a summer substitute for asparagus, and its 
tender and often renewed leaves for spinach. 
But. for these uses this sort is excelled by 
Beck’s Improved Sea-Kale Beet, which is 
quite a curiosity among beets. From a 
lengthening crown rise a succession of white 
loaf stalks, brood and thick and about a foot 
in length. These support erect, broad, strap- 
shaped leaves, crimplcd like those of a Savoy 
cabbage. These leaf stalks arc exceedingly 
tender, and arc said to rival Sea-Kale. 
To this class also belongs the B raw Ilian 
Variegated Beet, whose plants present a 
strange and interesting medley of forms and 
colors. Recommended for garnishing and 
for greens. 
The Dark Red Egyptian Beet, remarkably 
early and of the highest excellence. Un¬ 
doubtedly a great acquisition. 
would not be likely to grow well, and if they 
did grow, they would not be worth mncli. 
FRENCH VINEYARD 
ALL ABOUT BEETS 
PLASTER TREATMENT OF VINES 
M. Armand writes to the Academia dc.it 
Sciences as to the disastrous increase in the 
ravages made liy the phylloxera among the 
French vineyards, lie thinks that in a few 
years’ time the whole of the vines In Prov¬ 
ence will have disappeared, Unless some 
means of destroying the insect can be discov¬ 
ered. M. Cornu, who has been dispatched 
into the Bordeaux country by the Govern¬ 
ment to report on the increasing damage 
caused by this scourge, declares that in near¬ 
ly all the vineyards which run down to the 
river bauks the plants seem to have dried up, 
and that the vineyards in other situations 
have been attacked in such a way that the 
devastation is circular in shape ; whence the 
expressive name of “ oil spots,” which indi¬ 
cates that the malady has spread from the 
center to the circumference. 
[Last Autumn at the time of gathering in 
root crops, 1 was traveling in Western Ver¬ 
mont, where I visited the grounds of C. G. 
Pringle, a scientific and careful cultivator, in 
whose experiments I became much interested. 
In the line of new beets, Mr. P. had growing 
some twenty varieties, and of his experience 
he has furnished me the following notes, 
which ma_v be of service to planters in the 
approaching season. —&. d. h.] 
The old red standard beets,—the Early 
Blood Turnip for summer use and the Long 
Blood for winter—are by no means super¬ 
seded by the new sorts mentioned below. 
Certain irregularities of form and variations 
of character, however, suggest the need of a 
more careful selection of their seed roots l»y 
our seed growers. 
Hatch’s improved Blood Turnip Beet re¬ 
semble. the well known Early Blood turnip ; 
perhaps is smoother and more regular in 
form ; early and of excellent quality ; one of 
the very best. 
Denning’s improved Blood Turnip Beet is 
another superior sort ; it differs from the two 
just mentioned in its more globular form and 
larger size ; very tender and sweet. 
The Yellow Turnip Beet is [more oval in 
form than the Blood turnip; A good sort 
and interesting by way of variety. 
The Early Bassauo, has long been a favor¬ 
ite. It is ready for use quite early, and if 
well grown continues to increase in size until 
quite large, frequently mainiug in thi s lati¬ 
tude its tenderness of flesh, >.o as to serve as 
one of our best winter varieties also. Roots 
flattened, somewhat ribbed ; color, light red; 
llcsh white, tinged with red ; crown generally 
simple, and contracted, though sometimes 
dividing into numerous branches. 
White’s Dark Blood Beet, similar to Long 
Blood in size, and shape; surface much 
darker and interior deep reddish brown ; 
crown sometimes enlarged and branching; 
not free in all specimens from side roots 
below ; yield large. 
Carter’s Perfection Solid Beet, closely re¬ 
sembles in the root the Long Blood ; foliage 
short, very dark red, recommended for salad 
purposes. 
Henderson’s Pine Apple. A half-long blood 
beet of good and even form and medium size; 
foliage very dark red, and root very deep 
crimson. 
Small Deep Blood Red Castle noudary. Root 
small, rather rough and irregular, tapering 
rapidly from a large crown ; flesh very purple. 
Rough Skinned or Crapaudine. Rough in 
some other respects ; crown large; root of 
inferior size and much divided. Unsatis¬ 
factory. 
