jarbcrrfculturt. 
PLANTING TREES ON THE 
PRAIRIES. 
Twenty-five years ago my father had a ]ands jn lier own , 
serious inclination to remove West. Ilav- T , i, p1 . 
ing a large family of boys, seven in niim- of ] am l, and make 
her, the youngest of whom would have been who pm . chasc Ul0 
old enough in ten years to nave done good |reM , nul fial(r<is 
work on the farm, and four of whom were, res(;m . S) in pavn ’ l( 
at that time, old enough to have made good Ti)js J1f) ’ l j on m 
hands at any kind of farm labor. By a se- )1|en - t . g Jmt ' a 
l ies of unforeseen misfortunes, he had been t jjj n , r3 g ] 1<3 j oes . 
suddenly robbed of about fifteen thousand if it bo a chiin 
dollars, which left him about three thousand ' ' . , ' 
dollars, “ all told. lie knew no trade him- ________ 
self, nor did either ot my brothers, and land * 
being very high in that, part of Kentucky ^ 
he had not money enough to purchase a f H\ 
farm. In this condition he made a trip to \y> 
the West, and found that the best of land ■ 
could he had “ for a song.” For a year or MICHIG 
two he “ halted ” In his opinion, and finally 
abandoned the idea of going out there alto- j use for my fl 
gether. Ft dal determination! The result is composed of gt 
was, that we all grew up here to manhood, f rom the chamber 
and to-day not one of us is a farmer! j n g how lnueh it i 
I have mused over this matter many It has been very < 
times, and have seen what, an oversight lie water my plants ; 
made. Let us suppose that he had, 
twenty-five years ago, gone to any 
Western State—say Illinois, Mis- TZ '^~^'"S JS 
soltri.or Indiana—and settled upon 
land which lie could have obtained 
at that time, and since, from the \ 
Government! As wo grow up and \i 
formed families ol our Own, each 
could have received his portion of ^fM 
the public domain, and each had a fv/A f.j -' 
homo, embracing many acres which 'fl-. •), - ' Tr fx 
might have been had in one body, ^ 
and thus formed quite ft large -' 
colony. 
Carrying out the idea further, 
suppose several of our neighbors, /■/ 
in the same condition as ourselves, 
had gone out with us, and made a • 
set I lenient—-erecting as we became 
able, a school house, church, &e.; 
what a thriving community wu A it ALIA I’A 
might have become, long ago, and wlmt liquid manure onl 
wealth of lands wo might now be enjoy- jjy Diuntlms b 
ing? Still carrying out the building of them .were of the 
this “ air rustle "—if such it might 1)0 called ami dazzling Colo 
—suppose we had each planted fruit, shade atropurpureuns w 
and forest trees at the time, on many acres double, blood re 
of our lands—raising them from seed—such freely all suninio 
as chestnuts, maples, walnuts, hickory, gum, some what by pru 
oak, beech, &e., &e.—and set Osage hedges die winter, 
around our respective boundaries; crossed jvi y Antirrkinw 
and rc-crosscd Our fields with wind-breaks of f ul( . t j i,ave a i 
cedar, pine, fir, hemlock, etc.; what would and shades. I III 
have been our real wealth now ? Can you ter well, as 1 havi 
reasonably figure up its not value? form ou them. 
Gathering-up lands, from time to Umo, hero I have a line i 
and there—planting seeds and trees for tim- just in full bloom, 
her, fire wood, etc., every year on all newly ties have from for 
acquired territory, we could at this day have plant. The New 
had hundreds of acres covered with noble although the Nev 
forests of trees—living fences and screens, sams were a fail 
fruits of all kinds; and, in a word, each single; some of 
would now have all of comfort, happiness The Double Lark 
and plenty that wealth of lauds could he- white look like a 
stow. I ask you, sir, to say whether or not they are so perfee 
the picture here drawn is a “ castle in the scarlet flax, {Lim 
air” — a cloud painting, which lias been in full bloom, 
drawn from the wells of an idle, imaginary My annual Phi 
brain? or whether or not the plan spoken of deed; 1 have a gi 
would have been, in every sense, wholly liant Scarlet is th 
practicable; and which could have been 
carried out to the letter and spirit? 
