities, and it seems to be gen¬ 
erally successful and growing in favor. It ripened 
well in this city on the grounds of Messrs. Eli.wan- 
oek & Barky ; at Hammondsport it was as early, at 
least, as the Isabella, and at Pittsburg it matured 
with the Concord. It is a free grower, the foliage 
dark-green and healthy; Lite bunches of good size 
and well formed; the berries are rather below me¬ 
dium size, round, black, with thin skin, no pulp, few 
seeds and a delicious, sprightly juice. It is said to be 
too tender to bear transportation as a market grape, 
but for making a delicate light wine it holds out 
great promise. At Ilammondsport last fall, its must 
marked 85Vj deg. — 90 deg. on the scale. As a table 
grape for home use it would bo a favorite, and weave 
inclined to Drink that when known in market it, will 
he found an easy matter enough to transport it in 
good condition. It is not one of the hardiest grapes, 
and, unless sheltered, might prove unsatisfactory on 
the Northern limits of grape culture. It is of South¬ 
ern origin, and in the South and Southwest it will 
doubtless find the most congenial surroundings. It 
is not liable to overbear, but is sometimes deficient 
in amount of fruit. 
FRUIT GROWING IN IOWA, 
exhibited last fall in Iowa,City. For the benefit of 
Eastern readers we will condense from Die report 
published in the Republican of this city. The fol¬ 
lowing gentlemen were a few of the exhibitors: 
Jas. Barker, 21 varieties of apples, 11 of pears, 
and 6 of grapes; Henry Strohm, 80 varieties of ap¬ 
ples, 8 of pears, and 11 of grapes; Dr. Kimball, 55 
of apples (85 not shown,) 27 of 
pears (grew over 50,) and 12 of 
\ grapes; L. Kauffman, 40 of ap- 
\ pies, 17 of pears, and 11 of grapes. 
\ Many others made a very fair show; 
\ but the few names given above 
\ indicate what can be done, when 
\ fruit growing is made a speciality. 
\ The report further tells us that 
\ several Eastern men who were 
\ present acknowledged that “the 
fruit growing East could not show 
as fair, fine fruit as was here pre¬ 
sented, 
I WSS 
Improvement of Stock. 
The American Stock Journal says :—“ The Dur¬ 
ham cattle are the outgrowth of native stock not in 
any way superior to the native cattle in tills coun¬ 
try. But the Durham has been eared for. He has 
heen educated. His ‘ points 1 have been brought 
out; and he stands before you an ‘emperor’ or a 
* duke,’ often as Avortliy his rank as the more aspir¬ 
ing human biped.” 
The Massachusetts Ploughman, in answer to a 
correspondent, gives some directions for the prepa¬ 
ration of ground for the production of cranberries. 
The first requisite is to find — in some sections not 
difficult to do — a low swampy piece of ground good 
for nothing but the production of frogs and swamp 
turtles. This swamp should be well ditched and 
bogged and the. surface soil removed to a regular 
grade. This can be ascertained by Hooding the sur¬ 
face, which should be of uniform depth. When the 
grade is properly adjusted the surface should be 
coated with sand or coarse gravel sufficiently deep 
to keep down the >veeds and grass. 
In planting, special regard should be had to the 
character of the vines, eare being taken to select 
only such as are knoAvn to be productive: 
“ After having got the vines ready, the most com¬ 
mon Avay is to set them out in toavs about a foot 
apart each way, setting three or four plants, after 
being freed from grasses, in each place in a little 
bunch, pressing the earth down carefully around 
them. This may he done cither in the spring or the 
Ml. If done iu the fall the vines should be Hooded 
at least three or more feet deep, otherwise they Avill 
be frozen into the ice, and Avhcn this rises in spring, 
the neAV vines having little hold by the roots will be 
pulled up and left high and dry on the surface, and 
you’ll have the Avork to do over again. Wc have 
seen this operation from time to time again. But if 
there is sufficient depth of Avater there Avill be little 
risk of loss or injury. The spring is the better time, 
ail things considered. The Aveeds must be kept out 
by hoeing for tAVO or three years, Avhcn the vines Avill 
have completely covered the surface so that no cul¬ 
tivation can be given. 
“As to flowing it is an advantage to be able to 
flOAv and keep the vinos covered through the winter 
and in spring, till well into May. It keeps hack the 
blossoming and often prevents injury to which the 
plant is liable when it is in blossom. It is rarely nec¬ 
essary to fioAV at all in summer, but it may some¬ 
times be done to great advantage to destroy the 
cranberry worm. It is of decided importance to be 
able to (low rapidly in autumn. When there ap¬ 
peal's to be danger of a frost in September, you can 
Hash the water over the vines aud save the crop, 
while your ditcbeB will remove it in the morning. 
By a little management of this kiud, you may often 
gain two or three iveeks of time to ripen up the crop, 
while Avithout this control of water you Avould be 
obliged to gather it early in September aud before it 
was fully matured, or else run the risk of frost.” 
