RAYS. 
F. D. C., p. 094, draws a very pretty walnut 
picture. I am not quite so sanguine. So 
far as my observation extends, black walnut 
trees for timber require rich land to grow in 
and will not pay in poor ground. 
• * 
Of all the sub-evergreens in my garden the 
pyracantha is just now the prettiest. Dense 
in habit and thickly clad with deep-green 
leaves, its shoots are wreaths of scarlet fruit 
in clusters. It is a highly ornamental shrub 
for the garden, hardy at zero but [unreliable 
in severer weather, and a valuable hedge 
plant at the South. It is easily propagated 
from cuttings of tho ripe wood or layers; in¬ 
deed, the branches that lean upon the ground 
root freely of themselves. 
* * 
While tho scarlet-fruited winterberries 
brighten many a Northern swamp and those 
of the youpon the creek and l iver timber belts 
of the South, the Burning-bush, or Spindle- 
tree as it is likewise called, a wildling also 
but as a garden shrub used everywhere, is all 
ablaze with its red fruit, and when seen in 
front of evergreens, as pines and spruces, is one 
of the most effective bushes of the Autumn. 
* * 
CROCUSES remind us of early Spring when 
several species and many varieties associated 
with snowdrops, Siberian squills, hepaticas 
and the like, brighten many a garden plot 
before the frost, and oftentimes the snow, have 
gone. But there are many crocuses whose 
time of blooming is the Fall, notably that 
large and handsome blue one called speciosus, 
one of the finest of all crocuses, and, too, one 
that is quite cheap. If any reader contem¬ 
plates planting bulbs he should get a score or 
more of this crocus and plant them in clumps. 
They are perfectly hardy, and in a rich, mod¬ 
erately moist and not too exposed place will 
continue to grow and blossom year after year 
with vigor. Besides speciosus, among others 
the following half dozen are in full bloom 
with me now, the last week in October: Cro¬ 
cus pulchcdlus, modius, sativus, nudiflorus, 
lougiflorus and Shoesi. And we might add 
some meadow saffrons which are crocus-like, 
bulbous plants with rose-purple flowers, and 
which also blossom in the Fall, and are very 
beautiful and hardy. 
* * 
Apropos of “ Hortieola’s” note on drought- 
withstanding trees, p. (>S3, and his reference 
to the ailauthus, 1 may say that at Cincin¬ 
nati some two months ago I was interested in 
observing how green and bright and flourish¬ 
ing was the ailauthus growing on the steep 
faces of the high clay hills that surround the 
city where no other tree seemed to grow at 
all, and in what a deplorable couditiou the 
victims of a vitiated atmosphere, exceptional 
heat and drought and leaf-vermin, were tho 
elms, lindens* maples, mulberries and other 
trees that grow within the city parks. As a 
timber tree for the South the ailant.lms has 
considerable claims, and for that purpose hun¬ 
dreds of acres have recently been planted 
with it in Kansas. But, even admitting the 
beauty of its leaves, I have not much favor for 
it either as a street, lawn or garden tree. 
* H- 
Another excellent drought-withstanding 
tree is the Osage Orange. Many of us know 
this as a hedge plant only, but kept to one 
clean, straight stem from the beginning, with 
the shortening in of a shoot now and again to 
preserve the balance and comeliness of the 
specimen, it makes a handsome lawn or a venue 
tree. And it will flourish in lands so poor that 
most other trees would starve in them. But 
it is very greedy—a far-reaching and gross 
feeder, when it can get the chance; in fact, the 
manner in which it impoverishes the soil for 
several feet, often yards, on either side of it, is 
one of the greatest faults the farmers find with 
it as a hedge plant. Indeed the farmers have 
ceased to regard it as favorably as they used 
to, and many cif them, even where the Osage 
Orange is perfectly hardy, express a preference 
for the Honey Locust. 
* * 
In addition to your answer about cutting- 
ants, to R. T. J., Austin, Texas, I would say, 
that when I lived in Texas we w ere sadly an¬ 
noyed by those depredators. We used, when 
practicable, to flood them out by cutting 
ditches to their “ towns” so that when heavy 
rains fell, flooding ensued. But the flooding 
process is seldom available. Cyanide of po¬ 
tassium dissolved in water, say two or three 
medium-sized lumps to a gallon of water, and 
morning and evening a little of this poured 
into the mouths of their entrance-holes will kill 
all that pass that way for some hours. But 
the most effectual method of destroying them 
is by fumigating them with sulphur. There 
are machines for this purpose—injecting the 
fumes into the “towns,” and your correspon¬ 
dent might either buy a machine and use it 
himself or hire the work done by some of the 
people who buy the right to use the machines 
and make a business of killing ants. But no 
matter how well he may clear his place of ants 
he can never enjoy immunity from them, as 
they prevail in vast numbers all over South¬ 
western Texas. 
