> 
rampant a grower as the Osage Orange, and 
it will require much longer time to make 
a hedge that will turn cattle. On that ac¬ 
count it will not be used to much extent to 
divide fields; hut on the lawn, either as 
single specimens or in a hedge, it may be 
top. Its pinnated foliage imparts a certain 
expression of lightness, which, combined 
with massive shade, gives the plant quite a 
distinct character. It is easily transplanted, 
growing freely after removal, even although 
of considerable age and size. 
get blue grass seed and when to sow it. The Club 
informed him he could get it at any seed store. 
Mr. Four,Eft said a neighbor paid $9 for a bushel 
of the seed last spring and could not get a seed 
of it to germinate. He advised being careful to 
obtain fresh seed. 
Orchard Planting.—c, GROOVE, Middlesex, Pa., 
wants to start an orchard, and asks if it is the 
best way to plant the seed where the trees are to 
grow nud graft the young trees. Mr. Fuller 
answers, No. Mr. Carpenter says such would 
prove a tedious operation. An orchard can be 
made to grow sooner if the young trees are fre¬ 
quently transplanted. 
cioier for Manure.— E. Powers, Home, Iowa, 
asks whether it is best to plow under the first 
crop of clover for manure, or let it remain on 
the ground until the second crop is ready; and 
when is the best time to plow it under? Mr. 
FcnuER.says for manure turn the first crop un¬ 
der just before the seed begins to mature. Mr. 
Crane would plow under the second crop; then 
there arc more roots in the soil, and the seed is 
retained in the ground and will spring up with¬ 
out re-seedlng after the grain crop is taken off. 
Dr. Sylvester would plow in the first crop just 
after it blossoms, and let it ferment and decay 
dunng the warm weather. Its manurial aud 
mechanical effect upon the land is best. 
Milking .Mnchine*,— Freedom Rhodes asks 
about a certain patent cow milker sold on 
liroad way— whether it Is a humbug or not. Mr. 
Carpenter knows of no dairymen who use any 
of theso patent milking machines, and he knows 
a score of men who would use them if they 
were practically valuable. 
dwindling In Done Dust.— N. Jewett, East 
Haddam, Conn., purchased three tons of what 
was said to bo pare bone dust in Now York City, 
but after fall hl ul trial it proved to be worthless; 
and the loss from such a swindle is very heavy 
to the purchasernot. only does he lose the first 
cast but sutlers from the failure of the crops 
upon which he depends. Mr. Fuller thinks the 
writer probably bought vegetable ivory, much 
of Which is sold for bone dust by dealers in this 
City. Ho thought the Club could afford (o 
advertise an establishment where really pure 
hone dust can be invariably procured. The 
Commander or the Club asked if such establish¬ 
ments are really so rare. Mr. Fuller said he 
thought so, nnd he had considerable experience 
purchasing and using it. In answer to an in- 
rborkulturf 
remissions 
AMERICAN INST. FARMERS’ CLUB 
STREET SHADE TREES, 
NATHAN C. ELY. 
President of the American Institute 
Farmers’ Club. 
Herewith we present a portrait of the “ Com¬ 
mander of the Quit "—Hon. Nathan C. Ely. 
Mr. Ely is nearly sixty years of age, and was 
born in 1 ho town of Simsbury, a few miles 'vest 
of Hartford, Conn. His father, Benjamin Ely, 
graduated from Yaie College in 1786, and soon 
after settled in Hartford Co., Conn., of which he 
was an honored citizen for a quarter of a cen¬ 
tury, djing at the age of eighty-three. At the 
age of fifteen Nathan, with a good education 
or a boy of his years, entered a store In Hurt- 
ford, which he “sweptout" (according to cus¬ 
tom) and In which he sold goods and kept, the 
books. In this store he remained, selling West 
India goods, salt, nails, domestic cottons, etc., 
six years. In 1 Hilt he had become self-confident 
and ambitious, tiud made up bis mind that New 
York City was not too large a place for him. al¬ 
beit his parents advised him of his probable 
destruction should he venture Into the Babylo¬ 
nian vortex. Ho came hither, however, in Feb¬ 
ruary of that year, and bis name went on to the 
store 109 Front street, whore it remained for 
years, atul was never dishonored. In 1853 he 
retired from business, and was succeeded by 
his younger and only brother. 
