rotation of farm crops, coming in after corn and before wheat. a piece large enough to raise it above the plants; then lay lumps of dirt around on the outside to hold it down tight. This may remain until it rains. The plants will grow as well, as it is light and warm, it is also a shel-bed several years in the same place, the plants When it is desired to continue a strawberry ter from frosts. H. CADY. Under the above treatment in beds, we have had 210 bushels per acre, which, sold at nine cents a quart, brought $600. should not be allowed to strike root nearer to each other than from ten to twelve inches, so [From Mr. Parry's Essay on the Cultivation of Small that a small iron tooth rake may be passed Fruits, read before the Pa. Hort. Soc.] Cultivation of the Strawberry. exposure, freely among them to loosen the surface and prevent grass and weeds from starting, mark the rows five feet apart, and set the plants one foot apart in the rows, and as the plants throw out runners, fasten two on each side of the parent, at ten inches distance, making beds three feet and six inches wide, and leaving eighteen inches for alleys. All other runners should be cut off. and allowing four hills, occupying four square feet of land, to yield one quart of fruit, the acre at the same rate will yield 340 bushels. The land should be rather elevated, and not liable to excess of water; a southern strong loam, such as would be called good wheat and timothy land; a sward plowed under for a crop of corn, is the best preparation of the soil the year previous to planting strawberries. After removing the corn in the fall, This arrangement will average just one or during an open spell in the winter, let the plant to a square foot of land, counting alstubs be cut off and the ground plowed deep-leys, and will give 43,560 plants to the acre, ly; then give a light dressing of manure broadcast, the essence of which will be absorbed by the mellow earth during winter, and be prepared for giving nourishment to the young plants the following season. As soon as frost leaves the ground in March, set out the plants. If the variety be Albany, Iowa, Hovey, or any kind that bears well in beds, mark out the rows five feet apart, and set the plants about one foot apart in the rows, and let them spread evenly over the ground; the offsets or stools should be fastened not closer than within six inches of each other, and all surplus runners destroyed the same as weeds when they appear; for the value of the fruit will be lessened by an excess of plants, as certainly as a crop of corn would be lessened if the quantity of stalks were increased above what were sufficient to give the greatest supply of grain. If the variety be Triomphe de Gand, Trollope's Victoria, Lady Finger, Peabody, or any kinds that are particularly adapted to hill culture, mark the rows two and a half feet apart, and set the plants one foot apart in the rows, and keep the runners all cut off. During the first winter, the vines should be mulched over with stable manure, straw, leaves or litter of some kind, to protect them from the severity of the winter. The next summer they will yield their first and large crop, after which it will require much labor to keep the beds mellow and clear of weeds and grass; and the crops of fruit will diminish rapidly-and there is great economy in Having a new plantation coming on to take the place of the bearing one, so that after the first and best crop of fruit is gathered, no time or labor need be wasted waiting for inferior ones; but the ground may be plowed and will be in fine condition for a crop of wheat, to be followed with grass. Thus the strawberry will form a part of the The Farmer" in Minnesota-Fruit-Growing &c. In the way of fruit-raising we need your experience and your scoldings. We are buying and setting out fruit trees so much at random as to varieties, and we are browsing our orchards too freely in the winter, spring and fall to get fruit soon. The truth is, you know, that fruit trees need rest in winter-a thing too many learn too late. I have never seen so much carelessness about the wintering of orchards, fruits, shrubbery, &c., as I see in this new, rich, and heaven-favored State; and the result is to be that many will give over fruit-raising here because trees don't take care of themselves. Watermelons for Vinegar. MR. EDITOR-I have read the FARMER for three years and do not feel inclined to return the first No. for 1864, for I have more land to till this year than before, and cannot well do tained in the FARMER. I hope the Youth's Corner will continue to flourish, as our little folks look for that the first thing. There is considerable discussion going on now as to whether we can raise fruit. Some of our Legislators have been thumping heads together, trying to start ideas and get them to vegetate. Now will you not turn mission-without the useful hints and instruction conary a little, and tell us what to do all through? I am satisfied that we can raise just the same fruits here that you do in Wisconsin, with just the same treatment, and same foundation. We will give you liberly to dictate a little in this whole matter of fruit-raising, and agricultural policy generally, if you will only speak loud enough so as to be generally heard; besides it must come quick, for some hearts are faint already. A. A. HUNTINGTON. WINNEBAGO CITY, Minn. REMARKS.