CC C C

c c <

< c
CC

OX <C

i cc cc

' Cc cc

■- >i<. C$ c

o.cc cc C'

cs Cc <^ -c

C < -.. c

^ CC v Cc C

fr CC Cc. cc

r >^J <C ©■ CC Cc C

_cc Ccc ^ ^ c„ <^ ^

\ '< «* • CC cc .. C d

, cr S- ^ «- •<<■ <■ c f

=• 5 £> < <^c cc c^ - c c

« CC c <C C

« <c c< <: c

C< CC Cc <C

^ CT CC «4

a, <£ CC Ci .- ■

cc cc- or c <L a

: «k. « «rc> . c

. C cc cc ccc c c ■

c. c £ f ^ csr ? <■<

j << e c-c c-c

r- cc

JCCCC

ccoe
r cccc

< Ccc

C7 CjC C c Cc

o «ccc

«c c c- c <

9£ < ' . ^

ex: c: cCc<

. C C Ccc
CC or

cc ci

I cc -cr.

«SiCC c< cc c cc c
« CCC <~C ' « '<c cc
<KTCC C <X ' <C l cc_^c

ccc cc< cc <«ccc_ c_ •■'

«c cccc ■- cc «• "<_• <r~

' «C'CC't(»«' «c ^

~HC£ cc <r <CC_ <£ K
•wwj -v. <~ c c< <.' «r <r c«T u

< «rc.-cc.c cc; c< «r

C7CC^ c

OCCf •■ ■
«r cc *

-_c .'C '
C~«- «Tr

r<r-cr

£ CC '

roc c

? CC

cc«rc

,f <: «c cc
■<^^c" <rc-

JC cc ccc
«T'CC -Ccfc

cc. cc <rc

<- C C
•<J.<c C<
C< fcr

- C c ■ <c c7> C C

C C i € C

. -cc ccc rCj

K.CCCC ' <T C C

.c o c ct c:

<J CC Cv cC
*s C C« ' C

C c i '

sccec c

SLCCC C C

„ ■ c c cc <.c«C cc

. cf c£^«C

CCQQB?^

i««^ c <;

S'tC« c

cc«t v c

CC C C

C '<2£

_<C c t C <3L

<C «ioc. c c C OB

-C «|tC. Ccc C<

Tec ccc <<m

^<r<: c c <gc~

rcc cc c «@c

cc c r<?ic

XC Or ( <C
r c_c_ cc c -«3C
CC c C«1C

_ . <r c cc ccar
.:c o <^c coc
"XL c c cr«: c

cc CC C ctC
' C C C c - _ CC

" c i C-c o c rrc

c CCCCCC

cjKIt

cc <r_-c cccc cci'-c: <c

:'cc t. r CCCC £ «7<Tc ^" '

«" c C- tccc«'. CC< <

Lc c<_ •> <-c-«r CC «Zc
i c cc« cc; CO. '

C<«_ •' c c c .ccc . CC2«r C.«S '^^KL^^C

C c^ ^.fcxc'Cc, «7:C

s<c c c. cYcc c c . ^C<
cc ^//.. iCjC^^CC

< C tC< C4 CC>C«J

< C Cc ■' C C'C

< c

c<^

T < C C «

C CC C

<<1 c.vC Cc <cc*<-cc

r c rc c c

c_ c ^^
< Cc C c f <£Z5

C <C Cc c c c^*~^
? :C Ccr C r ""r ^ 5^

C " ' «SCC" ■«#""

c c «3C ct^-: c-

ccc cc , -<r~
c ccc gas&c* *
x - ccc ■><£:(< fe
* cc «:

: cc ^c <c ^«cvccv(

C C C ~ C C

> cc c rccicc- <

:cc. <■ ^Li . cc cx''-.'C c

x c ^r~ c- c c-. 'cc- '<

CCCi C<C CC COr . c CCC

r >c «cc c ^-^ c'c «: <- c c c <.

C C'C <TC«L«C CCC

C:C C ( C C CC

C<3icCT CC C c -: C «Ctc.

*■ ^" xl c c ctcc «c «ccc:
r cc Cc r <CCC'

r ex Cs c <zcc<

ccc cc cc o c c cr cc

CXCC CdC r ^ ^ ^
c cc <C C ccc^. %<&££ ff
c cc «l c cc «: c-ccc cc
o cc <c cr cccflc ^yc cc

C CC c C C« c*C ^ * <

c cc c <r c c^c ^

-exec ccccr c

Cc CC Cv«C • C_-'

,-; cc c c ccccc <-^ S *- *--

c<_cc C CCCCC: C C'
"*=- c__ « c CCCCC < C •t<
: Csi.CC CCCiC<

C • CTC~ CCTCiC '<- C~ Ccc C.<L ' «
~c ccc <aei^ r< ««^ «e_A.c-«3r<

L .' c-C «C*C' •*"' <

[ CC c <TCC

T C5C C«£CC ■ .^^Z

-cc c«£cc : c<r «: cccic 'C
cc c«^c<c crc: cccc c

?rcirr"cccrc

^•^".lijmi <Y e c <:<>: c
; c d ccccc

: - c <^ c eic c

Cc cicJgfe. cc CcCC

cctxv c^_C cc ccc ^ ■

ICO CC_ SSS^S'
re cc c c c. c cc c
cc ct'cc^ ' c c e c&c
^c; «rc cc c c «ci «_ cc c «

t-c cc . c «r_ e c< c_ «

«fC C

- r i' C^ t • tfjCJ C * <

«^c «c

c^cc C

s ctf'c c:c car <c c<
CCCC CC <C <£L<C

- cc < <•'
CC C C<

"cc £L<? «

:c.c c <r<ra c ^

ccccc c. cc (ccc c «x:
.-■ c c • « • aC cc •

C Cce:CG_ if '

c ■<:■- "C <r
a C CCexCCy ■ ,

- c C-' ccc, c r*

?c<jC C C cc *sfc c

c?: C(TC CC ^c <5ccr c

7CCCC cc C CCCCC C
CCCCC c iC CKCCC c

!jcccccc-c &CS£.*c

c««r c«E c_c • <cv <^

r- f<- <_^ c *~ ^B^ c (Cat -«:i <"<&_ «;

•C C C <

"cc: or c c
<e cccc

-« cic c «r .c, :<_ t^oc

L c <c c cc <^ <r cc <
cccc c cc ^; «ft

2 X :

e «T «: cr

Y C

c C CC c c "*!*£ <

ic.Cc -.car'

i c oc«J SU

i r cose cc

C C '« CC <C

rcC^rc^^Cfc:

C CCC <: i

cc c^r ^<a c^s^v ,^c. cscc ^ -- cjjc>^^;c^

ceo. ■ <- «~o^

"CCICS C«LC£c

~"cc.C« CCCSSS

ACQ c CSX

c ccr<r_

f c C ' C

c

32- c c co c

u<. c c c cr.c

fC CC< CC

C C C c ■-. gCi.

HC C c ';.C C«

:
re c c • c<

:c C< CO

t"C C c CO

c

rccr

cc

ftc:

cc

cqgw

cc<

'CC:-::

CC

XC ' i

cc

' CC.

CCC

cc

£ cc c-cr «

:Cc<? c

CC< c

-oc o cc
."ex o cc
cc c c

r ■. «c_c <

< ■

«TCc

c

/'C:cc

c

s «rc c

c

M£&

<c r

'r«e.f -

:</ <CX fc

G C

i«CC

- <

c_«:c
o«:c

•c C

< C

c «Kjc

cc«r <"«

cKfrC <3t-CC
^Sdc< «?' " «-

3:0 o <r <co
r<2-C_<Cec«

Q 2007 1301706 1

California State Library

JVo. &Jr.M...&P~-

EXTBAGf

*« an ^i ^,^ **. for £ Go^nl of the State Liorary, p*

March Sift, - lfjbl. 9

Section ii. The Libraria ' shall cause to be kept a register of all
boot" sued and returned: an* afl books taken by the members of the
LeS ure or its officers, shah oe returned at the close of the session.
H "an per on injure or fail to return any book taken fan the L,bra.,y,
he shlll forfeit and pay to the Librarian, for the benefit o the Library,
three L the value thereof, and before the Controller shall .sue his
flnHn favor of any member or officer of the Legislature, or of tins
S^lWS allowance, or salary, he shall be satisfied that

!uchmemb^

him, and has settled all. accounts for injuring such books or otherwise.

Sec 15 Books may be taken from the Library by the members of the
Legislature and its officers during the session of the same, and at any
time by the Governor and the officers of the Executive Department of
this State who are required to keep their offices at the seat of government,
the Justices of the Supreme Court, the Attorney-General and the Trustees
of the Library.

'(C«'C<:
'<7C< CC «

.CtCCC

C3.<ST<r

cT<fc< r

fCCCCMTC ■' C
<CO c

<SC <CC<-QC

9m

r«iCC«Br

■:V.C «C<

ccc-c <rc c cacm^MS^ c
~<xcc <rc c < <jcm3&£ «gl c <_
• c<tc <xc echoes: «c c ^r <«c ^c c«c

" otco <rrc-ccc^K«^c «:
cccc <:c ^coaKST^T r

<«c<c <-Ccc

3fc«C^.

_ 'ft.. CUT «C.

cc <lc < -vH^^

c <r cc it cv ccc c «
c c O tcc«o

CC CC » CC

£__ cc «

«c 5 <

<oc c <

C C . «. C ( C CC <& '
C ! CCa *jc CS CCC CCC. <L
C S < cc <3C c. CCC ox «c

ccc
<§.c C c< CC <

_ <S5 <S^ C.C C C C

__. m <r c

c < « < c < <sr<
cc «: co <rv
cc ccor«t.

-"6 C<5 C< «

OH ' c c <og
<C«c <c<c ■«*<
. cc* ccc i<?c <■»
«3KX c C <Ccc ^
«X'('( <C <«;
«KC « ■< Ccc ^L

Cc t' C "C
CCCCCC

CcCcCC <

« <c

ii. c C<
1 i CC

C cc
■ C CC

P cc cc" <c
- ccc CO c

; i <r< cc «
CC cc> <c
*-c CC <c

C CC <C
.. . «rt <:< < «

:>•<<"<:< "•
: •«"«■ <2 '■'
C« C« t

cc cc <r c <r ccc
c <- c c ccc
" ccccc ccc
CCC

r cc
«©sc c cc

"«<«. «r c <

KLC<

O < <

Cc^ <
CCCC1

c cr

e : c:

CCC (

£cc *L
<ctc c:
iUccc:;

«ccc C
~«T<tC
' «L«C

"" «6«.C

CCcCCC cc

CCCCc c

CCCCC «
CC CC « i
cc CC «

cc<c <

c: cc <■
c cc <:

«C CC 'C

<:

c ^
d CC c

c <c-

tr dc <

~OR cr

" CCc cc

"CCccC4KL< C

- ccccc^oc c

«;c CC «LC C
-- Vi? c ex «cc c -
c c cc «C'- c
C«3

^ccc*^ «- *"

CCtCC«

«C «3C C ^ «>i ^7j

_<rc c«c <

' cct C CC cC <3C c c
<T <cc c C CC CCC G

C fCr C CCC ccCCX
C_«K C CCCCCC <
^ <■« C CCc cc<

= <c C CCC CCCCC/ c
- 'cc • >c CC cc«£L' '

*" « c CCCCC«
"' ' C CCC MC «.c

' ■<-. c ccc «c«r <
■ C.CCCCCLC

■- - <t C ^c "
' t ■ re < < . CC J

«cc c

C c c c C

l< 'CC «<rtC

•' .cC cc«c c

c <c:«.c cj

« -CC® c .C

3 -CC^'C C

c cC<S"CC <?
«c cCccv c

d;^^.^

-^KCC ^cC/c

>- C < CC <C"!"

=Crcc cC"C

c c cr co c

-XfCt 'C ■ «

t-cc 'C CC .tCcC«t? .

' JZSP^tct^c <*£< Ccc«rccxc:. «

^ ^^-mMC CcC«^CCCC <

CC CCCC«d ®5% rJ^ C c c C cccc

- cc cccc«c:^ •'*&£&& c c C CC CLcCCC
3 Cc C^COt: ^l\cc- «E c C^c ?ccc

C< cc CCCCCC. ^SVttcCC. C ^C«"f 'r'

; C> «. cccc^^ ' ^S^.<^< cc .c '< ^ C < *
c c < ' ■ *-C c«<- ^«^

<Ct CC Ccc «
CCCCC Ccc.

CcuscC cscC
«r c cc &cj
c Cf <%«

ccc c^:
CCctcC

cCC Cc-C
cCC CC

<t_cc

. < <*. c •<-
CCC er C <
CCC c c «

c«CCCC c c
&CCC CcC
CCCCc C C

~cc<se: ct l&C-^^S^ > , cr c C«T Ccc 4

- - c <K-S ^^ r t C C CCC CCc «GLC
C C ®C<1 CC C C -■ c «^ ^ ^ *-c c «t><c

L^CCCCC C << .V cc
C«s.c«: cc c V • < -

- c «GCC«. cc «. C •<

'"c<^i^c«c c '£

-t C C«feC;<C C ■ c.

! c <scc ccC jC.^ «: <

'CC

cc cC c C«C C C <^«Sc S Scc> c c cct c

» vvcC «^-C.^_C C OCC*«f<C ; <- 'CCCCC, c

a. vece ccc.<£ *-J V c<s c«jt c ■■-*-• \~\r r^ST'tr^ C

», «cc c<c^^*c^- c*t-et3C~ cc>Cccc ccjK^a-,

C cc CC C < C «C <c > c^cccir cc C « r '<; Jf^1 c

'^2&££&&. C CC -CC cc. Ccc c Cf^^C^

"«tcc<c<r C<?

cr <c fc v
cc cc c<?c c

^ i ccccr r

^cccrcc^rc^r;C c^

V \ c cc c

x moo

cc^ CCCCC CC c^ ^^rC^r»C

cfccff ccSoccc« crctcac^.' o" c?

nr c cc c^rccc

,^ctcs^cccc?fe;c%

^^TcS^^CccTcW,
rcic cc cc c cc * cc cr c ccc

7^
THE

California Horticulturist

AND nrr-M*

FLORAL MAGAZINE.

C. STEPHENS, Editor.

VOLUME III. 1873

PUBLISHED BY JOHN H. CARMANY & CO.,

No. 409 Washington Street, opposite the Post Office,
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.

rl

INDEX.

PAGE.

A

Absorption of Moisture by Leaves 167

Adiantums '. 365

Agapanthus 201

Agreements, Put them in Writing 264

Agricultural Show 356

Ailanthus, Perfume of 338

Alfalfa as Hog-feed 257

Alfalfa for Cattle 234

Alfalfa Hay, How to Cure it 305

Algre, Plain Directions for Collection of . . . 14

Althsea frutex 162

Amaryllis 300, 361

American Pomological Society 179

American Pomological Society 212

American Plants in Great Britain 85

American Steam-plows 206

Ammonia for Verbenas 270

Ancient Farms 106

Ancient Timber 161

Announcement for 1874 375

Annuals 72

Ants' Nests in Gardens 260

Aphides, or Green Fly 196

Aplectum, Flowering of 364

Apocynum as a Fibre-plant 282

Apples in Plaster 224

Apple-worm in California 100

Acpiarium 247

Arbutus, or Strawberry-tree 75

Arranging Flowers in Beds 207

Asparagus and Manure 371

Asparagus, Medical Value of 158

Auricula, (Primula auricula) 136

Australian Method of Cooling Water 296

Azaleas and Bhododendrons 153

Balloon Vine 301

Banana Culture 146

Banana, The 36

Barn-yard Manure, Value of. 195

Bay District Horticultural Society, Export

of Secretary . . 376

Bay District Horticultural Society, Spring

Exhibition ". 180

Bay District Horticultural Society, Third

Annual Exhibition 340

Begonia 347

Benzoin 239

Boracic Acid, Pieserving Action of 100

PAGE.

Botanical and Zoological Farms 77

Blood Globules 191

Books, Notices of 25, 60, 122

Boucpiet, John Muir's Idea of 2-48

Bouquets in Paris 238

Bulb Culture in Holland 100

Cabbage-worms 159

California Chestnuts 187, 209

California Ferns 359

California Flower Season 235

Calif ornia Pears, a Bunch of 338

California Seedling Pears 277

California Shad 31

California Wild Flowers, (Illustrated) 167

Camellia Culture; Use of Lime Water 100

Camellia Japonica, Cultivation of 175

Campanula turbinata elegans 355

Camphor 274

Camphor-wood 86

Caoutchouc, or India-rabber 239

Carnations, Eooting Cuttings of 355

Catalogues, etc. 25, 60, 90, 123, 155, 249, 317 378
Centennial Commission U. S., Address by. 22

Charcoal as a Purifier 36

Charcoal on Flowers ; - . . . 220

Cherry-trees 185

Chiccory 221

Choice Grapes; Cultivation of under Glass, 153

Cinchona Cultivation 138

Cinchona in Bengal 76

Cinchona Tree 185

Cinchona Tree 340

Cinnamon 163

Cissus discolor 292

Cockspur Thorn 268

Coffee 225

Coffee-making 224

Colletia Bictonensis 23

Colorado Desert as an Laland Sea 45

Compost Heaps 222

Cork Oak 96

Corn, Prolific Joint 337

Correspondence 30,|66, 99, 128, 286

Cranberry Culture 226

Crops 38

Cut-flowers, Arrangement of 44, 67

Cucumber, Hints about Growing 309

Cultivating Flowers 74

Cure for Eheumatism 189

Cut-flowers, to Freshen 332

INDEX.

PAGE.

Cuttings, How I Strike them 256

Cuttings, to Manage 159

Deciduous Flowering Shrubs, Pruning of. . 10

Deodorizer, a Simple 195

Desirable Plants of Eecent Introduction . . 230

Diadem Pinks 67

Discoveries, Eecent French, in Horticulture 49
Dried Fruit, The Alden Process 283

Eastern Quail 19

Editorial Gleanings, 31, 66, 99, 129, 159, 189

220, 256, 288, 323, 352.

Editorial Portfolio, 21, 55, 87, 119, 151, 178, 215

El Espiritu Santo 298

Ericas, Cultivation of 112

Eyes in Deep-sea Creatures 290

Exchange Table, Our. .24, 59, 90, 122, 318, 379

247, 280, 309, 340.

F

Faded Flowers, To Eestore 13

Fairs and Exhibitions. ..59, 89, 121, 154, 250

282, 309, 340.

Farm, the Largest in England 258

Favors Eeceived, 25, 61, 91, 154, 186, 249, 317

344, 379.

Fecundity of Fishes 323

Female Flowers, Double Fertilization of. . . 288

Ferns and Fern Culture 17

Fern Culture , 165

Fern-pressing 279

Ficus repens 290

Filberts 225

Filters and Filtering 286

Fish, Cultivation of in Ditches and Ponds, 337

Fish Culture 177

Fishes, Cross-breeding of 68

Fishing, Influence of on Character. 114

Flavoring with Leaves 174

Flax, Antiquity of 324

Flax-seed, New Use for 211

Flora of California 124

Floral and Vegetable Essences for Perfume, 195

Floral Curiosity 67

Floral Prizes for the Poor 354

Flowering Bulbs, Our Favorite. 1

Flowers in Beds, Arrangement of 20

Flower Borders, Preparation of 107

Flowers, Preserving in Alcohol 124

Flowers, Season of 129

Floriculture 131, 292

Flower Talk 105

Flower-talk — Honeysuckles, (Poetry) 149

Flowers and the Flower-trade 161

Flowering Plants, Old 53

Flowering Shrubs, Choice, for the Garden, 37

Flowering Shrubs 368

Flowers, Odors of 269

Foliage Plants 372

Forest Planting a Source of Wealth 50

Forests, The Way they Go 132

PAGE.

Forest Trees 221

Forest Extermination, Eesult of 223

Forest Leaves, Value of 225

Forest-tree Culture 235

Forests and Eain-fall 240

Forests and Freshets 306

Forests, Indian and German 369

French Idea, a Good one 292

Fruit, Eules for Preserving of 34

Fruit, Thinning of 35

Fruits, Drying of 79

Fruit-growing, Alden Process 199

Fruit in our Booms 242

Fruit-drying Process, a New One 271

Fruit Trees" at Planting Time 328

Fruit, Eotting of 339

Funeral Flowers in New York 35

Fuchsia, How it Acquired Celebrity 66

Fuchsias from Seed 163

Gamboge 239

Garden, The Parlor, (Illustrated) 374

Garden, How to Make 149

Garden Adornments 279

Garden Stakes, To Preserve 260

Garrya elliptica 346

Geraniums 105

Gladiolus, How to Grow It 295

Glass Houses, Shade for 204

Glass, Substitute for 260

Golden Morning Glory, (Illustrated) 229

Grass, When to Cut It 323

Grafting Geraniums 65

Grafting Wax 226

Grain of Mustard, A, (Poetry) 46

Greenhouses, Simple Method of Warming, 130

Greenhouse Plants, Cultivation of 141

Green Fly, Snuff for 196

Grouping of Plants 283

Grouping Trees, etc 301

Guano Islands 224

Gum Plants 239

Gunpowder for Tent Caterpillars 22

Gutta Percha 239

Gutta Percha Cement 299

Hanging Baskets 293, 331

Hard and Soft Water 230

Hard Lime Floors 290

Hardhack 256

Hazel, (Illustrated) 237

Heaths, Cultivation of 112

Hedges 172, 267

Hedges, Native 7

Honey-locust Hedge, How to Plant It, etc. 367

Horse-radish, To Get Tender 232

Horticulturist 21

Horticultural Meeting 33

Horticultural Spring Exhibition 151

Horticulture as a Profession for Ladies. . . 170

Horticulture, Discovery in 194

Hoteia (Spiraea) Japonica 348

House Plants, Culture of 16, 197

How to Make a Garden 112

INDEX.

Hyacinths, Treament of, after Flowering . 130
Hyacinths in Sponge 11

I

Indian Wine 330

India-rnbber 226

Influence of Forests on Climate 88

Insects on House Plants 116

Insects in Gardens, to Exterminate 239

Insects in Orchards 246

Interesting News for Ladies 322

Irish Bogs 36

Irrigation 55, 272

Irrigation in the Great San Joaquin Valley,

(Illustrated) 180

Ivy for Drawing-rooms 46

Jerseys, The 258

K

Kangaroo Vine of Australia 331

Knots on Plum-trees 199

Landscape, Upon the Term "Natural "as

Applied to 373

Landscape Gardening 278

Laughing Plant 190

Leaf, The, What it Does 146

Leaves, Importance of. . -. 132

Leguminous Crops 131

Lilium Washingtonianum 124, 153

Lily of the Valley, ( Convallaria) 262

Lime, The 364

Ml

Madrona Tree, (Illustrated) 47

Magnolia grandiflora 282

Manure and Water 344

Medical Botany of California 33

Mesquite Gum 223

Meteorological Kecord, 164, 196, 228, 260, 324
356, 384.

Mildew on Vines, Eemedy for 259

Milk under the Microscope 291

Millet as a Forage Plant 242

Monarch of the West Strawberry 322

Moss, Clearing of from Fruit Trees 158

Mulching 246

Mushrooms, How to Cook 86

Mushrooms, Cultivation of 210, 244

N

Native Hedges " 7

Neglected Flowers 41

Neglected Source of Food 162

Neglected Plants 189

PAGE.

New Fodder 260

New and Bare Plants, 25, 61, 91, 123, 148, 155

251, 345.
New Fruits and Vegetables, 27, 62, 93, 123, 346

Notice of Books 25, 60, 122, 154

Nudibranchiates, Bemarks on (Illustrated) 208

o

Obnoxious Postal Law, Eepeal of 22

Olive Oil, Testing of 291

Olives, Old Avenue of, (Illustrated) 335

Olive Culture 117

Oranges, Collection of 291

Orchid, The Best 291

Orchard Grass, Permanence of 252

Ornamental and Forest Trees for Farms . . . 336

Osage Orange 194, 228

Ostrich Feathers, 307

Outline and Form of Certain Old Trees. . . 265
Oxalic Acid, Effect on Seed 228

P

Pampas Grass 131

Pansy, New Style of 252

Peach Fungus 271

Pears, Bipening of. ... . 324

Peppermint, (Mentha Piperita) 365

Perfumes 227

Petunias, Training of 328

Pine Leaves 291

Phosphorescent Light of Several Plants . . 12

Plant Trees 204, 226

Plants, Odors of 104

Plants, How to Water 252

Plants for Vases 43

Plants for Parlor or Conservatory 33

Plants for Hanging Baskets 334

Plants as Doctors 353

Plants in the Sleeping Boom 353

Plantain, The 355

Planting Slips 384

Poison Oak 36

Poisonous Plant 162

Pond Lily, The, (Poetry) 105

Pond Lilies, How to Grow 262

Potentilla fruticosa 256

Primula Japonica, Germination of. 100

Progressive Agriculture 43

Pruning Boses 300

R

Bain-fall in San Francisco, 1849 to 1873,

(Illustrated) 164

Bain-fall of San Francisco 205, 248

Bamie and Jute 32

Beport of Fruit Market, 29, 64, 97, 136, 157

187, 218, 254, 284, 319, 349, 381.

Eeports of Societies, 24, 58, 89, 121, 154, 179

Eef'use of Tanneries 191

Bose Hedge, English 140

Boots as Manure 289

Boots, Mode of Life of 372

Bose Insects 292

Bose, The, and its Legends 308

INDEX.

PAGE.

Koses in England 196

Roses, Good List of 238

Roses, Among the 275

Rural Adornment 160

Rural Homes of California, (Illustrated), 39
69, 101, 147.

Rough Cork for Rustic Work 99

Rust, To Prevent 177

Russian River, Changes in 35

s

Sea Kale 308

Select Plants, 8, 83

Shade Trees for Nothing 131

Sheep in Orchards 356

Sheep in Vineyards 192

Shellac 207

Siam, Fruits of , . . . 327

Silica and the Vegetable Kingdom 118

Simple Floral Ornament 186

Siphon, Facts about 304

Skeleton Leaves, Preparation of 20

Sowing Seeds 233

Sponge on the San Diego Coast 166

Sponge Fishing 75

Sponges on Coast of Florida 171

State Agricultural Society's Fair 313

Straw for Feed, Value of 12

Struggle for Life among Plants 323

Sulphur to Kill Vermin 222

Summer-flowering Bulbs 133

Sumac, Venetian, (Rhus Cotinus) 136

Sumac, and How it is Cured 333

Surface Soil, Management of 240

T

Tamarind Tree, . 151

Tea 345

Tea of Great Value 192

Thermometer, The 258

Timber Lands around Lake Tahoe 245

Timely Hint 68

Tomatoes Growing from Cuttings 194

Torrey, Dr. John, Botanist, Obituary of . . 110

Transportation of Milk. 356

Tree Lemon Verbena 283

Tree Transplantation 160

Tree Seeds, Sowing of 214

Trees and Rain 214

Trees in Home Grounds 273

Trees, Make them Branch Low 195

Trees, to Protect 227

Trenching 245

Trout-breeding on Long Island 354

u

United States Centennial Commission, Ad-
dress by 22

PAGE.

V

Variety in Our Flower Gardens, More of it, 325

Vase of Flowers for the Shah 339

Vases and Vase Plants 104

Vegetables and Salads, English View of. . . 52

Vegetable Perfumes, Effect on Health 250

Vegetable Instincts 289

Verbenas, Culture of 94

Victorian Trees 109

Viola, Perpetual Yellow 211

Vine-disease Spreading in Portugal 244

Virtues of Borax. 193

w

Warm Water for Plants 32

Waste Places, Restoring of 132

Watering 42

Water Rights 129

Watermelon Vinegar 270

Water Cress 202

Weeds 203, 236, 263, 303

Weeds in Lawns 228

Weigela Rosea 120

Wheat Yield 248

Wild Rice in Minnesota 258

Wilder, Marshall Pinckney, (Illustrated) . . 296

Wines and Brandies, How to Age 223

Wisteria versus Flies 100

Wood, Durability of 153

Wood, Hardness of 34

Woods, Hard and Ornamental of Pacific

Coast 81, 115

Woodward's Gardens, 24, 58, 120, 154, 185, 215

249, 317, 344, 378.
Work for the Month, 27, 62, 95, 125, 155, 186.

216, 253, 318, 347, 379.

Xylophagous Marine Animals, Remarks on,

(Illustrated) 142

Y

Yew, Flowering in Winter 352

Young Trees, Butchering of 68

Yuccas as Ornamental Plants 305

z

Zanthoxylon frceineum for Hedges 94

Zinc Labels 193

THE

h v wgw

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

JANUARY, 1873.

No. 1.

OUR FAVORITE FLO WEEING BULBS.

BY F. A. MILLEE.

Year by year our people show a grow-
ing appreciation of flowering bulbs; and
although, the simple treatment needed
•by many of these favorites is as yet a
mystery to some, it is gratifying to see
that others have met with marked suc-
cess. I have seen in some collections
(particularly in those of our lady ama-
teur-gardeners), magnificent spikes of
Hyacinths, beautiful clusters of Narcis-
sus, Cyclamens covered with their nod-
ding gems of white or purple, and
Lilies, Amaryllis, Tulips, Ranunculus,
Anemones, Gladiolus, Diclytras, Glox-
inias, Tigriclias, etc., all grown with re-
markable success, and worthy objects
for the admiration of their lady friends,
who doubtless determine to follow the
example by adding some of these gems
to their own collections of plants, which
without some of the varieties above
named, are certainly very incomplete.

But a few years since, our florists and
seedsmen imported flowering bulbs in
large quantities, but could not find a
ready sale for them, and the business
of importing bulbs proved very un-
profitable. Tjhis could not be expected
to be otherwise, when it is taken into

Vol. Ill— 2.

consideration that in a new and really
undeveloped country, floriculture, as
with all industries and pursuits, must
go through the various stages of devel-
opment. Flowers, although dearly
loved by both old and young, as our
surroundings will now testify, are yet
considered by many of our wealthy men
as very unnecessary luxuries, and are
planted and paid for in many instances
merely for appearance sake. It is not
surprising that to such men a pine, a
sunflower or a poppy seems more valu-
able than a hyacinth, a snowdrop or a
lily of the valley. It is the size of the
thing, the show that it makes, the quan-
tity for the small amount of money in-
vested, that has hitherto been the prin-
cipal consideration with our moneyed
men. Thanks, however, to the ladies,
who have gradually inaugurated a new
order of things, and who have them-
selves begun to realize the pleasures
and delights to be derived from the care
of plants, which offer new and varied
delights through the different seasons
of the year — in the garden, the con-
servatory or in the window.

Bulbous-rooted plants vary as much
as all other plants in their time of
flowering ; while some may be had in
bloom during the winter months in the

0

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

conservatory or in the window, others
will not flower until late in the autumn.

The bulbs which maybe planted now,
in order to have them in bloom during
the early part of the coming year, are :

Hyacinths, very full instructions for
treatment of which were published in
the Horticulturist in the January num-
ber of 1871. Hyacinths may now be
planted in the open ground, and may
be expected to flower in March and
April. Before planting, the soil should
be manured and well worked over ;
plant one and a half to two inches be-
low the surface, and keep clean from
weeds. Hyacinths are perfectly hardy.
If planted in pots, for the purpose of
having them flower early, the bulbs
should be planted so as to be just
covered by the soil. After planting,
the pots should be set in a dark but
moderately warm place, where roots will
be formed before the leaves develop
themselves. Under ordinary circum-
stances, from three to four weeks in a
dark room will be sufficient. When
bringing them into the light, place
them in a warm situation, and give a
liberal supply of water, and in thirty
days after removing them into the light,
they may be expected to flower. I pre-
fer covering the pots, containing the
bulbs, to the depth of at least six inches
in sand or leaf-mould, for about thirty
days, in order to bring foliage and the
flowerstocks to perfection at the same
time.

If Hyacinths are grown in glasses,
good strong bulbs should be selected,
the water should be changed at least
once a week, and it. will prove advan-
tageous to keep them in a dark and
moderately warm room for at least two
weeks.

I prefer single Hyacinths to the
double varieties ; their flowers will gen-
erally come out more perfect, and the

spikes fuller and more compact; the
single varieties are also more fragrant.

Tolips come into flower later than
Hyacinths, and require more warmth
and less moisture. They are not so
well adapted for pot culture, although
I have seen very fine specimens grown
in pots, under ordinary treatment ; the
pots for Tulips should be of greater
depth, and the bulb should be planted
deeper, say, from three to four inches
below the surface. They should be
planted in a warm situation. Tulips do
not require much manure, but the soil
should be worked to greater depth
even than for Hyacinths.

The Cyclamen is one of my favorite
bulbs, but it is only adapted for the
conservatory or the window, where it
will always be found blooming from
November until May, and even later,
after which time it should be allowed to
rest, receiving only sufficient moisture
to keep it from shrinking. During the
time of flowering a liberal supply of
water should be given, and partial shade
is beneficial. One-third of the bulb
should be within the soil, and two-thirds
of it above. I have a good number of
varieties in bloom now, the best of which
I have raised from seed, which was
planted a year ago. The young bulbs
are now producing an abundance of
charming blossoms of various colors,
highly valuable for fine bouquets and
baskets of flowers.

The Narcissus family is grown here
without any difficulty, to great perfec-
tion, both in the house and in the open
ground ; some of them are highly per-
fumed and are particularly attractive.
If planted now, we may have them
in bloom in February in the house,
and in March in the open ground.
Some of the varieties are popularly
known as Jonquils ; others as Daffo-
dils; double and single, white and yel-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

low, some having white flowers with a
red cup-like centre; they present a great
diversity, and are both effective and
pleasing in groups and as single plants,
wherever they grow.

Anemones are not as frequently met
with as cpuld be desired, yet they are a
most interesting and valuable class of
plants, and as easily cultivated in pots as
in the ground. We may have them in
flower here from March until July. The
flowers are showy, and among the
various colors we find blue, white, red,
violet, rose, yellow and striped, both
double and single. The bulbs should
now be planted two inches deep in well
prepared soil.

The Ranunculus, also, is another
valuable bulbous-rooted plant, which
should be planted now, in order to have
it bloom early. The treatment is the
same as that required for the Anemone.

There are many other bulbs which
should not be withheld from our gar-
dens and conservatories as early and
charming flowerers, but I shall postpone
their description to some future time.

NATIVE HEDGES.

BY DR. A. KELLOGG.

I) uring the twenty-four hours last past,
two gentlemen of the press — no wise in
communication — have inquired, ' ' What
^aative shrub would be most suitable for
a hedge ? " Taking this timely query
as -perhaps indicative of a public desire
for information, we pen our answer,
given on the spur of the moment. The
most feasible for general purposes ap-
pears to be the White Thokn, (Gea-
nothus incanus), for the following reas-
ons: It is a stout, robust and rapid
grower, very tough and of rigid resist-
ance, somewhat thorny, as the popular
name indicates ; bears cutting back to

thicken, half hacking and weaving, and
trims well ; is not apt to die out, singly
or in patches, its vitality being most
remarkable — cut even with the ground,
it springs up speedily, and repairs it-
self in two or three years, having such
firm hold of roots upon the ground, as
to require bonfires to exterminate them.
Managed with ordinary care, it can be
relied upon to turn both large and
small cattle. In its native state, it
grows from five to ten feet, and in some
localities fifteen. This shrub has a
wide range, from the coast, in this
vicinity, south, to 7,000 or 8,000 feet on
the Sierra Nevada Mountains ; hence,
well suited for very general use.

For many years we have collected the
seed for culture, as an ornamental
shrub. A word or so of detailed de-
scription may be allowed in addition :
The stem or trunk is pale white, with
greenish tinge; smooth bark; twigs
numerous, almost as white as snow;
leaves crowded, egg-shaped, blunt, and
slightly heart-shaped at the base, light
green above, with a soft velvety bloom
most pleasing to the eye; whiter be-
neath, thick and leathery; flowers white,
in clustered bolls or heads, from thick
spurs, lateral or terminal, but not re-
markable for fragrance. The seed is
somewhat triangular, minutely worty
and sub-three-horned ; ripens from first
to last of September. It has also a desir-
able disposition to spread its branches,
and naturally arches off and interlaces.
This species, unlike ..many Geanothi, is
never browsed on by cattle, and, there-
fore, needs no protection in its incipient
growth. Found on dry mountain knolls
and in alluvial lands of creeks, etc. It
would seem to suit well the river and
valley lands. Should any choose a
trim, erect grower, this evergreen might
give place to others equally ornamental,
but less useful.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

SELECT PLANTS

(Exclusive of Timber Trees) readily eligible for
Victorian Industrial Culture, loith Indications
of their Native Countries and some of their
Uses — an Enumeration offered

BY BABON FEED. VON MTJELLEE.

[Continued from page 354 of November number.]

Boehmeria nivea, Gaudiehaud.* — The
Rarn.ee or Rheea. Southern Asia, as
far east as Japan. This bush furnishes
the strong and beautiful fibre woven in-
to the fabric which inappropriately is
called grass-cloth. The bark is soft-
ened by hot water or steam, and then
separated into its tender fibres. The
best is obtained from the young shoots;
it is glossy, tough and lasting, combin-
ing to some extent the appearance of
silk with the strength of flax. The
ordinary market value of the fibre is
about £40 per ton; but Dr. Royle men-
tions that it has realized, at times, £120.
The seeds are sown on manured or
otherwise rich and friable soil. In the
third year, or under very favorable cir-
cumstances even earlier, it yields its
crops, as many as three annually. The
produce of an acre has been estimated
at two tons of fibre. This latter, since
Kaempfer's time, has been known to be
extensively used for ropes and cordage
in Japan. Our rich and warmest forest
valleys seem best adapted for the
Ramee, as occasional irrigation can be
also there applied. In the open grounds
of Victoria it suffers from the night
frosts, although this does not material-
ly injure the plant, which sends up
fresh shoots, fit for fibre, during the
hot season. The plant has been culti-
vated and distributed since 1854, in the
Botanic Garden of Melbourne, where it
is readily propagated from cuttings, the
seeds ripening rarely there. Cordage
of this Boehmeria is three times as
strong as that of hemp. Other species
require to be tested, among them the

one which was recently discovered in
Lord Home's Island, namely, Boehmeria
calophleba.

Boronla. megastigma, Nees. — In West
Australia on margins of swamps. This
remarkable bush is recorded here as an
emblem of mourning, its external black-
ish flowers rendering it especially eligi-
ble for graves. Industrially it interests
us on account of its powerfully fragrant
blossoms, for the sake of which this
bush will deserve to be cultivated. The
scent might be extracted by Mr. Bo-
sisto's process.

Borrago officinalis, L. — South Eu-
rope, Orient. An annual herb, occa-
sionally used for medicinal purposes or
as an admixture to salad.

Brabejum stellatifolium, L. — South
Africa. The nuts of this shrub are
edible, resembling those of our Maca-
damia ternifolia, to which also in foliage
and flowers Brabejum is closely allied.
The nuts are also similar to those of the
Chilian Gruevina Avellana.

Brassica alba, Visiani. — (Sinapis alba,
L.) — White Mustard. Europe, North
Africa, North and Middle Asia. An
annual. The seeds are less pungent
than those of the Black Mustard, but
used in a similar manner. The young
leaves of both are useful as a culinary
and antiscorbutic salad. Dr. Masters
enumerates Brassica Chinensis, B. cli-
chotoma, B. Pekinensis, B. rarnosa and
B. glauca among the Mustards, which,
undergo cultivation in various parts of
Asia, either for the fixed oil of their
seeds or for their herbage. From 15
lbs. to 20 lbs. of seeds of the White
Mustard are required for an acre. In
the climate of California, similar to
ours, 1,400 lbs. of seeds have been
gathered from an acre.

Brassica nigra, Koch. (Sinapis nigra,
L. ) — The Black Mustard. Europe,
North Africa, Middle Asia. An annual.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

9

The seeds, simply crushed and then
sifted, constitute the Mustard of com-
merce. For medicinal purposes seeds
of this species are preferable for sina-
pisms and other purposes. In rich soil
this plant is very prolific; and' in our
forest-valleys it is likely to remain free
from the attack of aphis. Chemical
constituents: A peculiar fixed oil, crys-
talline sinapin, the fatty sinapisin, nry-
ron-acid and myrosin.

Beassica oleeacea, L. — An annual or
biennial coast plant, indigenous to vari-
ous parts of Europe. It is mentioned
here, with a view of showing that it
might be naturalized on our rocky and
sandy sea-shores. From the wild plant
of the coast originated various kinds of
Cabbages, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brus-
sels SiDrouts, Kail, Kohlrabi, etc. Other
races of this species are collectively
represented by Brassica Rapa, L. (B.
campestris, L.), the WildNavew, yield-
ing most of the varieties of Turnips,
same with other cultivated forms trans-
ferred to us from ancient times. Again,
other varieties are comprehended with-
in Brassica Napus, L., such as the
Swedish and Teltower Turnips, while
the Rape seed, so important for its oil
(Colza), is also derived from a form of
B. Napus. The Rape should be pro-
duced here as an agrarian produce,
giving a rapid return, whenever it should
remain free of aphis. The hardier
turnips could be produced on our
highest Alps, as they are grown still
within the Arctic circle, and, according
to Dr. J. Hooker, at a height of 15,000
feet in the Himalaya Mountains.

Betomes embellatus, L.— The Flower-
ing Rush. Europe, North and Middle
Asia. This elegant perennial water-
plant is mentioned here more for its
value in embellishing our lakes and
watercourses than for the sake of its
roots. The latter, when roasted, are

edible. The plant would live in our
subalpine rivulets.

Beomes exioeoides, Humboldt* (B.
Schraderi, Kunth. ) — Here called the
Prairie Grass. From Central America
it has spread over many parts of the
globe. The writer saw it disseminated
in the mountains of St. Vincent's Gulf
as early as 1847. It is one of the rich-
est of all grasses, grows continuously
and spreads readily from seeds, partic-
ularly on fertile and somewhat humid
soil, and has proved as a lasting and
nutritious fodder-grass or pasture-grass
one of our best acquisitions.

Beoessonetia papyeieeea, Ventenat. —
The Paper Mulbery. Islands of the
Pacific Ocean, China, Japan, perhaps
only truly indigenous in the last-
named country. The bast of this tree
or shrub can be converted into very
strong paper. It can also be used as a
textile fabric ; furthermore, the fabrics
made from it can be dressed with lin-
seed oil for waterproof coverings. In
cultivation the plant is kept like an
osier. The leaves can not be used for
silkworms. European fabrics have
largely superseded the clothing made
of this j)lant in the South Sea Islands.

Caesaepenta GiLEiEsn, Wallich. (Poin-
ciana Gilliesii, Hooker. ) — La Plata
States. This beautiful hardy bush can
be utilized for hedges.

Cajanes Ixdices, Candolle. — The Cat-
jang; in Assam, called Gelooa-mah. A
shrubby plant of India, probably avail-
able for profitable culture and naturali-
zation in the warmer parts of our Colony.
It sustains itself on dry ground, and
yields the pulse known as Dhal, Urhur
and Congo-pea. The plant lasts for
about three years. Several species of
Cajanus of the Atylosia section, indi-
genous to the warmer parts of Australia,
might be tested here for the sake of the
economic value of their seeds. The in-

10

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

sect, active in the formation of lac,
lives extensively on the Cajanus, accord-
ing to Mr. T. D. Brewster, of Assam.
Silkworms live also on it.

PEUNING DECIDUOUS FLOWEEING
SHEUBS.

BY E. L. KEIMEE.

From time to time we are
with grievous complaints from persons
possessing residences and private gar-
dens in San Francisco and the vicinity,
that deciduous shrubs will not flower ;
and they are now very generally looked
upon as so much rubbish by those of
our community who are in the habit of
purchasing ornamental trees, shrubs
and plants.

If a nurseryman offers for sale to his
customers such shrubs as Lilacs, Snow-
balls, Philadelphus, Deutzias, etc., they
will tell him that they are of no earthly
use, as they will never produce any flow-
ers in this country; and nothing will
induce them to purchase one of these
shrubs, unless they see it in bloom in
the nursery, and even then, in a year
or so after, they will return, grumbling
to the seller that they have been de-
ceived, because they have not again seen
it in bloom.

Years since I used to sell a quantity
of deciduous flowering shrubs, but the
sale of them has gradually diminished
from year to year; and I believe that
every nurseryman will say the same.

I must here remark that this family
of very interesting plants or shrubs will
bloom in this country just as profusely
as in any other. It is not the fault of
the climate that our friends are disap-
pointed, but of the jobbing gardeners
who pretend to attend to private places.
I will not say that all are equally ig-
norant and pretentious; on the contrary,

we have some really well experienced
and reliable men amongst them; but
the great majority know but very little
about gardening, and previously to their
intruding themselves on the public in
this part of the world as horticultural
exrjerts, have occupied no higher grade
in the profession than experience in the
use of the broom, the manure-fork and
the wheelbarrow would entitle them to;
indeed, to this work would they be
rigidly restricted in the East and in
Europe, if we except that in very busy
times they might be permitted to dig a
few potatoes, etc.

Some time since, I made it an especial
point to make tours of observation
around the city and suburbs, for the
purpose of ascertaining for myself the
cause of the before - mentioned com-
plaints. To my great astonishment, I
found that in every garden wherever
there were Lilacs, Snowballs, and sim-
ilar deciduous shrubs, they had all been
trimmed down to a uniform shape% and
that too in the months of January and
February! Here, then, was the reason
why the Lilacs and Snowballs did not
bloom, and a most substantial one, too.

One of these men gets a job to clean
up and bring the garden into good trim.
He sets to work, hacking away at every
tree and shrub which he sees in the
place, little thinking and never caring
that he is doing a vast deal more dam-
age than good; his aim is to reduce
every tree, plant and shrub to his idea
of beauty of form. He shows no mercy
to the Lilac-bush, profusely loaded on
the ends of its last year's shoots, with
its purple buds of promise, each preg-
nant with a glorious thyrsus of flowers,
and which, if only. let alone for a few
more months, would have presented a
magnificent appearance, with its profu-
sion of bloom, and have equally de-
lighted with its exquisite fragrance.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

11

Alas! this tree, with others of like char-
acter, which would have been the pride
for a time of the neatly-kept garden,
until other beauties could follow, is
rudely trimmed into sugar-loaf form,
and when May arrives is freshly clothed
in new green foliage; but the lady of
the house looks in vain for the flowers,
although the gardener has confidently
assured her that her shrubs would cer-
tainly bear flowers in the spring; he
really not knowing that he. had merci-
lessly shorn the shrubs of all their flow-
ering buds, and cast them on the rub-
bish-heap, and that renewal was entirely
out of the question until the next season.
Thus, the proprietor becomes disgusted
with the shrubbery, and it is cast out of
the premises, discarded as worse than
useless.

However, this state of affairs is rapid-
ly passing away. "We have some very
good jobbing gardeners around San
Francisco, and any one needing the
services of one, can hear of such of any
of our reliable nurserymen, who certain-
ly will not recommend one of the in-
competents, although I will admit that
there are very many of them about the
city who are unfit even to do farm work.

Snowballs, Lilacs, Spireas, etc.,
should neither be pruned in the spring
nor in the winter season. They make
their new wood in June, and after that
growth they set their flower -buds on
the ends of nearly every young shoot.
In the fall, they shed their foliage, and
the buds then commence gradually to.
swell in our mild climate ; they remain
longer dormant in a country where
there is snow and frost. An experienced
eye will always discern the difference
between a leaf and a flower-bud. What-
ever trimming is needed should be done
immediately after the flowering, and
they should only be thinned out during
the winter months. If this rule is fol-

lowed out, the reward to the cultivator
will be a rich crop of beautiful flowers.

HYACINTHS IN SPONGE.

Charles Reese, of Enderby, Mary-
land, gives the Country Gentleman the
results of an experiment which he made
last December, in growing Hyacinths
in sponge. Remembering the slow
growth of the bulbs in glasses, often
not coming into bloom until near
spring, he pondered whether there is
not some substance in the great labora-
tory of nature more closely resembling
the soft, warm bosom of the earth,
than the hard, cold glass. The sponge
suggested itself to his mind as possess-
ing just the qualities required — "Soft,
warm, and yielding; power of capillary
attraction perfect ; porous, admitting
freely the fruitful atmosphere through
a thousand tiny apertures; a powerful
absorbent and evaporator of moisture;
and besides all this, an animal sub-
stance, and doubtless filled with nitro-
genous matters, which, after dissolving
in water, will act as fertilizers to plants,
or if they be not there in sufficient
quantities, they may be placed in the
water with the same result as liquid
manure."

He took a large sponge, made incis-
ions about an inch deep, and two long,
inserted bulbs in them, put the sponge
filled with bulbs in the top of a large
vase, and filled the vase by pouring
water through the sponge until about
one-half the sponge is below the water.
The water was slightly warmed, and
being kept in a warm room, was not
allowed to become cold.

"In two or three days the bulbs
began to shoot their bright green spires
upward, giving promises of success,
and in two or three weeks they were
five or six inches high. About this

12

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTUEIST.

time, in order to hide the -unsightly ap-
pearance of the sponge, I scattered a
few thimblesful of rape seed over the
surface, between the bulbs, which
sprang up almost immediately, and cov-
ered it entirely with a fine moss-like
mantle, adding greatly to the beauty of
the experiment.

" Desiring to give the knowledge and
usefulness of the discovery and the en-
joyment of its beauty, I now had it
taken to my store in town, where it
soon became an object of interest to
great numbers of ladies, who watched its
progress almost daily, until the bright
flowers, more radiant than ' Solomon in
all his glory/ unfolded their shining
petals, filling the air with fragrance,
and astonishing every one with their
unusually large size and perfect form.

"The experiment was pronounced a
complete success."

Mr. Eeese does not say just how long
after planting they first began to bloom,
but probably within a few weeks. "We
would advise every lady reader to try
this cheap and simple experiment.

Value of Straw foe Feed. — It has
been calculated by actual analysis that
twenty pounds of straw and four pounds
of wheat bran contain as much nutri-
ment as twenty pounds of good hay.
The only difference, if there is any, is
in the digestion of the food, which is
about equal when the straw is chopped
and wetted for a short time and the
bran mixed with it. When hay is very
cheap, straw can be saved by carefully
stacking through a series of years. It
is most valuable, of course, when hay
is high and grain is cheap ; then, by
feeding grain, which is richer than hay,
with straw, which is poorer, we can
supply a food which combines all the
requisites to animal heat and growth.

ON THE PHOSPHORESCENT LIGHT OB-
SEEYED ON SEVERAL PLANTS.

BX DB. H. BEHB.

For several years past, on various oc-
casions, some friends and myself have
observed a sheen of white phosphor-
escent light on the cy moid-inflorescence
of Osothamnus sp. , an Australian ever-
lasting of arborescent growth. In day-
time, the cymoid-inflorescence is of a
rather dull milky-white ; on dark still
nights, not on every night, the same in-
florescence emits a peculiar pale light,
that makes it distinctly visible when
everything else is enveloped in darkness.
This light very much resembles that
emitted by decaying wood, but is of a
different origin; evidently being pro-
duced by some vital or physiological,
not by a chemical process of decompo-
sition.

Only once I have witnessed a similar
phosphorescence in a living plant. It
was on a patch of the Schistostega os-
mundacea, a little moss well known by
this peculiarity to the guides in the
Hartz Mountain. It was in a wild re-
cess of the Bodethal, that even in day-
time looks more like a Mexican barranca
than a tame German valley, where it was
shown to me on a dark night, shedding
its pale spectral light in isolated patches
on the rocky wall which towered to our
right.

If the light exhibited by some Muce-
dines and Boleti is of the same origin,
or if it is a product of a peculiar decom-
position, I am not able to discuss. It
may be that all these processes are of
the same nature as the light of Scolo-
pendia electrica, and many marine ani-
mals.

The phenomena which I am about to
mention, I have not witnessed myself.
I enumerate them as they are reported,
but think that one part of them is of a

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

13

different origin; another merely based
on optical illusion.

1. Dictamnus albus. — Several observ-
ers coincide in the description of this
light, comparing it to electric sparks,
under favorable circumstances envel-
oping the whole inflorescence of the
plant. The Himalaya species of Dic-
tamnus is said to possess this peculiarity
in a considerably higher degree, so that
on dark nights the bases of forest trees
are lighted up by the shining sparks of
an apparently burning bush.

In these cases it is evidently the sether-
ic oil contained in the glands that cover
the whole spike of the inflorescence.
The exhalation of this inflammable sub-
stance surrounds the plant, gets lighted
by unknown causes, and burns away
without in the least injuring the flower-
ing stem whence it was produced. The
authors who describe the phenomena
state, at the same time, that by ap-
proaching a light to the flowers, the
j)henomenamay be sometimes produced
on nights when nature herself did not
light up the flowers.

Professor Schlechbendal, at Halle,
described to me the sparks as resembling
those produced by approaching a piece
of orange peel, bent between the fingers
so that the setheric oil squirts out, to the
flame of a burning candle.

2. Calendula officinalis (Transactions
of the British Association, etc., 1843),
which, however, has not been observed
again. The light produced by the ra-
dial flowers of this syngenesist seems to
be analogous to that of the Prothamnus
and Schistostega.

3. Tropceolum major, the light being
first observed by Linne's daughter.

4. Papaver orientate, observed by
Goethe. Gcethe describes the phenom-
enon as a bluish reflection irradiating
from the flower, and reproducing the

Vol. III.— 3.

form of the same. He considers it an
optical illusion — the nerve of the eye,
irritated by the intense scarlet of the
flower, producing the same form in the
supplementary color, a greenish blue.
He mentions the analogous optical illu-
sion produced by looking at the sun,
when a number of circles of the supple-
mentary color will immediately appear,
even when the eye is shut.

I have here enumerated all the cases
of light produced by living plants. I
have also stated my own observations,
and have collected as much as I can
those of others. It is evident the ma-
terial is very scarce, and a collection of
facts in regard to such an interesting
subject is most desirable. So I invite
everybody who has the good fortune to
witness a phenomenon of this kind to
study it carefully; and, most of all, to
communicate to other horticulturists, so
that no observation that may tend to
throw light on the subject may be lost
to science.

Restoring Faded Fxowees. — Place
the flower in a small empty tea-cup or
scent-bottle. Half fill a saucer with
water, in the centre of which place the
cup or bottle containing the flower,
over which invert a tumbler the top of
which rests in the water, covering the
flower in the cup and excluding the air.
The effect is surprising ; in a short time
the faded flower will revive, the color
return into the petals, which quickly
expand, and the scent returns as power-
fully as when the flower is first plucked.
Care should be taken that the flower
does not come in contact with the sides
or bottom of the inverted tumbler. I
have supplied a method, the surprising
efficacy of which any one can prove. A
wiser head than mine can perhaps sup-
ply me with the cause of this effect. —
Flora, in London Field.

14

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

PLAIN DIKECTIONS FOE COLLECTING
ALGE.

BY DANIEL C. EATON, ■
Professor of Botany in Tale College.

The following notes are printed for
the use of those persons in any part of
the American continent who are willing
to help the cause of natural history by
making collections of sea-weeds and sea-
mosses, but are as yet uninformed as to
the modes of collecting and preparing
their specimens.

Of Where, When, axd How to Col-
lect.— After a heavy gale blowing on
the coast, almost any beach of sea, gulf
or bay, will be covered with algae, often
in great quantities, coarse and fine,
black, red and green, in entangled mass-
es. Such heaps should be carefully
examined as soon as possible after their
formation, or else the more delicate
kinds will be quickly destroyed by de-
cay.

At extreme low water, the sea will
leave tide-pools among rocks, or some-
times in the sand, and by wading in
these pools many sortsrnaybe obtained.
The rock-pools with clear water and
some shade from the rocks will generally
yield the finest specimens. Old buoys,
piles, wrecks, etc. , afford good resting-
places for sea-weeds. In quiet weather,
, a small dredge worked from a boat, in
water from one to fifteen fathoms deep,
will often bring up varieties not to be
obtained in any other way. A strong
fishing-line with coarse hooks will bring
them iq> from the bottom also. A seine
left a day or two in the sea, as a pound-
net, for instance, will catch many algae
which were floating in the water.

The collector ought always to have a
light hand-net — a bag of mosquito-net-
ting stretched on a brass-hoop of 8 or 10
inches diameter, and secured to a good
six-foot staff, is very convenient — a

light basket containing several quart or
pint preserve-jars, a few smaller wide-
mouth jars, and perhaps a pair of brass
forceps and a pocket magnifier.

The coarser sorts may be put in the
basket, and the finer ones in the jars,
keejfing the latter filled with clear sea-
water. It is well to wash each speci-
men clean when first obtained, so that
the collection taken home may be in
good order. Very rare or delicate spec-
imens should be put separately into the
smaller bottles. Care should be taken
to get the whole plant, if not too large ;
and if it be very large, to cut out for
preservation the root or "holdfast,"
and portions of the stem and other parts
of the plant.

The most careful collectors will note
also the kind of place where the plant
was obtained, whether on rocks, piles,
floating, or growing on coarser varieties.

Of Preserving the Coarser Sorts. —
These should be shaken a little, loos-
ened or spread out a little, but never
washed in fresh water, and then dried
in the air. The best way is to stretch
a cord in some windy, and if convenient
shady, place, and to hang the specimens
on the cord. The flat -leaved forms,
however, diy to best advantage if spread
out on coarse papers and laid on a board.
They should be protected from the dew
at night, or brought under cover. In
this way, a day or two will dry almost
any sea-weeds, and, as the salt remains
in them, they will keep for years, and
may be easily soaked out and mounted
on paper at any time. This rough-
dried collection should be packed in
boxes, and if the specimens pack too
closely, twigs may be placed among
them ; if not closely enough, a slight
sprinkling will make them so pliable as
to pack nicely. Such sea-weeds, how-
ever unsightly they may be in this con-
dition, may eventually be made into

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

15

excellent specimens. Corallines and
other stony algae may be wrapped up in
paper, and will keep so indefinitely.

Of MotnsaaKG the Moke Delicate
Sorts on Paper. — Dr. Harvey lias so
well described this process, that the
following description of it is taken from
one of his works on alga?. "The col-
lector should have at hand a couple of
large flat white dishes, filled with [fresh]
water, in one of which the specimens
may be washed, pruned and freed from
parasites, and singly introduced into
the other when sufficiently cleaned.
When the specimen is floated in the
second dish, a piece of white paper of
proportionate size is to be introduced
under it, the branches finely displayed
with a pointed instrument, a porcupine's
quill or a small forceps, and the super-
fluous parts removed. The paper, with
the specimen so displayed upon it, is
then to be carefully withdrawn from
the water, placed between two sheets of
soft paper, and subjected to pressure,
like other plants. Thin calico [white
muslin] rags are useful to lay immedi-
ately over the specimens, between them
and the soaking paper, as the cloth is
less likely to adhere to their surface
than paper, and if it does adhere, is more
readily removed without injury. After
the first six hours, and again once every
day till the specimens are fully dry, the
wet paper must be changed, and then
it will be found, in most cases, that the
specimen has adhered to the white pa-
per on which it was displayed. The
smaller kinds will be sufficiently dry in
forty-eight hoiirs. A very little prac-
tice will make the process easy, and the
trouble will be repaid by the beauty
and interest of the collections which
will soon be formed." To the above it
may be added, that the firmer red varie-
ties will improve in color for several
hours steeping in fresh water, but many

of the most delicate must be mounted
from salt water only, else the color,
and sometimes even the structure of the
plant will be destroyed. The best as
well as the cheapest kind of press is two
good pine boards, about twelve by
eighteen inches, and half a dozen bricks
separately tied up in wrapping paper.
Too great a pressure leaves a print of
the cloth on the specimen, and renders
it also more difficult to revive a frag-
ment for microscopic examination.

For ladies' albums, algae are often
mounted on fine Bristol board or large
wedding cards, and some beautiful spec-
imens are pressed between layers of
white flannel — half cotton is best — with-
out the use of either muslin rags or
soaking paper.

A solution of One part crystalized
carbolic acid, ten parts pure glycerine,
and forty parts water, will preserve algae
a long time, and such specimens are
even better for study with the micro-
scope than specimens on paper.

It remains only to add that the writer
of these notes will receive with thanks
any collections, large or small, from all
parts of the world, and will endeavor
to name all American specimens sent
to him, if so desired.

New Haven, Conn., Nov., 1872.

A report comes from Cuba that a
sugar-planter there has doubled the
value of his estate by the use of a steam-
plow introduced in 1868. What was
formerly almost an impervious tract,
the effect partly of nature and partly of
inefficient cultivation, has been reduced
to a porous soil. Two thousand acres
of strong clay intermixed with stones
of all sizes, and resting for the most
part on a stone bottom, are now in fine
tilth to an average depth of eighteen
inches. — Exchange.

16

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

CULTUEE OF HOUSE -PLANTS.
BY F. A. MILLER.

' ' "What plants can I cultivate in the
house/' is a question which I have had
to answer very frequently, and scarcely
have I completed my suggestions, when
I am told that this or that plant has
been treated with a great deal of care,
but has failed to thrive.

There are only a certain class of
plants which can be expected to thrive
well in the house, and there are certain
rules which necessarily must be ob-
served in cultivating them, or disap-
pointment must follow. In many cases
I have found, also, that too much is ex-
pected of a plant, in the way of growing
and flowering.

From my own observations and ex-
perience, I can strongly recommend the
following flowering plants, as the best
adapted for the house, or to use a more
fashionable term, window gardening:

Primula sinensis (Chinese Primrose),
of which very excellent varieties can
now be obtained in our floral establish-
ments, is one of the most charming
flowering plants under cultivation. It
will flower spontaneously from six to
nine months in the year, and, if trans-
planted in good time, will flower well
all the year round. Its foliage is always
very ornamental. The colors are pure
white, delicate pink, red, violet and
striped; siDgle and double. During
the winter months, when they flower
most profusely, they should be placed
in a warm and sunny position ; and
watered, perhaps, once a week mod-
erately. The soil should be porous and
always moist, but never wet. When
the flowers begin to fade, they should
be removed, in order to throw all the
strength of the plant into the new
flowers, which will make their appear-
ance every day or two. After the plant

has produced flowers in profusion for
two or three months, a little nourish-
ment may be given, in the form of
liquid guano once a week, or by liquid
horse-manure at intervals, or, indeed,
any other fertilizing material. How-
ever, I have seen Primroses doing well
for one year without any of these stim-
ulants. Under very ordinary treat-
ment, they will do exceedingly well. I
would recommend for a small collection
one red, one white and one fern-leaved
variety. The double Primrose is of the
most pleasing character, the flowers
lasting a long time, and they are pro-
duced well above the foliage ; the habit
of the plant leaves nothing to wish for.
The double variety, however, is as yet
exceedingly rare with us, in California,
and is not offered for sale by our
florists ; another year or two, however,
will make plants of it more plentiful.

The Cyclamen is another of the
charming house -plants, which hardly
ever fails to produce graceful little nod-
ding flowers upon each stalk, which it
sends forth in profusion. The Cycla-
men is one of my favorites. From seed
sown in the spring of 1872, I had fine
flowering plants in the month of De-
cember. The flowers are of various
shades, from pure white to a rich purple,
some being white with purple centre,
others white-blotched and dotted with
purple. Under ordinary treatment,
Cyclamens will flower here very pro-
fusely from December to May. The
Cyclamen is a bulbous plant, and, like
other bulbs, should have a season of
rest, when its leaves should be allowed
to drop off for want of water, which
should be given only just enough to
keep the bulb from shriveling. This
resting -time may be extended from
June to November, when, by a more
liberal supply of water, it will again be-
gin to assume its activity. During the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

17

time of rest its place may be supplied
by some other plant. The Cyclamen
should be kept moderately moist, a lit-
tle less so than the Primrose ; it prefers
partial shade, and maybe overshadowed,
to some extent, by other plants. For a
small collection I would recommend
one white and one purple flowering-
Cyclamen. Our florists have a limited
supply of them on hand.

Before enumerating any more plants
for the house, I would like to say a few
words in regard to the room in which it
is intended to cultivate these plants.
There are three conditions necessary
for the successful growing of plants :
warmth, air and moisture; of these,
some plants require more, others less,
but to some degree they must have a
liberal supply of all these agents. There
seems to be less difficulty in supplying
warmth and air, than in affording the
requisite amount of moisture; which, in
some cases, is supplied insufficiently,
but in most cases too abundantly, and
particularly so during our winter
months. While some plants are satisfied
with moisture applied to their roots,
we find that others can not exist with-
out a certain amount of moisture in the
atmosphere. In the rooms of our cot-
tages or residences, we can not supply
a moist atmosphere, and, therefore, we
can not cultivate plants there which
are in need of this peculiar agent. Yet
we may take plants once a week out of
the room, and give them a good shower-
ing with the watering-pot, which washes
off the dust, and supplies to a small
degree that moisture, which the at-
mosphere of the room lacks.

[To be continued.]

Loreto oranges have made their ap-
pearance in our market, and are sold at
one dollar per dozen.

FERNS, AND FERN CULTURE.

A correspondent writes us for some
information concerning ferns, and says,
" Mention a few of the best from Fiji."
We must inform our respected corre-
spondent that to mention anything like
a list of the best varieties found in the
Fijis would take not only some time,
but considerable space. When we state
that the collectors for the Royal Society
investigated and collected over 500
species in those numerous islands, he
will at once see that it is a somewhat
formidable task. However, amongst
others that struck ourselves as particu-
larly charming were Todea Wilkesiana;
this was named by Mr. Brackenbridge
in compliment to Commodore Wilkes.
It usually grows not more than three feet
or four feet high, and hence has been de-
scribed as the "little-tree fern ;" at the
same time specimens of it have been
known to attain seven feet, and exhibit a
number of crowns. The stem is slender,
and the fronds bijDinnate, some two ft. in
length, havingthe ultimate pinnules thin;
it is not, however, so finely cut as Todea
Hymenophylloides. Another very dis-
tinct and handsome Fijian fern of sin-
gular appearance is Diclidoj)teris august-
issima; this usually grows upon the
Tahitian chesnut epiphytically. It has
narrow thin, grass-like fronds, varying
from one ft. to six inches in length, very
handsome. Davallia Fejensis is a spe-
cies with highly decompound fronds,
one ft. in height, and having extremely
narrow segments. A species of Hemo-
nites, H. lanceolata, and Syngramme
pinnata are very handsome, particularly
when seen as old plants. Three fine
species of Cibotium, one of which has
the stipes densely clothed with beauti-
ful golden silken moniliform hairs; in
fact, these hairs are so abundant that
they have been collected as an article

18

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

of commerce, and used for stuffing
cushions, etc. A handsome creeping-
species is Polypodium pellucidum.

Amongst New Zealand ferns worthy
of particular notice is the beautiful Lox-
soma Cunninghamii, which was dis-
covered on the Keri-Keri River, Bay of
Islands. This fern has broad, triangu-
lar decompound fronds, two ft. to three
ft. high, glaucous, with sori intermediate,
in character between Trichomanes and
Davallia; also the very beautiful and
distinct Todea superba.

To cultivate ferns successfully a knowl-
edge of the conditions under which
they grow in their native haunts is real-
ly necessary, and by imitating those
conditions as far as practicable, the
greater will be the success eventually
attained. Irregular surfaces are, as a
rule, the best adapted, whether natural
or artificially formed, many ferns being
truly rock plants, and therefore highly
suitable for rockery cultivation. By
judicious arrangements from ordinary
level positions, their delicate hue and
elegant form of outline can be seen to
much greater advantage, the upper
surface of their fronds being generally
presented to the eye more fully. In
planting ferns great consideration should
be given to secure a site having a suffi-
cient amount of shade and moisture.
A south aspect, if possible, should be
secured. In this climate we have found
a sunk and shady tea-tree house highly
suitable, erected sufficiently high for
tree ferns; in such situations the plants
are less exposed to the action of cli-
matic vicissitude. Considerable taste
may be displayed in arranging such
rustic houses for fern culture, such as
miniature valleys, with undulating sur-
faces gradually rising on either side.
The soil best suited to the whole group
is good fibrous peat, rough and full of
vegetable matter, which should not, on

any account, be sifted; abundance of
sand can, however, be well mixed with
it.

The style of arrangement having been
decided upon, the next question is to
place the plants in their permanent
positions satisfactorily, for it is very
essential to provide positions for each
individual plant so that there is no injuri-
ous interference with its neighbor either
by root or foliage. Different species of
Lycopodium should be freely used for
filling up, being, as they are, terrestrial
and epiphytal, hanging from boughs
like various cords. The magnificent
Selaginella laevigata quickly climbs and
becomes a lovely object; numbers of
others are also very charming, having
extremely delicate tissues, and delight-
ing in deep shade.

In forming rock -work, or similar
material for a rustic mass, over which
ferns are intended to grow, it is always
advisable to select, if possible, rock or
stone of a porous consistence, and with
rough and ragged surfaces. It is quite
unnecessary to be particular in the
selection of stone of handsome appear-
ance or fine color, because if the ferns
are intended to flourish and properly
thrive, the material, of what nature
soever, will become speedily obscured
by luxuriant growth; therefore, even
old brick work, or conglomerated burnt
glass bottles, answer well, the glass for
the bottom, and the old brick work for
the upper part, which is valuable in
affording a moist surface for their ten-
der rhizomes to cling to. After the
plants have once become established, as
few changes should take place as pos-
sible, every encouragement being given
to their growth, so that a decorative
effect may be secured as quickly as
possible.

It is advisable, and at the same time
adds considerably to the effect, to plant

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

19

along the edges and on the stone pro-
jections such plants as sedums, saxi-
fragas, sempervivuins, iberis, Alysum
saxatile, Arabis alpina, and others of
similar nature and habit. It is always
beneficial to choose the vicinity of water
if any exists, and. if not, an artificial
piece of some kind should be improvised
if possible; this being secured, a num-
ber of subaquatic and bog plants, also
water lilies, etc., may be grown to per-
fection. If the space at command is
extensive, interesting clumps, or a glen,
may be formed by the judicious intro-
duction of plants conspicuous for their
large and beautifully-marked foliage.

The adaptability and suitability of
ferns as hanging basket plants must not
be overlooked. Nothing imparts more
grace and elegance to rooms and fern-
eries than well-managed hanging-baske.ts
of ferns. During hot weather they im-
part a delightfully cool appearance, the
greatest drawback being that they re-
quire frequent changes; the species hav-
ing arching feathery fronds, make the
best effect, and among suitable kinds,
we name Aspidium exaltatum, Poly-
podium aureum, and Woodwardia ra-
dicans. The lower part of the basket
should be covered with Lycopodiums.
We do not recommend many of the
handsome wire baskets in vogue, for this
simple reason, that if the plants are
well done, that is, successfully grown,
the whole of the wire-work is covered,
and hence of necessity hid, so that hand-
some wire-work is lost, and the ex-
pense quite unnecessary. Then again
elaborate wire baskets are generally
much more difficult to fill than plain
ones. The bottom of the baskets should
be lined with green moss, and two or
three ferns planted therein according
to size, Lycopodiums or some creeping
or trailing plants round the edges to
hang down carelessly, is all that is re-

quired for forming elegant and tasteful
hanging baskets. A supjDly of these
should be kept in the fernery, so that
there are always some ready to change
when required. With regard to water-
ing : it is somewhat difficult to lay down
any distinct rule regarding this opera-
tion; neither too dry nor too wet must
be the standard. If kept too wet, the
roots soon sodden, and if too dry, the
plants quickly speak out by becoming
rapidly a bad color. Their successful
culture simply depends on proper soil,
careful watering, placing in a quiet,
moist atmosphere, keeping down the
temperature in summer by shading, and
avoiding as much as possible currents
of dry, hot winds. Ferns are at times
attacked with insect pests, the soft
membraneous kinds being the most
subject. As a rule, fumigation with
tobacco is the best preventative and cur-
ative, for an occasional fumigation de-
stroys the winged male insect of all the
Coccos family. Syringing must be re-
sorted to for mealy bug, and scale must
be loosened by the use of a soft brush,
and afterwards receive a syringing.
With care and attention ferns may be
grown very successfully in Victoria, and
without any very great expense they
will ever be a source of enjoyment, and.
the more attention and care are devoted,
to them, the greater will be the success
and enjoyment derived therefrom.—
Melbourne Times.

Eastern quail, which were turned
loose on a farm near Cloverdale, have
so multiplied that their notes are heard
over the adjacent foothills. It is sup-
posed there are 200 or 300 of them.

The corn crop this year is the largest
ever gathered — a billion and a half of
bushels.

20

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

PREPARING SKELETON LEAVES.

A correspondent of Science Gossip, re-
ferring to the tediousness of the ordi-
nary way of preparing skeleton leaves,
which taxes patience, and which most
experimenters give up in despair before
getting through with it, describes a new
method, which is easy, cleanly, and
takes but little time. It is as follows:

* ' First dissolve four ounces of com-
mon washing-soda in a quart of boiling
water, then add two ounces of slacked
quicklime, and boil for about fifteen
minutes. Allow this solution to cool ;
afterward pour off all the liquor into a
clean saucepan. When the solution is at
boiling point, place the leaves carefully
in the pan, and boil the whole together
for an hour. Boiling water ought to be
added occasionally, but sufficient only
to replace that lost by evaporation.
The epidermis and parenchyma of some
leaves will more readily separate than
others. A good test is to try the leaves
after they have been gently boiling for
about an hour,, and if the cellular matter
does not easily rub off betwixt the finger
and thumb beneath cold water, boil
them again for a short time. When
the fleshy matter is found to be suf-
ficiently softened, rub them separately
but very gently beneath cold water,
until the perfect skeleton is exposed.
The skeletons at first are of a dirty
white color; to make them of a pure
white, and, therefore, more beautiful,
all that is necessary is to bleach them
in a weak solution of chloride of lime.
I have found the best is a large tea-
spoonful of chloride of lime to a quart
of water; if a few drops of vinegar are
added to the bleaching solution, it is all
the better, for then the free chloride is
liberated. Do not allow them to re-
main too long in the bleaching liquor,
or they will become too brittle, and can

not afterward be handled without in-
jury. About fifteen minutes is suffi-
cient to make them white and clean-
looking. Dry the specimens in white
blotting paper, beneath a gentle pres-
sure, after they are bleached.

' ' Simple leaves are the best for young
beginners to experiment upon; the vine,
poplar, beech, and ivy leaves make ex-
cellent skeletons. Care must be exer-
cised in the selection of leaves, as well
as the period of the year and the state
of the atmosphere when the specimens
are collected, otherwise failure will be
the result. The best months to gather
the specimens are July and August.
Never collect specimens in damp weath-
er; and none but perfectly matured
leaves ought to be selected."

Arranging Flowers in Beds. — In
arranging flowers in beds, the principal
things to be avoided are : The placing
of rose-colored or red flowers next to
scarlet or orange, or orange next to
yellow, blue next to violet, or rose next
to violet. On the contrary, the follow-
ing colors harmonize : white will relieve
any color (but should not be placed next
to yellow), orange with light blue, yel-
low with violet, dark blue with orange
yellow, white with pink or rose, and
lilac with yellow. By observing these
rules the amateur may have his flower
borders vie in beauty and arrangement
with those of greater pretensions, and
even surpass many of them. Nothing
adds more to beautify home than a well
arranged flower-bed of rare flowers. —
Southern Agriculturist.

The man who produces the largest
area, cultivated with the least expense,
and increases the fertility of his soil, is
the most scientific farmer, however ig-
norant he may be of the fact.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

21

(tutorial gorffolw.

THE HOETTCULTUEIST.

In commencing a new volume, it ap-
pears consistent that we should address
a few lines to our subscribers, intimating
to them the course we shall endeavor to
pursue, in providing material for our
Magazine.

From our observations during several
years of previous intercourse with many
of the florists of the Pacific Coast, we
have felt the necessity for collecting and
condensing the experience of those who
have made the occupations of Horticul-
ture and Floriculture their specialties,
and the more fully has this necessity
been impressed upon us by the assur-
ances of these experts, that so different
are the habits of familiar plants to them,
in the climates and soils of California,
from their experience with them in
other parts of the world, that only by
careful observation have they recovered
their control in the management of
them.

To new arrivals, whether amateur or
professional, these peculiarities are very
embarrassing, and, if our labors shall
result in the dissemination of useful in- '
formation in the above delightful pur-
suits, we shall attain all we seek. Some
of the most experienced and successful
among our florists are cheerful contri-
butors to this section.

Kindred to Floriculture is the science
of Botany, and we have the cordial as-
surance of aid, in this department, from
several of the most eminent botanists
in the Pacific States— while in the de-
partments of Arboriculture and Pom-
ology, other able pens are associated
with us.

Much interest is at the present time
felt, both in the East and in Europe,
regarding the Marine Botany of this

Vol. in.— i.

coast, and we may here remark that our
Marine Flora are so widely different
from those of other coasts, that they
add peculiar interest to the subject.
And here, again, we are assured of ef-
ficient aid — and we anticipate making
our Magazine the medium of exchange
of observation on this very interesting
study. We have also received the most
cordial co-operation from several emi-
nent Entomologists, whose observations,
in connection with Horticulture, are
esteemed of very great importance
among practical men.

"We have made arrangements for a
series of descriptive chapters on the
"Rural Homes of California," from
the very able pen of Mrs. Professor Carr,
illustrated by photographic pictures by
Mr. C. E. "Watkins; and had intended
that the first essay, having for its sub-
ject the princely mansion, farm and
ornamental grounds of the Hon. Thomas
H. Selby, in San Mateo County, should
have made its appearance in this, our
first number of the third volume of our
Magazine; but the unpropitious state of
the weather, at the time when the artist
should have operated, has necessitated
us to withhold it until next month.

In the Popular Science Ifonthly, for
the present month, we find a highly in-
teresting article on " The Spontaneous
Movements of Plants" by Alfred W.
Bennett, M. A., well worthy of careful
perusal, very scientific, curious and in-
structive. And also a more practical
article on "the Cultivation of Wild
Flowers," by Professor Samuel Lock-
wood, containing many useful sugges-
tions. This is indeed a subject demand-
ing especial attention from our Califor-
nia botanists, who are too frequently
content with dej^ositing dried specimens
in their hortus siccus, instead of seeking
to civilize their acquisitions, many of
which are entirely new to the rest of the

22

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

world, and are eagerly sought after by
European florists. We earnestly call the
attention of our California friends to
this study — and to all we say, help us
with your observations; write to us to
our P. 0. box 2275, San Francisco, and,
if any letter calls for an answer, we will
do our best to give a satisfactory one.

REPEAL OF THE LATE OBNOXIOUS
POSTAL LAW.

We are glad to announce that the late
obnoxious ruling, relating to seed-
packages, etc., has been abrogated, to
take effect immediately, so that farmers
and others, living remote from cities,
can now once more obtain direct, by
mail, such seeds as they may need, cut-
tings and small plants from nurserymen ;
and also seedlings, of those who make
a specialty of growing deciduous and
evergreen trees.

Gunpowder foe Tent Caterpillars. —
A correspondent at New Hamburgh,
Duchess County, writes us that he
keeps his apple-orchard clear of tent
caterpillars by shooting into their nests
with loose powder. The gun— any sort
of smooth-bore will do — is to be held
within a foot of the nest, and the
charge of powder to be used without a
wad or any ramming down. He claims
that it is better than burning with a
swab and kerosene, because it does not
injure the tree, and is most expeditious
and more effectual. In most cases not
a trace of worms or nest is left. He
goes over his trees each spring and fall,
and a couple of hours are sufficient for
several hundred trees. Boys enjoy
work of this kind, but to catch worms
by hand, or to burn, or twist them out,
and then stamp them, is disagreeable
labor. — Country Gentleman.

AN ADDRESS BY THE UNITED STATES
CENTENNIAL COMMISSION.

To the People or the United States:
The Congress of the United States
has enacted that the completion of the
One Hundredth Year of American In-
dependence shall be celebrated by an
International Exhibition of the Arts,
Manufactures, and Products of the Soil
and Mine, to be held at Philadelphia,
in 1876, and has appointed a Commis-
sion, consisting of representatives from
each State and Territory, to conduct
the celebration.

Originating under the auspices of the
National Legislature, controlled by a
National Commission, and designed as
it is to " Commemorate the first cen-
tury of our existence, by an Exhibition
of the Natural Resources of the Coun-
try and their development, and of our
progress in those Arts which benefit
mankind, in comparison with those of
older nations," it is to the people at
large that the Commission look for the
aid which is necessary to make the
Centennial Celebration the grandest an-
niversary the world has ever seen.

That the completion of the first cen-
tury of our existence should be marked
by some imposing demonstration is, we
believe, the patriotic wish of the people
of the whole country. The Congress
of the United States has wisely decided
that .the Birth-day of the Great Repub-
lic can be most fittingly celebrated by
the universal collection and display of
all the trophies of its progress. It is de-
signed to bring together, within a build-
ing covering fifty acres, not only the
varied productions of our mines and
soil, but types of all the intellectual
triumphs of our citizens, specimens of
everything that America can furnish,
whether from the brains or the hands
of her children, and thus make evident

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

to the world the advancement of -which
a self-governed people is capable.

In this " Celebration" all nations will
be invited to participate ; its character
being International. Europe will dis-
play her arts and manufactures, India
her curious fabrics, while the newly
opened China and Japan will lay bare
the treasures which for centuries their
ingenious people have been perfecting.
Each land will compete in generous
rivalry for the palm of superior excel-
lence.

To this grand gathering every zone
will contribute its fruits and cereals.
No mineral shall be wanting ; for what
the East lacks the "West will supply.
Under one roof will the South display
in rich luxuriance her growing cotton,
and the North in miniature the cease-
less machinery of her mills converting
that cotton into cloth. Each section of
the globe will send its best offerings to
this exhibition, and each State of the
Union, as a member of one united body
politic, will show to her sister States
and to the world how much she can add
to the greatness of the nation of which
she is a harmonious part.

To make the Centennial Celebration
such a success as the patriotism and the
pride of every American demands, will
require the co-operation of the people
of the whole country. The United
States Centennial Commission has re-
ceived no Government aid, such as Eng-
land extended to her "World's Fair, and
France to her Universal Exposition, yet
the labor and responsibility imposed
upon the Commission is as great as in
either of those undertakings. It is
estimated that ten millions of dollars
will be required, and this sum Cougress
has provided shall be raised by stock
subscription, and that the people shall
have the opportunity of subscribing
in proportion to the population of

their respective States and Territories.

The Commission looks to the unfail-
ing patriotism of the people of every
section, to see that each contributes its
share to the expenses, and receives its
share of the benefits of an enterprise in
which all are so deeply interested. It
would further earnestly urge the form-
ation in each State and Territory of a
centennial organization, which shall in
time see that county associations are
formed, so that when the nations are
gathered together in 1876, each Com-
monwealth can view with pride the
contributions she has made to the na-
tional glory.

Confidently relying on the zeal and
patriotism ever displayed by our people
in every national undertaking, we pledge
and prophesy, that the Centennial
Celebration will worthily show how
greatness, wealth and intelligence, can
be fostered by such institutions as those
which have for one hundred years
blessed the people of the United States.
Joseph R. Hawmw,

President.
Lewis Waln Smith,

Temporary Secretary.

Colletia Bictonexsis. — This plant is
highly commended in England as a
hedge plant. It is said to have origi-
nated in the arboretum of the Baroness
Rolle. Sir Wm. Hooker named it, and
considered it a distinct species of a very
useful and interesting order of plant.
It is easily propagated by cuttings. It
is proper to say, however, that the ed-
itor of the Cottage Gardener doubts if
it can be used for hedge-making, if the
statement of Sir William Hooker that
it is not a hardy plant, be a true one.
It is asserted that its leaves are very
fleeting, and only to be seen on the very
young branches and spires. The branch-

24

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

es are of j)ea-green color, arranged in
a peculiar decussate manner, with sharp,
hard, brownish-red spines at their ends;
the petaloid floral covering is waxy-
white, with a greenish, substantial look-
ing base formed by the fleshy ring found
at the bottom of the tube, and which is
peculiar to the Colletias.— Jibore's Paired
New Yorker.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

"We are pleased to notice that the
Conservatories are receiving considera-
ble accessions of valuable plants, and
that a thorough renovation is in prog-
ress. The Marine Aquarium requires
time and much skillful attention to get
it into working order, but its ultimate
success is undoubted, notwithstanding
some delay. It will very shortly be
thrown open for public inspection.
Many curious specimens have already
been obtained.

REPORTS OF SOCIETIES.

State Agricultural Society. — The
Directors of the State Agricultural So-
ciety held a meeting at the office of the
Secretary on Saturday evening, Decem-
ber 14th. It was resolved that the an-
nual election for officers of the society
should take place January 22d. Five
proposals for the renting of Agricult-
ural Park for three years were received,
as follows: Dana Perkins offered $5,100
per year; D. D. Whitbeck, $4,200;
Robert Allen, $4,800; H. Eldred, $3,-
300; A. A. Wood, $5,500. The lease
was awarded to Wood. Sundry bills
were audited, and the meeting ad-
journed.

It is said that a spoonful of sulphur
to a ton of hay will prevent it from be-
coming musty in the stack or bale .

OUR EXCHANGE TABLE.

We have many excellent periodicals
from time to time laid on our table, full
of valuable information, and of far
more general service than the majority
of the trashy literature of the day. We
will notice them as they present them-
selves, and will recommend them to the
perusal of our readers. We have only
space at the present time for the few
following :

The Gardener's Monthly, edited by
Thomas Meehan, published by Brinkloe
& Marot, Philadelphia, Pa. , $2 per an-
num; specially Horticultural and Flori-
cultural.

The Horticulturist, a Journal of Rural
Life, etc. — a monthly magazine — pub-
lished by Henry S. Williams, New York.
$2,50 per annum.

The Overland Monthly, published on
the first of each month, by John H.
Carmany & Co., 409 Washington Street,
San Francisco, Cal. This is the Cali-
fornia magazine.

The Ladies' Floral Cabinet, monthly,
published by Henry S. Williams, of
•New York. 75 cents per annum — as
good as it is cheap.

The Gardener's Chronicle, an excellent
weekly journal, published by William
Richards, 41 Wellington Street, W. C,
London, England. $6 per annum.

The California Farmer, published by
Warren & Co., San Francisco, Cal. $4
per annum.

Pacific Rural Press, by Dewey & Co.,
San Francisco. $4 per annum — an ex-
cellent publication.

Orange culture is extending in Louis-
iana, and it may and should be extended
over all the low valleys and hills of
California.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

25

NOTICE OF BOOKS, ETC.

The Overland Monthly, for January,
1873. Thanks to the publishers, the
first monthly part of the Tenth Volume
of this ever-welcome periodical now lies
before us. "We have been tempted to
devote more time than we at first in-
tended, to look through it, and we have
been well entertained. This number
fully keejDS up the prestige already es-
tablished. The "Journey in a Junk,"
and the "Colorado Desert," are inter-
esting. The "Etc." are piquant, and
the items on ' ' Current Literature " are
liberal and enlightened. This is a mag-
azine well worthy of support. Pub-
lished by John H. Carmany & Co., 409
Washington Street, San Francisco.

The Mitral Alabamian, a Southern
magazine of Progressive Agriculture
and Improved Industry; published by
C. C. Langdon & Co., Mobile, Alabama,
at $2 per annum. This appears to be
an excellent agricultural work, and
should be well patronized. It is not
only replete with valuable information
for the farmer and horticulturist, but
also contains abundant useful instruc-
tion of a general character.

Colt's Illustrated and Family Magazine:
Published by the Colt Publishing Com-
pany, New York and Albany. $2.50
per annum — a very readable magazine.

CATALOGUES, ETC.

It will give us great pleasure to notice
the Catalogues of our friends, the nurs-
ery and seedsmen, if they will favor us
by forwarding them to our P. O. box,
2275, San Francisco.

"We were much pleased with the set
of Catalogues from the nurseries of
Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Sons, Wel-
lington Road, St. John's Wood, Lon-

don, N. W., England. They are very
full and exhaustive, and contain many
varieties which we should like to see
particularized in the catalogues of our
own nurserymen.

Also, from O. Barras, North Fairfield,
Ohio, a useful general Catalogue.

FAVOES BECEIVED.

We have received the monthly report
of the Commissioners of Agriculture,
for November and December ; it con-
tains many valuable statistics and much
other instructive and interesting matter.

From C. H. Green, Esq., Secretary
National Agricultural Congress. The
very able address of M. F. Maury,
LL. D., on the Objects of, and the
Benefits to be derived from, an Interna-
tional Conference to be held among the
leading agriculturists and meteorologists
of different countries.

NEW AND BARE PLANTS.

Callicarpa purpurea.- a shrub asyet

but little known. It grows into a thick
bush, about two or three feet high; the
flowers are borne in the axils of the
leaves; they are small and of a delicate
pink color, numerous enough to be
quite attractive; small berries about the
size of small red currents appear after
flowering, then change in September to
a pearly violet color, and continue to
attract attention through the winter. —
Gardeners' Monthly.

Salvia Taraxacifolia is a native of

the lower slopes of the Greater Atlas,
and was discovered there by Mr. Ba-
lans in 1867.

It has been seen by Dr. Hooker
growing in broad patches, along the base
of the Great Atlas, Africa, presenting a

26

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

very beautiful appearance. The flower
is of a pale pink. — Botanical Magazine.

LaCheiialia tricolor.— £• tricolor, ac-
cording to Mr. Baker's determination,
is a very variable plant, including the
following forms, L. quadricolor, L. lute-
ola, Jacq. ; and L. aurea, Lindl. , of which
the last is by far the most elegant, and
is further remarkable for its bright
color and the waxy texture of its flower.

It flowered in the Royal Gardens,
Kew, England, in March of 1872, from
bulbs. — Botanical Magazine.

New Ornamental Cherry.— a re-
markable sport of the May Duke Cherry,
has been produced in the grounds of M.
Ferdinand Messunge, of Baillonville.
The leaves become narrow at the end,
so as to resemble those of the peach, or
even the willow. Some are eight inches
in length and one inch in width ; others
are four inches in length, and about the
third of an inch in breadth. — Belgique
Horticole.

Roman Hyacinths are among the
newly imported plants, displayed in
greenhouses. They are natives of
France, are both white and blue, and
very fragrant.

Homorphopnallus papillosus. —

The French gardeners are noticing a new
bulbous plant thus named, which serves
as an ornament in the greenhouses from
April to September. The peculiarity
of this plant is, that, after its brown
spathe-like flower is blown, a leaf rises
up and bends over it like a helmet, and
seems to protect and cover it like an
umbrella, which divides into bunches
with numerous pinnated leaflets of a
fine green color.— Ladies' Floral Cabinet.

CrOCilS CiliCiWS is a native of Asia
Minor, and is called one of the prettiest
of autumnal crocuses. In color it re-
sembles Speciosus, with smaller flowers
and narrower petals.

Walking Fern (Camptosorus ryzophyl-
lus.) — This singular and interesting little
Fern is found in rocky woods. It grows
in the almost soilless niches of rocks, or
gets a sufficient foothold on their naked
inequalities. It is quite rare, and dur-
ing several years my searches in the
woods were unrewarded with a sight of
its odd little leaves, till one day, as-
cending a low mountain in this town, in
a quiet, mossy slope of gray rock, far
above my head, a company of these lit-
tle ""Walkers" was discovered, though
it was not till sometime after any leaves
were found.

The frond is simple, reticulate veined
in the midst, and forked only at the
margin. It is undivided, lance-shaped,
with heart-shaped lobes at the base,
and the apex attenuated into a long,
slender acumination, that often bends
over backward and takes root, giving
rise to a new plant. Thus, the fern
takes one step a year. I never have
seen one that had stepped twice.

The faint dots are variously shaped,
and scattered without order on the
transverse veins, slanting, and at various
angles, often in pairs and facing each
other, looking something "like writ-
ing;" hence its Greek name — Antigram-
ma rliysophylea of Presl. It can be
cultivated in the same manner as other
wild ferns, always taking care to give it
a soil and atmosphere as near like its
native own as possible, remembering it
needs little light, much water, and to
be let alone. — Vermont Cor., in Moore's
Rural New Yorker.

CllllOUS OrcMdS.— Alfred Smee, in
his interesting work, entitled "My Gar-
den," describes and figures some cu-
rious species of orchis, among which is
the Orchis mascula, or man orchis, so
called, because the flower has a resem-
blance to a little man dangling from
the plant, and is cultivated more as a

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

27

curiosity than for it=; beauty. The Bee
Orchids are very beautiful, and grow
with great luxuriance under proper
management. A third less showy is the
Fly Orchis. The best soil for these
plants is a light turfy loam.

XCW ClllycailthHS.— A writer in the
Farmer and Gardener states that he has
a white flowering variety of the Calycan-
tkus florida, or common Sweet Scented
Shrub. He says: "I have had these
plants under cultivation several years.
They are decidedly more vigorous grow-
ers than the dark variety. The flowers,
which are straw-colored, are also larger
and more fragrant, and bloomed through
the past dry summer until frost. I do
not know that they will produce the
same flowers from the seed, but why
should they not do so when they have
preserved their original characteristics,
through surrounded by the dark flower-
ing varieties, ever since they were first
known here, more than thirty years
ago." If the above is true, and we
have no reason to doubt it, this new
variety of an old and very popular shrub
will certainly be a valuable accpaisition
to our gardens.

New Bedding Plant.— We have re-
ceived from Henry E. Chitty, Superin-
tendent of the Bellevue Nurseries, Pat-
terson, N. J. , a specimen of a new bed-
ding plant known as Salvia splendens
alba compacta — or, in plainer language,
a white variety of the common Scarlet
Sage. The plant is similar in habit to
this species, the principal difference be-
ing in the color of the flowers. "We think
the lovers of choice bedding plants will
hail this novelty as a great accpiisition.
— Moore's Rural Neio Yorker.

Carbolic soap and water is recom-
mended to destroy mildew on roses, to
be applied by sprinkling.

NEW FEUITS AND VEGETABLES.

White Apple Tomato. — In the "Rural
Southland " we find a tomato mentioned
as new, with this name. This is its
first year of fruiting, and it is declared
promising. Dr. Swaseysaysof it: "The
plant is a hardy, vigorous, drought-defy-
ing grower, and a prolific and continu-
ous bearer — equaling in all these re-
spects the common red and yellow plum-
tomato. The fruit is of a beautiful
cream-white color, medium in size, of a
regular, slightly oblate, apple-shape,
with a smooth, tender skin, and a flesh
at once so almost melting in texture, so
deliciously fruity in flavor, so devoid of
that rank tomato twang that most
people are not particularly partial to,
so solid and so rich, that one will have
to look long and wide before finding
another variety that will so completely
come up to the highest standard of a
first-class table tomato. As a South-
erner we are proud of it, because it is
said to be a Southern variety — and were
it not, we should esteem it as we do
now, the best salad tomato in cultiva-
tion. " — California Farmer.

WORK FOE THE MOXTH.

BY F. A. MILLER.

Rain has been plentiful all over the
State, and the work of sowing, plant-
ing, and preparing the fields and gar-
dens, should not now be delayed.

Our nurserymen and florists are pre-
pared to furnish a fine assortment of
trees and shrubs, both useful and orna-
mental ; prices are moderate, and there
is abundance of room for every tree and
plant, which is offered for sale. The
rains having commenced rather late
this season, the best time for planting
is rapidly passing away, and I would
urge all -who wish to make improve-

28

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

merits in their grounds, to do so prompt-
ly. The California climate requires
early planting.

To those who have gardens, I would
suggest a general overhauling. In the
first place, have all your trees and
shrubs properly trimmed and pruned.
Your evergreen- trees and shrubs need
it, to give them a good form ; your
roses need it, to produce new wood and
an abundance of fine flowers ; after
trimming, secure them well to their
stakes, to protect them against our
heavy winds ; when all this is done, I
would further suggest the application
of some good old horse-manure, by
spreading it over the ground, and then
your gardener may go to work and trench
the ground well with a spade, taking
care that all weeds and the manure is
well worked in below the surface.

For lawns, I would recommend a top-
dressing of fresh or old manure, which
should be allowed to remain upon the
surface for a few weeks, in order that
the rain may carry the nutritive part-
icles into the sod, after which the re-
mainder may be raked- off. Most of our
city lawns consists of made ground,
which is soon exhausted, and, unless a
fertilizing process is adopted, the grass
can not be exjDected to grow uniform
and thrifty.

The planting of Hyacinths, Tulips,
Pseonies, Lilies, Crown Imperials, Lilies
of the Valley, Amaryllis, Anemoues,
Ranunculus, etc., should now be com-
menced. Plant, (after thoroughly pre-
paring the soil,) in a warm and mod-
erately dry situation ; a well manured
sandy loam suits them best. Pseonies
may be planted in heavier soil, and
they require less sun, and will bear
more moisture.

The planting of seeds in the open
ground should be delayed, although in
this mild climate Mignonette, Pansies,

Candytuft and the like, will germinate
readily; but I have found that the
planting of such seeds in February and
March, is quite as good, and frequently
much better. The ground at this time
is cold and wet, and the seed is apt to
lie dormant for many days, which often
result in decay.

During the month of December, we
had some unusually cold weather, which,
in many localities, seriously injured
Heliotropes, Fuchsias, Geraniums, and
other soft-wooded plants. These, how-
ever, will come up again from the
ground. Notwithstanding the cold
weather, we notice in the northern part
of the city Heliotropes, Fuchsias and
Geraniums, and even Cinerarias, in full
bloom in the open air.

In my garden, the following plants
are now in bloom in the open ground :
Verbenas, Ageratums, Stevia, Fuchsias,
Heliotropes, Cinerarias, Ericas, Pansies,
Pinks, Pentsiemon, Cestrum, Gerani-
ums,Polygala, Laurustinus, Myrtle, Can-
terbury Bell, Sollya, Roses (of which I
would mention, Safrano, Daily White,
Lyoniase, Hermosa, Model of Perfec-
tion, Pauline Lancezeur, Eliza Sauvage,
La Sylphide, Mad. Bosanquet, etc.),
Calceolaria (the shrubby variety), So-
lanum jasminoides, Veronica, Brug-
mansia, Diosma, and many others.

Greenhouses and conservatories, which
are not artificially heated, have been
affected by the cold and the following
rainy weather. I do not provide for
artificial heat, yet I have the following
plants in bloom : Cyclamen, Camellia,
Azalea, Primula sinensis, Torrenga,
Daphne, Salvia, Jasmine, Cactus, Cin-
eraria, Begonia, Hyacinths, Tuberoses,
Hoyacarnosa, etc.

Plants in greenhouses should now be
watered very moderately, and no shift-
ing into larger pots should take place
at this time. I find, that plants in com-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

29

paratively small pots do best in winter.
Give fresh air plentifully ; during clear
weather it maybe given from nine o'clock
in the morning until three o'clock in
the afternoon, unless heavy winds
prevail.

If your Coleus or Bigonias show rot-
ten leaves, remove them at once.

Seeds of greenhouse plants should
not be sown yet, unless bottom -heat
can be given. All that should be done
now is, to preserve the plants which are
on hand ; the propagating of any kind
should be delayed until a more favor-
able time.

If it should be desirable to have early
vegetables, Lettuce, Cabbage and Cauli-
flower seeds, may be sown in a frame.
Peas may be planted now.

REPORT ON THE FRUIT MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEK.

That most excellent, healthy, and
useful fruit — the Apple — is usually
found in great abundance in our mar-
kets throughout the year. "We obtain
the early or summer apples from such
warm situations as Pleasant Valley,
Yolo County, sometimes as early as the
months of April and May ; one month
later we have them from less warm
localities around us, within twenty
miles of the city; and, still later they
are brought to us from further north,
Oregon, etc. The same remarks will
apply to our supplies of apples of the
fall and winter varieties — though of the
latter our warm, pushing climate allows
but few compared with those of the
eastern parts of the United States. The
varieties which last with us the longest
in winter are the Newtown Pippins,
Spitzenbergs, Putnams, Golden Rus-
sets, Lacly Apples, etc. The Newtown
Pippin, no doubt, ranks highest for all

Vol. III.— 5.

general purposes on this coast, as it
does in New York. When apples are
required for preserves, they should be
used before growing mealy — the most
common fault of apples, if not of most
other fruits, in this rapidly forcing
clime. Among the largest apples is
the kind called Gloria Mundi, but it is
rather coarse, and insipid in flavor;
they have been known to weigh three
and a half pounds.

Of Pears : there are many varieties of
this excellent fruit all the year, except
in early spring and late in the winter.
Among the choicest of winter pears
are the Winter Nelis, Glout Morceau,
Easter Beurre, Vicar of Winkfield
(not Wakefield), Lawrence, and Beurre
Clairgeau. They are now becoming
pretty scarce in the markets, but are at
the present time more abundant than
usual at this season.

Oranges are fast becoming more
plentiful, and lemons also. That de-
licious, wholesome, and nourishing
Southern fruit — the Banana — refreshes
the sight (it is rather too dear for the
ordinary palate), in large, beautiful
bunches, half yellow, and perhaps most
frequently half green. They grow sep-
arately on a very stout twig or branch,
in a spiral form, to the number of from
twenty to sixty in a bunch. The red
varieties are considered the best, though
they seem to be much scarcer here.
The Plantain is used for cooking only.

Grapes have nearly, if not altogether,
disappeared. In the East, they seem
to preserve the Catawba longer than we
do ours; owing, probably, to their sea-
son being later. We have a great ad-
vantage over the East, in being able to
grow all the luscious foreign grapes in
perfection in the open air. There they
have to use hot and cold graperies for
these.

It seems to be of little or no avail to

30

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

suggest to our fruit-sellers to label
every variety of fruit they have for sale.
We have done so several times to no
purpose. If they would take our hint,
it would speedily educate the public as
to the best kinds of all the fruits. It
is worthy of remark that, notwithstand-
ing the lavish liberality of many of our
housekeepers, and their willingness to
pay the largest prices for the best pro-
ductions of our market, we find more
fruits than ought to be offered for sale
of an inferior quality. Surely, the 50
to 100 per cent, higher prices paid for
the few superior cultivated and perfect
fruits which are found and sold in our
markets, should be an all-sufficient pre-
mium to induce the fruit-grower to de-
vote his attention to procure the choicest
varieties of the different sorts of fruit.
We would instance among summer
fruits that most delicious plum, "The
genuine Green-gage," which is so little
cultivated. And so with many other of
the choicest and first-rate fruits.

The numerous varieties, both culti-
vated and wild, foreign and domestic,
which are received here and sold in the
markets, demonstrate the necessity, as
well as the importance, of their being
perfectly cultivated. We observe that the
farmers of this State have lately formed
a union for the better and fairer atten-
tion to their interests, as between buyers
and sellers. Certainly, the fruit cult-
urists should do the same thing, for they
are too much in the power of the mid-
dle-men, or salesmen, in the cities and
towns.

Fruit, in perfection, should be full
sized, sound, ripe, fresh, and of the
best kind; and when most plentiful,
possess the best and highest flavor.
They should be kept in cooler places
than those in which they are usually
stored, as this best preserves their high-
ly valued juiciness.

®m$$\w\u\nm.

To the Editor of the California Horticulturist.

Sir : — I have just received from my
friend, the Professor of Botany in the
Sheffield Scientific School, Mr. D. C.
Eaton, a copy of some notes which he
has prepared for the guidance of those
who wish to collect sea-weeds or alg83.
Before leaving New Haven, Professor
Eaton gave me a very beautiful series
of the sea-weeds, which he has collected
within the past few years, on the sea-
board of New England. The collection
includes fifty -five specimens, all of
which are determined and marked with
printed labels, indicating the localities.
He will be glad to exchange specimens
with collectors, if any there be, in this
vicinity, and with the hope of promot-
ing such exchanges, I intend to exhibit
his collection in the Academy of Sciences,
and deposit it in the University. It
will give me pleasure to be the medium
of exchange between any California
collector and Professor Eaton.

Yours, respectfully,

D. C. GlLMAN.

University of California, |

Oakland, Cal., Dec. 26, 1872. (

This collection has been inspected
with much interest by an experienced
collector of marine algae, residing in
this city. He will be pleased, at an
early date, to exchange with Professor
Eaton.

The notes, alluded to by Professor
Gilman, will be found in another column
of the present number of the Magazine.

We append a letter from our friend,
Dr. C. A. Stivers, relating to the collec-
tion of algse sent by Mr. Eaton. — Ed.

To the Editor of the California Horticulturist.

Dear Sir: — As a student of algse-
ology, I have derived great pleasure
from the examination of a small col-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

31

lection of marine algge, from the New
England coast, prepared by Professor
Eaton, of New Haven, and by him pre-
sented to Prof. D. C. Oilman, President
of the University of California. It was
through the kindness of the above-
named gentleman, and of Mr. Carmany,
that I was enabled to examine the col-
lection, and compare it with my own of
the Pacific Coast. Although not strict-
ly in the line of your articles, I have
still thought that a few words, re-
specting them, would not be out of
place.

The collection embraces specimens
from the three great classes of marine
vegetation, and comprises some, which
have not, as yet, been found on this
coast. It is particularly rich in the
Ehodospermce (red weeds), such as the
Callithamnions, whose tracery is more
delicate than the finest lace, and with a
color extremely brilliant. One speci-
men in particular, the Daysa elegcms, is
remarkable for its rich coloring. This
weed has, I believe, never been found
on this coast, though I have every
reason to think that it has a habitat
here.

The series is t$b small to make a
comparison with those found here ; but
as a general thing, I think their colors
are more brilliant, while their growth
is less robust.

This collection is, I understand, to be
deposited in the State University, and
it is to be hoped that it will form the
nucleus of a collection which shall em-
brace both the east and west coasts of
North America.

The study of algseology may seem, to
practical minds, of little value, and as
having but little bearing upon the eco-
nomic matters of life. Such is not the
case. They plaj^ a most important part
in the machinery of Nature; and, aside
from their great beauty and interesting

formation, are worthy objects for our
consideration. Yours truly,

C. A. Stivers, M. D.

We hope to hear more of this in-
teresting subject. — Ed.

California Shad. — Those interested
in the subject of fish culture will be
pleased to know that the effort to stock
our rivers with shad has attained the
gratifying beginning of success. In
June, 1871, the State Commissioner
placed in the Upper Sacramento a large
number of shad procured of Seth Green,
of New York. It was well known that
these fish would migrate to the sea in
the autumn, and also known that when
old enough to spawn they would return
to fresh water, but it was not known as to
whether they would return prior to that
time, or whether the migratory instinct
was founded solely on the necessities of
spawning. The fish were placed in the
river with but slight expectation of see-
ing any result of the effort for three
years at least, at which age they first
spawn. Australia planted her waters
seven consecutive years before a single
shad was caught therein, but the effort
in California was destined to bear early
fruit. Seth Green, who under the direc-
tion of the Commission imported the
fish, offered a reward of $50 for the
first shad caught in the river. It now
appears that the reward has been earn-
ed, though not yet claimed. Last sum-
mer two Indians caught in their traps
two fish of a species wholly new to
them. They were caught in the upper
Sacramento, about four miles from its
confluence with Pit River. The Indians,
not a little surprised at the capture of
the finny strangers, and having never
met their kind before, took them to

32

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Mr. Elmore, who resides on the river at
that point. Mr. Elmore, suspecting the
truth, took them to his neighbor Hovey,
who, having resided on shad streams at
the East, was competent to expert the
case, and who at once pronounced them
genuine shad. The Commissioners re-
gard the story of this capture as wholly
reliable, and feel safe in declaring the
effort to stock the river with this valua-
ble species of the finny tribe as success-
ful. Apropos of this, it may be stated
that the Commissioners . have recently
placed ten thousand trout in the South
Yuba, near the head-waters of that
stream ; also, a number of speckled
trout in the north fork of the American.
Somebody claiming to be authority in
the matter, has declared that an acre of
water is equal to an acre of land in pro-
ducing food to sustain human life. If
this be true, fish- culture is worthy the
attention it is receiving. — Sacramento
Record.

Ramie and Jute. — In the Report of
the Commissioner of Agriculture for
1872, just received, we find an interest-
ing allusion to the value and growth of
two of the more recently introduced
textile plants, Ramie and Jute, and
speaking of them as likely to prove of
importance, particularly to the southern
States; and as we have the climate of
those States and some advantages they
have not, for the growing of the plants
alluded to, we extract from the report
as follows:

"Ramie and jute, fibrous plants
which promise great value, have recent-
ly been introduced into the United
States, and to some extent have been
distributed by the Department in the
southern States, the climate of which
is alone adapted to their successful pro-
duction. Of the former, little progress
has been made in its use, because ma-

chinery has not been invented by which
its fibre may be separated; but its value,
in view of its fineness, strength, and
beauty, will yet command an exercise
of ingenuity which will make its cult-
ure a profitable industry.

' ' The latter has already taken its place
in the manufacture of carpets and other
fabrics as a substitute for cotton, wool,
flax, and hair. Each of these, I may
safely predict, is destined to occupy an
important place in the products and
manufactures of this country; and it is
not the least important consideration
that they may serve largely to diversify
the crops of our southern States, a sub-
ject which has commanded much of my
attention, because of my conviction of
the many benefits which will result
therefrom.'' — Pacific Rural Press.

Warm Water for Plants. — The tem-
perature of the water used in watering
house plants, .or even those in the open
border, is a matter that should receive
more attention than is given it. It is
too often the case that the temperature
is wholly unknown, and great injury is
often the consequence. There is no
mistaking the effect of warm spring
rains upon young grass and plants, and
its influence upon the germination of
seeds; whilst autumn rains — unless they
too are warm — produce no such sudden
and vivifying effects.

Water should be tempered, should be
made temperate, and never applied to
plants when below 60 deg., and had
better be ten degrees higher than one
lower. Experiments have shown that
cucumbers in a hot bed will stand water
at 90 degrees without injury; but, as a
standing rule for all plants and shrubs,
from 60 to 75 degrees is the right tem-
perature.

Water used in watering plants should

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

33

be free from sediment. It is not essen-
tial that it "be pure water; but for show-
ering the leaves and branches should
be as near pure as ordinary spring or
river water. In watering the earth of
pot or border plants, even liquid ma-
nure, or water containing fertilized salts
can be used : but it should not be turbid
or muddy. Such water soon fills up all
the pores of the soil, preventing the in-
gress of air to the roots of the plant.

Extended Irrigation. — The foregoing,
which refers more particularly to the
application of water to pot plants, may
veiy reasonably suggest the propriety
of understanding well the properties
and condition of water used for pur-
poses of more extended irrigation. We
not unfrequently hear of injury done
to plants and trees by watering; and
the charge is laid to irrigation; and at
once a sweeping denunciation goes
forth, condemning the practice as
"worse than useless."

But find out the real truth, and the
fault would lie, not so much in the
application or use of water, as its nature,
condition, or temperature. It is not
spring water that injures vegetation
when applied, but it is cold spring
water; nor is it the excess of water,
half as much as it is the mode or time
of application. The subject of irriga-
tion is one of growing importance to
the interests of our agriculture, and our
columns are always open to its reason-
able discussion. — Pacific Rural Press.

Horticultural Meeting. — The annual
meeting of the "Wisconsin State Horti-
cultural Society will be held at Madi-
son, commencing February 3, 1873.
These sessions are usually well attended
by prominent horticulturists of Illinois,
Michigan, and Iowa, who are always
welcomed.

Plants for Parlor or Coxservatort.
— Of the many plants used to beautify
the house, few equal the palms. There
is a great variety of form, most of them
having rather long, pendent, or curved
plumose fronds. Many are delicate,
and must be kept at an even genial tem-
perature, protected from drafts, to in-
sure any degree of success in their cul-
ture; but there are some quite hardy,
that will do very well and give an attrac-
tion to any group of plants, and in any
room kept a little above freezing.
Among the most hardy we will name a
few:

Chamaerops, fortunei, andtomentosa,
very hardy; cabbage palms, chamsedorea
elegans, corypha australis, (fan palm),
thrinax parviflora, are extremely beauti-
ful; Latania borbonica; livistonia sub-
globosus is one of the prettiest fan
palms we ever saw. All of the above
are cheap, and can be had of most large
floral establishments. — Southern Agri-
culturist.

The Medical Botany of California. —
Dr. W. P. Gibbons, of Alameda, has
been devoting considerable time and
labor to the investigation of the medi-
cal properties of the plants peculiar to
this Coast, and solicits the aid of his
professional brethren in different quar-
ters. In a paper, lately read before the
State Medical Association, he describes
a number of cases showing marked
benefit from the Grindelia in Asthma,
and thinks it will prove a valuable rem-
edy, if employed with proper discrimi-
nation. There are two species which
appear equally active, the robusta grow-
ing in low places, and the hirsutula on
dry fields and hills. The infusion he
regards as the best preparation.

Peru proposes to pay off her public
debt in guano.

34

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICTJLTUBIST.

Haedness of Wood. — It is a great
convenience to know the comparative
value of different kinds of wood for
fuel. Taking shellbark hickory as the
highest standard of our forest trees,
and calling that one hundred, other
trees will compare with it for value as
follows :

Shellbark hickory 100

Pignut hickory 95

White oak 84

White ash 77

Dogwood 75

Scrub oak 73

White hazel 72

Apple tree 70

Red oak 69

White beach 65

Black walnut 65

Black birch 62

Yellow oak 60

Hard maple 59

White elm 58

Bed cedar 56

Wild cherry 55

Yellow pine 54

Chestnuts 52

Yellow poplar 51

Butternut 43

White birch 43

White pine 30

But it is worth bearing in mind that
there is a very considerable difference
in woods of the same species, according
to the manner and soil on which they
grow. A maple that grows slowly on
an upland pasture, standing alone or
apart from other trees, will last much
longer and give out a greater degree
of heat than one that grows in a swamp
or in the midst of a dense forest. On
wet, rich ground, it will be less solid
and less durable for fuel, and conse-
quently less valuable than a tree of the
same kind that grows on a dryer and
poorer soil. For sale, to be sure, one
would be just as good as the other.
To the purchaser oak is oak, and pine
is pine, but for home, the tree grown
on dry upland and standing apart from

others, is worth a great deal more.—
Exchange.

Bules foe Peeservino Feuit. — -The
London Garden gives the following as
the rules of the Royal Horticultural
Society, for the preservation of choice
fruit :

1. As the flavor of fruit is so easily
affected by heterogeneous odors, it is
highly desirable that apple and pear
rooms should be distinct.

2. The walls and the floor should be
annually washed with a solution of quick-
lime.

3. The room should be perfectly dry,
with as uniform a temperature as prac-
ticable, and be well ventilated ; but
there should not be a through draft.

4. Use the utmost care in gathering
fruit, handling as little as possible.

5. For present use, fruit shotdd be
well ripened, but for long keeping it
is better, especially with pears, that it
should not have arrived at complete
maturity. This point, however, requires
considerable judgment.

6. No imperfect fruit should be
stored with that which is sound, and
all more or less decayed specimens
should be removed.

7 . If placed on shelves the fruit should
not be more than two days gathered, and
no straw should be used.

8. Where specially clear and beauti-
ful specimens are wanted, they may be
packed carefully in dry bran, or in lay-
ers of perfectly dry cotton-wool, either
in closed boxes or in large garden pots.
Scentless sawdust will answer the same
purpose, but pine sawdust is apt to com-
municate an unpleasant taste.

9 . With care, early apples may be kept
until Christmas ; while many kinds may
be preserved in perfection to a second
year.

The rules given by American fruit-
growers agree very well with the above,
but make especial mention that fruit
rooms for slow ripening should be near-
ly dark, and the temperature low.
Light and heat hasten maturity, and
next, of course, decomposition.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

35

Thinning Fruit. — This is* a lesson
which we have learned, and the necessi-
ty of which we have often endeavored
to impress upon cultivators, and which
every successive season teaches "with
stronger emphasis : It is absolutely nec-
essary for all who send fruit to market,
to send large fruit — and the markets
are constantly and progressively requir-
ing large and fine fruit. Even the
Seckel-pear, which once commanded
in the Boston market the highest price,
will not now, unless of extra size, sell
for any more, if as much, as common
varieties of larger size. A medium-
sized fruit, or even one of smaller size,
may be more economical for use, but
unless some decided change in the pre-
ferences of the majority of purchasers
shall take place, large fruit will sell
better than small. To produce this,
the fruit must not only have good culti-
vation, but must be thinned. One-half
the trees which bear fruit every year,
would be benefited by having one-half
of the fruit taken off as soon as it
is well set. The over -bearing of a tree
will, in a few years, destroy it. We
may lay it down as a certain rule, that
excessive production is always at the
expense of both quality and quantity ;
if not in the same season, then in the
succeeding one : for when branch is
contending with branch, leaf with leaf,
and fruit with fruit, for its supply of
light and food, it would, indeed, be
an anomaly in Nature, if this should
not result in permanent injury to the
trees as well as to the annual crop. —
Marshal P. Wilder.

The corn crop the last season in the
United States is thought to be the larg-
est ever produced. Oats, barley and
rye are about average. Potatoes less
than average.

Changes in Russian River. — A cor-
respondent of the Cloverdale Bee notes
several remarkable changes that have
taken place in Russian River in the
past few years. Its banks were heavily
wooded, and when it overflowed it de-
posited a sediment, raised its banks,
and returned to its channel without
doing any injury. But now, since the
land has been cleared and cultivated,
when the river overflows its banks, the
swollen waters having full sweep carry
off the deposits of light soil of former
years ; and as it returns to its bed, the
banks are cut down at a destructive
rate, changing the course of the stream
and swallowing hundreds of acres of
land worth from $50 to $150 an acre,
and at the same time increasing the
width of the river from an eighth to
a quarter of a mile. The Russian riv-
er bottom will produce 100 bushels
of corn and 125 sacks of potatoes to an
acre.

Funeral Flowers, in New York. —
In all our larger cities flowers form a
large source of revenue to florists who
make bouquets, etc., a specialty. In
New York, the aggregate sum sjDent
yearly on flowers is immense. Upon
funeral flowers, especially, large sums
are expended. The following will show
the prices paid for leading sorts in Win-
ter: The price of a handsome basket is
from five to fifty dollars. Bouquets can
be made at from three to twenty-five dol-
lars. Single rosebuds costs twenty-
five cents, and carnations twenty cents.
Smilax is sold at one dollar a yard,
and violets by the dozen at twelve
cents. One spray of lilies of the valley
costs twenty-five cents.

Autumn leaves — when winter comes

36

THE CALIEOBNIA HORTICULTUBIST.

Poison Oak.— TExperiruents with ani-
mals go to prove that Poison Oak (rhus
toxicodendron) may be eaten with im-
punity. Indeed, we have frequently
heard it asserted by persons in Califor-
nia that they have seen it eaten by men,
with a view of its acting as an antidote
to its j)oison externally, or from mere
braggadocio. All Calif ornians are aware
of the violence with which its juice acts
when applied to the skin of most per-
sons, many being severely poisoned by
its slightest touch. It is also claimed
that some people are so sensitive to its
action as to be seriously poisoned by its
exhalations, without any contact what-
ever with either its juice or foliage. —
Pacific Rural Press.

Charcoal as a Purifier. — The Coun-
try Gentleman says: All kinds of uten-
sils can be purified from disagreeable
odors by rinsing them out with charcoal
wet into a soft paste. Putrid water is
immediately deprived of its bad smell
by its use. When meat, fish, etc., are
liable to become spoiled from long
keeping, charcoal dust will keep them
sweet; and if there is a single taint to
meat, it can be taken out by putting
three or four pieces of coal as large as an
egg into the water in which it is boiled.
This will effectually purify what seems
too far gone for use.

Irish Bogs. — They have been cele-
brated for ages as simply immense
basins of liquid mud of no value, and
the land they occupy has always been
considered as lost, till within a few
years.

Out of bog mud there are manufact-
ured splendid candles, quite equal to
wax. In fact, they are formed of a ma-
terial held in solution in the mass of

matter, vJhich is a rosin that is believed
to be the product of trees or vegetable
products of a vastly remote epoch in
the world's history.

Bogwood is simply trunks of ancient
trees that have been saturated in bogs
for undefined periods till they are
charged with various elements that not
only give them a very hard texture, but
an exceedingly black color susceptible
of a beautiful polish. Ornaments for
ladies, hubs for wheels, and various
articles for the toilette, are formed from
the ancient productions of primitive
forests. — Alia.

The Banana.— This jolant is an article
of primary importance for the subsist-
ence of man wherever the temperature
reaches a sufficient degree of heat for
its growth. An acre planted with it
will support more than fifty persons,
whereas the same amount of land sown
with wheat will at best only support
two j>ersons. As to the exuberance of
its growth, it is calculated that, other
circumstances remaining the same, its
produce is forty-four times greater than
that of the potato, and one hundred
and thirty-three times greater than that
of wheat. The banana, however, does
not thrive outside the tropics, — Western
Rural.

The California Farmer thinks the fact
that this State has only four per cent, of
woodland — the lowest average in the
Union- — and that the forests she has are
being very rapidly consumed, and that
her coal-beds are at best not extensive,
ought to incite immediate action on the
part of her public men.

The camphor-tree grows extensively
in Florida.

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. III.

FEBRUARY, 1873.

No. 2.

CHOICE FLOWERING SHRUBS FOR THE
GARDEN.

BY F. A. MILLER.

Our mild climate admits of the culti-
vation of so many desirable flowering
shrubs in the open air, that it is difficult
to make a selection of the very best. I
could name fifty species at least, which
might be recommended with safety, and
which would give general satisfaction
to our cultivators; but my purpose at this
time is to confine myself to a very few,
which appear to me the most exquisite.
I will omit the Laurustinus, the Lilac,
the Snowball, and many others, more
popularly known among us, and name
first :

The Poly gala (I believe its specific
name is Dalmaisin). This, I believe,
has no superior as a hardy evergreen
flowering shrub. It has many excellent
qualities: it is evergreen; grows almost
in any kind of soil; it stands close
pruning; may be grown into any desir-
able form ; flowers throughout nine
months of the year; and is literally
covered with flowers in midwinter,
when other flowers are scarce. It is a
strong grower, and yet it may be kept
in a neat and compact form ; its flowers
are of a beautiful purple color, pleasing

Vol. in.— 6.

and effective. This shrub should be in
every garden, and it will give general
satisfaction. The Polygala may be ob-
tained of any florist at a very reasonable
price. Although its cultivation is at-
tended with no difficulty, it is not
easily propagated, which must be done
under glass ; it is also difficult to trans-
plant, and is therefore always cultivated
in pots, from which it may be planted
out in the open ground, without dis-
turbing the roots. The closer it is
trimmed, the compacter and neater it
will grow. I think, also, it would make
a beautiful ornamental hedge. I am
glad to say that the Polygala, so far,
has been received with popular favor as
an evergreen flowering shrub. To the
best of my knowledge, it has not yet
been introduced in the East.

I will next name the Erica family, of
which there are many excellent varieties,
which have been cultivated successfully
by some of our florists. The Ericas are
not so well known here as the Polyg*ala,
but I am quite certain that they will
prove even more popular than that
shrub, when once generally known. The
Ericas are a class of plants which have
been cultivated very extensively in Eu-
rope for years past, and the florists
there offer hundreds of varieties ; large

38

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

greenhouses are entirely filled with
them. I do not say that all of these
would do well in California; but, from
experience, I can say that some of the
best are doing remarkably well in the
open air. When first introduced here,
our florists were in the habit of treating
them as greenhouse plants ; this was all
wrong, and since they have been culti-
vated in the open air, they are fast be-
coming the favorites of every florist,
and, at the same time, of our amateur
gardeners. They find their way slowly
into our gardens, because most of our so-
called job-gardeners do not even know
the plant, much less its fine qualities.
The Ericas are evergreen; the foliage
is graceful and dense, and mostly of
a dark green color ; the flowers are
small and bell -shaped, extremely del-
icate and pleasing, and of red, white,
pink, purple, rose and other shades,
and they almost cover the plant in time
of flowering, which commences in De-
cember with some varieties, and con-
tinues throughout winter and spring.
From a plant two or three years old,
hundreds of little branches, full of
flowers, may be cut for bouquets and
vases, for which purpose they are well
adapted. I hope, before long, to see
as many Ericas in our gardens, as we
now see of Fuchsias. The propagation
of Ericas must be left to our profes-
sional gardeners, unless there are ample
preparations made. The ends of the
young shoots are used for the purpose;
they are planted in sand, closely cov-
ered with glass, and must be carefully
watched until well rooted. There is no
flowering shrub which I could more
strongly recommend for general culti-
vation!

To those already described, I will now
add the Bouvardia, a splendid flowering
shrub, which has heretofore been treated
exclusively as a greenhouse plant, and

which, in my opinion, is incorrect.
Although this shrub has given satisfac-
tion to florists as a greenhouse plant, it
will more generally please if cultivated
in the open air ; our climate is well
adapted for it. However, I would ad-
vise to set out strong plants of at least
one year old. Under glass, the Bou-
vardias are much infested by insects,
which is not the case if cultivated out
of doors. It is also an evergreen shrub,
producing waxy, tubular flowers, in
bunches, of rich pink, red, and white
colors. I believe it will flower continu-
ously, the whole year around, in the
open air. All the varieties may not be
equally well adapted for out of doors,
but B. elegans, Hogarth, splendens, and
Vrelandii, will do well. For bouquets
and vases, the flowers are exceedingly
well adapted, and will last for a long
time. A more general cultivation of
this shrub ought to be encouraged.
Plants may be obtained cheaply of all
responsible florists. The proper time
to plant them out is from this time
until May.

Our amateur gardeners are constant-
ly asking for choice plants for the
garden. If they will make diligent in-
quiries, our florists of good standing
will supply their wants, and if they are
encouraged, they will continue to in-
troduce desirable plants ; but so long as
people are satisfied with Cypress, Pine,
and Gum trees to fill up their gardens,
nurserymen and florists will suffer loss
by cultivating- those which they know
to be far superior and more ornamental.

Crops. — The California wheat crop of
1872 is 75 per cent, greater than that
of 1871, and will approximate 30,000,-
000 bushels. The quality is excellent.
In Oregon the crop is very good, and
also larffe.-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

39

THE BUBAL HOMES OF CALIEOENIA.

BY MRS. E. 8. CAEB.

Of all the external signs of progress
shown in any country, none are so sig-
nificant as the homes which represent
the standards of comfort and culture
to which the masses of the people as-
pire.

California has so often been described
as the Land of Gold, of Natural "Won-
ders, of Corn, and of "Wine, that this
phase of its development seems almost
the only one with which the public are
not familiar. Tourists who flit hurriedly
over the highways of travel rarely get
more than a glimpse of the rural resi-
dences, for which Nature seems to have
been prejDaring when she rounded the
hills and fringed the canons with living
tapestries of varied green; and few of
our own citizens are aware how fast
these are multiplying at all the points
within easy access of the business cen-
tres of our population.

Until very recently the eastern idea
of country life among us has corres-
ponded to the character which the Cali-
fornian Pindar recently gave to the
"Argonauts of '49," and not even the
princely hospitalities at Belmont and
other places have removed the impres-
sion that our homes are the creations
of sudden wealth, rather than the
growths pf a deliberate purpose and
love of rural life.

"While we believe the great want of
California is more of the sentiment
which attaches to the hearth-stone, it
is true that from the earliest days there
have been home-makers among us ca-
pable of a high enjoyment of natural
beauty in its development as well as its
results — planters rather than purchasers
of homes. In making the work better
known which would do credit to the
rural taste of the oldest portion of the

country, and in showing the unexam-
ined facilities for it afforded here, in
the diversity of surface, climates, and
productions, we hope to do a needed
service. '

Fair Oaks, the Home of Ron. T. R.
Selby. (See frontispiece.)

The name of this lovely region indi-
cates its chief characteristic.

The missionary fathers, who always
found the right places to build in,
pitched upon the Santa Clara Yalley as
one of their centres, planting there the
Olive, Vine, and Palm. On the right,
as you enter it from San Francisco, the
Coast Range rises in picturescpie ridges,
clothed at the top with the giant Red-
wood; and on the left, above the blue
waters of the Bay, and above many
lesser peaks, the cone of Mt. Diablo
stands clear cut against the horizon.

One regrets not to have seen this valley
when deer and antelope browsed its herb-
age, and the procession of the seasons
was over a flower-carpet more gorgeously
colored than even Mr. Buskin's wrord-
painting could describe. Not to see it
now in the tender green of spring, or
later in the golden prime of harvest, is
a sin for which there can be no excuse.

If we can imagine Mr. James' "soli-
tary horseman" set down at any point
on the county road between Millbrae
and Menlo Park, he would fancy him-
self in the oldest and best cultivated
portions of the United States. The ex-
cellent roads, high tillage and ample
conveniences of the farms, the sleek
cattle in the pastures, and, above all, the
frequent glimpses of stately residences
peeping from among the trees, give an
expression of finish and repose to this
district not exceeded by that of the
Connecticut Biver Yalley. It would be
difficult for him to believe all this the
work of less than twentv years.

40

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

The Pulgas Rancho, — which, begin-
ning at San Mateo Creek, included
Menlo Park on its southern boundary —
twelve miles long by three in width,
was the first land for which a United
States patent was issued. Upon it we
find Belmont, the country homes of
Messrs. Hayward, Parrott, Atherton,
Latham, and other citizens of San
Francisco, with many of more moderate
cost and pretensions, which are occu-
pied throughout the year.

The Selby homestead, four hundred
and fifty acres in extent, is one of the
oldest improvements upon the natural
park which once occupied the level floor
of the valley. Two species of Oak —
Quercus agrifolia, and Q. Sonomensis —
show here some of the most admirable
forms and groupings of this family of
trees, and are the frame-work of the
ornamental plantations. A magnificent
specimen guards the entrance from
the county road. Thence by grandly
sweeping curves we approach the house
through close avenues of Pinus insig-
nia, Monterey Cypress and Gum trees;
but so many of the native Oaks remain
as to give these avenues a dignity far be-
yond their years. At Christmas they
were bright with the scarlet berries of
the Holly, a native also, and of unusual
size and luxuriance. Bordering the
avenues are many fine young conifers,
Pines, Spruces, Sequoias, etc., which
have received no water since the first
year after planting.

The crowning beauty of the place is
The Lawn, whereon the fairest of fair
Oaks, draped with Ivy, cast their soft
shadows upon the velvet turf. Art
could not heighten the effect of their
grouping — close enough for shelter,
open enough for cheer. A single jet
of water, which falls into a wide circu-
lar basin — a mirror framed in flowers,
reflecting the spiny tops of the Pines

and the feathery plumes of tropical
grasses — is almost the only atttempt at
ornament. The suggestions of Nature
have been respected here, and the views
from the windows are all characterized
by simplicity and breadth. Choice
trees and shrubs are found, but not
obtr.uding upon the lawn, and there
has been no attempt to change the nat-
ural surface. No ugly cairn, misnamed
a "rockery," suggests an Irishman and
a cart. You get a glimpse here and
there of an orchard, just where an or-
chard should be placed to be daily
enjoyed by a family.

With these surroundings, the house
and outbuildings are all in keeping. A
roomy and commodious go,thic cottage,
with a wide veranda over which Roses
and flowering Vines are trained, ex-
presses comfort, ease, and refinement
without ostentation. Large estates and
establishments are sure to make slaves
of their owners, and unless one be wise
the cost and care of living is greatly
increased in the country.

Of Mr. Selby's four hundred and
fifty acres, less than ten are in the
home grounds, and eight in the orch-
ard. AjDples, Pears, Cherries, Plums
of the best varieties, Apricots and Nec-
tarines, Figs and Almonds, produce not
less than fifteen hundred bushels an-
nually. The small fruits have a place
also.

All the rest of the land is either
under the plow, or used for pasturage of
thirty horses and twenty cows with
which the farm is stocked. The sales
of wheat have amounted to $20,000,
not counting the present crop of some
$3,000 worth on hand. The stock,
though not fancy, is of the best.

The whole is surrounded with a squir-
rel-tight fence, and an excellent road
leads from the house entirely around
the property. There is a driving-course

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

41

for the training of horses raised upon
the farm. The barn, poultry -house,
etc., are models of convenience, and no
expense has been spared to secure the
best results by the best methods.

There is a Eucalyptus-tree near the
house, which has been planted nine
years, fifty feet high and two feet in
diameter. Pine trees send up leaders
three and four feet in a single season.
The Fig trees have borne almost since
their first planting, and were the ad-
miration of the horticultural experts,
Messrs. Wilder and Downing, who vis-
ited the State three years ago. The
Almond orchard is one of the sights to
be remembered when covered with its
blooming promise of fruit. All this
proves thoroughness of cultivation.

The experiments of the rich are often
costly failures, which discourage similar
attempts even upon a small scale. Here
is a home kept for pleasure, and not
profit, which would be an ample fortune
to one less favored than its owner, and
upon which he might depend for an
ample support were all other resources
to fail. Taking it for all-in-all, it is a
representative home, and its Argonaut,
who found the Golden Fleece, has
proved over again "that it is the soli-
tude and freedom of the family home
in the country which constantly pre-
serves the purity of the nation and
invigorates its intellectual powers. "

NEGLECTED FLOWEKS.

There are several beautiful garden-
flowers, though easy of culture, that re-
ceive but little attention at the hands of
our chief colonial cultivators. Among
these may be mentioned the Balsam,
which is one of the gayest and most
charming flowering - plants, either for
border or pot culture. We rarely see it

in our gardens, and more rarely still at
our horticultural exhibitions. When
well grown, the Balsam is graceful in
outline, perfectly pyramidal in shape,
clothed with delicate and elegant foli-
age, and bearing a profusion of richly-
tinted blossoms. They can, moreover,
be grown as small window-plants, or as
good- sized, handsome bushes for the
borders; they also look remarkably well
when grown in six-inch pots, and bloom-
ed for decorative dinner - table plants,
being particularly beautiful by gas-
light. The mode of culture we have
ourselves pursued, with success, is as
follows : First of all, choosing a good,
rich, leaf -mold soil, to which sand should
be added, and the whole well mixed to-
gether ; it is then advisable to sow in
pots, which must be plunged in a cu-
cumber-frame with slight bottom - heat,
being careful not to cover the seed too
deeply — not more than a quarter of an
inch at most. Care must be used not to
over -water; and when the plants have
made their second leaves, they should
be potted off into rich compost, using
five -inch pots, which are sufficiently
large. They will need care in potting-
off, the Balsam being very susceptible
of injury ; and they should never re-
ceive a check, for if they do, they will
not attain to large size. After potting-
off, plunge them again into the frame or
pit, and allow them plenty of light. The
bottom -heat necessary is from seventy to
eighty degrees. Judicious shading will,
of course, be required, and constant at-
tention as regards watering. The young
plants will then grow very rapidly, and
commence to branch out freely. Di-
rectly the pots become filled with roots,
they must be shifted at once into eight
or ten-inch pots, using good rich loam.
Some of them will, by this time, need
training, the lower branches being
brought down to cover the top of the

42

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

pots ; this will require to be carefully
performed. "When very large specimens
are wished for, a still further potting
will have to be resorted to, two sizes
larger pots being chosen ; or they can
be planted out in rich and somewhat
protected beds. The first blossoms
should be picked off, to allow the plants
to make size ; for the Balsam is a rapid
grower, and well -furnished plants can
be obtained in a short space of time, if
due care and attention be given. To se-
cure a successional display, it is abso-
lutely necessary to sow three times, at
intervals of six weeks or so, when a con-
tinuous bloom may be secured for six
months of the year. Plants cultivated
in pots are much the best, plunged while
growing, and until they are wanted
for decorating windows, rooms, green-
houses, &c. Almost everyone can grow
the Balsam, if he should be so minded ;
and they will repay any cultivator for
the care and attention he may devote to
them. One well grown and bloomed
plant set between two ferns, in the
drawing-room window, has a delight-
fully cool and elegant effect. — Melbourne
Times.

ON WATEEING.

BY E. J. HOOPEK.

People are apt to think that when the
garden looks dry it wants water, and
they are doing good in administering
that element; but, self-evident as this
may seem to be, the benefit is not quite
so positive as it may appear. On the
other hand, there is a very great risk
of doing serious injury.

How can this be ? will be the ready
inquiry. Plants require that the soil
should be moist; when it is dry, the
use of water moistens it ; therefore,
watering must be beneficial, and the

oftener we water, the more benefit we
confer. This seems plausible enough;
but is just these so often repeated water-
ings that do so much mischief.

The climate of California is a very un-
certain one as to rains, even in the
rainy season, and particularly in either
its commencement or- ending. There-
fore watering is necessary, not only
during the hot, dry weather in our
spring, summer and fall months, but
sometimes even when verging upon
winter, or tapering off into summer.
But we are now speaking of the hottest
weather in summer. We will suppose
that a garden gets a tolerable sprink-
ling every evening — enough, in fact, to
saturate the surface, which then looks
cool and comfortable. Next day, the
sun causes the evaporation of this
moisture, and the ground at the surface,
being as it were made into a pudding
by the drip-drip of the water, becomes
baked into pie when the sun has drawn
off the fluid. In fact, the surface be-
comes what is familiarly called caked.
Now, this is repeated night after night,
by these dribbling waterings ; and the
consequence is, that the whole mass of
earth gets caked or baked hard; it be-
comes thoroughly dry just below the
surface, and, if drought continues
(which it does of course in our summer),
as far down as the roots grow — a very
natural result — the plants languish if
they do not die, their decadence in or
exit from this "changing scene" being
certainly chiefly caused by the heat of
the sun, acting on their languid, droop-
ing frames.

What should be done in such a case?
Why, first, and above "all, give up the
practice of watering every evening.
Break up the surface with a short dig-
ging-fork; give a thorough soaking,
which, of course, must be done toward
night — a cloudy sky (which, however,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

43

occurs but seldom and only in some
part of our year) favors the operation
during the day ; next morning hoe the
surface lightly with a small, or Dutch
hoe ; do this as often as you can after-
ward for some time, instead of water-
ing. Repeat the soaking after a week,
or more, but continue, if possible, by
all means, the hoeing. Thus will the
whole garden be invigorated, and what
was before tending toward a desert
will "blossom as the Rose."

Besides caking and eventually dry-
ing the soil, slight surface waterings, if
continued, encourage surface roots.
This is encouraging them to place
themselves in the worst possible condi-
tion under the circumstances. They
may drink in a little of the water ap-
plied at night, it is true, but the mid-
day sun scorches and paralyzes them,
and the efforts of the plant to produce
them is thrown away.

It is of some importance what kind
of water is applied. Soft water is to be
preferred to hard — and by common
consent it is adjudged to be the best.
It will always be better, too, if the chill,
supposing it to be very cold from the
hydrant, should be taken off, by allow-
ing it to stand some time in tubs in the
air. In some cases, in very small lots
or gardens, the benefit will be increased
greatly, by watering with diluted liquid
manure. Real guano is good, also, for
the purpose here referred to.

. Plants for Vases. — When cottage
grounds are of sufficient size, a hand-
some vase of fair proportions, mounted
on an appropriate pedestal, is always
a pleasing object, especially when filled
with healthy, suitable plants ; and I
have seen rustic vases formed of twigs
and branches, with the base surrounded
by Ivy, when the idea of fitness to the

place was unquestioned. The hand-
somest vase I ever saw was of medium
size, with a vigorous specimen of Rus-
sellia juncea in the centre, and trailing
over the edge was Gnaphalium lanatum,
intermingled with the delicate stems
of Ampclopris Veitchi. The slender,
thread-like stems of the main plant
were covered with a profusion of scarlet
tubular flowers, hanging over, partly
covering a few Alternantheras with richly
colored leaves. I recollect a pair of
broad, yet very shallow, vases situated
on either side of one of our finest resi-
dences near Philadelphia, and, although
many months have passed since I last
saw it, yet the picture is as fresh in my
mental vision as if but yesterday. The
ornaments were not two feet high, and
were placed upon the ground without
pedestals. The surface of one was
completely covered with the metallic
leaves of an Echeveria — the other with
a very dwarf Alternanthera. Around
the base of each was a bed of some
large-leaved Ivy, encircled with a ring
of the choice variegated variety.— Josiah

Hoopes.

<.

PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE.

BY WILLIAM H. YEOMANS.

There is a great necessity for a recon-
structed agriculture in many sections of
our country. It makes but little differ-
ence what the latitude is, there are cer-
tain general conditions that are always
the same, and the result of particular
farming operations will always be the
same. Thus continued cropping, with
but little or no return of fertilizing ma-
terial to the soil, will sooner or later
produce a state of infertility, and there-
fore necessitate an amendment of the
soil before successful farming opera-
tions can be pursued. In this consists
the somewhat deplorable condition of

44

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the southern agriculture. Too little re-
gard has been had to the manufacture,
accumulation and application of fertiliz-
ing material to the soil, so that it is in
many places so reduced as to produce
only minimum crops. This ought not
so to be, as it is an evidence of retro-
gressive rather than progressive agricul-
ture. The man who attempts to culti-
vate extensive fields wanting in fertility
is laboring in vain; he can hardly expect
even a return for his labor, saying noth-
ing of any profits that he ought to re-
ceive ; and yet, notwithstanding a full
knowledge of this fact, men will labor
on year after year, and perhaps attri-
bute their want of success to some
peculiarity of the season, or some at-
mospheric changes which they can not
control.

Does not this state of things, then,
prove the necessity of a change in
practical agriculture ? And, if so, what
change is required ?

For one thing, it may be said that no
man should undertake the cultivation
of any crop until he is prepared to give
the ground upon which the same is to
be cultivated a sufficient dressing of
some sort of manure to warrant a crop
that will not only repay for all the labor
expended, but will also furnish a good
profit on the investment. It requires
no argument to satisfy any person that
no more labor is required to produce a
maximum than a minimum crop ; the
only difference consists in additional
labor at harvesting time, which, under
such conditions, most persons are will-
ing to give. Now, although commercial
fertilizers are very valuable to the
farmer, years of experience have proven
the fact that for all crops, and for keep-
ing a soil in excellent condition, there
is nothing better than animal manure,
mixed perhaps with organic matter;
the tendency of this is to render the

soil more porous, and so capable of ad-
mitting a free passage of the air, which
not only tends to assist fertilization by
means of the gases which it contains,
but also to keep the soil in dry seasons
more moist, by means of insensible de-
posits ; while, on the contrary, the tend-
ency of mineral and inorganic manures
is to compact the soil, rendering the
same more difficult of penetration by
the roots, as well as difficult of cultiva*
tion. One of the first requirements,
then, in the line of progressive agriculture,
is, that each and every tiller of the soil
should inaugurate some system by which
the fertility of his fields may be restor-
ed, and not only that, but that it be
raised to such a degree as to be able to
produce maximum crops. This, of ne-
cessity, will require some time and
patience, and may be accomplished in
different ways, one of which is by the
saving of everything that possesses fer-
tilizing elements, and which frequently
is allowed to go to waste, and applying
the same to the land. But the ways
and means must be reserved for other
articles. — TJie Rural Alabamian.

Arrangement of Cut Flowers. — The
London Gardener says that of all the
various mistakes made by persons in ar-
ranging flowers, the commonest is that
of putting too many into a vase; and
next to that, is the mistake of putting
too great variety of colors into one
bouquet. Every flower in a group
should be clearly distinguishable and
determinable without pulling the nose-
gay to pieces; the calyx of a clove Pink
should never be hid by being plunged
into the head of the white Phlox, how-
ever well the colors may look. Sweet
Peas never look so well in the hands as
they do upon the boughs over which
they climb, because they can not be

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

45

carried without crowding them; but
put them lightly into a vase with an
equal number of Mignonette; or rather,
ornament a vase half full of Mignonette,
with a few blossoms of sweet Peas, and
you get a charming effect, because
you follow the natural arrangement by
avoiding crowding of the blooms, and
putting them with the green foliage
which they want to set them off. Few
people are aware, until they try it, how
easy it is to spoil such a pleasing com-
bination as this; a piece of Calceolaria,
scarlet Geranium, or blue Salvia, would
ruin it effectually. Such decided colors
as these require to be grouped in an-
other vase, and should not even be
placed on the table with sweet Peas.
They also require a much larger pre-
ponderance of foliage than is wanted
by flowers of more delicate colors. It
is unquestionably difficult to resist the
temptation of "just putting in" this or
that flower, because "it is such a beau-
ty;" a beauty it may be — and so may
be an Apricot — but it would be out of
place in a basin of green-pea soup !
There is at least one proper place for
every flower; then let every flower be
in its proper place.

THE COLORADO DESEET AS AN IN-
LAND SEA.

Could the Colorado Desert be again
filled with water? It is an interesting
question. From the Gulf of California,
it is probably an impossibility. The
gradual silting up of the old gulf -bed at
the mouth of the river, and the drift of
sand by the wind, have interposed a
barrier too extensive to be easily re-
moved. By turning the Colorado River
into the desert it might be accomplished.
The project has for years been discuss-
ed, of taking enough water from the
river to irrigate a stretch of fertile land,

Vol. III.— 7.

alluvial deposit, found at the southern
end of the desert ; but the idea of going
further than this, of diverting the river
into the desert, and forming a large
fresh-water lake, seems never to have
been broached. Nature, unassisted, is
now attempting this. The drift of sand,
through the prevailing western wind, is
from the desert toward the east. This
drift has kept the river walled in upon
the east side of the valley, and has ap-
parently constantly forced it further in
that direction.

