Notes and Gleanings. 291 



have heard it said that he was a brave man who ate the first red pepper ; and I 

 think he was indeed such, if the fruit was of the size of tlie Capsicum grossum. 



The true Naomi Raspberry : what and where is it, and which is it ? — for it 

 seems that there are two Naomis. Time alone can answer this question ; but I 

 venture \.\\ii guess that it will show the smaller variety to be the Naomi, and the 

 larger to be the Franconia. 



Mr. Beadle gives an excellent account of the Philadelphia Raspberry. I 

 have sometimes doubted the existence of such a thing as a perfectly hardy rasp- 

 berry ; but perhaps they have snow enough at Ontario to cover up their rasp- 

 berries completely, and then any thing will be hardy. Of good size, wonderfully 

 productive, stands the drought, grows vigorously, and is perfectly hardy, — that 

 is the raspberry to grow for the market ; but for home-use commend me to the 

 Knevett's Giant, with a few Brinckle's Orange, by way of variety. They are 

 worth the extra trouble of covering. 



A remark in one of Mr. Cabot"s interesting letters, to the effect that cultivat- 

 ors in Europe possess an advantage over those of the eastern parts of the 

 United States in their comparative freedom from noxious insects, has somewhat 

 interested me. Why should it be so ? Is it to be attributed to climate .'' or are 

 birds more numerous and serviceable there than with us ? As we extend the 

 cultivation of fruit in this country, the means of subsistence are multiplied for 

 birds and insects, and both appear to be steadily increasing ; the latter, how- 

 ever, generally receiving the lion's share. Which will be victorious in this 

 common struggle, the future must determine. Binnarck. 



Mushroom-Culture. — I take the present opportunity to thank you for 

 the advice you gave me on the growing of mushrooms. I made my first bed 

 with the material I named in my note, — chiefly the long litter from the stable, 

 — which I had thrown into a heap to ferment itself dry, with a coating of an inch 

 and a half or two inches of droppings on the surface. I spawned the bed when 

 at about seventy-four degrees, and earthed it at the same time with about two 

 inches of light turfy soil. The result is, that I have now, in about seven weeks 

 after spawning, as fine a bed of mushrooms as any one could wish to see. I 

 have since made two more beds entirely of droppings, with a little of the short 

 litter. The one has been spawned about three weeks, and the other has had the 

 last coat of droppings put on to-day ; but, if these turn out as well as the first, 

 I shall be quite satisfied. 



I write this for the encouragement of a correspondent, who, a few weeks back, 

 was asking for information on this subject, and stated that "he had read all that 

 had been written in our Journal, and had tried several times, but never had 

 any mushrooms." 1 may state, that I am quite a novice in the affair myself, 

 never having made a mushroom-bed in my life before ; neither had I ever seen 

 one made : but I worked as nearly as possible according to the directions you 

 gave me, and by what I had read from time to time in our Journal; and I 

 think, if your correspondent will do similarly, he will soon have plenty of mush- 

 rooms. — English Journal of Horticulture. 



