bubal 
as coming from the Iowa Homestead, where 
it appeared without credit, ns by ordinary 
courtesy it should not have done. Well, it 
don’t matter to tlte Rural, for as it is the 
only journal in the United States to present 
the first figures and descriptions of new fruits, 
one or two occasionally cribbed are of little 
consequence. A. Thorn. 
advantage over the late plant ing of cabbage; 
they are not arrested by the evils peculiar to 
the summer. I bought a package of seed of 
the Giant Spinach last spring, and got a few 
plants from the sowing. The result was 
quite up to the recommendation of the sales¬ 
men, though the drouth caused the leaves to 
grow tough and fade, doubtless, a good deal 
earlier than they ordinarily would. The 
plant was from four to six feet in height. 
The leaves made a respectable salad, though 
it was rather dark 
In (Garbftttr 
tbcrriculhirc 
AMERICAN GOLDEN ARBOR VIT-ffi. 
(Thuja Occidental)!* Aure.) 
Novelties 
DISCUSSION ON PLUMS: 
By the 1 American Pomoloaicnl (Society. 
WM (loom Plum.— Questions were asked 
concerning this plum. A member from Ten¬ 
nessee said it originated in Jefferson Co., 
Tenu., has a fine flavor, does not reproduce 
itself from seed, is somewhat astringent, but 
the attempts to improve upon it by growing 
seedlings have failed. It is subject to the 
attacks of the cureulio, but not so much so 
as the other plums. 
Downer (Ky.)—It never fails to produce a 
good croj> with us. 
Berckmans (Ga.)—The Chickasaw is the 
most free of any cultivated variety we have 
from the depredations of the cureulio. It is 
third-rate in quality, bright red, showy, 
ripens the end of June. We have other 
plums of the sumo type that ripen as late as 
September. 
Underhill (N. Y.)—I have raised plums 
sixteen years. One hundred trees planted 
about n pond, so that the fruit hung over 
the water, have never been disturbed by 
cureulio. The discovery was accidental, and 
has proved a practical preventive. 
Arnold (Ontario,) has found that white¬ 
washing the ground under the plum trees— 
using a watering pot or a brush to cover the 
ground with the whitewash—has prevented 
(he ravages of the cureulio. 
niNcuNMon ou Cherries. 
Coe's Transparent .— Saul (D. C.)—It is 
one of the best cherries grown in our Dis¬ 
trict. 
Fuller (N. J.) —It is ono of the best 
grown anywhere. 
Sylvester (N. Y.)— Sweet cherries suc¬ 
ceed best in Western New York. The trees 
bear better, and the fruit sells for more per 
pound than the sour varieties. Coe’s Trans¬ 
parent is a line cherry hut too soft to send 
to market. 
Williams (N. J.)—All the Dukes an;? 
Morellos are worthless with us. 
It was here proposed that members from 
different States should name the best cherry 
for their respective localities. The result 
was as follows: 
President Wilder (Mass.) named Down¬ 
er’s Late; Hicks, (Long Island,) Downer’s 
Late; Wricu (Ill.) said the Early Richmond 
is t he most popular and profitable through¬ 
out the State, but for him and his uses he 
preferred Belle do Clioisy; Moork (R. I.) 
named Gov. Wood; Saul, (D. C.,) Coo's 
Transparent.; Downing, (N. Y.,) Coe’s 
Transparent; Quinn, (N. J.,) Coe’s Trans¬ 
parent; Frierson, (Tenn.,) Coe’s Transpar¬ 
ent; Lines, (Kansas,) Early Richmond; 
Coit, (Conn.,) Coe’s Transparent; Bryant, 
(Ill.,) Early Richmond and Kentish; also, 
May Duke (or Morello stock) for the table. 
