No. 10. 



xVND GARDENER'SJOURNAL 



147 



Let only one of all such upright binncbes tbeielbie 

 remniii; and cut oft' the rest wiibout any regret or 

 ho.iitation, unlc=3 they GbouM be ao flexile na to be 

 bent into the proper position, and kept there by tying. 

 The losa of taking oil' such limbs Irom young vigo- 

 rous trees however, is very small, as the nourishment 

 which these appropriated, is turned into other parts of 

 the tree. t 



Culture of the Hydrangea. 



We have tried to make Hydrurigea liortrnsis, a 

 garden plant as its name implies, but without much 

 success; and we are satisfied that in this climate it 

 properly belongs to the Green House. It is true it 

 will live in the opcu ground without protection, but it 

 loses all its blossom-buds; and even with extraordina- 

 ry care, when these are preserved, the bloom is infe- 

 rior in beauty. It may be kept in the house with far 

 less trouble. 



This shrub should be treated as a native of the 

 marshes with a peaty soil and a liberal supply of water 

 in summer. L'judon says that a large plant will con- 

 sume ten or twelve gallons daily. . 



Its flowers are commonly of a pink or rose color; 

 but it has been found that some soils change them to a 

 fine blue. A yellow loam from Hampstcad llcath in 

 England, has this effect. Some have found that turf 

 ashes, changed their color; and others have succeed- 

 ed with alum water. Robert Buijt of Philadelphia, 

 in his Flower Garden Directory, however, recom- 

 mends the iron sparks (finery cinder) from the black- 

 smith's anvil to be mi.^eJ with the soil in the propor- 

 tion of three pints to the bushel. The flowers will 

 then be " a beautiful blue." t 



Applyiug Fresh Manure. 



RIkssrs. Editors — I am glad to see, in so high an 

 authority as O. T. , an advocate for fresh stable manure, 

 in preference to that which is old and rotten. On a 

 small scale I have so often witnessed the same results 

 that attended his experiments, that I now use fresh 

 Btable manure for the garden in preference to that 

 which has fermented. But from close observation, I 

 am inclined to believe that the gain in the stronger fer- 

 mentation of fresh manure, is only one half the ad- 

 vantage derived from it, particularly on heavy soils. 

 Tha very act of decomposition in the manure light- 

 ens the soil, and lets in oxygen and carbonic acid from 

 the atmosphere; then the successive harro wings or 

 working of the cultivator, while it mixes the manure 

 with the soil, aids the gasses in forming other combi- 

 nations favorable to the proper absorption and distribu- 

 tion of heat and moisture. This last result is also 

 brought about by judicious weeding after the plants 

 are up. 



I onte asked a very practical gardener how he man- 

 aged his manure to keep it from producing weeds. — 

 He replied that weeds were no disadvantage to horti- 

 culture; that as fast as they attained an inch in height, 

 the earth wanted a sulficient stirring to uproot and de- 

 stroy them; that this stirring of the toil, rather than 

 the removal of the weeds, forced the vegetable growth 

 so fast, that most kinds of weeds died in its shade. 



A propos of manures — 1 have manured one bed of 

 sugar beets with hog dung, and another with fresh 

 horse dung, the soil calcareous clay, ameliorated with 

 lime and sand, — both beds received the same atten- 

 tion, the first SHfi"ered more or le^s Irom drought, but 

 the roots grew tolerably well: the second bed held its 

 moisture belter, both roots and tops grew enormously, 

 although planted close (12 inches apart each way) ma- 

 ny of the beets weighed 91bs. each. 



From the above result, I drew the conclusion that 

 the lime in the soil did not affect the a'.able manure 

 unfavorably; while with the more soluble hog manure, 

 *i formed a compound which had less attraction for the 



o.'cygen of the alinosphcre, hence the eulferiug from 

 lack of moisture in the first bed. 



