mm 
nnsi 
in the case. I cheerfully accord to trees 
every good office they can bestow upon 
man; but I am unwilling to bestow upon 
them attributes which they do not possess. 
Nevertheless, I would not fail to plant them 
anywhere and everywhere that they can be 
grown to advantage, simply because, when 
grown in belts and hedges and clumps, they 
might fail to mitigate the severity of the 
temperature, and fail to ward off frost from 
the crops of the field, the orchard, and the 
garden. Why ? Because they are so useful 
in every other way that trees can be utilized ; 
that man would he derelict to himself, his 
family, his friends, and to coming genera¬ 
tions, were he to fail to plant and care for 
them as long as he lived upon the earth, and 
enjoyed their grateful shade, their luscious 
fruits, and the marvelous beauty of their 
summer and autumn foliage. 
I wish there were such a law upon the 
statute books of all our States and Terri¬ 
tories as I learn there is upon the law books 
of some of the German Provinces, namely : 
To compel each land holder to plant trees 
upon the margin of all his hinds bordering 
upon the highways. I should even carry it 
farther still, if constitutional and proper; I 
would that each man who owned five acres 
of land in the city, suburbs or country, were 
compelled by law to plant orchards and 
shade and ornamental trees. Such is their 
comfort, beauty and utility that the average 
length of life of our people would, in a few 
years, he far greater than at present. And 
yet I do not believe forests are a protection to 
crops ; nor do I believe they mitigate the se¬ 
venty of the iceather , or have anything what¬ 
ever to do with the fall of rain ! This and 
nothing more ! Woodman. 
Slauford, Ky. 
n ^pcrrtsnutu 
SPORTSMAN’S NOTES. 
Tin; Hiclitraiul Dorr-Ilonml. 
Trris hound resembles, in general aspect, 
a high-bred grey hound, especially in all 
points on which power ami speed depend ; 
but he is more coarsely built and is longer 
and more robust. The shoulder is more ele¬ 
vated, the neck thicker, the head and muz¬ 
zle coarser and the bone more massive, lie 
stands twenty-eight to thirty inches iu bight 
at, iho shoulder, has a rough coat of strong 
hair, usually iron-gray, sandy, yellow, or 
white. All colors should show muzzle and 
tips of ear black. A tuft or pencil of dark 
hair in the tip of the car is likewise a proof 
of high blood. 
Grey II omuls mul Ilnres. 
I have never witnessed a chase between 
a hare and grey hounds, but have seen va¬ 
rious engravings and paintings ot the same, 
which represent the hare as being tossed or 
flirted iuto the air by the grey hound’s nose, 
being caught as she descends. Will somo 
one, who knows, tell me if this is true, and 
why it is easier to do this than to pick her 
from thu ground in his mouth ?—J. W. W., 
Concord , Term. 
C’afVylnar n Skunk by tlio Tail. 
I notice that “ Little Wyandot” of San¬ 
dusky, O., thinks that skunks cannot be car¬ 
ried by the tail. I think differently. Wo 
have a man who works for us who will catch 
them with Ids hands, and carry them any 
distance by the tail, without any danger 
from the skunk. I know that this is so, as 
1 have seen him catch several.—II. C., Mar¬ 
shall, Mich. 
How io Trap Squirrclit. 
In trapping squirrels, set a steel trap on 
the upper rail of a fence near where they 
frequent; set a pole with an cur of corn, or 
some other squirrel food fastened to the end 
of it, up against the side of the fence, lean¬ 
ing in such a position as to spring the bait 
over the trap at a higlit of six or nine inch¬ 
es ; when the squirrel reaches to get the bait 
he will got into the trap.— h. a. 
ly barren; but no one cultivates them, or 
ever did, except as a curiosity. 
These freaks in the sex of the strawberry 
have been observed and known for more 
than a century, but no particular attention 
was paid to them until the late NtCitppAS 
LoNGWpUTH of Cincinnati, O., and W.u. it. 
Prince of Flushing, N. Y., aided by two or 
ihree other gentlemen still living, started 
Ibo theory that pistillate varieties were, in 
consequence of the peculiar siructureof their 
tlowers, more productive, if properly fer¬ 
tilized, than t hose having both sets of organs 
complete. Practical experience of hundreds 
of strawberry growers during the past twen¬ 
ty years has proved the utter falsity of this 
theory. 
ii to raise or lower, to accommodate itself to 
uneven ground. Each spring is supported 
by a Patent Guide Standard with stop, to 
protect the spring, thereby making it a per¬ 
fectly independent steel tooth rake. The 
operation of discharging the Hay or Grain is 
by the raising of a single lever with one 
hand or foot, with ease, while sitting on a 
seat, requiring no foot or lock-lever to keep 
the teeth down. It can be easily adjusted 
by a single bolt to raise or lower tlm whole 
tooth-lramo any required distance from the 
ground that may be desired for the various 
rakings, raking perfectly clean, without 
scratching the ground, raising up dust, etc. 
