1878. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



345 



Andromeda arborea. — This is the name of 

 the specimens sent by R. J. Black, Bremen, Ohio. 

 It is known as the "Sorrel tree," and in many 

 respects is one of the most beantiful of the smaller 

 trees of Northern Ohio. It is surprising it is 

 not in more general cultivation. 



Snow Plant of California.— The Califor- 

 nia Horticulturist for September, gives a colored 

 engraving of this singular plant, Sarcodes san- 

 guinea.* It is of a blood red color "like a shoot 

 of Asparagus," and is sometimes found growing 

 tlirough a thin stratum of melting snow in the 

 Sierra Nevadas, whence its common name. 



Sulphur and Yellow Fever Germs. — 

 Some people have assumed that the yellow fever 

 is caused by vegetable germs generated in the 

 atmosphere. It is very remarkable that no one 

 seems to test the supposition, and decide posi- 

 tivel}'- whether it is or not so. When the cele- 

 brated horse disease was progressing through the 

 country, such a theory was conjectured in rela- 

 tion to that malady, and then found to be a de- 

 monstrable fact. Moistened glass was exposed 

 to the atmosphere before the disease appeared, 

 and after it had arrived; and in all cases, on the 

 glass in the latter case was discovered by pow- 

 ful microscopes a minute fungus called Aspergil- 

 lus and the same was found in the mucous dis- 

 charge from the nostrils of afflicted horses. 

 There could be little doubt that the Aspergillus 

 initiated the horse disease. It is quite likely 

 that some such minute body is connected with 

 the yellow fever, but why not try whether 

 it is so or not by systematic observations? 

 In a jSTew York paper recently, Mr. Peter 

 Henderson points out that many forms of 

 fungoid matter are destroyed by light doses of 

 the fumes of sulphur that are not particularly in- 

 jurious to the higher order of animal life ; and if 

 this disease is of this nature, relief may be sought 

 for in this direction. It is worth more than a 

 passing thought when Mrs. Ingram, of Xashville, 

 tells us that in many places of every ten fever 

 patients that go under a doctor's hands eight die. 

 In New Orleans one-third die. There is cei'- 

 tainly room for discovery. 



Since Avriting the above, we note b}^ the New 

 Orleans papers that sulphur fumes have been 

 most throughly tried, us well as other things, 

 with no perceptible result. 



One of the most valuable experiences is that 

 of the steamer R. 0. Stannard, which went from 

 New Orleans to St. Louis and back. The cap. ; 



tain appears to have had an idea that by strict 

 popular precautions he could get through all 

 right. He had the strictest attention given to 

 cleanliness. The vessel was washed with sulphur 

 white wash, fumigated thorougly with tar and sul- 

 phur, and chloride of lime used freely, and the 

 precautions were continuous, and careful. No 

 better chance could offer for testing these pre- 

 cautions than in an isolated vessel like this, but 

 the plague swept through his vessel as elsewhere. 



The fact is Ave do not yet know that the fever 

 poison is certainly furgoid germs, and this mat- 

 ter, as we have already stated is the first thing 

 to be ascertained. 



The whole subject interests horticulturists, of 

 all others in the community, because the loca- 

 cations of om- houses and the sanitary surround- 

 ings are among the first to be decided by the 

 landscape gardener ; and then again the know- 

 ledge which horticulturists have to gain of the- 

 working of minute forms of plant and animal 

 life may be of good service in tracing out the 

 origin of the plague. 



The commissioners appointed by the govern- 

 ment to investigate the matter, are no more likely 

 to discover the cause than similar commissions 

 have done, and their recent circular shows that 

 they are not likely to do much. The twenty-five 

 questions they have sent out for answers, remind 

 us of some sent out by agricultural societies 

 when they wish to find, out which of the new 

 fruits are best adapted to general cultivation. 

 The answers will be more conspicious for what 

 they do not tell, than for what they do. 



Fruiting of the Stapelia. — This some- 

 times, but not often fruits under Cultivation. Mr. 

 Amnion Burr, of Dallas, Texas, has had one to- 

 seed. It is like most of the asclepiadacese in form. 

 The flowers are well known for their singular 

 appearance, which obtains for them the name 

 of "Toad flowers," and for their foetid smell,, 

 which attracts flies as dead bodies do. The 

 flower is always w' ell worth a study from its ar- 

 rangements which are so constructed as to catch 

 insects under some circumstances. 



Experiments in Testing Seeds. — From 

 time to time experiments have been published in 

 regard to the quality of seeds. Some are bought 

 from one place, some from another, and some 

 from somewhere else. These are counted and 

 sown side by side ; fifty grow from one sample, 

 sixty from another, sevent5--five from another, and 

 the results published to the advantage of one or 