Mons. Puiiis says, "that late German chemists 

 have discovered that lime seizes in the soil the soluble 

 huniic acid, lake,^ it from all other bases, and forms a 

 compound but slightly soluble." Hence it may be 

 inferred that for root crops and Indian corn, lime 

 should be used sparingly, perhaps not at all where the 

 soil is calcareous. But the very fact that lime makes 

 manure less soluble, may be an argument in favor ot 

 using it more libeially on wheat fallows; as wheat not 

 only contains lime in its composition, but it feeds long 

 and daintily in a purely calcareous soil, and thrives 

 not well when the soluble parts of manure are too 

 grossly administered. SENECA, 



The Native Kcd iliulberry. 



Messrs. Editors — I enclose yon two impressions 

 of leaves from a Native Black or Red Mulberry tree 

 growing on the farm of N. Cole, Esq. of this place. 

 Are not these impressions larger than the average oi 

 the leaves ol the Morns muhicaulis, and are not the 

 leaves of this Mulberry as valuable for feeding silk 

 worms as those of the celebrated speculation variety 1 

 Yours, &c. E. C. GREGG. 



Cori-rt, Seneca co. N. Y. 



Remarhs. — The impressions received with the above 

 were, one 9 by 7 inches, and the other 8 by 6 inches ; 

 which may be called about the average size of the 

 leaves of the Morns multicaulis. Silk worms have 

 been fed on the native Mulberry (Moms rubra) with 

 tolerable success ; but it has been found by experi- 

 ments that they will not produce as much, and as 

 good silk as when fed on the leaves of the White Mul- 

 berry, or of the Morus muhicaulis. Thus the quality 

 of the leaves must be taken into the account, as well 

 as the si:c and quantiti/. — Eds. 



Cure for Oxeus' Eyes. 



Messrs. Editors — Six weeks ago an ox of mine 

 received a hurt in one of his eyes; and in two days a 

 white film grew over the eye so that he could not see 

 out of it. I took new milk and bathed the eye, rub- 

 bing it gently for some time; then put a ica-spoonful 

 of goose-oil into the opposite ear of the animal, repea- 

 ting the operation for three successive days. In one 

 week the eye was restored, perfectly clear as the other. 

 This remedy will be found equally effectual on horses' 

 eyes, and appears to me to be far preferable to the tor- 

 turing method of blowing crude and harsh substances 

 into thiadelicate organ, or of applying acrid and caustic 

 washes: and if you think it worthy of a email corner 

 in your valuable paper, you are at liberty to publish it. 

 I hope hereafter to offer something more worthy of 

 your notice. 



Respectfully yours, W. L. 



Holdimnnd, U. C, August, 1840. 



p. s. I received the package of the New Gene- 

 see Farmer, and am much pleased with it. I trust it 

 will soon become better known, and more generally 

 circulated in the Province, as well as on your side of 

 Lake Ontario. I have lent some nitmbers to my 

 neighbors, and will try and send you a good account 

 of them. _W. L. 



For the New Oenesfe Farmer. 

 Killing Canada Thistles. 



Messrs. Editors — It will sometimes be found more 

 convenient to kill Canada Thistles by the application 

 of salt, than by the ordinary method of tearing them 

 up with the plough. A email patch, especially if it be 

 in pasture or meadow, may thus be destroyed without 

 materially injuring the sod. The way is for a man to 

 go over the ground with a hoe, carefully cutting off 

 each plant just below the surface of the ground, and a 

 boy to follow after and put a small dose of salt on the 

 uncovered roots, say one to two lea-spoonfuUs In a root, 



until every plant has been supplied. It is quite proba- 

 ble that a month or two afterwards a few sickly look- 

 ing yellow plants may appear, but if they do, another 

 similar course of treatment will be effectual. 



Any sharp hoe will answer for cutting them ofl", but 

 experience will show that labor can be saved by a littlo 

 difl'erent construction. The hoe should be narrow and 

 a little heavier than common. For instance, something 

 in the shape of a chopping axe, with the handle put in 

 fft right angles with one of the flat aides. It should not 

 however, be as heavy as on axe. The required weight 

 being merely that which is necessary to give foieo 

 enough to the blow to sever the root without difficulty. 

