THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JULY 23 
farms, to be a 6un-shade for our cattle at their 
pleasure. * # 
I see it often advocated that fruit trees may 
eei vc a double purpose, narnel , shade and or- 
cb*'d and therefore that they he used Instead 
of elms, hor e-chestnuts ma; les, tulip trees, 
yellov-wood, Umbrella Chinas, or such other 
shade trees as are available i» r our locality ; 
but I cannot admit St. Give me those graceful 
e'rns, umbrageous beeches and handsome ma¬ 
ples that rise ah ft to reach forth their leaf- 
ltden arms and leave below a wide and high 
and fha«Ud chamber, where the air is cool and 
f esh and through which breezes may unhin¬ 
dered blow. Plant your fruit trees in the or¬ 
chard and set a fence around them there. 
* * 
Yes, our houses are very pretty; they are 
painted the whitest of the white and the blinds 
the greenest cf The green ; but why are the 
the door-steps and the piszzr in snch neglected 
state? Apparently you don't paint them as 
often as you do jour clapboards, while they 
ne«d it oftener; neither do you always mend 
them wh< n a board gives way, but 6wayed and 
ragged let them stay, a condemning evidence 
against your tidin' ss and thrift. They remind 
us of ladles gajly dressed with plumes and 
blossoms on their heads, with robes untar¬ 
nished and bedecked with ta6tefnl trimmings, 
but whose shoes may lack a button, have heels 
oblique, or have not yet been polished since 
they left the store. Agrostis. 
I have just been look eg at my Exochorda 
grandiiiora, and am delighted to find it for the 
first time pioducing seed. This fact will ren¬ 
der the plant of easy culture, reduce the price, 
and place it within the leach of all. We shall 
only have to wait a little. My plant is one of 
the first sent out in this count* y and const- 
qently has some age, which inny be necessary 
for lire production of seed. It stands about 
nine feet high, and legrowiug in a light, sandy 
Boil. It is pleasant to know that this beautiful 
hardy shrub msy yet become common. It will 
be well for those who have large plants to ex¬ 
amine them lor seed. The seed vessel is five¬ 
angled and readi'y * en. 
Anothek eeaeo ’a trial has satisfied me of 
the ex elienee of thb Vir fi y Spinach. The 
8 tvoy-Jeuvi d is al.-o good, but will not endure 
the heat of appioicbing Summer as well as the 
Virility, The latter may finally be thinned 
out to h foot apart. Tne yourg flrwer stain 
of the Viroflay Is stout and Vc y succulent 
when four or five inches high, and should not 
be difc.ided. Cut at the right lime, I prefer 
the flower 6talk to the leaf. Try it 
The Ox-eye Daisy of our fieldB has fairly 
driven its French cousin, the Paris Dai y, to 
the wall. In town and c untiy all the women 
and many of the men now wear the Oz-tys 
Daisy; and I do not set why it is not almost 
as pietty to wear in the corsage or button-hole 
as the other, especially when H has been grown 
in a rather poor 6oll, when the common eye 
i& not ant lu sec any difference between them. 
Tut Ox-eye was in common use last Winter, 
and m cy still be seen (July 2) in the window 
of the florist. 
There has for some time past been more or 
less talk about forming a “i-yadicate ” for the 
purchase of Mr. Durand’s J.rsey Qaeeu Straw¬ 
berry. The nrgotiatlons have come to an end 
at last, and Mi. Peter Heuderaon will < ffsr the 
plant for sale iu August. I do not know how 
far the plant has been tested in different soda, 
but of the fruit I can speak as being decidedly 
the best of all Mr. Duraud’B seedlings. It is 
not only a beautiful berry, but in quality as 
near perfection as anything we shall probably 
have in the way of strawberries for some time 
to come. I first became acquainted with it 
three years ago. but have said little about it 
eince I felt doubtful whether Mr. Durand 
would find anybody to comply with Ms termB. 
