In Germany the valuable oak is sometimes 
planted at suitable distances in a plantation 
of Scotch Pines which when harvested, after 
growing fifty or sixty years, leave the young 
oaks in possession of the soil for another cen¬ 
tury. 
The valuable Sugar Maples, the White Ash, 
and some other trees had perhaps better be 
grouped together in masses by themselves, as 
we often find them in Nature—or on the prai¬ 
rie plantations these species may be planted in 
every third or fourth row—and the udjoiuing 
rows on either side can be cut away as the 
space, is needed for their fuller development, 
leaving for awhile but two rows where four 
had been planted. 
-- 
EXPERIENCE IN GROWING TREES 
ON THE PRAIRIE. 
I often see the inquiry, “What shall I 
plant?” and as I have profited from time to 
time from hints of the experience of others on 
different subjects, I propose to state my ex¬ 
perience in planting trees. In 1838, I settled 
down on the open prairie. Not a tree was 
near, or even in sight in some directions, es¬ 
pecially to the north and west, and in Win¬ 
ter wh6n the wind blew from those directions, 
I soon came to the conclusion that I must have 
a wind-break of some kind or seek shelter 
elsewhere. Accordingly I began to plant 
trees and have continued to do so from year 
to year up to the present time. 
My first planting in 1838, was of Sugar-Ma¬ 
ples, which are now beautiful trees 30 or more 
feet high and 18 inches through, with hand¬ 
some tops; but they have been slow growers. 
The next year I procured some locust seed 
and planted about half an acre, and culti¬ 
vated them well. They grew fast until the 
borer attacked them and killed all. They 
were then valuable for posts, many cutting 
three to four posts in length, eight to ten 
inches through at the base. I dug them 
all up and cleared the ground. Then my 
wind-break was gone. I then planted from 
time to time Black Waluut, Butternut, Soft 
Maple, oak, ash, elm and evergreens of differ¬ 
ent varieties, and they have all done well 
and some have become large trees. We now 
have plenty of nuts for ourselves and to 
spare. At this time I can count my trees 
by thousands. 
A few years since I saw in the Rural New- 
Yorker the European Larch advertised for 
sale by Robert Douglas & Sons, Waukegan , Ill. 
and being well acquainted with the fast 
growth and value of those trees in my native 
home, England, 1 bought and planted 9,000 
and have but to regret that I did not multiply 
that number by ten at that time. They were 
quite small when I bought them—many not 
larger than a lead pencil and not over a foot 
high. My ignorance as to how this climate 
would suit them was the only reason I did 
not venture to plant more at that time. Many 
of those trees are now standing 30 feet high 
and six to seven inches through at the base, 
as straight as an arrow and much admired 
by those who see them. My mode of plant¬ 
ing is to plow the ground deep—the deeper 
the better—and make it as mellow as possible. I 
do not advocate deep planting; I mark out with 
the plow furrows four feet apart and plant 
across the furrows at the above distance, 
so my trees are now four feet apart each way. 
As I plant I settle the fine earth firmly around 
the roots with my foot. Get the ground ready 
as early in the Spring as possible for your 
trees, as the English Larch is about the first 
tree that starts. At corn planting time I 
planted two grains or more of corn on the 
south side of each little tree; if more than 
two grew, I pulled them up. The corn stalks 
acted as a shade for the young trees through 
the heat and drought of Summer, and I think 
it saved many as the season was extremely 
dry. 
Many think that when they have jfianted, 
their work is ended, but it is just begun if 
one is resolved to succeed. I kept the young 
larches well cultivated with the corn culti¬ 
vator, not allowing any w eeds or grass to 
grow. I harvested corn enough to pay for 
the labor, and produced the largest ears 
grown on the farm. The reason of this was 
that there were only two stalks to the hill, 
and they were well and often tended. I fol¬ 
lowed the same course the next season, and 
intended to do so the third, hut in this l was 
P revented, as the trees had growti so fast that 
could not get the horse and cultivator 
through without injuring them. That season 
they corered the grouud and choked out the 
grass and weeds- so ended m y labor. I in- 
teimixed tuy plantation liberally with wal¬ 
nuts and evergreens of different species, and 
other young natives of this locality; but the 
larch 1ms outgrown them all, Now in the 
Summer no grass or weeds gr ow uuder them, 
and the laud is at all times moist and cool. 
