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MARSH 23 
tlo of alcohol was put into his trank for 
this purpose, and ho hade me good-by, with 
the. remark that he would astonish me with 
the numerous things collected during his 
travels. He has returned safe and sound, 
aud I am truly astonished at his vast col¬ 
lection, for it consists of one solitary grass¬ 
hopper, floating in a pint bottle of alcohol! 
The case of my friend is neither peculiar or 
set tiro to in shallow earthenware pans, 
gives out a dense black smoke, effectually 
obscuring the brightest sky. These pans 
should be placed at Intervals of about twen¬ 
ty yards on the east and north sides of the 
vineyard only; for it is to be observed that 
it is useless to place them on the south or 
west, inasmuch as when the wind is from 
these points of the compass the vines nev¬ 
er suffer. The critical period appears to bo 
about the middle of April. If,"’ says the 
memoir, “the sun has set in a clear sky with 
a north wind, tho chances are that t,hero 
will be frost in the morning, and It is then 
t hat my workmen are up earlier than usual. 
The thermometer is consulted frequently, 
and whenever it is found not to be seven de¬ 
grees above freezing, a number of them, 
each carrying a lighted torch, pass quickly 
along the line in which the inflammable ma¬ 
terial has already been placed in suitable 
vessels, applying his torch to each as he pass¬ 
es rapidly along, aud in a few minutes the 
whole vineyard is protected by a curtain of 
black smoke. I n the year 1864 this process 
was repeated on three consecutive days, viz., 
the Oth, lUth, aud 11th of April, at. my vine¬ 
yard of 8t. Sauveur, and on the first day 
caused no little alarm to a village situated 
about live miles south of our operations, and 
when the cause of tho smoke became known 
created considerable amusement, and gave 
rise to many jokes by my neighbours at my 
expense; but, as my vines were preserved, 
while theirs sullered considerably during 
these three days, they are now, when spring 
frosts are expected, to be seen In their vine¬ 
yards torch in hand. The system is not ex¬ 
pensive; live or six men will sufllce to pro¬ 
tect a vineyard of thirty hectares (75 acres), 
at an outlay of about lifty francs for mater¬ 
ials and labor.’’ 
So I say, let your readers save, their own 
seed—not the tirst ripe tomato, but the 
plant, that bears the finest fruit. By so do¬ 
ing I can raise plants that 1 can sell readily 
for 50c. per dozen, where 1 used to have 
trouble selling them for 25o. I have raised 
the best kind from the plants raised from 
the Tildeu. If the Trophy is what it is said 
to be, it must have been raised by this 
DAILY RURAL LIFE 
FROM THE DIARY OF A GENTLEMAN NEAR NEW YORK CITY. 
Uncovering Plants.— March 4.— The 
severe cold of the past few days being rather 
unusual at this season, should be a warning 
to those who arc always in haste to remove 
tho winter protection from plants. Of 
course it is not advisable to alloAV the cov¬ 
ering of strawberries and other plants to 
remain until growth has proceeded to any 
considerable extent, still it should not be 
removed too early, because we often have a 
cold snap even after spring weather has ac¬ 
tually come. Plants that have been pro¬ 
tected during winter are more sensitive 
to cold thau those unprotected, and it is far 
better to allow them to remain in their win¬ 
ter dress until the buds are swelled consid¬ 
erably, than to take it oil - , and then have 
growth checked by cold. After the long, 
dreary winter, we are inclined to be in 
haste* for summer; but the old adage of 
“ Haste is not always speed,” should be re¬ 
membered. 
Windbreaks and Trees for Rail¬ 
roads .—March 5.—Since the great snow 
blockade occurred on the Union Pacific 
Railroad, there appears to have been an in¬ 
creased interest awakened in regard to 
planting trees near the railroad lines that 
cross the great, prairies. High board fences 
will nevor answer as obstructions to snow; 
in fact, they usually cause high drifts, aud 
do more harm than good. What is wanted is 
something t hat will partially check the wind 
and break its full force. A wide belt of 
compact growing evergreen trees and shrubs 
is the one thing required, and the sooner 
our railroad directors learn this tho better. 