True, disease and death might have, 
and probably would have, decimated 
our numbers; hut then is it not equally 
true that those causes have, any way, 
thinned our ranks, even here, and spread 
mourning and desolation amidst our 
various households ? The plan was prae- 
tieal, and is still so—more so this day ** 
than at that distant lime. To-day, 
thousands of acres of land, rich in ex- 
haustlcas soil, lie all over those Western g f 
States, as far as the ocean coast; rail- 
roads span the Continent, and cross and 
re-cross all the States; cities have arisen 
since then, and thousands people the 
prairies, thus opening up splendid mar- 
kets for all that the farmer has to sell. 
To-day the Government is ready to ap- ~ ca * 
ply tiic benefits of her Homestead Law a a alia 
to each of her citizens who will go out there (rosea alba oculata 
and subdue the prairies with the plow and axe, tinct white eye, 
and trees and hedges planted now will grow beautiful it is hi 
and flourish, and in a few years he sources of RosePortulacoah 
untold wealth to those who plant them. perfectly double ; 
Let the masses of the poor landless farm- My Gladioli we 
era of our country try the experiment; stud so large assort mei 
the prairies with trees; let them ho obtained have one Aural 
children’s children, in a few years from now 1 
They will grow while you sleep, in sunshine 
and in rain, and your climate will become 
less rigorous thereby, and your pockets 
more plethoric. 
I have often thought that it would be a 
grand idea for our Government to take the 
matter of planting trees upon her public 
lands in her own hands, upon a grand scale. 
Let her reserve every other quarter section 
of land, and make it incumbent upon those 
who purchase the alternate sections, to plant 
trees and hedges, and wind-breaks upon her 
reserves, in payment for the land she sells. 
This notion may he a chimerical one, but 
then it is not more so tlmu many other 
things she does; and, to my mind, far less 
so, if it be a chimera at all. 
Stan ford, Ky. Woodman. 
as pretty as anything that I have in my gar¬ 
den. My Petunias, Zinnias, Stocks, and a 
host of others are makiug the garden look 
gay, in spite of the dry, hot weather.—P. 
M. j., Schoolcraft, Mich. 
-- 
FLORAL NOTES AND QUERIES. 
A Device for Fumigating. 
We give an illustration of a cheap device 
for fumigating green houses with safety and 
cv 
MICHIGAN FLOWERS. 
I use for my flowers, liquid manure. It 
is composed of guano, soapsuds, and slops 
from the chambers, and it is really surpris¬ 
ing how much it improves their blossoming. 
It lias been very dry here, and I have had to 
water my plants a great deal; I put on the 
/ v (//% -vi-v» 
<ix 
.. 
AIIALIA PA l’YKIVEKA. 
liquid manure only once a week. 
My Dianlhtm is very beautiful. Some of 
them .were of the most brilliant markings 
and dazzling colors. The lleddeiciyii fl. pi. 
atropurpuren.ua were particularly fine, very 
double, blood red; they have blossomed 
freely all summer. I have cheeked them 
somewhat, by pruning, to enable them to bear 
the winter. 
My Antirrhinums , (snap dragon,) are very 
fine. J Have a number of different colors 
and shades. I think they will hear the win¬ 
ter well, as 1 have allowed but little seed to 
form ou them. 
I have a fine display of Asters; they arc 
just in full bloom. Some ot the largo varie¬ 
ties have from forty to fifty blossoms on one 
plant. The New Rose is rather my favorite, 
although the New’ Victoria is fine. My Bal¬ 
sams were a failure; most of them were 
single; some of them were of tine color. 
