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404 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
tion, Allium azureum, a handsome blue flowered 
variety growing one foot high; A. Moly album, 
a pure white variety attaining a hight of one and 
a half to two feet; A. Moly is a bright yellow 
flowered variety, growing one foot high. I And 
none of these catalogued by our American bulb 
dealers, We have also two varieties, natives of 
California, Album acuminatum, with bright 
rosy flowers, and A. Wickaoniurn with pale, rose- 
tinted, lilac flowers : both of these are very 
handsome, and well worthy of a place in any 
collection. 
ORNITHOGALUM. 
Another bulb of merit, which has been sadly 
negleoted. is the beautiful but delicate Ornitho- 
galum, or Star of Bethlehem. I use this for 
borderiug beds of larger growing bulbs, with the 
best of satisfaction, preferring them to Snow¬ 
drops for this purpose, Tbev grow six to eight 
inches high, producing their pretty flowers In 
clusters of six to a dozen each. 
There are two varieties in cultivation, but I 
only find one in American catalogues, the Orni- 
thogalum umbellatum. This variety is very 
hardy; the flowers are white, variegated with 
green linear veins. They remain in bloom for a 
number of weeks. 
Ornithogalum anreum is a very beautiful 
variety, in this respect far surpassing 0. umbel¬ 
latum. It is not hardy, however, and in all its 
movements very slow, so that it can never be¬ 
come so common. To bloom, it usually requires 
two years' growth. It can only be flowered suc¬ 
cessfully in the house or conservatory ; and only 
in a pure sandy loam, free from manure, has it 
flowered well with me. Some who have tried d, 
not being aware that the bulb usually lies dor¬ 
mant the first year after removal, throw away 
the contents of the pot, thus losing the bulb, 
and all chances of seeing the flowers slowly ex¬ 
pand. The flower well repays the little atten¬ 
tion required during the two years’ waiting and 
watching. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
W. FALCONER. 
On high, dry positions—as on terraces around 
houses—Aconites and Snow-drops will soon ap¬ 
pear if the weather be mild, and should there¬ 
fore he looked to, to reduce the mulching a little 
from over them, so that the stems may not 
emerge bleached and weakly. Most other herba¬ 
ceous plants had better remain undisturbed for 
Borne time jet. 
Vine 9 . —Clematises may be unraveled, pruned 
a little if necessary, and tied up in place. Their 
stems are very brittle, and though they don’t 
break right off, they often get sadly mutilated 
by twists and strains, consequently should be 
handled with care. Akebia quinata is a very 
pretty vine that grows quite thickly; a reduc¬ 
tion of the minor branches invigorates and beau¬ 
tifies the remainder. The Dutchman’s Pipe 
(Aristolochia Sipho) is a favorite pillar, trellis, 
and screen coveting, and usually a lot of the 
wood dies every yea r. These dead pieces should 
be removed, also the most weakly of the living. 
Honeysuckles and other vines should be strongty 
fixed to their supports. The old stems of 
Hops, Ground-Nut, Wild Balsam Apple, Nas¬ 
turtiums, and other annual and herbaceous 
vines, look most unsightly during the winter 
months if not removed from their summer sup¬ 
ports, therefore they should be cleaned away, 
and the wires or trellises r(-fixed for next year’s 
crop. 
Ampelopsis trienspidata is perhaps our most 
serviceable self-clinging wall covering; it grows 
freely, propagates readily, is extremely hardy, 
and produces a dense luxuriance of neat green 
leaves in summer, which assume a lovely crim¬ 
son-tinted hue in fall. It is a great wanderer, 
however, working into every nook and cranny, 
and if permitted, wilt obsenre window and wall 
with equal fondness. To have it appear appro¬ 
priate, we must keep it in place, and recall the 
disobedient brarehes by removing them alto¬ 
gether, or taukiug them elsewhere into position. 
Pruning Shrubs.— Of course, we look upon 
the winter months as the time for pruning, and 
many amateurs—and. I am sorry to say, profes¬ 
sional gardeners too—prune all shrubs on an 
equal footing. They get a pair of hedge-shears, 
and ruthlessly clip over isolated specimens of 
Deutzias, Mock-Oranges, Dmrvillas, Spinous, 
Althreas, and other garden shrubs in piano-stool, 
semi-spherioal, or auy other •• looks-nice" fash¬ 
ion, that may suit their fancy. This is barba¬ 
rous desecration. Deutzias, Diervillas, Mock- 
Oranges, Lilacs. Japanese Quinces, double-flow¬ 
ering Almonds, Forsythias. Spinea Tbuubergii, 
and such like shrubs should be pruned blit very 
little now, and that only enough to thin out the 
weaklings and j reserve a comely and limited 
form. A little disbudding in spring or early sum¬ 
mer, very considerably lessens pruning, aud so 
far as I have observed, I have experienced no 
noticeable check or evil in judiciously pruning 
Diervillas, Forsythias, and some others after 
they have done blooming and before they start 
vigorously into growth. 
