soil can be well worked, the better. The ground 
ought to be manured and plowed in the fall, 
turning under a light dressing, and spreading a 
good coat to lie on the surface till spring: when 
it should be plowed down, and the grouud titted 
for planting. 
Plants for sotting should bo runners of the 
pi evious season s growth, carefiflly taken up, 
and trimmed of dead, or ground leaves, and 
their roots shortened about one-third by a clean 
cut. The ground being well plowed, harrowed, 
aud of a flno, even surface, stretch a marked 
line along where the rows aro to be-the distance 
apart for the rows dopending onjwhether lho crop 
be for licld'or garden culture—for the garden 18 
by 21 Inches is about the right distance, for the 
field 18 by 30 or 86 inches. The roots of the 
plants should ho spread aud the soil placed in 
close contact with them all: then fill in so that 
tho crown of tho plant will stand even w’ith the 
surrounding surface of tho ground, and compact 
the Boil by pressing on it with the fingers, laid 
knuckles down and away from tho plaut—a very 
simple affair for so many words, but all-import¬ 
ant to insure success. 
l'or after cultivation, different methods are 
adopted by different cultivators. Some adopt 
the matted-row system, others cultivate in hills, 
beds and the annual system. My own choice is 
the matted-row system, keeping all runners down 
from between tho rows when ouoe established. 
Cultivate and dig in fertilizers between, and 
close to the rows as often as may seem necessary. 
Renew the plantation bo soon as it may become 
unprofitable. In garden culture, I find the vines 
will boar well for four or five years. Some pro¬ 
tection given during winter, greatly promotes 
the best success. This protection may be af¬ 
forded by evergreen boughs or any other sub¬ 
stance that, while it shudos tho ground, will not 
mat down so as to smother the plants, llomovo 
this in the spring after the freezing and thawing 
of the ground are past. When tho soil is in a 
condition to bo worked, and the plants have 
started into growth, then hoe and cultivate, ap. 
plying fertilizers as needed: aud be sure to keep | 
the ground clean of weeds. From the time the 
plants begin to blossom till the last fruit is ma¬ 
ture, they should not he allowed to suffer for 
want of water, even at the expense of hand irri¬ 
gation. 
If tho fruit iH for market, pick and carefully 
assort, packing evenly in suitable packages, re¬ 
membering that one box of nice, handsome fruit 
all through, will bring more money than two 
boxes the contents of which are poor and faced 
Westboro, Mass. * 
---- . 
gardening pen talks. 
BY MRS. ANNIE lu JAOK. 
“ What do you think of tho blue-glass theory 
now’, mamma?” So questioned my oldest 
daughter the other day as I lifted the little square 
box, with a blue pane on the top, which I had 
set over a plant, and found it scorched and dead 
7 niy third “Periment in Unit line, tint expe¬ 
rience has taught mo tho cause of iny failures 
and I have no doubt the extreme dry heat of the 
present season has burned out all chances of my 
experiment beiug successful in the late “blue" 
rage. 
This is a lovely bed,” is the usual remark of 
visitors as they come to a triangle of bright 
Pelargoniums, with Heliotrope, and other bed¬ 
ding plants and a baelc-grouud of flaming glad¬ 
ioli, with Ganna and Ricinus still further away. 
, ' vh " lc ifl bordered with Golden Feather, 
:md most of the plants aro from the Rural 
mounds, which adds to their charm for us, and 
pioves tho valuo of choice bedding plants in a 
season when annuals fail to come up early. The 
ueinus lived all winter out of doors, that is, the 
('lusters of seed pods in their hedge-hog casing, 
were thrown among some rubbish at the root of 
(( tree, aud when planted this spring they ger- 
unated fteely, which I consider something un¬ 
usual in this climate. This morning the family 
Poet wandering through the flower beds plucked 
a leaf measuring over thirty inches across—only 
0116 aniou o many aud perpetrated this im¬ 
promptu rhyme: 
‘‘Give me, sweet love,a single leaf 
Fond memories to impart; 
I'll cherish it with loving care 
And wear it near my heart. 
“ ' Vitl1 trembling voice my darling said : 
To sooth thy- bitter vrrief, 
In memory of thy childhood, dear, 
Wear this Iticiuus loaf.'" 
Not long ago in tho Rural we read an article 
a jout mjidew on gooseberries, which attributed 
! t0 th,: hot > dl 'y air penetrating to the roots of 
ue plant, hut I cannot understand why the old 
Lnghsh varieties aro affected to utter dostruc- 
,J' m " ldo the Houghton escapes uninjured in 
uie same row and with the same treatment. 
ms is one of the mysteries or horticulture that 
continues to puzzle the fruit grower; vet some- 
00 % must bo successful or the large berries of 
this fruit would not be so freely sold for forty 
Cen H a £ a hon; and while on this subject, let me 
express a wonder that some one does not invent 
a late red currant of good quality and bearing, 
to continue the season of this juicy and health¬ 
ful fruit longer than it now lasts. 
