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A Great Apple Orchard. The great Wellbouse Orchard in Kan sas, with its 140,000 apple trees, covering more than 1.200 acres, has now for some years been a financial success, thanks to the practical skill of its proprieton, says Garden and Forest. Our readers will be glad to hear some account of the methods employee by this prosperous business concern, and we therefore publish the essential parts of the address delivered before the Horticultu ral Congress in Chicago last month, by Mr. F. Wellhouse, since it is a record of actual experience: “In the preparation of the soil we have found it a good plan to break raw prairie in May or J une, cross-plow in the fall and again the next spring. If there is time it is best to grow one or two crops before the trees are planted. If old ground is used it should be put in such condition as would be considered good for any kind of grain. We run a digger under the trees in \the nursery, cutting off the roots at a depth of 8 or 10 inches, *MIO inches on either side; this is donftsearly in the spring. As soon as the gronnjfis in condition we lay-off the space for ths orchard by running light furrows east soutgS? leet apart; running a furrow in line With stakes, we throw toe furrow to the east, hen turn and lot the left hand horsAfwt use a right hand plow) walk in the fevo r j n *t made and throw this fur row to fbfe west, leaving a strip from 12 to 16 inches wide between the two furrows: we now turn and go another round and throw out this strip, running the plow 10 inches deep or about the depth the digger is rua in the nurserv ; this should give a farrow 10 inches deep and from 20 to 25 inches wide. We consider these furrows much better than holes in which to plant trees, and they are much more rapidly mace. transplanting the trees from the nur-evy to the orchard we run a potato fork into'lhe ground at the side of the tree, lift it out just as we wouid a hill of potatoes,and set it into tt»** wagon with all the earth that will stick to the roots. In the orchard there are two men to each r jw. One man sets the tree in place where the east ana west furrows cross the north and south and holds It, while the other man with a shovel throws fine earth around it The mail holding the tree tramps the earth firmly around the roots; he should always stand on the north side of the tree white tramping, as he nearly always leans the tree from him, and we like to have the tree inclined a little to the south or southwest. As soon as the trees are set out we throw the furrows shut by going one round with the plow, and in a week or two when the weeds begin to start we go another round; setting the plow so it will only t ke a fete inches of soil and run it a little deeper; this enables us to entirely cover the first furrow,thrown in and all the weeds that may Eave started; in a few weeks we repeat, catting a few inches more and so on, until by midsummer we have a bed running the entire length of t te row, elevated six or eight inches above the surrounding land and about eight feet wide. The space between the rows in a commercial orchard we cultivate in corn The second year we commence cultivation by throwing the earth from the trees and wind np by throwing it to them again. We repeat ibis system four or five years until the trees come into bearing, when we seed down to clover. For cultivating the trees we use the Sherwood steel harness, which has no single-trees to bark the trees.'* Some Possibilities of Our Horti- culture. James R. Reeves, writing in the Prairie Farmer of a recent date, says: Horticulture in America has taken rapid steps within the past quarter of a century, to the end that we have now vastly finer fruits, and a wonderfully greater variety and abundance of them than our fathers had. But in one line we have not made the progress that might have been expected, and that is in taming, cultivating and de veloping some of our native species. Among these, which are commonly classed as “wild,” are some that the truant small boy knows to be toothsome, but that are entirely forgotten, even if they were known to his elders. It is true that many of the most valuable fruita cultivated by us are of native origin —that is, they were once the “wild” pro ducts of uur woods and fields—so that I do not wish to be understood as belittling what has already been accomplished Most of the grapes now grown success fu.ly in our vineyards east of the Bocky mountains are the direct descendants of the wild species that existed In ourforsets before horticulture became even a name in America. The splendid Concord itself is but one remove from the wild Vitis labruska of the woods of Massachusetts. Oar native wild plums are rapidly be coming a popular orchard fruit, and while not so good in quality as the European vsuieties, their hardiness and ability to resist disease and the attacks of insect enemies are points which make them of great value. Among the fruits which have not yet been brought under cultivation, but which are undoubtedly of some value, is the North American Pawpaw or custard apple There are many people to whom the flavor of this fruit is very agreeable, hut the drawback to it is that it is now so largely composed of seeds that there is very little edible pulp. That which is there is not un like the pulp or flesh of the banana. By selection and cultivation the fruit could doabtles* be very much improved, as other fruits have been by the same means. The wild pawpaws are now to a slight extent an article of commerce, as the writer has seen them sold by bright barefooted boys at th* railway stations through Kentucky and Tennessee. The pawp»w is native through out western