850 
MOORE’S RURAL WEW- 
ghqjr of a pluralist. 
DAILY EURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
GATHERING UP THE LEAVES. 
Nov. I*.—it is very pleasant to have large 
and beautiful shade trees about one’s home, 
but, like many other pleasant t hings in this 
world, trouble follows in their wake. We 
eatinot have trees without leaves, and the 
latter will drop olT and become scattered 
over grass and garden, which, to look well, 
must be kept in a tidy condition. If the 
leaves from our deciduous trees would all 
come olT at onetime, then a general cleaning 
up once or twice a year might answer; but 
while the chestnuts, sassafras, dogwoods, 
hickories and many other kinds will shed 
their leaves soon after the first hard frosts, 
those of the white oaks will hang on, a few 
dropping off from day to day during the en¬ 
tire winter and away along into the spring. 
This long-drawn-out littering iB a nuisance to 
those who care to have their grounds swept 
up and in order. 
There i 3 , however, something to be gained 
in saving the leaves and putting them into a 
compost heap, for when well rotted there is 
no better manure for plants of all kinds, 
but it is doubtful if one could afford to 
gather them for this purpose, as it takes a 
large heap of the leaves to make a verj' 
small ouc of manure. Etill, tor mixing 
with muck, weeds and any other coarse lit¬ 
ter about a place, they arc valuable in aiding 
fermentation and decomposition. In fact, it 
is in just such little things that we may find 
the secret of great success with many of our 
farmers and gardeners. It takes a hundred 
cents to make one dollar, and a man who 
neglects to care for the first is not likely to 
possess the latter, and this ruie holds good in 
saving the wasted materials about a farm. 
One hundred fork or shovelfuls of rich veg 
etable matter gathered from the nooks and • 
corners will make a very lair cartload of 
manure, worth a dollar alraod anywhere to 
a man who knows when and how to use it. 
1 have all the leaves gathered up about my 
grounds put into the barnyard. To these 
are added muck from the swamps and all 
the (lebrlft from the garden, in the way 
of the tops of herbaceous and bedding 
plants. Take it all together and it does not 
amount to much. Still, 1 find that in spring 
a compost heap of this kind is very handy to 
draw upon when some poor piece of land is 
to be manured for corn or potatoes. 
The past summer l raised an acre of as 
handsome fodder corn as 1 could wish upou 
land so poor that it would noL produce rag¬ 
weed without manure, and all through the 
aid of some half - decomposed leaves and 
muck gathered together during the winter. 
A furrow was plowed for each row of corn 
and then filled with the coarse compost, and 
the corn sown directly upon it and then cov¬ 
ered. When I first commenced work upon 
lay place, 1 bought guano, superphosphates 
and similar commercial manures ; but it did 
not take me many years to discover that 
they were poor things to depend upon for 
constant use. They may answer very well 
to start with upon old and worn-out soils, or 
as an extra stimulant occasionally ou rich 
lands : but, no farmer should think of per¬ 
manently improving the fertility of his soil 
by such expensive materials. Home-made 
fertilizers, even if nothing better can be lmd 
than weeds, leaves and vegetable mold from 
swamps, will prove to be far cheaper and 
better in Lhe end than the best Peruvian 
guano. 
AH ORDER FOR POTATO BEETLES. 
Nov. 10.—I am in receipt of an order from 
Germany for a few dozen of our Colorado 
Potato Beetles (Doiyphora, 10 -Hneata). Of 
course live ones arc Rot desired. Baud spe¬ 
cimens will answer the purpose for which 
they are wanted. 1 presume there are thou¬ 
sands of persons in this country who would 
fail to guess for what purpose these beetles 
are wanted, just as the same class are puz 
zled to discover why any one should study 
or spend time in collecting bugs, beetles, 
weeds, stones and similar spedmeus of natu¬ 
ral history. Now', the Herman entomologist 
who wants the Colorado beetles Is seeking 
an acquaintance with this pest in order that 
he shall know it in advance of its appear¬ 
ance in Germany, which is likely to occur at 
any moment, it is also quite probable t hat. 
specimens of this insect are already in nearly 
every entomological cabinet in the German 
Empire, and German farmers and their 
children will be made acquainted with this 
I pest before its appearance in the potato field. 
