UBAL NEW-YOB&ER. 
PRUNING DECIDUOUS SHRUBS. 
For all purposes of ornamentation deciduons 
sbrubs perforin agreeable and valuable offices 
about the dwelling-house. It is therefore of 
great importance that they should be managed 
with experienced skill in order to insure the 
practical development of their complete attrac¬ 
tions. Some are remarkable for the beauty of 
their leaves or wood, others for their flowers, 
while some are cultivated mainly on account of 
the showy character of their fruits. For what¬ 
ever featuro thoy may bo valued, they all begin 
to display their peculiarities soon after trans¬ 
planting, and reach their full development much 
sooner than most other hardy plants. Ajudi- 
oious selection of varieties may consequently 
provide an uninterrupted exhibition of beauty 
throughout the season, and alford much grati¬ 
fication long before the grander but slower trees 
exhibit their attractions. To have shrubs at 
their best and retain them so for yearB, atl de¬ 
ciduous varieties must he more or less pruned 
every year, and to do this properly some practi¬ 
cal knowledge is necessary, and this must bo of 
a kind which the numerous treatises on horti¬ 
culture do not seem to give. The inexperienced 
amateur, knowing that his shrubs should be 
pruned, usually follows one of two courses. 
Feeling no confidence In his own ability, ho may 
engage a jobbing gardener who, although the 
good quality of his work may be very question¬ 
able, has himself no doubts whatever: or failing 
to do this, the energetic amateur hacks away 
w T ith his own hands, treating all alike, and thus 
producing more symmetry than natural beauty, 
and more haycock-like monstrosities than finely 
developed plants. 
Some shrubs produce their flowers on the new 
wood or the growth of the current year ; while 
othors produce theirs on the old wood, and from 
buds formed the year before, which an ignorant 
use of the knife may cut away just as they are 
ready to burst into bloom. Tim object of this 
article is to present a classification of deciduous 
shrubs, according to their peouliar requirements 
as to pruning. To facilitate matters, we arrange 
the more common ornamental shrubs in tour 
groups, naming each after its most conspicuous 
member, and then suggest the treatment proper 
for each. 
1. The Diorvilla Group. This includes the 
Weigrla (properly Diervilla —Bush-honeysuckle); 
Deulzia (singlo and double); Hydrangea mem, 
II. quercifolla (Oak-leaved), and 11. radUita; 
Jurria (Japan Globe-flower); Philaddphus 
(Mock orange or Byringa); Jiibex (the orna¬ 
mental currants): Spirma (the shrubby sorts); 
Symphorimrpus (Snowberry and Indian Cur¬ 
rant). 
All of this group boar flower-buds that will 
bloom the cotniag summer, on wood which grew 
the previous year; hence care should be taken 
to prune them but lightly, and for symmetry 
only, cutting out entirely the wood that has 
already borne flowers. Tho work should be done 
in winter or early spring. If performed after 
flowering, much disfigurement will ensue from 
tho growth of rampant side-shoots. In this 
group indiscriminate shearing will he Bure to 
remove nearly, if not quite, all flower-buds. 
2. The Hibiscus (often called Althata) Group 
includes Herberts (Barberry); Oallicarpa (French 
Mulberry); CultiUa (Bladder Senna); Gornus 
(Dogwood); Ekeagnus (Silver Thom); Hippophoz 
rhanmoidts (Sea Buckthorn); Hydrangea pani- 
culata (St. John’s-wort); Ltguslioum (Privet); 
,Salix (Willow); and 1'amarix lontcera (Upright 
Honeysuckle). 
Shrubs of this group need stroDg' r prnning on 
account of their vigorous nature. It is best, 
therefore, timing each winter, to cut back the 
grow th of tho previous year to within three or 
four eyes (or bud*) of the old wood, always pay¬ 
ing due attention to the preservation of the sym¬ 
metry of the plaut. The flowers of this season 
will appear on wood grown at the time, and will 
be much larger and more satisfactory than if ah 
the buds had been left on. 