For a beet to feed stock in winter, to milch 
cows in particular, in spring time, I have 
never seen one to compare with the Improved 
American Imperial Sugar Beet, introduced to 
the Vermont Dairymen’s Association and 
the public generally, by Mr. Henry Lank, of 
Cornwall. Received from the department of 
Agriculture in 1858, by Mr. Lane, it has since 
t hen been exclusively grown by the farmers 
of Addison County, and by judicious selec¬ 
tion has been brought to perfection. Its form 
is long, spindle-shaped. It is longer and 
larger than the French White Sugar Beet, 
with crown contracted, ’ (generally simple) 
and freer from side roots. As it grows it 
An Italian correspondent, furnishes the fol¬ 
lowing experience :—I have a large quantity 
of grape vines planted in the open ground, 
and trained on poles and wires along the 
gravel walks. In planting these I had the 
holes dug 25 inches deep ; 1 then threw into 
each hole five or six lumps of old plaster of 
Paris, about the size of my fist, I threw a 
little earth over these lumps, and then planted 
the vines in the usual way. The result has 
been wonderful ; the vines which were not 
half on inch thick when planted three years 
ago. are now two inches and more in diame¬ 
ter, and bear finely. The grapes are also 
freer from disease. Other vines, not so 
treated, are much smaller and produce less, 
the fruit being also more liable to disease. 
To try the effect of this plaster, in planting 
two American black walnuts, we put plaster 
to the one and not. to the other. 
The former grew twice as fast 
as the other. Last year we 
dug about the roots, of the one 
to which no plaster was put, 
and we threw in seven or eight 
krge lumps of plaster among 
the roots ; the trees are now 
both of the same size, and 
Jr though only four years old, are 
ifi or 17 feet high. 
THE MARBLEHEAD SQUASH 
Mr. James J. H. Gregory writes us he 
received a squash from an enterprising farm¬ 
er in the West for trial. He cooked and 
PEARS AND APPLES FOR NEW JERSEY 
1 iTAVEasmall place in the vicinity of Pas¬ 
saic, and am desirous of setting out a. few 
standard apple and pear trees. Will you 
please recommend to me what Kinds to se¬ 
lect.—A Reader. 
We would plant the following apples for 
family use; — Early Harvest, Early Sweet 
Bough, Maiden's Blush and Baldwin. Pears for 
the same purpose—Bartlett, Sackel, Doyenne 
de Etc, Diwhessc de Angoulerne and Beurre 
d’ Anjou. If a greater variety is desired, add 
Vicar of Whiklicld and Sheldon, the first, be¬ 
ing a rapid grower, very productive and one 
of the very best pears for cooking and pro¬ 
serving. 
WHAT GRAPES TO PLANT 
H. A. of Ashtabula, O., asks 
the names of the best grapes for family use 
and market. We should probably make a 
mistake if we tried to answer this .question, 
simply because the varieties that are best in 
one locality are worthless in another. This 
Is frequently the. case even m the same 
county or town, for soil and exposure have a 
wonderful influence on the growth and suc¬ 
cess of different varieties. In addition to 
this, tastes differ, and what one person calls 
good, another calls bad ; consequently mar¬ 
kets vury. 
The Concord, Hartford Prolific, Iona, Dela¬ 
ware, Catawba, and a few other familiar 
sorts are largely cultivated; hut which 
would be the most profitable, or best for our 
correspondent, we tire unable to decide. 
Either personal experience or that of neigh 
bors would be a far better guide than our 
opinion. 
tested it, and found it. •'surpassing good,” 
He thus describes it ;—“This new squash, as 
a rule, is characterized by a shell of a. more 
flinty hardness than the Hubbard. It is 
usually thicker and flatter at the top. It lias 
a greater specific gravity. The flesh is of 
rather a lighter color than the Hubbard, 
while its combination of sweetness, dryness 
and delicious flavor is something really re¬ 
markable. In yield it equals the Hubbard, 
while its keeping properties are declared to 
surpass that famous variety. In the import¬ 
ant. matter of purity, it excels the Hubbard 
and every squash that I have ever raised. 
Its outer color is a light blue ; not to be con¬ 
founded with the blue colored squashes that 
oorne at times from the Hubbard seed—mon¬ 
grels made by a cross of the Hubbard and a 
thin skinned squash which we used to call 
Middleton blue, which we, were raising before 
we knew of the Hubbard, and raised for a 
few years after we had the Hubbard, side by 
side with ft,. If the seed of these mongrels 
be planted, their hybrid character will be 
seen by a terrible sporting, so dreaded by 
every farmer ; while, on the contrary, the 
crop from the seed of the “Marblehead” will 
be found to excel in purity any standard 
variety of squash.” Marshall P. Wilder 
says of it;—“ For solidity and richness, I have 
seen no squash that ever surpassed it. Geo. 
B. Boring says :—“ It is delicious ; I have 
seen nothing to equal it since the palmy days 
of the Marrow. PaSCHAT. Morris says ;—“I 
consider it more excellent, and should regret 
if it was any better as there might be danger 
of eating too much.” 
