THE MRAL NEW-YORKER. 
I now aak with you; “I* there any hardy 
red Raspberry?” I kuow that even the Turner 
has been killed in this region duriug the past 
winter, aud the “ Cuthbert ," which for years 
has been tested in the East and West, the light 
sand of New Jersey, and the heavy soil of our 
region, and was thought to be •’ iron-clad,’ 
has been found Injured in two instances to my 
knowledge this spring. I am, perhaps, at 
present more interested in this Raspberry 
pecuniarily than all other part ies put together, 
for I have in\ested in it largely, and yet I 
candidly state this fact, in accordance with my 
rule to give the faults as well as the good 
qualities of fruits, as fast as I learn them. 
And I shall show no more favor to my own pets 
than to other people's. Never before have I 
heard of the Cuthbert receiving the slightest 
injury. For several years and iu widely sepa¬ 
rated localities it has been entirely unharmed, 
but I can learn only of two instances where it 
lias been injured during the past winter, that, 
as you say, has injured everything in your Ex¬ 
periment Grounds. In I lie severe climate of 
Michigan, it bas escaped unharmed. I now 
regard it as one of the most hardy Raspberries 
in existence and the coming market beny. 1 
prove my faith by my works, as 1 am planting 
it more extensively than all other Raspberries 
together. But it auy one should ask, “is it 
absolutely hardy?” I would answer, “No, nor 
do I know of auy absolutely hardy red Rasp¬ 
berry, and l have tried about everything.” 
Gomwall-on-ihe-U udson. 
[We should be pleased to hear from any of 
our readers who have tested the Pride of the 
Hudson, how it has stood with them. Mr. Roe, 
as well as ourselves, merely desires to place the 
tacts before the public. Wo have half-a-dozen 
plants received from Mr. Roe last spring. 
But it was late wlieu they were received—they 
did uot make a fair growth during the summer, 
and so we covered them last fall.— Eds.] 
- - -— 
THE FARMER’S GARDEN. 
The garden is not a luxury only, but a ne¬ 
cessity to the farmer who wishes to have an 
attractive aud healthful bill of fare; and it 
seems very strange, indeed, why it is so badly 
neglected by many farmers. One reason, how¬ 
ever, I think is, that it i6 usually in some corn¬ 
er near the house, and so small, and planted iu 
sueli a manucr. that all the labor of weeding 
and hoeing has to be done by the baud. Now. 
I believe, in a large garden and in planting the 
rows the whole length, leaving space enough 
between the rows to work a cultivator. By 
this method most of the work can be done by 
the horse, and iu such a garden it is a pleasure 
to work, while in the old-fashioned one of one 
or two rods square, it is a back-aching, disa¬ 
greeable job, and no wonder it is left to grow 
up to weeds. 
The location of the garden is of great im¬ 
portance. I prefer a gentle elope to the east 
or south, so that the young plants may receive 
the sun early in the morning. It should uot 
he very steep, for if it is, much damage will he 
done by the rains of summer; and it should 
also be protected from the north and west 
wiuds, by a high fence, or evergreens set along 
the border. 
The garden should be of sufficient size to 
allow of experiments being tried there, before 
being carried into practice on the farm or on a 
larger scale. New varieties of seeds should also 
be tested here. No one can Lave better vege¬ 
tables than the farmer; aud a good supply 
should be provided for the farmer’s wife to 
prepare for the table in summer, as well as a 
lot stored for winter use. "With a good garden 
to go to, the housewife need he at, no loss to 
kuow what to get for dinner; and it is cheap 
fare as well as being wholesome aud easily pre¬ 
pared. r. H. D. 
Meadowbrook Farm, N. Y. 
Tue Cleanest Root. —In a Rural editorial | 
an inquiry is made for the cleanest root, one 
which will not hold the dirt. Webb’s Yellow 
Globe comes the nearest to this standard. 
They have but a single (tap) root, and may be 
gathered when the soil is not too wet, per¬ 
fectly clean. They also yield largely aud are 
very nutritious. The next iu order is the 
Mangel, and the last the sugar beet. If Mangels 
are allowed to get dry and are then knocked 
together, the most of the dirt will tall off. 
There are so many fibrous roots on the sugar 
beet that the dirt is retained. Lane's Improved 
does not have so many small roots and may 
he gathered cieauor. This variety is the result 
of a careful selection for several years of the 
French Imperial Sugar Beet by a Vermont 
farmer. It is claimed that from 30 to 40 tons 
are raised per acre, at a cost of eight cents a 
bushel. f. d. c. 