3. The Amygdalus (or Flowering Almond) 
Group includes Cytissus (Broom); Daphne Oneo- 
rum ; Forsylhia (Golden Bell); Genista (Whin): 
Jasminum (Jasamine); Primus (Flowering 
Teach and Plum). 
Although these shrubs, like those of the Wei- 
gola group, hoar flower-buds on shoots grown 
during the previous year, they require a differ¬ 
ent treatment. As they are of slow growth, it is 
better to remove, in summer, all of the wood 
that has just dropped its flowers. This treat¬ 
ment, apparently severe, insures the develop¬ 
ment of tho most perfect aud vigorous wood and 
flower-buds for the following year. Borne spe¬ 
cies, such as the Flowering Almond or Plum, 
have a strong tendency to disease, unless treated 
in the manner here described. Stronger mem¬ 
bers of tho group, however, may require slight 
modifications of treatment. 
I. The Byringa (Lilac) Group includes Caly- 
canthus (Sweet-scented Shrub); Caragana (Pea 
Tree); Clethra ; Coronilla Emerus ; Gydonia 
Pyrus Japonica (Japan Spruce); Daphne Meze- 
reum ; Euonym us (Spindle - tree or Bnming- 
busb); Exochorda grmuliflora; Viburnum. (Ar¬ 
row-wood, Nanny-berry and Snow-halls). 
Careful attention to all points here indicated 
should be given by all who wish their ehrnbs at¬ 
tractive and finely developed. No pruning what¬ 
ever is better than indiscriminate aud ignorant 
clipping: bnt entire neglect will always, in time, 
permit an irregular growth that gives a slovenly 
appearance to the grounds. In time also, the 
uncut, shrubs become crowded with old and su¬ 
perfluous branches, bare of flowers, and finally 
not only do they lose their best charms but they 
prove a positive nuisance on account of their 
untrimmod condition. Of course, only a small 
number of the desirable shrubs are here enume¬ 
rated, hut any intelligent person, by watching 
the manner of growth of a shrub, will Boon Bee 
to which group it belongs. Tho Bimple princi¬ 
ple that lies at the bottom of all this pruning is, 
to assist the plant to the most perfect and nat¬ 
ural development. If curving grace be a mark¬ 
ed trait, the knife should Beck to prevent all 
angular growth ; if, on tho other hand, a regu¬ 
lar, upright form is characteristic, symmetry in 
tbiB direction should receive special attention. 
Here, as elsewhere, education and not coercion 
should be our aim. Sam’l Parsons. 
-♦ « » ■ 
WHIFFS FROM CANADA. 
BY MRS. ANNIE h. JACK. 
Such a “ whiff" as is blowing across the St. 
Lawrence this morning, after our refreshing and 
much needed rain! It is exhilarating and fills 
one with new life and energy. Our first crop 
(asparagus) is now finished; for, taking a hint 
from tho IUtrai. of two weeks ago, we have do- 
cided not to cut too late in the season. Tho very 
dry spring has materially affected crops of hay 
aud grain, while flower loverH have worked early 
and late to save their treasures from drought. 
Living as we do on the bank of a river, it was 
possible to obtain a supply of w ater for the pur¬ 
pose, but tho primitive method of watering with 
a can, has bo tired our bauds that it has become 
a weariness that must be amended, if a few more 
such seasons affiict us. 
Tho trouble with the many inventions of the 
age, in every department of laboi-saving ma¬ 
chinery, I have found to be, that it takes longer 
to get and keep things in place, than it does to 
set about the work in the old way. That is, the 
work of starting the machines aud keeping them 
in order, is in itself a labor ; and yet, if I pos¬ 
sessed a novel method of irrigating garden and 
lawn at this time, I would willingly avail myself 
of it. 
How strange it is to seo the difference in the 
nature of plants in a season of drought! The 
portulacea, various foliage plants, canua, cypress 
vines, and many other tropical plants, will stand 
aDy amount of heat and dryness; while their 
closely-planted neighbors, accustomed to a moist 
atmosphere, wilt aud often die for want of rain. 
