WWYVS 
suggested by the illustration, the scalloped 
edges of the silk being applied to a band of 
another color,— gray with blue, violet., pink, 
scarlet, crimson or pale green forms agreeable 
contrast. The ring in the cover should be 
well secured before the lining is put in. 
placed singly aide by side perpendicularly, 
the full head end forming a most graceful 
fringe at .the top and bottom, especially if 
pears as hardy as a Norway Pine and ap¬ 
pears to be in every way desirable. Fruit, 
large, handsome, and of very good qualitv ; 
tree, strong, sturdy, leafy-twigged grower. 
Good ale is good, but Goodwlo is batter for 
the people of the Northwest. 
Mt Vernon,-l have only had this one 
season. It resembles the Flemish Beauty 
very much in wood and leaf. It has all the 
signs of hardiness. Originated near Rox- 
bury. Mass, In it I hope to find our best 
early winter pear, 
Ott ,—Though this is not a new pear, it en¬ 
dures extreme cold so well here, it is well 
worthy of trial furthur North, as an early 
pear of moat excellent quality. It is a seed¬ 
ling of the Seckel, which It very closely re¬ 
sembles in tree and foliage. 
Each year In this part of the world, there 
is more inquiry for pear trees, and each year 
as more of the wildness (humus) gets out of 
the soil, they appear to do better. 
The one great fault is the stylo of trees 
that are planted. Last fall t asked the most 
successful pear grower in Pennsylvania, 
w hat he considered the best form for a pear 
tree, how long a trunk he wanted ? He 
spoke up quick and shar p, “ I do not want a 
pear tree with any trunk; I want them to 
branch from the ground up like a Norway 
Spruce.” That ia it exactly, dear reader. 
Nine-tenths of the pear trees planted in the 
West were utterly spoiled by being pruned 
up before they were planted. If pear trees 
should have uo bare truuk in woody and 
hilly Pennsylvania, how is it iu the treeless, 
level, windy West ? Think or it, a young 
pear tree with from three to five feet of 
naked trunk on our prairies ! Why it, is as 
bad as a man with only shirt and bearskin 
drawers on, crossing the prairie on a cold, 
January day. Why, if I were to plant, an¬ 
other pear orchard 1 would not take what 
are called first-clans two and three-year-old 
pear trees, as a gift, and plant them us they 
come from the nursery with three to five 
feet of naked trunk. 
Wo nurserymen are not to blame I Wo 
cannot sell trees of the right kind ; if we 
grow them people won’t have them. Now 
if you want a good tree or a good orchard, 
the only way to do ia to buy good trees one 
year from bud, or two years from root graft 
(I greatly prefer the last) ; plant them out 
on dry and rather poor soil, cut them back 
to a foot or eighteen iuohes ; cultivate them 
thoroughly four to five years, and never 
touch them with a knife after the first cut¬ 
ting back, except, if the twigs make a 
growth of over tweuty inches, cut them 
back to that point. 
A FEW WORDS IN GREETING 
HOW TO MARE M01I0AY ARTICLES. 
After an absence of two years and a half 
from my "conversazione,” I come bach won¬ 
dering if the dear Rural matrons and maids 
have quite forgotten me, or will be glad to 
see me at my old post again. This is such a 
hurly-burly sort of existence that once " out 
of sight, we are out of mind.” Other peo¬ 
ple slip in to fill up the vacancy left by the 
last goer, so that the coming back after a 
marked absence is fraught with uncertain¬ 
ties. We wonder if we have changed, and 
whether everybody else has changed, and If 
ws shall get on as harmoniously together as 
aforetime ! So at first everything seems a 
little odd and strange, I hardly know what 
to say first, or how to begin—something like 
the first day at school I But it is good to 
got home just before Christmas and renew 
acquaintance by a brief chat about the 
blessed privilege of gift-making. 
I remember hearing a young wife say that 
one of the. greatest trials of her married life 
had been her inability to make holiday gifts ; 
she had neither the time nor strength to 
fashion them with her own hands, and no 
allowance of money with which to purchase 
any ; her chagrin was further aggravated by 
the fact that tier friends continued their re¬ 
membrances to her quite the same as if she 
was in the habit of reciprocating them. 
Philosophers believe and feel that Duty is 
the aim In life ; but we arc not all philoso¬ 
phers, and so are prone to muke our great 
seeking Happiness. But in mistaking the 
nature and habits of Happiness, we never 
find it. It does not grow in bulk, like a 
mountain or a tree—a somothiug that, when 
found, is so wonderful as to transform us into 
statues of ecstasy ; but it is more like the 
lost parts of a necklace, a bit found here and 
there, and each picked up with a thrill of 
gladness. To improve every opportunity of 
making others happy—even in a very small 
way—is the secret of being happy. Christ 
said, many hundred years ago, that it "is 
more blessed to give than to receive,” and 
ho but echoed the feelings of every human 
heart from the beginning of the race until 
to-day. It Is one of the uoblest, of human 
impulses, and to foster it is to do good work. 