- 4 ♦ ♦ 
The Gregg Raspberry. — Writing from 
La Forte, Ind., Mr. J. L. Bodge tells as 
follows of the new Gregg Raspberry: “I 
have seen twelve plants growing on a bleak, 
barren drift by the side of the Mammoth 
Cluster, last spring. I tiiink this the time to 
judge of its hardiness. It stood the winter as 
well as the Mammoth Cluster. I pronounce it 
hardy (not iron-clad). Several others were 
killed nearly to the ground.” 
Jflorintlfural 
GERANIUMS. 
The Geraniums most generally advertised at 
present arc very One, hut decidedly inferior to 
some that are in the country and not for sale. 
Mr. White, of Chicago,lias imported from time 
to time, the he6t selection I have seen. As 
they are uot for sale. I will name a few of 
them with a few others procured by me from 
other sources: (1.) Sir John Moore—bright 
scarlet, white-eyed. (3.) General Outram 
very dark crimson. (3.) Sit' Thomas 11am- 
merslcy—good enough for any one. (4.) Mar— 
ginata—an exceedingly tine ileeli and white. 
(5.) Napoleon—much like Outram in flower, 
but not otherwise. (6.) White Clipper—now 
well disseminated, very fine. (7.) Mercy Gro- 
gan—white-eyed. (8.) Attraction—finer than 
General Grant. (1C) Martins, (10.) Princess 
of Wales, (11.) Santlcy, (13.) Metcalf. — all 
four most admirable. These make a good 
dozen that, will gratify one who really loves 
flowers and understands them. Many of the 
newest varieties are in no way au improvement. 
Although the list of doubles has been generally 
enlarged, Gloire do Nancy stauds well to the 
front. 
A Geranium should have character. A 
slightly larger flower at the expense of a well- 
formed truss is no gain. A failure, like Lc 
Nigrt?, should not be sent ont. It never opens, 
and has no beauty—a mere twist of dark- 
colored petals. Startler is very large-petaled, 
but in no way equal to others of the eame 
style. All that I have named are really dis¬ 
tinct, superior and well individualized every 
way. 
Of the dark-zoned. Black Douglass is the 
best. Lady Pollock bolds her owu well among 
those of that style now so well known. A few 
of the fruit-scented Geraniums are to most 
exceedingly agreeable both for house and 
garden. 
There is no plant now before the public 
more to be relied on in rain or drought, in all 
soils, with bad culture and, better still, with 
good t reatment, than the Geranium. In sum¬ 
mer and winter it is always bright, not fender 
and so easily propagated. It is not tawdry 
but bright and cheerful. Tt is not likely to 
grow tiresome like Dahlias, and, above all, it 
affords great pleasure from the case of raising 
new aud fine varieties from seed. I have 
received several that are quite equal to im¬ 
ported varieties. 
Those who would grow cuttings must re¬ 
member to put them in moist soil and then, 
without Idling them get positively dry, uot 
water them any more tliuu simply enough to 
keep the dirt from cracking. If yon try seed, 
sow iu a cold-frame and transplant after they 
are three or four inches high. Cuttings do 
well thrust iuto the open ground in May, aud 
they will soon bloom. 
To preserve them through the winter, de¬ 
nude them of leaves mainly, and crowd the 
plants into a shallow box of earth and set it in 
, a dry cellar, E. P. Powell. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. 
If Ivy plaaits, that have been kept in doors 
during winter. be put iu the ground, on the north 
side of the house, for ibe summer, they will be 
benefited by the change. Such treatment 
renews the strength of ihe plauts, making 
them better for house culture, the following 
winter. The Ivy is so hardy that it will bear 
being pul. out-of-doors very curly in the spring. 
1 find it hotter not to take the plants out of the 
pols, hut to “plunge” them. A little common 
lime put under the pots, serves to keep earth¬ 
worms out- When ready to remove ivy plants 
to the house in autumn, replant, if necessary, 
but iu pots only a size larger than those they 
are taken from. The scale insect that some¬ 
times infests these aud other hard-wooded 
plants, can be destroyed by washing iu soap¬ 
suds, but they must be rinsed immediately after 
in clear, soli water. The Ivy must be kept 
free from dust, to preserve the rich gloss of 
its leaves. Ivy plauts should have the support 
of trellises, to which they can easily be trained 
iu any form to suit the taste. m. g. r. 
or three of the Southern counties of our State, 
which produces Hickory of the best quality. 
For this purpose it needs strong clay land, 
which is valuable for othei piTrposes, There is 
still some question whether European Larch 
Will thrive iu ail parts of our State. 
Our most valuable timber is Black-walnut, 
and it is getting scarce. The tree grows rapid¬ 
ly. It thrives south of the center of the State 
and iu favorite places much farther north. The 
nuts cost something and will not always grow. 
