THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
of soil and in one locality and fail almost en¬ 
tirely in another. The best way is to try a few 
of the kinds that are the most highly recom¬ 
mended and choose those that succeed the best. 
It is unwise for any person to condemn a varie¬ 
ty as worthless because it refuses to do well on 
his grounds. The strawberry season may be 
extended considerably by selecting a number 
of varieties which ripen at different times, thus 
making a succession of early, medium and late. 
Jfloriniltural. 
HOW TO DETERMINE THE SIZE OF THE 
FLOWER GARDEN AND THE PLANTS 
TO EMPLOY. 
The kinds of Rowers which a person selects 
for his garden ought to be determined by the 
time he is willing to devote to them and by his 
means. There arc many kinds, such as Zinnias, 
Portulacas. Linurus, Petunias, Piuks, Phlox, 
Poppies, etc., that, let the season be wet or 
dry, will take care of themselves after they 
arc well started. Beds of- hardy herbaceous 
perennials also, such as those uoticed in a 
recent, Ritual, require little care when once 
established. A pleasing display may be se¬ 
cured throughout the season at the cost of 
merely keeping the plots free from weeds and 
the borders trim and true to their original 
shapes. But so-called ribbon or carpet beds 
exact from the beginning a great deal of time 
and care and, after all, arc better suited to ex¬ 
tensive grounds in which it is desired to display 
the wealth of the owner and the skill of the 
gardener, than to the quiet surroundings of 
the average country home. We cannot have 
too great a variety' of choice plants, providing 
we cau supply each with all its needs to keep 
it in health. But a bed of thrifty Petunias is 
more creditable to the ow ner than one of sickly 
exotics, though of the rarest specimens known. 
We say therefore that there is neither gain 
nor glory in a neglected bed of dowers or in 
any garden that shows plainly that the gar¬ 
dening enthusiasm awakened by the inspirit¬ 
ing air of spring, has been dissipated by the 
enervating heat of summer. A flower garden 
is a luxury, costly in proportion to its extent 
and to the class of flowers employed therein. 
Let us determine its extent by our means, our 
spare time and by our florieultural enthusiasm. 
-♦»-- 
DESIRABLE WILD PLANTS OF TEXAS. 
It might he said about plauts, as the saying 
weut about prophets, they are the least esteem¬ 
ed iu their own country. This just calls to 
my mind a few flue indigenous plants, well 
worthy of a place between their more coveted 
exotic brethren. There is, for instance, what 
is here known as the Mountain Laurel (So- 
pbora speciosa), an evergreen, highly orna¬ 
mental, hardy shrub, witli whitish-yellow 01 - 
blue racemes of highly fragraut flowers. It 
abouuds iu the hilly portions of westeru Texas, 
whence it ranges even down to Matagorda Bay. 
Although a fine and ornamental plant, it is 
very seldom met with ;in plant collections 
and shrubberies. When old, it is rather diffi¬ 
cult to ti ausplaut. This might iu some meas¬ 
ure account for its scarcity iu ornamental 
grounds, its seed, a bright-crimson bean, 
will, when planted, lie dormant in the ground 
tor months, but, soaked iu hot water for a few 
days, it sprouts almost immediately. 
Another fine wild plant of the bulbous class 
is the Bayou Lily (Criuum Americauum). I 
lmve seen this plant grown in hot-houses iu 
Europe and the greatest care bestowed upon 
it. The large, pure white flowers, with their 
wavy long petals, or rather divisions of the pe¬ 
rianth, are arranged round the scape by fours; 
they exhale a powerful perfume. They do well 
in auy rich soil, provided the bulbs are planted 
very deep. Not uufrequently I found the base 
of them twelve inches below the surface in 
their natural habitat. 
I here is a pretty Bignouia growing in some 
places adjacent to the coast; it differs from the 
well-known Trumpet-flower (B. radical®) by 
its flowers being of a clear yellow, spotted with 
biown, ll a ditto rent species, or only a variety 
ot tlie lust-mentioned plant, I leave for botan¬ 
ists to decide, (B. capreolata?). There are 
many other flue wild plants in Texas, that, 
pluuted among the rarer exotics, ueed not 
take a buck rank. But generally they arc not 
appreciated for no other reason incept that 
they are growing wild. 