-» 
EXPERIENCE WITH TOMATOES. 
Wishing to get some of the plants which, in a 
late number of your excellent paper, you offered 
those who write to you an article on any garden 
vegetable, I send you a few lines telling of my 
experience in cultivating Tomatoes. 
Last spring I raised twenty-four nice, large 
Hathaway Excelsior Tomato plants in cans out 
of which I had taken the bottom, and then filled 
them with dirt and sot them away on a board. I 
fixed them in this way so that I would not havo 
to disturb them any, when I removed them to 
the garden. I kept them in my bay-window un¬ 
til the advent of warm days, and then accus¬ 
tomed them to wind and sunshine by placing 
them in the porch. When dangers from frost 
were over, I planted them In the garden, and 
supposed they would got along all right. I didn't 
look at them until next morning when, alas! 
the Colorado beetle bad fcastod on them mean¬ 
while, and had left nothing but the stems. So 
much for tho ravages of those dread rid pests. 
I don't, at all blame foreign countries for dread¬ 
ing them as much as famine or tho plague. We 
got our children to pick them every morning 
from the potato vines, giving them five cents a 
hundred for catching them, and they had plenty 
of spending money, you may be sure. If only 
we had watched our Tomato plants with equal 
care, wo should have had plenty of Tomatoes in 
July. For the last five or six years I have raised 
them in cans just as I attempted to do this year 
and havo found it paid well for the trouble. 
When l was attending to my other plants I could 1 
water them without losing scarcely any time, and 
on tho removal of tho plants to the garden, tho 
canH may bo laid away in tho wood-house to servo 
the saino purpose another year. 
I first learnt this method of cultivating Toma¬ 
toes by reading an article in the Rural, and I ! 
like the fruit much better than those raised in a 
hot-bed ,• and moreover I can havo them earlier 
if only 1 watch them properly. I Halter rnysolf ! 
that tho beetles won’t catch mo napping again 
next spring. Last fall immense numbers of 
grasshoppers laid their eggs here, and caused 
great uneasiness about our early gardens, but 
tho\ didn t, hutch out until late, and then did 
much lew) damage than wo feared. Thu Colorado 
beetle does more injury hero than the ’hoppers, 
as it fortunately seems too far east for the health 
of the latter. Mary R. Branson. 
vuilsca, Iowa. 
--- — 
EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENTS’ 
LETTERS. 
“ Pleasant words with Rural readers.” Tho 
above named article, written from “Rural 
Grounds ” July 15th, is especially pleasing, and 
L wish with the editors, that it wore practicable 
for their many friends to visit the “ Grounds 
to hold a grand pic-nk there. Think for a mo¬ 
ment, what a crowd of suhscribers there would 
bo; it would bo next to tho Centennial. I fear 
the choice shrubs and flowers, of tho well-kept 
“ Grounds ” would look the worse for a pio-nio, 
held by Rural readers whose number runs up 
into tho thousands. Of the cordial reception we 
should receive, there can be no doubt for the 
hospitality of the “Rural Home” is proverbial. 
We hear that oven the birds, know that they are 
welcome to the •• Grounds ’’ aud that during tho 
winter months, the snow-birds, make homes of 
the evergreens, so carefully grown by the Pro¬ 
prietors. Wo hear also, that “ Mrs. Rural,” 
with characteristic generosity, contributes a loaf 
irorn each baking, for the feathered innocents. 
Well, as wo cannot come en masse, tho “ propo¬ 
sition, looking to the same object,” must be a 
partial substitute, which will, no doubt, meet 
with approval. 0 
- +■ ■ * ■+ - - 
TWO AMARYLLIS. 
What more charming or beautiful, or of easier 
culture, can be conceived than an Amaryllis. 
Many persons familiar with the regal beauty of 
an Amaryllis suppose it to bo tender and only to 
lie raised by the professional hi a conservatory, 
but the truth is, it is of much easier cultivation 
than many annual seedlings. 
Amaryllis Jolmsnni is a most magnificent 
flower of the easiest culture. The flowers are 
extremely gorgeous, very large, and resemble 
in shape J. ilium cemdidutn.. The ground-color 
is a brilliant scarlet, with a distinct white stripe 
down tho center of each segment. More than 
two flowers arc rarely produced on a single 
stem, but it can be induced to furnish several of 
these stems in the Boasou. riant tho bulb in 
pots of common garden loam, taking oare to have 
over half tho bulb above the surfaco of the soil. 
Amaryllis formmismua is another very beau¬ 
tiful variety. Like the other-, the flowers are 
very large, and of & brilliant dark crimson color. 