In pruning, I make it a point to cut out a por¬ 
tion of the most exhausted old wood every year, 
and thus maintain a body of young and vigorous 
branches. Spiraea panieulata we find bearH much 
the largest panicles, when out hard back—to a 
few eyes from the ground. Althaeas, too, require 
severe pruning; but. even in their case l must 
rigidly deprecate the use of the shears, as with 
it the good and bad branches are equally treated, 
and the result, a crop of basket-osiers-liko wythes 
quite unbecoming to the flower garden. Use 
the knife instead. Many shrubs, as Chaste Shrub 
and Snow-drop Tree may have their branches win¬ 
ter-killed a little; hence, it is advisable to leave 
them unpruned for a mouth or six weeks yet, 
till danger of severe weather is past, and it oan 
be fully ascertained how much is dead. Their 
shoots should then be cut back to good fresh 
wood and healthy eyes. Some shrubs—as Galli- 
carpa purpurea aud Hydrangeas, are often killed 
to the ground, aud these likewise should he left 
uncut till the approach of spriug, as the dead 
branches are, in a measure, a ]. roteetion, and 
they serve to keep the mulching in place. 
Winter Protection.— It is not in November 
or December that our shrubs and flowers want 
our protecting care ; we merely apply it then as 
a matter of convenience, but now—February till 
April. Tender nursing cannot be commended, 
as we may be likely to kill with kindness. Pro¬ 
viding a little mulching of leaves, litter, manure, 
sedge-grass, earth, or ashes, has been applied 
over the roots, a few Hemlock Spruce, or other 
evergreen twigs or branches placed right over 
the plants, greatly preserve them from iujury. 
In the absence of evergreen branches, auy twiggy 
branches will prove userid, as will also thinly 
made umbrella-shaped straw thatches. These 
branches and crinolines are more applicable to 
shrubs than herbaceous plants, as the latter, root 
and crown, may be mulched with impunity. In 
the case, however, of Stations, Armerias, and a 
few other of the finer kinds of herbaceous per¬ 
ennials that have persistent foliage. I place a 
few twiggy small branches right over the plants 
and then some sedge grass over that, and I find 
this method preferable to placing the grass im¬ 
mediately on the leaves. Iu mild weather it 
would be highly beneficial to remove the protec¬ 
tions and replace them nightly or as danger ap¬ 
proaches ; hut I scarcely think the results would 
pay for the trouble. 
Cambridge botanic Gardens. 
and is a vigorous grower. It is extensively used 
here, in the West, on claims for timber culture. 
I have a few thousand trees just right for mail¬ 
ing, and I think a few quarts of seed left over. 
Orders for any of the above will be placed on 
file and filled in their season. I would Uke, iu ex¬ 
change, hardy climbers, bulbs, roses, Concord 
grapes, currant cuttings, goose-berry, in fact 
any small fruits, chufas, artichokes, pearl millet, 
Butman squash seed, Prescott melon, Compton’s 
Early Field Corn, Longfellow’s Field Corn, or 
almost any choice seed or plant. Order what you 
want and give me your list from which to select. 
R. H. Crane. 
Orleans, Neb. 
OHS. 
JOTTINGS FROM MY NOTE BOOK. 
CLINTON. 
NEBRASKA PLANTS. 
I am frequently in receipt of inquiries con¬ 
cerning plants that are pretty aud novel to East¬ 
ern people. Prof. Anghey describes fifteen 
species of cactus growing within the State. Of 
these only two that are found in my neighbor¬ 
hood. are worthy of cultivation; to wit. Mam- 
millaria macromeris and Opuntia vulgaris. 
The latter is generally frozou to the gronnd du¬ 
ring the winter, but it springs up on the advent 
of milder weather, and by the last of June is in 
full bloom. It,is about as tenacious of life as 
the old-fashioned " Live-for-ever.' If auy fail 
with this plant, it will be by over-watering. TLis 
is perhaps true of all cacti. Mammillaria macro- 
mens is a great favorite here. It is somewhat 
of a globular form, corrugated and bristly. It 
is entirely hardy during our coldest winters. I 
don’t know why it would not thrive without pro¬ 
tection in Canada. In early June it. is crowned 
with from one to four beautiful 1 lossoms. 
Yucca angustifolia is a candidate for public 
favor. To me, it possesses the greatest interest. 
\fhen other vegetation is brown with frosts or 
clad in ermine, its long, dagger-like, ever-green 
leaves form a pleasing contrast.. Scattered 
amoDg ever-green trees it possesses a decidedly 
fine effect. 
