MARCH 24 
travel, a beautiful, pure white rose, very double 
flowers, about the size of a 25-eent piece, sweet- 
scented and boruo in such large clusters that 
the whole plant frequently seems a mass of 
flowers. It blooms profusely from early Sum¬ 
mer to late Fall, aud is hardy, when slightly 
protected, as far north as the Lakes. Mad’ello 
Ceeile Bruner is a beautiful rose, the flowers 
are larger than either of the others, perfectly 
double, and delightfully fragant; color clear 
rosy pink passing bo white. It blooms con¬ 
stantly and most profusely during the whole 
season, and is entirely distinct from both 
the others. These Polyantha roses are pro¬ 
fuse ami constant bloomers aud the plants are of 
jow, compact growth. 
Quoting from the Mass. 
Hort. Society's late discus¬ 
sions, a member remarks 
that the rarest evergreens 
are multiplied with groat 
speed and facility by graft¬ 
ing. It is only necessary to 
start the stock in pots, and 
when the sap is fairly mov¬ 
ing to side-graft the dormant 
cion, aud then pack awov in 
a shaded frame in the green¬ 
house, kept moist with sphag¬ 
num, and in a few weeks a 
skillful workman will show a large per 
cent, of well-established plants. Deciduous 
shrubs are seldom grafted, but oftcuer propa¬ 
gated from cuttings of soft wood. The cut- 
tiugs are taken in July or August, when 
the wood is in a half-mature state, and put 
iuto boxes basing two or three inches of soil 
at the bottom and an inch or two of fine sand 
at the top. 
• - 
There is no doubt, the Reporter thinks, that 
the general change from boot6 to shoes was 
hastened, if not largely brought about, by 
army experience. At the ITest the boots held 
out longer, but at present they form a very 
inconsiderable feature in the stocks of mast 
retail stores. An ordinary average of sales 
is six pairs of men’s shoes to one of boots. In 
the cities the proportion of boot sales is even 
smaller, and the man wearing boots is almost 
looked upon as an old fogy. 
THE LATEST AND BRIEFEST. 
H a vk the rows of plants in the vegetable garden 
all runn ing the same way—north and south—so 
that they may be weeded and cultivated by 
horse. Sow asparagus seeds. Attend to the 
cold-frame. All farmers should have cold- 
frames. Sow salsify. 
Ik you receive from seedsmen peas that are 
badly bug-eaten, return them. Do not credit 
the statements of those agricultural editors 
who live and sleep in offices who say they will 
grow. Those who have tested the thing care¬ 
fully know that a large proportion will not 
grow, and that all buggy pens are more or less 
weakened..... 
Mr. Potter thinks that the good effects of 
ensilage may be due to the stimulating effects 
of the alcohol. If so, how long before the re¬ 
action will comet... 
Mr. Gregory thinks that a man eating cel¬ 
ery iu the dark cannot tell whether it is 
blanched or not... 
Tat: Connecticut Experiment Station finds 
by analysis that if 60 pounds of ensilage are 
fed to a cow each day, it compels her to con¬ 
sume about u quart of strong vinegar each day. 
The London Agricultural Gazette forcibly 
remarks that originators of good plants, birds, 
or beast s, are handicapped. They rarely orig¬ 
inate much to their own advantage, and have 
an unlucky habit of leaving destitute children 
behind them, or of involving themselves in an 
old age of poverty. The man who sends out 
a new sort confers a wider benefit than one 
who carries through a now act of Parliament. 
And the American Rose Potato was to the full 
as important an introduction from the States 
as was the “ Caucus,”. 
Suppose you want some potatoes ahead of all 
your neighbors; then sprout a peck or so in a 
box of earth behind the kitchen stove, planting 
them out as soon as the ground is dry and 
warm enough, says the Farm Journal. 
Mark the dates on the eggs when they are 
placed under sitting hens... 
Mu. WiLUER Atkinson says that a news¬ 
paper editorial puff that Is paid for is a fraud 
upon subscribers. It eertaiuly is. 
Gut cions as soon as warm weather permits. 
Tie each kind together, marking the name 
upon a clean cut upon the cud of one. Then 
place them iu dampish sand iu the collar until 
it. is time to graft... 
The Farm Journal presents this conundrum: 
’* Why should lovers bo careful how they be¬ 
have in the country? Because potaoes have 
eyes, corn has eais aud beaus stalk.’’. 
President Stone remarked in the late con¬ 
vention of Kansas Short-horn breeders that 
Air. Bates once said in England there wore two 
hundred men who were fit to be Prime Minis¬ 
ter of Great Britain where there was oue tit to 
judge a Short-horn. We wish, as a matter of 
curiosity, some one could tell us the proportion 
of U. S. Congressmen. 
One of the difficulties in applying any liquid 
to destroy worms on cabbage plants is that the 
glaze of the leaves repels water aud it rolls off 
in drops witnout even leaving a mark. A 
Maryland correspondent of the Country Gen¬ 
tleman says he has never failed with soft soap 
and water—about a quart to a pailful sprinkled 
<>u. Perhaps this adheres to aud diffuses over 
the leaves.... 