It was then proposed to name two varie¬ 
ties to be added to the best. Earle (Mass.) 
named Downer’s Red and Coe’s Transparent; 
Edgeton, (Iowa,) Early Richmond; Ar¬ 
nold, (Ontario,) Knight’s Early Black and i 
Elton; Moore, (R. I.,) May- Duke and i 
Downer’s Late; Saul, (D. C.,) Napoleon ] 
and Black Tartarean; Hicks, (L. I.,) Elton , 
and Gov. Wood; Quinn, (N. J.,}Elton and j 
Gov. Wood; F RTF. it son, (Tenn.,) Elton and , 
Black Tartarean; Weir, (111.,) English Mo- j 
rello and Late Kentish; Wilder, (Mass.,) l 
Black Eagle and Red Jacket; Downing, < 
(N. Y.,) Jtockport and Early Richmond; 
Nicholson, (Ind.,) Early Richmond and | 
Gov. Wood ; Williams, (Del.,) Gov. Wood 
and Black Eagle; Lines, (Kan.,) May Duke; 
Sylvester, (N. Y„) Rockport and Knight’s 
Early Black; Downer, (Ky.,) May Duke 
and Late Duke; Trowbridge, (Conn.,) 
Downer’s Late Red; Wii.ey, (8. C.,) Early 
Richmond and English Morello. 
THE ALTON NUTMEG MELON, 
Mr. 0. M. Barler claims that the intima¬ 
tion in a recent Rural that his neighbors of 
the Alton Horticultural Society do not like 
this melon conveys a wrong impression; 
and he demurs to our reflection upon his 
He sends us 
among evergreens are really 
becoming quite plentiful. Strictly speaking, 
natural forms and colors are giving way be¬ 
fore the apparently unnatural, and instead of 
the stately, upright growing spruces, we are 
having a change in the pattern, and weep¬ 
ing varieties are being largely introduced. 
Among the smaller growing species, like the 
Arbor Yitie and Yews, similar forms are be¬ 
coming abundant, and these variations af¬ 
ford materials with which give a very pic¬ 
turesque effect, even to grounds of limited 
extent. 
The beautiful Tom Thumb Arbor Vita; is 
a little gem that no one can see without ad¬ 
miring; and to this we might add Thuja 
Uoveyi, T.Narw , and many others equally 
as valuable for ornamenting the grounds 
about our dwellings. 
Within the last few years a new Golden 
Arbor Vita; has made its appearance in the 
grounds of a few nurserymen and amateurs 
in the vicinity of New York City, which 
even excels the Golden Yew in the brilliancy 
of its foliage. We have not been able to 
trace its history, but it is evidently a variety 
of the American species, as it Is precisely of 
the same habit, but the leaves and young 
branches arc of a bright golden yellow. 
This variety should not be confounded 
with the American Arbor Vita?; for it is far 
superior to it in both color and habit of 
growth. There are but few plants of this 
new golden Arbor Vitae in cultivation, al¬ 
though several nurserymen are now propa¬ 
gating it as rapidly as possible, and ere long 
we may expect to sec this handsome novelty 
both cheap and common. 
We give, on next page, an engraving of a 
fine specimen of it, •which our artirt sketched 
on the grounds of Andrew S. Fuller at 
Woodside. In order that Mr. Fuller may 
not he overwhelmed and annoyed with or¬ 
ders for it, it Is proper to say that he is not 
propagating it, has no plants of it to sell, 
and lias, we learn, given away this specimen 
Ire since our sketch was made. 
in appearance. The 
seedsmen will not be apt to sell the seed to 
the same ojje more than once, as the yield of 
seed is immensely great. 
In the average temperature of North Caro¬ 
lina a succession of salads can be insured by 
the following method:— Plant cabbage late 
and early; make a large crop of turnips, 
which should also be sown late and early, as 
we do not know which will do best; and 
before the cold weather comes sow beds of 
kale, mustard and lettuce, which are to be 
protected with a thin covering of straw or 
hay when the cold becomes severe. The 
time of sowing these is probably not im¬ 
portant, so that one waits for the later rains 
and does not defer till it is loo late for tlie 
little plants to get some strength before the 
frosts occur. 
Beds of mustard sown as early as the 
season will admit, in the 
honesty in Rural of Oct. 30, 
a report of what other members than Dr. 
Hull or Mr. Starr said concerning it. E. 
A. Rif.hl prefers Ward’s Nectar for quality, 
hut calls the Alton “the best melon grown 
for market.” Secretary Kingsbury said: 
“ My melons are excellent, of large size, not 
equal in flavor to Ward's Nectar, but as a 
market sort superior to any I have seen.” 
D. L. IIai.l is reported as saying:—“ I con¬ 
sider the melon the most profitable variety I 
know. I can recommend it for market 
especially.” Dr. Jno. A. Warder is reported 
by Mr. Barler as writing to him:—“ Your 
seed gave me the best melons I bad.” In a 
private note to us Mr. Barler says bo 
“ never said the seed sent out 
was absolutely 
pore. The original seed came from three 
melons, one of which was yellow fleshed, 
To tills wc attribute other good qualities; 
but no yellow melons arc saved for seed. 
