high. These may he planted in pots and forced 
in the house. The Tournesols come next, bear¬ 
ing large pseony-like double flowers which, 
though less showy and desirable to our taste 
than the single kinds, last a louger time and 
serve to connect one class with another. Ihen 
follow the Single Early Tulips; then the 
Parrots, the dashiost of flowers ; and finally 
the Late or Show Tulips, the showiest and 
everywhere the most prized of all. Theyaie 
placed in three sub-classes viz., Bizarres which 
have a yellow ground marked with other 
colors; Byblooms, white ground marked with 
violet and purple ; and Roses, white ground 
marked, splashed or variegated with cherry, 
rose, etc.... .. 
The preparation of soil for tulips and hya¬ 
cinths is very simple. Let it be 
mellow, deep and fairly rich. Set the 
bulbs any time before the ground 
freezes, three or four inches deep. In¬ 
stead of removing them after they 
have bloomed, as many do, to be re¬ 
placed in the Autumn, we set bedding 
plants between the tulips and hya¬ 
cinths, cutting off and removing their 
leaves as soon as they begin to decay. 
Hyacinths give their handsomest blooms 
the first year. But large, heavy bulbs 
will bloom satisfactorily for from three 
to four years, though each succeeding * 
year the racemes bear fewer flowers 
Tulips, on the other hand, continue to 
multiply from year to year and our 
experience has been that they had bet¬ 
ter remain undisturbed for three years. 
Then they may be dug up, separated 
and replanted, again to remain three 
years... 
Nearly all of the so-called Spring 
bulbs may be grow n in the conserva¬ 
tory or window garden. For this pur¬ 
pose, Fall catalogues give ample direc¬ 
tion ...* * • • 
The wash for trees that suits us 
as well as any, is one made of quick¬ 
lime, sulphur and w hale-oil soap. The 
quantities need not be given since it 
is only necessary that the wash should 
be of about the same consistency as the 
lime wash applied to walls, or a little 
bicker. A tablespoonful of flour of 
sulphur for every 35 trees suffices, and the soap 
should be cut up i u bits and with the sulphur be 
added to the quick-lime before it.is slaked. As 
we have often stated before, a small quantity of 
lamp black or dark-colons! mineral paint, 
which may bo purchased at any grocery store 
for five cents ther pound, will color the wash 
so as closely to imitate the color of the bark. 
As u protection against rabbits and mice this 
wash is excellent, as we know from experience. 
Speaking of watermelons, we have yet to 
speak of one which is, we think, the best 
ever raised at the Rural Grounds. The label 
thus imperfectly gives the name and address. 
“ B. F. Rogers, Orville, Atlanta " which is 
the only record that can bo found of the sender 
or his whereabouts. The melon is “ thinner- 
skinned ” than the Cuban. Queen, and the 
flesh sweeter. The single lull planted bore 
four melons, all much alike in excellence, 
“ thinness of skin ” and size. The largest and 
earliest weighed 21 pounds and measured !d 3 
inches in thiekuess and 17 inches in length. It 
ripened August 25. The skin is light green 
with very dark green (nearly black), broad, 
irregular stripes. The rind or white flesh is 
not more than half an inch in tliieknesss—the 
flesh a deep red and very solid. The seeds 
are white and small. 
climate we are not supposed to he able to save 
delicate plants out-of-doors, but I think even 
this a fallacy, for the snow of our Winters is 
in itself a better protection than the wrappers 
given a little further south to prevent freezing 
and thawing. A little forethought in Autumn 
will give in Spring a wealth of bloom from 
flowering bulbs, snowdrop, crocus, tulip and 
hyacinth. Then, before the roses come the 
Lily of the Valley, and, among other hardy 
plants, the pinky, white, heart-shaped bells of 
Dicentra spectabilis. The varied members of 
the family dianthus, winch signifies “ The 
Flower of God,” are remarkable for hardiness 
and beauty, the China pink especially, coming 
into bloom in early Spring, when only a year 
from seed, and the old-fashioned Sweet Wil- 
most worthy of being introduced and culti¬ 
vated there. True it did not grow sponta¬ 
neously anywhere in the Province of Quebec, 
but this appeared to him no conclusive reason 
why it should not grow ami flourish there. 
