THE BUBAL ^E¥V-¥©BKE 
SEC. 43 
various “ Beurrd” was represented there, and in 
the cellar were the later sorts, to be kept back as 
long as possible, until the market was relieved 
0 f its present rather full supply. The trees are 
set out in avenues across the lot, and between 
them are planted Raspberries, that, at the 
time of our visit, were carefully laid down and 
apparently covered with earth. The trees 
were tall, straight and slender of stems, with 
full branching tops, and seemed in a very 
healthy condition. Their chief enemy is the 
canker-worm, which I notice is more dreaded 
in Boston than as yet in our northern locality. 
The grounds of Mr. Wilder gave evidence of 
careful attention and intelligent work, and I 
considered it a great favor to walk through a 
pear orchard that is famed throughout the hor¬ 
ticultural world. In the greeuhouse was a 
giaut Mardclial Niel Rose that caused me to 
break the teutb commandment. I did covet it, 
or one like it; for it takes so long to grow 
those thick old stems and yards of vine. Our 
guide was generous as well as patient and with 
a free hand broke off cuttings of a plant or two 
I ventured to admire, and which, now trans¬ 
planted to my home, bid fair to grow. We 
were also presented with some very line pears, 
that came to “Every-day House” in good con¬ 
dition and were a treat to my horticultural- 
minded “gudenmu.” Aud in looking back at 
the many and rich enjoyments ol my visit to 
Boston, I find none more satisfactory than 
that morniug drive to the orchard of M. B. 
Wilder. 
P. S- Please, horticultural readers, don’t all 
go at once to see for yourselves, or young Mr. W. 
will not thank me for this little article; unless, as 
I was, you are so fortunate as to have a friend 
who is a member of the Massachusetts Horti¬ 
cultural Society, in which case, thal luct will 
(so my experience goes) at once he the “open 
sesame” to his favor. a. l. j. 
-- 
SALT FOR PEAR BLIGHT. 
Having noticed Id a late Rural a commu¬ 
nication from Gen. W. H. Noble, on the above 
subject, I herein give the results of my siugle 
season’s experience; 
I purchased a ton of refuse salt, and applied 
it, mixed with plaster at the rate of 100 pounds 
of each to the acre, on clover and oats, and 
having some left, I put it, mixed with coal 
ashes, around some very thrifty pear trees. I 
had a row of 25 alternate standards and dwarfs 
of different varieties on which 1 had devoted a 
good deal of labor, and they were just com¬ 
mencing to bear a few specimens. Now, as to 
the effect of salt:—On the clover and also the 
oats no perceptible effeat could possibly be seen 
more than a top-dressing of plaster would 
have produced, but my pear trees are killed, 
or nearly so, by' something as nearly like 
blight as anything I ever saw. Every one 
says it is blight. I think the salt did the evil, 
for mine,are the worst-blighted of any in my 
neighborhood. 
My soil is a clayey loam sloping slightly to 
the north, giving sufficient drainage. I have 
cultivated thoroughly, mauured liberally with 
stable manure on previous years. 1 put ou 
two or three shovelfuls of the salt* and ashes 
to each tree. 1 also placed some around some 
peach trees, and they died almost immediately. 
If the salt did not do it, wbat did ? I would 
like to be assured that it w'as not the salt. I 
live about 80U miles from the sea board, in 
Ontario Couuty, New York State, as good 
a spot to live in as anywhere; but pear 
trees do blight, aud 1 am anxious to learn of a 
preventive aud cure, and in the meantime 
shall use salt cautiously. [The trouble was 
probably caused by using too much salt. Iu 
large quantities it acts as a poison. It agrees 
with some trees better than with others. We 
have kuown a Poplar for instance, that was 
“ salted ” to such a degree that it appeared on 
the surface of the leaves and still the tree 
lived, aud ou the other hand we have seen 
shrubs killed in a few w eeks by scattering too 
much 6 alt about them.—Eds.] h. 
-♦- »- 
A CURIOUS PEAR. 
I have a small, stunted, dwarf pear tree of 
the Seckel variety, which I would have con¬ 
signed as fuel to the cook lug-stove long ago, 
hut for its odd peculiarities. Tbislittle cripple 
never sets any fruit, hut blossoms freely twice 
every year. This is nothing very strange, but 
what niauy pear trees will do here. But the 
singularity of this tree consists in the fact, 
that the blooms it shows in the fall have very 
large petals and are as double as those of a 
Rose. These flowers are very lasting. Last 
year the receptacle (or future fruit) of one of 
these double blossoms commenced to swell, 
but retained the large aud conspicuous petals 
which had opeued in September, until 
January, when a hard frost cut both the fruit 
and ns petaliue appendages. By cutting the 
fruit in two, and examining it, I found it was 
holi »w, with the calyx end open, rouud, and in¬ 
side of uis opening the petals were inserted. 