Sehrankia unciuata is both pleasing to the eye 
and agreeable to the nose. Its blossom looks like 
a little gold-bespangled ball aud is deliciously fra¬ 
grant. It bears a compound leaf which is some¬ 
what sensitive, like its renowned cousin, Mim¬ 
osa plldica, and it is sometimes known as 
“Sensitive briar.” It is generally found most 
abundant, on broken ground, thus clothing in 
beauty what would otherwise be barren. I don't 
know how it would t taud transportation, but I 
am sure that it would please wherever it oan be 
found in perfection. 
Euphorbia margiuata and Verbena montana 
are at Lome here. The florist’s catalogue suf¬ 
ficiently describes them 
Shephcrdia argontea is a shrub bearing In 
profusion scarlet berries which remain with¬ 
out falling off for a long time. Those who have 
tried them say they are unsurpassed for jelly. 
I can testify to their excellence in pies. The 
shrub is somewhat thorny, aud I propose to 
test its adaptation to hedging. Last year Prof. 
Angiiey ordered this aud soma Y. angustifolia 
for the college campus in Lincoln. 
Negunda aceroideB, as its name indicates, 
bears an intermediate position between the Ash 
and Maple. It makes a clean, pretty, shade tree 
AGRICULTURAL HORSE TROTS. 
The time for the annual meetings of our 
State. County and Town Agricultural Societies 
is now probably mainly over, aud the offioers 
generally chosen for the ensuing year. Making 
out premium lists will be next in order. Let us 
hope that in performing this duty, the officers 
will not lose sight of the professed object of 
such Associations, whiolx usually is to encourage 
improvements in agriculture and horticulture 
and also in manufactures and the domestic 
arts. To convert these aunual exhibitions into 
mere “Horse trots," as too frequently is the 
case, is a sad perversion of their professed ob¬ 
jects. The plea is to improve our breed of 
horses; a very laudable purpose, it is true, if 
properly directed. But will mere competitive 
trials of speed, for short distances, do this ? 
If the ability to trot a mile iu the shortest 
possible time, were the only requisite for that 
valuable animal, the horse, then iudeed there 
might be some plausibility in the plea. But we 
all know that this ability c ia not at all a desidera¬ 
tum with the agricultural community proper. 
What is of far more value to us, is a breed of 
horses for all work, combining strength with 
agility, adaptable either to the plow or to the 
road, as occasion shall require. A good walker 
and roadster, easily kept, and with powers of 
endurance fitting him for auy emergency that 
will be likely to arise—that is the breed of 
horses the farmer wants. By directing the 
attention mainly to the rearing of a breed cap¬ 
able only of going at the greatest possible 
speed for a single mile, we are led to overlook 
the more valuable quality of being able, in case 
of emergency, to go at a rapid rate for boms 
together, without injurious fatigue or exhaus¬ 
tion. This service the animals usually exhibited 
at these horse-trot fairs, are generally entirely 
uufitted for. They are beat adapted to displays 
of short spurts of speed, after which they re¬ 
quire to be carefully rubbed down, sponged 
and blanketed, aud to enjoy a season of rest be¬ 
fore repeating the effort. 
There is much reason to apprehend that the 
tendency of these annual horse trots, in connec¬ 
tion with onr farmers’ fairs, is to destroy the 
qualities of the horse, most valuable for the 
agricultural community. The New York State 
Agricultural Society has wisely excluded them 
entirely from its exhibitions. It would be well 
if our county and town societies would follow 
this example. The excuse for not doing so, is 
that such exhibitions attract, crowds who other¬ 
wise would not come, and these add largely to 
the reoeipts for admission. In answer it may 
well be replied that they also attract a crowd 
with which it is not desirable that our sons, 
wives and daughters should bo compelled to 
come in contact, including not only the vulgar, 
the profane and the intemperate, who lcel no 
interest in any other part of the exhibition, but 
also blacklegs, gamblers and pickpockets, who 
seek such opportunities to ply their vocations. 
If the main object of such organizations is to 
gather money, then, like any other speculations, 
they will be likely to be continued so long as 
they can be made to pay. But we had supposed 
their object to be a more creditable one; aud 
wc still believe that in most cases it if. But in 
the other cases, we are satisfied that the course 
pursued prevents the attendance of many 
respectable persons who would otherwise be 
glad to assist in sustaining them. If such 
societies continue to be perverted by making 
such exhibitions the leading object, then the 
State cannot too soon withhold its annual 
appropriations from all such State or County 
Societies as continue the practice. 
THE USE OF COAL ASHES. 
