216 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



tire winter. But after all, probably the plants best suited 

 for bouse decoration, are those grown for their foliage 

 alone. There is so much diversity of shape and coloring 

 among them, and they stand the dry air and sudden changes 

 of temperature so well, that they are really better suited 

 for such purposes than the generality of flowering plants. 

 Many of the more hardy palms, such as Latania Borbonica 

 Corypha, of sorts chamsedorea, areca lutesceus, and rubra, 

 Phoenix, Seaforthea, &c. The screw pine, Pandanus utile, 

 The rubber tree, Ficus elastica, aralia sieboldii, aspidistra, 

 the various dracaenas and many others are well suited for 

 grouping in windows, adding a grace and beauty that flow- 

 ering plants alone cannot give, while many of the more 

 hardy ferns, the various varieties of Pteris, Nephrolepis, 

 Onychium, Platyloma, Aspidium, with some of the more 

 tender adiantums, Gymnogrammas, and Selaginellas, are 

 indispensable to fill up below the higher plants and give a 

 truly exotic- appearance to the whole group. 



A word now as to temperature. Most of our plants are 

 injured by too much heat. For a general collection of 

 house plants, it is not desirable to allow the thermometer 

 to get above 70°, and if they could be kept in a room 

 where the temperature did not get over 65°, so.much the 

 better. In the night time 50° degrees is high enough. 

 Give a little fresh air every fine day and all the sunlight 

 attainable. Cleanliness is just as necessary to plants as an- 

 imals, therefore sponge off the leaves occasionally with 

 clean luke warm water, and syringe them overhead, especial- 

 ly on clear mornings. A little moisture in the air of a room 

 is pleasant and healthy, for the family, as well as for the 

 plants, but if they have to remain in over-heated, ill ven- 

 tilated, and dusty rooms, they will soon droop and eventu- 

 ally die. Cleanliness, fresh air, moderate heat, and a moist 

 atmosphere, sum up the requirements necessary to have 

 healthy vigorous plants. W . J. D. 



SWINE IN FLORIDA. 



THE Florida hog seems to be of less domestic impoit- 

 ance than his fellows in the north. He UMittlb 

 cared for, and being left to his own devices assumes an in- 

 dependent and self-reliant character. In New England the 

 pig is the most important animal on the farm; he furnishes 

 the largest part ot the family meat, and his death is at- 

 tended with many ceremonials. In the west the hog is 

 still more important, for, representing so many square rods 

 of corn crop turned into pork for convenience of trans- 

 port to market, he often furnishes most of the cash pro- 

 duct of the farm. But in Florida he lives a wild and in- 

 dependent life in the woods, and knows nothing of his 

 owner, whom he perhaps never sees in life or benefits in 

 death, since he is as likely to be eaten by a bear, panther, 

 or alligator, as by the planter who nominally owns him. 

 He reverts almost to the wild type in form and color, and 

 displays much of the sagacity of a wild animal. It was 

 first, we think, mentioned by Prof . Jeffries Wyman that 

 most of the hogs in Florida were black, and this he attrib- 

 utes to the curious fact that those of light color are pois- 

 oned by a certain root which grows abundantly in that 

 State, the effect of which is to cause tie loss of their hoofs, 

 so that by gradual selection most of the swine in that re- 

 gion have become black. Another scientist thinks that 

 •the black color prevails, because the light -colored hog3 are 

 more apt to be seen and devoured by the bears than the 

 black ones; but in either case the fact is claimed by Dar- 

 win and his followers as an example of the "survival of 

 the fittest." 



My host in East Florida had a large herd of swine which 

 lived in the woods or on the sea beach, from the latter of 

 which they got most of their food in the shape of clams, 

 mussels, and crabs, which they dug up from the sand, and 

 waiting upon the fishermen for the refuse fish from the 

 nets. When we came home from fishing, certain of these 

 sagacious brutes were ever on the watch to meet us at the 

 landing, and get the surplus of our sport. One day as we 

 were anchored in deep water about fifty yards from the 

 shore, an old sow with her pigs came along the beach. 

 Our fishermen called to her, and she swam off to the boat, 

 expecting some fish, which we flung to her. She took it, 

 and then swam round the boat asking for more. I had 

 often heard in the north that a hog cannot swim, as 

 he cuts his throat with his hoofs, and was much surprised 

 to see this one as much at home in the water as a New 

 ioundiand dog. My host informed me that the bears gen- 

 erally got half his stock of pigs, those that escaped owing 

 their safety to their speed of foot, though sometimes an 

 old boar with well developed tusks would beat off a bear, 

 and defend his family. S. C. C. 



