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Salix Caprea, var. Pendula,

( Kilmarnock Weeping Willow.)

THE

California Horticulturist

AND

f&t'Am

FLORAL MAGAZINE.

YOLUME YII.-187

r

E. J. HOOPER, Editor.

PUBLISHED BY JOHN H. CARMANY & CO.

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PAGE

A Devil Fish 26

A Good Suggestion 176

A Japanese Specialty 22

A Poor Man's Breakfast 100

A Propagating' Secret 119

A Queer Fish 145

Academy of Sciences 191

Achimenes 41

Alameda Nurseries 285

Alden Fruit-Drying House 100, 239

Alligator Skins 290

Almond Culture. .,.J>t 268

Althoea Frutex. . . .V 132

American Fruit in Ewrope 228, 314

American Pomologic» Society ... 110

Ancuba Japonica, The 104

Annuals 133

Apples, Great Value of 267, 299

Artificial Coral for Rock-Work 140

Artificial Flowers, Poisonous 355

Artillery Plant 356

Audubon's Lily Rediscovered 186, 336

Australian Botanical Gardens at Mid-
Summer 151

Annuals in California, On the Proper Cul-

tureof 361

Apple, The Mexican 380

B

Bait Fishing for Young Salmon 44

Baked Earth. 132

Banana, How to Cultivate the 117, 196, 242, 311

Big Trees, Age of the 98, 323

Blackberries 227, 324

Botanic Garden, Plant and Seed Co., Pros-
pectus of 61, 81

Botanical Research 292

Botanicsl Researches in the Rocky Moun-
tains 345

Botanical Specimens, How to Prepare 251

Botany, A Short Lesson in 346

Bouquets, A new use of 16

Buffalo Hunting 210

Black Bass, Capture of a'; 367

Berkeley, Visit to 376

Banana 385

Cactus Family, Some of the 277

Caledonia Hatching House 27

California Canned Fruit 22

California Fruits 32, 21&

California Grapes 96

California Grape Juice as Adapted to Wine-
Making 178

California Hard Timber 82

PAGE

California Productions 291

California, Some Wild Fruits of 136

California, The Drought in 301

California, Trees and Tree Culture in. . . . 31

Calochortus, On the Genus 40

Camp Life 205

Camping Out 76

Carnonfa Tree, The 43

Cherimoyer, The 137

Chestnut, Golden Variegated 336

China, Big Trees of 98

Cicero on Rural Life and Husbandry 74

Coffee in California 164

Colored Glass, Another Theory 164

Cooking Fish 144

Cotton Plant, A Wonderful Species of 228

Cork Trees 292

Cultivation of the Fig in Smyrna 115

Cutting Back Young Trees 260

Cutting and Preserving Flowers 197

Curious Trees 161

Curl in Peach Leaves, The 252

Cotton, Bamia — Liberian Coffee, etc 373

City Violets, (Poetry) 387

Catalpa, as a Timber Tree 387

Date Trees, The 237, 295

Desert Palm for Paper Making 152

Dew and Frost 123

Do Varieties Wear Out ? 309

Drying Flowers to Retain Natural Colors . . 180

Dugong of Australia, The 273

Dwarf Service Berry 355

E

Early Lettuce 162

Eastern Fish, History of the Introduction

into California 337

English Angling, Reminiscences of 79, 106

English Sparrow, Don't Encourage the. ... 96
Epergnes and Bouquets, Construction of. . 263

Eucalypti, Effects of 12

Eucalyptus Ficifolia 122

Eucalyptus Tea 119

Evergreens from Seeds , 248

Exotic Gardens Crystal Pavilion Concerts. 255
Experimental Farm, University of Califor-
nia 29

Early Fruits 385

Farewell, (Poetry); 345

Fig Tree% in Pensacola . . 265

Fish Culture 80

Fishing in China 306

CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST,

PAGE

Fish in the Pacific 206

Fish Spawn 81

Fish, The Taking of Food by 24

Fish and Fishing in the Great West 207

Fishiug at Madeira 271

Fisherman's Funeral, The ('Poetry) 24

Flax and Castor Beans 348

Flies for Fishing in Different Months . 174

Flora of Australia, Tasmania, and New

Zealand 201, 265, 297

Flower Garden, The 39

Flower's Choice, The (Poetry) 51

Flowers, Bulbous Rooted 71

Flowers for Food 185

Flowers, How to Use 85

Flower Gardens at Saucelito 221

Flowers, Success with 350

Flowers, Taste in the Cultivation of 70

Flowers, Practical Hints on 7

Fruits of Central Asia 249

Fruit Culture in England, Early 335

Fruit Culture in the Foot-hills 331

Fruit Trees, A Wash for 118

Fruit, Benefits of Much, as a Diet 328

Fruit, Ripeness and Preservation of 217

Fruit Trees, A new Pest to 68

Fruit Time, ( Poetrv) 177

Fruit, When and How to Eat 99

Fruit and Vegetable Market, Report of 34

64, 93, 128, 158 193, 224, 256, 287, 319, 350

378.
Fuchsia, The History and Culture of the. . 37

Fungi, Eatable and Uneatable 199

Flowers, Color and Fragrance of 364

Fishing at Estes Park, Colorado Territory, 369

Fruits, Flesh of 383

Flowers, Old-Fashioned 383

Filberts, Indigenous 385

Flowers, Hours of Blooming 386

G

Garden of E. A. Upton 223

Gardening in the Tules 215

Germination from Old Seed 87

Gigantic Cabbage Rose 187

Gladiolus and Dahlias 170

Glazenwood Rose, Beauty of 163

Gov. Stanford's Private Garden and Con-
servatory 30, 15g

Grafting-Wax, A Recipe for Making 33g

Gravel Walks 29q

Greenhouse Climber 29q

Greenhouse, Notes from a. . .165, 229,»262, 325

Grubs, To Destroy IO9

Gum Arabic Tree, The 247

H

Have a Flower Garden 84

Hawthorn in California, The 308

Healthfulness of Asparagus 259

Heated Term and Vegetation, The 216

Hen Manure in the Garden 246

Hints to Young Anglers on Striking 240

Homestead, Now for the , 113

Horse-Chestnuts in Paris, Gathering. . .19, 353

Horseradish 97

Hortienltural Importations 114

Horticulture in Japan 260

Horticultural Publications Received, 59, 89
127, 189, 286, 317.

PAGE

How Vines Beautify 99

Huasco Raisin of Chili, The 198

Hudeman's Villa in Napa Valley 235

Hunting and Fishing in Mendocino County 302

Hyacinth Leaves 345

Hatching, Lake Chabot 366

I

"I Go a Fishing, " (Poetry) 205

India Rubber Plants 354

Industrial Condition of the Slope 279

Insects, The Study of 137

Irrigation, Benefits of 324

Italian Gardens 316

J

Japan Lilies, The Culture of 10

Japan Soil and Manuring 139

Japanese Mushrooms 112

Japanese Persimmon, Description of the. . 69
73, 90, 237, 281, 376.

Jelly-Fishes, Something about 45

Jujube, The 101

Japanese Garden, Oddities of a 382

Japan Creeping Euonymus 386

K

Keeping Roses in Bloom 291

Kit Carson 343

L

Lakes and Water Plants 353

Landscape Gardening 238

Leaf Printing 20

Lemon Culture in Santa Clara 21

M

Maiden Hair Fern 336

Making the Wilderness "Blossom as the

Rose." 146

Manure for Heavy Soils 322

Manuring Apple Trees 146

Massachusetts Horticultural Society 318

Mate, or Paraguay Tea 19

Mechanics' Institute Fair 97

Megacarpea Polyandra 161

Meteorological Record, 36, 68, 100, 132, 164
196, 228, 260, 292, 324, 356.

Moles and their Worm-Stores 251

Mormon Lilies 231

Monster Sunfish 176

Mushroom Culture 182

My Garden Border 293

N

Nasty Greenhouses 249

Native American Grapes, A Few Notes on. 203

Natural Curiosities 99, 211, 227

Newfoundland Dogs . 323

New Plants 58, 223

o

Occasional Change of Soil 259

Orange Culture 214, 384

Orange Tree, How to Grow From Seed, 122, 330

Oranges in Tuolumne County 23

Orchards , . , . 158

Orchards, Locations and Soils Best for 250

IV

CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

PARE

Oregon Currant, The 158

Oregon Myrtle Tree, The 182

Ornamentation of Gardens 185

Our Brook Trout 269

Our Cabin Home, (Poetry) 146

Our Floral Trade, Condition of 128

Our Frontispiece, 27, 56, 88, 126, 153, 187, 220
253, 281, 315, 348, 378.

Ozone 322

Orange Trees, Dwarf 383

P

Paintings of Dolly Varden and Brook Trout, 50

Palms in Sacramento 307

Paris Exposition of 1878 349

Passiflora Edulis and Passiflora Granadilla, 234

Passion Fruit 5

Pavilion Garden, Mechanics' Fair 282

Peanuts and Peanut Oil 312

Pearl Fishing in Torres Straits 339, 371

Pears, "Where They Come From 280

Peppermint, Cultivation of 118

Phylloxera, Notes on the 15

Pine-Apple, The 171

Planting 11

Plants, Effect of Climate on 83

Plants from Cuttings 100

Plant Flowers 99

Plants, Natural Dispersion of 162

Plants in Living or Sleeping Booms 147

Poison- Vine 322

Poisonous Water Cress 162

Poisoning Squirrels 25

Pomegranate, The 196

Pot Plants, Drainage for 54

Potato-Growing 161

Premiums of the Fair 316

Prickly Pear, Uses of the 243

Profitable Gardening 163

Pansies 363

Plane Trees, The Oriental 365

Potato Blight, etc 373

Pansy and Phlox 374

Publications Received 377

Plants, Care of House 384

Perennial Plants 388

R

Bain Tree, The 355

Eedwood, The ,... 177

Bed Spiders 196

Resurrection Flower, The 54

Bipe Fruit, Transportation of 17

Bipe Peaches, How to Pack 98

Bose-Tree and Pansy, The (Poetry) 81

Bosewater and Attar of Boses 381

s

Salmon, Different Kinds on our Coast 172

Salmon of Eel Biver, The 108

Salmon, Facts and Theories about 47, 270

San Lorenzo Fruit Farm, A 102

San Francisco's Brooklyn, A Visit to 134

Santa Barbara Olives 23

Schnapper Fishing in Australia 274

Shad 176

Shaddock, The 157

Shielding from Frost 163

Snails, or Slugs 100

PAGE

Soil for Gardens and Pot Plants 42

Song of the Morning, (Poetry) . 277

Sowing Bye . 292

Spanish Walnut, The Ill

Spider, The Bed 100

Sportsman's Club, The 108, 240

Strawberry Growing in California 139

Strawberries the Year Bound 131

Squirrels, Ground 323

Sulphur the Grape-Vines 183

Sun-Preserved Strawberries 292

Shade Trees, Concerning 357

T

Temperature for "Water-Plants 163

The Kum-Quat, Citrus Japonica 136

The Old, Old Home, ( Poetrv) 243

The Old Garden, (Poetry) 314

The Paper Cactus 212

Thinning Fruit 291

Tomato, Singular Property of the 56

Tomato, Use in England of the '. 324

To Summer, (Poetry) 212

To Tamalpais via Coleman's Dam 143

Trees, Amount of "Water in 120

Tree Planting in the San Joaquin Valley . . 87

Tree and Shrub Planting in Gardens 148

Trees and Plants used by California In-
dians 167

Trees for Use and Ornament 248

Tropical Fruits in Napa and Sonoma Coun-
ties 97

Trout, A New Spoon for 176

Trout, Comparative Size of, in Europe and

America 26

Trout Fishing in California, and the Best

Localities. 105, 304

Trou ting-Fish Importations 141

Trout Fishing in Lake Pilarcitos 241

u

Unhealthy Plants, The Eemedy 169

V

Vanilla 184

Vegetable Garden, The 291

Verbena, Culture of the 103

Vine, Dwarfing the 51

Vine-Growers, To 98

Violations of the Game Laws 109

Vegetables, California 359

w

Wash for Trees 290

Water Cress Culture 150

"Water Spaniel, The Irish 211

"Water Cress Trade in Paris, The 252

Watering Plants 125, 356

What Salmon Feed On 49

Wilder, Address of Hon. M. P 319

"Wild Flowers 89

"Window Gardening in San Francisco. . . .6, 121

"Wilson Banch, The, Los Angeles 327

Woodward's Gardens 60, 191, 286

Work for the Month, 27, 57, 91, 155, 188, 217
253.

"Worm Trade in England 336

Walnut Trees, Native 385

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SAN FRANCISCO, JANUARY, 1877. No. 1.

PASSION FttUIT.

BY G. P. BIXFOBD.

" The Passifloracece" says Dr. Lind-
ley, " are the pride of South America
and the West Indies, where the woods
are filled with their species, which climb
from tree to tree ; bearing at one time
flowers of striking beauty, and of so
singular an appearance, that the zeal-
ous Catholics who first discovered them
adapted to these inhabitants of the
American wilderness their own Chris-
tian traditions ; at other times, fruit
tempting to the eye and refreshing to
the palate."

Figuier's "Vegetable World" con-
tains the following description : " The
name is derived from a fancied resem-
blance to the cross, the emblem of our
Saviour's crucifixion. In the five an-
thers, the Spanish monks saw His
wounds; in the triple style, the three
nails by which He was fixed to the
cross ; and in the column on which the
ovary is raised, the pillar to which He
was bound; while a number of fila-
ments which spread from the cup with-
in the flower were likened to the crown
of thorns. In reality, the flower con-
sists of a calyx and corolla, each of five

Vol. VII.- 2.

divisions, consolidated into a cup, from
within the rim of which spread several
rows of filamentous processes, regarded
by some as barren stamens. From the
sides of the cup, and within these, there
proceeds one or more raised rings, notch-
ed or undivided, and in various degrees
of development, and of the same na-
ture as the filamental processes. In
the centre of the flower stands a col-
umn, to the sides of which the fine sta-
mens are united, but spreading freely
beyond the apex, and bearing five ob-
long horizontal anthers. The axis of
the column bears the ovary, a one-cell-
ed vase, with three parietal polysper-
mous placentae, having three club-shap-
ed styles at its vertex. The plant pro-
duces a gourd -like fruit, containing
many seeds, each having its own fleshy
aril, usually enveloped in a subacid
mucilage. "

Probably every reader of the Hobti-
cultubist is familiar with the common
hardy Passion Vine, Passiflora cerulea,
so often seen climbing veranda posts
and trellises in both city and country.
It is our purpose, however, at this time
to call attention to the fact that at least
one of the fruit-bearing varieties, P. ed-
ulis, has proved to be perfectly hardy

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

in this city. This variety is a native of
Central America and the West Indies,
and in general appearance is very simi-
lar to P. cerulea ; the flower, however,
is somewhat smaller. It is a vigorous
grower, and is equally as deserving of
cultivation for ornament as the one
commonly grown, while possessing the
additional advantage of producing reg-
ular crops of agreeable acid fruit.
Trained up the south side of a building
in the Western Addition in this city,
vines that are less than two years old
from the seed are now loaded with
both ripe and green fruit, and until
very recently carried an abundance of
flowers also. The fruit when ripe is of
a light purple color, about the size and
somewhat the shape of an egg. Cut-
ting through the thick rind the interior
is found filled with many black seeds
the size of small lentils, each envelop-
ed in a yellowish deliciously acid pulp,
with something of the orange flavor,
This fruit is popular in Mexico, where
it is known under the name of granadit-
adel Ghino, or little Chinese Pomegran-
ate, the name being probably due to
the fact that the seeds are enveloped in
pulp in a manner similar to those of
the Pomegranate. This species has
been carried to Australia where it has
become perfectly acclimatized, and now
runs wild in the vicinity of Sydney,
climbing over trees and fences as in its
native tropical home. The Passion
fruit, as it is called there, is very well
known in the markets, and is often
quoted in the retail market reports.

Of the two hundred species of the
Passion Vine family, several produce
edible fruits, some of which are superi-
or to P. edulis, but are, we fear, too
tender for this climate. The fruit of
P. quadrangularis is six inches in diam-
eter, of a greenish-yellow color, filled
with pulp of a sweet acid flavor, very

grateful and cooling in a hot climate.
Plants of this variety can now be seen
in vigorous growth in one of the green-
houses at Woodward's Gardens, while
several other species seem perfectly at
home in the large conservatory of Mil-
ler, Sievers & Co. It may be well for
those of an experimental turn to try
some of the other fruit- bearing varieties
in sheltered locations in the open air,
and if success is achieved the cultivator
will have the satisfaction of knowing
that he has added another to the long
list of California pomological treasures.

WINDOW GARDENING IN SAN FRAN-
CISCO.

There are no plants which are looked
upon with more interest, or attended to
with more care in our ever rapidly im-
proving and flourishing metropolis,
than those which are cultivated in the
rooms and bow-windows of dwelling-
houses ; and yet from our fair window-
gardeners imagining that there is some-
thing very difficult in the management
of these plants, or from not properly
understanding what that should be
they sometimes fail in accomplishing
what their labor and anxiety most rich-
ly deserve. Now, there is in reality no
great secret in the treatment of window
plants. It must be a general principle
in their cultivation, to give them all the
light possible, even in our often very
cloudy winters, by placing them close
to the window, and during the summer
months in a sheltered situation out of
doors. They will do well, however, in
a bow-window or other space similar to
a conservatory, only with the windows
in front. Although this situation out
of doors is sometimes best in summer,
yet in some places it may not be conve-
nient, and in others it may be desirable-,
to have them on the outside of the win-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

dow, or on a balcony erected there for
the purpose, where they will grow and
flower under the eye, and perfume the
air of the room when the window is op-
ened in the few summer evenings here
that this can be done in our cool city
climate. In this case it is necessary to
have some protection from the heat of
the mid-day sun, which may be very
much increased by the reflection of the
sun on the back Avails. High winds are
very injurious to window plants, and
should be guarded against, and for this
reason windows on the ground or sec-
ond floor, or on the west side of a house,
are best adapted to their cultivation.

Plants in a natural state send their
roots in every direction in search of
moisture and food, and their tops in
search of air. In this respect they dif-
fer from those grown in rooms or win-
dow compartments, confined to pots,
and supplied with water by artificial
means. The latter are as liable as the
former to suffer from dryness in sum-
mer, having, however, fewer mouths to
absorb the moisture evaporated from
the leaves ; and more liable to be injur-
ed by excess of wet in winter, owing to
the drainage of the pots getting chok-
ed. It is impossible to say how often
and how much water should be given,
because this depends upon the plant it-
self, its state of health, and the season.
As a general rule, however, they should
never be watered until the soil at the
surface of the pot will readily crumble
between the finger and thumb, and
when in this state, as much water
should be given as the soil will receive;
in other words, never water till the
plants are a little dry, and then give
plenty of it. Rain water is by far the
best, if it can be conveniently caught
from the house, and should always be
used in preference to that obtained from
springs. But Spring Valley water is

good enough for plants, however im-
pure it may sometimes be for man in
very long dry seasons, or rather, in our
long dry summer season. In winter
very little water is required, at least,
not near so much as in summer, and it
should always be cautiously given, be-
cause the air is more moist in general,
and the light mostly not so intense, and
therefore less demand is made upon the
roots by the leaves.

When plants are inside the room,
some contrivance is necessary to pre-
vent the water from running through
the pots and wetting the floor, and this
is most simply done by placing the pot
in a flat pan, which receives any super-
fluous water which is absorbed by the
roots when the soil gets dry. Pouring
the water into these pans instead of on
the soil is not to be recommended.
Watering over the leaves is of much im-
portance to the health of window plants,
exposed as they are to the dust, which
forms a crust upon them, and prevents
the action of the pores. This operation
should be performed every two or three
days in summer in the afternoon, when
the sun does not shine on the plants.

Of late we observe some persons are
advocating the non-use of holes at the
bottom of the pots for drainage, con-
tending that they do better without, as
the roots of plants will grow through
these openings, and so, when repotted,
weaken the plants by being broken off,
and oblige them to renew them. In
this case they would require less water
than otherwise.

PKACTICAL HINTS ON FLOWEKS.

The Wallflower {Cheiranth us Cheiri).
— This rather old-fashioned flower is
known to almost every one, and es-
teemed for its precocity and perfume,
the varieties of which, both with double

8

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

flowers, and those whose blossoms are
single, are now becoming numerous.
It is truly a delightful ornamental ev-
ergreen under -shrub, growing about
two feet high. Much pains lately have
been bestowed on this flower, and the
labors of florists have been rewarded
with some certainly odd-looking results ;
brown, red, and even purple are now
found among them, nor are they alto-
gether without hopes of yet producing
more of the same colors in a very vivid
strain. In our mild California winters
it blooms out of doors the whole sea-
son, although not quite so much in the
winter months as in the spring and
summer. The double varieties are
somewhat more tender than the single
ones, and may require a little protec-
tion during some of our white frosts,
and sometimes a cold frame is awarded
to the younger plants. To make fine
plants of these, cuttings should be ta-
ken in the summer or fall, and struck
under glass in rather a shaded locality,
potting them as soon as it is known
they are rooted, in sandy loam and leaf
mould ; such plants become well estab-
lished before winter, and when placed
in the open borders grow luxuriantly,
and are speedily covered with flowers.
The single kinds are generally treated
as annuals in the East, but are bien-
nials, and even perennials here ; a sow-
ing is made about the time recommend-
ed for striking the double varieties, and
they are afterwards removed to final
stations.

As we have before observed, there
are now many varieties of the "Wall-
flower, and all are attractive, common
as many of them are ; but the best in
cultivation, we think, is a semi-double,
from Germany, so fragrant as to ravish
the senses with its perfume ; it has a
more powerful aroma than the double,
and also seeds freely, enabling us to in-

crease by that means as well as by slips.
These slips should be planted round
the pots, for if they come in contact
with the sides the plants will root more
readily. Due moisture is absolutely
necessary to their striking root. In the
fall pot them off, and treat them the
same as seedlings.

The Crocus (Nat. ord. Irids). — Every
one knows the value of these pretty
dwarf harbingers of spring, and their
cultivation being so simple leaves ua
only room to remark, that it is a mis-
take to place them in other than rich
ground ; no plants cultivated in our
gardens delight more in, or make a
greater return for rich soil, than do
these. There are upward of a hundred
varieties enumerated in florists' cata-
logues of every conceivable shade be-
tween white and dark purple, and many
of them perfectly distinct. This com-
plication of colors gives them a most
agreeable and imposing appearance, as
one of our first flowers. It is easily
propagated by offsets or seeds ; but the
purchasing of the bulbs fresh from the
East or from Europe, as offsets, is the
most advisable mode to give the fullest
satisfaction.

The Crocus does very well planted
between the rows of Tulips, or else in
clumps in the border, diversifying the
colors so as to make a pleasing con-
trast. The bulbs or c»rms should be
dibbled in about two inches deep, and
may be allowed to remain in the ground
several years, but it is best to take them
up dry and pack them in sand till the
autumn, and then planted at the same
time as other bulbs. It is sometimes
he case that many bulbs brought from
Holland are kept for sale in seed stores
until spring; persons should be cau-
tious in purchasing them after January,
although their appearance may be good •
if planted much after that time they

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

will, in many cases, rot, as the ground
is sometimes too cold to assist them in
striking root. This, however, is not
near so much the case in our mild Cal-
ifornia climate as in the East or in Eu-
rope. Bulbs of every description, if
sold long after the proper season for
planting, are dear at any price, there-
fore purchase them at the right time,
even if you have to pay a much higher
price ; still, you will find them cheap-
est in the end. The Crocus delights
in a rather dry situation, and a light,
rich, sandy soil. In such a place it
flowers profusely, and produces large
roots ; but in a wet, poor soil it dwin-
dles away.

The Primrose, Oxlip, Cowslip. — The
single and double varieties of these are
to be regarded only as ornaments to the
flower garden, and as such do not re-
quire a lengthened notice. They pre-
fer a shaded situation, with loamy soil,
and should have plenty of water in our
dry summers. The double purple, li-
lac, and white varieties of the former
are very handsome, and may be grown
in pots as an assistance to the forced
flowers in spring; these are increased
by offsets, while the single ones are
easily multiplied by seed, which they
produce in abundance. There is an-
other highly deserving member of the
genus deserving to be particulary no-
ticed, the Primula sinensis, or Chinese
Primrose. So justly and universally
esteemed is this little plant for its pre-
cocity and abundant habit of blooming,
that it would be a rare circumstance to
find any collection without it. The
best time to sow the seed of this charm-
ing species is midsummer; the young
plants have then time to establish them-
selves before the set-in of winter, and
by being encouraged in the greenhouse
or cold frame, will attain a size quite
enough to be considered handsome,

without the naked scraggy appearance
of older plants. They delight in a mix-
ture of two parts leaf -mould, one of
loam, and one of silver sand. Seed is
generally rather difficult to procure,
and that from fine varieties bears a high
value. In order, therefore, to induce
the plants to bear freely, let them stand
in a moderate exposure only to the sun
in the summer, or until sufficient is ob-
tained. An upper shelf in the conser-
vatory will be found the best for them,
thongh it will be necessary to keep
them well supplied with water in such
a position, or the sun would be apt to
destroy them. The double varieties of
this flower are very beautiful, and re-
quire the same management. Besides
those mentioned there are yet several
species deserving attention, and should
always be included in the list of alpine
plants, particularly such as cortusioides,
farinosa, Pallassii, Scotica, and Simsii.
All these grow freely in a soil similar to
that recommended for the Chinese
Primrose, and require the usual man-
agement of plants of the same descrip-
tion, namely, to be kept in a shaded
place in the open air through the sum-
mer, and to have but little protection,
if any, in our winters. They all bloom
at an early season, when flowers are
valued even in our ever flower-produc-
ing clime, and being really beautiful in
themselves, deserve all the attention
necessary to grow them successfully.
The Chinese double varieties are useful
for bouquets in winter, although we are
not so much in need of them as in the
countries which have severe winters.

The Yucca (Adam's Needle). — The
Yuccas are among our oldest plants,
with conspicuous leaves and showy
flowers; but we must not neglect our
old worthy friends in our passion for
floral novelties. All these plants do
well in California, on account of our

10

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

semi-tropical climate. They are gener-
ally planted as detached specimens on
lawns, similar to the Pampas Grass
(Gynerium argenteum) , and New Zea-
land Flax (Phormium tenax). Their
leaves resemble those of the Aloe,
though the thick succulent stem of
these plants give them the appearance
more of a Palm; the flowers are pro-
duced on an erect spike proceeding
from the heart of the plant, and are
very ornamental . Rich turfy loam and
sand should be used to grow them in.
There are a considerable number of
species ; the blossoms of all of them
are greenish white, and on established
plants are produced annually. They
have a tropical aspect.

Yucca gloriosa superbum throws up
a fine flower stem, and much higher
than Yucca Jilamentosa — sometimes ten
feet in height, and 200 flowers open at
one time. Its leaves are also rather
broader, and therefore more imposing
in appearance. This, and all the ten-
der varieties do well here. We have
noticed some splendid specimens, es-
pecially Y. gloriosa superbum, at Mill's
Seminary, Oakland. There are some
good figures of these plants in flower
in Vick's Floral Guide for 1877, just
received, and which is a beautiful and
most instructive annual publication,
with a colored plate, and to obtain
which every amateur florist should send
twenty-five cents.

THE CTJLTUBE OF JAPAN LILIES.

The elegance of these comparatively
new additions to our collections is of
that high and chaste order as to meet
the taste and admiration of every be-
holder. No wonder, then, that they
have so rapidly extended; for they are
certainly desired, if not present, in ev-
ery garden. Added to their universal-

ly admitted attractions of stately grand-
eur and brilliant coloring, may be men-
tioned their great docility in cultiva-
tion, being, in fact, manageable by the
merest tyro, without trouble or other
means than thoroughly good soil.
They are grown in various ways — a
portion are potted and brought forward
in gentle heat, to afford an early bloom
for the conservatory ; others are placed
in pots, but allowed to grow in a nat-
ural manner, so as to bloom after the
first named ; while a considerable num-
ber are planted into the beds of the
flower garden, as permanent ornaments
to that part of the charge. "We men-
tion this to show that their culture is
attainable by any one, let his conveni-
ences be what they may.

To grow them in pots for the green-
house is the most usual practice, when
their beauty is unquestionably height-
ened and preserved for a longer time
than can be expected with those expos-
ed to much drought here, and the vi-
cissitudes of wind and hot sun, or of
others influenced by a forcing regimen
in the early stages of their growth.
For this reason the bulbs should be
potted in January or February, or the
early part of March, in order that the
new roots which are ordinarily protrud-
ed about this time, may not receive in-
jury in the operation, and also that the
required food may be present as soon
as wanted. Large pots are essential to
a vigorous growth. For a full-grown
bulb, capable of flowering, the pot
should be a foot or fourteen inches in
diameter, and, if there are two or three
bulbs together, of course a still greate*
size will be necessary, without being at
all disproportionate, for the plants at-
tain a height of from five to six feet,
and should there be three or four stems
the foot-stalks of the flowers will ex-
tend in a lateral direction, and form a

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

11

large head. The soil most suited to
them is a mixture of turfy loam and
peat, with a proportion of about a third
of thoroughly rotten manure. This
compost should be used in as rough a
state as possible, with a proper regard
to its being well mixed, leaving all the
roots, sticks, and similar matters in it,
and a good drainage being placed in
the bottom of the pot. The soil must
be pressed firmly round the bulb, leav-
ing its crown about two inches below
the surface. A light, airy shelf in the
greenhouse, or the front of a cold pit,
will be the best situation for the grow-
ing plant, until it has become too large
for its station, and a removal either to
some sheltered place out of doors, or
where sufficient room can be afforded
in the greenhouse or bow-window of a
house, becomes necessary. About this
time the base of the stems will be found
to emit roots just above the soil which
it is growing in, and, if some earth be
drawn around them, small bulbs will
be formed, which afford a ready means
of increasing the stock. A liberal sup-
ply of water should be given daily while
the plants are growing, and an occa-
sional soaking of liquid manure will add
to the general vigor. This treatment
may be continued till the end of the
blooming season, when a moderately
sunny situation out of doors should be
selected for the ripening of the season's
growth, and a gradual reduction of the
supply of water take place, until, by
the end of summer, the soil in the pots
is left dry, and the roots in a dormant
and fit state to winter.

Those which are grown entirely out
of doors — which may be safely done in
our climate — should be planted in soil
similar to that recommended for pot-
ting, and must have attention to stick-
ing and watering in our dry weather,
though the trouble they occasion is

scarcely worth mention, until their time
of rest, when a thick layer of fresh
leaves should be thrown over the beds,
not so much for the sake of protection
from our trifling frosts, as to preserve
them in an equable temperature, lest
they make a too early growth, and then
suffer from adverse weather.

PLANTING.

As about this time, and particularly
after we have more rain in some parts
of California — the coast country being
in a better condition, owing to the fogs
which have for some time prevailed
there — may be considered the continu-
ation of the plant season, when most
people have additions of some kind to
make, a few hints on the subject may
not be without their value.

The first point requiring attention is
to guard the newly removed plants
from the drying influences of the air;
nothing retards their re- establishment
more than this ; it delays the healing
of the wounds received in taking up,
and consequently prevents for a time
the formation of new rootlets. The
matter next in importance, after taking
off all the bruised portions of the roots,
is to carefully spread them out in an
equilateral manner, that the whole of
the nutriment of the soil may be gath-
ered from every direction, that each
root may have its due and uninterrupt-
ed share, and that the plant may have
an equal support on every side. This
is an often-repeated direction, but sel-
dom attended to, and yet of the first
consequence to the future welfare of
the subject. In the operation of plant-
ing, let the soil be thoroughly stirred
for full three times the width of the
hole required, that a suitable and per-
vious medium may be formed for the
reception of the young fibres, and when

12

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

tlie tree or shrub is once properly plac-
ed, avoid treading on the ground more
than is indispensable. We greatly pre-
fer shaking the soil gradually between
the roots, to the common practice of
throwing on a quantity, and forcing it
into its place by the action of the feet
— a reprehensible method, that not un-
frequently leaves cavities beneath, and
in a retentive soil forms a puddled sur-
face quite impenetrable to either air or
water. For all ordinary purposes, a
common stake driven into the ground
is support enough against the winds ;
but if the subject is a large one, and a
tripod of stakes be deemed unsightly,
the same end may be gained as effectu-
ally by interlacing a number of small
rods, so as to cover and extend beyond
the space occupied by the roots, the
ends of these roots to be secured by
means of four cross pieces of stouter di-
mensions, and these again fastened by
stumps, driven into the ground so as to
keep the whole close to the earth.
Galvanized wire to stakes is also very
useful here. In the dry weather of our
summers attention must be paid, of
course, to the watering of all recently
transplanted subjects, and when it is
practicable, much assistance may be
given to the plants by shading them
from the intense heat of the sun ; in all
cases, a layer of mulch about the basis
of the stem will be beneficial, and save
a great deal of trouble.

The above directions are intended
for choice trees, shrubs, and plants in
gentlemen's grounds of villa and city
residences, rather than the more com-
mon planting on farms and fruit or-
chards, although hardly too much pains
can be taken in this matter in any re-
spect.

MttM &xtu\t$.

Tomato leaves are now said to be the
remedy for curled leaf in peach trees.

EFFECTS OF EUCALYPTI.

The medicinal properties of the Eu-
calypti were known to " Ramrod" long
before they were known to fame. The
old sawyers and cedar- cutters used a
decoction of gum-leaves for diarrhoea,
and boiled them down into an ointment
for cuts and bruises twenty years before
my time. It is rather singular that
British, French, and American chem-
ists were the first to discover scientifi-
cally the valuable properties of the
Gum tree, and announce them to the
world. An Englshman was the first to
discover the qualities of Peruvian bark.

As others are the first to recognise
our prophets, so strangers have been
the heralds of the hygienic properties
of the Australian Gum tree ; and while
France, Algeria, America, and Italy are
industriously planting out forests of
Eucalypti, we are doing the best we
can to get rid of them, but the day will
surely come when Australians will be
as anxious to preserve their Gum trees,
and replant, as they are now to destroy
and root out.

At least ten years ago I began to
think that there must be some extraor-
dinary properties in some of the Aus-
tralian trees to counteract the malaria
and miasma of certain tracts of country,
and thenceforth endeavored to eluci-
date the matter by observations and ex-
periments, the result of which afforded
conclusive evidence that the different
families of the gum species were all
more or less possessed of disinfectant
and medicinal properties of a most re-
markable description.

For the sake of being definite, I shall
speak of particular districts, and as the
Clarence and Richmond Rivers have
probably more swamps, creeks, and
marshes than all the other rivers of the

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTURIST.

13

east coast of Australia put together,
they may be advanced as the most con-
spicuous illustrations of the power of
the Eucalypti.

Along the banks of the Clarence, for
nearly sixty miles, there is a strip of
scrub land sometimes only a few hun-
dred yards deep, and in places running
away back for nearly a mile. Behind
the scrub land is open forest, principal-
ly low-lying, and continuing away out
into the back country, with here and
there small tracts of brush interspersed.
All through the forest country are im-
mense swamps miles in extent, and to
give the reader some idea of their size
and number, in the parish of Ulmarra
alone there is Sawyer's swamp three
miles by one, Oregon's swamp four
miles by one and a -half, Sweeny's
swamp four miles by two, Racecourse
swamp two miles by one, Avenue Point
eight miles by two, and the Big Swamp
ten miles long by two and three wide,
besides scores of smaller swamps, and
creeks, and water-holes innumerable ;
and between all these named extensive
swamps there are not four miles of land
dividing them if it were all put togeth-
er. Two of these swamps, Oregon and
Sweeny, dry up in long dry seasons,
and the couch grass which grows upon
them is something to look at. They
are as level as a table, except a central
channel, and I have seen them covered
from end to end with couch grass eight-
een inches high, one dense mass of
luxuriant vegetation, in which hundreds
of cattle and horses feed luxuriantly,
and grow fat in a few weeks. Swamps
of that description are not unhealthy,
because the water is not long enough
on them to, allow swamp vegetation to
spring up, but the others are of a differ-
ent character altogether. The Ten-
mile swamp, for instance, as a speci-
men of the whole, is a wonderful ex-

panse of country. Far as the eye can
reach beyond and around, between you
and the far off forest on the edge of the
horizon, lies one vast extent of unbrok-
en swamp, without a tree or a shrub ;
a dreary, gloomy solitude, where si-
lence is only broken by the voices of
wild fowl, and the dismal roar and rush
of winds through the fields of dead and
hollow reeds. To stand upon the edge
and look forth upon the waste of marsh
reminds you of Chaos looking from his
sombre throne out upon the wasteful
deep, and the picture is as mournful as
Arabia Deserta, but if you jump into
your canoe and push out beyond the
first line of reeds and into the open wa-
ter, and among the channels, the wild
fowl that appear upon the scene change
the soul of the sportsman, and make
him feel as if he had reached the Ely-
sian fields.

The average depth of water is six feet
in an ordinary season, but the mass of
rotten vegetation is beyond all human
comprehension. Through scores of
years the rushes and duckweed have
grown, and rotted, and fallen in suc-
cessive layers, until the accumulation
has become a solid mass of foul, rotten,
decaying vegetable matter, eight and
ten feet deep, and in the clear chan-
nels there is about two feet of decom-
posed matter along the bottom.

• The mass of stuff is so solid that you
can walk about on it anywhere, al-
though it would be rather awkward if
you fell through; and swans, geese,
ducks, etc., build their nests and hatch
among the piles of rushes. Strange to
say, the open water is as clear as crys-
tal, and quite as palatable as the trans-
lucent wave of classical Enoggera, and
far down in the depths you can see
enormous eels, and mullet, and perch,
in shoals, and of an immense size, three
times greater than ever they become in

14

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

the rivers. The perch and eels will
bite readily at a bait, and the eels also
afford capital sport with the spear if
skillfully handled, and I always relished
them quite as well as those taken in
cleaner waters, although they taste a
little heavy when the swamps are very
low.

In the flood of '63 there was a tre-
mendous current down the centre of
the swamp, and the rotten reeds were
piled up in gigantic heaps, and away
through the forest at the opposite end
the current had swept enormous masses
of swamp matter up against the trees,
where it had banked up into mounds
ten and twenty feet high, looking very
much like Esquimaux wigwams or the
reed houses of Livingstone's Makololo.

Now just think of ten miles of foul
decomposing vegetable matter, impreg-
nated with all impure and obnoxious
material, giving off a constant atmos-
phere of miasmatic gases, enough to
give the whole colony a ten years' mon-
opoly of the choicest fevers and Asiatic
cholera.

Even in the act of firing a " double,"
when all the charm the world had for
me was centred in the two black ducks
about to come to an untimely end — I
have spasmodically put my hand to my
nose to check the operation of a per-
fume which Eimmel or Gosnell never
heard of and are never likely to unless
they intend to provide us with a ■ ' Lon-
don Sewer Bouquet."

After sunset these vast swamps are
•shrouded in a dense, white, sulphurous
looking mist, smelling of that faint, op-
pressive, sickly odor peculiar to a grave-
yard or an old cellar in which ten thou-
sand rats have committed suicide about
a month before. Yet I have stayed out
on those swamps all night, have slept
in that malarious mist, have drank that
water among the foul vegetation, day

after day for years ; have waded up to
my neck in water black as Erebus, and
of an inky blackness, hundreds of times;
have walked all day in my wet clothes,
slept out all night in them scores of
times; and never had a cough, a cold,
a headache, or pain of any kind up to
the present time.

Along those creeks and on the bor-
ders of those swamps are living hun-
dreds of settlers, drinking the impure
water, and living in that awful atmos-
phere of abominable smells and night-
ly malarious mists, and yet disease of
any kind is unknown ; the men are
strong and healthy, and the children
rosy and stout, and with three times as
much life and three times as much of
the devil in them as there is in the
children of the city, with its doctors,
and boards of health, and patent tile
drainage.

The Clarence and Richmond are re-
markably healthy, and they are thickly
covered with Eucalypti from one end to
the other. All those swamps and creeks
are in a gum country, and, so far, no
fevers or epidemic disease of a zymotic
or any other description have appeared
in any shape whatever.

Shooting for years among those
swamps, I had every chance of seeing
how they would affect the settlers, who
all enjoyed the most perfect health, al-
though scores of them used water of a
kind which a city man would never of-
fer to a vicious cart-house. I remem-
ber a family who lived on the bank of
a big creek, from which they drew their
water from a hole cleared among the
vegetation. They had a boy about ten
years of age who was seized with a most
malignant fever, clearly produced by
the poisonous water, and he died. His
sister caught it also, and she died ; but,
beyond those two, it went no further,
and was the only instance of anything

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

15

of the kind on the whole river. I have
seen families living in places, and using
■water such as would astonish all the
doctors in creation, and have been ut-
terly astounded at their exemption from
some frightful malady or disorder be-
gotten of the miasmatic marsh in which
they built and lived. That the gum-
tree forests around them were the dis-
infectants, and the preservatives of
health I have no earthly doubt what-
ever, and I have just as little doubt
that there are many districts in differ-
ent parts of Australia which will be un-
fit for human habitation when the for-
ests are all cut down. "Without the
trees around them, I believe those vast
swamps of the Clarence would become
as deadly as the Pontine marshes of It-
aly, or the poisonous fever-haunted fens
of Algeria. Many parts of Europe pre-
viously uninhabitable, are becoming sa-
lubrious under the magic influence of
the Eucalyptus globulus, which appears
to be the favorite, although I believe all
the gum-tree species possess equally
potent powers.

I am also of the opinion that there
are many other Australian trees and
shrubs which will one day develop val-
uable medicinal properties under the
hand of the chemist, and that not alto-
gether to the Eucalypti is attributable
the marvelous powers which ensure
health in the localities filled with all the
agents of fever, and disease, and death.

We shall one day have to plant our
young forests to ensure a supply of tim-
ber, for our trees can not last forever
under the present rate of destruction.
It is a serious subject, demanding the
earnest attention of all Australian^
who ought not to leave to foreigners
the sole recognition of the value of our
own trees.

The blue, red, spotted, and white
gums will flourish luxuriantly upon the

moist barren country, while the tea-
tree, turpentine, gray, and flooded gums
adapt themselves to the low marsh lands
or soft alluvial.

Th.e~B\oo<bxoo(i{Eucalyptuscorymbosa)
will be the first of the gum family to
become extinct if not propagated artifi-
cially, and it is one of the most valua-
ble timbers in Australia.
— Queenslander. Rameod.

NOTES ON THE PHYLLOXEKA.

The British Trade Journal says : The
latest accounts from France say a great
deal more about vine disease and bad
weather than about wine. There is a
great variety of misfortune among the
wine-growers, but all are unfortunate in
some shape. In the department of the
Haute Garonne it is the weather which
causes the despair. A wet spring, a
warm July, and again a wet autumn,
are ,making havoc with the prospect of
the vintage. In the" Rhine district
phylloxera is the bete noire, and the
alarm it causes is more intense than at
the first outbreak. The learned com-
mission which have at various times sat
on phylloxera professed to have stamped
it out, and when the wine-growers find
themselves deceived they turn round in
the worst of humors on the commis-
sioners. In the Gironde the evil is so
serious that land has fallen in value at
least one-half. The Chamber of Com-
merce of Bordeaux fears that in many
of the best vineyards the yield will not
be one-tenth the average. A new com-
mission has been appointed, and experi-
ments for the stamping out of phylloxera
are being instituted by all the agricul-
tural and learned societies. In order
to promote concerted action, monthly
and fortnightly reports are to be issued
by the commission. There is another
trouble on the mind of the French vig-

16

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

neron. It has been discovered that lat-
terly he has taken to coloring his wines
with substances of questionable salu-
brity, such as fuchsine and rosaniline.
A syndicate of wine merchants in Paris
have memorialized the Minister of Agri-
culture to put down the practice.
. The Journal of Chemistry says : The
damage done in France this year by
the phylloxera is set down at $27,500,-
000, and this damage will go on in-
creasing unless the French government
can succeed better than science and M.
Dumas in arresting the progress of
this minute scourge. Never has the
vine had such an enemy since the time
of which Beranger sang:

When Brennus came back here from Rome,
These words he is said to have spoken :

"We have conquered, my boys ; and brought
home
A sprig of the vine for a token !"

The only wonder is that wine remains
as cheap as it is, and that, in spite of
heavy city dues, really good ordinary
wine can be obtained in Paris for a
franc^a bottle. A reward of $60,000 is
still open to anyone who shall discover
an effectual means of destroying the
phylloxera, with whose manners and
customs science is now intimately ac-
quainted.

M. Eyre Jr., Secretary of the State
Vinicultural Association, of California,
writes as follows to the Napa Regis-
ter : Monsieur Anto Forest, French
Consul, in a recent letter, sends me
the following extract from the Offi-
cial Journal of the French Republic,
of October 6th, 1876. The simple
remedy can do no harm in any case,
and I hope some of our Sonoma
friends will plant the red field corn as
suggested. While such planting will
not eradicate ■ the phylloxera, it may
save the vines, and by pulling up the
cornstalks in the fall, root and all, and
burning them, the insect itself will be

destroyed. In conjunction with the
means lately recommened by Dr.
Blake, we may at least hope for a
cheap, easy mode of exterminating the
pest. I translate the extract : "Mr.
Gachez has written a note to Mr. Du-
mas (meeting of Academy of Sciences)
relating to the destruction of the phyl-
loxera by growing red maize between
the rows of vines. 'After long and
patient researches', says the author, 'I
am convinced that the vines between
the rows of which I had sown red
maize were completely preserved from
phylloxera. The insect abandoned the
vine and attached itself to the roots of
the maize. Last year, even, in the
spring, the roots of the vines, since
treated by this plan, were covered by
phylloxera. This month, notwithstand-
ing the most patient search, I have not
been able to find a single individual
of the species on them ; but the roots of
the maize were completely infested. The
roots of maize sown in an adjoining
field had no trace of phylloxera.' "

A NEW USE OF BOUQUETS.

Flowers in all the variety of their
grace and beauty serve many purposes
of showing love and honor, and of min-
istering comfort and delight. Flowers
are strewed before the bride ; they are
put in the pathway to give an added
charm to a welcome ; they are used as
decorations ; they are presented as the
most pleasant of gifts ; and to the actor
or actress nothing more grateful than
the flowers thrown on the stage by
their admirers among the audience.
Si) desirous, indeed, are the personages
of the stage of receiving these tributes
that they are accused of having them
made to order and presented to them-
selves by their own agents.

The bouquets given at the theatres

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

17

here are of moderate dimensions as a
rule compared with those which are of-
fered at dramatic shrines on the other
side of the Channel. Some of these in
circumference are almost as large as
cart-wheels, and are rendered ugly by
their mere size, The recipients are in
the proud, but uncomfortable position
of having honors thrust upon them
which are greater than they well know
how to encounter.

The bouquet of private life is gener-
ally, however, as we are accustomed to
see it, a manageable affair ; and a lady
to whom two bouquets are presented
would hardly take more than one with
her into the company which she meant
to honor with her presence. In such a
case of embarras de richesses she would
consult her convenience and her inclina-
tion— would choose either the bouquet
which best suited her dress, or that
donor she specially desired to favor, and
the other flowers would be relegated to
the decoration of her room, or kept,
for consideration, until some more con-
venient season arrived.

It appears, however, that American
practice, with regard to bouquets, dif-
fers considerably from our own. The
Americans are lavish in their use of
even costly flowers. We have heard of
the "flower bells" (canopies of flowers)
under which it was, not very long ago,
the fashion for newly maried couples to
to stand on the occasion when they were
first "at home" to their friends. Ameri-
can ladies have told us that it is the cus-
tom to send large baskets of flowers on
board the steamers which are to convey
ladies from the States to Europe, and
that the lady who receives the greatest
number of these floral tributes is con-
sidered to be specially distinguished.
The state rooms of a large steamer
leaving New York will be crowded to
excess and inconvenience with these

fleeting tokens of what we may hope is
lasting regard.

We have also recently learned that in
some towns of the States, Philadelphia
for example, the number of bouquets
by a lady at a ball is considered to be
indicative of the number of her actual
admirers of the other sex. A lady with-
out a bouquet confesses herself without
an admirer sufficiently interested in
her to give her a simple flower. On the
other hand, if a lady has several ad-
mirers, and each has s^nt a bouquet,
she appears with the whole number.
No donor is more favored than another.
This may give rise to a sense of equality,
and of leveling the claims of the ad-
mirers, but it is, to say the least, incon-
venient to the lady and her partners.
We have heard of a lady who appeared
at a ball with ten huge bunches of
flowers, some of which she had to trust
to her partner, while she carried the re-
mainder herself. We are told that "the
whole of them would fill a wheelbar-
row, and the effect was awkward in the
extreme." This is easy to be believed.

The carrying of the bouquets is like
the bearing by the Indian brave of the
scalps of those he has killed — a token
of victory. It is a fashion that we
think is hardly likely to be imported
from America by our belles who visit
the Exhibition. — The Queen.

TRANSPORTATION OF RIPE FRUIT.

During the past few weeks a car at
the Seventh Street depot has attracted
much curious attention, and it is cer-
tainly worthy of description, as having
a great interest to that portion of the
public who confess a weakness for fine
fruits. The car has the external ap-
pearance of a common freight car, but
its weight is about 4,000 pounds more,
and it is built on passenger trucks. It

18

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

consists of a refrigerator on wheels,
such as has never been seen here be-
fore. The outside is of wood. Next
to this is an inch thick wall of felt.
Next is a layer of powdered charcoal
four inches thick extending all around
the entire car, and then is the interior
lining, which is of galvanized iron.
Projecting downward for three feet
from the roof, running the full length
of the car, and extending about half of
its width, is a box, which is provided
with three openings on the top of the
car, and which is capable of holding
more than a ton of ice. The doors to
the car and the doors to the ice-box are
so tightly clamped by patent fasteners
as to completely exclude the air. Small
pipes near the roof carry air very grad-
ually from the ice-box, where it is ad-
mitted in small quantities, to the car
proper, 'and by its condensed condition
it sinks to the floor, and keeps the car
at a temperature little above freezing
point. The purpose of this car is to
inaugurate a new era in the transporta-
tion of perishable goods. On Septem-
ber 27, this car, loaded with 2,000
pounds of fine California grapes, in
boxes, left San Francisco by passenger
train, and arrived here a week later.
Since that time it has been opened dai-
ly for removal of a portion of the fruit,
and yet the temperature has never been
above 39 degrees, and the grapes are as
sound as they were on the day they
were picked. It need not be remark-
ed that California produces the finest
fruits of the world, and how to bring
them to the East in good condition has
for years been a problem at which hun-
dreds have been working. In order to
get them to St. Louis, it has been nec-
essary to pick them when half ripe,
and then rush them through by passen-
ger train at an expense of $900 freight per
car, the outcome being not at all satis-

factory. By this new arrangement they
can be gathered ripe, carefully picked
free from imperfections, carefully han-
dled, and then sent through leisurely
by freight train at the expense of $450
per car freight. This trial-car demon-
strates the success of the invention' be-
yond doubt, and fruits which have hith-
erto been considered too delicate for
shipment can now be brought by slow
freight. It may be wondered how any
profit is possible with such an immense
item of freight. This is easily explain-
ed. In the California grape season,
which extends over many months,
grapes can be had at one cent a pound.
A car will hold 16,000 pounds, inde-
pendent of boxes and ice. It costs
about $350 to pick and pack them. It
costs $450 freight by freight train to
St. Louis, or $900 by passenger train,
or one-third more to New York. At
wholesale here the grapes sell for 20
cents per pound, yielding a handsome
profit. In other fruits the difference in
price is even greater. The Wonderful
California vegetables can be brought
here under like circumstances. Sal-
mon, eggs, etc., can also be profitably
shipped. In the car now here was
brought a large quantity of luscious
California strawberries, which were in
perfect condition when taken out. The
car uses about three tons of ice in a
trip by freight train, requiring replen-
ishing twice. There is not the slight-
est moisture inside, and a handkerchief
rubbed on the galvanized iron lining
remains perfectly dry, which accounts
for the excellent preservation of fruit.
The waste water from the ice-box is
carried off by a patent arrangement that
prevents ingress of air.

Taken as a whole, the invention is
wonderful, and an examination of the
car will repay a trip to the yards.
Some New York and California capital-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

19

ists have taken hold of the invention,
active among whom is Hon. A. T.
Spotts, son-in-law of ex-Mayor Brown.
The car was built at the Central Pa-
cific shops at Sacramento, and many
others like it are already in operation.
— St. Louis Republican.

MATE, OR PARAGUAY TEA.

Among the novelties presented at the
Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia
is the Mate, a decoction of the leaves of
the Mate tree {Ilex Paraguayensis). This
tree grows wild in the forests of Brazil
and the Argentine Republic, especially
upon the various tributaries of the Pa-
rana and Uruguay ; it is also found in
the valleys of streams whose waters
join the Paraguay to the northeast.
The tree sometimes approaches medi-
um-sized Apple trees in height, but the
leaves are gathered mostly from small-
er shrub-like plants. It is stripped of
its leaves" and branches almost every
other year. Several varieties of this
tree are mentioned, especially two : the
mild or choice, and the strong.

At the exposition a pamphlet, in Por-
tuguese, French, English, and German,
written by Dr. Antonio Joaquin de Ma-
cedo Soares, presents the claims of the
province of Parana, which exports
mostly through the ports of Paranagua
and Antonia. The exports of the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1870, amounted
to 31,777,408 pounds, and rose the fol-
lowing year to 36,073,713 pounds . The
home consumption in Parana is almost
9,000,000 pounds per annum, and in
Rio Grande de Sul nearly four times as
much, not including large quantities
consumed by natives, without having
been marketed. An arroba (32.39
pounds) is estimated as sufficient for
the consumption of a single individual
about six months, if taken three times

per day, and this would cost about $1
per annum, whereas an equivalent of
coffee or of black or green tea would
cost much more.

It is claimed that the Mate beverage
is very nourishing. It is prepared eith-
er from the powder of dried leaves pul-
verized or from the leaves themselves
by infusion. It needs intelligent ex-
periment and observation to develop
the real qualities of the plant, but it
has become the favorite beverage of a
large portion of the people of South
America. It is less exciting than eith-
er tea or coffee, as it contains less of es-
sential oil, while its larger proportion
of resin makes it a better diuretic than
coffee, though it is less rich in this ele-
ment than either green or black tea.
It has a pleasant aroma, and when ta-
ken with milk and sugar it is a good
substitute for tea or coffee. It slightly
stimulates the nervous system, but not
to the point of sleeplessness. It con-
tains as much theine as tea, and double
the quantity found in the same weight
of coffee-grains. It is sold in Rio Jan-
eiro at about ten cents per pound.

GATHERING HORSE-CHESTNUTS IN
PARIS.

The gathering of the glossy brown
fruit of the innumerable Horse-chest-
nuts at this capital has just been done,
for the first time, by paid agents.
Hitherto these shining balls have been
the prey of the children of the capital,
who have devoted their energies to get-
ting together the largest heap of them,
and to string them into a sort of neck-
lace that the wearers rattle as they go.
But the eagerness with which the glean-
ing was carried on, the frequent descent
of the Chestnuts on the heads of the
passers through the various ingenious
methods adopted by the "boys" for

20

THE CALLFOKNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

getting them " down," had caused the
ripening of the nuts to be dreaded as a
nuisance by the rest of the population ;
and the City Fathers have accordingly
taken the matter into their own hands.
"What they will do with the immense
mass of Chestnuts thus collected is not
known, but the experiments which the
last Emperor caused to be carried on
with them resulted in showing that the
Horse-chestnut is rich in fecula, glu-
cose, and a singular substance that
chemists have named saponine, which
gives its well-known bitter taste to the
Horse-chestnut, but also renders the
water employed the most excellent de-
tergent yet discovered for the most del-
icate tissues of all colors. The sub-
stance of the Horse-chestnut, grated
and washed, yields a fecula equal to
that of the Potato, and that can be
used for the same purpose. The beau-
ty of the Horse-chestnut, with the ele-
gant fan-like leaves and the spires of
white or pink blossoms, has rendered it
a great favorite here, but it has the
fault of shedding its leaves too soon.
The first tree of the kind was brought
from Asia and planted in Paris in 1665.
Two others were planted here soon aft-
erward, but for several years only these
three were to be seen in France, one
being in the park of the Hotel Soubise,
the second in the garden of the Tuiler-
ies, and the third in that of the Luxem-
bourg. The Ailanthus, Catalpa, and
Acacia, also in great favor here, are
found to resist heat and drought very
well, but their vegetation is not suffi-
ciently ample to render them satisfac-
tory in streets, and the Plane, beloved
of the Athenians of old, is rapidly ac-
quiring reputation as the tree which
more than any other is suitable for the
planting of streets in large cities. Dur-
ing the tropical heat of last summer the
Plane kept all its leaves and remained

fresh, green, and shady. The Elm is
dying out from this city and the Plane
tree is taking its place. — Montreal Her-
ald.

LEAF PKINTING.

In an article on "Nature Printing"
the London Garden describes various
methods of obtaining copies of flowers
and leaves from the objects themselves.
The following, which is simple and eas-
ily tried, may be of interest to some of
our readers :

By those who have access to a laun-
dry roller press, or an ordinary copying
press, the following method of direct
printing may be adopted : The best
paper to use is ordinary wove paper
without water-marks, such, in fact, as
is used for book printing. Those who
can afford to be luxurious may use thin
drawing paper. First select the leaves,
and then carefully press and dry them.
If they be placed in a botanical press,
care must be exercised not to put too
great a pressure on the specimens at
first, or they will be spoiled for print-
ing. An old book is the best for dry-
ing the examples to be used ; then get
a small can of printer's or proof ink,
and a small leather dabber, which can
be bought for a few pence at -any shop
where wood engravers' materials are
sold. Take a bit of ink about the size
of a pea, and work it on a small piece
of glass or slate with the dabber until
it is perfectly smooth. A drop or two,
not more, of linseed oil will assist the
operation. Having worked the ink
perfectly smooth, give the leaf a thin
coating, being careful to spread it
equally, not to dab it on in blotches,
or the clear effect will be lost. Having
applied the ink, take a sheet of paper
of the size required, and lay the leaf
ink downward upon it, placing it be-

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

21

tween the leaves of an old book, which
must then be subjected to a moderate
pressure in a copying press, or passed
between the rollers of the washing ma-
chine. If a press be not at hand, lay
the book on the floor and stand upon it
for a few seconds, an operation which
answers the same purpose. Impres-
sions can be taken with greater rapidi-
ty by this process than by any other,
and a very little practice will enable
any one possessing ordinary ingenuity
to succeed in producing them. Soft
book paper is the best for the purpose,
and, previous to using it, place a few
sheets between damp blotting-paper,
which causes it to take the ink still
more readily. At first you will find
that you lay too much ink on the leaf,
which then produces too dense an im-
pression. After a little practice you
will know how much ink to lay on each
description of leaf. If you find the im-
pression too black, use the leaf once
again without inking it. If the midrib
of the leaf be too thick, so that the
parts near it do not come into contact
with the paper, it must be shaved down
with a sharp knife. Composite leaves,
as of the Umbelliferse, should be divid-
ed, and their parts printed separately ;
other details will soon be learned by
practice.

LEMON CULTUKE IN SANTA CLAEA.

The following is from the San Jose
Mercury of Saturday: "■ The Mercury
has been presented by W. H. Rogers
with a bunch of three of the finest ■ Si-
cily ' Lemons we have lately seen, which
were grown in his orchard in the foot-
hills near Los Gatos. The culture of
Lemons and Oranges is, while not of
particularly recent attempts in this val-
ley, still of decided infancy as regards
the success which has attended the ef-

Vol. VII.- 3.

forts, and the establishment of their
culture upon any scale of business, or
attention to the study of growing of
what is probably not an indigenous
plant in this portion of the State. Mr.
Rogers' efforts, however, met with a
success the most gratifying. His or-
chard embraces at the present time
about one hundred bearing Lemon
trees, and sixty Orange trees, all of
which are now of but four years' growth
from the setting. The Lemon trees,
though of the dwarf species, have this
year borne from fifty to a hundred or
over Lemons each. Mr. Rogers ex-
presses the opinion that with proper
treatment the culture of both these fruits
could be made extremely profitable in
the ' narrow belt ' of the Coast Range,
if not throughout the valley. By ex-
periments extending over several years
he has ascertained that the same treat-
ment will not do for both ; that while
the roots of the one spread near the
surface, the other takes a deep shoot,
the only proper way in which to grow
it being the sinking of a pipe two or
three feet deep into the ground at the
time the trees are set, and occasional
watering by means of the pipe, which
naturally attracts the roots and so the
desired moisture, without breaking the
surface, which is found injurious to the
tree. Mr. Rogers also informs us that
by the course which he has pursued he
has picked ripe Lemons from his trees
every month since November, 1875,
and that indications point to even bet-
ter results when the trees shall have
arrived at maturity. He has some Ba-
nana plants in fine appearance, and
predicts a crop next summer. Thus far
all attempts at the raising of Cocoanuts
have failed, though he still hopes to
succeed in this direction. The results
of these experiments clearly show that,
with proper treatment, even the exotics

22

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

of the southern portion of this State
can be raised in Santa Clara Valley,
and made paying as business invest-
ments. The idea should be taken ad-
vantage of by our small orchardists."

CALIFORNIA CANNED FRUIT.

Recently a San Jose correspondent of
a San Francisco paper stated that dur-
ing the season the San Jose fruit can-
ning establishment had turned out a
half million cans of choice fruits, among
which were 100,000 cans of luscious To-
matoes, and likewise said that, so far as
the putting up of the Tomatoes was
concerned, the establishment was about
perfect. One' of the most encouraging
features of this new and important in-
dustry is the fact that the fruit thus
prepared is eagerly sought for in the
California markets as well as by East-
ern buyers. San Francisco dealers
alone received over 60,000 cans of To-
matoes from San Jose, and the corre-
spondent stated that they were antici-
pating Eastern purchasers, and nego-
tiating for all that the establishment
could produce. This is a separate af-
fair from fruit drying, which is being
successfully and extensively carried on
in Amador, and will probably soon be
profitably inaugurated in other mining
counties, where large quantities of fruit
are left every year to rot on the ground.
Too much importance can not be at-
tached to these processes for utilizing
the fruit of the State, from which an
immense revenue will be derived. While
other communities are launching out in
new enterprises, and exercising good,
sound, hard sense in the practice of
economy, Stockton appears to be fol-
lowing the example of Micawber, and
"waiting for something to turn up."
This city is surely as eligibly situated
and as well suited for the canning of

fruit as San Jose ; and there is no good
reason why fruit drying should not be
carried on here upon as extensive a
scale as anywhere else in the State.
The greater the number and diversity
of local industries, the better assured is
the prosperity of any town or city, and
Stockton presents a wide and encour-
aging field for new industrial ventures,
important among which would be an
establishment for canning fruit for the
home market and for export. During
the past eleven months there have been
imported into this State over 2,000 bar-
rels of Currants, 1,636 cases ; 314 casks,
124 barrels, and about 200 packages of
Prunes, and the following quantity of
Raisins: 249 packages, 9,593 boxes,
12,976 quarters, over 5,000 halves, 180
mats, and several barrels*. Instead of
importing dried fruits of any descrip-
tion California should be, and doubt-
less will soon become, a large exporter
of the kinds in common use. — Stockton
Independent, Dec. 15.

A JAPANESE SPECIALTY.

All readers know that the lacquer-
ware industry is peculiar to Japan. It
has, in fact, been its main interest for
many years, and it is no doubt owing
thereto that the Japanese have become
such unapproachable artisans in fine
wood work. The lacquer itself (locker,
as it was pronounced for the writer by
one of the attendants), is the sap of a
tree, which is made into a very cohesive
varnish, susceptible of a high polish.
The wood work is " treated" with the
natural preparation, either by success-
ive coats of the gum, by which means
a black coating, is produced, or by ad-
mixture with red and white pigments
or with gold dust, by which means the
several varieties of black lacquer, gold
lacquer, red lacquer, and white lac-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

23

quer are produced. Of the four kinds,
the black and gold are the most popu-
lar, though some of the red lacquer,
resembling, over its fine carving, rare
■work in coral, is very much prized. It
should be explained that the coloring
other than black is introduced when
the gum comes from the tree, when it
has a kind of neutral tint, possessing
the property of intensifying the color
by successive coatings of the varnish.
Some of the best effects are produced
by " raised " lacquer work, such as
trunks of trees, mountains, birds, and
animals, etc., brought out in relief upon
the plain surface. This is done by giv-
ing successive coats of the varnish upon
the places it is sought to thus ornament
until the requisite elevation is produc-
ed. The figures or natural objects have
the appearance of castings glued or
mortised upon the plain surface, and
the amount of time and patience in-
volved in the work can be imagined. —
Philadelphia Telegraph.

ORANGES IN TUOLUMNE COUNTY.

Mr. J. Reynaud, who has a ranch at
Green Springs, has an Orange tree on
his place 15 feet high ; diameter of the
trunk, 6 inches. The tree is seven
years from the seed, and commenced
bearing this year. The fruit is large,
the specimens measuring 12 inches in
circumference, He has also a Lemon
tree five feet high, grown from a cut-
ting planted last year. He says Or-
anges and Lemons thrive on his place,
there being no frost to harm.

Mr. J. W. Keith, who has a fine
ranch at Kanaka Flat, near Jackson-
ville, on Saturday presented the Inde-
pendent with a dozen fine Oranges, seed-
lings, grown on his place. He has four
trees 12 years old, which are each 8 or
10 inches in diameter. The crop this

year is about 1,500 Oranges. Lsat
year some of the fruit, overlooked, re-
mained on the tree through the winter
and was gathered in June, sweet and
luscious. Oranges can be grown in
that section of country to supply this
part of the State, and would pay bet-
ter than hay or grain, which many far-
mers seem to think is the only paying
crop.

Oranges and Lemons of mammoth
size are also raised at Tuttletown, and
at the French Garden, in Sonora. — In-
dependent.

SANTA BARBARA OLIVES.

Dana B. Clark has shown us a sam-
ple of his olives of this year's crop from
his orchard in Montecito. 'A thousand
trees, five years old from the cuttings,
standing on ten acres, have yielded
about 500 gallons of berries. Nearly
all the trees have fruited a little, but
the 500 gallons of berries is the begin-
ning. Their value on the trees is about
50 cents a gallon. "What is raised on
the land between the young trees in
the way of beets, onions, squashes,
etc., pays the expense of cultivation.
Let us see what is the value of a full-
bearing olive orchard, when planted in
a good location. The full-bearing trees
in the Santa Barbara Mission orchard,
in the Mission San Juan Capistrano,
and San Diego orchards, and elsewhere
in good soil and good locations, year in
and year out, will yield, on an average,
about twenty gallons of berries to the
tree, or three gallons of oil. To manu-
facture the oil will cost about one dol-
lar a gallon. Taking the first-class, or
virgin oil, with the second and the
third, the whole will net $3 per gallon,
or $800 per acre, about the same as to
sell the berries for pickling. — Santa Bar-
bara Index, Dec. 4th.

24

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

^0*1 W& $Mt.

THE FISHERMAN'S FUNERAL.

Upon the breezy headland the fisherman's grave
they made,

"Where, over the daisiea and clover bells, the
birchen branches swayed ;

Above ns the lark was singing in the cloudless
skies of June,

And under the cliffs the billows were chanting
their ceaseless tune ;

For the creamy line was curving along the hol-
low shore,

Where the dear old tides were flowing that he
would ride no more.

The dirge of the wave, the note of the bird, and
the priest's low tone were blent

In the breeze that blew from the moorland, all
laden with country scent ;

But never a thought of the new- mown hay toss-
ing on sunny plains,

Or of lilies deep in the wild wood, or rose3
gemming the lanes,

Woke in the hearts of the stern, bronzed men
who gathered around the grave,

Where lay the mate who had fought with them
the battle of wind and wave.

How boldly he steered the cable across the

foaming bar,
When the sky was black to the eastward, and

the breakers white on the Scar!
How his keen eye caught the squall ahead, how

his strong arm furled the sail,
As he drove o'er the angry waters before the

raging gale!
How cheery he kept all the long dark night, and

never a parson spoke
Good words, like those he said to us, when at

last the morning broke!

So thought the dead man's comrades, as silent
and sad they stood,

While the prayer was prayed, the blessing said,
and the dull earth struck the wood ;

And the widow's sob, and the orphan's wail,
jarred through the joyous air.

How could the light wind o'er the sea blow on
so fresh and fair ?

How could the gay waves laugh and leap, land-
ward o'er sand and stone,

While he, who knew and loved them all, lay
lapped in clay alone ?

But for long, when to the beetling heights the

snow-tipped billows roll,
When the cod, and skate, and dogfish dart

around the herring shoal ;
When gear is sorted, and sails are set, and the

merry breezes blow,
And away to the deep sea harvest the stalwart

reapers go,
A kindly sigh and a hearty word they will give

to him who lies
Where the clover springs, and the heather

blooms, beneath the northern skies.

— All the Year Bound.

THE TAKING OF FOOD BY FISH.

When a fish snaps up an object it first
opens its mouth and closes its gill-flaps ;
and opens the gills when it closes the
mouth. When it wishes to eject a dis-
agreeable morsel, on the other hand,
it first, with closed mouth, opens the
gill-slits, and enlarges the mouth-cavi-
ty then shuts the gill-slits and simul-
taneously opens the mouth. By nar-
rowing the[mouth-cavity throughout its
length, it now forces out the contents ;
and in doing so, it is driven a little
backward by the reaction, like a can-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

25

non when it is fired. If we think of it
a little more closely, we shall see that,
without the gill-slits, the fish could not
snap up any object, and so could not
eat, because the morsel, if it got into
the mouth-cavity, would, on closing the
mouth, be ejected. The reason is sim-
ply this : On opening, the mouth-cav-
ity fills with water after the manner of
a pump, and the morsel is taken in
through suction of the portion of water
in which it floats. It can now be held
fast in the mouth only if the water finds
a mode of exit so narrow that the mor-
sel can not escape by it, it affords no
easy outflow for the water. But the
want is fully met by its gill apparatus,
which presents a double row of long
narrow slits, each of which is generally
a good deal longer than the mouth-slit,
so that the water can readily flow away
without the morsel being carried along
with it. But, again, if a fish were
obliged to eject by its mouth the water
it had taken up, it would be driven
backward at each bite, and have to ex-
pend force wastefully in recovering its
ground by swimming, which would be
specially disadvantageous in flowing
water. On the contrary, however, as
the water flows out backward through
the gill-slits, the fish receives each time
an impulse which drives it forward, and
the maintenance of its position in rap-
id water is thus rendered more easy.
From these considerations it becomes
possible to explain a number of the ar-
rangements found in aquatic animals,
as compared with those that live in air.
Still regarding the finny tribes, we find
remarkable large gill-slits in fishes of
prey ; and any one who has watched a
pike or a trout in pursuit of its prey, will
have noticed how widely it has stretched
its gill-slits, so as to let the water flow
off as freely as possible on all sides.
If this were at any moment to accumu-

late in the mouth -cavity, the fish's
mouth would be seriously compromis-
ed. It may with certainty be said tbat
all fishes with remarkably wide gill-
slits hunt their prey in long pursuit.
Thus, among our fresh-water predace-
ous fishes, the pike makes the longest
pursuit and has the widest gills. As a
contrast we might take the gently feed-
ing and nibbling plant fishes, such as
barbel, carp, etc., which have narrow
gill-slits. A similar difference is asso-
ciated with the streaming of water. As
a fish always snaps with its mouth
against the current, it receives more
water into the mouth the more rapid
the current ; and, therefore, river-fishes
have, in general, larger gill-slits than
fishes which live in still water. Thus,
too, may be explained the remarkable
correlation between the width of the
mouth-slit and that of the gill-slits, in-
asmuch as narrow-mouthed fishes have
narrow gill -slits, and wide -mouthed
fishes wide gill-slits. — Chambers' Jour-
nal.

POISONING SQUIEKELS.

W. H. Ware, a large grain farmer
near San Jose, has had a good deal of
experience in poisoning squirrels, and
has been quite successful. His meth-
od this year is to poison sweet apples,
which the squirrels are very fond of.
The apples are cut across from side to
side (not from stem to calyx) two-thirds
the distance through, then held open
with thumb and finger, and what strych-
nine will rest upon the point of a pen-
knife-blade is put in the centre and the
halves pressed together. The poison
permeates all through the apple. The
apple is then rolled into a squirrel-
hole, out of the reach of all live stock,
and the work is done. The squirrels
will eat and die. Mr. Ware likes his

26

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

method better than using melons pois-
oned. Birds and other animals are
likely to eat of the melons, while the
squirrels are not so sure to eat of them
as of apples. Squirrels like apples at
any season of the year, but most when
there is no other succulent food, say in
September and October. After the
grain starts to grow and there is plenty
of green feed, Mr. W. finds that squir-
rels like dry feed best, such as grain.
The way he prepares this is to dissolve
phosphorus by pouring hot water upon
it, and with sugar or molasses arid flour
makes a thin batter, and pours this bat-
ter upon wheat, stirring till each kernel
is coated. One stick of phosphorus
needs, two quarts of hot water, with a
handful of sugar and enough flour to
make a thin batter. Don't set the phos-
phorus in water upon the hot stove to
melt, but melt it by pouring hot water
upon it, in some suitable vessel. There
is but one objection to phosphorus. It
kills every rodent that eats it, but when
they eat but little it acts slowly, and
they are sometimes several days dying.
Strychnine acts quicker, but is much
more expensive. If squirrels poisoned
with phosphorus die where hogs can
eat them the hogs will be poisoned also.
Poisoned grain should be put well into
the holes, out of the reach of other an-
imals. When one kind of poison fails
of making clean work, try another, and
you will in the end be successful. — Ag-
riculturist.

COMPAEATIVE SIZE OF TROUT IN EU-
ROPE AND AMERICA.

The river, or yellow trout of Europe
(Salmo /arid) seems to vary in size in
different waters. Larger specimens are
taken in the Thames than elsewhere ;
those of five and six pounds appear to
be common; eight or ten -pound fish

are occasionally reported in the sport-
ing papers, and that trout weighing as
much as fifteen or eighteen pounds
have been killed in that river, is a well
established fact. These large trout are
in England usually killed with a min-
now upon trolling tackle. In other
English rivers the trout seldom go over
seven pounds^ and in Scotland, judg-
ing from the reports of fisheries in the
Field, they will probably not average
more than three or four ounces. Of
course large fish are sometimes taken.
Stoddart, in the "Angler's Compan-
ion," mentions one taken in the Don,
1853, which weighed eleven pounds ;
in the Tweed, 1850, seven pounds ; in
the Till, 1849, seven and a half pounds ;
Teviot, 1848, six and a half pounds.
The Leet, tributary of the Tweed, has,
Stoddart says, the largest trout that he
is acquainted with, and in 1841 he took
there with the fly, twenty-six trout that
weighed twenty-nine pounds; in 1846,
forty-one trout, twelve of which weigh-
ed a pound each, and one of three
pounds. Professor Wilson (a great
angler) killed in Rutherford water,
with minnow, eighteen trout, of one
and one-half pounds each, and as many
of one pound, but these trout are evi-
dently considered by the writer as be-
ing of extraordinary size.

A DEVIL FISH.

Dr. McKee has received from a friend
at Santa Monica a specimen of the dev-
il-fish, which was picked up on the
beach a day or two ago. It was kept
in a glass jar at Wollwebber's drug-
store, immersed in sea water, many cu-
rious eyes gazing upon the singular-look-
ing creature. It is a mollusk of the
radiate species, and belongs to the
same family as the star-fish — one of the
lowest order of animate beings. The

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

27

body is of a lightish brown color, semi-
transparent, and resembles, in fibre,
the jelly-fish, which is frequently seen
along the coast. "When spread on a
flat surface it would cover a circle one
foot in diameter. The body graduates
into eight tapering arms or rays, which
are covered with innumerable little jDro-
tuberances, every one a strong suction
valve. By the combined action of these
little valves it fastens upon the side of
the glass jar, or upon a stick or knife,
or anything coming in contact with it,
and maintains a wonderfully strong
hold for such a little and apparently
slothful animal. A singular feature of
this action is that, when the suction
valves are set in operation, a dark liquid
is seen to collect in the portion of the
arm employed, and when released, it
passes away like the flickering of a
shadow, and is apparently disseminat-
ed through the body. In its natural
state the fish captures its prey, and ab-
sorbs it by the use of these suction
arms or feelers. "We are all familiar
with the old legend which magnified
the devil-fish into a large monster,
whose habit was to lap its arms about
a passing ship and draw it bodily be-
neath the waves. The mollusk certain-
ly looks devilish enough for such a per-
formance, but we are inclined to doubt
the marvel of growth which would fit it
for such a herculean undertaking. Dr.
McKee proposes to preserve his prize
in alcohol, and will keep it in his cab-
inet of natural curiosities.

Caledonia Hatching House. — Seth
Green, Esq., informs us that there are
now in the State ponds at Caledonia,
some yearling hybrids— a cross between
the brook trout and the California sal-
mon. They do not resemble either of
the parent fish, but look more like the
salmon. He says: "We have, some

two-year old grayling of our own hatch-
ing. Some of them are eight inches
long. They live in a pond with some
two-year old California brook trout,
and with two • year old blue - backed
trout from Maine. They all agree very
well. The California brook trout are a
much shyer fish than our native trout.
They are not as tame, but they are a
much hardier fish, and are a great deal
more easily raised, and I think would
do well in many of our streams in this
State. The blue -backed trout do not
do well, and I do not think much of
them as a fish to stock our lakes with."

tiffltwial gmlfalto.

OUR FRONTISPIECE. '

We present our readers, this first
month of the year, with a good likeness
of the beautiful and most graceful Sa-
lix caprea, variety Pendula, or Kilmar-
nock Weeping Willow, for the engrav-
ing of which we are indebted to that
zealous veteran and long-time promot-
er of agricultural and horticultural im-
provement in our State, Colonel War-
ren, editor of the California Farmer.
This lovely lawn tree is a variety of the
Goat Willow, or common Sallow. Ac-
cording to the directions given by Ell-
wanger & Barry, the world-wide known
florists and nurserymen of Rochester,
New York, in their handsome "De-
scriptive Catalogue of Ornamental
Trees," this great round-leaved Willow
grafted five to seven feet high upon the
Comewell stock, forms without any
trimming, an exceedingly elegant tree,
with glossy foliage, and perfect um-
brella head, unique in form. Vigor-
ous and thriving in all soils, it is prob-
ably more widely disseminated than
any of the finer ornamental trees.

That the utility and beauty of orna-
mental trees and plants are now becom «

28

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ing generally recognized and appreci-
ated, no better proof is afforded than
the great demand which has been cre-
ated for them in all parts of the horti-
cultural world. They have become a
necessity in the garden and on the
lawn, and every one who has a city
garden of any extent or villa residence
must ha\e them. Parks and pleasure
grounds have also become a necessity,
and they require all this sort of trees
for general planting, as well as speci-
mens for arboretums.

Cuttings of ripened shoots of all the
"Willows merely require to be inserted
in the soil during our rainy season;
moist soil, inclining to be marshy,
suits them best. Very dwarf shrubs of
this family, propagated with more dif-
ficulty, should be struck in summer
under a hand-light, or some kind of
glass covering.

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

Before the issue of this number we
trust we shall have a second plentiful
rain all over the State, the last having
taken place in October. If this rain
should have occurred, the work of sow-
ing, planting, and preparing the fields
and gardens should not now be delayed.

Our nurserymen and florists are pre-
pared to furnish a fine assortment, with
many new plants, of trees, shrubs, and
flowers, both useful and ornamental.
Prices have become more moderate ev-
ery year, and there is abundance of
room for every tree and plant which is
offered for sale. Our California climate
generally requires quite early planting.

To those who have gardens we would
suggest a complete 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 Ro-

ses 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 we
would further suggest the application of
some good old decayed horse-manure,
by spreading it over the ground, and
then your gardener may go to work and
trench, or at least dig up the ground
well with a spade, taking care, of
course, that all weeds and the manure
are well worked in below the surface.

For lawns we would recommend a
top-dressing of fresh or old manure,
which should be allowed to remain
upon the surface for a few weeks, in or-
der that the rain may carry the nutri-
tive qualities and particles into the
roots of the sod, after which the re-
mainder may be raked and cleared off.
Most of our city lawns consist of made
ground, the strength of which is soon
exhausted, and unless a fertilizing pro-
cess is resorted to, the grass can not be
expected to grow uniformly nice and
thrifty.

The planting of Hyacinths, Tulips,
Pseonies, Lilies, Crown Imperials, Lil-
ies of the Valley, Amaryllis, Anemones,
Eanunculus, etc., should now be com-
menced, if not done before. Plant
(after thoroughly preparing the soil) in
a warm and moderately dry situation ;
a well manured sandy loam suits them
best. Peeonies may be planted in a
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 such hardy things will
germinate readily ; but we have found
that the planting of such seeds in Feb-
ruary and March is quite as good, and
frequently much better. The ground
at this time is cold and wet, and the-

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

29

seed is apt to lie dormant for many
days, which often results in decay and
rotting.

Sometimes we have in December,
and this present month (January) unu-
sually cold weather, which in many lo-
calities seriously injures Heliotropes,
Fuchsias, Geraniums, and other soft-
wooded plants. These, however, will
come up again from the ground on
roots.

Those greenhouses and conservator-
ies which are not artificially heated are
sometimes affected by cold and rainy
weather. But even without artificial
heat we may often see the following
plants in bloom : Cyclamen, Camellia,
Azalea, Primula sinensis, Torrenga,
Daphne, Salvia, Jasmine, Cactus, Cin-
eraria, Begonia, Hyacinth, Tuberose,
Hoy a carnosa, etc.

Plants in greenhouses should now be
watered very moderately, and no shift-
ing into larger pots should take place
at this time. We find that plants in
comparatively small pots do best in
winter. Give fresh air plentifully ; dur-
ing clear weather it may be given from
nine o'clock in the morning until three
o'clock in the afternoon, unless heavy
winds prevail.

If your Coleus or Bignonias show
rotten 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 favora-
ble time.

If it should be desired to have early
vegetables, Lettuce, Cabbage, and
Cauliflower seeds may be sown in a
frame. Peas may be planted now.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. EXPERI-
MENTAL FARM.

The total number of Oranges received
from Tahiti this season is 5,128,000.

This farm, including the site of the
University, contains 200 acres, much
diversified in surface, and adapted to a
great variety of culture. Only a small
part of it has been brought into a prop-
er condition for experimentation with
crops, and no live stock is at present
kept upon it. A large amount of work
has been done during the year in horti-
culture. In the propagating houses,
one of which is 20 by 30 feet, and the
other 15 by 64 feet, there have been
produced 10,000 Eucalyptus plants of
20 species ; 5,000 Acacias of 25 species;
200 species of native and foreign coni-
fers ; also numerous rare forms pecul-
iar to Australia, South and Central
America, and elsewhere, and many sj)e-
cies of textile, medicinal, and other
economic plants, besides 112 varieties
of Roses, 13 of Azaleas, 12 of Camel"
lias, and 6 of Magnolias, for ornament-
al purposes. In the orchard there
have been planted 141 varieties of Ap-
pies, 14 of Siberian Crab Apples, 82 of
Cherries, 57 of Plums, 89 of Peaches,
22 of Apricots, 2 of Quinces, 15 of Nec-
tarines, 73 of Grapes, 7 of Blackber-
ries, 8 of Gooseberries, 8 of Currants,
34 of Baspberries, 35 of Strawberries,
3 of Filberts, 1 of Asparagus, 16 of
Rhubarb, 6 of Mulberries, and all the
species of "Walnuts, besides many vari-
eties of Oranges, Lemons, and Limes.
Among the Apples are 9 new Russian
varieties, and among the Peaches 17 of
Rivers' new Seedlings.

The instruction in the different de-
partments of the University is exten-
sive and thorough. Economic Botany
and Agricultural Chemistry are made
the most prominent studies in the Ag-
ricultural course, both in the theory and
its application.

30

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

GOV. STANFORD'S PRIVATE GARDEN.

In our last number we presented to
our readers a description of this beauti-
ful and costly residence, its gardens and
conservatory. Mr. Jas. T. Murphy, the
superintendent, has kindly furnished
us with the following list of choice and
some rare shrubs, evergreens, and
plants to be found with their labels on
the premises. This fine stock was ob-
tained from Collie & Stewart, nursery-
men and florists, 18 Post Street.

We observed buds of a fine plant of
Magnolia grandiflora ready to give their
handsome blooms for New Year's Day,
exemplifying the effects of our mild and
delightful climate even at this season of
the year. This garden furnishes a prac-
tical and instructive example for a large
city lot.

The pure and excellent article of
Blue Grass Seed for the beautiful lawns
was from the long established seed firm
of J. P. Sweeney & Co., 409 and 411
Davis Street.

Cupressus Lawsoniana, California.
i Veronica Imperialis, Europe.

Cupressus funebris, China.

Cerasus Lauro, England.

Ficus macrophylla, Australia.

Aezaloa Indica, India.

Araucaria Bidwellii, Queensland.

Kalmia latifolia, America.

Librocedrus decurrens, California.

Juniperus rufescens, Cape of Good
Hope.

Corypha speciosa, California.

Pittosporum nigrescens, Queensland.

Eicalonia florabunda, Europe.

Juniperus oxycedrus, Northern Eu-
rope.

Araucaria Ruleii, Caledonia.

Juniperus glauca, Norway.

Myrtus buxifolia, Europe.

Myrtus commuries, Europe.

Ilex latifolia var., Europe.

Euonymus aurea, Japan.

Rhododendron ponticum, America.

Viburnum tinus, Europe.

Erica arborea, Europe.

Yucca alcefolia var., America.

Taxus baccata, England.

Erica Mediterranea, Mediterranean
Sea.

Yucca quadricolor, America.

Metrosideros lanceolatum, New Hol-
land.

Cryptomaria elegans, Japan.

Callistemon lanceolatum, America,

Agave Americana var. , America.

Abies excelsa, Norway.

Cordilyne Ferrea, New Zealand.

Veronica versicolor, Europe.

Cedrus deodara (Sacred Indian Ce-
dar), Nepaul.

Punica granatum, India.

Taxus fastigiata, Ireland.

Banksia grandis, New Holland.

Juniperus Atlantica, Southern Eu-
rope.

Phormium tenax var. , New Zealand.

Thuja aurea, China.

Magnolia grandiflora, America.

Diosma alba, Northern Europe.

Eleagnus aurea, Japan.

Ilex aquifolia, Europe.

Corynocarpus lavigatus, New Zealand.

Juniperus sabinoides var., Northern
Europe.

Aralia papyrifera, Japan.

Thujopsis Latevereris, Japan.

Polygala Daluiaisin, India.

Pittosporum Tobird var., Europe.

Grevillea robusta, Australia.

Ilex argentea, Europe.

Cryptomaria japonica, Japan.

Araucaria Cookii, New Caledonia.

Aucuba japonica, Japan.

Fabiana imbricata, Europe.

Buxus argentea, Europe.

Cedrus Atlantica var., Mount Atlas.

Juniperus Canadensis, Canada.

Cordilyne indivisa, New Zealand.

Corypha Australis, Australia.

Yucca filamentosa var., America.

Juniperus glauca, Norway.

Araucaria excelsa, Norfolk Island.

Cedrus Lebani, Mount Lebanon.

Cordilyne Fosterii, New Zealand.

Cryptomeria Lobbii, Japan.

Juniperus Bermudiana, Bermuda.

Veronica variegata, Europe.

Araucaria imbricata, Chile.

Frenella pendula, Patagonia.

Araucaria Braziliensis, Brazil.

There are in this State nine fruit-can-
ning establishments in active operation.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

31

TREES AND TREE CULTURE IN CALI-
FORNIA.

We are happy to know, that our
State is now developing an extensive
interest in tree -culture. No country
can present better opportunities for
this important economy. So far, the
Eucalyptus, or Blue Gum tree has re-
ceived more attention, and has been
more extensively planted, than any
other kind of shade or timber tree. In
a late visit to Alameda County, we ob-
served numerous groves of the Euca-
lyptus. This is the more requisite, as
that county does not possess any nat-
ural forests, but merely the Oak scat-
tered throughout the land by the hand
of nature. The scattering growths of
Black, Live, and White Oaks, chiefly
on hill-sides in Alameda and Contra
Costa counties, are valued at $20 to
$50 per acre. Cord-wood on the stump
sells for $2 per cord. About twelve
years ago Cork-oak acorns were planted
which are now in bearing. The tim-
ber of Lake County is mainly Oak and
Pine. The former is in the valleys,
twenty to fifty large trees to the acre,
some trees making as much as twelve
to sixteen cords. Cord-wood sells
there for $3.50. In some of the north-
ern counties of our State there are large
belts of Redwood, many of which are
available for shipment. Farther back,
and not yet convenient for that purpose,
are forests of valuable Sugar and Yel-
low Pine. According to the " Sta-
tistics of Forestry" in this State, pub-
lished in the Report of the Commis-
sioner of Agriculture, the woodland of
Merced County lies on the Merced
River ; which is principally Oak and
Willow, with some Ash, Cottonwood,
and Maple. Wood there sold by the
cord brings $8. The most valuable
forest-area of Napa County is in the

Napa Valley, forty miles long, with an
average width of three miles. Through
it are scattered different varieties of
Oak. There are, in the mountains, for-
ests of Pine and about one thousand
acres of Redwood, not yet accessible,
valued at $20 per acre. The Black El-
der makes superior charcoal for gun-
powder, and a species of Laurel, excel-
lent timber for ship-building. The
most valuable timber in Placer County
is Sugar Pine. Here many shingles
are made. The most valuable timbers
in Plumas County are Sugar, Spruce,
and Yellow Pine, California Cedar, and
Balsam Fir. Tracts of timber here
yield two hundred cords per acre. The
height of this timber ranges from 175
to 300 feet. San Diego County has no
forests. Some Pine and Oak trees are
found along the ravines near the coast.
San Joaquin, with the exception of nar-
row belts in river-bottoms, has no tim-
ber. Forest cultivation, therefore,
should claim attention. Australian
Gums would most probably be here, as
elsewhere on our slope, most success-
ful. Santa Barbara has also very little
timber. There are some Oaks along
canons, and Sycamores lining streams.
Summer fires in many of the counties
do great damage. These fires are
chiefly started by travelers and hunters.
Some of the finest forests are annually
destroyed in this way.

By a law of California, approved
March 30, 1868, the Board of Super-
visors in each county are empowered to
authorize owners of lands to plant and
cultivate, along the public highways,
shade and fruit trees, specifying the
species to be planted, at what age, at
what distance from each other and
from the road-bed, and making the
necessary rules for their protection,
etc. Four years after the planting, up-
on receiving a duly certified statement

32

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

of the number then in a thrifty condi-
tion, the Board are directed to pay to
the cultivator $1 for each such tree. In
October, 1872, the State Board of Ag-
riculture called attention of County
Supervisors to this act, and urged them
to do -what is in their power to encour-
age a compliance with its provisions.
They advised that the age be fixed
from three to eight years from the seed
and the minimum distance between
tree and tree at 12 feet, and recom-
mended the planting of the following
varieties : Black and honey Locusts;
black, white and fruiting Mulberries ;
Osage Orange, native and eastern black
"Walnut, American Chestnut, American,
European, and Cork-bark Elm, the dif-
ferent varieties of Maple, Tulip tree;
Carolina, Lombardy, and silver-leaf
Poplars; the different varieties of Ash,
Apple, Pear, Plum, Cherry, Almond,
and Fig trees ; the Eucalyptus or Aus-
tralian Blue and Red Gum tree ; Mon-
terey, Sugar, Yellow, Spruce, and
Scotch Pines ; Norway Spruce, Balsam-
fir, European Larch, Monterey and
Italian Cypress, and California Laurel ;
and Redwood.

CALIFORNIA FRUITS.

These valuable, important and whole-
some products of our State have now a
world wide renown, owing to the suc-
cess, vast abundance, and perfect con-
dition with which they are cultivated.
"We are comparatively almost entirely
free from the ravages of noxious in-
sects which abound more or less in oth-
er States of the Union. Plums, Apri-
cots and Nectarines are especially free
in this respect, the Eastern States be-
ing rarely able to produce these in large
quantities, and some seasons hardly
any at all. Here they are greatly pro-
lific, and free from the injurious and

blighting effects of any worms, pro-
duced from the eggs of the stinging in-
sects, curculios, etc.

About the 20th of December, there
was published in the rapidly improving
Evening Post, both in the daily and
weekly editions, an enlightened and
nearly exhaustive article on our " Fruit
Crop ; a description of the varieties
of each kind raised ; soil and cli-
mate best suited to their production,
etc." It was derived from the best in-
formed dealers in the city. It meets
with our cordial approval. The only
criticism which we have to make on the
paper, is the falling into some errors,
which either through want of memory
in the writer, or the fault of the printer,
occurred in the names of some of the
fruits described. The writer states :
"There are several varieties of this
berry," (the Strawberry), "the principal
being the Propagated, British Queen,
and Victoria." Instead of the "Propa-
gated" it should have been the Prolific
— Longworth's Prolific — a berry which
was originated by one of that zeal-
ous horticulturist's gardeners, near
Cincinnati. In speaking of the two
sorts of Blackberries chiefly cultivated,
the reporter says: "There are two va-
rieties of this berry, the Lawton and
the Kittering." This last should read
Kittatinny. There is only one kind of
Raspberry which is correctly named.
There might have been added, that that
one is the Fastolff. In describing the
two varieties of Gooseberries, the paper
mentions that there are two varieties,
the wild and the English Gooseberry.
The word wild might mean that uneat-
able kind that is found in many parts
of California. It would have been bet-
ter to have said that this wild sort was
the Houghton Seedling, which was dis-
covered in a northern portion of the
Eastern States. In speaking of Cur-

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

33

rants, the author of the article men-
tions that there are three varieties of
them, the Eed, Black and Yellow. The
writer says: "Black Currants are be-
ginning to be raised in San Lorenzo,
and are likely to be a success, as they
are much better flavored than the Bed,
with which the market is glutted."
We must here take the liberty to ob-
serve that the flavor of the Black Cur-
rant is so distinct and peculiar, that
but few persons can be said to be fond
of it, and it is totally different from
any other variety of that fruit. On first
tasting it, it is something similar per-
haps to the first eating of an olive, or
a persimmon, or oyster. It is not by
any means generally liked. The use
chiefly made of the Black Currant is to
make jelly or jam of it — good for
coughs and sore throats, and much used
for such purposes in Europe, and the
East in this country. The " Napol-
eon Bigarow" Cherry, should read Bi-
garreau. The "Alton" should be writ-
ten Elton. The " Mureperck" Apri-
cot, should be named Moorpark, a
place in England. Green Gages
for Gauges, (this probably is merely
a clerical error.) "Newton Pippin,"
for Newtown Pippin. To " Spitzen-
burg" should be added Esopus, which
is the best of the three Spitzenburgs,
namely, the Esopus, the Newtown, and
Kaighn's.

It may be useful and interesting to
recapitulate the chief localities of the
cultivation of our different fruits given
in the, upon the whole, capital de-
scription in the Post. Strawberries, of
which the Prolific is the most market-
able, are produced mostly in Alviso,
Santa Clara, and Florida Station, near
Sacramento. Blackberries and Rasp-
berries in Santa Clara ; Gooseberries
are grown chiefly in Centerville, Hay-
wood and Contra Costa ; Currants at

Haywood, and especially in San
Lorenzo ; Cherries are produced prin-
cipally in San Leandro and Napa Val-
ley ; Apricots in Marysville and Sui-
sun ; Peaches in Sacramento Valley,
Suisun and Marysville ; Plums in the
valley of Santa Clara, Marysville, and
Davisville ; Apples and Quinces in
Santa Clara, and indeed all over the
State. Pears come chiefly from Santa
Clara. We need hardly say that
Oranges come principally from Los
Angeles, some also in San Bernardino
and other southern counties. Lemons
are grown chiefly in the southern por-
tion of the State. Oranges have lately
succeeded well in Suisun, Sonoma,
Napa, and other northern counties.
They are generally quite as good as
those of Los Angeles, finer in color, and
resemble the Italian. As to the prices
of fruits here : Strawberries sell, of
course, very high, even $2 per pound
when they first come in; but in a week
or two they fall to 15 cents per pound,
and in the fall season, to 5 cents per
pound. Raspberries, after coming in
a while, sell at about 18 cts per pound.
The common Houghton Gooseberry
brings from 6 to 7 cents per pound ;
the large English sells much higher,
and owing to the difficulty in raising
it free from that pest, the mildew, is
never very plentiful. Currants are
sold as low as $1. 25 to $5 per chest, or
about one cent a pound. Cherries
bring from $1.25, in the beginning of
the season, to 10 cents per pound in its
fullness. The Moorpark Apricot sells
from 25 to 2 cents a pound. Peaches
sell quite low after reaching market in
large quantities ; the earliest sort, of
course, bring the best price. Plums
are very plentiful every year, and sell
at a very reasonable price. Italian and
German Prunes are worth 25 to 8 cents
a pound. The true Green Gage, su-

34

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

perior to all Plums, is not much grown,
and seldom found in our market. Ap-
ples bring from $5 to 25 cents a box
of 50 pounds. Pears, the best, such as
the Winter Nelis, are worth from $5
to 25 cents the box of 60 pounds.
Quinces are worth from six bits to
$1 a box of 60 pounds. Oranges from
$.5 to $1 a hundred. Lemons bring
nearly the same as Oranges. Limes are
worth 50 cents to $3 a hundred. The
best of these latter come from Mexico;
a few are grown in Los Angeles, but
are inferior to the wild Limes of Mexico.
The above items, for which we are in-
debted chiefly to the Post article, may
be interesting to our subscribers abroad.
There can hardly be any limit to cul-
tivation of the whole round of fruits
in California — fresh, canned, or pre-
served — both on account of the favor-
able climate and its extent of suitable
lands ; and there is almost an illimit-
able demand for them abroad, ow-
ing to circumstances being so much
less favorable there to their growth on
account of the rigorous climate and in-
jurious insects.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

In consequence of the temperate
character of the winters of California,
our planting time for fruit and other
trees lasts from the commencement of
our rainy season to early in spring. A
vast deal depends upon the proper
preparation of the soil. The ground
can not be plowed too deep, and it is
highly advisable to perform this opera-
tion two or even three times, especially
if the soil is of a very compact nature,
and in the latter case sub-soiling it will
be very important, and for the perma-
nence of its best qualities for the future
thriftiness of the trees. A good au-

thority on fruit growing advises the
following method of planting as a gen-
eral rule : " Dig the holes circling 3
feet in diameter, and 2 feet in depth ;
the rich soil of the surface should be
thrown out on one side, the balance on
the other side of the hole. In refilling
the hole, throw in the surface dirt first,
which will leave the richest part of the
soil where the tree will receive the most
benefit from it. Fill up the hole to a
proper depth to receive the tree with-
out bending the roots, keeping it about
the same depth that it stood in the
nursery. Pill in about with loose dirt
until the ground about the tree is level,
then the planting is done." The ground
should be kept clean of all grass and
weeds, and well cultivated and loose.
Small vegetables may be raised between
the trees, but should be planted a little
distance from them, until they have
made a growth of about two years.
Currants, Raspberries, and Gooseber-
ries may also be allowed to grow be-
tween them till the trees have grown
so large as to shade them too much.
The distance that the trees should be
planted apart are: Standard Apples,
24 feet each way ; Pears, 18 ; Stand-
ard Heart Cherries, 24; Duke C, 16 ;
Almonds, Peaches, Plums, and Nec-
tarines, 20 ; Apricots, 24 ; Gooseber-
ries, English, 3 by 5 feet ; Houghton's
Seedlings, 6 by 8; Currants, 2 by 5 ;
Blackberries, 8 by 8 ; English Walnuts,
40 by 50 ; Grapevines (in vineyard), 7
by 7.

The very common practice in regard
to manure is to apply a very large quan-
tity immediately around the trunk of
the tree, which is decidedly wrong, as
it creates an excess of heat and enfee-
bles the growth of the tree. The prop-
er way is to apply a sufficient top dress-
ing broadcast between the rows, and
should be well plowed in where it can

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

35

reach the extremity of the roots. There
are many rich soils where manuring is
unnecessary.

Mulching should be practiced in very
dry soils, and only with newly planted
trees. Would recommend sand to be
thrown around the tree to the depth of
three or four inches, and about six feet
in diameter. It should be applied ear-
ly in May. In protecting trees from
the heat of the sun in summer, it is
only necessary to protect the trunk.
This may be done by means of two
boards set together forming an angle ;
this is placed on the southwest side of
the tree.

It is labor thrown away to make or-
chards near the ocean on the bare hills
and valleys, as the strong, and often
cold gales there prevailing will injure,
if not nearly destroy the trees.

The Pear tree in every portion of the
Union appears to be more hardy than
the Apple tree, and is not so sensitive
as to locality, but, like nearly all kinds
of fruits, succeeds best in a deep, rich,
and moderately dry soil. We quote
the following from an experienced fruit
grower in Sonoma County :

" The Peach tree succeeds best where
the climate during the summer months
is warm, ranging from fifty to ninety
degrees, and the soil rich, moist, and
loose. In a cool place this fruit is oft-
en of an inferior quality, juicy but in-
sipid.

" The Plum tree should have a rich,
moist soil, and when planted in poor
land manure should be used unspar-
ingly.

" The Cherry may be grown to the
highest of perfection when the land is
a deep, rich, sandy loam, the water at
no time standing nearer than eight feet
of the surface of the ground, and where
the temperature during the summer
months ranges from 40 to 80 degrees.

" On Mahaleb stalks the Cherry can
be grown quite successfully where the
soil is much more wet and heavy.

" The Quince, valuable for preserves
and jellies, can be grown on moderate-
ly wet land, and will produce enor-
mous crops.

"Almonds, we have experimented
with two varieties of trees for a few
years, and they have fruited to some
extent. Like the Apple, it succeeds
best when out of the reach of the coast
winds, but can not stand the heat of
some of the interior valleys. We know
of no better recommendation than to
say that as a general rule where table
Grapes can be grown, the Almond will
flourish.

" The Grape may be said to do well
in almost any location in California that
is out of the damp winds and fogs that
prevail along the coast; even in some
sheltered locations very near the coast
they may be grown quite successfully,
but not of the best quality.
, " The Currant is one of the most val-
uable of all the small fruits, and is be-
ing used extensively for jelly, as well as
for table fruit and pies. Like the Cher-
ry, it should have a cool summer cli-
mate, and a loose rich soil.

" The Gooseberry should have a mod-
erately dry soil, with plenty of manure
and good cultivation. If grown in cold,
damp places the fruit will be subject to
blight and mildew. The Houghton's
Seedling, however, may be grown in
almost any location.

"The Blackberry should have a
warm moist soil to succeed well."

As the holiday season approached the
retail fruit and vegetable markets began
to assume a most glowing and attract-
ive appearance. While our brethren
in the eastern portion of the Union are
pinched with the cold, and the ground
is frozen there, we are reveling in a

36

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

warm sunshine and mild atmosphere,
and are enjoying many of the fruits and
vegetables of summer, as well as the
autumn (including good and large
Strawberries), many of which fruits and
vegetables they enjoy only for three or
four summer months. Near Christmas,
of course, the stocks of fruits and vege-
tables are increased greatly, and the
best of each variety is brought to the
front. And what an exhibit it is ! Only
California can make such a one at this
time of the year. Perhaps at this sea-
son of the year the fruit- market has
never made a finer display. This is to,
be attributed chiefly to the late very fa-
vorable seasons for the growth and best
qualities of fruits of all kinds. A plen-
tiful rainy season is always favorable to
their flavor and juiciness, especially
those coming from the foot-hills. But
with regard to Grapes, the continued
absence of rain lately has been favor-
able to the supply of them, as it is as
great nearly as it was in the height of
their season. Oranges are plentiful*
from Mexico, Los Angeles and Solano
Counties, the last-named being much
the finest, and retailing at $1.50, while
the others bring but 50c. to $1 per doz-
en. The list of tropical fruits includes
Bananas and Pineapples from Mexico
and the Hawaiian Islands, and Limes
from Mexico and Los Angeles. A few
Strawberries are still to be had, but
Baspberries have just disappeared. Ap-
ples and Pears are plentiful at $1 to
$2.50 per box, delivered. In vegeta-
bles little change has taken place. The
first new crop Green Peas from Warm
Springs arrived during the week, and
are selling readily at 15c. Yesterday a
shipment of new Potatoes was received
from Half Moon Bay, retailing at 6c.
to 8c. per pound.

The retail marketmen reap a harvest
during the holiday season, and usually

vie with each other in extraordinary ef-
forts to present a display commensurate
with the importance of the occasion,
and this can not by any means be com-
plained of. Entering the California
and Sutter Street markets boxes of
large and delicious Strawberries first -
greet the eyes. Looking further, one
sees Lemons, Oranges, Grapes, Apples
of exceeding beauty in color, Pineap-
ples, Bananas, new Potatoes, Green
Peas, String Beans, Asparagus, Pars-
nips, Turnips, Radishes, Celery, Sweet
Potatoes. At the floral stands, Ferns,
Roses, Pinks, Violets, Geraniums, Pan-
sies, Heliotropes, Fuchsias, and Mig-
nonette may be seen exquisitely blend-
ed in bouquets, or displayed singly.
A feature of beauty that arrests admir-
ation is the appearance of bouquets ar-
ranged in crevices of the oyster shell
mounds, which suggests the idea of
natural flowers struggling for a foot-
hold among the rocks of the hillside.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month ending Decembeb 31, 1876.
(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BABOMETEE.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.17 in.

do 12 m 30.16

do 3p.m i 30.16

do 6p.m 30.15

Highest point on the 7th at 12 m ;. 30.25

Lowest point on the 22d at 6 p. m 30.01

THEEMOMETEB.
( With, north exposure and free from reflected heat. J

Mean height at 9 a. m 49°

do 12 m 56^

do 3 P. M 57°

do . 6 p. m 51°

Highest point on the 13th at 12 m 64°

Lowest point on the 11th at 9 a. m 43°

SELF - BEGISTEBING THEEMOMETEB .

Mean height during the night 39°

Highest point at sunrise on the 23d 44°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 18th 34°

WINDS.
North and north-east on 25 days; south-east on 3 days;
south- west on 3 days.

WEATHEB.
Clear all day 14 days; cloudy all day 1 day; variable
on 16 days; no rain.

BAIN GAUGE. Inches.
Total up to date 3.21

~'\

I

PAINTCO EXPRESSLY FOR VICKS FLORAL GUIDE.

SUMMim BOUQUET

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SAN FRANCISCO, FEBRUARY, 1877. No. 2.

THE HISTOEY AND CULTUKE OF THE
FUCHSIA.

' ' Beautifully fair,
As graceful in its loveliness as a maiden's flow-
ing hair."

This favorite, beautiful, and most
fascinating flower is said to have been
brought from Mexico by a seaman, who
presented' it to his mother in England,
some time about the year 1780. The
plant was placed in the window, when
it attracted the notice of a gentleman
who was riding in the locality (Lime-
house near London) ; in a few days aft-
er he first saw the plant he had occa-
sion to visit Messrs. Lee's nursery, at
Hammersmith, where, after viewing the
thousands of plants in that establish-
ment, he distinctly told Mr. Lee he
had seen a much more beautiful plant
in an old woman's window the other
day than he had seen in his (Mr. Lee's)
collection. Well, Mr. Lee thought, to
use his own expression, that the gentle-
man had overestimated the beauty of
the plant when he pronounced it to ex-
cel all he had seen, but when he told
Mr. Lee it was a dwarf bushy plant,
completely loaded with crimson flow-
ers exactly the shape of ladies' ear-
rings, he began to think it was some

Vol. VII.- i.

novelty, and inquired in what locality
he had seen it, and being answered sat-
isfactorily, after the departure of the
gentleman, Mr. Lee went and found
the tree in question; inquired of the
owner the price, who told him her son
had brought it home with him on his
last voyage, and would not part with it
for the "Indies of gold," because she
never looked at the plant without think-
ing of her son. But Mr. Lee was so
struck with the beauties of the plant
that he would not take a denial, and
offered her $100 — but no, nor $250
would not buy ; however, he eventual-
ly was the lucky purchaser of it for
something like $400. He named it Coc-
cinea, and it was the admiration of ev-
ery one who saw it. He got orders for
300 plants at $5 each — so it turned out
a very good speculation. This particu-
lar kind was F. fulgens.

Since that time, as is well known,
there have been originated and intro-
duced very numerous species, for in-
stance, excorticata, cordata, splendens,
fulgens, corymbiflora, seratifolia, mar-
ginata, mycrophylla variegata, Victor,
Sunray, Standard, Majestic, globosa
major, Day-dream, etc.
We prefer the habit generally of the

38

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

plant to be that of globosa major, and
the flower the same shape before it
opens, but the sepals should reflex
much more to show the corolla, which
should always be distinct in color to
the sepals; the four divisions of the
corolla should be so arranged as to
form a bell ; the stamens should ex-
tend from the corolla to be seen to ad-
vantage, and the style or pistil still far-
ther ; as regards the size of the flower,
the larger the better, so long as the
parts are proportionate, and the foot-
stalks long and strong enough to sup-
port them gracefully ; and large and
double as they are now, we should not
be at all surprised to see them in a few
years still larger and more imposing
than they are in their most attractive
features. We have now already many
species where the corolla and sepals
are very distinct in color ; in these the
contrast is very striking, such as pure
white tube and sepals, and deep purple
corolla.

The culture of this lovely flower is
simple, and its flourishing in this fa-
vorable climate for all flowers, is most
• satisfactory for nearly all the kinds in
the open air. Cuttings should be tak-
en in th,e fall and winter from plants
that have not bloomed, and kept grow-
ing in a temperature ranging from 56°
to 60° ; by taking cuttings at the time
we have just mentioned, plants six,
seven, or eight feet high, according to
their different habits, may be obtained
in the highest perfection in the month
of May. Under even judicious man-
agement, in the course of six weeks
these specimens, which were without
fault in the spring, become sometimes
languid on account of the numberless
flowers they have produced, so that, as
a matter of course, to have a fine exhi-
bition through the season, there must
be contrived a succession of plants.

In order to obtain this object, propa-
gate the second stock by putting in cut-
tings as late as January, or if you buy
plants, do so a month later ; and for
the third batch have young plants in
the middle of March, which will keep
up a show till the next autumn, or even
much later with us, so that by three
sets of plants we shall have a fine show
for two-thirds of the year, beginning
in May or June.

The " one shift system" of cultiva-
tion may be adopted in the potting of
Fuchsias, but we do not altogether re-
commend it. The best plan is a pro-
gressive one, say from sixties, thirty-
twos, sixteens, and eighths, which they
ought to have to grow them to perfec-
tion. The Fuchsia is a plant of such
easy culture that it will grow in almost
any good garden mold, yet in this in-
stance soil is a most important agent,
and probably we differ somewhat from
many cultivators in so far that we would
not recommend the use of loam. In-
stead of the usual compost, we would
use equal parts of well decomposed cow
manure, leaf-mold, and peat, to which
add half a peck of good sand to one
barrowf ul of the mixed compost ; sift it
through a very coarse sieve for the first
potting, that is in thirty-two-sized pots,
for the second and third potting, mere-
ly chop it up ; be particular to have
free drainage, for this is essential to all
plants ; now, after the plant has been
potted for the last time, and is begin-
ning to fill the pot with roots, we would
recommend a layer of well rotted sta-
ble manure on the surface, and on that
a layer of nice green moss. The above
remarks are more adapted for the high-
colored Fuchsias; the light varieties
do not require such stimulants, as ma-
nure, either fluid or solid, tends to
flush the colors. We have at this time
more than 200 varieties of this most el-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

39

egant flower. It is better for it to be
in a rather shaded situation, being
rather impatient of drought.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Horticulture, and the love of flowers
especially, is now becoming a recog-
nized fashionable and favorite feature
among the otherwise, necessarily to a
large degree, utilitarian state of society
in which we live in California, and this
ever increasing taste and hold upon the
general and popular mind, as it be-
comes more and more developed, will
be sure to lead to the more universal
practical calculation of our people,
which of itself is sufficient to encourage
and promote a good progress in all that
will pay and please among our profes-
sional florists ; and we are strongly dis-
posed to believe that there is a strong-
er desire in this State, and notably in
San Francisco, each season, to appreci-
ate the beautiful, and to take an in-
creasing delight in the well laid out and
neatly kept garden and grounds.
Would that we could observe this more
in our private residences and public
squares, parks, and Post Office grounds,
etc., for there is ample room for im-
provement in all these. A late intelli-
gent visitor here from the East, says :
" I am surprised that with so much
wealth, and with so much elegance of
ideas in the house, there should be so
few fine gardens."

The forms of the flower beds, their
outlines, size, and various positions, to
produce the desired effect, should har-
monize with the surrounding objects
and precincts. If they do not, obtain
a competent and experienced profes-
sional gardener and florist, and one
who knows something regarding En-
glish or Eastern gardening, to sketch a
plan of improvement. Nothing gives

less pleasure or greater dissatisfaction
to a well organized mind, as it scans
over and expects to find the harmony
of effect, than to see a medley of incon-
gruities. Multum in parvo is a bad
maxim here. A few judiciously form-
ed, easily undulating, and well placed
flower beds alongside of the walks, and
bordering at intervals a surface of Blue
Grass, will always be more in keeping
with the eye of good taste, than a
crowding and breaking up of the whole;
of course there are modified exceptions,
as, for instance, a purposely designed
flower garden, but even in this case
there is a possibility of error. It may
be so situated as to give a glare of var-
ied color over the whole place, and
hence become obnoxious by subduing
the effect of everything else ; while
good arrangement would have it locat-
ed in a spot by itself, ready of access,
and seen to the greatest advantage from
the most suitable positions. Whatever
is attempted in these matters ought
never to disturb the general harmony
of individual details, or destroy the ef-
fect of other parts, and if a place be
small, it is much better to have one
grand feature, than to be dabbling with
a list of each, producing nothing, and
cramping up everything.

In making preparations for improve-
ment, some attention ought to be given
to the arrangement of flowering plants.
Those of large and coarse habit never
look well in small or lightly formed
beds, while if the same be transferred
to the shrubbery, or formed into heavy
masses, away from the near vicinity of
the promenade paths, they are seen to
advantage, and often present a noble
appearance. On the other hand, fine-
ly colored and delicate flowers are bet-
ter seen, and their peculiar characters
displayed, when more immediately
near the eye ; the more humble grow-

40

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

ers, too, ought to be the nearest to the
edges, and those of higher dimensions
in the centre ; thus, each is allowed to
show itself in the best manner, and
contribute its individual portion to the
aggregate assemblage, and collective
splendor of the whole. The various
colors, also, ought not to be lost sight
of, for however perfect all other parts
may be, there is a deficiency in the gen-
eral effect when this is neglected. We
do not wish to dictate in such things, as
every one has his or her own likings,
and according to the individual notion
of each, may, and often do think, that
such trifles are of no import, and that
all ought to be left to their own fancy ;
but apart from such considerations, and
allowing for the full control of individ-
ual taste, we must take higher views,
and look from artistic eminences.
There are some landscape painters who
excel others, in their more beautiful
light and shade; in the striking and
pleasing contrast, or the soft and com-
plementary blending of the various
parts, which collectively form the
whole.

It is a great part of our study, to
bring together a multiplicity of Na-
ture's greatest beauties, to receive the
enjoyment of her wonderful organism,
as exhibited in the delicately colored
petal, the graceful form of the bending
branch, or the neutral tint of the emer-
ald leaf, and it must be evident, that
without a due observance of this impor-
tant fact, we only grope in the dark,
and can not produce that finish, or re-
alize the pleasure that a well directed
idea can accomplish. A pleasing effect
may be gained in one or both of two
ways, either by contrast or a comple-
mentary blending of shade ; for in-
stance, a white in juxtaposition with a
scarlet or crimson, is so by contrast ;
. while the former, in conjunction with a

light pink or lavender, harmonizes by
the near approach, as it were, of co-
relative blending ; fix a bright yellow
alongside a cobalt blue, and the bril-
liancy of both are neutralized, from the
simple fact that, if really combined, a
green would be the result ; but place
the latter near a clear pink, and both
are more intense ; and in this way we
might go on enumerating examples al-
most without limit. We trust that in
all these particulars San Francisco is
going forward, however, and not going
backward. We have now many houses
in the midst of lovely lawns, bright
with flowering shrubs, and perfumed
with rich fragrance from Pittosporums,
Cape Jasmines, and beds of Heliotrope,
Verbenas, and Mignonette. Let "Ex-
celsior" be our motto.

ON THE GENUS CALOCHOKTUS.

There are many beautiful kinds of
wild plants in California as well as in
other parts of the world, which are sel-
dom if ever seen in ordinary collections.
That this should be so is a matter to be
wondered at. It can not arise from
any lack of interest in the subjects, for
very many might be mentioned of su-
perlative loveliness, that are yet inclu-
ded in the number of the neglected ;
and among them is the Calochortus,
the whole of the species of which pos-
sess high claims on the culturist's at-
tention, as beautiful ornaments both
for the conservatory and the open bor-
ders through the summer, even to the
beginning of autumn. We have often
seen and much admired the Calochor-
tus growing on the range of mountains
which border the lovely and fertile val-
ley of Napa, and this, when most of
the rest of the wild flowers and plants
had ceased to bloom, either from the
lateness of the spring, or the drought of

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

41

the summer months. There is never
sufficiently severe frost in our State,
and especially on the sides of the Coast
Range at an elevation of 200 feet only,
to destroy this highly ornamental class
of plants. The varieties of the Calo-
chortus are G. lutens, producing yellow
flowers, with deep rich spots ; G. niti-
dus, purple ; G. splendens, white, spot-
ted ; and the lilac G. venustus, real
gems, obtainable, too, with a trifling
degree of care. Their bulbs should be
potted about February, using a mix-
ture of peat, loam, and sand, in equal
quantities, thrown together in as rough
state as possible, observing at the same
time to place an abundant drainage in
the pot, as they are impatient of stag-
nant moisture, and, indeed, do not re-
quire profuse watering at all at any
time. Three plants in a good-sized pot
will be sufficient, and they should be
grown in a cold pit, or a common gar-
den-frame will suffice if properly pro-
tected, but this is hardly needful in
our climate. In this position the pots
may be plunged to the rims in ashes,
and thus they may remain for some
time in the spring, until, on the pro-
duction of flowers, removed to the bor-
ders, or any desirable situation, receiv-
ing plenty of air, and an occasional re-
freshing from the watering-pot. In the
borders they may remain either undis-
turbed after flowering, or the bulbs be
taken up and remain in a dormant
state until the following spring, when
the previous year's treatment may be
repeated, if desirable. They should
have no more moisture at any time
than they can assimilate ; and any situ-
ation, whether in-doors or in the open
air, willbe found equally available, if
this essential matter — not too much wa-
tering— can be secured. Some term
this beautifully marked flower the Mar-
iposa Tulip, from its likeness to a hand-

some butterfly. Mr. Vick, the great
and most zealous florist, in his last
most attractive, very pretty, and grace-
fully illustrated Floral Guide for 1877,
states that " some years of trial have
convinced us that these plants are not
reliable in our climate for out -door
culture. It is an elegant flower in its
native home, beautiful as a butterfly ;
but we must content ourselves, even if
we can not have all the beautiful things
in the world."

ACHIMENES.

" When the wandering eye
Unfixed is in a verdant ocean lost,
Another Flora then, of bolder hues,
And richer sweets, beyond oar garden's pride."

This is a family of bulbous rooted
plants of comparatively somewhat re-
cent introduction, and commands much
attention among zealous and refined
florists. A. longifolia is an azure blue
flower, the foliage a dark green and of
fine habit, forming a beautiful contrast,
growing about twenty inches high, and
branching. The different varieties al
vary in c'olor of the flowers. We do
not know of. a family of flowers more
prepossessing than the Achimenes, all
growing easily from cuttings, but is
principally propagated from bulbs that
form in abundance at the roots of the
plant, about the size and shape of a
pea. Some of the bulbs appear about
half an inch long and formed of small
scales, not unlike the cone of the Pine.
These plants are better calculated for
the greenhouse, as the bulbs require to
be planted early, and should be forced
with, some bottom heat, either of tan-
ner's bark or stable manure, to make
them flower early, otherwise it will be
so late before you get them to flower
that the cool weather to which our city
is subject will prevent them from de-

42

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

veloping their beautiful and graceful
flowers. These plants are tender, and
will not bear even our light white frosts,
if they are at all severe, therefore, until
they are past, they should be kept in the
house. The soil best calculated for the
whole variety is a rich one, principally
leaf mold and sand, with a good drain-
age, as the plant requires plenty of wa-
ter ; still, it must not be allowed to be-
come stagnant in the pot. The Achi-
menes are not high priced, as they in-
crease fast when kept in the conserva-
tory; with those not having that
convenience it will be best to purchase
of the nurserymen in May or June,
when in flower, as it will save much
trouble and perhaps disappointment in
bringing them forward. Those who
wish to raise their own plants should,
as soon as they die down, place them
under some cover during the winter, or
the bulbs may be packed in dry sand.
In the spring the bulbs should be pot-
ted into two-inch pots, and placed in a
hot-bed or warm greenhouse, and be
kept moderately moist ; in three or
four weeks the plants will begin to ap-
pear. When you discover the pot fill-
ed with roots, repot them into four-inch
pots, which will be large enough for
them to flower in, as this plant does not
extend its roots far, therefore it re-
quires a smaller pot than many other
plants, but a larger one is generally
used than necessary, otherwise the top
would be too heavy for the pot. The
time of their flowering will depend
upon the propagator, either late or
early, the sooner brought to flower the
better, although we have not enough
cold in the fall or winter here to soon
put an end to their flowering. Not-
withstanding Borne difficulties attending
this plant, the trouble will amply com-
pensate in the magnificent display of
flowers which is very profuse. In the

process of planting the bulbs should be
covered with about an inch of soil.
The growing temperature should be
about 65° or 70° til] near the expansion
of their blossoms, supplying them with
plenty of moisture in the atmosphere,
though but a moderate quantity will be
necessary for the roots; small sticks
should be placed at each stem as they
advance, to keep them properly ar-
ranged, spreading them out one from
another, in order to admit air to the
leaves, lest by crowding some of them
become mildewed and rot off, and that
the flowers may have room to display
themselves.

SOIL FOE GAKDENS AND POT PLANTS.

There appears to be a great diversity
of opinion on the subject of fertilizing
the soil. To point out the existing dif-
ference would only perplex the ama-
teur in his operations in floriculture ;
indeed, it takes an experienced assayer
and chemist to elucidate the subject
thoroughly. The word manure is gen-
erally applied to what is taken from
stables, whether horse or cow excre-
ments, mixed with straw and other lit-
ter ; such is not always the case. Ma-
nure, in gardening, is meant to convey
the idea to enrich and fertilize the soil
in the garden. Still it must be observ-
ed what is good for one kind of soil is
not for another, therefore there is a
great difference in manure. If the soil
be a marl then the application of sand
would constitute a manure to make
it friable, that is, suitable to receive
plants. There are other kinds that
would make the soil useful, which none
but a chemist can tell by analyzing it.
Horse and cow manures are good stim-
ulants for the growth of plants in com-
mon garden soil, but in no case should
it be used unless one or two or three

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

43

years old, or your soil will be filled with,
grass and weeds. To manure a gar-
den requires some judgment. To ma-
nure the same soil every season too
heavily is nearly as bad as no manure
at all, as some seeds will deteriorate
more than others ; for instance, the
Rocket Larkspur never ought to be
sown in the same bed two seasons in
succession. It will frequently happen
by over manuring the garden the soil
becomes black, and many suppose the
soil to be extremely rich, when it is the
reverse ; so much manure being laid in
the soil as to make it so sterile that
plants can not do well or even exist in
it. "When such is the case it will be
necessary to use lime as a manure to
counteract the humic acid contained in
the soil, caused by the superfluous use
of the stable manure. Manure from
the stable should never be used with
lime, as one destroys the effect of the
other, nor until it has been regularly
fermented.

Stable manure is required more plen-
tifully for pot culture, as the frequent
watering of the plants in pots will nat-
urally wash the substance from the
plants. The frequent watering of pot
plants also makes it indispensable to
shift the soil often ; this is termed re-r
potting, which is performed once or
twice a year, and the best time to effect
this is in spring and fall, and the best
soil for that purpose is a maiden soil.
This is a term used by gardeners, and
can be obtained from the outskirts of
cities and towns or old meadows, by
taking off the turf, then dig three or
four inches below ; this will constitute
virgin soil, and if inclined to clay add
a small portion of sand. Fortunately,
we have in this city plenty of this at
hand. Some plants require a richer
soil than others ; when such is the case
the addition of old cow manure will an-

swer. Different locations will make a
difference in soil, also in growth of
plants ; and in potting plants, when
you find the soil stiff and binding, al-
ways add sand to correct the fault.
There are different soils used by gar-
deners, such as peat earth, a vegetable
matter decayed, that can be passed
through a sieve. Peat bog is such as
is generally found in swamps. Sandy
loam is a loam with a portion of sand
in it, and is what is mostly used for
general culture. Sandy soil is effected
by adding more sand to the sandy
loam. Vegetable mold is decayed veg-
etation and weeds collected in the gar-
den, and thrown into a heap for two or
three years. Garden mold or loam is
such as does not contain any sand.
Clay soil is not good unless you mix
different manures to make it friable,
and then not good for pot plants.
Leaf mold is composed entirely of de-
cayed leaves, and when mixed with
sand is a most excellent soil for pot
culture.

The Carnonfa Tree, a species of the
Palm, which flourishes without culture
at Bahia, Rio Grande del Norte, Brazil,
is of immense value. The roots possess
properties similar to those of the Sarsa-
parilla ; the trunk furnishes a superior
fibre, as well as a flower similar to mai-
zena ; the pulp of its fruit is very palat-
able ; and the only nut, when roasted
and pulverized, is a good substitute for
coffee. The trunk when young yields
wine, vinegar, a saccharine matter, and
a species of gum resembling sago ; the
leaves produce a wax from which excel-
lent candles are made, and the full-
grown wood is adapted to the manu-
facture of musical instruments, drain
pipes, water conduits, and other arti-
cles requiring wood of a close, compact
fibre.

44

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

§0fl »ttfl <$M*.

BAIT FISHING FOE YOUNG SALMON
ON OAKLAND LONG WHAEF.

It would be difficult, if not impos-
sible, to find any city in the world like
San Francisco, having such choice and
convenient fishing-grounds as our great
city possesses, for the most noble and
gamest of all fishes — the lordly salmon
— albeit he is here, at this season of the
year at least, generally only in his
youth . And this location can be easily
reached by a splendid ferry boat, ply-
ing every half hour, in an hour's time
from the heart of the city. The Oak-
land Wharf commands a fine and ex-
tensive view of the magnificent bay, the
city, islands, near and distant mount-
ains, and the shipping, sailing vessels,
steamers, fishing crafts, rowing boats,
etc. The air is pure and bracing, and
healthily impregnated with saline par-
ticles from the surrounding waters. It
may therefore be properly termed a
sanitarium, as well as a place of pisca-
torial recreation for our citizens, at
least equal in fishing qualities to and
easier of access than Lakes Merced,
San Andreas, and Pilarcitos, which
possess also some of these same silver-
scaled fish, with a good sprinkling of
Tahoe trout. To persons not pressed
with any business, and having the time
and leisure to wait patiently for a bite
from these same grilse on the Long

Wharf, to be rewarded after a while by
hooking one of these lively fellows, the
time passes pleasantly enough ; and if
he should not be very fortunate in cap-
turing more than two or three, or even
less, in a morning's angling, the true
disciple of old Izaak is pretty well sat-
isfied, if not entirely content. If even
he does not take any fish at all himself,
he is sure to participate in the pleas-
ure, amusement, and excitement creat-
ed by seeing some others of the numer-
ous anglers who frequent the locality,
more fortunate than himself in bagging
the silvery prizes. These fish are un-
doubtedly in goodly number in our
harbor, the rod and line anglers and
the market fishermen having averaged
a take for these two months past of 100
grilse per day and night (many having
been captured during the latter period
when the moon was shining bright).
If we had been favored with rain, it is
considered by the most experienced
fishermen, that a much larger number
of these salmon would have run in from
the ocean than there have.

It is universally admitted that the
time they bite best is at high tide, when
the water is almost at a standstill ; like-
wise a little before that occurs, and for
a little while after the waters are on
the ebb. These fish, mostly in schools,
seem to pass up at a .rather rapid rate
with the tide, linger around the wharves
to feed chiefly at high water, and then

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

45

swim down, catching at baits and small
fish with the ebb through all parts of the
bay and its principal channels.

The mode of angling for them is with
a long light rod (with or without a reel
as may be desired), any small and good
common line, to which is attached a
strong single or double leader, five or
six feet in length, and one or two me-
dium sized hooks, one fixed, of course,
to the end of the leader, and if two
hooks are preferred to one, the second
hook is fastened to the line about three
or four feet above the last on a strand
of about two feet. The baits used are
the common mussel worm, the hook
being run half way through its body,
covering well the shank of the hook,
leaving the tail to hang down about
two inches, then on the end of the hook
is placed a two-inch strip cut from the
white belly of a smelt «or herring, or a
small sardine may be used in the same
way. A moderately heavy sinker is at-
tached to the leader about three feet
from the bottom hook. The most com-
mon method is to angle with the last
hook about six or seven feet from the
surface of the water.

It is not necessary continually to
hold the rod in hand, but it is quite as
good a plan, and more easy and conve-
nient, to fix the rod on the railing, whicTi
is easily effected by a nail driven into
one of the posts; indeed, they can be
found there already fixed in many of
the posts.

The fish before swallowing the bait
seem to nibble about it, and thus shake
the rod several times before pulling
violently at it, or going off sideways
with the line ; then it is time enough
to take hold of the rod and play, and
land your fish. In nine cases out of
ten the salmon will be found to have
entirely gorged the hook, although
sometimes they may be suddenly snap-

ped with the hook but a short distance
in the mouth or jaw.

These grilse average in weight, now,
about a pound each, although several
have been taken weighing from six to
nine pounds.

They have been caught in quantity
in our bay for these last three years,
and from the numbers of young fish
planted in our rivers by our efficient
fish commissioners and by the United
States breeding ponds on the McCloud
Eiver, the prospects for the future are
most encouraging, both for the profes-
sional as well as the amateur fishermen.

Occasionally, but very rarely, a "sal-
mon-trout " is captured on the wharf.
This is a species of the salmon family,
with a longer body, blunter nose, and
much squarer tail than the California
or Sacramento salmon. Brook trout
(salmo iridea) have also been (but very
seldom) taken in the bay.

Bait can be purchased at the bait-
house, a few hundred yards from the
Point, but only on the condition of hir-
ing there a rod or rods. Persons who
bring their own rods had better bring
their own bait with them. The pro-
prietor will be found an accommodat-
ing person in every other respect, and
will cheerfully give any directions re-
quired in regard to angling.

SOMETHING ABOUT JELLY-FISHES.

The loiterer by the sea-side on the
sands near the Cliff House or elsewhere
on the ocean shore, may have noticed
in his rambles certain gelatinous sub-
stances left by the retreating tide. An
interest excited by so strange a sight
may have prompted a closer examina-
tion, and yet noticing nothing definite
or tangible in the structure of these
shapeless bodies, a desire has been real-
ly awakened to know something about

46

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

them. "We will try to satisfy this curi-
osity by giving a brief account of these
jelly-fishes; for these shapeless lumps
of jelly seen stranded on our beaches
are really animals, assuming the most
graceful and symmetrical forms in
water.

The jelly-fishes, or medusa?, have
long excited the attention of naturalists
from their singular structure and the
wonderful changes occurring during
their growth.

"While in the higher expressions of
animal life the anatomist may puzzle
over the intricacies of a complicated or-
ganization in the jelly-fishes, he is at
first rnore perplexed to find anything
like organization in their parts, though
they are really highly organized com-
pared with animals still lower in the
scale. So transparent are they, that
one can sometimes hardly detect their
presence in the water, and so largely
does the sea water enter into their com-
position, that certain kinds of them in
other parts of the world, when dried,
lose ninety-nine one-hundredths of their
own weight. *

Peron and Leswer, two distinguish-
ed French naturalists, who, in the ear-
ly part of this century, made a voyage
round the globe, thus summed up the
results of their combined observations
on these animals :

" The substance of a medusa is whol-
ly resolved, by a kind of instantaneous
fusion, into a fluid analogous to sea
water ; and yet the most important
functions of life are effected in bodies
that seem to be nothing more, as it
were, than coagulated water. The
multiplication of these animals is pro-
digious, and we know nothing certain
respecting their mode of generation.
They may acquire dimensions of many
feet in diameter, and weigh, occasion-
ally, from fifty to sixty pounds ; and

their system of nutrition escajDes us.
They execute the most rapid and con-
tinued motions ; and the details of their
muscular system are unknown.

' ■ Their secretions seem to be extreme-
ly abundant ; but we perceive nothing
satisfactory as to their origin. They
have a kind of very active respiration ;
its real seat is a mystery. They seem
extremely feeble, but fishes of larger
size are daily their prey. One would
imagine their stomachs incapable of any
kind of action on these latter animals ;
in a few moments they are digested.
Many of them contain internally con-
siderable quantities of air, but whether
they imbibe it from the atmosphere, ex-
tract it from the ocean, or secrete it
within their bodies, we are equally ig-
norant. A great number of these me-
dusae are phosphorescent, and glare
amid the gloom ©f night like globes of
fire ; yet the nature, the principle, and
the agents of this wonderful property
remain to be discovered. Some sting
and inflame the hand that touches them;
but the cause of this power is equally
unknown."

Professor Eichard Owen quotes these
"lively paradoxes" to show the pro-
gress made since then in clearing up
many points that were obscure at their
time, and to show that even the skillful
naturalist, with abundant material at
hand, may plod on with uncertainty
unless aided by the higher powers of
the microscope. Recent works pub-
lished by Professors Agassiz and Clark,
and Mr. A. Agassiz, have detailed very
fully the anatomy and classification of
one or two of our native species.

The jelly-fishes of our coast are rep-
resented by numerous globular and
disk-like animals of a gelatinous text-
ure, more or less transparent, having
certain appendages consisting either of
longitudinal bands of vibrating fringes,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

47

as.in one order ; or, as in another or-
der, having appendages, surrounding
the mouth, and others, thread-like,
hanging from the margin of the disk.
The parts most conspicuous within the
body are the ovaries, or egg sacks, the
stomach, and certain tubes running
from the stomach to the periphery of
the body.

These animals are apparently radiat-
ed in their structure ; at all events, it is
difficult in certain groups to distinguish
a right and left side, and for this rea-
son they are called radiated animals,
from one of the three classes of the
branch Radiata.

The jelly-fishes of our coast are com-
mon in our harbors and inlets, and in
our great bay, where the water with the
tides is fresh and pure from the ocean.
A very ready and convenient way to
collect them is to moor your boat on
the shady side of a wharf where the
reflected rays of the sun are avoided,
and, as the tide sweeps gently past,
to dip them as they are borne along by
the current. Some little practice is
necessary to discern the smaller kinds,
for many species are very minute, and
others, though of good size, are never-
theless hard to distinguish on account
of their extreme transparency. They
may be dipped from the water with a
tin dipper, though a wide-mouthed glass
jar is better for the purpose. As they
are secured, they may be poured into a
wooden bucket for assortment and ex-
amination at home ; or, better, a large
glass jar carried on purpose to hold
them, may be filled at once, as too fre-
quent changes destroy them.

Some species are very hardy, and
may be kept alive for weeks, while oth-
ers live only a few hours, gradually di-
minishing in size till they appear to
melt away in the water.

"Words fail in describing the beauty

and singularity of some of these jelly-
fishes. Their movements, colors, and
transparency are most interesting and
wonderful.

FACTS AND THEOEIES ABOUT SALMON.

There has been a great amount of
controversy, oral and written, as to the
birth, breeding, and growth of this
highly valued, important, and well
known fish ; although there is much
yet, no doubt, to be discovered concern-
ing its growth from the parr to the
smolt and grilse stage, all the kind of
food it eats, how long it remains in salt
water, and whether it makes one, two,
or more voyages a year to sea. Then its
rate of growth has been the subject of
dispute. Much regarding many things
relating to trie salmon depends upon
the country, climate, rivers, bays, and
localities where the different species are
found. The spawn deposited by the
parent fish in our Sacramento, San
Joaquin, and other rivers is found
chiefly in the months of January and
February, lying there for about three
months, when it quickens into life.
The young fry are, of course, very help-
less, when they carry about them as a
provision for food a portion of the egg.
About two or three weeks after they are
hatched they are half an inch in size.
About fifty days afire required before
they become a perfect fish about two
inches long. After the existence of
two years the parr is changed into a
smolt. A parr of one year old is about
six inches long. A smolt two years old
has the length of eight inches at least.
The young fish continue to grow for a
little longer than two years before the
whole number make the change from
parr to smolt, and seek the salt water.
All the two-year olds now in the Bay of
San Francisco probably have come

48

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

down the rivers into it, and it being
chiefly salt water they may disport in it
most likely for three or four months
before they finally go out into the ocean
for more food, and greater space to
move about and greatly thrive in. The
parrs, the younger fish, are also in the
bay, which is partly fresh water, es-
pecially in the spring, from the thaw-
ing of the mountain snows and the
rains, and may either go to sea or re-
turn up to the widest portions of the
Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers,
and much farther up. The majority of
grilse or young salmon now in the bay
are smolfcs of two years old, grilse of
three, and a few older and much larger
young salmon of probably from four to
six years old. For numbers of the
smolts and grilse it may be possible
that the brackish waters df our harbor
may be as agreeable and good for them
as the main ocean, and that these may
not go out to sea at all. We are not
yet certain whether salmon make two
visits annually to the sea or not ; like-
wise, whether it is probable that a
smolt remains in the salt water for
nearly a year before it becomes a grilse.
It seems certain that large salmon and
grilse, and even smolts, become much
deteriorated when long in the rivers,
and that they make the most rapid
growth and fullnes in salt water.

Mr. Jas. Gr. Bertram, in his " Har-
vest of the Sea," states that " The
most remarkable phase in the life of
the salmon is its extraordinary instinct
for change. After the parr has become
a smolt, it is found that the desire to
visit the sea or estuaries is so intense,
especially in pond-bred fish, as to cause
them to leap from their place of con-
finement, in the hope of attaining at
once their salt-water goal; and, of
course, the instinct of river-bred fish is
equally strong on this point — they all

rush to the sea at their proper season.
There are various opinions as to the
cause of the migratory instinct in the
salmon. Some people say it finds in
the sea those rich feeding -grounds
which enable it to add so rapidly to its
weight. It is quite certain that the
fish attains its primest condition while
it is in the salt water ; those caught in
the estuaries by means of stake or bay
nets being richer in quality, and es-
teemed far before the river fish. The
moment the salmon enters the fresh
water it begins to decrease in weight,
and falls from its high condition." It
seems likely to the writer, that the
parrs and smolts come into our bay
from the breeding places in our rivers
to feed for a time there, and that the
grilse and all the older fish come into
our harbor from the sea, where, dis-
porting a while, and having found the
mouths of our streams, they ascend
them for the purpose of spawning.

During the whole length of the pil-
grimage of the parrs and smolts they
pay a tribute to its numerous enemies
— the seals and the larger fish — in
gradual decimation. They are attack-
ed at every point of advantage ; at one
place they are taken prisoners by the
hundred in some well-contrived net; at
another, picked off singly by our eager
and persevering rod anglers. But the
giant and fierce battle which this in-
fantile tribe has to fight is at the points
near the Cliff House, and where the
salt water begins to mingle with our
rivers, where are assembled hosts of
sea-lions and other greedy monsters of
the ocean and bays, of all shapes and
sizes, from the porpoise and seal down
to pelicans, divers, cormorants, and
some smaller creatures, who dart with
inconceivable rapidity upon the de-
fenseless shoals or schools, and play
havoc with their numbers.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

49

Many naturalists dispute most lustily
the assertion that the smolt returns to
the parental waters as a grilse the same
year that it visits the sea. It has been
pretty well proved, however, that the
grilse may have been the young smolt
of the same year. A most remarkable
fact in tbe history of grilse is, that we
kill them in thousands before tbey have
an opportunity of perpetuating their
kind ; indeed, in some rivers and in
our own bay may not .the annual
slaughter of these young salmon be so
great as to palpably affect ' ' the takes "
of the big fish. But we trust that the
annual planting of the United States
Commissioners at the McCloud River,
of a million or two of young fish in the
large streams, may go far to make up
for this loss. It has been ascertained
with certainty by marking certain four-
pound grilses that they had grown into
beautiful salmon, varying from nine to
fourteen pounds weight, after their
journey to the sea and back again.
The experiment was repeated for sever-
al years, and on the whole the results
were found the same, the majority re-
turning in about eight weeks, and the
grilse invariably returned salmon.

The salmon, like all other fish, is
faithful to its old haunts ; and it is
known, in cases where more than one
salmon stream falls into the same bay,
that the fish of one stream will not en-
ter another, and where the stream has
various tributaries suitable for breeding
purposes, the fish breeding in a partic-
ular tributary invariably return to it.

WHAT SALMON FEED ON.

I was astonished on hearing from Sir
John Richardson, Bart., that some of
your readers were still in doubt as to
what salmon feed on. After an experi-
ence of fifty years, not in theory, but

in real practice, I have seen a deal
more than many. It is upwards of
forty years since I had a supply of sal-
mon and grilse from the Doon, and,
on opening the stomachs, found large
quantities of young herring. Indeed,
I have counted in one grilse of, say 8
pounds or 9 pounds weight, half a
pound of herring and herring bones.
From Goswick, on the Tweed, I have
seen herrings fully eight inches long —
in some instances two and three — both
in grilse and trout. On the sea coast
on the Forth we often have found six
to ten sand eels in one trout, and as we
go farther up the first, large quantities
of shrimps and sand jumpers — a small
insect- looking creature, like a young
shrimp, that jumps about the seaweed.*
On the river we have found large trout
with spirleys and garvies, or sprats, in
them, and at times quantities of white-
bait or' soil of the herring. Above the
tide-way you find the stomach gorged
with a fine soft weed that grows on the
bottom, also occasionally a few small
soft mussels, the young of the pearl
mussel, and a small shell-fish like a
periwinkle. From Loch Tay we have
had salmon with sea lice on them, and
in their stomachs young char and yel-
low trout. Once, on looking into a
salmon-net pocket, we saw the salmon
devouring the young soil by the thou-
sand, even although in durance vile.
I have seen salmon kelts in April lie in
a pool watching the fry, descending and
gobbling them up by the dozen as fast
as they came down. Our laws are all
against nature, and by far too many
adult fish get up to the spawning
grounds, as is shown by the large
quantities of dead fish found. How
can it be expected otherwise? If
twenty fish get located in a pool for a
few weeks or months, and no food is to
* This animal is found in Lake Merced.— Ed.