Could that desert be refilled with
water — converted from dry, hot sand to
an inland lake — the very heat which is
reflected from the barren mountain-
sides around would be a power of good
instead of evil. The constant evapora-
tion would render heat latent which is
now active, thus lowering the annual
temperature very perceptibly. This
lowering of temperature alone, even if
unaccompanied by an increase of moist-
ure in the air, would give a greater rain-
fall by the more perfect condensation
which it would cause. But the evapor-
ation from the surface of the lake would
materially augment the supply of rain-
currents, thus acting in a double man-
ner— a decrease of temperature and an
increase of moisture from precipitation.
These rain - currents would also meet
with less difficulty in making their way
against the ocean winds — as these winds,
caused largely by the heat of the de-
sert, would be less violent — and would,
therefore, with more certainty and reg-
ularity, deposit their supply of moist-
ure over the plains of Los Angeles, San
Bernardino, and San Diego. "When it
is considered that every additional inch
of rain is worth millions of dollars to
these southern counties, the value of
such a change in quantity and certainty
of fall may be readily appreciated. —
Overland Monthly for January.

46

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

"A GEAIN OF MUSTAED."

I was one of the least of the small, small things
Which from our Father's footstool springs —
But a little seed, that was wafted away
By the frosty winds of an autumn day,
Till I sank at last in a narrow cell,
"Where withered leaves above me fell.
It was dark and drear in that little spot,
And I felt myself a thing of nought,
As through each long, long winter day
Alone, inanimate, I lay.

The sighing winds swept wailing near,
And through their plaint I seemed to hear
These words: "A sparrow can not fall,
Unnoticed by the Lord of all."
Then why should I, a little seed,
Sleep in the ground without His heed ?
For One, who likened such as me
To "Faith," while in his ministry,
Inspired the vital germ within,

Till the genial spring, with dewy wing,

And warm, bright, sunny hours,
Awoke again, o'er hill and plain,

The dormant leaves and flowers.

I felt unfold my shroud of mold,

My tiny leaves expand
To stalk of green with foliage sheen,

Among that flowering band;
A golden crown then bow'd me down,

And for this blessing given
I waft above, with breath of love,

Sweet fragrance unto heaven. Beta.
San Fbancisoo, January 27th, 1873.

IVY FOE DEAWING-EOOMS.

A writer in Hearth and Home says :
The trailing Ivy is certainly among the
most beautiful drawing-room decora-
tions. Its dark green leaves harmon-
ize well with all other colors likely to
surround it, and its graceful branches
render even square windows and frames
beautiful.

Six years ago a sprig of Ivy was
brought from Abbotsford to Mrs. Chas.
Palmer, of Brooklyn, and it now graces
the arch of the folding doors between
the parlor and third room of her lovely
home. When first brought, this prec-

ious sprig was rooted in water, and
then planted in the garden, where it re-
mained till it had grown large enough
to be brought into the house. Every
spring, the shoots grown during the
winter are carefully cut off, and the
branches tied loosely together. The
whole vine, so tied, is planted in good
soil, and fastened to the garden fence,
there to remain, through the summer
months.

Mrs. Palmer has now two vines of
about equal length, which are trans-
planted into large pots every fall. Each
leaf is then rubbed on both sides with
sweet oil, and after the pots are put in
place, one on each side of the folding
doors, the vines are carefully trained,
and secured by strings and tacks to the
wood-work. The branches of the vines
on the opposite sides of the arch are in-
terlaced as they meet, so that no divis-
ion is apparent. The earth in the pots
is watered daily.

Mrs. Palmer oils the leaves of both
her large vines in three or four hours,
by simply moistening her fingers in oil,
and lightly rubbing each leaf on both
sides at the same time. She is amply
repaid by the entire absence of mould
or whiteness from the leaves, and the
fresh, vigorous appearance of the plant.

Trained over windows, doors, or pic-
tures, the Ivy always produces aTfine
effect. For decorations on a small scale,
vines may be grown by simply immers-
ing the stems in small vials of water
carefully secured to the frame to be or-
namented. Indeed, by a judicious
placing of a number of these, so that
each root may have its own vial, a fine
effect of luxuriance may be produced.
The tops of long champagne -glasses,
which have lost their stands, may be
substituted for vials, and the effect
greatly improved by placing either in
suitable spruce-wood holders.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

47

The Madbona Tree.— Branch •with leaves and fruit of the Madrona (Arbutus Menziesii), half natural size. Also

flowers of A. Menziesii, half natural size.

THE MADRONA TREE*

BY DB. A. KELLOGG.

Ant. " Before thee stands this fair Hesperides
With golden fruit."

— Pericles, Act 1st, Scene 1st.

Who will solve for us that most mar-
velous sylvan mystery of the Pacific
Coast? — we allude to the almost uni-
versal neglect of the magnificent ever-
green Madrona, an ornamental forest
tree, unsurpassed for grandeur or varied
beauty.

* Arbutus Menziesii.

Let us consider its just claims for a
moment. We have at our bidding a
lofty tree, fifty to one hundred feet in
height; as seen in native haunts on the
alluvial lands of the coast, or amid other
forest trees, we behold it straight and
trim as the most fastidious could wish
— when young, easily domesticated,
trimmed and trained to any form desir-
able ; at home on foggy coasts with
fierce winds, dry hillsides, or barren
and burning peaks; ever clad in foliage
of living green, equal to the most ma-
jestic Magnolia. Other trees may sleep

48

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

in quiet, waiting the return of the wild
song-bird, and the renewing breath of
spring; but love's highest emblems never
sleep; ever on the alert, she is awake with
the new year,, bringing gifts to the
dear ones, and good to all living. Laden
with shagreened orange and red berries,
the most beautiful the eye ever beheld
— surpassing the choicest strawberries —
sweet, nutty, and delicious to the taste,
she sub- tropically overlaps the rolling
year with, ceaseless glory. Anon the
sweet breath of her flowers — now in
bloom — greet the sense, fragrant and
exhilarating as odors wafted from the
Happy Isles; the busy bee and the but-
terfly sip their nectar, but no noisome
insect infests this charmed tree. The
white and blushing blooms peep over
the dark green background, crowding
their clusters into view, or bashful and
half concealed, the whiter and purer
bells hide beneath the shade. It is thus
she modestly droops her pretty heath-
like clusters, cheering the winter months.
How neat at all seasons ! Changing
her dress as custom requires — yet al-
ways elegant, caressing the eye, ever
suing for admirers — exfoliating bark,
or laying off a few superfluous leaves in
the hot months of July and August —
the most strikingly picturesque tree of
all the groves — limbs now out fresh,
.smooth, and soft, with exquisitely fresh-
ened green, tender and delicate as a
maiden's skin — fair tablets to carve "Ro-
salind" upon; the very sight of which is
like inspiring a sweet zephyr just astir,
breezing from out some cool, shady
grove, when the traveler is faint and
weary. Even the fading foliage falls un-
obtrusively down as comes "still even-
ing on" in twilight dews. "Fading
foliage!" did I say? Nay; the beautiful
leaves brighten, like celestial hojDes
above, into every shade — to hallowed
gold and royal purple, in exchange for

the natural green of earth. So, also, the
sea-green surface beneath yields to a
softened, mellow white, no artist could
cease to admire. With such a sheen, the
enlivened shade is by far the' most
cheerful that ever bore that name be-
fore; myriads of bright and gay re-
flectors spiriting it away — meanwhile,
shedding their "sweetness on the de-
sert air." Our feet never pressed her
half-dismantled robe without a feeling
akin to entering the neatest ladies' j>ar-
lor in the land. Instinct with the
feelings of the Great Chief, we are fain
to echo the eloquent apostrojohe * * *
" The earth is my mother— I will re-
pose on her bosom." With uncovered
head, and due reverence in the pres-
ence of orderly Nature, we are oft prone
to tarry beneath the beautiful boughs ;
and, may we say it? always leave with
the lingering regrets of a lover. Re-
turning anon, behold the sky -green
bark changed to deep orange, burning
red, or sober cinnamon brown, out of
due respect to autumn, and the fashion
of the season. How strange the view!
What marvel of moods ! Fascinating
by every art that could please, with
ever-varying beauty. Could imagina-
tion, fiction, or fancy, portray to itself a
sylvan object more wonderful, more
chaste, or more charming ! Consider
again, that it sink deep into thy soul —
its broad magnanimous canopy of large,
thick, rich, shining green, and tropical
foliage — vivid semblance of the Grand
Magnolia {Magnolia grandiflora) of the
South — laden, as it were, with a mass of
burning berries, as we have seen it this
season — its smooth, red, naked limbs,
like the native red man, giant of the
woods, stalking the forest with majestic
tread — and you have before you the
handsomest tree of the West.

Spare us, dear reader, the merited
allusion to its timber. Ghosts of de-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

49

parted saw- mills, and vandal skeletons
with axe in hand, loom up from the
other place to haunt the evening of our
da}7s. "We would rather sit on Mad-
rofia's knees — that often resemble those
of the deciduous Cypress of the East —
and teach your children the wisdom
that shall reverence sylvan use and beau-
ty, that they may offer betimes some
acceptable incense of affection for the
native forest trees of the land. True,
this tree, like others we could name,
does not bear transplanting from the
wild state well, from lack of the usual
number of fibrous roots of many other
trees; but it germinates easily and
grows freely from the seed. "Why,
then, is it not more cultivated?" The
nurserymen reply, "Because, there is
no demand." These and other trees
and seeds should be put in the ground
as soon as possible after the first rains.
For those not familiar with this tree, a
very inadequate sketch, made by the
writer many years ago, may be seen in
the 6th volume of the Pacific Railroad
Reports, page 23d.

RECENT FRENCH DISCOVERIES IN
HORTICULTURE, ETC.

A correspondent sends us the follow-
ing translation from " Le Bien Public,"
of Dijon in Burgundy, of the 21st of
April :

" An agriculturist has discovered, it is
said, the means of preserving the grape-
vines from their most dangerous enemy,
the Phyloxera, a sort of vine-fretter or
vine-grub. It seems by mixing soot
with the earth around the roots of the
vine, the insect is paralyzed and is
killed.

Secondly, a discovery curious enough
has been made recently.

An agriculturist has obseiwed that by
watering vegetables and fruit trees with
a solution of sulphate of iron, the most
astonishing- results are obtained.

Beans have gained 60 per cent, on
their ordinary size, and what is better
their taste is much more savory.
Among fruit trees, the pear-tree is most
benefited by that process of watering.

Third, the Revue d' Economic Eurale
announces that a new process of early
vegetation has been tried with the
greatest success by a horticulturist of
Chatillon, France, who, besides the
heating of the interior air in the green-
house (hot-house) heat also the earth
itself, the hot-bed on which the plants
grow.

For this, he establishes at a certain
depth pipes through which steam circu-
lates constantly. The steam penetrates
the interior of the earth by means of
valves opening from place to place.

Such pipes are from five to ten centi-
metres (from two to four inches) depth
by the side of the plant beds of straw-
berries, flowers and "graminces;" from
fifteen to twenty centimetres (about
six to eight inches), for fruit trees.

The earth thus artificially heated pro-
duces vegetables and fruit with an econ-
omy of half the time necessary when
the interior of the greenhouse only is
heated.

Thus, every one could see at this ag-
riculturist's, early in April, strawberries
that had blossomed, formed their fruits
and ripened in fifteen days ; violets that
had developed their flowers in ten days;
asparagus and artichokes which have
grown and been gathered in thirty -five
days.

Finally, within only forty-five days,
dwarf cherry-trees have budded, blos-
somed, and brought forth fruits in a
perfect state of ripeness."

This wonderful process of early vege-
tation is new as to its application to
gardening. But it is taken from nature.
It is well known that in several thermal
stations, and especially at Aix, in
France, the gardens which are near or
above the thermal fountains, produce
early fruit and vegetables (primem\s) in
winter ; the earth being heated by wa-
ter-steam, the heat of which raises to
eighty degrees centigrade. — Maryland
Farmer.

50

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

FOREST -PLANTING, A SOURCE OF
WEALTH.

BV PROFESSOR EZRA S. CARR.

In the November number of this
journal, the rapidity with which our
country is being disforested was shown
from departmental statistics ; in this I
desire to call public attention, and
particularly that of owners of large
bodies of land in California, to the im-
portance of forest-planting, as a source
of future wealth. The value which the
crowned heads of Europe have put upon
their forests is well known ; the strin-
gent, and, as it might seem, almost in-
human laws made for their protection,
are the result of a wise and far-reaching
policy, far more creditable than our
national indifference. In this, as in so
many other things, with us, the neces-
sary legislation will follow enlightened
public opinion, itself the effect of indi-
vidual examples and successes.

The first laws made in England for
the preservation of forests (not to be
confounded with laws for the preserva-
tion of game), were made by Queen
Elizabeth, in consequence of orders
given to the commanders of the Spanish
Armada : viz., in the event of conquest,
to destroy the English forests, and
especially that of Dean.

Now Dean was, like Windsor and
Sherwood, an appanage of the crown,
filled with noble Oaks of such excellent
quality for ship -building, that its de-
struction was equivalent to cutting off
the right arm of the nation. Luckily
for England and for us, the Spanish
axes did not accomplish the mischief
they intended ; the great Oaks grew on
unharmed until the time of Charles I. ,
who reduced their numbers from 105,-
537 to some 30,000 ; one of the crimes
against the English people for which a
sad reckoning-day was to come. One

of the first movements of the Restoration
was the re-planting of 11,000 acres ;
and the forest of Dean, sixty-four square
miles in extent, is now fully recovered.

Windsor Forest, once 120 miles in
circuit, has dwindled to about fifty -six,
of which the Little Park, immediately
connected with the castle, containing
500 acres, and the Great Park contain-
ing 4,000, are the most important. It
is well stocked with game, and contains
choice plantations of exotic trees and
shrubs.

The glory of Sherwood, once so
famous in the legendary history of
England, has departed, but it still con-
tains 1,500 acres of very old oak timber,
and within its ancient limits are found
many interesting trees. The New Forest
in Hampshire, originally ninety miles
in circumference, also contains timber
of great value.

The history of Arboriculture in Eng-
land, both in the Royal Forests and the
seats of the nobility, is of great prac-
tical interest to us, because the kind of
trees there found of most value for
timber, fuel, and the various purposes
of the arts, will all flourish in a large
part of the United States, and some of
the best of them are indigenous here. In
the case of the Royal Forests, the records
have been carefully kept for a long
period, while the local traditions of
some historic trees extend back to a
remoter time than that of Robin Hood
or Heme the Hunter.

They are under the general con-
trol of the Crown Commissioner of
Woods and Forests, and employ a small
army of officials of graded rank ; Lord
Wardens, Deputy Wardens, Verderers,
Woodwards, etc., who, it is said, de-
plete the royal revenue, and contract
the ancient limits. It is comforting to
know that they are subject to some of
the evils incident to public domains

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

51

elsewhere; that squatters thrive where
poachers perish without anybody being
to blame. But notwithstanding these
drawbacks, the Royal Forests contribute
no inconsiderable part in the revenues
of the crown.

The grandest tree of these forests is
the Oak, the tree which, living or dead,
contributes so much to the beauty of
the Englishman's home, and which may
be said to have given him the suprem-
acy of the sea. It is believed that an
Oak after reaching a circumference of
four feet, gains a solid foot every year,
and it is on this basis that the profits of
the plantations, as timber, are estimated.
But the thinnings are also very valuable
for poles, posts, hurdles, etc. Evelyn
estimated the total profits of 1,000
acres of well matured oak timber, at
£670,000. The relative value of the
Oak has changed somewhat by the in-
troduction of foreign trees of a more
"rapid growth. Immense plantations of
the Norway Pine, Scotch Fir and Larch,
have superseded them in the north of
England and Scotland.

Forest -planting, in Great Britain,
commenced about the year 1664, through
the instrumentality of John Evelyn and
the Royal Society.

The wide popularity of Evelyn's
writings, and his own zeal and enthusi-
asm, gave an immense impulse to tree
planting in England. Let us see what
came of it in a hundred years. One or
two instances must suffice. In the year
1783, the Duke of Gordon sold his
plantation of Scotch Fir to Mr. Osborne,
of Hull, for ten thousand pounds ster-
ling. Mr. Osborne made of it forty-
one ships, at a cost of seventy thousand
pounds. At the castle a specimen plank
is shown from this first harvest, six feet
long by five feet five inches in width. The
ground was not then cleared, but left
to produce successive crops of timber.

At Holkham, the seat of the Earl of
Leicester, there is a park of 3,200
acres, ' 'farmed in an admirable manner."
The first earl planted one thousand
acres of it with acorns of the Quercus
sessifolia, and lived to witness, with his
family, the launching of a noble ship,
built from some of the trees, and to see
the forest "worth a prince's ransom."

The Scotch Pine attains perfection, as
timber, at from 150 to 200 years old.
It is planted close, and the trees, like
those of the great natural forests of
Oregon, reach from fifty to sixty feet
without a branch, and are from eight to
ten feet in circumference. The thin-
nings alone are regarded as giving a fair
profit on the investment.

The relative growth of the different
trees used in English plantations, may
be seen from a record of actual growth
kept by the Marquis of Lansdowne. The
trees were planted in the year 1675,
on a swampy meadow with a gravelly
sub-soil; the measurement was taken in
July, 1785:

Height Circumference.
Name of tree. in feet. ft. and in.

Lombardy Poplar.. 60 to 80 4 8

Abele 50 "70 4 0

Plane 50 " 60 3 6

Acacia (Locust) ... . 50 " 60 24

Elm 40 " 60 3 6

Chestnut 30 "50 2 9

Weymouth Pine .. . 30 " 50 2 5

Cluster " ... 30 " 50 25

Scotch Fir 30 " 50 2 10

Spruce " 30 " 50 2 2

Larch 50 " 60 3 10

I will not dwell upon the various
uses of this timber, or of the calorific
value of the different species. But
from the

" Close grained chestnut wood, of sovereign use
For casking up the vine's most potent juice,"

to the tree which only Americans des-
pise, Lombardy Poplar, there is not one
which we shall not require in California
within fifty years, because each is as

52

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

admirably fitted to some special want of
the artist or manufacturer, as the Lime
is for the most delicate carving, or the
Willow for gunpowder.

The indigenous trees of the Pacific
Coast are the most highly prized,
and among the most profitable in Eu-
ropean plantations. The nurseries of
France, Germany and Italy, are well
stocked with our giant Sequoias, our
Firs and Pines. Noble avenues of
American Plane, and the Liriodendron
or Tulip-tree of the Middle States, adorn
the cities of central and southern Eu-
rope. A few poor specimens of these
trees may be seen in private collections
in California, but the nurserymen do
not propagate them. As yet, there is
little demand for anything but quick-
growing, showy trees — Monterey Cy-
press, Blue Gum and Acacia. All our
forest-planting seems tending towards
Eucalyptus culture on a large scale.
This seems the greater pity, because so
large a part of the arboreal world is at
our command from which to choose.
The Cinchona, of South America, would
doubtless flourish in some localities in
our State ; and China, and Japan have
many useful trees which could be easily
acclimated here.

It is only by observing and respect-
ing the methods of Nature that men
succeed in gaining mastery over her
hidden resources. Now, Nature never
plants a field or forest with a single
species ; she loves an infinite diversity.
A plantation of Blue Gum would be an
abomination in her sight, and, we may
be sure, she has some chosen parasite in
reserve with which to destroy it. In
Scotland, because Larches were most
immediately profitable, they planted
more and more Larches, until a fungus
came which devoured first their hearts,
and then all their ligneous fibres, until
nothing was left of them but bark and

roots. Then a cry went forth that the
Larches were a humbug and a failure,
until De Balfour suggested that they
had become diseased from overcrowd-
ing and overstocking the land. Then it
was found that, when the Larch was as-
sociated with other trees, the Ash, and
the Oak especially, in equal proportion,
it was as healthy as ever.

Diversified planting, like diversified
farming, will prove the only profitable
mode, for California, in the end. A
thousand acres planted with a variety
of evergreen and deciduous trees with
due regard to their habits and economic
uses, we believe, would be one of the
safest and most permanently profitable
investments that could be made upon
the land. Nor need we wait even a
quarter of a century for returns.

The Eucalypti, intrinsically valuable
in so many respects, make admirable
nurses for slower growing and more
tender species, and maybe used as soon
as this object is accomplished. The
rate of their growth and importance in
our forestry, and of some other exotic
trees, will be treated in a subsequent
paper.

ENGLISH VIEW OF VEGETABLES AND
SALADS.

The Gardeners' Chronicle, speaking
of vegetables for culinary use, truly
says : Neither one nor the other should
be washed until they are about to be
cooked or eaten. Even Potatoes lose
flavor quickly after being washed ; so
do Carrots and Turnips ; while water
will quickly become tainted in summer
in contact with Cauliflowers and Cab-
bages, and thus destroy their freshness
and flavor. The case is still worse with
Salads. If washed at all, it should be
only jiTst before they are dressed, and
they should be dried and dressed im-

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

53

mediately. Nothing ruins the flavor of
vegetables, and renders good salading
uneatable, sooner than water hanging
about them. If Lettuces are quite clean,
they make the best salad unwashed ;
but, if washed, the operation should be
done quickly, the water instantly shaken
out, and leaves dried with a clean cloth.
But alas! how often are they cut and
washed in the garden in the morning,
and pitched into water in the scullery
sink until wanted. Then we are grave-
ly asssured that our gardeners can not
grow salading like the French ! But
what French "artiste" would be mad
enough to rinse out his salad juice, then
recharge his lettuces and his endives
with semi-putrid water? The best prac-
tice is simply to remove all superfluous
earth by scraping or rubbing, and all
rough tops of leaves by cutting. Enough
tender leaves may be still left on Cauli-
flowers and Broccoli to overlap the
flowers. Salad should be sent in from
the garden with most of the outside
leaves and main root- on. The tender
leaves are easily .tainted and injured by
exposure, and if the chief root is cut off
short, much of the juice oozes out at
the wound. Where vegetables and
salading have to be bought from a town
green-grocer, the conditions are alto-
gether different. Not only washing,
but soaking often becomes requisite to
restore something like pristine crisp-

ness.

•

OLD FLOWEEING PLANTS.

BY F. A. MXLLEK.

An impression seems to prevail among
those who cultivate flowers here, that
flowering plants should last forever,
and do well. This is unreasonable, and
demonstrates that the nature and wants
of many plants are not really under-
stood. Plants of the garden as well as
Vol. in.- 8.

those of "the greenhouse, conservatory,
and window, have their time.

It is true that, by proper cultivation,
all plants will do well for a much
longer period than if neglected; but the
time will come when they should be re-
placed by new stock.

No one would attempt to cultivate
the Grape-vine by leaving it entirely to
its own chances ; in truth, it is a well-
known fact, that it requires a certain
amount of skill and experience to culti-
vate Grape-vines properly. The same
may be said of Currants, Raspberries,
Strawberries, and all other useful and
ornamental trees and shrubs.

People hereabouts expect entirely too
much for their money. When applica-
tions are made to a florist for a plant,
the following queries are made: -'Is it
evergreen ? will it flower all the time ?
are the flowers fragrant? will it grow
up to a big bush?" etc. Now, it is not
very often that in any one plant all
these qualities are combined. If flowers
are desired continually, plants must be
selected which will produce flowers at
different seasons. Some of the most
desirable flowering shrubs are not ever-
green, and, therefore, they are not
looked upon with much favor. All
this is wrong, and should be corrected
at once. I have often endeavored to.
convince people, that it is far better to
go to the nurseries, and select Boses, for
instance, from the open ground for
planting during the rainy season; these
will do much better than Boses forced
into bloom under glass ; but from my
own experience, I can say, that Roses so
forced meet with a much better sale,
than if taken up from the ground.
Some say that they want to see the
flowers when they purchase; I would
say to them, go to a responsible florist,
and you will not be deceived in the
varieties you select. I would trust a

54

THE CALIFOBNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

respectable florist just as far as I would
a respectable druggist.

But to the point. You purchase a
Chinese Primrose, say, in a four-inch
pot, full of flowers, and in a healthy
condition at this time; you may reason-
ably expect that it will continue to
flower well for about three months
longer, when it should be shifted into a
five-inch pot. In doing so, only a por-
tion of the soil should be removed, and
replaced by light sandy loam, mixed
with one -quarter old rotten manure.
After shifting, water well, and place in
a shady place for a week. You may
then give it its former sunny position
again, and new foliage and new flowers
will make their appearance, and con-
tinue to do so for three or four months.
At the beginning of next winter, shift
again into a six-inch pot, in the same
manner as indicated before, and your
Primrose will continue to flower during
the winter months of 1873 to '74. By
this same treatment you may keep it
another year, butl advise you to procure,
after this second year, young plants
again; in fact, I throw away these old
plants always, to make room for the
more vigorous young plants. .Double
Chinese Primroses I retain for a num-
ber of j'ears, because they produce a
.greater abundance of flowers when
several years old. Primroses, of course,
should only be cultivated under glass,
in greenhouses, conservatories, or win-
dows, where they will thrive admirably.

The Cineraria is a beautiful flowering
plant for winter decoration, but is of
still shorter life than the former; yet,
under very simple treatment, I have
seen these do well for two years. A
Cineraria in bloom now, will continue
so for four or five months, after which
time it may be set aside in some shady
place in the open ground. In autumn,
take the plant out of the pot, shake off

all the soil, and replant in a smaller-
sized pot, and for further treatment the
same as for the Chinese Primroses, only
keeping a little more shaded. How-
ever, I would say, that the Cineraria
will not do so well in the window as
the Primrose, the dry air of the room
being rather injurious to it.

I have mentioned these plants as ex-
amples; but this rule may be applied, to
some extent, to most plants cultivated
for flowers or foliage.

Take, for instance, the Eose, which is
known to everybody. In this climate
the Eose makes a wonderful growth of
wood, most of which, and sometimes all
of it, is permitted to remain. The
strength of the plant is exhausted in
useless wood and foliage, and a very
few, if any, good flowers are produced.
If this is allowed to go on for several
years, the plant becomes actually worth-
less. If I plant a Eose-bush, I plant it
about one inch deeper than it has been
growing previously. I cut the main
stalk back to within twelve or eighteen
inches (according to its strength), of.
the ground ; and, if a very weak plant,
to within six inches, or even less ; the
side branches I cut back to two or three
sound buds. If planted during the
winter months, some very good flowers
will be produced in spring following.
After the first flowering, and when the
new wood is hardened, which is about
the month of June, I cut back the new
wood to about four or six buds on the
main branches, and to two or three
strong buds on the side shoots; then
stir up the soil, and give a good water-
ing. The plant will shoot out again,
and good flowers will be produced in
abundance during the latter part of
summer and autumn. This treatment
applies more particularly to hybrid
perpetual Eoses, such as Geant de Batail-
les, Madame Laffay, etc.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

55

Tea Roses, by proper pruning, a little
at a time, so as to keep proper shape
and form, will bloom continually.

In order to always keep a fine selec-
tion of Roses, and healthy vigorous
plants, I would replace the old stock by
new plants every six years, and enrich
the soil well every two years. In re-
placing old plants by young stock, I
would also advise a very thorough over-
hauling of the ground, adding new soil
and enriching it well. Suckers, grow-
ing up from the roots, should always be
removed when they first make their ap-
pearance.

(gdtfortal gorfMw.

IRRIGATION.

From the earliest periods, man has
sought to insure his daily food by rais-
ing from the soil those supplies, which
experience taught him were too pre-
carious when he solely depended on
the exciting though 'uncertain chase,
the scanty and unreliable gleanings of
wild forest fruits, and the still more un-
certain take from the waters ; and he
has sought to obtain, by irrigation, that
certainty of produce which sad experi-
ence taught him could not be relied on
while subject to the alternation of sea-
sons of drought with those of genial
rains, the latter too often supplemented
by disastrous floods. We consequently
find unmistakable traces of most ex-
tensive systems of irrigation in doubt-
less the first-peopled portions of the
Old World. The plains of Assyria and
Babylonia are literally covered with im-
mense ramifications of canals, which
were doubtless used both for irrigation
and navigation. Such systems also pre-
vail from the remotest antiquity through-
out Mesopotamia, Persia, India, China,
and others of the most ancient settle-

ments of the human race. It is on rec-
ord that Egypt has possessed, from
2000 b. c, most extensive systems of
canals and artificial lakes; in fact, ir-
rigation was one of the most ancient
applications of science to agriculture,
and had been practiced by the ancient
Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and
others, from time immemorial.

Damascus, located in Syria, is reput-
ed to be the oldest city in the world ;
its fame is written in the earliest records,
and it is celebrated not only for its mag-
nificence, but for the marvelous fertil-
ity of its immediate vicinity, although
the country surrounding it was a dreary
desert. The character of its surround-
ings remains the same to the present
day, which is attributable to the practice
of irrigation still pursued on that
ancient spot of land. The water for this
purpose is still drawn from the rivers
Abana and Pharpar, names noted in
Sacred Writ, where Naaman, the leper
general, vaunted them above the river
Jordan, when told by the prophet
Elisha to wash in the latter river, and
be clean. The instance of Damascus
proves the persistent benefit of the
practice.

According to the earliest records of
China, irrigation has in that empire
been utilized to a vast extent.

On this continent, the ancient in-
habitants of Peru irrigated extensively,
and the Spaniards were astonished to
find that the Aztecs far surpassed the
Europeans in their application of this
aid to agriculture. It has also been
found to be in use among many rude
tribes in various parts of the world.

Irrigation is supposed to have been
introduced into Britain, by the Romans,
shortly after their conquest of that
island.

In England, and on the continent of
Europe, a lively interest has of late

56

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

years been evinced in this science, but
more particularly in the southern parts.
Lornbarcly, part of Spain, the south of
France, and Italy, and the great plains
and valleys of the Po, the Adige, Tagus,
Douro, and others, are all most exten-
sively subjected to systematic irrigation.
Land under irrigation in Spain, obtains
tenfold the price of similar land in the
immediate vicinity, but not irrigated.
In the valley of the Po, there are said
to be 1,600,000 acres of land thus
watered. Italy, however, is the only
country in Europe which has shown
anything like a system of general irriga-
tion. There a net-work of noble aque-
ducts and canals ramifies in all direc-
tions over the country. Many of these
have been in existence upwards of eight
centuries. The great canal known as
" Vecchiabia," was in a flourishing con-
dition in the eleventh century. In 1220,
the " Adda," which waters the plains of
Lodi, was completed, and in 1460, the
canal of " Martesana/' extending for a
distance of thirty-two miles, with many
side branches, was finished.

In Hindostan, at the present day, the
whole of the rubee, or small grain crop,
is artificially watered.

In every part of the Mysore country,
as well as in other parts of India, water
is retained or preserved for the purpose
of irrigation. The Sultan Tippoo caused
banks to be made between the bases of
the hills, thus intercepting the streams,
which during the rainy season flow from
the hill country, and, instead of being
lost, are collected into vast reservoirs
for agricultural use ; and within the
last few years, still more extensive and
ramified systems of irrigation have been
constructed by the British Government,
and we have met somewhere with the
statement that there are tens of thou-
sands of reservoirs and artificial lakes,
constructed by dams, of from one-half

to one and one-half miles in length,
across the streams, serving as feeders to
thousands (3,330) of miles of irrigating
canals.

It can thus be shown that irrigation
is of the highest importance in the
cultivation of the land for the produc-
tion of food, and it is a subject of su-
preme interest to the people of these
States, and particularly of those border-
ing on the Pacific Coast, for vast tracts
of our finest grain-producing land can
never be rendered steadily productive
but by an extensive and systematic ap-
plication of this principle. Situated as
this continent is, between the crowded
populations of Asia and Europe, the
heaviest production of cereals will, at
all times, find a ready market, as it will
certainly occur that some distressing
influence, either of war, flood, pestilence,
or famine, will always create a pressing
demand for such produce among the
dense masses of people alluded to; and
a facility of canal and river carriage be-
ing attained, and' the produce once at
the ports, it will be eagerly sought and
carried away. But without irrigation,
agricultural enterprise is altogether too
hazardous, as the rainfall of the Pacific
Coast is not intermittent as it is in the
East, throughout the year, but only
during the five winter months, and
severe droughts are frequent. The one
of '70-'71 was very disastrous, and in
the San Joaquin Valley the average of
seasons of insufficient moisture is four
in seven ; yet, during the last season, a
small portion of this land, under rude
cultivation, yielded 10,000,000 bushels
of wheat.

The vast plain of the Sacramento and
San Joaquin valleys, situated in Cen-
tral California, is about 500 miles long,
with an average width of forty miles,
and has an area of 20,000 square miles,
or about 12,000,000 acres of farming

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

57

land, "with, say, fifty per cent, more of
available land in the foot-hills. This
plain is bounded on the east by the im-
mense chain of the Sierra Nevadas, run-
ning nearly north and south, and on
the west, by the Mount Diablo Range.
The snows of the Nevadas yield a super-
abundant and n^ver- failing supply of
water, and among the canons of these
mountains arise for the San Joaquin
Valley, the Kern, Tule, Kahweah,
King's, San Joaquin, Merced, Tuolum-
ne, Stanislaus, and Calaveras rivers;
and for the Sacramento Valley, the
American, Yuba, Feather, and Putah
rivers, the Cache Creek, and the upper
waters of the Sacramento. The Sacra-
mento flowing from the north southerly,
and the San Joaquin running from the
south northerly, are both large and
navigable. These, after gathering the
waters of their twelve or thirteen tribu-
taries, discharge themselves into Suisun
Bay, and through the Bay of St. Pablo
into San Francisco Bay.

Thus among the mountain valleys of
the Nevadas could be stored water
without limit, to be unlocked and dis-
persed, as need required, for the most
elaborate schemes.

Again, in the southern part of the San
Joaquin Valley is situated Tulare Lake,
200 feet above the level of the ocean,
with an area of 700 square miles, or
448,000 acres; its feeders are King's
and Kern rivers, and Buena Vista and
Kern lakes. This splendid sheet of
water is destined doubtless to play an
important part in the future of the
valley of the San Joaquin, as at least
two-thirds of it can be irrigated, to an
extent of about 7,680.000 acres.

This district of country, comprising
the counties of Kern, Tulare, Fresno,
and San Joaquin, differs widely from
other portions of this extensive plain,
as well in its large and deep canons in

the mountains — whence the water, pour-
ing in volumes from their dark recesses,
distributes itself over the comparatively
level surface of the valley — as in the
innumerable channels cut by these wa-
ters, forming countless islands, large
sloughs, and immense tracts of swamp-
land.

While thus briefly endeavoring to
draw attention to the antiquity, univers-
ality, and paramount importance of
works of this character — and also urg-
ing on the public, as we have frequent-
ly done during the past two years, the
absolute necessity for the comprehens-
ive and extensive application of irriga-
tion to the agricultural lands of this
coast — we are highly gratified to have
the opportunity of directing public at-
tention to the operations, in the south of
California, of a company of our most
reliable capitalists, who, as " The San
Joaquin and King's Paver Canal and Ir-
rigation Company," have for more than
two years been engaged in a most im-
portant enterprise, in the San Joaquin
Valley. Already forty miles of canal
have been built and completed, from
the junction of the San Joaquin River
with Fresno Slough, and running in a
northerly course to Los Banos Creek.
This canal was commenced in the sum-
mer of 1870. It is fifty-four feet wide,
thirty -two feet on the bed, and four feet
in depth, and will supply 360 cubic feet
per second, or 350,000,000 cubic yards
per hour ; and was utilized last summer
for 30,000 acres of land.

Work has also been commenced at
Tulare Lake. This is altogether a granc
project, and comprises not only the sup-
plying of water for irrigation and for the
conveyance of passengers and freight,
but also the providing of water-power
for manufacturing purposes, and for all
the varied needs of cities and large
communities, including the supply of

58

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

pure and fresh drinking-water. This
will necessarily embrace a most extens-
ive system of embankments, levees,
dykes, ditches, channels, canals, and
other works of irrigation ; these various
operations to be gradually extended and
ramified as the country fills up with pop-
ulation.

The gentleman under whose masterly
engineering these most important pros-
pective works are being carried on, is
Mr. R. M. Brereton, who so eminently
distinguished himself in the superin-
tendence of the recent engineering op-
erations of the British Government in
India, to which we have alluded in this
article.

The invitation of the company to the
public is most liberal. They have no
debts, and they invite subscriptions for
stock (shares $100 each) on exactly the
same terms with themselves. Deposit,
$1 ; $2 payable at thirty days, and $2
at sixty days.

We wish them every success in this
public - spirited enterprise.

We are pleased to see that the Garden
has considered the article on Bulbs —
communicated to the November number
of our magazine, by our esteemed cor-
respondent, Dr. Kellogg, President of
the Bay District Horticultural Society —
worthy of a place in its columns. And
we are gratified that the Bulletin has
found interest in Native Hedges, by the
same author, in our January number.

We wish to draw the attention of our
subscribers to the spirited photograph
of the residence of T. H. Selby, Esq.,
which serves as frontispiece to our pres-
ent number, and illustrates Rural Homes
by Mrs. E. S. Carr. It is a fair sample
of " Christmas Photographing" in Cali-
fornia.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

These gardens maintain their position
in public favor, and their spirited pro-
prietor, with his ever active auxiliary,
Andrews, is continually catering for
the public gratification. Yery extensive
alterations are being made in the south-
west angle of the grounds. Many ad-
ditions and changes have been made to
the stock in the conservatories.

REPORTS OF SOCIETIES.

Bay District Horticultural Society
of California. — The regular monthly
meeting' of this Society took place on
Saturday, January 25th, 1873.

The Committee on Premium List for
the Spring Exhibition handed in their
report, which was accepted. The Exhi-
bition will open on Thursday, May 1st,
and continue for nine days. The pre-
miums offered amount to $1,400 in cash.

A large number of premiums are
offered to the young Misses who re-
ceived plants at the Exhibition of 1872,
and who will exhibit them at the Spring
Exhibition.

The Board of Trustees of the Society
was appointed as the Committee of Ar-
rangements for the Exhibition.

The following gentlemen were elect-
ed regular members of the Society:
Th. Bogel, James Carroll, and John
Kidwell.

A question being raised as to the
proper treatment of Tuberoses in Cali-
fornia, the opinion was almost unani-
mous that Tuberoses should not be
taken up every year, but be left in the
ground, where their flowering capacity
will increase from year to year.

As to Banana culture in the milder
regions of California, it was conceded
that the Banana does not require any
artificial heat in order to ripen its fruit

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

59

iu any of the milder districts of Cali-
fornia.

The Secretary was instructed to have
the Premium List for the Spring Exhi-
bition printed and distributed; and we
are authorized to say that the same
will be on hand for distribution about
the 10th of February.

Several of the members expressed
themselves in favor of establishing an
Herbarium at an early date.

North American Bee-keepers' Society.
The second annual meeting of this im-
portant Society was held at Indianap-
olis, Ind., on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of
December last, when the Rev. "W. F.
Clarke was elected President ; D. L.
Adair Corresponding Secretary, with
other officers. Has California no mem-
bership in this Society?

The third annual meeting will be
held at Louisville, on the 3d, 4th, and
5th of December, 1873.

"Wisconsin State Horticultural So-
ciety.— The annual meeting of this
Society will be held at Madison, com-
mencing Tuesday evening, Feb. 4, 1873,
and continue through "Wednesday and
Thursday.

American Pomological Society. — The
fourteenth session of this Society will
be held at Boston, Mass., on "Wednes-
day, Thursday, and Friday, the 10th,
11th, and 12th of September, 1873.

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS.

International Agricultural Exhibi-
tion in New South Wales. — The Agri-
cultural Society of New South "Wales
proposes to hold a Metropolitan Inter-
national Exhibition in the Exhibition
Building and Prince Alfred Park, Syd-
ney, commencing April 22d, and closing

about May 3d, 1873. The Council hav-
ing charge of this Exhibition cordial-
ly solicits agriculturists and manufact-
urers of every class in the United States
— especially of every description of ma-
chinery and agricultural implements —
to contribute specimens to the Exhibi-
tion, with the view of opening with that
colony a valuable market for the sale of
the various manufactures of this coun-
try, which stand deservedly high in
that interesting and thriving colony, to
which, with the Australian and adjacent
colonies, it is predicted a large and
most profitable trade will soon be open-
ed, owing to the fact that our facilities
for reaching those markets are much
greater than those of any other coun-
try, shipments being made from San
Francisco direct, either by sailing-ves-
sels or steamships, at least once in each
month. Awards will be made to exhib-
itors solely on the merits of their arti-
cles, without regard to the country from
which they came. The Department has
been favored by Mr. Jules Joubert,
Secretary of the Society, with schedules
of prizes, which are unusually liberal. —
Monthly Report of Dept. of Agriculture.

A meeting has been held at the office
of the Royal Horticultural Society,
South Kensington, London, to consider
the best means of promoting a repre-
sentation of British Horticulture at the
approaching Great Industrial Exhibition
at Vienna, Austria. — Exchange.

OUR EXCHANGE TABLE.

Rural New Yorker, an excellent week-
ly journal, always welcome, published
by D. D. T. Moore, 5 Beekman street,
New York. $2.50 per annum.

For Everybody, a very readable paper,
published by H. H. Sage, 325 Broad-
way, New York. $3 per annum.

60

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

California Agriculturist, monthly. S.
Harris Herring & Co., San Jose. $1.50
per annum.

Rural Alabamian, a monthly magazine,
forty-eight pages of very useful matter.
C. C. Langdon & Co., Mobile, Alabama.
$2 per annum.

Country Gentleman, weekly journal,
published by Luther, Tucker & Son,
395 Broadway, Albany, N. Y., contains
much excellent matter.

Prairie Farmer, a weekly newspaper
well deserving support, published by
Prairie Farmer Co., Chicago. $2 per
annum.

Patrol Carolinian, an excellent and
practical magazine, published monthly,
by Walker, Evans & Cogswell, Charles-
ton, S. C. 82 per annum.

American Farmers' Advocate, monthly
magazine. Advocate Publishing Co.,
Jackson, Tennessee. $1 per annum.
Cheap and good.

North Western Farmer. This is also a
monthly magazine full of interest, pub-
lished by Kingsbury .& Billingsby, In-
dianopolis, Ind. $1.50 per annum, in
advance.

Farmers' Club, monthly newspaper,
published by F. P. Lefevre, Oxford,
Pa. $1 per annum.

Farmer & Gardener, semi-monthly
journal, very readable, • published by
Jas. L. Cow, Augusta, Ga. $1 per an-
num.

North American Bee Journal, useful to
bee-keepers, published by A. F. Moon,
Indianapolis, Ind. $2 per annum.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

We received the February number of
the Overland, and found, as usual, much
highly interesting matter. ' ' Dips, Spurs
and Angles," is good, and a profession-

al friend assures us that it is drawn
from the life, as he recognizes the
doctor as a patient of his, and knows
much of his exploits. " An Indian Re-
servation" and "Early Jesuit Missions
in California, " both characteristic ar-
ticles. "Etc." and "Current Literature"
as usual, spirited and to the point.

The Floiver Garden, a quarterly ma-
gazine of floral progress; short, sketchy,
illustrated, with interesting notices of
plants. This work is bound up with
the copious catalogue of Reach, Son &
Co., 76 Fulton street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Price per annum, $1.

CATALOGUES KECEIVED.

It is a special pleasure to us to read
over the catalogues of our friends the
nurserymen, florists, and seedsmen —
it affords us the opportunity of recog-
nizing so many old friends, and of mak-
ing so many new acquaintances, and at
the same time of pointing out to our
readers where judicious selections may
be made.

We have received the advance Retail
Price List of Briggs & Brother, Flor-
ists, of Rochester, N. Y. , a very excel-
lent list. ~W6 shall be happy to notice
the catalogue, if forwarded to us.

The Nursery Trade List of Benjamin
Reed & Co., of Aberdeen, Scotland, is
at hand, copious, and well worthy of
careful perusal.

Also, the Wholesale Catalogue of the
Mount Hope Nurseries, Rochester, N.
Y., for the spring of 1873; Ellwariger
& Barry, Proprietors. Very concise and
useful.

H. A. Dreer's very neat illustrated
Garden Calendar to hand. List full,
prices moderate ; and cuts spirited and
true to nature. Published by H. A.
Dreer, 714 Chestnut St., Philadelphia.

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTTJEIST.

61

FAVORS KECEIVED.

Thanks to Messrs. Carmany & Co.,
for the annual retrospective sheet, for
1872, of their Commercial Herald and
Market Revieio — a most elaborate and
exhaustive compendium of productive
and commercial statistics, highly inter-
esting, instructive, and useful. "We
wish we had it in octavo form, so that
we could place it on our book-shelf for
ready reference:

NEW AND RAKE PLANTS.

The Garden (English) says: "The
new conservatory climber, Tacsoma Ex-
oniensis, which received a first-class cer-
tificate this summer at Birmingham, is
in fine bloom in Mr. Veitch's nursery,
at Exeter. Even in a cool greenhouse it
has now upward of a hundred flowers
on it, in different stages of growth.

— Rural Neiv Yorker.

The Campanula Vidalii, is recom-
mended as a perfect gem for the green-
house. It is a low growing plant, with
racemes of pure white, bell -shaped
flowers.

New Double Chinese Primrose —

(Primula sinerisis coronata. ) This new
and promising double Primrose has
been produced by Miller & Sievers,
florists of San Francisco, and is a very
distinct variety. The flower consists of
cut-lobed, fringed and laterally re-
curved petals, and the centre of unex-
panded fassicles (connivent clusters) of
floral leaves. Color, pink with a pur-
plish tint.

A Sensitive Osalis.— The late Dr.
"Welwitsch, of the Gardener's Chronicle,
tells us he discovered, in Angola, an
Oxalis so sensitive that its leaves would
close by a mere footfall near it. But
the leaf- stalk does not fall as in the

Vol. ni.— 9.

common sensitive plant, but closes in
over the crown, going up instead of go-
ing down. — Gardener's Monthly.

New Canterbury Bell— Almostevery-

body knows the Canterbury Bell. Large
blue or white flowers, and covering a
pretty large plant with large blossoms,
there are not many new plants showier
than this old-fashioned thing. Lately
this has been "improved :" at the base
of the bell-shaped corolla there is usual-
ly a green five-cleft calyx ; but in this
new race the green calyx segments have
been developed into broad petal -like
processes, of the same color as the
corolla, giving the plant a very unique
and grand appearance. But our readers
must not look for it in seed catalogues
as Canterbury Bell. This is too vulgar;
but they will see it as Campanula me-
dium calycanthema alba. — Gardener's
Monthly.

New Eioolor Geranium — "Pride of
Mount Hope." It is a seedling of
Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, and a cross
between Buist's Beauty and the well-
known Mrs. Pollock; foliage large and
of a brilliant yellow color, with a broad
chocolate zone. Unlike all other Bronze
Geraniums we have yet seen, this suc-
ceeds best under the hottest sun; the
bright colors of the leaves do not ap-
pear on plants grown in the shade or
under glass. Its vigorous habit and
highly colored foliage will make it, we
think, a very effective and valuable
plant for borders, edgings, etc. "It is
certainly far more effective than any
tricolor or bicolor yet introduced," is a
reliable English opinion of it. — Gar-
dener's Monthly.

Achyranthus Casei. — During the
summer of 1871, Mr. Case, of Bichmond,
Ind.. secured a sport from Achyranthus
Lindenii, very similar in its markings
to Achyranthus aurea reticulata, though

62

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

differing from it in having perfect
leaves, like the original Achyranthus
IAndenii. It stood the sun well during
the past summer, retaining its color,
and every way proved, Mr. Case says, a
good bedding plant.

• — Gardener's Monthly.

New Magenta Primrose — Lady
Madelina Tayleur, (Knox). Mr. Cannell,
in his English Catalogue, says: "Who,
when they first. see the dear old English
Primrose showing its bright, yellow
bloom, can help but welcome it as the
herald of approaching spring, and feel
that stern and dreary winter has passed
and gone, and that the glorious and
flowery summer is near at hand ; but
how much more is that beautiful yellow
emblem surpassed by the introduction
of that splendid bright magenta-colored
variety, which valuable kind was raised
in Ireland. Its habit of growth and free-
ness of bloom, is in every way similar
to the yellow variety. It is figured in
the Floral World, and considered by the
editor of that periodical, who had a
plant submitted to him for inspection,
to be one of the choicest hardy gems of
new plants this year. A great acquisi-
tion for spring bedding. — Gardener's
Monthly.

Amaranthus salicifolius— This new
plant of last year did not please in the
early part of the season, but in the fall,
when it changed the color of its upper
leaves, it became a great favorite.

— Gardener's Monthly.

The Knowfield Beech. — Everybody
knows the beauty of the blood-leaved
Beech. This new variety is advertised
in England at a high figure. It is said
to have stripes of green and gold through
the regular blood-colored leaves. The
little plants are five dollars each. It is
said to have been a sport from a blood-
leaved Beech, and has maintained its

character under propagation. If it
comes out as it is represented, it ought
to be one of the finest things ever in-
troduced.— Gardener's Monthly.

NEW VEGETABLE.

New Onion— The Queen,— The En-
glish say that this is an extra early
kind. "If sown in February, it will
produce onions from one to two inches
in diameter in four months.'5 It is also
said to be a good keeper. — Gardener's

Monthly.

*

WORK FOR THE MONTH.

BY F. A. MILLER.

At the time of writing this, a glorious
rain has set in again, after a long spell
of pleasant weather, which has enabled
farmers and gardeners to go on unin-
terruptedly with the preparation of the
ground, sowing, and planting. Tak-
ing everything into consideration, this
son seems likely to prove one of the
finest on record for a plentiful crop of
everything. Grand results are almost
certain, and in view of this fact, I
would appeal strongly to our farmers,
gardeners, and cultivators, on however
small a scale, to devote a small amount
of money and labor to the planting of
trees, shrubs, and flowers, which will
surely make their homes more pleasant
and cheerful. These improvements are
not made in vain ; the comfort which
they afford can only be appreciated by
those who have actually commenced the
work.

If fast-growing trees are desired, no
better can be recommended than the
Australian Gum-trees (Eucalyptus), of
which several good varieties may be
bought very reasonably. I would re-
commend in particular Eucalyptus glo-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

63

bulus, E. obliqua, E. amijgdalina. Pur-
chasers should see that the halls of earth
around the roots are well secured; if the
earth is allowed to crumhle from the
roots, they will surely perish.

The Acacia is a very good evergreen
tree, and thrives exceedingly well here.
Plant at least three or four varieties.
For shade, I recommend A. latifolia, A.
hemolophylla, A. fioribunda, A. melanoxy-
lon, A. linearis, A. mollissima ; for wind-
breaks or hedges, A. verticillata and A.
armata are excellent.

For ornament, Gordylines, Dracoenas,
and Grevillia robusta are very desirable.

Of coniferous trees, good varieties
are too numerous to mention : Lawson
Cypress (Cupressus Lawsoniana), Mon-
terey Cypress [Cupressus macrocarpa),
Monterey Pine (Pimis insignis), Juni-
perusfunebris, Libocedrus decurrens, and
many others, are fast-growing trees, apt
to thrive well everywhere. I have men-
tioned these trees for general planting
on farms and around country residences.

The ground in the vegetable garden
may now be prepared by first giving a
good top dressing of old stable ma-
nure, which should be incorporated
with the soil by spading it about twelve
inches deep.

For Asparagus, Rhubarb and Carrots,
the soil should be worked deeper, in
order that the roots may penetrate to a
greater depth. Lettuce, Radishes,
Spinach, Carrots, Early Turnips, Pars-
nips, Peas, Onions, Asparagus, Celery,
and all the hardier vegetables, can be
sown in February and March.

The planting of bulbs in the flower
garden should be continued. Hyacinths,
Tulips, Pseonies, Lilies and Amaryllis,
deserve a place in every garden.

Gladiolus are indispensable; but I
would recommend to plant them in suc-
cession every month, that we may have
them in bloom at all seasons of the

year. I have already planted some,
which are expected to flower in May.
For a brilliant show in the garden, and
as cut-flowers for vases, they are exceed-
ingly fine.

Hardy flower-seeds can be planted in
February and March; as such, I would
recommend Candytuft, white and pur-
ple, Sweet Alyssum, Stock Gilly, Wall-
flower, Pansy,. Larkspur, Mignonette,
Nemophila, Sweet Peas, Phlox Drum-
mondii, Portulacca, Pentstemon, and
G-ypsophila.

Plants in the greenhouse, conserv-
atory, and the window, should as yet be
watered sparingly. The frequent fu-
migation of the greenhouses with to-
bacco smoke, and the careful cleansing
of plants from insects and dust, should
be attended to. The warm weather
brings insects by thousands, and unless
their progress is checked, they will soon
get the best of you. Diluted soap suds
make a very good wash for plants.

During warm days, give plenty of
fresh air for the greater part of the day.

The propagation of tender plants
must still be delayed, unless artificial
heat can be applied ; the same I would
say of choice flower, tree, and shrub
seeds.

If Dahlia roots have been taken up in
autumn, they may now be set under the
shelves of the greenhouse, or some
other protected place, covered with dry
earth, and permitted to sprout; when
sprouts make their appearance, the roots
may be divided so as to give one or two
round eyes or sprouts to a root; they
may then be planted singly into the
open ground.

Black Hamburg Geape Yines are men-
tioned as at Castle "Wellan, Ireland, said
to be one hundred years old, and which
yet bear very fair crops of fruit.

64

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

REPORT ON THE FRUIT MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPER.

Of tlie great value of fruits as food,
little need be said. This is now, nearly
universally, thoroughly understood, and
of their tendency to promote not only
health of system, but even morality of
character, much has been written. But
the good of every kind for man can
scarcely be too often repeated. Let the
well-being of the human race be con-
tinuously impressed upon our thoughts
and memory, and we need frame no
excuse for so often, in these articles on
the fruit markets, reiterating our advice
to the public to use ripe fruits (the ob-
jects of our favorite notice and treat-
ment in all our writings, through a now
rather exceptionally prolonged life) in a
liberal manner, as the partaking of
them freely not only prevents disease,
but their regulated enjoyment helps to
remove that which already exists. All
ripe fruits are, also, more or less nu-
tritious. Professor Salisbury, too, has
clearly demonstrated that the Apple is
superior to the Potato, in the principles
that go to increase the muscles and the
brain of man; and in fattening proper-
ties, it is nearly equal, when cooked for
swine, or fed raw to that great friend of
man — the horse — and also to some
other of our domestic animals. The
juice of ripe Grapes has cured epidemic
dysentery, and French physicians often
send their dyspeptic patients to the
vine3rards to feast freely on their pro-
duce, and they often derive great ben-
efit from so doing. They have also
occasionally advised the use of "cooling
acid fruits;" and the earliest writers
have directed the sugary ones, as Figs,
for food in convalescence. Families,
where fruits are most plentiful and
good, and prized as an article of daily
food, are most free from disease of all

kinds, and more especially from fevers
and "bowel complaints." Most fruits
aid digestion — some directly, some in-
directly— and lessen the desire' for
alcoholic or stimulating drinks. The
juicy ones act as "diluents," and all as
" diuretics; " the free acids neutralizing,
or rendering soluble the earthy matters
in the blood, and carrying them off
rapidly through the natural channels.
So great a use of the flesh of animals,
forming our chief diet at all our meals,
is not only unnecessary, but, we think,
decidedly prejudicial to man's health
and well-being. At any rate, our own
experience is, that by discontinuing the
eating of meat to some extent, we have
been rewarded, for the last twenty years
of our life, with better health and more
real enjoyment, than we had experi-
enced during many years before, when
meats formed a large portion of our
food.

There can not be found in any part
of the world, perhaps, a more propi-
tious climate and soil for the propaga-
tion and success of fruits in general,
than in California. The influence of
climate on varieties has the effect to
create more or less rapid growth of
both tree and fruit, as we go north or
south, causing in the tree a coarser,
spongier and softer wood, when grown
south ; and in the fruit, greater size,
more open and coarser texture of flesh,
and corresponding depreciation in fla-
vor, with earlier maturity in the Apple
and Pear; but the Peach, Apricot, and
Nectarine, have additional character and
sweetness, and the juices are more elab-
orated. This may be said to be true, in
a nieasure, here in our warm, stimulating
climate. But if we suffer in some de-
gree from a rather too pushing climate
and soil in regard to some of our fruits,
we gain more by the congeniality of our
region with others, and are enabled to

THE CALIFOENIA HOETICTJLTUEIST.

65

embrace a much larger variety of fruit
thau the more northern and cooler
climes, and can enjoy many — especially
the Strawberry — for a longer time every
year. We need not the forcing of
fruits by man's hot-house labor and in-
genuity, but are indeed largely blessed
from the prolific hand of Nature almost
alone, and whether the bounties of
Pomona are enjoyed at the rich man's
table, or are munched by the laborer at
the roadside — whether dealt out to the
million, or picked from the sidewalk by
the ragged urchin (though, fortunately,
owing to the great abundance of all
kinds of food, there is but little neces-
sity for the latter mode of procuring
them). The supply is indeed plenteous.
However, it is time for us to speak more
practically of the condition of our fruit-
markets this month.

Of Los Angeles Oranges we have fur-
ther arrivals, and they come to a good
market at this time, and will find, no
doubt, a speedy sale.

Of Bananas we have had a pretty
good supply for some time.

Although California Apples are in
plenty, and have a somewhat dry and
mealy character compared with those
brought from one or two hundred miles
north of us, or with the Oregon fruit,
yet we think there is an improvement
in their juiciness compared with the
produce of the last two years. Oregon
Apples have not yet arrived in large
quantities.

The Italian Chestnuts have failed in
their usual good condition this year,
and there are but very few good ones in
the market.

California dried Figs are in their best
condition, now, on account of their
freshness.

Eastern Chestnuts are good and plen-
tiful, and are quotable at 25 cents per
pound. Filberts and Brazil-nuts the

same. California Walnuts outsell the
Chile from 5 to 8 cents per pound, and
fetch 20 cents. Hickory, 20 cents. Na-
tive Almonds, 20 to 25 cents for hard,
and 25 for soft-shell. Smyrna Figs, 25
to 50 cents; Prunes, 20 to 35 cents per
pound.

Apples sell by the box from $1.25 to
$2.50; Pears, $1.50 to $3.50 per box.
The chief Pears, and the best, are the
Winter Nelis — the Glout Morceau is
scarce as usual — Easter Beurres are in
good quantity. The Vicars are nearly
gone. The large baking Pears are more
interesting for their great size, than for
their valuable qualities.

We observe in Clay Street Market
some fine California dried Raisins, and
pitted Plums. The Plums are Coe's
Golden Drop, Jefferson, Ickworth, Petit
d' Argent, Reine Claude de Bavay (Green
Gage), Bradshaw, Columbia, and Gen.
Hand. They are very large and rich
in flavor — from Mr. Ballou, San Jose.
They are put up nicely in boxes, and
look as tempting as the best dried
French Plums, or Plums d'Ente. The
price is 30 cents per pound, and by the

box $3.50.

♦

Grafting Geraniums — Has been prac-
ticed very little in this country, but
when our gardeners learn its value, it
will be extensively used for the slow-
growing but elegant Zonale varieties.
Even for the purpose of obtaining a
supply of good, strong cuttings, graft-
ing the weaker sort upon the stronger
will be found of considerable value to
the commercial florist. — Exchange.

It has been discovered by Minnesota
farmers that two acres of sunflowers
will supply a family with fuel through
a long winter. The wood of the stalk
and the oil of the seed, it is said, make
roaring and cheerful fires.

6Q

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

<&Qm$\wwXtm.

To the Editor of the California Horticulturist:

Dear Sir : — Since your publication of
the article on " Hyacinths in Sponge,"
in the January number, I have invest-
ed in some bulbs of that description,
and followed the directions given in the
article. Although but a short time has
elapsed since I placed the bulbs in the
sponge, I can already see very satisfac-
tory results in growth.

A friend, living in Oakland, has had
somewhat longer experience in this new
mode of culture, and tells me that a
bulb of the Chinese Hyacinth, treated
in this manner, pushed out its foliage
to the height of a foot, threw up its first
flower-stalk, and bloomed, in thirty-one
days; the second flower-stalk being then
well developed.

I have two bulbs under treatment,
which promise well. I also learn that
several of my lady friends have under-
taken the experiment, and I expect to
be able to give you full details of their
success, as well as my own, in a future
number of your valuable journal.

M. A. C.

San Francisco, Feb., 1873.

(MitwM (&Xtmln$.

HOW THE FUCHSIA ACQUIRED
CELEBEITY.

The New York Tribune relates the
following pleasant story about the first
Fuchsia :

Old Mr. Lee, a nurseryman and gar-
dener near London, well known fifty or
sixty years ago, was one day showing
his variegated treasures to a friend, who
suddenly turned and declared, "Well,
you have not in your collection a pret-
tier flower than I saw this morning at
Wapping." "No; and pray what was

this phoenix like?" "Why, the plant
was elegant, and the flowers hung in
rows like tassels from the pendant
branches, their colors the richest crim-
son ; in the centre a deep purple," and
so forth. Particular directions being
demanded and given, Mr. Lee posted
off to the place, where he at once per-
ceived that the plant was new in this
part of the world. He saw and ad-
mired. Entering the house, he said,
" My good woman, this is a nice plant;
I should like to buy it." "Ah, sir, I
could not sell it for any money, for it
was brought me from the West Indies
by my husband, who has now left again,
and I must keep it for his sake." "But
I must have it." " No, sir !" " Here,"
emptying his pockets, "here is gold,
silver, copper;" (his stock was some-
thing more than eight guineas). ' ' Well-
a-day, but this is a power of money,
sure and sure !" " 'Tis yours, and the
plant is mine ; and, my good dame, you
shall have one of the first young ones I
rear, to keep for your husband's sake."
A coach was called, in which was
safely deposited our florist and his
seemingly dear purchase. His first
work was to pull off and utterly destroy
every vestige of blossom and blossom-
bud ; it was divided into cuttings, which
were forced in bark-beds and in hot-
beds, were re-divided and sub-divided.
Every effort was used to multiply the
plant. By the commencement of the
next flowering season, Mr. Lee was the
delighted possessor of three hundred
Fuchsia plants, all giving promise of
blossom. The two which opened first
were removed into his show-house. A
lady came: "Why, Mr. Lee, where did
you get this charming flower? "It's a
new thing, my lady — pretty, is it not?
" Pretty ! 'tis lovely. Its price ?" " A
guinea. Thank your ladyship • " and
one of the two plants stood proudly in

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

67

her ladyship's boudoir. "My dear
Charlotte ! where did you get that
elegant flower?" " Oh, 'tis a new thing;
I saw it at old Lee's ; pretty, is it not?"
"Pretty! 'tis beautiful! Its price?" "A
guinea ; there was another left." The
visitor's horses smoked off to the suburb;
a third flowering plant stood on the
spot whence the first had been taken.
The second guinea was paid, and the
second chosen Fuchsia adorned the
drawing-room of her second ladyship.

The scene was repeated, as new
comers saw and were attracted by the
beauty of the plant. New chariots flew
to the gates of old Lee's nursery ground.
Two Fuchsias, young, graceful, and
bursting into healthful flower, were con-
stantly seen on the same spot in his re-
pository. He neglected not to gladden
the faithful sailor's wife by the promised
gift; but ere the flower season closed,
three hundred golden guineas clinked
in his purse, the produce of the single
shrub from the window in "Wapping ;
the reward of the taste, decision, skill
and perseverance of old Mr. Lee.

Cut Flowers. — In cutting flowers for
vases or bouquets, it is never well to
break them abruptly from the stems,
but cut them off with scissors or a knife
— the latter being the best, as it is less
likely to injure the minute pores or tubes
of the stems which draw up the moist-
ure needed to nourish the flower. If
they are gathered while wet with dew,
they will keep longer than if cut when
the sun shines hotly upon them. If it
is desirable to keep them a great while,
a pinch of saltpetre and of common
salt added to the water will prevent
their decay, and also remove all un-
pleasant odors from the stems. Boiling
water turned upon the stems of faded
flowers, and allowed to stand upon them

until completely cool, will frequently
restore them to freshness. Cut off the
stalks for half an inch or so before put-
ting them into cool water, which should
not be icy cold.

A Florae Curiosity. — A wonderful
flower is described as existing at Con-
stantinople, belonging to the Narcissus
family of bulbs. There were three
naked flowers on the stalk hanging on
one side ; the underneath one was fad-
ing, while the two others were in all
their beauty. They represented a per-
fect humming-bird. The breast, of
bright emerald green, is a complete
copy of this bird, and the throat, head,
beak, and eyes, are a most perfect imi-
tation. The hinder pari of the body
and the two outstretched wings are a
bright rose color, one might almost say
flesh colored. On the abdomen rests
the propagation apparatus, of a deep,
dark brown tint, in form like a two-
winged gad-fly.

The Diadem Penes. — No flower nov-
elty introduced in the past ten years
has given so much delight as the Diadem
Pink. At first some trouble was ex-
perienced from mixed seeds and sorts
untrue to name, but now propagators
have obtained a strain of true character,
and the bloom of perfect plants is un-
equalled for its brilliancy by any other
plant in the flower-garden. The Diadem
Pink is a flower that is so eminently
worthy of culture in every garden, we
can. recommend it for general trial.
With us it has done exceedingly well on
light, warm soil. They will bear con-
siderable manure, applied well -rotted
in either the fall or spring. The same
treatment given to Sweet-Williams will
produce good blooms of this also. — Ex.

68

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

Cross Breeding- oe Fishes, — Mr. B.
Hanson, of Stavanger, in Norway, has,
according to a correspondent of the
London Athenaeum, accomplished a very
novel feat in pisciculture by producing
a new hybrid species, a cross between
Salmo alpinus and Salmo eriox, the for-
mer species spawning four weeks be-
fore the latter. Mr. Hanson's manner
of bringing together the spawning ma-
turity of the two species is ingenious.
When Salmo alpinus has been spawning
for some time, Mr. Hanson secured a
female fish in an interesting condition,
and imprisoned her in a perfectly dark
tank, where he left her alone. In like
manner Mr. Hanson, as soon as possible,
secured the sire of the first couple of
Salmo eriox he found in mature condi-
tion for spawning, and put him under
a similar arrest, and kept a close watch
over both until the time of the sire
came. In this manner Mr. Hanson
succeeded in rearing, with only a loss
of one per cent, in his spawning boxes
(supplied from a subterranean well
which flows with a uniform temperature
of about 5^ degrees Reaumur all the
year round), a new species, which attains
a full development in four years, and is
remarkable for its exceeding vigor and
wildness in water, and its palatableness
on the table. Mr. Hanson entertains
sanguine hopes of this species becoming
self-productive in course of time, con-
trary to all experience of hybrid fish,
because he has already caught in his
pond several individuals with roe in
them.

Butchering Young Trees. — Young
shade trees on the outskirts of the city
are being horribly hacked and butchered
by parties who have the cheek to call
the operation "pruning." If there is
no provision made in the code for the
severe punishment of parties guilty of

such vandalism, the Commissioners have
failed to fulfill their whole duty. The
cork-barked elm, naturally a symmetrical
tree of sturdy growth, needs but little
trimming at any time, and to witness
an unskillful operator slashing away
right and left with knife and saw among
its shapely branches promiscuously, is a
species of barbarity and a sacrifice of
the beautiful which should be frowned
down everywhere. This promiscuous,
slashing process to which handsome
young trees are too frequently sub-
jected, seems to be done with a view of
producing a tree to resemble as nearly
as possible a gooseberry bush placed on
the end of a long pole. The process is
simple tree torture, and the parties ex-
ecuting the miserable work appear to
possess about as keen and delicate a
sense and appreciation of ordinary good
taste and useful art as a pack-mule
might be expected to manifest. — San
Joaquin Independent.

A Timely Hint. — In transplanting
tomatoes, cabbages and tobacco plants,
prepare a tub of manure water, and
thicken it to the stiffness of mush by
stirring in rich garden mold ; dip the
root of the plant in this paste before
setting in the ground ; press the earth
firmly around the root, and sprinkle
with manure water.

The grandest forest of pine lumber
in California, containing white, yellow
and sugar pine, cypress and arbor vitse,
and other trees valuable for timber, lies
between Susan Valley and Pit River.

Wild flax, which appears as if it might
be tamed, has been found in the Klamath
Lake country.

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. IK.

MAKCH, 1873.

No.. 3.

THE RURAL HOMES OF CALIFORNIA.

BY MBS. E. S. CABB.

Millbbae, the Some, of D. 0. Mills, Esq. ,

President of the Bank of California.

No adequate idea of Millbrae can be
obtained from a single picture. The
estate is so large; so much of its beauty
is bidden in the sheltering hills and along
wild, wooded cafions; so many works of
art and of taste have been gathered to
adorn this truly noble and attractive
residence ; as to require a series of
pictures for its full illustration. The
development of its natural advantages
will require more than one life-time for
its accomplishment; but we hope to
show how wisely the work has been
planned, and with what careful and
loving study of many beautiful arts its
finishing proceeds.

Millbrae, covering 3,000 acres, and the
adjoining Easton estate containing 3,000
more, belonging to another member of
the family, is farmed as one property.
It was originally a part of the Burri-
Burri Rancho, and was purchased from
General "Wilson sixteen years ago.

The San Jose Bailroad cuts across
the eastern portion, behind which the
Sierra Moreno rises in a series of irreg-
ular benches to an altitude of nearly
Vol. m.— 10.

three thousand feet. Every variety of
landscape, from wild, rugged gorges,
clothed with the Douglass Fir and
Madrofia, to those of softest pastoral
beauty, may be enjoyed within its
boundaries — mountain stream and loch,
the gentle curves of San Bruno, the
wider sweep of the great bay with Dia-
blo in the distance, and the ocean itself.

With all this diversity of surface,
there is scarcely an acre of its land not
valuable for agricultural purposes. San
Mateo is one of the great dairying
counties of the State, and Millbrae is its
great milk-dairy. The fogs which con-
dense on those uplifted pastures keep
them green for months after the valleys
are withered and sere; and during the
driest period, the overflowed lands
along the bay afford abundant food for
cattle. Twice a day the railroad train
takes the product of pure, fresh milk,
from five to seven hundred cows, to be
distributed within an hour in San Fran-
cisco.

It is said that Woburn Abbey, the
most complete place in England, is also
the most complete farmery in the world;
and as truly it may be said that the
most costly and finished home in Cali-
fornia rests upon a solid basis of utility.

The admirable management of this

70

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

dairy deserves more than a passing no-
tice. First of all, the manager, Mr. A.
F. Green, is a master of his business,
and detects the qualities of an animal
from its points, as -unerringly as Prof.
Owen would reconstruct its skeleton
from a single bone. His large experi-
ence and careful oversight, with the
liberal outlay which has been made to
secure the best and most economical
methods of housing, feeding, and tend-
ing the stock, have brought the gross
proceeds of the milk sales to $7,000 per
month. The stock, mostly graded
Short-Horns and Devons, is carefully
bred, and shows constant improvement.
The best English dairymen prefer half
or quarter -bred stock to the full-blood,
and our experience in California seems
to coincide with theirs. No inconsider-
able profit is derived from the sale of
•calves, and cows turned off for fatten-
ing.

Looking at the photograph, the long
line of buildings seen upon the railroad
to the right of the mansion is the dairy,
which consists of a centre and two
enormous wings. As you enter the first,
you see huge vats filled with running
water; these are the cooling tubs into
which the milk-cans are plunged as
soon as they are filled; in the rear is a
large apartment where they are washed,
aired, and dried. The wings contain a
double row of cattle-stalls; an iron
track runs through the centre, along
which the loads of cut-fodder, oil-cake,
etc., is conveyed and thrown into the
feeding-troughs. Ventilation is so per-
fect, and cleanliness so thoroughly at-
tended to, that there is less to offend
the most fastidious sense here, with 500
cows under one roof, than in the barn
of an ordinary farmer.

North of the dairy is the farm-house,
a very comfortable and convenient home
for the twenty-five men employed in

milking and taking care of the animals.
The building to the left, near the en-
trance, is occupied by the manager.
Between the dairy and the bay, Mr.
Mills has recently inclosed with a levee
four hundred and fifty acres of salt
marsh, which is now covered with fresh
water. It is to be hoped that this cost-
ly experiment in reclamation will result
as favorably as the Duke of Bedford's,
who pumped 18,000 acres dry with
steam-engines, and made of it the most
profitable farm in England.

The Millbrae Mansion House occupies
a site chosen by Mr. Olmstead after
much careful study of the property, and
answers more than any building we
have seen, East or West, Mr. Downing's
ideal of the perfect American Home —
"A country house where the establish-
ment may be moderate, the living
rooms compact and well arranged, the
labor-saving appliances multiplied."
It is all this and more. It is the pro-
duct of tastes enriched with the best
experiences and advantages of city life,
brought to bear upon Nature in develop-
ing her highest uses.

The poet Holmes wrote, with an east
wind blowing upon him, his conviction
that ' ' the finest women grow under
glass." If it could be true anywhere,
it should be when the crystal gives you
so much of sunlight and moonlight,
and discloses every change upon the
Great Mother's face. A view like that
from the library windows at Millbrae,
across the green meadows, over the blue
waters of the bay, through the Liver-
more Pass into the pleasant Sunol Val-
ley, up to the great cone, now white
with winter snow — or southward, over
cultivated fields toward the valley of
San Mateo, whose embowered homes
and white steeples bring a sense of
neighborliness into the seclusion — cer-
tainly must tend to make ' ' the man and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

71

the action fine" to whom they are as
daily bread.

A very correct impression of the arch-
itectural effect of the building is given
by the photograph. The massive sim-
plicity of its style is well carried out in
the interior. Alighting within the jwrte
cochere, you pass through a vestibule
into the staircase hall — a nobly propor-
tioned apartment, enriched with beauti-
ful woods, and adorned with choice
masterpieces of the sculptor's art. Fold-
ing doors open from this into the draw-
ing room, which has an eastern outlook,
through a wide veranda inclosed in
plate glass. This room is en suite with
the library (one in fact as well as name),
wherein one may keep company with
the best minds of all the ages; also with
a beautiful morning room, and the lux-
uriantly appointed billiard-room. The
south front commands a view across the
lawn to the conservatory, and contains
the dining-room and its accessories.
There is a private office on this floor,
and, in short, every convenience which
the various tastes of the family or their
guests may require. All the offices
which are usually crowded to the rear
of our dwellings, are placed in the
basement — so light, airy, and well ven-
tilated, so filled with all labor-saving
appliances, as to leave nothing to be
desired in that direction. The bowling
alley reaches across the building, and
occupies the west front of the basement-
story. The main staircase leads to the
picture gallery,, which occupies the
space immediately over the hall; and
here we are tempted to linger far be-
yond our prescribed limits. Spacious
chambers, filled with every luxury of
modern life, open to us on every side;
but Art makes its own atmosphere.
Standing before Merle's exquisite paint-
ing of "Poverty," you are borne far
away from Millbrae to the crowded

streets wherein the old, old story of
sacred Motherhood, in conflict with
Want and Sorrow, is told anew. Here,
too, is the famous picture of Cleopatra
before Csesar, by Cferome, over which
critics dispute even as historians have
quarreled over the great Subject, whose
feet were of clay, and whose face was a
consuming fire. I think History, and
Shakespeare, and William Story are all
justified in this painting. There she
stands, lithe as a leopard, graceful as a
date palm, the incarnation of intelligence
and will, without a trace of moral qual-
ity. American art is well represented
at Millbrae, both in painting and sculpt-
ure. Randolph Rogers' ' ' Ruth " adorns
the hall, and the gallery contains choice
pictures by Bierstadt, both Harts, Brad-
ford, and many others. One feels that
the arts of home decoration have been
well and faithfully studied to produce
the results seen in all the appointments
of the Millbrae home. Something quite
beyond the upholsterer's art has deter-
mined the style of ornamentation, the
harmony of colors, and adaptation of
forms to uses.

The conservatory, finished only a year
ago, already affords many new and in-
teresting subjects of botanical study. It
is the finest structure of the kind on the
coast, and serves the double purpose of
a grapery and tropic house. In the
latter department, directly under the
great dome, the spray of a fountain can
be thrown to the roof, to fall again in a
grateful shower upon the plants, when-
ever it is needed. Extensive propagat-
ing and forcing houses are placed near,
and the apparatus for heating and
ventilation is the best in use.

As much may be said of the barn and
stables, which are seen near the fore-
ground of the picture. Both these and
the gardener's house are concealed from
the windows of the mansion, either by

72

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the contour of the hill or the oaks
which cover it.

The home grounds are improved upon
well considered plans, and present
many attractive features. A glazed pa-
vilion, which commands a lovely pros-
pect, and invites one to rest after a walk
in the oak grove, or along the banks of
the trout ponds, is an embellishment of
recent date. So are the precious bronzes
and antique vases which are now find-
ing appropriate places on the lawn.

"Whatever may befall Millbrae, it will
never lose its verdure "while grass
grows and water runs." For the water
resources are ample; a reservoir of six
thousand gallons, fed by perennial
springs, supplies the house and con-
tiguous grounds, backed by one still
larger — holding a million gallons.
Should these fail, Spring Valley, with
its lake three miles in length, is in the
near neighborhood.

If we have lingered too long over this
description, it is partly to show the
reasons for believing that this part of
California, despite the winds which
make the trees one-sided, is destined to
become the seat of the highest civiliza-
tion. The busy metropolitan life of
4he Bank President enhances the de-
lights of a rural home occupied and
enjoyed at all seasons of the year, and
the pleasure of improving it is fully
shared by the ladies of the family. Still
young enough to be "planting back-
logs for their old age," the Millbrae
folk have learned that "the best fur-
nished soul knows both town and coun-
try at its best," and how to combine
most happily the advantages of both.

Sweet potatoes to keep well must be
thoroughly ripened. Then they should
be stored, or hung up in a warm, dry
place.

ANNUALS.

BY F. A. MILLER.

It is really surprising that we do not
see more annuals cultivated in our gar-
dens, when it is generally admitted that
they give so great variety and such
pleasing effect to the flower-beds. With
a very small outlay many little groups
of bright and charming flowers could
be had throughout the summer season,
and until midwinter in this mild climate.
I would not recommend planting them
singly and isolated, as in such case
they would be far less effective, and
would, in many instances, not receive
proper care ; if planted here and there
in groups upon the lawn, or inter-
mingled with shrubs in the flower gar-
den, they can not fail to produce very
desirable features. I have frequently
urged the planting of annuals, and,
when doing so, I have been told quite
frequently that the seed would not come
up, or that the plants would not do
well after coming up. I am willing to
believe all that, but can not attribute
the failure, in such case, to the climate,
nor to the seed. The fault, in most
cases, lies in improper treatment or
neglect.

I will now give a few hints in regard
to the planting of annual flower seeds.
First prepare the soil well before plant-
ing. By preparing soil, I mean this:
Clear the ground, intended to be sown,
of weeds; give a top dressing of old
rotten stable-manure, trench the ground
at least spade-deep, pulverize the soil
finely, and rake smooth. The seed
may then be sown broadcast or in drills ;
if sown broadcast, a little fine, light,
sandy loam mixed with a small quantity
of very old manure may be sprinkled
over the seed, so as to cover it to the
depth of from one-eighth to one-quar-
ter of an inch. My method, however,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

73

differs from this ; I sow broadcast, and
then work the soil over gently with a
rake ; most of the seeds will thus be
covered sufficiently with soil to insure
germination. If sown in drills, I cover
very lightly in the same way, as indi-
cated above.

The proper time for sowing can not
be given exactly; it depends very much
on the state of the weather. In most
localities of California, March and April
are favorable months. If the seed is
sown too early, the coldness of the
ground and the frequent rains are like-
ly to injure seeds, if they are ever so
fresh and sound. v Many varieties of an-
nuals should be raised in boxes covered
with glass, and transplanted after hav-
ing made four or five leaves ; but some
do not bear transplanting well, and
should be sown where they are desired
to grow and flower. But the great
secret of successful growing of annuals,
is the judicious treatment of the young
plants after they are up. The soil'
requires to be kept loose by frequent
hoeing, and to be kept clean of weeds.
While the plants are young, the weeds
should be pulled out with the hand,
but as they grow up and are thinned
out to proper distances, they should re-
ceive frequent hoeing. If artificial ir-
rigation is required, it should be done
very carefully, the young plants being
tender, and apt to be washed out.

I will now name a few good varieties,
worthy of a place in every garden :

Aster (Grerman Aster), is one of the
most desirable annuals, of easy culture,
and producing very showy flowers of
blue, white, red, and other colors and
shades. Asters remain in bloom for a
long time, and are the favorities of gar-
deners and amateurs in Europe. I have
cultivated them here with very good
success. I prefer sowing the seed in
April, where the plants are expected to

remain. The different varieties now
under cultivation are almost endless:
Truffaut's Pseony-flowered, Pyramidal-
flowered, Chrysanthemum-flowered, new
Rose-flowered, are some of the best.

Balsams are an excellent class of an-
nuals, much favored by every European
and Eastern florist or amateur. Bal-
sams may be either raised in boxes and
transplanted, or they may be sown in
the ground, where they are expected to
remain. The Camellia-flowered and the
Rose-flowered are considered the best.
If properly treated, Balsams will grow
to the height of two or three feet, liter-
ally covered with flowers. A very ef-
fective, and, at the same time, a very
graceful plant.

Candytuft, both white and purple,
are very desirable annuals, flowering in
great abundance throughout the year.
If they are expected to bloom during
summer, they should be planted early
(February or March will do well) ; if
they are wanted in bloom in mid- winter,
or early spring, the seed should be sown
in autumn; say, August or September.

Cockscomb (Celosia) is another of
these effective and bright annuals,
which meet with general favor every-
where.

Delphiniums (Larkspurs) are hardy
annuals of great beauty; they flower
very abundantly, and make a handsome
appearance, if grown in groups by
themselves. They grow about two to
three feet in height. The prevailing
colors are pink, blue, white, and varie-
gated.

Phlox Drummondii cannot be sur-
passed by any other annual. The
flowers are of very brilliant colors, and,
if planted in masses or groups, they
produce a very striking effect. The
seeds may be reared in pots or boxes,
for transplanting, while young. I pre-
fer sowing the seed in the open ground,

74

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and letting them remain there for
flowering.

Stocks (Stock G-illy) are well-known
favorites, deliciously fragrant, and they
bloom uninterruptedly during the first
year, until late in winter. The colors
are white, red, blue, brown, carmine,
and purple of various shades. What are
known as Winterstocks, will not bloom
during the first year, but continue,
under favorable circumstances, to flower
for two or three years in succession.
The flowers come double or single ; the
double-flowering varieties are consider-
ed the most valuable. The seed may
be sown in pots or boxes, under glass,
and transplanted, or it may be sown in
the open air, to remain where planted ;
both ways are practiced.

The Zinnia is fast becoming one of
the most popular of annual flowers.
Mr. James Yick, speaking of it in his
excellent catalogue lately published,
says: "A splendid large plant and
beautiful flower; as double as the
Dahlia. It is perfectly adapted to our
climate, will thrive in any good soil,
and may be transplanted as safely as a
Cabbage -plant. Seeds may be sown
under glass early in spring, or in the
open ground, as soon as the danger
from frost is over. Transplant when
small."

Not being able at this time to de-
scribe more of these valuable annuals,
I merely mention the following as very
desirable: Portulacca, Nemopkila, Oe-
nothera, Marigold, Morning Glory
(climbing), Lobelia (not strictly an-
nual), Calliopsis, Mignonette, etc.

There are many other flowering plants
which bloom during the first year, such
as Pansy, Petunia, Scabiosa, Verbena,
etc., but they are not considered an-
nuals, and will do well with us for a
number of years.

I most sincerely hope that the time

is not far distant, when the barren
places of our flower gardens will be
filled with some of the best annuals,
and thus give greater variety, and pre-
sent a more pleasing appearance.

CULTIVATING FLOWEKS.

Most, if not all flowers, succeed best
in sandy loam, made rich by the addition
of well rotted manure, which should
be thoroughly mixed with the soil.
Such a soil, thus prepared, will not be-
come hard or baked, but will remain
loose and porous. It will not only
afford the small and tender plants
chance for existence, but it will also
enable them to perfect themselves with
vigor and beauty.

If your garden is composed of a stiff,
heavy soil, a good dressing of sand and
manure will assist it wonderfully in the
way of plant development; and some of
the most delicate plants that would not
succeed at all in such soil, in its unim-
proved condition, will, after such pre-
paration, flourish in the most satisfac-
tory manner.

A heavy soil is greatly benefited by
being roughly spaded up in the fall,
and remaining in that condition through
the winter. In all cases, before sowing
the seed, it is of the utmost importance
that the soil should be thoroughly
pulverized. This important particular
should never be overlooked.

Seed should not be sown too early in
spring — not until sufficient warmth and
diyness has been imparted to the soil.
When these requisites are overlooked,
and the seed is sown too early, it is apt
to perish. When the soil will spade
up mellow, crumbling to pieces when
struck with the spade, it is in proper
condition to be worked. — Briggs' Illus-
trated Catalogue.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

75

ARBUTUS — STRAWBERRY - TREE.

BY E. J. HOOPER.

Dr. A. Kellogg's interesting and en-
thusiastic remarks on the Madrona-tree,
have led us to think of a variety of the
same family of beautiful shrubs, which
we remember when a boy, in our family
garden in England. This species, which
we so readily call to mind, was the
most common one then in Europe — the
A. unedo. The tree we refer to was
trimmed so as to be nearly globular in
its form, and nothing we thought could
exceed its beauty in the autumnal
months, when it was covered with both
flowers and ripe fruit ; the latter closely
resembling a scarlet strawberry. These
trees grow naturally in Italy, Sj)ain,
and also in Ireland, and are now very
common in European gardens. They
are tolerably hardy in most parts of Eu-
rope, and are seldom injured, except in
extremely hard winters, which often kill
the young and tender branches, but
rarely destroy the trees. They would,
of course, flourish well in California.
But, while we have so splendidly fine
and noble a sort here as the Madrofia
or A. Menziesii, we hardly need any of
the other varieties of Arbutus. Both
these kinds, at any rate, are fine objects
for planting singly upon grass plats,
or in groups in shrubberies. We had
a grand sight of great numbers of Mad-
ronas, with their brilliant scarlet ber-
ries, contrasting most strikingly and
beautifully with their polished and
glistening green foliage, on the Pacific
Railroad this winter, while descending
from the Sierra Nevada into the Sacra-
mento Valley. What a delightful sight
and change this was after passing over
the snow-clad mountains and plains,
which we had so lately gazed on.

* Natural Order, Ericacece,

For growing the Arbuti, sandy loam,
or loam and decayed vegetable matter,
suits them best, and they are said to be
readily increased by layers. But plants
are most successfully raised from the
seed ; the only objection being that this
process is so tardy, as almost to deter
men from taking the trouble. The
taste for these lovely shrubs, however, is
now likely to increase, and we know
where plenty of the seed has been sown,
and plants will soon follow, small as
they will be at first for some time.

We may add that the berries of the
Arbutus are edible, though not agree-
able. When eaten in quantities, their
fruit is said to be narcotic. A wine is
made from it in Corsica, but it has the
same property as the fruit. In Spain,
both a sugar and a spirit are obtained
from it. The bark and leaves of the
same plant are used as astringents ; in
some parts of Greece, they are em-
ployed in tanning leather.

SPONGE FISHING.

From the account given by Vice
Consul Green, of the Tunisian sponge
fishery, in his report to the Foreign
Office, which has lately been issued, it
would seem that to fish for sponges re-
quires as much if not more skill than to
fish for salmon. The sponge fishery is
most actively earned on during the three
months of December, January, and Feb-
ruary, for at other seasons the places,
where the sponges exist, are overgrown
with sea weeds. The storms during
November and December, destroy and
sweep away the thick marine vegetation,
and leave the sponges exposed to view.
The fishery is divided into two seasons,
namely, summer and winter; the for-
mer commencing in March, and ending
in November, and the latter as noted
above. But the collection of sponges

76

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

is not very productive in summer, as it
is confined to the operations carried on
with diving apparatus, which can only be
used on rocky and firm-bottomed places,
or to the success of native fishermen,
who wade along the shores and feel for
sponges with their feet among the
masses of seaweed. The sponges thus
collected by the Arabs are also of an
inferior quality, owing to the small
depth of water in which they have
grown. As, nevertheless, calm weather
and a smooth sea are essential for the
success of fishermen, the winter season,
although lasting three months, does not
generally afford more than forty -five
working days. The Arabs, inhabitants
of the coast ; Greeks, principally from
Karnidi, near Nauplia, (Napoli de Rou-
mania), and Sicilians, are chiefly em-
ployed in the sponge fishery; the Greeks,
however, being the most expert fisher-
men, while the Arabs are the least skill-
ful. Sponges, says the Pall Hall Ga-
zette, are obtained by spearing with a
trident, by diving with or without the
assistance of any apparatus, or by
dredging with a machine somewhat sim-
ilar to an oyster -dredge. The Arab
fishermen, principally natives of Mark-
enah and Jerbah, employ boats called
sandals, manned by from four to seven
persons, one of whom is the harpooner,
while the others manage the sails, etc.
The spearman watches for the sponges
from the bows of the sandal, and the
boat is luffed round on his perceiving
one, so as to enable him to strike it.
The depth of the sea in which the
Arabs fish is from fifteen feet to thirty-
five feet. Although the Greeks are the
most expert divers, the majority of them
use the spear. They employ small and
light boats, just sufficient to carry a
spearman and an oarsman. The boat is
rowed gently along, while the spearman
searches the bottom of the sea by means

of a tin tube of fourteen inches in di-
ameter by nineteen inches in length,
at one end of which is placed a thick
sheet of glass. This tube is slightly
immersed in the water, and enables the
fisherman to view the bottom undis-
turbed by the oscillations of the surface.
The spears used by the Greeks are
shorter than those employed by the
natives or Sicilians, but with wonderful
adroitness they are enabled to reach
sponges covered by sixty feet of water.
They hold in their hands from three to
four spears, and dart them so quickly
and with such precision, one after the
other, that before the first has time to
disappear under the surface, the second
strikes its upper extremity, and thus
gives it additional impetus to reach the
sponge aimed at. The Sicilians, also,
fish with a spear and in small rowing
boats, but do not understand the em-
ployment of the tube, and have not ac-
quired the knack of the Greeks in using
three or four spears ; they consequently
seldom secure an equal number of
sponges, although they are always more
successful than the Arabs. The pro-
duce of the fishery is, it is stated, sus-
ceptible of considerable augmentation
by an increase in the number of fisher-
men, and a new sponge is reproduced
within a year wherever one has been
removed.

Cinchoxa in Bexgal. — In 1862, Dr.
T. Anderson began the cultivation of
Cinchona (the tree that yields the Pe-
ruvian bark), in Sikkim, Bengal. The
venture has proved profitable, and3 at
the present time, he has under cultiva-
tion Cinchona trees of three species, to
the number of 1,707,115, yielding about
300 pounds of bark per acre. Besides
this, he has 480,000 young plants in
nursery. — Popular Science Monthly.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

77

BOTANICAL AND ZOOLOGICAL FARMS.

BY DR. A. B. STOUT.

It may please your readers, and en-
courage the zealous in behalf of agri-
cultural progress, to learn the efforts
that have been made, and are still faith-
fully urged, to foster that interest.
Several years since a proposition was
made before the American Medical As-
sociation to introduce the culture, as an
experiment, of the Cinchona-tree in the
different States of the Union. The
reason therefor was, the scarcity and
high cost of that invaluable drug, qui-
nine. The same proposal having been
introduced before the State Medical
Society, of California, some three years
since, the subject was referred to a
committee. It at once became apparent
to that committee that the experiment
in California, as a subject of special
legislation, would be a horticultural im-
provement of too slow growth to obtain
attention, where quick harvest and great
profits were essential to prosperity.
The committee, therefore, determined
to enlarge the programme, and endeavor
to found an institution worthy the
creative greatness of California.

The following Act, presented before
the Legislature in 1872, was the result,
and was favorably regarded. It had
many friends, but, unfortunately, was
introduced at too late a date to receive
full consideration.

An Act to Create and Establish a State Botan-
ical and Zoological Farm for the Experimental
Culture of all Desirable Plants of Foreign or
Indigenous Growth, available for Economic Pur-
poses ; for the Cultivation of Knowledge in Zo-
ology, and for the Foundation of a Public
Thernud Sanitarium for the Cure of Chronic
Maladies.

Preamble. — At the meeting of the Medical
Society of the State of California, October 19th,
1870, this interesting subject was first intro-
duced to the public attention. A memorial to
Congress on the cultivation of the Cinchona-
tree in the United States (by the American
Medical Association) was presented to the Con-

Vol. m.— n.

vention. A committee was appointed to ad-
dress the Legislature of California, and petition
that honorable body to appropriate suitable
lands for the purpose. Doctors A. B. Stout and
T. M. Logan were the committee selected.

The following year, Oct. 11th, 1871, at the
annual meeting of the Medical Society of the
State of California, Dr. Stout of San Francisco,
from the committee previously appointed, made
the following report on the raising of Cinchona,
which was accepted and referred to the Com-
mittee on Publication:

The committee on this subject report that
during the year no facilities have offered which
could be used to promote the cultivation of the
Cinchona-tree in California. The committee,
however, report progress, and ask for further
time. The project is entertained that this well
approved subject may be availed of to obtain
through legislative action the appropriation of
lands, not only to try the cultivation of the Cin-
chona-tree, but for the experimental culture of
any other desirable plant; or, in other words,
the foundation of a State Botanical and Zoolo-
gical Farm. Such an appropriation would ren-
der a permanent service and honor to the State,
while the care and expense devoted to the one
single object might be lost by the failure of the
experiment. For such an appropriation a mag-
nificent botanical garden might be created. As-
sociated with a State sanitary institution and
thermal resort for chronic diseases, it would
form a new and superb institution. Forming,
as it would, the permanent residence of several
competent physicians, botanists, and natural-
ists, this would secure for it efficient superin-
tendence, while oftentimes the voluntary labor
of many grateful convalescents, or other per-
sons infirm from various causes, would diminish
the expenses. In this prospect, your commit-
tee respectfully asks to be continued.

Arthur B. Stout,
Thomas M. Logan.

The committee was continued accordingly.

Should the bill introduced Februry 23d, 1872,
before Congress, by Senator Morrill of Vermont,
for the support of Agricultural Colleges, be
adopted — "The support of Agricultural Col-
leges. Washington, February 23d. A bill in-
troduced by Senator Morrill, of Vermont, to-
day was referred to the Committee on Educa-
tion and Labor, appropriating to each State in
which Agricultural Colleges have been estab-
lished in accordance with the law of 1862, one
million acres of public lands for their further
endowment and support. No mineral lands
are to be taken under this Act " — then would
the cession of land be sufficient to establish four
Agricultural Colleges in as many different regions
of the State, so that their benefits would be fair-
ly distributed.

The establishment of these collegiate farms
with botanical gardens for experimental horti-
culture and sanitary objects, would necessarily
become points of attraction for farming settlers
in their vicinity, and thus every such endow-
ment would become an important centre cf
progressive civilization and wealth in the State.

As the bill of Senator Morrill proposes the

78

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

cession of one million acres, abundant funds
■will accrue for the support and development of
the collegiate farms; for if ten thousand acres
were allotted to each farm, in all forty thousand
acres, the remainder sold or leased would be-
come yearly an increasing value.

The advantages in a sanitary point of view, in
promoting public health by the suppression of
contagious diseases and preventing heredita-
ry transmission, are manifest. This sanitary
question is now one of legislative solicitude.
The addition of a' public sanitarium for chronic
diseases, with the use of thermal springs and
public baths, would in no wise interfere with
the agricultural and educational objects in con-
templation. Their presence, on the contrary,
would give an additional value and interest,
and invite a larger influx of interested parties
to the district. Ample space for all these objects
exists in these large tracts to permit the various
departments to be isolated. The following
quotation from page forty-nine, article " Social
Evil," in the first biennial report of the State
Board of Health, 1870 and 1871, explains the
merits of the subject:

"The great diminution in the amount as well
as the virulence of venereal maladies in the pres-
ent, as compared with the ancient times, and
the power exercised over the disease, as well on
its primitive forms as on its hereditary trans-
mission, by medical treatment, evidently allows
the inference that still greater mitigation of the
evil may be effected.

" The squalid poverty and filth of former ages
no longer exist in our favored country. In a
comparative view the poor of our country are
-all rich. But yet reformative legislation may very
irnuch accelerate the progress of improvement.
To :this end the establishment of hygienic insti-
tutions to which the afflicted may easily resort,
without the necessity of a record or register of
their affliction, will render benefit. The dis-
grace and secresy which accompany contamina-
tion contribute immensely to prolong and in-
tensify the evil, and very few are willing to
make a public record of a mortifying fact. Let,
then, the cure be made as private for the indi-
gent as the rich. In large towns hospitals and
dispensaries should be opened, of easy access to
all parts of the place; and in counties, a County
Physician, with an ample salary, should visit
through the county, whose services would be
free to the poor. The magnificent public baths
of ancient Borne are an institution which would
do honor to our philanthropic age.

"It was, perhaps, this very matter that led the
statesmen of that epoch to call them into exist-
ence. The religious orders of those times were
clever enough to convert to their uses the
thermal springs of their respective countries,
and by investing them with the idea of divine
visitations, won the merit and the profits of
divine cures."

If, then, the Legislature would appropriate
some thermal springs of acknowledged efficiency
and devote them to public use, with free accom-
modations for the indigent, and as a State hos-
pital to which the poor sick of the State might
resort at a very low cost, or for nothing, and
even in extreme cases give free transport to the
localitv, more absolute relief and benefit would

be done to the State than by direct legislation
against the " social evil."

At present such resorts are occupied as pri-
vate property, and are only accessible to those
who have ample means to pay for their enjoy-
ment. Therefore,

The People of the State of California, represented
in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows :
Section 1. Public lands, in area — — acres
(taken from the lands of the State of California,
or obtained from the public lands of the United
States in California by the petition of the State
to the United States for the sai& appropriation),
shall be set apart, applied, and surveyed for the
aforesaid objects of public utility and philan-
thropy.

Sec. 2. Said lands shall not be necessarily
limited to one continuous tract; but to obtain
the benefit of the different zones of climate and
the different soils, altitudes, and thermal wa-
ters of the State, they may be located in four
different nearly equally divided sections, and
four differently selected districts.

Sec. 3. Five Trustees, to consist, first, of the
Governor; second, a member of the State Med-
ical Society to be appointed by the Governor;
third, the State Geologist; fourth, the Secretary
of the State Board of Health; and fifth, the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall
carry out the object of this Act, take charge of
the lands appropriated, appoint managers and
superintendents, and lease to such farming
families as will agree to promote the general
plan.

Sec. 4. Said five Trustees shall hold their
commissions for four years, and their acts shall
be subject to legislative confirmation.

extract from the transactions of the med-
ical societt of the state of california,
in October, 1872:
Beport of Committee on Cultivation of the Cin-
chona-tree, and the appropriation of Public
Lands for Botanical Farms, Zoological Collec-
tions, and the use of /Thermal and other Mineral
Springs in Chronic Diseases.
The interest the committee takes in the sub-
ject committed to its care, is unabated. This
important and interesting question now depends
upon the action of Congress upon the bill in-
troduced by Senator Morrill, of Vermont, pro-
posing to donate large tracts of lands for these
purposes in every State. We have, therefore,
to endure the delays dependent upon this ac-
tion, which it is proposed to urge with new
vigor when Congress shall again convene. As
further evidence of the great value of this en-
terprise, we submit the following essay of
Bobert E. C. Stearns, member of the California
Academy of Sciences, on the cultivation of cer-
tain Australian forest trees in California.

A. B. Stout, M. D.,
Thos. M. Logan, M. D.

[The essay of Prof. Stearns, on the
Australian forest trees, has appeared in
previous numbers of this magazine.]

The preamble of this bill, introduced
by Mr. Comte, gives an ample explana-

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTTTKIST.

79

tion, and shows the phases through
which the general idea has passed, and
is in full way, we hope, to obtain ulti-
mate success.

The bill of Senator Morrill, of Ver-
mont— a bill whose scope is so truly
national and philanthropic — has already
passed the Senate, and only awaits the
confirmation of the House of representa-
tives.

The plan of the bill, if we mistake
not, is to sell 1,000,000 acres of United
States lands at the Government price,
and supply, from the accruing funds in
the United States Treasury, the sums
necessary to inaugurate the agricultural
colleges. The interest on the balance
to be divided pro rata among the States
for the further support of the colleges.

Now is the moment for the friends of
agricultural science and natural history
to extend their influence and persuasion
to obtain the final passage of this ad-
mirable bill. The name of Morrill will
be gratefully associated in the mind of
every land-holder in the nation. Edu-
cation in agriculture has now become
as indispensable to the farmer, as it is
in all other departments of industry.
Hereditary experience and oral instruc-
tion no longer suffice, important as
they may be to success in farming. The
evening discussions around the big
stove in the country inns, are the prin-
cipal lectures heard on husbandry, and
the town hotels are our agricultural
colleges ; that is, when the politicians
give the farmers a chance to talk — and
then the fermented product of the grain
crop is the chief inducement to the ex-
change of opinions.

The question will naturally arise,
Should all this fine endowment be
granted to one agricultural college — the
present existing institution? The great
extent, and the variety of soils, climate,
and altitudes in California, render this

State exceedingly favorable for the in-
troduction and cultivation of all the
great commercial products ; and this
circumstance favors the division of the
land into at least four great farms, each
with its college, board of trustees, and
general organization. The more culti-
vated minds can be induced to de-
vote their energy to the work, the more
will the students, and practical young
farmers flock to their schools and fields.
And a generous rivalry will stimulate
them all.

How grand the picture on the mind
of all these model farms, in their vari-
ous details and departments, in full op-
eration ; and when each graduate may
write " "What I know about Farming,"
with honor to himself, and benefit to

his State.

■»

DEYING OF FKUITS.

The following valuable remarks rela-
tive to the drying of fruits, etc., were
communicated by Mr. Wm. M. Haynie
and others at a meeting of the Sacra-
mento Farmers' Club:

Mr. Haynie gave an account of his
experience in curing Raisins and Figs in
his hop-house :

The hop-house is provided with a
set of boxes with wire-cloth bottoms,
and some twelve or fifteen feet below
these boxes are a couple of large stoves
or furnaces so arranged that the smoke
passes off by pipes outside of the build-
ing, while the cool air passes in at open-
ings at the bottom of . the building, and
being heated by the furnaces, passes up
through the wire-cloth and Grapes, and
out at ventilators at the top of the
building, the walls of the building be-
ing battened and caulked very close.
The fire was kept up during the day-
time and allowed to cease during the
night, so that the Grapes had been sub-

80

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

jected to the heating process about
twenty hours. The committee exhibited
some samples of dried Grapes of each
variety, and some of the Figs. The Los
Angeles Grapes were, some of them,
dried about right, and others were still
soft or green, the curing being some-
what uneven. TheWhite Muscat Grapes
were still quite soft and more imper-
fectly dried, while the Figs were pretty
fairly cured. But the heat had evidently
been raised too high, the Grapes having
the taste of being somewhat cooked. *

The committee were entirely satisfied
from the experiment that making Raisins
by artificial heat could be made suc-
cessful, practically and financially, but
wire-cloth to lay them on was objection-
able. A better way would be to sus-
pend them, or lay them on some mate-
rial which was a non-conductor of heat.
"Wherever the fruit came in contact with
the wire it was cooked. They also
thought the heat should be generated
outside the building, and forced through
the fruit in the form of heated air.

Mr. Johnston said: Tou can't force
the drying of Grapes ; there was no rea-
son for constructing houses in which to
cure Grapes when tbey could be suc-
cessfully cured on the vines and gath-
ered in the form of Raisins.

Mr. Aiken said: Grapes do not dry
evenly on the vine. While some of the
berries on the same bunch dry to a
crisp, others remain green.

Mr. Rutter agreed with Mr. Aiken.
He has White Muscat Grapes of the
first crop still hanging on the vines,
. and still as green as ever.

Mr. Manlove: It is easy to account
for the opinions of Aiken and Rutter.
Aiken's vineyard is on the river bottom,
low land, and is covered with sand, which
causes some of the Grapes exposed to
the reflection of the rays of the sun to
scald and crisp, while those not so expos-

ed are, by the natural dampness of the
surrounding atmosphere, kept from dry-
ing at all; while Rutter irrigates his
vineyard, and keeps the sap running
in the vines and to the Grapes. He
(Mr. Manlove) has 100 vines of White
Muscat Grapes evenly and successfully
converted into Raisins, and now hanging
on the vines and ready for picking and
packing. His vineyard is on clay or
adobe soil, which, when not irrigated,
absorbs the heat of the sun in the day-
time and retains it in the night, thus
keeping up the drying process of the
Grape. He had formerly dried all his
fruit on scaffolds, but he had been
taught by a Greek who had worked for
him that the ground was better, as it is
certainly much cheaper. When gather-
ing his Muscat Grapes for the market,
he made a practice of assorting them,
throwing the unmarketable bunches on
the ground between the rows. Here
they are allowed to remain until cured,
when they are gathered up and packed
as Raisins, and he sells them at from
13c. to 15c. per lb. The expense of
curing being nothing, he had found
this practice to pay. Grapes, or any
other fruit, will dry one-third faster on
the ground than on boards, and better.
A clay or adobe soil is the best, because
it does not become so hot under the
rays of the sun as to scald the fruit,
while it retains the heat longer when
the sun disappears.

Mr. Johnston said : This is the mode
of drying Figs and Grapes on the Medi-
terranean, and is undoubtedly the cheap-
est, and perhaps the best. It is some-
times practiced to send heat through
under dirt scaffolds by means of fur-
naces constructed something after the
style of the furnaces under brick kilns.
This secures the continuance of the heat
during the night, and takes advantage
of all the heat of the sun in the day, at

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

81

the same time; and he thinks it ques-
tionable whether any drying-house can
be made that will be as economical and
effective in this country as the method
suggested.

Fruit-growers in California in general
say that drying fruit will not pay. The
reasons they give are that they have no
convenient way to facilitate the work of
drying, and the labor is too high to dry
fruits in the ordinary way of sun-drying.
He recommended the erection of drying-
houses heated by pipes, from an ordi-
nary furnace or stove constructed for
the purpose, or otherwise by kilns with
a surface constructed, say twelve feet
by twenty, and the furnace draft under-
neath. This kind of kiln can be con-
structed of brick or stone, and is well
adapted for the quick drying of all kinds
of fruits. Such kilns are used for dry-
ing fruits in the States of Pennsylvania
and Ohio.

The advantages of kiln-drying are ap-
parent from the fact that the acid of the
fruit is retained, and the saccharine
properties of the fruit undergo no fer-
mentation; only the vegetable and water
substances are evaporated, leaving the
fruit with all the solids and excellent
flavor belonging to the juices of their
several kinds. Such drying-kilns can
be constructed to last any length of
time by being covered from the weather,
and would be more convenient and
economical than drying-houses — they
turn out better dried fruit. To make a
good quality of dried Apples, they must
be cut or sliced when in the ripening
state, but not fully ripe. The same will
apply to the Peach, Plum, Pear, and
the smaller fruits. When dried suffi-
ciently for keeping they should be im-
mediately and compactly packed in
boxes of suitable size, especially in
California, in order that the fruit may
not undergo the changes in our climate

from humid to dry, which tend to mold
and change the flavor.

In drying Figs, he believed the out-
door surface -drying kiln would be the
best. The Smyrna and Sicily Figs are
dried upon a smooth surface of hard
clay, as also under glass in houses con-
structed for the purpose. So are the
beautiful layers of white Malaga and blue
Portugal Raisins. The Zante Currants
are dried upon fire-kilns and in ovens
constructed for the purpose, at a tem-
perature of heat not exceeding eighty
degrees. The German and French
Prunes are dried in clay ovens similarly
constructed. All of the imported fruits
are similarly dried, and the condition
and appearance they come in prove con-
clusively that they are cured by fire heat.
This should teach us all to abandon the
lazy system of sun-drying, and stimu-
late us all to adopt the fire system.
There is no country upon the face of
the globe that produces better qualities
or varieties of fruit for drying than Cal-
ifornia, and this business can be made
a great source of wealth and one of the
leading economies of the farmer.

THE HAKD AND OKNAMENTAL WOODS
OF THE PACIFIC COAST.

BY C A. STIVERS, M. D.

Living in a new country as we are,
and surrounded to a certain extent by
new conditions of life, it is our duty to
foster and develop all that shall make
us prosperous and wealthy. Not alone
are we to unfold the hidden treasures
of our own State, but also those of ad-
joining States and countries.

It can be truly said, that to us be-
longs the general prosperity of the en-
tire Pacific Coast, and, if we wish to
erect an empire of commercial greatness
for ourselves, and for those who are to

82

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

follow us, it must be done by reaching
out on all sides, and drawing to us the
materials of wealth, which are at pres-
ent lying unnoticed and unutilized.

California stands in the current-way
of (we may almost say) the world's com-
merce, and it is only necessary to so
direct the streams, as that they shall
flow through her; receiving, as they
must, an increased impetus from her
aid and knowledge.

With these facts before me, and also
with a view of bringing into notice a
branch of commerce which is but devel-
oping itself on this coast — that in hard
and ornamental woods — I have thought
a few remarks in your journal would
not be out of place. In using the title
of " Hard and Ornamental Woods of
the Pacific Coast," I have done so for
the purpose of including all woods of
that description found growing ad-
jacent to the coast, and reaching from
Behring's Strait on the north, to the
Bay of Panama on the south. Com-
mencing at the southern point of this
timber belt, and passing north through
Central America and Mexico, we meet
with a large number of valuable woods
already known to commerce ; while
there is every reason to believe that
there are many others equally valuable,
which have as yet been unutilized.

The most common hard woods re-
ceived from this southern part of the
timber belt, are those known to com-
merce under the general name of
" Spanish Cedar "(natural order, Cedre-
lacece). While all these belong to the
same general class, they are still divided
into many varieties, marked by differ-
ences in color, texture, and grain.
Those growing in Nicaragua (small lots
of which have, at various times, been im-
ported), like the Cedars in general of
Central America, are finer in texture,
and more beautiful than those in Mex-

ico— a variety from Tiger Island (a
small island in the Gulf of Fonseca),
being as hard and fine as the best Ma-
hogany. Unfortunately, this island has
been almost stripped of these valuable
trees.

Central America also furnishes an ex-
ceedingly hard wood called "Amapa
prieta" (local name), which resembles
the Black Walnut in some degree, but
is of much greater density, and some-
what lighter in color. Small lots have
been imported, and used in cabinet
work, for which it is well fitted on ac-
count of its great hardness.

Nicaragua, more especially, grows
the " Carretta" (another local name),
which seems to be but a variety of the
preceding, and has often been mistaken
for Walnut. Its principal use has been
in small carvings, and for ship pur-
poses ; small quantities having at times
been imported for use at the Navy
Yard.

Another valuable wood also comes to
this port, chiefly from Nicaragua, called
''Fustic" (Morus tinctoria). At present
its principle use is that of a dye-wood,
producing a clear, fine, yellow stain.
The wood is of a light and exceedingly
handsome yellow color, close grained,
and capable of receiving a high polish.

As we advance north into Mexico,
the Cedars are more plentiful, but are
somewhat softer than those found grow-
ing further south ; this quality is, how-
ever, a gain rather than otherwise ; as
the soft Cedars of the west coast of
Mexico are highly esteemed in the
Eastern States ; prices having advanced
to such a rate as to allow of a number
of shipments being made from this
port to New York by steamer, at a fair
margin of profit. Their principal use
is for cigar boxes, stair and cabinet
work. Mexico has also the pencil
Cedar growing on the west coast, but

THE CALIEORMA HORTICULTURIST.

83

the exact locality is at present unknown
to me.

Besides the Cedars, Mexico furnishes
a great variety of other hard and orna-
mental woods, small shipments of which
have, from time to time, been received
at this port.

The " Haba" a dense, hard wood, is
spoken very highly of by ship-carpenters,
as being well adapted for their work.

The " Primavera," or white Mahog-
any, is an exceedingly fine cabinet
wood; hard and dense, of great dur-
ability, and susceptible of a fine polish.
It is also well fitted for ship-work. Of
Rosewoods, there are two varieties;
the red and black. The red Rosewood
is a kind of bastard wood, somewhat
like the true Rosewood, but lighter in
color, and much softer in texture, while
the black is in all respects equal to the
Rosewood of South America.

"IAnole" (natural order, Aurantia-
cece,) (?) is rather a soft wood, but with a
very pretty and curious figure. Its princi-
pal value is in its perfume, resembling
somewhat that of Bergamot. It is used
in the manufacture of fancy boxes and
caskets.

" Lignum vitse " (Guaiacwm officinale)
is also found growing in large quantities
in Mexico, and is in all respects a valu-
able and desirable wood. Its hardness
and durability are well known. It is
used in ship-building where a very hard
wood is required, as in the case of block
and pulley wheels. It is also employed
in medicine, in the form of tincture,
infusion, etc.

In addition to the woods already
mentioned, there are Oaks of various
kinds and qualities to be found along
this Pacific timber-belt; the Quercus
Skinnerii being one of the most valuable.
At present, the country is so undevel-
oped and in such a condition, that there
are no great facilities for getting these

woods to points of shipment. But if
their value is only demonstrated, there
will soon be such a demand, as to in-
duce an active interest to be taken in
this branch of commerce, by both the
people and the government.

I shall, at a future time, continue this
article by enumerating and describing
the hard and ornamental woods of the
northern portion of this timber belt,
reaching from Mexico through Califor-
nia, Oregon, Washington Territory,
British Columbia, and Alaska.

SELECT PLANTS

(Exclusive of Timber Trees) readily eligible for
Victorian Industrial Culture, with Indications
of their Native Countries and some of their
Uses — an Enumeration offered

BY BABON FEED. TON MtTELLEB.
[Continued from page 10 of January number.]

Calamus montantts, T. Anderson. —
Himalaya, up to 6,000 feet. A hardy
climbing palm. The aged canes are
naked. "The light but strong suspens-
ion-bridges, by which the large rivers
of Sikkim are crossed, are constructed
of this palm. It supplies material for
the strongest ropes for dragging logs of
wood from the forests. The most dur-
able baskets and the cane-work of
chairs are manufactured from the slit
stems. Walking-sticks and riding-canes
made of this species are exported from
Sikkim in considerable quantity. " Many
other Calami serve similar purposes,
but probably few or perhaps none are
equally hardy.

Camelina sativa, Crantz. — Middle, and
South Europe, temperate Asia. An an-
nual herb, cultivated for the sake of its
fibre and the oil of its seeds. It is
readily grown after corn crops, yields
richly even on poor soil, and is not
attacked by aphis. Mr. W. Taylor ob-
tained 32 bushels of seeds from an acre,

84

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

and from these 540 lbs. of oil. The re-
turn is within a few months.

Canna Achikas, Gillies. — Mendoza.
One of the few extra-tropical of Cannas,
eligible for Arrow-root culture.

Canna coccinea, Boscoe. — West India.
Yields with some other Cannas the
particular Arrow-root, called " Tous les
mois."

Canna edulis, Edwards. — The Adeira
of Peru. One of the hardiest of Arrow-
root plants, and thus well adapted for
our clime. Seeds, even if many years
old, will germinate. This species has
yielded excellent starch at Melbourne,
Western Port, Lake Wellington, Bal-
larat and other localities, from- plants
supplied at the Botanic Garden. The
Rev. Mr. Hagenauer, of the GipjDS
Land Aboriginal Mission station, ob-
tained 220 lbs. of Arrow -root from
one-eighth of an acre of this Canna.
The gathering of the roots i& effected
about April. The plants can be set out
in ordinary ploughed land. Captain
James Hall, of Hastings, prepared also
largely the starch from this root. Starch
grains remarkably large.

Canna flacctda, Boscoe. — Carolina.
Probably also available for Arrow-root,
though in first instance, like many con-
geners, chosen only for ornamental cul-
ture.

Canna olauca, Linne. — One of the
West Indian Arrow-root Cannas.

Cannabis sativa, L. * — The Hemp-
plant; indigenous to various parts of
Asia, as far west as Turkey, and as far
east as Japan. Cultivated for its fibre,
since ancient times. Particularly in
hot climes it exudes the " Churras," a
resinous substance of narcotic intoxicat-
ing property. The foliage contains also
a volatile oil, which the seeds yield by
pressure — the well-known fixed Hemp-
oil. The staminiferous plant is pulled
for obtaining the fibre in its best state

immediately after flowering; the seed-
ing plant is gathered for fibre at a later
stage of growth. Good soil, well drain-
ed, never absolute dry, is needed for
successful Hemp culture. Hemp is
one of the plants yielding a full and
quick return within the season. The
summer temperature of St. Petersburg
(67° F.) and of Moscow (62° F.) ad-
mit yet of the cultivation of this plant.

Cappabis spinosa, L. — South Europe
and North Africa. A somewhat shrub-
by and trailing plant, deserving even
for the sake of its handsome flower a
place in any garden. It sustains its
life in the most arid deserts. The frosts
of our lowlands do not destroy this
plant. The flower-buds and young
berries preserved in vinegar with some
salt form the Capers of commerce.
Samples of Capers, prepared from
plants of the Botanic Garden, are
placed in our Industrial Museum, to-
gether with many other industrial pro-
ducts emanating from the writer's labor-
atory. A closely allied and probably
equally useful plant, Capparis num-
mularia, is indigenous to Northern
Australia. The Caper-plant is propa-
gated either from seeds or suckers ; it
is well able to withstand either heat or
drought. The buds after their first
immersion into slightly salted vinegar
are strained and afterwards preserved
in bottles with fresh vinegar. Chemic-
al principle : Glycosid.

Capsicum annuum, L. — Central Amer-
ica. An annual herb, which yields the
Chillies and thus also the material for
Cayenne Pepper. Chemical principle :
Capsicin, an acrid soft -resinous sub-
stance.

Capsicum baccatum, L. — The Cherry-
Capsicum. A perennial plant. From
Brazil brought to tropical Africa and
Asia, where now other Pepper-Capsi-
cums are likewise naturalized.

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

85

Capsicum frutescens, L. — Tropical
America. The berries of this shrubby
species are likewise converted into Ca-
yenne Pepper.

Capsicum longum, Gandolle. — Some of
the hottest parts of America. An an-
nual herb, also yielding Cayenne Pep-
per. Our summers admit of the suc-
cessful growth of at least the annual
species of Capsicum in all the lowlands.

Carthamus tinctorius, L. — From
Egypt to India. The safflower. A tall,
annual, rather handsome herb. The
florets produce yellow, rosy, ponceau
and other red shades of dye, according
to various admixtures. Pigment prin-
ciples : Carthamin and Carthamus- yel-
low. For domestic purposes it yields a
dye ready at hand from any garden. In
India the Carthamus is also cultivated
for the sake of the oil, which can be
pressed from the seeds.

Carum Ajowan, Benthan. (Ptychotis
Ajowan, Candolle.) India. The fruits
of this annual herb form an excellent
culinary condiment with the flavor of
thyme. Its peculiar oil is accompanied
by Cymol and Thymol.

Carum Carui, L. — The Caraway-plant.
Perennial. Europe, North and Middle
Asia. It might be naturalized in our
Alps and also along our sea shores.
The Caraway-oil is accompanied by two
chemical principles : Barvon and Car-
vol.

Carum eerulieolium, Koch. (Bunium
ferulifolium, Desfont.) A perennial herb
of the Mediterranean regions. The small
tubers are edible.

Carum Petroselinum, Benfham. (Api-
um Petroselinum, L.) The Parsley.
The biennial well-known herb, indige-
nous to South Europe and the Orient.
Essential oil peculiar with Stearopten.

Caryota urens. L. — India. One of
the hardier Palms, ascending, according
to Dr. Thomas Anderson, the Himalayas

Vol. III.— 12.

to an altitude of 5,000 feet, yet even
there attaining a considerable height,
though the temperature sinks in the
cooler season to forty degrees Fahren-
heit. The trunk furnishes a sago-like
starch. This Palm flowers only at an
advanced age, and, after having pro-
duced a succession of flowers, dies away.
From the sap of the flowers toddy and
palm-sugar are prepared, as from the
Cocos and Borassus Palm, occasionally
as much as twelve gallons of toddy be-
ing obtained from one tree in a day.
The fibre of the leaf-stalks can be manu-
factured into very strong ropes, also into
baskets, brushes, and brooms. The out-
er wood of the stem serves for turnery.

American Plants in Great Britain.
— An English journal says: "The
beautiful Asclepias tuberosa is, this sea-
son, producing freely its showy, bright,
orange - colored flowers in several col-
lections round London. This fine pe-
rennial thrives perfectly well almost
anywhere, if planted in sandy peat."
In the same journal we find the follow-
ing notice: "One of the best hardy
aquatic plants, in flower at the present
time, is the North American Pickerel
Weed, Pontederia cordata, a plant by no
means so often met with as it deserves
to be. It produces a stout spike of
handsome sky-blue, flowers from one
and a half to two feet high. No orna-
mental water should be without this
charming aquatic, which should, how-
ever, have a place near its margin."

Again: "The American Pitcher Plant,
Sarracenia purpurea, is thriving as well
as any native plant in the bog-garden
in Messrs. Backhouse's nurseries at
York, and by its side a healthy little
specimen of the still more curious Dar-
Ungtonia Galifornica is beginning to
grow freely. "

86

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The above extracts will show that
many of our native plants find a better
appreciation in foreign cultivation than
they do in their own country. It is to
be hoped that our gardeners and florists
will give more attention to the intro-
duction of native plants, whose merits
have been overlooked because of their
commonness.

CAMPHOR -WOOD.

The Camphor -wood boxes brought
from China and the East are well known
for their strong preservative odor, and
are found useful in keeping away moths
from woolens and furs. The China and
Japan Camphor-tree belongs to the
Laurel family, but that of Sumatra and
Borneo is the Dryobalanops campTiora.
Even the leaves and fruit smell of cam-
phor. In Sumatra this tree is abun-
dantly met with on the west coast,
chiefly in the extensive bush, but sel-
dom in places more than 1,000 feet
above the level of the sea. The tree is
straight, extraordinarily tall, and has a
gigantic crown, which often overtops the
other woody giants by 100 feet or so.
The stem is sometimes twenty feet thick.
The Barus camphor of this island is the
most esteemed of any, and it is for this
drug, obtained in but small quantities
— seldom more than half a pound to a
tree — that it is ruthlessly destroyed.
The tree, when felled, is divided into
small pieces, and these are afterward
split ; upon which the camphor, which
is found in hollows or crevices in the
body of the tree — and above all, in
knots or swellings of branches from the
trunks — becomes visible in the form of
granules or grains. An essential oil
also exudes from the tree in cutting,
which is sometimes collected, but is
scarcely remunerative. On the west
coast of Formosa there are forests of

Camphor-wood, and a great deal of
crude camphor is shipped thence to
Amoy and other Chinese ports. Large
quantities of the wood are sawn into
planks. Tables and cabinets are then
made of it, and it is also turned into
platters and washing-basins. Only a
small portion of the vast camphor for-
est of Formosa has been reclaimed from
its wild inhabitants, and this consists of
fine tall trees, the growth of ages.
When a tree is felled, the finest part of
the wood is sawn into planks, the rest
chopped small and boiled down for the
camphor. — The Garden.

HOW TO COOK MUSHROOMS.

Robert Morris Copeland contributes
to the February Atlantic an article on
"Edible Fungi," from which we take
the following:

The treatises on fungi give many
methods for cooking them to make them
palatable, and most of the processes
are so compound, and require so many
additions of condiments, or spices, but-
ter, etc., that a piece of sole-leather so
cooked would probably be very good.
The simplest method is the best for rel-
ish, and is an easy way of ascertaining
whether any fungus which seems safe
is flavorous enough to be worth eating.
Peel off the outer skin, break out the
stem, and set the cap top down on a
hot stove. In the spot where the stem
formerly stood put a little salt, and, if
desired, a small bit of butter. Scatter
some salt over the gills. When the
butter or salt melts, the cooking is
done; and as soon as it is cool enough
the fungus should be eaten, carefully
saving the juice. Agaricus Campestris
cooked in this way, and eaten hot, will
make one wish that he was all mouth
and palate, and that his mouth might
never be in want of a Mushroom.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

87

This is the simple Irish way of cook-
ing the Mushroom, and all its allies can
be treated in that way. Some fungi
which do not seem particularly delicious
when thus cooked, will, when slowly
stewed with a little butter, and flour
dredged in, with salt and pepper, make
most delicious stews.

Tbe mushrooms Cantharellus, dlarasi-
mus, Boletus, indeed all of the fungi
named, will stew together, and form a
dish that, alone or as an entree, can not
be surpassed in delicacy of flavor and
gastronomic satisfaction.

mitmixl gartfoH*.

In another column will be found an
announcement • from the Secretary of
the Bay District HoRTiCLXTURAii Soci-
ety, that a Floral Exhibition will be
held at the Horticultural Hall, in the
coming May. "We hope that every en-
deavor will be used both by profes-
sional nurserymen and by our rapidly
increasing community of amateurs, to
render this a pleasing success. Spring
is indeed the most appropriate season
for such enjoyments.

Much care is necessary to make such
fitting arrangements, that, while every
exhibitor may have fair opportunity for
display and contrast with his competi-
tors, and a due protection for his prop-
erty, yet that a general harmony of
outline may be preserved ; and that,
while an artistic contrasting of color is
effected, at the same time, that general
blending and softening of tints which
is so pleasing and refreshing to the eye,
may pervade the whole exhibition.

In view of these requirements, we ex-
tract the following remarks from the
Gardeners' Chronicle of the 4th of last
January :

"We have always held, and we still
hold, that no flower show will ever be

what it ought to be, until some plan,
by which the materials can be placed
independent of their ownership, has been
brought into working order ; and then,
as the adjudication must precede the ar-
rangement, and tbe arrangement must
precede the admission of the public, it be-
comes a necessity either that they should
be judged over-night, or very early on the
morning of the exhibition day. There
are, of course, difficulties in the way of
this, but they are scarcely insurmount-
able ; for it would not be necessary to
move all the objects which may be
brought in. The first and second prize
lots might very well remain intact, as
groups of the particular objects of which
they are composed; while third prize
lots, and such as do not get prizes, to-
gether with some of the minor classes,
might be broken up, and their compo-
nent parts placed where they were most
required. All that would be necessary
to carry this out would be to devise a
simple and practicable plan of marking
the plants, so that there might be no
disputes about ownership, and then to
secure general acquiescence in the plan.
" What is wanted, and which we never
get now, is a sort of continuity in the
thread of arrangement — not the abrupt
transitions we so often see: as, for ex-
ample, a group of tall plants set down
beside a group of dwarf plants, the two
lots not harmonizing one whit more in
character of leaves and flowers than
they do in stature. The surface should
form an easy flowing line, and, where
possible, the outline of the plan of the
groups also should be a graceful curve;
but even in straight tents, and on linear
stages, it would be an immense im-
provement if the objects could be grad-
uated in size. Any marked subjects,
such as the best grown Roses, or Pelar-
goniums, or stove and greenhouse
plants, would form distinct and char-
acteristic objects as prominent groups,
and so would such things as Aloes and
Agaves, or even the lowly alpines, if
they were set at proper intervals, and
the intermediate spaces were so filled
out as to connect the one with the
other. We are fully aware of the dif-
ficulties of carrying out all these sug-
gestions, and also of the difficulties of
working up a picture at all presentable

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICTILTUKIST.

under present arrangements, for in the
former case there must be a revolution
of the whole system of staging; and in
the latter ease the unfulfilled engage-
ments made in the shape of entries, and
not complied with, coupled with the
limited time which is available , utterly
prevent anything but an arrangement
of chance, which may or may not prove
to be effective at certain spots, and
which can never hope to reach to any
high degree of effectiveness as a whole.
To remedy this state of things, all that
can be done at present is to keep the
matter well before the horticultural
public, with the hope that governing
bodies may in time see their way to
strike out a bolder policy, and that
those who bring together the materials
of which the shows have to be com-
posed, may not prove obstructive as to
the mode of carrying it out."

"¥e have had many communications
from friends, seeking information on
the rudimentary steps necessary to in-
itiate a garden,. in a locality either not
previously cultivated, or in a neglected
condition, by an entirely inexperienced
hand. Complaints are made that all
books and codes of instructions in
magazines, evidently presuppose some
amount of knowledge and some previ-
ous preparation. Our friends seem to
want their ABC. To gratify them, we
have made arrangements for a series of
short and concise articles on this sub-
ject; but they must learn to ask for
what they want, and not be too lazy to
do it. Write ; and, if possible, answers
will follow.

It is not generally known that the
leaves of the coffee-plant are coming to
be used like the berries, and in some
coffee-growing lands, Java for instance,
are preferred by the natives to the
choicest berry for making the favorite
decoction.

INFLUENCE OF FORESTS ON CLIMATE.

Meteorology is yet in a crude and
undeveloped state, but experiment and
research in that direction are constantly
bringing out facts of permanent value.
In Europe, where the denudation of
forests has rendered these changes more
apparent, investigations have been car-
ried forward in the most careful man-
ner. The following observations made
by M. Mathieu, Professor in the School
of Forestry, at Nancy, France, while
they do not establish the theory of the
effect of forests on climate, are valu-
able in that direction. They were
reported by him to the Agricultural
College at Nancy, in 1869, and include
the first eight months of the year given,
being made with reference to the points
named, as follows:

1. Does the wooded condition of a
country exercise an influence upon the
amount of rain it receives ?

The answer to this question was at-
tempted by taking two stations at equal
height above the sea, but separated be-
tween fifteen and twenty miles, the one
situated in a wooded, and the other in
a cultivated country, and observing the
rain-fall. The result, reduced to inches,
was /that at the agricultural station the
rain-fall for the three seasons was 82.02
inches, and at the forest station, 93.13
inches; difference in favor of the forest
station, 11.11 inches.

2. Does the covert of the forest, by
intercepting the rain falling from the
atmosphere, diminish to a considerable
extent the amount of rain that reached
the ground?

This was answered by placing rain-
gauges beneath the trees, and in the
open ground close at hand, and com-
paring results, which were as follows:
In the open ground, 92.09 inches; un-
der the trees, 87.74 — excess in open
ground, 4.35.

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

89

This shows that while some of the
rain-fall in the forest does not reach
the ground, still, by comparing what
did reach it with the result at the agri-
cultural station, we have 87.74 inches
for the rain-fall under the trees, and
82.02 inches for the fall at the agricult-
ural station, an excess of 5.72 inches in
the forest.

3. What is the effect of a wooded
country on the conservation of the
moisture received by the soil?

The answer was sought from a com-
parison of the evaporation from two
equal vessels, one placed in the forest,
the other in the open ground. Evap-
oration went on five times as rapidly,
taking the whole year into considera-
tion, in the open ground as in the for-
est, ranging from three to six times
between April and July. Eighty-five
per cent, of the rain falling from the
open field evaporated, while only 22
per cent, of that falling in the forest
was lost.

4. What is the influence of forests
upon temperature ?

The experiments in this direction had
been conducted but a short time, but
go to show that the mean annual tem-
perature in the woods is lower than in
the open country, and that the differ-
ence is least in winter and greatest in
summer. In 1868 the mean tempera-
ture of the forest was lower than that
of the open fields by 4 deg. 35 min. in
the morning, and 9 deg. 33 min. at
night in July; which difference fell in
December to 48 min. in the morning,
and 49 min. at night. Again, the aver-
age variation in temperature was much
greater in the open country than under
cover of the forest, between day and
night. It ranged from 05 min. to 8 deg.
57 min. in the open air, but only from
04 min. to 1 deg. 22 min. in the forest.
— Western Sural.

REPOETS OF SOCIETIES.

Bat District Agricultural Society. —
The Annual Fair of this Society will be
held in this city at Agricultural Park, in
September, commencing on Monday,
8th, and continuing six days, including
Saturday, 13th. The Society are mak-
ing extensive arrangements to make it
one of the most attractive exhibitions
ever held in the State.

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS.

Bay District Horticultural Society.
The Horticultural Society has arranged
to hold a Spring Exhibition, which will
open on May 1st, 1873. This will be a
novel feature, and has many excellent
points in its favor. Although this will
be chiefly a floral show, as announced
by the advertisement on another page,
it will be superior in many respects to
an autumn exhibition. The foliage of
plants and trees present a much fresher
appearance when exhibited early in the
season, and many varieties of flowering
plants will be in full bloom by the 1st
of May, which are a thing of the past
in autumn. We anticipate a grand
show; and if the florists, the nursery-
men, and the amateur gardeners will
participate more generally than has
been the case at former exhibitions, it
will prove the most attractive display
of the kind we have ever had here.

An extensive list of premiums will be
awarded to those children who received
plants from the Horticultural Society
during the exhibition of last autumn,
and who shall exhibit them at the com-
ing fair. Over two thousand plants have
been given away, and if only one-fourth
of them are in good healthy condition,
they will form a very interesting feature
in the exhibition.

Every one who feels any interest,

90

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

either direct or indirect, in the progress
of Floriculture and Horticulture, should
endeavor, by every means in his or her
power, to make the enterprise a com-
plete success, and an honor to the com-
munity. F. A. Miller, Secretary.

OUR EXCHANGE TABLE.

We have before us Nos. 1 and 2 of
Volume II of what appears to us to be
a very excellent serial, exclusively de-
voted to poultry. The illustrations are
of more than ordinary merit, and the
various articles, both original and se-
lected, are replete with solid information
on the specialty of this magazine, which
should be in the hands of every poultry
keeper. We wish we had the first vol-
ume on our own book-shelves. The
Poultry World is published by H. H.
Stodard, Hartford, Conn. Price, $1.25
per year.

The Boston Journal of Chemistry, de-
voted to the science of Home Life, etc. ,
is evidently a very useful magazine,
containing much valuable information.
Published by Billings, Clapp & Co., 34
Oliver Street, Boston. $1 per annum.

The Milwaukee Monthly, is a very
readable serial. Price, $1 per annum.
Published by T. J. Gilmore, Milwau-
kee, Wisconsin.

American Farmer's Advocate, publish-
ed at Jackson, Tenn. $1 per annum.
National in its character, and worthy of
support.

Live Stock Journal, a very excellent
work on its specialty. Published by
Haas, Kelley & Co., 191 Water Street,
New York. Subscription, $2 per year.

The West, a very valuable monthly,
devoted to the development of the re-
gion which its name typifies. Published
by John H. Carmany & Co., San Fran-

cisco. $1 per annum. Replete with
useful information.

Journal of the Farm. This is an illus-
trated rural and family monthly. Pub-
lised by Daniel Baugh, Philadelphia.
Terms, $1 per annum. Agricultural
and horticultural intelligence, and also
much useful and scientific information.

Gardener's Monthly. Published by
Chas. H. Brinkloe, 314 Chestnut Street,
Philadelphia. Subscription, $2.00 per
annum. This is one of our most es-
teemed horticultural magazines, full of
information and valuable suggestions.

Central Union Agriculturist. Publish-
ed by Jeremiah Behm, Omaha, Nebras-
ka. Price, $1.50 per annum. An
excellent agricultural journal, full of
useful matter, with less of the irrelevant
than nine-tenths of its compeers.

CATALOGUES EECEIVED.

We are in receipt of Wholesale Price
List of the Bloomington Nursery, F. K.
Phoenix, Proprietor.

Also, Wholesale Price List of "Bry-
ant's Nurseries," Princeton, 111. A.
Bryant, Jr., Proprietor.

We have to hand Semi-Annual Trade
List, for Spring of 1873, of Hoopes
Brother & Thomas, Cherry Hill Nurse-
ries, West Chester, Pa.

We have received from Briggs & Bro-
ther, nurserymen, florists, and seeds-
men, of Rochester, N. Y. , their beau-
tifully illustrated Quarterly Catalogue.
This is a most interesting work, con-
taining three finely colored plates and
upward of 400 cuts of flowers, plants,
etc. It is a most comprehensive cata-
logue, containing much valuable infor-
mation, and got up in a truly artistic
style on tinted paper. The quarterly
series is offered for 25 cents a year,

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

91

with several other most enticing offers
regarding seeds, etc., which can be
studied out on obtaining the catalogue.

VicJc's Illustrated Floral Guide, for
1873. This, also, is a very superior and
highly decorated catalogue of plants,
seeds, and bulbs, profusely illustrated,
and accompanied with copious instruc-
tions and descriptions. This, too, is a
quarterly, offered at 25 cents per annum
for the four numbers, and suggests ad-
vantageous modes of arranging for the
supply of seeds, etc.

FAVORS RECEIVED.

"We have received two works on Bee
Culture : Annals of Bee Culture, for
1872, price 50 cents, and Progressive
Bee Culture, price 25 cents, which ap-
pear to contain much valuable informa-
tion on the subject. "We recommend
them to the attention of all aparians.
They can be obtained from the author
and editor, D. L. Adair, of Hawesville,
Illinois.

Also, American Bee Journal, for Jan-
uary, 1873, a monthly journal. Sub-
scription, $2 per annum in advance.
Published by the editor and proprietor,
W. F. Clarke, Chicago, 111.

Our thanks are due to the Commis-
sioner of Agriculture for the monthly
report for January, 1873. Much valua-
ble information and interesting statis-
tics contained.

We are in receipt of the March num-
ber of the Overland. It contains more
than its usual average of excellent and
entertaining articles.

NEW AND RARE PLANTS.

Always keep a supply of lime or finely
broken bone within convenient reach of
your poultry.

New Lily — Lilium LeichtUnii. The
origin of this Lily is unknown. Messrs.
Veitch & Sons, the well known English
nurserymen, found a bulb of it among
some L. auratums, which they received
from Japan a few years since, and J. D.
Hooker, Curator of the Kew Gardens,
named it after Max Leichtlin, of Carls-
ruhe, a gentleman who has paid especial
attention to the introduction and cult-
ure of Lilies. This new Lily resembles,
in some respects, the common Tiger Lily
in the form of the flower, but differs
from it not only in the color but grace-
ful habit of the plant. The flowers are
solitary but numerous, four inches in
diameter, nodding; bright, light golden
or lemon yellow, spotted or blotched
with maroon. The bulbs appear to be
perfectly hardy, and the plant altogether
a vigorous grower and profuse bloomer.
This Lily bloomed for the first time in
this country last summer, on the grounds
of Mr. C. L. Alen, near Brooklyn, N.
Y. — Rural Carolinian.

Juniperus Chinensis aurea— Young's
New Golden Chinese Juniper. The Gar-
dener's Chronicle says: "Certainly one
of the foremost places among golden-
leaved Conifers must be accorded to Mr.
Maurice Young's Juniperus Chinensis
aureus. The Chinese Juniper is well
known as one of the hardiest and hand-
somest of coniferous shrubs, and when
we state that the novelty just referred
to is the exact counterpart of its parent,
in all but its color, and that color is
equal at least in richness of hue to any
golden Conifer hitherto known, but
little further mention of it is needed.
We may however add, from a recent
personal inspection of the stock, that it
is thoroughly constant. Not a plant
among the entire stock shows the least
tendency to run back, but all, whether

92

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTTLTUKIST.

infants of six inches or adolescents of
three feet high, appear in the same
aristocratic 'cloth-of-gold' array. * * *
Our notes indicate that the propagated
plants take on a close j)yramidal habit,
and have moreover the two-fold char-
acter of foliage which is seen in the
parent, and that the color of the more
prominent portions of the plants is as
bright as the tint of a Golden Holly,
Taking these various points into ac-
count, and coupling with them the free-
growing, hardy character of the plant,
there is no exaggeration in pronouncing
this novelty to be one of the best and
most desirable of ornamental Conifers. "

Crocus Scnarojani — IHdacce. A
pretty, hardy, autumn-flower bulb, re-
lated to 0. Suwarowianus, and produc-
ing its blossoms before the leaves ap-
pear. The flowers are of a deep saffron
color, and are developed in the early
autumn months. It is found in the
western Caucasus, and has been intro-
duced to the St. Petersburg Botanic
Garden. — Gardener's Monthly.

New Japan Cockscomb — Celosia Ja-
ponica. This is a very elegant variety
imported from Japan last year. The
plant from the root to the smallest leaf-
vein, with the exception of the green
blade of the leaf, is of brilliant scarlet
crimson; the combs are exceedingly
rich, bright and elegant. James Vick,
of Rochester,. N. Y., seems to possess
the stock of this desirable plant.

Dicentranthera macrophylla — Acan-
thacoe. An ornamental stove shrub, with
very large obovate lanceolate leaves,
and terminal erect spikes a foot long,
of handsome bilabiate bell-shaped flow-
ers, which are rosy purple externally,
and almost pure white within. It comes
from tropical Africa, and has been raised
and flowered in the Glasnevin Botanic
Garden. — Gardener's Monthly.

Ampelosis Dissecta— Vitacce. A slen-
der and very elegant free-growing hardy
climbing shrub, furnished with long
reddish branches, which bear palmi-
sected leaves having pinnatifid segments,
so that the leaves closely resemble in
form the fronds of Litobrochia pedata.
It bears small, roundish, bluish, glau-
cescent fruits. Two or three varieties
of the plant have been introduced from
China to the Jardin du Museum at
Paris. — Gardener's Monthly.

New Variegated Cockscomb — Celosia
aristata variegata. This is an exceed-
ingly beautiful novelty, originating at
Erfurt, Prussia. The contrast of rich,
deep crimson and golden yellow with
lacings and fringings of light crimson
is very brilliant and attractive. We are
assured that the plant is perfectly con-
stant in character. Briggs & Brother,
of Rochester, N. Y., appear to have the
exclusive sale of' this superb novelty.

Thujopsis Standishii. — Introduced
from Japan in 1861, by Mr. Fortune,
who discovered it growing near Yeddo.
it somewhat resembles the T, dolabrata
in its general appearance. Its leaves are
smaller, of a bright glossy green aboye,
and a dull glaucous color below; its
branches are slender and pendulous. It
is quite hardy, and, like its congener,
of slow growth, at least when young,
requiring apparently similar treatment
to T. dolabrata. — A. Fowler, Castle Ken-
nedy, in Gardener's Chronicle.

Primula Japonica — ( Queen of the Prim-
roses). This hardy new Japan Primrose
is one of those genuine acquisitions to
our floral wealth that occurs only at
rare intervals, and in the hands of hy-
bridizers it will probably become the
parent of a series of new varieties that
will play an important part in the spring
decoration of the flower garden. A
Primrose growing to the height of 18

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

93

inches, and producing whorl above
whorl of flowers of a rich magenta col-
or, each flower measuring from half an
inch to an inch in diameter, is likely
to reverse all our previous notions of
Primroses. The sentiment of humble
beauty universally attached to the com*
mon Primrose can not be applied to
this variety, which may be said to as-
sume magnificent proportions. It is,
par excellence, a plant for the amateur,
for its great beauty, its hardiness, and
its free-seeding qualities, while its cult-
ure is of the easiest kind. Strong
plants should be at once planted in any
deep, rich, garden soil; and, although
it is believed to be perfectly hardy, it
might be well, until a stock is in hand,
to plant it where some slight natural
protection is afforded. By mid-winter
the whole of the large handsome leaves
will have decayed, and a few only of
the smallest will be left to mark the
heart of the plant. This being its habit,
no uneasiness need be felt; but when
in this state, should the weather be un-
usually severe, it may be well to invert
a pot or pan filled with dry leaves over
the crown : immediately the weather
moderates, this must be removed. A
plant treated in this manner last winter,
threw up a very strong flower- stem in
the spring, and was altogether the finest
we have yet seen.

It produced eight whorls of its. love-
ly flowers in succession, one above the
other, and from it was gathered nearly
a quarter of an ounce of good seed.
Coddling should be strictly avoided,
for the only failure of a good bloom we
have noted resulted from over careful-
ness in the matter of protection. The
most effective way of propagation is by
division of plants after blooming, as it
secures strong blooming plants for. the
next season. In most eases every bloom
spike will cause the plant to multiply

Vol. in.— 13.

by two. "When these offshoots are of a
good size the plant should be taken up
and divided, each crown with its own
portion of roots. Replant in good soil
in a half shady border, from whence,
when the plants are well established,
they should be removed with large balls
to the situation in which it is desired
they should bloom. * — Gardener's Monthly.

Perpetual Flowering Tree Carna-
tion, La Belle.^— The forerunner of a
new race of varieties. The flowers, of
the purest white, are very large and
smooth, perfectly double, and delight-
fully fragrant, and are produced, all
the year round, in such profusion, that
one or more plants should be grown
wherever cut blooms are in request. —
Gardener's Magazine.

White Calycanthus.— Mr. Berck-

mans reports in the Farmer and Gar-
dener that a white flowered variety of the
Calycanthus has been discovered in
middle Georgia. It blooms continu-
ously till frost. This sweet shrub will
be in great demand by the cut -flower
folk, as we should judge it would force
easily through winter.

A Purple-leaved Birch has been
found by some one connected with the
firm of Transon Bros., Orleans, France,
and is now under propagation. It is a
variety of Betula alba.