So, in thinking what you may choose for a 
gift, do not overlook the opportunity of 
helping some other one to make gifts, for in 
that a double happiness is conferred. 
Then, too, wc all like to receive gifts. 
There is a sense of being “left out in the 
cold” when Santa Claus forgers us,—uo 
matter how old we may be. And, supersti¬ 
tious and silly as it mty be, a present on 
Christmas is worth four times as much as 
one made on another day. People who have 
plenty of money are rarely at a loss to know 
what to choose, and our suggestions and il¬ 
lustrations are not for them. The shops offer 
stamped texts on large strip; of perforated 
paper for 25 or 40 cents, which renders the 
work of the embroiderer an easy one. The 
motto, when finished, placed over a bright 
background and bound around with ribbon, 
makes a placard for the wail nearly as at¬ 
tractive as those Iu illuminated text. Gifts 
of real value—for every-day common use- 
are nearly always the most acceptable ones ; 
a tiling to be packed away in silk paper or 
linen is oftentimes a nuisance. So iu our 
illustrations we give a few simple sugges¬ 
tions, which may be carried out iu a variety 
of ways, and made to come within the reach 
of all who have time to employ their genius 
and their fingers. Of course every Rcral- 
reading husband will see that Madam’s purse 
is not empty, and he will be sure to ba%e, 
what I wish all most heartily to have, a 
Mintwood. 
Figs. 3 and 4.— Glove Box and Cover. 
The same neat needlework is required in 
the lining and covering of a box for gloves 
as In that for cellars. Additional ornamen¬ 
tation may be secured by cutting curves In 
the sides of the cover. Both admit of much 
ingenuity and display of taste in arrange¬ 
ment and trimming. Attached covers are 
convenient for cureless users and much more 
easily trimmed, being simply fastened at the 
back and lifted and closed like a trunk cover. 
Instead of using silk as a covering, perforat¬ 
ed paper (never get that in white, as it soon 
soils,) laid agaiust a smooth paper or cloth of 
a different color; and the silver and gold 
paper, perforated with large, square meshes, 
with initials or other ornament wrought in 
chenille, silk or worsted, may be used to ad¬ 
vantage. Boxes for neckties (made longer 
than those for gloves) may be similarly 
made. A box mado for letters should be 
three and a half inches high, ten inches long 
and six and a half inches broad ; strips of 
pasteboard should run across the box, divid¬ 
ing it into four or five compartments ; these 
Bhould be lined with fancy or moire paper 
neatly pasted. 
POMOLOGICAL G08SIP 
Fouler Peach.—We find the following con¬ 
cerning this peach iu a late Michigan Farm¬ 
er, from the pen of Mr. T. T. Lyon -.—Foster 
was originated sometime about the year 1867, 
on the grounds of Capt. J. T. Foster of Med¬ 
ford. Mass., from the stone of a peach pur¬ 
chased by him m Boston market. It is said 
to be hardy, with very large, dark, glossy, 
and peculiar foliage, unlike that of any ether 
variety. Fiuit always large; flesh, yellow, 
rich, jui'-y, pleasant subucid ; parting freely 
from the stone, which is of medium size; 
color of fruit, a deep oiange and red, be¬ 
coming very dark red on the expos d side. 
Season, middle and last of September. A 
very promising late market peach. 
Early Barnard Peach —Mr. Cuas. E. 
Socle at ti e O tober meeting of the Mich¬ 
igan Puroological Soe ety, said of this peach: 
l need not here -ay that I stand by my old 
bobby, the Early Barnard. It is not all that 
the Crawford Is, but it is all these things that 
the Crawford is not. By careful thinning , 
my Barnards sold in the same market, at the 
same time, as well as any Crawfords, and 
yielded much higher to the tree,” 
Poiide Pear. —This, according to the New 
England Farmer is a new seedling originated 
by S. A. Sheetlkff, Brookline, Mass “it 
is quite sweet (says the Farmer) in flavor, 
but slightly astringent, and comes iu season 
about the first of November. Waile we 
should not class it os a •* first-rate” fruit, it 
would doubtless prove satisfactory to a ma¬ 
jority of fruit consumers.” 
Pennsylvania Pear. —Mr. J. F. Tallant of 
Burlington, Iowa, in the Prnirio Farmer, in 
writing about pears doing well with him, 
speaks of the Pennsylvania in high terms of 
praise. The tree, he says, never blights ; he 
prefers it to all the others he grows, and 
“ would like to see this choice pear more 
generally introduced.” 
