THE FARMER AT HOME. 339 



purplish, disposed in terminal racemes. The pods are cylindrical, 

 acuminated with the style, indehiscent, and swelling into knots, and 

 contain rounded seeds. These seeds ar.e oleaginous, and in one variety, 

 lately introduced from China, the oil is extracted and used for culinary 

 purposes. Radishes are antiscorbutic and stimulant, but are little 

 employed in medicine. The plant was originally brought from China 

 and Persia, but has been cultivated in Europe from time imme- 

 morial. 



RATAN. A genus of palms, but widely differing in habit from 

 the rest of that family, and, in this respect, somewhat resembling the 

 grasses. The species have all perennial, long, round, solid, jointed, 

 unbranching stems, extremely tough and pliable, often ascending 

 among the branches of trees, but without prickles or tendrils. They 

 grow in profusion along the banks of rivers in tropical Asia and the 

 neighboring islands. All the species are very useful, and are applied 

 to various purposes ; the fruit and young stems of all furnish nutri- 

 ment, and a drink is obtained from the liquid which flows from wounds 

 made in the spadix. 



One species is even cultivated for its fruit, which is about the size 

 of a walnut, and covered with scales. Certain species furnish cables, 

 cords, and withes of exceeding strength ; others are split into strips 

 for making the seats and backs of chairs, baskets, and other light and 

 elegant articles of furniture ; those which are larger and firmer, and 

 whose joints are more distant, aflbrd elegant walking sticks ; in short, 

 the economical purposes to which the various species of ratans are 

 applied, are very numerous, even in northern climates. A trade in 

 ratans, to a considerable extent, is carried on from several of the East 

 India islands to China, which is the principal market for them. 



RASPBERRY. In its wild, unimproved state, the raspberry is a 

 native of various temperate climates, to be found growing in thickets, 

 woodland, and rough mountain districts. Several varieties are known, 

 which differ from each in their habits of growth and hardiness, as 

 well as in the quality of their fruit. The cultivation of the raspberry 

 on an extensive scale for market, is found to be very profitable, for the 

 crop is generally large, and always commands a good price. A Mr. 

 Hallock, of Ulster county, in the State of New York, has a plantation 

 covering three-fourths of an acre of land, which, in the season of 1848, 

 yielded thirty-three hundred baskets of fruit. He sold them in the 

 city of New York, at an average price of ten cents per basket, being 

 at the rate of four hundred and fifty dollars per acre. Such a return 

 cannot be expected from anything besides the very best management. 

 An idea that the raspberry will flourish without cultivation, is very 

 prevalent among those who consider themselves gardeners. On the 

 contrary, it requires a good soil, the occasional application of manure, 

 and regular pruning, quite as much as the cherry tree or the grape 

 vine. We frequently hear people complaining that the improved 