NEW" FEUITS AND VEGETABLES.

New Eaely Peach. — Among the many
new and valuable Peaches originated by
that well known fruit-grower, Thomas
Rivers,, of Sawbridgeworth, England,
is one known as the Early Beatrice. It
has been fruited by S. Gr. Bilgen, of
North Carolina, who says it does not
rot, is of. good size and color, and of
superior quality — ripening two weeks
earlier than Hale's Early. It can be

94

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

obtained from Ellwanger & Barry in
the coming autumn. — Ohio Farmer.

The "Pond Peak." — This is the name
given to a new Pear by Dr. S. A. Shurt-
leff, of Brookline, Mass. The Doctor
has been introducing new Pears for
many years, some of which are valuable
acquisitions to the list of American va-
rieties. The "Pond" is of medium
size, has a rich, sugary flavor, and would
be highly esteemed by persons who pre-
fer sweet Pears to those of a sub-acid,
or vinous flavor. — New England Farmer.

Gardeners should not forget that
some of their choicest flowers are borne
'by plants that are virulently poisonous,
and that all necessary operations con-
nected with these should be ■carried out
with much care and caution. There is
a warning illustration, from the Kentish
Gazette of February 4th. Mr. Stephen
IVIaple, under-gardener to F. Phillips,
Esq., Lee Priory, "Wingham, has met
his death under singular circumstances.
He was training a creeping plant of a
poisonous nature (probably a Euphor-
bia), when he was pricked in the hand
by one of the thorns. Mortification
set in, and he died in great agony four
days afterward. He was 77 years of
age. — Gardener's Chronicle.

Zanthoxylon ekceineum foe Hedges.
"We see the Prickly Ash named as a
hedge plant. It is thorny enough, but
surely it can not everywhere be as
troublesome in the way of suckers as it
is wherever we have known it, or no
one would be found to say a word in its
favor . — Garden ers' lion thly .

There have been 27,000 distinct
species of insects catalogued in Europe
that pray upon wheat.

CULTURE OF VERBENAS.

To grow Verbenas well it requires a
good bed in the right place. But it
should be where there is plenty of sun-
shine, as they will not succeed in the
shade. Any good, sufficiently deep,
rich and friable soil will grow them. A
lawn, too, is a fine place for them. Cut
out a round bed, or any other shape
desirable, on a lawn or grass-plat; in-
vert the sods and place them in the
bottom of the bed ; put six or eight
inches of good soil on the surface; set
a good plant of double Zinnia, or a
Geranium, in the centre. Buy or beg a
dozen or more of good, strong growing
plants, not high- spindling affairs (par-
ticularly if you have to buy them); set
them two feet apart in the bed. If they
are not pot plants, set them so that the
bottom of the Verbena will be six inches
deep. If the plant is branching as it
should be, bend off the branches in a
slanting position, and fill in the centre
with soil nearly to the surface; water
freely to settle the soil around the roots,
and then fill up the space with dry
soil to prevent baking. Peg down the
plants as they spread, and keep the soil
well cultivated, and, of course, free
from weeds. You will then have a fine
bed of Verbenas. If you should want
to grow good seedlings, get good plants
to begin with. The best Verbenas pro-
duce the best seed, especially the scent-
ed and red colors, just as the best
Peaches do, but you can not entirely
rely on either. The probability is you
will be satisfied with the finest that
have been already raised, without troub-
ling yourself about your own seedlings.
This is more the province of the profes-
sional florist. When you are tired of
your Verbenas, or they should perish, or
grow too rusty and black, you can spade
them in, and this process will enrich

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

95

the soil sufficiently, especially if done
yearly. The plants that have blue,
purple, and white colors have the most
seed, and the flowers of most of them
are sweet-scented. A few years past a
fragrant Verbena was a novelty. We
have now quite a variety of them.
Gather your seeds early in the morning
when the dew is on, or after a shower.
Do not use heating manure, as it will
make the plants rusty-black. The
bright and showy flowers of the Ver-
bena, make it the most popular bedding
plant in cultivation. We here give the
names of a few of the best: Verbe-
na Hybrida, Auricular Flowered, New
Striped Italian, Pure Blue, Pure Scar-
let, Montana, Blue Bonnet, Gail Ham-
ilton, President, Queen of Stripes,
King of Scarlets, Grand Victor, King of
Purples, Snow Flake, Scarlet Circle;
with endless others, old and new. —
Pacific Rural Press.

WOEK FOE THE MONTH.

BT F. A. MILLEK.

Spring time is upon us, and the rainy
season will soon draw to a close. Much
work remains to be done yet, before the
dry season commences.

The present season has been one of
the»most favorable for the planting of
trees and shrubs, and for outdoor im-
provements. Farmers have had ample
time to get in their seeds, and from all
accounts, ' the fields and the gardens
never looked better. This condition is
most encouraging for every one who
has a direct or indirect interest in the
welfare of California, and would warrant
some attention to the improving and
adorning of country homes. I am sorry
to say that the planting of trees, and
shrubs; and flowers for ornament, has
not been carried on upon so extensive a

scale, as was anticipated ; our people
seem to move slowly in all enterprises
not calculated for immediate returns.

There is yet time to plant a few trees.
They can be obtained cheaply, and our
nurserymen have plenty of them. Those
who desire to plant during March and
April, should take the precaution of
mulching, unless water can be had for
irrigation during summer.

I call attention again to the various
trees mentioned in my communication
of last month, all of which are well
adapted to our climate. Under all cir-
cumstances, I would insist upon plant-
ing young trees instead of old ones ; in
three years from now,, the difference in
size between these young and older
trees will hardly be noticed.

In transplanting trees, I would call
attention to the condition in which the
roots of trees should be to insure their
growing. Nurserymen understand all
this, but many of our farmers and ama-
teur gardeners do not. The general
rule is, that evergreen trees and shrubs
should be transplanted with the ball of
earth, in which they have grown, while
a deciduous tree or shrub (i. e. trees and
shrubs which, shed their leaves in
autumn; as the Apple, the Elm, the
Maple, etc.), can be safely transplanted
without having any earth attached to
the roots. An evergreen tree, there-
fore, may be transplanted at any time,
provided that all the earth penetrated
by its roots is moved with it. But in-
asmuch as this is not easily accom-
plished, as it would require too much
arduous labor to do it, and as some
soil will not adhere well to the roots,
particularly in summer time3 the most
favorable time for transplanting is dur-
ing the early winter season, when most
of the evergreen trees are at rest, and
new fibres may be formed during the
latter part of our rainy season. If

96

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

evergreens, therefore, are transplanted
early in the rainy season, a compara-
tively small amount of soil attached to
their roots "will make the removal safe.
However, there are some evergreens,
such as Eucalyptus (Gum tree), and
the Acacia, which are not apt to grow
and do well, if any of their roots are
disturbed by the removal ; and our
nurserymen, therefore, are in the habit
of cultivating them in pots or boxes,
which is really the only safe, and cer-
tainly the best method. I was not a
little surprised that the Pacific Paired
Press, some time since, published an
article in favor of raising Eucalyptus in
the open ground, and denouncing the
practice of raising them in pots or
boxes, their theory being illustrated by
ohe representation showing the action
of the roots if grown in pots ; and an-
other representing the roots of a tree
grown in the open ground. The fact is,
that the representation of the spiral
-root shows that that particular tree had
been retained in entirely too small a pot
for its size. Any plant or tree which is
for too long a time confined in a very
small-sized pot, is unfit for transplant-
ing. The practice of raising Eucalyp-
tus and Acacias in pots or boxes is the
only correct one, provided they are
shifted into larger pots or boxes when
the size of the tree and the condition of
the roots require it. The Cypress, the
Pine, the Juniper, and other coniferous
trees, can suffer the loss of some small
roots in transplanting, and, if very
young, they may be transplanted with
safety into the open ground without any
earth around their roots.; but the Euca-
lyptus or Acacias will perish unless they
are protected from the sun for some
days.

This is the proper time for sowing
seeds of all kinds of trees and shrubs.
They should be sown in pots or boxes,

covered with glass, and placed in a
warm situation. Hardly any evergreen
tree or shrub seed will germinate in the
open air in this climate.

In the vegetable garden, no time
should be lost to sow all kinds of veg-
etable seeds which are desirable. The
present time is also favorable to the
planting of Asparagus roots, Rhubarb,
Horseradish, etc. If a few plants of
early Cabbage can be obtainable, they
should be planted in freshly prepared
soil. Asparagus and Rhubarb beds re-
quire a careful overhauling. They are
about to make their appearance.

Planting of spring bulbs is still in
order; I have also planted some Gladio-
lus for early flowering. Look after the
Pseonies and Lilies, which are now be-
ginning to show their foliage; their
young and tender shoots are apt to be
broken off by inexperienced or careless
hands. The place where they are
planted should always be marked by a
proper stake or label.

Many plants of the greenhouse will
soon show rapid growth and develop-
ment; examine them, and if the roots
are spreading around the outside of the
ball of earth in which they grow, it is
a strong indication of the necessity for
shifting them into larger pots.

If the weather be wami and pleasant,
all plants will require more water than
they have had during winter time, and
frequent airing.

Cork Oak. — A correspondent, dating
..at Alhambra, California, reports that
the acorns of the Cork Oak, distributed
by this Department a few years since,
have done well, and expresses the opin-
ion that a new supply would be care-
fully improved, in view of prospective
profitable results. — Monthly Report of
Department of Agriculture.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

97

REPORT ON THE FRUIT MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEE.

The value of good fruit, as an article
of food, can not be overrated. It is now
beginning to be justly appreciated, and
is not considered, as it once was, an
almost superfluous luxury, and only
eaten very sparingly between meals, or
after a hearty meal of meat, vegetables,
and pastry; and then, only, because
there was room for a little more. It is
now pretty well understood, that fruit
is best eaten freely between meals;
either before, or an hour or two after
breakfast, and even frequently at other
times, provided it is not just before go-
ing to bed, as it does not then agree
with many persons. Formerly, also,
it was too frequently supposed that
fruit should be chiefly stewed, and a
quantity of sugar and spices added, in-
stead of being, as now, mostly consumed
in its natural state.

The sun is really the best cook for
most, if not for all kinds of fruit.
Nature understands her business, and
the appetites and instincts of children
are almost universally pure, and they
always choose uncooked fruits, as do
those nations whom we — in our self-as-
sumed superiority and pride, perhaps,
call uncivilized. The inhabitants of
the tropic isles subsist almost entirely
upon fruits, eating them just as they
are plucked from the trees or vines.
And where beneath the sun (if they do
not get hold of alcoholic drinks from
us), do we find such healthy persons as
they?

During our civil war, when our sol-
diers ate all the peaches, apples, pears,
grapes, berries, and melons they could
lay their eager hands upon, they were
speedily cured of fevers, dysenteries,
and even chronic diarrhoea, the surgeons
to the contrary notwithstanding.

There is still a considerable prejudice
in the minds of many persons against
the free use of fruit, supposing it to be
a fruitful source of worms and summer
complaints in children. To be con-
vinced of their unfortunate error, they
have only to see children in the coun-
try, where they have generally an
abundance of fruit. They eat it before
breakfast and after breakfast, before
dinner and after dinner, at all hours
of the day, and not unfrequently munch
Apples or Pears after they are in bed.
City children often suffer from eating
unripe fruit (and there is too often, un-
fortunately, too much of that in the
market, and it is too frequently not
fresh enough), in large quantities, or
from eating an excess at one time one
day, and having none for many days at
other times.

What a blessing it is that all . our
markets in California possess such a
profuse plenty and great variety of
fruits and vegetables; but, like all
things free to our possession, our plen-
ty is hardly appreciated or improved.
Those of our readers who can not go to
the country to reside, can welcome the
country to their larders and their
kitchens. Good housekeepers, of what-
ever length or weight their purses may
be, can find in the early morning mar-
kets, indeed, at almost at any time, the
equivalent of a country excursion,
adapted precisely to their means, be
they greater or less. Fresh, nice fruits
and vegetables, carefully selected, prop-
erly prepared, and judiciously served,
are better than medical remedies for
disease, inasmuch as they are prevent-
ives, when used in moderation. By a
proper and systematic mode of living,
good housekeepers can and do improve
the best advantages of the country,
without the toil of moving, or the ex-
pense of traveling. Of course, for

98

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

those whom leisure and other circum-
stances permit, a country residence in
the spring or summer months is a great
privilege. Those who can not enjoy
the green fields or the sea-beach, may
adopt the philosophy of Charles Lamb
and "Tim Linkinwater," and maintain
the superiority of a city residence
against all opponents; and this they
can do by a rational use of the bounties
of Nature, which our country friends
are quite ready to exchange for the
bounties of the specie currency. Every
grade of income in California should be
able to command its proportion of the
delicacies of each season. Ranking with
cleanliness and temperance, a proper
regard to Nature's bill of fare is a good
preservative of health, and a great pro-
moter of bodily comfort.

But having pretty nearly exhausted
our favorite subject of good fruits and
vegetables for the promotion of health,
and made it, we think, pretty clear, we
will now discuss the more practical
merits of those articles in our markets,
for the present month.

This is naturally the dullest and least
interesting season of the year with re-
spect to fruits. As to vegetables, the
incoming new sorts have a greater ten-
dency to excite the palates of our citi-
zens; but with regard to them, the
recent (for California) hard frosts and
very cool weather have operated to
diminish much the supply of Asparagus,
Green Peas, and Rhubarb, and caused an
advance in price.

Fresh supplies of Los Angeles Oranges
and Lemons have lately arrived, and
are still of rather unusually good qual-
ity this year, and lower in price. Limes
are quite scarce ; but, no doubt, fresh
and plentiful supplies will soon reach
us. Oregon Apples meet with ready
purchasers, and this fruit, generally, is
in active request ; also some of the best

winter Pears, but at rather high prices,
although the latter are much less tempt-
ing in appearance than the Apples;
most of them being blotched and rusty-
looking. The prices remain much the
same as last month, with an upward
tendency. Those fine and large vari-
eties of the best dried pitted Plums
form a very delicious-looking picture in
Clay Street Market, and their price is
moderate, considering their very luscious
qualities. These fruits are in fair de-
mand.

One among the numerous advantages
which our superior climate affords us
is, that we can preserve our Pumpkins
and sweet Potatoes without the extra
great trouble they have to use in the
East for their preservation in winter;
and so with all our other vegetables as
well as fruits. Mushrooms, also, that
peculiar flavored, and generally admired
of the fungi tribe, can be enjoyed here
for a long time. Potatoes continue in
excessive supply, and new ones are ap-
pearing.

Pineapples and Bananas are yet rath-
er scarce, the former somewhat poor
specimens. The finest exhibit we observ-
ed, was one, at present, the property of
Mr. S. M. Brooks — the artist — in a
picture; and this is cruelly tempting
to the eye and appetite, so natural-look-
ing is it. Cocoanuts are in plenty.
Nuts in variety are in good supply and
at reasonable rates.

Green Cucumbers, the first of the
season, have made their appearance
from Laguna Valley, near Yacaville,
Solano County, and sold at $4 per
dozen. They were raised in a hothouse,
and are a month earlier in market than
they were last year. They are small,
but deliciously flavored.

Rhubarb, or Pie Plant, is now, also,
in the markets, of good size and fine
quality.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

99

(&Qm$\m&me.

To the Editor of the California Horticulturist :

Dear Sir: — Permit me to call your
attention to what appears to me to be
a serious defect in horticultural literat-
ure— the absence of any rudimentary
instruction book, which will enable the
inexperienced cultivator to make a cor-
rect start in his gardening operations.
For example, the usual formula, "Let
the soil be properly prepared," is the
very stumbling-block of the beginner,
who needs to know just what that means.

Amateur.

To the Editor of the California Horticulturist.

Dear Sir : — In the Pacific Rural Press
for the 15th of February, I notice a few
appropriate remarks, addressed to the
Horticultural Societies of this State, in
general, and to the Bay District Horti-
cultural Society in particular, respect-
ing their self-imposed duties, and the
manner in which they perform them.
The writer's suggestions are very good
and friendly, and they are also critical.
I hope they will have the effect of
arousing the slumberers, and stimulating
the Secretaries to report something
more of their transactions than that
they meet, read the minutes, and ad-
journ, which is about all we hear of
them through your Magazine, which ap-
pears to be their medium of intercourse
with the outer world. The practical
experience of such a body of men ought
to be of great value to the floricultural
community of California, if they are
public-spirited enough to give it ; if not,
of what use are they ?

In the same number of the Sural
Press is an article on flowers, very good
in its way; but what vile spelling, and
how absurd to assume the position of a
floricultural serial without a botanical
dictionary in stock.

I wish you would be a little more ex-
plicit in your information respecting
the management of the smaller bedding
plants. The Verbena, for instance;
should it be pegged down to the soil ?
How and when should it be pruned, or
should it be cut at all? Is it necessary
to renew the plants every season?

Your early reply will greatly oblige
Philoflora .

San Francisco, February, 1873.

CMttwtat (ftlwuinp.

Rough Core: for Rustic Work. — -
Some few years since, a company, own-
ing large Cork forests in Portugal, in-
troduced for rustic work, and other
horticultural purposes, a quantity of
Virgin Cork. This first crop of the
bark of the Cork Oak (Quercus suber)
is very rugged and uneven upon its
outer surface ; it is, moreover, of a
dusky grey color, is frequently cover-
ed with Lichens, and has altogether a
weather-worn aspect — all which appear-
ances recommend it for the purposes
for which it was introduced. Besides
its uses, however for growing Ferns
and Orchids upon, it is much used for
imitation rock-work in aquariums, and
its latest application was for a similar
purpose, but on a much more gigantic
scale, for in the pantomime which has
been played at the Crystal Palace, we
understand the rock-work was formed
of this Virgin Cork. The more general
utilization of this Cork in Europe must
be a great advantage to the owners of
the Spanish and Portuguese cork for-
ests, as, from the fact of the cork being
uneven, comparatively hard, and full of
holes, it is useless for bottle corks. This
virgin or original bark is usually taken
from the tree when it is about twenty-
five or thirty years old, and it is removed
with much care, so as not to injure the

100

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICTJLTUBIST.

inner bark, which, of course, would in-
terfere with the formation of the second
crop, besides injuring the tree itself.
After the removal of the first crop, the
following crops are taken off about
every eight or ten years, but the third
and succeeding crops are of the best
quality, and consequently the most
valuable. A remarkably fine specimen
of cork, stripped in one piece from a
tree which grew in the Sierra Morena,
Estremadura, has lately been presented
to the Kew Museum. When we state
that it is five feet nine inches high, and
eight feet eight inches in circumference,
it will be seen that the tree from which
it has been taken was of no mean size.
— Gardener's Chronicle.

Peeseevtxg Action or Boeacic Aced. —
It has been found that boracic acid has
a preservative action upon milk and
beer, and it is stated that one gramme
added to a quart of milk keeps it sweet
and fresh in hot summer weather for
one hundred and twenty hours, while
milk not treated in this way will become
sour in thirty-six hours. The addition
of boracic acid to milk does not injure
it for use, but the cream is separated
far more slowly.

The Apple Woem ex Caldtoenia. — A
few specimens of the Corpacopsa pomana
have at length been captured in Cali-
fornia. It is believed that the present
comparative immunity from eastern in-
sects will not last long in the Golden
State. — Gardeners' Monthly.

TVisteeia veeses Flees. — A New York
housekeeper has discovered that the
"Wisteria creeping plant will keep out
house-flies. The pestiferous insect will
not enter a window where one of these
creepers is growing.

Caheleia Cultuee — use or Lime "Wa-
tee. — Mrs. G. "W. Carpenter, in the Gar-
dener's Monthly, says: "In regard to the
watering of Camellias with lime water,
the facts are as follows: The plants
are grown in large pots, and have been
in them undisturbed for several years.
A large reservoir on the place, contain-
ing 500 gallons of water, receives an-
nually about three bushels of lime; be-
'fore watering the plants, the lime is
usually well stirred up with the water,
allowing it to settle before use. Lime
water was first used to kill worms in the
soil, which it effectually did. It has
since been, continued regularly; the
thriving, healthy appearance of both
roots and branches seeming to warrant
its use."

Geemtnation of Peeviula Japoneca. —
The following is the result from my ex-
perience in sowing seed of this noble
flower: Of seed harvested here, from
two plants in pots, conrpletely ripe on
July 15th, I sowed half on July 19th,
the young plants appearing on August
30th. The rest of the seed was sown on
■September 25th, but no plants are as yet
visible. The pans were placed in a
cold frame, and the soil kept moderate-
ly moist. Of the first sowing, I have
now a pan with twenty-five or thirty
nice little plants, pricked out a month
ago. F. Gloede Eppendoee, Hamburg.

Bulb Culture in Holland. — Although
one -fifth of the entire land in the
Netherlands is worthless for cultiva-
tion, and another fifth is meadow-land,
yet 47,500 acres of the remainder are
devoted to tobacco, 35,000 to hemp, and
500 acres to raising Tulips, Hyacinths,
and other flowering bulbs. Holland
has ever excelled in this sort of horti-
culture.— Popular Science Monthly.

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. III.

APRIL, 1873.

N/o/4.

THE RURAL HOMES OF CALIFORNIA.

BY THE EDITOK.

Napa Soda Spkings, the Country Resi-
dence of Col. J. P. Jackson.

In previous numbers of the Magazine
examples have been given of our more
southern homes, located upon the level
lands. "We propose in the present num-
ber to present the conspicuous contrast
of a residence on the mountain side in
a northerly county, and in that favored
valley, which, by the brush of the
painter and the pen of the tourist, has
been rendered almost classic.

Our frontispiece represents a view at
the head of a canon in the mountains
which form the eastern boundary of the
Napa Valley, six miles northward, from
Napa City. From this point, and about
six hundred feet above the level of the
valley beneath, the artists Keith- and
Virgil Williams transferred to their can-
vas the natural beauties of a landscape
so rich in towering peak and green-
enameled vale, sinuous creek and open
bay, russet-brown hill-side and grain-
veneered field, that their pictures form
the most pleasing gems in some of our
best art collections. The valley below,
for twenty-five miles, with its rectangu-
lar fields of varicolored crops, looking

Vol. HI.— 14.

like an elongated chess-board; the bay,
reflecting from its sunlit waters the
white-winged sails of the world's com-
merce; and the mountains in Contra
Costa County, with Tamalpais, king of
the Coast Range, presenting in contrast
his graceful outline to Diablo's heavier
front, form together a series of contrast-
ing beauties which may well claim to
be unmatched for sublimity. And, as if
to leave no doubt upon this point,, there
arises over and beyond all these the
great sea view, which gives the final
and a kingly grace to this country-seat,
thus ocean bound. Such daily sights
as these made Alexander Smith a poet,
and tend to dispel all narrowness from
the soul of the spectator. This illimita-
ble stretch of vision, which allows no
earthly object to stay it, but at the
horizon blends with the spacious heav-
ens, where the setting sun seems to
bathe himself in the deep ere he rain-
bows the orient with his pathway of
fire, truly "lends enchantment to the
view," and gives additional zest to rural
enjoyment and the life Arcadian.

Looking to the local pictures which
make the place attractive, we find
groves of patriarchal trees — the Live
Oak (Quercus agrifolia) and the Black
Oak (Quercus Sonomensis), with boughs

102

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

gracefully festooned with the gray
Spanish Moss or the ' ' dark, druidical
Mistletoe," and which command respect
for their stately pre-eminence, dignity of
strength, and inviting fullness of shade,
constituting them elders amid the mod-
ern growths — a barrier to the tempest,
and a solace from the sunburst.

"Not a prince
In all that proud old world beyond the deep
E'er wore his crown as loftily as these
"Wear the green coronal of leaves with which
His grace has crowned them."

Other trees of lesser growth, with
tops as wide-spread as those that grace
the English lawns — some having arms
gnarled and shaggy, and others with
boughs that droop as gracefully as Wil-
lows, or the Eastern Elm — adorn the
open grounds.

The Eucalyptus (Australian G-um) tow-
ers high above its neighbor, the Mount-
ain Pine, in its graceful aspiring. The
Italian Cypress adds an exotic charm to
the natural scenery, and the Palm-tree,
the Almond, the Olive, and the Orange
(growing from seeds here sown), give
variety to the view, and testify at once
to the semi-tropical mildness of the
climate and the generous fertility of the
soil.

Along the ravines and gulches, and
overshadowing the walks, are the Buck-
eye (JEsculus Californica), redolent of
perfume; the brilliant Laurel (Areo-
daphne Californica), a fine evergreen
with fragrant leaves; the Ash (Fraxinus
Oregana); the large-leaved Maple (Acer
macr.ophylla) ; and, most magnificent of
all, the Madrona (Arbutus Menziesii),
with bright green waxen leaves; these,
with the flesh-tinted Manzanita, consti-
tute the forest scenery of these mount-
tain sides.

Of the beautiful flowering shrubs,
are: the Ceanothus (California Lilac);
the Spiraea; the sweet-scented and favor-

ite Calycanthus, with color of a deep
claret; the Dog-wood (Cornus), con-
spicuous for its snowy-white flowers;
the Snowberry (Symphoricarpus) ; the
Azalea occidentalis, having deliciously
sweet-scented white and yellow flowers
in profuse abundance ; the Chestnut
(Castanea chrysopjhylla) and the wild
Rose.

Of Climbers, among many others, we
only name the wild California Grape
( Vitis Californica) forming natural and
most graceful bowers, as continuous
and shady as those of the far-famed
Banyan -tree; the Virgin's Bower (Cle-
matis), and the Honeysuckle.

California Bulbs grow here in great
abundance and rich variety. Of the
finest, are the Cyclobothra, the Calochor-
tus, the Lily, the Brodidas, the Iris,
and others of truly charming colors.

Most attractive of all the flowering
plants are the Columbine (Aquilegia);
the ever-pleasing red Larkspur (Delphi-
nium nudicaule); the California Poppy
(EscJischoltzia); the Lujfin, the Evening
Primrose (CEnothera), and the Monkey
Flower (Mimulus glutinosus.

Along the shady hill-sides the ground
is literally covered with our fine Califor-
nia ferns, such as the Polypodium, the
Adiantum, the Pelloea, the Gymnogram-
me, the graceful Woodwardia, and the
Aspidium. Over a wide extent of wall,
on fences and house-sides, the slow-
growing Ivy and climbing Roses extend
themselves. The Lemon Verbena, not
a flower -pot plant as in the East, but
here a bush six feet high, emits the
fullness of its grateful fragrance ; the
Loquat invites by the immaculate purity
of its white blossoms; and the scarlet
berries of the Madrona, dotting hill and
roadside, engage the sight by the con-
spicuous brilliancy of their coloring.

Numerous living springs of fresh
water burst from the mountain sides at

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

103

such an elevation as to send the natural
flow over the entire 640 acres which
constitute the Springs property ; and
throughout the year this water is as cold
as though it flowed over subterranean
beds of ice. Indian relics found here
in abundance indicate that these were
chosen spots by the aborigines; and,
doubtless, countless times the western
Leather Stocking has here brushed
aside the leaves, and quaffed the spark-
ling current at its fountain.

Along one side of the property a
mountain brook gathers the hill-side
offerings of congenial springs, as it
curvets and frets itself through canon
passes — now loitering to gather fresh
strength against a temporary embargo,
and then dashing away in a white gush
of water-fall — now with swift current
dancing about the bends and eddies of
sycamore-guarded banks, and again fill-
ing the deep rock-encircled pool (where
the speckled trout coyly display their
beauties, and anon hide themselves
away), whose crystal waters temptingly
invite to a grateful bath. On the other
boundary a rocky gorge resounds with
the ripple of numerous streamlets, until
the swelling torrent of winter's rain
sends the combined waters raging over
a perpendicular fall ninety feet in height
— a miniature Niagara.

Inviting paths — miles in extent — laid
out under the personal supervision of
F. A. Miller, Esq., landscape gardener,
lead, with gentle grade, to the various
points of interest — now to a grottoed
cave, and anon to a mountain grove —
here to a vine-covered bower, and there
across a rustic bridge, beneath which
living waters leap and sparkle — and ter-
minate at last at the summit of Castle
Peak, beneath whose outlook rolls the
whole broad panorama of Napa Valley.
Reservoirs, dug from their rocky beds,
holding each 200,000 gallons, gather the

waters for domestic use; and the stone
quarried from the spot supplied the
material for the buildings that adorn
the premises. An orchard in full bear-
ing furnishes varied and abundant fruit;
and the vineyard, of choicest selection,
has proved its merit by the numerous
premiums from our State fairs that al-
ready indorse it's wine.

But the feature which most peculiar-
ly distinguishes this favored spot, and
makes it, therefore, specially attractive,
is its Mineral Springs, which have been
famous for their curative powers. From
the hidden treasury of Nature's chemis-
try, in her subterranean laboratories, a
perennial flow of about four thousand
gallons daily is developed — mingling
iron, soda, magnesia, lime, and muriate
of soda with free carbonic acid gas, in
such happy combination as to impart
pleasure, health, and physical improve-
ment as the result of their use. From
one of these springs is poured forth the
article well known in the commercial
world as "Napa Soda. The water is
bottled and sold just as it flows, pure
from Nature's laboratory, with all her
sparkling freshness still upon it. No
adulteration mars its native health-
giving and tonic properties, and its
long and continuous use in the market
attests its merit. The same elements
are held in solution which give to the
Carlsbad Springs in Bohemia their rank
as the first in the world.

A hotel is now projected for these
springs, in place of one destroyed some
years since by fire; and in* addition to
the natural beauty of the situation, the
genial, even mildness of the climate, and
the attractions of artful ornamentation,
one. of the greatest, if, indeed, not the
first consideration in the minds of visi-
tors, will be the medicinal qualities of
these waters, that strengthen for active
life the hand, the heart, and the mind.

104

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

We can not better close this article,
although still too short ;to more than
note generally the features of this
lovely place, than by a quotation from
the golden letters engraved by Imperial
decree above the Springs at Carlsbad :

" To suffering man from nature's genial breast
A boon transcendent ever mayst thou flow.
Blest holy fount, still bid old age to know
Reviving vigor; and if health repressed
Fade in the virgin's cheek, renew its glow
For love and joy; and they that in thy wave
Confiding trust and thankful lave,
Propitious aid, and speed the stranger band,
With health and life renewed, unto their native

land*.

♦

VASES AND VASE PLANTS.

Vases are generally of worked iron or
stone, or various imitations of them,
and are especially appropriate for gar-
dens laid out in the geometric style;
but they have a good effect in many
other modes of laying out gardens. In
all cases they should be large enough
to hold sufficient soil to keep the plant
in health. We prefer vases rather large
than the reverse; for we must enter our
protest against the miserable, dished-up
plants which are often seen struggling
for existence for want of water and
earth to grow in. These are all the
more necessary in our long dry sum-
mers. In natural scenery, either real
or imitated, vases should be placed in
immediate connection with gravel or
other walks, or roads, which will form
a kind of base for them, or at no great
distance therefrom ; or they may be
placed on pedestals on low walls, or
stone terraces. It does not require ex-
pensive plants to create a beautiful
combination of form or color, and make
them harmonize with the situation they
are to fill. A vase filled with common
California Ferns produces a most charm-
ing effect ; and those who grow exotic
Ferns will readily perceive what elegant

groups they would make, if transferred
to a vase. But these Fern vases should
be kept mostly in the shade. Some
African or Japanese Lilies, supplied well
with water, form fine objects. Their
sword-like leaves bend gracefully over
the rim of the vase, and crowned with
their variously-colored bright flowers,
render them as conspicuous as they are
graceful. Phormium tenax, New Zea-
land Flax, is another suitable plant for
its foliage, as are some of the Yuccas,
but these latter must be showing bloom,
before they are transferred, when they
are really fine objects. There are many
other sword -leaved plants, including
Gladioluses and Irises, well adapted for
the purpose. Nor should we forget the
Acanthus.

We will conclude by naming a few
creeping plants adapted for planting
round the principal: these will creep
over the rim, and may then be left
eitheir to grow in their own way, or be
trained so as to form festoons round the
base. Lophospermums, two or three
kinds ;Maurandy as, blue, red and white;
Tropceolum pentaphyllum and specio-
sum; Calystegia pubescens; Lysimachia
nummularia (White Loosestrife); Cam-
panula fragilis; Lobelias erinus and
unidenta, and some others, although
they do not grow so tall as the former,
are useful for the smaller vases. But
all the above effects can not be accom-
plished well, without water being con-
venient to supply them copiously daily,
with it, in dry weather.

The Odors of Plants. — It may be laid
down as a general principle that a larger
proportion of white flowers are fragrant
than those of any other color ; yellow
comes next, then red, and lastly blue;
after which, and in the same order, may
be reckoned violet, green, orange, brown
and black.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

105

FLOWER-TALK.— THE POND LILY.

BY NOKA BECK.

I float on the breast of a dreamy lake,
Rocked by the ripples, but always awake.
I can not greet the earth-flowers bright,
That I know are yonder, out of sight,
But I lie content, on the glassy brim,
While my sister lilies nod and swim;
And so I will float, till I fade and die,
Under the blue midsummer sky.

I can not greet the flowers of earth,
But I know the secret of their birth.
Bird-song, and night-wind, and wandering bee,
Bring all the news of the woods to me,
And the red deer stoops his thirst to slake,
By the pebbly marge of this quiet lake.
My lover, the sun, in his daily race,
Drops kisses of light on my pallid face;
While I fling my perfumed incense high,
Live and love, then droop and die,
Under the blue midsummer sky.

GERANIUMS.

BY F. A. MILLEK.

There is no other class of plants which
recommends itself so strongly to the
lover of flowers, as that which com-
prises the various kinds of Geraniums
(as they are popularly named), and it
seems, indeed, strange that there should
exist a strong prejudice at the present
time, in California, against their cultiva-
tion. I am often told, "They are too
common;" "they grow in every yard,"
etc. I believe, there is some little mis-
understanding about these Geraniums,
or they would certainly figure as the
most desirable plants for very many
purposes.

In Europe and in the East, Gerani-
ums are becoming the universal favor-
ities, and they should be still more in
favor with us, when we take into con-
sideration that in all mild districts they
will continue in flower through summer
and winter. The different classes of
Geraniums have been so wonderfully

improved by art and science, that the
old nickname, "Fish Geranium," is
entirely out of place now.

Geraniums, novv-a-days, are divided
into a number of classes, well defined
by very distinct peculiarities. It will
not do for me to go too deeply into this
classification, but I will mention:

1st. Zonule Geruniums, sometimes
called Scarlet Geraniums. These are
well adapted to our California climate,
particularly on dry soils. Their flowers
are of brilliant colors, and continue in
bloom throughout the year. For group-
ing and in masses they are most effect-
ive flowering plants, and should be
used for that purpose extensively. Of
late years really magnificent flowers
have been produced. Some of the very
best varieties are Black Prince, Charm-
er, Cufford Rose, Waltham Seedling,
Dr. Lindley, Warrior, Ruby, Transpar-
ent, White Perfection, Conqueror, Maid
of Kent, La Dame Blanche, Rose Queen,
etc. All of these varieties I have now
under cultivation, and they have proved
their excellent qualities in this climate.

2nd. Double Zonule Geruniums. When
about three years ago the first speci-
mens of these really exquisite flowering
plants made their appearance here, they
were admired by every one, and high
prices were obtained for them. They
are a great improvement on the single
varieties in many respects. The flowers
of the double Geraniums keep well in
bouquets, and are valuable as cut-flow-
ers ; they are produced in large trusses,
which continue in bloom for many days.
Our florists propagated them extensive-
ly, and are now prepared to sell them
at very low prices. It is annoying that
their efforts do not meet with more en-
couragement from our lovers of flowers,
the sale of them being very limited, in-
deed. They flower well in the open
air; are well adapted for the green-

106

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

house and conservatory, and are very
useful for cut-flowers; they are easily
cultivated, and are strong growers.
Why they are not introduced into every
garden, is a mystery to me. I am satis-
fied, however, that they will grow more
in favor every year. Any of the follow-
ing varieties are very desirable : Andrew
Henderson, dark crimson flowers, one
of. the best ; Emile Lemoin, scarlet ;
Gloire de Nancy, carmine ; Eose Charm -
aux, scarlet; Triomphe de Lorraine,
cherry and carmine, a beautiful variety;
William Pfitzer, bright scarlet, very
effective. All of these may be obtained
of our florists, and I have found them
doing well everywhere ; like all Gerani-
ums, they thrive best in a sunny ex-
posure with a moderate amount of
moisture.

3d. Shoiv Geraniums (Pelargoniums),
popularly known as Lady Washington
Geraniums. These produce large flow-
ers, the upper petals of which are
marked with dark blotches. They pro-
duce an abundance of very showy flow-
ers throughout the year, except where
heavy frosts occur ; but even there the
roots will not suffer, and will throw up
stems again. Although the climate of
California varies considerably in differ-
ent localities, Geraniums will not en-
tirely die out, even in the most north-
ern and the coldest districts, if a very
simple protection is given by throwing
a few shovelfuls of fresh, manure or
straw around the plants during winter.
The number of very excellent varieties
is considerable. I will mention a few of
the best : Madame Bezant, white and
lilac ; Peine Hortense, white and crim-
son; Snowflake, pure white and ma-
roon ; Eugene Cavaignac, carmine ;
Splendor, dark crimson, margined white;
Spotted Gem, rosy lilac, dark-spotted ;
James Odier, carmine and rose ; King
of Scarlets, bright scarlet; Medaille

d'Or, amaranth and white ; Wilmer's
Surprise, rosy purple, etc., etc.

4th. Yariegated-leqf Geraniums.- There
are few plants which are better adapted
to the climate of California, than these
Variegated -leaf Geraniums, provided
that they are not exposed too much to
the heavy winds, which prevail near
San Francisco during summer. But in-
asmuch as most of our flower-gardens
are sheltered in some way, they may be
cultivated here as well as anywhere else.
So far, they have been treated as green-
house plants, but it is evident that their
colors display to much better advan-
tage, if cultivated in the open air. The
California climate is just what they
want . I can assure those who take an in-
terest in flowers, that a good collection of
these variegated Geraniums is a most
pleasing feature of the garden. They
require no particular care, no better
treatment than the common "Fish Ge-
ranium," but they are of much slower
growth. They delight in a deep light
sandy loam and a sunny exposure, and
require very little moisture. On ac-
count of their slow growth, there are
but a small number of them at our
floral establishments. I cultivate the
following, and have good success with
them: Sophia Cussack, foliage bright-
green, with a zone of gold and black ;
Mrs. Pollack, bright-red zone, belted
crimson and golden yellow edge; Golden
Beauty, foliage very rich yellowish
green ; Mountain of Snow, beautifully
margined silvery white; Beauty of Caul-
derdale, rich red zone, on golden-green
foliage ; Sophia Dumaresque, broad
golden margin, very dark zone, shaded
scarlet ; Sunset, the same as Mrs. Pol-
lack, but brighter ; Attraction, bronzed
zone, silver edged, very fine ; Italia
unita, carmine zone, margined white,
one of the very best.

5th. Ivy-leaf Geranium, of a climbing

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

107

habit. In this class, also, wonderful
improvements have been made within
the last few years, in regard to the colors
of flowers as well as in the coloring of
the foliage. They are fast growers, and
abundant bloomers, always producing
a cheerful and pleasing effect. Excel-
lent varieties are : Holly Wreath, Wilsii
grandiflora (producing charming flow-
ers), Bridal Wreath ; Aurea variegata,
and U Elegante.

6th. Sweet-scented Geraniums, which
are almost exclusively cultivated on ac-
count of their fragrant foliage; as such,
they are most desirable, and useful for
bouquets, etc. The best are: Asperum
(pennyroyal scented), Tomerdosum (pep-
permint scented), Balsameum ( balm
scented), Capitatum (rose scented),
Citriodorum (lemon scented), Fragrans
(nutmeg scented).

I have said more, perhaps, about the
Geraniums than many of the readers of
the Horticulturist may think justifi-
able, but the subject is a most import-
ant one, and should be followed up.
Our lawns, our parks, and our public
squares, should be adorned with ex-
tensive groups of the various Gerani-
ums. Nothing will give a more pleasing
and brighter effect, and their cultiva-
tion is most simple.

Ancient Farms. — The farm of the
celebrated Roman Cincinnatus, consist-
ed of only four acres, the other three
having been lost by becoming security
for a friend. Curius, who was celebra-
ted for his frugality, and who was three
times chosen consul, and thrice honored
with a triumph on returning from a
campaign, refused from the people a
grant of fifty acres, declaring that he
was a bad citizen who would not be
contented with the old allowance of
seven . — Exchange.

PREPARATION OF FLOWER-BORDERS—
TEMPERATURE.

BY E. J. HOOPER.

It is a far too prevalent, and, at the
same time, quite an erroneous idea, that
the soil in which flowers are intended
to be grown need not be veiy rich.
This is, indeed, a grave error. It is
necessary to have healthy leaves as ac-
cessories to the production of fine flow-
ers. These can not be had, unless the
soil is made deep and very fertile, with
fine decomposed manures. Plants in a
flower garden should be each one per-
fect, individually, whether presenting
itself by contrast separately, or when
grouped with others in masses. But
plants in an incomplete and unhealthy
condition are far too prevalent in most
gardens. No real beauty can exist
where a deficiency of vigor is apparent
in any part, nor can fine flowers be
produced by insufficiently nourished
plants. In fact, the very principles of a
gardener's art should teach him the
necessity of storing sufficient strength
in the primary portion of the cultivated
plant, its leaves, ere it will be reason-
able to expect that blossoms in their
greatest beauty can be produced. We
may, it is true, also err in the opposite
direction, and induce an over-luxuriance
or plethora, equally antagonistic to the
production of flowers; but, as in all
probability ninety-nine cases under the
starving system occur to one of its op-
posite, we may regard the latter as not
requiring special notice ; and, besides,
the too richly made soil will very speedi-
ly find its level.

But that flower -borders require at
least an annual renewal of composts of
some kind, we think, no one will dis-
pute— particularly if these beds or
borders, as is frequently the case, are
filled through the summer pretty thick-

108

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ly with plants, and not uncommonly by
a succession of these floral crops. Can
a continued reproduction be reasonably
expected under such an exhausting-
system, unless assisted with manure in
a liberal manner?

Asters, Larkspurs, Stocks, Zinnias,
and many other similar plants, all give
a decided preference to rich soil; grow-
ing in it much larger, producing more
flowers, and these of infinitely superior
character.

Let us advise all who love their gar-
dens, and desire to see the occupants
in the best possible condition, to thor-
oughly manure at - the present time.
Every vacant piece should have a heavy
coat turned in at once; and, also, in the
summer, let an application of wood-ash,
or vegetable soil, be made at every op-
portunity; and, if these are not procur-
able, the same kind of manure as used
in the spring may be applied. The
result will fully repay the little extra
trouble..

The extremes of temperature, be-
tween which cultivated plants will flour-
ish, is stated, by experiments, as 32°
and 90°; below the former, no vegeta-
tion, except of Alpine regions, can
grow. The highest point at which
terrestrial plants have been found in
a state of nature is 140°, but, of course,
with such cases we have nothing to do,
those immediately inviting our atten-
tion being within the more limited range
first mentioned. We, in California, are
particularly favored in respect to tem-
perature, having a sufficiently numerous
class of plants which flourish luxuriant-
ly, both for utility and ornament, to
satisfy any reasonable wishes. In San
Francisco, we hardly ever have enough
frost to do much more than nip severely
some of our tender flowers, and the
temperature is never so excessively high
as to create a debility similar to that

induced by intemperate living on the
animal frame, and to cause an extension
of the tissue, beyond the vital energies
of the plant to solidify ; or the ducts to
be so gorged with crude sap, as to re-
main unassimilated, and the powers of
action deranged, enfeebled, and finally
stopped ; debility, disease and death en-
suing, as a finish and natural end to the
immoderate supply of what, whether of
heat or moisture, under proper regula-
tions, would have been the source of
life, health, and fruitfulness. It seems
to be a singular fact, that the effects of
excessive cold resemble those already
described as resulting from heat, and
with the exception that the tissue is not
elongated in an unnaturally low tempe-
rature, the analogy holds good through
each gradation. The action of very
cold winds is equally enervating with
that of a hot sun; the juices of the plant
are extracted in either case by evapora-
tion, and, if continued for any length of
time, must prove alike the cause of
death.

When the temperature of the day is
excessive, the evaporation goes on so
rapidly as to cause a vacuum in the
vessels, and the plant droops or "flags,"
as it is called; a condition which, if not
corrected, either by reducing the light,
or by an extra supply of water, is very
injurious, and debilitating in its effects.
How fortunate for the recovery of
plants from this exhaustion is that nat-
ural period for their resuscitation —
night — the reviving action going on un-
interruptedly, so that the excitability of
the plant remains undisturbed ; a rule
of the most vital consequence, as we
may be assured from its occurrence in
every region of the universe, and yet
more frequently overlooked than per-
haps any other law of nature.

The Sunflower was brought from Peru.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

109

VICTOKIAN TREES.

The variations of Eucalyptus, in size
as well as in habit, are very remarkable;
for while some species are mere shrubs,
and form dense brushes on the mount-
ains, there are others which rise to an al-
most fabulous height in the deep gullies
of Victoria and Western Australia. In
Baron F. von Mueller's essay on Aus-
tralian vegetation, that eminent botan-
ist remarks: "The marvelous height
of some of the Australian, and espec-
ially Victorian trees, has become the
subject of closer investigation, since of
late, particularly through the miners'
tracks, easier access has been afforded
to the back gullies of our mountain
system. Some astounding data, sup-
ported by actual measurements, are
now on record. The highest tree previ-
ously known was a Karri-eucalyptus
(E.'colossea), measured by Mr. Pember-
ton Walcott, in. one of the delightful
glens of the Warren River of Western
Australia, where it rises to approxim-
ately 400 feet high. Into the hollow
trunk of this Karri, three riders, with
an additional pack-horse, could enter
and turn in it without dismounting.'5
On the desire of Baron Mueller, "Mr.

D. Boyle measured a fallen tree of Eu-
calyptus amygdalina, in the deep recess-
es of Dandenong, and obtained for' it
the length of 420 feet, with proportions
of width indicated in a design of a
monumental structure placed in the ex-
hibition of 1866 ; while Mr. Gr. Klein
took the measurement of a Eucalyptus
on the Black Spur, ten miles distant
from Healesville, 480 feet high. Mr.

E. B. Hayne obtained at Dandenong
the following measurements of a tree
of E. amygdalina : length of stem from
the base to the first branch, 295 feet;
diameter of the stem at the first branch
4 feet ; length of stem from first branch

Vol. III.— 15.

to where its top portion was broken off,
70 feet; diameter of the stem where
broken off, 3 feet ; total length of stem
up to place of fracture, 365 feet ; girth
of stem 3 feet from the surface, 41 feet.
A still thicker tree measured, 3 feet
from the base, 53 feet in circumference.
Mr. George W. Robinson ascertained, in
the back ranges of Berwick, the circum-
ference of a tree of E. amygdalina to be
81 feet at a distance of 4 feet from the
ground, and supposed this Eucalypt,
toward the source of the Yarra and
Latrobe Rivers, to attain a height of
500 feet. . . . It is not at all likely
that, in these isolated inquiries, chance
has led to the really highest trees, which
the most secluded and the least access-
ible spots may yet conceal. It seems,
however, almost beyond dispute that
the trees of Australia rival in length,
though evidently not in thickness, even
the renowned forest-giants of Califor-
nia, Sequoia Wellingtonia, the highest
of which, as far as has been ascertained,
rise in their favorite haunts at the Sierra
Nevada to about 450 feet. Still, one of
the mammoth trees measured, it is said,
at an estimated height of 300 feet, 18
feet in diameter. Thus, to Victorian
trees, for elevation, the palm must ap-
parently be conceded. A standard of
comparison we possess in the spire of
the Minster of Strasburg, the highest
of any cathedral of the globe, which
sends its lofty pinnacle to the height of
466 feet; or in the great pyramid of
Cheops, 480 feet high, which if raised
in our ranges would be overshadowed
probably by Eucalyptus trees." Since
the publication of these remarks, the
report lately furnished by the Victorian
Inspector of State Forests, fully con-
firms all that Baron Mueller has assert-
ed respecting the extraordinary dimen-
sions of Australian trees: "On pene-
trating into many of the secluded spots

110

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

near the source of the Watts, and on
the spurs of the ranges in the vicinity,
I met with large tracts of valuable tim-
ber, enough to supply all ordinary de-
mands for many years, if carefully pre-
served. In many places, I observed
large areas, where the axe of the split-
ter is yet unknown, and where the tim-
ber averages from 100 to 150 trees per
acre, with a diameter of from 2 feet to
6 feet, and from 250 feet to 300 feet in
height, the most of which are as straight
as an arrow, with very few branches.
In some places, where the trees are
fewer and at a lower altitude, the tim-
ber is much larger in diameter, averag-
ing from 6 feet to 10 feet, and frequent-
ly trees of 15 feet in diameter are met
with on alluvial flats near the river.
Many of the trees which have fallen,
through decay and the bush fires, meas-
ure 350 feet in length, and with girth in
proportion. In one instance I meas-
ured with the tape line a huge speci-
men that lay prostrate across a tributary
of the Watts„and found it to be 435 feet
from the roots to the top of its trunk.
At 5 feet from the ground it measured
18 feet in diameter, .and at the extreme
end, where it was broken in its fall, it
is 3 feet in diameter. This tree has
been much burnt by fire, and I fully
believe that before it fell it must have
been more than 500 feet high. As it
now lies it forms a complete bridge
across a deep ravine."

The gigantic trees of Victoria and
Western Australia are certainly to be
regarded as curiosities in our Flora, and
by some geologists are considered to be
the last vestiges of primeval vegetation,
which, after having served the purposes
of creation in other regions of the globe,
have found a resting-place in Austral-
asia. Though no longer indigenous in
Europe, however, our Eucalypti are
likely to regain a footing in the warmer

parts of that continent, for quantities
of their seeds are being exported month-
ly from our shores for the purpose of
cultivation in the old world, as many of
the species have already obtained an
honorable reputation in medicines and
the arts, and bid fair to rival the forest
trees of other lands.

Our Blue Gum flourishes in the West
Indies, and accommodates itself to the
climate of New Zealand. Kingsley, in
his work "At Last," mentions the cir-
cumstance of having passed " the great
Australian Blue Gum," which over-
hangs the road toward Port-of-Spain, in
Trinidad. — From Paper by W. Wools,
F. L. S.

DE. JOHN TOEEEY, THE BOTANIST.

BY D. C. GILMAN,

President of the University of California.

Dr. John Torrey, the Nestor of Amer-
ican botanists, the peer of the most
eminent students of science in this and
other countries, "the guide, philoso-
pher, and friend" of hundreds of young
naturalists in different parts of the
United States, died in New York, the
city of his residence, March 10th, 1873,
at the age of very nearly 75 years.

In August last, accompanied by one
of his three daughters, he visited Cali-
fornia, and entered with all the fresh-
ness of a young man into the enjoyment
of the natural beauties and wonders of
this State. He examined its vegeta-
tion— natural and cultivated — its big
trees, and geysers, its beautiful hills
and valleys, its institutions of education
and science. His visit was a little later
than that of his botanical associate and
co-laborer, Dr. Asa Gray, of Cambridge,
and was in part coincident with that of
Prof. Agassiz, whom he accompanied
to a meeting of the California Academy

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTURIST.

Ill

of Sciences on the first Monday of Sep-
tember.

The main incidents of Dr. Torrey's
life are already well known. Born in
1798, he graduated as M.D. in the Col-
lege of Physicians and Surgeons, and
early devoted his intellectual powers to
the study of Chemistry and Botany. As
early as 1817, he published his first
botanical essay — a Catalogue of Plants
growing in the vicinity of New York.
It has sometimes seemed as if Botany
was his chosen pursuit, Chemistry his
necessary occupation — or, as if Chemis-
try was his vocation, Botany his avoca-
tion; for in the early part of this century,
the position was almost unknown in
which a botanist could earn a livelihood
from his botanical pursuits. Chemistry
was a much more certain dependence
for support. Even now, as far as we
remember, there are but two endowed
professorships of Botany alone: those
at Cambridge and New Haven, held by
Dr. Gray and Professor Eaton.

Dr. Torrey was successfully connected
with several institutions: the Military
Academy at West Point, the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in New York,
the College of New Jersey at Princeton,
and Columbia College in New York.
During the last twenty years of his life,
he was at the head of the Government
Assay Office in. the city of New York.

He commenced with Dr. Gray the
publication of an American Flora,which,
on account of the rapid advance of bo-
tanical science and the limited number
of workers, has not been completed; and
he published the two quarto volumes
of Botany in the "Natural History, of
New York." He has contributedi in
various ways to the advancement of. his
favorite science, especially by corres-
pondence and counsel with botanists, far
and near. His own herbarium is very
full, having been enriched with many

contributions from governmental expe-
ditions sent to him for identification or
description. It is probably surpassed
by only two herbariums in the country
— those of Cambridge and Washington.
Columbia College has been for several
years its depository.

Dr. Torrey, in manner and spirit, was
a charming example of the true scholar;
modest, retiring, co-operative, truth-
loving, and devoted to science and not
to himself. He was the friend and
helper of young students, imparting to
them of his own enthusiasm and knowl-
edge. His religious nature was devout
and reverent. His patriotism was glow-
ing in the trying times of civil war.
His name was above all reproach.

A letter from a New Haven friend,
dated March 14th, gives the following
particulars respecting Dr. Torrey's clos-
ing hours:

"Yesterday I went down to New York
to attend the funeral of dear and good
old Dr. Torrey, who passed away quiet-
ly on Monday. He had been confined
to his house for a few weeks, I think
some five or six, but did not seem very
sick. On Monday he did, not seem
much worse. The assay reports had
been carried to him daily for examina-
tion and signature, up to last Saturday,
when they were omitted. He wanted
them on Monday ;„ he examined them and
signed them ; at noon his mind began
to wander, and later in the afternoon
he quietly passed away — his last few
hours of life being mentally occupied in
some chemical matters which he thought
curious and interesting, but which elud-
ed him in his half conscious fancies."

Db. Johnson says; that the chains of
habit are generally too small to be felt,
till they become too strong to be easily
broken.

112

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

CULTIVATION OF HEATHS, OR ERICAS.

The genus Erica boasts in Europe of
hundreds of varieties and species, all
more or less interesting. Here our
florists have at present cultivated only
a few of them, but they are increasing
their lists; and these shrubs deserve to
grow, from their beauty and elegance,
into the liberal favor of the public. We
observe some of this handsome family
of evergreen plants, chiefly the white
and pink flowered, doing very well in
our gardens in the open air, and thick-
ly set with their small but -strikingly
effective blooms. Their habit of growth
is very dense, which adds much to the
glowing display of their comparatively
minute bell-shaped flowers. They are
well adapted for bouquets. In our
favored clime they do not require to be
removed to greenhouses for winter quar-
ters.

Heaths may be placed in two classes;
the soft-wooded or free-growing kinds,
and the hard-wooded or comparatively
slow -growing kinds. The former re-
quire some pruning; the latter none at
all — neither leaves nor branches. The
best soil for them is our richest garden
mould, incorporated with a great por-
tion of fine sand. Water should be
freely used, but with discriminating
care, as excessive watering is injurious
to them; but the soil should be well
soaked, and>not too often. The essen-
tial points in their management are, first,
a proper selection, of the most showy
kinds, which are distinct white, red,
pink, purple, or rrose color, with dark
green foliage •; secondly,, a careful pre-
paration of ground in which they are
to be grown; and thirdly, a location
where there is an abundant supply of
pure fresh air. We strongly recom-
mend this flowering shrub for general
cultivation, supported as we are by the

favorable opinions of some of our first-
rate florists.

HOW TO MAKE A GARDEN.

BY F. A. MILLEE.

It is of frequent occurrence that I am
asked for information in regard to the
first work in making a garden, or as
some say, for making plants grow; and,
however uninteresting this subject may
be to some, who know, or profess to
know all about it, it seems that there are
many who really lack this most neces-
sary "knowledge, in this particular. I
will instance "Amateur," in his late
communication to the California Hor-
ticulturist, and I will endeavor to help
him out, with what little I know about it.

The first thing to be taken into con-
sideration is, the actual condition of the
soil, intended for the garden. This
may be the common drift-sand so ex-
tensively found in San Francisco; it
may be sandy loam (no matter of what
color); it may be friable clay, or stiff
clay; it may be gravelly or rocky soil;
and, in the larger cities, it may consist
of filled -in material of every descrip-
tion, and oftentimes even of rubbish.

Our common drift-sand is not as bad
as some imagine; it contains some fer-
tile and nourishing material. It will
sustain vegetation, but that is about all
it will do. To produce a luxuriant
growth of trees, shrubs, and flowers, it
requires some additions. With a good
supply of old horse -manure, which is
the easiest obtained, I have seen Pinks,
Roses, Dahlias, Hyacinths, Gladiolus,
and many other flowering plants do very
well in cur drift-sands; and if the appli-
cation of manure is renewed every year,
plants may be kept in a thriving con-
dition for many years. If economy and
limited expense are the main considera-
tion, this may do. The way to proceed

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

113

is this: Clear up all the rubbish, includ-
ing weeds, and during the rainy season
(it matters little when) procure a suffi-
cient quantity of old manure (horse-ma-
nure is the best), and cover the ground
to be cultivated to the depth of about
four inches with it. Then dig over the
ground to the depth of not less than ten
inches, incorporating the manure thor-
oughly with the sand, and you will have
a soil fit at least to cultivate Hyacinths,
Dahlias, Gladiolus, Roses, Pinks, Pan-
sies, Mignonette, Fuchsias, Heliotrope,
Primulas, Ageratums,Eupatoriums, Ste-
vias, Wallflowers, etc., etc.; but if some
additional outlay can be tolerated, such
a soil may be very much improved, and
in every respect be made better, by the
addition of something more substantial;
this will consist of good loam to the
depth of four inches. But this, in
most localities, will triple the expense,
where loam has to be carted from a
great distance. If this is decided upon,
have the four inches of manure spread
over the sand first, and then add the
four inches of loam. Then proceed to
dig over the ground to the depth of at
least twelve to fifteen inches, mixing
and incorporating sand, manure, and.
loam thoroughly. A soil prepared in
this way will grow most flowering plants
and shrubs. But it must be borne in
mind that in planting Roses, shrubs, or
trees in such soil, holes should be dug
of at least two feet in depth, and the
bottom should be filled up, to the depth
of one%foot, with soil consisting of one-
third manure and two-thirds of loam,
into which the roots may expand in the
course of a year or two, and from which
they must draw their nourishment after
penetrating the surface soil. I will add
here, that if the manure obtained is in
a dry condition, it should be thoroughly
wetted before it is dug into the ground;
and in reference to loam, I mean clay

which contains a sufficient quantity of
sand and porous matter to pulverize
nicely with your hand when in a moist
condition. There is black loam and
3'ellow loam; both are good, but if yel-
low loam can be had easity, I would
prefer it; however, there is none around
San Francisco. Frequently I see black
sand sold as black loam; everyone know-
ing what sand is, it may easily be de-
tected in crumbling it up with the hand.
Black sand is not a particle better, and
perhaps not so good, as our common
drift-sand, and therefore of no value in
improving sandy soil.

Although soil prepared in this way
will answer for plants and shrubs, and
— if some good manure is applied every
year (best in autumn) — all of the more
suitable and popular varieties will
thrive well, if they are taken care of
after planting; yet the work of prepar-
ing soil may be done still more com-
pletely, if a few dollars of extra expense
are not a great consideration. Trees
and robust-growing shrubs spread their
roots rapidly horizontally, as well as
perpendicularly into greater depth;
and in course of a few years, they will
have reached beyond the soil prepared
in the manner described above, to
where the sand is in its natural condi-
tion, and affords little nourishment
compared with their advanced growth
and development. To avoid this evil,
the formation of a suitable subsoil, un-
derlying the surface soil, would prove
an excellent remedy. To accomplish
this, some of the sand should be re-
moved from the surface, say, to the
depth of twelve to fifteen inches, and
replaced by a heavy clay, not altogether
too stiff, to the depth of about twelve
inches, over which sand may be thrown
again, say, about six inches thick,
which, mixed with the amount of loam
and manure as indicated before, will

114

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICTJLTUKIST.

bring the surface to its proper level.
This would make the prepared soil as
follows: a clay subsoil of twelve to fif-
teen inches, with a surface soil or gar-
den mold, consisting of one-third sand,
one-third loam, and one-third manure.

Where we have a sandy loam, all that
is required to prepare the soil properly
is an application of about four inches
of old stable manure, which should be
thoroughly incorporated with the soil
by trenching (or spading) it to the depth
of fifteen to eighteen inches.

I will, for fear of getting too lengthy
on the subject, continue my suggestions
in the next number of the Hokticultue-
ist; but will say before closing, that,
although the proper time for preparing
ground is during our rainy season, and
if possible in the autumn, after the
early rains, yet it may be done at any
time, if the necessary water is at hand
to moisten the soil; but manure well
before commencing operations, and also
water the plants sufficiently during the
summer season. The making of gar-
dens in summer time should only be
undertaken under unavoidable circum-
stances. One month of our winter
rains is more beneficial to soil and
plants, than the artificial irrigation of
six months during our dry season.

INFLUENCE OF FISHING ON CHAR-
ACTEE.

Fishing teaches perseverance. The
man in Punch who on Friday did not
know whether he had had good sport,
because he only began on Wednesday
morning, is a caricature; but this, like all
caricatures, has an element of truth in
it. To succeed as a fisher, whether of
the kingly salmon or the diminutive
gudgeon, an ardor is necessary which is
not damped by repeated want of suc-
cess; and he who is hopeless because

he has no sport at first will never fully
appreciate fishing. So, too, the tyro,
who catches the line in a rock, or twists
it in an apparently inextricable manner in
a tree, soon finds that steady patience
will set him free far sooner than an im-
petuous vigor or ruthless strength. The
skilled angler does not abuse the weath-
er or the water in impotent despair, but
makes the most of the resources which
he has, and patiently hopes an improve-
ment therein.

Delicacy and gentleness is also taught
by fishing. Look at the thin link of
gut and slight rod with which the huge
trout or " never-ending monster of sal-
mon " is to be caught. No brute "force
will do there ; every struggle of the
prey must be met by judicious yielding
on the part of the captor, who watches
carefully every motion, and treats its
weight by giving line, knowing at the
same time — none better — when the full
force of the butt is to be unflinchingly
applied. Does not this sort of training
have an effect on character? Will not
a man educated in fly-fishing find de-
veloped in him the tendency to be pa-
tient, to be persevering, and to know
how to adapt himself to circumstances ?
Whatever be the fish he is playing,
whatever be his line, will he not know
when to yield and when to hold fast?

But fishing, like hunting, is solitary.
The zealot among fishermen will gener-
ally prefer his own company to the so-
ciety of lookers-on, whose advice may
worry him, and whose presence may
spoil his sport. The salmon-fisher does
not make much of a companion of the
gillie who goes with him, and the trout-
er does best when absolutely alone;
and nothing is so apt to prove a tyrant,
and an evil one, as the love of solitude.

On the other hand, the fisher is al-
ways under the influence, and able to
admire the beauties of Nature. Wheth-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

115

er lie is on the cragbound loch or by
the side of the laughing burn of high-
land countries, or prefers the green
banks of southern rivers, he can enjoy
to the full the many pleasures which
existence gives to those who admire
Nature. And all this exercises a soft-
ening influence on his character. Read
the works of those who write on fishing
— Scrope, Walton, Dawsy, as instances.
Is there not a very gentle spirit breath-
ing through them ? What is there rude,
or coarse, or harsh, in the true fisher?
Is he not light and delicate, and do not
his words and actions fall as softly as
his flies? — Spirit of the Times.

THE HAKD AND OKNAMENTAL WOODS
OF THE PACIFIC COAST.

BY C. A. STIVERS, M. D.

[Continued from page 81 of March number.]

Before passing to the consideration
of the more northern part of the west
coast timber-belt, I wish to call atten-
tion to a number of other hard woods
found growing in Mexico, and which
were not mentioned in my previous
article. At present, they are but little
known (only specimen lots as yet hav-
ing been received here), and, therefore,
my descriptions will, necessarily, be
brief.

Cacaguananchi (Palm). This tree is
called by some, the " Chocolate Palm,"
on account of the rich deep chocolate col-
or of its wood. It is straight grained,
hard, dense, and from appearances well
adapted for small turnings and cabinet
work.

Mora (Mulberry). Wood somewhat
like the Cedars in grain, but of a
much darker color ; hard, close, and
capable of a fine finish, in which state
it resembles Walnut. Cabinet work
and turnings.

Caoba (Mahogany). Wood light-color-
ed, grain plain ; useful for small trim-
mings and cabinet work.

Guayacan (Palm). Light, almost a
white wood ; close grained, dense and
hard. It would make good panel work.

Zorillo (Fox-wood). Wood of a light
color, fine texture ; well suited for
panel work.

Arrellano. A light cherry - colored
wood, and having somewhat the texture
and grain of the true Cherry-wood.
Cabinet work, etc.

Palo prieto. Wood light-brown, in
some respects similar to the Amapa pri-
eta in hardness and texture.

Palo muelo. Light cherry - colored
wood, striped with a yellowish tinge,
which gives it a very handsome appear-
ance. Hard and close grained, being
susceptible of a fine polish. Cabinet
and panel work.

Palo fierro (Iron- wood) . A very dense,
heavy wood, as its name implies. It is
extremely durable, resembling in many
respects Lignum vitse; color dark, almost
black; useful for ship work, and also
where a very hard wood is required ; as,
in blocks, wheels, pulleys, etc.

Arrallan. A light-brown wood, some-
what like Ash, but lighter in color.
Grood for wagon work, and for other
purposes, where a strong tough wood
is required.

Laurelillo (Bay-tree). Wood like Wal-
nut in color and texture. It has also
the same finish, and can be used in all
cases where the latter named wood is
needed.

Tascate (Pencil Cedar). A soft wood,
used mainly as pencil casings, for which
it is invaluable.

Cabo de Hacha (Handle- wood). Evi-
dently, from appearance, a species of
Hickory; strong fine wood, makes good
axe-handles, and I should judge, also
valuable as a wagon material.

116

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Tepezapote. "Wood dark cherry color,
resembling very much in character
Cherry-wood.

Espina del Mar. Wood of a reddish
chocolate color; compact in texture and
takes a fine finish. Cabinet work.

Tapinseran listarde and negro. Dark
ebony-like in color, resembling the true
Ebony also in grain and texture, but
not in density, being much lighter.
Rather dark for cabinet woods, but well
adapted for trimmings, frame work, etc.

Amapa blanca. Light, almost a white
wood, somewhat resembling Hickory.

Guilochi. Hickory-like wood, appar-
ently of small growth.

Cuate. Like the preceding, but dark-
er in color.

The last three are much of the same
character, and are adapted to the same
uses.

The next section of this subject will
be devoted to the Hard and Ornament-
al Woods of California.

INSECTS ON HOUSE PLANTS.

The New York Tribune gives the fol-
lowing simple plans for the eradication
of plant lice, which sometimes seriously
trouble house plants in winter. It says :

There are at least twenty different
specifics much vaunted for destroying
the insects that infest house plants,
especially as regards the green Aphides,
or plant lice, which, like the poor, are
ever with us. In England, the article
most in favor at present among florists
seems to be what is known as ' ' Gishurst's
Compound." Here, we have not got
much beyond the tobacco smoke rem-
edy. To make this effectual, the plants
should be kept an hour or more in a
concentrated smoke, obtained by burn-
ing tobacco on red-hot coals. Failure
usually proceeds from too brief immer-
sion in the smoke/ In air-tight green-

houses, it is practicable to fill an entire
room with the smoke, and leave the
plants in it all night. A similar result
can be effected in a small way in a bar-
rel. An ingenious friend, an amateur
"rosarian," covers each of his Roses
successively with a sort of paper balloon,
which is so constructed as to be capable
of more or less expansion, according to
the size of the plant, and contains a tin
cup, in which he puts hot coals and to-
bacco. There are people who meet
with success in applying certain pow-
ders to the Aphis ; but the majority of
experimenters find difficulty in keeping
him long enough under the influence of
the application, to say nothing of the
trouble of washing the powder off the
foliage afterward. The "Persian in^
sect powder," carbolate of lime, and
some of the stronger snuffs, have, how-
ever, their advocates, who blow them at
the Aphides with bellows. Washing
with strong soapsuds is a good practice,
with plants as well as people, and toler-
ably safe ; for this purpose, in the for-
mer case, whale oil soap has a high
repute. Suds can be applied, of course,
with a syringe ; for that matter, a baby
might be washed in that way, but it
would not be the most advisable meth-
od; the better way is, to plunge the
thing to be washed into the suds ; but
in the case of plants, there is this differ-
ence— they do better if put in head fore-
most, and a piece of paper should be
tied over the earth of each pot, to keep
it from falling out while the plant is
soaking. Most people know enough to
cut a hole in the paper for the stalk to
pass through. Various soaps and solu-
tions are sold for this purpose, contain-
ing different proportions of carbolic
and cresylic acids, some being so effect-
ual that vegetable as well as animal
life succumbs to their influence; and
folks who love their plants, as a rule,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

117

prefer to tiy chemical experiments of
this kind upon the plants of other peo-
ple.

There is a remedy for the Aphis not
freely advertised in the newspapers, nor
highly recommended in horticultural
books, which is not open to certain ob-
jections that apply to all the foregoing.
It consists in using the eyes sharply and
the thumb and forefinger dexterously.
On the first trials, especially if plants
have been much neglected, this process
will seem very much like work, and it
may be necessary to hold the left hand
so as to catch the insects, while strip-
ping them from the foliage with the
right. After being once thoroughly
cleaned, the plants can be kept in order
if a few minutes are thus employed
every day. Within a week the morn-
ing's review should not discover a half
dozen insects even of the smallest kind.
But it will not do to skip a day or two
and give a new colony a chance to breed.
Occasionally a knowing old Aphis fixes
himself in the axil of the leaf or the
fold of a bud, where, .to get at him, it
is necessary to wet the end of a match,
the point of a pencil, or even the head
of a pin, and touch his back gently with
it; you will find him adhering when the
instrument is withdrawn. Is it quite
certain that it would take too much
time to clean your plants with thumb
and forefinger? Then, depend upon it,
you are trying to keep too many.

OLIVE CULTUEE.

Years ago, Mr. Robert Chisholm, of
Beaufort, S. C, planted a large num-
ber of Olive-trees, which produced most
abundantly, and from which a very del-
icate oil was made. Several trees
stood, until quite recently, near the
city, upon land formerly owned by Mr.
Mauge, of Augusta, and which also pro-
vol. in.— 16.

duced a large yield of fruit. This de-
monstrates the adaptation of our sec-
tion to the culture of this fruit. The
great olive-growing regions of France,
Provence, Languedoc, and the coast
of the Mediterranean, differ but little
in their climate from ours, and contain,
moreover, a good deal of land of a
texture similar with our light soils of
Middle Georgia. Light soils of a rocky
nature are preferred in France for
planting the Olive ; as being less liable
to damage from frost, and producing
the best quality of fruits.

Olives are propagated by seed, which
must be prepared before planting, by
the removal of the skin, otherwise the
oil contained therein will prevent ger-
mination. The best method is to feed
fresh Olives to fowls which have been
placed in coops, the seed being divested
by them of all the cuticle. Many varie-
ties will be found in a batch of seed-
lings, some producing fruit of excellent
oil-bearing quality, others very small,
fit only for pickling. Hence, reference
to the use of the product must be had
when setting out the plants. Seedling
Olives can -be grafted, and thus a uni-
form quality of fruit secured. Other
methods of propagation are often re-
sorted to, such as by cuttings, layers, or
suckers, as in all other fruit trees.
Seedling trees will attain to greater
proportions and longevity than those
produced by other means. Olives com-
mence to flower here in April, and are
seldom injured by late frosts. The
fruit matures from November until
January, and can be left upon the trees
until March. "When the fruit is need-
ed for pickling, it must be gathered be-
fore maturity; but if for oil of best
quality, they must remain until within
one-fifth of being ripe. If left longer,
the quality of the oil deteriorates. We
will close by giving a list of the differ-

118

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ent varieties commonly cultivated in
the south of France, for the different
purposes of commerce:

Olea subrotunda. — Yery small ; very-
bitter ; excellent oil.

Olea amygdalina. — Good for oil and
pickling.

Olea racemosa. — Very hardy and ro-
bust ; product varies as to soil.

Olea Hispanica. — The Spanish Olive ;
very large ; oil very bitter ; used only
for pickling. This is the variety which
is imported here in immense quantities.

Olea prcecox — Excellent for oil.

Olea oblonga. — Considered best of all
for pickling, but smaller than the
Spanish.

Olea regia. — Oil of inferior quality;
fruit large, and used only for salting.

Olea atrarubeus. — Tree of low growth *
liable to be injured by cold; needs
rocky soil ; fruit violet black ; produces
the very finest oil.

Olea viridula. — The Fruit retains its
greenish color late ; of very good qual-
ity for oil or pickling.

SILICA AND THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM.

Silica gives harshness and stiffness to
the straw and leaves of cereal grain.
When Wheat or Rye is sown where a
brush -heap or a pile of logs has been
burned to ashes, the straw will be
unusually stiff, and the leaves much
harsher than other straw which grew in
close proximity to the place where the
ashes of the brush or wood was left to
fertilize the soil. The potash of the
ashes and the silica found in the soil
are taken up by the growing plants, and
form a coating of liquid glass, which is
spread evenly over the straw and leaves
of the growing grain, as a metallic coat
of arms was used in olden times to
cover the body of a soldier. When the
growing straw of Wheat is inclosed in

a thin tube of elastic glass, the innu-
merable spores which frequently fill the
entire atmosphere like flakes of snow,
and which produce rust, do not find a
congenial place for their lodgement and
complete development. But, when the
plants do not have access to a generous
supply of silica and potash, the stems
are so limber that they are easily pros-
trated by driving storms, so that the
ears of grain will be developed only in
part. When silica is available only in
small quantities, the spores from which
fungi spring adhere to the leaves and
stems, where they find a congenial
place for their development, and thus
the productiveness of the plants is seri-
ously impaired.

The practical value of silica is further
perceived in the production of excellent
fruit. If the soil near an Apple or
Pear tree that has hitherto yielded
knotty and rusty fruit receives a liberal
dressing of sand, which supplies silica,
and of wood - ashes, which furnishes
potash — the substances required to make
glass — Nature will employ those ingre-
dients to a great extent in covering the
leaves with an elastic glass, and the
fruit with a thick, transparent varnish,
produced from the silica and potash,
which will protect the leaves from
blight, and the fruit from rust, scales,
and cracks. This fact has been demon-
strated repeatedly in some fruit -pro-
ducing localities, where wood-ashes or
coal ashes have been scattered around
about Pear-trees and Apple-trees so
liberally that all grass and weeds were
destroyed.

Flint, sharp sand, and quartz, are
composed, for the most part, of silica.
Hence the propriety of mingling scour-
ing sand with the soil in which flowers
are cultivated. Divest the soil of all
silica and alkali where useful plants and
beautiful flowers are to be grown, and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

119

not one would attain to perfect develop-
ment, simply because silica and potash
are eminently essential to impart stiff-
ness to the stems, and elasticity and
tenacity to the leaves. "When Grape-
vines, for example, which are growing
in a sandy soil, have access to potash in
abundance, the leaves will appear as
tough as leather, and no mildew or rust
will ever affect the foliage, or injure the
fruit.

In the philosophic world, silica and
the alkaline earths have given us the
microscopic and the telescopic lenses,
which have unfolded to our limited vis-
ion the matchless wonders of the plan-
etary universe, and the transcendent
beauties of insect life, which can never
be appreciated when viewed with the
naked eye. — Industrial Monthly.

mumhxl ItortMifl.

In fulfillment of the promise we made
to those of our readers who desired in-
itiatory information in gardening on a
small scale, we have enlisted the able
pen of F. A. Miller in their behalf.
The present number contains the first
of a series of articles on the A B C of
small -plot gardening, and we hope he
will be repaid for the trouble he is tak-
ing in this work, by a visible improve-
ment in general appearance, a greater
display of taste and selection, and of
more thriving and luxuriant growth in
the small garden plots and front courts
in and around the suburbs of the city,
when he casts a critical eye over them
in his frequent early morning walks.
We expect he will be able to define the
extent of our city list by these improve-
ments, and we shall by like measure
criticise the virtue of his essays. Sev-
eral other practical gentlemen will from
time to time contribute papers on, the
same subject, and we anticipate much

increased interest and pleasure on the
part of our readers; but we must reite-
rate our request, " Write" — how else
can we know what you want?

We note the following well timed
and judicious remarks in our friend,
The Gardener's Monthly, for March :
"There is possibly not so exclusive a
regard for mere masses of plants for
the effects of their color as there was.
Flowers are more loved for their own
sakes than formerly ; and this will
bring up again the Hollyhocks, Chrys-
anthemums, Dahlias, Pansies, Pinks,
Phloxes, Polyanthuses, and other old-
fashioned things which the rage for
massing nearly drove out of sight. Still
the beautiful effects on the garden land-
scape produced by the newly introduced
colored leaves which continue to come,
will keep the massing style popular for
many years yet. It is found that a very
slight variation in colors of a leaf make
a remarkable difference in the effect
when massed. Thus we may have two
plants of two kinds of Coleus together,
and we see little difference between
them; but when there are a few doz-
en of each kind in a mass together,
we take in the aggregate of the differ-
ence, and the effect seems very striking.
As these plants vary very much from
seed, there will be room for many un-
ique effects in this way from them for
many years to come.

"There have been some interesting
and novel features, introduced into Eu-
ropean flower gardens- the past year in
the employment of dwarf hardy shrubs
as permanent borders for flower-beds.
The little dwarf variegated Japan Eu-
onymus, E. radioans variegata, for in-
stance,, makes a charming border for
Coleus,. Achyranthus, and such other
things. Then the Golden Arborvitses

120

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Golden Yews, and so forth, by a little
shearing, such as we give box-edgings,
come nicely into play with many bril-
liant colored leaf plants. There is an
additional merit in this style, that the
beds do not look so naked in winter as
they do when annual plants alone are
employed. The Ivy is very much em-
ployed for this purpose, and there are
now so many varieties of Ivy that a set
of a score or more of beds may be given
a very varied appearance by the means
of Ivy borders alone."

Weigela Rosea. — This beautiful, har-
dy shrub is a native of China. Mr.
Fortune, the celebrated collector, met
with it growing in the garden of a man-
darin, about the year 1837. This lovely
plant thrives in the most desirable man-
ner in any ordinary garden soil, which
has the proper degree of porosity nec-
essary to admit of the spread of roots.
It is clothed with neat, bright green
foliage, of medium size, and extends its
branches on all sides, so as to form a
round headed specimen, which, for pleas-
ing neatness, may vie with any other
shrub we have. In winter the leaves
fall off, the plant being deciduous ; but
they re-appear very early in spring, and
are speedily followed by the very hand-
some, rich, part rose and part white-
colored flowers, a good deal resembling
the prettiest apple-blossoms, large and
abundantly produced, and of surpassing
loveliness.

Its cultivation is by no means difficult
in any respect. It is very much planted
in eastern grounds and gardens gen-
erally. It strikes readily from cuttings.
As to the position it should occupy,
when finally settled, we can hardly con-
ceive one in which it may not be orna-
mental. As single specimens on grass,
in small groups of choice subjects, or

the front of shrubbery borders, the
Weigela will be equally beautiful. The
handsome and. numerous large pink
bells make the plant desirable in all
situations, even amongst such fine and
almost constant bearing shrubs and
flowers for which California is so de-
servedly famous.

The genus Weigela is included in the
beautiful order, Caprifoliacea, a group
of plants found only in the temperate
regions. Its nearest ally is the genus
Diervilla, composed for the most part
of Japanese plants, distinguished by their
handsome rose-colored or white flowers.
The honeysuckle is the type of the or-
der, but is the only one of the number
possessing an agreeable odor. Weigela
in the Linnsean arrangement is includ-
ed in class Pentandria, order Monogynia.

WOODWARD'S GAKDENS.

These attractive gardens are in a
continually progressive state; important
alterations are the order of the day. A
large pool has been constructed for the
reception of some huge amphibious
mammals, of what particular species
we do not know. The aquarium is still
in an unfinished state, owing to the
want of knowledge and skill on the
part of those who profess to construct
pumping-gear in this part of the world.
Great alterations and improvements are
being made in the fountain arrange-
ments, and some exceedingly beautiful
effects will be produced in this depart-
ment. The tunnel-way beneath Four-
teenth Street has been much increased
in width, which will add considerably
to the comfort of visitors, as, owing to
the steadily increasing popularity of
these gardens, the tunnel has lately
at times been an uncomfortably tight
place. Owing to the backwardness of
the spring, the horticultural display

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

121

has been unusually retarded, even here,
notwithstanding all necessary appli-
ances; but the last few warm days have
had a most invigorating effect, and will
add considerably to the already attract-
ive appearance of the conservatories, etc.

REPORTS OF SOCIETIES.

Bay District Horticultural Society.
The regular monthly meeting of this
Society was held on Saturday, March
29th, and was fairly attended.

The members present unanimously
resolved to establish a Herbarium of
California Plants, under the supervision
of Dr. A. Kellogg, the President of the
Society; and, in order to make a good
beginning with the work, it was agreed
that the members should make excur-
sions from time to time, for the purpose
of gathering plants. The first of these
expeditions to take place on Sunday,
April 6th, to Marin County.

Mr. R. Michelsen announced his in-
tention of reading an Essay on the
Culture of Camellias at the next regular
meeting of the Society.

An interesting discussion followed
upon the cause of mildew on Roses, and
of the remedies to be applied. It was
the general opinion that the disease
must be attributed to the sudden
changes of temperature ; the days be-
ing frequently hot, and the nights very
cold. The following remedies were
suggested :

By Mr. Kidwell: One pound of black
sulphur, with a small portion of com-
mon yellow soap, dissolved in about
sixteen gallons of water, with which the
infected parts of the plants should be
syringed in the evening after the sun
has gone down. Mr. Kidwell said that
one application was sufficient.

By Mr. Reimer: Soak ten pounds of
tobacco stems in about twenty gallons

of water, dissolve in the infusion one
pound of carbolic soap, and with this
solution syringe the plants every other
day for about one week.

Dr. Kellogg suggested a remedy
which might prove successful, and was
certainly worthy of a trial. He pro-
posed to use sulphurous acid diluted
with twenty to thirty times its volume
of water, with which the plants should
be syringed.

• There was a motion made to postpone
the Horticultural Spring Exhibition for
two or three weeks on account of the
backward condition of plants in gener-
al. The motion to postpone, however,
was lost.

The Missouri State Horticultural
Society met at Jefferson City, January
7th, 8th, and 9th, when matters of much
interest were discussed.

It will hold its next session in Han-
nibal, in January, 1874.

FAIES AND EXHIBITIONS.

At the Annual Rose Show of the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, at
Boston, June 17th, special prizes for
Hybrid Perpetual Roses were offered by
H. H. Hunnewell, Esq. Open to all.

For the best six new varieties, never

before exhibited, $40.
For the best six named varieties, $20.

For the next best, $10.
For best twelve of any one variety, $20.

For the next best, $10.

All the roses competing for these
prizes, to be exhibited in boxes the
same size as those competing for the
Society's prizes; the size of the boxes
for the six new varieties and the named
varieties, one foot six inches long, one
foot six inches broad, six inches high
at the back, and four inches high at the
front.

122

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

Special Prizes for Roses, offered by C.

S. Sargent, Esq. Open to all.
For the best twenty-four distinct named

varieties, three flowers of each, $60.

For the next best, $40.

All Roses to compete for this prize to
be exhibited in wooden boxes to be four
feet long, one foot six inches broad, six
and one-half inches high at the back,
and four and one-half inches high at
the front. The Roses to be placed on a
neatly arranged carpet of moss. Re-
gard will be had to the manner in
which the Roses are exhibited.

OUE EXCHANGE TABLE.

We perceive that in noticing the
Gardener's Monthly, in our last issue, we
erred in the name and address of the
publisher, and we take this opportunity
to correct it. This excellent magazine
is published by Charles H. Marot, 814
Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.

San Francisco Weekly Visitor, edited
by Carlos White, 409 Washington St.,
San Francisco. $2 per annum. Pub-
lished every Saturday. A very excellent
family newspaper, with abundance of
interesting and useful information.

The Evergreen and Forest Tree Grow-
er. Published by Pinney & Co., Stur-
geon Bay, Wis. Monthly. Fifty cents
per annum. An exceedingly cheap pub-
lication, containing a large amount of
very useful information on its specialty.

. American Agriculturist, published by
Orange Judd & Co., 245 Broadway, New
York. Monthly. $1.50 per annum. A
good magazine, affording abundant in-
formation.

Western Agriculturist, an illustrated
monthly magazine — plenty of informa-
tion. Published by T. Butterworth,
430 Main Street, Quincy, 111. $1 per
annum.

Western Planter, a weekly journal, de-
voted to Agriculture and Horticulture,
Stock Raising, and home reading — use-
ful and instructive. Published by R.
H. Stowe & Co., Kansas City, Mo.
$1.50 per annum.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

We notice that The Gardener's Month-
ly very strongly recommends " Purdy's
Fruit Instructor," by A. M. Purdy, of
Palmyra, N. Y. Price, 25 cents. We
have not yet seen the book.

The same authority, speaking of the
Garden, a London (England) publica-
tion, by Mr. W. Robinson, says: ^En-
gland already has at least three, if not
more garden papers, that seem as near
perfection as anything in this line can
be. The Gardener's Chronicle, the Gar-
dener's Magazine and the Journal of Hor-
ticulture, seem to cover all the ground.
But a perusal of the Garden shows that
Mr. Robinson has found a large unoc-
cupied tract, and he is cultivating it so
well, that in speaking of the superior
English papers on gardening, the four
must go together."

The April number of the Overland is
to hand, and affords an unusual amount
of excellent reading. " Agricultural
Capacity of California " is a highly in-
structive article, well worthy of general
perusal. " The California Indians."
maintains its interest. ' ' Pectens," also,,
are replete with information on this
branch of Natural History. "A Geol-
ogist's Winter Walk" is highly interest-
ing, and a fine piece of word painting.
"Etc." good as usual. In "Current Lit-
erature," the " Life of Charles Dickens"
is a critique keen and satirical, but Fors-
ter deserves it.

Spinach was first cultivated in Arabia.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

123

CATALOGUES RECEIVED.

We have received a very well illus-
trated and carefully prepared Catalogue
of Seeds, Bulbs, etc., from R. J. Trum-
bull, of the New York Seed Warehouse,
427 Sansome Street, San Francisco. It
contains very much useful information
applicable to this coast. The prices
are evidently very moderate, and the
list of native California shrubs, bulbs,
and flower-seeds is highly interesting.

"We wonder if any other of our nurs-
erymen and seedsmen have enterprised
so far as to publish a catalogue? If so,
we shall be pleased to notice it.

We are in receipt of a set of the
Illustrated Catalogues x>f Messrs Ell-
wanger & Barry, Mount Hope Nurseries,
Rochester, N. Y.

1. Descriptive Catalogue of Fruits.

2. Descriptive and Illustrated Cata-
logue of Trees, etc.

3. Catalogue of Dahlias, Verbenas,
etc., etc.

4. Wholesale Price List.

5 . Catalogue of Bulbous Flower Roots.
They are a very valuable accession to

our catalogue shelf, and from the
established character of the firm, their
very extensive and nourishing business,
and the quality of the stock sent from
their grounds, we feel satisfied that
those of our readers who find it con-
venient to supply themselves from these
nurseries, will have every reason to
congratulate themselves.

Received, Price List of J. W. Coburn
& Co., East Chester Nurseries, East
Chester, N. Y.

NEW FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Apple — Illinois Pippin. — The Horti-
culturist, for February, figures and de-
scribes an Apple under this name, which

promises to be a good thing. It is rather
large, flattened, yellow, striped with
carmine, with a white, sub-acid flesh.
In season in January.

NEW AND RARE PLANTS.

Campanula turbinata. — For upward
of two months this gem has been pro-
ducing its charming flowers in the great-
est profusion in my London garden,
and although now on the wane, it is
still very handsome, and the delight of
all beholders. It forms a dense com-
pact tuft, never exceeding eight or nine
inches in height, blooms included. The
flowers are large, erect, bell-shaped, and
rich dark purple. There is also a white
form, which resembles that described
in every respect saving color. I would
ask why these are not more grown, for
they are perfect jewels in the flower
border? They come from the mountain
regions of Transylvania. — Journal of
Horticulture.

Delphinium nudicaule. — This species
is a new introduction from California,
and to all my readers who have not yet
purchased the plant my advice is, do
so at once. It is dwarf in 'habit, sel-
dom exceeding eighteen inches in height ;
the leaves are somewhat small, palmate-
ly lobed, and of a dark green. The
flowers are large and freely produced
both in terminal and axillary spikes ;
the sepals and spurs are bright orange,
and the petals bright red. This plant,
I think, can not fail to please every one
when it becomes established, its dwarf
habit and brilliant color being great
recommendations; but I can not endorse
the views I have heard respecting its
becoming a good bedding plant. — Jour-
nal of Horticulture.

Lilium Bloomerianum. — This is an-
other of our native Californians, and we

124

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

introduce it here to remark how very
rarely our native productions are esti-
mated at home at their true value; this,
with several other Californian Lilies, is
much in demand in the East and in
Europe.

Dr. Kellogg, President of the Bay
District Horticultural Society, its dis-
coverer, describes it thus: "This is the
most magnificent Lily of the Pacific
Coast. Flowers large, nodding, of a
beautiful orange hue, and studded with
rich, dark spots. It grows from six to
ten feet high, and under high culture
four to six stems are produced from a
single bulb." We notice in an Eastern
catalogue that some of the bulbs are
valued at $5.00 each.

Graphalium lanatum varlegatum. —

This is a variety of the old G. lanatum,
with leaves distinctly variegated with
green and white. It is said to be a
strong and vigorous grower, and will
no doubt become a favorite with those
who are seeking for novelties among
handsome foliage plants.

Campanula Vidalii is recommended
as a perfect gem for the greenhouse.
It is a low-growing plant, with racemes
of pure white bell-shaped flowers.

Floka of California. — Dr. Brewer is
engaged on this good work. It is in
such a state of forwardness as to be
probably ready for the press by the end
of the year. Professor Gray and Mr.
Serens Watson are lending a hand, so
as to hurry on the work to an early
completion. — Gardener's Monthly.

Lilitjm Washlngtonianum. — This Lily,
not many years ago named and describ-
ed by Prof. Alphonso Wood, is becom-
ing rapidly popular in Europe. Large
consignments of bulbs from California

are being sold at high prices in Eng-
land.

Preserving Flowers in Alcohol. —
An excellent way to preserve the form
and color of flowers that it is desirable
to transport long distances, is to im-
merse them in a jar of alcohol. A sea
captain, who makes frequent voyages
to tropical countries, gratifies his friends
by bringing them specimens of tropical
flowers in this way. It does not answer,
however, to remove them from the alco-
hol; if this is done, they lose color and
form at once.

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

BX P. A. MIUiEB.

This is the last month of the rainy
season in California; the showers which
may occur occasionally during the be-
ginning of May can not be depended
upon. Wherever planting is contem-
plated, be it in the field, in the garden,
or in the pleasure-ground, the month of
April gives us the last practical chance
to do the work well. The weather be-
ing rather uncertain, every precaution
should be taken in the transplanting of
trees, shrubs, and plants of every kind.
All deciduous trees and shrubs should
be cut back considerably before planting
to insure a thrifty growth. Evergreen-
trees and shrubs which are removed
and transplanted with the earth around
their roots, should receive a very thor-
ough watering immediately after plant-
ing, or else there is danger of loss. We
must bear in mind that, for some time
after transplanting the evergreens, the
tree or shrub draws its subsistence from
the ball of earth surrounding the roots
when transplanted, which frequently
form one mass of roots and rootlets, and
becomes very soon exhausted and desti-
tute of all moisture; if it rains sparing-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

125

ly, the surrounding soil can not replace
the necessary moisture to keep the tree
or shrub alive, and, nine cases out of
ten, the plant will perish, or suffer se-
verely. By thoroughly saturating the
ball of earth as well as the surrounding
soil, this difficulty is overcome.

Much moisture is lost in newly pre-
pared ground, from evaporation during
warm weather. This is easily remedied
by mulching after planting; which is
done by covering the surface to the
depth of three to four inches with straw
or litter of some suitable kind, for, say,
two feet around the tree.

In transplanting young seedling-trees,
which are usually removed without any
soil around their roots, very often great
mistakes are made. So-called garden-
ers pull up the young trees in quanti-
ties, and leave them exposed to the sun
while planting them out. To avoid
this, dissolve some loam in a bucketful
of water so as to make a thin mud, into
which the roots of the young trees
should be plunged, in order to give
them a coating, which will preserve the
roots in a good condition until they are
planted. This rule may be applied to
nearly all trees, shrubs, and flowering
plants.

Another important item is the prop-
erly supporting of trees and shrubs with
suitable stakes. Our summer winds
are very strong, and blow continually
from one direction, giving trees a rather
one-sided appearance. This may be ob-
viated to a great extent by proper prun-
ing, which tends to produce a stouter
and more compact growth. However,
good, strong stakes are necessary; and
in setting them, I would advise always
to let them lean a trifle toward the
direction whence the wind blows.

In spite of all we can do, the wind
may, in course of time, give a tree a
one-sided and crippled appearance;

Vol. Ill— 17.

trees in such condition I have frequent-
ly saved by digging around them, at
a proper distance, leaving the ' earth
around the roots undisturbed, and then
twisting them with the earth half way
around, so as to expose the strong and
compact growth to the wind. In the
course of a year they assumed the orig-
inal good shape and form. "With de-
ciduous trees or shrubs this operation
is very easily performed during the
earlier part of the winter season.

April is an excellent month to do the
chief planting in the vegetable garden.
The soil is warm enough to start the
seeds into growth, and whatever need
transplanting, such as Cabbages, Cauli-
flowers, Tomatoes, etc., will be greatly
advanced by our warm April showers.
For early Cabbage, the plants should
now be large enough to be transplanted.
Some late Cabbage may be sown at this
time, in a cold frame. Early Cauliflow-
ers may also be transplanted, and some
of the later kinds may be sown again in
a frame. Tomatoes should all be trans-
planted. All tender vegetables must
now be sown, such as Beans, Corn, Cu-
cumbers, Melons, Squashes, Peppers,
Egg-plants, etc. Sow again some early
Radishes and Lettuce to succeed in
May. In transplanting young plants
or vegetables, such as I have mentioned
above, it is well to select a cloudy day,
or if these are not of frequent occur-
rence, the best time of the day is after
three o'clock in the afternoon; immedi-
ately after transplanting, water care-
fully each plant with the watering-pot.
Young Tomato plants should be shaded
for a few days after transplanting.

In the flower garden things begin to
look more cheerful. Roses and Pinks
are beginning to be plentiful. Pansies
are excellent at this time. Violets and
Hyacinths are breathing their last; Tu-
lips are in their glory. Some Migno-

126

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

nette, Nemophila, Phlox Drummondii,
Portulacca, or Lobelia, sown between
these early flowering bulbs, will make a
very desirable substitute by and by,
and will not in any way hurt the bulbs.

Plant out your Dahlias, some of your
Gladiolus, Amaryllis, Tuberoses, and
other tender bulbs.

Lilies are coming forward now; keep
the ground loose around them, and if it
is convenient to give them some strong
manure water, or a little guano in so-
lution, it will make them thrive as well
again.

Do not fail to sow some of the best
annuals in groups or masses, wherever
there is room for them. They give va-
riety, contrast, and effect. The Ger-
man Asters, the Larkspurs, Petunias,
Primulas, Stocks, Phlox Drummondii,
Candytuft, Snap Dragon, Zinnia, and
the various kinds of Immortelles, are
all most desirable to have.

The plants in the greenhouse and
conservatory are greatly stimulated by
the warm spring days. On this coast,
nine-tenths of the nursery establish-
ments are carried on without artificial
heat during winter, and consequently
the plants cultivated there show the ap-
proach of spring and summer as much
as the outdoor plants. In colder coun-
tries the temperature is kept up through-
out the winter to such an extent as to
produce continual growth and develop-
ment. To accomplish the same thing
here, artificial heat is indispensable,
• although very little of it is required,
during the nights and some rainy days
even, from which tender plants suffer
here the most. Begonias, Cacti, Cine-
rarias, Chinese Primroses, and Azaleas
are now the chief attractions under
glass. The Clematis, Torrenya Asiat-
ica, Eranthemum tuberculatum, and
the double Geraniums are flowering
well with us at this time.

Give plenty of air and a greater
abundance of water to all plants which
seem to advance well. For most green-
house plants an occasional and moder-
ate application of guano water is very
beneficial.

This is a favorable time to propagate
most of the tender greenhouse plants;
in fact, for nearly all of such plants as
have to be raised under glass. Cuttings
of Coleus will now push ahead rapidly,
and will soon make better plants than
the old ones, which should be thrown
away as soon as the young plants are
rooted.

If any seeds of tender or hardy
plants are on hand, or are expected, do
not delay planting them as soon as they
come into your possession.

REPORT ON THE FRUIT MARKET.

3Y E. J. HOOPEK.

Soon we shall be visited by some
warm weather. The early spring fruits
will, in a short time, be present to our
imaginations, if not upon our tables.
At any rate, the vernal weather will in-
duce us, in lieu of fresh ones, to eat
more plentifully of those fruits which
the producers, canners and fruiterers
have been able to preserve, lay over, and
prolong from last year's croj)s. If it be
true that in cold weather we need, and
the appetite demands, concentrated
carbonaceous food, it is also true, as
might be expected, and as many of us
know, that the appetite demands, in
warm weather, a very different class of
articles of food, and the reason is obvi-
ous. To be sure our climate is very
different from that of the Eastern States,
especially in San Francisco, and it is
comparatively cool here nearly all the
year round. Much hot weather is quite
uncommon, and we rarely have in
spring or summer more than half a

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

127

dozen very hot days together. Still,
the thermometer is often high enough
at nearly all seasons to make it desir-
able that a pretty large part of our diet
should consist of fruit and vegetables.
Oranges then come in to help us in this
case considerably. Also Rhubarb, or
the Pie-plant, with a much larger ac-
cession of vegetables than even we, in
this region, could have during our
winter months. In the spring, our de-
sire for butter and buckwheat is lessen-
ed, and we begin to crave for more acid
fruits and green vegetables ; yet, how
many thoughtless housekeepers go
through the same routine of cooking
in summer as in winter, with just about
as much butter, and lard, and fat beef,
and even pork, and rich gravy, and
flour-puddings with sauce ; not because
they like it as well, or think it is
wholesome, but only because " their
mothers did so before them. "

We need, in summer or winter,
whether using muscles or brains, or
neither, every-day food containing car-
bonates for the lungs, nitrates for the
muscles and tissues, and phosphates
for the vital powers ; but we need them
in very different proportions, according
to the state of the temperature in which
we live, and our habits of life. But
man, who has intellect, is expected to
understand the laws of his being, and
to adapt his food to the wants of his
nature, varying it according to circum-
stances. This we should learn to do
even in the moderate, cool, and equable
climate of San Francisco, and still more
so in the much more generally warm
climates of our coasts and valleys, dif-
fering so much as they do as to loca-
tions.

But we must not, in our divergence
from our main subject — fruits — and
touching upon kindred subjects, forget
our leading theme, the market; yet, a

v

few words more, as to the time for eat-
ing fruit ; we think, the morning is the
best; but we are not quite sure, though.
The afternoon is good. But we do not
recommend fruit with the dew upon it.
Let the fruit get its own breakfast be-
fore you eat it yourself. It break-
fasts on early sunshine and dew. It
takes these things in, and smiles upon
itself and the world, just as you do
about half an hour after a pleasant
breakfast. Eat it, then, while it is
in this humor — by no means in the raw
and early morning ; thus you have the
young- freshness and virgin flavor of the
fruit. It has another character later in
the day, when it is filled with sunshine ;
then we think it is sweeter.

We must really not delay any longer,
however, in treating on our more prac-
tical, matter of fact, and more tangible
subject — our markets. Behold, then,
our readers, what we can set before
you this month, for your judicious and
doubtless well discriminating palates.

There are some changes in the fruit
and vegetable markets since last month,
but they are not very important. The
most notable fact is the advent of Straw-
berries (the Long worth Prolific, as usu-
al), on the 12th of March. Their ap-
pearance is a week earlier than last
year. The consignment of that fruit was
light, of course,, and, when so early,
their quality denotes plainly, both in
complexion and taste, that they have
not yet had a sufficient bathing in the
solar beams. The price may be sup-
posed to be rather on the fancy order —
one dollar and fifty cents per pound —
but by the time this number of our
monthly reaches the public, they will
be enjoying this fruit at a more moder-
ate price.

The first cargo of this year's crop of
Tahiti Oranges arrived about the 9th
ult. , and though nearly always inferior

128

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

to those of our southern, and some
favored spots in our middle and even
more northern counties, they meet with
a tolerably ready sale at satisfactory
prices.

Lemons can be obtained a little low-
er than last month, owing1 to the ar-
rival of a considerable quantity of Limes,
which also are cheaper.

Coeoanuts are coming in large loads.

Apples are not plentiful, and the
best command $3.00 per box, while in-
ferior fruit will bring $1.50 to $2.00 a
box.

Pears are about exhausted, and nom-
inally quotable at $2.50 to $3.50 a box.

Bananas have come in lately in a
pretty large quantity, and are of fine
quality, at 75 cents per dozen.

Asparagus is abundant, and now sells
at moderate prices.

We observed new Cucumbers, fresh
and crisp, for the first time on the 11th
ult. They, probably, have never been
much earlier than this in any former
season. They were selling at $2.50 per
dozen. It would not answer, at this
price to cut up, and, with salt, pepper,
and vinegar, prepare these nicely, and
then, according to the recipe of some
over -careful sanitary -protective folks,
cast them to the porcines, so as to in-
flict no injury on the human family.
This would be rather too extravagant
an idea in every point of view. We
ourselves think Cucumbers have been
rather overrated as to their terribly del-
eterious effects on man's digestive or-
gans. At the present prices for these
esculents, however, it would seem to be
unnecessary for us to preach modera-
tion in their use; the consideration of
the depleting effects on the pocket will
preclude the necessity for this.

Rhubarb is in good supply, and the j
price is speedily becoming more moder
ate.

$mw0pttflMtt.

To the Editor of the California Horticulturist :

Dear Sir: — In the March number of
the California Horticulturist, I notice
a communication signed by Philqflora,
who seems to expect more work from
our Agricultural and Horticultural So-
cieties, for the public good ; and would
like to see more extensive reports from
the Secretaries of these Societies. The
suggestions are timely and valuable.
Unluckily our practical men will neither
spare the time, nor take the trouble to
put their knowledge and experience to
public use. Our scientific men consider
the subject of Horticulture beneath
their dignity, and our rich men can not
afford to expend a dollar unless they
see the prospect of two in return.

The consequence is that the Sec-
retaries of these Societies, with the aid
of but one or two other members, have to
carry on all the work which is done, and
for which they receive the valuable con-
sideration of re-election, if they choose
to accept it.

However, here is a suggestion for
Mr. " Philoflora." If he is a member
of the Horticultural Society, let him
bring the " Pegging down of Verbenas"
question before the monthly meeting;
and if he is not a member, then let him
join immediately, for the very fact of
his becoming a member would, un-
doubtedly, increase the usefulness of
the Bay District Horticultural Society.

So long as a society has to struggle
for its mere existence, but little progress
can be expected in public usefulness.
Our Horticultural Society ought to
number 1,000 members instead of only
sixty; then the gatherings would doubt-
less be more numerous, and necessarily
more interesting and beneficial. By
degrees, I suppose, this more desirable
status will be attained. Horticulturist.

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

129

MxUml <BItfmtofl$.

WATER RIGHTS.

From the new Code, we copy the fol-
lowing provisions, relating to water
rights :

Sec. 1410. The right to the use of
running water flowing in a river or
stream, or down a cafion or ravine, may
be acquired by appropriation.

Sec. 1111. The appropriation must
be for some useful or beneficial pur-
pose, and when the appropriator or suc-
cessor in interest ceases to use it for
such purpose, the right ceases.

Sec. 1412. The person entitled to
the use may change the place of diver-
sion, if others are not injured by such
change, and may extend the ditch,
flume, pipe or aqueduct by which the
diversion is made to places beyond that
where the first use was made.

Sec. 1413. The water appropriated
may be turned into the channel of an-
other stream and mingled with its water,
and then reclaimed, but, in reclaim-
ing it, the water already appropriated
by another must not be diminished.

Sec. 1414. As between appropriators,
the one first in time is the first in right.

Sec. 1415. A person desiring to ap-
propriate water must post a notice, in
writing, in a conspicuous place at the
point of intended diversion, stating
therein :

1. That he claims the water there
flowing to the extent of (giving the
number) inches, measured under a four-
inch pressure ;

2. The purpose for which he claims
it, and the place of intended use ;

3. The means by which he intends
to divert it, and the size of the flume,
ditch, pipe, or aqueduct, in which he
intends to divert it.

A copy of the notice, within ten days

after it is posted, must be recorded in
the office of the recorder of the county
in which it is posted.

Sec. 1416. Within sixty days after
the notice is posted, the claimant must
commence the excavation or construc-
tion of the works in which he intends
to divert the water, and must prosecute
the work diligently and uninterruptedly
to completion, unless temporarily inter-
rupted by snow or rain.

Sec. 1417. By " completion" is meant
conducting the waters to the place of
intended use.

Sec. 1418. By a compliance with the
above rules, the claimant's right to the
water relates back to the. time the notice
was posted.

Sec. 1419. A failure to comply with
such rules deprives the claimant of the
right to the use of the water, as against
a subsequent claimant who complies
therewith.

Sec. 1420. Persons who have hereto-
fore claimed the right to water, and
who have not constructed works in
which to divert it ; and who have not
diverted nor applied it to some useful
purpose, must, after this title takes ef-
fect, and within twenty days there-
after, proceed as in this title provided,
or their right ceases.

Sec. 1421. The recorder of each
county must keep a book in which he
must record the notices provided for in
this title.

Sec. 1422. The rights of riparian pro-
prietors are not affected by the provis-
ions of this title.

The Season of Flowers. — Nothing
in Nature is so entrancing to the senses,
so inspiriting to the mind, as a well
planned garden, dotted with brilliant
flowers. Our fields are now decked in
vernal green, gaily sprinkled with bou-

130

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

quets of choicest ■wild flowers, while the
gardens show a refinement of taste in
Floriculture that merits and receives the
admiration of our numerous city visitors.
Flowers, says Chambers, are the orna-
ment of vegetable existence, and have
in all ages been cultivated by persons
of leisure and taste, for the beauty and
variety of their forms, colors and frag-
rance. While generally healthful and
exhilarating, from being pursued in the
open air, flower culture is justly reckon-
ed a pure and harmless recreation,
which, by leading to the tranquil con-
templation of natural beauty, and di-
verting the mind from gross worldly
occupations, has a positive moral, and,
therefore, highly beneficial tendency.
It has also the advantage of being alike
open to the pursuit of high and low,
the peasant and the peer, the over-
toiled man of business, and the indus-
trious artisan. It may be followed with
equal enjoyment by both sexes, and on
every imaginable scale, from the tiny
front plot to the princely greenhouse,
and exquisitely varied parterre. The
natural grace, simplicity, and attractive
coloring of flowers have afforded endless
themes to moralists and poets, and
volumes have been written to show
how many associations of feeling, sim-
ple and sublime, these beauteous sub-
jects are calculated to excite. Few
natural objects are more poetical, or
more calculated to refine the taste, than
flowers. Therefore, all should cultivate
them, in greater or less proportion, as
their time and means permit. — Alameda
Encinal.

A Simple Method oe "Warming Green-
houses.— The London Grocer suggests
that greenhouses, containing half-hardy
plants, and in which no regular method
of heating exists, may be warmed even
during a hard frost by lighting and

distributing a dozen or so common oil
lamps, at convenient localities. In se-
lecting these lamps they should be
chosen with vases large in proportion
to the size of the flat wick, in order that
they may continue burning all night
without refilling or other attention. It
will be readily understood that, whether
one or many lamps are used, the total
amount of heat given off is proportion-
ate to the quantity of oil burned, pro-
vided the combustion is complete. And
in using a lamp, all the heat of combus-
tion is utilized; none goes ujd the flue
as with stoves or fire places.

The same journal, we notice, refers
to good kerosene oil as a very carefully
and skillfully refined petroleum product.
As this material, in addition to other
advantages, possesses that of safety,, it
would be especially suitable for use as
above described.

Treating Hyacinths aeter Flowering.
In replying to a lady querist on the
above subject, the Gardener's Monthly
says: "Hyacinths, as we get them from
Holland, have not been allowed to
flower, and hence have much concen-
trated strength in them, which they
never regain after once flowering. But
they will produce some flowers another
year, if well cared for. As soon as the
flower fades cut away the stem, and
give the plants all the benefit of light
possible, and keep the soil rich by a
light top-dressing of manure, and as
soon as possible after the ground opens
and frost is certainly gone, plant them
in the open ground. The offsets will,
however, make the best bulbs. Plant
these in sj)ring in very rich ground,
and in the fall replant again in rich
earth, picking out the flower-buds which
it makes the succeeding year. The sea-
son following they will approach the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

131

foreign bulb in excellence. We have
not so far been able to equal the Hol-
landers in raising bulbs, but Mr. Such
was experimenting some years ago with
some hope of success/'

Floriculture. — All lovers of flowers
must remember that one blossom allow-
ed to mature or "go to seed" injures
the plant more than a dozen new buds.
Cut your flowers then, all of them, be-
fore they begin to fade. Adorn your
rooms with them ; put them on your
tables ; send bouquets to your friends
who have no flowers; or exchange favors
with those who have. You will surely
find, the more you cut off the more you
will have. All Roses after they have
ceased to bloom should be cut back,
that the strength of the root may go to
forming new roots for next year. On
bushes not a seed should be allowed to
mature. — Scribner's for March.

Shade Trees for Nothing. — Colonel
Henry S. Fitch has offered to the Board
of Supervisors from two to four thous-
and young Grum-trees, provided the
Board will have them taken up and
transplanted on the county road. He
is also disposed to be equally liberal
with the town authorities of Alameda.
It is not too late to plant the Euca-
lyptus, and we should be pleased to
hear that the Boards of both county
and town, had accepted the Colonel's
liberal offer. The trees are on the
Fitchburg property. — Alameda Encinal.

Pampas Grass. — A French gardener
recommends that the tufts of Pampas
Grass should be burned in autumn and
left alone ; in spring they will push up
earlier and better than if protected with
mats, or otherwise.

Leguminous crops, as Peas, Beans,
Vetches, Saintfoin, Clover, etc., all par-
take of the character of the Pea, which
may be accepted as the type of this
family of plants. The prevalent min-
eral constituent of these plants is lime ;
for this reason they are sometimes called
"lime plants." As we might for this
reason expect, these plants flourish most
luxuriantly on lime soils, and are culti-
vated most successfully in limestone
districts. For the same reason, the ad-
dition of lime to soils containing but
little of this substance greatly favors
the growth of these crops. Another
mineral constituent required by these
plants is sulphur ; hence, the addition
of some combination of sulphur is gen-
erally attended with benefit to a crop of
this description. A substance well fitted
for this purpose is gypsum, or plaster
of Paris. This compound, as already
noticed, contains sulphuric acid and
lime, and on this account may be re-
garded as a special manure for legumin-
ous plants.

In one of our exchanges we find the
following definition of an inch of rain:
An English acre consists of 6,272,640
square inches; and an inch deep of rain
on an acre yields 6,272,640 cubic inches
of water, which, at 277,274 cubic inches
to the gallon makes 22,622.5 gallons;
and, as a gallon of distilled water weighs
10 pounds, the rain-fall on an acre is
226,225 pounds, avoirdupois; as 2,240
pounds are a ton, an inch deep of rain
weighs 100.993 tons, or nearly 101 tons,
per acre. For every 100th of an inch
a ton of water falls per acre.

The Rose gardens of Adrianople
cover 14,000 acres, from which the
Paris perfumers distil their sweets.
They are soon to be greatly extended.

132

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Restoring "Waste Places. — In the
Departments of the Hautes - Alpes, in
France, an interesting experiment has
been made for the restoration of lands
that were desolated by the removal of
forests. As the years rolled by, village
after village was deserted, until the de-
partment had lost 11,000 of its popula-
tion. The peasantry opposed with the
greatest violence any attempt at the re-
placement of the forests, and the gov-
ernment was obliged at last to force
them to returf the barren districts. The
result is said to be most satisfactory:
the covering of sod has retained the
rain, instead of allowing it to run off in
torrents, and the desolate, barren dis-
tricts of the last few years are resuming
the luxuriant vegetation with which they
were clothed in olden times. — Scribner's
for March.

The Way the Forests Go. — Some idea
of the vast extent of the lumber trade,
and the rapidity with which our great
forest trees are being consumed, may be
had if we notice the product of a single
saw-mill in Michigan, that, of A. "W.
Sage & Co., in the Saginaw Valley.
This firm does business in Brooklyn,
N. Y., and in several, other cities. The
mill alluded to cuts and turns out as
high as 370,000 feet of lumber in a
single day. Five engines and eight
boilers, yielding; six hundred horses'
power, together with the services of
three hundred men, are required. The
buildings are very extensive, lighted
with gas, and supplied with every con-
venience for work that ingenuity can
suggest.

The Gardener's Monthly calls atten-
tion to the fact, that where the Cucum-
ber grows wild, it spreads over bushes
and trees, and the growth and product
are enormous. All plants with tendrils

prefer to ramble in this way. He adds,
"No one who has not tried can have
any idea of the luxuriant growth of a
Cucumber when trained to a stake which
has a set of stubby side branches left
along its length. Some which the
writer saw, might be taken at a distance
for some vigorous kind of ornamental
gourd — and the crop was enormous."

Importance or Leaves. — Mcintosh
says : "In plants the leaves act as lungs
in animals; that the preservation of the
leaves of vines, as indeed of all other
trees and plants, is of vast importance
— indeed so much so that the removal
of a single leaf tends to lessen the vigor
and energy of the tree." — Exchange.

Twelve quarts of soot in a hogshead
of water, will make a powerful liquid
manure, which will improve the growth
of flowers, vegetables or root crops. In
either a liquid or solid state, it makes
an excellent top-dressing for grass or
other cereal crops.

The Economista d' Italia says, there
are in the Italian Kingdom 80,000 acres
of turf applicable for fuel, which,
when compressed, will be found from
twenty-five to thirty per cent, cheaper
than coal at the present price.

Experiments often repeated have
shown that a plant may be raised in a
flower-pot from a seed, and receive no
nourishment but pure water, yet shall
far exceed in weight all the soil in
which it grew.

Half a million gallons of wine and
brandy were exported from California
in 1872.

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

MAY, 1873.

Ho, 5.

SUMMER FLOWERING BULBS.

BY F. A. MILLEB.

It is gratifying to notice that during
this season the inquiry and demand for
early flowering bulbs, such as Hyacinths
and Tulips, has been on the increase,
and that our amateur gardeners, par-
ticularly the ladies, are progressing in
their appreciation of these early gems
of the garden. But how about the
"summer flowering" bulbs? These
seem to be very much neglected; here
and there I see a few of the old vari-
eties, which were introduced here some
ten years since. With the exception of
a very few of our most attentive ama-
teur florists, no one seems to care for
them; and why? Are they less beauti-
ful? are they more difficult of culture?
No, certainly not. In our exhibitions
the florists have made very brilliant
shows with Gladioli and Dahlias, and
hundreds, nay, thousands, admired them
as most attractive features; but this was
as far as their appreciation advanced.

I know that some of our florists im-
ported extensive collections of Gladi-
oli, and after cultivating them for a
year, have offered them for less money
than they could be purchased for in the
East; yet, notwithstanding the depreci-
vol. in.— is.

ation in the price, nine-tenths of the
bulbs offered are on hand. The same
may be said of Pseonies and Dahlias,
all of which are really indispensable as
hardy summer flowering bulbs ; a gar-
den without them is indeed incomplete.

There is, however, yet time to plant
some of these bulbs. In fact, Dahlias
should not be planted until the first part
of May, and Gladioli may be planted
out during every month of the year, so
as to have them in bloom at all times.
This is one of the advantages we pos-
sess in our California climate. If any
of the readers of the Catjoforxia Horti-
culturist have not yet devoted any
space to the cultivation of these bulbs,
I would suggest a trial of them. For
a small garden ten or twelve different
varieties of Gladiolus will be sufficient.
Select distinct varieties, i. e., of distinct
and varied colors. The following vari-
eties will do very well for a collection
of this kind:

Dr. Lindley. — Delicate rose color,
blazed with carmine and cherry.

El Dorado. — Fine, pure yellow, strip-
ed with purple.

Adonis. — Light cherry, marbled with
white.

Louis Van Jloutte. —Yelvety carmine,
flowers for a long- time.

134

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Mazeppa. — Rosy orange, large yellow
stains, striped red.

Rebecca. — White, shaded with lilac.

Lord Byron. — Brilliant scarlet, lined
with pure white, very fine.

Goliah. — Light rosy red, striped with
carmine, fine.

Daphne. — Light cherry, red stripes,
stained with crimson.

Due de Malakoff. — Brilliant light scar-
let, base and throat white.

Brenchleyensis. — Vermilion scarlet.

All of the above may be obtained here
at moderate prices. I would advise to
plant such a collection in groups of
three or four at intervals of about one
month, in order to have them in bloom
throughout the whole summer. The
bulbs should be covered about three
inches, and the distance between the
bulbs should not be less than nine inch-
es. The flower-stem of the Gladiolus is
top-heavy, and a neat stake for its sup-
port is necessary, particularly in our
climate, where heavy winds prevail.
Bulbs, which are kept on hand for
future planting, are best preserved in
an airy and dry place without any
covering. Such is my experience on
this coast.

In extensive grounds the Gladiolus
should be planted in groups of from
twenty to thirty, and there is no class
of flowering plants which presents a
more brilliant effect.

It is unnecessary for me to say here
that the ground should be kept in a
mellow and clean condition, by frequent
hoeing; every one who cultivates plants
knows this to be indispensable. Bulbs
planted during the months of March
and April do not need any artificial
irrigation; but, if planted during the
month of May, and later, a thorough
watering once a week is indispensable,
until the first flowers begin to open;
after they have done flowering, the

watering may be discontinued. Cut off
the flower stalks immediately after flow-
ering, in order to throw the entire vigor
of the plant into the formation of new
bulbs. The most of the Gladioli form
several bulbs during the summer sea-
son, which will flower in the following
year.

Another very important class of sum-
mer flowering bulbs are the well-known
"Dahlias," which deserve a place in
every garden, however small or large.
The Dahlia, as a flower, is perfection in
form and rich in color, and produces
its exquisite blooms from July until
November in great abundance. There
is still time to plant them. In fact I
prefer to set them out during the month
of May. The varieties of color, and
the different shades and tints, are per-
haps the most numerous and distinct of
all the flowering plants under cultiva-
tion.

The Dahlias are generally divided in-
to three classes, the Show Dahlias,
Fancy Dahlias, and Bouquet or Pom-
pone Dahlias.

The Show Dahlias are those of one
color, and include mostly the varieties
in which a certain color is largely pre-
dominant. The flowers are large, and
the plants of robust growth, varying in
height from four to six feet. The lead-
ing colors are pure white, deep yellow,
purple maroon, scarlet, buff, amber, rose,
and crimson in all the various shades.
At some future time I will give the
names of the most approved varieties
on this coast.

The Fancy Dahlias are those which
produce variegated flowers of two or
more colors; striped, flaked, spotted,
dashed or tipped. The markings of
these are really exquisitely pleasing to
the eye. Of those which have for
several years been cultivated here, the
best are, Striata formosissima, purple

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

135

and white ; Remembrance, pink, white
stripes; Bride, white, shaded with lilac;
Gem, scarlet, tipped with white; Jessie
Atkins, yellow, edged with red ; Splen-
dens, blush striped; and spotted with
red ; Queen of Beauties, white, edged
and striped with lilac.

The Bouquet or Pompone Dahlias are
of a more dwarfish growth, and their
flowers are small in comparison with the
foregoing varieties. They are very use-
ful for bouquets and floral decorations.
Some of the best varieties are, Little
Mistress, Little Minnie, Alba floribunda,
German Youth, Jeannette, Little Gem,
Little Fireball, Little Madonna, etc.

The treatment of Dahlias is very sim-
ple; almost any kind of light soil will
suit them. I have seen very fine flow-
ers from plants grown on our poor drift-
sands, to which good old manure was
added. In autumn- the roots- should be
taken up, and after leaving them ex-
posed for two or three days- to the at-
mosphere, they ought to be stored away
in a dry, cool place, where they can re-
main until the following spring. Be-
fore planting, the ground should be
well worked over to a depth of at least
fifteen or eighteen inches. Divide up the
old roots in such a way as to leave an
eye; or, if the eyes are not' yet visible,
a portion of the woody crown to every
piece of root which is intended to be
planted. If several stalks spring up
from the root, it is well to remove all
but one, in order to throw more vigor
into the plant, and produce more per-
fect flowers. As soon as the flowers
begin to fade, they should be cut off, as
old and decaying flowers exhaust the
plant. If you want first-class flowers,
do not allow too many to develop them-
selves at one time.

In small gardens a few of the best
varieties ought to be planted in or near
the centre of the larger beds. In ex-

tensive grounds I am decidedly in favor
of planting them in rows along certain
walks, or in groups. Dahlias must be
provided with strong stakes as soon as
the stalks are eighteen inches high,
and a still better way is to stake them
when the roots are planted.

There are many other summer flow-
ering bulbs which deserve a place in
our gardens, and- which are altogether
too much neglected. As such let me
name the Lilies, the Amaryllis, the
Tuberoses, and the Pseonies, all of which
are very popular in the gardens of Eu-
rope and the East.

Of Lilies we have the magnificent
Lilium auratum; the old but ever favor-
ite Lilium candidum, of a pure white
color; the elegant Lilium iigrinum, pop-
ularly called Tiger Lily, yellow with
brown dots; Lilium lancifolium, of vari-
ous colors; Lilium atrosanguinium , dark
red, marbled with orange. Let me add
to these our native California Lilies:
Lilium Washingtonianum, a most grace-
ful and fragrant white Lily of the Sierra
Nevada ; Lilium Humboldtii, of a fine
orange red color, with dark spots, very
graceful ; Lilium pardalinum, one of
the prettiest Lilies under cultivation,
petals well reflexed, color orange yellow
with dark spots, and the end of each
petal distinctly scarlet ; Lilium parvum,
a small and very graceful cup -shaped
Lily, of a delicate bright orange yellow.

Lilies, unlike Dahlias, should remain
in the ground for several years, as not
until the second year can fine flowers
be expected. In this respect Lilium
auratum makes an exception, as I have
seen very fine trusses of flowers pro-
duced from the first year's planting.

The Amaryllis family is as yet very
meagerly represented in our gardens;
in fact they are very little known here.
These, as well as the Peeonies, should
have been planted ere this. I will,

136

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

therefore, not now say much about
them, but reserve more extended re-
marks on their cultivation and varieties
for a future time.

THE AURICULA- (PRIMULA AURICULA.)

" See, when arranged in sparkling dust and

velvet pride,
Like brilliant stars arranged in splendid row,
The proud Auriculas their lustre show."

This beautiful gem of Flora is a na-
tive of the Swiss Alpine Mountains, and
is supposed to be a variety with Primula
Helveticus, Nevis, and Viscosa. Its orig-
inal color is orange yellow, not much
unlike the English cowslip, and not
over prepossessing in appearance, un-
less in its pristine state. The Auricula
was imported into England in the six-
teenth century, and was found suscepti-
ble of much improvement by cultiva-
tion. Since that time much care has
been bestowed upon it by florists, and
the perfection it has attained is aston-
ishing— so much so that it has become
one of the leading florist flowers in both
Europe and America; and instead of the
original color, is now one of the most
beautiful imaginable.

In visiting Miller & Sievers' floral
establishment a few days since, we
found some very handsome seedling
Auriculas. They were of large size and
beautifully centered and bordered. Our
climate in California seems to suit it
well — much better than England's, but
this will not surprise anybody. In the
summer this plant delights in the shade,
and must be very regularly watered.
The best soil for it is from the woods,
more particularly in the ravines, where
rotten wood and leaves are washed,
with a mixture of sand or fine stone.
This plant can be extensively cultivated
by seed, by most gardeners and ama-
teurs, and is well calculated for exhibi-
tion and for prizes.

There is some difficulty in getting the
seed to germinate if not fresh, as it may
occur sometimes that seeds will be one
or two years before they come up unless
forced in a hot bed.

When the seedlings have formed four
leaves they should be transplanted into
thumb pots, and be kept in the shade
and never suffered to become dry, nor
be placed where the rain falls, or they
will be washed out of the soil. Seed-
lings will flower the second season. The
soil recommended for full-grown plants
will also do for seed and seedlings. We
have seen one hundred kinds of the
finest Auriculas at one time on a stage
in a garden in England. Such a sight
never before met our eyes, but we hope
to see it again some day in California.
It can be done as easily here as in En-
gland. Indeed everything is more suit-
able for it here than in England, with
irrigation. — Pacific Rural Press.

VENETIAN SUMACH— (RHUS COTINUS.)
BY DB. A. KELLOGG.

This very ornamental shrub, so far as
we know, is considered an exotic, indi-
genous to Siberia, Austria, Lombardy,
etc. The writer, in early days of the
organization of the California Academy
of Sciences, presented a specimen (in
fruit only) to the old Herbarium, ob-
tained from Bexar Pass, Texas, found
native on the arid mountains of that
section. This is probably the same as
the Smoke Tree of our gardeners and
ornamental nurserymen. It is, however,
to its commercial importance that we
desire to invite a moment's attention.
Prof. Carr- and many others, who desire
to render practical service to our agri-
cultural and industrial interests, con-
tinue to urge a more varied and inde-
pendent culture. These hints are being

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

137

executed, relative to new industries,
with unparalleled vigor by our enter-
prising agriculturists.

The modern Athenians use this wood
(Fustic) for dyeing wool a most beau-
tiful rich yellow, and the whole plant is
used in Italy for tanning sheep and
goat skins into morocco. We import
annually about 60,000 to 75,000 bales
of 180 lbs. each. The price here by the
ton has been from $75 to $125 per ton;
at retail much higher. No adequate
substitute has ever been found for the
life-giving vigor, soft, velvety, and
elastic properties, it communicates to
the skins, even in very small relative
proportions to other stronger and more
drying tans. On a coast with Italian
and Sicilian skies — a climate often too
arid at the south coast for surety in
other crops — certain dry season to se-
cure harvests in prime condition — hides
of almost illimitable supply at oiir
doors— limestone, and red clay, and
sandstone soils — modern inventions for
labor-saving uses, and hot, sunny, rocky
hillsides, or bottom lands, asking the
careful hand of culture — the pioneer in
this enterprise will prove a benefactor
to the State and nation, and reap a rich
reward. A word of detail only, and we
dismiss a subject full of the deepest
interest to the people of this coast. In
the Agricultural Reports for 1854, p. 34,
Bhus coriaria is quoted as the name ;
if so (and we have no access at this
writing to verify), it is a mistake. The
species probably intended is B. corea-
cea, which is synonymous with ours.
But if B. coriaria is really the plant the
writer refers to, it may be another of
similar value. Indeed, many other
species, also those commonly native to
the United States, are thought to be of
equal value; but we deem it prudent to
recommend only the world-wide and
best renowned article.

Seeds may doubtless be had at the Ag-
ricultural Department, at Washington;
or from Sicily, Aleppo, or anywhere in
the south of Europe. Also propagated
by cuttings from roots, stems, or by lay-
ers, etc.

Seeds are best, started in beds at any
time with due attention. The most
proper season for transplanting is No-
vember, December, and January ; of
course, the best time is the first of the
rainy season. Plant two to four feet
apart in the rows, and rows four to six
feet apart, for space best suited to plow
and harrow, or horse-hoe — say, two or
three cleanings. In Sicily, the rainy
season closes in May, like ours ; when
the crop is laid by — previously hoed as
stated. The crop is gathered in July
and August — cut four to six inches from
the ground, and laid in handfuls, not
spx*ead out, for a day or so to dry — not
allowed to bleach. The leaves of young
sprouts that spring up vigorously every
year, are the only parts used (as they
are free from dead or decaying leaves
of the older trees). Care on this point,
and a dry climate like ours, where no
casualty of rain ruins an occasional
crop, has given Sicily a staple reputa-
tion in the markets of the world. There
are, nevertheless, those who adulterate
the article, and out-ape the ape. The
whole twigs, leaves and all, are also cut
up, and used for tanning. To a home
market this might perhaps be the most
feasible.

Since its cultivation in Maryland and
Virginia, the price of the foreign has
fallen, as it proves inferior, except for
its lighter and clear hue — -the American
being a little greenish yellow. Yet, the
latter has risen 20 to 40 per cent. , while
the Sicily has correspondingly fallen.

We are obliged to omit much of de-
tails, already too lengthy for a mere
suggestive article.

138

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

CINCHONA CULTIVATION.

BY C. A. STIVEKS, M. D.

In all the range of medicinal reme-
dies, not one is so important and use-
ful to mankind as the Cinchona bark,
with its alkaloids, Quinia and Cinchonia.
This importance, taken in connection
with its comparatively limited natural
area of growth, has called attention to
the necessity for the cultivation of the
Cinchona-tree in different parts of the

world.

Many of the European governments
(more especially that of Great Britain),
have been engaged for the past ten
years in establishing governmental
plantations of this valuable tree, and
have also endeavored by all possible
means to encourage its cultivation by
private enterprise. In the United
States, as yet, no efforts have been
made in this direction ; partly from the
fact of our peculiar form of government,
which places so many "ifs," "ands,"
and "buts," in the way of such experi-
ments, and partly for the want of a
suitable climate in which to test it.

The first fault will have to be over-
come by educating the people in such
matters, until they shall see the im-
portance and need of government aid.
As for the second, I think that is al-
ready obviated in the possession of Cali-
fornia, which seems to have all requisite
climatic qualities for the successful cul-
tivation of the Cinchona-tree. With a
view to call the attention of the people
of California, and possibly, by that
means, also that of the State and Gen-
eral Governments to this subject, I have
selected your journal in which to give a
brief outline of the history of the tree,
and also to show what has been done
in its cultivation by Great Britain, in
the East Indies.

Cinchona belongs to the genus of
trees of the natural order Cinchonacece.
There are a number of species or vari-
eties; the principal ones, and those most
cultivated, being G. calisaya, C. offici-
nalis, and C. su.ccirv.br a ; the best of
which is the G. calisaya. These trees
are only found native on the west coast
of South America, between south lati-
tude 20°, and north latitude 10°, on
the eastern slope of the second range
of the Cordilleras. They are evergreen
trees, having a leaf somewhat similar to
the laurel. The flowers are white,
rose-colored, or purplish, having a very
fragrant odor, and are produced in
panicles. Some of these trees are of a
large size, while others are but small
shrubs. The gathering of the bark,
which is carried on during the dry sea-
son, is mainly done by Indians, the
trees being cut as near the surface of
the ground as possible, and the bark is
then stripped off and dried. An after-
growth springs up from the roots, but
does not attain the original growth.

As early as 1835, Dr. Royle suggest-
ed the introduction of the Cinchona-
tree into India, for the purpose of cul-
tivation, and some plants were taken
there by Mr. Markham. The planta-
tion, however, from some cause failed,
and not much was done in the matter
until 1861, when a number of plants
were introduced. In 1863, there was a
permanent plantation of over 40,000
trees growing on the Nilgherry Hills
of South Hindostan, besides those of
Bengal.

About this time a sample of bark,
sent from India to England, was ex-
amined, and found to yield a percentage
of Quinia equal to that grown in South
America. Thus the success of Cin-
chona cultivation in India was fully de-
monstrated, and has since then been
still further proven by the extended

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

139

plantations in different parts of the
country.

Within the past three months Mr.
MTvor, Superintendent of the State
Plantation in Southern India, has noti-
fied the English Government that he
»was prepared to ship 25,000 pounds of
the bark, as a first consignment, to he
sold at public auction, with a view to
test its quality and value. In conclud-
ing this article, it would be well to give
your readers a synopsis of a report from
C. B. Clarke, botanic gardener, Calcutta.
It contains many valuable hints in re-
gard to the growth and management of
the trees, which, comiDg from the source
it does, can be relied upon:

Report on Cinchona Cultivation in Bengal. From
C. B. Clarke, Esq., M. A., Officiating Superin-
tendent, Botanic Garden, and in CJiarge of Cin-
chona Cultivation in Bengal, to the Secretary to
the Government of Bengal.

Sib : — I beg leave to submit the annual report
on the cultivation of Cinchona in Bengal for
the year ending 31st of March, 1870.

The three species of Cinchona of which the

cultivation has been extended during the year,

are C. succirubra, C. officinalis, and -C. calisaya.

The number of plants of these species in

permanent plantations were as under :

C. succirubra. C. officinalU. C. Calisaya

March 31, 1869. 615,730 312,719 220
March 31, 1870. 1,055,100 406,899 4,000

Increase, 439,370 94,180

3,780

The increase of permanent plantation of G.
succirubra and C. calisaya has been made about
Rishap at an elevation of 2,500 feet; the in-
crease of C. officinalis at Rungbee at an eleva-
tion of about 4,500 feet.

The average growth for the year of the ten
measured plants of C. succirubra planted in
March, 1867, at Rishap, has been 51 inches,
which fairly represents the satisfactory general
growth of the C. succirubra plantations.

The average growth for the year of the ten
measured plants of C. officinalis planted in Oc-
tober, 1864, at Rungbee, has been 12 inches,
which fairly represents the unsatisfactory gen-
eral growth of the C. officinalis plantations.

The average growth for the year of the ten
measured plants of C. calisaya planted in June,

1867, at Rishap, has been 52 inches, which re-
presents the average growth of all the plants in
the plantation catalogued as C. calisaya. But
several important varieties are included under
the name C. calisaya, and the tree variety
raised by seed in February, 1867, and planted
out in June, 1867, has attained a height of 12
feet in October, 1869, and a tree of this age,
lately cut down, had produced two pounds of
dry bark.

As fully explained by Dr. T. Anderson in his
annual Cinchona report in Bengal for the year
ending 31st March, 1868, the exceeding steep-
ness of the hills, combined with the large rain-
fall, prevents any tilth on these Cinchona
plantations. The grass and low jungle having
been cut close, the young Cinchona plants are
planted out in the permanent plantations. The
weeds having been merely headed down, not
eradicated, grow with great strength in a moist
and warm climate, and continual scouring of
the young plantations is necessary. This is
the chief expense under this system of cultiva-
tion.

C. succirubra and C. calisaya (tree variety),
grow so freely, that by the third year the young
trees in the plantations are all locked; they
then crash the jungle beneath them, and can
take care of themselves, and little further ex-
pense upon them is called for.

But C. officinalis shows no inclination to be-
become a tree at these plantations; it remains a
shrub with very scanty foliage, and even on the
plantations which are five years old, there con-
tinues the same expenditure in scouring.

C. succirubra and C. calisaya are planted
about 1,200 to the acre; C. officinalis about 4,000
to the acre.

In the fifth year of growth in permanent
plantation an acre of C. officinalis carries less
than one-fourth the bark carried by an acre of
C. succirubra, and costs more than four times as
much annual expenditure. Moreover, the G.
officinalis then appears disinclined to grow
much larger, whereas C. succirubra will clearly
grow into a considerable tree.

I calculate that at present it has not been
discovered how to grow C. officinalis to economic
profit at Rungbee. I therefore stopped its ex-
tension in September last, though I was aware
of the high quality of the grey bark. The pre-
sent quantity is large for an experiment; and,
as an experiment, a few acres of C. officinalis
were planted in September last at a somewhat
higher level (5,000 feet) than the main planta-
tion. Also, in all the C. officinalis plantations be-

140

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

low the level of 4,000 feet (above which level 0.
succirubra does not thrive), C. succirubra has
been planted between the ranks of C. officinalis,
and will, doubtless, soon overgrow it.

The propagation and extension of G. calisaya
has been pushed as fast as possible. There is
no difficulty in multiplying C. succirubra and 0.
officinalis by cuttings, but at Bishap there is
found the greatest difficulty and uncertainty in
multiplying C. calisaya by cuttings. Herr von
Gorkom, the Director of the Dutch Govern-
ment Cinchona cultivation in Java, informs me
that there the same difficulty with C. calisaya
is found; but, on the other hand, Mr. M'lvor,
in the drier climate of the Nilgherries, says cut-
tings strike with perfect success.

Herr von Gorkom has sent me on several oc-
casions most valuable packets of C. calisaya
seed, which germinated excellently; but if it
could be discovered how to grow G. calisaya by
cuttings, I should greatly prefer that method,
as by it I am sure of getting exactly the variety
which I wish to propagate. Mr. M'lvor is of
opinion, that not merely do the varieties cross
freely, but that many hybrids are formed from
different species of Cinchona.

The most valuable bark known in the Eu-
ropean market is the C. calisaya bark; this spe-
cies grows admirably at Kishap, and, during
the past year, propagation has been almost en-
tirely confined to it. In growing for profit, I
believe it will ultimately be found advisable to
grow one or two species only on these planta-
tions; and that it is best to discard a species at
once which is clearly inferior with us to C. cali-
saya and G. succirubra.

I have lately brought from the Nilgherries
two new kinds of Cinchona, one provisionally
named G. mirabilis, of Mr. Broughton, the
other C. pitayo. In C. mirabilis the bark con-
tains the astonishing quantity of 13% per cent,
of quinine alkaloid, and mor.e than nine per cent.
of crystal lizable quinine. G. pitayo is a rich
bark from Peru, a very high-level species, said
to be found growing through the snow.

During the year both G. succirubra and G.
officinalis ripened seeds; 5% ounces of the for-
mer, and 5% ounces of the latter were distrib-
uted. One ounce of seed will raise nearly 50,-
000 plants.

The G. succirubra trees stand six feet by six in
the plantations, and, as an experiment in
Jamiary last, a small portion of the denser
plantation was thinned by cutting down three
trees out of every four. This was found to
produce 300 lbs. of dried bark.

At the same time a considerable portion of
the more advanced trees were pruned by the
removal of the lower branches. There was
stored from the thinnings and prunings in all
2,400 lbs. of dried bark.

The only private plantation in Sikhim, which
(so far as I know) is extending Cinchona plant-
ing on a considerable scale, is that of Mr. Lloyd
and Colonel Angus, known as the Darjeeling
Cinchona Association, and which occupies the
north side of the Eungbee Valley. This Associ-
ation has now about 500 acres of permanent
plantation of G. succirubra, and has cut a con-
siderable quantity of ihe three-year-old bark
during the late cold weather, and sold it in the
London market.

The Government Cinchona Plantations at
Nunklow, in the Khasi Hills, was formed for
the supply of Cinchona plants to the planters
in Assam and Cachar. Seed is now easily
transmitted, and I believe the discontinuance
of the plantation at Nunklow has been decided
upon by Government.

An English Rose Hedge. — A corres-
pondent of the Cottage Gardener thus
describes a rose -hedge he has seen:
' ' On visiting the gardens of the Right
Hon. Lord Middleton, of Applecross,
about the first week in August, I was
much astonished to find a hedge of the
Grloire de Dijon Rose over 200 feet long,
and nearly 5 feet in height, and in the
finest possible health, and one sheet of
flowers — and such flowers ! I was told
by Mr. Whitelaw, the intelligent garden-
er there, that the idea of such a hedge
originated with Lady Middleton, and
that the idea was no sooner entertained
than it was carried out; hence the result.
Lady Middleton has also had a hedge
of Senateur Vaisse planted to the same
extent as Gloire de Dijon, but more re-
cently ; consequently the plants have
not the same fine appearance as the
others. Those hedges are planted as
screens to the kitchen garden, and noth-
ing could be more appropriate ; and,
as Mr. Whitelaw remarked, there was
no end of cutting Roses from them,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

141

which is another matter worthy of con-
sideration where quantities of flowers are
required. I may mention that before
those hedges were planted a neat wire
fence was put up, with five strands, and
after the plants were put in they were
fastened to the wires. As they grew,
the shoots were intertwined in and out
until they reached the top. By this
means they are quite compact, and in-
dependent of any other fastening to the
wires."

NOTES ON THE CULTUKE OF GBEEN-
HOUSE PLANTS.

BY CHAELES H. SHINN.

The following notes are the result of
my experience, as to the best manage-
ment of plants under glass, in a small
greenhouse :

People have an idea that the proper
growth of plants under glass is a very
difficult thing, whereas it is very sim-
ple, and mainly depends upon one or
two leading principles — in* point of
fact only one, which I will proceed to
elucidate. Botanists classify plants
according to generical differences ; pro-
fessional florists classify plants accord-
ing to the degree of heat which insures
their most perfect development. That
is the reason why all large establish-
ments have so many separate structures.
They find out, by experiment, the
degree of heat best adapted to each
species in stock, and then put those
which correspond in the same building.
This is no useless division — the classes
are plainly marked.

For instance, an average of 45 degrees
is best for hardy annuals ; ascend to 50
degrees, and plants like the Verbena
flourish; rise to 60 degrees, and Petu-
nias and Fuchsias do splendidly, but
Verbenas spindle, and hardy annuals

are worthless. So the scale ascends to
stove plants, Orchids, etc. Now, by
constant care, one may make a single
greenhouse serve for several classes;
but, as a general rule, most persons
undertake too much. One plant well
grown is worth many of varying consti-
tutions. To all this it will be replied
that in large greenhouses it occurs that
we find all varying types together — Ca-
mellias and Verbenas on the same shelf,
etc. , etc. ; but I answer, that all these
plants are grown in separate houses, and
when in bloom, are " put upon exhibi-
tion" for a few weeks, and then carried
back to recuperate. The operation is
simply a cheat, for persons unacquainted
with the mysteries of the trade suppose
that everything can be raised to perfec-
tion in one house, when in fact every
gardener knows that such is impossible.
Still, the range is quite extensive. Here
is the rule for thorough enjoyment —
Select some plant, and arrange your
heat so as to give it perfect development.
Then extend your list down, until the
plants spindle, and up until they have
plant-lice, and are stunted and miser-
able. Suppose we take Pelargoniums
as the unit, and make them perfect (over
600 varieties) ; then Fuchsias, Primulas,
Begonias, Bouvardias, Heliotropes, Lo-
belias, Pentstemons; these, and many
more will be perfect, but Celeus, Cala-
dium, Camellias, many Cacti, etc., will
need a greater heat, yet still will do
very well. I have said enough to give
you an idea of my method of classifica-
tion, which you can carry out much
better than I. I will now give some
hints as to management, gathered from
my experience :

1. Plants should be quite near the
glass ; the moisture then condenses
close to the leaves, and keeps them
damp. Gardeners always keep an open
tub of water on the floor under the

Vol. III.— 19.

142

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

jing. I keep a panful in each of my
frames. This keeps the air moist.

2. Our climate is so dry that old
traditions must be thrown aside. Nail a
five-inch cleat on the front edge of your
plant table, and fill up with sawdust or
tan-bark, in which sink your pots. The
gain is immense — not half so much
watering, and plants better for it.

3. I do not buy pots, but make boxes,
and consider them superior and cheap-
er. Saw them out of \ inch redwood
siding. Nail with small brads. The
sides slant so that the bottom is smaller;
say, 5 inches high, 3 J inches across the
bottom, 4J inches wide at top.

4. Soil. — Do not use broken pots,
etc., for drainage. Charcoal, about \
inch lumps, is much better — keeps the
ground sweet. Gardeners use burnt
earth, when they can get it, for potting,
grass sods thrown in a pile with soap-
suds on them, etc., etc. Plenty of sand.

PARTICULAR MANAGEMENT.

About April or May, every other row
of glass should be whitewashed. In
November, this should be partly rubbed
off. Perhaps all the glass will need a
thin coating. Ventilation is very im-
portant. One "forget" will be ruinous.
I had last year a frame with over sixty
seedling Cinerarias in thumb-pots. I
propped the sash up every day in order
to air them. One Sabbath I went to
church, and forgot it. Thought of it
during the last prayer, made faces all
through the benediction, and rushed
home; found the plants all cooked; did
not save one! Keep plenty of water
where it will evaporate. It is consider-
ed better to ventilate at the top. Fill
all your corners out, and keep a succes-
sion. Primulas, Cinerarias, Mimulus,
etc., will grow all summer long under
your staging, in the shade, and when
they are ready to bloom may be brought

forward. Sow seeds of these three in
May, for winter and spring blooming.
Keep a succession, even if of nothing but
Nasturtium. You will be able to start
any amount of slips. I think the two
best plans to be : 1st, take a saucer, fill
half full of sand, and fill up with water,
then put in little short pieces (1 inch to

2 inches), and set in the sun, keeping
the water filled up (roots of Carnation
and Rose will form in three weeks);
then pot. 2d. Put one pot in another, a

3 inch in a 5 inch, 2 inches difference.
Fill the space between with dirt, in
which put your slips, and keep the in-
ner pot with a little water in it. These
may be old stories to many, and I may
not have given much assistance ; still I
have at least shown my willingness, and
any inquiries shall receive speedy an-
swers, as far as I am able to give them.

