jPTv 
your guardian angel and had wronged you? 
* * * You say, in your note to me, 
“ Peal's, near or quite dead—all withered. 
Let me ship them back to you?” Could any¬ 
thing be more silly than this? What do I 
wish to pay freight on dead pear trees for? 
Why should you wish to pay more freight 
an them for? (Are the poor dear railroads 
RulTering for a little more steal?) If dead, 
who killed them? I? No. You? No. Who 
then? The railroad. Who paid the railroad 
for killing them? You. Who practices on 
the principle of paying the railroads for de¬ 
stroying your own property f YOU. 
* * * A word or two more and I am 
done. Every nurseryman, doing a shipping 
business, publishes plainly and emphatically 
in his price list:—“After stock Is delivered 
to the carrier my responsibility ceases, and 
parties to whom the stock is consigned must 
look to the carrier for nil losses and delays 
whatever, and receive no package unless in 
good condition.” There is no other way, 
nor can there be, of doing business. 
It is safe to say that very little trimming 
is used on ordinary dresses. Overskirts are 
most often only hemmed or finished w ! a, 
oonl, facing the buttons with silk, and . ap¬ 
ing in order to show the silk facing is not 
uncommon. Of trimming proper the ruffle 
hemmed at each end and run with several 
shirrs is that most used. It is distinguished 
without the least appearance of fussiness. 
When a long overdress is worn, the skirl of 
the dress needs nothing more than a kilt 
plaiting, six inches deep, with bias folds 
above. Very long overdresses, but slight I v 
draped, may be finished by lino knife, pluit- 
i deep. These overdresses 
<>p the dress, leaving seen only 
, - - -1. Grecian over- 
we mean 
REFRESHING TREE CORRESPONDENCE 
CASHMERE SACKS 
We have always had a kindly feeling for 
D. B. Wier of Lacon, Ill. Ho is a man of 
parts and opinions of Ills own, whether other 
people like or believe in them or not. We 
uaturally “ take” to such men. But he has 
now won our admiration in a now way—by 
nothing extraordinary for a business man to 
do, but he lias published a correspondence of 
his with a customer, who gave him orders 
for trees, for which we wish we had space. 
We haven’t, and can only barely state the 
facts, which are doubtless not singular to 
him, but not infrequent in the experience of 
every nurseryman. They are given because 
they are typical. 
He received on order for trees from a man 
he calls Jones, in Springfield, O.; shipped 
them marked as directed. The railroad 
agent billed and forwarded them to Spring- 
field, Ill. Ten daysafter he received notice 
from Springfield, Ilk, that no such man as 
Junes could be found there to receive the 
goods; returned answer that if they would 
ship the box to the place directed they 
would find Jones. He also notified Jones 
of the delay and the cause of it. Three 
weeks after Jones w rote him the following 
epistle, which is well worth preserving in¬ 
tact: 
Springfield, O,, May 3. 
Friend Wier:— Those things did noc reach 
me until last Monday, the 18th inst., and as 
they were shipped April 20th, were quite 
one month on the way. Fouud apples some- 
whut dried: pears quite or near dead—all 
withered. I have heeled the peara in, till I 
hear from you. Will return pears, if you 
say go. 1 know they won’t live. If they do 
it will be a miracle. Evergreens came 
quick: all O, K. Thanks t Oherrlps look 
well. Peonies all 0. K. Let me return the 
pears. Yours, W. P. Jones. 
Mi-. Wier’s response to this cool epistle is 
rich and sensible, but we have only space 
for the following extracts: 
Have become the heaviest wraps of which 
the season admits. Those, as everything 
elseof the kind in black, are heavily trimmed 
with jot; the jet is worked in by the hand 
of the maker. This any lady can do herself. 
Single beads in lines can bo arranged by any 
accurate eye, covering the entire garment. 
Another fancy Is six beads in the form of a 
Jngs two inches 
almost envoi 
the trimming of the bottom 
dresses of black silk—by Grecian 
those draped high on the right and falling in 
a point on tho left side—are trimmed with 
parallel bands of jet, passmenterie or velvet. 