POMOLOGIOAL GOSSIP 
Illinois Pippin .—The Horticulturist for 
February figures and describes an apple 
under this name, which promises to be a 
good thing. It, is rather large, flattened, 
yellow, striped with carmine, with a white, 
sub-acid flesh In season in January. Mr. 
Hammond of Warsaw, says it is likely to bo 
an honor to the State. Lt is superior in qual¬ 
ity to Ben Davis and Willow Twig, and has 
most of their good qualities. It flowers two 
or three days before Rnwlos’ Janet, and is a 
native of Warsaw, Illinois, from soed sown 
by a Mrs. Chandler in 1838. 
How to ham Raspberries .—A Zanesville, 
Ohio, correspondent; of the Ohio Farmer 
says a neighbor made his raspberries exceed¬ 
ingly productive as follows :—As soon as the 
frost was out of the ground in the Spring, he 
took a double shovel plow and threw up 
two furrows each side of the rows, covering 
the roots of flic plants deep. During the long 
drouth his vines did not wither as did those 
not so treated, and the result was, he took 
the largest and nicest berries into our mar¬ 
ket that appeared there. 
Northern Spy Apple. — George T. Kimk 
sends an apple which he request s us to name. 
The extenor looks like a Northern Spy; 
but it has been so badly kept that on cutting 
it it did not taste like that or any other ap¬ 
ple. We could not recognize it by the flavor. 
VINEYARD WORK FOR MARCH 
Dr. J. Stayman, in Western Planter, says: 
This is a very busy month with the vincyard- 
ist, so no work should bo delayed that can be 
done. 
Vines not already pruned should be at¬ 
tended to at once, before tfiey commence to 
bleed, which will be as soon ns the sap starts 
in the spring, Prune all varieties this season 
long, as many vines may be injured by the 
severe winter’s freezing. We have found 
all tender varieties injured more or less, ac¬ 
cording to their location or condition of 
growth. 
DESIGN FOR A FOUNTAIN 
Having, in a previous number given gen¬ 
eral instructions for the formation of basins 
for fountains, we shall, from time to time, 
present our readers with designs for center 
pieces for those who prefer them to simple 
jets. The present design calls for no particu¬ 
lar remark, except that it is well adapted for 
a fountain in a sequestered nook—say with a 
rockery and fernery. 
HOW TO BUILD A LIME KILN 
Having large deposits of lime rock on my 
farm, I desire to burn it for fertilizing pur¬ 
poses. Will some of your manv readers, 
who may have had experience in tne matter, 
inform me through the Rurai, New-Yorker 
of the- best and cheapest, plan for building a 
kiln for that purpose ? I desire to use wood 
for the fuel. How should the interior be ar¬ 
ranged I Is a grate required at the bottom 
between the wood and the. stones, or can tin* 
stone be so arranged at the bottom as to form 
a fireplace, to insert the fuel and keep the 
stone from falling down and interfering with 
the fire before the. kilti Is sufficiently burned ? 
Rhinebetk, N. Y. Subscriber. 
GARDEN NOTES 
Paraffin and. Pens ,—At this season of the 
year it may be of interest to many of our 
readers to know that before sowing their 
garden peas, if they mix about a tablespoonful 
of paraffin oil with a quart of peas, turning 
them about so that all may get a taste, of it, 
not a mouse will touch one of them, and the 
peas will not be injured in the least by the 
para ftin .—O ard en. 
Peas Jiecoin,mended. —F. R. E., says Car¬ 
ter’s First Crop is the earliest producer and de¬ 
sirable for home trie ; but Waite’s Caractacus, 
only a day or two later, bears a larger pod 
and is better for market. 
Pry Trnininy Encumbers to stakes, with 
the side branches left on, as has been recom¬ 
mended, and report results. 
Hathaway's Excelsior Tomato is highly re¬ 
commended by those wlxo have tested it. 
A CISTERN THAT LEAKS 
I have a Cistern which leaks. I can dis¬ 
cover no cracks in it. I suppose the cement 
was not mixed in the. proper proportions, or, 
that thero has been some fault in the manner 
of putting on. It has been plastered on the 
.s; i” hem sides, without walling. Can I dis¬ 
solve cement, or waterlime, in wnl or so as to 
make a sort of whitewash, and put on two or 
three coats with a brush, so as to make it 
hold l Or what, will be my cheapest and best 
plan to remix - it ?—s. f. 
We should think the quickest and cheapest 
way of remedying it would be to give it a 
coat of hydraulic cement. 
design for fountain. 
In pruning vines, select short-jointed, well 
matured and medium sized canes, a.s they 
have the most fully developed fruit-buds, 
and are the best and most productive, and 
will always give the most satisfactory results. 
Since examining the condition of the vines, 
we would not recommend making cuttings 
this spring, from any wood that has been 
exposed to this winter’s freezing, as they 