Goal ashes are pronounced by many to be 
valueless for agricultural or other useful pur¬ 
poses. Consequently they are frequently 
allowed to accumulate around the promises till 
they become a nuisanoe. In cities it is the 
practice to have means provided lor their fre¬ 
quent removal at the public expense. But in 
villages and country places the practice is usually 
different. Probably a large majority of our 
farmers get their maiu supply of fuel from their 
owu wood lands, but the use of coal is con¬ 
stantly increasing in all parts of our country. 
Where the ashes of coal aud wood are mingled 
together, there can be no doubt of their ma- 
nurial value, and the greater the proportion of 
wood ashes composing the mass, the greater 
the value, of course. But coal asheB alone are 
of some value, even to any one who has but a 
mere garden spot to cultivate. On heavy soils 
they may be used to advantage, in largo quanti¬ 
ties. They tend to meliorate the soil and 
render it more porous. They may also be used 
beneficially in forming little mounds about the 
trunks of ’small trees, to protect them from the 
depredations of mioo in winter, aud are better 
for that purpose than earth. When spring 
opens they can be spread around on the surface 
of the soil and worked into it. Covering the 
gronnd under currant bushes with coal ashes is 
useful in provontiug the larva? of the currant 
moth from burrowing in the soil for his winter 
hybernation, or emerging from it readily the 
ensuing season. They may alRO be used to 
advantage around other bushes or shrubs, and 
are useful as a portion of the material for con¬ 
structing walks. They may be also used to ad¬ 
vantage as a deodorizer in privies and water- 
closets, absorbing the offensive odors otherwise 
likely to emanate from them, and the mingled 
mass will thus become a valuable and inoffen¬ 
sive fertilizer. 
NOTES AND COMMENTS. 
W. H. WHITE. 
SHADE TREES. 
The error of Mr. Curtis’s neighbor, Vanguy- 
slinos, mentioned iu a late Rural, is no uncom¬ 
mon one. We rural dwellers, at least mauv of 
us, think, And truly too, that shade, as well as 
ornament, is a fine thing during the summer 
and hot season ; and so we plant trees, or build 
our houses under their shade, oftentimes with¬ 
out thinking of subsequent results. Shade and 
dripping of water from trees cause premature 
decay of even our most durable stone: how 
much greater is the destruction of wood! It is 
much better to plant large-growing trees a 
little more distant from our dwellings; plant 
shrubs nearer,and we get more ornament and less 
after regret. Sunshine is one of our greatest 
promoters of health, therefore let us not exclude 
it too much from the houses we live in. 
TREATMENT OF POOR UNO. 
“ We have a few acres of laud that for several 
years, has been bungled over and half worked, 
until it has become so poor that we can think of 
only one crop to apply the coruiug season, name- j 
ly, buckwheat." “We propose to seed thick 
with large clover, and clover alone." This, I 
understand Mr. Bertram, is in addition to the 
buckwheat; the ground being located at the 
summit of a steep hill, it being impracticable to 
enrich the soil with manure, the clover being 
designed for fertilizing purposes. Will the 
clover take and grow well with the buckwheat 
as shade? and will not the buckwheat tend 
strongly to still further reduce and exhaust the 
soil ? .Buckwheat, as a crop, tends to make the 
surface soil very light and ashy, and the shade 
teuda strongly to subdue lower growing plauts, 
aud for this purpose we often sow buckwheat to 
subdue Borne of our soils. Would it not be bet¬ 
ter, Mr. B., if you cannot fertilize economically 
otherwise, to sow the clover seed without any 
other grain, sowing with the seed gypsum, at the 
rate of about one bushel per acre, or applying it 
to the surface after the seed is sown and harrow¬ 
ed iu; aud make another application after the 
clover has come up and made a small growth • 
If the case were mine, I should leave out the 
buckwheat, whether I made any substitute or 
not. 
SAND FARMINC. 
What is sand ? Writers differ so much in their 
ideas of soils that it is puzzling, often, to define 
their meaning. Furo aaud.makos a poor soil, or 
uo soil at all, on which to attempt to grow any 
kind of crop. Our common, sandy soils contain 
more or less clay, aud this it is which gives them 
their capacity for being improved or made pro¬ 
ductive. The sand farming referred toby Mi 
Loomis is on sandy loam. Of this soil then, ho 
grades: the lightest is a quick, warm 80ll, ana 
crops grown on such mature early, while at tii 
same time they partake of the nature of the soil,; 
this gives to melons and similar products lCU 
rich, delicate llavor. These light and heavy 
sandy loam soils are the best of all our arable 
soils in New England for auy crop we produce. 
There are considerable tracts where, a few vein» 
siuco, a person could buy any quantity fm 
$10 per acre, which, rightly handled, are veij 
productive of all kinds of crops; but they "cm 
constant manuring, to which they are veiy B0 “ Bl 
tive, showing its effects, in the crops, quioke 
than heavier soils. Some of these lands wu 
