THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 433 



KEEPIXO SQUASHES. 



Keeping squashes in winter sccins to bo atteudccl witli considerable difficulty. 

 They cannot be kept ^vllcre it is damp, as in most cellars, or vhcre frost can 

 reach tlicm, nor will they keep so well where it is very warm. The best condi- 

 tions for keeping them seem to be where the air is cool and dry, yet safe from 

 frost. An attic chamber until winter, then a closet near the chimney where 

 the frost cannot reach, or the temperature does not rise very high, is the best 

 most families can comnumd. Extensive market gardeners often keep them in 

 houses built for tlio purpo.'^c, 'where they can maintain an even temi)erature by 

 the aid of fires and ventilation. — Massachusetts HorticuUural Report. 



HOW TO DETECT RIPE MELONS. 



Let me give you an infallible sign by which to know a fully ripened melon. 

 When the melon begins to change color inside, and its seeds to turn black, a 

 small black speck, scale or blister begins to appear ou the outer cuticle or 

 rind. These are multiplied and enlarged as the fruit matures. A ripe melon 

 will show them thickly sown over the surface. A partial development only in- 

 dicates half-ripe fruit. A full crop of blisters reveals its perfect ripeness. 

 When hundreds of melons are strewn along the sidewalk, yon will have to look 

 pretty sharply to find one that exhibits a satisfactory "escutcheon,"' to borrow a 

 term from M. Guenon. But it is unfailing Avhen found, and by following this 

 guide, you may walk away with your melon with the most entire confidence. 

 The blister is only to be seen upon a close inspection, but is plainly visible 

 Avhen that is given. If you raise watermelons in your own garden, the same 

 rule will apply. — Country Geyitleman. 



WEEDS. 



Prof. Prentiss, of Cornell University, recently gave a lecture upon the above 

 topic of pleasing interest. He said that nearly all our domestic animals, our 

 vermin, our injurious insects, and our people were foreigners, and the same was 

 true of our weeds. Of the total 130 kinds 110 are of foreign origin, and only 20 

 are indifjenous to America. Of the 54 "weeds of culture" we find that 42 

 are natives of Europe, one a native of tropical America, and 11 are natives of 

 the United States, the single arrival from tropical America being pigeon Aveed, 

 or what is called red root in Michigan. It is a very troublesome weed in that 

 State, but it is not so common here. Besides being hardy and vigorous, a plant 

 to be a success as a weed must be very fruitful, capable of producing an 

 abundance of seed and multiplying itself rapidly. We find that a single plant 

 of our worst weeds is capable of producing from 2,000 to 50,000 seeds. 



The Professor furnishes a table giving the number of seeds which a single 

 plant of the following varieties will produce in a season : 



Dandelion 2, 000 



Ox-eye daisy 1 ;3, 000 



Dock ."' 13,000 



55 



Burdock 24,000 



Mav-weed 40,000 



lied Poppv 50,000 



