peach trees are already bending under the load of 
fruit; but few apple orchards are in bearing yet; 
those that are, are full of fruit. Wild fruit of all 
kinds promises to be ubnndaut.” 
Another correspondent of the same paper writes : 
“ Wherever a peach or apple tree has been planted 
a few years, it is laden with fruit. Good one year 
old grape roots from layers, set this spring, are 
fruiting the present season.” 
Another 6ays: “ Fruit, trees and all sorts of vines 
are doing well, aud are full of fruit. 
The garden should be throughly cultivated and 
cleared from weeds in August. At this time many 
of its products are maturing and further cultivation 
evidently will not improve them. So it is apt to be 
neglected. But the weeds grow, and tho garden 
that was a model of order and neatness early in the 
season, becomes at the end unsightly and given over 
to the occupancy of weeds. These mature seed and 
the battle, must be fought over the next season, and 
the enemy has the advantage of heavy reinforce¬ 
ments. Clean cnlture in August will put a stop to 
the seeding of weeds, for except chickweed, no 
common one infesting our garden will mature its 
aeed if its growth date from this month. Cultiva¬ 
tion this month also facilitates the harvesting of the 
crops and lessens the labor of preparing the soil for 
future ones. 
Hoed crops on the farm are materially benefited 
by cultivation in August. Running the shovel plow 
lightly among potatoes freshens the earth and de¬ 
stroys many weeds, rendering the harvesting more 
expeditious. If weeds and grass are removed from 
the corn they will not start again this year. The 
labor of removing them might be made profitable if 
turnip seed were scattered on the stirred earth. If 
the corn be ent early the turnips will have time ere 
winter for considerable growth, and a short fodder 
crop, or supply of fall feed be materially helped, 
As a general rule the orchard, vineyard and fruit 
garden should receive its final cultivation for the 
season in August. It is not further growth of wood 
which is desirable, but the maturity of that already 
produced, and this end is best attained by letting the 
soil rest. 
u>o. itie question does not admit of argument, it 
is simply one of fact; and a somewhat extended 
observation of girls bits convinced mo that all this 
hue-and-cry about line ladyism is simply a safety- 
valve through which to let off the hue-and-crier’s 
bad feelings. I do not Bee but that the houses are 
as well kept, the mistresses thereof as deft in all 
housewifely ways, the food as well cooked, and mat¬ 
ters generally as well attended to as they were in 
onr grandmothers’ days. At any rate, if our grand¬ 
fathers were any harder eaters than tho present gen¬ 
eration, I am sorry for them. 
To all rules there are exceptions, and not every 
girl is a good housekeeper, neither is every farmer a 
good one. From Mr. “Incog's" lamentations, and 
from his writing from “behind the scenes,” it is evi¬ 
dent that his wife and daughters come under the 
head of “exceptions:” therefore he is to be com¬ 
miserated,—and we shall not get angry oven if he 
does lay the blame of his own personal, domestic 
tvlals upon the whole feminine creation, but shall 
go on our way as serenely as if he had never touched 
pen to paper. We have not gone, and are not going, 
t° wreck and ruin yet. Meanwhile, if it pleases Mr. 
" and his dear brother croakers to croak at 
us, why, let them. It is good amusement for them, 
and doesn t hurt us. We will keep on, quietly prac¬ 
tising our domestic economy, and discussing it when¬ 
ever we see fit. Rnwrin v 
horticultural, notes 
The Mammoth Cluster Raspberry-Purdt's Fruit 
Farm— We received an invitation to vi M i on the n f 
July, “Purdy’s Fruit Farm,” located at Si™ NT 
to meet some tlisHnguiebed Pomologists aud inspect,' 
among other things, a new and promising variety of the 
Black Cap Raspberry, named the ■ Mammoth Cluster ” 
Business prevented our making the visit at that date 
but receiving samples of the fruit, later, its size and other 
good qualities induced as to take a look at the buehes 
whereou it grew, on July 2Sth. “ We only expect,” we 
said to Mr. P. at the entrance of hie grounds, “ to see the 
hushes at this late day, hut we know the berry by sample, 
mid the fruit, stems will yet tell of its productiveness.” 
But Mr, P. led the way to a plantation of rauk growing, 
stocky bushes, where the pickers were gathering the ber¬ 
ries tor market, ami showed us a patch which was then 
darkened and bending from the profusion of “mammoth 
clusters,’ 1 Near by were acres of tho Doolittle h,,i h,o 
This variety has gained a good reputation, chiefly 
on account of its qualities for market purposes. 
