84 
MOORE'S RURAL. NEW-YORKER. 
6 
gltfmalojjtaL 
SUCCESSFUL PLUM CULTURE. 
It appears to be a settled fact, that plum 
culture is at length to be a success in this 
country, in spite of the continued opposition 
of the eurculio. This enemy does not seem 
likely to be vanquished, but we are learning 
how to circumvent his operations cheaply 
and effectually, as applied to commercial 
orchards, so that fine plums are no doubt 
shortly to become abundant in the markets ; 
and the wholesale growers ;< rt- quite willing 
that the little Turk should continue for all 
time to deter common people from growing 
this fruit, a* the prices will thereby rule 
enough higher in the markets to more than 
compensate fi r the labor of fighting off the 
insects from large orchards. 
Five or six years ago, one or two enter¬ 
prising fruit growers near Chillicothe, O., 
commenced planting Damson plum trees on 
the clayey hill lands of Ross county, setting 
two or three thousand the first year, and 
more the second and third, till now it is re¬ 
ported there are not less than fifteen thou¬ 
sand of the trees in orchards in that vicinity. 
Part of these have borne fruit the past two 
years, and the owners are highly pleased 
with the growth of the trees and their pro¬ 
duct thus far. They are mostly of the vari¬ 
ety known as the Shropshire Damson ; but 
there are some of the large kind of plums 
also grown in the vicinity. There are some 
smallor orchards of Damsons and Prunes, 
and also pretty large ones of the Wild Goose 
plum in other places of Southern Ohio, prom¬ 
ising to he quite successful. All of these 
are depending on the jarring method of pro¬ 
tection against the eurculio; but more about 
this further on. 
At the late meeting of our State Horticul¬ 
tural Society, we. had an account of the suc¬ 
cessful experience of Messrs. C. & J. Brown 
of Huron County, near Norwalk, 0. They 
commenced four years ago last Spring, 
planting at that time two thoueand pluui 
trees, on good loamy soil, one-third of them 
Lombard and the rest Orleans, Imperial 
Gage, and other leading varieties. They 
have since planted three thousand more, 
making five thousand in all. The trees first 
planted grew finely, and the Lombards espe¬ 
cially commenced to bear the third year, 
and last year they bore an immense crop, 
some of the trees as much as two bushels 
each of fine fruit—quite too much for their 
good—the whole 700 trees averaging full a 
bushel each. The other varieties also bore 
some, so that the sales were very lit I le short 
of a thousand bushels, and t he prices from 
§6 to $7 per bushel at wholesale. 
HOW THEY CATCH THE CUP.CUUOS. 
r These gentlemen have invented a eurculio 
catcher which is considered superior to that 
of Dr. Hull or any other that has been de¬ 
scribed, though operating on the Same plan 
as that of l)r. H. and others. It consists of 
a frame of muslin, about eight feet in diam¬ 
eter, in the form of a wide cone or hopper, 
the lowest point near the middle, and under 
this is a tin can or slide into which the bee¬ 
tles roll, after falling from the trees, and are 
kept till the orchard has been gone over, or 
it is convenient to empty them out for cre¬ 
mation. This apparatus is mounted on a 
pair of light wheels, with a crossbar handle 
for pushing it along ; and in t he front part 
of the canvass is a slot, which opens by means 
of a lever connected with the handle, so as 
to let the body of the tree pass in, then it 
closes around the same while the tree is 
jarred. 
The jarring is done with an implement in 
the form of a crutch, about eight feet long, i 
the head covered with rubber to prevent I 
bruising the bark, and care is taken not to 
strike so as to do mischief in that way. It is 
carried on top of the “ catcher” and operated 
by the same man that runs the machine; or, 
if preferred, another man or boy goes along 
and does the jarring. 
The Messrs. Brown inform me that in go¬ 
ing over their orchard of 2.000 trees, the past 
season, they used three of the machines, one 
man to each, and they jarred the whole of 
the trees twice each day. Oue active man 
with the machine can jar 700 trees in four 
hours ; or nearly at the rate of three, a min¬ 
ute. Of course when the trees become large 
it will take a longer time, as several branches 
will have to be jarred separately. The jar¬ 
ring was coinmencod as soon as the young 
fruit was out of the calyx (in May), and was 
performed once a day at first; then twice a 
day as soon ns the curculios appeared numer¬ 
ous, and continued for a couple of weeks, by 
which time they almost entirely ceased to be 
found—the whole number of jarrings being 
only thirty. It may be, however, that as 
the orchards grow older the jarring will need 
! to be continued somewhat longer ; and in 
localities where there are old peach or plum 
orchards in the vicinity the insects may be 
more troublesome. M. B. Bateham. 