50

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

be got to keep them alive, they just
run up and devour the ova laid there
by them or their neighbors ; when all
is eaten up they begin to devour one
another. When spring arrives they are
starving, and they then commence on
the fry as they descend to the sea, as I
have taken kelts in winter full of ova

0

and in spring full of fry. They also
devour large quantities of young smelt
and eels. Trout are more voracious
than salmon, but the nets being so
large in the mesh, fewer can be caught
to see them. — J. A. There has now,
we think, been a sufficient accumula-
tion of convincing testimony as to the
voracity of the salmon, whether in salt
or fresh water. We add one fact from
our own experience : Fishing in the
Galway River, some years ago, we
found it impossible to get a rise out of
the fish, though there were a large num-
ber in the river, and we tried every fly
we could think of — large, small, sober,
and gaudy. While looking disconso-
lately on, we suddenly saw one or two
sprays of small fry dash from the wa-
ter, as may be observed when a pike or
big trout rushes into a shoal of bleak.
We took the hint, hastened home, got
a spinning rod and a big Allies min-
now, and at the very second cast
hooked a heavy hsh, which came at the
bait like a bull- dog. With this, we
think, we may fairly close this part of
the subject, as no one is likely to assert
that salmon have not been known to
feed in the rivers or to have anything
in their stomachs, etc. So much hav-
ing been distinctly proved, who can
doubt that kelts devour huge quanti-
ties of smolts, as has been asserted
over and over again, or that their living
in a river beyond a certain period is
anything but a benefit, and that in the
end of April and May, when the smolts
congregate, they are not worth their

keep? The decline of grilse and of the
fishing in many good trout river tallies
so exactly with the preservation of kelts
as in itself to be a cause of suspicion. —
Cor. London Field.

PAINTINGS OF DOLLY VARDEN AND
BROOK* TROUT.

We lately gratified ourselves by visit-
ing the studio of S. M. Brookes, our
great fish painter. It is hardly neces-
sary for us to pass any enconiums upon
his works, but will merely say that the
likenesses of the famous Dolly Varden
and some of our brook trout were as
fine and satisfactory as those of any
other of the numerous fish he has ever
transferred so life-like to his easel.
The Dolly Yardens are spotted yellow
and red, yellow on the upper sides, and
red on the lower. They are not so
brilliant in coloring as the Eastern or
European trout, but more so than our
common ones. Their heads are more
round in form than their Eastern breth-
ren, though with the same form of
body. These handsome fish have been
taken by the artist in different posi-
tions : one just under the surface of the
water apparently about to take a large
red artificial fly, another about to leap
out of the water, and a third swimming
leisurely along some distance under the
surface. They are found only in gla-
cier water in the northern part of Cali-
fornia near Mount Shasta; and it is said
also in Alaska. At some periods of the
year they will probably take the fly,
but generally the salmon roe is found
to be the most killing bait for them.
The artist has depicted the texture of
their bodies with wonderful fidelity.
Their skins appear as oily and slippery
as Nature herself has made them. One
of the brook trout (salmo iridea) is a no-
ble fellow, with his vivid crimson stripes

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

51

through the middle of his body and on
a portion of his gills. His weight is
five pounds. Altogether, all these
speckled and striped beauties are cal-
culated to make the sportsman's hand
tingle to handle them with a rod and
line, and his mouth to water to partake
of their delicious flesh when served up
at table.

f etcrtfrfl guilds.

THE FLOWERS' CHOICE.

I heard the flowers on a day
Confess in turn the fate which they

"Would deem more blessed.
The timid Tiolet whispered: " I
Would choose to live — I dare not die !

Let me be pressed! "

The Moss-rose raised its dainty head,
And blushing: "Ah! what bliss," it said,

" For aye to rest
On some fair maiden's bosom soft,
And, with her loving fingers, oft

To be caressed! "

The gaudy Peony declared,
As arrogant around it stared:

" To be admired
Is all I ask! And 'tis my due ;
My loveliness leaves nothing new

To be desired! "

The modest Daisy said: " I know,
Alas ! I am not fit to grow

'Mid such as ye ;
Yet God had given to each a place
To occupy a little space,

Though mean he be.

" Content with my estate, I pray
Where He has placed me, there to stay

Till life is done ;
Enjoying warmth, enjoying light,
Until my everlasting night

Obscure the sun! "
And last the Lily, fair and mild,
Spoke, sighing: " When a little child

Is snatched by Death,
I'd love to nestle pure and bright
Within its hands so cold and white;

Or, in a wreath
" I'd twine me o'er the coffin's lid,
Till from the mother's sight 'twas hid;

And I would make

The hideousness of Death appear

Less foully hideous — almost fair,

For her poor sake! "

The Lily spoke; and for a space
The dewy tears were shed apace !

And all confessed,
Who heard her gentle words, that she,
So full of love and sympathy,

Had chosen best!

DWARFING THE VINE -THE PHYLLOX-
ERA.

The insect called the phylloxera has
ruined a very large portion of the Grape
vines in France, and caused serious
alarm for the vine interest of the whole
country. This fact is naturally creating
among our own vine-growers some un-
easiness and inquiry as to the probable
cause of the spread of that insect in
France at this particular time, and
whether the same causes that have pro-
duced or caused it to spread and be-
come so destructive there exist here,
and are likely to operate in the same
manner. To prosecute this inquiry in-
telligently and satisfactorily, we ought
in the first place to ascertain the mode
of planting and cultivating the vine in
France, and if there is anything in the
one or the other likely to weaken the
vine and render it less able to resist the
attack of disease, and particularly of
these little insects which just now seem
to be its special enemy. That the cli-
mate of France is favorable to the
growth and fruitfulness and strength of
the vine there can be no doubt, for no
other country can show a more success-
ful history of the vine for so long a pe-
riod. The soil, too, must originally
have been most favorable to the pros-
perity of the vine, for it is just such as
the Grape flourishes in in every other
country, and just such as the wild vines
seek and seem to do well in. The
cause can, therefore, hardly be found

52

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

in, or attributed to, the climate or soil,
and must be looked for in some other
direction, and probably in the after
management and treatment. Let us
then see how the vineyards of France
are planted. In Anjou, in France, the
subject of the distance apart to plant
vines in order to obtain from them the
most wine was a matter of careful ex-
periment for twenty-six years. Some
vineyards were planted, the vines six-
teen feet apart, and others less, down
to one foot, and the product of each of
these experimental vineyards was care-
fully kept separate each year for a term
of. years and weighed, to determine at
what distance apart the vines on a giv-
en quantity of land would give the
greatest result. The vines of course
were pruned in each vineyard under ex-
periment to adapt them to the distance
apart. That is, those planted at a
great distance were allowed to spread
out into much larger trees or bushes
than those eight feet apart, and those
eight feet apart were allowed to grow
much larger and more naturally than
those four feet apart, and those one
foot apart were of course cut back very
closely, making a mere dwarf of each
vine. However, as the growth and
strength of the vine was not the sub-
ject under investigation, nor the fruit-
fulness of each vine, but the quantity
of wine that could be produced to the
acre of land, very little attention was
paid to the comparative health of the
vines on the several vineyards. These
experiments finally resulted in estab-
lishing the fact that with vines one foot
apart, more wine could be produced
to the acre of land than with them at
any greater distance. Similar experi-
ments with similar results were made
at Weisbaden and on the Rhine, and
in many other districts both in France
and Germany. As a result of this fact,

so carefully and certainly established,
the people in these countries adopted
close planting for all their vineyards.
Throughout the famous Burgundy dis-
trict the vines are all planted but one
foot apart, and cultivated accordingly
— that is, pruned back till they are no
longer natural vines growing in a nat-
ural and luxuriant manner, but mere
dwarfs, sickly and weak representatives
of their species.

Of course, in dwarfing the top of the
vine the root must also be dwarfed in
proportion. The flow of sap in a vine
or tree thus dwarfed and stunted must
necessarily be weak and sickly, and the
power of resistance to diseases, espe-
cially to the attack of insects that live
on the sap, must be proportionally re-
duced.

It is true that eight such dwarfed
vines, while kept free of disease and
destroying insects, will produce more
fruit than one vine occujjying the same
space of ground, but when subjected to
a severe drought or attacked by disease
as the mildew, or by insects as the
phylloxera, is it reasonable to suppose
they will have the same power of life
and ability of resistance? Experience
proves the contrary, and so the vines of
Dijon, "Weisbaden, of the Rhine, of
Hungary, and all the famous districts
of European countries, are being de-
stroyed by the little insect that pene-
trates their roots and lives upon their
sap.

In California, it is true, we have not
carried the matter of close planting of
the vines to the extent that they have
in Europe, because land here has been
plenty and cheap, but we have adopted
the same system of close pruning and
dwarfing of the vines. We have given
the vines plenty of room to spread their
roots in, but we have, by cutting back
the top close to the main stem, each

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

53

year checked the growth of these roots
so that they occupy but a few feet of
the soil allotted to them, and draw
their sustenance only from the limited
circumference of the land which they
occupy.

Our vines are stunted and weakened,
and consequently rendered less liable
to resist the attack of disease or insects,
and though we have but comparatively
a few to the acre, they are exposed to
the attack of the phylloxera almost
equally with the closer planted vines of
Europe.

The soil of California is not usually
very strong arid full of recuperative
powers. The great space between our
vines has not been exhausted, but by
lying idle and comparatively at rest has
been growing richer each year. To ob-
tain the advantage of this accumulation
of fertility we have but to let the roots
of our vines extend themselves into it.
This they will do if we will adopt a sys-
tem of pruning that will allow the
canes greater length, as the roots will
extend in proportion as the tops are al-
lowed to grow. If in connection with
the adoption* of a longer system of
pruning we give the vines some well-
rotted manure close around the main
stem, it will assist them materially in
gaining the natural growth and vigor
we have by our treatment heretofore
deprived them of. The change should
not be too rapid from short to long
pruning, but where two buds have here-
tofore been left on the bearing cane,
let four be left the first year and but
one bud additional be left each subse-
quent year. This will give the roots a
chance to grow in proportion to the
top, and in a few years the vine will be-
come much stronger and more vigorous
and more able to battle with the great
present enemy, the phylloxera. — Bul-
■ leiin.

Vol. VII.- 5.

NEW PLANTS,

New Cornelian Cherry. — Under the
simple and effective name of " Cornus
mascula aurea elegantissima, Jacobi et
Caroli Leei," an advertisement in the
Gardener's Chronicle tells us that "This
elegant and lovely hardy shrub was
raised from seed in our Isleworth Nur-
sery, and has been proved to be per-
fectly constant in its beautiful variega-
tion. A broad margin of pure gold
surrounding a bright green centre is of
itself a sufficient attraction, but when
in July the tips of the leaves become
suffused with the brightest carmine, it
is impossible to give an idea of the
beauty and elegance of the plant, which
will bear a favorable comparison with
the best variegated stove or greenhouse
exotics. Suffice it to say, that it has
been seen and admired by many ama-
teurs and nurserymen, and has been
awarded a First-class Certificate at
South Kensington. The habit of the
plant is semi-pendulous and very grace-
ful."

A Cream-colored Cedar. — Describ-
ing "Juniperus Virginiana elegans,"
Messrs. Lee say : "This very elegant
variety of the Red Cedar was raised
from seed in our own grounds in 1869.
It is scarcely necessary to remark upon
the hardiness of this plant, but it is due
to its character to state that the elegant
cream-colored variegation with which
the whole plant is suffused is perfectly
constant, and has never been injured
by frost or burned in the least degree
by the hottest sunshine, although fully
exposed in the open air. The plant is
of neat and free growth, and received
the honor of a First-class Certificate
from the Floral Committee at South
Kensington, in July, 1875."

Ampelopsis Japonica. — This is a Vir-
ginian creeper that does not creep, and

54

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

belongs more properly to the class of
furnishing plants than climbers. Its
growth is that of a diffuse wiry bush,
and at any time while it is in leaf it is
well adapted for enriching with bright
foliage large vases on terraces and in
entrance halls and conservatories. At
the present time it is in brilliant color,
the prevailing tone being fiery orange-
red, shading one way to yellow and an-
other way to purple. It is a grand
plant for the front line of the shrub-
bery, and might even be used in large
beds and borders, for the knife would
keep it within bounds, and it does not
run as other species of Ampelopsis do.

Saxifraga Japonica. — There are many
handsome autumn flowers, but few ex-
cel the Japanese Saxifrage in beauty
and grace. It succeeds best as a pot
plant, left undisturbed for two years.
It has large, glossy, dark green leaves
which remind one of those of Dondia
epipactis, out of which spring many
tall and branching stems of feathery
white flowers. The four upper petals
are short and nearly even in length,
but the lower one is lengthened out
into a tail-like appendage, which gives
the flowers the appearance of a bird of
paradise in full flight.

Dianella Aspera. — By the following
from the Gardener's Chronicle this plant
must be very ornamental : " One of the
finest blue-berried plants with which
we are acquainted is ' Dianella aspera,'
and a good example we have recently
seen in the temperate-house at Kew.
The panicles are very compact, in one
case nine inches long with forty-eight
berries, closely arranged on short
branches. The berries equal in size a
small 'Solanum Capsieastrum.' Sev-
eral of this genus would be highly or-
namental in fruit, but for their exces-
sively lax habit."

Sweet-scented Rhododendrons. — A

correspondent recently referred to the
house culture of Rhododendrons — an
excellent idea. The new sweet-scent-
ed class of hybrids are worth attending
to in this connection. The " Countess
of Derby " is the most beautiful of all
half-hardy kinds, being of a compact,
bushy habit, and bearing on even the
smallest plants trusses of large, pure
white deliriously fragrant flowers, a
single flower being sufficient to give a
delightful scent to a bouquet. A num-
ber of plants were exhibited at Man-
chester last year, and were awarded a
First-class Certificate of Merit.

DKAINAGE FOE POT PLANTS.

Although drainage may seem a tri-
fling matter for consideration, it is one,
says the Gardener, which lies at the
foundation of all successful plant cult-
ure in pots. If not properly provided
for, the lack of it will thwart the most
careful and correct attention to all oth-
er points of culture. It is not so much
the quantity of crocks (pieces of broken
flower-pots) used, as the way they are
placed in the pot, that determines their
success. A pot half full of crocks may
not be so well drained as one with crocks
to the depth of only an inch. In well-
ordered gardens where pot plants are
grown, there should be three or four
different sizes of crocks — say inch, half-
inch, and quarter-inch pieces. These
pieces of crocks should be as clean as
the pots themselves, and free frgrn
dust.

Speaking generally, the largest piec-
es should occupy three-fourths of the
drainage space, the remaining fourth
being filled with pieces of smaller size.
The work is finished by putting some
of the smallest on the top and placing
over all a layer of dry moss. Fourteen
to sixteen-inch pots require three or

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

55

four inches depth of drainage, while
eight to eleven-inch pots require one
and a-half to two inches. The concave
Bide of the crock should be placed
down ; if put the other way they often
pack too closely to carry off the super-
fluous water.

To prove whether this pot-drainage
is or is not a trifling part of plant cult-
ure, take two Azaleas, Camellias, or
Geraniums ; drain the pot for one of
them in the careful manner we have
described, and drain the other by tum-
bling into the bottom of the pot a few
large and dirty pieces of crock or brick.
Subject both to the same treatment
otherwise, and then observe the differ-
ent results.

"We were recently engaged in shift-
ing some Azaleas, the pots of which
were properly drained two years since.
On turning them out, the crocks fell
from the bottom of the balls as clean as
on the day they were put in. Their
roots were in perfect health. Others
there were put into the pots of which a
few large pieces of crock had been care-
lessly pitched. A soured mass remain-
ed at the bottom, which stuck in the
pot, and in which no roots could live.

THE EESUEEECTION FLOWEE.

Dr. Isaiah Deck, the celebrated ge-
ologist, chemist, and mineralogist, of
New York, received an invitation from
the Egyptian Government to visit the
head waters of the Nile, to make an in-
spection of some copper mines in the
vicinity of the cataract of that river.
The result of his examination proved
highly satisfactory to the Government ;
but while Dr. Deck was making his re-
searches, one of the Arabs in his em-
ploy fell ill of the intermittent fever.
The doctor treated him with the usual
remedies of the European pharmaco-

poaia, and the disease readily yielded.
The Arab, in the plenitude of his grate-
fulness, gave the doctor one of those
strange flowers denominated the Res-
urrection Plant, and committed the
solecism of saying that so long as the
doctor kept it in his possession he
would retain health (having just had
the ague himself). The history of the
flower the Arab gave was, that it had
been found beneath the folds of the
shroud upon the breast of an Egyptian
princess, in the Catacombs. The doc-
tor was somewhat skeptical about the
identity of her royal Coptic highness,
but the flower he recognized as being
of the tribe of a few rare plants possess-
ed by several European savans, and of
which flowers Baron Humboldt had
some two or three specimens.

The one owned by Doctor Deck is,
in appearance, a flat, round, brown
substance, resembling a large wooden
button, or the cup of a great burr acorn,
with a dry stem of some three or four
inches in length. Upon being moist-
ened and placed upright in a wine
glass, this marvelous flower will grad-
ually expand, until, in the course of
fifteen minutes, it will exhibit a grace-
ful fringe of corolla, of the richest and
most delicate purple color, and form-
ing by its expansion a beautiful Dahlia-
like blossom, smooth as a Camellia or
a sea-shell. After gradually expand-
ing, it will retain its unfolded state for
a period of about half an hour, when
closing the purple curtains of its regal
couch, it lies down in its beauty to
dreamless sleep.

This rare and lovely plant has bloom-
ed, since it has been in the possession
of Doctor Deck, over nine hundred
times.

The theory by which he accounts for
this remarkable phenomenon is, that
this is a plant that Nature designed for

56

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the dry sands of the great desert ; that
this flower is the pod or seed vessel,
and as there is no rain in Egypt, this
dry bulb would drift about in the arid
sands any length of time without ex-
panding, but that whenever it reached
an oasis, where there was moisture and
soil to sustain the plant, it would un-
fold itself, deposit its seed, which in
turn would germinate, and thus pro-
duce the deathless Flower of the Des-
ert. [This same plant is found in Mex-
ico.— En.]

SINGULAB PEOPEETY OF THE TOMATO.

The difficulty experienced by our
fruit growers, and especially by those
who devote themselves to Orange cult-
ure, in destroying the many insect
pests which invade them, renders the
following, which we take from The
Prairie Farmer, of great interest, and
well worthy of a trial:

I planted a Peach orchard, writes M.
Siroy, of the Society of Horticulture,
and the trees grew well and strongly.
They had but just commenced to bud
when they were invaded by the curcu-
lio (pidgon), which insects were follow-
ed, as frequently happens, by ants.
Having cut some Tomatoes, the idea
occurred to me that, by placing some
of the leaves around the trunks and
branches of the Peach trees, I might
preserve them from the rays of the sun,
which were very powerful. My sur-
prise was great, upon the following
day, to find the trees entirely free from
their enemies, not one remaining, ex-
cept here and there where a curled leaf
prevented the Tomato. from exercising
its influence. These leaves I carefully
unrolled, placed upon them fresh ones
from the Tomato vine, with the result
of banishing the last insect and enab-
ling the trees to grow with luxuriance.

Wishing to carry still further my ex-
periment, I steeped in water some fresh
leaves of the Tomato, and sprinkled
with this infusion other plants, Roses
and Oranges. In two days these were
also free from the innumerable insects
which covered them, and I felt sure
that had I used the same means with
my Melon patch I should have met
with the same result. I therefore deem
it a duty I owe to the Society of Horti-
culture to make known this singular
and useful property of the Tomato
leaves, which I discovered by the mer-
est accident.

OUE FEONTISPIECE.

All our readers, will, no doubt, ad-
mit that our finely and correctly color-
ed chromo in this number of our work
is a beautiful and splendid one. It
consists of eight favorite, and much
cultivated annual flowers. First, there
is the Ten-weeks'Stock (Mathiola annua)
which, according to the highly reputed
judgment of that zealous and extensive
cultivator, James Yick, presents nearly
or quite all the requisites of a joerfect
flowering plant — good habit, fine foli-
age, beautiful flowers of almost every
delicate and desirable tint, early flow-
ering, and abundance of blossoms.
Second, the Phlox Drummondii is on
the upper left-hand side of the picture.
No annual excels this for a brilliant
and constant display. Indeed, if con-
fined to one plant for the decoration of
the lawn or border, this lovely flower
in all its various tints would be our
choice over, or at any rate equal to,
any annual or perennial with which we
are acquainted. The colors range from
the purest white to the deepest crim-
son, including purple and yellow and
-striped, the clear eye of the Phlox be-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

57

ing peculiarly marked. Third, Double
Portulaca, a popular, hardy, creeping
annual, each strong plant covering a
space about a foot in diameter, with
salver-shaped flowers, of every color
imaginable, except blue and striped,
and these colors of the most intense
brightness. It delights in a warm sun
and a sandy soil, and drought and heat
have but little effect on it. Fourth,
the Balsam (Impatiens). Balsamica,
like the Aster, is one of the most beau,
tif ul and popular of our annuals. Like
that flower, too, it is an old favorite,
and so much improved during the last
quarter of century that it scarcely bears
a. resemblance to the old flower. It
was the "Lady's Slipper" of other
days, which, however, was only single,
and very inferior to the double, rose-
like flower of to-day. It requires here
a careful nursing and protection to se-
cure good and fine plants. The Extra
Dwarf Balsams grow only about six
inches in height, while the tall varieties
often reach nearly three feet in a rich
soil. Fifth, Nemophila. These are
pretty, delicate, hardy annuals, throw-
ing up their slender flower stems a few
inches. The leaves are very pretty in
form, and of a delicate, lively green,
and, if the plants are grown in masses,
ha-ve a mossy appearance. The flowers
are mainly blue and white, and of the
form shown in the chromo. , They are
native Americans, and we bave some
delightful specimens on our own coast.
They require rather moist locations, as
in the neighborhood of the Big Trees,
where there are acres of them, beauti-
fying the waste lands. Sixth, Japan
Cockscomb (Celosia). These are inter-
esting and singular annuals, and when
well grown, from seed of good quality,
never fail to please the grower, and at-
tract the attention of his friends. There
are two desirable forms of the Celosia

— the Cockscomb and the Feathery —
the former being the most curious and
far the most popular. Mr. Vick has a
Japan Cockscomb, which far excels ev-
ery other variety in the brilliancy of its
color and the beauty of its comb. Sev-
enth, the Pansy (Viola tricolor), the lit-
tle Heartsease of Europe. We have it
wild here, but-very simple and plain in
its character. The Pansy in its perfec-
tion is deservedly a very popular flower
with both florists and amateurs, and
blooming nearly all the year with us.
It requires to be a little shaded, and to
be furnished with a good supply of wa-
ter. It is so well known that it does
not require further description. Eighth,
Striped Petunia. This is now both
double and single, of all colors, and of
good size. It embraces three distinct
classes. One of them is the grandi-
flora, in which class we have a Fringed
Petunia, new and unique. The third
class is the small - flowered varieties.
They all make a brilliant bed. The
chromo shows one of the small-flowered
varieties of natural size, and a double
flower much reduced.

WOEK FOE THE MONTH.

Springtime will soon be upon us, and
the rainy season will be drawing to a
close.- [

The present season, at least the ear-
ly portion of it, for want of rain, has
not been so favorable for the planting
of trees and shrubs, and for out-door
improvements in the horticultural line
as last season and some seasons pre-
vious to it. Farmers- have not had the
usual favorable time for getting in their
seeds, and from all accounts the fields
and the gardens do not look very well.
This condition is rather discouraging
for all who have a direct or indirect
interest in the welfare of California,

58

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and has not encouraged or warrant-
ed quite so much attention to the im-
provements and adornments of either
city or country homes. We are sorry
to say from these, and perhaps some
other causes, that the planting of trees,
and shrubs, and flowers, for ornament
has not been carried on upon so exten-
sive a scale as would have otherwise ta-
ken place. Our people seem to move
slowly, at any rate in all enterprises
not calculated to bring immediate re-
turns, or, in other and plainer words,
the " all mighty dollar."

There is yet time to plant many trees.
The rains, although so late, will justify
iti They can be obtained now cheaply,
and our nurserymen have plenty of
them. Those who desire to plant dur-
ing the latter part of this month (Feb-
ruary), March, and April, should at all
events take the precaution of mulch-
ing, unless water can be had for irriga-
tion during the late spring time and
summer.

"We call attention again to the vari-
ous trees, shrubs, etc., mentioned in
our article on work last month, all of
which are well adapted to our climate.
Under all circumstances we would in-
sist upon planting young trees instead
of old ones ; in three years from this
time, the difference in size between
these young and older trees will hard-
ly be noticed.

In transplanting trees, we would call
attention to the condition in which the
roots of them should be to insure their
growing. Nurserymen understand all
this, but many of our farmers and am-
ateur gardeners do not. The general
rule is, that evergreen trees and shrubs
should be planted with the ball of earth
in which they have grown, while a de-
ciduous tree or shrub (i. e. trees and
shrubs which shed their leaves in au-
tumn, as the Apple, Elm, Maple, etc.),

can be safely transplanted without hav-
ing any earth attached to the roots.
An evergreen tree, therefore, may be
transplanted at any time, provided that
all the earth penetrated by its roots is
removed with it. But inasmuch as this
is not easily accomplished, as it would
require too much arduous labor to do
it, and as some soil would not adhere
well to the roots, particularly in sum-
mer time, the most favorable time for
transplanting is during 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 evergreens, therefore,
are transplanted early in the rainy sea-
son, a comparatively small amount of
soil attached to their roots will make
the removal safe. Nevertheless, there
are some evergreens, such as the Euca-
lyptus (G-um tree) and the Acacia, which
are not apt to grow and do well if any
of their roots are disturbed by the re-
moval ; and our nurserymen, therefore,
are in the habit of cultivating them in
pots or boxes, which is really the only
safe, and certainly the best method.
The practice of raising Eucalypti and
Acacias in pots or boxes is the only cor-
rect 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, Pine, Juni-
per, 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 Eucalyptus
and Acacia 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

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

59

tree or shrub seed will germinate in the
open air in this climate.

In the vegetable garden no time
should now be lost to sow all kinds of
vegetable seeds which are desirable.
The present time is also favorable to
the planting of Asparagus roots, Rhu-
barb, Horseradish, etc. If a few plants
of early Cabbage can be procured, 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. We have also planted some
Gladiolus for early flowering. Look
after the Paeonies and Lilie3, which are
now beginning 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 in larger pots.

If the weather be warm and pleasant,
all plants will require more water than
they have had during the winter, and
frequent airing.

HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATIONS RE-
CEIVED.

Vick's Flower and Vegetable Garden,
Rochester, New York. This splendid
and interesting work is highly embel-
lished with many beautifully drawn
and colored chromos and handsome
wood-cuts. The reading matter is var-
ied and very instructive on all subjects
and particulars relating to flower and
vegetable cultivation. It contains a

full and attractive description of Mr.
Vick's flower farms where his seeds are
raised and double flowers formed by
fertilization, general flower culture, se-
lection of seeds, soil and its preparation,
sowing seeds, causes of failure, hot-
beds and cold-frames, transplanting,
disappointed cultivators, the lawn and
garden, making lawns and walks, plant-
ing and ornamenting the lawn, forms
of beds, ribbon beds, perennial garden,
bulb garden, garden adornments, rock-
eries, balcony gardens, plants for bal-
conies, window boxes, and bedding,
etc.; also instructions for the winter
garden, the soil and water, the con-
servatory, Wardian cases and ferner-
ies, plants for house culture, insect en-
emies to house plants, cold pits, floral
decorations, making floral designs for
the church, house, table, bouquet mak-
ing, bouquet and trimming green, but-
ton-hole flowers, water gardening, clas-
sification and names of flowers, botani-
cal glossary, annuals, climbers, ever-
lastings, ornamental grasses, peren-
nials, greenhouse, tender bulbs and
tubers, hardy plants, bulbs, etc., Hol-
land bulbs, hardy climbers, etc. Ev-
ery one should forward 50 cents for
this valuable work.

Vegetable and Flower Garden, and Cat-
alogue of Fruit and Ornamental Trees,
Shrubs, Bulbs, Plants, etc. , 1876-77. R.
J. Trumbull, Seed Warehouse, Nos.
419 and 421 Sansome Street, San Fran-
cisco. In this neat publication there is
an enlightened and interesting address
to customers regarding the Centennial
Exhibition, and regretting that Califor-
nia made so poor a show of her wonder-
ful and attractive productions. Also,
there is a favorable notice of a variety
of the Japan Persimmon, from Colonel
Hollister, in Santa Barbara, ' ' a fruit
destined to become ere long popular
both for home and foreign consump

60

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

tion," likewise as good a quality of
Limes as the best imported. Also in
Mr. Trumbull's yard, at Lis nursery in
San Rafael, is a Sweet Mediterranean
Orange about four feet high, from Gar-
ey's Semi-tropical Nursery, at Los An-
geles ; it was planted in April, and is
now bearing 20 Oranges. San Rafael
is" growing successfully, besides Lem-
ons of good quality, Oranges as far
north as Chico, on General Bidwell's
place. Bananas are maturing at Los
Angeles. Mr. Trumbull is now im-
porting the Coffee tree, and thinks it
will prove a success. Some excellent
instructions are given in the above Cat-
alogue for the cultivation of bulbs and
roots, and on hot beds and cold frames,
flowers, what they are and how to man-
age them, Blue Gum, Monterey Cy-
press, Monterey Pine, Italian Cj'press,
and their culture, directions for sprout-
ing fruit and nut seeds, Osage Orange
for hedges, history and culture of Al-
falfa,' Egyptian and Mediterranean
Corn, native California flower and
shrub seeds, ornamental trees, promi-
nent evergreen trees, etc.

The New Guide to Rose Culture. The
Bingee and Conard Co., Rose growers,
"West Grove, Chester County, Penn.
Roses by mail a specialty, with direc-
tions for growing Roses in every way,
insect enemies of the Rose, treatment
of Roses in pots, Hydrangea grandi-
flora — new and elegant from Japan,
new double Tuberoses, " Pearl," etc.

E. Meyer's General Catalogue of Seeds,
Plants, Bulbs, etc. This well known
and long time florist, proprietor of the
Eureka Nursery, Stanyan Street, near
the Golden Gate Park, has a good as-
sortment of stock on hand, and is al-
ways found obliging and accommodat-
ing to his customers.

The Annual Circular and Retail Cata-
logue of Warranted Vegetable andFloiver

Seeds grown and sold by James I. S.
Gregory, Marblehead, Mass., is receiv-
ed. A neat and handsome publication,
and a large business is transacted by
the establishment.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

At this favorite place of resort, ever
furnishing something new for the de-
lectation of the public, there have been
added lately two new features in Nat-
ural History, namely, a case of Crusta-
cea in the Photograph Gallery, and a
large case of Insecta, consisting of but-
terflies, moths, beetles, etc. This last
is under the porch of the apartments
for the cabinets of birds, beasts, fish-
es, etc., to the right before entering,
and round the corner of the building.
This deeply interesting branch is one
that can not fail to prove attractive to
general visitors, especially those who
engage in its pursuit, not only from the
extreme beauty, brilliancy, and variety
of color and form displayed by the in-
sect world (though in these respects al-
most unrivaled), but also from the un-
bounded proofs of the Great Creator's
goodness and wisdom evinced, in the
adaptation of each member in its num-
erous families to the purposes of crea-
tion ; and in the instincts bestowed
upon them, by which these purposes
are fulfilled. The visitor to these in-
secta cases, unless he is totally insensi-
ble to the wonderfully gorgeous beauty
and interest of their contents, will feel
reluctant to depart from their sight and
contemplation.

The cases holding the fishes (many
of them belonging to our coast), ser-
pents, turtles, and crustaceans, in the
Photograph Hall, will attract a large
amount of attention to these wonders
and beauties of Nature. The crusta-
ceans, like the fishes and many other

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

01

animals, are very serviceable to man,
furnishing a considerable amount of food
both in his savage and civilized condi-
tion. The crabs and lobsters cleanse
the deep, too, of its putrifying remains.
They, like the star-fishes, are endowed
with a great appetite for food and the
power of digesting it in large quanti-
ties. Crabs abound on our coast and
in our bays, and Eastern lobsters have
been lately introduced. "We have great
numbers of large cray-fish, and, with
these, are specimens of the same crus-
tacean family and others from all parts
of the world. The preserved or stuff-
ed serpents and snakes are. various and
curious for their marking, and some of
them for their brilliant colors, one be-
ing crimson in its rings. Among the
fishes are the Father Lasher, the fish-
ing frog, or angler, the wolf fish, the
John Dory, and the great sun fish.
The two collections do much credit to
Mr. Gruber, the naturalist of the Gar-
dens, which are looking in excellent or-
der, and, as usual, replete with objects
of great attraction, curiosity, beauty,
and interest, with continual additions.
Among these is a camera obscura on
one of the sides of the menagerie yard,
and showing all the surrounding scenes
on a round and flat horizontal tablet.

PROSPECTUS OF THE BOTANIC GAR-
DEN, PLANT AND SEED COMPANY.

No public enterprise has hitherto
been suggested to the people of the Pa-
cific Slope, which is more justly worthy
of general support than that of a Bo-
tanic Garden. The great utility of
such an institution may not immediate-
ly present itself to our citizens in gen-
eral; but by those who have given the
subject some consideration, and there
are many such among our scientific and
practical: mien, the educational, comr

mercial and practical benefits derivable
from such an establishment are fully
admitted and highly appreciated. Some
of the functions of such an institution
may be thus enumerated:

1st. The gathering, as far as practic-
able, from all countries, specimens not
only of those exceedingly numerous
trees, shrubs, and plants which supply
our every day necessities, but of those
also which minister to our luxuries, and
as medicinal remedies alleviate our ail^
mentsj thus collected they would not
only afford opportunity for scientific
study and observation, as well as a field
for educational improvement ; but
would test their adaptability to our
glorious climate and soil, and it would
be marvelous if out of so large a selec-
tion some would not present themselves,
that — Like the Cinchona and Tea plan-
tations of British India—would repay a
thousand fold all the labor and expense
of experimenting.

2d. The collecting and scientific test-
ing our own Flora, of which at present
comparatively little is known, and of
introducing to the scientific and com-
mercial world, some, which, although
partially known, are not duly appreci-
ated.

3d. The interchanging with other bo-
tanical establishments in various parts
of the world, and thus adding to our
own comforts and resources.

The establishment of a Botanic Gar-
den, however, in the full sense of the
term, would involve a very large out-
lay and Government aid, and as hither-
to no plan has been suggested to those
of our citizens, who, although fully ap-
preciating the necessity for such an in-
stitution, and willing to assist, yet are
reluctant to incur the continuous draft
on their pockets for current expenses,
etc. It I is therefore proposed, either
by exchange or otherwise, to collect

62

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and cultivate specimens of trees, shrubs
and plants of every kind, whether use-
ful or ornamental, that can be adapted
to our soil and climate, and to arrange
them at a Botanic Garden in such man-
ner as to make it a desirable place of
public resort, as well as study ; it be-
ing the intention to supply to scientific
and educational establishments speci-
mens of plants free of charge, for sub-
jects of botanical lessons and lectures.
With the Garden it is proposed to con-
nect a Nursery and Seed Farm, etc.,
for the raising and cultivation of vari-
ous products which are certain to yield
a large profit, not only amply sufficient
to cover the expenses of the Garden,
but also to make an excellent return to
the stockholders. This section of the
enterprise would comprise —

1st. A first-class nursery, devoted to
the raising and cultivating of every class
of trees, shrubs and plants for which a
ready market could be found, both on
this coast and elsewhere. An exten-
sive nursery of this kind is much need-
ed, and would be very profitable. A
most important item in this department
would be the raising of cut flowers of
every variety to furnish the market.
There are now annually expended over
$200,000 in this city for that purpose,
and the supply is not equal to the de-
mand; five acres of land judiciously
devoted to this branch would amply
meet the requirements, and the profits
realized would be enormous.

2d. A Medical Herb Garden.— The
.climate of California is so well adapted
to the cultivation of this class of plants
that we should supply the world with
them. Our facilities are so good and
the demand is so great that this can
not fail to be a most profitable branch.

3d. A department for the cultivation
of Immortelles and dried Grasses.
Nearly all of these are afc present im-

ported from Europe, at great expense ;
yet there is no place on the face of the
earth better adapted for the cultivation
of this class of plants than California,
on account of its dry summers ; while
in Europe the entire crop often fails
from heavy rains. The demand for
these products exceeds the supply by
many thousand dollars.

4th. A Seed Farm, for the raising of
all such vegetables and flower seeds as
command a very high price in the East-
ern and European markets, from the
fact that these can only be successfully
cultivated during a most favorable sea-
son, while in California a full crop
would be secured every year. A very
large profit can be obtained from this
department at small outlay.

5th. A department for the collecting
and exporting of our indigenous trees,
shrubs and plants, bulbs and seeds ;
already the exportation of these amounts
to over $20,000 annually, and by prop-
er exertion the business could be large-
ly increased ; exchanges with scientific
institutions, and importations of such
stock as is needed here would be con-
nected with this branch; this also is
very profitable.

6th. A Pacific Coast Seed and Floral
Supply Store. — An establishment of
this kind, where every article can be
found which pertains to Floriculture
and Horticulture is sadly needed on
this coast, as at the present time there
is no business in existence which cov-
ers the ground. All who have given
the matter any attention will bear out
the fact, that this department can be
made a very extensive and lucrative
one.

A large depot in the City of San
Francisco is indispensable for the cul-
tivation of greenhouse plants ; for the
sale of all the products of the farm,
and for the principal place of business.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

63

For this purpose it is proposed to pur-
chase the establishment now known as
the Exotic Gardens, on Mission Street,
opposite Woodward's Gardens, with
all the stock, buildings, improvements,
good will and lease of land unexpired,
(9 years). The location of the Exotic
Gardens is most favorable for the en-
terprise, and the business itself is so
far established that the actual profits
from rent, the sale of plants, seeds,
and other products, place it in a pay-
ing condition. The enterprise, howev-
er, does not represent sufficient capital
to carry out all the requirements. The
most suitable locality for the Botanic
Garden is in Alameda County, in the
immediate vicinity of the railroad, so
that the Garden might be easily reach-
ed, and the products be shipped with-
out inconvenience to any part of the
State. The amount of capital required
for the purchase of the Exotic Gardens,
with all the stock and improvements
belonging thereto ; the purchase of the
necessary land in Alameda County, and
for the improvements on the land ; for
the laying out and planting the Botan-
ic Gardens, and for carrying out all the
propositions above mentioned, will not
exceed $130,000. For this purpose it
is the intention to form an incorporat-
ed Company with a capital of $250,000,
divided into 2,500 unassessable shares
of $100.

The present proprietors of the Exot-
ic Gardens will take stock in the new
company for nearly their whole inter-
est, and it will therefore only require
additional subscriptions to the amount
of 600 shares to effect the purchase of
the Exotic Gardens, and to secure the
necessary land for all other purposes.
This will place the Company at once
into a profitable business. And even
without any other immediate sale of
stock it will enable the Company to

gradually go on with the other enter-
prises on a self-sustaining basis. As
an inducement to first subscribers the
above 600 shares will be issued as fully
paid up stock, at $50 each ; the Com-
pany reserving for itself the right to
regulate the value of future issues as
the enterprise progresses. There can
hardly be a doubt that as soon as the
public have taken in the full scope of
the project ; have understood its utility;
its beneficial results to the State, and
its certain pecuniary success, that every
share necessary for the complete estab-
lishment of the enterprise will be eager-
ly taken at par. In connection with
the enterprise it is proposed that the
Company issue certificates of life mem-
bership on the payment of $100, which
certificate should entitle the holder to
select every year during his or her life-
time plants to the amount of $20, from
the catalogue published annually. Suf-
ficient money may be realized by the is-
suing of such certificates to meet the en-
tire expense of the Company, so that
all sales made otherwise would be actu-
al profit to the concern.

The following gentlemen have per-
mitted their names to be appended as
recommendatory of the enterprise :
Prof. Geo. Davidson, Hon. Mr. Justice
Nilea, I. Friedlander, Esq., Tiburcio
Parrott, Esq., Dr. A. Kellogg, Lloyd
Tevis, Esq., H. Edwards, Esq., Dr. H.
Behr, Henri Schmeidel, Esq., Hon.
Milton S. Latham, Hon. Horace Davis,
"Win. Alvord, Esq., A. Crawford, Esq.,
E. K. Howes, Esq., W. T. Coleman,
W. F. Babcock, Esq., Sydney M.
Smith, Esq., Geo. B. Bayley, Esq.

Statistics show that the average earn-
ings of the agriculturist of the South
are $266, while those in California av-
erage $1,042. The specialty of cotton
is less profitable than diverse farming.

64

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

There is a species of Plum called the
Bullace (Primus insititia), a good deal
cultivated in Europe, which we have
not yet met with in California, and
which is kept a long time in England
in the manner of bottled and canned
fruit. This fruit is rather austere in
flavor, but is grown where a full collec-
tion of all the varieties of the Plum is
desired. No doubt this kind would do
well on this coast. The tree, to be
sure, is somewhat of a spare-growing
one, subject to moss and decay in parts;
when this happens it should be severe-
ly pruned, that additional vigor may be
thrown into thesubsequent new shoots,
and a considerable thinning of the
branches should take place annually.
It is one of the latest of the Plum tribe,
furnishing fresh fruit for tarts up till
the arrival of fall or winter frosts, and
this feature, together with its character
for preserving, seem to make it desira-
ble to attempt the improvement of its
size and quality in this most favorable
slope for all kinds of fruit. At present
it is raised and treated as a mere wild-
ing from seed which always, like the
Damson, brings the same sort as the
parent tree ; it is probable, however,
that if some care were taken to select
grafts from the very best Varieties, for
it certainly sports like some other fruits
in this way, and they were worked on
free growing Plum stocks that a change
might be brought on, which, once ef-
fected, may be carried by perseverance
to almost any length. .

The Medlar (Mespilus Germanica),
nat. ord. Bosacece, is a fruit not often
seen in our fruiterers stalls, but when
seen it is about this, time (January and
February). It is not eatable till in a
state of incipient decay. Then it is

much liked by a few persons. In com-
plete orchards one or two specimens of
this tree are necessary, though it is not
generally cultivated. As regards situa- .,
tion and treatment, it resembles in ev-
ery respect the Apple tree, and the
fruit should be gathered along with the
late varieties of that fruit.

As is well known, new varieties of
Apples, as of all other vegetable forms,
are obtained from, seeds. New kinds,
to be worth preserving, must possess
some very decided superior- qualities
(for there are now nearly 1,500 distinct
kinds from all countries), which may be
regarded as worth cultivating for some
purpose or other, independent of oth-
ers decidedly valueless.

. The raising of seedling Pears even in
our favorable and rapidly growing cli-
mate is a tedious work, requiring sev-
eral years ere they can be brought to a
fruitful state, especially when they are
allowed to grow in the natural manner
on their own roots, and i^ consequent-
ly not often resorted to or experiment-
ed upon, though a knowledge of the
means of producing precocity, through
grafting on the Quince stock, has a
tendency to their more extended pro-
duction and testing.

Two methods of originating new va-
rieties of fruits (of course including the
Pear),. have been practiced ; the natural
method of Van Mons, and the artificial
method of Knight. Van MonsJ theory
is founded upon. two physical facts: 1.
That all seeds in a state of nature can
be made by cultivation to vary from
their conditiqn, which variations may
be fixed, and become permanent. 2. ,
That all cultivated seeds have a tend-
ency to return toward that natural state
from which they originally varied. "We
say toward, for he supposed that an im-
proved fruit would: never , return to the
original and natural type. .

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

65

Andrew Knight, one of the most
original and philosophic horticulturists
that ever lived, pursued an entirely dif-
ferent method — that of cross-fertiliza-
tion. He carefully removed the an-
thers from the blossoms upon which he
wished to operate, so that the stigma
should not receive a particle of the pol-
len belonging to its own flower. He
then procured from the variety he wish-
ed to crop, a portion of the pollen, and
artificially impregnated the prepared
blossom with it. When the fruit thus
produced had ripened its seeds, they
were sown, and by regular process
brought into bearing. The progeny
were found to combine, in various de-
grees of excellence, the qualities of
both parents. Knight's method must
always be preferred lis a practical sys-
tem. "We can obtain a return for our
labor in one-fifth of the time ; and,
what is even more important, we can
regulate, before-hand, the results with-
in certain limits. The new fruit is to
be made up of the qualities of its par-
ents in various proportions. We can
not determine what the proportions
" shall be, but we can determine what
parents shall be selected. Nor is it at
all improbable that, when knowledge
has become more exact by a longer and
larger experience, the breeder of' fruit
may cross the varieties with nearly the
same certainty of result as- does the
breeder of stock.

It is upon this feature, the power
which science has over the' results to be
obtained, that we look with the great-,
est interest ; and we urge upon scien-
tific cultivators the duty of perfecting
our fruits by judicious breeding.

We quote the following from the re-
" tail market report up to the 12th of
January last :

It is very seldom that Tomatoes are
seen in market at this season of the

year in as good condition as those that
are now coming forward. While the
supply, owing to cold, wet weather, us-
ually gives out in December, with a
few boxes of a pale, reddish-green hue,
and of flavorless quality, those now
coming in are as high colored and near-
ly equal to those of summer growth.
In several localities the vines are still
uninjured by frost. String Beans,
Green Peas, new Potatoes, and Aspar-
agus are received daily from the Mis-
sion gardens, and are of good quality
for the season. Potatoes by the single
sack can be had at $1.25'to $2 per 100
pounds, delivered. Sweet Potatoes
have become suddenly scarce. It is
said that many growers on the Sacra-
mento River, on opening the heaps
that were covered at digging time, have
found a very large portion rotted, a
circumstance attributed to the heavy
early rains.

No change of importance is notice-
able in the fruit market. Apples and
Pears are sufficiently plentiful for all
requirements, at $1 to $2 for the for-
mer, and $1.50 to $2.50 per box for the
latter. A few Mission Grapes, fresh
from the vines and in good order, can
be had at 15c. to 20c, while Purple
Damascus retail at 25c. per lb.

We place on record in the Horticul-
turist the following interesting and in-
structive account of our fruit market
last year, quoted, from that capital,
complete, and reliable authority, the
Commercial Herald and Market Review,
published in our city by Messrs. Car-
many & Co. :

The' market the past year -has been
bountifully supplied with Apricots, Ap-
ples, Peaches, Plums, Currants, Figs,
Grapes," Blackberries, Strawberries,
etc. The crop has been very large and
prices have ruled low for leading varie-
ties (during an overstocked market),

66

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTURIST.

particularly Peaches, Plums, and
Grapes. Those inland towns and min-
ing camps which looked to this market
for regular supplies of fruit a few years
ago now have extensive orchards of
their own which supply the home de-
mand, and their surplus is shipped
here. Considering the limited outlet
to this market it is surprising how such
large quantities of perishable goods can
be disposed of, and how little goes to
waste. If we could send the surplus
to other sections of our country where
the multitude could partake of our
abundance, it would add greatly to our
resources and prove a great relief to
our overstocked local market. The ov-
erland trade in fresh fruit is increasing,
which will steadily increase if freight
rates are reduced to more reasonable
rates. During the past season 334 car-
loads were shipped East, principally
from three points, viz.: 143 cars from
Sacramento, 168 from San Jose, and
23 from Marysville ; the rates of freight
on a car-load of 20,000 lbs. being
$1,175 to New York for fast time, and
$675 slow; to Chicago, $800 fast time,
and $500 slow. Preparations are being
made to do an increased business next
year, and refrigerator cars will be used
for forwarding perishable fruit. The
first invoice of Blackberries was receiv-
ed from Alameda the last of May.
These were the Aughinbaugh, the ear-
liest variety known. The first consign-
ment of Lawton Blackberries arrived
the 2d of June from Putah Creek, So-
lano County, which is a famous locality
for producing early fruit. Some years
ago Mr. Wolfskill planted a few Orang-
es as an experiment. They show the
climate at Putah Creek to be a more
favorable locality for semi-tropical fruit
than Los Angeles. Prom these few
trees 4,435 Oranges have been market-
ed this season, which sold at $6 to $7

per hundred. They are light colored,
and compare favorably with the cele-
brated San Gabriel, Lake Vineyard,
and Sunny Slope Orange when they are
fully ripe, showing the season to be at
least a month earlier, although they are
grown four hundred miles north of the
beautiful groves in Los Angeles. The
principal source of supply of California
Oranges is from Los Angeles County.
Many groves have been planted in the
northern part of the State, but the trees
have not come into bearing, with the
exception of a few from Sonoma, So-
lano and Contra Costa counties, but
for many years Los Angeles will be the
largest source of home supply. Dur-
ing the past year the State sent to this
market 2,750,000 Oranges and 350,000
Lemons, against^, 000, 000 Oranges and
600,000 Lemons for the year before.
The crop was a very short one, but the
prices were correspondingly high. It
is always a rule that a large crop fol-
lows a short one, so we may reasonably
expect to see it fulfilled this season
(1877). The demand however, keeps
pace with the production. From Ta-
hiti twenty-one cargoes of Oranges ar-
rived during the season, with a total of
5,128,000. This trade begins about the
close of the Los Angeles crop (in April)
and- extends into the months of Sep-
tember and October, although a few ar-
rived as late as November, Cherries
were a very fair crop, but not so plenty
as expected. The first of the season'
arrived about the first of May from So-
lano County, being a variety known as
the Early Purple Guigne, and were
very fine. They sold at $2 per lb.
Most of our Strawberries are grown in
Santa Clara Valley. Between Alviso
and San Jose there is a section of coun-
try supplied with artesian wells spe-
cially adapted to growing Strawberries,
which reach this market every morn-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

67

ing, mostly on the steamer Relief.
Last season they shipped by steamer
from April 3d to Nov. 1st 18,904 chests
— probably 5,000 chests were shipped
by railroad; 11 tons, or 275 chests,
were the average receipts per day,
against 3 or 4 tons per day for the cor-
responding time the year before. The
deficiency was attributed to the April
frosts. Red Currants from across the
bay were very plentiful. A large por-
tion went to the canners. Toward the
last canners refused to take the daily
surplus at any prices The crop was
immense, exceeding the demand. Of
Apricots the market was largely over-
stocked, more received than in any pre-
vious year. Figs were a drug in the
market during the height of the season.
The first Peaches arrived from Briggs'
Orchard at Marysville the 31st of May,
being two weeks earlier than the year
before. These are from a seedling call-
ed "Red May," the earliest variety
known in the State. Two weeks later
the market was overstocked with Peach-
es, mostly Hale's Early Variety, selling
on the wharf by the invoice as low as
35c. to 75c. per basket. Higher prices
prevailed later, when the Crawford
came in, and canners entered the mar-
ket for supplies, but last season the
Peach crop throughout the State was
the largest ever known. So with Ap-
ples and Plums, owing to the crop be-
ing very light the year before. The
weather continued cold as late as the
5th of April, when a heavy frost ruined
the fruit crop that season ; but in 1875
the trees overburdened the branches,
breaking them down with the weight of
fruit; so there has been an unusual
supply this season. The Grape crop
also was unusually large, and twice the
quantity shipped to this market than
ever before, as the wine-makers in the
interior having large stocks of wine on

hand did not care to enter the market
for supplies, as most of them had their
casks full, so that shippers were com-
pelled to send their crops to this mar-
ket, knowing it was overstocked and
sadly demoralized.

There is no portion of the State of-
fering a better prospect than this city
to a company who will take the daily
surplus and manufacture brandy or
make it into wine. Raisins cured by
patent dryers are not a success. The
finest California raisins now in market
are sun-dried, and many are of superior
quality — but not all. A great improve-
ment has been made in this depart-
ment, but the Grapes are not sufficient-
ly protected during the drying process
from rain, dew, or fog, and a portion
of the crop was ruined by the first rain
of the season. The balance saved is
estimated at 30,000 boxes, of 20 lbs.
each. Winter Apples are very plenti-
ful— unusually so for this season of the
year. The bulk of supplies coming for-
ward are of rather poor quality, and
can only be disposed of at low rates ;
choice lots are in demand for shipping.
Pears are scarce.

About the first of this month (Febru-
ary) Los Angeles Oranges arrived in
large quantities, both by rail and steam-
er, but, like all that have reached here
from that vicinity, they are as yet un-
dersized generally, with thick skins and
by no means sweet and pleasant to the
palate. It is true it is still rather ear-
ly in the season for them, and we hope
soon to receive as good ones as usually
arrive from the southern portion of the
State. As there were no others in the
market, however acid, prices were well
maintained.

There is continued complaint of the
difficulty found in obtaining strictly
choice Potatoes. While the market is
overstocked with inferior to fair grades,

68

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

choice descriptions are coming in from
only a few favored localities, and are
very scarce. Ordinary qualities are
plentiful at $1 to $1.25 by the sack,
while the best command $1.50 to $1.75
per 100 pounds. New Potatoes are
steady at 5c. to 6c. String Beans have
finally disappeared, having been con-
tinuously in market since April. Green
Peas are less plentiful and higher, ow-
ing to rainy weather. Tomatoes are
coming in regularly, and are remarka-
bly bright and of good quality for the
season, bidding fair to last until the
new crop comes forward.

A NEW PEST TO FRUIT TREES.

"We are informed by a cultivator of
fruit that his trees last year were much
infested by the woolly aphis. He found
he could not effect their destruction
when once in numbers on his trees, but
he discovered that by digging round
the roots near the stems of his trees,
laying the roots bare, and pouring in
the holes whale oil soap mixed with
water made, only moderately strong,
that they were effectually debarred from
rising from the ground to his orchard.
The probable result of this, operation
was the total destruction of the eggs of
the injurious insect. Another mode to
get rid of these pests at the roots of
plants is to put about a peck of soot
into five gallons of water, and let it
stand four or five days, then use the
water without disturbing the sediment.
The water to be poured round the roots
of the trees or plants, care being taken
not to get the mixture on the foliage.
If the aphis is on the foliage, the mix-
ture can be reduced one-half, and be
applied with syringe. The best time
to apply this remedy is just after the
sun is down and while it is yet light
enough to work.

City vs. Country Temperature. — M.
Fines has determined by recent inves-
tigations that the mean annual temper-
ature in the interior of a city is decid-
edly higher than in the country around.
In the fall and winter the maximum
temperatures are somewhat lower ill
the city than they are in the country;
but in the spring and summer they are
somewhat higher. On clear nights the
difference in the minimum temperatures
in the city and the country rises as high
as 13^° Fahrenheit. The extremes in
temperature are also greater in the
country than in the city: — the annual
average difference between the maxi-
mum and minimum temperatures being
considerablv larger.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month ending Januaey 31, 1877.
(Prexsared for The Hoeticultukist by Thos. Tennent

Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.

18 Market Street.)

BAEOMETEE.

Mean height at 9 a. m... 30.15 in.

do 12 m 30.15

do 3 p. si 30.14

do 6 p. si 30.13

Highest point on the 4th at 9 a. m 30.43

Lowest point on the 17th at 6 p. m 29.77

THEEMOMETEE.
( With north exposure and free from refected heat. J

Mean height at 9 a. m 52°

do 12 m 59 ■'■>

do 3 p. 31 , 58°

do 6 p. ii 52°

Highest point on the 5th at 12 si - 69°

Lowest point on the 13th at 9 a. m 44°

SELF-KEGISTEEING ' THEEMOMETEE.

Mean height during the night 41°

Highest poinjt at sunrise on the 29th 52°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 15th 36°

"WINDS'.
North and north-east on 15 days; south and south-east
on 4 days; south-west on 10 days; west on 2 days.

"WEATHEE.

Clear all day 16 days; cloudy on 10 days; variable on
5 days.

BAIN GAUGE. Inches.

16th..... 0.42

17th 0.41

18th 0.40

19th 0.22

21st '. 0.07

28th 0.91

29th 0 . 30

30th 1.53

31st 0.10

Total 4.36

Previously reported 3.21

Total up to date 7.57

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SA3" FRANCISCO, MARCH, 1877. Ho. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE. JAPANESE PER-
SIMMON.

BY A TEATELEB IN JAPAN.

The tree itself is one of the hand-
somest of fruit trees, and in the fall,
with its golden-hued fruit hanging to
the branches after the leaves have fall-
en, forms a beautiful and striking pict-
ure in a landscape. The timber fur-
nished by this tree is very valuable,
and is much used by the Japanese for
carved work, cornices, solid articles of
furniture, and such objects as require
a comparatively heavy and close grain-
ed wood, which by its color and tissue
is well suited for ornamentation and
handsome utility.

The juice expressed from unripe Per-
simmons (Kaki) forms a very useful li-
quid for staining wood, giving it a rich
brown color, like walnut. Much of the
carved wood and wooden utensils and
cabinets from Japan, often supposed to
be walnut by our people, is in reality
only common wood, stained with Per-
simmon juice. Some of the most ele-

* Prof. W. E. Griffis, who was three years in
Japan, and is the author of " The Mikado's
Empire," recently published by Harper & Bros.
Vol. VII.- 6.

gant wood carvings at the Centennial
were of this nature.

As to the fruit itself, it is nutritious,
palatable, and is in a high degree
charged with those chemical ingredi-
ents which give most fruits their value
in preserving the health and purifying
the blood. This fact is insisted on by
the Japanese doctors, some of whom I
have known to cure their patients by a
" Persimmon cure," like that of the
" Grape cure " of Southern Europe.

There are several kinds of Kaki — one
shaped like our sheep-nosed Apple is
considered the finest. There are oth-
ers of a nearly perfect roundness, and
others shaped more like Tomatoes, but
much less corrugated.

The most luscious Japanese Persim-
mons are ripened by air-tight enclosure
in casks containing sake, which in two
or three weeks perfect a remarkable fla-
vor. Unlike our fruit, the Japanese
species ripens without frost, though
frost will improve the common vari-
eties.

The large amount of grape sugar in
this fruit has set some persons experi-
menting on them to determine whether
sugar could be extracted in paying
quantities. I do not know whether

70

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

satisfactory results have yet been ob-
tained. The fact of their containing
so much saccharine matter is the rea-
son of the ease with which they may be
dried, or cured, in which form they are
sold as sweetmeats in Japanese shops.
This is done by smoke, sun, furnace,
or ordinary kitchen heat. Some of the
finest specimens are scarcely inferior to
Figs.

The best localities in Japan are, I
understand, at Iyo, in Shokoku, and in
Musashi, in which Tokio is situated.
Usually the trees are not planted with
much regularity; a southern exposure
in the vicinity of a brook or river being
the best. In Iyo, however, and near
Tokio, nurseries or orchards are set out.

TASTE IN THE CULTIVATION OF
FLOWERS.

In general, we cultivate flowers for
their beauty, but tastes differ, and we
do not always agree in the use of terms,
or define them clearly. Beauty may
be either simple or composite. There
is a beauty of form irrespective of other
elements, as a curve — the rainbow with*
out its colors ; there is a beauty of col-
or, as the Tyrian purple, or the azure
of a cloudless sky ; there is a beauty of
texture, as in the soft satin or fur ; but
a flower, to be beautiful, must combine
beauty of form, color, and texture, and,
lacking either of them, it ceases to be
beautiful as a flower. It may be of
beautiful form, as a plaster rose; or of
beautiful color, as a naturally or artifi-
cially painted cheek ; or of exquisite
texture, as the eider down ; or, further,
it may also be curious in its parts, as
the Fly-trap, or carnivorous plants ; or
admirable in its arrangement, as the
Pitcher-plant, but it is not a beautiful
flower. If, however, a flower possess
these elements of beauty, its beauty will

be heightened by the variation and multi-
plication of one or more of them. The
numerous and varied curves in the Cup-
ped Eose and Meadow Lily add greatly
to the beauty of the first, and give to
the last its peculiar elegance; the va-
ried shades or mingled stripes of color
in the Tulip and the Carnation give
them their power to excite enthusiastic
admiration, and make men " Tulip fan-
ciers and Pansy zealots," etc. ; and the
varied texture of the Iris and many
other flowers adds sensibly to their
beauty.

But in choosing flowers for cultiva-
tion, we take some that are not beauti-
ful, because they are showy, and others
because they are fragrant, and still
others because they come so early in
the spring as to afford us the first sub-
stantial assurance of its return, or so
late in the fall as to postpone some-
what the thought of the winter or time
of rest which comes to most of the flow-
ers even- in our almost constantly
blooming climate of California. We
would liken flowers somewhat to the
various grades of beauty and form in
the gentle and softer sex. Some indi-
viduals' style of loveliness may be term-
ed pretty, some handsome, and others
surpassingly beautiful.

Would that we could induce more of
our fair friends, especially the young,
in this city and throughout our State,
to give more attention to the culture of
flowers than they do ; by their own
skill and labor multiplying around
their homes those pleasant associations
and enjoyments, the fragrant and ever-
blooming memories of which may yield
them refreshment in the dusty road of
after life.

Additional interest might be given to
such efforts by obtaining the seeds, or
scions, or grafts from scattered school
or class-mates. With the cheap mail

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

71

facilities we now possess, there seems
to be no reason why there should not
be, through this channel, an extensive
annual interchange of grafts of valuable
fruits, and flower, and vegetable seeds,
between the different parts of our coun-
try. Our California flora, from its
beauty and peculiarities, would be
highly prized by our Eastern friends,
and they would, no doubt, be willing
in exchange for them to send many of
the floral and other novelties which
they are continually producing them-
selves, or receiving from the horticult-
urists of Europe.

BULBOUS- ROOTED FLOWERS.

Although it is now rather late in the
season to plant most bulbs, yet there
are some bulbous-rooted plants which
may still be attended to in that respect;
and some short account of a few bul-
bous perennial flowers may not, al-
though late now, be improperly intro-
duced ; but the greater part being com-
paratively of but little value, and easily
cultivated, it does not seem necessary
to enter into a very minute or prolix
investigation of their properties or cult-
ure.

A good, sound, fresh soil, either of
the black or loamy kind, with the addi-
tion of a little coarse sand, placed
around the roots on planting, and fer-
tilized with rotten cow manure, two
years old, if the soil and situation be
dry and warm, or rotten horse manure
if it be cold and wet, is all the compost
or preparation required for the greater
part of these flowers, observing that the
manure should never come in contact
with the bulbs, or be placed at so great
a depth from the surface of the soil as
to lose the advantage of the due action
of the air upon it, which would render
it poisonous instead of nutritious : in

short, it should never be placed more
than eight or ten inches deep, on any
occasion, where it can possibly be avoid-
ed.

The Polyanthus (Narcissus) consists of
many varieties ; each sort produces sev-
eral flowers on one stalk ; the roots
may be planted at the commencement
of our rainy season, whether in Octo-
ber, November, or December, about
three or four inches deep ; they succeed
best in rather a warm, dry soiland sit-
uation, but if the soil happens to be
the reverse, the bed should be raised
seven or eight inches above the com-
mon level, but in our climate it needs
no covering of straw as in the East.
The surface of the bed should be form-
ed rather rounding, or mats or hoops
should be placed over it, in case of ex-
cessive rains. The roots may remain
two or three years in the ground with-
out being disturbed ; it will then be
necessary to take them up, in order to
separate their offsets, which by being
longer connected with the old roots,
will cause them to grow small and
weak.

Their bloom will be preserved longer
in beauty, like that of all other flowers,
if shaded from the excessive heat of the
sun. When the circulation of their
juices ceases, and their foliage becomes
yellowish, the roots may be taken up,
cured, and preserved in the same man-
ner as Hyacinths, etc.

Double Narcissus (Daffodils) consist
of several varieties ; they are hardier
than the former, the Italian excepted,
and may be treated in nearly a similar
manner.

Jonquils — English, Spanish, and Per-
sian Bulbous-Iris. These three consist
of several varieties ; they may be plant-
ed a few inches deep, at the same time
as before stated here, and treated in
the same manner asPolyanthus-Narcis-

72

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

sus. The Spanish Bulbous-Iris is very
hardy.

Crown Imperials, Lilies, and Pseonies
consist of several varieties . These may
be planted from October to February,
according to the rainy season, about
four or five inches deep, in any soil or
situation, being extremely hardy. They
do not require to be taken up till the
third or fourth year, and then only to
separate their offsets.

Martagons (mountain or other Lilies
with inverted bells and reflexed petals)
consist of many varieties, and may be
treated in the same manner as other
Lilies ; they however make the best ap-
pearance on a bed by themselves, and
will grow stronger with the addition of
some manure, at a depth of six inches
from the surface.

The Arumdra cunculus, Lilium Per-
sicum, Pancratium maritimum, etc.,
may be planted at the same time as di-
rected for the above mentioned bulbs,
about one or two inches above the top
of the root ; they are also very hardy,
and our favorable climate well suits
them at all seasons.

Colchicums, autumnal Crocuses, Frit-
tilaries, Violets, Orchis, Snakes'-head
Iris, and the various Hyacinths, etc.,
may all be planted one inch deep, and
remain in the ground till it becomes
necessary to separate their offsets. If
required to be removed, it is advisable
to do it while the juices are in a state
of inactivity, early in the fall.

Anemonoides are to be treated like
Anemones, except the Alba, Lutea, and
Bosea, the roots of which are very long
and small, and will not bear to be kept
loDg out of the ground in a dry state.

Spring Crocuses and the hardy sorts
of G-ladiolus may be planted any time
in the fall and winter, about one inch
deep.

Cyclamens should be planted early

in the fall, one inch deep, in pots filled
with sound rich earth, mixed with sand.
Those sorts which bloom in the autumn
should be planted in the spring ; they
will not require to be planted oftener
than once in two or three years, and
should have pots proportionably larger
as their roots increase in bulk. They
are safely planted out in California, all
the year round in the open ground, if
desired, which is generally the case.
They are propagated only from seed,
and are not at all tender here, not even
excepting the autumnal Anemone-root-
ed sorts.

Antholyzas, Ixias, Crinums, and Ja-
cobea Lilies, Oxalis, Morea, Amaryllis,
Pancratiums, should all be planted in
autumn, so that the top of the root be
one inch below the surface of the earth,
which should be composed of equal
quantities of loam and bog earth (quite
free from manure), with a little coarse
sand, as directed for Tulips, which will
preserve the roots clean and dry. Par-
ticular care should be observed that
they receive but little water till they
make their appearance, and they have
as much light and sun as they can re-
ceive, particularly in mild weather.

"It exceeds the limits of this article to
enter upon the culture, etc., of the al-
most innumerable species and varieties
of other bulbous, herbaceous, and per-
ennial flowers, which are not of great
interest to the flower fancier. It will
be sufficient to say that they generally
prefer a light, fresh soil, and should,
of course, be faithfully kept free from
weeds ; and they are so well known, in
general, to flower cultivators, as to ren-
der an addition of the kind to this ar-
ticle unnecessary.

The Plum tree should have a rich and
moist soil, and when planted in poor
soil manure should be used freely.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICTJLTUKIST.

73

THE NEW JAPAN PERSIMMON (DIOS-
PYRUS KAKL)

This nice fruit is about the size and
shape of an apple, with a reddish or-
ange-colored skin; the flesh is semi-
transparent, brown, soft and pulpy,
with a most agreeable honey-like fla-
vor. In the inside are several hard
seeds. The tree itself is said to be
highly ornamental, of the size of the
apple, is a good bearer, capable of en-
during some sharp white frosts, and
the fruit ripens early in the fall. Like
the common Persimmon of the Middle
States, it is not necessary that there
should be much frost to render the
fruit pleasant to the palate by neutral-
izing its extreme acidity, the fruit of
this Japan Persimmon being free from
much acidity, and not at all pungent in
its qualities. It is also firm enough
for distant shipment. It can be dried
like other fruits, for in China and Ja-
pan it is made into a delicious preserve.
There can be no doubt of its being suc-
cessfully cultivated in most parts of
California, and it has been already fruit-
ed with large and handsome specimens
at Col. Hollister's place, Santa Bar-
bara. Its average weight given is from
half a pound to over a pound. The
tree comes into bearing early, or in
from one to three or four years. In
Japan there are several kinds of this
tree similar to the apple. Of the vari-
eties the chief are, according to the
London Horticultural Society:

1. Ono Kaki, of which the fruits are
like an Orange ; being dried in the sun
and mixed with sugar, they are pre-
served and sold as figs.

2. Kineri Kaki, of which the fruit is
not fit for drying, but is eaten fresh.

3. Ssibu Kaki, of which the fruit is
rather bitter, and hardly fit to eat.
But there appear to be many sorts.

Four varieties of this promising fruit
have been lately introduced into Cali-
fornia, both in the south, as at Santa
Barbara, and in our city, by the Bev.
Henry Loomis, at Trumbull's seed •
store, 421 Sansome Street, where speci-
mens of the trees and their fruit can be
seen by horticulturists and the curious
in such matters.

We can not refrain from expressing
a hope that the instance of success with
this desirable fruit at Santa Barbara,
and with many other tropical fruits in
our State, will induce those who have
the opportunity and means, to perse-
vere in attempts so happily begun, of
adding some of the rich fruits of China,
Japan, and the Indies, to the deli-
cacies of our desserts. Those who feel
at all doubtful of the event, must re-
flect that all the fruits which adorn our
orchards and gardens at the present
day, the Currant, the Gooseberry, and
the Raspberry, are the only kinds
which are not natives of a milder cli-
mate than England. Every one knows
that the cultivated Apple and Pear
were introduced from Italy ; and the
rest, the greater part of which were
brought originally from the confines of
the very countries where many of trop-
ical and semi-tropical fruits grow spon-
taneously. The natives of the hotter
regions of the world are generally too
indolent to improve the riches they en-
joy, but are contented with receiving
them from the hand of nature, without
an effort at ameliorating them. And
this, we conceive, is an additional mo-
tive to stimulate us to exertion; be-
cause it presents us with the prospect
of possessing, through the arts of cult-
ivation, as great a superiority in tropi-
cal and semi-tropical fruits generally,
as we have alrea^ acquired in those to
which we have taken the pains of di-
recting our attention.

74

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

CICEEO ON EUEAL LIFE AND HUS-
BANDEY.

This eminent writer and orator hav-
ing spoken so intelligently and truly on
these subjects, so many years ago (106
B. C), makes it interesting to the gen-
eral public to hear what he said. "We
met with the following remarks of this
great ancient in looking over his letter
on old age to his friend Titus Pompon-
ius Atticus, a celebrated Roman knight.
Cicero discourses in this wise :

" I come now to the pleasures of the
husbandman [ and horticulturist, of
course], with which I am excessively
delighted; which are not checked by
any old age, and appear in my mind .to
make the nearest approach to the life
of a wise man. For they have relation
to the earth, which never refuses to
respond to what it is skillfully and in-
dustriously requested to perform, and
never returns without interest that
which it hath received ; but sometimes
with less, generally, though, with very
great interest. And yet, for my part,
it is not only the product, but the vir-
tue and nature of the earth itself de-
lights me ; which, when in its softened
and subdued bosom it has received the
scattered seed, first of all confines what
is hidden within it, from which harrow-
ing, which produces that effect, derives
its name (occatio); then, when it is
warmed by heat and its own compres-
sion, it spreads it out, and elicits from
it the verdant blade, which, supported
by the fibres of the roots, gradually
grows up, and rising on a jointed stalk,
is now enclosed in a sheath, as if it
were of tender age, out of which, when
it hath shot up, there pours forth the
fruit of the ear, piled in due order, and
is guarded by a rampart of beards
against the pecking of the smaller birds.
Why should I, in the case of vines, tell

of the plantings, the risings, the stages
of growth? That you may know the
repose and amusement of my old age, I
assure you that I can never have enough
of that gratification. For I pass over
the peculiar nature of all things which
are produced from the earth : which
generates such great trunks and branch-
es for so small a grain of the fig or
from the grape-stone, or from the min-
utest seeds of other fruits and roots;
shoots, plants, twigs, quicksets, layers,
do not these produce the effect of de-
lighting any one even to admiration?
The vine, indeed, which by nature is
prone to fall and bend down to the
ground, unless it be propped in order
to raise itself up, embraces with its
tendrils, as it were with hands, what-
ever it meets with, which, as it creeps
with manifold and wandering course,
the skill of the horticulturist, pruning
with the knife, restrains from running
into a forest of branches, and spreading
too far in all directions. Accordingly,
in the beginning of spring, in those
twigs which are left, there rises up as
it were at the joints of the branches
that which is called a bud, from which
the nascent grape shows itself ; which,
increasing in size by the moisture of
the earth and the heat of the sun, is at
first very acid to the taste, and then as
it ripens grows sweet, and being cloth-
ed with its large leaves, does not want
moderate warmth, and yet keeps off
the excessive heat of the sun; than
which what can be in fruit on the one
hand more rich, or on the other hand
more beautiful in appearance? Of
which not only the benefits and advan-
tage, as I said before, but also the cul-
tivation and the nature itself delights.
The rows of props, the joining of the
heads, the tying up and propagation
of vines, and the pruning of some
branches, and the grafting of others,

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUMST.

75

which I have mentioned. Why should
I allude to irrigations, why to the dig-
ging of the ground, why to the trench-
ing by which the ground is made much
more productive? Why should I speak
of the advantage of manuring ?

" Nor indeed is rural life delightful by
reason of corn-fields only, and mead-
ows, and vineyards, and groves, but
also for its gardens and orchards ; also
for the feeding of cattle, the swarms of
bees, and the variety of all kinds of
flowers. Nor do plantings only give
me delight, but also engraftings, than
which agriculture has invented nothing
more ingenious.

" I can enumerate many amusements
of rustic life, but even those things
which I have mentioned I perceive to
be rather long, and perhaps tedious.
But you will forgive me ; for both from
my love of rural life I have been car-
ried away, and old age is by nature
rather talkative, that I may not appear
to vindicate it from all failings. In
such a life, then, as this, Marcus Cari-
us, after he had triumphed over the
Samnites, over the Sabines, over Phyr-
rhus, spent the closing period of his ex-
istence; in contemplating whose coun-
try seat I can not sufficiently admire
either the continence of the man him-
self, or the moral character of the times.

" Was then the old age of many
great warriors to be pitied, who amus-
ed themselves in the cultivation of
land? In my opinion, indeed, I know
not whether any other can be more
happy ; and not only in the discharge
of duty, because to the whole of man-
kind the cultivation of the land is ben-
eficial, but also from the amusement,
and that fullness and abundance of all
things which are connected with the
food of men, and also with the worship
of the gods ; so that, since some have a
desire for these things, we may again

put ourselves on good terms with pleas-
ure. For the wine-cellar of a good dil-
igent master is always well stored ; the
oil-casks, the pantry also, the whole
farm-house is richly supplied ; it al-
ways abounds in pigs, kids, lambs,
hens, milk, cheese, honey. Then, too,
the countrymen themselves call the
garden a second dessert. And then
what gives a greater relish to these
things is that kind of leisure labor,
fowling, and hunting, and fishing.
Why should I speak of the greenness
of meadows, or the rows of trees, or
handsome appearance of vineyards and
Olive grounds ? Let me cut the matter
short. Nothing can be either more
rich in use, or more elegant in appear-
ance, than ground well tilled, to the
enjoyment of which old age is so far
from being an obstacle, that it is even
an invitation and allurement. For
where can that age be better warmed
either by basking in the sun or before
the fire, or again be more healthfully
refreshed by shades and waters? Let
the young, therefore, keep to them-
selves their arms, horses, spears, clubs,
tennis-ball, swimming, and races; to
us old men let them leave out of many
amusements the tali and tesserce (dice);
and even in that matter it may be as
they phase, since old age can be happy
without these amusements if they love
the farm, the garden, and the orchard."
" I look upon the pleasure which we
take in a garden as one of the most in-
nocent delights of human life. A gar-
den was said to be the habitation of
our first parents before the fall. It is
naturally apt to fill the mind with calm-
ness and tranquillity, and to lay all its
turbulent passions at rest. It gives us
a great insight into the contrivance and
wisdom of Providence, and suggests
innumerable subjects for meditation."
Spectator, No. 477.

76

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

$rf mxt\ (&M.

CAMPING OUT- LIFE IN THE WOODS-
KILLING DEEE BY NIGHT.

We will endeavor to recall to mem-
ory some adventures and scenes which
took place with us and some compan-
ions, a few years ago. These events
transpired on the Grand River, in Can-
ada West. Most of this river was, with
its heavily timbered shores, then in a
wild state. There were at that time
but few clearings. The woods were
full of game, but particularly of deer.
It was those we were after. And al-
though we hunted this game in the
daytime with dogs, and stationed our-
selves at certain points or natural open-
ing in the forests, we would oftentimes
resort, by way of variety, to what is
called "floating" on these animals by
night — a favorite mode, too, of the In-
dians, who were rather numerous then
in those parts.

We call to mind one night in partic-
ular, and a real inkstand of a night,
too, dark and not windy, and we reck-
oned, before starting, one deer, if not
two, just about as good as dead. We
slipped on our overcoat and grasped a
blanket to defend our knees and guard
against the chill of the night air. There
were three of us, one was a good marks-
man; as to ourselves we had at that
period but little experience with the ri-
fle ; the third was to handle the pad-

dle. The latter duty required consum-
mate skill, which the old boatman
proved himself, on this occasion, to
possess. He seated himself at the
stern, while the marksman took the
oars; we sat in the middle, and our
dug-out skimmed rapidly down the riv-
er, a bend of which soon made us lose
sight of our camp fire. .

Our "jack" was a semi - circular
piece of birch bark, painted dark ; the
top and bottom of wood, with two oil
lamps behind a glass front, and plant-
ed on a wooden handle at the prow.
They were not yet lighted. The black
woods looked threatening, but the wa-
ter, although dark, seemed more com-
panionable sprinkled with the reflected
stars, and even the wilderness did not
appear entirely abandoned, with the
same dots of light glittering among the
breaks in the gloom.

Nor was the solitude completely si-
lent. Now and then came the chirp of
some bird startled by our oars, while
the owl's prolonged hoo hoohoo, hoo
hoohoo o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ah, round-
ing into a deep-throated, peevish caw,
frequently came on the ear. Here and
there a skeleton tree, leaning over,
made a thick black streak in the air, or
a protruding branch dropped an arch,
while dark bulks told the margin logs.
Soon we landed to trim the lamps and
light up the jack. Our marksman ex-
amined his rifle to see all was right,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

77

then seated himself directly behind the
jack, so as to front the water, with his
weapon across his lap.

A red glare played upon the shore
and the stream ahead, while the boat
remained in deep shadow. The un-
natural light dazzles and bewilders the
deer, which frequent the banks and
shallows, and particularly the sloughs
at night, to feed upon the water lilies,
and it strikes them motionless, the boat
and its occupants being concealed in
the gloom. They stand gazing out
from the dark background, quite cov-
ered with the light, affording a near
and generally fatal shot.
- The boat seemed now to glide of its
own volition, our steersman drawing
his paddle so still as not to wake even
the whisper of a bursting bubble.
Once dipped, the paddle is not with-
drawn, but worked by the wrist and el-
bow, noiseless as the fin of a fish.

As we restrained even our breathing
while thus borne along, there was a
wierd effect from the glide, making us
feel, with Hecate,

" Oh, what a dainty pleasure 'tis,
To sail i' the air I"

The water-flies entering the glare of
the jack-light, glittered like specks of
gold, as the broad crimson stream star-
tled up the banks, a gigantic shadow
seemed to chase the boat and swallow
the trees, touching them first, then me-
andering over the branches down to
their very tips.

The red beams flitted athwart the
bushes and water plants of the margin
near us, and turned the bushes into
moving gold, upon which and the
gleaming lily-pads we would rustle sud-
denly, as suddenly leaving for the still
water. A quick dropping shot of
splashes in the shallows told us all of
the startled muskrats as they tumbled
into the water from the logs and bor-

ders. Their little black heads spotted
the water all around the jack's radi-
ance, vanishing, when out of the stream
of light, with the quickness of thought.

We were now gliding across an open-
ing formed by a creek, which ran into
the main river — the Grand. Suddenly
we heard a slight rustling close to the
bank, and two or three light paddling
sounds in the water. Our marksman
raised his rifle and motioned toward a
black thicket. The boat glided up, as
if sentient. The click of our marks-
man's springing gun-lock followed ; we
saw two spots of pale fire in front of an
immense black tree ; our gunner caught
his weapon to an aim ; the figure of a
deer, motionless as a sculptured image,
with head turned toward the jack, start-
ed out ; a rifle crack — the deer sank ;
the boat shot to the bank, and our rifle-
man, drawing his wood knife, leaped
out. The deer scrambled up, fell, and
then lay motionless.

" Its down among the rushes, ohl
with that ven'son!" said our steers-
man, laughingly.

" 'Tisn't nothin' else," answered our
shooter, dragging the doe into the boat
with her throat cut. «' I sent her my
'spects right 'twixt the eyes."

" Old Hundred, and all the folks
jine in," cried the helmsman.

" Oh! Susy was her name,
Sich a purty little dame — Zip! "

After this your humble servant took
the rifle across the knee, and again we
were skimming along the margin, our
late marksman dipping without care, as
no feeding-places were afforded by the
bolder shores now presented.

On again we rustled ; the newness,
the picturesqueness, the romance of the
entire scene, delighted us. Gliding as
if by magic over these wild waters,
hemmed in by the trackless forest ; not
a human creature (but our own party)

78

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

probably within leagues of us ; not one
human habitation; the stars our only
watchers ; our two companions, inhab-
itants of the wilderness, caring for or
knowing little else than its sports and
laughing at its hardships ; the whole
presenting such utter contrast to our
usual experience of life, impressed us
with the profoundest interest. But I
must now relate the effect of our own
prowess. We had now approached a
low point covered with tall dense thick-
ets. The jack-light played upon the
edges, but it was not easy for it to pen-
etrate far inward. Our steersman rais-
ed his hand as warning us to perfect
stillness. We could hear our own
heart beat. A light, quick smacking or
chopping sound within the alders — an
animal feeding! We raised ourselves
cautiously. We peered on this, then
on that side of the jack. Onward we
went. A motionless deer, another doe,
presented her graceful figure, with head
toward us, immovable as if cut in il-
lumined stone.

We aimed with a tolerably steady
hand and anxious eye — the bullet, with
lightning quickness, performed its mis-
sion through the animal's forehead,
which, with a leap high in the air,
dropped earthward ; a violent struggle
for a few moments, and all was still.
We leaped ashore as soon as we could
draw our boat over some shallows, and
performed with the knife the usual
throat incision.

This is not a sportsman feat to boast
of, for this mode of killing deer is not
to be recommended for its skill and
manliness. But it may perhaps be tol-
erated now and then for its novelty,
and striking nocturnal scenery and im-
pressiveness.

But to conclude our narrative of float-
ing for deer : after this last shot we
continued on, our steersman in his turn

taking charge of the rifle. We passed
several low openings gliding along for
a long distance. We peered on all
sides of our jack. At last, another
light paddling sound came, then a
trickle or two of drops. Then the
sound ceased and was instantly resum-
ed. Our steersman saw, as he told us
afterward, in a dense thicket two pal-
ish, but glowing objects or balls. A
hissing sound was heard. He fired
with lightning rapidity, and immediate-
ly with a keen shriek, a large black ob-
ject burst from the bushes, and sailing
over our heads became lost in the dark-
ness.

Our old and most experienced marks-
man, who had killed in this night's ex-
cursion our first deer, now half asleep,
roused himself, though with a good
deal of unconcern, for the whole affair
was nothing new to him, and exclaim-
ed, " An eagle 1"

We glided again for miles down the
river to our camp. It was reached at
length. Two more of our companions
there heard us coming, and though they
had no more idea of music than a brace
of loons, raised with tangling voices
and ear-splitting discord, fragments of
the song beginning with

" Some love to roam
O'er the wild sea foam,
"Where the shrill winds whistle free,
But a mountain la — "

" No, Ralph, you're wrong."

• ' But a chosen band,
In a mountain land,
And a life in the woods for me! "

(With a tremendous roar).

" Oho! ho! ho! ho! ho! ho-o-o-o-o!"

With a sudden drop into a long
groan, and then a blast like a cracked
trumpet, supplemented with the shrill
squeak of an imprisoned pig, at the
sight of our deer.

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

79

REMINISCENCES OF ENGLISH ANGLING.

The following description of fish and
fishing in old England refers to what is
termed " bottom fishing," and not to
taking game fish with the fly. One of
the choicest and most numerous fish
there is the perch {percafluviatilis) which
abounds in fresh- water rivers, lakes,
and docks for shipping. Our perch
(perca -ftavescens) in this country is a
distinct species, but is not much es-
teemed by the most skillful fishermen,
who have a taste for better sport than
they afford. The English perch has
similar vertical dark stripes to the
American above referred to. They,
like the American and all this family,
in which the famous black bass is in-
cluded, take most readily the live min-
now, shrimp, and sometimes the earth-
worm. In England they are found,
also, in large quantities in the lakes
and ponds of the country seats of the
nobility and gentry. We, in our youth,
took large numbers of them from a
half pound to two pounds weight in the
East India Docks, into which they came
from the river Thames, close by. Its
flesh is very white and the flavor sweet,
and is esteemed " a dainty dish to set
before " the Queen, and very light and
wholesome, and physicians allow them
to be eaten by fever patients. The
Germans have a proverb, ' ' More whole-
some than a perch of Rhine." These
fish abound in American waters chiefly
in the north, and afford ready amuse-
ment to the untutored angler.

Another fish which affords much
sport in England is the pike {Esox lu-
cens), there commonly called "Jack,"
which, like "pickerel," is the diminu-
tive of pike. The most common meth-
od of angling for him in England is
either with a " ledger " (still fishing),
or a "walking-bait" (trolling), both

best with a live fish-bait, and sometimes
with a frog. Some use what is called
a spring snap-hook, i. e. , a double hook
so arranged with a spring that on the
line being tightened, the hooks spring
open, and seldom fail to fasten in the
pike's jaws. Then there is trolling for
this fish, as for the black bass, salmon,
etc., with the spoon-bait, which is now
well known. The pike at times, simi-
lar to the bass, etc., will not refuse a
fly, if it be large and gaudy, especially
in a warm* wind that roughens the wa-
ter. It is best to fish for him as for
bass, salmon, etc., from two to four
feet under the surface of the water.
The pike, and mode of fishing for him
in England, are very like that which ia
followed in America, therefore what we
have said regarding him is quite suffi-
cient here. The writer, in trolling,
caught one at Wanstead Park, near
London, which weighed twelve pounds
and a half. There is a fish in England
called the barbel (Gyprinus barbus),
which, although almost worthless for
the table, affords anglers there consid-
erable sport and amusement. It is of
the Cyprinus or carp family. "We have
not exactly the same species in this
country, but our Sacramento "pike"
(lavinia gibbosa) approaches, perhaps,
somewhat nearer to it in character and
habits than any other, unless it be some
of our species of suckers. The weight
of the barbel is from two to eighteen
pounds, though they are said to grow
larger ; they, as some say, having been
caught in the Danube from six to twelve
feet long. The writer has taken many
of them in the Thames near Hampton
Court Palace, the largest weighing nine
pounds and three-quarters. These fish
are caught on the bottom, with " lob-
worms," the place being baited the
previous evening with balls of clay and
worms intermingled. The angling is

80

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

done from a punt or skiff, fastened to
its place with poles, and with rod and
line down the stream. The barbel, as
Izaak Walton says, " affords an angler
choice sport, being a lusty and a cun-
ning fish, so lusty and cunning as to
endanger the breaking of the line."
His baits must be clean and sweet, and
the worms well scoured. Cheese is a
good bait for him. Barbel fishing has
many amateurs among English anglers,
some of whom prefer it to every other
sport of the kind ; but, compared with
salmon and trout fishing, it is but a
dull amusement, for though they run
large, and are a bold-biting, daring
fish, like the Sacramento River " pike,"
there are too many of them ; and though
one does not fish for the gain of the
thing altogether, yet it is a drawback
on the fancy that they are good for
nothing when you have them. " The
least thing that a gentleman can do,"
says an American annotator on Wal-
ton's " Complete Angler," " who has
taken a barbel of twelve pounds weight,
is to take the hook out of his mouth,
and let him run again."

(to be continued).

FISH CULTURE.

Forty years ago there lived in west-
ern New York a very plain and even
hnmble citizen who was fond of fishing.
During the season he would troll for
pickerel in Irondequoit Bay, and when
the time came for the capture of speck-
led trout of the mountain streams, he
could be found rod in hand whipping
the little brooks where the finny tribe
disported themselves. In one of his
excursions into Canada, pursuing his
vocation, he observed the salmon make
their nests in the gravel and lay their
spawn. He saw the richly colored sal-
mon eggs left to the mercy of floods

and freshets, and as tempting food to
all kinds of predatory fish ; he calcu-
lated how infinitely small the chance
would be that any particular egg should
survive all the vicissitudes that would
beset it before it was hatched, and then
how likely the young fry would be to
fall victims to the larger fish. The re-
sult of his observations led him to be-
lieve that he could propagate fish arti-
ficially. Although pisciculture was not
a new science, it was new to him. To
make the experiment he purchased the
control of Caledonia Creek in western
New York, a bright and sparkling trout
stream that rises from a spring, and
running over a gravelly bottom for two
miles empties into a tributary of Gen-
esee River. Here he built his sheds,
tanks, and troughs ; here he experi-
mented until he found he could take
the spawn of trout, and bring ninety-
seven per cent, of it to perfection.
This demonstrated a great food prob-
lem to the world. His first venture of
importance was to stock the Connecti-
cut River with shad. The result was to
rescue the shad family from destruction
and to reduce the price from $40 per
hundred to $3; to change the fisher-
man's lament from scarcity of fish to an
overcrowded market. The work of Seth
Green has now been extended through-
out the country. Fish are becoming
everywhere abundant and cheap ; the
better varieties are now being cultivat-
ed ; barren streams and unprolific lakes
are furnishing food to mankind ; and if
he is a benefactor who makes two blades
of grass to grow where only one grew
before, then Seth Green is also a bene-
factor in placing fish in deserted waters
and bringing healthful food within the
reach of all. What are our Fish Com-
missioners doing? We should be glad
to hear from them. Ought we not to
be receiving shad from our northern

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

81

streams? Ought not trout be more
plentiful in our markets ?

Fish Spawn. — A few weeks ago 300,-
000 whitefisk spawn were sent to this
coast from Lake Michigan, by Prof.
Baird of the United States Fish Com-
mission, for shipment abroad. Of the
consignment 150,000 spawn were sent
to New Zealand, 30,000 to Japan, and
the balance reserved for California and
sent to the hatching establishments
near Berkeley. 100,000 of the last
mentioned were successfully hatched
and placed in Lakes Donner and Ta-
hoe. 100,000 eggs of the speckled
trout were also received at the same
time from New Hampshire, and of the
lot 60,000 have been successfully hatch-
ed. There is another large consign-
ment now in the office of Wells, Fargo
& Co.'s Express, destined for Australia.

MtttuX IVrtwteg.

THE EOSE TREE AND THE PANSY.

A rose tree in my garden grows,
And on it blooms the red, red rose ;
With perfume sweet it fills the air,
And bright its hue, its form so fair.
And by its side a pansy lies —
A flower like wings of butterflies,
Of indigo, and white, and green;
Its colors interspersed are seen.

The sun was shining hot o'erhead,

When to the rose the pansy said :

' ' Your straggling, widespread branches cheat

Me of the sun's bright rays and heat ;

So through the night in cold I lie,

And through the day for warmth I sigh,

All through your selfish, spiteful ways;

But pride, like other things, decays,

And so will yours, for die you must,

And, withering, crumble into dust."

Then quickly answered, stung with pride,
The rose, who thus began to chide :
1 ' How dare you, little puny thing,

With such impertinence, thus bring
Against me charges quite untrue,
And wicked, base, and monstrous, too.
But so it is the world all o'er,
Impertinence is sure to bore
Its friends, and charge its foes with all
The crimes that e'er can them befall."
And thus went on from day to day
This grumbling, till at length away
The summer passed,

All winter through

The snow was deep upon the ground ;

But, covered o'er, the pansy found

A shelter from the biting blast,

Which nipped the rose tree, and at last

Killed it outright and left it dead.

The pansy lifted up its head

When spring returned, erect with pride ;

The mid-day sun his glances plied

Upon it in a streaming tide

Of glowing heat — it drooped and died.

MOVEMENT FOE A BOTANIC GAEDEN.

The Pacific Rural Press contains the
following :

"The idea of a public botanic garden
ia not a new one to our readers. It has
been advanced by our correspondents,
and has lately engaged the attention of
our Legislature. The law-makers did
not favor it, and without arguing as to
whether they were right or wrong, we
express an opinion that a matter of this
kind is a very graceful subject for pri-
vate enterprise and investment, if our
rich men have the disposition to make
it thus. This we learn they have, and
we are informed that there is a reason-
able prospect that a botanical garden
will be established. "We find the pros-
pectus of the enterprise in the Califok-
nia Hoeticttltueist. The following are
proposed: To collect and cultivate spec-
imens of trees, plants, and shrubs of
every kind, whether useful or orna-
mental, that can be adapted to our soil
and climate, and to arrange them in a
botanical garden in such a manner as
to make it a desirable place of public

82

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

resort as well as study, it being the in-
tention to supply to scientific and edu-
cational establishments specimens of
plants free of charge, for subjects of
botanical lessons and lectures. With
the garden it is proposed to connect a
nursery, seed farm, etc., for the raising
and cultivation of various products that
are certain to yield a large profit, not
only amply sufficient to cover the ex-
penses of the garden, but also to make
an excellent return to the stockholders.
For this purpose it is proposed to pur-
chase the establishment now known as
the Exotic Gardens on Mission Street,
opposite Woodward's Gardens, with all
the stock, buildings, improvements,
good will, and lease of land unexpired
(nine years). The location of the Ex-
otic Gardens is most favorable for the
enterprise, and the business itself is so
far established that the actual profits
from rent, the sale of plants, seeds, and
other products, place it in a paying con-
dition. The enterprise, however, does
not represent sufficient capital to carry
out all the requirements. The most
suitable locality for the Botanic Garden
is in Alameda County in the immediate
vicinity of the railroad, so that the gar-
den might be easily reached, and the
products be shipped without inconveni-
ence to any part of the State. The
amount of capital required for the pur-
chase of the Exotic Gardens, with all
the stock and improvements belonging
thereto — the purchase of the necessary
land in Alameda County, and for the
improvements on the land — for laying
out and planting the Botanic Gardens,
and for carrying out all the propositions
above mentioned — will not exceed $130,-
000. For this purpose it is the inten-
tion to form an incorporated company,
with a capital of $250,000, divided into
2,500 unassessable shares of $100 each.
A large list of our prominent citizens is

printed as commendatory of the enter-
prise. So far as we can see it is a
praiseworthy undertaking. We hardly
look for much success to the business
departments which are proposed, nor
should we expect any very large divi-
dends to stockholders. If the other
features were successfully developed,
we rather think the rich patrons of the
enterprise would be fully compensated
by the thought of having done a good
thing for the public. Our money makers
have wider resources from which to draw
dividends than seed pods and flower
pots. They will be content to have the
institution self-sustaining, and to look
elsewhere for dividends."

CALIFORNIA. HARD TIMBER.

California produces naturally but few
varieties of hard timber, and these not
generally of very good quality. The
California oak growing throughout the
valleys and foot-hills is a kind of bas-
tard white oak, very properly designat-
ed the scrub-oak. The old growth of
this oak is brittle and valueless or near-
ly so for manufacturing purposes, and
its use, never large, has been nearly
discontinued except for wood. The
new growth along our river bottoms is,
however, much better, and will do for
many kinds of wood ; but the preju-
dice against California oak is so great
that manufacturers do not find it to
their interest to use it. We have some
black walnuts of native growth along
some of the rivers, but the tree is also
of a scrubby growth, and while the tim-
ber is fair as to quality, the trees do
not grow large enough to make it much
of an object to gather them up and
prepare the timber for manufacturing
purposes. Hence but little of this tim-
ber is used. Of the beech and hard
maple we have none, and none or very

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

83

little of the shag bark hickory, and but
very little of the chestnut. Our ash is
perhaps among our best hard timbers,
but this is not of first quality, and the
quantity grown is quite small. There
are no forests of the ash, and only now
and then a scattering, low, bushy grow-
ing tree aloDg our river bottoms.

With so poor a record of the native
hard timbers, it would hardly be ex-
pected that our climate would be good
for any hard-timbered tree. One would
naturally suppose that our climate
would produce none but hard timber
of an indifferent quality, however good
the variety when grown in other coun-
tries. Experience, however, proves
that such a supposition is not in ac-
cordance with the facts. On the con-
trary, all the hard -timber trees that
have been planted and grown here have
produced as good timber as the same
varieties grown in other climates. The
black locust grown here produces an
excellent timber, equal to the best
from the Atlantic States. The same is
true of the white mulberry and the Os-
age orange. We have personal knowl-
edge of these three varieties. The
white mulberry for fence -posts is as
durable as the red wood and as strong
as the best of oak. It is not so good
as the locust for manufacting purposes,
as when the bark is taken off or the
timber cut up it checks badly. Every
farmer, however, can raise all his fence-
posts of this kind of timber, at a small
cost. The tree does not grow high,
but each one will make a single post at
the age of six years from the seed.
We have seen a large number of these
posts — from one to two thousand — in
use, some of which have been in the
ground for three years, and show no
signs of decay. The body of the tree
may be used with bark on. For all the
uses the farmer may want hard timber

for about the farm, the mulberry is
most excellent. He can make all his
whiffle trees of the small trees, leaving
the bark mostly on, and they are strong-
er, and will last longer than imported
oak. The body of a tree the right size
grown straight makes the best pitch-
fork handle, stronger than any ash, and
more springy and elastic. Rake and
hoe handles can also be made of this
timber grown on any farm.

The black locust grown here has
been tested in Sacramento for wagon-
wheel hubs, and after a use for eight
or ten years is pronounced equal to the
best grown East. The Osage orange
is of a very similar nature to the mul-
berry, but not so liable to check, and
it never shrinks. Experience with
these three hard-wood trees, we think,
may very safely be accepted as a pretty
good proof that the scarcity of good
hard-wood timber in this State is more
owing to the varieties growing natural-
ly here than to any unfavorableness of
climate. As hard woods of all kinds
are becoming scarce and expensive,
may it not be well for our land-owners
and farmers to look into the subject of
introducing and growing hard wood as
a matter of profit? — Bulletin.

EFFECT OF CLIMATE ON PLANTS.

Observations made during the Arctic
Expedition have brought to light one
or two curious facts in connection with
the powers of growth possessed by dif-
ferent plants under varying conditions
of climate. American research has
proved that the seeds of certain plants,
if gathered in one climate and sown in
another, will germinate earlier or later,
and with more or less vigor, according
as the new climate is warmer or colder
than the old. And even a perceptible
change of climate is not required to

84

THE CALIFOENIA HOETICULTUKIST.

show these results ; a difference of a
few degrees only in latitude is sufficient
to do so. For example, Wheat from
Scotland, sown in the south of England,
will germinate and ripen much more
quickly than Wheat of exactly similar
quality gathered in the South and plant-
ed in the same latitude in which it was
grown.

This fact is of the utmost importance
to agriculturists. To secure early-
growing Wheat, it is only necessary to
take care that the seed is gathered in a
colder climate than that in which it
was sown. The process is perfectly
practicable, as it might be so arranged
that the Wheat sown in the North
should not be consumed, but preserved
for seed for the next season in the
South. The same thing is noticeable
among other plants, and florists and
horticulturists might take advantage of
this circumstance to produce both ear-
lier and stronger plants than they do
now, without the appliances for forc-
ing. Another curious fact is that seeds
— especially Wheat — will stand an im-
mense amount of cold without injury.
Some Wheat left in the Polar regions
by Captain Hall of the Polaris, in 1871,
and found by Captain Nares, in 1876,
germinated and produced healthy plants
when sown under glass on board ship.

Captain Allen Young, of the Pan-
dora, has on board his yacht a curiosity
in the shape of a Eose tree, grown in
England, which has been on board ever
since he left England for the Arctic re-
gions. When in the Polar cold the
tree drooped, and, to all appearances,
died ; but as soon as the vessel reached
a warmer climate the Eose tree revived,
and is now in full bloom and in a per-
fectly healthy condition. The func-
tions of life had been suspended while
the tree remained in the cold latitudes,
but they were not destroyed. This

fact is curious, as tending to prove that
a tree which will stand frost at all will
bear almost any amount of cold; and
also that, if its natural growth and de-
velopment are retarded at the proper
season, the plant can not defer the re-
vival of its development till the next
normal period, but will continue its de-
velopment at the first opportunity,
which, in this case, after the intense
cold of the Arctic regions, occurred in
the more moderate cold — the compara-
tive warmth — of an English November.
It will be interesting to see if this plant
blooms naturally at the proper season
next year. — London Country.

HAYE A FLOWEE GAKDEN.

The farmer's home above all others
should be surrounded with whatever is
attractive and beautiful in nature. If
the farmer has the land on which to
raise substantial crops, he certainly
should have the land for the embellish-
ment of home. It is the farmer's boast
that he deals with nature and nature's
laws, and this claim to the intelligent
and appreciative farmer has a real and
elevated meaning — a great significance.
The farmer plows the land, and sows
and covers the seed, but nature makes
that soil produce — the seed to germin-
ate and grow. The bread we eat, the
clothes we wear, and, indeed, nearly all
we have in the way of administering to
the necessities or comforts of life, are
the joint products of nature and the
farmer. To raise grain, meat, and oth-
er substantial articles for the sustenance
of man and beast constitutes the prose
of a farmer's life. If he has any poet-
ry in him, he can appreciate the beau-
tiful as well as the substantial. Nature
has also provided a way for that poetry
to find a living expression — a medium
for that appreciation to be made mani-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

85

fest. Some one has said that flowers
are the poetry of nature. If there is
an art in nature, then that art is exer-
cised in the production of the delicate
forms and beautiful colors of flowers.
The farmer who has no flower-garden
about his house affords nature no op-
portunity to address him or his in the
beautiful language of poetry or art.
The most wonderful of nature's laws to
him and his have no form of expres-
sion. The farmer who has no flower-
garden about his house, has no right or
reason to expect the higher generalities
of mind or soul in his children. It is
said that circumstances make the man.
It is certainly true that the surround-
ings of home have much to do in mak-
ing the child. If those surroundings
are pleasant and beautiful, they lead
the child's mind in the paths of inno-
cence and virtue. The flower garden
is the least expensive ornament the
farmer can surround his house with.
It is the elementary alphabet of na-
ture's laws and nature's teachings for
his children — the first, or title page, to
the great book of nature. If the farm-
er would make his home attractive to
his children ; if he would have them
interested in his calling and inclined to
follow his precepts and example, let
him furnish them with the first induce-
ments in that direction. — Bulletin.

HOW TO USE FLOWERS.

"We often find the value and beauty
of flowers lessened and spoiled by their
unfitness, in regard to times and cir-
cumstances, with which they are often
thoughtlessly or ignorantly used.

Who has not seen, at times, strange
flowers chosen for adverse seasons or
positions — some gay, laughing, flaunt-
ing Poppies, or Dahlias, put to the
gravest most solemn uses, or the blos-

Vol. VII.- 7.

so m from some plant like the Jasmine,
placed to represent the decoration of
some happy event. The button-hole of
a swain decorated with a full-blown
Peony, or Hollyhock, can only indicate
— the more and bolder the show, the
better. Some who read will probably
think what I now write a mere affectation
of sentiment, and ignore altogether the
indwelling spirit of flowers. Call them
so much form, and substance, and col-
or, and scent, and nothing more, there
is still a fitness or unfitness in the use
of them.

The Camellia, for instance, who can
think of it without visions of festive
mirth, brilliant lights, shadowy forms
of beauty, many forms of strength,
with the lines of care and of specula-
tion and of deep thought smoothed
away ? The Camellia is surely the belle
of all flowers during the long winter
season, gracing dinner parties, balls
and concert rooms ; gleaming out in
rosy crimson streaks from flaxen hair,
or showing off its depths of spotless
whiteness among the dark braids of
brown or black. How it shines out in
dull, gloomy weather, prized by those
who possess it, envied by those who do
not! Yet who, with any depth of
thought or kindly feeling, would ever
take or send such to a sick friend — to
one who in pain or weariness lay wait-
ing for the soft summer months, and
the dear summer flowers?

That pure white Stephanotis with its
dark green leaves, waxy petals and deli-
cate perfume, may live and bloom in
the home of the mother of purity and
honor, with her children; and perhaps
by its gentle and refining influence,
make stronger, more heart-reaching, the
kind words of advice; or it may soothe
the griefs which often in quiet lie
heavy on the thoughtful spirit; but it is
out of its fit place amid the noise, and

86

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

talk, and jest, and laughter, and ring-
ing of glasses, in the tainted atmos-
phere of a revelry room, however noted
the occupants may be of renown.

Again, small gardens and narrow
borders are no such place for such
plants as the Dahlia or the Hollyhock.
They not only overshadow all other
plants, but their roots absorb from
others the moisture and food required.
They are, when so placed, like the Upas
Tree, within whose deadly influence
fable tells us nothing would grow. In
large grounds or places where a back-
ground of evergreens, or old dark foli-
aged trees exists, bold large flowered and
foliaged plants, often splendid objects,
show their beauty and form.

Turn we now to the Orange blossom,
which through fashion and long usage
has become known as the bride's pecu-
liar flower, and if it were tried, perhaps
the rule of seeming fitness could not
easily be broken through, for each
maiden in her turn would hold forth
eager, longing hands for it on the eve
of her wedding day, and perhaps think
she was not safely and truly married if
she wore it not. And yet it is not the
fairest or the most bride-like of flowers.
Our remote ancestors knew best why
they fixed upon it; perhaps they had
not a long list to choose from; and yet
they had the Almond, Peach, Apple,
and Plum, whose blossoms are more
pleasing and graceful. The Orange
flower petals are stiff, and its stamens
appear as if they had no purpose in the
world. Point out the Orange blossom
to any young lady with a cultivated
taste for flowers, and who does not
know what it is like — never remembers
to have seen it — and sure enough the
exclamation will be, "Is that an Orange
blossom? That? I wonder they should
make such a fuss about it!"

Then the Rose, fairest and sweetest

of all flowers, whether ifc be the old
Cabbage Rose or the latest, newest and
best, which may be grown to a like per-
fection in the little cottage garden and
in the rosary of acres; which is never
out of place, never unfit, never unac-
ceptable; which may adorn the shop-
keeper's back parlor, or the merchant's
palace; which the poorest as well as
richest lady or maiden may wear with
equal good taste; which all may give
and all accept, whatever their difference
of position, or fortune, or culture may
be, and which is never more touching,
or possessed with a deeper meaning,
than when offered by the poor to the
comparatively wealthy ; surely, of all
flowers, it is the richest, the most beau-
tiful, from its earliest stage of forma-
tion to the drooping down of the last
petals. No wonder it is a favorite, for
it adapts itself to changing circumstan-
ces, and offers its blooms and perfume
without stint or measure; and even in
their dying state the flowers are said to
possess a soothing, healing influence.
In sheltered nooks, in hundreds of gar-
dens, the varied roses open wide their
blossoms almost before the snow has
melted from the neighboring hill-tops;
and bushes covered with a multitude of
buds, wanting only a little dry sunshine
to make them burst out as if to adorn
an Indian summer, which they often
do, continuing in full bloom in many
sections until Christmas. No other
flower is equally fitted for all times and
circumstances. It becomes the bride of
earth or heaven.

Some few there are that are even bet-
ter suited to the house than out of doors,
and when submitted to the influence of
artificial heat and light, add brilliancy
and intenseness to their colors. Again,
there are flowers native to our wilds,
that brought into the garden, no mat-
ter how carefully cultivated, fade and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

87

die away. They are as much unsuited
to the open air and broad sunshine as
the person reared in the couDtry is to
the city; the confined -views, the masses
of brick and mortar are not in conso-
nance with a mind tutored to the grasp-
ing of a beautiful landscape and all of
Nature's varied creations. Better there-
fore to leave the wild flower in its na-
tive home, where it blooms and bends
gracefully on its thread-like stalks,
bravely breasting rain and storms.
There it flourishes without help or care,
a perpetual gladness; and the bees find
in it shelter and food. — Correspondent
Country Gentleman.

TKEE PLANTING IN THE SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY.

The farmers of the San Joaquin Val-
ley should pay as much attention to the
planting and successful growth of trees
as they do to the cultivation of the ce-
reals. There is every reason and argu-
ment in favor of it, and no objection
against it. If cordons of trees a few
miles apart were planted across the val-
ley, a perfect barrier and wind-break
would be formed, preventing the disas-
trous results that are frequently felt in
the grain fields in the drying, wither-
ing, scorching north winds that come
in that critical period when the young
grain is in milk and before it has reach-
ed a safe maturity. A single year's loss
in this valley from the effects of the
north wind would be sufficient to plant
all the trees that could be induced to
live for years to come. The lack of
firewood is another inducement for tree
planting, and the shade that they would
give to stock would go far to alleviate
their sufferings during the heated term,
when the valley is like a fiery furnace.
The trees plentifully and systematically
planted would also effect such a change
in the climate of the valley that its bar-

renness would be transformed to fruit-
fulness, and moisture would be retained
in the soil throughout the year. The
present is the most favorable season of
the year for tree planting, and its pros-
ecution should be given every encour-
agement. Large areas in France have
lately been planted with forest trees on
tracts of land that have become unfruit-
ful for other purposes, and it is said
they are flourishing finely. It is also
reported that 5,000,000 hectares, or 12,-
350,000 acres, equal to one -half the
area of Ohio, have become unproduc-
tive as agricultural lands. Pine trees,
without any cultivation and a very in-
expensive supervision, can be made to
grow upon these barren acres, netting
about $2 50 per acre of annual profit.
This would add to the productive ca-
pacity of these lands about $30,000,000
per annum. Other trees have been
planted with similar economic results,
and now landed proprietors are looking
to tree planting as a means of utilizing
their unproductive acres. — Stockton In-
dependent.

Germination from Old Seed. — In the
silver mines of Laurium, only the slags
left by the ancient Greeks are at pres-
ent worked off in order to gain, after
an improved modern method, silver
still left in that dross. This refuse ore
is probably about two thousand years
old. Among it, the seed of a species
of Glaucium, or Poppy, was found,
which had slept in the darkness of the
earth during all that time. After a
little while, when the slags were
brought up and worked off at the melt-
ing ovens, there suddenly arose a crop
of Glaucium plants, with a beautiful
yellow flower, of a kind unknown in
modern botany, but which is described
by Pliny and others as a frequent flow-
er in ancient Greece. — Lon. Examiner.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

m\tixw\ SPortfattcr.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

We have the pleasure to present our
patrons with a fine and correctly color-
ed picture of two of the best varieties
of the Diospyrus Kaki (Date Plum), or
Japanese Persimmon. We have re-
garded the introduction of this new and
remarkable fruit into California so like-
ly to be important and valuable to us,
that we have described it pretty fully
in two other articles in the present
number of our work. In this place we
will add a few other facts that have
come to our notice regarding this real-
ly wonderful fruit. The trees are as
durable as the Apple or Pear, remain-
ing in full vigor for about 100 years.
It seems to thrive best in a gravelly or
rather light soil. The Japanese state
that it grows best without allowing any
fresh manure to come in contact with
its roots, although this sort of manure
would probably be beneficial applied
to the surface of the ground above the
roots. The wild Japanese Persimmon
is unlike the American, as it is hard
when ripe, but juicy and sweet. It is
propagated by being grafted on the in-
ferior varieties. The best kinds are
found in the interior of Japan, which
is chiefly the reason why it has not been
introduced into this country until now.
The interior was comparatively un-
known till lately, as persons could
travel there only by express permission
of the Government. The Quince, the
Peach, and the Plum were imported
into Japan some years ago from foreign
countries. The Pear was imported
from China, but it was a poor sort.
The natives, singular to say, eat most
of their fruits in a green state, or pick-
led in brine, and they do not seem to
appreciate fine and ripe fruits nearly so

much as we do. We have tasted the
fruit in the shape of a fig, sun dried,
and without the addition of sugar. We
find it sweet, rich, and yet delicate and
pleasantly peculiar in flavor, and are
not surprised at the fruit in all its forms
being so much liked both in Japan and
here.

When grafted, the tree bears in four
years, but a seedling can not be de-
pended upon for any particular variety,
and takes ten years before fruiting.

HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATIONS RE-
CEIVED.

We are in receipt of a copy of the
"Annual Register of Rural Affairs for
1877," published at Albany, N. Y., by
Luther Tucker & Son, and mailed to
any address for the nominal sum of 30
cents. It is the oldest (and now the
only) publication of the kind, and con-
tains 150 pages of practical matter, in-
teresting to every resident in the coun-
try, illustrated with no less than 140
beautiful engravings, almost all origi-
nal. We notice particularly a capital
article on " Practical Ventilation,"
which discusses this all important topic
in a clear and at the same time scientif-
ic manner, giving fully illustrated de-
scriptions of all the improved systems.
Elaborate almanac pages are prefixed,
and a very useful feature is the " Farm-
er's Register," which gives the address-
es of all the reliable dealers in every
thing a farmer needs to buy — live stock
of all kinds, seeds, implements, nur-
sery stock, etc.

" Collie & Stewart's Price Catalogue
of Trees, Shrubs, Plants, Roses, Bulbs,
etc.," cultivated both at Lone Mount-
ain Nurseries, Post and Geary Streets,
between Devisadero and Broderick,
and at an extensive establishment in
San Rafael. Office and salesrooms, 18
Post Street. This long and favorably

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

89

known firm has an extensive business,
and well deserves the patronage of the
public from their practical knowledge
of horticulture, and their excellent
plans of laying out grounds and gar-
dens.

" D. M. Ferry & Co.'s Seed Annual
for 1877, of Garden, Flower, and Agri-
cultural Seeds." This firm are seed
merchants, growers, and importers, at
Detroit, Michigan. It is a very hand-
some catalogue with colored engravings
and beautiful wood -plates of flowers
and vegetables.

" Illustrated Catalogue of Plants for
1877," from Wm. A. Harkett, Dubuque,
Iowa. Illustrated and complete in va-
rieties of all flowers, shrubs, etc.

" Descriptive Catalogue for 1877,"
from Wm. Rennie, Toronto, Canada.
Neat and handsome, with fine cuts of
flowers and vegetables, and printed on
nice rose-tinted paper. The Grand
Prize medal at the United States Cen-
tennial was awarded to the proprietor
for garden and other seeds.

" Catalogue of Flower Seeds and
Bulbs for 1877," E. Wyman, Junior,
Rockford, 111.

" Spring Catalogue of New and Rare
Plants for 1877, '' including greenhouse
and bedding plants, grown and for
sale by Storrs, Harrison & Co., Paines-
ville, Ohio. This catalogue is beauti-
fully embellished with fine engravings
of flowers, bulbs, etc.

" Schedule of Prizes ordered by the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society for
18.77."

WILD FLOWEES.

The wild flower is the earliest thing
of beauty which every child that treads
the hill, mountain, or canyon in the
country, or wanders by the brookside,
takes to itself. It loves the flowers as

it were by instinct ; and this love is
the best and surest portal to the mem-
ory ; cultivate it, and you will find how
quickly the young will learn and re-
member, not the names merely of their
favorites, but much of their botanical
history, provided only that these things
are taught, not as a school-room task,
full of long names and technicalities,
but as the pleasant out-door lesson, in
which the affections are engaged as
well as the intellect. Thus may be
laid in the young mind a love for the
natural sciences which will never for-
sake it, and which may, in after years,
prove a solace and resource amid the
cares of life's battle, or, perchance, a
real service in that battle itself. Nay,
more, the time is coming fast when no
man or woman will be considered prop-
erly educated who is ignorant of the
leading facts, at least, of the natural
sciences, and when the knowledge and
study of these natural revelations from
the great Maker and Author of all will
rank second only to a true and rational
religious feeling, and correct moral ac-
tion. A subject, moreover, in which,
as in all branches of natural history, is
involved much instruction, as well as
of interest and amusement. Instruc-
tion far beyond the mere knowledge
connected with its immediate objects ;
instruction to the young mind in hab-
its of accurate observation directed to
special purposes in the power of distin-
guishing minute distances, and in the
faculty of perceiving general resem-
blances. Such power of discrimination
is a common want, and in no way is it
better supplied than by the cultivation
of natural science in almost any one of
its departments. This attention to the
study of our wild flowers can hardly
be better employed in any other way as
a wholesome mental discipline for our
young folks.

90

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

A NEW FEUIT FKOM JAPAN.

We consider this hardy fruit
tree a very desirable acquisition
to our pomology, to be planted
at that elevation from low valleys
most free from frost, although it
is most likely that it will stand
any common frosts here. In Ja-
pan this kind is said to be unex-
ceptionably one of the finest and
most valuable of their fruits. The
people seem to use it as freely as
we do the Peach, and in almost
as great a variety of ways. At
all seasons of the year they may
be bought preserved in the same
manner as Smyrna Figs, and look-
ing not unlike them, and every-
where enter largely into the do-
mestic economy, as well as inter-
nal commerce of the people. It
has been crossed and grafted in,
and recrossed until it is to Japan
what the Apple is to America;
and. in season, is comparatively
one of the best and most useful
fruits of the country. The fruit
exhibited at Mr. Trumbull's seed
store on Sansome Street in this
city is about as large as a medium
sized Orange or Apple. The variety of
this fruit in Japan is remarkable, though
but two or three varieties, to the best
judges there, seem to be especially de-
sirable for cultivation in California.
One of them is a large round-shaped
fruit something in shape like the Rhode
Island Greening Apple, hard fleshed,
and is mostly eaten as one eats an Ap-
ple, having many of its characteristics.
Its color is rich golden, or rather, per-
haps, orange, and the meat juicy, vin"
ous, and firm. It ripens in November,
and keeps well until March. We think
it in all respects a desirable fruit for
such climates as this State, Georgia,

OSPYKUsS EAKI, OK JAPANESE PEKSIMMON.

South Carolina, Florida, and a portion
of Alabama.

The second variety is described as
more oblong than round, resembling in
its shape almost exactly a minnie rifle
ball. This is a deeper, darker shade
than the other; soft, sweet, and cus-
tard-like, and is usually eaten with a
spoon as one eats a custard. These
have been seen, we are informed, in
Japan as large as an ordinary sized tea-
cup, two to two and a half inches in di-
ameter, and from point to top from
three to three and a half inches. This
fruit ripens the last two weeks in Oc-
tober, and is the variety mostly dried and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

91

prepared like Figs for market. It is
evidently a rather delicate fruit, and
very much liked by those who are fond
of sweet fruits. The tree is rather of
upright growth, and, without reference
to fruit, is valuable as an ornamental
tree.

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

Evergreens may be trimmed at al-
most any time, although we consider
the months of March and April partic-
ularly favorable to this operation.

Gooseberry and Currant bushes
should have been pruned two months
since, but care should be taken to de-
stroy all young shoots making their
appearance from the roots. These take
away a good deal of nourishment from
the plants, and also form too good a
protection for all sorts of insects, slugs,
cutworms, etc.

In the cultivation of Raspberries,
growers must bear in mind that it is
the last year's growth which will pro-
duce the fruit of the coming season ; it
is therefore most important that not
more than from three to five young
shoots should be allowed to develop
themselves ; more than that number
will weaken the plant, and prevent the
obtaining of thrifty stocks for the next
year.

Blackberries should be cut back se-
verely to secure superior fruit.

The planting of additional vegetable
seed should be delayed until the weath-
er is more settled ; clayey soils in par-
ticular are unfit at present for the re-
ception of any kind of seeds. The
weather has been very favorable, how-
ever, for the transplanting of Cabbage,
Cauliflower, etc.

The planting out of ornamental and
shade trees has increased considerably
during the last month, but we are sor-
ry to say that they consist chiefly of

Eucalyptus and Cypress. "We are of
opinion that very little judgment is used
in the selection of trees for ornament.
"While we have advocated the planting
of Eucalyptus as a useful timber tree in
some situations, as near railroads, and
public ways, roads, and other thorough-
fares, and where rapid growth is a de-
sideratum, we insist upon the superior-
ity of many other species, as well as
some fruit trees, for ornamental pur-
poses. Fruit trees of themselves form
good screens from winds, and there
seems no necessity for so much employ-
ment of Monterey Cypresses and Euca-
lypti for that purpose. "Walnut trees
in about eight years will make very
handsome trees, and produce well, and
the Fig is fast growing and immensely
productive, and the fruit is becoming
more and more in demand, and the
surplus makes capital fattening for
hogs. "W. B. "West, of Stockton, one
of our most experienced nurserymen,
strongly urges the planting of the Fig,
Pecan, "Walnut, and fruit-bearing trees
in many situations, in preference to the
Eucalyptus, "Willow, or any such stuff.
He says:

"Don't let any nurseryman humbug
sell you Monterey Cypress or Eucalypti
for hedges ; they must, of course, to
attain such great growth, use up a
great deal of land. I see that the man
on the south side of my lot has a row of
Poplars on my line ; they will raise bor-
ers enough for the whole colony. I
never saw any use for a hedge around
a vineyard. They are better and less
liable to mildew without it. Fig trees,
Peach, Apple, etc., certainly do not
need protection. Try to induce every
one to plant only useful trees, except
on the avenues and a little ornamental
patch before the house. Have the
shade-trees around the house Fig or
Mulberry, or something equally as

92

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

good. I am led to this train of thought
by seeing so many of my neighbors'
improvements, such as Eucalyptus, 60
feet to the first limb, affording about as
much shade as a telegraph pole ; Lom-
bardy Poplars, ten years old, all used
up by borers, and falling every gale —
all their beauty gone. My Walnuts,
six or eight years old, are fine ; Pecans
are beautiful trees like the Hickory. I
have them four years from the seed 14
feet high. The American and Persian
Mulberry do well with you ; are good
shade and fruit-bearing trees. The Fig
is my favorite, and they are finding a
market in spite of the prejudice against
them. More California Figs have been
sold this year than ever before, and at
better prices ; they will pay to feed to
hogs. The amount of Figs which an
old tree will bear is wonderful."

The Alia says:

" This is good advice under the cir-
cumstances. It is addressed to the
founder of a horticultural town, sup-
plied with a good soil and an abund-
ance of water, and laid off in small lots,
designed to be the home of a separate
family. All the streets are to be lined
with trees, which the superintendent
selects. The Fig is an excellent tree ;
the State has not one-tenth as many as
she should have. The Olive is nearly
as good in every respect, save its slow-
ness of growth. The Eucalyptus, Mon-
terey Pine, and Monterey Cypress have
their merits, especially in places where
fruit-trees are not wanted ; but they re-
quire much space for their support.

" The Central Pacific Eailroad Com-
pany intends to plant Eucalyptus on
both sides of its roads in the fertile val-
ley lands."

Never allow the surface of the soil,
n a pot or in the ground, to be long
without stirring, unless it be naturally
very open, as is the case with peat.

"When you pot a plant remember to
give nearly one -fourth in height of
crocks (broken pots), or other drain-
age, to the other three, or a little more
of compost or soil, and cover the drain-
age with a little gravel or coarse soil
the size of shot, to keep the compost
from getting down into it and choking it.

Train or support all your plants in a
natural manner. Climbers do not look
well hanging about, and trailing plants
should be made to climb. Grow each
as it would grow naturally, and supply
only in such cases what nature does not.

Rapid growth makes a mild flavor,
slow growth a strong one ; therefore
grow vegetables quickly, and fruits
moderately. The exceptions are only
where size is valued -higher than flavor.

"When stable dung, intended to be
used for manure, can not be turned
into the soil at once, but has to be left
in heaps, it should be mixed with an
equal quantity of soil, and the whole
heap be covered with about three inch-
es more, to absorb any ammonia that
may be thrown off. Never leave stable
dung about in heaps, if it is intended
for manure. The pungent smell ob-
served near one arises from the am-
monia (its most powerful fertilizing
property) passing away into the atmos-
phere. The heap will rapidly shrink
as the gases formed by decomposition
escape into the air, and the residue
will be comparatively worthless, as the
excessive heat engendered by want of
proper care will have caused the heap
to " burn." To prevent this, and to
secure a gentle steady heat, for form-
ing a hotbed and similar purposes, the
heap should be frequently turned,
shook out, watered if too diy, and each
time the outside should be turned in.

When plants are to be taken up from
the open border for the purpose of pot-
ting, they should be prepared for the

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

93

change by thrusting down a sharp
spade or garden trowel all round a cir-
cle of each plant the size of the pot in-
tended to be used. The plants should
be watered well, and sheltered if neces-
sary ; and in the course of a week or
two new roots will have formed within
the ball of earth left undisturbed, and
the potting may be done with safety.

Carefully preserve the fallen leaves
of trees, and procure as many as you
can ; add to them the sawdust from
about your firewood trestle, and then
an equal bulk of cattle-droppings ; and
when the whole are mixed and rotten
you will have a valuable vegetable
mould, forming a special manure for
Azaleas, Rhododendrons, etc.; and by
adding a little sand and some good gar-
den soil, you will have an admirable

potting earth.

— ♦ —

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

The best kinds of Peaches, and the
most proper mode in the cultivation of
Peach trees is very important, as that
fruit is a great favorite with the public,
and there are too many inferior sorts,
and too little judicious cultivation in
vogue among growers and fruit raisers.
There has been but little change of late
years in the list of reliable and stand-
ard fruits. The liability to rot in Hale's
Early, just at ripening, has greatly les-
sened its value, and we recommend
caution in planting it extensively.
Cooledge's Favorite is a reliable and
valuable sort in most localities. Craw-
ford's Early has a wider approval in
the country than any other Peach.
Crawford's Late stands well, but is
rather an indifferent bearer in some lo-
cations. The old Red-cheek Melaco-
ton is usually regarded as superseded
by these, but still has a good deal of
merit as a market sort. Stump the

World is not too late for our latitude,
and is an excellent Peach. Oldmixon
Freestone succeeds well here, and the
Large Early York is a popular earlier
sort. Among the new sorts, Amsden
and Alexander are well worth trying on
a moderate scale, on account of their
extreme earliness combined, with desir-
able qualities. We advise our fruitists
to write East to a few well known and
reliable nurserymen (such as are adver-
tised in the Hokticultukist during the
last three months), inclosing postage,
for their retail or descriptive catalogues,
from which may be ascertained the
most popular sorts, prices, etc., or our
cultivators may apply to some of our
best nurserymen in California for the
same purpose, these latter having the
great advantage of the test of the Cali-
fornia soil and climate. With regard
to the culture of Peach orchards, the
best method is to plow shallow, or to
only a moderate depth in spring before
the buds start, and after that to use the
harrow and cultivator, hoeing immedi-
ately round the stems of the trees. On
your richest lands, some small mutila-
tion of the roots in early spring will do
no harm, but it should not be done
when they are in leaf and growing.
The best Peach orchards we have seen
in this State were kept in cultivation —
with hoed crops when the trees were
small, and with no crop when they be-
came large. The depth of the plowing
must depend on the character of the
soil ; if shallow with sterile subsoil, the
plowing should be shallow, but on a
deep, rich soil, common plowing will
do no harm. The treatment must be
adapted to the condition of the trees ;
if they are vigorous, and throw out an-
nual shoots a yard long, they are grow-
ing well enough ; if the growth is much
less, you should either cultivate more
or top dress with manure.

94

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The "Cherry" is our best Currant. It
is very large, productive, tart, and un-
rivaled for jelly, for which purpose it is
raised in some of our valleys in im-
mense quantities, and they find a ready
market. Their large size and fine red
color make them very attractive in the
show windows in the stores, or in our
markets. The bush grows short, joint-
ed, and very stout, and on every bush
is one or more limbs of the last year
without growing buds. This is a sure
sign of the genuine variety.

The "White Grape Currant is not so
profitable, and not such a bearer, but
an excellent fruit for the table and for
hand eating, being pleasant and not
very acid.

Currants prefer a cool and rather
heavy soil, well manured and cultivat-
ed. These two latter conditions are ab-
solutely necessary to insure a good
crop; also must the three-year old wood
be cut out, the young wood bearing the
best crops.

The Black Currant is now seldom
grown, as very few people like that pe-
culiar musky flavor. It used to be
raised for jelly, but this, too, has to
some that disagreeable taste.

Of wild Gooseberries we have quite a
variety in the woods in California. We
saw some very large ones near the Big
Trees, but upon tasting they were found
nothing but seeds and a thin shell. The
Houghton and Downing Seedlings are
the most profitable ones for the market.
The English kinds are difficult to raise,
requiring a peculiar soil, climate, and
cultivation to keep them free from that
sad pest, the mildew. In one or two
localities in Napa Valley, and a few
other places, they are grown suc-
cessfully, and, when perfect, they ob-
tain a large price in market for the des-
sert.

The prevalence of warm and pleas-

ant weather during the second week of
last month (February) had a percepti-
ble effect upon the vegetable market, in
bringing forward new varieties, and in-
creasing the receipts of others. The
first Cucumbers came to hand early in
the first week of February, and brought
50c. to 75c. each. They were of course
raised under glass, and we have seen
some very fine ones raised very early
in the season at Mr. Harmon's beauti-
ful place and residence, Oakland, by
Mr. Turnbull, the skillful superintend-
ent of his garden and conservatories.
Asparagus and Green Peas came for-
ward freely about the same time, and
prices were lower. Potatoes were plen-
tiful at $1 to $1.50 per 100 lbs., by the
sack. New Potatoes, 3c. to 4c. per lb.
The market was never so heavily stock-
ed with California Oranges as at about
the first and second weeks of last month.
The generality of them were small,
thick-skinned, and rather acid, and
bore no comparison to the Mexican,
which arrived here early in January.
Toward the end of February these Cal-
ifornia Oranges commenced to improve
in size, were thinner in the skin, and
much sweeter, and thus the quality im-
proving there was no difficulty in dis-
posing of this late crop at remunerative
rates. Apples continued abundant at
$1 to $2, but choice Pears were scarce,
and retailed at $3 50 by the box. The
best Apple at this time of the winter is
the Newtown Pippin, which does not be-
come so speedily mealy as most other
kinds, and retains its juice better. The
best Pear and the juiciest is the Win-
ter Nelis. It possesses a high and
rich flavor, and is in great demand
among the best judges of fruit. It
keeps juicy for a long time, and is one
of our best winter Pears.

Owing to the mildness and geniality
of the weather the crop of early vege-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

95

tables about the 23d of last month
(February) was brought forward rapid-
ly. Asparagus was much increased in
quantity and improved in quality, with
some considerable decline in prices.
Some more Cucumbers made their ap-
pearance since their first coming in,
but their cost was much of the fancy
order. Potatoes continued plentiful at
$1 to $1.50 per 100 lbs. by the sack, de-
livered. New Potatoes, in small quan-
tities, were 3c. to 5c. per 100 lbs. The
incident of most interest in the fruit
market the third week in February was
the arrival of the first Strawberries of
the season. The consignment came
from Santa Clara County, and consist-
ed of two pounds. Apples were unu-
sually plentiful for the season, selling
by the single bos at $1 to $2. Pears
were scarce, notwithstanding that the
last crop was very large, a condition of
things due to heavy shipments to the
Eastern States. Oranges and other
semi-tropical fruits were abundant at
previous figures.

About the beginning of this month
(March) a reduction of prices took place
as usual at this season of the year, in
almost all of the varieties of vegetables.
Asparagus, Green Peas, Rhubarb, and
Mushrooms were all more plentiful.
Only a limited supply of Cucumbers
made their appearance during the first
week of the month, but prices for them
continued high. The price of Potatoes
was somewhat firmer, though the best
could be obtained by the sack at $1 to
$1.50 per 100 lbs., delivered.

That standard paper the Commercial
Herald and Market Review furnished on
the 1st of March the following report :

The first Strawberries of the season
arrived during the past week ; they
were grown in the open air, and came
from Santa Clara County. The con-
signment consisted of two pounds only,

and brought $2.50 per lb. Reports
from all parts of the State indicate that
the present outlook for a large fruit
crop never was more favorable. "Win-
ter Apples are plentiful. The steamers
Ajax and Geo. "W. Elder from Portland
brought 3,122 boxes of Oregon Apples.
Sales on the wharf at auction by the in-
voice ranged from 50c. to $1.25 per box
— averaging 80c. to 90c. per box. Con-
signments of Oranges from Los Ange-
les by railroad and steamer continue to
come forward freely, and they all find
ready sale, especially those well select-
ed. Limes are a shade better. Our
vegetable market shows a noticeable
improvement in various supplies now
coming forward freely, particularly As-
paragus. More Cucumbers have come
to hand. The " Champion of England"
Sweet Peas are to be seen at all the
stalls. New Potatoes are more plenti-
ful. Apples — Choice, $1 to $1.50 per
box ; common, 40c. to 60c. Eastern
Cranberries, $15 to $17 per barrel.
Pears, choice, $2 to $3 per box ; cook-
ing, $1 to $1.50. Oranges— Los Ange-
les, $8 to $30 per M. Lemons — Sicily,
$7 to $10 per box ; Los Angeles, $10 to
$15 per M. Limes, $6 to $10 per M.
Bananas, $2 to $3. 50 per bunch. Pine
Apples, $6 to $8 per dozen. Cocoanuts,
$5 to $6 per 100. Dried Fruit— Ap-
ples, 4Jc. to 6c. per lb.; Peaches, 7c.
to 10c. per lb.; peeled, 16c. to 18c;
Pears, 7c. to 8c. per lb.; Plums, 3c. to
4c. per lb.; pitted, 12|c. to 13Jc;
Prunes, 13c. to 17c. per lb.; Figs,
black, 5c. to 7c. per lb.; California
Raisins, $1.25 to $2.25 per box, $1.50
to $2.50 per hf box, $1.75 to $2.75 per
qr box. Vegetables — Cabbages, 50c.
per ctl. ; Cucumbers, $4 per dozen; As-
paragus, 10c. to 12Jc. per lb. ; Marrow-
fat Squash, $12.50 per ton ; Green Peas,
7c. to 8c. per lb. ; Sweet Peas, 10c. to
12^c. per lb.; Garlic, ljc. to 2c. per

96

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

lb.; Mushrooms, Gc. to 10c. per lb.;
Carrots, $6 to $7.50 per ton ; new Po-
tatoes, 3c. per lb.

DON'T ENCOURAGE THE ENGLISH
SPARROW.

Some years ago the English sparrow
Avas imported into New York for the
purpose of clearing the trees in the
parks of caterpillars. These birds did
good service. They were isolated, and
not having any fruits within reach they
fed on worms, in fact, cleared the trees
of caterpillars. Some time ago the
same bird was introduced in this city,
and took possession of Portsmouth
Square. He has been quite at home
here, living upon insects and such
scraps as he could pick up. But the
English sparrow will not eat insects
when he can get grain or fruit. It is
the most quarrelsome of birds, resem-
bling the blue jay in. his antagonism to
all other birds. The sparrow breeds
rapidly, is a gross feeder, and one of
the most destructive fruit birds known
to ornithologists. He drives away the
whole class of insectivorous birds, and
then riots on fruit as long as it can be
found. Now, with these facts well es-
tablished, the sparrow is a bird not to
be domesticated or encouraged any-
where except in the public squares of
large cities. In the country he will
turn out to be a pest which the farmer,
especially the fruit-grower, will only
be too glad to have exterminated.

It is said that the Superintendent of
the Plazas has application to send these
birds to the country, and that one of
the more recent applications is from
Sonoma County. Now, every fruit-
grower in that county has an interest
in keeping these birds out. They will
do a thousand times more mischief
than enough to balance all possible
gain. Wherever the noisy, quarrel-

some English sparrow is domesticated,
the whole thrush family disappears.
They can not live together. The
thrushes are a very numerous family,
and include nearly all the best song
birds of California. These are all in-
sectivorous birds, including the whole
family of linnets, which are a better
kind in every respect, and much more
desirable about a house or garden than
the English sparrow. In Australia,
where the latter has been domesticated,
he has been found to be a pest, which
with the rabbit, which was also import-
ed, fruit-growers and farmers are con-
sidering now how to exterminate. These
facts ought to be carefully considered.
"Whoever introduces the English spar-
row to a country town or ranch, intro-
duces a nuisance of an aggravated kind.
This bird thrives better than any other
in the parks and public squares of a
large city. There let him remain.
But the seventeen-year locust and En-
glish sparrow are not wanted in the
country. — Bulletin.

California Grapes. — Among the fu-
ture industries of California Grape cul-
ture is destined to take an important
place. Our soil and climate are espe-
cially favorable to the development of
this industry, and the astute vineyard-
ist who selects the choicest varieties,
and sets aside all those with inferior
qualities, is laying the sure foundation
for financial success. While speaking
of this matter we call the attention of
vineyardists to the superiority of the
Muscat over the Mission Grape. For
table use, as a fruit for curing, and as
a fruit for wine making the Muscat is
far in advance of the Mission Grape,
and it commands in market at least
double the price of the latter ; and yet
in a vast Grape producing region the
Mission Grape is almost wholly under

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

97

cultivation, when with much larger re-
sults the Muscat might be as easily
grown. There is no comparison be-
tween the wine made from the Muscat
Grape and that made from the Mission.
If wine made from the former was
abundant, that produced from the lat-
ter would be an absolute drug in the
mai'ket. The Muscat also possesses
peculiar fitness for raisin-making, and
last season sold readily for that purpose
for very nearly $20 per ton. And if it
will with almost absolute certainty
command that price, why cling to the
inferior Mission Grape, which will
yield, at most, not over half that sum ?
The Muscat may be substituted by de-
grees, till finally the inferior Mission
Grape shall be entirely supplanted by
the invaluable Muscat variety. When
that time arrives California will rival
the Old World in its rich wines and
unlimited supplies of tempting native
raisins.

--a . -,-

Mechanics' Institute Fair. — The pre-
mium list and rules for the Twelfth In-
dustrial Exhibition under the auspices
of the Mechanics' Institute, to open on
the 7th of August next, and continue
for one month, have been published in
a pamphlet. No charge is made for
space, and reasonable quantities of
steam and water are to be free for ex-
hibitors. The premiums, which will
number 709, including 600 medals, and
the remainder money prizes, will be
given for merit only. These money
prizes are generally in sums of $5 or
$10, and are to be awarded for flowers,
ornamental plants, fruits, vegetables,
hairwork, needlework, embroidery, pat-
terns, shell work, canned fruit, jellies,
and pickles. The two largest cash pri-
zes, $250 each, are offered for the best
painting in oil by a local artist, and for
the best display of paintings by any ex-
hibitor.

(Sditotfat <8temumj£.

Tropical Fruits in Napa and Sonoma
Counties. — The Santa Rosa Democrat
has an article on the cultivation of Or-
anges, Lemons and Almonds in Sonoma
and Napa counties. That Almonds will
grow and mature well in the thermal
belt found in the mountains of these
counties, we think, is beyond question.
In the valleys, where late frosts occur,
the Almond crop has sometimes failed,
but no failure is recorded in the higher
altitudes. The fact should be exten-
sively known and acted upon. No more
profitable crop can be grown than Pa-
per-shell Almonds. At eight years old
the trees yield from 200 to 300 pounds
each. From 150 to 200 can be set out
on an acre. As the Almonds fetch from
20 to 30 cents per pound in the United
States, the annual profit on an acre of
full-bearing trees will be seen to be
very considerable. In Napa County
experiments have been very successful.
We recently mentioned the growth of
Oranges in the open air in Napa City.
At an elevation of 1,000 feet above the
valley, however, fruit of all kinds grow
to perfection. A visit to Napa Soda
Springs will convince any one of this
fact. Within a radius of twenty five
feet at the Springs may be seen growing
the Pride of China, a Plum tree, a Rose-
bush, Grapevine, Oleander, Eucalyptus,
Cypress, and Pear trees. This shows
the genial character of the climate. The
Oleander, which in the East is a pot
plant, here grows in the open air to the
size of a tree. Oranges mature in the
open air at Napa Springs, the golden
fruit showing prettily all the year among
the green foliage.

Horseradish. — A good way is to
plant in rows two feet apart, placing
the sets eighteen or twenty inches

98

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTJLTUKIST.

therein. The soil should be deep and
rich. The sets are pieces of the small
roots which are cat off of the main
root in preparing it for market. Four
or five inches is a good length for sets.
They should be covered about two inch-
es, end up. To dig, trim, and wash
150 pounds is a fair day's work for a
hand. The quantity which dealers buy
at one time for retailing is small, be-
cause it dries up quickly when out of
the ground.

China has its big trees as well as Cal-
ifornia. About thirty miles from Nik-
ko, an avenue of Sugi, or Cedar trees
begins, and, with an occasional break
where there is a village, it reaches the
whole distance to the shrine of Lycyas
— the longest avenue of shade in the
world. These great trees are from five
to seven feet in diameter at the base,
and tower without a branch forty or
eighty feet, and then lift their heads
forty or fifty feet higher. They resem-
ble the giants of the Tosemite. The
trunks are faultlessly straight, and the
bark as deeply veined. There are
about thirty thousand trees on this av-
enue, and all of them were planted aft-
er the foundation of the shrine, about
'250 years ago.

Age or the "Big Trees." — Now the
scientists are quarreling over the age
of the mammoth Sequoias of California,
some trying to make out that there are
specimens which are at least four thou-
sand years old, and others claim that
the biggest of them are only twelve
hundred to fifteen hundred years.
Well, gentlemen, suppose we cut off
two thousand years from the age of the
specimens now living, how many thou-
sand years did it take to make the soil
beneath them, or how long ago were
the ancestors of the present race of

trees created? The present growth of
saplings, however old, are but the de-
scendants of a much older ancestry.

How to Pack Ripe Peaches. — Quite as
much pleasure has been felt upon being
informed of the satisfactory condition
of such soft fruits as ripe Peaches and
Nectarines, after a journey of 800 miles,
as in winning a well-contested prize at
a flower show. The plan which has
proved perfectly successful, and which
is now invariably followed whenever
fruit is sent by rail, is to wrap each
bunch of Grapes or fruit of other kinds
in soft tissue paper, surrounding it with
a slight padding of sweet bran as the
fruit is placed side by side in a box.
The paper is put upon the fruit in plain
folds, and not twisted into hard corners,
which may press into the next fruit and
spoil it. Much care is taken to have
each fruit thoroughly enveloped in bran,
which is also settled into as compact a
mass as possible by slightly jarring each
box upon the packing bench after the
top layer is put in, and when it is quite
full, a sheet of paper is put upon the
bran, and the hinged lid closed by
hooks and eyelets of copper wire, and
securely corded. If this excellent old
method is only done correctly, all risk
of failure is avoided. — London Journal
of Horticulture.