The canes are generally hardy and productive, and 
the fruit firm enough to carry well. In size it is 
medium, and dark-red in color. The grains of the 
berry are large and coarse. In point of quality it is 
inferior to either the Clarke, Naomi or Antwerp, the 
two former being preferable for amateur cultivators. 
We mistrust, the Philadelphia has been over-praised, 
it3 productiveness and hardiness having covered its 
lack of quality, but it is quite prolific, and will find 
a ready eale. 
early in the spring as may be, we commence prim 
ing, this consists only of shortening-in, that is, cut¬ 
ting half the last year’s growth over the whole out¬ 
side of the head of the tree, and also of the inner 
branches. As the usual average growth is from one 
to two feet, we shall take off from six to twelve 
It need not he done with precise measure- 
indeed the strongest shoots should he short- 
Free. This list could be varied, and doubtless im¬ 
proved, but as these are all known to be good varie- 
s season, 
Eds. Rural:— Iu your issue of July isth, Mr. 
“Incog” reminds me of the quarrels of school 
children—when he can’t think of anything else to 
say he calls names. I’ve no doubt but if he could 
see “ Mrs. Household Economy ” he would make 
mouths at her. I thiDk he must be in the habit of 
what they call stretching the blanket. 
Talk ahout “ Bridget” lifting a tub full of clothes 
and water. Why! my father or brothers can’t do 
that. I should like to see Mr. “ Incog ” try lifting 
such loads; think likely he would put his hand on 
his back wheu he straightened up. I am a farmer’s 
daughter, and flatter myself I can do about as much 
work as common people at least. My mother and 
I do the baking, washing, ironing, cooking, making 
and meudlng for a family of seven ; yes, and have a 
kitchen sixteen by thirteen and three porches to 
scrub every day, and the milk of live cows to take 
care of, aud I believe we keep ourselves decently 
“clean.” Mr. “Incog” says ho is fortunately mar¬ 
ried. Well! I dou’t know about that, but am in¬ 
clined to think, from the way ho rails at the women, 
his “women folks” are of the class described, 
else how would he have such an extensive and ac¬ 
curate knowledge of how things go “ behind the 
scenes ?” 1 am not in the habit of u&iDg epithets, 
but I do think Mr. “ Incog” is a meddlesome, pry¬ 
ing, disagreeable henhusay ! ami 1 am glad only one 
person in a thousand is like him. Almira. 
Licking Co., Ohio. 
ties, and will give a succession through the 
I do not hesitate to recommend them. 
Picking and Marketing. —So far as I have ot 
I think as much fruit is shipped under as over-ripe. 
Peaches should never be taken from the tree until 
they have attained their full growth and color. 
At the proper time it requires no forcible pulling 
to sever them from the stem, hut a slight twist 
wfil easily detach them. Any rule in regard to 
the precise time for picking the peach for market 
must be arbitrary, and will he learned by each 
grower by practical experience. Pains is required 
in picking not to injure the trees by climbing into 
the body. Ladders of the proper length should be 
made and kept from year to year by every orchard- 
ist, so that the fruit can all be reached without 
standing in the tree. And then, in handling the 
fruit, each peach should be handled like an egg. 
Never throw them into the basket, but lay them in 
easily, so as to avoid bruising. Assort out »11 the 
inferior fruit, and if you will send it to market, 
don’t mix it with the good. My advice is, do not 
Bend uuy poor fruit to market. If but half your 
crop is good, sound, well-developed fruit, you will 
clear more money by throwing away the other half 
than by shipping it to market. 
inches, 
ment; 
cned back most in order to bring np the others, and 
any long or projecting limbs that destroy the bal¬ 
ance of the head should he cut back to a uniform 
length. This brings the tree into a well-rounded 
shape. By reducing the wood one-half, we at the 
same- time reduce the coining crop one-half in num¬ 
ber. The remaining half, receiving all the suste¬ 
nance of the tree, are of double the size. The 
young shoots which start out abundantly from 
every part of the tree keep it well supplied with 
bearing wood for the next year, while the great 
luxuriance and size of the foliage, as a necessary 
consequence, produce larger and higher flavored 
fruit. Thus, while we have secured against the 
prevalent evil of an over crop, we have provided 
for the full nourishment of the present year’s fruit, 
and induced a supply of fruit-bearing shoots for the 
next season. This course of pruning is followed 
regularly every year, for the whole life of the tree. 