The question is often asked, “ Why plant 
so closel” My answer is that 1 want tall trees 
and they grow faster if so planted. I can 
now, if 1 w ish, thin them out. I am glowing 
valuable posts for my farm. This is no small 
object to me at the price posts are now sold 
at. Trees for ornament and shade should 
have more room, and to such I give it. I 
would advise all those who plant trees not to 
cheat them in labor, for if they do it’s ten to 
one if they won’t get cheated. This country 
was well supplied with timber in 1838, when I 
came here, could it have been equally di¬ 
vided; but it lay in large groves, and fell 
into the hands of a few, and it seems as if 
their chief object was to destroy it. Thou¬ 
sands of acres which were covered with good 
large timber then, to-day have not a tree. 
Winnebago Co., Ill. Thomas Lake. 
AN EASTLAKE COTTAGE. 
(See opposite page for Illustrations.) 
The accompanying design, w r hich we reen¬ 
grave from a late work on “ Cheap Dwellings,’’ 
published by the San Francisco Bulletin Co., 
is what is termed an Eastlake cottage, so 
named for Sir Charles L. Eastlake, President 
of tho English Royal Academy, who died in 
1865, and who was a well-known writer on 
and when taken from the sweat box they are 
assorted and boxed. This process of drying 
takes from eight to ten days. The outline 
engraving which we give at Fig. 141 is drawn 
from a bunch of raisin grapes sent to us by a 
friend in California, and is a true portrait of 
grapes in raisiniug. 
-- 
The White Malaga Grape. 
Referring to Mr. Van Wormer’s statement 
about the character of the Centennial grape 
in the Rural of the 22d, the editor remarks: 
“ Is not the White Malaga grape of our mark¬ 
ets the best of keepers ? Is the skin thick or 
tough?” The White Malaga belongs to the 
family of foreign raisin gTapes, in which the 
skin is not thick but rather tough. They owe 
much of their keeping qualities to the nature 
of the pulp, this being meaty and solid, while 
the pulp of our native grapes next to the skin 
is juicy and soft. Just here is where the main 
difference between foreign and native grapes 
is found; ours are “ bags of wine” next to the 
skin, and the pulpy, or hard part, is found 
next to the seeds, when it exists; while just 
the contrary is the case in most foreign varie- 
Grapes Beginning to Raisin.—From Nature.—Fig. 141. 
artistic matters. The design is a pleasing one, 
and the effect of the ornamentation is quite 
pretty. 
The gi'ound plan (Fig. 139) and the plan of 
the second story, on a scale of eight feet to an 
inch, will explain themselves, the dimensions 
of the several apartments and the purposes 
for which they are used being named in the 
drawings. The general arrangement of the 
rooms is such as to make all of easy access 
and convenient, and ample closets, halls, dress¬ 
ing-rooms, etc., are provided. 
The estimate of labor and material at San 
Francisco rates, as given by the architect, Mr 
John C. Felton, Jr., is as follows: 
Rough lumber, lfi.ROO fo.-t at 21 P M.$352 so 
Flooring, 2,50iJ feet at $28 p M.. 72 80 
Rustic, tab feet, ut P M. 156 00 
Shingles, 17.000, nt 82 25 P M . 41 62 
Pours, windows and ioillwork, including waiu- 
scottlng, arch lu hall, etc. 800 00 
Staircase. 125 to 
Hardware, nails,etc. 150 00 
Carpenters' labor..... 600 00 
llrick foundation, chimneys and flro places.... 210 00 
Wooden mantels (three) including grates and 
tile hearths. 150 00 
Plastering. 210 00 
Painting . 200 00 
Plumbing and tlnwork. 250 00 
Excavation and drain pipes. 60 00 
Total.$3,388 22 
Of course the difference in cost of material 
and labor in different parts of the country, 
must be taken into consideration ; but this 
estimate will serve to give a somewhat definite 
idea of the cost of the cottage. 
£l)C Vi nnj civil 
RAISIN GRAPES. 
