for the Doinni, 
THE HORTICULTURAL CLUB. 
First Discussion. 
Topic: Grapes—Their Culture, Best Varie¬ 
ties, etc 
At the first regular meeting of the club for 
discussion, Uncle Mark was chosen chairman, 
with but one dissenting voice, viz: his own. 
On taking the chair he kindly thanked the 
Cousins for the honor conferred, and an¬ 
nounced the topic for discussion. Ho remarked 
that gra pe growing depended so much on soil 
and climate that it was impossible almost to 
consider any one variety as adapted to general 
cultivation. A variety that would thrive 
well and prove prolific in Minnesota was likely 
to be a failure in the South. It is an error to 
suppose that the vino will thrive and bear 
fruit anywhere, cultivated or not cultivated. 
It may grow, but if the soil bo thoroughly 
worked, it will repay one for his extra labor. 
As to varieties the chairman considered the 
Wilder, Delaware, Elvira and Massasoit as 
good to cultivate in this latitude. 
Willio Marstou said that the Goethe is a 
favorite and if well pruned and not allowed 
to overbear it does exceedingly well. His 
father likes the Concord as it does not seem 
, to be so easily affected with the phylloxera. 
Oscar Chapman had the Concord and 
Malaga, as he calls it, growing in the same 
arbor. The latter bloomed two weelcs earlier 
than the former and the fruit grew nicely in 
beautiful shaped large bunches until nearly 
ripe then it began to rot. He killed bis vine 
by carelessly applying salt to its roots. lie 
asked a remedy for the grape rot. 
The chairman suggested high-trellis train¬ 
ing in order to get freer circulation of air and 
bettor light. No sure remedy known. It is 
better to pluut varieties not susceptible to it 
if possible. 
Eula Chapman had some vines which became 
inf ested with insects, which were killed by an 
application of strong tobacco tea and potash. 
The Concord bears a One crop this year. 
Georgie Wilson thinks the Concord does the 
best of all in Florida. The Seuppernong is 
the most common. It has a dark cojjpor color, 
a pleasant taste but rather tough skin. When 
a vine is ripening its fruit, a delightful aroma 
from it fills the air. It is said to make a 
good wine—four gallons to the bushel. 
Henry Jacobs asked what varieties succeed 
best in Central New York, to which Harry 
French of Elmira responded that of live kinds 
fruited on his lather’s grounds the Concord 
Stands first, being most reliable. Catawbns 
do not generally ripen, and growth of wood is 
feeble; Isabellas are apt to be frost bitten be¬ 
fore fully ripe. Have about 40 Catawba seed¬ 
lings now planted, hoping to find one at least 
worthy of cultivation. The Martha did not 
survive the last Winter. 
As to a remedy for the phylloxera or grape¬ 
vine root-louse, requested by Emma Janes, 
the chairman stated with such varieties as 
the Catawba and Delaware, grafting on 
phylloxera-proof roots has proved beneficial. 
Willie Edwards thought, that the surest way 
to avoid phylloxera is to plant such varieties 
as are not subject to its ravages. Tho Con¬ 
cord, Wilder, Martha and Goethe are but little 
affected with the post. 
Fraud's Herndon thinks the Poekliugton 
about the best, white grape. The vine is a 
strong grower and is said to never mildew. 
Ezra Morse sowed grape seeds about the 
middle of October; the young plants ware re¬ 
moved to a worm building when frost came, 
and were covered with glass, in the Spring 
they were set out and have done well. Grapes 
should not be allowed to overbear. Thin out 
the blossoms on all overloaded vines and do 
not allow them to bear over six bunches the 
first year after setting. He prefers the Dela¬ 
ware and Concord. 
The subject for the next discussion will be 
“ Orchard fruits; their management for Win¬ 
ter use; packing for market; most profitable 
kinds, etc.” 
-» ♦ ♦- 
FARMING FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. 
HENRY STEWART. 
Oats. 
Oats follow wheat in the order of value 
iu our small-grain crop. It is a most useful 
grain and furnishes excellent food for man, 
ns well as horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and poul¬ 
try. It succeeds best on rich, moist soils, and 
100 bushels per acre of the best varieties is 
sometimes grown. It will produce a fair 
crop, or 40 to 50 bushels per acre on poor, 
sandy laud, and is, therefore, very generally 
grown, and is made a regular member of the 
common rotation of crops, following corn and 
preceding wheat. The word, oat, is derived 
from an Anglo Saxon word ate, which means 
to eat, and our word eat is originally of the 
same meaning, or synonymous with oat. This 
signifies the fact that our ancestors, the Anglo- 
Saxons, used this grain as their chief bread¬ 
stuff. The cakes which, as is related in Eng¬ 
lish history, were suffered to burn by the 
English-Suxon king, Alfred the Great, as he 
was left to tend them in a hut where he had 
taken refuge, and for which he received a 
sound scolding by his hostess, were oat cakes, 
and no doubt the king in his temporary mis¬ 
fortunes, eat those cakes with as good an ap¬ 
petite in liis humble lodgings, as he had before, 
and did after, in his palace, 
The Latin name of the oat is avena. This 
word signifies “something desirable,” and 
proves that this grain was highly considered 
by the ancient Romans, who probably intro¬ 
duced it into Northern Europe when they con- 
qu ered and occupied it. 