Cube for Chicken Cholera. — A correspondent of the 

 Mural World sends that paper a remedy for "chicken cholera 

 which is certainly simple, and said to be an effectual cure 

 for that disease. It appears to be a preventive of that dis- 

 order, and as an ounce of prevention is belter than a pound 

 of cure, it is at least worthy of a trial. It is as follows: — 

 "Scald as much cornmeal as is required to feed the number 

 of fowls, with boiling water. Make it tolerably greasy 

 with lard or meat fryings. If lard, salt in the same 

 proportion as for bread. If salty grease, no salt is neces- 

 sary. Black pepper, ground, a level teaspoouful to a pint 

 of meal. Feed this twice a week, in the morning, warm, 

 and chickens will not need any watching. They have 

 neither cholera or gaps. Chickens, or turkeys, either, 

 should not be fed too often; twice a day in summer, if they 

 are running out, and three times in winter is often enough. 

 Most people feed their fowls too much. My experience 

 has been, that all fowls that die with cholera are exees- 



Grafted Standard Gooseberries — So much interest 

 having been shown in the standard gooseberries and cur- 

 rants, exhibited by Ivulm & Co., Hoboken, N. J., directly 

 in the rear of Horticultural Hall, at the Centennial Exhi 

 bition, and also at the September exhibition of the New 

 York Horticultural Society, and their being indorsed so 

 fully by such careful authorities as Dr. Zeidof and Charles 

 Downing, as being entirely free from mildew, larger, and 

 of finer flavor when grown in this manner. We are happy 

 to lay before our readers the method of cultivation as 

 described in the Gardener's Monthly, merely stating that 

 the stock used is known generally as the Buffalo or 

 Missouri currant, a native of Western Missouri, and culti- 

 vated generally for its very sweet scented yellow blossoms. 



"By growing gooseberries in the form of standards their 

 productiveness is increased, and the fruits themselves grow 

 larger than I have ever seen them on plants that stood on 

 their own roots. The stock on which the gooseberry is 

 "worked" in Germany, when it is grown as a standard, is 

 Ribes aureum, a perfectly hardy shrub, often found in 

 gardens on account of its little yellow sweet-scented flow- 

 ers. To secure a large stock of this in the shortest possible 

 time it is necessary to have or plant old bushes in good 

 rich soil. As soon as the young bottom shoots get from 

 two to three feet high, they mast be covered wnh loose 

 soil to the height of about six inches, so as to induce them 

 to push roots from their lower ends. A few cuts in the 

 bark, where such young roots should appear, will help 

 their production materially. They should have plenty of 

 water all through the dry season. In August or the first 

 part of September some trimming is necessary. Remove 

 all the small and weakly wood in order to strengthen the 

 remainder. Whenever two or three good top branches 

 are found on one shoot leave them, and on such plants 

 graft both gooseberries and currants, or different sorts of 

 each kind. To make sure of getting stocks with branched 

 heads, stop the required number of shoots at the proper 

 time, when they are about four feet high. In autumn, 

 when the plants have dumped their foliage, dig all around 

 the old plants, and take off such young shoots as are strong 

 and well rooted. They should then be potted in a soil Uiat 

 contains plenty of sand and leaf mould; place them in a 

 cold frame and cover them when the weather gets cold. 

 About Christinas or a little after remove them to a green- 

 house that is kept at an average temperature of from 45 

 degrees to 55 degrees, and in a short time they will make a 

 start and can be grafted. As tying material use common 

 paper spread over thinly with some grafting wax, aid cut 

 into narrow 7 strips about six inches long. This is better 

 than cotton or any other tying material. During the graft- 

 ing, and after it is dune, the house should be kepi in a 

 moderately warm and moist state, and must be shaded 

 whenever the sun shines out brightly. In from two to 

 three weeks the buds on the graft, as well as those on the 

 stem, will commence to swell and the latter should be 

 taken oil" as fast as they appear. A light sprinkling with 

 tepid water must be given daily as soon as you see some 

 leaves breaking on the scion. Thus they should be kept 

 till all clanger of frost is over; then take your plants care- 

 fully out ot the pots and plant them out of doors in a 

 nursery or in their permanent places. There they will re- 

 quire a few ties to suitable sticks to keep them straight 

 and protect them against wind. Even the first year after 

 grafting you may expect a crop of large showy fruit." 

 -*-♦♦- 



— A Lansing (Mich.) telegram to the Chicago Tribune, 

 says: "Owing to the large apple crop in Michigan this year, 

 a new business has been started. Good fruit can be bought 

 for ten cents per bushel, for whi ch, converted into jelly, a 

 good market is found both at home and in Europe. Large 

 shipments have been made to foreign markets of the pro- 

 duct of this new industry." 



