MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JULY 17 
SnniB cf a pluralist. 
DAILY RUEAL LIFE 
Prom the Diary of a Gentleman near Mew 
York City. 
DIVERTING THE ROSE BEETLES. 
June 28 .— The small, oval, bull-colored 
beetle, commonly (.-ailed the “ Rose Bug,” or 
scientifically, Macrodwtytus subspinosua, is 
an insect with a voracious appetite, but not 
at all particular as to its food in times of 
scarcity. The leaves of (-berry trees will 
answer, if there are no choice tit-bits In the 
way of pollen from Magnolia flowers or pe¬ 
tals of a. delicate Tea rose at hand. Still, 
with all its voraciousness, this pest of our 
gardens has a choice in the way of food, just 
as we have men who can and do live and 
thrive on pork and beans, but at the same 
time would not refuse the most delicately 
made pastry ; and as all animals from the 
genus homo down to the lowermost link in 
the chain have their individual preference in 
regard to food, it ia well to note them for 
special purposes. 
It lias bceu said that there are many good 
men whose "hearts can only be reached 
through their stomachs, ” and 1 have no 
doubt of the fact that numbers arc “ cap¬ 
tured” by this means, just as vicious horses 
and some other animals are rendered docile 
and tractable with a free use of sugar. But 
the principle is all the same, whether applied 
to the elephant or our little rose beetle, and 
if we fail of success in managing them it is 
more than likely to be in consequeuco of our 
ignorance than to errors of theory. 
Now this “Rose Bug” is such an indiscrim¬ 
inate feeder that it becomes somewhat dilli 
cult to determine its preference in the way 
of food, but 1 have gained enough informa¬ 
tion on this uoint to answer my purpose and 
will give it for “ those whom it may con¬ 
cern.” As tha common name implies, roses 
are its special, favorite food, and although 
the total destruction of these flowers might 
be borne if the pest would then slop or even 
coniine itself to this one plant, but it neither 
begins nor ends its ravages with the roses. 
About the first plant which they attack in 
spring is the grape, Commencing upon the 
flowers as soon as they appear, dud frequent - 
ly remaining until the last cl lister is devoured, 
finishing oil - upon the leaves. For several 
years I fought them with varied success, de¬ 
pending mainly upon shaking ofT into a pan 
of hot water or hand picking ; but noticing 
that great numbers would leave the vines as 
soon as certain kinds of shrubs came into 
bloom and collect on the latter, I took the 
hint and "moved on the enemy” from this 
point. 
Along one side of iny experimental vine¬ 
yard there is a border filled with various 
herbaceous plants and ornamental shrubs. 
Among these there are quite a number 
blooming at the same time as the hardy 
grapes, and upon which the rose beetles will 
feed in preference to anything else, even 
leaving the vines when ill full bloom for more 
acceptable but less valuable food. 
The flowers for which they appear to have 
the greatest likiug are Swamp Magnolia, 
(Magnolia glauca.) Snowball-leaved Spira-a, 
(Spiraea o puli folia,) Sorb-Leaved do., (S. ' 
sorbifolia,) (loaf shear* 1 do., (S. u nine us,) 
New Jersey Tea, ( Ceanotha * Amrrinuui,) 
and the Smoke or Fringe tree (Uli us oolinvs .) ( 
Since these plants became well established , 
in the border, six years ago, my grape vines ( 
have not been disturbed by rose beetles, and \ 
a careful examination to-day did not reveal • 
a single specimen upon the vines, while sev¬ 
eral of the above-named plants, standing 
within twenty feet., are Literally alive wilh 
the, pest. The grapes upon the vines are just 
fairly “set,” but 1 find no blanks in the c 
clusters, which are sure to be seen if the B 
" bug” has been about. Of course I do not \ 
leave these insects in undisturbed possession a 
of the border plants, for when crowded thick- p 
ly together upon the spikes of the spira-as p 
they are readily shaken oil' and destroyed, p 
One or two gatherings of these pests during p 
the season is about the extent of our fighting u 
them in order to save the grapes. g 
The plants I have named are both common V 
and cheap and all but one (Sptrma sorbifolia) a 
are natives of this country, consequently b 
their cost cannot be urged against giving this g 
method of protection a trial. Those named f ( 
are preferable, though others might, be added si 
to the list, for it is well to plant a good varie- ti 
ty, inasmuch as they do not all come into ^ 
bloom at the same time. It is also a matter v 
of good policy to keep up the supply of food g 
until the grapes are sufficiently grown to be 11 
out of danger. This pampering to the taste 
of the rose beetle is the best and surest 
method of coaxing them away from our 
fruit-bearing plants ; at least, it ia the best 
that I have ever tried, and I do not know 
wti 3 r it should not answer as well in other 
, gardens as in mine, 
LAYERING VINES AND SHRUBS. 
