566 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
AUG. 27 
size. j aicy and of a remarkably sweet, pleasant 
fl ivor. It is also very attractive in appearance, 
the skin beine of a fine yellow color beautiful y 
marked and sbadid with red. As this variety 
r'pens about the first of August, when fruit is 
not very abundant, a dozen trees should be 
found in every suburban garden. Indeed 
every farmer should have at least severaltrees, 
I think that if farmers could only be shown a 
p'ate of the fruit of this variety they would 
need no further inducement to give it at least 
a trial. The size of the fruit can be improved 
to a considerable extent by judicious thinning 
when about half crown. Ab before said, it 
rin< ns about the first of August, eo it is a few 
days lat r than the Madeleine or Citron de 
Cannes, which ripens about the 25th of July. 
Of this variety I happen to possess one fair- 
siztd tree from which I obtained about three 
pecks of vety fair fruit. It is of vigorous, 
erect growib, bearing medium-sized, obovate 
fruit which gradually tapers towards the stalk. 
When properly ripened, the fruit is juicy and 
of a pale yellowish-green color. It is not a 
very long keeping variety, and 6bould be 
picked, and ripened in the house. This is a 
pear but little grown and is only desirable on 
account of its being so early Some persons 
think it of value, but I do not pri*5 it very 
h-ghly. In other localities it may, however, be 
found of more value. 
In reply to •* Lson” who inquires, on page 
513, for information concerning the difference 
between Dtu z\ a tcabra and D. crenata, I do 
not claim n»y plant to be true ecabra, but it is 
certainly different from D. crenata in its more 
erect growth and its much narrower, rougher 
leaves. It has been here for many years and I 
regret I do not know from whom it was ob¬ 
tained. I shall have either to remove or de¬ 
stroy it, this Fall, as It 13 in the way of other 
shrubs. I am aware that D seabra is a scarce 
shrub, bnt for ornamental decoration of our 
lawns, D crenata will prove to be of as much 
TfHe as I) 6cabra. 
Will *-Agrosti8” who wrote the article on 
R sa i ugota, page 481 of the Rural for July 
28 please be so good as to send me a postal 
card through the Rural Office and let me 
know the name of the person who has the large 
bu&h of ihis rose, I am interested in its his¬ 
tory, as 1 b&ve a large plant that was raised 
from eeid brought fiom J*pan by the Commo¬ 
dore Perry Expeduiou 1 Vink that it is an 
error as to its ntiig grown some 70 years ago; 
but 1 mby be mistaken ; however I should be 
pleastd to hear from Agrostis.” 
Queens Co., L I. Chas. E Parnell. 
■» » » -- 
The Morality of Wine Production. 
So far as cur experience bus gone, it appears 
that our fertile hills, with excellent natural 
drainage and & genial climate, are admirably 
adapted to grape growing for wine making. 
The grave question tbfct confronts •onscien- 
tious people is, “If wine making should be 
developed into a great iDdnstiy, wonld its ten- 
dtneies be tvil by inducing intemperance.” 
Prof. G oige Husmann says. (American Grape 
G owing ai d Wine Making, p 235). “I have 
always looked upon the geneiai use of pure, 
light wine as the best temperance measure 
that could be adopted.” That the substitution 
of pure wine for whiskey and brai dy asacom¬ 
mon b» veragta would be an improvement 1 
have not a doubt; but ibis leaves untouched 
the question of lheintrinsic evil tendencies of 
wine making Tuerefore if through the Rural 
sn expression should be given to the mature 
col c u6ions of the most able persons who have 
etud.ed this phase of the question, togetLer 
with any statistics showing the intemperance 
of wim-,reducing countries as compared with 
that of others, it would turn attention to an im¬ 
portant subject, of tven more interest to agri¬ 
culturists than to the rest of the community, 
Btdfoid Co., Tenn. k. j. p. 
Fall planting. A specialty of the Sharpless 
and Manchester. Gratuitously distributed. 
