1852 
THE CULTIVATOR 
373 
Erie at Cleveland. An interesting incident under this 
head once occurred in the case of the first specimens of 
Jewel's Red which we fruited—they maintained so green 
an appearance until nearly grown, that we were led to 
doubt their genuineness 5 but being blown off by wind, 
they were carried into a room, where in a fortnight, a 
profusion of red stripes gradually covered the whole 
surface. 
Westfield Seeknofurther. 
11 In your description of the Westfield Seeknofurther , 
you state that the leaves are 1 sharply serrate.’ We 
have an apple called the Seeknofurther which answers 
your description in every respect but the leaves, which 
are crenated .” J. A. Donaldson. Ravenna , 0. 
The leaves of the Westfield Seeknofurther are perhaps 
more variable than any other variety. When the trees 
are vigorous and the leaves large, they are frequently 
sharply serrate; but we think it would be generally more 
accurate to say serrate simply. Small leaves, or those 
on crowded trees, become serrate- cren ate and often strict¬ 
ly crenate. 
Plums at the South. 
Wm. N. White, of Athens, Georgia, gives in a late 
number of the Horticulturist, the results of his own and 
other’s experiments in plum raising in that state. The 
Imperial Gage proves the best—next Elfrey and Prince’s 
Yellow Gage. The Columbian succeeds very finely. 
The Jefferson, very large, and the handsomest of all, has 
in Georgia, as well as elsewhere, disappointed expecta¬ 
tions as to its quality, lacking juciness and flavor. Among 
other sorts found to be valuable, are Chickasaw, Italian 
Damask, Duane’s Purple, Bingham, Bleeker’s Gage, 
and for cooking, German Prune, Horse Plum, and Red 
Magnum Bonum. 'The following have proved worthless, 
viz: Washington, Diamond, Gen. Hand, Semiana. 
The Green Gage, Lawrence Favorite, Coe’s Golden 
Drop, and Huling, have not been tried. 
Profitable Pear Trees. 
Wm. S. Lapham, of Macedon, N. Y., has a pear tree 
of the Yirgalieu or White Doyenne pear, standing in a 
corner of his house yard, which is probably over 25 years 
old, and which yielded the present year fifteen bushels 
of fine smooth pears, which sold on the ground at two 
and a quarter dollars per bushel, or about thirty-four 
dollars for the crop. One hundred and sixty such trees 
on an acre,—which of the size of this would not be 
crowded—would at the same rate yield the handsome 
sum of five thousand dollars. If half this were the year¬ 
ly interest, (and crops nearly as large as this are often 
obtained,) what would be the value of the principal, that 
is, of one acre of such trees. 
Since writing the above, we have been informed of a 
still larger crop. Israel Delano, of the same neighbor- 
borhood, gathered from two trees of the Yirgalieu, forty- 
two bushels of pears, all of which were sold at two and 
a quarter dollars per bushel, or 94 dollars for the two. 
The productiveness of this variety is very great, and 
in Western 'New-York it succeeds admirably. Of late 
years, however, there have been occasional indications of 
the scab and cracking, which have rendered this pear 
worthless in some of the eastern portions of the Union, 
and which, as we observe by Dr. Warder’s Review, is be¬ 
ginning to appear in Ohio. Hence the prudent planter 
will not set out this variety exclusively, but will mix in a 
good proportion of those equally productive sorts, th e 
Flemish Beauty, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Yicar of Wink- 
field, &c. 
-- 
Shade Trees. 
The subject of shade trees for the road side, and the 
improvement of the appearance of farm houses and build¬ 
ings, is of late years exciting more attention among far¬ 
mers. Yet the desire for the decoration of their homes 
is nothing like as general as it should be. Farmers, as a 
class, are apt to fall into dull, monotonous, plodding life. 
Like other men, they want variety in their business, 
which would have a tendency to make life pleasant, and 
home happy. One of the best antidotes to the cares and 
trials of life, is to turn the mind to home and rural em¬ 
bellishments. 
One of the first steps in improvement is the planting 
of shade and fruit trees by the road side, and around our 
houses. If every farmer and landholder could be induc¬ 
ed to plant trees along the borders of their land, the en¬ 
tire highway would soon become a delightful avenue. 
How grateful would this be to the traveller—what an ad¬ 
dition to his comfort! 
The trees might be set at such distance apart, as not to 
interfere with or injure the growing crops, and the fallen 
leaves which should be gathered in autumn, for manure, 
would more than pay for all trouble. The great difficul¬ 
ty is, that not one farmer in ninety-nine feels interest 
enough to set out trees about his own house, to say no¬ 
thing of the road side. Still, if one or two men of the 
right stamp could be found in every town, we think the 
object might be attained by forming town societies, by 
which funds could be raised for this purpose. 
As to the kind of trees to be planted, more has been 
said than is necessary, considering that so few have been 
planted at all. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, the 
Lombardy Poplars were set out almost exclusively. 
They grew up quick and straight, making at the best a 
very stiff* appearance; but at the present time few of 
these trees are left in the country. The two best trees 
for shade are the Sugar Maple and the Elm,—both very 
fine and ornamental. Especially for yards we prefer the 
maple, as it makes a thick clean shade, and seems to im 
part a coolness to the atmosphere in hot weather. For 
shading a street elms are preferable, as they spread their 
branches wider than the maple. 
Along the road-side we would set out promiscuously, 
elms, maples, oaks, beeches, chetnuts, hickories, ashes, 
birches, and all indigenous trees that grow well. In this 
way plenty of shade trees can be procured, which is not 
the case when one variety is used exclusively. 
The trees should be well taken up, so that as many of 
the small roots as possible, be retained, and then care¬ 
fully set out. If cattle are allowed to run in the streets, 
they must be protected from this great nuisance. If any 
trees should fail to live after the spring planting, they can 