Such as it is it is good.” 
We have to say in reference to this matter 
that the seed obtained by several parties of 
our acquaintance, and by several of our 
correspondents, was not uniform. The fruit 
produced was varied in character. And 
whether Mr. Barler said, in so many 
words, “ Hie seed is pure,” or not, the im¬ 
pression men receive who buy and pay for 
“ the Alton Nutmeg Melon” is that they are 
buying a distinct variety, with unmistakable 
individual characteristics; and when they 
find that, the seed sent them produces three 
or four, more or less, varieties, it is natural 
that they should think they had been de¬ 
ceived and so assert. We know nothing 
about Mr Barleii’s reputation for honesty 
among Ids neighbors; but wc do not regard 
the sending out of mixed seed for the Alton 
Nutmeg Melon calculated to establish any 
such reputation in the minds of the public. 
Granted that this melon is valuable as a 
market variety and a good melon, (and we 
are glad to believe it is,) it docs not niJi.?, . 
Mr. Barler of the responsibility of having 
distributed through the country two or three 
kinds of seed under the name of one variety. 
And if that is “honesty" we do not know 
what “ dishonesty” is. 
pring will insure a 
connection with turnip salad, and the suc¬ 
cessive products of kale, and mustard and 
cresses. Sheltered locations insure a very 
early product of the common spinach also. 
Last year I found a solitary plant of let¬ 
tuce in my garden, which was much darker 
iu color than any 1 remember to have seen 
elsewhere. It was not the purplish red that 
is seen in some popular varieties, beta pecu¬ 
liar, dark, gloomy green. It seeded, and I 
secured a number of plants this year. The 
leaf was rather smooth in surface and edge. 
Tlie plants stood the winter with very slight 
protection. I am not certain, but believe it 
to be a very uncommon, if not an entirely 
new’ variety. 
In this region I have never known cross 
to be cultivated, but it grows wild, and is 
much esteemed, which is also true of the 
wild mustard. Last year I sowed a bed of 
kale in November, as an experiment, and 
was rewarded by an early yield of salad 
from the brave little plants. They were very 
small during the winter, but weathered the 
storm with the aid of some hay and weeds. 
Flat River, N. C., 1869. a. b. 
FOOTE'S SECKEL PEAR 
This is a newly introduced variety, al¬ 
though the originator gave grafts of it to his 
friends some years since, and it has been 
fruited, we believe, in the grounds of both 
Mr. Wilder and Mr. Downing. It was 
raised by Ahahkl Foote, Williamstown, 
Mass., from seed of the Beckel. The tree is 
more vigorous in growth than Its parent, and 
equally hardy and productive. 
THE COTTONWOOD, 
’ Tis well that our Eastern friends, who 
contemplate coming hither, should know 
concerning this staple wood of the West. It 
chiefly fringes our streams, as only it, :ia well 
as other woods can, till population and civ¬ 
ilization shall control the prairie tires. When 
they are controlled, trees can easily be made 
to cover any quantity of our lands. Cotton¬ 
wood grows with great rapidity, and is of 
two kinds—white and yellow. The yellow 
is straight - grained, and easily splits; the 
White is thoroughly interlaced, and wholly 
unsplitable. Planks of it make splendid 
stable floors for sharp-shod or other horses. 
The wood yields to the cork without abra¬ 
sion of its fillers, and its elasticity restores it, 
when pressure is removed, to its original 
perfection, lienee it is both good for the 
feet of horses and cattle generally, and ex¬ 
ceedingly durable, 
But boards or planks of it, under the sun’s 
rays, warp beyond all comparison, twisting 
into inconceivable and unmanageable forms. 
They also swell and shrink as weather 
changes, astonishingly, ripping away all or¬ 
dinary nailing and clasping, till, for want of 
room, lliey double up in desperation. They 
furnish also admirable precincts for bed¬ 
bugs, spiders, crickets, lice, and mosquitoes. 
Cottouwood lumber sells at §25 to §35 
per thousand feet. c. w. w. 
Washington Co., Kan. 
