THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
MARCH i5 
168 
^UlroricullnnxL 
GROWING TREKS AND SHRUBS 
FROM SEED. 
(Continued from Last Week.) 
WILLIAM FALCONER. 
Seeds of Evergreen Trees.— The seeds 
of pines, spruces and firs may be kept dry 
till spring and then sown in narrow beds. 
They germinate well enough; it is after 
they come up that the trouble begins. In 
the case of Arbor-vita) seed, it is well to sow 
it as soon as ripe, else it may lie dormant in 
the ground for a year after sowing. Juni- 
per berries should be washed free from their 
pulpy coating before sowing; they usually 
take two years to come up. The pulp should 
also be washed from yew berries as soon as 
they are gathered, and the seed should be 
sown at once; it may take two years to 
come up. 
Mixing Seed with Moist Sand.— In 
many cases this is not imperative, but in 
most instances it is beneficial in maintain¬ 
ing a high standard of vitality in the seed 
and hastening germination. The handiest 
way of mixing is in boxes kept in a cool 
shed or cellar, and we should never have so 
large a bulk of seeds together that there 
would be any possibility of their heating or 
rotting. In sowing, while it is easy enough 
to sift walnuts and acorns out of the sand, it 
is not easy to separate the smaller seeds, 
nor is it at all necessary ; just sow seed and 
sand together. 
Time of Sowing.—T he spring-time is the 
season when the seeds of most hardy trees 
are sown; but in order safely to delay sow¬ 
ing until spring-time, some seeds require 
special treatment, just as we bed our peach 
stones in moist earth over winter to have 
them come up the next spring. 
Where to Sow.—Nurserymen have spec¬ 
ial seed grounds for vigorous, easy-to-grow 
stock, and frames and greenhouses for the 
finer, rarer and more delicate sorts; but 
the farmer had better use a sheltered strip 
in his garden patch. 
Soil and Seed-beds. —Ordinary garden 
soil is good enough, and a deeply-worked, 
moderately rich, sandy loam is excellent; 
it should, be well-drained, thoroughly clean, 
mellow and well-worked, and thrown up 
into raised rows or four-foot-wide beds. 
Sowing tiie Seed.— For convenience in 
cleaning, it is well to sow almost all seed in 
rows rather than broadcast; when in rows 
we can do much of the cleaning and culti¬ 
vating with thb hoe; but when broadcast 
it is all hand-weeding. In fact, walnuts, 
chestnuts, maples, and other vigorous 
growers are usually sown in the open 
ground in rows as one would sow onions or 
beans. But evergreens are usually sown 
in close rows in narrow beds, or broadcast 
in these beds, because they are of slow 
growth at first, and require special care in 
the way of shading. Sow evenly, some¬ 
what thin, and always somewhat shallow 
rather than deep. In the case of flue seed 
sown broadcast, sow on the surface of the 
bed and gently press the seed into the bed 
with the back of a spade or a board, and 
then sift or scatter some fine, mellow earth, 
about a fourth or half an inch deep, over the 
whole. The ordinary way of covering is to 
rake in the seed. It will greatly help one 
to sow evenly if he first slightly moistens 
the seeds, then mixes up a little whiting 
among them; and in order to repel both 
birds and rodents it is well also to add a 
little red lead. 
Shading the Seed-beds.— In the case of 
chestnuts, walnuts and other ready-grow¬ 
ing, vigorous trees sown in wide-apart 
rows, shading is unnecessary, and it can be 
dispensed with also in beds devoted to 
maples, elms, ash, and the like, but even in 
this case a thin brush shading laid over 
the beds till the seedlings begin to ap¬ 
pear, helps germination wonderfully, and 
when it comes to birch, larch and ever¬ 
greens generally, shading is almost in¬ 
dispensable. The seedlings may come up 
well enough without the shade; but it is 
after they do come up that the danger oc¬ 
curs, danger from heavy rains and sun- 
scald. 