— What the Colorado bug destroys in one section is com- 

 pensated for by abundance in another. The Boston Adver- 

 tiser of 3-dtu.r day, says: "Potatoes in large quantities are 

 coming from the British provinces. The steamer Alpha 

 arrived yesterday from Prince Edward Island with 10,000 

 bushels — the largest cargo ever received at this port." 



A New Food for Horses. — A new kind of mash for 

 horses is now coming into use. It is thus described by the 

 California Farmer;— 



"It is composed of two quarts of oats, one of bran, and 

 half a pint of flax seed. The oats are first placed in the 

 stable bucket, over whieh is placed the linseed; add boiling 

 water, then the bran, covering the mixture with an old rug 

 and allowing it thus to rest for five hours; then stir the 

 mass well up. The bran absorbs while retaining the vapor, 

 and the linseed binds the oats and bran together; a greater- 

 quantity of flax seed would make the preparation too oily 

 and less relished. One feed per day is sufficient; it is easi- 

 ly digested, and is especially adapted to young animals, 

 adding to their volume rather than to their height, giving 

 substance to the frame. Prof. Sanson reminds us not to over- 

 look the food, in connection with the ^merlioation of the 

 stock. He considers oats, as so generally given to sheep, 

 as objectionable, and approaching the unprofitable, rams 

 generally receive one pound of oats daily; ewes half the 

 quantity. Oats forming an exciting food are especially 

 suited to rams during the season they are to serve, but for 

 hastening the development of young sheep, they only build 

 up the bones, not the liesh. 



, ++^ , 



An Old Sacred Tree. — The cypress of Somrna, in 

 Lombardy, is said to be the oldest tree on record, dating 

 from the year 42 B. C. ; but at Anuradhapura, in Ceylon 

 (noted for its ancient palcces), there is a Bo tree — a very 

 famous object in connection with Budhism — which, ac- 

 cording to a writer in "Science Gossip," was planted 288 

 years B. C. It would have blown down long ago but for a 

 thick wall built round the trunk, and all its main branches 

 are suppoited by pillars. The leaves that fall off are col- 

 lected by the Buddhist priests every day, and are kept in 

 a holy part of the temple. They are offered to their deity 

 on festal occasions, also sold to the poor ignorant natives, 

 who believe the money paid for these holy leaves will buy 

 them the righteousness of saints. This tree is held in such 

 reverence that it is often visited by nuteMrs of pilgrimsv 



A Horse on a Lare.— A correspondent tells the follow- 

 ing incident: — 



"One day a white horse afforded considerable anmse-- 

 ment, who having loosened his leather halter, which hung; 

 dangling from his neck to the ground, escaped from the? 

 stable, and feeling himself master of the situation, deter- 

 mined to make the most of it. So he rolled .on his back 

 from side to side with four feet upward; then rising, trot- 

 ted furiously about, or galloped, kicking his hind heels 

 against the air. Then he thought he would run away, and 

 did, nearly a quarter of a mile toward the woods, when his 

 sober second thought was to return. Next he made a fierce 

 onslaught upon a flock of geese, who unanimously spread 

 their wings like the cherubim, and cleared the way, pro- 

 testing that they had no desire to hurt him, earnestly hop- 

 ing that there would be peace between his horssshrp aud 

 themselves, and that they would by no means tread on cae 

 another." 



Japanese Vegetable Wax Tree. — The Japan Mail core- 

 tains some further particulars respecting the preparation 

 of the vegetable wax produced in Japan, and chiefly ex- 

 ported to England. This wax is obtained from the fruit, 

 or, more correctly, berry of the wax tree. The tree, which 

 is a species of Rhus (R. succedanea), flourishes more espe*- 

 cially in the southern provinces of the empire. The fruit* 

 which usually ripens about the month of October, is gathr- 

 ered when ready, and cleansed from its loose outer husk, ai 

 process which is accomplished in large wooden vessels; 

 with wooden malls, similar to those in use for cleaning; 

 rice. The residue product, available for the manufacture; 

 of wax, is a bean-shaped kernel of the size of a Lentil,, 

 possessing an unusual degree of hardness of a dark, 

 yellow wax color, and offering a saponaceous exterior to the 

 touch. The kernel is subsequently exposed in a sufficient 

 degree to the steaming process, which deprives it of its 

 extreme hardness, and ailows of its oily properties being 

 more easily extracted in the pressing stage. In Ihis process 

 the oil is received into small earthern vessels, in which it 

 subsequently hardens to a blueish green mass, in the shape 

 which it is commonly met with in home consumption. 