New York, Penney 1- vania, Illinois, and southward, so that it cultivatable it would be adapted to a large extent of our territory. The persimmon is perhaps of even greater importance than the pawpaw. It is native in almost alt of our states from the fortieth degree of latitude south, and in some portions of this great territory it constitutes no small portion of the food of the very poor. One trait worth noticing is its disposition to sport into verities, some of which greatly excel the others in else and quality. This is in the nature of evidence chat it oould be improved by selection, and when the better types be come fixed it would be of value. The fact that the Japanese persimmon has proven such a valuable adjunct to the horticul ture of the south anil of California, is an added reason why we should endeavor to prove the value of our own native species. The elderberry is familiar to almost ev ery one who has ever lived in the country. It is one of the most universal and rankest growers among our native shrubs Many a thrifty housewife makes use of the ber ries for pies and jellies, and they have a recognised value for wine-making, be sides possessing valuable medicinal qual ities. Like the persimmon; the qual ity of the fruit varies, and the bnst types could be fixed and still further improved by cultivation. While the work of bringing these and other native fruits under cultivation, and so improving their value, must be left mainly to our experiment stations and to progressive commercial nurserymen, there is no reason why any careful fruit grower should not see what he can do with them by applying the same methods of cultivation that he gives to his other crops. Treat them as civilized and not as wild plants, and no doubt they will soon reward you with bigger and better fruit than you had ever thought it possible that they could produce. Making Celery Fits. The consumption of celery is not gener al, for the reason that the knowledge nec essary for its cultivation is limited. It passes as a luxury at the present time rather than a necessity. A writer in the Ohio farmer says: We prepare our pits for keeping our winter celery by digging a pit from six to tan feet wide and about one foot in depth The dirt is thrown out in about equal por tions upon both sides of it and is thrown back from one to two feet from the edge of the pis in order that we may the more readily do the necessary work, in ana about it. After the pit is dug we take 214 scant ling and cut it in pieces about six feet long, sharpen one end and then drive them into the ground in a row, lengthwise of the middle of the pit and about six feet apart the entire length of the pit. Tney need not be driven far into tiie ground, but must be about level upon the top. A 254 scantling is now laid lengthwise of the pit upon the top of the stakes and nailed fast to them. The pit is now ready for the celery. A clear and dry day is chosen and the plants taken up with the earth left upon the roots, and the loose and dead leaves stripped off,and put into boxes and hauled on » WMgon witnout any regular body— only a flat—to the pit. Here it is taken in charge by the pit setters wno take it and commence setting at one end of the pit Tbe plants are set close together in the pit. The planta are set close together in the pit, and sufficient loot-e earth is drawn about the roots to make a solid and com pact body of earth and roots. After three or four rows are set across the end of the pit some water is poured upon the roots and the earth about them It should be in quantity sufficient to thor oughly wet botu earth and roots; but at the same time be careful not to wet the tops or bodies of the plants. As s >on as the pit is filled with plants, or even before it is full, if it is a long one, the roof should be placed over it or at least enough of it to keep off the sun and rain This is done as follows: We lay a board about six inches wide upon tbe ground along e *cb side of the pit aoa then takn 2x6 joists and cut them into lengtbs suffi dent to reach from the board at the edge of the pit to the ridge scant ling above mentioned. They should be about six feet. We then lay boards upon these joists until they meet at the ridge pole. If the boards are very poor we scat ter a little straw over the boards, then throw on from two to four inches of earth, and cut a small vent hole near the ridge pole to the open air every thirty or forty teet. This is practically our method of making our celery pits, and of putting in the plants. As cold weather comes on, the object being to keep the plants as cool as pos sible without allowing them to freeze as wo have one or more teams hauling ma nure nearly all the year, the teamster it told, as the weather grows cold, to throw manure upon the sides of the pit. The ends are so arranged that they can do opened at any Mme, and when the celery is fit for the market, one end is opened and we commence taking out the plants and putting them up and sending to our customers both north and south. The pit, as described, will hold about twelve' to eighteen plants to the rqure foot, though the celery must be very large if it does not hold more than the first named num ber. In the spring tbe manure is hauled off and spread upon land that we are to plow; and the lumber is hauled off and piled up for still further uses, the ground leveled off and a season’s crops are grown upon the land where we pitted and cured our cel ery for the market. While I am upon the subject of celery and of preparing it for the market, let me say a few words about the so-called new method of growing it, by setting the plants close together, or only six or seven inches apart. It is not a new plan I