But it is not in the South alone that beaute¬ 
ous wild flowers, common in woods and pas¬ 
tures, are neglected on account of their fre¬ 
quency, for all over the country there are flori- 
cultmal beauties disregarded, despite their 
hue appearance and odor, merely because they 
arc so common and easily obtained, that few 
at home appreciate their real worth. For a 
just perception ol the merits of tlicac every¬ 
day flowers, one has to go where they are rare- 
tor the value of all tbings-of the diamond as 
Well as Of the flowers which find the choicest 
place in lawn or greenhouse—depends not on 
intrinsic worth alone, but also on their rarity 
Harris Co., Texas. G. Marti. 
^riioricultural. 
THE CALIFORNIA BLAC K-WA 1 NLT. 
I have seen few trees which, for ornamental 
purposes, are more worthy of culture than the 
California Black-Walnut, Juglaus nigra Cali- 
frost, and, unlike other trees throughout the 
summer, the ground under it is always clean, 
never littered with leaves or other refuse. The 
nuts should be planted as soou as ripe, without 
removing the husk, when they will germinate 
iu from five to eight mouths. The first two 
seasons iu very cold climates, I would advise a 
slight protection in winter. The nuts are ripe 
iu September and October. Iu our grounds 
pies, as the Swaar, Gilliflower, Rhode Island 
Greening, etc. For some time I gave the pests 
credit for being able to select varieties suiting 
their tastes—as the robin will select the Dela¬ 
ware from less finely-flavored grapes—but this 
spring, while scraping my trees, I discovered 
that the varieties most inclined to be wormy, 
were those that had the roughest bark, aud 
which, of course, furnished the most conven¬ 
ient hiding places, and upon which they could 
spin their peculiar cocoons with most safety. 
Many fruit-growers suppose that the worms, 
after leaving the apples, euter the ground, and 
there change iuto moths, but that they do 
this is, to say the least, doubtful. There is 
plenty of evidence that they hide under the 
loose bark aud moss of the trees. 
In scraping off this rough bark, I have found 
hundreds of their cocoons. Trees with a 
smooth bark, like the Red Astraehan, Pound- 
Sweet, Sweet Winesap, etc., have very few 
wormy apples. 
My plan—as at present advised—is to scrape 
off all loose bark—there is no moss in iny or¬ 
chard—from the trunks and large branches, 
and then wash with whale-oil soap—one pound 
of soap dissolved in about three gallons of 
water, and applied with a stiff brash. As soon 
as the blossom buds start, apply the “ bands,” 
so often recommended, of course to be fol¬ 
lowed by the destruction of all wormy fruit. 
If the above plans fail—especially the first— 
theu I confess my inability to manage the 
Codling-moth. Nelson Ritter. 
OUR BEE HINTS. 
Artificial Swarming. 
The month of June is a very busy one for 
the bee-keeper as well as for the bees. The 
rich stores of nectar found in the white clover 
stimulate the breeding, the hives become 
crowded, aud uuless artificially divided, the 
bees will follow their natural instinct and 
swarm freely during the uext few weeks. The 
apiary may be managed with special regard 
either to storing as much houey as possible, 
or to a large increase in colonies; but the 
young bee-keeper will perhaps attain the best 
success if he does not throw his whole energy 
into either oue of these directions, but rather 
be content with a moderate increase of colo¬ 
nies, and gel what surplus houey lie eau with¬ 
out resorting to special management. Artifi¬ 
cial swarmiug consists iu removing purt of the 
bees of a colony to another hive aud supplying 
them with a queen, thus making two colonies 
out of oue. or three out of two, according to 
their strength. This is the method uow re¬ 
sorted to by uearly all practical bee-keepers, 
and it has the advautages over natural swarm¬ 
iug that uo swarms abscond, and the breed¬ 
ing. which should never suffer interruption at 
this season, may be continued with but little 
loss of time. 
When a colony becomes very populous aud 
exhibits symptoms of swarming, it is time 
that it should be divided. Iu the middle of 
the day, while the bees are busy gathering, 
blow a little smoke into the hive, theu look it 
through to find the queen, and, when found, 
either cage her for the time or set the comb on 
which she is iu a secure place. This point is 
of importance. By removing frames from one 
hive to another, without seeing the qneeu, oue 
runs a great risk of losing her. It is not enough 
to look over each frame as it is removed. If a 
large number of bees adhere to it. she can easily 
be overlooked, as we have learned by dear ex¬ 
perience. Next, take out as many frames of 
brood, with adhering bees, as can be spared 
without making the colony weak, and place 
them in an empty hive which should be set 
close to the other. The open space occasioned 
in the mother colony, should Immediately be 
tilled up with empty combs or frames having 
startings of comb foundation. Destroy or cut 
out at the same time all queen cells that may 
be found. In like manner take a few frames 
from one or two other hives and place in the 
new hive till it has the requisite number of 
combs; and, if necessary to obtain a sufficient 
fe>ree, shake into it a lew bees besides what 
may adhere to the frames. 