During his mercantile career,and subsequent¬ 
ly, Mr. Ely occupied many honorable and Im¬ 
portant. official positions, to wit: ten years a 
school officer, once Assistant Alderman, twice 
Alderman, three years Supervisor of the Seven¬ 
teenth Ward; President respectively of the 
Hoard of Aldermen, the Board of Supervisors, 
and of the Board of Health; Commissioner of 
Health in 1854; ten yean an officer of one of 
t he Wall street banks, and Vice-President of the 
Pacific Bank front its organization to the time 
he retired from mercantile business in 1853, etc., 
etc. It la proper to say that when Mr. Ely was 
President of th© Board of Aldermen, he pre¬ 
sided over a very different class of men than 
now compose that body. Among the Aldermen 
of that, day wore Wm. Tucker, P. P. Voohuis, 
Daniel l». Loud, Aimiaham Wakemax, John 
Kelley, and other gentlemen of equally high 
business and social standing. And a similar 
class of men composed the Board of Supervisors. 
To preside over these bodies wasthen considered 
a high honor; tutd yet Mr. Ely bits said that he 
considered it one of the highest honors over 
conferred upon him to be* made President of 
the Farmers' Club. 
In 1S50 he purchased a line country seat at 
Norwalk, Conn., embracing about four acres of 
lntid, where he lias resided for nineteen sum¬ 
mers and enjoys the fruit from some hundreds 
of trees which ho planted nineteen years ago. 
About twelve years ago bo added to his posses¬ 
sions twenty-live acres of land, with a fine 
Gothic (stone) house and barn. On these two 
places he has gained all tils practical agricultural 
and hnrlieulMiml exj '-rmneo. lie says, "all • 
profits, fu dollars and cents, "can bo tied up in a 
stone,* but the real enjoyment.and comfort can¬ 
not be estimated.” He is fond of poultry, rais¬ 
ing turkeys, ducks and chickens in great num¬ 
bers; and irt the rear of his “four-story brown 
stone,” H5 West i'.’A street, may now be seen 
and hoard u fine flock of gobblers. 
After retiring from business he soon found 
that his mind must have occupation; accord¬ 
ingly, at the time Peter COOPER whs making 
arrangements to erect his great monument to 
Science and Art, Mr. Ely, with others, estab¬ 
lished t be well known and very success!UL Peter 
Cooper Fire Insurance Co., of which lie was 
elected and still is President, 
Several years since Mr. Ely was elected Presi¬ 
dent ol' the Farmers' Club of the American In¬ 
stitute, uml has been annually re-olocted. We 
have had good opportunity, the past year, to es¬ 
timate the agency Mr. Ely has in giving to this 
Club and its proceedings vitality and in Alienee, 
lie, more than any other one man, gives it its 
efficiency and wins for it public attention and 
attendance. We have called him “Commander 
of the Club." The appellation does nett contain 
a grain of disrespect, lie “commands" by vir¬ 
tue of his office, but more by virtue of Ills per¬ 
sonal magnetism, perception of right, and quick 
sense of justice. There is nothing dyspeptic 
about t he man. The Club-room becomes brigti ter 
and breezier the moment be enters it. There is 
no red-tape nonsense about him. He cuts the 
string of a stupid story as he outs the string 
about hi» letters, no matter who tolls it- 
Promptly at one o'clock P, M. lie enters the 
Club-room with u Large package of letters from 
Club correspondents in liuud. Off goes his over¬ 
coat. He shakes a shower of pleasant nods 
about among his friends, and proceeds to open 
and read the letters, giving the gist of them, 
often with most humorous interpolations. A 
letter read, lie calls for com meat from members, 
which must come promptly and pointedly. He 
lms a ready way of relieving the Club of bores, 
of puncturing egotism ut the highest point of 
inflation, and of striking heavy blows at all im¬ 
morality and rascality. Wo never heard from 
him one word which could be construed as 
sanctioning any vice; we have heard the-most 
emphatic protests against wrong and the most 
reverent reference to the wisdom and goodness 
of God. Mr, Ely bus more practical knowledge 
than has been gained by the cultivation of bis 
own land. lie has profited by the experience 
contained in the thousands of letters from prac¬ 
tical men which ho has read to the Club. He 
lias quick and correct perceptions of I he rela¬ 
tion and pertiuence of facts. It will be a sad 
day for the members of the Farmers' Club 
when, from any cause, they lose tlieir present 
Commander. 
Mr. Ely has been a successful business naan. 
It Is not difficult to understand wliy. He has 
been an upright one. ilis heart is full of kind¬ 
ness and good will to his fellows. He Is prompt 
to do a good deed, say a kind word, denounce a 
wrong and aid in righting it. Strictly educated 
In religious matters, his life has been exemplary. 
He is liberal in opinion and acts, cultivates a 
broad Christian charity toward all sects, and 
aims to live in peace with God and man. Social¬ 
ly, he is one of the most genial of men. 
