178 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lines long. More credence is to be placed in those who re. 

 gard the desperado as a mile, but i bey are equally Mistaken 

 in Baying it can conceal itself at. pleasure under the skin of 

 the leaves or other soft parts of the plants; for we have 

 i"d their movements under a glass whim surrounded 

 with tobacco smoke, to which dislike is sometimes shown by 

 wonderful contortions of body and limbs, which may be re- 

 garded as the outward and visible signs of tobacco sickness; 

 but never yet have we seen them show the least disposition 

 or ability to burrow in the leaves for safety. Yet from the 

 fact that tobacco smoke is distasteful to them, it might be 

 inferred that by strong and oft-repeated doses, they might 

 by that means he got rid of, or at least greatly held in 

 check. 



In the absence of positive proof there is some show of rea- 

 son for believing this mite capable of producing the disease 

 in question; for. if a mite, the presumption is it belongs to 

 acaridere— a class of insects, however, low in the scale of 

 being which yet produces great and important results in 

 nature. Some are familiar to us, as they are to be found in 

 old cheese, preserved fruits, sugar and flour. Some live 

 upon juices of plants; others are parasites, and minute 

 species have even been found in the follicels of the' human 

 skin, the brain and the eyes. The harvest bug is another, 

 the bite of which gives much annoyance; and the itch insect, 

 which breeds festering sores; and hay fever is caused by yet 

 another, which sends its victims to the uplands in harvest 

 time in quest of relief from their sufferings. This, and more 

 than all this, goes to show it would be no groat marvel if 

 this mite were yet to be identified as the true and only cause 

 of the disease. But then there are facts which militate 

 against such a conclusion, and which seem perfectly insur- 

 mountable, that is, that ' they are to be found on diseased 

 plants, and also on others not diseased, while in some in- 

 stances they are not present on some of the worst cases. 

 All of which points to the conclusion that at the most they 

 accompany the disease more as a consequence than as the 

 cause thereof. 



In thus dismissing the insect theory as untenable, we are 

 by no means assured of being able to present any other en- 

 tirely satisfactory. That, however, which regards it as the 

 work of a parasitical fungus seems more in accordance with 

 appearances, and in this direction we are introduced to a set 

 of agents whose power to destroy living organisms is un- 

 questioned—agents protean in form, subtle and insidious 

 in their attacks. So true is this that under different circum- 

 stances they assume appearances so very dissimilar as to 

 have deceived the greatest mycologists, and led them to 

 classify and name differently some which are identical as 

 regards speeific characters. In illustration of this we need 

 only refer to the species now known as the cause of potato 

 rust, it having been named fusisporium solana, oidium 

 violacium, and peronospora devastatrix— all of which have 

 been found by recent investigations to be only different forms 

 of the same fungus. And if, as has been lately stated in an- 

 other periodical, the verbena disease is caused by erysiphe 

 vcrbime, we may conclude it to be either a new and distinct 

 species, or one not new, under some other name — only 

 changed by difference of food or other circumstance. This 

 view is countenanced in Loudon's Encyclopedia of Plants, 

 where it is stated— "Most of the productions arranged under 

 the head erysiphe are known as mildew. They are better 

 characterized by the plants on which they grow than by 

 their peculiar differences, which, it is probable, depends 

 very much upon the former circumstance." But appear- 

 ances dn not favor the belief that it is an erysiphe at all; at 

 least we are not aware of it having yet been seen on 

 the verbena in the mildew state, which is the highest stage 

 of development. The visible effects look more like the work 

 of a fungus, which seldom shows itself on the outside of the 

 leaves, and only indicates its presence by the curled and 

 rusty appearonoe of those organs. This seems also in per- 

 fect accord with views held by some modern mycologists, 

 who recognize several stages of development in fungus 

 growth, in the first stages of which a given species might re- 

 main indefinitely before passing into the highest or mildew 

 stale. And in the first microccus or single-cell stage, at 

 which the boundary of vegetable life is reached, the organ- 

 isms have the power of most rapid increase by cell division, 

 and from the extreme minuteness of these bodies, they can, 

 if either in the atmosphere or in the soil, readily enter the 

 vegetable system, there to inoroaae rapidly or otherwise, as 

 circumstances determine. 



Now, without laying claim to any clear perception of this 

 perplexing question, we advance the opinion that the dis- 

 ease is caused by fungus growth somewhat in the way as 

 herein indicated, and if ever developed on the verbena be- 

 yond the microccus or cryptoccus states, greater magnifying 

 power must be called into requisition to detect it than I have 

 yet been able to command— unless the spheroidal bodies 

 Which surmount the hairs, and the rusty specks which dot 

 the cuticle of diseased plants, may be regarded in this light. 

