FOREST AND STREAM. 



381 



Woodland, Jgaiw mid §iirdm . 



A Small HABDY Fernery. —There are few count! 



as, w lierc the lover of tliegraceful and beautiful 

 tot rind a nook or spare corner for 01 

 bscjub, hardy fernery. Often, if there is do better place, 

 id between them and the bound- 

 □ can be had, a shady 

 n i of the grounds, ■will be found the most 

 I i-U as best fitted for 'lie purpose. The main 

 point is, that in this tiny vale, a good effect may be produced 

 ■ of atones and rock work gen- 

 erally thought neceasary to the cultivation of ferns, 

 banks of impossible rock are by no means necessary, on the 

 thrive so well on such structures, as in 

 place as is here mentioned. They are indeed perfectly 

 at home on lowish banks, it the soil be suitable, and there are 

 . i to keep the soil moist when 

 needful. A more picturesque effect i? secured by a few wcll- 

 chosen, half-1 iffl i-chosen 



, i mes that are so frequently used. Indeed, if the choice 

 the common style of rocky fernery manufactured 

 i, and the level ground, it is much better to choose, the 

 latter. Judicious planting will conceal many defects, anda 

 few boulders cropping out, with here and there an old tree- 

 root or stump will give the tasteful planter all the variety 

 needful. Those of larger growth, asosnmndas, struthiopleris 

 gpidiums, will form the back ground, crown the knolls, 

 or form the prominent plants at the corners, while the more 

 i growers will find their proper location, here shaded by 

 one of larger growth, or these more exposed to the li_ 

 air, as their characteristics require. In the hardy fernery it is 

 to plant ferns alone, as if they only en- 

 joyed such a position. There are many of our lovely native 

 plants that are wood-haunters and shade-lovers as -well as 

 terns, and b\ planting these among them a much more inter- 

 result and a much higher beauty are produced than if 

 ferns alone are planted. Such noble . - podium 



and triUium. grandiflorum thrive better 

 in the moist free soil and the partial shade suited for fems 

 thtm in open borders. Smilaciua raeemosa, Solomon's seal, all 

 our native violets, saxifrages, and anemones, lily of the 

 the lovely pyrolas, and partridge berry, " the bluets " iHous- 

 tonia), orchis speetabile, and many others of the same family, 

 the beautiful spring beauty (Olaytonia) and in fact any of our 

 chaste and lovely spring flowers will associate beautifully with 

 ems and lend a high degree of interest at all seasons to this 



miniature garden. 



. .».^. 



RiivxcosPEHMrM Jasminoides.— The profuse flowering 

 habit of this plant, the handsome foliage and pretty white 

 tlowers, render it, still one of the best of greenhouse climbers, 

 , ii be grmvn in bush form With if a few 



■ ii- B wire frame to support i! . Ii is one of those plants 

 from which quantities of tlowers may be cut, and their ap- 

 pearance is wonderfully chaste and elegant in any arrange- 

 ment of cut flowers. They are borne in trusses, are pure 

 white, and agreeably perfumed — something like the lilac. It 

 is easily propagated, and when rooted grows freely, flowering 

 immediately. It is best planted out when employed as a 

 climber, and soon covers a large space, but being subject to 

 thrip, the hose or syringe must never be. neglected during the 

 Summer months. Teat and loam in equal proportions mixed 

 with some well rotted manure and sand, make a good compost 

 for it, and, whether planted out or grown in pots, it must 

 have good drains 



BOOT is \ Manure.— To strong growing greenhouse 

 iueh as pelargoniums, fuchsias, roses, carnations, 

 eiysuntfiemums, azaleas, solanums, and many oil 

 a valuable and eai stimulant. A handful of it 



tied in a bag and stirred in a three gallon can of vs.. 

 marvelous effect on all the plants just named, and on many 

 others beside. It induces vigorous growth, and adds freshness 

 nice to both leaf and flower. It is better to use it 

 in small quantities and often, rather than charge 1 1 

 with more carbon than the plants can readily assimilate. For 

 u. :■.., especially if grown in small pots, 



mixture with fresh manure from the cow-shed is desirable, 

 but this mixture should be allowed to settle before using, 

 otherwise the grassy particles w'ill remain on the surface of 

 i them an unsigbl 

 which all healthy roots require. 



