Vol.VII.— No.21. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



165 



as the bloom is over, be turned out of the pot with 

 fibres and earth, and put in a prepared bed in the 

 garden, to be treated afterwards as those growing 

 in open ground. By this mode the bulbs will not 

 be materially injured, and will blow well the sec- 

 ond year. Whereas those grown on glasses or 

 forced are seldom good for any thing afterwards. 



Si.NGLE Hyacinths are preferable to most dou- 

 ble ones for early flowering in winter ; being two 

 or three weeks sooner in bloom. Their colore 

 are more brilliant and the bells more numerous 

 than the double. 



Tulips are hardier than the hyacinth, and in 

 open ground may be planted four inches apart, 

 covered two or three inches with earth. 



The Polyanthus Narcissus should be planted 

 six inches deep and eight inches apart, and care- 

 fully protected from frost, being the most tender of 

 the bulbs. Unless taken up after bloom, it will 

 grow in the autumn and sufl'er during winter. 



Depth and distances. Hyacinths, amaryllis, mar- 

 tagon, and other large lilies, and poeonies, should 

 be planted at the de|)th of four inches ; crown im- 

 perials, and polyanthus narcissus, five inches ; tu- 

 lips, double narcissus, jonquilles, colchicums and 

 snow-flakes, three inches ; bulbous irises, crocuses, 

 arums, small fvltcUarias, tiger flowers, gladiolus, 

 and snow-drops, two inches ; ranunculus, anemo- 

 nes, oxahs, and dog's-tooth violets, one inch ; al- 

 ways measuring from the top of the bulb. The 

 rows should be about ten inches apart, and the 

 roots be placed frohi four to six inches apart in 

 the rows, according to their size. 



Method to bloom hyacinths and other bulbs in the 

 ;i<inler season, in pots or glasses. For this purpose, 

 single hyacinths, and such as are designated ear- 

 liest among the double, are to be preferred. Sin- 

 gle hyacinths are generally held in less estimation 

 than double ones ; their colors, however, are more 

 vivid, and their bells, though smaller, are more nu- 

 merous. Some of the finer sorts are exfiuisUely 

 beautiful ; they are preferable for flowering in 

 winter to most of the double ones, as they bloom 

 two or three weeks earlier, and are very sweet 

 scented. Roman narcissus, double jonquilles, 

 polyanthus narcissus, double narcissus, anil crocu- 

 ses, also make a fine appearance in the parlor 

 during the winter. It is a rem:ukable iircum- 

 stance of the crocus, that it keeps its petals ex- 

 panded during a tolerably bright candle or lamp 

 light, in the same way as it does during the light 

 of the sun. If the candle be removed, the crocu- 

 ses close their petals, as they do in the garden 

 when a cloud obscures the sun ; and when the 

 artificial light is restored, they open again, as they 

 do with the icturn of the direct solar rays. 



Hyacinths intended for glasses should be placed 

 in them about the middle of November, the glasses 

 being previously filled with pure water, so that 

 the bottom of the bulb may just touch the water ; 

 then place them for the first ten days in u <hirk 

 room, to promote the shooting of the roots, after 

 which expose them to the light and sun as much 

 as possible. They will blow, however, without 

 any sun ; but the colors of the flowers will be in- 

 ferior. The water should be changed as it be- 

 comes impure ; draw the roots entirely out of the 

 glasses, rince oft' the fibres in clean water, and 

 the "lasses well washed inside ; care should be 

 taken not to suffer the water to freeze, at it no't 

 onlv bursts the glasses, but often causes the fibres 

 to decay. Whether the water be hard or soft is 

 wf Bo great consequence ; but soft or rain water 



is considered preferable, but it must be perfectly 

 clear. Forced bulbs are seldom good for any 

 thing afterwards. 



Nosegays should have the water in which their 

 ends are inserted changed, on the same principle 

 as bulbous roots ; and a much faded nosegay, or 

 one dried up, may often be recovered for a time, 

 by covering with a glass bell, or cap, or by sub- 

 stituting warm water for cold. 



LONG ANGLO-MERINO WOOL. 



The British Society for encouragement of arts, 

 manufactures and commerce, have awarded a pre- 

 mium to Charles Callis Western, Esq. M. P. for a 

 specimen of long fine Anglo-Merino Wool. 



In a communication to the Society, Mr Wes- 

 tern thus describes a sample of this wool ; — " The 

 wool will be of three years' growth next clipping 

 time ; I took it oft" this morning from the backs of 

 two wether sheej). I drew it from the skin with 

 quite as much difliculty, as if it had been of one 

 year's growth, and with as much ])ain to the ani- 

 mals. You will observe the strength and elastici- 

 ty of the wool, and the impossibility of discover- 

 ing any difference in each successive year's 

 growth. I estimate the weight of one fleece at 

 25 lbs. ; the other at 28 or 30 lbs. in the grease. 



The food of the sheep has been according to 

 the season, tares, and clover, green grass, hay, 

 turnips, mangel-wurtzel, and oats. Weight of the 

 sheep alive, 239 lbs. ; another 244 lbs. ; dead one 

 158 lbs. ; the other 149. 



