Q$HorH(ultui[itL 
IMPROVED PELARGONIUMS. 
The geranium as a. decorative plant for the 
window, the garden and the greenhouse, 
and in some of its many forms and varieties, 
has always been a general favorite, especially 
the type usually known as the “Fish, ’ or 
“ Horseshoe” geraniums. But the “ Horse¬ 
shoe ” geraniums of to-day are so very dif¬ 
ferent from those that were in cultivation 
some twenty or thirty years ago, that were 
it not for certain characteristics many of our 
present varieties would scarcely be recog¬ 
nized as descendants of those so highly es¬ 
teemed at that time. Those who can remem¬ 
ber when the Tom Thumb Scarlet, Cerese 
Unique, and Lucca Rosea were novelties, 
will readily bear me out in this, that the 
three varieties above-named, with a few 
more coarse growing scarlets, pretty nearly 
made up the list of what was then known as 
bedding geraniums. 
Then, too, the aristocratic name of Pelar¬ 
goniums was only applied to such show and 
fancy varieties as used to grace the exhibi¬ 
tion tables of Chiswick and Regent’s Park. 
But so great has been the improvement in 
the “Horseshoe” type of late years, that 
they arc now honored with the name of 
Zonale Pelargoniums. They now find a place 
on the exhibition tables and form one of the 
chief decorative features of all well-ordered 
floral displays. This vast improvement has 
been brought about by gentlemen who have 
made this branch of horticulture a specialty. 
Seedlings, the result of cross fertilization, 
have been raised by tens of thousands. Those 
showing superior qualities of foliage, flower, 
or growth, or possessing some new or dis¬ 
tinctive feature, liave been carefully pre¬ 
served, while those that were useless have 
been as carefully consigned to the rubbish 
heap. 
These unwearied efforts have, after many 
years, resulted in the production of a class of 
decorative plants of such strange and varied 
combinations of beauty in their flowers and 
foliage as to bear but little resemblance to 
the types from v\ hich they originated. In¬ 
stead of the loose trusses and coarse growth 
of the old forms, we now have plants of 
dwarf, compact growth, producing very large 
trusses of round, well-formed flowers which 
remain a long time in perfection, and these 
embrace everj r shade of color, from pure 
white to rich, deal) crimson scarlet, including 
delicate aud deep rich pink, rose, x’osy violet, 
various shades of salmon, salmon mottled 
with white, purplish scarlet, orange scarlet, 
and scarlets the most vivid and dazzling. 
Then we have double-flowering varieties, 
embracing nearly all the above shades of 
color, not eveu omitting the double white. 
But perhaps the most remarkable feature 
in this interesting and useful class of plants 
is the rich coloring and highly tinted leaf 
markings in some of the sections, as in the 
gold and silver tri - colei’s, the colors and 
markings of some of which are really gor¬ 
geous ; then the silver-edged varieties, the 
beautiful green leaves of which are broadly 
margined with pure white ; then the golden 
bronze—the most beautiful of all under our 
hot summer sun. iiut eveu an enumeration 
of the sections of Pelargoniums, will, I am 
afraid, take up too much space. But if Mr. 
Rural, will permit me, in another number, I 
will endeavor to name and describe a few 
varieties of the sections which are most gen- | 
eral-ly esteemed, and most easily obtainable, ' 
as well as such as are the most easy of culti- . 
vatiou, which will assist your readers to j 
make a selection of these desirable plants. 
Paterson, N. J. II. E. Chjtty. 1 
was inclined to 1 ‘ have some shape and order. ” 
He couldn’t spare money that year to buy 
trees, and so he spent time selecting and 
transplanting trees from the forest while 
Mollik, with her basket, gathered forest ■ 
flowers for her borders. A few papers of ; 
cheap seeds, well treated, made fcliat little 1 
garden as gay as a rainbow. And the next 
year choicer seeds came into Moli. re’s 
hands. Before five yearn passed Squire Bell’s 
place began to be remarked for its beauty. 
The beautiful groups of shrubbery and the 
blossoming garden were powerful preachers, 
and their wholesome influence was soon felt. 
Agricultural papers and seed catalogues, 
found greater favor in Is”. Clubs were formed 
for the purchase of seeds and bulbs. The 1 
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>W 
JAN. 3 
f) umolugital. 
FRUITS FOR THE SOUTH. 