Oue of the officers of a Western railroad 
said to mo a few days since that his com¬ 
pany proposed to import small seedling 
trees from France to plant, along their line 
on the prairies. This, to me, appears to be 
a foolish idea, inasmuch us we have an 
abundance of native trees equal in every 
respect to those found In any other part of 
the globe; besides, ours being natives of the 
climate, would certainly bo more likely to 
succeed. There are barely two species of 
foreign forest trees that will succeed in the 
North, for which we have any practical use, 
aud these are the Norway Spruce and 
European Larch. But there is no necessity 
of importing these, for our nurserymen are 
abundantly able to supply alt the seedlings 
required. But really, what does all this 
talk of belts, screens, windbreaks and t im¬ 
ber for railroad ties amount to on the part 
of these great corporations '! They have 
been telling us for years what they are go¬ 
ing to do, but they have as yet done nothing 
that would be considered creditable to a 
fourth-rate gardener, much less a gigantic 
enterprise, as they are wont to style their 
vast operations. There is tio need of their 
waiting to Import seedlings; and if they 
FIG. 1.—KNITTING-NEEDLE CASE, OPEN. — (SEE PAGE 11)8.) 
method. In a few years, by my method of 
saving seed, your readers will be surprised 
at the few seeds they will get from a large 
tomato.—J as. McI., Newcastle, Pa. 
uncommon; for I have known scores of 
men who have traveled extensively, and 
visited tho nations of both hemispheres, 
without contributing as much as oue lone 
grassshopper to science. Wo should be 
thankful that, all men are not so negli¬ 
gent or unobserving; for, were it so, we 
should have no Darwins, Huxleys, or 
Agassis, because it is not possible for any 
one man to gather in person all the materi¬ 
als necessary to write a great, work on any 
branch of natural science. In our great 
natural bee hive there are more drones than 
workers, and most of those who do work 
think more of bread than pure honey, while 
they might, if properly Informed, collect 
both at the same time, without extra labor. 
Raspberry Trellises.—For garden cul¬ 
ture of the raspberry, a trellis is better than 
stakes. The rows should be at least five 
feet apart. Along these set good strong 
posts, every fifteen or twenty feet. Upon 
t hese posts stretch two strands No. 10 iron 
wire—one eighteen inches from the ground, 
and the other three feet, If the wire is 
painted or coated with tar it, will prevent 
rusting. Of course iron posts aud galvan¬ 
ized wire would be still better, but not as 
economical. 
Preparing Land for Strawberries.— 
A correspondent requests us to tell him how 
to prepare land for strawberry plants. We 
have read volumes on this*subject, and pre¬ 
pared a good many acres with our own 
hands, therefore feel qualified to give the 
required information in a very few words. 
Make tho soil deep, rich, and pulverize it 
thoroughly. This is all that the most suc- 
GRAFTING THE GRAPE 
Tiie past twenty years I have grafted and 
propagated many thousands of grape vines 
in my green-house and in the field ; have 
tried almost every month in the year, aud 
I find April or May tho best time, or when 
the buds are just bursting or pushing; then 
no sap will trouble or drown out, the graft, 
as is the case when the grafting is done in 
the fall or early spring, as heretofore rec¬ 
ommended. Such grafting will most surely 
prove a failure. I use no wax; clay is much 
bettor; but the cions must be kept back. 
Graft below ground, on young, thrifty 
plants. No good grafter would ever think 
of grafting old snags or old trees that ought 
to be cut down; and so with old vines that 
have been neglected and not renewed ; they 
are no better thau old snags, and it is time 
lost to try to improve such self-ex bans ted 
and worn-out plants. Nor can grafting be 
done by every one without some practical 
experience. No grafter is always successful 
in grafting the apple or pear, much less in 
grafting the grape, as it, is quite a different 
process, although quite simple to one who 
knows how.—D. M. I*., Dcmsvillc, N. Y 
GARDENERS’ NOTES 
Save Your Own Tomato Seed, — A 
word about the Trophy Tomato. Is it a 
FIG. 2.—KNITTING-NEEDLE CASE, CLOSED, 
new variety ? If so, where has it been hid 
away this many years ? I never raised it, 
but one of my neighbors showed me what 
he had bought for Trophy, and his crop was 
far Inferior to mine. For a dozen years 
back wo have always had a new kind adver¬ 
tised, every one of them just the tiling— 
perfection at last,. By what I have seen of 
the Trophy, it is another of the same. I 
have no seed to sell; but 1 grow tomatoes 
that I would like to see tho Trophy beat. 