Apply to Mr. Pierson. 
POORS, CATALOGUES, EIC. 
TnrMAS Meehan, Geimantown Nurseries, 
Philadelphia, Pa.—Catalogue of all sorts of 
forest and ornamental trees—deciduous and 
evergreen—vines, Iruits, hedge plants, fernB, 
plants and bulbs—also seeds of many of the 
above. Sent free to subscribers who apply to 
Mr Meehan. 
Quarter] y Report of the Kansas State 
Board of Agriculture for the quarter ending 
June 30—containing reports as to condition 
of winter wheat, rye, farm animals, etc., to¬ 
gether with special papers collating the prac 
tical experience of growers of broom corn, 
castor beans, flux and hemp throughout Ktn- 
bis, etc , etc J K Hidson is the Secretary 
(Topeka) and he is one of those secretaries 
that the agricultural community of Kansas 
should prize. 
Nash & Brother, 22 College P'ace New 
York City. Illu traLtd catalogue of the Acme 
Pulv rizing Harrow, Clod Crusher and Lev- 
eler. Sent Lee. TBIb, aB we koow from sev¬ 
eral years’ use, is an excellent implement. 
F. R Pierson, Tarrytown, N. Y. Pot- 
grown Btraw berries and other small Iruits for 
.Flax Culture n» Kansas. — From the 
last quarterly report of the Kansas 8tate 
Board of Agriculture, we take the following- 
respecting the culture of flrx in that State. 
We wi&h that Borne of our many Kansas sub¬ 
scribers would write ns their experience as to 
this important crop. The soil here (Monrovia 
Co ) is a deep, black loam, containing a large 
percentage of sand, and seems well adapted to 
flix culture. The ground should be well 
plowed, and then hairowed until thoroughly 
pulverized. Drilling and sowing broadcast 
have proved about equally successful in my 
experience, but as a lule I favor drilling, for 
many persons who cannot successfully sow 
broadcast can use a drill without difficulty. 
After sowing, I go over the ground with a 
heavy, wooden roller, to smooth and pack the 
soil, and crush ary clods, as one of the secrets 
of success with 11 rx is to have the soil lu proper 
tilth. The proper quantity of seed is about 
three pecks per acre, or perhaps a trifle less. 
When the bolls assume a brown color, it is 
ready to cut, notwithstanding the leaves and 
stalks may still be green ; at that stage of ripe¬ 
ness it wUl shatter and waste less than when 
ripe. I cut with an improved Buckeye table- 
rake machine, but any other good self-raker 
will answer as well. Laft on the ground as 
dropped by the machine, it will in four or five 
days of good weather be cured enough to 
thrash at once or to stack. The curing can be 
very much expedited by turning the gavels 
over, two or three dBys after cutting; this I 
have fo tnd desirable. My crops average about 
11 bushels per acre, though in exceptional 
cases the yield has been 16 or 18 bushels. Have 
usually m irkete i, n October or November, for 
98 cents to $1 05 per bushel. The straw 1 care¬ 
fully stack at thrashing-time, and in Winter 
cattle and horses eat it greedily, in preference 
to any kind of hay, which I thit-k it equals in 
value. The yield of straw per acre will not 
exceed one-half ton. In preparing for the en¬ 
suing crop 1 fall-plow the ground. A flax crop 
leaves the land in excellent condition for Fall 
wheat, or if fall-plowed is in readiness f jr corn 
in the Spring, either making a very desirable 
rotation. The cost of preparing the ground 
and sowing flax is about the same asfor wheat; 
the cost of seed this Spring was about $1 per 
acre, or considerably less than wheat; the cost 
of harvesting is about 75 cents, or perhaps less 
than half the expense of wheat; to thrash flax 
costs eight to ten cents per bushel, and wheat 
four cents, which will equalize the difference 
in cost of seed. The entire total expense of 
handling a crop of flax is 30 to 40 percent, less 
per acre lhan wheat. It has demonstiated 
that fl ix is one of the most profitable produc¬ 
tions of this part of the State, and it Is no 
longer an experiment. 