was induced te try it m *ny years ago, by that splendid horticulturist, Peter Henderson. I tried it then and made a failure of it. Last season we made as careful a trial of the plan as we knew bow to do. We put out a few thousand of plants, and oared for them as well as we did for main crop. The result was splendid lot of the main crop that is now selling at a fair price, while the other is still standing or rather lying upon the ground where it grew, as it was not worth tue harvesting. It is possible that it may do better with others and under other circumstauoes than It has thus far done with mo; still I must advise It very sparingly at first, the southern farm. CABBAGE INSECTS. Description of the Pesto of Thio Plant and Remedies for Them. The cabbage worm most common here is the larva of the Imported Cabbage But terfly (Pieris rapce), a greenish white but terfly that appears in Spring and lays eggs on various plants of the cabbage family and early cabbages if present. Later, mostly in August, a second brood of butterflies lay eggs on the late cabbage producing the numerous worms in Fall which perforate the heads. Hot water is one of the best remedies, but seems to give different results with different parties, some reporting it very successful and others a complete failure. It should be applied at a temperature of about 150 degrees Fahr, in order to kill the worms and not injure the plants. FTRETHRUM TS EFFECTIVE and can be blown by bellows in among the leaves, so as to reach worms that would escape almost any liquid applica tion. While leaves are smooth and be fore heads have formed, London Purple can be used with good effect and with no possible danger to persons eating the cab bages. There are other worms which work like the one above mentioned, one of the worst being the Cabbage Plusia (Plus! a brassiest) and it can be treated in the same manner. The little Diamond back Moth (Plntella cruciferarum) has lately become quite plentiful and its small green larva* uo much damage to tbe plants, but the treatment adopted for the other worms will rid the plants of these. THE CABBAGE FLANT-LICE are often very numerous, especially in au tumn. They cluster in great colonies on the under surface of the leaves, especially in the folds and creases. These are diffi cult to kill, as they are so well protected in the curled leaves; but if they can be reached with a spray of kerosene emulsion, it will destroy all that are touched. Quite commonly it will be found that tuese plant-lice are parasitized by a host of lit tle wasp-like insects, and these help great ly to keep them from multiplying so as to be extremely injurious.—O. T. Farmer. The Jersey In North America. When Jersey cattle first began to appear to any marked extent on the farms of the United States, they were on sufferance, and it was customary for a farmer who bought one to say byway of apology that he took the weak step out of regard to the feelings of his wife. Better peace-offer ing to the Goddess of Liberty never was made So strong at tbe outset was the pr» j udice among country people against the Jersey that, som* time after she was an acknowledged feature <f rare beauty on the suburban lawns of the rich of our large cities, many farmers would not acknowl edge that she had even this practically unimportant merit; and as for utility, that was regarded as wholly out of the qu stion. Now almost every w«*l’-organized farm on which the head of affairs ana his fam ily rise above common drudges has on it some Jersey blood—the pure article with increasing frequency, and with good grades in plenty. The truth is that the Jersey is now in nearly all parts of North America the sign and accompaniment of improved living, this in turn, in a general way, giving rise to better thinking and more progress, more prosperity. It is not a word too much to say of the Jersey that the era of good butter making on this side of the sea began with the es tablishment of the American Jersy Gattie Club. Previously to that, which was done in the year 1868, much good service was rendered, but there was no organ* zation, and no reliable security against, or au thoritive means of penalizing, fraud. Today, through the intelligence work of that Club and its system of registration, the absolute parity of the Jersey is better guarded than that of any other breed of live stock whatever; and the great little cow has been lilted from a position in which she was the butt of tbe coarse stockyard and showing wits and bullies into the place of first honors among her kind, she being of the only breed of cattle that in recent years has uniformly earned enough to pay for its keep. It is to be noted here, as an important economic truth to be remembered, that at no time in these years of general loss and depres sion in the cattle industry has the Jersey, under anything like fair care, failed to pay a good interest on a generous, not unfrequently even on a fancy, invest ment. It is still fresh in the recollection how many urged that the Introduction and spread of the Jersey would, beyond what was possible to other breeds, spoil all the good beef and do great injury to the coun try at large. That was a mistake, for at the present time the beef is as good as ever it was, and the butter, all over North America, is incomparably better. And the end for good on account of tbe Jersey is not yet, and will not be until bad butter is every where a disgrace to the maker, and the good pure article, sweet ns a nut and col ored by nature, as only Jersey butter gets colored, is on every table. In the train of the Jersey on this conti nent have come many industries, giving honorable and profitable employment to large numbers of men and women; and