* * 
At the Phoenix nurseries, Bloomington, Il¬ 
linois, some w’eeks ago, I saw thousands of 
roses in process of propagation from cuttings. 
The cuttings were little-pieces with two eyes 
and one leaf to each, the leaf was removed 
from the lower eye as that was the root end. 
They were then inserted quite thickly in a 
shallow bed of sand laid on a bench in a little 
greenhouse, and during the day-time old news¬ 
papers were laid over them to shade them from 
the sun. Tho atmosphere of the house was 
kept moist by much sprinkling, and the cut¬ 
tings, too, and papers were dewed over with a 
syringe. When I saw them they were begin¬ 
ning to root nicely; in a few weeks more they 
would be potted off singly into very small pots, 
and after a while into three-inch or four-inch 
pots. When established in these second-shift 
pots they will be in good condition to ship to 
customers. There was no fire-heat in t' e 
greenhouse. A cold-frame would have done 
as well, but it would be more troublesome to 
attend to. Later cuttings may be started in the 
same way, but as they will be slower in root¬ 
ing, a little fire-heat after they have beguu to 
callus will help them greatly. 
* * 
And Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher says, page 
637, that the toughest kind of meat may he 
made tender by steeping it for seven hours in 
vinegar-acidulated water. Perhaps it is not 
generally known that the unripe fruit of the 
tropical pawpaw (Carica Papaya) is most effi¬ 
cacious for the same purpose, and has been 
used for that end in the West Indies and other 
tropical countries for many years. In South¬ 
ern Florida, where it is grown a good deal and 
fruits freely, the unripe fruits am sliced or 
cut up as we do onions, and fried or otherwise 
cooked with meat, and not only do they render 
tough meat tender, but they are a palatable 
vegetable to those accustomed to eat them. 
Outside of tropical countries we have barely 
any practical acquaintance with the fruits of 
the pawpaw tree; hut t hat is not to be the case 
much longer, for Mr. Hording, of the firm of 
Henry P. Thayer & Co., the botanical labora¬ 
tories, Caiubridgeport, Mass., is soon to pro¬ 
ceed to Florida for the purpose of making ar¬ 
rangements for the shipping of pawpaw- fruit 
in some form or other to their laboratories at 
the ’Port. Thus within a year or two we may 
expect to be able to buy pawpaws in some 
prepared form from our village grocer. The 
Nin th American pawpaw is quite a different 
tree from the species in question, aid is 
known botanically as Asimina triloba. The 
tropical pawpaw is a peculiar-looking small 
tree with a soft-w-ooded, unbranched stem 
and an umbrella-like tuft of big, deeply- 
notched leaves, not very unlike much-divided 
leaves of Castor beans, at the top. They 
grow very fast, aud in Southern Florida I 
have seen them well fruited when not over 
six feet high. .Should the endeavor of Messrs, 
Thayer & Co. to introduce the pawpaw in a 
marketable condition he successful, and a de¬ 
mand arise for their manufacture, a new and 
important crop will be added to those al 
ready grown for profit by the Florida farm- 
el's, and, Northern farmers, not only does 
the juice of the unripe papuw-s make meat 
tender, hut—forgive me if I say it—it has the 
reputation of being effectual in removing 
freckles; tell your daughters so and save your 
buttermilk. 
Some trees and large shrubs growing thickly 
together fas a shelter-belt and screen, and now- 
no longer needed in that w-ay I have just 
rooted up and cleared away, and will lay 
out the ground they occupied as a lawn, 
with some specimen trees upon it. After 
rooting out the trees and bushes I cleared 
them away, roughly leveled up the ground, 
then carted on a quantity of well-rotted, 
earthy material from the rubbish-heap, 
trenched the ground to th j depth of two feet, 
at the same time mixing well the compost 
with the soil and keeping it mostly near the 
bottom. The. bottom spit was merely dug 
over and left in the bottom. The land was 
then graded and after that heavily manured 
with well-rotted manure and carefully and 
smoothly dug over again, one spit deep. In 
this condition I will let it remain till next 
Spring, so that by the influence oE rain, frost 
and snow it will get well compacted and show 
plainly any humps or indentations the irregular 
working and leveling may have left and which 
will then be easily rectified. In the case of 
land that is already level. Arm and clear, the 
mere trenching, manuring and digging might 
not cause, if properly worked, an objectiona¬ 
bly uneven surface if luid down to grass at 
once; but where big holes have beeu dug so as 
to get out tree roots, hollows are sure to oc¬ 
cur, therefore it is better to wait till Spring 
before finally smoothing the surface and 
sowing the grass. The deep working is not 
only of benefit to the grass, but of vast impor¬ 
tance to tho trees. 
