wore successfully propagated, and from tliat 
stock eggs were multiplied and distributed over 
various portions of Europe, where they have 
been successfully acelimated. I may mention 
hero that when the eggs were sent over by the 
AhbA, the mime of the tree they fed upon was 
unknown, but described ns being like an acacia. 
When the worms appeared, varieties of leaves 
were offered them, among which were some 
Alanthus, which they seemed to select, and eat 
so greedily that It. was conceded to be their prop¬ 
er food, which has alneo proved correct. In 1801 
M. Mkneville sent some eggs to England, to 
Lady Domvm v NevilloI Thmtostvin, who reared 
them successfully, and was the first to breed 
thorn in England. Allauthlculture has become 
a suoeess In Europe, and at the same time, let it 
bo known that it requires much less labor than 
the mulberry silk culture. The ailantlnis will 
flourish on almost any soil, even where very 
sterile. In England and Holland, and other 
moist elimutes, experience has shown that the 
ailanthus tree grows luxuriantly, and the insect 
attains a large size, and makes a line cocoon. 
Regarding the tree, it, is well known that it is 
one of • lie' easiest to propagate and grow, and it 
will thrive on any soil, no matter how dry or 
sterile. Regarding the silk, everything Is In its 
favor—and its qualities have been appreciated 
by nmn o I'm el u revs at Itoubaix and f.yona, and 
others who know its worth. A noted chemist 
and weaver in France hits found that the gloss of 
ed room with a temperature of about TO* equable, 
and rather moist. Cleanliness is most essential. 
The best varieties of oak, aa used by the 
Japnoeso for rearing the Yoma-tnai, are Urn 
Querna dentnta, Quaxvs setrata and Qtwrcn# 
slrokasi, being the trees which vegotajo earliest 
and having the most tender leaves, and nreth® 
best for feeding I lie worms, the silk made from 
them being strong and valuable. The worms 
are very particular as lo the quality of the oak, 
and great care is requisite in feeding, as they 
require twigs with the leaves, and not picked 
leaves. 
The young worms must bo fed on no other 
food but the oak; must not have lettuce, but 
which ia the most prominent object in the 
sketch, is ten or twelve rods ioh,', seven feet 
wide on the ground and fifteen feet high. 
It is very dense, and tapers uniformly 
from the base to the summit. It was 
set in IN 08 , “one wet day in May,’’ the 
plants being small, and placed about eighteen 
Indies apart. It has been pruned once a 
year, usually near mid-summer, with a 
knife, the only object being to shorten the 
isntssujtts 
AMERICAN INST. FARMERS’ CLUB 
Silk-Worms for »hc United State*. 
We have only space for the following extracts 
from an interesting paper read before the Club 
by ,t. Q. A. Warden, formerly of California, but 
lately returned from Europe, where he 1ms been 
Investigating the subject of silk culture. The 
folio wing are the extracts: 
by mistake, has it been sheared. 1 or the 
past five or six years its height has not been 
suffered to increase. On the right, of the 
Norway Spruce is shown a portion of a 
Siberian Arbor Vilte hedge, about live feel in 
height, and very compact and handsome. 
This is a very hardy and beautiful hedging 
plant. 
Ou the extensive grounds of Messrs. E. 
Sb 15. are several hundred rods of Norway 
Spruce screens and wind-breaks. The trees 
in some of them were planted about fotn* 
feet apart, and arc now about twenty-live 
feet high, having made an average grow th 
of throe feet per year. Of couse the up¬ 
ward growth for the first few years is more 
vapid than at a later period, mid if the trees 
are cultivated they rise faster than il neglect¬ 
ed, hut a Spruce remov 
few days since 
or i culture 
;luct- 
ed from the lawn a 
! measured sixty-four feet in 
height, and was found to have averaged tw r o 
feet of upward growth yearly since it was 
planted. PkRU* Tone. 
-- 
ABOUT A PEAR ORCHARD. 
Can you or some of your readers give full 
particulars as to the success or failure of the 
large pear orchard of Messrs. Stakes & 
Matttson. described in the Rural of August 
0 , 1859. 1 propose to plant one thousand 
this year, and think of digging the holes two 
feet deep by six feet square. The soil Is 
sandy loam, underlaid with gravel, affording 
perfect drainage. l)o you approve the plan V 
—II. H,, Greenville, O. 
Ik the soil of your orchard is thoroughly 
drained, wo would as soon have it stirred 
uniformly one foot or eighteen inches deep 
to plant the trees in, as to dig out holes aa 
you propose. If it. is not drained, digging 
these holes is the worst possible preparation, 
for the w ater will settle in them to the Injury 
of the trees planted therein. It 1 our corre¬ 
spondents can answer the inquiry concern¬ 
ing the orchard named, let them do so. 