 But in the absence of positive proof that this is the case, 

 there is much to warrant the belief that the mischief is due. 

 to such an agent entering the cellular tissues of the plant, 

 in disrupting the cell walls and living upon their contents, 

 and at the same time polluting the very fountain and streams 

 of life. 



»■» 



—In St. Augustine, Florida, they have a large laboratory 

 for the manufacture of wine made from bitter oranges. 



The entrails of sheep are being utilized in California, 

 where they are manufactured into ropes for hoisting ap- 

 paratus in mines, etc. 



— Michael Angela, the sublimest name in art, was wont to say that 

 tho iiath was tbo cradle which fostered his grandest conceptions. Of 

 oonrio he knew nothing abont that rluf iCauvri., 3. T, Babbitt's Toilet 

 Soap, or else he would have had a word or two to Bay about this indis- 

 PMiMble adjunct.— Aiv. 



THE HERB GARDEN. 



"O EED time eonieth" says on advertisement in last num- 



>J ber, and it, means hard work and plenty of it in the 

 garden, for how much is there not to be done in the first 

 month of spring ? Winter with his icy hand prevents any work 

 being accomplished till gentle spring unlocks his lingers and 

 bids the snowdrop and the crocus tell us that his reign is 

 o'er, and that soon our gardens and woods will bo gladdened 

 by the early flowers and sweet songsters. We are apt in the 

 hurry of planting and sowing to forget all about the growth 

 of sweet or pot herbs till too late to be of much service, and 

 even if a few are planted or sown, they are generally placed 

 in out-of-the-way corners, and time and patience are ex- 

 hausted in looking them up when required. Quite a useful 

 feature might be made in every garden, however small, of 

 the herbs, if they were only brought together and arranged 

 in order. Probably the best disposition for their culture is 

 in beds from two to four feet wide, with paths between. 

 Of course in small gardens one entire bed will not be 

 needed for any herb, but several kinds can be grown to- 

 gether, such as common and lemon thyme, pennyroyal, and 

 marjoram in one; fennel, sage, and tarragon in another, 

 and so on. Mint should have a bed for itself, as mint-fiauce 

 is always in demand; chervil, again, is much wanted by 

 some for salads, dill for flavoring ruckles, horehound for 

 sore throats, tansy for tea (not that nnybody ever drinks it) ; 

 chamomile for face ache and stomach ailments; rue for the 

 gapes in poultry, and many other curious herbs that the 

 cultivator may fancy. A bed should be reserved for angelica, 

 as also for borage, an excellent bee. plant, as well as for 

 flavoring claret sangaree in hot weather. Again, the herb 

 garden is just the place for the orderly and systematic culti- 

 vation of all small salading, such as mustard and cress ; a 

 constant succession of young onions, a bed or edging of 

 chives, and the growth of radishes, lettuces, endive, etc., 

 throughout the season. Finally, several beds should be set 

 aside for the cultivation of parsley — a plant sadly neglected 

 in small gardens, Let it have rich, deep soil, use only a 

 good curled sort. Sow thinly, and thin out to a foot apart, 

 and the vigor, strength, and beauty of result will astonish 

 those who havo to make small, often dirty leaves do duty in- 

 stead for flavoring or garnishing. If the garden is too 

 small to devote one or more beds to parsley, the whole herb 

 garden might be fringed round with it, and the plants them- 

 selves be garnished with its beauty. No portion of any 

 garden, large or small, not even excluding that wholly de- 

 voted to flowers, will afford more pleasure or be of more 

 service than a herb garden, well furnished and kept. 

 •••+■ 



The Fruit Trade. — We find in a recent issue of The 

 Grocer some very interesting statistics regarding the fruit 

 trade of this port. We derive our supplies from the British 

 East and West Indies, France, and the French West Indies, 

 Austria, Italy, Spain, Cuba, Porto Bico, Central America, 

 Brazil, Hayti, Mexico, San Domingo, Columbia, and Vene- 

 zuela. The Mediterranean trade shows a slight increase for 

 1876 over the previous year, while statistics of the West 

 Indies trade, shows a large decroase both in amount and 

 value. Perhaps the increased attention paid to fruit culture 

 in the South may have something to do with this. The 

 value of the green fruit entered for consumption at the port 

 of New York, from January 1, 187G, to December 31, 1876, 

 is as follows: 



Variety of fruit. Per cent. duty. Value. Amt. of duty. 