* * 
Several of the shrubs that I dug out I 
planted again; but as their roots were greatly 
reduced in removal, I cut back their tops in 
proportion. I cut out all the soft, pithy shoots 
and weakly, scraggy inner twigs, also old and 
enervated shoots, altogether or hack to vigor¬ 
ous branches, and the tops of all the shoots a 
little, noting in the cutting to leave no eyeless 
snags. In planting I worked fine soil in 
among the roots and packed the earth almost 
as firmly as if I were setting a fence post. No 
manure was allowed to come in contact with 
the roots. Tho Fall is a good time to set out 
hardy deciduous trees and shrubs unless in an 
exposed situation; then I prefer the Spring¬ 
time, as I also do for plants that are somewhat 
tender, and evergreens of all sorts. But if set 
out in September I am not sure that Spring 
planting is more desirable. In the event of 
transplanting deciduous trees or shrubs that 
are still in full leaf, it may be well to strip off 
the leaves. 
* * 
I observe iu an English paper u correspon¬ 
dent has just, found out that the gloxinia can 
be grown in the kitchen window. Why, 
mauy a farmer’s wife in America not only 
knows that, but ranks the gloxinia as one of 
her stand-by house plants for Spring and 
early Summer, just hs much as she does Ox- 
alis floriliunda for Winter. Hereabouts we 
have a very easy and satisfactory way of 
growing gloxinias. Wo have hot beds in 
Spring in which to start seeds of our various 
tender plants, and which, of course, are emp¬ 
tied before the end of May. Well, when emp¬ 
tied, we add a little more soil and therein 
plant our gloxinia roots. They soon begin to 
grow, and that rankly, and there they blos¬ 
som all Summer long. Thrips and red spiders 
do not trouble them, neither do they rust. We 
keep sashes thinly shaded with whitewash 
over them all the time, but tilted up n little; 
never water overhead but. instead, introduce 
the spout of the water pot between the rows; 
indeed, when planted out, gloxinias do not 
want much water. We give no water after 
the last week in September, because we want 
to ripen the roots preparatory to lifting them 
and storing them in sand iu the cellar, shed or 
elsewhere for the Winter. Seedlings raised in 
Spring and planted out in this fashion come 
into blossom in late Summer and make strong¬ 
er routs than if grown along in pots, 
* 
What a grand thing peat muck is for trees 
ami shrubs. Some years ago we got a lot of 
it fur the digging and hauling, and we dump¬ 
ed it some two to three feet deep on a piece of 
waste land, there to remain till we should use 
it. In order to reduce it to as earthy a mass 
as possible I had it turned over once or twice. 
I had a lot of Austrian Bines and Norway 
Spinees to plant as a shelter belt in a stiff 
brickclay soil. I dug large holes and filled up 
with half muck and half clay, well mixed to¬ 
gether, and the way those evergreens have 
grown, so strong, is amazing. I have also 
used it for deciduous trees and shrubs of many 
kinds, and in transplanting them was often 
amused to Bud the enormous ball of roots that 
came up with each plant. All grew vigorous¬ 
ly Iu the muck-mixed soil. In September, 
1S?0, I cleared a piece of land on which trees 
and large bushes were growing, to iay it down 
as a lawn, with, towards tho outside, beds of 
shrubs. I told the men to trench and manure 
the whole space and add a lot of the muck 
earth near the outside, where I intended 
planting the bushes. Then I went to the 
Centennial. On my return I found the 
ground prepared, graded and ready for 
sowing, and that, instead of preserving the 
muck to the space I told them of, they bad 
used it equally all over the ground. The grass 
was sown and has grown rankly ever since, 
but the surface is uneven and spongy. With 
a good deal of rolling it is well enough as an 
ordinary lawn, Imt if required for a croquet 
ground its spongy, puckered surface would be 
sadly objectionable. A base-ball ground was 
needed in town, and a field—a perfect sand bed 
—was given for the purpose, But how to get a 
sod of grass upon it puzzled them. Many 
plans were proposed. Any amount of manure 
could be had, but that would soon waste 
through the sand. A layer of brick clay some 
inches under the surface met with considera¬ 
ble favor; but finally they decided to add a 
heavy coating of peat muck—the most earthy 
part.—and manure enough. A year later there 
was a fine award upon that field and the boys 
were playing ball upon it. And the grass 
looks w-ell upon it still. Peat muck is the 
greatest tiling for growing Couch Grass I 
know of. Leon. 
STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 
The varieties of strawberries mostly grown 
here are Wilson, Col. Cheney, Crescent Seed¬ 
ling, Capt. Jack and others in smaller quanti¬ 
ties. In cultivation the first thing to be done 
is to plow tho ground in Fall the last thing be¬ 
fore it freezes up for the Winter, as this is sure 
death to the white grub which would other¬ 
wise he sure death to the strawberry planta¬ 
tion. In the Spring, just as soon as t he ground 
will “ work,” prepare it first by thoroughly 
cultivating it about three inches deep and af¬ 
terwards by harrowing, and finally by plank¬ 
ing or rolling aud marking. I set the rows 
feet and tho plants about a foot apart in the 
row. In setting 1 use a cast-iron dibber made 
for the purpose: it. is about eight or ten inches 
long a ml about three inches wide at the top, and 
quite thin, so that it works into the ground 
very easily. With one of these dibbers one 
man can easily sol 2,000 strawberry plants in 
half a day, which is long enough to work at 
the business at one time, as it is hard on the 
back. 
In taking up the plants never throw them 
into a basket loose; for if the roots dry crooked 
it makes very slow setting; hut, as they are 
taken up, keep them in the nand till you get 
20 or 35, always keeping the roots straight. 
Plunge the dibber down, working it back aud 
forth so as to make a good, smooth hole; then 
by taking the plant in the left hand it will 
drop into the hole with tho roots deep and 
straight, just as they are wanted. Then plunge 
the dibber on the opposite side of the hole and 
about two inches from the plant, with enough 
slant to it to bring the point very near the 
roots at the ..ottom of the hole, and press the 
plant in firmly enough, so that it cannot he 
]Hilled out by oue leaf stalk. Plants set iu 
this way will not wilt, even in very dry 
weather, but will grow right along. 
The after care consists in good, thorough 
cultivation and hoeing. For a cultivator I 
use what is called a duck foot cultivator. The 
teeth are arranged so that they will only stir 
the ground, without, throwing the dirt on the 
plants, and arc made to go about eight inches 
deep, thus keeping the ground loose and mel¬ 
low and in the best possible condition for a 
thrifty growth of plants, which must be got 
in order to get a good crop of fruit. Cover 
plants, as soon as hard freezing begins, with 
marsh hay or rye straw to keep them from 
heaving by alternate freezing and thawing. 
Fort Atkinson, Wis. R, Jay Coe. 
IN THE GARDEN. 
We have had a very considerable drought; 
not over two inches of rain fell in two months’ 
time. The second crops f garden vegetables 
have proved a partial failure. This is espec¬ 
ially true of late-set cabbage plants; cucum¬ 
bers. notwithstanding the dry weather, did 
fairly well. Tomatoes are a full crop. Win¬ 
ter squashes are almost an entire failure. 
While we may regret, the dry weather there 
are valuable le-sons to be learned from a 
drought, that may lie worth much to us in the 
future as a part of our stock iu trade. For 
several years 1 have spaded about one half of 
my garden and the other half has been plowed 
and in every ease the spaded ground has paid 
the largest profit. It is hard, tedious work to 
spade ground, but if it pays why not do it) 
Deep spading insures a crop in a dry time, 
and the effect may be seen in a garden for 
several years. A liberal dressing of manure 
should he given before the ground is spaded, 
at which time the manure will ho well mixed 
with the soil from the surface to the depth of 
a foot. 
I have found tha t onions are the easiest of 
all vegetables to transplant, and that two 
crops of them may bo taken from tho same 
ground in one year; the first orop to be tho 
English multipliers, the second to lie the thin¬ 
nings from tho Black Seed onion bed. My 
way the past season was to mark off tho 
ground and then spread the small onions along 
the row, letting them lie fiat, on tho ground 
with the tops, all one way; and then hoe about 
an inch or two of earth over tho bulbs, lotting 
the dirt cover the stalks about half their 
length. After they got well rooted I reversed 
the tops and this left them about the right 
depth to bottom finely. 
1 have a way of taking up celery plants to 
transplant that scarcely checks thoir growth. 
The plants are in beds three inches apart; I 
take them up with a trowel, leaving as much 
earth as possible on the roots of each plant, 
aud lay them down carefully about 50 in a 
place. I then sprinkle them until tho bull of 
earth is thoroughly wet. They can then bo 
handled without the dirt dropping away from 
the roots. I handle them by the tops, placing 
them on a wheel-barrow to put them in the 
trench. I often scatter several hundred be¬ 
fore transplanting, as there is no danger of 
their wilting if left for several bourn, provid¬ 
ed the sun does not shine on them after they 
are set out. 1 give tho plants a good watering 
and that is all they ever get except, from the 
rain. I partial ly shade them for a week or two 
by means of laths. I take an armful and 
drop oue every 3J>& feet across tho trench aud 
then lay two parallel with the rows of celery 