I am more and more convinced, I am right in 

 the object at which I aim, that of the growing 

 long, fine, strong Merino wool for combing. I am 

 satisfied it is practicable, that the farmer Avho ap- 

 plies his attention and skill to tin's subject, will 

 finri an adequate return in the sale of wool and 

 mutton. 



Mr Western s.ays in a subsequent commtdnica- 

 tion, 



" The principal object that I had in view was 

 to make known the curious fact, that the animal 

 (Anglo-Merino sheep) will carry its fleece in all its 

 strength and beauty three years. I have produc- 

 ed the article such as was never seen or contem- 

 plated before, most people supposing that sheep 

 shed their fleeces every year. 



I do not propose the wool should be more than 

 two years' growth which would require one year's 

 cutting. The sheep should be wethers, and put 

 up at about 16 or 18 months old." 



that is if you are in haste to have the room warm, 

 but not otherwise, and then the draught necessa- 

 ry to ignite a wood fire is amply sufficient for one 

 made of anthracite coal. There ought to be some 

 mode of quickening the ^•.l•aught in every conveni- 

 ence for using stove coal ; for the facihty of speed- 

 ily kindling and increasing the fire. But when 

 the fire is once ignited, no more draught ought to 

 be applied to it than will keep the coal in lively 

 combustion. There are but few chimneys which 

 have not more draught than is necessary. One 

 other matter ought to be observed ; the bottom of 

 the grate should not be more than four or five in- 

 ches from the fioor. — Miner's Journal. 



NEW YORK INSTITUTE. 



We understand that the expected Mulberry 

 Seed, which this Institute intend to distribute, 

 gratuitously, for the culture of the white 31ulber- 

 ry, the leaves of which, used as food, insure from 

 Silk Worms the fairest sdk, has been received 

 from Fr.tnce. We beheve it is intended to call a 

 meeting of the Institute, to furnish instructions of 

 an ample kind for their elficieiU cultivation, and to 

 take immediate and energetic measures to insure 

 a handsome crop of "seedhngs" in the spring, so 

 as to interest agriculturists in this country gene- 

 rally in management of Silk JVorms. — JV*. Y. States- 

 man. 



A neiv and valuable invention. — We have before 

 us specimens oi paper manufactured from straw, or 

 hay, which are worthy of examination, not only as 

 a matter of curiosity, but as the evidence of a 

 most valuable improvement in the arts. The in- 

 ventor of the proci'ss which is applied chemically, 

 is Col. Wm. Mngaw, an ingenious and respectable 

 citizen of Mcadville, Penn. 



He has produced these specimens from partial 

 trials, but lie is now erecting works for an exten- 

 sive manufacture of paper from this material. The 

 paper already produced, is wrapping and paste- 

 board, which is of a good quality ; but we undsr- 

 stand that it will not be confined to the coarser 

 kinds. The advantage of the improvement to 

 consumer?, may be estimated from the single fact 

 that it re;luces the price more than one half, the 

 qualities being equal. — Albany Argus. 



TO KINDLE A COAL FIRE. 



Let the stove or grate be empty or nearly so ; 

 put in a few blocks of dry wood, or a handful or 

 two of charcoal, in the bottom, sot fire to these 

 and cover them over with himjw of coal about the 

 size of a walnut ; shut the .stove door, or put up 

 the blower, and in five minutes the whole will be 

 ignited, when the stove or grate is to be filled up 

 with coal. If the grate is nf a ]iropcr size, and 

 the draft properly regulated, a supply of coal eve- 

 ry twelve hours will keep the fire from going out 

 from one year's end to the other. No person need 

 unless he chooses, let his fire go out more than 

 once in a year. 



We will take this opportunity of correcting an 

 error, which seems to be generally entertained, 

 that our coal requires a very powerful draught to 

 keep it in a state of ignition. After it is once ig- 

 nited, nearly the reverse is the fact. It requires 

 a quick draught at first until the fire is lighted, 



The administration of Indian Affaks is about to 

 undergo a salutary reform. Governors Clark and 

 Cass are directed by the Secretary of War, to pre- 

 pare a report on the subject, to be submitted to 

 Congress. From their intelligence and experi- 

 ence on matters connected with the subject, a val- 

 uable and able public documeat may be anticipat- 

 ed. 



The rudeness of Dr. Parr to ladies was some- 

 times extreme. To a lady who had ventured to 

 oppose him with more warmth of temper than 

 cogency of reasoning, and who afterwards apolo- 

 g'.sed for herself by saying, " that it is the privilege 

 of women to talk nonsense." "No madam," re- 

 plied Dr. Parr, "it is not the privilege, but their 

 infirmity. Ducks would walk if they could ; but 

 nature suffers them only to waddle." 



An idea prevails, that animal food is indispen- 

 sable to sustain the vigor of the body. A London 

 coal-heaver must have his ale and beef. An Arab 

 carries his load across the desert, and lives on 

 dates and milk, or bread and oil ; he runs faster, 

 and lives longer on this simple diet than your 

 beef-eaters. 