To Vine-Growers. — We would cau-
tion the owner's of vineyards not to be
in too big a hurry to prune their vines.
If pruned thus early, the first sap that
begins to flow will enter the buds next
below the point where the canes are cut
off, swelling them, so that the very first
few warm days they will burst and
throw out foliage and fruit spurs, and
the crop for the season will be gone.
These open and dry winters are the very
ones in which Jack Frost lingers late in

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

99

the spring, and in which he generally
does the greatest damage. It is safer
to defer pruning the vines till all dan-
ger is past. Or, if it cannot be done
consistently with business, then go
through the vineyard doing the larger
portion of the work, but leave those
canes upon which you elect to have this
year's crop grow untouched, except to
trail them along the rows out of the way
of cultivation. Carry off the severed
canes, clean up, and plow and cultivate
the vineyard, and put all things to
rights. Then in April, when Jack Frost
has left the State for the season, go
through again, which maybe done very
rapidly, cutting back the bearing canes,
and all will be safe and ready for a
good crop.

Plant Flowers. — Every owner of a
house and piece of ground should beau-
tify them with shrubs and flowers. It
costs but little — an hour of a night, or
a morning, or an odd day now and
then, will do a great deal. There can
be no excuse for a lack of beautiful sur-
roundings to a home where the soil and
climate are so prolific in favors as here.
Flowers should bloom around every
habitation. They add to the pleasure
and comfort of all who come in contact
with them, and especially exercise a re-
fining influence on children. Plant
flowers then by all means.

Vines can be made to perform no
small part in beautifying the farm and
home. If there be about the farm-
house a dead or scraggy tree, do not
cut it down, but plant about it a few
hardy herbaceous vines, and sooner
than you imagine it will be covered
with beautiful festoons of green, and in
the fall with crowns of glorious hues.
The gardeners and superintendents of
public grounds are practicing this new

mode of ridding the beautiful places of
unsightly dead trees or stubs. Wood-
bine, Clematis, and Bittersweet are
largely employed, and can be obtained
at little or no expense, and the effect is
surprising in its improvement. The
house can be made glorious by planting
roses of variegated colors in profusion.
A trellis can be cheaply constructed
against the side of the house, and soon
covered with vines that will make it a
rival of the bowers of royalty. Unsightly
out-houses can be hidden from view by
using a little skill in planting these
climbers about them ; fences, ledges,
bowers, or any device you may desire,
can be made to serve as an ornament
and add to the value of the property.

When and How to Eat Fruit. — When
fruit does harm it is because it is eaten
at improper times, in improper quanti-
ties, or before it is ripened and fit for
the human stomach. A distinguished
physician has said that if his patients
would make a practice of eating a cou-
ple of good Oranges before breakfast,
from February to June, his practice
would be gone. The principal evil is
that we do not eat enough of fruit ;
that we injure its finer qualities with
sugar ; that we drown them in cream.
We need the medicinal action of the
pure fruit acids in our system, and
their cooling, corrective influence. —
Medical Journal.

A natural curiosity attracts the at-
tention of the passer-by on the road be-
tween Lansing, Michigan, and the Ag-
ricultural College. It is a Cherry tree
six inches in diameter, growing up
through the crevice in a large rock,
which crevice at the time the seed fell
in it was an opening not much larger
than a pipe -stem. The heavy rock is
gradually opening year by year to make
room for the expanding trunk.

100

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Plants from Cuttings. — The Ameri-
can Institute, after a thorough discus-
sion of how to grow plants from cut-
tings, finally arrived at a set of conclu-
sions which may be summed up in a
few words, thus: Always bear in mind
that a high temperature is necessary to
grow plants from slips. They will sel-
dom strike roots when the thermometer
marks below 60 degrees, and that is
probably why so many fail. The best
material to start cuttings of any kind
in is clean washed sand. If in the
ground, make a hole an inch or two
across and fill it with sand. Grape
propagators use nothing but sand and
water at first. When roots start, the
cuttings are changed to other pots fill-
ed with rich compost.

An Alden fruit-drying house is near-
ly finished at Santa Rosa, and others
have been commenced at Auburn and
Santa Rosa. The Riverside establish-
ment is planned with special reference
to the production of raisins. Profes-
sor Hilgard finds that the Alden fruit
is much sweeter than the sun-dried, but
has not fully satisfied himself of all the
causes of the difference. It is certain
that, in slow drying, some of the sugar
changes to alcohol, and is thus lost;
and acids may be formed by fermenta-
tion.

Snails ok Slugs. — A resident of Stock-
ton states from practical experience that
ten pounds of lime to a barrel of water
will make lime water with which, if the
water is sprinkled from a watering-pot,
no snails will be left alive to devour
the vegetation. He says lime water or
solution of quick lime of the ordinary
kind used by bricklayers and plaster-
ers for making mortar, sprinkled upon
them will cause their instant death. A
Irop of lime water is sufficient to kill a
snail.

The red spider is a very annoying
pest, and is getting to be very plenti-
ful and troublesome in California, on
many kinds of plants, in doors and out.
Tobacco smoke will kill them, also soap
suds and cayenne pepper. Fumigation
with tobacco or sulphur is the resort
for their destruction by gardeners when
they infest plants in greenhouses.

The following is given as a poor
man's breakfast, near Colton, San Ber-
nardino Valley, California : Tea, sweet-
ened with pure, white, strained honey,
thick cream and bread, milk, eggs,
Hubbard Squash, ham, Pomegranate,
black Hamburg Grapes, Flaming To-
kay Grapes, green Figs and Peaches.
Cost of breakfast for man and wife, fif-
teen cents.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
For the Month ending February 28, 1877.

(Prepared for The Hobticultubist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BAROMETER.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.17 in.

do 12m. 30.17

do 3 P. M 30.16

do 6 p.m 30.15

Highest point on the 20th at 12 m 30.34

Lowest point on the 28th at 6 p. m 29.85

THERMOMETER.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 55°

do 12 m 61°

do 3 p.m 62°

do 6 p. m 57°

Highest point on the 19th at 3 p. m s 66c

Lowest point on the 6th at 9 a. m 49°

SELF -REGISTERING THERMOMETER.

Mean height during the night 48°

Highest point at sunrise on the 1st 56°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 15th 43°

WINDS.

North and north-east on 11 days; south and south-west
on 6 days; north-west on 4 days; east and south-east on
7 days.

WEATHER.

Clear all day 10 days; cloudy on 7 days; variable on
11 days.

RAIN GAUGE. Inches.

1st 0.21

2d 0.03

12th 0.68

20th. 0.01

22d 0.04

25th 0.12

26th 0 . 05

Total 1.14

Previously reported 7.57

Total up to date 8.71

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL, 1877. No. 4.

THE JUJUBE (ZIZYPHUS).

BY G. P. EIXFOED.

The Buckthorn family, Ehamnaceoe,
includes over two hundred widely dis-
tributed species; represented in South
America by the beautiful genus Ceano-
thus, in Europe and Asia by Zizyphus,
in South Africa by Phylica, and in Aus-
tralia by Pomaderris.

The Jujube (Zizyphus vulgaris and Z.
jujube), are the species of most interest
to the fruit grower. The former is a
native of Syria, and is extensively dis-
tributed throughout the south of Eu-
rope, north and western Africa, and
western Asia. This species was intro-
duced into California from France three
years ago, and was planted in Sonoma
Valley, where the trees have made a
vigorous growth, and produced the
first crop of fruit last season.

It is naturally a prickly, entangled
shrub, but may be trained to form a
small tree ten or twelve feet high. The
twigs and small branches are of a red-
dish brown color, and the whole plant
is armed with strong, sharp thorns an
inch in length. The leaves are small
and of a delicate green, and the blos-

Vol. VII.- 7.

soms minute but fragrant. The fruit
is of the size and shape of a large Olive,
and when ripe is covered with a smooth,
reddish, tough skin like that of the
Date, which it somewhat resembles in
flavor. It has a sweet or sub-acid pulp,
surrounding a hard, oblong seed which
contains a little oily kernel. The dried
or preserved fruit is known in the mar-
kets of the south of Europe as Jujubes,
and is much used in France, Spain, and
Italy as a sweetmeat on the table, and
is said to be an invariable accompani-
ment in the peasant boy's lunch basket.
The well known Jujube paste of the
shops, when genuine, is made of it,
though the inventive genius of the age
produces a mixture of gum-arabic, su-
gar, water, and a little coloring matter,
without a particle of the fruit, that is
disposed of as the " Simon Pure " pate
de Jujubes.

The tree succeeds in almost any soil,
if not too wet, and is perfectly hardy
in this climate. It is easily raised from
cuttings, seeds, or suckers, the latter
coming up in abundance around the
old trees. Seedlings come into bear-
ing in six or seven years, and suckers
and cuttings in two or three. The
shrubby habit of the plant and its arm-

102

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ament of sharp thorns renders it well
adapted for the purposes of a hedge
plant. Planted thickly it would pre-
sent an effectual barrier to any animal
larger than a squirrel, and would
doubtless continue to yield its annual
crop of valuable fruit. According to
Theophrastus, this shrub, or Z. lotus,
was so common on the island of Loto-
phagi that a Roman army, on its way to
Carthage, subsisted for a time upon its
fruit. We would not recommend that
it be extensively planted, as the fruit
is not likely to prove as acceptable as
the more popular -varieties now culti-
vated, but it is well worth a place in
every garden for the sake of its delicate
foliage and general attractiveness, while
its fruit is by no means unpalatable or
valueless.

Z. jujube is extensively cultivated in
India and China, and there are said to
be sixty varieties of the fruit, all differ-
ing in size, shape, and color. Some
kinds are oval, others flat, and there
are free-stone and cling varieties as in
our Peaches. The tree in its native
country reaches a height of twenty-five
to thirty feet, blossoms in January and
February, and ripens its fruit in June
and July. In a dried state the fruit is
often seen in the shops of the Chinese
quarter of this city. It would doubt-
less succeed in some portions of this
State without protection. It has al-
ready been introduced, and plants are
now growing in the conservatories at
Woodward's Gardens.

Z. lotus, another species, native of
south and western Africa, is of less in-
terest for its fruit, though of some im-
portance in its native countries. The
berries are of a yellow color and nutri-
tious. They are converted into a kind
of bread, and a beverage is manufact-
ured from them. This fruit is suppos-
ed to have formed part of the food of

the ancient Lotophagi. This variety
has hooked spires, and is a rambling
growing shrub. There are other spe-
cies, including Z. sinensis, which pro-
duces the fruit sold in the European
markets as Japonicas, of more or less
importance, which are worthy of a trial
in California.

A SAN LORENZO FRUIT FARM.

The spring is opening fast, is rather
early this year, and vegetation general-
ly, and the blossoms of many fruit trees
are putting forth, and some fruits are
already forming. The hillsides and
the meadows have assumed the emerald
tint so pleasing to the eye. The whole
air is filled with the perfume of the
fruit bloom and of the cultivated and
wild flowers. The sun is warm, and
the innumerable tribes of insects are
swarming around. The sweet songs of
birds are gratifying to the ear. Thus
we found it on a late visit to the coun-
try not far from the shores of our mag-
nificent bay. Mr. Lewellyn has a fruit
place of about 150 acres in orchards of
different kinds of fruit. The chief is
the Cherry, which thrives on this rich
bottom land with a wonderful vigor and
health. Most of these trees were plant-
ed by his father some 20 years ago.
One of them — a May-duke — is over two
feet in diameter three feet above the
ground. These cherries branch off
low from the earth's surface. Such a
promise and profusion of blossoms and
fruit already formed can hardly be
equalled probably in any other part of
the world, and what is better, and dif-
ferent from the East, is that there is
never here any rainy weather at the
time of ripening to create rot and so
destroy them, and there are no insects
to puncture and gum them, or mar
their exceeding beauty. In front of

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

103

the dwelling, and among the parterres
of flowers and choice shrubs, there are
about twenty handsome sweet Orange
trees covered with golden fruit and
their flowers just commencing to bloom
out. They are about 18 years old.
There is no trouble with Oranges in
this location and soil after they are
about 3 or 4 years old. But for several
years after the young trees are planted
they should be protected from frost by
some sort of covering, as it is found
that frost has the most injurious effect
on them the nearer they are to the
ground. Near the house we observed
a large black Mulberry full of fruit, and
forming a grand and wide natural bow-
er, the limbs drooping gracefully all
round, and extending about twenty
feet from the trunk on all sides. This
fertile alluvial soil does not suit alto-
gether the Almond, it making too rank
a growth, and the bottom lands being
more subject to frosts than the hills
some 400 or 500 feet higher. This
year, however, there is a good prospect
of there being a large crop of Almonds,
as there has been very little, if any,
frost since the last rain about the be-
ginning of March. The English Wal-
nut is a gigantic tree here, and like ev-
erything in this rich soil and genial
clime, grows rapidly. Among the
most luxuriant and splendid flowers in
the beds fronting the house are two
large Camellias with a profusion of
white blooms with pink stripes. The
borders of the flower compartments are
formed of the most healthy and highest
dwarf Box we have yet seen in this
country. Plums do well here, espe-
cially the German Prune, which is
quite profitable. The Yellow Egg and
Coe's Golden Drop are also successful
sorts as regards sale profits.

Mr. Lewellyn remarked that if his
predecessor, who planted most of the

fruits, had only known 20 years ago as
much as is known now with regard to
the most suitable and valuable fruits,
the fruit business would now be vastly
more remunerative. This soil is too
rich and the land is too flat for success-
ful Grape culture for wine. Strawber-
ry, Raspberry, and Blackberry cultiva-
tion is equally futile for the market, on
account of irrigation having not yet
been entered upon. The best varieties
of Apples and Pears do well — particu-
larly the Newtown Pippin of the form-
er, and the Bartlett and Winter Nelis
of the latter.

Mr. Meek and Mr. Hathaway have
fruit farms adjoining, the first having
in all about 3,000 acres, 450 of which
are in orchards of large and some of
the small fruits. Mr. Hathaway, also,
has a large body of land in all the
kinds adapted to this locality, but space
will not admit of a description of these
splendid and extensive places in our
present number.

CULTURE OF THE VERBENA.

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.
Cutout around 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 Ge-
ranium 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 pot plants, set them so that

104

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

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 produce the best seed,
especially the scented 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 troubling yourself about your
own seedlings. This is more the prov-
ince of the professional 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 soil sufficiently,
especially if done yearly. The plants
that have blue, purple, and white col-
ors 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 varie-
ty 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 Verbena make it the
most popular bedding plant in cultiva-
tion. We here give the names of a few
of the best : Verbena Hybrida, auricu-
lar flowered, New Striped Italian, Pure
Blue, Pure Scarlet, Montana, Blue
Bonnet, Grail Hamilton, President,
Queen of Stripes, King of Scarlets,
Grand Victor, King of Purples, Snow

Flake, Scarlet Circle, with endless oth-
ers, old and new.

THE ANCUBA JAPONICA.

This handsome and attractive shrub
forms one of the most common, but no
less desirable of plants in all the gar-
dens and on all the lawns and shrub-
beries of England and Europe general-
ly. We have been surprised to observe
how few of them are to be seen of any
respectable size in California, where we
have a climate so favorable for them as
well as for all varieties of vegetable
fife. The Ancuba Japonica is not suf-
ficiently hardy for outdoor cultivation
in the Eastern portion of the United
States, where no tender evergreens like
it will stand their winters. The reason
why we have at present no plants of
this shrub of any large growth is, that
the florists and nurserymen here who
first ordered it from the East, were not
fortunate in their plants being in a
healthy condition ; but now we ob-
serve many flourishing well, and of a
good size for transplanting. In some
catalogues and works of botany this
shrub is termed Spotted Bay. Its
large, evergreen foliage, beautifully
blotched with golden yellow, makes it
welcome everywhere when once well
known. It matters little what may be
the kind of soil or the aspect selected
for it, the Ancuba will generally thrive,
though it prefers a strong loam and
rather sunny spot when choice can be
made; for grouping, or as an isolated
specimen, it is equally useful ; it bears
cutting to almost any extent, and is
consequently in the Old World some-
times used as a hedge-plant; cuttings
strike freely under a hand-glass in sum-
mer or spring, and layers offer a ready
means of propagating. We commend it
to all ornamental gardeners.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

105

gad mn\ 6uu.

TROUT FISHING IN CALIFORNIA, AND
THE BEST LOCALITIES FOE IT.

The season of the angler's enjoyment
has come, and the lovers of this truly
captivating sport may now be found
with " deadly killing fly" or bunched
worm, seeking to superinduce widow-
hood and orphanage upon the beau-
teous tenants of the waters. In regard
to fishing for trout with a fly, it is un-
doubtedly the ne plus ultra of all skill
to be shown in the art ; and although ■
without doubt the trout will at differ-
ent times and at certain hours of the day
prefer one kind of artificial fly more
than another, still we think that such a
variety of flies as many consider neces-
sary is carried to an excess of refinement
in this country, and that four or five
flies all the year round — a green, a yel-
low, a red, and a brown — are all that
are really necessary, the size of the fly
only being varied. Perhaps three more
flies should be added to the list — a
black, a dun, and the almost indispens-
able white miller, which in the (to the
angler) happy hour between sunset and
dark, has proven often the most useful
of all, and then this view would be sub-
stantially correct. Our best fishing
tackle stores now furnish all the flies
that can be wanted, and it is useless
waste of time, unless the fisherman has
plenty of it at command, to be making

his own flies, or imitating any particu-
lar natural fly that he may observe in
his haunts, or near or dropping on the
streams. In the early part of the sea-
son more trout may sometimes be killed
with the green drake than with any other
fly; but for all the days of the fishing
season we believe that the number of
flies above named will be ample on this
coast.

There are two kinds of fishing for
trout — with the fly, or with the worm,
grasshopper, or pieces of fish. There
are several hours in the day when the
sun is shining very brightly, and when
there is no wind whatever to make a
curl upon the water, that no fly will
tempt the trout to rise for it, or, if they
should, to take the hook. It is then
that the above baits come into good
service, and though many of the veteran
and most scientific sportsmen sneer at
worm-fishing as utterly beneath the no-
tice of the practical angler, yet this
fishing with the worm and other sue.
cessf ul baits is not generally understood
by the mere fly-fisher, and will bear cul-
tivation by them. It is much practiced
of late years, both in Europe and Amer-
ica, and here clear water worm-fishing
is a worthy branch of the angler's art,
particularly when, while out on a fish-
ing excursion, and on a river or creek
abounding in the coveted beauties, no
fish will rise to a fly, and your basket
can not be filled by any other method.

106

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

It is almost superfluous to observe
that any hook used for trout should be
dressed on fine, transparent gut. No
natural fly has a long white appendage
resembling the thread of gut or coarse
line by which some would-be anglers
attach their flies to the casting line.
For much fished streams, flies tied on
very coarse gut are useless, and worse.
Some of the old fellows to be found ly-
ing perdu for prey in some deep hole by
the side of the bank are wary and shy;
if you can persuade him to rise at your
fly or other bait at all, it will be before
he has obtained more than an indistinct
glance at it. The trout that scrutinizes
your bait so closely as to perceive your
tasteful combination of dyed feathers
and tinsel, or your wriggling worm, in
their finer effects, will not help to fill
your basket.

Now as to the most favorable, con-
venient and nearest places to resort to
from this city. Our peninsula of San
Francisco cannot boast of trout in its
few running streams; but the three
lakes leased by our Sportsman's Club,
Pilarcitos, San Andreas, and Merced,
are fairly stocked with several kinds of
fish. Pilarcitos is well supplied with
brook trout, San Andreas with salmon,
and Merced tolerably with both salmon
and Tahoe or Truckee trout, the last of
large size. The fish there may be all
caught either with the fly, bait-fishing,
or the spoon-bait or trolling. In San
Mateo County, after a few hours' jour-
ney, are San Mateo Creek ; below the
San Mateo is the San Francisquito,
Stevens' Creek, near Blackberry Farm;
Congress Hall Creek, at Saratoga, seven
miles from Santa Clara; Pilarcitos
Creek, Spanish Town ; Purissima, Pom-
ponio, San Gregorio, Territos, Pesca-
dero, Butano, and at Santa Cruz. In
Alameda and Marin are Fruit Vale
Creek, Wild Ca.t, San Pablo, San Le-

andro, Alameda, Calaveritas, Smooth,
Isabella, and Arroya Honda, and main
Alameda. In Marin County, Paper Mill
Creek, White, Novatto, Nicasio and La-
gunitos. In Napa, Lake and Mendocino
counties are found trout streams which
have been much less abused than those
we have first mentioned. This is owing,
of course, to their much greater dis-
tance from the city, a day or two's
travel being necessary to reach their
head waters. These rivers are the Wal-
halla, Big River, Noyo, Navarro, Dry
Creek, Russian River, Little Dry Creek,
in Sonoma County; Big Sulphur, and
Squaw Creek. These latter two are
within easy reach of Cloverdale. At
much greater distances are Lakes Ta-
hoe, Donner, Independence, Summit,
Walker, Fallen Leaf, Cascade, and
many others, all full of trout weighing
from one pound up to as high as thirty
pounds. All our mountain streams in
Middle, Northern, and Southern Cali-
fornia are alive with the much -coveted
and game denizens of the waters. To
wind up, the farthest and greatest fish-
ing locations are the McCloud and Up-
per Sacramento rivers, where the famous
" Dolly Varden" trout are to be had.

REMINISCENCES OF ENGLISH ANGLING.

The carp (Cyprinus Carpio) is a very
common fish in some of the English
streams, but is more especially an in-
habitant of lakes and ponds which are
well stocked with aquatic weeds and of
clayey or marly sides. It is much more
a vegetable than a carniverous feeder.
It has been said of it —

" Of all the fish that swim the wat'ry mead
Not one in cunning can the carp exceed.
Sometimes, when nets inclose the stream, she

flies
To hollow rocks, and there in secret lies.
Sometimes the surface of the water skims,
And springing o'er the net, undaunted swims.
Now motionless she lies beneath the flood;
Holds by a weed, or sinks into the mud."

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

107

In fishing for him in ponds and rivers
in England, particularly in the warm
months, we have found him to be a shy
and rather dainty fish, but his cunning,
so much spoken of, as regards taking
the hook, is, perhaps, somewhat exag-
gerated, though he is sometimes, at
special seasons, indisposed to the bait,
as he is the least inclined to animal
food of all fishes. Its tenacity of life is
very great. In Holland and Germany,
where it much abounds, they sometimes
suspend them in a damp cellar in nets
full of moss, which is moistened with
milk, and the fish not only live, but
grow fat. All writers agree in attribut-
ing to them great longevity, even to 150
years, though they become white with
age, when they are young being a
golden yellow, with large scales.

There are several species of carp,
some of the finest being found in Hol-
land and G-ermany, where they are kept
fresh for sale in tanks. They were im-
ported into this country in 1832, in
Orange County, New York, and did well
in ponds. Some were put into the Hud-
son River, where their produce was ta-
ken by fishermen, and they seemed to
flourish still better than in ponds. A
few years ago some were brought to
California and placed in General Valle-
jo's and Mr. Poppe's ponds at Sonoma,
where they have reached quite a large
size. This sort is better than some
others for the table, but they can not
compare with the sea salmon and brook
trout for fine flavor, richness, and free-
dom from bones. These fish are still
being imported into the United States
and to this coast, and but very recent-
ly a lot arrived here. They are best
suited for ponds, and where the water
is rather of a warm temperature, being
different from the salmon family in this
respect. They breed several times in
the course of the year. Some have been

known to be a yard long, and to weigh
twenty or thirty pounds. They are also
long-lived. We have found them in
England to bite best in warm weather.
They take more freely earth worms,
gentles or maggots, or a paste made of
wheat flour, honey or sugar, than any-
thing else. We found that they, like the
barbel, bit best after the locality where
we fished was baited with a ground -
bait of balls of bran mixed with worms
and clay, or any garbage, as chickens'
entrails, or the like.

There are many fine specimens of this
handsome fish in the aquarium at Wood-
ward's Gardens, and they seem to be
very hardy there.

The fish of this genus imported here
are known as the Karpfe-Kcenig, or
Carp King, and the Spiegel-Karpfe,
which is the English, the mirror or
leather carp.

None of the carp family, or cyprin-
oids, are "first class" fish, but, as
Professor Baird said, as long as it makes
food similar to the Sacramento River
"pike," as it is called, for some one —
the Chinaman, for instance — and does
not consume other fishes, like the true
pike or pickerel (Esox), that might serve
the same purpose, it is well to import
them. In short, we consider the intro-
duction of the carp as very desirable,
and we hope for its successful intro-
duction. The eel, too, in its great value
for food, and abounding in phosphorus,
would also be a grand acquisition to
this slope, were it not held a good deal
in detestation by sportsmen and anglers,
on account of its very unpleasant ma-
neuvres before it can be detached from
the hook; but to all pot-hunters and
food-seekers it would be glorious and
acceptable prey.

It is said that the netting of trout is
now practiced in open violation of law.

108

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

THE SALMON OF EEL EIVER.

Editor California Horticulturist: —
As is generally understood, there are
now three varieties of the salmon genus
that ascend the waters and tributaries
of Eel River, Mendocino County, for
the purpose of depositing their spawn.
These are individually known in this
community as the "hook-bill," "large
blue salmon," and the "spring" or
"silver salmon." The latter is recog-
nized by various titles in different lo-
calities along the coast, but has received
the appellation of Salmo Mendocinensis
from Dr. Gibbons.

About the first of October the hook-
bill and blue salmon enter the mouth
of the river (this time varies but little
in different seasons), and appears on
the spawning grounds from the middle
to the last of December, the hook-bill
species being about two weeks in ad-
vance. But the unprecedented appear-
ance of the large salmon, unaccom-
panied and not preceded by the hook-
bill, on the spawning grounds, or within
eight or ten miles of their limits, on the
7th and 8th of November of last season,
calls for comments in regard to their
unusually early appearance, and the
causes and influences that prompted the
action. If they came up so early this
year, why do they delay other years?
The streams had immediately risen, and
were less swollen at that time than
commonly twenty days later, when they
seem to disdain to appear. Why should
they practice procrastination one year
and reject it another ? From what fol-
lowed, it is evident they availed them-
selves of a very propitious time for their
rapid movement; for these first rains
were followed by fifty-five days of clear
weather, giving their spawn ample time
to complete the incubation, so as not
to be destroyed by the turbulent floods

that so frequently follow. Had they
remained in the central portions of the
streams, waiting the floods that came in
the latter part of June, they would have
become, as the term is used, " worn
out," and the greater part have .,epn
unable to fulfill the functions of their
aspired destinies. So it seems they
possess some faculties or means of pre-
dicting the future. As they dwell in
but one element, there are but few
things that can come under their fore-
sight or appreciation that could have
any influence on their predictions of the
future weather. I attribute it to the
temperature of the water. That they
are very susceptible to any change in
the temperature of water, all piscicul-
turists well know. The rains of the
latter part of October were very warm,
the mountains free from snow, and
warm, clear days followed. The tem-
perature of the water was advanced to
52 or 57 degrees. Had snow fallen on
the mountains to lay after the rains had
ceased, the water, as a necessity, would
have been 15 degrees lower, and the
rapid changes in the temperature of the
atmosphere of day and night would
have occasioned great agitations in the
air, speedily terminating in winds from
the south and west, laden with vapors
that rapidly condense where brought in
contact with the colder currents of air.
So I have concluded and believe that
the salmon become very successful in
their instinctive prognostications, from
their exceedingly accurate susceptibility
of any change in the temperature of the
element in which they dwell.

J. H. Clarke.

THE SPOKTSMAN'S CLUB.

The Sportsman's Club of California
was organized for the accomplishment
of a good and much-needed work, and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

109

we believe that it has done much to-
ward carrying it out. Without the jeal-
ous vigilance of such an organization
there would be serious danger that our
woods and hills would be speedily de-
populated of game, and our streams of
fish. The ordinary pot-hunter is not
much given to reflecting upon general
principles. He does not concern him-
self about the future, or the rights and
interests of those who are to come after
him. He thinks only of the present,
and of his own immediate convenience.
He is apt to regard game laws as being
made in the interests of a coterie of
sportsmen belonging for the most part
to the class blessed with wealth and
leisure, whose feelings and interests are
in antagonism with those of the poorer
classes. Hence he is disposed to evade
and violate those laws whenever it can
be done with a prospect of impunity.
But men of larger views will have no
difficulty in understanding how serious
an injury would be done to the State
by permitting the wasteful and wanton
destruction of game and fish. Thou-
sands of Eastern and European sports-
men are attracted to California by the
fact that within its boundaries there are
a multitude of streams abounding in
salmon and trout, vast expanses of
marsh lands frequented by countless
flocks of wild ducks, geese, rail, and
snipe, and forests which harbor deer,
bear, and an immense variety of game.
In fact, with a rigorous enforcement of
wise and judicious game laws, Califor-
nia will be for a hundred years to come
the paradise of the hunter and the
sportsman . — Chronicle.

VIOLATIONS OF THE GAME LAWS.

"We are glad to see that some of the
interior papers are giving warnings con-
cerning violations of the game laws.

The following from the Russian River
Flag is just what is needed: "Else-
where we publish the game law and
penalty for its violation. The warning
given last week against the use of Giant
powder for the destruction of fish is
again repeated, and if the offense is
continued, prosecutions will commence
under the law mentioned. Residents
within a few miles of town inform us
that within a few weeks the banks of
the streams near their ranches were lit-
erally strewn with dead and decaying
fish, killed by Giant powder explosions.
This wanton destruction is a reproach
to the community." "We hope that
prosecutions will be had for what has
already occurred.

The amended game law, which passed
the last session, forbids the trapping of
quail, or any interference with their
nests. It shall be unlawful for any
person to catch or kill a prairie chicken
before September 1st, 1879. It shall
be unlawful to catch or kill game birds
of any kind between the first day of
April and the first day of September of
each year. It shall be unlawful for any
person to catch, kill, or have in his
possession, any deer, elk, antelope,
mountain sheep, or goat between the
first day of January and the first day of
July of each year. The limit of penalty
is $200 fine and six months' imprison-
ment. The Act also protects at all
times sparrows, blue birds, blue jays,
thrushes, mocking birds, swallows, red-
breasts, cat birds, rovers and humming
birds.

To Destroy Grubs. — A weak solu-
tion of carbolic acid (about half a doz-
en drops to a gallon of water) will de-
stroy worms and grubs in flower-pots
without injuring the plants. Paraffine
(diluted) is also said to have the same
effect.

110

THE CALIFOENIA HOETICTJLTUKIST.

MuM %Vt\t\t$.

AMEEICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

The American- Pomological Society
(organized 1848) having accepted the
invitation of the Maryland Horticultur-
al Society, the undersigned give notice
that the sixteenth session of this nation-
al association will be held in Baltimore,
commencing "Wednesday, September
12th, 1877, at 10 o'clock a. m., and con-
tinuing for three days.

All Horticultural, Pomological, Agri-
cultural, and other kindred Associa-
tions in the United States and British
Provinces, are invited to send delega-
tions as large as they may deem expe-
dient ; and all persons interested in the
cultivation of fruits are invited to be
present, and take seats in the Conven-
tion.

It is confidently anticipated that
there will be a full attendance of dele-
gates from all quarters of our country,
thereby stimulating more extensive cul-
tivation by the concentrated informa-
tion and experience of cultivators, and
aiding the Society in perfecting its Cat-
alogue of Fruits. This Catalogue in-
cludes fifty States and Territories, most
of which have their columns filled with
a great amount of information as to the
fruit adapted for culture in the respect-
ive locations. Many of these are yet
incomplete ; and it is the object of the
Society, from year to year, to fill the
blanks, and bring its Catalogue nearer
to perfection. To accomplish this ob-
ject as fully as possible, the Chairman
of the General Fruit Committee, P.
Barry, Esq., Rochester, Ns Y., will
send out the usual circulars of inquiry ;
and it is desirable that these inquiries
should be answered at an early day.
The various State and Local Commit-
tees are urged to respond to the circu-
lars as soon as practicable.

The coming session will derive a spe-
cial interest from its location in the
midst of the great fruit-growing region
of the Atlantic coast, and also from the
fact that it is the first meeting held
since the expiration of the first century
of our national history. It is desired,
in this connection, that the Vice-Presi-
dents of the several States, Territories,
and Provinces, should furnish or pro-
cure, as far as possible, short historical
sketches of the rise and progress of
fruit -culture in their respective dis-
tricts, from their settlement up to the
year 1876, to the end that the forth-
coming report may give a complete
view of the pomological history of the
various parts of the country. State and
local Horticultural Societies are re-
spectfully requested to co-operate and
aid in this work.

Arrangements will be made with ho-
tels, and, as far as possible, with the
various railroad lines terminating in
Baltimore, for a reduction of fare.
Wherever possible, it would be best
that such arrangements should be made
by the various delegations with roads
in their localities, as rates made by
Baltimore roads will apply only to their
lines.

Members, delegates, and societies
are requested to contribute collections
of the fruits of their respective districts,
and to communicate in regard to them
whatever may aid in promoting the ob-
jects of the Society and the science of
American Pomology. Each contribu-
tor is requested to prepare a complete
list of his collection, and to present the
same with his fruits, that a report of all
the varieties entered may be submitted
to the meeting as early as practicable.
By vote of the Society, no money pre-
miums will be offered ; but a limited
number of Wilder Medals will be
awarded to meritorious objects.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Ill

At the same time, from Sept. 11th to
14th inclusive, the Maryland Horticult-
ural Society will hold a Grand Exhibi-
tion of Fruits, Plants, Flowers, and
other products of Horticulture, by
which an increased interest will be giv-
en to the occasion.

Packages of fruits, with the names of
the contributors, may be addressed as
follows: "American Pomological So-
ciety, care of William B. Sands, Balti-
more."

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. Life-mem-
bers will be supplied with back num-
bers of the Proceedings of the Society
as far as possible.

Marshall P. "Wilder, President,

Boston, Mass.

W. C. Flmjg, Secretary, Moro, 111.

THE SPANISH WALNUT.

Messrs. Littlefield, Webb & Co. re-
cently received a sack of nuts from Mr.
Charles Camden, of Tower House,
Shasta County, that are a novelty in
this market, and have attracted consid-
erable attention. Thinking that infor-
mation in regard to it would be of in-
terest to many readers of the Call, we
requested Mr. Camden to send us the
history of the tree. Following is his
reply:

" Tower House, )
Shasta Co., Cal., March 9, 1877. j

" Yours of 2d inst., requesting that
I would give you the history and organ-
ization of the tree that produced the
nuts you saw in the house of Messrs.
Littlefield, Webb & Co., San Francisco,
duly received.

" Sixteen or eighteen years ago, Mr.
Tower, the then owner of this place,

planted a variety of nuts in nursery, in-
cluding the English and black walnuts,
butternuts, hickory, chestnut, pecan,
and the nut that produced the kind you
refer to, but where he procured them I
can not say. He, or the gardener, at
the time, denominated them the 'Span-
ish Walnut,' and we give them the
same name still, whether properly or
not, I can not say. The tree is a very
thrifty grower ; one now measures 44
inches in circumference. It develops
in very handsome form, after first turn-
ing to shape, and needs no pruning, the
limbs producing no surplus laterals.
The foliage is a lighter green than the
English walnut, with a narrower and
longer leaf, bears the fruit in strag-
gling clusters, and carries ten or a
dozen to the bunch ; matures and bears
earlier than the English walnut, and is
more productive and regular, and the
nut has a thin hull or husk. The fla"
vor, as you observe, is something like
the butternut, but it is far less oily, and
much superior, in fact, a most excel-
lent nut in taste, although hard. The
shell is thin, full and sure kernel, and
the skin covering free from bitterness
and objection. On the whole a fine ac-
quisition to the nut family. The nuts
you saw are hardly up to a fair aver-
age, the trees having overborne, and
they not receiving proper attention as
to irrigation.

Respectfully yours,
Chas. Camdex."
The nut is in shape somewhat like
the pecan, but thicker, average speci-
mens being about one and one-half inch-
es in length, and one inch in diameter,
tapering to a sharp point at the apex.
The shell is of the same color, and has
the wrinkled surface of the English
walnut, though thicker. The kernel is
shaped almost exactly like that of the
butternut of the Eastern States, and

112

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

has the same delicate flavor. The pel-
licle, or skin of the kernel, is very thin,
and, as Mr. Camden observed, is free
from the bitterness of that of the En-
glish walnut. The nut is not recogniz-
ed by any of the nurserymen who have
seen it as belonging to any of the vari-
eties of the walnut family known here.

JAPANESE MUSHROOMS.

One of the industries of Japan is the
cultivation of Mushrooms, which are
exported in large quantities from that
country, and some interesting informa-
tion respecting them is given by Consul
Robertson in his report on the trade of
Kanagawa, lately issued. The best of
the edible species of Mushrooms are
known as "matsutake" and "shii-take."
The difficulties attendant on preserving
the former kind almost exclude them
from the market for export, for not
only do they decompose very rapidly,
but even when successfully dried are
nearly tasteless, and thus useless in
cookery. The shii-take species, howev-
er, have this peculiar excellence, that,
though all but tasteless in their raw
state, when they are dried they have an
extremely fine flavor. The quantity
that grows naturally on the decayed
roots or cut stumps of the shii tree is
not sufficient to meet the demand for
them; consequently much skill has
been brought to bear on their cultiva-
tion, notably by cutting off the trunks
of the shii and other trees and forcing
the growth of the Mushroom on them.
Different varieties of oak are most in
favor for the cultivation of the Mush-
room, the tree known as the shii giving,
however, the best results. About the
beginning of autumn the trunk, about
five or six inches in diameter, is select-
ed and cut up into lengths of four or
five feet ; each piece is then cut down

lengthwise into four, and on the outer
bark slight incisions are either made at
once with a hatchet, or the cut logs are
left till the following spring and then
deep wounds seven or eight inches
long are incised on them. Assuming
the first course to have been pursued,
the logs, after having received several
slight incisions, are placed in a wood or
grove where they can get the full bene-
fit of the air and heat. In about three
years they will be tolerably rotten in
parts. After the more rotten parts are
removed they are placed against a rack
in a slanting position, and about the
middle of the ensuing spring the Mush-
rooms will come forth in abundance.
They are then gathered. The logs are,
however, still kept, and are submitted
to the following process : Every morn-
ing they are put in water, where they
remain till afternoon, when they are
taken out, laid lengthwise on the
ground, and beaten with a mallet.
They are then ranged on end in the
same slanting position as before, and
in two or three days Mushrooms will
again make their appearance. When
the logs are beaten so heavily that the
wood swells Mushrooms are produced of
a more than ordinarily large growth.
If the logs are beaten gently a great
number of small -sized Mushrooms
grow up in succession. In places
where there is a scarcity of water rain-
water should be kept for steeping the
logs in. There is yet another plan.
The cut logs are buried in the earth,
and in a year's time are dug out and
beaten as above described. The Mush-
rooms thus grown are stored in a barn
on shelves ranged along on three sides,
with braziers lighted under. After-
wards they are placed in small boxes,
the bottoms of which are lined either
with straw or bamboo mats. These
boxes are then ranged on the shelves

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

113

and all approaches carefully closed. An
even degree of warmth is thus diffused.
The boxes ranged on the upper or low-
er tiers are constantly changed, so that
the contents of each will be thoroughly
dried. Another mode of drying is to
string the Mushrooms on thin slips of
bamboo, which are piled together near
the brazier. The heat is well kept in
by inverting a closely woven basket
over them. Dried Mushrooms, which
are much liked by the Chinese and
largely consumed by the Japanese, re-
tain their flavor for a great length of
time, and thus bear transport to any
distance very well. — Pall Mall Gazette.

NOW FOE THE HOMESTEAD.

Spring is fast going out into summer
— a season of drought, winds, dust, and
other disagreeable facts. There is just
one opportunity left to set out trees and
put the homestead in order. "We as-
sume that every man who has a small
tract of land in the country will have a
sufficient number of fruit trees to give
him fruit enough for home consumption
hereafter. There will be half a million
of people living in the cities of this
State who can grow no fruit. But peo-
ple who live in the country and own
land have no excuse for neglecting to
grow fruit for domestic use. A few
people reason in this way : " We can
buy all the fruit we want cheaper than
we can grow it, and what is the use of
bothering about fruit ? " The proposi-
tion is not essentially true. Fruit can
not be bought cheaper than it can be
grown on the homestead, save in a few
exceptional cases. Moreover, the fruit
grown at home is fresher and more de-
sirable than the stale fruit which must
be brought from a distance.

There is no luxury like that of pick-
ing ripe fruit from a tree. It is fresh

and wholesome ; and there is a pleas-
ure in taking it from the tree which
once known is never forgotten. Many
a denizen of the city has turned away
from the regular fruit markets of the
metropolis and gone to the country that
he might have the pleasure of eaticg
fruit plucked by his own hand fresh
from the trees. As one -half of the
population of the State live in cities,
they must eat fruit which has been
gathered from twenty - four to forty-
eight hours, and some of it even long-
er. As for the rest, one of the compen-
sations of living in the country is that
they can have abundance of ripe fruit
for little more than the trouble of tak-
ing it from the trees and vines. A sin-
gle acre, or even less, devoted to a well
selected variety of fruit trees, will pro-
duce enough for a large family, with a
surplus to give away.

But assuming that the fruit orchard
will not be neglected as a feature of
the rear lot of the homestead, what is
to adorn the front and the road leading
to the country house? In a majority
of instances a country house, or rather
the houses of those living in the coun-
try, are not only uninviting, but they
are positively forbidding in external as-
pect. The roads leading to them are
bare and dusty, and few have even
thought it worth while to set out orna-
mental trees. This is especially true of
the hot valleys of the interior. Here
and there, at some toll-gate or half-way
house, a shed has been built over the
road, that teams and teamsters may be
protected from the fierce rays of the
sun while stopping a few moments for
refreshments.

Now there is really nothing to hinder
every homestead in California from be-
ing made attractive by a few ornament-
al trees. Better spare a little ambitious
carpentering and put the cost in trees

114

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and pleasant approaches to the house.
A Grape vine or a Hop vine run over
the porch or on trellis work in front of
a farm house, changes the entire exter-
nal appearance of that place. It at
once becomes inviting and homelike.
A few shade trees go a long way toward
making such places attractive. The ex-
ternal appearance of a country home
may be entirely changed in three years
by a careful disposition of a few orna-
mental trees.

Take, for instance, the new houses
constructed in the suburbs of the towns.
How raw and bald they appear at first.
But three years from the time of con-
struction everything is changed. Trees
and shrubbery have been growing, and
the stiff new house takes on a ripe and
homelike appearance. All this arbori-
culture can be done in the odd hours
which every homestead owner in the
country will have at command. There
are only a few days more in which this
work can be done this year. Spring is
advancing rapidly. The buds are swell-
ing, and most trees, indeed, are in
leaf, and with a few more light showers
the tree planting season will close for
the present. Even a single day devot-
ed to tree planting will tell wonderful-
ly upon the future appearance of the
homestead. We have not yet estab-
lished an arbor day for California.
The fact is, all days are good for arbor-
iculture, from New Tear's up to the
first of April. But if one of these days
is especially devoted to tree planting it
may be set down in the calendar as a
kind of secular saint's day in behalf of
the homestead. — Bulletin.

HORTICULTURAL IMPORTATIONS.

The horticultural missionaries, who
manifest their zeal in the good cause
by entreating the heathens of Califor-

nia to plant trees, should be informed
that tree planting in this, as in most
other parts of the United States, has
been almost a mania for the last ten
years. Consequently all such appeals
are like sending flannel shirts to the
babies of Africa. [Still we favor them.
—Ed.]

No stimulus is needed in this matter,
and if any advice is to be offered for di-
recting this tree-planting movement, it
must come from the highest and best
informed sources to be of any avail ;
for it is evident that a high degree of
taste and practical judgment are, and
have been employed in this great work.

In California, especially, the pro-
gressiveness indicated in this direction
is remarkable. From information de-
rived from our exchanges, and from in-
quiries and facts communicated by cor-
respondents, we are impressed with the
conviction, that not only are trees be-
ing planted in abundance, but that
there is a sufficiency of taste and judg-
ment displayed in the matter. The
State University is keeping pace with
the popular taste in this direction, and
is doing much to add to the wealth of
California in its timber, fruit, and or-
namental possessions, and capitalists
are manifesting a commendable interest
in this subject, and are spending their
money in thus improving the property
owned by them ; while people of more
limited means are steadily improving
and beautifying their possessions in cit-
ies and villages as well as in the coun-
try.

The recent importations referred to
are twenty-four varieties of Maple from
Japan, which we had the satisfaction
of examining at the establishment of R.
J. Trumbull in this city. The trees
were accompanied with beautifully col-
ored plates descriptive of the foliage of
all the varieties. These plates were ex-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

115

ecuted by the Japanese, the coloring
as well as other parts being done by
hand. A leaf of every one of the twen-
ty-four varieties is given, its form and
color being represented in all their
minutia. The varieties of foliage dis-
played here are remarkable, many of
the leaves being extremely unique in
form and color.

The importation consists of six trees
of each variety ; all grafts, and all in
excellent condition for planting. They
were sent here to a gentleman who re-
cently visited Japan, and observing
these trees in full foliage there, resolv-
ed to try them in California. A large
portion of them were engaged before
the box was open, and on learning the
names of the parties who obtained
them, we were satisfied that they had
fallen into good hands. The growth
of this interesting family of Maples will
be watched with a good deal of interest
by horticulturists generally, as well as
by those who were fortunate enough to
procure them. — Rural Press.

HOW THE FIG IS CULTIVATED AT
SMYRNA.

The subjoined letter from the Unit-
ed States Consul at Smyrna, with its
accompanying account of Fig culture,
is in response to a letter from a gentle-
man connected with the Call, asking
for such information. "We give Mr.
Smithers' reply without further preface.
" Smyrna, February 17, 1877.

'f Tours of December 6th duly reach-
ed me, and I take much pleasure in
sending you herewith enclosed the in-
formation you desire regarding the cul-
ture of the Fig in Asia Minor, for which
I am indebted to Mr. Augustus O.
Clark, a very intelligent English gen-
tleman who settled many years ago in
the Aidin district, where he engaged in

the manufacture of liquorice paste and
subsequently became a large owner of
Fig orchards. Mr. Clark is an enlight-
ened agriculturist, and the information
contained in this report may be relied
upon. Thanking you for your kind of-
fer to be of service to me at any time,
and wishing every success to yourself
and those you represent in the cultiva-
tion of the Fig, I remain, my dear sir,
very sincerely yours, E. J. Smithers."
The Aidin district is the only one
which produces Figs for exportation.
The fruit will grow anywhere in the
neighborhood of Smyrna of a quality
for consumption in a green state ; but
the Aidin plain is unique in its climate
and soil as being favorable for the
proper curing of the Fig. The ther-
mometer seldom falls below three or
four degrees under the freezing point,
and in the summer seldom rises above
130 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun. In
Aidin the winters are generally wet, the
dry weather commencing in May and
continuing to the end of October. Any
rain at the end of July or during the
months of August and September,
when the fruit is under the process of
drying, injures its quality by causing it
to burst, hardens the skin, gives the
Fig a dark color and spoils its keeping
quality. Heavy dews will cause the
same evils. What is required during
the time the fruit is coming to maturity
is fine weather and dry winds.

The Fig tree grows in almost any
soil ; it grows very luxuriantly, howev-
er, in a rich, heavy soil ; but to pro-
duce Figs that will dry well, and please
the merchant, the soil ought to be of a
good depth, and of a rich, light, sandy
nature ; this latter, if the weather is fa-
vorable, will produce large Figs of a
white thin skin, and of the finest quali-
ty. Before planting, the ground ought
to be well plowed two or three times to

116

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

a good depth, well pulverized and free
from all weeds and extraneous roots.

The Fig is propagated from slips, se-
lected with as many fruit buds as pos-
sible. To form a tree two slips are
planted, one foot apart, and then join-
ed at the top. The trees, if planted in
rich soil, should be placed about thirty
feet apart, and for poor soil about
twenty-five feet distant from one an-
other.

The cuttings are to be planted in the
month of March — two in each hole — at
about nine or twelve inches apart, at
the root end ; then gradually bring the
top buds to meet, just crossing them,
thus, X ; then tread in the earth well.
The cuttings must be full of buds or
eyes, and when about to plant them cut
the root end off at the first knot, care
being taken not to leave any of the
pulp in sight, as it will then be liable
to be attacked by worms, which will
make the tree hollow and sickly. The
cuttings are put into the ground to
within one or two inches of the top,
after which the process of crossing
must take place. The ground must be
well trodden in to within one or two
inches of the top, then cover the re-
mainder over with loose earth, which
will protect the ends from the heat of
the sun. "When the trees arrive to
about the height of a man, nip or cut
off the tops to one uniform height, and
this will cause the tree to branch out.

During the growth, of the trees, the
ground ought to be plowed up two or
three times during the winter or spring
and the space between them may be
used to cultivate broom, sesame, or In-
dian corn. "When the trees are large
the same system of plowing and loosen-
ing the earth around the trees ought to
be continued. To make a Fig tree
grow well, the plowing of the garden
is very essential. If this is not attend-

ed to, the fruit will be small and in ev-
ery respect inferior. The first year of
planting, the cuttings ought to be wa-
tered during the summer months.

The male fruit, about the middle of
June, contains a large number of small
flies, and is thrown on the female tree ;
these flies then get distributed over the
fruit and convey the necessary amount
of pollen. The system is as follows :

When the female Fig (first crop) is
about the size of a hazel nut, five or six
of the male Figs are strung on to a
piece of string, and one or two of these
branches are thrown upon the female
tree, according to its size and amount
of fruit. Repeat this operation when
the second crop is about the same size.
As the tree grows larger year by year,
increase the number of strings ; but
never put more than six strings (say
about thirty male Figs) over the largest
tree at one time. These strings are
put on the tree about one hour before
sunrise, and care must be taken that
the weather is fine and no wind blow-
ing. I may mention that, if the male
Fig is not applied, the crop will not
set, but the fruit will fall off; and if
too many are applied the fruit will like-
wise fall or become very small or infer-
ior.

About the end of July the first Figs
come to maturity. The Fig harvest
lasts about six weeks. "When the Fig
is ripe, it will of its own accord fall
from the tree, only partly cured. "Wom-
en and children are employed to pick
up the fruit into small baskets, to be
conveyed to a place in the garden well
exposed to the sun, where they are
spread on a bed of dry grass or mat-
ting, singly — that is to say, not one on
top of another — and are turned every
day, so as to get every side of the Fig
exposed to the sun. After a few days
of exposure to the sun, those Figs

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

117

which are considered sufficiently dry
are selected from the mass and divided
into first, second, and third quality.
Care must be taken not to dry them too
much. When properly cured the skin
ought to feel dry, but the inside soft.
Practice alone can teach to what ex-
tent the drying ought to take place.
The grower then sends the Figs to
Smyrna, where they are re-sorted and
packed for shipment.

HOW TO CULTIVATE THE BANANA..

The Rev. H. H. Messenger thus
writes to the Los Angeles Herald :
" Get bulbs or plants from six inches
to six feet high (these latter will bear
in twelve months, the other in two
years), and plant ten or twelve inches
deep, in very rich, warm soil. As they
will stand (or rather require) forcing,
mix half well rotted manure (not new,
which may heat them too much and
kill them) with the soil. Then give
them a soaking with water once a week
in warm weather, or once a month at
any rate. In warm, sunny exposures
more fruit may be expected ; but they
will stand a good deal of frost, for once
or twice in winter, say 25 degrees, for
a little while in the night, so the mer-
cury soon rises before they freeze
through. They draw up a great deal
of moisture from the ground, which is
of a higher temperature than the cold
air of the night, and this circulating
within the trunk preserves the fruit.
For a few plants protection may be pro-
vided by wrapping old rags and things
around the body, which saves the in-
ternal heat, just as clothing for a per-
son. And even though the leaves may
be cut off, the new ones will be thrown
out from the top, where finally the
cluster or bunch of fruit appears, which,
hanging a few months, ripens into the

Vol. VII.- 9.

delicious fruit which nearly every one
likes so much. The proper distance to
plant them is about eight feet apart, as
this gives room to irrigate and stir the
ground between them. Also, such
space is wanted for them to stool out,
as they branch from the root, each
stalk producing but one bunch of fruit.
Then it dies down, or should be cut off
near the ground to decay by the root
to furnish food for the new plants
which continually sprout from the old
root. I think the new plants should
be thinned out so as to let about three
from one root bear in a year. Six,
eight, and ten sprouts might be all, as
it were, struggling for the mastery at
once, in two or three years after plant-
ing, unless they were thinned, and
some would perhaps bear nothing in
that condition. Sell, give away, or
plant these somewhere else, for remem-
ber they are obliged to bear or die,
when the last leaf comes out, just as a
stalk of corn. They are not trees, as
so many ask, and each stalk bears but
once. They are of the Lily family, and
branch under the ground, just as the
Lily, Pineapple, etc. But unless kill-
ed in some way, by frost, gophers, or
other injury, the roots send up new
sprouts forever. Now take an acre,
say, and plant eight feet apart, giving
681 plants. Force the growth by ma-
nure, irrigation, and stirring the ground,
and inside of two years you have some
ripe fruit, some green, some just put-
ting out a great brown bud, which lifts
up a covering every day or two, dis-
closing about ten nice little Bananas,
the size of one's finger, (vith a peculiar
bloom on each, which the bees almost
fight over. After two years, then, say,
but two stalks from each root bear.
"Well, then, say one bunch of fruit is
produced from each root each year, and
as these will average from twenty-five

118

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

to sixty each, they will sell for one dol-
lar each, which will be a nice little
sum, almost equal to an Orange grove.
The increase of bulbs is five or six each
year ; so that in a few years one is able
to stock a number of acres from a small
number to start with. Of course the
continual pulling off of bulbs will pre-
vent a large yield of fruit ; but perhaps
three bulbs can be taken from each ev-
ery year, and as much fruit grow as if
one were to leave all. A rich, sandy
soil seems best adapted to their growth,
but with old straw, or manure to mix
in, almost any soil will do if it is only
warm enough.

CULTIVATION OF PEPPERMINT.

W. Boots of San Jose communicates
to the Pacific Rural the following as
the result of Mint cultivation engaged
in by his firm : Two years ago we
brought one car-load of plants from
Michigan, and planted about twenty-
eight acres. The plants came in rath-
er bad condition, being poorly heated.
"We planted about the 1st of November.
Our location was low and subject to
overflow, consequently the greater por-
tion of the plants were covered up with
debris from the floods. We cut and re-
duced a few acres the July after plant-
ing, and found a greater yield of oil
where we had a full stand of plants
than any we had ever known elsewhere.
"We had portions of the plantation that
would yield at the rate of 40 pounds of
oil per acre from a single crop, while
we know of no crop yielding more than
28 pounds of oil per acre in Michigan
or New York, where they make pepper-
mint oil a business. A few words in
reference to the oil in our markets here.
"While the oil of peppermint was worth
$6 50 per pound in New York, the best
we could do here was $3 75 jjer pound,

while our production was equal to any
of our Eastern oils, so far as we had the
means of testing it. I am well satis-
fied mint can be made a profitable bus-
iness in California, but the location
should be carefully selected. I find
there should be but little alkali in the
soil. I think the up-river tule lands
would be just the place for it. There
is not the least danger of drowning the
plants ; the water may cover the plants
for weeks in the winter, and it seems to
grow the better when it comes to the
light. With us it was wholly a matter
of experiment. Our object was to de-
termine whether we could produce two
crops per year, but our location being
rather unfavorable, we have stopped
short of a full solution of the matter,
though I am much inclined to the opin-
ion that two good crops can be grown
each year on locations which can easily
be selected in many of our up-river tule
lands.

A WASH FOR FRUIT TREES.

The following is recommended by a
commission of fruit growers, presided
over by Prof. Cyrus Thomas, State en-
tomologist of Illinois, and is part of a
very full report, embodying advice as
to the best means of fighting the in-
sects that infest the orchards of that
State : " Insects and mildews injuri-
ous to the leaves of seedlings and root
grafts can be kept in subjection or de-
stroyed by a free use of a combination
of lime and sulphur. Take of quick or
unslaked lime four parts, and of com-
mon flour of sulphur one part (four
pounds of sulphur to one peck of lime);
break up the lime in small bits, then
mixing the sulphur with it in a tight
vessel (iron best), pour on them enough
boiling water to slake the lime to a
powder; cover in the vessel close as

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

119

Boon as the water is poured on. This
makes also a most excellent whitewash
for orchard trees, and is very useful as
a preventive of blight on Pear trees, to
cover the wounds in the form of a paste
when cutting away diseased parts ; also
for coating the trees in April. It may
be considered as the one specific for
many noxious insects and mildew in
the orchard and nursery ; its materials
should always be ready at hand; it
should be used quite fresh, as it would
in time become sulphate of lime, and
so lose its potency. Wherever dusting
with lime is spoken of, this should be
used. This preparation should be
sprinkled over the young plant as soon
as, or before, any trouble from aphides,
thrips, or mildew occurs, early in the
morning, while the dew is on the trees.
This lime and sulphur combination is
destructive to these pests in this way :
By giving off sulphuric acid gas, which
is deadly poison to minute life, both
animal and fungoid ; and the lime de-
stroys by contact the same things ; be-
sides its presence is noxious to them ;
neither is it injurious to common vege-
table life, except in excess, unless the
lime to the foliage of evergreens."

EUCALYPTUS TEA.

The editor of the San Diego World
gives the following personal experience :
Some months ago the writer read in an
English paper of a discovery by some
physicians in Europe of the value of
the Eucalyptus in early stages of cold
and fever. Some weeks ago, being
taken with a severe cold, we made a de-
coction of Eucalyptus leaves and drank
it on retiring to bed. The result was
that it brought on a gentle perspira-
tion and sleep, and in the morning all
symptoms of the cold had disappeared.
A fortnight ago a friend of ours was

seized with cold and fever. He had
aching pains all over his body, and to
every appearance bade fair to be con-
fined to his room. We thought of the
Eucalyptus, and told him of our ex-
perience. He went home and had a
strong decoction made, and drank free-
ly on going to bed. It worked like a
charm, for he was in perfect health the
next morning, only a little weak from
profuse perspiration. His wife was
suffering from cold at the time, and
tried the remedy and found it a perfect
and immediate cure. One instance
more in our own case. Last night,
just before going to bed, we were seiz-
ed with a violent chill, accompanied
with pains in the back and legs. This
was followed by a little fever. These
symptoms had presaged a very serious
illness ayear or two ago, and we thought
ominously on the subject. We sent out
to the street, had some leaves plucked,
and our favorite tea was made at
once. We drank about a pint and soon
fell asleep, and to the credit of Euca-
lyptus we say we are as well to-day as
ever we were in our life. Our opinion
is that the tea is perfectly harmless to
drink even a large quantity of. For a
medicine tree we can recommend every-
body to grow Eucalyptus.

A PROPAGATING SECRET.

Under this head the London Garden-
er's Chronicle says: "It will be re-
membered that a month or two ago we
alluded to an alleged extraordinary se-
cret for propagating trees and grafting
Roses, whereby much time could be
saved, offered for a small sum by an
Austrian nurseryman named Bachraty.
This gentleman has since communicat-
ed an article on the subject to the Wie-
ner Gartenfreund, Briefly, his new
method is as follows: Cuttings of the

120

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

shrubs and trees are taken off at the be-
ginning of July, from 6 inches to 12
inches long, according to the kind.
The leaves are removed from the lower
portion which is to enter the ground,
but those which will come above the
ground are left. Beds are prepared
for them in the open air by thorough
digging and leveling, and afterwards
applying a superficial layer, about two
inches thick, of rotten manure from a
spent hotbed. The cuttings are then
stuck in two inches apart and in a some-
what oblique direction. Each of the
beds when filled is surrounded with a
lath fence, so that shade may be given
when the sun is very hot, and the cut-
tings are well watered with a rose-
spouted can. This completes the oper-
ation. The only further care neces-
sary is a sprinkling overhead three or
four times a day during the first week,
if the weather be very hot, and once a
day afterwards. In the course of five
or six weeks, treated in the manner in-
dicated, the cuttings of most plants will
have formed a callus, and further shad-
ing will be unnecessary. Late in the
autumn a layer of rough manure, two
or three inches thick, is spread over
for winter protection. It also serves
as manure when the cuttings start
growing in the spring; and cuttings
treated thus make extraordinary pro-
gress — forming plants equal to two-
year-old plants from winter or spring
cuttings. Very few, it is asserted, fail.
The new method of grafting Roses is
the insertion of growing eyes early in
spring, instead of dormant eyes in the
summer. They are inserted in the
main stem one on each side, to form
symmetrical heads. These make, it is
said, as much growth the first season
as the dormant eyes the second season.
Experiments of this character are easily
made, and well repay the experimenter.

AMOUNT OF WATER IN TREES.

Farmers and gardeners have often
observed, and the fact is referred to by
Lindley, that during cold weather the
branches of certain trees are sometimes
so much bent down as to obstruct pas-
sage below the tree, but that with the
advent of mild weather they return to
their former positions. In investigat-
ing these phenomena, Prof. Geleznow
observed that they depend not only on
temperature, but also upon the humidi-
ty of the air ; and he undertook, there-
fore, a series of researches to ascertain
the amount of water contained in differ-
ent parts of the branches under various
atmospheric conditions. The first part
of these researches (not yet published),
proved, first, that the amount of water
increases in each branch from its base
to its summit; second, that the bark of
the larch throughout the year contains
more water than the wood; and third,
that in coniferse the upper part, i. e.,
the part above the pith of a horizontal
branch, contains always more water
than the lower part, while in other
trees, as for instance, the birch, the
conditions are reversed ; altogether,
that coniferse and dicotyledons seem to
possess opposite properties, as regards
the distribution of water in the tree.
Further researches, published now in
full (Bull. Ac. de St. Peter sb., vol. xxii,
No. 3), introduced new elements into
the inquiry — namely, the varying
amount of water in the bark and the
wood. It appears from these research-
es that humidity of the wood and dry-
ness of bark have constant relation;
that in certain trees (fir and maple) the
wood remains throughout the year dri-
er than the bark, while in others (birch
and aspen) this is the case only during
a part of the year, the conditions being
reversed at other times. The relations

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

121

between the humidity of the bark and
that of the wood are so constant that a
useful classification could be based on
them. It appears, further, that the
smallest amount of water contained in
the branches of certain trees, as, for
instance, the fir, is observed during the
season when the vegetation is in fullest
vigor, and that this circumstance, as
well as other important facts, is in close
relation with the development of leaves.
Altogether the researches, which are
yet far from being completed, promise
to disclose, and probably explain, a va-
riety of very interesting facts. — Nature.

WINDOW GARDENING.

"How exquisitely sweet,
This rich display of flowers —
This airy wild of fragrance,
So lovely to the eye,
And to the sense so sweet! "

The season for ornamenting the win-
dows of dwellings is now approaching,
which will induce many to purchase or-
namental plants for that purpose. A
taste for such display is commendable
as the spring develops her golden gems.
Their attractiveness in the market will
be considered sufficient inducement to
allure the attention of the thousands
who daily visit them. The commercial
gardener in his endeavor to satisfy pub-
lic taste, is certainly unremitting ; his
skill conspicuous, and, therefore, mer-
its the encouragement of a liberal pub-
lic. Ladies, and those who patronize
them should bear in mind that flowers,
however gorgeous in floral beauty,
when fully developed should not be se-
lected for window culture ; those only
redundant with buds just ready to ex-
pand will give more satisfaction, for
their long continuance of beauty, and
will render more satisfaction to the
purchaser.

In the purchase of plants, select
such as are compact, for, in the early
season, gardeners are more mindful in
forcing them for immediate sale ; such
are lanky in appearance, and if not
skillfully managed and nursed, soon
perish. The check received in their
transition from the greenhouse it is dif-
ficult to surmount; the rough winds
from early exposure not being conge-
nial to them. It must not be understood
that such plants in early spring must
be cooped up in a room without fresh
air, for that is as necessary to them as
water; a discriminating judgment is
necessary when it should be admitted.
The failure in managing some plants
when removed from the greenhouse is
often caused by too much care, but
with precaution in their management
for the window, may be made as healthy
and interesting in their floral beauty as
the greenhouse.

The earliest flowers well adapted for
the window are the China Primrose and
some of the bulbous - rooted family,
which should be kept as near the glass
as possible, and turned round daily for
the sake of symmetry. The Hyacinths
and Tulips in pots or glasses, and the
Crocuses, are great contributors for
parlor display. The Rose, queen of
flowers, with its unconquering beauty,
is always a gem of admiration, its de-
lightful perfume, a distinguished char-
acteristic, making it a welcome adjunct
to the window.

"Eesplendent Rose! to thee we'll sing;
Resplendent Rose! the flower of flowers,
Whose breath perfumes Olympus' bowers,
Whose virgin blush, of chastened dye,
Enchant so much our mortal eye."

This class are numerous and varied
in beauty and habit. Hermosa and
Mrs. Bosanquet are among the best
known in the market for the purpose,
which stand unrivaled. There is an-

122

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

other, an old variety, though much neg-
lected, a semi-double, a free bloomer,
called Sanguinea — when well grown is
always admired for its rich, showy
flowers. There are some called Daily
Roses, which in reality is not the case,
for the buds are formed only on young
wood, which must be admitted; some
are more free in growth than others ;
but these flowers are loosely formed,
reflexed by heat, and straggling, un-
worthy the room occupied by them.
The beauty of the Rose is compactness
in its petals and free blooming, which
is generally the case with most Bour-
bon Roses ; even these can not be de-
pended on unless kept free of the green
fly that infests young shoots in the
spring. Those insects are easily re-
moved with soapsuds, or a camel's hair
pencil; the trouble of removing them
on first appearance is but little, and
should be attended to.

EUCALYPTUS FICIFOLIA.

Australians speak very highly of the
Eucalyptus ficifolia, which blooms much
earlier than the E. globulus, now so
much talked about as the great Aus-
tralian "fever tree." The annual re-
port of the Director of the Melbourne
Botanic Garden, in referring to improve-
ments in portions of the grounds, says
that several specimens of the gorgeous
scarlet-flowering E. ficifolia are there
planted, and then enthusiastically adds :

• ' This magnificent plant, from Brok-
en Inlet, Western Australia, produces
its flowers at a much earlier stage of
growth than any other species of the
genus with which I am acquainted ; its
bloom resembles a ball of fire more
than anything else to which I could
compare it. I have seen the Flame
Tree of Illawarra, and the brilliant
scarlet masses of Erythrina laurifolia on

the banks of Rewa in Fiji ; but neither
surpasses the effect produced by the
floral display of this Eucalyptus when
in bloom." Still another arboreal beau-
ty the Director is enthusiastic about as
an adornment for these "Lake Islands!'
is one " not to be excelled for the
grandeur and wealth of its bloom," the
Jacaranda mimosce-folia, or Rose-wood
of Brazil.

This tree, judging by the progress
made by small specimens now in the
Botanic Gardens, will succeed here
quite as well as in the Sydney Botanic
Gardens, where a specimen, over twen-
ty feet high, is the great attraction in
its flowering season. Its foliage, of a
fern -like appearance, is exquisitely
graceful; and even when divested of
arboreal flora, while in the blooming
season, the blossoms, of a delicate blue,
are so abundant as to completely cover
the tree, making it, from a distance,
appear as a mass of Cerulean grandeur.
These trees, with the Pampas Grass,
will form a contrast which will be the
most pleasing, and will adorn the lake,
giving both interest and warmth of col-
or, so necessary to finish a perfect
landscape.

HOW TO GKOW AN ORANGE TREE
FROM THE SEED.

To produce an Orange tree from the
seed three things are necessary — suffi-
cient warmth, a pulverized soil, and
sufficient moisture. Consequently the
following things are to be guarded
against : The drying out of the soil,
keeping it too cold by too much shade
or too much water, the hardening or
baking of the surface, the burning or
withering of the young shoots, which
are very tender, by the direct heat of
the sun or scorching winds. Plant in
May, June, or July, to get the neces-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

123

sary warmth and sufficient growth to
bear the light frosts of winter. Plant
the seeds immediately after they are
taken out of the Orange ; if allowed to
become dry, the germ will be killed.
Pure sand is the best soil. Surround
with boards, and shade with a screen.
Any arrangement will do that conforms
to these principles, whether planted in
a hot-house, in boxes, or in the open
ground ; whether moisture is supplied
by allowing the water to run over the
bed from the ditch or by sprinkling;
and by whatever contrivance they are
protected from the sun and wind. Dif-
ferent arrangements will have different
advantages. The following, as an ex-
ample, will better explain our meaning:
Supposing there are 500 seeds to be
planted, and from choice or necessity
water is to be applied by sprinkling.
Take four boards, from six to sixteen
inches wide, and make a frame, say
four feet wide and fourteen long. Of
course, these dimensions are immate-
rial. Make a bed the dimensions of the
frame, cover it with three or four inches
of pure sand, and put your frame
around it ; mark off four little furrows,
and plant your seeds in the sand, about
an inch apart, covering them* to the
depth of two inches. If planted too
deep they will not get sufficient warmth;
if too shallow, they will find oppor-
tunity to dry. After planting wet thor-
oughly, then cover by stretching an
awning of light muslin across the frame.
Other cloth will answer, but we think
something that will admit considerable
light and warmth is to be preferred to
heavier material. Now sprinkle every
day — evening is the proper time — or at
least every other day. A little and
often, as Captain Jinks used to say, is
best. In about five or six weeks, if
thus cared for, the yellowish tiny shoots
will begin to appear above the sand,

and if from that time forward the care
of his baby orchard is not a pleasure to
the owner, he had better withdraw from
an agricultural avocation. After they
have formed leaves they will no longer
need such great care ; they should still,
however, be watered twice a week.
When strong enough to bear sun and
wind, the screen and boards should be
removed. In six months they will have
attained a size of from twelve to fifteen
inches, and be sufficienty hardy to out-
live the troubles of the winter season,
but judgment must be used. If a young
tree is tenderly nursed up, as in a hot-
house, it always will be tender, and will
die when those more hardy survive. If
the leaves of the young tree appear
gnawed, the depredating insect should
be looked for and destroyed. If ants
should threaten trouble, there is noth-
ing more efficacious than a kettle of
boiling hot water applied to their nest.
— Riverside News.

DEW AND FKOST.

Now, as we approach that season of
the year when we may look for dews
and frosts, the one welcome and the
other endured, it may be profitable to
study the conditions favorable to their
deposition.

It is a well-known and an oft-ob-
served fact, that on a warm day, if a
water-pitcher be filled with cool water,
a film of moisture — dew — is soon de-
posited on the outside. This is caused
by the cooling of the vessel below the
dew point, and, in general, dew is de-
posited on any substance when that
substance is cooled below the dew
point. This dew point is not at a fixed
temperature, but depends upon the
amount of vapor in the atmosphere—
the more vapor the higher the dew
point.

124

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICTJLTUKIST.

All substances at the surface of the
earth send out rays of heat toward the
sky. When these substances send out
more heat than they receive, their tem-
perature falls below that of the sur-
rounding air. Whenever this is the
case, dew begins to be deposited. If
objects, such as grass and leaves, did
not fall below the temperature of the
surrounding air, then no dew would be
deposited.

For a moment let us see what this
difference of temperature is. Observa-
tion shows facts like these. Place a
thermometer on the grass, fully exposed
to the sky; then one six inches above it
will read 6° higher; one foot, 7° higher;
twelve feet, 8° higher; fifty feet, 10°
higher; 150 feet, 12° higher. This con-
clusion is the result of a year's observa-
tions in England. No observations of
a like nature have been made in Ameri-
ca, to my knowledge.

Again, whatever obscures the sky
hinders radiation. The thinnest cam-
bric has a marked effect. The near
presence of buildings and trees is a hin-
drance, but by far the most efficient ob-
struction is watery vapor. Tyndall has
shown that of all the vapors that of
water cuts off the greatest number of
heat rays. The effect of clouds on ra-
diation, as might be supposed, is very
great. From an average of experiments
it was found that a thermometer placed
on grass, fully exposed to the sky, sunk
below one suspended four feet from the
ground as follows: On cloudless nights,
9.3°; on nights half cloudy, 7.3°; on
nights principally cloudy, 6.8°; on
nights entirely cloudy, 3.4°.

Some substances are better radiators
than others. When a thermometer
placed on grass sinks 10" below one
suspended four feet from the ground, a
thermometer placed on wool will sink
12° or 15"; a thermometer placed on

copper sinks 8"; on paper, 6"; on brick,
only 3" or 4". The indication, from a
great number of observations, is that
sharp points radiate heat readily, hence
those substances presenting the greatest
number of sharp points are the best ra-
diators. This, however, is not fully
proven. When the temperature of
plants, by reason of radiation or other
means, falls below the dew point, then
moisture or dew is precipitated upon
them, and if the temperature be low
and the conditions favorable for radia-
tion, the temperature just at the surface
may fall below 32° above zero. In that
case frost is formed. The best radiat-
ors, therefore, are most likely to be
covered with frost, and when those sub-
stances are growing plants, we say they
are frost-bitten. If my theory of sharp
points be true, then woolly-leaved
plants are the best radiators, and there-
fore most exposed to the killing effects
of frosts. Therefore such plants as
beans, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., are
most likely to be frost-bitten. Peaches
are doubtless more liable to be frost-
bitten just after dropping the bloom
than just before, because the young
peach is woolly and a good radiator.
On this theory, other things being
equal, the peach is more tender than
the plum or cherry.

I think plant life is not destroyed be-
cause frost gathers, but because the
temperature of the plant sinks below
the freezing point, thus congealing the
sap, which, in the form of ice, expands
and bursts the walls of circulating tubes,
thus stopping circulation, the same as
a pump is ruined by the bursting of a
pipe.

Can we artificially protect plants from
frost? In many instances I think we
can. Anything that will stop radiation
is a protection. A sheet fastened by its
corners so as to extend over a favorite

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

125

peach tree, is a protection. In favor-
able localities, a thick cloud of smoke
may be made to hang over an orchard,
thus shutting off the open sky. Some-
times rich nooks in the creek bottom
are selected for garden spots, but after-
ward found to be exceedingly frosty,
especially if the surrounding banks are
of any considerable elevation. This
frosty location may, in many instances,
be improved by cutting away all timber
and underbrush for some distance down
the stream, so that the heavier air,
which is always the colder, may escape;
but if the temperature of the surround-
ing air sinks much below 32°, there is
little hope for tender plants. — D. M. G.
Gaull in Willamette Farmer.

WATERING PLANTS.

There is no operation in which vague
notions more prevail than in watering
plants in time of drought. Take the
following facts as data for proof :

1. A soil one foot in depth will re-
ceive one-fourth of its bulk of water
without being too wet for the use of
growing plants. Another fourth will
saturate it. No distinct line can be
drawn, but it may be laid down as a
general rule that a moist soil parts with
from one-tenth to one-fourth of its
water during the dry, hot weather of
summer. To supply the deficiency by
artificial watering, therefore, one-tenth
to one-fourth of the bulk of the soil
must be added in water.

2. Small herbaceous plants, such as
the strawberry, extend their roots from
two to three feet horizontally, and a
foot or more downwards, in a good and
deep soil. We have found no difficulty
in tracing their fibres, by lifting the soil
with a spade to these distances, and the
minute rootlets have, no doubt, ex-
tended considerably farther. The roots

of young trees generally extend as far
in each direction from the trunk as the
height of the tree. Many examinations
have proved this fact with much uni-
formity.

Now apply these two facts to show
what benefit may be derived from water-
ing. The roots of a strawberry, if they
extend only two feet each way, would
require at least two cubic feet to give
it a moderate soaking, or at least fifteen
gallons of water. Who ever thinks of
applying this, or a tenth part of the
amount, for watering a strawberry
plant ? On the contrary, a half pint is
the more common quantity, which can
scarcely descend half an inch in the
soil, instead of a foot downwards, doing
but little more good than a single dew
on the deep, burning sands of Africa.

Or take the example of a young tree,
five feet high. Its roots run five feet
in each direction, and extend through
78 cubic feet of soil. To add but one-
tenth of this amount in water would re-
quire nearly 18 cubic feet, or about
three hogsheads. No one ever thinks
of applying such an amount to his
young trees, but merely wets the sur-
face and forms a crust.

In ordinary practice, water is poured
around the foot of the stem, saturating
a few cubic inches of the soil, but in a
few hours the whole of it is absorbed
by the dry soil around it, so that a care-
ful examination would scarcely discover
any trace of the added moisture. If the
roots, therefore, only extended an inch
or two from the base of the plant, it
would be necessary to apply the water
several times a day to replace the
amount absorbed by the great bulk of
surrounding dry soil.

As a general rule, therefore, watering
amounts to but little, unless given in
large quantities, and regularly repeated
as often at least as once in twenty-four

126

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

hours. It cannot be applied extensive-
ly except by irrigating ditches, as a sin-
gle inch of water on an acre would be
over three hundred hogsheads, and the
constant employment of a dozen teams
or more to draw it. The fallacy of at-
tempting to irrigate an acre of straw-
berries by drawing in tanks may be
well understood. Keeping the soil moist
by deep mellow cultivation is incom-
parably easier, and better in every re-
spect, unless water can be run on to it
or through it from rivers, lakes, etc.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

We present our patrons this month
with a picture of a group of several
of our favorite Ferns. Few rustic
adornments better become a parlor
window, or their sylvan abode in a gar-
den or a rockery where shade and cool-
ness, fragrance and verdure have their
delightful habitation. Though Ferns
are beautiful anywhere, and may suit-
ably adorn the trim border, and mingle
with ornaments of formal design, they
are more at home, more befitting among
tree -stumps, and in boldly designed
rock-work, where they appear in their
proper character of wildness and sim-
plicity.

In most city localities in this climate,
and also in many in San Francisco
which are free from much smoke, it is
not difficult to establish many sorts of
Ferns in the open air, but the generali-
ty of them, owing to their delicacy of
constitution and impatience of a dry,
cold, or smoky air, require a conserva-
tory, similar to those at Woodward's
Gardens, where a very fine collection
seems to attain excellent health and
great luxuriance of growth. In our
suburbs, however, any of the Ferns
that are ordinarily grown out of doors,

succeed well, giving them a suitable
soil and abundance of water.

In forming rock-work expressly for
Ferns, it is best to construct a round or
square hillock of brick and stones, the
south border of which may be bounded
by some building or wall to ensure the
necessary shade. • One side, at least,
should have but little sun, one should
have it winter and summer, while the
other two should but occasionally bask
in its rays.

Ferns artificially grown, and tended
with proper care and skill, generally
exceed the beauty of those grown by
nature. True, we can not grow the
scene as well as the Fern — we can not
have the dark glen, the damp, moss-
grown cave, the decayed tree trunk, or
the crumbling archway of the waterfall.
Yet we may have the Ferns to suggest
such things, and to keep alive the re-
membrance of pleasures and of scenes
which keep a coolness in the brain and
a freshness in the heart — breathings of
fragrance from the green world that
sweeten the resting-places in the march
of life.

Those Ferns which grow beside cas-
cades, and in dripping caves, require to
have their fronds constantly wet, while
others thrive best if kept comparatively
dry.

A not too difficult plan to prepare a
suitable soil for them is to build up a
foundation of sandy loam and old lime
and brick rubbish, and afterwards made
up with a compost of two parts of pas-
ture mold, two of rotten leaves, and
one of flower pots broken into small
pieces. Most Ferns will thrive in such
a compost if kept quite moist.

In country rambles, especially in the
vicinity of forests, in damp woods along
the banks of brooks, where there are
many decayed tree trunks, and among
rocks, many fine specimens may be ob-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

127

tained with a little searching. Even as
near as Saucelito is to this city numbers
of line Ferns can be easily obtained,
particularly the Maiden-hair and Silver
Fern. In removing them it is neces-
sary to dig out the root-stock in as com-
plete and uninjured a state as possible,
and if a portion of the soil can be taken
away with the plant it is better. They
should be planted as speedily as possi-
ble, and well shaded, and kept moist
for two or three weeks before fully ex-
posing them. The spring or autumn
are the best seasons to remove them.

HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER PUBLI-
CATIONS RECEIVED.

" Price Catalogue of Fruit, Shade,
and Ornamental Trees and Greenhouse
Plants," for 1876 and 1877, from Thos.
Meherin's Depot, 516 Battery Street,
opposite the Post Office, S. F. P. O.
box 722. This well furnished estab-
lishment has been in a prosperous con-
dition for many years, is well known
for reliability in its stock, and the pro-
prietor is fully posted and very assidu-
ous in giving instruction and informa-
tion to his patrons relating to all his
trees, shrubs, plants, seeds, flowers,
etc.

" The New Guide to Rose Culture
for 1877." The Dingee and Conard
Co. Rose Growers, West Grove, Ches-
ter County, Pa. Roses by mail a spe-
cialty. With instructions how to grow
Roses in open ground, Roses in pots,
Roses in beds and masses, what Roses
to plant, insect enemies, winter protec-
tion for Roses, how new Roses are
originated, etc.

R. H. Allen & Co.'s " Seed Catalogue
for 1877, of Vegetable, Flower, and
Field Seeds, Roots, Plants, and Gar-
den Requisites." Warehouses Nos.
189 and 191 Water Street, New York.

I. M. Thornburn & Co.'s two cata-
logues for 1877, 15 John Street, N. Y.

"Annual Circular and Retail Cata-
logue of Warranted Vegetable and
Flower Seeds for 1877," grown and
sold by James J. H. Gregory, Marble-
head, Mass.

" A Manual on the Culture of Small
Fruits," by E. P. Roe, Newburgh, New
York.

" Report of the Commissioners of
Fisheries of the State of California."

John Saul's " Catalogue of New,
Rare and Beautiful Plants for 1877,"
Washington, D. C, among which is a
wonderfully lovely Rose named the
Glazenwood Beauty. This Rose is
very large, of a brilliant yellow, striped
and blotched with scarlet, with rose or
crimson edged foliage and thorns. If
this Rose is only half as beautiful as its
picture sent out by this firm, it will en-
chant all eyes. It is a Hybrid Tea, of
a most distinct and novel kind, unlike
any other variety already known, and
may possibly prove to be .an entirely
new genus. The odor is delicately
sweet. It seems from all accounts to
be the most striking novelty introduced
for years. We have a splendid picture
of this extraordinary specimen of Flora's
empire, sent us by John Saul.

"Vick's Floral Guide, No. 2," for
1877, with an interesting notice of Hor-
ticulture at the Centennial, and plants
in living or sleeping rooms, with a de-
scription of the healthf ulness under cer-
tain conditions, one of which is suffi-
cient ventilatio'n, and bouquets should
not be allowed to be left standing in
the same water for several days, but
this case of decaying vegetable matter
is far different from living plants, which
nature employs as one of the purifica-
tions of the atmosphere, which can be
philosophically accounted for. But the
odors of some flowers in a room are too

128

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

powerful for many persons, and there-
fore such flowers as Hyacinths, Tube-
roses, Jasmines, Orange blossoms, and
some other kinds should not be placed
there.

Mr. Vick informs us that John B.
Hickman, of this State, grows Parda-
linum Lilies ten feet in height, and
bearing immense numbers of flowers,
by the following method : ' * I take old
cans or kegs, and make a hole in the
side of each, about six inches from the
bottom, and fill with stones to the level
of the hole. Then fill the vessel with
coarse manure and sand, and plant the
bulb."

" Spring List for 1877," of the Chi-
cago Floricultural Co., wholesale and
retail plant merchants, established for
the introduction of new, rare, and beau-
tiful plants, Chicago, 111. This is a
handsomely got up publication.

" The Sanitarian and Organ of the
Medicolegal Society." A monthly mag-
azine devoted to the preservation of
health, mental and physical culture.
New York. A neat and valuable work.

CONDITION OF OUR FLORAL TRADE.

In the course of a general conversa-
tion with one of our leading nursery-
men, we elicited the following facts :
The long delayed rains have been very
injurious to the trade in trees and flow-
ers ; where large purchases were here-
tofore made but a few dollars have
been expended, so that the complaints
in the nursery line are very loud as
they are losing money in sales as well
as the destruction of their plants and
flowers. The fact has been made known
that among some twenty odd cut-flower
dealers in this city a business amount-
ing to §200,000 has been transacted the
past year. The fact was also adverted
to that California has the finest climate

in the world for the production of me-
dicinal herbs and flowers from which
the various oils of high value are ex-
tracted. The importation of Immor-
telles from France and Austria amount
annually to over $50,000, with a duty
of 40 per cent. These Everlastings
having no moisture in their petals, nev-
er wilt or decay, but keep their form as
long as a piece of straw. Secured from
dust, they retain both color and shape
for years, and are valuable for winter
ornaments. The chief among them are
Acrolinum, Ammobium, Gomphrena,
Gygsophia, Helichrysum, Helipterum,
Rhodanthe, Statice, Waitzia, and Xeran-
ihemum. These combined with orna-
mental grasses make beautiful floral or-
naments. There is no prettier work —
none more improving, than the ar-
rangement of such floral decorations.
In the autumn these flowers are gather-
ed and dried, so that they are ready for
Christmas and New Tear's decorations.
The flowers composing these remem-
brances of the dead can be produced
here as cheaply as potatoes, having
both the climate and sun to produce
lasting, rich, and deep colors ; and as
for grasses of all varieties, of which
there is more or less scarcity always in
the market, we can produce them in
great abundance. These industries
could all be pursued with a profit, and
will, when other channels become filled
and clogged with strong competition,
surely be filled by a prosperous class of
people, who will then find employment
for the whole household.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

The best mode to give health and vig-
or of growth and the most perfect man-
agement to all orchards is to culti-
vate the soil round the trees yearly or

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

129

nearly so, and with the stirring of the
soil to apply a fair quantity of manure,
which may be properly termed a kind
of top-dressing. There is no place on
a farm or country place where all the
manure that can be spared will so well
repay the labor. "When an orchard
stands for years in grass, as many are
allowed to do, trees become less and
less productive, become almost at a
standstill in their flourishing, and their
stems become hide bound, and often
clothed in moss and lichens, and a
prey to the ravages of many insects
either at the roots or on the bark. Ev-
ery kind of farm or other refuse that
can be collected from many sources
should be wheeled or carted on this
most valuable portion of the proprie-
tor's productive wealth. Large, good,
and improving crops of fruit will be the
result of this treatment, and will well
recompense the pains taken in this re-
spect. Orchards are generally sadly
neglected for years, and their value
greatly depreciated in consequence.
The wholesomeness of fruit for a fam-
ily, especially Apples, can hardly be
too impressively dealt upon by pomo-
logical writers.

We here quote some excellent re-
marks on this subject from one of our
exchanges, though it was not therein
stated whence they were derived :

" Many persons do not value Apples
sufficiently as an important article of
diet. Besides containing a large quan-
tity of sugar, mucilage, and other nu-
tritive matter, this* fruit contains vege-
table acids, aromatic qualities, etc.,
which act powerfully in the capacity
of refrigerants, tonics, and antisep-
tics, and when freely used at the sea-
son of mellow ripeness prevent debili-
ty, indigestion, and avert, beyond a
doubt, many of ' the ills which flesh is
heir to.' The operators of Cornwall,

England, consider ripe Apples nearly
as nourishing as bread, and far more
so than Potatoes. In 1810, which was
a year of much scarcity, Apples, in-
stead of being made into cider, were
sold to the poor ; and the laborers as-
serted that they could ' stand their
work ' on baked Apples without meat ;
whereas a Potato diet required either
meat or some other substantial nutri-
ment. The French and Germans use
Apples extensively, as do the inhabit-
ants of all European nations. The la-
borers depend on them as an article of
food, and frequently make a dinner of
sliced Apples and bread. There is no
fruit cooked in as many different ways
in our country, nor is there an}' whose
value, as an article of nutriment, is so
great.

" An old gentleman recently stated
to us that every fall he used to have a
severe sickness, but since he bought,
during the season, a barrel of good Ap-
ples, for himself alone, and ate the
whole barrel in two or three months,
he had every year saved himself from
this sickness without wanting a doctor.

"Two good Apples eaten before or
soon after breakfast are an almost sure
cure for constipation/'

We can testify from our own experi-
ence through life, that hardly any bet-
ter advice with regard to the sanitary
effects of the frequent use of the Apple
could possibly be given than what is
contained in the above paragraph.

The Germantown Telegraph presents
us some interesting observations on the
display of Apples at the Centennial,
and the influence of climate on them,
and from which it draws a lesson upon
its effects, and also of soil upon the
fruit. Speaking of the display from
Iowa and Michigan it says :

" A striking feature of these Western
Apples was their brilliant coloring.

130

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Most of the varieties were of the very
highest character in this respect, much
no doubt owing to the varieties select-
ed or rather saved to this late period of
the Apple season, but yet not wholly,
for even such a tame looking variety as
we generally see it, the Rhode Island
Greening, had a, rosy tint on it. Wh*en
we came to the Australian Apples the
absence of this color was remarkable.
Out of nearly 100 kinds exhibited there
was not one with a blush on its cheek
equal to that on a simple Rhode Island
Greening from Michigan. Some few
had a slight glimmer. Northern Spy,
for instance, was a good deal bronzed,
and a curious old English kind, known
as Norfolk Beafin, might have been as
dark as the Black Detroit, if grown in
a country like ours. The prevailing
tint was of a deep orange, this running
more or less through all the kinds. As
showing the growing close relationship
between America and Australia, it was
pleasant to note that the greatest num-
ber of these Apples were American
kinds. The fruits were two months on
the road, wrapped in cotton on the
way, and though some had fallen by
the wayside, the whole came in excel-
lent condition considering all things."

Probably there is no climate in the
world that produces such brilliant com-
plexions, besides size also, on fruit of
all kinds as that of California. It is
difficult to account for this absence of
coloring in the Australian Apples, but
we are hardly surprised at anything in
its peculiar flora and fauna differing
from those of any other part of the
world.

With regard to the healthfulness of
fruits we will state a few facts regard-
ing some of them in this respect. In
Switzerland and other parts of Europe
Grapes are considered a specific for
dyspepsia, consumption, and some oth-

er complaints. Their medicinal effect
is supposed by some to be due to the
bi- tartrate of potash they contain.
Grapes contain sugar, gum, glutinous
matter, malic, citric, and tartaric acids,
potash and lime in proportions varying
with the kind of Grape and the differ-
ent conditions of soil and climate in
which it is grown.

Apples contain sugar, malic acid,
gum, woody fibre and water, together
with some aroma on which their pecul-
iar flavor depends. Though chemical
analysis may show much less nutriment
in Apples than in many other foods,
there is much available nutriment in
them, and the vital analysis in the di-
gestive apparatus uses them up closely.

The best varieties of the Pear rank
deservedly among the most delicious
and wholesome of fruits. In composi-
tion the Pear does not differ very great-
ly from the Apple. The Peach con-
tains sugar, gum, pectine, malic acid,
and water.

The Orange has been called the uni-
versal fruit of commerce, and, though
the product of tropical and semi-tropic-
al climates, it may be had fresh in ev-
ery region of the world, and at almost
every season of the year. The agreeable
sub-acid of the Orange renders it one
of the most agreeable, cooling, and
wholesome of fruits, and the essential
oil in the rind is serviceable to the cook
in giving flavor to many dishes. Or-
ange flower water, made from the blos-
soms, is a delicious anti-febrile bever-
age, and a tea made from the leaves of
the tree is highly recommended as a
drink for yellow fever patients. The
Orange pulp contains citric acid, muci-
lage, albumen, sugar, citrate of lime,
and water. The proportions of these
constituents vary with the degree of
ripeness of the fruit. The Lemon be-
longs to the same family as the Orange,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

131

and is highly valuable for its refriger-
ant and anti-scorbutic properties. Its
constituents are citric and malic acid,
gum, bitter extraction and water.

Now as to our markets : About the
10th of last month (March) small lots
of Strawberries were received almost
every day, and prices showed a materi-
al reduction. The crop promised well,
and with the continuance of favorable
weather with but very little frost the
bulk of the crop came forward
much earlier in the season than usual.
Indeed, this spring may certainly be
considered earlier by two weeks at least
than our ordinary seasons. Apples
and Pears are in fair supply at $1 to $2
for the former, and $1.50 to $3 per box
for the latter. Bananas had been
scarce for two weeks, but the stock was
replenished by the arrival of 600 bunch-
es from Honolulu by Australian steamer.

At the end of March the downward
tendency in vegetables seemed to be
temporarily arrested. The slight ad-
vance in Asparagus is attributed to the
shipment of two car-loads to the East,
one from San Jose and one from Sacra-
mento. Tomatoes came in from Los
Angeles in larger quantities, but the
demand for them was active and quota-
tions higher. Potatoes were abundant
at 50c. to $1.25 per 100 lbs., according
to quality.

In the fruit market the increasing ar-
rivals of Strawberries and certainty that
the crop promised to be very large
were the features of most interest.
The arrivals aggregated about 100
chests daily, and were rapidly increas-
ing. Apples and Pears of choice qual-
ity were scarce, and brought by the
single box $2.50 to $3.

About this period (end of last month)
that excellent authority the Commercial
Herald and Market Review had the fol-
lowing prices current

Apples — Choice, $1.50 to $2 per box;
common, 50c. to $1. Pears, choice, $2
per box ; cooking, $1 to $1.50. Or-
anges—Los Angeles, $10 to $35 per M.
Lemons — Sicily, $10 per box ; Los An-
geles, $10 to $15 per M. Limes, $10
to $15 per M. Bananas, $2 to $2.50
per bunch. Pine Apples, $6 to $8 per
dozen. Cocoanuts, $5 per 100. Dried
Fruit — Apples, 4Jc. to 6c. per lb.;
Peaches, 7c. to 10c. per lb.; peeled,
16c. to 18c; Pears, 7c. to 8c. per lb.;
Plums, 3c. to 4c. per lb.; pitted, 12|c.
to 13Jc; Prunes, 13c. to 17c. per lb.;
Figs, black, 5c. to 7c. per lb.; Califor-
nia Raisins, $1.25 to $2.25 per box,
$1.50 to $2.50 per hf box, $1.75 to $2.75
per qr box. Vegetables — Cabbages,
40c. per ctl.; Cucumbers, $2.50 to $3
per dozen; Asparagus, 75c. to $1 per
box; Marrowfat Squash, $12 per ton;
Green Peas, 2|c. to 4c. per lb. ; Sweet
Peas, 3c. to 5c. per lb.; Garlic, l^c.
per lb.; Mushrooms, 10c. per lb.; Car-
rots, $7.50 to $8 per ton ; new Pota-
toes, 2c. to 2^c. per lb.

Strawberries the Tear Round. — The
Santa Cruz (Cal.) Courier tells the fol-
lowing good story of a perpetual crop
of Strawberries, which we can well be-
lieve is true, inasmuch as the Monthly
Alpines bear continuously in warm cli-
mates, especially if the land is irrigated :
" We last week witnessed the queer
spectacle of a Strawberry patch growing
in the open air a week before Christ-
mas. The garden is located about six
miles above the town of Soquel, and
about the same distance from Santa
Cruz. A Mr. Thompson is the owner
of the ranch, and he informed us that
at any day or month in the year he
could go into the patch and gather at
least twenty quarts of the luscious ber-
ries in a short time. He now has in

132

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

cultivation 3,000 vines, which occupy
half an acre of ground, and from these
he has gathered during the past year
6,000 quarts of the large crimson beau-
ties. Half of this quantity he sold in
the local markets, at an average of 20
cents per quart, and the other half he
gave away to his neighbors, as there
was no demand for them from buyers.
Blossoms green, and flaming red, ripe
berries smile, look sedate, and blush
side by side the whole year through on
the same vine. This certainly is equal,
if not superior, to the ancient and fabled
land that flowed with milk and honey.
Now let us see if his crop pays him. To
start with, they are not as much trouble
to cultivate as a patch of string beans
would be; then, at an average of 20
cents per quart, the half acre of ground
would net him §600 a year."

leaves. Their late blooming is an ad-
vantage when other flowering shrubs
are more scarce . They remain a long
while in bloom, and the flowers are
very numerous.

Althcea Fkutex. — This handsome,
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 India.
It produces its flowers rather late in the
season, but is a fine, hardy, ornamental
plant. The flowers are bell-shaped,
and of various colors, pale or bright
purple with white bottoms, white with
purple bottoms, and yellow with the
same. These flowers being large, gay
and numerous, and the shrub compact,
rather tall, and good conical shape,
make an attractive appearance, and give
the completest idea of the classical
character. These shrubs grow naturally
in Syria. Many of them are now grown
double in their flowers, which form a
valuable and beautiful variety. 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

Baked Earth. — In the cultivation of
house plants, if the earth in which they
are to be placed be thoroughly baked
in the oven of the stove little by little
each day, there will be nothing to fear
from insect larvse or their eggs. The
earth as soon as baked should be placed
in some secure place, and, if possible,
where it will re-absorb moisture, and
become aerated gradually before being
used. Before it is wanted for use it
should be so moistened that it is just
friable. This is done by adding wa-
ter from time to time, as needed, from
a fine vase watering-pot.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month ending Mabch 31, 1877.
(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BABOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.11 in.

do 12m 30.11

do 3 p. m 30.11

do 6 P. M 30.10

Highest point on the 7th at 12 m 30.25

Lowest point on the 29th at 6 p. si 29.83

THEBMOHETEB.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat. J

Mean height at 9 a. m 58J

do 12 m 64J

do 3 P. at 64°

do 6 p. it 59°

Highest point on the 20th at 3 P. it 73c

Lowest point on the 7th at 9 a. m 64°

SELF-BEGT8TEBING THEBMOMETEB.

Mean height during the night 49°

Highest point at sunrise on the 20th 64°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 3d 45°

■WTNDS.
North and north-west on 5 days; south and south-west
on 9 days; west on 17 days.

■WEATHEB.

Clear all day 8 days; cloudy on 8 days ; variable on
15 day 6.

BAIN GAUGE. Inches.

1st 0.01

2d 0.19

3d 0.09

6th 0.15

9th 0.08

10th 0.36

29th 0.03

Total 0.91

Previously reported 8.71

Total up to date 9 62

Exotic Conservatory,

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII.

SA3" FRANCISCO, MAY, 1877,

No. 5.

ANNUALS.

The following species of annuals, "with
their varieties, if well cultivated in good
soil, can not fail to make the garden
gay from June to November. For ear-
ly spring and June flowers, dependence
must be placed upon perennial herba-
ceous plants, including spring flower-
ing bulbs. The Aster, now called Gal-
listephus sinensis, in all its splendid im-
proved varieties, may be considered one
of the most important flowers for Aug-
ust and September. Snap-dragon (An-
tirrhinum majas and nanum) of many
colors, although a biennial in dry soil,
flowers the first year from seed, from
July to the rainy or frost season here ;
Sweet Alyssum (Alyssum marilimum),
always in bloom ; double Camellia and
rose improved Balsams (Impatiens bal-
samina), not good for bouquets, but,
when in spikes, fine for dishes and vas-
es ; Calliopsis, formerly Coreopsis, Gal-
liopsis Drummondii, and some of the
newest dwarf var. ; Cockscomb (C'elosia
cristata) ; Candytuft (Iberis), in various
colors; Larkspur, double var.; Del-
phinum consolida and Ajacis; Pinks,
flowering from seed the first year, or
biennials ; Dianthus, Heddewigii, Im-

Vol. VII.- 9.

perialis chinensis, in splendid varie-
ties ; Everlasting Flowers (Helichrysums)
in variety ; Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odor-
atus); Petunia, hybrid varieties ; Drum-
mond phlox, brilliant colors from pure
white to scarlet, and dark crimson ; Por-
tulaca, all colors, fine for masses; Mig-
nonette (Reseda odorata) ; Mourning-
Bride (Scabiosa atro purpurea), sporting
into many colors and shades from pure
white to almost black, in bloom from
July to November ; Mary gold, the old-
fashioned flower, and the new dwarf
Tagetes signata pumila; Ten -weeks
Stock (Mathiola annua), numerous vari-
eties and colors, in bloom till October
or November ; Pansy ( Viola tricolor
grandiflora), a great favorite with all ;
Double Zinnia (Zinnia eltgansfl. plena),
one of the modern and most beautiful
novelties; Tom Thumb Nasturtium
(Iropceolum nanum), choice beddin^
plants of various colors ; Four-o'clock
(Mirabilis jalapa), a great favorite with
some, but can not be used for bouquets,
or any other way for table ornament.

Climbing Plants. — Maurandia Bar-
clayana in various colors ; Cypress
Vine, red and white (Ipomea guamoclit
var.); Thunbergia elata in variety ; Lo-
thospermum scandens; Cobcea scan-

134

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

dens ; Calempelis scaber ; Lpasa auran-
tica ; Canary-bird Flower (Tropceolum
canariense or aduncum). None of these
will succeed very well unless started in
the greenhouse or hot-bed. The varie-
ties of the Morning Glory, Scarlet Bean
and Hyacinth Bean are well known as
suitable for covering screens, walls,
etc. Tall Nasturtiums are very showy
climbers, and may be used for the same
purpose. Then there are many other
plants and flowers in our climate and
soil which grow large and high enough
for trellises of wood or wire, which
may be used successfully for the same
purpose.

Trailing ok Prostrate Plants. — All
the Nemophias, dwarf Convolvulus,
Abronia umbellata, Eschscholtzia, San-
vitalia proeumbens ; Lobelia gracilis,
with its improved varieties; Nolana
atriplicafolia, with Alyssum and Por-
tulaca already named.

Everlasting Flowers. — In addition
to the Helichrysums there are Ammo-
bium elatum, Acrolineum roseum, Ro-
danthe Manglesii in variety; Globe
amaranthus (Gomphrena globosa), in va-
riety ; Zeranthemum annuum in vaiiety.

Tall Growing Plants. — Cannas,
Double Sunflowers, Ricinus sangui-
neus. The following annuals may be
added to this list if more are wanted,
viz.: Chrysanthemum, carinatum and
coronaria in variety ; Ageratum Mexi-
canum ; Brachycome iberidifolia ; Ca-
calia coccinea and aurea ; Centaurea,
various sorts ; Godetes ; Senecio ele-
gans fl. plena in variety; and varieties
of the Silene. Most of these last nam-
ed are very pretty, and useful for bou-
quets. Amarantus tricolor and Melan-
cholicus ruber and Perilla nankinensis
are cultivated for the beauty and novel-
ty of the color of their leaves.

"Where honey is there you'll find bees.

A VISIT TO SAN FRANCISCO'S BROOK-
LYN.

Oakland, with its many old native
oaks, and numerous and beautiful villa
residences, gardens, and charming
prospects, presents delightful and re-
freshing pictures to the visitor, so quick-
ly transferred to it by ferry and railroad
from the business heart of our city.
Just at this time the private grounds of
its citizens and the public nurseries of
its florists are commencing to grow rich
in the numerous brilliant, gorgeous and
fragrant blooms of their various and
lovely vegetation of trees, shrubs, and
plants. From Telegraph Avenue we
entered the well kept and fully appoint-
ed premises of James Hutchison, one
of the most industrious, correct, and
systematic florists to be found any-
where. His gardens, plant houses,
and conservatories are kept in the most
perfectorder, and furnished with all the
tropical, semi-tropical, and hardy stock
needed in our markets, and every new
and valuable plant that makes its ap-
pearance in Europe or the United
States, or imported from the former to
the latter, may here in due process of
time be found.

"We discover that Mr. Hutchison,
and indeed most of our nurserymen,
are turning their particular attention
just now to the noble and extensive
tribe of Palms. No class of plants are
moi-e worthy of their care, with their
varied forms and graceful evergreen
foliage, always lively and associated
with tropical appearances. Many of
them flourish well in the open air in
our mild and genial climate. It is
a rather common, but we think mistak-
en idea, that they are only adapted for
large places where a house is devoted
especially to their cultivation. It is
true that the majority of them, which

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

135

are of tender habit, thrive best under
such treatment, but many of them are
equally suited for the adornment of a
small greenhouse or large conservatory,
as well as in most situations in our State
out of doors. Nearly every species pro-
duces some important article well known
in commerce, among the comforts of
ourselves and the natives of tropical and
semi-tropical regions. These produc-
tions are indicated by their popular
names, as Oil Palm, Cocoanut Palm,
Cabbage Palm, Fan Palm, etc.

At Mr. Kelsey's establishment we
noticed a specimen of a Date Palm one
foot in diameter. Mr. Tisch, the su-
perintendent, informed us that Capt.
Stephens, of Fruit Vale, had refused
two hundred and fifty dollars for a
large one in his possession. He show-
ed us some fine plants of Aralia Siebol-
dii, a plant with leaves of the hand-
some shell form, and of the purest and
lightest emerald color. It is hardy,
and a native of Africa. Also a varie-
gated climber with grape-shaped leaves,
which was produced from some Aus-
tralian seeds, and is quite pretty. We
observed a fine climbing plant — Unika-
nia pyrophylla — which possesses the
same habit as the Cissus discolor, and
grows, in a conservatory, ten yards in
one season, with leaves six inches long
by three broad. It would thrive prob-
ably in San Francisco, with an eastern
aspect. Calladiums were in fine flower
here, showing skillful management.
The Begonias, particularly Begonia de-
lecla, presented a gorgeous and most in-
teresting appearance; with these, and
all the variegated leaved plants, Mr.
Tisch seems peculiarly fortunate in his
propagation and care. Among the
choice collection of Ferns were Aspleni-
um bulbiferum and A. Fabianum, of
which the first is the hardiest. Among
the greenhouse evergreens was Clero-

dendron Balfourii, a handsome plant.
Mr. Tisch's Roses are entirely free from
the green fly or aphides, or scale insect,
which are sometimes so injurious to
them. His plan with his plants is this:
in September he stops irrigating them,
and leaves them in this way till the
rainy season. Then he enriches the
soil with well rotted manure. In March
he prunes them down to five joints
above the ground, cut low down pretty
close. He removes the old wood en-
tirely, after which he gives the ground
a complete spading. We never saw
healthier or cleaner bushes, or a great-
er profusion of buds and flowers. Mr.
Tisch will exhibit a varied display of
plants at the Mechanics' Fair.

Mr. Hutchison, owing to his too
large stock for home market merely,
has sent a considerable quantity of it to
Stockton and other interior cities and
towns, and met with fair profits in
sales. Some of the things which at-
tracted our notice most in his collec-
tion were Begonia Froebellii (new),
Primula sinensis fimbriata punicea pie-
no, a splendid double crimson scarlet
variety of Primrose ; Hibiscus mutabil-
is albus plenus, a superb variety with
double white flowers; several new Del-
phiniums and Dianthus, Phloxes, Pel-
argoniums, Pansies (very fine), Penste-
mons, Pyrethrums, Salvias, Stocks,
Tropseolums, Violas, Wallflowers, Zin-
nias, Verbenas, Sweet Williams, Visca-
rias, Tacsonias, Sedums, Polyanthus,
Petunias, Picotees, Lantanas, Gilias.
Gladiolus, etc., with many other novel-
ties and specialities, and rare plants
always arriving from all parts of the
world.

We again called at the splendid Har-
mon villa and gardens, where we saw
our friend and experienced skillful hor-
ticulturist, R. Turnbull, who has full
charge of these most attractive well

136

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

kept grounds. ' Mr. T. is now paying
special attention to Roses, all the best
of which he has in cultivation, and is
naming correctly, and has en route from
the East many new ones (having unlim-
ited power from his employer to that
effect), including the new and highly
prized Rose, " Beauty of Grlazenwood."
Mr. Harmon's place is well worth visit-
ing. It is in splendid order, and pos-
sesses the best and newest of plants.

THE KUM-QUAT — CITRUS JAPONICA.

The recent maturing of this fruit in
some parts of our State where the trees
have attained sufficient size (and with
other favorable circumstances of soil
and aspect, although it is quite a hardy
fruit), has awakened some interest in
it. We have lately seen it figured in
several English as well as American
publications. The Kum-Quat is a
small species of Orange which is found
in both China and Japan. It was in-
troduced into England, in 1842 by Mr.
Fortune, the famous botanist, who
made many important researches and
discoveries in various parts of Asia. It
was cultivated at Chiswick, near Lon-
don, England. Later there it was suc-
cessfully fruited, and seemed likely to
be a rather popular plant, if not fruit.
In China it is grown as a shrub about
six feet high, but trained to the back
wall of a conservatory, it has in Eng-
land reached the height of fifteen feet.
The plant resembles a dwarf Orange
tree, but with smaller and thinner
leaves ; it flowers very freely, and is
very attractive in bloom ; the fruit,
which is about the size of a moderately
large English Gooseberry, is like an
Orange in miniature, having a bright
and rather deep- colored orange rind,
which, when scraped, gives off a high-
ly'agreeable perfume. Within these

are five cells, filled with an exceedingly
acid pulp. The fruit, picked with its
leaves attached, makes a beautiful or-
nament for the dessert, and when pre-
served with sugar, the only mode in
which it can be used to make it very
palatable, forms a sweetmeat which is
a good deal esteemed. According to
Mr. Fortune, the Kum-Quat grows in
the greatest perfection in a portion of
China (as well as Japan), so cold that
the Orange will not thrive, and that in
the Orange region of southern China
the Kum-Quat does not succeed. This
seems to us very singular, but does
not, we think, militate against its suc-
cess in many parts of California. It is
true it is a fruit only fit to be preserv-
ed. The Chinese and Japanese grow
it in pots, but it is said to do better in
the open ground. The plant requires
a warm summer to ripen its wood, and
a rather dry winter (being impatient of
much rain or moisture), and it proves
hardy in many localities in our State,
and in the upper Southern States, if
not in some of the Middle, as in China
and Japan it endures a cold of below
25°. It being an ornamental plant in
both flower and fruit, and somewhat
useful as well as in the way of a pre-
serve, it is hoped that it will be more
planted on this coast than it is — espe-
cially in parts where it will fruit well.
The Kum-Quat will not graft upon the
Orange ; the proper stock is Citrus tri-
foliata, a small hardy species, which is'
propagated from cuttings.

This tree and fruit is not of much
importance for us in the United States,
except, chiefly, for ornament in leaf,
flower, and form of tree, as we have so
many fruits greatly superior to it ; but
in China and Japan where our fruits are
wanting, except, mostly, in inferior
sorts, all fruits which will make good
preserves are much prized.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

137

THE CHERIMOYER ( ANONA CEERIMO-
L1A).

The Alta, in its article on the Indus-
trial Condition of the State, states that
" a Cherimoyer tree on the Guajome
Rancho, in San Diego County, has
commenced to bear, and its fruit, con-
sidered among the most delicious of
the tropics, is fully formed and will
undoubtedly ripen. The general im-
pression is that the tree is too delicate
to bear freely in any part of the State."

The native habitat of this tree or
shrub is Peru. The fruit is somewhat
heart-shaped and scaly on the exterior,
and is counted by the Creoles as being
the most delicious fruit in the world, a
verdict, by the by, which Europeans,
however, do not confirm. It is a tree
about twelve feet high ; the leaves are
oval, pointed at both ends ; the flowers
solitary, very fragrant, of a greenish
white color, and the fruit somewhat
heart-shaped, with a scaly appearance
on the outside ; when ripe, it is gray-
ish brown or black. The flesh is white
and sweet, mixed with several seeds of
the color of coffee. Baron Humboldt
spoke of it in high terms ; and his ac-
count is completely confirmed by the
testimony of many officers who have
been in the South American service;
but Fenillee says one European Pear
or Plum is worth all the Cherimoyers
of Peru. It has been known in some
English hothouses under the name of
Anona tripetala.

Several species of this genus are cul-
tivated in tropical countries for the sake
of their fruits. The Sour -sop of the
"West Indies is the fruit of A. muricala.
It is of considerable size, often weigh-
ing upwards of two pounds ; it is green-
ish and covered with prickles, the pulp
is white and has an agreeable slightly
acid flavor. The Anona squamosa is

the fruit of a tree, A. squamosa, native
of the Malay Islands, but extensively
cultivated in the East and West Indies.
The fruit is ovate, with projecting
scales, the rind is thick, but encloses a
luscious pulp, concerning which, how-
ever, tastes differ.

It is well enough to try some of the
tropical fruits in some parts of our
State, and they may be found interest-
ing if not profitable and entirely suc-
cessful. We shall speak of them from
time to time.

THE STUDY OF INSECTS.

BY ENTOMOLOGIST.

No branch of Natural History de-
serves a more careful and thorough
study than the class of insects, because
none is more abounding in use or in-
jury to man, and although California
has been comparatively exempt, until
quite lately, from any great ravages of
destructive insects, yet we can not ex-
pect to be always so favored as to have
so few difficulties with this class of
creatures belonging to the animated
portion of the world's inhabitants. We
hear now from all parts of the State
that many fruit trees, vines, and plants
have been injured, if not destroyed, by
pests of this nature. We must, there-
fore, be watchful and observant in or-
der to counteract their baneful effects,
and the more we study their habits, of
course the better off we shall be. The
study and knowledge of these compan-
ions, that more or less swarm around
us, on every tree and flower, in the air
about us, and on the earth beneath us,
even on our own much favored coast,
must be important and interesting to
every one, of whatever mental capacity
or taste. And it has been very gener-
ally so considered, for the rich and

138

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

poor, lettered and unlettered, the
statesman and philosopher, manufact-
urer and merchant, husbandman and
horticulturist, clergyman and physi-
cian, have often made this study the
principal occupation of their leisure
hours.

There is no class of animals with
which so many persons have been occu-
pied, and on which so many valuable
and splendid works have been publish-
ed, as on insects, particularly beetles
and butterflies. None of earth's crea-
tures have attracted more universal ad-
miration than these. (See a beautiful
collection of these now being arranged
in the cabinets in the Natural History
building at "Woodward's Gardens.)
Many to whom the Book of Nature is a
sealed book have been enticed, by the
splendor of their color and their fairy-
like motions, to hunt for them in mead-
ows, fields, and woods, mountains and
canyons (like Henry Edwards of this
city), to place them as ornaments in
rich frame- work upon the walls of their
parlors, or to nourish and raise them
with the greatest care in their rooms,
that they may not lose a single hair or
feather of their magnificent variegated
dress.

No class of animals presents so great
a diversity of occupation and so many
grades of society as the insects. Here
we see the industrious laborer busy -at
his work, there, the lazy, lounging
beggar ; here upon the leafy boughs,
or before the gates of their subterran-
ean abodes, myriads of musicians are
playing their fiddles, and there the
skillful artist is building his wonderful
dwelling ; while above in the blue sky
flutters a high nobility, clad in gold,
silver, purple, and silk; fed on the nec-
tar of flowers ; and on the earth below
are lurking, troublesome drones and
disgusting parasites.

We have not yet any general work
on North American insects, except a
few numbers of the American Ento-
mology, by Thomas Say; Major Lecon-
te's Iconography of some genera of but-
terflies; and Dr. Harris's elaborate re-
port on the injurious Insects of Massa-
chusetts.

It is time that our people in general,
and particularly our youth, should be
made acquainted with a class of ani-
mals which everywhere surrounds us,
day and night, and which furnish us
amusement, food, coloring substances,
and medicines, in order that they may
be able to distinguish the useful from
the injurious ones, the harmless from
the noxious, and to discover those
which may furnish new articles for
manufactures, commerce, and domestic
industry.

SOME "WILD FRUITS OF CALIFORNIA.

In Mendocino and Humboldt coun-
ties, and still further north in this
State, may be found the Huckleberry in
all the delicious fragrance of the East-
ern variety. And in addition three oth-
er varieties abound. A high bush, red
and black ; also low bush, red variety.
None, however, have the fragrance of
the blue variety. There are other wild
berries and fruits in those counties and
elsewhere north on our coast, such as
Thimbleberry, Strawberry, Blueberry,
Sal-lal, Crab-apple, and what the East
has not, the Salmonberry. They re-
semble very much the red Raspberry
the first year of their growth, but in-
stead of dying down each year as the
Raspberry, they continue to grow from
year to year, until they are about ten
feet in height. The young Wood is cov-
ered with sharp spines like the Black-
berry, but after the second or third
year shed them off, and the bark be-

THE CALIFORNIA HOttTICULTURIST.

139

comes smooth. The fruit is larger and
in shape somewhat like the Baspberry ;
color yellow or salmon. About one
bush in ten bears a purple berry. It is
not likely that they would flourish in
dry inland valleys, as they are only to
be found in damp, shady ground in the
immediate vicinity of the ocean. They
make a very good dish with the addi-
tion of cream and sugar, but devoid of
much flavor. — John Mavily, St. Helena.
[We found all the above fruits during a
sporting trip to these counties. — Ed.]

JAPAN SOIL AND MANURING.

The Japanese Empire stretches from
the 30th to the 45th degree of north
latitude. The average temperature and
distribution of heat constitute a climate
embracing all the gradations between
those of Central Germany and of Up-
per Italy. A solitary tropical Palm,
not fully developed, grows by the side
of the northern Pine, Eice and Cotton
along with Buckwheat and Barley.
Everywhere on the chain of hills, which
cover the whole country like an irregu-
lar fine network, the Pine predomin-
ates, stamping upon the landscape that
homely northern character, which af-
fords so cheering a sight to the north-
ern traveler, who reaches these shores
after having passed through the hot
and luxuriant regions of the tropics.
In the valleys, on the other hand, the
burning south holds sway, covering the
ground with a rich vegetation of Bice,
Cotton, Yams, and Sweet Potatoes.
Hundreds of footpaths and small ra-
vines lead to the charming transitions
between Pine and Cotton, hill and dale;
everywhere there is a gay medley of
Laurels, Myrtles, Cypresses, and above
all, shining Camellias.

The land is of volcanic origin, and
the entire surface belongs to the tufa

and the diluvium formation. The eoil
on the hills consists of an extremely
fine, yet not over fat clay ; whereas that
of the valleys is, throughout the coun-
try, with some trifling modifications, of
a black, loose, and deep garden mold,
which, upon trial in different places, I
found extended to a depth of 12 to 15
feet, being, throughout, of the same
quality, though somewhat more com-
pact in the deeper layers. An imper-
meable stratum of clay probably under-
lies this arable crust. As the clay
strata of the mountains, in consequence
of the frequent and copious falls of
rain, give rise to a multitude of springs,
which are everywhere at hand, and may
thus easily, and without any great skill,
be turned to account for the purpose of
irrigation ; so the impermeability strat-
um underlying the surface soil in the
valleys enables the Japanese husband-
men to turn the soil at pleasure into
a swamp for the cultivation of Eice.

STRAWBERRY GROWING IN CALIFOR-
NIA.

"We find in the Pioneer, of San Jose,
an article on Strawberry growing, which
will be of much interest to many in va-
rious parts of our State, and to our
Eastern readers :

The largest fields are located be-
tween San Jose and Alviso, and it is
probably along this road that the stran-
ger can get the best idea of Strawberry
culture in this valley. The great de-
sideratum is water, and as this is also
the artesian district, it may be called
the home of the Strawberry. The most
extensive growers are Judge Thomas,
Chas. E, Wade, Wm. Boots, and Mrs.
Shields. They have fields of from 50
to 125 acres, but there are many others
who devote from 10 to 40 acres to the
business.

140

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The ground is prepared by being
thoroughly plowed and thrown up into
low ridges about two feet apart; on
each side of these ridges the vines are
planted, irrigation being accomplished
by flowing water through the channel
formed by the furrow between the rows.
It is not unusual to see Onions and
other vegetables growing on the ridges
between the two lines of berries. On-
ions and Strawberries do not go very
well together on the table, but they do
in the field. The runners are kept
carefully pruned, except as it is desired
to make new'plants, in which case they
are allowed to grow to the extent nec-
essary for that purpose. It has been
the experience of Strawberry growers in
this county that the plant produces
more and better fruit as it becomes old-
er. Judge Thomas has been in the
business for twelve years, and the best,
the hardiest, and most productive plants
on his place are those which he first set
out a dozen years ago.

Our Strawberry fields are cultivated
almost exclusively by Chinamen. The
owner of the fields makes a contract
with the Chinese boss to cultivate, pick,
and pack the berries ready for shipment
for half the proceeds of the crop. One
Chinaman can take care of two acres of
vines except in fruiting time, and then
it requires three Chinamen to an acre.
It is to be hoped that our people will
see the necessity of educating our boys
and girls to this work, and thus save
the community the money that is paid
to the 10,000 Chinamen who are annu-
ally employed in our Strawberry fields.

The berries are mostly shipped to
San Francisco, and from there orders
are filled to other portions of the State.
They are packed in boxes of four to
eight pouuds each ; the boxes are plac-
ed in chests like drawers to a bureau,
and in this manner, with a reasonable

degree of care, transportation is accom-
plished with no injury to the fruit. The
berries are hauled from the field each
afternoon and placed on the cars at the
different stations along the road, or on
board the boat at Alviso wharf.

The price of Strawberries varies with
the season. Some years the lowest fig-
ure will be 12^ cents per pound, but in
extra good seasons four cents is about
the price. The market will average
about seven cents after the crop begins
to come in freely. We have taken con-
siderable pains to get at the financial
results of this industry. One of our
oldest and most reliable Strawberry
growers, who has seen the good and
bad seasons of the last dozen years,
says that the average net profit is $400
per acre. The least return he has ever
had was $200 per acre, and the highest
$800 per acre. This, of course, is to
be divided with the Chinamen, leaving
him half, or an average of $200 per
acre per annum for the use of the
ground.

The present season promises to be
peculiarly favorable to the Strawber-
ries. There has been no cold weather
to retard their growth, and from pres-
ent indications we will have the heavi-
est yield in the history of the enterprise
in this county. This, although grati-
fying to consumers, is not of any great
moment to producers. When the yield
is heavy the price is low, and vice versa.
It is a sort of self-compensating indus-
try that yields a good return in spite of
circumstances.

Aktifcial Coral foe Rock -work.—
Take four parts of yellow rosin and
one part of vermillion, and melt to-
gether; into this dip coal, bricks, stone
and it will give them the appearance
of coral, and then they can be put into
fancy rock- work with very pretty effect.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

141

§ijfl m& (&xm.

TROUTING-FISH IMPORTATIONS.

Trout fishing is now still in order for
descanting upon, and, thanks to the lib-
erty of the game laws, will remain so
for months to come. This sport stirs
the blood, and drives business men and
others, who are anglers, to the banks of
some of our numerous streams and
lakes, which are so calculated to oxy-
genate our sanguineal circulation, and
enliven the dullness of life's ordinary
routine. Spring fishing for trout is
more delightful than summer or au-
tumn angling. The longing for the re-
turn of the season has been intensified
by reading, during winter nights, fa-
vorite works (and there have been pub-
lished many good ones of late years in
the United States), on this pleasant and
healthful recreation, and which trea-
tises most true fishermen have in their
libraries. They therefore once more
throw the fly with renewed zest, and
few are slow to seize the opportunity in
these first days of the season. . Nature
strongly entices them to the river side,
and her call is the more powerful as
most anglers are lovers of her beauties
— the songs of the meadow-lark and lin-
net ; the gambols of the graceful ground
squirrel, the glow and scent of the wild
shrubs and flowers, possessing unweary-
ing charms for them. But we are wax-

ing, as usual, on this subject, poetic,
and it is better to throw fishing lines
than indite romantic lines on fishing.
There are times when the soul is dead
to poetry, and these are when we ob-
serve on the water, whether lake or riv-
er, the glowing finny beauties rising
here and there and everywhere, feeding
on the natural flies which fall on the
surface, or frequenting the upper por-
tion of the element to inhale the at-
mospheric oxygen, or playing and leap-
ing in mere wantonness of motion. To
be sure it is a little too prosaic a cir-
cumstance, and somewhat hard upon
any ordinary sinner, to slip off a wet
and slippery rock into a deep hole, as
we and all brook anglers have some-
times done, or lose a hook in a tree
branch by the throwing back of the
casting line too inconsiderately, but
then these mishaps are amply compen-
sated by the enjoyment of a good bite
and the lifting of a silver-sided beauty
out of any of the streams that water so
liberally our charming California scen-
ery.

Although the brooks within 100 miles
of our city have been pretty well fished
out, even in these the supply is gener-
ally good in the spring of the year.
There are hundreds of streams in our
whole State in which a hook has never
been cast by a San Francisco fisher-
man. The affluents of the Upper Sac-
ramento, and all the small streams

142

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICTJLTUEIST.

north of Sonoma County are, at any
rate, well stocked with fish. These
streams, indeed, are very nearly in
their primitive condition. No diminu-
tion of any consequence of the supply
of trout and salmon has ever been caus-
ed by amateur fishermen there. The
very few Indians who still linger in the
country, the lumbermen who take what
they want, and the sparse settlers catch
some fish, and that is about all the
drain that is made upon their resources,
although the above parties are in the
habit of paying no attention whatever
to the close or illegal time. All other
kinds of game besides fish are abundant
throughout the northern coast range.
The whole country north from Russian
River is still fresh for all sporting pur-
poses. Even within a day's ride of this
city, owing to new railroads and stages,
there are streams, the head-waters of
which are only known to a few squat-
ters and hunters who live on the sides
of the mountains. The trout ascend
during high water to the small brook-
lets far up the mountains, and are oft-
en abundant there when the lower part
of the stream has been nearly fished
out. We trust that under the game
law as now intended to be enforced,
though it is far from an easy thing to
do so, there are some hopes among the
most sanguine of us that the supply of
brook trout will never be exhausted,
but on the contrary greatly increased.
We are now industriously restocking
the streams and lakes near the city, as
well as in those more distant from us,
especially in the south, with our large
species of brook trout, averaging about
two pounds when well grown, from
the Upper Sacramento and other rivers
there, but as for the more distant wa-
ters of the State they will carry mil-
lions of game fish in the future, as
they have perhaps millions in years past.

The people of the State, and notably
those of this city, have to thank our
Fish Commissioners for the late, as
well as the many preceding influxes of
salmon, trout, and other families of
fish, with which they are restocking our
different fresh and salt waters. Be-
sides young salmon, Eastern trout,
shad, white fish, black bass, catfish and
lobsters, we shall probably soon obtain
some more valuable species, including
Royal carp, from China, Japan, and
Germany. The Commissioners feel
certain that during the present year es-
pecially, great progress will be made in
the introduction of valuable fish into
California lakes and rivers. In conse-
quence, thousands of our citizens will
be able to enjoy a day's healthful re-
laxation from business cares at compar-
atively but little expense. That where-
as it now takes several days' time and a
large expense to visit different sections
of country for salmon, or even very
good trout fishing, when, as for the last
three yearsthe same has been done, as
regards salmon, from our wharves, and
in our Sportsman's Club lakes, and in
the future these may possibly be as
plentiful in our bay and in these lakes
as smelts formerly were ; and what is
of great advantage to us as compared
to other salmon regions, the fishing
here can be done in our mild, genial
winters, and thereby form an extra in-
ducement for the citizens of the Atlan-
tic coast and Europe to visit our State.
All that is needed to produce the fore-
going results is the passing and en-
forcement of laws giving protection to
fish, and a sufficient and not too scanty
an annual appropriation by the Legis-
lature to continue the artificial hatch-
ing and importation of all the best fish-
es for our waters.

A small leak will sink a great ship.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

143

TO TAMALPAIS VIA COLEMAN'S DAM.

The eight o'clock boat took us to
Saucelito, and the North Pacific Coast
'Railroad carried us to the Junction,
where the branch road to San Rafael
comes in, and from thence we retraced
our steps some distance on the railroad
track opposite Sunnyside, the country
residence of Mr. Worn, where the fin-
ger-board plainly directed us on our
course to Lagunitas or Coleman's Dam,
and beyond the upper trail wound its
way to the highest peaks of the elevat-
ed coast range — the bold, abrupt Tam-
alpais. "We were rather astonished as
we passed leisurely along — we were all
on foot — to notice how naturally our
friend Keith had reproduced on canvas
the colors and forms of nature in this
region. The impression was so vivid
that repeated reference was made to it
by his trio of friends on their upward
tramp along the wagon road that leads
over miles of Wm. T. Coleman's prop-
erty, which by the way seemed to ex-
tend in every direction, judging from
the numerous notices we found con-
spicuously posted on every side, which
read as follows : " Shooting not allow-
ed on this property — Wm. T. Cole-
man, proprietor."

This carriage way leads through a
very picturesque region, passing up
into San Anselmo Valley, and on eith-
er side are numerous large stumps of
some long-felled fathers of the pines,
now entirely encircled with families of
young shoots that have sprung out of
their very decaying roots, with a vigor
and freshness of foliage characteristic
of its progenitors that belongs to youth
and beauty. Ferns we found on every
hand in most graceful forms, accompan-
ied by an innumerable host of many-
colored wild-flowers.

We were greatly surprised to find so

fine and clear a sheet of water as Cole-
man's Dam nestled at the foot of Tam-
alpais. It has a depth of fifty feet,
covering a large space on the mountain
side, and from this catchment San Ra-
fael and the State Prison at San Quen-
tin are supplied with water. We saw
many speckled beauties disport them-
selves in its clear depths, whose faith-
ful guardian presented himself prompt-
ly with gun in hand as we made our ap-
pearance on its banks. Upon inquiry
whether he brought down his finny
game with shot, he pointed to a large
long-billed duck lying on the grassy
slope, which he had just dispatched,
saying that he looked out as sharply
for that species of fishermen without
permits as any of the human kind who
happen along in the same manner.
This was a hint we shall endeavor to
profit by at some future day.

It was near noon, and the apparently
close peaks had not yet been scaled. It
was a long, steep, and weary path, ev-
ery upward step revealing more and
more of the surrounding landscape,
with its regularly grooved and corrugat-
ed mountain sides running down in all
shapes and angles as far as the eye
could reach, diminishing and belittling
everything beneath the uprearing range
whose top was still many steps away.
We reached the cool, refreshing, trick-
ling spring away up its north-western
flank; we cast pitiful glances at the
beautiful pink and white Fleur de Lis
scattered along the path, blooming and
dying in their unadmired isolation, and
anon we reached the meadow or plat-
eau near the summit, or what we should
call the saddle Of the range, where a
velvety carpet of the richest variegated
wild-flowers gave softly way to every
step we took. We were impressed with
the idea that this might possibly have
been a living crater at some remote pe-

144

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

riod, but we will leave that to the sci-
entists to determine.

As we gained the Government Sta-
tion, a heavy fog came slowly creeping
in through the Golden Gate so that our
view seaward was completely obstruct-
ed, and the hazy atmosphere allowed
us but a limited range of vision in ev-
ery other direction, the most free view
being northward over a succession of
mountain chains and valleys, the mount-
ains preponderating as ninety-nine to
one from our fanciful bird's-eye obser-
vation. Immediately before us to the
east the various inlets of the bay seem-
ed specially curved by the trained hand
of a landscape gardener, with the busy
hive of San Francisco running out on
the tongue of one of the points of land,
the tall and isolated spots of timber on
the flanks of the westward range look-
ing just like so many toy trees in a
child's playground. Mount Diablo lay
far to the East, and from our elevation
— 2,700 feet — revealed all its grand
proportions, though not so abrupt and
conically shaped as the peaks right
around us. It was a pleasant warm
day, with no wind at all. Here in San .
Francisco it was quite cool with a strong
westward wind. We could see by the
drift of the fog below us that we were
entirely out of the reach of the prevail-
ing current of air, and would have con-
sidered it no hardship to have remain-
ed on the mountain top over night
without any shelter.

We crossed peak after peak to the
flag staff where a record of visitors is
kept, and then circled round and above
the land-slide on its southern side,
which is so plainly visible from San
Francisco, passed down the steep east-
ern declivity over gradually lessening
but seemingly interminable ridges until
we reached the fine residence and
grounds of Mr. Kent, then out and on

to the San Rafael road. The long trip
having delayed us beyond the after-
noon train, a kind passing team carried
us to San Rafael, from whence we came
back to our haunts of business early
the following morning, greatly pleased
with a trip we had contemplated tak-
ing these past eighteen years.
San Francisco, May 1, 1877.

COOKING FISH.

Fish should be washed as little as
possible, and white fish, after being
cleaned and wiped with a damp cloth,
should have the stomach stuffed with
salt for an hour or two before cooking.
Fish should be put on in cold water so
that the inner part may be sufficiently
done, and also it is less liable to break.
This rule holds good, except for very
small fish, or for salmon boiled in sli-
ces, when boiling water should be used.
The time will depend on the kind and
size of the fish, but it may be easily
known when it is ready by drawing up
the fish-plate and trying if it will sepa-
rate from the bone. Here, as in other
things, practice is better than all the
directions that can be given, as so much
depends on the strength of the fire and
the size of the fish. A little salt and
vinegar should always be put into the
water, and some prefer their fish boiled
in what is called a court bouillon, and
this is how it is done : Lay the fish in
the fish-kettle with enough cold water
to cover it, add a glass of wine or vine-
gar, some sliced carrot and onions, pep-
per, salt, and a laurel leaf, a bunch of
parsley, a faggot of sweet herbs, or
some of the same powdered and tied up
in a muslin bag. These seasonings im-
part a fine flavor to most boiled fish,
excepting salmon, and for fresh- water
fish. They are considered very useful
for getting rid of the muddy taste they
often have.

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTJLTUKIST.

145

Fiying fish may be fairly well done
by just putting sufficient fat in the pan
to prevent it sticking, and cooking it
till of a fine brown color ; but the artis-
tic mode of frying fish is what is called
the wet process, which may be simply
described as boiling it in fat. There
are different opinions as to what kind
of fat answers best, but all agree that
butter should never be used, as the ex-
pense is great, and the color never so
good. Lard is considered by many to
be the best frying medium ; but Ca-
reme, the great French cook, gives the
preference to beef fat — not, however,
the dripping from the roast, but lard
made by melting beef suet instead of
the fat of the pig. What we recom-
mend to families as best and most eco-
nomical is clarified dripping, that is,
the fat from the joints while roasting,
poured into boiling water, and remov-
ed in a cake when cold. But whatever
the medium, the great point is to have
the fat at a proper temperature before
the article to be fried is put in. The
skillful cook can see the blue smoke
rising just at the boiling point, and
then she knows it is time to put in her
fish ; but for those who are only ac-
quiring experience, it is safer to throw
in a bit of bread, and if it takes a fine
color in a minute or so, then the fat is
hot enough, and the fish may be put
in. This is the cardinal point of suc-
cessful frying. As Brillat-Savarin says,
" It all depends on the surprise," that
is, on the fat being hot enough, other-
wise the fish will be flabby and greasy
instead of crisp and appetizing. An-
other point to be attended to is that the
fat be deep enough in the pan to cover
the fish, which should be put in a wire
basket that will fit easily into the pan
of fat and then no turning is required.
The same fat will do again and again
for twenty times, if necessary ; all that

is needed is to strain it into boiling wa-
ter; when cold take it off in a cake,
wipe off the water on the under side,
and put it by for use, of course only to
fry fish again.

A QUEER FISH.

Mr. Throckmorton, one of the Fish
Commissioners, gave to the California
Academy of Sciences, not long since, a
specimen of fish caught in the salt
marshes in Marin County. The fish
looks like an ordinary ' ' bull-head " or
sucker, and is probably familiar in ap-
pearance to many. Its peculiarity con-
sists in its mode of life. Some of Mr.
Throckmorton's land beyond Lime
Point is ordinary marsh land, and he
several times observed Chinamen at
work at low tide, with shovels, appar-
ently digging into the banks of the lit-
tle creeks. A few weeks ago he went
down to see what they were about, and
was surprised to have a Chinaman an-
swer his question by saying he was
" fishing." Fishing with a shovel was
a new experience to Mr. Throckmor-
ton, although he has been for many
years an enthusiastic sportsman.

On examination he found that the
bank showed numerous round holes at
about the half-tide mark, and the Chi-
naman took the shovel, sliced off some
of the bank, and hauled several fish
from one of the holes.

The holes are similar to those made
by swallows, and are in such a position
that the entrance is under water about
half the time. The tide rises here
about six feet, and the mouths of the
holes are about three feet below high
water mark. They go straight into the
bank a short distance and then turn
down, so that when the tide falls below
them they are still filled with water, al-
though the entrance may be two or

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

three feet above the water at low tide.
They seem to have more the habits of
an eel than an ordinary fish, and the
skin is also eel-like. Mr. Throckmor-
ton says the flavor of the meat is also
similar to an eel. The Chinese labor-
ers gather great quantities of them at
low tide. A fish living in a hole in the
ground like a squirrel is something
new here, we believe, nor do we recol-
lect of their having been found else-
where.— Pacific Life.

NEW GUN AND FISHING TACKLE STORE.

J. Bluemel, a well known dealer in
the above articles in this city, has opened
a new depot for them at 411 Montgom-
ery Street, near California. Here will
be found by sportsmen a complete as-
sortment of everything relating to the
gun and rod, very neatly arranged in
show cases, and most tempting to the
eye of the lovers of shooting and fish-
ing. Mr. Bluemel is a practical man
in these matters, and repairs every de-
scription of instruments used in the
field or on the water. He will be found
a worthy additional member of several
similar well furnished firms in our city
engaged in the same business.

Apple trees must be thoroughly ma-
nured to produce the best results. The
soil can not well be too rich, and wood
ashes is one of the best fertilizers,
though almost any kind may be em-
ployed successfully; loam, leaf mold
from the woods, and any kind of ma-
nure will give good returns. If in
July the leaves are a rich, dark green
the tree needs no fertilizer. If they
are of a yellow cast the tree is starving
and must have food, unless infested
with borers or standing on wet ground,
where it is impossible for them to re-
main in a healthy and fruitful condi-
tion.

£ tUxtul gMirttg.

OUR CABIN HOME.

BY L. HARKOD BELL.

Traveler! whereso'er you roam,
Wilt come and see our forest home?
A cabin on a gentle slope,
Made rude and rough — but built in hope.

Near stand the oak trees, straight and tall,
And green grass groweth under all.
Back in the wildwood's waving shade,
But yesterday the red deer played.

Bright in the golden sunset's glow,
Broad valleys glisten far below;
While mountains frown on either hand,
Upon our wide-spread table land.

The dog-wood, with its fields of snow,
The graceful maple's scarlet glow,
Holly and hemlock, with the pine,
Their wealth of beauty all combine.

Iris and violet brightly blue,
Skies of the rarest azure, too.
Home of the happy humming-bird,
Come where the whippoorwill is heard.

Springs of crystal, streamlets pure,
And waters cool that cleanse and cure,
Breezes soft all summer long,
While short the north wind's winter song.

Pomona's promised land, her pride;
Thy slopes shall yet be decked and dyed
With hue of apple, grape, and pear;
With berries bright and cherries rare.

When bleating flocks shall crown thy hills,
And meadows wave beside thy rills,
Then shall the farm-house, ample, wide,
And church spire rise up, side by side.

But wait not till the fields grow glad,
Come while the hills are forest-clad,
Come while the red deer still doth roam,
Come to our mountain cabin home!

MAKING THE WILDERNESS "BLOSSOM
AS THE ROSE."

Sposati's gardens, in the northwest-
ern part of the city of Stockton, are a
perfect wilderness of flowers at this
time of year, and the air is heavy with
the intoxicating perfume of the myriad
of blossoms. It is now the height of

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

147

the season for Roses, and although Ro-
ses bloom there the year through, every
bush is now loaded down with flowers
of every conceivable hue and color.
The varieties represented there number
not less than 100 of the choicest kinds,
and their cultivation, in the perfection
to which careful culture has brought
them, is a delight to the eye. A large
number of other flowers are in bloom,
and we doubt if any garden in the Slate
can show a more gorgeous display of
blossoms. The rapid improvement in
this place is another illustration of what
can be done in California with water
and cultivation. Four years ago the
block of land comprising this miniature
paradise was barren and destitute of
vegetation, with the exception of six
large oaks of the weeping variety, to
be found nowhere but in California.
Two windmills were erected, the gar-
den laid out, and the improvement be-
gan. In that time evergreen trees have
grown from little sprigs to towering
symmetrical forms twenty feet high. A
small grove of Orange trees have reach-
ed a height of seven to ten feet, and are
preparing to bear fruit. Other trees
and vines of choicest varieties have
grown proportionately, until now the
garden is one of the most attractive
places in the city. The gardener, Mr.
Cameron, who leased the place and has
accomplished the pleasing transforma-
tion, makes a good living by the sale of
bouquets and plants. To further de-
scribe the beautiful spot would be un-
necessary, as all Stocktonians are fa-
miliar with it, and strangers could get
no adequate idea by the description,
but we cite it as an encouraging exam-
ple of what water and cultivation will
do on a small piece of ground in Cali-
fornia. We have the finest climate in
the world and the most fertile soil in
the State. All we need is water.

PLANTS IN LIVING OR SLEEPING
ROOMS.

A lady writes as follows : "I have
about fifty different kinds of plants in
my sitting-room up -stairs; this room
adjoins our sleeping- room, and my hus-
band is afraid it is not healthy. This
is the only room I can keep my plants
in, and it is well ventilated by a win-
dow lowered from the top ; my room is
very light, for the windows are large
and reach the floor, thus affording
plenty of sunlight to the plants. My
husband, as well as myself, is a lover
of flowers, and we do not like to be
without them, and, therefore, ask your
opinion of this matter."

Growing plants, vegetation in gener-
al, is the means nature employs to pu-
rify the atmosphere ; the gases which
are the products of respiration, and of
the decomposition of organic matter,
either vegetable or animal, are assimi-
lated by the growing plant, or convert-
ed into its tissues. In the wondrous
laboratory of nature these processes are
constantly in operation, so that all or-
ganic substances, in their turn, togeth-
er with all the effete products of ani-
mal life, serve the purpose of sustain-
ing vegetation. The process of this
assimilation of matter or food in plants
is a direct result of the action of sun-
light, though there is reason to believe
the process is not wholly intermitted
during the night, but that the peculiar
action induced in the plant by the di-
rect sunlight is continued with a di-
minishing force in the hours of ordin-
aiy darkness ; probably but little new
matter is received into the plant at
night, but the process of assimilation
is in completion. The facts and ex-
periments on which these deductions
are made could be given in detail, but
those curious in this matter we would

148

THE CALIFORNIA HOETXCULTUKIST.

refer to the -writings of vegetable phy-
siologists.

So far, then, as growing plants are
concerned, we have a clear case, and
can say positively that they are not only
not injurious, but actually beneficial.
There is, however, another view to take
of the subject, and that is in regard to
blooming plants. The perfume of some
flowers is not only disagreeable to some
persons, but, when they are exposed to
them for some length of time, affects
them with headache, nausea and febrile
symptoms, more or less aggravated—
especially is this the case with those
peculiarly heavy odors, given off by
some varieties of Hyacinths, Tuberoses,
Jasmines, Orange blossoms, and some
other Muds. Of these effects there is
no question, and all such plants should
be avoided by those sensitive to them,
and, probably, it would be well for any
one not to have many such plants in a
sleeping room, but the caution is hard-
ly necessary, for it is seldom that any
great amount of bloom is attained in
house plants in the winter. Again, the
ventilation that is necessary, and that
in every well regulated room is given,
secures from all harm, in ordinary
practice, from the odors of flowers.