REMARKS ON XYLOPHAGOUS MARINE
ANIMALS, OR MARINE ANIMALS
WHICH DESTROY WOOD.

BY K. E. O. STEABNS.

At a recent meeting of the California
Academy of Sciences, Dr. Hewston
submitted specimens of a species of
crustacean recently detected in de-
stroying the piling on the water-front
of this city, and which it is quite likely
is an introduced species, and belongs
or is related to Limnoria or Ghelura. A
species of the first has for a long time
been the source of much expense in
various parts of Great Britain, by the
damage it causes to the wharf and dock
structures of that kingdom.

Mr. Arnold, Civil Engineer, of this
city, also exhibited at the same meet-
ing a portion of a pile destroyed by the
crustacean referred to, as well as by
the ship -worm; the ravages of both,
and their method of operating upon the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

143

wood, were well illustrated in the speci-
men submitted.

There are several species of xylopha-
gous or wood- eating marine animals
belonging to the Mollusca and Crusta-
cea; included in the former are Tere-
dines {Teredininoi) which form a sub-
family of the Pholades (Family Phola-
didce), and which derive their name
from the Greek word Pholeo — to bore.
The Pholades proper are found in
almost every sea, and live in the calca-
reous rocks and sandstones, as well as
in clay and sand, in which they bore
their burrows, and specimens are fre-
quently found in some of the harder
rock around the Cliff House, near this
city. One genus, "Xylophaga, is found
boring in floating wood, usually form-
ing burrows across the grain about an
inch deep, which are oval and lined
with shell."*

Of the ship-worms (Teredinince) over
twenty are known, and while most of
the species in the order in which they
are placed, as above mentioned, burrow
in harder materials, these confine their
labors to wood, boring longitudinally
or with the grain, and seldom if ever
boring into the burrows of their neigh-
bors. The Teredines are divided into
three groups. First, Teredo; second,
Xylotrya; third, Uperolis. The shell
and tube in the sub-genus Xylotrya are
the same as in the genus Teredo; but
the shelly processes in Xylotrya, or si-
phonal palettes, as they are called, are
long and penniform, or shaped like a
quill or feather; to this group belong
the three species of ship-worms found
in California — Xylotrya pennatifera,
Xylotrya fimbriata , Xylotrya setacea. The
first and second of the species enumer-
ated are said to be found in England as
well as on our coast, while the third spe-

* Adams' Genera, Yol. II, p. 327.

cies is less widely distributed, and is re-
ported from San Francisco Bay to San
Pedro. As before stated, all of the spe-
cies of ship-worm found thus far in Cali-
fornia, belong to the genus Xylotrya, and
may be distinguished by the two plume-
like processes or palettes at the end of
the siphons. The destruction caused by
the Xylotrya (or wood-fish, as the gen-
eric word means), is too well known to
require comment, I have known a per-
fectly sound pile of Oregon pine, of a
diameter exceeding twelve inches, to be
rendered utterly useless in eighteen

months by their ravages,, while the
wood elsewhere than within the section
of the pile eaten and bored by them,
was as sound and bright as on the day
that the pile was driven; this instance
is, however, extraordinary. The Teredo
navalis, to which our ship-worm is fre-
quently referred by local writers, is a
foreign species, and the stylets are
paddle-shaped, instead of penniform as
in the California species.

The third group of the Teredines is
the Uperotis. In these, the shelly valves
and palettes are the same, but the tube
is twisted and club-shaped from the an-

144

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

imal burrowing in the husks of cocoa-
nuts which are found floating in tropical
seas.

The ship-worms are ovo -viviparous,
the eggs being hatched in the body
of the parent, and ejected therefrom
through the upper siphonal tube. The
young ship-worm, like the young oys-
ters and others of the bivalve mollusks
(Conchifera), swim freely for a time until
they pre-empt or fix upon a pile or other
submarine woodwork, when they com-
mence burrowing. "While doubtless a
great deal of damage is done by them,
nevertheless, as is observed by the
brothers Adams, "they are useful
agents in breaking down and destroy-
ing fragments of wrecks and floating
timber, which otherwise might be dan-
gerous impediments to navigation."

The ship-worms are frequently two to
three feet in length, the body quite soft,
but protected by the shelly coating
which is deposited by them upon the
sides of their burrow, forming a tube,
to which, however, in the recent (not
fossil) species the body is not attached;
the boring is done with the foot, but
whether with the shelly valves, which
are shaped much like the nibs of a pod-
augur, or by some other process, is not
by any means a settled question.

In our species the shelly tube is so
thin that it is impossible to split the
wood without shattering it, but in one
species, the Teredo gigantea, or giant
ship-worm of Linnaeus, the tube is often
a yard long, and two inches in diame-
ter,"* and exceedingly thick and strong.

The operations of the teredo sug-
gested to that distinguished civil engin-
eer, Mr. Brunei, his method of tunneling
the Thames River, f
; Having glanced at the xylophagous

* t Woodward's Manual of Mollusca, 2nd
ed., p. 507.

mollusks, we will now turn briefly to the
wood- eating Crustacea, to which the
species referred to by Dr. Hewston be-
longs.

The order of Isopod (or equal-footed)
crustaceans inhabit the land and also
fresh water and marine stations. As an
illustration of their general form we
may refer to the terrestrial wood-lice
(Oniscidce) which inhabit gardens, eel-

WOOD-LOUSE.

Swimming Rock-louse.

lars, and other damp places, and which
are called by the children, "sow-bugs."

The Isopoda are divided into three
sub-orders: First, the Ambulatory, or.
walkers; second, the Natatory, or swim-
mers; third, the Sedentary, or inactive
Isopods.

Many of the species are parasites in
their habits, and some live in the gills
or on the tails of fishes; some live in the
bronchial cavity of the land-crab; others
in the same portion of the sea -crabs,
shrimps, and prawns.

The Limnoria terebrans, which is the
species so destructive to marine wood-
work in Great Britain, belongs to the
sea wood-lice, and is the only species
in that genus. Whether the form exhib-
ited by Dr. Hewston belongs to this
genus or to the genus Ghelura among
the Amphipoda, another order of Crusta-
cea, and which includes a species known
as Chelura terebrans, remains to be de-
termined. The last-named species was
discovered some years ago at Trieste,
boring into wood-work in sea-water.

A species of Chelura is also found in

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

145

Australia, and it is not improbable that
the species recently found in this harbor
may belong to one of the species I have
named, and have been imported on the
bottom of vessels from some of the
ports with which we hold commercial
relations.

"With the ship-worms and sea-lice op-
erating as in the specimen submitted by
Mr. Arnold, a most careful inspection
of all submerged wood- work connected
with harbor improvements on the coast,
is absolutely necessary, or great loss of
property and perhaps bodily injury may
ensue. So far as protecting piles by
saturation with some chemical, obnox-
ious to the animals referred to in this
paper, and which will measurably retain
said quality for a reasonable length of
time, and resist neutralization by the

LlMNOBIA TEBEBBAKS. WHITE (SOLDEEE) AKT.

sea -water, experiments carefully and
considerately made are certainly war-
ranted, and any process by which a
successful result should be obtained,
would justify a very considerable ex-
pense, and still be good financial econ-
omy.

Before closing, I will mention another
family of wood-eaters, the Termites, or
white ants, which in some parts of the
world are exceedingly destructive; they
are principally confined to tropical
countries. "When they attack wood-
work, they form innumerable galleries,
all of which lead to a central point, and
in their work they seem carefully to
avoid piercing the surface of the wood.
Hence the articles which they have per-
forated appear perfectly sound, when

the slightest touch is almost sufficient
to cause them to fall to pieces."*

In connection with the depredations
of the various forms of Xylophaga, it
will be well to call attention to certain
species of wood referred to in the paper
on " Australian Forest Trees," read by
me at a meeting of the Academy on the
first of last July.f In said paper, I
mentioned the Eucalyptus marginaia
(Smith), of which Dr. Mueller says:
"The Jarrah or mahogany tree of S.
W. Australia, famed for its indestructi-
ble wood, which is attacked neither by
Chelura nor Teredo nor Termites, and
therefore so much sought for jetties and
other structures exposed to sea -water,
also for underground work, and largely
exported for railway sleepers. Vessels
built of this timber have been enabled
to do without copper-sheathing. It is
very strong, of a close grain, and a
slightly oily and resinous nature; it
works well, takes a fine finish, and is
by ship -builders here considered supe-
rior to either Oak, Teak, or indeed any
other wood." * * * The E. rostrata
(Schlecht) — the Red Gum of Victoria —
is another very valuable species for the
"extraordinary endurance of the wood
underground, and for this reason highly
valued for fence -posts, piles, and rail-
way sleepers; for the latter it will last a
dozen years, and if well selected much
longer. It is also extensively used by
ship-builders. * * * Next to the
Jarrah from W. Australia, this is the
best wood for resisting the attacks of
sea-worms and white ants. This species
reaches a hundred feet in height."

A consideration of the above facts

* Baird's Diet. Nat. Hist., p. 542.

t " On the Economic Valne of certain Ans
tralian Forest Trees, and their cultivation in
California." This valuable paper was printed
in fall in Vol. II of the Califobnia HoBTictn/r-
ueist, pages 271, 313, 326, 355.— Ed.

146

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTJLTTJKIST.

indicates the course to be pursued. The
cultivation of the species of Eucalyptus
named herein, would, if commenced
immediately, supply us in ten or twelve
years with an indestructible timber for
submarine wood -work, and prove a
profitable enterprise for the capital in-
vested, as well as a great public benefit.
But even if a much longer time were
required to produce trees of either of
these species (whose qualities are so
particularly specified by Dr. Mueller)
of dimensions suitable for submarine
structures, nevertheless the importance
of their cultivation is so palpable as to
make further comment unnecessary.

WHAT THE LEAF DOES.

It pumps water from the ground
through the thousands of tubes in the
stem of the tree, and sends it into the
atmosphere in the form of unseen mist,
to be condensed and fall in showers;
the very water that, but for the leaf,
would sink in the earth and find its way,
perchance, through subterranean chan-
nels to the sea. And thus it is that we
see it works to give us the " early and
the latter rain." It works to send the
rills and streams, like lines of silver,
down the mountain and across the plain.
It works to pour down the larger brooks
which turn the wheels that energize the
machinery which gives employment to
millions — commerce stimulated, wealth
accumulated, and intelligence dissemi-
nated through the agency of this wealth.
The leaf does it all.

It has been demonstrated that every
square inch of leaf lifts 3-500 of an
ounce every 24 hours. Now a large
forest tree has about five acres of foli-
age, or 6,272,630 square inches. This
being multiplied by 3-500 (the amount
pumped by every inch) gives us the re-
sult— 2,252 ounces, or 4,176 pints, or

294 quarts, or 8 barrels. The trees on
one acre give 800 barrels in 24 hours.
An acre of grass, or clover, or grain,
would yield about the same result.

The leaf is a worker, too, in another
field where we seldom look — where it
works for the good of man in a wonder-
ful manner. It carries immense quan-
tities of electricity from the earth to
the clouds and from the clouds to the
earth. Rather dangerous business trans-
porting lightning, but it is particularly
fitted for this work. Did you ever see
a leaf entire as to its edge ? It is always
pointed, and these points, whether
they be large or small, are just fitted to
handle this dangerous agent. These
tiny fingers seize upon and carry it
away with ease and wonderful dispatch.
There must be no delay; it is "time
freight." True, sometimes it gathers
up more than the trunk can carry, and
in the attempt to crowd and pack the
baggage the trunk gets terribly shatter-
ed, and we say that lightning struck the
tree. But it had been struck a thousand
times before. This time it was over-
worked.— American Entomologist.

Banana Culture. — The cultivation of
the Banana is engaging considerable at-
tention in the neighborhood of Pilatka,
Florida, and the river counties. It is
stated that three years ago a gentle-
man in Orange County set out nine
plants, and is now reaping the fruits of
a three-acre field, and realizes $125 per
month from the fruit and the young
plants that are continually suckering
around the roots of the old plants.
The Banana fruits in all seasons of the
year round, and is enriched by the
shedding of its huge leaves. With a
little shelter of trees to break frost and
winds, the Banana might become a prof-
itable plant in California. — California
Agriculturist.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

147

NURSERY AND RESIDENCE OF W. F.
KELSEY, OAKLAND, CAL.

BY MRS. E. S. CAKE.

In connection with the Rural Homes,
it is proposed to give from time to time,
in the pages of the Horticulturist, de-
scriptions of our nurseries and fruit
farms; for there is probably no class of
citizens to whom California is more in-
debted for her prosperity, than those
pioneer nurserymen, whose labors early
demonstrated the unrivaled advantages
of her soil and climate.

"For he who blesses most is blessed,
And God and man shall own his worth
Who toils to leave as his bequest
An added beauty to the earth."

And surely such fruit missionaries as
Smith, of Sacramento; Mr. Seth Lew-
elling, and others whom we might name,
deserve an honored place among the
founders of the State.

From the first attempts made in fruit
culture, at Sacramento, up to the pres-
ent time, there has been steady, almost
uninterrupted progress, until the supe-
riority of our products is now every-
where confessed. The adaptation of
special localities to special cultures is
more marked here than elsewhere, and
yet there is scarcely a locality where the
more important kinds can not be grown
with profit. Our seedling fruits are now
attracting attention; some of them are
declared by experts to be among the
best known.

At the same time, forest planting has
begun to assume something like the im-
portance that it deserves, making the
growth of nursery stock destined to sup-
ply this demand even more profitable
than that of fruit. There has also been
a rapid increase in the demand for or-
namental plants of every kind.

Twelve years ago, when Mr. Kelsey
bought his small homestead in Oakland,

aU this was not quite so certain. The
son, though rich, was heavy and unman-
ageable, the water supplies uncertain,
and the inevitable war with squirrels
and gophers to be maintained long after
other difficulties were overcome. But
he planted his twenty-eight acres with
an orchard and nursery, in full faith
that the City of Oaks would attract a
population of taste and culture, whose
wants he would anticipate. The city
has surrounded him; little by little the
public have invaded his domains, com-
pelling him to add room to room and
cottage to cottage, until it becomes a
question whether Mr. Kelsey and his
gardens, or families with children, shall
hold possession.

In view, perhaps, of ultimate surren-
der, other and more extensive nurseries
have been planted on the road to Berke-
ley, which are yearly becoming more
profitable, as new and desirable trees
and plants are a*dded to the list.

The home place, which is illustrated
by the accompanying Photograph, is
beautifully situated upon what is to be the
Bois de Boulogne of Oakland — Telegraph
Road. It commands a wide prospect,
fronting the hills, and the villas which
already adorn every accessible site; and
looking out in the opposite direction
upon the city of San Francisco and the
Golden Grate. Pleasant homes surround
it in every direction; the Military Acad-
emy and Theological Seminary are in
the near neighborhood, as are also the
extensive floral establishments of Messrs.
Nolan, Hutchison, and others.

But little of the ground at " Kelsey's"
is devoted to ornament. Upon the lawn
are some fine specimen trees, especially
of the Redwood and Madrofio, some
choice standard Roses, and along Tele-
graph Avenue a good hedge of Privet
and California Cherry. But the nursery
itself contains such a variety of orna-

148

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

mental shrubs, and such, a quantity of
flowering plants, as to render the place
interesting at all seasons. During all
the last month the Tulips and Hya-
cinths have been the special attraction;
a bed of the latter, containing many
thousand bulbs, enabled the visitor to
realize somewhatthe glory of bulb-shows
in Holland, or what Mr. Allen's "Flow-
er farm " on Long Island must be, when
his eighteen acres of Gladioli and ten
acres of Lilies are in bloom. There are
extensive plantations of Roses, Clove
Pinks, Carnations, and bedding plants
of all kinds. The greenhouses contain
an immense quantity of young stock of
variegated plants. Mr. J. G. Nicholson,
who has charge of the propagating de-
partment, is an expert in the business,
as one may see who is favored with a
peep into the closet which serves as a
' ' stove " for a few choice tropical
growths.

A large part of the Home Nursery is
taken up in the culture of evergreens.
Many of these are imported from the
East, one or two years old from the
seed, and by frequent transplanting
made into fine specimens for lawns,
etc. Our Calif ornian Coniferse are rep-
resented by thousands; and a great
number of the rarer kinds, such as Abies
Williamsonii and Torreya Califomica,
will soon be ready for market. The busi-
ness of propagating Australian and New
Holland species, Eucalyptus, Acacia,
Pittosporums, etc., is extensively prose-
cuted.

At the Berkeley Nurseries, one of
which contains twenty -five and the
other seventeen acres, there is an im-
mense stock of fruit-trees of every
variety; of the Mulberry, six or seven
varieties, and all the nut-trees to be de-
sired on this coast. To know what
kinds of deciduous and other orna-
mental trees succeed in this climate,

and to understand the rapidity of
growth here, one should spend a day
with Mr. John Kelsey in the nurseries
especially under his care. There are
several very fine specimen trees near
his cottage.

I have noticed at all the large nurse-
ries which I have visited the almost ex-
clusive employment of Chinese laborers.
"We are driven to it," Mr. Kelsey says;
"no other class of laborers are careful
enough, and reliable enough. Men
trained to slow and thorough work,
such as dibbling-in rice by hand, must
necessarily have more patience in pot-
ting, transplanting, and other opera-
tions of the nursery. The Chinese like
gardening better than any other out-
door employment, which can not be
said of Americans or Irish."

Mr. Kelsey is constantly receiving
new plants, and intends to increase his
list of trees suitable for street and for-
est planting to the largest practicable
extent. The readers of the Horticult-
urist will be amply repaid for a visit to
these nurseries, at almost any season,
but especially when Roses and Cherries
are in their prime.

New Plant.— Botanists are engaged
in planting all over Europe a new plant
imported from New Granada, which, if
grown successfully, will be a formida-
ble rival to our manufactured ink. It
is known as the Coriaria Shymifolia, or
ink plant. The juice which escapes
from it has been given the name of
"Changi," and is a little red in color,
but in the space of a few hours after
exposure to the air turns to an intense
black. This ink does not corrode steel
pens like the ink in ordinary use, resists
chemical substances, and preserves its
intensity for many years.

Portland has a bearing fig-tree.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

149

FLOWER - TALK. — HONEYSUCKLES.

BY NOBA BECK.

Around my porch in tangled twine,

Where brown bees hover,
A quaint old honeysuckle-vine

Steals drooping over;
Its clustered sweets are hanging low,
And on its breath blown to and fro
This song conies floating, sad and Blow,

Adown the clover :

" Lovers have stood within my shade,

Watched and waited;
Kisses and prayers and vows been made,

And blithe young hearts been mated;
My branches are hung with bird-homes gray,
Whence the wren and her nestlings flew away
In the heart of the early summer-day,

When by storms berated.

" The lazy south wind floating by

Hath never missed me ;
And sweet June roses, hanging high,

Forever tryst me.
We mingled branch and bloom together,
Through all the golden summer weather,
Till blossoms fled, and white snow-feather,

Slow falling, kissed me.

" The snow-flakes came, with bitter wind,

The roses slaying.
Then honeyed core grew withered rind,

All winds obeying;
And ragged leaves, swift fluttering down,
Left my poor branches bare and brown,
Till snow-wreaths wove their latest crown,

With mute essaying.

*' My rose-friend nigh, alike bereft

Of sweetness clinging,
Had yet her long-hid weapons left

For cruel stinging;
She pierced my young limbs through and

through,
And closer clung when wild winds blew,
As one might say, ' not false, but true, '

The while pain bringing."

*' The spring will come with sweetness rife,

An eager lover;
Will sheathe .the thorns that take my life,

In glossy cover.
But I — I shall not bloom in June;
For me no birds exulting tune,
No sweet last kiss of harvest moon —

My life is over.

Vol. in.— 20.

I crumble like my last year's leaves;

My branches wither,
And part, like last year's unbound sheaves,

Wind-wafted hither.
The winter's breath was all too chill;
The cruel thorns are clinging still;
I droop in loveless age, until

I drift— ah, whither ? **

HOW TO MAKE A GARDEN.

BX F. A. MILLEB.
[Continued from page 114, April number.]

Having given some few hints for the
preparation of soil for gardens, in the
April number of the Horticulturist, I
■will now endeavor to advise on other
work which should be done before
plants are set out. It is imperatively
necessary to see that the arrangements
for watering are all perfected, and that
there shall be no unnecessary travel
over the ground; the carpenter, the
mason, the plumber, and the painter,
should all have their work completed
before operations in the garden com-
mence. The next work, after preparing
the soil thoroughly, should be the lay-
ing out of the necessary walks and beds,
which should be done in accordance
with convenience and good taste. In
small city gardens not much choice is
left, and inasmuch as my remarks are
intended only to instruct "how to make
plants grow," I will leave the arrange-
ments for walks to the gardener em-
ployed, but will advise against raising
the beds higher than the walks, which is
all very well in a country where it rains
more or less throughout the summer,
and where drainage is necessary, but is
injurious to plants in California, where
it is very difficult, laborious, and ex-
pensive to keep the ground moist. Let
the walks be a little higher in the cen-
tre, and have your beds about the same
height as the centre of the walks.

Before planting, have suitable stakes

150

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

on hand for all shrubs and trees. The
strong winds which prevail here through-
out the year, make stakes indispensable.
In selecting plants, it is altogether
wrong to select large -sized ones, al-
though I am not in favor of planting
very small weak plants, and small
plants are particularly objectionable
when taken from the greenhouse just
before planting. This proposition,
however, calls for a thorough expla-
nation, as I have met many persons
who absolutely object to purchasing
plants which have been raised and
cultivated under glass. There is no
doubt that plants which have been ex-
posed to the open air for some time,
will make a much better growth during
the first six or eight months, than if
they are taken immediately from the
greenhouse; but in nine cases out of ten,
persons who call at a nursery for the
purpose of purchasing plants, are only
too anxious to select those plants which
are in full bloom and are crowded with
luxuriant foliage. As for the appear-
ance, a plant setting in the open air
compares very unfavorably with a simi-
lar plant growing under glass, and the
latter is almost invariably selected.
But the hardiness of a plant depends a
great deal on the temperature to which
a greenhouse is subjected. If green-
houses are well ventilated and aired,
plants may be removed from thence
into the open air without injury, if they
are not too much exposed to the heavy
winds. In all cases, I would suggest
selecting plants from the open air if
they can be had; but many varieties
must be cultivated under glass so long
as they remain in pots, and until they
find a market. Such plants may be
selected a week or two before they are
intended to be planted out in the most
exposed positions, and they should be
placed in some sheltered situation in

the open air, so that they may gradual-
ly become accustomed to the change.
Deciduous shrubs are best taken up
during winter, and may be transplanted
without any detriment; on the contrary,
they delight in new soil, and will flower
during the ensuing summer season.

When you are ready to take your
plants out of the pots, see that they are
thoroughly watered before they are
transplanted. This is one of the most
important points in transplanting plants
or trees from pots or boxes into the
open ground. Frequently the loss of
plants must be attributed to the fact
that the ball of earth around their roots
was in a dry condition when shifted. It
is particularly necessary that this sug-
gestion should be adopted if plants are
set out late in spring or during sum-
mer. When at the time of planting
the ball is in a dry condition, it is apt
to remain so in spite of watering after
the planting; the surrounding soil will
absorb the water without affecting the
dry ball of earth enveloping the roots
of the plants, which can not live on its
own resources, and must perish. There-
fore be sure that the earth in the pot is
in a moist condition when the plant is
removed.

*If the plant is pot-bound, or in other
words, if the ball of earth is covered
with roots, it is well to loosen carefully
the outside roots, which will enable
them to strike into the new soil at once,
and take hold. There are*, however, a
few plants, such as the Eucalyptus,
some of the Acacias, and other New
Holland trees and shrubs, which should
be planted without any disturbance of
the roots.

All plants should be planted from
one -half to one inch deeper than in
their former condition, and if they are
old or large plants it will be beneficial
to plant them from two to three inches

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

151

deeper. After planting and before the
ground around them is leveled off, a
good supply of water should be given,
so as to settle the ground well around
the roots, and to prevent the old ball
of earth from drying up. The stakes
should be then set, but not too close to
the stem of the plant, as this will fre-
quently result in the breaking of the
ball and in damaging the roots, which
many plants can not endure. Remove
all decayed or damaged leaves, and tie
up the plant properly, which should be
done rather loosely, so as to allow the
stem and branches to expand as they
develop themselves. If the strings are
drawn up too tight, they are apt to cut
the bark and the soft wood, which fre-
quently results in the disfiguring of the
plant, and even in the breaking-off of
the stem at that point. During the fol-
lowing day, the surface around the
plants should be leveled, and the plant-
ing may be considered finished.

The Tamarind Tree. — Though the
fruit is generally considered tropical,
the tree can undoubtedly be grown to
perfection in California, as it is success-
fully raised in some of the Southern
States. As far north as Virginia, they
have attained a height of twenty -five
feet, with a trunk of eighteen inches in
circumference at the ground, in eight
years from the seeds. They are ranked
among the truly desirable ornamental
trees for the lawn or roadside, being
beautifully symmetrical in growth, with
a trunk attaining to a lofty height, and
crowned with wide-spreading branches of
delicate foliage, and should be intro-
duced among us. From the fruit, which
is borne abundantly, is made a cooling
and refreshing beverage, and a delic-
ious conserve. The tree can be grown
from the seeds procured from the pods,
previously to being conserved.

©dit0riat gMtfottfl.

HOKTICULTUEAL SPUING EXHIBITION.

For the first time, San Francisco will
this year witness a Horticultural Spring
Exhibition. In Europe and in the East
floral fairs take place every month dur-
ing spring, summer, and autumn, and
those of the spring season are general-
ly the most attractive. The different
classes of plants have their seasons;
while some produce their flowers in
autumn, others will be in the height
of their glory in early spring, and oth-
ers again bloom in midsummer. In
order to bring all desirable plants be-
fore the notice of the public, floral
shows should be held more than once a
year; and the Bay District Horticult-
ural Society has therefore resolved to
hold two exhibitions annually — one in
the spring, and the other in the autumn
as heretofore. While it is requisite that
at the autumn exhibition the display of
the various kinds of fruits and other
horticultural and agricultural products
should form a very important feature,
the spring exhibition must rely chiefly
upon flowers, trees, and shrubs, and
must therefore be considered more par-
ticularly a floral show. In this particu-
lar, it may reasonably be expected that
the exhibition will be far more attract-
ive and varied. Although we have to
dispense with Dahlias and the Gladioli
at this time, yet we have Primulas, Au-
riculas, and Roses, with Cinerarias, Tu-
lips, and other early flowering bulbs, to
fill the vacancy, we trust, to the satis-
faction of all concerned.

It is true that this is a very busy
time with florists and nurserymen, and
their attendance compels them to much
sacrifice ; yet this little inconvenience
should not be allowed to interfere with
a public demonstration of this kind.

152

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

With, us, public enterprises suffer to a
great extent from the prevalence of
selfish motives, and we hope our nurs-
erymen and florists will not be so
narrow-minded as to fail in active co-
operation, but will with united effort
make this exhibition a complete suc-
cess. The public will undoubtedly ap-
preciate these efforts, and this accom-
plished, the professional gardeners and
florists will have gained much.

The excuses for not participating in
these exhibitions are of trifling weight,
and we consider it the duty of all pro-
fessional men to sacrifice some little
time and expense for the sake of this
public enterprise. If all combine and
work harmoniously, our Horticultural
Exhibitions will rank among the best
and most complete.

In regard to the coming Spring Exhi-
bition, we understand that no effort
will be spared to make it a success; and
that this will be accomplished we have
no doubt. We know that the men who
are taking hold, will see it through.

We have heard suggestions made in
regard to the suitable decoration of the
Hall, and we hope that these sugges-
tions will be carried into effect. Artistic
and tasteful decorations will add con-
siderably to the general appearance of
the Hall.

The premiums offered are sufficient
to afford strong inducements to exhib-
itors.

The plan of distributing small plants
to children, whieh was inaugurated last
year, is to be continued this year; and
in order to ascertain how far these have
been taken care of, the Society offers
some fifty desirable and suitable prizes,
to be presented to those children who
have best taken care of them. This
feature can not fail to be generally at-
tractive, and if continued in the right
spirit, will undoubtedly awaken that

taste for flowers, plants, and shrubs,
among the rising generation, which is
so rarely found among us.

It is very surprising that so few of
our amateur and lady gardeners avail
themselves of the opportunity to con-
tribute their share to these exhibitions.
As they admire flowers and trees, they
certainly must feel an interest in their
exhibition ; and if a few of them will
but set an example and furnish their
best specimens, they will not only afford
material aid to the Society, but will
also encourage others to do the same.
There are some good prizes offered to
amateurs, and we hope to see a lively
competition.

As for the arrangement of plants in
the Hall, we would suggest that the
tables be less crowded with specimens
than has been the plan on previous oc-
casions. We would much prefer to see
a more limited number of plants, pro-
vided they were the very best which
could be produced. A well - grown
plant, if crowded by others possibly
much inferior, can not be displayed to
advantage. We would, therefore, kind-
ly suggest to our floral establishments
the exhibiting of fewer plants, but let
them all be good specimens, and the
effect will be as satisfactory as can be
desired.

We want to see the Exhibition a de-
cided success, also, financially. The
Horticultural Society has for a number
of years struggled for its existence, and
a liberal support is justly its due; and
if the working members are encour-
aged by a just appreciation of their
labors, we may expect some good ser-
vice to the community from them in
the future.

A hall tastefully filled with the best
and choicest specimens of flowers, trees,
and shrubs, refreshing and invigorating
with their delicious perfume, and the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

153

opportunity of listening to choice selec-
tions of sweet and popular music ex-
quisitely performed, ought to be suffi-
cient inducement for every one to visit
the Exhibition. "We do not know where
else a more pleasant hour may be pass-
ed. Let us all be there.

THE CULTIVATION OF CHOICE GEAPES
UNDER GLASS.

We have been requested to reply to
the following queries on this subject,
and our experience in this department
of Horticulture being veiy limited, we
appeal to our numerous professional
readers for the required information:

1st. "Which are the best vines for
cultivation under glass in this country ?
For a space for twenty-four vines, which
would you recommend, and in what
proportion?

2d. How near together should they
be planted?

3d. "Where can the best vines be ob-
tained at the present time ?

4th. What aged vines would you
recommend ?

5th. Is it safe to plant now, or is it
too late ?

6th. The vine-house stands north and
south; which vines would you plant on
the east side, and which on the west?

7th. The outside borders are well
made and drained. No Indian -mound
stuff in them — do you use it?

LrLiuii Washingtonianum (Kellogg),
ok Lady Washington Lily. — In our last
number we copied, from an exchange,
notice of large consignments of this
Lily being sold at high prices in Europe;
but in ascribing the naming and de-
scription to Prof. A.Wood, we uninten-
tionally indorsed an error. This Lily
was exhibited in 1854 by Dr. A. Kellogg,
our eminent botanist, before the Califor-

nia Academy of Natural Sciences, as new
but too fragmentary for description. It
was cultivated by Mr. H. G-. Bloomer,
flowered, figured, and described before
the Academy, 18th of July, 1859. (See
Proceedings of that year, page 13th.)
Lithographed, colored, and illustrated
for the Hesperian, in October of 1859.
(See pages 340-41.) It was redescribed t
by A. Wood, June, 1868, in Proc. Acad,
of Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia.

Durability of Wood. — We expect
wooden buildings to decay, and if they
endure for a century or two they are
regarded as venerable specimens of
antiquity. The First Baptist meeting-
house in Providence, R. I., a fine archi-
tectural model, is said to be as sound,
even to the top of its lofty spire, as
when first built, though nearly a cen-
tury old. But this is a young infant
compared with some European churches.
The trusses of the old part of the roof
of the Basilica of St. Peter's at Rome,
were framed in 816, but when carefully
examined in 1814, were found to be
perfectly sound and good. They were
made of Fir, and have lasted over a
thousand years. The domes of the
Church of St. Mark, at Venice, were
built nearly eight hundred and fifty
years ago, and the outside timbers are
yet good. Brick and stone could hard-
ly last better than such wood- work.

Timber cased in plaster and in iron,
however, has developed a very danger-
ous kind of dry rot.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons. — S. B.
Parsons, competent authority, names
the following as the three best Azaleas :
Aurantiaca, Beaute de Flandres and Hon-
neur de la Belgique. The three best
Rhododendrons : Boseum elegans, and
Lee (dark purple). — Country Gentleman.

154

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

The gardens are now in fine order;
the trees and shrubs, both deciduous
and evergreen,' are putting out their
new growth, and, yet untainted by sum-
mer dust, are rich in their varied verd-
ure. The Roses and many other shrubs
are in full flower, and, with the rich
carpeting of luxuriant grass, present a
very bright and gay appearance. The
well-stocked conservatories are particu-
larly attractive; everything looks healthy
and thriving. The Camellias and Azaleas
are in fine bloom, as also the numerous
and varied collection of flowering Be-
gonias, whose delicately tinted flowers
pleasingly contrast with the more de-
cided hues of the bright -eyed Calceo-
larias. Geraniums and Pelargoniums,
and many other plants,' are in fine flow-
er. The magnificent tropical plants
are unusually rich in their splendid
verdure, while the Gardenias (Cape
Jasmines), Begonia odorata, CrinumAsi-
aticum, and the glorious Stephanotis fio-
ribunda (our special favorite) make the
air redolent of rich perfume. No won-
der that these gardens, notwithstanding
the inconveniences attendant on the
horse distemper, were densely crowded
on Sunday last, exemplifying an in-
creasing refinement of taste in our fel-
low-citizens.

REPORTS OF SOCIETIES.

Bay District Horticultural Society.
Regular meeting, Saturday, April 26th,
1873.

Mr. J. H. Applegate, Jr., was elected
a regular member of the Society.

Mr. Michelsen read his Essay on Ca-
mellia Culture in this State, which will
be published in full in the next number
of the Horticulturist.

Sundry queries were laid before the
Society relating to the best varieties of

Grape-vines for cultivation under glass;
where to obtain them; how to manage
them, etc., etc. Mr. Schumann was ap-
pointed a committee of one to prepare
answers to these questions, and to read
them before the next regular meeting
of the Society, when the subject will
be generally discussed.

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS.

Horticultural Spring Exhibition. —
The opening of the Spring Exhibition
has been unavoidably postponed on ac-
count of the inconveniences caused by
the horse disease now prevalent in this
city and throughout the State. The
opening will take place on May 8th.

We are pleased to learn that the ad-
ditional time gained for preparation
will render the Exhibition more com-
plete and successful. We understand,
from reliable sources, that the Society
meets everywhere with good support,
and that its success financially is no
longer a matter of doubt.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Thanks to the enterprising publishers,
the May number of our always accept-
able Overland is at hand. It contains
much excellent reading matter. "The
Gold Sands of the Pacific," "Borneo
Cinnabar Mines," "Arab Stories and
Traditions down the Nile," etc., are
well worth reading. Altogether a first-
rate number.

FAVORS RECEIVED.

We have received a copy of Purdy's
Small Fruit Instructor. It contains
much information on this subject, and
has evidently been written with consid-
erable care; we can safely recommend
it to those of our friends who need this
specialty.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

155

Our thanks are due to the Massachu-
setts Horticultural Society for a copy of
their Transactions for 1872.

The April number of the Floioer Gar-
dener is at hand. This is a quarterly
magazine, published by Beach & Co.,
Brooklyn, N. Y. This number contains
much valuable and highly interesting
information, as well as a copious cata-
logue of their plants. Terms $1 per
annum.

Our thanks are due to the Commis-
sioner of Agriculture for the Monthly
Report for March, 1873. The statistics
are highly interesting, and the informa-
tion valuable.

CATALOGUES RECEIVED.

Briggs & Brothers' Quarterly Floral,
for April, is at hand. Many useful
notes and some notices of new varieties.

NEW AND RARE PLANTS.

New Japan Coxcomb — Ceiosia Ja-

ponica. This is as handsome in color
as the old kind, but divides itself up
into a large number of small bunches,
thus allowing of cutting without sacri-
ficing the whole plant.

Double -flowered Zonale Gerani-
ums.— M. Jean Sisley, an amateur of
Lyons, France, has succeeded in raising
several varieties which sell at a high
price in Europe.

Immense Rose Show. — At a recent
Rose show in Sydenham, England,
there was on exhibition a continuous
line of boxes, twelve miles long, each
containing forty Roses. — Horticulturist.

The Pine is a native of America.

WORK FOR MAY.

BY F. A. MILLEK.

Our spring has been unusually dry,
and therefore late planting can not be
persevered in with much prospect of
success, unless artificial irrigation can
be adopted.

The fruit-trees have been slightly in-
jured by frost, but there is yet a good
average crop in prospect.

Very little can be done in the or-
chards and vineyards at this time.
Another plowing of the orchard will
help materially to destroy weeds and
insects, and to keep the soil in a porous
condition.

I have been informed that in some
locations mildew has made its appear-
ance upon the Grape-vines, and that it
seems to be the same in character as
the mildew which is now affecting our
Rose-bushes in the gardens; this is
doubtless caused by the sudden change
of temperature in our climate from hot
days to cold nights.

The readers of the Hoeticultukist
will have observed in the records of
the April meeting of the Horticultural
Society, mention of several remedies
for mildew. I have experimented with
the various remedies proposed, and
find that Dr. Kellogg's prescription is
very effective. It seems that one part
of sulphurous acid, diluted with forty
parts of water, has removed the mildew
upon the Roses, and has not damaged
either flowers or foliage. This is a
cheap and convenient remedy, and may
be applied either with a garden-syringe
or with the watering-pot. One or two
applications are sufficient. Sulphurous
acid may be obtained in any of our
drug-stores, and one-fourth of a gallon
will last for some time. This remedy
should be very extensively used.

Black sulphur is also both very effect-

156

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

ive and cheap, and is easily applied.
Purchase, say, two to four pounds of
black sulphur at some wholesale drug-
store, dissolve it in water, and add some
common yellow soap rubbed into the
water, in order to have the sulphur ad-
here better to the foliage. Sprinkle the
affected foliage and stems with this so-
lution two or three times, and the mil-
dew will disappear.

I have tried both of these remedies,
and I find that they are sure and cheap
cures.

In the kitchen garden, I must recom-
mend frequent hoeing and the keeping
of the ground clear from weeds. Now
is the time to sow late Peas, and also a
small quantity of Head Lettuce, and
Black Radishes, which are very desira-
ble vegetables for the table at all times.
Some Beans and Corn may yet be sown,
where the soil is not too dry. Tomato
plants which have been retained in the
frame up to this time, must be planted
in the open air at once, if any Tomatoes
are expected early in the season.

The flower garden is now in its glory.
Roses, Geraniums, Pelargoniums, Heli-
otropes, Pinks, Pansies, Fuchsias, Ver-
benas, Petunias, Stocks, and many
other flowering plants, are displaying
their masses of blooms, and are filling
the air with their exquisite perfume.
We must not neglect to remove all
flowers as soon as they begin to wither;
nothing looks so shabby, or acts so
detrimentally, by absorbing the vitality
of plants, as old and half - decayed flow-
ers. The plants need all their strength
and resources to develop the remaining
buds, and to form their new growth.

Tulips, Hyacinths, and Narcissus are
now things of the past. Their foliage
will soon wither and decay, and it is
most important that their place should
be filled with some summer -flowering
plants. Mignonette is an excellent sub-

stitute, and many annuals which I have
mentioned at various times will assist
for the same purpose; some of them,
such as the Asters, Balsams, etc., may
be safely transplanted to such beds, if
they have been reared in pots or boxes,
or in some other protected place. While
your garden is productive of a profusion
of flowers at the present time, do not
neglect to provide for the future. Tou
can have your beds covered with flow-
ers all the year round if you will exert
yourself in proper time.

All summer -flowering bulbs must be
planted out now. Don't forget to plant
also a few Dahlias, Gladioli, Amaryllis,
Tuberoses, Tigridias, and Lilies. If
you are desirous of having them in
your collection, you must plant them
now.

Greenhouse and conservatory plants
are pushing out rapidly; water may now
be given more plentifully. Give air
from morning until two or three o'clock
in the afternoon. The sun acts power-
fully through the glass, and to prevent
the foliage from being scorched, white-
wash the glass with a thin coat. In-
sects make their appearance everywhere;
fumigate once a week by burning up
some tobacco -stems; keep the room
shut while you are doing this. Do not
water the foliage before fumigating, as
the smoke will affect it when in a ten-
der and wet condition. Search your
Camellias, Cape Jasmines, and other
greenhouse shrubs, and remove any
spiders or scales which you may find on
the under- side of the leaves or along
the stems. During very warm days, it
will be beneficial to most of your plants
if you give them a syringing.

If any of the tender seedlings make
their appearance, shade them well during
bright days; this will protect the young
plants, and also obviate the necessity of
watering so frequently. Transplant the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

157

young seedlings as soon as they have
formed three or four leaves, water im-
mediately after transplanting, and shade
•well for a few days. This is best done
by suspending a newspaper over the
plants, which you may rest upon a few
sticks placed here and there.

KEPOKT ON THE FEUIT MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEB.

We have, in previous reports, said so
much regarding fruits, as being not only
a delightful, but, for our health, a nec-
essary portion of our daily diet, that
we need not add anything more at the
present time on the subject, now pretty
well exhausted. We will merely re-
mark that vegetable substances are
more suitable to the inhabitants of
warm countries, who only require in
very moderate quantities meats and
other fatty diet to generate heat, which
is supplied in the atmosphere in abun-
dance. We, in California, do not need
fruits to the extent that is necessary in
the entirely tropical regions, our cli-
mate being a medium between cold
countries and those of excessive heat;
yet we need the use of fruits to a very
considerable extent to preserve our sys-
tems in a normally healthy condition.

We do not envy any part of the
world that can not produce Strawber-
ries, Peaches, Pears, Apples, Plums,
Grapes, etc. The Banana, the Orange,
the Pineapple, Date, Mango, and the
other numerous and luscious, though
cloying, tropical fruits, are well enough
in their way, as a change from other
things; they may be regarded as luxu-
ries, of which most people tire when
they are too continuously indulged in.
But, to say nothing of our other deli-
cious and piquant fruits, no one ever
wearies of good, first-class Apples. One
can eat them day after day, and still
voi.. in.— 21.

feel that he is as good a judge of what
is first-rate as he ever was. They are
found very useful in preventing dyspep-
sia and liver complaint. Even the peo-
ple of the tropics seem of our way of
thinking. Though they have, as we are
very apt to think, the very paradise of
fruits with them, they envy us, at any
rate, our Apples, and import them in
immense quantities. Thousands of bar-
rels of Baldwins, Newtown Pippins,
and other favorites, are annually ship-
ped to tropical ports.

By the way, there is one fruit — the
English Gooseberry — which is raised in
such perfection in Europe, especially in
England, that we should very much like
to see it a success in California. We
all know that it is almost a complete
failure in the Eastern and Middle States,
etc., on account of its destruction by
the mildew. We, however, think there
is a better chance for it in this State
than in any other location that we know
of on this continent. And we are en-
couraged in this belief by having met
with a cultivator of fruits in Napa Val-
ley who has made the raising of the
English Gooseberry a specialty with
him. He informed us that, last year,
he had succeeded in producing from a
few bushes some of the finest berries,
equal to any he had ever seen in En-
gland. His plan was to run a rather
deep furrow or drain between the rows,
and thus keep them well drained in the
wet season, and to plant his bushes on
somewhat elevated ridges. Above all,
he heavily manured them with ashes,
lime, and well-decomposed horse-dung
I — as much as one barrowful and a half
to each bush. He also informed us
that his bushes at the present time, by
this course, present a most promising
appearance, being entirely free from
any mildew, and loaded with healthy
fruit.

158

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

This fruit-raiser stated that his culti-
vated Blackberries present a most won-
derful sight, every year, when in fruit,
being perfectly loaded down, and bear-
ing on an average twenty pounds to the
stock.

The late frosts have materially dam-
aged the fruit -crop generally, particu-
larly the Grapes, Apricots, Nectarines,
and Peaches; but it is expected that the
markets will be pretty well supplied in
due season, although the yield, in cer-
tain kinds which we have named above,
may be less than in previous years. Our
markets are usually overstocked in the
height of each fruit's season, and it has
been a frequent occurrence for large
quantities to be thrown into the bay, for
want of purchasers. Hence it is fair to
presume that growers will net more for
their consignments, without creating
any very material advance in the price
to consumers.

Oranges are in good supply, the na-
tive product having the preference over
foreign varieties . The recent cool weath-
er kept back the Strawberries, and for
some days they came into the market
little more than half ripe, making them
rather hard and comparatively unwhole
some; being picked also too soon, ex-
cept for the collection of the dimes.
But they are daily improving, though
slowly, in quality as well as in quantity,
ruddier in hue, more tender, and there-
fore finer in flavor. The weather is still
(21st of April) not quite favorable for
(their growth. The range of prices for
them is still rather wide.

The Panama steamers have brought
liberal shipments of Limes, and mod-
erate consignments of Bananas, Pine-
apples, and Mangoes. Pears are scarce,
of course, being now at the fag-end of
•the winter season; but the supply of
Apples from Oregon and the higher
lands in California has been larger

during a few days, though prices are
steady. Apples, by the box, retail at
$2@$3. We quote Bananas, 50@75c. ;
Mangoes, $1.50 per dozen; Eastern
Chestnuts, 25c, Italian do, 50c, Smyrna
Figs, 35@40c, per pound.

Dried fruits are at about the same
rates as last month.

All spring vegetables are abundant,
and most of them are much cheaper, of
course, as the season advances. The
Panama steamer brought a lot of Mexi-
can Tomatoes, which are selling at 25c
per pound.

First appearance of Summer Squashes
on the 21st of April — 30c per pound.

Medical Value of Asparagus.— A med-
ical correspondent of an English jour-
nal says that the advantages of Aspara-
gus are not sufficiently estimated by
those who suffer with rheumatism and
gout. Slight cases of rheumatism are
cured in a few days by feeding on this
delicious esculent, and more chronic
cases are much relieved, especially if
the patient avoids all acids, whether in
food or beverage. The Jerusalem Arti-
choke has also a similar effect in reliev-
ing rheumatism. The heads may be
eaten in the usual way ; but tea made
from the leaves of the stalk, and drank
three or four times a day, is a certain
remedy, though not equally agreeable.

Clearing Moss from Fruit Trees. —
The American Agriculturist says, noth-
ing is better than carbolic soap and lye.
Make common lye of wood ashes, not
strong, and add half a pound of car-
bolic soap to a three-gallon pail of boil-
ing lye. Apply hot with a swab to old
trees. It has been used with entire
success upon Apple, Pear, Peach and
Cherry trees, destroying every particle
of moss it touches.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

159

Editorial ^Ittwmgg.

TO MANAGE CUTTINGS.

In selecting a cutting, a great deal
depends upon a judicious choice; if the
slip is too young and full of fresh sap,
it will fade away from too much evap-
oration, and if it is too old — i. e., hard
and woody — it will take a great while to
strike root. You must take a cutting
that is partly ripened, and is from a
vigorous shoot, yet is a little hardened
at the base.

It is also essential to have a bud or
joint at or near the end of the cutting,
as all roots strike from it, and the near-
er it is to the base, the greater your
chance of success.

Plant your cuttings in common red
pots, filled half full of rich loam, and
two inches of sand on the top (scouring
sand will do, but not sea-sand), wet
this thoroughly, and put the cuttings
close around the edge of the pot; for if
the bud joint comes in contact with the
surface of the pot, it seems to strike
root more quickly. Pull off the lower
leaves before you plant the cutting.
Press the wet sand tightly about the
tiny stem, for a great deal of your suc-
cess in raising the cuttings depends
upon the close contact of the- sand with
the stem. When cuttings are firmly
planted, cover them with a glass shade
if possible, for it will greatly promote
the growth of the plants.

Moisture, light, and heat are the
three essentials to plant -life; without
them no cutting will start.

Shade for two or three days from sun-
light, but do not let the sand become
dry; then give all the sun you can ob-
tain; keep up a good supply of moist-
ure, and you can hardly fail to root
most of your cuttings.

Cuttings of Eoses, Verbenas, Ole-

anders, Heliotropes, etc., etc., can also
be rooted in small vials filled with
warmish water, and suspended from the
window casement. Select the cuttings
as described above; pull off the lowest
leaves, and insert the end for about an
inch into the vial. Tie a string about
its neck, and hang in the sun. If a bit
of cotton wool is wrapped about the
cutting where it goes into the neck of
the vial, and it is kept wet, it prevents
the rapid evaporation of the water.

When the tiny roots show themselves
about an inch or more in length, fill up
the vial with a rich composted soil; let
it hang for two or three days longer,
then break off the glass carefully, with-
out disturbing the roots, and pot the
plant.

Managed in this way the roots receive
no check, and the plant will grow very
vigorously. The cutting can be taken
from the water and the roots planted in
pots, but they will cling closely togeth-
er, and are not as naturally disposed as
when the glass is broken off, after the
roots are covered with soil.

If the water evaporates a third or
more in the vial, it must be filled up
with warmish water. — Floral Cabinet.

Cabbage- worms. — A correspondent of
the New York Tribune, from Jonesboro,
Tenn., says, Cabbage -worms may be
got rid of, by putting a few stalks of
the well-known herb Penny-royal, on
every head of Cabbage. The worms
will quickly disappear.

A friend informs us that he drives the
worm from his Cabbage by scattering
wheat-bran over the growing plants.
There is something about the bran that
is distasteful to the worms, and they
leave immediately upon its being scat-
tered upon the Cabbage. He repeats
the dose once or twice. The bran does
not injure the Cabbage.

160

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

TREE TRANSPLANTATION.

To the Editor of the Scientific Amer-
ican:— On page 37 of your current vol-
ume some one says: "Most persons
make a fatal mistake in trimming trees
when transplanted. Never cut off a
limb or a twig till they (the trees) have
a secure foothold."

This advice, in the Scientific American,
at once becomes a powerful influence.
Whatever affects the tree-planting in-
terest is of national importance; and I
can-^show by reasons sufficient, as I
could by the experience of all success-
ful tree planters, that the advice refer-
red to is radically wrong, and should
read : ' ' Always cut down the top of a
tree transplanted, so that the relative
proportion be preserved between roots
and branches."

A tree to secure a foothold in its new
bed must make a new growth of wood
both at the top and root; otherwise
death results in all cases after trans-
plantation. Most trees lose, in trans-
planting, the larger portion of their
roots; how does this operate when the
top is left of full size and untrimmed ?
The leaves come out full with the ad-
vent of spring; and it takes all the
nourishment supplied by the remaining
roots to support the leaves, and no new
wood is made.

If the top of the tree is cut down and
the leaf buds destroyed, then, of neces-
sity, in order to put forth leaves, there
must be a new woody growth ; when
this occurs, there is always a corre-
sponding root growth, and thus a foot-
hold is secured. Many trees, like the
Sugar Maple, only make wood during
a brief period in spring ; consequently,
if transplanted with ever so much care
after this season, they invariably die.

A tree which continues making wood
during the entire season, like the Wil-

low and Locust, can with care be trans-
planted at any time; but it may be set
down as a rule, with but few exceptions,
that deciduous trees should only be
transplanted when bare of leaves, and
then the top left must be proportioned
to the root.

To further illustrate the fallacy of the
no-trimming theory, suppose that in
putting out cuttings, as of the Cotton-
wood or Willow, a top was left. Does
any one suppose that a new root would
be formed? It is the growth of the new
top that is accompanied by a new root
growth; in fact they are inseparable.
The everywhere popular White Elm and
Sugar Maple, although exceedingly dif-
ficult to transplant successfully with
large tops, will generally live and grow
if every branch is cut off, and the short
bare poles only set.

Rural Adornment. — Nothing contrib-
utes more to the appreciation of a
rural home than its surroundings. Noth-
ing is more seriously missed by the early
settlers in a new country, especially
by the female members of a house-
hold, than the shrubs and flowers which
they have left behind them in their
early homes. How many hearts have
longed for the familiar Lilac-bush with
its early, handsome, and fragrant clus-
ters of flowers. What sweet memories
of the ever-pleasing and beautiful Rose-
bush; or, of the old-fashioned Snow-
ball, with its masses of snowy flowers
contrasting so finely with its dark green
foliage ; or the modest, unobtrusive lit-
tle Wax-bush with its pearly blossoms,
and in due time its strings of snow-
white berries which refuse to drop from
the slender twigs, long after the frost
has stripped the green leaves.

Notwithstanding the absence of these
and many other memory- honored shrubs

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

161

and flowers in the frontier homes, very-
much may be done to substitute for them
native plants of perhaps equal value.
There is a patch of wood not many
miles distant from any settler, where
some shrubs may be procured which
will relieve the garden or the yard of its
nakedness, and lend beauty and attrac-
tion, perhaps quite equal to those favor-
ites which are now beyond reach. The
kind of such shrubs will, of course, vary
in different localities.

Ancient Timber. — Probably the old-
est timber in the world, which has been
subjected to the use of man, is that
which is found in the ancient temples
of Egypt. It is found in connection
with stone -work which is known to be
at least 4,000 years old. This wood,
and the only wood used in the construc-
tion of the temple, is in the form of
ties, holding the end of one stone to
another in its upper surface. When
two blocks were laid in place, then it
appears that an excavation about an
inch deep was made in each block, into
which an hour-glass shaped tie was
driven. It is therefore very difficult to
force any stone from its position. The
ties appear to have been the Tamarisk,
or Chittim-wood, of which the ark was
constructed, a sacred tree in ancient
Egypt, and now very rarely found in the
valley of the Nile. Those dovetailed
ties are just as sound now as on the day
of their insertion. Although fuel is very
scarce in that country, those bits of
wood are not large enough to make it
an object with Arabs to heave off layer
after layer of heavy stone for so small
a prize. Had they been of bronze, half
the old temples would have been de-
stroyed ages ago, so precious woald
they have been for various purposes.

The Mulberry originated in Persia.

Fjlowers and the Flower-Trade. — The
following remarks are furnished by Mr.
M. B. Batcham, Secretary of the Ohio
Horticultural Society:

"The use of flowers and plants for
the decoration of parlors and tables, at
fashionable parties and weddings, has
increased wonderfully within a few
years. It is not unusual for eight hun-
dred or a thousand dollars to be ex-
pended for flowers and plants for a
single occasion. The sale of cut-flowers
in the city of New York is estimated at
over a million of dollars annually.
About one-fourth of this sum is expend-
ed in one month — at the season of
Christmas and New Year's festivities, at
which time the florists are all taxed to
their utmost abilities, and extravagant
prices are often obtained for choice
flowers.

" The Horticulturist says the whole-
sale or trade price was, the past winter,
for Rosebuds, $5 to $8 per 100; Ca-
mellias, $50; Tuberoses, $10; but the
consumers pay double these rates. As
spring approaches the prices decline.
The little vine called Smilax is very
much used, and sells for 50 cents to $1
per yard. Mr. Henderson, the great
florist, says there are about twenty
greenhouses, having an area of 20,000
feet, in New York and Boston, devoted
to growing Smilax alone; and whole
acres of glass structures devoted to
Rosebuds, Violets, Tuberoses, etc.

' ' A Philadelphia paper says flowers
are quite the rage there. It is the fash-
ion now to send boxes of nice cut flow-
ers as presents, ^ instead of stiffly tied
bouquets, and ladies greatly prefer this
method, as the flowers keep fresh much
longer, and can be used for a variety of
purposes. Flowers purchased for fu-
nerals and weddings are of the most ex-
pensive kind, and yield a large revenue
to the growers. In midwinter the price

162

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTJLTUKIST.

of a handsome basket is from $10 to
$50. Bouquets can be made from $5 to
$25. Single Kosebuds cost 25 cents,
and Carnations 20 cents. Smilax is
sold for $1 a yard, and one spray of
Lily of the Valley costs twenty -five
cents. Wealthy people invest largely
in flowers on all occasions of festivity.
Large floral bells, which cost from $100
to $200, are ordered for weddings; then
the brackets and vases must be trimmed
and filled, and trailing baskets of rare
flowers must ornament every table and
tripod."

A Poisonous Plant. — A few years ago
there was in the Royal Botanical Gar-
dens at Kew, a specimen of probably
the most poisonous plant ever intro-
duced into England. It was the Jatropa
wrens, the properties of which are so
noxious that its possession is positively
dangerous.

The ex -curator of the gardens was
one day reaching over it, when its fine,
bristling stings touched his wrist. The
first sensation which he felt was a numb-
ness and swelling of the lips; the action
of the poison was on the heart, circula-
tion was stopped, and he soon fell, un-
conscious; the last thing he remembered
being cries of "Run for the doctor!"
Either the doctor was skillful, or the
dose of poison injected not quite, though
nearly, enough to cause death; but af-
terward the young gardener, in whose
house the plant was placed, got it thrust
into a corner, and would not come with-
in arm's length of it. He watered the
offender with a pot having an extremely
long spout. In a short time, however,
the plant disappeared altogether, and
another specimen of the genus Jatropa,
which was afterward introduced, van-
ished in the like mysterious manner. It
was presumed that the attendants were
secretly determined that such plants

should not be retained in the houses, to
cause the possibility of an accident such
as that which happened to their curator.
— The Garden.

A Neglected Source of Food — The
Afkican Earth-Nut. — Dr. Muter, in the
pages of The Food Journal, calls atten-
tion to what he terms a neglected source
of food. Some time ago, while investi-
gating Cocoa by means of the micro-
scope, he discovered an ingredient em-
ployed by way of adulteration to which
he could give no name. Subsequently,
he had a sample of the substance, offered
at the Mark Lane Exchange as an arti-
cle of food for cattle, forwarded to him
for analysis. It now became necessary
to deal with the matter seriously, and
so further microscopic investigation led
to the discovery that the mysterious in-
gredient was simply the flour of the
African Pea or Earth-nut. Dr. Muter
declares, however, that the bean of this
nut is an excellent substance, which,
instead of being used only as food for
cattle, or by some adulterators more en-
lightened than their neighbors, should
be everywhere recognized as a market-
able article of human diet.

Althcea Frutex. — This handsome and
showy shrub is properly an Hibiscus — a
very numerous genus, comprehending
no less, now, than forty or more species,
most of them inhabitants of either In-
dia. It produces its flowers rather late
in the season, but is a fine, hardy orna-
mental plant. The flowers are bell-
shaped and of various colors, pale or
bright purple with dark bottoms, white
with purple bottoms, and yellow with
the same.

These flowers being large, gay, and
numerous, and the shrubs of compact,
rather tall and good conical shape, make

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

163

an attractive appearance, and give the
completest idea of the classic charac-
ter. Tkese shrubs grow naturally in
Syria. Many of them are now grown
double in their flowers, which form a
valuable and beautiful variety. They
are well suited for lawns as well as gar-
dens. They rise with shrubby stalks to
the height of eight or ten feet. The
several varieties may be propagated by
grafting upon each other, which is the
common method of propagating the
sorts with striped leaves. Their late
blooming is an advantage when other
flowering shrubs are more scarce. They
remain a long while in bloom, and the
flowers are very numerous.

Cinnamon. — Cinnamon bark is well
known to all our readers. Boys and
girls, as well as many grown people,
like to scent it and eat it. It is an
article of commerce, and great quantities
are brought to this country every year.
It is in daily use, but not many take
any thought about how and where it
grows, and how it is prepared for the
market.

The Cinnamon plant is supposed to
be a native of Ceylon, an island in the
Indian Ocean, south of Asia, the people
of which are called the Ceylonese. But
this plant is cultivated chiefly by the
people of China, not because a better
quality or more abundant crop is pro-
duced, but because the Chinese are
more industrious, and value commerce
more highly than the Ceylonese.

These people have their Cinnamon
harvest, when all hands are busily en-
gaged, as we are in harvesting the pro-
ductions of this country, but this har-
vest commences in May and continues
until October.

The plants are not cut down and de-
stroyed, but the twigs, or shoot-limbs,

are carefully selected and cut off, rang-
ing in size from a half inch to two
inches — the smaller the better.

After they are cut from the plant, a
knife made for the purpose is run sev-
eral times through the bark, so that it
may be easily stripped off.

After being stripped off, the bark is
dried in the sun, and rolls up like quills.
It is then bound into bundles of thirty
pounds each, sewed up in mats, and
sent to market.

The cassia buds which are procured
at the drug and confectionary stores,
and chewed to sweeten the breath, are
the dried flowers of the Cinnamon-tree,
gathered for commerce just before they
burst into bloom.

Fuchsias from Seed. — Fuchsias are
readily grown from seed, and usually
vary widely from the original stock.
The seed pods should be allowed to re-
main on the plant until they fall off;
then lay them aside for a few days, or
until they begin to decay. The seed
may then be washed from the pulp and
spread upon paper to dry. They may
be sown immediately, or kept for a few
months in paper bags. Sow the seed
in fine, sifted soil, composed of leaf-
mold and sand, covering not more than
an eighth of an inch deep; sprinkle the
soil with water, being careful not to
wash away the seed; then place the
pots or boxes containing them in a warm
place, giving water as required. When
the seedlings are large enough to han-
dle, pot off singly into small thumb-
pots. As the plants become large and
strong, shift into larger pots. — Rural
New Yorker.

The annual product of hay in the
United States is not far from 25,000,000
tons. Worth $250,000,000.

164

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

RAIN -FALL IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1849 TO 1873.

RECORDED BY THOMAS TENNENT.

1849.

1850.

1851.

1853.

1853.

18541.

1855.

165G.

185?,

1858.

1859.

I860.

s

8
3
©>

1
d

■2"

8

1
d

8

8

Si

8

0

•5?

8
.1

1

d

•I?

"S

8

i

d

s

8

1

d

•S1
1

1

1
3

.02

1
ft!

1

8
3

<5>

i

ft!
2

s

8
3

<3>

1
E!

2
2

!

ft!

1
1

1

15
6

».

8

7
13

8
11

2

73

s

8

§i

8

.05

.05
.16

.02

.03

.05

7.28

1.57

186<

1.64
1.60
3.99
3.14
2.86
.09

.21

.91

.58

6.16

186

2.47
3.72
4.08

.51
1.00

.08

i

.04

.46

.12

2.28

2.32

185

3.88
8.04
3.51
3.12
.02
.08

1

4

2

12

11

4.

10
16
11
9
1
2

79

.01

.15

2.41

.34

.81

185

3.67
4.77
4.64
5.00
1.88

1
3
9
2
3

5.

11
10
12
10
6

67

0.33 4

1.03

.21

2.12

7.10

185,

.58
.14
6.68
.26
.32

1

2
5
14

S.

4

4
14
3
1

.80
5.31
13.20

185

3.92

1.42

4.86

5.37

.38

1

12

20

1.

11
5
6

8
7

.07

.45

2.79

3.75

185'

2.45
8.59
1.62

.02
.12

2
5
9

12

7.

7
15
6

3
1

61

November . .
December. . .

January

February.. . .

3.14
8.66
6.20

185*

8.34

1.77

4.53

.46

3

8
12

9.

15
5
7
3

0.92
1.05

185

.72

.54

1.94

1.23

.67

7

4

1.

5

4
9
8
3

.67
5.76

185

9.40

.50

1.60

2.94

.76

.03

7
15

8.

13
4
5
6
3
1

54

.93
3.01
4.14

185

4.36
1.83
5.55
1.65
.34
.05

3
11

8

3.

8
8
8
4
3
1

56

2.74

.69

6.14

185

1.28
6.32
3.02
.27
1.55

4
5
14

9.

4

18
11
4
4

68

12
3
21

1.

8
8
8
4
3

H

33.10

53

39

48

70

7.40

18.44

35.26

23.87

23.68

21.66

19.81

21.88

22.22

22.27

19.72

70

1861.

1863.

1863.

1864.

1865.

1866.

1867.

1868.

1869.

18*70.

1871.

1818.

1

•c

8
8
3

0"

8j

8

1

d

1

1

ftl

■2"

8
8

s

8

(5

s

8
S
&

%

d

■t?
1

3

R!

1

3

§i

8
ft)

8
8

c
C!

1?
1

t

ft)

1

8

i

d

1

i

d

.21

.01

.13

6.68

8.91

186

5.14

1.34

.74

.94

.63

3
1
3
8
18

5.

9
8
4
3
2

September..

November . .
December. . .

January

February. . .
March

.02

4.10
9.54

186;

24.36

7.53

2.20

.73

.74

.05

1

12
16

2.

18
10
11
9
5
1

.40

.15

2.35

186

3.63
3.19
2.06
1.61
.23

2
3
9

1.

9

10
8
9
2

.03

2.55
1.80

186

1.83

1.52

1.57

.78

1

5
8

t.

5

9
4
5

.24

.26

4.19

.58

186

10.88
2.12
3.04

.12
1.46

.04

2

4

10

8

6.

16
9

12
1
6
1

69

.11

3.35
15.16

186

5.16
7.20
1.58
2.36

2

12
18

7.

15
9
7
8

71

.04

.20

3.41

10.69

186

9.50
6.13
6.30
2.31
.03
.23

1
1

6
18

3.

17
9

12
9
2
3

78

.15
1.18
4.34

186

6.35
3.90
3.14
2.19
.08
.02

3
5

11

9.

14
5

12
5
2
1

58

.12
1.29
1.19
4.31

lST*

3.89
4.78
2.00
1.53
.20

1
2
5
7

0.

9

9
8
4
2

.03

.43
3.38

1ST

3.07
3.76
1.29
1.93
.21

1

4
8

1.

7
10
8
5
3

.03
.11

3.72
16.74

187,

4.22
6.97
1.64
1.10
.16
.02

2
2
9
14

3.

9

18
9
6

2
2

73

0.14
0.21
2.62
7.25

187J

2.17
4.24
0.78

i
i

3
10

i.

8
17
4

"

52

59

47

46

49.27

83

13.62

10.08

37

24.73

22.93

34.92

38.84

21.35

19.31

14.10

34.71

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

FOR THE MONTH FROM MARCH 28th to APRIL 27th, 1873.

Prepared for The Hobticultukist by Thomas Tennent, Chronometer and Instrument Maker,
Battery Street, opptsite the Custom-house.

BABOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.20 in.

do 12m 30.20

do 3p.m 30.18

do 6p.m 30.17

Greatest height, on the 7th at 9 a.m 30.48

Least height, oh 24th and 25th at 6 p.m 29.00

THEEMOMETEB.

(In the shade and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a.m 55°

do 12m 59°

do 3p.m 60°

do 6P.M 56°

Greatest height, on 15th at 3 p.m 70°

Least height, on 4th at 9 a. m 46°

SELF - BEGISTEBTNG THEEMOMETEB.

Mean height during the night 39°

Greatest height, on night of 18th and 20th 45°

Least height, on night of 5th 28°

■WINDS.

North and North-west on 14 days; South and South-east on
1 day; South-west on 6 days; West on 10 days.

BAIN GUAGE.

March 30th 0.01 inches.

April 2d 0.08 "

" 20th 0.35 «

Total 0.44 inches.

Total rain of the season up to date 17.84 "

WEATHER.

Clear on 10 days; variable on 12 days; cloudy and foggy on
8 days; rain on 3 days

Bouquet of California Wild Flowers.

'••0-O"0-C>'0'0"

i. Long- Petdled Iris. 4. Lindleyrs Primrose.

2. Western Honeysuckle. 5. California False Wind-Flower.

3. Guinea Hen Flower. 6. Dozunlng's Beauty (Lobelia.)

7. Venus Js Looking Glass (Cat's Ears.)

THE

to

«p"v«<^

Hi

AND -LORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. in.

JUNE, 1873.

No. 6.

FERN CULTURE.

BY F. A. MI^LEE.

The cultivation of Ferns seems to be the
prevailing popular horticultural refine-
ment of the day. A taste for the beauti-
ful is gradually developing itself among
us. Certainly Ferns are becoming the
favorites with our amateur gardeners,
first on account of their exquisitely
graceful foliage; and secondly, because
most of them are easily taken care of.
But my use of the term foliage is really
incorrect; their foliage -like shoots be-
ing more properly called "fronds," on
the under side of which the seed is pro-
duced in the shape of spores — powder-
like atoms — which are capable of devel-
oping themselves into plants by proper
treatment.

While the spores of some varieties
of Ferns develop themselves into plants
without difficulty and under very ordi-
nary treatment, there are many other
kinds which are extremely difficult to
propagate in this way, and which must be
multiplied by dividing the root after it
has become sufficiently strong; and this
is the best and most successful mode of
propagating Ferns.

However, as new varieties are contin-
ually in demand, and can not be obtain-
Vol. in.— 22.

ed by importing the living plants, the
planting of spores must be resorted to.
In some cases I have seen the young
plants developing themselves in from
two to three months; but in a majority
of cases the spores will lie dormant for
over a year, when some will move into
life, while others will be found to be
without any sign of vitality.

The spores should be planted upon
old pieces of wood overgrown with
moss, or in sphagnum; or if neither of
these are to hand, cut up some common
moss and mix with it some pure white
sand, scatter the spores over the sur-
face, cover closely with glass, and put
in a shady and warm situation. By
keeping the glass cover close over the
surface, the spores will not require any
water for several months. Allow them
plenty of time to move, and do not dis-
turb the soil until you are positive that
the spores are totally lost.

The propagation by division of the
roots is very simple. Take off the off-
sets carefully with some roots attached
to each portion, plant in small pots,
water well, and keep well shaded for a
week or two.

Some few varieties of Ferns produce
young plants upon their fronds. As soon
as these have formed two or three small

166

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

fronds, they should be taken off and
planted into small pots, and be well
shaded.

The best soil for Ferns is one-third
white sand, one -third leaf -mold, and
one-third fibrous peat. Sphagnum is
most excellent for Ferns, but it is very
difficult to obtain here; fibrous peat is
also very scarce, and if it can not be
had, I would recommend one-third of
light loam mixed with finely cut moss
and moss roots, and two-thirds of leaf-
mold and white sand.

All Ferns grow best in shade, and
most of them require a moist atmos-
phere. In greenhouses and conserva-
tories, they grow best under the shade
of other plants, or remote from the
bright light. I have seen some varie-
ties of Adiantums thriving admirably
well under the shelves of the green-
house. If grown in rooms, the dry at-
mosphere predominating there will not
permit them to vegetate freely for any
great length of time; and if the fronds
are covered with dust, the plants will
soon perish. The ever progressive
science of Floriculture, however, has
come to our aid, in the construction
of "Fern-cases," which are now all the
furor in Europe and in the East. The
first Fern-cases were constructed and
came to public notice at the World's
Fair, held in London in 1851, and since
then the idea has met with favor every-
where, and they are now among the
most popular ornaments for the win-
dow-garden and the parlor.

Fern- cases are constructed in all pos-
sible forms; the sides and tops being of
glass, and made air-tight for the pur-
pose of confining the moisture and pre-
venting its escape, the evaporating
water being condensed within the in-
closed space. This is just what Ferns
are in need of; and I may inform the
reader, that Ferns once planted in a

Fern-case and well moistened will not
require any more water for several
months, if- kept perfectly air - tight.
Some Ferns, perhaps, will do better if
the Fern-case is occasionally ventilated,
but most of them do not require it. It
can therefore easily be seen, that the
Fern-case requires no care whatever,
and may be placed almost anywhere in
the drawing-room, the parlor, or any
other desirable locality.

At some other time, I will give a list
of the best Ferns for cultivation, both
in and out of doors, comprising such
varieties only as may be obtained in
this market at a reasonable price.

SPONGE ON THE SAN DIEGO COAST.

From the numerous specimens of
Sponge found on the beach and in the
caves of La Jolla, it is very probable
that extensive beds of this valuable ar-
ticle of commerce exist somewhere in
the neighborhood. Most of the Sponge
of commerce is now procured from
the Mediterranean Sea, more especially
about the islands of the Archipelago
and in the Levant. They are found
adhering closely to the bottom, and re-
quire some force to be detached. The
fishing is carried on principally by di-
vers, although some is done by spear-
ing, which, however, materially injures
the Sponge. The inhabitants of a small
town named Cranidi, about twenty
miles southeast of Nauplia, are the
most expert divers, being trained to the
business from their infancy. After being
fished up, the Sponge, when perfectly
free from sand and dry, is exceedingly
light — almost as light as down, being
moved by the slightest breath of air.
There is a little trickery practiced in
this business as in all others, and the
sponges before being taken to market
are laid on the beach to allow the ripple

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

167

of the sea to slush them with the finest
particles of sand. They are then gath-
ered together in heaps, and pressed
close enough to become hard and flat
when dry. Notwithstanding they may
subsequently undergo a thorough wash-
ing and sifting they will weigh three or
four times their original weight. The
principal Sponge market in the world
is Smyrna, in Asia Minor.

The pieces of Sponge that have been
from time to time found on the beach
at La Jolla are of excellent quality. A
careful examination of the bottom a
little distance from the shore might re-
sult in the discovery of an extensive bed
of this zoophyte. — San Diego Union.

Absorption of Moisture by Leaves. —
Mr. M. Cailletet has lately been inves-
tigating the question as to whether the
leaves of plants are capable of absorb-
ing water in a liquid state; and sums
up the result of his experiments, by
stating that the fact seems to be demon-
strated that a plant growing in a humid
soil and receiving by its roots the quan-
tity of water necessary to its normal
condition, does not absorb the water
which moistens its leaves, but that such
absorption takes place as soon as the
leaves begin to wither, in consequence
of the desiccation of the soil. In this
way he explains the phenomenon of
certain plants, maintaining a healthy
condition without any contact with the
soil, and even absolutely isolated from
all assimilable substances. Thus, a
specimen of Pourretea, a rootless Bro-
meliacious plant, maintained a healthy
existence and exhibited considerable
increase in weight, while suspended for
more than six years in the air by a wire.
No moisture ever reached it except that
from the garden syringe, and yet it was
continually putting out new leaves and
flowering abundantly. — Gard. Monthly.

CALIFOENIA WILD FLOWERS.

BY DK. A. KELLOGG.

We present the readers of The Hor-
ticulturist and Feoral Magazine a small
bouquet of wild flowers found in the
vicinity of San Francisco.

Flowers are ever the symbols of wis-
dom and purity. Tokens of the genial,
sunny side of humanity, they bear on
their gay wings kindly messages of
good to all. Radiant and charming
with divine philosophy, and sweet as
is Apollo's lute, they bring again the
blessed angels of joy to the hearts of
old and young. These are the wise fa-
bles of the fairies, now as ever so beau-
tifully true.

The first (or No. 1) is the Long-pet-
aled Iris (Iris longipetala) , or Large-
flowered Fleur-de-lis, the first flower of
spring; abounding upon open hill-sides
and in springy dales. The flower is of
a delicate sky-blue ground, with deep
purple-blue veins, on stems one to two
feet high; very much sought after on
the continent of Europe, and greatly
admired for its peculiar style of beauty.

"We have also the Douglas Iris (Iris
Douglasii); flower of the deep rich ra-
diance of the rainbow; of varied hues,
from prevailing indigo to rose -color,
delicate flesh-color, and white; a plant
of intermediate size, which unobtrusive-
ly seeks the shelter of shrubs and the
shades of the woods. The Golden Iris
is by some considered a variety of this.

There is also the little Long-tubed
Iris (Iris macrosiphon), of deeper, blight-
er, richer hue than any other, varying
to purple and indigo. Its glossy, shin-
ing, varnished leaves arch over sidewise
in the most graceful possible manner.
It is the prettiest border plant in the
world. The long line of reflected light
from the bow of its arch is the most
cheerful sight (if allowed expression to

168

THE CALLFOKNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

feeling), of the most vivid sheen of liv-
ing green our eyes ever beheld. The
flowers, too, are very remarkable for the
length of their tube (four to five inches),
as the name imports. Add to all this
the enlivening fragrance, and the con-
summation seems complete.

No. 2 is the Western Azalea, or "West-
ern Honeysuckle Shrub. Among the
large family of Azaleas on this conti-
nent, perhaps, all points considered,
that of the Bay of San Francisco sur-
passes them all. Let us review for a
moment the ground of this opinion, so
that we be neither prejudiced nor par-
tial judges.

To our female friends, and all admir-
ers of white flowers, it commends itself
by this prime prerequisite. An emblem
of chaste purity and innocence — fragrant
as the affections that ensphere all true
hearts — it embalms the breeze, and ex-
hilarates every circle it enters. It has
just shade enough of slight buff, or of
faint creamy-yellowish hue, to give rich-
ness and variety to one lip — and some-
times, like a country lass, it dons a
slight pink blush or tinge of modesty.
These flowers are not too hasty in their
appearance before the public gaze, un-
timely suing for admirers, but patiently
bide their time, until properly clad
with the emblems of due intelligence.
Then, amply adorned with new and
freshening foliage, the flowers in boun-
tiful clusters display themselves against
this cheerful background of green in all
their glory. And, as if to signify its
queenly pre - eminence, the shrub is
peerless in height, rising from fifteen
to twenty feet. In the clear streams
that go softly meandering the mead-
ows, the Western Honeysuckle de-
lights to bathe her feet ; or, with laud-
able ambition, climbs the hills and tall
steeps along margins of sweet brooks
that ' ' murmur melodiously among the

smooth pebbles." Other Azaleas are
too often naked and bare of foliage
when in bloom, yet have they their
peculiar and appropriate beauty. In
colder climes, the sun and diamond
rain-drops often more than supply the
luck of leaves. Having been a witness
to many, if not all, of the most bril-
liant and charming of these native
shrubs, north and south, to Alaska, we
know of none so striking and exquis-
itely beautiful, where all have beauty,
as the one of the Far West — the crown-
ing glory of our land! Mr. Jas. Lick,
and perhaps one or two others, have
appreciatively taken this shrub under
cultivation. Mr. F. A. Miller is the
first nurseryman and gardener, so far
as we know, who has yet started it from
seed. Wiry do the invisible heart-asso-
ciations cling around some correspond-
ent visible object, like this shrub? If
ever mortal ears thrill to celestial songs,
or, listening to their like, conceive a
faint and far-off idea of the blest abodes,
it is when the spring shower is over and
gone, and the warbling notes of the
Hermit Thrush in rolling numbers echo
sweetly from out the hollow resounding
woods, as we rove in Honeysuckle bow-
ers. Startled and entranced, silent and
alone ! . . . . Did we listen to the song
of angels, unawares?

No. 3 is the Lance-leafed Checkered
Bells (Fritillaria lanceolata), G-uinea-hen
Flower, or Bice- root Lily of the miners.
Of these we have several species. The
nodding bell-shaped flowers are check-
ered with square or slightly oblong-
square spots, similar to a checker-board,
of dark inadder-jmrple on a greenish
or reddish ground-color. The flower-
stem is one to two or three feet high,
with lance - shaped leaves in a whorl
around the smooth stem below, with a
few scattering ones above. In the young
state it has but one leaf, very broadly

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

169

lance-form, or somewhat general oblong
egg- shape, smooth, and of tender, fleshy,
herby texture; the leaf-stem about equal
in length to the blade. This root-leaf
is usually absent the year it blooms.
The bulb makes ample provision for fu-
ture contingencies, by multiplying in-
numerable little baby - bulblets from
the mother bulb, that surround the
base. When disturbed, they so easily
detach, that the earth is filled with
them, like grains of rice ; hence the
miners' name. The "Edible Lily" of
IL&misGh&fcdL^FritillariaKamtschatcensis)
mentioned by travelers, is a species of
this plant, as verified by personal ob-
servation in our expedition to Alaska
some years ago. The Red Bells (Fritil-
laria recurva) of Mendocino County is
by far the most beautiful of the species;
the Edible Lily is the nearest approach
to it, and a very fine species. The Red
Bells, or Dwarf Lily, is in shape exact-
ly the same as the true Lily. The black
spots or checks are very distinct — a per-
fect prescript of the modern chess-board
and Scotch plaid.

No. 4 is Lindley's Primrose (Oenothera
Lindleyi), a choice one among the many
beautiful species found in this vicinity;
perhaps the best selection that could be
made. The flowers are of a cheerful
bright rose-color, with deep red or crim-
son spots at the base of each petal or
flower-leaf, so that the general bright
base gives brilliant effect and character
to the blossoms: these are about two
inches in expansion. The top of the
plant, a foot or so in height, is broadly
branching, open and airy, with recurved
spreading branches and summit. The
stems and leaves are so slender and un-
obtrusive, that, a little way off, the
flowers seem dancing and courtesying
magically in the air. Our (E. arcuata
may prove a variety of this, with darker
purple flowers and sickle-shaped leaves.

No. 5 is the California False "Wind-
flower (Anemopsis Californica). This
plant in the leafy state somewhat re-
sembles the common Water Dock, with
which it is often found growing. It
maj' be seen on the margins of mias-
matic marsh lands. Here, as ever, we
find native antidotes which in mercy
the All-Father's finger points out — ever
laying the soothing hand of blessing
over even fens and pools of filth — fol-
lowing mortal men and things into the
stagnant mires they will not reclaim.
It is one of the best stomachic stimu-
lants and tonic ague remedies known,
due exceptions always being given to
Peruvian bark and its common allies.
Five to fifteen grains, or one-fourth to
one half a teaspoonful of the powdered
root, should be taken three or fouf
times a day; also, chewed in the mouth
constantly for chronic affections of the
throat and breast. Although found on
the marshes bordering the bay at Oak-
land, the flower there has not the bril-
liant scarlet tinge we see in specimens
from the interior of the State. It is
highly probable there may be two spe-
cies of this interesting, ornamental, and
useful plant.

No. 6 is Downing's Beauty (Downin-
gia elegans). This Lobelia-like flower
sports some modest and gay colors, be-
sides the pure cheerful white and blue
of its more common hue. This is seen
oftener in the interior of our State. It
is a tender, succulent, spreading little
herb, just suited to the parlor; is very
fond of company, and found in patches
or "fairy circles" around little lakes or
basins, in adobe or strong black cracky
clay soils. At Alameda it tips a bright
wink by the wayside at the traveler, and
abounds in the lowlands of San Rafael,
the San Jose Mission, and elsewhere.
If one were always in the mood to play
the role of old Esculapius, there are

170

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

virtues that bloom unnumbered beneath
our feet. But there are other and high-
er virtues that gleam from Beauty's eyes
— truly the greatest solace of the soul.
Thence, perchance, we deem this gross
clay of ours only second-best — our sec-
ond self.

No. 7 belongs to a plant with heart-
shaped leaves, cowled and thrown back
like a dashing old " calash" bonnet, yet
very affectionately clasping the rough
stem; found commonly in sterile soils,
or infesting corn-fields; some better than
a weed, being ornamental if not useful.
This is Venus's Looking-glass (Specula-
ria perfoliata, var.) . How she ever came
to peep into this little blue eyed beauty,,
history gives no account. It is very
likely, however — nay, morally sure, in
a certain sense — that, as the plant is
a variety of Cat's Ears, and Venus be-
ing one of your parlor cats, she just as
naturally took to it for a mirror, as do
ducks to water.

HORTICULTURE AS A PROFESSION FOR
YOUNG LADIES.

A very able suggestion for a new pro-
fession for gentlemen was made by a
correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette a
short time since. Referring to the want
of technical knowledge among amateur
lovers of Horticulture and persons pos-
sessing small gardens, and the great
difficulty of obtaining the services of an
educated, well-informed gardener, he
suggests that Horticulture be raised
to the rank of a profession. "A large
proportion of people having gardens
can not afford to keep a gardener, and
would not have work for one if they
could. They are driven to the preca-
rious assistance of men who, with the
smallest possible knowledge, work at
high wages by the day. Even those
who have money enough and soil

enough to f keep a gardener' are for-
tunate if they can get one, at the ordi-
nary wages of a curate, with any knowl-
edge of his business. There is a great
want among middle-class people in the
neighborhood of London, and other
great cities or towns, of an intelligent
knowledge of Horticulture. People
would be willing enough to pay for
this knowledge if they could only get
it. Our Roses or our G-rape- vines de-
velop symptoms of disease, and we do
not know how to arrest it. It is easy
enough in the case of the ? human sub-
ject.' We send for the doctor. We
send for a man who has made medicine
or surgery (perhaps both) the study of
his life, and he tells us what to do, and,
if necessary, he does it. Now, why
should we not know to whom to send
in our horticultural dilemmas? Why
should; we not have our diplomatized
horticulturists, to whom we might send
to rescue our trees and flowers from
disease or death ? Surely, it is pleas-
anter occupation to bud Roses or to
prune fruit-trees, than to cut off human
legs or arms, and to extirpate horrid
cancers ? A thorough knowledge of Bot-
any and Horticulture is not more diffi-
cult to attain, and is not less ennobling
when attained, than an. equal knowl-
edge of surgery and medicine. Why,
then, should these pursuits not be erect-
ed into a 'gentlemanly profession?'"
Why may they not, indeed? And why
not, I beg leave to add, into a lady-
like profession? I place the sugges-
tion before the readers of the Queen,
as affording a new and perfectly legit-
imate opening for the employment of
women, and in a field in which numbers
of ladies already excel, more particular-
ly as practical gardeners, en amateur,
no doubt, but with a skill and taste
which are not to be met with in men
following the profession or business of

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

171

gardeners, except a few at the very top
of the profession. Why should we not
have eur female Paxtons and Kents?
Mrs. Loudon, instructed no doubt by
her talented husband, imbibed a great
taste for and love of the art ; and other
ladies might find in Horticulture a pro-
fession which would be remunerative,
and could not detract in itself in any
way from their social status as gentle-
women.

Leaving the laying out of landscape
gardens and parks to the gentlemen,
there is still, in other branches of gar-
dening, a wide field open, in which
ladies thoroughly educated in the science
of Horticulture and Botany might find
employment, and in which their less
fortunate sisters, with ordinary strength
and less preliminary training, might
work. I remember, a short time since,
reading an account of a college or
school of Horticulture for women in
America, and it has long been matter
of astonishment to me that, in the pres-
ent dearth of remunerative employment
for women of the middle-class, no one
has yet thought of making them "gar-
deners." The idea was suggested many
years ago, in my hearing, by a well-
known literary gentleman, and was
called forth by the universal — and it
now appears never ending — complaints
of the want of knowledge, and, I am
sorry to add, the predatory habits of
the numerous jobbing gardeners my
mother had in her employment. I i*e-
member that one of my sisters and my-
self, in utter despair of getting any
good work or good result in the way of
flowers for effect, or fruit for eating,
from the coachman - gardener and his
numerous myrmidons of gardeners by
the day, took upon ourselves the entire
superintendence of the greenhouse and
out-door garden. The former was a
very large one, the latter a good sized

suburban piece of ground. We only
stipulated for the services of the man
to remove large pots, dig the ground
where very heavy, and wash the green-
house ; he was to be entirely under our
orders. We went to work with enthu-
siasm, determined to succeed, and, as a
matter of course, we did succeed beyond
our hopes.

Of course, if there are women (but I
am loth to believe it) so foolish as to
be afraid of soiling their hands or spoil-
ing their complexion by being much
out in the open air, I do not address
them. My suggestions are meant for
those who look upon the duties of life
seriously, and who, being compelled by
circumstances to earn their daily sub-
sistence, would find in Horticulture not
only a remunerative but a delightful
occupation ; and if the Pall Mall cor-
respondent be correct in his views, it
would pay. He sajj: "Of course,
the question may suggest itself, will it
pay? I am quite disposed to think it
would. I, for my part, and I have
heard others say the same, would often
be glad to pay my guinea for a visit
from a skilled horticulturist." If the
want of scientific knowledge among
working gardeners is as great as this
implies, women, by taking up the pro-
fession, could do no injury to the other
sex; they would oust no one from his
place, and would simply step into a
void, filling up the gap between the
shining lights of Horticulture and Bot-
any, and the ignorant, obstinate, job-
bing gardener, who very often takes
the name of one without any knowledge
of the duties, but a great idea of the
perquisites of the situation. — The Queen.

Sponges of good quality are found
on the coast of Florida, but the fishing
is not extensively prosecuted there.

172

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

HEDGES.

BX E. J. HOOPEE.

The subject of hedge fences is an im-
portant one with us. Every year, as
timber becomes scarcer, the necessity ( as
well as the love of beauty, both in gar-
dens and fields), for some substitute for
posts, rails, and boards, becomes more
apparent. One of the most expensive
items in a fruit or flower cultivator's
accounts is his fencing bill ; no one is
so well acquainted with this fact as
himself. That he does not immediately
accord to live fences the preference, is
simply because, with all his knowledge
of the continued cost of the present
system, he is not sure that, without a
cost still greater, live fences can ever be
made equal to the wooden ones in ser-
vice for all the purposes to which " post
and rails," etc., are applied. We must'
confess that when we look at the few
live fences that we see in any part of
California, there is good reason for this
indifference, and even dislike to the —
as some say — '"new-fangled notion."
Wherever these attempts have been
made at hedging, it would be difficult
to point out even a single instance in
which a genuine farmer or horticulturist
would not reasonably prefer some kind
of wooden fence. We are continually
reminded of the hedges of Europe by
newspaper writers, who hold up those
affairs as models worthy of imitation.
But, we who "have been there," and
we think are tolerably well acquainted
with the subject, know that very good
hedges even there are rather the excep-
tion than the rule ; and that these have
to be kept up at a very considerable
annual expense. We consider that much
of whatever effectiveness European
hedges do possess, is more owing to the
" ditches" which are there accepted as
the legal boundaries to property, as well

as the divisions of fields and gardens
from one another, than to any great
merit in the hedges themselves. These
hedges, for the most part, are full of
what are there called " gaps," or open
places, made by the breaking through of
boys, sportsmen, and other unruly cat-
tle ; and after every bi-yearly trimming
which they receive, a horse and man is
employed in carting the clippings to
these open spaces, and they are there
used to mend these " gaps" with. No
wonder, then, that with these poor ex-
amples nearly everywhere before them,
our cultivators of the soil are very sus-
picious of change.

Notwithstanding all this, with good
materials, or, in other words, with the
proper shrubs, and with good judgment
and proper pains, we can make in this
highly favored soil and climate very-
good hedges, and when the science of
the subject is understood, can make
them superior to anything Europe can
produce. There they chiefly use the
Cratcegus or White Thorn; and this
plant is a valuable one for us possibly,
if it can stand drought. We have also
some excellent plants with which to
make them, and which are superior to
any of the materials of which foreign
hedges are made. I allude, for in-
stance, to the Osage Orange; for an-
other, the Honey Locust; and for a
third, that plant lately recommended
and found in this State in great abun-
dance— the California Wild Cherry —
(Cerasus illicifolia). The first has prov-
ed an invaluable boon to the farmers of
Illinois and the prairie lands generally,
where timber is very scarce ; and in
England just now, its introduction
there is exciting universal attention.
The second forms a strong hedge, and
has been found successful in the East
in turning effectually all stock; and the
third, although not yet tried to any ex-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

173

tent, has every quality to make a good
hedge in our climate, and has succeeded
as a beautiful hedge with F. B. Fuller,
opposite the Los Gatos Nursery.

In starting to make a hedge of either
of these, it must not be forgotten that
they are, all of them, naturally trees;
and as we want them to become shrubs
when in the condition of a hedge, we
have to resort to peculiar treatment to
make them alter their nature. The
object is to check their tree -growing,
upright tendency, and to make them
dwarf and very bushy. Now, one of
the very worst modes of effecting this,
is to give them severe prunings at the
fall of the year, and little or no atten-
tion in the summer season. Yet this is
the almost universal practice with those
who try them. At the time of planting,
the plants are cut to within six or nine
inches of the ground, and every suc-
ceeding fall or winter, for three or four
successive years, cut nearly back to
where they sprouted from. They gen-
erally get a shearing about August or
September — not sooner; a few weeds
are taken out once or twice a year, and
this is their almost invariable course of
treatment.

An experienced physiologist will at
once perceive that this practice will
never make a good hedge out of sub-
jects naturally trees; but this is not so
apparent to the "uninitiated." To them
it seems one of the most natural things
in the world, that to make anything
bushy, all that needs to be done is to
head it down. But this is- only true
under certain conditions.

The first process with hedge trees is
to make them shrubs, which must be
done by some of the known princi-
ples of dwarfing. There are three
recognized modes of dwarfing trees,
namely, ringing, root - pruning, and
summer -pruning. The two former be-
Vol. in.— 23.

ing impracticable in such an extensive
affair ae hedging, the last mode is the
only available one for the purpose.
Summer -pruning has a very remarka-
ble effect on trees, the exact reverse of
pruning when plants are in a compara-
tive state of rest. If a tree is cut down
immediately after the fall of the leaf,
or in September or October, . the next
season it pushes forth with renewed
vigor, determined, as it were, more than
ever to be the tree nature designed it.
So great is this power given it by the
winter or late pruning, that if a few
successive years of this system were
persevered in, without any counteract-
ing influence from summer -pruning,
what few side branches the stump had
made would be entirely destroyed, and
nothing would remain but a dense mass
of erect, strong - growing shoots. On
the other hand, cutting off the shoots
of trees immediately after they have
put forth in the spring, so weakens
them, that in a few years the trees
would die outright.

It is obvious, that to make a good
live fence out of trees — that is, to make
them become good shrubs, with a uni-
form growth both at the sides and at
the top — some discrimination is neces-
sary in the matter of pruning. The
strong - growing central shoots only
should be cut off in summer, and this,
too, before they have completed their
season's growth. The sides should
be encouraged to make the strongest
growth possible; which is to be attained
by pruning in the winter, and in the
winter only.

If these principles were duly recog-
nized, live hedges would cost but half
the expense they now do ; because,
though they would have to be gone
over twice a year, they would in fact
receive but one complete pruning.

We conceive that in offering: these

174

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

remarks, by bringing this subject before
the thinking portion of the community,
from whom the most substantial knowl-
edge is dispensed to the tillers of the
soil, who, in general, are too apt to
undervalue what is called mere book
knowledge, we are aiding a not unim-
portant branch of horticultural knowl-
edge.

♦

FLAVOEING WITH LEAVES.

Leaves are more or less popular for
garnishing, but it has often surprised
me, says a correspondent of the Garden,
that they are so little used for flavoring.
"With the exception of sweet and bitter
herbs grown chiefly for the purpose,
and Parsley (which is neither bitter nor
sweet, but the most popular of all fla-
voring plants), comparatively few other
leaves are used. Perhaps I ought also
to except the Sweet Bay, which is popu-
lar in rice and other puddings, and cer-
tainly imparts one of the most pleas-
ant and exquisite flavors. But, on the
other hand, what a waste there is of the
flavoring properties of Peach, Almond,
and Laurel leaves, so richly charged
with the essence cf Bitter Almonds, so
much used in most kitchens ! Of course,
such leaves must be used with caution,
but so must the spirit as well. An in-
fusion of these could readily be made,
either green or dry, and a tea or table-
spoonful of the flavoring liquid used to
taste. One of the most useful and
harmless of all leaves for flavoring is
that of the common Syringa. When
Cucumbers are scarce, these are a per-
fect substitute in salads or anything in
which that flavor is desired. The taste
is not only like that of Cucumbers, but
identical — a curious instance of the
correlation of flavors in widely different
families. Again, the young leaves of
Cucumbers have a striking likeness in
the way of flavor to that of the fruit.

The same may be affirmed of Carrot-
tops, which are as like carrots in taste
as may be. In most gardens there is a
prodigious waste of Celery flavor in the
sacrifice of the external leaves and their
partially blanched footstalks. Scores
of sticks of Celery are cut up into soup,
when the outsides would flavor it equal-
ly well or better. The young leaves of
Gooseberries added to bottled fruit give
a fresher flavor and a greener color to
pies and tarts. The leaves of the Flow-
ering Currant give a sort of intermedi-
ate flavor between that of Black and
Bed Currants. Orange, Citron, and
Lemon leaves impart a flavoring equal
to that of the fruit and rind combined,
and somewhat different from both. A
few leaves added to pies, or boiled in
the milk used to bake with rice, or
formed into crusts or paste, impart an
admirable and almost inimitable bou-
quet. In short, leaves are not half so
much used for seasoning purposes as
they might be.

Utilization of Sawdust. — M. Gustave
Hueze says that, though sawdust de-
composes very slowly, yet it may be
economically used as a litter in stables,
and left for several months in contact
with the solid and liquid excrement of
animals, which it readily absorbs. It
may also be composted with quick-lime
and left in a heap for about a year. Ad-
ditions may be made to this heap from
time to time, but, when such additions
are made, the whole heap should be
well stirred. It will be improved by
being frequently saturated with urine
or sewer-water. Sawdust thus treated
may be used on partially exhausted soils
with great advantage. — Department of

Agriculture.

»

The vintage of the Australian vine-
yards is estimated at 500,000 gallons.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

175

THE CULTURE OF CAMELLIA JAPONICA.

Read before the Bay District Horticultural Society
BY E. MICHELSEN.

In presenting this essay for consider-
ation, it is not my intention to give the
results of experience in this country of
the culture of this valuable plant, be-
cause we may safely assume, the Camel-
lia has never been cultivated here ! For
importing plants from the East, potting
them and giving them a place in the
greenhouse, and only looking after
them when the flowers are developing,
can not be called cultivation in the prop-
er sense. Cultivation is the continued
effort to bring it to its highest possible
standard of perfection; or, to what I
especially refer, the raising it in large
quantities for the trade.

Heretofore our nurserymen, who
should be leading cultivators of those
plants which require a more careful
and peculiar treatment, never found the
necessary time for it; they, I deeply re-
gret to say, joining the general exertion
for the acquirement of material wealth
as fast as possible, neglected those
plants which did not bring the desired
pecuniary results at shortest notice. I
feel confident that the raising of Camel-
lias, after once being fairly started,
would prove to be more remunerative
than those plants that anybody can raise
easily m large quantities in a short time.
The growers of Camellias would be
more protected against competition, by
the very nature of the plant; as it takes
at least three years before a plant is sal-
able, and those plants which arrive here
from the East are at least doubled in
price on account of freight, loss on the
road, etc. Instead of importing Camel-
lias, they should be made an article of
export, as we have considerable advan-
tages in raising them, in regard to cli-
mate, over the eastern cultivators.

All vegetables grow here to the great-
est perfection. California has become
proverbial for its immense production of
plants, flowers and fruits, and there is
no good reason why we should not be
just as successful with Camellias. It is
asserted, even by practical horticultur-
ists, that the climate is not favorable !
The air is too dry, dust, scorching sun,
etc., are the only reasons given; but
have not the cultivators of this noble
plant elsewhere also to battle against
these adverse influences, besides a great
many more? I need only to mention
the long, cold and damp winter they
suffer in the East and in Europe, to
give a thrill of horror to every experi-
enced horticulturist.

The Camellia is here cultivated in
greenhouses only, and the impression
appears to be general, that it will not
grow in the open air, and even not in
frames, although it is a perfectly hardy
plant; more insensible to the effects of
cold than Cycas revoluta, Chamerops
humilis, etc. , which do well in sheltered
localities. If proper attention is paid to
the Camellia, and it is sheltered against
wind, heavy rain, and excessive heat,
and receives such soil as its peculiari-
ties require, and good drainage, I have
not the least doubt its growth would
afford perfect satisfaction. Regarding
no other plant, it may be safely said, do
more differences of opinion exist in ref-
erence to its culture, even among suc-
cessful cultivators, than of this plant;
thus showing that the Camellia is in
fact not very particular as to the mode
of its treatment. This, however, will
be conceded by all, that it must be mod-
erately shaded against the scorching sun;
that it should be kept rather moist dur-
ing the flowering season and while it is
forming new leaves, and when these are
hardened the supply of water should
be gradually diminished, and the soil

176

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

be kept comparatively dry, while the
plants should be sprinkled twice a day
to assist the newly forming buds in
developing into flower-buds, otherwise
they are likely to start afresh into sec-
ond growth, and then, in most cases, all
the flowers are lost.

In regard to the proper soil, opinions
differ widely. I have seen Camellias
cultivated in rich, fibrous peat, mixed
with one-half sand; they grew in this
soil, in frames, as thriftily as a Pittospo-
rxini tobira grows here in the open air.
But as peat of that quality can not be
obtained here, I would recommend a
mixture of three parts rich loam, two
parts peat, and one part sand. Our
eastern friends appear to prefer a heavy
soil for Camellias; the ball of the im-
ported plants is always as hard as a
brick. It is really surprising that the
Camellias do not give it up in despair,
before they are considered sufficiently
strong to be sent out to California.

Let us now turn our attention to the
raising of plants. Begin at the begin-
ning, and make the cuttings with three
to four eyes early in spring, put them
in the bed in the propagating house,
cover them with extra glass, keep them
close, and give regular bottom heat of
about 75° to 80°. In about two months
they will make roots; when these have
attained sufficient strength, give the
young plants three -inch pots, and put
them in a moderately hot bed. After
they have made here their first growth,
and the leaves are hardened, the better
varieties may be planted out in a frame,
while those which have to be grafted
must be kept under glass until August
of the following year, when they will be
strong enough for the operation.

This grafting is a very simple process :
a cut is made half through the stem on
a convenient place ; the scion is cut
wedge-like on both sides with a clean

cut, and of the length of about two to
three eyes ; insert it into the stem, tie
some soft cotton string around it, and
put the plant in a propagating house;
this should be kept moist and close; the
plant should not be sprinkled. If the
operation is performed carefully, the
scion will have formed connection with
the plant in six to eight weeks; then the
new plant must be hardened gradually,
be kept under glass during the winter,
and planted out in a frame in the spring.
The frame should be two and one-half
feet high, the floor being nine inches
below the walk; five to six inches of
sand should be filled in, and on this a
layer of six inches of soil. After these
preparations are completed, all is ready
for planting out the young Camellias.
Blant them in rows, about nine inches,
and the plants in the rows six inches,
apart. The frame should now be kept
close and well shaded; watering should
be done in the morning. It will also
have a very beneficial effect if the plants
are sprinkled in the afternoon, before
the sun disappears, and the frame then
be closed. The water evaporating, will
produce a moist, soft air, which will ef-
fectually prevent the red spider and
other insects from infesting the plants.
After the plants have made their first
growth, they should receive more air.
Whether it would be advisable here to
remove the glass entirely during sum-
mer, and give shade only, I am not pre-
pared to say; I am, however, inclined
to the opinion, that it would be more
beneficial to keep the plants under glass,
especially as I have not the least doubt
they will, after they have had sufficient
rest, make a second growth, during
which they should receive similar treat-
ment to that in spring. The glass may
be taken off during the fall, until the
heavy rains set in. Next spring, before
the plants begin to grow, they should be

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

177

cut back, according to size and strength
of plant, in order to make them bushy
and to get cuttings. They must now be
treated as last year. The majority of
the plants will be salable when they
have finished their first growth; then
they must be potted, put in a green-
house, and be kept close and shady.
There they must remain until fall, when
they will have formed new roots, and
then are ready for sale.

FISH CULTUEE.

Nearly every known animal, large or
small, has its own peculiar parasites or
lice, that prey upon the larger animal,
generally to its inconvenience, and
oftentimes affecting the health. It
would seem as though fish, constantly
immersed in water, might be free from
parasites, but such is not the fact. Liv-
ingston Stone, in his work on " Domes-
tic Trout," says:

"It is well known that when trout
become injured or unhealthy, a fungoid
growth appears in blotches over the
surface of their back, and usually ter-
minates in fatal results in a few days.
It has been supposed that the fungus
eats into the tissue of the fish, and de-
stroys it.

"The microscope reveals, however,
that it is not the fungus that penetrates
into the fish, but a multitude of micro-
scopic worms. They are not found in the
upper parts of the fungus, but just be-
low the roots, or where the fungus joins
on the surface of the skin. Here, be-
tween the roots of the fungus and the
body of the fish are found hundreds of
these creatures, incessantly in motion,
and apparently eating vigorously.

"They are about one-eightieth of an
inch in length and one two-hundredths
of an inch in diameter, and are provid-

ed with a mouth, and at the other ex-
tremity with about twenty claw-like
appendages for fastening on to the fish
on which they feed. They are contin-
ually eating into the tissues of the fish,
and the twenty tentacles enable them to
fasten on so tightly that the fish can
not shake them off. These parasites
appear to live on the flesh of the fish,
and the fungus to live on the digested
matter into which they transform it.

" This discovery led to some experi-
ments in search of a remedy, and it
was found that a strong solution of salt
destroys the parasites. Experiments
were then made of immersing a trout
in salt water, and it was found to be
perfectly harmless, if not too long-con-
tinued. A method was thus found of
killing the parasites without killing the
fish, which fact was confirmed by actu-
ally taking a trout covered with fungus,
and immersing him in a salt bath for a
moment or two, and afterward keeping
him by himself for several days. The
fungus peeled off, the parasites were
killed, the bare spots healed over, and
the trout got well.

" From all of which we may, I think,
draw the following conclusions; That
it is the worm, and not the fungus,
which eats into and kills the fish; and
that the fish can be cured, when not too
much weakened, by immersion in a
strong solution of salt. I used a table-
spoonful of salt to a pint of water, and
kept the fish in it till he went over
on his back, and then took him out
and put him instantly into cold running
water. "

To Prevent Rust. — It is said that
equal parts of carbolic acid and olive
oil, smeared over the surface of the in-
struments, are an unfailing preventive
of rust in any climate.

178

THE CALIFOBNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

miUfwl WvxtMw.

a."

It is a source of deep regret and mor-
tifying discouragement to us, that so
little interest was taken in the late
Floral Exhibition of our Horticultural
Society, in this city, by the general
public, and more especially by those of
the community who affect a love of the
beautiful'and vaunt their refinement of
taste. It is useless to plead horse-dis-
temper, inclemency of the weather, etc.,
as these impediments did not prevent
the attendance at other places of amuse-
ment; and it is evident that horse-rac-
ing, circus-riding, and the grimaces and
antics of clowns, with the attendant
noisy and coarse music, are more taste-
ful to a very large portion of our popu-
lation.

Although we were in a measure sus-
picious of these preferences, yet we
hoped a further advancement of taste
had been made, and that although a
creditable appreciation of the higher-
grade music and purer and more natural
delights of a flower and plant exhibi-
tion might not be displayed by the
public, yet for the sake of their chil-
dren, whose. mental cultivation and re-
finement are largely assisted by such
instructive displays, we trusted that
sufficient patronage would have been
awarded the Society to have at least
reimbursed it in the actual outlay for
the music, decorations, and the num-
erous etceteras, instead of leaving it
some $2,000 deficient, independently
of the unrequited labor of not a few
enthusiastic members of the Society,
whose bitter disappointment and dis-
gust can be readily imagined.

We must nevertheless state, that there
were many pleasing exceptions to this
too general apathy, and we are happy
to say, that, although the attendance
was light, yet it consisted of the elite of

our community, in education, wealth,
and refinement, and that they were
highly appreciative. It was doubtless
on these points the best recognized of
our fairs; and to these friends, as mark-
ing their approval of what they saw and
heard, we suggest a kindly considera-
tion of the following appeal, which the
Trustees of the Society have considered
expedient to address to them.

San Francisco, June, 1873.

Dear Sir: — It has been the misfort-
une of the Bay District Horticultural
Society of California, to meet with a
very heavy loss in their late Spring Ex-
hibition. Various circumstances, among
which may be mentioned the horse dis-
ease, the inclemency of the weather,
and the general depression of business,
may be assigned as causes for the apathy
exhibited by the general public.

It is, however, very apparent that but
little interest is taken in the arduous
efforts of this Society to foster taste,
supply information, discuss matters per-
taining to Horticulture, encourage the
culture of useful and ornamental trees
and shrubs, and introduce such plants
as are desirable for our peculiar climate.

Our Art Association, our Mechanics'
Institute, our Academy of Sciences, are
each well sustained. Then why, also,
should not the Horticultural Society
receive like support? Certainly it is of
the greatest importance to California,
that the horticultural and floral as well
as the agricultural resources of our State
should be fully developed, both for rn*of-
it, for comfort, and for ornament.

Since the unfortunate result to the
Society of the Spring Fair has become
more generally known, a feeling of
kindly sympathy has arisen, accom-
panied with a general expression that
the Society should be sustained. In
order to avail ourselves of this increased

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

179

interest in the welfare of this Society,
and to place the institution on a better
basis, the Trustees have considered it
expedient to appeal to all who feel an
interest in Horticulture and Floricult-
ure, to become members ; and they hope
that at least three hundred life-mem-
bers may volunteer into its ranks.

E. J. Hooper, Esq., a gentlemaivwell
identified with the interests of Horticult-
ure and Floriculture, has kindly con-
sented to wait upon you for your con-
sent to become a life-member of our in-
stitution. We append the folio wing-
extract from the press:

The recent Floral Exhibition. —
"We regret very much to know that the
late "Floral Exhibition" in our city,
and for which so much labor, time,
and money has been expended, has most
undoubtedly, resulted in a considerable
loss to the Horticultural Society, as
well as to its members.

The question now arises, why is this ?
We have a city of over one hundred and
seventy thousand people, and although
a very handsome place of entertainment
was opened for them at a very low cost,
a display of the very choicest products
of the gardens and conservatories, plants
of great beauty and rarity, together with
the luxury of the choicest music both
by clay and evening for a week, yet
during a greater part of the day, the
hall has received but few visitors, and
even in the evenings the attendance
has been slim.

Have our people lost the love of flow-
ers and music ? or are they so wedded to
the pursuits of business and to money-
making that these higher claims upon
their natures have become as it were
dormant.

When we visited this " Hall of Floral
Beauty," and saw so few visitors, we
confess we were not only surprised but
sorrowful, for it does not speak well for
the tastes and the liberality of our citi-
zens, who should give an earnest en-
couragement to exhibitions of this kind,
for they are the nurseries of a higher
taste in the youth of this age; and, like
the " Art Union" of our city, which we

are glad to know is highly prosperous,
this Society and these exhibitions should
be as liberally sustained, for " Art and
Nature" are the handmaids of Science —
they are the beautifiers of the earth.

EEPORTS OF SOCIETIES.

American Pomological Society: Four-
teenth Session, and Quarter - Centennial
Celebration. — Whereas, the American
Pomological Society, at its last session,
accepted the invitation of the Massa-
chusetts Horticultural Society, to hold
its Quarter-Centennial Celebration and
Biennial Session in the city of Boston,
in 1873:

Therefore, in conformity with said
acceptance, the undersigned give notice
that the Fourteenth Session of this Na-
tional Association will be held in the
hall of the Massachusetts Horticultural
Society, Tremont Street, in Boston,
commencing Wednesday, September
10th, 1873, at 10 o'clock, a.m., and
continue for three days.

All horticultural, pomological, agri-
cultural, and other kindred associations,
in the United States and British Prov-
inces, are invited to send delegations,
as large as they may deem expedient,
and all persons interested in the culti-
vation of fruits are invited to be pres-
ent and take seats in the Convention.

The coming session will be especially
interesting, commemorating, as it will,
the termination of the first quarter of a
century of the Existence of the Society,
and it is believed will be one of the
most important and useful that the So-
ciety has ever held. On this occasion
there will be brought together the best
cultivators and fruits of our widely ex-
tended country, when may be examined
and compared the fruits, not only of
the cooler climes of the North, but of
the South and West, and the Pacific
slope. It is therefore very desirable

180

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

that every State, Territory and Province
of America should be fully and ably
represented in this convention, thereby
promoting the advancement of one of
the great resources of our national
wealth, the extension and perpetuation
of the amicable and social relations
which have heretofore existed among
the members of the Society, and the
diffusion throughout the land of our
deliberations, for the benefit of our
constantly expanding territory.

It is therefore hoped that there will
be a full attendance of delegates from
all quarters of our country, thereby
stimulating more extensive cultivation
by the concentrated information and
experience of cultivators, and aiding
the Society in perfecting its Catalogue
of Fruits. This will be one of the
prominent subjects which will come
before the Society, and we therefore
respectfully urge the various State and
local committees which have not al-
ready responded to the circular of P.
Barry (Chairman of the General Fruit
Committee, Rochester, N. Y.), to do so,
with such information and lists of fruits
as may aid in determining what varie-
ties are best adapted to their several
localities.

At this session the Society will ap-
point the place for its next meeting,
and also decide what action it will take
on the invitation to participate in the
International Exhibition at the Centen-
nial Celebration of 1876, in Philadel-
phia, and it is respectfully requested
that members come prepared to express
their opinions in regard to this subject.

Arrangements will be made with ho-
tels, and as far as possible, with the
various railroad companies, terminating
in Boston, for a reduction of fare, and
of which notice will be given in a future
circular. Similar arrangements can
undoubtedly be made by the various

delegations with roads in their locali-
ties.

Members and delegates are requested
to. contribute specimens of the fruits
of their respective districts, and to com-
municate in regard to them whatever
may aid in promoting the objects of the
Society and the science of American
Pomology. Each contributor is re-
quested to prepare a complete list of
his collection, and to present the same
with his fruits, that the report of all
the varieties entered may be submitted
to the meeting as early as practicable.

The Massachusetts Society for pro-
moting Agriculture have kindly appro-
priated five hundred dollars, and liberal
sums have been promised by other gen-
erous patrons. See premium list.

An increased interest will be given to
the occasion by the Grand Exhibition
of Plants and Flowers by the Massa-
chusetts Horticultural Society, which
will occur at. the same time.

Packages of Fruits, with the name of
the contributor, may be addressed as
follows: "American Pomological Soci-
ety," care of E. W. Buswell, Massachu-
setts Horticultural Society, Boston.

All persons desirous of becoming
members can remit the fee to Thomas
P. James, Esq., Treasurer, Cambridge,
Mass. Life Membership, twenty dol-
lars; Biennial, four dollars.

Maeshall P. Wildee,

Boston, Mass.
F. R. Elliott, Secretary,
Cleveland, Ohio.

Spring Exhibition of the Bay Dis-
trict Hobticultueal Society. — The first
annual Spring Exhibition of our Horti-
cultural Society opened on Wednesday,
May 8th, at Horticultural Hall.

At 3 o'clock p.m., punctually, Dr. A.
Kellogg, the worthy President of the

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

181

Society, introduced the orator of the
day, Dr. E. S. Carr, Professor of Agri-
culture of the State University, who de-
livered the opening address. The Pro-
fessor, in his usual style, gave a very
interesting sketch of the history of Hor-
ticulture ; reviewing its progress from
the earliest period of ancient times to
the present da}-; and he succeeded well
in his efforts to enlighten his hearers,
and to encourage their praiseworthy en-
deavors to advance the progress of Hor-
ticulture.

Professor Carr spoke from his manu-
script for fifty minutes. His address
had no immediate reference to the Ex-
hibition; it did not criticise the produc-
tions displayed in the hall ; but it re-
viewed the history of Horticulture from
the birth of civilization in India to the
present day. The Professor adverted
to gardening among the Hindoos, the
Assyrians, the Hebrews, the Egyptians,
the Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and the
Aztecs ; and then he spoke of gardening
in modern Europe and modern America.
He remarked that what France can af-
ford to do at Versailles and Fontaine-
bleau, and England at Kew Gardens,
we can afford to do in California. Our
people were beginning to realize the
benefit of public gardens to health and
morals. What we need more than any-
thing else, is the general diffusion of a
knowledge of the subjects relating to
Horticulture, among the whole people.
Botany ought to be one of the daily
studies in all our common schools. Our
city parks should be so planted as to
furnish these schools with essential ob-
jects of instruction, and ever}- country
school-house ought to have its shrub-
bery and its garden. Crowning and
completing this, our State should pos-
sess, either connected with its Capitol,
or University, or both, a botanic gar-
den and arboretum, in which specimens

Vol. m.— 24.

of every plant adapted to this clime
might be found. We had excellent
models at Kew Gardens, and the Gar-
den of Plants, at Paris, both of which,
besides being of inestimable value to
science, are good examples of scientific
gardening. Both had grown up from
humble beginnings to be the pride of
their respective nations. The features
of these gardens the Professor now de-
scribed ; and he remarked, that at Kew
are to be found more of the refinements
of horticultural art than in any place
in the whole world. He feared it would
be a long time before we have in Cali-
fornia such a collection of our noble
coniferous trees and shrubs as was ex-
hibited in the arboretum at Kew, not
to speak of the Indian, Chinese, Japan-
ese, South American, and Australian
Flora, so ably represented under glass
and in the open ground. But that we
have made some beginning in the right
way, there were abundant evidences
before them. The Horticultural Socie-
ty had, he doubted not, a noble and
useful career before it. Such exhibi-
tions as the present were of immense
value, from the stimulus that they gave
to public and private undertakings; and
ranked, perhaps, higher than public
gardens in usefulness, inasmuch as they
diffused so much information through
their published proceedings. This had
been the case with the Royal Society of
England, and in our own country the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society had
attained a high rank. We should prob-
ably never see in America such an arbo-
retum and flower -palace as at Chats-
worth, or such a fifty-acre flower-garden
as that of Drumlanrigg, the result of
private enterprise; but we should see
them, he trusted, in our co-operative
parlors and gardens, and in the grounds
of our State institutions, or we should
be found wanting in one of the most

182

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

vital and significant marks of a high
civilization : and he trusted that the
time was not far distant when the pos-
sibilities of this coast in Horticulture,
Floriculture, and Agriculture, would be
realized on the University grounds at
Berkeley. Every state in Europe had
noble collections of useful and orna-
mental plants — had them even in their
colonies, as the French at Martinique,
and the English at Melbourne, in Vic-
toria, and Sydney, in New South Wales.
Even Brazil sets us an example worthy
of imitation.

The Professor was heartily applauded
at the close of his address.

Dr. Kellogg then announced the Ex-
hibition open to the public, and all
present availed themselves of the op-
portunity to examine the various collec-
tions.

The hall presented a very gay and
festive appearance, and nothing seems
to have been neglected to make the Ex-
hibition a perfect success. The deco-
rations were very appropriate and com-
plete; the music all that could be de-
sired. Everyone conceded that the
enterprise deserved a fair appreciation
from the public, and a financial suc-
cess.

The plants in general were far supe-
rior to those exhibited on former occa-
sions, and this fact alone gave the most
favorable indication of progress. The
better cultivation, better selections, and
a better arrangement of the various
groups, did not escape the notice of the
visitors.

To give a full description of all the
details would take up too much space
in these columns., -and as most of our
readers undoubtedly visited the Exhibi-
tion themselves, we shall confine aur-
selves to the leading features.

In all 138 entries were made, each
entry representing a collection. The

principal exhibitors were E. L. Reimer,
F. Liidemann & Co., Miller & Sievers,
E. Meyer, and R. B. Woodward.

The most meritorious groups may be
summed up as follows:

Flowering Plants in Bloom, of which
three collections were entered. The
collection of Mr. E. Meyer obtained
the first prize.

Of Evergreens indigenous to Australia,
two collections were offered. The col-
lection of Mr. E. L. Reimer was really
meritorious, containing over 100 differ-
ent species, well cultivated; he obtained
the first prize.

Of Coniferous Trees, two entries were
made. Mr. Reimer received the first
prize.

Conservatory and Greenhouse Plants
were well represented ; three collections
were entered. The first prize was award-
ed to Mr. E. Meyer; but we think that
the decision of the judges on this point
may be criticised, as also in various
others. It would have been more satis-
factory to the exhibitors and the public,
had the report of the judges been ac-
companied by explanations, assigning
reasons for their decision. However,
more of this at some other time.

Bedding Plants were shown in two
collections, and F. Liidemann & Co.
obtained the first prize.

Hardy Ornamental Foliage Plants were
represented in two collections. We no-
ticed in these groups a very remarkable
improvement. Many really excellent
and valuable specimens were shown.
The collection of Mr. Reimer obtained
the first prize.

Tender Ornamental Foliage Plants al-
ways form one of the most attractive
features of floral exhibitions. Three
collections were shown, and, as usual,
it was a foregone conclusion that Mr.
Woodward deserved the first prize,
which was awarded to him. The sec-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

183

ond prize was adjudged to Miller &
Sievers.

Tropical Plants were fairly represent-
ed in the group arranged by Mr. Brown
of Woodward's Gardens. He very de-
servedly obtained the first prize without
any competition.

Climbing Plants were well represent-
ed by three different exhibitors. The
collections were extensive, and made a
good showing throughout. In our opin-
ion the various collections were equally
meritorious; however, the first prize was
adjudged to E. Meyer. #

New and Rare Plants were shown in
four different collections. "We can not
uphold the rulings of the judges on
this point. The exhibits were all more
or less meritorious.

Of Plants adapted for Hanging Bas-
kets and Bock-work, the collection of F.
Liidemann & Co. was awarded the first
prize, and well deserved it.

The Exhibit of Perns made a grand
showing, and formed one of the leading
features of the Exhibition. There was
only one general collection entered, by
Miller & Sievers, numbering over fifty
species, all in fine condition. The first
prize was awarded to them.

Mr. Woodward entered Twelve Sped -
men Ferns, which represented some ex-
cellent varieties, but did not come up
to the standard of specimen Ferns; al-
though they deserved the prize for which
they competed.

Miller & Sievers exhibited Five Speci-
men Ferns, which were the best plants
ever shown here.

Of Ornamental Grasses, the same firm
had a good collection, for which they
received the first prize.

Boses in Bloom are always most desir-
able features in an exhibition. Three
collections were entered, the best of
which was shown by Mr. E. L. Eeimer.
The judges gave him the third prize,

declining to give the first or second, for
which act we can not assign any suffi-
cient reason. A general opinion pre-
vailed, that Mr. Eeimer was entitled to
the first prize. His roses were well-
grown, in healthy condition, and free
from mildew, which has of late affected
nearly all the Roses in this neighbor-
hood. His collection comprised forty-
three excellent and popular varieties,
all in perfect bloom.

For Cinerarias, the first prize was
awarded to Mr. E. Meyer.

For Coleus, F. Liidemann & Co. ob-
tained the first prize.

The same firm received the first prize
for Fuchsias.

The first prize for Double Geraniums,
and also for Variegated Leaf Geraniums,
was given to Mr. Reimer.

Flowering Begonias were exhibited by
Miller & Sievers, and obtained the first
prize.

The following additional prizes were
awarded :

. For Variegated Leaf Begonias, first
prize to Mr. Woodward.

For Auriculas and Primulas, first prize
to Miller & Sievers.

For Pansies, first prize to F. Liide-
mann & Co.

For Verbenas, first prize to Miller &
Sievers.

For Pinks, first prize to E. Meyer.
For Petunias, second prize to Miller
& Sievers.

For Camellias in bloom, second prize
to E. Meyer.

For Best-grown Plants, in ten varieties,
first prize to E. L. Reimer.

For Plants indigenous to California,
first prize to Miller & Sievers.

For Bustic Hanging Baskets — First
prize to Miller & Sievers. The same
firm obtained the first prizes on Wire
Hanging Baskets, Bustic Flower Stand,
Wire Flower Starid, and Bound Fern-case.

184

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The exhibit of Coniferm Cones, by
Mr. C. Stephens, was the most complete
ever shown here, and was awarded the
first prize.

Mr. E. Meyer received the first prize
on his beautiful Square Fern-case.

The exhibit of Cut Flowers was not
so general as might have been expect-
ed. We understand that some of our
florists were deterred from exhibiting
on account of pressure of business.
This may be so. "We know a much bet-
ter display could have been made. The
most meritorious general collection of
Cut Flowers was placed on exhibition by
Messrs. Liidemann & Co., who received
the first prize.

The Cut Roses of Mr. Reimer were
really beautiful, and worthy of close
examination. He deserved and obtain-
ed the first prize.

The Cut Fansies of Messrs. Liide-
mann & Co. were exquisite, and could
not have been better; they were award-
ed the first prize.

The Cut Finks of Miller & Sievers
were excellent, and were rewarded by
the first prize.

The judges on Plants, Cut Flowers,
and miscellaneous articles, were: Mr.
Ed. Wolleb, an amateur and lover of
flowers; Mr. Henry A. Sonntag, form-
erly one of the leading florists of this
city; and Mr. Nicholson, a well-known
florist and nurseryman of Oakland.

The Bouquet Show took place on Mon-
day, May 12th, and was, contrary to
our expectations, meagre. We were sor-
ry to see that so little interest was man-
ifested in this particular branch of floral
exhibition, when it is a well-known fact
that our San Francisco people can well
appreciate a good floral ornament in the
shape of a bouquet, basket, etc.

The three principal exhibitors were
E. Meyer, Miller & Sievers, and E. L.
Reimer.

Mr. Meyer received the first prize on
his Round Bouquets and Wedding Bou-
quets.

Miller & Sievers were awarded the
first prizes on their Basket of Floioers,
Funeral Wreath, Cross, and Flat Bou-
quets.

E. L. Reimer deserved and received
the first prize on his gigantic and well-
shaped Pyramid Bouquet.

The judges on Bouquets and Baskets
were Mr. C. Schuman, Mr. C. Stephens,
and Mr. A. O. Cook.

Financially, the Exhibition was a
complete failure: the Society has sus-
tained a loss of $2,000. This is a very
lamentable fact, and not flattering to
the taste of the people of San Francis-
co. We are surprised at the result, and
can not understand why the attendance
at the Exhibition Hall was not more
numerous. Certainly there was noth-
ing wanted to please the visitor. All
who were present were delighted, and
general satisfaction was expressed.

We shall at some other time have
more to say in regard to this neglect of
more generous support to an institution
so well deserving of the good- will of
our people. Something must be done
to awaken more interest in Horticulture
on this coast, and the sooner a strenuous
effort is made by the Society to increase
the list of their members to about five
hundred, the better it will be for all
concerned.

We venture to say, however, that the
Exhibition would have yielded more
money if circumstances had been more
favorable.

The postponement of the opening
from May 1st to May 8th created some
confusion, and unnecessarily increased
the expense of advertising and other
preparatory work.

The weather during the time of the
Exhibition was very unpleasant and un-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

185

favorable; so much so that many who
were anxious to attend were compelled
to stay at home with their families.
The evenings were very cold and windy,
and offered no inducement to promenade.
We hope most sincerely that the So-
ciety will be enabled speedily to over-
come the effects of their loss, by ap-
pealing to the generosity of many hun-
dreds of our wealthy citizens, who
should consider it a pleasing duty to ex-
tend their support to an institution so
well calculated to benefit the communi-
ty and the State at large.

Cherry -Trees. — These should never
be highly manured. Singular as it may
seem, better results have been obtained
by growing Cherry-trees in grass than
by cultivating them as highly as Pears.
Experienced fruit-growers in Delaware,
who once began a system of manuring
and treatment of Cherry-trees, found,
after an expeiience of a few years, that
the bark would burst, gum would ooze
out, and many portions of the tree show
an unhealthy condition. The growers
immediately discontinued high feeding,
and seeded the land down to grass.
The trees recovered their health, and
have borne beautifully since the system
of gi-ass- culture began. It is the only
fruit-tree of all varieties which we can
safely recommend to be treated in this
way. A Delaware friend says his row
of Cherry-trees, growing in grass along
the fences, are the picture of health and
luxuriance ; while in previous years
with orchard culture he could never
make them successful. — Independent.

From the vast establishment of the
wealthy, to the tulip-bed of the florist,
or the potato -patch of the cottager,
there is in gardening a perpetual source
of recreation, instruction and practical
benefit.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

The gardens are now in fine order,
and appear to be attracting a large
amount of attention from the holiday-
keeping portion of the community. The
conservatory and green and tropical
houses are well deserving the inspec-
tion of the scientific botanist, as well
as the practical gardener and amateur.
Gloxinias and Achimenes are abundant,
in fine condition, and great variety. Be-
gonias also are very attractive; we no-
tice a very fine plant of Begonia odorata,
which invites attention by its handsome
appearance and rich perfume. Gloriosa
superba, Aphelandra aurantiaca, and A.
Herefolia, Franciscea eximea, and Cero-
pegia elegans (of which this is the only
specimen on this coast), are some of the
most interesting plants. There is also
a very handsome specimen of Cleroden-
dron Balfouriana profusely in bloom ; .
Phelia mimosa, or smoke plant, is curi-
ous, and there are some fine varieties of
Hibiscus.

The Rex family of Begonias, Caladi-
mus, Euphorbia splendens, Busseliajun-
cea, Alutelan vexiliariiun, and Agapanihus
umbellata, are well represented. Stepha-
notus floribunda is in full bloom, as also
Cactus spathiosa. The Colei family afford
a magnificent contrast in their gorgeous
tints. The Fuclisias and Salvias are
also in great variety. Salvia patens
(blue Salvia) exhibits an exceedingly
pure and Irilliant tint of that pleasing
color. There are also several fine vari-
eties of Orchids in bloom, while the
splendid condition and rich assortment
.of this group is very gratifying, both to
the amateur and professional gardener.

The Cinchona Tree is quite extensively
cultivated for Peruvian bark, in Bengal.
It is a native of South America, and
its introduction in California is recom-
mended.— California Agriculturist.

186

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

FAVORS RECEIVED.

The Overland Monthly. — By favor of
John H. Carmany & Co., the June
number of this always welcome maga-
zine is at hand. This is an excellent
number. The " Comstock Lode," "Ca-
lifornia Indians," and "Commercial and
Monetary Interests of California," par-
ticularly interest us.

A Simple Floral Ornament. — A con-
tributor to the Gardeners' Magazine says
that a lady friend of his gathered a
handful of the flowers of Forget-me-
not, (Myosotis palustris), and, to preserve
them as long a period as possible, they
were put in a large soup-plate filled
with rain - water. The flowers were
placed near the window, so as to en-
joy the advantages resulting from an
abundance of light and air, and the
water was replenished when needful.
In about three weeks, white thread-like
roots were emitted from the portion of
the flower-stalks in the water, and they
ultimately formed a thick net-work over
the plate. The flowers remained quite
fresh, except a few of the most advanc-
ed when gathered, and, as soon as the
roots began to run in the water, the
buds began to expand — to take the
place of those which faded; and up to
the middle of November, the bouquet —
if it may be so called — was a dense
mass of flowers, and a more beautiful
or chaste ornament for $ie indoor apart-
ment can not be imagined. — Boston
Journal of Chemistry.

The Walnut crop is quite an item in
Los Angeles County, Cal., where more
attention has been bestowed upon the
propagation of the Walnut than in any
other part of the State. Fifty thousand
pounds of this year's crop have been
sold at ten cents per pound.

WORK FOR THE MONTH.

BY P. A. MILLEB.

The spring of 1873 has been unusu-
ally unfavorable to all kinds of garden-
ing, both in and out of doors. We
have had no late rains, and the soil had
become very dry as early as May 15th.
This lack of moisture has been attended
by heavy and cold winds, which pre-
vailed during the greater part of May,
retarding the development of all kinds
ef vegetation, as well as the maturing
of the spring crops in general.

Notwithstanding all these unfavora-
ble circumstances, the grain fields, the
vineyards, and the orchards at present
promise a fair average crop ; which,
however, may be a disappointment to
many, who, at the earlier part of the
season, had every reason to expect a
most abundant crop of fruits as well as
of cereals. However, things in general
might be much worse than they are,
and therefore we see no sufficient cause
for grumbling. What we consider here
unfavorable weather did not deprive us
of our usual abundance of Strawber-
ries, Cherries, and other fruits and veg-
etables, of very fair quality; and this is
a strong argument in favor of the immi-
gration to California, which is steadily
increasing.

All that California wants to make it
the most prosperous land upon the
globe, is a thorough system of irriga-
tion where it is practicable. Wherever
the waters of our lakes and rivers can
be made available for this purpose, it
should be done. Where the work is
too heavy for individuals, the State and
Congress should aid all legitimate and
bona fide enterprises, which may seek
to accomplish the desired object.

Vineyards and orchards should be
thoroughly examined. Mildew, if per-
mitted to spread in the vineyard, will

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

187

do much damage. An excellent remedy
is an application of sulphur, wherever
any traces of mildew appear. In the
orchard various insects are apt to do
harm, and if they can be destroyed be-
fore overrunning your trees, you may
save yourself much labor and annoy-
ance.

This is an excellent time for the prop-
agation of all kinds of soft -wooded
flowering plants, such as Geraniums,
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Pelargoniums,
Petunias, Yerbenas, Begonias, etc.; al-
so for the propagation of Pinks and
Carnations.

All cuttings should be well shaded
during bright days. The sand in which
you intend to plant your cuttings should
be well saturated with water before
planting, so that you may not be com-
pelled to water soon afterward. The
grand secret, in California, in the treat-
ment of all tender seeds and cuttings,
is to water sparingly. If they are placed
close under glass, well shaded, and with
a moderate bottom heat of fresh ma-
nure and tan, sufficient moisture will
be condensed continually to make wa-
tering unnecessary, until the cuttings
are rooted, or the seedlings well ad-
vanced.

♦■ .

California Chestnuts. — The Oakland
Transcript gives an account of a speci-
men Chestnut taken from a tree grow-
ing in the foot - hills of the San Pablo
Range. The Petaluma Argus states
that in the forests in the northern part
of this county and in Mendocino, there
are a considerable number of Chestnut-
trees, some of them being from four to
six feet in diameter, and from one hun-
dred to one hundred and fifty feet in
height. If the Chestnut is indigenous
to this climate, California ought not to
import the nut from the East at a high
figure.

REPORT ON THE FRUIT MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEB.

It is all very well to talk of fruits as
the gift of nature; as being such exceed-
ingly wholesome diet, and all that
sort of thing. Fruits, people say, be-
ing provided for man's refreshment and
health, can not possibly be injurious.
But, we think, these people ought to
define what they mean by the benefits
to be derived from the use of fruit,
what sort of fruit, and in what condi-
tion it should be when eaten. If it be
the matured and perfect product of a
tree or shrub, in which the saccharine
element is freely evolved and distributed
with plenty of good juicy matter through
the pulp, which has itself lost its early
tenacity — in other words if it be ripe fruit
they mean — we see no objection to
a liberal consumption of it. But if they
call early, rather solid, and nearly green
Apricots or Cherries, early green Ap-
ples and Pears, little shriveled taste-
less Peaches, Water-melons almost with-
out a particle of sweet juice in them, and
Plums as hard as bullets, fit offerings at
the shrine of Pomona, and suitable
food for either a rustic or a civic popu-
lation, then we wish, if it were in our
power, to condemn these sellers of
and dealers in this immature and injuri-
ous diet, to eat what they offer and
recommend to a credulous and confiding
public.

In fact, no kind of fruit should be
gathered from the trees until it is either
quite ripe — or, in some varieties, till it
is in such condition, that it will attain
the desirable maturity within a certain
time after gathering, becoming, thereby,
suitable in its wholesomeness for assim-
ilation in the human system. If dealers
are willing to sacrifice the health and
well-being of their customers for sor-
did and "filthy lucre," the buyers them-

188

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

selves must be instructed by those
best informed and most experienced in
the subject, not to risk their own health,
as well as that of their families, by buy-
ing this unripe and destructive trash,
called fruit.

If Strawberries were not among the
most beneficial fruits in the world, un-
doubtedly the very unripe condition in
which they are at first brought to mar-
ket, to collect the plenteous dimes of
the wealthy, would be productive of
great mischief ; but there is such an in-
herent healthfulness in this berry, even
in its immature or half-ripe condition,
that the injury to the consumers of it is
really very small. [Qy? Ed.] Not so,
however, with other fruits. Parents
should beware of the trouble and sick-
ness they may inflict on themselves and
children by their use in an unripe state.
The public taste for fruit has for ten
years past, in this State, increased at a
far greater ratio than the supply has in-
creased. The idea is prevalent, and
with good reason, that the use of fruit is
one of the most certain conducives of
health, as well as one of the greatest luxu-
uries. No one who would like to engage
judiciously in its culture, need have any
fear that the market will be glutted by
the time his trees may come into full
bearing condition.

In the production of Strawberries,
Blackberries, Melons, Grapes, Peaches,
and Pears, we beat the whole world ;
not so much in quality, as in the quan-
tity we produce. The amount that is
sold here would appear almost incred-
ible, and what we shall soon be able
to send abroad will astonish even our-
selves.

There is abundant encouragement to
plant every kind of fruit except Goose-
berries and Raspberries, which, at pres-
ent, will warrant only a limited culture;
but there are other sorts sufficient to

afford a rich supply of fresh fruit for
the whole season, until winter intervenes
and rests the exhausted energies of Na-
ture.

Cherries first appeared in market
about the 12th of April. They came
from that early producing region in and
around Pleasant Valley, in Yolo County.
Along the moderately elevated foot-hills
the severe and late frosts in April did
but little damage to vegetation and ear-
ly fruit blossoms. It is in the lower
grounds, where the dampness lingers
longest, that the most injury ensues to
the various crops and unfolding buds.

Strawberries, although rather later
than usual this year, have been, and
still are, abundant and cheap. The
cool weather which has remained with
us so long this spring, is conducive to
the production of large crops of our
favorite berry. Longworth's Prolific is
always worthy of its name, but especial-
ly so this season. No other kind as yet
is able to compete with it in hardiness,
productiveness, and flavor, combined.
Its irregularity of shape is but of small
consideration, and its color, although
not so bright as some others, is rich and
tempting in appearance. The writer
well remembers its origin, and first ap-
pearance in Cincinnati, in 1843. Being
an hermaphrodite, it was deemed ex-
tremely valuable among so many merely
staminates and pistillates, and soon rose
very high in public favor.

Green Gooseberries showed them-
selves on the stalls on the 1st of May.
What a pity it is that we can not en-
tirely overcome the mildew in the Eng-
lish Gooseberry; although we hope this
year to be able to record some success
in its prevention by a zealous cultivator
of fruits in Napa Valley.

Cherries (10th May) do not make any
great display as yet, but before this re-
port is printed, supplies will be very

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

189

liberal. This is a profitable fruit to cul-
tivate in this climate, as we have not
here the heavy and long rains which
sometimes rot it in the East.

California Lemons are not abundant,
but the Sicily variety has lately well
made up for this. Cargoes of Tahiti
Oranges keep arriving, and further ship-
ments from Los Angeles are being con-
tinually received.

Chestnuts have disappeared entirely
for the season.

The initial consignment of any large
quantity of Gooseberries to our fruit
market arrived about the 12th of May.

Apples and Pears nearly disappeared
on the 15th of May.

Currants were seen first in market on
the 18th of May.

Apricots were first offered to the pub-
lic on the 19th of May.

The first California- grown Tomatoes
made their appearance on the 16th of
May, though in limited quantities. Egg-
plants and Okra on the 20th of May.

Cube fob Rheumatism. — One of the
latest fashions in physic — though we
are not aware that it is recognized by
the faculty — is the use, by the Belgians,
of the Plectranthus fruticosus for rheu-
matism. All that i$T required, it seems,
is to grow the plant in the room inhab-
ited by the sufferer. As the plant is so
very commonly grown in cottage win-
dows in England under the name of
the Nettle Geranium (being, however,
neither a nettle nor a Geranium) it
might have been thought that its virt-
ues, if it has any, would long since
have been discovered here, and that
rheumatism would be non-existent in
English cottages enlivened by this
plant. We are sceptical on the point,
but really have no definite reasons for
our unbelief. — Gardener's Chronicle.

C&flitwiirt (SMtamtofliSi.

NEGLECTED PLANTS.

There are few plants of greater beau-
ty as decorative specimens, when well
cultivated, than is the Humea elegans,
for this plant, well grown, forms one of
the finest ornaments to the flower gar-
den; its rich and unique perfume being
also wafted by every breeze that blows.
At the same time, if poorly cultivated,
it is but a weedy, inferior plant. The
Humea elegans is, however, easy of cult-
ure, so that there is nothing whatever
to hinder it being generally cultivated
in Victorian gardens. When placed
upon terraces, or in groups of three or
five at the termination of walks, the Hu-
mea gives a marked and peculiar char-
acter to ornamental grounds, and an
aristocratic expression to the whole.
Such plants as Liliums, Fuchsias, Hy-
drangeas, and Gladioli are admirably
adapted as associates of the Humea ele-
gans. It is a Chinese plant, and is
named after Sir A. Hume. It is also a
biennial, and therefore it is necessary to
cultivate it thoroughly in order to bloom
it the first season. In England it is
frequently grown ten feet in height,
and perfectly bushy, covering some
eight feet in diameter at the base, and
when well in bloom exactly resembling
a fountain in full play, the blossoms be-
ing a lovely auburn color, moving with
every breath of wind, and at the same
time giving off a very agreeable and
aromatic odor, at once refreshing and
uncommon.

As regards the cultivation of the Hu-
mea elegans, it is best, in the first place,
to secure a little seed, which can be
sown at this season of the year in pots
or boxes, the soil most suitable being a
sandy loam. If a frame or greenhouse
is available, so much the better, for the

Vol. in.— 25.

190

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

pots or boxes can be placed therein.
When the young plants have come up
well, they should be pricked out into
separate flower-pots, only one in each;
and as they afterward require it, into
larger size; or they may be planted out
of doors where they are to permanently
remain directly they have attained to
nice sturdy little plants, when their
growth will be very rapid. But do
not crowd them too much round with
other plants at first, for they require
plenty of air and space, forming their
roots only slowly. If they are wanted
for ornamental vases, they should be
gradually potted into larger pots, as
they need it, until they are finally placed
in the vases, for they do not like moving
when once planted out in the open
ground. When first planted out, a
slight shading may be found necessary,
such as a few boughs stuck round them,
gradually inuring them to the powerful
rays of the sun. If they are thus man-
aged, they will, in some six or eight
months after the seed is sown, form
handsome plants, and the cultivator
who grows them will never regret the
time and attention devoted to them.

The sprays of blossoms cut from the
plants and placed among cut flowers
are great additions, particularly to nice-
ly arranged epergnes for the drawing-
room or dining table. The Htimea ele-
gans has so far been an almost totally
neglected plant in our Victorian gar-
dens, and we are convinced that it is
chiefly from the want of knowledge of
its great beauty that it has not been
made a first favorite. We trust, there-
fore, that some of our energetic ama-
teurs will try this elegant plant, for we
are sure that, when once seen well done,
it will quickly become rescued from ap-
parent obscurity. — Melbourne Times.

THE LAUGHING PLANT.

We are apt to believe what we wish.

Palgrave's work on Central and East-
ern Arabia furnishes something new for
botanists. A plant is described under
the name of Laughing Plant, the seeds
of which produce effects very much like
laughing gas. It grows solely in Ara-
bia, attaining a height of only about six
inches at Kaseem, while at Oman it
rises to three or four feet, with wide-
spreading branches, being woody and
the leaves green. Its flowers, in tufts,
are yellow. Two or three black seeds,
much like French Beans in size and
shape, are produced in a soft woolly kind
of capsule. They have a sweetish taste
with a slight flavor of opium. The odor
from them is rather offensive, producing
a sickening sensation. The essential
property of this extraordinary plant is
in the seed, which, pulverized and ad-
ministered cautiously, soon begins to
operate in a way to create astonishment.
The person begins, to laugh boisterous-
ly; then he dances, sings, and cuts fan-
tastic capers of a ludicrous character.
Such extravagance of manner was never
witnessed from any other dosing. It is
uproariously funny for about an hour.
It is a common amusement to charge
food with the powder for an unsuspect-
ing individual, for the harmless enjoy-
ment of his capering antics. When the
excitement subsides, the exhausted ex-
hibitor falls into a profound slumber.
In another hour, on awakening, he is
totally unconscious of what has occur-
red. It is a common expression that
there is nothing new under the sun.
Surely, to men of science this is some-
thing new, which demands the care-
ful investigation of such extraordinary
properties of a vegetable growTth that
exercises such potent influence over the
brain. For it is morally certain that this
recently discovered Laughing Plant,
so extraordinary in its potent influence

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

191

on the human brain, is something new
to science, demanding the attention of
dispensatory makers, as well as those
professors of materia meclica who are
supposed to know all that is to be
known of plants, from the Cedars of
Lebanon to the Hyssop that springeth
out of the wall. — American Artisan.

REFUSE OF TANNERIES.

Wm. S. Rand, of Lewis County, Ky.,
writing to the Country Gentleman, says:

"I was interested in a large tannery,
located in a barren and light, sandy,
white soil, destitute of any fertilizing
principles. Upon and over this aban-
doned surface the waste of tan-bark,
hair, lime, glue, scraps, and liquor or re-
fuse water, were carried promiscuously.
After the first year, seeds and grain of
all descriptions voluntarily grew. My
father, residing on these premises, who
is a practical horticulturist, observed
this demonstration of tannery refuse,
and put it to practical use over a tract
of about three hundred acres, as cir-
cumstances required. In a white, tena-
cious clay and sand soil he used the
hair and lime to raise Potatoes, both
Irish and Sweet. The returns exceeded
all expectation, and a comparatively
worthless soil is now a rich, productive
potato ground. The hair is slow to de-
compose, but lightens and invigorates
the earth. Rotten tan-bark is destitute
of many fertilizing principles, but the
experiment teaches that it is sustaining
to Clover, as clover-seed will germinate
and keep green in tan-bark longer than
in any other manure.