HORTICULTURAL NOTES 
Excessive Moisture and tub Grape Crop.— All ex¬ 
perience shows that, excessive moisture is fatal to success 
iu growing grapes. Although we cannot guard against a 
wet season, Ave can by skillful operations overcome some 
of its evil effects. Side hills and surface drains will throw 
off much of the superabundant moisture. Deep and fre¬ 
quent culture place the soil in a state to absorb much 
moisture, and keep the roots of the plant continually 
Avet; therefore a compaci, unstirred soil is more favorable 
to the grape in a wet season than one deep, well-cultivated. 
Norway Oats. 
H. C. Pease, Hartford, Vt*,, writes the N. H. 
Mirror & Farmer concerning his experience with the 
Nonvay oats. Tie procured thirteen quarts of the 
seed and sowed broadcast upon one-half acre of com¬ 
mon corn ground. Owing to the wetness of the 
spring some of the seed failed to germinate,—but 
what did grow thickened up rapidly during the sum¬ 
mer, and when harvested measured 42 bushels of 
clean oats, weighing 88 pounds to the bushel. 
Wisconsin Horticultural Society—Winter Meet- 
IN0 ,_Thia Society will hold its annual AVinter meeting at 
the Capitol Feb. 4 — 4, commencing Tuesday evening. 
All interested in Horticulture and its kindred science will 
meet, a cordial welcome— especially delegations from 
county societies. Fruits, Flowers, Plants, Wines, Seeds, 
Scions and Evergreens arc solicited for examination aud 
distribution among members. Address Prof. P. A. t nAu- 
BOURNii of the Agricultural College upon topics interest¬ 
ing to Horticulturists ol the Northwest. 
But it is unnecessary to 
I add more on this point. The ro- 
/ port will stand for itself, without 
/ comment. 
j IOAva as a State is eminently 
/ adapted for fruit growing. There 
are, of course, some locations more 
favorable than others; but with 
proper uaru aud attention good 
fruit can be gro wu in any locality 
within the borders of Die State. 
But what is the attention commonly paid to this 
subject ? A few trees are purchased—oftentimes of 
an irresponsible agent—and carelessly set out. The 
place chosen may bo an unbroken prairie sod, a Ioav, 
wet piece, or odd corner, just as it happens. No 
further thought or care is bestowed upon them. 
Ail manner of four-footed animals have perfect range 
among them; hence, an ineffectual struggle for life, 
and iu Die place of thrifty, vigorous trees, we see 
only lcalless and unsightly stumps. 
Can avc expect profitable returns from an or¬ 
chard Avithout bestowing upon it some care and at¬ 
tention? And yet wo do, aud charge climate aud 
soil with that which is only the result of our own, 
negligence. That field of corn which yielded so abun¬ 
dantly, had the best of culture,—that, large crop of 
wheat and oats, just over Dm fence from Avherc your 
neighbor had such a poor one, was due, under God, 
to your own skillful management,—while the pre¬ 
miums at the last State* Fair, for the best sheep aud 
cattle, were attributable to the same cause. 
Fruit raising is a subject Avlrieh demands atten¬ 
tion—not only this, Hut* action. Mectingau acquaint¬ 
ance recently, we* asked him if lie had purchased a 
farm. “ Yes, and given a nurseryman an order for 
tAVO hundred and fifty apple trees and one hundred 
grape vines, to he furnished as soon as I can prepare 
the* ground for them.” Here was a start in the 
right direction, and avc need have no fears of his 
success. Buy fruit trees of fame nurserymen, or 
other reliable men, and such kinds as are best, 
adapted to our State. Set them out in the very best 
Farmers from England. 
The Cairo (Ill. ) Democrat states that a Farmers’ 
Club in England has purchased large tracts of land 
in Illinois —especially in Alexander and Pulaski 
counties—which arc to be divided into small farms 
and sold on favorable terms. It is conditional, in 
the sale, that improvements al all at once be com¬ 
menced on the lands after purchase. A new impetus 
to agriculture in the State is expected to result from 
this action of the Club in question. 
Cattle Choked. 
W. Austin, Moria, Franklin county, N. Y., tells 
the Farmers’ Club how he manages cattle choked 
Avith potatoes while eating them. He pushes the 
lodged potato down with a swab. He has some¬ 
times three or four cows choked at once. A man 
holds the cow, pulls her tongue outward, and the 
greased swab goes down her throat, and the potato 
also. Why not cut or cook the potatoes before 
feeding, and thus obviate the necessity of this 
swabbiug business. 
Missouri State IIort. Society.— This Society recently 
elected the following officers for IsfiB: President— Chas. 
Peabody Ficr PresPs— 1st Dist. J. M. Jonlon; 2d, Thus. 
Walker; 3d, Alvah Culver, 4th. Felix F. Fine; 5th, Jas. 
L. Minor; (1th, Elbridgo Burden; 7th, 11, M. Votia; 8th, 
J. N. Seaton; Oth, William Stark. Cor. Sec'y— R. S. Elli¬ 
ot, Kirkwood. Nee. Sec'y—Wm. Muir, F0x Creek. Treas, 
—John IX. Tice, St. Louis. The next session of this Soci¬ 
ety is to be held at Columbus, Mo. 
Synonyms — Large Striped Pearmain; Snorter. 