A bouquet left standing in the same
water for several days, as is sometimes
allowed, may become quite offensive,
but this case of vegetable decaying
matter is far different from the living
plants. A light burning in a room, or
a small animal like a cat or dog occu-
pying it, will vitiate and destroy the at-
mosphere to a very sensible extent, but
who objects to their presence on this
account? The least care in ventilation
corrects it all. In this connection we
may well requote an extract from a
note we published last year from the
editor of one of our medical journals.
He says :

" I think plants could be used as a
sort of vitaometer. The value of plants
in a health point of view is not yet ap-
preciated as it will be. A room where
plants do well makes a good living
room. The three sources of ill health
in in-door life, in winter in particular,
are first, super-heated air; second, too
dry air ; and third, an air loaded with
carbonic acid. Regulate the first two
conditions so plants will live and thrive,
and they will rapidly absorb che acid.
Under our plant stand my wife has a
long tray of water, which keeps the air
moist by evaporation, absorbs the car-
bonic acid, and our plants are the won-
der of my patients, and the health of
our rooms. I can thus point many a
lesson in hygiene."

In conclusion, then, only discriminat-
ing against those plants the odors of
which we know to be disagreeable or
injurious to us, we can safely say that
plants in living or sleeping rooms are
beneficial in purifying the atmosphere,
and that a room with more or less of
thrifty growing plants has not only an
air of refinement, but literally a purer
air than without them. — Vick's Floral
Guide.

TKEE AND SHKUB PLANTING IN
GARDENS.

In small gardens it is advisable to
keep the view from the entrance, over
the lawn to the mansion, free and open;
it should never be interrupted or block-
aded by large, compact trees, or tall,
dark, and stiff evergreens, which are so
often misplaced, by incompetent plant-
ers, in front or too near to the build-
ing. The gate - planting, as well as
small belt-plantings, to a considerable
distance on both sides from the man-
sion, are screen and frame enough for
limited grounds, but the lawn in front
of the mansion should be embellished

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

149

by a few fine flowering shrubs, with
variegated leaves, etc., or with fine
dwarf or spreading evergreens, groups
of Roses, etc., on which the eye will
rest with pleasure.

In large gardens and parks, where a
distant view from tbe entrance over an
extensive lawn, to a lake, to a monu-
mental structui-e, or to a remarkable
point in the perspective, or the course
of a straight drive opposite the gate, is
not expressly intended or required, a
fine light group at a considerable dis-
tance from the gate, and large enough
in proportion to the mass of foliage,
represented by the gate-planting, will
exclude the distant view in a pleasing
and sufficient way. Only trees and
shrubs of a loose and graceful habit can
be used for such groups, opposite the
entrance, and they should always be
placed in the lawn, further off from the
entrance, if the trees of the group are
of a vigorous and high growth. Such
well-arranged planting is like a greet-
ing and welcome to all visitors of taste.
Frequently the first pleasing impres-
sions last long, and disagreeable ones
may render the observer unfit for the
enjoyment of pleasing objects and
scenes. We, therefore, regard the
planting of which^we have spoken as of
great importance.

The more massive and imposing the
gate-planting is, the more light, loose,
and graceful must be the grouping op-
posite, and even the contrast to the
belt-plantings, or other groups in the
vicinity, should not only be shown by
lighter or darker green of the foliage,
but also by the graceful habit of the
trees, and the easy, loose, and free ar-
rangement of the group itself. If there
be, for instance, two large, well estab-
lished White Pines (Pinus Strobue) as
standard trees on either side of the
gate, and Pinus sylvestris, P. austriaca
Vol. vii.- 10.

et rubra (Mchx.) form the skeleton for
the extension of the gate-planting, then
only a few fine specimens of Pinus ex-
celsa, without any undergrowth, will
give the best effect for the opposite
group in the lawn. In such case soli-
tary planting is quite sufficient ; this
beautiful and imposing Pine, with its
long, slender leaves, through which the
winds send many a sigh, has the desir-
ed effect.

Another pleasing group may be ar-
ranged by several fine specimens of
Hemlock Spruces mixed with White
Birch trees, but without undergrowth.
A complete group formed of Larix Eu-
ropsea, combined with fine specimens
of Glyptostrobus, Pseudo- Larix Ka-
empferi and Pinus Canadensis, sur-
rounded by Retinospora filifera, lepto-
clada, obtusa et plumosa ; B^ota fili-
formis pendula ; Juniperus chinensis
pendula ; Ephedra monostachya et dis-
tachya will also answer the purpose very
well. The turf in the vicinity of this
group, and the foregoing plantings, can
be embellished with some Yucca fila-
mentosa, Mahonia japonica, Bealii
aquifolia, and Hydrangea Otaska.

If the gate-planting contains decidu-
ous plants only, then the opposite
group, but without undergrowth, may
be arranged with a few fine specimens
of Grleditschia triacantha var., horrida,
or else a complete group may be com-
posed of three Alnus imperialis asplen-
ifolia, with a few Betula alba pendula,
alba lanciniata (asplenifolia), and with
Cornus alba Sibirica as undergrowth,
will also give a very beautiful and
pleasing effect.

A group with pinnated foliage may
be formed by a few Negundo fraxini-
folia, several Negundo frax. fol. varie-
gatis, Rhus glabra laciniata, Sambucus
nigra aurea et filicifolia, and finished
by Robinia hispida (on their own roots)

150

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and Spiraea sorbifolia. The turf in the
vicinity of this composition can be dec-
orated by a loose and scattered plant-
ing in the lawn near to the group, and
for which we recommend Hemerocallis
fulva, flava, Kalmia fol. variegatis,
Asphodelus luteus, Pardanthus chinen-
sis and Tritoma Uvaria.

If Prunus Maheleb, because of its
fragrance, is desired for such group,
then Crataegus oxyacantha splendens,
Crataegus coccinea eriocarpa, Prinos
verticillatus, Kerria Japonica (Corchor-
us) and Spiraea prunifolia et Reevesiana
can be added ; and for the turf : Peeon-
ia arborea et herbacea varieties, Cle-
matis integrifolia, Delphinium elatum,
Hydrangea paniculata, Hibiscus palus-
tris and Baptisia australis are the best

and most showy plants.

-».-►-».

WATER CRESS CULTURE.

"Wherever there is spring water run-
ning in open ditches or small brooks,
"Water Cress may be grown. The most
favorable conditions for its growth,
says the Toronto Globe, are a gently
flowing stream of water, from three to
six inches deep, with a gravelly bot-
tom, underlaid with loam, and fed by
springs of uniform temperature. On a
neighboring farm rises a strong spring,
on which, some four or five years ago,
"Water Cress seed was sown. Now
there is a complete mat of plants, not
near the spring only, but all along the
stream for a mile or more, pieces of
branches and roots having occasionally
been torn off and carried down by the
current to some quiet places where they
took root. In the sheltered bays and
nooks of this brook, where alternate
layers of muck and gravel were washed
on, the plants seem to luxuriate the
most.

"Where similar conditions exist nat-
urally but little labor is necessary to

establish a "Water Cress bed sufficient
for home use, but when more extensive
plantations, otherwise than along the
margin of a brook, are to be made, con-
siderable labor may be required. If
the land to be devoted to this culture
does not contain enough gravel or
coarse sand, this element must be
supplied before planting ; a covering of
from three to four inches will be suffi-
cient. Where the land is entirely and
constantly overflowed all that is neces-
sary is to cut off rooted branches of old
plants and set them out in places where
the water is about six inches deep, and
to place a stone on each root to prevent
it from being washed away. A small
stream running through marshy ground,
however, offers the best opportunity for
a large plantation.

In this case ditches three to four
feet wide, and as many feet apart,
should be dug rectangularly from the
"Water Cress as far as the water will
follow. The depth of the ditches must
be arranged according to the medium
level of the stream, in such a manner
that the water in them stands at no sea-
son lower than three inches, nor for
any long time more than six inches.
By means of a dam with sluiceway the
water can readily be kept at uniform
level. At the bottom of each ditch the
cuttings are placed about two feet
apart each way, or closer if enough
roots can be had. "Where old plants
are not attainable seed may be sown in
the shallowest parts of the ditches, and
the plants grown therefrom used for
propagation, but of course a year's more
time will be required to establish a
plantation from seed than from cut-
tings. The month of September is the
best time for sowing the seed as well as
for planting.*

* At the old landing at Saucelito there is a
small stream fed by a brook which is rilled with
"Water Cresses. — Ed.

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICTJLTUKIST.

151

AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GAEDENS AT
MIDSUMMER.

These gardens are now in the height
of their glory as a spectacle for the eye.
Midsummer is fully on us. We have
had more than enough of stimulating
sun, and just quantum suff. of refresh-
ing rain, and so things look perfect;
the blaze of color, as seen from the
foot of the hill near the Lily ponds, is
gorgeous in the extreme, and is greatly
aided by the drooping feathery plants
of the Amaranth genus, in yellow, ma-
genta, brown, and other colors. Feb-
ruary is the life month, and August
(the corresponding month of winter), is
the dead month of the year in these
gardens, when eveiything is pruned,
and cut down, and earthed up, and
looks homely and bare, albeit in full
readiness for the spring of September
and October, when the fast " southing "
sun shall call the plants to life and vig-
or again. Meantime our business is
with February and not with August,
the present spell of easterly, southerly,
and cool weather, reft of its usual ac-
companiment of too much rain, renders
these gardens grateful alike to eye,
nose, and lungs just now. As a proof
of the very favorable season that we
have had, the great pink Nelumbium
has attained the largest growth hither-
to observed here, some of the leaves
(which rise on a stalk, and do not float
as those of the nymphsea do), measur-
ing four feet across, and the flower
thirteen inches! No description can
do justice to the exquisite color of the
so-called " blue" water-lily of this col-
ony ; it is not blue, nor white, nor lilac,
nor mauve, but has a blended dash of
all of them, and is lovelier than any ;
and a Swiss or French dyer who could
color a muslin dress with that same
hue, and reproduce it faithfully, would

make his fortune and lead the fashion
in Paris and London for the summer
season, and the "new color" would
bear his name forevermore. It is a
color suggestive of summer afternoons,
of lawns, of croquet, of classic villas,
" swell" society, and "five o'clock tea"
in the garden, with greyhounds, span-
iels, pretty girls, and rosy children
grouped about " miscellaneous like."
To resume : On the grassy flat at the
foot of the hill the indigenous and im-
ported grasses that have been intro-
duced unite to form a thick, well kept
sward, and flourish all alike — as far as
can be seen. One of the most striking-
ly handsome, as well as curious, trees
in the gardens is the Kilgeria pinnata,
from India ; its branches bear a kind of
drooping flexible vine rope or liana
stem, each of which terminates in a
large spike of flowers, hanging down-
ward of course ; while, at various parts
of the said rope pendents, hang huge
seed pods, like in shape unto the
weights of an extra large cuckoo clock.
It is a most eccentric looking tree.
Several varieties of the Mango just now
are in fine bearing, and the Wine Palm
of the West African coast was never
more juicy and strawberry-like in fla-
vor than it is in this most auspicious of
seasons for tropical fruits. The gor-
geous and many-colored Lagerstrcemia
blazes its splendors in the sun in all
parts of the garden. The over-luscious
Jack fruit is well podded, but will not
be ripe for another month yet. A few
blossoms still linger late on the Poinci-
ana regia, now two months past its
prime. The sweet-scented Murraya
exotica is also just " off," and its light,
refreshing odor — so reviving after the
heavy, sickly Gardenias, with their
ball-room fumes, have oppressed one's
head, is, pro tern., out of season. The
Terminalia of Queensland is a hand-

152

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

some shade tree of great size, with fine
sprays of flowers in scent like the Elder
blossoms, as indeed are also many oth-
er tropical ones, and its large oval
leaves form a fine canopy overhead.
The Fern and Palm Island in these
gardens has no cultivated rival in Aus-
tralia. It looks like a little bit out of
Paradise, with its graceful denizens
cutting the air in nearly every imagina-
ble shaped wave line and droop curve
that forms of beauty could well assume.
The Staghorns look supremely healthy
in condition and size, but the New Zea-
land Tree-ferns, as might be expected,
are not so flourishing as the Queensland
ones, and both much resemble their
brethren of Norfolk Island. One Palm
from Madagascar is like an exaggerat-
ed sugar-cane ; it is called the Areca
lutescens. In the various shades of
green that adorn this little island the
following show out well, viz.: the
Traveler's Tree of Madagascar and the
Toddy Tree of India and Cape York,
known as the Caryota urens. Moving
away from the island we find the Pam-
pas Grass of South America in great
fettle, with its full bloom high up in
the air. The Poplar Tree looks dreary
enough when lining in rows the roads
in some of the flat parts in South-west-
ern France, and it is not much to look
at in the month of August in these gar-
dens ; but just now its spire-like form
of mantled green affords a fine foil to
the spreading East India Laburnum
that grows near it, the latter bearing
plentiful spcays of yellow flowers with
a fresh cowslip sort of scent on them ;
and apropos of scent, we may tell the
reader that the blossoms of the "Blood-
wood'' tree, a species of Eucalyptus
now in full bloom in the bush, are one
of the most useful flowers for impart-
ing a lasting perfume to boxes where
linen is kept. — Queenslander.

THE DESERT PALM FOR PAPER MAK-
ING.

Paper as a factor in manufacturing
processes is beginning to take leading
rank. A few years ago its mission was
supposed to have been fulfilled when it
passed through the printing press, serv-
ed the purposes of the writing desk, or
was employed in the lighter fabrics for
toys and ornamentation. Now, houses,
locomotive wheels, barrels, furniture of
various kinds, and a hundred nameless
articles, are fashioned from it, and
found to answer as well, if not better,
than the wooden and iron structures it
has to some extent supplanted. In
fact, a number of new trades have
sprung into existence, which were un-
known till paper was introduced as one
of the popular and profitable indus-
tries. Since its demand has become
so great, it is important to know what
productions of the vegetable kingdom
are best adapted for its manufacture.
Human ingenuity keeps pace with the
demand in this respect, and experiment
added not a few textiles to the number
now employed for paper making.

California appears in the list of con-
tributors to the raw material. Certain
parties have been engaged in reducing
the Desert Palm ( Yucca draconis) to a
pulp, which is shipped to Philadelphia,
and there manufactured into the finest
and whitest qualities of paper. About
40,000 pounds of this pulp have already
been shipped East over the Central Pa-
cific Railroad. The gentlemen at the
head of the enterprise have erected ma-
chinery, which is propelled by steam,
to reduce the fibre, and intend to go
largely into the business.

A gentleman of this city, who ap-
pears to be interested in the enterprise,
writes to an up-country journal, com-
municating certain facts concerning tho

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

153

desert Palm and new industry, from
which we quote.

The Palm, he says, grows in al-
kaline deserts where there is not an av-
erage annual rainfall exceeding four or
five inches. The whole Mohave Des-
ert, from Tehachapi to the Colorado
River, probably about forty thousand
square miles, contains large groves of
this tree. The paper pulp is manufac-
tured from it at a mill in the Soledad
Canyon. It attains an average height
of about fifteen feet, branching at the
top, and will average about six inches
in diameter. Its particular advantage
as a paper-producing plant consists in
the fact that the whole body of the tree
is fibrous, and that after the earthy
matter is removed every portion be-
comes paper pulp.

Among our recent California devel-
opments none gives greater promise of
becoming important than this, and if
the Cactus is found to answer all the
useful purposes that is predicted for it,
the world at large will be benefited as
well.

^tutorial gurtfflttfl.

OUB, FKONTISPLECE.
SUMMER HOUSE AND TROPICAL CONSERVATORY.

Our pictorial embellishment compri-
ses, this month, a summer-house with
ornamental climbers, and a conserva-
tory for tropical plants. Both these
structures can be made very handsome.

THE SUMMER HOUSE.

An arbor may be formed of wood or
wire work. The latter, of course, is
the most durable, as well as light in
appearance, though nice lattices and
trellises may be made of the former
material. The summer-house or arbor
offers shade and a place of rest in gar-
dens and grounds, and hence should

be placed in a spot where rest will be
most agreeable ; a good view, also, is
often appropriately chosen as a site for
an invitation to rest. Rustic arbors
may be shaded with fruit trees, vines,
Cherry and other bowery fruit trees
and shrubs, Ivy, Clematis, Everlasting
Pea, Yellow and White Jasmine, Vir-
ginian Creeper, Stauntonia, etc., are
also useful, and make graceful screens.
Italian and Chinese summer - houses
should be more trimly decorated, and
none but the most elegantly arranged
climbers led over their finished arches
and lattice work. A summer - house
need not be utterly hidden, but it ought
not to stare straight out upon us from
a back wall, its plain lattice-work with-
out one creeping tendril to cool and
comfort it, and its interior visible to ev-
ery gazer, as if it were anything but a
place of shade and rest. Though you
never use it, it must appear fit for use
or it is no ornament. It should be
well shrouded with greenery, be easy
of access, sufficiently inviting to attract
a stranger, yet quiet in tone, and of a
chaste pleasing outline.

For garden seats and arbors where
rustic wood-work would be inappropri-
ate, those of metal work will be found
of the greatest value. Messrs. Hallidie
& Co., of California Street, and Ber-
hens, of Market, produce many fine ex-
amples of artistic iron and wire-work —
chairs in all kinds of beautiful patterns
at moderate prices and of incomparable
beauty. The obdurate nature of the
metal is entirely overcome in the ele-
gant traceries, waving lines, and light
flowing scrolls which adorn these ad-
mirable pieces of furniture and orna-
mentation for gardens and villa resi-
dences, etc.

Where shady trees invite the wander-
er to a seat, how pleasant it is to find
the means of rest and shelter in a gar-

154

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

den. What is more delightful in our
warm interior valleys, in California es-
pecially, when the sun burns in Leo,
than to lounge in a cool shady recess,
with a favorite volume in hand. To us
there is no better vindication of a sum-
mer-house than the opportunity it af-
fords for the quiet enjoyment of a book,
or an afternoon nap. We have often
had a bowery reading-room of this sort
in the country, and would have almost
given up flower-growing before we would
have relinquished this most exquisite of
pleasures.

THE CONSERVATORY.

A tropical conservatory is a more re-
fined and expensive pleasure, and none
but the wealthy can possess a complete
one. The conservatory differs from the
greenhouse only in the plants of the
former being in general planted out
into beds prepared for them, while
those of the latter are always kept in
pots and placed upon stages. The
general intention of the former is also
to contain large and fine specimens,
while in the latter the plants are usual-
ly, and always ought to be, kept pretty
small and young by repeated propaga-
tion. The most proper situation for
the conservatory is either in the flower
garden, where it should be a detached
structure, or adjoining the mansion, of
which it may be said to form a part.
The principal object to be kept in view
should be the admittance of abundance
of air and light. There are now con-
servatories built to cover a very large
space of ground, but these are general-
ly national ones, or those belonging to
people of princely fortunes ; in these
the capacity is almost sufficient to ad-
mit of the tallest exotics attaining their
native size. If exotics are well culti-
vated by people of sufficient means, in
houses not exceeding twenty or twenty-
five feet in height, all that is reason-

ably expected from them may be ob-
tained. The idea of exhibiting exotic
trees of their full size is absurd, and
can answer no useful end, even if prac-
ticable.

In regard to form and size very much
ought to be left to the taste of the own-
er ; we would only remark here that all
curvilinear lines, although beautiful, are
more expensive than plain ones.

Conservatory plants planted in beds,
not only grow too luxuriantly, and aft-
er two or three years require to be re-
duced in size by severe pruning, or re-
moved altogether, but they do not flow-
er as well as they would in pots of a
proper size, neither can they be remov-
ed in case of sickness, or at those peri-
ods when they are out of flower, or set
in the open air during summer.

In regard tOjinanagement, water must
be used cautiously, so that the plants
neither^become too dry at the roots, or
soddened with an excess of it. Fre-
quent watering by the application of
the syringe is beneficial in a two-fold
light : it imitates both rain and wind,
first, by refreshing and cleansing the
foliage and branches, and by the move-
ment which the force of the water caus-
es, strengthens and invigorates the
shoots and stems. During summer
this species of watering should be ap-
plied twice'or thrice a week, and dur-
ing winter once or twice every two
weeks.

With the exception of the climbing
plants, we should prefer to see all oth-
ers grown in boxes, tubs, vases, or
pots, according to their various sizes,
kinds, and habits. All dead, sickly,
or deformed plants should be excluded
from this kind of structure, and the
very operations of watering, cleansing,
and arranging should be carried on
early in the morning or late in the ev-
ening, so that during the day the whole

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

155

may produce a perfect whole, and be
fit for the inspection of the owner as
his drawing-room or picture gallery.

We are again indebted for the plates
in this, as well as in the last No. to the
courtesy and kindness of Col. Warren,
the veteran pioneer editor of the Cali-
fornia Farmer.

WORK FOE THE MONTH, AND DESIR-
ABLE SHRUBS FOR PLANTING.

By the time this number of our work
reaches its readers planting can not be
resorted to with much prospect of suc-
cess, unless we should be favored with
copious showers from the clouds, or ar-
tificial irrigation can be adopted.

We have been pretty free from any
late frosts, and more than a good aver-
age crop of all kinds of fruit may be
expected.

The flower garden is now in its glory,
Roses, Geraniums, Pelargoniums, He-
liotropes, Pinks, Pansies, Fuchsias,
Verbenas, Petunias, Stocks, and nu-
merous other flowering plants are dis-
playing their masses of blooms, and
are filling the air with their exquisite
perfume. We must not neglect to re-
move all flowers as soon as they begin
to wither ; nothing looks so shabby, or
acts so detrimentally, by absorbing the
vitality of the plants, as old and half
decayed flowers ; yet how common a
thing it is to see this process almost en-
tirely omitted. The plants need all
their strength and resources to develop
the remaining buds, and to form their
new growth. We always nip off the
seed cases of Roses and other flowers
not wanted for their seeds, after they
have done blooming, knowing that ma-
turing the seed exhausts the strength
of the bushes.

Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcissus, and
such like bulbous spring flowers 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
substitute, and many annuals which we
have mentioned and described at vari-
ous times in the course of our maga-
zine, will assist for the same purpose ;
some of them, such as the Asters, Bal-
sams, etc., may be safely transplanted
to such beds, if they have been reared
in pots or boxes, or in some other pro-
tected place. While your garden is
productive of a profusion of flowers at
the present time, do not neglect to pro-
vide for the future. You can have
your beds covered with flowers all the
year round if you will take the proper
measures at the suitable time. The
prices of plants have become much
more moderate than they were a few
years since. The very best Geranium
that can be grown in a four-inch pot
can be had now for 25 cents, and even
is sold for less. Indeed, all kinds of
trees, shrubs, and plants are down in
price in proportion.

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 these 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 2 or 3 o'clock in
the afternoon. The sun acts powerful-
ly through the glass, and to prevent
the foliage from being scorched, white-
wash the glass with a thin coat. In-
sects make their appearance every-
where; fumigate once a week or two
by burning up some tobacco stems ;
keep the room closed while you are do-

156

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ing this. Search your Camellias, Cape
Jasmines, and other greenhouse shrubs,
and remove any spiders or scale-insects
which you may find on the under side
of the leaves or along the stems. Dur-
ing very warm days it will be beneficial
to most of your plants if you give them
a syringing.

If any of the tender seedlings you
may be raising make their appearance,
shade them well during bright days ;
this will protect the young plants, and
also obviate the necessity of watering
so freely. Transplant the young seed-
lings as soon as they have formed three
or four leaves, water immediately 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.

Last month (April), in gardens where
there are good and varied collections of
plants aimed at, we may, or ought to
see the the Pyrus japonica, both scarlet
and white varieties ; Jasminum nudi-
florum, or naked yellow-flowered Jas-
mine ; Lonicera Standishii and L. fra-
grantissima; Chimonanthus fragrans,
Forsythia suspensa, and F. viridissima.
For the months of May and June, Spi-
raea grandiflora, S. Reevesii and S.
cratcegifolia, Deutzia crenata, Prunus
triloba, and P. sinensis. Among the
Diervillas, erroneously though com-
monly called Wiegelias, we have, or
ought to have T>. floribunda, D. rosea,
D. amabilis, flowering here a second
time in October and November, or even
earlier. Then about this season we
have in choice garden grounds Tree
Pseonies, Snowballs, Viburnum macro-
cephalum and V. plicatum, Hydrangea
quercifolia, and H. paniculata grandi-
flora, and then there is Vitex Agnus
castus, or Chaste tree. Other shrubs,
also, as Spiraea callosa, and C. alba,

these having as a companion Buddlea
Lindleyana. We must not pass over
the Rhododendrons. To wind up this
brief description of fine plants and
shrubs, supposing them to have been
freshly planted, we advise that after
that, the tops be pretty well cut back ;
this will cause a strong growth of young
wood, and the flowers will follow next
year ; a good mulching of decayed ma-
nure after planting is very desirable for
these, as well as for shade trees in gen-
eral ; and in our dry summer climate
plentiful irrigation is requisite, not so
very often, but, when done, with a
good soaking. Many of the above
things may be planted even this season,
provided they are turned out of tubs or
pots with the earth they were in, and
kept well and judiciously watered, and
properly manured and cultivated after-
wards.

It seems to be natural to some per-
sons, and forms the greater portion of
their happiness and enjoyment, to take
delight in either possessing themselves,
or beholding the beauties of nature in
the animal or vegetable kingdom — for-
tunate temperament that it is, this lov-
ing what consists in the purest and
most innocent of pleasures, seeking
them in a right direction, and not at
the expensive outlay and cost so com-
mon with the grosser and often more
injurious pursuits of life.

GOV. STANFORD'S CONSERVATORY.

In addition to the attraction of a visit
to view the splendid mansion and beau-
tiful garden of the Governor, in this
city, on California Street, there is a
very handsome conservatory (with all
the most modern improvements that
can be used in this class of buildings), to
gratify the eye. This most elegant and
costly structure is formed partly of

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

157

wood and partly of iron. The orna-
ments are very rich and graceful, con-
sisting of most elaborate and varied
carved work of fruits, flowers, and oth-
er decorations. The building consists
of a main centre, with a wing on either
side. The propagating house is in the
basement, as also the furnace. It can
be heated by four different modes, so
as to always regulate the heat as desir-
ed. The central portion of the house
is, of course, the loftiest for the large
plants, and the wings are lower to suit
smaller ones, such things requiring
to be placed as near to the light as pos-
sible. A portion of the glass is of the
now favorite mazarine blue color, which,
if it should produce no salutary effects on
the plants themselves, at any rate adds
very much to the beauty of the general
effects of the light and tinting.

Mr. James Murphy, the intelligent
and experienced gardener and superin-
tendent, is now collecting the plants to
fill this most handsome and highly fin-
ished greenhouse. He has already se-
cured two of the finest and most per-
fect specimens of the Tree-fern to be
found in the State. These are planted
in the centre oblong bed of the middle
apartment, with a Banana between
them, and Orange trees on either side,
the choicest decorative plants surround-
ing them, with a brilliant and striking-
ly attractive border of Coleus or varie-
gated-leaved plants. When all these
apartments are filled with the best and
most choice specimens of shrubs and
flowers, the tout ensemble will be truly
magnificent in its effect. We noticed
among the plants already procured Hi-
biscus sinensis rosa lustea (double yel-
low), H. sinensis roseus (rose-colored),
and H. sinensis rubra -plena (double
red), Agapanthus umbellata variegata
(African Bride Lily), Croton rubrum
and angustifolium, Lycopodium den-

sum (a New Zealand species), Arundo
donax (Apetal.), Thymus aureus, or
Golden Thyme (a lovely border plant),
two English kinds of Ivy, blotched with
green and yellow, a flowering Fern from
Ireland, and now in bloom, Allamanda
Hendersonii, several curious, (such as
Oncidium bicallosum and O. coryne-
phorum, etc.), splendid Orchids, which
are to be suspended along the sides of
the interior of the house with many
hanging baskets. One wing of the
house is to be devoted to Ferns and
Begonias. Many climbers of the most
rare and beautiful sorts will festoon
the top of the centre compartment,
where the brilliant and graceful Passi-
floras, such as P. incarnata, the com-
mon blue, P. ccerulea, P, Billottii, P.
Andersonii, etc., will have ample space
to display their charms. There are no
plants that the world can afford nor
money purchase, that will be wanting
in this charming conservatory to add
grace and beauty to the delightful
scene that this fine receptacle for bo-
tanic gems already presents to the lov-
ers of nature and art.

THE SHADDOCK.

We observed in the window of May-
ers & Stott, No. 205 Montgomery Street,
a very fine, beautiful, and large Shad-
dock, raised at Los Angeles by Doctor
Howard. This specimen weighs three
pounds, and is 20 by 22 inches in cir-
cumference. The skin, different from
the " Pumalo" variety, is very smooth.
Its color is a light yellow, and delicate
jn complexion. It proves how favora-
ble Southern California is to the Or-
ange family, and to many other semi-
tropical and some tropical fruits. The
Shaddock is a tropical fruit, and is like
a gigantic Orange, with a very little of
that fruit's flavor, and a good deal of

158

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICTJLTUBIST.

stringent bitter, especially when any
portion of the skin, or parts of the di-
vision which separate the fleshy pulp,
are eaten. Therefore, for a hand fruit
it is not of much value, but for pre-
serves it, no doubt, is good. We are,
however, told that when it has fully
ripened on the tree, its juices are sac-
charine and subacid, and those which
are heavy and soft are usually found to
be the best.

ORCHARDS.

Orchards should be kept clean of all
weeds (this, indeed, applies to all gar-
dens, lands, etc.), and the surface soil
should be kept light by thorough culti-
vation. Weeds and other growing
plants abstract a good deal of moisture
from the soil, besides depriving orchard
trees (and all plants) of a portion of
their sustenance, and in dry seasons,
especially, should not be allowed to
grow in orchards and gardens. By
keeping surface soil light and loose two
or three inches in depth, it will pre-
vent the action of the sun and winds
from drying out the soil filled with
roots beneath. The dry coating of soil
on the surface, kept loose with cultiva-
tor and harrow, will make the best kind
of mulching for an orchard. Orehard-
ists should remember that it is a very
important thing to keep what moisture
there is already stored in the soil for
the use of the trees, and that there is
no better or surer way of doing this
than keeping the surface loose and free
from all vegetation. This is especially
so in a dry season like the present one,
and should be doubly impressed upon
the mind of every one owning trees. —
Cal. Agriculturist.

The Oregon Currant is one of our
best early flowering shrubs, and as they
train well in beautiful little trees, one

should find a place in every garden.
The fruit is insipid. They transplant
easily, but not so the Oregon Grape,
another shrub of great merit, being
early and evergreen, but transplants
with difficulty.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

Cultivators of the Pear, who may de-
sire to make a selection of different
kinds of that delicious fruit to come in
regular succession in the months that
their trees produce it, will find that in
our State the Doyenne d'Ete comes in
May and June, the Bostiezer, Made-
leine, and Kingsessing in July and Au-
gust, the Bartlett in August, the Belle
Lucrative, Seckel, Flemish Beauty in
August and September, the Duchess
d'Angouleme in September, the Super-
fine, Beurre Diel and Anjou in Septem-
ber and October, the Lawrence in Oc-
tober, and the Winter Nelis, Glout
Morceau, and Easter Beurre in October
and November. There will be, of
course, some variation in these times in
different localities, and under the in-
fluence of various soils, and in some
instances the periods given may be
slightly reversed with those Pears
which ripen nearly together. The
winter varieties will vary much with
the degree of maturity they have at-
tained on the tree, and the degrees of
coolness in the temperature of the pla-
ces or apartments in which they are
kept ; but as a general approximation
to the periods of maturity, and more
especially to the order of succession,
the list will be likely to be more use-
ful. This time of ripening of fruit in
California agrees quite closely with
that in most of the Southern States of
the Union, their temperature in spring,
summer, and fall varying but little
from California in those seasons, al-

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

159

though the winter "winds in the South-
ern States are often very much colder.
The Strawberry trade of this city is
becoming of considerable and growing
importance. The Morning Gall says of
it : " The first Strawberries of the sea-
son were received on the 22d of Febru-
ary, fully a month earlier than usual.
Since that date the arrivals have stead-
ily increased, and now aggregate from
250 to 275 80-pound chests daily, with
a prospect of soon reaching 500 chests
per day. The crop promises to be
large and^prices low. The bulk of the
supply comes forward in April and
May, though a few are received every
month in the year. There is probably
no other market in the United States,
if in the world, that affords fresh Straw-
berries, grown without protection, con-
tinuously from January to December.
The credit of making the last shipments
of the crop of 1876, and the first of
that of 1877, belongs to two lady culti-
vators, whose fields are near Alviso,
Santa Clara County. Mrs. V. Gianin-
ni and Mrs. M. M. Shields sent in the
last consignments of the old crop on
the 6th of January. The latter sent the
first shipment of the new crop on the
22d of February, the former following
with the next shipment on the 27th of
the same month. Almost the entire
supply for this market is produced in
Santa Clara Valley, which is peculiarly
adapted to the culture from its fertile
soil, but more especially on account of
the numerous artesian wells, which af-
ford unequaled facilities for irrigation.
The berries are nearly all brought to
the city by the steamer Eelief, which
makes daily trips from Alviso. The
fruit picked during the day is placed
on board at night, and is delivered at
"Washington Street wharf by four o'clock
in the morning. The marketmen and
hucksters are on hand, and the bulk of

each day's shipment is disposed of by
seven o'clock. This trade is an impor-
tant branch of the fruit business of this
city, and a source of great profit to the
farmers of Santa Clara County."

We see that our friend, Dr. E. "Ware
Sylvester, of Lyons, New York, a lead-
ing fruit grower, has been lecturing to
the Farmers' Club on Apples, and how
to cook and eat them. "We quote as
follows :

" Apples in the raw state are usually
eaten between meals, just when one
feels like it, especially if he has one to
eat. This is not in accordance with the
laws of digestion. From two to six
hours are required to digest the various
articles of food, and if the Apples are
eaten between the breakfast and din-
ner, neither one will digest or afford
the proper nutrition to the system.
By all means let the fruit form part of
the usual meal. "When Apples are
cooked they are without doubt still
more valuable as an article of diet, and
may form an important part of each
meal. A well baked sweet Apple is a
luxury, and a Spitzenburg or a Tomp-
kins County King, cored, sugared, and
baked is luxurious; any Apple of fair
quality cooked in this manner is very
wholesome, toothsome, and easily di-
gested. Take a sound Apple and wipe
it dry, and with a pair of scissors cut
off the stem so that the Apple will rest
firmly on its base, then, with the tin
corer, commence at the blossom end,
and remove the entire core, being care-
ful not to cut through the Apple ; fill
the hole with sugar (granulated is the
best), and place it in a pan with a little
water and bake. Four or five minutes'
time only will be required to fill a large
baking dish with Apples, as you do not
have to pare them, and the tin corers
can be had at any good hardware store
at a cost of seven to fifteen cents each.

160

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTTJKIST.

Try this method once and I think you
■will never abandon it. A dessert made
by slicing Apples fine and mixing with
bread crumbs and sugar, and baked,
which is then "frosted" with grape or
currant jelly, is quite a favorite in our
family. There are a thousand recipes
for cooking Apples which I need not
repeat, and to show you that the world
moves, only last week I read on the
" bill of fare" at a Broadway hotel.
' Salt pork and Apples fried.'"

About the middle of last month
(April) there were several variations in
vegetables from the figures of the week
previous. String Beans were arriving
daily and prices were rapidly declining.
Asparagus was a little less plentiful and
a shade dearer. Cucumbers were cheap-
er. Potatoes by the sack, delivered,
were steady at $1 to $1.25 per 100 lbs.
New Potatoes, 4c. to 6c; Sugar Peas,
8c. per lb.

The first Cherries came to hand on
the 12th of April. The variety was
Early Purple Guigne, and the shipment
was from the orchard of J. G. Briggs,
at Marysville. Strawberries were very
abundant and cheaper. Choice Apples
were scarce, and sold by the single box
at $2.25 to $3.50.

About the 20th of last month (April)
the height of the Strawberry season was
reached, the arrivals aggregating from
600 to 750 chests daily. The fruit crop
this season will be abundant in quanti-
ty, and excellent in quality. From all
sections the accounts are most encour-
aging. The Santa Clara Valley has a
vast abundance of Strawberries, Cher-
ries, and Pears. Napa and Tuba will
produce large quantities of Apricots and
Peaches. The Apple crop will be good
throughout the State, and the Grape
crop heavy. We shall have a super-
abundance of fruits to ship East.
Strawberries about the middle of April

were improved in quality, being much
larger, riper, and of a deep crimson
color. For the first six weeks they
were small, only half ripe, and many of
them greenish in color. About the
20th of April Cherries were received ev-
ery day in small lots, and found ready
sale at!60c. to $1 per pound. Apples
were plentiful for the season, the arriv-
als from Oregon being liberal by each
steamer.

During the third week in April Sum-
mer Squash and "Windsor Beans were
added to the list of vegetables. String
Beans and Cucumbers were more plen-
tiful and cheaper. Of the latter, the
first consignments of the field crop
came forward from Marysville. This
put an end to fancy prices for the hot-
bed products. New Potatoes were com-
ing in from several localities, and the
retail prices were reduced to 4c. to 6c.
per pound.

Spring vegetables showed a further
decline, except in the case of Aspara-
gus. Mushrooms were almost out of
market, but additions were made to the
list in the shape of String Beans and
Summer Squash, which were coming
in freely, and sold at moderate prices
for the season. Apples and Pears were
scarcer.

About the end of last month (April),
Strawberries were remarkably plentiful,
the daily arrivals averaging 550 80-lb.
chests. The demand was in propor-
tion to their cheapness, and all the
best, ripest, and largest were disposed
of at fair prices. "We saw some rather
small, and inferior in quality, sell at 25
cents for four pounds. A few Cher-
ries came in every day, but the choicest
sold for fancy prices. Although Los
Angeles Oranges were at their best, the
demand for them was slack on account
of the great abundance of Strawberries.
Very nearly all the Strawberries were

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

161

of the Lcmgwortk Prolific kind, which
seems the most suited to our climate,
and bears irrigation and carriage well.
The stock of Tahiti Oranges was large,
but in quality they are inferior to our
California product, and consequently
they moved off slowly. A further re-
duction was noted in several varieties
of vegetables, incident to increased ar-
rivals. Old Potatoes were dearer, and
the best commanded $1.50 to §1.75 per
100 lbs. by the single sack. New Po-
tatoes were more plentiful, and reced-
ed to 4c. to 5c. per lb.

^tutorial <Btoht00.

Megacarpea Polyandra. — A corre-
spondent informs us that the rare and
botanically interesting plant, Megacar-
pea Polyandra ( De Candolle), is again
flowering at Glasnevin. The plant;
which is blooming, was raised from
seeds saved at Glasnevin six years ago,
and this is the first year during which
one of these seedlings has flowered. It,
therefore, takes a longer time to come
to maturity than most Crucifers do. In
general appearance this Megacarpea
bears a greater resemblance to Umbel-
lifers than it does to Crucifers, and is a
good deal like the Parsnip ( Pastinaca
sativa). The flowers are produced in
large corymbs resembling umbels, and
are of a greenish yellow color. The
leaves are large, broad, and pinnatifid,
quite like those of many kinds of Um-
bellifers, and the plant is strong, and
about the size of them ; besides, the
fruits are short, flat, and broad, more
like Cremocarps than Siliquas or Silicu-
las. The most remarkable peculiarity
is, however, in the androecium, which is
nearly allied to that of Papaveraceas,
each flower having constantly from
twelve to sixteen stamens. It is a na-
ive of the higher regions of the Hima-

layan Mountains, and, to cultivate it
successfully, it requires to be grown on
a cool, moist border which is shaded
from the midday sun, but otherwise it
is quite hardy for out-door culture in
this country. — TJie Garden.

Potato - Growing. — A writer in the
Pacific Rural, from Sutter County, thus
describes the best methods of Potato-
growing : "The coming season we may
not find Potatoes a drug in the market,
so that it would be cheaper to buy them
than to raise them ; but let them be
ever so cheap, we had better at least
raise our early supply. There is no
reason why every farmer should not,
the man of the plains as well as the
river. We know this from experience.
The mode is as follows : Let the land
be well plowed and put in good order ;
mark out rows, say three feet apart ;
drop the cuts, and cover with about
three inches of dirt with plow or hoe ;
if the latter, put on the harrow ; then
cover the whole ground with straw from
the old straw stack ; if the straw is all
burned up, then you must do the next
best thing you can, and use the fresh
manure from the stable. This answers
as a mulching for the ground, and it
will retain moisture enough to mature
the crop. We have raised some of the
best Potatoes we ever ate in this way.
We plant the Early Rose. There need
be no plowing, hoeing, nor weeding,
so that the labor of putting on straw is
compensated for in the saving of hoeing
and weeding. It will pay to raise your
early Potatoes, especially when we have
to pay from- two to three cents per
pound for our new ones. We get our
early and late Potatoes in this way, as
they have kept good the winter round.
Our communication is intended for those
living on dry plains like the writer."

Curious Teees. — Just beyond theDar-

162

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

bonn or Calcasieu River, in the parish
of Calcasieu, is a White Oak tree about
two and a half feet in diameter. There
are no branches for twenty-five or thirty
feet up. About twelve or fifteen feet up
a pine limb or top part of a pine tree,
six or eight inches in diameter and
twelve or sixteen feet long, runs at right
angles through the centre of the tree,
sticking out about the same distance on
either side. It tapers a little to one
end, where there are two or three knots,
giving it the appearance of a tree top.
The Oak, where it passes through, is
grown closely around it. The Pine is
rich in turpentine, and will not decay.
There is no fork or hollow in the Oak,
but it has the appearance as if a hole
had been made and the Pine stuck
through, after which the Oak closed on
it by growth. The question is, how did
the Pine get through the Oak, or the
Oak around the Pine? In Mallet Woods
there is another White Oak, of consid-
erable size, that divides into two prongs
about one and a half feet from the
ground, which, after running up like a
pair of bow-legs about fifteen feet, unite
in one round, compact stem. The
prongs are about one and a half feet in
diameter, and where they unite above
the tree is larger than either of them,
but smaller than both together. A man
can walk between the two prongs, and
the tree stands on a land boundary
line. Forked trees are very common,
but the question here is, how did the
two prongs unite so perfectly in one
stem above? — Opelousas (La.) Journal.

Natural Dispersion of Plants. — Sta-
tistics relating to the distribution of the
flora of Europe reach a curious conclu-
sion, and which will apply without
doubt to other countries. It is, that
those plants having seeds or fruit with
special appendages to aid in their dis-

persion are generally less widely scat-
tered than those destitute of such help.
The single exception is in the cases of
seeds provided with a tuft of hair — ■
technically termed coma — which have a
very broad range. The seeds of the
willows and those of the milk weeds
are furnished with the coma. Dr. Gray
states that these last plants, which are
" the most comose-seeded of the high-
er orders," have not a wide range in
North America. It is also found, from
a study of the European flora, that
plants whose flowers bear but a single
seed, are more broadly distributed than
those bearing two or more seeds in each
cell. Plants with albuminous seeds
somewhat surpass in range the ex-al-
buminous— a singular fact, considering
the ex-albuminous seeds have the long-
est known vitality, and best bear ex-
posure to sea water. Large genera
have a slightly greater dispersion than
small ones, and variable species than
those not especially so.

Poisonous Water Cress. — Some sail-
ors died the other day in England after
eating a plant which they had mistaken
for Water Cress. It appears that there
is another plant, deadly poisonous,
which grows in streams, and which is
very apt to be mistaken for it — in fact,
it occasionally finds its way into the
market with the Water Cress. To dis-
tinguish the true Cress from all other
plants, remember that the smallest
leaves are always at the base of the
stem, and the largest at the tip. The
poisonous plant reverses this order;
like the leaves on the rose tree, for in-
stance, they diminish in size toward the
tip of the stem.

Early Lettuce. — One secret of get-
ting Lettuce forward early consists in
sowing or planting in a very light and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

163

rich, but not a rankly manured soil,
and in a warm situation. A strip of
good soil along the front wall of a hot-
house is an excellent place to sow if
there is a sufficient depth of soil. The
heat from the wall makes a sensible
difference in the temperature of the
ground for several feet outward. The
seed should be sown in drills six inches
apart, and the young plants should be
thinned out as soon as they can be laid
hold of — first to one or two inches
asunder, and the last three to six inch-
es. This is not allowing much room,
but it is enough to produce nice little
compact heads. When the plants are
growing they should never be allowed
to get dry at the root, but kept con-
stantly moist, to encourage a quick suc-
culent growth and early heating.

Temperature for Water Plants. — We
have always favored giving warm water
(or at least of the temperature of the
air), to house plants, for the reason that
it warmed the soil, and seemed, on gen-
eral principles, to promote growth. A
correspondent of the Revue Horticole
has made experiments which have con-
vinced him to the contrary, or rather
that plants thrive just as well if given
cold spring water as when given warm
water. Two lots of seeds were planted
in different boxes, at the same time,
under precisely the same circumstances,
except that cold water was given to one
and warm to the other. The result was
that the experimenter preferred the
former.

Profitable Gardening. — Three broth-
ers, Italians, own sixty acres of land on
the west side of Roberts' Island border-
ing on Middle River, which they have
recently brought under cultivation.
Last year they planted one acre to On-
ions, getting the seed in very early.

The Onions thrived as everything does
on that incomparable soil, and in June
the brothers gathered four hundred
sacks ot marketable Onions, worth $1 a
sack. They immediately prepared the
ground and put in a crop of Potatoes
which matured well and yielded one
hundred sacks of that excellent vegeta-
ble. They calculated that their net
profits from that acre of ground were
$265, after allowing themselves wages.

Beaut? op Gxazenwood Rose. — The
supposed-to-be new Rose, Beauty of
Grlazenwood, which has been so highly
extolled by some of the florists of En-
gland, and lately imported and offered
by one or two in this country, turns
out to be the very old Rose known as
Fortune's Yellow. We learn from one
of our foreign exchanges that at the
last meeting of the Royal Horticultural
Society, the Floral Committee had be-
fore it flowering plants of the old For-
tune's Yellow Rose, and of the so-call-
ed new striped variety named Beauty
of Glazenwood ; and after carefully ex-
amining them both, the Committee re-
solved that the two sorts were identical.
From this we must conclude that our
Yankee florists are not alone in perpe-
trating the oft-repeated trick of send-
ing out an old plant under a new name.
— Rural New Yorker.

Shielding from Frost. — Nothing
more ingenious has ever been attempt-
ed than the method recently adopted
by a Frenchman of saving his vineyard
from the blighting effects of frost.
Examining the matter from a scientific
standpoint, he was not long in discov-
ering that to protect his vines he had
in some way to improvise a cloud which
should completely envelope them. This
was not as difficult an operation as
might at the first glance be supposed,

164

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

for all lie had to do was to select some
substance which when ignited would
give off the largest amount of smoke.
He was not long in hitting on tar balls,
which placed at regular intervals in the
vineyard would, when set on fire, send
forth a cloud of smoke which would in-
terpose between the upper atmosphere
and it. But the arrangement was yet
far from complete, for frost comes as a
thief in the night. A sudden drop of
the mercury in the thermometer, and
he is at work incrusting leaf and stem.
The Frenchman was therefore constant-
ly producing his artificial clouds on
false alarms. Last he bethought him
of the simple expedient of attaching a
magnetic wire to a thermometer in such
a way as to give warning to the garden-
er when the mercury got within two
degrees of the freezing point. The
gardener woke up his assistants, the
tar balls were fired, and frost retired
worsted from the encounter. — Alia.

Coffee in California. — Coffee can be
raised in Southern California. A suc-
cessful experiment in Los Angeles
County is related by the Express, which
says : We have been shown by Mr.
Sotello a very fine specimen of Coffee
berry raised on the Puente Rancho by
the Badillo Brothers. These gentle-
men came from Guatemala about a
year ago, and purchased a portion of
this rancho. They planted about 1,000
Coffee trees, 500 of which have thriven.
They are desirous that the cultivation
of Coffee shall become a feature in
Southern California, and in further-
ance of this desire they will distribute
free to those who will plant them a
limited quantity of the seeds of this ar-
ticle.

Another Colored Glass Theory. — A
French horticulturist forces the growth
of Asparagus by placing an ordinary

wine bottle, well corked, with the bot
torn cut off, over the Asparagus head
just as it makes its appearance above
the ground. The Asparagus thus pro-
tected grows rapidly, and, since the air
has no access to it, the development of
the woody fibre is kept back, and the
plant becomes so tender that the whole
of it may be eaten, while the lessened
amount of light that passes through
the colored glass produces in the vege-
table a rosy tint, decidedly improving
its appearance. — N. Y. Express.

The fruit crop on the islands in the
Sacramento river, and in the vicinity of
the Rio Vista promise to be very heavy;
the yield will likely be good, and the
orchards have largely increased and de-
veloped. The California Transporta-
tion Company will keep four steamers
running to carry the product to the
San Francisco market this summer.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Foe the Month ending Apkil 30, 1877.

(Prepared for The Hokticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BABOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.09 in.

do 12 m 30.10

do 3p.m 30.09

do 6p.m 30.08

Highest point on the 18th at 12 m 30.24

Lowest point on the 25th at 9 a. m 29.95

THEEMOMETEB.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 58°

do 12 m 63°

do 3 P. m 62°

do 6 p. M 58°

Highest point on the nth at 12 m 68c

Lowest point on the 19th at 6 p.m 54°

SELF-EEGISTEEING THEEMOMETEB.

Mean height during the night 60°

Highest point at sunrise on the 11th 55°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 3d 45°

WINDS.
North and north-west on 6 days; south and south-west
on 3 days; west on 19 days.

"WEATHEE.
Clear all day 8 days; cloudy on 4 days ; variable on
18 days.

EAIN GAUGE. Inches.

2d 0.02

3d 0.02

8th 0.06

15th 0.07

16th 0.05

19th 0.03

Total 0.25

Previously reported 9 . 62

Total up to date 9.87

Date Pal

M.

THE

%

psinaoim

PfciS j»

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII.

SAN FRANCISCO, JUNE, 1877.

No. 6.

NOTES FROM A GREENHOUSE. -NO. 1.

BY CHAS. H. SHINN, AT NILES.

A greenhouse embraces all manner
of possibilities. You may, according
to taste, luxuriate in fruit out of due
season, or revel in masses of bloom, or
fairly despise color, and hide, nay,
clothe yourself in leaves, fig or other-
wise. Some happy possessors of a few
square feet of glass are everything by
turns, and nothing long; but if there
is, to the rightly balanced mind, any
pure delight, it is to slowly obtain those
lasting things which will be better and
better for a series of years, and which
— well — everybody does not have. All
this I thought of yesterday, as I bent
over some Japanese Magnolias with a
view to propagating. Inarching and
layering are the methods in use, and
really it will be hard to rival the pa-
tience of the Japanese. I apprehend,
though, "that they will too soon fall into
the rush and flurry peculiar to the great
Yankee nation, and importations of
Japanese plants will lose that painstak-
ing ancient air which they now pos-
sess.

To-day I have been putting in cut-
tings of Juniper, Cypress, Cedar, Fir,

Vol. VII.— 11.

and a large assortment of somewhat
rare Japan conifers. Of course it is
not certain which will grow, for ever-
greens vary very much in their power
of rootiag, and often of two allied spe-
cies one will easily root, and the other
quite refuses that plain duty. Yet it is
best to try, always making notes for
future guidance. Pieces about three
inches long are to be taken and trim-
med closely to a tuft at the upper end.
Use ripened wood, make a clean cut at
the base, and pack closely in sand.
Keep moist, and possess your soul with
patience.

I notice my seed boxes are fairly
awake with life. Possibly the most
fascinating moment to the lover of
flowers, is when some little brown hid-
den seed has set in order her curious
underground palace, and got her forces
and economies fairly under way, so
that she can come delightfully up
through the mold, and begin to possess
the upper air. Each seed has its dif-
ferent way, and, although you never
saw the plant before, an observant eye
will soon distinguish the stranger from
any weed. Here are the Cinnerarias,
sturdy rascals, every one. If they can
have rich soil, with a dash of charcoal,

166

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

and plenty of water, they will manage
to enjoy life. Those tiny Calceolarias
close by have made no end of trouble.
First, the soil had to be sifted, damp-
ened, and gently pressed; then the al-
most invisible seeds were dropped on
the surface, and the box covered with a
pane of glass; a little spraying at times
with a brush dipped in water and drawn
lightly over the edge, has encouraged
them in their upward course, and now
there is a nourishing lot of healthy
young plants. The secret3 of starting
seeds are very simple. Warmth and
moisture are the two essentials. These
must be supplied evenly, steadily, and
with patience. The mechanical condi-
tion of the soil is of great importance ;
it should be light, mellow, and healthy.
Countless thousands of seeds perish
through too deep planting. The chief
uses of covering are to preserve moist-
ure, and keep the seed in darkness dur-
ing the germinating process. A little soil
may be sprinkled over most seeds, and
then a layer of hop leaves, or fine sand
as a mulch. Don't forget to pack the soil
enough to hold the seeds firmly in place.
A seed has no time to roll about when
it is dividing cells and developing its
germ.

Our Bananas came with the leaves
cut back, and they have just got ready
for a rush. The leaves have come out
nearly a foot in the last week, and the
end is not yet. Hot water poured
around the bulb every night was what
did it, and got the big green lump ex-
cited. Great is hot water if you have
no theories, and do not try to do too
much. Anything that will hasten
growth needs care. Liquid manure is
almost essential for some things, but if
too much is used you may easily de-
stroy the mechanical condition of the
soil, and make it a cloggy, reproachful
mass, which has neither the grace of

beauty nor the grace of use. Magnol-
ias especially need rich treatment ; they
make their growth mainly at one sea-
son, and must be fed well while they
are at work. The beauty of the young
glossy leaves of Magnolia grandiflora is
surprising. They have a changeable,
rich, fleeting color that ought to be the
agony of a painter.

Some people like to decry the so-call-
ed foliage plants, terming them unnat-
ural, offenders against taste, interlop-
ers. Yet if Pinks and Roses have a
right to sometimes vary, the true leaf,
from which the petal is derived, has
quite as good reasons ; and color in
petal or sepal can not be called more
royal than if in the leaf. It was a rev-
elation of new beauty in nature to many
thousands when the first Coleus appear-
ed, and new possibilities sprang at
once into being. But if you want to be
amused just notice a blue Coleus flower
trying to look at home over the gay
leaves. It does look as if there was a
mistake somewhere, for the flower is
evidently uncomfortable. After you
have had the sensation, it is advisable
to keep your Coleus from bloom, unless
you want seed.

Did any one ever try Peter Hender-
son's way of dry slipping? For soft-
wooded plants, liable to rot on the cut-
ting bench, it is quite admirable. Just
snap the branch you wish to take half
in twO, and leave it hanging on the
bush for a few days until the efforts of
Nature to heal the wound have formed
a callus. The advantages are two-fold
— your slip when severed is not so lia-
ble to rot, and the mother -plant has
become quite reconciled to the separa-
tion, and does not weep tears of sap
over the loss. One of the pleasantest
parts of a greenhouse is this same cut-
ting bench, which ought to be covered
with some four inches of sharp sand,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

167

and shaded by a second glass, to better
retain moisture. For some things it
may be well to mis one-third light soil
with two-thirds sand. As soon as the
cuttings have struck root pot them off.
The Fuchsias did not bloom much
last winter, and are beginning to over-
flow with their ribbed and shining
buds. I wonder how many people like
to say Fooksia, as authority prefers ?
And did ever any monstrous double
with a stately name surpass in simple
grace the old-fashioned single? Elm
City is yet one of the best double, and
Princess Alice is "a very lovely single.
If we could only have a single Fuchsia
of good substance, with frilled and
crimpled edges, it might be worth a
present sigh.

TEEES AND PLANTS USED BY CALI-
FORNIA. INDIANS.

Their favorite acorn is from the Oak
of the Quercus Gambelii. They are
dried and beaten to powder in small
hollows which we have often noticed
on the tops of rocks or boulders. The
flour is soaked a few hours in a large
hollow scooped in the sand, the water
draining off and carrying away the bit-
terness, after which it is cooked into a
a kind of mush in baskets by means of
hot stones, or baked as bread under
ground. The acorn which stands sec-
ond in favor is that' of the Burr Oak
(Q. lobafa). The Nut Pine or Silver
Pine is a great favorite with them.
The nuts are to them a choice article
of food. They form their specific for
a burn or scald, when pounded into
powder. The pitch and the mistletoe,
which grows on this Pine, are very val-
uable in their estimation for coughs,
colds, and rheumatism. They smear
it on wounds and sores. In the spring,
if food is scarce, they eat the buds, the
inner bark, and the core of the cone.

The cone -core and bunch grass are
boiled together for a hair-dye. The
long twigs of the Willow are used for
arrows and basket-making. The long,
straight shoots of the Buckeye are used
for the same purpose. For the woof
in basket-making they employ the wood
of the Reclbud (C'ercis occiclentalis).
The berries of the Manzanita are a fa-
vorite article of food, and are eaten
raw, or pounded into flour in a basket,
the seeds separated out, and the flour
made into mush, or sacked and laid
away for winter. They also make quite
an agreeable article of cider from them,
by soaking the flour in water several
hours, and then draining it off.

The Indians are less easily poisoned
by the Poison Oak than Americans;
their children handle it a good deal
while little. They eat the leaves, both
as a preventive and as a cure for its
effects ; though it sometimes poisons
them internally. The women use the
leaves freely in cooking ; they lay them
over a pile of roots or a batch of acorn
bread, then lay on hot stones and earth.
The bright red berries of the California
Holly {Photinea arbuUfolia) are eaten
with relish ; also the berries of the Eid-
er and Wild Grapes.

Soap-rOot is used for poisoning fish.
They pound the root up fine, and mis
it into pools where the fish have no
means of escape, and at the same time
stir up the bottom until the water be-
comes muddy. The fish thrust their
heads out of the water stupefied, and
are easily scooped up. Buckeyes are
used in the same manner. Soap -root
is also used to heal and cleanse old
sores, being heated and laid on hot.
Both Soap-root and Buckeyes are eat-
en in times of great scarcity ; they are
roasted under ground 36 hours or more
to extract the poison.

For toothache, the remedy is Lthe

168

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

root of the California Buckthorn (Fran-
gula Californica). It is heated as hot
as it can be borne, placed against the
tooth, and tightly gripped between the
teeth. Several sorts of Mints are used
in a tea or decoction for colds or coughs.
Ague is believed to be cured by a de-
coction of the little Mallow (Eremo car-
pus setigerus), which grows on black
adobe land in autumn. Colic is treat-
ed with a tea made from a greenish-
gray lichen (Parmelia saxicola), found
growing on stones. For rheumatism,
they take the leaves and stems of a
parasite vine (Galium), which grows up
in the middle of the chaparral bush,
heat or burn them, and clap them hot
on the place.

Yellow-dock is a valuable specific in
their pharmacopaeia. In case of acute
pain of any description, the root is
heated hot and pressed upon the spot.
In the spring the leaf is eaten boiled,
for greens, together with Clover and
niany other things. Bunch-grass is the
subject of superstition, which need not
be described. There is another thing,
probably wild Parsnip, which they be-
lieve to be a deadly poison. It will
produce nose-bleed, and the people
who keep it in their houses will surely
die.

Of grasses, they eat the seed of the
wild Oat, but very sparingly ; wild Clo-
ver, Alfilleria, and a kind of grass
grown in we,t places, are all eaten raw
when young and tender, or boiled for
greens.

There are two kinds of Mushrooms
which they consider edible. The one
is a little round ball found under-
ground in chaparral and Pine thickets.
They eat it raw with great relish, or
roast it on the ashes. Another kind
grows in the ordinary form, brown on
the upper side, chocolate-colored and
deeply ribbed beneath, and easily peel-

ed. It is eaten boiled. Under the
name of Grass-nut there are a number
of bulbous roots which they eat. They
eat them raw on the spot, or roast or
boil them.

There is the Beaver-tail Grass-nut
(Gyclobothra), the Turkey-pea (Sanicula
tuberosa), the purple- flowered Grass-
nut (Brodicea congesta), the tule Grass-
nut, a small bulb, growing in wet pla-
ces ; the climbing Grass-nut (Brodicea
volubilis), sometimes planted by Ameri-
cans for ornament ; the little Soap-root
( Chlorogalum divaricatum ), the wild
Garlic (Allium), the eight- leaved Gar-
lic, and several others, the yellow-blos-
somed Grass-nut (Calliproa lutea), and
several other grasses of this kind.
There is one other Grass-nut worthy of
mention, with a black bulb (Anticlea),
which the Indians consider poison, al-
though it probably contains no more
poison than other members of the lilia-
ceous kind.

The list of greens which they eat in
the spring is quite extensive. There is
the Mash-flower (Mimulus lutens); two
species of Angelica ; the California
Poppy (Escholtzia Californica); the Rock-
lettuce (Echeveris lanceolata), eaten raw;
the wild Lettuce (Glaytonia perfoliata),
and a species of Sanicula, the root of
which, long and slightly tuberose, is
also eaten. Of seeds they eat the fol-
lowing : a kind of coarse wild grass,
Promus virens ; a species of yellow-
blooming, tarry-smelling weed, Mada-
ria, the seeds of which are as rich as
butter; the yellow blossom of Crow-
foot (Ranunculus Calif ornic us); a little
weed which grows thick in ravines,
Blenosperma Calif ornicum, gathered in
the same wa}' ; also a weed with little
white blossoms distributed all along
the stalks, which are thickly covered
with minute prickles. All these seeds
are generally parched a little, and then

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

169

beaten to flour, and eaten without fur-
ther cooking, or made into bread or
mush. There is an umbelliferous plant,
the root of which the Indians esteem
very highly for food, more highly than
any other, it being the nearest equiva-
lent to Potatoes. We know not if it is
the true Cammas, but think it is a spe-
cies of it. It grows on rocky hill-sides,
blossoms in June or July, has an ex-
tremely delicate, fringe-like leaf, and a
root about one inch long, and a quarter
as thick, sweetish, pungent, and agree-
able to the taste. They are acquainted
with the Yerba Santa, but attach no
particular attention to it.

Around old camps and corrals there
is found a wild Tobacco ( Nicotiana
plumbiginifolia), which they smoke with
much satisfaction. They gather the
leaves and dry tbem in the sun in a
rude fashion, then cut them up fine.
There are two plants for textile purpos-
es— one is a kind of tule grass or small
Bulrush (Juncus), which they weave
into breech-cloths. For strings, cords,
and nets, they use the inner bark of
the lowland Milkweed {Asclepias). The
Rock Milkweed has a medicinal value ;
they use the root for the toothache the
same way the Buckthorn is used.

They have many other medicinal
roots for different diseases — some for
diarrhoea, and coughs and colds, and
others for dropsy, etc.

The Indians' knowledge of the oper-
ations of medicine is at least as respect-
able as that of the Chinese.

UNHEALTHY PLANTS -THE REMEDY.

Mr. Peter Henderson, a great author-
ity on all' floricultural subjects, gives
the following suggestions on this topic
in the Agriculturist :

Whenever plants begin to drop their
leaves, it is certain that their health has

been injured, either by over-potting,
over - watering, over- heating, by too
much cold, or by applying such stimu-
lants as guano, or by some other means
having destroyed the fine rootlets by
which the plant feeds, and induced dis-
ease that may lead to death. The case
is not usually important enoiigh to call
in a " plant doctor," so the amateur be-
gins to treat the patient, and the prac-
tice is in all probability not unlike that
of many of our household physicians
who apply a remedy that increases the
disease. Having already destroyed the,
so to speak, nutritive organs of the
plant, the stomach is gorged with food
by applying water, or with medicine,
by applying guano or some patent
" plant food." Noav, the remedy is
nearly akin to what is a good one when
the animal digestion is deranged — give
it no more food until it reacts. We
must,#then, if the roots of the plant
have been injured from any of the
above-named causes, let the soil in
which it is potted become nearly dry ;
then remove the plant from the pot,
take the ball of soil in which the roots
have been enveloped, and crush it be-
tween the hands just enough to allow
all the sour outer crust of the ball of
earth to be shaken off; then repot in
rather dry soil (composed of any fresh
soil mixed with equal bulk of leaf -mold
or street-sweepings), using a new flow-
er-pot, or having thoroughly washed
the old one, so that the moisture can
freely evaporate through the pores. Be
careful not to over-feed the sick plant.
Let the pot be only large enough to ad-
mit of not more than an inch of soil
between the pot and ball of roots.
After repotting, give it water enough
to settle the soil, and do not apply any
more until the plant has begun to grow,
unless, indeed, the atmosphere is so
dry that the moisture has entirely evap-

170

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

orated from the soil, then, of course,
water must be given, or the patient
may die from the opposite cause — star-
vation. The danger to be avoided is
in all probability that which brought
on the sickness, namely : saturation of
the soil by too much water. Other
causes may induce sickness to plants,
such as an escape of gas in the apart-
ment, or smoke from a flue in the green-
house ; but in all cases, when the leaves
fall from a plant, withhold water, and
if there is reason to believe that the
soil has been poisoned by gas, or sod-
dened with moisture, shake it from the
roots as before advised, and repot in a
fresh flower -pot. Many years ago,
when I used smoke-flaes in my green-
houses, some kindling wood, carelessly
thrown on the top of one of them, ig-
nited, and the smoke caused the leaves
of every plant to drop. There were
some 3,000 plants, mostly Tea Roses,
in the greenhouse ; it would have been
too much of a job to repot all, but by
withholding water for some ten days,
until they started a new growth again,
very few plants were injured.

GLADIOLUS AND DAHLIAS.

BY EUGENE A. UPTON.

Well, Mr. Editor, I must confess that
I really love flowers ; and this love has,
from boyhood, grown with my growth
into manhood's years, until now it has
become almost a passion. Were I pos-
sessed of ample means, I expect I should
have a model garden (for an amateur),
but, under existing circumstances, I am
obliged to content myself with only a
few selections from Mora's large and
beautiful family, and to the care and
oultivation of these I devote what spare
moments I can catch from business
routine ; and aside from the family cir-
cle I know of nothing in this world

that so much conduces to make life's
hours pass so agreeably, cheerfully,
and happily as the cultivation of flow-
ers.

There is a solid satisfaction in seeing
plants thrive under your own care ; and
in what glowing, graceful, and beauti-
ful language do they express to you
their gratitude for your care and atten-
tion. The spare moments thus spent
tend to make one better, happier, and
purer, both here and hereafter, and
how much of the trouble, care, per-
plexity, and the rough edges of life
generally, do we forget in such a use of
leisure moments.

In selecting plants for cultivation,
the tastes of amateurs are as varied as
the great family of Flora itself. A lady
once said to me that she could not love
a flower that had no fragrance ; think
of the gems she would have to cast
aside! The magnificent Camellia, the
splendid Gladiolus, the beautiful Dah-
lia, etc.

After the Rose, I think the Gladiolus
the most beautiful of the entire floral
family ; certainly no one can look upon
a good collection of Gladiolus in full
bloom — even the most indifferent —
without being strongly moved at the
sight. The colors comprise the most
brilliant orange, scarlet, and ver million
tints upon yellow and orange grounds,
including a graduated scale of iDterme-
diate shades — from white with rosy-
blush and salmon-rose tints to salmon-
red and nankeen; from blush -white
with purple-crimson throat and margin-
al streaks of pink to light rosy-salmon
grounds, with flakes of deep carmine.
Thus, from white up to rose, and from
rose to the brightest and deepest crim-
son, and from crimson to the brightest
orange-flame and scarlet, they form a
combination of the richest conceivable
colors which no other genus can offer.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

171

For those of my fellow- a amteurs who
may feel interested, I will mention a
few varieties in my little collection,
that I consider among the best, al-
though some of them I have bad for
several years, and they will ever find a
place in my garden : Mozart, Belle Ga-
brielle, Reiue Victoria, Rossini, Thalia,
Sbakspeare, Le Poussin, Semiramis,
Norma, La Fiancee, Lord Byron, Isa-
bella, Princess Maria de Cambridge,
Eugene Scribe, Due de Malakoff, Eten-
dard, Jupiter, Meyerbeer, Imperatrice,
Madame Vilmorin, etc.

Next to tbe Gladiolus, in- brilliancy
of colors, is the Dahlia. It can safely
be asserted that perfection has been at-
tained with this splendid flower ; its
form is superb, its colors intense and
beautiful, and if properly cultivated,
richly rewards one for the care and at-
tention bestowed upon it.

I have frequently noticed the Dahlia
growing in gardens without stakes, a
most unshapely, unsightly bush, with
many trunks and shoots sprawling in
every direction. From experience I
have ascertained that if the Dahlia is
allowed to have but one main trunk,
trimmed of all shoots and branches for
about two feet from the ground, fast-
ened to neat stakes, it presents a much
prettier shaped tree, and produces more
numerous, larger, and finer -formed
flowers; the pompone varieties, of
course, require much less trimming. I
will mention a few favorites in my col-
lection : Miss Henshaw, one of the
best whites, fine form ; Yellow Tri-
umph, Earl of Shaftsbury, Queen of
Beauties, High Sheriff, nearly black,
fine form ; Her Majesty, Mrs. Saun-
ders, Andrew Dodds, Alexander Cram-
mond, Bob Ridley, Flambeau, Volcain,
Laura Haslam, Hamlet, Maria Gerring,
etc.

The Dahlia is a great favorite in Eu-

rope, and is one of the leadiug flowers
in all their exhibitions, and frequently
has had awarded to it valuable prizes.
New and beautiful varieties are contin-
ually coming to the front, tempting
some, who have not sufficient patience
to wait a little longer, to pay exhorbi-
tant prices for them.

THE PINE APPLE.

The Pine Apple has been cultivated
in California, but without high success,
and it does not give any promise of
ever becomiug prominent in our horti-
culture. It is very sensitive to frost,
and we are not aware that there is a
point in the State where the thermome-
ter does not occasionally fall to the
freezing point. The mercury rarely
reaches 32° Fahrenheit along the ocean
shore near the middle of the State, and
as the water of the Pacific at the Gold-
en Gate is never colder than 48°, and
it communicates its temperature to the
breeze blowing over it — the direction
while it blows is always landward —
freezing cold is not possible on land
near the water's edge except in time of
calm ; but a few miles from the shore
frosts are not uncommon. The usual
chilliness of the immediate shore is,
however, worse for sub-tropical plants
than the occasional frosts farther in-
ward, where the summer days are much
warmer. The Pine Apple is cultivated
by planting slips from the root, and
these bear in a year ; a slip from the
stalk bears in a year and a half ; a slip
from the crown in two or three years ;
and a plant grown from the seed will
bear in twelve years. It is possible
that seedlings that would be uninjured
by light frosts might be obtained by
cultivation here. The Pine Apple is
grown with moderate success in parts
of Florida.— Alta.

172

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

%m\ mu\ 6mt.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF SALMON ON OUR
COAST.

The genus SalrnonidEe are more nu-
merous on our northwestern coast, than
in any other part of the world. They
extend from California to Alaska.
Prom the first to the middle of April
all the rivers swarm with them on their
way to the spawning grounds. They
move on in countless myriads. They
crowd so thickly that they often de-
stroy one another.

It is estimated by some persons that
there are some fourteen species of the
Salmonidee natives of this coast, includ-
ing those not migratory. Other people
doubt if there are quite so many. Aft-
er spawning they generally alter in ap-
pearance. They change much in their
dental formation. If this is actually
so, it would do away with one species
known as the Salmo scouleri, or .hook-
nosed. The finest specimen of the fam-
ily, and the first to arrive in April, is
the so-called spring silver salmon — the
Salmo quinnat of Richardson, and the
tyee or chief salmon of the Chinook In-
dians. This is the Oregon canned sal-
mon. It has a delicious flavor. It
pours into the rivers for three or four
months. The largest head the crowd.
They hurl themselves into the air in
thousands over the waterfalls. They
then fall back on the water with a great

thud, and keep renewing their efforts
continually. They hug the shore when
they reach a locality fit for spawning.
The female then leaves the throng, and
moving to the spot selected for the
nest, points her head toward the cur-
rent, and by using the tail gently, re-
tains her position long enough to de-
posit her ova. This done, she darts
away suddenly, and her male compan-
ion assumes her place, and when he
has dropped the impregnating milt, he
also shoots away abruptly to join his
spouse. Numbers never reach the sea
again from sheer exhaustion and weak-
ness. The Indians live upon millions
of them as almost their only food.

We need hardly speak of the Mc-
Cloud River breeding establishment.
It is well known that millions of fish
eggs are hatched here and sent abroad
to sujtply streams everywhere. There
the only sort used is the above-named
salmo quinnat, as it stands at the head
of its family for size, delicacy of flavor,
and hardiness. It was thought for
some time, and was so reported by an
envoy from England, that this fish
would not take the fly, but this is a
mistake, for it will take a fly, but not
near so readily as its British congener,
the salmo salar, it being more moody
in character and erratic in taste. It
will not bite except under certain cir-
cumstances. Some have been taken in
the Columbia in this way in April, and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

173

we have ourselves witnessed several in-
stances of this kind at the mouth of the
Butano and Pescadero creeks, near the
town of Pescadero. But the large fish
are very wary of the appearance of the
line, unless in a heavy fog. Some
think that they will not take any bait
when going to the spawning grounds,
but this is undoubtedly an error. They
will take a spoon-bait, and also their own
roe, though it is true that they do not
often bother themselves with the try al-
lurements. They are splendid fellows
when fresh from salt water.

The next species of Salmonidse to
follow its nobler brother is the S. pau-
cideus, known, as the weak-toothed sal-
mon and the "blue back." The In-
dians call it quanich, or second running
salmon, and use it much for food when
it arrives in May. It is not much used
at the canning fisheries, being inferior
to the quinnat. It takes its name from
its feeble and scattered teeth. It ran-
ges from three to six pounds. Its dor-
sal profile is straight, and the tail fork-
ed and unspotted. The colors are,
body and back of head a bluish-gray,
belly white. This also objects gener-
ally to a fly, and does not readily bite
at anything. But the one that does
bite at almost anything is the S. trun-
catus, or square-tailed salmon, which
arrives in August in the Columbia, and
is trolled for by the Indians with a
clam or herring bait. Its average
weight is about ten pounds. The head
is small, the teeth are quite short, and
the tail is square. It is found in the
rivers as late as December. The sil-
very-white salmon of Lewis and Clarke
rivers (S. tsuppitch) arrives in Septem-
ber, and remains several months. It is
good for the table ; small head, pointed
snout, tail forked, teeth short. The S.
scouleri, or hook -nose, frequents the
streams from September to January,

but it is almost unfit to eat. Another
kind, called by the Indians queachis
{S. gairdneri?) comes in June; large
size, good for table. It ranges from
five to fifteen pounds, round muzzle,
short thick head. Another species is
the S. confluentus, weighing from eight
to thirty pounds, and comes about the
first of June. Whether it is a distinct
sort seems doubtful. Then there is the
" hump -backed" salmon (S. proteus).
It is a biennial visitor in September.
Its flesh is not good. The hump be-
longs solely to the male. It has large,
ugly jaws, the upper envelops the un-
der, teeth massive, close, and sharp.
A species called the dog salmon (S. ca- •
nis), arrives in September, and is un-
eatable. Then there is a sort of the
salmon family that bites at a baited
hook pretty freely, and is the so-called
river salmon or mountain trout (S. Gibb-
sii) in nearly all the streams, especially
in the Cascade Range. It is very game,
and requires expert handling. It
weighs from three to eight pounds ;
small bead, rounded snout, few teeth,
back of head olive-green, and dotted
with black spots. There are various
species of salmon trout on our north-
ern coast. The best kind is the red-
spotted salmon trout (S. spectabilis),
very game, and of delicious flavor ;
sides spotted with a light red, and the
ventral region of a silvery hue. It
comes in May, and is abundant up to
the first of September. The S. Masonii,
with a brownish -gray back, sides sil-
very-gray, upper sides sprinkled with
irregular darkish spots, is very common,
and affords excellent fly-fishing from
June to November.

The Oregon brook trout (Fario stel-
latus), takes the fly readily, also worms,
etc. It is not migratory, and is found
at all seasons, but is in best condition
in the summer months; weight from

174

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

one-fourth of a pound to two pounds;
very plucky, and ranks high from an
epicurean standpoint ; fine color, back
bright olive, belly white, and the body
profusely covered with black spots hav-
ing a pale centre ; fins a beautiful red-
dish tint. Another is a red trout,
found only in Wallowa Lake, Oregon,
and Payette Lake, in Idaho. It bites
freely at almost anything. Some call
it a species of carp.

The last of the Salmonidae is the eu-
lachon (2huleicthys pacificus), which is
found from California to Alaska. This
fish is so oily, that when merely dried,
the Indians use it for candles. It burns
• very readily, and makes a lasting light
on the water for spearing fish. This
fish is only eaten by the Indians, and
is very greasy; it is very abundant.

This completes the list of the Sal-
monidse of the northern Pacific, and it
will be seen that they are varied and
numerous enough to furnish the an-
gler abundance of excitement, and cap-
ital a sure means of investment.

FLIES FOE FISHING IN THE DIFFER-
ENT MONTHS.

Fish may be said to be rather near-
sighted, or the pretended imitations of
flies and baits would not be so success-
ful as they are in beguiling them to
take the hook. They evidently do not
perceive with great distinctness any
minute object near to them, or they
would not so eagerly take the red and
white common "spoon" revolving so
rapidly, and certainly not appearing
very like anything living either in or
out of the water. Artificial flies, too,
are equally deceptive with them, and
certainly nature is not closely imitated
in most of them. As an instance, the
red ibis, which is often an attractive
lure for trout in some waters, does not
imitate any winged insect to be seen

anywhere. It is now mostly consider-
ed that fancy flies dissimilar to nothing
in existence, are at least as taking as
those accurately copied from nature.
It is, at any rate, a remarkable fact
that, for the most part, the same flies
are the most killing in all waters the
world over ; nor is there any fly found
more excellent for general use, or one
which possesses more ardent votaries
then the red hackle, which has proba-
bly killed more and larger fish than
any that can be named.

In America, trout -flies are used of
much larger size, and that more effect-
ively than in Scotland, Ireland, Nor-
way, etc., and the small English, fly is
justly less estimated in most of the
western waters and on this coast, al-
though the very small trout which we
sometimes fish for in many of our creeks
require quite small flies. The colors of
the American flies are likewise much
brighter on the whole than is approach-
ed by British anglers, and fish not un-
frequently here take a gaudy scarlet ibis
feather with a gold tinsel body, as we
have before observed, which a person
who should use it in Europe would not
unlikely be thought out of his right
mind.

The flies which we hold the best are
the red hackle, the ginger hackle, the
black hackle, occasionally varied with
bodies of gold or silver tinsel, the
March -brown or dun-drake, the pale
yellow dun and the blue dun — both
very killing flies — the cow-dung fly, the
stone fly, alder fly, the green and gray
drakes, and for night and twilight fish-
ing, any of the gray, cream-colored, or
mealy moths ; of these we prefer a
large white-winged moth with a black
body. In many waters some of the
coppery-golden and green peacock herls
are found to kill well. For our own
fancy, however, we decidedly prefer the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

175

hackles of almost every color and vari-
ety, froin the ginger, through all the
shades of cock, grouse, partridge, quail,
up to jet black.

The Hies used in lake - fishing are
larger than those of rivers, and we
have frequently observed that the wing-
ed flies answer better than the palmers.
In trolling for silver salmon in Lake
San Andreas with a spoon, it is a good
plan to place three feet above the small
sinker either a black or dun-colored fly ;
and when a good wind ruffles the sur-
face of the water, fish frequently seize
it and are captured.

After all, we must arrive at the opin-
ion, that of the very many flies describ-
ed and illustrated in English books, or
exhibited on the fly -maker's pattern
cards, a much more limited assortment
is really necessary on this slope at least,
and many are totally useless. Indeed,
a very extensive knowledge of flies and
their names here can not be of much
practical advantage to us.

All flies come in earlier or later in
every country every year, according to
the coldness or warmth of the season,
but there is probably much less differ-
ence on this coa'it, owing to its general
mildness and congeniality of tempera-
ture, than other regions. Sometimes
fish change their flies two or three times
in a day,, and in the same part of the
river or creek.

A little time before any sort of fly
goes out and dies, it comes on streams
or lakes in great numbers, and then is
greedily taken by the fish, who do not
much change till that sort be gone.
Then they take many kinds until anoth-
er is of great plenty, when they forsake
all for that which is most numerous,
and in greatest perfection, and change
not again until they have glutted them-
selves as before ; and this is their course
through the season.

The best flies for April in California,
are the ash dun or fox, the prime dun,
the black-wing hackle, small stone-fly,
the partridge tail, the Spanish needle,
and the sand- fly.

For May, the pale green, the pheas-
ant brown, stone midge, dark midge,
green-bodied moth, the pure red dun,
the light dun.

For June, the golden plover, the
black jack, salmon jack, the red palm-
er, the ash palmer. For all the sea-
son, the golden hackle, dark grouse,
pheasant brown, the black hackle, the
red spinner, and the clock.

With regard to salmon -flies, fresh-
run salmon are most readily caught
with a spoon trolling bait from a boat,
or by bait -fishing with clam bait or
boiled shrimp, but at those seasons
when they will take the fly at all, if
the colors are in any way suitable to
the water, they will lay hold ; as to a
certain fly being Hie fly for any water,
to the exclusion of all others, it is a
complete delusion. Gaudy flies will
rather scare salmon on this side the
Atlantic. There is no need of a pro-
fuse variety of beautiful flies on this
coast. The blue-and-brown, the "sil-
ver-gray," and the "Professor" are
about as good flies for us as can be
used. Also the Nicholson, Louise,
Edwin, the Forsyth, Stevens, Ross,
Parson, Strachan, and the Langevin
are desirable flies.

We have found young salmon, in
November, in the Butano and Pesca-
dero creeks, near the ocean, take the
fly freely when they are seen rising or
playing on the surface of the water,
and occasionally a very large fish will
take hold, but the older fish are rather
shy of the fly. In the spring the salm-
on in the Upper Sacramento, McCloud,
Shasta (especially), and Pitt rivers, and
tributaries, will probably take the fly.

176

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

A NEW SPOON FOE TROUT.

Dr. Jessop, of this city, one of our
most ardent, energetic, and intelligent
sportsmen, both with the gun and rod,
has lately, among several other useful
mechanical contrivances, invented a
spoon for trout fishing with an artificial
fly attached. We have seen three sizes
of this clever allurement to beguile the
trout either by trolling with it from a
boat in lakes or large streams, or throw-
ing it as a killing bait in creek angling.
It is termed the "gyro." It has been
found very successful in some of our
waters in capturing a large number of
trout. It presents a double attraction
to its victims — the fly, which may be
varied at the option of the maker, and
the glittering, rapidly, easily revolving
silver spoon, which, as is well known,
deceives fish into attacking it as some
small fish. We learn the Doctor in-
tends taking out a patent for it. It can
be seen, and perhaps purchased, at
Licldle & Kaeding's, Sportsman's Em-
porium, Washington Street. Some con-
sider it the best troller ever invented,
and it can be made of different sizes,
and large enough for heavy salmon.

Monster Sunfish. — We are informed

that a very large specimen of "sunfish"

or molebut (called in Scammon Ortho-

goriscus molo), came on shore at Sur

last week. Its measurements are as
t

follows : from nose to tip of tail, six
feet four inches ; from tip to tip of fins,
seven feet sis inches ; depth, exclusive
of the fins, three feet ten inches; thick-
ness, eighteen inches. It is an adult
fish, and is supposed to weigh 1,200
pounds. It is of a different variety of
sunfish from the smaller kinds usually
found on this coast, and is truly a mon-
ster. Wouldn't it be a bouncer to put

in a museum ? This, as a sunfish, ex-
ceeds the largest ever recorded, we be-
lieve. Large sized ones are often found
in fine weather sleeping on the surface
of the water, when they can be easily
approached. Some kinds of sunfish
are sought for the value of their oil ;
but this kind, the authorities say, is
of no commercial value. — Monterey Cal-
if or nian.

A Good Suggestion. — The St. Louis
Republican makes a suggestion to farm-
ers that is worthy of consideration. It
is to this effect — that the farmer who
has a spring or running stream on his
lands shall collect the waste water into
an artificial reservoir or pond, and go
into tho business of propagating the
finer qualities of fishes. Two or three
acres might in this manner be made to
yield as much profit as ten planted
down in cereal grain. There would be
two sources of revenue. Anglers are
always willing to pay for the sport of
taking the finny tribe with rod and
line, and the market demand for favor-
ite fishes is never-ceasing. Fish cult-
ure, in all its branches, has become
one of the popular pursuits of the
day.

The Sacramento Bee of May 19th
says: Early this morning R. H. Buck-
ingham, a fisherman of this city, found
a fine large shad in his gill net, a short
distance below the gas works, and he
took it to Jones & Anderson, the well-
known fish dealers for sale, when it was
found to weigh just five pounds, being
by far the largest ever taken on this
coast. It was purchased by Albert Gal-
latin, who presented it to Mark Hop-
kins, as a fine sample of the benefits re-
sulting from the well directed labors of
the State Fish Commission.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

177

jfttiertefl %xfttlt&.

FKUIT TIME.

BX MAT N. HAWLET.

A blue jay swings in the apple tree,

Eyeing its ripe galore ;
Stained with, crimson and flecked with gold,
llich to the eye as the apples of old

Which grew on the Dead Sea shore.

The grape leaves toss in the warm sweet wind,

Half hiding the dusky glow
Of purple globes that melt in the light
To amber gleams or amethyst bright,

As the fruit days come and go.

Down in the woodland wild currants fall

Duskily blue and sweet;
Plums, like blood-drojis, hang heavy and low;
Thorny red gooseberries daringly grow

Tempting and close at one's feet.

Berries grow on the Spanish niadrone

Like scarlet flecks of flame,
Against the green of its broad dark leaves,
Which quiver and toss as the waves of seas.

When the wind blows o'er the main.

Deep in the woods the yew trees stand •

Straight as an archer's mark,
Hiding their treasures from eager prey,
Wine-red yewberries clear as the day,

When the sun slips out of the dark.

THE REDWOOD.

This tree which forms so large a part
of the great forests of Sonoma County,
possesses many remarkable peculiari-
ties. It belongs exclusively to the fog-
gy regions of the Coast, and grows only
on underlying metamorphic sandstone.
The great Redwood forest of California
extends from the northern boundary of
the State to Russian River, increasing
in width to the northward. Upon a
congenial soil the Redwood will take
root easily and grow with great rapidi-
ty, while it can not be made to grow
upon other than a sandstone formation.
A few days ago Mr. Meeker informed
us that a gentleman at Tomales had

after repeated trials failed to make the
tree grow, while on Russian River, not
more than twelve miles north, is a no-
ble forest in which the largest trees at-
tain a height of 400 feet, and a circum-
ference of from forty-five to fifty feet.
The openings so noticeable in Redwood
forests, generally covering a few acres,
can be ascribed to no cause other than
a change in the formation, as they are
enclosed by Redwood trees, and have,
of course, the same fog and climatic in-
fluences as the surrounding forests.
The wood varies in color and density, the
heaviest is a dark red color. The light-
est in weight is the lightest in color.
The average weight of Redwood lum-
ber is 4J pounds to the foot. Remark-
able differences in the weight of the
wood sometimes occur. In one instance
which came under our observation the
lumber sawed from trees in one gulch
weighed but 2f pounds to the foot,
while that from a gulch running paral-
lel with the first but a quarter of a mile
distant, leading to the same main can-
yon, weighed six pounds to the foot.
The trees growing on a gravelly soil
are generally unsound on the top and
in the heart, rottiug from the top down-
ward. When the tree stands on ground
where the underlying rock is of a shelly
or broken nature the timber is apt to be
unsound. Upon precisely the same
kind of soil when the underlying strata
is solid the wood will be solid. The
best and largest timber is of course
along alluvial river bottoms, which rest
upon a solid sandstone formation;
though a good deal of hillside timber
when the rock is solid will make the
best of lumber. The wood splits true;
it is close in texture, soft, light, and
durable. It does not rot either above
or below the ground, nor will it warp.
Thin slats of Redwood from twelve to
fifteen feet long worked into fences

178

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

twenty-five years ago, can be seen in
this valley as straight and sound as
when they were first split. The Red-
wood is first in commercial value of all
the trees of California, and is not sur-
passed for the purpose for which it is
used by any tree known in the Flora of
the world. Within sixteen miles of
Santa Rosa there are vast forests of
Redwood, which will supply oar local
demand for years to come, with a large
surplus for export. — Sonoma Democrat.

THE JUICE OP CALIFORNIA GRAPES AS
ADAPTED TO WINE -MAKING.

[A. paper read before the California Academy of Sciences
by James Blake, M. D.]

Having, while in El Dorado County,
tasted some wine which was evidently
superior to anything I had before tast-
ed, as the production of our State, I
inquired of the maker the variety of
grape from which it was made, and
found that it had been made principal-
ly from a grape known in this country
as the Zinfindel. Since my return, I
have made an analysis of the juice of
this grape, and also of some others
which are now being propagated for
making wine. The grapes were grown
at the vineyard of the Yinicultural So-
ciety, at Sonoma, and were apparently
perfectly ripe. The varieties analyzed,
beside the Zinfindel, were the Reimer,
a large white grape ; the Riessling,
also a white grape, and the California
Mission Crape. The method of analy-
sis was to take the sp. gr. of the juice
- — heat it to coagulate the albuminous
matters, filter through a Bunsen filter,
and after bringing up the juice to the
original quantity, to neutralize with a
standard solution of potash or ammo-
nia, so as to ascertain the total amount
of free acid. Another portion of the
juice was evaporated to about one-

third, mixed with alcohol and ether to
precipitate the tartrates ; the ether and
alcohol distilled off from the filtered
juice, which was then neutralized to
ascertain the amount of malic acid.
The amount of sugar, as indicated by
the sp. gr., was controlled by direct
analysis of a portion of the juice clear-
ed by acetate of lead by means of Feh-
ling's copper test ; and the result ob-
tained is thus recorded :

Sp. gr. Sugar. Free acid. Malic acid.

Zinfindel 1072 16.6 1.73 0.60

Beissling 1083 18.7 1.10 0.57

R-irner 1057 14.0 1.30 0.80

Mission Grape.. 1088 21.5 0.60 0.11

As there can be but little doubt that
the development of the ethereal sub-
stance on which the aroma of wine de-
pends is owing to the presence of free
malic acid, and more particularly, I
believe, of malic acid, the above figures
explain the cause of the absence of
aroma from the wine made from the
juice of the Mission Grape ; for while
the three varieties of foreign grapes
analyzed contain respectively 60.57 and
80 parts of malic acid to 10,000 parts
of juice, the Mission Crape contains
but 11 parts. The presence of this
comparatively large portion of malic
acid in grape juice is a fact which has
not I think received the attention it de-
serves. I believe the acid itself splits
up into an ether and an alcohol ; and
this independently of its action on the
alcohol already found in the wine.
Wislicenus has shown that lactic acid
forms an ether even when being dried
at ordinary temperatures over sulphuric
acid, and alcohol is one of the products
of the fermentation of malic acid.
There would seem to be enough potash
in the grape juice to form with the
tartaric acid the slightly soluble bitar-
trate of potash, as after this has been
precipitated by alcohol and ether, and
the juice then nearly neutralized with
potash, no more bitartrate is thrown

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

179

down by again mixing the juice with
alcohol and ether, but malate of potash
sepai'ates as a thick syrupy deposit.

These figures as far as they go, give,
I think, a satisfactory explanation of
the superiority of the Zinfindel as a
wine-producing grape, and fully bear
out the conclusions I expressed some
14 years ago, in a report I drew up as
one of a committee for examining the
wines at the Agricultural State Fair at
Sacramento, in 1860. As these remarks
contain suggestions which I think will
be useful to our wine-growers, I shall
offer no apology for quoting them.
After pointing out the great advantag-
es as regards climate and soil found in
our State for cultivating the grape, and
which I believe insure its being the fin-
est wine-producing country in the world,
I remarked on the imperfect manner in
which these advantages had been util-
ized by our wine-growers, as indicated
by the quality of the wines exhibited,
and pointed out what I then consider-
ed to be the cause of our want of suc-
cess ; observing " in view of these facts
your committee believe that they are
authorized to call the serious attention
of our wine-growers to the necessity of
an early introduction into this country
of varieties of foreign grapes which ap-
pear to possess those qualities which
are wanting in our own, or in other
words which contain less sugar and
more free acid." After mentioning
some of the varieties of European wine
grapes which possessed these qualities,
I remarked " it is highly probable that
the grape now cultivated in this State
is about the worst that could be select-
ed for making a first-class wine." The
truth of this remark is now being real-
ized by our wine-growers, who are re-
placing as fast as possible the Mission
Grape by foreign varieties, for it is
found that even where a portion of

these foreign grapes are used in the
manufacturing of the wine, it com-
mands a much higher price than that
made with the Mission Grape. I be-
lieve that either of the varieties, the
analysis of which I have made, is' capa-
ble of making a good wine when the
soil and climate to which it is most
suited is properly selected, of the ne-
cessity of paying some attention to the
selection of the variety best suited to
the very marked varieties of our soil
and climate. I quoted the following-
remarks of Mr. Bender, Inspector-Gen-
eral of Agriculture, in France, and au-
thor of a work on the vineyards of that
country. After describing 144 varieties
of grapes that are grown for making
wine, he says : " Almost every variety
of soil is found in our more celebrated
vineyards, and appears able to furnish
a superior wine when the variety of
grape cultivated has been well select-
ed, that is, when it is perfectly appro-
priate to the soil and climate. The
choice of the proper variety of grape
that will suit the soil and climate is
after all the great secret for obtaining
superior wines in a climate where the
grape flourishes." That so little suc-
cess has up to the present time attend-
ed the efforts of our wine-growers to
produce a first-class wine is not sur-
prising when we consider that not only
have they been working with probably
the worst grape for the production of
such a wine, but have been endeavor-
ing to make the same grape produce
good wine in the moist alluvial soil of
Los Angeles, and in the heated volcan-
ic hills of the Sierra. [I would observe
that the Zinfindel from which the wine
I tasted was made, was grown near
Coloma, and I believe on a soil of de-
composed granite.] A long experience,
however, will be required to discover
the most appropriate variety of grape

180

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

suited to our varied conditions of soil
and climate. As showing: the influence
of soil and climate on the qualities of
the grape, it is interesting to compare
the analysis of the same variety of
grape when grown in Germany with
those grown here. In Watts' Chemi-
cal Dictionary I find an analysis of the
juice of the Riessling made in Ger-
many by Fresenius. The quantity of
sugar is there given' as 15 per cent. ,
and of free acid as 53 per cent., while
here the juice contains 18 per cent, of
sugar and 1.10 of free acid, or three
per cent, more sugar and twice as much
free acid. Should the presence of the
free acid influence the quality of the
wine in the manner I have pointed out,
it is evident that the Riessling may
make a superior wine here to that
made from it in Germany ; that is,
when grown in the localities which suit
it.

DRYING FLOWERS TO RETAIN NATUR-
AL COLORS.

G. Wermig, in London Garden, says:
I communicated some of my experience
in drying flowers in their natural colors,
but omitted to mention, as very good
flowers for drying in sand, Verbenas
(red and blue), Zinnia, Gaillardia, Sen-
ecio, Sanvitalia, Phlox, Tagetes, etc.
I now proceed to describe the process
of smoking flowers with brimstone,
which is a very good, simple, and cheap
way of drying flowers, especially Asters,
Roses, Fuchsias (single ones), Spiraeas
(red -flowered kinds, such as Cailosa,
Douglasii, etc.), Ranunculus, Delphini-
ums, Cytisus, etc. The Roses ought to
be quite open, but of course not too
fully blown. The first thing necessary
is to procure a chest suitable^n size to
the quantity of flowers intended to be
dried. I find the best size for general
use is one about three or four feet

square. The size, however, makes no
difference, as one will do if only two
feet square-. In the under part of one
side of the chest there should be a
small opening, to be closed by a bar,
through which the basin containing
brimstone must be put into the chest.
This opening must be covered inside
with perforated tin, in order to prevent
those flowers from spoiling which hang
immediately over the basin. The chest
should be air-tight, and in order to
render it so paper the inside thoroughly.
"When the chest is ready for use, nail
small laths on two opposite sides of the
interior, at a distance of about six inch-
es apart, upon which lay thin, round
sticks, upon which you can arrange the
flowers. Care should be taken, how-
ever, that the flowers on the sticks, as
also the sticks themselves, are not too
close together, or the vapor will not
circulate freely through the vacant
space around the flowers. The best
way to hang the flowers is to tie two of
them together by the ends of their
stalks with a piece of mat or thread,
and afterwards place them upon the
sticks so as to prevent them from touch-
ing each other.

When the chest is sufficiently full of
flowers, close it carefully, place a damp
cloth on the sides of the lid, and some
heavy stones upon the top of it, after
which take some brimstone broken into
small pieces, put it in a small flat basin
and with a match kindle and put it
through the opening in the bottom of
the chest and shut the bar. It is a
good plan to make an air-hole on op-
posite sides of the chest, which will as-
sist the ignition of the brimstone, and
which should be closed when the latter
burns freely.

Leave the chest undisturbed for
twenty-four hours, after which time it
must be opened, and if the flowers are

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

181

sufficiently smoked they will appear
"white, if not . they must be smoked
again, when a little more brimstone
may become necessary. "When suffi-
ciently smoked, take the flowers out
carefully and hang them in a dry, airy
place in the shade for the purpose of
drying, and in a few days or even hours
they will recover their natural colors,
except being only a shade paler. To
give them a very bright shining color,
plunge them into a mixture of ten
parts of cold water and one of good
nitric acid, drain off the liquid, and
hang them up in the same way as be-
fore. Thus preserved they will keep
for years.

THE EXDUEING FAMILY OF YEWS.

The whole Tew family is remarkable
for its substantial and enduring quali-
ties. The lives of single specimens
number hundreds of years, and they
were largely used when the topiary
style of gardening was in vogue. On
Long Island all of them are hardy,
while the Irish, or pyramidal, is the
better when shielded by other shrubs
from the keenness of a northwestern
wind. Indeed, all of .them would be
the better for this slight protection.
The common English Tew is too well
known to need description. Its dark
foliage, and capability of being clipped
into fantastic forms, give it a place that
can only be attained by other members
of its own family. The erect Tew is
the most prominent of these. It is
more upright in its form, more hardy
against cold, smaller and finer in its fo-
liage, and in many ways superior to the
common English Tew. The Irish Tew
has nothing like it in form. The diam-
eter of its foliage is scarcely one -fifth of
its height, and its color is rich and dark.
The Japan Tew has larger leaves,

Vol. VII.— 12.

stronger and more luxuriant growth,
and larger diameter of foliage, in pro-
portion to its height, than the Irish
Tew, which it somewhat resembles in
form. The Golden Tew is the most
striking of all. When the new growth
is upon it, in June, its surface is like
burnished gold, to be seen from all
points. I know of nothing so valuable
for rich color effects, and can not easily
forget the view which burst upon me
when I came from behind the shrub-
bery upon the Italian garden of Elvas-
ton Castle, where crowns, and pagodas,
and birds, and arm-chairs, made of the
Golden Tew, interspersed with clipped
forms of the English Tew, made a
charming scene, which I can not de-
scribe to you in adequate terms. The
Elegant Tew is a lighter-tipped variety,
somewhat resembling the Golden.

The Cephalotaxus is a Tew- like Chi-
nese tree, introduced by Fortune, the
Chinese explorer. It has a very light
foliage, bears clipping well, and is so
marked in its character that it should
be in every collection. The Cunning-
hamia is a most desirable low-growing
tree, because its Balm-like foliage is so
unique. It is, however, very impatient
of the combined sun and cold of early
March, and frequently loses the ends
of its branches. It should, in this lat-
itude, be planted in the most favored
situations. The American Arbor Vitse
is well known, and is extensively used
for hedges. The Siberian Arbor Vitas
is, however, much superior to it, because
it is more hardy, more compact, and
does not require trimming. It grows
less rapidly, but compensates for its
slowness by its superiority when grown.
While its superiority for hedges is rec-
ognized, it is not so well known that it
makes a fine single specimen upon a
lawn. The Compact Arbor Vitas is a
round-headed, dwarf variety, which is

182

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

much admired. The Hovey Arbor Yi-
tse is a golden-tinted variety, perfectly
hardy, and superior, in many respects,
to the Golden Arbor Yitae, which has
long been admired for the beauty of its
color, and its adaptation to decorative
purposes. The Chinese Arbor Yitse is
very attractive, but too tender for this
latitude. [Not, however, for Califor-
nia.— Ed.] Of all this family, however,
the gem is the Biota elegantissima.
Growing in upright flakes, delicate in
its leases, and sun-tinted in its shading,
there is an air of refinement about
it which eminently adapts it for the
vase, and the window or table. The
Weeping Arbor Yitse is striking in its
habit, and its leaves are thread-like and
drooping.

MUSHROOM CULTURE.

A Germantown gardener writes to
the Germantown Telegraph as follows :

Take of horse - droppings, clean of
straw, as much as you think will make
a bed of the desired size ; turn it over
every other day until the rank heat has
passed off. Then to every ten bushels
of the dung mix three bushels of fine
loamy earth ; turn the whole over and
mis it well together. Then if you have
a greenhouse you can make the bed in
under the staging, and if convenient
make it on top of the flue or hot-water
pipes, as far from the furnace as possi-
ble. The bed should not be less than
two feet deep, and the warmth of the
flue or pipes will keep a gentle bottom
heat all the time. On top of the bed
put about one inch of fine soil ; then
thrust a stick down in the centre of the
bed, and by pulling it out you can tell
when the bed is cool enough to spawn.
Great care must be taken not to spawn
while there is too much heat, for the
heat will burn the spawn.

When your bed is fit fco spawn, which
will be when you can hold the stick in
your hand with comfort, break your
spawn ("bricks") into lumps as large
as a walnut, and deposit them over the
bed about six inches apart. One brick
will do about three square feet. Then
cover it all over with two inches of fine
loamy earth, and give it a gentle wa-
tering with warm water and cover with
newspapers ; and in from six to eight
weeks you will have Mushrooms, and
plenty of them if the spawn was good.
If not, you can make your own spawn
out of the same bed, by making holes
in the bed with a round stick nearly to
the bottom, and pour hot water in and
let it soak away. Repeat as often as
the bed gets dry, and in the course of
six or eight months you will have a
bed full of fine, healthy spawn, which,
if taken care of, will last for years.

THE OREGON MYRTLE TREE.

Dr. F. S. Matteson, of Coos County,
Oregon, sends us the following account
of the Myrtle tree of that region :

The Myrtle is one of the most beau-
tiful of trees. It grows from twenty to
fifty feet high, and from six to twenty
inches in diameter. Many specimens
are larger. It is of very full foliage,
with a leaf about three inches long by
half as broad, of an ovoid-lanceolate
form, not serrated, and of a deep shin-
ing green. It is an evergreen, and aft-
er the habit of its class sheds its leaves
in summer. Before they fall, these old
leaves turn a bright golden yellow,
glistening in the sunlight and flecking
the green foliage of the tree with gold-
en spangles. The leaves are delight-
fully fragrant, and a ride through a
grove of Myrtles reminds one of the
storied " odors of Araby," or the flow-
er-perfumed " vale of Cashmere."

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

183

The wood is hard, heavy, fine-grain-
ed, and susceptible of receiving a high
polish, and when thus finished and var-
nished, is of a dark variegated color.
It is useful for all the purposes for
<vhich walnut, mahogany, and other
like woods are used, and is scarcely
surpassed even by rosewood. The tree
is very tenacious of life, sprouts freely
from the stump after the tree is felled,
is a vigorous upright grower, and may
be trained or cut into almost any de-
sired shape. It blossoms in early
spring, and the finest honey in the
world is gathered by bees which work
in the Myrtle groves. It grows in
abundance on the river bottoms of this
county and one or two counties south
of here, but only on the western slope
of the coast mountains, and along the
streams. It is being cut for lumber
and for fuel, and burned in heaps to
clear the land for cultivation. Many
trees are left standing for ornamental
purposes, for which they are unsurpass-
ed by any evergreen known.

The fruit is also ornamental, being a
round nut inclosed in a smooth green
hull, which hangs pendant-like on the
branches, something after the manner
of Fuchsia blossoms. These nuts are
somewhat bitter, and are therefore not
eaten by people, but are valuable food
for pigs, which in these river bottoms
keep fat and fine all winter. Large
numbers of young trees are to be found
in the woods here, grown from nuts
which have lain over winter.

This tree must certainly become a
leading evergreen tree for ornamenta-
tion, as it is unsurpassed by any known
tree for all the qualities which make an
evergreen desirable ; and I have no
doubt that a very fine fragrant oil may
be distilled from the leaves, useful as a
perfume, and perhaps for medicinal
purposes. Having no facilities at hand

for the purpose, I have not experiment-
ed in this direction, but propose doing
so at no distant day.

SULPHUE THE GRAPE -VISES.

Mildew is one of the greatest ene-
mies to good Grapes we have in the
State. It makes its appearance and
does the greatest damage in wet sea-
sons, and in low, undrained soils. In
dry seasons, like the present, it is true
it does not seem to affect the vines
much, particularly in districts well
adapted to Grape culture. It general-
ly shows itself about the time of the
blossoming or the setting of the fruit,
but the damage is not generally per-
ceptible till the Grapes are of some
size and the seeds begin to grow hard
in them. By close observation it will
first be discovered on the lower side of
the leaves, giving them a grayish ap-
pearance. If not checked then it will
soon appear on the berries, giving them
the appearance of having been dusted
with a grayish flour. Sometimes it will
appear only on a few bunches on a
vine, and perhaps only on a few of the
Grapes in a bunch. The first effect on
the leaves is to check their growth and
give them a dry and crispy feeling, as
though they were not supplied with a
sufficiency of sap to continue their de-
velopment. If the mildew is not check-
ed the leaves affected will contract and
roll' up like leaves touched with frost.
It checks the growth of the berries very
soon after it attacks them, and prevents
them coming to maturity, or even col-
oring.

The best remedy for mildew on
Grapes is sulphur. If the vines are
well sprinkled with sulphur, even after
mildew has gained a considerable hold
of the leaves, its progress is checked
almost at once, and damage to the fruit

184

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

may thus be avoided or prevented. "We
have even sprinkled sulphur on the ber-
ries upon which mildew had become
perceptible with good effect. Sulphur
then is a curative of mildew on the
Grape, but it is much more effectual as
a preventive. The most successful
Grape-growers make a practice of sul-
phuring their vines every year, wheth-
er they mildew or not. In the old
Grape -growing countries of Europe it
is considered almost as necessary to
sulphur the vines as to prune them.
But as a preventive of mildew is not
the only use of sulphur on the vines.
It is a manure of great value to them.
Sprinkled on the leaves, it penetrates
the vine and affects the sap, and stimu-
lates the growth. It seems to have a
similar effect on the vine that plaster
does on the wheat land or on clover.
If a row of vines through a vineyard be
sulphured, the color of the leaves on
that row will be darker and of a richer
and more thrifty green than on the
vines each side of it. The Grapes
grown on this row will also be large
and of a finer flavor. With all these
facts in favor of sulphuring our vines,
we should none of us allow our vines
to go unsulphured, whether there is
any danger of mildew or not. To
those who have large vineyards, the
production and profits of the vines will
be greatly increased, while to those
who have just a few vines for their own
use, sulphur will add to the beauty
and deliciousness of the fruit. Vines
should be sulphured at least twice in
the season. Once just before the blos-
soming, and once when the fruit is ful-
ly formed, say when the seeds are about
forming.

YAXILLA.

The word " vanilla" is frequently on
the lips and the peculiar taste of it on

the tongue, but few of the thousands
who indulge in the delicious ice or de-
lusive soda know anything about the
flavor that is so grateful to their palate.
The liquid known as "vanilla" is ex-
tracted from a bean which grows in
considerable abundance in the interior
of Mexico. In its green state it is
about ten inches in length, as large
round as one's finger, and bears a re-
semblance to our string bean. When
dried and prepared for the market it is
about the size of a lead pencil, of a dark
brown color, and with a very aromatic
odor. On being cut or squeezed a
black tar -like substance oozes out,
which, on examination, proves to be
innumerable little seeds, so small as
scarcely to be distinguished by the na-
ked eye. These beans are cultivated
exclusively by the Mexican Indians, a
very lawless, treacherous race; so much
so, indeed, that a Boston gentleman
who recently traveled through the va-
nilla bean region found it necessary to
be accompanied by a strong body-
guard.

The vanilla is indigenous to Mexico,
and can not with any success be culti-
vated elsewhere. When gathered and
dried the Indians bring them to Tux-
pan, where they are shipped abroad,
one Boston manufacturer alone taking
as much as thirty or forty thousand
dollars' worth at a time. The demand
for vanilla extract has increased so
much of late years, not only for creams
and soda water, but for cooking pur-
poses generally, that the price has rap-
idly advanced, while rose extract, long
so popular, has correspondingly de-
clined. Another cause for the rapid
rise in price is the liability of the bean
to mildew or otherwise to become unfit
for use. Owing to the increased cost
of the article spurious compounds are
being thrown upon the market, prepar-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

185

ed principally from the tonqua bean,
costing the manufacturer less than one-
twentieth part as much as the genuine
vanilla bean. It is a nauseating sub-
stitute, never intended for the human
stomach, but can be readily detected by
its odor.

ORNAMENTATION OF GARDENS.

"With regard to ornamentation gen-
erally, " carpenter architecture," be-
sides being expensive, is altogether oat
of place in small gardens, although
harmonious and agreeable in the shape
of summer-houses and rustic seats,
where the grounds are extensive. It is
common to see a little garden, with
starveling flower-beds and a few shrubs,
bestridden by an elaborate, expensive
edifice miscalled a summer-house, mis-
called an arbor, properly called a nui-
sance. Another popular delusion, that
empty urns and vases, painted china
sets, ugly statues of mythological dei-
ties are appropriate to square plots of
grass and patches of flowers. Suburb-
an gardens are often spotted with these
things, which are seldom either orna-
mental or useful. A rich urn or vase
filled with flowers is a beautiful sight,
and may sometimes be used with excel-
lent effect, but the right place for it is
often an open question.

The ornamental proioerties of decay-
ed tree -stumps, and even of half bar-
rels sunk in the ground and covered
with strips of bark, are too well known
to require particular mention, but a
rustic wall-pocket against some grand
old tree is not so common, and may be
made a thing of beauty with trailing
vines and bright clusters of bloom.
Our motto would be vines — vines every-
where ; and a curving-in gate with a
light trellis-work over it, for graceful
climbers, is a most ornamental addition
to the entrance-grounds. For a pur-

pose like this the beautiful Clematis
Jacksonii is scarcely so well known as it
should be ; and the fiery autumn blush-
es of the Virginia Creeper touch up
with just the right line of color the
passe charms of summer verging into
fall.

But, whatever else the owner of a
small garden may see fit to do, let him
not, as Mr. Wegg would put it, " drop
into " statuary. Staring plaster-casts,
unless draped and veiled with abund-
ant green, are positively hideous ; and
those who are most given to displaving
them in small, unshaded spaces would
probably return the Venus of Milo aft-
er ordering it, like an Oriental bride,
without seeing it, in fuming indigna-
tion as a broken and mutilated "figger,"
instead of the perfect Greek statue ex-
pected and paid for. Mr. Lowell sajTs
that " it is only in such a climate" (that
of Italy) " that it does not seem inhu-
man to thrust a naked statue out of
doors. Not to speak of their incongru-
ity, how dreary do those white figures
look at Fountain Abbey in that shrewd
Yorkshire atmosphere!" Occasionally,
perhaps, in extensive grounds, a Naiad
by a retired fountain, or a Flora not
too elaborately gotten up/may be rath-
er a pleasant object ; but, after all, the
most harmonious figures, where nature
is supposed to hold sway, are those of
veritable flesh and blood, even if not
after the Greek models. — From Apple-
ton's Journal for May.

FLOWERS FOR FOOD.

No flowers in this part of the world
are considered valuable as food. We
might except, perhaps, the delicate con-
fection which the French make by su-
garing the petals of fragrant violets;
We have heard of these being used for
a dessert, but such airy fare, alone,

186

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

would soon bring a man to starvation.
In many parts of India, however, the
flowers of a tree called Bassia latifolia
form a really important article of food.
These blossoms, which are succulent
and very numerous, fall at night in
large quantities and are gathered early
in the morning and eaten raw. They
have a sweet but sickly taste and smell.
They are also dried and stored as a sta-
ple article of food. A single tree will
afford from 200 to 400 pounds of flow-
ers.

These trees are of so much import-
ance to the natives, that, when an in-
vading force threatens to cut them down
the threat generally insures the sub-
mission of the tribes. The blossoms of
another species — Bassia longifolia — are
used in a similar manner in Malabar
and Coromandel. These are eaten
either dried and roasted, or bruised to
a jelly and boiled. The last are made
into small balls, which are sold or ex-
changed, for fish, rice, and various
sorts of small grain. The seeds of all
varieties of the Bassia are no less useful
than the flowers. Oil and soap are
made from some, and from others a fat-
ty substance called butter is extracted.
This is of a white color ; has an agreea-
ble taste, and keeps well. It is an im-
portant article of commerce in Sierra
Leone.

AUDUBON'S LILY REDISCOVERED.

If possible, Audubon has suffered
worse at the hands of the botanists.
From these gentlemen the famous stu-
dent of the woods and fields has receiv-
ed a snub of the shabby-genteel sort,
and of the most persistent character.
In his " Birds of the South," and with
his usual love of fidelity to particulars,
as indicating the plant habitat, or sur-

rounding, Audubon figured a yellow
Water Lily — not that very ordinary
flower, the Nuphar advena, the Spatter-
dock, or Yellow Pond Lily, so common
from Canada to Florida, but a real close
cousin to our delightful, sweet-scented
Water Lily. Beholding it with his own
eyes, the great painter put it into one
of his glorious bird-pictures, and, hav-
ing given the portrait of his floral beau-
ty, he also named it Nymphaea lutea,
or, in plain English, the Yellow Water
Lily. But this pretty flower had never
been seen by the botanists; and so,
forsooth, the thing was absolutely ig-
nored— treated as a pretty fable, a bit
of art extravagance. Not a word can
you find in Darbey's "Botany of the
Southern States; " and the same omin-
ous silence pervades that later and
more pretentious work, Chapman's
"Flora of the Southern States." This
luckless Lily of Audubon is scientifical-
ly tabooed. Luckless, was it said ?
Well, this abjured beauty of the good
man has fallen into luck at last. When
neither sought nor expected, a species
of poetic justice has lately been reach-
ed ; for, in the person of a lady, learn-
ed in such lore, we have " a Daniel
come to judgmeut." Last summer, in
Florida, Mrs. Mary Treat rediscovered
the long lost flower of Audubon. Yes,
there it was blooming in the semi-trop-
ical waters, and from its golden chalice
this excellent lady drank the exquisite
pleasure of a scientific discovery, and
sweeter still, the privilege that she
could bid pass away that cloud of in-
credulity of over a generation of years.
In fact, it was communicated to that
Nestor of American botanists, Professor
Gray, and was duly acknowledged. It
was truly the long-ignored Nymphaaa
lutea — Audubon's Yellow Water Lily.
— Professor Lockwood, in Popular Sci-
ence Monthly.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

187

CgflifomJ jgortfotto.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

Our picture this month is simply and
purely a nearly wild and uncultivated
tropical view, though in their general
vegetation such scenes are often very
beautiful. In this scene there is a lit-
tle hut, the dwelling, it may be suppos-
ed, of some poor native of the country,
who, although leading so humble and
probably indolent a life, may yet be rich
in contentment, and in the luscious and
nutritious fruits indigenous to and
abundant in the tropics. A very grace-
ful and lovely Date Palm {Phoenix dac-
tylifera), occupies a prominent position
in the foreground. The fruit of this
valuable tree is the sole means of sup-
port to nineteen-twentieths of the pop-
ulation of Fezzan in north sub-tropical
Africa during nine months of the year ;
forming the food of beasts as well as of
human beings, " the oases being bare
of herbage." Though it is cultivated
as far to the north as 41° in Spain, as
well as in the south of France and Italy,
at Athens and at Smyrna, the fruit does
not ripen there. Its true native home
is the north of Africa — Egypt, Nubia,
Syria, Arabia Felix, and Persia. The
range of the Date Palm is limited to-
ward the south by the region of equi-
noctial rains. A sandy and well-water-
ed soil is that which best suits this tree,
for which reason it is always found in
the great African deserts in the neigh-
borhood of springs.

With regard to the successful cultiva-
tion of the Date Palm in California, we
are informed that one at Newcastle, be-
longing to Dr. Frey, is now in bloom,
with every prospect of bearing fruit this
season. This, if true, is interesting to
our horticulturists. The Alia, in an
editorial article on the 28th of May on

the " Industrial Condition of the State,"
states that " the Date Palm would have
been planted extensively in our State if
people had felt confidence in its fecun-
dity, even after so long a period as
twenty-five years, and no Palm tree
could have begun its growth at Newcas-
tle before 1852. But the Palms at Los
Angeles and other places in Southern
California continued to be sterile after
they were fifty years old, and those at
Wolfskill's place, in Yolo County, have,
we believe, not yet come into bearing,
though nearly forty years old. There
are 100 trees or more in the State, and
as far as we know not one bears regu-
larly. The fresh fruit of native growth
is never seen in San Francisco markets.
This report from Newcastle suggests
that the Palm tree may be valuable for
its fruit in the New as well as in the
Old World. If it will bear at the age
of twenty-five years, it will find favor
with many farmers who have heretofore
neglected it. The tree is beautiful,
and large groves of it in the San Joa-
quin, Salinas, and other valleys would
add much to their attractiveness. It
would be interesting to know how many
trees Dr. Frey has, from what kinds of
seed they came, when they were plant-
ed, how they have been cultivated or
watered, whether they have ever been
injured by frosts, and so on. The ele-
vation above the sea of the railroad in
front of the Newcastle station is 970
feet, and the climate is as warm in sum-
mer and winter as at various places in
Mesopotamia, where the Date is one of
the chief agricultural products."

GIGANTIC CABBAGE ROSE.

The largest Rose that we have ever
seen, came to our notice a few days
since through the courtesy of the Ev-
ening Post. It was grown by George
Laws, 109 Fell Street, Hayes Valley,

188

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

in this city. Its measurement was six
inches in diameter, making it of course
eighteen inches in circumference. We
believe it to be the old Cabbage species,
and such it was considered by some of
our professional florists. They also
stated that it was the largest Rose they
had ever met with. We are informed
by the owner that the bush is now full
of similar specimens. Its color was
about a medium shade of pink, with
purplish pink edges on some of the out-
er petals.

WORK FOE THE MONTH.

The early part of the spring of this
year, owing to its dryness, has been
rather unfavorable to all kinds of gar-
dening, both in and out of doors, and
the professional florists and nursery-
men were much disappointed in making
good sales, and those who had much
stock on their hands, and had made
considerable outlays, lost a good deal
of money. We have had no late rains,
and the soil became very dry in some
places as early as the first of last month
(May). This lack of moisture has been
attended since, also, by strong and cold
winds (though with little frost), during
the greater part of April and May.
Notwithstanding this the development
of all kinds of vegetation, as well as the
maturing of the spring crops, owing to
early rains in October, and very little
hard freezing, has been great, and the
advent of spring nearly a month earlier
than usual.

Notwithstanding some of these unfa-
vorable circumstances the vineyards
and orchards promise a large crop, al-
though the grains will fall short over a
large extent of the great interior val-
leys, and have caused great disappoint-
ment to many, who, at the earlier part
of the season for plowing, had reason
to expect an abundant crop of cereals.

However, things in general might be
very much worse than they are, and
therefore we see no sufficient cause for
complaint. Owing to excellent irriga-
tion from wells in Santa Clara and
some other valleys, there is an abund-
ance of Strawberries and other both
large and small fruits, the last especial-
ly. And what we consider unfavorable
weather and a lack of moisture has not
deprived us of plenty of all the fruits
and vegetables for the production of
which our State is remarkable.

All that California wants to make it
the most prosperous country on the
globe, is a thorough system of irriga-
tion where it is practicable. Wherever
the waters of our lakes and rivers can
in any way be made available for this
purpose it should undoubtedly be done.
Where the work is too heavy for indi-
viduals, the State and Congress should
aid all legitimate and bona fide enter-
prises, 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
do much damage. A rising ground is
the best for Grapes with, of course, a
soil in good health, but not too rich.
An excellent remedy for mildew is an
application of sulphur wherever any
traces of this disease appear. In the
orchard, too, various insects here are
increasing, especially the nest caterpil-
lars, which, destroying the foliage, do
much harm, and if they can be extirpat-
ed before overrunning your trees, much
labor and annoyance may be saved.

This is an excellent time for the
propagation of all kinds of soft-wooded
flowering plants, such as Geraniums,
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Pelargoniums,
Petunias, Verbenas, Begonias, etc. ;
also for the propagation of Pinks and
Carnations.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

189

All cuttings should be well sheltered
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 afterwards. The
grand secret in California in the treat-
ment of all tender seeds and cuttings,
is to water sparingly. If they are plac-
ed close under glass, well shaded, and
with a moderate bottom heat of fresh
manure and tan, sufficient moisture will
be condensed continually to make wa-
tering unnecessary until the cuttings
are rooted, or the seedlings well ad-
vanced.

Thomas Meehan, one of our best
practical horticulturists, in speaking of
bedding plants, observes : " The mod-
ern style of planting in masses affords
great scope for a tasteful arrangement
of colors, either in the same bed or by
arrangement among a set of flower-
beds." [This juay be seen to advan-
tage in the garden of Governor Stan-
ford in this city, formed by his experi-
enced gardener, Mr. Jas. Murphy.—
Ed.] "The ribbon style," Mr. M.
continues, " of flower-gardening beds
in long, narrow, and winding strips
and coils or circles, is also popular for
the same purpose. It requires, besides,
good taste in arranging colors harmo-
niously, judgment to select those kinds
that will continue in bloom the whole
season, withstanding well the summer
drought, and that will harmonize in
habit and growth with one another.

" As the plants in the borders grow,
those in masses may be much improved
by being pegged down over the sur-
face. We can then train shoots where
we wish, and thus cover the beds much
sooner. Pegs for this purpose are best
made by getting any straight shoots of
trees, about one-fourth of an inch thick
and cut into four-inch lengths, then

splitting them down the middle into
two. These pieces are then bent in the
middle like hair-pins. Pieces so split
seldom break in doubling."

It is not too late to set out Dahlias.
They require a very deeply dug soil,
and cow manure is best for them. They
will bloom too late if planted in shal-
low or dry ground, and then the enjoy-
ment of them can not be had at a time
when they are much prized. Plant du-
plicates of each sort. They are very
gay and showy flowers, and set off a
garden when viewed close or far off.

Tuberoses may also be put into the
beds this month. They do best in a
warm, rich, sandy soil. Their hearts
must be well ripened to flower well.
Mr. Meehan states, No. 1 is the bulb
that will not flower ; No. 2, the one
that will.

The treatment of the Palms in our
genial and mild climate is not very dif-
ficult. The Date Palm will do well in
the parlor in our winter anH early spring
months. It may now be set out in the
open ground, either in tubs or planted
out in beds. It will thus send out a
bunch of flowers in this mode of pre-
serving its health, but will not mature
its fruit unless in a warm conservatory.
All the species of Chameerops, to which
the Palmetto belongs — the Sabals, La-
tania, Seaforthia, the various kinds of
Areca, Levistonia, several kinds of
Thrinax, the Zamia, and Sago Palms,
can be recommended with safety, with-
out being obliged to keep them in hot-
houses here. At any rate, these last
will thrive well as window plants in
the cold seasons, and also in cool green-
houses.

PUBLICATIONS DECEIVED.

Connected with Dick's Garden Hand
Books, we have received " The Vegeta-

190

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ble Garden," by Hogg : New York.
For sale at Roman's. Although this
neat and complete guide to the cultiva-
tion of vegetables was written for the
latitude of New York, yet, as the author
says, " due allowance must be made
for places north or south of that lati-
tude. As a general rule, a degree
southward or northward, as the case
may be, is equivalent to five or seven
days earlier or later. Climates are
sometimes local, being influenced by
various circumstances, such as mount-
ains, forests, lakes, or the sea; so that
the isothermal lines of a country never
run exactly on the lines of latitude. In
such cases allowances must be made
for such local variations." This is true,
and it must be calculated in cultivating
vegetables in California that we are at
least six weeks earlier than the State of
New York. Owing to the mildness of
our climate, too, all the year round, we
can raise successfully and with much
less trouble and labor not only all the
vegetables there used, but all the more
delicate ones, in the open air, with very
little need of any early forcing. Our
climate and facilities for successfully
cultivating vegetables and other plants,
is very similar to many of the Southern
States of the Union — Alabama, Geor-
gia, Louisiana, for instance ; but our
winters are even milder than their's,
and freer from any piercingly cold winds
and cutting frosts. The present work
under review will be found not only
very useful and instructive for us here
in its general laid-down principles,, but
also in many of its rules, practice and
particulars for minute routines of culti-
vation.

The publishers, we find, intend issu-
ing at short intervals three other garden
hand books — the "Flower Garden,"
the " Fruit Garden," and the " Green-
house and Window Garden." Until

we are far advanced enough on such
matters in our State, and some of our
cultivators are sufficiently expert in
practice and knowledge of our climate
and modes of raising productions in all
these important departments of horti-
culture, and sufficiently educated in
ease of writing or composition of lan-
guage, with a suitable scholastic train-
ing, foreign works, like these manuals,
will come in to aid us much in many
ways ; and we welcome their advent
among us. Being at any rate suggest-
ive, we can learn a good deal from
them. It is much easier to reduce or
modify any information that we may
receive, than to enlarge usefully and
understandingly on it, or to originate
new rules and valuable practices, adapt-
ed to the soil, climate, and circumstan-
ces of any particular region, or district
of country. There is no want of size
of fruit or vegetable produce on our
coast ; what we most seem to need is a
better quality of many articles, and es-
pecially a greater variety of good fruits —
the Strawberry and Peach for example.
Irrigation is a necessity for us in many
cases, although it deteriorates the fla-
vor of some fruits and vegetables. If
we can manage to raise some things by
deep plowing and spading, and con-
stantly stirring and spading without so
much watering, we shall improve the
quality of many fruits and vegetables.
A Pamphlet containing a description
of Dr. Johnson's' 'Thirty Dollar Health-
Lift and Lift-Exercise," the only one
that received the Centennial Award.
A. H. Andrews & Co., 211 and 213
Wabash Avenue, Chicago, 111., and 619
Broadway, New York. Among many
other things this little treatise explains
the philosophy of this machine and lift-
exercise, for what complaints it is ben-
eficial, testimonials, etc. There can be
no doubt whatever that a given amount

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

191

of physical exercise is daily required by
every person, which, may be taken in a
longer or shorter time, by various meth-
ods. The time with the Lift may be
from ten minutes to four hours, accord^
ing to the means employed. We have
always recommended for health plenty
of daily exercise in the open air, and
this is the reason why gardening and
cultivation of flowers is so desirable for
all classes of persons, and especially
for ladies. But when the business of
any person is such that he or she can
not do this, and are compelled to spend
most of their time in sedentary occupa-
tion in doors, then this Health -lift
comes into most valuable play, and pos-
sesses many advantages. It gives the
greatest amount of general and invigor-
ating exercise in the least possible time,
with the least possible trouble, fatigue,
and exhaustion ; curing the sick, invig-
orating the healthy, and strengthening
the weak. This exercise can be taken
at home ad libitum at any time. The
lift is very light and cheap, and can be
carried in the bottom of a trunk. "We
strongly recommend it to sedentary

people.

— ♦ —

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

Dr. Kellogg read a paper on a num-
ber of new plants, under the following-
names : Spheralcea insularis, Oenothera
frutescens, Trixis insularis, Heteroco-
den hispidissimum, Astragularis insu-
laris, Phacelia plumosa, found on the
coast islands of California by the late
Dr. Veatch, who was the first naturalist
to make a collection on those islands ;
Cnicus Murinus, a species of Thistle,
found at Lone Mountain by the same
naturalist. Gonolobus barbatus, vari-
ety subauriculatus, collected by Captain
W. R. Fisher, on the Gulf of Califor-
nia ; Mimulus Clarkii, by Joseph H.
Clark, of Mendocino County ; Berberis

Nevadensis, by Dr. Harkness, found in
Fresno County.

A plant, common in San Francisco,
Soliva Pedunculata, was described as a
new plant. Specimens had been sent
East, but the Eastern botanists had not
seen fit to admit the new species. It
differs from the Soliva described in
their books.

Three new plants, found by Henry
Edwards, Esq., were described : Strep-
tanthus Edwardsii, found at Knight's
Landing ; Collinsea ochroleuca, or
White Collinsea, found at Skaggs'
Springs, Sonoma County ; and a re-
markable specimen of the Golden This-
tle, Cnicus- Vaill (not of Gray) Citrinus,
a plant of a bright yellow flower.

A collection of plants was received
from Mrs. Dr. Tilling, of Oakland ;
and another (Algce) from Dr. Anderson,
of Santa Cruz.

WOODWARD'S GARDENS.

In a late visit to these celebrated
public grounds, now made famous the
world over for the numberless beautiful
and rare objects in nature and art which
are there represented and exhibited, we
found many important and interesting
additions and improvements ; for the
proprietor's motto is always onward and
excelsior. One of the novelties is a
new museum on the hill near the res-
taurant, the walls of which are hung,
and the shelves filled, with many curi-
osities, among which are numerous rare
and valuable Indian implements of
peace, and weapons of war, from the
islands of the South Seas, and our own
inland Indian tribes, these latter, es-
pecially, rendered more precious every
year to the public and the antiquarian
from the speedy extinction now occur-
ring of those nomadic and fast fleeting
races. One of the mementos there pre-

192

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

served is a portion or stump of the co-
coanut tree under which Captain Cook
was clubbed to death. Here are the
open jaws of the man-eating shark, suf-
ficiently large in their capaciousness to
take in easily the body of a man. Also
a fine specimen of hard limestone rock
pierced in all directions by a species of
Pholas dactylics, or prickly stone-piercer
— a variety of shell -fish, with some
models in wood and stone of Indian
boats and canoes. Here we saw a very
beautiful tray made of every kind of
California woods, very elegantly and
elaborately arranged. A large case of
lusus natures in birds and beasts attract-
ed our attention, with many dwarfed
and mabformed specimens.

The museum of fish, crustaceans, ser-
pents, etc., in the Photographic Gal-
lery, over the Aquarium, has now had
added to it an admirable, very striking,
and life-like stuffed representation of
the buffalo of our plains, hunted to
death by a pack of prairie wolves. The
buffalo has an arrow stuck in its side
from some supposed Indian hunter,
and from the wound blood is flowing
copiously. The howl or yelp of the
wolves is only wanting to make this
scene true to life. In the same room
is a very fine preserved specimen of the
cameleopard.

The Aquarium is now well filled with
various families of fish and Crustacea.
In consequence of the many fractures
in the glass, from the settling of the
stonework of the building, each com-
partment or cistern in the cavern is to
be made separate, so that the glass will
not be so injuriously affected in future.

In consequence of the want of suffi-
cient water at Berkeley, near the "Uni-
versity, the Fish Commissioners of the
State are about to make arrangements
with Mr. Woodward for transferring
from the University the fish breeding

apparatus to the Gardens. This will
be effected by making the seal pond,
near the Photographic Gallery, the site
for the fish - breeding processes, and
over this there will be a continuation
and enlargement of the present Aqua-
rium. Much interest will be thus ex-
cited in the public mind by witnessing
these operations on a much larger scale
than has heretofore taken place in the
small breeding trays and process near
the present Aquarium.

In the main yard of the Menagerie
considerable enlargement is taking
place, and improvements projected in
making galleries all round the lot, not
only for the purpose of accommodating
more animals, but to render the view
of the beasts already there more conve-
nient. New places and stalls are being
made for the ruminating animals.
Near the engine house, for warmth,
two new apartments with glass fronts
have been made, in one of which is a
sloth, and in the other a boa constricta
of great length and thickness.

In this lot also is to be constructed a
new gymnasium for the children of the
public and other schools. Also on the
same level as the Camera Obscura there
is to be erected a hall for the exhibition
of mechanical inventions, ingenious
machinery, and models.

The Museum and Cabinets of Natural
History, opposite the entrance gates,
are to be enlarged on each side and at
each corner of the building so that
more light may be thrown upon their
contents; and in many instances the
light will be cast into both sides so
as to show the objects to the utmost
advantage.

The horticultural department of the
Gardens is in fine condition, both in
and out of doors, the trees, shrubs, and
flowers looking splendidly. The rock-
work round a small corner pond, near

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

193

the large fountain pond, is delightfully
bordered -with a large and lovely varied
collection of rock, water, and other-
plants, and in this small piece of water
(in which are gold and silver fish, and
some young salmon), the White "Water
Lily (Nymphcea odorata), is flourishing
finely, and at this time in bloom.

The Conservatory of miscellaneous
vegetation is also in capital order, and
resplendent with many various and rare
tropical, semi-tropical, and more hardy
plants, and choice flowers. Among
them we noticed Pritchardia pacifica,
Pandanus utilis, Screw Pine (splendid-
ly large), Cocos Eomanzoffia, Cham-
serops excelsa, Cycas revoluta (very
large and fine), Pritchardia martii,
Areca rubra, Levistonia sub-globoso,
Seaforthia robusta, Diffenbachia picta,
Phcenix Sylvestris, Phcenix canariensis,
Latania rubra, Sabal umbraculifera,
Phcenix Oleonensis, Oreodoxus regia
(Royal Palm), and many other choice
and rare varieties of the Palm family.

In the garden is a fine specimen of
the Agave Americana or Century Plant,
thirteen years old, with a flower stem
thirty feet high, and which grew four
inches in twenty-four hours, showing
that it is an error or popular fallacy
that it takes 100 years before it comes
into bloom.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

The best soil for the Pear tree is a
stiff and rather hard adobe or clayey
soil, and a sandy soil is one that should
be avoided. The same rules also apply
to the Plum. This cpaality of land for
these trees produces thrift and vigor of
roots, wood, leaves, bark, fruit — in
short, everything that is desirable in
those trees. On the contrary, notwith-
standing our favorable climate, a sandy

loam will encourage bark lice, stunted
sickly growth comparatively, and prom-
ising a short healthy life only. Nor
should our stifl soils for these trees, or
for this description of fruit, be fertilized
very strongly, but they should be well
tilled and drained.

Sowing any kind of grain is injurious
to orchards, but if anything is planted
between the rows of trees put in some
hoed crop, such as Potatoes. Indian
Corn will also do but little injury, but
in California we have not much land
suitable to this crop. Pigs may be
turned into the orchard to feed on any
refuse crop, but when this becomes ex-
hausted, there is always danger of their
attacking the bark of the trees. But
earlier in the season hogs are really
beneficial in mellowing the soil and de-
stroying insects. An excess of growth
in all orchard trees must be avoided,
as well as a lack of it. Extremes of all
kinds are hurtful ; all rash pruning is
pernicious, but thumb and finger work,
and that lightly, when the trees are young
is the best, avoiding especially all over-
growth of fruit. The main points that
claim attention are proper drainage,
moderate irrigation when necessary,
and overbearing. We should aim to
have moderate yields of fruit, and good
quality. It is the moderate yields that
make the permanent crops, giving a
fair annual profit. He that is not con-
tented with this indulges in extrava-
gance, and is likely to fail in the long
run in fruit cultivation. Good culture
is a healthy growth both of wood and
fruit, avoiding excess in either.

Since our last report there have been
several additions of different fruits in
our markets. The fruit crop generally
is very promising. About the last of
April Cherries gradually increased. In
the first week in May the first Madeline
Pears and Green Apples made their ap-

194

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

pearance, the crops of both being some
weeks earlier than the first of the sea-
son last year, but this has been the case
with all our fruits this year. Cherries
came in freely, but the crop will not be
so large as expected. The first ripe
Apricots were received from L. W.
Buck, of Pleasant Valley, Solano Coun-
ty, and brought 30c. per lb. The first
consignment of Raspberries were re-
ceived from Newcastle, Placer County.
This locality has proved to be specially
adapted to the growth of berries, hav-
ing produced the first last season. Re-
ceipts of Strawberries were very plenti-
ful at the same date as above.

Apples advanced, as the old crop is
quite limited— only fifty boxes arrived
on the Oregon steamer. Nearly the
last of the Los Angeles Orange crop
was at hand. There was a good sup-
ply of Tahiti Oranges to fill the demand.
Lemons continued in good supply. The
last Australian steamer brought 1,085
bunches of Bananas from Honolulu.
Regular shipments of Mexican Limes
reach us by every steamer from Acapul-
co, and Pineapples from Panama. Veg-
etables were lower, as supplies came
forward in great quantities. There was
an abundance of everything at very low
rates.

Raspberries were more plentiful and
cheaper. Blackberries and Apricots
came into market the second week in
May. The receipts of Strawberries
were rapidly falling off, and prices were
firmer. The second crop was of much
better quality, and shipments increased
as soon as they began to arrive. There
was a good supply of Tahiti Oranges,
and more due. We are indebted to
Howe & Hall for the following quota-
tions : Apples — Choice, $2 to $3 per
box. Pears— Choice, $1.50 to $2.50
per box. Cherries — Choice, black, 15c
to 25c. per lb.; common, red, 5c. to

12|c. Apricots, 5c. to 8c. per lb.
Strawberries, $5 to $8 per chest. Rasp-
berries. 30c. per lb. Gooseberries, 8c.
per lb. Blackberries, 30c. per lb. Red
Currants, 50c. per dwr. Oranges, Ta-
hiti, $18 to $20 per M ; California, $20
to $35 per M. Lemons, Sicily, $10 to
$11 per box ; Los Angeles, $15 to $25
per M. Limes, $10 to $15 per M. Ba-
nanas, $2 to $3.50 per bunch. Pine
Apples, $6 to $8 per doz. Cocoanuts,
$5 per 100. Dried Fruit— Apples, 4Jc.
to 6c. per lb.; Peaches, 7c. to 10c. per
lb.; Pears, 7c. to 8c. per lb.; Plums,
3c. to 4c. ; pitted, 12c. to 13 Jc. ; Prunes,
12^c. to 17c. per lb. ; Figs, white, 6c to
8c; black, 5c. to 7c. per lb.; Califor-
nia Raisins, $1 to $2.50 per box. Vege-
tables— Cabbages, 50c. per ctl.; Cu-
cumbers, 50c. to $1.50 per doz.; Aspar-
agus, 75c. to $1 per box; Tomatoes,
7c. to 9c. per lb.; Grreen Corn, 18c. to
20c. per doz. ; Summer Squash, 4c. to
5c. per lb.; Rhubarb, 3c. to 3^c. per
lb.; Green Peas, l^c. to 2^c. per lb.;
String Beans, 4c. to 8c. per lb.; Gar-
lic, 2c. to 3c. per lb.; do, new, 7c. to
8c. per lb.

About the latter end of May the fruit
market was well supplied with Currants,
Cherries, Pringle Apricots, and Oranges
and Lemons. The receipts of Straw-
berries, Gooseberries, Raspberries,
Blackberries, and Royal Apricots were
limited and prices maintained. The
first Peaches of the season arrived on
the 23d of May, and retailed at 60c. to
75c. per lb. Green Apples and Made-
line Pears sold at $1 per basket.

The receipts of Strawberries fell off
about the time above mentioned. Most
of the Strawberries for some time past
have been rather small generally, and
rather indifferent in flavor. We have
seen in Cincinnati the Prolific Straw-
berry raised (which we chiefly raise
here) , in rich and deeply worked ground ,

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICTJLTURIST.

195

there averaging three inches in circum-
ference, and many of them three and a
half inches. These had the benefit, to
be sure, of the natural rain, and we
have to resort to irrigation late in the
spring, and all the summer and most of
the fall. Still, we think our cultivators
of that valuable, healthy and delicious
fruit here, could grow them larger and
of better flavor if more pains were tak-
en in the preparation of the ground, by
cultivating it with a greater depth be-
fore planting. It is desirable, also,
that new varieties should be introduced
and tested as soon as possible for next
season's crop ; and to help them in that
direction we append the following de-
scription, by A. H. Haines, Malden-on-
the- Hudson, New York, of varieties
that are especially noteworthy, and
which have given satisfaction where
tried. They may not suit our soil and
climate, but they or some other good
kinds should be thoroughly tried, and
seen if we can not make some improve-
ment in this fruit. One thing is abso-
lutely necessary, namely, that they
should be firm for carriage to market.

Pkodty's Seedling. — This is a new
variety whose name has been heralded
from one end of the country to the oth-
er. Being of such recent origin, there
are few who can speak definitely in re-
gard to its properties, as would be the
case with the other sorts. However,
the qualities that it has already reveal-
ed, certainly entitle it to receive a cor-
dial welcome. The plants have prov-
ed to be very productive, even upon
hot sandy soils, and bear good-sized
berries, that readily command a good
price, and help the grower to realize a
handsome profit. So promising do
they seem to be, that many this spring
are devoting large plots of ground to
their use.

Golden Defiance. — This is a novelty

that many will appreciate. Who has
not noticed the eager longing and con-
stant strife that there is for obtaining
something odd, articles of vertu, etc.,
to decorate our houses with. Those
also who happily spend their leisure
time and hours of recreation in their
gardens, have the same powers of ap-
preciation for things that are novel in
the fruit world, and by such this Straw-
berry with a golden name is being cor-
dially welcomed. The plants seem to
understand the responsibility that rests
upon them in producing these berries
of gold, and are strong and vigorous
growers — frequently immensely pro-
ductive. Let no one expecc to see
these berries glittering in the sun like
twenty -dollar gold pieces fifty yards
away ; however, on nearer approach
they will be found to be very much
larger, and presenting an appearance
of beauty that is surpassed by hardly
any other berry. The Sterling, Mon-
arch of the West, Kerr's Prolific, and
Great American still continue to merit
and receive a large share of public fa-
vor on account of their immense size
and fine qualities. There are still sev-
eral newer varieties that I might men-
tion, but they have not yet been suffi-
ciently tested to warrant a definite de-
scription.

Mr. Haines continues : " When such
treasures as these can be grown so eas-
ily, is it not strange that so many should
be without them? It only requires a
little plot of Strawberry plants a rod
or two square, to give a delicious feast
to the family for many days in succes-
sion. Mammoth berries may be ob-
tained from these varieties if the fol-
lowing easily practiced formula is heed-
ed : Enrich the soil liberally, spade
the ground deeply, and cultivate fre-
quently. Considerable care should be
taken as to where the plants are obtain-

196

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ed from, as spurious plants in great
numbers will be sent through the mails
to all parts of the country during the
coming season. The genuine plants
will fully verify what I have written in
regard to them, and even royalty would
gladly assist in feasting upon the ber-
ries that they will produce."

The Pomegranate. — Gen. Stoneman
is cultivating the Pomegranate to the
extent of 5,000 trees at San Gabriel,
Los Angeles County, and thinks that
he can make it succeed in the Eastern
markets by sending it there in large
quantities in proper cars for the pur-
pose. This, we think, may be classed
among the promising experiments.

