1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
401 
'1'lie Preponderance of Pines.— 
The fact that a new growth of trees, where oaks and 
others have been cut off, is largely of pines, has been 
ascribed to the condition of the soil, which, being ex¬ 
hausted for the sustenance of oaks and other deciduous 
trees, is favorable for the pines. J. A. Goree. Tuscaloosa, 
Ala., writes that his observations show that the prepon¬ 
derance of pine trees is mainly due to the fact that they 
escape the browsing by cows and other animals, which 
pass by the pines and feed upon the deciduous trees. 
Pine Trel's aiiul Lijj'ltJn5uni;-.—Every 
row and then it is asserted that some particular tree is 
never struck by lightning. Not long ago it was the 
Beech ; of late some papers have claimed that the Pine 
is exempt from injury by lightning. We have most di¬ 
rect evidence that at least one White Pine has not only 
been struck, but killed. Our correspondent at “ The 
Pines ” wrote us, some twelve years ago, that the largest 
of a group of venerable pine trees was struck, the course 
of the charge being plainlj* seen by the rupture of the 
bark. Its large stump still remains in evidence of the 
fact that the Pine is not lightning-proof. 
ESrett’s Auckland Almanac.—Noth¬ 
ing shows the wonderful progress made by New Zealand 
and Australia, more strikingly than the publications we 
frequently receive from them, unless it be the large cir¬ 
culation of the American Agriculturist in both countries. 
The volume contains one hundred and seventy-six pages 
of reading and reference matter, and nearly as many 
of advertisements. Besides the almanac proper, there 
is a monthly calendar for the farm and garden. It gives 
a very full statistical account of the island, its laws, and 
a vast amount of other information, the whole forming 
a volume of interest and value that would be credit¬ 
able to a much older country. 
Tliornless B81ackl»en*ies. —Wallace 
Overton, Bayport, N.Y., inquires about “ The Thornless 
Blackberry.” We have not known of a variety so called, 
though there are several claimed to be without thorns, 
such as the “Wuchusett Thornless,” “Newman’s 
Thornless,” and some half-dozen others. So far as we 
are aware, none of these have been found worth culti¬ 
vating. None of these varieties are entirely thornless, 
but Ihe usually robust thorns are reduced to a few small, 
weak prickles. It would seem as if the absence of 
thorns indicated a weakness in the plant, which is also 
shown by few berries as well as few thorns. We should 
be glad to welcome a really valuable thornless variety, 
but it has not yet appeared. 
IS«>w Long trill tlie Coal Last?— 
Not long ago, English coal consumers were anxious be¬ 
cause some geologist bad calculated that the coal supply 
of the island would, at the present rate, be exhausted 
in some thousands of years, more or less. The Penn¬ 
sylvanians have a much shorter supply. Some one has 
shown that the anthracite, at least, will last but a little 
over three hundred years. When coal first came into 
general use, a wealthy old gentleman in a New England 
town, who was a noted grumbler, refused to alter his 
fireplaces to admit grates and coal stoves. He regarded 
it as a needless expense, as in a few years the supply of 
coal would be exhausted. “ Why, Mr. D.,” said a neigh¬ 
bor, “geologists calculate that there is coal enough to 
last the country a million years.”—“Yes,” was the re¬ 
ply, “ but what are we a-goin’ to do then?” 
California, Frni 1 s. —California fruits now 
appear in the fruit stores and upon fruit stands in 
considerable profusion. Apricots, plums, and pears, 
mainly the Bartlett, were in abundant supply in early 
July, and these were soon followed by fine exotic grapes. 
The improvement noticeable, within a few years, in the 
condition in which California fruit is received, shows 
that the shippers have learned much, both as to packing 
and the proper condition in which to pick the fruit. 
Severe “northers” and unusual frosis have, in some 
localities, greatly injured the fruit crops ; yet the abun¬ 
dance in other places, with the greatly enlarged area 
devoted to orchards and vineyards, bring up the average, 
and we are informed that the shipments to the East will 
be at least as large as last year. 
White cizutl Yellow Corn.—A. Kings¬ 
bury, Coventry, Conn., asks as to the difference in value 
between yellow corn-meal and white.. According to the 
latest authorities, analysis does not show any essential 
difference between the two. But “A. K.” says that the 
white meal that he buys is said to be the siftings from 
hominy. In that case, there may be an undue propor¬ 
tion of bran, which will greatly diminish its value; in¬ 
deed it is probably not a true meal, i. e., does not repre¬ 
sent the entire grain. For table use, the difference 
between white and yellow meal is very great; the indi¬ 
vidual preference for the one or the other appears to 
depend upon early education. Those who, in their 
youth, have been accustomed to white meal, can not 
tolerate the yellow, and vice versa. 