among the other good results accomplished through the agency of this great little cow is the raising of the standard of labor on every farm on which she has established herself. She is the product of intelligence and kindly care, and when these are given her she will pay handsomely for them, rapidly retrograding, and answering to all the ugly things said of her in ignorance or narrowness, whenever and wherever these are denied. That in the main the Jersey is perfectly suited to her adopted home in the New World is completely evidenced in many ways—in her extensive distribution in this sou n try, where »ll scats are counted and battle between her friends and her ene mies commenced early and has gone on without pause to the present time, in the w oaderf ul results to her credit under ac tual tests the most severe and ex acting —so that there are many competent authorities who take the position that tbe Jersey with us is better and will yield more than the Jersey on her native island, and that, therefore, it is folly, and without a rational objective point, to continue to import. Be tbta as it may, the Jersey is now one of the fixed institutions of North America, beautiful to look upon, lending her powers in the moat beneficial way to the man of large as well as to the man of small means, a per fect machine of the highest utility in a well-defined sphere- Tue wonderful ca pability which the Jersey shows of adapt ing herself to the widest sort of climate and other conditions are really to be in ferred from her surprising productive powers; for in both cases what is wanted to produce these results is not mere strength, but a high order of vitality; and this she has, and this it is that is enabling her to go and establish herself wherever there is civilization. John Duncan. OonaumpMon Cured. An old physician, retired from practice, bad placed in his hands by an East India mist-ionary the formula of a simple vegetable remedy for the speedy and permanent cure of Consump tion, Bronchitis, Catarrh, Asthma, and all Throat and Lung affections, also a positive and radical cure for Nervous Debility and all Ner vous Complaints. Saving tested its wonderful curative powers in thousands of cases, and de siring to relieve human suffering, I will send Cree of charge to all who wisn it, this recipe, in German French or English,with full directions for preparing and using. Sent by mail, by ad dressing, with stamp, naming this paper W A. Noyes, 820 Powers’ Block Rochester N. Y. Ostrich Growing in California. Mr. Edwin Cawßton,of Los Angeles, Cal., has probably the largest ostrich farm in the United States, and is the most experienced handler of ostriches. He has at present more than one hun dred birds on his grounds at Norwalk, and has sold and distributed along the California coast an equal number. Tbe food consists chiefly of alfalfa cut short and moistened before feeding, sugar beets, sorghum, corn, and In fact almost anything that would be fed to a cow is relished by the birds. Through winter they are permitted to roam over the fields, but in summer they are corralled and fed. The breeding birds are confined to smaller pens and mated in pairs. Laying be gins early in spring, and if the eggs are removed promptly, laying will continue until forty er fifty eggs are produced by each female. Hatching is done both naturally and artificial ly, the latter method being preferred, as sitting injures the plumage, the most valuable part of the bird. Incu bators are manufactured especially for ostrich hatching. Infertile eggs are blowu, and the shells are ready sale at one dollar each. The ostrich consumes about the same quantity of food as a sheep, to-wit: three to four pounds of hay per day. Breeding birds are given one pound of grain extra per day. The larger the range the less feeding is required. The birds are plucked at seven months old the first crop being worth only about four dollars per head. Thereafter they are plucked every nine months, tbe average returns being twenty dol lars per bird at New York wholesale prices. There is ready sale for these plumes in New York, as they are protected by a duty of twenty-five per cent. Cape Colony exports annually $7,- 000,090 worth of feathers, of which more than one-half comes to the United States. So there is little dan ger of the business being overdone. In a country like Western Texas ostriches would be farmed as they are in South Africa, on unlimited range, allowing about the same area as for a similar number of sheep. The breed ing birds would be kept in corrals of about twenty acres each, fenced with plain wire. Ostriches have the home instinct largely developed, and will not stray off from tbe farm where raised, and will remain near their watering places like cattle. We have before us oftl cial quotations from the regular bi-m inthly sales of ostrich goods, from Lewis & Peat, Mincing Lane, London : White primes are quoted at £ll to £l4 10; firsts, £9 to £11; seconds, £6 10s to £9; thirds, £4 to £6 per pound. There is probably good money in raising ostriches in Western Texas. In fact it would take good money to start with, but, with proper manage ment a good profit could be secured, as the climate and conditions are fa vorable. We do not advise all our friends to rush headlong into ostrich raising, not because the business might be overdone, but because some of our friends might; and also be cause our advice would not be taken any way. If some person with enough of both faith and money, would give ostrich farming a fair trial, we would be satisfied.