94 
MOOSE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
. 7 
,§raijtt of a pluralist. 
DAILY KURIL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
CURCUIIO, AND DISEASE-PROOF PLUMS. 
July 20. — Many years ago there whs a 
nursery man living not a thousand miles from 
New York City who frequently talked very 
learnedly of tbe varieties of plums which 
were claimed to he “ Black-knot proof." On 
more than one occasion he gave lists of the 
said varieties amounting iu all, if I remember 
aright, to some oft, which were never affected 
with the fungoid disease called "Black-knot." 
The manner of arriving at tho conclusion 
that certain sorts were newer affected by this 
disease, was not at, all novel, because other 
nurserymen have, jumped at similar conclu¬ 
sions in the same way, to wit—going through 
the nur.-cry noting tho trees diseased or 
otherwise, and putting down the results as 
a guide for the same sorts under all condi¬ 
tions and circumstances. Unfortunately for 
Pomology, such rapid methods of obtaining 
knowledge arc very uncertain and likely to 
mislead those who may feel inclined to fol¬ 
low their seniors in tho profession. Tho 
"Black-knot proof” plums aro no longer 
sought, iu the way of varieties, but in proper 
care and culture of one and all, which may 
be desirable for this fruit. " Cureulio proof" 
sorts arc a somewhat later introduction—at 
least, the supposed discovery that certain 
sorts never have their fruit stung by this 
insect, is a claim of the "latter-day” plum 
culturisfs. 
Desirous of availing myself of valuable dis¬ 
coveries in horticulture, 1 have from time to 
time tested those " resin taut’’ fruits, but the 
results seldom come up to tho recommenda¬ 
tions. Among the latest, novelties in this 
lino is the " Wild Goose” plum, highly rec¬ 
ommended for Its excellent qualities as a 
fruit, as well us being "cureulio proof.” 
A few years since a " well known Western 
Pomologist” sent mo a small plant of the 
genuine sort in order that I might, know from 
personal observation ami practical experience 
Jiovv great a boon the old gray goose be¬ 
queathed to mankind when she died and her 
slayers picked the plum stone from her crop 
and planted It, thereby producing tbe origi¬ 
nal of this wonderful variety. Of course 1 
could not but prize very highly a tree with 
so much "crop” in its history ; consequently 
it was planted and has boon tenderly cared 
for up to the prosout moment. Tho tree, us 
might have been expected under such cir¬ 
cumstances, has grown rapidly, and it is at 
this time moderately 7 well loaded with plums; 
but alas ! I cannot, after a careful examina¬ 
tion, find a single specimen that is not slung > lars and cents. 
CHICKENS IN CARDENS. 
July 22.—The advisability of keeping fowls 
to run in a garden is ft question that has puz¬ 
zled me much and Is still undecided iu a " Ru¬ 
ral ist’s” household. A doz?n times has the 
domestic council decided that every "fowl’s’ 
head should come off and as many times has 
the decree been revoked, and as I write this 
a bravo old Brahma struts past tho door 
crowing defiance in my cars. 
During the winter we think fresh eggs and 
an occasional chicken fricassee are not to be 
despised, and broilers iu July and August are 
always acceptable ; but when wo see the 
seeds of our vegetables being scratched up or 
the Btnall fruits disappearing and the ripen¬ 
ing tomatoes hacked into by the voracious 
feathered bipeds, there comes a temporary 
change in our ideas of their usefulness. At 
such times one has need of a largo amount of 
"natural philosophy,” else desperate meas¬ 
ures might bo resorted to in saving one good 
thing by destroying another. 
At this moment two broods of young 
chickens, accompanied by their maternal 
parents, are running about the lawn and gar¬ 
den, every hour or two coming up to the 
kitchen door for a few crumbs iu the way of 
relish with the many insects they have been 
devouring. It is these frequent visits and 
the confidence with which they ask for what 
is wanted, as well as their beauty and cun¬ 
ning ways, that blunts all of our resolves to 
have no more fowls on the place. There is 
something about a chicken for tho first, month 
or two of its Jifo which is peculiarly attract¬ 
ive, and tho pleasure derived from seeing 
them running about repays for all the damage 
they may do afterwards. 