Lemons 20 $1,202,614 $240,502.80 



Oranges 20 998.860 189,778.06 



Grapes... 20 126.088 25.210.60 



Pineapples... 30 141,907 28,393.40 



Bananas 10 403,733 40,373.30 



Limes, MautainB, drape Pruit, 



Mangoes, Shaddoot, Melons. . 10 2,364 236,10 

 Cocoanuts Free. 186,112 



Total J3.061.603 $634,488.50 



A comparison of the value of green fruit imported in 1876 

 with that of 1875 shows a decrease in value of $394,158, and 

 of duty, $85,583.80. 



■»■ — 



NOTES ON ORANGE CULTURE. 



Mandarin, Florida; April 14. 1877. 



I SUPPOSE that one-half the young orange trees set out in 

 Florida never live to fulfill the expectations of their own- 

 ers. It seems indispensable to success, in nosing a grove, 

 that there should be some one to care for the trees from the 

 start, watering them frequently when transplanted, and if 

 they are on high land, refreshing them in this way during 

 the dry season for a year or two, until the top root has time 

 to go deep in the ground and supply the tree itself. Then 

 the weeds and grass are to be kept down; insect™ and disease 

 to be guarded against, and there is no spare time; every day 

 can be profitably employed, and the perceptible improve- 

 ment in the grove will repay the care. 



Under such circumstances not more than five per cent, of 

 the young trees should be lost. If you are fortunate vni 

 will save all, but it will indeed bo good fortune, for the trees 

 being more or less mutilated in digging up, and often trans- 

 ported long distanees, to lose a few seems almost inevitable. 

 It is best, when possible, to obtain the trees from some 

 nursery near at hand. Take them up, dirt and all, and set 

 them out, and if this is done with care early in the Florida 

 spring, say in February, and the watering' attended to, the 

 tree will never know it has been moved. 



The great loss among young orange trees is with those 

 who come to Florida to speculate in a loose way in the enter- 

 prise. They buy land, order trees here and there, employ rude 

 hands to set them out and then go North, when ti Bather 

 grows warm, leaving their grove to take care of itself, or, what 



amounts to the same thing, hiring 



to look after it, While they mentally figure up' pr 



speoth 



profits which they will never get, 



Lei me cite an instance of this kind; Tho man employed 

 to took alter the grove was a carpenter in the habit of job- 

 bing out. I will suppose he meant to do right by his em- 

 ployer, bftl l,i couldn't let hammer and nails alone, and 

 sawing was his second nature. He attended to 

 after a fashion, but it turned out to be a poor h. 



they alt died. There was regret on his side and indignation 

 on his employer's. Under the conditions thus described, 

 hundreds of young orange trees annually die, and the money 

 paid for them and for the labor of transplanting is as good as 

 thrown away. Look at it for a moment. The soil m this 

 State is light, porrus and sandy — not like the heavy land 

 North. It takes but a little hot, weather to rob it of its 

 moisture, and a long drouth will turn it into a second 

 Sahara, Fortunately long drouths are of rare occurrence; 

 but what is a young, tender, transplanted tree going to do 

 even for a few days, in soil not to the depth of your hand or 

 more. Its roots are torn, it has borne transportation, and 

 no longer shaded by its nursery companions it stands in the 

 dry sand in its appointed place with more room than it wants, 

 for all it wants is room to die. 



Setting out orange trees is generally done in February, 

 when the new growth begins to put forth, the weather being 

 moderately warm, with now and then a cool spell. It is the 

 busy month of the year for this work whose hurry and rush 

 are all over by the "middle of March. Now and then you 

 meet a man who takes the summer or any part of the year 

 for this task, but he is an exception, and his ways nndoul it- 

 edly more risky than other people's, notwithstanding he has 

 always a flourishing tree handy to point to as an example of 

 his remarkable course. C. D. D. 



Warner, N. H., April 16, 1877. 

 Editor Forest and Stream. 



1 often think of the geniality of a warmer olime, when 

 reading in your paper about tho early migration of birds in 

 places further South, "and long to be there." I do not 

 grudge the pleasure of those more favored, but would gladly 

 shaTe it with all if I could. 



Here, the first blue bird I saw was on March 21st; robins 

 a few days later; then song sparrows; and from the first to 

 the 8th of April, blackbirds, rusty grecklc, cow birds, grass 

 finches, chipping sparrows; and then a few hermit thrushes, 

 pheobe birds, and I think I heard the chatter of a king- 

 fisher; and hope soon to hear the merry carol of many a 

 beautiful warbler, one of the loves (for they have many) of 

 every true naturalist. 