The squirrels sometimes take out the nuts 
which are planted. They should be planted in 
a group by themselves, for they injure some 
other trees. I feel safe iu recommending 
Black-walnuts. My first choice of trees for 
timber is White Ash. It is hardy over a wide 
range of country and on a variety of soils. It 
is of rapid growth and has very few enemies. 
The seeds at® easily obtained aud are sure to 
grow. It is one of our most valuable trees for 
cabinet-ware, finishing houses and for farm 
implements. 
1 believe the man who plants and takes good 
care of a small plot of Black-walnuts or White 
Ashes, will be well pleased with his experi¬ 
ment and receive ample reward by what he 
learns. I think he will receive in money value 
full returns for all his time, and the iuterest 
on the worth of his land.” 
--■ - 
Prunes serotina. — Robert Douglas (of 
Waukegan, Ills.) says that this is the most 
rapid grower of all our valuable Northern 
hardwood forest trees, making lumber almost 
equal in value to the Black-walnut: grows 
freely on any dry land, even if too poor for 
agricultural purposes; healthy, of upright 
growth ; transplants easily, running its roots 
deep into the subsoil; consequently well adapt¬ 
ed for alternating with Larch. Fines or White 
Ash, which feed principally in the. surface soil. 
It iscommonly known astheWild Black Cherry. 
NURSERY TREES vs. CHANCE SEEDLINGS. 
^rboriciiltnral, 
GROWING TREES FOR TIMBER. 
Professor Beal writes as follows with refer¬ 
ence to planting trees iu Michigan : “ There is 
a long list to select from, both nulives and 
exotics, but there is more or less doubt about 
the most of them. We must consider the 
value of the timber of each after it is grown, 
the rapidity of its growth, its hardiness ami 
freedom from iusects. White Oak grows 
slowly, and for wagons, the quality is inferior 
to that grown in ludiuna aud Ohio. The same 
is true of Hickory, if w.e take the word of our 
carriage-ipakers. There is some land in two 
E. 3. BROWNELL. 
As the season for planting trees is at baud, 
mauy will no doubt be asking themselves 
which will be the most profitable, mode of 
starting au orchard — to purchase nursery- 
grown trees, or pick up a lot of chance seed¬ 
lings wherever they can be found, and, after 
they arc well started in the orchard, top-graft 
them with such varieties as they wish to ob¬ 
tain. Even iu this age of improvement there 
are many who will claim that the latter is the 
better course, hut I propose in this article to 
review some of the arguments in favor of both 
sides of this question, and then give some re¬ 
sults of my experience aud observation. 
The advocates of chance seedlings will claim 
that they get a hardier tree, and that by this 
mode they can make sure of securing such 
varieties as they wish, which they often fail to 
do when ordering from a distant nursery. But 
is their claim of superior hardiness well found¬ 
ed? 1 claim that, as a rule, it is not, provided 
proper care be taken in the selection of varie¬ 
ties that are suited to the climate where they 
are to be planted. I had almost said nitie- 
tenths, and think 1 might safely say four-fifths, 
of all the trees picked up here and there all 
over a farm, where they may chance to grow, 
are of siuuted growth and irregular in form, 
aud whatever future care may be bestowed ou 
them, they will in the end disappoint the oue who 
attempts to secure au orchard iu this way. As 
to'the other objection — the failure to secure 
the varieties ordered — this can he avoided by 
purchasing only of such growers as have a 
well-established reputation; either buying 
directly from the nursery, or only from its 
well-accredited agents, for whose transactions 
the company is responsible. 
In my owu experience I have never planted 
a great man)' ot these picked-up trees, though 
a number of years since 1 did make Hie attempt 
to fill out a few vacancies with such, and it 
proved in tuy case both unsatisfactory and un¬ 
profitable. The trees were about equal in size 
to first-class, three-year-old nursery trees; but 
I presume some of them had been growing at 
least eight or teu years to attain this size, 
and I believe that this is often the case with 
this class of trees. Au acquaintance of mine 
has a fine youug orchard, just coming into 
hearing, all nursery-grown trees, and, beiug 
very favorably located, they are remarkable 
for thrift aud productiveness. Some three or 
four years after this orchard was planted, a 
neighbor of his gave him the privilege of dig¬ 
ging, from a field of liis, a lot of seedling trees 
of Buital.de size for transplanting. Thinking 
this would he a chance to enlarge his orchard 
more cheaply Ilian by buying trees, lie accept¬ 
ed the oiler. He planted them in a field ad¬ 
joining the young orchard of which I have 
spoken, iu a situation in every way as favorable, 
but In the result he was sadly disappointed, 
a large proportion of these trees now being 
dead, and those which have survived having 
made but slow and feeble growth. In another 
case a friend of the writer planted an orchard 
of some fifty apple trees, three years ago, 
about half of them nursery trees and the re¬ 
mainder picked up around the farm. He 
allowed that there was very little difference to 
him in the first cost of the two lots, when he 
took into account the time spent iu digging the 
seedlings. And, after seeiug them grow for 
two years, he also allowed that if he could 
have had the seedlings transplanted without 
cost, he had better have paid the full price for 
the nursery trees. 