Understand me, it may not have been Tro¬ 
phy I have seen, but it was sold for such. 
1 grow tonmto plants and fruit for market; 
six years ago I commenced to save my own 
seed. When the fruit begins to ripen, I go 
through the field, aud when I find a plant 
strong, healthy, with large, smooth fruit, I 
cessful grower in the country ever attempt¬ 
ed or accomplished. When the soil is put 
into such a state a man may plant strawber¬ 
ries with a pretty good expectation of ob¬ 
taining a strong, vigorous growth, provided 
he obtains sorts adapted to his locality. 
Whether he ever gets any fruit will depend 
somewhat upon the variety planted and the 
met hod of culture adopted. But the ground 
work and foundation of success is in putting 
the laud into tho condition we have de¬ 
scribed. 
VINEYARD NOTES, 
What to do with. Grape Vines.—I have 
twenty-eight. grape vines, set two years ago 
last spring. They stood in rows about eight 
feet apart each way—four vines in a row, 
from north to south. 1 cut them back 
pretty closely the first and second spring 
after planting, and seta short stake to each 
vine; but they have made such vigorous 
growth that the vines are principally on 
the ground—some of them ten feet in 
length. Tho vines arc Concord, Hartford 
and Ives.—J. D. W., Paxton, III. 
Erect trellises upon which you can train 
the vines, giving to each four feet of space 
in which to grow aud bear fruit. Train 
them out in the form of a fan, leaving a 
dozen heavy canes to each, of about a foot 
in length. 
SPRING FROSTS IN VINEYARDS. 
The Mcsmgcr Jigvicolik, a French periodi¬ 
cal devoted to scientific agricultural aud 
horticultural pursuits, publishes a paper on 
this subject, written by M. Gaston Bazllle, 
president de la Soclete Cent,rale d’Agricul- 
C utting and Bottling Grapes when 
Ripe.—An English gardener announces his 
purpose to cut Ids cold grapery grapes here¬ 
after, when ripe (in October or later), leav¬ 
ing about eight inches of stem attached to 
each bunch; carry them to a dry room, 
where are a number of bottles filled with 
clear spring water, in which is a little char¬ 
coal, and in this water insert the steins at¬ 
tached to the bunches. By this,means lie 
expects to keep Muscats until March. IIo 
proposes to keep them upon a shelf in a dry 
room. 
fig. 4.— detail of knitting-case. 
ture do l’Herault. “ It is,” says the author 
of the memoir, “just before sunrise, when 
the sky is serene and the atmosphere calm, 
that danger to tho vines is imminent, even 
when the thermometer is some degrees 
above the freezing point; but if the heavens 
are cloudy, or ever so slight a mist obscures 
the sun, there is no danger to be apprehend¬ 
ed. After many trials of various means of 
producing a dense smoke economically and 
quickly, and maintaining It from an hour 
before sunrise until an hour or two after, 1 
have found nothing answer nearly so well 
as the burning of refuse of coal tar distilla¬ 
tion, which costs a mere trifle. This, when 
Keeping Grapes.— F. R. Elliott writes 
the Ohio Farmer:—“ When 1 put my bas¬ 
kets (half bushel) of two layers only, mak¬ 
ing the baskets about half full, cut directly 
into the basket and set away in a cool room 
—not a warm loft or a damp cellar, I find I 
have the best results. I have to-day before 
me as I write (20th of February), Catawba, 
Winslow and Agawam, all sweet and perfect, 
but the Winslows having onoe been frosted 
are not as plump asthoy should be, although 
the bunch is full and the berry sweet.” 
fig. 3.—knitting-needle case—design. 
drive down a stake, tell the pickers to gath¬ 
er no fruit of these plants. I have followed 
this for the past six years, and I will venture 
to say they cannot bo beat; at least, I have 
not seen them beat yet. Certainly, if a 
person grows a few in a garden, with extra 
attention, they may produce a few extra 
fine fruit; but I am speaking of field culture. 