 Wax so produced is impure, and is only suitable im cer- 

 tain descriptions of candles and for wax-thread inanulat©- 

 ture for home use. In order to render it merchantable foir 

 the exporter, the following refining process is resorted to:: 

 The wax is boiled with a lye until it is brought to a per- 

 fectly fluid state, and is then drawn off into a reservoir- 

 filled with clear water, the pure wax, which floats upom 

 the surface, being removed. The mass is then exposed to* 

 the sun's rays for a Deriod of fifteen or sixteen days, during, 

 tine weather, for the purpose of bleaching it, at the expi- 

 ration of which time the wax presents a dirty white 

 crumbling appearance and a strong tallowy smell. The 

 boiling and bleaching are repeated with the view of rend- 

 ering the refining process still more complete, the only 

 difference being that, instead of lye, pure water alone is 

 employed in boiling it. The product is a clear white 

 powder, which, in place of its lormer crumbling appear- 

 ance, has assumed an almost crystaline formation. The 

 last stage of preparation for export consists in rendering 

 the powder a compact mass, which is effected by melting 

 it over a fire with a little water (in order to avoid burning), 

 and running it off into flat vessels. The product thus ob- 

 tained, and known to commerce as vegetable wax, differs 

 exceedingly from white beeswax, with which it possesses 

 the properties of color, brittleness, and similarity in its fan- 

 shaped fracture in common. The only characteristic 

 difference may be said to be in the oiior, the beeswax 

 giving off a refreshing aromatic scent in burning, while the 

 tallowy smell of the Japanese wax is far from being agree- 

 able. Vegetable wax is chiefly used in England in the 

 manufacture of wax candles, — The Garden (London). 



Death *of an Historical Horse.— At Dunelg, Wood- 

 stock, Canada, on the 26th of October, died the late Lordl 

 Raglan's charger. At the time of his death he was*in the: 

 possession of Lieut. -Col. Skinner, M. P., who purchased! 

 him from Major Stewart, of the P. C. O. Rifle Brigade,, 

 some fourteen years ago. He was presented by Omar 

 Pasha to Lord Raglan on his leaving for the Crimea. He 

 served through the Crimean campaign and then came into 

 the possession of Knollys; from his hand he passed into 

 those of Major Stewart, who brought him to Canada, where 

 he eventually became the property of his present owner, in 

 whose service he died. He died at the age of thirty, curi- 

 ously enough upon the the anniversary of the battle of 

 Balaklava. 



— Geiger, in his "Peep at Mexico," thus describes the 

 vegetation near Colima: "The trees are not large, but 

 are so interwoven as to form impassable barriers, even 

 apart from the bushes and shrubs that spring from every 

 spot of vacant ground. Hundreds of creepers cling to 

 every trunk, and twine round every branch, connecting 

 by a thousand wiry threads, thickets, shrubs, and Cacti — 

 a massive bulwark of profuse vegetation, through which 

 the axe alone can hew a way. The huge Oigano Cactus,, 

 with its tree-like stem, often two feet in diameter, and 1() 

 to 15 feet high, sends up its stiff straight branches to a 

 height of 30 or 40 feet from the ground, while the smaller 

 species mingle in thousands with the shrubs and bushes 

 near the earth. Wherever the creepers may have neg- 

 lected trunk or bough, prolific parasites, gay alike with 

 taper leaf and gorgeous blossom, hasten to perform their 

 pait in this fairy work of nature. The flowers have 

 little scent, but their profusion of white, yellow and red, 

 blended with the countless shades of green, charm the 

 eye wih tints as various as they are magnificent." — The 

 Garden. 



A Simple Disinfectant. — One pound of green copper- 

 as, costing seven cents, dissolved in one quart of water, 

 and poured down a water closet, will effectually concen- 

 trate and destroy the foulest smells. On board ships and 

 steamboats, about hotels and other public places, there is 

 nothing so nice to purify the air. Simple green copperas 

 dissolved in anything, will render a hospital or other pla- 

 ces for the sick, free from unpleasant smells. In fish mar- 

 kets, slaughter-houses, sinks, and wherever there are of- 

 fensive gases, dissolve copperas and sprinkle it about, and 

 in a few days the smell will all pass awa}'. It a cat, rat, 

 or mouse dies about the house, and sends forth an offen- 

 sive gas, place some dissolved copperas in an open vessel 

 near ihe place where the nuisance is, and it will purify the 

 atmosphere* Then 3 < keep all 



