EDITOR'S TABLE. 



upon. Tlie height is the greatest ever attained in fountains, ascending to the level of the 



crown of the nave. Sir David Brewster, in his life of Newton, has discovered that the great 



philosopher had a taste for gardening, perhaps a new feature in the imaginary picture we form 

 of him. It is fully corroborated by some letters, in which we find him anxiously and criti- 

 cally dilating on the best varieties of apple from whicb to obtain grafts, and expressing a wise 



preference for the genuine "red streaks." Goldfish, as well as others, are attacked by a 



fungus like the yeast plant, which attaches itself to their scales and finally kills them. 



The plant is saprelogenia ferox. A very fine new radish has been introduced into France 



from China. It swells at the bottom, where its diameter is about two inches ; it is from 



three and a half to four and a half inches in length, and of a clear carmine color. A most 



remarkable fact has been discovered by naturalists in Madeira, of the frequently wingless 

 condition of the beetles ; out of 550 coleoptera there collected, 200 are more or less without 

 wings. As in the caverns of North America and Styria, the beetles, &c., which inhabit 

 these eternally dark recesses, are eyeless, inasmuch as sight would be useless to them, so 

 on the small island of Madeira the beetles are wingless, because powers of flight would be 

 of little use or injurious to them, as when once on the wing they would be liable to be blown 



out to sea and lost. The number of sheep in the British islands is estimated at 35,000,000, 



worth two hundred and fifty millions of dollars ! producing 157,000,000 pounds of wool, 

 worth fifty millions of dollars anually ; this is independent of 60,000,000 pounds imported 



each year. The last remedy for the curculio is to smoke the trees with tobacco on the 



first appearance of the enemy. Smoke them well night and morning, for one week. Very 



probably the best remedy proposed. We found Mr. Hovey, of Boston, in possession of a 



number of new varieties of the strawberry, and among them the " Sir Harry," which we 

 were not aware had been received in this country. He has also " Admiral Dundas," of 

 which it is said 18 weigh a pound. " Sir Charles Napier" is also a much esteemed variety. 

 Wlien we come to the description of places around Boston, we shall notice several of Mr. 



Hovey's novelties. They had a discussion respecting the strawberry at the Fruit Growers' 



Convention of Western New York, which is well reported in Moore's Rural New Yorker 



of July 26th. The cherry also claimed a large share of attention. Tlie Quercus gramuntia 



produces edible acorns quite equal to chestnuts. These were much eaten by the ancients, 

 and were believed by them to fatten the tunny-fish on their passage from the ocean to 

 the Mediterranean, and are the bellotas which Teresa, the wife of Sancho Panza, gathered 



in La Mancha, where they still grow in the greatest perfection, and sent to the duchess. 



Spain has at last attempted a reform in her agriculture, and in place of her old bull-fights 

 has had a cattle show, which is to be triennial. A prize was awarded to an English 

 Durham bull. With great capabilities, Spain remains in the rear in the march of improve- 

 ment, though symptoms of her awakening are becoming apparent in railroads and manu- 

 factories, and at last the cattle show for the bull-fight. Lime-water poured freely on the 



nests and burrows of ants will cause them to flit, if it does not kill them. Arsenic in a 

 solution of sugar and water is a certain remedy, but care must be taken that it is not 

 accessible to other living things ; therefore, cover the saucer with a slate and a stone, 

 leaving a couple of pegs between the slate and saucer to let the ants in freely. By using 

 honey and water you may trap them by myriads as the honey holds their feet like bird- 

 lime. A new white grape, a seedling of the Black Hamburgh, is spoken of favorably. It 



was raised by Mr. Carpenter, near Birmingham, is a distinct grape, much flattened at the 

 eye, and of a clear amber color and ricli flavor. Mr. Beaton tliinks the pollen of the sweet 



water grape produced this seedling, and that it is well worth growing. Not yet named. 



The hollyhock continues to grow in favor abroad. Instead of the tall single flowered varie- 

 we have them now with close spikes of beautifully formed, compact, double flowers, 

 clear colors ranging from fine white to nearly black, and lasting, as all double flowers 



