1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



93 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED. 



Agricultural Review, and Journal of the 

 American Agricultural Association, February 

 and March numbers combined, thus forming a 

 handsome volume of over four hundred pages. 

 This extra issue contains the full proceedings of 

 the last convention of the American Agricultural 

 Association, held at Chicago. The subjects 

 discussed embraced stock-raising and feeding, 

 ensilage, expositions, protection, free-trade, 

 marketing products, transportation, forestry, 

 irrigation, fertilizers, reclaiming of waste lands, 

 drainage, and other topics, while the writers and 

 speakers included men of high reputation and 

 great ability. 



New Jersey State Horticultural Society; Pro- 

 ceedings at its annual meeting, held at Free- 

 hold, January 9th and 10th, W. R. Ward Presi- 

 dent, E. Williams, Montcla.tr, N. J., Secretary. 

 The meetings of this society are always full of 

 interest, as many of the most experienced horti- 

 culturists of the country are among its members, I 

 and take an active part in the discussions and 

 management of the society. 



Among the most valuable papers read and pub- 

 lished in this volume are those on Asparagus 

 Culture, by E. Beekman Floriculture for the 

 Young, by Dr. J. B. Ward; Violets, by Mrs. J. D. 

 Meech ; Lilies, by C. L. Allen : Clematis, by George 

 C. Woolson ; Insects Injurious to Fruit, by Mrs. 

 Mary Treat; Fungi Injurious to Small Fruits, by 

 Dr. B. D, Halsted; Plant Food and Plant Dis- 

 eases, by A. W. Pierson; Horticultural Societies," 

 by C. W. Well. The membership to the society is 

 one dollar, which entitles the member to this vol- 

 ume, worth considerably more than the amount 

 of the annual dues. 



Connecticut State Board of Agriculture ; 

 Annual Report of the Secretary, Mr. T. S. Gold ; 

 together with the Annual Report of the State 

 Experimental Station.— This is a large, handsome 

 volume, gotten up with remarkable care. It con- [ 

 tains, in addition to the reports of meetings and 

 matter of more or less local importance, many 

 highly valuable and interesting essays and 

 papers. Among them : The Course of Study at the 

 Storrs Agricultural Station, by Dr. H. P. Armsby, 

 the discussion of which elicited considerable serv- j 

 iceable comment upon agricultural education 

 in general; Poultry Raising, by Miss Mary II. 

 Reed ; Fertilizers, by Dr. Sturtevant ; Utility of 

 Birds in Agriculture and in Migration, by Pro- 

 fessor W. A. Stearns ; Relations of Forests to our 

 Climate, by E D. Goodwin ; Trout Breeding, by 

 Levi Hodges; Bee-keeping, by Alonzo Bradley; ' 

 The Farmer and his Family, by Henry E. Alvord ; 

 Ventilation of Farm Buildings, by Dr. George 

 Austin Bowen ; The American Trotting Horse, j 

 by Professor W. H. Brewer ; Hints Toward Small 

 Fanning, by J. B. Olcott, and others of not in- I 

 f erior value. 



New- York State Agricultural Society.— Annual 

 Report published by the society, as the State makes t 

 no appropriation for its publication. A large 

 part of the pamphlet is taken up with the awards j 

 at the last fair at Utica. It contains also the 

 most important papers read at the evening meet- 

 ings during fair week, among them: Observa- 

 tions on the Potato, by Dr. Sturtevant ; Poultry 

 as a Farm Crop, by I. K. Felch; Silos and Ensil- 

 age, by H. E. Alvord, etc. 



Report on Russian Fruits, by Charles Gibb, 

 Abbotsford, Que.— This is a highly interesting 

 and valuable pamphlet, giving in condensed form 

 the results of the investigations of the author, in 

 company with Professor Budd, of Iowa, during ' 

 their recent tour through the fruit regions of 

 Russia. The uncertainty of the fruit trees of ' 

 Western Europe in the severe climates of Canada 

 and our North-western States has already led to 

 previous importations of some of the varieties 

 grown in Eastern Europe; but the practical 

 knowledge gained through these painstaking in- 

 vestigations will greatly hasten the introduction 

 and dissemination of the best Russian fruits into 

 regions where no other kinds could be grown 

 successfully. 



