114 : General Notes. [ February, 
crop of early beets. As the plants grew quite a number pushed seed. 
shoots, and as the er ean ripened a small crop of seed, which 
I saved in a mass, and the next season planted a portion of it. Here I 
will note, that all the beets from which the first crop of seed grew were 
of one variety, and being for seed purposes were very carefully selected 
at that time; and that the seed that was gathered from them in the 
autumn when planted the next season produced a crop pure and true to 
name ; also, that the field in which the two crops of seed grew was in 
the middle of a great pasture, very isolated ; and finally, that no other 
beet seed was raised there. Now, as to the result, the beets raised from 
this second crop of seed were, to use an expressive word, “ everything,” 
ranging all the way from a small, very dark-fleshed variety, through a 
core or more of kinds of various color, form, and texture, down to a 
light-fleshed, medium long variety of mangel-wurzel, which, as farmers 
know, is a very coarse-fleshed kind raised for the feeding of stock. 
My other illustration is an experiment with Indian corn. With this 
I have had no personal experience, but a very intelligent correspondent 
writes me, that seeing occasionally the spindle of his corn (he was rais- 
ing the Dutton variety) replaced by small ears, he was led from curi- 
osity to save and plant the kernels of some of these. The result was, he 
obtained a vast number of entirely new varieties each having character- 
istics of its own. I wonder if other experimenters (we farmers, mind 
you, don’t propose to leave all the experimenting with you men of 
science!) may not have something to put on record about — say the 
short-horn variety of carrot, which probably more than any other tends 
to push occasional seed shoots the first season ? — J. J. H. GREGORY. 
IPOMŒA SETOSA. — We succeeded in growing the rare plant, Jpomea 
setosa, in Florida last year. The seed was found among some “Java” 
coffee and planted in rich soil. On the 17th of May, when we left 
Florida for the North, the plant was about six inches high. Upon our 
return, the first of November following, to our surprise the plant had 
completely covered a small live-oak. The main stem of the vine was 
about fifteen feet in length and six inches in circumference at the base, — 
with numerous large branches radiating in all directions. Had the sup- 
port been taller the plant would have climbed much higher; as it was, 
it clambered about in all directions, entirely covering the tree, the vari- 
ous subdivisions reaching the top of the tree and falling back to the 
ground, thus making more than thirty feet of length. The support was 
a living tree, but the great weight of the vine broke every branch, leav- 
ing the bare trunk standing. 
Frost came the first of December, cutting it down while stil] a mass 
of bloom, and great clusters of unripe seed, fully enough to have made 
a peck of ripe seed, if frost had kept off as late as the year before. As 
it was, we did not save a pint of seed. — 
The flowers were large and of a bright pink color; leaves large and |] 
lobed, and the stems and peduncles covered with soft prickles. a 
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