He did not fear Canada's great colds, for in 
the West, the natural home of the Black 
Walnut, the thermometer often ranges as low 
as there, though for a short er period a t a time. 
Ho procured a bag of Black Walnuts from the 
West in the Fall of 1874, and sow d them at 
once; it was late in November; he hod to re¬ 
move the snow and break the frozen ground, 
but he thought the earth the safest place to 
Winter them. They began to come up about 
the tenth of June following; not five per cent, 
failed, and they have never been artificially 
OXFORDSHIRE DOWN RAM.—AFTER LONDON AG. GAZETTE,—FIG. 511. 
Perennial Flowers.— A dear old lady, 
who has gone where all flowers are supposed 
to be perennial, says Annie L. Jack in the 
Sixth Report of the Montreal Hort. Society, 
always met me in the Spring with this sen¬ 
tence; “ Gi’ me ttoouers* that dinna die i' the 
Fall, sic as keep the groound a’ Winter.” And 
in her garden the earliest and brightest tulips 
grew, the pale narcissus in profuse bunches, 
the sweet-scented violet perfumed the air, and 
the earliest gowan (daisy) showed its tiny 
star. She had a bunch of lilac and snowball 
for every caller, and the crimson p;eony was 
her delight, iu its season. Tull, blue larkspurs 
reared a stately contrast to the spiraea, and 
the monkshood and snapdragon made mouths 
at the children who chose to squeeze their long 
tubes. The words of my friend have occurred 
to me often when fighting with drought and in¬ 
sects to save the annuals, that were doomed at 
best to give only two months’ bloom. Even 
geraniums have a glaring sameness and new¬ 
ness that seem too conventional for beauty, 
and greenhouse pets count as so much money 
from the purse. Of course, in a Canadian 
liam a little later. All the plants I have men¬ 
tioned are as easily raised as vegetables, and 
well repay cultivation; even in city gardens 
they should have a space for their sure if not 
fashionable beauty. Nothing can exceed the 
(display made by a bed of perennial phlox, 
and its variety is such thAt bloom may be had 
from May till October, of every shade and 
color. The Scarlet Lychnis is another herba¬ 
ceous plant of value, and the double holly¬ 
hocks are not to be despised The perennial 
pea stands the most trying Winter, and so do 
the pansy and forget-me-not. While I have 
tried and “ found wanting” many so-called 
hardy shrubs, 1 have a few faithful frieuds 
that give a show of bloom: the deutzia and 
syringa in early Summer; later, the Rhus 
eotinus or Smoke Plant, and the althnca; while 
quite late in the season, the new Hydrangea 
paniculata gives immense trusses of white 
blossom, and has proved hardy the last three 
Winters. It would be an improvement in our 
gardening if some of the old, tried favorites 
were re-established, and less time and trouble 
bestowed upon new and short-lived plants that 
are not sufficiently superior to deserve the at¬ 
tention bestowed upon them. 
Shipping Fameuse to England. — Out¬ 
valued contributor, Mrs. Anuie L. Jack, made 
a few remarks before the above society re¬ 
specting shipping the Fameuse Apple to Eng¬ 
land. Some years ago, allured by the promise 
of high prices, she decided to ship a few bar¬ 
rels of Fameuse to Liverpool, and although 
they reached their destination in good condi¬ 
tion, and were consigned to commission men 
of well-known integrity, the result could not 
be called a success from a financial point of 
view. The sales were from four to five dol¬ 
lars per barrel, but the expeuso of freight and 
other costs reduced this by one-half, which, 
counting in the risk, is hardly profitable! It 
would be well for those interested in shipping 
Fameuse from Montreal and it 3 vicinity, to 
consign the business of sales into the hands of 
some one dealer, aud to send in separate con- 
signments, so that this choice table apple may 
have all the advantages of successful sales 
instead of. ns is often the case, going iu with 
a mixed lot of inferior fruit. If growers 
would combine with this end in view, the 
Fameuse of that Province would soon win for 
itself, and retain, a name in the English 
market. 