Combined Itnko and liny Tedder. 
The great bout fit of a Hay Tedder is 
beginning to be appreciated, and it is a won¬ 
der that nobody ever put. a Tedder to Wheel 
Rake before, but Mr. Tayi.or's genius for 
economical combinations lias triumphed, 
and now, for the small additional sum of 
$30, Can furnish a complete Tedder attach¬ 
ment, which will do the work of shaking up 
the green grass in the forenoon, and the rake 
will gather up the well cured hay in the 
afternoon, thus saving time, labor and ex¬ 
pense. 
Tlio liny Tedder 
consists of a shape of hollow iron (gas pipe) 
the length of the axle of the rake, (which is 
eight feet,) supported by arms from the head 
piece, which is hinged upon the axle. 
Through the hollow shaft at rftflit angles 
| are a series of fourteen-wire teeth slightly 
curved. A sbieve pulley on each wheel of 
fJomohrgkal 
SEXES IN STRAWBERRIES, 
T learn from the bonks that there are sexes 
in strawberries—fttatiii nate and pistillate. I wish 
the Editors of tlio Rural NsW-YoiikkR would 
prive us somo information which will enable us 
to know i lie sexes when wo seo them. -P. M. Feu- 
ius, Livingston Co., 111. 
The strawberry, in its natural or wild 
form, produces tlowers containing both sta¬ 
mens and pistils. Those two organs are 
quite distinct, the stamens being much the 
larger and more prominent of the two, and 
always surrounded with pisllls, and each is 
terminated with a knob, called the anther , 
(Fig. 1, a, which shows these organs some¬ 
what enlarged.) 
The stamens vary in number from ten to 
twenty, and are situated on the calyx. 
The pistils are small and very numerous, 
situated in the center of the flower, (Fig. 1, 
b,) and upon a pulpy receptacle which en¬ 
larges and becomes what is generally re¬ 
ferred to as the fruit. 
By comparing the accompanying illustra¬ 
tion With any variety that hits perfect flow¬ 
ers, such as the Wilson or Triomphe de 
Gaud, the two kinds of organs may readily 
be distinguished. Although this is the true 
form of the flowers of most of our culti¬ 
vated as well as wild sorts, still an occasional 
variation is seen, especially among what is 
called improved varieties. The first and 
ARBORIOULTURAL NOTES. 
North Carolina Ten Culture. 
W D. Smith, Fayetteville, N. C., writes 
to the Wilmington Journal as follows: 
James M. Smith, my brother, near by, has 
succeeded well in the growing of the Chi¬ 
nese tea plant, and lie also succeeds well 
every year in curing the leaves for making 
tea, and when I say to you that the tea made 
from his plants, cannot he excelled lor de¬ 
lightful flavor, I only say what many can 
testily to. The plants that, he first tried 
were sent him from Washington City, be¬ 
fore the war, through the kindness of War¬ 
ren Winslow, deceased, then our represen¬ 
tative in Congress, lie has increased the 
number largely from seed saved from the 
first plants—all are alike good, the old and 
the new—there being no difference between 
the first plants and those grown since fiom 
the seed. 
While on this subject I will state a few 
facts as touching the Chinese tea plant, 
which may be of interest to some ancl stimu¬ 
late some one to grow his own tea. As 
early as 1848 Mr. Junius Smith of South 
Carolina commenced the growing of this 
plant. He found it to thrive well in his 
section of that State, and also that it was 
quite a hardy plant, and that it stood the 
cold weather well. On the 15th of April, 
of 1849 or 1850, we had quite a fall of snow, 
which extended down as far South as South 
Carolina, how much farther I do not remem¬ 
ber, but I remember that the trees were well 
covered with foliuge and that all were killed, 
and that many of the young native trees 
were much injured by the snow above re¬ 
ferred to. After the full of the snow I wrote 
to Mr. Junius Smith of South Carolina to 
know how the Chinese tea plant stood the 
snow. His reply was that they were not 
injured. I know them to be hardy and 
easily raised, and can see no good reason 
why every man in this country cannot grow 
his own tea, and more too, if he chooses. 
The Chinese tea plant is an evergreen—very 
pretty, having a fair and tender leaf. It 
bears an abundance of seed every year and 
grows 6ix to eight feet high. 