I am always ready to dispose of the hens 
until tbe spring broods of chickens begin to 
appear ; then ray heart fails me, and I begin 
to count how much good they may do in 
killing noxious insects, and I ovcu kocp an 
eye on their movements as they scratch off 
the heads of the young asparagus in spring 
while looking for the asparagus beetle, or 
tear up a hill of melons or cucumbers iu 
searching for cutworms. There are no car- 
rant worms on my plantation, although those 
insects are abundant in my neighbors’ car 
dens and have been for several years ; in fact, 
1 have a bountiful supply of all the various 
fruits and vegetables thriving in this climate, 
although tw r o or three dozen fowls roam at 
large and eat what they please In my garden. 
There go those little round balls of tho soft¬ 
est down as fast as their little legs can carry 
them for a few more crumbs, ami I’ll wager 
something that they will not be disappointed. 
Well, chickens are chickens every time, no 
matter whether Brahmas or Ban lams ; be 
sides this, wo have " chicken-hearted” peo¬ 
ple who like to have such pets about, even 
if the profits cannot always be found in dol- 
this way we have perfectly ripened such late 
gropes as the Catawba, where ordinarily 
they would be uneatable when frost came. 
The Iona, also, which seems to be a weakly 
grape in some localities, we have kept, in per¬ 
fect. health and had delicious and well ripened 
fruit every year by allowing only one—some¬ 
times two—bunches to a fruit spur. The 
Delaware is a variety which is also much in¬ 
clined to overbear, and though It generally 
ripens its fruit, when too much is left it is at 
the expense of the health of the vine. 
It is not best to cultivate around grape 
vines late in the season. Keep down weeds 
and the soil loose in spring and early in sum¬ 
mer, but after July disturb the ground as 
little as possible. Late cultivation only en- 
CouragCB a rampant growth of wood at a 
time when the tendency is too much to wood. 
Pinch the ends of the vines about the 10th of 
August. This will throw the sap back into 
the fruit and the check to the growth will 
cause the wood to ripen more perfectly. 
Good, sound, well-ripened wood is only less 
important than fruit, for on that the fruit 
crop of the next season depends. 
-- 
THE PHYLLOXERA AN OLD ENEMY. 
by the plum cureulio. Tho old gray goose 
might as well have still lived, for all tho good 
I shall ever get out of the plum raised from 
tho seed found in her crop. 
Poor Bcrnlcla canadensis! it almost makes 
me weep to think you should have been sac¬ 
rificed for that one plum stonb and then, 
after all, it should not produce a " cureulio 
proof” plum for Now Jersey i But there is 
some consolation (for the goose of course) iu 
knowing that few members of the genus Ber- 
niola ever had their memory kept so green 
as this one, which gave us a “ cureulio proof” 
plum—that isn’t. 
The Wild Goose plum is, ro doubt, a good 
variety of its kind, and in gardcus where 
there nr© others growing which aro better, 
the cureulio may let it. alone, and this is giv¬ 
ing it as much credit as I think the foots in 
the case will warrant. 
DISEASE AM0N0 GRAPE VINES. 
July 21.— Robert Duff of Mercer County, 
Pa., sends me a portion of a grape vine with 
a large, irregular swelling upon It resembling 
the "Black knot” so common on the brandi¬ 
es of neglected Morello cherry trees and Dam¬ 
son plums in old gardens. 1 am asked to give 
tho cause as well as cure, both of which I 
think ran readily be discovered in the follow¬ 
ing paragraph in my correspondent’s letter, 
to wit:—“ My vines aro four years old and 
have been branding in a clover sod lor three 
years, but I am now taking the Bod away 
from them.” 
Grape vines growing in sod or hall' smoth¬ 
ered with weeds during summer are very 
likely to "canker” if they do not " kick out” 
altogether even before they are four years 
old. Now for the case under consideration. 
I cannot recommend any thing better for pre¬ 
venting any further spread of the disease 
than good culture and a judicious system of 
pruning. There are no better cures for dis¬ 
eases in plant* or animals than good care and 
plenty of food. 
A WORM FROM TEXAS. 
N. B. SliGh. —The worm which you picked 
up and sent mo in a small paper box, had 
become a chrysalis during tho journey from 
Texas. I shall bo obliged to wait until fur¬ 
ther transformations before identifying it. 
WORK IN THE VINEYARD IN SUMMER. 