This variety, with even extraordinary good caro, 
will flower but once, aud then will seldom pro¬ 
duce more than one or two flowers, but even one 
pays for all the caro it requires for several years. 
Like tho other, also, the top of tho bnlb must 
be well out of the ground to flower. Tho ex¬ 
quisite beauty of this variety recommends it to 
even the most indifferent amateur, w. c. i„ t>. 
---- 
AN EXTENSIVE NURSERY. 
The nnrsory men have not of late had occa¬ 
sion to rejoice, having severely felt tho business 
depression, but recently at Syracuse, we bad 
tho pleasure of going over the extensive proper¬ 
ty of Messrs Smith and Powell, in company 
with the latter gentleman and we wore quite 
convinced that they had mastered the intricacies 
of the business and knew how to do a profitable 
trade in dull times. 
They havo 1.250 acres cut up into four farms 
of which (150 acres are in nursery stock. Tho 
remaining acreage is in grain and pasture for the 
benefit of their improved stock ol’ which they 
have some fine specimens including Clydesdales, 
Hambletonians, and pure-brod Holstein cattle. 
lhe nursery is well kept up, and the stock is in 
fine condition. We had our attention called to a 
block of one, two and three year old pear trees 
that cover one hundred acres, and all in splendid 
growth; Apples, poaches, cherries, plums, etc., 
Seemed to share the general vigor. 
I hey find that the blight has almost entirely 
disappeared from their Nursery this season. 
We hope it will ho a porpotnal disappearance. 
Those nurseries owo their success mainly to 
the intelligent care bostowed on tho culture of 
the trees, and one may always rely on getting 
good stock if ho patronizes the owners. ic. 
- 
CATALOGUES, &c., 1RECEIVED, 
This Cabbaoe Family— Its Varieties, Qualities 
and Culture, by Daviu Lanokkth .V, Sons, Phila¬ 
delphia. This is tho most practically compre¬ 
hensive work of tho kind wo have over looked 
over and wo heartily commend its |iorumiJ to 
every farmer or horticulturist in the country. 
Excellent engravings aro given of tho chief 
varieties ol the Cabbage its history—time of 
sowing—transplanting and subsequent culture 
insects which prey upon it etc., etc. Tho price 
is 25 cents, and it is well worth it. 
fonwlojjiral, 
HINTS TO PURCHASERS OF TREES. 
•/ FRUIT TREES IN BEARING. 
HoW often is tho question asked by purchas¬ 
ers, “ Can I have fruit trees that will bear the 
first year ?’’ and very frequently it is accompan- 
iod by offers to pay higher prices If necessary. 
Tho ubiquitous and ever- ready tree peddler glad¬ 
ly takes advantage of this common want, and 
makes unlimited promises which ho secures ap¬ 
parently by furnishing large trees that in bulk, 
at least, seem cheap aud likely to prove satisfac¬ 
tory. Well pleased with the anticipated fruitful¬ 
ness, the purchaser calmly abides the appearance 
of abundant and luscious frnit; but year after 
year, even if tho tree is healthy, his hopes are 
blighted until at length, in sorrow, he seeks a 
nurseryman to explain for him the wherefore of 
this continued failure. 
lhe nurseryman, having generally more repu¬ 
tation at stake, probably informs him that old 
fruit trees, transplanted with a difficulty corres¬ 
ponding with their age, require a long time to 
re-establish themselves and develop a fruitful 
condition, lie advises liim to purchasa young, 
thrifty trees from one to four years old, accord¬ 
ing to genera or species ; to plant or prune them 
well; and then ho tells him he may look for fruit 
in from three to five years. In this way, tie 
claims that fruit will be obtained quicker, at less 
coat, aud with less risk of disease and death, 
than if the attempt bo made with older and 
larger trees. Either ignorant or willfully de¬ 
ceiving, the treo peddler promised more than ho 
could perform, because such trees are scarcely 
to he lound in America. The nurseryman wisely 
based biH advice on tho condition of trees gener¬ 
ally offered by American nurseries, and at the 
samo time, very likely pointed out the advantages 
possessed by the thrifty young fruit trees over 
stock that has been left neglected, untransplant¬ 
ed, and overgrown. 