It is done much more rapidly thau one would sup¬ 
pose ; the pruned wounds are too small to cause 
any gum to flow, 'l’he appearance of a tree pruned 
in this way, after a few years’ bearing, is a very 
striking contrast to that of the poor skeletons usu¬ 
ally seen. It is, in fact, a fine object, with a thick, 
loiv, bushy head, filled with healthy young wood, 
and in the summer with an abundance of dark! 
wue manuiaciure or cider is now. 
And the juice of the grape, properly prepared, is 
greatly superior to that of the apple in strength and 
health-giving elements. It is an easy matter for the 
majority of farmers to provide ample supplies of 
wine for their household use at a comparatively 
trilling cost. A half acre in each hundred of culti¬ 
vated laud, set with vines of hardy varieties, would 
be sufficient, if well cared for, to furnish both fruit 
aud wluefor the number of people occupying, on 
the average, that area. Doubtless there are limited 
regious in our country where grapes would not suc¬ 
ceed,—but the area is vast where they would thrive 
to a sufficient degree to make the growing of them 
for family use satisfactory, although it might be far 
from profitable to raise them for market. In any 
neighborhood or locality where a solitary vine does 
well, it is certain that enough others will thrive to 
supply the wants of the population. By such uni¬ 
versal planting only can we hope to see the rural 
population of our land supplied with fruit and wine, 
for the products of the favored grape regions, where 
the culture is carried on extensively', will be mostly 
Faroe Grape Vine.— A correspondent of the English 
Journal of Horticulture mentions an enormons grape 
vine which he found covering the mulberry trees on the 
coast between Tyre and Sidon. At first the stems of 
these vines were mistaken for those of trees, coated with 
very rough hark. Tho writer adds:—“It rose hy two 
main stems, and fiiirly rested upon six or eight of the 
large mulberry trees around. I measured the two stems 
a few inches above tho ground; the larger one was fifty 
and three-quarters inches in circumference; the smaller, 
forty inches. 1 endeavored to trace out the area covered 
by its branches, but could not obtain an exact measure¬ 
ment; for tbe branches had rambled most irregularly. 
It had n splendid crop of very large bunebi « of crapes 
then, but in an early stage of growth; and I was told 
that it is a hjack variety. My impression is that it is 
one of the largest vines in the world, and it would well 
repay a visit to 1 Ein-ol-Kantorah,’ for that is the name of 
the spot, if it be sought for by any of your readers whose 
rambling propensities may carry them along that Bhore.” 
orchard; not planted with a view to selling its pro¬ 
ducts, but to consuming them in his own family. It 
is pretty safe to assert that where apple trees will 
flourish, some varieties of grapes will do tolerably 
well alongside of them, The manufacture of wine 
tor home use should be conducted almost precisely 
like that of cider. Have the fruit ripe and clean; 
mash it and press out the juice with care. Let it 
feiment a few days, like good cider, then rack it, 
cleanse the casks aud refill them. Bnng tight and 
rack again early in the spring, and the third time on 
the approach of hot weather. Have sound, sweet 
casks; keep them full, and store in a clean, cool 
cellar, and your beverage will excel in grateful flavor 
and healthful, exhilarating effects, when the hard 
labor and hot suns of summer tempt its trial. It is 
as easy and simple to makegood wine as good cider. 
I he yield of wine would probably average four hun¬ 
dred gallons per acre, from well cultivated vine¬ 
yards of strong, hardy varieties like the Concord, 
Ives and Clinton. 
Eds. Rural :—I wish to write a few lines for the 
Rural, as I am one of the number who read it with 
great interest. 
f devote part of a day to its perusal 
I —Saturday usually. 
I arrange my household affairs myself. Monday 
is washing day. One can rise early on Monday 
morning, and get the washing half out before 
breakfast time, if the clothes are all picked up 
over night. If things are not kept in their proper 
places everything is “helter skelter” all over the 
bouse. Tuesday is baking day. 1 sift the quantity 
of flour I wish to mix, which leaves no hard, dry 
lumps in it. Wednesday the ironing and patchwork 
and done, and on Thursday cutting out and makiug 
garments for the family. As every day brings its 
work, it should be done hi a practical way. It is 
necessary for every wife and mother to oversee her 
household affairs herself. Teach your daughters to 
be saving and economical. Practice makes perfect. 
I not only teach my daughters to practice economy, 
but my boys also. 
Finally, I think Mr. “Incog” has written practi¬ 
cal economy more perfectly than any one yet, and 
is entitled to the “bag of beans” himself. 
East Otto, N. T. 8 w 
peach-borer. The first, I believe, has not yet made 
any considerable inroads upon the orchards in this 
State, but a few words in regard to it may not be 
amiss in this article. The disease in constitutional. 
