■ ]&'i v 4 >-U 
■ 
PRICE SIX CENTS, 
8^.05 PER YEAR. 
NEW YORK, AND ROCHESTER, N. Y., APRIL 10, 1875 
VOL. XXXI. No. 1 3 
WHOLE No. 1315. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875. by the Kural Publishing Company, iu the office of the Librarian ofjCongress at Washington.] 
out when handled. Some of the pines, how¬ 
ever, have very persistent cones and may re¬ 
quite considerable drying before the scales 
will relax sufficiently to allow the seeds to 
drop out; but in such cases it is best to soak 
the cones for a few hours In warm water 
the frames. To cover these, screens may be 
made of common lath, say three feet by 
four, which is a handy size and not so liable 
to be broken as larger. In making these 
screens the strips of lath may be placed 
about as far apart as they are wide, say an 
inch and a half; this will permit enough 
light to reach the plants to insure a healthy 
growth and at the same furnish shade enough 
to prevent burning. Of course other ma¬ 
terials may be employed for shading, such as 
screens of cloth, boughs of evergreens, or 
even making the beds on the north side of a 
fence, building, or under large trees ; but 
the lath screens are cheap and most con¬ 
venient, besides always more or less useful 
to have about for putting over hot-beds to 
keep out the chickens if there are any around. 
It is well to make up the frames, and screens, 
during the winter months, In order to have 
them ready when required for use in early 
spring. 
BEST SOIL FOR THE SEEDLINGS. 
A light porous Boil is necessary, whether it 
be sand, loam or peat, and it should also be 
deep and moderately rloh, although rank, 
fresh manure will not answer for this purpose. 
Soil that becomes compact and hard, on the 
surface when dry, would prevent the young 
seedlings from coming up, consequently 
should not bo used for this purpose. Where 
a loose, friable *oil cannot bo obtained in 
sufficient abundance to be used exclusively 
for the entire depth of the beds, a smaller 
quantity will answer, by spreading It over 
the surface to the depth of two or three 
inches. 
SOWINO THE SEED. 
As soon as the ground is sufficiently warm 
and dry to work readily in spring, the seed 
may be sown in drills six inches apart and 
crosswise of the frames. If the seed 1§ 
covered by sifting the earth over them to 
t ae depth of a half inch it will be better than 
covering with the hoe or similar implements. 
After covering, water the bed thoroughly, 
applying with a watering-pot and through 
a fine rose. The screen may then be put on 
and, from this time forward, considerable 
care will be necessary to give just enough 
water to insure a healthy growth, but not 
enough to cause the plants to mildew or 
“damp off” as it is usually termed be nur¬ 
serymen. It is easy enough to grow ever- 
tion as usually attaiued in the most carefully 
cultivated hedge. For small city yards or 
grounds in our suburbs the White Evergreen 
Thom can scarcely be surpassed as a hedge 
plant; and when it becomes sufficiently 
plentiful, we do not doubt that many a farm 
PYRACANTHA ALDA. 
before drying. When the seed have been 
secured and all refuse matter removed, they 
may bo put into bags and hung up in a cool 
room until the season arrives for sowing in 
spring. 
SEED BEDS. 
It would be folly to attempt the growing 
of evergreens from seed in the open ground, 
as we do most kinds of deciduous trees. The 
hot sun and dryiDg winds of our climate 
make havoc with the young seedlings when 
they first appear above ground, and even 
with all the care bestowed and artificial 
appliances employed by our nurserymen, 
serious losses frequently occur at this period 
in the life of seedling evergreens. Knowing 
the sensitiveness of these plants to the in¬ 
fluence of hot, dry winds, and scorching rays 
of the sun, beds for the reception of the seed 
should be prepared in such a manner that 
full protection may be given during the 
Frames made of boards a 
CRAT/EGUS 
will be surrounded with an impervious hedge 
of the same. 
RAISING EVERGREENS FROM SEED. 
Wk have frequently, in years past, de¬ 
scribed the various methods of propagating 
evergreen trees and shrubs. But as the sea¬ 
son approaches for planting out such things, 
many of our new subscribers ask for infor¬ 
mation which compels us to repeat what we 
may have Bald upon the -ame subject in 
previous volumes, thereby placing us in the 
position of the school teacher who is obliged 
to commence at the same point with every 
new class of scholars. Of late we have had 
several letters asking for some definite in¬ 
structions in regard to raising evergreens 
from seed which we propose to briefly answer 
at this time. 
The cones of our native evergreen trees 
should be gathered when fully mature in 
of the same. A small branch with berries, 
both of natural size, is 6hown in Fig. 2. 
The plants bloom in June, and in autumn 
they are covered with very showy orange- 
colored berries. As this plant Is naturally u 
dwarf, never forming a tall shrub or tree, it 
may be planted farther apart than any of 
the rank growing kinds which require crowd¬ 
ing to enable one to keep them within allot¬ 
ted bounds and under control. Compara¬ 
tively speaking, the Evergreen Thorn is a 
slow grower, seldom producing young shoots 
of more than twelve to eighteen inches in 
length in one season ; but the plants fill up 
as they progress, consequently require very 
little pruning, and when fully established, 
no ordinary animal would ever make more 
than one attack upon its thorny surface. 
For the first two or three years, a slight 
protection against cattle would be necessary, 
as with other hedge plants ; but not other¬ 
wise, for it is tough and hardy, and cattle 
will not browse it, although they might 
trample upon the young plants. 
This variety of Pyracantha should not be 
confounded with the more common' sort, 
which has large, round leaves, and is not 
hardy. The White Evergreen Thorn has 
small, oblong, pointed leaves, as shown in 
Fig. 2, and they remain permanently upon 
the plant during the coldest wintera. It is 
propagated by cutting:, and layers, and 
hedges should be started with youug, one or 
two year old plants, as larger ones are not 
readily transplanted, owing to their strong, 
deeply-penetrating roots. It is also neces¬ 
sary to plant in autumn or very early in 
spring, as the sap moves the fil*3t warm 
weather ; and after growth has commenced 
there is great danger of loss in removing. 
A section of a hedge now growing in the 
grounds of Messrs. Parsons & Co., is shown 
in Fig. 3, and we consider it as near perfec- 
period named 
MAINTAINING THE FERTILITY OF 
LARGE ORCHARDS. 
“ How can the fertility of large orchards 
be most economically maintained,” was dis¬ 
cussed by the Western N. V. llort. Society 
and the discussion is thus reported in the 
Rural Home Mr. Oliver Chapin of Eaft 
Bloomfield has plowed in weeds of all kinds, 
including thistles and quack, but has now 
seeded down. He plowed four inches in 
depth ; trees have made a good growth, but 
have not generally borne well. Trees from 
twelve to twenty years old, principally 
Baldwins. Soil gravelly loam, with a stiller 
subsoil. 
Mi*. H. E. Hooker, Rochester, said the fer¬ 
tility of small orchards could easily be 
maintained by manuring and application of 
other stimulants. He was not In favor of 
plowing and thus breaking up the surface 
roots of the trees. His best bearing trees 
were those whose surface roots had not 
WHITE EV KRGREKN THORN. 
then spread foot wide will answer every purpose, and 
autumn, and before they open 
them upon shelves or the floor of a dry, 
warm room, and leave in this position until 