Then also stripe tho waist and sleeves. The 
fashion is most becoming to Blender figures. 
1 he sack worn with long overdresses for 
the street is no longer slashed in the seam , 
but is long, very loose, and easy fitting. 
They arc especially suitable for school-girls; 
a cord or fine knife plaiting two inches deep 
is the only trimming. A new overdress is 
the scarf. A width of material slips under 
the. band in front and gathered back catches 
up tho panier in the bock, Ttlia is very 
pretty in thin materials, such ns grenadine. 
The newest grenadines arc in squares, cheeks 
ami lino prints. Tho last is exceedingly 
pretty, and makes up prettier with plain 
grenadino in the skirt. The most suitable 
trimming for grenadine is black silk; knife 
plaited llounees of tho silk alternating with 
grenadine ruffles, though jet and jet lace 
will bo found very often enlivening these 
drosses. 
Percale and muslin dresses are made for 
morning wear, with French waists, and with 
a largo box plait in frout, button holed on 
each side, witli a number of sm ! plaits 
forming a bosom; til® neck lias : anding 
kilt plaited rutile. It is not ndvisa to sew 
those ruffles on, but to make save 1 1, and in 
this way be able to have thorn nlw iyg fresh. 
More dressy percales are made of solid col¬ 
ors ui different shades, with corsage waists. 
Batiste uud linen are now standard mate¬ 
rials. Very pretty suits in patterns, with 
fine kilt plaited trimmings, and bands and 
llounees embroidered in colors, are sold in 
tho stores at prices ranging from .*‘1 to $15. 
Embroidered pique polonaise . will be worn 
on cool days. Irleli linen is a favorite ma¬ 
terial for summer polonaises, but must be 
immaculately Ironed. These are trimmed 
with French embroideries. India mn*l is de¬ 
cidedly the handsomest thin material for 
the summer, Suita richly embroider d are 
among the most desirable costumes. They 
are composed of basque, tunic and kirl. 
Thej r are very beautiful worn with light 
silks in plain colors, and furnish a becoming 
evening toilette in winter. 
OUR ILLUSTRATION. 
Muslin fichu with sash ends, trimmed with 
a kilt plaiting or puff, and finished witli a 
fall of lace. A fluted ruffle of muslin may 
be substituted for lace. 
BULBS AND FERNS 
I have some Tulips and Crocus that have 
not blossomed in a number of years. What 
should be done to them ? Lost winter 1 pot¬ 
ted five Hyacinths ; in a short time the leaves 
died, and then the bulbs all died but one, 
without (lowering. How shall I manage 
that one \ and wben is the best time to make 
a Fernery and what to put in it ? By an¬ 
swering the above you will oblige— Geneva. 
Tf your tulips aud Crocus have been grow¬ 
ing in a bed for a number of years, perhaps 
transplanting will do thorn good. Trans¬ 
plant in August or September, putting them 
in good, rich soil, aud cover the bulbs two or 
three inches deep. Bo tho earno with your 
Hyacinths, and we think you will not be dis¬ 
appointed again in not seeing thorn bloom. 
For forcing in winter tho imported bulbs are 
usually preferable to those grown in this 
country ; but of this wo shall have some¬ 
thing to say later in tho season. 
Iu regard to a Fernery, we do not know 
whether you wish to cultivate the tender 
exotics or hardy native species. Tf it in the 
native species—all of them are really beauti¬ 
ful and worthy of cultivation—then you have 
only to prepare a bed in some half-shady 
place and remove the wild plants whenever 
most convenient, although early spring is 
probably the best season for transplanting. 