Oats succeed best in cool, moist climates, 
The best oats in the world are grown in Ire¬ 
land and Scotland, where tho season of growth 
is long and cool, and where “the rain, it rain, 
cth every day.” These oats are very plump 
and heavy, and frequently weigh 54 or 55 
pounds to the measured bushel; here, oats 
rarely weigh over 32 pounds to the bushel and 
often less than that. 
There are many varieties of oats, derived 
chiefly from the Tartarian, Siberian, Poland, 
Norway and Irish potato oat. Oats are black 
or white, or black and white mixed. The Tar¬ 
tarian oat, is black; the Poland and Irish pota¬ 
to oat are white, and very short and plump. 
The latter was so called from the first of its 
kind being found growing in a manure heap 
made chiefly of the stalks of potatoes. The 
Norway oat is black and white, or greyish, 
from a mixture of those colors. The Tartarian 
oat, has a peculiar manner of growth, the 
panicle or head all growing on one side, from 
which it, has taken the name of “ horse-mane,’’ 
or “mane” oats. The potato oat is chiefly 
grown where oatmeal is made, and is the best 
and most valuable kind grown; but it, succeeds 
only upon rich, moist, loamy soil, while the 
Tartarian yields well upon light, sandy soil, 
and produces a lair crop where the heavier 
oats would fail. 
Oats are usually sown upon corn stubble 
early in Spring, and two and a-luilf bushels of 
seed per acre are used. It is supposed by some 
that oats do not require careful sowing and 
that the seed will grow if it is even not well 
covered. This is a great mistake. “What, is 
worth doing is worth doing well,” in respect 
to oats as to everything we have to do, Tho 
reason why the yield of oats js so small mid 
our grain is so light is, no doubt, that suffi¬ 
cient pains are not. taken to prepare the 
ground and cover the seed in a thorough man¬ 
ner. In all the work of the farm this truth 
should always be remembered—that it pays to 
do everything iu the best manner. 
Oats should lie harvested before they are 
thoroughly ripe, otherwise the very slender 
and weak pedicel by which each grain hangs 
to the stalk gives way, and a great deal of 
the grain is wasted and lost. Oats should be 
cut as soon as tho straw near the head be¬ 
comes yellow, and when the grain is still so 
soft that it may be crashed between the fin¬ 
ger-nails, but is yet not milky or doughy, but 
dry when squeezed and broken. At this pe¬ 
riod the straw is of the most value for fodder 
and there will be little loss of the grain. Oat 
straw is both nutritious and soft, and is readily 
eaten by horses and cattle. It is far too valua¬ 
ble for feeding to bo used for litter. 
Oats are rarely manured, as they come after 
com, to which manure is usually applied. But 
no other crop pays better for liberal manuring 
or for an application of artificial fertilizer. 
Halt has an excellent effect, upon oats when 
used at the rate of three to five bushels per 
acre; and supeiphosphate of lime, at the rate 
of 150 to 300 pounds per acre, is remarkably 
beneficial to this crop. 
- »» ♦- 
NOTE. 
Our first “ Discussion ” appears in another 
column, and it will serve to give an idea of 
what I want the members of tin Club to do. I 
did not receive as many “opinions” ns I ex¬ 
pected to, but shall hope that all will be more 
interested in the discussions hereafter. It will 
do you much good to learn to express your 
views upon a subject, and, uniting study with 
experience, this ought to bo a good menus to¬ 
ward gaining increased knowledge in horticul¬ 
ture, etc. Now then for the next discussion, 
which will be published in three weeks, let all 
show their interest by dropping me a few 
lines on a postal card. We want short notes 
and such ns will enable us to impart the most 
information one to another. Of course our 
meeting Is rather an imaginary one, hence 
those discussions may be considered as reports 
of said meeting; but don’t all imagine that 
some one else will do tho writing. This 
is just the time to consider the subject pro¬ 
posed for the next meeting, and I think that 
most farmers’ boys can write something from 
experience. The girls, too, should have a 
word to offer on so interesting a topic. Now 
hurrah 1 for the one on Orchard Fruits, u. m. 
’’Irbori cultural. 
PLANTING BLACK WALNUTS. 