The potato beetle is upon us, and the larvss 
need daily lighting. We pick them off, when pos¬ 
sible. in our garden for fear of destroying the 
chickens or birds, that might get a taste of Paris- 
green. Bnt it is a formidable enomy, and has 
only one good feature, which is that it proves to 
those who have long scoffed at the science of 
Entomology how nooossary is a knowledge of it. 
People who, a year or two ago, spoke slightingly 
of the “ daft bodies" who were searching for the 
then rare booties, are to-day glad to learn any¬ 
thing now in the way of prevention or cure, and 
yet they deserve to suffer for their former neg¬ 
lect of this useful science. Let the young peo¬ 
ple get an interest in bugs and beetles, and they 
will soon learn the habits of their insect enemies 
and how best to fight them. 
♦ ♦ ♦- 
TREES DROPPING THEIR FRUIT. 
In th6 Eastern States, where irrigation is not 
practiced in orchards, it frequently happens that 
fruit trees oast their fruit on account of too 
much or too little rain during the early part, of 
the season. In California, where they “make 
the weather to suit," or at least regulate the 
amonut of moisture in the soil by artificial 
means, one might think, without having had 
any experience in the matter, that such disas¬ 
ters, as we have named might be avoided, but 
such proves not to be tho case, for in a letter of 
a fruit-grower to tho Pacific ltural Press, we 
learn that similar disasters do happen in that 
favored land, even when considerable oaro is be¬ 
stowed upon irrigation. He says: 
“In answer to a query in a late number of 
your paper, why almond trees drop their fruit, 
Mr. Clough of Niles Station has given a reason, 
and a proper one, too. I supplied Mr. C. with 
several varieties of his original stock some 12 or 
15 years ago, and as I then had the largest 
almond orchard in this part of the State, I had 
observed their habits carefully, and the same 
may be said of certain kinds of tree fruits, as 
well as currants and gooseberries, especially. A 
superabundance of water in the soil shortly after 
the fruit is formed, and when in blossom, will 
cause the fruit to drop. But there are other 
causes. I have frequently observed that when 
a tree sets too many blossoms they will be shed, 
and in such cases the tree will generally make 
an unusual growth of wood. This may be said 
to bo a rule, excepting in cases where the roots 
are injured from any cause. And even in these 
cases tho fruit is apt to cling to the trees and ho 
very small, while the tree will have but little 
foliage. 
“I have frequently lost a largo share of a 
gooseberry crop on my Fruit Vale place, in Ala¬ 
meda County, after a late rain, while the plants 
were stimulated to an unnsual growth of wood. 
On my place in Santa Clara County, where I 
irrigate wholly, I have more than once had a 
partial failure of the last-named berries, of which 
I have bad fourteen acres on different portions 
of my place, and could observe them well. By 
applying water while they were in bloom, they 
would almost always get too much of it, as the 
rows were one-quarter of a mile long, through 
whiob the water ran, and still the rows were 
ridged up. My land is retentive of water; with 
loose, leaching land there would bo no injury. 
This very season my men have materially injured 
the crop of an eight-acre piece of currants by 
applying water while the plants were in bloom. 
The first setting of fruit did not drop off, whilo 
the last setting did. 
“ This whole subject of the tree and plant be¬ 
low ground, as well as the tree and plant above 
the surface, Las been to mo ono of much inter¬ 
est. The largest cherry trees in the State, like 
many other varieties of fruit trees, have a spongy 
bark to their roots, and are bearing a light crop 
of fruit this year, while Borne are dying outright 
from the effects of the last long wet season. 
And wo have yet to apply the underdrain to save 
these best orchards from total destruction." 
-*-*♦-- 
GIGANTIC CABBAGE ROSE. 