June 29.—The greater part of our hardy 
shrubs and vines are readily propagated by 
I layers, being put down in spring or during 
- the period of most rapid growth in summer. 
; Many of them will produce roots from the 
; buried branches in a few weeks ; others re- 
! quire the entire season, and in a few instances 
I two years will scarcely suffice for t he cinis- 
s sion of roots. But with the greater part of 
our ornamental plants a branch put down 
now may be removed from the parent plant 
iu t he fall with a fair quantity of roots. This 
layering of plants is a ready andquite certain 
method of propagation. Currants, gooseber¬ 
ries and grape vines produce roots very freely 
from branches bent down and a portion cov¬ 
ered with earth. Very strong plants may he 
obtained in one season, then taken off and 
set, out where they are desired for fruiting. 
Lilacs, syringes and most other kinds of 
ornamental shrubs may be layered at this 
season and strong plants secured for setting 
out next year. With some kinds the portion 
buried should be watched or slightly twisted 
iu order to expose the wood under the bark, 
thereby facilitating the production of roots ; 
but this is not necessary with free-growing 
kinds and such as arc usually propagated by 
cuttings. Vines of all kinds are readily mul¬ 
tiplied by layering, and choice grapes, honey¬ 
suckle! ami wistarias may be increased to an 
almost unlimited extent by layering. 1 have 
been putting down layers of 11gdrangca 
grandiflnrn, some of the newer Vibemums 
and similar shrubs to-day, whieh reminds me 
of the fact tlmt everybody does not know 
how readily such things can be increased by 
this simple process. 
Evergreen trees and shrubs may also be 
propagated by layers. Rome of course pro¬ 
duce roots more freely than olhers, but all 
will yield by proper care and manipulation. 
A? a ride, those which produce considerable 
resin from wounds, like the pines and spruees, 
should be layered during the period of most 
vapid growth in early summer ; otherwise, 
the wounds made in layering arc liable to be 
soon coated over with pitch, which wnf pre¬ 
vent the emission of roots. All the Arbor- 
Vibes, Junipers and Rttinisporas are as 
readily propagated by layers as the most 
common deciduous shrub. 
QUERIES Of A YOUNG BOTANIST. 
June *10. A correspondent signing himself 
" A Young Botanist,” asks if there is any 
liook published giving the “ Properties and 
Uses of the wild plants of the Failed States.” 
I have never heard of nor seen such a book, 
but there are quite a number treating of the 
special properties of certain kinds. For in¬ 
stance, there was published many years since 
a " Vegetable Materia Mcdica” of the United 
States, by Dr. Bigelow of Boston and anoth¬ 
er by Dr. W. P, C. Bauton. Dr. Griffiths’ 
" Medical Botany” is also a vei-y comprehen¬ 
sive and complete work of its kind, but these 
only treat of " medical properties,” without 
reference to others which may be either use¬ 
ful or noxious. Dr. Darlington's “ Noxious 
and Useful Weeds” of the United States, is 
an excellent book for a " Young Botanist,” 
or old one either. In fact, if a man wants to 
know nil about the " properties and uses of 
the plants ol’ the United States,” he will have 
lo study all the various standard botanical 
works, and then will probably come to the 
conclusion that there is a great deal worth 
knowing which has not, as yet, found its way 
into books. 
Jdiiut department. 
FROM EASTERN TENNESSEE. 
A THOUSAND DOLLAR HINT. 
Ourt good friend Rev. Mr. Hoyt, formerly 
of Orberlin, Ohio, must have the happy 
satisfaction of doing a great deal of good. 
Wherever lie goes he teaches people who 
are in a teachable mood, how to Jive so as to 
be more healthy and happy. We have 
heard of many invalids who have been the 
better for his advice, after all medicines had 
failed. The last case comes from Florida, 
and is of a gentleman who had suffered all 
sorts of evil from physio, and still was no 
better. Good Mr. Hoyt, talking with h im 
about his case, said "If you will live on 
brown bread and cracked wheat you will 
get better.” The man had heard of such 
food, but never thought best to try it him¬ 
self ; but Mr. Hoyt’s words carried convic¬ 
tion, and he ubeyed them, and sayB he would 
not go back to the old way for a thousand 
dollars. In other words, the advice was 
worth a thousand dollars to him, if not a 
great deal more ; for how much will a man 
not give for health l ■Herald of Health. 