Value of the Black Walnut.— In an ad¬ 
dress on Forest Tree Culture i-ead before the 
Montreal Hort. Society, Hon. H. G. Joly, 
speaking of the Black Walnuts, says that 
the value of the wood is so considerable 
(a dollar a cubic foot at the present time) and 
it is getting so scarce that it struck him as the 
sheltered in any way. Of those left undisturbed 
where they were sown, he has not lost one; 
they have now had six Summers' growth. He 
had just had some of them measured, so as to 
be certain of their size; the bight of the four 
largest was as follows: 1.V‘ a feet, 14Hi' feet, 14 
feet and 12 feet, and they were thick in pro¬ 
portion. Some of the trees were transplanted 
when two years old, but they had made a 
comparatively feeble growth. Wherefore 
Mr. Joly concludes that it is better to sow the 
seeds where the trees are to remain. 
Getting Rid of Stones.— One may well 
pity the farmer whose soil is too lib erally pro 
vided with stones, and who struggles with 
them day after day, and year after year, with¬ 
out making much impression upon the over¬ 
plus, sai s Mr. Stewart, a regular contributor 
regular shapes by means of steel wedges. A 
few half-inch holes three inches deep are drill 
ed on the line of the desired fracture, and the 
wedges, protected on each side with a strip of 
soft iron, are inserted in the holes. The wedges 
are struck somewhat lightly in regular succes¬ 
sion with a hammer, and after a few blows the 
stone splits along the line of the drill-holes. 
Everlasting gate-posts and foundation-stones 
for buildings, may be thus split from large 
rocks with little trouble. 
Advantages of Michigan.— Secretary 
Charles W. Garflel i recapitulates the advan¬ 
tages of Michigan in his recently published 
“ Glimpse.” at her Horticulture, as follows:— 
Michigan is practically free from debt; her 
public institutions are her pride and 
her educational system is commended 
by the best educators in the country. 
The agricultural advantages for 
mixed husbandry are of the very best; 
the climate is not equaled by any 
Northern State; the air is clear, the 
water pure, and the variations in tem¬ 
perature comparatively slight. 
The landscapes are beautiful, and a 
wide range of fruits, plants, flowers 
and trees, that form the accompani¬ 
ments of a well embellished home, can 
be grown successfully. 
Delightful resorts are near at hand 
everywhere: and a refined and intelli¬ 
gent people make up her present popu¬ 
lation. 
Michigan has a motto upon her coat 
of arms, Si quoeris peninsula m amce- 
nam circumxpice: if you wish to see a 
beautiful peninsula, look about you. 
That is no flaming advertisement of 
exaggerated proportions, but is a 
simple introduction to those who enter 
our borders, the apparently compli¬ 
mentary language of which is found 
bv every visitor to be a truthful state¬ 
ment. 
The old derisive songs that told of 
ague, marshes, rattlesnakes, and wol¬ 
verines as the natural products of 
Michigan are not sung any more; 
and none visit the Peninsular State 
who do not go away with pleasant ac¬ 
counts of her climate, soil, productions, and 
people. 
Packing Fruit. —Select perfectly sound 
specimens of apples and pears, says Dr. Cal- 
der. and pack them in boxes or barrels in com¬ 
mon land plaster or gypsum, using first a 
layer of fruit and then a layer of plaster, using 
as much fruit as possible without having the 
specimens actually touch each other. Close 
the package and lay it away in some cool 
place where it will not freeze. The plaster 
will exclude the air and keep the fruit at an 
even temperature, and it will be found perfect¬ 
ly preserved after a very long interval. 
