262 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



culiarities connected with the eel that hut few persons 

 know of. For instance, there are some eight or ten kinds 

 of them, of which several never enter into fresh water. 

 Some of the varieties are, when full grown, ten or twelve 

 feet in length, weighing one hundred pounds. The kind 

 here, the common fresh and salt water eel, is usually 

 from twelve to twenty inches in length. Eels, it has been 

 proved, have both sexes in one, and spawn somewhat after 

 the manner of other fish. Like the turtle, they can travel 

 out of water for some distance, from stream to stream, so 

 that in almost every rivulet, however small, they can be 

 found. The gills, or breathing organs, are covered up by a 

 most delicate curtain, which acts like a valve and a reser- 

 voir for water, thus enabling the fish to take in a quantity 

 of water, so to speak, to keep its gills moist during the 

 time it is out of the stream. It has a heart in its tail, the 

 same as is known to exist in tbe salmon, with pulsations at 

 about ninety -four to the minute.— Pacific Life. 



.*.*.*. ■ — 



Arrivals at^ the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens Nov. 22d.— 

 One robin (Tardus migraiorius), presented by Mr. Lewis W. Maxey, 

 Philedelphia. One American barn owl (Strix ftammea), and one badger 

 ( Taxidea americana), purchased. One barred owl (Syrnium nebuloswn), 

 presented by John Krider, Philadelphia. One mottled owl (Scops asio), 

 presented by Mrs. Stewart, Philadelphia. One snowy owl (JVyctea nivea), 

 presented by David Landreth & Sons, Philadelphia. One green monkey 

 (CercopUhecnscallitrichus), presented by Alex. Cattell, Jr., Philadelphia. 

 One Spanish cock and hen, presented by A. B. Goodyear. Philadelphia. 

 Arthur E. Brown, General Superintendent 



r aadhnd, Mnttn md 0j$nrdm. 



WINTER FLOWERING BULBS. 



AMONG the many plants grown for the window garden, 

 few are held in higher estimation, or are better 

 adapted to the requirements of amateurs, than the different 

 kinds of bulbs that can be had in bloom during the winter 

 and early spring months. They are easily managed, and 

 are especially well adapted for blooming iniooms by those 

 who have no green-house accommodation. All bulbs for 

 winter decoration should be procured without delay, as the 

 time has now arrived when all roots of this description 

 should be in the soil. Hyacinths, Narcissus, Tulips, Cro- 

 cuses, Snowdrops, and the beautiful blue Siberian Scillas, 

 are all well adapted for growing in this way. They all re- 

 quire to be grown in pots, except Hyacinths, and although 

 these look well in glasses, yet beginners had better restrain 

 their practice for a time to pot culture. As nearly all de- 

 pends upon the strength stored up in the bulb, compact 

 heavy bulbs, rather than large ones, should be selected, many 

 of the best varieties having much smaller bulbs than other 

 varieties of not so much value. Many imagine that double 

 flowers are superior to single ones; even the term seems 

 to imply superiority. Such, however, in many cases, is 

 far from correct, and, in the Hyacinth especially, the single 

 varieties are by far the most desirable, both as regards 

 color, size of spike, and general appearance. Pots five 

 inches in diameter are large enough to grow one well. The 

 soil should be moderately open and porous, and enriched 

 with some well rotted manure. All bulbs flower better 

 and stronger, if when potted, they are placed in a frame or 

 cellar, and covered about four inches deep with sand or 

 soil, thus enabling the bulb to get well rooted before the 

 bud starts into growth. In from four to six weeks they 

 will be ready for removal, and should be placed for a few 

 days where only a limited amount of light can reach the 

 young top, as, if suddenly and fully exposed to its influ- 

 ence, the leaves would not develop fully, and the plants be 

 much injured both in appearance and bloom. Nothing is 

 better for this purpose than a smaller pot inverted over 

 the bulb, the light admitted through the hole in the 

 bottom being sufficient to impart the natural green hue to 

 the leaves. When placed in the window they must be 

 liberally supplied with water, and turned regularly to the 

 light. For Hyacinths and Narcissus a five inch pot is suffi- 

 cient; three to five Tulips can be grown in the same sized 

 pot, and from six to ten Snowdrops, Crocuses or Scillas. 

 "When done flowering in the spring the different sorts may 

 be planted in groups in the open border, where they will 

 continue to bloom each succeeding year; but for pot 

 culture fresh bulb should be procured every autumn, as 

 from the genial soil and climate in which they have been 

 grown, and the special cultivation which they have re- 

 ceived, imported roots flower much better than those 

 grown in this country, and which have been subjected to 

 the ordinary treatment we usually give such plants. 