Farmers and others who do not make 
grape growing a special business, aro apt to 
let them take their own course through the 
summer, to the injury of both vine and fruit 
and resulting in a general failure. It is true 
that grapo vines do not need much care after 
fairly started in their summer growth, but 
tbe little they do need is imperative. Many 
excellont varieties are condemned as too late 
or subject to mildew solely because they 
have been allowed to overbear. The best 
Lime to thin grapes is Just, as the fruit is set¬ 
ting ; but if neglected even until now great 
benefit will result in early ripening of what 
remains, and probably saving the vino from 
becoming sickly and enfeebled for years 
after. At least one half the fruit should bo 
removed, and if the vines have Ret as closely 
as we have often seen thorn, it is hotter to 
cut out tho spurs, fruit and all, rather than 
let all remain. 
Where this work of thinning fruit is done 
promptly, at least one-half of it should be 
taken out, even on prolific and early varie¬ 
ties like the Hartford Prolific and Rogers’ 
Hybrids. On later ripening kinds the bunches 
should be reduced to one, removing two or 
sometimes oven three of the smaller fruit 
buds or blossoms. The one bunch remaining 
will grow to largo size and ripen fully a week 
earlier than if all the bunches were left. In 
the covering should be promptly removed so 
soon as warm weather comes in spring. 
As Newly-set Ompe Vines begin to throw 
out. shoots, attend to them, and allow only 
one to grow and not a half dozen fceblo ones 
spread out over the ground. Only one vino 
should grow, and that will be strong and 
vigorous. 
The Triumph Grape.—S amvel Miller of 
Missouri considers this “ the coming grape” 
—that last fall when his others were failures, 
" this was truly grand ; and it makes a wine 
of very high order.” 
M. B. Batkham in the Ohio Fanner, takes 
the ground that the Phylloxera is much less 
dangerous to grape vines and that the inju¬ 
ries reported this season are due mainly to 
the severity of the past winter. In a recent 
article, after speaking of a visit to the vino- 
yards on Kelly’sand adjacent islands in Lake 
Erie, Mr. Batkuam says : 
" Admitting that the leaf gall louse is really 
the Phylloxera, 1 can testify to having seen 
this Insect, on tho leaves of Clinton and wild 
grapes ( ripa/ria ) iu Western New York more 
than thirty years ago. It hasalso been found 
on wild viner in fur Western States and also 
at the South, showiug that the insect is in¬ 
digenous in all parts of this country and is 
not a new thing. This, however, is no proof 
that it may not increase rapidly, from some 
cause, and do more serious damage than 
heretofore, as it lias done in Europe. 
"In my own vineyard are a thousand Iona 
vines, planted nine years ago, the roots of 
which, when procured of Dr. Grant, were 
badly knotted with galls of the Phylloxera, 
ami yet these vines have grown well for that 
variety and borne several good crops ; and 
although the past winter killed several hun¬ 
dreds of them where most exposed to drouth 
and win!, there are no signs of Phylloxera 
on the roots of the dead nor the living vines, 
" In proof that Phylloxera had nothing to 
do with the slaughter that took place among 
grape vines the past winter, I will slate that 
in a recent, long tour through Westeru New 
York, Northern Ohio, and tho islands as far 
as the Detroit river, 1 invariably found that 
tho greatest damage was done on dry, sandy 
or porous soils—the same was true of young 
pear and other fruit trees in the nurseries— 
and now we have it from high French au¬ 
thority, as quoted in the report of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture of the past month, 
tliat. tho " Phylloxera is not found in sandy 
ground ; and a mong the means recommended 
for avoiding its ravages is the planting of 
vineyards on sandy soils” (p. 228). 
Iu the New York Tribune of a recent date 
is a communication from a well known grape 
grower, Mr. A. J. CaywoOD, the father of 
the Walter grape ; referring to the injuries 
done to the roots of young vines of that va¬ 
riety by the Phylloxera, in years paBt, he 
says ha saw the effects of this insect on grape 
rooti about 85 yeare ago, but it did not injure 
the vines to any extent prior to the last eight 
or nine years. He recommends, as the best 
means of preventing injury from this source, 
planting on rich soil. To this I would add, 
don’t let tho vines overbear.” 
THE LUCY GRIEVE FEAR. 
VINEYARD NOTES. 
No Mulch for Grapevines.— A correspond¬ 
ent of the N. Y. Tribune recommends green 
cuttings of wood, grass or garden refuse with 
ashes as summer mulch for grapes. He had 
much better use no mulch whatever, keep¬ 
ing the ground well cultivated around the 
vines to admit air and warmth. Grape vines 
need no summer mulch. Even in our hottest 
and dryeSt weather we have never known 
grape vines to be injured by drouth, and wo 
understand that they endure tho severe dry 
seasons in California without injury. The 
more protracted the drouth the deeper the 
grape roots will strike down for moisture. 