This is what should have been done here 
long before it crossed the Mississippi River 
on its way eastward. It would cost but a 
trifle to have a case of specimens of our most 
noxious insects in every district Bchool li¬ 
brary in the country, or even in the school 
house, accompanied with a small pamphlet 
giving whatever facts were known in regard 
to their habits and history. With so small 
and insignificant a nucleus great results 
might follow, and the next generation of men 
and women would probably know more of 
entomology than those of the present. 
A LARGE AROID BULB. 
Two years since 1 obtained a small bulb of 
a new*, palm - like A fold, tinder the naxne of 
Amorphophalluft llivcri. I planted this bulb 
in the garden, from which issued a stem 
about two feet high, surmounted by a large 
leaf, divided into three equal sections, these, 
again being subdivided into many smaller 
lobes or leaflets. In the fall the bulb was 
lifted and kept in a dry place, under the stage 
of my greenhouse until spring, and then 
planted out again. The past summer it 
made a gigantic growth, coming up fully to 
the description given of it in the European 
nurserymen’s catalogue. About a month 
since the parent bulb and its many offsets 
were all placed in the greenhouse to dry. 
After a month’s drying the old tuber weighs 
five and a half pounds and is eight inches in 
diameter and four and a hall deep It has 
produced numerous offsets, or small tubers, 
and the entire surface is covered with buds 
or eyes, consequently there is no difficulty 
in regard to propagation. 1 suppose this 
bulb, like others of the same class of plants, 
having reached maturity, will now produce 
a flower when again planted, and this is 
more curious than beautiful. The scape or 
flower stem is thrown up direct from the 
bulb three to four feet high, surmounted by 
a long, blood-red spadix, partly rolled up in 
a long, greenish-spotted spat he, resembling 
in form that of the common Calla or Ethio¬ 
pian Lily. 
The odor of this monstrous spathe is far 
from agreeable—in fact, it is intolerable if 
the plant blooms in the house ; hence it is 
best to keep the bulbs dormant until time 
for planting out in spring. This is a grand 
plant for bedding out, but not particularly 
desirable for house culture. 
THE OLDEST MAN ALIVE. 
Nov. 11.—I had some thought of offering 
myself at the Centennial next year as the 
oldest man on this continent; in fact, 1 had 
just finished counting up my Continental 
money, dated at Philadelphia, lull, with 
which to pay my admission fee, when along 
comes by mail a little circular from Mr. 
Gcnn of Knoxville, Tenn., and knocks my 
uir castles into flinders. I have put away 
my Continental promises to pay, of various 
amounts, from a half dollar up to sixty-five, 
and will keep them another hundred years, 
for if Mr. GUNN tells the truth lie beats me 
considerably lu the matter of years, aud the 
way I found it out was by his circular, which 
is headed : 
“ HEW FLOWER lAOAVE VIRGINIA). 
“This flower was discovered a few years 
ago in one of the beautiful valleys of East 
Tennessee, and is well worthy of cultivation 
for its curious structure and delicious fra¬ 
grance.” 
Then follows what pretends to be a descrip¬ 
tion of the plant, bul the color of the flower 
is omitted. Bulbs are offered at 50 cents 
each ; but an agave having bulbous roots is 
certainly something new in science. The 
closing paragraph of this circular gives the 
key to my great disappointment, for tile au¬ 
thor says “ Being the original discoverer 
aud cultivator of this, it can only be pur¬ 
chased from me.” 
Now, my curiosity is excited to learn just 
how old Mr. Gunn is, lie being the “original 
discoverer” of Agave Virginica, tor this 
plant was Introduced into English gardens 
in 1765, and in “Linne’s Systctue Nature,” 
17(>7, vol. 2, page 24ft, I find /lpure Virginica, 
/<>,. ilenluto spinouts, scapo simpUeissimo, 
Vac., etc. Here is a chance for a little pleas¬ 
ant botanical gossip, for Mr. Gunn might 
tell us if he sent the Agave direct to Linne, 
«ml by what vessel, and all about his corre¬ 
spondence with the earlier botaui-ts of a 
hundred or more years ago. But laying all 
jesting .aside, does Mr. GcNN think the peo¬ 
ple of this country are such fools as to be¬ 
lieve he IS the discoverer of a plant which 
grows wild from Virginia to Illinois, and 
southward to the Gulf of Mexico, and which 
has been described iu all our botanical works 
for the past hundred years and more { If 
the gentleman had only' offered the plants 
and seeds for sale at the prices named, no 
one would have had good cause for com¬ 
plaint ; but the egotism, as well as direct 
falsehood, which he utters is simply ridicu¬ 
lous, besides showing conclusively the caliber 
of this “ Tenues-.ee Gunn.” 