In 1865-6 I worked for John Erigor 
(author of Erigor’s Arboriculture, and the 
most practical nurseryman and one of the 
largest growers of forest trees in Britain) 
and we used to grow enormous quantities 
of pine, spruce, larch and other forest trees, 
but we never shaded a seed-bed at any per¬ 
iod ; in this country, however, we cannot 
succeed with it in summer. These tree 
seeds are usually sown in frames and shad¬ 
ed with lath screens, but when raised 
by the acre the beds are shaded by leafy 
brush raised some six to seven feet above 
ground on light wooden frames. 
Weeding the Seed-beds.— In the case of 
pine, fir, spruce, arbor-vitao, beech, birch, 
and other seed-beds where the young trees 
make very little growth the first year, the 
ground should be kept clean by hand-weed¬ 
ing. As the plants are so small—the ever¬ 
greens two or three inches high—even 
small weeds will smother and kill the 
strongest plants. 
Transplanting Seedlings.— In the case 
of vigorous tap-rooting trees, such as wal¬ 
nuts, hickory and oak, it is better to trans¬ 
plant them when one year old, and in doing 
so, be careful to cut off a part of the tap¬ 
root ; or, if you leave them till two years 
old, at the end of the first year go along the 
rows with a sharp spade and cut under the 
plants so as to cut the tap-roots. With ma¬ 
ples and elms this is not so imperative; but 
none should be left over two years without 
being transplanted. As regards pines, 
spruces, firs, arbor-vitses and other very 
slew (at first) growers, I prefer leaving 
them untouched for the first two years, 
unless they are too thick; if so, thin them 
out, as you would beds of seedlings of any 
other kinds of plants. 
£1 ft IMvil 
NOTES FROM THE POULTRY SHOW. 
Many of the biddies, doubtless feeling 
that domestic duties must not be neglected 
though they were on dress parade, deposit¬ 
ed their usual quota of eggs. These were 
donated to charitable purposes. 
A miniature clover-cutter was exhibited, 
which we supposed was merely a model, but 
it proved to be “ life size," and worked 
nearly as hard as a large one should, while 
the price was nearly as high. Many poultry 
men go so far as to say that successful poul¬ 
try keeping is impossible without plenty of 
clover. Such men rank with the dairymen 
who claim that the silo is absolutely neces¬ 
sary in dairying. 
Hundreds of chicks and ducklings were 
hatched.at the show, the eggs, already well 
advanced in the process of incubation, hav¬ 
ing been brought, in some cases, hundreds 
of miles in trunks. A system of incubation 
which can achieve such a degree of success 
under sucb disadvantageous circumstances 
must be pretty nearly perfect. The experi¬ 
mental stage in artificial incubation has 
passed and the business of hatching by 
machinery is an established fact. The in¬ 
cubator-hatched chicks and ducklings at 
the show were apparently as happy and 
thriving as any ever were which were 
hatched in the natural way. 
The low scores of the prize-taking Silver 
Wyandottes were noticeable, the highest 
being not over 92 or 93 points. All party- 
colored birds are more difficult to breed 
true than solid-colored ones, and of them 
all, the Silver Wyandotte is probably the 
most difficult. For this reason, perhaps, 
the true fancier takes great pride in the 
results of his careful, painstaking work. 
There were several fine specimens of Gold¬ 
en N yandottes. These are beautiful 
birds, and will undoubtedly become great 
favorites as soon as they become better 
known. 
Some monster Buff Cochin cocks from 
England were shown, which were “ valued 
at $200 each.” How any one can fancy 
these ungainly fowls, passes our com¬ 
prehension. They have, as one visitor 
remarked, “ two pairs of wings—one on 
their feet.” They were never built for 
“ rustlers,” although they may be well 
enough in their place. The Indian Games 
are not handsome birds, but they seem 
very.vigorous and hardy, and some breeders 
predict that they will prove very valuable 
for crossing on that account. 
Plymouth Rocks, both Barred and White, 
occupied considerable space, and seem to 
hold a large space in popular favor. The 
Leghorns, White, Brown and Black, were 
in great numbers. These bright, lively 
fowls are great favorites, and for egg-pro¬ 
duction, are probably unsurpassed. The 
great objections to them are their large 
combs and light feathering, which render 
them unsuited to cold climates without 
extra-warm quarters. The rose-combs, of 
course, are an improvement, but they do 
not entirely overcome the objection. What 
are known as virgin cockerels were ex¬ 
hibited, which were 15 months of age. 