In the mild climate of California and its rich 
soils roses grow to a large size, but wo do not 
remember to have over mot with any account of 
a rose quite equal to the following, noticed in 
the San Fraucisco Evening Post: 
Its measurement was six inches in diameter, 
making it of course eighteen inches in circum¬ 
ference. Wo believe it to bo the old Cabbage 
species, and such it was considered by some of 
our professional ilorists. They also Htaled that 
it was the largest rose they had over met with. 
Wo are informed by the owner that the bush is 
now full of similar specimens. Its color was 
about a medium shade of pink, with purplish 
pink edges on some of the outer petals. 
TREES AND PLANTS USED BY CALIFOR¬ 
NIA INDIANS. 
The California Horticulturist gives a very in¬ 
teresting article on the above subject, which we 
transfer to our columns, believing it will be as 
interesting to others as to ourselves: 
Their favorite acorn is from the Oak of the 
(Jucreus Gambelli. They are dried and beaten 
to powder in small hollows, which we have often 
noticed on the tops of rocks or boulders. The 
flour is soaked a few hours in a large hollow 
scooped in the sand, the water draining off and 
carrying away the bitterness, after which it is 
cooked into a kind of mush in baskets by means 
of hot stones, or baked as bread under ground. 
The acorn which stands second in favor is that 
of the Burr Oak (Q. kibala). Tho Nut Pine or 
Silver Pine is a groat favorite with them. The 
nuts are to them a choice article of food. They 
form their specific for a burn or Bcald, when 
pounded into powder. The pitch and the mis¬ 
tletoe, which grows on this (fine, arc very valu¬ 
able in their estimation for coughs, colds, and 
rheumatism. They smear it on wounds and 
sores. In the spring, if food i3 scarce, they eat 
the buds, the inner bark, and the core of the 
cone. The cone-core and bunch grass are boiled 
together for a hair-dye. The long twigs of the 
Willow are used for arrows and basket-making. 
The long, straight shoots of the Buckeye are 
used for the same purpose. For the woof in 
basket-making they employ the wood of the Ited- 
bud (Gercis occidenlalis). The berries of the 
Manzanita are a favorite article of food, and are 
eaten raw, or pounded into flour in a basket, the 
6eeda separted out, and the flour made into 
mnsh, or sacked and laid away for winter. They 
also make quite an agreeable article of cider 
from them, by soaking the water in flour several 
hours, and then draining it off. 
The Iudians are less easily poisoned by the 
Poison Oak than Americans; their children han¬ 
dle it a good deal while little. They eat the 
leaves, both as a preventive and as a cure for its 
effects, though it sometimes poisons them in¬ 
ternally. The women use the leaves freely in 
cooking; they lay them over a pile of roots or a 
hatch of acorn-bread ; then lay on hot stones 
aud earth. The bright red berries of the Cali¬ 
fornia Holly (Pholinia arbutifolia) are eaten 
with relish; also the berries of the Elder and 
Wild Grapes. 
Soap-root is used for poisoning fish. They 
pound the root up fine, and mix it into pools 
whore the fish have no means of esca po, and at 
the same time stir up the bottom until the water 
becomes muddy. The fish thrust their heads 
out of tho water, stupiiicd, and are easily scooped 
up. Buckeyes are used in the same manner. 
Soap-root is also used to heal and cleanse old 
sores, being heated and laid on hot. Both 
Soap-root and Buckeyes are eaten in times of 
great scarcity; they are roasted under ground 36 
hours or more to extract the poison. 
For toothache, the remedy is the root of the 
California Buckthorn (Fmngula Californica). 
It is heated as hot as it cau be borne, placed 
against the tooth, and tightly gripped between 
the teeth. Several sorts of Mints are used in a 
tea or decoction for colds or coughs. Ague is 
believed to be cured by a decoction of the little 
Mallow (Erenio carpus setigerus), which grows 
on black adobe land in autumn. Colic is treated 
with a tea made from a greenish-gray lichen 
(Parmelia saxicola ), found growing on stones. 
For rheumatism, they take the loaves and stems 
of a parasite vino ( Galium ) which grows up in 
the middle of tho chapparal buBh, heat or burn 
them, and clap them hot on the place. 
