1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
145 
per acre yearly, without a lease, to be allowed to 
rest, and to withhold the heavy manuring would be 
fatal, and so they go on, year after year, gorged 
with 75 tons of nmuure per aere, annually. Now 
and then a gardener has the courage to deny him- 
self the " second crop " of celery, and after his 
spring crop of beets, onions, or cabbage, sows his 
land either with corn, rye, grass, or clover, to 
to be plowed under in fall. This is only a partial 
relief, a few months growth of such crops is not 
sufflcient to make " virgin soil " out of the overfed 
market garden, though it is found that even tliis 
partial rest is sufflcient to make the succeeding 
early crop enough better to compensate for the loss 
of the second, or celery crop, of the previous year. 
The market-gardeners of Long Island, though 
much more distant from market, have larger areas 
under cultivation. While the average Jersey mar- 
ket-gardener cultivates about 10 acres, the Long 
Islander may have 50 acres ; the nearness to New 
York gives the Jerseyman the advantage in trans- 
porting his products, and in getting his manure 
cheaper, but as an offset to this, the Long Islander 
has it in his favor that he can rotate his crops at 
will. Mr. A. Van Sicklen, of Jamaica, L. I., one of 
the most successful market-gardeners of that dis- 
trict, cultivates some 50 acres, and makes it a rule 
that about 10 acres of the 50 shall be so arranged 
that it will be broken up fresh from sod every fall. 
His crops of nearly every article cultivated will 
compare favorably with those of our best Jersey 
gardeners, yet I much doubt if he applies half the 
quantity of manure they use ; besides, his abund- 
ance of land enables him to plant wider, so that 
everything is cultivated by the horse, while in New 
Jersey, from the necessity of our close planting, we 
can cultivate by hand hoes only. These are by no 
means so good as horse implements, and entail 
three times the expense for labor. Everything con- 
sidered, the normal conditiira of soil being equal, I 
I think that market-gardening can be more profita- 
bly followed on 50 acres of land on Long Island, 10 
miles from New York City, than on 10 acres in New 
Jersey, two miles from the city, providing that the 
rental is the same for each plot. 
A Propagating Case or Forcing Pit. 
To the real lover of plants nothing is more inter- 
esting than the propagation of them by cuttings, 
and a single plant raised by one's own hands, is 
worth more than a dozen from those of the florist. 
Many plants strike root so readily, that no special 
appliances are needed to raise them from cuttings, 
while others form their roots very slowly, or not at 
all, unless they can be given "bottom heat." By 
bottom heat, in garden language, is Implied that 
the soU in which the roots, or the part of the cut- 
ting on which roots are to be formed, shall be sen- 
sibly hotter than the air above it. We have this 
condition of things in the hot-bed, where the ma- 
nure is the source of heat, and later in the season 
in the open ground. After the sun's rays have 
fallen upon the soil, and it receives more heat dur- 
ing the day than it loses at night, we then have it 
in good condition for the plants. The florists, who 
turn out their plants by thousands upon thousands, 
make use of bottom heat for most plants, as they 
can multiply those things which do not absolutely 
require it, more rapidly with it than without 
it. In their propagating houses, the space below 
the benches, where the water pipes are, is enclosed ; 
this makes a sort of hot-air closet, the temperature 
of which can be regulated, and above this is the 
bench of sand, in which the cuttings are placed. 
For the great majority of plants, they endeavor to 
have the temperature of 65°, and that of the air in 
the house at 50°, as near as may be, and though 
the temperature may vary, they endeavor to keep 
up this difference of 15° between the heat" of the 
sand and that of the house. There have been sev- 
eral small pits contrived for the use of amateurs, 
who wished to use bottom heat, which was sup- 
plied by a lamp. These have either been so small 
as to be trivial and useless, or so large as to be 
clumsy and in the way. The Waltonian case, tak- 
ing up nearly as much room as a bureau, has been 
used by many, notwithstanding its expense. We 
have seen nothing of this Idnd that seemed really 
practical, until the case or portable forcing pit, 
made by Musgrove & Son, (whose other horticul- 
tural wiyes are noticed elsewhere) was brought to 
our notice. The engraving (fig. 3, given on page 
143), shows only the upper or frame portion, 
which may be used in the open ground, as a 
large hand-light or small cold-frame. As a prop- 
agating case, this is set upon a zinc base, 
which contains a reservoir to hold water, and a 
place to set flower pots, or to put sand for cuttings. 
A lamj), burning kerosene, is tlie source of heat ; 
and when the proper temperature is obtained, a 
very slight flame will continue it. Proper ventila- 
tion at top and sides, is provided for, and the 
whole is made in a workman-like manner, and with 
evident knowledge of the requirments of such a 
case. We have set one of these cases in operation 
in the window of our " den," and shall watch its 
performance with great interest, as a really useful 
thing of the kind, is just the one thing that ama- 
teurs have long wanted. The usefulness of a case 
or pit of this kind, is not confined to striking cut- 
tings; there are many tropical seeds that can not 
be started without extra heat ; and it often does 
wonders with a flagging ill-conditional plant, to 
prune it and give it a little bottom heat. 
Do You Train Your Tomatoes? 