W. J. D. 



Preservation of Lawns. — Next in importance to sound 

 walks is a level, well-managed green sward; not level in 

 the strict sense of the word, but without hills and holes, or 

 other irregularities that cause such a disfigurement, and 

 are so offensive to the eye. Where such imperfections 

 exist it is now a good time to rectify them, as the rain we 

 have had has softened the ground, and will greatly facili- 

 tate the cutting of the sods necessary to obliterate the 

 irregularities of the surface. All weeds, such as plantains, 

 dandelions, crowfoots, and others of a kindred nature, are 

 sure to show themselves after an abundance of rain, and 

 attention should at once be turned to eradicate them, that 

 their places may be occupied by natural grasses. It is 

 only by an incessant war with them that a rich velvety turf 

 can be secured. After such a dry spell, the worms are sure 

 to force their way to the surface, and to save annoyance 

 in future, it is a good plan to give them a dose or two of 

 lime water, which will quickly bring them out, when they 

 can be easily destroyed, and the lawn being afterwards 

 well rolled, it will not only add to its present appearance, 

 but greatly improve the texture and quality of the grass. 

 The application of the lime water should be made imme- 



diately after heavy rains, when the worms are near the 

 surface, as it then reaches them at once, and a less quantity 

 suffices than when they are lower down in the soil. 



— We see by The Garden, that the Pampas Grass has 

 flowered most luxuriantly in England this season, probably 

 owing to the extraordinary hot, dry season: a correspond- 

 ent says: "Travelers cannot fail to notice how beautiful 

 the pampas grass is in the neighborhood of Reading (Berks). 

 Just within the entrance to Messrs. Sutton's grounds, 

 bordering the road on either side, run lines of this grass in 

 large tussocks, each carrying apparently about fifty spikes 

 of beautiful silvery inflorescence . Seen in this way the 

 effect is greatly superior to that produced by a single plant. 

 Charming as that is when in full beauty, within the inner 

 grounds many later flowering plants of this grass are just 

 pushing up their spikes. That there is a difference as re- 

 gards the blooming period among varieties of Pampas 

 grass has long been imagined, and that fact would seem 

 to be very clearly established in the case under notice." 



[What a beautiful grass this is: see the florists' or seeds- 

 men's windows full of lovely plumes, grown in Santa Bar- 

 bara county, California, and then imagine a row of plants 

 as described above. — Ed.] 



Planting and Care of Trees.— The following con- 

 densed rules are given by F. K. Phoenix, of Bloomington, 

 111. :- 



"Most planters are so careless! Friends, if you want 

 trees to thrive, plant early, in dry deeply plowed ground. 

 Keep roots from the sun, air and frost, burying in the 

 ground again as soon as possible. If shriveled, bury the 

 top3 and all in moist ground for ten days. Thin out and 

 shorten in tops before planting, to balance the loss of roots 

 in digging. Dig large holes, three feet across and two 

 feet deep, or better still, plow out a very deep furrow, fill- 

 ing up with the best soil, so that trees shall stand only as 

 deep as in the nursery. Straighten out all roots in natural 

 order, fill it with best, fine, moist earth, and then tread 

 down thoroughly, watering well if dry, before filling up. 

 Then mulch — that is cover the earth two feet each way from 

 stems with coarse manure or straw six inches deep. Al- 

 ways put corn or some hoed crop, never grass or grain 

 among young trees. All trees and plants in grassy yards, 

 and dwarf trees also, must have special care. Wash bodies 

 of apple trees in spring with strong soap suds. Kill off 

 the caterpillars and leaf rollers. Let fruit trees head low — 

 within three or four feet of the ground, and evergreens to 

 the ground. Let everybody plant trees and take care of 

 them!" 



—An enterprising Californian, who four years ago 

 planted 1,000 acres in walnuts and almonds, will net over 

 $250,000 from this year's crop. 



[The inhabitants of the Blue Ridge, in North Carolina, 

 Tennessee and Virginia, have a valuable source of revenue 

 in the great crops of walnuts that grow at their very doors 

 and are seldom gathered. We have seen bushels lying un- 

 der a single tree which would bring at least $2 cash in this 



market.] 



•«-«<•» . 



Flowering Hyacinths in Moss.— Most of our readers 

 who have cultivated Hyacinths and other Dutch bulbs, 

 know hdw to manage them when grown in ordinary soil in 

 pots, or in glasses in water, but few are aware that they 

 can be grown better in moss {Sphagnum), than in either. 