Uastor Bean Culture —From the same 
source we take the following as to ci-6tor bean 
culture. I have raised castor beans in Cowl* y 
four years ; they will do well on any soil suit¬ 
able for wheat. Prepare the ground as for 
corn, and if light soil, make rows four feet 
apart; if rich soil, five feet apart. Aim to have 
one stalk in a hill, requiring about one quart 
of seed per acre. Prefer the large gray va¬ 
riety. As soon as ripeniDg begins I commence 
harvesting, and go over the field once a week. 
Have a narrow one-horse cart to gather in. 
Have a dirt floor to snap them on, and clean 
them with fanning-mill having a bean riddle. 
On light sod land I obtain seven to ten bushels; 
on light old land, 12 to 15 bushels, and on rich 
bottom land as high as 35 bushels per acre. 
Prices have averaged a little more than per 
bushel. Raising castor beaus enriches the soil 
and leaves it in most excellent cunditic n for a 
corn crop. My stock has always had access 
to my beans, without logs so far. The stalks I 
drag down with a harrow, and they can be 
readily plowed under. The cost of production 
per acre is about the same as that of corn. 
Broom Culture -As to the cultivation of 
Broom Corn another correspondent saysI 
have raised Broom Corn in this State, Chase 
County, Beven years, and found it a profitable 
crop. Any Boil that will raise corn will pro¬ 
duce a good crop of brush. Prepare the 
ground as for corn, and have it dean. Plant 
with drill, one-quarter of a bushel of seed per 
acre. I nee the Improved Evergreen variety. 
B gin to table and cut as soon as the bloom 
commences to fall. To make a table, break 
two rowB diagonally across each other, about 
three feet from the ground; cut the stalks 
four to six inches from brush, as fast as they 
are broken, and throw in bunches on the table, 
upon which four rows may be placed. One 
man can break as fast as three can cut. When 
a load of brush is cut the hauling should begin 
and no time be lost in cleaning and putting un¬ 
der shed to dry. It may be cut wet or dry if 
cleaned and properly scaffolded. Broom Corn 
should never be fully ripe when cut, except 
for seed. Any kind of a good two-horse power, 
with a cylinder, makes a good seeder On fair 
land, with good cultivation, from 500 to 700 
pounds of brush can be raised per acre. It is 
not the largest brush that is the most, salable, 
consequently it should not be planted too wide 
in the row. My corn is all made up for home 
trade. The stalks are of no more value than 
those of the sunflowers. Tabling, cutting, 
seeding and drying should be done at one time. 
Better Cask for Stock than Family — 
There is truth in the following from the New 
York San : We might name, says the writer, 
some of the richest farmers in the richest, agri- 
cultural regions of this conntry who provide 
magnificent barns, stables, sheds, and pastures 
tor their animals, but at the same time keep 
their wives and children in mean and uncom¬ 
fortable houses, with few conveniences for do¬ 
ing their work easily and properly. Shade trees 
are left or planted in the pastures for their 
stock to recline under, hut there is not one 
near the house, while as for flowers and 
ornamental plants, a whiff from 60 me fragrant 
old lilac or syriDga is about all the garden per¬ 
fume which reaches the Inside of thousands of 
country homes. 
Flowers In Farm-houses. —It is simply a 
low. vulgar taste or relic of barbarism, the 
article states in another part, that excludes the 
the flower gardenfrom too many conn try homes, 
and we are further compelled to say that in a 
majority of instances it is the men of the 
family, and not the women, who are the bar¬ 
barians. Go where we will in the United 
States, the flower pots in the window, the vine 
over the door or porch, the little bed of Sweet 
Williams or humble verbena in the front yard 
are almost infallible signs that there is a 
woman about, with taste and love for the 
beautiful in nature; and, although circum¬ 
stances may not be favorable for developing 
her ideas in such matters, still the t&6te and 
desire are there, and she is a better woman for 
entertaining them. 