Bananas have been cultivated with
success in the open air at Santa Bar-
bara, Los Angeles, and other places on
the Southern Coast, and may become
important in the agriculture of Califor-
nia. Not enough have been grown to
appear regularly in the market, and
they have not been sent for sale in San
Francisco. The only variety that can
be grown here with a profit is the sub-
tropical or Florida Banana (Musa Cav-
endishii), the Musa Paradisiaca or trop-
ical kind being too delicate for the oc-
casional frosts from which even the
Los Angeles region is not exempt. The
Banana has a perennial root, which
sends up half a dozen sprouts, and
each one of these, if taken off when a
foot high and planted separately — eight
feet apart is a good distance — will bear
in eighteen months. If not transplant-
ed till six feet high it will bear in a
year. The stalk dies down when two
years old, and a new one appears. The
plants need irrigation, careful cultiva-
tion, and rich soil, and will probably
pay well for them. The tropical Ba-
naua will support ten times as many

persons to an acre, it is said, as wheat ;
the productive capacity of the sub-trop-
ical variety in California is yet to be
proved.

Red Spiders. — These are the most
deadly enemies of our floral pets that
we have to contend with. If plants
can be kept in a cool, moist air, they
will seldom appear. Large-leaved
plants can be kept free from them by
frequent sponging. A thorough sprink-
ling or syringing two or three times a
week is a good preventive. Turning
the plants upside down, and dusting
the under side of the leaves with red
pepper, will sometimes destroy them.
These insects are so minute as to be
scarcely visible to the naked eye, and
often commit extensive ravages before
the source of the mischief is discover-
ed.— Vermont Chronicle.

Hot Weather. — On June 11th the
excessively hot weather did immense
damage to the fruit in this State.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

Foe the Month ending May 31st, 1877.

(Prepared for The Hoktictjltubist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BABOMETEE.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.03 in.

do 12u 30.03

do 3p.m 30.02

do 6p.ii 30.02

Highest point on the 31st at 9 a. m 30.11

Lowest point on the 2d at 6 p. ir 29.93

THEEMOMETEB.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 61°

do 12 m 65°

do 3 p. m 65°

do 6 p. m 61°

Highest point on the 18th at 3 p m 73c

Lowest point on the 24th at 6 p. m 57°

SELF-BEGISTEBING THEEMOMETEE.

Mean height during the night 50°

Highest point at sunrise on the loth 54°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 20th 48°

■WINDS.
North and north-west on 3 days; west on 28 days.

weathee.
Clear all day 8 days; cloudy on 9 days ; variable on
14 days.

BAIN GAUGE. Inches.
28th 0.13

Total 0J3

Previously reported 9.87

Total up to date ...10.00

THE

% tfi

ItlSI

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII.

SAX FRANCISCO, JULY, 1877.

Xo. 7.

CUTTING AND PRESERVING FLOWERS.

It is desirable in order to make cut
flowers last, and to look well as long
as possible, whether they are obtained
wild from the country, or are of artifi-
cial culture from the garden, to attend
to the rules and suggestions which we
here presume to offer to our patrons.
In the first place, never cut your flow-
ers anywhere if you can avoid it during
intense sunshine, nor allow them if
possible to be kept exposed to the sun
or wind ; do not collect them in very
large bundles, nor tie them tightly to-
gether, as this hastens their decay.
Do not pull them, but cut them clean-
ly off the plant with a sharp knife or a
pair of keen old scissors — but the first
is by far the preferable process ; when
taken in doors, place them at once in
the shade, and reduce them to the re-
quired length of stalk with a sharp
knife, by which means the tubes through
which they draw up the water are left
open, and the water is permitted to as-
cend freely, whereas if the stems are
bruised or lacerated these pores are
closed up. Use pure water to set them
in, or pure sand of some kind in a state
of proper saturation, sticking the end

Vol. VII.— 13.

of the stalks in it, but not in too crowd-
ed a manner. This use of sand in dish-
es shows flowers off to great advantage
because it admits of each flower or
piece of foliage to be placed in the
most tasteful position. If in water
alone, it ought to contain a pinch of
salt, and better if a few grains of salt-
petre were put in for about every pint
of the fluid. The water should be
changed daily, and a thin slice should
be cut off the ends of the stalks at
change of water. "Water about milk-
warm, or containing a small quantity of
camphor, dissolved in spirits of wine or
cologne, will often revive flowers when
they have begun to fade. In some
cases liquid ammonia may be advanta-
geously applied to the stems for a few
minutes to revive flowers. Powdered
charcoal saturated with water is also a
good medium to stick them in, and the
thinner they are disposed of and kept
the better. To keep well, flowers
should not, after being cut, be placed
in localities where there is tobacco
smoke, or tobacco smoking, or any bad
ventilation ; neither should the rooms
be too heated. A cool temperature
during summer is favorable for them,
but they should not be exposed to a

198

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

strong draught of air or wind. Shade
them from very bright sunshine. Place
a globular or pyramidal glass over
them, if you have one large enough,
during the night, or indeed at all such
times as they are not purposely exhib-
ited. The removal of the slightest
symptom of decay is necessary. When
carried to a distance, take them in a
shallow, air-tight tin case, or cover
them with large sheets of paper to ex-
clude the light, and defend them from
our dry spring or summer winds. This
is very desirable, when on any of our
rural trips in the vicinity of our city,
they are exposed to our trade gales. A
common newspaper — for instance, the
Alia blanket — will answer for this, a
very good purpose.

THE HUASCO RAISIN OF CHILE.

The Huasco of Chile is probably the
most delicate and delicious raisin in
the world. The quantity produced is
quite limited, and it is scarce and dear
even in that country. Small consign-
ments occasionally come to this mar-
ket, but the supply is irregular, and as
the fruit can not be sold for less than
fifty cents per pound, our grocers find
but little call for it. Thinking that the
vine might be worthy of a trial here,
and that any information regarding it
would be of interest to the raisin pro-
ducers of the State, a gentleman con-
nected with the Gall wrote to an intelli-
gent agriculturist at Valparaiso, for-
merly of California, and received the
following interesting particulars :

About sixty miles from the port of
Huasco, Chile, South America, is situ-
ated quite an extensive valley, celebrat-
ed for its excellent raisins, which are
divided into two classes. One is call-
ed the Muscatel, and is inferior in
quality to the Huasco. The latter class

is scarcely procurable, on account of
the demand for it, and, comparatively
speaking, the limited quantity raised.
The price probably exceeds that of any
other raisin cultivated in the world,
and as high as fifty cents per pound
has been paid for them. The former is
inferior in quality and taste to the lat-
ter, and is preferred to the Malaga rai-
sin by many strangers.

The ground outside, or surrounding
the vinej'ard, is laid out in paths, over
which an arbor is built, and over this
grape-vines are carefully trained to
keep off the early spring winds, which
sometimes affect the young sprouts.
The vines inside the square are planted
in rows 6 feet one way by 8 feet the
other, the intervening space being
planted to alfalfa, from which two or
three crops are cut for hay each year.
The vines are trimmed in bush or tree
fashion, and in the fall of the year all
extra wood is cut off. leaving two eyes
to each branch. When it is discover-
ed that a branch is a poor bearer, it is
cut off close to the trunk. The vine-
yards are planted on the side hills and
in the valleys.

The vines are thoroughly irrigated
(no half way work will do), first, when
the eyes begin to swell, again, when
about to blossom, and lastly, when the
fruit is formed. There is no rain in
the valley during any part of the year.
Dews are abundant during the winter,
and the summers are warm and dry.

When fully, but not over ripe, the
fruit is carefully removed from the vine
and taken to the thatched-roof open
sheds and hung up, care being taken
that the bunches do not touch each
other, and each day they are carefully
watched to see if any of them need
turning. Once dried, the different
grades of raisins are separated and
packed in boxes of 25 pounds each.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTUEIST.

199

The Huasco Grape-vine was import-
ed into Chile by the Spaniards long
before the establishment of the Repub-
lic, and is a Spanish Muscat. The ber-
ry is of a golden yellow color, large
size, and the vine a good bearer; the
raisin is yellow and quite transparent.
It is much esteemed for its peculiar fla-
vor and is used for the table exclusively.

A great many attempts have been
made to transplant the cuttings to oth-
er parts of South America, but in each
case it has been a failure as far as the
production of raisins of the same flavor
and quality is concerned. It is a curi-
ous fact, as yet unaccounted for, that
different vineyards in the same valley
do not all produce alike ; some give
the Muscatel and others the Huasco.
It is supposed that certain action of the
winds makes the difference, the most
sheltered locations giving the best re-
sults. A few cuttings were sent to
California three years since, but what
success attended them is unknown. C.
T. Ward raised a few plants from seed
at Hay ward, Alameda County, and it is
presumed that by this time they have
borne fruit, being now four years old.
The vines were planted in the second
row of his vineyard, in front of the
the house, on the left-hand side of the
path as you enter at the gate. Proba-
bly the value of them is not known to
the present owner of the place. Could
a suitable location be found for this
grape in California, it would enrich the
owner of a vineyard. It is worth a
trial, especially in the southern portion
of the State. It would be difficult to
procure proper cuttings, and more dif-
ficult to get them safely to San Fran-
cisco. The better mode of giving the
grape a trial, would be by procuring
the raisins and planting the seed. In
four years seedlings would bear fruit,
at least they do so here. From my ob-

servations in this country and in Cali-
fornia, I am satisfied that a superior
raisin grape could be raised from the
seed of the Huasco in the southern por-
tion of California where there is little
or no rain. A small valley, no matter
how rocky and stony, should be select-
ed which is surrounded by hills, in or-
der to give protection from winds, and
where the full benefit of the sun can be
had. It should not be less than 250
feet above the level of the sea, and
should have a small stream of running
water for irrigation. Well water, un-
less it stands some time in a deposit, is
not good for the plant, and a redwood
tank in this country has been proved to
affect the water to the injury of the
vine. Here they do not plow deep for
setting out vines, and when once they
begin to bear but little care is taken to
cultivate the land. On the contrary,
nearly every one plants his alfalfa be-
tween the rows, thus getting more prof-
it from the land, while the vines do not
appear to suffer from the treatment.
Great care is taken in pruning.

FUNGI, EATABLE AND UNEATABLE.

BY NATUBALIST.

"Various as beauteous nature is thy face.

. . . . All that grows has grace,
All are appropriate; bog and marsh and fen
Are only poor to undiscerning men.
Here may the nice and curious eye explore
How nature's hand adorns the rushy moor;
Beauteous are these that from the view retire,
But will repay the attention they require. "

These line/s of Crabbe we commend
to the attention of those — alas ! too many
here in California ( a new " empire," and
therefore with better excuse) as well as
elsewhere in the world — "undiscerning
men," who have never asked what is
the use of a Fungus, and who carry
their ignorant contempt so far as to
trample under foot, as noxious "toad-
stools," numerous species of vegetable

200

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

productions, not a few of which on ex-
amination are found to exhibit the most
graceful forms and the most brilliant
colors, as well as to supply ( wonderful
as it may appear, no doubt, to some)
the most exquisite odors, and abun-
dance even of the most palatable and
nutritious food. What geometry shall
define their ever-varying shapes. Who
but a Venetian painter can do justice to
their colors ? As to shapes, some are
simple threads, like the Byssus, and
never go beyond this; some shoot out
into branches, like sea-weed; some puff
themselves out into puff-balls ; some
thrust out their heads into mitres; these
assume the shape of a cup, those of a
wine-funnel ; these are stilted on a high
leg, and those have not a leg to stand
on ; some are shell-shaped, many bell-
shaped; and some hang upon their
stalks like an English lawyer's wig;
some assume the form of a horse's foot;
others of a goat's beard; the Phallus im-
pudicus is the very thing he calls him-
self. As to their colors, we find in one
genus ODly species which correspond at
every hue ! As to odors, while some
smell like cinnamon, some like ratafia,
and some like the bloom of May, a per-
son, enthusiastic though he may be,
cannot discredit his nose, which is un-
mistakably and instinctively turned
away from fungous odors, yielding an
insupportable stench, an intolerable
fee tor, the savor of a stale poultice, a
smell of tallow, the smell of putrid meat.
Very many Fungi are violently poison-
ous. Some have suffered much from
indulging curiosity in only tasting a few
of them. Some kinds of puff-balls are
said to be quite pleasant in flavor and
not iujurious, but we would not like to
make experiments, as some have done,
with them. The mere tasting of some
of them with the tongue has produced
contraction of the jaws, sickness, pain

and heat in the stomach, as well as
slight delirium. It is really not safe to
follow one's nose, or to believe one's
eyes in this matter, as the saying is. All
noses are not equally furnished with
keen and true olfactories, it would ap-
pear, and not a few are in some strange
fashion abnormal. We have heard of a
lady, from a reliable authority, who
thought candle-snuff a delicious flavor.
We know that it is true that in some
instances the Russian peasants relish
highly tallow candles and cart grease.
However the famous botanist, Dr. Lind-
ley, stated that in England at least they
throw away many species of Eungi that
are excellent, and that the people thus
deprive their palates of much pleasant
eating, and perhaps that those in com-
mon use are inferior to those that are
rejected. But, we think, it is best to
err on the safe side, and that the- Mush-
room, Charitarelle, Champigny, Morel,
and Truffle are enough of the whole-
some and sure ones for healthful and
luxurious indulgence in that line. The
Italian and Russian peasantry, and
people generally, commit, it would
seem, very few mistakes as to the qual-
ity of Fungi, and we on this* coast and
in the United States, may learn more
about them in process of time.

As to the nature of the various groups
of Fungi, they are undoubtedly true
vegetables, in the main principles of
their growth and structure, and divisi-
ble into species as definite as in other
acknowledged parts of the vegetable
kingdom. As to the habitats of Fungi,
it is perhaps difficult to point out any
substance or situation where conditions
exist capable of supporting vegetation,
in which they, in one or other of their
forms, may not be developed. Their
name is legion, and their province
ubiquity. To enumerate but a few, and
those of the microscopic kinds, the

THE CALIFOENIA HOETICULTUEIST.

201

Ilucor mitcedo, that spawns upon un-
dried preserves; the Ascophora mitcedo,
that makes our bread mouldy; the Uredo
segetum, that burns Ceres out of her
own wheat and corn fields; the Uredo
rubigo, that is still more destructive;
and the Puccinia graminis, whose vorac-
ity sets farmers at defiance, are all
Fungi. Indeed they are too numerous
to designate in an article like this. But
the great value of many kinds of Fungi
is their astonishing resemblance to an-
imal food, and their consequent useful-
ness as an article of human diet. Of
all vegetable productions they are the
most azotized — that is animalized — in
their structure. As we all know, the
common Mushroom, the Truffle, and
Morel, are valuable articles for our
markets; but more especially the first,
whether in a fresh state or in the form
of catsup, especially the use of the last
in Europe and in the East. Mushrooms
should be well cooked, and then, like
any other nutritious food, they should
not be indulged in without proper mod-
eration. About thirty species abound
in English woods. How many we pos-
sess in California must be settled in due
course of investigation and discovery
by competent botanists. In France,
Germany and Italy, Fungi, we are told,
not only constitute for weeks together
the sole diet of thousands, but the resi-
due, either fresh, dried or variously pre-
served in oil, vinegar, or brine, is sold
by the poor, and form's a valuable source
of income to those who have nothing
else to bring to the market. Not know-
ing the language of the "Celestial Em-
pire, " we cannot depose as to the Fungi
eaten by the omnivorous Chinese, but
that their number is legion we doubt
not. But we must desist, our savory
theme not half discussed. The ques-
tion for our readers to decide is, should
they feast upon Fungi, first, of course,

making themselves well acquainted with
such as grow here, or fa'st out of mere
prejudice, with many of the despised
bounties of nature perhaps surrounding
them in greater profusion than they
have any idea of. There are works
published on this subject, too, which
they may carefully peruse, probably to
be obtained at our best book stores.
One of these writers (Badlam, M. D.,)
preaches moderation like a Christian
divine. Listen, 0 reader, and it shall
be well with thee : " Nine-tenths of
dyspeptics become so from over-feeding.
Whilst it is an acknowledged fact that
infants are over-fed, and that all chil-
dren are over- fed, men are by no means
prone or willing to admit that gluttony
is perhaps the very last of childish
things that they are in the habit of put-
ting away from them. But then, though
Mushrooms of various kinds (for there
are many sorts of them ) are not to be
considered unwholesome, they are, like
other things, to be used with discretion,
and not a' discretion. "

FLOEA OF AUSTEALIA, TASMANIA, AND
NEW ZEALAND.

BY A VISITOR THEEE.

As California and the above named
regions are all in what may be called
the warmer temperate zone, the vegeta-
tion of those countries is of peculiar in-
terest. We will, therefore, for the
pleasure of our readers, state what a
traveler has told of their trees, shrubs,
and flowers. That part of Australia in
which the English colonies lie is most-
ly low and even ground, compared
with the northern part, which is hilly,
but not mountainous; and in the south-
ern part the grass is richer and the
trees higher than in the north.

On the north side of Botany Bay the
country resembles the moory grounds

202

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICIILTUBIST.

of England, the land being covered
with plants about sixteen inches high.
The hills rise gradually behind each
other to a great distance, with marshy
ground between. On the muddy
shores grow numbers of the singular
Mangrove trees, both in and out of the
water; they are very large trees, but
usually not more than forty or fifty feet
high, and bare of branches to a great
height, the great trunks standing to-
gether like a range of columns. But
the great peculiarity of these Mangrove
or Mangle trees (Phizophorece) is, that
the seeds begin to grow before they
fall from the scarlet berry which pro-
tects them ; from which the root, which
looks very much like a strong coral-col-
ored fibre, suspended in a curious man-
ner, till it drops into the mud below.

There are besides the Mangroves, a
few different kinds of Palms, Gum
trees (Eucalyptus), and a few shrubs ;
the Palms contrast oddly with the
thoroughly English-looking crows we
find there ; but the swans, as black as
the crows themselves, remind us where
we are. The flocks of beautiful cocka-
toos and paraquets seem more in har-
mony with the gaunt, straggling, unfa-
miliar shapes of the Gum trees, which,
where the wood has not been cleared,
stand thickly together, destitute of leaf
or branch to a height of fifty or seventy
feet ; but where they have room to
branch they make a great display of
their twisted elbows and bare arms,
which have tufts of leaves only at the
very ends. These trees, whose struct-
ure places them in the Myrtle family,
seem generally to have little brush-like
blossoms of a deep orange and yellow
color, which sometimes grow thickly
together like a little wreath all along
the stem, filling the air with their fra-
grance, and attracting the bees to their
rich stores of honey.

The Gum trees (Eucalyptus) and the
extraordinary Protea tribe are the two
trees most characteristic of Australia.
The truest description which can be
given of the Proteas is, that, like 'Pro-
teus himself, after whom they are so
aptly named, they wear such various
forms, that whatever we might say of
one species would be belied by the next
we met with. They are truly astonish-
ing sights to a visitor's eyes ; many of
them have huge red blossoms, some-
thing in shape like the head of an arti-
choke, but they are almost all of differ-
ent shapes and sizes. The foliage, too,
is still more variable ; in some, the
leaves are broad and handsome, while
in others they are as narrow as those of
a Yew, or long and not more than
three-quarters of an inch wide, and
deeply toothed on both sides. In some
respects the Proteas resemble the
Daphnes, but differ greatly from them
in others, particularly in the stamens
being situated on the points of the ca-
lyx, instead of between the divisions,
and in the uniformly harsh and rigid
character of the leaves.

But as we have other sights to see,
we must now sail up the magnificent
harbor to Sydney — and from thence go
further up the country, in a hope of
finding some of those remarkable Cher-
ries and Currants. Truly enough, we
find occasionally something as to which
we are puzzled at first to call it a Grape
or a Currant. This plant, which is
called the Billardiera, is a beautiful
twining evergreen, with small, dark,
green leaves and clusters of small,
greenish -yellow, bell- shaped flowers,
of a regular shape, and the stamens al-
ternate with the petals ; it belongs to a
class called the Pittosporum tribe, and
though not a vine, it is really not akin
to it. So much for nauseous " Grapes
growing on bindweed. "-To be continued.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

203

A FEW NOTES ON NATIVE AMERICAN
GRAPES.

The United States possesses an im-
mense number of native Grapes. It is
stated by a careful and reliable investi-
gator that there have been discovered
up to this time, indigenous and those
originated from them by culture, sixty
species, and 200 varieties. Wild vines
are especially numerous in Texas and
California, but we have never heard
that in the latter State, abundant as
they are wild, they were of a kind
suitable for the human palate. But
this is not a matter to be regretted, as
our climate is so mild, and so congenial
to the growth of the vine, that' all the
known sorts in the world flourish here
in the greatest perfection. All our va-
rieties, including the most common
kind — the Mission — have been intro-
duced from foreign parts, and many
native ones from the East, and from
other portions, of the United States, in-
cluding the well known and valuable
Catawba, which was first discovered
and noticed by Colonel Murray in 1802,
in Buncombe County, North Carolina,
and who was at one time temporarily
deprived of the honor of bringing this
fruit forward, by some foreigners, who
would persist in calling it a native of
Hungary. So, also, the Schuylkill
Muscatel was entitled by many the
" Cape Grape," from the Cape of Good
Hope. But it has congeners in plenty
in Louisiana. Mr. Longworth, of Cin-
cinnati, deservedly called the " father
of wine culture " in the East, insisted
always that this was done with the in-
tention of giving it " reputation." Also
the Isabella, another prominent and
valued native Grape, was christened in
the same way the Lespeyre, although,
like the Catawba, it was a native of
North Carolina. Texas has some
Grapes peculiar to herself. These are

the "Mustang" and the "El Paso."
The Mustang is hardly considered any-
thing deserving the name of a wine
Grape. It is only plentiful, and with-
out any merit worth speaking of as a
wild vine for making a first-rate wine,
yet it is considered tolerably good by
some. But the El Paso produces a
wine worth two dollars per gallon. It
is grown chiefly in the El Paso Valley,
which is of great extent and breadth.
The Grapes, also, are dried into pretty
good raisins. The Mustang wine re-
sembles somewhat a rather inferior
port wine. Florida abounds in wild
Grape-vines, and some of the fruit is
very pleasant to the palate. In Ala-
bama they have for a long time made
some tolerably good wine, as we are in-
formed, and of various kinds. The
vines there bear abundantly. The
Scuppernong flourishes well there, and
bears immensely to the acre, much be-
yond the other sorts. A bushel of
bunches of the Scuppernong will yield
three gallons of wine. Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Arkansas abound in
varieties of wild vines, called raccoon,
bear, bull, chicken, and fox Grapes ;
but little wine seems to be made from
these. '■ Bland's Madeira " has been
cultivated with a portion only of suc-
cess. As is well known, a Grape may
produce a superior wine in one district,
and yet succeed but very poorly in an-
other. In Georgia they have Grapes
which they term Muscadines, produc-
ing tolerably nice wines ; but neither
there nor in South Carolina has much
systematic growing been attempted.
The Catawba, the Herbemont, and the
Scuppernong are all natives of North
Carolina. Ohio and some parts of the
East are entitled to the honor of bring-
ing these two first into notice. There
are two species of the Scuppernong,
the best having a white silvery skin,

204

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTTTBIST.

with, a rich appearance, while the infe-
rior kind has a small black berry. The
latter, we remember, old Mr. Long-
worth, a good authority, used frequent-
ly to say in his often humorous way,
were only good for bullets. We be-
lieve neither of these kinds of Grapes
have been tried in California. They
will not grow, as we know, from cut-
tings, for we have tried them, and
such, also, is their reputation every-
where. One that we planted with roots
bore no fruit from some unknown
cause, yet we should not be satisfied,
we think, with this one trial only. But
the skin of the best is thick, and, like
all the native kinds, the pulp rather
firm and hard. They say it is usual in
some of the Southern States to use
some sugar with the must of these
Scuppernongs. The wine has a very
agreeable aroma. Although a sweet
Grape, it is, as is often the case, not
abundant in such saccharine matter as
to possess a very pure saccharum in the
wine. Age is said to improve the wine,
most especially when compared with
the majority of other wines in the East.
In Virginia there are good specimens
of native vines. Norton's Seedling
came from there, also the " Woodson''
and " Cunningham."

Our thirty- eighth and forty -fourth
parallels bear away the palm in Grape
culture. We need not speak, of course
of our already good wines in California.
Nor of the various nice Grapes origin-
ated within about twenty-five years in
Ohio, and north, east, and west of it ;
and the good wines produced from
them. They have for some time been
well known. But the history of the
distinguished Catawba Grape is inter-
esting. Major Adlum, a passionate
cultivator of the Grape, found the Ca-
tawba in the garden of a German at
Georgetown, North Carolina, and C£aft-

ter a fair trial," in the language of a
writer in Putnam's Magazine, about the
year 1825, "was so convinced of its
value as a wine Grape, that he sent
some slips to Mr. Loiigworth, with a
letter, saying, ' I have done my country
a greater service by introducing this
Grape, I think, to public notice, than I
would have done if I had paid off the
national debt.'" It is well known,
after this, that Mr. Longworth worked
with the most patient perseverance for
thirty years with this Grape. What
wonderful results followed his success!
How much longer would they have had
to wait in Ohio, or any of those western
States, for a movement of this kind had
it not been for him ? If the manufact-
uring of wine is a blessing to mankind
either in enjoyment, use, or profit, they
had in those States much to thank him
for. Time will prove whether wine is a
blessing. A Mr. Gibbs has the credit
of bringing to notice the Isabella Grape.
It was named after his wife. A great
deal could be said about the Ives, Con-
cord, Clinton, Creveling, and Virginia
Seedling Grapes which have, since Mr.
Longworth's time, taken the lead, par-
ticularly the Ives and Concord, with
numberless other good native - sprung
Grapes. But it is time to close this ar-
ticle. We will merely add that, owing
to its great advantages of climate, Cali-
fornia is now, with foreign Grapes, go-
ing far ahead of all the States named
above.

The Louisville Courier -Journal says
that the mocking-birds are becoming
rarer in Georgia, by reason of their cap-
ture by the professional catchers, who
sell them in the northern market. A
consignment was shipped through Au-
gusta, Ga., a few days ago, containing
150 young mocking - birds not fully
fledged.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

205

gait ami (&\w.

I GO A-FISHING."

A mountain brook, a shady nook,

A ripple,
A rod and fly — " He's very sly,"

"Be careful! "

A sudden dash, a little splash —

" Don't lose him! "
A turn, a bout, a splendid trout —

" Now! land him! "

Three hungry men, a frying pan

Capacious ;
A crispy brown, no such in town —
Delicious!
— J. H. Uoadley, in the Independent.

CAMP LIFE.

There are two essentials at least for
making a camping out — wood and wa-
ter. A few trees, or a forest itself, add
greatly to the beauty and comfort of a
camp ; too many shut out the sun's
rays, and keep the ground damp. The
camp, of course, should be in close vi-
cinity to water, yet in such a position
near a creek or stream as to be secure
from a sudden rise to which in the win-
ter all the lesser rivers are liable. One
great advantage of a forest, as the red-
woods, for example, is being sheltered
from our strong summer winds, when
it is that season of the year. The tents
should be placed, if possible, with their
backs to the prevailing winds. We
confess that we like to have a good

tent, nice mess-kit, plenty of bedding,
whatever it may consist of, whether
pine or cedar branches or what not. A
man can, when he is young at any rate,
manage with a couple of blankets for
bed, and an overcoat or doubled blan-
ket for a pillow, and hard tack and ba-
con for provender, with, of course, a
variety of game and fish, some of which
he is pretty certain of having if he is in
a country fit for hunting or camping
out at all. It is no use packing many
superfluities, only necessaries and com-
forts. Of course there must be a suffi-
cient quantity of cooking utensils. His
stock of provisions should be somewhat
varied if possible, including an assort-
ment especially of canned fruit, and
perhaps vegetables, because they are
very wholesome as well as delicious
food.

There should be certain fluids for
those with whom change of water dis-
agrees, such as lime and lemon juice,
etc.

The return at sunset after a fatiguing
hunt with gun or rod is a good dinner
or supper, which ever one may call it,
about a camp fire, for nights in Cali-
fornia are nearly always cool — with
songs or stories ; free, careless, happy
hours, unknown to formal, convention-
al life, and never vouchsafed to the
dull diggers after dimes, are there
spent till sleeping time arrives. No-
where on earth can sleep be so refresh-

206

THE CALIFOBNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

ing, so directly, as it were, sent from
heaven.

At dawn, a plunge in the pure cold
brook gives a pretty sure appetite for
breakfast. _

There is no perfectiblity in human
haj>piness ! even camp life is not with-
out its occasional discomforts. Some-
times there is danger from fire at and
round the camp from carelessness.
When grass is dry it burns like tinder,
and if it be long, and there be a brisk
wind, the utmost care must be used.
Under such circumstances the camp
fire should be to the leeward of the
camp ground.

There is always arising something or
other in surrounding nature, in animal,
insect, or vegetable life, or new scenes
opened in rambling in the vicinity of
camps, to interest their occupants —
added to this there is a fascination in a
life of perfect freedom from all con-
ventional restraint, and a desire to pen-
etrate and find out something in our
excursions that is before unknown to us.

These are some of the mere outlines
of such a life — temporary, of course,
but on account of its not being com-
mon, the more appreciated.

In another paper we shall enter more
into the details of preparation for and
management of camping out, the above
being only a rough and general sketch
of a few of its pleasant and tempting
features.

FISH IN THE PACIFIC.

An Eastern visitor to our Coast, in
writing to the Baltimore Sun, from
San Francisco, May 16th, gives the
following description of the varieties of
fish to be taken in the Pacific Ocean :

Caviar is the cured roe of fish. It is
a dish much in favor with gourmands.
"While visiting the salmon fisheries in

Washington Territory, we observed
that the roe and the milt are cast away
with the heads and tails. The avidity
with which all fish seize upon the roe
as it drops into the water suggests that
we also might find rich and wholesome
nutriment in that part.

There are four varieties of salmon.
The hawk-bill is the largest. It is not
canned because it is rank. The silver
salmon is the smallest and most deli-
cate. The entire home consumption is
supplied with this kind. The red and
yellow salmon average forty pounds.
They supply the canneries. Previous
to 1877 the price paid to the fishermen
was twenty-five cents apiece, without
regard to the size. This year a strike
advanced the rate to fifty cents. On
the Sacramento, in California, the can-
ners pay twenty-five cents, but the fish
average fifty per cent, less weight.
Chinamen mostly smoke them. They
avail of the prohibition which forbids
the taking of salmon in certain months.
This is the Chinaman's opportunity.
He poaches in unfrequented nooks, out
of season, and with nets of smaller
mesh than the law allows, and he cures
all he catches.

Sardines abound in the Bay of San
Francisco, and they are put up to re-
semble European. But the fish are in-
ferior in flavor, and the oil is less palat-
able. They are larger, and the back-
bone has to be extracted. When wine
circulates, restaurants generally send
to the table the counterfeit sardines.

The tender, juicy clams of Puget
Sound might be profitably canned.
They find favor wherever introduced.
They are gathered by Indian women,
whose feet serve to track the clams in
shallow water at low tide.

Sturgeons are very numerous in all
our waters. They run from 100 pounds
upward. When not too old, this fish is

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

207

tender as salmon, and more juicy. If
well cooked and nothing is said, it will
usually pass for salmon. It myites en-
terprise. But there is a very attract-
ive opening in a new section for excel-
lent varieties of fish not known in East-
ern markets. It embraces nine hun-
dred miles of coast in Lower California,
and a double line of coast in the Gulf
of California at least sis hundred miles
in length. Here fish are unusually
numerous and of excellent quality.
Here marine cat-fish, eighteen inches
long and equal in flavor to Philadelphia,
are easily taken with a many-hooked
line without bait. They swarm so
densely that no hook can miss taking a
fish in some part of its body as the hook
passes along.

The dolphin is a voracious fish, about
the size of a salmon. Its meat is equal-
ly dry, otherwise it is esteemed highly
for the table.

The Spanish mackerel is two feet
long. It is speckled like a trout, and
is excellent food. It weighs fifteen
pounds.

The barracouta is in great favor with
the Mexicans. It is four feet long, and
like albicore and bonito, it is caught
by trolling.

The bonito is a beautiful fish. It is
excellent food. It is three feet long
and weighs twenty pounds.

The albicore is equally good and of
the same size. It is called the finest
table fish when it is cooked soon after
being taken.

Turtles are very numerous, and are
taken easily along shore. They often
weigh over 100 pounds. Their steaks
are a luxury.

The abelone is a huge oyster, filling
a man's hat in area, but of shallow
depth. The Chinese dry them on a
large scale for eating. The inner lin-
ing of the shell is pearly and iridescent,

and it is in demand for ornamental
purposes.

Shrimps are dried by Chinamen, and
they find ready sale for thousands of
sacks. South America is a great mar-
ket for shrimps.

Millions of small fish are dried by
Chinamen, who prefer them to larger
kinds.

The oysters of Lower California are
of many varieties, some small and cop-
pery, and some of great size ; and al-
though not tender, they are juicy and
well flavored. "When transplanted
northward they become tender and
maintain their size. Rock oysters are
very plenty. This variety bores into
soft sand -rock between tides. They
are easily taken by experts, who exca-
vate them with proper tools. Rock
oysters are superior for the table, and
yet they have not been canned. Her-
ring have not attracted attention, but
Chinamen dry them. They also dry
cuttlefish, including their spreading
arms. In the North Pacific are excel-
lent codfish, and thongh very rare, a
species of shad has been found. Fine
eels are not found here, but a species
of conger abounds which is four feet
long, and it is very good eating.

Next year our fishermen expect to
take considerable Eastern shad, for li-
cense will then be free to all. Sharks,
porpoises, and sea dogs are taken for
oil, and almost every year a few whales
are stranded or captured along the
southern shores of California.

FISH AND FISHING ON THE PLAINS OF
THE GREAT WEST.

There is scarcely a stream on these
extensive lands which will not furnish
fair sport to one not so enamored of
game fish as to disdain any that will
not rise to a " fly." Many of the streams

208

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

which take their rise in the gorges of
the first great plain are filled with trout
near to their heads. These disappear
as soon as the streams fairly reach the
second plain, their place being filled
by other and more common fish. The
Purga, a tributary of the Arkansas, and
the Muddy, a tributary of the Green
River, are notable examples of this.

There are said to be trout in some of
the streams which take their rise in the
second plain, as the Bijou and some of
the tributaries of the Republican. This
is not well authenticated, and is doubt-
ful. It is a most curious fact, well
known to the inhabitants of the plains,
that there is not a trout in any tribu-
tary of the North Platte River, while
every tributary of the South Platte in
the mountains furnishes an abundance
of this noble fish.

The head -waters of the Cache -de-
Poudre and Laramie are in many pla-
ces but a few yards apart, rising on
different slopes of the same mountain.
One set of tributaries is full of trout ;
the other has not one. The same pe-
culiarity occurs in many places — for
example, in the rim of mountains which
separates the North and Middle Parks,
and the range separating the waters of
the Papo-agie and the North Platte.
North, south, and west it is the same ;
no single tributary of the thousands
that finally find their way to the North
Platte has trout.

From the fact that the headwaters of
these tributaries are so pure, and that
they rise in the same strata and under
precisely the same circumstances as the
trout streams, it was for a long time
supposed that there was something in-
jurious in the main streams of the
North Platte preventing the trout from
passing up.

However pure the headwaters of
streams, their impurity lower down has

a most decided effect in keeping trout
from those heads.

The "speckled" or brook trout of
the West, though not the same fish, is
very like his brother of the Eastern
States — so like, indeed, that many
sportsmen insist that they are identical.
[These sportsmen could not have exam-
ined the two species closely ; if they
had, they could not have failed k> have
observed the difference — the "Western
trout having a red line on both sides
from the gills to the tail, and no red
specks. — Ed.] The Western fish grows
to much greater size ; the spots are not
so brilliant; and the back and sides,
just in front of the tail, are covered
with small, black marks, or "hatching,"
as if made with the point of a pen. It
takes the fly well, but not so greedily
as the Eastern fish. The reason is,
that they are from early spring gorged
with food from the myriads of young
grasshoppers which fall into the stream
before getting their wings. We have
seen the whole bottom of a small stream
literally covered with grasshoppers for
miles. Later in the season this sup-
ply becomes less plentiful, and the fish
bite better. On an August morning,
before breakfast, we once took from
some beaver dams on the heads of the
Muddy 116 trout from four ounces to
half a pound in weight. We used
three " flies," and several times took
three fish at a single cast.

The best months for trout fishing on
the first plain, or in the Rocky Mount-
ains, are August and September,
though good sport can be had in July
and October. In every section of coun-
try the "gamest" found is invariably
trout. Thus, in some portions of the
Southern States the trout is a black
perch [or bass. — Ed.] In Texas and in
the Indian Territory, as far north as the
Canadian, the " trout" is a magnificent

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

209

bass, very like the striped sea bass in
appearance. His usual maximum weight
is from three to sis pounds, although
we have taken a ten-pounder from the
Medina River of Texas, and have seen
a glorious fellow which weighed thir-
teen pounds taken from the Guadalupe
River. [These fish here spoken of, of
course, are not really trout, but of the
perch family, alias bass. — Ed.]

They are very game, and the smaller
take a gaudy " fly " readily. The "big
fellows " can only be seduced by live
bait. In the Rio Azul, of Western
New Mexico, and in many other pure
streams where the real fish or trout
does not exist, the trout is a "dace."
In size from a mere minnow to half a
pound ; he is very " game," taking the
" fly " as greedily and as well as any
trout.

In almost all the plains' streams is
found a fish of the herring family, and
most generally called the " white fish."
It has large, coarse, white scales, is
very thin and flat for its length and
depth, is quite bony, and not very deli-
cate food. It is, however, exceedingly
voracious, seizes any kind of bait with
tremendous vigor, and makes a most
interesting fight, especially as his mouth
being bony and easily torn, he must be
handled delicately. His maximum
weight is about three pounds.

In Walnut Creek, a tributary of Ar-
kansas River, we have taken a fish
which we have never seen elsewhere.
We call it a " white bass. " It is al-
most the exact counterpart of the black
bass in size, shape, and manner of bit-
ing, but it is pure white, and has large
staring eyes.

In the purer streams of the plains is
found a beautiful species of cat-fish,
called in some parts (at Philadelphia,
for instance), the "lady" cat, and in
others (as in the Ohio River), the "chan-

nel " cat. Its maximum weight is about
three pounds. The spines on the pec-
toral fins are unusually developed, and
inflict for a short time a most painful
wound. [The best way is to suck the
blood out of the wound as soon as possi-
ble.— Ed. J The body is long and ta-
pering, covered at irregular intervals
with small black spots, like trout; its
head is narrow, and mouth very small
for a cat-fish ; it has few bones, and is
most delicate and delicious food. The
best bait is a small piece of the white
fish before mentioned. Unlike other
cats, it is very dilatory in its biting,
nibbling a long time before taking a
good hold. It is very strong and act-
ive, and, when hooked, makes almost
as good a fight as a bass or trout of
equal weight. It is the trout of cat-
fish.

The blue cat is also common in all
these streams, attaining sometimes a
weight of fifteen to twenty-five pounds.
These large fish are coarse, but the
smaller are fine eating. No special
skill is required for taking them, as
they swallow the bait and make off at
once. A large hook and a strong line
are indispensable, however, as they pull
like oxen.

In the deep, sluggish streams of the
lower third plain is found the great
mud cat of the Mississippi. They at-
tain an enormous size, and, to our
thinking, are unfit for food, being very
coarse, and tasting of mud. At Fort
Earned, in 1871, several were taken in
a seine by some of the soldiers. One
of these weighed fifty-four pounds, and
an ordinary striped -head fresh -water
turtle, eight inches long, was found in
his maw.

Streams whose beds contain no run-
ning water, but in which there are
f large and deep permanent pools, even
ponds, and lakelets which have no ap-

210

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTTJKIST.

parent outlet, are frequently crowded

with fish. These are usually sun-fish

or perch, cat-fish, suckers, and chub.

It is his own fault if the traveler does

not have good sport and all the " brain

food " he requires from the streams on

the plains.

-•— »— »- — •

BUFFALO HUNTING.

Col. Dodge in his book (by the way,
an interesting one for sportsmen), late-
ly published — " The Plains of the Great
West-' — (at Roman's), thus describes
hunting the buffalo on horsback :

" This, to a novice, is full of excite-
ment. A buffalo can run only about
two-thirds as fast as a good horse ; but
what he lacks in speed he makes up in
bottom or endurance, in tenacity of
purpose, and in most extraordinary vi-
tality. A herd will stand staring at an
approaching horseman until he is with-
in about 300 yards. It will then begin
to move off slowly, and, when it is with-
in about 250 yards, it will probably
break into a gallop. This is the sports-
man's moment. A good horse ridden
by a man who knows his business will
be among them before they have gone
200 yards, to shoot and slaughter at
his pleasure. A poor horse, or careless
rider, and the hunter will find to his
sorrow that ' a stern chase is a long
chase.' If a herd is not overtaken in
500 or 600 yards the chase had better
be abandoned, if any regard is to be
had for the horse. The difficulty in
this hunting is that the herd is envel-
oped in a cloud of dust, which prevents
very careful aim ; the explosion of the
pistol creates a turmoil, confusion, and
change of places among the flying ani-
mals, rendering it almost impossible to
shoot at any undivided buffalo more
than once ; and their vitality is so great
that it is an exceedingly rare exception
when one is brought down by a single

shot. The danger is not so much for
the buffalo, which rarely makes an ef-
fort to injure his pursuer, as from the
fact that neither man nor horse can see
the ground, which may be rough and
broken, or perforated with prairie dog
or gopher holes. This danger is so im-
minent that a man who runs into a
herd may be said to take his life in his
hand. I have never known a man hurt
by a buffalo in such a chase. I have
known of at least six killed, and a great
many more or less injured, some very
severely, by their horses falling with
them. The knowledge of the danger,
the rush of the horse, the thundering
tread of the rushing brutes, the tur-
moil, the dust, the uncertainty, and,
above all, the near proximity and fero-
cious aspect of the lumbering throng,
furnish excitement enough to set wild
the man who is new to it. There is,
however, a sameness about it which
soon palls-, and an old buffalo hunter
rarely runs buffalo. It is very good
for an occasional ' flyer,' but frequent
repetition is like eating quail on toast
every day for a month — monotonous.
However ardent the sportsman, how-
ever ardent for this especial sport while
new to it, two or three seasons will dull
the edge of the keenest appetite. The
running is very different under differ-
ent circumstances. . A siugle buffalo
offers very little sport even to an en-
thusiastic novice. He is generally an
old fellow whom solitary life has ren-
dered self-reliant. He has little dispo-
sition to run from any enemy ; and,
when he does start, he runs so slowly
and wastes so much time in ' gibing
and filling ' to watch his pursuer, that
he is generally a prey so easy that, aft-
er the killing, the murderer's conscience
smites him, and his self-respect is gone.
' I'd as soon shoot an ox,' has often
been the report, in a lachrymose, self •

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

211

abashed tone, of a beginner whom I
had sent off in a fury of excitement aft-
er a solitary old bull. The pursuit of
small herds of bulls is equally unsatis-
factory. A race after a small herd of
twenty or thirty cows and six-months'
calves gives to the hunter a much more
ample compensation for his time and
trouble. When from three to six
months old the calves run like the
wind; and to dash into such a herd,
single out a calf, pursue and bring it
to bay, is a feat worthy of record for
the novice. This selection of the ani-
mal is the beauty and perfection of buf-
falo hunting. On account of the con-
fusion of numbers and the dust, it can
scarcely be done in a large herd, ex-
cept by first splitting it up into small
herds. This is much more easy than
would appear. When a hunter rushes
into a large herd, the buffalo on each
side of his horse push from him lateral-
ly. As he gets further into it the buf-
falo passed do not close in his rear, but
being now able to see him more clear-
ly, press farther and farther away. The
consequence is that the hunter finds
himself riding in a Y, the point of which
is only a little in advance of his horse's
head. By going completely through
the herd it is not only split, but the
leading buffalo on each side, now clear-
ly seeing the position of the foe, imme-
diately diverge from hitn, and conse-
quently from each other. The herd is
now two herds, which run off in differ-
ent directions. Pursuing one of these
it is split again and again, until the
hunter is enabled to select his animal
from the diminished numbers. All
this requires an excellent horse, a cool
and skillful rider, and, what is difficult
to find on the plains, good ground and
plenty of it. Among steep ravines or
very broken ground the buffalo can
travel better than the best horse.

" Forty years ago the buffalo ranged
from the plains of Texas to beyond the
British line ; from the Missouri and
Upper Mississippi to the eastern slopes
of the Rocky Mountains. Every por-
tion of this immense area was either
the permanent home of great numbers
of buffalo, or might be expected to
have each year one or more visits from
migratory thousands."

THE IRISH WATER SPANIEL.

In Ireland two breeds of 'this dog-
are known. At the present time the
McCarthy strain may be considered
to be the best type of this dog. It has
been imported into England in consid-
erable numbers, but not to such an ex-
tent as to become common. These
spaniels if properly trained are said to
be the most tractable and obedient of
dogs, and possess in a marked degree
the invaluable qualities of never giving
in. They are the cleverest and most
companionable of all.

A Curiosity. — Yesterday a great cu-
riosity was placed on our table — a
deer's heart containing the flint barb
of an arrow. Last Sunday Mr. E.
Sharp, of Areata, was out on Boynton's
Prairie on a deer hunt. He saw a
large five-point buck, and brought it
down with his rifle. Taking off the
hide and securing the heart and other
rare bits, he started home. On arriv-
ing there, Mrs. Sharp boiled the heart,
and when the meal was ready placed it
on the table. In attempting to cut the
heart, the knife struck against some-
thing hard. The lady split the heart
open, and in the fleshy part the flint
barb of an arrow was found. It must
have been there a long time, as the
flesh was calloused all around it, and
the scar, where the barb entered, is

212

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTTTKXST.

plain to be seen. This is quite a curi-
osity, as only a few such instances are
known to be on record. — Humboldt
limes.

MtttnX %vt\tU$.

TO SUMMEE.

Summer, summer, lovely summer,

List, O list to what I say ;
Is thy reign so quickly ended ?

Canst thou, then, no longer stay ?

Autumn cometh, crowned with glory ;

What is that, I pray, to me ?
All my sotil the dearest loveth,

Summer, is entwined with thee.

'Mid thy green leaves' shimmering glory,

"Waving in tht balmy air,
Ho£>e peers forth, with smile entrancing,

Tells me life is passing fair.

And the roses' bloomy petals

Whisper softly in mine ear
Breezy poems, sweet romances,

Tender songs I love to hear.

Yelvet pansies, nodding near me,

Tell of happy, golden hours,
And some useful, heaven-taught lesson

Do I learn from all the flowers.

Waving ferns, by brooklets springing,

Perfumed lilies, fair of face,
Whisper low of modest virtue,

Purity, and joy, and grace.

With the spring my fond hopes budded,

And in thy rich loveliness
Have they grown, and bloomed, and blossomed

Into ripest perfectness.

And when autumn leaves are faded,

And the winds of winter blow,
Shall they, like thy peaceful beauty,

Hidden lie beneath the snow ?

Summer, summer, lovely summer,

If thy parting hour is near,
Leave me peace, and love, and blessings,

Guardian angel, for the year.

Summer, may thy memory linger

In my heart forevermore,
And, the dreary winter ended,

May I welcome thee once more.

THE PAPEE CACTUS.

The natural habitat of the order is
comprised in the region west of the
Rocky Mouutains and the Cordilleras
of America, and the numerous species
abound chiefly in Mexico, Oregon, and
the great desert basin of Southern Cal-
ifornia. Their regular and grotesque
shapes, and the beauty of their flowers,
make their appearance noticeable, and
fix their image in the popular mind.
Hence, more generally than other plants
their peculiarities are understood. Most
are aware that they are usually leafless;
that they present their fleshy and suc-
culent stems, which generally have deep
channels and many joints, and are arm-
ed with spines and bristles, in a great
variety of forms, from that of an egg to
a lofty fluted column ; that they vary
in stature from creeping stems to angu-
lar ascending trunks ; and that their
flowers, which are much increased in
size and brilliancy by cultivation in
gardens and greenhouses, range in col-
or from pure white to rich scarlet and
purple. But their distinguishing pecu-
liarity, often illustrated and deserving
the fullest notice, is their power of en-
during long-continued drought. This
feature, which has caused them to be
compared to the camel of the desert, is
an interesting example of the adapta-
tion of plants and animals to their sur-
roundings. The Cactus and its kin-
dred grow in hot, dry, and rocky pla-
ces, where the fiercest beams of a trop-
ical sun pour on them for months.
During the wet season of the year they
fill themselves with nourishment and
grow rapidly. At this period they be-
come literally gorged with food.

The largest and most remarkable
species in this family is the Giant Cac-
tus of California, a tall, upright, regu-
lar cylinder, sometimes throwing out

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

213

branches, which at a short distance
from the trunk turn and grow parallel
with it. The old plants often attain a
height of sixty feet. Similar is the
Monument Cactus of Arizona, a tall
shaft over thirty feet high, with arms
branching out on either side ; more
generalhr a simple obelisk covered with
thorns which are three or four inches
long.

While these prominent types may il-
lustrate the divergence of different va-
rieties, it is only from the description
of their presence in particular districts
that an idea can be formed of the visu-
al effect produced by the luxuriant
abundance of these bizarre shapes and
brilliant flowers. The spectators of
such scenes, where the Cactus makes
the wilderness blossom like the rose,
report that the sight of the rich growth
and the iris hues, rivaling the rainbow,
suggested such glimpses of fairy land
as the "Midsummer Night's Dream"
discloses. Thus in 1868 the troops of
the lamented G-eneral Custer, having
set forth on an expedition against the
Indians, entered the valley of the Platte
and came upon the Prickly Pear coun-
try, also called the Cactus country. As
far as the eye could reach the plains
seemed as if covered with a most gor-
geously colored tapestry carpet of bril-
liant crimson and yellow. Mile after
mile the column marched through this
strange and beautiful scene, and the
two days' tramp would have been thor-
oughly enjoj'able if the soldiers had not
been pricked at almost every step by
the sharp thorns, and thus made to suf-
fer tortures worthy of a procession of
penitential monks.

The varieties of Cactus which abound
there, besides the pumpkin-like Turk's
head and the Prickly Pear, with its
beautiful crimson flowers, is the Choi-
la, with its terrible barbed thorns ; the

Vol. VII— 14.

Mescal, with its tall flower stalk ; the
Spanish Bayonet, with a sheaf of deli-
cate creamy blossoms ; and the tall
Cactus, looking as if covered with veins
of delicate network. The most curious
of all is a strange modification of the
Giant Cactus. It resembles a bundle
of fishpoles, diverging from a common
root, grows twenty or thirty feet high,
has no branches, but small, green, leaf-
like expansions and superb crimson,
flowers that can be seen for a long dis-
tance. There is no sign of water in
these parched districts, yet all around
are green plants, bright flowers, and
abundant vegetable growth.

But neither in the valley of the
Platte, the wilds of Arizona, or the
heart of the dreary California desert,
does the Cactus flourish in such glory
as in less barren and more tropical re-
gions, like the plains of Central Ameri-
ca, or the pampas of Venezuela. For
instance, near the capital of Honduras,
between the river forest-fringes and the
isles of verdure, are broad, undulating
savannas. These are carpeted with
grass, and studded here and there with
numerous kinds of Cactus. Some of
the palmated species are of tree-like
proportions, and rise to the height of
thirty feet. Their broad joints are sil-
vered over with the silky habiliments
of the wild cochineal. Another variety
rises in fluted stems, which in the even-
ing light look like the columns of ru-
ined temples. Other humbler varieties
cover the ground, spherical and spinat-
ed. They warn against incautious
tread, yet radiate from their grooved
sides flowers of exquisite shapes and
delicate colors. Others again, lavish
of contrasting forms, trail like serpents
over the ground and twine themselves
in knotted coils around fallen trunks
and among the crevices of barren
rocks.

214

THE CALIFORNIA. HORTICULTURIST.

OEANGE CULTURE.

[The following from Richard Heimann,
of Anaheim, to Mr. Kohler, here, will
interest many of our readei's who have
already put out Orange trees or contem-
plate doing so. — Ed.]

Dear Sir: — Your letter came duly to
hand. I would again repeat that you
should constantly impress upon your
friends the fact that the best time to
transplant Orange and Lemon trees
has only just arrived. In Los Angeles
County, with a warmer climate than
Napa County, more trees are trans-
planted in May, June, and July than
at other seasons of the year ; and all
who have tested the matter will indorse
my statement, that less injury is clone
to these varieties when the ground is
thoroughly warmed up than when it is
cold and chilly, as during the winter
months.

There is only one question to consid-
er, and that is no serious one, unless a
great number of trees are to be set out
— the water question. Everyone plant-
ing out Orange trees should be able
and ready to water them often and
plentifully. Provided there is suffi-
cient drainage to your land, there is no
danger of giving the trees too much
water. On sandy soil, or wherever the
land has a gravelly subsoil, you may
flood the land half of the year without
injury to the Orange trees. But when-
ever a few trees only are to be attend-
ed to, throw up a bank in a circle, say
three feet in diameter, around the tree,
and give each two or three buckets full
of water weekly or at least two weekly
during the summer of the first year,
and afterwards slightly rake up the
ground so as to keep it from baking
and breaking up. In subsequent years
it will of course require less and less
water.

I can not see any reason why you
should not be able to freely sell Orange
and Lemon trees in your neighborhood.
The climate is well adapted to their
culture, and there can certainly be no
prettier and more ornamental trees
imagined than they are ; and while at
first slow growers, they are, on the
whole, as easily raised and cultivated
as any tree I know of.

I am very glad that I took the time
to visit you, and I confess that I am
perfectly delighted with your country.
Nature has done so much for it and has
so freely bestowed its own charms upon
your hills and valleys that there really
remains but little for man to do to
make up a perfect paradise. And what
could add more to the beauty of your
homes than our Orange trees scattered
among your Oak and Pine groves?

Again I would say : Go ahead and
plant — the season is by no means far
advanced. I notice that, for a certain
consideration, you offer to guarantee
the trees bought of you to live, or not
to charge for them. For my part, 1
would much rather assume such a war-
ranty now than have assumed it a few
months ago. You have also a number
of trees growing in boxes and barrels,
which can be removed without abso-
lutely any danger, as you can plant
them out with earth and all — not break-
ing a root or fibre even, and I think
you should draw public attention to
them.

The beginning is of course always
hard, and from what I perceived during
my short stay in your town, it seemed
to me that your people are only waking
up to a desire to beautify their homes.
With some very notable exceptions,
they have heretofore made only weak
and unsystematic efforts to add to the
natural beauties of their places by their
own labor. But the taste for and de-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

215

light in gardening is bound to grow
upon everybody in the same proportion
as it is indulged in. Particularly the
Orange culture is possessed of a certain
fascination sure to captivate all those
engaging in it, and I am confident that
before another two years have passed
there will not be a home or garden in
St. Helena withont its share of Orange
trees.

Hoping you all the success you so
richly deserve, I remain

Yours truly, R. Heimann.

CALIFORNIA FRUITS.

Two weeks ago the Prairie Farmer
gave some account of Orange culture
in California, and noticed a specimen
of the Orange tribe weighing four and
a half pounds. This week, Mr. A. Se-
vort, a well known lake captain of Chi-
cago, now just returned from San Di-
ego, came into the office with the veri-
table Orange encased in the net in
which it grew. With this he brought
a collection of Lemons, Limes, and
Almonds. The Lemons were of three
varieties, Malaga, Geneva, and the
small Sicily variety, the latter exceed-
ingly thin skinned and of pure flavor,
the skin being devoid of the acridity
usually found. The mammoth Orange,
of the variety known as Pumalo in Cal-
ifornia, and raised by Mrs. Brewster,
of San Diego Valley, measured 23f by
2if inches in circumference, and weigh-
ed 4J pounds. The Limes were from
a tree from which were taken 3,500
fruits as the last crop, These Limes
and Almonds were raised without irri-
gation. We used to raise Pears sus-
pended in a net to keep them from
dropping from the tree by their weight ;
but California is the only country we
know, where the same use is made of
nets for suspending Oranges. — Prairie
Fanner.

GARDENING IN THE TULES.

The market gardens of the tule lands
bordering the San Joaquin River, both
above and below Stockton, are rapidly
coming into formidable competition
with the gardens of the Santa Clara
Valley for the trade of supplying the
San Francisco markets. They have
every advantage over the Santa Clara
and Alameda gardens in the richness
of soil, the ease of irrigation, and the
forwardness of the season, while our
cheap river transportation allows the
garden truck to be taken to market
quite as cheaply as from other gardens
nearer by. The advantage of long es-
tablished reputation with the Santa
Clara gardens will be overcome in time
and before many years the dealers in
San Francisco will look to the San Joa-
quin Valley for their earliest vegetables
and small fruits. In this climate Black-
berries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cur-
rants, and all fruits of that character
ripen from two to four weeks earlier
than they do around the bay. The
profits of tule gardening seem enor-
mous when one hears of the almost
fabulous productiveness of this land.
For instance, Joseph Hale, whose
ranch is on Roberts Island, bordering
the river, but a few miles above Stock-
ton, informs us that last year he sold
$130 worth of String Beans from one-
eighth of an acre of ground. Another
piece of ground containing a few acres
was sought for by some parties who de-
sired to rent it, and offered to pay $40
an acre for a year's rent. He refused,
however, to rent the land for that sum,
and put it into Onions, Potatoes, etc.
From li acres of Onions he gathered
440 sacks, weighing 27 tons. Some of
these sold for $3 a sack, some for $1.50,
and some for less. The whole netted
about $T00, which was considerably

216

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

more profitable than to rent his land
for $40 an acre. He had in all 25
acres of Onions, Beans, and Potatoes
last 3Tear. The levee around the island
had not been completed when the flood
came, covering all his land but about
ten acres of Onions. From these he
sold $2,200 worth of Onions, netting
an average of $220 an acre. This year
he has dug and sold an acre of new
Potatoes, which brought him $85, and
the land has been replanted to Sweet
Potatoes. From the 11th to the 31st
of last month he sold $237 worth of
" garden truck," and one could no
mor,e tell where it came from than he
could tell if a few roses had been pick-
ed from a full rose bush. Three years
ago his neighbor, Mr. Hureo, sold
$1,800 worth of Ouions from four acres
of ground, and the next year, from the
same piece, he sold $2,000 worth. On
the Sardine ranch, below Mr. Hale's,
there was raised and sold last year $'900
worth of String Beans from two acres
of ground. These tempting figures are
enough to make any one wish be own-
ed a little farm in the tules. — Stockton
Independent.

THE HEATED TERM AND VEGETATION.

The recent heated term lasted seven
days. The highest readings of the
thermometer, we believe, *were 113 de-
grees at a few points in the interior.
In this city the mercury ranged for a
considerable time above ninety degrees,
it having been hotter, witb perhaps one
exception, than for many previous years.
People sought the shadow of buildings,
the sunny side of streets was deserted
by pedestrians, and the aspbaltum
walks yielded like putty under the foot.
It is evident that if weather of this kind
were to continue all summer, the as-
phaltum walks would be at a great dis-
count.

In the country the damage has been
considerable. One fruit-grower in Al-
ameda County lost fifty tons of Cur-
rants, the fruit having been cooked so
as to make it wholly unfit for market.
Other fruit-growers lost proportionate
quantities. In short, the Currant crop,
which is nearly all produced for market
in Alameda County, has been ruined,
to the great regret of housekeepers who
have come to regard this as one of the
best fruits of the season. As for the
Cherry crop, while it was not so great-
ly damaged by the heat, a considerable
part of it having been gathered, it "was
a poor crop from the start, and there is
not much of it left after the heated
term. We hear of several large Cher-
ry orchards where the lessees have
heretofore sold from one thousand to
three thousand dollars' worth of Cher-
ries in a season. This year the entire
crop will hardly bring as man}' hun-
dred dollars. What is worse, the buds
for next year are not promising. The
heat in many instances has burned the
buds past recovery. An experienced
fruit-grower thinks the Chenw crop
next year will be a poor one on this ac-
count.

The destruction to vegetation was
very great. In places where the mer-
cury did not range much above 98 de-
grees, the heat and the north wind de-
nuded many trees of one-third of their
foliage. Gardeners and others in the
suburban towns have been busy in rak-
ing up leaves, as if it were autumn in-
stead of the fresh and leafy month of
June. At no time during the last fif-
teen years has the crop of Roses been
so utterly used up as during the last
ten days. One may walk through ex-
tensive grounds now without finding a
perfect Rose. Not so many are seen
now in the best kept grounds as might
be seen in December. The mildew

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

217

has been very destructive ; then came
an army of parasites (aphides), then the
north wind; and the heat put on the fin-
ishing touches. Pinks, which are the
glory of midsummer, were dried up in
bunches, with hardly more freshness
left than sheafs of barley in the open
field. In some places where the mer-
cury went up to 100 degrees, Apples
and Pears were partially cooked on the
trees, and to this extent were spoiled
as a marketabte crop. The Grape
crop, so far as we can learn, has suffer-
ed no injury. It is little affected by
heat, north wind, or drought. The
first of the new crop is already in the
market, and selling at retail for fifty
cents a pound. Wine-makers concur
in the opinion that the crop will be a
very large one this year, and of superi-
or quality for wine-making purposes. —
Bulletin.

6(Ut0riaI gortiotto.

RIPENESS AND PRESERVATION OF
FRUIT.

It is well known to those acquainted
with the growth of Apples that there is
a time in the life of fruit when its
growth is completed, when it will re-
ceive nothing further from the tree.
It is then, it may be said, tree ripe.
Soon after it reaches that stage the aft-
er ripening begins in a chemical change
through which the starch, so abundant
in green fruit, is transformed into su-
gar. When the transformation is com-
plete the fruit is in the best condition
for use. Almost immediately after,
however, putrefaction sets in, first dis-
sipating the volatile aroma, and destroy-
ing all delicacy of flavor, finally con-
verting the sugar into an unwholesome
acid, and consuming the tissues of the
fiuit. A low temperature and a dry at-
mosphere may sometimes retard this

change, yet its progress is so easy and
rapid, that efforts to preserve the fruit
after it has become ripe are of little
avail. But the progress of the first
change may be so delayed as to require
several months for its accomplishment.
It is only necessary for this purpose to
take the fruit from the tree at the mo-
ment of its maturity, and keep it in a
low even temperature and dry atmos-
phere, secluded from light. In many
of our Apple growing regions fruit-
houses are constructed where these
conditions are almost secured to per-
fection— in which, for instance, the
thermometer does not rise above 34°
for months together, and fruit kept in
them barely ripens in time for the late
spring market. The fruit - producing
resources of California are enormous.
There are no less than sixty-seven good
varieties of Apples, and Pears are
equally numerous in the United States,
but of course this coast at present has
a limited variety. Nothing can be fin-
er, taking size and quality together,
than California varieties of Pears, and
they are so mellow, luscious, and —
well, we may take any other adjective
we like — descriptive of perfection in
this one of the most delicious and grate-
ful of all fruits. Of Peaches, too, we
have a pretty good and increasing vari-
ety ripening iu succession from the
Early May to the Late Cling, from ear-
ly in June to November. All these
kinds of fruit are now being conveyed,
as fresh beef is, in the compartments
of cars to the East and steamers to Eu-
rope, properly refrigerated.

WORK FOR THE MONTH.

The almost unprecedented hot weath-
er which prevailed in this city and
throughout the State from the 7th to
the 12th of last month (June), had a

218

THE CALIFOBNIA HORTICULTUKIST.

disastrous effect on many fruits, espe-
cially Currants and Cherries, and there
were lost many thousand dollars from
these fruits being almost literally cook-
ed on the trees and bushes, and even
in some well shaded places they were
sadly deteriorated. Many of our flow-
ers, such as Hydrangeas, Geraniums,
Daisies, with many others, were much
withered and injured by the intensely
hot rays of the sun. According to the
record of Thomas Tennent, of San
Francisco, who, no doubt, is very accu-
rate in his notes, the thermometer on
the 9th of June stood at noon 95°.
Very few heated terms last in this city
more than three days, but the spell of
last month extended to six days, while
one hot spell in 1859 is said to have
lasted twelve days all over the State.
For three days out of the six in our
city, the thermometer marked 92° at
1:30 p. m. There was especial suffer-
ing from the great heat in the southern
portion of the State, which had been
already parched up by the very severe
drought of the winter and sjDring.

We are glad to find that works of ir-
rigation have lately much occupied the
time and attention of our farming peo-
ple, wherever necessity has demanded
it, and where it is practicable. But
very few horticulturists, too, even in
the most favorable localities, can do
without irrigation, and it is evident
that a reasonable and judicious appli-
cation of water is very beneficial in
most cases. Old and well-established
orchards and vineyards may yield fruits
that present all the good qualities which
are characteristic of, and what we ex-
pect of them, without irrigation, as
their roots have penetrated the soil to
a depth where some moisture is always
found ; nevertheless, we are of opinion
that the application of a good soaking
once or twice during; the summer sea-

son will, by invigorating the trees and
vines, improve the flavor, color, and
size of the fruit. We have observed
trees and vines, which, owing to a
want of moisture, have ceased to devel-
op new growth, and have hastened the
ripening of fruit ; such fruit, however,
can not be very wholesome, nor is it
calculated to satisfy our reasonable ex-
pectations. We would, therefore, in-
sist upon irrigation wherever the neces-
sary facilities are available. In many
situations, particularly along the foot-
hills of the Sierra and in the more
northern portions of the coast, where
fruits of all kinds ripen later, irrigation
is more desirable, and should be at-
tended to during the month of July,
without fail. Besides supplying the
required moisture, irrigation is also a
good fertilizer. But the process of ir-
rigation does not cease with the appli-
cation of water. Within a day or two
after irrigating, the soil should be
worked with a hoe, to prevent it from
baking and forming a hard crust,
which is very injurious in all cases. If
you have any straw, litter, or evergreen
branches, etc., close at hand, it will be
well to throw some of them over the
newly worked ground, in order to re-
turn the moisture which is apt to evap-
orate now more freely without this pre-
caution and mulching.

In young orchards and vineyards ir-
rigation is still more desirable. Fre-
quently we have seen young trees and
vines perishing from want of moisture,
and if some of them do keep alive dur-
ing the first or second year after trans-
planting, their miserable existence
shows no vigor or growth. On the
other hand, trees which have been irri-
gated several times during the summer
months, have made a healthy and vig-
orous growth, promising to yield a
good crop within three or four years

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

219

from the time of planting. Thus, sev-
eral years may be gained by irrigating
in this way judiciously.

Most of our ornamental evergreens
require some water during the first
summer after transplanting, unless it
Las been done very early in the autumn,
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, Cypresses, Cedars — in fact,
most of the coniferous trees — may be
transplanted with safety in the fall, and
will thrive without irrigation if the
ground has been well prepared, and if
they have been mulched properly ; but
an occasional soaking helps these also
amazingly in promoting new growth.
After the first year they will do without
irrigation.

Although we have seen a few of the
Australian Acacias grown up to large
and fine trees without irrigation, we
would treat them to an occasional wa-
tering once or twice at least during the
summer, for we have seen five or six
year-old trees perishing for the want of
moisture.

The Australian Gum tree {Eucalyptus
globulus) seems to be able to withstand
our dry summers without irrigation.
During the first summer after trans-
planting they should be mulched how-
ever, and if two or three good water-
ings can be given them, it will help
them greatly. In all cases, trees which
have been transplanted early in the au-
tumn will do best, having an opportu-
nity to fairly establish themselves dur-
ing the rainy season.

When water can be had, we would
advise thoroughly irrigating all orna-
mental trees which have been trans-
planted during last winter, at least two

or three times during the summer, and
as the most important time when this
should be done, we 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. "We 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
naturally damp.

There are various ways of irrigating.
Underground irrigation is undoubtedly
the best, wherever it is feasible, and
where the necessary expense can be
easily met. It is also the most econom-
ical method, as it does not require the
ground to be worked over after the wa-
tering.

The seeds of some of our herbaceous
spring and summer flowers now begin
to ripen, and it is always a good opera-
tion to save at least as much seed as
you may yourself require. The seed
of Pansies, Candytuft, Larkspur, Prim-
ulas, 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 and layering, which
will make fair plants for the coming
winter and spring.

While dust is flying so abundantly
and unpleasantly during our summer
months, an occasional 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
an unsightly appearance.

220

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

The present month offers a very good
opportunity for propagating Azaleas,
Rhododendrons, and many other choice
flowers, shrubs, and plants, by cuttings.
Some of our wise men say that Azaleas
and Rhododendrons can not be grown
here successfully from cuttings. Our
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.
Eeep 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 sowed this or next
month. Water the soil thoroughly,
cover with good old manure, dig over
the whole, and then sow your seeds in
rows or broadcast ; cover up lightly
with fine pulverized soil ; and if any
branches can be spared from some trees
or shrubs, the ground may be shaded
for a few days, which will help materi-
ally.

OUE FEONTISPIECE.

We present our patrons this month
with two interesting and happy home
scenes, connected with the pleasures of
gardening, and the healthful game of
croquet on. the lawn. We do this, not
so much on account of the great merit
or costliness of these illustrations, as
that of affording us an opportunity to
speak (especially to our noviciates in
horticulture), of annual and perennial
plants. We will state, then, that an-

nuals, of course, as the term denotes,
are plants which live but one year, and,
consequently, require to be raised from
seed annually, although in our almost
ever somewhat stimulating though mild
climate of California some annuals ex-
ceed that time, and even, in some cas-
es, actually become perennials. By a
particular mode of culture, too, even in
nearly all climes, some of them may be
made to live longer than one or even
two years. Thus, Mignonette, with
some other flowers, will continue to
bloom for two or more years, or long-
er, if not allowed to ripen their seeds.
Hardy annuals, or those requiring no
protection, are sown where they are to
remain in tbe open borders, from the
end of November to the beginning of
April. Whether sown in patches or
broad masses, whether mixed or separ-
ated, must be left to the taste of the
sower, guided by his knowledge of the
colors of the flowers. These should be
well contrasted. Every patch should
be properly labeled, which is easily
done by having some pine laths, one
inch broad, planed smooth, cut into
nine-inch lengths, and painted white.
On these the name can be written with
a lead pencil. Half-hardy annuals,
such as require artificial heat while
seedlings, are sown in a gentle hot-bed
in January or February. The seedlings
when an inch or two long, to be trans-
planted into another gentle hot-bed, or
greenhouse, to remain until the begin-
ning of April, then to be transplanted
into the borders, and attended like
other new annuals. Tender or green-
house annuals, requiring artificial heat
and shelter during nearly their whole
growth, are sown easily in January, on
a gentle hot- bed, to be transplanted
into another, like the half-hardy, and
thence into pots, to remain in the green-
house, for a time, probably, at any

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICTLTTRIST.

221

rate. Some of thern, if moved into a
warm border in April or May, will
bloom freely, and even ripen seed.
Biennial, from biennis, the Latin for of
two years' continuance, is a plant which, j
being produced from seed in one year,
perfects its seed and dies during the
year following. Biennials may often
be made to endure longer if prevented
ripening their seeds ; and many exotics,
biennials in their native climes, are
perennials in our stoves, or even in
warm and protected places in our cli-
mate out of doors. Hardy biennials
ripen their seeds early with us, in
which case they may be sown as soon
as harvested or gathered. Others, rip-
ening their seeds later, must have these
reserved from sowing until early in
spring. The double varieties of Wall-
flowers, Stocks, etc., are propagated by
cuttings. Frame biennials require the
shelter to some extent of a frame dur-
ing the early stages of their growth ; to
be removed thence in April or May to
the borders, where they bloom in July
or August, and sometimes earlier. We
need not say more than that perennials
are plants of any kind that live more
than two years. As to sowing seeds
early in the year, or in general, we will
merely observe that ground where seeds
are to be sown should be dug and thor-
oughly pulverized, if in the spring,
early in March, or indeed at any time
to prepare it for their reception. About
the middle of April is here the most
proper time for sowing them. At all
times let it be done when the earth is
tolerably dry, and in pleasant working
condition. The only point to which at-
tention need be directed in the opera-
tion is to avoid burying them too deep-
ly ; as a rule, the larger seeds do not
require to be covered with more than
an inch and a half of soil, or rather less
if it be at all retentive ; and if the

smaller kinds are just hid it will be suf-
ficient, observing to break the soil fine-
ly, to sow thinly, and to separate and
transplant all that may require it as
soon as they can be handled.

FLOWER GARDENS AT SAUCELITO OF
WM. H. COLLIE, OF THE FIRM OF
COLLIE & STEWART.

A few days since we crossed the bay
to visit Saucelito, one of the most beau-
tiful and romantic suburbs of our great
western emporium. This lovely village,
so pleasantly sheltered from our strong
ocean gales, and so well clothed in fine
native trees, shrubs, and flowers, is
destined, at no very distant day, to be-
come a favorite locality for numerous
handsome villa residences to belong to
many of our merchant princes and bus-
iness men, as well as to the admirers of
the quiet seclusion and attractive beau-
ties of nature. Indeed, this feature in
this choice spot has been already well
commenced. With the influx of inhab-
itants, the ferry facilities will, of course,
correspondingly increase. A large por-
tion of the roads and streets have been
surveyed, and are already laid out, with
easy and gentle grades, and winding
round the hills so as to give opportuni-
ties for pleasant access to homes, and
drives in their vicinity, although we are
sorry to learn that the original width
of these roads has been reduced from
sixty to thirty feet. We could dilate to
a much greater degree on the attrac-
tions, in the present and the future, of
this most interesting and snugly situat-
ed suburb, on the firmness and dry na-
ture of its soil for agreeable travel, and
its fertility for the speedy and splendid
growth of all vegetation; for its exten-
sive and charming prospects, the com-
parative mildness of its climate, and
the salubrity of its air, but the chief
object of our visit to it is to describe the

222

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

floral establishment of Wm. H. Collie,
of the firm of Collie & Stewart, nursery-
men and florists.

These gardens are used as an adjunct
to their old nurseries at Lone Mount-
ain. This Saucelito branch, occupying'
about three acres of ground, the great-
er part of one acre being under a glass
roof, is devoted exclusively to the pro-
duction of cut flowers and flower seeds.
Nothing is sold on these premises, they
being conducted in the manner of the
worksho}3S of all large manufacturing
concerns, only for production, all the
material being daily forwarded to and
sold at the firm's flower store and office
18 Post Street, in this city. By allow-
ing the employees uninterrupted atten-
tion to their labors, so necessary to all
business success, this firm has already
accumulated a respectable competency,
and, indeed, fortune, and are still pur-
suing their occupation with greater care
and assiduity than ever.

In these grounds are collected to-
gether the choicest floral gems culled
from every known climate and region
of the world. The result of forty years'
experience in horticulture, twenty years
of that time in the climate of Califor-
nia, can be seen in the successful cult-
ure of what has been found most diffi-
cult in this locality ; for instance, the
Camellia, the Indian Azalea, the Cape
Jessamine, the Poinsettia, and hun-
dreds of other choice plants, are all
growing and flourishing here with the
health and luxuriance of the common
"Willow in its native swamp. Ferns,
Lycopodiums, Begonias, and Orchids
of all the most desirable varieties for
floral decorations, succeed here as com-
pletely as in their native habitats ;
which, indeed, have been so closely
imitated in their distribution in grot-
toes, rockeries, and groves, as to almost
transport the beholder in imagination

to their native mountains and jungles ;
while he may here also behold in suita-
ble ponds the snowy Nymph eea Lily
blossom, and its glossy leaves spread
themselves over the pellucid water,
with gold fish forming beautiful objects,
swimming between the foliage and flow-
ers. The luxuriant vines of the trop-
ics laden with a profusion of gorgeous-
ly-hued blossoms, and making heavy
the air with their delicious perfume,
canopy the sides and top of the houses
and trellises.

All these delightful scenes are ac-
complished at a moderate cost by a ju-
dicious adjustment and appropriation
of the natural advantages and conveni-
ences which the fortunate selection of
this valuable and suitable locality has
presented. As an example, the glass
roof of these extensive hot and cold
houses, following the same grade as the
natural slope of the hill-side, admits of
every plant, without the use of pots,
being placed in the free ground, and
still within its proper distance from the
glass — a point of absolute necessity for
successful cultivation and required re-
sults with all greenhouse plants. The
springs that issue from the hill-side are
allowed to trickle down its rocky sur-
face and accumulate in ponds in the
hollows, thereby maintaining a genial
moisture in the atmosphere, and ac-
commodating the acpuatic plants in the
ponds, and ferns, etc., on the rocks,
with sufficient moisture.

On these premises the seasons of
many flowers can be controlled. Here
Bouvardias and Tuberoses can be made
to bloom for cut flowers all the year
round. Cape Jessamines can not be
made to grow in the city, but they can
here. The Hawthorns are also a suc-
cess, the north side of a cold clay bank,
partly shaded from the hot summer
sun, being chosen for their location.

THE CALIFORNIA HO LiTlCULTURIST.

223

The same conditions have also suited
the Lily of the Valley. One of the ad-
vantages of this situation is its dryness
in winter, but with plenty of water
from spring's when needed. Part of the
benefits, also, of the hill slope, is that
a natural bottom heat can be obtained.
The double scarlet Geraniums are now
outside, but are placed in houses in
the winter for flowers, and are much
used for monograms and crests, etc.
Labor, the most expensive thing in this
State, is much saved on these grounds
owing to their many conveniences.

A short distance from this establish-
ment there is a summer garden of one
acre used for raising flowers of a par-
ticular color, such as the white Scabi-
ous, not to be interfered with by those
of any other colors, and therefore plant-
ed apart, to prevent bees from effecting
the mixture.

One important fact has been learned
by our florists by experience, viz. : that
our climate, soil, etc. , are so peculiar,
that we can know but little from books
on horticulture published elsewhere.
We have to acquire our knowledge on
this subject almost entirely from our
own practice here. Some time in the
future, when the number of our popu-
lation justifies it, a complete work writ-
ten on California horticulture will be
of great value ; in the meanwhile we
are acquiring daily new information
concerning the proper and most profit-
able management of all plants.

GARDEN OF E. A. UPTON, ESQ.

Having had for several years a knowl-
edge of the zeal, talent, and skill of Mr.
Upton, an amateur, in the cultivation
of flowers — especially of the Gladiolus
and Dahlia, his favorite families in the
floral kingdom, by his kind invitation
we paid a visit to a small plot of ground

attached to his residence on Scott Street
near Turk. This lot i3 completely cov-
ered with the choicest species and spec-
imens of many kinds of plants and flow-
ers, but those which shone forth in the
greatest beauty and lustre wTere his
Gladioli, Dahlias, Lilies, and Amaryl-
lis. Of the Gladiolus he had cultivated
over 90 varieties, Dahlias 121, Pom-
pons 42, Lilies 10, and Amaryllis 8.
Among his most splendid and hand-
somely colored Gladioli, we observed
Hercules, the largest known, Lord
Granville, Ulysses, Eva, Velleda, Othel-
lo, Triumphant, Isabella, Adanson,
Dr. Lindley, Vulcan, Flora, Lord By-
ron, Mozart, Peine Victoria, etc ; among
his choicest, most striking and attract-
ive Dahlias, we noticed Volcaine, Mrs.
Roberts, Queen of Beauties, Goddess,
Flambeau, Golden Gem, Bride, Iris,
Mrs. Pigott, Andrew Dodge, Claudia,
British Triumph, Jesse (crimson-tip-
ped) ; among the Lilies, the finest was
the Tigrinum flore pleno ; among the
magnificent Roses were John Hopper,
Pride of Italy, Model of Perfection,
Marshal Neil, Cloth of Gold, etc.

The name of Upton has been well
known since 1869 in our floral exhibi-
tions at the Mechanics' Institute, where
he has drawn many prizes and certifi-
cates for his brilliant and gorgeous
shows of a great variety of Gladioli,
Dahlias, and Roses, etc. We trust that
as his garden display promises so much
at the approaching Mechanics' Fair he
will, as usual, largely contribute to its
horticultural attractions, by sending the
finest specimens of his Gladioli, Dah-
lias, Lilies, Roses, etc.

NEW PLANTS AND SHRUBS.

Dr. Kellogg read a paper before the
San Francisco Academy of Sciences on
a new genus of shrubs from the coast

224

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

of Lower California, dedicated to the
collector, the late Dr. J. A. Veatch,
Veatchea fruificosa. This shrub proba-
bly has medical value, as the bark is
intensely bitter.

Dr. Kellogg also read a description
of a new composite shrub, Triads con-
color, recently collected by Mr. Fisher,
near Mazatlan, Mexico ; also, a new
(Enothera, or a species of primrose,
(Enothera rosacaulis, collected by Mr.
J. Muir, in the Sierra Nevada Mount-
ains.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

In many parts of our State ground-
squirrels, pocket -gojDhers, and some
other sj)ecies of rodents are so very de-
structive to crops that it has for some
time been necessary to lessen their
great numbers in some way or other.
To poison them seems the most effectu-
al method, but some persons have been
trying phosphorus, and it has been
found quite effectual in killing them,
and it is not so expensive as strych-
nine. A correspondent of the Califor-
nia Live Stock Journal gives the follow-
ing mode :

"A five-gallon oil-can is a good ves-
sel to prepare it in, and one I usually
use. I fill the can one-third full of wa-
ter, and set it on the stove till it comes
to a boil ; then I take one-half corn-
meal and one-half flour, and stir in till
I have a stiff mush ; then I add two
pounds sugar, and carry the can out of
doors and let it stand ten minutes to
cool ; then take a stick of phosphorus
in a pair of plyers and plunge it in the
mush till the stick has all melted.
(Melting it in the mush, instead of in
the water, prevents it settling, and
takes less poison, and is more thorough-
ly mixed through the mass. It is quite
important that the mush should be con-

siderably below the boiling-point or
the phosphorus will take fire). Then
add wheat as long as you can stir it.
The wheat becomes coated, and when
swollen will absorb the water, and you
can break it into lumps of a suitable
size to use. A piece as large as a wal-
nut is large enough for a squirrel or
gopher hole, and should always be put
so far into the hole that no domestic
animal can get at it.

"It is no reason, because an animal
does not die immediately, that it has
not been poisoned. I call to mind an
instance of poisoning by phosphorus of
a child of one of the physicians of San
Diego. It in some way got hold of a
bunch of matches, and though it seem-
ed to have swallowed but a veiy little
of the compound, it was taken violent-
ly ill, and every known remedy was ap-
plied and the child partially recovered,
and lingered for six mouths, but finally
died from the effects of the poison. I
write this to impress upon all who use
the drug the necessity of extreme care
in its use ; for like the ' Mills of the
Gods,' it sometimes grinds slow, but
nevertheless grinds very sure. In us-
ing it to poison gophers, dig down to
the main runway, and put in a piece as
large as a walnut, and, believe me, you
will soon be rid of them. For kanga-
roo-rats and mice, put it into clumpa
of bushes, piles of brush or stone, where
nothing else can get at it. The opinion
prevails that it is liable to take fire aft-
er being mixed, and even after being
put out, but I have the best of reason
for believing it a mistake, having in-
quired of parties who have used it for
fifteen years, and they scout the idea.

" In conclusion, I will say that fifty
cents' wrorth of phosphorus will be more
effectual in ridding your fields and or-
chards of squirrels than two dollars'
worth of strychnine."

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

225

With regard to the markets : About
the beginning of last month (June)
very few changes took place in vegeta-
bles since last report, though Cucum-
bers, Tomatoes, and Okra were cheaper.
The market was abundantly supplied
■with New Potatoes, principally Early
Rose, from the Sacramento River, and
a choice article could be had at $2 per
100 lhs , by the single sack. The first
Sweet Corn came in June 1st, and was
selling at 50c. per dozeu.

Howe & Hall received from Newcas-
tle some Strawberries of extraordinary
size, grown by C. M. Silver & Son.
The variety is of recent introduction in
this State, and is appropriately named
" Monarch of the West." Fruit quo-
tations showed a general reduction,
and Raspberries, Blackberries, Cher-
ries, and Apricots were all cheaper.
Over 100 boxes of Briggs' Early Peach-
es arrived daily and prices drooped.
New Apples sold at 50c. per basket,
while old were about out of market.
Another crop of Tahiti Oranges arriv-
ed the first of the month (June). The
market was overstocked, and prices
were unusually low. Apricots have
been very small this season, also Peach-
es are coming in undersized. We at-
tribute this falling off in size in the ma-
jority of these fruits to the overloading
of the trees from there having been no
frosts to speak of to destroy any por-
tion of their always plentiful blossoms.
Consequently the orchards have been
allowed to overbear, thinning being
very seldom resorted to in California,
as indeed it hardly ever is in any part
of the Union. Next year the trees will
probably show the effects of this over-
production in decreased bearing, al-
though it seems trees here hardly ever
become exhausted except from allow-
ing too much wood to grow on them,
or from great exhaustion of the soil, or

much neglected cultivation. Among
the few Strawberries found in the mar-
ket besides the common Prolific, we
notice occasionally a few boxes of the
Chilli, and some of a kind termed the
Defiance, a large, fine, conical berry with
prominent and rather light colored seeds.
It is a large fruit, and appears firm
enough for safe carriage, but its color
is rather dull.

In the first week in last month (June)
Cherries went somewhat into the back-
ground, for many other fruits which
had •commenced coming into market.
From the other side of the bay there
was a fair accession of Raspberries,
and prices, of course, were on the de-
scending scale. Madeline Pears and
the Red Astrachan Apples did not re-
main long on the stalls for want of pur-
chasers. Royal Apricots were more
plentiful, also Cherry Plums. The
Astrachan Apples were not highly col-
ored at that time, but would improve
in that respect. A great deal of the
larger kinds of fruit are diminutive in
size this year on account of the trees
being extra loaded, and the fruit not
having, as usual, been thinned. The
Wolfskill orchard at Putah Creek, So-
lano County, produced the first ripe
Figs that were sent to this market.
Silver & Son, of Newcastle, shipped a
species of Strawberry called the " Mon-
arch of the AVest," which was probably
the largest Strawberry that has ever ap-
peared in our city. They were much
admired. Their shape is conical,
having a bright red blush on one side
next the sun, with light green seeds.
It is not expected that the crops of Ap-
ples, Plums, and some kinds of Pears
will be at all heavy this year. That
good authority, the Commercial Herald,
states that " The Peach orchards in
the valleys and up in the foothills
promise to yield a large crop, and from

226

THE CALIFORKTA HORTICULTURIST.

present appearances will be of most ex-
cellent flavor. Grapes, Bartlett Pears,
and Quinces look well in most locali-
ties. There will be an abundance of
everything, but the market is not like-
ly to be so largely overstocked as it has
been some seasons past. There is,
therefore, every reason to believe that
fruit-growers with less labor will prob-
ably realize a larger profit than for any
preceding year."

We are indebted to Howe & Hall for
the following quotations : Apples —
Red Astrachan, 50c. to 75c; Early
Harvest, 30c. to 40c. per basket. Pears
- — Madeline, 75c. to §1.25 per box.
Cherry Plums, §1 to $1.-25 per box.
Cherries — Choice black, 8c. to 15c. per
lb.; common red, 5c. to 8c. Peaches,
$1.50 to $2.50 per box. Apricots, Roy-
al, $1 to $1.25 per box. Strawberries,
$12 to $17 per chest. Raspberries. 10c.
to 20c. per lb. Gooseberries, 8c. to
9c. per lb. Blackberries, 25c. per lb.
Currants, $3.50 to $4.50 per chest.
Oranges, Tahiti, $10 to $20 per M ;
California, $15 to $35 per M. Lemons,
Sicily, $10 to $11 per box ; Los Ange-
les, $15 to $22.50 per M. Limes, $10
to $15 per M. Bananas, $2 50 to $3.50
per bunch. Pine Apples, $6 to $8 per
doz. Cocoanuts, $5 per 100. Dried
Fruit — Eastern Apples, choice, 10c. per
lb.; Peaches, 7c. to 10c. per lb.;
Pears, 7c. to 8c. per lb.; Plums, 3c.
to 4c; pitted, 12c to 13Jc; Prunes,
12^c to 17c per lb.; Figs, white, 6c to
8c; black, 5c to 7c. per lb.; Califor-
nia Raisins, $1 to $2.50 per box. Vege-
tables— Cabbages, 50c per ctl.; Cu-
cumbers, 25c to 50c per doz.; Aspar
agus, $1 25 to $2 per box ; Tomatoes
60c to 75c per bx; Green Corn, 10c
to 15c per doz. ; Summer Squash, 40c
to 75c per bx.; Rhubarb, 2c to 3c per
lb.; Green Peas, lie to 2|c per lb.
String Beans, 2c. to 5c per lb.; Gar

lie, 4c per lb.; Chile Peppers, 37+c
per lb.; Okra, 37^c per lb.

Oranges, Lemons, and Limes were
in good sujDply. We have had this
year several new varieties of this fruit,
chiefly from the southern portion of
California, in our market. In the Los
Angeles Orange Growers' Convention
it was stated that the Los Angeles
Seedling, whether budded or not, could
not be excelled. The seedlings of Los
Angeles County were raised from Ta-
hiti seeds, the Oranges of which were
of a pale yellow, but in Los Angeles
County they are of a dark orange col-
or ; hence climate, soil, etc., make the
quality of the fruit. The Tahiti Or-
ange or the Mexican Orange from Aca-
pulco or Panama, is the original fruit
as nature produces it in its native
woods. Both have a much thinner
rind than the Los Angeles Oranges,
while they are more oval. The Florida
Orange is different from the Cuba, that
again differs from the Mexican, and so
on. The Los Angeles Orange more
nearly resembles the Mediterranean.
It does not seem likely that the Los
Angeles Seedling can be improved
upon. President Wilder considers it
the best of all when fully ripe, and
with a rather thin skin. The Mediter-
ranean Sweet is a very good Orange.
It is a fact that a seedling tree is hai'di-
er, has a longer life, and is a healthier
tree than one that is grafted and bud-
ded. The general result, however, of
the discussion at the Convention ap-
peared to be in favor of budding, al-
though Mr. Rose, a great Orange
grower there, was most pronounced
against it.

To the list of vegetables Egg Plant
and Wax Beans were added on the 8th
of June. Strawberries were becoming
scarce and dear, but Raspberries arriv-
ed more freely, and were a tolerably

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

227

good substitute. The Gooseberry crop
turned out very short, and few were
seen in market up to the above date.
It is very doubtful if we shall see this
year amr of the large and fine English
sorts, but it is rather too early for
them, as they are never sent in before
they are nearly ripe. Apples, Pears,
and Peaches were becoming quite plen-
tiful. The}- sold by the bos at $1.50 to
$2, delivered.

About the middle of last month
(June) a great deal of the fruit in mar-
ket gave unmistakable evidence of
the terrible heat in the interior valleys
of the State during the previous week.
Thousands of dollars have been lost to
fruit cultivators in the almost complete
roasting which Currants, Gooseberries,
and a great many Cherries received
during this almost unprecedented heat-
ed term in California. Strawberries
were scarce and dear, and were also a
good deal injured in both quality and
appearance by the hot weather. We
observed a few lots of the Triomphe de
Grand Strawberry which looked well.
This sort is very large, said to be pro-
lific, and is sufficiently firm and hard
to bear transportation well. It is of
irregular form, and of fine bright col-
or, and not so acid as the Prolific, our
most common kind. We think it de-
serves attention from our fruit growers.

The warm weather caused a heavy
demand for Lemons, and prices were
considerably higher. A few Los Ange-
les Oranges were still coming in, but
the market was chiefly supplied with
the Tahiti fruit, the twelfth cargo of
which thus far received this season ar-
rived a few days ago. Peaches were
received in small quantities every day
from the Sacramento River, and would
soon be abundant. Apples retailed by
the bos at §1.25 to $1.75.

In vegetables the supply was liberal,

and prices were generally steady, al-
though Cucumbers declined to 50c. per
dozen, and Okra and Green Corn were
also cheaper. The supply of good Po-
tatoes was moderate, and piices firm ;
good to choice by the single sack sell-
ing at $1.75 to $2 per 100 lbs., deliver-
ed. The first Watermelons and Canta-
loupes were received about this time.

Natural Curiosities. — Eev. B. E.
Johnson, living on Seminary Street,
has a grape vine growing through an
apple tree. He bored through the
tree two year3 ago and pulled the vine
through, and now the tree has nearly
closed on the vine, and the latter is
nearly ready to be severed from its par-
ent vine, when grapes will be gathered
from an apple tree, if not "thorns of
fig trees." Mr. Johnson has also
grown on his premises a tree which
came from Missouri, around Cape Horn,
with his household goods, and was set
out where it now stands eighteen years
ago. It is now ten inches in diameter
a foot from the ground. Another curi-
osity on his place is a Siberian Crab
Apple tree, which has three main
branches, held together by three small
limbs or ligaments being grafted on
the branches from one to the other,
like ropes tied on and confining the
branches together, so that they would
not split down by the force of the wind.
These limbs have grown to the branch-
es and form a substantial support,
making the tree much firmer than be-
fore this surgical operation was per-
formed upon it. — Napa Register.

Blackberries. — Of all fruit conducive
to health, we are disposed to concede
to the Blackberry the highest place.
Thousands of lives, especially of chil-
dren, might annually be saved by a
free use of this fruit during the sum-

228

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

mer. It is of the easiest culture, re-
quiring but little attention after the
first year or two, and yielding abund-
ant crops for half a century. Set the
plants four feet apart in rows, with
rows full eight feet apart. This will
require about 1,500 plants to the acre.
The three leading varieties are the Kit-
tatinny, Lawton, and Wilson's Early.
The Ivittatinny is the best Blackberry
in cultivation. Its extreme hardiness,
great bearing qualities, large size and
luscious quality make it a favorite
wherever grown. It continues in bear-
ing for five or six weeks, or until the
earliest varieties of grapes and peach-
es begin to ripen.

American Fruit in Europe. — "Where
is this to end? There was a time when
we were almost entirely tributary to the
Old World for our manufactures and
many other articles of domestic use and
consumption. Now the order is revers-
ed. We make our own iron and steel
rails, build our own iron ships, are in-
dependent in the matter of skilled la-
bor, and having in nearly eveiw other
respect become self-sustaining, venture
abroad to find a market for our surplus
wares. We cross the ocean with wheat,
flour, cutlery, woollens, cotton fabrics,
canned fishes and fowls, fresh beef by
the cargo, with the late addition of
fruits, in which the trade has grown to
gigantic proportions. Since June, of
1876, Ave have exported $2,500,000
worth of fruit, as against $600,000
worth the year before. Dried Apples
figure largely in this movement, for
which the demand steadily increases —
a hint to our farmers who have suffer-
ed the fruit of their orchards to fall to
the ground and perish because they
could find no purchasers at their doors.
The fruit-dryer is coming into common
use, and there is no longer a reason for

this waste, when a little industry can
so easily convert it into a gain.

A Wonderful Species of the Cotton
Plant. — A cable dispatch from London
to one of our daily papers says : A re-
markable discovery has been made in
Egypt by Signor. Griacomo Rossi, Aus-
trian Consular Agent at Alexandria.
He has found a new Cotton plant,
which is so wonderfully prolific that it
maj prove a dangerous enemy, the re-
port says, to the American Cotton rais-
ing interests. Signor Rossi, in his re-
port of the discovery, says that about
two years ago he accidentally came
across the new plant on the property of
a captain in the Menulia district, who
collected the seed and sold it to his
neighbors at twelvefold the price ob-
tained for the ordinary kind. The plant
has a long stem, and being without
branches much space is saved. It bears
on an average 50 pods on each bush,
while the usual yield of the plant is
about 30. A. smaller quantity of seed is
needed, but the great drawback in
Egypt is that it requires much more
water, which necessitates the alternat-
ing of the crops with grain and vege-
tables.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month ending June 30th, 1877.
(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. TenSekt,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BAEOMETEE.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.07 in.

do 12 m 30,06

do 3 p. ii 30.(16

do 6p.m 30.06

Highest point on the 28th at Bp.m 30.22

Lowest point on the 7th at 6 p. m 29.90

THEEMOMETEE.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 09°

do 12 M 75J

do 3 P. ii 74°

do 6 P. M 69°

Highest point on the 11th at 1 p m 99°

Lowest point on the 19th at 6 p. m 63°

SELF-KEGISTEBING THEEMOMETEE.

Mean height during the night 56°

Highest point at sunrise on the 11th 69°

Lowest point at sunrise on the od 50°

WINDS.
West on 24 days; east on 4 days; south-west on 2 days.

WEA^THEE.
Clear all day^l3 days; cloudy on 2 days ; variable on
15 days.

Aquarium and Floral ^Stand

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII.

SAN FRANCISCO, AUGUST, 1877.

No. 8.

NOTES FROM A GREENHOUSE.— NO. 2.

BY CHAS. H. SHINN, AT NILES.

After the very remarkable spell of
hot weather some things are dead
enough for a funeral ; and very many
plants have put on a mourning attire
of withered leaves and wilted blossoms.
This, too, notwithstanding the utmost
attention given to shading and water-
ing. Water sprinkled along the paths
of a greenhouse, at intervals through-
out the day, lowers the temperature
very much. Of course it is instant
death to water any plant under the hot
sun. Wet sacks laid over glass, or
above seed boxes are of great service in
the struggle. As for me, having the
comfort of a greenhouse in view, I beg
to state that no more African weather
is needed.

Now and then, as the summer passes,
a host assails the pets of the garden.
Without trumpet they come — hungry,
determined, insidious. Poets love to
mourn over the "worm i' the bud,"
but what poet ever dared to whisper of
the aphis under the leaf, or the brisk
black fly hopping on the stem? Tet
these be terrors! The worm in the bud
is not a dread to even the literary hort-

Vol. VII.— 15.

iculturist ; but toward these small pests,
whose name is legion, may my hand be
merciless! First came the pensive and
multitudinous squash-bugs, who belied
their name, and encamped around the
cucumbers, took possession of the beans,
turned the beet leaves into patent sieves,
and sent word to their most distant re-
lations. It was hinted that these stran-
gers hated Paris green, and, sadly be it
told, Paris green was sprinkled every-
where, to the ruining of all their plans.
Next, the fat aphides appeared in the
greenhouse, and began to bunch and
lunch under some convenient Cannas.
It was cruel, perhaps, but tobacco was
burnt over a pan of coals, until the
creatures sank in despair and smoke.
If it is not nice to have crawling plant-
shelves, let whale-oil soap, Paris green,
and tobacco be your salvation.

This month there is a whisper of
hanging baskets, and I begin to ar-
range them at leisure. The variety of
possible effects is truly wonderful.
Your basket may be simple or profuse,
modest or gorgeous, subdued or over-
whelming. It is a good plan to select
the plants you want, take them to trie
potting bench, and there group them
until the general effect is satisfactory.

230

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

It is not nice to mingle too many colors
or styles of foliage in the same basket.
Choose one thing to give the impres-
sion, and let the rest be subordinate.
Now and then you find a basket in
which the art is hidden. It is a bit of
nature, full of simplicity. You may
span it with your hand, yet there are
cool deeps where your fancies wander
dreamfully, creeping under fern tracer-
ies. Some one planned it in a happy
moment, and nature seconded his
thought.

To-day I notice how green the spathe
of Richardia maculata alba has become.
It was white with a purplish tinge at
the base ; but this change, which many
flowers undergo, is part of the proof
that all the parts of the blossom are
merely transformed leaves. Of similar
drift is the tendency to produce green
leaves in the flower-bud, which some
Roses show. I have noticed these
among the petals in Ranunculus, Stock,
Scabiosa, the wild Bee Larkspur, and
the common Cherry.

The fashion of climbers passeth away.
A few old favorites, as the Morning
Glory, cling, climb, and hold a run-
ning council along the window-sill ; but
of the army tried and cast aside there
is a startling list. Cobeea scandens is
scraggy, limp, and coarse, despite its
delicate tendrils and odd, pursy buds.
The variegated vines are most of them
failures, because generally indistinct in
marking. For real use the "Wistarias,
Clematis, Maurandyas, Passifloras, and
that quaint brown-eyed annual, Thun-
bergia, are among the best of vines,
aside from running Roses, which of
themselves are a paradise. For a
warm greenhouse Cissus discolor and
Clerodendron Balfouri should be tried.

The question of how much water a
plant needs is a very critical one.
"When the soil looks white on the top

soak that pot. When the top looks
green and scummy, stir it, and taboo
further fluid for a reasonable period.
The first rule is : Don't water too oft-
en. The second rule is : Don't sprin-
kle mildly, but wet thoroughly. On
these two hinge theory and practice.
In the course of time it becomes easy
to tell from the color of a plant's leaves
whether the water supply is properly
regulated. Some plants, as the Hy-
drangeas, can stand almost an unlimit-
ed amount. Talking about Hydrangeas,
a little iron rust will make the flowers
come blue.

Seemingly slight things in horticult-
ure vary the results greatly. I have
noticed in potting that very much de-
pends upon the amount of pressure
given to the soil. Some things require
tight potting, laugh at, and enjoy it.
Others only want a tap on the bench
to settle the earth about the roots.
The Pelargoniums like close work, and
do not bloom well without it. The
Ferns and Mimulus get very much out
of sorts unless they are potted loosely.
This is one of the things " no fellow
can find out " without experience. In
repotting don't wait too long, until the
roots are hard. Let them be well mat-
ted, but soft, or you will have to use
the knife to start a healthy growth.
Watch Fuchsias especially, unless you
want to forego flowers. There is quite
a difference in the ease with which va-
rious things pot. A stiff and spiny
Cactus is a ferocious and often tearful
thing to handle, especially when broad-
armed. Then your largest pot seems
inadequate, and your spiciest language
weak.

Never let a feeling of loneliness lead
you into the company of those who will
degrade instead of elevate you.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

231

MORMON LILIES.

BY JOHN MC1E.

Lilies are rare in Utah, so also are
their companions, the Ferns and Or-
chids, chiefly on account of the fiery
saltness of the soil and climate. You
may walk the deserts of the Great Ba-
sin in the bloom time of the year, all
the way across from the snowy Sierra
to the snowy Wasatch, and your eyes
will be filled with many a gay Malva,
and Poppy, and Abronia, and Cactus,
but you may not see a single true Lily,
and only a very few liliaceous plants of
any kind. Not even in the cool, fresh
glens of the mountains will you find
these favorite flowers, though some of
these desert ranges almost rival the Si-
erra in height. Nevertheless, in the
building and planting of this grand
territory the Lilies were not forgotten.
Far back in the dim geologic ages,
when the sediments of the old seas
were being gathered and outspread in
smooth streets like leaves of a book,
and when these sediments became dry
land, and were baked and crumbled,
and tossed into the sky as mountain
ranges; when the lava floods of the
Fire Period were being lavishly poured
forth from innumerable rifts and cra-
ters ; when the ice of the Glacial Peri-
od was laid like a mantle over every
mountain and valley — throughout all
these immensely protracted periods, in
the throng of these majestic operations,
Nature kept her flower children in
mind. She considered the Lilies, and
while planting the plains with Sage
and the hills with Cedar, she has cov-
ered at least one mountain with golden
Erythroniums and Fritillarias as its
crowning glory, as if willing to show
what she could do in the Lily line even
here.

Looking southward from the south

end of Salt Lake, the two northmost
peaks of the Oquirrh range are seen
swelling calmly into the cool sky with-
out any marked character, excepting
only their snow crowns, and a few
small weedy looking patches of Spruce
and Fir, the simplicity of their slopes
preventing their real loftiness from be-
ing appreciated. Gray, sagey plains
circle around their bases, and up to a
height of a thousand feet or more their
sides are tinged with purple, which I
afterwards found is produced by a close
growth of dwarf oak just coming into
leaf. Higher you may detect faint tint-
ings of green on a gray ground, from
young grasses and sedges. Then the
dark pine woods filling glacial hollows,
and over all the smooth crown of snow.
"While standing at their feet, the oth-
er ,day, shortly after my memorable ex-
cursion among the salt waves of the
lake, I said, " Now I shall have anoth-
er baptism. I will bathe in the high
sky, among cool wind waves above the
snow." From the more southerly of
the two peaks a long ridge comes down,
bent like a bow, one end in the hot
plains, the other in the snow of the
summit. After carefully scanning the
jagged towers and battlements with
which it is roughened, I determined to
make it my way, though it presented
but a feeble advertisement of its floral
wealth. This apparent barrenness,
however, made no great objection just
then, for I was scarce hoping for flow-
ers, old or new, or even for fine scen-
ery. I wanted in particular to learn
what the Oquirrh rocks were made of,
what trees composed the curious patch-
es of forest ; and, perhaps, more than
all, I was animated by a mountaineer's
eagerness to get my feet into the snow
once more, and my head into the clear
sky, after lying dormant all winter at
the level of the sea.

232

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICTTLTUEIST.

But in every walk with Nature one
receives far more than they seek. I
had not gone more than a mile from
Lake Point ere I found the way pro-
fusely decked with flowers, mostly com-
positse and purple leguruinosse, a hun-
dred corollas or more to the square
yard, with a corresponding abundance
of winged blossoms above them, moths
and butterflies, the leguminosee of the
insect kingdom. This floweriness is
maintained with delightful variety all
the way up through rocks and bushes
to the snow — Violets, Lilies, Gillias,
Oenotheras, "Wallflowers, Iresias, Saxi-
frages, Smilax, and miles of blooming
bushes, chiefly Azalea, Honeysuckle,
Brier-rose, Buckthorn, and Eriogonum,
all meeting and blending in divine ac-
cord. Two liliaceous j)lants in partic-
ular, Erythronium grandiflorum and
Fritillaria pudica are marvelously beau-
tiful and abundant. Never before, in
all my walks, have I met so glorious a
throng of Lilies. The whole mountain
side was aglow with them, from a
height of 5,500 feet to the very edge of
the snow. Although remarkably frag-
ile, both in form and substance, they
are endowed with plenty of deep-seat-
ed vitality, enabling them to grow in
all kinds of places, down in leafy
glens, in the lea of wind-beaten ledges,
and beneath the brushy tangles of Oak,
and Azalea, and prickly Roses every-
where forming the crowning glory of
the flowers. If the neighboring mount-
ains are as rich in Lilies, then this may
well be called the Lily Range.

After climbing about a thousand feet
above the plain I came to a picturesque
mass of rock, cropping up through the
underbrush on one of the steepest
slopes of the mountains. After exam-
ining some tufts of grass and Saxifrage
that were growing in its fissured sur-
face, I was going to pass it by on the

upper side where the bushes were more
open, but a company composed of the
two Lilies I have mentioned were bloom-
ing on the lower side, and though as
yet out of sight, I suddenly changed
my mind and went down to meet them,
as if attracted by the ring of their bells.
They were growing in a small, nest-like
opening between the rock and bushes,
and both the Erythronium and Fritilla-
ria were in full flower. These were the
first of the species I had seen, and I
need not try to tell the joy they made.
They are both lowly plants — lowly as
Violets — the tallest seldom exceeding
six inches in height, so that the most
searching winds that sweep the mount-
ains scarce reach low enough to shake
their bells.

The Fritillaria has five or six linear,
obtuse leaves, put on irregularly near
the bottom of the stem, which is usual-
ly terminated by one large bell-shaped
flower ; but its more beautiful compan-
ion— the Erythronium — has two radical
leaves only, which are large and oval,
and shine like glass. They extend hor-
izontally in opposite directions, and
form a beautiful glossy ground, over
which the one large down-looking flow-
er is swung from a simple stem ; the
petals being strongly recurved, like
those of L. superbum. Occasionally a
specimen is met which has from two to
five flowers hung in a loose panicle.
People sometimes travel far to see cu-
rious plants like the carnivorous Dar-
lingtonia, the Fly - catcher, Walking-
fern, etc. I hardly know how the lit-
tle bells I have been describing would
be regarded by seekers of this class,
but every true flower-lover who comes
to consider these Utah Lilies will sure-
ly be well rewarded, however long the
way.

Pushing on up the rugged slopes, I
found many delightful seclusions —

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

233

moist nooks at the foot of cliffs, and
Lilies in every one of them, not grow-
ing close together like Daisies, but
well apart, with plenty of room for
their bells to swing free and ring. I
found hundreds of them in full bloom
within two feet of the snow. In winter
they withdraw deep beneath the earth,
and take shelter in their waxen bulbs,
like field mice in their nests ; then the
snow -flowers fall above them, Lilies
over Lilies, until the spring winds
blow, and these winter lilies wither in
turn, then the hiding Erythroniums
and Fritillarias rise again, responsive to
the fii>t touches of the sun.

I noticed the tracks of deer in many
places among the Lily gardens, and at
the height of about 7,000 feet I came
upon the fresh trail of a flock of wild
sheep, showing that these fine mount
aineers still flourish here above the
range of Mormon rifles. In the plant-
ing of her wild gardens, Nature takes
the feet and teeth of her flocks into ac-
count, and makes use of them to trim
and cultivate, and keep them in perfect
order, as the bark and buds of the trees
are tended by woodpeckers and linnets.
The evergreen woods consist, so far as
I observed, of two species, a Spruce
and Fir, standing close together, erect
and arrowy in a thrifty and compact
growth ; but they are quite small, say
from six to twelve or fourteen inches
in diameter, and about forty feet in
height. Among their giant relatives of
the Sierra the very largest would seem
mere saplings. A considerable portion
of the south side of the mountain is
planted with a species of Aspen, called
quaking asp by the wood -choppers.
It seems to be quite abundant on many
of the eastern mountains of the basin,
and forms a marked feature of their
upper forests.

Wading up the curves of the summit

was rather toilsome, for the snow,
which was softened by the blazing sun,
was from ten to twenty feet deep, but
the view was one of the most impress-
ively sublime I ever beheld. Snowy,
ice-sculptured ranges bounded the ho-
rizon all around, while the great lake,
eighty miles long by fifty miles wide,
lay fully revealed beneath a lily sky.
The shore lines, marked by a ribbon of
white sand, were seen sweeping around
many a bay and promontory in elegant
curves, and picturesque islands rising
to mountain heights, and some of them
capped with pearly cumuli. And the
wide prairie of water glowing in the
gold and purple of evening presented
all the colors that tint the lips of shells
or the petals of Lilies — the most beau-
tiful lake this side of the Rocky Mount-
ains. Utah Lake, lying thirty -five
miles to the south, was in full sight
also, and the river Jordan, which links
the two together, may be traced in sil-
very gleams throughout its whole course.

Descending the mountain, I followed
the windings of the main central glen
on the north, gathering specimens of
the cones and sprays of the evergreens,
and most of the other new plants I had
met ; but the Lilies formed the crown-
ing glory of my bouquet — the grandest
I had carried in many a day. I reach-
ed the hotel on the lake about dusk
with all my fresh riches, and my first
mountain ramble in Utah was accom-
plished. On my way back to the city,
the next day, I met a grave old Mor-
mon, with whom I had previously held
some Latter-Day discussions. I shook
my big handful of Lilies in his face,
and shouted, " Here are the true
saints, ancient and Latter-Day, endur-
ing forever ! " After he had recovered
from his astonishment, he said : "They
are nice."

The other liliaceous plants I have

234

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

met in Utah are, two species of Ziza-
denus, Fritillaria atropurpurea, Calo-
chortus Nuttallii, and three or four
handsome Alliums. One of these Lil-
ies, the Calochortus, several species of
which are well known in California as
the ''Mariposa Tulip," has received great
consideration at the hands of the Mor-
mons, for to it hundreds of them owe
their lives. During the famine years
between 1853 and 1858, great destitu-
tion prevailed, especially in the south-
ern settlements, on account of the
drought and grasshoppers, and through-
out one hunger winter in particular,
thousands of the people subsisted
chiefly on the bulbs of these Tulips,
called " sego " by the Indians, who
taught them its use.

Liliaceous women and girls are rare
among the Mormons. They haye seen
too much hard expressive toil to admit
of the development of lily beauty eith-
er in form or color. In general they
are thickset, with large feet and hands,
and with sun-browned faces, often cu-
riously freckled, like the petals of Frit-
illaria atropurpurea. They are fruit
rather than flower — loaves of good
brown bread. But down in the San
Pitch Valley at Gunnison I discovered
a genuine lily, happily named Lily
Young. She is a granddaughter of
Brigham Young, slender and graceful,
with lily-white cheeks, tinted with clear
rose. She was brought up in the old
Salt Lake Lion House, but by some
strange chance has been transplanted
to this wilderness, where she blooms
alone, the " Lily of San Pitch." Pitch
is an old Indian, who, I suppose, pitch-
ed into the settlers, and thus acquired
fame enough to give name to tbe val-
ley. Here I feel uneasy about the
name of this Lily, for the compositors
have a perverse trick of making me say
all kinds of absurd things wholly un-

warranted by plain copy, and I fear
that " The Lily of San Pitch " will ap-
pear in print as the widow of Sam.
Patch. But, however this may be,
among my memories of this fair, far
land, that Oquirrh Mountain, with its
golden Lilies, will ever rise in clear re-
lief, and associated with them will al-
ways be Lily Young, the prettiest lily
lass in Utah. — Cor. Bulletin.

PASSIFLOEA EDULIS AND PASSIFLOKA
GRANADILLA.

We have had the pleasure of receiv-
ing from Messrs. Grelk & Co., of the
Nursery and Tropical Fruit Garden,
Los Angeles, a specimen of the fruit of
the Passiflora edulis. This firm in-
forms us that they have one plant of
this variety, only two years old, in full
bloom, and that they find the fruit
quite as delicious in their locality as
they ever found it in Peru. With re-
gard to the Passitiora granadilla, these
gentlemen state, that they shall take
pleasure in sending us a sample of it
in the autumn. Both specimens were
raised and cultivated out of doors, the
plants grow very rapidly, their fruits
are wholesome and very refreshing,
and they will do well in the open air
in many other parts of the wOrld which
are much cooler than Los Angeles.
The Passiflora granadilla vine is much
cultivated in the gardens of Jamaica,
and other tropical and semi-tropical
regions. Its luxuriant perennial shoots
are there formed into arbors, furnishing
a thick shade, rendered more grateful
by the beauty and odor of the flowers
and fruit, which are both produced at
the same time, on different parts of the
branches. The fruit is quite large, of
an oblong shape, about six inches in
diameter from the stalk to the eye, and
fifteen inches in circumference. It is

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

235

greenish yellow when ripe, soft and
leathery to the touch, and quite smooth;
the rind is very thick, and contains a
succulent pulp (which is the edible
part), mixed with the seeds, in a sort
of sack, from which it is readily sepa-
rated. Wine and sugar are commonly
added to it, when used. The flavor is
sweet, and slightly acid, and it is very
grateful to the taste, and cooling in a
warm climate. It is readily propagat-
ed by seeds or cuttings. It requires to
be grown in a rich loam. Fruits of the
granadilla and some other of the edi-
ble species of the Passiflora are com-
monly seen in the Paris markets, and
occasionally in Covent Garden market,
London, as they not unfrequently ripen
under glass in those countries.

Nearly all the varieties of the Pas-
sion vine can be grown successfully in
the open air in this climate ; and con-
sidering the beauty of their flowers, it
is surprising that so few of them are
cultivated here. The old variety of
Passiflora caerulea, with only here and
there a specimen of P. edulis or P. coc-
cinea, are most common. Some of our
florists, however, have introduced late-
ly a few other sorts that are edible,
such as P. alata, P. incarnata, and P.
quadrangularis, but they are more
scarce than they ought to be. The
part that is eaten is either the fleshy
axil attached to the seeds, or the juicy
pulp in which they are imbedded.
This pulp has an agreeable cool taste
in some species, and a sweet mawkish
flavor in others. The P. edulis is one
of the most agreeable and luscious of
them. We append the following no-
tice of Messrs. Grrelk & Co., concern-
ing two of these rare and interesting
ornamental vines and their fruits. For
sale and sent free of postage charge,
Passiflora edulis, one plant, $1.00 ; P.
granadilla, one plant, $2.00. Both of

these produce delicious fruits. Seeds
of fruits of the above kinds for nursery-
men : Wigandra magnifica, 100 seeds
25 cents. Grelk & Co., Sub-Tropical
Nursery, Los Angeles, Cal.

HUDEMAN'S VILLA IN NAPA VALLEY.

Accompanied by a large, cheerful, and
pleasant party from Napa Soda Springs,
in two carriages, we started to visit
these charming grounds. The ride
from the Springs was in a south-east-
erly direction, and over a large portion
of the valley of Napa, through many
yellow fields of ripened grain, orchards
and vineyards. The distance was
about eleven miles, and partly through
an extensive canyon, along a small
creek bordered with many handsome
trees and shrubs, yet, owing to the late-
ness of the season, but few wild flow-
ers, and the road in many parts thickly
embowered by overarching vegetation.
The admirably planted and improved
premises of the Hudeman estate, and
especially around the dwelling of the
proprietor, lies in a spacious depres-
sion or vale among hills and mount-
ains. Copious living springs are util-
ized to form and feed several small
lakes, and to create a succession of
beautiful fountains. The soil is ex-
ceedingly rich, and the situation shel-
tered by the mountains to the west,
shielding it from the highest and cold-
est winds which blow on our coast.
Many tropical and semi-tropical plants
flourish in the utmost luxuriance here,
and form some of the choicest objects
of attraction to the visitor. Several
species of the most tender Palms, the
Shaddock bearing fruit, the sweet Or-
ange, and the Magnolia grandiflora,
with its splendid white blooms, are con-
spicuous among them. The view from
the house of these fine lakes, their is-

236

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

lands, and three fountains throwing up
their crystal jets in a direct line, form
altogether most delightful objects.
The great variety of the cultivated
trees, plants, and flowers, and the
"wonderful luxuriance of their growth
and blooming, are very striking and at-
tractive to strangers from abroad not
acquainted with California's wealth in
this regard. Several picturesque rus-
tic bridges have been erected over the
rivulets which flow into the lakes, and
the main ground leading to the islands.
These islands, many of them, are plant-
ed with one dense mass of brilliant
flowers of all hues, and rustic arbors
are erected on them, covered with grace-
ful and lovely climbing plants of many
varieties. Large Weeping Willows
border some portions of these enchant-
ing lakes, and dip their drooping
branches in the water, in which grow
many of the Eastern fragrant white
Lilies and other choice aquatic plants.
Some of the finest Eastern and Euro-
pean sbade trees are here disposed
either singly or in groups.

All these expensive improvements
have been accomplished, and their ele-
gant growth effected, within the short
period of fifteen years. But how quick-
ly does all vegetation in the highly fa-
vorable climate of California effect mag-
nificent results! These effects have been
produced in the midst of the region of
the redwoods, and specimens of these
valuable trees have been most success-
fully intermingled with the more mod-
ern growths of other hardy as well as
exotic vegetation.

Our happy party lunched under the
shade of some of these lofty and large
redwood monarchs of the forest, whose
agreeable aroma gave additional relish
to our eatables.

There are no fish in these rather shal-
low and quiet lakes or ponds, and prob-

ably the waters are not cold enough for
salmon or trout, or any other of the
game fish, though it is likely that the
carp family would prosper well in them,
as they do not need cold water, but do
best in that which is somewhat tepid.

The whole of this valuable and fer-
tile estate, with its grain and pasture
lands, covers about 2,000 acres. Wheat
grows well on the plateaus on the sum-
mits of the surrounding high hills.
The situation is somewhat secluded,
and highly romantic — such a one as
would suit a person rather fond of soli-
tude, a lover of the beauties of nature,
and who wishes to retire from the bus-
tle and turmoil of the busy and often
troublesome world of either toilsome
commerce or city dissipation. Here
the devotee of all natural objects, and
one fond of communing much with his
own thoughts, can find a fit place for
these inclinations, and abundant sub-
jects upon which to feed his mind and
imagination, to his heart's content.
The climate is extremely mild, and al-
most entirely free from any frost, the
elevation being just sufficient to favor
these very desirable conditions. Ow-
ing to the dryness of our late winter
and spring, the springs are everywhere
much lessened in their usual flow, which
accounts for these lakes being now shal-
lower than usual ; and therefore the
boats which are kept on them can not
be enjoyed with the zest which deeper
water furnishes.

This splendid property is only one
among the many pretty farms and resi-
dences which abound in Napa Valley —
one of theEdens, garden spots, or Par-
adises of our most favored State.

The Fresno Republican learns that the
Easterby farm has been sold for $40,-
000. It contains 2,500 acres, and six-
teen feet of water for irrigation.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

237

THE JAPANESE PERSIMMON (DIOSPY-
EUS KAKI).

A short time since, the Rev. Mr.
Loomis, agent here for the distribution
of this valuable fruit tree, exhibited to
us some handsomely colored Japanese
drawings of the rather numerous varie-
ties of its handsome and delicious pro-
duce. These many kinds of the fruit
were some of them as large as one's
doubled fists, of fine and various shades
of crimson, orange, and yellow, and of
several different shapes of round, near-
ly square, and oblong. During the
visit of this gentleman to this city in
the spring, his trees of two or three of
the best sorts of this fruit, wei*e in much
demand among fruit cultivators, and we
have had an opportunity of observing
that most of those that have been plant-
ed in various parts of the State have
done well.

We also saw several neat and pretty
specimens of the wood of the tree in
the form of paper cutters, etc. This
wood has the appearance, hardness,
and close grain of ebony, and being
stained in Japan with the juice of the
Persimmon, it imparts to some portions
of it the blackness of the former.

We understand that, next season, a
Japanese horticulturist, well experienc-
ed in the culture of trees in his own
country, and especially of the various
sorts of the Persimmon, will come to
this city well furnished with all the best
varieties of that promising genus of
fruit bearing trees.

And this subject reminds us that we
have lately noticed in a letter from a
correspondent (M. Milton) to the Al-
bany Cultivator and Country Gentleman,
that the veteran horticulturist — Dr. I.
P. Kirtland, of Cleveland, Ohio — pos-
sesses a large tree of the Persimmons
(.Diospyrus Virginiana ), ornamenting

his grounds, which annually bears a
good crop of fruit, and ripens and is
edible before frost. The writer states
that : "Considerable difference of opin-
ion exists (East) about the action of
frost upon this fruit to bring it to ma-
turity, the general belief being that
frost is necessary for its ripeness, but
in this case (at Dr. Kirtland's) it is not.
There are scarcely two trees of the
Persimmons which bear fruit having
the same flavor or ripening at the same
time, some trees bearing fruit which re-
tains that astringency peculiar to it in
a green state, even after frost, while
others, like the one mentioned above,
have edible fruit without the influence
of frost. This variableness may be at-
tributable to soil or locality, just as
Pears and other fruit differ in appear-
ance and flavor when growing under
different conditions.5'

The above evidence concerning the
Eastern kinds of the Persimmon fami-
ly, seems to us at this time in Califor-
nia to be somewhat interesting, in view
of the late introduction of the Japan-
ese fine varieties into our State, and the
prospect of their larger sale in the fu-
ture.

THE DATE TREE {PECEN1X DAC1 Y LI-
FER A).

This Palm, sung from time immemo-
rial by the poets of the East, is as in-
dispensable as the camel to the inhab-
itants of the wastes of North Africa and
Arabia, and, next to the "ship of the
desert," the devout Musselman esteems
it the chief gift of Allah. Few Palms
have a wider range, for it extends from
the Persian Gulf to the borders of the
Atlantic, and flourishes from the 12th
to the 37th degree of northern latitude.
Groves of Dates adorn the coasts of
Valencia in Spain; near Genoa its

238

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

plantations afford leaves for the cele-
bration of Palm Sunday ; and in the
gardens of Southern France a Date tree
sometimes mixes among the Oranges
and Olives. But it never bears fruit
on these northern limits of its empire,
and thrives best in the oases on the bor-
ders of the sandy desert. Here it is
cultivated with the greatest care, and
irrigated every morning, for though it
will grow on an arid soil, it absolutely
requires water to be fruitful. It is not
to be wondered at that the tribes of the
desert so highly value a tree which, by
enabling a family to live on the produce
of a small spot of ground, extends, as
it were, the bounds of the green islands
of the desert, and rarely disappoints
the industry that has been bestowed
on its culture. It is considered crimi-
nal to fell it while still in its vigor, and
both the Bible and the Koran forbid
the warriors of the true God to apply
the axe to the Date trees of an enemy.
It seems that at present we are not
completely acquainted with all the con-
ditions necessary in California to make
this valuable tree bear fruit. But we
have lately been informed that in two
or three cases it has shown signs of
producing fruit in some, favorable lo-
calities as to climate, soil, and sufficient
irrigation.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING. — NO. 1.

To a person visiting the Pacific Coast
for the first, time the flora of California '
should have peculiar attractions, es-
pecially if he happens to arrive in the
early part of the season. The trees
and plants which he has been accus-
tomed to see only in greenhouses in a
less favored clime he will find here
growing in the utmost profusion in the
open ground. To illustrate — the dif-
ferent kinds of Acacias which are at the

East treated as greenhouse plants, here
grow to good-sized trees, and add much
to the beauty of the landscape, and this
is also true of many varieties of the
Palms and other genera, and a magni-
ficent specimen of the Agave Ameri-
cana has lately attracted my attention,
which is growing in the grounds of M.
J. O'Connor, Esq., at San Rafael, and
which would astonish some of our East-
ern friends could they but see it, with
its stately stem of more than thirty feet
in height and over a foot in diameter,
with its immense peduncles and flowers
seemingly too numerous to count. The
rapidity with which trees and plants
grow in California to a new comer ap-
pears something wonderful. Yet, not-
withstanding the ease and vigorous
growth of vegetation here, it is rare in-
deed to see anything like a high style
of art displayed in the laying out of
grounds, but which is prominent among
the better class of places at the East.
Art as applied to landscape gardening
in California is as yet in its infancy.
Perhaps there are no two words in the
English language that are so poorly
understood among us as those of land-
scape gardening. To simply lay out
and plant half an acre, or even an acre
of ground, does not constitute land-
scape gardening. As well, might a
painter of signs call himself a land-
scape painter, as the ordinary class of
gardeners call themselves landscape
gardeners (which many of them do).
No, it embraces a far larger scope. It
is art applied to nature, and in such a
way as to harmonize all existing parts.
Landscape gardening is a profession
requiring years of study and applica-
tion for one to become proficient in the
art, and it must be acknowledged as
such, as it is in Europe and the older
parts of the United States, before peo-
ple generally will come to discriminate

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

239

between art and conceit. To tell some
of our friends who have, what they
consider nice places, that they are a
century behind the age in the way of
laying them out and their treatment of
the trees, etc., would seem very much
like insulting their intelligence ; yet
what are the facts in the case? Look
at the gardens around San Francisco
and Oakland and you will then see that
the evergreen which abounds the most
is the Monterey Cypress, and you will
also notice in almost every case that
tree is clipped into the form of a pyra-
mid or cone, or something of the sort —
a style that was in vogue 200 years ago,
but which has been abandoned among
those who have had an appreciation of
the natural beauties of trees for more
than a century. A certain writer on
taste has said : " There appears to be
in the human mind a natural love of
order and symmetry. Children who at
first draw a house upon a slate general-
ly represent it with correspondent
parts; it is so with the infancy of taste.
Those who during the early part of
life have given little attention to ob-
jects of taste are captivated with the
regularity and symmetry of correspond-
ent parts, without any knowledge of
congruity, or a harmony of parts with
the whole. This accounts for those
numerous specimens of bad taste which
are too commonly observable in the
neighborhood of great towns.'' Look
at the public squares, or parks, as they
are called in San Francisco, and see to
what extent this barbarous practice of
clipping trees into such a shape that
each tree shall correspond to its fellow,
and the force of my remarks will be
understood. My intention is not to ig-
nore the use of the pruning knife or
shears, but to decry the practice of de-
stroying the individual beauty of a tree
by clipping it into an unnatural shape.

The subject of landscape gardening,
however, is so vast that little more can
be said in an article limited as this is,
than simply to hint at incongruities and
point out a remedy. Without going
into details, there are several points
upon which I would like to discourse,
such as congruity, utility, order, sim-
plicity, variety, continuity, association
(picturesque effect, etc.), but which
must be deferred to some future time.
My object in this being merely to call
attention to a subject which is deserv-
edly entitled to very great encourage-
ment by the people of California.

Hoeticola.

The Passion Flower. — The plant so
much prized at the North, the "Pas-
sion Flower," so called from a suppos-
ed resemblance to a cross guarded by
twelve apostles, and surrounded by a
multitude, grows very thriftily out of
doors in California. A lady writes from
Napa : " While swinging in a ham-
mock in my porch a few days since I
counted two hundred and fifty Passion
Flowers. In the rear of the house is a
verandah, with a similar vine, which,
though only four years old, has a stem
as large as my wrist. This I have giv-
en up to the birds, which are building
a city for me. I can count more than
forty nests. My Fuchsias are also
climbing to a length never seen in the
East, and as for our .Grapes, they are a
sight to see when the different kinds
are laid in one box ; they range from
black to white, including red, pink, li-
lac, purple, and a lovely French gray."

An Alden fruit dryer is being erected
at San Andreas, and is rapidly approach-
ing completion. The dryer will evap-
orate about 8,000 pounds of green fruit
per day, and its capacity can be increas-
ed to 20,000 pounds daily if desirable.

240

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

Itod ami (Bun.

HINTS TO YOUNG ANGLERS ON STRIK-

We can not too strongly condemn
this bad practice, and we will endeavor
to give a few reasons for so doing. In
the first place, if you have from fifteen
to eighteen yards of line out, we defy
any angler to strike in time to hook the
fish before he has taken the fly and
hooked himself. The angler, striking
just when the fish makes off with the
fly, necessarily strains his tackle, and
should the fish be but slightly hooked,
he breaks his hook and gets off. We
have ia the course of our experience
seen some of the best of rods and tack-
le broken by this means. "We strongly
recommend not to strike at all. All
that is necessary can be done with a
twist of the wrist, and then mount your
rod (at proper angles), keeping a strain
on your line, avoid being hasty, give
and take according to circumstances,
and feel your fish until he is safely
lodged in your net. We have seen
many instances of tackle being broken
and fish lost by striking even without
great force .

SPORTSMAN'S CLUB OF CALIFORNIA.

The progress of this Club is steadily
onward. It now numbers over 250
members, many of whom are our most

prominent citizens. Since we last made
any allusion to the Club in our columns
there has been some change in the man-
agement, superinduced by the annual
election. The Board of Directorship
as now constituted, consists of W. W.
Tray lor (President), A. M. Ebbets
(Vice President), and Alexander Weed,
D. A. Macdonald, and E. F. Preston.
These gentlemen are now engaged in a
careful revision of the game laws, with
a view to having them thoroughly
amended — as they much need to be —
at the next session of the State Legis-
lature. The Club has recently placed
in Lake Merced a large number of
McCloud River red-sided trout, hatch-
ed from the ova in the hatching troughs
at Lake Chabot — all in prime order and
condition. The Board of Directorship
is in treaty for a further large shipment
of salmon ova from McCloud River of
the same species as those procured last
year, which, when hatched out, will,
like the others, be placed in Lake Mer-
ced.

The fishing preserves in Lake San
Andreas continue to afford most mag-
nificent sport to the disciple of Izaak
Walton, provided he be a member of
the Club, because none others than
members can now fish in any of the wa-
ters under its control. Lake Pilarcitos
i3 for the present little sought after,
because of the superior sport and larg-
er fish procurable in Lake San Andreas.

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

241

But a little later in the season we ex-
pect to find a reaction in favor of Pil-
arcitos.

We regret to have to chronicle the
death by drowning of a most estimable
young gentleman — Mr. Samuel R. Kerr
— at Lake San Andreas, three weeks ago.
The melancholy accident was caused
by the upsetting of a boat from which
the deceased and a friend were fishing.
Mr. Kerr, who was only twenty-one
years of age, was a young gentleman of
rare promise and amiability, and a most I
esteemed member of the Club.

TROUT FISHING IN LAKE PILARCITOS.

It is not necessary at the present day
to write at any length in praise of ang-
ling, and still less on that perfection of
the art — fly-fishing. Volumes have been
written by hundreds of enthusiasts on
this subject, and I do not flatter myself
that anything specially that I can add
will form greater embellishment to the
encomiums already passed on this, to
many, very favorite sport and recrea-
tion. Fishing has long since ceased to
be the privilege of the wealthy and the
gentlemen of leisure only ; such are the
facilities and cheapness of travel, and
the culture of fish everywhere (thereby
increasing so greatly their numbers),
that everyone may fish who will, and
most men are content without casting
about for reasons, to base their liking
for this amusement on the pure love of
the sport. "With very many, however,
secondary and subsidiary delights com-
mend them to this amusement. As I
have just observed, fly-fishing, in par-
ticular, forms the very summit of the
science of angling. I may add, too,
that it charms its votaries by its associ-
ations ; and this brings me at once to
the locality — Lake Pilarcitos — which
forms the caption of this communica-

tion. Nowhere, perhaps, in this State
is there a piece of water surrounded
with more home-pictures or scenes of
natural beauty than this lovely lake
possesses. In the spring of the year
especially, its margins, hills, and
mountains around are starred with bril-
liantly-colored flowers, and it is clothed
with just enough of handsome forest-
trees and flowering-shrubs to make the
views most enchanting. Here the songs
of birds thrill the fragrant air, and the
hum of the insect world soothes the
senses ; besides, the woodlands and
valleys radiate with blossoms, and are
heavy with leafy shade. With these
pleasant concomitants all about the an-
gler, is it a wonder that so many mem-
bers of the Sportsman's Club, as well
as their families, can not resist its fas-
cinations? In a word, with regard to
the sport — to the vigorous correspond-
ence of eye, hand, and judgment which
it calls forth when the quarry is so vig-
ilant and active a fish as the trout ;
these and the like are patent recom-
mendations of fly-fishing to young and
old, the jaded mind and poetic temper-
ament.

But now to the more practical part
of this paper, for I fear I have dwelt
too long on the romantic and pictur-
esque portion of it. This charming
lake is at this time swarming with the
coveted game and .spotted favorites.
They take the fly readily either by out-
casting it from the bank or a boat. But
the greater number can, perhaps, be
captured with the rod, by trailing or
trolling the leader and flies from the
stern of the boat, rowing at a moderate
rate. Of course this is more pleasant-
ly performed by two persons, one row-
ing while the other fishes. A single
person can operate in this way alone,
by laying the rod down with a foot on
the butt-end, and when a fish seizes the

242

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTUBIST.

bait and hooks itself, dropping the oars,
seizing the rod, and playing and land-
ing the trout. The fish now mostly
taken average about ten inches.
There are, no doubt, many much larg-
er ones in these waters, but a great
number of the small ones are not very
courteous to them, and so take the
lead in seizing the fly or bait. Bait-
fishing can be had with pretty fair suc-
cess by using the worm, piece of fish,
or tail of a boiled shrimp, peeling off
the shell, on a small hook, in rather
deep places. The water of the lake is
very low — lower than it has been for
many years — and this is probably the
chief reason that the fish are so eager
to take the hook, food for them being
scarcer than usual, and their eagerness
to bite being in proportion to this fact.
They are also confined to a smaller
space, and therefore fall a more easy
prey to the angler. There are some
good-sized Eastern trout in the lake —
at least some of these handsome and
prized fish were put in last year ; but
none of them have been captured this
season. For next season's angling,
the trout will have attained about
double their present weight, which,
with a great diminution in the numbers
of the smaller ones, will add greatly to
the pleasure of the anglers. The fish-
ermen now have the satisfaction of
catching many of the length of ten or
eleven inches, but none of sufficient
weight to afford very exciting sport.
All the fish, however, are large enough,
and sufficiently good in quality of meat
to form a nice dish for the table when
properly and delicately cooked. The
house where the visitors take up their
abode is not more than two hundred
yards from the boats, of which there
are eight. It is delightfully situated
on a knoll, and embosomed in a grove
of native oaks and other fine trees and

evergreens. The active, vigilant host
and his family are attentive and accom-
modating to their guests; the fare is
very good and the charges moderate.
If anglers and their lady friends can
not pass an agreeable time for a day or
two, or more, at this pleasant and
beautiful spot, they must be hard to
please, or not admirers of the beauties
of Nature, or lovers of the gentle art.
For my own part, I hugely enjoyed my
visit of two days, and a good deal the
more so that I captured in that time
over one hundred of the finny tribe,
and took my leave for the present with
renewed health and strength, cherish-
ing since also many happy memories of
my sweet sojourn there.

On July 28th John Thomas shipped
to San Francisco from Benicia a sal-
mon that weighed 45 pounds, and a
sturgeon that brought down the scales
to 485 pounds ; the largest ever seen
here.

■ ■* ■ m

The Santa Cruz Sentinel says : One
day of the present week, on Ordish's
ranch, in the foot-hills, a son of Capt-
ain Allender shot an old female ground
squirrel, and in her pouches found
1,270 grains of wheat (4 ounces) intact,
and the nearest field of grain from
where the squirrel was killed was half
a mile distant .

The Banana. — It has been demon-
strated beyond doubt that Bananas can
be grown pretty successfully in Los An-
geles County, and we have faith to be-
lieve that they may be grown as well
in the thermal belt in Sonoma County.
The tree attains full growth in about
ten months, and it is a very profitable
crop as well as a most delicious fruit.
We hope some of our country men liv-
ing in the thermal belt will obtain a
few bulbs and make the experiment.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

243

Mttttil %vt\t\t$.

THE OLD, OLD HOME.

When I long for sainted memories,

Like angel troops they come,
If I fold my eyes to ponder

On the old, old home.
The heart has many passages

Through which the feelings roam,
But its middle aisle is sacred

To the thoughts of old, old home.

"Where infancy was sheltered,
Like rosebuds from the blast ;

Where girlhood's brief elysium
In joyousness was passed ;

To that sweet spot forever,

* As to some hallowed dome,

Life's pilgrim bends her vision —
'Tis her old, old home.

A father sat, how proudly,

By that old hearthstone's rays,
And told his children stories

Of his tarly manhood's days ;
And one soft eye was beaming,

From child to child 'twould roam ;
Thus a mother counts her treasures,

In the old, old home.

The birthday gifts and festivals,
The blended vesper hymn,

(Some dear one who was swelling it,
Is with the Seraphim ) ;

The fond " good-nights " at bed time-
How quiet sleep would come,

And fold us all together,
In the old, old home.

Like a wreath of scented flowers,

Close intertwined each heart;
But time and change in concert,

Have blown the wreath apart.
But dear and sainted memories

Like angels ever come,
If I fold my arms and ponder

On the old, old home.

— Cincinnati Daily Times.

USES OF THE PRICKLY PEAR.

"We have seen the articles used, but
sparingly ; they were not the sort of
things as we find them in Queensland,
to be handled without consideration ;
and we are glad to see, therefore, that

other people are having a hand in the
business. At the last meeting of the
Acclimatization Society, the following
paper, from India, was submitted :

The Prickly Pear, or, as it is called
in Marathi, the Phudeh Nurung, is a
cactus very common in the Deccan of
the Bombay Presidency, and is classed
twelfth in the classification by Linnaeus,
who named it the Opnntia vulgaris. It
is called the Indian Fig. This cactus
is the hardiest of all the genera of cac-
ti, and on Mount Etna, where forests
of it exist, it grows in chinks and crev-
ices in the rocks where there appears
scarcely soil enough to contain its
roots. A specimen of the plant was
taken to the botanical garden at Kew,
near Richmond in Surrey, where it is
now, among many others of the same
family, admired as a curious exotic.
Attempts have been made and a desire
exists, I believe, entirely to destroy
this plant. It is, however, judicious
to accept as a truth that every created
thing has a use in Nature's great and
frugal scheme, to which it can be legit-
imately and indeed profitably applied.
The Opuntia vulgaris came to this
country from America, and is there
met with even on the Rocky Mount-
ains up to 49° of north latitude. Vari-
ous methods are found of using this
plant and members of its family in oth-
er countries. In North America an
Opuntia is used for protection around
forts. In the very poorly wooded dis-
tricts of Chile and Peru the stems of
an Opuntia take the place of wood for
small beams and door-posts, and in the
north of the former country it is used
as firewood for copper smelting. In
Peru the thorns are cleverly made into
needles. In California hedges are
made with the Opuntia vulgaris around
cultivation. In the West Indies the
Opuntia vulgaris is used for feeding

244

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

pigs, also for hedging, and is there
cultivated. In Mexico the Opuntia
vulgaris and Opuntia cochinillifera are
used for hedging the boundaries of
fields, and figure in one of the quarter-
ings of the arms of that State. The
cultivation of these plants has been but
lately introduced into South Italy,
Portugal, and Spain. In the latter
country, a feast occurs among the poor
at the time of the ripening of the fruit
in September. The fruit is in Spain
considered so great a favorite that in
the month of September hundreds of
vendors sit in the streets of the town
busily employed in stripping the fruit
off the branches (which have been gath-
ered loaded with it), their hands and
arms being fearfully swollen with the
spines that they have not leisure to
avoid, so great is the impatience of the
purchasers to obtain the fruit. In
Convent Garden market Prickly Pears
are sold at the rate of two pence each.
I may remark here that during the
years 1870-71 and 1871-72, when the
crops in some of the eastern talukas of
the Poona and Ahmednuggur zillas
were almost a total failure, the fruit of
the Prickly Pear was generally eaten
by Mahars, Mangs, and others of the
poor class. In Greece the Opuntia
vulgaris is used for hedges, and in Sar-
dinia and Sicily for feeding pigs. O.
vulgaris and 0. cochinillifera are care-
fully planted and cultivated in Mexico,
California, and on the coast of Granada;
also in the Canary Islands for fence
material, and the latter species for the
production of cochineal. The objec-
tions raised to using the Opuntia vul-
garis as a hedge material and otherwise
are, I believe, its unsightliness ; it har-
bors vermin ; its tendency to spread ;
it takes moisture from the land and ad-
joining crops.