Three. Fall Pears for the Neighborhood 
of Newburgh. N. V .—The editor of the 
Home, Farm and Orchard says :—“ Our three 
best are Beurre Bose, Sheldon and Beurre 
d’Aujou.” 
Fig. &.--Ha xorNO Fio. 6 .—Ego Hang- 
Rag-Bail ino Basket. 
Every room occupied by a lady needs a 
convenient place of deposit for the small 
odds and ends Lbat accumulate from sewing, 
mending, or even writing, and which often 
prove a “nuisance.” thrown in the fire or 
out of the window for lack of an express re¬ 
ceptacle. The design given (F’g. 6) is orna¬ 
mental to any room. The top is an oblong, 
bottomless box of six inches, ’ ith a hinge 
lid, fastened agp.inst the wall by two loops ; 
the box is covered with gray perforated 
paper placed against scarlet, with the owner’s 
name embroidered in scarlet on the front; 
the scarlet lining of the box extends below 
to the depth of tea or twelve inches, forming 
a bag, which is drawn together by a shir near 
the bottom. One smaller, «nd square, hung 
near the glass where a lady dresses her hair, 
is a convenient “catch” for the combings. 
While visiting at a friend’s house not long 
ago, in which gas was u : ed, I saw hanging 
about ou the gas pipes tiny baskets which 
served the purpose of holding m itches that 
had been lighted. They were also pretty 
and ornamental, and were made of egg 
shells (with one end cut off) placed in a netting 
crocheted of bright-colored worsted (in this 
instance red), with cord and tassels to match. 
The newest novel- 
ties to beseeu in the XT \f \ jf j ,'^ J 
shop windows are the \\ 1 II // U 
almost numberless \vVf’ , 'U / ftT/jf 
things made of snicks \ V ,f! J jf /// 
or wire, or hoop skirt >y\y 11 f flj // 
rods, and then cove red \v % I ; jiff 
with straw—and they j Iff 
are exceedingly at- \ j/ff 
tractive. Figures 7 
and 8 furnish a design )j (f 
for a basket in which // I \\ 
a pot or vase of flow- fj /T\\ 
ers may be placed. 
The frame-woik (Fig. Fxo. 7.— Frame for 
7) of sticks or wire, is Straw Basket. 
covered by long, round, smooth straws 
PEARS IN THE WEST 
Mr. D. B. Wier, Lacon, Ill., read a paper 
on pears before the Madison, Wis,, Hort. 
Soc- from which we extract what follows : 
Clapp’s Favorite,—l have fruited this two 
years, and consider it a valuable addition to 
our first class pears, both for family use and 
market. It. js claimed to be a cross between 
the Flemish Beauty aud Bartlett. It resem¬ 
ble-; the former veiy closely m tree aud leaf, 
and appears to be equally hardy with that 
famed "iron clad" variety. In fruit it re¬ 
sembles the B irtlett somewhat iu size and 
color «nd here iu ripens about ten days earl¬ 
ier. It is a sturdy grower, and exceedingly 
productive. Its fruit though not very rich 
is very fine-grained and juicy—in quality 
best; comes into fruit young, and is so far 
hcalthy in foliage aud tree. The fruit must 
be gathered as soon as mature and ripened 
in the house, like nearly all summer pears. 
Doyenne Boussock. —This, though not a 
new pear, is not as well known as it should 
be. It is so far the handsomest and healthi¬ 
est both in wood and foliage of any variety 
iu my collection. It is of sturdy, though not 
very rapid growth ; gives au abundance of 
fruit in from eight to ten years as a standard. 
The fruit is very large and handsome, and 
of uniform size aud quality, Downing says ; 
“Flesh buttery, juicy, meltiug, sweet, aro¬ 
matic aud excellent ; very good. I would 
amend by saying vinous iu the place of 
“sweet” and best iu the place of “very 
good.” Tree appears to be perfectly hardy ; 
a splendid fruit either for family or market. 
Like the Clapp, Flemish Beauty, Bartlett and 
some others, it will ripen up iu perfection if 
taken from the tree when the fruit is two- 
thirds grown. 
Goodale,—A native of Saco, Maine, ap- 
Happy, Merry Christmas ! 
TEXT TOR ILLUSTRATIONS. 
A box somewhat larger than those iu which 
collars are commonly sold in shops is pre¬ 
ferred. One may be cut and mede from a 
large paper box. After the edges are neatly 
Figs. 1 and 2.—Collar Box and Cover. 
sevvad, paste neatly over the outside a cover 
of white muslin, to make the box strong. 
The cover should be made to fit inside the 
box, with the rim projecting a quarter of art 
iuo)i. Line aud cover both box and cover 
wi( u «ilk, finishing the edges with large silk 
coy+J, c* chenille. The outside may be orna- 
mffjqjed jj(i a variety of ways, one of which is 
