I 
very distinct. Sometimes in midsummer, even 
while the tree is loaded with fruit, the leaves 
drop. leaving the branches almost naked. The 
pear is more subject to this malady than the 
apple, but the latter occasionally suffers severely. 
The cause cannot he definitely stated, but the 
spots on the leaves with the black papilla 1 there¬ 
in, show the presence of minute fungi which 
may be responsible for it. I am not aware that 
the matter has been thoroughly investigated. 
Bitter Rot is probably, but not positively, due 
to some similar parasite. Here again nothing 
has been proved. That certain varieties are 
more susceptible to it (ban others tells us noth¬ 
ing as to its cause in these. 
The rest of the diseases and injuries named 
in the table must, bo dismissed with a word. 
The tarred paper heretofore recommended as 
protection to the trunks, is alHO useful in prevent¬ 
ing “ sun-scald.” Mulching with straw etc. tore- 
tain frost in the ground, does not materially delay 
the swelling of tho buds in spring, but trees on 
a northern slope are later than upon a southern 
one. Trees on relatively high ground often 
escape spring frosts which destroy the blos¬ 
soms on lower lands. Mulching or frequent 
surface cultivation aids the tree to withstand 
droogth or heat. 
rence of tho cause, operating to prevent the 
renewal of the connection. We hardly need say 
that the remedy for this difficulty should be 
sought in the careful staking or the trees ; or, 
still better—may be prevented by branching very 
low—at or near the ground. 
South Haven, Mich,, Jan. XT, 1877. 
I have been tempted since then to slit the backs 
of Misses’ waists that were pinched too tight, as 
such artificial Integuments are not so likely to 
grow with the form. The white birch, we know, 
is always “ hide-bound," as the thriftiest plnms 
and cherry-trees are. There was a bunch of 
stunted birches near our garden at the time we 
began to grow market fruit. When horses or 
oxen were waiting for any cause they were 
hitched by the birch, so its roots often got a 
little manure. Directly it begau growing, till 
now, after five years, it has become a very showy 
tree indeed, and gives a welcome shade on hot 
days. But every one of the whole clump of five 
much larger cones and seeds. After several 
years' experience, I bavo no hesitancy in pro¬ 
nouncing it quite hardy in the Middle states.” 
Ellwaxoer & B.vnnY say:—“ Some twenty or 
more years ago, whon wo wore collecting coni¬ 
fers from all quarters, we got from Europe the 
Pinus Ayacahuite, which is a Mexican Pine, 
something like our White Pine, but it was not 
hardy, and, with a host of others not suited to 
our climate, was abandoned." 
Mr. J. R. Truwpy of the Kiaaena Narseries, 
Flashing, N. Y., says:—“I have known this 
Pine for twenty-five years ; it is very hardy here, 
although a Mexican species. It belongs to the 
Strobus section, or fiye-leaved Pines. Some¬ 
times, however, you will find six leaves or more 
near and around tho terminal buds. It may he 
propagated from seed, or by grafting on P. stro¬ 
bus or any other of tho five-leaved Pines.” 
THE OSAGE ORANGE TREE 
This tree recently referred to in the Garden- 
era’ Chronicle as being difficult to get a stock 
of in Eoglaud, is among the cheapest articles in 
some of our nurseries. In Western nurseries 
it is growu for sale in immense quantities, as it 
also iB by other Eastern nurserymen. The 
price varies according to the quantity and 
quality bought, from two to five dollars per 
thousand plants. It is our best hedge plant for 
the Western States, where it grows readily and 
rapidly, is particular neither as to Boil nor situa¬ 
tion, Lears pruning with impunity, and makos 
a most unassailable fence. 
I know nothing about its hardiness iu Eng¬ 
land, but I should consider that it won’t be more 
particular in Europe than it is in America. I 
lately saw a couple of big trees of it iu the gar¬ 
dens of General H. W. Sargent, FisLkill Land¬ 
ing, N. Y. They ware growing luxuriantly right 
up alongside of some Hickories, where anything 
else would starve. The ground around them 
was thickly strewn with their fallen fruits. 
These trees almost annually suffer a zero frost. 