 Such a hoe will be found very convenient for cutting 

 up docks, burdocks, &c, &.c. 



Canada Thistles should be cut up ns soon as they are 

 in flower, and as much sooner as is convenient. Ilcnce 

 the sooner it is done, the better. THISTLE. 



Vcget.-ible Diet. 



There cannot be a doubt that the diet of the Irish ia 

 highly fa\ornble to vivacity and talent. It is slated in 

 the Coilo of Health, that " vet'etable food" hos a hap- 

 py influence on the mind, and tends to preserve n del- 

 icacy of feeling, a liveliness of imaginotion, and an 

 acuteness of judgement, seldom enjoyed by those who 

 live principally upon animal food. The latter is bet- 

 ter calculated for those who labor with the body; but 

 the celebrated Franklin ascertained that a vcgetoble 

 diet promoted clearness of ideas and quickness of 

 thought, and that a transition from vegetable to animal 

 food produces injurious effects. A friend stotes that 

 he has more than once selected from his tenant's chil- 

 dren, a boy remarkable for that Bmarlnes.s of intdli- 

 gence so common in the Irish yoiub,' while in the ca- 

 pacity of errand beys on the tann, or helpers in the 

 stables, and before they became pampered with better 

 fiod than their parents' cabin nffiirded. The lads 

 were at first lively and intelligent, and displayed a de- 

 gree of shrewdness exceeding what is generally met 

 with from youths of a more exalted walk of life in 

 England. But he invariably found that in proportion 

 Rs these boys were better fed, they relaxed in activity, 

 became dull and stupid: and he is confident the change 

 in disposition sprung from theefi'ect of change in diet, 

 and was not owing to corruption of mind from their 

 intercourse with the other servants. In fact ihey lose 

 all that vivacity of manner so inherent in the Ir'ah 

 boys, whether born in the vast bog of Allen, or in the 

 dry and rocky counties of Mayo and Galway. He ia 

 therefore inclined to think that the character of the 

 people does not depend so much upon climate or soil, 

 as upon food, for no part of the globe can differ more 

 than these parts of that kindgdom. 



A potatoc diet is found greatly to improve the quality 

 of the blood. Hence "roasted potatoes" have been 

 successfully employed as a specific against the sea 

 scurvy, when other remedies have fciled. This disco- 

 very was made in France. It is singular that boiled 

 potatoes do not seem to have the same good efiect. — 

 Sir John Sinclair. 



Flowers and Shrubs. 



Why does not every lady who can afford it — and 

 who cannot — have a geranium or some other flower 

 in her window? It is very cheap — its cheapness ia 

 next to nothing if you raise it from seed, or from n 

 slip; and it is a beauty and a companion. It was the 

 remark of Leigh Hunt, that it sweetens the air, re- 

 joices the eye, links you with nature and innocence, 

 and is something to love. And if it cannot love you 

 in return, it cannot hate you; it cannot utter even a 

 hateful thing, even for your neglecting it: for though 

 it is all bcau'.y, it has no vanity; and, such being the 

 case, and living, as it does, purely to do you good, 

 and afford you pleosure, how will you be able to neg- 

 lect it ? We receive, in imagination, the scent of 

 these good natured leaves, which allow you to carry 

 off their perfume on your fingers; for good natured 

 tli'^y are, in that respect above all other plants, and fit- 

 ted for the hospitality of your room. The very feel 

 of the leaf has a household warmth in it — something 

 analagous to clothing and comfort. — .llostoii Trateller, 

 Grai/e Jelly. 



We have examined a specimen of this exqusitc arti- 

 cle. It is made from the Isabella ripe grape, raised 

 nt Croton Vineyards: the object has been to preserve 

 the flavor and virtues of the ripe fruit. In this the 

 preparation has met with the most perfect success. — 

 We recommend the jelly as delicious to the taste, and 

 an excellent beverage to the sick.— lY. Y. Eipress, 