I am glad to see the Rural advocating the 
growing of nut-bearing trees, and especially 
the black walnut, which is so valuable for 
timber. Those trees are so easy to got started 
and grow so rapidly that no one need hesitate 
to make the effort. They will grow on any 
kind of rough land, however exposed, among 
the rocks, on dry knolls, or on bottom land if 
it is not covered with water. Our oldest, black 
walnut trees we are confident will bear nuts 
another year. We have let them grow with 
the limbs low down, which has a tendency to 
make them fruit earlier. They are eight years 
old and will measure 10 inches in circumfer¬ 
ence at the foot. These trees were planted by 
digging a hole in the slaty ground with a pick¬ 
axe, into which the nuts were placed as soon 
as they were ripe. In some instances the soil 
had to be brought from a distance to cover 
them, as there was not sufficient, ground among 
the stones to do so. They wero put in, three or 
four nuts in a place, six inches deep, and the 
ground pressed down firm with the foot. 
The little trees come up in the early Sum¬ 
mer strong and vigorous, and unless the grass 
is too rank they will take care of themselves 
aud grow finely without any further care. If 
the grass is likely to be rank about the spot 
where the nuts are planted, it should be 
spaded over at the time they are planted. If 
planted in rows, the ground can no plowed be¬ 
fore tho nuts are put in. We have done this 
and then plowed a shallow furrow into which 
the nuts were -scattered and then covered. It 
is the best plan to put the nuts into the ground 
where they are to grow,in the Autumn, unless 
there is danger of the squirrels digging them 
out, which they are sure to do if tho location 
is near their haunts. Tho nuts may be spread 
upon the ground as soon os gathered and cov¬ 
ered with leaves or coarse manure and left 
until Spring; or they may be put into a box 
and mixed with sand and left out-of-doors 
uncovered until Spring, The box should be 
so open as not to hold water. In either case 
the nuts should be put into tho ground as 
early in the Spring as it can bo prepared. 
There are many farms with hill-sides or 
spots unsuited for cultivation, iu which these 
nuts can be planted and a grove started with 
no expense or trouble worth mentioning. 
These same plaees would furnish as much pas¬ 
ture with the trees as without them, and in 
many cases more, as the trees would bring 
moisture. When these trees are grown for 
timber they can be planted closer together, 
and should be trimmed to give them an up¬ 
right growth. They should be put in rows six 
feet apart, the trees four feet from each other. 
In after 3 ’ears every other tree can be cut out, 
if it is found they are too thick, to give room 
for those remaining. W idle young, the ground 
should be cultivated, to make a more rapid 
growth; but when the trees are large enough 
not to be injured by C"t,tle or sheep the land 
may be pastured and no further trouble bo in¬ 
curred. In 30 years the trees will be large 
enough to cut market logs. F. D. c. 
RAISIN MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 
I recently visited three of the largest and 
most successful grapo growers on the coast. 
One of them was Mr. R, B. Blowers, of Wood¬ 
land. Mr. B. is making a specialty of raising 
grapes for raisins. He says that the Muscatel 
is the best, grape for this purpose. He has un¬ 
til recently cured them by laying them on 
thin boards or platforms, about two by three 
feet, which he lays in the furrows between the 
rows of vines. It takes from two to throe 
weeks to cure them in tins way. After they 
have laid several days he turns them by 
placing another board over the top and turn¬ 
ing them over, then removing the top board. 
Could one depend on fair weather and no 
rain this way of curing them would be tho 
cheapest and best; but as tho grape does not 
mature until just about the season they ex¬ 
pect rain, it very often happens that a storm 
comes up and destroys the whole crop. Ho it 
has become a matter of necessity, in certain 
portions of California, that those making a 
business of converting their grapes into rais¬ 
ins must use fruit-dryers that will enable them, 
iu tho case of rain, to save their crops. Mr, 
Blower has, no doubt, the best raisin-dryer in 
the country. Its capacity is about 20 tons; 
time required to cure tho grapes is from eight 
to ten days. He introduces heat at 100 de¬ 
grees into the separate drying chamber and 
alter it is charged with moisture exhausts it 
by means of an exhaust fan. After the grapes 
are taken from the dryer they are put in 
sweat boxes and left from one to two days, 
the object of which is to equalize them, or, in 
other words, some that are not as dry as oth¬ 
ers will absorb the moisture of others. After 
being taken from the sweat-box thoy are care¬ 
fully assorted and boxed. 
The seedless Sultana is a favorite raisin 
grape, and will eventually be the raisin of the 
future. It is not much larger than our cur¬ 
rant, and is seedless; does not take so long to 
cure, and makes a finer and better raisin. 
The time is not. far distant when California 
will supply the United States with its raisins. 
The quality is about, ns good now ns the best 
imported, and the grape-growers of this State 
are just waking up to the fact that they can 
make more money out of their grapes by con¬ 
verting them into raisins than wine The re¬ 
sult is that there have been and will be more 
vines set out this year than in many years 
past, and California raisins will soon besought 
for in preference to those imported. 