These and other cases that have fallen under 
my observation, have convinced me that the 
nursery t rees are the cheapest and most satisfac¬ 
tory; and if I might he allowed to give a word 
of advice, I should say •. “If you wish to plant 
an orchard, secure your trees from some re¬ 
sponsible nursery, buying direct from the nur¬ 
sery, if possible; if not. buy only of a well 
accredited agent. Be sure that your stock is 
in good condition before paying for it; then 
plant properly ou suitable land, and give the 
necessary attention thereafter, and. my word 
for it, you will not ho disappointed. If you 
wish to utilize the seedling trees on your farm, 
give them a little care where they grow, and, 
after they get to a proper size, graft them 
where they stand, and they will he much more 
profitable than if you attempt to transplant 
them to an orchard.” 
Delaware Co,, N. Y. 
-» * » - - - 
REASONABLE FRUIT GROWING. 
More fruit trees will die or be torn up this 
year than will he planted in Western New 
York. This is especially true of Apples, which 
have been for the majority of farmers an un- 
remunerative crop lor several years. Large 
numbers of old orchards have been grubbed 
out, the owners thinking that a half-dead tree, 
bearing worthless fruit when it bears auy, is 
an unproductive eumberer of ground. More 
regard is now had to the lay of the ground on 
which au orchard is to he located. It will be 
years again before we see farmers devoting 
their best lots—five, ten to twenty acres of 
level, easily worked laud—to growing Apples. 
It takes too long to get trees in hearing, and 
on sueli ground the profits lost from not crop¬ 
ping, will be, for twenty years at least, greater 
than could be got from apples. It is generally 
understood that a well-managed apple orchard 
in full bearing is profitable; but in growing 
trees from the nursery, so much time is lost 
that wherever land is valuable, it cannot be 
afforded. We must learn to discriminate in 
our planting. Lands where lliestone crops out 
frequently, or is very near the surface, are 
worth little for cultivation, aud yet are often 
strong enough to support good trees. Instead 
of culture, the ground may be mulched while 
the trees are young, so as to promote vigorous 
growth. Then on almost every farm there are 
odds and ends of places, good for little else, 
where trees may be planted. In this wav fruit 
may he really made a surplus crop, taking 
nothing from the production of anything else. 
Some other fruits promise better returns 
tbau Apples. Wherever Benches can be grown 
one year iu three they will pay. Hero, I think, 
that with proper care in selecting localities, 
Peaches may lie grown three years ont of four. 
They come into earlier hearing than Apples, 
aud the price of the fruit is always higher. Of 
course, the trees do not last so long as apple 
trees; but when they fail, it will amply pay to 
replace them. The same is true of pear trees. 
No care or system of cultivation will always 
avoid the blight, but if the trees are properly 
managed, the losses from this cause will never 
be very severe. 
Quinces do uot succeed in all localities, but 
where they do, no fruit is more profitable. 
Quinces are so good for canning, that they will 
always be iu demand, and there are so many 
places where they do not succeed, that tlie 
fruit will always bring a fair price. The quince 
tree is tender, especially its roots. This is 
oue reason why the trees thrive better by the 
6idcs of fences. There they are safe from 
mangling by tlie plow, aud the snow hanks, 
which iu our Northern winters accumulate 
arouud fences, protect them from tlie severest 
cold So we should plant quince trees, by 
preference, along fences, aud iu out-of-the-way 
places, not only because they will thus grow 
where tlie laud would otherwise be unoccupied, 
but also because these are the best places for 
them. 
As for Grapes, it is safe to hope that Hie 
wild excitement which prevailed a few years 
ago with regard to this fruit, will never he re¬ 
vived. Large vineyards will be planted in 
localities where the soil and climate are es¬ 
pecially adapted t«» grape growing, and by 
men who thoroughly understand the business. 
But so many novices have been badly bitten 
by planting largely on unsuitable ground that 
this sort of tbing is not likely to be repeated. 
Tlie great benefit which will remain after ull 
the failures in extensive grape growing, will 
be tlie ascertained fact, that some variety 
, is adapted to each locality, and that every- 
; where all who have even a small piece of land 
; can grow Grapes enough lor home use. 
r Monroe Co., N. Y. \V. J. Fowler. 