SCOLIME D’ESPAGNE 
A correspondet of the London Garden¬ 
er’s Chronicle, writing from Geneva, Swit¬ 
zerland, states that at a meeting of the 
Geneva Horticultural Society, Mr. Berger 
read a paper on what ivas to the Society an 
entirely new vegetable. It is called the 
Seolime. tVEspagne , and is cultivated exten¬ 
sively i.i Spain, where it is esteemed a great 
luxury, as well as a profitable and whole¬ 
some vegetable. When growing, it resem¬ 
bles a thistle. The root looks like an ordi¬ 
nary-sized Altringham carrot, but is white. 
When cooked it tastes like blanched sea- 
kale. The Seolime is perfectly hardy, and 
keeps well from October till March. The 
mode of culture is the same as is practiced 
for parsnips and carrots, except the time of 
sowing. The seed must be sown about June 
15th, or else it will start into blossom, and 
the roots will be small and tough. 
GARDENING IN THE SOUTH 
Salndfl. 
A gentleman remarked that he greatly 
desired to learn how to fill the hiatus in liis 
garden between the exhaustion of his winter 
cabbage, turnips, &c., and the coming of the 
spring salads. Another observed to me that 
he did not suffer from any such cause, as his 
winter supply did not fail till the spring be¬ 
gan to yield its tribute. The success of the 
latter is a desideratum in every family. For¬ 
tunately, it is in the power of all who will 
exercise the needed foresight and attention. 
The value of tlie root crops, especially 
turnips, is not yet appreciated in the South 
hv the masses. They not only fail to pro¬ 
duce sufficient for stock, but content them¬ 
selves too often with a very imperfect effort 
to secure a small supply for the table and a 
little patch for salad in the spring. 
More attention, but not enough, is given 
to cabbage. The rule in this section with 
most people is to sow cabbage seed in the 
tobacco plant beds, thus securing a very 
early supply of the plants. Those are planted 
quite thick, so as to allow of thinning when 
they have grown larger. Sometimes they 
are “ cropped,” the older leaves being cut 
off, which is declared not to injure them. 
Those planted early furnish a coarse salad 
for summer, hut are not to be entirely relied 
on for winter, as they are exposed to the 
summer drouths and the ravages of insects. 
As a rule, I have little doubt that it is always 
advisable to plant both late and early. Last 
year the early planted was exceedingly dam¬ 
aged by the worms and bugs, while those 
planted late in the season were not troubled 
at all. This year I planted a few rows early, 
expecting to use them early. Now, in Octo¬ 
ber, the}’ arc remarkably large. They arc 
from seed obtained in the country—their 
name perhaps lost, but their character estab¬ 
lished. On both sides of them, a while later, 
I planted the Mammoth Marblehead. These 
generally died after growing to some size; 
while those that are living do not now aver¬ 
age more than one-fourth the size of the 
first named large ones. I also tried the Fil- 
derkrout this season, and do not expect to 
try them any more. Quite late I succeeded 
in procuring a few plants of a common spe¬ 
cies for the last setting. They arc looking 
fresh and flourishing. 
Horticulturists contend that vegetable 
growth should be uninterrupted in order to 
the best development attainable. This is an 
Foote’s Beckel Pear—Outline. 
Fruit somewhat larger and broader than 
its parent; especially is it broader at the 
blossom end. In color it is a rusaetty yel 
low, shaded with crimson or bronzed red 
russet nearly over the whole surface; but in 
sun the crimson develops into a rich, bright 
cheek. The stem varies in length, some be¬ 
ing short, some more than medium; calyx 
broad and open; flesh much like Beckel, 
only more vinous, and in quality will rank 
very good to best. Its season of maturity is 
September, but it will keep through October. 
PEAS IN UTAH. 
Saxton's Prolific Long-Pod Pea .—I planted 
three peas to the foot; poles three feet high. 
They were a beautiful show. The vines 
were covered with pods, many of the pods 
containing from five to ten peas. It is very 
early, good flavor, and a most prolific pea. 
McLean's Advancer .—I planted of this va¬ 
riety three or four peas to u foot. Tlie vines 
ran about two feet. From twenty peas 
planted I gathered four hundred and sixty- 
eight pods, or an average of over twenty- 
three pods per pea sown. They were of the 
largest size, very sweet, and to my taste the 
best eating pea of the season. 
Thomas Bullock. 