Qualities of Tree* and Hints for Street 
Planting. 
The following arc extracts from a paper 
prepared by William Saunders, Superin¬ 
tendent of Public Grounds at Washington, 
and submitted to the Washington Board of 
Aldermen: 
The principal qualities that a tree should 
possess to render it suitable i'or street plant¬ 
ing are the following: 
1. A compact stateliness and symmetry of 
growth, as distinguished from a wide-spread¬ 
ing or pendant form, so that the stem may 
reach sufficient height to allow of a free cir¬ 
culation of air below the branches. 
2. An ample supply of expansive foliage, 
of early spring verdure, and rich and varied 
in the colors and tints assumed during the 
ripening of the leaves in autumn. 
8. Healthiness, so tar as being exempt from 
constitutional diseases, as well as from those 
maladies frequently engendered in some spe¬ 
cies, by peculiarity of soils and atmospheric 
impurities. 
4. Cleanliness, characterized by a persist¬ 
ency of foliage during summer ; freedom from 
fading flowers, and exemption from the at¬ 
tacks of insects. 
5. It should be easily transplanted, of 
moderately vigorous growth, and not liaise 
to throw up shoots from the roots or lower 
portions of the stem 
rapid growth 
GtH-OXIISri A. - 1ST 
8. Horse Chestnut, JEsculus hippocasUx- 
nmi. The Horse Chestnut, is a well known, 
licavy-foliagod tree, surpassing most Others 
iii the beauty of early spring verdure. Its 
hyaciuthine flowers are also conspicuous ob¬ 
jects. The compact, dense form of growth 
causes a dense shade, and, in consequence, it 
should not be planted very close to a build¬ 
ing. On poor, thin, gravelly, or sandy soils, 
it lapses into a brown study during dry sum¬ 
mers, but. is always satisfactory where the 
ground is deep and rich. 
These comprise the best of a list that 
might be considerably extended, and are 
probably sufficient for till practical purposes. 
In planting a line of trees on tbe street, or 
straight avenue, it. is in best taste to confine 
them t,o one species or kind. Variety in this 
connection only tends to confusion. The 
beauty and grandeur that, is produced by 
continuity and repetition of the same objects, 
is destroyed by introducing a mixture of va¬ 
rieties, ami is as much at variance with good 
taste ns would be a mixture of orders in the 
columns of it building. 
To enumerate all the trees that, should he 
rejected, would involve an extensive cata¬ 
logue. If any practical botanist, was asked 
to name four tre<33, the least of all fitted for 
street planting, he would, in all likelihood, 
name the White Poplar, Ailanlhus, Button- 
wood and Yellow Locust. 
A tree of extremely 
is generally short lived, and 
should be avoided. 
6. The branches should be elastic rather 
than brittle, that they may the better with¬ 
stand heavy storms. And, lastly, there 
should be uo offensive odors from flowers or 
foliage. 
While it is perhaps impossible to procure 
a tree possessing all of these qualifications, 
we can select those species that make the 
nearest approach to perfection, of which the 
following are the most available; 
1. Silver Maple, Acer dasycarpum. This 
is very appropriately held in high estima¬ 
tion, for planting on streets, and possesses 
most of tbe qualities required. It is of 
rapid growth, of upright form —unless 
thrown out of its normal shape by injudi¬ 
cious pruning—foliage ample, at the same 
time not so dense as to prevent a partial cir¬ 
culation of air, which is much preferable to 
a dense, impenetrable mass of foliage near 
buildings. Neither is it, subject to the 
attacks of insects, and it, has the further 
merit of being cheaply propagated. 
2. Sugar Maple, Acer sacchnrinum. This 
is the most beautiful of all the maples—in¬ 
deed, there are but few trees of tiny kind 
that, can compare with it in stately graceful¬ 
ness; supporting a heavy head of foliage on 
a comparatively slender stem, imparts a 
great degree of elegance to the symmetrical 
contour of the tree. The superb color of 
the foliage during autumn renders it a con¬ 
spicuous tree during that period of “ tints 
and shadows.” As a street tree it, has supe¬ 
rior merits nnd attractions. 
8. European Sycamore Maple, Acer pseu- 
doplatanus. A tall tree, with broader leaves 
than either of the preceding, and equally 
valuable in every respect. 
4. American Linden, Tilia Americana , a 
well known native tree, of lofty nnd robust 
growth, well fitted for wide streets and ave¬ 
nues, affecting the suburbs rather than a 
crowded city. It is possessed of a wealth 
of foliage and fragrant flowers, and grows 
readily after removal, and of cleanly habits. 