The spring is earlier than usual with us, yet our returned 

 friends must find some cold nights, as the snow banks lie 

 thick and heavy in many a shady nook; but they are going, 

 and more than in many cases, we love to say good by. Frogs 

 have been heard about a week. Taking all these signs to- 

 gether, we think spring has arrived. 

 Welcome sweet Spring, 

 Thou herald of pleasure. 

 Who brlngest the iweet breezes 

 Without, stint or measure; 

 Fold iih In thy lave arms, 



A wealth of gold ; 

 And lure us still onward 

 To joys untold. 



M. C. H. 



Tomatoes, Wasps, etc. — Some say that tomatoes pre- 

 vent wasps from entering fruit-houses', and a correspondent 

 of Moore's R»rnl says: "Set a tomato plant into each hill of 

 cucumbers, melons and squashes, and you will have no 

 trouble from the striped bugs that, are so destructive to these 

 plants. The plants can be tied to stakes, and if well pruned 

 when large, both subjects can proceed with their fruiting 

 without detriment to one another." 



Different Degrees of Fbagraxce in Hyacinths.— Until 

 this winter 1 was under the impression that all hyacinths 

 were equally sweet-scented. My attention being drawn to 

 the subject, I find the greatest difference among all the 

 colors; and as we only grow them for their perfume, and 

 never trouble with the names, I would be very glad if any of 

 your correspondents who have noticed this peculiarity in 

 hyacinths would give me a dozen names of each of the three 

 colors— red, white and blue— among sweet-scented singles. 

 For those who are overpowered by the smell of hyacinths, it 

 may bean advantage to know the names of those kinds that 

 are" devoid of the. true hyacinth perfume. In a pot of three 

 reds before me, whilst two pinks are scentless, the perfume 

 of a third, a rose-colored kind, is delicious, the spikes of all 

 being in perfection. F. •!. 



Fees Civen to Jockeys. -The tees earned by a successful 

 jockey, speaking roundly, form the least portion of his in- 

 come,' as the presents g'iven him by owners of horses and 

 numerous "admirers," in the shape of betters, who have 

 backed his mounts, arc frequent and valuable. Cold 

 watches, diamond rings, and breast-pins set with rubies; 

 riding horses, dog-carts, and yachts; as well as suits of 

 clothes, new batB, boxes of cigars, and cases of champagne, 

 are frequently bestowed on jockeys who win important 

 races. A noted professional horseman of ten years ago re- 

 ceived in two seasons as manv boxes of cigars as would have 

 stocked a modest shop. The'same lad was also presented in 

 the course of his career— which, although of short duration. 

 was exceedingly suCceBBful— with eleven gold watches (he 

 always used a silver .me) nnd seven finger-rings set with 

 diamonds, as well as with other valuable jewels. Monej 

 gifts to successful jockeys are now, however, the order of the 

 day, and that such' gifts are often of great magnitude tbtsTe is- 

 abundant evidence, to show. It is well-known, for instance, 

 in turf circles that the jockey who rode Roseberv (the chief 

 jockey), the winner of the. last Cesarewitch at Newmarket, 

 was presented by the owner of the horse with a check for 

 .£1,000; a similar' sum being given to the jockey who rodo 

 tho winner of the Cambridgeshire, which race was also won 

 by Bosebery. Such sums, large as they undoubtedly are, 

 extravagant as they may indeed appear in the eye 

 racing people, have been more than once bestowed for work 

 well done on the race-ccraise. Bo Jar back as the year 1821 

 Benjamin Smith was presented with a testimonial of nearly 

 one thousand pounds, subscribed for by a number of per- 

 sons, on the occasion of Mb admirable riding of Jerry in the 

 great St. Leger stake,-: at D oni :1 i Ten. years ago the jockey 

 who rode the winner of the sensational Derbv of that period 

 was presented by the owner of Hermit, the winning horse, 

 with a sum of a, nun. Another gentleman gave him what in 

 racing parlance is called a "monkey," which is £690; while a 

 present of £100 was bestowed by a third person, Numerous 

 offerings of lesser value, as also some gilts of jewelry, were 

 lit to the hero of then ad to have 



netted over £4,000 by his exertions ou that one occasion, 

 which is about double the sum paid to sir Walter Scott for 

 writing his celebrated poem of the "Lady of the Lake." — 

 Temple' Bar. 



