THE \ SAY. 



185 



Peat Moss as a Manure Absorber. — Many sub- 

 urban residents who keep one or more horses, find 

 themselves possessed of at least a greater bulk of man- 

 ure, than they can well turn under or use in their gar- 

 dening operations. Straw, which is so largely used for 

 bedding, is'slow in decomposing and is bulky and awk- 

 ward to handle ; again, there are more or less weeds 

 in most bedding of this character, so that when feeding 

 our crops we are, in many instances, reinforcing their 

 already too numerous enemies. Several acquaintances 

 of mine are using peat moss as bedding and say that by 

 its use they not only made a saving in expense, but find 

 it more convenient in handling. The bulk being much 

 less, it is much easier to plow or spade under. The late 

 Peter Henderson once stated that he was willing, to 

 or did pay twice as much for stable manure where pea 

 moss was used for bedding, This moss is only found in 

 large quantities in Germany and Holland ; but it is 

 ground up and packed so closely in bales that it is ship- 

 ped to this country at a comparatively small figure. 

 Millions of bales are used annually m Europe, where 

 it is considered especially valuable for its sanitary pro- 

 perties in deodorizing the manure, a point of particular 

 importance in parts of Holland and Germany ; for ex- 

 ample, where often the stable joins or forms a part of the 

 dwelling.— W. H. R. 



The Sibley (Pike's Peak) Squash. — John Jeannin, 

 Jr. (page 58), is greatly mistaken in saying that this 

 variety is a poor keeper. We grew five acres of it and 

 three of the Hubbard, and believe the Sibley is the best 

 keeper of all the squash family. — W. A. R. Morehouse, 

 Rochester, N. Y. 



Red Cedar. — What is said on page 114, with regard 

 to the slow growth of this tree, may apply to the Vir- 

 ginia variety ; but it is not true of the Rocky Mountain 

 kind. I have scores of four-year-old seedlings of the 

 latter, that are from five to seven feet high. It will out- 

 grow the White pine as well as the Norway, White and 

 Douglas spruces, and most of the other evergreens, ex- 

 cept the Scotch and Austrian pines. The sharp-leaved 

 variety grows faster than the round-leaved. I think trees 

 large enough for fence posts can be grown in eight years 

 from the seed. — A. C. S., GUnwood, Iowa. 



Rose Enemies. — Shirley Hibberd says the aphis 

 and other insects troublesome to the rose may be ef- 

 fectually removed by enlisting the services of the spar- 

 row. This may be done by sprinkling a handful of 

 grain or bread crumbs two or three times a day among 

 the bushes. The sparrows will soon appreciate your 

 bounty, and having cleared the ground, will next pro- 

 ceed to clear the bushes of the aphis and other insects, 

 taking the best possible care to repay your kindness. 

 To render this plan a perfect success, you should keep 

 the sparrows always on the lookout, and never supplied 

 very bountifully. This may work beautifully with some 

 kinds of sparrows ; but we do not think the English va- 

 riety we introduced for the removal of insects from our 

 trees, could be induced, by kind treatment even, to do 

 a good work ! 



The Medlar. — An interesting fruit for the home gar- 

 den is the medlar. It is one of the pome fruits, perhaps 

 more closely allied to the quince than other fruits which 

 we cultivate. It is known to botanists as Pyriis or Mespilits 

 Germanica. The fruits attain the size of large hickory 

 nuts A most singular characteristic of the fruit is the 

 fact that it is inedible until it begins to decay. The 

 ripe fruits are hard and austere, but if they are allowed 

 to lie from two to four weeks disorganization begins, and 

 they become soft and edible. This process of decay is 

 called bletting. The bletted fruits have a peculiar sub- 



Fruit of the Medlar. 



acid flavor which becomes agreeable to most persons af- 

 ter a few trials. We first met bletted fruits of the Med- 

 lar in Bohemia, and soon learned to eat them. 



The Medlar may be propagated by seeds, but it is 

 better to graft the best kinds upon seedling stocks, or 

 upon pear or quince. The two leading varieties are 

 the Broad-leaved Dutch and the Nottingham. There 

 is also a seedless variety, but it possesses no superior 

 merits except longer keeping qualities. The fruits are 

 borne singly upon the ends of shoots, after the man- 

 ner of quinces. The tree is small. In Europe it is 

 largely used for hedges. 



In some parts of the south this fruit is now grown in 

 many gardens. It can be grown m the north in shel- 

 tered places. The fruits, after bletting, are either 

 eaten raw, or made into preserves. L. H. B. 



Origin of " Sub-rosa."— It was the custom among 

 the Romans, at their private feasts or dinners, to place 

 a rose over the principal door, and he who passed under 

 it silently bound himself not to reveal anythmg that was 

 done, or said within ; hence, arose the saying sub-rosa — 

 under the rose — and even now to tell a friend anything 

 siib-iosa implies that he shall not reveal it. 



Vines for Mexico.— It is said that the Mexican 

 Government has lately ordered r, 000, 000 grape cuttings 

 from California, and will distribute them free to all who 

 wish to plant them in Mexico. 



