dots ; calyx closed in ft deep, slightly furrow¬ 
ed basin ; flesh, whitish, rather coarse, crisp, 
tender; mild subacid, good. 
Fv'<‘<llins, 4. 
Fruit small, oblate, pale yellow, bronzed in 
sun, scattering, irregular green specks, that 
are carmine in the sun ; stem short, slender; 
calyx closed; flesh white, tough, sweet, good. 
VVillfor.l, 27. 
Fruit small, oblate, pale greenish yellow, 
smooth; stem sleudci; cavity slightly rus- 
smooth and level; then draw a line and dig 
out a trench, or plaoe stakes at intervals of 
a few hundred feet, and plow a furrow, the 
perpeudicular side of which should be ex¬ 
actly on the line where the hedge is desired. 
The trench or furrow should be deep enough 
to receive the roots, and when the earth is 
filled in cover them at least two inches deep¬ 
er than they were in the seed-bed. 
When everything is ready, bring out the 
plants, a few hundred only at a time, and 
lay them along on the hank of the trench, 
in small heaps of a dozen or two in each. 
Two men are required to set the plauts 
properly, one to place them in position and 
the other to push in the soil. The first 
should stand in the trench, his right side to 
the perpendicular bank, and holding a bun¬ 
dle of plants in his left hand. He now takes 
borers; and if a good, wide strip of either is 
placed around the steins, reaching a little be¬ 
low the surface of the ground, and upwards 
at least eighteen inches, there will be very 
little danger of injury from these pests. 
There are probably many ways of getting 
rid of mice, but those persons who suffer 
most from their depredations, usually try 
very tew experiments, and instead of making 
war upon them this fall, before the snow¬ 
fall, they will wait until the little rascals are 
finely housed for winter, and where they 
cannot be reached. 
rborintlfttrr 
FRUITS RECEIVED. 
HEDGE PLANTS. 
BY F. R. ELLIOTT. 
“Osage,” Fayetteville, N. C., writes: 
“ Will you, or any of the Rural New- 
Yorker readers, be good enough to answer 
me the following questions? — 1. What 
makes the best hedge? 2. Would you re¬ 
commend planting the 
seed or the shrub ? 3. 
Where can either, or 
both, he had ? 4. The 
price of each? 5. What 
time si i on id both, or 
either, he planted ? 6. 
What preparation is 
necessary ? 7. What 
to do, or rather what 
time of year to lay it, 
together with any 
other information con¬ 
cerning the hedge will 
be thankfu 11 y re- 
1. It depends very 
much upon the soil, 
location, and the pur¬ 
pose for which the 
hedge is designed, 
whether ornamental or 
useful, iu turning cat¬ 
tle. For your locality 
we would name Osage 
Orange, or Three- 
Thorned A'cacia, 
(Oleditschia tricccnthus.) 
pljg^N, Either will make a 
Jpl good, strong hedge. 
BagP 2. This will depend 
upon the weight of 
f your purse, as well as 
knowlege of plants 
^ from seed. Probably 
W the safest plan is to 
P purchase the small, 
one-year-old seedlings 
of those who make a 
business of raising 
them. 3. Examine the 
advertising columns of 
the Rural New- 
Yorker for informa- 
а. !P3C. tion on this point, and 
for answer to your fourth question, 
5. In fall or winter for your locality; in 
fact, any time after the leaves fall in autumn 
until they start, again in spring. 
б. Prepare the soil just as carefully as for 
any garden vegetables, by plowing deeply 
and thoroughly, and remove any odd seeds, 
weeds, stones, or sticUtfTwt may happen to 
be in the way. If the soil is poor, add ma¬ 
nure, and work it in thoroughly by plowing 
and barrowing at least, twice; three or four 
times would be better still. There is no one 
operation connected with hedge growing 
that is more important than a thorough prep¬ 
aration of the soil for its reception, and a 
neglect of this has been the cause of many 
failures. 
7. First procure your plants, and if they 
are not already trimmed, cut the stems off, 
leaving them about six inches long. Shorten . 
the main or tap-roots to about one-half their 
original length, and then carefully heel in, 
until ready for planting. Make the soil 
where the hedge is to he planted perfectly 
Beurre Superfin Pear. 
If I could grow such fruils as the speci¬ 
mens sent me, I should he strongly in favor 
of this pear, although Its want of a blush 
cheek will forever—1 mean our time of for¬ 
ever—keep it unprofitable in any Western 
market. The trouble with all my specimens 
of this pear is, they are only of moderate size, 
and when I can get a certain price for Duch¬ 
ess or Louise Bonne de Jersey, I get just 
half that price for Beurrc Superfin. Merely 
to show the point of my remark, I give a 
rough outline of the specimen sent me, and 
say that mine, as grown in my poor way of 
managing, are only about half the size. 
Minnesota Apples. 
O. F. Brand, Faribault, Minn., sends me 
some fifty or more varieties of apples and 
crabs, all the product of that State, and a 
proof that there are many locations in Min¬ 
nesota where the apple, in its best varieties, 
can lie successfully and profitably grown. 