The Jersey Queen ripens late, but 5s none the 
worse for that. 1 sincerely hope that this at 
least of Mr. Durand’s seedlings will prove to 
be adapted to geueral cultivation. 
The engravings given by the editor, in the 
Rural of July 2, show the "hilling ’ aud" fiat 
culture ” systems of corn raising very nicely. 
Let me add a word or two in rrgai d to the 
ability of the stalks to withstand a hard "blow” 
under flat culture, and iu confirmation of the 
editor’s experience in thus respect. Id " talk¬ 
ing ” fiat culture for corn 1 have almost inva¬ 
riably been met with the o j action, and nearly 
always in the Bamo words, "Yes, but your 
com wi;I all blow down.” The simple fact is 
that corn wii stand up better under flit cul¬ 
ture than under the hlldng rystern. 1 have 
alwnys found it to be so, aud fur reasons which 
the illustrations of the editor make obvious. 
Corn will go down more or lesa in very heavy 
rains accompanied by strong winds; but in 
flat culture it will mostly come up again, 
whereas in hilling the mass of earth lyiDg 
ag&mst the 6tslk& prevents this. Economy, 
too, is decidedly in favor of flat culture, as I 
have proved over aud over again. The large 
farmers in a section where fl it culture was be¬ 
foreunknown, are giving it a trial this season, 
and thus far are quite satisfied. I know what 
the result will be. [is a matter of economy 
in time and labor, we hope they will next try 
drilling in the seed. Eds ] 
A few years ago I rode frequently on the 
Northern Railroad of New Jersey. On one oc¬ 
casion a herd of cattle was on the track. The 
engineer slowed up and whistled " the poor 
things along for half a mile or more when he 
put on a head of steam and rushed into them 
pell-mell, tossing them in the air, killing and 
horribly mangling 11 of them. In doing this be 
endangered the life ot every passenger on board, 
and lost at least ten minutes of time. A few 
weeks since I rode on the Southern Railroad 
of New Jersey, and, just this side of Manches¬ 
ter, some handsome young Alderney cattle 
were oo the track. The engineer slowed up, 
and as they did not leave the track on the ap¬ 
proach of the train, one of his assistants ran 
ahead and drove the cattle off. He may have 
lost two minutes of lime (instead of ten), but 
no cattle were killed and no human lives endan¬ 
gered. The engineer’s conduct elicited praise 
from everybody around me 1 wish I knew 
his name. These two examples deserve the 
consideration of railroad mauagers throughout 
the country, or at least of those who are not 
so stolid as to he indifferent to human life. It 
6eems to me that the conduct of the latter 
engineer should be made the basis of a rule 
for all railroads. Cattle, for some reason, sel¬ 
dom leave a track with a locomotive behind 
them. This has been a matter of common ob¬ 
servation with me. 
I hCFFOSE we may say good-by to the con¬ 
templated iniernational exhibition, and, under 
the circumstances, 1 am not sorry it i8 60 . The 
first one held in New York was a failure, aud 
this, from the manner of its initiation, prom¬ 
ised to be a greater one. New York would 
seem not to be a good place for such things. 
That it would succeed in Boston I have no 
manner of doubt. There is a fine spirit of 
local pride there which ws have not. 
Do mot forget the forthcoming meeting of 
the Pomologieal Society iu Boston. Let us 
once more gladden the heart of its venerable 
President by a great crowd. It will please 
him beyond measure to welcome a full delega¬ 
tion from every section of the entire country. 
Hohticola. 