In European nurseries, this early fruitfulness 
is developed by a method that might as well bo 
applied with equal success in this country. Tho 
tree, two or more years old, is carefully watched 
in Juno, and when tho shoots become super¬ 
abundant, and attain the length of four or live 
inoheB, thumb and finger are employed on thorn, 
here aud there, to extract just the heart of tho 
growing bml. This causes an entire cheek to 
the growth, a swelling of tho apex of the Bhoot, 
and, the following year, the appearance of a 
perfect fruit hud. If the treo possesses good 
roots from recent transplanting, the fruit bnds 
will sustain little injury by another removal, and 
fruit, of good size and quality can bo obtained 
the first year. Tho benefits of frequent trans¬ 
planting in the uursery should be looked upon as 
very essential to the work in question. To con¬ 
tinue this quality of fruitfulness, however, with¬ 
out exhausting the treo, care must be taken to 
diminish any overcrop by plucking in time a 
certain amount of young fruit, and, in the 
pinching process, to operate alternately year by 
year, on different stems and twigs o t tho tree in 
order to distribute tho strain of fruit bearing as 
equally as possible. It. must readily appear 
however that such trees caunot be sold at tho 
price ordinarily given for fruit trees. 
Sam Parsons. 
-♦ ♦ »- 
THE RICHARD’S SWEETING APPLE. 
On my father's rami, in the town of Prospect, 
Connecticut, wore a few trees bearing an apple 
of the above name. Tho treo was a thrifty, up¬ 
right grower like the Northern Spy but more 
stocky; fruit large, conical, and green, becoming 
yellow towards spring, at which timo it was in its 
greatest perfection ; fleBh very firm aud solid ; 
akin remarkably smooth and a little oily after 
lying on the ground; flavor a very rich sweet and 
a little spicy. I left the farm fifty years ago, 
have never scon it. or a specimen of the apple 
since. Although I have looked for it at all tho 
fairs I have attended for the past thirty -five 
years, examined every list of apples I could, and 
all tho descriptions of winter sweets, yot I havo 
failed hitherto to so© it or hear of it. Knowing 
no residents now of tho town of rrospeet, and 
determined, if possible, to procure cions of what 
I considered tho most desirable winter-sweet 
apple over raised, I wrote to a cousin in Che¬ 
shire who at first did not know the fruit, but 
after inquiry in his neighborhood he sent mo 
eions of what ho thought must bo tho treo I 
meant. J hose all failed, hut a second lot wore 
successful, and after having them set on thieo 
different farms, and waiting with much anxiety 
aud impatience tho time when I should oxcito 
much astonishment by tho exhibition of the 
fruit, they at last bore tho Ladies’ Sweet de¬ 
scribed by Downing. It was not so bad as it 
might have been, but by no moans satisfactory. 
Again, I have grafts from eions sent mo in 18(55 
from Prospect. The treo from which they were 
cut is said to bo known as tho Richard’s flwoot- 
ing, and tho donor says it answers my descrip¬ 
tion, and if, When it bears it tills my bill, pornol- 
ogists will hear from it, otherwise I shall hold 
my peace. Hut in the meantime, as tho grafts 
wore sot in young trees and l am gettiug old and 
impatient, I concluded to advertise for it in this 
manner. No apple with any stripes or splashes 
need apply, nor uno ol’ any other color than 
lightish green and yellow. I think 1 should 
know it among a thousand by its looks or taste. 
Muskegon, Mich., August, 1S7T. 8. B. Peck. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
It. (}., Arlconia Nurseries .—I am very deeply 
interested in Grape-growing, but in my practice 
I do not seem to attain to best results in a largo 
yield of fruit. Tho vines are as line and as 
thrifty as I ever saw and tho fruit is also very 
fine, but 1 am not perfectly satisfied with the 
quantity. I thought I would acquaint you with 
tho facts and make a few inquiries. I havo 
about hall' an acre, mostly of Concord vines, 
planted five years ago on a rich, well-drained 
soil- -compact Bandy loiuu, with a gentle south¬ 
ern exposuro—kept open and well tilted. Tho 
vines are planted rowing oast and west, eight 
feet in the rows, and rows ten feet apart, and 
trained to trellises six feet high, in fan shape. 
I do my heaviest priming in the fall, shortly 
after the foliage is off, when I cut the young 
wood back to three buds on the canes, and leave 
them as spurs for next year’s fruiting. I then 
lay them down on tho grouud and cover the 
vines slightly with earth for winter protection. 
There I loavo them until the settled weather of 
spring returns, when I tie up the canes fan- 
shaped again, as I did last year. Along about 
tho middle of July, I carefully prune by cutting 
off the ends of tho straggling young canes, giv¬ 
ing the trellis a more uniform appearance. Now 
the trouble seems to be that I have too much 
wood: tho growth is a heavy, dense niasB all 
over tho trellis, and tho fruit is very sparingly 
set. There are not two pounds of fruit on some 
of those large vines capable of hearing twenty 
pounds. I .ast year the crop was also light. 
Now, as wo have ovory confidence in your ripo 
horticultural abilities, especially when Grape 
vines and their management are tho questions, 
allow me to make a tew pointed inquiries:—(1.) 
What is there wrong in my practice with my 
vinos ? (2.) Has the practice of laying down 
