BOOKS AND BULLETINS. 



255 



ient, perhaps, would be November plowing of field, to 

 expose the ants' nests containing the eggs, the occupants 

 of the nests being then torpid. This might be followed 

 by harrowing, to obtain more complete results. 



The second article gives a history of white grubs, and 

 shows that the beetles mature mostly the third autumn, 

 and not the third spring. Therefore, 

 White Grubs. ground containing full-grown, destruc- 

 tive grubs in fall cannot be planted the 

 following spring with safety to crops not grub-proof, as 

 these grubs will not pupate until late in summer, and 

 become beetles in fall. However, if the ground contains 

 full-grown grubs in spring, the farmer may expect to see 

 it deserted practically by July, or even late June, and 

 may consequently plant some time previous to that, with" 

 out fear of harm. R. 



Home Floriculture. A Faiiiiliar Guide to tlic Treat- 

 ment of Floivering a)id other Ornamental Plants in the 

 House and Garden. By Eberi E. Rexford . Pp. 23b. Il- 

 lustrated. James Vick, Rochester, N. Y. This is an at- 

 tractive book by an attractive author. It 

 Book of is heterogeneous in its arrangement, but 

 Flowers. copious contents and index remedy any de- 

 fect in this direction. The style is famil- 

 iar and entertaining. The directions are clear and good, 

 and they are full enough to answer most of the questions 

 which are apt to puzzle amateurs. The book is particu- 

 larly full and useful in instructions for culture of plants 

 in the house. There are several chapters upon plants 

 which are little known to window gardeners, but which 

 we are glad to see brought forward ; and all the old 

 favorites are treated fully. The illustrations all have a 

 trade look. 



A Catalogue of the Anthophyta and Pteridophyta 

 OF Ames, Iowa. By .4. S. Hitchcock. Pp. 4^. This is 

 a catalogue the plants growing without cultivation in the 

 vicinity of the Iowa Agricultural College. Every edu- 

 cational center, and particularly every agri- 

 An Iowa cultural college, should possess a flora, if 

 Flora. for no other reason than that it enables 



future observers to study the changes in 

 the species of the region. The prairie fiora about Ames 

 is rapidly disappearing before the plow, and " in a very 

 few years none will be found except along the roadsides 

 and railways." One is struck with the few species of 

 ferns and conifers reported in the catalogue. In fact, 

 the juniper is the only representative of the great pine 

 and spruce family, and that does not appear to be com- 

 mon. 



Orange Culture. The Orajige from Seed to Grove. 

 By B. M. Lelong. Pp. iq. 5 plates and ivood cuts. Pub- 

 lished by the State Board of Horticulture, San Francisco. 



This is essentially a bulletin of instructions 

 Oranges. to intending orange planters in California. 



The varieties recommended are as follows, 

 and " their prominence is about in the order named": 

 Washington Navel, Valencia Late, Joppa, Mediterranean 

 Sweet, Maltese Blood, Paper Rind St. Michael, Azorean 



St. Michael, Wolfskill's Best, Konah, Rio, Tangierine or 

 Kid Glove, King, Satsuma, Kumquat. Pomelo and 

 Shaddock are classed as ornamental sorts. Views are 

 given of exhibits at the Oroville and Los Angeles citrus 

 fairs. 



Les Plantes Potageres. Description et Culture des 

 principau.x legumes des climats t empires. Deuxieme edition. 

 Par Vilmorin-Andriettx et Cie. Pp. yjo. Illustrated. 

 Paris, iSgi . We are glad to welcome a new edition of 

 this work, for it is far the most important 

 book upon garden vegetables ever writ- Les Plantes 

 ten. The first edition has become famil- Potageres. 

 iar to English readers through Robinson's 

 translation, " The Vegetable Garden. " The present edi- 

 tion includes the pine-apple and some other additions, 

 but it is particularly distinguished by the insertion of 

 the new varieties of vegetables, and amplifications of 

 text here and there. The book must long remain the 

 authority upon the plants of which it treats. 



Asparagus, and Transplanting Onions. Bulletin No. 

 g. Vol. Ill, Ohio E.rperitnent Station. By IV. /. Green. 

 Pp. 1 1. Illustrated. Mr. Green made some observations 

 to determine the relative differences in yield between 

 male and female, or berry-bearing asparagus plants. The 

 observations were made during two seasons. The male 

 plants gave an average of about 50 



per cent, more yield than the fe- Male and Female 

 male, and the shoots were also Asparagus, 

 larger, and the crop earlier. The 



differences in yield were greater in the early part of the 

 season than in the latter part. Male plants can be 

 secured by division of old plants, or better by the selec- 

 tion from two-year-old seedlings of such as do not 

 bear seed. Growers have asserted for some time that 

 there is a difference between the two kinds of plants in 

 profitableness, and Mr. Green has done well to give us 

 the exact figures. 



Experiments have also been made upon the use of 

 rubber bands in the bunching of asparagus, and it is 

 found that they are cheaper than string, when the saving 

 of labor is considered, and they hold 



the stalks together better and make Rubber Bands 

 a neater bunch. The tops of the for Asparagus, 

 stalks are placed in a large, straight, 



handleless tea-cup, and the bands are slipped over the 

 cup onto the bunch, while the butts are cut off square. 

 This gives an attractive rounded form to the top of the 

 bunch. The size of band required costs $2 per pound, 

 of 2,000 bands. Two bands are used to a bunch. Rub- 

 ber bands have been used by at least one commercial 

 grower, for a number of years. 



Mr. Green's experiments in transplanting onions give 

 essentially the same results as those ob- 

 tained by T. Greiner, and discussed in Transplanting 

 the last issue (page 188). In every case. Onions, 

 transplanted onions yielded better than 

 those handled in similar soil in the ordinary way, and 

 with the late foreign varieties the gain was about loo 

 per cent. The test has been continued for two seasons. 