Sir Joseph Hooker, while on his recant visit 
to our country, was particularly interested in 
these Osage Oranges in Gen. Sargent's garden ; 
and, if I remember rightly, remarked that they 
were the first fruits of the kind he had seen 
maturing in the open air. Tile General tells me 
Sir Joseph recounted to him the occasion of 
the Osage Orange tree having ripened fruit in 
one of the glass-houses at Kow, and a basketful 
of the oranges were sent to Queen Victoria. 
By mistake they were served as dessert on the 
royal table ! A not very complimentary appre¬ 
ciation accompanied the acknowledgement of 
their receipt, w. r. 
Wind-breaks of quick growing 
trees, at least in prairie countries, are valuable 
upon tho south and west sides of au orchard but 
not on the north. Sometimes evergreens dis¬ 
tributed among tho trees do good service. 
Select, if possible, laud naturally very deeply 
drained, remembering that standing water will 
kill the tree, or so weaken its vitality as to 
render it a prey to the depredators indicated 
above. Proceed with caution in tho selection of 
varieties, always preferring those that have 
been proved in the locality to any others, no 
matter what the agents any of their value else¬ 
where. Correct over-bearing by hand-picking 
soon after the fruit is set. Better one good, 
fair fruit than half-a-dozen half-developed ones. 
Thinning over-laden trees also gives them a 
chance to bear the following year. 
SLITTING THE EARK OF HIDE-BOUND 
TREES. 
T. T. LYON, 
ence, (or theory, if it is preferred to so designate 
it,) is that tho difficulty is to he sought, not in 
the refractory character of the outer covering of 
the trunk, but rather in (k> nomination at the 
root—possibly in some disease, or parasitical 
robbing of those essential organs of nutrition ; 
or. quite as likely, in some deficiency or incom¬ 
patibility of the soil—it may be excess, or possi¬ 
bly even lack of moisture, or the presence of 
some unfriendly constituent. 
In the absence of any clearly indicated cause 
for snch disease, if disease it should bo called, 
my first search would be at the root, for indica¬ 
tions of disease there: and next, I would resort 
to the culture and amelioration of the soil, and 
the free use of suitable manures, if thought de¬ 
sirable. feeling assured that while “ slitting” 
can by no means induce growth, in tho absence 
oi nutriment, the wonderful digestive apparatus 
with which every plant is provided will, beyond 
doubt, greedily assimilate all tho food supplied 
ly the root—providing its own means of “ slit¬ 
ting the bark” whenever and wherever space 
may prove too narrow for its accommodation. 
'that this *• slitting ” process may and does 
result in tho more rapid enlargement of tho por¬ 
tion of the tree so operated upon, we are by no 
means disposed to question, But what is gained ? 
Ihe trunk will, if left to Itself, appropriate its 
proper share of the nutriment supplied ; while 
we gain uothing, but rather lose, by increasing 
.is size at tho expense of the other members. 
Blitting tho bark is, with more propriety, re¬ 
sorted to, in the case of crooked growths, where 
a slit or two upon the inner curve will, by in¬ 
creased enlargement at such (joint, hasten na¬ 
ture’s effort to supply the defect. The process 
should, however, be always employed with care 
and discretion. Especially is this the case with 
the stone fruits, such as Cherries, Plains, and 
reaches ; for tho reason that, if the knife Bhould 
run too deep, or be employed for this purpose 
at an improper stago of growth, there is danger 
of the exudation of gntu from the wound, which, 
under tho trying climates, and with the rich 
soils of the West, is very likely to result in tho 
annual enlargement of the WOlin.1 Jktifl f.ln* 
SOME NEW HARDY APPLES 
In my article upon •* Iron-Clad Apples,” I 
spoke of a number of new and mostly uopropa- 
gated varieties recently discovered through the 
exertions of tho Montreal Horticultural Society, 
to which my attention was drawn during my at¬ 
tendance at their exhibition last fall. 
The so varieties I speak of as new, and they 
are so in the sense of being new to poaiologiata. 
But many of them havebaen long known amoug 
the French population of Canada, and grafts of 
most of thorn have been more or less distributed 
up and down the lower St. Lawrence Valley. 