With reference to its unsightliness, I

acknowledge that we very commonly
imagine we do not require it, and think
that its growth at all is quite a mistake;
but has not its unsightliness something
to do with the fact that no general at-
tempt has ever been made to make it
really useful ? It is permitted, unheed-
ed and from want of common care, to
earn a terribly bad name for itself. It
covers the waste land adjoining many
villages, grown there into large and
lofty impenetrable clumps, affording
shelter for vermin, and is unquestiona-
bly, thus situated, not only unsightly,
but a very great nuisance. In such ca-
ses it has mastered not served us. The
fault here, however, is scarcely that of
the Prickly Pear, but rather of those
who permitted it to attain unmanage-
able dimensions, and to grow where it
is not required. Grass grown upon
neglected roads is unsightly, simply
because' it is " without the fitness of
things," and is neither required nor
useful there. I have seen very many
well-kept Prickly Pear hedges, that
had anything but an unsightly appear-
ance, partly overgrown with creepers
and with bushes and trees growing in
their midst ; the latter shielded from
injury by the Prickly Pear from their
youth up; on the contrary, they ap-
peared, in the integrity of the expres-
sion, protecting hedges, strong, dura-
ble and useful, and utility is certainly
one of the lamps of beauty. " It har-
bors vermin." When used as a hedge
this is true, and as far as regards fields,
plantations, and forest properties gen-
erally, it is probably an advantage, as
if useful vermin are to be permitted to
exist, they are less liable to do harm in
the hedges than elsewhere. " Its tend-
ency to spread " is apparently a far
more serious charge. I acknowledge
that if there is carelessness exhibited
in the disposition of the cuttings of the

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

245

Prickly Pear ; if, instead of being made
use of, they are thrown about or allow-
ed to float down a nala or river, they
will, without doubt, take root where
they are not required, and become a
nuisance ; but a careful gardener does
not throw his gathered weeds careless-
ly about ; he collects them into a heap
and burns them. There is not the
slightest difficulty in drying and burn-
ing, as manure, pieces cut off of Prickly
Pear hedges that are trimmed during
the hot months of the year, and this
operation, moreover, at this season of
the year, renders highly unlikely, if
not impossible, the seeding of the
plant, for it is only on large, over-
grown, useless clumps, and on hedges
left untrimmed from year to year, that
the seed is procurable at all. This
leads to the remark that, if the plant is
everywhere made use of as a fence, and
nowhere permitted to grow to a mas-
sive, useless size, the seed will be diffi-
cult to obtain, and its undue spread
about the land thus checked. In fact,
by its general use, if what is here ad-
vanced is correct, the plant would re-
quire to be cultivated to obtain its seed;
and this is the state of things from my
point of view to be brought about.
There are quantities of Prickly Pear
hedges around house compounds in
Poona that are exactly in the same use-
ful, orderly state they were fifteen years
ago. They have given no trouble, nor
is it found that the plant has spread it-
self into adjoining gardens or on the
sides of the roads. There are some
hedges, on the other hand, in a disor-
derly state ; these, however, in most
cases are situated along roads, and sur-
round lands the property of Govern-
ment. The Prickly Pear was used to
protect from injury, by cattle and ver-
min, the many beautiful trees now lin-
ing the lately-constructed roads around

Vol. VII— 16.

Poona; but after its work was done
with such a happy termination — that is,
after the trees were strong enough to
take care of themselves — it might have
been cut down, burnt, and the ashes
laid to the roots of the trees as a ma-
nure, and thus, as in life, so the plant
would have proved useful when dead.
Now, however, pieces are scattered
about, and some have taken root here
and there, and by consequence, forget-
ting, perhaps, that it successfully ful-
filled itg mission as our servant, we
stigmatize it as troublesomely persist-
ent, and thus blame the plant for pos-
sessing a quality in which, from my
point of view, its highest usefulness
consists. It takes moisture from the
land and from adjoining crops, is stat-
ed as an objection. Its power to draw
moisture to the earth's surface, not
only through hard, apparently hope-
lessly sterile land, but through disinte-
grated trap, is very extraordinary ; but
herein lies, I certainly think, one very
strong argument in its favor, and I
therefore, if upon no other account,
strongly advocate its general use all
through those parts of the country
where, by reason of a lack of moisture,
or for other causes, it is difficult or im-
possible, without its assistance, success-
fully to grow other descriptions of liv-
ing hedges. In the eastern districts of
the Poona zilla, except in the Govern-
ment babool plantations, scarcely a
tree or a shrub is to be seen. Even
those trees which formed the natural
boundaries of fields and the limits of
village lands are destroyed, and the
land, during the hot months of the
year lacking shade and the means of
retaining moisture near the surface, be-
comes hard and cold, and unnaturally
destitute of moisture. Should here-
upon a scanty rainfall ensue, the land
remains dry and unproductive. In

246

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

most European countries much more
attention than formerly is now being
given to the construction of living
hedges and the growth of trees around
cultivation. In parts of Germany the
Robinia pseudo-acacia is, I believe, al-
most universally being grown around
fields. — Qiteenslander.

HEN MANURE IN THE GARDEN.

One of the best fertilizers within easy
reach of the farmer and villager, is the
contents of the hennery. This often
goes to waste, and the hens find their
own lodging in trees, and on sheds,
and other outbuildings. But on most
farms there is a roost under cover,
where the droppings accumulate, and
are kept in a dry state. As a rule, not
much care is bestowed upon it. Often
it lies upon the floor without absorb-
ents, the ammonia constantly escaping,
to the injury of the fowls. Sometimes
it has an annual cleaning, but oftener
it lies for years only wasting. Analysis
shows it to be exceedingly rich in ni-
trogen, worth a cent a pound, or more,
in the state in which we usually find it.
If all its good properties were carefully
gathered, and saved by the use of ab-
sorbents, it would be worth much more
than this. There are two ways of do-
ing this, equally effectual — daily sweep-
ing and gathering into barrels or boxes,
or by frequent deposits of absorbents
under the perches. The former meth-
od involves a good deal of labor, and is
resorted to only by those who insist
upon the utmost neatness in the hen-
house. The droppings deposited in
the barrels are covered daily with plas-
ter, dry peat, or some other good ab-
sorbent. Our own method is to apply
the absorbents frequently under the
roosts. The hennery has a cemented

floor, and is built into a bank, fronting
on the south, with a large supply of
windows to give light and heat. Spring
water is brought into the poultry-house
by a pipe, and by the turning of a fau-
cet a constant supply of fresh water is
secured. The whole floor is covered
with absorbents of various kinds, in
which the fowls scratch and dust them-
selves as freely as they choose. The
staple absorbent in summer is dry gar-
den soil or road dust, gathered as the
state of the weather permits. In the
winter it is sifted hard-coal ashes from
the furnace. In addition to this, sea-
weed, and the wrack from the shore
are frequently thrown in, which fur-
nishes food for the fowls, as well as
helps the manure heap. As soon as
the smell of ammonia is detected, more
earth is added, and thus the pile of
manure grows gradually through the
year. It is removed as often as a manure
is wanted in the garden, at planting, or
to assist growing crops. It needs to be
used with caution, either in the dry or
liquid state. We have large faith in
the economy of liquid manure, applied
to fruits and vegetables in the summer.
It is very good in dry weather, and not
much less good in wet, if the soil is
well drained. The quantity of water
that plants will take up in the growing
season is wonderful. We keep a large
tank, which is supplied with manure
and water from the hennery, and fre-
quently applied to Cucumbers, Squash-
es, Melons, Tomatoes, Cabbages, and
to Grape-vines and other small fruits.
The liquid manure adds much to the
vigor of the plants, and the size and
quality of the vegetables and fruits.
To those who have never tried it, we
think the free use of liquid manure will
open a new revelation in gardening.
Try it on the flower borders, and on all
the growing crops. — Exchange.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

247

THE GUM AKABIC TREE.

We have many Acacia trees in this
State, and they grow well in some lo-
calities, while in others they are de-
stroyed by a scale insect. We are not
aware of the species of all the Acacia
trees in the State, nor do we know
whether any one has the "Egyptian
Gum Arabic Tree" (Acacia Vera L.).
If not, the introduction of it would
seem to be a matter of interest, and
possibly the foundation of a promising
industry. The locality in which the
experiment might be tried would have
great influence upon the result, for the
tree is represented to be a fastidious
grower. It is said to be doing well in
Florida, and Mr. Benjamin Hall gives
the Florida Agriculturist the following
interesting account of the tree : " This
semi-tropical tree, or, more properly,
shrub, rarely exceeds fifteen feet in
height, and is remarkable for its pecul-
iar, crooked-shaped trunk. Its foliage
is of a pale green color, and it may be
said to be the most beautiful of the
Acacia family. It puts forth its flow-
ers in March, and its seeds, which
grow in a hard, coriaceous pod, some-
what resembling the Acacia jambosia,
and its seeds those of the Lupine,
which yields a reddish dye, used by
tanners in the preparation of leather.
This tree, which affords the finest gum
arabic of commerce, is a native of the
sandy deserts of Arabia, Egypt, and
the western parts of Asia ; it also grows
abundantly in Barbary and other parts
of Africa, particularly on the Atlas
Mountains. In Cairo and Alexandria
in Egypt, many streets are adorned
with this tree, which is set on either
side. In Morocco, where this tree is
called " Attelep," large quantities of
this gum are collected for export. The
trunk of this tree is covered with a

smooth, gray bark, while that of the
branches is of a yellowish green or pur-
ple tinge. At the base of the leaves
there are two opposite awl -shaped
spines, growing nearly erect, and hav-
ing a slight glandular swelling below.
The wood is hard and takes a good
polish. The gum exudes spontaneous-
ly from the bark of the trunk and
branches of the tree in a soft or nearly
fluid state, and hardens by exposure to
the air or to the heat of the sun. The
more sickly the tree, the more gum it
yields, and the hotter the weather the
more prolific it is. A wet winter and a
cool or mild summer are unfavorable
to the crop. The gum begins to flow
in Egypt in December, in Florida in
March, immediately after or near the
time of the flowering of the tree. Aft-
erwards, as the weather becomes hot-
ter, incisions are generally made in the
bark to assist the exudation of the gum.
The gum when new emits a faint smell,
and when stowed in the warehouse, it
may be heard to crack spontaneously
for several weeks, and this cracking is
the surest criterion of new gum, as it
never does so when old. Several kinds
of gum, yielded by different trees, are
occasionally to be met with, but that
which is commonly substituted for it is
brought from the island of Senegal, on
the coast of Africa, and is called ' Gum
Senegal.' This tree is remarkably sen-
sitive to sudden changes of the weath-
er, and its leaflets are open only to the
rays of the sun. There are several trees
growing successfully on the Indian
River, and appear to be adapted to this
soil and climate. This tree is possess-
ed of much merit, and is worthy of cult-
ure, both for ornament and profit. It
is propagated by its seeds, which can
be obtained by mail, at letter postage
rates, through the American Consul,
in Cairo, or Alexandria, Egypt."

248

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

TREES FOR USE AND ORNAMENT.

It is far too common a practice for
those who want a few or many trees
about their grounds to select those
most easily and cheaply obtained, with-
out taking into consideration their use-
fulness in the future. A Cotton-wood
or Lombardy Poplar may grow rapidly
and give shade and make a good show
in much less time than a Hickory or
Maple, but what are they good for be-
sides the shade and show? Of course,
if cut down and the wood well season-
ed, it will burn, and if a man had
enough of it he might keep himself and
family warm, and perhaps keep the
pot boiling with such fuel, but it is a
poor substitute for a much better arti-
cle of wood which might be produced
upon the same land with really no
greater outlay of money or labor. Now
if a man plants Sugar Maples he has
something which is growing better and
more valuable for the next hundred
years, and can look forward to a time
when he or his children can tap the
trees and make a few pounds of sugar
annually from each. If a tree has to
be cut down because it crowds its
neighbor, it will make excellent fire-
wood, and, if the stem is large enough,
good timber for various purposes. By
planting shell-bark hickories he can be
assured of having the toughest of tim-
ber at hand when wanted, and the time
wi]l soon come when a few bushels of
the nuts can be enjoyed at home, or
sold in market for cash.

Black Walnut is another tree which
may be considered both useful and or-
namental, and although one may have
to wait a good many years before they
have grown large enough to be of val-
ue for cutting up into lumber, still the
owner can have the satisfaction of
knowing that every year they are com-

ing nearer that point, whether they
reach it in his day or not.

Then there are various species of
Oaks, which soon reach a size at which
they can be made useful both for fire-
wood and timber for different kinds of
farm implements. Even the common
Bass wood or Linden, although not very
valuable for timber, is a handsome tree
and worth growing for the honey it
yields, wherever bees are kept as a
source of profit. — Rural New Yorker.

EVERGREENS FROM SEEDS.

All evergreens, and the Larches, re-
quire nearly identical treatment in
propagating them from seed. The
seed should be sown pretty thickly on
carefully prepared beds, as early in the
spring as the soil can be worked. A
better plan would be to mix the seed
with sand, in boxes, in the fall, and
place them where they will keep moist,
and be secure from mice, and sow in
the beds in the spring. About four
times the diameter of the seeds is the
proper depth to cover them.

The beds should have a frame erect-
ed over them, of from six to seven feet
high, or at such a height as to enable
the workmen to weed and care for the
beds. This frame should be covered
lightly with leaf boughs — just enough
to guard the beds from the direct rays
of the sun, but not to prevent moisture
from reaching the ground evenly. If
they make good growth the first season
the shade may be removed the second ;
but, if weak, it is better continued par-
tially the second year. A light mulch
is also necessary in winter, especially if
the soil is at all liable to heave.

The seedling plants should be trans-
planted into other beds at two years
old, and here again, it is better to
shade them slightly. If planted six

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

249

inches by three inches, an immense
amount of plants may be got into a
comparatively small space. As the
plants crowd, take up every other row
and transplant, and again, alternates
in the remaining rows, until the plants
stand twelve inches apart each way-
Then, as they begin to crowd again,
thin until tbey stand two feet apart;
and again, so that ultimately the trees
stand four feet apart each way. These,
so left, should be root pruned, if fine
specimens are expected.

If this plan is not liked, the whole
bed may be taken up at the second
transplanting, and be placed in regular
nursery rows, where they may be kept
clean by horse cultivation. Whatever
* the plan, the removals should be plant-
ed in nursery rows, or planted at once
in the belts or other situations where
needed.

NASTY GREENHOUSES.

A clergyman of Chicago writes to the
Gardener's Monthly upon greenhouses.
We do not know what class of houses
this divine is in the habit of visiting,
certainly not the best public or private
ones, scores of which might be named,
as good as any in the land. We feel
sorry for his losses, and advise the ten-
der-lunged and delicate-fingered divine
to seek first-class establishments in fu-
ture when seeking plants. His plaint
is as follows :

There is no milder word for it. They
are superlatively and emphatically nas-
ty. It is impossible to remain in them
for half an hour without being poison-
ed. The air you can determine to be
charged with spores that attack the hu-
man as they do the vegetable tissue.
Green mould is thriving on pots and
on brick walls, and on partly decayed
boards. Pumps work in sloppy cor-

ners and rotten troughs. The plants
are covered with fungi as well as innu-
merable insects. These latter do what
they can to transform vegetable decay
into animal life. The plants strive to
use up the surplus of carbonic acid.
But both work in vain. There is but
one thought in the mind of the owner,
to force the growth of as many plants
as possible, and then send the wither-
ed, diseased things out into the pot
windows and cases, or conservatories
of our homes. The amount of disap-
pointment is great and shameful. A
single plant from such a carnival of
filth, diseases all one's choice speci-
mens, and the labor of years. I have
no words to condemn the loathsome
stuff that is shipped about every spring
without regard to our pleasure and
health. It has been a sore pecuniary
loss to me, and a vexation of soul that
nothing could compensate. There are
thousands wbo give over the culture of
plants "because they can not make
them grow." The secret of failure lie3
in thrips and red spiders, and lice of
every species. Out on nasty green-
houses !

FRUITS OF CENTRAL ASTA.

Eugene Schuyler, in writing of Turk-
istan, says that the gardens constitute
tbe beauty of all the land. The long
rows of Poplar and Elm trees, the vine-
yards, the dark foliage of the Pome-
granate over the walls, transport one at
once to the plains of Lombardy, or of
Southern France. In the early spring
the outskirts of the cities, and indeed
the whole valley, are one mass of white
and pink, with the bloom of Almond
and Peach, of Cherry and Apple, of
Apricot and Plum, which perfume the
air for miles around. These gardens
are the favorite dwelling-places in sum-

250

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

mer, and well they may be ; nowhere
are fruits more abundant, and of some
varieties it can be said that nowhere
are they better. The Apricots and
Nectarines, I think, it would be impos-
sible to surpass anywhere. These rip-
en in June, and from that time until
winter, fruit and Melons are never
lacking. Peaches, though smaller in
size, are better in flavor than the best
in England ; but they are far surpassed
by those of Delaware. The big blue
Plums of Bukhara are celebrated all
through Asia. The Cherries are most-
ly small and sour. The best Apples
come either from Khiva or from Susak,
to the north of Turkistan ; but the
small white Pears of Tashkent are ex-
cellent in their way. The Quince, as
with us, is cultivated only for jams or
marmalades, or for flavoring soup. Be-
sides Watermelons, there are in com-
mon cultivation ten varieties of early
Melons, and six varieties which ripen
later, any of which would be a good
addition to our gardens. In that hot
climate they are particularly whole-
some, and form one of the principal ar-
ticles of food during summer. "When a
man is warm and thirsty, he thinks
nothing of sitting down and finishing a
couple of them. An acre of land, if
properly prepared, would produce, in
ordinary years, from two to three thou-
sand, and in very good years twice as
many. Of Grapes I noticed thirteen
varieties, the most of them remarkably
good. The Jews distill a kind of bran-
dy from the Grapes, and the Russians
have begun to make wine ; but all the
brandies which I have seen, both red
and white, were harsh and strong, and
far inferior to the wines of the Crimea
or the Caucasus. Large quantities of
fruit are dried, and are known in Rus-
sian commerce by the name of irium or
kishmish, although the latter is only

properly applied to a certain kind of
Grape. If the fruit were dried proper-
ly and carefully, it might become a
very important article of trade, as it is
naturally so sweet that it can be made
into confotes and preserves without the
addition of sugar.

LOCATIONS AND SOILS BEST FOE OR-
CHARDS.

F. R. Elliott says, in the Ohio Farm-
er, on this subject : Many and varied
views on this subject have been pre-
sented by those who have given their
record in the meetings of horticultural
and pomological societies. The whole
question, however, rests in the fact that
the tree must have its roots in soil fit-
ted to its wants, and where there is an >
undercurrent of moisture that can be
taken up by the tap or lower roots in
times of dry atmosphere and lack of
moisture upon the surface.

Again, trees should not be situated
in low valleys, or any confined air
space, without an underground drain-
age, for here the cold is increased, and,
added to the moisture of the valley, is
often five to seven or ten degrees of
Fahrenheit below that of the high
ground adjoining. Some of the most
valuable orchards known stand on ele-
vated situations, with what is generally
termed a thin, light, loamy soil, resting
upon a basis of rock. In such posi-
tions the trees do not grow as rapidly
as in deeper and richer soils, but they
become fruitful sooner, and continue a
long and productive life.

Thorough drainage in all cases is es-
sential to healthy growth of tree and
productiveness. Aspect is also a ma-
terial circumstance, and should be
modified by the climate and variety of
fruit to be grown. A Peach orchard
will bear warmth better than one of
the hardy, firm wooded varieties of Ap-

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTUBIST.

251

pies, Pears, and Plums. It is well for
the planter to study the position when-
ever he intends to plant, and ere de-
ciding upon positions for certain trees,
look over the surrounding country and
note the success or failure of others
who have gone before hirn in the work.
According as this is adapted to the
growth and character of the variety
planted will be his success. It is not
policy to stimulate trees into growing
too luxuriantly by means of manures,
but a healthy, steady, yearly growth,
ripening the wood perfectly, forms the
most permanent orchard.

MOLES AND THEIR WORM- STOKES.

In a tract of meadow land in Norfolk,
which lies below the level of a tidal riv-
er, and which is therefore preserved
from being submerged by artificial em-
bankments, the mole is not infrequent,
although he is regarded by the occupi-
ers with great disfavor. In addition to
his ordinary sin of making the grass-
land difficult to mow, he has an ugly
trick of boring into the river walls; and,
by loosening the sods which hold these
walls together, imperils the walls them-
selves. Mole-catchers are therefore in
great request, and a few minutes spent
in company with one has taught me a
lesson on the mole's history which was
quite new to me. March is the mole's
breeding month ; and in preparation
for the appearance of young ones stores
of fresh meat, in the shape of worms,
have been laid up under hills, larger
than ordinary mole -hills, but in the
open marsh, which an experienced eye
readily recognizes. The mole-catcher
(in whose company I found myself ac-
cidentally) is employed to poison moles,
and the food in which he puts his poi-
son is the common earth worm. Soon-
er than spend his time in digging for

these on the upland, he had come down
to the marsh to rob the mole's larders,
and he hit on these with the sagacity of
a terrier sniffing at a rabbit's burrow,
and did not open a hill in vain when I
was with him. He chose the largest
hills which were on the highest spots
on the marsh, and opening one in my
presence, he laid bare a round cavity,
the sides of which were beaten hard by
the mole, so as to prevent the worms
from attempting to pierce their way
out. Inside this there was nearly a
quart of fine worms, quite free from
any admixture of soil, each worm ap-
parently tied up in a coil or knot, yet
all alive. Upon being dragged out of
the place in which they had been stor-
ed, the worms began to wriggle away ;
but the mole-catcher put them into the
box he carried, and took away his prize.
Is this habit of the mole generally
known among naturalists? It seems to
argue a reflective faculty, great as in
the beaver, that the mole should pre-
pare a prison in which worms can be
kept alive. — Field.

HOW TO PREPARE BOTANICAL SPECI-
MENS.

Amateur botanists who propose roam-
ing about the fields and forests this
summer in quest of specimens for their
herbaria, will be interested in the fol-
lowing extract from the English Me-
chanic, giving directions for the pre-
servation of the plants : " Small
plants should have the roots ; and, if
possible, obtain a specimen of each at
different seasons — the young plants, in
flower, and when the seed or fruit ia
nearly ripe. Get a quire of good thick
blotting-paper, and a couple of large
boards, and paper on which to mount
your specimens. Let the boards be
about the same size as the blotting-

252

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

paper. Demy paper of good quality is
the best size for mounting. Arrange
your plants between the sheets of blot-
ting-paper— some plants require sever-
al thicknesses — and see that the leaves,
etc. , are properly disposed on the pa-
per, as you will not be able to alter
them when they are dry. It is a good
plan to interpose a few sheets of card-
board, as it prevents one plant from
spoiling another. When your drying
paper is filled, put the whole between
your boards and subject to pressure ;
take them out every twenty-four hours,
and dry the paper, correcting any dis-
placement as you go on ; when dry
they are ready for mounting. Don't
gum or paste them to the paper. Cut
short slips with a penknife under the
stalks about one-eighth of an inch long.
Take a piece of paper as broad as the
slit is long, fold the paper and pass it
over the stalk, and through the hole at
the back, gum the ends on the back.
I have seen every (I think) method of
mounting, and this is certainly the
neatest and cleanest. After this they
must be painted with the following
preservative solution : Corrosive subli-
mate, twenty grains ; camphor, twenty
grains ; rectified spirits of wine, one
ounce. This is a deadly poison, and
should be handled very cautiously.
Each sheet should have a neat label in
the corner stating date and place of
collection, and name of collector, also
general habitat, specific and generic
names, with natural order, etc. With-
out these particulars they will (as a col-
lection) be perfectly valueless."

The Watercress Trade in Paris. —
Watercresses are now an important ar-
ticle of commerce in Paris, where their
consumption has of late years increased
enormously. Formerly, Paris depend-
ed for its watercresses on crops gather-

ed by night from brooks and ponds by
persons who made it their business to
traverse the country for some miles
round the city in search of them, and
they were, as a rule, of very inferior
quality. In 1810, an officer of the
French army, being at Erfuth, saw a
number of ditches filled with water-
cresses, and conceived the idea of form-
ing in the valley of Nonette, between
Senlis and Chantilly, a similar cress-
growing establishment conducted on a
system. This led to a great develop-
ment of cress culture and of the market
for this plant. Other cress - growers
started in business in the environs of
Paris, and at the present time, at all
seasons, more than thirty car-loads of
cresses are sent into Paris daily, each
load being worth about 300 francs,
representing a consumption of about
9,000 francs' worth of cresses in the 24
hours, or more than 3,000,000 francs'
($600,000) worth a year.— Fall Mall Gaz.

The Curl in Peach Leaves. — This
disease injures the growth of the trees
by reducing the extent of the foliage,
and it sometimes becomes serious. It
is caused by a parasitic fungus, which
may be seen with a powerful micro-
scope, first inside of the freshly open-
ing leaves, and afterwards covering the
surface. The best remedy is promot-
ing vigorous growth. We see a state-
ment in one of our exchanges, that coal
ashes densely spread around the trees
is a good remedy, which is doubtless
true, so far as it promotes vigorous
growth by acting as a useful mulch.
Some years ago, when this disease pre-
vailed, many of our trees were badly
injured, but on one which stood near a
pig pen, and was benefited by the ma-
nure, the leaves were free from it, the
growth being strong, and the foliage
of a deep green color.

THE CALIFOKNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

253

mitmM gortfoU*.

OUE FRONTISPIECE.

AQTTAKIUM AND FLORAL STAND.

The aquarium is so well known and
its design understood, that little or no
explanation concerning it or its uses is
now necessary. Considered as a do-
mestic ornament it is almost unsurpas-
sable, and, while in its humblest form
it presents a constant succession of
beautiful and novel objects, so to all
the accessories of artistic decoration, it
adds the charm of life in some of its
beautiful and curious developments,
even if the proprietor of it should not
have time or means to do more than
keep in it some handsome gold and sil-
ver fish. The merest glimpse of water
is always refreshing to the eye ; its
clear, cool aspect, the mingling of col-
ors and forms ; the peculiar growth of
aquatic plants, and the still more curi-
ous forms and movements of any kind
of aquatic animals, combine to form
some delightful and ever-changing pic-
tures. To the naturalist it opens up
some new studies, and under circum-
stances almost as natural as those in
which they were produced, we may
study the habits and economy of the
fish or other creatures even to the
minutest particulars. The aquarium
also exemplifies in an instructive man-
ner the great system of compensation,
which in nature preserves the equilibri-
um in animal and vegetable life. Ani-
mals take oxygen from the medium in
which they live, and in return exhale
carbonic acid. Vegetables, also, ab-
sorb oxygen gas, and give out carbon ;
but they also absorb the latter in great-
er quantity than they exhale it, and
during their season of greatest activity
throw off more oxygen than they take
up at other times. Herein is the first

element in the management of an aqua-
rium, which, to be successful, must con-
tain a sufficient number of plants to
supply the animals with atmosphere,
and for respiration.

Should only gold and silver fish be
put into an aquarium, it will prove re-
munerative as a mere amusement, as a
means of some piscatorial study, or in
conjunction with plants and flowers
connected with it, as given in our illus-
tration, a choice and refining ornament
for the window of a parlor or drawing-
room, or for the adornment of a con-
servatory. It should have a place in
the home of every person of taste. Its
comparative inexpensiveness fitting it
for the dwellings of those whose means
are not ample, and its adaptability for
costly ornamentation, and for develop-
ment to almost any extent of complete-
ness, rendering it equally worthy the
attention of those whose means enable
them to gratify their love of elegance
and refinement.

We need hardly refer to the beauti-
ful effect of the combination of grace-
ful and handsome flowers in pots' at the
bottom and sides of the stand, with the
elegant form of the aquarium above and
beside them. We may safely say, how-
ever, that scarcely any auch attractive
and interesting an object can be devis-
ed as this to set forth a parlor window
to a satisfactory extent of pleasing dec-
oration.

WORK FOR THE MONTH.

In the vegetable garden but very lit-
tle is done in California throughout the
summer, the cause of which is the fact
that vegetables of all kinds can be pro-
cured as cheaply and of excellent qual-
ity, much better, in fact, than we find
are raised in our private gardens.
However, it is pleasant and agreeable

254

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

to have an opportunity of gathering
them fresh from our own garden and of
our own raising. This is a good time
to plant Lettuce for autumn and 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 and good
throughout the whole winter season.

The lawn requires particular care
during the month of August. Thor-
ough watering and frequent cutting are
very essential points in keeping the sod
in good and uniform condition. Ever-
greens and deciduous ornamental trees
outside of the lawn do not require more
irrigating now. The Cypress, Thujas,
and Acacias may be brought into prop-
er and uniform shape by clipping off
the rank shoots which have grown out
of proportion. If compact and dense
growth is desired, a general cutting
back of the young growth will have the
desired effect.

Roses have already made their sum-
mer 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 Oc-
tober for winter flowering.

Many of the Lilies have done flower-
ing. If it be desirable to propagate
them, let it be done now. This is done

by taking off the sound scales and set-
ting 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 dur-
ing autumn and winter, the seed should
be sown during the latter part of Au-
gust.

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.

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 custom-
ers, and the result is that, particularly
in San Francisco, three-fourths of all
the fruit 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
we are inclined to believe that they are
likely to be the greatest sufferers. 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 often
carried to extremes, fruit being offered
for sale in this market which is posi-
tively unfit to eat. The law should
provide a fruit inspector, as it does for
meat inspectors; it is certainly very
deficient in this respect. We hope
most sincerely that at least some of our

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

255

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. Notwith-
standing what we have now said, how-
ever, on this subject, we are free to
confess that, upon the whole, there has
arisen some improvement in this re-
spect within the last few years, and
that most of the fruits this year in the
market are riper and better put up than
they used to be.

m ■ m

EXOTIC GARDENS-CRYSTAL PAVILION
CONCERTS.

About a year ago the enterprising
proprietors and florists of these gardens
erected, for the advancement of their
business, numerous plant and propa-
gating houses on the greater portion of
a block on Mission Street, directly op-
posite Woodward's Gardens. Among
these extensive glass structures are three
very large, lofty, and gracefully arched
conservatories, in which were planted a
large quantity of the finest and choic-
est varieties of exotic, tropical, and
semi-tropical plants, with handsome
and picturesque rockeries, fountains,
ponds for aquatic plants, etc. The
tout ensemble was highly interesting and
imposing to all lovers of these objects
and beauties of the vegetable world.
Many persons visited these enchanting
scenes and were charmed with their ar-
rangement and the beautiful specimens
of the floral kingdom, which were so
skillfully disposed over the large space
which was occupied by these lovely
achievements of art as well as of natur-
al productions. The great dryness of
a portion of last fall and winter, with
the depression in general business, ren-
dered the sales in the horticultural line
quite inadequate to the capital invested
by these gentlemen in their occupation,

consequently a thought suggested it-
self to them lately, that the main build-
ing, with suitable alterations and im-
provements, might be utilized as a
place for public recreation and amuse-
ment, in the shape of a promenade, to-
gether with the employment of the
highest musical talent, in the character
of concerts. These concerts have been
now carried on for several weeks, and,
we are happy to say, attended with so
much public patronage as to justify the
hope that the energetic and spirited
owners of this establishment may in
process of time be well and amply re-
munerated for their outlay in the fur-
nishing and ornamentation of these de-
lightful grounds for day and evening
promenading, and the refining influ-
ence of excellent music. "Whatever
serves to heighten our purest enjoy-
ments, and produces a spiritualizing ef-
fect on our nature and habits, and adds
fresh, graces to our domestic and moral
life, must be worthy of encouragement
and culture. The last ten or twelve
years on this coast and in this city have
been marked by such an encouraging
progress in aesthetics as to be worthy
of designation as a new era in our so-
cial life. Painting, music, sculpture,
horticulture, have made such advances
here as to warrant a quick march of the
popular mind in the appreciation of
beauty, and the promotion of every
means of intellectual and moral refine-
ment. There is a vast distance, of
course, to travel before the culminat-
ing point in these respects can be at-
tained, but we are surely, we trust, in
the ascent toward it, and our course is
becoming steadier and our light purer
as we rise. Let our conversation shape
itself to such ennobling scenes as these
Exotic Gardens and the ennobling mu-
sic in them present to us, and let our
pleasures take a tone from them to im-

256

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

prove our moral sentiments, and ac-
quire a poetic grace that shall reflect
again upon both head and heart. The
mark of our progress is seen in our love
for plants, flowers, rockeries furnished
with suitable plants, tree and other
ferns, etc., all the beauties and won-
ders, indeed, of vegetation, garden or-
naments, and the varied strains of ex-
alting music " from grave to gay, from
lively to severe" — all these are the
beads of our rosary of homage to the
Spirit of Beauty and Moral Worth.
All this is not merely ideal creation ;
our life is a guarantee of our national
greatness, and as long as we shall con-
tinue to surround that life with em-
blems and suggestions of higher things,
so long will the highest teachings of
knowledge, elegance, and virtue be at-
tainable by us. Our pleasures and pur-
suits have as powerful an influence on
our national character as the precepts
of sages at our seats of learning-; and
the simple objects that afford recreation
for our hours of leisure may prove
worthy advocates of morality and reli-
gion. In the contemplation of the
wonders of nature, and the humanizing
effects of music, the intellect and mor-
al nature must advance toward perfec-
tion, just as Ingomar and all his ban-
dit savages are humanized by the pres-
ence among them of the chaste Par-
thenia.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

To have large and fine Apples and
Pears, an occasional, or when neces-
sary, an annual top-dressing with ma-
nure, applied just before our rainy sea-
son, is found, on many soils in our
State, to be just the thing. On soils such
as we have in many places, however, nat-
urally very rich and deep, this is not
necessary, and will not be so, probably,

for a number of years to come. Where
manure is scarce some kind of green
crops plowed under are next best. An-
other plan, perhaps, and which we
have seen but very seldom adopted
here, is to sow rye in the autumn ; the
young crop affording a fine green car-
pet soon after our rains in November
or December, and plowed under about
that time it enriches the land. This
can be repeated every year or every
other year without any difficulty, or al-
falfa will answer the same good pur-
pose, after it has been cut a year or
two. Where these different modes are
not required for Apple or standard Pear
trees, they will be at any rate useful
and important for all dwarfs. Pruning
should be practiced only on hardy trees,
such as the Apple, and it should be per-
formed to a moderate extent at a time
on orchard trees. We never recom-
mend heavy cutting away. It is better
to allow a tree to remain a little de-
formed, lop-sided, or rather dense-"
headed for a year or two, till the work
can be accomplished gradually. (These
remarks do not apply to young nursery
trees.) A good European cultivator
has given in substance the following
good directions : In sawing off a limb,
set the saw below and cut up part way,
and then cut from above to meet it.
This prevents the limb from tearing
away the bark in falling. Or, a better
way — saw off the limb freely, leaving a
stump about a foot long, then holding
this stump in the left hand, cut off neat-
ly and carefully. Cut as closely as
may be done without making too large
a wound ; like the skillful surgeon, save
skin. Never leave a projecting stump,
which will disfigure the tree for many
years before it is grown over. Use
sharp tools of the best steel, thus sav-
ing much labor, leaving a smooth face,
and cutting more accurately ust where

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

257

you want to. Nothing is better than
one or two coats of oil-paint for cover-
ing the wound ; and if it is ash or slate
color, or having about the same shade
as the bark, the orchard will not appear
defaced by the operation. In pruning
Peach trees, cut back only to keep the
head of the tree in proportion, and
within reaching distance of a seven-
foot ladder. Any tendency to grow
long, straggling branches is overcome
by thinning the branches to the point
of keeping an open, well-ventilated top.
To prevent a mass of feeble growth
from filling the top, some summer
pruning is generally necessary, but
nothing seems to us more important
for the health and vigor of the trees,
but especially for fine, large fruit, and
good prices, than thinning the crop
late in the spring or early in the sum-
mer.

We consider one of the greatest de-
fects and blunders in our markets in
the sale of fruits, as in other farm or
horticultural products, and injurious to
our commission merchants, is dishonest
packing among cultivators, and if at
least one-third of the poorest produce
were thrown out and left at home, and
only two-thirds of the best, well put
up, with the owner's name in broad,
plain letters, they would bring more
money than the whole, and the cost of
freight, package, etc., on all this worth-
less stuff would be avoided.

As regards fruit for health — an ab-
sence of fruits implies doctors' bills at
all seasons of the year. We have urg-
ed continually in this article on the
markets that the importance of a regu-
lar supply of ripe and the best fruit to
prevent disease can not be over-esti-
mated. The best medicine chest which
an emigrating family can carry to a
newly settled country is a box of early
bearing fruit trees, Currant, Raspberry

bushes, and Strawberry plants, etc.
Even plenty of dried fruit to last them
the first and second summer before
they can raise their own fruit, will en-
able them to keep healthy, and ward
off disease. Many emigrants have in-
formed us that so long as they could
have fresh or even dried fruit, they have
been free from all diseases resulting
from malaria.

We would here also recommend to
farmers and others the cultivation of
vegetables. It were foolishness to at-
tempt to prove that a vegetable garden
is a necessity in most cases in the coun-
try, and also sometimes in towns, or
that a large variety of them for the ta-
ble is a luxury and source of health
and of great gustatory pleasure, for
that is acknowledged by every one.
Yet we have been much struck when
visiting or traveling in the country,
when noting the very limited supply
and the small number of varieties
grown by our country friends, espe-
cially farmers. Even when there was
a tolerable supply, the kinds were of
such inferior quality that half the pleas-
ure of the table was done away with.
Lettuces that were as tough as a drum-
head, Tomatoes as empty and tough as
an India-rubber ball, gnarly Cucum-
bers, and Peas that reminded one of
saw-dust or dry meal. To forward this
beneficial object — the cultivation of
vegetables — we here highly recommend
a small work lately published, viz.:
"The Vegetable Garden." A com-
plete guide to the cultivation of vege-
tables ; containing thorough instruc-
tions for sowing, planting, and culti-
vating all kinds of vegetables ; with
plain directions for preparing, manur-
ing, and tilling the soil to suit each
plant; including, also, a summary of
the work to be done in a vegetable gar-
den during each month of the year.

258

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

By James Hogg. To be had at A. Ro-
man's, Montgomery Street, S. F. This
work although more adapted, of course,
for the East than for this coast, yet con-
tains the principles and many points
useful and applicable for us, with con-
siderable modifications, according to
difference of climate, frost, tempera-
ture, soil, seasons, etc.

At the end of last month (June) there
were additions to the many sorts of
fruits and vegetables in market, viz :
"Watermelons and Cantaloupes. Some
class these fruits as vegetables, and
others as pomological articles. About
the same time Peaches came forward
very freely from the Sacramento River.
This crop will probably, this year, be
rather above an average one, notwith-
standing the effect of the severe hot
spell, and many inferior kinds in some
portions of the State. These injured
varieties will be mostly used for drying,
which will be resorted to more largely
here now every year, on account of the
facilities of the Alden and other proces-
ses. At this period also (the end of
June), Strawberries, Blackberries, Ap-
ples, Plums, and Pears were all more
plentiful. Bartlett Pears also made
their appearance, but were too green to
meet with much demand. This valua-
ble Pear has the quality of becoming
gradually ripe, and seldom rots, and is
good when even considerably over ripe
and very yellow. It preserves its juici-
ness, too, admirably to the very last.
Apricots were scarce, for the reason
that the crop in the early localities was
about all in, while that of the bay
counties had scarcely commenced to
arrive. Red Astrachan, Red June, and
Early Harvest Apples were plentiful at
$1.25 to $1.75, and Bloodgood and
Dearborn's Seedling Pears at $1.50 to
$1.75 per box, delivered. The market
was more plentifully supplied with

Okra, Peppers, and Egg Plant, and
quotations showed a corresponding re-
duction. A notable advance, it will be
seen, occurred in String Beans in con-
sequence of light arrivals. Potatoes
were very plentiful, and good to choice
Early Rose were sold at $1.25 to $1.75
per 100 lbs., delivered.

In the first week of July vegetables
of all descriptions were abundant, and
quotations in several instances were
lower. Figs were less plentiful, with a
moderate demand at a sharp advance.
Strawberries were still abundant, but
other fruits being plentiful they were
not in much demand.

In the middle of July the market was
booming, in the language of the Com-
mercial Herald, and there was a ready
sale for everything offered, excepting
Strawberries and Apricots. A few
Grapes appeared, but they wanted, so
early, the sweetness liked by most per-
sons. Cherries from Oregon were a
feature of the market. They were
mostly the Napoleon Bigarreau, and
were large even for that gigantic sort.
It is thought that the crop of Tomatoes
will be light.

At the end of July the fruit stalls of
the San Francisco retail markets pre-
sented a display that for variety and
quality of produce, few cities can equal,
and none surpass. The assortment in-
cluded the early spring varieties, such
as Currants, Strawberries, and Cher-
ries, while many of the later kinds had
already made their appearance. It is
true that Cherries and Currants were
about to disappear for the season, and
the arrivals of Peaches were on the de-
cline, yet the better varieties of Grapes,
Pears, and Apples were only just be-
ginning to come forward. Strawber-
ries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Nec-
tarines, Plums, and Apricots were
plentiful and cheap. Apples were not

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

259

very abundant, nor are they expected
to be during the season, as the crop is
reported short throughout the State.
A good to choice article sold by the
single box at $1.25 to §2.50, delivered.
Peaches by the basket advanced to §1
to $1.50. Nectarines and Plums sold
by the basket at $1.25 to $1.75. The
fine white Nectarines now in market
are preferred to Peaches for canning
by many housekeepers, as the trouble
of peeling them is saved. The Nectar-
ine is really only a Peach with a smooth
skin. California Oranges and Lemons,
for the first time in months, were about
out of market. The first shipment was
received in September, and since that
time the supply has been continuous.
Tahiti Oranges were scarce, but the de-
ficiency was not noticed amid the
abundance of other fruits. The Aus-
tralian steamer was just at hand with
837 bunches of Bananas from Hono-
lulu.

In vegetables there was very little
change to report, though Okra, Green
Corn, and Cantaloupes were a little
more plentiful and cheaper. Potatoes
were scarce and firm, good to choice
selling by the single sack, delivered, at
$2 to $2.25 per 100 pounds.

editorial Cleanings.

The Twelfth Industrial Exhibition
under the auspices of the Mechanics'
Institute will open on the 7th of Au-
gust, for one month. Only one pre-
mium is to be given in a class, and care
is to be taken to make the awards just
and valuable. In cases where the mer-
its of competing machines can be as-
certained by tests, they will be applied.
The management of the premiums will
never give satisfaction to the unsuc-
cessful contestants, but the plan now
adopted seems to be an improvement
on that of other years.

An occasional change of soil is high-
ly beneficial to flowers in pots. There
is nothing better than surface soil from
a thick scrub, taken off about two inch-
es deep, and thrown into a heap with
about one-sixth part old hot-bed ma-
nure to partially decay. In addition
to this staple item, smaller quantities
of different matters should be gathered
together for peculiar cases or particular
plants. Peat, for instance, will be
found very useful for many kinds of
plants. This is not, as is often suppos-
ed, mere black sand, but a spongy, fi-
brous substance from the surface of
swamps and boggy wastes. Sand must
be collected sharp and clean; the wash-
ings from ditches are as good as any-
thing. Leaf mold is best got already
well decayed from the scrubs. That
which one makes for himself from rot-
ten leaves is seldom good for anything;
it is always sour, and seems indigestible
to vegetation. A load or so of well de-
cayed cow manure is a good thing for
the gardener to have by him, as those
plants that want cool soil prefer it to
any other manure.

Healthfulxess oe Asparagus. — It is
reported, on good authority, that those
who suffer from rheumatism are cured
in a few days by feeding on Asparagus,
while even chronic cases are much re-
lieved, especially if they avoid all acids
whether in food or drink. The Jerusa-
lem Artichoke is reported to have a
similar effect in relieving rheumatism.
Most plants which grow naturally near
the sea-coast contain more or less io-
dine, and in all rheumatic complaints
iodine has long been a favorite remedy.
Many of the patent nostrums for this
disease nominally devised merely for
philanthropic purposes, but sold at an

260

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

exorbitant figure, consist simply of a
few cents' worth of iodine in solution.
Care should be taken against over-dos-
es of it, however, as it is then danger-
ous, affecting especially the eye.

HoRTicur ture in Japan. — In a recent
letter the Hon. Horace Capron says :
Oranges, Limes, Lemons, Grapes, Per-
simmons, Pears, and some Blackber-
ries, all very inferior (excepting one va-
riety of Orange, one of Grape, and
several of Persimmons), were all that
they had. They have really wonderful
skill in dwarfing fruit-trees. All kinds
are dwarfed without diminishing the
size of the fruit. I think our fruit-
growers could learn much from the
Japanese in this matter. I have seen
acres of Pear trees not more than four
to six feet high. These trees were set
out in rows, about the same distance
intervening. At the height they want
the trees to grow, say four to six feet, a
lattice-work of small bamboo poles is
built over the whole orchard. As soon
as the shoots of the Pear tree grow to
this lattice, they are trained to run
along it horizontally, and are confined
to the poles by hempen strings. When
first seen it looks like a grapery. The
wind can not shake the tree to disturb
either the flowers or the fruits. The
most perfect system of training and
control over the new growth is in use,
so that the sap of the tree, instead of
being consumed in the production of a
superabundant growth of new shoots,
is directed to the growth and protec-
tion of the fruit.

Cutting back Young Trees. — We ob-
serve that mistakes are still made by
some who set young trees, and who are
nevertheless aware of the importance
of reducing the heads to correspond
with the unavoidable reduction of the

roots in taking up. The trees are set
out, and the cutting back is put off till
the new leaves are partly out. To do
it then will do more harm than good.
If not performed before the buds open,
it should be entirely omitted. Growth
is always checked by pruning when the
leaves are opening or expanded. We
have seen good trees nearly ruined in
this way. If the operation is not al-
ready done, let all the roots and leaves
remain, and make up for the neglect
by keeping the surface of the soil for
several feet about the tree constantly
mellow, mulching with manure as hot
weather approaches, and if the weather
should be very hot and dry, daily show-
ering the leaves, branches, and stem.
This showering should be regular, not
occasional. There is a difference in
different kinds of trees, as to the
amount of injury caused by cutting
back too late. Peach trees will with-
stand the effects of such treatment bet-
ter than most kinds ; apple trees not
so well ; cherry trees worst of all — we
have seen them actually killed by it.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

For the Month ending July 31st, 1877.

(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BABOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.02 in.

do 12 m... 30.02

do 3p.m 30.02

do 6 p. in 30.01

Highest point on the 17th at 3 P. m 30.12

Lowest point on the 15th at 9 p. m 29.90

THEEMOMETEE.

( With north exposure and free from reflected heal.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 69°

do 12 m 73' J

do 3 p. m 73°

do 6 p. m 69°

Highest point on the 12th at 12 m 82c

Lowest point on the 2d at 6 p. M C3°

SELF - EEGISTEEING THEEMOMETEE.

Menn height during the night 57°

Highest point at sunrise on the 16th 66°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 6th 52°

WINDS.
North-past on 1 day; south and south-east on 5 days;
west on 25 days.

WEATHEE.

Clear all day 1& days; cloudy on 3 days ; variable on
11 days.

Juvenile Angler.

AT

ropical (Scene

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SAST FRANCISCO, SEPTEMBER, 1877. No. 9.

NOTES FROM A GREENHOUSE.— NO. 3.

BY CHAS. H. SHINN, AT NILES.

This month the Cyclamens begin to
show their delicate flowers with the re-
flexing, tinted petals and rosy beak,
shining above the graceful, cordate
leaves. " Just the old-fashioned Amer-
ican Cowslip," says an over-hasty and
troublesome visitor, who has been de-
nouncing double flowers as contrary to
Nature, and inquires, spitefully, why
the Smilax has no showy blossoms.
Greenhouses have all manner of visit-
ors, and the term "troublesome" ap-
plies also to the fat. coarse-grained per-
son known, I fear, everywhere, who
does not know a Pink from a Cabbage,
but is perfectly willing to snip off sly
cuttings, or drop an available plant in
the capacious pocket, so virtuously con-
cealed. Alas! that people should ever
steal flowers, whose mute faces must
forever reproach them.

Still it is delightful, and often amus-
ing, to take people around, for a great
deal of human nature is developed in
the transit. There is the busy mer-
chant, looking for a basket plant to
hang in the bay-window; he thinks
flowers, as a rule, are foolishness, but

Vol. VII— 17.

show him that Bluebell yonder, and he
is a boy in the bonnie Scottish woods.
Here, too, is the modest maiden, just
tiptoeing in on her way to school, to
see if she may have a Rose and a sprig
of Geranium. And now and then, on
days to be marked with a Eosebud
memory, some friend who knows and
loves plants in a cheerful, embracing
fashion, drops in with an armful of
bright ideas, with questions, criticism,
praise, and that freemasonry of trade,
which, when carried to extreme, we call
" shop.5'

T have just had a visitor who exem-
plifies the ignorance among people on
the subject of plants and plant culture.
This very worthy lady told me, with a
world of trouble in her eyes, that she
hardly knew how to get plants out of
the pots, but had thought some of
greasing the inside of the pots before
she used them ! She will do to match
a well-dressed lady at Woodward's,
whom I heard telling her companion
that the glowing Azaleas, then in their
fullest pride, were Petunias ! The hort-
icultural journals must increase their
circulation, for they are real mission-
aries.

A few weeks ago I noticed that the

262

THE CALIFOENIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

earth in a certain pot was cracking,
and a pair of dark green stems were
mounting toward the light. There is
a story of blighted expectations con-
nected with those little spires. From
boyhood my dreams have clung about
the tropics, with their mellow skies,
placid seas, and coral isles ; their gor-
geous birds, deadly reptiles, and wierd,
tangled forests ; but, most of all, their
strange orchids and peculiar fruits. I
bought experience with my first five-
cent pieces, by making sly purchases of
supposedly choice fruits. A stale Pine-
apple, a spoilt Cocoanut, and a speck-
led Banana turned out so badly that I
abandoned a pet plan of finding a des-
ert island. Tiiis summer I saw a box
of smooth, yellow, bean-shaped fruit
on a dealer's stand, and, inquiring, was
told that they were Isthmus Mangoes!
In my childish fancy Mangoes and
Mangroves were rather confused ; I
had a .dim idea that oysters clung to
the twisted roots, and fruit of Sybari-
tic flavor grew among the glossy leaves.
I yielded ; I bought — I am ashamed to
say how many. I walked down the
street with an air of superiority to the
common herd, none of whom had a
package of genuine Mangoes. I went
on the ferry-boat, and sought a seclud-
ed corner. It is quite impossible to
speak of what followed. The taste and
smell of turpentine and other vicious
drugs are concentrated in the Mango
to such an extent that it is not an ad-
visable article of food. I have since
learned that it should be peeled and
laid in water to remove these flavors,
but on this occasion I dropped them in
the bay, only keeping two for planting.
They came up soon, have grown thrift-
ily, and promise to be so ornamental
that I have forgiven them.

The use of camphor in assisting the
germination of seed, spoken of in the

California Horticulturist for February,
1876, is well worthy the attention of
nurserymen. One ounce of camphor
in a gallon of water makes a strong
enough solution, in which the seeds,
tied up in a bit of cloth, may be soaked
for a period not exceeding three hours,
then drained off, mixed with a little
fine sand to facilitate sowing, and plant-
ed immediately. My best success with
importations of Acacia seed has been
by pouring hot water over them first,
and then using the camphor. The ad-
vantage of this sort of thing is that you
can get your seed boxes out of the way
quicker, and so have the room for some-
thing else.

September is the month for starting
annuals for winter decoration of the
greenhouse, and the gunny windows of
the dwelling. The clusters of dwarf
Stock, the butterfly - like blossoms of
Schizanthus, the beautifully mottled
Salpiglossis, and the blotched Mimulus
are ornaments to any greenhouse. Even
if you have Camellias, Azaleas, a host
of Fuchsias, Begonias, Bouvardias,
Catalonias, Jasmine, Stevia, Heliotrope,
double Violets, and other favorites, for
winter, the space you give to the bright
annuals will be well occupied, for they
add a peculiar grace to the bouquet.
Collinsii Bicolor, a California annual,
is very charming massed in a small box
or pan.

I am still busy over my cutting box,
which, like the purse of Fortunatus, is
never empty. Among Pelargoniums I
have been increasing my stock of ori-
ental and unique ; among Fuchsias, of
Leroy, Princess Alice, Boderick Dhu,
and Arabella Improved, all favorites.
Some seedling Fuchsias, raised three
years ago, are under trial, and one is a
pretty good double, but it is too soon
to decide. If all lovers of flowers ex-
perimented a little more with seedlings

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

263

they would gain a great deal of pleas-
ure, and perhaps be rewarded with a
genuine improvement now and then.
Scarcely one of our flowers has, as the
French express it, " said its last word."
The Gladioli want more leaves ; the
Canna more blossoms ; the Petunia
more substance. Many flowers might
have more fragrance, for fragrance va-
ries greatly in seedlings of the same
species ; and some flowers now dull in
hue might be increased in brilliancy.
The world ought not to come to an end
until man, toiling, yet hopeful, has re-
claimed the deserts that his wars have
made, and planted everywhere a new
Eden, glowing and fruitful, where his
children may sing the sonsrs of peace,
and write the fair, large poetry of the
future.

CONSTRUCTION OF EPEEGNES AND
BOUQUETS.

BY JAMES H. PAEK.

"With the earliest civilization of our
race, flowers, no doubt, began to be
cherished and employed for decorative
purposes, and it is one of the most nat-
ural things to imagine that even the
earliest savages, especially of the softer
sex, would gather the wild flowers of
the woods and prairies, and preserve
them in some way in their rude caves
or huts to gratify their senses of both
sight and smelling ; nor is their ar-
rangement in tasty bouquets entirely a
modern art, for history as well as poet-
ry informs us that " sweet nosegays
and posies " were some of the favorite
embellishments of beauty both in soci-
ety and in the domestic hearth, al-
though the practices of floral decora-
tion in all their enchanting forms are
of comparatively recent and marvelous
growth among us.

A great many people decry the ar-

tificial arrangement of flowers, but how
shall we otherwise use them to advan-
tage? The moment we begin to tie
them together we leave nature, and
ought to do so only to study art. In
their simplest arrangement, form and
color must be studied to produce the
best effect, and whoever best accom-
plishes this will surely succeed in dis-
playing his flowers to the best advan-
tage.

Bouquet making is (or at least ought
to be) the art of arranging flowers.
Who has not seen bunches of beautiful
flowers cut from the garden and tied up
in the least artistic fashion with the
most stupid result? And who that has
attended fashionable weddings or par-
ties has not occasionally seen a large
bouquet or basket in which the quanti-
ty of flowers was its only merit, where
a mass of flowers were muddled togeth-
er in a most incongruous fashion,
equally removed from both nature and
art ? Nor is this fault that of the tyro
in bouquet making only ; many who
practice it as an occupation have not
learned the first principles of tasteful
arrangement. Yet great allowance may
be made for the bouquet makers, when
we consider how much like labor their
work becomes. Any one, trying al-
ways to execute this work with taste,
would scarcely accomplish the amount
of work required of him in any thriv-
ing establishment, a great part of which
is of necessity done hurriedly ; and as
the variety of flowers is so great and
constantly changing with the seasons,
and their colors so varied, it is only by
trying them in various combinations
that the best results can be obtained.
Few are willing to pay for this kind of
work. Many a gardener, who is not
too well occupied in winter, might
make a pleasing study of this little art,
and thereby add to his pleasure and

264

THE CALIFOBNIA HOETICTJLTUEIST.

profit, as well as those of his employers.

Probably the simplest, easiest, and
commonly the most desirable, method
of using cut flowers is arranging them
in vases. The more loose and uncon-
fused the better. Crowding is partic-
ularly to be avoided, and to accomplish
this readily a good base of greens is re-
quired, to keep the flowers apart. This
filling up is a very important part in all
bouquet making, and the neglect of it
is the greatest stumbling-block of the
uninitiated. Spiked and drooping flow-
ers, with branches and sprays of deli-
cate green, are indispensable to the
grace and beauty of a vase bouquet.
To preserve the individuality of flow-
ers, which is of the greatest importance,
the placing those of similar size and
form together ought to be avoided.
Thus Heliotrope, Stevia, Eupatorium,
Alyssum, when combined, lose their
distinctive beauty; but, if placed in
juxtaposition to larger flowers, and
those of other forms, their beauty is
heightened by contrast. It may be
stated as a rule, that small flowers
should not be massed together. Large
flowers with green leaves or branches
may be used to advantage alone, but a
judicious contrast of forms is most ef-
fective.

Nothing is so strikingly beautiful on
a refreshment table as a handsome cen-
tre-piece of flowers. All the airy cas-
tles of the confectioner are passed over
by the eye, which is at once arrested
and refreshed by the brilliant beauty
of the products of the garden and con-
servatory ; and we wonder how any
person of taste, who possesses the
means, should ever fail to have flowers
on his table when entertaining friends.
Considering the effect, flowers on the
table, like plants in the garden, are
certainly the cheapest of ornaments.
There are those who would have noth-

ing upon their table but what they can
eat and drink ; like a gentleman who
once employed the writer of this to lay
out a new garden, and objected to hav-
ing roses planted by the fences, saying
very earnestly, " Ah, yes! I suppose
they are very pretty, but then, you see,
we couldn't get anything to eat from
them. Guess we won't have any of
them things." Luckily for the well-
being of poor humanity such desper-
ately practical men are not very nu-
merous. An epergne filled with flow-
ers forms the most effective of table
bouquets. For a large dinner table
this bouquet holder ought to be from
two to three feet in height, with three,
four, or five branches, and if the table
is very large, a small epergne at each
end will add to the effect. For a less
pretentious table an epergne twelve to
eighteen inches in height may be used
to equal advantage. The superiority
of an epergne consists in its raising the
flowers to a height sufficient to gain
their full effect, whereas forms of flow-
ers built from a lower vase lose much
by the interference of surrounding dish-
es. With a handsome epergne and the
flowers arranged in nearly semi-circular
outline, pointed with two or more hand-
some flower-spikes, and diversified with
here and there a fine fern leaf and oth-
er sprays of lovely green, with a few
fine rosebuds and spikelets of heath,
acacia, or similarly formed flowers, pro-
jecting from the main body to give ease
and grace, and with a profusion of
bright green or variegated foliage and
flowers in drooping sprays around, the
best results may be attained. For such
a bouquet a fair proportion of large
flowers is indispensable, and an excess
of projecting plants is to be avoided, as
confusing. Table bouquets made in
the fashion of the confectioner's stiff
pyramids of maccaronies, are wretched

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

265

decorations, and very discreditable to
all connected with them. Better, a
thousand times, to have half the quan-
tity of flowers decently arranged.

After form, the most important point
in bouquet making is the arrangement
of colors. The incongruous mixture of
these in a great measure destroys the
effect of the finest flowers, while the
more delicately the coloring is blend-
ed and the more strikingly contrasted,
the more perfect and pleasing is the
effect. Let any one who doubts this
compare a bouquet of the best flowers
in which many colors are freely used,
with one made of pink shading delicate-
ly from the centre to blush and white,
or vice versa, aud with a few tiny points
of bright scarlet or violet tastefully set
amid the white.

The arrangement of colors in simple
geometrical forms is greatly preferable
to a succession of distinct rings in a
bouquet. The ribbon pattern is very
pretty in a flower bed, but in very ques-
tionable taste in bouquet making ; a
bordering of white, blue, or pink, may
be generally used with good effect.
Handsome leaves of the geranium or
(the latter is preferable for its bright-
ness and durability) alternating with
fine sprays of green, delicate flower
scapes, or spikelets of heaths, form a
fitting edging for a hand bouquet. In
filling out a hand bouquet, half-dried
moss is preferable to bouquet green, as
it can be used more readily to keep the
flowers apart without so much increase
of weight and stem ; a light backing of
green, concave underneath, finishes the
bouquet.

There are Fig trees in Pensacola
known by living men to be more than
sixty years old. but how much older is
not known. They still yield profusely,
and still are in full viaror.

FLORA OF AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, AND
NEW HOLLAND.

BY A VISITOK.

We next look out very carefully for
something like a Honeysuckle, but in
vain ; till at last the so-called Honey-
suckle-tree is pointed out to us, which
proves after all to be one of a genus of
the Pix)tea tribe called Banksia. The
blossoms of the Banksias are not at all
like Honeysuckles (except, perhaps, a
very little in one species) ; but in this
species (Banksia latifolia) the tubular
blossoms form a kind of cone, " much
the size and shape of a large teazle,"
and are of a greenish yellow ; the gen-
eral form of the tree, which grows to
the height of about thirty feet, " may
be pretty well represented by a grena-
dier's cap set on a stick. The foliage
is thick and solid-looking, the trees oft-
en forming fine groups in the open
landscape ; as, when several grow to-
gether, their formal outline is not pre-
served." When growing in groups
they are valuable from the dense shade
they afford ; the leaves, however, are
rather small, and are generally of a
dull rusty olive green. Shade from
the trees is not always to be found in
Australia, as the leaves, instead of
growing horizontally as the American
trees, often hang perpendicularly like
bundles of rags — going by the rule of
contrary, as most things there are said
to do. These " Honeysuckles without
odor " are destitute of scent, except at
the time when they shed their pollen,
when a very faint one may be perceived.

But the trees we feel most curious to
see are the " Cherries with the stones
outside ; " there is something so very
odd in the idea! That they ever came
to be called so is more odd still, for
they really do not look much like Cher-
ries, nor have they the slightest con-

266

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

nection with them. The fruit, both in
size and appearance, is very much like
the pulpy red berries of the Yew tree ;
only instead of the black seed lying
nearly concealed within the berry, it
projects " out of the fruit," to which it
fits in closely, like a stopper in the
mouth of a bottle. This funereal-look-
ing tree, the proper name of which is
Exocarpus, is in fact nearly allied to
the Yew, and the character of the foli-
age is extremely similar.

Among the most remarkable trees of
Australia are the Kingia, one of the Rush
family (Juncacece), and the Zanthorrhcea,
which belongs to the family of Lilies,
both of which go commonly by the
name of " Grass -trees." There are
points of similarity between the two
trees, only to be appreciated by scien-
tific botanists, which are said to form a
connecting link between Rushes and
Lilies. The Zanthorrhcea has been po-
etically called " the sceptre of Flora"
(rather an uncouth -looking one, it must
be owned), from the manner in which
the long cylindrical spikes of densely
compacted flowers, resembling Bull-
rushes, rise out of the tufts of long,
wiry foliage which surmount the clum-
sy stem — the stem and the foliage to-
gether looking something like a carica-
ture of a Palm tree.

Most of the Australian trees are ever-
greens. Among the few deciduous
ones, the White Cedar (Media azedaruch)
may be mentioned as an exception ; the
very rarity of the fall of the leaf imparts
an interest to the tree. But it is the
shrubs, rather than the trees, which
are the chief beauty of Australian vege-
tation, so that, while " a perpetual
flower garden is formed by these, there
is not a single scene of which a painter
could make a landscape, without great-
ly disguising the true character of the
trees."

Though Australia is almost without
any kind of native fruit, the soil and
climate are so congenial to European
fruit trees, that those which have been
introduced seem to thrive as well or
better there than in their native land,
and the vine is said to have there
found, like in California, a second
home.

It would be perfectly useless, as well
as impossible in so small a space, to
enumerate a long list of Australian
plants ; but it is interesting to know
that among numerous unknown ones,
it also contains the names of several of
which we have species at home, though
they form but a small proportion of the
whole. For instance, there are two
different kinds of Beech (Fagus), a
Dock-sorrel (Rumex), a Plantain (Plan-
tago), a Skull-cap (Scutellaria), and an
Eye-bright (Euphrasia). In addition
to these we find the familiar names of
Speedwell (Veronica), Nightshade (So-
larium), Scorpion-grass (Myosotis), Gen-
tian (Gentiana), Avens (Geum), Sundew
(Drosera), Crowfoot (Ranunculus), and
a flower which in appearance is almost
the same as a Daisy (but belonging to
a different branch of the composite
family), called Vittadinia. The species
of the flowers indeed may not be the
same as ours, but there would be suffi-
cient resemblance to raise a thought of
home when met with in that distant
land.

The character of vegetation in the
neighboring island of Tasmania corre-
sponds in a great measure with that of
Australia. It is a beautiful country ;
its features varied by mountains and
valleys, by forests and heath -land.
Here again we find the Gum tree (Eu-
calyptus) ; one species which grows
here is the most elegant of the family,
called the Weeping Gum tree ; it is
"large and lofty, with dense glossy

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

267

foliage, and finely grown, having some-
thing the character of a Portugal Lau-
rel grown into a forest tree." The Pro-
teas abound here also — the so-called
Honeysuckle trees forming a marked
feature in the landscape.

There is a very beautiful and very
common tree too, which goes by the
name of the Wattle tree, the wood be-
ing very much used in wattling cattle.
It is an Acacia — one of the Mimosa
tribe, and has therefore the peculiar
character which distinguishes all that
tribe — of a leguminous seed-vessel,
without having papilionaceous blos-
soms. These Acacias are tall, elegant
trees from twenty to forty feet high,
clothed with " delicate Sensitive-plant
foliage," feathery and pendulous, but
thick, and they are covered from the
very summit to the bending branches
that sweep the ground, with bright ca-
nary-colored blossoms. "When stand-
ing underneath, the appearance of the
tree overhead is "like a canopy of gold,"
and the rich and almost overpowering
scent is " like the hawthorn or meadow
sweet." These are true Acacias ; the
trees that go by that name in England
and the eastern portion of America,
with pinkish-white papilionaceous blos-
soms, are called by botanists false Aca-
cias, because they want the distinctive
mark above named. They are, proper-
ly speaking, Robinias. The character
of many of the true Acacia blossoms
may be seen in the little greenhouse
Mimosa, in which a number of separate
flowers are set close together, the long
projecting stamens forming a globular
head ; in others they grow in a number
of little separate tufts. These Aus-
tralian Acacias have been much intro-
duced into California of late years, and
form a lovely addition to the shrubbery
here.

(lo be Continued.)

GEEAT VALUE OF APPLES.

Of all fruits the Apple takes the chief
rank. One of its greatest advantages
is its almost universal adaptation to all
climates. It requires, also, no special-
ly good soil, and in unfavorable weath-
er yields a proportion ably larger return
for the attention bestowed upon it than
any other fruit. Another great advan-
tage of the Apple is the ease with which
it is preserved. Of all fruits, too, it is
the most nutritious, being the richest
of all in sugar and albumen.

Apples should be stored in a dry and
well ventilated room, to which the sun-
light is also admitted, and should be
placed in layers as loosely together as
possible. It is also well to cover them
with fine -cut straw. Where light is
excluded, the air becomes impure, and
the fruit, in consequence, is injured.
By the careful observation of these sug-
gestions, Apples may be well preserved
until the reappearance of berries and
cherries in the spring ; and this is, in-
deed, an important consideration with
those who make fruits among their
leading articles of diet. The firmness
and consistency of Apples also enables
them to be transported with less injury
than most other fruits. With a few
Apples in the pocket one may make a
considerable journey, and no food is
more suitable for excursions upon foot.

The juiciest Apples are the most di-
gestible, but the mealy sorts are never-
theless to be preferred, since they are
more nutritious, and more fully answer
all the above-mentioned requirements.
A good Apple is digested in about on e
hour and a half, and, with wheat, con-
stitutes the best possible food, and
forms the most excellent body tissue.
Rightly, then, is the Apple regarded
by vegetarians as one of the noblest of
all foods. Its nutritious value is un-

268

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

questionable. It does not, indeed, con-
tain as high a percentage of the chemi-
cal elements of nutrition as wheat, but
it supplies what the wheat lacks, and
herein lies its greatest value. As
wheat is the chief of grain, so is the
the Apple the chief of fruits.

The most important elements found
in the Apple, and, indeed, also, in
greater or less proportion, in all other
fruits, are as follows : Sugar, malic
acid, tannic acid, albumen, glutin, pec-
tin, fibrous starch, traces of free salts,
and water, which latter constitutes
three-fourths of the entire bulk. The
skin, seeds, vegetable fibre, and gluten
constitute the solid parts. The fibrin
is, indeed, not completely digestible,
but when the fruit is fully ripe it pass-
es into a soluble condition. The spe-
cific weight of the Apple is about eight
per cent. — that is, considerably less
than water — and there are about fifteen
per cent, of solids. The specific grav-
ity of the solids when dry is 1.47.

The part of the Apple nearest the
skin has a finer and more aromatic
taste and smell than the part immedi-
ately surrounding the core, which has
often a more watery taste, and has also
a less specific gravity than the outer
portion. The more solid Apples, as
the Russet and Borsdorf varieties, are
the most palatable and nutritious.
While ripening the fruit gives off car-
bon in the shape of carbonic acid, and
while it remains upon the tree it in-
creases in solidity, since there is a con-
stant flow of sap to it, and the fibrin
increases, but the conditions are differ-
ent where fruit ripens after it is pluck-
ed. In this case the proportion of fi-
brin and water is less, while that of
sugar is greater, so that such fruit is
sweeter, but loses in freshness and fra-
grance.

The Apple has not only the greatest

number of varieties of all fruits — over
1,200 — but it is also the most widely
diffused over the earth. It accompa-
nies man everywhere except to the ex-
treme polar regions, and the highest
tropical countries, nevertheless its true
worth is seldom appreciated. In the
country, Apples and other fruits often
constitute the almost exclusive food of
children, but the inhabitants of cities
often complain that they can not relish
them; that they cause flatulence, and
that after eating much of them they
observe a loss of physical strength.
But all these symptoms only indicate a
weakened or diseased stomach. In
most cases it is warm food and stimu-
lating drinks that have thus impaired
the natural capacity for the digestion
of fruits. In those families where much
fruit is eaten, especially Apples, the
children, and indeed all who thus live,
are distinguished by their healthy ap-
pearance, red cheeks, and cheerful
tempers ; while those who eat little
fruit, and whose food is that of our
fashionable tables, are often quite the
reverse in appearance and disposition.
Although the nutritious qualities of
Apples differ somewhat with different
varieties, they are all alike in their re-
freshing and enlivening qualities.
(2o be Continued.)

Al^wsd Culture. — Some of the farm-
ers of Sonoma Valley are experiment-
ing with Almonds, with every prospect
of ultimate success. One man has
2,500 Almond trees, which are now
three years old, and have blossomed
this season. The vicinity where these
trees are planted is favorable to the
growth of the Almond, being free from
frost, and on the hillside. It is to be
hoped that experiments with this very
profitable tree will be made in other
sections.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

269

gad ami (&\m.

OUR BROOK TROUT. — MOUNTAIN
TROUT. — SALMO IRIDEA. — GIBBONS.

The following interesting description
of our common Pacific brook trout is
extracted from Chas. Halleck's "Sports-
man's Gazetteer and General Guide," a
large and splendid work just published
in New York, and can be had or order-
ed at Roman's in this city.

Special characteristics. — Head is one-
fourth the total length ; diameter of
eye enters length of head five times,
dorsal fin half - way between end of
muzzle and insertion of caudal fin ;
muzzle pointed, Branchiae, x, xi. Col-
or, olive-brown on back with silvery re-
flections, fins red or orange. A reddish
line from the gills to the tail along the
middle of the body. Head and gills
covers spotted profusely with black ;
back and sides also spotted irregularly,
numerous near the tail. Dorsal adi-
pose and caudal fins also spotted.

Suckley states it may be distinguish-
ed from Salmo Leivisii by its large head
and more slender form, larger scales,
more numerous spots and more forked
tail. From S. virginalis by its strong-
ly forked tail and spotted head. Hab-
itat, California and Pacific States. It
has been taken in nearly all the waters
of the Pacific, notably in San Mateo
Creek, Cal., San Erancisco Bay, Chico
Creek, Cal., Humboldt Bay, The Dalles,

Oregon, Fort Steilacoom, Nisqually
Creek, Cape Flattery, Puget Sound,
Kern River, Cal., etc.

This species may be taken with al-
most any kind of bait. It will rise
readily and greedily to the fly or the
grasshopper ; raw meat is good, the eye
of a fish excellent ; grubs, larvae, and
worms, all seem to be eagerly desired.
Sucklej' has taken them by trolling with
a " belly fin of a fresh killed fish."
There is a peculiarity of this fish and
its western congeners regarding loca-
tion, which is worthy of mention. Un-
like the eastern trout it seems rather to
prefer moderate currents of water, or
indeed pools which are absolutely still,
and this fact should be remembered by
those who fish. This specimen attains
a weight of from four to six pounds,
and even somewhat larger, and is in
good condition for the table from spring
until near Christmas, at which time
they begin to spawn.

Mr. Henshaw, the ornithologist of
the Expedition for Explorations West
of the one hundredth meridian, who
has had considerable experience, states
that " in the rapids of the mountain
streams artificial flies can be used with
excellent effect, the smaller individuals
striking freely. In the pools of such
streams, however, they are of less ser-
vice, grasshoppers or the white larvae
found in rotten pine stumps being the
most killing bait. Dr. H. C. Yarrow

270

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

states that he has taken seventeen fine
trout out of one pool not more than
three feet in diameter, in quick succes-
sion with grasshoppers. In the large
mountain streams of Kern River, Cal.,
where the trout reach a weight of seven
pounds, a spoon bait often proves very
taking. [Dr. Jessop's new spoon with
fly attached would probably answer
here. — Ed.] Early in the season any
or all baits suffice, but later, when the
trout get thinned out, and difficult to
tempt with anything, mice and squir-
rels cut in strips have succeeded where
other lures had previously failed. In
Lake Tahoe, where S. iridea abound as
well as other species, believed to be
new, the former are said to reach a
weight of thirty pounds. The methods
of capture are various, trolling being
generally employed, the hook being
similar to the one used in the East for
blue fish ; but on the hook a minnow is
placed as bait, and the boat is slowly
rowed along the line of shallow and
deep water which varies in depth from
thirty to seventy-five feet. The fisher-
men maintain the existence of two dis-
tinct species of trout, which they call
" silver trout," and the " black or sal-
mon trout," and the difference of color
is distinctly perceptible. There is also
a marked difference in the size of the
dorsal fin.

THE SALMON.

The salmon is both a fresh and salt-
water fish, and divides its time pretty
equally between the two, but is more
generally confined to the more northern
districts of countries or climates, where
the temperature is rather low. When
they have once entered a river their
progress is not easily stopped, ascend-
ing those of the greatest length, and
remarkable for their velocity and strong
vortexes. They always have their heads

to the stream ; and their muscular pow-
er must be enormous, as they shoot up
rapids with the velocity of an arrow.
They are sensitive and delicate in the
extreme, and avoid water that is turbid
or tainted in any way, unless they have
to pass through such portions of water
to reach where it is clear, as the upper
waters in our Sacramento and San
Joaquin rivers. They also rather dis-
like streams that are dark with forests,
or any other shade. When their pro-
gress is interrupted by a cascade or fall
of water, they make wonderful efforts
to surmount it by leaping ; and as they
continue to do that at places where a
salmon has never been known to as-
cend, their instinct can not be to go to
the particular spot where they were
spawned, but simply to some small and
shallow stream. In this way great
numbers perish when they can not find
such ground.

There is scarcely any time unless
when it thunders, or the water is thick
with mud, and when the fish are just
commencing to enter our rivers at their
mouths, but you may chance to tempt
the salmon to rise to an artificial fly.
But the most propitious are critical mo-
ments; or, undoubtedly, when clearing
after a flood, the water has turned to
light whey, or rather brownish color ;
when the wind blows pretty fresh, ap-
proaching to what is called a mackerel
gale, against the stream or course of
the river ; when the sun shines through
showers, or when the cloudy rack runs
fast and thick, and at intervals discov-
ers the pure blue ether from above. In
these situations of the weather, you
may sometimes hook many good fish.

The most difficult thing for a begin-
ner is to throw the line far, neatly, and
to make the fly first touch the water.
Many attentive trials will, however,
bring him to do it at last with dexterity.

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

271

It should always be across the river,
and on the far side, when you expect
the fish to rise. If he appears do not
be too eager to strike, but give him
time to catch the fly ; then with a gen-
tle twist, fix the hook in his mouth or
lip, as the case may happen ; if he is
hooked in a bone, or feels sore, he will
shoot, spring, or plunge, with so much
strength and vehemence, as to make
the reel run with a loud whizzing noise,
and your arms to shake and quiver
most violently. In this situation let
him take out the line from the winch
quickly, though witness this with com-
posure, keeping it always at the same
time stretched or tight, but yet ever
ready to throw down the point of your
rod to yield to his leaping high out of
the water. Do not, if possible, let it
run to any very great length, as it is
then apt to be unmanageable, but rath-
er follow him, and if he comes toward
you or back, you must run back, and
wind up as fast as you can, so as to
have as much as in your power the line
taut, and hold your rod nearly in a per-
pendicular positiou. When he becomes
calmer, he often turns sullen, especial-
ly if he is a very large fish, and remains
motionless at the bottom of the water.
Then cast a few stones upon the spot
where you think he is, and this, in all
probability, will rouse him from his
inactive situation. Be cautious in the
lifting and throwing of the pebbles, as
the salmon may spring at that instant,
and break your tackle, should you be
off your guard. Being again in mo-
tion, he generally takes his way up the
current; do not then check him, as by
this way his strength will be the sooner
exhausted. When, now fatigued, and
no longer able to keep his direction,
he once more tries all his wiles in dis-
engaging himself from the guileful and
hated hook ; he crosses and recrosses,

sweeps and flounces through every part
of the pool or stream ; but, finding all
his efforts to be in vain, he at last, in-
dignant at his fate, with immense ve-
locity rushes headlong down the stream.
If the ground is rough and uneven, or
if you can not keep pace with him, give
him line enough, and when it slackens
wind up again, until you nearly ap-
proach him. You will then probably
observe him floating on his side, his
motion feeble, and all his vigor gone.
Being unable to make any farther re-
sistance, it behooves you now to lead
him gently to the nearest shelving-
shore ; then use the gaff without man-
gling the fish, or take him softly by the
gills in your arms, or throw him, if not
too heavy, upon the top of some adja-
cent bank, or sufficiently far up it to se-
cure it in safety. If there be no shoal-
ly bank put a landing net under him
and so lift out of the water. The best
baits are rather large, gaudy artificial
flies, lob -worms, salmon roe, live or
dead fish baits, and mussels from the
shell; the hook must be strong and
large ; bottom fishing, however, is usu-
ally more successful for salmon than
fly-fishing, but trolling from a boat
with a large spinning and flashing gold
and silver spoon-bait, with a triangle
of hooks at the end, and a red feather
or piece of flannel between the hooks
and the spoon, is generally more kill-
ing: than all.

FISHING AT MADEIRA.

Mr. M. took us in the evening to a
large rock at the entrance of the har-
bor, called Bird Island, where, being
provided with rods and bait, we com-
menced fishing shortly after the sun
had gone down. The native boats had
just given up as we arrived, which was
a pretty good sign that the best part of

272

THE CALIFOBNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

the day was over ; however, we went
to work, and as M.'s black boat's-crew
instructed us in the piscatorial art as
practiced at St. Vincent, I will try and
describe their operations.

The rods, stout bamboos about four-
teen feet long, with the lines fastened
half way down and leading to the top,
having been taken out of the boat, an
active darkey commenced spearing small
crabs, quantities of which were run-
ning over the side of the rock, as the
waves rising and falling exposed them
momentarily to the quick eye of the
sharp - sighted negro, whose unerring
dart seldom failed to secure its aim.
Having killed a couple of dozen, he
commenced mashing them up with a
stone into paste, which, formed into
balls, he immediately cast into the sea
to attract the fish ; and then baiting our
hooks with legs of crabs or barnacles,
we watched the result of his mode of
attack with some anxiety.

"We had not long to remain in sus-
pense. " I've got one," was soon the
cry, and shortly all the rods were bend-
ing at different angles according to the
weight and resistance of their various
captures. Nothing could be more ex-
citing than this sport, which for over
an hour was steady and unceasing.
Nearly all the fish were of different va-
rieties, and had we been unattended by
M.'s " darkies/' I am confident some of
us would have been hurt, if not seri-
ously injured, by the fish in unhooking
them, as nearly all were armed with
some description of prickle or large
sharp spines. Many of their prickles
were poisonous, and all of them bit
like mad at everything within reach on
coming out of the " briny."

A handsome red fish, about two
pounds in weight, and something like a
perch, called by M. " the king of the
seas," was the best eating of the lot,

and well merited his proud appellation,
as a finer flavored one I have seldom
tasted. A black ugly thing, about a
pound weight, was called "the soap-
fish/' and was uneatable ; but on be-
ing stirred about in a small pool of salt
water, soon caused it to lather like
suds. A porcupine fish (Diodon hys-
trix), weighing about seven pounds,
one of the Plectognathes, was perhaps
the most curious one caught. The men
treated this gentleman with the great-
est possible caution, evidently regard-
ing him as a dangerous brute. A more
awkward one to handle it is quite im-
possible to conceive, as he was entirely
covered with small spikes, dispersed
over sides, back, and abdomen in such
a manner as to prevent effectually any
one touching him. On being hauled
up he came grunting loudly out of the
water, and as he lay on the rocks, com-
menced swelling himself out by suc-
cessive gulps of air, which he inhaled
with such noise and vigor that he soon
resembled a cross between a distended
football and an angry toad. Its skin
was so tough that it resisted easily the
pike-thrusts which saluted it, and only
after several efforts was it dispatched
with a sharp strong clasp - knife. Its
maxillary and intermaxillary bones are
soldered together so as to render the
upper jaw immovable ; its entire mouth
appeared plated with some kind of
enamel, and M. told us that its powers
of crushing was so great, that when
fresh from the water one of them could
easily crumble any of the lumps of
scoria lying about, were a piece placed
between its powerful jaws.

We caught several large eels, which
caused more alarm than anything else —
the niggers skipping away like monkeys
the instant they were thrown -upon the
rocks. They certainly were formidable
brutes, and the bare - legged boatmen

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

273

were amply justified for the activity
they displayed. Their jaws, shaped
something like a duck's bill, were capa-
ble of great expansion, and their teeth
were strong and sharp as razors. One
that we had speared turned viciously
round and bit a large piece out of his
own tail, and then seizing a bamboo he
had been struck with, severed the
tough cane as if it had been a simple
carrot. We afterwards spiced and pick-
led our ill-tempered friend, and fouDd
him excellent eating ; but though the
flesh was perfectly white and delicate,
his bones were all deep purple, and
strong as steel. The vertebral bone
was marvellously formed for strength,
having a kind of extra flange through
its entire length, which must have giv-
en the brute an amount of power I have
never seen developed in any other kind
of eel, or in any skeleton of snake or
viper. All the small bones terminated
in a kind of fang or fork which I never
observed in any other fish.

We killed many other varieties of
fish which it would be tedious to de-
scribe, and got back to the ship when
it became quite dark, after having en-
joyed an evening's sport — as unusual
as it was interesting.

THE DUGONG OF AUSTRALIA.

The manager of the fishery comes on
board later in the evening to tell us
that a young dugong has just been cap-
tured, and straightway an enthusiastic
few scramble over the Kate's side, and
repair a second time on shore to see the
singular creature, out of whose kin-
dred, some of these days, goodly for-
tunes will be made. There it lies upon
the beach, a young female calf, weigh-
ing about two cwt., and the color, so far
as I can observe it in the glare of half
a dozen fire-sticks, dark -brown. The

dugong is becoming better known ev-
ery year, but hitherto the attempts to
turn it into a remunerative commercial
channel have not been as successful as
they must be when adequate capital is
put into a thoroughly equipped fishery.
I seize the opportunity to examine the
process (conducted, however, on a lim-
ited scale), by which the dugong cap-
tured in this part of Moreton Bay are
turned to account.

First comes the conversion of the fat
into oil. I am grateful to say that cod-
liver oil has never been a prescribed
portion of my regimen, but there can
be no doubt in the world that fine du-
gong oil possesses all the therapeutic
qualities of that flesh-restorer without
the unpleasant smell and taste dreaded
by so many invalids. The flesh I can
vouch for as being excellent. I have
tasted the bacon, and it is white, suc-
culent, and clean-flavored — as good, in
fact, as one would wish to have it.
Another description of the meat, eaten
cold, might pass for a cross between
pressed beef and ox tongue. On board
the Kate, the day after our visit to the
recently-captured calf, we partook of a
dish of dugong cutlets which would
have satisfied an epicure, and were act-
ually declared by some to be very ten-
der and nicely cooked filet de bceuf. The
hides appear to be invaluable ; the
leather is of excellent quality, and more
than an inch thick. What will machin-
ists say to that? Dugong are now
principally taken in a net with very
wide meshes. The nets are laid in
subterraneous thoroughfares through
which the experienced fisherman knows
the creatures will pass on their search
for marine grasses ; the animal becomes
entangled, struggles himself into inex-
tricable toil, and, being unable to rise
to the surface to breathe , drowns. The
dugong is well named the sea-cow, for

274

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

its head is not unlike that of a polled
"bullock, though its nose is considerably
broader, and furnished with a square
terminal by which it may discover and
crop the herbage of the marine pastures
to which it flocks. The body roughly
resembles that of a gigantic seal, and
dugong are sometimes taken weighing
a ton and a quarter.

SCHNAPPEE FISHING IN AUSTKALIA.

The dangerous nature of the ocean
bed at Flat Rock renders it impossible
to anchor near the fishing ground ; the
Kate (our craft) as fast as she is brought
near the desired spots, drifts back again,
and, as the fish are only to be had near
the rocks, the moral enforced upon us
is that we must make the most of our
time. And this is how we do it : Each
man takes up a position and clings to
it. At his feet, and, if he be a deft
fisherman, disposed so that there shall
be never a hitch, lies coiled his line,
thirty fathoms long, about the thick-
ness of a lead pencil, and ' weighted
with three egg-shaped pieces of lead,
each a pound in weight, and so bored
that the line will run freely through it.
The hook is a trifle, but not much
smaller than a young meat-hook, and
it is best to have it attached with a
length of overgrown gimp, or three
pieces of ordinary gimp twisted. The
bait is a lump of fish or meat the size
of a walnut. Slowly the steamer ad-
vances to the charge until you can hear
the green water streaming off the rocks.
Look well to the thick leather gloves
on your hands, else presently your fin-
gers will pay the penalty. It is comical
to see twenty gentlemen, cabinet min-
isters, waiting at the bulwarks, line in
hand, in all kinds of expectant atti-
tudes, eager to have the tackle over-
board the moment the way of the stop-
ped steamer slackens.

"With splash and shout at length
twenty heavily-weighted lines are fast
speeding through the beautifully clear
depths — twenty lines racing through
finger and thumb at a rate that renders
either a glove or a canvas sheath an ab-
solute necessity. Do your best in ten
minutes, for no longer can we remain
in such a dangerous neighborhood.
What is that ? Forward there is a loud
and long-sustained rub-a-dub on the
deck. Is it a heavy-footed man danc^
ing a breakdown? Nay, it is the first
schnapper announcing his release from
the nasty, wet, salt sea, and heralding
his kith and kin, so that within a couple
of minutes the entire deck echoes with
the rub-a-dub of fresh arrivals.

It is scarcely sport; it is next door
to slaughter. Alas! and is one come
to this? On this day twelvemonth I
scored the best trouting afternoon in
my life, all fish artistically caught with
delicate implements in a clear-running
stream ; and here I am hauling up from
the bottom, 180 feet down, a burden
which taxes all my strength, and makes
the perspiration ooze from every pore.
Yet ic is grand fun for a while. The
fish bite fast and furious. Bang, bang,
bang! There is no mistake above about
the bite, and no mistake below about
the strike. Haul, haul, haul! the line
throwing out coruscations of silver in
its rapid ascent. Soon your eye dis-
cerns, fathoms deep, an almost impalp-
able flashing to and fro, as if a large
dish were gyrating in an eddy ; it as-
sumes a lovely pink hue as you bring
it nearer the surface, and then, in a
twinkling, a burly schnapper of seven
or eight pounds is dancing vigorously
and noisily on deck. Sometimes it is a
fish at every haul ; and, under those
circumstances, not the least amusing
feature of the sport is the spectacle of a
score of excited men jumping around a

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

275

score of big fish which are doing their
best to convey their amazement and in-
dignation to an unfeeling world.

The schnapper is, like nearly all the
fishes of these waters, beautifully tint-
ed, and the prevailing color is rose
pink, speckled with turquoise blue. It
is a thick, broad- sided fellow, as if
originally intended for one of the bream
tribe. The resemblance to the bream,
however, ceases at the top of the shoul-
ders, where there is a bony hump, and
a sharply sloping, undulating ridge of
bone down to the mouth, which is
horny and well furnished with teeth.
You deposit your game, not in the fa-
miliar creel, but in a sack bag, knowing
full well that at the wharf at Brisbane
by-and-by there will be an astonishing
number of acquaintances, who happen
to be passing — just by accident, of
course — and who will somehow walk
away with a brace of fish dangling from
a bit of spun yarn. The schnapper is,
in fact, excellent eating. It does not
come amiss in any shape — boiled and
served with caper sauce, fried with egg
and bread crumbs, soused, and, better
still, as mayonnaise.

The best of schnapper-fishing is that
you leave off contented. It is hard
work ; the fish range between five and
twelve pounds ; it will be a very bad
visit indeed to the Flat Rock if you do
not get your ten or a dozen schnappers.
One of our party has five-and-twenty —
much more than he can carry. My
own modest " swag" of eighty pounds
or thereabouts I find quite sufficient be-
fore I cast the burden off my shoulders.
Our fishing lasts not more than two
hours, and a large portion of that time
is occupied in steaming, after the drifts,
up to the rock again. Yet we return
with 250 schnappers on board, besides
other fish, making a total weight of not
much less than 2,000 pounds. And

everybody condoles with me that my
first schnapper excursion has not been
particularly successful. It is no un-
common thing for 600 large schnappers
to be taken on one of these excursions.

Luck at this, as at all other fishing at
which I have " assisted," varies of
course, and is distributed in a most un-
accountable way. Here, for example,
at my right is a gentleman suffering se-
verely from sea-sickness (for we play
heavily at pitch and toss during our
other sport), but who at times catches
four to my one. He has nothing to do
but bait his hooks, cast them over, and
pull up a schnapper with a " Yo, heave
ho! " To my left is another gentleman
who fishes carefully and well, but who
never hooks a fish. Yet we are close
together, and adopting precisely the
same mode of procedure.

Itis not, however, schnapper alone that
we take. At one of our halts we catch
a very strange collection of fish indeed.
First, there are three varieties of the
parrot-fish, shaped somewhat like the
carp, colored a brilliant scarlet, and
armed with four ivory teeth, protruding
like a rabbit's. A small fish, the exact
image of a thick -set trout in bodily
form, and about a half pound in weight,
falls to my share. How it could have
taken the schnapper hook is a mystery
to this day ; but there it is in the Bris-
bane Museum, admirably set up and
preserved, and taking its place among
the natural history curiosities, with its
scientific name, and my own name as
the distinguished donor, duly set forth
in intelligible characters. The fish is
designated " Diacope octolineata, fam-
ily Peresidei." The colors fade some-
what after death, but I make a memo-
randum with fishy fingers, before it gives
up the ghost, and thus it runs : "In
shape not unlike a "Wandle trout ; fins
and tail bright gamboge ; belly ditto

276

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICTJLTUEIST.

with vermilion spots; sides bright yel-
low, with four lateral stripes of bright
blue — rows of turquoise on cloth of
gold." A king-fish is also taken, a blue
and white gentleman, apparently of the
bonito persuasion. A perch, own broth-
er in shape to our English friend of
that ilk, only a magnificent vermilion
with black spots, is another celebrity.
Two or three metallic-colored fellows
have no name, so far as I can find out.

During the last half hour we have a
succession of surprises. A member of
Parliament calls lustily for help, and
we rush to his aid. He has hooked a
shark, and after a tremendous tussle
the beast is landed by means of a coup-
le of boat-hooks thrust into its carcass.
It is about five feet long, and as it be-
trays an uneasy conscience, and is far
too lively to be safe, it is conciliated
with a well-sharpened axe. Another
gentleman of the Legislative Assembly,
not to be outdone, sets up a wild hulla-
baloo ; he, too, so he avers, has also a
shark. It is not for me, of course, to
contradict an old colonist, and a gen-
tleman moreover who writes M. L. A.
after his name, but I know that it is
not a shark. You can see it is a big
fish, nevertheless ; there are strong men
(all senators) engaged in bringing it in,
but instead of darting swiftly hither
and thither, it comes up a dead weight,
no more like the shark than the chub
is like the pike. Its sheer weight un-
fortunately severs the line, and there
are three blank lamenting faces near
the sponson, and general laughter from
the rest of the company.

The lion of the collection, however,
is taken by not only a M. L. A., but
an honorable cabinet minister, now in
England ; to his lot falls a groper of
sixty pounds weight. * It is a kind of

* Two years since a groper of 300 pounds
weight was taken in the Brisbane Paver.

rock cod, with dark brown leather skin,
and tremendous head and mouth, and
its behavior while on its journey from
the tranquil caves of deep ocean to the
upper air convinces me that it was a
groper also which the honorable mem-
ber lost near the sponson. The sixty-
pounder does not show an ounce of
pluck from first to last, but allows it-
self to be hauled in as if it were its
fate, against which it were useless to
contend ; and the only protest it makes
on deck is to open its jaws, but in a
manner more indicative of an ill-man-
nered gape than a decided exhibition
of defiance. I do not hesitate to re-
peat that this groper is distinguished
by its large mouth; a medium-sized
portmanteau might be stowed away in
it without the slightest inconvenience
to the fish.

After the engagement is over, the
combatants clear the decks, remove the
slain, put away their weapons, and re-
sume the attitudes and pursuits of
peace. So, as the engines are thunder-
ing at full speed, like steeds who smell
the stable afar off, we gather together
our spoil, string them on all manner of
belaying-pins, rails, and stanchions;
while buckets of water soon make the
decks look a little less like shambles,
and more like a very modest member
of her Majesty's fleet. We are very tir-
ed and very satisfied. Our shoulders
ache and our fingers smart ; but there
are piles and strings of fish decorating
the ship fore and aft, and we light our
pipes and sprawl luxuriously about,
watching the sunset, and pondering
dreamily about nothing in particular.
The great, awkward pelicans rise from
the beacon-posts and sail through the
air shorewards; they are fishermen, too,
and they, like ourselves, have done their
day's work and are thinking about their
nests.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

277

£rtMfefl %vt'u\t$.

SONG OF THE MORNING.

The lark is floating on waves of song,

Unseen in the summer sky ;
On the wings of the wind are swept along

The strains that he pours on high ;
Like a seraph he sings, as his way he wings,

Of a love that can never die.

For dreary night has drooped at last

In the arms of virgin day ;
The gloom that filled his face has passed

And faded far away,
As the pure dew fades on the pure flower blades

In the radiant morning ray !

The bee is filling the beauteous bowers

With the hum of his joyful lay ;
As he steals the sweets of the fragrant flowers,

His deep voice seems to say,
" Arise, O rose! for the dark night goes

To the kingdom of decay."

The blackbird thrills the heart of morn
With the floods of his cloudless glee,

As he swings in the breeze on the tremulous
thorn
In a musical ecstasy;

While the fair ringdove is dreaming of love
In the depths of the dark fir tree.

The roses rise with dreamy sighs

From sadness of the night ;
The sweet birds sing and the woodlands ring

With echoes of delight ;
The bright rills gleam and the rivers stream

Like rainbows on their way ;
All things rejoice with varied voice,

For night has passed away.

SOME OF THE CACTUS FAMILY.

For singularity and grotesqueness of
form, as well as for the exceptional
conditions under which they thrive to
the best advantage, no class of plants
is more remarkable than the Cadacece.
Of these, upwards of sixty species have
been alread}" described by discriminat-
ing botanists, all of which are indige-
nous to this continent. Although they
vary in stature, from thorny stems that
creep, snake-like, along the ground, to
globular, jointed masses, and gaunt,

Vol. VII— 18.

bare columnar trunks that sometimes
rise to the height of fifty or even sixty
feet, yet they are all distinguished by
several common characteristics. With-
out an exception they are fleshy and
succulent, armed with menacing spines
and bristles, and leafless with the ex-
ception of a single species. They all
delight in a dry, sandy, barren soil,
scorched by the full rays of a tropical
sun, where — an anomaly in nature —
amid the general drought, glare, and
torrid desolation, their stems are filled
with an abundance of pleasant, sub-
acid juice, which, inclosed in a tough,
impermeable skin, enables them to sup-
port a sluggish vital action, and justly
gains for them the title of '** Springs of
the Desert," from the thirsty lips of
many a wearied traveler over the parch-
ed wastes where they form nearly the
only vegetation. Nor is an occasional
human wayfarer the only creature that
derives refreshment from their liquid
treasures. When, in the dry season,
all other forms of vegetable life have
withered from the Llanos of Mexico,
the prairies of Texas, and the plains of
New Mexico, the wild ass, the mule,
the mustang, and often the long-horn-
ed cattle, know well how to sustain a
migratory existence, amid the arid
wilds, by having recourse to the provi-
dential Cactus. Cautiously, with their
hoofs, they rub off the noxious spines,
split open the plant, and then suck
with delight its cool and refreshing
juice. Almost all the species bear,
likewise, edible fruit, some of which
are among the most delicious of the
hot zone where they mature. Gener-
ally, these somewhat resemble, in fla-
vor, the better sort of Gooseberries, to
which they are botanically related.

Few families of plants are confined
within such narrow limits as the Cada-
cece. All the American species, with a

278

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

single exception, are natives of the
warm region bounded by the fortieth
parallel of latitude on each side of the
equator. The parched plains of Mexi-
co, New Mexico, and Western Texas,
are the desolate wastes where they are
found in the greatest size and abund-
ance. Here the Torch- thistle Cactus
rises to the height of from twenty to
thirty feet, dull grayish-yellow, branch-
less and leafless. Here, also, the Cere-
us giganteus — the giant of the Cactus
family — is met with, chiefly between
north latitudes 30° and 35°.

Plants of this species rise in the
form of beautiful, fluted columns, as
regularly grooved from top to bottom
as if chiseled by an artist's cunning
hand. The stately trunks are about
three feet in diameter, and retain their
size and symmetrical form to the height
of fifty and sometimes sixty feet. The
edges of the grooves running perpen-
dicularly from summit to base, are
thickly studded with long thorns, hard
as steel, and as sharp as a cambric nee-
dle. Sometimes the giants throw out
branches, which, at a short distance
from the trunk, turn upwards, and
grow parallel to it ; but generally, not
a limb or leaf mars their artistic con-
tour, and were it not for their dark-
green color and the crowns of splendid
flowers that grace, like capitals, their
lofty summits, they might easily be
taken for productions of art — solitary
shafts commemorating dead and crum-
bled cities — rather than for natural
specimens of vegetable growth. These
coronal flowers are produced in great
abundance, and are four or five inches
long, and nearly as broad. The sepals
are greenish-white and the petals light
cream -color. The tree also bears a
green-colored fruit, slightly reddish at
the upper end, with a crimson pulp and
a sweet but rather insipid flavor.

A very useful member of the family
is the Cactus cochinillifer, which is to the
cochineal insect (Coccus cacti) what the
Mulberry is to the silkworm. From
the days of the Aztecs this iusect has
been reared with great care in Mexico,
on account of the brilliant carmine and
scarlet dyes it yields. The insect be-
longs to the hemipterous order, and is,
in reality, a small bark-louse, with a
body transversely wrinkled. They have
the form of oval or rounded scales,
which cover the stems, branches, and
often the leaves of the plants. The
males are winged, pass through the
usual metamorphoses, number less than
one to a hundred of the females, and
yield no pigment. The females increase
in size only, always retaining their scale-
like form, are picked off with a blunt
knife from December to May, each
year, and are killed by dipping them
into boiling water, or by placing them
in a hot oven or on plates of hot iron,
each mode of execution imparting a
different tint to the color derived from
them. When dried it takes 70,000 in-
sects to form a pound of cochineal,
which presents the form of grains, con-
vex on one side, and concave on the
other, about one- eighth of an inch in
diameter, with the transverse wrinkles
of the insects still visible. So superior
is the dye obtained from these insects
that they have entirely superseded some
other species of the same genus, form-
erly used for a similar purpose. They,
and the Cactus on which they feed,
have been successfully introduced into
several countries, notably into the Ca-
nary Islands, Algeria, California, Bra-
zil, and Java, and the supply furnished
by these colonies now far exceeds that
from the original market.

The flowers of the different species
vary from pure white to a rich scarlet
and purple, and are much increased in

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

279

size and brilliancy by cultivation in
gardens and greenhouses. They thrive
best in the poorest soil, and a sandy
loam mixed with brick rubbish has
been found excellently adapted for
them. In cultivating them, due regard
should be paid to their natural habits.
At alternate intervals. of a few months,
they should be stimulated to growth by
the liberal application of water, and
then again, allowed to rest by with-
holding all irrigation. The flowers us-
ually appear after this period of quies-
cence, just as the new growth com-
mences. Some of the indigenous, trop-
ical species, however, do not bloom
until they are several years old, and
when brought under cultivation, their
flowering seems to be almost indefinite-
ly postponed. Occasionally it has been
found that some thankless plants that
have for years vegetated flowerless in
pots, have suddenly burst into bloom
shortly after having been heroically
flooded with an abundance of hot wa-
ter.— Rural Xevj Yorker.

INDUSTRIAL CONDITION OF THE
SLOPE.

A late shipment of Peaches and Apri-
cots in refrigerator cars to the Atlantic
States has turned out disastrously, and
the crop is so short that little more will
be done in that line this year. The
production of dried fruit will also be
scanty. Several of the Alden drying-
houses, for lack of fruit to work on,
will buy vegetables. An experiment is
to be made in drying sugar-beets, with
the idea that there may be a profit in
shipping the dried material to Europe.
The Scientific American says :

'.' Europe is taking surprising quan-
tities of American fruit. The purchas-
es have amounted, according to the
New York Tribune of recent date, to

over $2,500,000 worth since June, 1876,
compared with $600,000 worth in the
year before. Dried Apples figure large-
ly in this movement. This country has
exported over 12,000,000 pounds of
them since last June, as compared with
522,000 pounds the previous year.
There is no industry or trade, foreign
or domestic, that can show such a large
gain as was made in the shipment of
Alden Apples to Europe last year over
the year before — nearly 2100 per cent.
The principal product of the Eastern
factories is Apples — they have no Apri-
cots, Quinces, Plums, etc., but do con-
siderable business in drying vegetables.
Freight on Alden goods from this port
to Europe is less than from Ohio or
Michigan, where most Alden factories
are located. This new addition to the
trade of the United States is due to in-
vention, which has occupied itself of
late with improved methods of drying
and preserving fruits. The greatest
progress has been made in the way of
drying. "Within the past five years
some notable inventions (at the head of
which stands the Alden) in this line
have been perfected, which are a great
acquisition to the resources of the coun-
try. The fruit dryer bids fair hereafter
to be as much of a necessity to every
farming community as the cider mill
and the cheese factory."

This is certainly a very encouraging
exhibit, and will tend to stimulate this
growing industry in California, when
all the conditions are favorable for the
production of every variety of fruits
and vegetables in great perfection, and
at small cost. We predict that, before
the lapse of many years, the growing
of fruits and vegetables, and their pre-
servation by drying, for exportation,
will be a leading and most profitable
pursuit in California. The drying of
vegetables is rapidly growing into an

280

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

important business. The Alden fac-
tory at Anaheim is being enlarged, and
will turn out several hundred tons of
dried Onions, Potatoes, Corn, Peas,
etc., this season. These evaporated ar-
ticles can be shipped to Europe, in our
•wheat ships, as top freight, at about
$10 per ton, and there is no danger of
overstocking that market. According
to some figures cited by Mr. Joly, be-
fore the Central Horticultural Society
of France, and taken from the records
of the Custom House, the total quanti-
ty of dried fruits exported to England,
Belgium, and Germany, amounted, in
1874, to nearly 80,000 tons; of dried
vegetables (mostly Potatoes), the enor-
mous quantity of nearly 200,000 tons.
In the light of these figures, which are
not exaggerated, there is no room to
doubt the vast proportions which this
new industry is destined to reach in a
very few years.

The drying of fish has received little
attention so far on this coast, and it
deserves more. The extensive fisheries
of Alaska, British Columbia, and Wash-
ington Territory might be made the
sources of great profit, if the super-
abundant moisture of the catch could
be promptly removed so that with a
moderate amount of salt or smoking,
decomposition could be prevented. But
the climate on the immediate coast
north of 42° is too moist for drying
fish, and the distance from the fisher-
ies to San Francisco is too great to per-
mit of transportation to our city. A
method of drying that can be applied
in Alaska is wanted, and the abund-
ance of fuel and the cheapness of build-
ing material and of land on the banks
of secure harbors, offer encouragement
to enterprise. The desiccation of cod-
fish 'by artificial heat would be a novel-
ty, and if it should prove a pecuniary
success might be of immense advantage

to our coast and especially to Alaska,
which is unequaled in the combination
of excellent fishing banks with exten-
sive and neglected forests.

It is probable, too, that the drying
of fish by artificial heat would be ap-
plicable with profit in California. The
sardines, smelts, and anchovy in Mon-
terey Bay, the jewfish, sunfish, sheeps-
head, and mackerel farther south, are
worthy of consideration as material for
drying. It is to be observed, however,
that some fishes, including salmon, and
some mollusks, including the oyster,
contain an oil that can not be removed
by desiccation, and soon turns rancid.

Dr. Winter, who has just returned
from an extended trip South, stated
that the scale insect, and other pests
which have received the attention of
microscopists and entomologists, he
has been able to remove from a hun-
dred Orange trees, which he selected
for the purpose of the experiment from
his grove at Orange, about seven miles
from Anaheim, by a systematic and
free use of whale oil soap and water
applied with a brush. The trees are a
third larger than the others, and gener-
ally more thrifty from this system of
grooming.

Pears were brought from the East
by the Bomans, who cultivated them
with care. The Pear is a hardy tree,
and longer lived than even the Apple.
The best varieties of the Pear rank de-
servedly among the most delicious of
fruits. In composition the Pear does
not differ very greatly from the Apple.
The Peach is a native of Persia, and
was called by the Bomans Persica.
Both in the fresh and preserved state
it is a very favorite dessert. It contains
sugar, gum, pectine, malic acid, and
water.

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

281

Editorial gortfaUfl.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

Our frontispiece this month consists
of two pictures — one a Tropical Scene
and the other Juvenile Angling. Al-
though our information as to many
countries in the tropical zone is defect-
ive, still its broadest features, as a
whole, are sufficiently well defined to
enable us to trace a certain develop-
ment of perfection in its vegetation, to
which the luxuriance which character-
izes it so largely contributes ; melting
as it does into the next — the equatorial
zone — and possessing many characters
in common with it, it nevertheless has
its own peculiarities. The most dis-
tinctive marks of the tropical zone are
the prevalence of the Tree-ferns, and
the dense underwood which chokes the
forests ; while in common with the
equatorial zone, they are entangled
with a variety of climbing plants, call-
ed by the general name of Lianas,
among which are different genera of
the beautiful Convolvulus tribe ; the
blossoms of some of these, called Ipo-
maea, are almost the same in general ap-
pearance and tints of color as the Con-
volvulus major of our gardens, though
some of them, it is said, are rather
larger. A family of plants, called Me-
lastomaceae, may be mentioned with
them, which show a pretty contrast of
color between the clusters of little pur-
ple corollas and the yellow anthers,
which in this flower are very large, and
protrude beyond the petals. Climbing
over the Tree-ferns grow the twining
Pepper-plants (Piperacece), and in most
parts of this zone the Orchis tribe is to
be met with in all its splendid and curi-
ous variety. In these tropical scenes
the Palms are first in dignity. Their
prevailing form is a straight and un-

branched stem, with an immense tuft
of gigantic leaves on the top, in some
spreading horizontally, in others shoot-
ing up perpendicularly, or in others
again drooping. The leaves of the
Palms are very varied in shape, some-
times long and simple, sometimes feath-
ery or fan-shaped ; in color they are of
a shining dark green. As for the flow-
ers, they are small, and often of a green-
ish white color. The fruit, as we know
from two specimens with which we are
familiar, the Date and the Cocoanut,
is very varied in size and appearance.

The list of the species of Palms now
contains no less than 444. They grow
interspersed with Oaks (Quercus Grana-
tensis), Nut-trees, and a species of Pod-
ocarpus, trees somewhat resembling the
Yew. One of these is the beautiful
Wax-plant (Geroxylon Andicola), with
numerous other vegetation. But in al-
luding to our picturesque illustration,
with its calm -surfaced river, conical
mountains, primitive native huts, and
boat with fishermen, we must leave the
rest of this scene in the tropics to the
imagination of our readers.

Our other picture with its water-mill ,
pollard Willows, rustic bridge and
group of figures on it, including a boy
fishing, reminding us "born-anglers"
when we, as boys, used a branch of a
tree for a rod, a bent pin for a hook,
and a cotton thread for a line, we must
conclude that our readers will regard
all as a very natural as well as a pleas-
ing scene, and needing no further de-
scription.

THE JAPANESE PEESIMMON {DIOSPY-
RUS KAK1).

In our notice of this valuable new
fruit, and of the Rev. Mr. Loomis, we
inadvertently stated that that gentle-
man is the agent for its sale in this city,
whereas he is the proprietor himself in

282

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

this business, and will again, next sea-
son, keep his office at Mr. Trumbull's
agricultural and horticultural store,
Sansome Street, with a larger assort-
ment of the trees than he had last sea-
son.

We also committed an error in stat-
ing that the paper cutters he had were
made of the wood of the Persimmon
stained with the juice of that fruit,
whereas the color of those implements
was the natural one of the wood, which
was black, and close in grain, being a
species of ebony (JEbonacece). Further,
it was stated that a Japanese horticult-
urist was expected to come to this coun-
try, but the fact is, that Mr. Loomis
has arranged with one of the most com-
petent men in that country to supply
him with the best trees and choicest
varieties that are known. Rev. Mr.
Thompson of our Legation writes to
Mr. Loomis that he has been in Japan
thirteen years, and he has never known
a failure in the Persimmon crop ; it is
always reliable, and is never known to
be affected by any curculio, or other
insects that destroy the fruit so much
in the East, but certainly very rarely in
California.

PAVILION GARDEN— MECHANICS' FAIR.

The garden, or horticultural depart-
ment of the Mechanics' Exhibition, this
year, is as creditable to the managers
as it has ever been heretofore. The
confined space and other circumstances
considered, we think, the- true theory
of gardening in this instance, as in
former ones, has been judiciously car-
ried out. The Roman plan for a small
garden was to surround it on all sides
with a colonnade, and adorned with a
fountain, statues, and a profusion of
flowers ; for whatever may be said of
the mere utilitarianism or formality of

ancient gardening, it is certain that the
ancients were lovers of flowers, and
that to a skillful cultivation of them,
they added the rare judgment of taste-
fully adorning their grounds. The
Italian style, of which the pavilion gar-
den is somewhat like in character, is,
on account of its prescribed limits,
nothing but a little extension of the
plan of the Romans. It is bound, too,
to partake a good deal of the primness
and geometric fancy of Ihe gardens in
Holland. With these kinds of style
gardens are considered as an extension
of the house — an amplification of it,
and hence to be heated artificially, and
in a mode of taste consonant with the
nature of the buildings to which it was
attached. The glory of an Italian or
Dutch garden is its noble terraces, vas-
es, statuary, and antiquities — not sprin-
kled about, busts springing like mush-
rooms out of green lawns, and statues
peering like satyrs from amid the
branches of trees — but connected in a
formal but graceful arrangement ; the
fountains not in imitation of purling
rills bubbling from unhewn rocks, but
wrought up by the refinements of high
art, presented as ornaments, not as im-
itations of wild nature.

All this has been carried out pretty
well in the present arrangement, with
the exception of the natural rock-work
and waterfall in the corner, but which
is here quite admissible, on account of
the skillful painting at one end of the
garden, of a landscape with mountains,
hills, trees, water, etc., which produces
happily the effect of an indefinite con-
tinuation of the wildest portion of the
horticultural scene. This piece of rock-
work is very naturally arranged, more
especially as its elevation above the
general level has a pleasing effect, on
which the eye rests with satisfaction.
It appears as a portion of the natural

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

283

scenery of the place. In this case a
dark grotto or cave under the cataract
forming a passway to the main apart-
ments of the pavilion, has been con-
structed, and the gayest of the alpines,
mosses, heaths, and ferns in rich beards
of green, grey, and gold color, ivy and
stauntonia, have been planted, but not
too profusely to hide the picturesque
blocks of which the rockery is composed.
This garden, in the main, consists of
broad walks, of the most vivid colors of
shrubs and flowers in well-kept borders,
smooth and emerald plots of turf, grace-
ful vases filled with choice and beauti-
ful plants, and at the sides a dark back-
ground of massive evergreen, deciduous
shrubs and trees, with a flowering cen-
tury plant and stem about forty feet
high, towering to the canvas roof in
the centre.

R. B. Woodward has embellished
the platform at the entrance with his
usual handsome display of tropical and
other plants and flowers.

Messrs. Miller & Sievers, from the
Exotic Gardens, exhibit many speci-
mens of choice plants, with many cut
flowers of Gladioli, Dahlias, Roses,
Fuchsias, succulent plants, etc.

Thomas Saywell, nurseryman and
florist, Lombard, between Jones and
Leavenworth Streets, has added great-
ly to the beauty of the floral and plant
display, by exhibiting a large and splen-
did variety of Gladioli, Dahlias, Roses,
etc.

From Garey's Semi-Tropical Nurser-
ies both fruit and trees of the famous
Garey's Mediterranean sweet Orange.
Some of the fruit is preserved in bottles
with alcohol, and is very fine and large.
R. J. Trumbull, agent, Sansome Street,
exhibits Tree - ferns, seeds, and hort-
icultural stock and ornaments.

On the entrance platform is shown
a very extensive variety of handsome

and ingenious rustic work by T. Duffy,
northwest corner O'Farrell and Leaven-
worth Sts., S. F. Here are beautiful
jardinieres of all sizes, shapes, and pri-
ces. Tables, chairs, sofas, lounges ;
hanging corner and side baskets, and
every variety of rustic and rock works >
vases, fountains, whatnots, and all oth-
er styles manufactured to order. All
this rustic wood work is mounted on cas-
tors ; can be moved with ease, and is
water tight; can be watered in the par-
lor without soiling anything. Conser-
vatories, gardens, and bay windows are
furnished with all these and many oth-
er kinds of ornamental rustic works,
with fern cases of all sizes.

W. H. Murray, of the Journal of
Commerce, makes a most extensive and
miscellaneous exhibit with samples of
the productions of the Pacific Coast,
but especially of California. Here is
an example of the vast possibilities of
this State, and the belief will suggest
itself to the visitor that all the wonders
of our land have not by a great deal
been revealed. A reporter of the Even-
ing Bulletin very justly observes :

At each succeeding Fair something
new has been exhibited. This year one
of the greatest novelties is the demon-
stration of the fact that the giant cactus
which grows in large quantities on the
Mohave desert, can be utilized in the
manufacture of an excellent quality of
paper. Side by side may be seen the
stalk of the cactus and the paper man-
ufactured from it. The latter is firm
and smooth, and seems to be of as good
quality as that which contains a large
percentage of " stock," or old rags.
Every part of the plant except the bark
and roots is devoted to the manufacture
of this paper. The plant grows to a
great size, there being sections on ex-
hibition which are a foot and a half
[u. diameter. A photograph of one of

284

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

these cacti shows the mode of the
plant's growth on the desert, and gives
an idea of the barren character of the
land in which it roots.

There are on exhibition two boxes of
raisins prepared by the Aid en process,
which are equal in appearance to the
choicest raisins imported from abroad.

There is a stalk of corn on exhibition
over fourteen feet in height, and from it
have been taken a few ears, one of
which would make a meal for a small
famity. There is an excellent display
of melons of different kinds, and a
mammoth squash is on exhibition which
hints at an astonishing growth. There
are pineapples, bananas, cocoanuts, and
other products of Mexico and the South
Sea Islands, for the productions of
these regions are also our own in a
mercantile point of view. The grain
displayed has been kindly loaned by
the Central Pacific Railroad, and is
that exhibited by them at the Centen-
nial Exhibition. The exhibit of fruit is
fine, the grapes and peaches surpassing
anything which can be raised in other
parts of the country. R. B. Blowers,
of Woodland, exhibits a cluster of
grapes which is fully eighteen inches
long by a foot wide, and which will
weigh many pounds. The peaches are
most beautiful in color, those from Sac-
ramento and San Joaquin valleys being
the largest and finest in appearance.

R. B. Woodward exhibits in a glass
case three curious and interesting spe-
cies of the Nepenthes or Pitcher Plant,
viz. : Darlingtonia Calif ornica, N. Sar-
raceniana, N. distillatoria, andiV. ampul-
lacea. About twenty species of these
remarkable plants are known, by far
the greater part of which are natives of
Borneo, Sumatra, and the adjacent is-
lands of the Indian Archipelago. The
oddity of the foliaceous organs in this
genus, with their curious terminal pitch-

er-like appendages has created great at-
tention among botanists. The size and
shape of the pitchers vary much in the
different kinds. One sort has the blade
of the leaf eighteen inches long by sev-
en or eight broad, and the pitcher
twelve inches long by six in diameter,
of a broad ampulla form, with two
fringed wings in front. •

The exhibit of Oregon has been en-
larged, a stand having been taken to
the right of the space occupied by the
California Wire Works. There are fine
specimens of the different woods native
to Oregon, among which are samples of
maple and cedar burl, which takes a
fine polish.

There is also a large exhibit of fruits
dried by the Alden process, including
apples, pears, plums, etc. A new fruit-
dryer — price $80 — is on exhibition near
the Market Street end of the hall, and
the process of drying and preserving
fruit can there be observed. Nearly all
the fruit which is exhibited by Harris &
Bradley, the owners of the machine,
has been dried at the Pavilion. Con-
nected with it is a new water-heater,
which can be used for laundry purpos-
es, and is also useful to milkmen and
dairymen.

There is an exhibit of fruits dried by
the Walter process, which claims to
have some advantages over the Alden
fruit-dryer. The fruits thus prepared
are of fine appearance. There is an il-
lustration of the uses to which the co-
coanut can be put. The milk is drink,
the meat food, the shell household
utensils, the husk manufactured into
ropes, nets, mattings, etc. B. F. Stiv-
ers exhibits a large collection of speci-
mens of different California woods,
which are worthy of an examination.
There is a fine exhibit of broom corn,
with specimens of brooms and brushes
made therefrom. There are large bunch-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

285

es of leaf tobacco, of California growth,
and to complete the list of staples which
California is capable of producing, is a
specimen of cotton, grown by J. W.
Easting, six miles west from San Jose.
The cotton is white, fine, and of good
staple, and shows what may be done in
this direction. It was planted April 8,
1875, on ground planted for the previ-
ous ten years with wheat and barley.
The ground was plowed twice and no
manure was used. The cultivator was
used ouly once. It was necessary to go
116 feet to surface water. Yet the cot-
ton ginned 400 pounds to the acre, and
the plants averaged about 40 balls each,
all of which opened.

ALAMEDA NURSERIES.

The flower gardens and conservator-
ies of William Meyer, whose depot for
sales is No. 339 Bash Street, San Fran-
cisco, are situated in one of those de-
lightful suburbs of Oakland (and we
may add, too, of San Francisco), on
Pacific Street, between Webster and
Third Avenue, Alameda. Here are
about seven acres of rich land, well
stocked with all kinds of hot-house
plants, specimen evergreens, trees,
shrubs, Roses, Pinks, Dahlias, Gladi-
oli, and a multitude of old, as well as
the newest flowers, from all parts of
the world. This establishment, is very
complete, uniting the cultivation of all
the choicest flowers for making bouquets,
flower-baskets, wreaths, and crosses, and
for all the purposes for which flowers
now- a -days are so largely and suc-
cessfully used. Mr. Meyer is one of, if
not the oldest, florist on our coast, or
in our metropolis, having been in the
business for the greater portion of fif-
teen years, and is widely and most fa-
vorably known for his kind and oblig-
ing disposition, liberality, and devoted
attention to his business, to which agree-

able and valuable qualities of mind and
heart not a little may be attributed to
the ameliorating influence that garden-
ing generally possesses for its votaries,
whether amateur or professional men.
Mr. Meyer's location across the Bay is
indeed admirable, being almost entire-
ly sheltered from very heavy fogs and
high winds. Fine old Oaks are there
in plenty at no great distance, while
thousands of bright and variegated
flowers dazzle the eye, and charm you
with their fragrance, beautiful shrubs
and the best and rarest evergreens be-
ing planted around ; and nursery rows
upon rows of smaller ones bestow a
pleasing symmetry to the sight, and the
bright leaves of the larger trees " wave
on high their plumes of green." This
is, indeed, a delicious and charming re-
treat for the proprietor at such times
when he is not employed in attending
to his floral store on Bush Street. The
growth of Oakland, Brooklyn, and Al-
ameda is simply wonderful, and surely
in a few years these suburbs will be ex-
actly to San Francisco what Brooklyn
is to New York. Here is a good field
alone which offers a fine prospect for
demand for plants from so old, experi-
enced, and accommodating a florist and
nurseryman as Mr. Meyer. Here are
the most delightful roads and drives
imaginable around hi3 nursery, and
where some of the loveliest residences
are or will be located. Here mansions
and cottages embedded and embowered
with roses and other brilliant flowers,
with luxuriously laid-out gardens, with
the greenest lawns, will certainly greet
you. Here is the glorious region and
climate for variety and beauty to be
displayed in the culture of flowers.
How little is really known, and how
few among us rightly appreciate the
many floral beauties of this highly fa-
vored and remarkably prolific State.

286

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

WOODWAED'S GAEDENS.

The continued popularity of these
gardens, partly with reference to the
good specimens of many varieties of
the trees, evergreens, and miscellane-
ous plants therein, both hardy, semi-
tropical, and tropical, and the numbers
of beautiful and rare plants in the con-
servatories from all parts of the world
(due mostly to the judicious collections
at different times made by Mr. Schu-
man, the superintendent), together with
the interesting department of zoology
in the number of living beasts, birds,
and fishes, besides the numerous cab-
inets of the same animals stuffed and
mounted (due to the artistic skill of
Mr. Oruber) — we repeat, the never-fail-
ing favor with which these splendid
gardens are viewed by the public, does
not at all surprise us. As fast as the
money is received from the numerous
visitors to this " park of the Pacific,"
the enterprising proprietor seems to
love to lay it out in new and attractive
features and improvements, to add to
its already rich and varied departments.
The amount of aesthetic, moral, and in-
structive benefit that Mr. "Woodward
confers on the people by this delightful
and ever growing institution can not be
over-estimated. All these objects work
advantageously to the general good,
and the country at large feels their ben-
eficial influence. Every one must admit
that this noble exhibition of natural ob-
jects in animals and vegetation, and
the works of art in pictures and other
matters are fully deserving of the liber-
al support the world gives them. The
continued popularity of the zoological
portion of the establishment is evident
from the general crowded state around
the cages, paddocks, and tanks of the
animals, birds, and fishes. We are
glad that all these animals are at pres-

ent in excellent condition, and the
mortality for a long time past has been
very moderate. What victims have
ever succumbed here were mostly from
tropical countries, and the deaths were
undoubtedly owing to the comparative-
ly sudden changes of our climate in
this city.

The Museum is a similar attraction
to that which the Zoological depart-
ment possesses for a great manjr visit-
ors, and it is often crowded, and the
objects it contains examined with great
curiosity.

"We are pleased to see that the as-
pect»of the interior of the greenhouses
improves from year to year — the de-
velopment of the plants, and constant
arrival of novelties of surpassing beauty
and attractiveness, especially to the flor-
ist, who will always find something new
to admire.

Some day we hope to see here a
house and pond for the famous and
monstrous Victoria Regia Lily. The
leaves of this plant in their native state
reach over seven feet in diameter, and
the flower a foot and a quarter across,
with pure white petals, and central
rose -colored ones. The tank should
be at least twenty-five feet in diameter,
and the temperature of the water about
80°. The earth should be something
like strong peat. It has been grown
in England and the United States for
some years, and has delighted aston-
ished thousands by the size of its leaves
and the beauty and fragrance of its
flowers. It has been grown in many
places in England to even larger size
than it attains in its native rivers.

PUBLICATIONS EECEIVED.

"We always hail with pleasure all the
guides, pamphlets, etc., so handsomely
illustrated, which issue, from the zeal-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

287

ous, intelligent, and prolific hand of
James Vick, the well known florist of
Rochester-, New York. There is much
instruction and good sense, with a pleas-
ant smack of humor withal, in his writ-
ings and catalogues. Mr. Vick remarks
that, " There is a great satisfaction in
knowing that our flowers not only
please, but exert an influence for good
on all who behold them, some of whom
are sure to become imitators, if not suc-
cessful cultivators." This fact, we may
add, not only cheers professional culti-
vators of flowers and seeds, but also
writers of books and editors of maga-
zines devoted to that delightful subject.

In his Floral Guide, No. 3, for 1877,
Mr. Vick has written interestingly on
exhibition of flowers, propagation of
Hyacinths, autumn making of lawns,
London pride, wild flowers of Kansas,
preparing plants for winter, and a very
pleasing chapter on flower baskets.

From T. S. Hubbard, Freedonia, N.
Y., " Wholesale Price List of Grape-
vines, Fruit Trees," etc., autumn, 1877,
with lists of general nursery stock.
Here are to be found all the most valu-
able Eastern species of hardy native
Grapes, with an assortment of other
fruits, both large and small.

" Catalogue No. 10, of Novelties and
Plants," from the horticultural estab-
lishment of Louis De Smet, of Lede-
berg-les-Gand, Belgium.

" The Aquarium, Illustrated Jour-
nal," W. C. Coup & Reiche, Proprie-
tors, N. Y. This publication is full of
highly instructive and descriptive mat-
ter relating to many fishes and Crusta-
cea, etc., and is beautifully and accu-
rately illustrated with these interesting
subjects.

" Premium List of the Indiana State
Fair," to be held at Indianapolis, Sep-
tember 24th to the 29th, 1877.

" Mineral Map and General Statis-

tics of New South Wales, Australia,"
1877.

" Semi- Annual Wholesale Trade List
of the Niagara Nurseries," for the fall
of 1877, E. Moody & Sons, Proprietors,
Lockport, N. Y., for wholesale pur-
chasers.

We have been much gratified by the
many publications from the extensive
nurseries, and fruit, flower, vegetable,
and seed establishment of Ellwanger &
Barry, Rochester, New York, during
the first portion of this year. No doubt
this old firm aims to be the completest
and most reliable one in this country,
and no expense or exertion is spared in
making it so. Whatever is valuable or
new in every departmeut of the nursery
business may certainly be found on
their premises. It is almost perfect.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

We quote the following excellent ar-
ticle from the Bulletin as a prelude to
our remarks on the fruit and vegetable
markets :

Evidences accumulate that the Grape
crop of the present year will be much
larger than ever before in this State.
With the present low prices of wine,
and the large stock on hand, the ques-
tion, What shall be done with the
Grapes ? becomes one of importance to
individual growers, and the industry in
general. We have heretofore publish-
ed the views of some of the leading
wine growers and dealers of this city
upon this subject. From the stand-
point of those whose views we gave,
the course recommended to convert
their Grape3 and poorer wines into
brandy is founded on sound business
and prudential reasons, and will proba-
bly be adopted to a great extent by the
large growers generally, in the dispos-
al of their own Grape crops.

288

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

But there will be a large number of
smaller growers who are not provided
with facilities for distilling either their
Grape crop of the present season, or
their wines on hand into brandy, and
are not able to incur the first expense
of such facilities, or to wait for the sales
of the brandy when made. This class
probably represent a great proportion
of the coming crop of the State. They
have depended on selling their Grapes
in a raw state to wine and brandy mak-
ers, and had hoped in this way to make
fair profits and quick returns. To this
class, under all circumstances, the dis-
position of the Grape crop becomes of
vital and immediate importance. The
facilities for transporting fruit to an
Eastern market in refrigerator cars as
slow freight, and at lower rates than
have heretofore obtained, will doubtless
increase the demand for those markets
for the best article of table Grapes.
None but the best table Grapes can be
disposed of in this direction. We would
suggest that all who have quantities of
this class of Grapes look into the mat-
ter of shipping East, and, if they find
it promising, dispose of a pare of them
at least in this direction. Again, raisin
making in this State if conducted upon
careful and economical principles must
become a profitable and reliable busi-
ness. The quality of our fruit for this
purpose and the favorableness of our
climate are not excelled in the best rai-
sin-making countries of Europe or Asia,
and labor is becoming cheaper every
year. Again, we have a very large
home market witbin the United States,
which our raisins can enter without
duty, and with less transportation than
foreign raisins. We would, therefore,
suggest that those who have raisin
Grapes look in this direction for their
disposition, not only for the present
season but as a permanent business in

the future. The best raisins of Spain
and Turkey are cured in the most sim-
ple and least costly manner, and the
best raisins that can be made in Cali-
fornia can be made in the same man-
ner. The soil of many of our best
vineyards is the best drying surface,
and the bulk of the crop can be cured
on the ground without danger of rain
or damaging dews, and with no outlay
for preparation. There will be no in-
vestment in raisins made in this man-
ner except the Grapes themselves — of
nominal value — and the labor of pick-
ing and caring for them. And here
again comes in the principle of com-
merce and business, that the more good
raisins we produce the more they will
attract attention and the greater num-
ber of buyers will enter the market.
There is no danger that we will make
too many good raisins. The third sug-
gestion we would make in regard to
the disposition of the Grape crop is to
turn it into pork. Pork is one of the
staple articles of food — always has
been, and probably always will be.
Lard is one of the necessaries of every
household in the land. Both pork and
lard are articles of import from the
East to this State in large quantities,
and at good profits. There is a market
for these articles at our very doors ev-
ery day in the year, and the cash is al-
ways ready to purchase them. Upon
general principles, then, it will be good
business policy to convert our unsala-
ble Grapes into pork and lard — salable
articles. But will Grapes make good
pork and lard? The universal testi-
mony of those who have tried it in our
State, is that no other feed will fatten
hogs faster than Grapes. We have
heard many farmers of intelligence and
of experience in this particular, assert
that Grapes are worth ten dollars a ton
to feed hogs on. Ten dollars a ton for

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

289

Grapes on the farm will certainly not
be a losing business. This year, when
all kinds of grain is so high, and the
Grapes are so plentiful and likely to
rule so low, it strikes us that this is an
important suggestion, and is worthy of
a practical execution. It is certainly a
very quick mode of turning Grapes into
money, and if they are worth ten dol-
lars a ton fed in this manner, there is
indeed more money in them turned
into pork, than any other mode of dis-
position promises. In looking at this
matter as now presented, we have made
no distinction between varieties or lo-
calities. Growers will consult these
questions for themselves.

About the beginning of last month
(August) the fruit stands were abund-
antly supplied with all seasonable vari-
eties. Strawberries came in more plen-
tifully, and with a lessened demand con-
sequent upon the abundance of other
varieties of berries and fruits, fell to fif-
teen cents a pound. Blackberries were
likewise plentiful and cheap. Peaches
were received in large quantities, both
from the rivers and the foot-hills, and
were an improvement in size and flavor.
By the box or basket they sold at $1.50
to $1.75 from the market stands. There
was some improvement in the size and
flavor of Grapes. Vegetables were in
large supply, and excepting asparagus,
which was scarce and high, all the sea-
sonable kinds were lower — as low as
they usually get to be in this market.
On or about the 10th of August Canta-
leups and Watermelons were reduced
in price. The common qualities of
Peaches fell from eight to five cents.
Figs came in in large quantities, which
brought down the market price for
them. Lemons were scarce, while
Limes were plentiful. Green Peas ad-
vanced one cent. String Beans came
in plentifully, and fell two cents.

About the middle of August, accord-
ing to the statement of that valuable
sheet, the Commercial Herald, there was
a liberal supply of all seasonable varie-
ties. The assortment was large, and
the display was the most attractive of
the season. The demand for Pears was
confined to Bartletts — all other varie-
ties were dull, stock accumulating ev-
erywhere. Apples of choice quality
found a ready sale for those of good
quality and well packed ; these found
liberal buyers, but the stock offering
was generally poor, and such lots mov-
ed slowly at quotations. A short Ap-
ple crop is generally believed in. Now
is the time to be drying common Ap-
ples and Pears while the market is
shading off, as dried fruit will be in
demand at good prices this season.
Peaches arrived freely. Plums were in
good request. Strawberries were a
shade lower, as but few were wanted.
Sicily Lemons were scarce. Bananas
were in good supply. Watermelons
and Cantaleups were very abundant.
Grapes showed a decided improvement
in quality, better varieties came for-
ward. We are indebted to Howe &
Hall for the following quotations : Ap-
ples— Choice, $1.25 to $1.50 per box;
common, 50c. to $1 per box. Pear's —
Bartlett, 90c. to $1.25 per box ; cook-
ing, 50e. to 75c. per box. Plums, 6c.
to 8c. per lb. Prunes, 8c. per pound.
Peaches — Choice, $1.25 to $1.50 per
box or basket ; common, 50c. to 75c.
per do. Strawberries, $4 to $5 per
chest. Raspberries, 12ic. to 15c. per
lb. Blackberries, $6 to $8 per chest.
Figs, 8c. to 10c. per lb. Oranges —
Tahiti, $30 to $35 per M. Lemons-
Sicily, $17 per box. Limes, $14 to $15
per M. Bananas, $2 to $3.50 per bch.
Pine Apples, $6 to $8 per doz. Cocoa-
nuts, $5 to $6 per 100. Watermelons,
$5 to $15 per 100. Cantaleups, 50c. to

290

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

$1.50 per dozen. Grapes, Muscat,
$1.50 to $2 per box ; common, 50c. to
$1 per box. Crabapples, 3c. to 4c. per
lb. Quinces, $1.25 per basket. Dried
Fruit — Eastern Apples, choice, 10c.
per lb; Peaches, 7c. to 10c. per lb.;
Pears, 7c. to 8c. per lb.; Plums, 3c. to
4c. per lb.; pitted, 12c. to 13^c. ; Figs9
white, 6c. to 8c. per lb.; black, 5c. to
7c. per lb.; Prunes, 12^c. to 17c. per
lb.; California Raisins, $1 to $2 50 per
box. Vegetables — Cabbages, 75c. per
ctl.; Cucumbers, 40c. to 50c. per box;
Tomatoes, 30c. to 40c, per box ; Green
Corn, 10c. to 20c. per dozen ; Summer
Squash, 40c. to 60c. per box; Green
Peas, 2c. to 3c. per lb.; String Beans,
2c. to 2^c. per lb.; G-arlic, 2c. per lb.;
Okra, 5c. per lb.;' Egg Plant, 50c. to
75c. per box.

About the 16th of last month (Au-
gust), Grapes and Peaches were plenti-
ful. Irish Potatoes rose about a cent a
pound, while Sweets declined about
the same. Lima Beans, owing to large
arrivals, fell about 50 per cent., while
Watermelons and Cantaleups in the
poorer grades dropped a little.

The large foreign trade of California
in fruit and wines, becomes no mystery
when it is known that the State has 3,-
000,000 fruit trees and 35,000,000 grape
vines, and harvests from 300,000,000 to
500,000,000 pounds of fruit yearly.
She produces a large surplus, and for-
eign trade follows as a matter of course.

Greenhouse Climber. — An English
gardener says that Clematis indivisa lo-
bata is a most desirable greenhouse
climber, for furnishing quantities of
pure white blossoms during the winter
aud spring months. The long pendant
win" shoots are sometimes covered with
masses of bloom for many weeks.

Nearly 30,000 alligator skins are
yearly used by the boot and shoe manu-
facturers of the country. Only por-
tions of the hide are serviceable, and
these are packed in strong brine and
shipped to the northern tanner, who
keeps them under treatment from six
to eight months before they are ready
for use.

Gravel Walks. — A correspondent rec-
ommends the following mode for mak-
ing tarred walks : First gravel the walk
in the ordinary way, but do not give it
so thick a coat as usual ; beat well
down to make a perfectly smooth and
even surface, which coat well with tar.
When this is done, put the final layer
of gravel on the top — three-quarters of
an inch will be quite sufficient, and
again beat down, using the back of a
spade for the purpose. The walk so
prepared must not be trodden upon for
two or three days, at the end of which
time it will have become perfectly hard,
and will not be affected by the heaviest
fall of rain. The work must be done
in fine weather, and the plan will be
found better than using cement mixed
with gravel.

Wash for Trees. — Charles Downing
recommends soft soap as a wash for the
trunks and large branches of trees, put
on as thick as it can be used. Potash
is equally good, a pound being dissolv-
ed in six quarts of water, and put on
with a stiff brush — the brush being
kept in water when not in use. Care
is necessary to prevent the potash from
coming in contact with the clothes or
hands. Mr. D. objects to the use of
lime-wash, as giving the trees an un-
natural color, and forming, as an addi-
tional objection, a hard stiff coating on
the bark. This objection may be obvi-
ated by using fresh or sharp lime, and
making the wash so thin that it will

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTUBIST.

291

scarcely color the bark at all — it will
then do about as well as potash. It
should also be borne in mind that a
stronger wash may be used in early
spring or in autumn while the trees are
dormant than during vigorous growth;
and that the soft thin bark of young
trees will not bear so strong or caustic
a wash as that on older trees.

Thinking Fruit. — A writer in the
Practical Farmer mentions the practice
of a neighbor who keeps his crop of
Apples properly thinned by pruning,
preventing the dense mass of shoots
often seen, and the profuse crop of
fruit on them of small size and poor
quality. This neighbor's Apples are
fully twice as large as most of the spe-
cimens grown elsewhere, and of fine
appearance and flavor. Now, he does
not adopt the common practice of wait-
ing till the tops of the trees become a
mass of brush and then thin this out,
but he begins as soon as the young
trees are set out, reduces the branches,
places them at regular distances, and
keeps the heads properly thinned by
preventing a thick growth.

The Vegetable Garden. — We can
not make it rain at will, but if the gar-
den is suffering from drought, we can
do a good deal toward supplying the
necessary moisture. One means of do-
ing this lies in keeping the ground stir-
red. Another lies in the application
of certain agents qualified to absorb
moisture from the atmosphere. Prom-
inent among these is potash, largely
represented in hard wood ashes. This
being the case, we must conclude that
an application of hard wood ashes may
be profitably made to lands subject to
drought. Some persons will tell us
that the ashes would cause the crop to
Ci burn out " in dry weather, but under-
standing as we do the absorbent quali-

ties of potash, we are always willing to
risk it. Common salt is a good appli-
cation, but it must be applied with
care, as a large quantity would serious-
ly injure most plants. The usual plan
is to sift it thinly over the surface of the
ground and leave it uncovered. Land
plaster is often applied to act as an ab-
sorbent for arid soils.

California Productions. — Several ag-
ricultural experiments recently made
in California must be considered as yet
in the condition of doubt. Among
these are the attempts to cultivate the
Banana, Sumach, Peppermint, and
Persian flea powder plant. Pepper-
mint in Santa Clara County yielded as
much as forty pounds to the acre, but
the land was not suited to the plant,
which it was thought might do well on
the tule. Sumach is grown in the same
county, but we believe that the tanners
depend upon importation for their sup-
ply. About fifteen hundred tons are
consumed annually in this State. The
flea powder plant is grown in San Joa-
quin and Amador counties, and the
product has obtained a favorable recep-
tion in the* market. The Banana has
ripened at various places on the South-
ern Coast, and high estimates are made
of the profit to be derived from an acre,
but the experience of years will be ne-
cessary to prove the trustworthiness of
the figures.

Keeping Boses in Blooii. — As soon
as they have formed their first flowers
in the open ground, pinch off the end
of the first shoot, and as soon as the
Bose is fully opened pick it off. No
Bose should be left to fade upon the
bush, as when so left it exhausts the
plant in the formation of seed. As the
plants grow, pinch back the ends of
the shoots when they have grown five
inches, and rub out all puny shoots,

292

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

thus keeping the plants in a rounded,
open bush form. If strong shoots
alone are left to grow, they will soon
control the strength of the plant, and
the flowers will be few and often of im-
perfect form. Should the season be
hot and dry, a mulch of fine, fresh
grass or sawdust, or moss from the
woods, should be placed all over the
soil, three inches deep, and at night
watered thoroughly, not sprinkled, but
wet like a day's rain. The Hybrid
Perpetuals or Noisettes require this
pruning or pinching back, more prompt-
ly than the Teas, Bengals, or Bourbons.
— Country Gentleman.

A new line of botanical research has
been entered upon by Dr. Peterman, of
the Belgian Academy. He has endeav-
ored to ascertain why it is that seeds
obtained in some climates are better
than those obtained from other cli-
mates ; and he has discovered, thus far,
that the superior fertility of the seeds
of clover, fir, and pine, taken from
Sweden, between the parallels of 50°
and 60°, are due to their high germin-
ative power, their great purity, and
their high absolute weight.* His sub-
ject is one which could, with great ad-
vantage, be investigated in this coun-
trv.

A Sonoma, Cal., man has raised five
Cork trees, which are now twenty-five
to thirty feet in height, and from ten
to twelve inches in diameter in the
trunk. One coat of cork, one and one-
fourth inches thick, has been stripped
off. The tree resembles the Live Oak
in foliage. The seeds were brought
from Spain twenty years ago.

Sun-preserved Strawberries. — Sweet-
en the berries to your taste ; let them
stew a little ; turn them into platters
or bright, shallow milk pans. Having

previously cut covers to the same from
old lace curtains or mosquito netting
(these covers having their edges turned
down, and strings run through them to
make them close fitting), place in the
sun for a day or more, and then put
into jars, and you will find these pre-
serves far preferable to canned Straw-
berries, as usually done. Your covers
will answer for drying sweet Corn, etc.

Sowing Rye.— In many portions of
the San Joaquin Valley favorable ex-
periments have been made with Rye,
and it has been found to do remarkably
well as a follower of wheat. The con-
stituent elements of the soil that are
wanting to produce Rye do not seem to
be destroyed by successive croppings of
wheat, and fields that are almost ex-
hausted seem to produce a good crop
of Rye. When sown early in the Fall
it makes excellent feed for stock for
several months, and after taking the
stock off it matures and brings a good
yield of straw and grain.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

For the Month ending August 31st, 1877.
(Prepared for The Hobtictjltubist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and. Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BAROMETER.

Mean height at 9 a. it 30.08 in.

do 12 m 30.08

do 3 p. m 30.07

do 6p.m 30,07

Highest point on the 20th at 3 p. m 30.13

Lowest point on the 4th at 9 a. m 29.98

^THERMOMETER.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 66°

do 12 m 71°

do 3 p.m 71°

do 6 p. m 66°

Highest point on the 26th at 15 at 80°

Lowest point on the 15th at 9 a.m 62°

SELF -REGISTERING THERMOMETER.

Mean height during the night 57°

Highest point at sunrise on the 26th 62°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 7th 51°

WINDS.
South-east on 1 day; south-west on 1 day; west on 29
days.

WEATHER.
Clear all day 8 days; cloudy on 5 days ; variable on
18 days.

^merican Powslip, or ^Shooting Star,

( DODECATHEON ME AD/ A.)

THE

SJtiffElteflM

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SAN FRANCISCO, OCTOBER, 1877. No. 10.

MY GARDEN BOEDER.

BX E. J. TEUMBUXL.

It is about six feet wide by two hun-
dred feet in length — sizeable enough to
demand both time and attention to
keep it in order. The soil is mostly
clay, with an abundance of small brok-
en stones. It would be easier to culti-
vate if the soil were of almost any oth-
er nature, for if not disturbed, it is dis-
posed to, or rather will, bake and be-
come almost unmanageable. Yet it is
astonishing how much of the really
beautiful of Nature's treasures it may
be made to evolve by a wise exercise of
the muscles. I had almost forgotten
to say that the border runs from east
to west, and is wholly exposed to the
rays of the sun throughout the entire
day. It is edged this year with the Ice
Plant. Can't say that I am well j)leas-
ed with it. I intend to try something
else next spring. This plant is easily
propagated. Cuttings made at random
during the spring, and planted one foot
apart, and deep enough to cover the
first joint, will, if watered, produce an
edging in a very short time.