It. is said to have first made its appearance about 
forty or fifty years ago in the vicinity of Philadel¬ 
phia, spreading into New Jersey, thence northward 
into New England, and now gradually West, where 
it is strongly resisted by the vigorous aud healthy 
glowtli produced by the rich, loamy soil of that 
section. The disease is contagious, and if it attacks 
a single tree in an orchard it will, unless arrested 
by the immediate destruction of tho diseased tree, 
gradually but surely extend until tbe whole orchard 
is contaminated. The disease resulted in the begin¬ 
ning, most likely, from improper cultivation. There 
are several symptoms by which this disease may be 
recognized, but the most prominent are the pale, 
yellowish dwarfed appearance of the foliage—a 
slender, wiry growth of ehoots-a premature ripen¬ 
ing of the fruit, which last is poor in quality and 
” oaaax oustijss.—u. s. writes that, he owns a 
small farm in Franklin Co., N. Y., and wanting rasp¬ 
berries and blackberries, designs to dig np wild bushes 
and transplant them. To which, as he asks for advice, 
we reply that unless he has In view Borne bushes of what 
may prove superior varieties, wild seedlings. It will not 
pay, It is far better to buy of some reliable nurseryman 
the stock he wants. Of raspberries, select the Doolittle, 
Clark, Naomi, and of blackberries the Kittatinny and 
Lawton. 
Salt fob toe Cut Worm,— At a late meeting of the 
Cincinnati Horticultural Society, President ANnERsorr, 
in speaking of the cut worm, stated that he had found a 
remedy in sprinkling salt over bis strawberry bed. He 
used it in the proportion Of four bushels to the acre. 
CULTIVATION OP THE PEACH. 
We extract some paragraphs on the above subject 
from a pamphlet on the capabilities of Delaware as 
a fruit growing state, by H. T. Williams, Agricul¬ 
tural Editor of the N. Y. Independent. The re¬ 
marks will apply to all the peach growing region 
of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. In com¬ 
menting on the management of a peach orchard, 
the writer says: 
The peach, iu this climate, is naturally a great 
bearer, and this fact has led many unreflecting per¬ 
sons to believe that an orchard required but very 
little attention, hence the surprisingly short life of 
many trees. They bear abundantly for a few years, 
when the tree and fruit rapidly deteriorate. The. 
fertility of the soil is exhausted. This is especially the 
case in the thin, light, sandy soil where, by many, 
peach trees are supposed to do the best. This is a 
mistake. A deep loam with a clay subsoil is much 
Strawberry Shipments. —There wer« 
present season from Aurora, Ill., to varioui 
bushels of strawberries, and from Cobden 
els, or 190 tons from both points. 
ANTS, RED AND Utherwise.—A. B. M., Water¬ 
loo, Iowa, wants to know how to expel red ants 
from his premises. These pests are said to have a 
great disrelish for snuff, and will leave the place 
where this is freely sprinkled about. We have 
never tested the matter, therefore cannot vouch 
for the efficacy of this prescription. Will some one 
who has been “death on ants” give the mode of 
doing them up ? 
tree, by a dark, four-winged iusect, resembling 
somewhat the common wasp. The eggs, deposited 
m summer and autumn, are hatched into the grub, 
which does the mischief by boring itself into the 
inner bark, completely encircling the tree and caus¬ 
ing it gradually to languish and die. The insect 
may be readily found by removing the dirt from 
the base of the tree. An exude of gum indicates 
its presence, and the knife will eradicate it. Many 
large growers worm their orchards in this manner 
[ once or twice each season. This is a tedious pro¬ 
cess, and if there is any means of preventing the 
evil it is very desirable that it should be applied. 
A shovelful of slaked lime or leached ashes applied 
in a heap around the base of tbe tree in the Bpring, 
and allowed to remain until late In the fail and then 
scattered away, will, it is claimed, effectually pre¬ 
vent the ravages of the borer, aud is a much better 
means than removing it by manual search. 
Varieties .—There are a great variety of peaches 
cultivated in this country. I think I have seen as 
many as a hundred enumerated in nursery cata¬ 
logues. A large proportion of these arc seedlings 
newly produced aud differing just enough from old, 
well-known varieties to justify their propagators in 
giving them a new name. 8ueb a multitude are 
advertised, each with its special claim to popular 
favor, that many are puzzled in making their selec¬ 
tion for an orchard. The fact is, there are but verj' 
few varieties adapted to the ordinary fruit grower. 