"Hide -scraps, scrapings, leather-
shavings — all which are animal sub-
stances — decompose, by which the
necessary gases are generated and im-
parted to the inquisitive rootlets. Es-
pecially when mixed with barn -yard

manure or compost heaps, this makes a
rich and valuable fertilizer, excelling
most of the manufactured stuff now on
the market as more productive.

' ' The liquid waste of tanneries con-
tains more fertilizing principles than all
others named, yet it is run off; but
wherever it does penetrate and serve
the soil, mark the increase.

"The refuse water of the lime-vats,
with equal part3 of the tan liquor, is
not to be excelled as liquid manure. In
addition, sprinkle it over vines and
Cabbages, and wash the bark of fruit-
trees with it — worms and insects will
disappear. It is safe on flowers — indeed
there is no waste of tanneries, if properly
applied. My father converted a desert
into a charming, useful, and profitable
soil — made the wilderness a beautiful
home — and the chief agency was the
use of the refuse of the tannery.

"Not a vestige of the tannery building
remains — the fire-fiend destroyed all —
but where it stood, and where the
branches leading the liquor flowed, the
surface that received the waste of the
tannery is rich in producing qualities,
and the luxuriant growth of every seed
that falls upon this once barren soil tells
of the transcendent value of the tan-
nery waste and refuse. It will restore
any land to productiveness, and prove
a useful and paying investment to ap-
ply it.

Blood Globules. — The number of
blood globules is greater in mammifers
than in birds, in the latter than in
fishes. The number is almost always
in an inverse ratio to the volume of the
globules; the relation between number
and volume is not proportional. Birds
gain more by the augmentation of the
volume of their blood globules than
they lose by the diminution in their
number.

192

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

Sheep in Vineyards. — Sheep seem to
have a strong antipathy for or a love of
weeds; it matters to the farmer but very
little which, so that they destroy almost
every pestiferous weed they find grow-
ing within their range; leaf, seed-pod,
the small limbs of all weeds, large or
small, are alike to them, and by them
are converted more quickly than by any
other practicable process into one of
the most fertilizing manures known to
farmers. Sheep fed with dry food, in
winter, always prefer a leafy hay, full
of the leaves of weeds, vines and clover,
to one of long straight stalks, as of
timothy or red-top, however nutritious
the latter may be for larger animals.
Farmers would do well to take advan-
tage of this weed- destroying propensity
in sheep, to clear their land, cultivated
or uncultivated, of noxious weeds. We
are not careful enough to extirpate
weeds before they go to seed, and par-
ticularly in unplowed and unpastured
fields. Hence, new seeds are ripened
and annually are self -grown broad-
cast over other portions of .our farms;
and particularly is this the case with
very many vineyard lands. Large rank
weeds are often seen peering even above
the Grape-vines in many places. Now
there is no more effectual way of de-
stroying the weeds, large and small, in
these same vineyards, than by turning
in droves of sheep immediately after the
vintage; and if you have not got them
of your own, borrow a flock of your
neighbor who has, and turn them in.
When they have destroyed every weed
and bunch of wild grass, they will feast
upon the drying leaves of the vines, and
the smaller and weaker shoots, but with
not the least injury to the vine as re-
gards grape -producing another year,
and will leave a considerable quantity
of manure just where you want it. — S.
F. Rural Press.

Is Poultry - keeping Profitable ? —
Upon this subject the Western Rural
makes the following just and sensible
remarks, giving some cogent reasons
why poultry should be kept upon the
farm, and as to the profits arising there-
from : ' ' For several years poultry have
been very profitable, eggs and chickens
commanding a high price. By a little
attention to their breeding and manage-
ment, poultry may be made very valu-
able to the farmer in many ways, one of
the most important being the excellent
manure they make. A comfortable,
frost-proof poultry- house should be con-
structed in such a position that the hens
will have access to the orchard, for they
are exceedingly useful for destroying
the curculio, the apple-worm, and other
hurtful insects. Plum-trees in a poul-
try yard generally yield an abundant
crop of fruit, perfectly free from the at-
tacks of the curculio. The best breed
of fowls are always the most profitable;
but even these should not be kept more
than two or three years. Old hens
should be got rid of, and young and
vigorous pullets put in their places.
The floor of the poultry-house should
be covered with wood-ashes, dry muck,
or old sawdust, for the purpose of ab-
sorbing the droppings of the fowls, and
preventing an offensive smell. The
house should be cleaned out frequently
and the manure kept in a shed, or in
large casks or boxes, until required for
use in spring; its effect on field or gar-
den crops is remarkable."

Tea of Great Value. — The greatest
dainty that the palate of a Chinese
craves is fan chow, the flower of tea. A
Chronicle man had an opportunity a
short time ago to sip the imperial tea
bloom, the priceless beverage of Celes-
tial extravagance. Learning that the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

193

enterprising firm of Castle Brothers,
213 and 215 Front Street, had samples
of a very rare tea, he visited the count-
ing-room of that firm, was shown the
samples, and directed to Tuck Chong &
Co., Chinese wholesale merchants, for
information. Tuck Chong, an urbane
Chinese, received the reporter kindly,
listened to his request to be shown the
imperial leaf, and brought in the price-
less luxury in a small and highly orna-
mented box of sandal-wood. The slide
lid was pulled out, and six alternate
layers of perfumed rice paper and silk
were carefully lifted.

Beneath all this covering was a gilded,
square piece of sandal-wood. This also
was lifted and the tea blossom was dis-
played. Rolled into balls, twisted into
tiny, flame-shaped rolls an inch long,
twisted very small, tied in little bunches
like cigarettes at one end, and whipped
into shreds at the other, was the tea flower,
packed into loose petals of its own kind
to preserve its fragrance. "This," said
Tuck Chong, "is a tea that only man-
darins of highest rank ever get a chance
to drink in China. It is grown on the
plantation of a very rich mandarin in
the province of Foo Chow, and can only
be gotten from him or his agent in
Pekin. There was once a law forbid-
ding its export, but even an American
can now buy and drink it. It cost $16 J
in China. My brother brought back a
few pounds on his last visit to China.
I have none for sale, but it could not be
sold in San Francisco for less than $20
a pound."

Viktues of Bokax. — It may not be
generally known how very valuable
borax is in various purposes of house-
hold use. We find it the very best
cockroach exterminator yet discovered.
One-half pound, costing but fifty cents,
has completely cleared a large house

formerly swarming with them, so that
the appearance of one a month is quite
a novelty. The various exterminating
powders puffed and advertised have
been found not fully effective, tending
rather to make the roaches crazy than
to kill. There is something peculiar,
either in the smell or touch of borax,
which is certain death to them. They
will flee in terror from it, and never ap-
pear again where it once has been plac-
ed. It is also valuable for laundry pur-
poses. The washerwomen of Holland
and Belgium, so proverbially clean, and
who get their linen so beautifully white,
use refined borax instead of soda, in
the proportion of a large handful of
borax powder to ten gallons of water.
They save soap nearly one -half. All
the large washing establishments adopt
the same mode. For laces, cambrics,
etc., an extra quantity of powder is
used; and for crinolines (requiring to
be made stiff) a stronger solution is
necessary. Borax, being a neutral salt,
does not in the slightest degree injure
the texture of linen. Its effect is to
soften the hardest water, and therefore
it should be kept on the toilet table.
As a way of cleaning the hair nothing
is better than a solution of borax in
water. It leaves the scalp in a most
cleanly condition, and the hair is just
sufficiently stiffened to retain its place.
This stiffness, however, can be readily
removed, if objectionable, by washing
with water.

Zinc Labels. — In nurseries and hor-
ticultural establishments generally it is
necessary to attach labels to the differ-
ent specimens, and when these are ex-
posed to the weather the writing on the
label becomes illegible in a few years,
and if care is not taken to renew it, the
inscription will be lost. These labels
are commonly made of wood, and the

194

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

inscription put on with a plumbago
pencil. Sheet -zinc cut into any con-
venient form, and attached either by a
slender point cut to the label, or by a
fine copper wire, is the best material for
labels. A special ink for the inscrip-
tion may be made by taking one part
each of acetate of copper and chloride
of ammonium, and half a part of lamp-
black, and mix these with ten parts of
water. Keep it in a glass bottle with a
ground-glass stopper. Shake well be-
fore using, and write with a coarse steel
pen. The writing will resist the action
of the weather for years. — Monthly Re-
port of Department of Agriculture.

Growing Tomatoes from Cuttings. —
A correspondent of the Western Rural
says: Sometime since, it occurred to
me that Tomatoes might be grown from
cuttings of the bearing vine, in the fall,
and wintered in greenhouses in a bear-
ing condition. Accordingly, I made sev-
eral cuttings and potted them in four
inch pots, when well rooted, and have
since continued them in a bearing con-
dition. They are now in fruit. The
object in view is to have early bearing
plants for spring, by the time they can
go out of doors, instead of waiting for
seedlings to acquire sufficient age to
produce fruit.

The experiment thus far is a success.
The plants are strong and thrifty, and
more stocky than when grown from
seed. They are disposed to branch at
the axil of each leaf, and need pruning
and cutting back. No plant roots easier
from cuttings than the Tomato.

The Osage Orange. — The Madura.
aurantica has become a familiar shrub
in most parts of the United States,
from its general use as a hedge-plant ;
but it is now proposed to utilize the

Osage Orange for other purposes. A
decoction of the wood is said to yield a
beautiful and very permanent yellow
dye, and this decoction, carefully evap-
orated, forms a bright yellow extract
called aurantine, which may be used in
imparting its color to fabrics. In addi-
tion to this coloring matter, the wood
of the Osage Orange is rich in tannin.
Experiments made in Texas represent
that hides are tanned quicker with the
wood of this tree than with oak bark.
The seeds yield a bland, limpid oil,
resembling olive-oil, and which may, in
general use, be substituted for it.

Discovery in Horticulture. — On the
authority of a translation from a French
journal, an exchange announces the
discovery, that by watering vegetables
and fruit-trees with a solution of the
sulphate of iron (copperas), the most as-
tonishing results are obtained. Applied
to growing Beans, they gained sixty per
cent, on their ordinary size, while the
flavor was much improved. Fruit-trees
were greatly benefited by watering with
this solution, the Pear-tree especially
being improved in thriftiness of growth
and productiveness. If our gardeners
and fruit-growers desire to make experi-
ments in this direction, they can be
made very cheaply, as copperas can be
purchased at wholesale at about three
cents per pound.

We have in the Gardeners' Chronicle
a remarkable instance of the luminosity
of fungi. The spawn of some unknown
species of fungus, growing on a trunk
of Spruce or Larch, was found to give
a perfect blaze of white light along the
track where the trunk had been drag-
ged. The light was enough to read the
face of a watch, and it continued for
three days.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

195

Floral and Vegetable Essences for
Perfume. — Nearly all the essences em-
ployed in perfumery are of European
production ; and yet, there are men in
obscure places in the United States who
have made modest fortunes producing
these essences. It will come to pass
that we shall pay more attention to
such productions, when we learn that
there is profit in something else besides
vegetables, fruits and grains.

This is the way the manufacture of
these essences is distributed in Europe :
England produces Lavender and Pepper-
mint largely. At Nismes, attention is
given to Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender.
Cannes extracts the essence of the Rose,
the yellow Acacia, the Jasmine, and
Neroli. Sicily furnishes Citron and
Orange ; Italy, Iris and Bergamot.

— Rural New Yorker.

Value of Barn- yard Manure. — The
tobacco growers of the Connecticut
Valley are beginning to learn the value
of barn-yard manure. Instead of pay-
ing fifty cents per load, as was former-
ly the rate, these farmers are now glad
to pay ten to twelve dollars per cord.
In consequence of the demand, large
quantities of stable-manure are shipped
thither from the States surrounding
Connecticut. If every farmer knew the
worth of stable-manure, he would see
that his own farm would pay him higher
prices for it than could be afforded by
the owner of any other farm. " A hint
to the wise is sufficient."

A Simple Deodorizer — One pound
of green copperas, costing seven cents,
dissolved in one quart of water, and
poured down a water-closet, will effect-
ually concentrate and destroy the foul-
est smells. On board ships and steam-
boats, about hotels and other public

places, there is nothing so nice to puri-
fy the air. Simple green copperas dis-
solved under the bed, in anything that
will hold water, will render a hospital
or other place for the sick, free from
unpleasant smells. For butchers' stalls,
fish -markets, slaughter-houses, sinks,
and wherever there are offensive putrid
gasses, dissolve copperas and sprinkle it
about, and in a few days the smell will
pass away. — Rural Carolinian.

From an exhaustive annual trade re-
view, printed in the San Francisco
Commercial Herald, of January 17th, it
appears that the Wheat -crop of Cali-
fornia in 1872 was 25,000,000 bushels;
that the Wheat and Flour exports were
7,000,000 centals ; that the gold and
silver yield of States and Territories
was $80,000,000; that the coinage at
the Branch Mint at San Francisco was
$16,380,000; that the foreign import
values at the port were $40,000,000,
and the export value by sea $24,000,000;
that the Wool clip was 25,000,000 &s ,
and that the Wine product was 4,000,-
000 gallons.

Make your Trees Branch Low. —
Train your Pear-trees for garden or
field use that they will branch at a
distance of one or two feet from the
ground. The advantages are easily
enumerated:

1. It is easy to trim.

2. It is easy to gather the fruit.

3. Falling fruit is little injured.

4. All branches being sturdy will not
be strained by over- bearing or over-
weight of fruit.

5. Soil will be kept shady and moist.

6. The trunk will be protected from
the scorching sun.

7. The tree will grow more and more
beautiful. — Horticulturist.

196

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Snuff fok Green Fly. — Gardeners
who have tried snuff to kill the green
fly, or aphis, on house-plants, say that it
works well if properly applied. The
plants should either be dipped in water
or thoroughly wetted in some other
manner, then the snuff may be blown
upon the plants through a pipe -tube,
sulphur -bellows, or in anyway to have
it reach every portion of the stems and
leaves. Of course, the snuff must be
very dry, and the following day wash it
off with a syringe, or by again dipping
the plants. — Rural New Yorker.

Roses in England. — An English jour-
nal says : Few persons are aware of the
magnitude to which the Rose may be
grown, or the splendid effect it can be
made to produce on a lawn or pleasure-
ground ; yet with a sufficiently strong
stem, and a system of careful and pa-
tient training, there can be no reason-
able doubt but that the standard Roses
can be grown to the size and form of
the Weeping Ash, having the branches
all produced from the top of a single
stem, and flowing downward upon all
sides — a very ornamental object for the
lawn.

Aphides ok Green Fly. — To destroy
these pests, boil an ounce of quassia for
ten minutes in one quart of water; then
add soft or whale-oil soap, about the
quantity of a small hen's egg, apply
this to the infested plants, and the de-
struction of the Aphides will be certain.
It will not injure the plants.

At a local meeting in New England,
one speaker said he considered the val-
ue of his farm enhanced $1,000, in con-
sequence of the attractiveness given to
it by Jive Mm -trees, planted along the
roadside by his grandfather 85 years
ago.

The Food Journal draws attention to
the wasteful system of peeling potatoes
before cooking. In most cases they
cook better in their "jackets." The
skins are much more easily removed
after cooking, and where the consump-
tion is considerable the saving would
be worth regarding.

It may be profitable to those having
turkeys in their yard, to know that pul-
verized charcoal mixed with meal and
potatoes, will fatten those birds in a
wonderfully short space of time. —
Southern Agriculturist.

Ten cubic yards of meadow hay weigh
a ton. When hay is taken out of an
old stack, eight or nine yards make a
ton. Eleven or twelve cubic yards of
clover, when dried, weigh a ton.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month, April 28th to May 28th, 1873.
(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Chronometer and Instrument - maker, Battery Street,
opposite the Custom-house.)

BABOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a.m 30.06 in.

do 12m 30.06

do 3p.m 30.05

do 6p.m 30.04

Greatest height, on April 29th at 9 a.m 30 . 26

Least height, on May 16th at 6p.m 29.93

THEBMOMETEB.
(In Vie shade and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 56°

do 12m 61°

do 3p.m 61°

do 6p.m 57°

Greatest height, on the 7th at 12 m 72°

Least height, on the 14th at 9 a. m 51°

SELF - BEGISTEBTNG THEBMOMETEB.

Mean height during the night 40°

Greatest height, on night of 8th 44°

Least height, on night of 21st 36°

WINDS.

Xorth and North-west on 10 days ; South and South-east on
2 days; South-west on 5 days; West on 14 days.

RAIN GUAGE.

April 28th 0.09 inches.

May 14th 0.01

Total 0.10 inches.

Total rain of the season up to date 17.94 "

WEATHER.

Clear on 20 days ; variable on 8 days; cloudy and foggy on
3 days

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

JULY, 1873.

]STo. 7.

CULTURE OF HOUSE -PLANTS.

BY F. A. MILLEE.
[Continued from page 17, January number.]

In my last, I commenced the enumer-
ation of a list of plants calculated to do
well in the house under ordinary treat-
ment. I headed the list -with the popu-
lar Chinese Primrose and the far-famed
Cyclamen, and endeavored to show that
many of the most desirable plants re-
quire moisture in the atmosphere as
well as about their roots; that the com-
paratively dry air of the rooms we
inhabit is not favorable to the growth
of plants, and that this difficulty may
be partly overcome by an occasional
sprinkling or syringing of the foliage.
If this can not be done in the room on
account of the injury to carpets and
furniture, let it be done in the porch on
a pleasant day ; morning is the best
time. Give fresh air whenever the
weather is pleasant,- and during very
hot days screen the plants from the
direct rays of the sun, which' are too
powerful through glass, unless it is
lightly frosted or painted.

There are many other points- which
should be carefully observed in the cul-
tivation of house-plants, such as proper
drainage, judicious watering, and the

Vol. III.— 26.

application of some fertilizing agent.
However, I shall have occasion to» speak
of these matters as we proceed in the
enumeration of my list of plants.

I can highly recommend the various
varieties of Begonia for cultivation in
the house; they have no superior. The
foliage of- some is most remarkable and
brilliant, while others give a profusion
of bright and graceful flowers at all sea-
sons. There are a great number of va-
rieties, all of which deserve a place in
a collection, and every year new ones
are added which generally prove to be
an improvement on some of the older
ones. Of flowering Begonias, the nine
best are:

Begonia nitida, having flowers white
and showy. This is an old and well-
known variety, nevertheless very desir-
able and easy to cultivate; it requires a
somewhat shady place, and is fond of
moisture. It continually throws out
young shoots from the roots, which
will flower in a few weeks. This plant
should not be allowed to run tip higher
than twelve to eighteen inches, when
the shoots should be cut back to make
room for the younger branches. To
grow a fine specimen plant, it should
be shifted into a one -size larger pot
every six months. In two or three

198

TEE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

years, the plant will have grown to such
dimensions that it should he taken from
the pot and divided. In doing this, it
is well to shake off all the earth and
plant the divided portions in four -inch
pots in new soil. Almost any kind of
light soil, mixed with old manure, will
answer the purpose. After dividing
the old root, all the old shoots should
be cut down, lettiug the young groAvth
remain. It is also easily propagated
by cuttings.

Begonia parvifolia is another very de-
sirable plant for its foliage as well as
for its white flowers, which are smaller
than those of the former, but are pro-
ducecbin still greater abundance during
winter and summer. This variety should
be grown to the height of from nine to
fifteen inches, and if frequently cut
back it will form a dense mass of foliage
and flowTers. It should be shifted into
a pot one size larger at least once every
year. It also grows readily from cut-
tings, although much slower than nitida.

Begonia semperflorens is a charming
variety, its bright red flowers hanging
in graceful masses from every branch,
during every season of the year. This
. also is an old variety, but will always
remain popular. Ordinary treatment
suffices to develop its neat and elegant
habit to perfection.

Begonia hybrida midtiflora is very dis-
tinct from all the others; its flowers are
of a delicate pink color, rather small,
but produced in great profusion through-
out the year. Its foliage is graceful,
and its habits neat and compact. It
should have a place in every collection.

Begonia Weltoniensis is the queen of
all the flowering Begonias, and of recent
introduction. I do not know any plant
which combines more good qualities.
Its foliage is really exquisite, large and
richly shaded; the stems of the stock
and branches are of a beautiful reddish

color; its habit is compact and pleasing,
and the flowers, which it produces in
great abundance, are of a very delicate
pinkish rose-color. It is a perfect gem,
is of easy culture, propagates freely
from cuttings, and is satisfied with any
light and sandy soil, mixed with one-
third old manure. No one should be
without it; it was introduced here last
year, and young plants may soon be had
of our florists at moderate rates.

Begonia odorata is a great improve-
ment on the old varieties, on account of
the delightful fragrance of its large and
beautiful white flowers. It is of very
recent introduction, but plants may now
be obtained in some of our floral estab-
lishments. Its foliage is large and of
a rich dark -green color; its stem is apt
to run up too high, and in order to grow
it in a bushy and more compact form, it
should be pinched in frequently. Every
one should have it ; its cultivation is
not subject to any difficulties.

Begonia Boliviensis is also of recent
introduction ; it is remarkable for its
very large and showy bell -shaped flow-
ers of a rich scarlet color, and very
graceful pendent form; it is tuberous-
rooted; its habit is to grow well up; its
foliage is light green, and contrasts well
with other Begonias. It is a grand
novelty, and very distinct from all the
other varieties. During this spring it
has flowered with us in great profusion,
and is admired by every one. The plant
should be allowed to rest during the
winter -season, and be kept in a rather
dry condition; it does not require large
pots. But very few plants are cultivated
here, as it is difficult to import it in
good condition. Certainly, it is a most
desirable acquisition from Bolivia, its
native country.

Begonia Verschaffeltii is one of the
very best; it was introduced about three
years since, but is not yet cultivated to

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

199

a great extent, as it propagates rather
slowly. It throws up immense flower-
stalks well above its elegant foliage, to
the height of two to four feet, produc-
ing a brilliant mass of flowers of pinkish
color, and remains in bloom for a long
time. It is one of the most effective
flowering Begonias. An abundance of
flower-spikes are produced in succession
during spring and summer.

I shall close my list of the most de-
sirable flowering Begonias with the

Begonia smaragdina, which, although
an old variety, deserves the attention of
every amateur. It blooms with us freely
during the winter months, and its flow-
ers, which are produced in the style of
those of B. VerschqfeUii, are of much
more graceful and dwarfish nature, and
of a very delicate light pink color. Its
foliage is most remarkable, and answers
the purpose of an ornamental foliage
Begonia; leaves of a light green, mar-
bled with dark green. It is one of the
easiest to cultivate, but does not seem
to thrive well in the shade. It should
be watered sparingly until it is ready to
bloom, when water should be applied
more liberally.

The collection of Begonias named
and described above will give the full-
est satisfaction to every one who wishes
to cultivate the very best class of house-
plants. They should be in every house.

[To be continued.]

Knots ok Plum -Trees. — A corres-
pondent of the American Institute Far-
mer's Club says that for removing knots
from Plum-trees, he takes a paint-brush,
dips it in spirits of turpentine, and
thoroughly saturates the knot, being
careful not to touch the tree except in
the diseased parts. The turpentine kills
the excrescence; the tree puts on healthy
branches below it. He burns all branches
of diseased trees removed in pruning.

FRUIT-GROWING— ALDEN PROCESS OF
PRESERVATION OF FRUITS.

EX E. J. HOOPEK.

The cultivation of all those kinds of
hardy fruits that we have already suc-
cessfully acclimatized in California, and
of probably a great many more of ten-
der, semi-tropical, and even tropical
habits that may yet be adapted to our
highly favored State (some of these
latter have already become profitable in
the warmer parts of the country), is not
only an enterprise of great money value,
but also very important and valuable in
a social, economical, and hygienic point
of view. However cheaply one country
may be supplied from others with fruits,
whether, in their fresh and natural state,
or canned, dried, or by the lately dis-
covered Alden process (which, seems to
prepare them next best to the fresh or
canned), it can never become a general
consumer of this healthy diet, unless it
is raised within its own limits, and im-
mediately at hand. The consumption
of fruit has the effect of cheapening, of
course, some other articles of food, and
in the careful statistics of the North-
western Dairymen's Convention, we find
that '.' fruit materially affected the con-
sumption of cheese, meat, and bread."
Fruit supplies a more agreeable, whole-
some, and sanitary substance of food
for man than some other articles. The
many wild fruits, also, that have in the
course of time been reclaimed from
their natural condition, or improved,
mark greatly advanced steps in human
progress and refinement.

The advantages which California pos-
sesses over the rest of the Union for the
production of such almost numberless
varieties, offers the greatest encourage-
ment to fruit -raising. In nearly all
the other States the Peach is limited,
the Pear has diseases, the Plum has too

200

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

many insect pests, the Cherry too often
rots and is injured by insects, and
Grapes are expensive in their cultiva-
tion, and are very limited in their vari-
eties (the native only being hardy out-
of-doors). The Apple is their most
generally suitable fruit, and even that
in many sections is very much defaced
by a variety of insect enemies. Their
severe winters and springs occasionally
are very injurious, and too often also
even destructive. But here in Califor-
nia, there is no limit to fruit production,
and fortunately so, when the processes
of its successful preservation in several
ways are taken into consideration. And
this affords us an opportunity to de-
scribe the new "Alden " process, which
seems most opportunely to present itself
at the present time as a means for the
profitable disposal of our surplus fruits,
particularly when they are raised at an
inconvenient distance from the markets.
This method of drying fruits and vege-
tables has been lately introduced into
California at the village of San Loren-
zo, Alameda County. The principle of
desiccation is quite rapid, and ferment-
ation is obviated by its being operated
at a high temperature; the surrounding
atmosphere must be moist. The fruit
is placed on shelves or trays of gauze
in an apartment whose temperature is
not more than 210 deg., nor less than
160 deg. at the bottom, and 110 deg. at
the top. The trays are gradually raised
twenty or thirty feet in this chamber,
and, within about seven hours after
they have step by step reached the top,
they are ready to be taken out. This
reduces them about seventy per cent, in
.weight, and they are ready for sale.

The dampness maintained in the
chimney or chamber produces an excel-
lent effect on the fruit, it 'being far su-
perior to that which is commonly dried
in kilns or in the sun, and it sells more

readily. This operation has been most
successfully adopted in many places in
the East, and. is coming into general
use there.

The plan of preservation does not
cause the fruits to shrink as in the com-
mon processes, and when soaked in
water, they come out into their original
size, taste, and colors. It costs but half
a cent per pound for the green fruit, and
if this process is adopted here it will af-
ford us as great and even greater advan-
tages than any other fruit district in the
world enjoys, when our wonderful re-
sources and means for the production
of so many various fruits which are
adapted to our soil and climate are con-
sidered. The Alden fruit occupies only
one -fifth of the weight of the fresh
fruit, and can be sent to market at only
one -fifth of the cost. It will keep for
years, and will enable fruit -farmers at
great distances from the markets, to
send their fruit thus preserved, at times
best suited to their convenience. "We
shall at any rate, very shortly see what
success attends the San Lorenzo estab-
lishment, and our fruit -cultivators will
doubtless be guided accordingly.

When these arts of preserving fruits,
which are now in their infancy, shall
become general, and so perfect that our
surplus crops can be utilized, the ex-
tent to which fruits and vegetables will
be consumed will be on a scale surpass-
ing all present conception. The antic-
ipation that the market for abundantly
producing kinds like ours will be over-
stocked, must be met by ascertaining
the districts and countries most needing
them.

Probably, as in the introduction of
most improvements .in every science,
there will not be wanting parties who
will raise the cry of humbug, and utter
doleful preachments against patronizing
novelties; but in this Alden process we

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

201

have an almost certain guarantee (from
its success in the East) that with all our
superior advantages in California for
the purposes required, we are likely to
witness something extraordinary in its
effects in an economical, as well as pe-
cuniary aspect.

It would seem that in nothing do we
more need to learn than in the proper
handling and marketing of our fruits.
Thousands of bushels of Grapes, Apri-
cots, Pears, Apples, Peaches, and Plums,
etc., are annually most wastefully fed to
stock, or allowed to rot on the ground.
Many more thousands have been shaken
from the trees, tumbled into bags, bar-
rels, or wooden boxes, and trotted over
rough roads until their market value
was reduced to barely the cost of this
rough handling, and the owners are
now doubtingly considering the ques-
tion, Will fruit-growing pay? Well,
this Alden affair, it is to be hoped, if a
paying result is reached and made pub-
licly known, will help to effect a benefi-
cial change in our fruit interests in this
State. We shall from time to time re-
port progress with regard to it, and be
able, probably, to write something more
about it in our August and September
numbers.

The Wheat crop of the country for
last year is estimated by the Agricultural
Bureau at 240,000,000 bushels more
than for the preceding year, and the
quality is also much better. The de-
partment estimates the Indian Corn
crop of the United States to be eight
per cent, above the average. The yield
of Oats is estimated to be not quite two
hundred and sixty-five million bushels.
Barley is reported as not likely to be
less, but poorer than last year, and Rye
two per cent, less in quantity than last
year, though generally good.

AGAPANTHUS.1

BY F. A. MLLLEE.

A highly valuable bulbous - rooted
flowering plant, which has been culti-
vated very successfully by most of our
florists for a number of years. The
treatment of the Agapanthus is very
simple ; sandy loam mixed with one-
fourth to one -third of old manure is an
excellent soil for it. Although it is
generally treated as a greenhouse plant,
I have seen a profusion of flowers pro-
duced upon plants in the open air, when
partly sheltered from our heavy winds.
We may, therefore, consider it a hardy
plant in this neighborhood and all sim-
ilar climates. The principal flowering
season is in the summer, yet I have seen
Agapanthus here in perfect bloom in De-
cember and January. This is easily ac-
complished: having several plants, one
may be allowed to rest (by rest, I mean
that no more water should be given than
is positively necessaiy to keep the roots
from drying up, and that the plant or
root during that time should occupy a
cool place in any out-of-the-way corner),
while the others may be forced into vig-
orous vegetation by a liberal supply of
moisture and a warm exposure. If
plants are cultivated in the open air,
they will naturally flower during the
early summer, which is our most favor-
able season.

The variety cultivated here is the A.
umbellatus , undoubtedly the most de-
sirable. Its flowers are of good size,
and are produced in great numbers,
upon a stalk from two to three feet
high. Its foliage is also very decora-
tive and generally admired.

It is propagated by division of the
roots, which operation should be per-
formed immediately after its flowering
period.

* Natural Order Liliacece.

202

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

A variety has "been produced which is
known as A. multifiorus. It is said that
it yields a greater abundance of flowers,
and throws ujd several flower- stalks dur-
ing the season.

Another variety, A. umbellatus (fol.
var.) created quite a sensation within the
last few years, in Europe, with its finely
variegated foliage.

Neither of these varieties has yet
been introduced here, but it is to be
hoped that they will soon make their
appearance in our floral establishments.
I would strongly recommend the
Agapanthus to our flower-loving public;
its many good qualities make it a most
desirable acquisition.

Theee is a plant growing very abun-
dantly in our piny woods and in the
Pine-forests through the South, known
as the "Deer-tongue." It presents a
bunch or tuft of light green tongue-
shaped leaves, springing immediately
from the ground, the leaves measuring
from six to eight inches in length and
about one inch in breadth. From the
centre of this bunch of leaves starts up,
as the season advances, a straight stalk,
rising to the height of from two to three
feet, and terminating in a collection of
bright purple flowers. The leaves are
very fragrant when bruised, having a
strong vanilla odor.

" This little plant- — a growth peculiar
to the lower States — is now," says the
Mobile Register, " attracting no little at-
tention as an article for scenting tobac-
co, and wrappers for fine cigars. Even
at this time it is commanding a high
price in the market; and as it becomes
better known, the demand for it will
doubtless be greater. We are confident
that the day is not far distant when it
will figure as one of our most import-
ant products; and since it is climatical-
ly secured to the South, and can be
grown to perfection upon our poorest

Pine-lands, the freak of good fortune
which brought it into notice is likely to
prove a gOod freak to us. " — Ex.

Water Cress. — Any farmer who has
a running stream or a pond fed by
living water, may at least raise enough
Cress for home consumption; and near
cities, or where railroad transportation
is available, it may be cultivated with
profit. It is an aquatic perennial; and
where coming up spontaneously, or if
sown, the roots once obtaining a foot-
hold, the plant soon covers the surface
of the water, and thereafter yields an
abundant supply. It often brings from
$3 to $5 per bushel, or $1 per peach-
basketful.

When the water is shallow, all that is
necessary is to drop the seed into the
water in the fall, and it will usually
grow without further trouble; or in the
spring the roots may be planted direct-
ly, at the distance of one to two feet
from each other. Cress is anti-scorbu-
tic and exceedingly agreeable to the
taste, and is truly valuable as one of
our best spring salads. It is only the
want of knowledge relating to the hab-
its and cultivation of this plant, that
prevents its more universal cultivation.
Trout streams especially are well adapt-
ed to the cultivation of this plant, since
the water for raising healthy trout must
be pure, and pure water gives a pecul-
iarly agreeable flavor to the plant.

The seed is very fine, over 100,000
being contained to the ounce. The
plant is supposed to have been intro-
duced from Europe, but has become
naturalized and wild in many j)ortions
of the United States. The stem is from
six to eighteen inches long, according
to the depth of water in which it grows,
the leaves being borne along the stems;
both the leaves and stems are used for
eatinsr. — Western Rural.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

203

WEEDS.

We have been favored by Professor
D. C. Gilman, President of the Univer-
sity of California, with a copy of a
"Lecture on Weeds/' by Prof. Win.
H. Brewer, Botanist of the California
Geological Survey, and we have found
it so interesting that we have deemed it
advisable to lay before our readers the
following extracts from it:

"Farmers and gardeners usually ap-
ply the term, weed, to any smallplant grow-
ing xohere it is not wanted. Commonly
they are troublesome, some by choking
out better ones, of which you all know
familiar examples ; some by having
noxious qualities, as Wild Onion; some
because unsightly, as Ragweed; some
because of thorns or prickles, as the
Thistle; some by interfering with tillage
or farm operations, as Tlardhaclc ; some
because of burs, as Burdock; some be-
cause of spoiling the temper, as Purs-
lane is claimed to do by our Hartford
friends — in short, they are troublesome
in a variety of ways, and yet only truly
troublesome when they are hard to
eradicate, or rather, hard to keep down
in numbers. I shall show that the act-
ual eradication of weeds, although often
talked of is very seldom done.

"It is usually their numbers that
makes them injurious, and they multi-
ply in a variety of ways. Some by
seeds, some by roots, some by shoots,
some by runners, some by all these
methods, and every combination of them.
Those that die after shedding their sin-
gle crop of seed, mostly increase by
seed, but the perennial ones in a vari-
ety of wajs.

"The troublesome weeds of one lo-
cality are not those of another. I am
not familiar with the comparative worth -
lessness or annoyances of Connecticut
weeds, so I shall devote myself mostly
to general facts.

' e All weeds are local in their trouble-
someness; those most annoying in one
locality are not much of a pest in an-
other region. To be troublesome, they
must be peculiarly well fitted for both
the soil and climate, and as before said,
must have strong powers of multiply-

ing. Some years ago, in a neighboring
State, I made observations for several
years on the numbers of seeds produced
by some of the most common weeds. I
found individual plants of the May
weed (Marula Cotula) producing 30,000
seeds, while near such luxuriant plants
were others so dwarfed that they would
ripen less than a dozen, so wide were
its powers. When starved, it would
ripen its few seeds on a very small
plant, but each of these seeds, if it fell
on good ground could the next year
produce its thousands. The Ox-eye
Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), from 100
to 10,000 from a single root. Canada
Thistle (Cirsium arvense), from a few up
to 10,000; the Pasture Thistle (G. lanceo-
latum), still more; and a roadside Mul-
lein ( Verbasciun Thapsm) produces 600,-

000 seeds. I might extend this list. I
merely give you these to illustrate how
enormous are the powers of multiplica-
tion of some of these common pests.
Then, again, with many of them the
seeds have special means of being scat-
tered. Some by the winds, some by
animals, to fall everywhere, and to
spring up and flourish whenever the
right conditions occur.

" It is perhaps from these enormous
powers of increase that the belief has
so often become popular, that they were
a spontaneous production, that is, orig-
inating without seeds. I have met in-
telligent men who believe that the Mul-
lein, Fire -weed (Erecht kites), and other
plants would spring up where no seed
had fallen, when the fact is, that these
plants are so wonderfully prolific that
a few* plants can seed a farm. Their
seeds fall everywhere, perhaps not one
in a thousand ever grow. The Mullein

1 spoke of (and it was not an unusually
large one) with its 600,000 seeds, if
they were evenly distributed, and all
grew, would produce a plant on every
square yard of 126 acres. The fact that
weeds are far more prolific than the
grains they grow with, gives rise to a
class of facts that is often forgotten.
Many of you know that Wheat contain-
ing Chess becomes more foul each year,
unless very great care is taken with the
seed. The cause is, that the Chess
multiplies so much faster than the
Wheat. A field of Wheat, yielding

204

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

twenty-fold tlie seed sown, is very good;
thirty-fold is very extraordinary; but a
Chess -plant not yielding one hundred
fold would be a very poor one. Hence
its proportion increases on the "Wheat,
and as it is also more tenacious of life,
a hard winter may kill the Wheat, when
the Chess will come on and produce a
crop, inducing the belief that Wheat
has turned to Chess. In fact, this has
been a subject of discussion — I know
not how long — and men may still be
found who believe in such transmuta-
tion. Yet few successful farmers now
believe it; with good farmers the idea
is exploded.

' ' WTith such plants, we must get rid
of them by sowing clean seed always.
Chess may be got- out of a farm, as I
know by experience, but it takes years
of patient and vigilant warfare. And
the same may be said of cockle.

"Bear in mind that the soil, climate,
and cultivation regulate the trouble-
someness of weeds. In one part of
New York State, Wild Onions injure the
pastures. In another part, where the
pastures are just as good, one scarcely
ever meets with a specimen. The same
is true of the Snapdragon (Linaria vul-
garis). Many of our worst weeds are
importations from Europe, and what
illustrates this part of my subject, is the
fact that some of them are not trouble-
some there. It is only when they come
here, on a new soil, and with a new cli-
mate, that they become so."

Plaxt Trees. — The question of plant-
ing trees is one that is of particular in-
terest to California at the present time.
There are but very few trees in most of
our rich and fertile valleys, and through
negligence or indifference on the part
of the inhabitants but few, if any, have
been set out even around their resi-
dences. Many localities, now consid-
ered worthless, could be made produc-
tive in a few years by studding the land
with trees, and encouraging their growth
for a few years by irrigation. After
they have secured deep root they would
require no further attention except to

keep them in order. By planting trees
on farms they are increased from one
to a hundred fold in value; and in many
instances land that is now considered
worthless, can, by this means, be re-
claimed to agriculture. The expense is
warranted by the increased value of
land covered by trees. Last spring, for
example, the Michigan Southern and
Lake Shore Railroad Company planted
trees, fifty feet apart, along both sides
of their road between White Pigeon and
Toledo, 11,000 Chestnuts and 10,000
European Larches of one year's growth
being used for the purpose. Great care
was used in preparing the holes for the
reception of the roots, the top soil being
thrown in the bottom. The cost of this
work was only eight cents per tree, in-
cluding everything. A number of the
Eastern cities are setting out trees in
their streets on the boulevard plan, and
in all quarters an interest in the tree
subject is being manifested. Will Cali-
fornians awaken to their own interests
in this matter? — Alfa.

Shade for Glass-Houses. — The best
permanent shade for plant -houses is
linseed oil and sugar of lead, in the
proportion of about a teaspoonful of
lead to a quart of oil; but the exact trial
must be governed by the amount of
shade required, which can easily be
proved by trying it upon pieces of waste
glass. Eirst, wash the glass thorough-
ly clean, and then, on a dry, clear
morning, take the oil mixture, and paint
as thinly as possible over the glass with
an ordinary paint-brush. By dabbing
it gently with a dry brush, it will im-
part to it the appearance of ground
glass. The shade will stand for a sea-
son, and can be removed by washing it
with strong pearl-ash water. — New Jer-
sey Mechanic.

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

205

THE RAIN -FALL AT SAN FRANCISCO,
AND THE AGRICULTURE OF CALI-
FORNIA.

A recent paper read before the Cali-
fornia Academy of Sciences on "The
Probable Periodicity of Rain-fall," was
illustrated by diagrams which exhibit
so clearly the relative rain - fall at San
Francisco that we lay them before our
readers, instead of the columns of fig-
ures from which they were drawn. They
also furnish us a text for a few remarks
on the agricultural prospects of this
State.

Figure I illustrates the relative total
yearly rain -fall for each year. Figure
II shows the monthly rain -fall for the
same years; and the size of the black
areas indicates the relative amount in
each year. In this, we see the well-
marked short period of comparatively
little rain-fall and of clear weather dur-
ing some part of our winter months,
or wet season. Figure III exhibits (on
a scale twice that of Fig. II) the aver-
age monthly rain -fall for twenty -three
years, 1849 to 1872. In this, the short,
dry period of oirr wet season is masked
because it does not occur at any regular
time. It is readily seen that no law of
periodicity of rain-fall can be deduced
from these observations ; nor has any
been deduced even in the elaborate dis-
cussion of the rain -fall of the United
States by Prof.. Charles A. Schott, of
the Coast Survey,* nor is there any ap-
parent secular change of the rain -fall.
A knowledge of each would be valuable
both scientifically and practically.

In the early life of California, her
prosperity depended upon the yearly
yield of gold; her prospective prosper-
ity depends upon the rain -fall over the

* Tables and Results of the Precipitation, in
Rain and Snow, in the United States," etc.
Smithsonian "Contribution to Knowledge,"
No. 222; May, 1872.

Vol. III.— 27.

surface of the State. Were this as
great and uniform as it is on the east of
the Rocky Mountains, our future could
be predicted, and little interest would
be manifested upon the subject. But
west of the Rocky Mountains, and es-
pecially along the Pacific sea -board,
every farmer, mechanic, manufacturer,
and capitalist is vitally concerned, and
fully appreciates the value of water. It
is the life-blood of those sections of the
country not blessed with large rain-fall.

Along the northern coast the precipi-
tation of rain is enormous; to the south-
ward it reaches almost nothing. On
the coast of Alaska the average amount
is 83 inches; at the entrance to the
Strait of Fuca, 123 inches; entrance to
the Columbia River, 75 inches ; and
about 36 inches at Cape Mendocino in
latitude 40 J°. Thence to the southward
the rainfall decreases rapidly to latitude
28° or 26°, where we find the "dol-
drums," with much cloudy weather and
little or no rain -fall. South of the
"doldrums" the seasons change, and
the rains, which are generally very
light, commence in June or July and
end in December.

Our prosperity as a State depends
not only upon the facts concerning the
rain-fall as already developed, but upon
our capacity to utilize them. "We know
that without a certain amount of rain-
fall, our grain -crops must be failures;
with a given number of inches fairly
distributed during the season, a crop is
assured. Northward of latitude 39°, we
know that in a series of years the rain-
fall is adequate to give large crops to
ordinary industry. South of 39° on the
sea-board,, but especially east of the
coast range of mountains, the crops are
very uncertain for want of rain. With
the virgin soil of our valleys and a rain-
fall of twelve inches at proper intervals,
on summer -fallowed land, the average

206

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

yield of Wheat will exceed thirty hush-
els to the acre; with seven inches, un-
der similar conditions, the yield will be
about fifteen bushels. This is the re-
sult of our inquiries and personal ex-
aminations of the San Joaquin and
Tulare valleys this season. Last year,
with a rain -fall of ten and a quarter
inches about Visalia, the yield of Wheat
was very large; this year, with a rain-
fall of seven and a quarter inches, the
crops are comparative failures.

We are thus dependent upon the
rain -fall for our crops. There is not
an average rain -fall throughout our
great valleys south of thirty -nine de-
grees to give an average or certain crop,
and millions of rich acres will lie idle
under blue skies for want of water. We
can not control the rain -fall, but we
can control the water, in part, after it
is fallen. The river - courses are to-
day carrying to the sea millions of cubic
feet of water that can be spread over
our valley lands, and along the flanks
of our vine -soils of the Sierra Nevada.
All we need in addition to the rain-f all
over the whole land, is the control of a
few inches in depth of water, over the
lands under cultivation, from the mid-
dle of February to the middle of March,
to insure great crops of grain, grass,
alfalfa, etc., and to invigorate our or-
chards, vineyards, and forests. To
accomplish this, we need a comprehen-
sive system of irrigation, controlling the
water from the mountains and distrib-
uting it under just but inflexible rules.
: Such a system will demand the highest
engineering skill, money, time, author-
ity, and integrity. It must be done, or
this State will remain nearly in statu
■ quo.

This season we have seen tens of
thousands of acres of grain irrigated
isince March first, standing well, with a
promise of thirty-five to fifty-five bush-

els of Wheat per acre. On one farm of
3,000 acres the crop was given up as an
absolute failure near the end of Febru-
ary, but by energetic efforts irrigation
water was got on to it soon after the
first of March, and with only one flood-
ing it was saved to yield probably fifty
bushels per acre. The irrigation water
cost one dollar and a quarter per acre.
We could enumerate many other simi-
lar though less marked cases.

So far as we can learn, the United
States Board of Commissioners of Irri-
gation for the Sacramento, San Joaquin,
and Tulare Valleys have satisfied them-
selves that the rivers flowing from the
Sierra Nevada can be controlled and
utilized to spread their vitalizing power
over millions of acres of land, that to-
day are barren, and for want of suffi-
cient rain -fall must otherwise remain
so.

The land of those valleys is pecul-
iarly adapted for irrigation; there is no
known equal area on the globe with a
more even surface and gentle, regular
slopes than the great basin between the
Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range.
Every inch of water over that basin is
worth millions of gold dollars to this
coast. It can be made to support mill-
ions of people, and that fact carries
other marvelous results with it in the
development of commerce and the use-
ful arts.

American Steam-Plows. — We do not
know of any successful American steam-
plow. The English system of station-
ary engines on each side of the field is,
so far, the only practical mode of plow-
ing by steam. American inventors have
sought to accomplish steam -plowing by
the aid of a traction engine. It remains
to be shown that it is either economical
or practical. — JSf. Y. World.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

207

SHELLAC.

The uses of Shellac in this country
have, within a few years past, increased
wonderfully, and the consumption for
all purposes is very large. The chief
use of this substance is in the manu-
facture of the various kinds of varnish,
for which it is admirably adapted, and
is preferred to almost any other mate-
rial. Large quantities are also used
in the manufacture of sealing-wax, of
which it forms the chief ingredient.
Besides these chief uses, Shellac enters
quite largely into all kinds of sizing
matter, particularly that used by the
hatters for stiffening bodies of hats.

The best specimens of this article are
brought from Siam, and the nest to
this is reckoned that from Assam. That
from Bengal is deemed inferior. It is
said that the capacity of those regions
to keep up the supply far exceeds any
possible demand, and this may be more
readily understood when it is considered
that these localities furnish the supply
for all the markets of the world.

Though Shellac is very well known
in connection with the uses to which it
is put, it is not generally known what
it really is. It is a resinous, substance,
which was once supposed to be depos-
ited by an insect on the twigs and
branches of various species of: the Fig
or Banyan tree in the East Indies. It
is, however, rather the product of the
tree itself, exuding at the sting of the
insect.

These insects resemble somewhat the
cochineal insects of Central America,
and at certain seasons of the year fly
about in immense swarms, puncturing
the tender branches of the tree, from
which flows a milky juice. This juice
hardening forms a crust about the
twigs, which are then broken from the
tree, and form what is known to com-

merce as stick-lac. When this stick-lac
is broken up and its coloring matter re-
moved by warm Avater, it assumes the
form of a small grain, and hence is called
seed-lac. It is sometimes melted into
cakes, and is then called lump-lac. But
more commonly it is prepared for mar-
ket by putting the seed- lac into fine
linen bags and slowly heating them, and
then straining and wringing out the
material upon a smooth surface of wood.
Purified in this form it is known as
Shellac. It is soluble in alcohol, and
melts readily at a moderate heat.

The coloring matter of Shellac, which
owes its origin to the insect, is readily
washed out with warm water. The ma-
terial thus obtained yields a bright red
powder not unlike carmine. This dye
is yet used by the natives for coloring
crimson, and the crimsons of the an-
cients are supposed to have been ob-
tained from this source. The dyers of
Brussels and Holland, whose red colors
have always been remarkable for their
durability, use this material. Before
the discovery of cochineal this lac col-
oring-matter was in universal demand,
but now that other red dyes have been
discovered, its use is considerably di-
minished..

Arranging Flowers in Beds. — In ar-
ranging flowers in beds, the principal
things to be avoided are: The placing
of rose -colored or red flowers next to
scarlet or orange, or orange next to yel-
low, blue next to violet, or rose next to
violet. On the contrary, the following
colors harmonize: white will relieve any
color (but should not be placed next to
yellow), orange with light blue, yellow
with violet, dark blue with orange -yel-
low, white with pink or rose, and lilac
with yellow. By observing these rules
the amateur may have his flower -bor-
ders vie in beauty and arrangement

208

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

with those of greater pretensions, and
even surpass many of them. Nothing
adds more to beautify home than a
well arranged flower-bed of rare flow-
ers.— Southern Agriculturist.

BEMAKKS ON THE NUDIBRANCHIATE,
OR NAKED -GILLED, MOLLUSKS.

BY E. E. O. STEARNS.

In the true Grasteropodons (Greek —
gaster, belly, podes, feet), or belly-footed
mollusks, we find two great Orders: the
Bran chif era (from the Latin words
branchice, gills, and fero, to bear), or
Gillbearers; and the Pulmonifera (from
the Latin pulmo, lung, and/erorto bear),
or Lungbearers^the latter respiring by
pulmonary sacs.

Besides this striking difference in
structure, the branchiferous Gastero-
pods pass through a distinct larval stage,
and come .from the egg in a very differ-
ent form from that which they present
when mature or in the adult stage.

The pulmoniferous mollusks undergo
no such metamorphosis.

The Branchifera are divided into two
sub -orders according to the position of
the gills, and the sub -orders are again
divided into groups.

One of these sub-orders is called the
Opisthobranchiata (from the Greek word
opisthos, behind, and branchice, gills),
and it is this group to which I refer here-
in. The second great group of the sub-
order Opisthobranchiata is the Nudi-
brancMata, or naked -gilled crawlers.
The animals, as would.be inferred from
the name of the group, are destitute of
shells, except during the embryonic pe-
riod, when these delicately constructed
,creatures ,are ..furnished with a small
glassy spiral shell, .and can swim in the
water freely; but as they advance in

age the form of the body is modified,
and the shell falls off. In the matter
of sexual development, they are her-
maphrodite; they are also carnivorous
in their food, which consists principally
of zoophytes.

The Nudibranchiates are divided into
three principal families: the JEolidae,
which have the gills along each side of
the back; the Tritonidce, which resem-
ble jEolidcE somewhat in form and posi-
tion of the gills, but present other
structural differences, which warrant
their separation as a family; and the
Doridce, generally of broader form and
larger size than the two preceding fam-
ilies, as well as of tougher substance,
which have the gills placed in a circle
on the back and generally in the hinder
part of the body. The gills or bran-
chial plumes are of very elegant forms,
and frequently present the appearance
of Fern -leaves, or similar graceful and
feathery shapes; the foot (or belly) is
much smaller than the mantle (or back,
as seen from above).

The first two families contain species
frequently remarkably elaborate in the
development of the tentacular proc-
esses upon the back and sides, often
of most brilliant and varied coloration,
while the substance of their bodies is
but a trifling degree harder than that of
the jelly-fishes; the various tissues of
the body being so transparent and deli-
cate that the beating of the heart and
the digestive processes are discernible.

These remarkable creatures, many of
them of marvelous beauty, are found in
all parts of the oceanic waters, from the
Arctic to the Equatorial seas; probably
thousands of species exist as yet unde-
scribed. As but few of the naked-
gilled mollusks are of a substance suffi-
ciently solid to admit of preservation in
alcohol, they are seldom seen in collec-
tions. They may be detected at lowest

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

209

water -mark on the under side of rocks,
appearing to the uneducated observer
as nothing more than a highly colored
bit of mucus or slime, for the reason
that being exceedingly timid, when dis-
turbed they draw their bodies into an
almost shapeless lump.

1 2

NUDIBRANCHIATE MOLLTJSKS.

Figures 1 and 2 represent two spe-
cies of California Nudibranchiate (or
naked -gilled) Mollusks, magnified, be-
ing twice as long and twice as wide as
the living specimens were from which
the drawings were made; both belong-
ing to the group of Triopa. The first
(Fig. 1) is Lateribranchceia /estiva, so
named because the branchsea or gills
are on the side of the body and oppo-
site each other; the body is of a trans-
parent cream color, and the festooned
or looped lines on the back are of an
opaque chalky whiteness, while the sub-
stance of the bodies in both of the
forms figured is nearly as soft as jelly.

The largest of the two figures is Tri-
opa Carpenteri, named fur Dr. P. P.

Carpenter, a distinguished naturalist,
well known among scientific men for
his laborious and thorough investiga-
tions in the natural history of the west
coast of North America. This animal
is exceedingly pretty when alive and
examined with a magnifier; the upper
part of the club-shaped tentacles near
the head, and the edges of the gill-
plumes which resemble delicate fern-
leaves, as well as the ends of the short
projecting processes around the edge of
the body, are tipped with a brilliant
orange, and the body, which is of a
translucent whiteness, is covered with
fine pimples (papillce) of orange. Both
L. f estiva and I7. Carpenteri were found
on the under side of large granite
bowlders near the light -house at Point
Pinos, Monterey. When visiting the
sea-shore, it will well repay the trouble
to turn over some of the bowlders, for
Nature hides many such beautiful forms
as are above described, in just such out-
of-the-way places.

California Chestnuts. — At a late
meeting of the California Academy of
Natural Sciences, Dr. Kellogg said he
had just returned from under the shad-
ow of the finest evergreens ever grown.
He hoped the Secretary would record
the fact that there were in California
true Chestnut - trees (Castanet chryso-
phylla) from one hundred to two hun-
dred feet high, four to six feet in diam-
eter, and with a clean trunk of from
fifty to seventy feet. This fact had
hitherto been doubted, although he had
stated it before the Academy several
times. He had on the trip also met
with Rhus aromatiea. A new plant, de-
scribed by him, was an Hibiscus or kind
of wild Hollyhock, having a strong fibre
similar to the Ramie; the first ever col-
lected in this State.

210

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

THE CULTIVATION OF MUSHROOMS.

BY T. V. MC EVOT.

The cultivation of Mushrooms is a
process in gardening perhaps the most
singular and curious of any. In the
cultivation of other vegetables, we either
sow or plant something material — slip,
root, or seed, which we can see and feel;
but in the cultivation of the Mushroom,
we neither sow nor plant anything visi-
ble, at least to the naked eye. Yet it
is certain that Mushrooms are produced
by germs or seeds which naturally veg-
etate in the fields at certain seasons,
and which may be made to vegetate
artificially at any season by a certain
process, and by using a proper compo-
sition. There is no rule for the time of
making Mushroom beds, as it may be
done with propriety at any season of
the year; nor is light necessary for the
production, as Mushrooms may be as
successfully raised in a cellar as any-
where else, provided it is not too damp.
The only precaution necessary, is to
have the beds where you can regulate
the moisture.

If you can obtain Mushroom -spawn,
and make a bed of moderately fermented
stable-manure, about three feet deep,
spawn it over when strong heat has sub-
sided, and cover it over with light earth,
you can obtain Mushrooms sooner than
by the way I am about to describe.
But as Mushroom - spawn is not always
to be obtained, particularly in San
Francisco, I would recommend instead
the following method : Make a frame of
ordinary boards about twenty inches
deep, four to six feet wide, and of any
convenient length from ten to twenty
feet; and if you can not place it in a
situation already covered, you must put
a roof over it, so as to prevent it from
getting too wet when the winter rains
come. If there be no natural drainage

under the bed, make a floor of ashes,
brickbats, chips, or gravel, so as to keep
the bed quite dry and free from under-
damp. Now, lay a course of horse-
droppings six inches thick. These
should be fresh from the stable; they
must not be broken, and the drier the
better. Collect them daily until the
whole bed or floor is covered to the
above thickness, and see that they do
not heat or ferment. When this course
is quite dry, and judged to be past a
state of fermentation, cover it with two
inches of light, dry, sandy earth. Now,
lay another course of droppings, and
earth them over as before, when past
a state of fermentation ; then, a third
course, which in like manner earth over.
This finishes the' bed, which will be a
very strong and productive one if prop-
erly managed afterward. In forming
the bed it should be a little rounded, in
order that the centre may not be more
moist than the sides; if it be made up
against a wall in a cellar, shed, or sta-
ble, it may have a slope of a few inches
from the back to the front, less or more,
according to its breadth. As soon as
the bed begins to run, water it. In
order to find out this, thrust your hand
a few inches deep in different parts
of the bed, and examine what you bring
up. It ought to smell exactly of Mush-
rooms, and look like little bits of thread.
But generally you will be forewarned
of the spawn's running by a previous
crop of spurious fungi. These fungi
are gene-rally what are called pipes or
balls — sometimes a kind of Mushroom
of a very bad sort, thin, flat, with white
or pale yellow gills. They have all,
however, a nauseous, sickly smell, and
may be readily distinguished from the
true Mushroom, which is thick, hemis-
pheric, with brown or reddish gills.

When by this means you have ascer-
tained that the spawn is fully formed,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

211

water the Led two or three times well,
in order to set it growing; for without
moisture it will remain dormant, and
show no symptoms of vegetation. Give
just sufficient water to wet the bed
through, and afterward keep the bed in
a medium state — a little inclined to be
dry.

"When your bed gets tired of produc-
ing, cease watering for a few months.
Then, if you examine as directed before,
you will find a new net of spawn on the
top, the threads being deep-rooted al-
most to the bottom. By a hearty water-
ing as at first, a plentiful and lasting
supply may be obtained.

In gathering Mushrooms, they should
be always cut, so as not to disturb the
young ones which are forming.

New Use foe Flax- Seed. — An En-
glish paper contains a statement which
would seem to open the door for a new
use for the product of Flax-seed, and is
of value to the western farmer as tend-
ing to enhance the value of this seed,
as one of the products of the farm.

The new use is in the manufacture of
an article called lineolum, deriving the
name from linum and ceum. It is said
that it will be a rival to caoutchouc, or as
is commonly called, India-rubber. The
new article is manufactured of linseed
oil by oxidizing it until it is solidified
into a resinous substance, as we fre-
quently find it Avhen it has been exposed
to the atmosphere. It is stated that "in
this state it is combined with resinous
gums and other ingredients, whereupon
it assumes the appearance and most of
the properties of India-rubber. Like
India-rubber, it can be dissolved into a
cement and used in the manufacture of
the material for water -proof clothing.
It can be used as a varnish for the pro-
tection of iron or wood, or for coating

ships' bottoms. It is as good as com-
mon cement, having the properties sim-
ilar to marine glue made from India-
rubber and shellac. It is easily vulcan-
ized by exposure to heat, and by this
means becomes as hard as the hardest
wood, and capable of the finest polish.
The great variety of uses to which it
can be applied in this form will at once
suggest themselves to the reader. The
manufacture of lineolum has thus far
been made to produce floor-cloth, for
which it has proved itself well adapted.
Combined with ground cork, it is spread
on a stout canvas, the back of which is
afterward water -proofed with oxidized
oil. The fabric is then printed by
means of blocks in the ordinary way.
The floor-cloth thus produced is plia-
ble, noiseless to walk upon, washes
well, preserves its color, and rolls up
like an ordinary carpet. It is very dur-
able, and its component parts will not
decompose by heat or exposure to the
sun or water, as will India-rubber. —
Farmers' Club.

Yiola Perpetual Yellow. — We have
grown all the Yiolas that have been
brought before the public and recom-
mended for bedding purposes, and con-
sider this by far the best of the yellows
that we have yet seen. When it was
supplied to us it was said to bloom all
the year round, and it most certainly
does so. It was in bloom all winter in
the cutting -bed, and all through the
summer it has produced in continuous
succession the most extraordinary crop
of bloom of any bedding Yiolet, or in
fact any other plant, that we have ever
used for bedding; and it looks as little
like exhausting its blooming power now
as ever. The habit is excellent, and
the color a clear and most effective yel-
low. Not a single plant has given way.
— London Gardener.

212

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

In our June number we presented the
Address of Invitation of the American
Pomological Society. "We hope that
our horticultural friends will for the
honor of California make strenuous ef-
forts to participate in the exhibition.
We append the Premium List and Pro-
gramme of Business:

PREMIUM LIST.

Five hundred dollars has been offer-
ed by the Massachusetts Society for
Promoting Agriculture, and one hun-
dred dollars each is tendered by the
following gentlemen, for Premiums and
the promotion of the objects of the So-
ciety, viz: Hon. Albert Fearing, Presi-
dent of the Hingham Agricultural So-
ciety; John Cummings, Esq., President
of the Middlesex Agricultural Society;
Dr. Nathan Durfee, ex-President Bris-
tol Central Agricultural Society; Will-
iam Knowlton, Esq., ex-President Wor-
cester Agricultural Society; Charles O.
Whitmore, Esq., and Gardner Brewer,
Esq., of Boston. The following prizes
will therefore be offered, in accordance
with the above generous donations :

Apples. — For the largest and best
collection of Apples, correctly named,
from any State or Society, three speci-
mens of each variety: 1st premium, the
Society's silver medal and fifty dollars;
2d premium, the Society's bronze med-
al and twenty-five dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
Apples, correctly named, grown by one
individual, three specimens of each va-
riety: 1st premium, the Society's silver
medal and fifty dollars; second premi-
um, the Society's bronze medal and
twenty-five dollars.

Pears. — For the largest and best col-
lection of Pears, correctly named, from
any State or Society, three of each va-
riety: 1st premium, the Society's silver
medal and fifty dollars; 2d premium,
the Society's bronze medal and twenty-
five dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
Pears, correctly named, grown by one
individual, three of each variety: 1st
premium, the Society's silver medal and
fifty dollars; 2d premium, the Society's

bronze medal and twenty -five dollars.
Grapes. — For the largest and best col-
lection of named Native Grapes, from
any State or Society, three bunch es of
each variety: 1st premium, the Socie-
ty's silver medal and fifty dollars; 2d
premium, the Society's bronze medal
and twenty-five dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
named Native Grapes, grown by one
individual, three bunches of each vari-
ety: 1st premium, the Society's silver
medal and fifty dollars; 2d jDremium,
the Society's bronze medal and twenty-
five dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
named Grapes, grown west of the Rocky
Mountains, two bunches of each varie-
ty: premium, the Society's silver medal
and fifty dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
Native Grapes, correctly named, grown
south of the southern line of Virginia,
Tennessee, Missouri, etc., two bunches
of each variety: premium, the Society's
silver medal and fifty dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
Grapes grown under glass, two bunches
of each variety: premium, the Society's
silver medal and fifty dollars.

Peaches. — For the largest and best
collection of Peaches, correctly named,
from any State or Society, three of each
variety: 1st premium, the Society's sil-
ver medal and fifty dollars; 2d premi-
um, the Society's bronze medal and
twenty-five dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
Peaches, correctly named, grown by one
individual, three of each variety: 1st
premium, the Society's silver medal and
fifty dollars; 2d premium, the Society's
bronze medal and twenty-five dollars.

Plums. — For the largest and best col-
lection of Plums, correctly named, from
any State or Society, three of each va-
riety: 1st premium, the Society's silver
medal and fifty dollars; 2d premium,
the Society's bronze medal and. twenty-
five dollars.

For the largest and best collection of
Plums, correctly named, grown by one
individual, three specimens of each va-
riety: 1st premium, the Society's silver
medal and fifty dollars; 2d premium,
the Society's bronze medal and twenty-
five dollars.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

213

Seedling Fruits. — For the best collec-
tion of seedling Apples, grown by one
individual: premium, the Society's sil-
ver medal.

For the best collection of seedling
Pears, grown by one individual: premi-
um, the Society's silver medal.

For the best collection of seedling
hardy Native Crapes, either from native
seeds or hybrids, grown by one indi-
vidual: premium, the Society's silver
medal.

For the best collection of seedling
Plums, grown by one individual: pre-
mium, the Society's silver medal.

For the best collection of seedling
Peaches, grown by one individual: pre-
mium, the Society's silver medal.

Figs. — For the best collection of fresh
Figs, grown in the open air: premium,
the Society's silver medal.

For the best exhibition of dried Figs,
grown and cured in the United States:
premium, the Society's silver medal.

Oranges. — For the best collection of
Oranges, grown in the open air: premi-
um, the Society's silver medal.

Lemons. — For the best collection of
Lemons, grown in the open air: premi-
um, the Society's silver medal.

Raisins. — For the best exhibition of
Raisins, grown and cured in the Unit-
ed States: premium, the Society's silver
medal.

Dried Fruits. — For the largest and
best collection of Dried Fruits, with
full description and expense of process :
premium, the Society's silver medal.

Canned Fruits. — For the largest and
best collection of Canned Fruits, with
full description of process and expense :
premium, the Society's silver medal.

Premiums are subject to the general
rule of restriction, that where objects
are not worthy, prizes will be withheld.
No State, Society, nor individual can
compete for more than one premium
with the same variety or varieties of
fruits.

PROGRAMME OF BUSINESS.

Hours of Meeting. — Wednesday, 10
o'clock in the morning, and 3 o'clock in
the afternoon; Thursday, 9 o'clock in
the morning, and 3 o'clock in the after-
noon; Friday, 10 o'clock in the morning,
and 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Bides for Speaking. — Five minutes,

Vol. III.— 28.

and no person to speak more than twice
on the same subject without leave.

Wednesday, 10 a.m. Introductory Ex-
ercises; Appointment of Committees,
namely, on Credentials, on Nomination
of Officers, on Record of Fruits exhib-
ited, on Awards of Premiums. 3 p.m.,
President's Address; Reports of Com-
mittee on Credentials and on Nomina-
tion of Officers; Election of Officers;
Reception of Treasurer's Report; Dis-
cussion in regard to place of holding
next meeting; also, in regard to what
measures the Society will take to par-
ticipate in the International Exhibition
of 1876, in Philadelphia; and in refer-
ence to the policy of awarding premi-
ums by this Society.

Thursday, 9 a.m. Reports of Stand-
ing Committees; Discussion of the value
of fruits enumerated in the Catalogue,
as indicated by stars, to be called by
the Secretary, in alphabetical order, as
follows: Apples, Pears, Grapes, etc.,
etc. At the close of each division,
statements relative to new varieties will
be received.

Friday, 10 a.m. Reports of Commit-
tees on Fruits exhibited, and on Premi-
ums; Reception of Essays; Completion
of Discussion on values of fruits as per
Catalogue, and introduction of names
of new varieties. 3 p.m., Resolutions,
etc . , Adj ournment.

ESSAYS.

The following persons were.appoint-
ed at the last meeting, to prepare Es-
says, as follows, viz: Hon. W. C. Flagg,
Illinois, on Diseased Apple-trees, and
their Cause; Wm. Saunders, Esq., Dis-
trict of Columbia, on Theory and Prac-
tice of Pruning; Thomas Meehan, Esq.,
Pennsylvania, on Fungi on Fruit, and
Fruit Diseases, as cause, result, or con-
comitants of one another; P. J. Berck-
mans, Esq., Georgia, on Cause, Reme-
dy, or Preventative of Pear Blight.

In addition to the above, the follow-
ing named gentlemen have been invit-
ed, and are expected to prepare short,
condensed practical essays, or papers,
as follows: Professor Louis Agassiz, of
Harvard University, Massachusetts, on
the Geological Age of Fruit -bearing
Plants; Dr. John Strentzel, California,
on the Cultivation of the Fig in the
United States; Dr. E. S. Hull, Illinois,

214

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTILTTJKIST.

on Root Pruning, and how to grow the
fairest fruit; Mark Miller, Esq., Iowa,
on Fruit Growing, and Varieties, in
Iowa and other Western States; Geo.
W. Campbell, Esq., Ohio, on Grapes,
Culture, Varieties, etc.; C. M. Hovey,
Esq., Massachusetts, on Pear Culture;
P. Barry, Esq. , New York, on How to
grow and keep Pear-trees in vigor and
shape; Robert Manning, Esq., Massa-
chusetts, Is there a permanent decline
in the Apple-tree and its crop in New
England?; P. T. Quinn, Esq., New
Jersey, on the Exhaustion of Fruit-
trees, and the remedy therefor; Josiah
Hoopes, Esq., Pennsylvania, on the In-
fluence of the Stock on the Graft, or of
the Graft on the Stock; A. S. Fuller,
Esq., New Jersey, on Culture and Vari-
eties of Small Fruits; Wm. Parry, Esq.;
New Jersey, on the Cultivation and Va-
rieties of the Apricot and Plum; TV. C.
Barry, Esq., New York, on the Keeping
and Ripening of the Apple, Pear, and
Grape; F. R. Elliott, Ohio, on the
Cherry.

Trees and Rain. — The influence of
trees upon rain and the general moist-
ure of the atmosphere, which has been
much discussed of late, receives a strong
illustration from the island of Santa
Cruz, "West Indies. A friend who spent
the months of February, March, and
April last upon the island, informs me
that when he was there twenty years
ago, the island was a garden of fresh-
ness, beauty, and fertility; woods cov-
ered the hills, trees were everywhere
abundant, and rains were profuse and
frequent. The memory of its loveliness
called him there at the beginning of the
present year, when to his astonishment
he found nearly one -third of the island,
which is about twenty-five miles long,
an utter desert. The forests and trees
generally had been cut away, rainfall
had ceased, and a process of desiccation
beginning at one end of the island had
advanced gradually and irresistibly up-
on the land, until for seven miles it is

dried and desolate as the sea -shore.
Houses and beautiful plantations have
been abandoned, and the people watch
the advance of desolation, unable to
arrest it, but knowing almost to a cer-
tainty the time when their own habita-
tions, their gardens and fresh fields, will
become a part of the waste. The whole
island seems doomed to become a des-
ert. The inhabitants believe, and my
friend confirms their opinion, that this
sad result is due to the destruction of
the trees upon the island some years
ago. — Popular Science Monthly.

Sowing Tree Seeds. — We have the
following facts and data from Robert
Douglas, of Waukegan, 111., relating to
the seeds of timber and useful trees.
Mr. Douglas sows and handles more
trees than any man in America whom we
know, and we give the information re-
lating to the planting and germination,
in answer to numerous inquiries.

"All the evergreens (Junipers ex-
cepted) may be sown dry, or soaked in
tepid water for twenty -four hours be-
fore sowing. Juniper seeds will not
germinate till the second year. As a
rule in sowing, the covering of earth
should be governed by the seeds ; very
light seeds require very light covering,
and should be hand -weeded the first
season. All evergreen seeds should be
sown in beds and shaded either with
lath frames or brush shade. Larch
seeds require the same treatment as
evergreen seeds.

' ' Apple - seeds should be soaked two
or three days, Pear -seeds three to six
days, after which they should be mixed
with twice their bulk of earth and sand,
and placed where they will keep cool
and moist or frozen, until time for sow-
ing." — Western Rural.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

215

(&&itmM gjortfotffl.

We would call the attention of our
readers to the valuable facts contained
in the article on "The Rainfall at San
Francisco and the Agriculture of Cali-
fornia," published in this number of
the Horticulturist. It is from the pen
of one of our citizens best informed on
the subject, and having given the mat-
ter a most thorough investigation, from
a scientific as well as practical stand-
point, it carries great weight with it.
The vast importance of irrigation to Cali-
fornia, and the adaptability of some sec-
tions of our rich territory to a highly re-
munerative system of cultivation from
the position of our water-courses, should
receive prompt attention at the hands
of our people. The opinions expressed
in the article are so fully in accord with
our own views that we refrain from fur-
ther comments, only hoping that some
feasible plan will be speedily adopted.

We shall look for some discoveries in
the domain of Botany through Dr. Kel-
legg's recent climb among the Tosem-
ites — new and old — with the indefatiga-
ble geologist of that region, John Muir.
It is the Doctor's first season in that
locality. They were accompanied by
Mrs. Prof. Carr, and Wm. Keith, the
artist. In recent numbers of the Over-
land Monthly, Mr. Muir has given very
graphic descriptions of that grand sec-
tion of our State, and in the future
issues of the Horticulturist we purpose
to make extracts from these articles, of
floral forms found in that locality.

In our next issue, we shall present a
colored plate of "The Golden Morning-
Glory (Aniseia aurea, Kellogg), a new

flower, found by Prof. Geo. Davidson,
of the Coast Survey, on his recent sci-
entific trip to Lower California, and
described by Dr. Kellogg.

Our Academy of Sciences is entering
upon a new era of usefulness. It is
gaining in strength every day. We are
glad of it, and we thank such men as
Prof. Davidson, its President, and Prof.
Stearns, for the working interest they
take in its affairs.

We acknowledge the receipt of the
Overland Monthly for August. The fol-
lowing bit of word - painting we find in
the article entitled, ' ' The Great Tuol-
umne Canon : "

' ' This little canon is a botanical gar-
den, with dwarf- arctic - willows not two
inches high at one end, bush compositor,
and wandy half - tropical grasses at the
other; the two ends only half a day
apart, yet among its miniature bogs,
prairies, and heathy moorlands, the
botanist may find representatives of as
many climates as he would in traveling
from Greenland to Florida."

This magazine improves with every
issue. It is a most readable periodical.
J. H. Carmany & Co., Publishers.

Woodward's Garden. — The energetic
and public - spirited proprietor of this
pleasure resort never wearies of adding
novelties, the latest being a marine
aquarium — one of the most artistic and
instructive additions yet made. This
alone is worth a day's inspection, and
certainly adds vastly to the other nu-
merous attractions of the place.

216

THE CALIFOBNIA HORTICULTURIST.

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

BY F. A. JIILLEK.

The work of irrigation is now occu-
pying a great deal of time, wherever a
necessity exists for it. But very few hor-
ticulturists in the most favorable local-
ities can do without irrigation, and it is
evident that a reasonable and judicious
application of water is very beneficial
in most cases. Old and well-establish-
ed orchards and vineyards may yield
fruits that present all the good quali-
ties which are characteristic of, and
which we expect of them, without irri-
gation, as their roots have penetrated
the soil to a depth where some moisture
is always found; nevertheless I am of
opinion that the application of water
once or twice during the summer sea-
son will, by invigorating the trees and
vines, improve the flavor, color, and
size of the fruit. I have observed trees
and vines, which, owing to a want of
moisture, have ceased to develop new
growth, and have hastened the ripening
of fruit; such fruit, however, can not be
healthy, nor can it satisfy any reasona-
ble expectations. I would, therefore,
insist upon irrigation wherever the nec-
essary facilities are available. In many
localities, particularly along the foot-
hills of the Sierra and in the more
northern portions of the coast, where
fruits of all kinds ripen later, irriga-
tion is more necessary, and should be
attended to during the month of July,
without fail. Besides supplying the
required moisture, irrigation also is a
good fertilizer. But the process of irri-
gation does not cease with the applica-
tion of water. Within a day or two after
irrigating, the ground should be worked
with a hoe, to prevent the soil from
baking and forming a hard crust, which
is injurious in all cases. If you have
any straw, litter, or branches close at

hand, it will be well to throw some of
them over the newly worked ground, in
order to retain the moisture, which is
apt to evaporate now more freely with-
out this precaution.

In young orchards and vineyards irri-
gation is still more desirable. Frequent-
ly I have seen young trees and vines
perishing from want of moisture, and if
some of them do keep alive during the
first or second year after transplanting,
their miserable existence shows no vigor
of growth. On the other hand, trees
which had been irrigated two or three
times during the summer months, had
made a healthy and vigorous growth,
promising to bear a good crop within
three or four years from the time of
planting. Thus, several years may be
gained by irrigating judiciously.

Most of our ornamental evergreen-
trees require some water during the
first summer after transplanting, unless
it has been done very early in the au-
tumn, and with proper care; but even
then an occasional watering, say once a
month during the early summer, is
highly beneficial, and advances the
growth of the trees in a remarkable de-
gree.

Pines, Cypress, Cedars — in fact, most
of the coniferous trees — may be trans-
planted with safety in autumn, and will
live without irrigation if the ground has
been well prepared, and if they have
been mulched; but an occasional water-
ing helps these also mightily in making
new growth. After the first year they
will do without irrigation.

Although I have seen a few of the
Australian Acacias grown up to large
and fine trees without irrigation, I would
treat them to an occasional watering
once or twice during the summer; for I
have seen five and six year old trees
IDerishing for the want of moisture.

The Australian Gum-tree seems to be

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

217

able to withstand our dry summers with-
out irrigation. During the first sum-
mer after transplanting, they should be
mulched, and if two or three good water-
ings can be given them, it will be a
great help. In all cases, trees which
have been transplanted early in autumn
will do best, having an opportunity to
establish themselves fairly during the
rainj* season.

When water can be had, I would ad-
vise thoroughly irrigating all ornamental
trees which have been transplanted dur-
ing last winter, at least once or twice
during the summer, and as the most
important time when this should be
done, I would name the present month
of July.

Nursery stock, such as young seed-
lings, young grafted stock, cuttings,
etc., must be irrigated, unless the soil
be naturally moist. I would sooner
venture to plant a tree or cutting grown
by irrigation, than one that has been
grown without it, unless, as said above,
the soil in which it is growing, is nat-
urally moist.

There are various ways of irrigating.
Underground irrigation is undoubtedly
best, wherever it is feasible, and where
the necessary expense can be easily
met. It is also the most economical
way, as it does not require the ground
to be worked over after the watering.

The seeds of some of our herbaceous
spring and summer flowers now begin
to ripen, and it is always a good move
to save at least as much seed as you
may require yourself. The seeds of
Pansies, Candytuft, Larkspur, Primu-
las, Cinerarias, Sweet Alyssum, and
early flowering Stock, may now be
gathered and stored away in an airy,
cool room, where mice and rats can be
kept out.

If you wish to have Cinerarias in
bloom, in February, March, and April

next, you should sow the seed now.

This is a good time to propagate
Pinks by cuttings or layering, which
will make fair plants for the coming
winter and spring.

"While the dust is flying so abundant-
ly during our summer months, an occa-
sional syringing and sprinkling of all
plants, in and out of doors', becomes a
necessity. Plants can not thrive well if
their foliage is coated with dust, which
also gives them a very unsightly ap-
pearance.

The present month offers a very good
opportunity for propagating Azaleas,
Rhododendrons, and many other choice
shrubs and plants, by cuttings. Some
of our wise men say that Azaleas and
Rhododendrons can not be grown here
successfully from cuttings. My opinion
is decidedly at variance with theirs.
There is no reason why they should
not do as well here as anywhere else,
under proper treatment.

If Gladioli are desired in bloom next
October and November, they should be
planted now. There is yet time to plant
Tuberoses for late flowering.

Camellias have mostly made their
first growth, and buds are forming.
Keep them in an airy place, and water
less. If you continue to keep them in
a warm place, and water them freely,
they are apt to make a second growth,
by which you will lose your buds.

If Mignonette is expected to flower
well during next autumn and winter,
the seed should be sown this or next
month. "Water the soil thoroughly,
cover with good old manure, dig over
the whole, and then sow your seed
in rows or broadcast; cover up lightly
with finely pulverized soil; and if any
branches can be spared from some trees
or shrubs, the ground may be shaded
for a few days, which would help mate-
rially.

218

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

EEPORT ON THE IEUIT AND VEGE-
TABLE MAEKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEK.

Even in this specially favorable cli-
mate for raising so many varieties of
fine fruit, the demands of civilization
and for the promotion of health, com-
fort, and longevity, call for a still great-
er abundance and a freer use of them,
and more especially for some sorts that
are as yet comparatively scarce, and are
therefore too high-priced for the masses.
This observation relates chiefly to the
cultivation of the Cherry and the Rasp-
berry, planting of which varieties seems
to have been enterprised the latest of
all the small fruits. It is the aug-
mented use which has been progressive-
ly increasing of late years, which alone
secures a continuation of profits to the
fruit -grower; and the increase of our
population by immigration alone offers
good encouragement for people to plant
fruit-trees, shrubs and plants of this
character in every kind. The new proc-
esses of drying, canning, and especial-
ly the latest improvement — the Alden
method — demand also that this progres-
sive increase in production should be
maintained. In the older fruit sections
it is found that a year of cheap fruit is
invariably followed by an increased de-
mand for it — as a larger number of
people acquire the habit of using it. In
fact, to families of all ranks once fairly
habituated to its use, fruit becomes a
necessity. And as the demand, so the
prices become permanent and remuner-
ative. How much this habitual and
abundant use tends to lessen the evils
of intemperance and other vices and
extravagances, would form an interest-
ing subject for the social statistician,
could the facts be ascertained. Luxury
of some sort is the sure concomitant
of wealth and leisure ; but how much

more rational the refined extravagance
of the amateur horticulturist — the lux-
ury of indulgence in rare and costly
fruits, flowers, and landscape adorn-
ments (all kindred employments)— than
the exciting pleasures of the wine -cup,
the too often distinctive indulgence in
narcotism and debauchery, and the
fashionable fascinations of modern mid-
night and late - hour gaieties and dissi-
pation.

The question of profitable fruit-grow-
ing, resting as it does, not on the exag-
erated profits of isolated localities or
varieties, but on its universal consump-
tion and general cultivation in all sec-
tions and in all parts, elevations, and
depressions of our State, calls for con-
tinued trial and careful introduction of
every species and variety of fruit which
may be capable of filling new uses, or
supplying deficiencies of the older sorts.
And it is always pertinent to inquire
what new species of fruits give promise
of the best adaptation to California. It
is quite likely that there are many new
and valuable dessert, cooking, canning,
drying, and fancy fruits that might be
easily and beneficially introduced among
us, from the older sections of our own
country, as well as from the world at
large.

The quality and comparative excel-
lence of these new fruits when intro-
duced from abroad, or from our own
seedlings, should be ascertained by act-
ual trial by our Bay District Horticult-
ural Society, through a committee ap-
pointed for the purpose, or by those
who have practiced testing fruits and
are known to be reliable judges. And
all useful or promising fruits should re-
ceive from our Horticultural Societies,
wherever situated, fair trials and most
candid comparisons. This, we have no
doubt these Societies will always give
them, and we trust when we arrive at

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

219

this desirable method, the results there-
from will prove as beneficial to us all,
as the movements already made by the
Horticultural Societies of the State
have been honorable, liberal, and pa-
triotic.

Xew Figs, of fine quality and size
generally, appeared in our markets for
the first time this season on the 6th of
June, selling at 50c. per pound.

Apples came in at the beginning of
June in fair supply, but as usual, at
first were mostly green and of poor
quality. Unripe Pears also made their
appearance about the same time, but by
the time our present number appears,
both Apples and Pears will be begin-
ning to be mellow and of good quality.

Peaches are coming in rather spar-
ingly at the present time.

The second crop of Strawberries are
in, in much finer ripeness and condition
than they were ten days since. They
are, of course, falling off, and on ac-
count of the advent of a pretty large
quantity of Raspberries this season
(chiefly on account of its continued eool-
'ness till within these last few days),
there is no pressing demand for them;
and the quantity sent in has been, for a
month past, ample for all wants. It is
calculated that nearly a million and a
quarter pounds of Strawberries have
been consumed already this year.

Currants, Cherries, and Gooseberries
are still in great abundance.

Large consignments of Plums are
now coming in.

Two or three cargoes of Tahiti Or-
anges have come to hand since the first
of June.

Chile Strawberries sell for 40 to 50c.
per pound, while the common red ob-
tain only 10 to 20 c.

In addition to our quotations above,
we give the following: Cherries, 15@20
cts. per pound for common, and 25@35

cts.- per pound for choice; Raspberries,
20@,25c. ; Apricots, 8©20c. ; Currants,
10@12c. ; Gooseberries, Kr©12c. for
small, and 20 @, 25c. for the English de-
scription; Wild Blackberries, 20@25c. ;
Whortleberries, 25c. ; Cherry Plums,
20©25c. ; French Prunes, 25©35c. ;
California Prunes, 12@25c; Brazil and
Filbert Nuts, 25c; Walnuts, 15c. for
Chile, and 20c. for California; Smyrna
Figs, 25@.35c. per pound ; Bananas,
75c. per dozen.

The first Watermelons of the season
arrived on the 19th of June.

As to vegetables, Tomatoes are much
more plentiful, and therefore much
cheaper. Cucumbers, also, keep de-
clining. Egg Plants are increasing fast
at 20@25c. per pound. Green Corn sells
from 10 to 30c. per dozen, according to
quality. Green Onions are quotable at
20@25c. per dozen bunches; Spinach
and Rhubarb, 6@8c. per pound; Green
Okra, 50c. per pound; Windsor Beans,
5c. per pound; Sugar and Marrowfat
Peas, 5@6c. per Bb.; Summer Squashes,
4@5c. per pound : cultivated Mush-
rooms, 50c. per pound; Mint, 10@25c.
per bunch ; Lentil, 12c. per pound ;
Chile Peppers, 25@50c. per pound.

Watermelons from Suisun made their
appearance on the 25th of June.

The first Nectarines came to hand on
the 26th.

Bloodgood Pears, about the same
time — a great improvement upon the
Madeleine.

Gra£)es from Solano County — the
Zinfindel — on the 27th of June — though
inferior for the table.

Strawberries and Raspberries were
still in plenty in the latter part of June.

Cultivated Blackberries are now in
plentiful supply.

Cantaloupe Melons are becoming also
plentiful. Also Peaches in great abun-
dance.

220

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

OMitoral <Sleaufa$i.

Setting out Tkees by the Roadside. —
The growth of timber to take the place
of our rapidly disappearing forests, has
led farmers in some sections to set out
trees. While it may not be convenient
or desirable for all to adopt this plan,
every one can set trees by the roadside
along his own land. There are many
advantages to be derived from them,
which can be seen at once to more than
pay for the trouble. They beautify the
premises, and give a better appearance
to the landscape. And if the trees are
Maple, which is one of the best, and
most easily raised, when grown they
will furnish a large yield of maple su-
gar. If Butternut or "Walnut, the nuts
are, in a measure, a compensation for
the labor of setting them out. There
is to be in the future such a demand for
wood, that it will not answer to cut
down and not replace in some way. In
Baden, and in other German States, as
well as in some of the departments of
France, the law obliges a person to
plant a tree in the place of every one
cut down. In this way, miles of rows
of shade -trees line the roads, making
pleasant shaded walks through all the
towns and villages. It is a fact not
generally known, that trees increase
their wood -making capacity in about
the ratio, as the square of the number
of years indicating their age. The third
year they make nine times, the fifth
year twenty -five times, and the tenth
one hundred times the amount of wood
they make the first year. The trees
grow more rapidly as they get older,
and we can not afford to cut them down
until they get their growth.

Some towns in this section have al-
ready formed associations for beautify-
ing their sites by planning parks and
setting out trees by the roadside. If

this is not done, individuals can, with
but little trouble, and without expense,
procure trees and set out in front of
their own lands, and stimulate their
neighbors to do the same, so as to make
a uniform and continuous line of shade-
trees along the roadside. — New England
Homestead.

Charcoal on Flowers. — A correspond-
ent of the Bevue Horticole, says that not
long ago he made a bargain for a Rose-
bush of magnificent growth and full of
buds. He waited for them to blow, and
expected Roses worthy of such a plant,
and of the praises bestowed upon it by
the vender, but when it blossomed all
his hopes were blasted. The flowers
were of a faded hue, and he discovered
that he had only a middling multiflora,
stale color enough. He, therefore, re-
solved to sacrifice it to some experiments
he had in view. His attention had been
directed to the effects of charcoal, as
stated in some English publications.
He then covered the earth in the pot
in which the Rose-bush was, about half
an inch deep with pulverized charcoal.
Some days afterward, he was astonished
to see those which bloomed of as fine a
lively rose color as he could wish. He
determined to repeat the experiment,
and, therefore, when the Rose-bush had
done flowering, he took off the charcoal
and put. fresh earth about the roots,
and waited for the next spring, impa-
tiently, to see the result of this experi-
ment. When it bloomed, the Roses were
at first pale and discolored, but by ap-
plying the charcoal as before, they as-
sumed their rose-red color. He then
tried the powdered charcoal in large
quantities upon Petunias, and found
that both the white and violet colored
flowers were equally sensitive to its ac-
tion. It always gave vigor to the red
or violet colors, and the white Petunias

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

221

became veined with red or violet tints;
the violets became covered with irregu-
lar spots of a bluish or almost black
tint. Many persons who admired them
thought they were choice new varieties
from the seed. Yellow flowers appear
to be insensible to the influence of char-
coal.

Foeest Trees. — One of the hard
things for our prudent, thrifty people
to learn, is the climate value of forest
trees. The first thing the old settlers
did was to destroy the forests; and their
descendants in most places still value
trees solely for the wood they will yield.
But the more enlightened agriculturists
begin to see the fatal mistake made in
robbing the hills of their natural cover-
ing, the sources of moisture, and at-
tractors of rain. The forests are not
only fertilizers, but also the irrigators
and reservoirs of a country. In New
England, and some parts of the "West,
farmers are planting trees to restore the
fertility of the soil, and prevent the
distressing droughts of summer. The
history of the Isthmus of Suez has
taught us a striking lesson in this re-
spect. A few years ago, the whole
region through which M. de Lesseps'
famous canal now passes hundreds of
richly laden vessels, was a sterile desert
— the rain -fall amounting often to less
than an inch during the year. There
were no trees to be seen far or near.
"When the energetic Frenchman began
his gigantic enterprise, he at once di-
rected thousands of trees to be planted
in proper localities; they grew up,
thanks to careful irrigation, and now
the astonished eye of the traveler be-
holds blooming prairies and stately for-
ests, where once all was waste and wild
desert. But a still greater change has
come over the climate;- rain now falls
frequently and abundantly, the soil pro-

Vol. Ill— 29.

duces richly; and if that man is to be
counted a benefactor, who can make a
blade of grass to grow where none could
be raised before, true glory belongs to
him who has thus created, as it were,
a fertile land, capable of maintaining
thousands of industrious and happy
citizens . — Exchange.

Chiccoby. — There is considerable at-
tention given to the production of this
root in California. There are now three
companies at work, one in Sacramento
County, another in Yolo, and a third in
San Joaquin.. The Sacramento com-
pany commenced last spring- by plant-
ing 70 acres, and will next spring plant
180. The average yield is fifteen tons
of green, and three of the roasted root,
to the acre. In Yolo, 100 acres are cul-
tivated, and we suppose San Joaquin
must have still more, for the Stockton
Independent estimates the entire crop of
the State for this year at 5,000 tons,
implying the occupation of not less
than 300 acres. The Stockton factory
pays $15 per ton for the green roots.
Heretofore we inrported largely of Chic-
coiy, but two years since- we raised a
surplus across the bay and shipped
considerable to New York. During the
current year imports to a limited extent
were renewed. The Independent says:
' ' The manufacturers express ■ the opin-
ion that the growth and development of
this interest and source of wealth will
be slow in this State, from the fact that
the action of the last Congress in re-
ducing the duty on the imported article
from Europe, not only brings the Cali-
fornia producer into direct competition
with the foreign laborer, but actually
places the Pacific coast venture at a
positive disadvantage. Chiccory raised
in the G-ernian States can be laid down
in New York for $12 per ton freight,

222

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

whereas the freight on the California
product laid down in the city, is about
one-third more than it is from Germany.
It is contended, therefore, that the pro-
duction and manufacture of Chiccory
in California, under existing circum-
stances, will be limited to the supply
of the home demand." — San Francisco
Commercial Herald.

Sulphuk 10 Kill Veemin. — It is well
to know that the powdered sulphur of
the druggist is the cheapest, handiest,
and best thing yet discovered for killing
parasites that infest sitting hens, and
find their way to fresh pastures upon
the chickens as soon as the latter are
hatched. Many times the people com-
plain that when the chickens are a week
or two old, they drop or die from the
attack of large lice, which literally
cover the heads of the birds. If exam-
ination is made earlier, it will be found
that the insects have taken up their
abode upon the chickens' heads while
still in the nest, for they forsake the
hen, preferring the chickens. It is bad
business to have to catch the chickens
for treatment after they have left the
nest, when the remedy can be applied
with so little trouble before hatching
begins. A week or so after the hen has
been given her clutch of eggs, sprinkle
them and the whole of the nest and
straw, for a little distance around, with
the sulphur, when the hen is off. The
night following, attend to the hen her-
self, by lantern-light. Disturb her just
enough to make her bristle her feathers,
and then dust sulphur well down to
their roots. Go over her whole body
thoroughly, excepting the parts in con-
tact with the nest, and lift each wing
and scatter a pinch; attend to the head,
neck and tail. It will not injure the
hen in the least, nor the chickens when

they are hatched. "We repeat the oper-
ation at an interval of a week — though
perhaps one application is sufficient —
and have never found the slightest trace
of vermin upon hens or chicks after-
ward. Use two small handfuls. It
costs little either in money or trouble.
Tobacco, snuff, grease, carbolic powder,
etc., are not to be compared with sul-
phur for this particular purpose, and
the best dust-bath privileges for the hen
are not to be relied upon alone. — Ex-
change.

Compost Heaps. — It is often recom-
mended that when manure is thrown
into heaps in the field, it should be
covered with a layer of earth, to pre-
vent the escape of the ammonia. The
experiments of Dr. Voelcker, at the
Royal Agricultural College, at Cirences-
ter, in England, have established the
fact that evaporation of ammonia from
large heaps of manure goes on but
slightly; for the reason that during the
decomposition of the manure certain
organic acids are formed at the same
time the ammonia is evolved, and these
immediately unite with the ammonia,
forming non- volatile compounds.

There is an active escape of ammonia
from the interior of large heaps, where
the heat is too great for the chemical
change above referred to.; but, as it ap-
proaches the exterior part of the heap,
where the heat is very much less, the
ammonia is completely taken up by the
organic acids and retained.

There will be but a trifling escape of
ammonia, while there is sufficient moist-
ure to retain it, for water absorbs and
retains many hundred times its bulk of
ammonia gas at ordinary temperature.
These non -volatile compounds, from
being highly soluble in water, are liable
to be washed away at every rain-storm,
giving the well-known color to the

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

223

drainings of manure heaps. — Maryland
Farmer.

Mesqtjite Gum. — M. F. Kalteyer,
Treasurer of the Agricultural and In-
dustrial Association of Western Texas,
says the Mesquite gum of that region is
almost identical with gum-arabic, hav-
ing been in use there for medicinal and
other purposes, especially in the prep-
aration of mucilage, gum-drops, jujube
paste, etc. The past year it has become
an article of export, some 12,000 pounds
having been gathered in Bexar County,
and as much more between that and the
coast. No gum is gathered west of
Bexar, though the drought was favora-
ble to a large crop. This gum is hard-
ly known east of the Brazos. It exudes
from the stem and branches of a Mimo-
sa, several species of which grow in
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. One
of these species, Algarobia glandulosa
(Torrey and Gray, N. A. F., 399), is
rarely met with below the mountain re-
gion of western Texas. The species
most common in Bexar County grows
from twenty to forty feet high and
eighteen inches thick. From it char-
coal is manufactured. It is generally
used for picket poles, being very dura-
ble. It is also made into handsome
furniture, the grain being very fine. It
grows where no other fruit-tree would
live. It was favorably noticed in the
last annual report of the American
Pharmaceutical Association.

How to age "Wines and Brandies. —
There have been various methods and
processes suggested and tried, to give
the qualities of age to brandies and
wines. One process consists of heating
the wines or brandies; and another, of
freezing them. One consists of pump-
ing air into the wine; while another

pumps it out. Each and all claim per-
fection for their processes; but those
who have tried them thoroughly have
condemned all these expedients, as en-
tirely inefficient in producing the bene-
fits promised. The only change effect-
ed was a vapid softness, that in no man-
ner resembled the qualities acquired by
age. Age develops the flavor through
a long, slow, and gradual change of
the natural ingredients of the wine; and
when this flavor has become fully and
agreeably developed, it is called bou-
quet. There is no artificial process yet
invented which can produce this result.
It is much to be regretted that many of
our wine-makers are so enterprising, be-
cause they have been, and still will be,
victimized by every sanguine process-
inventor who comes along. Thousands
of gallons of good wine have thus been
spoiled annually, by people who wish
their wines. to acquire all the qualities
that age alone can communicate. But
we learn as we grow older; and the
good days of these would-be inventors
are passed. We are fast coming to the
conclusion, thai. Nature's laboratory,
managed by Time, is the most perfect
of all; and man can follow closely, but
not excel, nor even equal, Nature's si-
lent work. — Overland Monthly.

Besuet of Foeest Extermination. —
Sardinia and Sicily, once the granaries
of Italy, have suffered the penalty of
their thoughtlessness in exterminating
their forests. Two thousand years ago,
those lands were celebrated for their
wonderful productiveness, and were
said to be the most beautiful in the
world. In 1800, Humboldt visited
Venezuela, South America, and was in-
formed by the natives living in the val-
ley of Araguay that they had noticed,
with great astonishment, that a lake

224

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

which lay in the middle of the valley
had decreased in volume every year;
the canse of this is clearly traced to
the felling of a great number of trees
which grew on the surrounding mount-
ains. In Hungary, the periodical
droughts are universally attributed to
the annihilation of the forests. In Ca-
iro, lower Egypt, a great many years
ago, rain fell but seldom, only once in
three or four years; but since the time
of Mohammed Ali, twenty to thirty
millions of trees have been planted,
and the result is now that the people
have from thirty to forty rainy days
every year. Surely these few of the
many examples ,are warnings sufficient
to put us on our guard.

Coffee - making. — Professor Leibig,
the German chemist, says good coffee
should be rich in two principles, extract
and aroma. When boiled a long time,
coffee is rich in extract but deficient in
aroma; and when boiled only a short
time it is rich in aroma but deficient in
extract. In order to obtain both of
these properties, Professor Leibig di-
rects to take two-thirds of the ground
coffee needed for a meal, put in the
water and boil briskly a considerable
time, and when the meal is nearly
ready, take the coffee from the fire and
add the remaining third of ground cof-
fee; stir it well, let it stand a few min-
utes and serve.

The above directions will not avail
much if the coffee is not properly roast-
ed. Roast often, and in small quanti-
ties at a time.

According to M. Schadler, only half
the quantity of finely ground coffee is
needed, in order to produce the same
strength of beverage obtained by the
ordinary coarse-ground article. If, af-
ter the Oriental fashion, the ground

coffee is crushed fine in a mortar, only
two-fifths of the coarse is needed. In-
fusion, boiling or filtering through a
bag, all have the same result as regards
strength, except that by filtering, the
aroma of the coffee is better preserved.

Keeping Apples in Plaster. — A writ-
er in the Rural New Yorker says: "I
have been experimenting the past few
years with Apples, and find those packed
in plaster keep much longer than any
other way I have tried. I use flour bar-
rels, and find them preferable to apple
barrels, as they are made tighter. I
first cover the bottom of the barrel with
plaster, then a layer of Apples, then
cover with plaster, and so on till the
barrel is full; then put the head in and
drive the hoops tight. The plaster be-
ing of a cold nature, keeps the fruit at
an even temperature, and being fine and
dry, packs so close.as to keep the Apples
air-tight. I had Northern Spy and
Swaar almost as fresh in May as when
they were picked, and found no decay-
ed ones, and think they would have
kept till early Apples where ripe, had
we not used them. Shall put up sever-
al barrels for next spring and summer
use, as I am satisfied that our best va-
rieties, such as Steele's Red Winter,
Wagner, and Seek-no-further will keep
several months longer than putting them
up without any plaster, and will retain
their flavor much better besides."

The Gtuano Islands. — The stock of
guano on the islands near Peru is near-
ly exhausted, and it is estimated that
the supply from these sources will fail
within four years. A Peruvian journal,
published at Lima, says, however, that
immense guano beds have been discov-
ered on the mainland, north of Callao,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

225

of a quality superior to that found on
the celebrated Chincha Islands. The
discovery is the result of an exploration
set on foot by Henry Meiggs, the great
railroad contractor. Another expedition
sent to a place near Pisco, where it was
reported there were large deposits, as-
certained that no guano was to be found
there. The beds north of Callao, where
it is said that millions upon millions of
this valuable fertilizer lie within easy
reach, are the resort of sea-lions in im-
mense numbers. — Exchange.

As an offset to this, an exchange gives
the following, which we hope to be
true:

It is said there are in Russia no less
than 50,000,000 acres of land, which
will yield 5,000 tons of phosphate of
lime to the acre. This contains 20 per
cent, of phosphoric acid. The decay
of the guano trade is evidently destined
to have little effect upon the agriculture
of the world, for that manure will be
replaced by artificially prepared phos-
phates.— Farmer and Gardener*

Value of Fokest Leaves. — The New
York Tribune says : "Every farmer has
within in his reach material, which, if
gathered and mingled with the more
easily decomposed matter, will furnish
for his crops food of the richest descrip-
tion. Of these, the first in importance
are forest leaves. These rapidly decay
and contain a much larger proportion
of the most valuable fertilizers than the
wood. While the dry wood contains
from one - tenth of a pound to four
pounds in the hundred, of potash, dry
leaves and young twigs contain from
half a pound up to ten pounds of potash
in the hundred. Almost exactly the
same relative proportion holds good in
regard to the phosphoric acid contained
in these substances. A hundred pounds

of leaves of the mixed forest growths,
common in the United States, will yield
nearly two pounds of this most indis-
pensable fertilizer.

Filberts. — The Turf, Field, and Farm
has the following in reference to the
cultivation of Filberts : "We were sur-
prised, on visiting one of our Broadway
fruit -shops, to find fresh Filberts, im-
.ported from Kent, in England, selling
with their heavy green husks on for 80
cents per pound, and this has been the
average for several years. Why should
not our farmers in the Middle and
Southern States grow Filberts? The
climate which will produce good peaches
will also produce Filberts, and all of
our light tobacco lands in the basin of
the Chesapeake are as well suited to
their growth as the soil of Kent, and
certainly at the prices now ruling in
New York, or at even half these prices,
Filberts would prove the most profita-
ble product within the whole range of
agriculture. Nor is tho adaptation of
the soil and climate of our Middle
States to the growth of these nuts at all
problematical, for they have been grown
in a small way on some of the old home-
steads in Virginia for more than a hun-
dred years."

Cofeee. — For reasons not revealed,
there is a growing deterioration in Cof-
fee from every source of production.
It is probably the same cause that dete-
riorates all fruits and other products,
viz., confining cultivation to constant
selections without variation. In time,
like intermarrying cousins, this breed-
ing-in runs out all vegetable stock. The
world is being relieved of worn-out Tea-
plants, by new growths in new soil — in
India. That country is going very ex-
tensively into Coffee culture. Already
we find in English papers praise of In-

226

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

dia Coffee that rivals Mocha, Java, and
Jamaica. Coffee in India is becoming
an important article of agriculture and
export. In the southern counties of
California, Coffee can be grown. We
understand that this is demonstrated;
and we are assured that, once in bear-
ing, the Coffee-trees demand little care
and insure large profits. — Willamette
Farmer.

Substitute eor Grafting - Wax. — I
had no regular grafting -"wax, and yet
wanted to graft some Apple-trees. I
tried various substitutes, but none of
them answered. I thought of covering
some cotton with a thin solution of resin
and grease, making, in fact, a sort of
sticking-plaster of it. This I did, and
cut into strips about three-quarters of
an inch wide, hanging them on a little
pole for use. After cutting and fitting
the grafts, I took about ten inches in
length of these strips, and bound the
graft round and round, using the stick-
ing part next to the tree. It answered
splendidly, and the grafts were retained
in their position as rigidly as if they
grew there. The weather could have
no perceptible effect on them, as the
grafting - strips stuck fast to the graft,
and were perfectly water-tight. The
speed with which each graft was made
was something worth noticing; and to
prevent the cotton sticking to the fin-
gers, nothing more was requisite than
to use a little grease on the operator's
hands. — Science of Health.

Cranberry Culture. — If your peat
bed is so situated that it can be drained
at will and the surface is sandy, it is
the best possible location for Cranber-
ries. When the surface is not sandy, it
is usual to cart on sand for the purpose.
In this way some of the best Cranberry-

beds East have been made. It prevents
the vines growing too strong, and keeps
down weeds until the vines cover the
ground. Upon a pure peat or muck
bed, we should not plant. Of course,
Cranberries can be raised from seed;
but since the Cranberry roots easily
from the vine, it is far better and in the
end cheaper to buy cuttings with which
to make your plantation. Besides, if
you can make your plantation from cut-
tings or roots, and buy of responsible
parties, you get the variety you wish to
grow. There are now several superior
varieties in cultivation. — Western Rural.

Plant Trees. — Every citizen who has
no trees about his residence, should see
to it and plant shade-trees. To esti-
mate the value of groves and shelter-
belts in this country would be as diffi-
cult as to estimate the value of good
health in dollars and cents. No man
knows how to appreciate either, until,
having enjoyed one or the other, he is
deprived of the blessing. The benefit
*to be derived from a grove in summer
is that of shade and protection from
flies; while the belt of timber, if prop-
erly arranged, will protect the farm
from devastation by the storms of win-
ter. They will furnish protection to
both man and beast from the chilling
winds, and add fifty per cent, to the
value of the place. — California Farmer.

India -Rubber. — The belt of land
around the globe, 500 miles north and
500 miles south of the equator, abounds
in trees producing the gum of India-
rubber. They can be tapped, it is
stated, for twenty successive seasons
without injury; and they stand so close
that one man can gather the sap of
eighty in a day, each tree yielding, on

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTURIST.

227

an average, three tablespoonfuls a day.
Forty -three thousand of these trees
have been counted in a tract of country
a mile long by eight wide. There are
in Europe and America more than 150
manufactories of India-rubber articles,
employing 500 operatives each, and
consuming more than 10,000,000 lbs.
of gum a year; and the business is con-
sidered to be still in its infancy. But,
to whatever extent it may increase,
there will still be plenty of rubber to
supply the demand. — Cincinnati Price
Current.

Perfumes. — The English magazine,
All the Year Round, contains an inter-
esting article upon the manufacture of
perfumery, of which we learn that, from
the middle ages up to the last century,
musk, civet, ambergris, and lavender
sum up the best known and most pop-
ular perfumes. It is only of compara-
tively quite late years that the art has
made so much progress, and been en-
riched by so many new ingredients, as
we find at present. Nevertheless, and
in spite of all additions, the base of Eu-
ropean flower-scents is contained in six
flowers only, namely, orange - flowers,
roses, jasmine, violets, acacia, and tube-
roses. Others that have been tried are
found of small use, and their special
odor is best given by imitative com-
pounds ; as heliotrope is imitated by
vanilla dashed with almonds, and so on.
Add to these six bases, geranium, lav-
ender, rosemary, thyme, and some oth-
er aromatic herbs — the last three grow-
ing chiefly upon the mountains around
Grasse, Nice, and Cannes, which are
the principal European centres for the
manufacture of perfumes; add also the
peel of bitter oranges, of which the
fruit goes to make curacjoa; the peel of
citrons and bergamots, of which the
fruit goes to feed the cows of the dis-

trict, and is good for the milk; add
musk, sandal-wood, ambergris, and gum
benjamin; of later days add the leaves
of the patchouli, from India; winter-
green, from the United States; various
of the andropagons, called by us goats'
beard, from Ceylon; ihlang-ihlang, from
the Philippine Islands; vanda, an or-
chid, chiefly from Java, but from other
places too in the Indian Archipelago;
frangipani, from both the East and West
Indies — and we have some of the prin-
cipal sources whence our scent -bottles
are filled, and the delicate soaps and
pomades perfumed. But still, where-
soever the material is to be found, the
French always remain the greatest pro-
ducers; and, save as regards a few ex-
ceptional perfumes — as attar -gul for
one, eau - de - cologne for another — are
the best manufacturers of the sweet
scents which pervade the world. They
do an immense trade in perfumery, and
England is their best customer, as Rus-
sia is their worst. England took, in
1867, 424,500 kilogrammes of perfume-
ry, valued at 2,546,000 francs ; Russia
only 13,300 kilogrammes, at the value
of 79,800 francs. After England comes
Brazil, then Belgium, and then Spanish
America; but even Brazil does very lit-
tle more than half the English trade,
and Spanish America less than half.
The United States took 57,400 kilo-
grammes, valued at 344,400 francs; and
Austria only 14,600 kilogrammes, pay-
ing for them 87,600 francs. Germany,
in spite of her own especial industry at
Cologne, took 107, 800 kilogrammes,
spending 646,800 francs upon her pur-
chase; but it would be interesting to
know what amount of her own perfume
she exports, and which of her number-
less Jean Marie Farinas has the largest
business connection. England does a
good trade in her own lavender water,
but by far the greater proportion is ex-

228

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ported ; perfumes, like prophets, not
having much honor in their own coun-
try, all that is foreign being instinctive-
ly preferred to what is home-bred, and
the question of comparative excellence
counting: for nothing- in the choice.

Killing Weeds in Lawns. — The Amer-
ican Rural Home says: "Dock, Canada
thistles, horseradish, dandelions, and
other strong -rooted varieties, are fre-
quent tenants of the grass-plot. They
obstruct the lawn-mower, and, when
shaven as close as the grass, spring
quickly into prominence again. Per-
haps the best way of killing them out
is to use a narroW-bladed spade, or a
strong knife, which will cut the root
deep enough under the surface,' when it
can be pulled up, and in most cases
will not grow again. This, however, is
not the case with strong - growing and
extremely vital iDlants,like horse-radish,
thistles, and dock. These require more
frequent treatment, and perhaps some-
thing additional to cutting. If a little
salt, or what is much better, kerosene,
can be applied to the cut surface of the
roots, it generally kills them complete-
ly.— Exchange. .

Protect the Teees. — In setting out
young shade trees it is a good idea to
place around them such protection as
will insure them from injury. This
frame, or whatever it may be, should be
of such a nature as to do more good
than harm, and should be removed, as
soon as the' trees have attained sufficient
stability to care for themselves. "We
notice a large number of trees in town
that had been boxed up when young,
and, the boxes not being removed when
the trees grew up, are now suffering be-
cause of the owners' carelessness. The
boxing around large trees should be re-

moved, and that around young trees
should be so fixed as not to damage the
trees.

Product of the Osage Orange. — The
wood of the hedge -plant known as the
Osage Orange {Madura aurantica), if
boiled in water, yields a handsome yel-
low extract, which is used in Texas as a
dye. From it a large percentage of tan-
nin is obtained. The seed of the fruit
also yields a valuable oil, abundant,
bland, and limpid, resembling olive oil,
and burning with a steady flame in an
ordinary lard -oil lamp. — Rural South-
land.

Effect of Oxalic Acid on Seed. — An
English scientific journal states that ox-
alic acid promotes the sprouting of
seeds, so that seeds forty years old will
germinate by its application. The meth-
od is to soak the seeds for one or two
days in a solution of oxalic acid, till
they commence to sprout, when they
are taken out and planted. — Exchange.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

Foe the Month Ending June 30th, 1873.

(Prepared for The Hoeticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
508 Battery Street (opposite the Custoni-house.) ■

BAEOMETEK.

Mean height at 9 a.m 30.11 in.

do 12m 30.10

do 3p.m 30.09

do 6p.m 30.08

Greatest height, on. the 27th at 12 m 30.29

Least height, on the 4th and 30th at 6 p. m 29 . 93

THEEMOMETEE.
(In the shade and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a.m 59°

do 12m 64°

do 3p.m 63°

do 6p.m 59°

Greatest height, on the 17th and 23d at 12 m 70°

Least height, on the 12th and 14th at 9 A;M 55P

SELF - EEGISTEEING THEEMOMETEE.

Mean height during the night 42°

Greatest height, on night of 16th 48°

Least height, on night of 8th 37°

"WINDS.

North and north-west on 5 days; south and south-west

on 5 days; west on 20 days.

WEATHEE.
Clear on 16 days; variable on 13 days; cloudy on 1 day.

EAIN GAUGE.

June 16th 0.08 inches.

Total rain during the season 18.02 "

Average rain-fall during the past 24 seasons. 23. 80 ' '

Jhe Polden Morning Glory.

(Aniseia aurea — Kellogg.)

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

AUGUST, 1873.

No. 8.

THE GOLDEN MORNING -GLOKT.
(Aniseia Aurea. ) — Kellogg.

This new native golden dory, was
found by Prof. George Davidson, of the
United States Coast Survey, on his re-
cent expedition to Lower California (at
San Juan del Caho, twenty -five miles
west of Cape San Lucas, latitude 23° 03')
to establish or verify the former site of
the ancient observatory of the transit of
Venus.

The genus Aniseia was formed from
plants separated from the old Ipomcea
and Calystegia species of Convolvulacece,
owing to the unequal size of the scales
of the green cup of the flower. This
is therefore one of the many forms of
Morning-glories, so well known to flor-
ists. These twiners possess rare beau-
ties and graces, as do all plants that
prettily wind and festoon the shrubber-
ies and lattice-work of rural retreats.
"White and blue, pink and purple are the
prevailing hues of this family of flow-
ers, yellow being relatively a rare color.
This has also the diversity of a deep
dark purple eye and tube, together with
unusual size, as seen in the figure. It
has the appearance of being a perennial,
which in our genial winter clime of the
coast, would prove ornamental most of

Vol. III.— 30.

the year round. These points, apart
from the generous hand-shaped leaves
it holds out to us, must commend it to
the attention of florists. Trained with
or in proximity to the common native
Cloak - cup Morning - glory ( Calystegia
sepium), it would form a charming bow-
er or screen of ceaseless glory, in gold
and royal purple, pink and white flowers,
exhibiting a rare combination of lasting
beauty.

Fewer specific details are required
when a good figure enables one to seize
at a glance the strong points that dis-
criminate one speeies from another, even
the rarest novelties. Still, some feat-
ures are not always manifest; besides,
a focal review ever aids and brightens,
as it perfects, knowledge.

Strictly speaking, it might be said
that the stem twines from right to left
against the sun, or opposite to the way
that orb appears to revolve. The alter-
nate leaves are digitate by fives; the ax-
ils are turned topsy-turvy or reversed —
that is, the flower-stems are sub-axillary
(by reversion); the proper flower-stem,
it will be seen, is jointed close below
the flower, with two or three very mi-
nute bract-like scales at the articulation.
The green calyx, or flower-cup, is form-
ed of five or six unequal scales, the first

230

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

series of three outer or lower: the three
others, successively higher, .form the
second series, which are larger, except
the fifth scale or lobe, which is narrow-
er; and the sixth, or inmost and highest
set, is a mere sharp, delicate membrane,
scarcely one-fourth the length or -size of
the others. The outermost lowest ru-
dimentary scale is not included. The
upper flower is laid open, and a scale
removed, to show the short proper pur-
ple tube; the short smooth purple cen-
tral style, which is two-lobed; the five
filaments or threads, bearded below,
with long anthers, which in the dry
state twist from left to right, or the
contrary way to that of the stem (that
is, from east to south to west, or just
the way the sun does. The seed-vessel
is two-celled, with two smooth seeds in
each celL The medical properties will
be referred to hereafter.

Hard and Soft Watek. — All house-
wives may not know how materially the
effects of hard and soft water differ in
the cooking of various vegetables.
While one species of vegetables re-
- quires hard water, another species be-
comes sensibly deteriorated by it. For
instance, Peas and Beans cooked in
hard water, containing lime or gypsum,
will not boil tender, because these sub-
stances harden vegetable caseine. In
soft water they boil tender, and lose a
certain raw, rank taste, which they re-
tain in hard water. Many vegetables
(as Onions) boil nearly tasteless in soft
water, because all the flavor is dissolved.
The addition of salt often checks this,
as in the case of Onions, causing the
vegetables to retain their peculiar flavor-
ing principles, besides much nutritious
matter, which might be lost in soft wa-
ter. Thus it appears that the salt hard-
ens the water to some degree. For ex-

tracting the juiee of meat, to make a
broth or soujd, soft water, unsalted and
cold at first, is hest, for it much more
readily penetrates the tissue; but for
boiling meats where the juice should be
retained, hard water is preferable, and
the meat should be put in while it is
boiling, so as to seal up the pores at
once. — Zion's Herald.

DESIEABLE PLANTS OF EECENT IN-
TEODUCTION.

BY F. A. MILLER.

Every year new plants are introduced;
some of them prove valuable acquisitions
to the garden or the greenhouse, while
others are of little merit and should be
cast on the rubbish heap. Catalogues
which are sent out annually from the
large establishments of the East and
from Europe, present to the reader long
lists of new plants, and the flower-lov-
ing community are often misled by
brilliant descriptions of plants which in
reality have no merit about them. Our
florists here in California import annu-
ally from the more extensive floral es-
tablishments of the East and of Europe,
plants, which according to description
promise to be meritorious; but too often
they meet with disappointment in this
respect, receiving plants such as prove
to be of no value in our climate. A
nurseryman here considers himself for-
tunate if one out of every five plants
he imports is meritorious and desirable
for our market. Out of the list of
plants imported within the last two
years, the following have proved excel-
lent additions to our already extensive
collections, and may be safely recom-
mended to every lover of plants and
flowers. They are deserving of exten-
sive culture, are easily taken care of,
and may be now obtained of our most

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

231

prominent nurserymen and florists. I
will begin with the Erantliemum Tuber-
culatum, which was first introduced here
in the spring of 1872, and flowered dur-
ing the same summer. Its blossoms are
pure white, star-shaped, delicate and
pleasing, resembling the well-known
Jasmine, one of our most popular
greenhouse climbers. It flowers with
me continually, summer and winter; its
habit is dwarfish, neat and compact. As
a house plant I can strongly recommend
it, and I am quite sure it will give gen-
eral satisfaction. It thrives well in al-
most any soil, and does not require
large pots. It is easily propagated by
cuttings.

Torenia Asiatica is an exceedingly
pretty flowering plant of recent intro-
duction. Its flowers are trumpet shaped
and of a very rich velvety blue with a
dark shading. AYith me it has flowered
continually, and is admired by every one
who sees it. It may be made available
for baskets also. In well -protected
places, and in a warm exposure, I am
inclined to believe it would thrive well
in the open air. If grown in pots, the
soil should be well drained with char-
coal to keep it from becoming sour. It
is readily propagated from cuttings, and
the young plants will flower freely soon
after being rooted.

Streptocarpus Besii, a native of Aus-
tralia, was brought here two years since,
and of all the house plants it is one of
the most remarkable for the profusion
of flowers which it produces at all times.
It is a gesnerious plant, and its flowers
are similar in shape to the. Gloxinia, but
smaller, of a bluish white color, blotched
and striped with lilac. Unlike the Glox-
inia, it does not require any rest; plants
which I have under cultivation have
never stopped growing and producing
flowers in great abundance continually.
This is one of the most valuable acqui-

sitions, and will prove most popular
with florists as well as amateurs.

Begonia Weltoniensis was brought to
California last year, and has proved to
be the very best of the flowering Bego-
nias ever introduced. Its habit is ex-
cellent. Of dwarfish and dense growth,
its shining, crimson stems and leaf-
stalks, its vividly bright green foliage,
and its delicate, waxy pink flowers,
make it one of the most attractive of
flowering and foliage plants for the
house. It flowers freely all the year
round, and does not seem to be at all
particular about soil or treatment.
Keep the plant moderately moist, and
you can not fail to be successful with it.

In connection with the above I would
mention two more varieties of Bego-
nias of recent introduction: Begonia
Boliviensis, a tuberous-rooted variety,
producing very showy bell-shaped flow-
ers of large size and of a bright red
color, very distinct from all others, and
quite a striking novelty. B. odorata,
a plant of excellent habit, handsome
foliage, and unusually large spikes of
pure white flowers, which are delicious-
ly fragrant ; one of the most desirable
varieties of flowering Begonias.

Bucharis Amazonica, a bulbous-rooted
plant, is a native of South America.
Although introduced into European
gardens several years since, it may be
considered new in this countiy, as but
very few plants have found their way
into the floral establishments of Cali-
fornia. It promises to become one of
the most popular flowering plants under
cultivation. The flowers are of a pure
waxy white color, and have a most de-
lightful perfume. It may well be said
to rival the Camellia for bouquets. Al-
though the flower may neither be so ef-
fective nor so pleasing to some as the
Camellia, its fragrance fully makes up
this deficiency, and when we bear in

232

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

mind that the Eucharis produces an
abundance of flowers throughout the
different seasons of the year, after the
plants have become sufficiently strong,
its value as a florist's .flower can hardly
be overestimated. The cultivation of
the Eucharis Amazonica is not attended
with any difficulties, and in any ordina-
ry greenhouse it will thrive well in this
climate if kept moist. It should be en-
couraged by an occasional manure wa-
tering, and should be allowed plenty, of
pot room. A warm and shady position
is desirable; it is also important that
the soil should be well drained. At
this time the stock of plants is small,
and but very few specimens are for
sale, but I hope that in another year
plants may be obtained at a reasonable
rate.

There are, of course, many other new
-plants under cultivation here, and many
.of them are promising, such as the dif-
ferent varieties of the Clematis, the
White Grape-myrtle, Ferns, some most
remarkable and beautiful tender orna-
mental foliage plants, Roses, etc., but
as they are too numerous to mention
in this article, I will endeavor to speak
of them at some other time.

Within the last two years the impor-
tation of new and rare plants haslarge-
ly increased. It is for our flower-loving
amateurs to encourage our nurserymen
in their efforts to keep pace with the
progress which Floriculture has made
and is continually making in the Old
World and in the more settled Eastern

States.

•■

A correspondent of the Santa Barbara
Press writes thus :

" The English Walnut shows itself as
a stately, magnificent tree, with clean,
grayish bark, and widely - spreading
branches. It is, like our own black
walnut, a tree of slow growth, and does

not begin to bear until seven or eight
years of age. In twelve years, with
thorough culture and irrigation, it bears
from 50 to 75 pounds of nuts; at fifteen
years, from 100 to 160 pounds; thirty
trees may stand on an acre, and it is
customary here to plant Almond trees
between the rows of the Walnut, which
pay the cost of cultivation and a hand-
some profit, and are cut down when the
Walnuts begin to cover the ground.
Nuts sold this year for 12^ cents per
pound in .Los Angeles. A little arith-
matic will tell you that, at 100 pounds
to the tree, which, for an orchard fifteen
years old, would be, everybody tells
me, an under - estimate, the yield
would be $375 per acre. The only ex-
pense is the cost of cultivating and ir-
rigating; one man could easily care for
thirty acres. The nuts fall when ripe
and are picked up and sacked as Hicko-
ry-nuts with us. It is asserted that the
tree is absolutely free from disease or
enemies in the State; it needs no prun-
ing, and it may be safely transplanted
when three years old, so that the plant-
er would get a crop in seven years. At
twenty years trees have borne 250 pounds
of nuts. Two English Walnut trees near
Santa Barbara, thirty years old, have
yielded $50 worth of nuts each per an-
num for several years past."

To Get Tender Horse-Radish. — An
English gardener says: "It may not
be generally known that if leaves or lit-
ter be placed on the tops of Horse-rad-
ish crowns, .two feet or so thick, the
plants grow through them in the course
of the summer, making small white
roots the thickness of one's finger, which
are as tender as spring Radishes, and
much to be preferred to the tough,
•stringy stuff usually supplied with our
roast beef. "

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

233

SOWING SEEDS— TRANSPLANTING AND
PRICKING OUT.

BY E. J. HOOPEE.

There is often complaint made that
some kinds of seeds will not vegetate.
This is often owing to sowing them too
deep, and this evil of deep sowing is
not confined to the open garden. One
cause why seedsmen get such bad
names when seeds will not grow, is ow-
ing to this too-deep covering, or plac-
ing of seeds in soil so water-logged
that, though they swell, the air can not
get at them and decomposition is the
result. As a general rule, small seeds
in pots should seldom he more covered
than the thickness of their own size. A
little shading, before the seedlings ap-
pear, is far better than a thicker cover-
ing. In the case of all seeds, and es-
pecially those a, little old, it is always
safest to place them in soil a little
moist, and to allow the seeds to absorb
moisture from it gradually, instead of
watering the soil, except after some
time, as in our California springs and
summers, and then only rather sparing-
ly. In general cases, and especially in
the case of small seeds, the necessary
moisture should be given by watering
the pots well before sowing, after drain-
ing them well, and filling them with
the light, sandy, proper soil, and then
waiting a day or two for the soil in the
pot to become a little dry on the sur-
face before sowing. "When covered af-
terwards, according to the size of the
seed, and the mouth of the pot covered
with a square of glass, and that shaded
from sunshine before the young seed-
lings appear, hardly a good seed will
fail to grow. Even then careless water-
ing overhead will ruin myriads of ten-
der plantlets. It is safer to communi-
cate moisture from below, or flood the
surface by pouring the water on a piece

of crock held close to the inside of the
pot. The whole of the young tender
plants may thus be moistened without
coming immediately in contact with
fluid from the rose of the watering pot,
upon their tops. The previous moisten-
ing of the pots before sowing is suffi-
cient, in most cases of nicety, to supply
the requisite moisture until the young
seedlings are past danger. Care should
also be taken in sowing tender things
in pots, that the soil should be from a
quarter of an inch to half an inch dis-
tant from the rim. When pots are filled
more fall than that, a careless rose-wa-
tering will often send the seed out of
the pot. Frequently when I have found,
in my practice in the East, a pot empty
of seedlings, I have discovered them in
abundance among the ashes in which
the pots were plunged. If these little
matters were attended to, I feel confi-
dent that less blame would be thrown
on the shoulders of seedsmen, most of
whom make it a point of honor to do
their very best for the gratification of
their customers. •

Another cause why seeds saved by
amateurs and others refuse to vegetate,
is, that after cleaning they are often
left in a place thinly spread out, and
exposed to the full force of the sun.
The carbon, or starchy matter, becomes
so fixed, or indurated, that it will not
change into a sweet, sugary substance
for the nourishment of the embryo. I
have known five kinds of cucumber
seeds much injured by exposure to the
sun for months, or weeks, on the open
shelf of a hot-house. A few days
would have done them no harm.

TRANSPLANTING AND PEICKING OUT.

When seeds are sown thickly in a bed
out of doors, the young plants are in-
jured when they stand for a long time
thick in the seed-beds, and are greatly

234

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

improved by being pricked out ; such,
vegetables for instance as Cabbage, etc.,
as well as some flowers, should be set
out two or three inches apart in inter-
mediate beds. This is even more neces-
sary with all tender things, sown in
pots, and placed in a higher tempera-
ture than the open air. If these are
left long in the pot, and especially if at
all thick and drawn up, however care-
fully watered, there is a great likelihood
that many of the plants will rot and
shank off at the surface of the soil.
Mere thinning will not prevent the evil.
The least carelessness will sometimes
present you on a morning with a sur-
face of slimy, decaying matter, instead
of the lively, brisk little seedlings you
admired yesterda}r. I have even had
something of this, when, as I thought,
I had seen that moisture, air, and a
gradual hardening off were sufficiently
attended to. I confess I have been
sometimes nonplussed to assign the
right cause for the disappointment.
Pricking off, however, is the great pre-
ventive. In the case of small things,
like Lobelias, Calceolarias, etc., there
is no necessity to prick them individu-
ally ; for, if moved in little tufts and
placed in other suitable soil, in pots,
pans, or boxes, the danger of fogging
off will be next to thoroughly obviated;
and when these little tufts increase in
size, then you can prick out the largest
first, and thus go over them all ulti-
mately. The chief requirement in these
prickings out is to have nice, light soil,
suitably heated before using. "When
watered, use water quite as warm as the
temperature of the house and pit, and
place the jnicked-out plants, for a time
at least, in as high a temperature as the
seed-pots stood in. Where room is
scarce, the pricked-out plants need not
occupy much more space than the seed-
pots, if thus pricked out in patches

half an inch apart; and the greater
safety of the seedlings will more than
compensate for the labor. Even thin-
ning the seed-pot, and stirring the sur-
face of the soil, and covering it with
charcoal dust, though useful processes,
have not such a salutary tendency as
pricking the plants off, either singly or
in little patches.

(To be continued.)

ALFALFA FOB, CATTLE.

It has frequently been stated that no
pasture could be found better adapted
to the sustenance and fattening of cat-
tle than Alfalfa. Its merits are based
on several distinct facts, established by
experience. First, it is more nutritious
than ordinary grass; second, it produces
more abundantly; third, it requires but
little attention; fourth, it is good either
for pasturage when green, or hay when
cured. These conclusions were arrived
at in a debate held the other day before
the Farmers' Club of Napa County. Mr,
Cornwell stated that he had twenty
acres in Alfalfa, seeded in 1854, and al-
though it had suffered greatly from the
depredations of gophers, he regarded
it as the most profitable piece of land
he owned. It yields three times more
feed for cattle than any other pasture.
In sowing, he first seeded with grain,
and when it was half an inch high
sowed the Alfalfa and brushed it in. He
gave the grain a start so that it would
protect the Alfalfa from frost. He un-
derstood that seed raised here is not as
tender as that which comes from Chile.
The seed is worth from 25 to 30 cents
per pound. The second year after sow-
ing his, he cut it down five times.
Loose soil is more favorable than heavy.

Mr. Trubody has a neighbor who
sowed three or four acres of Alfalfa on

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

235

low, close land, and cut from it seven
tons to the acre. He thought there
was no trouble in producing it, if it was
safe beyond the danger of frost. Mr.
Mclntire had a similar experience to
relate. Alfalfa, he said, does well when
it is properly cultivated. One of his
neighbors has drained and plowed
twice before sowing; another has plowed
and harrowed well, and both pieces
were fine. The former was seeded on
the 10th of April. Mr. Lane, near St.
Helena, has ten acres from which he
cut two crops of hay before August,
and then kept stock on it till late in the
fall. Thought spring sowing best.
Had sowed with Barley, but thought it
better to sow Alfalfa alone. This con-
currence of testimony ought to be sat-
isfactory as to the superiority of Alfalfa
as food for live stock, and secure it
more popularity with farmers than it
has hitherto possessed.

Lux & Miller, who are among the
largest cattle-raisers in the State, for
beef, own extensive ranges of land on
the San Joaquin and its tributaries. Of
late they have seeded large tracts of
land with Alfalfa, which nourishes to
such an extent as to make one acre of
land supply as much food for cattle as
was formerly yielded by twenty acres.
More than this, the Alfalfa land sup-
plies food for cattle the year round,
whereas hitherto the same land fur-
nished grazing only five or six months
in the year. The general introduction
of Alfalfa into grazing regions will not
only improve the quality, but increase
the quantity of beef, and besides ena-
ble the graziers to dispense with the use
of three-fourths of the land now occu-
pied by them.

California Flower Season. — A cor-
respondent at San Jose, California,
writing early in January says: " In this
balmy western land, we sit to write by
open windows, inhaling the perfume of
Heliotrope and Mignonette. Daisies
sparkle in the sun after the early show-
er. The fall -sown Italian and lawn
grasses have covered the brown soil
with tenderest green. Springing wild
grasses are clothing the distant hills.
Singing birds at this sweet morning
hour fill the evergreen Oaks with mel-
ody. Down the street, door-yards are
bright with Pinks and Pansies. Hun-
dreds of porches are festooned with
delicately tinted Roses. Scarlet Geran-
iums and Fuchsias climb luxuriantly
through fences and over walls. Petu-
nias, Verbenas, and the royal Calla
Lily are as common as Morning Glories
were in the States twenty years ago. In
the gardens and on the lawns. ,of the
wealthy, we find the golden blossoms
of the Acacia, the scarlet berries and
graceful foliage of the Pepper-tree, and
fine Oleanders in a perfect blaze of rose-
ate bloom. Our busiest spring time of
seeding and planting is here. Farmers
are busy with plow, harrow, and drill;
the orchardist and the vintner with
knife and shears." — Horticulturist.

You may glean knowledge by read-
ing, but you must separate the wheat
from the chaff by thinking.

Congressional Aid to Forest Tree
Culture. — Although we have not yet
seen the act, yet definite information is
now obtained of the fact that our last
U. S. Congress passed an act to the ef-
fect that anyone who will plant and
keep in growing order for five years,
not less than forty acres of trees, shall
be entitled to one hundred and sixty
acres of the public domain to which
the planted quarter or section belongs.
It is said that the act only specifies that
the trees shall not be more than eighty
feet apart.

236

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

WEEDS.

[Continued from page 204.]

" One of the most interesting features
of the subject of the distribution of
plants on the earth, is the way that
some plants invade a region they are
carried to, but where they are not na-
tive. Three of the most common forage
plants of California (and there called
native plants) are plants that have no
value in the countries whence they
came. They are natives of the region
about the Mediterranean, where they
may be called harmless weeds, not
troublesome, and not particularly use-
ful. One of them, the Wild Oats (Avena
sterilis), is found from Palestine to the
Atlantic, but I never heard that it is of
any value there. But in America, it
clothes the plains of California, and
western Mexico : also parts of South
America, and the Island of Juan Fer-
nandez. Great areas of hundreds or
even thousands of square miles together
are seeded with it, and millions of ani-
mals feed on it. So with the two others
alluded to, Burr Clover {Medicago denti-
culata),&nd Alfilerilla (Erodium cicutari-
um). They are nutritious and valuable
forage plants, from Oregon to Chile;
yet, in their native lands they have
little value. These plants have spread
precisely as foreign weeds do, only they
are valuable ones, and they illustrate
the principle. And whether a harmless
plant here may be a troublesome one
somewhere else, is beyond the power of
man to guess. That is a thing to be
established by experience alone; neither
science nor previous experience can tell
with certainty. Twenty years ago some
farmers wished me to visit a locality
where they thought they recognized a
bad weed. They were from Eastern
New York, where the Snapdragon is a
vile pest, and thought they had recog-

nized an old foe near their new home
farther west. I examined it; it was the
Snapdragon, yet no one tried to exter-
minate it. It was by the roadside, and
it seemed no one's particular business
to do so. Fifteen years or more later I
saw it again; it had scarcely extended
at all; it was simply in an uncongenial
region, and there it did not flourish; it
was a weed still, but a very harmless
one. In our brooks and streams, here
and there, is a little water plant, more
common perhaps in Canada than here;
not rare here, however, and I have
never heard that it was very trouble-
some. It was accidentally introduced
into the waters of England, where it
has spread so rapidly as to interfere
with navigation. It costs thousands of
pounds sterling every year to keep it
out of the canals. A story that it had
been put into a river by a noted botan-
ist called down on his head the direst
complaints; the plant was named from
him, and it is now extensively known
there as "Babington's Curse." He was
not guilty, but even if he had been, no
one could have predicted that it would
have been such a curse in English
waters. I give these as but illustrations,
which might be extended to many more
cases than I could cite in one lecture.

': As an example, right here at home,
of a plant called a vile weed, which is
usually harmless, I have an illustration
before me. A few months ago the
Report of the Department of Agricult-
ure gave a list of some native plants
that might be cultivated for ornament.
Among them was one, rather common
in New England, known to botanists as
Potentilla fruticosa. Immediately your
secretary protested. In Litchfield and
Berkshire counties, and regions adjoin-
ing, it is a vile shrub, especially injuri-
ous to moist pasture land, and is called
Hardhack, Another shrub is usually

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

237

known under that name elsewhere, but
with you this is so much worse than the
genuine article that it has stolen its
name. (I inquired of the farmers at
this meeting, and all agreed that this is
a vile pest of the pastures and meadows,
but I have not heard that it is trouble-
some elsewhere).

"In short, weeds are not only trouble-
some, but they are also very capricious.
The most abundant, and perhaps the
most widely -spread plant on the earth,
the common Brake (Pteris aquilina), is
not hard to eradicate, and will not thrive
at all if cultivated."

THE HAZEL — (COEYLUS EO STRATUS.)

B¥ DB. A. KELLOGG.

"The Hazel Bush o'erhangs the thrush,
The spreading thorn the linnet;

Thus every kind their pleasure find,
The savage and the tender." — Burns.

Who will say why the wild woods
woo so gently, or who may tell all their
charms? Let us consider the Hazel,
among many, for a moment, ere we
pass on. Freshening the breath of
spring with enlivening odor, the soft,
velvety, new leaves of the Hazel spray
forth archwise in clean and lively green.
Note the delicate, doubly -fringed bor-
der— twigs tasseled and powdered in
tags, and beset with pretty pink female
flowers — anon in sober summer dress of
russet -brown fruit, and final glory of
yellow, autumn -crowned. A diadem of
useful deeds, in the triumphant cycle
of its season. Does not that thicket
please most that modestly coquets the
sylvan visitant, gently caressing while
it obstructs, our pathway; yet never so
entangling as to forbid the final en-
trance? 'Tis thus with the witching
Hazel. The pet squirrel and the fa-
vored child may gather nuts from its

Vol. III.- 31.

boughs; but we will speak of the use of
the body and boughs themselves.

Few can realize the value this shrub
subserves in an economical point of
view. Would any one be apt to sup-
pose that on a wilderness coast like
ours, we have been in the habit of im-
porting, if one may say so, from the
East, hoops and splints for barrels, and
bands for boxes, packages, etc., to a
very great extent ? But an enterprising
citizen of San Francisco has developed

v^Ar^

a new source of wealth on the coast,
that already gives employment to more
than 150 men as collectors, apart from
middle men, and final employes. The
faggots are split and dressed ready for
use, bound in bundles of 50 to 100 each,
4J to 8 feet in length, as seen in the
market. During the year 1872, about
2,250,000* Hazel hoops of the sizes
named were used in this State. For
want of proper cultivation, we are in-
formed that these young growths are
diminishing, and that if better attention
were paid to raise this article of com-
merce it would pay handsomely in the
future. Sonoma and Marin counties,
in the State of California, produce the

238

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

largest number of hoops, while Olym-
pia, Steilacoom, and Seattle on Puget
Sound, and Vancouver, W. T. , on the
Columbia River, are next in order of
production. Not one of the woods on
this coast except Hazel is adapted for
this purpose, and all importations from
other countries have ceased.

Thus we see, in the ultimate indus-
trial details of one citizen only, how much
we owe to industry in the small — which
is the greatest industry of all, if allowed
the jingling* proverb.

A GOOD LIST OF ROSES.

Each season lists of Roses are made
out by the respective florists for the
gratification of flower- lovers, and they
all get into print, and none of them
agree. We observe that every florist's
idea of a good list of Roses is gauged
considerably by the question : Are they
easily propagated? If so, he can sell
them, and, of course, indorses them.
It has become so much the rule now
for every florist to recommend as best
only .those sorts which he can propagate
easily, that we must beg pardon for
saying we can not trust their interested
opinions altogether. The following list
was made out by an amateur who con-
siders the list a very good one because,
the .flowers are good, and in climate
south of 42° are .all good growers. We
doubt if the list can be excelled;

Best six ever -blooming Roses for Gen~
erctl Use. 1. Griant of Battles, crimson..
2. General Jacqueminot, scarlet crim-
son. 3. Indica Alba, white daily. %.
Glorie de Dijon, yellow, copper cen-
tre. 5. Appoline, bright 'Rose. 6.
George Peabody, purplish crimson.
These are all fine-blooming Roses, and
hardy, which is a great thing for stand-
ards. There are, however, numerous
others equally as fine, which other peo-

ple would designate as their favorites.

Best three Roses for Circular Beds for
Bermanent Effect and Continuous Bloom.
— 1. Safrano (Tea), Apricot color. 2.
Hermosa (Bourbon), pale pink. 3.
Washington (Noisette), white. These
are fine -blooming Roses, but those who
like darker colors would prefer Lord
Raglan, dark crimson, but not a free
bloomer; Charles Martel, another su-
perb crimson, and Cardinal Patrizzi,
very dark crimson, good bloomer.

Two Varieties for a Rose Hedge. — 1.
Herbemont Cluster, bears a profusion
of white clusters, and blooms till De-
cember. 2. Appoline, a most lovely
fall Rose, growing in good ground from
ten to fifteen feet, and glorious from
September to November. It blooms
profusely during the summer, but as
the fall advances its color is of the most

vivid pink.

— — ■*

Bouquets in Paris. — Americans can
not appreciate the almost universal cus-
tom in Paris and London of button-hole
Bouquets. As an evidence of their im-
mense use, a French journal asserts that
the average annual sale of bouquets of
Violets in Paris is 5,825,000. While in
London it is so much the custom that
at entertainments a gentleman appears
singular without one. — Horticulturist.

The Gazette des Campagnes says that
Mr. Hucghe has succeeded in changing
the common Cowslip from its natural
yellow to an intense purple by merely
transplanting it into richer earth. The
color of plants can be readily varied by
mixing certain substances with the soil.
Wood charcoal will darken the hue of
Dahlias, Petunias, and Hyacinths. Car-
bonate of soda turns the last-mentioned
flowers red, and phosphate of soda al-
ters greatly the shades of many plants.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

239

GUil PLANTS.

The following gum-producing plants
are worthy of notice as heing indigenous
to, or susceptible of, successful cultiva-
tion in California. Their products are
of high commercial value :

Gamboge. — This gum resin is yielded
by several plants. That known as Cey-
lon Gamboge is obtained from Garcinia
llorella, a fine tree with glossy foliage,
somewhat like that of the evergreen
Magnolia. This plant is supposed to
be a native of Siam, but has been in-
troduced extensively into other tropical
countries. The gum is obtained by
making incisions in the bark, or by
breaking the branches and collecting
the juice as it drops. It is used as a
pigment in the arts, and medicinally as
a purgative. American Gamboge is ob-
tained from Vismia Guianensis, a shrub-
by plant found in Surinam and Mexico,
which abounds in a yellow, resinous
juice, resembling in its appearance, as
well as other properties, the Gamboge
of Ceylon. There are other species
found in Brazil and Guiana that yield
similar resins.

Benzoin. — Sometimes called Gum
Benjamin, is obtained from the stems
of Styrax Benzoin, a native of Borneo
and other Indian islands. Incisions
are made in the bark, from which the
juice exudes, but adheres. When dry
it is removed with a chisel or blunt
knife. The gum which exudes from
the natural fissures is considered the
most valuable, having a stronger per-
fume than that produced from wounds
in the tree. It is used medicinally, by
perfume-makers, and as a compound in
the mixtures used as incense.

Caoutchouc ob India-bubber. — One of
the principal plants furnishing this sub-
stance is Siphonia Brasiliensis, a com-
mon tree in the forests of Para, Brazil.

This gum exists in the tree in the form
of a thin, white milk, and is obtained
by making incisions in the trunk, from
which it exudes, and is collected in ves-
sels, and afterward converted into the
homogeneous, elastic mass, familiar to
us as India-rubber, by pouring the milk
upon molds, and immediately holding
them over a dense smoke. As it solidi-
fies, another coating is formed over it,
and the process is repeated until the re-
quired thickness is secured. Siphonia
elastica, Siphonia littea, and Siphonia
brevifolia also furnish India-rubber of
good quality. Others of this genus
yield an inferior, brittle gum.

Gutta Pebcha. — This is the dried
juice of Isonandra gutta, a large forest
tree, reaching a height of sixty or sev-
enty feet, with a trunk two or three feet
in diameter. It is a native of the isl-
ands of Southern India, especially of
Borneo and Sumatra. Balata gum is
an elastic gum obtained from Mimusops
balata, a native of British Guiana, where
it forms a tree of large dimensions.
The milky juice is obtained by incision
of the trunk. It dries very quickly on
exposure to the air, if the air is dry,
and can be molded into shape by being
first softened in water. This gum seems
to be of a character intermediate be-
tween India-rubber and gutta percha,
possessing the elasticity of the one and
the ductility of the other, without the
intractability of India-rubber or the
brittleness of pure gutta percha. It is
successfully employed as an insulating
medium for. telegraphic purposes. — Ex-
change.

To Exterminate Insects tn Gardens. —
Mix with three or four gallons of warm
water one pound of black or white helle-
bore, add eight or ten pailfuls of cold
water, and syringe the plants infected.

240

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

MANAGEMENT OF THE SUEFACE-SOIL.

BY KOBEET WILSON.*

A narrow strip of ground along either
Bide of a fence erected on my own
premises last spring, having been trod-
den down and the surface thoroughly
impacted by the feet of the workmen
engaged in putting up the inclosure,
was found to be quite damp when dug
into along in the summer, while the
ground by the side of it, which, like
this strip, had been deeply spaded up
during the preceding winter, was per-
fectly dry as far down as it had been
disturbed. I was engaged in tree-culture
in Santa Cruz, and had there a very dif-
ferent experience, having found that the
more loose and open the surface -soil
was kept the greater its capacity for ab-
sorbing and retaining moisture. The
.explanation of these different results is
found in the fact that the atmosphere
in the vicinity of Santa Cruz, owing to
proximity to the ocean, retains even in
the summer a large share of humidity,
which the porous condition of the
ground enables it to readily absorb,
keeping it thereby in a constant state
of moisture; whereas, ground near Yal-
lejo, being too far inland to be much
affected by the sea air, is in better con-
dition to retain the moisture with the
surface somewhat impacted. Hence the
advantage of passing over it a heavy
roller after it has been sown or planted.
.Bearing this fact in mind, cultivators of
the soil, whatever branch of husbandry
they may be engaged in, will be gov-
erned accordingly; the principle here
. enunciated is all-controlling, and should
never be lost sight of; being equally

* This gentleman is a practical arboricultur-
ist, having a small nursery near Vallejo, and
communicates to us the following fact. We
want just such men, who learn by experience,
to send us facts from all parts of this coast.

applicable to the raising of vegetables,
Wheat, or other cereal crops, as to the
culture of plants and trees. The soil
should, of course, be thoroughly pul-
verized in all cases, the surface alone
being impacted with the roller where
the drought is such as to indicate this
mode of tillage.