THE HUCKLEBERRY, 
There Is one thing In the cultivation of 
small fruits which I cannot understand, and 
which 1 have oftened wondered at. We cul¬ 
tivate the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, 
currant, etc., and we go to great pains and ex¬ 
pense to improve these excellent sorts, but 
why do we entirely neglect the huckleberry 
which Is hardier than ar y of them, and only 
second to the strawberry in most respects, 
and in some respects its superior ? I would 
not dispule the claim of the strawberry to be 
" the finest fruit God ever made,” and yet the 
day will come when it will have a powerful 
rival in ihe huckleberry, or blaeberry, as it is 
sometimes called. When I remember its mat y 
excellencies, I do not know that I ought to 
place it aller the strawberry, for I am inclined 
to think it is its equal. It holds the same 
place among email fruits which apples hold 
among large ones. It is perfectly hardy, past¬ 
ing through the severest, Winters unharmed, 
while the berry is firm, a good keeper, and 
will endure long transportation. It may lack 
the aroma of the strawberry, yet it is scarcely 
less delicious. Served with sugar and cream 
It is fit for a 60 vereigu ; while for pies, or can¬ 
ning for winter use, it is in my opinion, unriv¬ 
aled, and far superior to the strawberry or any 
other small fruit now in cultivation. 
There are several varieties of the wild 
huckltberiy, but no attempt has ever been 
made to improve aDy of them, so far as I am 
aware. tYes—attempts have been and are 
being made.— Eds ] At least two varieties 
grow on my native mountains in Northern 
Pennsylvania. 1 suppose them to be the Vac- 
cinium Pennsylvanieum and V. vacillaus of 
the botanists. [The botanical name of the 
huckleberry or American whortleberry, is 
G.ylusftuela (Gray); Vacclninm is the cran- 
beny or blaeberry. Outside of New England, 
however, the blueberry is commonly called 
huckleberry. The distinction is here noted, 
however, to prevent confusion in the minds of 
some leaders. -Eds ] Tney grow on high, rocky 
and 6t,ei lie soil, the first—whieh is most abun¬ 
dant—being from six to fifteen inches iu bight, 
and the last, from one to three teat. The low 
variety is first to ripen, and I have frequently 
seen the ground blue with them. Often in my 
earlier boyhood have 1 gone iu company willr 
others and gathered a bushel or more in one 
day, and sometimes 1 have camptd out on the 
ground, sleeping at night on the top of the 
mountain, by a pile of blazing pitch-pine. 
Such times are ever to be remembered in the 
life of a boy. I always obeer ved that the most 
and finest berries were obtained from young 
and thrifty bullies springing up where others 
had been destroyed 1 y the forest fires which 
frequently—almost annually—sweep over the 
mountains; and I have thought that perhaps 
here was a hint worth remembering in the cul¬ 
tivation of this fruit. I sincerely hope that our 
horticulturists and all fruit growers will give 
more attention to this neglected berry, which 
is a hardy native of our own land, thriving 
on the poorest of soils, free from all insect 
enemies. and whieh generally escapes the late 
frosts of Spring. I transplanted some of them 
to my own garden in late Spring and am giv¬ 
ing them a trial. I can readily imagine that 
an acre of them well cultivated would look as 
fine as they would taste delicious. a. s. 
Mansfield, Pa. 
[We are afraid onr friend will think lees of 
them after the trial he proposes. But we wi6h 
him success.— Eds ] 
-*--*-*- 
REMARKS ON ORCHARDS. 
When an orchard is not cultivated, the roots 
he nearer the surface and feed on the Boil, 
which Is not the case when the ground is 
plowed, as they are torn off aud destroyed with¬ 
in the reach of the plow, which is usually 
about the depth of the soil. 
I am aware that this Idea is opposed to 
the general teaching, but, nevertheless, the or¬ 
chard I have alluded to is a successful demon¬ 
stration of the practical wisdom of not plow ■ 
ing orchards, or. at least, not plowing them us 
it is usually done. We intend to make our 
perpetual orchard a perpetual pig pasture, as 
we believe pigs are the best adapted of any 
stock to run in an orchard. They will help to 
enrich the ground more than uny other ani¬ 
mals, and at the same time, by eating the 
lallcn apples, they will destroy the worms 
whieh prey upon the fruit. In accordance 
willr this purpose we have seeded our orchard 
with Orchard Grass, which does best In the 
shade, and shall try the experiment of a con¬ 
tinuous sod. 