About a dozen kinds, now well known, represent 
all of the excellences yet attained in the peach—in 
flavor, color, size, hardihood or proliticness. In 
puousneu in the Rural some weeks since, has drawn 
the fire from several batteries, whese missiles are now 
before us. They are all good, of their kind, and, with a 
slighL exception, their authors fight back with much 
heartiness of spirit. We should be pleased to give all a 
hearing, but can hardly do so without trenching on space 
claimed for other matters. As a Pample, we give one, 
the first received, returning the fire of “Incog,” and fol¬ 
low it with another, giving him a little “aid and com¬ 
fort” amid the storm he has invoked. Some of the 
others may follow if circumstauces will permit. — Eds 
Gooseberry Pickles.— 1 “ Addi” sends ns a recipe 
for making gooseberry pickles, which are pronounced 
to be firstrate:—Ten lbs. gooseberries, nearly but 
not quite ripe; 7 lbs. sugar; not quite a pint of vin¬ 
egar ; cloves and cinnamon to the taste. Boil half 
an hour. 
NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. 
one and a half pounds to the quart. The merits of 
this fruit had been strangely overlooked. It comes 
at a season when the system seemed to require the 
acid peculiar to them. They were healthful and 
exhilarating. Those who had only been accustomed 
to our common varieties as commonly grown had no 
conception of the beauty of the Cherry, or the 
quality of the Versaillaise^ White Grape, or Imperial 
Yellow, when well grown. It is one of our most 
profitable fruits. 
The Onondaga Grape. —W. Brown Smith, Syracuse, 
N. Y., writes of this as follows:—“The Onondaga 
Grape is a seedling grown in Fayetteville, in this 
county. A crosB between Diana and Delaware. It 
appears to be entirely hardy, quite as much bo as the 
Delaware; and the fruit ripens at the same time 
with it. It is of amber color, good size, nearly as 
large as the Diana. We thiuk it combines, in :ome 
degree, the flavor of both varieties, Diana and Dela¬ 
ware. It has a thick skin, and ,is a good keeper. 
'Jlie amount of wood it makes is not large; but 
what there is is strong, similar to the Diana.” 
Preparing A'cw Barrels for Witte or Cider.— Pres. 
Starr of the Alton Horticultural Society say:—“To 
prepare new oak barrels for wine or cider, n6e one 
pound of alum and four or live pounds of salt, to 
four bucketfuls of water; heat boiling hot, and put 
one bucket at a time in the barrel; rinse thoroughly; 
let it stand an hour, turn it out and repeat the 
operation with another bucketful. Finally rinse 
with cold water and fumigate with sulphur, and it 
will be all right. 
FruU in Kansas.—A correspondent of the Kansas 
Farmer, writing from Iron Mound, says:—“ The 
F arm ers> and o k a i n nr i 
K K IKNI). - THE NEW GAG HOLDtfft 
MiircuiZ, 1807. Is t.lin only one. wliIcUrcetiveB iho 
approbation of fclio farmers, it 
Is nindoor wood; easily folded 
to put away or for transporta- 
lion, and wheu folded occupies ... 
no room, os it can bo Irang up V 'V"\\ 
on a nail out of tbe way. it in A;; 
not liable to got out. oi order \ >«\/ 
and in case any accident should f riS \ 
befall It tfili iarmer can caMly 9 \ 
repair It without tukinc it to a f ,'jfl X 
plauk.imiUi or machine shop, f , / < PI 
Tt IQ cltiinLi ...i. . _ 1 . I / (J 
for wives if they marry anybody! Poor things! 
their lot in life is a hard one—it makes one’s heart 
bleed to think of it—but until they strike for their 
rights, and so change the order of things, I am afraid 
they will have to endure it with what patience and 
fortitude tney can. 
But poor Mr. “ Incog !” I feel my sympathies 
long drawn ont for him, individually. I know he 
must live on sour bread, rancid butter, watery pota¬ 
toes, fried pork, etc., etc.; and that’s how "he has 
come to have the dyspepsia so badly. He is bilious, 
too—that is plainly to be seen even in his first para¬ 
graph. My serious advice to him is, to consult a 
physician, get his stomach and liver put to rights, 
aud then, my word for it, things won’t look quite 
so blue to him as they do now. 
But, seriously now, what is the use of all this 
modern talk about girls not knowing how to work ? 
It is just a fashion, a habit, or rather an epidemic 
which sweeps over the country once in a while, like 
cholera and small pox. Bnt while it lasts, the poor 
girls are scolded and lectured to death. Sometimes 
it assumes a chronic form, as in Mr. “Incog’s” case, 
and then I suppose it is incurable. 
But, in truth, all this talk is the very sheerest 
At the end of February, or as 
[%jl 
till 