In 1847 I first became acquainted with the Striped 
Pearmain under its adjective prefix of large. My 
first specimens were from Jas. Allen of Kentucky, 
now deceased, and were received in the month of 
March. They avcII merited the prefix of large, being 
full one-half larger than the outline, which I here 
give. The variety I think, was, at that time, little 
known out of Kentucky, but now it is frequently 
found iu Southern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Mis¬ 
souri, and Aviiile the outline which I give, is the true 
type of the variety, yet it is frequently found much 
more flattened. The tree, so far as I can learn, is 
hardy, and a vigorous, thrifty groAver, very pro¬ 
ductive, and, as it keeps aucl carries well, is a valua¬ 
ble variety for commercial orchards, and in quality 
sufficiently good to place it favorably on the table as 
a dessert sort. 
Description .— Fruit — Size, medium to large, occa¬ 
sionally extra large; form, globular, slightly flat¬ 
tened; color, a yellow ground, mostly overspread, 
striped and blended with two shades of red, numer¬ 
ous gray dots that give the apple appearance almost, 
of a gray bloom. Occasionally the dots have a nis- 
setted character; stem, medium or short, slender; 
cavity, open, deep, in some specimens slightly wavy; 
calyx small, closed; basin, medium to shallow; flesh, 
yellow, tender, juicy, sub-acid; quality, “verygood;” 
core, regular, large, open; seeds, large, abundant, 
dark, rich brown, irregular in form;; season, De¬ 
cember to March, F. R. Elliott. 
Tub Main Grace.— Ripe fruit of this variety was ex¬ 
hibited in Providence on the 3d of September, three 
weeks before Concords were ripe iu Boston. Yet some 
consider the Main identical with the Concord. 
The Salem Grape.— Tim stock of the Salem vine and 
propagating establishment has been removed from Amc- 
nia to Salem-on-Erie, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. See adver¬ 
tisement in the Rural for prices, <Ssc. 
Iowa State Hort. Society.— Pres't—J. B. Grinnell, 
Poweshiek Co. Vice Pres't —James Mathews, Marion Co. 
Sec'y —D. W. Adams, Alamakee Co. Treas .—David Leon¬ 
ard, Dos Moines Co. 
Manure The Proper Stage for Use. 
Tub Maine Farmer, in response to an inquiry as 
to whether manure in a green state is worth as 
much as old or that which has been kept over in a 
rotting state for some months, gives the preference 
to the latter. This seems the COmmonsense con¬ 
clusion, and coincides with our experience in the 
use of manures in various stages of decomposition. 
It is important that when manure is kept over it 
should bo so placed as to prevent loss by leaching 
or by exposure to the elements. 
Agriculturist Strawberry.— This variety has done 
poorly during the past year. It is not a favorite for mar¬ 
ket or table. 
BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, &c., RECEIVED. 
The Prairie Farmer Annual, containing matter per¬ 
taining to fruit, growing and farming, and a valuable 
Agricultural and Horticultural Directory. Published at 
10-1 Clark street, Chicago. 
The American Horticultural Annual : au illustrated 
year-hook of Horticultural progress, containing 1(H) pages. 
Published by Orange Judd & Co., N. Y, 
American Agricultural Annual; devoted to Agri¬ 
cultural affairs, exhibiting receut progress in theory aud 
practice. Illustrated; of the same type as the preceding, 
and published by the same firm. 
W niTLOCK’s Horticultural Advertiser : a pamphlet 
of 170 odd pages issued quarterly from the office “ A11 Nur¬ 
series iu One,'' 37 Park Row, New York. 
J. M. Thohbcrn & Co’s Annual Descriptive Catalogue 
of Vegetable and Agricultural Seeds. Write to 15 John 
Street, New York. 
Georoe S. Haskell & Co., Annual Catalogue of Seeds, 
Green House and Bedding Plants, Flowering Bulbs, etc. 
For sale, at Rockford, Hi. 
A pear weighing three pounds is reported to have 
grown on a yearling tree in Placer county. 
A strawberry patch of one hundred and thirty 
acres is reported in Alameda county. 
It is claimed that California has this year pro¬ 
duced thirty-four million gallons of wine. 
J, Landsherger, of Sau Francisco, manufactures 
monthly two hundred dozen champagne, from Cali¬ 
fornia wines, lie has on hand twenty-five thousand 
bottles of it, in different stages of ripening. 
The French journal L’lnvention, iu speaking of 
the California wines at the Exhibition, says: “We 
believe this manufacture is destined at no distant 
day to compete successfully with us in the markets 
of the New World.” 
on the banks ol the Ashley river,—extending along 
the stream for many miles. The material consists 
of decomposed bones and other animal matter soldi- 
iied to the consistency of soft stone. Samples havo 
been tested, and found to contain from Bixty to 
seventy five per cent, of pure phosphate, more val¬ 
uable than the Peruvian guano. Judging from the 
extent of this deposit it is supposed the value of it 
is over ten millions of dollars. A company has been 
organized for the manufacture of this article, and 
has commenced operations on a paid up capital 
ample for the development of this new source of 
wealth, from which great results are anticipated. 