Apple Seeds for Stocks.—R. S. Ly- 
barger, Kingston, Kans. Our nurserymen sometimes 
sow the pomace, containing the seeds, breaking it up 
as fine as possible, and sowing in the fall. The more 
common way is, to separate the seeds by washing, and 
spreading them thinly to dry, keep them until next 
spring. These are usually sown very early, without any 
preparation. Imported seeds, and those which it is 
feared may have become too dry, may be mixed with 
sand. Sand, with the natural amount of moisture, just 
as it comes from the bank, may be mixed in about equal 
bulk with the seeds, for a week or two before planting. 
The sand will slowly impart moisture to the seeds, caus¬ 
ing them to swell and even to germinate. They should 
be sown before the sprouts get large enough to be 
broken. 
Come Alon*»-, I>»*. S$a*el«m.— Brehm’s 
manager, one Hermann, sends us a very handsome lith¬ 
ographed letter, in which he says; “ I take the liberty 
of informing you that the Hon. Dr. Brehm intends to 
visit the U. S. on or about January 1st, 1834, and to lec¬ 
ture there in the principal cities.” Well, let him come. 
The letter informs us that Dr. Brehm, or Briehm, as the 
name is spelled both ways, “ has been decorated for his 
merits by most of the crowned heads in Europe.” 
Never mind that; if Brehm or Briehm is a good fellow, 
we “ won’t lay it up agin him,” no matter how much he 
has been “decorated.” But we are told that through 
his “beautifull” works, his name is known “through 
every house and family,” which is fortunate for Briehm 
or Brehm. We are told that Dr. B. “ is considered Ihe 
greatest popular writer and lecturer in existence,” and 
that as “an investigator and discoverer,” he ranks' 
“foremost among the leading men of the century.” 
We believe that Dr. Brehm is a respectable naturalist, 
and that he has been unfortunate in falling into the 
hands of such a chap as Hermann. If Dr. B. comes to 
this country, he will be received for exactly what he is 
worth. Such puffing as Hermann seeks to procure will 
only injure him. We use our “large influence ” to say 
that it is very unfortunate that Dr. Brehm should be 
introduced as if he were a quack cancer doctor or any 
such humbug. Hermann is altogether too superfluous. 
Akout the CurriintN of tlie Slaops. 
—It is a common belief that the dried fruit sold as “ Cur¬ 
rants,” or “ Zante Currants,” is really a currant, and we 
are every now and then asked how currants can be pre¬ 
served, so as to be like those sold in the shops. It is not 
possible to prepare the currants of our gardens in this 
manner, for the reason that the imported fruit sold under 
that name is not a currant, but a very small grape with¬ 
out seeds. The dried fruit was originally brought to 
England, from Corinth, and called “Corinths,” a name 
which was readily changed to currants. This minute 
grape is very sweet, and has no other preparation than 
spreading the clusters upon the ground and allowing them 
to dry; they are afterwards removed from their stems 
and trodden down in large casks for export. They are 
mainly produced in the islands belonging to Greece, 
where they form the principal crop. The annual im¬ 
portation into England is over twenty thousand tons, 
and a large quantity is brought to this eountry. Currants 
are to some extent used in domestic cookery, but the 
chief consumption is by bakers. Being dried upon the 
ground, currants require careful washing to fit them for 
use. House-keepers, who are obliged to buy a consider¬ 
able quantity at a time, wash them until quite free from 
sand and other foreign matters, dry them in the sun, and 
pack them in stone jars, pounding them down to make a 
compact mass. 
Saving a Pear Tree. — Jos. Clarke, 
Mount Nebo, Lancaster Co., Pa., writes that his little 
boy, too young to know the mischief he was doing, 
shaved off the bark, for the space of about a foot, from 
a young pear tree, some three inches in diameter. As 
an experiment, he applied melted tallow to the wounded 
part, and also spread the tallow on a cloth, which was 
wrapped around the injured portion, and extended some 
distance above and below it. The tree formed new bark 
over the wounded portion that season, and has perfectly 
recovered. This affords a hint to many persons who, 
next spring, will find their young fruit trees injured by 
rabbits and mice. Unless the inner bark and the new 
or “ sap-wood ” are completely removed, the trees may 
usually be saved. So long as there is a layer of inner 
bark, even if imperfect, connecting the two parts, below 
and above the wound, the tree, with proper care, will 
recover. In Mr. Clarke’s case, the tallowed cloth excluded 
the air and prevented drying until the wound could heal 
over. The usual treatment is to mix cow-dung with 
clay, or loamy soil, and apply a thick plaster, binding it 
on with coarse cloths. There is no special virtue in this 
application, except that it retains moisture for a long 
time, and prevents the parts from drying. Probably 
cloth soaked in melted grafting wax, as used in graft¬ 
ing, would be a useful application to such wounds. 