The Double Larkspurs are very pretty; the 
white look like a wreath of artificial flowers, 
they are so perfect. I have a small bed of 
scarlet flax, ( Linun;) it is very showy, just 
in full bloom. 
My annual Phlox is very handsome, in¬ 
deed; I have a great, many colors; the. Bril¬ 
liant Scarlet is the most showy. I like the 
8S^ 
SB®Silt 
SsrfHf 
ARALIA SIEBGLDI. 
from the many nurserymen all over the through blossoming; the blossoms wero sit- 
West, already propagated and ready to 
plant out. They can be bought for a nomi¬ 
nal sum. Set out one acre or live hundred 
as your ability will allow; plant the kinds 
we have named, and as many more as you 
prefer; set out the hardy fruits; plant 
hedges and behold the grand reward which 
awaits you and your children, and your 
- / - i 
A! -. v- - « J f 
{rosea nlhti oculata,) beautiful rose, with a dis¬ 
tinct white eye, I He best; they are all so 
beautiful it is hard to choose. My double 
Rose Portulacca is also much admired ; it is as 
perfectly double as a rose, and five colors. 
My Gladioli wcreiinc, although I have not 
so large assortment of them as l wish. We 
have one Auratum Lily, which is just 
perl), hut I do not suppose tluu they were 
as large as they will be another year. I 
have a Madeira vine that is a perfect beauty, 
I had a square frame made with two 
pieces of stout wire over the top of it each 
way, and I have trained the vine around 
that, and the leaves are so large and of such a 
bright, wax-like appearance, that it is about 
success, which is now in use in England. It 
will he seen that any tinner can make it at 
little cost. Every florist will understand its 
uses and advantages. 
Ground Nut—Aplos Tnbcrosa. 
Mrs. M. B. Hewitt writes:—“Enclosed 
please find a plant for name. We find it 
wild beside the river We planted it under 
our windows, ami it runs up over them, and 
is something new to us. Wc esteem it high¬ 
ly.” It is Apt.os tulterom, ground nut, wild 
bean—a plant nearly allied to the wistaria, 
and at one time included with it, under the 
generic name of Glycine. This native plant 
ought to. be generally cultivated in our gar¬ 
dens, as it is a very desirable addition to our 
climbing plants. 
Amlin Pnpyvltern. 
Tuts is tliO plant from the pith of which 
the Chinese prepare tlie so called rice paper. 
It is it native of the island of Formosa and in 
Europe lms lately come into use as a decora¬ 
tive plant in what is known as sub-tropical 
gardening, for which purpose it is well fitted 
on account of its striking foliage and free 
growth. It grt/ivs readily from cuttings of 
the root, and although well suited for a green 
house plant can be kept under the stains or 
in a warm cellar 
It is better to plant out young specimens 
of it rather than older plants, as I hey pro¬ 
duce finer foliage and have a neater appear¬ 
ance. It makes a good center group in a 
flower bed, and requires good rich soil and 
plenty of water. 
Sfnaile for 
Wiiy do not people traiiAvines over their 
windows, where they live in the country? 
What is more beautiful than green leaves 
fulling around the easement in graceful fes¬ 
toons? Grape vines clambering over a trel¬ 
lis are very fine; but if a grape vino is out of 
the question, the next, best thing is’a hop 
vine, that being free from the objectionable 
creepers that, push out from woodbines, and 
attach themselves to clap-hoards and shin¬ 
gles. I have a luxuriant hop vine now, 
which requires no care, save a dish of suds 
poured upon it occasionally, that completely 
shades two of my kitchen windows, and 
the cool tendrils cling so closely to the house, 
with the aid of a friendly nail and string, 
here and there, that it makes closing the 
windows, even in a storm or shower, wholly 
unnecessary, securing capital ventilation of 
the room, both daytime and night. And 
there is such a silky, sociable rustle of the 
leaves all day, that I like to sit close up to 
them and listen to what they say, as I have 
a notion that everything has a voice and lan¬ 
guage of its own. Then fill a few vases with 
roses, and place them out on the window¬ 
sill, and the green background makes a de¬ 
lightful, reviving picture. —mk& c. 