Tho common disease of vinos, mildew, etc., 
originate in too much moisture and too low’ 
a temperature. To cover the ground with a 
mulch only makes the matter worse. It is 
sometimes advisable to protect grape vines 
from the severity of Northern winters, but 
The Agricultural Gazette of April 24 says : 
"This very distinct and excellent now pear 
is well illustrated in colors in this month’s 
number of the Florist and Pomologist. It is 
a seedling raised by a daughter of Mr. Peter 
Grieve, gardener to tho Rev. E. R. Benyon, 
Culford Hall, Bury St. Edmunds, un«J well 
and honorably known as the raiser of the 
celebrated Mrs. Pollock golden tri-color Pe¬ 
largonium. It* history is somewhat sad. It 
seems that Lucy Grieve, "a fair young child, 
in joyous glee,” gathered a ripe pear, and 
bring told that the dark-brown pips within 
the fruit might become a tree, she sowed a 
seed in a pot. The seed germinated, it be¬ 
came a living plant, and subsequently under 
her tender care it grew into a tree. 
•* But long before It boro a fruit, 
The tnald was In her crave : 
And when, ut. la*i, It ripened fruit, 
They who full well do know, 
Deolaro on England's fert-Uc soil 
No richer e'er did prow; 
And H&y how that, a fruit so choice. 
It’s miser’s name should hear, 
And he hereafter always known 
As Little Lacy’s Pear.” 
"The variety is remarkablo for its long, 
narrow, willow-ilk- 1 * leaves, which give the 
tree a peculiar appearance. The fruit is full 
medium size, oblong pyriform, broadest just 
above the middle, its average weight exceed¬ 
ing seven ounces. Tho color is a clear, deep, 
lemon - yellow, thinly marked with russet 
dotB and havi-g a small russet patch about 
the eye and the stalk. The flesh is mod¬ 
erately firm, fine grained, tender and melt¬ 
ing, very juioy, with a rich, luscious fla¬ 
vor and a slight and disagreeable dash of 
acidity, such as is occasionally met with In 
the Glout Morceau.” Specimens were Bbown 
at a meeting of the Fruit Committee of tho 
Royal Horticultural Society in October last, 
and gained the highest award that could be 
given—a first-class certificate, 
-♦ * » ■ - 
A NEW RASPBERRY. 
The Home Farm and Orchard of New¬ 
burgh, N. Y., reports a new raspberry which 
sprung up three years ago in the garden of 
T. Hazard Roe, in that city. The seedling 
was not laid down nor otherwise protected 
in winter, but each year increased the num¬ 
ber of shoots, which bor* fruit to the tips. 
The present season it is a most vigorous 
plant, or hill of plants, one of the canes 
measuring 14 feet and bearing large rasp¬ 
berries in their different stages of growth, in 
great profusion, along its whole length. 1 his 
can© was unprotected throughout the last 
severe winter, and this is sufficient attesta¬ 
tion of its hardiness. The wood bear? oil 
the appearance of the truo raspberry, but 
is lighter in color than tho Hudson River 
Antwerp. The berry lias tho beautiful color 
and is the equal in size, but not quite so rich 
as the Antwerp ; it is slightly oonical, and is 
bard enough, when fully ripe, to bear oai 
riage well. 
--- ■ --- 
GRAFTING PEARS UPON SEEDLINGS. 
The Garden says that " Experiments have 
been made in Algeria by M. Riviere with 
the object of making pears, grafted upon 
seedlings, fruit sooner than they otherwise 
would do. The stock upon which it is usual 
to graft pears is, as is well known, either 
quince or seedling pears ; but the quince only 
flourishes in rich, deep soil, and it is compar¬ 
atively short-lived. On the other baud, tho 
pear grafted upon a seedling has the advan¬ 
tage of adapting itself to any kind of soU » bll “ 
it is long before it comes into flower and ns 
first fruits are bad. M. Riviere set Wraseii 
tho task of uniting the qualities of both khWs 
of stock, and to accomplish this has olel - 
grafted upon seedlings the quince, and su <- 
sequently upon that the variety from which 
ho wished to obtain fruit. He intends m« 
ing known the result of this operation, wlilcn 
Hru.a Tint, appear to have been previous y 
does not 
tried.” 