Lick on Cattle. — blow am I to rid my herd— of thirty-five 



cows and young cattle— of lice, the lice having been introduced 



by purchasing stock a year ago this winter? The cattle that 



arc in the best flesh seem to have few or none, but those that 



a tlui lick -I rub themselves, so that the hair comes off in 



, u ' snimal ; ei 



1 sing where he knew them free from 



lice. This 



mostly from Wesd aandCai da iws, ai I among my neigh- 

 bor's cattle, 1 And lice the rule rather than the i . ptiqji 

 ling oil meal through the winter have a tendency to 

 rid them of lice, or is warm weather the best time to make an 

 outward application? B. [Washing in tobacco water or ar- 

 ater two or three times will destroy the pa 



tiimal all over,' wherever the hair 

 fcro; the lice. Any oil will 

 liei i is usually used. An animal i 

 if exposed to cold winds. The Oil kills the BggB as 

 well as the 



VALUE OF GRASS. 



Fern Bank, June 27, 1877. 

 Bdmob Forest and BtBhAm: 



In company the other day with a shrewd, practical farmer, 

 a tenant here on 3Ir. Short's beautiful manor of Fern Bank, 

 ution turned upon the comparative profit of grow- 

 tor pastime, and hay, and the cultivation of grain, 

 corn and other crops requiring more labor in their production. 

 Old Wyate, the farmer alluded to, mentioned that on one oc- 

 casion he lost, by the villainous act of an incendie 

 barn in which he had stored his winter supply of hay. and 

 that to carry his stock through until spring he was compelled 

 to purchase hay at S40 per ton I Such a price for hay, in the 

 fertile and exuberant West, somewhat startled me, and on 

 my return to the house I consulted some old files of the 

 Amfrica.il Wanner and the Journal of Agriculture, and there 

 found that good, prime timothy hay had averaged twenty 

 dollars per ton for the last forty years ! I have been both a 

 cotton and a tobacco planter, and I am satisfied that, with the 

 present scarcity or lugh price of labor, hay as a staple crop on 

 land yielding two" tons to the acre, is more profitable 

 than any other cultivation. A timothy sward, properly man- 

 is, held sacred from the hoofs of grazing animals. 

 mowed before the formation of the seed, and annually top- 

 ■ the weaker spots, becomes almost perennial, and 

 wiil last in full productiveness for many years: and with the 

 aid of the mower, the tedder, the horse-rake and the hoister, 

 the cost of hay making is reduced to a minimum. 



But there are other methods of using grass, which in cer- 

 tain sections of the country, and more particularly in the 

 South, will befound more profitable than any species of cultiva- 

 tion, and that is for grazing or pasture. The Southern people 

 are beginning to recognize that the revolution which has 

 swept over them has been agricultural as well as political, and 

 the more enlightened of them are anxious to adapt themselves 

 to the change by selling off a portion of their lands to enable 

 themselves to cultivate the remainder: but for lack of pur- 



tasers I hey are compelled to bear the burden of vast estates, 

 which, though unproductive to the owner, are 

 tribute to the tax gatherer. Under such circumstances, what 

 is best to be done ? Wool growing and sulphate of lime 

 (plaster) I fancy will solve the problem, for I have faith in 

 the Spanish proverb that "The foot of the sheep turns the 

 land to gold :'' and I know that away from the influences of 

 the sea air, plaster of Paris i gypsum) liberally applied will 

 cover almost any soil with verdure. 



There are millions of acres in a half-exhausted condition, 

 extending from the Potomac to Georgia, which may be reno- 

 vated and restored to productiveness simply by grazing them 

 with sheep, and the annual application of a bushel of gypsum 

 to the acre. There is.no known process of agriculture which 

 will so cheaply and so thoroughly cleanse a "worn-out sedgy 

 and briary old field as the teeth of a flock of sheep, and 

 there is no top-dressing so cheap and portable, and of such 

 easy application as gypsum at the rate of a bushel to the acre. 



Sheep are browsers, and will eat the young shoots of briars 

 anil other growths inimical to pasture lands which cattle 

 would disdain. When not feeding, sheep will lie upon the 

 knolls and higher points of the field where the soil is thinnest, 

 and. unlike cattle, sheep scatter their droppings evenly over 

 the land, and finally,should a sheep die, his pelt will remuner- 

 ate the owner for ins keep. There is truth in the proverb 

 that, "A sheep never dies in debt to his owner." 



It may be objected that dogs and vagTant negroes will ren- 

 der wool growing in the Southern States au impossibility. 

