REMARKS ON SOME OF THE NEW CHINESE PLANTS. 



eighteen inches apart, keep close for a few days, afterwards give air freely, shut 

 up at night, and cover to keep out frost ; water as occasion requires, and take 

 advantage of any warm showers that may occur. 



General Summer Crop. — At the beginning of April, have in readiness a well- 

 dug or ploughed, and enriched, openly situated piece of land ; plant out two feet 

 apart, and, if the weather be at all dry, give a quart of water to each plant. This 

 will settle the soil around the roots, and should be always practised, excepting 

 during rain. When the plants begin to grow freely, a spading or deep hoeing 

 between the rows is of great service, and more than repays the extra labor. When 

 the heads are half grown, the leaves may be broken across the midrib, and the tops 

 curved over, which will obstruct the light, and cause the flower to be pure white 

 and better flavored. 



Hoxo to Cook a Ccmlijiower. — The good or bad cooking of this vegetable makes 

 so decided a difference that it may be unwholesome and tasteless, or nutritive and 

 delicious ; and perhaps a few words on this part of the subject, derived from my 

 wife's experience, may be of use to some of your readers. Immerse the heads in 

 hot water, in which has been dissolved a tablespoonful of common salt ; simmer 

 very slowly one hour; do not let the water boil, or the flowers are subject to 

 break; take out into a colander, cover close to keep hot whilst the water drains 

 thoroughly; have ready a little toast to place them on, and pour over some nice 

 thick melted butter. 



The insects which infest this plant are a small hlach beetle, about the size of a 

 pin's head, that jumps like a flea. It is so destructive in some localities as to eat 

 up the entire stock of seedling plants in a short time, and is always in most abund- 

 ance in dry and hot weather. A sprinkling of wood ashes, lime, or soot, used 

 while the dew is on in the morning, will keep it off, but the remedy ought to be 

 early applied, and repeated if washed off by rain. A species of aphis, a glaucous 

 colored little fly, sometimes attacks the roots, and ascends, also, to the leaves; 

 they are gregarious, and exist by sucking the juices, and exhausting the plant. 

 In this case, I have always found caustic lime, in powder, dug into the ground, 

 and around the plants, and also sprinkled over the leaves, to be effectual. The 

 same remedy is also of service against the cut-worm, or other caterpillars, which 

 are sometimes troublesome. 



So far, I have only treated on the Gaulijlower, without any reference to its near 

 aWy Broccoli ; and, as you will no doubt think this communication suCQciently 

 long, we must defer it until some future opportunity. 



REMARKS ON SOME OF THE NEW CHINESE PLANTS. 



BY J. B. GARBER, COLUMBIA, PA. 



There is now much interest manifested in regard to some of the recently intro- 

 duced vegetables and plants from China and Japan. As I have had several of 

 them in cultivation two and three years, it may, perhaps, not be amiss to give my 

 views and experience as to the adaptability of some of them to our climate. 



The Dioscorea batatas I have had for two years, and have ventured to test my 

 small stock as an esculent. Possibly, some of your readers would be encouraged 

 to try it, who have kept aloof for fear of " multicaulis," did they know its real 

 merits. Farmers and horticulturists have been so often " humbugged" that they 

 fear to venture on a new thing, and more particularly as regards this root, from 

 its high price, and also on account of several writers in different papers 

 their best to frighten the timid. 



