P£8. 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
14 
This plant is said to have come from the 
Caucasian Mountains, and has beeu lately in¬ 
troduced as a forage plant into this country. 
It appears to have been tried iu England and 
Fruncc prior to Its uppearauec here, and the 
reports of its yield In those countries, where 
the art and science of agriculture are much 
advanced, are very favorable. It is said that 
there It will yield from 75 to 100 tons per acre; 
that all stock, cows, horses, sheep and swine 
are fond of it, and do well on it. Now, it all 
this be true. It is a plant worthy of attention. 
In the spring of 1877, 1 got 1,000 root cut¬ 
tings and set them out in a bed to sprout. The 
situation of the bed was not well chosen, the 
ground being too wet; and as the spring was 
cold and backward, I only got. about 500 
sprouts, or plants, and these not until the first 
week In .May. These were planted in hills 
three feet apart each way, one plant to the hill, 
with a shovelful ol manure put into the hill 
before setting the plant. I cut my first cutting 
about the lust ot July, then cutting eight 
pounds to the hill, and getting two subse¬ 
quent cuttings before the setting in of winter. 
This year I got my first cutting about the last 
of May, and have cut three times since. I top- 
dressed the ground well last fall, after the last 
cutting, and have done the same thing this 
>ear. I have cut during the year about 80 lbs. 
from each hill. I find it wonderfully vigorous 
und rapid in its growth, and perfectly hardy. 
Now, in regard to its value as a forage 
plant. When T commenced to cut it last year, 
I began feeding it. to my milch cows, in the 
sheds. A few of them took to it at once, aud very 
soon ate It with uvlditj’, The greater part of 
them, however, would not touch Ii. aud had to 
lug fifty cents for a plant uot worth three 
cents. 
As a grower of fruits, I will here say that 
from au experience of twenty-five years, a peck 
of dry slacked lime heaped ubout the peach 
tree, does noi prevent the ingress of the borer. 
I tried not less than 25 remedies, lime arnoug 
the rest, and yet the worm was found ut work 
about the crown of the roots in Autumn. The 
true remedy is found in the use of clay paint 
the place where they will be transplanted, the 
roots uot being allowed to dry and wither from 
long exposure to the air, are acclimated, and 
consequently hardier and more certain to 
thrive. Again, it is far cheaper to raise one’s 
own trees than to buy them. With a little care 
ac the outset, and a few days’ work each season 
while they remain iu the nurseries, five hun¬ 
dred or a thousand nice trees eau be raised 
Golden Russet of Western New York, Jewett's 
Fine Red (Nbdhead), Yellow Bellflower, Canada 
He.nette. Beu Davis, Bethel (of Vt.), Ramsdell's 
Sweet. Bailey s Sweet. This list might he en¬ 
larged indefinitely, hut orcharding limited to 
selections therefrom would prove, in the '* cold 
belt," little better than a provoking failure, 
Y et, when top-worked on hardy stocks, fruit can 
be had from all these varieties. Usually, how¬ 
ever, even when thus managed, the fruit is uot 
so large- though often quite as good—as when 
grown under more favorable conditions ol 
climate. The three varieties of all-winter 
fruit, which I have myself selected for top- 
working, to secure apples for home use, are 
Blue Pearmain, Westfield Seek-no-Further and 
Talman’s Sweet. 
I feel perfectly sure that we now have a list 
of entirely hardy Apples—as givcu in my 
second article—that justify orchard setting ou 
a large scale in the •* cold belt" with a view to 
profit. With all disadvantages, there are some 
very great advantages to the orchardist living 
in this section. Chief among these is that it 
will be mauy years before he will have to 
suiter from borne competition. Iu the sec¬ 
tion where I live, apples brought from be¬ 
low by rail, are of quick sale, even in such 
great fruit years as 1878, at FI 50 per barrel, 
ibis is the lowest rate at which a medium 
grade of winter apples is now selling, direct 
from the curs, at the depot in sight from, my 
window and within half a mile of my orchard. 
All my own fruit was marketed long ago, none 
of it at less than FI per bushel, aud home-grown 
apples will always have the preference with 
buyers here at certainly 50 cents a barrel over 
those from below. My Fame use all went quickly 
at $8 25. This is a variety not grown further 
south iu shipping quantities, 1 thiuk the 
Wealthy will briug the same, and *o will Clyde 
Beauty ; while Magog Red Streak, Scott’s Win¬ 
ter aud Ben Davis go freely at F2 to F2 50— 
this, in the face of a fierce southern competi¬ 
tion with apples bought iu the orchard for 
fifty cents a barrel. 
In ordinary years, when southern New Eng¬ 
land has but a moderate surplus, we have no 
competition except with Michigan fruit. Then 
we have no difficulty iu getting F4 tor Fumeuse, 
or any kind of equal quality, while the next 
grade sells readily at $8. Now, as out of tbiB 
there is no freight or commission to pay. and 
no risk to run. it is plain that, if we are secure 
in not losiug our trees iu hard winters, we have 
really a great advantage over southern and 
western competitors. My owu orchard of over 
1400 trees is now rapidly coming iuto bearing. 
It has, in the last 12 years, passed through 
some of the hardest winters ever known in 
THE STARKEY APPLE 
put on so thick theinsect cannot stiug through 
it. The paint is made of clay and water. 
Hartford Co., Ct. E. P. Goodsell. 