 Xhil i ' ' . be true, if sheep are turned loose to shift, for them- 

 selves, as has been the custom in those States from time im- 

 memorial: but why should sheep not be looked after as vigilant- 

 ly as any other stock ? Mr. Bradford, of Culpepper Co., Vir- 

 ginia, has been growing merino wool for upward of thirty 

 years: and, what is more, by folding his sheep at night on the 

 fields intended for wheat, ha makes the best crops of that 

 grain in his county : he never loses any of his, either by four 

 or two leggedrogues, because, unlike old Nat Macon . ,i North 

 Carolina, "who stated in Congress that he would go out of his 

 way at any time to kill a sheep, Mr. Bradford holds the sheep 

 . i the most valuable of our domesticated animals, 

 and takes care of him accordingly. The multitude of curs is 

 certainly the greatest impediment to sheep grazing in the 

 South. The poorer a man is (certainly where I have'lived on 

 the Blue Ridge in Virginia), the greater bis retinue of curs ; 

 but all these mongrels might be taxed out of existence, if we 

 could send to theLcgislature men who would ca re more for the 

 commonwealth than for votes. But while vagrant curs are de- 

 structive, sheepdogs are also their guardians and protectors, 

 both frwn man and beast. We have seen docks of thousands 

 on the Pyrenean Mountains in Spain effectually 

 from the depredations of the large gray wolves 

 and the bears, which are quite, common in that region: and 

 even a man who would approach sine of t hese flocks, unaccom- 

 panied by the shepherd would be in danger of his fife. 



in New Mexico, abounding in coyotes, wolves and other de- 

 structive carnitora. large' flocks are thoroughly protected by 

 Ihedogs even when the shepherd is absentia] several days, 



p ' i ear sheep in the South should have 

 rs.s ur-, e SO the Mexican method : if they cannot procure the 

 shepherd dog intry, geta young puppy of any 



powerful ana courageous breed, and before be is nine days 

 old give him a ewo for a wet, nurse. By confining her the 

 pressure upon the udder will soon compel her to adopt the 

 •r and the pair will soon become attached to each 

 other. The dog should grow up with the sheep and know no 

 other kindred* or associates. Feed him well every night at 

 the place where you wish the sheep sill he sure 



to bring them there. This training has made the Mexican shep- 

 herd dog what be is, audi don't see why it should not succeed 

 with any other breed. F. G, S. 



| We are glad that Col. Skinner has taken up this subject of 

 wool growing at the south. Luder a well conducted combi- 

 nation of capitalists, the mountains of the Blue Ridge might 

 be made far more remunerative to the inhabitants than illicit 

 distillation of whisky, which is almost the sole industry 

 there. — Ed.] 



Ttu; Vjmli.h Chocolates of Walter Buker a Co., Boston, are coa- 



li i ; 'i s, .... p i. tiavo been a eeJim 



world, ami tin'.' »0tl1 I upmjietitora in thu 



Mb! ' 01 Louden, Paris,, Yieuiia, etc. Sold by posers evwywlwro,— 



POISON IVY. 



jRBBe* City Heiouts, July 5, 1877. 

 Euitob Forest AND Stbeam : 



1 was much pleased with the letter in your issue of the 88tii 

 ult. from J. B. Ames. lie rives a valuable receipt for poison 

 ivy : we want more of just such articles on woodcraft from 

 m. Now I would ask through your 

 colunuis fur a -.. i the poison of acertaii 



commonly ceiled the ttlack Alitor. I have been considerable 

 of a ranger in the woods in different sections for thirty -five 

 years, five of which as a surveyor and trapper, principally in 

 the northern wilds of Wisconsin, and have never been affected 

 by these is, or vines: but 1 have a boy who is 



East showing himself to be. a chip of the old block in his love 

 tor nature and "nature's wood-notes wild." But Ids epi- 

 dermis is far 'ii itly consti ated from that of his 

 he eafl hardly go wiihiu smelling distance of this 

 Liaer -without coi ace the color of 



Ql Brand his head like a locomotive reflector. It 

 drives t he poor boy we I and his sufferings are 



excruciating. By the prompt and repeated application of car- 

 bolic acid wash the pain is alleviated after fatty-eight hours— 

 i. c, twq nights— of agony. Is there not 'some antidote 

 known among our sportsmen more potent— that will act more 

 effectually, that is, kill the poison sooner? If there is, in the 

 name of humanity and the pleadings of a sportsman's s'leepless 

 WlTe, lei us have it. Mr. Ames says he uses the wash of 

 Block Spotted Alder" as s,i i . ivy> j 3 thftt 



imiiaable alder 1 have reference tol wonder? and is it 

 on the principle of the homcepathic system, -'Simitia *■;,„ 

 omtnterr Will a decoction . ivy prove bene- 



ficial to the victim of the alder? Who knows ? 