The “ White Russian ” Wheat in British 
Columbia. 
While the farmer should always be on the lookout for 
improved varieties of grain and other products, he 
should not hastily give up an old and tried sort for a 
new and untested one. In wheat, for example, produc¬ 
tiveness, while an important quality, is not the only one 
to be considered. The ability of the plant to resist the 
attacks of insects, and its freedom from those attacks of 
minute parasites which cause rust, smut, etc., are of 
great importance. After the crop is made, and the yield 
is satisfactory in bushels, its price is yet to be fixed at 
the mills, and this will depend upon the flouring quality 
of the grain. There have been great improvements 
made within a few years in milling operations, but even 
these can not make good flour out of poor wheat. 
Millers have learned that a handsome starchy grain will 
not make the best flour, while a very unpromising look¬ 
ing “ berry ” turns out the best bread. New varieties 
of wheat are offered almost yearly, with the claim of 
remarkable productiveness, as if this were the only de¬ 
sirable quality in a grain. The “White Russian” is a 
recent variety, concerning which, a correspondent in 
British Columbia, writes, that while he finds it yields 
well, the millers in his locality complain that they “ can 
not make a good merchantable flour from it.” He says 
that there is a large quantity of this wheat on hand, 
and that on account of its productiveness, a large area 
has been sown this year. Having heard that this variety 
has a good reputation at the East, our correspondent 
wishes to know if it requires any different process in 
milling from other wheat. He sent a liberal sample, 
and asked us to ascertain the experience of Eastern 
millers with this variety. Knowing that Mr. Joseph 
Harris, Moreton Farm, Monroe Co., N. A'., made a spe¬ 
cialty of growing seed wheat, we referred the matter to 
him. Mr. H. wrote that he had not grown the “ White 
Russian,” and suggested that we send the sample to 
an experienced miller in his county. This was done, 
and Mr. Harris gives the result as follows : 
“ The sample resembles a variety of wheat extensively 
grown in Western New York a few years ago, and 
known to millers as‘Amber Wheat.’ Since the intro¬ 
duction of the ‘Clawson,’ the ‘Amber’ is grown only to 
a moderate extent. This ‘ Amber ’ wheat was formerly 
not much of a favorite with the millers, but since the 
introduction of the ‘ Clawson,’ the millers talk more 
favorably of the ‘Amber.’ Our wheat-growers think 
the millers are hard to please, and it would seem to be a 
fact that the wheat which farmers have the most of, is 
the very wheat that, the millers find the greatest diffi¬ 
culty in making into ‘merchantable flour.’ Our wheat- 
growers have given up all hopes of pleasing the millers. 
They have concluded to raise the variety which best 
suits their soil and climate. The millers utterly con¬ 
demned the ‘ Clawson,’ but the farmers found it a profit¬ 
able variety, and the millers have found out how.to 
make ‘good merchantable flour’ from it. It will be so 
with the ‘ White Russiau ’ wheat in British Columbia. 
One of our most experienced millers says the ‘ White 
Russian ’ wheat would make better flour if ground in 
roller mills. It needs to be ‘ground high,’ the mid¬ 
dlings to be well purified and bolted through very sharp 
cloths. It will make, he says, good pastry flour, but 
it does not contain gluten enough for a good bread 
flour. For the latter purpose, it should be mixed with 
hard spring wheat or some long-berried winter wheat, 
that contains considerable gluten. The same is equally 
true of the ‘ Clawson,’ ‘ Fultz,’ and other popular and 
productive varieties of winter wheat, A certain propor¬ 
tion of hard, small-berried spring wheat is generally 
ground with these large-berried, starchy varieties, to 
give the flour the desired. ‘ strength.’ Spring wheat 
from the North-west, that brings the highest price in 
market, is so small and so inferior looking, that one of 
our large wheat-growers in Western New York, when he 
first saw it, said it was ‘hardly good enough to feed 
chickens.’ It is, however, just what our millers need 
to mix with the ‘Clawson,’ ‘Fultz,’ and ‘Amber’ 
wheats. And the millers in British Columbia will 
doubtless find some hard, small-berried variety that will 
enable them, when this.is mixed with the ‘ White Rus¬ 
sian,’ to make a ‘ good merchantable flour ’ out of it.” 