PalnesvLlle, Ohio. 
SHEEPNOSE, MOTHER, AND AMERICAN 
BEAUTY. 
Charles Downing writes the N. Y. Tri 
bune as follows: —Your correspondent 
“Croppie” extols the little Sheepnose for 
its fine quality, and well he may, as it is 
one of the highest flavored apples grown. 
It is not so very small where the trees are 
well fed and cared for, and the fruit suffi¬ 
ciently thinned out when young. In many 
localities at the West and Southwest this 
apply grows to a good size, uud is fair and 
handsome. The original name, I believe, 
was “Bullock’s Pippin,” and the fruit was 
first described by William Coxo, in 1817, in 
his work on fruit trees, as Bullock’s Pippin 
or Sheepnose, and lie gives its origin in Bur- j 
lingtou County, New Jersey, and as having 
derived its name from the Builock family, 
and whioh name, 1 think, should have been 
retained, because renaming it American 
Golden Russet lias caused much confusion, 
as there are other apples by this name, 
Another reason why it should be called Bul¬ 
lock’s Pippin is that there are several other 
sheepnose apples, viz., the Old Sheepnose or 
Green Gilliflower, Millport Sheepnose, Red 
Sheepnose, and Sheepnose Pippin, all of 
which are distinct but similar in form, larger 
in size, mid all, I believe, natives of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, but none of them equal in quality to 
the Bullock’s Pippin. 
While speaking of good apples 1 will name 
two other fine varieties, viz., Mother and 
American Beauty. The first, is of medium 
size, of a dark rich red color, flesh tender, 
juicy, with a rich spicy flavor, equal to the 
o d Esopus Spitzenberg, without its firm 
flesh. It ripens during the months of No¬ 
vember and December, and ofj en continues 
through January. The American Beauty is 
of large size, nearly covered with light and 
dark rich red, sometimes almost purplish 
when fully exposed to the sun ; flesh tender, 
juicy, of a rich, aromatic flavor, ripening 
from January till March or April. Bulb of 
these apples are of New England origin ; the 
trees of both are good growers and good 
bearers, and were introduced some years 
since, but do not appear to be as well known 
as they deserve to be. 
-»-*♦- 
FRUIT FOR THE SOUTHWEST. 
Messrs. II. A. Swasey, M. D., D. Red¬ 
mond, and M. B. Hillyard, delegates from 
Louisiana to the Am. Pom. Society, re¬ 
commend the following list of fruits for the 
Southwest, and for all that portion of the 
Gulf Coa.sc between Mobile Bay and Eastern 
Texas: 
A pples. — Early Harvest, Red Astra chan, 
Carolina Red June, Primate, Garretson’s 
Early, Yellow June, Early Strawberry, Bev- 
an, Golden Sweet, American Summer Pear- 
main, Rhodes’ Orange, Bruce’s Summer, 
Yellow Horse, Cauo Creek Sweet, Batchelor, 
Taunton, Hoover, Carter. 
Pear*. —Doyenne d’Ele, Julienne, Osband’s 
Summer, Beurrc Goubault, Doyenne Bous- 
sock, Bartlett., Beurro Superfin, Howell, 
Seckel, St. Michael Archange, Duchesse 
d’Angouleme, Gray Doyenne, Beurre d’An¬ 
jou, Lawrence, Winter Nelis. 
Peaches, —Early Tillotson, Yellow St. John, 
Tuskena, Amelia, Yellow Rareripe, Moun¬ 
tain Rose, Chinese Cling, Early Crawford, 
Stump the World, Susquehanna, Oldmixon 
Free, Oldmixon Cliug, Columbia, Raymond 
Cling, Picquet’s Late, Lady Parham. 
Plums, —Temple, Lombard, German Prune, 
Wild Goose, Indian Chief, Brill. 
Grapes. —Hartford Prolific, Ives, Concord, 
Clinton, Mfixatawnev. Scuppernong. 
Figs. —Lemon, or “ Angolique,” Celeste, 
Green Ischia, Brown Turkey, White Genoa, 
Black Genoa. Brunswick, White Smyrna. 
Oranges. —Louisiana “ Creole,” Mandarin, 
Brazilian. 
Strawberries.—Long worth’s Prolific, Wil¬ 
son’s Albany. Mary Stewart, President Wil¬ 
der, Charles Downing, Kentucky. 
Raspberries.—Davison’s Thornless, Mam¬ 
moth Cluster, Golden Thornless, Clark, Her- 
stino. 
Blackberries. —Early Wilson, Lawton. 