FOEESTS AND EAIN-FALL.

The " Bulletin of the Torrey Botani-
cal Club" for February contains a let-
ter from Mr. Fred. Hubbard, which
gives a series of facts respecting the
relation of rain - fall and forests as ex-
emplified in some of the West India
Islands, which we regard as important,
and from its bearing on this somewhat
disputed subject we think its reproduc-
tion here will be useful.

The introductory remarks refer to
some previously published statements
by Mr. James S. Merriam, of New
York:

' ' Your brief published statement con-
cerning the diminution in the rain -fall
of the island of Santa Cruz is in the
main correct, save that it gives the idea
of a more rapid change than has prob-
ably taken place. At my former visit,
twenty-seven years ago, the desiccation
had undoubtedly made some progress,
but not sufficient to make itself mani-
fest in a very marked degree. The
change from fertility to barrenness,
which at first must have been almost
imperceptible, is no doubt taking place
in an accelerated ratio.

' ' Every new plantation swallowed up
by the onward march of desolation, aug-
ments the cause and renders the arrest
of the evil more and more hopeless.
This movement is from the east (the
windward end of the island) toward the
west, and is now quite conspicuous.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

241

Every few years an estate, formerly
green with cane-fields, becoming inca-
pable of producing further crops, has to
be abandoned to the graziers, whose
cattle find a meagre pasturage upon it a
few seasons longer. These are in turn
driven off, and the land is entirely aban-
doned. Henceforward it becomes, if
not quite a desert, at least a barren
waste, producing only a sparse and
prickly vegetation, over which a few
arborescent cacti reign supreme. A
narrow belt of green lines the sea- shore
of this region, consisting' of cocoa-nut
palms, the poisonous manchineel, the
sea-side grape, and a few shrubs, whose
natural habitat is along the high -water
mark; but inland cultivation is impos-
sible without constant irrigation. As
there are no streams upon the island,
with the exception of a few rills chiefly
near the western end, and the wells are
failing, no means remain to force life
from the unwilling soil. Some attempts
were at one time made to arrest this
insidious advance, but too late to be
effectual. A planter, I was told, not
long since set out a thousand trees upon
his estate and lost every one. It is
probable that had this remedy been
universally adopted in time there might
be a more hopeful future for Santa
Cruz. But the final depopulation of
this beautiful island seems now to be
written indelibly among the decrees of
fate.

"St. Thomas, an island lying thirty
miles distant, is similarly affected. This
island, however, being loftier, and hav-
ing scarcely any level land, seems to
attract to itself a rather more liberal
amount of moisture from the clouds.

"About fifty miles westward of these
islands, and in the same parallel, lies
the large island of Porto Rico. The
land here is almost wholly mountain-
ous, the eastern ridges rising to 3,000

feet. A large portion of the interior is
still covered with primitive forest, a
tangled tropical vegetation of vivid pe-
rennial verdure. The rain-fall is abun-
dant, and the soil yields bountiful crops
of coffee and sugar, with a great vari-
ety of fruits.

"The contrast between neighboring
islands so similarly situated is most
striking. The sad change which has
befallen the smaller ones is, without
any doubt, to be ascribed to human
agency alone. It is recorded of these
that in former times they were clothed
with dense forests, and their oldest in-
habitants remember when the rains
were abundant, and the hills and all
uncultivated places were shaded by ex-
tensive groves. The removal of the
trees was certainly the cause of the
present evil. The opening of the soil
to the vertical sun rapidly dries up the
moisture, and prevents the rain from
sinking to the roots of plants. The
rainy seasons in .these climates are not
continuous cloudy days, but succes-
sions of sudden showers, with the sun
shining hot in the intervals. Without
shade upon the surface the water is rap-
idly exhaled, and springs and streams
diminish. There is also, as many be-
lieve, an electrical action produced by
the points of leaves upon the atmos-
phere, compelling it to yield up its
moisture. However feeble may be this
effect from a single tree, the myriad
spears of a whole forest presented to
the sky undoubtedly do exert a marked
and powerful influence. It is probably
from such a combined action that the
drying up of the soil from the removal
of the trees, destroying the balance of
nature, goes on with ever -increasing
rajfidity.

" An equally marked example of the
effect we are considering is seen in the
small island of Curacoa, lying in lati-

242

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

tude 12° north, sixty miles from the
coast of Venezuela. I visited this island
in 1845, and found an almost perfect
desert, where, according to the testi-
mony of the inhabitants, had once been
a garden of fertility. Abandoned plan-
tations, the recent ruins of beautiful
villas and terraced gardens, and broad
arid wastes without a blade of grass,
showed how sudden and complete a de-
struction had fallen upon this unfort-
unate little island. The cause was the
cutting down the trees for the export of
their valuable timber. The effect fol-
lowed even more rapidly than at Santa
Cruz, as the island lies five degrees far-
ther to the south, and the heat is more
intense. The rains have almost entire-
ly ceased, and fresh water is among the
luxuries. Almost within sight of Cu-
racoa is the coast of the Spanish Main,
covered with the rankest vegetation,
over which the burdened clouds shower
down abundant blessings."

Fruit in our Booms. — We should be
chary of keeping ripe fruit in our sitting
rooms, and especially beware of laying
it about a sick - chamber for any length
of time. The complaint which some
people make about a faint sensation in
the presence of fruit is not fanciful, for
two German chemists have shown that
from the moment of plucking Apples,
Cherries, Currants, and other fruits, they
are subject to incessant transformation.
At first they absorb oxygen, thus rob-
bing the surrounding air of its vital ele-
ment. Then they evolve carbonic acid,
and this in far greater volume than the
purer gas is absorbed, so that we have
poison given us in the place of pure air,
with compound interest. Temperature
affects the rate of changes, warmth ac-
celerates it.

-». —

The poppy originated in the East.

MILLET AS A FOEAGE PLANT.

As the unfenced and free ranges for
stock are, year by year, becoming more
circumscribed, and lesser herds of im-
proved breeds of animals are rapidly
taking the place of native stock that
formerly, in such countless numbers,
ranged over the broad plains and val-
leys of our State; and in view, as we
believe, of the very general adoption of
the no-fence law, at no very distant day,
compelling owners to provide for their
stock upon their own premises, it be-
comes important to know which are the
best forage plants for cultivation, as
yielding the largest quantity of nutri-
tive food per acre.

To a very great extent we must rely
upon cultivated forage, our uncultivated
grasses being entirely inadequate to the
production of sufficient forage to main-
tain the requisite stock on a given num-
ber of acres, in the proper condition of
flesh. It is this that has prompted us
heretofore to discuss the merits of Al-
falfa, the Clovers, the Malva, Rape, etc.,
as desirable forage plants, and now of
Millet, with the same view.

Indian Millet is identical with the
Dourah Corn of Africa, and known in
the United States as Dourah Corn and
"Tennessee Rice." There are two va-
rieties — the white and brown. The
brown is the most productive; said to
yield four times as much seed per acre
as the white; but the meal or flour of
the white is much lighter, and nicer in
appearance. Millet will do well upon
very poor soils, but the product is large-
ly increased upon dark, rich lands, like
the alluvia of rivers.

It is usually sown broadcast at the
rate of a bushel to the acre, in March,
April, or May. Care should be had in
securing good seed, as when procured
from abroad it is very likely to be weevil-

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

243

eaten. It is important to get a good
stand, but once up, it will grow in spite
of frost, rain or drought, being a very
hardy grass, and will make a crop in
spite of every disaster. It is sometimes
cut green and fed to cattle in the stall,
and if not cut too close to the root, will
grow again from the stubble, and in
this way can be cut several times in a
season.

Its seed product takes a wide range,
from 10 to 100 bushels per acre in ordi-
nary seasons. It is also cut and made
into fodder for winter's use, and does
not require to be made as dry as most
other grasses, and when housed quite
green, does not ferment or spoil, even
when closely packed or baled. It is a
frequent practice to turn all manner of
stock into Millet- fields when half the
grain has ripened, and in a short time all
will get fat on it, and still leave the
ground covered knee - deep with the
stalks, which cattle and sheep eat greed-
ily quite into winter.

The whole plant, seed and stalk, is
considered healthy and nutritious, and
animals eat it from the time it comes
up, till the last stalks are consumed in
autumn or winter. Besides serving as
food for fowls and animals, it is used in
Egypt, India, and China as food by the
inhabitants. A failure of this crop in
Arabia would be as great a calamity, al-
most, as that of the Wheat-crop. It is
their food and fuel, and grows by -scanty
irrigation on land that can scarcely pro-
duce any other grain. It is ground into
flour and cooked alone into cakes and
bread, or mixed with rice -flour and
other food. In many parts of Germany
it is substituted for Rice, and sells for
about the same price.

There are, besides the white and
brown, other varieties of Millet, and
among them the Hungarian, or, as it is
sometimes called, Hungarian Grass.

This makes an excellent forage crop,
though not as prolific in seed as the
African variety. D. B. Dixon, of Mus-
catine, Iowa, in a report to the Agricult-
ural Department, speaks of the Hunga-
rian Millet as follows:

"It is luxuriant in its growth, arid
produces hay of the finest quality.
Horses and cattle eat it with avidity.
Farmers in every part of the county
should give it their attention, as it will
make more and better feed than any
other kind of grass now known in the
United States. Our western farmers in
particular should learn its value; for
its destiny is to change the agricultural
product of this portion of the Union,
and substitute cows, horses, mules, and
sheep in place of hogs. We have rais-
ed hogs, heretofore, from necessity,
simply because our only reliable crop
was Corn, and other domestic animals
required hay, or its equivalent, which
we could not produce with cheapness
and certainty.

"A good crop of the Hungarian grass
is about three tons of hay and thirty
bushels of seed to an acre, while it will
often go beyond, and seldom fall below
this. Such crops were grown last sea-
son, notwithstanding the drought.

"It should be put into the ground in
the same manner as Oats, harrowing be-
fore and after sowing. The time for
cutting is when the seed is nearly ripe,
and the whole plant of a fine yellow
color. If cut too early, the seed will
not be perfect, and if too late, it will
shell out in curing, the stalks will also
be too woody. It may be cured in the
same manner as other hay. As fodder,
after thrashing, it is fully equal to Tim-
othy; and when fed out with the seed
in, as it generally should be, it is better
than good sheaf -Oats.

"I am sowing, this season, 100 acres
of this grass, from which I expect to

244

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

raise at least 3,000 bushels of seed."
Taking into consideration trie fact
that it will yield more green food, more
hay and grain, on a greater variety of
soils and with less labor in any season,
and return more litter to the land if fed
off upon it, than any other grain or
grass, and being a universal food for
man and beast, in all tropical or semi-
tropical climates, it may be justly con-
sidered one of the most valuable of the
cereals, and well worthy the attention
of California stock-growers. — Press.

CULTURE OF THE MUSHROOM.

The Mushroom (Agaricus campestris),
named after a kingdom of Sarmatia, be-
longs to the twenty-fourth class of Lin-
nseus, ninth order and tribe.

A writer in the Canada Farmer says
many persons regard the culture of the
Mushroom as a great mystery, but it is
not so. On the contrary, it is as simple
as growing a crop of Corn, cultivating
a Grrape-vine, or raising a bed of Cab-
bages, and can be done in any out-of-
the-way place, taking up little room
and requiring little attention. It can
be raised in winter, when no other crop
can be cultivated, and a regular supply
obtained for family use ; or, if conduct-
ed on a larger scale, with a view to dis-
posal in our city markets, there is noth-
ing to hinder, and a most profitable
business may be made out of it. All
farmers keep horses and cattle and have
plenty of manure, and it may be men-
tioned that the quantity used for Mush-
room-beds is not lost, for when new
beds are formed the old may be return-
ed to the manure pile. There is no oc-
casion for building a place to grow them
in : they can be grown almost anywhere
in an inclosed place, even in the kitchen
or sitting-room, but the best place is a

close horse-stable, or even a mild cellar,
etc., where the soil can be kept from
freezing. For the mode of culture, take
a box ten or twelve inches in depth, and
as long and as broad as the space will
permit or may be desired, pack it down
with six inches of horse droppings brok-
en somewhat fine, on this three inches
of dry cow droppings made fine; moisten
this, but do not wet or deluge it, with
a strong brine of nitre or saltpetre wa-
ter. In the cow manure plant the
spawn, which can be had at the seed
stores in the form of a brick. This
should be broken into moderate sized
pieces as large as a walnut, and should
be set in a triangular form, thus, ***
and covered from an eighth to a quarter
of an inch (not more than the latter)
with fine, dry soil ; cover the whole
with an old carpet, or any heavy cloth,
so that the light will be excluded. Of
course no sun is needed, but just the
contrary, perfect darkness is required.
I have not tried the above, but suggest
that it may be useful to some of the
Horticulturist's readers.

A Subscriber.

Vine Disease Spreading in Portugal.
A cable dispatch announces that the
vine disease has spread into Portugal.
A few weeks ago it was stated that the
Grape - crop in the south of France and
in the champagne districts of that coun-
try was a comparative failure, while not
very flattering accounts were received
from the wine -making regions of Aus-
tria. Spain is in too disturbed a condi-
tion to give the vine -crop the attention
it demands. The prospects are, there-
fore, that the wines of California will
have the opportunity of obtaining a
footing in the European market during
the coming season, such as they never
have had before.

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICTJLT"CEIST.

215

TBENCHING.

Trenching is an expensive operation,
but nothing is so expensive and trouble-
some as an ill - prepared soil. This
process is found to be of great advan-
tage in England, where there is no lack
of moisture, and still more so by the
market gardeners of the Northern States;
while in our own dry, warm climate, it
is, as I know by experience, absolutely
indispensable. Ground thus prepared
is not so liable to wash away, as it will
readily soak up the rain, no matter how
heavy, if properly terraced. There is
no point of greater importance than this
in gardening, for without a well -pre-
pared soil there is no success. Poor
ground deeply moved is better than
rich with shallow tillage. And when
the ground has been prepared once in
this manner, it is good forever after-
ward. Increasing the depth of the soil
in this mode, is to all intents and pur-
poses increasing the size of your garden,
for a quarter of an acre thus prepared
will yield in a dry season as much as an
acre will with shallow tillage, and the
growth of plants in a season will be
fully doubled. Trees, especially, will
be admirably benefited, and all fruit
gardens should be thus prepared. No
matter how deejD you may work the soil
for trees or plants, their fibres will pen-
etrate it and feel the good effect. The
fall is the most suitable time for the
operation. The manner of performing
is to commence at one side of the piece
of ground intended to be trenched,
measure from five to six feet, or more,
in width from the fence or boundary,
and from three to four feet in depth,
and remove the soil to the other side,
or where you intend to finish, so that
you will have some soil to put in the
last trench. It must be borne in mind
that the top surface goes into the bot-

Vol. III.— 32.

torn, and it would be still better if there
was manure of some kind to be had to
put in the bottom. When the whole
plat is trenched, it should be leveled,
and a coat of decomposed manure dug
into the surface, and with a light top
dressing of a good compost in the spring,
before planting, you will have a piece
of ground serviceable to posterity.

A Subscriber.

Timber Laisds around Lake Tahoe. — ■
The value of accessible mountain tim-
ber land generally has increased very
much within the last two years, along
the line of the Central Pacific Railroad.
Much of the timber adjoining that road
from Clipper Gap to Reno has been cut
down, and roads and shoots are con-
stantly being opened farther back,
north and south, by means of which
the greatly increasing demand for lum-
ber is being supplied. The sawmills
around Lake Tahoe now pay an aver-
age of $1.25 a thousand for lumber in
the tree. Each tree averages 2,000
feet, and each acre 23,000 feet of lum-
ber, which, at the price first named
would place the value of each acre of
timber land at $28.75. Of course there
is not much land in which all of the
trees would be large or good enough to
be worth cutting. Five dollars each is
often paid, however, for large trees.
There are yet millions of acres of tim-
ber land around Lake Tahoe, at least
one-half of which is owned by the
Central Pacific Railroad, and is held
firmly by the Company at $10 to. $20
per acre.

Two parties lately offered Yf. W.
Lapham a contract to lay down six mil-
lion feet of logs at Tahoe City, at $5.50
per thousand. His land is at the south-
ern end of the lake (Lake Valley.) He
would only have to pay for the cutting

246

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

and towing across the lake, a distance
of twenty-five miles. Fifty cents per
thousand is charged for towing. The
mill at Glenbrook pays $5.12 a thous-
and for logs delivered there. The tim-
ber around the lake can very easily be
shot down to it, because the land all
slopes down to the very edge of the
water, even in Lake Valley, where the
nearest approach to level ground is
found.

Insects in Orchards. —In the discus-
sion on insects at the late meeting of
the Minnesota Horticultural Society,
many interesting facts were elicited con-
cerning insects in that State. Much
trouble has been experienced with leaf
lice, borers, moths, curculios, etc. A
number of remedies were given for
these pests. For leaf-lice, a decoction
of tobacco is sometimes successful, when
applied at the proper season. A wash
composed of three pounds of sal -soda
dissolved in a pailful of rain-water, is
another remedy, and also three ounces
of whale- oil soap to a pailful of water;
apply upon the first indications of the
lice. The .trees will be injured if much
soap is used. Carbolic acid will kill
trees if not carefully used. Mr. Grid-
eon binds ashes around the affected
parts to kill borers. Others cut them
out with a sharp knife, or punch them
with a wire. Moths are destroyed in
various ways. Several kinds of traps
have been invented, some of which are
very successful. The idea is to furnish
a hiding-place for the moths where
they can be destroyed. Bands of hay
or old rags are sometimes bound around
the trunks of the trees to serve as moth-
traps. Mr. Mendenhall stated that
there are 1,600 kinds of leaf -lice, and
400 kinds of curculio.

Tobacco is a native of Virginia.

Mulching.— In placing mulch or moist
litter of various kinda upon the surface
of the soil of newly planted trees and
shrubs, a little earth should be thrown
upon it to keep it in its place. This is
neater than exposing it on the surface.
It is used to prevent moisture from eva-
porating; it also prevents frost from
penetrating to the roots, and should be
also applied where drought is prevalent.
Strawberries thinly mulched, the crowns
left uncovered, are much more product-
ive, and continue longer bearing. Po-
tatoes produce more abundantly, and of
better quality. English Peas are thus
kept longer in bearing, and Khubarb
and other plants requiring a cool soil
can be more readily raised. Fruit-
trees, by being thus treated, are kept
in better health and vigor. It wards
off drought by keeping the ground
moist, and by the decay of the mulch-
ing substance a great deal of nutriment
is conveyed to the roots of the plants.
A supply of small, fibrous roots are
thrown out at the surface, by which
tap roots are obviated in a great meas-
ure, which are inimical to the produc-
tion of blossom buds. But the great
benefit of mulching is, that a steady
permanency of moisture is retained in
the soil in spite of adverse circumstances
and without stagnation. The coat of
mulching ought to be three or four
inches in thickness, and from two and
a. half to three feet in diameter, in pro-
portion to the size of the plant. It
should not touch the collar of the
plant. The foregoing should be prac-
ticed by many on this coast. — A Sub-
scriber.

»

The Petaluma Argus notices favora-
bly a new shade -tree raised in that
county from the seed. It is known
as the Australian Stringy-bark, a spe-
cies of Gum-tree, and grows rapidly.

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

217

(gaitariirt ^artfatt*.

THE AQUAKIUM.

How vast is the field opened up to
the enthusiastic study of the naturalist,
the philosopher, and man of science, by
this magnificent accession to the appli-
ances of the ski dent of nature; what an
invaluable adjunct to their means of ob-
servation! But a very few years since,
the most prominent naturalists of the
present age were scarcely conscious of
the existence of the immense varieties
of animal and vegetable life which are
now the objects of careful study by
thousands of earnest observers.

The taste for the study of natural
history has been of late marvelously on
the increase, and the aquarium has
doubtless wonderfully assisted in de-
veloping this interesting pursuit. The
diversity of life in brook, in river, in
lake, in bay, and in the vast ocean itself,
is now in course of enthusiastic investi-
gation by scientists of every grade in
all parts of the world, and the results
of their studies and the interchange of
their observations and discoveries will
afford highly interesting and instructive
reading matter in all our periodicals in
every part of the globe.

Among many other instructive lessons
exemplified in the development of the
Aquarium, is the great system of com-
pensation, by which the equilibrium is
preserved between animal and vegetable
life, and the mutual necessity of the
two great departments of animated na-
ture, the one to the other, unmistakably
established — not only for the ordinary
functions of life, but for the more occult
necessities of their several existences.
Animals absorb oxygen from the medium
in which they live, and throw off carbon-
ic acid in exchange ; so do vegetables,
but these take up carbon in much great-

er quantity than they exhale it ; and
during the season of their most active
growth they give out more oxygen tahn
they consume at all other times. This
is the great basis upon which successful
management of the Aquarium depends,
and however its requirements may be
temporally evaded or audaciously modi-
fied, they can not be ignored with im-
punity.

The first Marine Aquarium was estab-
lished about 1842, in London, by Dr.
Johnstone. Of course, it was on a small
scale, a mere experiment; but Lavoisier,
De Saussure, Priestly, Inglehouse, and
Ellis, had already established both phi-
losophically and chemically the great
balance of life. And particularly was
this subject elucidated by Prof. Dau-
beny, inl833-; subsequently, Dr. Lancas-
ter, Mr. "Ward, Mr. R. "Warrington, and
Mrs. Thynne contributed their experi-
ences, while Mr. Gfosse established him-
self as a high authority in this branch
of science. To these and many other
ardent students of nature is to be award-
ed the honor of advancing this study to
the position it holds in the scientific
world, and its general popularity. Still
later the labors of Mr. Lloyd have
largely contributed to the advancement
of this highly interesting research into
these hitherto occult departments of
nature.

Within the last few years, Aquariums
on a very large and magnificent scale
have been established in several of the
great cities of Europe; among them may
be enumerated those of Hamburg, Ber-
lin, Paris, London, Havre, andBrighton;
in these the science has been prosecuted
with untiring energy, and its popularity
has proportionately advanced ; but in
the United States little advancement
has been made, and the Marine Aqua-
rium established by Mr. K. B. Wood-
ward, in his delightful Gardens at San

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Francisco, is the only one yet construct-
ed on this continent. This last achieve-
ment of the very enterprising and pub-
lic-spirited proprietor has lately been
thrown open to the public, after a very
protracted delay attributable to the diffi-
culty of procuring suitable material and
sufficiently skilled labor, and also to a
multitude of annoying misadventures
which further experience will obviate.
The opening took place on the 4th of
July, and was preceded on the 2d by an
inaugural inspection by a numerous
party of scientific men and representa-
tives of the press, to whom invitations
had been issued, and who partook of a
bountiful and recherche collation in the
reception hall of the Aquarium. The
guests were evidently much gratified,
and since the opening the concourse of
visitors has been very great. The speci-
mens exhibited are very numerous and
above average representatives of their
several families, many are very curious,
and some quite rare — all are new in
their present relations to the public.
No systematic arrangement has as yet
been attempted, as owing to the diffi-
culties of getting the establishment into
efficient working order, and sundry mis-
adventures, the mortality has been very
considerable, but eventually due atten-
tion will be given to the classification.

THE RAIN -FALL AT SAN FRANCISCO.

In th 3 last number of this magazine
we offered for the perusal of our readers
an excellent article on the above sub-
ject. There are many points in it wor-
thy of the deepest consideration by not
only the cultivators of the soil, but by
the public in general; and as this sub-
ject bears intimate relations with those
of Forest -tree Culture and Irrigation
which we have so frequently and ear-

nestly advocated in our magazine, in a
future number we shall endeavor most
forcibly to point out their identity with
the prosperity of this and neighboring
States, and the necessity for energetic
action in relation to them.

Professor John Muir's Idea oe a Bou-
quet.— Had I been able, in descending
this one small side -canon, to "pluck up
by the spurs" one of each of the moun-
tain pines that I met, together with one
of each of the other cone-bearing trees,
my big resiny bouquet would have con-
sisted of, first, the short, straggling
Pinus flexilis, then P. contorta, P. pon-
derosa, P. monticola, and P. Lamberti-
ana; two spruces — the elegant droop-
ing Abies Hooheriana, and the noble
A. Douglassii; the burly brown-barked
Juniperus occidentalis, the grand Liboced-
rus decurrens, and the two silver firs,
Picea amabilis and P. grandis. Had we
gathered the shrubs, we would have had
two maples, four willows, two dogwoods,
two honeysuckles, three manzanitas, one
kalmia, one mountain-ash, one amelan-
chier, one vaccinium, one ledum, two
eeanothus, one bryanthus, one cassiope,
two spiraeas, one rose, two brambles,
one azalea, one kamnus, three currants,
and a few others. — Overland Monthly.

Wheat Yield. — The average yield of
Wheat in different countries varies re-
markably. In Austria it is 14 bushels
per acre; in France and Prussia, 17; in
Spain, 23; while in Britain the average
yield is from 28 to 30. The yield of
Barley in France is 21 bushels per acre;
in Prussia, 25; and in England from 35
to 40 bushels per acre ; in Manitoba
from 40 to 60 bushels per acre by mere-
ly plowing without any artificial manur-
ing.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

249

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

There is much to entertain and in-
struct both adults and the rising gen-
eration in this very deservedly popu-
lar place of resort. The conservatories
and greenhouses are in excellent condi-
tion and resplendent in magnificent
specimens; with a rich reserve which
only awaits the opportunity for display.
The Zoological Department is continual-
ly improving in number, condition and
variety. Many valuable animals have re-
cently been added; especially is this no-
ticeable in the amphibia. But decidedly
the most attractive department at the
present time is the Aquarium. Of this
department we shall speak more fully
at some other time. In the Plant-
houses we notice Bananas Cavendishii in
magnificent foliage; Mangifera nuxifera
in bearing; Zingiber officinale (Ginger),
and Z. cassumunar, in vigorous growth;
Maranta discolor; M. zebrina; M. alba
linearis; M. rosea linearis, in very fine
condition; Gesneria alba, G. amabilis,
G. magnifica, G. zebrina, G. cinnabarina
in flower, and Gloriosa superba; also
Achimenes and Gloxinias in variety.

The rex varieties of Begonia are in
fine leaf, and the Colei are in elegant
foliage. The orchidaceous or parasiti-
cal plants are also displaying their flow-
ers. Among the Ferns, we particularly
noticed Pulu, Lomaria gibba, and Also-
phylla excelsa.

CATALOGUES RECEIVED.

Wholesale Catalogue of California Na-
tive Bulbs, Seeds, and Plants, selected
and for sale' by Miller & Sievers, 27 Post
street, San Francisco. We are in re-
ceipt of this important and interesting
catalogue. It will be welcome to deal-
ers and nurs awnien both at home and
abroad. This same firm proposes to

publish catalogue number 2, of rare
seeds of California, Australia, Japan,
Chili, and other countries, in October;
and catalogue number 3, which will be
a general descriptive catalogue of plants,
etc., under cultivation, and will be pub-
lished in December next.

Ornamental Catalogue of T. C. Max-
well & Bros., nurserymen of Geneva,
N. T., together with a special circular
of new Evergreens of their introduc-
tion— -a well-prepared catalogue, select
yet copious. We observe that the New
Golden Arbor Vitce, Lutece (George Pea-
body) has received from the Royal Hort-
icultural Society of London a first-class
certificate: "We can not avoid saying,
after careful tests of its merits, that it
is the finest variegated evergreen Amer-
ica has yet produced."

Vick's Floral Guides, II and III, are
very acceptable, well got up, and illus-
trated, and contain a large amount of
useful information. The article on
"The Seed Business and the Post-of-
fice," in No. 3, is an important one.

FAVORS RECEIVED.

We beg to acknowledge the receipt
of two beautiful chromos — "The Straw-
berry Girl," and "Mischief Brewing" —
from Messrs. Orange Judd & Co., of
245 Broadway, New York, the enterpris-
ing publishers of Hearth and Home and
American Agriculturist. The subscrib-
ers to these two well-known papers for
1873, will be presented with these two
exquisite pictures, which are well worth
framing.

The Overland for August, a very in-
teresting number, in which ' ' Explora-
tions in Tuolumne Caiion,'' "South of
the Boundary Line," "California In-
dians," are particularly readable papers;
"Etc." with its "Chinese View of the

250

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Pigtail Ordinance," and "Current Lit-
erature," generally, are well worthy of
perusal.

We are in receipt of the Premium
List of the Kansas City Industrial Exhi-
bition and Agricultural Fair, with the
Rules and Regulations and List of Pre-
miums. This Fair will be held from
the 15th to the 20th of September in-
clusive. The list of premiums calls for
an extensive display. We wish the
managers every success.

The Poultry World. Hartford,Ct. Pub-
lished by H. H. Stoddard. Monthly.
$1. 25 per annum. This is a neat mag-
azine, which can not fail to be welcome
to the poultry raiser. It is filled with
excellent hints, advice, etc., for those
who keep fowls of any kind, either for
pleasure or profit, and is profusely il-
lustrated.

«.

FAIES AND EXHIBITIONS.

Autumn Exhibition of the Bay Dis-
teict Horticultural Society. — Notwith-
standing the reverses which the Horti-
cultural Society met at their last Spring
Exhibition, it was decided at their
last regular meeting to hold another
exhibition this autumn. In this un-
dertaking the Society has been encour-
aged by the number of public spirited
gentlemen who have become life mem-
bers of the Society during the past two
months. The exhibition will open on
Tuesday, Sept 30th, and close on Sat-
urday, Oct. 4th. It will be kept open
for five days only. It is thought this
will induce a greater number of nur-
serymen and fruit-growers to exhibit,
as the loss of time and stock has always
been considerable on account of the
long duration of the fair.

We most sincerely hope that this next
exhibition will be a success. We be-
lieve the public appreciate these exhi-

bitions, and we confidently trust that a
proper support will be given.

The management is in good hands,
and no effort will be spared to make
the exhibition attractive, instructive,
and entertaining. We are aware that
there exists a growing taste for flowers,
and a fair appreciation of the horticul-
tural products of California ; these are
so thoroughly represented in our fairs
that a liberal support should be given
them. The premium list has come to
hand and can be had of the Secretary.
It is varied and prepared with care, of-
fering over $*,500 in prizes for the va-
rious horticultural products of the

State.

♦

Effects of Vegetable Perfumes on
Health. — An Italian professor has made
some very agreeable medical researches,
resulting in the discovery "that vegetable
perfumes exercise a positively healthful
influence on the atmosphere, converting
its oxygen into ozone, and thus increas-
ing its oxidizing influence. The es-
sences found to develop the largest
quantity of ozone are those of Cherry,
Laurel, Cloves, Lavender, Mint, Juni-
per, Lemons, Fennel, and Bergamot;
those that give it in smaller quantities
are Anise, Nutmeg, and Thyme. The
flowers of the Narcissus, Hyacinth,
Mignonette, Heliotrope, and Lily of
the Valley, develop ozone in closed ves-
sels. Flowers destitute of perfume do
not develop it, and those which have
but slight perfume develop it only in
small quantities. Reasoning from these
facts, the professor recommends the
cultivation of flowers in marshy dis-
tricts, and in all places infested with
animal emanations, on account of the
powerful oxidizing influence of ozone.
The inhabitants of such regions should,
he says, surround their houses with
beds of the most odorous flowers.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

251

NEW AND EAEE PLANTS.

A New Oenothera. — A charming nov-
elty has been introduced in Ireland,
which in the opinion of the Irish Farm-
er's Gazette, has strong claims to be
regarded as A 1, among the charms of
hardy flowering plants.

"We allude to a new dwarf Oenothera,
from Utah, which we saw in flower at
Olasnevin last year, and for the intro-
duction of which, as of so many other
choice plants, we are indebted to Dr.
Moore. Calling at the gardens one
evening last summer, while walking
round with Dr. Moore, he asked, had
we seen the new QSnothera? Being
answered in the negative, he led the
way to the lock-up garden or sanctum,
where one is sure at all times to meet
something new, very rare, or of much
botanical interest. On this occasion,
however, all else was forgotten in ad-
miration of the lovely little transatlantic
erem to which Dr. Moore introduced us.
Looked at in the quiet stillness and
shadows of a summer evening's close,
with its circlet of large pure white
flowers, raised vertically above the foli-
age, on long, slender tubes, and ex-
panding their broad fair bosoms to the
cooling moonbeams, this lovely plant
presented an appearance altogether
unique and striking.

This plant is altogether unique among
its congeners as regards habit and ap-
pearance. The best of the latter, as for
instance, (E. Missourensis, CE. Lamar-
kiana, etc., though showy as regards
flowers, are of a gawky, straggling habit,
which detracts much from their value.
The plant to which we now direct atten-
tion is just the opposite, being single-
stemmed, compact, and dwarf, flower-
ing when not more than six inches high,
and at the end of the season nearly
doubling that height. But to come to

particulars. The stem is short, stout,
some eight or ten inches high ; the
leaves runcinate, having long foot
stalks, which, together with the midrib,
in the lower leaves are white, in the
upper red or pinkish. Commencing at
the base, the flowers issue in long suc-
cession from the axils of the leaves, and
are elevated vertically over remarkably
slender tubes fully a span in length, in
a way to produce a beautiful effect.
The flowers, as compared with the plant,
are of great size, pure white, the limb
of the corolla consisting of four very
large obcordate petals, at the base of
which the anthers are placed, round the
mouth of the tube, which here expands
considerably, and is of a greenish yel-
low color. The stigma is cruciform
and considerably exserted. The above
description, we are quite aware, is very
imperfect, and conveys a still more im-
perfect idea of this fine flower. As yet,
as far as we are aware, this (Enothera is
without a specific name. It comes from
the Territory of Utah, United States,
and was communicated to Dr. Moore by
his friend, M. Roezl, of Zurich. When
we saw the plant at Glasnevin it prom-
ised to seed freely, and we hope ere
long to see it widely distributed, and
taking a prominent position in the choice
herbaceous border, or cutting a figure
in some phase of subtropical gardening,
for which its dwarf habit and exotic ap-
pearance seem to render it eminently
suitable.

Aquilegia leptocera ltjtea. — "We can
indorse what is said of the following
in the Garden, as we saw it in flower in
a garden near Philadelphia last summer.
It is about two weeks after Aquilegia
canadensis in blooming, and continues
through most of the season :

" We are much pleased to notice the
introduction of a new yellow flowered

252

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Columbine ( Aquilegia leptocera lutea),
which is thus described in the catalogue
of Messrs. Backhouse & Son, York,
just received by us. ' This is unques-
tionably one of the finest perennials we
ever introduced. Its large golden-yel-
low, long-spurred flowers are produced
in great abundance from densely-tufted
plants, which maintain a long succession
of bloom. This species has not yet
flowered with us ; but magnificent dried
specimens of the blossoms have been
forwarded to us from North America.
These are not unlike very large examples
of A. ccerulea, with long straight horns.
So far as we can ascertain, this plant
has nothing whatever to do with A.
aurea of Roezl, of which the flower is
scarcely half the size, of a sulphur yel-
low shaded with green.'"

A New Style or Pansy. — The London
Journal of Horticulture says : "M. E.
Senary, a horticulturist at Erfurt, an-
nounces a new Pansy, which has large
flowers of a splendid ultramarine blue,
with a well - formed eye of very deep
violet-purple. They are also of good
substance, have strong stalks, and stand
well above the leaves. M. Benary has
named it " Yiola tri-color, var. maxima
Emperor William," and states that the
variety reproduces itself with certainty

from seed."

♦

How to Water Plants. — From care-
ful experiments, Mr. Mechi discovered
that plants slightly watered every day
often perish, and always become dwarf-
ed ; whereas a good soaking, given
twice a week, almost invariably proved
very beneficial. He says :

The sum of our experience in water-
ing amounts to this — that thorough
soaking of the ground two or three times
a week is much better than the same

amount of water applied in driblets
daily, only sufficient to wet the upper
surface, but not the under strata of
earth contiguous to the roots. Cold
spring water should, before applying it
to a heated soil, be allowed to stand ex-
posed to the sun and air for a few hours.
The colder the water is, and the warmer
the soil, so is the necessity of applying
it in abundance; for it is evident, though
we cannot explain it, that the result
produced upon plants by applying cold
water to the soil, when at a high tem-
perature, unless so copiously applied as
to saturate the soil completely, is fatal
to tender or weakly plants, and often
less or more injurious to strong or
healthy ones.

Permanence of Orchard Grass. — A
writer in the Philadelphia Press says:
We have a field of it, on a strong, sandy
loam, which has stood for more than
thirty years. It has been cut for soil-
ing; it has been cut for hay; it has been
pastured; it was first sown with Red
Clover and Timothy, which is long ago
run out, and, although the White Clo-
ver and Blue -grass venture their pres-
ence to a limited extent among it, the
Orchard-grass maintains its supremacy,
and, breast-high at maturity, lords it
over its diminutive trespassers in a boun-
teous crop, while its humbler attend-
ants, good, in their place, modestly fill
up a great nutritious undergrowth at
the bottom. No grass which we have
ever grown has yielded so heavy swath
as this, nor one from which so much
cattle -food to the acre can be grown,
aside from Lucerne, which our American
climates will not consecutively, year
after year, produce.

Manganese and cobalt make a fine
blue for coloring glass.

. THE CALIFORNLA HORTICULTURIST.

253

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

BY F. A. MILLFE.

Most of the time of our fruit-growers
will now be taken up in gathering fruit,
in packing and shipping to the market,
in preserving and drying, and in pre-
paring for wine -making. Very little
other work can be expected of them. In
regard to picking and preparing fruit for
market, but few seem to care in what
condition it reaches their customers;
and the result is, that, particularly in
San Francisco, three -fourths of all the
fruit received is of very inferior quality
and in bad condition. Fruit-growers
may imagine that this is immaterial to
them, as long as they realize a fair
profit; but I am inclined to believe that
they are likely to be the greatest suffer-
ers. It is true that some fruits have to
be picked and shipped before they are
fully ripe, in order to arrive at their
destination in good condition; but this is
now carried to extremes, fruit being of-
fered for sale in this market which is
positively unfit to eat. I noticed in par-
ticular this year, that Nectarines were
of very poor quality on account of be-
ing gathered while green; they arrived
here perfectly hard, and wei*e allowed to
soften on the stand, but their softening
was only the result of decay. Such
fruit must be unhealthy, and should not
be allowed to be sold to consumers.
If the law does not provide for a fruit-
inspector, as it does for meat inspect-
ors, it is certainly very deficient in this
respect.

The same may be said in regard to
Pears, Apples, and Plums. I saw dur-
ing the first week of August, Bartlett
Pears on most of our fruit - stands,
which wTere absolutely unfit to eat.
Most of the Plums, particularly the
German Prunes, reach our market in
green condition; and certainly these

Vol. III.- 33.

could be shipped after having almost
completely ripened upon the trees. Let
fruit-growers bear in mind that three
times as much fruit would be consumed
if the article was offered in good condi-
tion. While we have to deprive our-
selves here of the great luxury of healthy
and fine -flavored fruit, the grower suf-
fers the greatest loss by not finding as
good a market as might otherwise be
obtained. I hope most sincerely that
at least some of our intelligent fruit-
growers will improve on their present
system, and give us an opportunity to
appreciate their products; until such is
the case, many will do without fruits
altogether.

In the vegetable garden, but very
little is done in California throughout
the summer months, the cause of which
is the fact that vegetables of all kinds
can be procured as cheaply and of ex-
cellent quality, much better in fact than
I find are raised in our private gardens.
However, it is pleasant and agreeable
to have an opportunity of gathering
from our own garden. This is a good
time to plant Lettuce for autumn and
winter use; also, a few Cabbages, Cauli-
flowers, Kale, and Black Radishes for
winter use; also, Beets, Rutabagas, etc.,
are very desirable, and if planted now
and taken care of for a month or two,
will take care of themselves after the
first winter rains, and be useful through-
out the whole winter season.

The lawn requires particular care
during the month of August, thorough
watering and frequent cutting are very
essential points in keeping the sod in
good and uniform condition. Ever-
green and deciduous ornamental trees
outside of the lawn do not require any
more irrigating now. The Cypress,
Thujas, and Acacias may be brought
into proper and uniform shape by clip-
ping off the rank shoots which have

254

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

grown out of proportion. If compact
and dense growth is desjred, a general
cutting back of the young growth will
have the desired effect.

Roses have made their summer growth ;
cut the leading branches back, work up
the soil around them, and their new
growth will produce an abundance of
flowers during autumn and winter in
our mild climate.

Hyacinths and Tulips may be taken
up and stored away in a dry, cool, and
airy place until winter or spring, when
they may be planted again.

Dahlias should receive thorough wa-
tering and a good hoeing, to produce
perfect flowers; do not allow them to
make much undergrowth or many side
branches, or the flowers will be inferior.

Plant some Gladiolus bulbs for au-
tumn flowering, and retain some for
another planting in September or Octo-
ber for winter flowering.

Many of the Lilies have done flower-
ing; if it is desirable to propagate them,
let it be done now. This is done by
taking off the sound scales and planting
them in sandy soil, so that about one-
third of the scales are covered with soil.

If Mignonette, Candytuft, Stocks,
and Pansies are desired to bloom during
autumn and winter, the seed should be
sown during the latter part of August.

In the greenhouse all rooted cuttings
should be potted in small pots, shaded
for a few days and then placed close
under glass. Hardy plants may be
planted in the open ground, but this
should be done carefully, as the young-
roots break very easily. Water well
after planting, and if they can be shad-
ed for a few days, it would be a help to

them.

«.

He who is never satisfied with others,
may learn, if he chooses, that nobody
s ever satisfied with him.

REPORT ON THE ERUIT AND VEGE-
TABLE MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEB.

There are every year complaints from
many of the cultivators of fruits for the
market, that they are not paid for the
expense of raising them. There are
often gluts in the market, also, which
bring prices down to a very low figure.
The cause of fruit -raising being un-
profitable in the majority of cases, is,
that the expenses of carriage from dis-
tant places is too great to afford a fair
return in cash to the proprietors or
renters of land. No doubt there is
much truth in all this, but there are
also other causes for failure in the ob-
jects sought. One reason is, that there
are by far too many inferior varieties of
fruits planted, and those which are good
are not well managed afterward. The
trees are improperly and unskilfully
pruned, and their produce not suffi-
ciently thinned out when the crops are
heavy in order to permit those which
are allowed to remain to attain superior
quality.

Many persons recommend that can-
ning establishments be erected for dis-
posing of the great quantities of surplus
fruit which can not be sold; but at pres-
ent prices, taking into consideration the
vast quantity of inferior fruit, the best
remedy is not to raise any more of that
poor fruit, to get rid of which it will be
necessary to incur the expense of the
canning or drying processes. If people
can not raise such Peaches and Pears,
or Apricots and Plums, as are marketa-
ble at a dollar a bushel, it will be better
to cut the trees down and jmt in supe-
rior varieties, or something that can be
made to pay better. Unless farmers
and fruit -raisers mean to take sufficient
pains to raise the best Peaches, Pears,
Apricots, Plums, etc. — all large and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

255

high -colored, and without any defects
— then the most sagacious course is to
grub the trees up. It costs no more to
raise the best fruit than the most infe-
rior, and it is the true policy to raise
the finest fruits of all hinds, or else go
out of the business altogether. Do not
flood the market any longer with worth-
less fruit, which not only will not pay
the cost of handling, but breaks down
the price for good fruit.

There is this season an increased
amount of small, inferior and juiceless
Peaches on the market, which have to
be sold at any price, however small;
and great numbers of bushels have rot-
ted ; this can not be at all attributed to
our dry climate. I would say to all
cultivators of fruit, raise the kinds which
will sell, and then send them to market
in the most attractive shape. It is also
highly important to deal fairly with
one another. The top of every basket
or box of fruit should be of the same
quality with that in the interior, or on
the bottom. If the whole basket is
filled with small Peaches (if you send
any small ones at all), by all means
put small Peaches on top ; if with fine
Peaches, put fine ones on the top. Be
strictly honest in packing. This will
operate better in the end for both your-
self, the commission merchant, and the
customers. "What right has any one to
expect fair dealings from another, un-
less he himself deals fairly? If growers
will cheat in putting up fruit in boxes
or baskets, which do not contain what
they seem to do, and want their com-
mission man to cheat his customers,
how can they expect him to be honest
in dealing with them?

Owing to the exceptional coolness of
the spring and summer, Raspberries
have been in very much greater plenty,
and for a longer term in market than for
several years past. They are now, how-

ever, getting to be scarce (1st of Au-
gust).

Blackberries are also holding out well
this season, and for the same reason as
the Raspberries. Many of this last fruit
are picked too often before perfectly
ripe. This will answer well enough
when intended for stewing, but not for
use in their natural state. They are
wonderfully fine and productive in some
of our coast valleys.

The Apricot season is just about clos-
ed. Fresh Figs are selling at from 20@
25c. per pound ; Smyrna, 25@35c. per
pound.

Peaches are still in immense abun-
dance-— the majority rather small and
inferior in quality.

Plums of several varieties are now
coming forward in liberal quantities,
and meet with ready sale for cooking,
especially till they are riper.

Strawberries, as well as Raspberries
and Blackberries, are prolonged in their
yield on account of much cool weather,
and, in consequence, some precipitation
of moisture.

Red Currants are gone entirely . Com-
mon Apples and Pears are plentiful and
cheap, but Bartlett and other choice
Pears are commanding good prices.

Whortleberries, Black Currants, Man-
goes, and Los Angeles and Sicily Lem-
ons are out of season, and there are
none to be had in the market.

Water-melons are rapidly increasing,
and their price, of course, lowering.
The same with Musk and Cantelope
Melons.

Pomegranates are about 5 cents each.
The market presents the usual display
of tropical fruits (4th August).

Immense shipments of Tomatoes from
Sacramento River and elsewhere, have
most materially reduced prices. Green
Corn from across the Bay is also much
more plentiful and greatly lower. Ow-

256

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ing to the abundance of nearly all sorts
of fruits, Rhubarb meets with dull sale.
Potatoes are low in price and of excel-
lent mealy quality, generally. Our
comparatively cool nights in California
suit them well.

Green Okra has also declined, and is
now quoted at 20@25c. per pound;
Egg Plant is quotable at 6@10c. per
bunch ; Salsify, 10 cents per bunch ;
Artichokes, 25@35c. per dozen; Sum-
mer Squashes at 5c. per pound.

(BtWUxml (tattittflk

HARDBACK AND POTENTILLA FRUTICOSA.

Since the publication in the December
report of Mr. T. S. Gold's remarks on
Potentilla fruticosa, several correspond-
ents have expressed their apprehension
that he may have meant the Spirea
tomentosa, which is well known through-
out the eastern States as "Hardhack."
This, however, was not the case, as Mr.
Gold sent a specimen of the plant he
alluded to, and it was the true Potentil-
la fruticosa, which seems also to have
received the name of Hardhack in that
part of the country. This illustrates
the great difficulty which often arises in
identifying any plant by the common
or local name- Botanical names, al-
though sometimes hard to learn, have
the virtue of being precise, and of al-
ways and everywhere meaning the same
plant.

In confirmation of Mr. Gold's state-
ment that the Potentilla fruticosa was
one of the most formidable weeds of
that section, we publish the following
from Mr. D. F. Smith, of Goshen, Con-
necticut.

"I have wondered whether the
'Hardhack' referred to by Mr. Gold
is not a different shrub from that refer-
red to by Mr. Beardslee, of Ohio, and
others. I would say with all possible

emphasis that what we in these western
counties of Connecticut and Massachu-
setts know as 'Hardhack,' and which
Mr. Gold identifies as Potentilla fruti-
cosa, is a very great nuisance, having
caused damage in this town, and in
other single townships, that would re-
quire thousands of dollars to represent.
Hundreds of acres in this town, that
twenty -five years ago were good past-
ure land, have been rendered worthless
by the rapid spread and dense growth
of what we call 'Hardhack.'

"There need be no difficulty in dis-
criminating between these two shrubs;
the Potentilla fruticosa has pinnate
leaves, and bright yellow flowers, while
the Spirea tomentosa has single ovate or
oblong leaves, and rose-colored or near-
ly white flowers. Spirea tomentosa is
more erect and less branching, with the
small flowers densely crowded into a
spike which terminates the stalk." —
Monthly Report of Department of Agri-
culture.

How I Strike Cuttings. — All "half-
hardy" (as they are termed) bedding
plants may at this season be struck with
great facility without heat. I take a
box of any convenient size, say one foot
by one foot and a half, with a pane of
glass to cover it. I cut down the sides
and one end, so as to make it slope a
little from back to front, so that water
may run off. Having some fine sandy
soil ready, I place in the box as much
as will cover the bottom to a depth of
three inches, leaving a space between
the soil and the glass of three or four
inches at the back. Should there hap-
pen to be no cracks in the bottom of
the box, I bore a few gimlet holes, to
allow the surplus water to drain away.
Having smoothed the surface of the
soil, I give it a gentle watering from a
rose, and then prepare the cuttings in

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

257

the usual way. I prefer the points of
healthy shoots that are not too gross,
but rather under than over the medium
of strength. I take off one or two pairs
of the lowest leaves, and cut the end
smooth immediately below a joint, leav-
ing the cutting about two inches in
length, working at only one variety at
a time, and never keeping the cuttings
exposed longer than necessary; indeed,
if the weather is dry, I generally dip
the foliage in water to prevent it from
flagging. As soon as a batch is ready,
I take some clean and dry sand and
cover the surface of the soil to the depth
of an eighth of an inch; this is a great
safeguard against damping, which cut-
tings are liable to if the weather is dull,
though not absolutely necessary. I then
dibble in the cuttings thinly to the
depth of half or three-quarters of an
inch, making them firm: give a gentle
watering, put a label with the name to
them, and cover them up till the next
batch is ready, proceeding in a similar
manner until the box is filled. I place
the box in a greenhouse, a frame, or
even in a sheltered place out of doors,
shading carefully all day, more espe-
cially in dry, sunny weather. I take
off the glass and examine the cuttings
every morning and evening, removing
all decaying leaves or cuttings that
have failed, and gently sprinkling with
water to prevent flagging, though if
the weather should be dull, very lit-
tle is required. "When the cuttings
have begun to form a callus, the shad-
ing is made daily less, and, as they
progress, air is given and increased
by degrees, to prevent them from be-
coming drawn. When fairly rooted I
dig them carefully out, and put each
into a small pot; otherwise I gradually
harden them off, until they can bear
full exposure, and leave them in the
boxes until spring, when they are

transferred directly to then- places in
the flower garden. In this manner I
strike more sorts of plants than I can
at present, remember, including fuch-
sias, verbenas, petunias, shrubby cal-
ceolarias, ageratums, salvias, and, in
fact, all kinds of soft -wooded plants.
— Gardeners' Chronicle.

Alfalfa as Hog Feed. — There is no
doubt as regards the adaptability of al-
falfa, in its green state, to the success-
ful feeding of swine. Old and young
alike are fond of it; and with little or
no other vegetable food, can be kept in
a fine growing condition till they have
attained to full size; but to fatten them
for the butcher requires a more oily or
saccharine food. In feeding with alfal-
fa exclusively or nearly so, it must be
borne in mind, that if it is intended to
continue the field to alfalfa the follow-
ing year, every hog must have a ring in
the nose, or every root of alfalfa will be
rooted out and eaten. The animal seems
to be even more fond of the root than
the top, and will do heavy work to get
it, rooting the ground completely into
a condition of perfect pulverization and
to a greater depth than plow and har-
row can go. It is, therefore, one of the
best fallow crops that can be given to
the land, and should have its place and
year, in all systems of rotation in a
climate like ours, allowing the hogs to
eat and root their very best. It would
simply surprise some of our hog-grow-
ers to see how easily five hundred an-
imals, old and young, can be kept in a
perfectly thriving condition on a few
acres of alfalfa on suitable ground; and
we would recommend a trial of the same
as worthy their attention, always bear-
ing in mind the necessity of an abun-
dance of pure water accessible to the
herd at all times. — Exchange.

258

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The Thermometer. — The therrnorne-
ter, or heat- measurer (from the two
Greek words, therme, heat, and meiron,
a measure), varies considerably in dif-
ferent latitudes and altitudes. Zero,
according- to Fahrenheit, who never had
the opportunity of experiencing an ex-
tra severe climate, was supposed to be
the coldest point the mercury could
show; but the experiments of Celsius,
Reaumur, and other thermometrical sa-
vants, have shown that the quicksilver
can be forced to fall thirty-nine degrees
still lower, and that then it freezes.
The thermometer being affected by the
altitude of the place, the radiation of
solar rays, the "lightness of the air,"
or the density, so to speak, of "the
blanket of the atmosphere," it follows
that so many degrees above or below
zero, in Denver, for instance, is merely
a relative indication of the heat or cold
indicated by the same rise or fall in
Black Hawk or Empire. The tempera-
ture being the same, the thermometer
falls 20° for every mile of elevation.
Hence, though that ingenious instru-
ment indicated 23° below zero one morn-
ing last winter in Central, it shouldn't
follow philosophically that it was, abr
stractly speaking, colder there than at
the same time here, when our thermom-
eter indicated a much higher figure. —
Exchange.

Minnesota Wild Eice. — In many of
the lakes of Northern Minnesota, and
in the marshes at the head waters of the
Mississippi, there are extensive beds of
wild Rice. The Indians have long been
in the habit of gathering it for use as
food; taking their canoes into the Rice
swamps when the grain was ripe, and
beating it out with their paddles until
the canoes were loaded. The Rice is
about as valuable as that of the East
Indies, and not so good as that of the

Carolinas. Whether it will ever be
profitable to turn these wild Rice fields
into use, or to reclaim them for culti-
vation or not, is a question that can not
be decided at present; but while Rice is
worth 7 cents a pound, and the South-
ern fields are so full of malaria of so
deadly a character as to prohibit white
men from inhabiting them, it would
seem as though these fresh fields of the
North, so salubrious and so convenient
of access, were worth at least an at-
tempt at reclamation. — 2V. Y. Tribune.

The Largest Farm in England — The
largest farm in England consists of 3,000
acres, and belongs to a man with the
Yankee name of Samuel Jones. In its
cultivation he follows the " four-course '.'
system, the whole extent of the farm
being divided into four great crops :
750 acres to wheat, 750 to barley and
oats, 750 to seeds, beans, peas, etc. ,
and 750 to roots. His live stock is val-
ued as follows: Sheep, $35,000; horses,
$15,000; bullocks, $12,000; pigs, $2,500.
The oil cake and corn produced annual-
ly amount to $20,000, and artificial fer-
tilizers about $8,000. The entire cost
of manure in various forms, used annu-
ally, is about $15,000. Sheep are claim-
ed as the most profitable stock he keeps,
and from them are realized about $20,-
000. — Exchange.

The Jerseys. — The island of Jersey
has 12,000 head of horned stock (all
"Jerseys,") which is about one to every
two acres of agricultural land. The
farms of the island rarely exceed 40
acres, and the feed of the cattle is main-
ly roots and grass, with some straw in
winter. The prosperity of the Jersey
farmers is said to be unequaled, in the
same class, either in Europe or America.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

259

Remedy for the Mildew on Vines. —
A correspondent of a leading English
horticultural work writes: "I read, a
short time since, in a popular periodical,
that 'irrigating the vine with dilute
bisulphate of lime is a simple and com-
plete remedy for the vine disease' (mil-
dew). Is this so? And in what way,
and in what quantity and proportions,
ought the solution to be applied? My
vines are completely conquered by mil-
dew in spite of sulphur liberally ap-
plied. In 1870 I had very few bunches,
although in former years I had good
crops; and last year, 1872, I had not a
grape. Leaves, stems, fruit, and all,
were all eaten into and destroyed by
the mildew. What can I do?" If by
bisulphate of lime be intended the
liquor made by boiling lime and sulphur
together, we should think it a very dan-
gerous application to a living plant;
but, whatever the preparation intended
is, it could have no effect on the vine-
mildew if applied to the roots of a vine.
The vine -mildew is a fungus attacking
the leaves and stems of the vine, and
the remedy must be applied to the parts
affected. The spores of this fungus
may be considered as everywhere pres-
ent, but it is only when they meet with
favorable conditions that they nourish.
There is little doubt that a cold and
damp atmosphere is one of these. But
a vine out of health, like an unhealthy
animal, is predisposed to the attacks of
parasites, both animal and fungoid. As
1870 was a hot and dry season, it is
probable that R. E.'s vines suffered from
want of water, a very common cause of
mildew; though the opposite — as cold,
wet borders — by weakening the consti-
tution of the vine, will render it liable
to be attacked. After the vines are
pruned, let them be dressed with sul-
phur, clay, and a little soft soap (4 oz.
to the gallon of water will be enough

of the latter), using soft water to mix
them with. Let this be used of the
thickness of thin paint, so as to cover
the bark well over. As soon as the foli-
age appears nest season, dust it well
with sulphur, not waiting till mildew is
seen before applying it; and repeat this
application several times during the
season, giving plenty of air, but keep-
ing a warm, growing temperature. Be-
fore the vine-mildew is apparent to the
unassisted -eye, the foliage of the vine
maybe seriously injured, and the micro-
scope will show the under side of a leaf
covered by the mycelium of the fungus
before its presence has been suspected.
We use a machine, on the principle of
a winnowing- machine, to dust a fine
cloud over the vines when in a damp
state; though every part is dusted, the
quantity of sulphur is so small that it is
hardly perceived. This is the only
known remedy, and is always effectual.
— Exchange.

M. Loiseatt recommends that the usu-
al method for striking cuttings should
be altered. When, he observes, a cut-
ting is put in perpendicularly, the sap,
the natural tendency of which is to rise,
is expended in pushing forward a new
bud instead of forming a root. But if
a cutting is laid horizontally, or even
with its lower end higher than the up-
per, that is not the case; the sap pre-
fers to move toward the higher end, or
at all events is evenly distributed be-
tween the two extremities. This causes
the callus to form so rapidly, that if the
cuttings are put into a warm place
eight or ten days are enough to secure
its formation, or even that of the roots.
Autumn cuttings taken off a little be-
fore the sap ceases to move, and treated
in this manner, form the callus so
quickly that they are ready for planting
out before winter. In winter it is nee-

260

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

essary to put in cuttings in a gentle
heat, or beneath leaves deep enough to
keep off frost, and even then a callus
will be found to have formed by spring
time. — Gardeners' Chronicle.

A baekel of flour weighs one hundred
and ninety-six pounds; a barrel of rice,
six hundred pounds; a keg of powder,
twenty-five pounds; a firkin of butter,
fifty-six pounds; a tub of butter, eighty-
four pounds. The following are sold
by weight, per bushel: "Wheat, beans,
and clover -seed, sixty pounds; corn,
rye, and flaxseed, fifty-five pounds; buck-
wheat, fifty-two pounds; barley, forty-
eight pounds; coarse salt, eighty -five
pounds . — Exchange.

A New Fodder. — We want new grasses
in California now that irrigation is be-
ginning to interest us. .They are now
introducing into Great Britain what is
called the prickly comfrey, a native
grass of the Caucasus. It yields, in
several cuttings, thirty tons to the acre.
The grass is propagated from the roots
and is perennial. Cattle eat it readily
and thrive upon it. There is reason to
believe that it will suit our climate.

For Preserving Garden Stakes. — A
correspondent of the Country Gentleman
considers the following the best way for
preserving garden stakes made of pine :
Boil the parts which are to be set in the
ground for a short time in water to
which blue vitriol has been added in
the proportion of two pounds to the
o-allon. After long use they will be
found as sound as the day they were
made, while other stakes prepared with
coal tar have failed.

Ant's Nests in Gardens. — F. M. G.,
in Nature, says : I have found a very ef-
fectual remedy for the annoyance of
ants nesting in the garden paths and
borders. A strong solution of carbolic
acid and water poured into the holes,
kills all the ants it touches, and the
survivors immediately take themselves
off. Care must be taken in its use, as
it destroys animal and vegetable as well
as insect life.

A Substitute eor Glass. — Take equal
parts of ale and linseed oil and four
ounces of white resin (mix some sugar
of lead with some of the oil), then mix
the whole together, and wash plain
calico with the composition, it will be
found to resist the action of the weather
for a long time.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

Foe the Month Ending July 31st, 1873.

(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tenkent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
508 Battery Street (opposite the Custom-house.)

BAEOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a.m 30.06„in.

do 12m 30.06

do 3p.m 30.05

do 6p.m 30.04

Greatest height, on the 24th at 9 a.m 30.17

Least height, on the 1st at 6 p. m 29.86

THEEMOMETEE.
(In the shade and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 58°

do 12m 64°

do 3p.m 64°

do 6p.m 60°

Greatest height, on the 26th at 12 m , 75c

Least height, on the 11th at 9 a.m 54°

SELF - BEGISTEBJNG THEEMOMETEE.

Mean height during the night 44°

Greatest height, on night of 15th 48°

Least height, on night of 1st 38°

WINDS.

North and north-west on 3 clays; south and south-west
on 9 days; west on 19 days.

"WEATHEB,
Clear on 10 days; variable on 16 days; cloudy on 5 days.

EAIN GAUGE.

July22d 0.02 inches.

July28th 0.01 "

Total 0.03

THE

!<3 -.Tjii

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

SEPTEMBER, 1873.

No. 9.

LILY OF THE VALLEY— (CONVALLAEIA).

BY F. A. MILLEK.

"The Lily of the Valley" is one of
those popular tuberous - rooted plants
which are so rarely met with in our gar-
dens or conservatories, and in almost
all cases where its cultivation has been
undertaken on this coast, it proved a
failure. This is not very encouraging,
and the cpiestion arises, what has been
the cause of this want of success? To
cultivate the Lily of the Valley in the
open air may present difficulties which
are not easily overcome, but I see no
reason why we should not have them in
our conservatories in their full glory.

The Lily of the Valley in its native
country grows under the shade of trees,
in the woods and forests, and produces
its beautiful white bells in the month
of May, filling the air with its delight-
ful fragrance. The weather then is
mild and warm, the atmosphere is filled
with moisture, in just such a climate as
we experience in California during our
pleasant winter months; and this is an
indication that even in the open air, in
sheltered and shady places, the Lily of
the Valley could be grown successfully
with us. The greatest mistakes have
been made in not giving it a proper

Vol. III.— 34.

place, and in expecting too much of the
young and weak roots which have been
from time to time imported, and have
arrived here in a -very doubtful condi-
tion.

In Europe, the Lily of the Valley is
offered in the market in two different
conditions : in clumps and in buds.
The strongest roots, of course, are the
so - called clumps, which are rarely
brought to this coast. These would
undoubtedly do much better here for
out-of-door culture, if proper shelter,
shade, and moisture were given to them;
while the buds would answer the pur-
pose of conservatory culture.

We generally receive the roots from
abroad in autumn, and if they are in-
tended for the conservatory, green-
house, or window, I would suggest the
following points for observation. In
purchasing buds, select those which
present a full and roundish top or
sprout, as these only can be expected
to flower during the coming season.
Five or six of these may be planted in
one five or six inch pot. If pots can be
obtained of more than ordinary depth
they will be preferable. The soil should
be of a light and porous nature, other-
wise its quality does not matter much;
the best and most convenient soil would

262

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

be two -thirds of light and sandy loam
and one -third of old manure and leaf
mold. Plant the roots deep enough to
cover the tops with soil. Water them
well, and then sink the pots up to the
rim in a shady and sheltered place in
the open air; if the pots can be sunk in
sand it will answer the purpose best.
Over the surface place a thick layer of
moss, which is apt to keep the roots
warmer and also retain the moisture
without being compelled to water fre-
quently; a light sprinkling once a week
will keep the roots sufficiently moist.
As soon as the young shoots make their
appearance, those which are expected
to flower first may be taken into the
conservatory or into the house. The
growth and development of the plants
may now be much encouraged by plac-
ing a flower-pot loosely filled with moss
up-side down, over each, and closing up
the hole. In about three weeks, the
■covering pots should be removed. The
if oliage will present a yellow appearance,
but on being exposed to the light will
soon attain its .fresh green color. In
four to six weeks the Lily of the Val-
ley will have produced its charming
flowers. The plants while growing
should be placed close to or under the
glass, kept well shaded, and liberally
supplied with water.

Clumps of the Lily of the Valley may
be treated similarly, if used for con-
servatory or window culture, but if in-
tended for the open ground, they should
be planted at once in a warm, sheltered,
and shady place, and the surface cov-
ered with a layer of moss. Through-
out the mild regions of California they
may be expected to flower in the open
air in March and April.

There are now several varieties of the
Lily of the Valley under cultivation.
The oldest and most popular is the Con-
vallaria majalis, (Maiblume, May-lily),

a native of Grermany; of this, the fol-
lowing varieties are known:

Conv. ma/}., fiore pleno, producing
double flowers.

Conv. maj., var. alba marginata, the
foliage of which is bordered with white.

Conv. maj., flore roseo, with rose-col-
ored flowers, single.

Conv. maj ., fiore roseo pleno , same as
above, but the flowers are double.

We also hear of the Conv. mullifiora,
a taller and more shrubby - growing
species.

Conv. polygonatum (Solomon's Seal),
similar in habit to the former.

By following the above method for
the greenhouse culture of the Lily of
the Valley, it may be had in bloom
at almost any time during our win-
ter months. All the varieties may be
treated alike, and plunged in the open
ground, and can then be taken into the
house in succession, as they are requir-
ed. After flowering, they may be put
out of the way under the shelves of the
greenhouse, or in a shady place in the
garden, where they will not require any
further attention until they are wanted
again the coming year.

HOW TO GROW POND LILIES.

A Reading, Pennsylvania, lady gave
the following directions for growing the
white Water Lily — the common Pond
Lily of our small inland lakes:

The roots, having been procured in the
fall, were kept damp during the winter
in flower-pots. In the spring a tub was
made by sawing a substantial barrel in
two; this was set on brick feet, out of
doors, and one-third filled with garden
soil, sand, and well rotted manure.
The roots were planted in this mixture
and covered. Water was added in
small quantities, and at intervals of a

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

263

day or two — but so gently as not to
disturb the earth — until the tub was
full. Very soon the handsome round
leaves, four or five inches in diam-
eter, made their appearance and filled
the tub. The loss of water by evapo-
ration was made good from time to
time, and ere long the blossoms ap-
peared, delighting everyone with their
beauty.

When winter approached, the water
was allowed to dry off almost entirely,
and the tub and contents put into the
cellar and watered at long intervals. In
the spring, the roots were separated,
and about half the increase returned to
the same tub, in a fresh mixture of
earth.

They were brought out earlier than be-
fore (about April 1), and blossomed more
profusely. The flowers were as perfect
as the Camellia, and delightfully fra-
grant; closing at night and re-opening
in the morning, as is the habit of Water
Lilies. The blooms were about two
inches in diameter — not quite as large as
some of the specimens in the pond from
which the roots were taken, but equally
beautiful and fragrant.

But, unless nurserymen can supply
orders for the roots of this lily, it would
be interesting to those proposing to cul-
tivate it to know how to get a supply of
the stock. They grow generally in
deep water, where only amphibious
creatures can be expected to operate;
while to build a coffer-dam on purpose
to get the roots would hardly pay. Who
can suggest a way for surmounting these
practical difficulties'?

It is stated that by a careful analysis
it has been found that apples contain a
larger amount of phosphorus, or brain
food, than any other fruit or vegetable,
and on this account they are very im-

portant to sedentary men, who work
their brains rather than their muscles.
They also contain the acids which are in
need every day, especially for sedentary
men, the action of whose liver is slug-
gish, to eliminate effete matters, which,
if retained in the system, produce inac-
tion of the brain, and, indeed, of the
whole system, causing jaundice, sleepi-
ness, scurvy, and troublesome diseases
of the skin.

WEEDS.

[Continued from page 237.]

Much attention has been paid to the
distribution of plants in various coun-
tries, and let me cite one place of study,
because the facts are interesting, as
showing how hard it is to actually eradi-
cate weeds, and also how slowly changes
sometimes take place in them.

At Montpelier, in South France, there
is an old university, and nearly 300 years
ago a botanic garden was founded.
From that time to this, it has been a
place where plants have been studied,
both in the gardens and in the fields. It
was then an old region; that is, it had
been in cultivation for many centuries.
Catalogues of all the plants found in the
vicinity, good, bad, and indifferent,
were made out. Successive botanists
have studied, and written on the matter.
The great Linnaeus went there to bota-
nize. So the ground has been gone over
again and again, and the plants noted..
The present professor of botany there-
has, within a few years, examined it
over again,, and published the results.-
Each century there were efforts to bringr
in new plants. In the seventeenth,
many were planted; again in the eight-
eenth century, again in this. Two
botanists have left records of 900 for-
eign species that were planted in the
places where it was believed they might

264

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

live -without roan's care. But it can not
be seen that a single one of the whole
900 grows there without man's care and
cultivation.

Then, again, many plants are culti-
vated in the botanic garden. Have any
of these escaped cultivation? Very few,
indeed. Some grew for a time as weeds,
within the grounds, and two or three
species became naturalized outside, but
none of them as troublesome weeds.

Again; in the vicinity there is a port
in the Mediterranean where foreign
wools are washed and dried. The drying
grounds where the wool is spread have
been watched by the botanists for more
than half a century. The total number
of foreign plants coming up there from
seeds brought in the wool amounts to
468 kinds. They came from Europe,
Asia, Africa, Australia, and both the
Americas. Of all this number, only
one has become established, and I do
not understand that it is troublesome,
yet many of them were weeds where
the sheep originally pastured.

"Weeds of cultivation, as they are
called, exist there, as they do every-
where; but they are mostly of the kinds
that have been there from very ancient
times. Of those known three centuries
ago, not one is extinct there now. Man
has fought them for that time — is fight-
ing them -still, but they are not eradi-
cated. Checked they may be, but they
are not exterminated. Five species of
plants have become extinct, but none
were weeds. And what have been the
additions during this time ? These are
limited to six species; five of them from
America are common now in the vine-
yards round about the place. Here we
have a land, cultivated continuously
since the days of the old Roman Em-
pire. All these centuries man has been
fighting weeds — hoeing, pulling, weed-
ing, in that land of vineyards ; and for

three hundred years, at least, he has
not absolutely exterminated a single
noxious weed. Their relative numbers
may have changed; but he is still bravely
fighting the same foes that his ancestors
have fought all these many generations.
He may subdue them, but not entirely
conquer them. And, in the meantime,
a few fresh ones have been added to his
fields, to give him more variety.

I have seen other cases where certain
foreign weeds were established slowly,
or at least spread slowly.

I have seen weeds near Mannheim, in
western Germany, left by the Russian
army in 1812-13, where they followed
Napoleon in his famous retreat. I vis-
ited the locality forty- three years later ;
the Cossack weeds were there still, but
had not spread widely. Not so, how-
ever, here. Since I have been to this
meeting, I have heard that the Ox-eyed
Daisy was left in this (Fairfield) county
by the British soldiers in the Revolu-
tion, and here it will doubtless remain
as long as the republic lasts, perhaps
longer. And usually, if a foreign weed
spreads at all, it spreads rapidly.

Egypt, a land cultivated we know not
how long, has its old weeds. It is
probable that the Egyptians of to-day
are fighting some of the same species
that the children of Israel had to dig
and pull before the days of Moses, and
which Egyptian slaves cursed even

earlier.

♦

Put Agreements in Writing. — How
many misunderstandings arise from the
loose ways in which business matters
are talked over, and when each party
puts his own construction on the con-
versation, the matter is dismissed by
each, with the words : ' ' All right ; all
right." Frequently it turns out all
wrong, and becomes a question for law-
yers and the courts. More than three-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

J65

fourths of the litigation of the country
would be saved if people would put
down their agreements in writing and
sign their names to it. Each word in
our language has its peculiar meaning,
and memory may, by the change of its
position in the sentence, convey an en-
tirely different idea from that intended.
When once reduced to writing, ideas
are fixed, and expensive lawsuits are
saved. — American Rural Home.

FORM AND OUTLINE OF CERTAIN OLD
TREES, SHRUBS, EVERGREENS, ETC.

BY E. J. HOOPEK.

"Without presuming to rival the pow-
ers of the painter, perhaps it may not
be altogether inappropriate in the Hor-
ticulturist to point out the peculiar
character possessed by some of our
old trees, evergreens, shrubs, etc., with
reference to their aptitude or eligibility
for adorning parks, ornamental grounds,
etc., as we commonly find them.

First, then, of the Cedar of Leba-
non, and the Yew (whose character of
growth is somewhat similar); neither of
them shrubs, however, but real trees.
What style and outline ! What words
can express them. Dignified, massive,
graceful ! How important these trees
anywhere; but more especially in buri-
al grounds, and in the vicinity of
architectural structures. Then again,
by way of contrast, let us look at the
old Lombardy Poplar. I am aware
that painters do not scatter the form
of this tree (as some do similar forms
of the Eucalypti tribe) over their can-
vas at random ; but, there are cases
when, for the sake of powerful contrast,
they are fain to seek its aid. But we
must recollect that we can not be con-
fined strictly to the laws of painting,
in making comparisons, however correct

the principles. We must remember this
one thing — -all important — that we can
not walk ' ' in and out, and round
about," as the poet says ; we can not
walk about the picture or painting as
we walk about the pleasure - ground,
every step bringing fresh associations
and aspects ; and surely this is a rea-
son for departing occasionally'from the
painter's ideas. This, indeed, is an
important consideration at all times ;
and thus we find that persons imbued
with good taste and some experience do
not choose to judge from one point of
view, nor yet even from a second; but
pace up and down, considering the
bearing of this or that feature from
various points of view. Although the
Lornbarcly Poplar, and like shaped trees,
as used for contrast of form against
the flat or horizontal lines of the Yew
and Cedar of Lebanon, are of much
value, yet they are meddlers with land-
scape, and can not be allowed to spring
up anywhere. They need placing, if
we may so term it.

Let us consider the old Holly, of
time -honored memory. Setting aside
Christmas associations, as chiefly ob-
served in Europe and in the eastern
part of the United States, what a fine
thing a well -grown, good -sized Holly-
tree is — or a large Holly-bush, if you
will. Most of my eastern readers, at
least, have seen a huge woodland Holly;
bold in outline, massive, dark, and
rich — a match for the most inxperious
storm. We want time in California for
such things. On seeing such, we feel
assured that a century would be no
particular consideration with such a
fine old fellow. And of what import-
ance in our parks, cemeteries and shrub-
beries are trees and shrubs of such
character of growth and thick, glossy
foliage. Take, indeed, the Holly and
its associate form in many other trees

266

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and evergreens, from the pleasure-
grounds of both Europe and America,
and one-half their dignity is destroyed
at once.

Another fine and most elegant ever-
green I may point to — the Hemlock
Spruce, or Abies Canadensis. No tree
can boast of more grace and elegance
than this*; it is one huge waving plume,
from the summit to the very turf. It
delights in a rather naturally damp, and
partially, if possible, shaded situation,
and loves a soil somewhat unctuous and
adhesive — if of a dark character, so
much the better. Fortunately, in Cal-
ifornia, we have some fine Australian
and other evergreens of this nature and
shape, in some respects.

The Deciduous Cypress, too, is a most
elegant tree, when in foliage, although
when in a leaf -denuded state it is a most
pitiful affair ; but there is an airy ele-
gance about the foliage which not many
other shrubs possess. It is more like
some Tree-fern than any other shrub.
And the old Stag's-horn Sumach is a
fine figure of a tree, when it has at-
tained any size. The foliage is boldly
pinnated, and the marking of the whole
outline very sharp and lively. The
blossom, moreover, has a very handsome
effect • of a dull, rather deep red ; and
it is a free bloomer when comparative-
ly young.

The Red Cedar is a fine tree, of the
spiry, or what may, perhaps, be call-
ed the columnar class. I have seen
them more than thirty feet in height,
clothed from the soil to the summit,
and as compact as a column. A finer
object can scarcely be seen. Our young
Griant Sequoias, wherever they have
space, are assuming this shape and aj>
pearance, but their foliage is not quite
so dense.

The old China Arbor-vit?e has a most
dignified effect when it attains some

size, and is grown compact. The Ilex
is a tree of very grave, sombre, and
massive appearance, and it succeeds
well in California — as what does not?
There are no hard winters here to break
up its character, if not totally to de-
stroy it. Neither has the Eed Cedar,
nor the Ilex, nor, in fact, any other of
our numerous hardy or tender ever-
greens in this State, any snows, except
in the high mountains, to make sad
havoc with them when they get old, as
they do in the East.

The Deodar is a tree which is now,
like many others, becoming thorough-
ly domesticated among us. Few gar-
dens but possess Deodars. To speak of
its extreme gracefulness is almost su-
perfluous ; it is praised by all. It may
not possess the stern dignity of the Ce-
dar of Lebanon ; it has, however, such
intrinsic merits, irrespective of all asso-
ciations, that it may claim a kind of
pre-eminence on that score alone. Only
observe what sharp etchings it produces
as a sky-line. What other tree can give
the same effect ?

Another class of plants. I would here
point to, as of much importance in or-
namental scenery. I mean the Yucca
family. The Yucca gloriosa is, perhaps,
the most highly esteemed ; and a finer
object when in blossom can hardly be
conceived. It is majestic, bold, and
even grand. The Irish Yew is another
most distinct and significant tree,
wherever stiff formality or deep con-
trast is desired. And then its color
is so good ; perhaps one of the dark-
est shades of green we possess.

It is a strange affair that the Syca-
more, which, when young, is the most
common-place tree imaginable, should,
when old, become so very picturesque.
When young it is a mere lean stripling;
but as it attains age it becomes gath-
ered in bold masses, and the general

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

2G7

outline carries most marked indenta-
tions. But the same may be said of the
Scotch Fir, and indeed of some other
trees.

Many more trees might be pointed
out, but space will not permit. But if
some of our old shrubs, evergreens, and
trees will bear high commendations,
what shall we say of all the new ac-
cessions to our list in California from
all parts of the world, and nearly all
doing admirably well? Look at the
Conifers alone — a host in themselves.
But I do not think it invidious to mix
up these older acquaintances with mod-
ern introductions. I would fain have
their due meed of merit awarded to
them, and that, too, in the very pres-
ence of their most formidable rivals,
who, no doubt, want to push them off
their pedestals.

If the reader wishes to see specimens
of many fine and various shrubs and ev-
ergreens, both native and foreign, of
excellent forms, in fine health and well-
grown, I would direct his attention to
the public grounds of Mr. R. Nolan,
and Mr. W. F. Kelsey, in Oakland, and
the private garden of Mr. James Otis,
Sutter Street, San Francisco.

HEDGES, OE LIVE FENCES.

Many species of plants have been
pressed into the service, to do duty as
apologies for hedge-rows in small as well
as around large gardens in the colony,
and not a few attempts have resulted in
utter failure, while numerous instances
of very partial success occasionally meet
the eye in suburban as well as in more
remote districts. But where can one
see anything approaching to the luxu-
riant and well-kept hedges of old En-
gland ? Does not the Hawthorn thrive
in this climate splendidly, and grow
luxuriantly, with its white pearly blos-

soms and its fragrant perfume ? First
and foremost, then, may be placed the
White Thorn as a popular hedge-plant ;
it stands without a rival for such a pur-
pose, and requires cutting only once a
year, whereas other substitutes need no
end of attention — such as the Acacia
lophantha, which impoverishes the soil
wherever it is planted. Acacia armata,
or prickly Acacia, has been largely pat-
ronized, but it has a tendency to get
patchy and bare, and now presents a
very sorrowful aspect around many a
country and suburban garden. The
Arbor- vitse, when duly attended to, does
much better. The New Zealand Piito-
sporum eugeniodes' forms a very beauti-
ful garden hedge, and bears clipping
remarkably well. The various kinds of
Cypress, such as erecta, torulosa, hor-
izontalis, and Lambertiana, as well as
the Olive and Ceanothus, have all been
used with more or less success, accord-
ing as attention has been bestowed
upon their cultivation. The common
Furze forms a capital live fence, but as
it gets very dry, and susceptible of easy
ignition when a little old, it is rather a
dangerous subject to deal with in this
hot climate. Then there are the Privets,
deciduous and evergreen, which make
a very beautiful and ornamental fence ;
the Cape and Prickly Broom are also
used for such a purpose, as well as the
Chinese JEnoiiymus japonicas, and varie-
galas, which also stand clijDping well.
The famous Osage Orange (Madura
aurantiaca) and Gleditschia, both from
America, form fine strong hedges —
many preferring the former to the Haw-
thorn. Certainly the Osage Orange
makes a very substantial fence. Bur-
sar ia spinosa, a native of this colony,
which flowers in January, is a very
pretty ornamental shrub, and adapted
for a garden hedge.

As already stated, however, there is

268

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

no plant like the Thorn so suitable for
forming a hedge, and not only for small
gardens, hut boundary fences for fields,
and forest plantations. It takes well
with richly prepared soil, and amply re-
pays any extra labor in the due prepa-
ration of the ground for their reception,
which ought to be well trenched, and
incorporated with a good supply of well
decomposed manure. Any quantity of
young seedlings can be obtained at the
nurseries, but three-year-olds, twice
transplanted, having fibrous roots, may
be relied on as very satisfactory. "When
put in about six inches apart in the
hedge-row, and headed down to with-
in two inches from the ground, the fol-
lowing season numerous shoots will
have burst forth. The erect mode of
planting is preferable to the horizontal
method, so commonly pursued in the old
country. For a couple of years the
plants may be left to their natural
growth, but the third season brings
round the trimming process, which may
then afterward be pursued according
as the will of the practitioner may sug-
gest.

The most usual form adopted is the
wedge shape, being by far much more
easily performed with the hedge-bill
than the other modes that sometimes
find favor. It is of paramount import-
ance, in order to be successful, to see
that the ground is always kept in good
order on either side of the hedge. In
former times, the blooming Hawthorn
was suspended from every English door
on the first morning of May, being
brought in from the woods with much
ceremonial pomp ; but, as such a cus-
tom had its origin in the superstitious
rites that the heathen paid to Flora, our
reforming forefathers almost " stamped
out" May gatherings, and other kindred
sports, then so popular amongthe people.
— Australian Town and Country.

THE COCKSPUE THOEN.

Englishmen who settle in this coun-
try naturally wish to have Hawthorn
hedges, and those of our countrymen
who have seen the "quick" hedges
abroad, or have read of their beauty,
become inpressed with the idea that the
Hawthorn is the proper hedge -plant.
When these enthusiasts try the Haw-
thorn hedge they are sadly disappoint-
ed. It puts out its leaves late and
drops them early; under our hot suns
the leaves soon get a burnt and rusty
appearance; and worst of all, they find
the hedge attacked by all the insects
that infest the Apple, Pear, and related
trees. In our climate the Hawthorn — •
so identified with English rural scenery,
and so interwoven through English lit-
erature— is practically useless. We are
far from commending any Thorn as a
hedge-plant, but there is no one of the
large genus so well adapted to the use
as the Cockspur Thorn. This is an in-
digenous shrub or small tree, found
from Canada to the Gulf , and extending
west of the Mississippi. As ordinarily
met with, it is a shrub, but under favor-
able conditions it forms a handsome
round-headed tree fifteen or twenty feet
high. It is distinguished from other
species by the exceeding neatness of its
habit. The leaves are obovate — broad-
est toward the extremity — varying con-
siderably in shape, serrated on the
edges except near the base, very thick,
bright and shiny above, and conspicu-
ously veined below. The flowers are in
clusters of from two to six in a simple
corymb, and are larger than in most of
our native species. They are succeed-
ed by a small bright red fruit. The
thorns of this species are slender, and
from two to two and a half inches long.
There are several native forms that have
received names as species from the ear-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

269

Her botanists, and a number of garden
varieties Lave been produced in Europe,
some of which are only about two feet
high. While we do not advise the use
of this or any other Thorn as a hedge-
plant, we can commend it as an orna-
mental shrub or tree, and it bears clip-
ping as well as the other species. As
is the case with other native and foreign
Thorns, the seeds of this do not germi-
nate until the second year. — American
Agriculturist.

ODORS OF FLOWERS.

Much of the importance attached to
flowers by people generally, says the
Pacific. Rural Press, is owing to the
odors they exhale. The Rose has long
been cultivated by amateurs, no less for
its grateful fragrance than for its beau-
ties of form and color ; and those which
combine these qualities are the favored
objects of the florist's care. The cause
of the odors of plants is, no doubt,
the disengagement of a volatile oil,
which, in some cases, is easily obtained,
and made subservient to the use of man;
in others it entirely eludes every effort
to confine or preserve it, being as eva-
nescent as light, which is the agent of
its production.

No one can go into the country in
those places where vegetation of many
kinds is abundant,, without having the
olfactory nerves excited and refreshed
by the odors of thousands of plants,
leaves and flowers. These odors are
considered most health-bearing, and full
of ozone. This is like continually in-
haling the scents of a colossal and natu-
ral bouquet. The fragrance is all
around us. We enjoyed this especially
lately, in a visit back of Saucelito about
nine miles, near the ocean, in Marin
County.

Odors are • distinguished into perma-

Vol. III.— 35.

nent, fugitive, and intermittent. Perma-
nent odors are such as are inclosed in
the tissue of the wood and bark of
plants in a concentrated form ; and,
either from being slightly volatile, or
contained in close vessels which prevent
exhalation, they remain for a long time,
giving to the organs in which they are
contained their peculiar odor. There
is, probably, no part of a vegetable ab-
solutely destitute of permanent odor.
Every variety of wood, under certain
circumstances, exhibits it. We found
this nearly general in smelling the
specimens of Dr. Stivers' collections of
the woods of the coast, as well as
his foreign specimens. Some of these
woods, nearly scentless otherwise, be-
come strongly odorous when rubbed
or heated. The Pine, Oak, Redwood,
Beech, and Cedar, are striking examples
of this kind. Others are odorous for
a long time after being cut, under ordi-
nary circumstances; of this kind are the
Rosewood of Teneriffe, the Cedar, and
Sandalwood (Santalum Album) of India,
so highly esteemed in Eastern Asia for
its fragrance. The slight volatility of
the oil to which these species owe
their odors, and the compactness of the
wood, enable them constantly to yield
their fragrance for an indefinite length
of time.

Most visitors to this coast notice how
remarkable and pleasant are the odors
of the wood with which the cases of.
libraries, etc., are made.

Some woods are fragrant when first
cut, but lose this property in a very
short time, as is the case with Cinnamon
and Cassia, the fragrant substances be-
ing volatile and the wood porous; both
causes concurring to render the wood
in a short time scentless.

Fugitive odors are such as belong to
organs of short duration, as the leaves
and flowers. We have been in the

270

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

South during the season of the bloom
of Magnolias, when the woods and
swamps were perfumed by the odor of
their flowers. This odor is but little
during the direct action of the midday
sun, but at sunset, when there is dew,
the air is loaded with their fragrance.
A shower produces similar effects.

Intermittent odors are such as are
given off at particular times; and the
plants which yield them are entirely
destitute of such odors at other times.
Many Orchidacice are perfectly scentless
during the day, but during the night
are fragrant. A remarkable example
of this class of odors is exhibited by
the Cacalia septentriolis, which, it is
said, emits a strong aromatic odor only
when the sun shines. The Night-bloom-
ing Cereus gives out flashes or puffs of
perfume, as its intermittent odors are
called. Many other cases we might
cite of similar singular phenomena,
which would properly come under this
head.

Odors have been classed, from their
similarity of effect on the human sys-
tem, into aromatic, stimulating, pene-
trating, and sweet, but the difficulty of
fixing definite limits to the application
of these terms renders the classification
of little use.

It is observed that white flowers are
most odoriferous and agreeable, the
yellow and brown most disagreeable.

Ammoxia foe. Verbexas. — The sulphate
of ammonia is an excellent manurial
liquid to apply to Verbenas, or any oth-
er flower, giving to the foliage a dark
green, luxuriant and healthy appear-
ance. It is economical, clean, and eas-
ily applied. Prepare it in the evening
before using, by dissolving one ounce of
ammonia in two gallons of water. It
may be applied once a week.

Indigo Culture. — Indigo was once a
most important crop in South Carolina,
and proved equally prolific in Louisiana.
Enough might undoubtedly be raised
in the United States to supply the home
market. Some Indigo produced at Baton
Rouge was pronounced to have been
equal to the best Caraccas, which sells
at one dollar per pound, and experience
has proved that one acre of ground
there will yield sixty pounds ; that it
requires only from July to October for
cultivating it, and that there is not con-
nected with it one-third of the expense
or time that is generally required for
the cultivation of Cotton.

The plant is somewhat like a fern
when grown, and when young is hardly
distinguishable from the lucerne grass ;
its leaves in general are pinnated, and
terminated by a single lobe; the flowers
consist of five leaves, and are of the
papilonaceous kind, the uppermost petal
being longer and rounder than the rest,
and slightly furrowed on the side ; the
lower ones are short and end in a point;
in the middle of the flower is formed
the style, which afterward becomes a
pod containing the seeds. — Rural New
Yorker.

Watermelon Vinegar. — Perhaps it is
not generally known that a fine white
vinegar can be made from the juice of
Watermelons. We had a large quantity
of melons last season, and, after we had
cut out their crimson cores for eating,
scraped the shells, from which we gained
& large amount of juice. This we care-
fully strained, and put into jugs with
small glass bottles in their mouths. We
set the jugs out into the sun, and in
time had a fine-flavored, clear, strong,
white vinegar. The vinegar at a certain
stage will be very bitter; but, when
perfected, loses this, and acquires true
vinegar taste. — American Agriculturist.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

271

PEA.CH FUNGUS.

BY DR. J. STEENTZEL.

Two years ago, in the orchards along
the Sacramento River, was first observ-
ed the extended growth of a new fungus
or lichen on Peach-trees, covering the
fruit in ash-colored blotches, and the
ends of growing shoots in detached
masses, spreading from a cottony tuft
of a growing germ. The leaves on the
affected part drop off later in the sea-
son, and the end of the shoot generally
dries up. The growth of the fruit is
not apparently checked, but the thin-
skinned varieties, on ripening, get a
puckered-up, pocky, disgusting appear-
ance. The earlier varieties are most
affected; the yellow, among them the
Crawford, not so much. None was no-
ticed on the Snow Peach. The present
year the disease has appeared in an ex-
tended circle, and is causing a greater
injury to the fruit.

It is not pretended to assign a cause
for this anomalous growth, beyond that
the peculiar atmospheric condition was
favorable to its rapid development. The
trees may have been also depleted of
vitality, or this having been an unpro-
pitious year for the " curled Peach-leaf"
the superabundant sap found a new
parasitic consumer. But it can be rea-
sonably hoped, that some of the usual
means employed for the destruction of
kindred growths, will be serviceable in
this case. That the disease will cer-
tainly spread to all parts of California
can be fully apprehended. The losses
thus incurred would be severe to> horti-
culturists. Thus it is of importance
that every experience should be brought
to public knowledge, and every means
of extermination at once tried. The
burning of the pruned off-shoots should
be rigidly followed; the ground around
the trees scraped and limed, and the

whole orchard repeatedly fumigated,
early in spring, in favorable weather,
by keeping up numerous smoldering
fires of spent tanbark, or damp straw
mixed with asphaltum or coal - tar.
These are the most available means for
the destruction not only of varieties of
mildew, but also of innumerable nox-
ious insects.

NEW FRUIT-DRYING PROCESS.

Fruit-drying has been carried on to
some extent, both in Santa Clara and
other counties, during the last year,
and promises at no distant day to be-
come a most important industry. In
some places the fruit is dried by mean s
of artificial heat ; in others, by the heat
of the sun. In the neighborhood of
Santa Clara may be seen an apparatus
fitted up for drying fruit by artificial
heat. On the premises is a steam-en-
gine of fifteen horse-power, used for
sawing lumber for boxes, for grinding
apples for vinegar, and for other pur-
poses connected with fruit - packing.
Close to the engine is a wooden cylin-
der about five feet long and three and a
half feet in diameter. In the cylinder,
placed in close proximity to one another,
are six hundred brass tubes, into which
the air is forced by a fan worked by the
steam-engine. The waste steam from
the engine is conveyed by a pipe into
the top of the cylinder, and, after be-
coming condensed, runs out at the bot-
tom, heating, in the mean time, the air
in the brass tubes. The heated air
rushes out at the other end of the cylin-
der, and enters the bottom of what
looks like a large chest of drawers,
thirty-two feet long, ten feet high, and
seven feet wide. This is the kiln. The
kiln is divided into eight compartments,
into which are fitted galvanized iron
screens for holding the fruit. There

272

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

are in each compartment forty -two
screens, on each of which twenty pounds
of fruit can be dried. In the face of
the kiln there are several horizontal
doors placed one over the other, so that
in handling the screens only a small
portion of the kiln is exposed to the
cold air. The kiln is capable of drying
over three tons of fruit at once. Some
of the fruit, preparatory to drying, is
cut by hand, but more by machinery.
Apples dry in seven hours ; pears, to-
matoes, and plums, in eight or nine
hours. Grapes require about twenty-
four hours. The process could be com-
pleted more rapidly, but the result
would not be so satisfactory as when
sufficient time is allowed. It takes
about seven pounds of apples, seven
pounds of pears, twenty pounds of to-
matoes, six pounds of plums, and five
pounds of blackberries to make one
pound of each kind of dried fruit. During
last year were prepared and sold at this
establishment 12,000 pounds of dried
pears, 8,000 pounds of dried apples,
3,000 pounds of dried plums, and a
large quantity of grapes, blackberries,
and other fruits. Sent East by rail
were forty-four car-loads, each contain-
ing 17,500 pounds of fruit. Some of
this was purchased from other fruit-
growers.

According to a fruit-grower who
dries his fruit in the sun, from four to
seven pounds of plums will make one
pound dry. The process of drying lasts
from four to ten days, and the estima-
ted cost amounts to three cents for
each pound of dried fruit. It is sold in
San Francisco for twenty- five cents a
pound. The grapes dried by this pro-
cess in different parts of the State were
exhibited last year at the agricultural
fairs, and were, in general estimation,
superior to the imported raisins. The
quantity of lumber required on which

to dry the fruit is considered the great-
est impediment to the success of this
process. In some places the grapes
are dried on the vine. This process is
carried on in the interior valleys, where
they have little dew or fog, and where
the thermometer ranges from 80 to 115
degrees. Though no one of the per-
sons engaged in fruit-drying has had
much experience to guide him, yet the
results are highly encouraging. — From
Overland Monthly for September.

Irrigation. — The San Joaquin Valley
Argus, in speaking of the advantages of
irrigation, says: We rode over a portion
of the country on the west side of the
San Joaquin River recently, and had
an opportunity of seeing the advantages
of irrigation, by comparing the sterile
waste on one side with the lands on the
opposite side of the great canal, which
were under the fertilizing influence of
the alrandance of moisture afforded.
The lands irrigated have given to the
thrifty farmers an abundant harvest of
wheat, or are covered with growing and
maturing crops of corn, alfalfa, vege-
tables, and fruits in great variety and
abundance, making the people's homes
attractive and the people themselves
contented and happy. The Canal Com-
pany having made terms with the farm-
ers in the valley below the present
terminus of the canal at Los Bauos,
are preparing to extend their great work
down through the valley to the Point of
Timbers, and will soon have a heavy
force engaged in enlarging the channel
at the upper end and reducing the fall
so as to make the canal available for
navigation as well as irrigation.

Rye flour boiled in water, with a little
alum added while boiling, makes an ad-
hesive paste almost as strong as glue.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

273

VALUE OF PLANTING ORNAMENTAL

TREES AND SHRCBS IN HOME

GROUNDS.

The question of actual profit in dol-
lars and cents, in planting ornamental
trees and shrubbery, is not to be so ex-
actly shown as it has been with fruit
trees, yet there is a vast profit herein,
not limited to the immediate advantage
of the planter or purchaser of the prop-
erty so embellished. Who can have
failed to note that when a piece of real
estate is offered for sale, its ornamental
trees and plants (if well selected and in.
good culture) always add a charm,
which finds recognized value in the in-
creased price paid by the buyer? Is
there no profit in planting and caring
for good trees and plants for ornament?
Every farm and orchard, every street
and highway, every public square, park,
or cemetery, needs its ornamental plant-
ing, and all property adjacent is in-
creased in value where it is done. On
the farm, near the orchard and near the
house, and on the highway, ornamental
(not less than useful) screens of decidu-
ous or evergreen trees, are more or less
necessary (if Nature has not provided in
advance) as protections from wind and
storm. Any farm, orchard, or vineyard
so protected will yield a larger annual
return, and will come earlier into ripen-
ing, and consequently the value of the
property be increased. A dwelling em-
bowered in trees, is manifestly more
comfortable in all seasons of the year,
and must be more healthful in conse-
quence of the equalized temperature
produced thereby, and of course en-
hanced in value by this important aid.

It has become a common subject of
remark and study — the influence of
trees on climate and crops, as evinced
by the destruction of our native forests
by the woodman's axe. On the western

prairies we now see forests and groves
springing up, and carefully cultivated
to protect farms and houses from the
effect of storms and blighting hot
winds, and to furnish timber and fuel.
Who can tell of the great increase of
value to accrue from these young groves,
and from the vast lines of beautiful
hedges now growing up in the West, to
take the place of unsightly fences ?

Every homestead requires its ar*bor of
vines, its screens of evergreen trees, and
its beautiful hedge-rows, for the seclu-
sion they afford, and to keep out of sight
objects not proper to admit to the pub-
lic eye. Every porch, and every ap-
proach to the home, claims the grate-
ful shade of some over-arched tree, or
the welcoming smiles of plants, of beau-
tiful foliage, and fragrant flowers.

The healthful effects and profits of
the various fruits of garden or field
have their due importance, yet the sa-
cred associations of home are by no
means complete till the inviting shades
of beautiful trees and the sweet scents
of many-tinted bushes and plants be-
speak a regard for something beyond
the pleasures of the palate or the profits
of culture, and declare the bliss of con-
tentment more precious than gold.

The importance of our subject is not
limited to the planter, or the owner of
the premises ; it extends to the whole
community. The constant, careful cul-
ture of good plants, whether for fruit or
ornament, can not fail to exercise a
healthy influence on all in their vicini-
ty, as regards both taste and morals.
It leads to gentle thoughts and good
purposes. The soothing and refining
influence of spreading trees, of flower-
ing shrubs with delicate odors, of grace-
ful climbers with drooping festoons and
intertwining tendrils, betoken home af-
fection, home comfort, contentment;
and must bear profit in inspiring deli-

274

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

cate thoughts, in ameliorating manners,
in cultivating virtue. — Horticulturist.

CAMPHOR.

Perhaps the most common and pop-
ular medicinal agent for household use
is camphor, a drug which has been re-
garded as a cure-all by mothers, grand-
mothers, and great - grand - mothers,
down through many generations.
The "camphor bottle," holding a so-
lution of the agent in rum or dilute
alcohol, is found upon a shelf in almost
every dwelling, and if among the younger
or older members of the family an ankle
is turned, or a limb bruised, or there is
headache, or teethache, or earache, or
belly-ache, down comes the camphor
b°ttle, and the suffering member is well
dosed. Camphor is a powerful agent,
and, in moderate doses, capable of doing
much mischief. It is a matter of wonder
that so few instances of injury result,
considering its wide -spread empirical
employment.

Camphor is brought to this country
in a crude or impure state, and here it
is subjected to the process of distilla-
tion to render it fit for employment.
There are several important refineries
in this country, one of which is at Rum-
ney, N. H. A correspondent of The
People presents the following interest-
ing facts regarding camphor and this
refinery :

"The camphor of commerce comes
from Formosa, Sumatra, Borneo, Japan,
and China. It is obtained in crystal-
line masses already formed, and also in
grains by distillation. The tree which
produces the former kind is a near rel-
ative of our Basswood, which we know
as a charming tree, perfuming the air
and yielding the finest honey in the
world. It grows on the Diri Mountains

2n Sumatra, and in Borneo. It towers
upward more than a hundred feet, and
has been known to obtain a girth of
fifty feet. The spirited persuasion of
the axe draws from this forest monster
the white treasures secreted in longitu-
dinal fissures in its heart wood, some-
times, though rarely, in a layer as large
as a man's arm, but more frequently in
small fragments to be carefully extract-
ed by some sharp-pointed instrument.
It is not an abundant bearer. Twenty
pounds is a rare yield for a great tree ;
ten pounds is a good harvest from one
* of medium size, and many are felled and
split that furnish no camphor. This,
however, is not an entire waste, since
the wood is easily worked, and is never
attacked by the voracious myriads of
eastern insects which destroy all other
varieties except the Teak and Calambuco.
House and ship timber are made from
it, besides many articles of furniture,
and the aromatic trunk is extremely val-
uable to the housekeepers of our colder
climate. This kind of camphor seldom
finds its way to Europe and America.
The Chinese ascribe to it marvelous
medicinal properties, and pay for it
enormous sums, thereby securing the
entire yield.

Common camphor is obtained by dis-
tillation from the root, stem, and leaves
of certain, species of lauracce, but more
especially from the Laurus camphora.
This tree is of good height but not gi-
gantic, is many- branched with ever-
green lanceolate leaves on short stalks,
and small yellowish blossoms in long
clusters at the end of the flower stems.
Of this, also, there are two varieties.
The Chinese or Formosa camphor is
carried in junks to Canton, and there
packed in square chests lined with lead,
whence it is sent to the different east-
ern ports, where we procure it. It is of
a grayish color, with a grain like sugar,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

275

and usually unattractive in appearance.
The Dutch or Japan camphor is pre-
pared in Batavia; is packed in tubs se-
curely matted, is pinkish in hue, and
coarser than the Chinese.

Both kinds need purification before
using. The Venetians first, and after-
ward the Dutch, monopolized the labor
and profit of refining it, for a long pe-
riod, and it is only of late years that
other nations have succeeded in obtain-
ing it in its crude state.

Camphor is slightly soluble in water,
but yields freely to alcohol, acetic acid,
ether, and the essential oils. A pretty
experiment may be tried with it which
the young people will find amusing.
Scatter a few pieces of clean camphor
upon pure water, and they will whirl
and sail about, keeping up the dance
sometimes for hours. Drop among
them some greasy matter, and the mer-
ry little performers will stop on the in-
stant.

Milton Holden & Sons, of Rumney,
N. H., have the only camphor refinery
belonging to New England parties.
There is one at Stamford, Ct., but it is
owned in New York. There are two in
New York city, and one in Philadel-
phia.

The loss in refining runs from eight
to sixteen per cent. The firm now are
employed by W. F. Weld & Co., of
Boston, and refine from six to seven
hundred pounds per diem. They have
two large furnaces, the tops of which
are covered with heavy iron plate, and
about an inch of sand to regulate the
heat. They have fifty -six square and
thirty-eight round pans, which are filled
every morning, and in twenty -four
hours are ready to be emptied. These
have tin globe-shaped covers, with a
tubular vent in the centre, and as the
heat dissolves the camphor into a liquid,
it rises in the form of vapor, and attach-

es to the covers, the impurities falling
to the bottom of the pans. It requires
long experience to know just the
amount of heat required so as to secure
the purest article with the least loss.

It requires about one-quarter of a
cord of wood per day to run these fur-
naces, a day's work averaging fifteen
and a half hours. After cooling, the
contents of the square pans, clear as
crystal, are packed in boxes of one hun-
dred pounds each, and those of the
round ones into barrels carefully lined,
and are then sent to market, and from
thence into every dwelling in the land.

AMONG THE KOSES.

An ardent Rose lover, whose enthu-
siasm bubbles over in glowing words,
writes to the Canada Farmer, of some
of his favorites :

"A perfect little gem is Madame Alfred
de Rougemont ; my first experience in
blooming this Rose was with it in a pot,
and it was a most charming sight. I
planted it, however, in the open ground,
where it passed the last trying winter
safely, without any protection ; and has
been and still is covered with its deli-
cate and lovely roses. The wood and
foliage are of a light green, the growth
moderately stout, and with a free and
graceful habit. The roses are small in
size, quite double and full ; when new-
ly opened they are most handsomely
capped with white, with a delicate tint of
flesh color, deeper towards the centre.
It is a most abundant bloomer ; and
though by no means showy, is yet ex-
ceedingly attractive in its modest love-
liness. For bouquets in which light
colors predominate, for wreathing the
hair, or set singly for a loop to gather
flowing tresses, it is perfect.

"Among the brilliant dazzling ones,
I place in the foremost rank the Due

276

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

de Rohan. Free and vigorous in habit ,
its leaves thick and massive, yet glossy
in their dark green, the entire tree puts
on the air of one of noble blood ; the
roses are large, double and full, and
when newly opened, are of a dark rich
red brilliantly shaded with vermilion.
The petals are of good substance, and
have that rich velvet-like appearance
which gives such fullness and depth to
the glowing color. Apparently per-
fectly hardy, and an abundant bloomer,
it will take a commanding position in
all our choicest collections.

"Another of these dashy showy fel-
lows is Lord Macaulay. One would
hardly expect the staid old historian's
name to have been handed down to
coming time linked with such scarlet
and crimson robes. But it is a lordly
Rose, nevertheless, and seems likely to
thrive well in this unaristocratic land of
ours; never losing a bud through all
the trying weather of the past winter,
it pushed forth its stout, dark green
shoots when tardy summer came at last,
and clothed them with thick, leathery,
shining leaves, which tell of blood.
And then came the roses, large, full
and showy; noble blooms, opening with
a brilliant scarlet color which changes
at length to a deep glowing crimson of
rare richness and beauty.

"But for queenly stateliness of habit
and queenlike beauty, Madame La Bar-
onne de Rothschild is peerless among
the Roses. Others may blush with a
more coy and maidenly grace, others
may put on more gorgeous apparel and
dazzle the eye with purple and scarlet,
but she robes herself in glossiest satin,
and draws around her the drapery of
ample folds, dyed with richest yet most
delicate peach-blow tints. The stout
shoots, armed with ivory-like spines,
have an air of matronly dignity, and the
large, very large, handsomely cupped,

stout-petaled roses, borne singly on the
extremity of each shoot, and such a .
clear light satin rose, crown it with
royal beauty. I do not wonder if Rose
growers in England were wild with ex-
citement over the advent of this Queen
among Queens, and the Royal Horti-
cultural Society awarded to her the
highest certificate of merit. One thing
I have noticed that is worth remember-
ing : it bears the fierce heat of our July
sun uncommonly well.

"And what a charming Rose, in its
stainless purity, is the Boule de Neige.
The blooms are small, and in the esteem
of some that may be counted a defect;
but to me its comparatively miniature
size is one of its highest charms. Set
off with a single spray of its bright
green leaves, how charmingly does its
snowy whiteness contrast with those
raven locks. And whatever may be
wanting in size, it more than compen-
sates in the abundance of roses, while
the petals are rolled back so neatly, one
upon the other, that it well deserves the
name of Ball of Snow. And last fall,
I remember, whaj} an abundance of
white roses we gathered from this best
of white autumnals.

"And writing of autumnal bloomers,
reminds me of that prince of dark Ro-
ses, Xavier Oliro. Last fall this was
one of the most attractive in the bed;
and now the tree is covered with roses
and rose-buds, as though its life work
was to cover itself with blooms. And
such blooms they are, too, magnificent
in size and beautifully full, of a deep
yet brilliant velvety scarlet, when first
open, and gradually changing to dark-
est crimson. It is an exceedingly showy
Rose, that can not fail to be admired in
the choicest selection — beautiful when
only its rich, deep-green, glossy leaves
are to be seen, but gorgeous when,
mingling with its shining foliage, the

THE CALPFOBNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

277

darkly glowing roses are seen in the
height of their beauty.

' ' But I must stop. Yet I can not stop
until I have shown you the lovely
Countess de Chabrillant. Did you ever
see such shell-like petals, so beautifully
set in cup -like form, and so sweetly
tinted with shaded pink? Is it not a
most lovely flower? And each rose is
so perfect ; not crowded in clusters so
close that none can get room to unfold
in perfection, but singly, borne on the
point of each strong shoot. "

CALIFOENIA SEEDLING PEAKS.

At a meeting of the Western New
York Horticultural Society last winter,
President Barry acknowledged the re-
ceipt of several varieties of Seedling
Pears, originated in California, of which
he said :

" In the month of November last, I
received twenty-sis varieties of Seed-
ling .Pears, raised by Mr. Bernard S.
Fox, of San Jose, California. Their
appearance surprised me. Many of
them were so much like some of our
old, well-known sorts, that I half sus-
pected my friend Pox of playing a joke
on me. There were Bloodgood, Seckel,
Lawrence, "Winter Nelis, Beurre Clair-
geau, Beurre Bosc, Easter Beurre,
Duckesse d'Angouleme, Beurre Super-
fine, Grlout Morceau, and others.

"Some friends, very good judges, to
whom I sent specimens, had the same
doubt in regard to their being seed-
lings. When I began to examine them
closely, and cut them, I found they
were quite distinct from the sorts they
resembled, and were positively new. I
then wrote to Mr. Fox for some account
of their origin, and he answered that
they all sprung from the seed of the
Belle Lucrative, sown in 1863, and had

Vol. III.— 36.

fruited in the rows where they had first
grown.

"Some bore the fifth year, and the
sixth over 200 bore fruit. One-fourth
of the trees have not yet fruited, and
for five years to come new fruits may be
expected. Many of these varieties are
fully equal in size and beauty to our
best, and many have the advantage of
being quite late. Generally speaking,
they are deficient in vinous flavor, like
the Easter Beurre and others of that
class. Only one or two are slightly
vinous ; but some were justly entitled
to rank as best. A few of the largest
appeared to be inferior in quality ; one
specimen of these, resembling Nouveau
Poiteau, in 1871, weighed two and one-
half pounds.

"This is, beyond doubt, the most
remarkable instance of success in rais-
ing Seedling Pears on record. And the
fact that all are from seed of Belle Lu-
crative, and none like that variety, but
like all others growing around, is both
curious and interesting, showing that
the mother plant did not affect the char-
acter of the varieties. This might have
been the case had some other varieties
supplied the seed. Much of this suc-
cess is, no doubt, due to the peculiar
climate of California. The early age
at which these trees begin to bear, even
in the seed-bed, seems strange to us.
Mr. Fox wrote me he could have sent
eighty varieties the past season.

"We may now cease looking to the
old world for new varieties of Pears,
and turn our attention to the Pacific
Coast. Mr. Fox has already raised Pears
superior to nine-tenths of the new varie-
ties received from Europe in twenty
years. And we shall not only get new
varieties from the Pacific Coast, but we
must expect to see our markets filled
with their Pears. The supply from that
source is already large."

278

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

LANDSCAPE GAKDENING.

Gardening, in all its branches, is a
science that but very few understand;
and landscape gardening, by which we
mean ornamental gardening, or laying
out grounds in design, is an art in itself.
No one who has not a natural eye for
the beautiful, and an innate love of Na-
ture, can ever make a complete land-
scape gardener.

The artist on whom "Flora" and
"Pomona" shower their favors and
blessings feels their inspiration in all
the labor he performs, and the trees,
plants, and flowers thrive and grow, bud
and blossom, and yield their fruit, as it
were, by magic. There is a mysterious
and electric chain that binds the master
spirit and the dormant plants, which,
when inspired, gives life and growth as
the reward of faithful labor.

How few who assume to know, and
claim to be "experts" in gardening sci-
ence, ever produce successful results.
They are almost wholly ignorant of the
true science, and only spoil by their
efforts what could have been made
beautiful ; they seldom possess the
requisite experience, taste, or knowl-
edge, to bring about a happy result.

A landscape gardener can only ac-
quire a requisite knowledge of this art
by much reading and study, and con-
siderable practice— with an observant
eye to the workings of Nature; for her
skillful hands make "hill and dale,"
and "light and shade," just where from
a given spot a "beautiful picture"
should always be found.

The skillful landscape gardener must
possess the requisite knowledge to look
forward to the "years to come," and
know the character and habits of the
trees and plants he places in his grounds.
He should know the size each will at-
tain, the extent of their branches, etc ,

so that all their future growth shall
still keep the design beautiful or make
it more perfect. It is an utter ignor-
ance, or inattention, to this point, that
ruins so many grounds, that could have
been an ornament to a large neigh-
borhood — while the failure of such
labor only deters others from like at-
tempts.

No person who has a handsome resi-
dence should ever improve his grounds
hastily, or leave this all-important work
to common or unskillful hands. A bad
design around a handsome mansion, in
the garden grounds, or improper trees
and plants, or good ones badly arranged,
will destroy the beauty of all, and de-
teriorate the value of such a residence
many times the cost of good and perfect
work.

California offers to all who will ac-
cept from a bounteous Nature a "rich
gift"— a climate and soil which, if right-
ly improved, will always secure to every
homestead beautiful surroundings.. But
those who would enjoy such blessings
must remember, also, that Nature has
laws that are imperative. Obey those
laws in the cultivation of the earth,
and the "horn of plenty" will fill the
lap with abundance. Disobey, and
barrenness and emptiness is the result.

We think the experience of ten thou-
sand tillers of the earth in California
now testifies that Nature is not to be
trifled with — that Nature recognizes all
who obey her teachings, and loads with
blessings the thankful heart.
"Nature never did betray
The heart that loved her."

— California Farmer.

Editing a newspaper is very much
like raking a fire — every one thinks he
can perform the operation better than
the man who holds the poker.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

279

FERN-PEESSING.

The girls should not forget that this
is the time to gather and press green
ferns. They are so pretty and refresh-
ing to have in the house in cold weath-
er, so easily obtained, and so little
trouble to prepare, that it is a pity any
one should be without a few bunches
when the flower season has passed.
There are many modes of preserving
them ; but the one that seems the most
successful is to pick the ferns when they
are young and tender ; lay them be-
tween newspapers, or in large, flat books,
and place them under very heavy
weights, until the sap has entirely dried.
Persons who gather them in August
often leave them in press till Thanks-
giving or Christmas; asserting this long
subjection to the weights keeps the col-
or better than any other method. The
safest way to secure perfect Ferns is to
take a book to the woods, and lay each
one between the leaves as soon as bro-
ken from the stem. Even in a few
minutes Ferns will curl at their tips,
and after an hour or two it is almost im-
possible to lay them flat. This process
is very good for bright leaves, and
makes them look less artificial than
when they are varnished. Bunches of
autumn leaves are very beautiful even-
ing decorations, if a lighted candle be
set behind them. This brings out their
brilliant tints, and gives them the ap-
pearance of having been freshly gath-
ered.— Scribner's Monthly.

A parmee makes no greater mistake
than in supposing that he must be
wealthy to have a nice lawn in front of
the house planted with flowers and
evergreens, or that he can not have
Pear-trees, grasses, and an abundance
of small fruits.

GARDEN ADORNMENTS.

„ Ornamental vases, rustic stands, and
hanging baskets filled with choice grow-
ing plants, now form a prominent and
comely feature in the decorations of our
flower gardens and pleasure grounds.
They are elaborately bedecked, and
add richness and elegance to well-em-
bellished grounds. In the smallest gar-
dens there is room for one or more of
them; they are of various sizes, and sold
largely by seedsmen.

The successful culture of lovely plants
in baskets, vases, etc., lies in the proper
selection of plants; for example, all the
plants set in one vessel should be such
as will flourish under the same treat-
ment.

It is true that some species require more
water than others — some thrive best in
sunshine, others succeed best in partial
shade. Any one at a loss to select suit-
able plants may ask an honest florist to
furnish such plants, and the right num-
ber, to plant in a vase, stand, or hang-
ing basket. State the size of it, and
whether it will be placed in full or in
partial shade — and whether creeping or
upright plants are desired.

The next point is, to use a rich, light,
and friable compost for the plants to
grow in, as their roots will be confined
in a small space. Frequent waterings
should also be attended to. When the
weather gets too cold for the plants in
fall, all the vessels may be taken into
the house, and by special care the plants
therein will flourish till the following
spring, when they should be thrown
out, and the vessels refilled with new
plants and fresh compost.

Ferns, Ivies, Lysimachias, Periwinkles,
Lycopodiums, Tradescantias, Saxifra-
gas, and many other genera, grow well
even where they never get a glimpse of
sunshine. — The Evergreen.

280

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

A

IRRIGATION IN THE GREAT SAN JOA-
QUIN VALLEY.

This valley extends from Stockton to
Fort Tejon, in the southern portion of
Kern County, being 250 miles in length,
with an average width of fifty miles, and
an area of 7,900,000 acres of valley
land, less about 600,000 acres covered
by Tulare Lake. Its light, sandy soil
produces from ten to fifteen bushels of
Wheat per acre, and the deep rich loam
produces forty to sixty bushels of Wheat
per acre. Little has been known of
this vast expanse of rich territory until
within the past four or five years. The
farmers planted Wheat in small tracts
six or seven years ago, and increased
the area each year, until they were en-
abled to harvest last year a crop of
12,000,000 bushels of grain, which
would require over 300 large ships to
carry away.

California is blessed with a climate
and soil, which to the agriculturist is a
mine of wealth unequaled on the face
of the earth, but like everything else in
this world, it is not perfect. The one
defect is the uncertainty of the rain-fall.
Nature has provided in the great Sierra
Nevada range, reservoirs of snow,
which, melting in the spring and sum-
mer months, pour down their streams
of gold to the needy husbandmen. This
vast plain has a perfectly even surface,
and slopes gradually to the west and
north, presenting a field for irrigation
works, which, in point of economy in
distributing the water, abundant and
never-failing supply of water, and also
richness of soil, can not be equaled.
The subject of irrigation has recently
attracted a great deal of attention. In
our State large sums of money have
been expended in the construction of
canals. The principal field of opera-

tions is in Fresno County, owing to the
great abundance of water there and the
ease and economy with which the ca-
nals can be constructed. The first com-
pany organized, two years since, in
Fresno, to take water from King's Eiver,
near the town of Centerville; length of
canal, twenty-three miles; width, fifteen
feet; depth, three feet; capacity to irri-
gate, 50,000 acres. The second, from
the same river, near same point, thirteen
miles long, twelve feet wide, two feet
deep ; capacity, 30,000 acres. The
third, twenty miles long, fifteen feet
wide, three feet deejj; capacity to irri-
gate, 50,000 acres. The fourth, com-
menced last year, will be completed
during the coming winter. A head-
gate has been erected and three hun-
dred feet of canal cut at a cost of $15,-
000. It is to be one hundred feet wide,
six feet deep, and six feet fall per mile,
with a capacity to irrigate 500, 000 acres.
The above are shown on the map accom-
panying this issue of the Horticulturist.
Water has been used on about 10,000
acres only this season. The eanals were
built and owned by the farmers of this
locality; therefore we can not say what
they cost, but would say for work al-
ready done about $40,000. Owning the
canals, the farmers pay no rate per
acre, except enough to keep them in re-
pair. Irrigation can be done cheaply.
Mr. Easterby, near the town of Fresno,
had 2,500 acres in grain, and irrigated
five hundred acres with the work of two
men, in one week. Upland, irrigated,
yielded fifty bushels of Wheat per acre;
and the land not irrigated averaged fif-
teen bushels per acre.

Although Wheat has been a profitable
crop, now that irrigation is at hand the
farmers are turning their attention to
crops of Cotton, Jute, Flax, Alfalfa,
Tobacco, Oranges, Lemons, Limes,
Figs, Grapes for wine and raisins, Al-
monds, Walnuts, etc., all of which can

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

281

be grown in Fresno County with the
greatest success. There is now under
cultivation about 2,000 acres of Cotton,
the quality equal to the best upland
Cotton of the South. Cost of cultiva-
tion one-third less than in the South,
and the profit per acre, $25 to $50.
The picking is done by Chinamen;
wages, $25 per month, they feeding
themselves. Jute can be grown here
quite as successfully as Cotton, and
with more profit. "We shall shortly
produce our own grain sacks, and there-
by keep millions of dollars in the State.
Water-power on King's and San Joa-
quin rivers, for Cotton and Jute facto-
ries, is sufficient to drive all the spindles
in the New England States, besides the
economy in Chinese labor, cheapness of
living, saving of fuel, owing to the mild
climate, and nearness of raw material
to factory. The San Joaquin Valley
will become as renowned for Cotton as
the Southern States.

Besides the canals shown on the map
and referred to above, there is in the
same county a canal taken from the San
Joaquin River, built by Wra. S. Chap-
man and Miller & Lux at a cost of $70,-
000. It is twenty-six miles long, twen-
ty-five feet wide, and four feet deep,
with a capacity of irrigating 150,000
acres. It is for the use of themselves
alone. Also, a canal built by Mr. I.
Friediander to irrigate the land of the
Alabama Settlement, which cost $75,-
000. The water is taken from the Fres-
no River; length, thirty -five miles;
width, twenty-five feet; depth, three
feet; with a capacity to irrigate 75,000
acres. The water will be turned in
shortly. Also, on the west side of the
valley is the canal of the San Joaquin
and King's River Canal and Irrigation
Company, starting from the junction of
Fresno Slough and the San Joaquin
River; length, thirty-nine miles; width,

fifty-four feet; depth, six feet; fall
per mile, six: feet; capacity 500,000 acres;
cost, $450,000; charge for water, $1.50
per acre per crop. Fifteen thou-
sand acres were irrigated this year,
planted in grain, Cotton and Alfalfa.
Owing to the fact that not half the
quantity of rain falls on the west side
of the valley that falls on the east, crops
were a failure on the west side except
where irrigated; the result of irrigation
showing a yield of from thirty to fifty
bushels of Wheat per acre — without it,
none. The canal is to be extended, dur-
ing the next two years, forty-five miles
farther, to connect with the San Joa-
quin River, and will be used for trans-
portation. In time, Tulare Lake will
be connected with this canal, giving an
inexhaustible supply of water. An ex-
tension of fifty-four miles will cost
$300,000 additional.

Other canals are projected and sur-
veyed from Merced, Stanislaus, Tuol-
umne, and Calaveras rivers. These
will probably be constructed during the
next five years. Irrigation on a small
scale is also successfully carried on in
San Joaquin, Tulare, and Kern coun-
ties. People who are now living will
yet see the day when the San Joaquin
Valley will have a million of inhabit-
ants, large cities will dot its plains, and
the value of manufacturing interests
be equal to the value of the entire gold
yield of the State since gold was dis-
covered.

To Tell Good Eggs. — If you desire to
be certain that your eggs are good and
fresh, put them in water; if the butts
turn up they are not fresh. This is an
infallible rule to distinguish a good egg
from a bad one.

Three thousand species of grass are
known to botanists.

282

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Magnolia grandiflora. — It has been
stated that the climate of San Francisco
is not warm enough to perfect the flow-
ers of the Magnolia grandiflora. This
impression is wrong, and all that is
necessary to prove this, is a visit to the
garden of James Otis, Esq., on Sutter
Street in this city, where a finely devel-
oped plant has produced some very fine
flowers during the last few weeks, not-
withstanding that the plant is exposed
to the heavy winds and is in no way
sheltered. This ought to be encourag-
ing to the more extensive cultivation of
this handsome tree, with its beautiful
and effective evergreen foliage, which,
alone, offers strong inducements for its
culture as a choice ornamental shrub or
tree.

Apocynum as a Fibre Plant. — From
the Gardener's Chronicle (London) we
obtain the following item :

The Times' correspondent at Berlin
writes thus of a new fibre plant : A
fibrous plant called Apocynum venetum
has been discovered*" growing wild in
such quantities, in Turkistan, that it
may be expected soon to make its ap-
pearance in the market. Its fibres, as
tender and delicate as flax, as strong and
tenacious as hemp, are, by combining
the qualities of two, greatly superior
to either. The Russians will probably
endeavor to transplant it to Europe, an
attempt which might be made by other
countries as well.

It is tolerably well known that our
species of Apocynum, of which we have
two, furnish a superior fibre, as does
also the related Asclep)ias incarnata. All
these are vigorous, hardy perennials,
and could, under cultivation, be made
to yield large crops. A series of thor-
ough and well-conducted experiments,
which shall test the comparative value
and productiveness of our native fibre
plants, is much needed. But how shall
it be obtained?

The Overland Monthly for Septem-
ber presents a varied and interesting
table of contents. The most interest-
ing practical papers are : ' ' Our Indian
Policy," "One of Our Farming Coun-
ties," "Bates of Railroad Transporta-
tion," and "The Savings Banks of
California." There is much other mat-
ter, consisting of stories, poetry, and
reviews of books. It is one of the best
magazines in the country. $4 per an-
num. J. H. Carmany & Co., publish-
ers, 409 Washington St., San Francisco.

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS.

California State Fair. — This Fair,
which will open on the 15th inst., prom-
ises to be largely attended, and the
exhibition, in all its varied departments,
will exceed any former display. Forty
thousand dollars will be distributed in
cash premiums. It will remain open
five days.

Horticultural Society Fair. — We
would urge our nurserymen and fruit-
growers to come out in united strength
and excel any of their previous credit-
able exhibitions. By persistent effort,
a full and hearty recognition will be ob-
tained. We must remember that every-
thing here is still in its infancy, and
when we have cultivated the tastes of
the people to a more appreciative stand-
ard, the reward will be more abundant
and satisfactory. The premium list,
and all other necessary information for
exhibitors, will be found on page 4 of
the cover of the present number.

One Hundred Merino sheep, with
plenty of bedding, will, during the or-
dinary feeding time in winter, produce
about forty two-horse wagon loads of
manure, which is far more valuable as
a fertilizer than that of either horses
or cows.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

283

With pleasure we refer our readers
to the advertisement of the Wholesale
Catalogue for autumn, 1873, of Messrs.
Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, New
York. It is sent free to all applicants.
Also, to their extensive assortment of
Trees, Plants and Bulbs mentioned on
page 8 of our advertising sheet.

Dried Fruit — The Alden Process. —
We were shown, a few days since, some
bunches of grapes which had been dried
at San Lorenzo by the Alden process.
The grapes, although hardly ripe, had
been perfectly cured and turned into
raisins in four hours. The fruit-grow-
ers in that vicinity are well satisfied
with their experiment so far. About
30,000 pounds of green fruit can be
worked off in a day, with the following
results :

Pounds Per ct. Pounds
Fruit. green fruit, waste, dry fruit.

Apples 100 88 12

Peaches 100 88 12

Apricots 100 86 14

Pears 100 88 12

Plums 100 86 14

Grapes 100 80 20

Blackberries.... 100 84 16

Pitted Cherries. 100 84 16

Gooseberries. ... 100 80 20

If the fruit-grower can get one cent a
pound for the choicest varieties of
grapes, the profit will be much more
satisfactory than on a wheat crop. One
hundred pounds of grapes at a dollar will
produce twenty pounds of raisins worth
two dollars and a half. Deducting ex-
penses of freight and the cost of dry-
ing, there would still be a margin of
more than one hundred per cent. Good
raisins will sell readily at fifteen cents a
pound, and the highest price asked in
round lots for the best kind of grapes
would not exceed five cents, while the
Mission and some other varieties can be
bought at a cent a pound. If the Alden

process can't make home-made raisins
plenty, we know of no other process '
that will be likely to secure such a re-
sult.— Bulletin.

Grouping- of Plants. — There is no
way in which the deadening formalism
of our gardens may be more effectually
destroyed than by the system of natu-
rally grouping hardy plants. It may
afford most pleasing results, and im-
press on others the amount of variety
and loveliness to be obtained from many
families now unused. Trees and shrubs,
distinguished for their fine foliage, col-
lected in quiet glades; and then bright-
foliage trees should be set in contrast
with quieter colors, and varied with
bright beds of flowers and leaf plants,
or hardy flowering shrubs. Those groups
should be irregularly but artistically
planted. Then on a knoll plant a large
bouquet of the rosaceous family — Haw-
thorns, Cherries, Plums, Pears, Peach-
es, Almonds, etc. There is so much
that may be done to add to the bewil-
dering beauty of a landscape by nat-
urally artistic planting, that we are
often astonished that people do not
"see it." — Rural New Yorker.

Tree Lemon Verbena. — -"In these
days, when effective plants are sought
after, we should not lose ' sight of
things at hand with which to produce
as good results as any new introduc-
tion can afford. The London Garden-
er 's Chronicle calls attention to the
pretty effects which can be had from
the common Lemon Verbena when
trained as a standard. The wavy spikes
of flowers are very graceful, and the
odoriferous character of the plant will
always make it afavorite in any form. —
Gardener's Monthly.

284

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

REPORT ON THE FRUIT AND VEGET-
ABLE MASKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEK.

Although, for California, there were
frosts in the spring which were unusu-
ally severe, and which in some sections
cut off at least one-fourth of the Grape
and Apricot crops, yet, generally speak-
ing, there was but little damage done,
and the fruit production has been but
little diminished. The uncommonly
cool weather, during the spring and one
or two summer months, had the benefi-
cial effect of prolonging the bearing
season of many sorts — especially the
Strawberries and Raspberries. So, take
the season altogether, fruits of all kinds
have been most abundant and good.
There never was an August that showed
on the stalls a greater quantity of every
description of fruit. To be sure there
were to be seen too many inferior boxes
and baskets of Pears, Apples, and
Peaches, bringing but little, if any,
profit to their producers, and showing
how desirable it is for all cultivators to
grow only the very best of the sev-
eral varieties. Diminutive, spongy, and
juiceless fruits, of whatever kind, are
very unremunerative to all parties, be-
sides being very unwholesome.

With respect to Plums, we should
like very much to see the true European
Green Gage, so celebrated for its fine
flavor, richness, and juiciness, much
more generally cultivated by fruitists.
In Europe it has many synonyms, (about
fifteen), like all the choicest fruits.
One of them is, the "King of Plums,"
to which it is certainly most justly en-
titled ; but its most common name is
Seine Claude. The true variety is read-
ily known by its short-jointed, slow-
growing, spreading, and dwarfish habit.
It requires a very rich, warm soil to in-
sure fruit in perfection. The best book

authorities pronounce the fiesh of the
Green Gage exceedingly melting, rich,
sprightly, and of high flavor, and' it
separates freely from the stone. Fruit,
medium, round, suture slight; skin,
yellowish green — green mostly prevail-
ing— marbled and dotted on the sunny
side with red ; stalk, slender, slightly
inserted. The Imperial Gage, or Prin-
cess Imperial Gage, is often mistaken
for the Green Gage, but it is consid-
erably inferior to it.

We have tasted samples of the true
Green Gage on this coast, and we never
ate better in England, or on the conti-
nent of Europe. They are to be found
in perfection at Mr. Thompson's Suscol
Orchards on the California Pacific Rail-
road. Probably it is not so profitable
a Plum to raise as the more common
kinds, (the tree being also not so vigor-
ous as some other sorts), but if once
well-known in the market, by good
judges of fruit and persons of epicurean
tastes, we are sure it would fetch a price
which would well repay the cultivators.

As to the cultivation of the Plum :
the Green Gage, Cloth of Gold, etc.,
require to be planted about fifteen feet
apart, while the Imperial Gage, Wash-
ington, etc., would be better at twenty
feet. They may be planted in any good
soil which is either naturally or artifi-
cially drained. They require but little
pruning, except to shorten back' such
shoots as are too vigorous and likely to
destroy the regular form of the tree ; or
to cut out weakly -growing shoots. The
Green Gage requires but little, either of
branch or root pruning, as it is a slow
or slender growing variety. Like all
other fruit trees, the Plum does best,
of course, when the ground is often
ploughed, dug, or hoed around. The
best manure is animal. Ashes, in soils
devoid of lime and the phosphates, will
be found beneficial ; two bushels to a

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

285

tree twelve feet high will be a guide.

To return to the subject of our mar-
kets : Here we will state generally, that
fruit, in perfection, should be full-sized,
sound, ripe, fresh, and of the best varie-
ties. How many there are of our fruits
with which the market is loaded, which
fall far short of these requirements, we
will leave the public to judge ; for our
own part, we may, perhaps, be allowed
to say that, in these respects, a vast
quantity of them are greatly deficient.

But notwithstanding these drawbacks,
the fruits of California, taking them in
the aggregate, are certainly the most
perfect in size and condition, as they
are also, upon the whole, delicious in
taste. All travelers declare that they
have never seen anything like them in
any other country. Indeed, the truth
is, that all of Nature's works that are
met with in California are so widely dif-
ferent from those seen in the Eastern
or Atlantic States, that when visitors
descend into its beautiful valleys from
the mountains, they almost feel as if
they were treading upon the soil of
some new and superior sphere. But,
upon recollection, they feel proud that
the same flag of stars and stripes floats
over the public and private edifices in
San Francisco, and on the forts and
shipping of its beautiful and extensive
bay, as over the rest of the glorious
Union.

The supplies of Strawberries and
Blackberries are now greatly dimin-
ished, and the latter have nearly ceased
to make their appearance in market;
their value is accordingly appreciating.
Apples are very plentiful, and their
prices, of course, are moderating. Bart-
lett Pears are becoming gradually much
cheaper, while the common varieties
are proportionably lower in price, also.
Choice varieties of foreign Crapes —
Rose of Peru, Muscat of Alexandria,

Vol. III.— 37.

Tokay, and Black Hamburg — are now
in market in large quantities, and are
quoted from 8 to 15 cents per pound,
only. Apricots and the ordinary varie-
ties of Peaches are nearly gone, with
prices but little changed at present.
Clingstone Peaches are, many of them,
fine and abundant. Plums are now at
the height of their excellence and glory,
though most of them are of inferior
kinds. Seckel Pears — that luscious and
high-flavored sort, small though they
are comparatively — are beginning, like
the Green Gage Plum, to be prized
more and more every year, and are to be
obtained' (unlike the Green Gage) in
sufficient numbers for the fruit epicures.

The steamers are bringing slowly
moderate lots of Los Angeles Lemons,
which, owing to other kinds not be-
ing plentiful, bring remunerative prices.
Huckleberries still remain at 20 cents
per pound ; Mangoes, $1 ; Alligator
Pears, $2 per dozen ; Smyrna Figs, 35
cents per pound.

On the 1st of September there was
no great change in the price of vege-
tables. Melons also hold their own, but
the abundant supply that is coming in
threatens to break down the prices pre-
vailing. Watermelons are quotable at
15@35c. each; Nutmeg Melons at $1
per dozen, and Cantaloupes 10@35c.
apiece. The best samples of Green
Corn have declined 5c. per dozen dur-
ing this week, and the present range
is from 15@25c. per dozen. Rhubarb
is 6@8c. per pound ; Egg Plant, 8c. per
pound; Okra, 10@15c. per pound; Sal-
sify, 10c. per bunch ; Summer Squash,
5c. each; Artichokes, 25 @ 35c. per
dozen.

Annexed is a correct monthly state-
ment of Strawberry statistics, and the
range of prices for each month:

March, £3 chests, 30c@$l 50; April,
3,955 chests, 7@45c. ; May, 8,372 chests,

286

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

5@15c. ; June, 2,918 chests, 5@15c;
July, 3,433 chests, 3@9c; August, 400
chests, H@6c. Total, 19,101 chests.

Filters a:nd Filtering. — In every well
appointed kitchen there are tin or por-
celain funnels. For filtering watery
fluids, it is only necessary to insert in
the choke of the funnel, a V-shaped
piece of fine sponge. All such liquids,
on being put into the funnel, will pass
through the sponge and become quite
clear. When this effect ceases, the
sponge must be removed and well
cleansed. Yinous fluids are best cleared
by filtering through a cone of white
blotting-paper, shaped by folding a
square piece of paper from corner to
corner, and then folding the triangle
into half its size, and opening the folds ;
it -will fit any funnel, which will act as a
mueh . needed support to the paper.
Wines, etc., poured into this, will run
through perfectly bright. In some
cases, where the wine is only thick from
lees, cork, or other mechanically sus-
pended substance, it can be made quite
clear by filtering through a wad of white
cotton put in the choke of the funnel ;
and when this answers, it is much
quicker than the paper filter. For jelly
and oil, wool alone is the proper me-
dium for filtering. The felted wool
jelly -bag is pretty well known as the
best means of clearing calves' foot jelly,
and it also answers for olive and other
oil. These bags are, however, too ex-
pensive to be generally used; hence
they are rarely seen in a kitchen. A
good substitute for the wool bag is a
cullender, on the inside of which a new
flannel lining should be fitted, made of
double stuff. A wad of white knitting
wool, put into the choke of a funnel,
will do to filter a small portion of such
fluids. — Scientific American.

®mxz%\wwk\ut.

THE ENGLISH SPARROW.

Editor California Horticulturist : In a
recent number of the Evening Bulletin,
I r-ead with some interest the following :

A Californian who has recently re-
turned from New York is anxious to
have steps taken to introduce the Eng-
lish Sparrow on this coast. He says
the bird there has proved a great bless-
ing, especially in the city. The trees
in the parks are in more flourishing con-
dition in consequence. The sparrow
lives on insects; it delights in caterpil-
lars; it searches after the early worm,
and when found, makes a meal of him.
The result is a great improvement in the
foliage within the city. Three years
ago Trinity Church graveyard was a
desolate-looking place. Scarcely a leaf
was to be seen on the trees; the worms
held high carnival, and had it all their
own way. They built nests in the trees,
and dropped down on the necks of the
ladies. They were especialty partial to
green things, but when the foliage- gave
out, they crawled pn the walks, into the
church, up the shiny boots of the
church-goers, in search of whatever
they could devour. The sparrows came
and gobbled them up; the leaves got a
chance to grow again; the trees took a
fresh start, and now ail is changed.
The trees actually vie with their coun-
try cousins in beauty of foliage. The
sparrows did it; they are the most won-
derful insect destroyers of the feathered
tribe. They are also among the tamest
birds in the world. They will run
along the sidewalk a few feet in front
of a person, as if delighted in human
companionship. Boys forget to throw
stones at them, and hoodlums are
abashed in their presence. Such con-
fidence as they display in the kindness
of man is not to be returned with cru-
elty. They even serve to humanize the
hoodlum. It is really amusing to see
the little creatures come every morning
about the door-steps and window-sills to
get crumbs of bread from the children.
Many become so tame that they perch
on the hands that feed them. The
keepers of the Central Park say they

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

287

have been of great "benefit to every park
in the city. They breed very fast, and
will soon overrun a country when well
started. In two years after their intro-
duction in New York city, they were ob-
served at Niagara Falls. They followed
up the Hudson and along the Erie Ca-
nal, scattering blessings as they went.
They would be of much use in the
Golden Gate Park. They seem espec-
ially adapted to city life, and to abodes
in city parks and yards, where little
fruit is raised. The fruit-raisers of the
interior might object to them, because
they would occasionally pick at the
cherries, but it is probable that even in
gardens in the country they would be
of more service than harm. Who can give
information about their operations in
the country ? If any, let them send in
their facts — favorable or unfavorable,
no matter. San Francisco does not
want to be benefited at the expense of
the interior, not even in the matter of
sparrows.

I fully agree with the writer of the
above that the English Sparrow is very
beneficial to the vegetation in the East,
and particularly to that of the large
cities, like New York ; but I doubt
whether the introduction of the spar-
row here would be of much good at this
time, and for some time to come. The
reasons for my assertions are these:
First of all, insects usually taken off by
the sparrow have not proved trouble-
some on this coast ; they are very few
in number, and although they multiply'
very rapidly when they once make their
appearance, the fact remains indispu-
table that insects are not now more nu-
merous than they were twenty years
ago, for reasons which may require
proper explanation, but which are im-
material here.

Secondly, the ornamental trees which
are cultivated hereabouts are chiefly ev-
ergreens ; and nine-tenths of those,
again, are coniferous trees, the foliage
of which is not attacked by insects.
The trees at the Trinity Church-yard of

New York, which the writer of the above
mentions, are all deciduous, to the best
of my recollection, and it is the foliage
of such trees upon which the insects in
question live. The same is the case
with all of the shade trees along the
streets and roads of the eastern cities.
Our shade trees consist chiefly of the
Eucalyptus and Acacia, and none of
them are apt to be injured by insects,
according to my experience.

I am strongly in favor of protecting
birds — they do more good than harm.
But the introduction of sparrows will
be an expense unaccompanied by any
benefit that I can perceive at this time.

Yours, truly, F. A. Miller.

Rochester, N, Y., Aug. 4, 1873.
J. H. Carmany&Co. — Gentlemen: We
read your Magazine with much pleas-
ure; and it seems to be so interesting to
those in our employ, that it is difficult
for us to keep the numbers on file,
which we wish to do. We desire you
to send us the numbers of the first six
months of the present year, that we
may preserve them. We do not know
that you can supply back numbers, but
if so, please send them on, and drop us
a line stating the amount of indebted-
ness, and we will remit.

Yours, very respectfully,
J. Vice.

Alhambra, Cal., Aug. 21st, 1873.
Messrs. J. H. Carmany & Co. — Sirs :
Even a hasty perusal of the two numbers
of the HoRTicuLTURisTreceivedimpressed
me so favorably, that I am anxious to
get the back numbers, from January.
I beg of you the favor to alter my
subscription, to be for the year 1873.
Whenever the spirit moves me, I will
take pleasure in sending you some prac-
tical notes. Yours truly,

J. Strentzel.

288

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

(MitflrtHl 6tatofl0.

The Canned Pineapple Teade. — The
schooner Rebecca Florence, Captain
Richards, has reached this city with the
largest cargo of canned Pineapples ever
brought into any port, she having 420,-
000 cans in bulk, and 1,217 cases, con-
taining 23,000 cans. The establishment
at Nassau for canning Pineapples was
placed in operation two years ago by
Messrs. Kensett & Co. and Evans,
Reeves & Co., of Baltimore, and Kemp,
Day & Co., of New York. A grant was
obtained from the English Colonial
Government for five years, and large
buildings have been erected to carry on
the industry, where the Pineapples are
received fully ripe and fresh from the
plantations. The packing season com-
menced this year on the 14th of May,
and ended on the 31st of July, during
which period 1,000,000 Pineapples were
purchased, and 1,010,000 cans of the
fruit were packed. For six consecutive
days 32,000 cans were packed on each
day. The pines come from the island
of New Providence and the surrounding
out -islands, and are bought at from
eighteen to forty cents per dozen, in
gold. The company had upon their
wharves at one time during the season
just closed, 90,000 Pines. The native
laborers, men and women, employed in
the height of the packing season num-
ber from 400 to 600, and they are paid
from eighteen to fifty cents per day, in
coin, labor being very cheap.

Mr. Henry Evans, Jr. , of one of the
firms engaged in the business, came
home in the schooner, having been at
Nassau during the packing season, su-
perintending the operations. The Re-
becca Florence has brought two cargoes
to this port this summer, which is all
of the fruit shipped to the United States,
the remainder going* to the English

market. From Baltimore the canned
Pines are distributed throughout the
United States, and bring about $4 per
case of two dozen two-pound cans. On
the 31st of July the canning season
ended, and operations will not be re-
sumed until May of next year. The
firms have about $200,000 invested in
the enterprise, and for fruit and labor
alone the sum of $ 60,000 was paid in
Nassau, which is of great importance
to the inhabitants there, as there are
but few industrial resources yet devel-
oped on the island. The cans for the
English market are of extra size, as
the Pines for that trade are packed
whole, while for this country they are
canned in pieces. The following is
transcribed from a beautifully printed
label, bearing a good picture of the
fruit, and intended for the English cans :
"Fresh Pineapples, (whole), packed in
her Majesty's Colonies, by the Nassau
Packing Company, Nassau, N. P." The
preserving is effected by the aid of
steam, generated by an engine, and
forced through tubes into vats contain-
ing the fruit. The sugar used is granu-
lated, and of the finest quality. By the
grant all machinery and raw material
are imported free of duty, except sugar,
and even upon that, a drawback of nine-
ty per cent, is allowed by the Colonial
Government as it is used. The cans for
the reception of the fruit are all manu'
facturedin Nassau, but the skilled labor
is obtained in Baltimore. This is a
new enterprise, conceived by the firms
named, there being no other parties in
the business, and it has met with most
gratifying success. — Baltimore American.

Double Fertilization of Female
Flowees. — Mr. Arnold, of Paris, Can-
ada, Jias shown that if the female flow-
ers of an Indian-corn plant are submit-
ted to the action of pollen from male

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

289

flowers of different kinds of Corn plants,
each grain of the ear produced shows
the effect of both kinds of pollen. In
an experiment related, a given female
flower was subjected first to the action
of pollen from a yellow variety of Corn,
and then to that taken from a white va-
riety; the result was an ear of Corn,
each grain of which was yellow below
and white above. The conclusion pre-
sented is, not only an immediate influ-
ence on the seed and the whole fruit-
structure by the application of strange
pollen, but the more important fact
that one ovule can be affected by the
pollen of two distinct parents, and, this,
too, after some time had elapsed be-
tween the first and the second impreg-
nation.— Scribner's Monthly.

Vegetable Instinct. — If a pail of
water be placed within six inches of
either side of the stem of a Pumpkin or
Vegetable Marrow, it will in the course
of the night approach it, and will be
found in the morning with one of the
leaves on the water.