California vineyardists are beginning to 
realize that there is money in converting 
some of their grapes into raisins rather than 
into wine, as is the general custom. The 
quality of American raisins is said to be quite 
as good as the best imported, and certainly 
we should want no better than those we re¬ 
ceived some little time ago from a friend and 
contributor in California. The modus oper¬ 
and? of raisin-making is a simple one. If 
dependence could be placed on the weather, 
curiug the grapes on boards or platforms is 
the cheapest method and perhaps, the best. 
These “driers” are about two by three feet 
in size, and are laid in the furrows between 
the rows of vines. The grapes placed upon 
them are turned, after a few days, by plac¬ 
ing a similar platform upon them and re¬ 
versing. It takes two or three weeks to cure 
them in this way. Owiug to the fact that 
the raisin season comes about the time rains 
are expected, by which whole crops are some¬ 
times destroy ed, large raisin driers are used 
in many parts of California. Heat is intro¬ 
duced at 100 degrees iuto a drying chamber, 
and after the grapes are taken from the 
drier they go to sweat boxes where they re¬ 
main one or two days to equalize the moisture, 
ties, and this is the true reason why the for¬ 
eign usually keep better than our own. 
Watertown, N. Y. D. S. Marvin. 
She (Querist 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention 1 
GAPES IN CHICKS, etc. 
H. R. Klej Grange, Md. 1, What is a 
remedy for gapes in chickens? 2. Where can 
I get Cotswold Sheep, and at about what 
price ? 8, When should celery be sown ? 4, 
What are collards ? 5, Will the Pocklington 
Grape thrive here ? 
Ans. 1. An effective remedy for this thinner 
of the poultry yard is that described by Gen. 
Noble, in our issue of Jan. 25,’79. He slaked 
a barrel of lime wash to about the thiokuess of 
paint, and iuto this stirred from ten to twelve 
pounds of sulphur flour. Into each pailful 
used, he mixed a tablespoouful of carbolic 
acid, and with a brush sloshed every part of 
the hennery, roosts, floor and walls with the 
mixture. This was repeated several times, 
especially with each new brood, to the entire 
disappearance of gapes from among his poul¬ 
try, Of course, a smaller quantity of all the 
ingredients would suffice for smaller quarters 
for fowls. As related in a Rural Brevity in 
our issue of June 7th, ’79, a friend of ours has 
found an effective remedy in dry, caustic 
lime. A pinch of it was dropped into the 
bird's threat, which was then let go, aud by 
next day it had recovered. That’s about the 
easiest" cure” we kaow, A trifle more trouble¬ 
some is that found out by an Englishman, as 
told in the Rural, July 19th, ’79. Taking 
two parts of sulphur and one of salt, he 
mixed them with water to the consistency of 
thick cream—using the finger to mix the sul¬ 
phur, as it doesn’t readily mix with water. 
Then having dipped a feather into the mix¬ 
ture, he thrust it about three inches down the 
bird’s throat, working it up and down a few 
times, and repeated the operation three or 
four times at intervals of a couple of days. 
A still easier remedy is one given in our issue 
of Aug. 9th, ’79, by a eorrespondeut who got 
rid of the pests by simply removing the 
chickens and their coops away from the house, 
aud placing them under a tree in the or¬ 
chard or meadow, having mowed the 
grass where there was any. In the Rural 
of Nov. 8th, ’79, Col Curtis tells how he 
cured a chick of gapes by making it inhale 
tobacco smoke until it was stupefied. This 
he did by placing the little wretch in a 
coop with a vessel by its side containing 
burning tobacco, the smoke of which was pre¬ 
vented from escaping by means of a covering 
over the coop. 2. E. M. Emory, Centreville 
Md., is the nearest dealer we know of. They 
are also sold by W. Atlee Burpee, 219 and 221 
Church Street, Philad’a, Pa. Either of these 
parties wifi give the price. 3. You may sow 
seeds now iu the open ground. Let the soil 
be well pulverized. Celery seeds are slow in 
germinating when sown out-of-doors. Sow 
an ounce of seed to every 25 feet. Mark the 
rows eight inches apart aud roll or spat down 
with the back of a spade. They need little 
covering. Cut off the tops, which will induce 
a stockier growth. The plants may be re¬ 
moved to permanent beds from early June to 
mid-August. 4. A kind of cabbage—sow¬ 
ings, indeed, of any early cabbage. The 
plants are cut for use when six inches high. 
5. Probably. Only a trial will answer the 
question positively. 