--- 
The Japanese Persimmon is being intro¬ 
duced into California. General Capron, for¬ 
merly Commissioner of Agriculture, and 
since for several years residing in Japan, 
stat es that “ the persimmon is the best of all 
the native fruits of that country, and well 
worthy of introduction into California.” The 
t ree is described as finely shaped, having a 
rich, dark green foliage, and is an ornament 
anywhere. It comes into bearing from seed 
in Japan in from six to eight years. 
gdjboricultitral. 
PEACH CULTURE IN DELAWARE. 
Dr. David Stewart’s System of Peach Cul¬ 
ture, as set forth in Letters to the Chairman 
of the Executive Committee, of the Central 
Delaware Fruit Growers' Association. 
PIANTIH0. 
He prefers fall planting, in rows twenty 
feet each way. Advises that the plow shall 
run twice in each furrow, and throws up 
subsoil from the crossing. Fills the hole 
with top soil slightly above the level of the 
field. Places the tree upon this mound and 
piles the top soil a foot over the roots ; during 
the winter it will settle to a level with the 
surface. 
CUTTIN0 BACK. 
Cut off the tree to the hlght of a walking 
cane, after it has put forth in th 3 spring, 
but do not wound or depress its vitality 
while struggling for existence ; allow it to 
get a start, and new roots to form, before 
subjecting it to the shock of decapitation. 
He applies a shovel full of strong ashes close 
around each tree every spring until the third 
or fourth year; also, ns much more to the 
hills of corn between the trees, which crop 
by this treatment improves annually, where¬ 
as, by the usual praclice, the corn crop 
deteriorates, and the trees are robbed, but 
do not manifest it until the fruiting season 
demands a special effort. 
He has observed that the ashes produce no ! 
sensible effect upon tlio trees until the 
second year; hut its effect upon the corn 
is distinct in a few days. 
Soda refuse is worthless as a substitute 
for this purpose, and unless the ashes yield 
12 per cent, of salts of potash—more should 
be used. Some that he has tested only | 
yielded4 lltlis of 1 percent. 
MULCH. 
He mulches his trees with coarse manure 
close around the trunk in the spring ; apply, 
ing it in April after the buds swell and blos¬ 
soms appear, but before the peach moth 
deposits its eggs. Immediately thereafter 
it should be “tied ” to the tree by throwing 
a furrow towards the tree on two opposite 
sides • or, by shoveling the surface soil, so 
that the mulch embraces the stem a foot 
above the level of the ground. The peach 
moth, finding its way to the soft bark below 
the surface of the earth barred by the mulch, 
opposits its eggs in the manure—where they 
either fall a prey to birds—or, the gruhs are 
unable to penetrate the li.ird bark, and 
suffer the consequences of misplaced con¬ 
fidence in barking up the wrong t ree. The 
peach tree is subject to many disorders, but 
it need not “ have worms.” 
PRUNING. 
During the first years the trees should be 
trained to assume the form of a wine glass, 
with open head. He then cuts back two 
deposite sides of the trees—removing all the 
bearing wood, and ia enabled to plow close 
to the trees iu the direction of the cutting. 
The orchard is thus plowed for two years, 
turning the * furrows towards the trees. 
After two years the uncut sides of the trees 
are trimmed as before, and the plowiug 
follows, turning the furrows towards the 
trees at right angles with the two previous 
years. This system of cutting back and 
plowing is alternated every two years. 
The trees ordinarily present the appearance 
of Vicing planted on mounds, whereas really, 
on level with surface soil. By following 
this system of mulching with manure and 
1 the use of ashes around the trees- the feed- | 
ing roots do not extend beyond a few feet 
from the tree ; the system of plowing also 
brings the top soil to the tree, and roots 
which extend into the poor soil beyond have 
always been observed to turn back to the 
manured circle around the trees. This is on 
the principle of manuring in the hill—instead 
of enriching the whole ground, which is 
virtually impracticable in this State. 
KEEPING BACK THE BUDS. 
In the fall, remove the earth with a spade 
from around the trees, but do not expose the 
roots, and cut a drain from the basin thus 
formed arouud each tree into the dead 
furrow beyond. This basin is filled up in the 
spring and the mulch applied, which tends 
to further retard the flow of sap as the 
season advances. 
The hud on the peach tree, is an excres¬ 
cence—put forth to anticipate the season, 
and is not necessary, and does not exist in 
the longer srt jn of its native country, 
Persia. But ..re the germ is projected 
beyond the bark and enclosed in its wrap¬ 
pings of vegetable tissue in order the more 
speedily to respond to the advance of the I 
season. 
