278 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
Layering the Grape Vine. 
Some of the hard-wooded varieties of the grape 
are propagated from cuttings with so much diffi¬ 
culty, that nurserymen resort to layering. Ama¬ 
teurs who wish to propagate only a few vines, 
will find layering a desirable method even with 
those that grow readily from cuttings, as it will 
give them much stronger plants than can be pro¬ 
duced in the same time in any other manner. 
Layering is done with the ripe wood — the canes of 
last season's growth, and with the new shoots of 
the current season. The time for operating with 
the ripe wood has gone by for this season, but 
green wood layers may be made as soon as the 
shoots have become sufficiently strong to be 
handled without breaking. The shoots at first 
are exceedingly tender and readily snap off at the 
“joints.” About midsummer, when they have 
become more woody, bend down a shoot in such a 
manner as to allow a portion of it to be laid in a 
small trench and covered with five or six inches of 
soil. Remove the leaves from the part to be 
buried, and tie the above-ground end to a stake. 
To keep the soil over the buried portion moist, 
cover it with a mulch of some kind. A flat stone 
laid upon the surface at this point serves to pre¬ 
vent evaporation and at the same time helps 
hold the shoot in place. Most varieties treated in 
this manner will be abundantly supplied with roots 
by the end of the season of growth, and may then 
he transplanted to the place they are to occupy. 
Imported Horseradish.—A Lesson. 
In looking through the markets of London 
(Eng.), we noticed numerous large casks contain¬ 
ing horseradish ; the roots were tied in bundles of 
about a dozen. When opened, the contents of the 
casks presented a most unpromising appearance. 
The uuwashed roots were blackened with the soil 
in which they grew, and, being packed closely in 
unventilated casks, the tops had started into 
growth. We ascertained that these casks came 
from Holland, and that the principal market sup¬ 
ply of horseradish was imported. We were sur¬ 
prised to learn that England, the country of “farm¬ 
gardening,” did not supply itself with such an 
easily raised product as horseradish. A few days 
ago, in looking through the streets which together 
make up the indefinite locality known as Washing¬ 
ton Market, in New York, we were not a little sur¬ 
prised to meet with just such bunches of horse¬ 
radish as were seen in London, and in the same 
casks, and to learn that large quantities of the 
pungent roots had been brought from Holland. 
This imported horseradish could be bought at 
prices which made it much more profitable to the 
retailers than the home-grown article. There is 
no difficulty in raising horseradish, either to fol¬ 
low early cabbages, or on a large scale, upon land 
devoted to this crop only, and the bringing of such 
a coarse and bulky article across the ocean, shows 
that there must be a “screw loose” somewhere. 
This state of things is in part due to the Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist. It is only within a comparatively 
few years that horseradish has been cultivated at 
all in this country. Some fifteen years ago or 
more we published an article, giving a method of 
growing a crop that had generally been left to take 
care of itself. We showed that as cultivated by 
our market gardeners it was very profitable, and 
that if grown by itself the returns were large. 
Soon there was a horseradish “boom.” If one 
acre would produce five tons at $200 per ton (the 
price at one time;, then—for “figures wont lie”— 
it was easy to calculate the returns from five acres, 
or ten, or more. The old story of all special crops 
was again repeated. So many went into its culti¬ 
vation that the supply of horseradish in one season 
far exceeded any possible demand. Not being a 
necessary article of food, its consumption is lim¬ 
ited; it can be stored for only a short time, and 
any excess must go to waste. So many raised 
horseradish that “ the market was glutted,” and 
prices fell very low. Of course all those transient 
cultivators, who had taken up the growing of 
horseradish so rashly as a speculation, were dis¬ 
gusted with one season of low prices, and retired. 
As a result, there was another period of high 
prices, and at present horseradish can be imported 
at a profit. This fact gives emphasis to the caution 
we have heretofore given with respect to all spe¬ 
cial crops. Only those persons find them profitable 
who devote a fixed area of laud to them year after 
year. In the long run they are able to take advan¬ 
tage of a sudden advance in prices, and in ordinary 
times enjoy a fair return for their labor. . 
Transplanting Quince Trees. 
BY W. W. MEECH. 
Few trees are more successfully transplanted 
than the quince. None will better repay for care in 
Fig. 1.— A TRIANGLE GUIDE. 
performing the operation in the best possible man¬ 
ner. In tree planting, truly “ haste makes waste.” 
Besides enriching the soil, I plow very deep, by 
going the second time in the furrow, thus stirring 
up the subsoil—if necessary to thoroughly pulver¬ 
ize the soil, follow with the harrow. No after cul¬ 
ture will make amends for the neglect of a thor¬ 
ough preparation before the trees are set. If the 
soil is heavy, it is better to prepare it months 
beforehand; and if wet, underdrain it to prevent 
the roots being water-soaked. 