Of course no gardener wouI(J ever think of trel- 
lising an acre of tomatoes, but we do not know of 
any one little thing that pays better in private gar- 
dens than that of giving the tomato vines some 
kind of a support. It makes but little practical 
difference what particular support is used, anything 
that wUl keep the vines from sprawling out of 
bounds and looking slovenly, that will keep the 
plant up, where one can see how to trim out su- 
perfluous growth is a great comfort. Besides these 
advantages, the -fruit is less liable to rot, is in 
sight where malformed specimens can be cut out, 
and is always clean. Another consideration is the 
greater ease in "worming" or killing the voracious 
green caterpillar; indeed if a trellis of some kind 
is once used, one will always be used thereafter. If 
one will look back through our volumes he will 
find various devices, from three hoops and three 
stakes to hold them up, to more elaborate frame- 
works. Our present object is to remind the reader 
to have something in readiness. Set the trellis be- 
TRELLIS FOR TOMATOES. 
fore the plants are put out, and begin to train to it 
early. Just here we would remind those who like 
to amuse themselves in the garden, that a tomato 
vine with a good bit of manure at its roots, and 
trained against a barn, shed, or other building, by 
means of loops of strong cloth and tacks, will make 
a display that will astonish those who have never 
seen a tomato thus treated, not only in the quantity 
of fruit, but the exceeding beauty of the whole 
plant. Here is an engraving of an easily-made, strong 
and efficient trellis, from a sketch sent a long time 
ago by F. M. Bugbee, Ohio, which will be an aid to 
those who have not the back volumes to refer to. 
Passion-Flowers. — The cultivators and fanciers 
of these most ornamental and easy-grown tender 
climbers will find a useful help and guide in " A 
claxififled list of all the species of Risstflora cultivated 
it) European Oardens, urith references to the trorks in 
u'ltich they arc figured," just published by Dr. 
Masters. It is in the last part, of the Journal of the 
Royal Horticultural Society of London, and is .also 
separately issued as a pamphlet of 25 pages, 8vo. 
We miss from the list " Pitssiflora acerifolia," our 
favorite species to show the visible movement of 
tendrils, particularly their sweeping movement. 
But, on looking into the matter, we find that the 
plant in cultivation and in the English catalogues 
under this name is not P. acerifolia at aU, but P. 
siajoides. Cm-iously enough, the Sici/osAike Pas- 
sion-flower and the Sicyos agree in having this 
wonderful activity of the tendrils. 
rUE IBKOmilEKDILID. 
SW (For other Household Items, see '^Basket " pages). 
Will the Coming Woman Fry? 
There have been a great many conundrums put ' 
with regard to the " coming woman," as well as 
the " coming man." As to the one proposed at 
the head of this article, we think that the "coming 
woman" will try. We expect that fhs "coming 
woman " will be sensible, at lea.^t, and if she cooks 
she will, being sensible, fry. "What! after all 
that Faith Rochester has said against frying, do 
you — editor of the household— say that frying is 
'sensible,' or even tolerable?" — Patience, good 
madam. We endorse all that our valued contribu- 
tor. Faith, has said, and would condemn in even 
stronger language than she has used the frying of 
food — and yet say that the "coming woman, if 
sensible, wUl f ry. " The frying-pan shall be abolish- 
ed with its attendant indigestion — and yet she shall 
fry. To explain— there is frying and frying, and 
the frying that 999— including our friend Faith— in 
1,000, talk about, is not the frying that we mean, 
and which will be the frying of the sensible coming 
woman. Let us look at it ! Fried mutton chops, 
for instance. The frying-pan is put on with some 
fat ; the fat melts and is perhaps half an inch deep 
over the bottom of the pan— often less. When the 
fat is thouglit to be hot enough, the chops are put 
in ; immediately the tat is cooled, and there is not 
enough of it to cover the chops ; after a while, as 
the fat heats, there commences a sizzling, and half 
boiling, half stewing, but no frying goes on ; the 
juices of the meat stew out into the fat, and a cor- 
responding amount of fat stews into the meat. The 
whole sizzle together, turning when the lower side 
is in danger of burning, until the cook thinks the 
chops are done, the meat is put upon a platter, and 
the fat in which it was fried too often poured over, 
and it is thus sent to tlie table. This is the too gen- 
eral way of fried meat, and is thoroughly unfit for 
the average stomach. There are some few who can 
tolerate much fat and feel no inconvenience, but 
unless for very robust, hard-working men, such 
meat is absolutely injurious. Now, come to the 
kitchen of the writer. The frying-pan is replaced 
by an enamelled kettle with sides about 6 inches 
deep ; the fat, when melted, is about 3 inches deep, 
and is allowed to heat ; the chops have had all super- 
fluous fat cut away, and are dipped in a beaten egg, 
and then covered, either with " cracker meal " or 
bread-crumbs, dried in the oven and rolled fine. 
Then, when the fat is hot enough to make a crumb 
of bread broum and ctis^} in four or five seconds, 
the chops are put in, with a slight interval between 
them, so that the fat can recover from its cooling ; 
as soon as the chop strikes the hot fat, the surface 
is at once cooked, no juice of meat can get out and 
no particle of fat can get in, for the surface is so 
seared and closed that this is an impossibility ; and 
within this closed surface the meat remains as 
juicy as when the chops are broiled. There being 
sufflcient fat, the chops can be moved about, and 
one side need never be done more than the other 
by resting on the bottom. When taken from the 
hot fat, each being allowed to drain a few seconds, 
the chops may be served upon a napkin, if you 
choose, and when eaten there is not the least 
trace of grease to be discovered, and there is none 
to be tasted. Now, we claim that a mutton chop 
fried iu this way, is as entirely unobjectionable upon 
tlie score of health as the ordinary fried mutton 
chop is reprehensible. Let us take another com- 
jnon breakfastrdish, fried potatoes. The different 