©he fthtemml 
WHAT IS GOOD GRAPE-CULTURE. 
A friend joyfully told us a few days ago 
of his anticipations in the grape way. He 
had bought a little place in the vicinity, and 
had made up his mind to have things right. 
His maxim was that what -was worth doing 
at all was worth doing well, and he meant 
to do it. He had done it. He bad dug out 
the dirt three feet deep into the clay, and 
had filled it in with light, rich compost, 
through which the roots might push then- 
way in ease and comfort, and live on the fat 
of the land. He had spent considerable 
money in doing the job well. He intended 
to get only the best vines, and felt sure such 
an expenditure would result in magnificent 
grapes and plenty of them. He had done 
his work well. 
It is strange that such a course as this 
should ever have been recommended by 
horticultural writers, but it is a fact that 
they have. Grapes are now so easily and 
cheaply grown— fruit often five cents a 
pound-that we had well nigh forgotten that 
this was the standard advice of the books 
years ago. But our friend produced It in 
black and white from the pageB which he 
lia<\ chosen as an authority, and then we 
knew how if was in the olden time. 
Now, our readers at least would know that 
instead of such a proceeding as this being an 
evidence of doing it well for the grape, it is 
simply an act of folly, not only towards one s 
pocket betas an act of liberality to the vine 
itself. The grape root needs to be warm and 
dry, but this deep well in the clay encour¬ 
aging the collection of water from all around 
it has just the contrary effect. The roots are 
damp and cool and not warm and dry. 
Indeed it is only of late years when people 
have given up all this expensive foolery that 
grape-culture has become a tolerable success. 
Under the old plan we had failure after fail¬ 
ure, and we came to believe that only those 
varieties which were little removed from the 
wild fox or the frost grapes could he grown. 
But now we have the finer kinds getting 
(piite common. As soon as we gave up this 
deep trenching nonsense grape-culture— real 
grape culture- took a fresh start, and this 
real culture consists in a little more than 
planting a vine in good earth, a3 wo would 
any ordinary tree, and see that it does not 
suffer for want of food. This is good grape- 
culture in a nutshell. — Germantown Tele¬ 
graph. 
- ♦♦♦■ - 
• ‘‘A LITTLE MORE GRAPE.” 
“Penn” in the Tribune advises as fol¬ 
lows : 
“ Of all the fruits the grape appears to be 
the most variable, A list suited to Western 
New York or Western Pennsylvania would 
probably be the reverse in the eastern por¬ 
tions of those States, and what would succeed 
best on the lake shores of Michigan would be 
good for nothing in the interior. I will 
venture the assertion that more people have 
been mislead by adopting fruit lists, recom¬ 
mended iu good faith it is true, but utterly 
unsuited for general cultivation. I say to 
the seeker after information in this depart¬ 
ment, plant the Delaware. Diana, and all 
other fine varieties, with great caution. 
They do well in some localities, aud there 
plant, them ; but first be certain that, your 
own is one of these. In Eastern Pennsylva¬ 
nia, which is proverbially a poor section for 
the vineyardist, excepting in protected yards 
within the limits of a built up town, the list 
is meager and not much to boast of in the 
way of quality. We might name the Con¬ 
cord, Hartford, Prolific, Ives’s Seedling, 
Martha, Clinton and Telegraph, and theD we 
must stop, as even these during unpropitiotts 
seasons frequently prove unreliable. 1 do 
not wish to be classed among the croakers 
who desire to discourage the cultivation of 
the grape, still I feel it to be a duty to warn 
inexperienced gardeners of the shoals where¬ 
on many hopes have been wrecked in times 
pust. There are seasons, however, when 
even the most tender varieties ripen their 
crops, but they do not occur often, aud it is 
best not to depend too highly upon such 
exceptions.” 
--- 
NEW WHITE GRAPES. 