 This moss is found in many of our swamps, and is largely 

 used by florists and nurserymen for packing plants to send 

 to a distance by mail or otherwise. Its light sponge-like 

 qualities are such as the roots of Hyacinths and other 

 bulbs delight to revel in, and in which they grow luxuri- 

 antly. The moss may be either used to fiil pots, window- 

 boxes, or wire, or other baskets. A wire basket in which 

 four or five different varieties of Hyacinths are planted, 

 presents a very attractive appearance when suspended in a 

 window or other part of the room. In filling the moss 

 into the pots, boxes, or baskets, it should be pressed mod- 

 erately firm, and the Hyacinths planted with one-third of 

 their thickness above the surface. After planting, the 

 moss should be watered sufficiently to thoroughly saturate 

 it, and after the surplus water has run off, the baskets or 

 other receptacles are to be placed away in some dark cool 

 place, such as a cellar, or dark closet, where the tempera- 

 ture does not exceed 50°. In five or six weeks after plant- 

 ing, the moss will be found to be filled with roots, and the 

 bulbs may then be taken from their dark quarters into the 

 light; and if kept in a temperature of 60° or 70°, they will 

 flower abundantly in three or four weeks after; the moss 

 must be kept moist at all times. The flowers of the Hy- 

 acinths will be greatly increased, in size and brightness of 

 coloring, if they are watered with guano water once a 

 week. This should be very weak; one pound of guano to 

 15 or 20 gallons of water, or a pound of sulphate of 

 ammonia may be used instead of the guano, in the same 

 quantity of water. The advantage of using moss for 

 Hyacinths, etc., is in its lightness and cleanliness in hand- 

 ling. The wire baskets, especially when filled with moss, 

 present a much more pleasing appearance than they would 

 if filled with soil. The bulos may be planted from Oc- 

 tober to January, and by planting at intervals of two or 

 three weeks, a succession of bloom may be had from Jan- 

 uary to May. — Peter Henderson, in American Agriculturist. 



— , — «*•■£. „ . 



—The preparation of Linden Bark for matting and other 

 purposes forms quite an important branch of Russian in- 

 dustry, more especially in the governments of Wiotka, 

 Kostroma, Kasan, and Nischni-Novgorod. A large amount, 

 observes the English Mechanic, is exported to England and 

 Germany; and some of the inland uses to which the ma- 

 terial is put are grain sacks, box covers, wagon-covers, 

 carpets, seives, sails for canal boats, shoes. In May and 

 June, when the flow of sap facilitates the separation of 

 the bark, the peasants repair, with wives and children, to the 

 forest. The lower part of the bark is generally prepared 

 for roofing purposes, being heated and pressed into the 

 form of plates. That of the upper stem and the branches 

 is bound in bundles and put in water, where it is left till 

 September. Then it is dried in heat, divided into thin 

 bands, and w ? oven into mats of various strength, weighing 

 from 1 to 3 kilogrammes, The strongest of them are sold 

 in Nisehni-Novgoiod at about 120 fr.lhe 100. The yearly 



production of mats is estimated at 14,000,000, representing 

 a value of 8,0000,000 fr. Adding other articles manufac- 

 tured from Linden bark, we have a sum of 12,000,000 fr 

 For this no fewer that 1,000,000 Linden trees are hewn an- 

 nually, a fact rather unpromising for Russian forests.— 

 Gardener's Chronicle, London. 



— •*>»«* 



Ashes.— Many farmers have no convenient place in 

 which to store their ashes, and consequently they put them 

 in barrels out of doors. Too often these are left uncovered 

 or the covers blow off, leaving the ashes exposed to the 

 damaging influence of rain and dew. Evidently they do 

 not realize the great value which ashes possess as a fertiliz- 

 ing agent. If they did they would apply them to their 

 crops. If a man has a good place in which to put them 

 one in which they cannot be injured by rain, and in which 

 there is no danger from fire, it is well enough to let a year's 

 stock accumulate and then apply them in the spring. This 

 however, in case part of them are not needed for crops in 

 the summer. Some of our readers who have ashes which 

 they think they ought to dispose of in order to prevent 

 loss, may here inquire to what special crops they should be 

 applied at this season of the year. We reply that for 

 onions, ashes are among the very best of fertilizers. Ap- 

 plied to Indian corn, a handful to each hill, immediately 

 before the crop is hoed, they give good returns. They are 

 are also very good for vines in the garden . In moist sea- 

 sons the application of ashes to grass land immediately 

 after the first crop of hay has been removed, has a very fine 

 effect. There are ways enough in which all the ashes" that 

 are made can be profitably used on the farm and they cer- 

 tainly ought to be saved and used to the best possible ad- 

 vantage. — N. E. Homestead. 