Mr. Brand thinks an article appeared last 
spring in the Rural Nf.w-Yorker, throw¬ 
ing cold water, when such application was 
not necessary, and adding to the natural 
difficulties of fruit growing in a cold climate 
a depressing influence without just cause. 
1 have not now a distinct recollection of the 
article, and have not a file of the Rural be¬ 
fore me as I write; but I feel certain the 
Rural has never intended to convey any 
discouragement toward fruit growing in the 
extreme North and Non bwestern sections 
of the States, any more than on the same 
pursuit in the Middle or Southern States. 
In every location, fruit growing is a labor 
requiring skill, knowledge and continued 
in order to 
TRIMMING APPLE TREES. 
When it becomes necessary to remove 
large limbs from apple trees, at what time 
should it be done to best secure the healing 
of the wound ? Can anything he put on the 
stump to prevent its becoming dry and 
cracking ?—E. E. F„ Zanesville, 0. 
There is scarcely a week or month in 
the whole year that has not been set apart 
by some one or more of our high authorities 
as the very best time to prune trees. Our 
correspondent, therefore, cannot go far 
wrong, and would advise him to prune his 
apple trees just as soon as possible after 
reading this notice. Do not wait until the 
trees freeze or the sap begins to flow in 
spring, for both are very bad seasons in 
which to do such work. Giving the wounds 
made in removing large branches a coat of 
hot grafting wax will certainly be very 
beneficial, as it prevents decay. Apply 
common grafting wax, hot, and then dust 
fine sand over it, and as much as will ad¬ 
here. A very thick coat is not necessary, 
nor as good as a thin one. Gum shellac, dis¬ 
solved in alcohol, is also a good material to 
cover the wounds, is much more convenient 
to apply, and is always in condition for use 
either in cold or hot weather. To insure the 
adherence of either the wax or the shellac, 
allow the wounds to dry for a day or two 
before being covered, but do not forget 
them altogether, as we fear many persons 
have done wiio omitted to apply something 
of the kind at the lime of pruning. 
watchful application thereof, 
make it a paying success. 
Mr. Brand writeB that he has, this fall, 
traveled nearly four hundred miles, gather¬ 
ing and examining fruits, and that the Duch¬ 
ess of Oldenberg Is as much at. home and as 
reliable in Minnesota and Wisconsin as is 
the Rhode Island Greening in Rhode Island. 
The Ben Davis, Haas, (1 suppose intended 
for Ilorse Apple, not. for Ludwig,) Rod As- 
traeban, Fameuse, and Laxton are in every 
respect, worthy extensive cultivation through¬ 
out the State, while for our numerous val¬ 
leys and belts of timber land and bluffs 
along the Mississippi and its numerous 
tributaries, a score or more of the old popu¬ 
lar sorts, can be, and are, grown with entire 
success. A feature for the attention of po- 
mologists, and also for disbelievers in our 
climate, is the very extensive list of seedling 
apples, many of which having borne for 
several years, and stood uninjured through 
the most severe winters known in the North¬ 
west, bear unmistakable evidence that na¬ 
ture is doing for us what she does for all 
climates, producing varieties essentially per¬ 
fect in their adaptation to surrounding cir¬ 
cumstances. It is no longer a question 
whether we can raise apples, but whether 
our people will give the pursuit that, atten¬ 
tion necessary to insure success. Here lies 
the groat difficulty, Not three men in the 
State are entirely devoted to this business, 
and indeed, I cannot say there is otu>. 
“In Wisconsin, wherever you find a man 
earnestly engaged in this work, lie lias made 
a grand success, and yet., even iu the best 
apple districts of Wisconsin, three men out 
Of four will tell you * that apple growing is a 
failure.’ Minnesota is a very young State, 
but many good, healthy orchards, from six¬ 
teen to eighteen years old, are found grow¬ 
ing upon our cold, bleak, yet, to us, loveliest 
of prairies. Had I the lime, 1 coul.l gather 
PROTECTION AGAINST MICE. 
What shall we do to save our young fruit 
trees from the mice? Thousands of trees 
were mined last winter in this town. Bank¬ 
ing up around the tree prevents the mice, 
but ruins the tree. Lost fall 1 banked up, 
high, 500 young peach trees. The softening 
of this, by ilmws and rain, and then the 
waving of the tree by the wind, made a hole 
around the tree; this froze, and the continu¬ 
al shaking of the tree in this hole, against the 
sides, bruised the bark so ranch they almost 
all died the following spring. Such was the 
be Dmcmtrb 
PLANTING VINES 
In the Rural New-Yorker of Oct. 15th, 
I see an article on “ Treatment of Grape 
Vines.” As 1 am preparing to start a small 
vineyard, (from one to three acres,) will you, 
or some of the many readers of the Rural, 
tell me how far apart to plant the vines. I 
shall set the Concord to begin with, as I un¬ 
derstand that variety does well in this lo¬ 
cality. The soil is black sandy loam, gently 
rolling prairie, broken early this fall; soil 
deep—and in some places underlaid with a 
soft yellow sand stone, in layers from two to 
eight inches thick. 1 wish to cultivate the 
ground so as to produce the best results 
from the grape. W. G. Evans. 