The old queen way be left in her own hive, 
or she may be removed to the new hive, which 
will sometimes cure her of her swarming fever, 
nut iu either case, a new queeu should be in¬ 
troduced to the queenleks colony after the lapse 
of a day or two. During the summer season, 
the bee-keeper should always have a few extra 
queens on hand, which may bo accomplished 
as described below ; but if lie has none, place 
a frame with a capped queen cell in the middle 
of the ucst, putting those frames having the 
most brood next to it, aud tu due time the 
colony will have a queen. When all is ready, 
close up all the frames snugly, cut off the va¬ 
cant space in the hive, if any, with a divisiou 
board, aud the work of dividing is done. 
Another mode of artificial swarmiug is by 
The Formation of Nuclei and the Rearing of 
Queens. 
In apiarian language the somewhat technical 
' ( --WOTWWv 
/■ 1 V. M-'nSct ) K- v 
J " f k V L " 
t_v- 
WnEAT PLANT REDUCED TO 7,16 OF 
• 
fomica. Trees of this kind were found grow- 
iug only in oue locality iu the foot-hills of the 
Sierra Nevada, but from there they have been 
introduced iuto uearly all sections of the State. 
The tree is a slow grower, and has to be from 
eight to ten years old before producing fruit, 
but after it bus once borne fruit, it will never 
fail to set a yearly crop. The tree grows from 
twenty to forty feet high, is strong, hardy, and 
well branched. The foliage is of a rich, dark 
green, and quite different from that of the 
English or Eastern AValnut; it is unequally 
pinnate, compound, from ten to fourteen 
inches long, the leaflets, of which there are 
fifteen to thirty-five on a leal, are lanceolate 
iu shape, about three-quarters to one inch 
across at their broadest portion and from two 
to three and a half inches in leugth ; the foliage 
is very deusely set on the tree, much more so 
than iu the Euglish Walnut. 
The uut is from three-quarters to one and a 
quarter inch in diameter, beiug inclosed iu a 
thick husk, which dries ou the nut and has to 
be removed with the aid of a knife or other 
instrument. The shell Is rather hard, requir¬ 
ing the use of a hammer to break it. The meat 
of the ii ut is rich and plcasaut to the taste, and 
is not only relished by children, but the ’‘old 
folks’’ too, go after it. The tree is much hard 
ier than the English Walnut, growing and 
producing fruit in sections where the latter 
will not even grow. As a shade tree, it is 
much handsomer than the other Walnut varie¬ 
ties aud fiiialaead ot Locust, Willow, or such 
trees. The tree holds its foliag j e uutil after 
NATURAL SIZE.—NOT CULTIVATED. 
we have six beariug trees, which are the admi¬ 
ration of all who see them. When known iu 
the East this tree cauuot be otherwise than pop¬ 
ular. Wm. C. L. Drew. 
El Dorado, Cal. 
(fntomoloiutitl. 
THE CODLING-MOTH. 
Some oue says : “All that is wise has been 
thought already ; we must try, however, to 
think it again." 
So much has been written upon agricultural 
matters, that one may well hesitate before ad¬ 
vancing oue's own opinions, lest he write upon 
an already exhausted subject. The question : 
How shall we exterminate the Codling-moth ?” 
is not a new one certainly, and yet, I desire to 
offer a few observations upon it. We are ad¬ 
vised to keep swine or sheep in our orchards, 
or to pick up aud destroy all wormy fruit. This 
is a partial remedy, but is insufficient of itselt. 
More than fifty per cent, of the worms escape 
from the apples before the fruit drops. How 
shall we capture the fugitives ? Bauds about 
the trees are generally recommended. 
By this plau we capture a large number of 
worms, but the majority fail to enter our trap. 
Burning lights in the orchard is sometimes ad¬ 
vocated, but this is not advisable. For several 
years I have observed that the Codling-moth 
was very partial to particular varieties of Ap- 