Its European congener, Tilia Europea, is 
also a fine tree, but of late years has been 
much injured by insects. 
5. Tulip Poplar, Limdendron tuMpifera, or 
Tulip tree, is one of the most unique and 
beautiful trees of the forest. None others 
can surpass it in the beauty of its foliage in 
spring, or of its flowers in early summer. 
The leaves change to a bright yellow tinge 
during fall, and are very attractive at that 
season. No other tree will harmonize so 
well, or be in better keeping with the public 
buildings in this city. Its tall, columnar 
stem, and majestic growth, specially indicate 
its availability for decorating the vicinity of 
largo buildings and road promenades. 
This tree is rather impatient of removal, 
and is consequently rather difficult to trans¬ 
plant, if treated in the ordinary mode; but 
there is no difficulty in preparing young 
trees for successful removal, so that this ob¬ 
jection is easily overcome. 
6. American Elm, Uhnm Americana. The 
elm lias been so commonly planted that, in 
some sections of the country, street tree and 
elm are synonymous terms. Its repute has 
been greatly impaired on account of destruc¬ 
tion to the foliage by insects; but. all locali¬ 
ties are not equally subject to these destroy¬ 
ers, neither arc all seasons alike favorable to 
their increase. The great beauty of this fine 
tree and its rapid, towering growth, are rec¬ 
ommendations for wide streets. 
7. American Ash, Fraxinus Americana. 
A fine tree, of erect growth and expansive 
Jtlorictritnr* 
THE GLOXINIA, 
I know of very few plants better adapted 
to house culture than the Gloxinia. By 
house culture I mean the treatment usually 
given by ladies to their plants in ordinary 
dwellings, and 1 have been much surprised 
that it was not more generally used for the 
purpose. The bulbs are produced freely, 
and can be shipped with as much safety ns a 
Tulip or Hyacinth. »£lic foliage is quite as 
pretty as thatof ran 'plants cultivated for 
the beauty of the K^ves alone, while the 
Gloxinia, gives in addition to admirable 
foliage, most exquisite flowers. Tbe plant, 
too, is almost always in flower, and large 
specimens give a mass of bloom, really sur¬ 
prising to those acquainted with its habits. 
I have used the Gloxinia in baskets, vases, 
pots, &c,, and always with the most satisfac¬ 
tory results. Plant the bulb in earth only 
slightly moistened, and use water very spar¬ 
ingly indeed until the leaves appear. 
I send you engravings of a flower of nat¬ 
ural size, and also of a plant in flower, 
drawn last winter from a specimen cared 
for and petted by my children. J. Vick. 
PYRACANTHA FOR HEDGE 
A CORRESPONDENT of the Rukal inquires 
for information in regard to the Pyracanlha 
for hedging. Thera are three varieties,— 
Oratoyw Pyracantha rubra , or red-fruited, 
which is not perfectly hardy in latitude 42° 
to 43° North; Vratcegus Pyracanlha crime- 
Splrcas, New and Good,— Of all the hardy 
shrubs the class of sptreus is one of the most 
beautiful, and each year growers m e producing 
new and improved varieties. Some ol the best 
among' the new and good ones are Spirea amu- 
litijpBw||l||iWl||ii!l!i.. 1 1 ■" 1 ''i 1 
CrLOXESTLY dplajstt IHT BLOOM. 
lata, which is a large-leaved evergreen varie¬ 
ty, just introduced, and which requires an¬ 
other season to test its hardiness; Oratayus 
Pyracanlha lutea, or white-fruited, is finite 
hardy in this latitude, and is a valuable 
evergreen shrub. It is very compact in its 
growth, and makes a strong and beautiful 
hedge, without much pruning. It is not so 
mists, with large panicles of white flowers; 
Spina OtmfotniM, a dwarf-growing sort, but a 
free bloomer; Spirea callosa and Callosa alba— 
the former having umbels of red flowers, and 
the latter* dwarf-growing sort, with umbels of 
greenish-white flowers,produced in great pro¬ 
fusion and long continuance. Spina Crimea, 
Reeve 1 %flare plena, pruntfolia Hare, plena, Dimplas- 
sli, etc., are well known; but AncjoUa, although 
a native, is not so well known as its delicate and 
graceful habit aud small heads of white flowers 
merit. 
We continue oilr notes of the sayings and 
doings of this distinguished body of scientific 
agriculturists. 
Blue Graso Sent.— F.lias Yaugham,W yalusing, 
Bradford Co., Pa., wauts to know where he cau 