-We endorse your letter throughout, friend Huntington. Meteorological observations have demonstrated that the spring and summer climate of St. Paul-and, of course, of those portions of the State which lie south of that latitude-for purposes of agriculture, is quite as favorable as that of southern Wisconsin or northern Illinois; and unless your fruit trees are literally frozen to death by your colder winters, we can see no reason why your orchards should not flourish equally with ours. For fifteen or twenty years our fruit-growers have been groping, blundering and cursing the climate, yet still contending for the mastery, until, at least, they have become pretty generally convinced that they, and not Providence, have been to blame. Get the hardiest varieties, plant in the proper place, and give them the cultivation they deserve, and you are sure to succeed. On all these points the FARMER has, in times past, been full and explicit in its teachings. If there is yet a single particular in regard to which there is doubt, however, let us know just what it is, and the light of the best fruit-growers in the West shall be made to shine upon it. When the sign comes right, we shall be glad to accept your invitation to visit Minnesota -EDITOR. You ask your subscribers to write something for the FARMER. I make no pretensions in that line, but I will send you a recipe and let go for what it is worth. Many families are troubled to keep good vinegar. Now if such, when the time comes, will plant a patch of watermelons, and succeed in raising some, they can have vinegar for the making. Take ripe watermelons, scrape out the inside, press out the juice, strain, and then boil it down about one-half; put it away the same as other vinegar, and it will make an article equal or next to cider vinegar. A well tried recipe is, 4 parts good rosin, 2 of beeswax, 1 of tallow; melt all together over a slow fire, stir well, turn into cold water, pull and work thoroughly. It must be kept in warm water if the weather is cold when using. Another: 4 parts rosin, 3 parts lard, and 8 parts beeswax. Melt and mix as before. Strips of cotton cloth can be dipped into this composition white hot, drawn between two sticks to remove the surplus, and cut into any desired length. The same wax can be applied with a brush to cloth or paper, which can be cut into strips when cold, or the same composition can be applied hot with a brush directly to the graft, the same as otherwise, applying strips of paper immediately, to protect from the sun and wind. With the latter we have been very successful. J. C. P. Hints for Orchard and Garden. This is the month for planting and transplanting. See that the work is well and faithfully done. Cutting back a portion of last season's growth, when transfers are to be made, is a good plan. The stem and branches should bear a definite proportion to the amount of available roots. Any trees that were budded last year should early be pruned of the growth above the inserted bud. Grafting may yet be done. If the orchard is to be cultivated, use great caution against the injury of roots and trunk or stems. Deep culture immediately about the trees is not admissible. Watch the caterpillars. They will be laying their eggs in great quantities this month. Brush out the nests as soon as discovered and burn them. May is the month for transplanting evergreens. Take up and put them out in a wet time, and preserve as much as possible of the earth about the roots. Plant with much care and mulch. Rabbits gnawing Fruit Trees-A Prescription that don't work. EDITOR FARMER:-On page 70 of WISCONSIN FARMER, February No., we read an extract from the Valley Farmer how to prevent rabbits eating fruit trees. Acting upon the suggestion, I killed a rabbit and rubbed my trees as directed, and it "worked like a charm;" for those I rubbed as directed were, in one week's time, gnawed and girdled worse, if possible, than those I did not rub! about 100 trees girdled in this way. anybody know how I can save them? they be saved at all? one to three feet high. BEAVER DAM, Wis. I have Does They are girdled from [A plaster of clay and cow manure, mixed, is recommended by some who claim to have tried it. Don't think it could do the injured trees any hurt, unless it should disgust them! -ED.] Fruit Trees. MR. EDITOR:-In the Weekly Tribune of the 26th of December, it is urged that fruit trees The strawberries must not be neglected.