—Texas Farmer. Controlling the Sex. It would be quite an advantage if poul trymen were enabled to control tbe stx, and produce pullets or cockerels as de sired. A correspondent of tbe California Orchard and Farm gives nis experience in the matter, saying: “If the above query can be answered in the affirmative, It marks a decided ad- vance in poultry culture, and effects a long sought consummation of the poultryman’s desires. From boyhood I have noticed re peated efforts in this direction mainly by a careful inspection of the shell of the egg, in tbe belief that the secret embryo was writteta in the shape and peculiar mark ing of its covering. All this is now gen erally regarded as nonsense, and justly so. Another theory, probably evolved from the observation of a more careful seeker after the secret of sex government, is that the early and late eggs of a hen’s laying will produce chicks of the opposite sex. That is, the early part of her laying will produce cockerels, while those laid near the close of her season will hatch pullets. But more careful and extended observation will show that this rule will work both ways, and sometimes not at all, show ing that other and more potent influences govern the secret we w uld discover. As the result of some study and experi ments, I conclude that with poultry it is not widely different from other domestic animals with which tbe experiments have been made until either sex mav be pro duced at will by the operator. The theory upon which this rule is operated is that the more vigorous ofjthe parents will con trol the sex and mark it the opposite of its own. That is, a male in full maturity and vigor, will produce female offspring when crossed on females of less vigor, and vice versa. I think this rule may he ap plied to poultry with tbe same satisfac tory results that have marked its adopt!* n with other animals. Ol course one must not expect an invariable result from the mating of a flock or even a pen of fowls, as we may be mistaken in our estimate of one or two individuals with a result ap parently at variance with the rule, but practically our end is, attained when a targe percent of the chicks are the desired sex My matings this season were made with a view to tbe protection of as many pallets as possible. My cocks are therefore fully matured and mat ed with my most promising pullets. The result, thus far, has been a success, fully seventy-five per cent of my batch being pullets. If I should desire cockerels, I would mate an eight or nine months’ old cockerel with two or three year old hens; or, if I desired an equal distribution of the sexes I would endeavor to have the parents as nearly equal as possible The latter result will be ac knowledged as the experience of those who allow their chickens of both sexes to run together the year round.” We will state that we have tested the above, as well as all other methods, and with no satisfactory results. True, we have been encouraged one year, but the next trial did not confirm the first. There is no known method by which the sex can be controlled, and the above suggestion is as “old as the hills.” Beecham’s Pills are better thanminreal watexs. Chemical and Barnyard Manures. It has been urged against chemical ma nures that they render the soil poorer in organic matter while farmyard manure has the reverse effect, but it has been shown by Joulie (Mercure Scientifique Supplement du Moniteur Scientifique, June, 1892 ) that the more abundant har vests produced by the use of cuemical ma nures leave a targe proportion of residues in roots and otherwise in the soil, and' consequently that there is no impoverish ment, out »n increase in the quantity of organic matter. By tne use of chemical manures each in gredient can be adjusted to the require ment of the crops, which obviously is not the case with natural manures, while Ville has shown (Ville on Artificial Ma nures, translated by W. Crookes, page 103) tbat more than one-third of the ni trogen contained in the latter is lost to the soil on account of the decomposition which the manure must first undergo be fore it can exercise any beneficial action. The cost of carriage and distribution on the land is also favorable to the employ ment of chemical manures. Geese on the Farm. The Emblen, a white goose (both male and female), is, with the Toulouse, the largest of all breeds, says an exchange. Tbe best cross for the market, says a writer, is the Toulou<e gander and Emb den goose. The Toulouse is parti-colored, and tbe male and f* male are alike. In fact the male and female of any pure breed are alike in color. The large breeds do not forave over as much ground as the common kinds, but produce twice as much feath ers, in weight, and fatten more readily for market. An adult gander of the Embden or Tonlouse breeds should not weigh leaf than twenty-five pounds and the goos< twenty-three pounds, though individual! have been knewn to reach as much as fiftj pounds. Tbe best way to grade up a- flock is to procure a gander of the Embden breed, mate him with large common geese and mate the female off-spring with a Toulouse, The males should then be pure brfd Embdens,as they are pure and white, which is an advantage where the feathers are considered a valuable product. TheTRIUMPHofLOVE! A Happy, Fruitful 'MARRIAGE! f ■in 2-RUTHS; the Plain 1 J Facts: the Old Secrets and the New Discoveries of Medical Science as applied to Married Life, should write for our wonderful little book, called “PERFECT MANHOOD.” To any’ eSS man we will mail one copy Entirely i tree, in plain sealed cover. “A refuse from the quacks.” Address e ERIE MEDICAL CO.,EC Niagara 51,M10,N,7, ♦This is a medical work for men who need it, and mere onriosity seekers should not trouble thenisclves or the company by taking advantage of the above oirLr; th® book will pot interest th® frivolous.-.gWftw. ( - Cx, . 3