The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1881-12-03

very bad season for apples the Willow Twig gave
very much more fruit than the Ben Davis
and quite fine in quality, showing that the tree
will stand more grief than the Ben Davis; and in
the orchard we have found it much the harder
tree, and also much longer-lived tree. But if
we were planting largely for market, we would
plant, from experience, much more freely of the
Ben Davis than the Willow. For we everywhere
find it, when well grown more profitable than
any other apple that we grow in this region.
Some say that we should only grow good fruits
i. e., good in quality-for market. That will do
very well for "gush," but not for money. The
business of fruit growing for market stands exact
~ on the same basis as that of any other bust
ness or manufacture. We must grow what the
people want to buy, and will buy. If they want
a large, bright red, very handsome poor apple,
that is the one to grow for them and not the small
yellow apple of extra fine quality. 1t is slow
work to sell person something that they do not
want and do not like the looks of, be it ever so
good but if it exactly suits the eye an appetite
is created, and sale is made. 1t is much easier
to sell person a very handsome article when he
is not in need, most certainly, than it is an i'll
looking one. Fruit is thing that is generally
bought by the eye. For instance, the great, hand
some, highly -eolored California pears sell every
where, year after year, at high prices, yet as a
rule they are about as fine favored as Eastwood
saw-dust, and one who is familiar with good
pears would about as soon buy and eat raw pota-
toes as the average California pear. There may
be some of them good, but we could never find
any. The same is true of the plums, and meas
urably so with the grapes. But they SELL and
we think always will sell. Any one is welcome
to our share of them or Ben Davis apples for eat
ing-Prdirie Farmer.
KEEPING CUT FLOWERs.-The best arrange
ment for displaying cut flowers, as well as the
most natural and economical, is that of using any
low, shallow vessel, either of glass or china, of
about the size and depth of a soup plate If this
is filled with clean, fresh, green moss from the
woods, made up in slightly mounded form in
the centre, flowers and ornamental sprays of
leaves can be inserted in free, natural-appearing
manner, instead of having that excessively formal
appearance they usually have when closely
packed in small cups or vases, or when made into
bouquets They also keep fresh for longer
Immediately under them, the moist moss fur
nishing source of vapor viii Tstends to preserve
the blossoms. The moss shou bewell sprinklcd
with water at each renewal the flowers.
Very pleasing effects be produced By
procuring small rooted ats such as violets,
&c, which may be picked I in the woods and
meadows and inserting IN in the damp loss,
where they will continue grow and flower for
some considerable time. An arrangement of this
kind is easily kept fres and fair by substituting
a twig of fern or flower as others fade and are
removed. TRAILING plants of suitable growth
may be usefully employed in this class Of dec
orations. The Lincria Cynbalaria, often called
"Kenilworth ivy" the 7fadeseGntia discO1or,
one of the many Wandering Jews" of our do
nestle plant nomenclature, and the LysimGcaia
NummuEaria, or "moneywort" are some of the
plants well fitted for use in this way.