―pears and apples are named-should be so Rake over and thin out old beds. In planting new ones, put the plants far enough apart to allow of thorough horse culture between They will soon spread and cover the ground; no trouble about that. Sleek up and trim the raspberries and blackberries. trained that the sun will shine on some part of the body some time through the day. I have had some experience in the last forty years, and am fully convinced that it is the sun shining upon the body of trees that causes them to die. In 1820 I was shown an orchard that had been set out about ten years, and begun to bear fruit. In passing through the orchard we frequently came to trees that had been broken off by the wind close to the ground, the south side having the appearance of having been killed by the fire, while a strip of bark on the north side was yet green, and the body was very much worm eaten. Garden vegetables of every description should be planted as soon as the ground is sufficiently warm. Cucumber, squash, and melon vines should be guarded against the bugs which prey upon them. A little square box,-only the four sides-dropped over the hill and covered a part of the day with glass, will facilitate growth and help to protect. Now is the time to attend to the flower garden. Don't neglect it too long. It's just as easy to have a delightful succession of flowers all summer long as not. The husband and sons should help the mother and daughters in the heavy work of digging and planting. In this way all will be sharers in the high pleasure they will afford when in bloom. | had twice the growth of the balance of the The class of trees that were killed in this way were the tallest bodies with the least tops. On the other hand, in opposition to that, the boys, when clearing the land adjoining, built log pens for about a dozen or more trees, in the form of a log house, six feet square, and four or five feet high. These trees orchard. In 1861 we gathered from a tree of this variety, five years planted, over half a bushel, being its third crop. A. G. H. New Rochelle Blackberry. I believe that what we need to preserve our trees is shade. Even a board set up on the south side is a protection. I know several men in this State who have been very successThe productiveness of this variety of blackful with the shade culture. berry was never so enormous, we believe, as Some set their it was the past season. When we consider trees in hedgerows of currants, raspberries, the ease with which this fruit can be grown, and other small shrubbery, and others plant the low price at which the canes can be obtained, as well as the truly delicious quality gooseberries, raspberries, or currant bushes of the fruit, it is surprising that everybody with their trees, and they grow around them who has a little ground has not a row of them. and shade them. I am fully convinced that But this could be soon accomplished if those who cultivate the fruit would distribute there is no danger of losing a tree, if a prop- among their neighbors the surplus canes, iner precaution in this respect is attended to. stead of throwing them away, as some do who You will observe that Nature produces a leaf regard any neighborly kindness requiring a little personal labor as a bore not to be subto shade the stem as soon as it makes its ap-mitted to.-Germantown Telegraph. pearance, and if it were not for meddlesome man, Nature would furnish sufficient protec- MECHANICAL AND COMMERCIAL. tion in its leaves and boughs. All vegetation seems to require a certain amount of shade to perfect its growth. My experience is that manure is twice as valuable, spread upon the surface, as it is to be plowed under. One peculiarity I have observed in trees set in hedgerows of small shrubbery: the tops do not grow as thick as when sanding alone. They need no thinning out, and require little or no pruning. If I were to advise my friend in setting out an orchard, I would say to him: Set your trees in rows north and south, and so near together that will shade each other, but make the space between the rows considerable wider, so as to cultivate between them. L. WOOSTER. MARKESAN, Wis. Glout Morceau Pear. On the grounds of Edward W. Herendeen, of Macedon, N. Y., a single dwarf tree of this variety, eight years planted, bore one barrel of excellent fruit. It had received but moderate cultivation. The pears were large and fair, and ripened into a fine flavor on the approach of winter. Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, as we may have stated on a former occasion, have sent their crops of this pear to the New York market, where they have sold early in winter, when in fine eating condition, at three dollars per dozen.-Country Gent. Cultivators or Horse-hoes. MR. EDITOR:-I have been a reader of your valuable paper for some time past, but never have seen anything very definite in relation to cultivators or horse-hoes Now as the time for their use is at hand, it would interest me, same tool will do well for both carrots and Get the best Implements. This season, labor will cost so much more than usual that it becomes doubly important that every farmer should have the best laborsaving implements he can command. It will often pay to supercede an old one by a new and improved pattern at considerable extra expense. Look well to your farming tools. Good implements are always cheaper than poor ones, and a breakdown in a hurrying time may cost more in repairs and time than the first cost The Glout Morceau did finely with us at of a new and improved machine. SCIENCE, ART, STATISTICS. Water Pipes.-Is Lead poisonous. MR. EDITOR: -Another subject and one concerning which I crave information, is that of water pipe. I have a spring eighty rods from my dwelling, with a fall of fourteen feet, the water of which I wish to make available for culinary and stock purposes. Will you please give me your opinion as to the best medium for conveying the same. I wish more especially to knew whether lead imparts poisonous qualities to water, and whether gutta percha is used for the above named purpose. And what would probably be the cost per rod of a half-inch pipe of each in Milwaukee. J. R. MOSHER. THE MINER. Silver in Nevada. mines of Nevada Territory. CLAIMS ON THE COMSTOCK LODE, INCLUDING Dick Sides.... Savage... Potosi.................................... Coppers G Mills, 1,2,3,4 1,200 HIXTON, Wis., Feb. 3, 1864. ANSWER:-Lead is poisonous, but inasmuch as there is present in all spring water some sulphate, which by combination with the lead forms an insoluble coating, lead pipe, for the purpose named, is about as harmless as wood. We would recommend that the water be allowed to flow through the pipe a few days before being used, in order to give time for the coating to form. A small quantity of sul-Hamilton & Co........ phate of soda dissolved in the first water that fills the pipes would answer the same purpose. The gutta percha is also used. Price of inch lead pipe per foot 18 cts of gutta percha, not known.-EDITOR. ness. DEPTH OF COAL BEDS.-Heath's mine, in Virginia, is represented to contain a coal bed fifty feet in thickness; a coal bed near Wilkesbarre, Pa., is said to be twenty-five feet thick; at Mauch Chunk is a coal bed forty to fifty feet deep, and in the basin of the Schuylkill are fifty alternate seams of coal, twenty-five of which are more than three feet in thickIn Nova Scotia is a coal bed fourteen hundred feet deep, and containing seventyfive alternate layers of coal. The Whitehaven coal mine, in England, has been worked twelve hundred feet deep, and extends a mile under the sea, and the Newcastle coal mine in the same country has been worked to the depth of fifteen hundred feet, and bored to a similar additional depth without finding the bottom of the coal measure. Apple & Bates.... Mexican,... Ophir........................ 1,400 $2,200 $3,080,000 100 10,000 1,000,000 1,200 Central... 5,000 6,000,000 150 1,600 California. 900,000 Central, No. 2.......... 300 1,800 540,000 150 1,050 Kennett.. 157,500 60 1,200 72,000 210 700 147,000 600 800,000 225 1,000 225,000 800 8,000 2,400,000 400 1,800 720,000 1,400 1,009 1,400,000 1,400 1,500 2,100,000 1,209 500 600,000 400 480,000 30,000 128 3,500 403,000 45 10,000 321 450,000 16,000 512,000 2234 10,000 227,500 20 15,000 300,000 200,000 10 10,000 100,000 20 10,000 200,000 10 10,000 200,000 160,000 21 Rice & Co........ 8,000 168,000 131 8,000 108,000 653% 4,000 262, 666 175,000 25 3,000 75,000 75,000 25 3,000 75,000 40 3,000 120,000 30 3,000 90,000 1,000 1,200,000 $25,342,666 Bacon M. Co........... Winters & Booth.. Arrington & Co........... Burke & Hamilton...... Total...................12, 550 is 12,558, which, at the present market rates, The total number of feet in all these claims are valued at $25,000,000. comprises only those supposed to be located This estimate directly upon the Comstock ledge. There are several parallel leads in close proximity to the Comstock, some of which, perhaps, continue throughout its entire length; and from these leads valuable ore has been extracted, but not as yet in sufficient quantities to be very remunerative, if we except a few of the more prominent claims. About 5,000 feet of the 12,558 above enu |