The Chatham Courier, Chatham, N. Y„ has 

 recently changed hands — Mr. J. Wallace Harrow, 

 formerly connected with the Rural Neto-Yorker, 

 becoming its editor and proprietor. The Courier \ 



has always been a bright, practical paper, de- 

 voting considerable space to agrieultual matters, 

 and under its new management, we are sure, its 

 high standard will not be lowered, nor will the 

 interests of its readers be allowed to suffer. 



The Kansas State Board of Agriculture 

 Biennial Report.— William Sims, Secretary.— 

 This large, elegant volume is, in some respects, 

 superior to any similar publication, and is highly 

 creditable to its editor as well as to the State in 

 whose agricultural interests it is published. It 

 presents a clear and comprehensive view of what 

 Kansas has achieved in industrial and agricult- 

 ural advancement during the past two years. 

 Elaborate sketches of every county, accompanied 

 by an excellent map of the State and one for each 

 county, show at a glance everything pertaining 

 to the State's statistics, resources, and industries. 

 It contains also valuable papers on Geology, 

 Botany, Meteorology, and other interesting in- j 

 formation. To any one residing in Kansas or in- 1 

 tending to settle there, the volume is invaluable. 



I 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Wormy Potatoes.— Mystic— Worm-eaten Pota- 

 toes are just as good for seed as perfect ones, pro- 

 vided the eyes are not all destroyed. The worms 

 that produce the mischief winter in the ground, 

 not in the Potatoes. On such soils fresh yard- 

 manures should be avoided, and fertilizers rich in 

 potash used instead. 



Hand-Cultivators.— H. B., Whitcstone, L. I. — 

 Any one of the several hand-cultivators offered 

 in our advertising columns will be found of as- 

 sistance in a mellow and not too stony soil. 

 Each has its special advantages; so that it would 

 be difficult to name the best for all purposes. The 

 most efficient means for lightening the work and ' 

 care of a garden is early and frequent cultiva- 

 tion. It is a great deal easier to prevent weeds 

 from growing than to eradicate them after they 

 are 'several inches high. 



Transplanting Beets. — N. F. W., Comm.— Beets 

 may easily be transplanted, and it is a usual 

 practice to fill out rows in this way. By sowing 

 them early in a frame, and transplanting at the 

 proper time outdoors, it seems that they might 

 be forwarded somewhat; but, for some reason, 

 we have not been successful in this way. The 

 seed sown outdoors as early as the ground was 

 fit for sowing, produced Beets fit for use as early 

 as those obtained by transplanting. 



Grapes in England. — B. C, Uplands, Ont.— 

 The statement of Professor Budd, that Grapes 

 are not grown in "open air" in England, did not 

 refer to vines grown on the south side and shel- 

 tered by brick walls— but to what is here under- 

 stood as open air or vineyard culture without 

 shelter of any kind, as practiced in most parts of 

 the United States. 



The growing of "wall fruits" has frequently 

 been attempted here, but rarely with success, as 

 the intense heat of the sun's reflection from the 

 walls in midsummer is liable to burn both fruit 

 and foliage. 



Pistillate Strawberries. — TV., Warrenton, Ga. — 

 The Manchester, and all other pistillate varieties, 

 should be planted together, with some staminate 

 kind blossoming at the same time. One row of the 

 latter to six rows of a pistillate variety is suffi- , 

 cient for fertilization. Wilson or Charles Down- ! 

 ing are well adapted for planting with the 

 Manchester. 



Preserving Flowers.— J. B., Berwick, Pa.— 

 The method practiced by German florists is as 

 follows: Procure some white sand, and wash 

 it until it ceases to discolor the water. Then 

 make it hot, and mix with it a small piece of J 

 stearine. Take a fine-meshed sieve, and place I 

 it on a board. Cut your flowers, when perfectly 

 dry, with a short piece of stem, and place them 

 in the sieve in a natural position. Fill up care- 

 fully with sand until the flowers are well covered, 

 and place them, if fine weather, in the open air — 

 or, better still, in an unshaded greenhouse. In 

 about ten days, if the weather be hot, the board 

 may be withdrawn, when the sand will come } 

 away from the flowers. 