Sacramento, Cal. Vineyardist. 
CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURAL EX¬ 
PERIMENT STATION. 
BULLETIN NO. 66, SEPT. 1, 1881. 
637. Forrester’s Corn Manure, made by Geo. 
B. Forrester, 188 Pearl Street, New York City; 
sent by M. S. Baldwin, Naugatuck, Ct. 
648. Oat manure. 
646. Potato manure. 
647. Com manure. 
Nos. 643, 646, 647 were made by George B. 
Forrester, New York, and sold by S. B. Wake- 
mau, Saugatuck, Ct. 
645. Stockbridge Cora Manure. 
650. Stockbridge Potato Manure. 
645 and 650 were made by tho Bowker Fer¬ 
tilizer Co., Boston and Now York, and sold by 
Hubbell & Wakemau, Suugutuck. 
Nos. 643, 040, 6-47, 645 and 650 were sampled 
and sent by James B. Nash, of Saugatuck. 
648. Strawberry manure, 
649. Onion manure. 
648 and 649 were made by George B. Forres¬ 
ter, and were scut by the dealer, S. B. Wake- 
man, Saugatuck. 
644. Ground bone, made by George B. For¬ 
rester; sent by John II. Robinson, Saugatuck. 
060. Custor pomace, sent by A. J. Baker & 
Brother, New York City. 
637 643 646 
Soluble phosphoric aeld. 4 .no 4.IK5 4.38 
Reverted “ " . 0.74 1.04 0.56 
Insoluble “ ** . 0.44 0.33 0.23 
Nitrogen of ammonia salts. 5.25 4 79 3.33 
“ organic matter. 0.25 
Potash. 8.67 8.61 9.50 
Chlorine. . 3.29 0.66 
Estimated value per tou.$46.54 *49,13 $ 43 .iu 
Cost per ton.$4T.50t$i9.0Q» $49.uu* 
_647 645_650 
Soluble phosphoric acid. 6.62 5.46 5 54 
Reverted “ " . 1.38 1.35 1.29 
Insoluble “ •• . 0.37 1.97 1.98 
Nitrogen of ammonia suits. 4.58 0.31 0.24 
" " orguulo matter. 3.73 8.08 
Potash. 6.63 5.29 4 .H 5 
Chlorine. 2.79 2.33 2.21 
Estimated value per ton.$19.94 *42.70 *39.17 
Cost per toil.. .. .$49.00* $50.00 $50.00 
648 
619 
644 
Soluble phosphoric acid.. 
6.81 
3.98 
Reverted “ " .. 
0.77 
0.50 
Insoluble “ " .. 
0.21 
0.42 
20.95 
Nitrogen of ammonia 
salts. 
3.20 
5.06 
Nitrogen of organic mut¬ 
ter. 
0.23 
4.01 
Potash. 
6.45 
6.30 
Chlorine. 
0.66 
0.42 
Estimated value per ton. 
142.42 
843.57 
$33.41 
Cost per ton. . 
844.50* 
849 50* 
$35.0I>* 
• At Saugatuck. t Iu New York. 
600 
1.56 
4.74 
0.97 
817.91 
$22.50t 
642. Nitrate of soda, imported by the Mapes 
Formula and Peruvian Guano Co., New York 
and Hartford; sent by J. W. Hemingway, 
Plainville, Ct. 
Analysis. 
[Nitrogen . 
Equivalent to nitrate of soda 
Moisture. 
Undetermined matters. 
15.79] 
95.90 
3.00 
, 1.10 
Nitrogen costs 26,9 cents per pouud. 
Costs $12.75 per 300 pounds In New York. 
612. Swamp muck, sent by N. P. Perkins, 
Williamantio, Ct. 
This muck was dug last November and has 
since lain in an open field. 
Analysis of 612. 
_The undried sample contains, percent. 
Water. 77.59 
Organic aud volatile matter [with nitrogen 0.41] 15.65 
Ash... 6.76 
100.00 
__The ash contains 
Silica and substances Insoluble In acid. 6.15 
Oxide of iron, alumina and phosphoric add.38 
I.lme.14 
Other matter not determined. .09 
6.76 
Poisonous iron salts. trace 
The dry muuk contains 
Organic and volatile. 69.82 
Ash. 30.13 
Lime.62 
Nitrogen. JL.88 
_The organic matter contains 
Nil rngen . 2.93 
The sample of Soluble Pacific Guano, 565, 
reported in Bulletin 58, April 28, was from a 
small quantity remaining over from last Fall 
in the hands of the dealers, H. A. Stillman & 
Co., Hartford, and is stated not to represent 
the article in market during 1881. Its price 
the inanu facturers tell us should have been 
given as $42 per ton and not $45. 
8. W. Johnson, Director, 