The trees planted to renew the old ones will 
be allowed to grow with low-spreading tops to 
facilitate the gathering of the fruit. Low 
branches will also render the fruit less liable to 
be blown off, wh ch is an important item, as it 
will save a considerable percentage of loss. I 
do not believe in digging up old stumps when 
young trees are to be planted in their places. I 
prefer to plant ihe youug tree by the side of the 
stump, as this affords a protects n to it, keeps 
the ground mellow and moist i y its decay, and 
alto furnishes food for it. Wc hold (hat there 
is no more natural support for the tree than a 
tree or its equivaltn .—a stump. The proof of 
this is fouod in forests, where young trees are 
found growing rapidly by stumps and decay¬ 
ing logs. It is more attractive to tee a young, 
thrifty tree growing with a future prospect of 
good fruit than an old one, unsightly and un¬ 
profitable. Young trees coriv y the impression 
of profit, while old ones suggest loss. 
Col. F. D. Curtis. 
Jflorintltiiral, 
DOUBLE-FLOWERINGDEUTZIA—WEIGELA 
AMAB1LIS, ETC. 
One of the prettiest 6hrubs to be found in 
blossom at the present time—July 4th—lathe 
Double-11 iwering Deutzia—Deulzla cienata fl. 
pi. Like many others of our ornamental 
shrubs, its beauly depends upon the amount of 
care and attention it has received. The flow¬ 
ers are double, white tinged with rose, and last 
fora considerable time. They are produced 
in racemes front four to six inches long, in 
great profusion, it is very correctly cle6cribf d 
as being one of the most desirable flowering 
shrubs in cultivation. By the way, however, I 
notice that Ellwanger & Barry adverti.-e a new 
variety of this dentzia, Pride of Rochester, 
which they deecrihe as haviug larger flowers in 
longer panicles than the older sort. They al-o 
claim that it Is of more vigorous habit and a 
more profuse bloomer. It this is all that is 
claimed for it, it is a decided addition to our 
list of ornamental flowering shrubs. 
[Deutzias grow as readily irom seeds as do 
beets. Seeds of the derail -flowering kinds 
produce a goodly proportion of doubh-flower¬ 
ing plants. Wc have many eetdliOgB at the 
Rural G ounds, several of which arc in some 
respects superior to catalogue kinds — Eds J 
I notice that the Lovely Weigelu (Weigela 
amablis) is in many places dead to the ground. 
As they are now throwing up an abundance of 
strong and healthy shoots, it is evident that 
the roots are healthy. As some are dead in 
sheltered as well as exposed situations, it can¬ 
not be that they were injured by the past se¬ 
vere Winter. I should like to know if they 
have been injured in other localities. Will 
some of the readers of the Rural give ns the 
desired information ? This is a very desirable 
variety, as it blooms quite freely in the Au¬ 
tumn. In color the flowers are bright pink. 
Cherries are ripe, and prove to be a larger 
crop than was expected; but they are being 
rapidly destroyed by the rose bugs, and some 
varieties are rotting very badly, the Black Tar¬ 
tarian especially so. 1 notice, however, that 
the rose bug prefers the Black Eagle to any 
other variety. It is impossible to obtain a plate 
of cherries from a large-sized tree, so numer¬ 
ous and destructive are these pests—and, ty 
the way, we have no remedy. 
The Chinese Wistaria stood the Winter 
here without sustaining much injury ; but all 
the blossom buds were killed. 
The strawberry season is about over, and I 
hope that wo shall soon have some reliable 
notes concerning the new varieties that are 
candidates for public favor. From what I 
have seen of the Bid well I regard it as the most 
promising of the new sorts. Among the older 
varieties Charles Downing excels all in the 
quantily of berries produced, but the largest- 
sized berries were obtained from Seth Boyden. 
