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THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[October, 



fessor Miles is just the one to look after im- 

 proved corn. Corn has been with him the 

 hobby of a life time, and the magnificent collec- 

 tion of varieties he had at the Centennial Expo- 

 sition was one of the features of the agricultural 

 exhibits of that great affair. The contents of 

 the work are scarcely quotable. It is a work for 

 deep study and reflection, and will certainly be 

 appreciated by all who take an interest in corn 

 culture. 



If a literary criticism may be allowed, we 

 should have to find fault with the idea which 

 makes every sentence a paragraph. Imperfect 

 paragraphing is a common literary fault; but 

 surely the style which paragraphs every 

 sentence is worse than all. It is very diffi- 

 cult to comprehend the drift of the author 

 when the matter is so arranged— at least, so it 

 strikes us. 



Origin of the Marechal Niel Eose.— A cor- 

 respondent of the Journal des Roses says that in 

 1862 it was noted by M. Rapin, growing in the 

 garden of M. Chateau at Montauban ; and he was 

 given grafts from it. M. Pradel had sent the 

 plant to M. Chateau, in place of one in the 

 invoice that was missing. A flower from Rapin"s 

 plant was exhibited about that time, and re- 

 ceived the name of Marechal Niel, in compli- 

 ment to that General who had recently presided 

 at the opening of a botanic garden in the vicin- 

 ity, and a medal was awarded to M. Pradel as 

 the originator of such a beauty, although, it ap- 

 pears, wholly by accident. It was placed in 

 the market by Pradel the younger, and Verdier 

 in 1863. 



Injurious Insects of the Farm and Garden. 

 —By Mrs. Mary Treat. New York: Orange 

 Judd Co. It is amazing how slow knowledge 

 travels. It must be now nearly thirty years since 

 Miss Margaretta Morris wrote : " In many potato 

 fields in the neighborhood of Germantown, 

 Pennsylvania, every stem was infested, causing 

 the premature decay of the vines, and giving to 

 them the appearance of having been scalded." 

 This was said of the Baridius trinotatus, or po- 

 tato stalk-weevil. Not a quarter of a mile from 

 the former home of this distinguished entomolo- 

 gist was a potato field so scalded this summer, 

 and on the writer of this telling the owner it 

 was attacked by the insect, he was assured they 

 were only "suffering from the drouth." It made 

 no difference that the writer pointed to another 

 patch, planted earlier, on dryer ground, and 



still green ; the stems had to be slit, and the in- 

 sect ravages exposed before the good farmer 

 would believe — and even then he thought the 

 "drouth did more nor the insect," as he ex- 

 pressed it. Few can be found who know anything 

 of it, yet it is more than likely that it is more 

 destructive to the crop throughout the country 

 than the more dreaded fungus disease. There 

 is no doubt there is a good field yet for a work 

 of this kind, which tells of these and other foes. 

 Mrs. Treat, the author, is the estimable lady who 

 dates from Vineland, New Jersey, and who is 

 well known by the numerous useful productions 

 of her pen. No one is better fitted, and no one 

 could have done better, and the publishers' 

 share in the work is worthy of the author's 

 pen. 



American Game- bird Shooting. — By Mr. John 

 Mortimer Murphy. New York : Orange Judd 

 Company. No sportsman need be told that 

 hunting is one of the fine arts — not fine in a 

 particularly aesthetic sense, but an art which 

 requires a fine touch of good judgment as well 

 as of experience to pursue it successfully. Yet 

 there are few works which treat of this art. It 

 is strange that there have not been more. This 

 one will surely have a good sale. It treats es- 

 pecially of wild turkeys, grouse, sage cock, 

 ptarmigan, quails, swans, geese, ducks, wood- 

 cocks, snipes, bay- birds, rails, pigeons, and many 

 others. It describes the habits and ways of 

 these several creatures from the hunter's stand- 

 point, explaining the various modes of trapping 

 as well as the use of the gun. 



The American Silk and Fruit Culturist. — 

 Philadelphia: Campbell & Pepper, Publishers. 

 Nothing shows better the rapid growth of the 

 silk industry than the establishment of a monthly 

 magazine, expressly in its interest. We hope, 

 as we believe, the present venture will prove a 

 good succe<5S. 



Many wonder why the raw silk so often pre- 

 sents varied colors. The following from this 

 magazine may give the clue : 



" By feeding silk-worms during the last twenty 

 days of the larva stage, on vine leaves, a French- 

 man has produced magnificent red cocoons; by 

 pursuing the same course, using lettuce, he 

 obtained them of a deep emerald green. Others 

 of a beautiful yellow, fine green, and violet, were 

 produced by the same mode, using white nettle 

 for food." Sometimes the silk is dyed but it is 

 always best if the color is more natural. 



