THE GENESEE FARifER. 



4T 



THE POETKY OF STEAM CULTTTflE. 



On the preceding page we give a sketch taken 

 from the Journal of Agriculture and Transactions 

 of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scot- 

 land. It is designed to illustrate the applicability 

 jf steam culture to the various manipulations of 

 the farm and garden. "We think there must be 

 nore poetry than practice about it — more imagina- 

 ;ion than reality ; but the -writer in the Journal 

 jives it in sober seriousness, and states that the 

 nachine is in operation. 



The cut explains itself. Rails are laid down in 

 he field, and a platform driven by tiie engine ex- 

 ends from one rail to the other. To this plat- 

 arm any kind of implement can be attached — 

 lows, cultivators, harrows, rollers, hoes, drills, 

 quid-manure distributors, &c. Planks can be 

 ttached on which men, boys and girls can sit and 

 ttend to any desired operation as the apparatus 

 loves steadily along! 



ALPHONSE KAKR A MARKET GARDENER. 



In the Journal of the Horticultural Society of 

 le Bas Rhine, M. Silbekmann publislied an ac- 

 )unt of his visit to M. Alphonse Karr wliicii 

 ill interest our readers, as his novels are so well 

 lown in this country : 



"I was desirous of visiting," says M. Silber- 

 i.NN, "daring my passage through Nice, the gar- 

 sn of M. Alphonse Karr, who enjoys a great 

 putation there, but I was told tiiat access to him 

 id become very difficult on account of tlie nu- 

 erous 'bores' who inundated him. However, as 

 ha.6 a slight acquaintance with M. Kakk, I risked 

 e adventure. 



"His garden is situated at about ten minutes' 

 ive from the town ; to reach it one passes through 

 rrow lanes between the enclosures of other gar- 

 ns. 



"Our coachman stopped suddenly, and exclaim- 

 : 'This is it, but I doubt whether you will be 

 mitted.' The gate stood open — I said to myself 

 'atet amieis,'' and pushed on till I reached the 

 celling house. A woman was engaged upon 

 ne work — I gave her my card, begging her to 

 nd it to M. Karr. In a few moments she re- 

 ined, and gave me the following note written 

 un green paper: 



" 'Do you remain at Nice for some days, or for 

 i season ? If the latter. I may see you at another 

 le; if not I shall be down in a moment. Yoa 

 11 understand why — the printers wait.' 

 ■'It was evident that M. Karr was engaged in 



study ; that we should disturb him by persever- 

 ;, and yet it was impossible to return. So I said 

 the woman : ' Have the kindness to acquaint M. 

 ^r that I, leave to-morrow.' In a few minutes 



was beside us, dressed like a country laborer, 

 Icomed us with charming courtesy, and did the 

 lors of his garden. 



"The principal plantations in this piece of 

 ground, wliich occupies nearly six acres, consists 

 of orange trees with very dark-green leaves, lemon 

 trees, peacii trees, apricot trees, &c. Vegetables 

 also take up much space, and constitute one of the 

 principal branches of cultivation. In two beds 

 they had just finished sowing Kidney beans and 

 Green peas for a January crop. After fruits and 

 vegetables it is flowers which Mr Karr chiefly 

 cultivates. He carries on a great trade in tliem 

 with Grasse for perfumery, and with Paris for 

 boquets. I admired enormous standard Heliotropes 

 a yard and a half in bight, forming a close hedge 

 covered with flowers. M. Karr collected a large 

 bouquet of them, to which he added some Tea 

 roses, and offered them to Madame Silbermann. 

 _ "The dwelHng-house is small, and concealed en- 

 tirely by rose trees, which cover its facade, and 

 extend even over the roof; they also form a'thick 

 shady bower in front of the house. They are all 

 Banksian and Cliina roses planted five years ago at 

 which time M. Karr took the garden on lease. ' 



"Other cnrious jilants, more especially interest- 

 mg as growing in the open air, still enliven the 

 parterres. But it is sometimes necessary to seek 

 tor tiiem under the thickets of weeds. I may par- 

 ticularly mention Acacia longissima (linearis), Da- 

 tiira arborea, Poinciana Gilliesii, Plumbago aziirea, 

 Eriobotrya japonica (the Japanese Medlar), bearing 

 trnit like yellow phiuH. In a small basin Thalia 

 dealbata and a fine Caladiuin were growing. 



"M. Karr has made himself in reality a gar- 

 dener, without however altogether renouncing his 

 literary labors. He has at Nice on the Mes,sina 

 Quay a shop where he sells in retail. Above the 

 shop d(.or is inscribed in large cliaracters the l(,l- 

 lowing sign: 'Alphonse Karr, Gardener.' I 

 wished to visit it, but it was undergoing extensive 

 repairs ju-evious to the season alnnit to coiniiKMice. 

 M. Karr assured me that he procured workmen 

 with great diflicnlry. 



"'In this country,' ?aid he tome, 'the day la- 

 borers are very sober, but also very lazy; they 

 content themselves with three tomatoes a day and 

 three heads of garlic, which they steal in the fields. 

 Why should they work?' 



" We were told that during the previous year M. 

 Karr furnished fruits and vegetables for the table 

 of the Dowager Empress of Russia; that at the 

 end ot the first month they asked him for his hill 

 which amounted to forty francs a day. The Em- 

 press considered tliis dear. M. Karr replied : ' Let 

 that be no bar; I will furnish vegetables gratis to 

 lier Majesty.' We could not learn whether th« 

 Empress accepted the offt-r." 



ToBAOoo IN Ireland,— The question of raising 

 tobacco in Ireland is attracting considerable at- 

 tention. Among the reasons for growing it one 

 of the most prominent is the fact that it will form 

 a rotative crop with the potato. Several experi- 

 ments were made, and it was found that on hmd 

 which produced uniformly diseased tubers, limt 

 after tobacco had been grown there the saine vft- 

 riety of the potato produced healthy tubers. The 

 same experiment was made in several parts of Ire- 

 land and in Wales with the same result. The ex- 

 periments were made by I.kwis Thompson M R 

 0. S., and published ia Newton't Journal of Art* 