—-- ♦♦♦ - 
LIME FOR PLUM TREES. 
Having some plum trees that blossomed 
every year for several years, hut did not hear; 
a year last fall, I put a quart or so of lime on 
the ground around all except two, which I 
left on purpose to see if t hey would hear as 
well. These two were at the end of the 
rows. The soil is gravelly, with soft water 
quite near, and I inferred that the soil did not 
contain enough lime to form the pit of the 
plumb. Result:—All the trees that had the 
lime put around them bore a good crop of 
plums last fall; those that were left Without 
the lime, blossomed as full as the others, but 
did not bear a dozen plums. I thought 
1 was well paid for the lime. I had not 
time to whitewash the bodies of them in the 
1 should have done that also. 
worm, and does not spot so easily, anU washes 
like linen.“ It is said that the strength iff the 
silk is very surprising, unci the durability of the 
Italian foulards, Which are composed entirely of 
ailanthus silk, i» attributed to this tact. The 
cocoons of the ullanthuH are elongated, of a pale, 
gray color, very close tissue, one and n-half to 
one and throe-q war tors Inches long, and about 
three-quarters broad, varying In size and weight. 
The worm begins its cocoon by securing itself 
firmly to the main stem of tho leaf with Its silk, 
so that, in winter, when leaves fall. It. may be se¬ 
cure, showing a remarkable instinct, ilio de¬ 
mand for this silk Ison the Increase in Europe; 
for it la well known to be very serviceable and 
durable, and the cocoons arc reeled off in ono 
continuous thread. 
The ailanthus tree is easy of cultivation, and 
cun be raised lo any extent In America, and tho 
advent of this new Insect, the Hondiyx cynthia, 
will make an important era In sericulture in 
America. It in easily multiplied and acclimated, 
nnd ils cultivation must become successful. 
While in England, lust August, 1 visited the 
farm of Dr. Wallace, and flaw some 18,000 
worms feeding In the open air on the Ailanlhm 
(flatidulosa. The flame month I had the pleasure 
of paying a visit to tho beautiful country seat 
of UKly Damn'llY Nevill, Dmigstelu, Pctcrs- 
flelJ, about fifty miles Trent Londou. Her lady- 
| ship bad planted a large number of ailanthus 
trees in n. portion of her beautiful garden and 
covered thorn with a strong Inolosuroof net¬ 
work to keep off the birds. There were hundreds 
of youngailanthus trees growing nnd thousands 
of worms feeding In the. highest state of perfec¬ 
tion's. beautiful sight Indeed, on entering tho 
inolosuro to flee those magnificent silk-worms, 
from one to three Inches long, of an intense 
emerald green color, with the tubercles Upped 
With a gorgeous murine blue. They seemed to 
care naught for wind or ruin; their feet having 
great Adhesive power, they cling to the leaves 
with a peculiar strength-their bodies being 
VIEW OF A NORWAY SPRUCE HEDGE OR SCREEN, 
THE a HOUNDS or MESSRS. ELLW ANGER & HARRY, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
s to Uflk your attention simply to a Ted only with oak sprays, kept fresh in water 
s upon the now species of silk- Plenty of pure air is most desirable. Quercia 
i successful cultivation In Europe, pcduncidatn Is an early variety, and muchpre- 
io rood upon theoak and ailanlhnfl. ferred for open-air 
n many of the principal menageries gather branches, place 
ul England, where not only those place Iho young worms on 
’aised, but also the Ihnnhyx mol t, I 1. 
ored to collect tho experience of tontion 
ambient breeders who have made ing, night and day 
culture. Tho Japanese 
them in bottles, and 
the leaves. The 
Ymruumat require plenty of food, constant at- 
and are quick growers, constantly eat- 
• • y. Qnerciis earis, or Turkey 
oak, is much relished by them, although other 
varieties will answer. The Yamd-mai isa native 
of Oshin, Japan, where it is cold In winter and 
warm in summer, The ogga taken from this 
district thrive well in England. Heat, will not 
kill them, but they are readily devoured by In¬ 
sects and birds, unless properly covered on tho i 
trees by netting. The Japanese seed is in great 
demand in the French markets, also in England. 
The Oshin account flays that from tho birth to 
tho commencement of the cocoon Is ubouI, fif¬ 
teen days, and tho moth will appear in about 
twenty days more. Ill Hie wild stale there (he 
eggs fall from the trees in autumn, and in tho 
spring the worms find their way to the trees, 
where they feed for two weeks or more, and 
then form their cocoons, which are gathered by 
tho women and children, and the chrysalis de¬ 
stroyed by being roasted In the sun for three 
days. The winding of the silk, as described, is 
very simple, done by their hand machines, a 
simple wheel, with the cocoons placed lit a pan 
of hot water. The slllt is very strong, and used 
for coats, llowofs, dresses and ornamental work 
by the Japanese. 