Leaf mold from the woods, with a little sand 
intermixed, is the best soil for ferns in gene¬ 
ral, but a few stone or largo rocks arranged 
iu your Fernery with soil intermingled, will 
make a suitable receptacle for some of the 
smaller species which are generally found 
growing on hillsides and in the crevices of 
rocks. Endeavor to give the plants a situa¬ 
tion similar to tho one in which they are 
found growing wild, although all this cannot 
be urranged without difficulty iu a Fernery 
of only a few feet square. Wo have one at 
this time of about eight, by twelve feet, con¬ 
taining many species collected from swamps 
and the barren, rocky hillsides; still all thrive 
and appear to be doing as well as they did in 
their native habitats. 
Pleaso now ask yourself some pertinent 
questions like the following, or lot ine ask 
them:—Did you not do a very wrong aet in 
receiving and paying freight to the railroad 
company, after they lmd spoiled your prop¬ 
erty? Had not the railroads contracted to 
deliver this box to you iu reasonable time 
and without unnecessary delay ? Why then 
did you not hold them to their contract, and 
make them pay for them, at least for all 
damage sustained? By receiving them with¬ 
out protest or claiming damages, you not 
only injured yourself, but every person who 
may wish to have trees shipped in the whole 
country, for the reason that if a -railroad 
company can impose on one man, and does, 
they have the more “brass” to try the 
same game on another; and it is just such 
terribly wrong acts as yours in receiving and 
paying freight on that box of trees, after 
they had spoiled them for you, that lias 
given said roads the “brass” to undertake 
to ride over and impose on every one, until 
they are nearly an absolute nuisance, aud 
laconic unblushing in their wanton outrages. 
Again, you bought the trees and plant® of 
me; I shipped them at, once, ns directed, 
properly packed and directed, by the most 
direct route. What more had i to do with 
them? If the railroad had carried them to 
London, around the world, or to Hades, what 
could I do about, it? Do I, or can I, control 
the railroads of the country ? Common sense 
would teach one, I should think, that my 
control of a package, and responsibility 
therefor, ceases wheu I deliver it to the 
proper common carrier, as directed to do, 
by you, the consignee. From the moment 
I do this, ail questions must be settled be¬ 
tween you and said common carrier, and 
then if you do not hold it to the strict letter 
of its duty, you not only do wrong against 
yourself but agaiust the whole community 
at large, as before indicated. 
In this particular case you had no excuse 
whatever, for the reason, although it was 
none of my concern, only, like most others 
who pretend to bo men, not wishing to see 
you lose unnecessarily, I took the pains to 
inform you that the box was delayed by the 
railroad, and plainly indicated what road 
was to blame. Then why, in the name of 
all that is right and wrong, did you not go 
to the depot, and with your receipt demand 
payment for the property they had so wan¬ 
tonly destroyed for you ? und not like a 
stupid blockhead—strong language I know, 
but 1 can find none other to take its place— 
receive the then worthless trash, and allow 
the amount of their modest (?)—especially 
on trees—freight bill to be stolen from you, 
and then come whining to me, as if I was 
aud guipure inserting. These aro slightly 
shaped to the form, the strips meeting in 
the center of tho back. Other sucks are 
made of black net, on which strips of velvet 
or ribbon are placed, and the net between 
embroidered with beads. In other sacks 
passementerie in solid jet patterns arc used. 
These sacks rival in favor lace sacks, and are 
much less expensive. Guipure aud yak lace 
sacks are seen more worn now than Llama 
and thread lace, and being in the fashion 
they aro exceedingly expensive. For all 
purposes the better varieties of Llama are to 
be preferred. 
Lace shawls, as t hread iaeo sacks, arc al¬ 
ways worn, and the fashion of utilizing them 
in winter as overdresses, into which they 
may be so handsomely draped, make them 
a very profitable purchase. Thread lace 
shawls are naturally very expensive here. 
A good thread lace shawl cannot be bought 
for less than $150, while it may be bought 
abroad for §B0. There are qualities iu Llama 
lace that are very pretty, lmt buying an in¬ 
ferior article can never be recommended, as 
over light, dresses tho quality is so apparent. 
Grenadine shawls for the cool summer eve¬ 
nings, barred with blue, scarlet aud purple 
satin stripes, aro very cheap and exceeding¬ 
ly becoming. 