This fall the tree, as to the doubleness of 
flowers, exhibits the same phenomenon, though 
so far no fruit has been formiug. The spring 
blossoms are generally normal. G. m, 
Houston, Texas, Nov. II. 
SOMETHING ON DOUBLE FLOWERS. 
GEORGE MARTI. 
Botanists tell us that double flowers are 
produced by a superabundance of sap and 
great vigor caused by excessive nourishment 
and cultivation. As true as this may be iu 
some kinds, in most cases it is just the reverse. 
For iustauee, auy one that ever had a hand iu 
raising double Petunias, Gilliflovvers, Carna¬ 
tions, Chinese Primroses, Dahlias and the like, 
must have observed,that geuerally the smallest, 
puniest seedlings turn out to ho the double 
oues, while the most vigorous, free-growing 
ones ouly give single flowers. Again, u young 
Rose-bush as long as it pushes vigorous shoots, 
produces flowers which will stand no compari¬ 
son with those it puts forth when its stems and 
wood come to a certain degree of maturity. 
Last year I shifted a perfect, full Camellia 
from a four-inch right to a seven-inch pot, in 
order to get moie vigor into it, aud prepare it 
thus for planting it out in the open air. This 
result I obtained; it made au astonishing 
growth, but at the expense of the flowers, 
which eaine later aud were ouly semi-double. 
I have seen gardeners iu Europe cutting back 
large specimens of Camellias whose flowers 
had become somewhat degenerated owing to 
too much wood-growth, aud theu grafting 
them again with the cut-off branches in order 
to obstruct the circulation of sap in a certain 
degree, aud they attained the sought-for result. 
In Texas, the only way we cau keep Dahlias 
true to color and form, is to raise them, every 
spring, new from cuttings. The first flowers 
of Ziunias are never so double as those that 
appear later in the season wheu the plants be¬ 
come tougher aud the shoots less vigorous. 
There is hardly any phenomenon which de¬ 
monstrates more clearly the importance of 
raisiug aud sowing sound and perfect seed iu 
order to get a sound and perfect plant, than 
that which nature manifests in producing 
thc 6 e impotent monstrosities, the origin of 
wliieh may be traced to their parent plants 
and their seed. However well a double flower 
may please the eye, practically we must look 
at it as au imperfect creation of nature. Sued 
raisers in Erfurt, Prussia, so famous for rais¬ 
iug choice flower seeds, crowd several siugle- 
flowered Stock (Gillittowcr) plants iu a small 
pot containing poor soil. They subsequently 
take care to keep the beneficial influences of 
dew aud rain from these plauts, aud water is 
but sparingly applied to their roots—just 
enough to keep them alive. By this harsh 
treatment the plant produces ouly a few im¬ 
perfect seeds the offsprings of which are the 
beautiful Stocks that delight our eyes. Iu 
Sanvilulia procuuibeus the small, defective, 
threc-coruered seeds give the double flowers. 
This same law applies, in some measure, to 
Zinnias and some other plants of the order of 
the Composite. Heeds gathered from small, 
puny flowers of the Aster, which appear on 
lateral brauelies close to the ground, produce 
plauts which give the fullest flowers. 
The majority of annual and biennial double 
flower seeds, however, are raised from such 
double or rather semi-double flowers as have 
not all their usual organs transformed into 
petals, aud are able to form, if not in the usual 
quantity they would if the flowers were nor¬ 
mal, some vital seeds. Sometimes, if the 
stamens are all transformed but the pistil lelt, 
the latter has to be fertilized artificially with 
souud pollen from a flower with stamens, as 
is mostly the cane with Petunias aud Carna¬ 
tions. In this last case, however, only a small 
percentage of double plants may be counted 
upon. Many monstrous flowers originated 
directly by what gardeners call sporting, either 
directly by the plant or by some of its parts 
or through the seed. No true clue has yet 
been found as to the cause through which these 
6 iidden freaks of nature origiuale. 
Harris Co., Texas. 
;|rln>riniltitral 
TWO WELL-KNOWN MAPLES. 
SAMUEL PARSONS. 
The Sugar Maple. 
To all persons genuinely interested iu trees, 
no species or variety is common. Though 
the} were written about a thousand times, 
some new and interesting feature would always 
discover itself to those associating with them. 
I fancy few dwell sufficiently on the individual 
attractions aud peculiarities of interest that 
mark different specimens of the same variety. 
Iu looking at the ordinary Sugar Maple, 
I will content myself with noting two or three 
points of value, that have struck me as regards 
its behavior iu certain localities and positions. 