M. Lb HAitON of. Emotion, of Austria, who 
paid much attention to tbd culture of t his worm, 
has met with decided success since 1803, and by 
repeated experiments and careful culture, suc¬ 
ceeded, In 1868, in raising a crop of uearly 80,000 
cocoons. More disappointments huvo occurred 
in England, on account of the climate and other 
causes. 
The cocoon of the Yama-mai very closely re¬ 
sembles the U. min i, except In size. The shape is 
oval, and tin; color golden yellow or greenish hue. 
II i>; larger than the rrnrl, Its largest diameter 
being 1 4-5 to 2 1-10 Inches, and 0-10 to 1 1-10 
Hfictiea in thickness. The thread measures in 
length from .800 to 1,100 yards, and is nearly con¬ 
tinuous through tlm cocoon. Tho silk is of a 
deep green or yellowish color externally, blit 
spring, or 
ARBORICULTURAL NOTES, 
Qencsseo Co., Mich., writes:—“I want to 
start an orchard. ITttve contracted for some 
two-year-old trees of Northern Spy variety, 
which I intend to bud or graft. Had I bet¬ 
ter set them in nursery rows for a year or 
two, or plant them out at once ? How 
much sooner will they fruit for being double 
worked V” If the object is to get fruit quick, 
theory would say plant, in nursery rows, and 
transplant after a year or two; but if the aim 
is to get an enduring orchard, it is better to 
plant the two-year-olds at once in the orch¬ 
ard. That is what we. should do. We have 
had no experience in double working the 
Northern Spy lo induce early bearing, and 
cannot answer that question. 
Hedge for Minnesota. — T. T. Pierce, 
Lyons Co., Minn., asks:—“ What is the best 
plant for hedge and where can seed true to 
name be obtained?” For your climate we 
should prefer Honey Locust — Gleditschut 
civs of »ilit worms; t hey have devoted m ucli time 
and attention to the Yama-mai llomhyx, and 
speak favorably of this species as ono of the most 
valuable among the races In the domest ic mena¬ 
gerie of Franco, though, m the experience of 
both gentlemen, much trouble ami expense has 
been incurred in their propagation, having been 
quite unsuccessful for years. Rut,after repeated 
attempts and experiments they have succeeded 
in bringing to perfection this delicate and beau¬ 
tiful insect, and mixing thousands of cocoons. 
Tlielr opinions are most favorable as io the ulti¬ 
mate success of tho Yama-umi. and predict they 
will yet be grown on a large and remunerative 
scale. 
Great care is necessary in feeding, and many 
experiments bad been made to ascertain Urn best 
methods. M. Pkhsonnat raised thousands or 
worms, partly in the open air on oak shrubs and 
partly in an open room with cut boughs, each 
with success. He also recommends the long 
boughs of oak iu pots, or oak trees covered with 
feeder, both from America, are being experi¬ 
mented with. There are two other species in¬ 
digenous to French colonies,- -liontby/s Hesperus, 
thriving on the ailanthus, and the limnhyr hau- 
hinict), feeding on tho juniper tree at Senegal. 
Experiments are also being made with those In 
Europe, as the flilk is said to be of value. 
Your attent ion will now bo called to Ihe Bom- 
)>y;r, cynthia, or Ailanthus worm, which feeds on 
Ailanthus ylandulosa, the culture of which has 
been attended with such success in Europe since 
1861. From nil accounts derived from the French 
works, the Cynthia was fire I introduced into Eu¬ 
rope about the year 1866. A few cocoons having 
been sent from the province of Shan Tung, 
t’liiua, to France by a Piedmontese missionary 
named Abbe Fantoni. Tho climate there differs 
from the English climate, being u little colder 
in winter; but the summer is much hotter, 
How to Get an Everbearing Apple Tree. — 
Charles Singleton of Orange county, N. Y., 
writes: 
“In my orchard there are two trees which pro¬ 
duce apples on the branches ou ono side of tho 
tree one season, and on the other side of the tree 
the next, thereby supplying fruit every year. 
It has continued to do this since I have lived 
here, Romo thlrty-flvo your#. I nave heard that 
this result is brought about bv grafting limbs on 
one side of the tree one year and on the other 
side the following year.” 
Peach Cions nnd Grafting.— “A subscriber” 
is informed that the best time to out peach cions 
is late In fall or early winter. Graft after frost 
is out and before trees is in full leaf. 
Three-Thorned Locust Seed is asked for by a 
correspondent. Wants to know the price. Pro¬ 
bably any first-class seedsman can supply it. 