They had always been kept separate from 
pullets, and were said to be larger and 
better developed on this account. Here is 
an idea worth remembering and testing 
with other animals. 
Large numbers of fancy pigeons were on 
exhibition and added not a little to the at¬ 
tractiveness of the show. A large coop of 
White Fan-tails presented a pretty sight 
and attracted a great deal of attention. 
The bone-mill man was eloquent in his ex- 
patiation upon the merits of ground bone. 
His arguments must have been convincing, 
judging from the numerous mills sold. 
Ground bone is considered almost a neces¬ 
sity by poultrymen, especially for fowls in 
confinement. 
CfiT njio!) ei'£. 
A SUMMER OUTING IN THE NORTH 
CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. 
IX. 
Mountaineer characteristics; educational 
disabilities; a field for difficult mission¬ 
ary work. 
MARY WAGER-FISHER. 
The mountaineers naturally form an 
interesting study, as they are 100 years be¬ 
hind the times, and apparently perfectly 
content to remain so. As a rule, they are 
sallow and lank, wear homespun, “Georgia 
checks,” the women, sun-bonnets, and the 
men broad-brimmed hats, all of which are 
quite suitable to their condition. The 
women are considered aged at 50, and eter¬ 
nally disgraced if not married before 25. 
Early marriages are the rule. The people 
are honest and the men as a class were loy¬ 
al to the Government during the Seces¬ 
sion movement, only serving in the Confed¬ 
erate army when forced to do so, and escap¬ 
ing whenever they could. The burden of 
life falls heaviest upon the women, as they 
have large families : they card cotton and 
wool, spin, weave and knit, make a large 
part of the clothing of the family, includ¬ 
ing bedding, besides the housework and 
working in the field, rolling logs, etc. 
Jane said that the “men folks,” white or 
black, never milked, didn’t know how. 
Forehandednesb, thrift and industry seem 
absolutely foreign to them. To work one 
day in the week and rest six is the rule. As 
hired help to Northern men who have begun 
to farm the land there in an intelligent 
manner, the mountaineer gives infinite 
trouble. The ideas and habits that have 
for a century undergone no changes, do 
not yield at once to anybody, and to get a 
man to plant three kernels of corn in a hill 
instead of one, is not only sometimes diffi¬ 
cult, but often an unsuccessful undertak¬ 
ing. Probably very few of them believe 
or know anything about the diurnal revo¬ 
lution of the earth, or its journey around 
the sun. One of them when informed of 
these facts, exclaimed with energy to his in¬ 
formant: “You must be a confounded 
fool to believe that I If the earth turned 
over, why Jim Done’s mill pond over 
there would have been spilt out long ago.” 
Their illiteracy is largely owing to the 
painful lack of educational facilities. The 
school-houses are far apart, of the rudest 
description, often without windows, the 
light coming in through chinks between 
the logs, or through the open doors. They 
are furnished with slab desks, and the 
teachers are themselves of mediocre attain¬ 
ments. The people are too poor to pay for 
“ pay ” schools, and the public school fund 
yields about 82>£ cents yearly per capita, 
and a child cannot become very learned 
upon 82J-<j cents a year. By the constitution 
of the State, a mill and a quarter is levied 
for public school money, and the negroes 
share equally with the whites. In High¬ 
lands which is considerably better off than 
most places as to schools, being in one of 
the more populated districts, the puolic 
money pays for a little over one month of 
school in the year. What schooling is ob¬ 
tained beyond that time, is paid for by a 
direct tax upon the patrons, and by a fund 
furnished by a Unitarian Society in Boston 
as a part of its missionary work, and where 
is missionary work more needed ? The 
mountain children learn with average 
quickness, when they learn at all; but, 
unless the schools are supplemented with a 
teaching that goes more to the home, to 
the family life, it will take a long time for 
that leaven alone to elevate the people. 
I was painfully impressed with the diffi¬ 
culties that must beset missionary work in 
this field, and in conversation with an edu¬ 
cated young man of devoted spirit and 
familiar with their surroundings, he con¬ 
fessed that as often as his thoughts had 
dwelt upon the improvement of their con¬ 
dition, he had as yet failed to work out a 
plan for their salvation. If any one who 
reads this feels “ moved ” to do missionary 
work of the right kind—to teach the people 
how to live in a wholesome and healthful 
way, morally as well as physically—here in 
these mountains is his field for work, at 
his very door, in his own land and among 
his own countrymen. 