The proper distance apart to plant grape 
vines will depend very much upon the sys¬ 
tem to be adopted in pruning and training. 
We think that eight feet by six is enough 
room to give any variety ; but others think 
differently, ami advise planting sixteen feet 
apart If a man owns plenty of land, and 
wishes to count acres of vineyards instead 
of tons of fruit per acre, then wide planting 
is just the thing for him to do. But we have 
always noticed that the more experience a 
man has, both in study and practice, the less 
likely is he to spread a few vines over a great 
deal of lund. Plant close, and prune close, 
and thereby receive aD early return on your 
investment, and at the same tiin^ keep your 
vines under control. This advice is given 
because asked for; but it would be well for 
you to expend a few dollars in books on 
grape culture, and study principles as well 
as the practice of the various writers on this 
subject. 
rowed; flesh yellowish white, crisp, sharp 
subacid, uromutic, after the style and similar 
to the old Oslin. 
it HUB, No. 8. 
This is not the Horse apple of Downing : 
hut, judging only from the one specimen sent, 
it is the Ludwig of Downing, although the 
dots, as per Downing’s description, do not, 
show, and I am not well Rccquainted with 
Lhe variety. If Mr. Brand will seud me 
mure specimens 1 shall lie obliged. 
Melvin’* Spy. 
Fruit below medium size, irregular, round¬ 
ish oblate, conical, faintly ribbed ; color pale 
yellow, mostly covered, marbled and striped 
with red ; many light, russet-like dots; stem 
slender; cavity deep, open; calyx small, 
nearly closed; basin deep, slightly corru¬ 
gated ; flesh white, breaking, mild sub-acid, 
good. 
Greasy Green Inc. 38. 
Fruit medium size, roundish oblate, coni¬ 
cal; dull greenish yellow, with an oily feel 
to the surface; stem slender, short; cavity 
narrow, deep; calyx half closed with long 
segments; basin narrow, slightly furrowed; 
flesh white, crisp, tender, subacid, but with 
an earthy flavor that, to me, is not agreea¬ 
ble, although I find many who like it; good. 
Ohio Apple. 28, 
This is May Seek-no-fm tlier of Downing 
— a hardy tree, good bearer, and a great 
keeper; only good in quality. 
SECRETARY GRAPE, 
At the grape show held In New York 
oily last September there were several very 
promising new seedlings exhibited. The 
first prize for the best new black grape was 
awarded to J. H. Rickettb, for an unnamed 
seedling of great promise and excellence. 
Tbe same gentleman also exhibited another 
variety, scarcely inferior, which he has 
named " Secretary.” li is a hybrid between 
the Clinton and Muscat Hamburgh, and 
possesses some of the good qualities of both 
parents. The form and size of bunch and 
berry are shown in our illustration, which 
was made from a bunch exhibited at the 
aforementioned show. In quality the Secre¬ 
tary is first-rate, being of a rich, sprightly, 
subacid flavor. Whether this grape will 
prove as good in other localities as in the 
one where raised, will have to be decided by 
experience, but we can say that it promises 
to he valuable, If there were no such thing 
as diversity in tastes, and all soils and cli¬ 
mates were exactly alike, then the necessity 
for u great variety of fruits would scarcely 
befell; but, fortunately, there is a want to 
be supplied, and this brings a corresponding 
desire, which in turn prompts exertion on 
the part of our horticulturists to produce 
the articles demanded. We hail with pleas¬ 
ure every new variety of promise. 
Grape Vines on Trees. 
The Rural New-Yorker contains a se¬ 
lected paragraph from a Cincinnati journal, 
where a correspondent claims that he has 
succeeded admirably in getting " an abun¬ 
dant yield of grapes" by letting vines run 
over bis trees, “just where they like, and 
climb higher and higher as they please,” &c. 
No doubt begets “ an abundance of grapes.” 
We did so too, when we tried this plan ; hut 
they became “ poorer and poorer ” with every 
successive year, and “higher and higher” 
from the ground, until they became difficult 
and dangerous to pick, and utterly worthless 
when they were picked. We fancy this cor¬ 
respondent is without a palate—many per¬ 
sons are—and with him a grape is a grape 
all the same, though scarcely lit for the 
hogs; hut if he expects to convince others 
that this lazy, do-nothing way of raising 
grapes or any other crop will be imitated by 
anybody of more sense than himself—and 
we should say there are still a few left—why 
he is at least liable to be disappointed. Five* 
and-twenty years ago we tried the Isabella, 
Catawba and Powell grape after this misera¬ 
ble fashion, and the result was we had plenty 
of grapes, but certainly none fit for tbe genus 
homo.—Germuntmm Telegraph. 