Jacokstaff. 

 [We trust the above may bring forth some suggestions from 

 our readers. It is unlikely that poison ivy is an autiii 

 Black Alder, as the vice versa rule is seldom applicable in such 

 cases. The great trouble is, that those who are susceptible to 

 the ill effects of these poisons usually possess other idiosyn- 

 crasies which allow a remedy to act only in individual cases. 

 A lotion made with wine of opium and sugar of lead— one- 

 half ounce of the former and one drachm of the latter to pint 

 of water— often affords speedy relief. Another excellent for- 

 mula is an ointment composed of equal parts, by weight, of 

 camphor, gum, spermaceti, salad oil, and white wax-. A third 

 is made by adding fifteen grains of dry powdered white lead, 

 ten grains of powdered willow charcoal, one scruple of mer- 

 curial chalk, and 3 drachms of solid extract of conium to an 

 is;, and a half of lard, making an ointment. Again, a chlo- 

 roform and borax lotion is effectual.— En.] 

 , — .♦, — . 



The Exioetatiox of Beep.— Who first conceived the idea 

 of shipping beef to Europe ? The business is now large and 

 profitable. A valued correspondent, Edward C. Dawson, of 



New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, writes to us to say ; 



"Fourteen years ago when the cattle plague was had in Eng- 

 land, and when the Great Eastern failed in her scheme for the 

 Pans Exhibition, I wrote to her captain, now Sir James 

 Anderson, suggesting carrying cattle from America. As she 

 was then just going again to try lo lav tee telegraph cable he 

 wrote, '■ Should she tail the directors will consider your plan " 

 As she succeeded, my cattle scheme lav dormant twelve 

 years, but still I claim I was the first to ever think such a pro- 

 ject would ever be carried out. The Great Eastern is I be- 

 lieve, fitting out for this trade now." 



X 



Oim Forests ahd Streams. —J. I. P., writing from Twin 

 Lakes. Conn., remarks : " That the streams are very low, and 

 unless something is done to hold back the snows of v. 

 rains ot spring, not only fish but factories will be ' played 

 out.' Instead of draining our swamps, as we are now doing, 

 in our greed for dry land— of which we have too much— let. 

 them be flooded as reservoirs, as in the beaver-darn days, thus 

 drowning out acres of hardback and swamp grass, and give us 



once more full si real I Ssh food as in the early days 



Ik has begun the good work in Litchfield County by 



UO 'drng Wo id Op i :— a swamp t>l hundreds of acres— and is 



rewaraeapy unlimited pickerel along the Blackberry that 



grow tat in its placid waters and along whose shores shoals 



- : shelter in the rich black 



great Agawan pond 

 swamp, winch semis malarious vapors on every wind that 

 blow s, and thus secure what she so much needs, a beautiful 

 lake, an immense water power for all the lower Housatonle 

 region, and a place where trout may breed, yachts sail, and 

 old " Monument Mountain " see himself as others 

 in water colors as no mortal can paint him. 



A Goose Fight With a Bull.— A heavy-throated bull 

 near this village, noted for his fierceness, accidentally stepped 

 on one of a brood of goslings recently which a stately gander 

 was holding watch ami guard over with great solicitude. 

 Straightway the gander attacked the bull, and seizing him by 

 the tail with his beak, his wings lashed the animal's flanks 

 with the greatest fury. In vain the bull wheeled about to 

 reach his antagonist : the gander wheeled with him all the 

 while retaining his hold upon the bull's tail, and sh ly 

 blows with his powerful wings with telling effect up. 

 bull's legs, until he fairly roarei id terror, it 



lust the gander, apparently thinking i t v had 



Bufflctenl punishment, let go his hold, and the bull took to his 

 heals with the liveliest, speed, only stopping when he reached 

 the farther corner of the field.— Middlitown (X. Y.) Argus. 



—A wood cutter near Frederickton Junction, Canada', 

 was recently devoured by a bear ; the only traces foun< I 

 unfortunate man were his boots with parts of the legs and 

 on of hishead. 



—-m— • 



OAiiimrouEi-onT. Mas?., ju 

 Please stop uiv advertisement uuttl 1 eau get a Junk man to carry off 

 some -j! the letters I have received in answer to it, will have It pat 

 iu again if 1 do mil dispose of tbe gun to some as ttieai; bar most of 

 thorn want a euu lor u cent. Yours truly, W/ia, s,a. 