4~^fr. 



The Use op Fallen Leaves. — In the Gardener's 

 Monthly, Mr . Meehan says : ' 'These have to be gathered up . 

 They are excellent to mix with hot-bed material, and, where 

 practicable, should be saved for this purpose. They do 

 not heat so rapidly as stable manure, and in this have the 

 advantage as tempering its violence, making it last longer, 

 and maintaining a more regular heat. They are excellent 

 material to put round cold frames to protect half-hardy 

 plants. A board is put up the height of the frame boards, 

 and about a foot or more from them, and the leaves filled 

 in between. If the plants are somewhat tender, the bot- 

 tom of the frames may be filled in a few feet with the 

 leaves. Much heat is thrown off during the decomposition 

 of the leaves, which, though not enough to keep out. 

 severe frost, yet modifies somewhat the temperature 

 These leaves after they have been two or three years de- 

 caying, make admirable stuff for potting and flowers in 



general." 



^«»» 



Poultry.— Our domestic animals derived as they are 

 from wild ancestors, require a certain amount of exerche 

 to keep them in sound and vigorous health. Poultry can- 

 not be kept in large numbers in confined areas without det- 

 riment to their constitution. Col. Taggart of Pennsylva- 

 nia provides food and exercise for his lowls at the same 

 time. The editor found in his poultry yard several beds 

 about thirty feet square each, in which Col. Taggart buries 

 oats, several bushels to the bed. The grains begin of 

 course at once to swell and germinate, and the fowls have 

 free access, scratching and eating the tender sprouts to 

 their heart's content. While the fowls are thus busy on one 

 bed, anew one is prepared, which is in readiness for them 

 by the time it is required. The idea is a good one, and we 

 are glad to call attention to it. In our own yards we have 

 found the benefit of it, and we are glad to learn that we 

 are not alone in the practice. — Fancier's Journal. 

 «*♦*. 



—How little we think of the prodigious activity mani- 

 fested in the Growth of Plants during a few weeks. The 

 process is gradual and noiseless, moreover it is of everyday 

 occurrence, and hence is disregarded. How much water 

 must be absorbed and exhaled, how much air inhaled and 

 exhaled, how much carbon fixed during the process? Here, 

 by way of illustration of our remarks, are some measure 

 ments of an ordinary plant of Abies Nordmanniana, which 

 we took a day or two since. The shrub is only 2 feet 6 

 inches in height, the number of young shoots of this year's 

 growth upon it is 585; the shoots vary in length from half 

 an inch to 6 inches, their aggregate length is 1171 inches, 

 or nearly 98 feet. Dividing the aggregate length of ihe 

 shoots (1171 inches), by their number (585), we find the 

 mean length of the shoots to be about 2 inches. The ave- 

 rage number of leaves on each inch of a number of shoots 

 taken at random was 34, so that the total number of leaves 

 on these 585 shoots may be set down at 39,814. Assuming 

 each leaf to be only one inch in length, which is consider- 

 ably under the mark, even when all the small undeveloped 

 leaves are taken into consideration, we should have for the 

 leaves a length of about 3,501 feet. In round numbers, we 

 may say that, including the shoots and leaves, the growth 

 in length alone of this very moderate-sized young tree, 

 during this season, has amounted to the prodigious number 

 of 3,600 feet; so that if the shoots of the year and the 

 leaves could all be placed end to end in a continuous line 

 they would occupy considerably more than half a mile!— 

 Gardener's Chronicle, London. 



■ -#»»> 



— What is described as an "International potato exhibi- 

 tion, for the encouragement of the best methods of potato 

 culture and diffusion of improved varieties," was recently 

 opened at the Alexandria Palace, in London. It is stated 

 that there were over twenty-two hundred dishes of pota- 

 toes exhibited and they covered six long tables in the con- 

 cert hall of the building. 



"Hans Von Pelton's Trip to Gotham." — We have just 

 received a pamphlet of 64 pages under the above title, by 

 Palmer Cox, issued by the New York Printing Establish- 

 ment. It is very comically illustrated on every page, and 

 divided into five cantos. Price, 25 cents. Considering the 

 many mishaps Hans fell into while on his trip, we are 

 glad to learn that he arrived safe home at last to his good 

 frow, and again "Smoked his meerschaum, drank his beer' 

 in peace. 



■ ■^••^ , ■ 



— Cane grindings are now in order in Florida, and during 

 the next few wrecks sugar will be abundant, and Florida 

 syrup and slap jacks will tickle the palate of the tourist. / 



.*•«». , 



' —The kind of nobleman at present wanted: An honest 

 Count* 



/ 



