96 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



WHO SETS THE FASHIONS? 



Who sets the fashions, I'd like to know, 

 For the little people beneath the snow t 

 And are they working a weary while, 

 To dress themselves in the latest style 5 



There's Mrs. Primrose, who used to be 

 The very picture of Modesty ; 

 Plain were her dresses, but now she goes 

 With cramps and fringes and furbelows. 



And even Miss Buttercup puts on airs. 

 Because the color in vogue she wears; 

 And as for Dandelion, dear me ? 

 A vainer creature you ne'er will see. 



When Mrs. Poppy — that dreadful flirt — 

 Was younger, she wore but one plain skirt : 

 But now I notice, with great surprise. 

 She's several patterns of largest size. 



The Fuchsia sisters— those lovely belles ! — 

 Improve their styles as the mode compels ; 

 And though everybody is loud in their praise. 

 They ne'er depart from their modest ways. 



And the Pansy family must have found 

 Queen Rlizabeth's wardrobe under-ground ; 

 For in velvets and satins of every shade. 

 Throughout the season they're all arrayed. 



Pinks and Daisies and all the flowers 

 Change their fashions, as we change ours ; 

 And those who knew them in olden days 

 Are mystified by their modern ways. 



Who sets the fashions, I'd like to know. 

 For the little people beneath the snow? 

 And are they busy a weary while, 

 Dressing themselves in the latest style 

 New-York Independent. 



Grekn Peas. — The most productive 

 very early pea on my grounds was Bur- 

 pee's Extra Early, although it was three 

 days later than Tom Thumb. For the 

 main crop I prefer American Wonder. — 

 Rural New Yorker. 



Eakly " Paragon " Rhubarb. — This 

 is a new variety, originated in England, 

 and now introduced here. We grew it 

 last year alongside of the older kinds, 

 and were favourably impressed with its 

 superiority. The stalks are bright red, 

 very heavy, and produced in quick suc- 

 cession and wonderful abundance. It is 

 earlier, of more delicate flavor, and de- 

 cidedly less acid than any other variety 

 we are acquainted with. But its most 

 remarkable and most valuable qualifica- 

 tion is that it does not produce flower 



stalks, to which fact its great productive- 

 ness is mainly attributable, all the 

 strength of the plant being used for the 

 development of its leaves. 'I 'he habit of 

 the plant is remarkably compact, so that 

 plantations do not require to be renewed 

 every few years, while the clumps never- 

 theless retain their original position. To 

 judge from the high praise this variety 

 has received in England, as well as from 

 our own experience in growing it, we do 

 not doubt that, when generally known, it 

 will be largely planted in preference to 

 the older kinds. — Americaiv Garden. 



Kerosene to Kill Insects. — Since the 

 illuminating oil obtained from petroleum, 

 known in this country as kerosene, and in 

 England as paraffine oil, came into gen- 

 eral use, it has been employed with vari- 

 able success as an insecticide. That it 

 would destroy insect life was long ago es- 

 tablished ; that it would also destroy 

 plant life was sometimes demonstrated in 

 a manner more convincing than pleasant. 

 The oil in its concentrated form, can be 

 tolerated by but few plants. The first 

 improvement in its use was to add a very 

 small quantity to a bucket of water, 

 enough to make but a mere film upon the 

 surface ; then difl'use it throi gh the water 

 by violent stirring, and apply before the 

 oil and water had time to separate. This 

 answered fairly well, but was trouble- 

 some. The next step was to divide the 

 kerosene, not by dissolving it, but by dif- 

 fusing it in the form of an emulsion. It 

 is well known that oils may be suspended 

 in water by means of gum, sugar, etc., 

 and may be kept thus for some hours or 

 even days. It has been discovered that 

 milk, either fresh or soured, is a conveni- 

 ent medium to unite kerosene and water 

 Mix together kerosene and half as much 

 milk, stirring them thorouglily to form a 

 cream-like mixture. When the two are 

 so completely united that no oil is visible, 

 dilute the mixture with twelve times its 

 bulk of water, adding the water gradually, 

 and stirring thoroughly. This emulsion 

 has been found especially useful in the 

 treatment of the various scale insects, so 

 difficult to destroy by ordinary insecti- 

 cides, and is used for various other insect 

 pests. For trees use a syringe or force 

 pump, and for house plants, often injured 

 by scale insects, apply with a sponge or 

 swab. — American Agriculturist. 



Printed at the Steam PiCiS Establishment of Copp, ("lark & Co., Colborne Street, Toronto. 