Green Prolific bore an immense quantity of 
berries, but thry were mostly of small size. 
Does this variety need extra cultivation to 
properly develop and perfect Its crop of fruit? 
The common white lilt (Lilium candiduui), 
that grand old flower, is uow a very attractive 
oi ject. The large clusters of pure white flow¬ 
ers are also deliciously fragrant, especially in 
the eveniDgs. Were I confined to the cultiva¬ 
tion of one li y, I would select thiB va¬ 
riety. It is perfectly hardy and thrives in 
almost any garden soil. It requires deep 
planting, and should not be disturbed for 
several years after being planted. Be cart¬ 
ful not to give it rank manure, as this in¬ 
variably destroys the bulbs. Good, strong 
bulbs can be cheaply obtained, and at least 
several groups of this noble lily should be 
fouud in ull gardens. [That is true.— Eds ] 
Is there any difference between the Round 
aud ihe Savoy-leaved Spinach? Planted side 
by side here, they were pronounced identical 
by all who saw them growing. [We have never 
tried the latter.— Eds ] Chas. E. Parnell. 
Queens Co , L. 1. 
-♦ ♦ » — 
BOCCONIA JAPONICA 
For Ornament aud for Bees. 
PROFESSOR J. L. BUDD. 
I notice in the Eistern States this plant Is 
becoming popular in sub-tropical gardening 
and for isolated beds upon lawns. We have 
a bed filled with it on the college lawn, which 
attracts the attention of visitors daring all 
its stages of growth, but especially when cov¬ 
ered with its immense, compcund-panicled 
head of fringed white flowers and creamy 
white buds. Daring May and June its very 
large, tropical-lookiog foliage makes it an ob¬ 
ject of interest. Though coming to ns from 
the laud of the tea-plaut, the oleander and 
camellia, the roo'.a of the bocconia endure our 
Winters as perfectly as do those of the Diely- 
tra spectabilis from the same region. For 
the three past years I have been watching the 
plant In view of Its probable value to bee-keep¬ 
ers. During its extended flowering season our 
plot is frequented by honey bees to an extent 
not observed with auy other plant except 
buckwheat. The bocconia is so rampant in 
growth, aud its great leaves bo cover the 
ground, that weeds and grass cannot exist be¬ 
neath it. For this reason the care of a plot 
amounts to nothing after it is once established. 
Plants may be started fr om small sections of the 
surface roots, which suggests the possibility 
of its becoming a troublesome weed. We have 
found it so easily killed by cutting off the parts 
above ground in its stages of vigorous growth, 
that 1 do not apprehend trouble from growing 
it in flower gardens or in plots for bee forage. 
Agricultural College, Ames, Iowa. 
Succeu with the Rural Seeds. 
Wk had so many plants from the carnation 
and picotee BeedB sent us that we could hardly 
find room to plant them out and we anticipate 
great pleasure in seeing them bloom next Sum¬ 
mer. We have two aquilegias from a previous 
distribution of the Rural, that we consider 
very flue—one is sky-blue aud while aud the 
other cream colored with the carnation stripe, 
and both are very double. We have two Wei- 
gela shrubs from the Rural seed, one of which 
is about four feet across; the flowers are sin¬ 
gle, of a deep rose-color, aud bloomed in Miy. 
We have one Amorpha shrub that Is growing 
very well. The leaves of one of the Rose of 
Sharon shrubs appear to be variegated. I 
serd for name flowers and leaves of a rather 
beautiful shrub that grows in our timber. It 
blooms in June and July and is sweet-scented. 
Tangent, Oregon. H. L. s. 
[Please send us a few leaves of the variega¬ 
ted Rose of Sharon, giving your address aud 
Btating It was from the seed we sent you, that 
we may know about it. The plant sent is the 
Mock Or ange, or Syringa—Philadtlphus. Eds ] 