Yellow-dock is a valuable specific in their 
pharmacopeia. In case of acute pain of any 
description, the root is heated hot and pressed 
npon the spot. In tho spring the loaf is eaten 
boiled, for greens, together with Clover and 
many other things. Bunch-grass is the subject 
of superstition, which need not bo described. 
There is another thing, probably Wild Parsnip, 
which they believe to bo a deadly poison. It 
will produce nose-bleed, and the people who 
keep it in their houses will surely die. 
Of grasses, they eat the seed of the Wild Oat, 
but very sparingly; Wild Clover. Altilleria. aud 
a kind of grass grown in wet places, are all eaten 
raw when young and tender, or boiled for greens. 
There are two kinds of Mushrooms which they 
consider edible. The one is a little round ball 
found underground in chapparal and Tine thick¬ 
ets. They eat it raw with great relish, or roast 
it on the ashes. Another kind growB in tho or¬ 
dinary form, brown on tho upper side, chocolate- 
colored and deeply ribbed beneath, and easily 
peeled. It is eaten boiled. Under the name of 
Grass-nut, there are a number of bulbouB roots 
which they cat. They eat them raw on the spot, 
or roast or boil them. 
There is the Beaver-tail Grass-nnt ( Gydo - 
bolhi-a). the Turkey-pea (Sanicula luberosa), the 
purple-flowered Grass-nut (lirudiiva congesta), 
tho tule Grass-nut, a small bulb, growing in wet 
places; the climbing Grasa-ililt (firodiira volti- 
bilis ), sometimes planted by Americana for orna¬ 
ment ; the little Soap-root (Chlorogalum divari- 
oatuni), the wild Garlic ( Allium), the eight- 
leaved Garlic, aud several othera, the yellow- 
blossomed Grass-nut (Cnlllproa la tea), aud 
several other grasses of this kind. There is one 
other Grass-nut worthy of mention, with a black 
bulb (Anticlea), which the Indians consider 
poison, although it probably contains no more 
poison than other members of the liliaceous 
kinds. 
The list of greens which they cat in the spring 
is quite extensive. There ia the Mash-flower 
(Mimnlus lute ns), two species of Angelic*, the 
California I'opp,Y ( ExehoUna Californica), the 
Rock-lettuce (Echtoeris lanceohita) eaten raw; 
the Wild Lettuce ( Glaytonia perfoliata), and a 
species of Manic u I a, the root of which, long and 
slightly tuberous, is also eaten. 
Of seeds they eat tho followingA kind of 
coarse wild grass, Promus virens : a species of 
yellow-blooming, tarry-smelling weed, Madaria, 
the seeds of which are as rich as butter; the 
yellow blossom of Crowfoot, lianunculus Gali- 
fornicus ; a little weed which grows thick in ra¬ 
vines, Blenosperuia Califomicum , gathered in 
the same way; also a weed with little white 
blossoms distributed all along the stalks, which 
are thickly covered with miuute prickles. All 
these seeds are generally parched a little, aud 
then beaten to flour, aud eaten without further 
cooking, or made into bread or mush. There is 
an unbeliiferous plant, the root ot which the 
Indians esteem very highly for food, more highly 
than any other, it being the nearest equivalent 
to Potatoes. We know not if it is the true Cam- 
mas, but think it is a species of it. It grows on 
rocky hill-sides, blossoms in .J une or July, has an 
extremely delicate, fringe-like leaf, and a root 
about one inch long, and a quarter as thick, 
sweetish, pungent, aud Agreeable to the taste. 
They are acquainted with the Yerba Santa, hut 
attach no particular attention to it. 
Around old camps and corrals there is found 
a Wild Tobacco (Xicoliana plumbiginifolia), 
which they smoke with much satisfaction. They 
gather the leaves and dry them in the sun in a 
rude fashion; then cut them up fine. There are 
two plants for textile purposes; one is a kind of 