It lias been decreed that even the tight 
polonaise is not sufficient covering for the 
street; something extra is imperative. This 
is furnished principally by the long Spanish 
veils in black, white and yellow lace.?. There 
are becoming very general, and it must be 
confessed aro a pretty addition to the fresh 
spring toilettes. Young girls wear Marie 
Antoinette fichus, knotted on the breast. 
Later they will be made of fine, clear mus¬ 
lins, odgpd with a frill trimmed with lace. 
Other fichus cross on the breast and are tied 
in the back in long sash ends. 
The polonaise has given way slightly to 
the basque, the most fashionable costumes 
consisting of basque and tunic. Tho most 
stylish basque for the street, on the sides is 
not continued below the waist; from the 
sides it slope? down in the back, forming a 
long postillion, which is cut square across. 
Immediately in the back tho postillion is 
slashed, ami has rovers like those of a gen¬ 
tleman’s coat, trimmed with buttons. The 
t rimming of these basques is a heavy col d of 
darker shade. The rovers are often of a 
darker shade of silk. Occasionally the 
rovers are omitted and kilt plaitings are in¬ 
serted. Kilt plaitings are inserted with 
effect down the open frout of a polonaise, 
that is tilling in the space which naturally is 
left open in most polonaises. 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES 
GRAYLING IN INDIAN TERRITORY 
Honan for Persia .—Sending [roses to Per¬ 
sia seems very much like sending coals to 
Newcastle, but our English cousins have 
been doing this. The Garden says that the 
floral decorations at Buckingham Palace, 
during the Shah’s temporary residence there, 
consisted almost wholly of roses, selected 
with a view to recall to lus mind his own 
Persian “gardeus of Gul in their bloom ;” 
and so struck was his Majesty by the splen¬ 
did display of these flowers which daily mot 
his eyes, that he has sent an order to London 
for an extensive assortment of the same 
kinds to be dispatched immediately to 
Persia. 
Lun/jwort. — I would like to know the 
name of the plant or flower inclosed. I think 
it a wild flower of some kind. 1 value it. 
very highly for the color of the flower, as 1 
never saw any other flower of the same 
color.—E liza Maoomher. 
Misktknsio Virginica, or small Virginia 
Lungwort. For description, see Gray’s or 
Wood's Botanies. 
French Floral Prizes .—In addition to the 
medals regularly awarded the Society of 
Horticulture of the Seine and Oise gave a 
prize of El each to tho beat 40 exhibitors. 
This resulted in the show being a great suc¬ 
cess, more flowers being presented thuu 
there was room to exhibit. 
As I was reading the Rural New-Yorker 
of April 11 I noticed, under the head of Pise - 
culture, a statement iu regard to a substi¬ 
tute for trout, and saying that the grayling- 
had been found only in the Au Sable, in 
Michigan. They are quite plenty in the 
Deer Lodge, Hciigate, Blackfoot, Spokan 
and all of the tributaries of the Columbia 
that 1 have fished in. They were plenty i . 
the south fork of Clear Water until the 
mining began on that stream; bat since 
then they und the trout Lave mostly disap¬ 
peared. I do not send yen this as a contra¬ 
diction to your statement, but thought you 
would like to lie informed. I caught forty 
in less than three hours’ fishing in th ‘ ‘ "i" 
Lodge. I used grasshopper bait' ’ at riiey 
rise much better for salmon egg . 
Clear Water, I. T. L. ■ Wilmot. 
ANew Fish in Idaho.-A t Idaho cor¬ 
respondent speaks of a new an I undescribcd 
species of fish that was last summer dis¬ 
covered to inhabit r mall lake in the moun¬ 
tains, on a tributai . • f Peyetl.O river, weigh¬ 
ing from five to ten pounds, in shape much 
like a shad, aud h wing a skin and scales of 
a deep blood-red color. The meat is of a 
bright yellow color, and delici us in taste. 