Of course, it is hardy, produces sugar, is more 
pyramidal than other Maples, aud colors finely 
in fall, though not so finely as the Scarlet 
Maple. Every one knows, or ought to know, 
these facts; but does every one know why the 
Norway Maple, a slower-growing tree, actually 
surpasses the Sugar Mapte in rapidity of 
growth on Long Island and in other sections 
where sandy laud predominates ? The Sugar 
Maple is considered the best tree in mauy sec¬ 
tions, because it grows faster than the Norway 
Maple. The fact is that the Norway Maple 
succeeds in sandy soil, or, rather, endures 
sandy soil, better than the Sugar, a somewhat, 
dainty tree that likes good, rich loam, though 
it be mingled ofteu with a goodly quautit.y of 
rocks. The rocks, indeed, nijed do no harm to 
either tree, for rocks may bS easily managed 
to secure good drainage. 
The other point of interest in the Sugar 
Maple is a lawn-plauting feature. It makes, 
iu short, the best of road trees, but not the 
best of lawn trees, uuleSa planted alone where 
its tine pyramidal form may show forth. If 
mingled at all, it should be mingled with lower, 
round-headed trees. Pyramidal trees, as a 
rule, do not group effectively together ; some 
contrast is needed. The Sugar Maple, not¬ 
withstanding the general fertility of the genus 
in producing varieties, seems to have given 
forth no sports deemed sufficiently valuable to 
be perpetuated. 
The Scarlet Maple. 
Every oue has 6 een the magnificent crimson 
and scarlet maple leaves of fall, but uot every¬ 
one realizes that virtually oue species of Maple 
alone produces this effect iu moat sections. Of 
course, on the hill-sides of Vermout aud else¬ 
where, the Sugar Maples chauge and glow 
splendidly ; but, ordinarily, we look along the 
swamps for the finest autumn leaves. Here 
abides, indeed, the Scarlet Maple, or Swarnp 
Maple—Acer rubrum. Its habitat is decidedly 
damp, and hence the absurdity of attempting 
totransplautSearlctMaples, aix inches in diam¬ 
eter of stem, to the road-side, iustead of nur- 
sery-grown plants. They may live; but their 
appearance, for mauy years, will hardly do 
the transplanter credit. There may be some 
excuse lor attempting to move the American 
Elm from the woods, but none tor moviug the 
swamp-grown Scarlet Maple. Its nature is 
always tough and nuyiddiug, hard to adapt to 
new conditions. Mauy are discouraged from 
attempting to plant young Scarlet Maples, 
even from the nursery, because they are 
crooked ; but it should be remembered that all 
trees have a marvelous faculty of straighten¬ 
ing themselves as they grow older. The tree, 
ouce plauted m an erect attitude, and pruned 
from lime to time to retain a due balance of 
branches, little serious trouble will come from 
early crooked growth. 
Iu growth, the Scarlet Maple seldom distin¬ 
guishes itself. It develops in a solid, firm, 
healthy, loug-lived way of Its own, not as 
rapidly, to be sure, as the Sugar, Silver, Nor¬ 
way, or Sycamore; but yet into size enough 
to class it decidedly with the large-growing 
Maples. I should say this, perhaps, with some 
qualification ; for peculiar conditions develop 
strange anomalies of growth iu all trees. The 
foliage of the Scarlet Maple always reminds 
me of that pertaining to the Silver Maple it 
is a little darker, aud less irregular, aud de¬ 
cidedly more compact. The leaves are smaller 
tliau those of either the Norway or Sycamore, 
and. iu appearance, they occupy an interme¬ 
diate position between the Sugar and Silver. 
The varieties of the Scarlet Maple are nei¬ 
ther numerous nordistiuet. There la one really 
good oue—a pyramidal form, distinct and 
strong-growing. The remainder, such as A. 
globosum and fulgons are not very distinct, 
and hardly merit attention ou this occasion. 
|oultrji |ari). 
PREPARING POULTRY FOR MARKET. 
As the 6easou for d ressing poultry for the 
holidays is near at hand, I have thought I 
would write for Rural readers a few direc¬ 
tions which, if heeded, will put a good many 
dollars iu to the pockets of those who ship to 
large nuwkets. 
In the first place, the poultry must be well 
fattened; and however well the fowls may 
have beeu fed while at liberty, they will be 
greatly improved by being shut up for a week 
or ten days aud carefully fed and watered. 
About a dozen should be coufiued iu a warm 
well ventilated apartment about four feet 
square. The feed may consist of boiled pota¬ 
toes aud corn meal mined iu the proportion 
of two of meal to oue of potatoes, and fed warm 
three times a duy. The feed-dish should he 
such that all can oat at the same time. After 
allowing about an hour for each meal, the dish 
should be removed; aud, if convenient, the 
apartment should be darkened, to prevent 
fighting and feather-eating. Nothing but clean 
food should he used. The above directions are 
for chickens. The poultry, at the end of ten 
days, should be fat enough, if iu good, healthy 
condition when shut up. 