The next thing is to lay out the ground. The com¬ 
mon method is in squares, and readily done by 
stretching a cord, marked at the distances for the 
trees, and sticking down small stakes or pegs where 
the trees are to stand. Lay out the whole field be¬ 
fore any holes are dug, to make sure of accuracy 
both ways. Laying out in equilateral triangles, 
called the quincunx plan, has advantages over the 
Fig. 2.— A PI.ANTING BOARD. 
rectangle. It is a more pleasing arrangement, and 
allows of about one-seventli more trees on a given 
area. An acre set in squares twelve feet apart 
takes 302 trees; planted quincunx it holds 319 ; put 
fifteen feet each way in squares it holds 193 trees; 
set quincunx it takes 223. 
Iiiiying out Ihc 4|iain<‘«anx. 
The stretched line can be used, as in laying out 
in squares; first making a base line, and from this 
moving by parallel lines, so that every four trees 
shall be at the points of a rhombus, and every six 
trees shall complete a circle around a center tree. 
To aid in laying out the ground, I make an equi¬ 
lateral triangle of edgings from boards, or other 
light stuff, as shown in figure 1, with strips on the 
center of each side to keep it in shape. 
By moving this triangle along the base line, mark¬ 
ing the places for the trees with pegs at the points,. 
I am sure of accuracy. With the second row as a. 
base line, I repeat the operation for the third row, 
and so on until the whole field is laid out. To se¬ 
cure accuracy in setting the trees, I use a planting 
board (fig. 2). This is a board, with a hole near 
each end, and a notch on one side in the middle. 
It must be long enough to reach beyond the hole 
on each side. To use this, I place the notch against 
the marking peg, and drive long pins through the 
holes at the ends. I then lift the board off of the 
pins, and dig the hole. In planting the tree, I re¬ 
place the board, and the notch locates the tree just 
where the peg was placed, and secure perfect rows. 
The distance apart to plant quince trees depends 
on circumstances and surroundings, and the form 
it is intended to give the head of the tree. Six, 
eight, ten, and twelve feet apart in the rows have 
been recommended. My oldest trees are eight feet, 
apart, and have done very well; but that is too close 
to admit of any but hand-culture. I next planted ten 
feet apart; but that is also too close. I have wid¬ 
ened the distance between the trees of successive 
plantings, until 1 now set them fifteen feet apart. 
As generally grown, from twelve to fifteen feet will 
be found to give sufficient room. The largest, 
quince tree on record was standing near Geneva, 
New York, about- thirty years ago; it was thirty 
feet high, had a trunk six feet around; with a 
branching head seventy-five feet in circumference. 
An orchard of such trees would need at least twen¬ 
ty-five feet between them. How old this tree was 
1 could not learn, but there are two quince trees on 
the farm where I was born, which are more than 
fifty years old, and still bearalittle. 
The location of each tree being fixed, dig the 
hole. This should never be less than three feet 
across, however small the tree may be. It should 
always be wider than the roots extend each way, 
the wider the better; and unless the subsoil is 
clayey enough to hold water, it is well to dig at 
least a foot and a half deep. I usually dig two 
spades deep, heaping up the soil on the sides of the 
hole, and throwing the subsoil around on the sur¬ 
face. I then return a portion of the soil to the 
hole, on which the tree is set, and a wheelbarrow 
of richer earth is filled in among the roots, as the; 
rest of the soil on the margin of the hole is re¬ 
turned. I get this richer earth generally by tak¬ 
ing two or three inches of soil from my poultry 
yard. When the hole is nearly full I put around 
the trees a good mul.ch of leaves, refuse straw, or 
any similar material, and lightly cover this with 
earth to hold it in place. This will protect trees 
from drouth better than watering will, and help- 
to maintain an equable temperature of soil. It 
will also become a good fertilizer. 
If the ground is not very moist when the trees 
are set, it is well to puddle the roots, and water 
them well in the holes as the earth is filled in. No 
further watering will be necessary in the dryest 
season if the mulching is properly done. Unlike 
most other trees, the quince is not injured by being 
set deeper than it stood in the nursery, as it will 
throw out new roots as high up as the ground is 
moist. If the soil is moist, do not press it too 
firmly against the roots, as that may exclude the 
air. The rains of autumn and spring will settle 
the ground sufficiently. If trees have not been 
mulched, a frequent stirring of the surface will, 
in the main, serve the same purpose by prevent¬ 
ing the evaporation of moisture from the soil. 
It is astonishing that people will persist in ship¬ 
ping stock across the Atlantic from November to 
April. Terrible storms are sure to rage, making the 
transit highly dangerous. Fifty beautiful Shetland 
ponies were recently swept from the deck of a 
steamer in a storm, on her way from Liverpool to 
New York,and all drowned. Several horses on board 
the same ship died from being cruelly banged about 
in their stalls in consequence of the pitching and 
rolling of the vessel. When death does not take-- 
place, animals often suffer horribly on their voyage. 
Thousands are annually lost, and we should sup¬ 
pose this would put an end to their shipment dur¬ 
ing the cold, stormy months. 