I Editor Rural New-Yorker In my last 
I promised to give you in a future letter some 
items in relation to our farming and farm 
life here in Eastern Tennessee. The princi¬ 
pal crops in cultivation are corn, wheat and 
oats, though of late the cultivation and man¬ 
ufacture of tobacco has been introduced and 
fouud to be very profitable ; so much so, In 
deed, t hat every year finds an increased area 
of production. 
Our most successful corn growers are those 
farmers who own river bottom farms which 
will produce from 50 to 100 bushels of corn 
per acre, and this without injury to the land 
in a succession of corn crops for twenty or 
more years. The usual preparation for a 
corn crop consists in breaking the land with 
turning plow at any time between the first 
of November and the first of April during 
the winter and then either cross plowing or 
harrowing, working off and planting any 
time from April 10 to May lo. The rows arc 
marked in hills four to live feet apart each 
way and thhined to two or three stalks to 
the hill, and go cultivated mostly with single 
hill tongue and shovel plows. A great many 
fanners use the double shovel and sulky cul¬ 
tivator. Usually the crop gets three work¬ 
ings—sometimes four—and is left to ripen on 
the stalk in the field and when fully matured 
is pulled off the stalks, thrown into heaps, 
thence into tile wagon and hauled to the 
crib, sometimes "shucked” and sometimes 
thrown up "in the shuck”—that is, the husk 
left on the ear until fed out, when it is taken 
off as needed to feed. This crop I think re¬ 
quires more labor and pays less profit than 
any crop we raise. Our next crop is wheat. 
When we follow olover with wheat we hardly 
ever fail to have good yields of wheat—from 
15 to 25 bushels per acre, and some of our 
best farmers have reached 49 bushels ; there 
are scarcely any of our lauds which may not 
be made, by proper cultivation, to product 
25 bushels per acre and of a quality that can¬ 
not be surpassed. Our oat crop, which wc 
begin to sow the middle of February and 
fluisli about the last of March, yields from 
50 to 100 bushels to the acre. Wc usually 
follow corn with oats and clover. The culti¬ 
vation of the grape is as yet in its infancy 
and may be made more profitable than nun 
growing. Our wheat harvest comeson from 
the 12th to the 25th of June. Rome farmers 
haul their wheat to the barn and stack in the 
shuck before threshing; others drive the 
threshing machine iuto the fl.Jd and haul the 
wheat from the shocks and thresh it, leaving 
die straw in the field. Our clover lmy is 
leing cut now. In the last few days I have 
seen three or four mowers at work in the 
flover fields. About the last week in June 
we “lay by” our corn crop. Then comes 
>ur oat harvest; after which comes the 
hreshing and housing of the wheat and oats. 
The truck patches all having been worked 
>ut clean and nice, we have from four to six 
veeks' leisure in which to rest and take the 
oreeast of the nex t year’s crop. Our mead- 
>ws are usually cut from the first to middle 
f July and the old-fashioned mowing scythe 
.as almost become a thing of the past, though 
a some rough meadows they are still used 
osome extent. The foregoing is a general 
utline of our farm labors from the beginning 
f the crop until it is gathered. 
As to our home life, it is as varied and va- 
ious as the temper, inclination and circum- 
tauees as the inmates of rural homes see fit 
3 make. With some we have flowers in 
rofusion, with books, papers and maga- 
tnes—with music, vocal and instramental, 
..’ith which to while away the leisure hours 
and enliven the dull monotony of home cares; 
with others who bestow but little time and 
labor in reading, or beautifying their homes, 
the case is different. Homo is not the place 
it should be, and its attractions are not such 
as generate noble impulses and high aspira¬ 
tions, But aside from some of these rougher ( 
aspects of some of our homes, a more gener- , 
ous and hospitable people do not live than t 
ours. And our women—your readers will ] 
pardon me, I know, for who does not love to \ 
hear of beautiful women l — they are not only 
beautiful but intelligent, and the best eooks 
that ever wielded a biscuit pan or a muffin 
mold. To us who are bom and raised here, 
it comes as a matter of course ; but to North- ( 
ern men, who have come and made their * 
homes among us since the war, it is a matter { 
of astonishment to see and eat at our tables. 