USE OF HEN MANURE, ASHES AND PLASTER. 
SHAPING A HEIFER’S HORN. 
L. S. W., Ritchie, N. Y. 1. What is the best 
way to use hen manure as a fertilizer for com? 
W ould it be advisable to use wood ashes with 
it, or would plaster be better? 2. A horn of 
one of my heifers is growing in a very awk¬ 
ward shape; how can it be made to grow like 
the other? 
Ans.— 1. The poultry manure may be mixed 
with ashes and plaster without injury, if the 
plaster is in equal bulk with the poultry ma¬ 
nure; there is very little effect of the ashes 
upon the poultry manure, unless it is wet or 
more than usually damp, as moisture is neces¬ 
sary to cause the decomposition of the manure 
by the ashes. If the mixture is damp even, 
the plaster will combine with and take up all 
the ammonia that may be set free by the cor¬ 
rosive effect of the potash of the wood ashes. 
But there is no necessity to make the mixture 
until it is required for use, or a day or two be¬ 
fore, when the combination formed or began 
to be formed and accompanied by some heat 
and fermentation, would be useful and bene¬ 
ficial. To make the mixture proceed as fol¬ 
lows: Spread the poultry manure on a floor 
and beat it fine with the back of a shovel, 
breaking all lumps; then spread the plaster 
evenly over it. Then spread the ashes evenly 
over the plaster; take a garden or hay rake or 
a hoe and mix the whole evenly, drawing in 
the edges and making a long heap; then with 
a shovel, turn the ends of the heap into the 
middle and make a conical or peaked heap; 
then scatter this again with the hoe, making 
a sort of circle, bringing the center to the 
edges; then rake it all together again into a 
pile and leave it for a day or two; this thor¬ 
ough mixing is very requisite to get the best 
results from it. If one-fifth part of fine bone 
flour or superphosphate of lime is added to it, 
the mixture will make a rich, complete ma 
nure; that is, one that contains every needed 
element of plant food. 
2. The horn can be changed in form as fol 
lows: Bind a cloth dipped in warm water 
around the horn for 21 horn's. Make a stout 
wooden modal of an old hama or stiff wood o 
the shape you want, aud bind it to the horn at 
the bottom, then bind the end of the horn 
gently to the model so as to exert a moderate 
pressure upon it, aud each uay draw it a little 
tighter; in this way the horn of a young ani¬ 
mal may he gradually formed into any shape 
desired. The only thing to be guarded against 
is using force so as to paiu the horn; the pres¬ 
sure must be very gradually applied. 
HERD BOOK8. 
W. A. T„ St. Clair, Mich. 1, Where can 
get pure-bred cattle registered ? 2, What is the 
name of the inclosed wheat ? 
Ans. —1, What sort of purebred cattle? 
Each largely introduced breed has at least 
one Herd Book, while some have two and 
occisionally three. The oldest, most authori¬ 
tative and largest Short-horn Herd Book is 
the American Short-horn Herd Book of Allen 
& Baily, Buffalo N. Y. The Ainericau Here¬ 
ford Record, of which only one volume has 
been compiled, is published by the Breeders’ 
Live Stock Association, Beecher, PL The 
American Devon Herd Book is published by 
H, M. Sessions, South Wilbraham, Mass. 
The Jersey Cattle Club Herd Book is now in 
charge of T. J. Hand No. 8, John St. N. Y. 
The Ayrshire Record is published by the Ayr¬ 
shire Breeders’ Asssociation, J. D. W. French, 
Editor, North Andover, Mass. About a year 
ago the North Americau Ayrshire Register 
was consolidated with this. The Holstein Herd 
Book, is edited by Charles Houghton, Put¬ 
ney. Vt. The Dutch-Friesian Herd Book, of 
which only one volume has yet been issued, 
is published by a Board of Publication of 
the Dutch-Friesian Association, S. Hoxie, 
Secretary, Wliitestone, N. Y. 
These are the principal herd books, but 
there are others mostly of a local sort and 
much less known, such as the Ohio Short¬ 
horn Herd Book and the Jersey Herd Record. 
It is rather troublesome to secure a record 
in some of these works, as strict investigation 
is made iuto the pedigree of the animal to 
be registered, so as to make 6ure that it 
is descended from “pedigreed" ancestors 