Herefobds in the United States —Speak¬ 
ing of the demand for Herefords in this coun¬ 
try, T. C Jones, writing to the London Live 
S.ock Journal, says that it is to be observed, 
In the first place, that it is of recent origin, 
and it cannot be predicted what the future of 
the business will be, or whether the Hereford 
calves will be so well adapted to the hard¬ 
ships aDd privations of our wild ranges as is 
now anticipated. The Hereford breed, like 
other approved breeds of British cattle, has 
been much improved of late years, and will 
not endure the hardships it was accustomed to 
undergo in some quarters fifty or a hundred 
years ago; and it is Dot likely it will prove 
more pr< Stable than crosses of the Short-horn 
breed under a system which allows a large 
percentage of the unimproved cattle of the 
plains to perish from hunger and the severity 
of the cold every Winter. It is, moreover, be¬ 
lieved by a ms jorlty of intelligent observers 
that this ranch-method of producing beef— 
barbarous alike in its influence upon man and 
beast, will prove an ephemeral business. The 
grass in these wild and uninclosed districts is 
scanty, and really nutritious but a few 
months in the year, so that vast ranges are re¬ 
quired—it is said, from three to five acres to 
graze a siDgle sheep. The most of the varie¬ 
ties being annuals, the re-seeding necessary is 
each year of course diminished by heavy stock¬ 
ing ; we, therefore have reports of increasing 
scarcity of grass in all the older districts. It 
is, in fact, the general opinion of men best in¬ 
formed in regard to the system of beef pro¬ 
duction, that it has already reached its maxi- 
Flowbring Trees. —Mr. W. 0. Barry, of the 
Mount Hope Nurseries, Rochester, N. Y,, in his 
essay read before the American Association of 
Nurserymen (Dayton, Ohio, June 17), refers to 
some trees which ;vre desirable on account of 
thoir attractive flowers as well as for their fol¬ 
iage. Fii st he names the Yellow Wood, which 
undoubtedly js the finest flowering tree we 
have. Its long, white racemes of pure white 
flowers hang gracefully about the tree and form 
a picture, the admirable points of which it is 
difficult to describe. 
The Chinese Magnolias are bo well known 
that he refers to them only in a general way. 
The Jadas Tree may be associated with them 
in groups with fine results. 
The large Double-flowering Cherry, White- 
flowering Dogwood, D >uble Scarlet and Double 
White Thurns, White Fringe, and the lindens, 
are all admirable trees, and merit prominent 
places in ornamental grounds. 
The Doable-flowering Horse-chestnut is just¬ 
ly admired for its elegant form and magnifi¬ 
cent inflorescence. The absence of fruit, by 
which much litter is avoided, is au important 
argument in favor of its employment. 
The Red-flowering Horse-chestnut is sur¬ 
passed by few ornamental trees. 
Kcelreuteria panicalata, with its golden yel¬ 
low flowers, and Catalpa syringafolia, produc¬ 
ing great clusters of white and purple flowers, 
cannot be too highly prized, as they blossom at 
a season when flowers are very scarce. 
The doable flowering peaches, which flower 
immediately after the Prunus triloba and 
Dwarf Double-flowering Almond are very de¬ 
sirable. One variety produces double rose 
flowers, another double white, and another 
double red. At tbe fljwering season every 
branch of these trees is thickly studded with 
blooms, which are remarkable for their size, 
beanty, and the length of time they remain 
fresh. The three are a trio of flowering trees 
which deserve to be extensively planted. 
The Scarlet Maple yields a profusion of flow¬ 
ers early in Spring, before the leaves appear. 
It is very showy and ornamental. 