Apples.— Mr. P. J. Berckmaxs gives.in 
the Farmer and Gardener the following list 
of the best variety of apples and peaches 
South, which we commend to our Southern 
readers, as coming from a reliable man and 
one of wide experience in the South. 
For Market Orchards .—♦Red Astrachan, 
♦Early Bed Margaret., ♦Harmony, ♦Julian, 
Horse, Family, ♦Red June, Early Harvest, 
POMOLOOICAL GOSSIP. 
COSTUME EOIi 
YOUNG LADY.-lPage 15.) 
UPON THE FLOWER QUESTION. 
Thirty years ago the town of N. made no 
pretensions to floral adornment. It had not 
been many years since the first clearing was 
made, aud the energies of the people had 
been bent to paying for the laud and building 
good houses. Not that they were absolutely 
flowerless, for scarcely a front yard was des¬ 
titute of a huge bush of Cinnamon Roses, 
straggling Lilacs, a bunch or two of gorgeous 
Peonies and tawny Lilies. Sweet Williams 
sometimes showed their faces in the tangled 
grass ; but a flower bed was unknown, and 
all the housewives’ pets were in boxes, or 
cracked pitchers and tea pots. 
A good paper at last put some thoughts 
into Squire Bell s head, aud one spring he 
and his youug daughter set about some un¬ 
usual works; the paasci"s-by marveled greatly 
at the array of sticks, lines, hoes, spades and 
rakes ; for Squire Bell, once having started, 
girls vied with each other in the production 
of the flnest flowers, aud slowlv and surely 
the benefits were reaped m the increasing 
intelligence of the people, and in their crow¬ 
ing refinement. 1 do hold that those who 
love flowers aud trees enough to cultivate 
them are lifted above the mere laborer. He 
who can discern beauty, who has a beautiful 
recreation as an ollset to his daily task, is a 
happier and better man than the one who 
only for cores his corn and potatoes. 
I have taken a little pains to find out 
whether the beautiful flowers of N. are ever 
E laced on the table. They do get into the 
ouses on mantels aud brackets, but not al¬ 
ways upon the dining-table, perhaps. I do 
know, however, that in that old homestead 
Mollik’s little niece adorus the table to her 
heart’s content, and that sometimes when 
the maiden has neglected this matter at the 
propei- tune, her father and brothers ask if 
there has been a frost, and seem, on the 
whole, to miss the color, perfume aud grace 
of Fannie’s flowers. 
I do not pretend to understand the ways 
of the masculine mind very clearly, but I 
firmly believe that nothing of beaut}’ or 
grace is without a refining influence—that 
mfluenee may be silent, but I believe it is 
none the less potent Tor good. 
And so In all our homes we should bring to 
our aid whatever innocent pleasures may udd 
to their charms—brighten our practical lives 
with “useless beauty’’ wherever we may 
find it, thankful for it in any guise. 
Dore Hamilton. 
♦Buncombe, *Taunton, Carter’s Blue, Equi- 
natelee, ♦Carolina Greening, Kittageskee, 
'•Shockley, NIckajack, *Moultrie’s Winter, 
♦Stevenson’s Winter, Yat-es. 
For Family Supply .—Red Astrachan, 
Early Red Margaret, Harmony, Rhodes’ 
Orange, Horse, Family, Sweet Bough, Early 
Hurvest, Elgin Pippin, Buncombe, Taunton, 
Carter's Blue, Equiuatelee, Topps’ Favorite, 
Disharoon, Carolina Greening, Kittageskee, 
Shockley, Moultrie’s Winter, Stevenson’s 
Winter, Haekett’s Sweet, Cullasaga, Yates 
Mavenick Sweet, Santa. 
Peaches — Market, Early .— ill ale’s Early, 
•(Early Tillotson, iFloetus St. John, iMoun- 
taiu Rose, Amelia, Crawford’s Early, ♦Chi¬ 
nese Cling. Medium. —iColambia, iSusque- 
hannah, iOldmixon Free, flndian Blood 
Cling, Oldmixon Cling, Lemon Cling, iStump 
the World. Late ,—Heath Cling, Eaton’s 
Golden, -(Piquet's Late, Baldwin’s Late, 
Lady Parham. 
Family Supply .—In addition to those 
grown for market, add Groise Mignonne, La I 
Grange, Usoeola, Canary, President Church, 
FleweUen, Nix’s Late Cling, Great Eastern, 
Ausin’s Late. 
* For distant markets. 
t Denotes varieties that carry well to market. 