California Lilies.— L. M., New-York.— We sus- 

 pect that your "California Lily with the peculiar 



scent " is own cousin to the " Alligator Plant," the 

 "Blue Rose," and the "Strawberry Tree," some- 

 times sold to a confiding public. A few weeks 

 ago we saw, in a fashionable uptown thorough- 

 fare, some enterprising vender offer for sale a 

 basketful of " California Lilies," with their roots 

 carefully tied up iu moss. From a distance al- 

 ready we recognized our malodorous, common 

 swamp weed, the "Skunk-Cabbage." We first 

 looked at the adventurous Lily merchant, then 

 at the Skunk-Cabbage, then at the well-dressed, 

 intelligent ladies and gentlemen crowding around, 

 eager to buy before the stock might run out, and 

 then passed on, meditating about the high state 

 of our civilization, modern progress, and the 

 manifold ways of making a living. 



" Barking " Trees.— L. J{. D. — If only the outer 

 bark, or "rind," is scraped off a tree, it generally 

 survives the operation ; but if a tree is deprived 

 of its entire inner bark,— that immediately sur- 

 rounding the wood,— it cannot live, any more 

 than a man stripped of his skin. We await with 

 interest the result of the experiment. 



The Naomi Grape.— Iu answer to several in- 

 quiries about the hardiness of this variety, Mr. 

 L. G. M. Smith, of this city, says: "The vine I 

 planted in 1881 has made a fine growth. It has 

 not had any protection in winter, and has not 

 been injured by the cold. Last year it gave me 

 a fine bunch of fruit, which was beautiful and 

 of excellent flavor. I am very much pleased 

 with it." 



Azaleas in Summer.— C B. T., Westport Conn. 

 — The plants should be placed out doors in an 

 airy, partially shaded situation, but not under 

 trees. If the pots are well filled with roots, the 

 plants should be re-potted in slightly larger pots, 

 in soil consisting of three parts dark peat, one 

 part loam, and a little silver-sand, giving plenti- 

 ful drainage. If the plants are unshapely, they 

 should be pruned after flowering. Azaleas suffer 

 greatly from over-watering; yet the other ex- 

 treme, excessive dryness, should be as scrupu- 

 lously avoided. 



OUR EXHIBITION TABLE. 

 Highland Ileauty Apple. — A plate of this 

 beautiful little Apple, received from E. J'. Roc, 

 Cornwall-on-the-Hudson. We have noticed this 

 variety previously, but these specimens are far 

 more handsome than any we have seen before. 

 It is a seedling of the Lady Apple, which it re- 

 sembles iu general appearance; but it is some- 

 what larger, and of brighter color. The flesh is 

 white, very tender, and slightly sub-acid, almost 

 sweet. It keeps remarkably well, and as a des- 

 sert fruit it will, no doubt, be in considerable 

 demand. 



The Hon. D. F. lieatty, of Washington, X. ./., 

 the manufacturer of the celebrated Beatty or- 



his city for the fifth consecutive term, disproving 

 the old proverb that " a prophet is without honor 

 in his own country." 



Slug Shot.— J?. Hammond <£• Co., Moun t Eisco, 

 A. r. — We have received a pamphlet giving 

 directions for the use of this excellent new in- 

 secticide, and many testimonials as to its effi- 

 ciency. We have used "Slug Shot" in large 

 quantities during several years, and have found 

 it a sure remedy for Potato bugs and other inju- 

 rious insects. Its use is less dangerous and more 

 convenient than any other insecticide we have 

 used. 



The McTainmany Organette.— Messrs. B. C. 

 Wilkinson <£• Co., whose advertisement appears 

 on another page, have sent us one of their 

 Organelles for examination; and we cannot but 

 think that such an instrument would be highly 

 enjoyed and appreciated in many homes where 

 there is no one who plays the piano, or any other 

 musical instrument requiring skill and study in 

 the performer. Its superiority over ordinary 

 music-boxes is that it admits of the playing of 

 any number and variety of tunes by simply 

 changing the music-sheets. It is neatly and sub- 

 stantially made, and not liable to get out of 

 order. 