Fine Plots, Corn Meal and Chickens.— 
" Throw your com meal siftings around the 
trunks of your trees iu spring, aud the chickens 
will attend to the eureulio pest. Before I 
adopted this plan, nice plums were scarce in 
my garden, since then they have been real 
beauties. So writes a correspondent of ours 
down iu Texas. 
THE 8TARKEY APPLE 
LOST NATION WHEAT 
APPLE TREE CULTURE FROM SEED 
This is the name given to a new kiud of 
grain that was introduced, iu this vicinity, 
two years since. Last season its reputation be¬ 
came established, as there was a good deal of 
U sown, and It yielded remarkably well. 
Many farmers raised thirty bushels to the 
acre. This, for Vermont, was au enormous 
yield, eighteen or twenty bushels to an acre 
having been heretofore considered a fair crop. 
The kernel Is veiy large and plump, and the 
hour Is as tine and white as the best brands ot 
Western flour, it la a bald wheat and makes 
u quick growth; the stem Is large aud stout, 
so that It does uot lodge easily. It is certainly 
the best kiud of wheat that has been Introduced 
in this section. There is a tradition about its 
discovery ; but it is of little account as long as 
tbe grain speaks for itself. Ail other kinds 
wtU be discarded in this region another vear. 
It is a spring wheat. Neither rust nor weevils 
injured it. g. h. r. 
Randolph Vt. 
NOTES IN A NORTHERN ORCHARD-8 
marks thereon quoted from J. J. Thomas, 
sends us a specimen of a nameless seedling 
crab, which he says is of very good quality ; 
It keeps until February or March while the 
tree is a vigorous grower aud very productive. 
The specimen sent has been kept iu a basket 
since picked ou the first ot October, aud eau- 
not therefore be as handsome now as when 
first plucked, yet we do uot know of a hand¬ 
somer apple. Otherwise, however, it is not 
superior to mauy of its class. The shape is 
roundish-oblong, the fruit large for its kiud. 
There is quite a large number of varieties of 
Apples to which, iuour climate, the tantalizing 
description *' almost hardy” wiU apply. These 
are the “hardy Apples" of the climatic belt 
just below us. Most of them are well known, 
and have long had a place in the standard 
works on pomology. Consequently I ueed 
only mention them with reference, not to de¬ 
scription aud quaUty, but to hardiness alone. 
Among summer Apples of this class I may 
name William’s Favorite, Red Astraehau, Vole’s 
Quince, Sops of Wiue aud Maiden's Blush. All 
of these have beeu grown, under favorable 
eircumstauees, iu the cold belt, but an orchard 
of them would never be a source of profit. As 
root-grafted or budded trees the stem is always 
uusouud, aud when they reach the bearing 
size, the first full crop of fruit or severe gale 
will break them down and destroy them. They 
do better top-grafted into the smaller limbs of 
hardy kinds, and a few trees for home use thus 
produced are desirable. 
Among full Apples of the same class are Col- 
vert, Northern Sweet, St. Lawrence, Fail Wine- 
sap, Moses Wood. Saxtou Stripe, aud a number 
of others. Of these St. Lawrence is the hardi¬ 
est, and sometimes does quite well even when 
not top-worked. 
There is a large number of almoat-hnrdy 
winter kinds. The most successful with me are 
Fameuse, (which, like St. Lawrence, sometimes 
succeeds root-grafted or budded) Clyde Beauty, 
McClellan (early winter sorts), Westfield Seek- 
no-Further, Blue Pearmain, Talman’s Sweet, 
WORK FOR HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES 
L AM heaillly rejoiced to learn that the New 
York Horticultural Society announces a dis¬ 
cussion of various questions connected with the 
growing and marketing of choice fruits, etc., 
all of which are of vast Importance, ami the 
general interest now fdt throughout the coun¬ 
try iu relation to tbe subjects named in the 
Issue of Jau. 11, page 24, leads us to hope the 
most searching analysis will be given, embotly- 
iug the most rigid observation, aud replete 
with stubborn facts. In the selection of fruit 
trees, raspberry, blackberry uud gooseberry 
plants, we have lu all the past yearB been 
guided by the ipse dUit of some wholly interest¬ 
ed nurseryman to purchase some new aud fa¬ 
bulously valuable sort just now for the first 
time in the world’s history being offered for 
sale. Aud the only proof vvo can get iu sup¬ 
port ol tbe Idea ot the true merits and value of 
such trees and plants Is sueu iu the fabulous 
prices asked for them. Thus the amateur 
grower ot fruits finds out, after much watch¬ 
fulness, care and cultivation, that the said 
nurseryman or tree dealer was only riding his 
ow u hobby onw ard to u fortune. 
But I. for oue, trust that those w ho areabout 
to discuss these aud kindred subjects, will 
biLng the light of tacts, not guess-work, to 
bear upon them, so that those who wish to 
plant Raspberries need not be misled Into nav- 
EVERY-DAY NOTES 
SAMUEL PARSONS. 
THE CLIMBING HYDRANGEA.—SCHIZOPHRAGMA 
HYDRANGEOIDKS. 
Considerable expections have arisen con¬ 
cerning this new climber. Possibly also these 
expectations have been exaggerated by incor¬ 
rect reference to the charms of Hydrangea 
panleulata granditiora, charms that have dim¬ 
med by comparison the beauties of other Hy¬ 
drangeas. The conception of a Climbing Hy¬ 
drangea, with great white or pink flower truss¬ 
es 18 inches long enveloping the front of a 
buildiug, rather atonies the imagination. But 
the correct statement that the plant in question 