Samuel Miller of Bluffton, Mo., who was 
the orignator of the Martha and Eva grapes 
writes as follows in Colmau’s Rural World of 
recent date : 
The Lady Grape .—We have just had a 
taste of this grape from a graft set last, 
spring. There were but a few berries, whose 
size was not of course up to the standard. It 
is more sprightly and less foxy than the 
Martha. Its seeds are exceedingly small ; 
about the least we ever found in a grape of 
its size. 
£ r(( ,_The Eva has fruited handsomely on 
a graft set last spring a year ago. it also 
pleases me and causes reflections for discard¬ 
ing her some eight, years ago. We consider 
it better in quality than Martha. It was 
originally dropped for want of productive¬ 
ness on the part of the parent line. 
ORCHARD PESTS IN CALIFORNIA. 
It is not more than a half-dozen years since 
the horticulturists of California were pro¬ 
claiming exemption from all the Insect pests 
which made fruit growing in the East such 
a precarious business. But the tables “ have 
turned” more rapidly than expected, and 
eurculios are at the California plums, cod¬ 
dling moths at their apples, and pea-weevils 
come to us in entomological specimens from 
the Pacific slope, showing their presence in 
that supposed never-to-be-insect-in Tested re¬ 
gion. But worse than all this, there now 
come statements which show that the much- 
dreaded Grape louse (or Phylloxera) are at 
work in the vineyards. Great is the con¬ 
sternation produced among the grape grow¬ 
ers of California at this discovery, and they 
have good cause for it, inasmuch as this pest 
has caused immense losses iu the vine grow¬ 
ing regions of Europe, and thus far no prac¬ 
tical remedy is known. The dry soils and 
climate of California will doubtless prove to 
be congenial to this root-inhabiting pest of 
the vine, consequently the vineyurdistsof the 
Pacific slope may iiave to bestir themselves 
in finding a preventive, else see their vine¬ 
yards destroyed. The paradise for fruit 
growers appears to be still a terra incognita, 
although frequently announced of late years 
as having been found. 
--- 
NOXIOUS INSECTS. 
Tice Practical Farmer gives the following 
brief directions concerning u number of insect 
pests of the garden, which are so clear that 
they will aid any farmer or tree grower to 
do much towards protecting his products 
from some of the.ii worst enemies : 
Black Hairy Worm.—Kill whenever found; 
it is very destructive. 
Wire Worm— Is more destructive to seeds, 
as corn and lima beans. Examine for the 
I worms and kill them, 
Mignonette Grub— Pale green, small at 
first but grows rapidly, eats the leaves of 
Mignonette, Sweet Alyssum, etc. Catch and 
kill it. 
Yellow Hairy Tree Caterptllur. —Wherev¬ 
er found, kill. It is always in singles, upon 
trees, bushes, fences and almost everywhere 
in its season. 
Cabbage Louse.—A fat, greenish, mealy 
insect ; multiplies rapidly ; eats the leaves 
of large cabbage. Dusting of air-slacked 
lime kills them. 
Black Chick— devours rapidly the leaves 
of sweet Clematis, egg-plants, peppers, etc. 
One syringing with carbolic acid soap and 
water with flour of sulphur will kill it. It 
is very nimble. 
plum CurouUo.—Dast with slaked lime 
and syringe with strong solution of carbolic 
soap and sulphur iu early spring. This will 
tend to keep it off, at least for a while, and 
then repeat the dose. 
Celery Grub— grows two inches long and 
thick ; striped green and black ; pushes out 
a horn when touched, eats the leaves of 
celery, carrot, parsnip and parsley. Catch 
with the hand and kill it. 
Dusty Louse.— Attacks the monthly honey 
suckle and found at the roots of German 
Asters in hot, dry weather. Syringing the 
honeysuckle with strong carbolic solution 
will kill it; also watering the asters heavily. 
Cabbage Grub —A black ugly grub ; lives 
iu the ground and eats through t he stems of 
young cabbage plants of all varieties so that 
the heads fall off. Scratch lightly around the 
plants and those near them ; where one is 
found another is not far off, as they are al¬ 
ways in pail’s, and but little distance fiom 
each other. 
Rose Bug. —Is very numerous; syringing 
with some strong solution will drive them 
off, but they afterward attack fruit trees - 
especially plum ; better take a pail half full 
of boiling water, and in the morning t ake 
hold of a rose shoot and shake or strip the 
bug in a pail, this kills them, and is very 
easily and quickly done. 