This experiment may be continued
nightly until the plant begins to fruit.
If a prop be placed within six inches
of a young Convolvulus, or Scarlet-
runner, it will find it, although the prop
may be shifted daily. If, after it has
twined some distance up the prop, it be
unwound, and twined in the opposite
direction, it will return to its original
position, or die in the attempt; yet,
notwithstanding, if two of these plants
grow near each other, and have no
stake around which they can entwine,
one of them will alter the direction of
the spiral, and they will twine around
each other.

Duhamel placed some Kidney Beans
in a cylinder of moist earth; after a
short time they commenced to germi-
nate— of course sending the plume to-

ward the light, and the root down into
the soil. Aftera few days, the cylinder
was turned one-fourth around, and
again and again this was repeated, un-
til an entire revolution of the cylinder
was completed. The beans were then
taken out of the earth, and it was found
that both the plume and the radicle had
bent to accommodate themselves to
every revolution, and, the one in its
efforts to ascend perpendicularly, and
the other to descend, they had formed
a perfect spiral. But although the
natural tendency of the roots is down-
ward, if the soil beneath be dry, and
any damp substance be above, the roots
will ascend to reach it.— Exchange.

Roots as Manure. — It has been found
that the roots of a good crop of Red
Clover left in an acre of land after the
removal of the crop, weigh 6,580 pounds
or from three to three and a half tons.
The same examination gave the weight
of an acre of Rye roots at 3,500
pounds, and of Wheat roots at 3,400
pounds. All this matter is of course
valuable for the use of such crops
as may be grown during or after
its decomposition. The well - known
superiority of Clover as a manuring
crop, however, is not due alone to the
greater amount of organic matter, taken
mainly from the atmosphere, which its
roots supply, but also to the position in
which this matter is deposited. The
roots reach deeply into the soil, and
on their decomposition they serve to
draw moisture from the lower soil, and
by the decomposition of fertilizing mat-
ter to a considerable depth, they induce
the descent of the roots of other crops
to a point where they are much more
sure of a supply of moisture during a
dry season than they could be if nearer
the surface. Then again, these deeply
penetrating roots traverse parts of the

290

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

subsoil not heretofore open to vegeta-
tion, and in their decomposition they
produce a chemical effect on the inor-
ganic substances that lie along their
courses, and help to render them, too,
serviceable for future crops.— American
Agriculturist,

The Eyes in Deep-sea Creatures. —
In his "Notes from the Challenger,"
Wyville Thomson says: The absence
of eyes in many deep-sea animals, and
their full development in others is very-
remarkable. I have mentioned the case
of one of the stalk-eyed crustaceans,
Ethusa granulata, in which well devel-
oped eyes are present in examples from
shallow water. In deeper water, from
one hundred and ten to three hundred
and seventy fathoms, eye- stalks are pres-
ent, but the animal is apparently blind,
the eyes being replaced by rounded,
calcareous terminations to the stalks.
In examples from five hundred to seven
hundred fathoms, in another locality,
the eye-stalks have lost their special
character, have become fixed, and their
terminations combine into a strong,
pointed rostrum. In this case we have
a gradual modification, depending ap-
parently upon the gradual diminution
and final disappearance of solar light.
On the other hand Muiyida, from equal
depths, has its eyes unusually develop-
ed, and apparently of great delicacy.
Is it possible that in certain cases, as
the sun's light diminishes, the power of
vision becomes more acute; while at
length the eye becomes susceptible of
the stimulus of the fainter light of phos-
phorescence ? — Scribner's.

Hard Lime Floors. — The Mexicans
make a floor on which a horse can trot
without making an indentation, by the
following method: A layer of broken
limestone, three or four inches thick, is

laid evenly over the surface of the
ground, and over this is spread, to the
thickness of two inches, a mortar com-
pounded of two parts sand to one of
lime; this is allowed to. stand twenty-
four hours, or until the surface becomes
dry. The floor is then thoroughly
pounded all over, until it becomes as
moist as when first laid, with a block
of wood about a foot square and three
inches thick, having a handle rising
from the middle. The floor then dries,
and this operation is repeated until
very little moisture can be brought to
the surface-; a thin layer of red ochre
is then sifted on. The floor is then
thoroughly polished by a smooth, flat,
water- worn stone. Roofs are made in
the same manner without the coloring
matter, which is added merely to im-
prove the tint, and they are unaffected
by sun or rain.

Ficus repens. — The Journal of Hor-
ticulture calls attention to this plant.
"We have found it one of the most beau-
tiful things for covering the back walls
of greenhouses. It grows in a partial
shade almost as well as the common Ivy,
and clings to the wall in the same man-
ner. It is a first-rate vase or basket
plant. We have found it to endure the
freezing point without injury. The
Journal says: "This is a creeping-
stemmed plant, and attaches itself very
closely to walls and wood-work. For
the former it is particularly suitable,
and grows more freely than on the lat-
ter, as the wall retains more moisture.
The plant has proved itself to be hardier
than was thought years ago, it being
now introduced freely into warm green-
houses and conservatories, and thrives
there very satisfactorily. Very little
rooting space is needed, as compared
with other plants, for it throws out root-
lets at almost every joint. Too much

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

291

moisture must be guarded against with
these cooler temperatures, otherwise the
foliage will be apt to damp-off."

The Best Orchid. — Since so much at-
tention has recently been given to the
growth of these curious and beautiful
flowers in this country, it is well to
know that what in Europe is called
"one of the best," belongs to a class
very easy to grow. Generally the Gyp-
ripediwms will do in a cool greenhouse
almost as well as Geraniums, or any
common plant. A report of a meeting
in Brussels says: "In the class (con-
fined to nurserymen) for ten Gypripe-
diurns, there was no competition. The
best Orchid in the whole show was con-
tributed by Mr. Linden in the next
class as a single specimen, viz: Cypri-
pedium villosum — a grand specimen,
beautifully bloomed, with upwards of
fifty flowers. This plant deservedly
received the first prize, the second be-
ing1 awarded to Mr. Van Geert for a
nice plant of Odontoglosum Pescatorhi,
with five spikes of bloom."

Collection of Oranges. — Says the
Journal of the Farm: " It is not gener-
ally known that the Superintendent of
the Government Gardens., at Washing-
ton, has for some time past been making
a collection of all accessible varieties of
Oranges, and that he now has over fifty
varieties, of which but three kinds have
yet been distributed, viz: Tangerine,
Maltese, and St. Michaels. It is pro-
posed to have the different varieties
tested, and when their qualities are as-
certained, to distribute the best kinds
for cultivation in the South and on our
Pacific Coast. This branch of Horticul-
ture is one which has made rapid pro-
gress within the last few years, and we
are glad to note that Mr. Saunders is
thus assisting it."

Testing Olive Oil. — Professor Pal-
mieri, of Naples, the gallant observer
who, it will be remembered, enjoyed
himself on the slopes of Vesuvius during
a recent long-continued eruption, has
lately constructed an electrical appara-
tus of great delicacy and ingenuity, the
object of which is to detect the admix-
ture of other oils with that of the pure
olive. The instrument is founded on
the fact of the variability in the powers
of conduction possessed by the various
oils, olive being lowest in the scale.
The wires of a battery are brought to a
small elongated vessel containing the
oil to be examined, and an electrom-
eter being attached, the degree of con-
ductivity can be read off on a scale. The
instrument, it is said, can detect any of
the usual adulterants with the utmost
nicety. It has also been applied to the de-
tection of woolen or cotton fibres in silk
fabrics with equal success.

Pine Leaves are at present largely
utilized in Europe They are converted
into a kind of wool or wadding, which
is applied very serviceably and economi-
cally as a substitute for hair in up-
holstery. A kind of flannel material has
for some time been produced from this
fibre, which is said to be very superior
for many hygienic uses, as for rheuma-
tism and various diseases of the skin —
vests, drawers, loose shirts, &c, being
among the garments made; in the pro-
cess of manufacture, an ethereal oil is
obtained, very useful as a solvent, and
as a curative agent. Gas is also made
from the refuse, of a quality valuable
for lighting manufactories.

Appearance of Milk Under the Mi-
croscope.— The number and appearance
of the butter globules, when viewed
with the microscope, distinguish the
various qualities of milk. In sweet

292

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

milk they are numerous and crowded
together; by the gathering of these but-
ter globules together, cream is formed
on the surface of the milk. After but-
ter has been made from the milk a cer-
tain amount of the butter globules still
remain in it. Boussingault's experi-
ments show that one-fourth part of the
entire amount of butter remains in the
butter-milk. Skim-milk contains less
butter than butter-milk; the' latter is
therefore often adulterated with the for-
mer, but this admixture of skim-milk
may be detected with the miscroscope.
A good cream contains 37 to 40 per
cent, of butter.

Floriculture. — Scribner's Monthly
says all lovers of flowers must remem-
ber that one blossom allowed to mature
or "go to seed" injures the plant more
than a dozen new buds. Cut your flow-
ers then, all of them, before they begin
to fade. Adorn your room with them ;
put them on your tables; send bouquets
to your friends who have no flowers; or
exchange favors with those who have.
You will surely find that the more you
cut off the more you will have. All
Roses, after they have ceased to bloom,
should be cut back, that the strength
of the root may go to forming new roots
for the next year. On bushes, not a
seed should be allowed to mature.

A Good French Idea. — The milk cans
in which the milk is conveyed over the
railways of France are made of similar
shape to ours, but the lids are so ar-
ranged that by turning a screw they
can be forced down on the milk, and
thus prevent all motion. The cans are
wrapped in woolen cloths, and these are
wet from time to time as they may need
it. The evaporation of the moisture
thus keeps down the temperature of the
milk, and no difficulty is experienced in

carrying it a long distance, even in warm
weather.

The fishery treaty between the United
States and Great Britain permits the
admission of fish-oil free of duty, while
all other oils pay ten per cent. The
question has thereupon arisen whether
the oil obtained from seals should pay
duty. From a zoological point of view,
it is not fish-oil; but since it is the gen-
eral practice of commercial nations to
consider all oils obtained from marine
creatures as fish- oils, the government
will probably be obliged to regard seals
as fish. — Scribner's Monthly.

Cissus Discolor. — It is a matter of
surprise that this lovely climbing plant
is not used for out-door summer gar-
dening to a greater extent than it is.
The Garden says: "In the gardens of
Mr. Linden, at Gand, there is now
growing one of these plants which dur-
ing the past year produced new shoots,
the total aggregate of the length of
which amounted to 1,625 feet. We are
informed that the plant was grown in a
mixture of coal ashes and spent tan."

Eose Insects. — If any one is desirous
of keeping the Eose-bushes free from
the small green vermin, the following
remedy will be found a most effectual
one : To three gallons of soft water
add one peck of soot and one quart of
unslaked lime; stir it well, let it stand
for twenty-four hours, and when the
soot rises to the surface, skim it off.
Use a syringe for applying it. — Science
of Health.

W. Saville Kent shows that in certain
spine-finned fish, as the bream, and es-
pecially in the male, the color increases
in depth and often in brilliancy during
the spawning season.

Marshall Pinckney Wilder,

President of the American Pomological Society.

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

OCTOBER, 1873.

No. 10.

HANGING BASKETS.

BY F. A. SDXLEB.

The ' ' hanging basket " may be con-
sidered one of the modern improve-
ments in Floriculture, and has become
within a few years the universal favorite
with our flower-loving people. Hardly
a house can be found, where an attempt
has not been made to decorate the win-
dow, or the hall door, the veranda, or
the conservatory, with a hanging basket
of some description.

"While some succeed admirably in
taking care of these ornaments, and
look upon their success with much
pride, I hear of many others, who seem
to be discouraged by their failure in
keeping such ornaments in good grow-
ing condition. The fact is, that if a
basket is filled with suitable plants, ordi-
nary care will suffice to keep it in good
condition ; but it is evident that some
of our florists do not pay as much at-
tention to suitable plants, as to the gen-
eral appearance, which secures a more
ready sale, being pleasing to the eye,
but unfit for the purpose. However,
the fault rests not always with the flor-
ist ; neglect and total ignorance as to
the proper mode of treatment are very
often the cause of failure

Tot. m.— 38.

Baskets are made of different styles
and patterns. Our potteries furnish
some very neat ones, both plain and
fancy; our manufacturers of wire -work
produce some excellent models of vari-
ous designs and sizes; and within the
last few years most elegant rustic bas-
kets, made of suitable wood, have been
favorite ornaments. Many other de-
vices and designs have been introduced,
such as lava-pots, sea-shells, cocoanut-
shells, excavated squashes, soup-bowls,
and worthless tin cans, when nothing
better could be procured.

Which of all these designs to choose
for a hanging basket is merely a matter
of fancy or expenditure — they are all
suitable for the purpose. As far as I
am concerned, I prefer the rustic bas-
ket to all others; it is the most dura-
ble and the most elegant, but also the
most expensive. Next to the rustic
basket, comes the wire basket, which is
manufactured in all possible styles and
patterns, and at very reasonable prices;
it is a most graceful ornament, and
when lined with green moss most pleas-
ing. In the East and Europe some- very
excellent designs of baskets have been
produced by the potteries, but all the
patterns introduced here seem to be
deficient and impractical; an improve-

291

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICTJLTUEIST.

ment in thein will be very desirable.

The most important fact in the selec-
tion of a banging basket, is proper size.
Too often an attempt is made to culti-
vate too large a number of plants in a
small basket. As it is desirable that a
basket should contain a collection of
plants, the size of an ordinary basket
should be from ten to twelve inches
wide, and from six to eight inches deep.

As a suitable soil for baskets, I would
recommend a light sandy loam with
very little manure. In making the soil
too rich, the plants will grow too much,
and out of proportion, with the appear-
ance of a wild confusion, when grace-
fulness and neatness should be the
only aim.

At the bottom of the basket a layer of
charcoal should be placed, which will
keep the soil in a sweet and healthy
condition, and I would advise to mix a
small portion of charcoal with the soil
for the same purpose.

If a rustic basket is selected, proper
drainage must be provided, by boring a
hole through the bottom of the wooden
frame, and placing a few pieces of
broken pots over it.

The watering of baskets should be
done carefully as often as required. If
a basket is allowed to dry up, its beauty
is gone forever. The soil should be ex-
amined every day, and if the surface
appears dry, water must be given. How
often water should be applied depends,
first, on the size of the basket ; and
second, on the position the basket occu-
pies. If exposed to the sun, the wind,
or the open air, the evaporation of water
will be rapid, and during a very warm
day it may be necessary to water twice.
If the basket hangs in a shady, cool,
and protected locality, it requires less
water, and perhaps twice a week will
be sufficient. During summer, frequent
watering and sprinkling of the foliage

is desirable. During winter, the basket
should be kept comparatively dry; not
so much so as to endanger the life of
the plants, but enough water must be
given to keep up their good appearance.
' However, with all the care possible,
it is not supposed that a hanging bas-
ket will keep in fine condition forever.
Sometimes new soil will be required, and
also new plants. I think a basket kept
in good condition for twelve to eighteen
months, has done all that may reason-
ably be expected. Some plants, of
course, will keep much longer than
others; for instance, if a basket is fill-
ed with nothing but Ivies of different
kinds, it ma}' be kept in fine condition
for three to five years ; if planted with
certain kinds of hardy Ferns, its good
appearance may be kept up for two or
three years; but if a variety of foliage
and flowering - plants is used, which is
calculated to give a rich and elegant
appearance to a basket, it will be neces-
sary to give a thorough overhauling of
soil and plants every year.

Wire baskets should be watered by
placing the basket in a bucket of water,
submerging it to the rim of the basket
for about five minutes. This may be
done in summer once or twice a week,
and in winter once every two weeks.
An occasional sprinkling of the foliage,
to wash off the dust and to give it a
lighter and fresher appearance, is very
desirable.

Space will not allow me at this time
to speak of the most suitable plants for
baskets, but I will endeavor to make it
a special subject for the next number of
the Horticulturist.

The span of the great Rotunda of
the exhibition building at Vienna is
over one hundred and ten yards, or
double the size of the dome of St.
Peter's, at Rome.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

295

HOW TO GEO V7 THE GLADIOLUS.

An old florist in the Rural Home, in
commendation of this noble flower,
which is so chaste in beauty, so striking
in appearance, and so popular among
amateur gardeners, gives directions how
to plant and grow it. They are quite
sensible.

In the first place, Gladioli like an
open position; that is to say, they do not
thrive so well if surrounded by shrub-
bery or large trees. At the same time
they should not be planted in an ex-
posed situation. It is also essential to
bear in mind that they are liable to de-
teriorate if grown for several years in
the same bed without the soil being re-
newed. Therefore, endeavor to change
them from one bed to another every
year. Some years ago I grew them for
several seasons in the same bed — giving
it every year a portion of new soil and
removing some of the old. That plan,
however, entailed so much labor that I
gave it up: and I incline to believe that
the more choice varieties become soil-
sick; that is to say, they like a change
every two or three years at least. At all
events, I have fewer losses among the
bulbs since I have changed their quar-
ters more frequently, than I had before.
It is also quite certain that larger spikes
and stouter individual blooms of a de-
cidedly different color, are obtained.
The beds are filled up fifteen inches in
depth with sound mellow loam, to which
a heavy dressing of short rotten manure
is added. Early in autumn the soil is
laid up rough for the winter. It is de-
sirable to take care that a good layer of
dung is put at the bottom of the bed,
if you want large and perfect exhibition
spikes, and the depth of color and the
freshness which so enchant every ob-
server. It is no use to attempt a high
state of cultivation in a soil through

which the water can not percolate freely.

The main points in their culture are
an open position and a free, generous
soil, sufficiently drained to prevent stag-
nant water about their roots. Another
important matter is, to see that the sur-
face of the bed is properly mulched
with some material that wdl prevent
evaporation, and at the same time pre-
vent the surface soil from becoming
baked and hard by the action of the
sun. For beds that are in the more
dressy part of the garden, there is noth-
ing to equal the cocoanut fibre refuse
for mulching. Sometimes I must use
half-rotten dung, and at others short
grass from the lawn, according as either
of these materials may be at hand.
When short grass is used, two or three
applications are necessary in very hot
summers, as it is soon withered up. It
is a mistake to mulch them with manure
under the supposition that the plants
derive much benefit from it, because,
owing to the roots being so deep, the
fertilizing properties of the dung can not
reach them, even if the sun and air did
not act upon it, and soon dry it up. For
this reason, there should be something
substantial in the soil for them to feed
upon," without being dependent upon
the surface dressings or liquid manure.

With respect to neatly staking the
spikes, and carefully attending to them
to prevent the wind from doing the
flowers harm, it is not needful to dwell
at any great length, so I will abruptly
close this article by stating that the cul-
tivator must not hurry the bulbs to rest
if he desires to keep them safely through
the winter. As the seasons differ in
their general features, no fixed time can
be safely given for lifting the bulbs.
The foliage should be quite yellow be-
fore they are taken up; and I would
rather let them taste the cold than have
them out of the ground too long. It is

296

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

my candid opinion, that in many cases
the disease, so-called, is nothing more
or less than a debilitated constitution
brought on by the bulbs being so long
out of the ground.

Australian Method of Cooling Water.
Large buckets of canvas, says the Bul-
letin du Musee, are made about four feet
high and fifteen inches in diameter. A
bag of linen or flannel stretched across
the top serves as a sieve ; and a siphon,
a canvass tub, and a wooden cock in-
serted below the level of the water, are
used to draw off the contents. These
reservoirs are suspended to branches of
trees in shady places, and exposed to
the light breezes which in summer al-
ways exist in Australia. From the damp
surface of the vessels a rapid evapora-
tion takes place, which keeps the water
within at a temperature much lower than
that of the surrounding air. The ed-
itor of the Scientific American, com-
menting on the above, says: This ar-
rangement is on the same principle as
the water jars, or " monkeys," used in
tropical countries and the east of Eu-
rope. The latter are merely unglazed
earthenware jugs, having a very small
neck and a spout. "We have never seen
them used in the United States, but
should imagine that during the summer
months, and particularly in event of ice
famines, such as we have been threat-
ened with during the past two years,
they might be advantageously em-
ployed. The jars may be made by any
potter from ordinary clay at a very
small expense. By suspending them
in a current of air, the water within is
kept during the hottest weather at a
delicious coolness, and at a temperature
much more healthful than that produced
by the copious use of ice. The vessels
may be molded in fancy shapes, so as
to be ornamental for table use.

MARSHALL PINCKNEY WILDER.

BY E. J. HOOPEB.

We have the pleasure this month of
presenting to our readers an excellent
likeness of the distinguished President
of the American Pomological Society,
whose sessions are held, this year, at
Boston, Mass. Mr. Wilder has now
filled this high and honorable position
in the horticultural world for twenty-
four years. He has possessed from very
early boyhood an ardent admiration of
the beautiful in Nature, and has always
been one of the warmest lovers of rural
pursuits and of country life. His par-
ents, who were among the earliest set-
tlers of his native State, on account of
his lively temperament, and strength
and precocity of intellect, were desirous
that he should have the advantages of
a very liberal education; but he — hav-
ing but little love for the confinement
of a college life, and the close study of
the aneient classics or higher mathe-
matics, but greatly preferring the, wild
sports of the country and the healthy
and more useful exercises of the farm —
became a youthful farmer upon his fa-
ther's old homestead. It seems, how-
ever, that he was more needed in the
mercantile business of his father than
on the farm, and he thus ultimately be-
came a merchant in Boston, and event-
ually an prominent one — a leading
man in banking and insurance institu-
tions, and a colonel in a military com-
pany. He would doubtless have attained
high elevation in political matters, had
he so desired; but, after having repre-
sented his neighbors in the Legislature
of Massachusetts, and been chosen State
Senator, and also elected President of
the Senate, he, Cincinnatus-like, great-
ly preferring the comforts of rural life
and domestic tranquillity as more con-
genial to his taste, relinquished the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

297

turmoil of political life, and devoted
as much time as he had at command to
Agriculture, Horticulture, and kindred
arts.

In 1849, he became the President
of the Norfolk County Agricultural So-
ciety. In 1850, the Governor of the
Commonwealth appointed him Chair-
man of the Massachusetts Commission
to the World's Fair in London ; and, in
1853, as another'acknowledgment of his
agricultural and horticultural services,
he was appointed a Commissioner of
the Industry of All Nations, in the Crys-
tal Palace in New York City. He was
also appointed by the Royal Pomo-
logical Society of Belgium — a govern-
ment institution — the Commissioner for
America. He likewise became the main
promoter of the Agricultural College
established at Amherst, and was elected
President of the Massachusetts State
Board of Agriculture, and became after-
ward, during a period of eleven years,
a member, by appointment, of the Gov-
ernor's Council. In addition to all
these honors — having suggested a na-
tional convention of cultivators — he
was elected the first President of the
United States Agricultural Society,
which was organized at Washington,
D. C. , in 1852. Under his administra-
tion was instituted the ' ' Great National
Field-trial of Reapers and Mowers," at
Syracuse, N. Y. — the first of the kind
in the world. We need not say that
Col. Wilder, as a horticulturist and
pomologist, has a world-wide reputa-
tion. We must not omit also to state
that he was elected fourth President of
the Massachusetts Horticultural Soci-
ety, at its eleventh annual meeting in
1840.

Col. Wilder has delivered almost in-
numerable addresses before the Ameri-
can Pomological Society in many cities.
In one of these he said: "Our trees —

from the opening bud to the golden
harvest — from the laying-off of their gay
autumnal livery, and during their rest
in winter's shroud, waiting a resurrec-
tion to a new and superior life — are all
eloquent preachers, proclaiming to our
inmost soul,

' The hand that made us is Divine.'

Taught by their counsels, who does not
admire the wisdom, perfection, and
beauty of this fair creation? — the tiny
bad, incased in coats of mail so that the
rude blasts may not visit it too roughly,
rivaling in its mechanism the human
eye, and destined to perpetuate its own
species distinctive as the soul of man
— the enameled blossom unfolding her
virgin bosom to the warm embrace of
vernal air, bespangling the orchard with
starry spray scarcely less beautiful than
the glittering host of night, dancing in
rainbow hues, and flinging on the breeze
a fragrance richer than the spices of
Ceylon's Isles, sweet harbinger of beau-
tiful harvest — the luscious fruits, God's
best gift to man, save woman — the melt- '
ing Pear, of rough or polished rind,
with sweetest honeyed flavor — the bur-
nished Apple, tempting the human taste,
from the mother of our race to her last
fair daughter — the royal Grape, cluster-
ing beneath its bower of green, making
glad the heart of man — the brilliant
Cherry, suffused with loveliest tints of
rose and white, or dyed in deepest in-
carnadine— the velvet Peach, mantled
with beauty's softest blush, and vying
with the oriency of the morning — the
delicious Plum, veiled with silvery bloom
over robes of azure, purple, or cloth
of vegetable gold."

In the course of his address before
the same society at Boston, in 1862,
Mr. Wilder uttered these characteristic
words: "O, let me be remembered in
some beautiful flower, some graceful

298

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

tree, some luscious fruit! 0, yes, far
better than storied monument or sculp-
tured urn, let me be remembered as
one who labored to adorn and improve
the earth — to promote the pleasure and
welfare of those who are to follow me!"
In this respect, we are happy to say,
he has been gratified, as some seedling
flowers bear his name, and also the ex-
cellent President Wilder Strawberry.

We had the pleasure of a visit from
him and other leading Horticulturists,
to this coast, in the summer of 1870;
and though he is beyond three-score
years and ten, he is sO well preserved
that we yet hope to see him here again.

We can not close this, our inrperfect
notice of so elevated and good a man,
without quoting a passage from the
Boston Journal of Horticulture:

"During his leisure hours, he has
filled several large folio volumes with
his own sketches, delineations, and de-
scriptions of fruits, proved under his
personal inspection. This has been the
work of a long life. He continues
these investigations daily; and it is to
be hoped that the public may have the
benefit of these studies. He has made
the Pear a specialty. His collection of
Pears embraces every variety, foreign
and native, of note; to which he adds
the novelties of every year. Having a
correspondence with the most distin-
guished j)omologists of Europe and
America, he receives annually all such
as are worthy of notice. His collection
embraces 2,500 bearing trees — probably
3,000 by this time; and he has had,
during his life, more than 800 varieties
of the Pear on his grounds. Among
plants, the Camellia has been his spe-
cialty. He has many hundreds of va-
rieties, thousands of plants, and more
than a thousand seedlings — some of
which bear the names of himself and
family — which he raised from seed ob-

tained by hybridization, of which he
has given a published account."

After all that has been thus said, it
seems hardly worth while for the hum-
ble Writer of this to say that he has
personally known Col. Wilder's worth,
benevolence, public spirit, patriotism,
pure morals, amiability, friendship,
courtesy, and shining talents, for up-
wards of thirty yeafs, and has the
pleasure, from time to^fctme, of receiving
letters from him, offering his hospitali-
ties, and cheering, encouraging, and
sympathizing with him in his compara-
tively poor efforts to follow in the Colo-
nel's illustrious footsteps.

EL ESPIEITO SANTO.

This plant, which bears a flower of
such rare conform ature, and a name of
so much significance, but seldom finds
its way to our conservatories, and is en-
tirely unknown to many of our flower-
loving friends. Few persons visit in its
tropical haunts, and if is only occasion-
ally brought here by chance hands, as a
choice gift, or as a matter of curiosity.
In these days 'of "rapid transit," its
home in the secluded forests of Central
America can not be considered very re-
mote, and it could be easily secured by
our florists and incorporated in their
selections. It has the distinction of be-
ing rare, pretty, and peculiar, and would
be a valuable and lovely addition to
their floral families. It is my good for-
tune to possess two plants of this spe-
cies, and they, like Cornelia's children,
are " my jewels." They were brought
to me from Aspinwall, in midsummer,
carelessly planted in a tin box, the bulbs
but half concealed in their native soil,
which was porous and sandy. As they
were in bud, I left them undisturbed
until after they were through flowering.
At that time thev could not claim to be

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

289

"things of beauty," as they were almost
entirely leafless, only one possessing a
portion of a ribbed and tattered leaf,
while the flower stems were long, twisted
and devoid of grace; but each bore
aloft twelve buds, which to my expectant
vision covered all other deficiencies and
"hid a multitude of sins." When un-
believing and scornful spectators pro-
fanely compared the plants to "old
corn-stalks," I exultingly pointed to the
clustering buds, and bade them " stand
and wait." My anxiety and impatience
to behold the flower were soon rewarded,
for the largest of the green and waxy-
looking buds grew and unfolded with
great rapidity ; it was marvelous to see
the sudden change in their color, from
green to white, and a bud which had
seemed sealed at night by morning had
fully opened its heart, revealing a pure
and lovely dove nestling there. In
shape, the likeness was very exact and
perfect; its breast was spotless, but its
wings, which were expanded and up-
right, were dotted with dark crimson;
the head, which was pure and white,
was slightly inclined forward toward its
breast, and with its little bill of a deli-
cate yellow color, and tiny dots for eyes,
was "entire, wanting nothing." Four
thick white petals held and supported
this beautiful emblem of the Holy Spirit.
While contemplating this fair and love-
ly flower, the name did not sound
irreverent, and it seemed to me that the
Spaniard pronounced the right title
when he called it, in his beautiful mu-
sical language, "El Espirito Santo."
The native, with religious and poetic in-
stinct, sees in it the type of the sacred
Spirit that spreads its silver wings in
all hearts that are pure and undefiled.
The flowers did not soon wither or fade,
and I had the pleasure of watching
them unfolding and blooming for sev-
eral weeks; they fully atoned for absence

of foliage and want of comeliness in
the plant, and excited much enthusiasm
among those who had derided the "pa-
rent stalk." VHien I received these
plants I was entirely ignorant of their
former surroundings, and of the proper
method of culture, but concluded, as
they came from a tropical country, they
must need great heat and be kept in the
very warmest place I could give them,
and I made an almost fatal mistake in
exposing them to the fierce glare of the
summer sun. I found, after a few hours
exposure to this heat, that such of the
buds as were near opening, or had
partially oj>ened, were shriveled and
withered beyond recovery. I hastily
removed them to the shelter of the
shrubbeiw, where they were screened
from the sun, and so saved the remain-
der of " my doves." I afterward
learned from the person who brought
them to me, that these specimens were
natives of the woods on the Isthmus,
and flourished in the deep tangle of
tropical growth, and could not, there-
fore, bear dry heat. As soon as my
bulbs ceased to flower, they were trans-
planted separately, and I am hoping for
a re-appearance of my pretty flock, as I
believe they blossom once a year. I
find that they need a light rich soil,
abundance of moisture, and plenty of
reflected heat, but can not endure ex-
posure to the direct rays of the sun
while they are blooming. —Ladles Flo-
ral Cabinet.

Gutta - Percha Cement. — Dissolve as
much gutta-percha in a mixture of ten
parts of bisulphide of carbon with one
of oil of turpentine, as will make a
thick mass. Clean the leather to be
united from all grease, heat the surfaces
before applying the cement, and dry
under pressure.

300

THE CALLEOENIA HOETICTJLTUEIST.

AMARYLLIS.

BY F. A. MILLEK.

This is a very charming class of sum-
mer-flowering bulbs, though I am sorry
to say but very few of them are culti-
vated here. However, they are begin-
ning to attract attention, and I am sure
that they will find their way before long
into every conservatory and garden.

There are now some thirty different
species, and as many more varieties,
cultivated in the various floral estab-
lishments of Europe, all of which are
good. Most of them are natives of
Brazil, and like a moderately warm cli-
mate, such as we have here in Califor-
nia. While some of them arrive more
readily to perfection if treated under
glass, there are others which, like the
Lily or the Tulip, succeed best in the
open air. A deep sandy soil, enriched
with old manure, suits them very well.
Their roots require room to spread, and
thei'efore must have good-sized pots if
cultivated in the house.

Amaryllis bulbs should have a season
of rest; but, unlike the Hyacinth and
Tulip, they should never be allowed to
lose all their foliage, which renders it
necessary to water them sparingly when
they are at rest. If they are cultivated
in pots, they should be allowed to rest
from autumn until March, when they
should be placed in a warm situation.
As soon as they develop new leaves they
require more water, the application of
which should be increased as the plant
develops itself.

Insects are very hard on the Amar-
yllis, and to keep them clean of these,
is half the battle.

The Amaryllis is propagated by side-
roots, which are formed in abundance.
It may also be raised from seed, but
this process is a rather slow one.

* Natural order, Amaryllidece.

If they are cultivated in the open
ground they will not require any par-
ticular attention. With cultivation of
the soil around them, and with protec-
tion from strong winds, they may be ex-
pected to do well.

Some of the best varieties are :

A. longifolia rosea, an excellent vari-
ety, flowering abundantly.

A. longifolia fore alba, also very de-
sirable and effective.

A. belladonna, several good varieties.

A. atamasco, flowers white, and good
bloomer.

A. crispa, flower of a rose color.

A. formosissinia, flowering very abun-
dantly, flowers of a rich crimson color.

A. purpurea (Vallota purpurea), one
of the very best ; its most brilliant scar-
let flowers are very ornamental.

Pruning Eoses. — "Euralist" writes
to the Rural New Yorker as follows :

As soon as the frost is out of the
ground in spring, and hard freezing
weather is past, I commence to prune
my Eoses. I suppose that every one
who has noticed the varying habits of
Eoses knows the different species or
classes require different treatment with
the pruning knife. All kinds of sum-
mer or June Eoses, as they are usually
termed, such as Damask, Prairie, Moss,
and French, should have the old canes
occasionally removed; that is, those that
have produced flowers one, two, or three
years. Also, all weak, slender branches
and canes may be removed, allowing
only sufficient to give the plant a good
form. The largest and most perfect
flowers are usually produced upon the
strongest one-year-old canes, and these
may be shortened with benefit. Hybrid
Perpetuals should also have their canes
shortened, and the weak, feeble branch-
es should be cut away, and as a rule,

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTUBIST.

301

the weaker the shoot the more severely
it should be pruned. Six to twelve
inches is long enough for side branches
on Hybrid Perpetuals grown as tree
or half standards. With Tea-scented,
Noisettes, and Bourbons, there is little
danger of pruning too severely, because
it is the young shoots that produce the
flowers, and the more vigorous these
start and grow, the more abundant will
be the blooms. There is little use to
leave a quantity of long, slender shoots
upon a plant, expecting that they will
produce as many or as perfect flowers as
a few strong ones. After Monthly Eoses
have produced their first crops of flow-
ers in summer, a second may be hastened
by cutting back the blooming shoots.

The Balloon Vine. — ( Cardiospermum
halicacabum. ) — This climbing annual is
a native of Florida and Texas, and
grows freely in the tropical portions of
the country. Its specific name is the
Greek term for another plant, but was
applied to this vine by Linnaeus. It be-
longs to the same family as that of the
Horse Chestnut, Bladder-nut, etc., and
is a very interesting plant, and an espe-
cial favorite with children, because,
when they crush the ripe seed, they
burst with an explosive sound.

Its delicate foliage, and the peculiar
character of the fruit, recommend the
vine to all those who desire low running
vines. In its wild state it runs along
the ground, or over small shrubs, but
when cultivated, it will grow six feet or
more in height. Its leaves are hand-
somely serrated, and are thin in texture,
while the flowers are very minute > and
grow in axillary clusters, each bearing
hooked tendrils, which enable the plant
to fasten itself to supports.

The fruit is inclosed in a large blad-
dery capsule, with a single seed in each

of the three divisions, and each seed is

marked with a heart-shaped spot which

gave it its name, Cardiospermum, or

Heart-seed.

Like all other tender annuals, it will

vegetate much better if the seeds are

sown in a hot bed. — Ladies' Floral

Cabinet.

■ — ■* i >.

GROUPING TREES AND EVERGREENS IN
LAWNS AND PARKS.

BY E. J. HOOPEB.

A lawn or park without trees has al-
most as cold and dreary an appearance
as some of the barren and parched-up
hills of California have, devoid of vege-
tation of any kind except perhaj)s a few
wild flowers, beautiful undoubtedly as
these are; hence, all landscape garden-
ers plant lawns and parks more or less
with trees, either single, in groups, or
in clumps. A large single tree, for ex-
ample, a fine specimen of our California
White Oak, is an object that has from
all ages been regarded by mankind
with admiration, for its grandeur,
beauty, and usefulness. Hence, in all
ages, man has either allowed a few of
the wild denizens of the plains, forests,
and groves, (which he has cleared for
cultivating purposes) to remain for shel-
ter and ornament to his dwelling and
grounds; or, if none existed, as in some
parts of California, he has planted for
the same purpose. Not only was this ad-
miration for and use of trees prevalent in
the old times, but it is still more practiced
in the present. But unfortunately only
deciduous trees will attain such magni-
tude as to be beautiful and effective
objects in landscape,, in less than half a
century in most parts, of the world (al-
though we may in this respect except
to a considerable degree our Pacific
slope, where vegetation grows so much
more rapidly than in most other coun-

Vol. in.— 39.

302

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

tries). It is desirable, even here, in order
to obtain effect more speedily, to plant
most of our trees of all kinds in groups,
and protect them from cattle, till they
have grown so tall as to be out of their
reach. A group may consist of only a
couj le of trees, or the number may be
extended to half a dozen, or even nine
trees, all of which may be arranged in
different forms, so that each may have
a distinct character. To attain facility
in thus arranging requires considerable
knowledge and skill, and a prescient eye
to the effect of different combinations of
figure in groups, with diversity in kinds
of trees employed, to produce a prede-
termined character in the scene. I
would advise those who are about to
improve new ground to consult with or
employ a well -trained and naturally
tasty professional landscape gardener —
such as F. A. Miller, for instance — (who
does not know of this recommendation,
and would probably object to it if he
were cognizant of it). But, of course,
he has made this matter in Horticulture
.one of his studies.

The greatest beauty of a group of
trees is^ as far as respects their stems,
the different forms they take as they
grow into trees. Some, for example,
grow quite upright, if ever so close to-
gether; others take a slanting direction,
whilst in some groups, one tree will
grow quite upright, and its neighbor
will push out in an almost horizontal
position. These different arrangements,
or appearances, may be attained in va-
rious ways, by planting in different dis-
tances from each other. A very pretty
group has often been obtained by plant-
ing two or three trees in one hole, and
allowing them to grow naturally, just
as they pleased.

Great diversity of character may be
given to groups of trees, and the greater
the number (within bounds) of trees,

the greater variety of position, and
consequently character, maybe attained-
The grand object of group-planting,
however, is connecting the groups to-
gether in various views, and, at the
same time, leaving a sufficient breadth
of the grassy part of the park open for
grazing. Groups should always be con-
nected in the distance with the natural
woods, groves, or belts, but should
never be planted in the deep sinuosi-
ties of the margin of such a mass of
trees ; they should rather be placed
near to the projecting swells, and by
that position they will seem, in differ-
ent views of them, to form a part of,
and increase the depth of, the natural
grove or belt. In such a position, a
single tree should be planted beyond
the group into the park, still more to
increase that character. Single trees,
in general, are very objectionable. It
has been, I am sorry to say, a very com-
mon practice by many planters to in-
troduce into park scenery a great num-
ber of these single trees, with a view of
effecting a character which can only be
obtained by grouping. I once witnessed
in the East an example on a large scale
of this dotting with single trees. The
planter was not content with planting
the trees (Oaks) singly, and at equal
distances, but he actually planted every
one of them on large hillocks, three or
four feet above the surface. The insi-
pidity and absurdity of this dotting ar-
rangement was absolutely sickening.
How differently Nature arranges the
group, the glade, and the thicket, every
lover of rural or forest scenery is aware.
Let such formal landscape gardeners
go into the wild woods and groves,
and observe some of our best natural
and even artificial places and parks in
California, where groups of noble trees
abound, and let them study and reflect
whether the sprinkling and dotting of

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

303

trees will ever produce such fine effects.

The kind of trees for grouping de-
pends much upon the soil and situation.
In high dry soils, the Scotch Fir, the
Elm, the Silver- leaved Poplar, Euca-
lypt, "with some of the Australian Ever-
greens, Acacias, and Pepper-tree. In
lower situations, the Oak and the Ash,
with some of the Pine tribe, form fine
groups. But nearly all trees do well
here and in almost any situation.

In planting them, I would advise
each group to be of one kind, or very
nearly so. An outside tree of a very
large group may be of a different sort,
to give variety; and that outside tree
should be next to an adjoining group
of the same kind, which would give the
idea that it had straggled from it. Some
groups should have the tallest trees in
the centre, and the outside, or points,
should be lower, or branched to the
ground. Other groups, by way of di-
verse character, should have the centre
the lowest, so as to appear like two
groups united by low trees. In fact,
the great aim of the planter should be
to have every group of as different a
character as possible from its neighbor.
You never see, in old parks in Europe
or America, or wild forest lands, two
groups alike.

The undulations of the ground, in
the park or lawn, will generally give
the planter opportunities of placing his
groups in good positions. The tongue
of a piece of elevated ground is a good
position for a group, or on the side of
a rising ground will answer for one or
more admirably, especially if there is
a mass of natural groves on the top;
only avoid all stiffness and formality,
not only in the number of trees in each
group, but also the distance from each
other, and the masses of which they
are to seem a part in various points of
view.

WEEDS.
[Concluded from page 264.]

But I fear that I may be giving a
wrong impression about foreign weeds.
It is a fact that many of the most trouble-
some weeds of this country are foreign
importations. More than this, the same
is true of most countries settled by Eu-
ropeans during the last few centuries.
It is so in South America, in Australia
and New Zealand, in St. Helena, and
elsewhere. Introduced weeds spread,
and more or less choke out the old na-
tive species. I have illustrated how fast
some European plants have spread in
America. There are just as marked ex-
amples of American plants spreading
over the Old World. The Evening Prim-
rose ((Enothera biennis) is here a coarse,
roadside weed, rather common, yet sel-
dom abundant. It was, perhaps, car-
ried abroad as an ornament or curiosity.

It has spread over much of Europe,
crossed the Bosphorus, and is traveling
eastward across Central Asia. Mean-
while it is spreading northward from
India and westward from China. It is
widely known in Africa, in Australia,
New Zealand, the Sandwich Islands,
and I know not how much farther.

As we see it growing in waste places
here, among other weeds, if asked to
pick out the plant most likely to spread,,
it would, perhaps, be the last one we-
would guess as the one to thus wander
over the earth, and thrive- in such varied
circumstances.

I have been giving you two classes of
facts side by side ; one showing how
fast foreign weeds sometimes spread in
countries not their home ; the other,
how few true weeds become eradicated
after they once have a good foothold.
I told you at the start that I had no
golden rule by which we could gain an
easy victory over them. But our labor

304

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

can overcome them, and hold them in
check, even though "we may not rid our-
selves entirely of them.

How shall we fight them to the best
advantage? "Well, we must vary our
treatment according to the kind we
have to deal with. No kind should be
allowed to go to seed if one can help it.
With them, as with most of our plants,
the leaves are the organs in which the
sap is changed, where the processes go
on which have been compared to both
digestion and breathing in animals ;
and, moreover, they are the organs that
take in certain elements from the air.
Hence, deprive them of these organs;
cut them, hoe them, dig them; where a
green leaf appears kill it if we can.
This is usually most effective when the
plants are young, but sometimes it is
most so when the plant is in its most
vigorous growth. This is particularly
so of those plants whose roots are per-
ennial. I once knew a man to sell the
secret of "how to kill Canada thistles."
The price of the valuable knowledge
was ten dollars. The secret was, to cut
them on the fifteenth day of June and
the fifteenth day of September. In that
locality, these were the dates when the
iirst and second crops were usually just
coming into flower, and the plant in
most vigorous growth, and some sea-
sons I have seen large patches subdued
by this treatment. A better rule would
have been to cut them just as the earli-
est heads were in bloom, whatever
might have been the day of the month,
or the age of the moon.

Your secretary has brought in here
some of your most common weeds. Two
that he says are quite troublesome here,
I have never heard of being trouble-
some elsewhere. One of them I have
spoken of. The other he calls "White
Bush, and says it is bad for sheep. It
is the Andromeda Ugustrina of botanists.

A different shrub is usually known as
White Bush in other localities. The
others are of varying degrees of trouble-
someness, and need treatment accord-
ing to the species. (Their names were
given, with some remarks about each.)
In closing, I can only repeat what I
have already said; that weeds must be
fought; if we yield they will soon con-
quer our crops. It is one of the ways
man has to struggle with Nature, and
probably always will. We are told that
when Adam was expelled from that fa-
vored garden where we infer there were
no weeds, he had to till the ground
where "thorns also and thistles shall
it bring forth to thee," and I fear that
this will be the lot of the latest of his
descendants who chance to be farmers.
We know that with labor and a constant
fight we may hold them in reasonable
check, but after this very labor, good
tillage in other respects must follow.
Let us then keep up the fight, as cheer-
fully as we can, remembering that
' ' eternal vigilance is " not only ( ' the
price of liberty," but is also the price
of clean land.

Facts About the Siphon. — In June
last, John Wells of Truxton, Cortland
Co.,N. Y., laid a half inch lead pipe ac-
cording to the following survey bill :
The ground rises from the spring in a
distance of 34 rods 10 links, 17 feet 5
inches; from thence, in a distance of 65
rods, there is a fall of 30 feet, leaving a
balance of 12 feet 7 inches below the
spring. Ever since the water was
started with a pump, it has run a steady
and beautiful stream. In covering the
pipe, sawdust was first put on, to pre-
vent sharp stones from cutting or other-
wise injuring it. Before covering, all
defects in the pipe were carefully
mended. — Rural New Yorker.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

305

YUCCAS AS ORNAMENTAL PLANTS.

Yuccas are all more or less showy
plants, belonging to the great Lily fam-
ily. For many years I have been rais-
ing seedlings of our hardy native
species, not only because I admire them
as ornamental plants, but by adopting
this mode of propagation one stands a
chance of producing new and improved
varieties. I have at this moment sev-
eral dozen seedlings of the Yucca fila-
mentosa in full bloom, and this spring
flowers produced on stems five or six
feet high are not surpassed in elegance
by anything in my garden at this time.
The flowers are mainly pure white, al-
though an occasional variety will be
found with a slight yellow -green or
reddish tinge. In form they are usually
oval, the ends of the petals turning
back only when the flowers are nearly
ready to drop off. They also vary some-
what in size and form. I have raised
varieties of the species named above
with flowers that were perfectly globu-
lar in form and not more than an inch
in diameter, and others that were two
or more inches in length and expand-
ing about the same. A good, vigorous
stem will produce from 200 to b00
flowers. The plant is evergreen, the
leaves are about an inch and a half
wide and a foot or more in length, from
the edges of which hang numerous
thread-like filaments, hence the specific
name- -filameniosa. This species is found
growing in Virginia, south and west-
ward to Texas, and is known by several
local names, such as Bear-grass, Adam's
Needle, etc., etc. There are several
local wild varieties, which were des-
cribed by our early botanists as distinct
species. The narrow - leaved Yucca
( Yucca angustifolia ) grows in great
abundance on the plains west of the
Mississippi. It is smaller than the

former, the leaves not more than a half
inch wide, distinctly edged with white.
The flowers are yellowish-wbite. It is
quite hardy in our Northern States, and
well worthy of a place in every garden.
There are also many other species,
natives of the extreme South and Mex-
ico, not hardy at the North. The seeds
are borne in large pods and several
hundreds in each. They are flat and
thin, resembling in form those of our
common Lilies. The plants may be
propagated by division of the large,
fleshy, tuberous roots, but I prefer to
grow them from seed for the sake of
variety. The seed grows almost as read-
ily as corn, and may be sown in the fall
or spring. The plants require consid-
erable room, therefore it is well to
transplant the seedlings when a year
old, placing them at least two or three
feet apart. As the plants come into
bloom just after the first flush of spring
flowers is past, they are welcome addi-
tions to our gardens.

ALFALFA HAY — HOW TO CUEE IT.

A writer in a Sacramento, Cal., pa-
per says : As many farmers are cutting
Alfalfa for hay who have had no prac-
tical experience in curing the same, a
few words of instruction may not be out
of the way. In the first place, to make
good hay, the Alfalfa should be sown
so thick on the ground that its stalks
will crowd each other, and thus be
forced to grow somewhat spindling. A
single bunch of Alfalfa grown from a
seed placed in the ground so as to have
a plenty of room to stool, will produce
large, coarse stalks, and if allowed to
stand and mature its seed these stalks
become almost like dry sticks. In this
condition the hay becomes comparative-
ly of but little value. Therefore the
seed should be sown so thick as to

306

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

cause a pretty even growth all over the
ground, and to create a pretty strong
sod. The stalks will then be thin and
slender, and the leaves will bear a good
proportion to the stalks themselves.
Alfalfa should be cut as soon as it has
fairly commenced to blossom, and
should be allowed to remain spread up-
on the ground as left by the mower
only long enough to wilt it well. It
should then be raked into winrows and
allowed to remain in this condition only
long enough to guard against heating
when put into the cock. It should then
be put into the cock and dried so as to
prevent heating and mildewing when in
the stack, and no more. When packed
in the stack or mow it should be sprink-
led with salt pretty freely — say two or
three pounds to a ton.

Alfalfa cured in this way is among
the most valuable varieties of hay we
have for horses, cattle or sheep. Those
who have fed their working teams upon
it have found it to be fully as nutritious
as the best of oat hay. "When horses
have become accustomed to eating it
they will prefer it to all other kinds.
For milch cows good Alfalfa hay is next
to green grass in value, and sheep will
eat it when they would leave oat or
barley hay. Our own experience in
feeding stock of all kinds has been con-
siderable, and we do not hesitate to
pronounce good Alfalfa hay more
hearty and nutritious than the other
varieties of hay now in this State.
While we make this assertion, we are
fully aware that there are those whose
experience has been equally as great as
our own who differ with us. The reason
of this difference arises more from the
manner of curing and handling the hay
than from any other circumstance. If
allowed to be dried in the sun as spread
out on the ground by the reaper, the
stalk not only becomes dry and brittle

and loses much of the gluten and sac-
charine matter that it naturally con-
tains, but the leaf almost entirely drops
off, even while handling it sufficiently to
transfer it into the barn. If then it is
handled over to bale and send it to
market there is nothing but dry sticks
left, and it is justly condemned. The
great secret in making good Alfalfa hay
is in the time of cutting and manner of

curing.

•+-*-+■

FORESTS AND FRESHETS.

At the current meeting in Portland
of the American Association, Dr. Hough,
of Albany, read a paper on the rain-fall
and its relations to forests. He had
carefully analyzed the returns of the
rain-gauge for a term amounting to
2,000 years, and from these he had at-
tempted to deduce a law of secular
changes in the fall of water. But the
returns did not justify it. They show
marked variations from year to year,
and reveal irregularities at many locali-
ties, and they also indicate great ten-
dency to drought for years together.
Dr. Hough strongly reinforces the doc-
trine of the relation of forests to the
flooding of streams, and in so far bears
out the argument of the State Commis-
sioner in reference to the preservation
of the Adirondack woods. In a cleared
country the water flows quickly away
to the streams; these are at once at
high -water mark, and then a season fol-
lows when water is not to be found.
The actual effect of the evaporation of
rain -drops on the leaves and the chem-
ical action which goes on in the plant is
obvious in the humidity and tempera-
ture of the atmosphere where trees ex-
ist. One can observe this in a casual
glance at open fields; the sun -burnt
look of one which is treeless is in con-
trast with the fresh and vernal appear-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

307

ance of the inclosure in which clumps
of trees are found. Houses shaded by
trees are damper than those not so pro-
tected. In the driest season, one who
■walks in the country will notice a sensi-
ble change in passing from a treeless
waste to the vicinity of a forest or into
the forest itself.

The necessity of tree-preservation for
economic uses can not be overrated.
The supply of lumber is rapidly failing.
In Europe the forests are regulated by
law, and crops of trees are harvested in
rotation and upon a definite and pre-
arranged system. France has altogether
13,226 square miles of protected forest.
The code by which they are governed
dates from the time of Colbert, who was
a master hand in regulation and state
interference. He showed as great wis-
dom in this code as in any other branch
of his system of administration. By
the Colbert Code, "Oaks were not to
be felled till ripe, that is, able to pros-
per another thirty years." The French
have carried their system to Algeria,
and have already added several rainy
days to July and August. In this coun-
try, the French system is impossible.
The state owns no forests, and the work
of preservation and careful husbanding
must proceed from the people. One
generation will plant for another, and
the small sapling of to-day will be a
forest monarch fifty or a hundred years
hence. No crop would be more valua-
ble ; no investment more certain. As
Dr. Hough says : " It must come to be
understood that a tree or a forest plant-
ed is an investment of capital, increas-
ing annually in value as it grows — like
money at interest — and worth any time
what it has cost, including the expense
of planting, and the interest which this
money would have earned at the given
date." Waste spots should be planted
and the increased value of farms, whose

roadsides are lined with trees, should
be made apparent to all. There is
wealth, and health, and comfort in this
suggestion.

Ostkich Feathers. — Ostrich feathers,
in commerce, are classed in the follow-
ing order, as regards value : First, those
coming from Mogadore; second, those
from Egypt and Barbary ; and third,
the South African or Cape feathers, for
which Graham's Town is the central
market. These are long, and, there-
fore, are esteemed for many purposes,
but have not the delicacy and elegance
of the barbules of the North African
feathers. The Aleppo feathers used to
be considered the type of perfection of
Ostrich feathers, but they are now so
scarce as to be seldom met with in com-
merce. For the " bous" or tail feathers
of the Ostrich there is an enormous de-
mand, and perhaps more of this kind
are sold than any other. Northern and
Southern Africa are the quarters from
whence supplies are obtained. There
are feather merchants in Mogadore and
other Barbary States, who are in com-
munication with all the districts of the
desert where the bird is found. The
price of Ostrich feathers in a series of
years — taking into account quality and
demand — ranges from $40 up to $275
the pound weight; but their first cost
is, of course, much lower. The import
trade in England is in comparatively
few hands. There were received in 1870
66,063 pounds of Ostrich feathers, of
which more than half were black Os-
trich. Vulture plumes, or "bastard
Ostrich," as they are called in trade,
are employed in large quantities in
France, and form the most important
branch of the commerce in feathers
there. They are obtained from the
American Ostrich ( Rhea Americana ),

308

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

which inhabits chiefly the pampas and
vast plains of Patagonia, the Argentine
Confederation, and the adjoining re-
publics. It is smaller than the true
African Ostrich, is without a tail, and
the feathers are not of the same rich
and costly kind. The Patagonians and
Indians make plumes, parasols, and
many beautiful ornaments of them. The
feathers are imported in the rough from
South America, under the distinction
of large and small Yulture. The for-
mer are commercially known as "dry"
or "white foot," the lower part of the
plume being white, and the head black.
They are used for coiffures, the white
part in its natural state, or dyed some
light color, and the dark part as black.
The bad feathers are worked up into
plumeaux or dusting -brushes. The
small Vulture feathers are exclusively
used for head-dresses, and are rather
higher in price than the large ones.

SEA KALE.

Crambe maritima, 15th class, Tetra-
dynamia of Linnseus, and nat. order
Cruciferce of Bernard de Jusseau. A
native of Britain. A perennial; one of
the names applied by the Greeks to the
Cabbage, and especially to the marine
Cabbage. Crambe maritima grows on
sandy shores in the west of England,
and there the common people have from
time immemorial been in the practice
of watching when the shoots and leaf
stalks begin to push up the sand in
March and April, when they cut them
off under ground, as is done in gather-
ing Asparagus, and boil them as greens.
About the middle of the last century
the plant was introduced into gardens,
grown in deep sandy soil, and blanched
either by sand, ashes, litter, or by cov-
ering by flower pots, earthen pots made
on purpose, or any opaque cover. It is

almost as universal in good gardens as
Asparagus, and like it, is forced either
by taking up the roots, and planting
them on a hot-bed or in the border of a
forcing -house, or by covering or sur-
rounding them in the open garden. Be-
fore covering with warm litter, each
plant, or stool of plants, is covered with
an earthenware bleaching - pot or a
wicker case to keep off the dung from
the young shoots, and to insure their
being blanched, and to prevent the
young shoots from being scorched by
the heat of the manure. No plant is
so easily forced, and, unlike Asparagus,
it yields produce the first spring after
raising from seed.

Crambe Tataria, a native of Siberia,
introduced 1789, a perennial, is called
by the Hungarians laiar-kenzer or Tar-
tarian bread, and its roots stripped of
the bark and sliced are eaten with oil,
vinegar and salt. The boiled root is
sweet, and eaten by children; the young
shoots are boiled like those of Sea Kale,
and have an excellent taste, but are
stringy, though they would not be if well
cultivated, which the plants appear to
deserve. I have seen the first species
cultivated in European gardens, and it is
indeed a great delicacy for the table,
but have not seen a single dish of it in
all my travels in America.

A Subscriber.

The Rose Tree and Its Legends. —
The Greek poets say that the Bose was
originally white, but that it was changed
to red — according to some, from the
blood of Yenus, who lacerated her feet
with its thorns when rushing to the aid
of Adonis; and, according to others,
from the blood of Adonis himself. The
fragrance of the Bose is said by them
to be derived from a cup of nectar
thrown over it by Cupid; and its thorns

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

309

to be the stings of the bees -with which
his bow was strung. Another fable re-
lating to the birth of the Rose is, that
Flora, having found the dead body of
one of her favorite nymphs, whose
beauty could only be equaled by her
virtue, implored the assistance of all
the gods and goddesses to aid her in
changing it into a flower, which all
others should acknowledge to be their
queen, Apollo lent the vivifying power
of his beams, Bacchus bathed it in nec-
tar, Vertumnus gave its perfume, Po-
mona its fruit, and Flora herself its
corona of flowers. Anacreon makes its
birth coeval with those of Venus and
Minerva :

*' Then, then, in strange eventful hour,

The earth produced an infant flower,

Which sprang with blushing tinctures dressed,

And wantoned o'er its parent breast ;

The gods beheld this brilliant birth,

And hailed the Rose — the boon of earth."

Hints About Growing Cucumbers. —
Take a large barrel or hogshead, saw
it in two in the middle, and bury each
half in the ground even with the top.
Then take a small keg and bore a small
hole in the bottom, place the keg in the
centre of the barrel, the top even with
the ground, and fill in the barrel round
the keg with rich earth, suited to the
growth of Cucumbers Plant your seed
midway between the barrel and the keg,
and make a kind of arbor for the vines
to run on. When the ground becomes
dryT pour water in the keg in the even-
ing; ; it will pass out at the bottom of
the keg into the barrel, and rise up to
the roots of the vines and keep them
moist and green. Cucumbers treated in
the foregoing manner will grow to a
large size, as they are made independ-
ent of drought or wet weather. In wet
weather the barrel can be covered, and
in dry the ground can be kept moist by
pouring water into the keg.

Vol. III.— 40.

(Etlitonal portfolio.

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS.

The third annual exhibition of the
Bay District Horticultural Society took
place, as announced by advertisement;
and although a brilliant success, as far
as the display of plants, fruits, and
flowers is concerned, it was a most dis-
gusting financial failure. Strange that
the people of San Francisco, expensive
as they are in the coarser amusements,
can not appreciate the more refined
pleasures of such exhibitions, which, in
other portions of the civilized world,
are so liberally patronized.

The Secretary of the Society not hav-
ing furnished us with his usual report,
we are necessitated to postpone further
comment to our next number. We,
however, subjoin the opening speech of
Professor Carr.

OPENING ADDRESS,

By Peop. E. S. Caee, of the University of Cali-
fornia.

For the third time, this beautiful re-
treat from the dust and confusion of
the city is opened to the public; and for
the third time, you have honored me
with an invitation to speak a good word
for the Society, and the interests of
Horticulture on this coast. I am glad
to serve you to the best of my ability;
but, in view of what you have done and
are doing, and of the fact that you are
opening this Exhibition in spite of the
discouragement which attended the last,
I certainly feel unequal to the occasion.
I would have preferred that some other
doctor should administer the sharp and
bitter tonic, which the people of the
Bay District deserve, if they allow so
good a thing as this Society to languish
for want of support.

When I look at this noble and beau-
tiful State, and think of the almost
boundless prodigality with which Na-
ture has endowed it, I feel that there
ought to be a larger, grander humanity
developed here than anywhere else on
the planet. For, first of all, we have

310

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the soil and climate best adapted to the
accumulation of -wealth, and, therefore,
the best possible conditions for the
growth of knowledge, science, art, and
taste among the masses of the people.

"Here Nature shall condense her powers,
Her music, and her meteors,
And lifting man to the blue deep
Where stars their perfect courses keep;
Like wise preceptor, lure his eye
To sound the science of the sky,
And carry learning to its height
Of untried power and sane delight."

But when we see how large a propor-
tion of the intelligence, the brains,
which should be brought to bear upon
the development of these vast resources
of material, intellectual, and spiritual
power, are devoted to other ends, I fear
it may be said of us: " Eyes have they,
but they see not; ears have they, but
they hear not;" and that we be found
worshiping the golden calf, while our
unappreciated prophets are listening to
the voice of God in the mountains, and
tracing His hand in manifold works of
beauty and grace.

It is pleasanter to praise than blame;
and there is so much to praise in Cali-
fornian energy and enterprise, that
criticism is apt to fall pointless, like the
grumblings of discontent. But one of
the great essentials of improvement is
to be aware of our own deficiencies.

We are often told that indifference to
everything which does not exhibit cprick
returns is the vice of new communities.
So it is; but not, therefore, an excusable
vice. A new State in this half of the
nineteenth century is the last onward
step of human progress, and, therefore,
we have a right to look for the best of
everything, or at least the good healthy
germs from which the best is to come.

To-day, while thousands of our Amer-
ican people are crowding the thorough-
fares of Europe, and millions of Ameri-
can gold is lavished in foreign lands,
I feel that we are rich enough to pos-
sess the best which Europe has to offer,
if we were wise enough to feel the need
of it.

Do you suppose the Russians would
have their winter gardens, and the Ger-
mans their open-air concerts, and every
European capital its great libraries, and
museums, and art galleries, if the people
did not improve these opportunities of

culture ? Do you suppose the Ameri-
can in Kew Gardens, who would hon-
estly prefer a Red Cabbage to a Cabbage
Rose — whose ear is trained to Yankee
Doodle, and not beyond it — with money
enough in his pocket to buy a grand
duchy— is truly the peer of the German,
content with his black bread and beer —
with simplicity and cleanliness — if to
these his gardens, his evening concerts,
the glorious legacies of art and of im-
perishable thought, be added?

What good thing is there in that old
world to which such numbers are flock-
ing which we could not readily com-
mand, if we would? Is it education?
Think what teachers have voluntarily
come to us — their Lieber, their Agassiz
— glorying in the wider possibilities
open to them here ! Is it art ? Think
what that commercial Florentine peo-
ple, with their citizen rulers, accom-
plished for art in a single century; sim-
ply because they were wise enough to
choose things which are of lasting value !
Think how every handicraft flourished
there; how trade prospered and com-
merce increased— impelled by an en-
lightened public spirit! This, more
than anything else, is what we need in
California.

I wish that some of the eloquence ex-
pended in every political campaign, in
showing how the liberties of the people
are threatened, and their substance
wasted, could be used in showing that
money is always saved, when used to
promote education, art, and science —
the great conservators — and to multiply
all the rational enjoyments of human
beings. I begin to feel that, between
the enormous expense of keeping our-
selves from foes without and foes within,
we can hardly get time to make our-
selves worth saving. But, lest you
should take these as after-eleciion views,
I will leave them, and speak of "pre-
destination"— that of the Bay District
Horticultural Society.

You all know that some twenty years
ago there was formed right here, among
the money-changers, a little Society,
which met in a dingy upper chamber,
with a turnip for a candlestick, and an
Indian basket for a ballot-box, yet
steadily proclaimed itself the California
Academy of Sciences. Among that faith-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

311

ful and far-sighted few was the worthy
President of this Society. He was often
mistaken, I have no doubt, for a miner
seeking his last chance, when shoulder-
ing his blankets and pick, he went forth
into the hills. But the kind of gold
which Dr. Kellogg finds never creates a
pauic on Wall Street; and I fear it will be
a long time before there is a general
run on any of his banks. Since he is not
in his place this evening, I may as well
speak of him and of the service which
he has rendered to Botany and Horti-
culture. There is not a public garden
in Europe, and perhaps not one of any
importance in the world, to whose treas-
ures he has not contributed ; nor any
large herbarium in which plants of his
collecting, from Alaska to Mexico, may
not be found. A year ago, when the
friend of all science and of all progress
stood among us — and it was said of him
that he "never had had time to make
money" — I thought that distinction be-
longed equally to some of our own
scientists; and that the fact should
be known that ' ' Mammon - worshiping
California5' had nevertheless a devoted
band of laborers for science and the
future.

I have alluded to the history of the
Academy for your encouragement — to
show what steady perseverance will do.
Little by little that Society worked its
way — so slowly that the cobwebs gath-
ered over its collections, and so silently
that every now and then some of the
contributions to it re-appeared as new
discoveries — until it had accumulated so
much that the law, "To him that hath
shall be given," began to operate, and
suddenly, Mordecai sitting humbly at
the gate is he that the king delighteth
to honor. The Art Association has had
a shorter probation; but its history also
proves that any similar institution will
nourish here if it has vitality enough
to make its claims known.

California is not wanting in pride
in her business enterprises. She only
needs to believe in some of the higher
laws of life — ' ' that lovely things are
also necessary; flowers as well as corn;
the wild birds and creatures of the for-
est as well as the tended cattle" — and
the field of her energy will soon in-
clude these.

1 ' The people of this country — I speak
this word in that latest sense which dis-
criminates between the users and the
used — are, for the first time, wide awake
to their own interests." We shall soon
see what manner of public work they
propose doing. Since every great step
in progress is the result of individual
effort, all the beginnings of this new
exodus will be made in the home.
There never were truer words said than
these, to the English people: "What
is chiefly needed to make the world bet-
ter, is to show the quantity of happi-
ness that may be obtained by a modest
competence." I believe the results of
the new movement will be more taste-
ful homes, then better and more beau-
tiful villages, and farms which have less
the appearance of deserts.

I am glad to see the farmers of Cali-
fornia organizing for mutual protection
and improvement, because the matter
of protection can be speedily adjusted,
leaving only that of improvement to be
attended to. How much Horticulture
will have to do with that! I have
passed a good many farm-houses in Cal-
ifornia, wondering what punishment
could be worse than to be condemned
to live thus a single year. I never saw
in any State more attractive rural homes
than many about our bay, or many such
farms as Gov. BidwelFs at Chico, or
Mr. Beard's, at Mission San Jose —
places which nobody would think of
calling "palatial." They are just about
good enough for a man who loves and
honors his calling, and enriches his life
as well as his purse. The charm of
these representative homes is largely
due to the horticultural adornments
which are felt to be indicative of the
taste- of their owners.

I know a man who g'oes every morn-
ing to a mechanic's work, yet gives an
hour or so daily to the little greenhouse,
built at odd moments and with small
savings. I do not know if he is an ex>
hibitor here, but there ought to be a
thousand exhibitors out of these ranks.
I never saw in any rich man's conserva-
tory such a splendid show of Calceo-
larias, or such perfect bits of experi-
mental work, as in his. He gets a crop,
my friends, off that single town lot,
which I do not think he would exchange

312

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

for a San Joaquin principality, if he
were corralled, as many of our farmers
are, on a great bare wheat ranch, from
which every flower of the field had been
exterminated.

There is not a mechanic in San Fran-
cisco who can not have his bay-window
fernery, his little rock garden, a tiny
fountain murmuring a perpetual song,
if he will. It is the mission of your
Society to create an appetite for these
things — an appetite which is fed by
blossoms as well as fruits.

I hear it whispered, gentlemen, that
your next exhibition will take place in
a new hall, to be built by the Mechan-
ics' Institute. Now, let me make a
prophecy. Persevere in holding your
semi-annual exhibitions — in introduc-
ing every new and valuable acquisition
to out-door and in-door gardening —
and five years will not have passed be-
fore some "greedy monopolist" will
disgorge capital enough to build you as
good a hall as that of the Massachu-
setts Horticultural Society. Yes, and
better ; for here you can at a compara-
tively small expense sustain a winter
garden, and make it self-supporting by
admission fees and rents of stalls, and
reserve plenty of space for competitive
exhibitions also. About three years
ago some enterprising citizens of Frank-
fort, Germany, made a similar experi-
ment, which has proved a great success
■ — their admissions amounting to six
hundred persons a day, and their com-
pany's shares commanding a consider-
able premium.

There was no feature of the last
exhibition I enjoyed so much as the
children's flower-show, and I am glad
to see it repeated here. I hope it
may help to bring about a larger ad-
mixture of Natural History studies in
our schools, and help in creating a gener-
ation of liberal patrons of Floriculture.

A higher appreciation of all the arts
can come only through education — first
in the home, then in the school. A
recent English writer says: "How few
mothers can tell their children the
names of the wild flowers and what
they are good for — of the garden plants
and what is good for them, what will
feed, and what will kill them; or the
names of the birds, the trees they like

to build in, the homes they build, their
abodes in winter, and how they procure
their food. Though Nature is espe-
cially the child's book, we have few
mothers and teachers prepared to in-
terpret it." I am sure the same can
be said of us; and this lack of early
training explains the public apathy in
respect to works of taste.

I beg leave to call the attention of
this Society once more to the impor-
tance of co-operating with the State
Agricultural Society, and similar bodies
in other States, to secure needed legis-
lation for the protection and preserva-
tion of our forests. I do not think the
public are aware that this Society made
strenuous efforts in this behalf at the
last session, and that a bill was passed
for the encouragement of forest and
timber-tree culture, which, on account
of some objectionable features, failed
to receive the signature of the Governor.
The people of other States are waking
up on this subject. New York will be
asked to set aside a vast territory, worth-
less for agriculture, for a State forest.
Much of it has already been skinned
by lumbermen, but Nature, if permit-
ted, will repair the loss. The Adiron-
dack region, filled with lakes, and
containing some of the noblest moun-
tain scenery, is to be restored to the
native inhabitants — the moose, bear,
otter, the birds and fishes — so nearly
exterminated elsewhere.

The Yellowstone Park, the great
pleasure-ground of the nation, is now
being surveyed, and in time will become
the resort of travelers from all parts of
the world; yet it is no rival of the
incomparable Yosemite, which is in-
trusted solely to the keeping of this
State. Every good citizen should feel
an interest in the right management of
this trust, and in the unimpaired trans-
mission of that perfect piece of Nature's
handiwork to future generations. The
men are not yet born who can improve
Yosemite and the Mariposa Grant; and
whatever accommodations the public
may require should be concealed rather
than obtruded there. These two parks
are the only forested lands in the United
States exempt from spoliation. It has
been shown by carefully gathered sta-
tistics that, at the present rate of con-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

313

sumption of timber, fifty years will
consume all the forests east of the Mis-
sissippi; and the history of all other
countries, where the natural conditions
have been so overthrown, proves this to
be the least of its consequent evils.
Millions of acres in this State, worth-
less for any but forest uses, are being
converted into wastes, uncheered by
verdure, and torn during the rainfall
by devastating torrents. Every shrub
and green thing is swept bare, as with
the besom of destruction, by the flocks
and herds. All over Europe it has
come to be considered the legitimate
function of governments to regulate
these things. The forest laws of France
restrict pasturage, as well as wood-
cutting; and I wish we might have a
similar application of science to states-
manship here.

I think we need a little legislation on
another subject to which I would in-
vite your Society to lend its influence.
The great importance of the Grape-
growing interest — and, now that eco-
nomical modes of fruit- drying have
been adopted, the fruit-growing inter-
est— makes of special importance the
" ounce of prevention" of those insect
pests which 'have cursed other States.
With increased facilities of communi-
cation, our exemption from these is
sure to be short-lived. The bark-louse
is already at home in our fruit-trees,
and the chinch-bug is sure to visit our
fields. That dreaded scourge of the
vine, the Phylloxera, may in a single
season destroy one of our most impor-
tant industries. It is time for us to
recognize the importance of an office,
common in the Eastern States, viz: that
of State Entomologist.

Lest I should anticipate the Gover-
nor's message in these suggestions, I
will not amplify them. I expect to
see this Society becoming more and
more influential in forming correct pub-
lic opinions as well as public taste.
Through exhibitions like the present,
and through its publications, it can not
fail to become an important instrumen-
tality in ushering in the period of uni-
versal plenty, peace, and good will.

A c^e-load of San Diego honey was
recently sent East, from this city.

State Ageiccetueal Society's Faie. —
The Twentieth Annual Fair of the
California State Agricultural Society
took place at Sacramento in the third
week of September, and proved a grand
success. All branches of agricultural
and horticultural industries were well
represented. The people, who flocked
there by thousands, were well pleased
with the management and display; and
the officers of the Society proclaim the
Fair a financial success, which must be
encouraging to everybody interested in
Agriculture.

From all accounts, the exhibit of
stock was the finest ever seen, the races
were exceedingly interesting, and the
display at the Pavilion gave entire sat-
isfaction.

The horticultural departments were
well represented, and we consider it
our duty to review these more particu-
larly, leaving it to others to discuss the
merits of the stock, of the races, and
of agricultural products in their broad-
er sense.

The leading horticultural features
were Fruits, Yegetables, and Flowers.
The exhibit of Fruits was very credita-
ble, but did not quite come up to the
show of last year; this, however, was
entirely due to the total absence of
eastern fruits, which formed a very in-
teresting and instructive feature last
year. The Vine Growers' and Wine and
Brandy Manufacturers' Association made
an excellent showing of Grapes. Mr.
Young, of Sonoma County, had a very
extensive collection of fruits, well se-
lected and nicely arranged. This was
Mr. Young's first attempt to exhibit his
fruits, and he succeeded well in demon-
strating that Sonoma County can raise
as fine fruit as any other locality in the
State.

The display of Flowers and Plants
was much larger and better than here-

314

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

tof ore, and attracted a great deal of at-
tention. The principal exhibitors were
E. E. Moore, and Miller & Sievers, of
San Francisco; A. Ebel, gardener to
E. B. Crocker, Esq., Sacramento, ama-
teur; and Mark Hopkins, of Sacramen-
to, amateur. Mr. Hutchinson, of Oak-
land, exhibited some very good cut
Dahlias. Mrs. B. B. Cutter, of Sacra-
mento, showed some exquisite Tube-
roses, tastefully arranged, with well-
colored foliage of the tri-colored Cocks-
comb.

The display of Vegetables was unusu-
ally fine and varied, and Messrs. F.
Gabrielle & Co. deserve much credit
for the superior arrangement.

We are happy to say a few words of
praise for the magnificent display of
canned and preserved Fruits, Jellies,
etc., by Mrs. J. B. Odbert, of Sacra-
mento. Her collection embraced two
hundred jars and glasses, of one hun-
dred and sixty-nine varieties of fruits
and jellies, in great perfection.

The following awards have been made
in the various horticultural departments :

GREEN FRUITS.

D. C.Young, Sonoma — Best display
of Apples, $30.

Ira S. Bamber, Placerville — Best
twelve varieties of Apples, $15.

B. Y/illiamson, Sacramento — Best six
varieties of Apples, $10.

Dr. W. S. Manlove, Sacramento —
Best three varieties of Apples, $5.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Best display
of Pears, $30.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Best twelve
varieties of Pears, $15.

T. K. Stewart, Sacramento — Best six
varieties of Pears, $10.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Best three
varieties of Pears, $5.

I. S. Bamber, Placerville — Best dis-
play of Peaches, $15; best six varieties
of Peaches, $10; best one variety of
peaches, $5; best display of Plums, $15;
best five varieties of Plums, $10.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Best one va-
riety of Plums, $5.

I. S. Bamber, Placerville — Best green
figs, $5.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Best display
of tropical fruits, $20; greatest number
and best specimens of Oranges, $5.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Lemons, $5.

B. Williamson, Sacramento — Best
display of Seedling Fruits, $10.

D. C. Young, Sonoma — Best display
of Fruit, $50.

FLOWERS.

Miller & Sievers, San Francisco —
Best collection of Flowering Plants in
bloom, $25.

E. E. Moore, San Francisco — Best
collection of ornamental Foliage Plants,
$25.

Miller & Sievers, San Francisco —
Best collection of New and Rare Plants,
$15. __

Miller & Sievers, San Francisco —
Best collection of Boses in bloom, $15.

Miller & Sievers, San Francisco — ■
Best collection of Fuchsias in bloom,
$15.

Miller & Sievers, San Francisco —
Best collection of Cut Flowers, $10.

Miller & Sievers, San Francisco —
Best collection of Bouquets, $10.

E. E. Moore, San Francisco— Best
collection of Australian Plants, $10;
Hanging Baskets with Plants, $10.

Mark Hopkins, Sacramento — Best
collection of Plants for conservatory,
greenhouse and window culture, $15.

A. Ebel, Sacramento — Australian
Plants, honorable mention.

Joseph Hutchinson, Oakland — Dahl-
ias and Pinks, special premium recom-
mended.

Mrs. B. B. Cutter, Sacramento — Bas-
ket of Tuberoses, special premium rec-
ommended.

Mrs. J. H. Carroll, Sacramento — Very
large Bouquet, special premium recom-
mended.

The Vine Growers' Association. —
The following is the annual address
of Mr. G. G. Blanchard, the President
of the Vine Growers' Association.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Associa-
tion : The season in its rounds of boun-
ty and of weather, are scarcely more
constant and punctual than we. Each
returning fall, with its fruits, brings

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

315

us together for congratulation and ad-
vice, and affords us opportunity to give
the " reasons why," and occasion for the
"thus you see," of the year's employ-
ment. This annual "come and go,"
this periodical "fetch and carry," in
ways many and various, contribute to
our prosperity as individuals, to the
prosperity of our State, and our social
progression and happiness.

One more year have we watched, con-
sidered, and dressed our growing vines;
one more year have we racked and re-
racked, tested and tasted its liquid pro-
duct. For one year more have we ap-
plied to the culture of the one, and the
improvement of the other our entire
stock of knowledge and ingenuity; and
now, here, upon the altar of this indus-
try do we offer up the result, and ask
the descent of the latent mysteries of
vine culture and wine making upon
our offering.

While Ave have been thus nobly en-
gaged, the contending political forces
have been busily applying their dogmas
to public needs, and untiring in their
efforts to secure our recognition and sup-
port. Besotted selfishness and unholy
avarice are the seeds of the evils to
which we are the prey. . Our wines are
delicious, our fruits both palatable and
nourishing; our presence upon the soil
makes it inviting and gives increase to
the national exchequer. Yet, as a class,
the vine grower has but a small voice
in the political economy of the State or
nation.

There will be produced this year,
from twelve to fifteen million gallons
of wine, of the value of three and a half
millions of dollars ; besides about two
million pounds of Grapes for table use,
worth one-quarter of a million; and
one-quarter of a million pounds of Rais-
ins.

There are not within this State to ex-
ceed forty thousand acres planted to
vines. Of hill and mountain land alone,
which is eminently susceptible to the
cultivation of vines, there are more than
eight millions of acres.

With reasonable cultivation, and with-
out diminishing any of the other pro-
ductions of the State, we have acres
sufficient to produce annually from. the
vine more than $200,000,000, and these

lands are mostly suitable for any other
production as a staple. Our highest
prosperity will never be reached, until
the occupation of these lands is made
an element of legislation; until the sub-
ject shall receive encouragement and
aid. Commerce is not to be forgotten,
manufactures should not be overlooked,
nor our mining interests neglected;
neither should this greatest and most
natural resource of the State — vine
growing — be made the subject of legis-
lative oppression.

The husbandman is the Atlas, upon
whose back the world's life is support-
ed, and he has ever, with silence and
humility, borne the burden. While ex-
emption from taxation has been the
order, his results have been listed for
assessment. His surplus is the subject
of tariff upon tariff.

Our requirements have never been
understood by political economists; our
liquors are gauged when new and at
highest proof. No account or allow-
ance is made by the officer of revenue
for evaporation, leakage, or deteriora-
tion. Our wines and liquors stand to
us as our growing crops, and only ripen
at from three to five years after the time
they are manufactured; yet, while in
this state of incubation, they are listed
and taxed from year to year, when they
only have value as they mature. The
present system of taxation is unjust aud
oppressive, and affords but poor encour-
agement to industry. The burdens rest
almost wholly upon the owners of real
estate, while bankers, brokers, and those
who deal in securities and exchanges,
are exempt from taxation. The value
of all the real and personal estate of the
United States in 1860 was $16,086,616,-
068, (which included slave property);
in 1870 it amounted to $30,822,535,140,
leaving out the slave — more than doub-
ling in a decade. This increase is un-
precedented in history. Yet, this fabu-
lous increase can not be said to result
from an increase of farming area or
farm products, for the improved lands
of the United States, in 1860, amounted
to 407,212,538 acres; while in 1870
there were only 407,735,041 acres, show-
ing; an increase in the ten years of only
522,503 acres. These figures demon-
strate that the increase has been prin-

316

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

cipally in lands not agricultural, and of
personal property not the product of
the soil. While farming lands and
farming products have increased, yet it
was disproportionate to the increase of
other lands and other commodities, con-
sidering the cheapness of lands, the ex-
tent of our arable domain, and the bet-
ter price of its j>roducts. Query — Does
this show a healthy state of things? I
think not. "When in a purely agricul-
tural country agriculture is at a dou-
ble discount — when men will forsake
the plow for a standing - place in the
city, and abandon the law of induction
applied to the vegetable mold, for the
chance of a freak in the dice of fortune
applied to the shadow of a vision at
some curb-stone, the one must be shad-
owed with burdens that frighten, or the
other be gilded with reliefs that dazzle.
Ail burdens are distasteful. But the
most unsavory is American taxation.
The toiler has no time to hide, in fact,
he can not hide his effects from revenue
officials, for the most part they are bulky
and just about him; while he that luxu-
riates in his percentum and illicit traffic
may escape the tax gatherer. Our sys-
tem of political economy does not stop
to consider, with any degree of nice-
ness, the wrongs done a class whose
very business makes it unlikely that
they will raise any very potent voice in
their own behalf. The law makers are,
not as a class, those upon whom the
hand of government falls heaviest. Ay,
they too often are those whose hand is
most heavy upon the government — and
upon whom the government has no
hand. Extravagance is the rule, econ-
omy the exception. A true citizen never
advances his own interests at the ex-
pense of the community in which he
lives. Query — Are those bad citizens
who do? But extravagance always leads
to corruption, and both are fueled and
fanned by party bias and party rule.
Honest difference of opinion, springing
from diverse conceptions of untried the-
ories and national polity, is always enti-
tled to respect; but political distinc-
tions, originating in the vanity of wealth,
a debauched sense of class superiority,
fevers of ambition, or in the advantages
of a popular spasm, should be intoler-
able, and condemned as factional.

National prosperity, by a false esti-
mate, is said to overlay a nation's wealth;
and with equal falsity is it said, that the
prime duty of a government is to pre-
serve and aggregate its wealth.

"When a government has no higher
object than monetary advancement, its
stability is enervated, its health devoid
of vigor, and its longevity problemati-
cal. Prodigies of virtue, statesmanship,
and valor seldom spring from places of
luxury. The sons of poverty, for deeds
of honorable merit and renown, always
defy and rout the powers of opulence.
The voluptuous myrmidons of Persia,
for valor and virtue, paled into littleness
before the peasant youths of humble
Sparta. The Roman invincibles carried
their victorious eagles into the rich but
festering Egypt and Persia, where opu-
lence and venality was the rule.

Principles of stainless loyalty and po-
litical virtue are deep-rooted and im-
movable in the poor. Preservation of
material wealth is not the motive which
sends a yeoman to the front ; his battle
song is of liberty and the republic, in-
stead of gold and silver. A city burn-
ed, or a fleet scuttled, to the true de-
fender, gives no qualms of property
lost. The opulent commercial sons of
Carthage, for gold sold her liberties and
independence, despite the entreaties of
her toiling people.

Before Spain was gorged with the
metals of Zacatecas and Potosi, her en-
terprise and her virtue walked hand in
hand. Her moral power was only equal-
ed by her national activity.

The mistaken idea that wealth was na-
tional prosperity, lowered the Spaniard
from his superior rank, and his govern-
ment from a first to an insignificant
power.

Adherence to the soil is a specific
remedy for an unstable condition of
public mind. The plow and reaper
agitate nothing but earth. He that
causes a blade of grass to grow where
none has grown before, is greater than
he who commands an army. Wealth
produces pride of dominion, and pride
of dominion is corrupting. Wealth fur-
nishes the vitals of corruption; venality
is its most nourishing aliment, and con-
tamination its most refreshing atmos-
phere. Reunions like this tend to uni-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

317

versalize class knowledge and dissemi-
nate the principles of industrial virtue.
They clear away the rniasma arising
from pools of sloth and from jDolitical
defections. They dignify and give noto-
riety to that which without them would
be devoid of recognition or respect, be-
yond a common and passing mention.
Aggregated we present a powerful front,
and the knowledge of all becomes the
knowledge of each.

One of our contemporaries sneers il-
liberally because it recognizes in our
columns some excellent articles which
itself had appropriated from the Report
of the Commissioner of Agriculture for
1870. We allude to description of Gum
plants, and similar articles. Are we
not equally at liberty with itself to draw
from such sources, such information
for our readers as we hope may be ac-
ceptable? We do not pretend to sup-
ply, nor does the public expect, all
original matter; and when we extract,
we consider it rather a compliment than
otherwise. If at any time any article
is not duly acknowledged, it is an over-
sight of our compositors which we re-
gret. It is a pity that our contempo-
rary can not be gentlemanly; when we
presume it desires, as we do, to be read
by the ladies.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

To the horticulturist and the botanist
these gardens afford ample scope for
study. The plants are kept in fine or-
der, and exhibit great improvement
under the judicious management of
their present conservator, Mr. Brown.

The extensive collection of Orchida-
ceous plants is highly interesting; we
also notice additions among the Caladi-
ums — indeed the display of foliage
plants generally is very fine. The Be-
gonias are well represented. We are
eagerly expecting the opening of the

Vol. in.— 41.

Gereus graudiflora (Night-blooming Ce-
reus),%nd hope not to be disappointed
as we were last year, by some vandal
who destroyed the bud.

CATALOGUES RECEIVED.

We have received No. 4 of Yick's Flo-
ral Guide. It is handsomely illustrated
and contains much useful and interest-
ing information. This completes the
quarterly series for the present year.
We are happy to find that it has proved
a success. This catalogue comprises a
copious list of excellent flowering bulbs
at moderate prices. We commend it to
the careful perusal of our readers.

Also Descriptive Catalogue of Langdon
Nurseries, C. C. Langdon & Co., near
Mobile, Alabama. This comprises Fruit
and Ornamental trees, Grape-vines,
Roses, Evergreens, Bulbs, etc., and is
at once copious and useful.

The Flower Garden, Beach, Son & Co.,
76 Fulton Street, Brooklyn. This is at
once an illustrated magazine of Floral
progress and a useful priced catalogue
of Trees, Shrubs, Plants, Bulbs, and

Seeds.

♦

FAVORS RECEIVED.

The Overland Monthly foe Octo-
ber.— This is a very interesting num-
ber. " Prison-life in China" portrays a
lamentable state of affairs in that coun-
try. "Seeking the Golden Fleece —
After that the Deluge," by Dr. J. D. B.
Stillman, presents a vivid picture of the
flood of 1850 at Sacramento. " Aborig-
inal Shell Money," by R, E. C. Stearns,
gives evidence of much careful research,
and is both curious and highly interest-
ing. Many of the other articles are
well worthy of perusal. "Etc." as us-
ual piquant; " Current Literature" caus-
tic, but nevertheless judicious.

318

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

OUR EXCHANGE TABLE.

Among the numerous and ever wel-
come periodicals of our own class which
from time to time present themselves,
much to our gratification, at our edito-
rial table, we call the attention of our
readers and of the public in general to
the following, as well worthy of public
patronage:

The Horticulturist — monthly — Henry
F. Williams, New York. $2.50 per an-
num. An excellent magazine.

The Gardener's Monthly — its specialty
Horticulture and Floriculture. Every
gardener, whether amateur or profes-
sional, should read it. Editor, Thos.
Mehan. Published monthly by Brink-
loe & Marot, Philadelphia. $2 per an-
num.

Moore's Rural New Yorker — weekly,
illustrated. Very good. Published by
D. D. J. Moore, N.Y. $2.50 per annum.

Ladies' Floral Cabinet — beautifully
illustrated, full of practical information
and pleasant reading matter. 75 cents
per annum. Published monthly by H.
F. Williams, N. Y.

Country Gentleman — weekly journal,
replete with much desirable informa-
tion. Publishers, Luther Tucker &
Son, 395 Broadway, Albany, N. Y.

Sir John Lubbock states that the
Stresiptera or parasites found on bees
and wasps, pass through all their trans-
formations in the bodies of these in-
sects. The males and females are very
dissimilar; the former are active, minute
and short-lived, while the females are
bottle-shaped, never leave the body of
the insect, and, except that they occa-
sionally thrust the head of the bottle
out between the abdominal rings, they
appear to be almost motionless.

WORK FOR THE MONTH.

BY F. A. MILLER.

We have so far advanced toward the
rainy season, that irrigation may be en-
tirely dispensed with, so far as trees,
shrubs, and vines, both ornamental and
useful, are concerned. The cool nights
are longer, and in the vicinity of the
Coast Range the atmosphere is damp
enough to cover all sorts of vegetation
with a heavy dew. The lawns in San
Francisco, Oakland, and other locali-
ties near the coast, will do well enough
without any further irrigation ; while
those of Sacramento, Stockton, San
Jose, and other inland localities, may
be treated with an occasional sprinkling
during the month of October. Lawns
ought to have a good top-dressing of
manure just at the beginning of the
rainy season, and I think the sod should
be allowed to rest for a few weeks, pre-
paratory to the application of a top-
dressing.

It is very important that all orna-
mental trees, which are not sufficiently
established to support themselves, have
proper stakes given them, so that they
may withstand our heavy winds. It is
a common thing here, that, after the
ground becomes thoroughly saturated
with water during the winter months,
trees are blown over for want of proper
support. The present is the most fa-
vorable time to guard against this.

Flowers begin to be scarce articles,
and as it is expected that the first rain
will bring out new growth and fresh
flowers, this would be the most favora-
ble time of the year to resort to trim-
ming and pruning. But let it be done
by some one who understands his busi-
ness. Some of our so-called gardeners
apply the pruning-knife indiscriminate-
ly to Roses, Lilacs, Deutzias, Snow-
balls, and other flowering shrubs, and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

319

manage to cut off all the wood which
is expected to flower. Some Roses do
better by close pruning; others do best
if left alone. Your gardener should
know something about this. In regard
to Lilacs, Deutzias and Snowballs, noth-
ing should be cut off except suckers and
superfluous wood. If you can not
trust your gardener, it will be far bet-
ter not to touch these shrubs with the
knife.

Another lot of Gladioli may now be
planted for winter flowering.

It will yet be time to sow Pansy seed
for winter and spring blooming. It is
best to sow them in a box, which may
be covered at night with a pane of glass
or canvas. If placed in a warm and
sheltered place they Avill be fit to trans-
plant in four to six weeks. A bed of
Pansies is always most desirable, and
we can have them here in the greatest
perfection during our winter months.

Dutch bulbs, such as Hyacinths, Tu-
lips, Narcissus, Crown Imperials, Snow-
drops, Lily of the Valley, Crocus, and
others, have come to hand and may be
planted at any time, particularly those
which are intended for pot-culture in
the house or under glass.

I hear of late much call for Tuberose
roots. Most of our amateur gardeners
seem to think of planting bulbs when
they see the flowers in our floral estab-
lishments. All this is wrong. If you
wish to cultivate Tuberoses in the open
air, you must obtain and plant them in
spring, in order to have them in bloom
in August, September, and October.
If they are planted now, they will not
bloom until next year, and may rot in
the ground before that time. The on-
ly way to plant Tuberoses, at this time,
is to have them in pots or boxes, and
place them in the house or under glass,
for the purpose of forcing them for win-
ter blooming. I would say, however,

that the single white variety is better
for that purpose than the double flow-
ering.

If you wish to cultivate Hyacinths,
Crocuses, Tulips, etc., with success, do
not delay planting them until you see
them in bloom in our floral establish-
ments ; but go to work now. Obtain
your roots at once of some responsible
dealer, who will be willing to give you
the necessary information as to proper
treatment.

Continue to give your plants in the
conservatory, greenhouse, or window,
constant airing during warm and pleas-
ant weather ; but do not expose them
to draughts or strong1 winds.

REPORT ON THE FRUIT AND VEGE-
TABLE MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEK.

In writing on the subject of fruits, it
naturally suggests itself that many new
and valuable varieties of these as well
as of vegetables have been produced,
as it has appeared accidentally, in dif-
ferent localities of the State. Besides
the common productions of the temper-
ate regions, various kinds of tropical
fruits also, such as the Pineapple, Ba-
nana, Mango, Cocoanut, Plantain, Lo-
quat, Chinese Guava, the Date, and
others. In view of this fact, if the
farmers and horticulturists, and their
societies, as now organized and being
organized, will take hold of these new
and valuable articles — and some others
that might be named — and give them a
thorough trial, even if only in a small
way at first (and doubtless this is the
safest plan), in different localities and
soils, keeping- a correct record of the
circumstances connected with each indi-
vidual experiment, they will perform a
work that will, probably, bring vast and
immediate benefits to themselves and

320

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

indirect good to the whole people.
With especial reference to tropical or
semi-tropical products, we here venture
the opinion that our rich bottom-lands,
particularly those in the southern por-
tion of the State, where the facilities
for irrigation are at hand, will produce
some varieties, at least, of the semi-
tropical fruits of the more torrid zones,
not only as good in quality, but as
abundantly as the best localities of some
of the islands of the Pacific, the East
and West Indies, and some parts of Af-
rica. Fruit of the common kind is so
abundant now, that it is very desirable
not only to raise the very choicest, hav-
ing the highest flavor, fine appearance,
and complexion, but the first-class spe-
cies of each, in order that it may be
profitable. Apples and Peaches of the
most common qualities go far ahead
of the demand; and even the Avholesale
price, in some instances to our own
knowledge, will not pay for the ex-
penses of gathering, putting in boxes,
and forwarding to our markets. Many
of the kinds which are most prized will
not stand the effects of transportation
to the East or to other places so as to
pay the packers, as has been lately
proved. It is only a very "few of them
that can stand the wear and tear of time
and distance, and remunerate their pro-
prietors. It is chiefly in some cheap
and effective drying and canning proc-
esses— better and less expensive than
those already practiced — that we can
look forward to improvement in profits
for some time to come. But when any
particular product is raised in excess of
the requirements of home consumption,
it is certainly of great moment to pro-
duce less of this and more of those prod-
ucts which we are still importing, and
for which there is still an unsupplied
home market; for, as has been observed,
by a competent authority lately : " Of

all the markets in the world, a home
market is the best for any country ; a
foreign market is only good when the
home market is over -supplied, to con-
sume the surplus." Thus, we should
produce, as we have said before, more
various kinds of fruits for drying, can-
ning, and pickling ; and also we may
add, as we have happened here to think
of it, more of all the nuts, such as the
English Walnut, Almond, Pecan, and
Peanuts, etc. And, in general, it may
most truly be said, that besides a larger
variety of all kinds of fruits, our prod-
ucts of all sorts should be more diver-
sified, so that individual success should
not consist so much in large possessions
of land for grain, or in immense mo-
nopolized wealth for the few, but in a
general well-doing with medium posses-
sions, and reasonable wealth for all.
And these are subjects to which we in-
vite the attention of those who have
the best interests of California at heart;
those who have lately been elected to
make the laws and administer the gov-
ernment.

For the encouragement of cultivators
of tropical fruits, and to cite an instance
of the probable success of Orange cult-
ure far north of Los Angeles, we will
here state that in the garden of Judge
Sexton were raised last year Orange
and Lemon trees loaded with fruit;
while in .the garden of Mr. Glaucauf,
in the town of Oroville, a day's journey
by rail from Sacramento, an Oi'ange-tree
about twelve years old, bore and ripened
the same year 400 as fine Oranges as
were ever produced in Los Angeles, and
they are of the same variety. A tree,
also, on Bidweli's Bar, some six miles
above Oroville, bore 1,500 Oranges, as
good as any grown anywhere. These
are significant facts, and tree-horticult-
urists in the Sacramento Valley and
elsewhere of the same climate, and in-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

321

deed all over the State, should benefit
by them, aud at least make some small
experiments in the same sort of fruits.
Owing, however, to the burdens of the
internal revenue and the high cost of
freight about Oroville and those parts,
Grapes for wine and brandy, etc., do
not pay the producers, though they
might for table and raisins. In many
localities in the Sacramento and San
Joaquin valleys (at any rate with irriga-
tion) can be raised besides all the ordi-
nary fruits, such as Apples, Peaches,
Pears, Quinces, Plums, and small fruits
and berries, the Olive, Orange, Lime,
Citron, Figs of several kinds, Pome-
granate, Mulberry, English Walnut,
Filbert, etc. But let us make a state-
ment of those things which we find now
existing in most abundance in our fruit
and vegetable markets, and their condi-
tion, and some of their prices.

By the 22d of last month, all the
common fruits of the season had found
their way to the stalls ; Quinces — the
latest — having just about that timecome
in. Prickly Pears were then quoted at
25c. per pound. Oranges were then
scarce, but since much more plentiful.
Lemons, also, wrere nearly out of mar-
ket in the latter part of August ; but
Limes were abundant. Plums were
worth, by the box, from 7 to 8c. per
pound — since somewhat less, especial-
ly for the rather dry red sorts — the more
juicy and finer -flavored, as the Yellow
Egg, Prince's Imperial Cage, and the
Green Gage or Claude Verte, being, of
course, higher in price.

Blackberries and Strawberries might
be considered, last of September, out of
season.

Apples have declined considerably in
price since last month; the best being
$1 per box; ordinary lots, of which there
are too many, being as low in many in-
stances as 60c. per box.

Grapes remain at last month's prices
10 to 20c. per pound. But this fruit
is every day becoming, as the season
advances, abundant.

Apricots have long disappeared, and
Peaches can not last much longer — the
clingstones coming in, in large numbers.
The common varieties of freestones are
as lowr as 8 to 12c. per pound, or about
81.50 per basket. Clingstone Peaches
are considerably higher.

There is now, at last, becoming a tol-
erable demand for Quinces. The price
is rather nominal, but they are selling
generally at about 10c. per pound.

In the vegetable market, "Winter
Squashes are quoted at 20c. per pound,
and Summer Squashes at 4c. per pound.
Pumpkins are out offseason. Potatoes
have declined from J. to 1c. per pound,
and Lima Beans have depreciated from
2 to 3c. per pound. Tomatoes are 2c.
per pound less. Good Green Corn is
quotable at 25c. per dozen. Rhubarb
is not to be had for any price. There
is no variation in' the prices of other
varieties of Vegetables.

Bartlett Pears are in good demand,
and prices are sustained. Seckel Pears
have been received in plenty, Septem-
ber 16th. The steamers continue to
bring small lots of Los Angeles Lem-
ons, which, owing to the absence of
other kinds from the market, bring high
prices. Crab Apples are plentiful at
6@8c; Huckleberries 20c. per pound.

About the latter part of last month
(September), there came forward Straw-
berries in large quantities — the fourth
crop — and being in fine condition, met
with ready sales.

Peaches, with the exception of a few
from the mountainous districts, are
now about out of the market (October
6th).

Plums and choice Pears are scarce.
The first Winter Xelis Pears of the sea-

322

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

son carae in the first week of October;
but not being yet mellow, are not much
in demand.

Apples are abundant (October 5th),
and very reasonable in price. The last
steamer from the South brought a few
boxes of Lemons, Citrons, Pomegran-
ates and green Walnuts, all of which
came to an appreciative market.

We quote the different varieties of
Grapes as follow: Mission and Sweet-
water, 5@8c; Black Hamburg, Black
Malvoisie, and Bose of Peru, 8@10c;
Muscat of Alexandria, Tokay, and Black
Morocco, 15@20c. per pound. We quote
Smyrna Figs, 35c. per pound. Apples,
by the box, delivered, at 75c.@$1.50;
Pears, $1@$2. Plums retail at 10@15c.
per pound; Bananas, 50@75c. per doz.
and $3@$5 per bunch; Strawberries,
15c. per pound.

The following are the prices at which
some of the leading articles in the veg-
etable market are retailing: Green Corn,
25@30c. per dozen ; Antivie, 25c. per
dozen; Colrabi, 10c. per bunch; Black
Badish, 20c. per dozen; Mint, 15c. per
bunch; Onions, 4c. per pound; Pickling
Onions, 5c. per pound; Shalots, 25c.
per pound; Egg Plant, 8c; Okra, 10c.
per pound; Kale, 50c. ; and Celery Boot,
75c. per dozen; Bed and White Cab-
bage, $1 per dozen; Cabbage Sprouts,
8c. per pound; Asparagus, 50c. per lb.

Interesting News foe Ladies. — Ladies
who wear chignons, as well as the bald
of the other sex, will be glad to' hear
that there is every prospect before long
of hair being grown in the garden, and
transferred by an easy and pleasing
process to the head. It seems that cut-
tings of hair, properly treated, will
strike like Geraniums, and a savant in
Kentucky has, according to the New
York Tribune, discovered that by in-

serting the cut end of a hair into a kind
of paste made of two vegetables and a
simple chemical, it can be made to
grow, and be thence transplanted suc-
cessfully to a scarified skin. In fact, all
that is necessary is a small head-rake,
sufficiently sharp in the tooth to scrape
the skin off the scalp in little furrows;
the hair should.then be at once inserted
in the wounds, and personal beauty is
thus reduced to a mere question of ag-
ony. Wig-makers will not like this,
but it is impossible to den}r that it will
be a vast improvement on present ar-
rangements; moreover, lovers may not
only exchange locks of hair, but actu-
ally engraft these souvenirs on each
other's heads, and for this reason alone
the discovery will be hailed with rap-
ture by the romantic and affectionate in
every quarter of the globe:

The Monarch of the West Straw-
berry, as grown in New Jersey this
year, is described as follows: " It is a
fine-looking berry of very large size ;
one of those left with us measured five
inches in circumference. The flesh is
solid, the flavor exquisite, and the
color a bright red, just such as is calcu-
lated to please the eye of fastidious pur-
chasers. It is quite prolific, late ripen-
ing, and from its solidity well calcula-
ted for marketing purposes. The berries
grow in clusters from six to twelve, pre-
senting a very rich and beautiful ap-
pearance. The stalk is a very strong
one, and capable of bearing the heavy
crop of fruit from the ground, a very
important and desirable feature in
sandy soil. Some of the leaves were
five inches in length. Mr. Perry asserts
that, side by side with his finest Wil-
son's Albany, it commanded fifty cents
per quart, while the Wilson was slow
sale at fourteen cents."

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

323

(Srtitwial 6leamn<)$.

When to Cut Grass. — An English
paper says: If for horses at work, the
grass should be mowed after it has
passed out of blossom, when the seed
is in the milk, because at this stage it
contains the largest quantity of nutri-
tious substances, such as sugar, starch,
gum, etc., which are of the highest
value, contributing much toward ren-
dering hay such a choice article of food.
If for cows, it should be cut earlier, so
as to leave the grass as nearly in the
green state as possible — soft and succu-
lent—because in this condition it con-
tains a larger quantity of juices which
assimilate well in the animal, and pro-
duce a greater flow of milk. If for
young stock and sheep, the grass should
be mowed when in full flower, because
.after flowering, and as the seed forms
and ripens, it is exposed to loss in its
nutritive matter by the seed being
shaken out and the brittle foliage break-
ing off during cutting and making, and
the grain itself, especially the rye grass,
becoming almost a woody fibre, losing
nearly all its sap and sweet aroma. In
short, hay made from over-matured
grass is no better than ordinary straw,
if indeed so good.

Fecundity of Fishes. — It is said that
probably about 60,000,000 or 70,000,-
000 codfish are taken from the sea an-
nually around the shores of Newfound-
land. But even this quantity seems
small when we consider that the cod
yields something like 3,500,000 eggs
each season, and that even 8,000,000
have been found in the roe of a single
cod! Other fish, though not equaling
the cod, are wonderfully productive. A
herring six or seven ounces in weight
is provided with about 30,000 ova.
After making all reasonable allowances

for the destruction of eggs and of the
young, it has been calculated that in
three years a single pair of herrings
would produce 154,000,000. Buffon said
that if a pair of herrings were left to
breed and multiply undisturbed for a
period of twenty years, they would yield
a fish bulk equal to the globe on which
we live. The cod far surpasses the her-
ring in fecundity. "Were it not that vast
numbers of the eggs are destroyed,
fish would so multiply as to fill the
waters completely.

It is a curious fact that science has
often to adopt measurement and not
weight as a standard unit. There is, in-
deed, no such thing as absolute weight.
It is only the result of gravity. A mass
of matter, for instance, is nearer the
centre of the earth at the poles than at
the equator, and would weigh a quar-
ter of a pound less at the latter than at
the former. Therefore, if we ordered
a quantity of goods to be sent from
some place near the poles toward the
equator, and they were weighed by a
spring balance, they would not weigh
so much on reaching their destination
as they did when they were shipped;
and yet the quantity of matter would
be exactly the same.

The Struggle for Life among Plants.
— Each plant endeavors, almost con-
sciously, to destroy his neighbor, to oc-
cupy his ground, to feed upon his nutri-
ment, to devour his substance. There
are armies and invasions of grasses —
barbarian inroads and extirpations.
Every inch of ground is contested by
the weeds; the forest is a struggle for
precedence; the wars of the Roses are
a perennial feud. The serenest land-
scape, the stillest woodland, are the
mortal arena of animal and vegetable
conflict.

324

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The spittle-like substance found upon
grass, weeds, and frequently upon va-
rious kinds of trees, is produced by a
genus of insects belonging to the Cer-
copis family of the order Homoptera, or
whole - winged bugs. The larvae of
these bugs suck out the juices of
the plants, and, after passing through,
it is deposited about them in the
form which has been termed frog-
spittle; hence the more common name
of these insects, "Frog-spittle bugs."
Flies, no doubt, frequent these bunches
of spittle, but do not produce it, any
more than those which frequent a sugar
hogshead have anything to do with the
manufacture of sugar. There are many
species of these frog-spittle insects. —
Paired New Yorker.

The conveksion of White Pine into
paper pulp, has been going on to a lim-
ited extent for a number of years, but
it was only about two years ago that it
was found possible to use Red Pine for
the purpose. The difficulty lies not so
much in the bruising and mashing of
the wood as in extracting the rosin, and
tar, and such matters, in which the
Red Pine abounds so much more than
the white variety. The process is the
invention of a Scotchman, and a Lon-
don firm is busily engaged in introduc-
ing it into Sweden; they have already
started several works in different parts
of the country. The manufacture, when
fully developed, will be a great thing
for Sweden, with her enormous forests
of Red Pine.

Antiquity of Flax. — Dr. Oswald Heer,
of Zurich, has published a paper " On
Flax Culture in Prehistoric Times."
He finds the original home of the Flax
to be along tie Mediterranean. It can
be shown that the plant was cultivated
in Egypt 5,000 years ago. Flax is

found among the remains of the oldest
pile-dwellings in the Swiss lakes, where
neither Hemp nor Wool has been dis-
covered; and it is probable that the old
lake-dwellers received the Flax plant
from the south of Europe.

Ripening Peaks. — Josiah Hoopes,
after alluding to the common test of
ripeness for picking, namely, gently
raising the fruit to see if it will readily
detach itself at the stem, directs that
the specimens be placed thinly and
evenly on the floor of a cool room, on a
blanket previously spread, and then
covered with a second blanket. He
says, " In a short time the effect of the
treatment will be apparent in the most
golden-colored Bartletts, and rich, rud-
dy-looking Seckels imaginable. Pears
perfected in this manner rarely have
the mealiness of their naturally ripened
companions; nor do they prematurely
decay at the core as when left on the
tree."

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month Ending Sept. 30th, 1873.

(Prepared for The Hokticultukist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Cnronometer-maker, No.
508 Battery Street (opposite the Custom-house.)

BABOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a.m 30. 04 in.

do 12m 30.04

do 3p.m 30.03

do 6p.m 30.01

Greatest height, on the 5th at 12 m 30.19

Least height, on the 2Cth at 6 p. m 29.79

THEEMOMETEE.
(WiUi north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. at 59°

do 12m 64°

do 3p.m 64°

do 6p.m 00°

Greatest height, on the 21st and 23d at 12 m 70 °

Least height, on the 24th and 29th at 6 p.m 55°

SELP - BEGISTEBING THEEMOMETEE.

Mean height during the night 40°

Greatest height, on nights of 25th and 26th 53°

Least height, on nights of 8th, 15th and 17th 42°

"WINDS.

North and north-west on 1 day; south and south-west
on 3 days; west on 26 days.

WEATHEE,

Clear en 6 days; variable on 20 days; cloudy on 4 days.

Old Avenue of Olives,

San Luis Obispo, California.

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. TIL

NOVEMBER, 1873.

No. 11.

MORE VARIETY IN OUR FLOWER
GARDENS.

BY F. A. MILLEE.

With much truth it is said that both
the climate and soil of California offer
superior facilities for the growth and
development of all kinds of vegetation;
yet it is an unmistakable truth, that our
people are very slow in taking advan-
tage of these favorable circumstances
at our command, and which would be
instrumental in making us a prosper-
ous and happy people. Our prosperity
would doubtless be much enhanced if
our fields offered more diversified pro-
ductions; and the gardens surrounding
our homes would give more satisfaction
and comfort if the Flora was represented
by a greater variety of plants and flow-
ers, which our climate permits us to
cultivate successfully, without running
the risk of losing them during the win-
ter months, as our eastern friends fre-
quently do.

There are a few gardens in our State
which have been planted with some care
and judgment, but nine-tenths of them
are made up of Gum-trees, Pines, Mon-
terey Cypress, Acacias, Eoses, Fuchsias,
Laurustinus, and Geraniums — all of
which are very desirable, and I would

Vol.. III.— 42.

not like to see a garden without them;
but there is something more wanted to.
break this tiring sameness, and to give
Variety to our surroundings, in order to
produce a more pleasing effect, such as
California only is capable of exhibiting.

The reader, undoubtedly, will ask
here, " What is wanted to produce the
desired effect?" To answer this ques-
tion is my present purpose.

I wish to say a few words first in re-
gard to ornamental and shade trees.
The Eucalyptus and Acacia thrive with
us remarkably well, and they are, indeed,
charming trees, well worthy of cult-
ivation; so is the Gupressus macrocarpa,
(Monterey Cypress), and the Pinus in-
signis-T (Monterey Pine); but, really, I
think they are too abundant in our gar-
dens, compared with other trees. I am
aware of the fact, that near the coast
evergreen trees do much better than
deciduous trees, on account of the very
severe winds and our peculiar climate;
and for these reasons they are preferred.
I shall therefore confine myself to ever-
greens, and would recommend the fol-
lowing very meritorious kinds:

Grevillea rdbusta is a most magnificent
tree, its foliage being very ornamental,
graceful, and effective. This tree is not
very abundant at our nurseries, but

326

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

some of them may be always had at
reasonable prices. They thrive admira-
bly well in our soil, and in a few years
make a very handsome tree.

Banksia Australia is another very de-
sirable ornamental tree, and should be
in every garden. This is also some-
what scarce, but may be had at most of
the nurseries at a reasonable charge.

Corynocarpus Icevigatus is a magnifi-
cent tree. Its dark-green foliage has
a bright metallic lustre, and always
looks clean and refreshing.

The Br achy chiton acerifolia is a very
remarkable ornamental tree, with bold
and striking foliage, which has the form
of the Maple-leaf, but is persistent. It
bears very showy bright-red flowers,
making the tree a most conspicuous ob-
ject from a distance. A few specimens
may always be found in some of our
nurseries.

The well-known Magnolia grandifiora
should be in every garden. It thrives
well here and makes one of the best
■ornamental trees, its foliage and its
flowers being highly decorative.

The Cryptomeria Japonica, the Schi-
nus molle, (Pepper-tree), the Thuya gi-
gantea, (from Oregon), the various kinds
of Araucarias, the Madrona, (native of
California), the Abies Douglassii, and
others of the same genus; the Eucalyp-
tus amygdalina, E. Viminalis, E. Risdoni;
all are very pleasing trees, and well
adapted to our coast.

Next to trees come the various shrubs,
of which an indefinite number might be
cultivated in our gardens, and which
would be likely to do well here.

It seems that Laurustinus and Fitto-
sporums are in great majority every-
where. Certainly they are excellent
shrubs, and we can not do without them ;
but let us have here and there some-
thing else, which promises to do as well
and gives us more variety.

The Polygala is a beautiful evergreen
flowering shrub, and one which meets
with favor everywhere. It has a neat
habit, is always in bloom, and can be
pruned and trimmed into almost any
shape or form.

The Ericas, of which we now have
a number of excellent varieties under
cultivation at the principal nurseries, is
altogether too rarely met with. As an
evergreen flowering shrub, surely, it
has no superior; its foliage and flowers
are exquisitely graceful, and it grows as
well as the Laurustinus with us. I hope
our nurserymen will introduce a larger
number of varieties of this beautiful
shrub. When first introduced, it was
erroneously treated as a greenhouse
plant, but since then, it has established
itself as perfectly hardy. Its flowering
season being through the winter months,
it is particularly desirable.

The Bouvardia is one of the most
precious flowering shrubs, and although
it is yet treated by most of our nursery-
men as a greenhouse plant, its hardi-
ness is fully established. We set about
fifty plants in open ground in the au-
tumn of '72, and although they were
very small, they survived the winter,
and are now flowering exceedingly well.
The delicate wax-like flowers of various
shades and colors are very effective and
cheerful. I would like to see them in
every garden.

Indigofera Australis is a very pretty
shrub, with handsome purple flowers
and graceful foliage, nearly always in
bloom.

The Deutzias of various sorts, the
well-known Lilacs, the Spirceas, the
Wiegelia rosea, the Snow-ball, (Vibur-
num opulusj, are all most desirable
flowering shrubs, and although they are
deciduous, they are, during the spring
months, of great value to the flower-
garden. The pruning of these decidu-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

327

ous shrubs is not well understood by
those who make the rounds here as the
.so-called "job-gardeners;" and the best
advice I can give to those who cultivate
them in their gardens is, not to let their
gardeners touch them with the shears
or knife, unless it is for the purpose of
removing suckers from the ground, or
such wood as is positively too abundant
or in the way. It is the last year's
growth that produces the flowers, and
by cutting this away there can not be
any flowers.

The Daphne, a most exquisite ever-
green flowering shrub, and rarely met
with, will thrive here in the open air.
Its flowers are very sweet-scented.

The Diosma alba is equal to any of
the very best of flowering shrubs. Its
pretty white flowers are exquisitely fra-
grant; it is perfectly hardy.

The Oestrum aurantiacum is a lovely
shrub, producing elegant clusters of
orange-colored flowers.

The Ghorozema, frequently treated as
a greenhouse plant, is perfectly hardy.
It is a most profuse flowerer during the
winter months, and very desirable.

The Swainsonia, the Lantana, the Ha-
brothamnum, Besberis, Crataegus, Cuphea,
Hydrangea, and JSscallonia, are all shrubs
of great beauty, and hardy beyond a
doubt.

I would also call special attention to the
Bursaria spinosa, of which only one good
specimen seems to be growing at "Wood-
ward's Gardens. This is a most lovely
shrub, of graceful appearance, and its
pretty white flowers are very ornamental.
Plants may be had in most of our nur-
series.

In conclusion, I wish to call the atten-
tion of the reader to the Azalea and
Rhododendron, both of which are flow-
ering shrubs of extraordinary beauty,
and ought to grow here in the open air,
if their cultivation was once thoroughly

understood. Some difficulties seem to
exist in their culture, but my opinion
is, that these difficulties maybe remov-
ed by judicious treatment. I am not
prepared to say positively what treat-
ment they do require, but I have suf-
ficient reason to believe that our soil
and water in San Francisco are not ex-
actly adapted to them. It seems, how-
ever, that a few experiments would
be followed by a good result. Azaleas
and Rhododendrons should grow as
readily here as Fuchsias, and will event-
ually prove even hardier. I hope that
some of our nurserymen and amateur
gardeners will give the matter some at-
tention; and I anticipate a good result.

[To be continued.]

Fbutts of Siam. — Siam is verily the
queen of the tropics in regard to the
abundance, variety, and unequaled lus-
ciousness of her fruits. Here are found
those of China, greatly enriched in tint
and flavor by being transplanted to this
warmer climate; and those of "Western
Asia, in this fruitful soil far more pro-
ductive than in the sterile regions of
Persia and Arabia; while numberless
varieties from the Malayan and Indian
archipelagoes, united with the host of
those indigenous to the country, com-
plete a list of some two hundred or
more species of edible fruits. In this
clime of perennial freshness, trees bear
nearly the year round, and so product-
ive is the soil that the annual produce
is almost incredible. The tax on or-
chards alone yields to the crown a reve-
nue of some five millions of dollars per
annum, as I was informed by the late
"second king" of Siam. It is not unu-
sual to find on a single branch the bud
and blossom, together with fruit in sev-
eral different stages. Thus, at the
merest trifle of expense, a table may be

328

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICTJLTUBIST.

supplied during the entire year with,
forty or fifty specimens of fresh, ripe
fruit. Among these are many varieties
of Oranges and Pineapples, Pumeloes,
Shaddocks, Pawpaws, Guavas, Bananas,
Plantains, Durians, Jack-fruit, Melons,
Grapes, Mangoes, Cocoanuts, Pome-
granates, Soursops, Linchies, Custard
Apples, Bread - fruit, Cassew - nuts,
Plums, Tamarinds, Mangosteens, Bam-
bustans, and scores of others for which
we have no names in our language:
Tropical fruits are generally juicy, sweet,
with a slight admixture of .acid, luscious,
and peculiarly agreeable in a warm cli-
mate; and when partaken of with tem-
perance and due regard to quality, they
are highly promotive of health. For
this reason Buddhists regard the de-
struction of a fruit tree as quite an act
-of sacrilege, and their sacred books pro-
nounce a heavy malediction on those
who wantonly commit so great a crime.
One who has tasted the fruits of the
tropics only at a distance from the soil
that produces them, can form no con-
ception of the real flavor of Plums and
Grapes that never felt the frosty atmos-
phere of our northern clime; of Oran-
ges plucked ripe from the fragrant stem,
and eaten fresh while the morning dew
still glitters on the golden- tinted cheeks;
of the rare, rosy Pomegranate juice,
luscious as nectar. — Lippincott's Maga-
zine.

Tkaining Petunias. — A writer in the
Garden says that a fine effect is obtained
by his method of training Petunias.
He procures a number of hazel rods,
each about two feet long, bends them
like croquet hoops, and drives both ends
into the bed, placing them at suitable
intervals all over it. On these he ties
and trains his Petunias, which blossom
more abundantly than usual under this
treatment. We have seen Petunias

successfully treated as if they were
Sweet Pea vines, and trained on a
slanting trellis. The trailing habit of
this plant, especially late in the season,
is not always sufficiently considered.

TAKING UP AND CUTTING BACK FKUIT-
TEEES AT PLANTING TIME.

BY E. J. HOOPEB.

As the planting season is near at
hand, I have concluded that a few prac-
tical observations, concerning the lift-
ing and pruning of young fruit-trees, is
not out of place in this our November
number of the Hoeticultukist. There
is one thing respecting fruit-trees which
is deserving of more attention than it
practically receives. I do not apply
this so much to the heads of firms,
(although they should see and insist
upon it), as to their foremen and those
working under their instructions; and
that is, that fruit-trees should be taken
up with more care than is generally
practiced under what is called the draw-
ing system, by men who, it may be, are
only employed for short periods, and
who feel no particular interest in the
way the work is done. I have seen
beautiful fruit-trees sent with their roots
so chopped and ruptured, and also pack-
ed in such dry material, that those fine
young trees — say two years of age — (and
that is as old as they should be purchas-
ed for all practical purposes), were
scarcely so good as healthy maiden
plants wrought in that or the previous
season. There may be a chance, even
for such trees, if planted very early in
our rainy season; but if planted much
later, and especially if rather late in the
spring, the shoots, if left, would most
certainly become stunted; and if cut
back, in opposition to the general rule,
that roots and tops should not be cut

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

329

back at one and the same time, there is
every chance that most of them would
become nothing but poor sickly scrubs
with feeble shoots. So much is there
of fact in this representation, that many
gardeners, on going to a nursery, not
only choose their plants, but themselves
see that they are carefully taken up, and
the roots surrounded with damp mulch-
ing. "Unless they can do this, they make
it a point to order maiden plants; these
they can train and move carefully, at
pleasure. The training, as well as the
proper removing of trees from the
ground, is a matter of as much import-
ance to nurserymen as to their custom-
ers. If trees are taken up with more
care, even although a little more is
charged, and if planters can only make
up their minds to plant at the commence-
ment of the rainy season, or very soon
after it, then the cutting-back process
— which as now practiced is sometimes
nearly down to the stump of the young
trained trees, thus rendering all the
training of no avail — will soon be num-
bered among the things of the past.

Some nurserymen, when fruit-trees
are purchased rather early in the sea-
son, say in January, give instructions
that Peaches, Plums, Cherries, and Ap-
ricots should be much cut back when
planted ; and that Apples and Pears
bought at the same time, should stand
over for that operation till the following
spring. Now, I see no use in this ex-
cessive mutilation. I can see very well
the benefit to nurserymen of cutting
back in a moderate degree annually;
bub I do not see any service to the pur-
chaser of well-trained nursery-trees, if
they have abundance of roots when
taken up, of cutting back at all. Is the
benefit, if any, equivalent to the post-
ponement of bearing for one or two
years longer than necessary, and also
the risk, in many cases, of ruining the

trees? The advocacy of some cultiva-
tors of the cutting-back system, at least
to any great extent, can not find any
support, I think, in the Hokticulttjkist.
If the moving is effected at the proper
time, and in the right manner, I hold
with no more cutting back than is re-
quired by the unripeness of the points
of the shoots; and the necessity in some
cases, perhaps, for getting more shoots
to fill up large spaces in the young
trees, and to give them good symmetri-
cal forms. I see, in short, no benefit
to be derived from such mutilation, and
the shortening should only be resorted
to when the shoots are not mature.

Training trees in a nursery to be lop-
ped back when transferred to a garden
or orchard -grounds, will probably go
on until two practices are altered, and
planters as well as nurserymen get freed
from carelessness in this matter. Trees
should be carefully planted soon after
our first or second rains, about the be-
ginning or middle of November, when
the ground is warm enough, in our mod-
erate climate, and when they have a
long time before the dry season, in
spring, to encourage and produce plenty
of fresh rootlets. If the trees are taken
up carefully, and carefully sent, they
will suffer very little. And if a few
green leaves remain, they will serve to
keep up the circulation, while an occa-
sional dash from the hose, syringe, or a
watering-pot, and a slight shade in the
hottest part of the day ( although this
latter suggestion will only apply in gar-
den planting on a small scale), will pre-
vent flagging and shriveling. The very
lifting will induce a more perfect ma-
turing of the wood; and before frosts
or drouth can damage them, the plants
will be able to hold their own. Such
trees, with the soft points merely remov-
ed, will speedily lengthen and throw
out healthy lateral shoots, and soon at-

330

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURE ST.

tain a fair size. Even if the planter
cuts back pretty freely, the vigorous
state of the roots will soon produce a
correlative vigor of branches. In fact,
two-year old, or somewhat older trees,
are a good deal in a similar position
when judiciously and moderately prun-
ed or cut back, to strong, healthy wil-
low stools or Grape-vines, when prun-
ed. None of these favorable character-
istics, however, can exist in the case of
trees imprudently taken up, and trans-
ferred in a bundle to their destination,
in March or April, then put into the
ground at the coldest season of the year
as regards the soil, but with the increas-
ing heat and dryness telling on them;
chiefly when the buds are swelling and
expanding into shoots, before there is
healthy root action to supply their
wants. Spring planters, consequently,
unless they can use very extra care,
have themselves, and not nurserymen
to blame for many of the evils and dis-
appointments that sometimes ensue in
our favorable climate and soil.

Arrangements have been effected to
establish a uniform time all over the
country — that of the National Observa-
tory, Washington, beingi taken as the
standard. New York and the Observa-
tory have been already united by tele-
graph, and this connection is, we are
told, only the preliminary step toward
the connection of all the principal cit-
ies in the East, the West, the South, and
the distant Pacific Coast. The idea is
that the chronometer time at the Ob-
servatory shall be telegraphed during
the day to these different points, whence
it will be again distributed among the
lesser cities. Railroads, banks, and all
the varied industries and enterprises,
are expected to be governed by this uni-
form standard in the conduct and man-
agement of their business.

AN INDIAN WINE.

BY P. C. DANTEES.

The indigenous productions of India
have recently received an addition in
the shape of wine. Of all the numer-
ous products and manufactures for which
India has long enjoyed a far-famed pop-
ularity, she has never hitherto -/been
known as a wine-producing country.
This is no longer the case, and although
it may be many years before we see In-
dian vintages advertised in and about
London, there nevertheless exists the
fact that she is capable of sending forth
such productions. The fruit from which
this wine is manufactured is of a dark,
astringent, and sub-acid character. The
tree on which it grows is the Jamun-
tree ( Sygyznium Janibutanum) ; and un-
der the enterprising care of Mr. J. J.
Yarnier, an Italian gentleman, residing
at Patna, it has been made to yield an
indigenous wine, named by the manu-
facturer "Kenoines." It appears that
some years ago, Mr. Yarnier was struck
with the resemblance which the berry
of this tree bore to a kind of astringent
grape which grows near Milazzo and
Mascali, in Sicily, and which yields a
generous, full-bodied, and, to Italians at
least, a palatable wine. On analyzing
the Jamun fruit, he found its approach
to the grape in question greater than
he had at first thought, and though, to
a certain degree, deficient in vinous
basis, yet capable of yielding good and
palatable wine.

On his return from a visit to Sicily,
Mr. Yarnier tried experiments, and suc-
ceeded finally in inventing a process of
producing wine out of the Jamun. En-
couraged by the result, he secured in
1858 the aid of a skilled wine manufac-
turer from Sicily, and thereby had the
satisfaction of turning out some wine
with perfect success. Not only were

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTUKIST.

331

the defects of the wine corrected, but
its keeping qualities in a hot climate are
said to have been secured beyond doubt,
and it is expected that age will refine and
improve it more and more.

Dr. Collins, of the Government Opium
Factory, at Patna, is of the opinion that
it will prove a wholesome and palatable
beverage; and Dr. Cameron, of Mong-
hyr, described it as "pleasant to drink,"
and as a very light wine, of a light red
color, of a sweet taste, bearing a great
resemblance to claret-cup. A second
wine, made apparently from the same
fruit, is also described as a stronger
wine, not so sweet nor so pleasant to
drink, but containing a large quantity
of astringent matter, which would doubt-
less prove useful for patients suffering
from dysentery and diarrhoea.

The Kangaroo Vine of Australia. —
The habits of this giant climber ( Cissus
antarctica) are graphically described by
a writer in the Gardeners' Monthly. He
saw one of these vines which was almost
seven hundred feet in length, and meas-
ured three feet and nine inches in girth
at the base: It had first infolded in its
deadly embrace a tree of considerable
size, but this support had died and dis-
appeared, and nothing remained but a
spiral column of vine nearly two hun-
dred feet in height, from the summit of
which the huge climber sent out its con-
tinuations in a horizontal line for more
than one hundred and thirty feet, until
it reached a Eucalyptus tree. It was
the opinion of our author's guide, that
the trees which had supported it on its
way to the Eucalyptus had perished by
strangulation. He named the vine "the
devil's corkscrew." Around the Euca-
lyptus the vine had wound in several
coils, and then thrown out a number of
stems, which were grasping all the trees
in the neighborhood of its line of march.

PLANTS FOK HINGING BASKETS.

BY F. A. MILLEB.

[Continued.]

In continuation of my communication
in the October number of the California
Horticulturist, on hanging baskets, I
will now give a list of plants well adapt-
ed for such ornaments. As a centre
piece for a basket the following are
some of the best:

Chinese Primrose fills the basket well,
keeps neat, and produces flowers in
abundance — generally throughout the
year. I would say, however, that the
Primrose will not do well in the open
air, and the basket containing it should
have a place near the window or in the
conservatory.

Sanchesia nobilis is a very suitable
basket plant, with highly ornamental
foliage, and will do very well for the
house.

Centaurea Candida is a very bright-
looking plant for a basket, and will do
very well where the basket is intended
for out-of-doors, or on the veranda; for
this purpose I do not know of anything
better.

Dracoenas with variegated foliage are
brilliant plants for baskets; however,
they are higher in price and require to
be inside of the house. In a warm
place they will do well and produce a
fine effect.

The Alter nantheras are bright-looking
plants, and are particularly well adapt-
ed for baskets; but it is necessary to
keep the basket well drained, tolerably
dry, and inside of the house, or else the
leaves will drop. The same must be
said of the

Ooleus, which, of late, has become so
popular with us as a basket plant; the
bright colors help considerably in the
sale of baskets. The habit of the Cole-
us is such, that it will soon outgrow

332

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

its neatness, and a removal of the plant
becomes necessary.

Some of the dwarf-growing Begonias
are very desirable for baskets, particu-
larly the new variety, foliosa, or the
well-known Begonia parvifolia — only for
house culture.

The dwarf - growing Fuchsia tnacro-
phylla is a plant of good habit for an
out-door basket; and will always flower
well if kept moderately moist.

Ferns of various kinds are worthy
objects for baskets, and if kept in a
shaded place will look always bright,
green, fresh, and graceful; a basket
filled with Ferns should be kept rather
moist.

For the window or the conservatory,
the variegated ornamental foliage Be-
gonias may be highly recommended.
A basket of this kind must be kept rath-
er dry, and in a warm and protected
place. It makes a very effective orna-
ment.

To fill a basket well, a number of
smaller plants are required to be plant-
ed near the rim. The most hardy of
these, for out-door baskets, are:

Isolepis gracilis, the best and most
graceful grass for the purpose, always
green if watered sufficiently.

Lobelia is next in importance to make
up a good effect; it is of excellent habit,
and gives a graceful appearance; its
bright little blue flowers are always ad-
mired.

Senecio scandens ( German Ivy ) is the
hardiest and most prolific plant for bas-
kets; it climbs and trails in a pleasing
manner, and grows well both in and
out of doors.

Tradescantia zebrina, Sedums of various
kinds, Linaria, Maurandia, Saxifraga,
Periwinkle of different sorts, Ivies, green
and variegated, and Ivy-leaved Gerani-
ums are all hardy, and combined with
the others named before, will make a

most desirable basket for the open air.

For the greenhouse, conservatory, or
parlor window, the following dwarfish-
growing plants produce a most pleasing
and brilliant effect :

Cissus discolor, excellent as a climber
or trailer for a warm situation.

Antigonon leptopus is probably the
most graceful trailing plant for such a
basket. But few of them can be had
as it is a plant of recent introduction.

Torenia Asiatica, a beautiful blue flow-
ering greenhouse plant, which will do
well under ordinary treatment, is well
adapted for the purpose.

Fittoniagigantea, Pearcei, and Verschaf-
feltii are magnificent ornamental foliage
plants for baskets.

The Peperomias, Busselia juncea, Coc-
coloba, Gymnostachium, Variegated Se-
dum, Lycopodium,Smilax, Eranthemums,
Ampelopsis Veitchii, have all excellent
habits for basket-growing in the house
or under glass, and possess all the good
qualities necessary to make up a most
desirable collection.

After planting the basket with all
that is to grow in it, it should be
thoroughly watered and placed in the
shade for a few days; during which
time it should simply be left alone.
As soon as all the plants have assumed
a healthy and vigorous appearance, the
basket may be hung in the place intend-
ed for it. During winter months, no
more water should be given than is posi-
tively necessary. During summer, a
frequent sprinkling of the basket is very
beneficial.

[To be continued.]

To Freshen Cut Flowers. — Cut off
half an inch of the stems and place
them in boiling water, or otherwise
place them in fresh water with fine
powdered charcoal, and place a bell-
glass over them.

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICLT^TUBIST.

333

SUMAC AND HOW IT IS CURED.

H. A. V. of "Waco, Texas, -writes:

There is a great quantity of Sumac on
the prairies around here, and quanti-
ties of it might be easily gathered:

1. Will it pay to gather it?

2. Where is the best market for us?

3. What is the time to gather it ?

4. How should it be prepared for
market, and what price should it bring ?

Several answers were elicited to in-
quiries about Sumac, from Southern
readers of the Country Gentleman, in
the course of last year, and we condense
from them what comes the nearest to
answering the questions of H. A. V. ,
trusting that further information may
be elicited from our correspondents who
happen to be familiar with the product
referred to.

So far as we are aware, more atten-
tion has been given to Sumac in the
vicinity of Fredericksburg, Ya. , than in
any other part of the country. A meet-
ing was held at that place in September,
1872, of ten or a dozen firms engaged
at various points in grinding Sumac, for
consultation as to the interests of the
business. It is stated that the price
paid at the mills for dried Sumac is one
to two cents per pound, and that after
grinding, it is sold in New York at about
four cents a pound by the ton. These
facts lead us to infer that H. A. Y.'s 1st
question may be answered in the affirm-
ative. As to the 2d question, we know
of no market likely to be available short
of St. Louis or New York. With refer-
ence to the other inquiries, we quote
the following letter from a Western cor-
respondent of the Country Gentleman :

Eed Sumac — black, sometimes called
— is the Sumac of our commerce. White
is worthless. Here in southwest Mis-
souri, the shrub grows without cultiva-
tion on all our prairies and glades. If
it is to be cultivated, the better way, it
seems, would be to get the ground in

Vol. in.— 43.

good fix, and plant in rows about three
feet apart each way; cultivate the first
year, and sow the land in Blue-grass, as
it is of slow growth, and the turf will
help the ground to hold moisture, and
as the Sumac roots run near the sur-
face, they will be nourished till the
branches have afforded the necessary
shelter. The leaves are gathered here
from the middle of July to last of Au-
gust, before they turn red, as after this
they are not marketable. Dry or cure
in the shade. Kiln drying has been
practiced by some, but can not say as
to the success, though it seems that this
process would be practically useful.
After curing, the leaflets are generally
stripped from the stem and packed in
bags or bales for market, though much
was marketed the past season from some
of our neighboring counties, stems and
all. The price is from seventy -five
cents to one dollar per hundred pounds
stripped. The seeds are not gathered
with the leaves.

A correspondent in western New York
gave the following directions for curing :

The time for cutting is after the leaf
is of full size, until it turns its color.
Only the leaf is of value. No bobs
must be allowed in it. Cut the stalks
of the present year's growth, and cure
them as you would hay, taking care to
preserve it from rain and dew, as both
injure it the same as hay would be in-
jured. Put it in the barn, and examine
it often for a time, for it will heat and
spoil very soon if not properly cured.
Let it lie until the weather is very cold;
then thresh it. The best way is to put
it on the barn floor; pile it on three or
four feet deep, and put on a span of
horses. They will soon tread the leaves
from the stalk. Kake off the sticks and
put on another flooring. When the
leaves and small branches (that do not
rake out) have become a foot or more
deep on the floor, put the horses on to
that, and tread and stir it until it is
quite fine ; then sift it, and it is ready
for sacking. To sift it expeditiously
will require a large coarse sieve. One
of half an inch mesh, will take out most
of the objectionable stems.

The following facts were quoted from
a New York journal:

334

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

Previous to 1865 but little American
Sumac was used; now nearly 4,000 tons
are drawn from our old fields and for-
ests, yet at the same time the consump-
tion has largely increased, and the
amount imported exceeds $300,000 in
value. The upland Sumac is that pre-
ferred for market purposes. It is of
three species : the stag-horn or Bhus
typhina, which grows to a tree eighteen
f eethigh, and the smooth or Bhus glabra.
The Bhus copallina is also used; it is
sometimes called dwarf Sumac. The
swamp Sumac is not considered of value.
The first has branches of a hairy ap-
pearance like a stag's born; the two lat-
ter have little bristles or hairs on the
berries. These Sumacs generally grow
on red lands derived from primitive
rocks.

The time to gather is before the berry
is ripe. Gather only the leaves, and be
careful to keep out the berries. Dry
in the air, taking care to keep out rain
and dew. Also do not have the leaves
too thick, as they may heat; and it is
•a2.se best to stir them several times a
day. No w<oody stems should be al-
lowed to he picked or get among the
leaves. They add some weight, but
rtake off a great deal from the value
■of the Sumac. When thoroughly dried
at must be ground. This is done in
mills, the stones of which run on edge,
and there are numbers of them in Ma-
ryland, Virginia, aoad one at Greens-
boro", N. C. As dried, before being
ground, it is worth about one and a
half to two cents per pound, as may be
its cleanliness. When ground and sent
to New York, first-class American Su-
mac will sell from four and a half to five
cents per pound by the ton.

"When the business was first com-
menced, a great deal of poor Sumac was
sent to New York. A bad name was
given to the article, and the price was
very low, but we are informed that our
manufacturer in Winchester gets as
much for his article as the best Sicilian.
Southern Sumac is richer in tannin than
the Sicilian, but there has not gener-
ally been enough care taken in its prep-
aration for market. After grinding, it
should be packed in bags containing
162 pounds. The bags, to hold this
quantity, should be cut 40 by 60 inches.

That considered best has a light green
color.

There is room for a dozen or more of
these mills in the South, and the Su-
mac for them is daily going to waste.
The necessary machinery, buildings and
power need not cost as much as $5,000,
and if grinding only two hundred tons
a year, would pay handsomely on that
investment. The price at the mills in
Virginia ranges from one to two cents
per pound, and if properly prepared,
will sell in New York at four cents
per pound. There certainly must be a
profit of $20 per ton. — Country Gen-
tleman.

■ ♦— .

Plants foe Hanging Baskets. — In fill-
ing the baskets, do not use common
garden soil, as it is not suitable for
growing plants in this way, from its
tendency to bake together and shrink
away from the sides of the basket or
pot ; but, if possible, procure some top-
soil from the pine woods, which is rich
with the decay of the tiny needles of
the pines, or a yellow loamy soil, part
sandy, from the florist's. Then be sure
that there is a little hole in the bottom
of the baskets to allow the superfluous
water to pass away, or else put in bits
of charcoal to act in drainage, and also
to keep the soil sweet. A piece of
sponge is also an excellent substitute
for a hole in the basket, as it will suck
up all superfluous moisture, and then
allow the roots of the plants in their
turn to receive it. Usually plants in
hanging baskets require more moisture
than other plants, because they are
more thoroughly exposed on all sides to
the air, and the water evaporates more
quickly. So if they hang up away from
direct contact with your eyes, you must
give a little water both night and morn-
ing, so that they will not suffer for the
want of it.

I am growing now for winter flower-
ing and foliage, the ivy-leaved Gera-
nium, L' Elegante; Isolepis gracilis, a

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

335

lovely grass of a light green; Coliseum
Ivy; Smilax; Peristrophe angustifolia
aurea, a lovely plant, with yellow leaves
striped with green, while its flowers are
of a delicate violet hue; Pilea muscosa,
which resembles tree moss, and its grace-
ful drooping habit makes it very desi-
rable; and Tradescantia zebrina, whose
striped leaves, of a rich purplish maroon
and green, contrast charmingly with the
other plants. These will fill three bas-
kets, which will decorate my dining-
room and parlor when the face of Na-
ture is shrouded in its snowy mantle,
and not a green thing is visible out of
doors. — Country Gentleman.

OLD AVENUE OF OLIVES.

(SEE ILIiUSTKATION. )

The patient plodding industry of the
old Mission Fathers of California, from
all accounts, gave them an abundant
reward, and when we look over their
mission-fields of labor now in ruins, and
nearly all vestiges of a numerous Span-
ish and Indian population have disap-
peared, a feeling of sadness takes pos-
session of our hearts. This is particu-
larly the case when viewing these noble
old Olives of a former day, and we can
not do better than make a few extracts
from the Overland Monthly, a magazine
that is constantly publishing so many
interesting facts about our prolific soil
and genial climate: "I followed the
guidance of my English friend, and
was satisfied that he appreciated the
beauty of the grounds. 'Stand here/
he said, taking position near the an-
cient olive-press, beneath the allee of
equally ancient Olive-trees; c look down
that way, and fancy how in olden times
the padre walked slowly along in the
shadow of these Olives, breviary in hand,
and looking up occasionally to see that
the Indians did well their work in the

garden.' I half-closed my eyes, and
gave full scope to my imagination ; the
man was right. It was a picture serene-
ly still, and full of heavenly peace.".

In connection with this subject we
make the following extract from the
same magazine: "Olive-culture, it is
anticipated, will prove a lucrative
business in the county of Santa Bar-
bara, and elsewhere on the southern
coast of California. The labor required
in its cultivation, compared to that de-
manded by ordinary field and garden
farming, is trifling. The tree at five
years of age, returns a slight recompense
for care ; and at seven, an orchard
should afford an average yield of about
twenty gallons of berries to a tree. If
there are seventy trees to an acre,
there should be obtained from it 1,400
gallons of berries. From twenty gal-
lons of berries may be extracted three
gallons of oil; and, if properly manu-
factured, olive-oil will command $4 to
$5 a gallon, at wholesale. Thus an
average yield of Olives, derived from an
orchard covering one acre of land, will
produce about $800 worth of oil. After
deducting the entire cost of production
and manufacture, a net profit may be
anticipated of at least $2 per gallon;
and thus, one acre, containing seventy
trees, yielding an average of twenty
gallons of berries, or the equivalent of
three gallons of oil each, will afford a
surplus above all expenses of about $400
a year."

Lands are made to increase yearly in
fertility, mainly in three ways — by buy-
ing commercial fertilizers, by ploughing
under clover, by buying rich food for
animals and saving all their droppings.
The farmer understands his business
who knows which mode is best for him.
The most successful farmers practice all
three. — Exchange.

336

THE CALIFOBNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

ORNAMENTAL AND FOEEST TEEES FOE
FAEMS.

There is much said in the agricultural
papers of the day concerning the plant-
ing of ornamental and shade trees at
the West. Various States have set apart
"arbor days," when every man and boy
shall feel it his duty to transplant one
or more trees, and some States are so
wise as to offer a reward to the person
who shall set out the largest number of
forest-trees on that day. Now, there is
as great a scarcity of shade - trees upon
many farms at the East as at the West,
and the purpose of this article is to
call attention to the fact, and persuade
youthful farmers to supply the defi-
ciency, and to transplant the Maple,
Oak, Elm, and other trees this season,
which will afford a grateful shade for
years to eome.

I heartily commend those farmers
who plant new orchards of Apples,
fears, Cherries, Plums, and Peaches.
The fruit is delicious, highly appreciat-
ed at home and abroad, and will bring
in plenty of " material aid" in the shape
of greenbacks. But fruit-trees are not
desirable about the house, and can nev-
er take the place of forest -trees for
adornment, timber, or fuel; nor are they
as desirable for a "cool, umbrageous
shade."

Cattle seek grateful shelter from the
noonday sun, and it is as essential for
their comfort to obtain it as it is for
man's — as needful for their health.
But do not plant the trees too close to
your dwelling-houses and barns; give
the air a free circulation about such
buildings. Oaks, Maples, and Elms
should not droop their branches over
the roof-tops, but be planted at least
thirty or forty feet distant.

In selecting trees to plant around the
home farm, it is always well to choose

those which are useful as well as orna-
mental. The Sugar Maples are quite
as handsome as Oaks and Elms, while
from thirty to forty good -sized trees,
several pounds of delicious syrup can
be obtained. I know a man who plant-
ed in his yard ten Sugar Maples, some
twenty or thirty years ago, and now ob-
tains about three gallons of maple syr-
up every spring. Thus we can com-
bine utility and beauty. The American
Weeping Elm is as perfect a tree as
grows, and the Oak is always majestic,
while the White and Black Ash and Sil-
ver Maple are also much admired.

While I am on this subject, let me
beg your readers to plant trees outside
of lawns and front yards, as well as
within the fences, and have the pleas-
ure of providing a shad}7 highway and
sidewalk for every passer-by. There is
nothing which adds more beauty to a
street than rows of forest - trees. Ever-
greens are most desirable for wind-
breaks, screens, and ornamental pur-
poses upon a lawn, but are not so well
adapted to the front door-yards. They
are excellent shields from the north
wind, however, and in single trees or
in clusters, are especially beautiful on
large lawns.

Almost all farmers can go into the
forests and obtain as many trees as they
require, merely for the cost of digging
and transplanting them. If they choose
Maples, Elms, Oaks, or Ash, they will
be surer of success if they select those
that are from eight to ten feet high;
their top branches should be shortened,
and many of them cut entirely away,
leaving the stems nearly bare, but tak-
ing care to lift a large ball of earth and
all the little rootlets possible.