Before, or immediately after the first

Vol. VII.— 19.

rains, from four to six inches of well-
rotted horse manure (cow manure, if
obtainable, would be better), is spread
over the border, and as soon thereafter
as possible it is dug in. Am of the
opinion that any soil, however natural-
ly rich it may be, will be livened and
improved by a periodical application of
manure, or in its absence, bone-dust or
guano. A lively soil will produce live-
ly, brilliant, and I might say, animated
flowers.

There are two months (dreary months
they might be called — December and
January), when flowers are very scarce,
and what few there are look sickly, and
emit but little fragrance. Our gardens
then look gloomy indeed, and it would
seem that their former charms would
never return. I find, however, that
much may be done to make my border
both beautiful and cheery during this
period. If I plant out in October or
early November, an assortment of flow-
ering bulbs, such as Snowdrops, Nar-
cissus, Tulips, Hyacinths, etc., I know
that when Christmas comes I shall have
flowers to enliven my border, and suffi-
cient to cut to bring some of my parlor
vases into use. We may have out- doors,
if we will, in most parts of California,

294

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

flowers all tlie year round. My border,
then, is first stocked with flowering
bulbs, and as these flower and mature
they give way to others — the aim being
to keep up an uninterrupted succession
of bloom. To-day, as I walk along my
border, the first thing which takes my
attention is a Hybrid -perpetual Rose
about seven feet high. It does not
look well, yet it has bloomed quite free-
ly this season. At present the flowers
are rather small though well formed
and delicately fragrant. I wish I could
create and maintain a uniform temper-
ature in the atmosphere which sur-
rounds this Rose above ground, and
that which comes in contact with its
roots, every vestige of mildew which
now mars both the beauty of its leaves
and buds, would soon disappear. Sul-
phur (flour of) scattered over Roses in
winter and dug into the soil, and soot,
and the free application of liquid am-
monia, will assist Nature in shaking off
the atmospherical parasite, but none of
them have proven themselves absolute
remedies. Some do say, "Discard the
Roses which are so liable to disease,
while you can grow the fine French,
ever-blooming Tea Roses, whose buds
are so delicate and fragrant, and whose
bloom is so constant." Much as I ad-
mire the many beautiful Tea Roses
which evidently find as much, if not a
more congenial home here than in sun-
ny France, or elsewhere, I would not
despise these old-fashioned, old home
Roses that bloomed for me in child-
hood, and made fragrant for me the at-
mosphere in the garden corner where I
spent many a happy hour. Rather,
should this old, pleasant acquaintance
be still remembered, and as far as in
our power its life be freshly preserved,
that our pleasure in its acquaintance
may be continued.

A small clump of Double White Bal-

sams are growing near the Hybrid Rose.
Six weeks ago they were in their glory,
but now, while flowering rather freely,
the branches are drooping with the rip-
ening seed pods, some of which will
snap at the touch of your finger, and
scatter their seeds. This reminds me
that if two to three seeds are put into a
five-inch pot now, the pot being filled
with rich soil, flowering plants may be
had in the house during winter. Flor-
ists use this flower during winter by
wiring them and arranging them in
bouquets. They are invaluable for
this purpose. A simple and very pret-
ty ornament may be made by taking a
common saucer and edging it round
with the leaves of the Balsam, and fill-
ing in the centre with its flowers. If
water be put into the saucer and it is
kept in a cool place, the flowers will
continue fresh for several days. Said
a gentleman to me the other day while
pointing to this flower : " What do you
call that?" "That is a Balsam," I re-
plied. " That," said he, " is the La-
dy's Slipper. I haven't seen it before
in years. My mother used to have it
in her garden, and she thought it was
a beautiful thing." Need it be said
that he lingered by this flower, and
that for him it had more of interest and
of beauty than hundreds of others
which came under his notice as he aft-
erwards passed through the garden.
Mother's flowers are precious flowers,
for around them are gathered the sweet
memories of our earliest days. They
take us back to her whose tender hands
nursed them into bloom and beauty,
and us into manhood's strength, inten-
sifying our love for her and the sweet,
delicate objects of her care. I have
but commenced with my border, yet I
have written so much that for the
present I must cease. I hope, how-
ever, soon to resume the subject.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

295

THE DATE PALltf.

BY G. P. RIXFORD.

The Date Palm is one of the most
useful and interesting members of the
vegetable kingdom. It occupies the
first rank as a food producer in the
countries where it flourishes, and is to
the people of northern Africa at once
the aliment for man and beast. The
tree succeeds well in nearly all parts of
California, and has been known to
blossom and set its fruit, but our sea-
sons are too short to bring it to perfect
maturity. To find, therefore, a variety
perfectly adapted to the climate of this
State would prove of great interest to
horticulturists. Such a variety it is
thought has been discovered. The
Revue Horticole, a horticultural maga-
zine published at Paris, contains a let-
ter from a resident of Algeria, giving
an account of a Date Palm which it is
thought will thrive and perfect its fruit
wherever the Orange can be successful-
ly grown. Thinking the matter of con-
siderable importance we herewith sub-
mit a translation of the letter, as well
as the remarks of the editor :

A DATE PALM ADAPTED TO THE MEDITER-
RANEAN REGION.

There are few persons unacquaint-
ed with the Date. The fruit is essen-
tially African, and, thanks to the facil-
ities of communication, is found to-day
in all parts of Europe. Although the
tree may live in a climate relatively
mild, and bear fruit at times, still the
fruit does not acquire the qualities that
render it eatable. It was then greatly
to be desired that a variety should be
found less sensitive to cold, and more
precocious (hative), one that with less
advantageous climatic conditions should
be capable of producing fruit, that if
not quite e\\\%\ in quality to that of

Central Africa, would at least be palat-
able, and become a wholesome article
of food. Such a one has been found,
and we are indebted for its discovery to
M. de Lannoy, late Chief Engineer of
Roads and Bridges at Jemmapes, Al-
geria. Here is what he writes us :
Jemmapes, November 7th, 1876.

My Dear Sir: — I told you, I be-
lieve, during an excursion that we made
together from Paris to Sceaux, that in
a little corner of Algeria, where I live,
known as Jemmapes, a village situated
twenty kilometres from the sea, be-
tween Philippeville and Bone, I have a
Date tree that ripens its fruit perfectly,
although planted in the climate of the
Orange, more than three hundred kilo-
metres from the Sahara, and I will add
that in all probability this Date will
also ripen its fruit in a favorable ex-
posure, between Toulon and Nice.
That observation fixed your attention,
and to-day I take the opportunity to
furnish you with details that may in-
terest some of the readers of the Revue
Horticole.

The Date tree, like most other
fruit trees, never exactly reproduces it-
self from seed, and in the oases of the
Sahara Desert, the Arabs are acquaint-
ed with more than a hundred varieties
of which the fruit is quite dissimilar.
The tree suckers freely, and when an
Arab desires to make a plantation he
chooses from the groves of his neigh-
bors the variety that he believes will
prove best adapted to his soil and alti-
tude, and the quantity of water at his
disposal. The suckers of the Date tree
planted during the first half of May in
a soil broken up to a depth of at least
four feet, and well manured, root with
the greatest facility in Algeria during
the summer.

As with the seed of the Pear, Ap-
ple, and Vine, that of the Date tree, as

296

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTUPJST.

we have observed, never reproduces its
parent. There are precocious varieties
that ripen their fruit by the middle of
September, other late kinds that ma-
ture their crop only in the very hot-
test localities, and then not until the
end of October. Among the precocious
species we find the Amra and the Al-
lona, and among the late species the
Deglot Nour. The fruit of the former,
like our early Apples and Pears, keeps
but a short time, while the latter pro-
duces those delicious translucent Dates
that decorate the windows of the Paris
confectioners, and which keep from
year to year. There are common vari-
eties marvelously productive, such as
the M'kontiche degli and the Lalua, the
dried fruit of which being without much
flavor is not exported, but forms the
principal food of the inhabitants of the
Sahara.

This early maturing of the fruit indi-
cates that the tree requires a lesser de-
gree of heat in order to ripen its crop
than an ordinary one. Thus, then, in
selecting in the oasis of Biskra a very
early bearing Date Palm, and one that
would there ripen its fruit by the mid-
dle of September, one may hope to see
it ripen its fruit as far north as the Or-
ange can be grown, by the month of
October. It was with a choice thus
made that I have been able to gather
magnificent bunches of Dates well rip-
ened, in a region where such a phe-
nomenon was never before witnessed.

I do not wish to exaggerate the
merits of my discovery. My Dates are
not comparable to those beautiful Deg-
lot Nour that you see at Paris, but they
are very sweet and of an agreeable fla-
vor, though the pulp seems soft and
mellow a few days after gathering, as
with the greater part of the early Pears,
the quality of which can not be com-
pared to certain late varieties, such as

Beurre dAremberg, Doyenne d'hiver,
and many others.

" The Date Palm," says the Arab,
"plunges its feet into the moisture of
the earth and its head into the fires of
heaven." It is very partial to manure.
Near each Palm tree in an oasis is dug
a pit that receives the washings and all
the refuse of the stable and the house.
The one that I have planted is situated
a few metres from a stable, and its foot
is sprinkled by the waters of a fount-
ain, and is therefore placed under the
most favorable condition for its health
and fruitfulness.

I repeat to you that I am fully con-
vinced that a Date Palm of the variety
of that which I possess, fertilized with
the Palm of a mule tree, mature and
vigorous, will give perfect fruit under
the pleasant sky of Provence, between
Nice and Toulon. In order that ama-
teurs may make a trial with it, I have
reserved upon the trunk of my tree
three large branches that I shall at-
tempt to root the coming year. At Bis-
kra, a Date Palm requires ten years to
become fruitful, but I have waited fif-
teen years for fruit from mine.

De Lannoy.

It is not necessary to dwell upon the
immense interest that the discovery of
De Lannoy has caused, and when one
thinks of the valuable qualities of the
Date and its great advantages as an ar-
ticle of food, one can not but desire
the immediate introduction of the vari-
ety of which he speaks. A variety
which appears to present great chances
of giving eatable fruit in some of the
favored parts of France. Therefore,
while thanking M. De Lannoy, let us
urge him to hasten as much as possible
the propagation of this Date.

"While multiplication by shoots is the
most certain and direct means of ob-
taining a tree of any particular variety,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

297

on the other hand, a still more valuable
sort may be obtained by planting the
seeds of this early Date, taking care,
according to M. De Lannoy's advice, to
have the flower fertilized by the pollen
from a male plant whose blossoms are
equally precocious.

In the meantime, as this variety is
without a name we propose, in order to
perpetuate the memory of him who
made it known, to name it the Lannoy
Date.

FLORA OF AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, AND
NEW HOLLAND.

BY A VISITOR.

Among the un-English forms which
we meet with in Tasmania (and also in
Australia) are the tree - like Nettles,
" armed with a fierce array of poisoned
spears, and towering above the human
race in height." So sharp is the sting
of these Nettles, that it is related of a
horse which happened to be stung by
one of them, that he became infuriated
by the pain, and in a short time died of
convulsions.

But one of the most beautiful and
striking featurse of the Tasmanian for-
est are the Tree-ferns. They are often
of a gigantic size, and quite Palm-like
in their appearance. " Some tall and
erect like the columns of a temple ;
others bending into an arch, their wide-
spreading, feathery crowns forming
half -transparent green canopies, so
close together that only a span of the
blue sky can peep down between."
The stems vary in height from six to
twenty or thirty feet, and in diameter
from eight inches to two or three feet.
So luxuriant is the vegetation, that the
stems of these Ferns are often over-
grown with other little Ferns, growing
on them parasitically; one particular
kind wreathes itself round and round

their mossy columns, like living gar-
lands, and the wondrously elegant,
stately crown-canopy of feathers (from
twelve to eighteen feet long), spring-
ing from the summit, bends over in a
graceful curve all round, as evenly and
regularly as the ribs of a parasol. Far
above the Fern-trees and their beauti-
ful parasites huge forest trees soar up
aloft, throwing their giant arms about
in a gale that is blowing above, while
scarcely a breath lifts the lightest feath-
er of the Ferns below. To this beauti-
ful picture must be added the tree-like
Grasses, which choke up the spaces be-
tween the trees, and we may form some
notion of a Tasmanian forest. An ad-
ditional beauty is given to them in
spring-time by the many kinds of Or-
chis with which the ground is carpeted.

The .tracts of heath-land in this coun-
try (if we may so call them), must be a
beautiful sight — gay with Epacris, both
crimson and white, which so very much
resembles the Heath both in appear-
ance and structure, that Professor
Lindley thinks " it really is of no prac-
tical importance whether the Epacris
tribe is considered a distinct assem-
blage, or a mere section of the Heath
tribe." Some kinds even agree with
the Heath in the stamens being situat-
ed below the ovary, while in others
they arise from the corolla ; but there
is some difference in the formation of
the anthers. It is remarkable that only
one or two of the Heath tribe are found
in the countries occupied by the Epa-
cris, which is indigenous in Tasmania
and Australia, in the Polynesian Is-
lands, and the Indian Archipelago, in
all of whieh it grows in profusion.

The scenery of the river Huron is
very rich. Its banks are clothed with
lofty timber ; some of the trees are 180
feet high and 28 feet in circumference,
covering the ground with a dense for-

298

THE CALIFOBNIA HOBTICULTTTEIST.

est. Much more might be told of the
"beauties of this favored land, with so
fertile a soil and so delicious a climate.
The American eye, however, is sensi-
ble of one drawback ; and "thoroughly
to enjoy the luxuriant vegetation, it is
necessary to forget the rich and varied
verdure of our own forests ; for, luxu-
riant though it be, its prevailing tint is
dingy green."

There is one little flower which must
be particularly named, because it seems
to be to the Tasmanian settlers what
the Daisy is to Englishmen, and the
Daffodil to us — a kind of universal
guest, though " more especially grow-
ing on rocky, gravelly banks." It is
an elegant white flower called Diplar-
rheno Marcea, which blooms through
all the spring and summer. Its three
large petals are snowy white, the small-
er inner ones delicately tinted with yel-
low and lilac, and its great tassocks of
long reedy leaves flourish all the year
round. It belongs to the Iris tribe,
and is very much like that flower in ap-
pearance.

One other English colony, New Zea-
land, still remains to be visited. The
feature which may be said to be the
predominant one in the vegetation of
New Zealand is that of sameness, pro-
duced by one green mass of forest.
Nor is any one family of plants so prev-
alent over the rest (except, perhaps,
the Pines), as to impart a particular
character to one part of the island
more than to another. The vast num-
ber of trees, the paucity of herbaceous
plants, and the almost total absence of
annuals are, as we learn from Doctor
Hooker, '•' the most remarkable fea-
tures of the flora." It is alarming to
New Zealand settlers desiring to study
botany, to hear that '• he thinks it may
safely be said that the flora of this
country is, for its extent, much the

most difficult on the globe to a begin-
ner."

Of the two-thirds of plants peculiar
to New Zealand, the greater proportion
are exogens. Of the remaining third,
not quite one -twelfth of the species
contained in it are European ; but a
much larger proportion, namely, one-
fourth, is found in Australia, to the
vegetation of which country that of
New Zealand bears a closer resem-
blance than that of any other.

The few genera which were before
mentioned when speaking of Australia,
as including species with which we are
familiar in the United States, are like-
wise to be met with in New Zealand.
Amidst all the foreign forms which
meet the eye, an English Silverweed
(Poten/illa anserina) must be a refresh-
ing sight; or a Wood Sorrel (Oxalis),
or a Sundew (Drosera), or any of the
Crowfoot tribe (Banunculacece). There
is one most splendid species of this
tribe called Ranunculus indgnis, with
heads of about fifteen large Buttercup-
like flowers ; the splendid yellow blos-
soms each an inch and a half broad,
and with large handsome leaves. But
such sights must be comparatively rare;
for the traveler from whatever country,
finds himself surrounded by a vegeta-
tion that is almost wholly new to him ;
with little that is at first sight striking,
except the Tree-fern and an herbaceous
little shrub, called the Cordyline, in
the northern parts, and nothing famil-
iar, except, possibly, the Mangrove ;
and as he extends his investigations
into the flora, with two exceptions (Po-
maderris and Leptospermum), he finds
few forms that remind him of other
countries. Of the numerous Pines,
very few recall by habit and appear-
ance the idea attached either to trees
of this family in the northern hemi-
sphere, or to those which represent

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

299

them in the southern. The only plants
which when examined are found to be
closely allied with plants of other coun-
tries, are those of the Myrtle, Epacris,
and Protea tribes, though this resem-
blance would scarcely be guessed by
the general appearance. There are no
leguminous plants ; an abundance of
bushes and Ferns, and very few Grass-
es ; nevertheless some of the arbores-
cent Grasses, which " properly belong
only to the tropics," are said by Meyer
to be found in New Zealand, even be-
low 36 deg. of latitude, and the Palm
called the Cabbage Palm (Areca olera-
cea) is said to extend even beyond 41°
of latitude. The now so well known
name of New Zealand Flax (Phormium
tenax) must not be omitted, which
grows wild nowhere else, except in Nor-
folk Island. It belongs to the Lily tribe,
and grows, as we all know, in great
tufts of long, tough, grass-like leaves.

Some of the flowers are very beauti-
ful. The most striking, perhaps, is
one of the composite order, called Cel-
misia, which belongs to New Zealand
in common with Australia and Tasma-
nia. The conspicuous looking blos-
soms are* like gigantic Daisies, about
four inches wide; the disc is yellow,
with a broad, white, pink, or purplish
ray ; the lower leaves are spreading,
straight, and grass-like, and generally
covered with thick white wool under-
neath. This plant grows often in im-
mense patches on the boggy mountain
tops in the southern part of the island.

GKEAT VALUE OF APPLES.

BY A POMOLOGIST.

According to the well-known experi-
ments of Dr. Beaumont with Alexis St.
Marten, and from the actual experience
of others, a ripe Apple is digested by a
healthy stomach in from one to one

and a half hours. It does not, how-
ever, follow from this that after the
lapse of this time it is necessary to eat
again, but only that within this time
the food passes into the form of blood
and begins to nourish the body.

One experience after eating Apples is
rather an increase of muscular strength
and capacity for work, as well as an el-
evation of spirits, which, under a mixed
diet, is often supplanted by feverish
symptoms. Even after intentionally
eating an excess of Apples I have felt
no disagreeable sensation.

Of the Apples that grow upon a sin-
gle tree the largest are the best. The
color, as is known, is the evidence of.
ripeness, and the deeper the color of an
Apple the riper it is. Red Apples
should be very dark ; the lighter sorts
should have a soft, yellow tint ; green
Apples have usually reddish spots when
completely ripe. If a person has not
been accustomed to eating Apples, or
can not relish them, he should begin
moderately, taking only a morsel at
first, and increasing gradually from
day to day, until he can, without incon-
venience, make an entire meal of them.
Such a process may be called a gym-
nastic culture of the stomach.

Apples eaten without proper mastica-
tion not only fail to nourish, but cause
disturbances, belching, diarrhea, etc.
The Apple should enter the stomach in
the form of a completely masticated
and insalivated pulp. Digestion then
immediately commences. But Apples
should not be eaten as a dessert. They
differ too widely in their nature from
other food, and when so eaten are apt
to cause flatulence or rumbling in the
stomach. It is best to make each meal
of not more than two articles, and for
this purpose Apples and wheat are the
best, the latter being eaten in the form
of brown bread.

300

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The objection is often made to a fruit
diet that it causes an overfilled and un-
comfortable feeling in the stomach,
without the real satisfaction of the ap-
petite. But this, as already mentioned,
results from the previous bad condition
of the stomach, not from the quality of
the fruit food. Look at the usual mode
of life of the factory laborer. He pass-
es the entire day in impure air, and
subsists upon a diet of coffee, bad bread,
beer or schnapps, potatoes, and bad
meat. It is no wonder, then, that such
a spoiled stomach can not endure a
fresh Apple. Where the stomach has
long been accustomed to a flesh diet,
it may be necessary to introduce the
fruit diet gradually, for otherwise the
weakened organs are not in a condition
to digest it properly. If fruit causes
diarrhea, nausea, or other unfavorable
symptoms, it is an evidence of a previ-
ously diseased condition of the system,
the fruit being, not a cause of disease,
but rather a means of bringing the dis-
ease out, and opening a way to a cure.

What has been said of the Apple is
not equally applicable to Pears, which
require greater care and a warmer cli-
mate for their perfect development.
There are many coarse woody varieties
of Pears, which are not to be commend-
ed, and which are usually eaten cook-
ed ; but this is objectionable, since the
real value is not thereby increased. It
is also more difficult to preserve Pears
than Apples, and this gives to the lat-
ter a decided advantage.

STONE FRUITS AND BERRIES.

These are admirable articles of food.
We have Plums, Prunes, Peaches, Apri-
cots, Gooseberries, Currants, Strawber-
ries, Blackberries, and Raspberries.
These are of themselves sufficient to
cure many diseases, and to restore the
system to its normal condition. A per-
son suffering: with fever often feels an

intense desire for juicy fruits or berries,
and with them cools the blood and
calms the heated brain. The refresh-
ing and life-giving juice of the fruit en-
ters the blood, and passes as a messen-
ger of health throughout the system.
The severest cases of chronic disease
may often be permanently cured by a
fruit diet. Hemorrhoids, rheumatism,
gout, scorbutas, scrofula, and consump-
tion, all of which have their origin
chiefly in a fatty and diseased condi-
tion of the blood, are greatly relieved
by this method of treatment. The an-
cients understood this subject, and
banished lepers to the forest, where
they were obliged to remain, until by a
continuous diet of berries the blood was
purified, and the disease thus removed.

The Strawberry. — Oh, thou modest
yet beautiful Strawberry ! Like the vio-
let, thou bloomest in secret. In thee
lies concealed a joyous life, which thou
art enabled to impart to man, and which
he so much needs; but proudly and in-
differently he passes thee by in thy
humble retreat, seeking strength and
health rather in the carcass of an ox —
such is often the folly of man.

The Grape. — If the Apple is the king
of fruits, the Grape, the aristocrat of
the garden, may well be called the
queen. It flourishes only upon a good
soil and in a warm or temperate cli-
mate, and is therefore attractive on ac-
count of its rarity, as well as its beauty
and excellence. Its beneficial influence
upon health is well known, and hence
the so-called "Grape cure;" but not
only in sickness, but at all times, it is a
most excellent food. The majority of
people, we regret to say, prefer not to
" take their wine in the form of pills."
Father Noah is described as the first
one who employed the Grape, after it
had passed into decay, as a means of
intoxication. This is, indeed, a great

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

301

perversion of its use, and an evidence
of the frail condition of human society.
The Hccklebekry. — Of berries there
now remains especially worthy of com-
mendation only the Huckleberry. No
more delightful breakfast can be imag-
ined to the truly healthy and unpervert-
ed stomach than one of Huckleberries
and bread. But very few, if any, of
the varieties of this sort of fruit are
brought to the San Francisco market,
as it is only found in any quan-
tity among the redwood regions, in
Mendocino and Humboldt counties,
and further north, which are at too
great distances for safe and convenient
carriage.

THE DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA.

The drought this year has so terribly
checked sales and values of lands that
6j)eculators have put afloat the theory
of a compensating year of full rainfall
for next season. But reference to
weather records for twenty-five years
past fails to confirm this theory or to
sustain any theory. If there be any-
thing in the philosopher's ideas that
forests draw rain and their denudation
checks pluvial precipitation, great chan-
ges in the weather records may be ex-
pected in the next twenty-five years.
Whatever changes occur should show
diminished rainfall, because we are
stripping the Nevadas of their native
trees at a fearful rate ; probably ten
thousand acres a year is an under-esti-
mate.

While the subject is under discus-
sion, with preponderance on the side
of hope, science makes announcement
of a startling discovery that dampens
expectation. Professor Muir has been
searching the records of nature among
the great Sequoias, which give exact
comparative testimony regarding the

rainfall for the past 2,500 years. Many
of these giant trees have diameters of
thirty feet, and many lie prostrate.

Every surveyor and every court of
landed jurisdiction receives, as positive
proof of the age of the trees marking
the corners, the number of rings that
mark the annual growth. Every year
distinctly marks with added circle the
increased wood of that year. Mr.
Muir, having cut off a section from the
bark to the heart and polished it, was
enabled to count every ring, and con-
sequently to determine the age of the
tree. By the aid of a good microscope
it is easy to distinguish the years of
maximum growth. If we assume that
the larger growths indicate wet seasons,
and the smaller rings dry ones, it is
not difficult to learn enough for a pret-
ty accurate register of the proportion-
ate rainfall on this section of the globe
from five hundred years before the
Christian era to this date. Mr. Muir
finds a distinct proof of this character
that more than even two consecutive
years of drought have occurred at times.
In one case he counts nine very delicate
rings cotangent — showing a period of
drought of like consecutive duration.

This news falls like a bombshell
among our land speculators. Their
faith in science is less firm. "Nature
is all right, but science may misinter-
pret." 'Tis thus and it always was with
prophets. When a prophecy does not
show fulfillment it was not truly inter-
preted.

Though Mr. Muir's interpretation is
poopoohed by speculators, farmers are
not so assured as they were. Should
these arborous rings prove as mischiev-
ous as our social and political rings it
will be a sad day for California. — S. F.
Cor. Baltimore Sun.

A friend is another self.

302

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

*§m\ mul (StW.

HUNTING AND FISHING IN MENDOCINO
COUNTY.

On the 29th of August, nry nephew
and myself started from our grand Pa-
cific metropolis, at 7 a. m., on the good
and fast steamer Donahue, up our beau-
tiful and wide - spreading bay, bound
for Donahue Landing, and ultimately
for a point, previously agreed upon, on
South Eel River, in Mendocino County.
The passage was perfectly delightful,
the early morning being the calm com-
mencement of one of the many bright
and lovely days which abound for more
than half the year on our highly favor-
ed slope. A few white and fleecy clouds
cast their soft shadows on the near hills
and distant mountains, with just the
far summit of Mount Tamalpais envel-
oped in a light, misty veil. Landing
at the southern railroad terminus of So-
noma County, we mounted the cars,
and pleasantly and swiftly glided
through this rich and picturesque val-
ley, past the neat and delightfully situ-
ated towns of Petaluma and Santa Rosa,
to the still more handsomely located
town of Cloverdale. At this point we
took stage to Ukiah, winding and trav-
eling mostly for many miles by a new
road along the banks of the Russian
River. The scenery here was most en-
chanting, the road being in some parts
highly elevated from the bed of the

river, the eye continually catching be-
witching glances of large and grotesque-
ly-formed rocks by its sides, and some-
times in the very middle of the stream,
with numberless bowlders of all shapes
and sizes. The steep opposite banks
were often mountainous and clothed
with a noble and richly-colored vegeta-
tion of many varieties of trees and
shrubs. At one point on the other
side, and close to the river, we were
much attracted by a huge, dark-colored
mountain of rock, which must have
loomed up into the air above us at least
400 feet. After passing bey ond the inter-
esting Russian River we traveled through
the extensive and fertile Ukiah Valley,
with many farms, grain fields, and or-
chards, but chiefly devoted to stock-
raising.

We reached the city of Ukiah about
7 p. m. We found the landlord of the
Stafford Hotel very kind, attentive, and
accommodating. The new Court House
near by, of red brick, was neat and
handsome, and cost $47,000. Next
morning we hired a team to take us to
our place of destination — Hildreth's
Station — a small inn, situated about
one hundred feet above South Eel Riv-
er at the present low stage of its wa-
ters. We found the lodging accommo-
dations somewhat rough at this rather
primitive frame buildingi but the at-
tention was kindly, and the table pass-
ably good. After dining and putting

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

303

our fishing tackle in order, both for fly
and bait-fishing, we sallied forth for a
short distance up the river to prospect
for trout, having, however, previously
learned from a Mr. Berry, an English
gentleman, who owns a sheep ranch or
range on the opposite side of the river,
that at this season of the year the trout
were small in size, and far from plenti-
ful. This was far from being encourag-
ing to us who had come so far to fish,
although part of our intention was to
stalk for deer, which at any rate were
numerous in these parts. In going
about a mile and a half up the river we
came upon some deep water or holes
surrounded by rocks, but only succeed-
ed in takiug ten small trout with an ar-
tificial gnat. We observed a great
many large suckers swimming on the
bottom (which would, as usual, not
meddle with either a fly or bait, unless
possibly the latter were a worm, and of
these we had none), but this very in-
ferior sort of fish rather unpleasantly
reminded us that from our then pres-
ent slim sport and consequent disap-
pointment, we might unfortunately be
ourselves classified among the sucker
tribe of animals. Next morning I went
alone down the river, the thermometer
marking 93°, and the water therefore
pretty warm, and producing evidently
a lethargic effect upon the salmon fam-
ily, for they could be induced to rise
but little to the fly. Some bait-fishing
was therefore considered — perhaps par-
donably— to be in order, and under
these circumstances I put on a small
hook and baited it with some little piec-
es of fish. This plan was responded to
by my capturing twenty- nine trout,
about from six to eight inches long.
The walking was very rough and fa-
tiguing, to reach the pools and riffles,
over shingles or pebbles of all sizes in
the bed of the river. Some refreshing

breezes, however, blew up occasionally.
Got home late, a little after sundown,
rather tired and perspiring freely from
fast walking.

About ten miles to the north of us
rose San Hidrim, 1,500 feet high, rag-
ged in aspect, covered with a dense and
low vegetation chiefly — a famous locali-
ty for hunting the black, brown, and
cinnamon bears. The shrubs are thick
and difficult to penetrate. The bears
are hunted on horseback, with a good
dog or hound to make them tree, to
kill them. Sometimes they tree at once,
at other times they will run three or
four miles before the dogs, especially if
wounded. The cinnamon and brown
bears are more savage than the black.
A great business is done in these valleys
and mountains in sheep-raising. Some
owners possess as many as 20,000 or
even 30,000 sheep — others from 500 to
10,000. Sheep-shearing was going on
in many places during our visit.

After expecting them for some days,
a party of deer hunters came up to the
station, and we accompanied them to
camp out about the distance of two
miles on the river, in a wagon, with
tents, guns., rods, etc. Next morning
by sunrise they all went out to hunt for
their favorite game. At 11 o'clock one
of them brought in a young two-year-
old buck. The others nothing but a
few jack-rabbits. I started out for
trout fishing, and caught by bait-fish-
ing nine small fish. Spent the greater
part of the remainder of the day lolling
in the shelter of some oaks, as there
was but little dense shade over the
camp tent. I had slept the night be-
fore under the large tent, on willow
branches, as there was no redwood fol-
iage to be obtained conveniently. This
hard bed, with hard bread, hard bacon,
heat hard to bear, and hard swearing
hard to hear, and no fruit of any

304

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

kind to be obtained in any shape in
this hot weather, determined me to re-
turn to the little Hildreth inn at the
station, where good canned fruit could
be had in plenty. I enjoyed some nice
baths in the river. My nephew was
successful in taking with the fly at dif-
ferent times many small trout, with now
and then one of half a pound. I took a
number of about the same calibre, bait-
fishing, and a few occasionally with the
fly. At what an immeasurable distance
in enjoyment is fly-fishing and bait-fish-
ing from one another ! One day I took
a horse and rode about three miles over
the high hills to fish in a small rocky
and bushy creek, yclept Garcy. Among
a great many small trout, I caught sev-
eral from a quarter to half a pound.
The scenery around, with some very
high isolated and peculiarly- formed
rocks, from the tops of which grew sev-
eral large trees, was very interesting,
and indeed striking, with endless sheep
ranges.

My nephew, on account of the exces-
sive heat, lack of good spring water,
and the deer resorting apparently to
the tops of the mountains rather than
to the river banks, came in from the
camp, and the next morning we started
on our journey homewards, stopping
on our way for three days at a very
pleasant and shady farmer's cottage,
embowered in fruit and other trees,
close to a small cold stream of wa-
ter, well named " Cold Creek." This
delicious streamlet was derived from
copious flowing springs all along its
short course to the headwaters of Rus-
sian River. We enjoyed much better
trout fishing in it than in the tepid wa-
ters of South Eel River, taking from it
many fair-sized fish, with several large
ones. The quiet old man and his
good-natured spouse — Mr. Albert and
Mrs. Long — did everything to make us

feel at home and comfortable in their
humble but neat, clean, and well-shad-
ed retreat. And here we had such
light and richly - flavored cold bread,
such sweet and fresh home-made but-
ter, as can not, according to our expe-
rience, be continuously equaled in our
chief city, to which, also, were added
good fruit and the best of vegetables.
Of this very agreeable spot we most re-
luctantly took leave, by hiring a car-
riage from Ukiah, ten miles to that city,
and from thence thirty-two miles to
Cloverdale, through terrible dust, but
with cool breezes, and the Russian Riv-
er's splendid scenery well bearing repe-
tition, we next day reached our great
and long-accustomed city home.

HOW TO FISH FOE TEOUT.

Always, if possible, fish down a
stream. There are many reasons for
this, among others the following- : In
fishing up stream the bait is continual-
ly coming home to one's feet after ev-
ery cast, and the nearer it approaches a
person the less chance of a bite. The
contrary is the case in fishing down
stream. The bait is carried by the cur-
rent away from the fisherman, and his
chances of capture are each moment in-
creased.

If the brook is large enough — and
even in very small ones — if practicable,
it is always best to wade in the bed of
the stream, as by this means one can
keep the bait in the water for long dis-
tances without making a cast, which,
in the localities I am speaking of, al-
most always ends in one's seeing one's
tackle fast to some overhanging bough
or bush overlapping the stream. Again,
in fishing up stream, it is impossible to
keep the bait stationary in any spot one
may desire to cast in, unless by stand-
ing upon the bank, and the chances of

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

305

capture are thus greatly decreased ;
while iu fishing down stream, one can
not only hold the bait in any one spot,
but by a motion of the arm conduct j
in any given direction — sink it toward^
the bottom, draw it up stream, to the-
right or to the left — to tempt the hid
den trout, the motion of the running
water upon the bait giving one com-
plete control of it by the slightest mo-
tion of the arm. To be successful in
this sport, first give up all idea of us-
ing artificial flies ; there is usually no
chance to cast them, and very few fish
will rise to them, and then only, usual-
ly, at early morn or sunset. Use a
light, but very short jointed pole, not
over twelve feet in length, with fine
delicate running gear and small com-
pact reel ; small hook, guaged upon
silk-worm gut, of any make that one
prefers, there being great diversity of
opinion on this matter among fisher-
men. The Limerick hook has nearly
gone out of date, and how it was endur-
ed so long is a mystery. The Kirby
and Aberdeen have taken its place.

Put no lead upon your line at any
time ; it kills the artistic and natural
motion of your bait. Use, as the most
killing bait yet discovered, angle-
worms ; and these may be much im-
proved by being kept a few days upon
clean moss in an uncovered, large-
mouthed bottle, that they may scour
themselves. In baiting do not pay the
slightest attention to whether the point
of your hook is covered or not ; it is of
small consequence, or rather it is more
deadly and better not to be covered
than otherwise. The trout does not
nibble, he darts ; he takes, as a rule,
the bait at once, or leaves it severely
alone. You will find no more taking
bait the year round than angle-worms,
although grasshoppers at certain sea-
ons are very killing. In baiting, take

a worm by the middle and pierce the
hook through a small portion, say half
an inch ; then put on another in the
same way at the same time. If the fish
are very small, half a worm treated in
this manner will do ; but a trout has a
large mouth, and a large bait no doubt
attracts. The dangling ends of the
worms placed as above upon the hook
have a peculiar and natural motion of
their own in the water, which a hungry
trout is utterly unable to resist ; while
one may, on the other hand, cover the
whole hook and part of the gut with a
worm stiffly strung on without motion,
and the same trout will let it be carried
past him by the current without wink-
ing.

There is a great science in baiting,
and it chiefly rests in the skill of hav-
ing the worms lively, and with the ex-
tremities left dangling. The bait is oft-
en carried over a little fall into a smooth,
deep pool ; allow it to sink, and all the
while it is doing so these four ends of
the two worms are moving about in the
clear water in a much too enticing way
for any chance trout to resist. "When
you have a bite do not pull at all, but
strike your fish, as it is called ; this is
done by a motion of the wrist, sharp,
short, abrupt; not a jerk — a motion
which is commenced sharply, but ends
almost instantly and abruptly. I can
liken it only to a quick movement of
the hand in bringing a foil, in fencing,
from tierce to carte. It is done by bring-
ing the finger-nails, which are down-
ward, holding the rod, suddenly to the
left and upward, moving the end of the
pole upward and to the left some one
or two feet. Having struck this you
will in most cases have captured your
fish. Be in no hurry to land him ; that
is a simpler thing to do ; you can do it
at your leisure, stepping back to a sure
foundation should you be in an uncoca-

306

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

fortable position in reaching to make
the cast, or make any other disposition
that you desire before raising your fish
gently from the water, thence to your
creel. The great mistake often made
by those who do not understand this
sport is to pull the moment they have a
bite ; the usual result is to see the trout
wind himself about some tree overhead,
or if he fail to be hooked, which is oft-
en the case in pulling, to see the bait
and hook in the same position, causing
a loss of time, patience, and too often
temper, especially when you feel confi-
dent that there are other trout in the
pool ahead, and become aware of the
fact that you have got to make a splash
and dash and complete exposure of
yourself to get at your dangling line,
so that you may fish in vain in the
same pool afterward. Remember that
trout are very shy, and once having
disturbed them, it is useless to fish for
them. — Douglas Frazerin Harper's Mag-
azine/or August.

FISHING IN CHINA.

The Chinese, among their many orig-
inal ideas, have some curious ones on
this subject, and doubtless fish now as
they did a thousand years ago ; and
though on the coast they may have
adopted the generally accepted system
of working nets, on the waters of the
interior of the country they adhere to
the methods peculiar to their own na-
tion— methods quaint and curious.

The lakes and rivers of China, and
especially of the north, are so abund'
antly stocked with fish that in some
places the men called fish catchers
make their living by actually seizing
and drawing them out with their hands.
The man goes into the water, and pro-
ceeds, half walking, half swimming,
raising his arms above his head, and

letting them drop, striking the surface
with his hands. Meanwhile his feet
are moving on the muddy bottom.
Presently he stoops with a rapid dive
and brings up a fish in his hand. The
striking of the surface was intended to
frighten the fish, which, when alarmed,
sink to the bottom ; then the naked
feet feel them among the mud, and
once felt, the practiced hand secures
them in a moment. Catching fish, in
this manner is of course a trade in it-
self, and the plentiful supply it implies
is somewhat explained by the fact that
even the little ponds of northern China
swarm with scahy life.

On the great Ningpo River the same
principle is used on a more extended
scale with boats and nets. The boats
are ready for the river, and when they
halt the nets are thrown out, and the
oars and sculls beat the water with a
loud splashing noise. After resting in
the same place for ten minutes or a
quarter of an hour, they move on again
to another station, and there repeat the
beating and splashing. The noise on
the surface is meant for an alarm, as in
the case of the fish-catcher; and it is
said that this mode of fishing soon loads
the nets.

Another curious method emploj'ed by
the Chinese is generally practiced at
night, and depends upon a peculiar
power which a white screen stretched
under the water seems to possess over
the fishes, decoying them to it and
making them leap. A man sitting at
the stern of a long narrow boat, steers
her with a paddle to the middle of a
river and there stops. Along the right
hand side of his boat a narrow sheet of
white canvas is stretched ; when he in-
clines to that side it dips under the
surface, and if it be a moonlight night
gleams through the water. Along the
other side of the boat a net is fastened

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

307

so as to form a barrier two or three feet
high. The boatman keeps perfectly
still. If another boat passes by he will
not speak ; he is only impatient at the
slight breaking of the silence. While
he keeps thus without a sound or stir,
the fish, attracted by the white canvas,
approach and leap, and would go over
the narrow boat and be free in their na-
tive waters on the other side but for the
screen of netting, which stops them and
throws them down before the man's
feet.

Every one must have heard of the
fishing cormorant, which is actually
trained in China to catch fish. A man
takes out ten or twelve of these web-
footed birds in a boat, and, soon as the
boat stops, at his word they plunge into
the water and begin at once searching
for and diving after fish. They are
most diligent workers, for if one of
them is seen swimming about idly, the
Chinaman in the boat strikes the water
near the bird with the end of a long
bamboo, and not touched, but recalled
to a sense of duty, the cormorant at
once turns to business again. As soon
as a fish is captured, a word from
the man brings the bird swimming to-
ward him. He draws it into the boat,
and it drops its prey from its bill.
There is always a string or. straw tied
around the neck, to prevent the fish
from being swallowed, and this string
requires the nicest adjustment, lest it
may choke the bird, a result which
would certainly follow if it slipped low-
er down on the neck. The sagacity .
and workmanlike method of the birds
are shown when they get into difficulty.
If the fish caught is too large for one
bird to secure, another cormorant
comes up to the struggle, and the two,
with united efforts, bring the prize to
the boat. On the rivers and canals
near Ningpo, Shanghai, and Foo-chew-

foo, the employment of these birds is
not an uncommon sight ; but they are
never to be seen fishing in the summer
months, their work being in the winter,
beginning always about October and
ending in May. The birds have, of
course, to be subjected to a system of
training, which is carried on in the cor-
morant breeding and fishing establish-
ments, one of which is at a distance of
thirty or forty miles from Shanghai. —
Chambers' Journal.

gtUxtnl Mtrte

PALMS IN SACKAMENTO.

A correspondent sends the Record-
Union the following : " Now that the
season for working in the Capitol park
is near at hand, and there will proba-
bly be trees set out to decorate it, there
should be some attention paid to a
heretofore neglected tree, the Palm,
which is the pride of the tropics, and
gives a charm to the landscape that no
other tree possesses. It is that which
makes Southern Europe so attractive.
The avenue of royal Palm trees in the
Botanical Garden at Rio Janeiro is fa-
mous the world over. They grow so
slow the first five or six years from
their being planted, that no time
should be lost, but the authorities
should make a beginning this next sea-
son. The success that has rewarded
those private citizens who have planted
these trees in years past, leaves no
doubt of their successful culture in
this valley. Some varieties could be
raised at a considerable elevation in the
foot-hills. The Chamserops excelsis, a
beautiful hardy fan Palm tree, growing
to a height of from forty to sixty feet, a
native of northern India, is very hardy,
and will stand a temperature as low as
10° above zero. This is the most hardy

308

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

of all, and is very beautiful ; but few of
these have been planted in this city.
The Brahea fillirnentosa, the variety
that is growing in Charles Crocker's
garden, is very stately and handsome,
is more tender in cold weather than the
first-named Palm tree, but grows well
here in the city. Many of the Corypha
AustraHs, those in Governor Irwin's
garden, an Australian Palm, are flour-
ishing well in town. This is hardy,
and very much resembles the first-nam-
ed Palm, belonging to the Cabbage
Palm family. The Corypha umbracu-
lifera, the giant Palm of the Buddhists,
who consider it sacred, is the largest of
all, its fan-shaped leaves growing 12
feet wide and 18 long; it would do
well here. The Phsenix dactylifera,
the Date, the sacred tree of the sun
worshipers, a fruit tree, bearing the
Date of commerce, may be seen in the
gardens of Henry Miller, Dr. P. "W.
Hatch, H. C. Kirk, General Redington,
B. B. Redding, and others, is hardy
and valuable, both for fruit and orna-
ment. The Chain serops palmetto, in
the garden of P. Bohl, the largest
Palm tree in town, is very hardy — a
Cabbage Palm, which attracts very
much notice. There are fifty other va-
rieties which could be planted and do
well. The mistake of many who have
planted them is in planting during the
rainy season ; it chills the young trees
— they can not get heat to send out
fresh roots. April and May is the best
season. Their roots should not be dis-
turbed. It were better to plant the
seed where they are to grow and then
let them alone ; transplanting sets them
back worse than it does any other tree."

THE HAWTHOKN IN CALIFOENIA.

A considerable number of Hawthorn
plants have been imported from Eng-

land during the last few years. These
are mostly grown as separate shrubs,
and are very beautiful in their way.
They take kindly to the climate if they
are well cared for, and especially if
they get water enough. The Hawthorn
comes to perfection in England where
the climate is moist. It is chiefly used
for hedges in that country. A corre-
spondent of the New York Tribune,
writing from London, gives the follow-
ing account of this beautiful shrub :

Persons "to the manor born" were
lately calling the season "backward,"
and they went so far as to grumble at
the Hawthorn as being less brilliant
than in former seasons. But, in fact,
to the unfamiliar sense this bush of
odorous coral has been delicious. You
know it, doubtless, as one of the sweet-
est beauties of rural England. It de-
serves its reputation. We have noth-
ing comparable with it in North Amer-
ica, unless, perhaps, it be the Elder of
our wild woods ; and even that, with
all its fragrance, lacks equal charm of
color. They use the Hawthorn or
some kindred shrub for hedges in En-
gland, and hence their fields are sel-
dom disfigured with fences. As you
ride through the land you see miles
and miles of meadow traversed by these
green and -blooming hedge-rows, and
you find that they give the country a
charm which is quite incommunicatable
in words. The green of the foliage —
enriched by an uncommonly humid air
and burnished by the sun — is just now
in perfection, while the flowers are out
in such abundance that the whole realm
is one blaze of color. I saw the other
day, near Oxford, on the crest of a hill,
at least three thousand square yards of
scarlet Poppies. You can easily im-
agine what a glorious dash of color that
was in a green landscape lighted by the
afternoon sun! Nobody could help lov-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

309

ing a land that woos him with such
beauty.

We have not seen a Hawthorn hedge
in California, though there may be
such. The plants grow readily from
cuttings, and the blossoms appear to be
as sweet as in England. It is a decid-
uous shrub, and would of course pre-
sent a bare hedge for four or five
months of the year. The Cypress is
very popular here for a hedge plant be-
cause it is evergreen and very bright
when it has been washed by the hose
pipe or the rains of winter. The Os-
age Orange does well enough for farm-
ers when the gophers let it alone ; but
it does not make a handsome hedge
about the house. One of the hand-
somest of all hedges is that made by
the Cherokee Rose. It is an evergreen,
and its leaves have a very bright color
with a waxen surface. The plants blos-
som when about four years old. The
flowers are white, and there is only a
single bloom in the spring. It grows
readily from cuttings, and when not
trimmed is a half climber or runner.
Here is what the correspondent says
about flowers in England :

English flowers, it must often have
been noticed, are altogether exception-
al for substance and pomp. The Ro-
ses in particular — though many of them
it should be said, are of French breeds
— surpass all competition. It may seem
an extravagance to say so, but it is cer-
tainly true that these rich, firm, bril-
liant flowers affect you like creatures of
flesh and blood. They are only in this
respect to be described as like nothing
in the world so much as the bright lips
and blushing cheeks of the handsome
English women who walk among them
and vie with them in health and loveli-
ness. It is easy thus to perceive the
source of those elements of warmth and
sumptuousnes3 which are so conspicu-

Vol. VII.— 2o

ous in the results of English taste.
This is a land of flowers. Even in the
busiest parts of London people decor-
ate houses with them, and set the som-
bre, fog-grimed fronts ablaze with scar-
let and gold.

Some of the handsomest Roses ever
seen in California have been imported
direct from England. They do well
here, although it requires a little time
for them to become naturalized in this
climate. Nothing could give a hand-
somer border to a garden than a Haw-
thorn hedge. It is possible that it may
yet be as common here as the Cypress
hedge is now. At any rate, the exper-
iment of Hawthorn hedges ought to be
thoroughly made. — Bulletin. [They
need much water. — Ed. 1

DO VARIETIES WEAR OUT?

Professor W. J. Beal, in an address
before the Michigan Pomological Soci-
ety, as reported in the Michigan Farm-
er, upon the subject as above, said :

Thomas Andrew Knight, the famous
English horticulturist, believed they
did wear out, and gave what he sup-
posed were good examples, among
which was the Golden Pippin Apple.
He also believed that any variety of
Apples or Pears would last no longer
than the parent tree. Mr. William
Masters also believed that varieties
wore out. We know now that varieties
may last longer than the parent plant.
The Golden Pippin Apple is still grown
in perfection, a long time after the
death of Mr. Knight.

A plant may be injured by bad culti-
vation. It may become diseased and
die. Cuttings, buds, or even seeds
from such diseased or enfeebled plants
may make diseased or feeble plants.

By some means, certain varieties of
Potatoes which have been kept for six

310

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

or eight years in the College garden,
have failed to set any tubers, many
other sorts have produced only a few
small tubers. A set of such Potatoes
was sent to the Kansas Agricultural
College and given good treatment for
one year. Of those varieties which had
dwindled down to very small specimens
at Lansing, none revived or did better
in Kansas. They all continued to de-
generate. The cause of this degener-
ating I am unable to give, the fact can
not be doubted. Some will attribute
it to bad management, others to a
weakening of the variety. Some varie-
ties of Potatoes at our farm have yet
shown little or no signs of degeneracy.

It is true in most places that seedling
Verbenas are healthier and more vigor-
ous than plants which come from cut-
tings. This may be due to the unfa-
vorable conditions to which the cut-
tings are subjected, or to bad treatment
of the stock plants in winter. Most of
our best Verbenas have not been raised
many years from cuttings. New ones
are constantly taking their places. So
with. Potatoes, new varieties are mostly
taking the place of the old.

There is no denying the fact that
there are still some very old varieties of
plants in a healthy condition. Some
varieties of Grapes are said to have been
propagated for 2,000 years.

Lindley, Speechley, Downing, and
DeCandolle admitted the facts which
Knight and others brought forth, but
rejected the reasoning and the infer-
ences drawn. As they believed, " It
was disease, not degeneracy, and this
disease propagated by grafting, which
caused varieties or individual plants to
disappear."

The late William Patterson of Scot-
land, in a premium essay in 1870, ob-
served that varieties of Potatoes very
rapidly degenerate and ultimately be-

come worthless, " attributed to repeat-
ed planting from the same stock, with-
out an infusion of new blood."

President Wilder, in the transactions
of the American Pomological Society,
p. 19, 1869, writes : " However we
may theorize in regard to this matter,
it must be admitted, from the practical
point of view, that some fruits have so
declined aa to render it absolutely ne-
cessary to replace them with new vari-
eties." He cites. Pears in our day as
examples, St. Germain, Crassane, and
White Doyenne, etc., once so excel-
lent. Where are they now ? For the
great majority of locations they will
continue to be worthless.

President Wilder also cites the Ca-
tawba and Isabella Grapes as other ex-
amples of fruit which is declining.
Some varieties hold out better than
others, as the Red Astrachan Apple,
Bartlett Pear, and Wilson Strawberry,
which seems to thrive almost every-
where. Others thrive in only limited
localities.

Dr. A. Gray believes that " varieties,
though not liable to change, may theo-
retically be expected to wear out, but to
be a very long time about it ; that sex-
ually propagated varieties or races, al-
though liable to disappear through
change, need not be expected to wear
out, and there is no proof that they do."

The longer a race is bred or repro-
duced from a succession of similar in-
dividuals, the more permanently fixed
it becomes. The progeny are more
certain to be like the parents. This is
well shown in our thoroughbred cattle,
sheep, horses, swine, and poultry.
Probably if closely related parents are
to be bred together it is better that
they should have been kept for some
time in countries remote from each oth-
er, subjected to different surroundings
as to food, air, temperature, ecc.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

311

In the case of plants this has been
proven true by recent experiments of
Darwin. Instead of trying to infuse
new vigor into a race by introducing or
crossing with another race, bring to-
gether those of the same race which
have been long raised in different lo-
calities. The result in most cases has
been a wonderful increase in the size
and hardiness of the plants, the size
and yield of the seeds or fruit. This
result has been worked out by Darwin,
and has been proved by many experi-
ments tried on a great variety of plants.
The idea is a very valuable one to the
raiser of fruits, flowers, grains, or veg-
etables.— Prairie Farmer.

BANANA CULTUKE.

Each year adds something new to our
knowledge of the capabilities or suscep-
tibilities of our soil or climate. But a
few years ago it was supposed that the
cultivation of the Orange, Lemon, and
Lime was only possible in this State in
certain favored localities in the South-
ern counties. Accident and experience
have proven that such localities are to be
found in nearly every county from one
end of the State to the other, and that
these fruits may become with us almost
as universal and plenty as the Apple,
Pear, or Peach. The Banana has been
looked upon as only possible of suc-
cessful cultivation in full tropical cli-
mates, and but few have been bold
enough to question the general opinion,
or to attempt its cultivation in Califor-
nia. Yet a few have tried it, and their
experiments have been attended with
very gratifying success. At a late
meeting of the Southern Horticultural
Society at Los Angeles, Rev. H. H.
Messenger read a very interesting pa-
per on the culture of the Banana, from
which we gather the following conclu-
sions :

First — That Bananas can be success-
fully and profitably cultivated in Los
Angeles, and probably in many other
localities in this State.

Second — That the Sandwich Island
or Panama Banana requires a longer
season of warm weather than can be
had in any locality in this State, unless
started under cover and protected from
the cold weather in the fall and early
winter. The Florida Banana, however,
grows to full size, and ripens entirely
in the open air in Los Angeles County,
and will probably do go in many other
counties in this State.

The gentleman gave the mode of
cultivation and what he thought might
be reasonably expected from it, as fol-
lows:

Plant the bulb eight or ten inches
deep, eight feet apart. This will give
681 plants to the acre. Irrigate and
cultivate well. In one year from plant-
ing the sucker or bulb first planted will
be, likely, six feet high, with three or
four suckers from the root. A new
plant makes its appearance from the
root every two or three months. Dur-
ing warm weather sooner ; during the
coldest weather taking a longer time ;
that is, perhaps none may appear dur-
ing the three coldest months. But, by
the end of two years from planting,
fruit may be gathered from the parent
stock, and five or six suckers coming on
the same hill, two or three of which
should be removed. About three grow-
ing at a time is considered best. From
this time on one bunch of fruit may. be
confidently expected each year.

The clusters of fruit will be accord-
ing to the irrigation and cultivation.
With the best of care from 50 to 100
can be taken from a plant ; with less
care, perhaps from 12 to 30. My firm
belief is, that with irrigating once a
month for eight months in the year, by

312

THE CALIFOBNIA HOKTICULTTJKIST.

the end of the second year and every
year thereafter, a bunch worth $1 can
be taken from each plant or hill of the
land planted, or $681 to the acre, and
in some localities twice this.

Bulbs are expensive now, as the
freight from Florida is so great. Mine
cost me $1.36 each. Many had dried
out or rotted on the long journey, so
there was only a black mass, with per-
haps a crack, where the white germ
could be seen inside. The whole bulb
is about the size of a good-sized onion.
Fresh and vigorous bulbs obtained here
will come on lively. I planted one on
the 22d of May, leaving the tip at the
ground, which is now thirty inches
high. I am going to test this one by
the best of care, to see if I can get 120
Bananas in one bunch from it. Such
a bunch would now sell for $4. It is
plain to be seen that where the frost is
not severe enough to iDJure the fruit,
Banana-raising will be very profitable.
But here is where the doubt will come
into the minds of people living in dif-
ferent localities. To all living where
but little ice is formed, I can say there
is little fear, as the Florida Banana will
stand quite heavy frosts and still fruit.
I think I could pick out 100,000 acres
in Los Angeles County quite well
adapted to the growth of this variety,
and nearly every one has some shelter-
ed places on the south and west side of
buildings, where they could raise a few
plants to great advantage. And even if
they had to wrap them up with old
cloths or blankets for the coldest sea-
son, they could thus save them, as they
draw up a great quantity of warm moist-
ure from the ground, which, circulated
within, would keep them, when wrap-
ped, from freezing. The outer leaves
may be all cut off by the frost; but
with the warm sun, such as we have in
this country, soon after they send out

new leaves and keep on growing. They
have no seed, and are propagated only
from suckers.

PEANUTS AND PEANUT OIL.

There is hardly an article of American
produce, of apparently so little import-
ance, that has grown so rapidly in pro-
duction and consumption as the peanut.
Twenty-five years ago the only variety
known was the African, a small insig-
nificant nut. These were the first sown
in this country, in North Carolina, and
in 1860 the production had so increased
that 150,000 bushels were raised in the
United States, five-sixths of which were
grown in the above mentioned State.
During the war the production ceased,
except in North Carolina, the crop there
being used for making peanut oil, and
this was the only table oil the Southern
people could then obtain. As a substi-
tute, during the war, African peanuts
were used, and large importations
made, but with the increase of native
nuts since then, the importation of Af-
rican has about ceased.

The peanut is an earth nut, growing
at the roots of a vine like potatoes, and
pulled and dug in the same way. Pea-
nuts are sown both with shells on and
without shells, the best selections being
kept from the previous crop. As often
as every two years the seed has to be
changed — seed from some other locality
being substituted — as peanuts, like rice,
if resowed too often, grow all pods and
no meat. Different soils also have an
effect on the style and appearance of a
nut — hard clay soil growing a nut with
a smooth shell, and a sandy loam a
large nut with a shell full of deep in-
dentations and creases. Peanuts also
vary with the soil in which they grow.
A Tennessee nut sown in Virginia will
not produce a Tennessee or Virginia

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

313

nut, but a sort of mongrel ; the same
with a Virginia nut sown in North Car-
olina.

There are six varieties of peanuts
known in the market, viz: the African,
Spanish, Virginia, Tennessee (the lat-
ter two varieties red and white), and
Wilmingtons or North Carolinas.

The African nut is the smallest grown,
and is now mostly used by confection-
ers. When imported uncleaned they
are sold at thirty-two pounds to the
bushel ; when cleaned, at twenty-two
pounds. Hence, Africans are quoted
and sold as uncleaned.. cleaned and
shelled — some being shelled in that
country and sold here to confectioners.
A large quantity go to France, where
they are used in the manufacture of
oil. A cargo of uncleaned African nuts
is an unsightly object, being about one-
eighth broken shells, stems, roots, etc.,
and if in warm weather, covered with
myriads of minute bugs, which bre'ed
in the dust. The low price of Wilming-
tons, which Africans resemble, and are
sometimes sold as, is tending to decrease
the importation of the latter. This year
only 61,000 bushels have been import-
ed, and none are expected next year.
The crop ripens in the fall, but does
not reach here until April and May ;
the bulk of it goes to France.

The peanut largest in size and pro-
duction is the Virginia, which has come
into existence within ten years, the crop
increasing each year, until 450,000
bushels were raised last year. It has the
thickest shell and is sold twenty-two
pounds to the bushel. When Virginias
first made their appearance they sold
slowly — their large size not being liked,
from the fact that only the small Af-
ricans and Wilmingtons had hitherto
been known. Of shelled nuts, a bushel
of Virginias will yield seven to ten
pounds, according to size and quality.

The next variety in size of nut,
amount of crop and in the estimation of
the trade, is the Tennessee, of which
there are two varieties, the red and
white — the first so-called because of the
deep maroon color of the skin covering
the kernel, and the latter because the
skin is of a very light shade, or nearly
white. The white variety is considered
the best of the two, but lately the pro-
portion of those grown has been de-
creasing, last year being unusally small.
Tennessee nuts have never gained the
reputation of Virginias in this market,
having hitherto received but little care
in handling and preparation for mar-
ket. Last year, however, a great im-
provement in this respect Avas made, re-
sulting in a better average quality, for
which better prices were obtained, not-
withstanding the large crop. Cincin-
nati is the headquarters for Tennessee
nuts, taking last year nearly the whole
crop, or 200,000 bushels out of 235,000,
and from that point they are distributed
all over the West, very few coming
here. Tennessees are sold here at twen-
ty-two pounds to the bushel, but in
Cincinnati these, as all other descrip-
tions of nuts, are sold by the pound in-
stead of by the bushel.

Next comes the Wilmington or North
Carolina peanut, grown from African,
and resembling the latter so closely
that cleaned Africans are often sold for
Wilmingtons, the price of the latter
generally being higher than Africans,
while the two kinds look exactly alike.
The pure Wilmington seed soon runs
out, even if a farmer selects the very
best seed from his previous crop; hence
new seed has to be imported every year.
The Wilmington being a full-meated,
thin-shelled nut, weighs high, being
sold at twenty-eight pounds to the
bushel ; it yields a larger proportion of
oil than any variety, except the African.

314

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

THE OLD GARDEN.

Beyond the quiet homestead's lawn,

In drowsy peace it lies ;
Well from the rjassing gaze withdrawn,

Its matted hedges rise.
Through solemn firs that veil the light

To reach its gate we press,
Ere softly breaks upon our sight

Its halcyon loveliness.

Deep-rimmed with box, the paths we take

Through realms of plenty range,
When summer's mellowing fervors wake

Perpetual charms of change ;
And tender sounds, not told in words,

Forever haunt the breeze,
A sense of epicurean birds

And bachanalian bees !

For bloom and fruit, in blended way,

Here brightly gleam by turns ;
Beside the currant's crimson spray

The tiger-lily burns ;
Or roses raise their balmy lips

Near purple plums ; or yet
The gooseberry's rounded amber slips

Among the mignonette !

We see the ancient arbor loom,

That bounteous vines enwrap,
And hear, within its fragrant gloom,

Pale-glancing foliage flap ;
Or when the wind of autumn grieves

Bound pomps her power shall strew,
We watch the grapes from tarnished leaves

Hang dusty and dark-blue !

Shrewd wasps, in yonder jungle, haunt

The blackberry's beaded gloss ;
High stalks of maize in vigor flaunt

Green flags and silken floss ;
And here broad apple-boughs once more

Hesperian wealth unfold,
Whose dragon is the worm at core

That revels on their gold !

Now emerald melons wax immense,

Or now with grandeur glows
The pumpkin's yellow corpulence

In smooth rotund repose ;
Here, too, all homelier life occurs

That household aims can please,
From curves of pimpled ciicumbers

To bowers of tangled peas!

So, thronged by growths of many a grade,

The calm old garden lies,
Half mantled with monastic shade,

Half bared to altering skies,
While sleepy spells are round it cast,

That gently brood and muse —
Dead songs and sunbeams of the past,

And immemorial dews !

American Fruit in Europe. — The Pall
Mall Gazette remarks that the foreign
demand for American fruit is now so
great that Europe and Anstralia will
take nearly all the fruit, fresh and
dried, (dried peaches excepted,) which
the United States can land in their
markets in good condition. England
prefers fresh fruit, and since last Octo-
ber has taken 396,000 barrels of apples
from the United States, beginning with
the latter part of October, at the rate of
8,000 barrels a week, increasing in four
weeks to 17,000 barrels. The average
in December was 20,000 barrels weekly,
and one week the number ran up to
28,525. These were mostly Baldwins,
Greenings, Russets and Newtown Pip-
pins. It is estimated that England will
take an average of from 12,000 to 15,000
barrels a week for the entire season of
nine months. The working-classes of
Germany and the workingmen and
miners of Australia are the chief con-
sumers for American dried fruit abroad,
but the poor people of England and
Russia buy to a limited extent. As
long as dried apples can be exported
from New York at five or even at seven
cents a pound, the workingmen of Eu-
rope and Australia will buy all that can
be spared. The business of exporting
fruit is one that has been chiefly built
up since 1865. In the eleven months
ended July 1 the fruit exported amount-
in value to $2,831,000.

The Malva family are coming into
favor as herbaceous plants of great ser-
vice in what is termed the ■■' wild gar-
den," where vegetation is allowed to
run somewhat rank.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

315

(ScUtcral portfolio.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

AMERICAN COWSLIP, OE SHOOTING STAB (DodeCd-

iheon Meadia).

No wild flower of Great Britain,
Switzerland, and other parts of Eu-
rope is more justly celebrated on its
native soil for its beauty and its early
appearance in spring than the world-
renowned Primrose. The botanical
name, Primula, from the Latin primus,
refers to its being first to flower. One
of its many species, P. Veris, or Spring
Primrose, is the noted English Cow-
slip.

The odd and saucy -looking flower,
the engraving of which has been kind-
ly furnished us by the Rural Press,
whose engraver has accurately repre-
sented it in its natural size, is the most
beautiful member of the Primrose fam-
ily among the native flowers of Califor-
nia and other parts of the United States.
Hence its common name, American
Cowslip.

Gray tells us that it is found in rich
woods, from Pennsylvania and Mary-
land to "Wisconsin and southward. He
adds that it is called in the West
Shooting Star, alluding, no doubt, to
the manner in which its flower-leaves
are turned back. This gives each blos-
som somewhat the appearance of the
bright head of a meteor, followed by a
train of light.

The reason for this common name is
much more apparent than for the sys-
tematic one, Dodecatheon, from two
Greek words, meaning the twelve gods,
in allusion to the twelve chief divini-
ties of the Romans. To pronounce
correctly it is accented on the third
syllable. This name was given fanci-
fully by the eminent Linnaeus himself,
and we are at a loss for its application,

unless it be that he wishes thus to
stamp it pre-eminently as a crowning
glory among our wild flowers. The
specific name, Meadia, was given in
honor of a Dr. Mead, of Virginia, by
Catesby, a pioneer of American Botany,
through whom it was first introduced
into England from Virginia, as early as
1744.

Loudon, in his " Encyclopedia of
Plants," describes no less than five dif-
ferent varieties of this handsome plant,
with white, rose-colored, and lilac flow-
ers. Gray describes but one species
belonging to the older States, its flow-
ers rose-color or white.

At least three varieties are common
to California, the white and the cream-
colored belonging to the hard, knolly
lands of our plains, the rose - colored
found only in the mountains.

In the white, which is the most com-
mon variety, each flower leaf , varying
in number from five to eight, is a pure
white with a straw-colored spot at the
base. This is followed by a ring of a
deep velvet-like purple, then a second
and smaller ring of a bluish purple.
At the base of each of these rings are
small yellow spots. In the centre of
the flower, the stamens and pistil unite
in a spike of a bluish-black hue.

The variety and delicacy of coloring
make the entire appearance of the flow-
er one of exquisite beauty. Its odor is
strong and spicy, like cinnamon, and
very similar to that of the most fragrant
pinks. Its roots are fibrous, its leaves
oval, small and radical, resting flat
upon the ground. From the centre of
these arises a single flower stalk, usual-
ly from six to nine inches high, without
a leaf, and surmounted by a cluster of
drooping flowers, varying from four to
ten in number. The work of the en-
graver, as in all object-teaching, gives
a more accurate idea of the plant than

316

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

any attempt at description can possibly
do.

ITALIAN GARDENS.

At the request of a valued advertiser
and subscriber of the Horticulturist,
we make a few remarks upon the char-
acteristics of an ancient Roman and
modern Italian garden (the modern
Italian garden is derived from the old
Roman). These features were and are
still, clipped hedges, square parterres,
straight walks, trees and shrubs (espe-
cially evergreen), uniformly lopped, reg-
ular knots and carpets of flowers, groves
nodding at groves, balconies, marble
fountains, caves and grottoes, plants
and flowers in pots and vases, terraces,
statues, and urns, with the finest turf
or vividly verdant grass, all in geomet-
ric forms, and often connected with a
menagerie and aviary ; the last among
thickets, arbors, and vines. This ar-
chitectural and regularly shaped taste
is formal and geometric, similar to the
general gardens of Holland. Antiqui-
ties may be very appropriately intro-
duced in this description of garden,
with sometimes curious hydraulic de-
vices or water works and marble fount-
ains. One of the quaintest objects in
some Italian gardens is a hydraulic
conceit of a copper ball, supported by
a jet of air issuing from the floor, and
continually dancing about, similar to
the balls lately seen at the Mechanics'
Fah\ and kept moving about at the toj>
of a jet of water.

The Italian style of gardening and
architecture can be adapted in any kind
of ground, level or hilly, or even pre-
cipitous, by forming terraces with the
suitable Italian formalities, ornaments,
and decorations.

PEEMIUMS OF THE FAIR.

At Ukraina, Eden Township, Cal., a
patch of land 40 by 60 feet produced
600 fine-sized Nutmeg Melons.

"We are much pleased to observe that
the excellent managers of the Mechan-
ics' Institute have, this year, very judi-
ciously and liberally awarded money
premiums and medals to the exhibitors
of fruits, flowers, vegetables, and other
horticultural articles and ornaments.
This wise and well-timed proceeding
will have the desirable effect next sea-
son of inducing many other florists,
horticulturists, and manufacturers of
garden decorations to come forward
and exhibit their productions in great-
er numbers than they have done hither-
to. These floral exhibitions are attend-
ed with considerable trouble and ex-
pense, and sometimes loss, and always
injury in some degree to the plants, etc.

The following is a list of the premi-
ums and medals awarded : R. B.
Woodward, best display of hardy ever-
greens and plants, $25 ; best display of
ferns and lycopods, $10 ; best display
of tropical plants, $25 ; best single
palm tree, $10 ; the most attractive and
continuous display during the Exhibi-
tion, medal and $100. Miller, Sievers
& Co., best display of cacti, $5; best
display of begonias, $5 ; best display of
roses in bloom, $5 ; best display of
fuchsias, $5 ; best display of variegated
geraniums, $5 ; best single piece of
floral work, $10 ; best basket of cut
flowers, $5 ; best wreath of cut flowers,
$5 ; best pair of bouquets (15 inches
high, not less), $5 ; best pair of hand
bouquets, $5 ; best bouquet for a bride,
$5 ; second best attractive and continu-
ous display during the Exhibition, med-
al and $75. Thos. Say well, best dis-
play of climbers and trellises, $15. T.
Duffy, best hanging basket, $5; best
collection of rustic work, medal and
$25. Thomas Saywell, best display of
cut flowers, $10 ; best display of cut

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

317

roses, $10. California Wire Works,
best display of wire ornamental goods,
medal. E. L. Hall, Oakland, spe-
cial display of rustic work, medal.
The Journal of Commerce, for Califor-
nia products, and Mr. Murray, the ed-
itor, for tropical fruits, were also award-
ed handsome premiums in money and
gold medals. Also the table contain-
ing the products of Oregon was suita-
bly rewarded by liberal money premi-
ums and Cfold medal.

PUBLICATIONS HECEIVED.

" The Poultry World."— Poultry fan-
ciers and farmers who raise fowls for
market will find this magazine very use-
ful, as it is devoted exclusively to the
discussion of matters pertaining to the
breeding and rearing of poultry and
such other matters as are connected
with the pursuit. Its appearance is
very attractive, as it is adorned with
many fine cuts, and, in addition, the
publisher furnishes to his subscribers
at a nominal price, twelve magnificent
chromo - plates of modern varieties of
fowls. Subscription, $1.25 per year,
or $2 with the chromo-plates. Address
H. H. Stoddard, Publisher, Hartford,
Conn.

" Descriptive Catalogue of Tulips,
Hyacinths, Crocuses, Lilies, and other
Spring Flowering Bulbs," with supple-
mentary addenda of Winter-blooming
Plants, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Roses,
Chrysanthemums, etc. For sale by F.
K. Phoenix, at the Bloomington Nur-
sery, McLean County, Illinois. Also
'* Wholesale Price List."

St. Francis Nurseries. — " Illustrated
Wholesale Price List of Nursery grown
European Larch, Evergreens, Fruit,
Ornamental, Shade, and Deciduous
Tree Seedlings," cultivated and for
sale by H. M. Thompson & Son, St.

Francis, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin.
For the fall of 1877 and spring of 1878.

" Catalogue of Novelties and Whole-
sale Trade List of Stock Plants for
Winter Blooming and Propagation,"
for the autumn of 1877. Offered by
William K. Harris, Proprietor of the
Kingsessing Nurseries, No. 5,501 Dar-
by Road, Philadelphia.

Waukegan Nursery. — " Wholesale
Catalogue of Evergreen and Ornament-
al Tree Seedlings, etc., cultivated and
for sale by Robert Douglas & Sons,
Waukegan, Lake Co., 111. For the
fall of 1877 and spring of 1878.

"Circular and Price List" for the
summer and fall of 1877. Strawberry,
Raspberry, Gooseberry, Currant, Black-
berry Plants, etc., for sale by E. P.
Roe, author of " A Manual on the Cult-
ure of Small Fruits, How to Raise and
Market Them." Address Cornwall-on-
the-Hudson, Orange Co., N. T.

" Southern California Horticultur-
ist," published monthly by the South-
ern Horticulturist Society, at Los An-
geles, Cal.,L. M. Holt, Editor. De-
voted to the interests of Horticulture,
and such other cpuestions as directly in-
terest Southern California. Thanks for
a complimentary ticket to attend the
Fair.

" Vick's Illustrated Magazine " is the
title of a new monthly announced by
Mr. James Vick, the Flower King of
America. We mean by " Flower King,"
that Mr. Vick, while he is the most ar-
dent lover of flowers, is also the most
devoted cultivator of the floral king-
dom, not only cherishing but distribut-
ing everywhere in this broad land, their
choicest blessings. His Catalogues and
Quarterly Reviews have been gems of
beauty, as well as manuals of utility, to
all who cultivate flowers. Hence we
are assured that his forthcoming maga-

318

THE CALIFOENIA HORTICULTURIST.

zine will be resplendent with beautiful
engraving's, while it is interesting and
instructive as a household journal. It
will contain thirty -two pages, and a
colored plate, in addition to other il-
lustrations. Price, 25 cents, or five cop-
ies for $1. Address — Rochester, N. Y.

MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

"When a Boston man has put enough
money in his purse to afford to buy a
country residence he straightway joins
the Horticultural Society and bends all
his energies to winning prizes and
gratuities by raising flowers of wonder-
ful colors and fruits of enormous size.
As all the lucky men who are born
with the title deeds of country houses
in their hands also belong to the soci-
ety, it has come, during the 48 years of
its life, to be a very flourishing associa-
tion, and wields a vast influence in hort-
icultural matters in Massachusetts. It
owns a handsome building on Tremont
Street, near the Common. It has the
best library of its hind in the country,
containing hundreds of books of which
there are no duplicates in the United
States. It annually awards $8,000 in
prizes for fruits, flowers, vegetables,
and essays on topics connected with
raising them, and with country living.
Its discussions attract not only gentle-
men farmers, florists, and nurserymen,
but also learned professors and chem-
ists who are interested in its work.
Among its honorary and corresponding
members it counts names well known
in America and Europe, and it has
nearly 600 life members and 493 annu-
al members. It holds a great many
free exhibitions in the course of the
year, and annually it gives one great
display which is really the prettiest
sight in the city from year's end to
year's end. The Society's building

contains two handsome halls, and in
these long tables are placed, covered
with white cloths, reaching to the floor ;
on these stand plates and dishes of
fruit and vases and pyramids of flow-
ers. This year the platform of the low-
er hall is occupied by a huge Banana
plant, which lifts its great green leaves
almost to the ceiling. Near it is an Ar-
thurium crystallinum, the only plant of
its kind in the country ; it has very
large, velvety, palmate leaves of the
darkest shade of green, veined with the
palest tint of the same color ; a new va-
riety of Hydrangea, with variegated
foliage ; Dracaenas, a Cyanopbylla mag-
nifica, and several other enormous spec-
imens of the eccentricities in which na-
ture indulges when she forsakes her
rule of plain green leaves, are grouped
in this part of the hall, and hundreds
of others make a wall of verdure down
the centre of the room. Banks of Gla-
dioli of all shades, terraces of cut Dah-
lias and Asters and other garden flow-
ers, arranged with exquisite taste, and
miles of Smilax, festooned in reckless
profusion, occupy the wall space, and
distract the attention of fair visitors
from the vegetables, although these in-
clude many rare kinds, as well as those
that enter into the composition of the
New England boiled dish. The Pota-
toes are rather larger than usual, in
spite of the attacks of the Colorado
beetle, but the display of Apples in the
upper hall is small, although, for a
wonder, nobody prophesied the failure
of that crop this year. The Grapes and
Peaches look well, and the Pears are of
fair size. In this hall the bouquets are
placed. The prizes for arranging them
have been awarded to ladies who, when
they choose, can surpass male florists
in this pretty art. Ferns, fungi, lyco-
pods, marsh and pond plants, vegeta-
ble curiosities of all kinds are seen

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

319

here, and show how wide is the field
that the Society has made its own. In
some mysterious fashion all the plants
and flowers are made to keep their
freshness for three days, though no-
body seems to pay any attention to
them, much less to water or sprinkle
them ; and during these' three days
everybody that is anybody goes to
Horticultural Hall.

ADDKESS OF HON. M. P. WILDER.

President M. P. Wilder's address de-
livered at the Sixteenth Session of the
American Pomological Society, held in
Baltimore, Maryland, September 12th,
13th, and 14th* 1877, has been kindly
forwarded to us by him. This docu-
ment by the venerable speaker, highly
eminent fruit culturist, and most worthy
gentleman, is very valuable and greatly
interesting to all lovers of pomology in
all parts of the world. The address
treats on and presents a history of the
"growth, expansion, and influence of
the American Pomological Society and
kindred associations ; the extension of
fruit culture, and the immense crops of
our country ; tropical fruits ; the intro-
duction and dissemination of new and
valuable American fruits ; improvement
in packing and transportation ; the per-
fection attained in the canning and dry-
ing of fruits ; revenue from fruit cult-
ure; crop fertilization; nomenclature;
pomological literature ; and necrology,
or an account of the deaths of eminent
pomologists since the last session, and
winding up with a most earnest and af-
fecting appeal to surviving horticultur-
ists and cultivators of fruit to use every
effort to advance our cause by diligent
experiment and observation so that as
we come up from session to session, we
may add something to the common
stock of information, and thus develop

for the good of mankind the rich treas-
ures which our science has in store for
the world ; and let the success of the
past stimulate us to greater exertions
for the future."

Among the numerous publications of
Horticultural societies it is proper to
mention here that the proceedings of
the American Pomological Society with
the much honored President, M. P.
Wilder at its head, have, for the last
twenty -nine years, embraced, in con-
solidated form, the reports of the vari-
ous States and districts, the discus-
sions, the catalogue of fruits adapted to
each section of our country, and other
information, such as is nowhere else to
be found in the history of pomological
literature. Through these publications
the reputation of the American fruits
has attracted the attention of foreign-
ers, so that European catalogues now
possess many names of American vari-
eties.

FEUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

If practicable the trees for the or-
chard should be selected at the nursery
in preference to buying them at the
yards in the towns or cities. It would
be better also to select them in the
rows of the nursery before they are
dug. By going direct to the nursery
and selecting the trees in the ground
you gain two important advantages.
First, you can secure the best trees,
and second, you can take them home
$ud set them in the already prepared
holes without exposing their roots to
the light and air to do them any injury.
Trees thus carefully selected and set
will be worth double what those ordi-
narily bought at the yards and set even
with the same care. Good nurserymen
are, of course, generally very careful
about exposing the roots of trees after

320

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

they are dug and while they are wait-
ing sale, but the greatest care can not
prevent more or less exposure and in-
jury. By the time they reach the yard
in town all trees are on an average
heeled in and milled up from three to
four times, and each time more or less
of the rootlets are broken off, and the
main roots more or less bruised. Then
if they remain in the ground long they
are pulled up or reset in the ground
from three to four times at least, and
sometimes as often as this in a single
day. If you select in the row you can
see that they are dug and handled care-
fully, and not injured in any way. If
selected after they are dug, be careful
to examine the roots well to see that
they have not been bruised or broken
in digging and handling. A bruised
root will not show to the eye after it is
in the ground, but it may retard the
growth of the tree for years, while a
bruised or broken limb may be cut off
and its place supplied by growth in a
short time. The short and heavy-bod-
ied tree is preferable to that of a long
and small-bodied one. The tree that
has branching and spreading roots, bet-
ter than those that have a few large
roots. As to the age of trees to be se-
lected, we would always prefer to buy
and transplant trees, one year old from
the bud than those older. An orchard
of trees two or three feet high when
set out will not look as well and prom-
ising for an early supply of fruit as one
set with trees four and six feet high,
but in a few years it will look better
and give better returns. The tap root
has generally been cut off of nursery
trees when they are budded or grafted,
but in this country we think the prac-
tice a poor one. In our dry climate
nature should be followed as nearly as
possible, and here, in all our forest
trees and fruit trees that errow when

the seed is planted, the tap root is the
main root of the tree. Having selected
our trees and conveyed them home, we
should not for a moment delay setting
them in the orchard.

The tree should, when the soil is well
settled about it, be just about as deep
in the ground as before digging. It
should therefore be set a little deeper
at first, as the newly-removed soil will
settle some. Let the hole, which has
been dug much deeper than was neces-
sary to receive the roots of the tree to
occupy it, now be filled up with surface
soil and packed so that it will not settle
much more, to a point so that the roots
of the tree when in proper position will
just reach down to it. Holding the
tree in the left hand with the right sep-
arate the roots so that they will occupy
about the same relative position toward
each other that they did in the nursery,
and haul about them well pulverized
surface soil, packing the same closely
around each root and rootlet with the
hand. Continue this process till all
the roots are embedded in the soil as
carefully and securely as before they
were disturbed in the nursery.

We would now turn our attention to
pruning or cutting back the top. In
this we would remark that the most im-
portant idea is that the tree should be
so cut back as to produce branches low
down to the ground. This is import-
ant, that they may shade the body of
the tree and protect it from the scald-
ing rays of the sun. Low -branching
trees are better, too, on account of
gathering the fruit. We would, by all
means, train all kinds of fruit trees
near the ground. The trees being set,
the next thing to be done is to cover
the ground about each tree, say from
four to six feet in diameter, with some
mulching material that will absorb
rather than reflect the heat. Barnyard

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

321

manure, half rotted and mixed with
short straw, is good. While this mate-
rial will protect the body of the tree
from the hot-reflected rays of the sun,
it will gradually decay and furnish its
roots with manure as they can appro-
priate it. Now that the orchard is set
oat, and pruned, and mulched, do not
neglect to cultivate it as regularly and
carefully for the first few years as you
would cultivate a field of favorite corn,
and within that time it will begin to pay
you for all your trouble and expense.
It will become an ornament to your
farm, and a source of health and enjoy-
ment to yourself and family.

What a pest the burrowing squirrel
is, farmers in many parts of California
know by experience. To one who has
not seen with his own eyes the destruct-
ive work of the squirrel, or unearthed
his caches, a statement of the result of
his predatory habits would be positive-
ly incredible. It is persevering and
wondrously industrious. R. G. Sneath,
formerly connected with business in
Oregon, states that the following meth-
od of destroying the animal has been
found very effective in California :
Moisten wheat with gum arabic, with
just sufficient gum to make the strych-
nine adhere, and then coat Avith a
sprinkling of fine, white sugar, which,
with the addition of a few drops of oil
of rhodium to the pailfull, gives them a
palatable dish. This preparation can
be kept any length of time, while soak-
ing wheat soft, in order to take up the
poison, renders it liable to germinate
or rust. I give the grain a good coat-
ing, and only put out a small quantity,
say ten grains, at a hole, and keep re-
placing it as the grain is taken away,
after which I close the hole, and only
re-poison when the hole is re-opened.
A little microscopic insect (Aphis) i3
attacking the foliage of many deciduous

trees, and vines, and orchards, and in
some instances spreading over hundreds
of trees like a blight in a few days.
The first evidence of its presence is the
drooping and browning of a few leaves
on a tree, and if let alone in a few days
the leaves will curl up and begin to fall.
In a few days more bright new leaves
will be seen forming on the tips of the
branches, and in a short time the tree
will be covered with an entire new
dress. The insect seems not to attack
the tree itself, nor the fruit, but con-
fines its ravages to the leaves, and re-
mains long enough to strip the tree but
once. A shower of rain destroys them,
as does also water thrown upon the
tree with a hose or otherwise.

The Commercial Herald, our best au-
thority in this city, informs us that
about the beginning of last month
(September) the market continued to
be well supplied with Apples, Cling-
stone Peaches from the mountains, a
few Pears, also Berries, Grapes, Figs,
etc. Lemons and Limes were scarce
and high. The consumption during
the hot spell was great, as also of Wa-
termelons and Cantaleups. Strawber-
ries were still coming forward. Ap-
ples, Pears, and Quinces showed no
diminution in quantity as yet. Sweet
Apples and other inferior stock greatly
depressed the market, receipts being
very large. Peaches of rather better
quality came from the mountains, were
extra large in size, and of very high
color, and brought fancy prices. Pears
were dull, Bartletts and Seckels were
the only varieties there were any in-
quiry for. Common varieties in large
supply and prices ruled low. Receipts
of Grapes were increasing rapidly.
Muscat and Flaming Tokay had the
preference — only a moderate inquiry
for Rose of Peru, Black Hamburg,
Black Malvoisie, and Chasselas within

322

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the range of our quotations. Peaches
found an appreciative market. We are
indebted to Howe & Hall for the fol-
lowing quotations : Apples — Choice,
$1 to $1.25 per box; common, 40c. to
60c. per box. Pears — Bartlett, $1 to
$2 per box ; Seckel, 60c. to $1 per box;
cooking, 30c. to 50c. per box. Plums,
4c. to 8c. per lb. Quinces, 75c. per
box. Peaches — Mountain, 4c. to 8c.
per lb; choice, $1 to $1.25 per basket;
• common, 50c. to 75c. per basket. Straw-
berries, $3 to $5 per chest. Raspber-
ries, 20c. per basket. Blackberries,
$6.50 to $8 per chest. Figs, white,
50c. to 75c. per box. Oranges — Tahiti,
$25 to $30 per M. Lemons— Sicily,
$10 to $12 50 per box. Limes, $15 to
$17 50 per M. Bananas out of market.
Pine Apples, $6 to $8 per dozen. Co-
coanuts, $6 to $7 per 100. Watermel-
ons, $4 to $8 per 100. Cantaleups,
50c. to $1.50 per dozen. Grapes —
Muscat, 50c. to 75c. per box ; Tokay,
$1 to $1.25 per box; Black Hamburg
and Rose of Peru, 30c. to 50c. per box;
Sweetwater, 25c. to 30c. per box. B.
Malvoise and Lombard, 40c. to 50c.
per box ; native, 30c. to 40c. per box.
Dried Fruit — Apples, 4c. to 6c. per lb.;
Peaches, 7c. to 9c. per lb.; Pears, 6c.
to 8c. per lb.; Plums, 3c. to 4c. per
lb.; pitted, 12c. to 14c; Prunes, 12c.
to 15c. per lb.; Apricots, 8c. to 10c
per lb.; Blackberries, 37^c. per lb.;
Figs, white, 6c. to 8c. per lb.; black,
4c. to 7c. per lb.; California Raisins,
$1 to $2 per box. Vegetables — Cab-
bages, 62|c. to 75c. per cental ; Cu
cumbers, 30c. to 50c. per box; Toma-
toes, 15c. to 50c. per box ; Summer
Squash, 40c. to 50c. per box ; Green
Peas, 3c. to 3^c. per lb.; String Beans,
ljc. to 2c. per lb.; Chile Peppers, 50c.
to 75c. per bos; Garlic, lc. to ljc. per
lb.; Okra, 4c. Since the above date
there has been but little change.

<Mt0jrfal (Blttwtogisi.

A cluster of green Dates, grown on
a tree twelve years old, in Yolo County,
was on exhibition ia the Mechanic's
Fair. The Date tree does not come
into bearing in Egypt, usually, until
thirty years old, and there are trees
sixty years old at Los Angeles that
have never borne fruit.

Poison-vine (Rhus toxicodendron). — J.
H. C. writes: "Beit known after all
that has been written on the remedy
for this poison, that hot water is a
speedy and certain cure. Let it be ap-
plied as can be endured without blis-
tering— probation est."

, Ozone. — This element is considered
a purifier of the atmosphere. Where
there is a deficiency there is disease.
A Dr. Mantogazza of Pavia, finds that
odoriferous flowers throw off ozone
largely on exposure to the sun, and
therefore this is the great mission of
odor in leaves and flowers. lb is at
any rate a new argument for flower
culture in cities.

Manure from the stables will have
the best effect on heavy soils by being
near the surface. If plowed under deep
it will decompose slowly, and becomes
of use to the plants only after a consid-
erable period of time, because of the
exclusion of the air. So we would
plow it in very shallow, or only harrow
it in. Heavy soils that require deep
plowing should be plowed before the
manure is applied. On light soils barn
manure may be plowed in deeper; for
such soils admit the air readily to act
in decomposing the coarse manure.
For similar reasons fresh, undecayed
manures have a much better effect on
light than heavy soils.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

323

Big Trees. — It is very difficult for the
East to realize the immensity of our
Redwood trees, and we do not wonder
at their incredulity. But their enor-
mous size- is a fact, nevertheless. For
instance, Murphy Brothers, of this
county, cut down and sawed into lum-
ber at their mill a few years ago, a tree
that measured 375 feet in length and
10 feet in diameter, clear of bark. This
tree made by actual measurement 37,-
000 feet of dressed lumber and 16,000
feet of rough, -which sold at the mill at
usual prices for $1,080. Other trees in
this county measure much larger in di-
ameter, but very few make more lum-
ber than this one. — Sonoma Democrat.

Few people know that there are
hardly twenty genuine Newfoundland
dogs in the United States. The name
and breed are so popular and familiar
that to all but an extremely small min-
ority the assertion will appear absurd.
Nevertheless it is strictly correct. The
thoroughbred Newfoundland dog has
been gradually losing his identity
through miscegenation. The secret of
his fast approaching extinction not be-
ing more easily observed, lies in the
fact that after a mixture of breed be-
tween a Newfoundland and any other
species, more of the form and charac-
teristics of the former descend to the
offspring than occurs in any other in-
stance of interbreeding among dogs.
On this account animals that have
hardly two-thirds of the genuine breed
in them, and which are really fine spe-
cimens, are frequently boasted of as
splendid Newfoundland dogs. If he
be still living, an old man known as
" Batty " Sullivan in the island from
which the dog derives its name is the
last surviving preserver of the unmixed
breed of Newfoundland dogs. Several
years ago the writer last saw him, and

then the old man was master of the last
genuine specimens of the noble dogs.
Old "Batty" had then about fifteen
full grown pets — looking as big as
Shetland ponies — perfectly web-footed,
with massive paws over three inches in
diameter, and heavy, glossy, coal-black
curls all over. Very few men have
such frank and honest faces as those
splendid brutes possessed. Hj'dropho-
bia is unknown among the pure breed.
' ' Batty " made a living by selling his
dogs at a high price almost exclusively
to Spanish and Portuguese sea cap-
tains. He strangely nurtured the pre-
judice of never selling a male and fe-
male to one purchaser.

Ground Squirrels. — A dry season is
the most favorable time to prosecute
an onslaught upon the destructive
ground squirrels that are the pest of
wheat fields. In the southern counties
where the crops have been a failure and
the country is barren of vegetation, the
squirrels are nearly starved out, and if
poisoned wheat was put out for them
they would eat it with avidity. There
are no sheep or cattle on the fields to
be endangered by the poison, and with
a little pains the squirrels might be ef-
fectually exterminated throughout large
sections of the country. "We noticed
on the West Side that the squirrels
were abandoning their holes on the
plains and flocking to the river bank to
find some vestige of vegetation upon
which to feed. There never was a
more favorable opportunity to exter-
minate them, and the farmers should
go to work at it. — Stockton Independent.

A farmer who has tried it, says that
a woolen rag saturated with coal oil,
ignited, and thrust into the holes of
the pesky squirrels, will effectually and
expeditiously exterminate those pests.
The experiment is easily tried.

324

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The Use of the Tomato in England.
— It is interesting to note the growth
in public favor of the Tomatoes in the
London markets. Only a few years
ago they were what salesmen call a
" fancy article," now every year shows
an increase in the demand for them,
and they are common product even
early in the season. Large supplies
now come from Paris and from Lisbon,
these last very large fruit, packed in
sawdust. The Tomato, however, soon
suffers from traveling, and much of
this foreign fruit is not so agreeable to
the palate as freshly gathered Toma-
toes. Although our climate is too cold
for their successful culture in the open
air over large portions of the country,
we nevertheless believe that if the
numerous opportunities our glasshous-
es, pits, and frames offer for cultivat-
ing them were taken advantage of, we
should have an abundant supply. — The
Garden.

Benefits of Iekigation. — Irrigation
has a wonderful effect on fruit trees
and vines in the way of stimulating the
growth of fruit. On a recent visit to
Lux & Miller's canal firm, in Merced
County, we noticed Grapevines loaded
with Grapes in all stages of progress —
from the blossom to the ripe fruit ready
for the table. As long as water is ap-
plied so long do the vines continue to
bear, and we were informed that from
the same vines they have picked ripe
Grapes from July to the middle of No-
vember. It is so in a great measure
with other kinds of fruit, and we saw
Apple and Pear trees with mature and
green fruit and blossoms on tbem at
the same time. Irrigation doubles the
productiveness of the land in the line
of fruit as well as of grain, cereals, and
root crops. Glorious irrigation ! It is
the greatest of blessings to the Califor-
nia farmer. — Stockton Independent.

It matters to us in life not so much
what part we play, as it does to play
our part well. In a drama it is not so
much a question who played the king
or the peasant, a3 who played \he part
best.

Box in Washington's Gaeden. — The
box edgings in the garden of Washing-
ton at Mount Vernon are still in a
healthy condition, though over one
hundred years old. They are well
kept and cared for. The estate was
named Mount Vernon by Washington,
out of respect to Admiral Vernon, a
distinguished officer, who commanded
the West India squadron of the En-
glish fleet.

Blackberries. — Of the 4 Blackberries
on the American Pomological Society's
list, Kittatinny receives 22 votes ; Wil-
son's Early, 18 ; Lawton and Dorches-
ter, 13. This decision is right. The
Kittatinny is our best Blackberry, al-
though our New York marketmen will
not buy it, because "not shiny enough."

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
For the Month ending September 30, 1877.
(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BAROMETER.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.03 in.

do 12 m 30.03

do 3p.m 30.03

do 6 p. m 30.02

Highest point on the 14th at 3 p.m 30.17

Lowest point on the 8th at 6 p. m 29.93

THERMOMETER.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 67°

do 12 m 74°

do 3 P. M 74°

do 6 P. M 67°

Highest point on the 16th at 3 p. m 94c

Lowest point on the 20th at 6 p.m 62°

SELF -REGISTERING THERMOMETER.

Mean height during the night 58°

Highest point at sunrise on the 16th 67°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 3d oiP

WINDS.

West and north-west the entire month.

WEATHER.

Clear all day 20 days; variable on 10 days.

j^eath's Late Clingstone Peach,

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII. SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER, 1877. No. 11.

NOTES FROJI A GEEENHOUSE.— NO. 4.

BY CHAS. H. SHINN, AT NILES.

There are some curious things which
now and then occur in the chain of
greenhouse events, relieving the mon-
otony of existence, and sending the
nriad along dreamy vistas, in a vain at-
tempt to comprehend the wherefore. A
little Orange tree has lately blossomed
under peculiar circumstances, worthy
of note.

Early in last June, or four months
ago, the seed of some sweet Chinese
Oranges was sown in a box. In July
the small plants, about 400 in number,
were potted off in two-inch pots. Since
then they were shifted once, have all
grown well, and, with one exception,
show nothing remarkable. One plant
from this lot, now about five inches
high, has rather peculiar leaves and
stubby growth. It blossomed last
month (September), producing a very
large, perfect, and odorous flower,
which remained in full beauty for many
days. This flower had all its parts
well defined, and did not seem in any
way deficient. When I pulled the with-
ering flower apart a healthy germ was
visible. Kemember that this little tree

Vol. VII.— 21.

was less than four months from the
seed, and now appears perfectly healthy.
Its future vagaries will be watched with
interest, for I consider it a plant of
marked originality.

A Fuchsia blossom of the Arabella
variety appeared last month, which was
twice the usual size, and had eight se-
pals, making a very brilliant display.
It formed no seed, but since it was the
first blossom on the stem, it may prove
a bud variation, which is earnestly to
be desired.

The Canterbury Bells have sported a
good deal this year. The seed was
supposed to be single, but some have
had two cups, one inside of the other,
with the points alternating, and others
have been crimjfled double in the usual
style. Quite a flourish was made in
the seed catalogues over a variety with
colored calyx, but it often occurs in
large beds.

There is a little basket plant called
Eranthemum argentea, which I have
found very tractable, and very pretty
for bouquets. The plant is upright,
yet graceful, and has bright leaves with
distinct white markings in the centre.
It is not common, and I hope its cult,
ure will extend.

326

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

The time for ordering bulbs, both
for forcing and for the garden, is at
hand. If these are to be ordered from
the East it is already late ; if to be pur-
chased here, the ground may be prepar-
ed in these pleasant autumnal days,
and the lists can be made out during the
lengthening evenings. I confess, frank-
ly, that I have never admired Tulips,
and do not think they succeed well on
this coast. But Hj'acinths, Anemones,
Ranunculi, and the other well known
bulbs, are those in which I believe. A
good soil, plenty of sand, and plenty of
cow manure, are the essentials for
bulbs. Hyacinths may be potted next
month, and kept in the dark, either un-
der the staging, or covered, so that the
roots will start before the top, thus in-
suring a good supply of flowers.

These are old stories to many, but
Horticulture is a succession of educat-
ing mistakes for the beginner, and I
have too abiding a remembrance of my
own old-time failures to think any sim-
plicity out of place in these articles. I
remember one mournful day, when the
neglect to lift the sash of a hotbed
roasted a lot of Cinnerarias. Roast
Cinneraria is not a delectable dish!
And, once upon a time, I sowed ever-
green seed in long beds out of doors,
which plan worked beautifully, till the
small birds swept down upon the ten-
der seedlings, and used up the most of
them without any apologies whatever.
For the genuine small bird is a sort of
feathered small boy, scorning personal
property and all boundary fences. But
we built a lath house, and it was fun to
watch the small bird sweep down in
undoubting impudence, get a sliver in
his foot, and depart with offended
abruptness.

Some one asked me the other day
what I considered the most accurate
test of the inborn gardener. Now that

was one of those puzzling questions to
which numberless half answers are pos-
sible, and I thought quietly, looking
across the masses of green and bloom
for inspiration. At last I led my ques-
tioner to a box containing about fifty
Coffee plants, which stood in even ranks,
and were nearly of a size.

"Do you see any difference there?"
I said, rather slowly. " Are those in-
dividuals, or merely a monotonous sur-
face of green ? "

"Why do you ask that?'' was the
smiling answer.

"Because the true gardener makes
every plant personal, and real, and sep-
arate, even as every true nurseryman
knows each tree over whole acres, or as
the true shepherd knows every separate
sheep, or as the true teacher loves the
individuality of each child. Now in
this little box under consideration here
is a crooked leaf, there a twisted one ;
yet again, one narrow, and another
wide ; some dark, some light, and some
spotted ; the stems are of varying thick-
ness ; color, angle of inclination, even
shape, it may be. The soil is precisely
the same over the whole box, and all
the plants have the same treatment ;
yet some are forcing ahead of the rest,
some are lazy, and some are industri-
ous, so there even appears to be a dif-
ference in the character of plants, if
the idea is not too metaphysical. But
at least this may be said, that no two
plants are exactly alike, and that the
truest gardener is the one who is most
apt to perceive the difference, and dai-
ly act upon it."

I do not remember exactly how the
conversation went after that. There
was a declaration to the effect that all
small plants did look precisely alike,
and a sort of jubilee over some Begon-
ias and striped Balsams, So this histo-
rian has no further quotations to make.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

327

THE WILSON RANCH, LOS ANGELES.

BY A TRAVELER.

A ride across the breezy plains, ten
miles south of Los Angeles, brought
us to the ranch of Mr. Ben. D. Wilson,
noted all over the coast for his excel-
lent fruits and wines. " Don Benito "
Wilson he is called out there, and the
name is a good one. Without very
much urban polish, he is nevertheless
one of Nature's noblemen, and a fine
representative Californian. A Tennes-
seean by birth, long before the acquisi-
tion of California, he had hunted and
trapped across the continent, living for
years among the Utes and Apaches,
and finally marrying a California sen-
orita, with three leagues square of
land, he had settled down in those
parts. His noble ranch lies at the foot
of the Coast Range of mountains, with
their snow -clad summits towering
above, the Los Angeles plains in front,
stretching away to the ocean, while an
intervening roll of hills shuts out the
raw winds and fogs of the summer and
autumn. Two or three dashing rivu-
lets that issue from the mountains like
threads of silver have been caught up
carried by acequias all along the slopes,
whence they are distributed wherever
the thirsty soil in summer needs them.
Here he has Orange, Lemon, Peach,
Olive, Almond, and English Walnut
groves, by the many acres — part plant-
ed by himself, but several a half cen-
tury ago by the Jesuit Fathers. His
vineyards, as is usual on this slope, are
trimmed closely, and look for all the
world like a Delaware or Jersey field of
old Peach trees, with the tops sawed
off. Without trellis or support of any
kind, in the spring of the year, these
aged vines stand stiff and gnarled, in
rows five or six feet apart, themselves
about as many inches thick ; but in

summer they of course throw out run-
ners that form a leafy wilderness, load-
ed down with the purpling clusters.
In addition he has great herds of hors-
es and cattle", and flocks of sheep by
the thousand, that roam over his out-
lying broad acres and the Los Angeles
plains at will. In sauntering through
his Orange-groves, he showed us trees,
from which he had gathered twenty-
five dollars' worth of the golden fruit
each, last season, and one that yielded
him forty dollars' worth. A few of his
Oranges, dead-ripe, were still gleaming
amid the rich, deep green of their pe-
culiarly beautiful glossy foliage, and
we had some of these fresh and luscious
on the table each meal we took with
him. In his wine-cellars back of the
mansion, he showed us three hundred
thousand gallons of wine, the product
of a year's vintage alone, and it hadn't
been much of a year for wine either.
This he reported to be worth only fifty
cents a gallon then, but as increasing
in price, of course, with age. He
makes both white and red wine, of a
superior brand to the generality of
wines in California, and has branch
houses in San Francisco and New York,
that dispose of the bulk of it at fair fig-
ures. It all has the peculiar sharpuess
and alcoholic qualities of the California
wines generally, but he thinks, with
more careful culture, and increasing
age, these wines will improve in this
respect. He computes the wine pro-
duct of California at not less than ten
millions of gallons annually, and rapid-
ly increasing. The Mission Grape is
the one that has been mostly grown for
many years, but foreign varieties of
many kinds are now fast taking the
place of that grape. The white wines
are the pure juice of the grape ; the
red the same, but, as is well known,
the color of the skins added. Farther

528

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

north, the Sonoma and Sacramento
wines are lighter and milder, more re-
sembling claret and hock ; but these
Los Angeles wines are rather heavy
and strong, with a body like those of
Spain and Portugal, whence, no doubt,
the Mission Grape originally came to
Mexico, and from thence to this State.
The expressed juice is first put into
large casks, holding 140 gallons or
more each, whence after due fermenta-
tion it is bottled and sent to market.
Mr. Wilson states that at the end of a
year and a half, the wine usually be-
comes clear and less alcoholic, but it
continues to mellow and soften with
age for twenty years, when its delicacy
of flavor and oiliness of consistency cul-
minates. Brandy is made mostly from
indifferent or miscellaneous grapes,
skins and all, and from what we saw of
its effects, it is almost as fierce and
fiery a liquid, surely, as Jersey light-
ning or Nebraska needle-gun.

Mr. Wilson lives rather plainly, and
in anything but a palatial mansion, but
he has a fine library well selected, and
is a liberal patron of most of the lead-
ing magazines and newspapers, from
San Francisco to Boston, as well as
some of the agricultural and horticult-
ural periodicals. We found him a very
intelligent gentleman, somewhat ad-
vanced in years, and well versed in the
world's affairs, with an eye keenly alive
to passing events both at home and
abroad, notwithstanding his compara-
tive seclusion.

Land about Los Angeles, and adja-
cent to facilities for irrigation or ace-
quias, is held now at a good figure ; but
a few miles from town, it is selling
from ten to twenty dollars per acre,
and great stock or fruit ranches can be
built up here, at no very great outlay,
in a few years. The soil and climate
are certainly all anybody could desire,

if provided with adequate capital to
start Orange groves, etc. These plains
and City of the Angels, with the new
railroads, north and south, will become
more widely known year after year,
and with a large population, Califor-
nia, already rich in so many resources
and so promising for more wealth, will
have reason to entertain increasing
pride in this rich and beautiful south-
ern portion of the State.

BENEFITS OF MUCH FRUIT AS A DIET.

It is generally a sign of an abnormal
condition of health when a person ex-
hibits a dislike for good ripe fruit of al-
most any kind. The craving for much
animal food and any alcoholic stimu-
lants is a symptom that the more nat-
ural diet, chiefly of fruit, bread, and
vegetables, is antagonistic to the pal-
ate. The gastric juice becomes vitiat-
ed with fats, and flesh, and fermented
juices or liquors, and therefore any
sudden change of food from animal
chiefly to vegetable, is repulsive to the
taste and system. This reformation
should be accomplished gradually, or
the fibres of the stomach will be too
much weakened at first, and the digest-
ive organs so altered in their functions
that even an apple will not be easily
dissolved. If one, however, makes the
effort gradually, and continues the
more natural food patiently, the digest-
ive fluids return to their natural strength
and the walls of the stomach become
once more accustomed to the presence
of raw fruit, so that it is in a short time
easily digested. The system then takes
on healthy flesh, and the cheeks become
naturally full and rosy, as they ought
to be in a normal condition. At first a
person would be apt to miss the stimu-
lus of heat that is carried from the
stomach to every part of the body, but

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

£>9

the experience of many people lias
borne testimony that if a change to a
cooling fruit and vegetable diet is made
in spring or summer this loss of excite-
ment is easily and willingly suffered,
and after a short time a more agreeable
and refreshing feeling is experienced
on a more ponional and farinaceous
or bread diet than on a more mixed and
flesh or liquid vinous regimen. The
excessive perspiration which is often
caused by hot foods, and which tends
to weaken the system, becomes much
less, and as soon as we become accus-
tomed to the improved principle, we do
not in the least miss the stimulus of so
much unnatural food of flesh and alco-
holic mixtures.

Closely related to the subject we are
discussing is another of very great im-
portance in the adoption of what may
properly be termed a scientific diet.
This relates to 'the quantity of food
necessary to the maintenance of as per-
fect a condition of health as possible,
and here as elsewhere an unperverted
appetite is the best guide. Especially
is this true with those who have persist-
ed in mostly a fruit and farinaceous
diet for some time. Most people eat of
whatever their food may consist .more
than they require, and the worst of it
is, this excess acts injuriously by its
quantity more than by its quality. It
may however be said in favor of an al-
most entirely fruit and bread, vegeta-
ble, or grain diet, that it never acts in-
juriously by its quality, and in excess
is less injurious than any other. An
overloaded stomach, however, causes,
first of all, discomfort and ill-humor,
while a joyous feeling is maintained in
no way so well as by moderate eating
of food of any kind, which is made the
principal diet. An instinctive feeling
should always tell us when we have
eaten enough, whether it be fruit or flesh.

Evidently, we think, it is not neces-
sary that we should vary our articles of
food very much, further than the sea-
sons indicate, by constantly presenting
us new fruits, vegetables, and grains,
unless our food is so illy adapted to
our wants that it does not thoroughly
nourish our bodies. In wheat, accord-
ing to analysis, we have the most per-
fect grain food. But we must not for-
get that it is a one-sided view of this
subject to take into account only the
amount of nourishment a food may
contain, and leave unconsidered its
power to impart elasticity and buoyan-
cy of feeling. The latter is obtained
abundantly from fruit, which, accord-
ing to chemistry, is much poorer in
nourishment than wheat, or perhaps
any of the cereals.

"We, however, recommend a certain
variety of food. But at a single meal
great variety is neither necessary, nor,
to the normal appetite, agreeable. The
fewer the number of dishes the sooner
the appetite is satisfied, while too great
a variety acts as an improper stimulant.
It is a flagrant violation of natural law
to indulge in course after course of
wholly different foods, in the manner
seen at fashionable tables. Such ex-
cesses lead only to gluttony and dis-
ease.

In regard to eating fruit before it is
perfectly ripe, it may be said that un-
perverted instinct is our best guide. A
fruit is best when it is most agreeable
to a healthy palate. Unripe fruit con-
tains more acid, and ripe fruit more su-
gar. An excess of acid is neither
healthful nor agreeable.

It is very natural that unripe fruit
should cause congestion in weak stom-
achs, yet children in the country who
have been accustomed to eating fruits,
and whose instincts do not go far astray,
sometimes crave unripe fruits, and are

330

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

not apparently injured by them, though
city children going to the country have
to be very cautious in this respect. *
Those who are so unfortunate as to
be in the habit of indulging too much
in what are called intoxicating drinks,
would, we think, benefit themselves
more by adopting principally our fruit
and vegetable diet, and so bring their
systems into a more healthy condition,
than even by signing the total absti-
nence or temperance pledges, as by so
doing they would be preparing their
systems to the more effectually and
practical carrying out moderation, at
least, in both their eating and drinking,
eschewing, almost altogether, much an-
imal, or alcoholic diet, and perhaps,
finally, leaving them off altogether, es-
pecially the last.

THE OEANGE.

Oranges are distinguished from Lem-
ons more by the character of the fruit
than by any marked botanical differ-
ences. They are subdivided into two
classes, the bitter and the sweet, in
which the fruit, again, constitutes the
chief distinction.

The Orange tree grows to a height of
about fifteen feet. Its stem is round,
much branched, and covered with a
smooth, shining, greenish-brown bark.
The leaves are ovate, pointed, smooth,
and shining, and when rubbed become
highly fragrant. Their footstalks have
wings or lateral appendages, these con-
stituting the chief botanical difference
between the Orange and the Lemon.
The flowers are large, white, and de-
lightfully fragrant. The fruit is too
well known to require description.
The exterior or thinner layer of its rind
abounds in an otto in which resides the
characteristic odor of the fruit. There
are two leading varieties of this tree :
the common or sweet Orange (Citrus

aurantiacum), and the bitter or Seville
Orange (Citrus bigaradia). The latter
differs from the former chiefly in bear-
ing a fruit rugged on the surface, of a
deeper hue, and with a pulp sour and
bitter instead of sweet ; the leaf also
differs slightly in the character of its
winged appendage, which is more
heart-shaped. The essential oils or
ottos yielded by the various parts of
the plant are more fragrant than the
corresponding ones obtained from C.
aurantiacum.

Originating in the far East, the Or-
ange has spread over the entire civiliz-
ed globe, and is grown out-doors in all
favorable localities. The south of Eu-
rope is the chief seat of its cultivation
for the extraction of ottos.

The flowers, as before noted, are de-
lightfully fragrant, and, like the Eose
bloom, can readily be, made to yield
their odor by both enfieurage and distil-
lation. The finest perfume is, of course,
obtained by the former process. From
the pomade or oil so perfumed a fine
essence is made. The flowers of the
C. bigaradia are said to be exclusively
used for this purpose on account of the
superior quality of their odor.

Orange-flower essence is of a decided
yellow color, and exhibits the odor of
the blossom in great perfection. It is
used as a handkerchief perfume, in a
pure state (strengthened by some fixing
ingredient), forms the basis of the sweet-
pea extract, and enters into the compo-
sition of many recherche bouquets.

By distillation the fresh flowers yield
their otto in a concentrated form. The
operation is conducted, in the usual
way, in small copper stills.

Orange-flower otto, as thus obtained,
is of a brownish color, a specific gravi-
ty of 0.889, and a fragrant, yet to many
persons, unpleasant odor. In its con-
centrated state the otto is rather more

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

331

aromatic than flowery. "When proper-
ly diluted it improves very much in this
respect, but yet fails to approach in
delicacy the essence obtained by macer-
ation. This otto, from its high cost, is
rarely to be had pure, being mixed
with another obtained from the leaf of
the tree. The latter is mentioned be-
low.

The otto obtained from Orange flow-
ers is usually known, in commerce, as
oil of neroli, a name probably acquired
soon after its discovery, which occurred
some time in the sixteenth century.
Various conjectures have been made as
to the origin of this name. It was pos-
sibly given to the perfume, as some as-
sert, in honor of the Emperor Nero,
but more probably from the reputed
fact that the wife of Flavio Orsini,
Duke of Bracciano and Prince of Ne-
roli or Nerola, brought it into notice as
a scent for gloves.

Orange flower otto is largely consum-
ed in the manufacture of cologne water,
of which it is the chief ingredient. It
is also used in many bouquets.

Orange flower water is occasionally
employed by the perfumer. The best
article is that obtained by distillation ;
a second quality is made from the es-
sence.

Orange peel readily yields its otto
by simple expression. The fruit of
both the bigarade and sweet Orange is
used, the former yielding the best pro-
duct.

Orange-peel otto is a light-yellow li-
quid, of a specific gravity of 0.82 to
0.90, and has a strong aroma peculiar
to the fruit from which it is obtained.
Its general properties are the same
whether derived from the sweet or bit-
ter Orange. Of all ottos it is the most
difficult to preserve ; when exposed to
the air it becomes worthless with great
rapidity. It is chiefly used as an in-

gredient in toilet waters. It has a
place in cologne water, and in some
less celebrated preparations for similar
use.

The leaves and shoots of both varie-
ties of Orange yield an otto which is
known in commerce as the oil of petit
grain. The small, unripe fruit was at
first its source (whence the name), but
the leaves are now said to be exclusive-
ly employed instead. It is of a light
greenish - yellow color, and resembles
the otto of the flowers, but is inferior
in odor.

Orange-leaf otto is much used both
as an adulterant of Orange-flower otto,
and as a substitute for it in the cheap-
er kinds of perfumery.

FRUIT CULTURE IN THE FOOT-HILLS.

BY S. S. BOYNTON.

The hills to which we allude are
those lying at the base of the Sierras,
and situated on the eastern side of the
counties of Yuba and Butte, constitut-
ing a part of the extensive belt of foot-
hills stretching from Tuolumne County
on the south to Shasta County on the
north. From their peculiar situation
spring opens earlier among them than
it does in the open valley directly west,
while they are cooler than the valley in
summer, and receive a greater quantity
of rain. The soil seems peculiarly
adapted to the culture of fruit, while
in many localities water from mining
ditches can be advantageously used for
irrigation. These circumstances indi-
cate that this hilly belt will, ere long,
form one of the most productive fruit-
growing sections in the State. At pres-
ent the amount of fruit raised is large,
though only a limited amount of it is
of the fine varieties. The small fruits
are not largely cultivated, Currants,
Raspberries, and Gooseberries being

332

THE CALIFOBNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

seldom raised for the local market, and
rarely ever shipped.

Strawberries ripen in April and May,
last from four to six weeks, and are
sold from ten to forty cents a pound,
according to the season. With choice
selections and careful cultivation they
can be grown through eight or nine
months of the year, some gardeners
claiming they can be produced the year
round. The Lawton Blackberry is
quite plentiful, it ripens in June and
July, bears good crops, and sells read-
ily at ten cents a pound.

The Mulberry is not sold in our mar-
kets, though it is raised here without
difficulty, and bears full crops. The
climate is favorable to its growth, as it
ripens ten days before the Cherry, while
in the East they ripen from ten days to
two weeks later than Cherries. An-
other of the small fruits that could be
readily made profitable here is the Po-
har or Cape Gooseberry. It is like a
Cherry in size and shape, but grows on
a bush, is enclosed in a husk, and tastes
like a Tomato. We have seen them in
a few gardens and they bear plentifully.

The Orange family is represented by
the Orange, Lemon, Lime, and Citron.
The Orange and Lemon grow with no
more care or attention than the Pear or
Peach in all the best fruit sections, and
in a few years will doubtless be raised
in large quantities. We learn that in
and near Oroville four hundred Orange
trees were set out during the past win-
ter. At present the trees are young,
but few of them bearing, and most of
the Oranges raised are consumed by the
growers, and not put into the market.
In the Oroville neighborhood the fruit
is better than the Oranges commonly
shipped here for sale. We hear of one
tree from which twelve hundred Or-
anges were picked during the past year.
A few Lemons and Citrons are raised

for sale, but the number is quite lim-
ited.

One of our most profitable crops is
the Cherry, when it can be kept from
the birds. It ripens about the tenth of
May, and varies in price from ten to
twenty cents a pound, according to
quality. The home demand is good,
and hundreds of boxes are shipped
yearly to San Francisco. Several vari-
eties are cultivated, but the Black Tar-
tarian is considered the best, both on
account of its fine flavor and shipping
qualities.

The Siberian Crab Apple is used in
considerable quantities, though the de-
mand for them is small.

Cherry Plums are cultivated largely
by some orchardists, while others con-
sider them unprofitable to raise. They
bear from fifty to three hundred pounds,
according to the size and age of the
tree, and meet with a ready sale from
seven to twelve cents a pound.

Figs form an important and profit-
able crop in the foot-hill region. Two
crops in all localities are grown, and in
favorable sections three crops in a sea-
son. The first figs ripen about the first
of June, and are usually sold fresh.
The second crop ripens from the mid-
dle of July to the first of August, and
the Figs are usually dried. A tree
bears from three to nine hundred
pounds, according to size and age.
The fresh Figs sell readily in the
mountain towns, and large quantities
are shipped to San Francisco. Three
or four varieties are raised, but the
most profitable are those known as su-
gar Figs, as they bring from one to two
cents a pound more than the other va-
rieties .

The Olive deserves more attention
than it receives at the hands of our
fruit-growers. In Italy it is as valu-
able as bread itself, and the oil to a

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

333

certain extent takes the place of milk
and butter in many a poor Italian fami-
ly. In a dry season it would be espe-
cially valuable, for it is a hardy grow-
er, and thrives on the poorest soil. A
few trees will support an entire family.

Our strong red soil is well adapted to
the culture of the Grape, though frost
and mildew sometimes cut short the
usually heavy crops. The Sweetwater
is the earliest to ripen, being in market
about the first of July. The Muscat
and Alexandria have proved our best
raisin grape. The table grapes most in
market are the Black Hamburg, Rose
of Peru, and White Tokay, selling
from five to ten cents a pound.# The
Los Angeles is the wine-grape of the
foot-hills, and much wine of a poor
quality is made and sold at fifty cents a
gallon. Considerable good wine is also
made, but the demand for it is limited.
Hundreds of vineyards are set out over
the red gravelly foot-hills, and the vines
thrive excellently, even where the soil
is only a foot or two in depth.

The Chestnut, Walnut, and Almond
all thrive well in the foot-hills, but
only the latter is raised for sale. The
Almond blossoms so early in the spring
that the fruit is often destroyed by the
frosts, yet considerable cpaantities are
raised every year. They ripen in Au-
gust and September, bear at three and
four years old, and produce from fifty
to two hundred pounds, according to
the age of the tree and favorableness of
the season. The soft -shell Almond
sells for about double the price of the
hard-shell, the one running from eight-
een to twenty cents, while the other
only brings from eight to ten cents.
The Black Walnut is a rapid grower in
our warm climate, and from its good
size, fine shade, and excellent timber,
is a favorite shade tree among the far-
mers. The nuts are seldom sold.

The Quince is raised in less qaunti-
ties than any of the larger fruits. The
demand for it is local, and limited in
amount.

Plums are a productive and profitable
crop, the demand being good and pri-
ces fair. Many varieties are raised,
among which are the Green Gages,
Damson, Blue Egg, White Egg, Wash-
ington Plum, German Prune, and Prune
d'Agen. Of these varieties the latter is
the best bearer ; the German Prune is
best adapted for drying, and the Wash-
ington the most saleable. The Plums
which dry well are among our safest
crops, for if the market is overstocked
the fruit can be dried, and then brings
a good price, that is, from twelve to
twenty cents a pound. The Plums,
with us, all bear at three and four years
of age, and there is but little damage
from frost or insects.

The Apricot, when not injured by
the frost, is one of the best crops to
raise, for a good tree will produce from
four to six hundred pounds, and the
price ranges from eight to ten cents,
with an active demand for them. They
ripen in June or late in May, after the
berries are out of market, or before the
other fruits are ready for use. The
Early Golden is the first to ripen, while
the Moorpark is the finest variety raised.

Nectarines meet with a ready sale
when shipped to San Francisco, and
the local demand is good at from seven
to ten cents a pound. The crop is usu-
ally light.

Pomegranates meet with a ready lo-
cal sale at seventy-five cents a dozen,
and will bear from five to fifty dozen,
according to the size of the tree. They
need to be sheltered from the wind' on
account of the fruit shaking off. They
ripen in August.

Peaches constitute one of the great
fruit crops of the foot-hills, many vari-

334

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUBIST.

eties are grown, and nearly all bear
heavily. Large quantities are shipped
to San Francisco and to the mountain
towns of the Sierras, while the local
trade is active. The best varieties here
are Briggs' Early, ripens in May, and
is worth from ten to twenty- tive cents a
pound ; the Strawberry Peach, Early
Crawford, Morris White, Texan Ran-
ger, Late Crawford, and Heath. They
bring from seventy -five cents to two
dollars a box, according to the season
and demand.

Pear's grow finely here, and 'large
quantities are produced. The late va-
rieties are especially valuable for ship-
ping purposes. Among the early Pears
the Early Sugar is considered best.
Bartlett and Winter Nellis are the fin-
est of the late Pears, as they are good
bearers and ship well. There are too
many poor varieties grown in our or-
chards.

The foot-hills are better adapted for
Apples than any other section of Cali-
fornia. The flavor is finer than the
coast Apples, and they are less mealy
than the valley Apples. Large quanti-
ties are shipped and dried, while hun-
dreds of tons are fed to hogs, or rot
upon the ground. Of the early vari-
eties the Red Astrachan is the favorite,
both for eating and cooking. The
summer Apples are seldom shipped,
and not largely cultivated. Of the fall
and winter Apples the leading kinds
are Fall Pippin, Rhode Island Pippin,
Gloria Mundi, Bellflower, Winesap,
Spitzenberg, Swaar, Beauty of Kent,
Baldwin, White Winter, Pearmain and
Yellow Newtown Pippin.* The crop is
generally a heavy one, and the demand
is fair for good varieties; the poorer
ones are almost worthless.

Fruit-growers here labor under the
disadvantage of being far from the
San Francisco market. From oar large

orchards much of the best fruit is ship-
ped there, but even with regular tele-
graphic communication it is difficult to
know exactly when to ship. If the
fruit arrives when the market is active,
it brings good prices, but if the market
happens to be full of any one variety,
then that variety is almost a dead loss
on the shipper's hands. So many dif-
ferent sections ship fruit to San Fran-
cisco that it becomes quite difficult to
watch the market sufficiently close to
enable our fruit growers to know when
to ship their fruit. Among the foot-
hill orchards the poor fruit is rapidly
being grafted with fine varieties. In
five years' time even our best orchards
will be twenty-five per cent, better than
they are now.

We regret to see Alfalfa sown in sev-
eral fine young orchards, for in time it
will ruin them. The Alfalfa roots de-
scend deep into the earth and absorb
the moisture so much needed for the
trees. After orchards are five or six
years old and in a moist climate, it will
do to plant the space between the trees
to vegetables or corn, but in no case
should Wheat, Rye, or Alfalfa be sown.
Where the ground is too dry for the
fruit, it needs to be frequently worked
over in order to bring up the moisture,
and this can not be done where the
ground is sown to grain or hay.

We find in many cases in the foot-
hills that few aids are given to nature.
Not enough manure is used, the bark
of the trees is never cleaned or washed,
bending down the limbs or bandaging
them is never resorted to. Occasional-
ly we find it the practice to pick off a
part of the green fruit in order to in-
crease the size of the remainder. Thia
should be done to even a greater extent
than it is, and the orchards should, in
nearly all instances, be more highly
cultivated than they are at present.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

335

Nature has done much for our foot-hill
region in giving us a warm climate and
a soil well adapted to the culture of
fruit, but there is much left for man to
do ere our fruit reaches its highest
state of perfection.

EARLY FRUIT CULTURE IN ENGLAND.

"We know so little of the ancient Bri-
tons, that an accurate estimate can not
be formed of the fruits and vegetables
known to them. It is probable that
the only kinds of the former were the
Apple, Currant, and Raspberry, and of
the latter the Carrot. Of all these it is
probable that wild or half- wild varieties
were used, and that, as in the case of
the Apple, the choice kinds were after-
ward imported and acclimatized. The
Romans were very fond of the Aspara-
gus, and cultivated it most carefully.
There is a long account of their method
in Cato's " De Re Rustica." Judging
from the writings of Pliny the elder
(a. d. 23-79), nearly all the fruits which
we were acquainted with at the com-
mencement of the present century were
in his time reared in and near Rome.
The exceptions were the Orange and
the Pine Apple. The Romans were ac-
quainted with hot -houses for forcing
fruit (" Columella," xi. 3). It will be
more convenient if we now take the
fruits in order which were either intro-
duced into Britain by that nation, or
improved by them, and whose culture
was continued by the Saxons, and dur-
ing the rest of the mediseval period.
Although the Apple (Saxon oppel) is
believed to have been known by the
Britons (in the Welsh, Cornish, and
Irish languages it is called avail or aball),
the Romans doubtless introduced the
choice varieties. The town of the Heed-
ni, on the site of Glastonbury, was call-
ed Avallonia when the Romans visited

it. The Anglo-Saxons valued the Ap-
ple greatly, and had many orchards.
The Domesday survey mentions an Ap-
ple orchard at Nottingham. Pearmain
Apples are as old as the time of King
John. In the fruiterers' bills of Ed-
ward I., in 1291, the Costard Apple is
mentioned. Blomefield quotes a ten-
ure in Norfolk, 1200, by petty serjeant-
ry and the payment of two hundred
Pearmains into the exchequer at the
feast of St. Michael annually (" History
of Norfolk," xi., 242.) In 1282, the
bailiff of Carrick, near Richmond, York-
shire, stated in his account that he
made sixty gallons of cider from three
quarters and a half of Apples. A tract
on husbandry, written early in the
fourteenth century, states that ten quar-
ters of Apples or Pears ought to make
a ton of cider or perry. France gave
us in the days of Queen Mary the Non-
pareil, and Pippins came to us from
the Continent in the reign of Henry
VIII. For the Pear (Saxon per a) we
are indebted to the Romans, and, like
the Apple, the Saxons valued it highly.
In noticing the varieties of fruit grown
in this country in past times we must
guard against the assumption that all
then consumed were grown here. For
example, in the reigns of John and
of Henry III., Rochelle was celebrated
for its Pears, and the sheriffs of Lon-
don purchased one hundred for the last
named monarch in 1223. So that it is
necessary to ascertain what was im-
ported. Alexander Necham, master of
the Grammar School of St. Alban's
(1157-1217), says in his " De Naturis
Rerum," " A noble garden will give
you Medlars, Quinces, and Pearmain —
Pears of St. Regie — Pomegranates,
Citrons, Oranges, Almonds, and Figs.
Let there also be beds [areas) encircled
with Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Melons,
and Scallions." Monks were great

336

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

horticulturists, and when passing from
one monastery to another, or abroad,
on the business of their house, doubt-
less were on the look-out for new vari-
eties of fruits and vegetables, and any
novelty in their cultivation. — Church-
man's Shilling Magazine.

Maiden Haie Fern. — Some idea of
the extent to which Maiden Hair Fern
is used in Covent Garden for bouquet-
making, may be gleaned from the fact
that Mr. Rochford, of Tottenham, has
several large, span-roofed houses en-
tirely devoted to its culture for furnish-
ing fronds in a cut state. The plants
are grown in 12-inch pots, and in order
to keep up a regular succession, only a
portion of them are cut at a time, those
which furnish such fronds being sub-
jected to a lower temperature than the
rest, by which means the fronds assume
a deeper green color, and last longer
after being cut than they otherwise
would do. — The Garden.

A Recipe foe Making Grafting-Wax.
— The following receipt is from a prac-
tical nurseryman of great experience:
Rosin, six pounds; beeswax, one pound;
tallow, one pound ; melt, and work un-
til cold. This is to be used warm, when
working in the house. For out-door
work, J. J. Thomas recommends the
same formula, except using linseed oil,
one pint, in the place of the tallow.
For out-door work, a good wax is made
by using one or two pounds less of res-
in, and one and one-half pints of lin-
seed oil ; to be melted, made into a
mass, and applied by hand.

Golden Variegated Chestnut (Castan-
ea vesca aurea variegata) is a new varie-
ty mentioned by the Gardener's Chron-
icle, the bold, regularly-formed leaves
of which are broadly and distinctly,

though unequally, bordered with a
rich creamy yellow, and make it a tell-
ing object.

A man in Nottingham, England, car-
ries on a trade in worms. He has sev-
eral persons in his employ who collect
them in the meadows and pasture lands
in the neighborhood. They are sold
by the thousand or quart for bait by
fishermen. A fresh -caught worm is
very delicate and tender, and easily
breaks when put on the hook, but when
a worm is properly educated he is as
tough as a piece of India rubber, and
behaves as he ought when put on the
hook.

Science makes wonderful strides in
our day. It is now found that the fer-
mentation of malt, the alcoholization
of the juice of the grape, the decay of
meat, the gangrene of wounds, the
spread of smallpox in the body, and of
pestilence through a city, are alike the
marvelously rapid growth of minute
plants or living ferments.

The growth of a plant is simply the
aggregate result of the enlargement and
multiplication of the cells which com-
pose it. In most cases, the cells attain
their full size in a short time. The
continuous growth of plants depends
chiefly on the constant and rapid for-
mation of new cells.

Cherries. — The Sutter Banner says
that G. G. Briggs, whose ranch is in
that county, about two miles from Yuba
City, has over 3,000 Cherry trees, and
his income from that fruit alone will
foot up over $10,000.

Nymphaea ldtea. — The Yellow "Wa-
ter Lily that figured in Audubon, has
been re-discovered in Florida, by Mrs.
Mary Treat.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

337

gtofl ana (Sim.

HISTORY OF THE INTRODUCTION OF
EASTERN FISH INTO CALIFORNIA.

In 1870 the Legislature of California,
following the example of the Eastern
States, provided for the appointment of
a Board of Commissioners of Fisheries,
and the present incumbents, S. R.
Throckmorton, B. B, Redding, and J.
D. Farwell, were then selected. The
waters of the State alreadj' abounded
with fish, embracing a number of favor-
ite species, and the duties assigned to
the Commission comprised not only the
introduction of choice varieties from
foreign parts, but the protection of
those already here.

Immediately after their appointment
the Commissioners took under consid-
eration the project of introducing some
of the more choice species of fish
abounding in the East, and unknown
on the Pacific Coast. The experiment
of transporting young fish over three
thousand miles by rail was a bold one,
and when accomplished with complete
success was probably the greatest
achievement recorded in the science of
pisciculture.

In 1872, by the assistance of Seth
Green of New York, who superintend-
ed the preparations and transportation,
they succeeded in depositing 15,000
healthy and lively young shad in the
Sacramento River above Tehama. The

shad, by its peculiar instincts, proceeds
to sea as soon as it has attained suffi-
cient energy to wriggle in deep water,
and does not return to its native shoals
until three years thereafter, when it
has attained its maturity. In the sec-
ond year a small number of two-year-
old fish return to the breeding grounds.

In the spring of 1875 there were in-
dications of the presence of shad in the
Sacramento, and the Commissioners ex-
ercised great vigilance in protecting
them, and compelling the fishermen to
return them to the water when they
were captured in the salmon nets.
Since that year shad have appeared an-
nually in the Sacramento, up to the
present season, when a very great in-
crease was manifest.

One specimen that came to the knowl-
edge of the Commissioners was a female
fish weighing five pounds, and burden-
ed with embryo life. The fishermen
turned large numbers from their nets,
though it is possible that an inconsid-
erable few may have been overlooked.

The interdiction on the capture of
shad expires this year. It seems to be
quite assured that the dainty shad will
be a common commodity in our mar-
kets during the months of April, May,
and June, orpiortions thereof. As soon
as the Commissioners became convinc-
ed that the culture of shad in these wa-
ters was practicable, they commenced
additional importations.

338

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

In 1874 operations were inaugurated
on an enlarged scale. An aquarium
car was constructed and started hither
with a general assortment of piscatorial
emigrants, including 60, OOOyoung shad.
Everything augured well for a success-
ful passage, until the train had passed
Omaha, when the aquarium car skipped
the rail while crossing a bridge, and its
precious freight was deposited in a
branch of the Green River.

No sooner had the Commissioners
received information of the disaster
than they telegraphed directions to
their agents which resulted in the safe
transportation of 60,000 young shad in
that year.

In 1876 a successful addition of 100,-
000 young shad was made to the Sacra-
mento colony, all being deposited at
the same point in the river.

This year the importation of shad in
three lots of over 100,000 each has been
a grand success.

The young fry for transportation are
placed in tin boxes of 20-gallon capaci-
ty, each containing about 10,000.
Next year the Commissioners will erect
extensive breeding works, with the de-
sign of stocking all the rivers of the
State with this choice species of fish,
and it is hoped the next Legislature
will extend to the fisheries the aid and
encouragement which this important
interest demands.

On the 12th of June, 1874, seventy-
nine full-grown bass were received by
the California Fish Commissioners and
deposited in the Napa Eiver. They
have since propagated rapidly, and are
thriving well. The bass is quite able
to take care of itself, and when once
established in its grounds will hold the
position strenuously.

One hundred young catfish taken
from the Schuylkill River were turned
loose in the Sacramento in 1874. The

river and the San Joaquin sloughs are
now swarming with them, and they are
being distributed to all parts of the
State where desired. The introduction
of catfish to California waters seems to
have been like the translation of the
species to a new and better world. A
lot of the large species of catfish that
abound particularly in the Mississippi
River, was also brought over and de-
posited in the Sacramento.

A lot of jackfish, or " jack-salmon,"
taken from one of the Ohio rivers, was
turned loose in the Sacramento in 1874.
They have since been heard from re-
peatedly, and have no doubt established
themselves on a successful basis. The
jack is a favorite with the sportsmen,
and withal an excellent food fish.

A large lot of eels were placed in
San Antonio Creek in 1874, but they
appear to have languished and relin-
quished the wriggle for life on this
coast. After the West Side Canal is
completed, and an aquarium of dead
mules and horses provided, the experi-
ment may be repeated under more aus-
picious circumstances.

An importation of perch was made
some years ago, and the Commission-
ers contemplated further additions, but
were prayerfully persuaded to desist
by persons acquainted with the quali-
ties of this fish.

The Commissioners will this fall make
an effort to introduce the Eastern lob-
ster. A lot was embarked in 1874, with
every provision that could be made for
their comfort and convenience on the
long journey by rail, but only four sur-
vived the hardships of the trip. These
were in a very debilitated condition,
but there is reason to believe that they
recuperated and colonized, as rumors
of one or two lobsters having been
caught in the bay have reached the
Commissioners. By experiments made

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

339

at the East this year it has been found
that the lobster can undergo sixteen
days of -rattling about the country on
railroad trains, under favorable circum-
stances.

The attempts to establish the East-
ern oysters in these waters have thus
far failed of any satisfactory results.
The original plants seem to fatten well,
but they do not propagate. The Com-
missioners will probably leave further
efforts in that line to private enterprise.
— S. F. Chronicle.

PEARL FISHING IN TORRES STRAITS.

The following yarn has been put to-
gether from particulars furnished by
the South Sea Islander concerned. He
is now in my employ, and was with me
before he went pearling :

My name is Sili Tarko, but on board
ship the captain and men called me
Tile. In the month of May, 1875, I
signed articles, and shipped on board
the Pear-le for two years, the vessel
being equipped for a pearl fishing ex-
pedition among the pearl beds in Tor-
res Straits. The crew consisted of the
captain, three Europeans, and three of
my own countrymen. After a prolong,
ed and rough voyage we reached Cape
York where we stayed one night, and
anchored the next day in a central po-
sition among the pearl islands or beds.
After making all snug on board the
vessel, and getting in a supply of fire-
wood from an adjacent island, six of us
were told off to man the good boat
Gorton, in which we were to commence
the work of fishing the precious pearl
fish from its native " nest." The div-
ing apparatus, provisions, fuel, etc.,
having been put on board our small
craft, we set sail from the side of the

Pear-le, in search of a" bed " to begin
operations.

When I engaged in Sydney, the du-
ties that appertain to a sort of general-
ly useful hand were what I undertook
to perform, but after acting as tender
to the diver for a few days, I was in-
formed that I would have to take my
turn at the diving. This I thought
very hard and unfair, as I was only get-
ting small wages, while the profession-
al divers were well paid. My protest
was not listened to, and I had to en-
case myself in the diver's dress and ex-
plore for many a weary hour among the
strange inhabitants and singular ma-
rine herbage at the bottom of the Straits
seas.

I shall never forget the first time I
reached the bottom with the cumber-
some diver's dress on. If the reader
can vividly realize being in the course
of a few minutes transported from our
world, on a bright morning, with its
sun shining clearly, and with the voices
of his fellow beings humming about
him, to a world with no sound, and
among creatures, some of hideous ap-
pearance and some very beautiful — the
variety being endless, and all floating
or gliding to and fro in a most mysteri-
ous way — he will have some idea of
what my sensations were. I felt a
creeping about' my hair and whole
body, and the strangeness of my ma-
rine associates, and the surroundings,
conveyed the impression to my mind
that; if not in the " other " world so
much spoken about, I was at any rate
in a world quite different from our
everyday working world. What added
to the strangeness of the objects float-
ing about was the fact that they were
all magnified by my " glass face," thus
making them look more weird than
they otherwise would have done.

One day when " down below " send-

340

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ing up the pearl fish, I was startled by
a great shark lashing about all round
me. I did not feel what you would
call alarm ; but I should have felt more
comfortable by the absence of nry frisky
friend. I stood quite still to see what
he was at, and to be prepared for an
emergency. The brute was evidently
disporting in a most hilarious manner,
and I soon had occasion to arrive at
the conclusion that my grotesque ap-
pearance had something to do with his
friskiness. He sailed round and round
me, each giration narrowing the circle
and each being varied by extraordinary
attitudes. His sharkship kept up the
performance for some minutes, when
all at once he lay still with his huge
head within three feet of my body.
He looked me over from head to feet
as carefully as if he had been a detect-
ive surveying a man " wanted.'' As he
now lay poised I could see his full
length and dimensions, and allowing
for his being magnified by my " glass
face," I estimated his length at twelve
feet, with body proportionately large.
Every now and again he would open
his great mouth and show his immense
teeth, and apparently lick his chops.
How much longer he might have con-
tinued to survey my trembling person I
don't know, for I began to feel rather
uneasy at the sight of his great teeth
and luminous eyes staring at me, so I
made a splash with one of my legs,
when, to my horror and astonishment,
he commenced dancing round and play-
ing with me somewhat in the way that
a puppy often plays round its master.
I now began to get alarmed, and at
once signaled to the " tender" that I
wanted to go aloft. Let me assure the
reader that I was not sorry when I
found myself sitting on the deck of our
boat. I must, however, do his shark-
ship the justice to say that he never at-

tempted to snap at me, but it was the
very opposite of pleasant to have so
much affection and playfulness exhibit-
ed by so strange a customer.

My next visit to the mysteries of the
deep was on the day succeeding the in-
cident recorded above. As I descend-
ed the ladder, the thought passed
through my mind that 1 had no wish
to renew the acquaintance of my frisky
friend. The professional diver told me
if he came again to make a great splash-
ing and stir up the mud or sand, and
he would go away. This advice I de-
termined to follow if his sharkship at-
tempted his larks with me ; at the same
time I had my doubts whether such a
determined "tumbler" would be de-
terred bj' such simple means.

We had our boat anchored over a
very good bed of pearl fish, and when
I got to the bottom I stood and care-
fully surveyed the surroundings before
beginning my work. My line of vision
extended through the clear water for
100 yards, and within that circle I
could see every object tolerably well.
To my left there was a sort of sandy
bed, over which a large school of small
fish were swimming, and directly they
saw me they made toward me, and be-
gan going round my person, and at last
came right up to where I stood. I
kept very still, and they swam through
my legs and arms, and poised about
my body in a most familiar manner. I
had my arms extended and my hands
wide open. Every now and again one
of them would rest in the palm of my
hand, and I determined, if possible, to
catch one, just to see what it was like.
I made the effort by closing my right
hand suddenly on one of their number
that I felt sure I should have no diffi-
culty in capturing. What was my as-
tonishment when I opened my fingers
to find that my finny friend had disap-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

341

peareJ. How be got away I could not
tell. He was right in my hand when I
closed it ; nevertheless he was gone.
I often tried the same experiment, but
never succeeded in catching one.

I had not been working long in fill-
ing my bag to send up aloft before I
felt something twining round my arm,
and to my dismay, when I looked to
see what it was, I found a water snake
firmly coiled round, just above the
wrist. I at once seized hold of the
brute's tail and tried my best to pull it
off, but all to no purpose. What was
I to do? I tried, and tried again, but
no use. At last I encompassed my left
arm, where the reptile lay coiled, with
my right hand, and pressed downward,
and by this means slid the slimy visit-
or down over the hand, and he glided
away as if nothing was the matter. At
the time I felt very nervous, for I had
never come in contact with one of them
before, but I learnt by subsequent ex-
perience that they are not dangerous.

After working away for two weeks
we cleared out the bed we were then
on, and our provisions being short, we
weighed anchor and set sail for the
vessel.

One day, just as the first streak of
dawn was breaking, I was awakened by
a great splashing right alongside the
boat, and the first thing I saw was a
great alligator in hot pursuit after an
immense dugong. The latter was evi-
dently severely wounded, for he left in
his wake a wide stream of blood, but
nevertheless he went through the water
at a tremendous rate. Whether he was
ultimately captured or not I could not
tell, for the two disappeared round the
end of the island.

Next day when I was down diving I
saw, sitting on a patch of green stuff, a
white object exactly like a monkey.
So complete was the resemblance that

Vol. VII— 22.

I could not discover any difference, ex-
cept the color — the ears, legs, arms,
hands, eyes, and attitude being precise-
ly like those of the ordinary monkey.
I tried to approach it, so as to get a
nearer view, but the first step I took it
was gone! How or where I could not
tell ; but as the disappearance was so
quick, in fact, like a flash of lightning,
I came to the conclusion that the brute
had a hole close to where it was sitting,
down which it had gone. I could not,
however, discover it, although on this,
as on subsequent occasions when I saw
it, I tried to do so.

The sea was like a sheet of glass,
and I noticed the spot they had chosen
for me to cast anchor seemed more
placid than the surrounding waters,
save and except that its area — about
two hundred yards square — appeared
alive with animal life. Turtle, water
snakes, dugong, and other marine ani-
mals were skimming about the surface
in great abundance. What a magnifi-
cent sight it presented to see these
queer creatures disporting themselves
in the afternoon sunlight amid the lit-
tle wavelets! What enjoyment they
appeared to gather in their frisky turn-
ings and twinings. Who can tell what
they thought and felt ? If rapid move-
ment, leaping, gamboling, and going
hither and thither, is any index to
pleasure, they must have been enjoying
its very acme.

