AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 107 



THE PLANT-LOUSE, 



All sorts of plant-lice render plants sickly, and some of them are so pro- 

 lific that one pair will produce in one year five millions of progeny, and 

 there are sixty diiferent varieties. Whatever will destroy this insect -will 

 be of great benefit to mankind. 



SPONGIOLES. 



A paper of Dr. Doubenrey, of London, on the spongioles of plants, shows 

 their offices, one of which is to furnish moisture to soften the earth where 

 the roots are about to enter, as well as to furnish a decomposing liquid to 

 solve many compounds needed for the sustenance of plants. 



Judge Meigs remarked that he had often noticed the brace roots of 

 Indian corn dropping water upon the earth just where they are about to 

 penetrate, and where they could not while the earth was baked hard. 



R. ti. Pardee. — Mr. Grossman, of Rochester, produced in his garden, 

 seedlings of great size at eighteen months old, which he made so by careful 

 selection of the largest plants for producing seeds, and then selecting the 

 best of the plants for cultivation. We may all, by the same course, 

 increase the size and value of our rhubarb, as well as by buying. In fact 

 I had rather have plants from seeds of Grossman's growing than plants 

 from most gardens. 



Andrew S. Fuller. — In my garden at Brooklyn, I grew and exhibited at 

 the fair last year, a stalk of rhubarb from Gaboon's seedling, that weighed 

 eight lbs., free of the leaf, which was twenty-two feet around. The proper 

 soil for rhubarb is moist, rich land, underdrained ; just such land as we 

 have on Long Island by the thousands of acres, lying almost worthless. 



HOW TO GROW SEEDLING PLANTS. 



Strawberries. — Andrew S. Fuller. — We want strawberries of an earlier 

 and better variety. To obtain such, we must sow seeds of the earliest and 

 latest sorts, and persevere until we get improved sorts to suit our wants. 

 It is not difficult to grow seedling strawberries. Select the largest and best 

 berries, fully ripe, and put them in dry fine sand, and crush and rub them 

 thoroughly until the seeds are distributed evenly through the mass. Pre- 

 pare a bed in a shady place, in light, sandy loam, thoroughly pulverized. 

 Sow the sand containing the seeds evenly, and sift soil an eighth of an inch 

 deep over them ; and, if the weather continues dry, water gently every 

 evening. The plants will begin to come up in two weeks, and so on till 

 winter, when the bed shall he covered two or three inches deep with straw 

 or leaves, which must be raked off in the Spring, and the plants trans- 

 planted eighteen inches apart, in suitable beds. 



Gooseberries. — We wan t a better gooseberry, if it can be had, one that will 

 not mildew, and will produce abundantly and regularly. Let us plant seed of 

 the best we have, and try. The seed should be washed clean from the pulp, 

 and put in dry sand, in a cool place, to keep till spring. It must be cool, 

 because these, and currant seeds, start at a low temperature, and they can- 



