50 



whether it is not more profitable to use rather small 

 potatoes. Large potatoes can always be sold, while 

 smaller ones are of little use to the raiser, and thus 

 at the outset, large potatoes meet a serious objec- 

 tion. Then, if they take more ground to grow, it 

 is still worse for them. 



From what we have seen there is little more 

 weight per acre from large than from small sets, 

 but we think there is undoubtedly more large and 

 saleable potatoes from a crop of large than of small 

 planted ones. But on the whole, we are not yet 

 convinced that there is so much profit in large sets 

 over small ones as some of our friends suppose. 



Yet it IS like a good many abstract theories which 

 seem right, and which practically are found hard 

 to realize. If we take a potato no larger than a 

 pea, and plant it by the side of one as large as one's 

 foot, we then find that the result is overwhelmingly 

 in favor of the large potato, so that the least chance 

 of error will be to lean towards the large size. Like 

 j the honest shopkeeper who was as " moral as he 

 ; could afford to be," we must plant them as large as 

 i we can find it profitable, and we expect it will be 

 j found to be in about the medium size. 

 1 . . ' ' 



§3^Coinmiiuications for this department must reach the Editor 

 on or before the 10th of the mouth. 



|l3^The Editor cannot answer letters for this department pri- 

 vately. 



Seed of the Purple-Leaved Beech— i?., 

 Cincinnati^ Ohio. — Liquiring at some Eastern nur- 

 series for this beautiful tree, I was astonished at 

 the price asked for them. I am anxious to have 

 I enough to make an avenue of them, on a property 

 I propose to improve some time in the future, and 

 as immediate planting is not so much of an object, 

 would like to raise enough trees myself. Can you 

 tell me where I can buy seeds? 



[The Purple Beech is not a species that can be 

 raised from seed, but an accidental form found in a 

 forest near Sondershousen. in Thuringia, many 

 years ago. SeedKngs come green and pale copper- 

 colour. It is perpetuated only by grafting on the 

 green.] 



Horticulture in Congress.— Kecently Mr. 

 Delano expressed contempt for the Honorable 

 ' Isaac Newton, because " he thought the Irish po- 

 tato was a native of Pennsylvania." But Mr. 

 Russel Thayer confused the current of Mr Delano's 

 thoughts by asking him if he knew where it was a 



native of? Mr. Thaddeus Stevens enlightened his 

 auditors by giving the West Indies as its native 

 place, and Friend Isaac seems to have escaped 

 while the hunters got on the scent of this potato 

 question. Still there is some hope when it is even 

 insinuated in Congres.^ that something more than 

 party politics should be a requirement to be an 

 ofiice-holder. 



Salal Berry — J. E., Van Buren, Arlmnsas. — 

 Please give through the Monthly the name of the 

 enclosed seed, which I received from a friend in 

 Oregon, who writes that it is called Salal Berry, 

 and has sweet-scented flowers, and he thinks well f 

 worth culture in the Eastern States. \ 



[This is the Gaidtheria Shallon of Botanists — a ) 

 pretty dwarf bush, with waxy white flowers, but | 

 very impatient of cultivation. It has been in nur- I 

 serymen's catalogues in times past, but seems to ! 

 have died completely out.] | 



English Sparrows.— i/!, writes: " What do ■ 



you think about English Sparrows? •: 



I think the Sparrow will destroy more fruit buds, ; 



cherries, and strawberries, &c. , than the insects \ 



they will devour." | 



[The English house Sparrow, which it is pro- | 



posed to introduce, is a gramnivorous bird, feeding \ 



however on carneous matter whenever it cannot get ' 

 fruit and seed. 



Our correspondent, however, need not be j 

 alarmed for the consequences of introducing the 



bird, as such efforts are done in ignorance of ornith- : 



ological facts. The bird is not a migrator, and our ' 



Pennsylvania winters would prove fatal to it. "H." ' 



will never, therefore, see his "buds, cherries, &c." \ 



eaten by these birds. It is said the bird has been ! 



"naturalized" at Lewellyn Park, New Jersey. ; 



We do not believe it] | 



! 



^Baphanus caudatus.— Of this new candidate i 

 for the kitchen, a Bochester correspondent writes : 

 "I wish very much to inquire if you know any- 

 thing of Raphanus caudatus. It rather strikes 

 me as being an old acquaintance, but perhaps I am 

 mistaken." 



[The species under the name of "Madras Ba- 

 dish" has been frequently introduced here, and 

 died out without becoming popular. We have 

 never seen any variety, however, with pods over 

 a few inches in length, while the variety advertised 

 is said to be several feet. It may he a desirable in- ^ 

 troduction. We are not sanguine, but would not i 

 discourage trials.] / 