The anchor had hardly touched the
bottom before my two companions dis-
appeared out of the boat. They had
both dived down to explore the bed.
In a very short space of time they both
came up on either side of the boat,
each having in his hands a splendid
specimen of the pearl shell. They
made me understand by their gesticula-
tions that there were plenty more like
those they had brought up down be-

342

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

low. They threw what they had into
the "boat, and again dived. About the
same space of time elapsed as when
they first went down, when the one on
the land side of the boat again appear-
ed with another large pearl fish. In-
stead of throwing this into the boat and
going down as before, he rushed to the
gunwale, cast it in anyhow, and climbed
up the side as if the " old gentleman"
were after him.

But what had become of the other ?
I looted in the direction that he had
gone down, but could see no sign of
the man. The one who had got into
the boat came over to where I was sit-
ting, in a state of great excitement,
and he began gesticulating in a wild
manner, pointing his finger to the srjot
where his companion had dived. To
make me understand what he meant,
he opened his mouth and caught hold of
the calf of his leg. While he was thus
trying by this startling method to make
me comprehend what he wished to de-
scribe, the subject of our solicitude
came to the surface right close to the
boat. He had no sooner got his head
above water than he let out a yell that
reverberated through the island, and
the water round him was tinted with
blood. He reached up his hand to
catch hold of the gunwale, while his
companion and I seized him by the
hair of the head. We got his body on
a level with the boat, and in the act of
lifting him in, a shark seized hold of
his only remaining leg, and nearly
wrenched him from our grasp. The
poor fellow, while down below, had
been attacked by a shark, who bad tak-
en off his right leg before he got to the
surface, and it was while we were pull-
ing him in that the same or another
ravenous brute took off the other. It
was a clean bite, or he would certainly
have snatched the man from us. We

laid him in the bottom of the boat
gently, and did all we could to allay
his sufferings. Poor wretch, how he
suffered! Heaven only knows what he
went through. He only lived about
ten minutes. Judging from the con-
tortions of his face, the frightful wri th-
ings of his body, and terrible groans,
the time, although so short, to him
must have been a long lifetime of tor-
ture.

That night, when we reached the
vessel and explained what had occurred
the captain said he would not allow
another man to go down without being
encased in the diving-dress. The next
day the poor fellow was buried upon
the island.

Some days after this event we were
anchored over the bed where the un-
fortunate native had lost his life. I
was working down below in the diving-
dress, and sending up a fine lot of
splendid pearl-fish — the biggest I had
ever seen. I had been at work about
an hour, when all at once I felt some-
thing strike the side of my helmet. I
put up my right hand to feel what it
was, when to my amazement I found a
fish about two feet long stuck hard and
fast. His tail was lashing about, and
after several vain attempts I managed
to secure it. I got a firm hold, and
tried to disconnect it from my head-
gear. But pull as hard as I could, not
a move could I get out of the brute.
While I was struggling away with might
and main, another of them fastened on
to my left side. I was now badly fixed.
While one lashed with his tail across
the glass front of my helmet, the other
did ditto across my stomach. When
the second had taken hold, I let go the
tail of the first, so that both had full
swing now. It is all very well to de-
scribe the position I was in, but to feel
it at the time I tell you was no joke.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

313

Only two had fastened on to me, but
how could I tell at the time whether I
might not have every inch of my body
similarly occupied. "What sort of fish
were they? and what were they up to?
These were the questions that I asked
myself as I seized both fish, and vainly
endeavored to disconnect them from
my person. Pull as I would, not one
inch could I move either. Still I work-
ed away at their tails, determined to
conquer if possible. I might just as
well have tried to balance our boat
upon my nose. Stir they would not.
In the midst of my tussle a turtle came
swimming close to me, when to my
great relief both fish let go simulta-
neously, and darted off after the turtle.
Whether they caught the unfortunate
or not I don't know, for they were soon
out of sight.

When I went aloft and told the div-
ers of my encounter, they only laughed
at me, explaining that the fish that had
fastened on to my body were only
"suckers." We subsequently caught
one of them with a line, and on turn-
ing it on its back it fastened to the
deck, and there was not a man on
board strong enough, even with both
hands, to displace it. The "sucker"
is at the back of the head, and looks
something like an elongated five- shil-
ling piece with fret-work in the centre.
This sucker, when it takes hold, forms
a vacuum, and nothing less than a tor-
pedo shock would loosen the hold when
once fixed.

KIT CARSON.

When the war broke out, and most
of our troops were withdrawn from the
plains and mountains, he applied to
Mr. Lincoln for permission to raise a
regiment of volunteers in New Mexico,
to protect our settlements there, and the
good President very properly granted

it. At the head of these, Kit did ex-
cellent service during the war, on on9
occasion taking 9,000 Navajoes prison-
ers with less than 6,000 men, and at its
close was ordered to Fort Garland and
given command of a wide region there.
We found him in log quarters, rough
but comfortable, with his Mexican wife
and half-breed children around him.
We had expected to see a small and
wiry man, weather-beaten and reticent,
but met a medium-sized, rather stout-
ish, florid, and quite talkative person
instead. He certainly bore the marks
of exposure, but none of that extreme
" roughing it " that we had anticipat-
ed. In age he seemed to be about
forty-five. His head was a remarkably
good one, with the bumps of benevo-
lence and reflection well developed.
His eye was mild and blue, the very
type of good nature, while his voice
was as soft as a woman's. He impress-
ed you at once as a man of rare kindli-
ness and charity, such as a truly great
man ought always to be. As simple as
a child, but brave as a lion, he soon
took our hearts by storm, and grew
upon our regard all the time we were
with him. He talked and smoked far
into the night each evening we spent
together, and we have no room for a
tithe of what he told us. Born in Ken-
tucky, he emigrated to the plains and
mountains when a child, and attached
himself to a party of trappers and
hunters, when he was so small that he
couldn't set a trap. When he became
older, he turned trapper himself, and as
such wandered all over our possessions,
from the Missouri to the Pacific, and
from British America to Mexico. Next
he became a Government guide, and as
such piloted Fremont and others all
over the plains and through the mount-
ains. He confirmed the accounts we
had heard, that Fremont, as an explor-

344

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

er, was somewhat of a charlatan, and
the worst time the Pathfinder ever had
was, when on one of his expeditions, he
disregarded his (Kit's) advice, and en-
deavored to force the mountains north-
west of where Fort Garland now stands.
Subsequently Kit became a U. S. In-
dian Agent, and one of the best we
ever had. Familiar with their lan-
guage and customs, he frequently spent
months together among them, without
seeing a white man, and indeed became
a sort of half Indian himself. In talk-
ing, I observed that he frequently hesi-
tated for the right EDglish word ; but
when speaking bastard Spanish (Mexi-
can) or Indian, he was as fluent as a
native. Both Mexican and Indian,
however, are largely pantomimic, which
may have helped him along somewhat.
The Utes seemed to have the greatest
possible confidence in him, and invari-
ably called him simply "Kit." Said
Sherman, while at Garland, "These
redskins think Kit twice as big a man
as me. Why, his integrity is simply
perfect. They know it, and they would
believe him and trust him auy day be-
fore me. '' And Kit returned this con-
fidence by being their most steadfast
and unswerving friend. He declared
all our Indian troubles were caused
originally by bad white men, and was
terribly severe on the barbarities of the
border. He said he was once among
the Indians for two or three years ex-
clusively, and had seen in the old times
an Indian kill his brother even for in-
sulting a white man. He protested,
that in all the peculiar and ingenious
outrages for which the Indians had
been so much abused of late years, they
were only imitating and improving on
the bad example of wicked white men.
He pleaded for the Indians, as " poor
ignorant creatures," whom we were
daily despoiling of their homes and

hunting grounds, and his denunciations
of the outrages and wrongs Ave had
heaped upon them were sometimes
really eloquent.

"I'll tell you what, I don't like a
hostile redskin any better, than you do,
and when they are hostile, I've fit 'em
— fout 'em — as hard as any man. But
I never yet drew a bead on a squaw or
a papoose, and I loathe and hate the
man who would. 'Tain't nateral for
brave men to kill women and little
children, and no one but a coward or a
dog would do it. Of course when we
white men do sich awful things (and I
have known several instances of this),
why these poor ignorant critters don't
know no better tha^n to follow suit.
Poor things! I've seen as much of 'em
as any white man livin', and I can't
help but pity 'em. They'll soon be gone
anyhow."

Poor Kit! he has already "gone"
himself to his long home. But the In-
dians had no truer friend, and he would
wish no prouder epitaph than this. He
and Sherman were great friends, and
evidently had a genuine regard for each
other. They had known each other in
California in '49, when Sherman was a
banker here, and Kit only an Indian
guide. In '65, when Kit was at Lea-
venworth on a visit, Sherman sent for
him to come down to St. Louis, and
they spent some time together very
pleasantly. Now Sherman returned his
visit by coming to Fort Garland, in the
heart of the Rocky Mountains.

A Good Dwarf Celery. — We think
this is still to be desired. We have
some fair varieties, but they are often
disposed to be branchy, and to have
more leaves and stalks.

The census of 1876 gives the popula-
tion of France at 36,905,788.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

345

$cte*fcd %xMt$.

FAREWELL.

BY GEO. ARNOLD.

Summer is fading ; the broad leaves that grew
So freshly green when June was young are
falling ;
And all the whisper-haunted forest through

The restless birds in saddened tones are calling
From the rustling hazel copse and tangled dell,
"Farewell, sweet summer,
Fragrant, fruity summer,
Sweet farewell ! "

Upon the windy hill, in many a field,

The honey bees hum slow above the clover,
Gleaning the latest sweets its bloom may yield;
And, knowing that their harvest time is over,
Sing half a lullaby and half a knell,
"Farewell, sweet summer,
Honey-laden summer,
Sweet farewell ! "

The little brook that babbles 'mid the ferns,

O'er twisted roots and sandy shadows playing,
Seems fain to linger in its eddied turns,

Aud with a plaintive, purring voice is saying
Sadder and sweeter than my song can tell,
"Farewell, sweet summer,
Warm and dreamy summer,
Sweet farewell ! ' '

The fitful breeze sweeps down the windinglane,
With gold and crimson leaves before it flying;
Its gusty laughter has no sign of pain,

But in the lulls it sinks to gentle sighing,
And mourns the summer's early broken spell.
"Farewell, sweet summer,
Rosy, blooming summer,
Sweet farewell !"

So bird, and bee, and brook, and breeze make
moan,
With melancholy song their loss complaining;
I, too, must join them, as I walk alone

Among the sights and sounds of summer's
waning;
I, too, have loved the season passing well —
So farewell, summer,
Fair, but faded summer,
Sweet farewell!

Hyacinth Leaves. — A newspaper par-
agraph says that the leaves of the Hya-
cinth, cut off near the bulb, will make
new bulbs as Geranium leaves do.

BOTANICAL RESEARCHES IN THE
ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

Sir Joseph Hooker, whose botanical
researches embrace the greater part of
Europe, the Indies, from the Bay of
Bengal across the Himalayas to Thibet,
the Antarctic regions, and southern
part of South America, New Zealand,
Australia, South Africa, Morocco, and
Asia Minor, gives an interesting sum-
mary of his researches into the flora of
the Rocky Mountains. He says : In
no part of the temperate globe can a
more varied and instructive botanical
journey be performed than one that
follows the great line of railway from
the eastern to the western seaboard.
In none will sharper contrasts in vege-
tation be experienced, and in none are
these features marked by such variety
and beauty, especially the trees, both
evergreen and deciduous. As in other
countries presenting marked contrasts
in vegetation, so in the United States
flora, the changes are accompanied by,
and are more or less dependent upon,
alternation in geographical features
and climate. Commencing on the east,
there is first the broad belt of forest
vegetation extending to the Mississippi
and to the west of it, and following the
line of its affluents marked by the prev-
alence of oaks, ashes, walnut, and hick-
ories, elms, willows, buckeyes, and,
above all, the plane tree. This region
is again subdivided into two by the
Apalachian chain, which both forms a
baiTier to various kinds of trees and
shrubs characteristic of countries east
and west of it, and has furnished vari-
ous kinds of oak, pine, rhododendron,
etc., peculiar to itself. West of the
Mississippi almost the whole of this
tree vegetation disappears, not sudden-
ly, but one by one, as the affluents of
that stream are followed, the willows
and poplars almost alone stretching

346

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

across the prairies to the base of the
Rocky Mountains. The forest region
is, as every American knows, succeeded
to the "westward by a second belt of
vegetation, viz. : the treeless prairie,
with its grassy downs variegated here
and there with yellow sunflowers and
other plants of that tribe, including
the compass plant, when oaks are seen
only in thin clumps on low elevations,
and willows and poplars by the water-
courses. To this again succeeds the
third belt, the plateau of the Rocky
Mountains, which is simply a more ele-
vated tract of the prairie raised some
six or seven thousand feet above the
sea, and intersected in various direc-
tions by Rocky Mountain ridges rising,
on an average, about one or two thou-
sand feet high, and crowned by numer-
ous peaks, which attain a total eleva-
tion of twelve to fourteen thousand
feet. With the Rocky Mountains a
more complete and sudden change in
the flora is met with than in any merid-
ian to the east of them. The luxuriant
forests of Western America have here
totally disappeared, and except along
the river banks hardly any arboreous
vegetation is seen until an elevation of
five to six thousand feet is reached.
Below that elevation the slopes, wheth-
er rocky or undulating, and the great
interior prairies, here called " parks,"
are, except along the watercourses, as
treeless as the prairies to the east of
them. Above that elevation an ever-
green forest vegetation commences, of
more kinds of pines than are to be
found in any part of the world except
America, often mingled with, or suc-
ceeded by, a luxuriant growth of aspen,
that gives a green hue to the flanks of
the mountains. This forest belt ex-
tends upwards to 12,000 feet, and even
higher in some localities of this mount-
ainous region.

A SHOET LESSON IN BOTANY.

To offer a short lesson in botany for
those of our readers who niay not have
had an opportunity to study that beau-
tiful and useful science, allow a brief
explanation here of a few technical
terms. It will enable any one who
wishes to do so, to separate a flower
into its different parts, that is, to ana-
lyze it ; and will prevent such terms
from being an unknown language in
the future to those who wLh to learn
them.

Every perfect or complete flower,
such as the Lovegrove, Violet, Pink,
and Cowslip, is naturally divided into
four jDarts, called the calyx, the corolla,
stamens and pistils ; the first name be-
ing of Greek, the remaining three of
Latin origin. Calyx means cup. It is
the outer covering of the bud, is usual-
ly green, and is frequently divided into
parts like small leaves.

Corolla means little crown. It is the
colored part which we generally call
the flower, and when open it usually
rests on the calyx, as if in a cup. It
surmounts the flower stem like a crown.
It may be single, or divided into sepa-
rate parts. Inside of the corolla we
find small thread-like members, of two
different shapes. The outer ones are
called stamens, meaning threads. The
ones in the centre, and attached to the
upper part of the young seed-pod, are
quite unlike the stamens in form, and
are called pistils, from pist ilium, a pes-
tle, so much do some of them resemble
the pestle of a druggist's mortar.

It should be further remembered,
that, when the calyx and corolla are
separated into parts, the parts of the
calyx are called sepals ; of the corolla,
petals.

Linnaeus discovered, but little more
than a hundred years ago, that difference

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

347

of sex exists in plants as among animals,
and that stamens are males and pistils
females in the world of flowers.

The calyx and corolla of a flower may
be wanting, and frequently are, but
the stamens and pistils must be pres-
ent for the plant to reproduce its kind.
Flowers may have but one stamen and
one pistil, or sevei-al of each.

On this simple principle, Linnseus
based a system by which all the flower-
ing plants known in the world are ar-
ranged in classes and orders. The
number of stamens forms the class ; the
number of pistils, the order. Each
class contains two or more orders. To
each he gave suitable names, most of
which were derived from the Greek
words for man and woman and the
Greek numerals. For example, a plant
whose flower has but one stamen and
one pistil belonging to the class Monan-
dria, literally a plant with one man,
that is one stamen, and order, Monogy-
nia, meaning a plant with one woman,
or one pistil, and so on for other class-
es and orders.

Linnaeus thus divided the whole veg-
etable kingdom into two great sections,
the flowering and flowerless plants, the
latter being either entirely without sta-
mens or pistils, or not showing them*
The former section is divided into twen-
ty-three classes, while all flowerless
plants, such as a Fern, a Moss, a Sea-
weed, and a Fungus, being compara-
tively small in number, form but a sin-
gle class, the twenty-fourth and last.

In this way he reduced the knowledge
of plants to a science, and is hence
called the Father of Botany. His plan
is known as the Artificial System, and
though it has to a great extent given
way to the Natural System of Jussieu,
so called because it classifies plants
more in accordance with their natural
qualities and resemblances, it will al-

ways be a useful aid to students of
botany. It was Linnaeus, too, who in-
vented the plan of giving a double
name, in the Latin language, though
sometimes derived from Greek, to every
plant and animal in the world. The
first name, like Dodecatheon, makes
the genus, and is called the generic
name ; the second, as Meadia, makes
the species, and is called the specific
name. The first corresponds to a man's
surname, the second to his given name.
The order in which they are placed fol-
lows the Latin usage, in putting adjec-
tives after their nouns. The plan re-
minds us of rolls, made out in alpha-
betical order, in which the surname
comes first.

On these simple principles, all the
150,000, or more, different kinds of
plants throughout the world have been
named and classified, or will be, so
soon as they become known to natural-
ists, thus erecting to the genius of Lin-
naeus a monument more lasting than
marble or brass.

Most of these points have been ex-
plained, especially to call attention to
the difference between the American
Cowslip, as found in California, and
the species described by Professor
Gray. He says the Eastern kind has
the calyx 5 -cleft; corolla, 5 -parted,
with 5 stamens and 1 pistil. In the
California species, the calyx is from 5
to 7-cleft, usually 6 ; corolla 5 to 8-part-
ed, usually 6 ; stamens 5 to 7, usually
6; pistil 1.

The Primrose of Europe, according
to Loudon, blooms from March until
June ; our Cowslip, from February or
March to May. Prof. Gray speaks of
the Eastern species as very handsome
in cultivation. So, no doubt, would
our species be a most valuable addition
to the choice flower gardens of Califor-
nia.

348

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

mumm wmmw.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

HEATH S CLINGSTONE PEACH.

We present to our patrons this month
an engraving of a Peach upon which
Downing bestows his finest epithets, and
they are epithets which every one will
approve who has had his chin flooded
with the luscious jaice with which this
fruit rewards the biter. The engraving
shows the outline well, but memory
must supply the creamy whiteness of
the skin and the generous curves of the
contour. "We can not do the fruit bet-
ter justice than does Downing in the
following description:

The Heath is the most superb and
most delicious of the late clingstones.
It seldom ripens in New England, but
here and to the southward, it is one of
the most valuable kinds, of very large
size, and the very finest flavor. To be
sure it is a cling, and that detracts, of
course, somewhat from its value, but
its firmness is somewhat in its favor for
drying and canning.

Coxe informs us that this is a seed-
ling produced in Maryland, from a
stone brought by Mr. Daniel Heath
from the Mediterranean ; and it is still
frequently propagated from the stone,
without variation, similar to the Dam-
son Plum, and a few other fruits. The
tree is vigorous, long-lived, and moder-
ately productive ; with the shortening-
in mode of pruning the fruit is always
large and fine, otherwise often poor.
This tree is well deserving of a place on
the espalier rail or wall in the North,
and is nearly always so cultivated in
England. Leaves nearly smooth on
the edges, with reniform glands. The
flowers are small.

Fruit very large, oblong, narrowing
to both ends, and terminating at the

top with a large swollen point ; the su-
ture distinct on one side. Skin downy,
cream-colored white, with a faint blush
or tinge of red in the sun, or a brown-
ish cheek. Flesh greenish- white, very
tender, and melting, exceedingly juicy,
with the richest and most luscious fla-
vor, hardly surpassed by any other va-
riety. Its fault is to adhere rather too
closely to the stone. It ripens in the
Eastern States in October, and here
two or three weeks earlier, and fre-
quently keeps a month after being gath-
ered. Its lateness in ripening is a val-
uable quality, as very early or very late
fruits always command the best prices.

FLAX AND CASTOR BEANS.

There can be no doubt among intel-
ligent persons that a great part of the
prosperity of California depends upon
the trial and cultivation of a variety of
products, and what makes this fact the
more encouraging, our Pacific Coast,
from its remarkably and almost excep-
tionably genial climate and diversity of
soils, is capable of growing successfully
a larger variety of crops than almost
any other section of the globe. It is
high time that we depended for profit
on different productions than the com-
mon cereals. Under these true views
of correct farming, we have no hesita-
tion whatever in strongly recommend-
ing to agriculturists the advantages re-
sulting from the raising of Flaxseed
and Castor Beans. We learn that the
Pacific Oil and Lead Works, as well as
other firms here, are prepared to con-
tract for this next year's crop of Flax-
seed and Castor Beans, at rates that,
with proper cultivation on suitable
land, will make them among the most
profitable crops grown.

We have in our possession several
letters from practical men, which afford
ample information as to the best mode

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

319

of cultivating the above valuable seeds
for several purposes — the Flax, both
for the seed and the staple and straw,
and the Castor Beans for their oil.

The growing of Flax is found not to
impoverish the soil, but leaves it in a
better condition for other crops. It
also staDds any frost that we have on
this slope at suitable elevations. The
ground be well pulverized. The Flax
is best harvested with the reaper, and
should be thrashed as soon as possible
after being stacked. The cost of har-
vesting and stacking is about $2 per
acre. The thrashing is a very import-
ant operation to be properly performed.
The yield is from 200 to 2,400 pounds.
On upland, from 600 to 1,000 pounds
per acre ; on adobe, from 1,200 to 2,000
pounds per acre. Flax has no enemies
in rust, blight, or insect.

As to the cultivation of Castor Beans
on dry land — soil, a light -colored,
sandy loam, a good crop is about 600
pounds; on damp lard, 1,000 pounds
and upwards ; on dry land irrigated,
and properly cultivated, the same. If
suitably cultivated by plowing early
and deep, the Castor Bean is more cer-
tain than most crops, gives a good mar-
gin for profit, and is> easily worked.

For further reliable information on
the raising of Flax and Castor Beans
we refer our readers to a pamphlet just
published by the Pacific Oil and Lead
Works, 202 California Street, San
Francisco. P. O. Box 2252. In this
pamphlet will be found letters from
the most practical and successful culti-
vators of Flaxseed and Castor Beans,
giving all the details, and instructions
how to proceed profitably in the pro-
duction of these two useful crops.

CRAYON PORTRAITS.

For several years past we have been
attracted by the fine work and admira-

ble likenesses of many of our citizens,
done in crayon by Mr. Scott Tydball.
These portraits are sometimes executed
from cabinet, miniature, or photograph-
ic pictures. We noticed a portrait of
Dr. Jessup, one of our best dentists,
and admirer of the fine arts, and also a
passionate admirer of the rod and gun.
This quarter size picture is remarkable
for its close resemblance to the above
gentleman, and the softness, yet free
boldness, of the work is truly pleasing
and satisfactory. Mr. Tydball has, to
suit the times, lowered his price from
one hundred dollars a picture to fifty,
which, considering the first-class style
of his art, is a very small compensation
for the beautiful workmanship, which
is more interesting than the finest en-
graving could be. Mr. Tydball's studio
is No. 115 Kearny Street, at Shew's
Gallery.

PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1878.

We take the following from a circu-
lar issued from the office of the Immi-
grant Bureau :

" Never before in our history has such
an opportunity been offered to display
our resources, and make known to the
people of Europe the advantages to be
secured by emigrating to our shores.
Our agricultural and mineral resources
are superior to those of any other part
of the Union, and they must and will
be developed. To draw upon China
for the muscular power necessary for
this development means degradation,
poverty, and ruin in the near future.
To draw from Europe means elevation,
wealth, success. Our millions of acres
suited to the vine should be cultivated
by the people of France and Southern
Germany. The children of Spain and
Italy should grow for us the Olive and
the Fig, and supply the world with our
raisins. Norway, Sweden, Denmark,

350

THE CALIFOENIA HOETICULTUKIST.

and Poland will furnish us with brawny
muscle, coupled with intelligence, and
a love of liberty in spirit and in har-
mony with our institutions. The pre-
cious and useful metals shall be wrench-
ed from our mountains by the hardy
Welchman, and our city by the Golden
Gate be made the great commercial and
financial centre of the world. Oregon
— our sister of the North — has already
taken steps to be fully represented, and
reap the benefits her exhibit will sure-
ly bring to her. Let us, then, look to
our laurels, or we shall soon have to
surrender the honor of being known as
the Banner State of the Pacific/'

Our efforts at the Centennial Exhibi-
tion at Philadelphia, last year, were,
unfortunately, a comparative failure.
The parties who were entrusted with
California exhibits of fruit managed the
matter badly, if not with delinquency.
Let us then endeavor to cut a very dif-
ferent figure at Paris, and do ample
justice to the numerous and wonderful
productions of our State of every kind.
The Committee on Fruits are Dr. John
Strentzel, John Lewelling, Jas. Thomp-
son. On Dried and Canned Fruits and
Vegetables— Geo. W. Deitzler, K. B.
Blower, Sidney M. Smith, W. B. Ewer,
S. Wangenheim, C. J. King of Wm.,
John Lewelling. Agricultural and Hort-
icultural—Prof. E. W. Hilgard, E. J.
Hooper, C. Walcott Brooks, J. P.
Pierce, A. W. Briggs, Thos. A. Garey,
J. DeBarth Shorb, J. A. Wilcox. The
Committee on Agriculture and Horti-
culture will prepare a process and ap-
paratus for showing the different soils
of our coast for each county, and the
various crops of the same, with suitable
descriptions. An accurate colored map
of the whole will also be formed so as
to present a bird's-eye view of the entire
State, with reference to its natural as
well as artificial products. The various

strata, and their measurement to a con-
siderable depth will also be presented,
with many other data of importance
and interest to the world and to immi-
grants.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

English Walnuts and Spanish Chest-
nuts, which are flourishing so well in
many parts of California, indeed are
doing as well as any other fruit trees,
are particularly applicable for the
boundaries of large orchards, in which
they will screen the other trees from
impetuous winds and cold blasts, all of
which are to be arranged in rows about
forty feet apart in the row.

The misfortune is, that too frequent-
ly after these trees and orchards of all
kinds of fruit are planted, they have
seldom the proper and unremitted care
bestowed on them which is so necessary
for their welfare, and for which their
plentiful bearing thereafter so fully
justifies. Boughs are often suffered to
hang dangling on the ground, their
heads are so loaded with wood as to be
almost impervious to the sun and air,
and they are left to be exhausted by
moss and lichens, and injured by cat-
tle, etc. By a redundancy of wood the
roots are exhausted unprofitably, the
bearing wood is robbed of part of its
sustenance, and the natural life of the
tree unnecessarily shortened, while the
superfluous wood endangers the tree
by giving the winds an additional power
over it, and is injurious to the bearing
wood, by retaining the damps, and
preventing a due circulation of air.
The outer branches only are able to
produce fruit properly; every inner
and underlying branch ought, therefore,
to be removed. It is common to see
fruit-trees with two or three tiers of
boughs pressing so hard upon one an-

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

351

other, -with their twigs so intimately
interwoven, that a small bird can
scarcely creep in among them. Trees
thus neglected acquire, from want of
due ventilation, a stinted habit, and
the fruit becomes of a crude, inferior
quality.

The trees are very often almost en-
tirely subdued by moss and other para-
sitical plants, which kill many, and in-
jure others so much that they are only
an incumbrance to the ground, and a
disgrace to the country and neighbor-
hood. This evil may easily be checked
by scraping and rubbing off these rob-
bers early in the winter or spring, with
a rounded iron scraper, etc., when men
have little else to employ them, and
only seek something to do in idle, ex-
pensive, and unprofitable amusements.
Draining the land in some wet situa-
tions too retentive of moisture, will
sometimes prevent or cure moss or lich-
ens, or digging round the trees on the
approach of the rainy season, or in
spring, and bringing fresh mold, or
the scouring of ponds and roads, or the
rubbish of old wells, well prepared and
pulverized, and laid round them.

These considerations ought to induce
you to a close examination of your stand-
ard Apple, Pear, Plum, Peach, Fig,
and Cherry trees, etc., and, where
found necessary, to thin their branches,
scrape and rub the bark clear of moss,
roughness, and insects, cut off all dead
or irregularly-placed limbs and branch,
es, and also any luxuriant unfruitful
shoots, and such branches as appear to
be in a decaying or cankery state, all
of which must be cut off close to where
they were produced, or to some healthy
leading branch or shoot, for the bark
can not grow over a stump, because
there is no power to draw the sap that
way, for which reason always cut rath-
er a little within the wood if possible.

"We are not advocates for much doc-
toring with old decayed or sickly trees,
but the reverse, therefore recommend
as the most preferable way to replace
such with young, healthy trees, so soon
as they show strong symptoms of de-
cay. Whenever you meet with a tree,
the fruit of which you esteem, propa-
gate it immediately while in health, by
budding or grafting, etc., and if it
should afterward get into a declining
state, replace it with one of the same,
or some other good kind. Never prop-
agate from a sickly tree if you can well
avoid it, for its disorder will be carried
with the buds or grafts, and in all
probability will ultimately work their
destruction.

And now for the markets : On or
about the middle of last month (Octo-
ber), according to the accurate accounts
of the Commercial Herald, five car-loads
of Eastern Cranberries were received,
and for them was considerable compe-
tition; sales had been made to the trade
as low as $14 per barrel, while others
asked $14 to $14.50 in jobbing lots for
best in market. The Paloma from Tahiti
arrived during the month with 150,000
Oranges. From Honolulu the H. W.
Almy brought 100 bunches of Bananas.
Lemons and Limes were scarce and
high. Oregon Apples continued to ar-
rive on every steamer from Portland ;
low freights brought large quantities
of good keeping varieties to this mar-
ket, as they could ship them here as
cheap as those from across the bay, so
that our California growers can not
look for fancy prices later in the sea-
son, as the market will be largely sup-
plied with Oregon consignments all
through the winter. Grapes were very
abundant, and the market healthy.
Quinces were unusually dull. Pears
were in fair supply — the demand was
confined to ripe eating varieties. We

352

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

are indebted to Howe & Hall for the
following quotations: Apples — Choice,
$1 to $1.50 per box; common, 50c. to
75c. per box. Pears — Winter Nellis,
75c. to $1.25 per box; White Doyenne,
75c. to $1 25 per box; common, 50c. to
75c. per box. Plums, 6c. to 7c. per lb.
Quinces, 60c. per box. Prunes, 8c.
per lb. Pomegranates, 8c. to 10c. per
lb. Peaches — Mountain, $1 to $1.50
per box ; river, 50c. to 75c. per basket.
Strawberries, $6 to $8 per chest. Black-
berries, $10 to $15 per chest. Oranges
—Tahiti, $35 to $40 per M. Lemons-
Sicily, $15 per box. Limes, $17 50 to
$20 per M. Bananas, $2 to $4 per
bunch. Cocoanuts, $5 to $6 per 100.
Watermelons, $3 to $10 per 100. Can-
taleups, 50c. to $1.25 per doz. Grapes
— Tokay, 75c. to $1 per box ; Black
Morocco, $1.25 to $1.50 per box; Mus-
cat, 60c. to $1 per box ; native, 30c. to
75c. per box; wine, $15 to $18 per ton;
Mission, 50c. to 60c. per box. Dried
Fruit — Apples, 4e. to 6c. per lb.; Peach-
es, 7c. to 9c. per lb.; Pears, 6c. to 8c.
per lb.; Plums, 3c. to 4c. per lb.; pit-
ted, 12c. to 14c; Prunes, 12c. to 15c.
per lb.; Apricots, 8c. to 10c. per lb.;
Blackberries, 37^c. per lb. ; Figs, white,
6c. to 8c. per lb.; black, 4c. to 7c. per
lb.; California Raisins, $1 to $2 per bx.
Vegetables — Cabbages, 60c. to 75c. per
cental ; Cucumbers, 50c. to 75c. per bx.;
Tomatoes, 20c. to 40c. per box ; Green
Corn, 15c. to 20c. per doz.; Marrowfat
Squash, $6 to $7 per ton; Green Peas,
3Jc. to 4|c. per lb.; String Beans, 3c.
to 3Jc. per lb.; Chile Peppers, 50c. to
75c. per box; Garlic, lc. lb.; Okra, 4c.
per lb.; Egg Plant, 70c. to 80c. per
box. All through the month of Octo-
ber there were enormous supplies of
the best Grapes of all sorts.

About the same time there were re-
ceived some lots of Grapes, which were
remarkable for their great size, and

were larger generally than the same
kinds raised in the best cold houses in
the East or in England. There were
large stocks of Grapes in market, and
they therefore decreased in prices.
Soon after this lighter shipments fol-
lowed, and prices improved a little.
Apples and Pears commanded about
the same prices as at the beginning of
October. Owing to the rains which
fell on the 24th and 25th of October,
the receipts of Grapes were light for a
few days, causing an active demand
and advanced prices. Apples from Or-
egon continued to arrive by every
steamer. Strawberries became at the
latter end of October more plentiful
and of better quality.

We quote a contemporary's report on
the first of last month on the fruit mar-
ket, which says: "The season for
Strawberries is getting well advanced,
while that for Blackberries is about
closed." When our readers abroad read
this, they will be apt to exclaim: "Well,
that time of the year (Nov.) is pretty
good for those fruits to last, especially
Blackberries." But such is our climate
here, and it will be in the power of
those who will pay the price for them
(which is not immoderate), to enjoy
Strawberries even beyond the Christ-
mas holidays. Our accurate authority,
the Commercial Herald of Nov. 1st says :
During the past week four steamers
from Portland arrived with 5,000 boxes
Oregon Apples, which had a very de-
pressing effect upon the market and
consignments coming from adjoining
counties. Oregon Apples on the wharf
sold from 70c. to $1 per box— low rates
for Apples in splendid condition. We
note the arrival of a car-load of Lemons
from New York in eighteen days, con-
signed to Howe & Hall. Limes are
very plentiful, both Los Angeles and
Mexican — the demand limited. The

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

353

steamers City of Panama and Newbern
brought large invoices of Oranges from
Mexican Ports. The Newbern brought
from San Jose (Mexico) 1,881 boxes 270
crates and 230 packages Oranges, and
320 bundles of Sugar Cane. Tb e crates
contain 275 to 300 Oranges each, and
are selling at $8 per crate. Heretofore
these Mexican Oranges have arrived
here about Christmas. The first con-
signment of California Oranges — of the
new crop — arrived a few days since
from J. W. Wolfskill's orchard at Los
Angeles. This also indicates an early
season for semi-tropical fruit. The
poorer grades of Pears are almost un-
saleable — stock accumulating. The
market is overstocked with Grapes. It
requires a great effort to dispose of
them at any price — growers appear to
be trying to hurry them all in before
the next rainfall. Cranberries are plen-
tiful, and Eastern importers find it dif-
ficult to obtain cost for their ventures —
some lots selling as low as $13 per bbl.

PARAGUAY TEA.

The Paraguay Tea plant, or Mate
tree of South America, will not, prob-
ably, flourish in any part of this coun-
try. It is a species of Ilex, or Holly,
and the prepared leaves form an article
of considerable commerce in South
America, but has not yet been introduc-
ed as an article of diet in any other
country. Its consumption is said to be
steadily increasing, and it is probable
that it may yet become an article of
importation here as well as in Europe,
if its reputed good qualities are truly
reported. The leaves contain theine,
the bitter principle of tea and coffee,
but in less quantity than is found in
either of these well-known beverages,
although some analyses have placed it
equal to coffee in its stimulating prop-
erties.

There are two methods of preparing
it for use. For domestic consumption,
it is simply dried in the sun, the leaves
are then broken up in small fragments,
and kept dry until used. In this con-
dition it resembles the Chinese Tea,
and is similarly prepared as an article
of food.

For commercial distribution it is
mostly reduced to a powdery state ; the
leaves being dried or scorched by arti-
ficial heat until they become sufficient-
ly brittle to be pounded into powder.
Mate is prepared by adding boiling
water to a small quantity of the powder.
It is asserted that Paraguay Tea can
be placed in market at rates much be-
low those of Coffee, and that it is equal
to the latter as a nourishing beverage.

LAKES AND WATER PLANTS.

Mr. William Saunders, the very in-
telligent superintendent of gardens and
grounds, at Washington, D. C, thus
speaks of lakes and of those at the gar-
dens, and the introduction of native
wTater plants therein :

" The ornamental as well as the pic-
turesque effects of this class of plants
are mostly quite neglected in modern
landscape gardening. It is not uncom-
mon to find artificial lakes in parks and
pleasure grounds wholly destitute of
this class of vegetation, and although
water -surface is seldom uninteresting
in scenery, there is no reason why it
should not possess all the attractions
and sanitary effects which can be im-
parted by the introduction of suitable
flowering plants.

" No flower in the garden-border can
excel, either in beauty of form or in
delicacy of fragrance, the white Water
Lily, Nymphcea odorata ; the large, cup-
shaped, yellowish flowers, boldly pro-
jected out of the .water on long foot-
stalks, of the Nelumbium luteum; and

354

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

the less showy blossom of the yellow
Pond Lily, Nuphar advena, in connec-
tion with the massive spread of the
large leaves, especially those of the
Nelumbium, which are frequently 18
inches in diameter, and produce an ef-
fect equal to the best efforts of the
most distinguished artist in that popu-
lar formation of ' foliage 'plants known
as ' carpet-bedding/

" In addition to the Water Lilies,
various other interesting species of wa-
ter plants have been introduced, and
are spreading rapidly in the lake. Sev-
eral of the curiously -horned seeds of
the Trapa natans were thrown in, and
in due time the small triangular-shaped
leaves made their appearance on the
surface, neatly arranged in roseate
form. Several plants of a tropical
Limnocharis spread rapidly during sum-
mer, and produced abundantly of its
yellow flowers. The Duckweed, Lem-
na, thrown in a sheltered cove, speedi-
ly covered the surface with its diminu-
tive greenery. In deeper water, plants
of the Eel - grass, Vallisneria spiralis,
were planted, and in shallow recesses
various species were introduced, as,
Potamogetan, Calla, Pontederia, Caliha,
Acorus, Polygonum, etc. On promi-
nent points, tall, reedy plants will be
disposed, such as Typhas and Spara-
ganiums, with Cyperus, Juncus, and
smaller growths, as marginal plants to
the taller central groups.

" A small island was formed, having
its surface raised about six inches above
the water-level with spagnum, in which
low-growing bog plants were inserted,
such as the Pitcher-plant, Sarracenia
purpurea, the Horse-tail Grasses, Equi-
selums, with Habenarias, and similar
low-growing forms that are to be found
in woody swamps and wet meadows.

" The effective arrangement of water
and bog j)lants in and on the margin of

lakes should be as much a subject of
artistic study as is the arrangement of
trees and shrubs in park scenery. This
branch of landscape decoration is whol-
ly neglected, but it is destined to be-
come popular, and it will awaken an
interest in an extensive class of plants
that are but little known, and that pos-
sess a characteristic individuality of
form and beauty, which, when received
in connection with their natural sur-
roundings, can not fail to recall pleas-
ant associations to the mind, compared
to which the landscape effect produced
by a group of flowering shrubs will ap-
pear exceedingly tame and uninterest-
ing." '

INDIA ETJBBEK PLANTS.

Mr. W. Saunders, of the Public Gar-
dens at "Washington, writes : " In the
praiseworthy endeavors to introduce
new industries into the Southern States
(and California) requests are made for
economic plants of many kinds that are
strictly tropical productions, and among
these may be placed the India-rubber-
bearing trees.

Various plants afford caoutchouc, the
elastic, gummy substance better known
as India-rubber, but as far as is known
it is solely produced by plants of trop-
ical climates. In the East Indies it is
collected from Urceola elastica ; from
several species of IHcus, mainly from
Ficus elastica, and from a few other
species, natives of the East Indies and
western tropical Africa.

South American rubber is also ex-
tracted from plants of different genera.
The best is said to be obtained from
the Hevea brasiliensis, a native of the
Para forests, considered to be distinct
from the Siphonia elastica, which fur-
nishes the largest portion of the rubber
entering into the commerce of that
country. The Sand-box tree (Eitra

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST. *

355

crepitant) yields a milky juice, -which is
similarly converted into caoutchouc by
evaporation. These plants belong to
the natural order Euphorbiacece , a large
family of plants, mostly yielding a
milky juice, containing acrid and poi-
sonous properties.

Mexican rubber is extracted from a
native tree, the Castilloa elastica, which
grows abundantly near the Gulf coast.
This plant is botanically allied to the
rubber producing Ficus of the East In-
dies.

A new elastic gum has recently been
produced in Mexico, which is said to be
derived from a native herbaceous plant
allied to the family of Asters. This
plant would probably succeed in the
Southern States and in California.

These are strictly tropical trees, for
which we have, perhaps, no very suita-
ble climate ; but attention might profit-
ably be directed to the gum-producing
Mesquit tree of Texas (Algarobia glan-
dulosa ), which yields a non-elastic gum
of the nature and possessing all the
qualities of gum-arabic.

most liable to the danger. — Cor. Ag.
Gazette.

(Mtonal $XzMn%$.

Poisoxous Artificial Flowers. — Very
often in order to obtain a desirable
shade, poisonous coloring powders have
to be introduced into the manufacture
of artificial flowers, much to the injury
of the poor girls who have to sit hour
after hour bending over them. Occa-
sionally these workwomen are attacked
with very severe stomatitis, leading ul-
timately to ulceration. This is owing
to picric acid, one of these poisonous
powders. It is introduced into the sys-
tem by the common habit of moistening
the fingers with saliva, previous to
twisting the stalks of the flowers. If
this evil can not be remedied, it is at
least possible to warn those who are

The Rain Tree.— The Consul of the
United States of Columbia in the de-
partment of Lereto (Peru) has written
from Turimagus to President Prado,
informing him that in the woods adja-
cent to the city of Moyobamba exists a
tree called by the natives Tamia-caspi
(rain tree) which possesses some re-
markable qualities. It is a tree of
about fifteen meters (about fifty feet)
high when at maturity, and of about
one meter in diameter at the base, and
has the property of absorbing an im-
mense quantity of humidity from the
atmosphere, which it concentrates and
subsequently pours forth from its leaves
and branches in a shower, and in such
abundance that in many cases the earth
in the neighborhood is converted into a
perfect bog. It possesses this curious
property in its greatest degree in the
summer, precisely when the rivers are
at their lowest and water most scarce ;
and the writer proposes that it should
be planted in the more arid regions of
Peru, for the benefit of agriculturists.
— Panama Star and Herald.

Dwarf Service Berry. — I have been
greatly pleased this year, as well as
previously, with the fruiting of this
nice little shrub. Plants two to three
feet high, and of about the same diam-
eter, have been bending with their clus-
ters of luscious fruit, ripening at the
last of June. I think the plants bear
as many quarts as Gooseberries, of ber-
ries about half an inch in diameter, and
as delicate and superb as the finest
Raspberries. Mine have never failed
to bear since they have been large
enough, and they are certainly worthy
of extended cultivation. I find there
is a worthless sort sent out from Bloom-
ington, 111. Persons growing the lat-

356

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ter will not appreciate my high opinion
of tbe Dwarf Service Berry. I know
nothing of its history, and wonder it is
not more generally grown. I have not
seen plants larger than Currant bushes,
and I have plants eight or ten years
old. — Dunreith, Ind.

Watering Plants. — Plants set against
walls and piazzas frequently suffer from
want of water at certain seasons, when
other ground near them is quite wet.
Draw away the soil around each plant
so as to form a basin ; fill it with a
bucket full of water, allowing it time to
soak gradually away, and when the
surface has dried a little, draw in loose-
ly the dry soil over it, and it will do
without water for some weeks. This
applies to all plants wanting water
through the season. If water is merely
poured on the surface, it is made more
compact by the weight of the water,
and the harder the soil becomes the
easier it dries, and the result is, the
more water you give the more is wanted.

Success with Flowers. — Says the
Ohio Farmer : Some people are never
successful with flowers, while others
are universally so. There is such a
thing as too much care, and it is equal-
ly as injurious as too little. We know
of one lady who was always seeking
advice about the management of this
and that flower, and always took ev-
erybody's advice, until her flowers per-
ished. Then she tried again, using
her own judgment, assisted in a gener-
al way by a standard work on this sub-
ject ; her success has been all that
could be desired since. Some water
too much. No rule about supplying
water can be laid down — except the
general one — water whenever needed.
This leaves it to the discretion of the
grower, and the habits of each variety
must be closely observed, to be suc-

cessful. It is a great accomplishment
to be able to bring out all the rich
beauty of a flowering plant — a greater
one than to be able to make an imita-
tion in wax, or even in water colors or

oil.

The Artillery Plant. — A lady friend
of ours has a large specimen of this cu-
rious plant, which she has grown since
last fall, in her kitchen window, and it
has given her more satisfaction than all
her other window inmates. It kept
constantly green and growing, and as
sunlight increased, its mantle of minia-
ture muskets thickened, till now it rep-
resents a model umbrageous tree, with
boughs so succulent and heavy, that a
rough shake or breath would seem to
shatter them. Associated with Oxalis-
es, Mahernia, Verticillata, Petunias,
and a few others, it made January look
like May. A great addition to this
kitchen window in mid-winter was the
festooned drapery of the Madeira vine.
— Gardener's Monthly.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,

For the Month ending October 31st, 1877.
(Prepared for The Horticulturist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Ohrouometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BAROMETER.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.12 in.

do 12m 30.12

do 3 p. m 30.11

do 6p.m 30.11

Highest point on the 24th and 25th at 12 m 30 20

Lowest point on the 1 4th at 6 p. m 30.00

THERMOMETER.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 63°

do 12 m 68°

do 3 p. m 69°

do 6 p. m 62°

Highest point on the 7th at 3 p. p. m 82°

Lowest point on the 27th at 6 p.m 57°

SELF -REGISTERING THEKMOMETER.

Mean height during thenight 54°

Highest point at sunrise on the 7th 65°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 31st 48°

WINDS.
South-east and south- west on 0 days; north and north-
west on 6 da>s; west on 19 days.
WEATHER.
Clear on 19 days; cloudy on 4 days: variable on 8 days.
RAIN GAUGE.

Inches.

20th 0.20

21st 0.05

22d 0.31

25th 0.02

Total 0 58

PAINTED EXPRESSLY FOR VICK'S MONTHLY MACAZiKC,

PllLOX AMP PaWSY.

.MiuifJV..,i.iu..

THE

AND FLORAL MAGAZINE.

Vol. VII.

SAjST FRANCISCO, DECEMBER, 1877.

No. 12.

CONCERNING SHADE TREES.

BX CHAS. H. SHINN, AT NILES.

It is a sign and proof of the good in
humanity, that men have, from the ear-
liest ages, planted trees which produc-
ed no edible fruit, but were simply
beautiful. The utilitarian would plant
nothing but Bartletts and Pippins, in
sad monotony ; but there are those who
realize that the best gift of a tree is in-
tangible and measureless. To these,
the lovers of deep, song-haunted woods
and mountain streams a tree is a tem-
ple, full of active life and wonderful
processes, varying in every species, and
indeed most worthy of study in those
kinds which have not been modified by
the meddling tendencies of man — the
gardening animal.

Since, as I write, the rain-clouds are
looming in the south, and the wild
geese, with their harsh clangors, flying
over, it is time that we forget the long
dry summer, and begin to plan anew,
in tbe hope of a favorable season.
There may be somewhere a vacant spot
on which we can plant a tree that shall
strengthen as we grow feeble, and
brighten our memory hereafter with its
fresh blossoms and waving clustered

Vol. VII.— 23.

leaves, and broad, sturdy branches.
Perhaps you, gentle reader, have just
laid the hearthstone of a new home,
and all the naked acres lie around it,
waiting for the thought and labor that
shall make it a glowing and fruitful
paradise. Then surely it is time, as
the blessed rain creeps nearer, to think
of seedd and plants, of gardens and av-
enues, of fruit trees and shade trees.
It is time to hunt up Elliot, Hoopes,
Downing, Fuller, Asa Gray, and all
noted authorities and lovers of things
horticultural. It is also time to dally
a little with tree catalogues, a taste for
which is a very profitable thing — for
the nurserymen — and also a very pleas-
ant thing for the buyers.

I hope no one who plants trees this
winter will arrange things after the
method of my friend Williston, whose
passion is for evergreens. His little
place fronts south, and you drive in
under a continuous archway of Mon-
terey Cypress, and circle around a vast
green island of Pine and Cedar, to the
shaded porch protected by four senti-
nel-like Italian Cypress. The few de-
ciduous trees that his wife begged for
have been contemptuously dismissed to
the north side of the house, around

358

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

the rambling barn and moss-covered
corrals. The rather evident result has
been that a more unhealthy place for a
■winter residence can not be found in
Alameda County. The shaded walks
are never dry ; the shaded house drips,
and stains ; the shaded people look
pale and bloodless. The whole place
is a victim to a misapplied affection for
the conifers. Had the same trees been
massed in clumps, relieved by trees of
a different type and growth, and kept
far enough from the house to allow it
to stand in clear relief against deeper
masses set behind, the effect would
have been artistic and vigorous.

In California the conifers must be
used with a sparing hand, except for
hedges and wind-breaks. Very many
places are made damp, gloomy, and
forbidding merely by a surplus of coni-
fers. Small plants do not thrive well
near them, and they are expensive to
keep in order. Still, we must admit
their rare power in combination. They
give strength to the landscape ; they
are embodied silence ; we love their
defiance of the season's ohanges.

If I were planting conifers I should
choose Cupressus Lawsonia, with its
dark and drooping grace ; the Picea
Amabilis, the Douglas Spruce, the Tax-
us baccata, and T. Hibernica, the Tax-
odium distichum or Southern Cypress,
which loses its leaves in winter, our
common Redwood, wherever it will suc-
ceed, the Tom Thumb Arbor Vitse, also
the Golden, Cupressus G-oveniana, of
dwarf growth, and remarkably showy
when in flower, Pinus Lambertiana,
and P. excelsa. This I should call a
beginning, and every one should be la-
beled, and have plenty of room to de-
velop its characteristics.

But we concluded, a few paragraphs
ago, that deciduous trees were the
main dependence, so we must desert

the interesting group of conifers, and
proceed to our larger subject.

Deciduous trees give a daily variety
to the grounds in which they are plant-
ed. Some bud while others are in full
blossom, and some are loaded with rip-
ened seed. Some, as the Paulonia im-
perialis, blossom on leafless stems ; oth-
ers, as the Mountain Ash {Pyrwa quer-
cifolia), are chiefly ornamental when
covered with clustered berries. They
vary too, in growth, for some pierce
the very heavens, some are compact in
growth, and others are pendulous. The
greatest variety, however, is observed
in the form and grouping of the leaves,
which may be simple, compound, ser-
rate, lobed, palmate, feather -veined,
glossy, glaucous, fine, or massive. Thus
the deciduous trees take the first rank
in landscape gardening.

One or two specimens of the Ailan-
thus give a sub -tropical appearance,
but they must be planted where the
soil is not disturbed near the roots, for
they are apt to sucker badly. The
wood is very white, tough, and durable.

Among the Ashes, Fraxinus Europa
and F. salicifolia have pleased me most.
The Ash needs heavy pruning, and a
stout stake on the windward side.

The Beech is a slow grower on this
coast, yet it must always rank as emi-
nent among the noble trees. The na-
tive Beech (Fagus ferruginea) and the
Purple-leaved, are most desirable, al-
though there are many varieties, as the
Cut -leaved, the Fern-leaved, and the
Oak-leaved.

The Elm, the Linden, the Mulberry,
and the Catalpa are very suitable to
plant along the roadside. The Catalpa
will group well with the Monterey Pine.
The Hickory, Chestnut, Pecan, and
Butternut are good avenue trees. The
Grinko ( Salisbicria adiantum ) has tri-
lobed leaves on long petioles, which

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

359

give the tree a peculiar appearance, that
harmonizes well with buildings or rocky
walls. The feathery-leaved Honey Lo-
cust is very useful in groups, or for
roadsides, where only partial shade is
desired.

The weeping trees form a very lovely
class. Every one immediately thinks
of the Weeping Willow, first introduc-
ed into England by Pope, who planted
some little twigs in his garden at Twick-
enham. But the Weeping' Ash, the
Weeping Beech, the Cut-leaved Weep-
ing Birch, the Dwarf Weeping Cherry,
and the Camperdown Weeping Elm,
are all beautiful. The Weeping Mount-
ain Ash can be grafted on the common
variety. The Weeping Sophora japon-
ica should be better known. All weep-
ing trees are apt to bring sad memor-
ies. They are in landscapes the sweet-
ly pathetic chord, the minor key. They
should cluster around old ruins, and
follow the winding streams, and ripple
modest lakes with their graceful limbs.
Most of all, in the quiet cities of the
dead, they should droop as kind mourn-
ers above the gleaming piles.

Thus much I have written in vain if
no one is moved to plant a tree. Who-
ever places a seed or tree in the kindly
earth is king over forces no man has
reckoned. By virtue of his act the
buds swell, the leaves unfold, the fi-
bres strengthen, and after over his gray
hairs the wind shall tremble through
the branches, and sing him softly to
sleep. The children who played under
" grandpa's tree" will go out into the
world, armed with home's love and
home's training ; the tree will reach its
broad and blesssing arms over all their
hopes and victories. It may not be a
" Talking Oak," yet, perhaps, a waver-
ing Elm, a singing Maple. It shall be
a palace of birds, a wilderness of bees,
a yearly pyramid of bloom, a constant

delight. Then, when its life fades, for
even trees die, its knots and tribulations
shall live on in the shape of a costly
table or polished bracket, or the trinket
box of some coquettish maid, or the
wooden cross of some poor sailor, press-
ed to his dying lips, while drifting on
the naked sea.

CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES.

BY WM. C. L. DEEW.

Two decades have hardly passed
since the first vegetables were raised
in the Golden State. In this short
period it has been fully demonstrated
that no land in the civilized world is
superior for the production of vegeta-
bles, fruit, or grain. The great essen-
tial is a supply of water. From No-
vember to May, except in seasons like
that of 1877, there is usually a copious
supply of this much needed element.
From May to November, however, the
supply is the reverse, there being very
little or none from natural sources.
Consequently, it has to be furnished
by artificial means. To supply this
vast system of irrigation, ditches have
been constructed throughout every
county in the State, and on land where
water from this source can be secured,
vegetables, which have no superior, can
be raised.

The earliest and most troublesome of
our garden pests is the gopher. Hard-
ly has the planter deposited the seed
in the earth, before this mischief-maker
has it resurrected. Fine seeds are not
generally disturbed to any great extent;
but Squash, Cucumber, and Melon
seeds are seldom left unmolested, acres
being often cleared by the gopher, very
few hills being missed. The only sure
remedy is to poison the seeds. This
may be done by soaking them in a so-
lution of strychnia for twenty -four

360

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTURIST.

hours before planting, or by opening
them and working in a small quantity
of the strychnine, and planting one or
two of these poisonous seeds in every
hill, especially in the outside ones.

The striped or cucumber bug is one
of the most annoying fellows we have
to deal with. Many are the plans that
have been proposed to conquer this in-
vincible insect. Of these, the best and
safest, is to keep one's eyes open, and
so soon as it makes its appearance, to
dust the plants with wood-ashes in the
early morning; this will prevent very
great devastations, but will not entire-
ly subdue the scourge.

Green lice, which are such an annoy-
ance to the florist, also disgust the gar-
dener. They infest his Cabbage, Lettuce
and Salad plants, and, in fact, anything
in the shape of plants, so long as they
are green and tender. After trying ev-
ery remedy that was given in our horti-
cultural press to subdue these pests, I
tried soapsuds. This I found to be the
great long -looked -for. It should be
made rather strong, and applied in the
evening. The next day, if you exam-
ine, you will see them dying by thou-
sands. Two applications will clean the
worst infested plants. They should be
washed off with clean water.

The cut-worm and the brown squash
bug also give many a great deal of
trouble. I have never been bothered
with them. Birds, also, are trouble-
some, as they will clear large tracts of
seed before it has hardly sprouted.

The water and insects mentioned are
the only real drawbacks to the success-
ful raising of vegetables in California.
So far as the insects are concerned,
they could be managed, but the cost of
water and the great trouble of getting
it on the land, are not so easily manag-
ed. Then, again, sometimes, it is
wholly impossible to get water.

In the East it is generally the cus-
tom for every family that has land, to
have their vegetable garden; in Cali-
fornia, however, the case is quite differ-
ent. Here you very seldom find fami-
lies who raise their own supply of veg-
etables, as they depend on obtaining
what they need from the peddlers or
Chinamen. The latter have monopo-
lized the vegetable gardening in Cali-
fornia. They raise and sell vegetables
at about half the prices at which a re-
spectable white man can grow and dis-
pose of them. Many of our best citi-
zens have been driven from making a
living by raising vegetables to supply
our cities, by these human outcasts.
The white man in every town and vil-
lage, who has attempted to raise vege-
tables for a support, has had to come
in competition with these slaves — for
the Chinaman is nothing better, having
been sent out here by the head '• boss"
at home, to whom he has to send his
earnings. He lives on two or three
cents a day ; and what white man can
do that? The Chinese are surely driv-
ing every white tiller of the soil in this
State to starvation ; but this does not
come under my heading, so I must re-
frain from further comment on this
scourge of California. It will not be
necessary for me to do more than to re-
fer to the monsters in the vegetable
line, which have been raised in Califor-
nia, as all horticultural journals have
more or less referred to them.

In many parts of the State vegeta-
bles of all varieties can be had at any
season of the year. The gardener plants
his seed all the year round ; in fall he
plants for spring, in spring for sum-
mer, and so on through the year. The
markets of San Francisco are supplied
with Green Peas and other delicacies
at Christmas. A few notes, however,
may not be out of place in regard to

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

361

some of the popular varieties. Aspar-
agus is not as plentiful here as in the
East, but still it is raised in considera-
ble quantities, and comes in about mid-
winter, lasting until April or May, ac-
cording to the dryness of the season.
Beans are raised in large quantities ;
the dwarf varieties being the most pop-
ular. They are tough and stringy, if
not well watered; they are in market
very early, and last for a long season.
Beets grow all the year, and can be
had at any time. Cabbage is always
in market ; if water can be obtained
they are very rich and tender. Carrots
are raised in limited quantities ; they
grow very sweet and tender, and should
be a staple crop in this State. Celery
does tolerably well, but the summer
season burns it considerably. Cucum-
bers grow very large and tender, and
are a favorite vegetable. Lettuce is
more generally raised than other kinds
of vegetables. It grows almost wild,
coming up year after year from self-
sowing. Melons are raised in large
quantities, some seasons far beyond the
demand which, however, is immense.
Onions do well, making large bulbs in
a single season. Parsnips are always
a good crop. Radishes are in market
from one year's end to the other, and
are generally very tender and crisp.
Turnips are usually a failure. Toma-
toes— well ! it is impossible to convey
any idea of their growth. They are
always fin,e.

ON THE PEOPEE CULTUEE OF ANNU-
ALS IN CALIEOENIA.

It has often been said by persons who
ought to know better, that the culture of
annuals is an evident failure in this, our
much loved State.

If those who come here with gay hopes
and high ambitions must leave behind

them the Asters, Balsams, Stock, Rose-
moss, Bachelor's Buttons, and all those
things whose homely, old-fashioned
name is so much sweeter than any ex-
actness of botany, then we want to be
sure of it, and weep duly over our loss.
But if, as I have evidence, California is
the paradise of the fairest among the
annual tribe, let us rejoice and sing
peeans.

There is a grace intangible about
some of our frailest flowers. The rare
beauties of the greenhouse, and the
costly shrubs which are found in the
gardens of wealth, too often tell a story
of mere hired and menial proficiency ;
but the small, modest gardens, tended
by members of the family, are restful,
simple, and picturesque. Flowers for
a small garden must be of easy culture,
showy, and valuable for bouquets. It
is advisable to devote some space to
well chosen annuals in even the small-
est garden, for they fulfill these three
requirements in a remarkable degree.
There is a charm about their rapid
growth and bloom, a richness about
their showy colors, especially when
massed, and a peculiar grace and mild-
ness attached to their use in bouquets.

Although annuals are grown by the
acre, merely for seed, in some places,
yet they seldom are brought to perfec-
tion here. The reason is that they are
usually sown at the wrong time. All
hardy annuals should be sown with our
first rains, in masses, where they are to
stand. This is altogether the best
method for our native annuals, as Gilia,
the Godetia, Leptosiphon, Nemophila,
Whitlavia (a handsome plant, with
blue, bell-shaped flowers), and Collin-
sia, bearing its crimson, white, and
purple flowers, in diminishing circles,
on a nodding spike. The half hardy
annuals in the central and southern
portions of the State may be sown about

362

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

the same time, or a little later, in box-
es, where they will get somewhat bet-
ter care. The tender annuals must not
be sown outdoors until all danger of
frost is past.

Bear in mind that the secret of suc-
cess is to sow as early as possible.
Mix some sand and decayed leaves with
the surface of the bed ; mellow and
smooth it with your utmost precision ;
scatter your seed thinly, cover them
lightly, and mark the place. Then
shelter them by light brush, evergreen
boughs, lath frames, or old sacks, un-
til they are fairly up. Thin them early
in their career, so that they may not
become " drawn," or, in other words,
pale and spindling. All through the
winter this part of the garden will, with
some weeding, take care of itself, and
you will have a strong stock of early
blooming plants. Sometimes better
success is attained by starting all seeds,
even of hardy annuals, in boxes, and
transplanting. Much depends on the
character of the garden soil. If it is
not adobe, sowing with the first rains
is preferable, wherever no snow falls
in winter.

But supposing that the soil is satis-
factory, and that all garden prelimin-
aries have been settled, let us decide
what kinds of annuals are desirable.
The leading catalogues, such as Bliss',
Vick's, and Henderson's, are apt to
enumerate a vast and much-praised va-
riety, some of which are very nice;
while others are quite the reverse. I
have tested, at one time and another,
most of the kinds which seedsmen of-
fer, and, though some are lovely, I
propose to warn a too confiding public
against others.

I shall therefore give lists of the an-
nuals which I have found most useful
or most obnoxious, hoping, at some fu-
ture time, to speak of the leading kinds.

The annuals useful for bouquets are :
Ageratum, Anagallis (or English Pim-
pernel), Antirrhinum (or Snapdragon),
Aquilegia, Asters, Balsam, Browallia,
Candytuft, Cacalia, Delphinium formo-
sum, China Pink, Diadem Pink, Digi-
talis, (or Foxglove), Godetia, Pansy,
Sweet Peas, Phlox, Ten- week -stock,
Salpiglossis, Schizanthus, Whitlavia.

Annuals useful for massing : Double
Larkspur, Clarkia, Rocket, Candytuft,
Collinsia, Convolvulus minor, Dwarf
Nasturtium, Leptosiphon, Scarlet Flax,
Lobelia, Petunia, Verbena, Aster, dwarf
French Marigold, Pansy, Portulacca
(or Rose-moss), Sanvitalia, Procumbens,
Zinnia, Abronia, Calliopsis.

Rapidly growing vines : Morning
Glory, Cobeea scandens, Canary-bird
Vine, Tall Nasturtium, Maurandya,
Aristolochia sipho (or Dutchman's Pipe)
Adlumia (or Fringe Vine), Balloon
Vine, Cypress Vine, Thunbergia (the
last three are very tender), Trichosan-
thes (or Serpent Gourd.)

Of stately growth for large beds or
shrubberies: Holjhock (double), Sun-
flower ( double ), Ricinus ( or Castor
Bean), Datura, Japanese Maize, Eu-
phorbia, French Honeysuckle, Amar-
anthus.

Not approved. The following are
mainly useful as weeds, their culture
not strenuously insisted upon : Agros-
temma, Calainpelis, Eutoca, Carduus
(Thistle), Hieracium (Hawk weed), Ja-
cobea, Limnanthes, Linaria, Malva,
Centurea.

Although, of course, people may not
all agree with these lists, yet I believe
it will be found that the first four em-
brace all really desirable kinds, and
the last warns the interested reader
from the leading " sells." In fact, to
condense annual talk still further, if a
person gets the best varieties of Asters,
Balsams, Pinks, Petunias, Stocks, and

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

363

Pansies, they will have those flowers
on which painstaking florists have spent
the most labor in years past. The
power of improvement and of variation
in some of these is very wonderful.
The wild Viola tricolor, not larger than
the little yellow species which blooms
in April on all our hills, has become
the rounded and richly-colored Pansy;
the single cruciferous flower of the wild
Gilly, not larger than a Mustard blos-
som, has been enlarged and doubled to
the cpaeenly Stock ; the weedy Aster,
as at first imported, with its single row
of petals and its coarse, yellow centre,
has also felt the march of improvement,
and possesses fully double, rich, abund-
ant blossoms.

At a future time I shall describe
some free-blooming annuals not gener-
ally known, and give directions for
culture. — Chas. H. Shinn, in Pac. Su-
ral Press.

PANSIES.

The old-fashioned Heartsease or Pan-
sy, has, of late years become so im-
proved in size, variety of color, delica-
cy of tints, and curious coloring, that
they have got to be much sought after
by all classes. Indeed, the ease with
which they may be propagated has en-
abled florists to sell them so cheap as
to be within the reach of every lover of
flowers. As cheap, however, as they
are sold in cities, they are not thereby
available to those who live far removed
from urban life ; and cheaply as they
may be bought of florists, they may be
raised still cheaper from seed.

It is true, named varieties originally
selected from seedlings, can not be had
except from florists, who, from hun-
dreds of plants select a few which they
consider worthy of propagation from
cuttings ; still, the amateur may do the

same with choice seedlings, and thus
propagate them indefinitely. All that
is necessary is to fill a pan half full of
sharp sand, wet it thoroughly, stick in
the cuttings pretty thick — the thicker
the better so they do not touch — cover
the whole with a light of glass, and
keep the sand thoroughly moist, toler-
ably warm — say at a temperature of
about 60° Fahrenheit — and shaded, and
they will root nicely. When they have
made roots half an inch in length, put
them in a rich, light, friable soil, say
£ sharp sand, J good garden soil, and ^
thoroughly rotted leaf mold, well sift-
ed together ; or, if intended for the
border, place them there directly, wa-
ter at the roots, draw dry earth over
the watering, and shade them for a few
days.

But it is of raising them from seed
that we wish more particularly to speak
now. The seed should be sown imme-
diately— the middle of August is prefer-
able— on a rich, well drained border ;
water and sift over them one-quarter
inch of friable soil. If the soil is not
rich, it must be made so, and if sandy,
well rotted cow manure should be add-
ed to make the soil pretty firm. As
soon as the plants have made three or
four leaves, transplant to ten or twelve
inches apart, leaving enough in the
original bed, to stand this distance
from each other. As soon as the win-
ter sets in cover with an inch of leaf
mold, and over all a good mulch of
coarse litter. In the spring remove the
cover of mulch, and the plants will
spring through the leaf mold, and
bloom throughout the season. In Sep-
tember cut them down to within 1|
inches or two inches of the ground, and
treat them as in the previous fall, sav-
ing cuttings of choice varieties for prop-
agating, if you like. By buying choice
seed you may get many fine varieties.

364

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

A watering of dilute liquid manure wa-
ter, occasionally during summer, will
increase the bloom wonderfully.

If you can not sow during the sum-
mer, then prepare a rough frame early
in the spring, say the middle of March,
to be covered with glass. This is call-
ed a cold frame, since no manure is
used for bottom heat. In the bed so
prepared, sow the seeds pretty thin, in
drills four inches apart, and transplant
as before directed. Thus you may get
bloom about the last of June or first of
July, and thenceforward through the
season. In winter protect as directed
above, and you will have a mass of
bloom that will give the greatest satis-
faction.

The same plan may be pursued with
scented Violets. We have received no
more satisfaction all summer than from
a bed of Pansies and Violets so treated,
unless it may have been from a bed of
Monthly Roses, that were heeled in last
fall in a cold frame, protected from
hard frost, and transplanted to the bor-
der this spring. If we only come to
appreciate how little trouble it is to
have flowers of the easier grown sorts
we will then come also to appreciate
their beauty more and more. No home-
stead should be without these most
lovely of God's vegetable gifts to man.

THE COLOE AND FRAGRANCE OF

FLOWERS.

The chemical transformation in the
bodies of living plants, by which the
most manifold and brilliant colors are
produced, are almost entirely unknown
to us. We see a flower pass through
the entire scale of red, from the softest
pink to the darkest purple-brown ; but
can give no explanation whatever of the
mysterious process. We know, for in-
stance, that the light of the sun greatly
influences the color of living plants,

and experience has taught us, that in
most cases, its total exclusion is equiv-
alent to the absence of eveif color ; in
other words, that it produces white
leaves and blossoms. However, this
rule is by no means without exception,
as many roots, the roots of Alcanna,
for instance, although buried in the
soil, and completely secluded from the
rays of the sun, possess a strong and
vivid color. We can explain neither
the rule nor the exception ; on the con-
trary, we know that, as far as lifeless
matter is concerned, mineral or vegeta-
ble colors are weakened, and gradually
destroyed, rather than enhanced, by
the action of the light. Our ignorance
in this respect restricts our influence
upon the coloration of flowers and blos-
soms to a very modest and merely em-
pirical one. A mere chance has led to
the discovery that the infusion of sul-
phates of iron into the soil darkens the
hue of certain plants which contain a
considerable quantity of tannin ; and
the gardeners have profited by this dis-
covery for the culture of the hortensia.
But these examples are rare; and as
yet we must renounce all claim to the
control and influence of the natural
course of things in this field. We may
be able to change the color of a plant
or flower by transferring it into another
soil, but we are never sure of the re-
sult, and can not give any scientific ex-
planation of it.

The fragrance of a flower is likewise
produced by chemical action which has
hitherto escaped our closest investiga-
tions ; we see the result ; we see that a
flower, like the bee which transforms
pollen into honey and wax, fabricates
volatile oils out of air, water, and light ;
but the chemical process itself is a com-
plete mystery to us. We only know
that the slowness or rapidity of the
evaporation of these oils is the cause of

THE CALIFOKNIA HORTICULTURIST.

3G5

the stronger or weaker odor of the flow-
er. The mode of their formation is a
good example of the unlimited variabil-
ity and manifold variety of vegetation's
chemical powers. Many plants do not
limit themselves to the formation of a
certain volatile oil in their blossom or
flowers, but produce, at the same time,
various kinds of oils in their different
parts. The Orange tree, for instance,
produces volatile oils in the leaves,
flowers, and the rind of its fruit. A
close investigation convinces us that
these differ, not only in their smell and
taste, but also in their weight, density,
and other physical and chemical quali-
ties : that, in short, they are different
and independent substances which can
not be mistaken, for each other. The
same plant must therefore possess three
different organisms, by which it gener-
ates three entirely different substances
out of the same ingredients. What
chemical laboratory, be it ever so well
furnished and skillfully managed, can
boast of results in any respect so won-
derful?— Professor August Vogel, in the
International Review.

THE ORIENTAL PLANE TEEE.

A correspondent, in an article in the
Country Gentleman, calls attention to
the Oriental Plane tree, and has these
good words to say for it: "The Ori-
ental Plane tree is very commonly used
in the towns and villages of Switzer-
land, Germany, and Prance as a shade
tree along the avenues, and very pict-
uresque it is with its white, mottled,
peeling bark, so striking in winter, and
the broad, almost flattened mass of
leafage born in the summer. A promi-
nent characteristic of the tree is mas-
siveness. The immense leaves have an
almost tropical air, and thoroughly as-

sert themselves in any landscape. On
the foliage is a dull, dark green that
con eras ts strongly with the lighter,
more shining qualities of the tulip and
other trees, and the motion created
among the leaves by light breezes com-
mences much more slowly, and has not
the lively character of many other spe-
cies.

"The motion and sound made by
trees in the wind is peculiar, and sug-
gestive of individual character. We
learn to know trees more intimately by
these simple indications of character,
and find the shade of one tree very dif-
ferent in delightfulness from that of
another. The Oriental Plane tree does
not, owing to some peculiarity of struct-
ure, or set of the leaves, afford the
pleasant shade of the Beech, but, in
very many ways, its qualities are both
agreeable and practical. Unlike the
Tulip, the bare, fleshy roots of which
often transplant so badly, it moves
readily, both in fall and spring, grows
rapidly, and seems, as far as we have
observed, free from disease.

" An unjust prejudice may have
worked, more or less, against the Ori-
ental Plane by confusing it with the
American Plane (Plalanus occidentalis) ,
a tree vastly inferior in outline, dura-
bility, and health. The Oriental Plane
tree is entirely hardy, and, as already
suggested, quite valuable to the land-
scape gardener for the creation of his
larger and more prominent eflects.
Our list of popular shade trees is too
limited. Everywhere we see little else
but Maples and Elms. A very agree-
able variation of this sameness might
be made by more extended employment
of this well tried Plane tree, and the
diversity of effect accomplished would
prove perhaps a stimulant to the taste
for larger collections of fine oriental
trees."

366

THE CALIFORNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

§0tl m& €m%.

LAKE CHABOT HATCHEKY.

Along with Alexander Weed, one of
the Executive Committee of the Sports-
man's Club of California, a visit was re-
cently paid to the Fish Hatching Works,
near San Leandro. The Club procured
some time ago from the Government
Hatchery on the McCloud Eiver 250,000
salmon eggs, and these are now being
hatched out for stocking Lake Merced.
The eggs were secured on the 17th of
October, the spawn having been taken
from the fish thirteen days prior to that
date. They were transported in tanks
to the works near Lake Chabot, above
San Leandro, where all the apparatus
formerly used at Berkeley had been
sent. The eggs then were about the
size of an ordinary pea, but transparent
so the eye of the fish could be seen
through the shell. Since that time the
eggs have been constantly watched by
John Fitzpatrick, who has charge of
the hatching works, and Smith Glan-
ville, Superintendent of the Sports-
man's Club. Great care has been be-
stowed to keep the water always at an
even and proper temperature, and
shield the eggs from light. At this
time the young salmon — and there
seems to be a million of them — are
very busily darting around hither and
thither, though each one has the shell

which resembles a pouch, or capsule,
attached to the belly, and while this is
visible the minnow is too young to eat
food. The fish generally comes out of
the egg head foremost. Forty days after
they are hatched, they become large
enough to eat food, and then are fed
on sour milk and grated liver. They
are then taken out of the hatching
troughs and put in the nursery boxes,
which are deeper and contain more wa-
ter than the troughs, where they are
kept and fed for six weeks. At the ex-
piration of this time they are strong
enough to take care of themselves,
hence they are put in the lakes or
streams to hunt their own food and
earn their own living.

It is roughly estimated that ninety
per cent, of the young fish obtain full
growth by the artificial process of hatch-
ing, while by the natural process about
ninety-five per cent, are destroyed when
young by freshets, water -fowl, and
larger fish. It requires the constant
attention of the men in charge of the
Chabot Hatchery to keep the rats and
birds away from the exposed boxes
where Chabot has about 25,000 red-sid-
ed trout from one to four inches long.
In spite of the greatest vigilance, the
birds will grab a fish out of the water
every now and then. To keep the rats
away, the nurseries have to be covered
with boards. The rats will go to the
bottom of the boxes, two feet under

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

367

water, and catch fish. This season
Fitzpatrick has caught six rats in steel
traps fastened to the bottom of the box-
es, fully two feet below the surface of
the water. The fish are crowded to-
gether so densely that a rodent making
a dive at random would be sure of catch-
ing a plump trout. An interesting sight
is to watch the feeding of the finny
youngsters. They will swarm about
the feeder and eat with the avidity of a
hog, each one darting with lightning
rapidity after the finely chopped pieces
of liver.

These red-sided trout come from the
McCloud River, and seem to thrive re-
markably well when transplanted to
our lakes. It has been demonstrated
that salmon will do well exclusively in
fresh water, so the placing of 250,000
in Lake Merced is no experiment. A
salmon in fresh water does not attain
as great a size as he would in salt wa-
ter, but he is a better fish for the table.

The Sportsman's Club, which em-
braces in its membership many of the
most worthy and influential citizens of
San Francisco, is making extensive
preparations for fish hatching next sea-
son. Up to this time the best results
have attended its labors. At least five
tons of trout have been taken from San
Andreas this year. By proper observ-
ance of the law protecting the fish, the
supply can be rendered inexhaustible.

CAPTUKE OF A BLACK BASS.

I promised Mr. McGrath that I would
observe his instructions carefully, and
that gentleman, after placing the rods,
live-bait bucket, luncheon-basket, and
other articles on board, took his seat in
the bow, and we proceeded. We had
two boats for my companion and my-
self, and an experienced man in each.
Mr. McGrath had fallen to my lot, and

my companion had a darkey named
Pete. We were to go up the Canal
some four miles, and then, launching
the boats into the river, were to fish
slowly down with the current. We
had a horse and tow-rope, and a small
boy, mounted on the animal, started off
at a smart trot. It was quite exhilarat-
ing, and the boats dashed along merri-
ly at a capital rate. A gray mist hung
low on the river, and thin wraiths of it
rose off the water of the canal and
crept up the mountain-side, shrouding
the black pines, and hiding the summit
from view. Beyond, the tops of the
hills on the Virginia shore were begin-
ning to blush as they caught the first
rays of sunrise, and the fish-hawk's
puny scream echoed from the islands
in the stream. It was a lovely morn-
ing, and promised a day, as Mr. Mc-
Grath observed, on which some elegant
fish should die. After a few delays at
locks, in which canal-boats took pre-
cedence of us, we reached our point of
transshipment, hauled the boats out on
the bank, and our horse drew them
sleigh-fashion across field and down to
and out into the water.

I had a light split bamboo rod, a
good silk line, and a fair assortment of
flies. Mr. McGrath had a common
bamboo cane, a battered old reel, and
the value of his outfit might be gener-
ously estimated at half a dollar. In
his live-bait bucket were about a hun-
dred fish, varying in length from two
to six inches. He did not prepare to
fish himself, but was watching me with
the deepest attention. He held the
boat across the stream toward the op-
posite shore, and by the time we drop-
ped down on a large flat rock I was
ready. I got out, and there being a
pleasant air stirring, I made my casts
with a great deal of ease and comfort.
There was a deep hole below the rocks,

368

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

bordered on both sides by a swift rip-
ple— as pretty a spot as ever a fly was
thrown over. I sped them over it in
all directions, casting fifty and sixty
feet of line, and admiring the soft flut-
ter with which they dropped on the
edge of the ripple or the open water.
Mr. McGrath was surveying the opera-
tion critically, nodding his head in ap-
proval from side to side, and uttering
short ejaculations of the most flattering
nature. I kept whipping the stream
assiduously, so satisfied with my work
and the style of it as to feel confident
that no well-regulated fish could resist
it. But there was no appearance of a
rise ; not a sign appeared on the water
to show even the approach of a specu-
lative fish. I was about to note the
fact to Mr. McG-rath, when that gentle-
man remarked : " Begorra ! but it's il-
ligant sport it'd be if the bass 'ud only
bite at them things ! "

"Bite at them?" said I, turning
round ; " of course they'll bite at them."

" Sorra bit will they, sorr. It's just
wondherin' they are if them things up
above is good to ate, but they're too
lazy to step up an' inquire. Augh, be
me sowl ! but it's the thruth I tell you.
Now, if it was a dacent throut that
were there, he'd be afther acceptin' yer
invite in a minit ; but them bass — be-
gorra ! they're not amaynable to the fly
at all."

Now, if there is anything that I have
been brought up to despise, it is fish-
ing with " bait." Fly-fishing I have
learned to regard as the only legitimate
method of taking any fish that any
sportsman ought to fish for, and fishing
with a worm and a cork I always look-
ed upon as equal to shooting a par-
tridge on the ground in May. I did
not believe Mr. McGrath, and I told
him, as I resumed my graceful occupa-
tion, that I didn't think there were any

fish there to catch. The idea of their
rejecting flies served up as mine were
was too preposterous.

" Well," said he, " ye may be right,
sorr ; there may be none there at all ■>
but I'll thry them wid a bait, anyhow."

In another minute Mr. McGrath was
slashing about right and left a bait
which to my disordered vision looked
as big as a Yarmouth bloater. He
threw it in every direction with great
vigor and precision, and, as I could not
help noticing, with very little splash-
ing. I turned away with emotion, and
continued my fly-fishing. Presently I
heard an exclamation from Mr. Mc-
Grath, quickly succeeded by an omin-
ous whirring of his reel.

" Luk at the vagabone, sorr ! luk at
him now ! Run, ye divil ye ! run ! "
he cried, as he facilitated the departure
of the line. " Bedad ! he's a fine mi-
kroptheros! "Whisht! he's stopped.
Take that, ye spalpeen, ye ! "

As he said this he gave his rod a
strong jerk, that brought the line up
with a "zip" out of the water in a
long ridge, and the old bamboo cane
bent until it cracked. At the same
moment, about a hundred and fifty feet
away, a splendid fish leaped high and
clear out of the water with the line
dangling from his mouth. Mr. Mc-
Grath had struck him fairly, and away
he went across stream, as hard as he
could tear.

" Take the rod, sorr, while I get the
landing-net. Kape a tight line on him,
sorr ; niver let him deludher ye. It's
an illigant mikroptheros he is, sure ! "

He returned from the boat in a mo-
ment with the landing-net, but abso-
lutely refused to take back the rod.
"Sorra bit, sorr; bring him in. It's
great fun ye'll have wid the vagabone
in that current! No, sorr; bring him in
yerself, sorr; ye'll niver lay it at my

THE CALIFOKNIA HOKTICULTUKIST.

369

door that the first fish hooked wasn't
brought in."

I didn't need any instructions, and as
the fish ran for a rock some distance off,
I broughthiro up sharply, andhe jumped
again as wickedly as he could full three
feet out of the water, and came straight
toward us with a rush. It was no use
trying, I couldn't reel up quick enough,
and he was under the eddy at our feet
before I had one-third of the line in.
Fortunately, he was securely hooked,
arid there was no drop out from the
slacking of the line. He was in about
twelve feet of water, and as I brought
the line taut on him again he went off
down stream as fast as ever. I had the
current full against him this time, and I
brought him steadily up through it, and
held him well in hand. I swept him
around in front of Mr. McGrath's land-
ing-net, but he shied off so quickly that
I thought he would break the line.
Away down he went as stiffly and stub-
bornly as possible, and there he lodged,
rubbing his nose against a rock and try-
ing to get rid of the hook. Half a doz-
en times I dislodged him and brought
him up, but he was so wild and strong
I did not dare to force him in. At last
he made a dash for the ripple, and I
gave him a quick turn, and as he struck
out of it, Mr. McGrath had his landing-
net under him in a twinkling, and
he was out kicking on the rock. He
weighed four pounds six ounces, and
furnished conclusive evidence that a
bass of that weight can give a great
deal of very agreeable trouble before he
will consent to leave his element.

FISHING AT ESTES PARK, COLOEADO
TERRITORY.

Kuffianism is dying out in the "West,
and the traveler will have but little
chance of seeing the scenes which we

did, not so very long ago — scenes and
deeds too atrocious and iniquitous to
be published at length. Instead of
ruffianism, if you go to Estes Park in
the summer, you will find a most curi-
ous and pleasant, even Arcadian state
of society. From the great central
manufacturing towns on the dry, dull
plains, and from the hard-baked, weari-
some farms down below, come innum-
erable parties, with their tented wag-
ons, their prairie schooner, with wife
and children, and camp out for weeks
together in the most paradisaical sim-
plicity, and fish, and flirt, and wander
happily through the long, bright sum-
mer days, What fishing they get !
The supply seems to be absolutely in-
exhaustible, and we fancy practically
so, the breeding grounds being so infi-
nite, and the feed so plentiful.

The great food for the trout is the
grasshopper, which replaces the May fly
in England ; and if you like to take the
trouble to catch a lot, you will find
them a most deadly bait, particularly
for big fish. The native way of carry-
ing them (a hint for our bait fishermen)
is to spit them on a needle and thread,
and take them off one by one as want-
ed, which seems rather rough on the
hopper ; but what can you do .with a
beast which takes an infinite trouble to
catch, and then jumps wholesale out of
the bottle the moment you draw the
cork. For our part, we always caught
more fish than we could possibly want
with the fly.

In the early part of the season Scotch
May flies did admirably, particularly
those dressed with orange and red bod-
ies, and mallard or teal wings. Of
course, as the season goes on, and the
water fires, you will find it answer to
diminish the size of your flies. I got a
wrinkle once up there from an Hiberno-
American, worth practicing: instead of

370

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

keeping his flies on the top of the wa-
ter as we should, he let them sink,
working them and jerking them side-
ways, as if he were spinning a minnow.
"We must confess that his triumphant
exclamation, "that he had got away
with the boys," was true, for he killed
more trout than any one else. My only
consolation was that he confessed that
he had learned his art

In Ireland, far beyond the sea.
Pushing across some of the mead-
ows, you will constantly feel the big
trout rushing about between your an-
kles in places where you would never
dream of finding a fish ; and if you look
down the overflow of some of the bea-
ver dams, you may see trout enough to
fill a casting net to breaking at every
throw. Oddly enough we found the
trout in this situation were rarely
strongly on the feed, and we sometimes
imagined that they were ambitiously
playing at salmon, and thinking it a
point of honor to surmount the tiny
fall.

One of the many charms of our be-
loved park is that you are by no means
dependent on the

"South season, that bud and bloom forth bring, "
when the
" Fishes fiete with new repayred scale,"

for a pleasant day's fishing. In the
harvest frost of winter, take your horse,
rifle, axe, and a couple of blankets,
with a hook and line in your cap, and
ride up and along to the hard -frozen
headwaters among the hills, and, choos-
ing a spot that looks likely, and a bit
sheltered by a tuft, of willow, warm
your blood by hewing a hole through
the foot-thick ice, and fastening a foot
link to a willow spray, bait with a bit
of fresh meat or a ligniperdous maggot
got from a rotten tree, and angle through
it. It sounds mild, but we really think
it is quite as good fun as any bottom

fishing can be — aye, and better, too,
when the wind does not blow. Re-
member that when you get hold of a
big one the play is very exciting, and it
requires no little nicety to extract him
through the ice-hole, like a cork from
the wrong side of a soda-water bottle.
We deem it mighty pretty sport, and
the crimson -vested one never looks
more beautiful than he does on a film
of blue ice, half covered with powdery
snow. Would that Mr. Brookes might
see him and paint him! Also another
picture might he do, looking through
the ice-hole, with the right light, down
into that mass of waggling tails and
waving fins, and goggle eyes staring up
at you, and mouths eager for air and
food — worth seeing, indeed, sir!

If you find the take slackening, or
the strong symptom of general freezing
setting in, seize your axe and chop away
till

' ' The snow dust rises behind you,
And the ice-rock splinters fly,"

and begin again. Of course you may
dress as warm as you like for this pe-
culiar kind of sport ; but, as a rule, no
sane man would try it without a calm
day and a bright sun. You need real-
ly take no particular precautions. If
you get short of bait, use the eyes of
the caught — we know no better. And
when your line gets unworkable with
incrusted ice, roll it up and down un-
der your foot, and you will soon restore
it to a decent size. Never go a-fishing
or anything else without having your
rifle within reach. One of the best bits
of sport with big horns we can remem-
ber was got while coming home from
ice-fishing in the upper park.

PEAEL FISHING IN TOEEES STEAITS.

In the first chapter I described the
peculiarities of the sucker. The fish is
something of the shark species, and

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

371

when it can get a sufficiency, it appears
to live principally on turtles. The
method suckers adopt in killing the
turtle is simply to fasten on with the
sucker at the back of their head to any
part of the turtle they can get hold of,
and then placidly hang on while the
unfortunate prey rushes through the
water at a frantic pace hither and thith-
er, until it becomes quite exhausted.
Then the sucker quietly lets go, and
commences his meal at leisure.

I have caught a sucker now and again
with an ordinary fishing line, but this
is a slow process in comparison to that
I adopted when I went at it in earnest.
I used to attach a long line to a turtle
shell, and let it float away from the
side of the boat, when in a very short
time, one, two, three, and sometimes
as many as five or six suckers would ad-
here to the shell, and allow themselves
to be pulled on board the boat. One
afternoon we caught a great number
by this means. We had a large iron
tank in the boat full of sea water into
which we put their suckerships as we
disconnected them — no easy matter I
can tell you — from the shell. When
we had caught sufficient for our pur-
pose, we tied strong snapper lines to
the tails of six of the suckers, and let
them over the side of the boat. They
darted off in different directions as far
as we would let them go. These lines
we had fastened to the seats and other
convenient parts of the boat, each one
of us having two lines to attend to. In
a very short time there would be a
strong tug at one or more of the lines,
which would be seen whizzing about,
and then began the work of hauling in
the turtle. If the sucker had got hold,
there was no fear of losing the fish,
unless the tackle gave way. The suck-
er's grip is much more certain than a
fish-hook. The singular part in catch-

ing turtle in this way is, that although
the sucker is so tenacious in sticking to
the emj^ty shell and to the live turtle
while you get him to the side of the
boat, directly you turn the turtle on
his back the sucker leaves go and darts
off in quest of fresh prey.

At times when one of our suckers
fastened on to a very large turtle we
had all our work to capture him. These
suckers take very kindly to the opera-
tion of being tethered by the tail. I
have had them tethered in this way for
days, and they seem to feed about the
bottom quite unconcernedly, but let a
turtle show his figure within reach of
their line, and he is bound to be "had."
I have often thought the name Torres
should be changed for Turtle Straits.
I do not think there is any place in the
world where the turtle is so plentiful at
times as in the Straits off Cape York,
and all among the islands in the vicin-
ity. These waters are regularly teem-
ing with them.

In about an hour we had half filled
the boat with turtle with the aid of our
suckers, and as we had done with their
services for the time, the lines were un-
fastened and the fish we had had at
work, in addition to those kept in the
tub as a " reserve," were let loose in
their native element, to do duty on a
future occasion if required, and we fell
across them.

As we had caught all the turtles we
required, I put on the diving dress and
went down below to fish. It may seem
a queer idea to the ordinary fisherman
to talk of going " below " to angle, but
the method is both amusing and expe-
ditious if you have the appliances to
put it in practice. I selected a piece
of snapper line about twenty feet long,
noosing on a large size jewfish hook,
having no sinker. For bait I cut up
part of a small turtle, and thus equip-

372

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

ped descended and commenced angling.
We were anchored in about nine fath-
oms, and about forty yards from a
small reef of rocks. The current was
very slight, but sufficient to run my
short line to its extreme limit. It was
very singular to see how quickly the
fish gathered round from all quarters
when the baited line stretched out, al-
though not one was in sight before.
In a moment one of their number seiz-
ed the bait, and as a matter of course
was hooked, for in this way of fishing
you can see all that is going on, and
know exactly when to "tug," and feel
as certain of your fish as the Arab of
his wild colt when lassoed.

I had a capital afternoon's sport,
catching as many fish as all hands
could consume for some days. One
peculiarity in connection with this un-
der-the-water fishing is, that for every
fish I caught with the line I caught one
with my hand. The way this is done
is very simple. As soon as I hooked a
fish his companions would keep round
him as I gently hauled him toward me,
and when within reach I seized one of
the number of followers with my right
hand between the two eyes, and so
skillful had I become in the feat by
practice that I seldom failed. This
mode of fishing, however, is attended
with danger, even with the diving dress
on, if you are in deep water, and the
fish you hook bleed freely. The sharks
either smell or see blood a long dis-
tance, and there is no keeping them off
when they get on its trail.

I caught about five different varieties
of fish, comprising polyneme (a sort of
perch), rock-cod, bream, "tailor," and
king. While in the north I caught a
great many fish that I had never seen
before nor since. The variety of sharks
is almost endless, some of them attain-
ing an incredible size, and possessing

a most voracious appetite for anything
that comes in their way. To give the
reader an idea of the miscellaneous diet
these monsters indulge in, I will enum-
erate the various articles I was told
(but do not vouch for the truth), were
taken from one of their stomachs. He
measured seventeen feet from the point
of the nose to the tail. When the
stomach was laid bare it presented a
queer sight ; there were two links of a
large anchor chain, an eleven -pound
circular salmon tin, a lady's brooch of
large size, with likeness in centre, but
defaced, several crabs and a singular-
looking crawfish, twenty -nine human
bones belonging to different parts of
the body, one hundred and four mus-
sels, a dugong's tail, three old boots
and a slipper, a lump of coral, the skull
of a good-sized sheep, seventy-six nails,
assorted, and all very rusty ; a sheet of
brown paper, crumpled up ; a one-
ounce vial, label destroyed ; a lot of
marine herbage, ten pieces of rope, va-
rying in length from six inches to four
feet; twenty-three corks, some whole,
some broken ; a small Wesleyan hymn-
book, wanting one side cover, and sev-
eral leaves ; forty-seven small fish, a
piece of canvas, the arm of an old coat,
thirteen buttons, assorted ; and a lump
of salt pork, which had formed part of
the bait with which he was caught. In
addition to these articles there were
several pieces of oyster and other shells.
The quantity of oil that can be extract-
ed from the liver of a shark of the size
of the foregoing is very great, and is
largely used north for all sorts of pur-
poses. It is specially good for sprains,
etc.

Great Britain now cultivates nearly
one million fewer acres of wheat than
she did twenty years ago.

THE CALIFORNIA HOKTICULTUEIST.

373

THE POTATO BLIGHT, ETC.

E. H. Cheney, of S mith's Eanch, So-
noma County, in a district which has
been severely tried by the Potato blight,
writes thus to the Bural Press: Con-
vinced in my own mind that long -con-
tinued planting of the same variety of
seed in the same soil, without change,
impairs its vitality, I imported a quan-
tity from the East, of different varie-
ties for last year's planting. This year
I discarded altogether the red potato,
pink eye, and peach blow, and planted
the following varieties : Late rose,
snowflake, Brownell's beauties, English
whites, and peerless, in land that two
years ago was planted with reds which
were so blighted that they were unfit for
food, and this year I have no sign of
blight, and my potatoes are unsur-
passed in quality, while my neighbors,
adjoining, who planted the old varie-
ties, have their potatoes badly blighted.

The English have tried new varieties
without success, but they regard the
Late Rose as the least liable to attack.
The London Gardener's Chronicle, good
authority, says: Small potatoes are rare-
ly affected with the disease; it is less
destructive in poor soil; it is less de-
structive in a light, dry, gravelly soil,
but> is worse in soil that is moist and
retentive, or where there is an abund-
ance of rich manures. Small Potatoes,
or those grown on poor land that is dry
and porous, and where there is no con-
tact with manure, are ever the most
mealy and nutritious and best adapted
for food.

At a late meeting of the San Fran-
cisco Microscopical Society, Justin T.
Moore, a careful and experienced ob-
server, reported that he had found two
edible fungi — the Agaricus nemorosus
and the Tremellafrondosa. The former

Vol. VII.— 24.

grows on rocky hill -sides in the sago
brush country; the home of the latter
is not described, but is probably in the
coast districts of California. It is pos-
sible that both would pay for cultiva-
tion.

A patch of dhourra, or Egyptian
Corn, seventy feet square, planted near
Cloverdale last spring by Gr. Hunziker,
yielded 920 pounds of seed, and a ton
of good fodder. The space was one-
ninth of an acre, and the yield at the
rate of 130 bushels of seed to the acre.
Egypt's crop of dhourra amounts to
50,000,000 bushels.

The rain in the Sierra Nevada has
been sufficient to give a considerable
supply of water to the ditches, and to
start many of the hydraulic mines, after
they had lain idle for five or six months.
— Alia.

BAMIA COTTON, LIBERIAN COFFEE, Etc.

Two important additions have lately
been made to the list of cultivated
plants, the Bamia cotton and the Libe-
rian coffee, but it is doubtful whether
either will be extensively cultivated in
California. The Bamia cotton is a new
variety discovered in Egypt four years
ago. It yields three times as much as
any other kind, has a good fibre, and its
cultivation is limited now only by the
supply of seed which commands a high
price. If the claims generally made for
it by cotton growers who have tried it,
should be verified by general experience,
it will within ten years supersede every
other variety.

The Liberian coffee yields ten times
as much to the acre as does the Ara-
bian, and, beside its flavor, is so decid-
edly superior that it will be worth twice
as much by the pound. Large as these
figures are, they have been accepted as
correct by respectable authorities.

374

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

According to a report recently made
by a Committee of the Los Angeles
Horticultural Society, the Citrus family
of trees (Oranges, Lemons, Limes and
Citrons ) in Southern California have no
diseases save such as can be overcome
by proper cultivation and care. The
gum or root disease is chargeable to
" excessive irrigation and bad cultiva-
tion," and sometimes to the application
of strong manures immediately to the
root. If the tree is badly diseased, it
should be dug up; if slightly, the af-
fected part may be cut out and covered
•with shellac. The brown scale-bug is
disappearing with careful cultivation.
The red scale-bug spreads slowly, and
is easily exterminated. The majority
of the Committee recommend pruning
Oranges high, so as to plough under the
lowest branches, and the tops should
be trimmed so as to leave a free circula-
tion of light and air. The Committee
recommend budded trees in preference
to seedlings, and the Orange-root as the
stock upon which to bud, in preference
to the Lime-root or the Chinese Lemon.
The names of Thomas Garey and J. D.
Shorb among the Committee give as-
surance that the opinions of the report
are not formed without .experience or
capacity.

The Mezquite grass has been tried in
Humboldt County, where, indeed, it is
the only grass that has been sown ex-
tensively, but it does not give satisfac-
tion. It spreads rapidily and grows
vigorously in the winter and spring, but
it affords pasture for only a brief period
and gives an unpleasant flavor to milk
and butter. A local paper, the Stand-
ard, recommends as preferable, red
clover, which would doubtless thrive
there if anywhere in the State, without
irrigation; the rains being more abund-
ant than in the interior and southern
districts. — Alia California.

mmx'ul ftetfott*.

OUR FRONTISPIECE.

THE PHLOX AND THE PAN3T.

For our colored plate of this number
we have chosen two of the most popu-
lar flowers, one a native of our own
country, the other of Europe and
America, and both prized by the lovers
of flowers in every quarter of the civil-
ized world.

The Phlox Drummondii was only
discovered about forty years ago, in
Texas, by Mr. Drummond. a botanical
collector sent out by the Glasgow Bo-
tanical Society, and it was one of the
last plants sent home, for soon after he
visited Cuba and died. Sir W. J.
Hooker named this species Drummon-
dii, "that it may serve as a frequent
memento of its unfortunate discover-
er." The word Phlox signifies flame,
and is applied to' this genus in allusion
to the flame-like form of the buds, as
shown in the engraving. The Phlox
has undergone constant improvement
since its discovery, and the plates of
this flower published even twenty-five
years ago bear but little resemblance to
the beautiful and almost perfect flowers
that we now possess. The latest im-
provement is the P. grandiflora, shown
in our colored plate. The flowers are
large, colors good, form perfect, but it
is not as free a bloomer as the old kinds,
and not so desirable for forming a mass
of colors, like a ribbon bed.

No annual excels the Phlox for a
brilliant and constant display. In-
deed, if confined to one plant for the
decoration of the lawn or border, it
would be difficult to find one more de-
sirable than this. The colors range
from the purest white to the deepest
crimson, including purple and striped,

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

375

the clear eye of the Phlox being pecu-
liarly marked. There is a yellow varie-
ty, but the color is not very clear.
Seed may be sown in the open ground
in May, or in a cold-frame or hot-bed
earlier in the season; and in either
case, from June, during the whole sum-
mer and autumn, they make a brilliant
bed of showy yet delicate flowers.

In a rich soil, the plants will grow
more than eighteen inches in height,
but as there is not sufficient strength
in the main stem, they will not stand
entirely erect; a foot apart is about
near enough to set them, unless the
soil is very poor. If planted too close
they suffer from mildew. There is no
difficulty in obtaining new varieties of
the Phlox, but those we now possess
are so good it is not easy to obtain
better.

The little Heartsease, or wild Three
Colored Violet, bears so little resem-
blance to the magnificent flowers we
call Pansies that at first sight there
would seem to be no connection be-
tween the two, and no one but a bot-
anist, or one acquainted with its histo-
ry, would believe such a beautiful child
belonged to so humble a parent. Few
flowers show in such a wonderful man-
ner the effects of care and culture.
For many years back the Heartsease was
cultivated in the garden, but was not
considered worthy the attention of flor-
ists. About sixty years ago, a very
young English lady, living on the bank
of the Thames, had a little flower gar-
den of her own in her father's grounds,
and one bed that was hea,rt-shaped, she
filled with Pansies, wisely selecting the
finest plants from the other grounds to
supply her own little bed. Her father's
gardener, a Mr. Richardson, seeing the
interest she took in the Pansy, began
to partake of the same feeling, and
grew plants from seeds of the choicest

specimens. Yery soon the little heart-
shaped bed attracted the attention of
professional florists, and speedily the
Pansy became a popular florist's flow-
er. The Pansy gives abundance of
bloom until after severe frosts, endur-
ing our hard winters with safety, and
greeting us in the earliest spring with
a profusion of bright blossoms. It
will flower better in the middle of the
summer, if planted where it is some-
what shaded from the hot sun, and es-
pecially if furnished with a good sup-
ply of water, but in almost any situa-
tion will give fine flowers in the spring
and autumn. If plants come into flow-
er in the heat of summer the flowers
will be small at first ; but as the weath-
er becomes cooler, they will increase
in size and beauty. Often plants that
produce flowers two and a half inches
in diameter during the cool, showery
weather of spring, will give only the
smallest possible specimens during the
dry weather of summer. To have good
flowers, the plant must be vigorous,
and make a rapid growth. No flower
is more easily ruined by ill treatment
or adverse circumstances. Seed may
be sown in the hot-bed or open ground.
If young plants are grown in the au-
tumn, and kept in a frame during the
winter, they will be ready to set out
very early in the spring, and give flow-
ers until hot weather. If seed is sown
in the spring, get it in as early as pos-
sible, so as to have plants ready to
flower during the spring rains. Seed
sown in a cool, shady place, and well
watered until up, will make plants for
autumn flowering. The Pansies make
a beautiful bed, and are interesting as
individual flowers. No flower is so
companionable and life-like. It re-
quires no very great stretch of the im-
agination to cause one to believe that
they see and move, and acknowledge

376

THE CALIFOKNIA HOBTICT7LTUKIST.

our admiration in a very pretty, know-
ing way. The Pansy is peculiarly
adapted for flowering in the South dur-
ing the cool, moist winter weather, and
the finest and largest flowers we have
ever seen were grown in our Southern
States. — VicJc's Monthly Magazine.

JAPAN PERSIMMON.

"We observe in that valuable paper
for farmers and gardeners — the Rural
New Yorker — the following remarks on
the Japan Persimmon: "This was
sent to this country by Sir. Thos. Hogg
about ten years ago, and is now offered
by nurserymen East as well as West,
though in this climate it will not stand
our severest winters, a fact not so much
to be regretted, on account of the as-
tringency of the fruit." "We would re-
mark on the above, that the fruit of the
best kinds of the Japanese Persimmon
is not at all astringent when quite ripe,
like the sorts which abound in some of
our "Western States — Virginia and Ken-
tucky, for instance — but the flavor of
the large Japanese varieties, either oval
or round in shape, when mature, is
simply delicious beyond imagination,
as we had lately an opportunity of test-
ing from a portion of a specimen pre-
sented to us by Mr. Loomis (importer
of the trees here), at the seed store of
Mr. Trumbull, on Sansome Street.
"We can truthfully assert, then, with
the like opinion of the Pacific Rural
Press of this city, from this experience,
that "the praise bestowed upon this
fruit by those who have visited Japan
is not beyond the merits of the fruit."
"With a little sugar and cream the lus-
cious pulp of these. most valuable vari-
eties of the Diospyros would probably
be considered as delicious as the Straw-
berry with the same accompaniments
which usually attend the latter. £

large number of the trees of these best
and grafted sorts of the Japanese Per-
simmon were planted in this State last
spring, and the proprietor, Mr. Loom-
is, will offer for sale this spring many
more of the finest kinds, at Mr. Trum-
bull's floral and fruit establishment.
The large and rotund orange-colored
specimen which we tasted, as well as
the editor of the Pacific Rural Press,
was grown with several others by Col.
Hollister of Santa Barbara.

The wood of this Persimmon, a spe-
cies of Ebony, is handsomely striped
and marked, and in Japan is made into
many ornamental things. "We saw sev-
eral beautiful pieces of this wood at
Mr. Trumbull's. The hardness of it is
remarkable. The Iron -wood is also
one of the species.

By the way, did not the editors of
the Rural New Yorker, in answer to
Mr. Marti, mean, instead of Mespilus
(Crataegus) prunifolia, some species of
the Diospyros, as Mespilus relates to
the Medlar?

VISIT TO BERKELEY.

On one of our finest autumn days, we
lately passed over our beautiful bay,
and by train through Oakland to Berke-
ley, the handsome village adjoining the
splendid site of our State University.
Here we called on Professor Hilgard,
at the head of the department of Agri-
culture at the College. As one of the
Committee on Agriculture and Horti-
culture on the Commission of the Paris
Exhibition of 1878, we had the pleas-
ure of conferring with him, as chair-
man, upon the subject of presenting at
Paris a description, by glass tubes,
maps, and pamphlets, of the important
soil varieties, productions, resources,
and climate of our State generally, and
the inducements of so many kinds

THE CALIFOBNIA HOKTICULTTJKIST.

377

which it offers to immigrants from Eu-
rope. After which, and receiving the
kind hospitalities of his family, at his
residence commanding a lovely view of
the bay, its islands, surrounding hills
and mountains, the entrance of the
Golden Gate, and a portion of our Pa-
cific metropolis, Oakland, etc., the Pro-
fessor showed us his small garden em-
bellished with many splendid speci-
mens of Double Geraniums in full
bloom, and many other choice flowers
and plants, with a portion of the back
part of the lot planted with some choice
varieties of stone and small fruits, not
omitting the best vegetables. Attach-
ed to the Professor's stable is a dry
earth closet, which, with a convenient
and simple apparatus for its supply of
earth and outlet for the deposits, en-
ables him, with the aid of his stable
manure and liquid drainings from his
kitchen, to form an abundant compost
heap for the enrichment of his garden.
By the mingling of 'lime, also, with the
original adobe soil of the locality, and
thorough mechanical cultivation, he is
enabled to bring his land into a state
of great richness, and in a sufficiently
fertile condition for the healthy and
luxuriant growth of all his trees, plants
shrubs, flowers, and vegetables. Not
having very good facilities for irriga-
tion, but merely the waste water from
his house conducted by ingeniously
arranged pipes, he is not able to pos-
sess a grass plot or small lawn in front
of his dwelling, so as to keep it in a
vividly green state all the year round,
but by means of the attractive and bril-
liantly-colored varieties of the Coleus
and other splendidly tinted flowers,
with some prominent and handsome
plants in the centre, he intends to form
a very prominently elegant parterre of
floral attractions. Before taking leave,
we had the gratification of inspecting

the agricultural and chemical labora-
tory connected with that department of
the University, and observed several
original inventions of the Professor for
the analyzation of and mechanical prep-
aration and hydraulic soluble separa-
tion of soils. We likewise inspected
three plots of ground of very deep,
moderately deep, and shallow prepara-
tions of the soil, to demonstrate their
effects on grain cultivation. After the
first rains the wheat on the shallowest
worked land made the best growth, ow-
ing, of course, to its receiving the
greatest quantity of moisture in the
smallest surface or capacity. The deep-
est prepared lot showed the smallest
growth, on account of the water sinking
deeply, and the grain not receiving so
much moisture, owing to its dissipation
into a larger space. The grain 0*1 the
moderately prepared soil, in regard to
depth of cultivation, showed a medium
growth between the two plots above
described. Future rains if sufficiently
liberal, will, no doubt, bring out in the
long run, the grain to the largest
growth and perfection of ears on these
two last plots of ground. It is too late
in these days of agricultural and horti-
cultural improvement to hesitate a mo-
ment concerning the desirableness in
general of deep plowing, subsoiling,
and trenching land. That has for
some time been proved beyond a ques-
tion. Before our final departure, we
spent a few moments in viewing the
greenhouses, nurseries, and orchards
of the College. We found all of these
in excellent order, under the enlight-
ened management and care of Profes-
sor Ellis, the Superintendent.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

" Yick's Illustrated Monthly Maga-
zine," January, 1878. Published by
James Vick, Bochester, N. Y. This

378

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUKIST.

much acceptable periodical, long look-
ed forward to with great pleasure and
interest, because we have known by ex-
perience from his former works, that
the author and editor would implant in
it the same valuable instruction, taste,
beauty, and neatness which have al-
ways distinguished them, has come to
hand. It is very handsomely and
clearly printed on the best of papesr,
and is profusely illustrated and embel-
lished with engravings and a splendid
and elegant colored plate of groups of
the Phlox and Pansy. The price of
this useful and inviting magazine is
only $1. 25 a year, and where a club of
five or more is formed, the cost is only
$1 each. This work will give the lov-
ers of flowers 400 pages in the year,
and twelve colored plates. Toward the
close of the year neat cloth covers will
be prepared for binding the volumes,
which will be forwarded by mail at a
small cost, so that the numbers can be
readily bound in good style by any
binder. This January number treats
on Making and Beautifying Roads, with
illustrations ; The Phlox and the Pan-
sy; Botany for Little Folks; Home
Correspondence; The Way to Fail;
Cheap Greenhouses; Bulbs at the
South ; Growing Perennials from the
Seed ; Destruction of Insects ; Gladi-
olus Bulbs; Chinese Primrose ; Flow-
ering Sweet Peas ; Foreign Notes, em-
bracing the subjects of Bulbs in Hol-
land, Solomon's Seal, Sweet Peas in
the Flower Market, Table Bouquets, A
Bug Convention, Wild Kale, Floral
Decorations, An Horticultural Libel,
Moss Roses in Orchards, The Anemone
Japonica alba, Worms in Pots, The
Tulip Tree, Double Blossomed Cherry,
Bird Destroyers, Exhibition of Annuals,
Tree Planting in Switzerland. Then
there is a large chapter on Pleasant
Gossip, including Petunias for Winter

Flowers, Portulaca at the South, Civil
Service Reform, New Zealand Lily
Bulb, Treatment of Shriveled Lily
Bulbs, Chinese 3fam, Sweet Alyssum,
Caladium, Garden on the House-top,
London Pride, Making an Asparagus
Bed, No Failure with Seeds, Japan Lil-
ies and Corn, Verbenas from Seed,
Hyacinths, Holly Berries, Perennials
from Seed, Best Annuals, Flowers
among the Farmers, and a host of oth-
er useful hints and knowledge connect-
ed with horticulture and ornamentation
of gardens and houses. We anticipate
from this magazine a great deal of
pleasure and good to both professional
and amateiar florists.

"Department of Agriculture," Spe-
cial Report No. 1. Statement showing
the condition and prospects of the Cane
Sugar Industry in the United States.

" An Exposition of the Principles of
Money, and their Application to a Na-
tional Currency," published by Roman
& Co., Montgomery St., S. F., 1877.

FRUIT CULTIVATION AND REPORT OF
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKET.

The history of pomology in Califor-
nia, for a few years past, has been char-
acterized by the introduction of correct
views in regard to the cultivation of
fruit, and these views may be well re-
ferred to as omens of good. Fruit
cultivators are beginning to pay more
attention than they have hitherto done,
to the quality of fruits rather than the
quantity, and there is commencing to
be shown some determination to dis-
courage the raising of everything that
is inferior. In this fact we have an as-
surance of improvement in those fruits
which are ranked in the first class of
excellence. On our particular coast,
as well as in some of the most western
States, the tendency of nearly all fruits

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

379

is to become very large, and this re-
sult, with too much irrigation in some
instances, in a measure diminishes their
natural high flavor. If this tendency
can be counteracted, we have reason to
believe that the flavor and taste will be
particularly improved. A vast amount
of our fruit is grown in the lowest and
richest valleys. This has the effect to
increase their size, at the expense of
their fine quality and juiciness in some
sorts, as in Apples, Peaches, and Plums.
The foot-hills are now being found to
remedy this fault in a great measure,
the same fruits just mentioned being
richer in flavor and much more juicy.
We have yet a good deal to learn how
far the qualities of fruit can be improv-
ed by locality and culture. It is easi-
er to produce a growth of large fruit,
than to improve its qualities ; still, we
believe that the latter result is attaina-
ble by study and care, and that meth-
ods will continually be devised here,
which will give a fruit of almost any
desirable quality.

To promote results so desirable, it is
necessary that a thorough knowledge
of the kinds best adapted to our slope
should be more widely extended. The
American Pomological Society have ac-
complished much in this way. We
have obtained considerable information
from practice and experience from the
time of our first planting, but our chief
authority is the one above named,
which has decided accurately what are
the varieties of fruits suited best to the
various sections of the United States, as
well as for California. Many excellent
treatises on the subject have been writ-
ten, and they have had a wide circula-
tion ; but there have been, of course,
defects in all of them, which has lessen-
ed that usefulness they would other-
wise have secured.

A few of the best Apples for Califor

nia are Duchess of Oldenburg, Fall
Pippin, Newtown Pippin, Yellow Belle-
fleur. And Pears : Bartlett, Beurre
Clairgeau, Beurre Hardy, Doyenne
d'Alencon, the Duchesse d'Angouleme,
Easter Beurre, Flemish Beauty, Seckel,
Sterling, Winter Nelis. But there are
now several others which experience
has found to be suited to our soil and
climate.

There are many varieties of both Ap-
ples and Pears here which rank only as
second rate ; they are, however, good
for marketing.

During a recent visit which we paid to
Professor Hilgard, of the State Univer-
sity, we had an opportunity of observing
in his garden the good effects of the
application of lime on an adobe soil.
The best time for putting lime on such
a soil is in the autumn. It should then
be applied in a powdered and caustic
state, and well incorporated with the
spade, plow, and rake, or the harrow.
In this case the whole effect of it is se-
cured. Lime has a tendency to sink in
the soil, and hence there it will find its
way to the roots of fruit trees, or crops
of any kind. When used as a top
dressing, it should be fully air slaked,
or only in its mild form ; when thus used
it is mainly to supply the trees with a
nutriment. In this condition it is re-
markably well fitted to fulfill the ends
for which it is used. Its extreme fine-
ness, its sparing solubility withal, are
qualities which favor this substance es-
pecially for adobe lands.

As to the markets : The large sup-
ply of Grapes for some time before the
middle of last month (November) has
led to quite a falling off in the supplies.
The quality of the great mass of that
healthy fruit has rather deteriorated
since that time, but choice kinds still
meet with a ready sale. Apples from
Oregon have come in in large quanti-

380

THE CALIFOENIA HOBTICULTUEIST.

tities for some time past. The prices
of Apples and Pears continued unchang-
ed during last month. Consignments
of Los Angeles Oranges are beginning
to increase. About the 20th of Novem-
ber we observed some good and large
Strawberries in fair quantity, also a
few Easpberries. We are indebted to
Howe & Hall for the following quota-
tions : Apples — Choice, 75c. to $1.25
per box ; common, 50c. to 75c. per
box. Quinces, 75c. to $1 per box.
Pears — Winter Nellis, 75c. to $1 per
box ; E. Beurre, 75c. per box ; cook-
ing, 40c. to 60c. per box. Pomegran-
ates, 6c. to 8c. per lb. Strawberries,
$10 to $13 per chest. Easpberries,
25c. per basket. Figs, 50c. per box.
Oranges— Mexican, $25 to $30 per M.
Lemons — Malaga, $12.50 per case.
Limes — Mexican, $12.50 per M ; Los
Angeles, $5 to $10 per M. Bananas,
$2 to $4 per bunch. Pine Apples, $8
per doz. Cocoanuts, $7 to $8 per 100.
Grapes — Muscats, 75c. to $1.25 per
box; Tokay, 65c. to $1 per box ; Black
Morocco, $2 to $2.50 per box ; Alham-
bra Muscats, $2 to $2.50 per box ; wine,
$20 to $22.50 per ton. Dried Fruit-
Apples, 4c to 6c. per lb. ; Peaches, 7c.
to 8c. per lb.; Pears, 6c. to 8c. per lb.;
Plums, 3c. to 4c. per lb.; pitted, 12Jc. to
14c. per lb. ; Prunes, 12|c. to 15c. per lb. ;
Figs, white, 6c. to 8c. per lb.; black,
4c. to 7c. per lb.; California Eaisins,
$1 to $2 per box; $1.25 to $2.25 per hf
box ; $1.50 to $2.50 per qr box. Vege-
tables— Cabbages, 87c. to $1.12^ per
ctl. ; Tomatoes, 30c. to 60c. per box ;
Marrowfat Squash, $6 to $8 per ton ;
Green Peas, 5c. to 8c. per lb. ; String
Beans, 6c. to 8c. per lb.; Chile Pep-
pers, 75c. to $1 per box; Garlic, lc.
per lb.; Okra, 4c. per lb.; Cauliflower,
75c. to $1 per dozen ; Egg Plant, 75c.
to $1 per box.

About the first of the present

month (December) the glory of the
show of many fruits began to wane*
Grapes of all sorts were rather less
plentiful. Apples, chiefly from Ore-
gon, also decreased, but made a splen-
did exhibit as to their brilliant coloring.
Oranges were on the increase on the
stalls, and Strawberries were, for the
lateness of the season, fine and of good
size, but, of course, their price was in-
creased, and Easpberries were decreas-
ing much in quantity, and their price
rose correspondingly. California Eai-
sins, English Walnuts, Limes, Grapes,
Pears — chiefly the Winter Nelis, were
in free receipt — the supply equal to the
demand. Dried fruits, Figs, Eaisins,
for the most part were of good quality.
There was a good stock of Eastern
Cranberries. Hungarian Prunes were
of good quality, and some other kinds
of Prunes were better in delicacy and
lusciousness of flavor than usual this
season.

The Mexican Apple. — The Gardener's
Chronicle places before its readers a life
figure of the so-called Mexican Apple
(Casimiroa edulis.) To look at, it quite
resembles an Apple, though more near-
ly related to an Orange. It is a native
of Mexico, where it is found in a wild
and cultivated state. It is of a green-
ish-yellow color when ripe, and has a
delicious melting flavor, like that of a
Peach.

Although much has been said about
the medicinal value of the Eucalyptus
leaves, we do not learn that any sub-
stance made from them is produced
extensively, or has obtained any secure
place in the pharmacopoeia. The ex-
tensive plantations of the Gum tree in
our State, and the luxuriance of its
growth, would furnish abundant materi-
al for the laboratory.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

381

(gaitariat ©leaning.

ROSE WATER AND ATTAR OF ROSES.

As is generally known, this district is
the most fertile in the Turkish Empire
for the production of attar of roses ;
and, as little is known of this interest-
ing and curious process, a few words as
to how the roses are grown and how the
essence is extracted may be permitted.
This district, which is called the dis-
trict of Kezanlik, produces annually
more of the essence than all the other
rose - growing districts of Turkey put
together. The whole quantity produc-
ed in Turkey may be roughly estimated
at 3,600 pounds annually, of which
1,800 pounds are manufactured in this
district, and the rest in seven other dis-
tricts, all alike in the Sandjak or
province of Philippolis.

The soil best suited for the cultiva-
tion of roses is what we find in such
large tracts of lands in this neighbor-
hood, namely, sandy slopes with a
southern exposure, and the method of
planting and rearing is as follows : In
spring and autumn parallel trenches a
few inches deep are dug in the soil se-
lected about one and a half yards apart
and in these trenches are placed short
branches taken from an old rose tree.
These must not be cut off the old plant,
but torn off, so as to carry with them
part of the peel or bark of the plant.
They are placed in the trench so as to
form a continuous line, and the earth,
with some manure, is then filled in.
In about six months small plants begin
to show above the ground, but bear no
roses until the second year, and these
are of no great value : The third year's
crop is fit for the production of the es-
sence, and by the fifth year the plant
is at its best. It remains in this condi-
tion for several years, but after about

fourteen or fifteen years the quality of
the roses has so deteriorated and the
bushes grown so thick that re-planting
is necessary. By this time they may
be six feet high. The rose tree is a
very delicate plant, and requires con-
stant care.

As the crop of flowers advances to-
ward harvest time the cultivator has to
make a kind of rough estimate of the
quantity of buds and flowers that he
must gather each day. This is limited
by the amount of labor he can command
to pick the young full-blown roses be-
fore sunrise, and by the quantity he
can distill at one time. For the sun
soon dispels the scent, and the flowers
must go immediately into the still.
Thus supposing that he sees or judges
that it will take ten days for the whole
crop to come to perfection, he must on
the first morning gather a tenth of his
crop, and proceed to distill that quanti-
ty, and this will explain why a sudden
burst of heat forcing on the whole crop
is so disadvantageous. It also appears
that any great heat during the time of
distillation causes the quality of the es-
sence to deteriorate. The distillation
is carried on in the most primitive
manner, and yet seems to answer the
purpose as effectually as would any
more complicated or scientific method.
The still itself in form resembles a huge
copper bottle, with a neck consisting of
a small chamber. The height of this
still is about five feet. From the top a
pipe passes into the receiver, through
which the distilled water passes. Into
this still is placed a quantity of roses
with ten times as much water, and the
distillation is carried on until the
amount of liquid in the receiver equals
in weight the amount of roses in the
still. The roses are then thrown out
and a fresh quantity put in, and the
process is repeated until all the water

382

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

is evaporated, when a fresh operation
begins. The liquid thus obtained is
rose water, which is again subjected to
distillation, when the real essence is
produced in the form of a pale yellow
oil. The quantity of essence that a
given number of roses will produce is
very uncertain, but a rough average
may be taken that to produce one pound
weight of the essence it requires the as-
tonishing weight of twenty-eight cwt.
From this may be gathered some idea
of the enormous amount of land occu-
pied and the labor bestowed on the
cultivation of roses in this district
alone, which annually produces up-
ward of 1,800 pounds to 2,000 pounds
weight of the essence. There are no
large farmers of roses. The rural pop-
ulation have the manufacture entirely
in their own hands, and every man
that has a small field of roses has also
his distilling apparatus. Very often
among the poor Bulgarians this consti-
tutes their entire capital, with a small
field of maize, a few plum trees and a
few vines. — Letter from Slripka Pass to
the London Times.

ODDITIES OF A JAPANESE GAEDEN.

Japanese are fond of fanciful meth-
ods of adding to the curious interest of
their homes and gardens. The quaint
landscapes which adorn almost every
suburban villa, of however limited di-
mensions, are familiar to everybody.
One of the most eccentric efforts at em-
bellishment we have seen is connected
with the country house of a wealthy
citizen of Yokohama. It is situated in
Totsuka, on the To Kai Do, and from
the road presents no very exceptional
appearance, but as soon as the visitor
passes the archway of the building to
the space at the rear, he finds himself
in view of as remarkable a specimen of

decoration as can be anywhere witness-
ed in so limited a space. A steep hill
rises abruptly from the mansion, which
is threaded by intricate paths, and pro-
fusely covered with every variety of
adornment that imagination could con-
ceive or industry gather together.
Stone images, strangely carved rocks,
twisted roots of trees, dainty works of
bronze and porcelain are crowded in
" a mighty maze, but not without a
plan." Flowers and shrubbery are not
entirely displaced, and thick clusters of
foliage surround a picturesque arbor at
the summit of the declivity. But the ■
most remarkable feature of the place,
and the one upon which most care and
cost seems to have been lavished, is a
deep cavern or series of subterranean
passages cut into the hill, through
which those who obtain admission may
walk for some hundreds of yards.
These galleries are enlivened with lines
of carving in bas - relief, representing
flowers, fruits, family crests, and a per-
fect menagerie of real and mythical
animals. The walls and ceiling form
an almost unbroken panorama. A lit-
tle stream runs by one of the foot paths,
and in it crawls a mammoth tortoise,
accompanied by its young. The fig-
ures have been cut with very little dif-
ficulty from the soft clay, and it is ex-
pected they will harden with time.
Many of them are gaudily colored, re-
flecting a kaleidoscopic radiation from
the glare of the torches. The enter-
prising owner has evidently determined
to leave none of the possible advantag-
es of his property unimproved. His
house is one of the finest in the neigh-
borhood, every inch of his hillside gar-
den shows the mark of his attention,
and he has even penetrated the bowels
of the earth to secure novelty and in-
genious variety in the development of
his estate. — Tokio {Japan) Times.

THE CALIFOBNIA HOETICULTUKIST.

383

DWARF ORANGE TREES.

We notice in the seed and flower
store of B. F. Wellington, 425 Wash-
ington Street, a number of handsome,
"well- conditioned, and thrifty Dwarf Or-
ange trees just imported by him from
Japan. There are three varieties, viz. :
the large Mandarin (Citris nobilis), the
Fingered (G. angulata), and the small
Oval (G. japonica). These beautiful
specimens of the Orange family are all
loaded down with clusters of fine fruit,
and the roots are safely packed in soil,
and well protected by bagging. The
Mandarin is an excellent species for
cultivation ; it has a thin rind, and is
of superior flavor. The Fingered is
oblong in shape, and is very curious,
having projections at the end somewhat
similar to fingers. It is of fair quality
for eating. The small Oval is pretty,
and somewhat resembles the Cherry
Tomato, except that it is rather oblong
in form.

The Flesh of Fkuits. — It is general-
ly supposed that the flesh of the fruit
provides the first food for the germinat-
ing plants of its seeds. Such, however,
remarks the Journal of Chemistry, is
not the case, for here, as in other cases,
the first nourishment is drawn from the
seed alone. The flesh of the fruit
bears no relation to the embryo ; it is a
kind of outcast substance or excretion
of the plant . In most of our cultivated
fruit trees, too, the great mass of this
flesh is the result of cultivation. Thus,
wild Cherries possess so little flesh that
they do not repay the trouble of pluck-
ing. In the mountains of Pontus Grapes
are found so small that they are not
worth eating ; and the wild Apricot,
and often, likewise, the wild Peach,
possess no flesh at all, the former, in-
deed, being like a leathery two-valved

capsule. The flesh of the fruit of most
of our cultivated fruit trees is analogous
to the enlarged roots of the Turnip and
Beet, and similar plants, and is simply
the product of cultivation, which is
much sooner lost again under neglect-
ed circumstances than it was originally
artificially produced. One of the most
able French botanists, Professor Le-
coq, of Clermont Ferrand, instituted
numerous experiments with various wild
plants to induce them to form fleshy
roots, and he was almost invariably
successful. Just a3 it is the task of
the agriculturist to increase the volume
of his roots, so it should be the aim of
the fruit gardener to increase the flesh
of the pome, stone, berry fruits, and
the substances stowed up in the coty-
ledons of nut fruit.

Old-fashioned Flowees. — The Ger-
mantown Telegraph says: "Most of
our gardeners, who always have a pas-
sion for new things, ignore more and
more the fine old flowers with which
our yards and gardens were formerly
decorated, and whose fragrance was en-
joyed even by pedestrians out on the
street or road. Where are the Sweet
Williams, the Verbenas, the Holyhocks,
the Petunias, the Canterbury Bells, the
Iris, the Phloxes, Chrysanthemums,
and a half-dozen others. They are
supplanted by new things not nearly
so beautiful or so fragrant. We shall
make an effort another year to reintro-
duce such of these as we do not now
possess, and will endeavor hereafter to
keep them up." We notice during the
past two years a growing tendency to
return to some of the old-fashioned fa-
vorites, and we are glad to see it. In
many of the 'newer plants we admit
that a greater beauty of bloom has been
secured, but it seems usually to be at
the expense of hardiness and constancy

384

THE CALIFORNIA HOBTICULTUEIST.

of bloom. They bloom for but a short
time, and then, if not beautified by their
foliage, are of little value in ornament-
ing a lawn or yard. This seems to be
especially true of Roses, which, burst-
ing a few buds, seem to have exhausted
themselves, and do not make nearly so
fine a show as some of the old constant
bloomers. If systematically pinched
back the common Morning Glory, Nas-
turtium, or even the Coral Honeysuckle
will make ornamental basket plants.

A valued correspondent writes us
that he protects his Grapes from the
attacks of birds, by stretchiug a white
cotton cord over each row of Grapes.
Since he has adopted the plan he has
not lost a Grape by the birds.

Orange Cultube. — Here is an extract
that may interest some of our Orange
planters in the South. It is taken from
Leake's " Travels in Northern Greece,"
vol. 4, page 233 : " The following
method of planting Orange slips is gen-
erally practiced at Arta. The bark hav-
ing been taken off round the place
where the separation is to be made, a
strip of sheepskin leather is tied around
the wood. A quantity of earth, con-
tained in two half pots, is then placed
at the ligature and bound so as to be
supported by the main body of the tree
in order that the branch may not be in-
jured by the weight. Eoots soon strike
into the earth from the branch, after
which it may be cut off and placed in
the ground. In this manner it may be
planted with fruit upon it, and will
bear a good crop in one, two, or three
years, according to its strength, instead
of ten, which the seedling requires in
coming to perfection. It -is found that
a tree, however good, improves in its
fruit by being grafted every three or
four years ; the graft is taken from a

choice tree, and sometimes from the
same tree.'' Various adaptations of the
same principle have been in use for the
past hundred years. The closing state-
ment is opposed to all well known rules.
— Agricultural Editor N. Y. Tribune.

Care oe House Plants. — A handful
of soot placed in a bag and stirred in a
pail of water, is an excellent mixture
for stimulating strong feeding house
plants, as Azaleas, Carnations, Chry-
santhemums, Fuchsias, Pelargoniums,
Roses, etc., giving them vigor, and as-
sisting in destroying parasites. This
may be alternated by an occasional ap-
plication of a weak mixture of the drip-
pings of barnyard manure. So, also,
an occasional application of ammonia,
a teaspoonful to a pail of water, will
be beneficial. This with plenty of sun,
as the autumn progresses, and expos-
ure to the air in mild weather, will
place them in good condition for the
winter season. The chief difficulty to
be guarded against, as we have before
stated, is to secure as moist an atmos-
phere as possible — sometimes a difficult
matter in winter. For this reason, the
plants with glossy or hard leaves, in
contradistinction to the soft or hairy-
leaved plants, are preferable for house
culture, unless a comparatively moist
atmosphere can be given. Much, how-
ever, may be done by occasionally in-
verting the pots containing the plants,
over the hand, and washing in either
clear water or weak suds. In case of
the latter, they should be subsequently
rinsed in pure water.

The Central Pacific Railroad Com-
pany planted 300,000 trees, chiefly Eu-
calyptus, along the line of their road
last season, and they have ordered over
700,000 more, which will be set out the
coming season.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

385

Banana. — During the present week
we saw a Banana plant, of the variety
known as the Chinese Dwarf, growing
upon the place of Mr. C. E. White, on
Hill Street, which beats anything in
the Banana line we ever heard of.
This plant has one bunch containing
about 170 nicely formed and rapidly
developing Bananas. This fruit retails
in our markets at five cents each, which
would make the value of this one bunch
to be the handsome sum of $8.50. All
of this variety upon his place promise
the same prolific yield. — Los Angeles
Mirror.

Native Walnut Trees. — We visited
the ranch of Dr. Ellis, three miles be-
low Centreville, a short time since, and
were there shown several large, hand-
some trees of the California Walnut.
The tree resembles the Black Walnut
of the Western States, and the nut has
a similar husk and kernel, but the shell
is thinner and smoother on the surface.
The tree grows thriftily, makes a beau-
tiful shade, and bears a choice nut.
They grow around the lake, and in
some localities in the foot-hills. In
Dr. Ellis' front yard is a Blue G-um
tree of four years' growth, which meas-
ures twelve inches in diameter. The
growth of trees on the moist lands
along King's River, and on the uplands
when irrigated, is almost marvelous,
and should encourage every one own-
ing land to plant trees whenever possi-
ble.— Republican.

Equal to the Foothills. — Stories,
without exaggeration, have been told
about the growth of fruit in the foot-
hills, where as many as two crops of
certain varieties are sometimes gather-
ed in one season ; but no one supposed
that a county so high up in the mount-
ains as Trinity would put in a claim of

rivalry in this connection. Yet we are
told by the Weaverville Journal that it
has in its possession a branch from an
Apple tree of the " Early June " varie.
ty, containing fruit of the second crop
nearly ripe, the first crop having been
gathered in June. The branch was
from the garden of Mr. Ellis Flowers,
at Canon City. Mr. Flowers informs
the Journal that he has Pear trees bear-
ing the second crop, and that in Mr. J.
A. Burger's garden may be seen the
second crop of Blackberries ; also that
the Dogwood trees are in full bloom at
the present time, and that it is a rare
occurrence for them to bloom a second
time. In Weaverville Mr; James Ben-
ton has a Pear tree in full bloom; F.
W. Toung has a second crop of Pears
of good size, and Grapes nearly ripen-
ed. Mr. W. L. Hudspeth has raised
an excellent crop of Grapes of the
Flaming Tokay variety, the first crop
having been killed by frost late in April.
Wonderfully productive, . indeed, are
the California soils, and genial the Cal-
ifornia climate.

Indigenous Filberts, Etc., in Hum-
boldt County. — There has been one
shipment of nuts from Humboldt Coun-
ty during the past two years ; with
what amount of profit we will not un-
dertake to say. There is a species of
Filbert which grows spontaneously in-
land, and some Hazel nuts close along
the coast. The Filberts can be had in
large quantities. They are gathered to
some extent and sold in Eureka in
quantities to fully demonstrate the
practicability of the enterprise. The
climate is adapted to Soft- shelled Al-
monds, and the experiment of growing
them is now to be tried on Eel River.
Peanuts grow to good advantage along
Eel River, also on the heavy sandy
lands. The richness of the soil makes

386

THE CALIFOBNIA HOETICULTUEIST.

them wonderfully productive. We look
forward to the time when it will be
numbered among our paying industries.
— Humboldt Times.

Browalia elata. — This is one of the
prettiest of all blue-flowered plants for
"cutting" through winter. It is an
annual, and flowers soon after sowing.
It does not like a high temperature ;
one about 50° or 60° suits it best. It
likes a rather damp soil, but yet one in
which the water passes rapidly away.

"Why Flowers have Different Hours
for Blooming. — Sir John Lubbock al-
ludes to the fact that at certain partic-
ular hours flowers close. This habit of
going to sleep is very curious, and dif-
ferent flowers keep different hours.
The reason for it, however, is obvious,
for flowers which are fertilized by moths
and other night-flying insects, would
derive no advantage by being open by
day, and on the other hand, those fer-
tilized by bees would gain nothing by
being open at night. The closing of
flowers, he believes, has reference to
the habits of insects, and it must be
confessed that the opening and closing
of flowers is gradual, and that the hours
vary greatly according to circumstances.

A Curious Australian Tree. — The
" Bottle tree " is an Australian tree of
the family Sterculiacece. It has the ca-
lyx five-cleft, usually colored ; no pet-
als ; column of stamens with fifteen or
rarely ten antlers ; stigma peltate, ear-
pels five distinct, with two or more ovu-
les, narrow digitate leaves ; paniculate
auxiliary inflorescence ; flowers unisex-
ual or polygamous, the female flowers
expanding first. The tree has a great-
ly expanded trunk which is swollen to
a disproportionate size. "Where the
ground is rocky this expansion is great-

est just below the branches, but in fa"
vorable soils the foot of the tree is larg-
est, forming a uniform cylindrical col-
umn from whose summits the branches
issue as from the neck of a bottle. The
family of which the Bottle tree is a
member, embraces many trees valuable
for their wood and for their nutritious
seeds, the most famous of which is Ca-
cao, from which chocolate is derived.

As Pines and Firs have been discov-
ered to have a greater effect than other
trees in influencing the rainfall and in-
creasing the general humidity of the
atmosphere, M. Fantral, of the French
Academy, has proposed the planting
of these trees in Algeria. The same
fact may possibly be utilized with ad-
vantage on some of the Western lands
in this country.

A remarkable instance of the rapidity
of the growth of the Eucalyptus has re-
cently been announced from Jamaica,
where, in the elevated portion of the
island, there are said to be trees sixty
feet high, with trunks a foot in diam-
eter near the ground, that were raised
from seed introduced into the island
only six years ago.

Japan Creeping Euontmus (Euonymus
radicans). — The Gardener's Monthly re-
commends this newly introduced plant
as a substitute for the English Ivy
where the winters of the north are too
severe for the latter. The leaves are
evergreen, and the stems throw out
roots and adhere to walls. Or it may
be treated as a bush, or used for the
edging of flower beds ; its various uses
•ncreasing its value.

Seeding of Araucaria excelsa. — By
artificial application of pollen, an Ar-
aucaria excelsa at Hauva, in Algiers,
has been made to produce seeds — a
rare thing in the old world.

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

387

CITY VIOLETS.

BY VAN DYKE BBOWN.

In the heart of the turbulent city,

Through the din, and the dust, and the heat,
I come to the flower girl, selling

Her wares on the curb of the street.

Bed roses and violet-leaved pansies,

With the modest blue violets —
A flower as fresh and as fragrant

As the memoiies which it begets.

Take the roses that blush in their beauty,

Take the pansies of royal hue ;
But leave me the violets dainty,

The violets modest and blue.

For they hint of the breezy country,
Of meadow, and woodland, and field ;

And, like balm to my weary spirit,
Is the perfume which they yield.

Unused to the riotous city,

I fancy they open their eyes
At the din, and the roar, and the racket,

Filled with a strange surprise.

Ah, well, for those days unforgotten,
"When I gathered such flowers as these ;

When I wandered through woodland meadow,
A friend of the birds and the trees .

Ah, well, for the hopes I have buried,
For the longings and vain regrets ;

For the buds of promise withered,
Since I gathered violets.

I knew them in days that have left me,
In days that were trustful and true ;

When life, like the violet dainty,
Was colored with heaven's own blue.

So here, in the heart of the city,
Where want with affluence blends,

These modest flowers greet me
Like well-remembered friends.

Your pansies are gaudily splendid,
But I like not their purple and gold ;

Your roses, red-hearted, remind me
Of beauties too brazenly bold.

But all that is pure and modest

Is found in the violet sweet ;
Like a maiden whose lips are virgin,

Dainty, demure, and complete.

Then give me the violets modest,

The violets modest and true ;
For the past is embalmed in their fragrance,

And heaven beams out of their blue.

— From the Clipper.

The Mendocino Beacon prints the
following : J. D. Murray has on exhi-
bition at his store quite a curiosity in
the way of Potatoes. There were
eleven in all, the weight of which was
32 \ pounds. The largest weighed 3
pounds and 9 ounces. The average
weight of this lot was nearly three
pounds each. They are sound and
perfect. "When spread out they meas-
ured 9 feet 6 inches in length. One
Potato has been sent East.

The Catalpa as a Timber Teee. — In
regard to the Catalpa, says the Ger-
mantown Telegraph, there seems to be
no doubt that, while it is one of the
most rapid growing trees we have, it is
also one of the most durable of woods.
"We have seen figures which we have
no reason to doubt are correct; and
the writer has recently seen a post tak-
en up after eight years of service that
was as good as the first day it was set.
Eight years, of course, is no very great
period for a post to last, but from all
appearance there is no reason why it
should not endure at least three times
what it has stood ; and a quarter of a
century is tolerably good for a fence
post. The trouble with the Catalpa is
that the terminal bud does not ripen
when young, and so gets killed in our
winter. The bud below, pushing,
makes a crooked stem, and in this way
the trunk of the mature tree is not as
straight as is desirable in a satisfactory
timber tree. To remedy this the trees
are suffered to grow as they will for a
couple of years, until the roots get
strong. They are then cut down to the
ground, when a smooth straight shoot

388

THE CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURIST.

goes up ten feet high in one season,
generally maturing its bud, and laying
the foundation of a pretty trunk. Such
a stem is generally two inches thick,
and as in any fair ground it will increase
at the rate of an inch a year, we have
in three or four years after a trunk five
or six inches thick — quite thick enough
for many useful pieces of work upon a
farm. But these six-inch stems, cut to
the ground, then throw up shoots of
amazing strength, making a new and
beautiful timber tree with surprising
rapidity.

There is a magnificent Orange tree
in the orangery of the palace of Ver-
sailles, which is now over four hundred
and fifty years old. It is known by the
name of the Grand Connetable, or
Grand Bourbon, and* it grew from some
pips of a bitter Orange planted in a
pot at the commencement of the fif-
teenth century by Eleanor of Castile,
wife of Charles III., King of Navarre.
The young plants which sprung from
the seed were kept in the same tub at
Pampeluna until 1849. In 1864 they
were removed to Versailles.

Perennial Plants. — The Rural Gen-
tleman has an article on perennial, her-
baceous plants, for flowering purposes,
which takes the ground that of all
plants in cultivation they are the least
trouble to take care of, as they die
down in the fall, some within the earth,
and others to its surface, and are rap-
idly increased by dividing the roots and
transplanting in spring. Besides, some
will bloom for a long while before bed-
ding. They sometimes bloom the first
season of putting out — always in the
second season. Most of them bloom
till the frost cuts them down, which
makes them more desirable, and they
should be more generally cultivated ;
for where a fine collection is grown

and with the annuals and others that
are put out for summer flowering, they
make a fine display. Great improve-
ments have been made of late years to
the perennial list of plants, by the hy-
bridizing and raising of the new vari-
eties, which are growing in great de-
mand. Being no necessity to take them
up through the winter, but leaving
them in the open ground without pro-
tection, then from spring till fall hav-
ing some always in bloom, and lasting
for years with so little trouble, must
bring them into the notice of lovers of
flowers, especially if they have room to
plant them. It would be impossible to
give our readers a list of the most de-
sirable perennial flowering plants, ow-
ing to the fact that certain kinds do
well in some localities, and not so well
in others. Experience will be the best
instructor as to the kinds to choose.

METEOROLOGICAL RECORD,
Fob the Month ending November 30th, 1877.
(Prepared for The Hobticultuhist by Thos. Tennent,
Mathematical Instrument and Chronometer-maker, No.
18 Market Street.)

BAEOMETEB.

Mean height at 9 a. m 30.20 in.

do 12 m 30.20

do 3p.m 30.09

do 6p.m 30.09

Highest point on the 24th at 12 m 30 35

Lowest point on the 11th at 6 p. m 29.93

THEEMOMETEB.
( With north exposure and free from reflected heat.)

Mean height at 9 a. m 59°

do 12 m 63°

do 3 p.m 63°

do 6 p. m 58°

Highest point on the 26th at 3 p. p. m 69Q

Lowest point on the 2d at 6 p. m 53°

SELF - EEGISTEBING THEEMOMETEB.

Mean height during the night 50°

Highest point at sunrise on the 6th 55°

Lowest point at sunrise on the 19th 46°

WINDS.
South-east and south-west on 12 days; north and north-
west on 12 days; west on 3 days; east on 3 days.
WEATHEE.

Clear on 9 days; cloudy on 9 days; variable on 12 days.
RAIN GAUGE.

Inches.

2d . 0.09

4th 0.15

5th..
10th.
11th.
15th.
16th.
22d..

0.28
0.06
0.42
0.12
1.13
0.13

Total 1.38

Previously reported 0.58

Total for the season 1-96

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