In planting them, prepare a hole
larger than the base of the tree, and
deeper than the roots; pour one or two
pails of water into the hole, and set the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

337

tree in firmly and straight. Stamp
down the soil around the roots closely,
and then turn the uplifted sods bottom
upward around the base of the tree.

To transplant Chestnut, Hickory, and
"White Oak, select small trees, not over
five or six feet high, and leave the poles
nearly bare of branches or leaves; also
cut the main stem in for half a foot.
This severe pruning has the effect of
producing more root growth, and saves
the life of many trees.

When new trees are planted, it is
well to mulch them about the roots and
stems with coarse stable litter or hay;
and if planted where cattle will be lia-
ble to rub against them, a strong stake
will afford much protection. — Country
Gentleman.

Cultivation of Fish rx Ditches axd
Ponds. — Experience proves that fish
are much more easily cultivated than
has been supposed. Much attention is
now being paid in Germany to their
cultivation in ponds and ditches, and it
has been found, contraiy to the gener-
ally received opinion in reference to
such localities, that they are more favor-
able for the purposes than other large
bodies of water, apparently fresh and
pure in their character. This is doubt-
less owing to the great abundance of an-
imal life, as well as the more decided
concentration of vegetable substances
in the form of living plants of different
kinds, including the algse. This pro-
duces a constitution of oxygen, needed
for the respiration of the fish, and al-
lows a larger mass of life to be crowded
together in a given space. The repro-
duction of the species is unusually rap-
id, and the young grow very quickly.
From the above it seems quite clear
that there is no great mystery in fish
culture, and that it can be made largely
profitable, if properly managed.

PROLIFIC JOINT COEX.

BY KOBEET E. C. STEAKNS.

Three seasons ago I noticed in the
Illustrated Catalogue ( 1871 ) of B. K.
Bliss & Sons, seedsmen, an advertise-
ment of a new variety of Corn, which was
highly recommended by them. Hav-
ing known of the excellent reputation
of the firm for many years, I sent to
them for a few small packages of the
seed, and gave it a trial. I should
mention, however, that aside from their
recommendation, I, by accident, met
with an Indiana paper, and in glancing
over it, I noticed that this Corn had
taken two premiums for great yield,
at two of the county fairs of that
State.

My place of residence was at the time
just outside the city limits of Petaluma,
and on nearly the highest land there-
abouts; the soil a gravelly loam, with
some clay and some little fine sand in-
termingled; it had been in pasture for
many years prior to planting; was plow-
ed deep, and well broken up and pul-
verized; but the spring rains being
exceedingly meagre, the soil was very
dry in some places — ' ' as dry as an ash-
heap" — so dry that some of the seed
never sprouted, and was dug up as hard
and sound as when put in the ground.
Of course the Corn that did grow was
a long time in getting a start, yet under
these exceedingly unfavorable influ-
ences, the crop was most abundant, and
with a fair show, would have been enor-
mous. I was more than satisfied, and
fully believe that the yield would have
reached, if not have exceeded, the
statement of its originator. One stalk
— from a single seed of course — which
I exhibited at the Sonoma County Fair,
had fifteen ears on it, and ten ears to a
stalk was not uncommon, the ears be-
ing: from five to seven inches long when

338

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

husked. It is a white Corn, with a
small kernel and slender cob.

One secret of its great yield per acre
is in the fact that it is not a taZZ-growing
corn, and therefore admits of close
planting, which will not answer for the
common varieties. It can be planted
in drills or furrows which are no far-
ther than three feet apart, and a kernel
dropped every twelve to eighteen inches;
the latter distance being ample in
ground that is in a good condition. At
this spacing (three feet by eighteen
inches ) the number of stools per acre
would be nearly nine thousand, which
is nearly or quite three times as many
as when or where the common Corn is
planted.

It is a good parching Corn, though
not the very best for this purpose; and
as good for feed as any other, especially
for poultry, as the kernels are small
and do not need cracking.

For the purposes of fodder, cutgreen,
to feed milch cows late in the season, it
is first-rate, as the stalk or butt is slen-
der and tender; and if the stalks are
saved after harvest, the proportion of
husks is so great as to make it superior.
If sowed, to be cut green for fodder,
I should put the seed not over six to
nine inches apart in the row.

It is a heavy corn, weighing sixty to
sixty-two pounds to the stricken bushel.
I cultivated it as nearly on a level as
possible, using a cultivator between the
rows, and not a plow. It is by far the
most prolific Corn that I ever saw; and
unless a person is prejudiced against
white corn, will prove as satisfactory as
it has to me.

streets of Paris and other large cities.
According to M. E. Andre, it is only the
flowers of the male trees which exhale
this unpleasant scent, and he recom-
mends that none but female trees should
be, for the future, planted in public or
other places where the peculiar odor of
the males might be offensive.

A BUNCH OF CALIFORNIA PEARS.

Perfume oe the Ailanthxjs. — Many
complaints have been made of the over-
powering and offensive odor of the flow-
ers of the Ailanthus-trees planted in the

BY E. J. HOOPER.

In a window of the office of the Bul-
letin, in this city, are exhibited 140 Vi-
car of Winkfield Pears growing from a
stem an inch only in diameter at the top
or thickest part. The length of the
stem and branches is four feet, and the
width of the cluster, about the middle,
is two and a half feet. Its weight is
eighty-five pounds, and the pears will
fill two common boxes containing nearly
three bushels. The tree from which
the fruit was taken is on the ranch of Mr.
Kercheval, near Courtland, on the Sac-
ramento River. This variety of Pear,
sometimes called Vicar of Wakefield,
Le Cure, Monsieur le Cure, and Clion,
was found growing wild in a wood in
France by M. Clion, a French curate;
hence the names, Clion, Le Cure, etc.
Afterward, it was grown in a garden at
Winkfield, Berkshire, England, by Rev.
Dr. Rham, and received the new name
of Vicar of Winkfield, concentrating
the two associations in the one name,
and which, being of our own language,
is to be preferred. It is a most profit-
able variety, either on the Quince stock
or as a standard; and although only sec-
ond quality, it is always fair and large.
The tree is a very vigorous grower, with
large, roundish, glossy leaves; shoots —
diverging, and of a dark olive color;
fruit— large, oblong, obovate, pyriform;
color — dull pale-green at first, becom-
ing pale -yellow, often with a fine

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

339

brownish-red cheek, marked sometimes
"with brown dots over the whole sur-
face. Its season is from October to
January. It is always a first-rate baking
Pear, and when well ripened off in a
warm temperature, it is fine as a table
Pear, but generally rather astringent
and crisp. It is always, however, re-
markably fair and handsome, and noted
for its productiveness and large size.

A VASE OF FLOWERS FOR THE SHAH.

On the occasion of the visit of this
"attractive celebrity" to the Crystal
Palace on the 30th of June, the private
rooms appropriated to royalty were
nicely decorated with flowering plants
by Mr. Laing of the Stansted Nursery,
Forest Hill, and with a number of va-
ses, very tastefully arranged by a young
lady of the neighborhood, well known
among the amateur exhibitors at the
Crystal Palace Flower Shows. Among
them, that selected for the centre-table
in the Shah's private room especially
merits a record. The vase chosen was
composed of four tall trumpets stand-
ing in a glass dish, the centre trumpet
being taller than the other three which
surrounded it, and curved away from it.
In the dish were four fine blooms of
crimson Cactus, alternately with large
flowers of white Water Lily; these were
set off with a few fronds of Maiden-
hair, judiciously placed. In each of
the three curved trumpets was a flower
of a fine white Lilium (in form and color
intermediate between L. auratum and
L. candidum), in which the deep yellow
of the eye of the Nymphcea was spar-
ingly repeated. Around each Lilium
were a few blooms of blue Corn-flower,
among which peeped out two little
pieces of Kalosanthes Coccinea, of the
same color as the Caetus below. The
tallest trumpet was dressed with white

Ilhodanthe, mixed with two or three
paler blue Corn-flowers and a little
grass, and edged with small sprays of
little crimson - tubed yellow - mouthed
Echeveria. The stems were twined with
climbing Fern (Lygodium japonicum),
and between the three curved stems
stood up three well-chosen pieces of
white Bhodanthe. The whole formed
one of the best specimens of floral ar-
rangement I have ever seen, the flow-
ers being of the best quality and in
the best condition, and the grouping
being faultless. I wish that decorators
could be induced generally to use fewer
colors in their vases, and to repeat the
colors, instead of varying them, upon
each tier of their vases. The most ar-
tistic decorations that have come under
my observation have been produced
either with flowers of the same colors
that occur in the lowest tier being re-
placed by smaller and smaller flowers
of the same color, in the succeeding
upper tiers, or, if smaller flowers are
not attainable, by paler shades in the
upper tiers of the colors used below.
This vase for the Shah's room presented
illustrations of both these principles
combined. — The Garden.

The Rotting of Feutt. — According
to Decaisne, the rotting of fruit is pro-
duced by two microscopic fungi, which
develop in moist air, viz. : Mucor mu-
cedo and Penecillium glaucum, infinitely
minute germs of which are continually
floating in the atmosphere, and which
attack more especially any injured or
abraded portion of the surface. If the
fruit be wrapped up in cotton or with
soft tissue paper, or still better with
wax paper or tin foil, the introduction
of these germs will be prevented, and
the fruit can be kept for a long time
without any appreciable change.

340

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

miUvM WpxiMw.

We regret to find that the Fall Exhi-
bition of the Bay District Horticultural
Society is financially a failure — a repe-
tition of the ill-success of the spring.
The utmost economy was used in the
preparations; expenses were carefully
reduced to a minimum; the officers and
some of the members exerted them-
selves to the utmost, and performed
those duties which in all other societies
are deputed to employes; and to the
honor of very many of the exhibitors,
they have generously declined to draw
the premiums awarded them — and yet
a loss! The Secretary reports that his
balance-sheet shows a deficiency of at
least $500. We abstain from further
comment at the present time, on ac-
count of the press of other matters;
but at another time, will have to revert
to the subject. We subjoin the report
of the Secretary of the Society.

The Cinchona-tree. — In view of the
probable introduction and cultivation
of the Cinchona-tree upon American
soil, any information relating to the
proper treatment of these plants is ren-
dered serviceable. A recent observer
reports that, when the plants of the
Cinchona succirubra are manured with
sulphate of ammonia or guano,, the
result is an increase in the alkaloids
obtained. By this treatment, however,
a change seems to be effected by which
this species loses its alkaloidal charac-
ter with age, and for this reason ma-
nuring is not advised. A more favor-
able result follows the manuring of the
Cinchona officinalis, which is thus caused
to yield a much greater amount of qui-
nine. While pursuing the same line of
investigation, J. E. Howard reports that
the leaves of the Cinchona succirubra
contain no alkaloids.

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS.

Bay District Horticultural Society.
— The Third Annual Exhibition of our
Horticultural Society opened, as an-
nounced, on Tuesday, September 30th,
at 8 o'clock, p. m. , at the Horticultural
Hall. Although the time for the neces-
sary preparations was very limited, yet
everything was so far completed that
hardly any space was unoccupied at the
time of opening.

In the absence of Dr. Kellogg, the
President of the Society, Dr. Behr made
a few appropriate remarks, and then in-
troduced the speaker of the evening,
Prof. E. S. Carr, who delivered an able
address, which was published in the last
number of the Horticulturist. That
Professor Carr has rendered an excel-
lent service to the cause of Horticulture
by his talented speech, is acknowledged
by all who heard him. It is particu-
larly well appreciated by the members
of the Society, who fully share his
views as to the importance of the insti-
tution, and the lack of proper support
on the part of the public.

After the close of Professor Carr's
address, Dr. Behr declared the Exhibi-
tion open to the public; and under the
influence of the delightful strains of the
band, all present roamed around, full
of admiration for the grand display
made in so short a time, and enjoyed,
to say the least, a most pleasant even-
ing. Although the attendance at the
opening was small in number, yet those
present represented the very best class
of our population.

The principal features of the Exhibi-
tion were flowers and plants, fruits,
preserved fruits, and jellies.

Flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees
were really well represented in point of
variety, as well as quality. There was
a very decided improvement in the

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

341

quality of plants, and nurserymen and
florists did well in preparing their plants
for exhibition, which they neglected
to do at former exhibitions. The prin-
cipal exhibitors in this department were
E. L. Reimer, Miller & Sievers, E.
Meyer, E. E. Moore, R. B. Woodward,
William Robertson, and various ama-
teurs.

The most interesting and most con-
spicuous collections were :

Group of Tropical Plants, of R. B.
Woodward, by Th. Brown.

Tender Ornamental Foliage Plants —
one collection by Th. Brown of Wood-
ward's Gardens, another by Miller &
Sievers, and a third by E. E. Moore.

Ferns, two very excellent collections,
by E. Meyer and by Miller & Sievers.

Flowering Plants, by E. L. Reimer;
a most meritorious exhibit for the late-
ness of the season.

Collection of Caladiums, by Miller &
Sievers, including many new and fine
varieties of late introduction.

Greenhouse and Conservatory Plants,
three collections, by E. L. Reimer, Mil-
ler & Sievers, and E. Meyer, all of which
were very meritorious.

New and Bare Plants, two collec-
tions.

Australian Evergreens, one collection.

Coniferce, one very good group, by
E. L. Reimer.

Coleas, two superior collections.

Hardy Ornamental Foliage Plants.

Best Grown Plants, twenty specimens,
by E. L. Reimer; one of the best groups
we ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Japanese Plants, a meritorious exhibit,
by E. E. Moore.

Climbers, Boses, Fuchsias, Double Ge-
raniums, Variegated - Leaf Geraniums,
Ornamental Foliage Begonias, Marantas,
Brimulas, and California Native Blants,
all well represented.

In Class II, some very good exhibits

Vol. III.— 4A.

were made of Hanging Baskets, both
rustic and wire, of Flower-stands, Fern-
cases, and Coniferse Cones.

In Class III, of Cut-flowers, the prom-
inent features were Dahlias, Roses, and
a general display of Cut-flowers.

Class IV, of Bouquets, was, as usual,
inferior. But very few really good ex-
hibits were made, our florists complain-
ing of want of time. The deficiency
in this class is always badly felt, and
the want of enterprise in this depart-
ment is not easily accounted for.

Class V, consisting of Fruits, was the
most complete and remarkable that has
ever been made' in San Francisco. The
principal exhibitors were D. C. Young,
of Sonoma; John Rock, of San Jose;
W. B. West, of Stockton; and Mrs.
Odford, of Sacramento.

The collection of Apples, by D. C.
Young, was the largest ever made in the
State, comprising 140 varieties of su-
perior quality. The same party also
showed a complete collection of the
Pears grown on this coast, and they
were of excellent variety.

The exhibit of Foreign Grapes by Mr.
W. B. West, notwithstanding the late-
ness of the season, was one of the best
ever made, in point of varieties as well
as quality.

Mr. Rock, of San Jose, had some very
fine Apples, Prunes, and Quinces, which
would be creditable to any country.

The display of Preserved Fruits, Jel-
lies, and Pickles, by Mrs. Odford, of
Sacramento, was the finest and most
numerous ever made in this State, and
found a great many admirers. We can
not express too much praise for the un-
tiring enterprise of this lady, who makes
this industry a particular study.

Class VI, of California Wines, was
represented by Mr. H. Winkle, who.
showed some excellent California White
and Red Wines — Zinfandel, Gutedel,

342

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

and Cabinet — all of which are said to
be of first quality.

EXHIBITS NOT INCLUDED IN THE GENERAL
PREMIUM SCHEDULE.

By A. Kauffman, three Pears, (Du-
chesse d'Angovleme), weighing, in the
aggregate, four pounds and six ounces.

By Miss Stella Sheppard, one case
of Passiflora princeps, in wax.

By P. A. Espina, specimens of Pen-
manship, representing various horticul-
tural products.

By Andrea Sbarboro, three Japanese
specimen plants, representing a cottage,
a turtle, and a sailing vessel.

By Mrs. Burnum, one case of Skele-
ton Leaves.

By E. Wolleb, four specimens of Or-
namental Foliage Plants.

By various children, plants which
they had received from the Society at
former exhibitions, and which, to their
credit be it said, showed a marked im-
provement as compared with those of
the last exhibition.

AWARDS OF PREMIUMS.

Class I. — Plants.

1. Flowering Plants in Bloom: first
prize, E. L. Reiraer.

2. Australian Evergreens: first prize,
E. L. Reimer.

3. Conifers: firstprize, E. L. Reimer.

4. Plants for Greenhouse and Con-
servatory : first prize, Miller & Sie-
vers; second prize, E. Meyer; third
prize, E. L. Reimer.

5. Hardy Ornamental Foliage Plants :
first prize, E. L. Reimer.

6 . Tender Ornamental Foliage Plants :
first prize, Th. Brown, Woodward's
Gardens; second prize, Miller & Sie-
vers; thud prize, E. E. Moore.

7. Tropical Plants: first prize, Th.
Brown, Woodward's Gardens. Special
mention of superior specimens.

8. Hardy Climbers: first prize, E. L.
Reimer.

9. Tender Climbers, second prize,
Miller & Sievers.

10. New and Rare Plants: first prize,

Miller and Sievers; second prize, E.
Meyer.

11. Plants for Hanging Baskets and
Rocks; second prize, E. L. Reimer.

12. Ferns: first prize, E. Meyer; sec-
ond prize, Miller & Sievers.

14. Coleus: first prize, E. L. Reimer;
second prize, Miller & Sievers.

15. Fuchsias: first prize, E. L. Rei-
mer; second prize, Miller & Sievers.

16. Double Geranium: second prize,
E. L. Reimer.

17. Variegated Leaf Geraniums: first
prize, E. L. Reimer.

18. Zonale Geraniums : second prize,
E. L. Reimer.

20. Ornamental Foliage Begonias :
first prize, E. E. Moore.

24. Calacliums: first prize, Miller &
Sievers.

25. Marantas: first prize, Miller &
Sievers.

27. Primulas: first prize, Miller &
Sievers.

30. California Native Plants : first
prize, Miller & Sievers.

31. Japanese Plants : first prize, E. E.
Moore.

32. Best-grown Plants, twenty speci-
mens: first prize, E. L. Reimer.

33. Best -grown Plants, ten speci-
mens: first prize, Miller & Sievers.

Judges — R. Michelsen, Dr. Behr, and
W. B. West.

Glass II.— Miscellaneous.

34. Rustic Hanging Baskets : first
prize, E. E. Moore.

35 . WTire Hanging Baskets : first prize,
E. L. Reimer; second prize, Mrs. Hoff-
man.

36. Rustic Flower-stand: first prize,
Miller & Sievers.

37. Wire Flower -stand: first prize,
Miller & Sievers; second prize, Mrs.
Hoffman.

38. Conif erse Cones of California : first
prize, C. Stephens.

41. Square Fern-case: first prize, M.
H. Lester.

42. Round Fern -case: first prize,
Miller & Sievers.

Judges — D. C. Young, Dr. Behr, and
W. B. West.

Class III. — Cut Flowers.

43. Cut Flowers, general display: first

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

343

prize, E. L. Reimer; second prize, Wm.
Robertson.

44. Gladiolus: first prize, Miller &
Sievers.

45. Cut Roses: first prize, "Win. Rob-
ertson; second prize, Miller & Sievers.

46. Cut Pinks: first prize, Miller &
Sievers.

47. Cut Dahlias: first prize, N. M.
Malmgren; second prize, Miller & Sie-
vers.

Class IV. — Bo u quets.

48. Basket of Flowers: first prize,
Miller & Sievers, by August Duhein.

49. Pyramid Bouquet: first prize, E.
L. Reimer.

50. Wedding Bouquet: first prize,
W. Robertson.

51. Funeral Wreath: first prize, W.
Robertson.

52. Funeral Cross: first prize, W.
Robertson.

53. Funeral Cross: diploma, Miller
& Sievers, by Hugo Leopold.

54. Flat Bouquet: first prize, E. L.
Reimer.

55. Floral Design: first prize and di-
ploma, Miller & Sievers, by August
Duhem.

Judges — Th. Brown, H. Horst, and
R. Michelsen.

Class V. — Fruits.

1. Best collection of Fruits: first prize
and diploma, D. C. Toung, of Sonoma.

2. Best collection of Apples: first
prize, D. C. Toung.

3. Best twelve varieties of Apples:
first prize, D. C. Young.

4. Best collection of Pears : first prize,
D. C. Young.

5. Best twelve varieties of Pears: first
prize, D. C. Young.

6. Best collection of Peaches: first
prize, D. C. Young.

11. Best collection of Prunes: first
prize, John Rock, of San Jose.

12. Best collection of Quinces: first
prize, D. C. Young.

13. Best collection of Figs : first prize,
D. C. Young.

14. Best collection Foreign Grapes:
first prize and diploma, W. B. West, of
Stockton.

15. Best twelve sorts of Wine Grapes:
first prize, D. C. Young.

16. Best twelve sorts of Table Grapes :
first prize, D. C. Young.

20. Best exhibit of Preserved Fruits :
first prize and diploma, Mrs. J. M. Od-
ford, of Sacramento.

Meritorious exhibit of Branches of
Fruits; D. C. Young, of Sonoma, and
C. W. Stevens, Fruit Vale.

Honorable mention of Quince Seed-
lings: D. C. Young, of Sonoma.

Judges — C. Westphal, Wm. Robert-
son, and E. L. Reimer.

The Society may well be proud of
their success in making up the Exhibi-
tion, which was in every respect supe-
rior to any of their former atttempts.
Unfortunately, however, the show re-
sulted again in a financial failure, and
the actual loss may be estimated at
about five hundred dollars, which, in
addition to the loss of last spring, will
cripple the Society for some time; and
the serious question arises, whether
the people of San Francisco can be de-
pended upon in the future to sustain
the efforts of the Society in fostering a
taste for the beautiful. We have a suf-
ficient population to make a Horticul-
tural Society a permanent institution,
and it is time that the people should
awaken to their own interests. If they
fail to do this, they certainly must do
without this kind of exhibitions here-
after. It is to be hoped that the Society
will not be compelled to discontinue
such worthy displays.

No greater injury has ever been done
in horticulture than the recommendation
by inexperienced writers of chip manure,
as a dressing. Its danger arises mainly
from its ready disposition to spread fun-
gi, which inevitably arise in soils natural-
ly a little moist and tenacious. When
once formed, such fungi spread with as-
tonishing rapidity, totally preventing
growth, and finally killing the plants.
— Horticulturist.

344

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

The present season of the year is not
a very favorable one for luxuriating
among flowers and plants. Neverthe-
less, a recent inspection of the conserv-
atories and tropical houses of this estab-
lishment afforded us ample satisfaction.
And we have been pleased to see, on
several recent occasions, that instruct-
ors of the young have availed themselves
of the very liberal opportunity afforded
by the large-souled proprietor, to study
natural philosophy from objects; exem-
plified, as it is, in so many of its depart-
ments in these really rich grounds. This
is as it should be; it is the best, the sur-
est, the pleasantest, and the most rapid
way, both for pupils and teachers, for
imparting instruction. We speak from
many years practical experience in edu-
cation. School-books are but text-books,
and no class should graduate without
passing through such a course.

Among the many choice plants which
attracted our attention in the tropical
houses, we will mention the following
as deserving particular notice: Pan-
danus Javaniensis; Scudleria moxciana;
Gypripedium insigne; and G. venustem
variegatum ( parasites in bloom); Hem-
erocallis fulva, variegated Lily; Croton
carcascaria, C. pictum, G. rubra varie-
gata; Gycas revolula ; Eranthemum scan-
dens ; Micania spectosa ; Dioscora discol-
or ; Euphorbia sanguinea ; Alocassia Ba-
taviensis, a kindred species to Tara;
Maranta Zebrina; Phlelobium aureum;
Strelitzia regina;, Queen Lily (2), both
coming into bloom; Amaranthus salicifo-
lius; Anthurium regale; Gesneria reful-
gens, G. cinnabarina, G. zebrina; Gero-
pegia elegans; Phelia mimosa, bombard-
ing Fern; Aphelandra cristata; Tarinia
Asiatica; Begonia Weltoniensia, B. sem-
perfiorens; while of the Rex variety of
Begonias there were B. Queen of Han-

over, B. silver chain, B. Marchali. But
we must stop or we shall become tedi-
ous. Our friends must see and admire
for themselves.

FAVORS RECEIVED.

We are indebted to the courtesy of
the Hon. Frederick Watts, Commission-
er of Agriculture, Washington, D. C,
for the Annual Report of the Department
of Agriculture for 1872. This is always
most acceptable for the carefully pre-
pared statistics and valuable information
of this mostimportant department. Also
for the monthly reports so regularly for-
warded.

The Overland Monthly for November.
Again we welcome our always pleasant-
ly anticipated contemporary — another
very interesting number. "The Gravel
Ranges of the Gold Belt" is an im-
portant article; "Seeking the Golden
Fleece — No. 3" is highly interesting;
and "Mount Whitney" very readable.
"Etc." and "Current Literature quite
up to average.

Manure and Water. — The Rose is one
of the few cultivated plants that will
profit by almost any amount of stimu-
lating manure, provided it is not too
fresh and rank. Let it be old and fine,
and then apply as liberally as the sup-
ply will warrant. All Roses do better
in rather heavy and compact soil than
in one that is very light, containing too
much sand or vegetable matter. The
Rose being a thirsty plant, it should be
planted in a deep, moist soil, or where
water can be freely given artificially.
Those who plant single specimens of
Roses in sod or upon raised mounds
in the garden, usually learn their mis-
take in July or August.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

345

NEW AND RARE PLANTS.

Mimulus cupreus, variety "Bril-
liant."— There are few things more gay
in the spring of the year than the vari-
ous varieties of ' ' monkey flower." They
are, besides, of very easy culture, if a
few simple precautions are taken. The
chief of these is to keep them from great
heat. They like rich soil, and to be in
the full light; and like moisture, but not
to be soddened or wet. A saucer with
water under the pot, is an excellent way
to keep up this regular supply. There
are many cool places about buildings
and in greenhouses, just suited to it.
In every other respect it is easy of cult-
ure. The variety treated of is said to
be a scarlet, which, if so, will render it
peculiarly desirable.

— Gardener's Monthly.

Yucca Baccata. — This new and very
distinct species, found in New Mexico,
Utah, and Arizona, was introduced into
cultivation in Europe last year by M.
Linden, of Brussels. In the rigidity of
its habit and the texture of its leaves, it
bears a greater resemblance to Y. cor-
nuta or Y. Treculeana than to any spe-
cies of the aloifolia section. It has a
thick, wrinkled stem, about a foot high,
on the summit of which are closely
crowded the short, straight, erect, point-
ed, boat -shaped leaves of a light green
color, bearing on their margins numer-
ous long, broadish, and sharply pointed
shaving -like appendages. The fruit is
a capsule, as in all the Yuccas, but has
the shape and fleshy consistency of a
ripe Banana, by which name it is known
to the natives of Western America. The
taste is sweet and agreeable, and the
Indians, who are very fond of it, gath-
er and dry large quantities for winter
use. The uncooked fruit is said to pos-
sess highly cathartic properties. — Gar-
den.

Aquilegia leptocera aurea. — This
is a new introduction from the Rocky
Mountains. It is closely related to A.
canadensis, and in habit of growth, foli-
age, and height resembles that species.
The flowers are, however, pale straw-
colored ; and being a free - flowering
'plant, it will form a very desirable con-
trast to the blues and reds of the other
species and varieties. It appears to be
as easily cultivated as any of its con-
geners, and quite as hardy. The Gar-
den says of a specimen recently ex-
hibited in London: "That fine yellow
Columbine (Aquilegia aurea) shown at
Kensington the other day, is a distinct
and handsome plant, with fine clear
yellow flowers, making it worthy of as-
sociation with the very finest species of
Columbine." — Gardener's Monthly.

Saxifraga Peltata. — One of the most
extraordinary and distinct of its family.
It produces large lobed leaves eight
inches across, attached near the centre
to strong stalks eighteen inches or two
feet long, and bearing striking resem-
blance to an umbrella, in consequence
of which it is popularly called the Um-
brella plant. The flower-stalks rise to
the height of two feet, bearing cymes
of large, white, rose-tinted flowers. It
forms strong, fleshy creeping stems, and
is found growing on the margins of
streams in California, with the stems
frequently submerged. This at once
suggests its fitness for ornamenting the
banks of streams and lakes in this coun-
try.— Gardener's Monthly.

Tea, as grown in the south, is said to
lack the indispensible theine for which
it is alone valuable — that it does not,
when steeped, yield the flavor or fra-
grance of the Chinese production. Is
this true? Can any of our Southern
readers send us a sample of American-
grown tea? — Sural New-Yorker.

346

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

NEW FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

The Finest Fruit in the "World. —
The Durian, a fruit about which very
little is known in England, but which
is reckoned by natives and Europeans
in the Malay Archipelago to be the fin-
est fruit in the world, grows in great
abundance in Java and Borneo. It
grows on a large and lofty forest tree,
somewhat resembling an Elm in its gen-
eral character, but with a more smooth
and scaly bark. The fruit is round or
slightly oval, about the size of a large
Cocoanut, of a green color, and covered
all over with short, stout spines, the
bases of which touch each other, and
are consequently somewhat hexagonal,
while the points are very strong and
sharp. It is so completely armed, that
if the stalk is broken off it is a difficult
matter to lift one from the ground. The
outer rind is so thick and tough, that
from whatever height it may fall it is
never broken. From the base to the
apex five very faint lines may be traced,
over which the spines arch a little; these
are the sutures of the carpels, and show
where the fruit may be divided with a
heavy knife and a strong hand. The
five cells are satiny white within, and
are each filled with an oval mass of
cream-colored pulp, imbedded in which
are two or three seeds about the size of
Chestnuts. This pulp is the eatable
part, and its consistency and flavor are
indescribable. A rich butter -like cus-
tard highly flavored with almond gives
the best general idea of it, but inter-
mingled with it come wafts of flavor
that call to mind cream -cheese, onion-
sauce, brown-sherry, and other incon-
gruities. Then there is a rich glutinous
smoothness in the pulp which nothing
else possesses, but which adds to its
delicacy. It is neither acid, nor sweet,
nor juicy, yet one feels the want of none

of these qualities, for it is perfect as it
is. It produces no nausea or other bad
effect, and the more you eat of it the
less you feel inclined to stop. In fact,
to eat Durians is a new sensation, worth
a voyage to the East to experience. —
Garden.

An Early Pea.— The "Philadelphia"
is the name of a fine variety of the Pea,
a sample of which has been left at our
office by E. Rishel, Esq., of this county.
Mr. Rishel says this Pea is very early,
and will shell out in five weeks from
planting. — Central Union Agriculturist.

Seedling Raspberry from Mr. Price.
— This is a dark variety — same color as
Philadelphia, but belongs to the Ant-
werp stock. The fruit is medium size,
of good flavor, and evidently produced
in great abundance. Its positive value
will depend on comparison while grow-
ing together with other kinds. — Gar-
dener's Monthly.

G-arrya Elliptica. — This forms a fine
hardy evergreen bush, which grows
from six to ten feet high, and has a rath-
er dense and spreading head, furnished
with numerous slender shoots, which
are downy when young, but quite smooth
when fully matured. It is a native of
North-west America and California, and
was first introduced into England in
1828. It is easily increased either by
layers or by means of cuttings of the
half-ripened shoots, and grows freely in
any good garden soil. The leaves are
opposite, somewhat oblong or elliptic,
with a small acute point, rather wavy
when young, thick and leathery in text-
ure, set on short footstalks, persistent,
of a dark shining green above and hoary
beneath. The flowers, which are uni-
sexual and on distinct plants, are ar-
ranged in pendulous catkin-like racemes
with connate bracts, and are produced

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

347

from December to March. The male
flowers form very long, slender pendu-
lous catkins, from six to ten inches in
length, and are of a greenish-white or
yellowish color, while the female ones
are produced in short green catkins not
more than three or four inches in length,
and are very deficient in graceful ap-
pearance compared with that of the
male ones. The fruit, which is produced
in compact bunches, is a berried peri-
carp containing two hard bony seeds, as
large as a moderate-sized black currant,
and of nearly the same color.

Begonia. — This foliage plant is a very
desirable one for the conservatory, the
silver markings, distinctly formed, ren-
der it an object of great beauty. The
hybrids of this plant now being pro-
duced, are gorgeous in the extreme.

Imperialis — Very pale green leaves,
suffused with rosy crimson, shaded
red.

Vittata— Blotched silvery white; leaves
pointed.

Sanguinea — Leaves deep glassy green;
under side of a deep blood red.

Bex — Leaves very large, purplish
green, with a changeable metallic lustre,
with a broad silvery zone around the leaf
midway from the centre; under side
purple.

Madam Wagner — Leaves silvery green,
spotted, with very dark edge and centre.

Urania — Nearly black green shiny
leaves, all edged with crimson.

Punctata — Dark green leaves distinctly
spotted.

Maincata — Very large leaves, light
green, bordered with crimson; dotted
under side, with crimson spikes.

Argentea — Silvery green leaves, tinged
purple.

Nebulosa — Silvery green, with plainly
marked dark margin.

Maculata Bicinifolia — Very large
leaves, artistically cut and very curious-
ly marked.

The Begonias do not succeed well
out-doors; at least, if bedded out, should
have a shaded border. They require
plenty of moisture and warmth, with a
soil formed of peaty mould and sand.
To those who have not had much expe-
rience in growing house-plants, we would
advise them not to attempt the Begonia
only upon a limited scale : to the con-
servatory they are indispensable. — Ex.

WORK FOR THE MONTH.

BY F. A. MILLEE.

Although we had a heavy rain at the
beginning of October, which moistened
the ground several inches deep, the
strong winds which followed absorbed
all the moisture, and we are once again
in the dry season; however, an early
winter is anticipated, and if indications
prove true, we will have more rain early
in November. This should put us in
mind of some work which ought to be
done before the wet weather commences.
Seeds of various kinds of plants are now
ripe and should be gathered; this should
be done in the afternoon of a pleasant
day, as the seeds are damp in the morn-
ing. As soon as sufficiently dry, clean
them and put them away in a dry, cool
place, after marking carefully each kind.
This will relieve you of purchasing the
same kinds of seeds, and you have the
advantage of knowing that they are
fresh. .

Some Pansy and Mignonette, Candy-
tuft and Sweet Alyssum seed should
be preserved for winter use; they flower
well with us in winter.

The Gladiolus bulbs which have flow-
ered during summer, should be taken
up now; expose them to the atmosphere

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

for a few days to dry them sufficiently,
then put them away in boxes, and in
some dry place until spring.

Dahlias should be cut down to with-
in six inches of the ground, and in a
week or two after they should be taken
up and treated in the same manner as
Gladiolus. It is always well to mark
them before cutting them down, so that
the colors may be known when planting
time comes.

I will call attention again to the
planting of all kinds of Dutch bulbs,
such as Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus,
Crocus, Anemones, Ranunculus, Lily of
the Valley, Crown Imperials; particu-
larly those which are intended for home-
culture. Do not plant them all at once,
but keep a few on hand for later plant-
ing, so that some flowers may be had
after the first lot has done blooming.
Hyacinths, Narcissus, and Lily of the
Valley, are particularly well adapted
for home - culture, as they are easily,
taken care of. If planted in pots or in
glasses, they should be set in a dark
room for two weeks, where they will
make roots and produce better stalks,
which will at first appear rather yellow,
but will soon assume a healthy green
color, after being placed in the light
for a day or two. The best soil for Hya-
cinths is one-third loam, one-third sand,
and one -third of old rotten manure.
Always see that the soil is well drained
by putting several pieces of broken pots
over the hole in the bottom of the pot.
Plant the bulbs so that the tops may
just be seen on the surface, and settle
the soil firmly all around the bulb. For
the cultivation of the Lily of the Val-
ley, I would refer the reader to page 261
of the present volume of the Horti-
culturist.

Camellias may now be kept tolerably
moist, and should have a syringing over-
head two or three times a week. It

will also be very beneficial to carefully
wash the foliage with a soft sponge.
Not more than two buds should be left
in a cluster, if good and perfect flowers
are desired. They must also be kept
screened from the sun.

Azaleas are forming their flower-buds,
and a little more water may be given.
From my own experience, I would ad-
vise to syringe them frequently over-
head. It is most important that Azaleas
should have good drainage, and a little
coarse charcoal at the bottom of the
pots is of very good service, keeping
the soil sweet, etc.

The present month is the best time
to make Rose cuttings for planting in
frames as well as in the open ground.
If to be grown under glass, the cuttings
should not be longer than two to three
inches, and should be planted in pure
sand; if intended for the open ground,
make your cuttings four to six inches
long of strong wood, and plant them in
deep sandy loam well worked up.

To be successful with Rose cuttings
under glass, a little bottom heat should
be made up of fresh manure and tan, in
which the boxes filled with cuttings as
above stated, should be plunged after a
thorough watering. The glass must not
be lifted until the cuttings have made
roots; and the most important point is,
that they should never be watered until
they are well rooted. Moisture is easi-
ly kept up by keeping the frame close,
as no evaporation can then take place.

Hoteia (SpirjEa) Japonica. — This, al-
though hardy,, is an excellent plant for
forcing. Its lively green foliage and
charming white flowers make it extreme-
ly useful in all kinds of ways, and the
demand for bouquet work, as well as for
furnishing purposes, is very great. It
is easily grown, and no establishment
should be without it. — The Garden.

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

349

REPORT ON THE FRUIT AND VEGE-
TABLE MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPER.

The cultivation of the Grape is now of
course one of the most important and
valuable interests in California. It is
somewhat interesting to observe from
history, at what an early period, in
England, the Grape vine was cultivated
for wine and other purposes. The vale
of Gloucester, according to William of
Malmesbury, in the twelfth century,
was planted very thick with vineyards,
and they produced Grapes in the great-
est abundance, and of the sweetest
taste. The wine made there had no
disagreeable tartness, and was said to
have been very little inferior to the
wines of France. In Normandy, there
was a vineyard from which wine was
made as early as 1561. In 1550 there
was no English wine, the climate prob-
ably, even in the warmest locations, be-
ing too cold. But in 1781, Lord Teyn-
ham, in a very warm aspect, had such
quantities of Grapes in Kent, that some
years they made two or three tuns of
white wine, little, if any inferior to Lis-
bon. In general history the making of
wine is recorded in the very earliest his-
tory of nations. In the United States,
wine making is comparatively of a re-
cent date. The Swiss planted in the
"West the first vineyard, at Yevay, Indi-
ana, on the Ohio River. They manufac-
tured a wine similar to the "Cape wine"
made at the Dutch colonies, at the Cape
of Good Hope.

About the year 1829, Nicholas Long-
worth, of Cincinnati, planted the first
cuttings of the Catawba and Isabella
grapes, in his garden there, which had
been discovered growing on the river
Catawba, in North Carolina. His ten-
ants, most of them Germans, soon
planted large vineyards of these vines,

Vol. III.-45.

and made a good, but somewhat acid
wine, which suited their tastes, and al-
so, after they got used to it, of many
Americans. Mr. Longworth is justly en-
titled to the name of the father of Grape
culture in the West. During his time
and since, many valuable seedlings
from the Catawba and Isabella, and
others, have been raised, the most pop-
ular of which, for a red wine, is Ives'
\ Seedling. Grape-growing has extend-
ed to Missouri and other States, and
to the islands of Lake Erie, and the
lake shore. New varieties are still being-
introduced in the States east of us,
which are freer from disease than those
originally planted. However the prof-
it of growing Grapes for wine in the
Eastern States may be questioned,
there can be no doubt of its success in
this State. There is a fair foreign, as
well as domestic demand for our Grapes
and wine.

We say, then, to all, plant more
Grapes. There is no more healthful,
life-giving, delicious fruit. Every farm-
er and country resident should plant
them for his family. Every man who
has a garden or patch of ground should
cultivate a few vines. There is no mys-
tery about Grape-growing; a man who
can grow corn, • can grow Grapes, and
one who can make cider can make wine.
This country is not only a large consum-
er of fruit, but it is becoming rapidly
one of the largest wine-consuming coun-
tries in the world. In California, at
any rate, we can produce wine at a
price low enough to be within the reach
of the people, and probably thexeby pro-
mote temperance, and this can easily be
continued, and still be one of the most
remunerative crops the husbandman can
raise. But we must be wise.. The
wool-grower of to-day does not raise
the common and coarse wool-producing
sheep that he did twenty years ago.

350

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTUKIST.

"Why ? Because improved breeds have
been introduced, yielding a wool of finer
texture , and commanding a higher price .
So the Grape-grower must yield his
prejudices, give up some of the old sorts,
and plant such as command the popular
taste. Our climate is favorable for
every known variety of any value. Our
soil is new and fertile, and our Grapes
are rich, even if anything too rich, in
saccharine material, and produce wine
of finest quality without anything add-
ed. Remember that in wine- growing
we are yet in our infancy. We have a
character to make, which is of more im-
portance to us than dollars and cents at
present. We must stick to the pure
juice of the Grape. We say to all,
plant Grapes; for what is more delicious
in the heat of the day in summer, than
to sit under your own vine, and in the
coo! of autumn to eat of the fruit there-
of?

Quinces have now been marketed for
some time, and bring such prices per
bushel as pay the growers very well.
We observe that numbers of boxes
have been sent by railroad to New
York, and have proved profitable to the
owner. The Apple Quince is the best
variety, and can be grown on any good
land that will grow well other varieties
of fruit; but, like the Pear, we think a
location where the soil is not subject
to extremes of dryness or moisture, is
much the best. Where a choice must
be taken of either of these extremes,
moisture or proper irrigation is best
suited for the Quince. Bushes should
be planted ten or twelve feet apart, and
cultivated annually, as other orchards.
If well done, they will be, on this cli-
matic forcing slope, in good bearing in
three or four years from the time of
planting out.

While on the subject of the general
cultivation of fruit, I will here state that

our most highly esteemed and eminent
Pomologist, Marshall P. Wilder, Presi-
dent of the U. S. Pomological Society,
in his address at Boston, in September
last, among other excellent information
and advice, after naming the wonders
■which had been effected within forty
years in the United States in fruit rais-
ing, observed:

"These considerations should excite
us to greater enterprise and renewed
exertions. * * * We have but just
entered upon it. How vast and invit-
ing the field that lies spread out before
U8 1 * * * Were I never to address
you again, I would repeat the counsel
I have so often given, in regard to the
production of new and fine fruits [let
us apply this to California], viz. : To
plant the most mature and perfect seeds,
of the most hardy, vigorous, and valuable
varieties; and, as a shorter process, en-
suring more certain and happy results,
cross or hybridize your best fruits." Mr.
Wilder, speaking of the golden fruits of
California, said they were "more pre-
cious than her golden sands ;" and he
wound up his admirable address by say-
ing, "And as our members, from time
to time, shall assemble to gather in the
fruit of their researches, may they have
reason to rejoice more and more in the
benefactions which it bestows on man-
kind; and when at last we shall be call-
ed to relinquish the cultivation of our
orchards, gardens, and vineyards on
earth, may we permitted to participate
in the cultivation of

* That tree which bears immortal fruit,
Without canker at the root;
Its healing leaves to us be given.
Its bloom on earth, its fruit in Heaven!' "

In our markets, for more than six
weeks, Strawberries have been quite
abundant and of good quality. The
first rain we had this fall helped the
vines in their bearing, independently

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

351

of what irrigation they had. The fruit
•was of good size from the first, and still
continues so to be. They have sold
from 15 to 20 cts. per pound.

Bartlett Pears were nearly out by the
middle of last month. The Winter
Nelis is now beginning to be in fine eat-
ing order, with the Glout Morceau, and
one or two more winter sorts.

There was no material change in the
fruit market October 24th. A few va-
rieties of fruit are noticeable as being
absent. Plums are among the number.
The supply of Grapes showed no signs,
then, of diminution, and prices continu-
ed low. Beautiful Black Moroccos were
retailing, about that time, at 12J cts.
per pound. The range of all kinds was
from 8 to 15 cts. per pound. Straw-
berries were in fair demand at 15 to 20
cts. per pound. Oranges were, at the
last of October, virtually out of the mar-
ket; and the prices of what few were to
be found at one or two of the stalls were
$1.50 and upwards. A few Peaches,
only fit for cooking, were offered for 6
cts. per pound, at the beginning of the
present month (November). A further
consignment of Bartlett Pears were
received from Pleasant Yalley, about
the above date. The fruit was small,
but found a ready sale at 15 cts. per
pound.

About the 25th of October, we had
several frosty nights, of a severity, for
us, thus early, quite rare at this season
of the year. These frosts have some-
what curtailed the supply of several
kinds of vegetables. We have had sev-
eral fine lots of new Green Peas from
Half Moon Bay and other places, which
have been received with appreciation.
These and String Beans have been a
shade higher in price. Asparagus, in
■limited quantities, has come forward
from the Mission gardens, and has sold
at 50 cts. In addition to the above list,

we quote Salsify, 8@10 cts. per bunch;
Lettuce, 25 cts. per dozen; Mint, 10 cts.
per bunch; Pickles, 50@75 cts. per gal-
lon; Potatoes, by the sack, delivered,
$1.50@1.75 per 100 pounds.

The supply of Strawberries was light
the last of October, and prices were
correspondingly high. More Bartlett
Pears arrived about the same time from
Pleasant Valley, Solano County, retail-
ing at 15 cts. per pound. Plums and
Peaches will soon disappear. Grapes
are still plentiful (1st November). Some
Lemons are still coming by each steam-
er from Los Angeles, but more liberal
qviantities and much better fruit comes
from the Mediterranean.

Mb. S. B. Higgins, author of the work
on Ophidians, transmits by mail some
notes on the action of rattlesnake poi-
son, by which it appears that the poi-
son first affects the plasma, then the
nerve-centre, communicating to the for-
mer a distinctly acid condition. It de-
fibrinates it; renders it thus permanent-
ly diffluent, that is, incapable of coagu-
lating, and this acid condition reacting
upon the corpuscles, almost immediately
affects their color by attacking the hem-
atosis, and separating it from the oth-
er component elements. The sensory
nerves are first affected, then the motor
nerves; but the latter appear to be most
especially influenced, and in quite a dif-
ferent way from what they are by the
cobra poison . The fatal result is quick-
er in the former than in the latter case-,
but none less surely (though sometimes
it is many hours after the wound) death
ensues. Days may elapse before the
bitten person dies, as in case of bites by
a hydrophis, a marine type of the snake.
Cases of a hydrophis bite are known to
have occurred where the bitten person
has recovered.

352

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

(MitovM $tam*p.

Now that the construction of an aqua-
rium at Central Park is being urged,
and our readers are becoming familiar
with the great interest and value of
such an institution, it is with pleasure
that we are able to present the following
description of the Aquarium at Wood-
ward's Gardens, San Francisco. At
present this work is not only the largest,
but the only public aquarium of any
size this side of the Atlantic; and, from
a recent conversation with Mr. "Wood-
ward, we learn that no means is to be
spared to make it equal to the greatest.
At an early day we hope to present an
illustrated description of this aquarium,
with its surroundings; in the mean time,
the following from the Weekly Alta will
serve to convey an idea as to its size and
general form: "The aquarium building
is situated between the seal-pond and
the entrance from the garden to the
amphitheatre. The arrangement for
the tanks beneath is very simple. They
are sixteen in number, raised on each
side so that one side of each tank is on a
level with a man's shoulder. A person
passing through this lower apartment
sees on each side of him, as it were, sec-
tions of the sea containing marine life.
The side of the tank toward him is glass;
the water is open to the sunlight above,
and no light can reach the passage-way,
except by first passing through the wa-
ter in the tanks and the glass fronts.
The tanks are made of Frear stone.
The water for the marine fish is brought
from the deep sea, near the Parallones,
where it is found clear as crystal. It is
kept constantly in motion, and aerated
by the falling of a stream."

In the interview with Mr. Woodward,
to which we have referred, that gentle-
man informed us that, though his aqua-
rium was yet in its infancy, and in

many particulars not what he designs
that it shall be, yet it is to the people
the most attractive feature of his gar-
dens, successfully rivaling in interest the
Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the
Art Gallery, and many other attractions.
Mr. Woodward expressed himself full
of sympathy with our movement for the
establishment of a similar institution at
Central Park, and assured us that we
could not overrate its importance, or
presentits claims in too strong language.
— Appleton's Journal.

A Yew Flowering in Winter. — About
six weeks ago I nipped a small spray off
a dwarf yew-tree, protruding through
the snow, in my neighbor's garden. It
was my intention to press it; but for im-
mediate convenience it was put in a glass
of water, in the sitting-room, and for
some time no more was thought about
it. A few days ago (Feb. 7), I was as-
tonished to find a number of full blown
flowers on the spray. These pretty, di-
minutive objects were accompanied with
an interesting phenomenon. The an-
thers kept up a little fusillade of explo-
sions, throwing off the yellow pollen in
tiny clouds. My thumb-nail, which
happened to be near one of the little
globular catkins about the size of a cana-
ry's eye, was quite yellow with the eject-
ed powder. I shook off some on the
side of a microscope. They were, in
form, when under a lens of high pow-
er, like angular pebbles, and although
I had barely touched the slide with my
nail, yet the number of pollen grains
under the microscope was innumerable.
To me, this affair was intensely interest-
ing, and a very pleasant episode in a
sick-room. The entire process can
doubtless be repeated by any one, with
the certainty of success, even in mid-
winter. The pretty little strangers still

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

353

continue blooming on my table, and im-
part a cbeeriness to this unusually bleak
St. Valentine's Day. — S. L., in lion-
mouth Democrat, Freehold, N. J.

Plants as Doctors. — In addition to
the pleasure that may be derived from
Floriculture, the sanitary value of flow-
ers and plants is a feature of the subject
so important as to call for special men-
tion. It was known many years ago
that ozone is one of the forms in which
oxygen exists in the air, and that it pos-
sesses extraordinary powers as an oxi-
dant, disinfectant, and deodorizer. Now,
one of the most important of late dis-
coveries in chemistry, is that made by
Professor Mantegazza, of Pavia, to the
effect that ozone is generated in immense
quantities by all plants and flowers pos-
sessing green leaves and aromatie odors.
Hyacinths,Mignonette, Heliotrope, Lem-
on, Mint, Lavender, Narcissus, Cherry,
Laurel, and the like, all throw off ozone
largely on exposure to the sun's rays;
and so powerful is this great atmos-
pheric purifier, that it is the belief of
chemists, that whole districts can be
redeemed from the deadly malaria which
infests them, by simply covering them
with aromatic vegetation. The bearing
of this upon flower culture in our large
cities is also very important. Experi-
ments have proved that the air of cities
contains less ozone than that of the sur-
rounding country, and the thickly in-
habited parts of cities less than the more
sparsely built, or than the parks and
open squares. Plants, and flowers, and
green trees can alone restore the bal-
ance; so that every little flower-pot is
not merely a thing of beauty, while it
lasts, but has a direct and beneficial in-
fluence upon the health of th« neigh-
borhood in which it is found. Surely,
it is a beautiful provision of Nature,

that something which is at once the
most dainty of occupations, and most
delightful of amusements, should be
intimately bound up with the solution
of problems so important as the health
of our cities and the redemption of
fever-infected districts in the country.
■■ — Appleton's Journal.

Plants ln the Sleeping - room. — In a
recent letter addressed by Professor
Kedzie, of the Michigan Agricultural
College, to Governor Holt, there were
recorded facts which go far toward dis-
sipating a popular error, that the pres-
ence of plants in the sleeping -room
endangers the health of the sleepers.
The following is an extract from Pro-
fessor Kedzie's letter: "Not to leave
this matter in the condition of mere
conjecture, I have gathered and ana-
lyzed specimens of air from a room
where the influence of growing plants
would be exhibited in a greatly exag-
gerated form. Thus, instead of taking
the air from a room containing a few
plants, I gathered it from the college
greenhouse, where more than 6,000
plants are growing. I gathered the air
before sunrise on the mornings of April
16th and 17th; the room had been closed
for more than twelve hours, and, if the
plants exhaled earbonic acid to an in-
jurious extent, the analysis of air from
such a room would certainly disclose
the fact. The three specimens of air
gathered on the morning of April 16th,
from different parts of the room, gave
4.11, 4.00 parts of carbonic acid in
10,000 of air, or an average of 4.03 in
10,000. The two specimens of air gath-
ered April 17th gave 3. 80 and 3. 80 parts
of carbonic acid in 10,000, or an aver-
age, on the whole, of 3.94 parts of
carbonic acid in 10,000 of air; while
the out-door air contains four parts in

354

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

10,000. It will thus be seen that the
air in the greenhouse was better than
"pure country air." This deficiency of
carbonic acid was doubtless due to the
absorption of carbonic acid and conse-
quent accumulation of oxygen during
daylight, since the windows of the
greenhouse were closed day and night
on account of the cool weather. Now,
if a room in which were more than
6,000 plants contains less carbonic acid
than any sleeping-room on this conti-
nent, we may safely conclude that one
or two dozen plants in a room will not
exhale enough carbonic acid by night
to injure the sleepers."

Trout Breeding on Long Island. —
The trout breeding business is becoming
very extensive on the south side of the
island, and is proving very profitable.
Mention has recently been made of the
preparations of ex-Congressman Roose-
velt, Mr. Lorillard, and other well-
known New Yorkers, for going into the
business on an extensive scale. There
is talk of other similar enterprises, soon
to be started. Among the establish-
ments already in successful operation
may be mentioned the following:

Mr. Bishop, of Fire Place, two years
ago conceived the idea of having a trout
pond. He dug out a swamp, built a
hatching-house, and formed two artifi-
cial ponds. These he stocked with a
few trout, which have increased to very
nearly 20,000, valued at about $10,000.
The entire capital invested by him does
not exceed $1,500, and his net receipts
will be at least $3,000 per annum. Mr.
A. J. Hines of Palace Brook, near Patch -
ogue, hatched 50,000 trout this spring.
He owns three ponds, and a hundred
yards of canals.

Mr. Nathaniel Miller, of Fire Place,
has erected a hatching-house and dug

out several small ponds, and now owns
about 15,000 trout, all obtained by artifi-
cial hatching. Messrs. Dayton & Greg-
ory, of Canaan, own a small pond, and
half an acre of land ditched out. They
devote their whole time to the business,
which at present nets them $3,000 a year.
Mr. Nelson C. Hawkins, of Bellfort has
constructed a large trout pond this sea-
son.

The Messrs. Bobmson, near the Swan
Creek Mill, are constructing a pond and
a series of canals, and propose to go ex-
tensively into the business. Mr. Bob-
ert Bland, of Patchogue, has construct-
ed ponds and canals, and is now engaged
in stocking them. Many others are go-
ing into the business on a smaller scale.
— Shoe and Leather Reporter.

Floral Prizes for the Poor. — Ow-
ing to the efforts of a London gentle-
woman, Lady Augusta Stanley, a show
of window plants cultivated by the poor
of the parishes of St. Margaret's and
St. John's, was lately held at Westmin-
ster. The working men and women —
the term in this district meaning gener-
ally the laboring and not the artisan
class — formed the first class, the chil-
dren in the local schools formed the
second, and the inmates, or sometime
inmates, of the local workhouses and
"Westminster hospital made the third.
The judging was in the hands of a gen-
tleman from the Horticultural Society,
and the prizes were distributed by Lord
Shaftsbury in the evening, and he made
a happy speech on the occasion.

It is often a surprise to American
travelers to observe how many windows
in the poorer parts of English and con-
tinental cities, are adorned by carefully
nurtured flowering plants, displaying a
degree of taste which such an occasion
as the above is admirably calculated to
recognize and encourage.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

355

The Plantain. — The Plantain (Musa
paradisaica) is one of the best gifts of
Providence to the teeming multitudes
of tropical lands, living as many of them
do, without stated homes, and gather-
ing food and drink as they find them,
on the roadside and in the jungle.
Under a friendly palm the simple peas-
ants find needed shelter from the sun
by day and the dews by night, while a
bunch of Plantains or Bananas plucked
fresh from the tree will furnish an
abundant meal, and the water of a green
Cocoanut all the drink they desire. The
Plaintain tree grows to be about twenty
feet in height, its round soft stem being
composed of the elongated footstalks of
the leaves, and its cone of a nodding
flower-spike or cluster of purple blos-
soms that are very graceful and beauti-
ful. Like the Palms, this tree has no
branches, but its smooth, glossy leaves
are from six to eight feet in length and
two or more in breadth. At the root
of a leaf a double row of fruit comes
out half round the stalk; the stem then
elongates a few inches, and another
leaf is deflected, revealing another
double row; and so on, till there come
to be some thirty rows containing about
two hundred Plantains, weighing in all
sixty or seventy pounds. This mam-
moth bunch is the sole product of the
tree for the time; after the fruit is pluck-
ed the stalk is cut down, and another
shoots up from the same root; and it is
thus constantly renewed for many suc-
cessive years. The incalculable blessing
of such a tree, in regions where the in-
tolerable heat renders all labor oppress-
ive, may be conceived from the estimate
of Humboldt, who reckons the surface
of ground needed to the production of
four thousand pounds of ripe Plantains,
to suffice for the raising of only thirty-
three pounds of Wheat, or ninety-nine
pounds of Potatoes. What Would in-

duce the indolent East Indian to make
the exchange of crops? — Lippincolt's
Magazine.

Rooting Cuttings of Carnations. — An
amateur from Des Moines, Iowa, having
complained of ill success in rooting cut-
tings of Carnations or Pinks, though
successful with Fuchsias, Geraniums,
Coleus, and Begonias, he is advised as fol-
lows by The Agriculturist:

" The varieties he succeeds with we
all find to root quicker than the Carna-
tion or Pink, but not more surely if the
proper conditions be observed. These
conditions are, that the plant of Carna-
tion or Pink from which the cuttings are
taken must be in a healthy growing
condition. The temperature of the
sand of the propagating bench in which
the cutting is inserted should range
from sixty-five to seventy-five degrees,
and the atmosphere fifteen degrees less.
The sand must always be kept moist,
and great care must be taken that nei-
ther sun nor draught of air strike the
cuttings long enough to wilt or shrivel
them, for if once shrivelled nearly all
hope of rooting them is gone."

Campanula Tuebinata Elegans. — Of
all the dwarf Campanulas suitable for
beds, this is the most ornamental in the
large and beautiful family of bell-flow-
ers, forming as it does, a compact leaf
growth, and yielding from seed a mass
of comparatively large, rich, purplish-
blue, white, and porcelain-white flowers
during the summer months. To have
it in bloom during the first season, it
should be sown in the earliest spring
months, and thus treated, it will flower
in the summer and autumn; or, if the
plants bedded one season are again di-
vided for planting in May, these will
bloom effectively in the summer months;
and if sown in May, vigorous plants

356

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

will be secured for the following year.
Campanula turbinata elegans, sent out by
Messrs. E. Gr. Henderson, is a hybrid
between G. turbinata and C. carpatica,
and it is greatly superior to both its
parents as a decorative summer flower.
— The Garden.

The Agricultural Show — Pure and
simple, without government patronage —
is peculiarly an English institution, but
English colonies seem to vie with the
old country in the matter. In New
South Wales, say the papers, "the
opening-day is made the occasion of
an almost regal pageant." Governors,
members of Parliament, foreign agents,
heads of the learned professions, with
their ladies, all lend eclat to the affair.
The prizes offered are small, and exhib-
itors have to pay for the feed consumed
by their stock But they turn out well,
nevertheless; and many sales are made,
which last fact is quite contrary to our
experience in this country. At the last
show it is said that Short-Horns changed
hands to the amount of £17,000 — one
cow going for £1,150, and well-bred
bull calves ranging from £100 to £200.

Sheep in Orchards. — J. Higgins stated
at a late meeting of the Alton Horti-
cultural Society, that he had long been
in the practice of turning sheep into
his Apple -orchards, and as long as they
have green pasture they will not touch
the bark of the trees; but they are care-
fully watched. He has one old sheep
only that knows how good Apple-bark is.
"When there is snow on the ground, the
sheep will of course eat the bark. But
the only time when the presence of the
sheep is needed, is in summer when the
wormy fruit is dropping. We know a
farmer in western New York who turns
his sheep in his large orchard during
the day, and into another field at night;

they never touch the trees, and he finds
the codling moth growing scarcer each
successive year. — Country Gentleman.

Transportation of Milk. — The milk
cans in which the milk is conveyed over
the railways in France are made of a
similar shape to ours, but the lids are so
arranged that by turning a screw they
can be forced down on the milk, and
thus prevent all motion. The cans are
wrapped in woolen cloths, and these are
wet from time to time as they may need
it. The evaporation of the moisture
keeps down the temperature of the milk,
and no difficulty is experienced in car-
rying it a long distance, even in warm
weather.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Foe the Month Ending Oct. 31st, 1873.

(Prepared for The Hokxichltueist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
423 Washington Street, near the Post Office) .

BAEOMETEE.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.14 in.

do 12m 30.13

do 3p.m 30.13

do 6p.m 30.12

Greatest height, on the 27th at 9 a. m. and 12 m. . . 30.25
Least height, on the 2d at 6 p. at 29.95

THEEMOMETEB.

( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 57°

do 12m 63°

do 3 P. m 64°

do 6 P. m 56°

Greatest height, on the 12th at 12 m 76°

Least height, on the 21st at 6 p. m 48°

SELF - BEGISTEEING THEEMOMETEB .

Mean height during the night , . . . 49°

Greatest height, on nights of 12th and 19th 65°

Least height, on night of 26th 39°

WINDS.
North and north-west on 13 days; south and south-west
on 4 days; east and north-east on 4 days; west on 10
days.

WEATHEE.

Clear on 22 days; variable on 8 days; cloudy on 3 days.
BATN GAUGE.

October 6th 0.14 inches.

October 8th 0.54

Total 0.68 "

Total rain of the season up to date 0.86 "

PARLOR GARDENING.

THE

IT i

|

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

\ — ; y ._ '■ ■ j

.at

Vol. III. DECEMBER, 1873.

No. 12.

=

OUli CALIFORNIA FEENSi

BY F. A. MXLLEB. ., .

t

Strange as if may seem, our native
Ferns are very little known, and hardly
any of them are under cultivation with
us or abroad. Within the last year, I
have paid much attention to Ferns in
general, and to our native varieties in
particular, and I am pleased to say that
a large number of them are very meri-
torious, and are much improved by
proper cultivation. There are some
which have not yet been classified by
our botanists, and, undoubtedly, there
will yet be found a grerat many species
which are entirely unknown at the pres-
ent time. I think, in another year, I
shall be able to enumerate forty distinct
species of native Ferns.

At present, we cultivate some twenty-
five distinct varieties, and most of these
seem to thrive exceedingly well under
proper treatment. In making up col-
lections of Ferns, our native kinds
should not be overlooked, inasmuch as
they form | a decided contrast to those
which are annually imported from for-
eign countries. There is no good reason
why we should prefer foreign plants to
our native ones, if these are as meri-
torious as the former; and yet, I must

acknowledge the fact that I can sooner
dispose of foreign Ferns, at a price five
and ten times' higher than we are in the
habit of asking 101' our native varieties.
For rockeries in the open air, our Cal-
ifornia Ferns ale preferable to any
others, and, intermingled with; foreign
Ferns in greenhouse or .conservatory
collections,' they form a very desirable
contrast.

The following varieties I have under
cultivation now, and with few excep-
tions they have done well :

Polypodium Calif omicum is found
nearly everywhere in California grow-
ing upon shaded rocks; under cultiva-
tion, the fronds grow: much larger and
finer, and almost upright. It requires
ho care whatever, and thrives best in
a shady and moist situation. Fronds
seven to eight inches ; long, and two
inches wide, of a very bright green.

Polypodium Scouleri is one of the
rarest Ferns we have, and is a very dis-
tinct form. Fronds very fleshy lobed;
the fruit-dots upon the back of the frond
are 'unusually large and showy. It is
found upon rocks at the highest points
of the Coast Range mountains, exposed
to the heaviest winds; evergreen; be-
haves I well under ordinary treatment;
requires good drainage.

360

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Pellcea andromedcefolia is one of a
class well represented in California. All
of them produce pretty and graceful
fronds. This Fern is of very light green
color, with brown stems. It is much
improved by cultivation, and is a strong
grower. Its natural habitat is under
the shade of shrubs and small trees.

Pellcea mucronata is of a more upright
growth; fronds delicate and graceful;
dark green, with a dark brown stem.
Changes its habit very much, for the
better, under cultivation. It is found
upon bare, dry hill-sides near the Coast
Range.

Pellcea accuminata is the most grace-
ful and delicate of this class; fronds of
a sea-green color; leaflets in single
rows; stems dark brown; slow grower,
but otherwise improves under cultiva-
tion; it is found in the Sierra Nevada
mountains, at an elevation of about
5,000 feet; not common.

Pellcea Bridgesii is one of the rarest
and prettiest of our California Ferns.
The leaflets are large oval, of a downy
white color; stem black, producing a
most pleasing effect. It is extremely
slow in adapting itself to cultivation;
but I have now a number of ihe plants
which are readily producing well devel-
oped fronds. It is found in the Sierra
Nevada, at an elevation of 6,000 to 7,000
feet, and grows upon bare, rocky bluffs,
formed of limestone.

Pellcea densa is a pretty little dwarf-
growing Fern of a peculiar form, and
of a very dark green color, with brown
stems.

Pellcea sp. , a variety not yet described,
I found associated with Pellcea Bridg-
esii ; fronds growing eight to ten inches
high, of a downy white color; leaflets
very small.

Gymnogramma triangularis — our Cal-
ifornia Goldfern — is found in all parts
of the State. It is easily cultivated, and

deserves a place in every collection.
Succeeds best if kept moderately moist
and half shaded. The backs of the
triangularly formed fronds are covered
with bright golden yellow powder, with
dark brown veins.

Woodwardia radicans, sp. Californica,
differs from the W. radicans cultivated
in Europe. The fronds of the former
grow more upright and robust. How-
ever, our California variety is a most
exquisite Fern; well -developed fronds
reach the height of ten feet. The Wood-
wardia is very fond of moisture, and is
found near springs and creeks. Under
cultivation it thrives well, if an abund-
ance of moisture is provided.

Aspidium argutum is found plentiful-
ly all over California; its fronds are
tender, and do not bear handling; color,
light green.

Aspidium munilum is found in the
ravines of the Coast Range mountains,
and is undoubtedly the finest native
Fern. It i3 also found in the Sierra
Nevada, but very rare, and, in my
opinion, there are two distinct species.
The one growing near the coast is a
very strong grower, of upright habit,
and light green color, while the other
one, found in the Sierra Nevada, is of
a dark green color, and its fronds
spread close to the surface of the ground.
Both are varieties well worth having,
and easily cultivated.

Aspidium Calif ornieum is my best
grower, and can be most advantageous-
ly used for ferneries, rockeries, baskets,
and bouquets, either in the shade or in
exposed situations, in a moist or dry
locality; its fronds are of a most pleas-
ing form and color, always perfect.

Cheilanthes Calif ornieum — a Fern
which is found plentifully in the Sierra
Nevada, but which I have not yet suc-
ceeded in cultivating with any degree of
success. The back of the frond is

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

3G1

covered with a brown powder-like sub-
stance, while the face of it is of a very
dark green color.

Cheilanthes gracillima is, I think, the
most valuable of our Ferns; of a most
distinct form and character. The form
of the frond is very pretty and graceful,
the color is of downy white, closely re-
sembling that of Cineraria maritima.
Very rarely found in the southern parts
of the State.

Cheilanthes sp., a variety not yet de-
scribed, and found near the boundary
line of California and Arizona; of a
more dwarfish growth than the former,
equally as graceful; very rare.

Blechnum borealis, one of the best
Blechnums that ever came under my ob-
servation. The fronds are of good sub-
stance, and perfectly hardy; a really
good Fern, but not often met with,
except in one or two localities of the
northern part of California; plant worth
having.

Cystopteris fragilis and C. monlana
are two beautiful Ferns of excellent
habit, and easy culture. They are found
in the Santa Cruz mountains, rather
plentifully.

Botrychium sp., not yet described by
any one. During last summer, I found
two distinct species, which I have now
under cultivation, with very fair success.
The fronds are most remarkably fleshy
and spreading, of a dark green color.
Another species found, produces much
lighter fronds, of a light green color.

Asplenium ebeneum; a pretty plant
lately discovered, and giving every indi-
cation that it will figure as a valuable
addition to our Ferns.

Dr. Kellogg says that he has found,
during his recent stay in Tosemite Val-
tey, a "Woodsia." I have not yet been
able to see the plant, and can not say
anything in regard to its merits; but it
is evident that a good number will be

added to those already known, during
the next twelve months.

TKEATMENT OF THE AMAKYLLIS.

BY CONEO KRETCHMAK.

The different sorts of Amaryllis are
indisputably the most beautiful, and by
far the most grateful in returns of bulb-
ous plants for the green and hot house.
These are also well adapted for the sit-
ting-room. The finest kinds can be
brought into bloom there, and often in
the winter season, when every flower is
of double value.

The Amaryllis family, like the Dra-
caenas, Aletris, Charlivodia, Cordyline,
Dianella, etc., has been divided by
botanists according to the diversity in
the formation of flowers, the pollen of
flowers, the seed capsule, etc., etc., into
different genera, viz:

1, Amaryllis (A. belladonna); 2, Am-
mocharis (A. ancoranica); 3, Brunsrigia
(A. Josephine); 4, Buphone (A. tox-
icaria); 5, Coburgia (A. seticulata); 6,
Hyppeastrum (A. reginfe); 7, Lycoris
(A. aurea); 8, Nerine (A. sarniensis);
9, Oporantheus (A. lutea); 10, Spreclia
(A. formosissima) ; 11, Strumaria (A.
crispa); 12, Vallolta (A. purpurea).

Notwithstanding the many strictly
divided or classified genera, they are to
the florist and amateur, in all their vari-
eties, a favorite flower.

Only a few species preserve their
leaves through the whole year. Most
of them have a period of rest, which is
absolutely necessary to the perfection
of a free and luxuriant flowering. The
different sorts do not approach their
rest at the same time — some entering
upon it in summer, others in winter.
It requires only a little attention to dis-
cover this. When no more new leaves

362

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

are seen, and the old ones stop growth,
by degrees become enfeebled and lose
their succulent green, or begin to turn
yellow at the leaves, the time of rest is
at hand.'

If these signs are observed, watering
should be withheld by degrees ; and
when the leaves turn yellow and wilt
down, they must be deprived of it alto-
gether. When arrived at this state, the
pots containing the bulbs should be put
on a back shelf in the green or hot
house, or any Other suitable place where
they are out of the influence of the sun.
They should be left there til! a new
growth takes j^lace, which can be dis-
covered in the appearance of new leaves,
or a flower-bud and stem; the latter, in
some sorts, making their appearance
before the leaves. Then is the time to
repot them. Take the bulbs from the
pots and shake out all the soil from be-
tween the roots. Care should be taken
not to break or wound the latter, as it
will hinder their activity in growth, or
bring on decay of the bulb. All sound
"roots should be left untouched, but the
dead, rotten, or damaged should be cut
off with a sharp knife. As soon as the
earth has been removed, and the bulbs
cleansed of all useless and dead skius,
they should be replanted. For this
purpose use six or seven-inch pots. Put a
handful of bits of broken pots at the
■ bottom and cover them with soil made
up in the shape of a hill of the proper
height, to receive the base of a bulb.
Place the bulb upon it, and spread the
roots evenly oh- all sides of it,i holding
the neck, of the bulb with one hand,
and filling in the soil with the other.
Give the pots a slight shaking to settle
the earth among the roots. When the
pot is full, the earth should be pressed
down gently, so as to leave a space of
half an inch between it and the top of
the pot for the reception of water. In

planting, the bulb should be ; set so that
the neck rises high above tire ground;
and the longer the neck, the more nec-
essary this arrangement, so as to biting
the strong influence of the sun upon
the bulb, which is needful for the
formation of new flower-germs.

With respect to the Soil, the Amaryl-
lis does not make as strong claims as
many other species of plants. How-
ever, this rule must be strictly regarded,
that no fresh undecomposed vegetable
or animal matter be mited with it, as
the consequences would be the rapid
decay of the bulb. The best compost
for the Amaryllis is well-rotted turfy
peat, or a mixture of loam and- leaf
mold, or hot-bed muck. To each add
a good quantity of sharp white sand.

The watering of the Amaryllis should
not be done in an indifferent way, but
must keep equal pace with their growth.
With the exception of evergreen species,
they should not be watered at all dur-
ing their periods of rest. When the
bulbs show signs of new life, and are
already repotted, if there is some moist-
ure in the earth, do not water them, for
the first few days. If the soil gets very
dry, or is dry already, when potting the
bulb pour a little water around the eiigG
of the pot; but do not moisten the bulb
itself. In general they should be
watered so that the water enters the
earth near the Outer edge of the pot,
and never over, the bulb, as only the
ends of the root, and not the bulb it-
self, absorb the water, and such nutri-
tious substances as are dissolved by it.
If the growth is rapid, an abundance of
water should be given. Once or twice
a week a thin solution of sheep manure
maybe given,' :or horn chips, or scrap-
ings from the combmakers worked in
the soil. This is done, when the roots
are filling the pot, in order to perfect
the flowers.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

363

After blooming', water should be
given according to the growth, and
when diminishing, gradually withdrawn
till the cessation of growth, when the
watering should cease also.

The evergreen species should never
be allowed to dry out, but must be kept
moist, and at their time of growth re-
ceive a liberal supply of water.

Except during their period of rest,
the Amaryllis can not be kept in too
sunny a place. Their perfection, viz:
a plentiful bloom, depends chiefly on
the unbounded influence of the sun up-
on the bulbs. For this reason, whether
in the greenhouse, sitting-room, or open
air, the most sunny location should be
chosen. The maturity, viz: the forma-
tion of the future flower-germs, is the
more completely attained the more the
bulb is under the influence of the sun.

The practice here and there of taking
the bulbs out of the pots, and keeping
them dry during their periods of rest,
is in nowise, to be recommended. By
this method the roots dry up, and are
consequently lost. However dry the
bulbs may become in the pot during
their periods of rest, still they will not
be so dry, but that they will be enabled
to start a new growth as soon as they
are transplanted into fresh soil; conse-
cpiently these have a great ad-vantage
over those which are deprived of their
roots, and which must wait on the
favors of time and nature to renew their
strength and beauty.

The Amaryllis bulbs are propagated
in two different ways. First, by offsets
formed on the parental bulb; secondly,
by seeds. The offsets are removed from
the parent bulb, and repotted singly, or
with several in one pot. As soon as
they have reached an independent ex-
istence, they should be treated as old
roots.

The seed should be sown, if the seas-

on is favorable, right after their ma-
turity, or in the following spring. Sow
them in seed j>ans, in a light Amaryllis
compost. Water them moderately, and
set them in a hot-bed. Keep a close
observance of their condition, and see
that a soft and equal moisture is pre-
served, when they will soon germinate.
The seedlings require the same treat-
ment as the offsets. If there are no
hot-beds where the young seedlings or
offsets can be planted out, they may be
planted singly in the smallest sized pots
that can be obtained. As often as the
roots reach the outside of the pot, they
should be transplanted to a larger sized
one, without disturbing the ball of
earth. The less the roots are disturbed,
the sooner they will inclose the new
earth again, and take their nourishment
out of the same. This advice is only a
seeming contradiction to that given in
regard to, the older bulbs. The latter
commence annually a new period of
growth, while the young bulbs require
a growth uninterrupted, which would
be intermitted if the earth was shaken
from the roots, thus preventing the
rapid acomplishment of their maturity.
Amaryllis bulbs imported either from
Europe or their native country, are
generally in a dry, shrunken condition
on their arrival here, and without roots.
Their condition would lead many to
conclude that they. should be placed
immediately in the earth, and their
growth renewed; but this would be the
mistake of ignorance, because it might
be in contradiction to the natural dis-
position of the species. With a knowl-
edge of the nature of the respective
species, it is easy to bring the growth
of the bulb in unison with its natural
period of activity; but if not thus
acquainted with its nature, it is best to
put the bulb into a pot of loaming sand,
| and set it aside in a dry place of mod-

364

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

erate temperature, where there is no
danger of further shrinking in, or of
premature dampness. Let their condi-
tion be under constant observation; and
as soon as the least sign of growth is
seen, either in the formation of the
roots, or the swelling of the head of the
bulb, then is the time to pot and ad-
vance the same in a raised temperature,
which agrees with them. Bottom heat
is best. To such bulbs the smallest
pots possible should be given; but as
often as they fill with roots, they should
be shifted without hurting the roots. —
The Gardener's Monthly.

Flowering of Aplectrum. — With us
the flowering of Aplectrum hyemale Nutt.
appears to be an exceedingly rare event;
so much so, that close watching of the
plant in our woods, for several years, on
my part, has been unrewarded by a
single instance of its blossoming. The
experience of others corroborates the
conclusion that it is a shy bloomer, at
least in Michigan. I am anxious for in-
formation on the point referred to, as to
other localities. A friend once succeed-
ed in obtaining the flowers by taking up
the plants in the spring, and keeping
them in saucers of the rich black mould
which the Aplectrum loves so well, thor-
oughly moistened. A plant which I
once potted sent up a fine scape, several
inches high, but, owing to the want of
proper care during my absence from
home, it did not come to perf ection.

The Aplectrum was formerly well re-
presented in the woods north of Detroit;
but the encroachment of that city is fast
destroying the station which was remark-
able for the abundance of this now scarce
plant. However, it is, even now, far
from exhausted. On the 20th of April
1873, I took from a space about ten feet
square, in a piece of beech woods, thir-

ty of these plants, which I transplanted
to my garden, in hope to see them blos-
som. I shall duly communicate the re-
sult. Some years ago, I gave several
handsome roots to a Boston friend, for
cultivation ; but I have never heard since
regarding them. Some which I have
kept potted for three years invariably
send up every summer their large, many
plaited leaves, which remain throughout
the winter as usual; but the flowers are
not produced. It maybe that, in order
to procure the desired result, the pot
should not be kept housed during the
winter, but remain plunged in the open
ground.

I have thought that perhaps the de-
struction of the native forest, depriving
the plant of some element necessary to
its perfect development, is the cause of
its seldom or never blossoming here.
This is a suggestion worthy of note as
regards the history of other plants as well
as of this one. Of late years the Aplec-
trum is, with us, of less luxuriant growth
thanf ormerly. — Henry Gillman, Detroit,
Michigan, in American Naturalist.

The Lime or Linden, in Europe, is an
important tree. Those in the town of
Morat are celebrated in the history of
Switzerland. One was planted in 1476,
to commemorate the defeat of the Bur-
gundians, under Charles the Bold; the
other was a noted tree at the time of
the battle, and is now nearly nine cen-
turies old. But equally famous is the
one at Wurtemburg, called the ' ' Great
Linden," six centuries ago. It is prob-
ably one thousand years old, and meas-
ures 35ij feet in girth. Four and a half
centuries ago, its branches were sup-
ported by sixty-seven columns of stone,
now increased to one hundred and six,
many of which are "covered with in-
scriptions."

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

365

PEPPERMIXT— (MENTHA PIPERITA.)

BY DR. C. A. STIVERS.

I have taken the liberty from time to
time of using the columns of your jour-
nal, for the purpose of directing the at-
tention of cultivators of the soil in this
State to the various plants which might
be grown with profit to themselves, and
general benefit to all.

In furtherance of this plan of mine,
I desire in this short article to speak of
a simple little herb, which at present
commands but little attention, and is
cultivated but to a limited extent upon
this coast, although it is one of consid-
erable importance, and likely to yield a
good return for the labor and money
invested.

So common is the Peppermint herb,
that it requires no description at my
hands. It is a native of Great Britain,
from whence it has spread over Europe
and the United States, becoming as it
were native even in these parts of the
world.

In England and in the Eastern States,
it is largely cultivated for its volatile
oil — great quantities of which are used.
The herb requires but little cultivation;
merely a moist soil, and to be passably
free from weeds. In order to maintain
its flavor in perfection, and have it
yield the largest percentage of oil, it is
necessary to reset the roots every three
years. The cutting of it should be done
just as the flowers expand. The oil is
obtained by distillation (which is a sim-
ple operation, and soon learned); four
pounds of the fresh herb yield, accord-
• ing to Baume, from one to three drams
of the oil. This oil sells very readily
at from $3.50 to $4-50 per pound, with
a steady demand, there being nearly
500 pounds used in this city alone, per
year. The dried herb is also an article
of commerce, large quantities being

Vol. III.-47.

thus prepared. At present, the bulk
of the oil sold in the United States is
produced in the State of Michigan,
where the mint herb is raised in large
quantities.

That the cultivation of the Pepper-
mint would be remunerative in Califor-
nia, I have no doubt. There are vast
areas of low swampy lands in the State
well suited to its culture, and when we
take into consideration the length of
our growing season, the advantages, as
all will see, must be greatly in our fa-
vor, and we might readily expect that
the yield would be very large. Is not
this matter worthy of a trial ?

ADIANTUMS.

BY MANSFIELD MILTON, NORTH EASTON, PA.

Maiden-hair Ferns are univerally ad-
mired; no genus of Ferns being more
graceful in character or better adapted
for growing in glass cases than some of
the species, and none excels them in the
formation of bouquets. The culture of
a good many of these species is very
easy, and no collection of plants but
ought to contain a few of them. They
are propagated from spores and by di-
vision of the root.

Propagating from spores is the most
interesting of horticultural operations.
I shall give a few remarks upon the
mode generally practiced, which may
be applied to all Ferns grown from
spores.

Mix a compost of small lumps of peat,
charcoal, broken pieces of pots, and a
good quantity of fine sand; take six-
inch pots, give good drainage, and fill
to about an inch of the rim with this
compost; give a thorough watering,
then scatter the seeds or spores evenly
over the soil, laying a piece of glass on
the rim of the pot, and set the pots in

366

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTTJKIST.

pans containing about an inch of "water,
placing them under the stage of the
greenhouse, or in some shady place
•where moisture and heat are plentiful.
Change the water in the pans occa-
sionally, and thus prevent the soil from
souring.

On the surface of pots, on moist walls,
and under stagings of houses where
Ferns are grown, young plants will con-
tinually make their appearance. If
those specially grown in pots, as also
those coming up spontaneously through
the house, are planted into flats about
an inch apart, as soon as the first frond
appears, and allowed to remain until
large enough for potting singly into
thumb pots, then judiciously managed
by regular shifting, and otherwise treat-
ing properly, you will soon attain large
specimens.

Adiantums thrive best in soil com-
posed of three parts peat and one part
good fresh loam, with plenty of white
sand. Allow the compost to lie a few
days previous to using. Give pretty
large pots with plenty of drainage, which
should be done thoroughly, as good
drainage is indispensable to all plants
requiring a good supply of water. Al-
though a class of plants the foliage of
which repels water, a good many species
are very impatient with much syringing
over-head, especially the trapeziforme
group, the foliage of which gets black
with too much of it.

The following are some of the most
beautiful and easiest cultivated:

A. assimile. — A beautiful evergreen
species with dark green foliage, from
Australia, of easy culture, requiring
shade and plenty of moisture. As the
centre of large plants is apt to get open,
it is well to divide the plants and grow
in medium sized pots for handsome
specimens.

A. cuneatum. — The best known of the

Maiden -hair Ferns; one of the most
useful for bouquet making, and easy
of culture; native of Brazil.

A. colpodes. — Another beautiful Fern
for cutting, requiring more heat than
the preceding, being a native of tropical
America.

A. concinmum. — A beautiful Fern for
exhibition, having a drooping habit and
very distinct; variety Icetum; is a good
deal superior in habit and general beau-
ty. Requires plenty of heat to see its
real loveliness.

A . excisum multifidum . — A garden vari-
ety, making a handsome plant when well
grown, suitable for bouquet making;
the apex of the frond is divided, form-
ing a beautiful "tassel." It does well
in greenhouse temperature, but attains
a looser habit when grown in a stove.

A. Farleyense. — The most magnificent
Fern in cultivation, having broad pen-
dulous fronds, the sterile pinnse being
beautifully fringed. Although only in-
troduced into England from Barbadoes
in 1865, some superb plants of it are
possessed by several of the London
nurserymen, but two plants in the ex-
cellent collection of Mr. Such, New
Jersey, are said to equal any in cultiva-
tion. Too much praise can not be given
it. No one can see it without admiring
its gracefulness ; and none having ac-
commodation for growing, ought to be
without a plant of it.

A. formosum. — A fine greenhouse
species, easily grown, and admirably
adapted for cutting and exhibition pur-
poses.

A. fulaum. — Another easily cultivated
Fern from New Zealand.

A. macrophyllum. — A handsome hot-
house Fern from the West Indies, hav-
ing large erect-growing fronds, the pin-
nse being a faint pink when young,
changing to dark green.

A. tenerum. — An evergreen hothouse

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

367

species with large fronds, growing very
strong with plenty of heat and moisture.
From the spores of this species, A.
Farley ense and A. Gheesbrighti are sup-
posed to have been raised.

A. trapeziforme var. Lanctce Catharines.
— A noble Fern of easy culture, beau-
tifully adapted for decorative purposes,
recpairing a brisk heat when sending up
its fronds, but will do remarkably well
in a greenhouse temperature. Great
care should be taken not to syringe over-
head, as it causes the pinnse to get black;
nor the young fronds to be handled, as
it destroys them. — Gardener's Monthly.

HOW TO PLANT AND MANAGE HONEY
LOCUST HEDGES.

We extract the following from one
of Jas. D. Budd's circulars, in regard to
Honey Locust Hedges:

The Honey Locust belongs to a family
of plants which do not sprout, and up-
on which the borer never works. The
Red Bud and Kentucky Coffee-tree be-
longs to the same sub-order as the so-
called Honey Locust. The plant is
Three -thorned Acacia.

As to its being a larger tree — in a
hedge-row the whole character of the
plant is changed. Under pruning the
leaves become smaller, the branches
more numerous and subdivided, and
thorny, and like the Norway Spruce it
seems to fall naturally into a dwarfed
habit.

All this is specially indicated in the
old Honey Locust hedge at Elizabeth-
town, New Jersey. This hedge — now
over forty years established — is one
mile in length, has always been "pig
tight and bull strong," and is at this
time pronounced by competent judges
the most perfect hedge in the United
States.

My own young hedges, some three or

four miles in extent, some of them ready
to be turned out — demonstrate the
question as to developing thorns by
" cutting back." This point has been
much discussed by the people, as it is
found that a large proportion of the
young plants as they come from the
nursery are destitute of thorns. I have
a Honey Locust hedge eighty rods in
length originally set with select plants,
every one of which was thornless. The
tops were cut back when set. The cut-
ting back and check in transplanting
developed thorns upon half the plants
the first summer. Every plant in the
whole line is now not only thorny, but
intensely thorny. A Honey Locust in
good soil with free growth might be
destitute of thorns; crowd it into a close
hedge -row and subject it to cutting
back, and not only will thorns come
from the axils of the leaves, but from
adventitious buds along the main stems
and branches. I lay it down as a posi-
tive rule, that if any plants do not at-
tain thorns under common treatment,
every one of them may be made thorny
by cutting back in midsummer.

No plant used in hedging is as easy
to transplant as the Honey Locust. If
the plants are in good shape, with com-
mon care in setting, not one in a thou-
sand will miss doing well. Put in hedge-
row about ten inches apart. Let the
plants grow all they can the first sum-
mer. In the fall mulch with coarse
manure. I have found this to be a
great gain, in saving the newly set
plants from being thrown out and in-
jured by frost, and it also promotes a
healthy, vigorous growth the next sum.
mer. If you resolve on growing a hedge
upon the pyramid cutting -back plan,
cut the plant back severely each spring,
just before time of starting of the sap,
for the first three years after setting.
The fourth and fifth summers cut back

368

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTIJKIST.

in spring and again in midsummer, to
more completely thicken up the hedge,
and to develop thorns. At the end of
five years, with good care, you will have
a hedge that will literally turn man and
beast. If a fence is needed sooner, it
can be turned out against any stock at
the end of the fourth summer, by
stretching one wire over the top, at-
tached to stakes driven down in the
line of the hedge. These stakes should
not be so long as to interfere with the
after trimming of the hedge, if the stakes
and wires are left in the hedge.

Floweeing Sheubs. — Our flowering
shrubs have, and are, giving us a pro-
fusion of bloom; one variety in particu-
lar I propose to speak of at more length,
the Weigela. This is a most beautiful,
and by far too rare a plant in our rural
gardens. It is easily propagated from
layers, or cuttings started in a shaded
hotbed. This beautiful shrub belongs to
the genus Dervilla, but owes its popu-
lar name to the German botanist, Wei-
gel, who introduced it into Europe. Of
this genus there are several varieties,
the most disseminated of which, being
first introduced, is the Weigela rosea —
in pronouncing the name give the soft
sound of g. Many seedlings have been
produced from this, some of which show
decided improvements over the original.
Weigela rosea and Weigela amabilis are
the two first introduced. Some of the
seedlings are: Isoline , flowers nearly
white when they first open, but after-
wards turn to a delicate pink; Van Houl-
teii has the habit of amabilis, but flow-
ers of the Rosea Deboisiana have buds of
a dark crimson and very dark flowers,
the lower lobe of which is marked with
a yellow band. The foliage is very ro-
bust, of a fine dark green; bush a fine
erect habit, and is a profuse bloomer.

There are also several variegated-leaved
varieties; one with greenish yellow
leaves, another the leaves of which are
of a clear cream-white. Weigela rosea
is the popular variety, and capable of^
great improvement over the same as
generally cultivated. This shrub is
covered with a profusion of blossoms in
June, pink changing to white. The
bloom is so profuse that the leaves are
nearly all hid from view. The shrub is
of somewhat dwarf growth, growing
about three feet in height, and may be
trained to form a very ornamental shrub,
and one to give a very much more satis-
factory show than is too frequently the
case. Procure a plant and train it to
the tree form by rubbing out all growth
from the bottom, except one main stem,
for eight or ten inches; head it in and
allow the top to form bushy and thick,
and our word for it, you will be so much
better satisfied with it, that you will
hardly recognize it as the same thing as
when grown as a bush. The head is
formed by successive pinching in, after
which the culture is no more difficult
than in the other way.

The Japan Quince (Pyrus Japonica)
is another shrub, flowering somewhat
earlier than the "Weigela, well worthy of
more general cultivation, as they offer
us buds and flowers to weave in bouquets
when flowers are somewhat scarce.
There are white, red, double, and orange
varieties, blossoming in early spring.
The Japan Quince gives us beauty in
the shining glossy green of its foliage
after its flowers are gone; and then for
awhile its fruit possesses an interest to
the studiously inclined. This shrub is
susceptible of the same improvement as
the Weigela, and by careful training
may be made an attractive ornament of
the garden. — N. E. Homestead.

Adoen your homes with flowers.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

369

INDIAN AND GERMAN FOEESTS.

With an extraordinary damp climate
and plenty of barren soil in the north-
ern parts of the island, we have left our
woods very much to the care of nature,
while we have fed our fires from our coal-
fields and peat mosses, and imported
the better part of our timber. It is true
that some proprietors, more enlightened
than their neighbors, have been borrow-
ing ideas from systems practiced on the
Continent, and introducing a certain
method into their forest management.
The superintendents of Crown domains
— notably at Windsor and in the New
Forest — have been setting examples of
advance in the same direction. But it
was only as they became alive to the
state of matters in India, that the gov-
ernment took up forestry in earnest.
The population of India depends on its
forests almost entirely, and as these cov-
er an enormous area, it seemed never
to have occurred to any one that their
resources could be anything but inex-
haustible. However, the alarm at last
was given, and that illusion was sud-
denly dispelled. It was found that the
most wanton waste had made ravages
which could hardly be repaired in gen-
erations : the people hacked timber when
they wanted it, without any regard to
housing the supply; devastation by fires
was frequent; there were forest noma-
dic tribes who kept capriciously clear-
ing fresh spaces by incendiarism when-
ever it pleased them to change their
dwelling-places; in short, destruction
was proceeding apace, and the proper
authorities did not interpose a mo-
ment too soon. Fortunately, when
they did interpose, they interposed
to some purpose, and a regular for-
est staff has been established, direct-
ed by eminently capable men. It was
necessary, however, to educate the men

who were to be in charge. In India
forestry was an unknown art, and even
in this country it had been very much
neglected. But in France considerable
attention had always been paid to it,
while in northern Germany it has been
cultivated as a science. Accordingly
young men destined for the Indian for-
est service have been sent to educate
themselves in the G-erman forest schools,
for in Germany precept and practice go
hand in hand; while more experienced
officials have gone thither to make their
observations and to pick up what hints
they can to carry back for application in
India. It is to this policy that we owe
the reports of Captain Walker, Depu-
ty Conservator of the Madras Forests,
which have been lately published. His
reports are the fruits of a forest tour un-
dertaken in the course of last summer,
which extended over four months and a
half, and carried him through forests in
Hanover, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria,
Austria, and Baden. We may observe
by the way that they are supplemented
by a paper by Dr. Brandis, offering val-
uable suggestions on the professional
studies of forest officers on leave.

We imagine few people have form-
ed a conception of the extent of the re-
mains of a vast forest that once stretch-
ed itself all over Germany. In Hanover
alone, Captain Walker tells us, there are
900,000 acres of wood under State man-
agement; while nearly a fourth part of
the area of Prussia is in forest, although
the half of that is in private hands. As
is well known, the forest administration
in particular districts has long been fa-
mous, especially in Thuringia and the
Hartz mountains. In North Germany
generally the responsibilities are allot-
ted in districts among a carefully organ-
ized body of officials, presided over by a
Forstdirektor, who fills the post of com-
mander-in-chief. The appointments are

370

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

fairly remunerated as far as remunera-
tion goes in Germany; and they are so
eagerly sought after that candidates will
remain on their probation for years at
their own cost, or with moderate and pre-
carious pay, in the hope of being regu-
larly enrolled in the corps at last. In
Austria things are on somewhat a dif-
ferent footing. The Austrian forests
are magnificent — so magnificent, indeed,
that the people have been in the way
of taking liberties with them, just like
our own Indian subjects, and the forest
management has been neglected. Now
they have changed all that, and the
State is doing its best to repair the con-
sequences of its negligence. But as yet
the Austrian forest service is compara-
tively in its infancy, and the pay is very
indifferent. We may give an idea of
what the system is when fairly organized,
by taking Hanover as an illustration.
In Hanover the staff consists of the for-
est director and over-forest master; 20
forest masters in charge of divisions,
who constitute a council of management;
112 over-foresters in charge of districts;
403 assistant foresters; 343 under-forest-
ers, besides occasional laborers, who
are employed as their services are want-
ed. A check is established on the fin-
ances by appointing a cash-keeper to
each district;, the gross income is esti-
mated approximately at £300,000, while
the expenditure amounts to £128,000.
Even in North Germany it is only com-
paratively recently that many of the for-
ests have been worked to the best ad-
vantage. They had been hampered
with troublesome rights of common and
servitudes, which gave communities and
private persons a claim to take liberties
with the wood, while much damage was
done by exercising the rights of grazing
out of place and season. It has been
the more recent policy of the govern-
ment to buy up all these rights, dealing

very liberally with the people, and Cap-
tain Walker points out that measures of
this kind are absolutely necessary in
India. But even after acquiring these
rights the government do all in their
power to make the forest lands general-
ly useful. Where the growth of the
trees places them beyond the reach of
injury, cattle are freely admitted, and in
all cases where it is practicable the woods
are thrown open for recreation. As for
the foresters, even in the lower ranks,
they are highly educated in their special
line. They are not only at home in the
more immediately practical branches,
but they understand all about diseases
and insect plagues and the remedies for
them. Of merely mechanical woodcraft
they are masters. In the Black Forest
especially, Captain Walker, with all his
Indian experience, marveled at the ad-
roitness with which they manage to
bring down great trees, so that in their
fall they should not injure the saplings.
Then they have certain tools in use, sim-
ple enough in appearance, but which
are exceedingly useful in their hands,
and which might be adopted with ad-
vantage in England or India. The
krempe, for instance, something be-
tween an adze and a pickaxe, is one,
which lays fast hold of the trunks and
exerts an extraordinary leverage; and by
the aid of the krempe and a rope or two
Captain Walker has seen half-a-dozen
men do such work as they use elephants
for in India.

We shall not trouble our readers with
the valuable technical information Cap-
tain Walker collected as to methods of
rotation, clearing, cutting, sowing, plant-
ing out, etc. What is of more general
interest is his account of his visit to the
Prince F urste nberg's forest at Bippoldau
in the Grand Duchy of Baden. The
forest is opened up in all directions by
a regular system of roads arranged in-

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

371

to two classes. The first of these is
twice the width of the other and careful-
ly constructed with solid masonry, wood-
en bridges, etc. But most curious are
the "Riesen," or slips, down which the
timber is shot to the- streams, and the
artificial modes of floating the intermi-
nable rafts. The slips at Eippoldau are
about six feet wide, and pieces of wood
or rollers are placed along them at in-
tervals of a couple of feet. The trough
is formed of smooth timber stripped of
its bark, so that there shall be little fric-
tion on the stems as they glide down it.
"Where the curve is too sharp the slip is
disposed at something approaching a
right angle ; and the trunk which has
been shot so far is turned by means of
the krempe, and then launched forward
on a fresh start. Three hundred stems
can be sent down one of these slips in a
single day. As for the mode of float-
ing the timber, that must be seen to be
believed, as Captain Walker remarks.
The little mountain stream is cleared of
its bowlders, and its bed prepared with
pieces of cross-timber as the ■ ' Riesen "
are. The water is dammed back in res-
ervoirs, and, strange to say, the floating
takes place when the stream is unusual-
ly low. The floss or float consists of
stems of full-grown trees loosely knotted
together at the ends by ropes of bark,
and the length of the whole float is fre-
quently 2,000 feet. "My first im-
pression," Captain Walker remarks,
" when I saw the floats . . . . lying zig-
zag in the bed of the mountain stream,
was that it was simply impossible that
they could ever be floated, still less steer-
ed down the stream with all its wind-
ings, and over the locks and rocks which
occurred pretty frequently." The front
consists of two or three stems abreast,
w1.th a prow formed like the bow of a
whale-boat. "When all is ready, the
water from above is let loose, and the

raft or rafts which have hitherto been
lying in the bed of the stream, which
has probably not more than a foot of wa-
ter in it, begin to float a little, but are
not let go until about two-thirds of the

water has passed When let go

it is exceedingly curious to see the for-
ward part dart off at the rate of five or
six miles an hour, and the several
pieces or links which have been lying
zigzag and more or less high and dry,
gradually uncoil themselves and follow
in its wake, till the whole dashes along
apparently uncontrolled." Strange to
say, sometimes when the decline is steep,
the raft travels faster than the water,
but if the stoppages are not too fre-
quent, it can do its fifty miles a day.
When it arrives at the Kinzig it is bro-
ken up and formed into those large rafts
which are familiar to all travelers on the
Rhine. In short, these reports of Cap-
tain Walker's will be found to combine
entertainment with instruction, and had
we more space to devote to them, we
should invite our readers to accompany
him on his excursions to the Scotch and
English forests. — Pall Mall Gazette.

Asparagus and Manure. — I have tried
all kinds of manure for Asparagus
plants, and all sorts of treatment.
Nothing, however, produced such a
rank and thick growth as fresh cow ma-
nure. We have often used horse ma-
nure well rotted, and salt, and various
other applications. But the pure cow
manure, spread over the bed about
three inches thick, proved the best.
The year before the last we had the most
wonderful growth, and, as we believe,
entirely from this cause. We always
leave our stalks until they are about
one foot high before cutting them; we
fancy they are much better, and we
know we get three times as much veget-
able food fit to eat. — Exchange.

372

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

The Mode of Life of Roots. — As the
duties of the roots differ in the various
plants, so do their modes of life vary.
Some live wholly in the water, others
(and these by far the greater number)
live in the obscurity of the soil, while
others, again, fasten upon the trunks
and branches of plants larger than them-
selves. In the shape of the roots we
find a corresponding diversity. Some
are short and thick-set, as witness those
of the beet and radish, from which fine,
thread-like rootlets shoot out, in order
to feed the main root; others are long
and slender; some creep along near the
surface of the ground, while others,
again, dive deep down into the earth, as
though seeking to penetrate its inner-
most secrets. But all, great and small,
thick-set and slender, are provided with
a wonderful amount of energy and per-
severance, never failing, if unmolested,
to perform the work allotted them with
no small degree of intelligence.

Let us here give you an instance of
this intelligence, which we learned but a
few days since, from the lips of an eye-
witness.

Most of our readers have doubtless
seen descriptions of that beautiful or-
chid of the Isthmus of Panama, the Es-
piritu Santo, or Flower of the Holy
Ghost, so called because of the wonder-
ful representation of a dove, with bow-
ed head and folded wings, which forms
the centre of the pulpit-like flower.
For some years the natives, regarding the
plant with superstitious reverence, care-
fully concealed the knowledge of its ex-
istence from all foreigners; but at length
it was discovered, and several bulbs were
carried into the city of Panama, where
they were planted in boxes, and assid-
uously nursed, but without success.
The bulbs withered, and dried, and were
at last thrown away in despair — a de-
spair that proved their salvation. Cast

out upon a heap of rubbish and stones,
the bulbs, no longer buried in the earth
by an ignorant master, exulted in their
freedom, and striking down their roots
through the stones, came back to life
and vigor. Those bulbs knew (what
their captor did not) that if buried, or
even half-huiied, in the earth, they
must die; but note with what cogence
and intelligence they seized upon the
chance of life the moment it was acci-
dentally thrown in their way! They
knew, as the " lord of creation " did not,
that their long, slender rootlets alone
could be sunken into the earth. Says
my informant, a scientific gentleman:
' ' The bulb should be supjoorted, above
ground, by stones, until the roots have
taken sufficient hold to steady it. This
is the natural condition of the Espiritu
Santo, and only thus will it flourish." —
Helen Harcourt in To-Day.

Foliage Plants. — A great mistake is
made by many in the arrangement of the
garden, in not giving sufficient attention
to foliage plants. A bed of flowers may
be ever so rich, and the display of col-
ors may be dazzling, but if there is no
frame-work of living green, the effect on
the eye is rather painful than otherwise.
The fault of many gardens is, too much
glare. Masses of brilliant flowers — red,
yellow, white and scarlet — are grouped
together, until the garden is all aflame
with radiant colors, and its very gor-
geousness is oppressive.

How refreshing it is to the eye to
have here and there a clump of rich,
dark-green foliage to rest on! Y\Thile
the gaudy hues of the flowers have a ten-
dency to aggravate the heat of the sum-
mer day, the living green of the foliage
is suggestive of cool, refreshing shafle.
In every flower garden there should be
borders of emerald turf as a frame-work

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

373

to the beds, and to occupy space not al-
lotted to the flowers. Foliage plants
can be used with fine effect interspersed
with the flowers, and in every garden
green should be the predominant color,
or ground, while the flowers form the
embroidery.

In the arrangement of flowers in vases
and baskets the same order should pre-
vail. A bouquet without a background
of cedar, arborvitse, or some other ever-
green, is never complete, and is all the
more perfect if ferns and grasses are in-
terspersed.— Ex.

UPON THE TEEM "NATUEAL," AS
APPLIED TO LANDSCAPE.

BY E. J. HOOPEH.

It is well for us to consider certain
general laws by which Nature is gov-
erned in the grouping of plants, and
the development of their forms; and it
is highly important for us to endeavor
to understand these laws. It is often
denied that one scene is any more nat-
ural than another, if they are each the
growth of Nature. An orchard, say
these objectors, is just as natural as a
wild forest, and a garden of tulips as
natural as a tract of wild pasture, thick-
ly overgrown with indigenous herbs,
flowers, and shrubbery. Though, I
think, it can not be denied that one is
the production of Nature as well as the
other, yet the former deviates more
widely from the process, the direction
and the forms of vegetation which Nat-
ure causes to appear on the face of the
earth, when she is left to her own spon-
taneous efforts.

I will here speak of the importance
of imitating the modus operandi of Nat-
ure, when developing landscapes aDd
laying out pleasure-grounds, with the
design of obtaining from them the great-

Voi,. III.— 48.

est amount of enjoyment both to the eye
and ear. It has been denied by some,
much to my surprise, that the pursuit
of this course will insure a more favor-
able result than by following one that
is strictly artificial, as in the Dutch gar-
den, or geometric style. I will freely
admit that in horticultural operations,
as in the planting of nurseries, arbore-
tums, and beds for florists' flowers, any
attempt to imitate Nature would be as
absurd as to attempt it in a corn-field or
in the kitchen garden. The objectors
remark that the tangled wilderness is far
from agreeable, either as a place for re-
creation or as a scene for the entertain-
ment of the eye; that it is destitute both
of beauty and comfort, and that we al-
ways take more pleasure in a garden
that is well kept, than in one that is
overgrown with weeds. These objec-
tions are based on a misconception of
the true meaning of the natural as dis-
tinguished from the artificial in land-
scape. There is a vagueness in the sig-
nificance of the terms which it is rather
difficult to clear up. I am dsiposed to
apply the term natural to all scenes in
which art has wrought in harmony with
Nature; and I believe it will be found
that in all old settlements, a pleasure-
ground that extends beyond the space
of an acre will afford satisfaction to the
visitor in proportion as it is made to re-
semble the work of Nature, without her
defects.

In the close vicinity of our dwelling-
houses it is useless to attempt an imita-
tion of Nature in the embellishment of
the inclosures. Neatness, beauty, and
convenience are to be regarded above
all other considerations. But in more
extensive tracts, which are designed for
rural recreation, the more nearly we can
imitate the ways of Nature, consistently
with the attainment of other needful
purposes, the more satisfaction shall we

374

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

derive. There is an air of freedom and
seclusion about a place that seems en-
tirely inartificial, that fills the soul with
the most agreeable emotions. We feel
secure from interruption, and a pleas-
ing sense of our right to ramble and
loiter there. The first highly- wrought
fence, or other artificial structure, im-
mediately suggests the idea that we
may be trespassing, and that we may
meet some one who, as guardian or pro-
prietor, may dispute our right to enter
upon his grounds. It does not follow
that there is anything like envy com-
bined with this feeling ; but every ob-
ject that is palpably artificial produces
a sense of constraint, and damps the
poetic emotions of solitude. Though
the proprietor of a place may feel dis-
posed to disregard these influences on
the minds of strangers, I am confident
that, in the same proportion as, on any
account, it would fail in exciting agree-
able emotions in the minds of others, it
would also fail in yielding pleasure to
him and his family.

Though complete and uninterrupted
solitude would be hardly preferable to
death, yet every man of reflective mind
delights in occasional retirement. He
loves to go out so far in the fields and
woods that he may not be liable to inter-
ruption; and he feels this charming se-
clusion most powerfully in scenes of
native wildness, or in those in which
the planter or landscape gardener has
designedly or otherwise imitated the
spontaneous ways of Nature. How
much I experienced these feelings when
last summer I visited that wild and ro-
mantic estate — Napa Soda Springs —
near the city of Napa, covered with the
finest Oaks and a variety of other beau-
tiful forest-trees, shrubs, and wild flow-
ers of every hue, through the natural
grounds of which long winding walks,
rustic bridges, and seats, and stone

steps, led in every direction to water-
falls, towering cliffs, shaded recesses,
Fern wildernesses, and other objects of
rural, picturesque, and natural attrac-
tiveness. No sooner does the visitor of
such charming scenes perceive this ap-
parently careless irregularity, unmixed
with the too elaborate, costly works of
art, than he feels he is alone, as I did
there. If, at the same time, as I ex-
perienced on these premises, the solitary
birds of the wilderness are seen and
heard around him, the emotion of soli-
tude is the more vividly impressed on
the mind. Indeed, this feeling is sel-
dom complete, until he hears those wild
notes from creatures that cautiously
avoid the busy town and its vicinity.
It seems to me, therefore, an impor-
tant principle in the art of creating
landscape, that there should be present
in it everything agreeable that is found
in a wildwood, and that everything
prominently artificial should be exclud-
ed that would disturb those poetic feel-
ings which are awakened by the real
scenes of Nature.

(Conclusion next month..)

THE PAELOE GAEDEN.

[SEE IliLUSTEATION, FRONTISPIECE. ]

It is not always easy to cultivate or-
namental, plants in an inhabited room;
still, far from complaining of this diffi-
culty, we should, on the contrary, con-
gratulate ourselves, for is it not a great
pleasure to attempt a difficult thing and
succeed in doing it? We would not,
however, have this remark discourage
the beginner; very limited appliances
and means, with the ordinary experien-
ces gained in a surprisingly short space
of time, will afford much of gratification
and of pleasure. The extent to which
parlor-gardening can be carried on, the
kinds and varieties of plants it may em-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

375

brace, the time of the year in which we
can occupy ourselves in it with the most
pleasure and success; all this varies ac-
cording to the space we may have at
our disposal, and the fitness of the sit-
uation for the experiments. We shall
take into consideration all these things,
as they present themselves in the natu-
ral course of ordinary life.

Watering. — Plants confined within
our dwellings require watering, some
rarely and sparingly, others often and
profusely; but it should always be with
water of the same temperature as that of
the earth in which they are placed.
This is a very important point, and one
upon which most people who have flow-
ers in pots in their chambers are perfect-
ly ignorant. You, ladies, do yourselves
like a comfortable degree of warmth; so,
also, do your plants. Yet mark what
frequently happens. Some beautiful Ca-
mellia is your delight, and, to judge
by the profusion of buds with which it
is loaded, it promises a splendid bloom
in the early months of the year. You
have, in the meantime, been enjoined
not to fail to water it when required,
and this injunction you punctually ful-
fill. But in what way? You go to the
sideboard for the water-jug; you find it
empty; you at once have it replenished
from the tap or the pump, the water of
which is of an exceedingly low temper-
ature, and this you pour upon the roots
of your favorite Camellia ! Suppose
some one were to pour icy water upon
your feet, would not the shock make
you cry out? Your Camellia, although
silent, does not suffer less. Its sap,
that was in full activity, slackens —
stops — and that it may begin to flow
again, all the buds drop one after anoth-
er; not a single one can bloom ! The
best thing to be done is to place in the
chamber a vessel containing the quanti-
ty of water necessary to water the plants

next morning. This water and the earth
in the pots will then become of the
same temperature.

[ To be continued.]

We have battled through another
year, and the present number closes the
third volume of the ' ' California Horti-
culturist and Floral Magazine," which
our spirited publishers have embellish-
ed with many excellent illustrations.

In reviewing the labors of the past
twelve months, we feel sincerely thank-
ful to our many contributors for the
very many excellent articles which have
appeared in our periodical.

To our numerous subscribers we beg
to express our gratitude for their sup-
port, and to assure them it will be our
endeavor to render the ensuing numbers
additionally interesting and instructive;
and from the abundant promises of val-
uable assistance which we have received
from many able practical men, we feel
confident that our magazine will, by a
large accession to our original articles,
be still more acceptable in the future to
our readers.

Our programme for the ensuing vol-
ume will comprise the important and
varied subjects of Irrigation, Forest and
Tree Culture, Floriculture, Horticulture
in all its branches; the Botany of the
Pacific Coast,with original notes of some
of the enterprising and persevering ex-
plorers of the present day; papers on
indigenous Ferns and Orchids, and on
the Algse of this coast; while our col-
umns will be open to occasional contri-
butions and selected articles on various
kindred subjects: and by exercising all
due care in the selection and revision of
whatever appears in our numbers, we
hope to render our magazine so far ac-
ceptable to our numerous readers as

376

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

to insure us the much - extended sup-
port which a publication of this kind
requires.

EEPOETS OF SOCIETIES.

Report or the Secretary of the
Bay District Horticultural Society. —
Gentlemen: — In submitting this Third
Annual Report to you, I can not do
otherwise than express a feeling of re-
gret that our Society is moving so slowly
in accomplishing its mission ; unfor-
tunately its financial condition is not of
a Very encouraging nature. The in-
terest taken in the Society by the public,
is not, I am sorry to say, equal to the
severe task of fostering and developing
the horticultural and floricultural prod-
ucts which the State of California is
capable of producing.

It can not be denied that a Horticul-
tural Society is a most important insti-
tution in a new country, and particular-
ly so where the resources are unlimited.
The usefulness of such a Society con-
sists not only in the discussion of sub-
jects pertaining to Horticulture — in
pointing out what our State might pro-
duce, and in exhibiting the products of
our soil under the most favorable cir-
cumstances to the public — but to be of
real service to our State, and to the
people who occupy its lands, the dis-
cussions and deliberations of practical
men should be made public by its
means and disseminated throughout the
rural districts. The trees, shrubs, and
plants which, after mature deliberation,
are considered of a useful as well as
ornamental character, and adapted to
our soil and climate, should be intro-
duced by the Society, and acclimatized,
in order that their fitness and usefulness
may be practically demonstrated at . its
exhibitions, with the resultant success
in all its variations brought about by

the influences of soil, climate, and other
conditions.

This, I am well aware, can not be
done with the resources at your com-
mand at the present time, which are
barely sufficient to cover the expense of
room-rent, gas, and petty incidentals.
To enable you, therefore, to make your-
selves more useful to the public, you
must increase your revenues, which at
present can only be done by adding
regular members. It will be strange,
indeed, if the population of California
can not or will not sustain an insti-
tution of this kind, and swell the list of
its regular members to a number suf-
ficient to accomplish your purpose. It
is my opinion, that a sufficiently strong
effort to do this has not yet been made.
I would also call your attention to that
portion of your Constitution and By-
Laws, which grants life-membership on
payment of twenty-five dollars. This
is too small an amount compared with
the requirements of other less important
and less useful societies.

True, that during the past year a class
of men have been admitted as members
of this Society, of which we may well be
proud; but there are hundreds more, I
believe, who would help you along
financially and practically, if this aid
was solicited in a proper way.

It is the opinion of horticulturists in
this State, that an Experimental Gar-
den should be established, for the pur-
pose of introducing new and desirable
trees, plants, etc. Such a garden might
be properly conducted under your su-
supervision. And if a suitable appropri-
ation were made by the State for that
purpose, an immense benefit might be
derived from it.

The subject of forest culture has been
thoroughly discussed during the last
two years, and our scientific men are
unanimous as to the many benefits

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

377

which the State would derive from a
proper system of forest culture. Your
Society should be a strong advocate of
this industry, and be instrumental in
soliciting proper legislation on the sub-
ject.

We have no one to protect and ad-
vance the interest of Horticulture on
this coast. The politicians seem to
have no time for the consideration of
laws intended to effect useful internal
improvements. We must show a bold
front, and demand proper legislation
for the development of our most im-
portant resources and industries.

In the laying out and the mainten-
ance of our public squares, parks, and
grounds, many abuses and blunders
have been committed, and thousands of
dollars have been squandered by in-
judicious management; contracts have
been made, without due public notice,
in favor of a few, when in many cases
evidence can be produced that the work
of laying out grounds, furnishing ma-
terial, trees, and shrubs, could be done
much better, and in a more workman-
like manner, for one-half the amount
actually expended. I think the attention
of the public should be called to these
defects, and the officials who have the
management of these affairs should be
exposed.

During the year 1873, the Society
held two exhibitions, one in the spring
and another in the autumn. While the
Spring Exhibition was confined to the
display of useful and ornamental trees,
shrabs, and plants, the Autumn Exhi-
bition consisted of a general display of
various horticultural, floricultural, and
pomological products. Both of these
exhibitions were most meritorious, and
the highest praise is due to all who aid-
ed in the efforts of the Society to make
the display worthy of the reputation
which California enjoys at home and

abroad. The arrangements in the hall
for the Spring Exhibition were in most
pleasing and elegant style, and noth-
ing was wanting to render the display
most successful. At the Autumn Exhi-
bition the Fruit department was most
complete, and the best ever made in
San Francisco. The exhibition of Ap-
ples was the best ever made in the
State.

In the department of Plants, the new
and rare plants of recent introduction
were most promising features, and at-
tracted universal attention.

The qxiality of trees and plants was
invariably better than ever before, and
our nurserymen and florists showed a
great deal of perseverance and sacrifice
of time in cultivating specimens par-
ticularly and especially for the exhibi-
tions. In regard to variety and quality
of plants, it is conceded that much has
been gained during the past two years.

A most meritorious exhibit of pre-
served fruits and jellies was displayed,
which was certainly the best ever placed
on exhibition in San Francisco.

Although the Society may well feel
proud in accomplishing so glorious a
result, it is a most lamentable fact, that
both of the exhibitions were financial
failures, the Society sustaining severe
losses; which demonstrates clearly that
without the aid of a suitable appropria-
tion from the State, similar to the one
made for the past two years, it would
be impossible to continue similar ex-
hibitions. For this reason, besides
many others, it is to be hoped that
the Legislature, which is to meet dur-
ing the coming winter, will act prompt-
ly in Toting the necessaiy aid for the
continuance of our Horticultural Ex-
hibitions.

Various circumstances plainly point
out the error which was made in hold-
ing two exhibitions in one year, and

378

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the suggestion is timely, that one exhibi-
tion annually is all that can be expected.
Much gratified at the appreciation, by
a numerous and enlightened portion of
the community, of our untiring labors to
advance Horticulture and Floriculture
in all their branches, and encouraged
by a strong hope that during the coming
year the revenues of the Society will be
increased three-fold, I am respectfully
yours, F. A. Mllleb,

Secretary.

o

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

These Gardens have become an indis-
pensable necessity to that enlightened
portion of our community who, having
families, avail themselves of this inval-
uable opportunity for combining recre-
ation with instruction in educating their
children; and instead of merely tran-
sient explorations at wide intervals, we
perceive that it has become a practice
with many parents to make continuous
and oft-repeated visits, attended by the
children, making use of the Guide and
Catalogue (of which a great number
have been sold) to assist in identifying
the many objects of interest. This is
as it should be. It is the best, and
most pleasant, effective mode of impart-
ing instruction; and the vast and in-
creasing number of noteworthy objects
stimulate the curiosity and please the
eye, while the memory is more readily
impressed with facts and forms received
under a condition of pleasurable ex-
citement. "We notice that while some
discursively wander over the entire
grounds at every visit, on the butterfly
principle, nevertheless enjoying them-
selves and picking up much knowledge ;
others, more systematic, confine their
attention to one department at a time.
Sometimes it is Botany which is ardent-
ly studied; at another time it is Miner-

alogy; again it is Zoology, and either the
birds or the animals receive exclusive at-
tention. Nor are the children with their
parents the only students. Many vis-
itors from widely distant sections of the
country make these Gardens a resort,
as well as the more mature and educated
members of the community — the latter,
like the Athenians of old, in search of
something new, in which they are fre-
quently gratified, as the energetic pro-
prietor is continually adding new at-
tractions, modifying, and improving,
and purchasing whatever will increase
interest and gratify the public. The
Aquarium is being remodeled; and the
replacing of the thinner glass with its
supporting bars by the heavy and cost-
ly sheets, (some of them an inch in
thickness), is a magnificent improve-
ment. The glazing of the Aviary for
the smaller and more delicate birds (of
which several hundreds have been re-
cently added). with plate glass, is also
a decided and noteworthy change for
the better. Great alterations are being
made in the accommodation for the ani-
mals in the amphitheatre; and many
other additions and improvements are
in progress. The Conservatories are in
fine order, and a considerable number
of new plants, etc., have been received
from the East and Europe.

CATALOGUES RECEIVED.

Vick's Floral Guide, for 1874 — An ex-
cellent catalogue, copiously illustrated.
It is published quarterly, 25 cents per
annum, and may be obtained of James
Vick, Rochester, N. Y.

We are in receipt of Catalogue No. 3,
of Messrs. Miller & Sievers, 27 Post
Street, San Francisco — a copious cata-
logue of choice and well selected plants,
etc. ; and we doubt not that our floral

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

379

friends will award to these energetic
and enterprising gentlemen the sup-
port they so richly deserve for their in-
dustry and perseverance in importing
for the market of California the rich
variety of new and rare plants, etc. ,
etc., which are detailed in their lists,
at such moderate prices.

OUE EXCHANGE TABLE.

The Horticulturist. — A journal of rural
life, etc. , published by Henry T. Wil-
liams, 5 Beekman Street, New Tork,
$2. 50 per annum — a monthly magazine,
replete with valuable information.

The Gardener's Monthly, price $2 per
annum; published by Chas. H. Marot,
814 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, and
edited by Thos. Meehan — a very ex-
cellent monthly.

The Ladies' Floral Cabinet, monthly,
by Henry T. Williams, New Tork.
Very good and useful; price 75 cents
per annum.

The California Farmer, by Warren &
Co., San Francisco, Cal., $4 per annum.

FAVOES BECEIYED.

We have to acknowledge the receipt
of the Annual Report, for 1873, of the
Hon. Frederick Watts, Commissioner
of Agriculture at Washington.

We are indebted to E. W. Bruswell,
Esq., Treasurer and Corresponding Sec-
retary of the Massachusetts Horticul-
tural Society, for a catalogue of the
library of that institution, copious, and
comprising many valuable works.

The Overland Monthly. — The De-
cember number of this excellent month-
ly is, by courtesy of the publishers, be-
fore us. It is, as usual, replete with
interesting matter: "Chips from an In-

dian Workshop," "Life in Mazatlan,"
"New Zealand," "Parks and Pleasure
Grounds," and " Seeking the Golden
Fleece " — all well written and interest-
ing articles. "Etc." and "CurrentLit-
erature" have all their usual discrim-
inating character and piquancy.

We are indebted to Messrs. Tucker &
Son, of Albany, N. T., for their Illus-
trated Annual Register of Rural Affairs,
for 1874. This is a very concise and
useful publication, and contains much
valuable information. Price 30 cents.

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

BY F. A. MTLLEE.

We have had sufficient rain to begin
winter operations in our gardens, and
the weather is now most favorable for
outside work of all kinds. As a rule,
I would advise all to prepare the ground
early and to plant early, with the ex-
ception of such plants and trees as are
not quite hardy.

Lawns and flower gardens ought to
have a good top-dressing of manure,
which may be allowed to remain on the
lawn or grass-plat for a few weeks, in
order that all the fertilizing ingredi-
ents may be washed into the ground by
the occasional rains, while the manure
spread over the flower borders should
be dug into the ground by trenching the
soil to the depth of twelve inches.

Pansies which have been sown in
September or October may now be
planted out where they are desired;
the soil for them should be particularly
enriched and well prepared. Our win-
ter season is the season for Pansies,
Violets, Daisies, Primulas, Aubrietias,
and all other hardy border-plants, and
they will do better if they are trans-
planted at this time.

If any of the Gladiolus and Dahlia

380

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

roots still remain in the ground, they
should be taken up at once and stored
away in a dry, airy place. Gladioli which
were planted in September will flower
now and during the coming month.
We have a fine lot in full bloom out-of-
doors at present, which were planted in
September; and as bright flowers are
now becoming scarce, they help us out
to a great extent. I can say the same
of Lilium auratums, which are exceed-
ingly well adapted for winter flowering
out-of-doors, if they are planted in Au-
gust and September in some protected
place.

Those who have not already planted
the Hyacynth, Narcissus, Crocus, etc.,
should not delay to do so, both for the
garden and the house. Tulips, I am
satisfied, ought to be planted early to
do well in California. Planting late in
the season is the cause of frequent fail-
ures. All of the bulbs and roots named
will do best in a warm and sunny ex-
posure, protected from strong winds.

This month is still a favorable time to
plant your Rose-cuttings, both in frames
and in the open ground. If planted in
frames, a moderate bottom heat should
be provided; if planted in the open
ground, the cuttings ought to be at
least four inches long, and of a strong
healthy wood. Prepare the ground well
and deeply before planting, and if too
heavy, add some sand. Some of our
deciduous shrubs grow well from cut-
tings made in the same way, and the
wood is now in a proper condition for
that purpose. There is no necessity
for planting the cuttings immediately,
if not convenient; they may be tied up
and kept in a shady place, and partly
covered up with soil. Some Tea and
Bengal Roses, which make very little
new wood in comparison with the more
robust-growing Perpetuals and Bour-
bons, would be better grown in frames,

as short cuttings of three or four eyes
only are required under this method.

The plants in the greenhouse and
conservatory must now be kept rather
dry, as all the soft-wood and succulent
varieties are apt to damp off during our
cool nights, particularly in wet weather.

Tender plants in our greenhouses and
conservatories suffer not so much from
the effect of cold as from dampness, and
to have the Begonia, Coleus, Maranta,
and other tender ornamental foliage
plants, do well during our winter
months, some artificial warmth should
be provided. The various kinds of ap-
paratus in use for heating, in the East
and in Europe, are too expensive for us.
"We require some mode which will give
a moderate amount of warmth during
the nights and the cold rainy days, which
will disperse and rarify some of the
moisture which penetrates our green-
houses and does so much mischief. The
thermometer rarely falls below 45 or 50;
and I think that, with a very simple
heating apparatus, we may be able to
keep above 55. At our nurseries we are
now introducing a very simple and
cheap apparatus, which I think will an-
swer the purpose.

Unless bottom heat (which can be
made of fresh manure and tan-bark)
can be applied, propagating, at this
time, can not be safely undertaken; and
at the same time it is a well-established
fact, that greenhouse plants in general
should be propagated in October, No-
vember, and December. In fact, these
three months answer very well for the
propagation of hardy plants also. Ar-
tificial heat is therefore most desirable
for such work.

The want of flowers is particularly
felt during our winter months, and with
a small degree of warmth, our plants in
the greenhouses and conservatories may
be kept in full bloom throughout the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

381

winter. Under all circumstances the
houses should be well ventilated when
the weather permits it.

Unless plants can be kept in a grow-
ing condition by artificial heat, they will
do much better in small pots. I would
therefore caution against the over-pot-
ting of plants. Last winter we kept
tender foliage plants in a remarkably
good condition in three-inch pots, while
those in large pots suffered most.

The necessity for thorough drainage
at the bottom of the pots and boxes is
imperative, and should be looked after
at once. A good effect is also produced
by the application of warm water, when-
ever the plants actually need moisture.

REPORT ON THE FEUIT AND VEGE-
TABLE MARKET.

BY E. J. HOOPEE.

The extension of those three great
improvements — Railways, Telegraphs,
and Fruit-growing — make notable the
last thirty years as a remarkable and
wonderful era in the progress of man.
The benefits conferred by the extensive
cultivation of fruit - trees are almost
equal in importance with those of the
first two combined. Hardly anything
has occurred in the history of man
which can compare with the extent of
fruit gardens and orchards which have
been, and still are being, set out year
by year. All the nurseries in every part
of the world are annually pouring forth
their millions of trees into every coun-
try, and yet the demand for them fully
equals the supply. There is a reason
for all this. One is the discovered
value of fine fruit, and the other is the
loss of myriads of young trees by bad
management and the want of care in
defending them from the damage of

Vol. III.— 49.

cattle, etc. On these two points I pro-
pose to offer a few remarks.

First, on the value of fruit: On this
subject but few words will be needed,
for the whole community are rapidly
discovering that a few acres of orchard
— particularly if convenient to a mar-
ket— often yield more profit than all
the rest of a large farm, and that one
to three hundred dollars per acre annu-
ally is no unusual return, under good
management; while, in rare cases, a
single tree will nearly pay for an acre
of ground by the product of one season
only. Besides this, not a few are learn-
ing that a good supply for family use
saves a great many hard-earned dollars
which otherwise are yearly paid to the
miller and butcher, or what is the same
thing, an equal amount forwarded to
market. The use of apples alone,
where a constant supply may be had
for baking, stewing, for puddings and
for pies, saves to many families at least
a hundred dollars annually; and by
using rich, high-flavored sorts, the use
of hundreds of pounds of sugar is ob-
viated, otherwise required for sweeten-
ing and supplying the requisite flavor.
But this is so well understood, that I
need not dwell upon the subject any
longer, except merely to allude to the
pleasure and satisfaction which it must
afford everyone to be furnished with
a succession of delicious fruits, which
our California affords during the whole
of the year, commencing with Straw-
berries for six to eight months at least,
and including Cherries, Currants, Rasp-
berries, Blackberries, Apricots, Nectar-
ines, Pears, Plums, Peaches, Apples,
and Grapes, some of which may, with
care, be had for use during every day of
the year.

In relation to management a great
deal may be profitably said. The ground
for every orchard and fruit garden, in

382

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the first place, should be properly en-
riched, if it is not naturally as produc-
tive as is common in our State; sec-
ondly, the trees should be well set'out;
and thirdly, and most important of all,
good and constant cultivation must be
given. There is no "royal road" to
the raising of good fruit; and an or-
chard requires attention and labor quite
as much as a field of corn or potatoes.
Here is the great and fatal error of
a large portion who attempt the culti-
vation of fruit : 1st. Those who have
procured their trees destroy them at
once by drying them in the sun or wind,
or freezing them in the cold, before set-
ting out. 2d. Those who destroy them
by crowding the roots into small holes
cut out of a sod, where, if they live,
they maintain a stunted and feeble ex-
istence, like the half-starved cattle of a
neglectful farmer. 3d. Others set them
out well, and then consider their labors
as having closed. They are subsequent-
ly suffered to become choked with grass,
weeds, or crops of grain. Some live
and linger, others die under the hard-
ship, or else are demolished by cat-
tle, or are broken down or their bark
wounded by the team which cultivates
the ground. All low hoed crops are best
for young orchards, such as Beans, Tur-
nips, Field-beets, and Carrots. Sown
grain crops are bad, and meadows still
worse. But even hoed crops operate in
some degree as weeds, and hence the
most successful orchardists keep the
whole surface in clean, mellow cultiva-
tion, without any crop whatever, and
find it most profitable. The only ex-
ception they make is in planting a por-
tion of the space in very young or-
chards, several feet distant from each
tree.

Mulching, in connection with a mel-
low surface, will, in addition to proper
irrigation, be a great assistance in long

droughts. This is nothing more than
covering the ground about the tree with
old straw, coarse barn-yard litter, leaves
from the woods, saw-dust, tan, or other
material tending to retain the moisture
of the soil, which is otherwise constant-
ly escaping from the earth below. It
is usually applied much too thinly, and
in much too small a circle about the
tree. We all know the roots extend to
a great distance. It is better to leave
a small space uncovered immediately
about the trunk, otherwise mice or in-
sects may harbor under it and eat or
injure the bark.

In laying out ground for transplanting
it is absolutely necessary to know the dis-
tances for each sort. If too remote from
each other, a waste of land is the result;
if too near, they crowd each other
(rather common in California), and pre-
vent the growth and ripening of the
fruit to the best advantage. The usual
distance for Apples in this region is
about twenty-five to thirty-three feet;
Pears, fifteen to eighteen feet; Peaches,
twelve to fifteen feet; Cherries, fifteen
feet; Plums, fifteen feet; Apricots, eight-
een feet; Quinces, eight feet; Grapes,
eight feet; G-ooseberries and Currants,
four to five feet; Raspberries and Black-
berries, three to four feet.

But it is time to refer to the condi-
tion of our markets. The effects of
winter can now be plainly traced on the
fruit stalls. Most of the summer fruits
have disappeared, and what remain are
of course of poor quality, and find
but slow sale at low prices. About
the 27th of October there arrived a
large shipment of Oranges from Tahiti,
commanding ready sale at 75 cents to
$1 per dozen. There were but few
changes in the prices of vegetables up
to the last of October, some of which
begin to show the effects of frosty
nights. Tomatoes were still tolerably

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

383

abundant, and of fair quality; but the
supply of Green Corn, Summer Squash,
and Cucumbers was nearly at an end.
String Beans, Green Peas, and Okra
were very scarce and higher.

Many of the Strawberry patches were
visited by frosts, and the supply of fruit
was very light. The few coming for-
ward, however, met with ready sale at
high prices. Peaches were out of mar-
ket, and Plums were very scarce; Ap-
ples and Pears plentiful at former rates.
Grapes were still abundant, but a large
portion of them had been frosted and
were of inferior quality. The market
was well supplied with Malaga and
Sicily Lemons, and a few from Los An-
geles were received by each steamer.
Bananas were quoted at 50 to 75 cts.
per dozen; Pomegranates, $1 per doz-
en; Smyrna Pigs, 35 cts. per dozen;
Apples, by the box delivered, 75 cts.
to $1; Pears, $1 to $2.

There was no change in the prices of
food about the 20th of November. Of
Grapes, at that time, Mission was still
quoted at 8c. per pound; Black Ham-
burg and Muscat, each 12Jc; Tokay,
15c; and Black Morocco, 15 to 25e.
The Bose of Peru variety became then
out of season. A few boxes of White
Napoleon made their appearance occa-
sionally, and sold readily at 15c. per
pound; Blue Plums, 20c; Pears, Ap-
ples, Oranges, Limes, and Lemons con-
tinued at the then last week's prices.
The contest between the Italian garden-
ers and the Board of Supervisors being
at an end, the market resumed its for-
mer equilibrium. We quote Cabbage
Sprouts at 12^c; Asparagus, 50c; Dried
Okra, 50c; Bed Pepper, 50c; Green
Pepper, of which there are three kinds
in the market, 15 @ 25c. per pound;
Bed Cabbage, 10@15c. each; Carrots,
20c. per dozen bunches; Green Corn,
50c. per dozen ears; Black Badish, 20c.

per dozen bunches: Kale, 50c. per doz-
en; Celery, 10c. per head. On the 21st
of November the supply of summer
fruits was nearly out.

The Italian gardeners, after resuming
their occupation of Sansome Street,
were, by the trial of a case in law
against them, compelled to vacate that
location. During the late strike it trans-
pired that, notwithstanding the injury
done to housekeepers through the high
prices they were compelled to pay gen-
erally for vegetables, occasioned by the
inadequacy of the supply from first
hands, the gardeners themselves were
the principal sufferers. The sales of
vegetables by the Italian gardeners from
their wagons are computed at $3,000
per day, making the aggregate loss du-
ring the period of suspension from
$18,000 to $20,000. The stock of veg-
etables in first hands accumulated so
much during that time that an over-
abundance glutted the market. The
larger Greens, such as Cabbage and
Cauliflower, rotted for want of pur-
chasers at almost any price. Notwith-
standing the existence of such a state
of things among the gardeners them-
selves, retail green-grocers succeeded
pretty well in keeping up the prices —
that is, the decline from the retail fam-
ine prices to those above quoted did not
correspond with the decline of the
wholesalers' quotations. These middle-
men thus reaped abundant harvests,
while the grower and consumer suffered.
At the beginning of this month the
vegetable gardeners commenced to re-
turn to Sansome Street, and this move-
ment has been tolerated by the city au-
thorities at present.

The feature in vegetables the latter
part of last week was the appearance
of new Potatoes from the Presidio, and
they retailed at 12 J cts. per pound.
Asparagus was more plentiful, but still

384

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

sells at 50 cts. per pound. Green Peas
and Tomatoes are abundant. Straw-
berries have been scarce for a time, and
have brought fancy prices. What of
those that came from Solano County?
This is late for this fruit, certainly.
The first Medlars have arrived, and are
retailing at 20@25c. per pound; Ba-
nanas, 50@75c. per pound; Pomegran-
ates, $1 per dozen; Smyrna Figs, 35c.
per pound; Apples, by the box deliver-
ed, $1@1.75; Pears, $1@1.75.

The stormy weather is now said by
the retail dealers to be retarding gar-
deners from bringing their produce to
market, the roads leading to the city
being in an almost impassable state.
Artichokes are 75 cts. per pound, and
Asparagus sells at the same figures.
There are two varieties of Orange offer-
ed, from Los Angeles, and the Lo-
rado Orange from Mexico. The former
variety is quoted at $1 per dozen, and
the latter at 75 cts. Grapes are as fol-
lows: Mission, 12§c; Muscat, 15c; To-
kay, 15 @ 25c; and Black Hamburg,
25c. per pound.

No Strawberries have been received
during the past few days, and no more
are expected until warm pleasant weath-
er returns. The feature in the fruit
market this week has been the arrival
of the first of the new crop of Los An-
geles Oranges. This shipment came
three weeks earlier than the first last
season, and are quite as ripe, though
rather too sour to sell readily. Small
consignments of Peaches continue to
arrive from Solano County, but do not
meet with ready sale.

Otto of Roses. — The Attar or Otto of
Boses, most precious of all perfumes, is
made almost entirely among the Balkan
mountains. There are at least one hun-
dred and fifty places where its prepara-

tion is carried on, the most important of
all being Kizanlick. The Roses are
planted in rows, like vines. The flow-
ers are gathered in May, and with the
green calyx leaves attached, are subject-
ed to distillation. Five thousand pounds
of Roses yield one pound of oil.

Planting Slips. — The Gazette des Cam-
pagnes recommends to dip the extremi-
ties of the slip in collodion, containing
twice as much cotton as the ordinary
material used in photography. Let the
first coat dry and then dip again. Af-
ter planting the slip, the development of
the roots will take place promptly. This
method is said to be particularly effica-
cious in woody slips, Geraniums, Fuch-
sias, and similar plants.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

Foe the Month Ending Nov. 30th, 1873.

(Prepared for The Hoktictji/tuihst by Thos. Tenkent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
423 Washington Street, near the Post Office) .

BABOMETEE.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.16 in.

do 12m 30.16

do 3p.m 30.15

do 6p.m 30.15

Greatest height, on the 16th at 9 a. m 30.33

Least height, on the 14th at 6 p. m 30.03

THEKMOMETEE.
( With north exposure and, free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 54°

do 12 m 59°

do 3 P. M 60°

do 6 p. M 54°

Greatest height, on the 9th at 12 m 73°

Least height, on the 2Gth at 9 a. m 46°

SELF - EEGISTEEING THEEMOMETEB.

Mean height during the night 48°

Greatest height, on night of 6th 54°

Least height, on nights of 2d, 3d, 25th and 26th 43°

WINDS.

North and north-west on 12 days; south and south-west
on 5 days; east and north-east on 2 days; west on 11
days.

WEATHEE.

Clear on 9 days; variable on 7 days; cloudy and foggy on
14 days.

EAIN GAUGE.

November 5th 0.14 inches.

6th 0.20

13th 0.07 "

21st 0.06

29th 0.06

30th 0.78

Total 1.31 "

Total rain of the season up to date 2.17 "

J'-^^>-Je^>

») >^ 333*

S. ">"39tfc >>3Efc.

» 3 rXm. xrjg j
> 33»-333>3

^\ 51> 33 33

£2> » >>2>33 33
^O 33 5^^

> ->, »-jg ;>:>> 33

» 333

► > ->■ 2>3C2» > >>> -

4> 33>3>3 o~3> 3 .333
^t^¥»03X > >3d*33333

SEft

,-^c » v») "^

• ->^3» 3> y>r

3^>33>333 ^

^3>3i>

s>j>y
?33>
»035»

33 33>.
» • O >3 )

=3» ■> »
»«;> jj>

033 »

^»333 v>

/^~^*. » 3 3

j3g-*,^> 3J> ^» ,

<^» 33 333

.;&>_> ;3> ~3

3^3^

^>/333

°?^ £> ^>^ 3T>

0>3

* ^ "^ 35i

3> ^L

>^.S>3-,. i% !,;'•% S ■■■25.

> >^

\

O');

::■■■

z> ^ .

>•>

'^> J

3

!>.?»

a

-^>^> ^

j

''O^

:..

-\->3;

> 33 7> > -

^^^^-^^ 5 ^Q^ 3J»3>

5>^3)» > :v

<3» J>5 >

■^33S»

» ID 3j > .

3_J& 33 j3 >

> 3» >>. •> ?> „ ,

>2^' Aa>--..->o .

^j"»3 a.mV\^.5^3)j 3> ^

^ >Q>>333 3SS^t^

^ ^Ws>'s»

5 -« »^ ,5 <<

<■£&}■*&?? ^^ 3^3vx 33>53>x53
5>3» >33> ;£» 3m»Ss ■ 333 3>,^

>^ ,»> 3^>^» .^>> "> 333

3> T3»ys> >.,

^3> 2»>XT> ^

^^A^^ -> ^33 335 V

^f^5^

^> ^V<> /3^} 3>-3x5>s?S -:.

c^Q^ ^ M ^^ ?P ° > S>3r> 3> ja. »j>> j> . §V
W,'- >; ^'^^ ^3 >:> ^£>r> »'"3>»^> 3 >>r

> Vs % ^l^^n^v^ ^3^>S ^

^ ^^' S ^ ^L>2 ^ > ^ ^ -^ ^^S353 5 3
3 >3 >■ > 3 33 3 £> 33 --:£>>'• >^3Z>3>3> >j -,:

&7> 3 3 3 UtT^Std 3^3 1>>33 >^>3»35> ) "^"

»!3> & >i 3>3 > f 33 3 S3 >s> >^ 3 33> > 3'

> > ■» ^3>>J> 7>- » > "~> ^>'^> v. 1"> ^t "> ^>3> 3 :>>'

r>3 ; 3 33 ^3>>3 5>3 3 :^T3 3j^>3 33) >~^S
^$*J>>^> S>^»..3)3S>3 33 3. »S3 ^T^"S 3> ^s ^

>3>_3>)3 ) _333 1)>3>^ ^>^> 03 ' 1>^^> 3>^ 5

'?J3 ' »i>i ~y>."iT3»> iflj3 ">3\» 3»~~> ~T^> •>

>^> 33 :0^33333>3 33">> 2>33 5^> "3 3>
"»3 ; »3) X>3>3>> /33 ">>VD" J3 3 33> -.

O o>3^33 3>j -3_j>> >>3) »>_> 33

33 >3 33 ,: 3 ■ » ^.7-fc . , -r?fc -v. -j, >, , ^v -^ ^^,

> 33

s3 3.->

^»3 1

33 3 3 >S

33 3 3 S3>

3 3 3 3

3: *» :J3 J5

BL >3^3 ^K^^>

► 333 3^. ^. ^ ^ 3i3z» 3,
33^^ ><3 >3 3> ^

^>-' 533 ^>"

fc35>

gx>33
~ -333

• 33) 33
b3T>> 5>3

^3533 > 3

3> 3 >.^>

' 3333

3 :» »33j >-^3^

•3-^5k ^»f?_

V >> 3^;i>^
S>> 33> • "flfife S3^
' -3) 33> 3 35J>^ 3jb^—

^^333 ^3)3JD
-0>3 3 3 3> 33>J| 3

?3;> 3 33 x

3j i V^>^»

->> >3jS> T> )

»>3>33

•\x»mi> > 33

^?3oy^V^\ g£

^W- 3>V^V^

3>3> i

5 j>3d j > -

1 >>? 3 3

3» ' 3 -»3,?

*>3 3>3 33 3*

j i» 3

>i» 3>

> 2-3 >3333J2

3 -33X3 333

J .,3 3 3 I

0^» Vb

r, >^^X>

:>^> i>

. >J>3 ^-J>

J ^»3 EC8>

>"33 :i?

>'OD"SXS>

3 3>3 a

^ ^30> 3 J>_» 3>3

>3) 33_^J> 3Z»3>3'X^-?

o > > «5 3» >:

>3 ) J > ^> \j-^ J j» 3

v3 > 33 _^ " v^ ^^ -"^ '-

33> 3> >V

■> >^> ^ 3 ■> r> > l

3 33 >S>>3 >3"^>
jX)o;5 j~> 3>

3)3 ■ > v- 3.3 3
> > yj ■ v > •> ^> ^>

' y^» ■ » 333

- )TSD33 >^> 3 >3
y 5T^3 / i-> 3 3 "3

> ?~3Si3 > j> 3 3 3

- -r^mry. > >> 3 3 3

3>> .3>>J
i T> 3 >3>X>

~>>-^S535>-, asSTi >"> -'^3-: ^>' -• >. 3>

"~3>-iiS>>33 )3">-ii ->3> 3 I

^> 5^i>^^*> ~» >> o > --■» -y y 3>
L^ ,?>^3333 »3 > >3>>>3 ^ 3

> 3j>y »i

">? >^ ■> 3

■-■ ^> -> S'
»3 > T>y~5 %

^fa^B^ 5y'y^fc'^> >> S^ 5/5 3

>3>^?ii>,?^3>333 >>33 >3»3 > 3
3^>5^» W?^322 ^ ^ "» > "<-> >^' 53
-> ^' .■ <^> £3QBE> »3 3. 3 3> 5> 3 3> 3 "

>§^A* >>^>3'(i>3> 53^> >33
I • v^'-^^ V V^^^3-^S3^>3"^^S^I>3"3'\33"

> -> ■553* 3 » J-.

3 3£>3>3 3 >

E>33>3

> B> >5y~>

>"> 3 3> >~-3 > > >5y~> > _m * ■ <■ <-- • £_«

K>1S» v~ )> >"B)3 )"^>^> 53®

3-333T3-
,3 333

■^m^;P?:

' 'A«'A AAA - - l^AA '' ■ U ■ - '>'•-■ "a

^^W^^a

A0a/vaC5>;

M^^Nm

wm^mmM

\faM3W\

■***M*™$

... - a,a: aaA» ; ».<v ■ ->vA' ' ■ - ,: S

- -aA" • AA7

*!j&$3&$&

W*/V -

' >A^A -«' „• ,

^..^A^'O^A

^ffi':?ppr;'

%x$m

^Aa'-1' K

llii

»?*.!! mr\*A: '■ \K^ ; - tiJhtwA

W* ' 'A^>s M' "^! ■"> ^' «A^3^~^ft