Oskaloosa Apple.— J. Harsh, Iowa, Co., 
Iowa, writes the Germantown Telegraph: 
I have noticed recently several articles upon 
Pennsylvania seedling apples. I have one in 
my orchard of which I wish to speak briefly. 
In size it corresponds very closely to the 
Rhode Island Greening ; in color a little 
more of a golden hue, but in quality I think 
it far superior. Its flavor to ray taste is far 
preferable. It is subocid, and its season 
October. How long it would keep I do not 
know, perhaps much longer. We know it 
here by the name of the “Oskaloosa;” the 
history of the apple, however, goes back to 
Pennsylvania for its origin. It was first 
brought into bearing here in Iowa. It is a 
desirable apple. 
Snow's Orange Peach —At a recent meet¬ 
ing of the Michigan Pomological Society Mr. 
A. C. Glidden said :—This wes considered 
a new variety, but was nearly iden tical with 
the Barnard. Mr. Glidden believed it to be 
a Michigan seedling. J. N. Stearns believed 
that nurseiymen had confounded this peach 
with the Barnard, by supplying the latter in 
the place of Snow’s Orange. The naming of 
Snow’s Orange peach was refereed to a com¬ 
mittee. 
Picquet Peach .—At the fruit exhibition of 
the Georgia State Horticultural Society, the 
Picquet peach was classed as best, flesh 
vinous, highly flavored, melting, stone small, 
and fruit of a regular and very large size, 
and of superior quality. The Smock and 
Sal way were both classed below it; and the 
Smock particularly, was so much below the 
standard, in point of quality, that it was de¬ 
nied admission. 
Small Fruits for a Ten-Acre Field. —Mr. 
Flagg, Horticultural Editor of Prairie Fa r¬ 
mer suggests the following for planting at 
Neoga, Ill.: —Four acres Wilson’s Albany 
strawberry : one ucre Miami raspberry ; one 
acre Philadelphia; four acres Kittatinny 
blackberry. 
^kricirltoral. 
BARREN CHERRY TREES. 
I would like to ask the Rural New- 
Yorker or any of its readers if they can 
tell me what will cure my cherry trees. I 
have seven trees that have been bearing ten 
or twelve years and have never ripened any 
fruit, or none to amount to anything; yet 
they blossom full every year and set full; 
soon after they commence dropping off, and 
keep on doing so, and before they get ripe 
they are all off. Probably not one pint will 
stay on a tree until they arc ripe. The laud 
is river bottom, light, saudy loam. There 
are other trees, plenty of them, on the same 
kind of land, and out of the same nursery, 
that bear aud do well. The trees are very 
healthy aud make large growth. Other fruit 
of all kinds do well and hear well on same 
land and sa ne location. If you can give 
any light on the subject you will oblige 
B. Huntington. 
Castle Ruck, Washington Territory. 
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ARBORICULTURAL NOTES. 
Influence of Crab Stocks on O-rafts .— 
Joseph L. Budd of Iowa writes to the Iowa 
Homestead:—“ About 15 years ago, around 
Wheatou, Ill., it was found that the Bethle- 
hemite apple, when grafted upon the wild crab 
apple stock, united well and soon came into 
beautiful bearing, while the apples produced 
at the lire! crops were remarkably fair and 
as excellent in quality as is usual with the 
Betlilehemite. Now for the influence of 
stocks upon the grafts. For the last six 
years the fruit produced upon these trees, 
although retaining the color and general 
appearance of the Bethlehemite, has so far 
acquired the peculiar astringent pucker of 
the native crab apple as to be utterly un¬ 
edible to those accustomed to anything 
better than native fruits. Even the cider 
made from them is so similar to that made 
from the native crab as to be unfit for drink¬ 
ing, or even good vinegar. 
Pruning Frail Trees.— The Kansas State 
Horticultural Society haB been discussing 
pruning, and it is asserted that the best suc¬ 
cess was from low-headed trees little pruned; 
in fact, this is said to he proved by the 
very io west orchards. Mr. Grubb of Brown 
county, who has a largo orchard, IT years 
old, is decidedly in favor of very low-headed 
trees, and he prunes none except with thumb 
and linger; and the best lesson he said he ever 
got on pruning was from the hue Reuben 
Ragan of Indiana, who said, when he found 
that pruning was coming into his mind, the 
very first thing he should do would be to 
throw his knife into the well. 