And yet I often wondered, whether in 
point of fact, they would be any happier 
for knowing the three “R’s,” for being 
clean, industrious, thrifty, for having 
clothes-lines and chairs enough to go 
around, stoves for cooking instead of fire¬ 
places, a bedroom separate from the kitchen 
and rooms enough to give one decent pri¬ 
vacy. Happiness is such a relative thing, 
and so of the heart, that it is impossible to 
draw the line where wretchedness ends and 
happiness begins. People are not unhappy 
for the lack of what they know nothing 
about, and if one is made as happy by a 
mouth organ as another would be by a 
piano, or as content in a one-roomed log 
cabin alive with vermin, as another in a 
palace sweet with cleanliness, what mat¬ 
ters it ? When the capacity for happiness 
is enlarged, that for suffering is increased 
in the same ratio, and if the illiterate, 
unkempt mountaineer is as happy in his 
way as I am in mine, I am not sure that it 
would be a kindness to arouse him from 
his stupid and inert existence. One sat 
immediately in front of me one Sunday 
morning in the Presbyterian church at 
Highlands. The dirt and grease on his 
coat worn to tatters, his fair hair matted 
and tangled as if it had never known a 
comb or brush, his dirty hands and finger 
nails made my, soul long for a scrubbing 
machine to be set at work upon him. He 
looked healthy. His skin was fair, his 
eyes heavenly blue, he was well featured 
aud with nothing bad in his face; but in 
his entire make-up there was not a single 
note of energy or ambition—only good- 
natured contentment. He could breathe 
in the soft, sweet air, see the glorious sun¬ 
shine, and clouds aud trees, and indulge 
in the same hope of heaven as the man 
who sat next to him, shaven aud shorn 
aud sitting in Sunday broadcloth. Appar¬ 
ently he didn’t think of his own condition 
at all, any more than a dog does of his. 
He could have been better clad by working 
five days in the week instead of one, but 
preferred to go in rags than work. It was 
a mere matter of choice. He listened with 
close attention to the sermon, but a thous¬ 
and such sermons a week would never 
improve his condition. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Idaho. 
Grangeville, Idaho County, February 
18.—We have had a pretty “ tough ” winter 
so far, and stock is looking thin. Hay is 
scarce at $10 per ton; wheat $1 per bushel; 
oats aud barley two cents per pound ; vege¬ 
tables to two cents per pound ; butter, 
40 cents; hogs, three to five cents, gross; 
beef cattle $25 to $30 for three aud four- 
year-olds (cattle are not sold by weight here 
yet); horses, from $20 to $125 per head; 
sheep, $2 per head ; chickens, $2>£ to $3 per 
dozen. The Ii. N.-Y. should try one-third 
wheat with its oats for hay, as oats alone 
contain too much water. The crop should 
be cut when the grain is in the dough, 
unless it begins to lire at the ground. The 
straw should be perfectly green in color 
when put in the mow. This kind of hay is 
the “ boss ” for all kinds of stock, except 
for driving horses, as it is considered too 
heating for them; but milch cows and 
sheep, aud even hogs do finely on it; for 
these it can’t be bettered. I notice much 
attention has been attracted to Mr. Terry’s 
tool exhibit. Well, if Mr. T. were out here 
he would have to sell his farm to pay for 
these implements. I think we are extrava¬ 
gant when we have more than a plow, a 
common or Acme harrow, a cultivator and 
a roller. We raise from 25 to 50 bushels of 
wheat to the acre; 40 to 100 bushels of oats 
and barley—then what need of all Mr. TVs 
tools ? F- IL 
New York. 
Forestville, Chautauqua County, Feb¬ 
ruary 21.—We are having a little cooler 
weather and some snow; but not enough 
to make sleighing. The lumber business 
has been at a stand-still all winter on ac¬ 
count of the bad roads aud water in the 
swamps. Newly seeded meadows are winter- 
killing badly on account of the continued ex- 