Dr. Sturtevant’s experiments seem to 
show that for butter-making corn meal is not 
an economical food. To get good milk, rich in 
butter fat. we may feed corn meal; but.it is 
quite another thing to get the butter out of the 
milk, and in this is the question of economy. 
He further remarks that ensilage, so far as he 
has tested it, has the character of an economi¬ 
cal food, where butter-making is the object... 
Plant grape-vines against the sunny side of 
barns, wagon-sheds, carriage-houses, well- 
houses, chicken-houses, or any other out-build- 
ings.Do not delay pruning grape-vines. 
Make new strawberry beds. Spring is the best 
time for this. Set the plants a foot apart; the 
rows from two to three feet, as we propose to 
form matted rows or confine to hills. Black¬ 
berries and raspberries may be set at. once if 
the frost is out of the ground. Provide strong 
stakes not less than five feet high to each. 
Prime currants by cutting out apartof theold 
wood. Do not prune too severely,........_ 
Joseph Harris saysthatthe Alan gel Wurzel 
is the best root crop which we can grow for 
milch cows. It will stand our dry climate bet¬ 
ter than t he turnip. It is more nutritious, will 
keep longer into the Spring and Summer, and 
does not impart any unpleasant flavor to the 
milk. Every breeder of Jersey cattle should 
raise Mangel Wurtzels. The only difficulty in 
raising them is to secure a good aud sufficient 
stand of plants..... 
Mr. Joseph Harris states that when pump¬ 
kin plants got strong, with large leaves, he 
sprinkles on a wouk solution of Paris-green (a 
tenspoonful to the gallon of water), which kills 
the squash bug. We have tried this, but it 
does not kill the squash bug. 
Sow clover seed. Sharpen the tools. 
We hope that none of our readers will heed 
the advice of some agricultural papers to haul 
out the manure to the fields while yet the 
ground is frozen. We do not, know of advice 
more pernicious. Even if your land is a dead 
level, the juices of the manure are washed out 
aud remain in puddles here and there. If uot 
level, the best of the manure is often washed 
away.... 
In England there is a very general opinion 
amongst farmers, that, while artificial manures 
act with much greater rapidity, they have uot 
the lasting properties of farm-yard manure, 
says Sir J. B. Lawes in the Ag. Gazette........ 
The Germantown Telegraph points out the 
desirability of planting apple and pear orchards 
on land exposed to the north, avoiding valleys 
and southern exposures. 
The Pennsylvania State College states that 
“manufactured” fertilizers cost more in pro¬ 
portion to what they contain than do standard 
articles like dissolved bone-black, dissolved 
bone, dissolved South Carolina rock, muriate 
of potash, and some of the purely nitrogenous 
fertilizers.... 
(tvtxywlfixe. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Arkansas. 
Poteau, Scott Co., Feb. 24 —The past few 
days have been warm and pleasant. Bees have 
been getting considerable honey and pollen 
from the Witch Hazel which is in bloom now. 
Oat sowing has commenced, but will be de¬ 
layed more or less, as it is now raining and 
bids fair to turn to a freeze. The prospect is 
good for a large f mit crop this year, the buds 
not having swelled any yet, are not likely to 
get killed. h. c. b. 
Indiana. 
Roanoke, Huntingdon Co., Feb. 24.—We 
had a pretty close Winter until a week ago, 
when snow went off with rain. The sleet did 
great damage to fruit and young forest trees, 
almost every cherry and peach tree of any 
size was entirely broken down. Potatoes, 50 
to 00 cents; com, 40 to 45 cents; oats, 35cents; 
wheat, 85 cents: butter. 18 to 22 cents; eggs, 
18 to 20; hay, *10 to 814; good cows, 830 to 
840. Wheat looks quite well here. a. c. h. 
fill. 
Sturgis, St. Joseph Co.,' Feb. 28.—Wheat 
in this section is hurt very much; the thaw we 
had a few days ago froze up. Level fields are 
covered with ice, fastening the blades tight to 
the ground; we cannot estimate the damage 
now. All kinds of stock have wintered well 
and are now in good condition. No disease is 
reported here. The Winter has been, so far, 
steadily cold—a good Winter for stock, h. c. R. 
Ohio. 
Edgerton, Williams Co.. Feb. 24.—Wheat 
was a poor crop here. Of barley only about 
50 bushels were raised in the county. Pota¬ 
toes a good crop, mostly sold in the Fall at 30 
cents. I kept mine and sold one load—alxmt 
10 bushels—in Winter at. 05 cents; but they 
are worth from t50 cents to 81 now. Corn not 
very good generally. I had a good crop but I 
worked it well. I had SO acres in one field and 
fanners who are good judges told me it was 
the best field of coni they had seen raised in 
the county. d. a. f. 