There is a great fondness for good fruit, and 
not a little appreciation of choice kinds among 
these French peasantry; but they tire very clan¬ 
nish, aud indisposed to communicate the good 
things they possess to their English-speaking 
and Protestant fellow-countrymen. Those who 
have many trees of these choice varieties, abso¬ 
lutely refuse to allow cions to be taken from 
them. I have been endeavoring for months, 
with the aid of leading members of the Montreal 
Horticultural Society, to obtain trees or cions, 
but with almost no success at all. I can procure 
specimens of the fruit, for these are offered for 
sale in tho markets, but that is all. I mention 
this fact, not only as curiously illustrating a 
trait of character in a large class or people, bat 
also that my readers may be spared the trouble 
of sending in vain for cions. If a way should be 
opened for procuring them, I will make it known 
hereafter. 
The first varieties I shall mention 6eem to be 
of the Fameuse type, and give the idea at once 
of beiug seedlings from that variety. They are 
all of medium size or under, strongly colored, 
with the color penetrating the fiesh, sometimes 
to a very remarkable degree. 
Fameuse Sucre.— This is an inviting, black¬ 
ish-red little dessert apple. It is of the same 
size as Fameuse, but much darker iu color than 
the reddest of that very variable variety in re- 
speot of oolor; form roundish, or slightly ob- 
oU ft -kMjANT PORTRAITS 
brauches along the trunks down to the ground, 
cutting through the tough, stringy, outer bark a 
sixteenth of an inch deep, perhaps. As I cut, the 
bark opened and spiead an eigth of an inch wide, 
and the opening followed my knife as though the 
bark had been too tight. Then I certainly thought 
I hud done a good thing. My mother set me at 
the job and showed mo how to do it. After¬ 
wards, at her suggestion, I took interest enough 
in the trees to put some firm scrapings from the 
barn-yard around thorn, on a circle of five or six 
feet, and spaded it in. The trees grew for a few 
years but are dead and gone long since. Wheth¬ 
er mother really thought at the time that 
the Blitting was necessary for the trees or 
that it was something that a green boy with a 
jack-knifo would probably like to do, is more 
than I can tell. About that time we were en¬ 
grafting a good wauy seedling horse-plums 
about the house with larger sorts and the cions 
uere very apt to out-grow the stocks, making 
tho need of slitting more apparent. With such 
a boy and such a lot of trees on hand one might 
work them off togothor in that way. It couldn’t 
do much hurt and it might bo a good beginning 
for tho boy iu lack of more exact science. The 
children must bo started in business if parents 
and teachers don’t know so much. I remember 
tho slits made ugly scars on tho trees, that 
showed pluiuly enough in the bark when they 
were cut for firewood. Afterwards mother and 
I both gave up the practice—I eing led thereto, 
probably, by something wo learned of tho nature 
of tree growth iu tho rather meagre agricultural 
prints of the time. Now-a-days, I would no 
sooner cut the bark of a tree to let it grow than 
I would cut tho skin of a “ hide-bound” calf 
to let it grow. Vegetable assimilation and tho 
economy of animal life will elaborate materials 
to swell and euiargo the bark or skin as fast as 
new layers of fat or sap-wood need more room. 
birches is as “ hide-bound” as it can be. This 
you may prove for yourself by sliting the bark of 
auy birch ever so littlo after it has commeuced 
growing in spring. J. B. Olcott. 
My experience hasbeeu considerable in slitting 
the bark of hide-bound trees. I have never 
known it to do harm. With regard to young 
trees that have been neglected, or grown in 
poor soil, before cultivating and manuring 
them, I think slitting is a benefit. The back 
of such trees seems indurated, offering an ob¬ 
struction to the free How of sap. This con¬ 
striction is relieved by slitting the bark on the 
trunk and larger branches. F. H. Hoskins. 
JMorimltal, 
PINUS AYACAHUITE 
The life-like engraving of this Pine, which we 
hero present to the reader, is sketched from a 
specimen scarcely two feet in hight. Wo had 
supposed, before soliciting the experience of 
several of our best-informed writers upon such 
topics, that it would prove quite hardy, even 
north of New York. As will be seen, there is 
some conflict of opinion upon this point. 
Mr. Josiah Hoopes writes us as follows:—“ It 
is a Mexican species, attaining the hight of about 
100 feet, and found on the mountains at an ele¬ 
vation of from 7,000 to 8,500 feet. In general 
appearance it resembles the P. exoelsa, although, 
wherever it has been tested in this country, there 
has been no evidence of the disastrous blight 
that has destroyed the Bhotan Pine. It is close¬ 
ly related to our northern White Pine (P. stro¬ 
bus), but with longer, drooping leaves, and 