Why Don’t my HiiIIim Thrive? 
I wish to know if any of Lite readers of 
the Rural New-Yorker can tell me why 
I cannot cultivate the choice varieties of 
bulbs. I have tube roses growing beauti¬ 
fully, and they bloom almost I he year round. 
I have had them four years without lifting 
but once, then only because 1 changed mv 
residence; also a pure white lily, very sweet 
scented, and a pink lily called the Pensa¬ 
cola. These three bloom here the year 
round; but I have bought. Lttliim Lane fo¬ 
lium, Album, and L. I,. lioseum, Hyacinth, 
Narcissus, and Ranunculus bulbs; also Tu¬ 
lips, and Perennial Phlox; they all rot. 
Why, I cannot tell. I have a light sandy 
soil, and have tried different modes of cul¬ 
tivation, but without success, never getting 
one to bloom, and very few to sprout. 
I am very fond of flowers, but too poor to 
spend much for plants, so 1 have tried buy¬ 
ing seeds, with but little success. I have 
had some from the most noted seedsmen, hut 
a very small per cent, sny one in ten, ever 
sprouted, though 1 tried each package sev¬ 
eral different times and in different, ways. 
Now is there not a lady reader of the Ru¬ 
ral who will write to me, and send me a 
package Ol’ fresh, seed from her garden; for 
which in return I will send her seed or 
plants from mine? I have a great many 
beautiful plant* that grow wild in Mexico 
and Soul hern Texas that would he very 
rare farther Norlli. Hoping to hear from 
some of the ladies soon, I am an admirer of 
the Rural New-Yorker. —Anna B. Nick¬ 
els, Lirommillc, Texas. 
Annual Stairs. 
A CALIFORNIA FAIR. 
The PomoloKicnl mill Horticultural Fair of 
the Mechanic*’ Institute. 
BY T. HART HYATT. 
The Managers of the Mechanics’ Institute 
of San Francisco, deeming it not practicable 
to hold their usual annual exhibition this 
year, concluded in lieu thereof, to have a 
Horticultural, Agricultural and Pomological 
Fair, at their Pavillion in San Francisco, im¬ 
itating, in it small way, the plan of the 
American Institute, which has its head-quar¬ 
ters in the city of New York. Accordingly, 
after a brief notice of a few weeks, the exhi¬ 
bition was opened on Monday, Aug. 29, by a 
brief speech from President IIalladie, fol¬ 
lowed by a prayer from Rev. Dr. Stone, and 
an opening address by Prof. E. Carr, of the 
University of California. Tins address was 
very well, though exhibiting rather more of 
the mustiness of the study or cloister, than 
the freshness of the “ flowery parterre and 
the fruitful vale." 
The Grand llallsof the Pavillion were ele¬ 
gantly and tastefully decorated, with festoons 
of evergreens, and belts and clusters innu¬ 
merable of fresh and odoriferous flowers. 
As a Floral and Pomological Exhibition, it 
was certainly a success; hut little was seen 
to entitle it to I he name of an Agricultural 
Show, in the least sense of the term. Even 
in the line of Vegetables, the display was 
very meager, and this, too, in the midst of 
one of the finest vegetable growing regions 
in the world. But the growers of vegetables 
seemed to look upon it. as too common place 
to put on exhibition such common things as 
beets, and onions, and cabbages, and squash¬ 
es, and tomatoes, cauliflowers, &c., when the 
market stalls of our city arc constantly 
crowded to overflowing with these things. 