It is very strange, Mr. Birry remarks, that 
gentlemen who have spent thousands npon a 
house would be willing to sacrifice beautiful 
grounds by careless plauting. The same at¬ 
tention aud care which are bestowed upon the 
house Bbould be devoted to the garden, in 
order that the. house and its surroundings may 
present one harmonious whole. Another com¬ 
mon error is that of planting trees which at¬ 
tain large size, in small lots. A tall elm or 
Norway Spruce, or other large tree, is very 
much out of place on a small lawn. 
Since the introduction of the lawn mower 
the lawn has come to be regarded as the great 
feature of a garden. When it is well kept 
there is nothing more beautiful or pleasing 
than a broad, open space of turf, aud in the 
planting aud arranging of trees it should be 
our endeavor to keep the lawn as open as pos¬ 
sible. This can be accomplished by arranging 
the trees and shrubB in borders or belts around 
the margin, with a fine specimen tree occa¬ 
sionally standing alone in a prominent posi¬ 
tion, where its beauties can be seen to the best 
advantage. _ 
The Onion Maggot.—A writer ssys, in 
Vick’s Magazine, that a neighbor and he each 
secured an ounce of Dm vers Yellow Onion, 
and prepared the ground and sowed the seed 
in the same manner, with one exception—the 
neighbor covered the bed with a good supply 
of coal ashes. The crop in both cases came up 
and looked well until the plants were about six 
inches high, when the onions without ashes 
became infeBted with the onion maggot, and 
in a short time wholly disappeared. The 
neighbor never lost an onion. The gardens 
were adjoining, the beds being lesB than 100 
feet apart. _ 
Shallow Culture of Corn. —We are pleased 
to Bee that recent experiments made by Mr. J. 
J. Thomas, the horticultural editor of the 
Albany Cultivator and Country Gentleman, as 
to how far the roots of the corn plant extend 
at various stages of its growth, may be offered 
in support of our advocacy of shallow cultiva¬ 
tion and the It judiciousness of hllllDg up to 
any considerable extent. He says that in Sum¬ 
mer, before the corn plants were six inches 
high, they were found to have horizontal roots 
iu some instances a foot iu length, making a 
circle of fibers two feet in diameter, or four 
times the higbt of the plants. When the corn 
had reached 13 or 15 inches the rootB had met 
between the three-feet rows, and while yet the 
plants had not attained more than one-tenth 
of their final weight or bulk. Long before the 
ears form, the entire ground between the rows 
is occupied with long and slender fibers. 
A Horse Poisoned by Eating Oleander. 
—By reference to the Rural New-Yorker of 
1877 it will be seen that we warned our readers 
against the oleander as being deadly poison¬ 
ous, and though beautiful in flower and leaf as 
a house plant, yet it ought never to be permit¬ 
ted to grow where children may touch it. The 
following is going the rounds of the press 
without credit:—Prof. James Law writes: “A 
case that occurred recently under my notice 
may be recorded as ft warning of the danger¬ 
ous qualities of a favorite house plant. A fine, 
healthy mare ate a single tuft of leaves from a 
branch of an oleander temporarily set by the 
door ; then went on a journey of six miles, ap¬ 
pearing playful aud well, but on returning re¬ 
fused her feed. Next morning she still refused 
to eat, looked dull and haggard, and had par¬ 
tially lost control of her hind limbs. The mare 
died before assistance could be obtained, and on 
opening the body the dark-red congested stom¬ 
ach showed the action of an acrid poison, and 
inquiry brought the account of tho cropping of 
theoleander, of the injurious qualities of which 
the owner was entirely ignorant. As this ig¬ 
norance is very widespread it may be well to 
say that all parts of the plant are dead , y A 
very small auaulity of the leaves 5 b fatal to 
the horse. S6 we have just seen. The flowers 
have produced death in those who carelessly 
picked and ate them. The branches, divested 
of their bark and used as skewers, have poi¬ 
soned the meat roasted on them, and killed 
seven of the twelve people who partook of it. 