On the day on which you wish to dress the 
fowls, they should have uo food or drink. 
Take the chick, with the legs held firmly under 
your left arm; with your left baud open the 
mouth; then, with the right baud, iusert a 
uarrow-bladed, sharp knife about as far down 
as the ears; then give a sharp, quick cut 
across the roof of the mouth. If done neatly, 
the chick will bleed and die as soou as if de¬ 
capitated, and there will be less dirt about. 
Now. go to work aud pick it as rapidly as pos¬ 
sible, without scalding. Nothing but experi 
ence will enable you to dress it handsomely. 
Commence at tbe head and pick ctean as you 
go; do not go over the blnl auy faster than 
you can go. clean. If the skin tears easily, 
grasp with the left hand firmly on the under 
side, and with the right hand pull a few feath¬ 
ers at a time perpendicularly, until the tender 
place is passed over, In drawing the poultry, 
make a small Incision above the rent, reaching 
down into it, and remove the intestines cleanly 
up to the gizzard, which should be left un¬ 
touched ; the crop, too. if empty, should he 
left in. The small feathers on the last joint of 
the wing may be left on and the wing brought 
forward, lifted over the neck aud turned back 
over the shoulder. A little experience will 
enable oue to do this in a second. It gives the 
birds a plump appearance and they pack bet¬ 
ter in the box. As soon as drawu. a 6 triug 
should he tied arouud the legs aud the birds 
hung up in a cool, dry place for 12 hours, at 
least; but do uot freeze them. 
In packing, for chicks, use boxes about two 
feet wide, two and a half feet long, and two 
feet high. These are convenient aud large 
enough. Do not use barrels; they are the 
worst kind of package. Before packing, the 
heads should be cutoff and the blood wiped 
off clean, if such a mode of dressing is pre¬ 
ferred in your market, as it is in Boston. Now 
place a little eleau straw in the bottom of 
the box—enough to prevent the birds from 
getting bruised. Next pack a row of chicks 
lengthwise of the box, ou their backs, with the 
feet towards the middle of the box and the 
nechs turned under the backs. Put, as many 
as you can in a row. Now pack another row 
opposite, with the feet ol each row between 
the breasts of those in the opposite row. Put 
a little more straw, or coarse cloth, on top of 
these, and fill up the box ill this way, putting 
on top straw enough to make the cover fit 
down tight. Ship to your consignee so that 
the consignment will reach him at least two 
days before the holiday for which it is intend¬ 
ed. Send au invoice by mail; another in the 
package. 
Never kill a poor bird for the Boston market. 
A little experience will euable you to tell wheu 
it is fat; by lifting up the wing, you can see 
the skin of the bird, whether a chick or tur¬ 
key ; and if fat, it is easily seen. 
The above directions were written for chick¬ 
ens and fowls, but are applicable to turkeys 
and geese, excepting that turkeys fatten very 
well at liberty, ami geese require to be kept a 
longer time confined, unless they happen to 
be in very good order wheu they are shut up. 
Geese do better with part corn and a mix¬ 
ture of beef scraps in their meal. 
Bristol County, Maas. 
Jartrt (Snmomjr. 
HOW TO USE COTTON-SEED MEAL. 
HENRY STEWART. 
As the use of cottou-seed meal for feeding is 
to be encouraged, I wish to reply in this gen¬ 
eral way to au inquiry made of roe by one of 
.your readers as to the best methods of using it. 
Like all very rich foods, it requires to be fed 
cautiously; but its character is such that it 
comes iu most usefully at nearly all seasons, 
but especially when cows are on grass or fed 
with roots. With good grass or green crope 
and plenty of roots for winter, I would desire 
no other concentrated food than cottou-seed 
meal, but wheu dry fodder only is given, it 
cannot he used alone safely. This meal is the 
cake left front the hulled cotton seed which 
has been pressed between hot Iron plates to 
exclude the oil. The cake is ground into meal, 
aud is of a bright-yellow color aud a sweet, 
nutty flavor. It contains 10 to 20 per cent, of 
oil which has not been pressed out, and a very 
large portion of albumen and other nitrogen¬ 
ous matter. Chemically, Its constituents may 
be given as follows: 
Ash.. per cent. 
Albumitioids or flesh formers.44.69 ‘ 
Crude liber.........8.33 “ 
Oarbhydrates or liit formers.26.29 
Tat...,..19.41 “ “ 
100.00 
The ash consists of, iu 100 pounds of meal, 
Potash...1.90 pounds. 
Lime.....27 “ 
Magnesia. 89 
Phosphoric acid.2.81 
Sulphuric acid.0.07 
Hilica...34 
Egual to 6.28 
A ton of meal contains 88 pounds of potash 
and 56 pounds of phosphoric acid, with 78 
pounds of nitrogen; it is thus rich enongh in 
these elements to be useful as a manure 