Barberry for Hedges. 
The Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) will not 
make a hedge that will turn ordinary do¬ 
mestic animals. The thorns are sharp but 
not strong enough. Young shoots will run 
up very fast, but will be a long time in get¬ 
ting strength. I have a few feet of orna¬ 
mental hedge of this shrub, and by shearing 
it three or four times each season, it is very 
handsome, and makes a beautiful screen. It 
is about eight feet high, and sprouts often 
grow from the ground to the top in one 
season. We frequently lay these down, ob¬ 
liquely or horizontally, to keep the bottom 
thick enough. My hedge is about fifteen 
years old and thrifty ; but it would not turn 
a mischievous animal.— b. 
<tnu Umplmints 
To Tun M<|iiIrrcl Hkim. 
Tell “ Prairie Boy ” this is the way that 
I tan squirrel skins:—Place them in a vessel 
with strong wood ashes. Wet the ashes till 
they will make a mortar. Leave them in 
about nine days, or until the hair can be 
pulled off, take them out and remove the 
hair. Then place them in strong, soft soap 
six days, then remove, and wash them iu 
cold water till all the soap is out of them. 
When nearly dry, rub them with the hands 
till dry.— J. B. Lee. 
TAYLOR’S STEEL TOOTH HAY AND 
GRAIN RAKE. 
The B. C. Taylor Manufacturing Com¬ 
pany of Dayton, Ohio, was organized as a 
joint stock company, 1870, with the 
following officers:— !>. v'. Taylor, Prose.; 
M. Dorsey, Supt; Louis Keller, Sec. and 
Treats.; E. Kemper, Assist. Sec. I had 
known Mr. Taylor for many years as a 
careful and conscientious manufacturer, who 
would not impose worthless or inferior im¬ 
plements upon farmers; and having engaged 
in the manufacture of an ar¬ 
ticle, he was not satisfied until 
he had worked it up to the 
best style, and of the best ma¬ 
terials. jJfvpf 
Having determined to make > Wjsy- 
a specialty of Hay and Grain . jvJ 2itf' 
Rakes, Mr. Taylor procured gSffijspi 
the best rake to be had, then ^ / 
applied his ingenuity to Us ini- 
provement, and the result is 
just wlmt is seen in the present 
Taylor Steel Tooth Hay and 
Grain Rake, which meets the 
requirements of a rake for the 
various uses of the hay and 
grain field, and one which has 
received the high compliment 
of 185 first premiums from Statu and County 
fairs. Fourteen thousand of l hese rakes arc 
already in use in twenty-six States, Territo¬ 
ries, and Canada, from Maine to Texas and 
Canada to Oregon. The increased facilities 
and capital of the Company will enable them 
to make 1,500 per month, and the probable 
sales of this season will reach 8,000. 
The machinery of this factory is of the 
most effective kind, with special adaptation, 
so gs to insure perfection of work and econo¬ 
my of time. A railroad track enters tire 
yard and ware-room of this establishment, 
affording facilities for bringing in material 
and shipping out machines. 
Of lli.e Italic Itself. 
The teeth are of cast steel, spring temper, 
of an oval shape. Each tooth is perfectly 
independent, every inch a Spring, from end to 
How to Make a lln«e Bull. 
Please tell Peleg Howland that a good 
base ball may be made by cutting an old 
boot or an old gum (rubber) shoe into strips 
and wrap them tightly around each other 
till it is about the size of a walnut. Then 
wrap with yarn or any kind of string very 
tightly, until it is the size you w T aut it; then 
sew the loose end to the ball. Now lay the 
ball down on a piece of leather and gather 
up the sides and press them close to the ball 
and with a sharp knife trim off the corners, 
(be sure to have them lit nicely.) Now sew 
up all the sides except one ; then slip in the 
ball, and sew up with a double thread. Now 
put some oil on the seams and hammer them 
smooth ; for If you are not careful in catch¬ 
ing a ball with rough seams, it will some¬ 
times take the skill from, the ends of tlio 
fingers. I once belonged to a Club that 
made their own balls, and they lastd as long 
as the manufactured ones.—JonN II. Ewing. 
COMRHs’ED RARE AND UaY TEDDER. 
the rake drives a small sliievo pinion on 
each end of the shaft, with a chain belt, 
which revolves the toothed shaft, and sends 
the hay kiting into the air, to fall loosely on 
the stubble and dry in the sunshine. The 
roar ends of the arms which support the 
shaft, roll on castor wheels, by which the 
stroke of the teeth can he regulated to run 
high or low. 