Leipsic, Putnam Co., Feb. 22.—Wheat 
looked very promising before the rain, but in 
many places heavy ice has formed in the fields 
and may damage the crop. Corn was a fail* 
crop last year and large quantities are being 
marketed at 85 to 40 ets. Wheat brings 81 ; 
potatoes, 75 .ets.; apples, 75 cts.; onions, 40 
cts. I have examined my strawberries, etc., 
aud find none of them injured as yet. Our 
best strawberries are Wilson, Hovey, Crescent, 
Monarch, Downing. Best Black-cap Raspber¬ 
ries, Chapman, (new); Gregg, Aliami. The 
Snyder is the only blackberry that stands our 
Winter and gives good crops. t. j. w. 
Pennsylvania. 
Industry, Beaver Co., Feb. 14.—The Winter 
here has been trying on wheat and the fields 
look very brown. Little snow but very icy 
roads. Weather has been wet for some time 
with hard freezing between rains. c. e. 
Wisconsin. 
Freedom, Outagamie Co., March L—A cold 
Winter. We have had uninterrupted sleigh¬ 
ing since about Dec. 1, and now the snow is 
nearly two feet deep. The coldest day the 
thermometer registered about 35° below zero. 
It thaws a little to-day so the water drips 
from the eaves. Stock is in good condition 
and feed is plentiful. Prices of produce are 
as follows: Wheat, 81; oats, 36 cts: com, 50 
cts.; barley, 50 cts.; potatoes, 75 cts.: hay 
about $10 per ton. Beef, dressed. 7 to 8 cts. 
Pork 7 cts. Butter 25 to 30 cts. per pound. 
Eggs 25 cts. per dozen. Some 12,000 to 15,000 
gallons of amber-cane sirup were made in this 
county last Fall. It sells readily by the barrel 
at 50 cts. per gallon. Large quantities of 
wood and timber have been marketed at Apple- 
ton this Winter by our formers in the shape of 
cord-wood, white oak bub and spoke timber, 
red oak stave bolts, poplar aud pine paper 
pulp wood, also various kinds of logs and 
bolts for manufacturing into furniture, all of 
whi :*h sell readily for cash at good prices. Our 
maple sugar season has not commenced yet. 
Fanners are prosperous and hopefuL e. n. 
GL\)t (Q.nmst 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(.Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention.] 
GROUND LIMESTONE AS A FERTILIZER. 
J. W. R., Chicopee Falls , Mass., and several 
others, inquire as to the value of ground lime¬ 
stone. as a fertilizer. 
Ans. —Limestone is the name given to all 
rocks which are principally composed of car¬ 
bonate of lime, and so abundant is it among the 
strata that composo the crust of the earth 
that it is supposed to constitute about one-half 
their substance. Carbonate of lime is com¬ 
posed of carbonic acid and lime. In the pro¬ 
cess of burning the carbonic acid is expelled 
and the lime, or oxide of calcium, remains. 
This is known as quicklime. The change in 
the composition causes also a change in the 
properties. Limestone, or carbonate of lime, 
is mild in its alkaline properties, while burnt 
lime is caustic. Applied to the soil the latter is 
a powerful agent in decomposing the inert and 
inactive vegetable matters in it, making them 
available as plant food. Moreover, it acts 
beneficially ou the silicates of potash and soda 
combining with the silica, forming silicate of 
lime aud liberating the soda and potash. The 
latter is an essential element of plant food and 
one that is seldom found in large quantities in 
soluble form in the soil, and is, therefore, 
soon exhausted. Ground limestone, often 
called “raw” limestone, Is insoluble or nearly 
so, and therefore can have no such effect. 
Where “free” carbonic acid is present its sol- 
ublity is increased. Where the soil is desti¬ 
tute of lime in sufficient quantities to supply 
what is needed for plant food the effects of 
powdered limestone are good, but this is rarely 
the case. Its action is in all cases slow, and 
its effects more lasting than those of burnt 
lime. Where fuel is scarce and limestone or 
marble abundant, the stone may be cheaply 
ground aud be thus economically prepared for 
improving those soils which are deficient in 
lime; but neither lands in which calcareous 
matter naturally abound, nor those containing 
a large proportion of imperfectly decomposed 
vegetable remains can receive any immediate 
benefit from the application of unburned lime, 
unless in the way of rendering day soils me¬ 
chanically lighter and boggy ones more firm. 
On poor sandy soils, and when reduced to the 
finest, powder, its effects have been found to be 
the most beneficial. 
EARLY AMBER AND EARLY ORANGE CANE, ETC. 
E. M. A., Cottain, Ont.—l. What proportion 
of two-inch root cuttings of blackberries and 
raspberries would be likely to grow? 2. Will 
the Champion Quince succeed well when 
grafted ou seedling quinces? S. Is the Early 
Orange Sugar-cane 25 per cent, sweeter than 
the Early Amber, and would it prove more 
profitable in the latitude of Detroit ? 
Ans.— 1. That depends upon the kind. Some 
raspberries sucker more than others and those 
which sucket most freely are the more readily 
propagated by root cuttings. 2. Certainly. 3. 
i Experiments made last year at the Cham 
Pike—See Page 179—Fig. 142. 
Pickerel—See Page 179—Fig. 144. 
Wall-eyed Pike—See Page 179—Fig. 148. 