There were, however, some few specimens 
tlial, were very line, and credit able to the 
producers. D. U. Perkins, t.ho irrepressible 
seedsman and vegetable gardener, had some 
tine samples of potatoes, sweet corn, heels, 
&c. C. Phelps of Walnut Grove, showed 
a potato dug August, 18(50, eighteen inches 
long, fourteen inches in circumference, weigh¬ 
ing four pounds. There was also a Cucum¬ 
ber, from Maj. Jacks, wo believe, of Napa, 
that measured twenty-three inches in length. 
There was a plenty of such like monstrosi¬ 
ties, more curious to look at than profitable 
to cultivate. 
In Griti>cs 
the display was most creditable — unprece¬ 
dented in California, or, wc will venture to 
add, in any other country on the Globe. 
It embraced nearly every known variety, 
(and some not known,) and the choicest va¬ 
rieties of European Grapes. There were 
fine samples of the White Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria, the Black Hamburg, Black Morocco, 
Black St. Peter’s, Rose of Peru, Zinfimlal, 
Lombard, (alias Koine do Nie**, alias Flame- 
Colored Tokay,) Vcrdolho, (Madeira wine 
grape,) Black Prince, White Frontignan, 
Miller’s Burgundy, “ Chasselas Napoleon,” 
so-called, Chasselas Musque, Cannon Hall 
Muscat, Chasselas dc Fontainbleaii, While 
Corinth, or Sultana, (out of which are made 
the Sultana or seedless raisins,) Fchcr Zagos, 
(also a raisin grape,) Black Malvoise, White 
St. Peter’s, Victoria Regia, White Riasling, 
Gray lilssling. Alongside of this aristocratic 
array of choice grapes, the diminutive, meek 
Concord, Delaware and Catawba made but 
an Insignificant show. 
This by no means comprises the whole 
number of varieties, but is sufficient to give 
an idea of the collection. And yet, some 
of the best and most extensive vinecnltu- 
rists of the Stale were not represented at this 
Exhibition. Miller, the veteran pioneer 
fruit grower of Pleasant Valley, Solano 
county; and Tnunmsu of the same locality; 
and the Woleskills, and Wiggins, and 
others of Tutah Creek, (t.ho mrliest fruit 
growing region of the State,) and J. R. Nick¬ 
erson of Placer county, who had some of the 
finest grapes in the State, and Dr. Strkntzkl 
of the Alhambra Vineyard, Mutinez, and 
Rugby of Ihe Natorna Vineyards, and many 
other noted and prominent viniculturists 
were not represented in this department, 
as they ought to have been. Some of them, 
probably, are reserving their display for the 
coming State Fair. Of other fruits and 
flowers, the display was very creditable and 
gratifying to the friends of horticultural and 
pOmological improvement. 
Tin? Century Plant. 
Wo should, perhaps, have sooner spoken 
of the novel feature of the show, the mag¬ 
nificent Century Plant belonging to Gen. 
Kikkham, which stood in the center of the 
fountain. It, stands thirty-six feet high, in 
ils swaddling leaves, (at its base,) which 
cover a diameter of sixteen feet; its stem, 
six feet above the ground, is eleven inches 
in diameter. 
To vs, this plant is no great novelty, us 
we have seen them growing in Morocco, 
years ago, as common as hollyhocks in a 
country garden. They grow wild, all 
through the interior of the country, and as 
wc recollect them, they do not blossom but 
once in a century, for the very good reason 
that they never blossom the second lime; 
but like the banana palm, they grow up in a 
year, blossom, hear the fruit and the stems die 
down to the ground, new steins springing 
up afresh from their roots, the next season, 
and so on, perennially. Those growing wild 
in Morocco, however, were not us thrifty nor 
so large as this specimen, which has had the 
advantage of a high state of eultivalion, ir¬ 
rigation, Ac. ; and besides, California is 
bound to beat the world in the growth of big 
things, in whatever she takes hold of. 
The Ten. Plant. 
There is one exception to this, however; 
the Tea Plants on exhibition were poor 
specimens of that pretty little shrub; they 
looked like standings, and not the thrifty 
glowing plants that we have seen growing 
in their native hills in China and Japan. 