The Buchers of Pear Trees. —Are the suckers 
or sprouts that spring up around old pear tree3 
more hardy than those trees raised in the nurse¬ 
ries and propagated from seed? Some eighteen 
yearn ago I purchased from the nursery six 
standard pear trees. The varieties were Bart¬ 
lett, Madeline, Swan’s Orange, Van Mens Leon 
le Clerc, Buerro Bose, and Virgalieu. Tlie two 
last are tlie only ones now living, (he others 
having died mostly of fire Blight. The same 
spring I dug up, around different pear trees, ten 
suckers which I grafted with the shoots cut from 
those I purchased in Syracuse. They have gen¬ 
erally been healthy, borne well, and are nil alive 
except one. I should like the experience of 
others on this subject, as I intend setting out 
pear trees next spring. W. Doolittle, Boro¬ 
dino, N. Y. 
STORMY DAY NOTES, 
The cold and snow have driven me in 
from my out-of-door labors of pruning vines 
and planting trees and shrubs, which I yet 
hope to complete this fall during the warm 
days yet to come. Meantime I read, and as 
I read note down :—Amalia Apple —This is 
figured and described as a new seedling. 
The Amelia is a foreign sort, so much re¬ 
sembling it by description that the thought 
came, “ Is the Amalia a new seedling, or 
possibly a graft, that its named originator by 
chance happened to insert and forgot to 
record ?” 
Some time since I wrote against false esti¬ 
mates in fruit growing, and while I do not 
object to a man’s record of success, I look 
upon a record in a late number of the Gar¬ 
dener’s Monthly, under tlie head of “Practi¬ 
cal Results in Grape Culture," as another 
item conveying false ideas as to probable 
permanent results, and very far from being 
“ practical results within every one’s reach,” 
as stated liy the writer. 
The Campbell apple figured and described 
in the Rural New-Yorker months since, I 
see, has just got into a leading monthly as a 
new and rare fruit, and the description copied 
Moles and Bulbs,— A correspondent of the 
Country Gentleman says:—“A writer recently 
complained of tho moles eating up all the choice 
bulbs in the garden. We were also troubled 
with moles persisting, inspire of our efforts, in 
eating up our Jupon lilies. At last we put it few 
small bulbs in their passage way, well poisoned 
with arsenic, and we have bad no trouble since. 
The bulbs we poisoned were gone, and so were 
the moles.” 
Tea Seed or Plants. —A correspondent having- 
asked us where he could get the seed of the tea 
plant, we asked Commissioner Capron of the 
Department of Agriculture for information, 
and ho replies: 
"This Department has no seeds, nor can I in¬ 
form you wtiere you can obtain them. There 
area few tea plants in tho Experimental Gar¬ 
dens, and a very few might Vie spared. These 
plants have been distributed by the Department 
from time to time for many years; but no ex¬ 
periments have as yet been made in their culture 
that have amounted to anything of value. 
There appeal’s to be no difficulty in maturing 
the plant, but tho present high price of labor 
Will not justify its cultivation.” 
Storing Celery.— w r . lit.—Some gardeners select 
high, dry ground, dig a trench a spade deep, 
stand up a row of plants, then three inches of 
soil, then another row, put! ing a half dozen rows 
in this way in a trench. Pack the soil flnnlyand 
bank up witli earth so that the tops are just cov¬ 
ered. Slope the surface roof-fashion and cover 
with two boards nailed toget her. 
Persimmon Culture,— The Alton,HI., Hort. So¬ 
ciety have been talking about the Persimmon, 
and the mombers seem to agree that it is worthy 
of cultivation for its fruit, that iteari bo budded, 
and ought to be improved. TI. was assorted (hat it 
is difficult to transplant; that the borers work on 
planted trees, while they are rarely seen on the 
unlive seedlings in tho forests and fields. One 
member said he kept this fruit for use In winter 
by spreading it on a board in the shade, when 
ripe, drying it, and storing it, caro being taken 
not to allow them to mildew. Can our readers 
give us nay experience in the cultivation of this 
fruit? 
Moles. — Isaac Hicks. L. I., writes the Coun¬ 
try Gentleman that he has found, in thestomach 
of a mole, corn in a state of meal, which, he 
thinks, proves they do not confine their diet 
wholly to insects, as claimed by some. 
Tree Planting Society. —Cannot some reader 
of the Rural furnish, through its pages, a con¬ 
stitution of or for a village tree planting so¬ 
ciety? and oblige—j. H. I>. 