Mr. Bucke, of Canada, calls attention t 
the fact that the raspberry may be transplant’ 
ed at any time during the year, whether in 
to the Times The life-work of many a farmer bill leaf or otherwise, if a good spadeful of 
lU I ol • J __ 4 - 4-to ~ T_1 
has been, and is, to get rid of the stone from 
his fields. Monstrous walls have been built up 
around the fields, which are but little less 
troublesome in this position than when scat¬ 
tered over the ground. The easiest way to 
get rid of stones is to bury them. This is done 
with far less labor and iu less time than draw¬ 
ing them from the field; there is but one hand¬ 
ling of them, and they are out of the way for¬ 
ever. The whole work may tie done with the 
plow and a stone-boat. A trench may be plow¬ 
ed out two feet deep in a short time, and if 
necessary may be deepened in places to receive 
the larger stones that are not too heavy to be 
lifted or rolled on to the stone-boat. Two such 
trenches may be made at a convenient dis¬ 
tance apart, so that a load may bo picked up 
in going from one to the oilier and avoid the 
necessity for taking heavy loads or turning 
around. When the treuch is tilled to within a 
foot of the surface the soil may be plowed back 
on to the stone and leveled with a harrow. 
The stones will be below the reach of the plow 
and will never afterward give any trouble. 
Larger stones should be buried where they lie 
by digging holes of sufficient size and toppling 
them over by means of a lover or a grab-hook 
and chain. Rocks that are too large to be 
handled in this manner may be shattered by a 
charge of dynamite. Dynamite is the most 
effective agent for breaking stone. A mass 
of 10 or 20 tons may be broken into several 
pieces by exploding a pound of it under the 
rock. A hole is driven under the rock in the 
earth with a crowbar and the cartridge is in¬ 
serted. A fulminating cap attached to a fuse 
is first fixed in the end of the cartridge. The 
hole is filled with dry sand or even water, and 
the fuse is lighted. The shock usually shatters 
the mass into a few large pieces which can lie 
handled with a liar, and where the stone is 
desired for buildings of any kind, this method 
is Jthe best possible. Stone may be split in 
earth is raised with the plant, the hole in 
which it is to be deposited having been pre¬ 
viously made. He usually fills up gaps in the 
row with present year’s young plants during 
the month of August, and finds they succeed 
better when they have time to take hold with 
their roots before the season’s growth has fully 
ended. 
Preserving Grapes. —The method of pre¬ 
serving grapes adopted by Mr. Roe, as we see 
by the Christian Union, has proved very satis¬ 
factory to him after several years’ experience. 
The grapes are picked on a dry, clear day with 
grape scissors, so as not to handle them much, 
and all imperfect berries and those not fully 
ripened are removed. They are then placed 
in clean, dry earthen jars in layers a bunch 
deep, dry straw paper is placed between the 
layers, and the jar filled in this way. A double 
sheet of paper is placed over the top layer and 
the lid then put on. Strong, unbleached mus¬ 
lin is pasted entirely over the lid. or cover, of 
the jar, completely covering the opening so 
that no air may enter. When this covering 
has fully dried and hardened the jars are buried 
on a dry knoll sufficiently deep to be beyond 
the action of frost, a stake being placed over 
each jar to locate itaccurately. Isabellas have 
been kept in this way until late in February, 
and have proved excellent. 
Dr. Lawes says, iu the Albany Cultivator 
and Country Gentleman, in a field close to his 
house, sown with mangels aud manured with 
barnyard dung, he noticed in the month of 
June a broad strip in the middle, measuring 
about one acre, upon which the mangels were 
much better than in the rest of the field. As 
the manure applied to the crop could not pos¬ 
sibly have produced this effect, he inquired 
further into the matter and found that where 
there is now one field there w ere formerly two, 