Why, I know one Presbyterian minister from * 
the old Bay State who will sit down and eat \ 
one whole fried chicken himself, without any j 
assistance, and close with the remark :_ 
“Well, you Tennesseeans know how to get 
up something good to eat; we folks up Norsb 
don’t have such fried chicken as that.” And 
another minister from your own State of the 
same denomination, who has been here about 
four years, sa}’s he never saw corn muffins 
until he came here, and if he don’t know how 
they are made he knows how to eat them. 
As to the state of society. A more law- 
abiding, quiet and honest people do not live. 
A man ia safer here from personal violence, 
robbery, pickpockets and the like, than he is 
in the Rtate of New York, or indeed any of 
the Northern States, We never take any 
precautions against pickpockets anywhere, 
and tnany people in the country leave their 
homes alone all day without locking a door 
on the place. 
Northern men are as safe as I am in the 
expression of their opinions — political or 
otherwise. Dr. Daniel Lek, once an Agri¬ 
cultural Editor in New York State, but who 
now controls the agricultural columns of a 
paper published in Nashville, Tenn., and the 
Rev. C, B. Lord from your own State, who 
has bought property and is farming in Blount 
County, Tenn., is a constant contributor of 
Interesting and valuable articles to our Ag¬ 
ricultural papers. Nobody is proscribed. 
Everybody is free and safe. " Civil rights” 
disturbs no one ; the negroes are so free, in¬ 
deed, that nearly two-thirds of them live 
without work. The right, mostly sought after 
by them is the right to do nothing. A few 
of them are industrious and are accumulating 
some property. 
Tn answer to several inquiries by mail 
brought out by my last letter, let me say 
that our best uplands may be purchased at 
$25 to $35 per acre. These lands are under 
cultivation and improvements, in good com¬ 
munities, near churches and schools, and in 
reach of railroads. 
Our markets are good for nearly everything 
we have to sell. One man here, last year 
made $8,000 shipping eggs to New York. The 
egg and poultry trade is assuming almost as 
much Importance as the wheat or com trade. 
There is no danger but what any man who 
knows how ami is willing to work may suc¬ 
ceed here. 
I want to write you what the Patrons of 
Husbandry of East Tennessee arc doing and 
then I am done. They have established a 
manufactory for the purpose of making ag 
rieultural implements in Washington County 
with ample means to make it a success. 
The Association heretofore controlling the 
Eastern Division Fair property, made failures 
in their last two lairs and were on the eve of 
selling the property to pay debts hanging 
over it. Indeed, not a single premium of¬ 
fered last full, except those for race-horses 
has ever been paid. A trustee was appointed 
to sell the property anil he proposed to sell 
it to our Order iu East Tennessee, and after 
some consultation among the brethren a new 
Association was formed composed entirely 
of members of tho Order of P. of H., which 
bought the property and now you may count 
ns down as another Association who have 
excluded horse-racing from the list. This 
Society is known as the Eastern Division 
Fail - Association for East Tennessee, and has 
resolved to offer no premiums for racing of 
any kind, and refuse to allow a race on the 
grounds but instead, have opened the grounds 
to the farmers, their wagons and teams, so 
that they may come to tho fair with their 
products and not be run over by fast hoises. 
Let this work of reform go on and we shall 
have better fail's. John M. Meek. 
Fancy Meadows, Tenn., June 10,1875. 
^'raijian. 
LAND OF GOLD, MILK AND HONEY. 
The Los Angeles (California) Express says: 
" It is stated that the honey product of San 
Diego county this year will be fully six 
hundred tons. One million two hundred 
thousand pounds of honey from a single 
county is prodigious for an industry only 
about three years old. Los Angeles county, 
also, is making tremendous advances in 
honey culture, and in a few years the 
two counties will supply the world. The 
honey of Southern California is without a 
rival in quality and flavor in the market. 
It is only during the last twenty years the 
bees have been known in California, and to¬ 
day the business of the apiarist promises to 
be one of the most important iu the Southern 
portion of our State, 
From the same eounty, San Francisco has 
received since December last over 5,000,000 
oranges, and 0 t 000,000 lemons, while the 
industry- is rapidly extending to the other 
parts of the State. 
the State. 