The less the projection, and the thicker 
tissue envelopes, the less the danger from 
late frosts and climate irregularities. It can 
hardly be said that when the temperature is 
below zero, any bud is safe ; but, even then, 
the possibility of maintaining a higher tem¬ 
perature of the germ, under the protection of 
the bud, depends on its size and thickness, 
and this is upon the vigor of the tree in its 
efforts to mature, even daring winter months, 
In proportion as a tree is vigorous, it, like an 
animal, has a higher temperature than the 
air in winter ; but when weak from insuffi¬ 
cient nutrition if has less ability to resist 
cold—and not only the germ in the bud, but 
the whole fruit spur is frequently destroyed. 
A small deficiency in the element of nutri¬ 
tion will turn the scale, precisely as the 
death of a dozen old persons in a hospital is 
determined by a few degrees rcductiou of 
temperature in the night, while fifty in same 
ward survive, being more vigorous. 
It has been demonstrated by the successful 
fruiting of an orchard during the past seven 
years, without a single failure, that the fore¬ 
going system offers every inducement, of 
certainty of crop, to those who choose to 
adopt it. 
This system is based more upon the pecu¬ 
liar physiology of the peacli in our climate, 
than on any specific to insure the fruit, and 
depends for its success upon the application 
of proper nutritious elements and the judi¬ 
cious use of the knife, mulch and plow. 
- + » »- 
ALMONDS IN CALIFORNIA. 
Mr. Olmsted of ( arpenterla, says the 
Santa Barbara Index, has finished picking 
his crop of almonds. He will have from his 
orchard this season over five tuns of the 
Languedoc or soft shell almonds, Mr. Olm¬ 
sted’s orchard is only four years old, and of 
course is not yet in full bearing, llis trees 
bore a few nuts when t wo years okl. The 
third year, the average yield to the tree was 
ahout, five pounds. Two rows in the orchard, 
covering ground equivalent to two acres, 
that received great cure in plant ing and 
special culture, produced 2,00(1 pounds of 
dried almonds. This yield, at the wholesale 
San Francisco market price for the soft shell 
almond, will give Mr. Olmsted about $230 
per acre, after paying all expenses of the 
year’s culture, gathering, sacking and 
marketing. Mr. Olmsted keeps the ground 
clear, cultivating nothing between tlio trees, 
nor allowing weeds to grow up to rob them. 
The trees should be at least twenty feet, 
apart each way. 
--OM- 
ARBORICULTURAL NOTES. 
Scraping Old Orchard Trees .—I have just 
been reading the statement of “ An Old 
Orcliardist,” who claims that an orchard of 
Newtown Pippin apple, apparently worn 
and unproductive for 20 years, were at once 
brought into productiveness by scraping the 
rough bark away and washing with lime and 
sulphur. He finishes his article, however, by 
saying the ground was then covered with 
lime and manure, and the next season camo 
a Hue crop. Now we should like to know 
just which was the benefit, the scraping, or 
the lime and manure applied upon the land. 
For fifteen years we managed an apple 
orchard in Connecticut. It was never 
pruned or scraped ; was in soil of sar.dy 
loam, more or less among rocks, and it pro¬ 
duced fine fruit and good crops, but it 
yearly had manure.— e. 
Siberian Arbor Vitae.—I was glad to see 
“ Old Nurseryman,” take up the fact that 
the Siberian is only a seedling of our Ameri¬ 
can, like “TomThumb,” “ Hoveyn,” “ GJo- 
bosa,” and many others. It has no record 
of foreign origin nor does its character give 
any distinctness of origin over the oilier 
three I have named. The hardihood of our 
Native American is to day unequalled by any 
other variety of Arbor Vitae and by care¬ 
ful culture and trimming can be made as 
handsome, and as much a dwarf as any 
variety. — E. 
Does Wood Form from the Bark! —Yes, 
said President Clark, for the bark of an elm 
was quartered and slipped aside in May, the 
wood was covered with a sheet, of tin, and 
the bark replaced and covered with waxed 
cloths. The section was cut this fall, and 
shown. The tin was covered with - a wood 
deposit iaid on from the bark. Sap goes up 
in the wood to be vitalized in the leaves and 
comes down in the bark. 
Eucalyptus in California .—It is asserted 
that trees of Eucalvptus planted in Orange, 
Lor Angelos Co,, Cal., set out a year ago last. 
March, now measuro 23 inches in diameter 
at the base of the stem. The locality must 
be deliciously malarious, else we cannot 
account for the rapidity of growth, for this 
tree has the reputation of feeding upon ana 
absorbing malaria. 