Thus it will he seen that we have a com¬ 
plete Rake and a complete Tedder, at a 
[nice so moderate that every enterprising 
farmer can afford it, for which advance in 
the economy of farm implement*, the pub¬ 
lic is indebted to the enterprise of the B. C. 
Taylor Manufacturing Company of Day- 
ton, Ohio.—s. d. n. 
most noticeable change is a diminished num¬ 
ber of stamens, the flowers of some seed¬ 
lings not having more than four or five, 
and occasionally these are ouly partially de¬ 
veloped. In Others, as for instance, in the 
liovey’s Seedling, the stamens are entirely 
wanting, hut the pistils are perfect and 
abundant. 
Now, as each pistil is united to an embryo 
seed, which must be fertilized with pollen 
from the anther of a stamen before it can 
mature, it is quite apparent that these pistiL 
late (lowers require foreign aid. In practice 
this is found to he true, and varieties with 
perfect flowers are always intermingled or 
placed near by the imperfect or pistillate , 
to aid in fertilizing. 
In more familiar language these two 
classes of strawberries are called female 
( pistillate ,) and bisex ual, ( hermaphrodite .) But 
such a thing as a male strawberry (one with 
only stamens) bearing fruit uever existed, 
except in the imagination of some crazy 
horticulturist. How such a misnomer was 
ever described or crept into any books of 
our horticultural litterateurs we are at a loss 
to determine, unless it was in consequence 
of the variation iu number of stamens iu dif¬ 
ferent varieties, and thus a goodly number 
were called staminates, and those with less, 
hermaphrodites; hut there is certainly neither 
sense or science in this kind of classification. 
It is certainly true that seedlings have been 
produced with deformed pistils, consequeut- 
tthot'tcuiinr a Sliol Gun. 
Here is an answer for “ Prairie Boy 
“ I confidently believe in Bliort barrels. I 
have an old muzzle-loader by me now, which 
was the first gun I had on leaving school, 
and was purchased about the year 1886. The 
length of the barrel was thirty-two inches. 
After I had shot with it for a year or two, 
the ends of the barrels were accidentally run 
over by the wheel of a heavy cart, and 
smashed flat for about four or five inches. 
As the jnctal was divided, and could not, 
therefore, be very easily repaired, I had the 
barrels reduced to twout-y-six inches, rather 
than get rid of the gun, thinking that al¬ 
though it was certainly spoiled It might be 
useful, occasionally, for very wet days, etc., 
to save the new one which I contemplated 
ordering. After a few days it was returned, 
curtailed of its fair proportions. Having no 
other by me, I took it out in the middle of 
November, when covert is scarce and the 
birds strong and wild. To my surprise, it 
shot better than ever, and on trying several 
shots at the usual mark, (several sheets of 
thick, brown paper,) 1 found that it really 
did so.” So says a writer in Land and 
Water. 
A Crowbar wllh Joints. 
William Sefton, Luke Co., O., writes 
the Rural New-Yorker.— “I saw some¬ 
where, some time ago, (I don’t know where,) 
a notice of a jointed crowbar, which, it oc¬ 
curred to me, might be useful for engineers 
especially. Can you inform me about it?” 
We never saw one; nor have vve ever heard 
of but one which was found among the im¬ 
plements of a couple of burglars, arrested at 
Norristown, Pa. It was jointed so as to ad¬ 
mit of being folded up and Carried iu an 
ordinary sized satchel. When extended to 
its full length, it was nearly six feet long, 
and when the joints were covered with 
stout rings, the implement was a powerful 
Grafting Orange Trees. 
Mrs. I. writes that she had seen some¬ 
thing in the Rural New-Yorker about 
grafting orange trees, and adds:—“ I ac¬ 
knowledge my ignorance, For I did not know 
that they required grafting. Will they not 
bloom it not grafted ?” Yes, they will bloom 
it not grafted. But, as a general thing, they 
will come into hearing in less than half the 
number of years if grafted. If cions are 
taken from a bearing tree, they will usually 
produce fruit in one or two years; hut a 
seedling orange tree is often ten years old 
before it hears fruit. 
STEEL TOOTH KAY AND (UIA1.N RAKE. 
end, and held firmly by a Patent Bracket 
from vibrating, and can be taken out or put 
in in an instant. A Spiral Spring over each 
Inrpilrtc* for Sportsmni.- Could you, or somo 
of your readers, tell mo what kind of tights are 
used in TtMeaUiC, and how produced? Also, how 
to play CrvqucU rules; &C>—S’. R.- P. 
*** ax. uacu DtvUU 
tooth gives it a compound spring, and allows lever, 