By proper culture and the selection of 
suitable soil and climate, (of which we have 
an abundance in California,) the Tea Plant 
may be cultivated to perfection. 
The Uiuiiie Plant. 
There was a fair specimen of this plant, 
and the fiber extracted from it, which shows 
it may he grown in California with success. 
In China it has been used for thousands of 
years, and it makes ft beautiful fabric, as the 
Chinese manufacture it. Many years ago 
wc sent specimens of this cloth from China 
to our friends in New York, and it, was 
very much admired for ladies’ dresses. In 
China it makes a light, cool and very beau¬ 
tiful fabric for gentlemen’s summer wear 
also. 
» ♦ » —- 
SARATOGA COUNTY FAIR 
A correspondent of the Rochester Daily 
Express, speaking of the Saratoga Co. Fair 
held on the 9th inst., says that there were at 
least 111,000 visitors on the ground during 
that. day. X. A. Willard, Dairy Editor ot 
the Rural New-Yorker, delivered the 
address, and was listened to for two hours 
by the immense crowd. lie says “ the show 
of Cattle, Horses, Hogs and Sheep was very 
line.” In speaking of the floral display lie 
makes the following mention of James 
Vick, another of the Rural contributors: 
He made the finest display of flowers ever 
witnessed at any previous county fair here, 
for which lie received the thanks of all, es¬ 
pecially the Indies. FTe showed 48 varieties 
of Gladioli, 50 of Petunias, 25 Zinnias, 27 
Dahlias, 20 Phlox, 15 Stocks, 20 Diantlies, 
4 Lilies, and a large assortment of annuals, 
lie informed us that lie Had on his grounds 
in Rochester and vicinity about 200 varie¬ 
ties of Gladiolis. It would be dillieult to 
tell which was most admired by the ladies 
—the exhibitor or the flowers. On his ac¬ 
count Floral Hall was the great attraction. 
He met with a reception by tlio gentler sex 
which must have been peculiarly gratifying 
to him. His fame as a florist had preceded 
him, and lie was the observed of all observ¬ 
ers. Mr. Vick is a very modest, unassuming 
gentleman, and boro the honors heaped upon 
him meekly. lie was interviewed by the 
high and low, rich and poor, and while wo 
were edging our way through the crowd to 
get an introduction, we heard one lady re¬ 
mark that ‘ she would like to kiss the dear 
little man.’ It is astonishing what a hold 
he has upon the affections of the ladies, who 
love beauty in man as well as in flowers.” 
|l?c fjtrbsroan. 
COWS WITH CRACKED LEGS. 
In answer to your correspondent at Seio, 
Allegany Co., N. Y., who complains of 
cracks and sores on the hack sides of the 
fore legs of his cows, and who asks for the 
cause and cure, I will inform him that the 
soreness is caused by the cattle standing In 
llie mini to protect themselves from tlio flies. 
The skin is thin on the hinder part of the 
fore legs, and sensitive to the bite of flies 
and easily poisoned by the mud, the same as 
cows’ teats, which arc often made sore by 
allowing them to run in swamps, where the 
teats are rubbed in the mud. 
Three of my cows have been thus in¬ 
flamed and cracked up this summer—one so 
bad as hardly to be able to walk. My remedy, 
and it was elfectual, was a thorough wash¬ 
ing with carbolic soap suds twice a day tor 
three days, and then greasing with salt 
grease. Castile soap would do very well, 
but carbolic is better, as it is more cleansing, 
and will kill the poison or inclination to ul¬ 
ceration. 
If your correspondent will look about bis 
pasture he will find the spot where the mis¬ 
chief was done. It is probably some creek 
bed in the shade, where there is a mucky or 
muddy bottom, good for a compost heap, 
but bad for bis cows’ legs. F. D. CURTIS. 
Chatham, N. Y., 1870. 
