1866.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Ql 
Boxes instead of Pots. 
A -well-lviiown seedsman said to U9 some time 
ago, " If you will tell your readers never to sow 
seeds in pots, you will do them a great favor, 
and save us many complaints from customers 
who fail with their seeds, and charge the failure 
to the bad quality of the seeds, rather than to 
tlieir own bad management." TVe quite agree 
with our friend, that it requires more care than 
most people can give to successfully start 
seeds in common pots in ordinary rooms. 
Those who have no other "glass" than 
the kitchen or sitting room window, can 
gcr quite a start with plants for the 
vegetable or flower-garden, if they make 
proper use of the facilities their win- 
dows afibrd. A common flower pot, 
unless it be of a large size, dries out 
veiy rapidly in the warm air of the 
dwelling. Its sides expose a great sur- 
face, and are constantly absorbing moist- 
ure from the ball of earth, to be quickly 
evaporated, and the young plants are al- 
ternately soaked or parched every day. 
Established and hardy plants can endure 
these changes, but with delicate seedlings 
the case is different; their root hairs, 
so fine that they can only be seen by a 
microscope, do a good part of the work 
of absorbing ; these are so delicate that 
they wither with any unusual drjTiess, 
and the young plant receives a check 
if it does not die outright. This difficulty 
may be overcome by setting the pots in 
a box and surrounding them by moss, 
sawdust, or other similar material, but 
this causes a great waste of room, and it 
is much better to use the box at once 
without the intervention of pots, unless 
iu the case of cucumbers, squashes, and 
other large plants, which it is desirable to 
turn out without disturbing the roots. We 
have used boxes a foot square and about 
4 inches deep, with satisfaction, though 
the size may be modified to suit the 
window. It is necessary that the boards 
be thick, an inch is none too thick, and 
well nailed to prevent warping. With 
plants started in this way as with those 
in hot beds, success depends upon a judi- 
cious management of light air and water. 
An abundance of light is needed, but care 
must be taken to shield the tender plants 
from a burning sun. In most dwellings 
the windows are not very tight, and this is all 
the better for tlie plants, as they get iu this way 
a share of ventilation. In all suitable weather 
the windows should be opened above, taking 
care to avoid sudden changes of temperature. 
Many, never having tried a hot-bed, think they 
can not afford the time and expense, and to such 
we commend the use of these window boxes. 
seed of which came from Thorburn's, was solid, 
juicy, and of superior flavor, and the earliest of 
any except Cook's Favorite, which came a few 
days sooner. Fejce is too well known to require 
description. Its large solid fruit is rather apt to 
crack aud rot in bad weather. Cook's Favorite 
is productive and the earliest of the four, solid, 
but not so fine as Early Red. Valencia Cluster 
bears well, but, with us, is so sour as not to be 
worth growing. By proper care iu selecting 
Our Experience with Tomatoes. 
Tomatoes dififer much, not only in earliness and 
productiveness, but in flavor. Last year we 
planted side by side four varieties, and when the 
fruit ripened, it was served raw at breakfast and 
cooked at dinner daily, as long as the season 
lasted, taking care that each variety was seiTed 
by itself In this way we obtained from repeat- 
ed trials the judgment of others, made with- 
out knowing the name of the variety. The 
Ivinds were Early Smooth Red, Fejee, Cook's 
Favorite, and Valencia Cluster, named in the or- 
der of their excellence. The Early Red, the 
I 
CAUABT-BiRD FLOWER. — { Tropceolum peregrinum. ) 
for seed the specimens combining the most de- 
sirable qualities, any one can have much bet- 
ter fruit than if no such precautions are taken. 
■ I ^» i m< I « 
The Canary-bird Flower. 
Tropceolum jieregrinum. 
If this old flower could only be raised under 
glass, and were sold for a high price, it would 
probably be much better known than it now is. 
It is a great favorite of ours, and we scarcely 
ever met with a person who had seen it before, 
or who did not on first seeing it say " how 
beautiful 1" Indeed, we expect that lovers of 
flowers, when they see our engraving, will make 
a similar exclamation, for the artist has caught 
the expression of the plant with great accuracy, 
and the engraver has faithfully rendered the 
drawing. This species is a native of New Gre- 
nada, and has been in cultivation for more than 
a half century. It belongs to the same genus, 
Tropaolum, as the common Indian Cress or 
Nasturtium, and like that is a climber, clinging 
by twisting its long petioles or leaf stalks. The 
petals are fringed, and this with the peculiarly 
graceful bend of the spur of the calyx, gives 
the flower a striking resemblance to a small 
bird, a similarity which is helped out by tlio 
fine canary yellow color, and the pert way, so to 
speak, in which the flower is set upon its stems. 
The plant is an annual, and is grown about as 
readily as the common Nasturtium. The seeds 
may be planted in May, where they are to grow, 
or, if started in the house or in a hot- 
bed, they readily boar transplanting. 
A warm, light soil suits it best, as it flow- 
ers more abundantly than in rich soils. 
It climbs to the hight of 10 or 13 feet, and 
may be used wherever other climbers 
are appropriate. It is well to place it in 
some spot where the singular form of the 
flowers can be readily seen. The seeds 
ripen rather slowly, and as there is usu- 
ally a great temptation to pick the early 
blossoms, enough should be left to se- 
cure a stock of seeds for another year. 
The name Tropceolum, comes from the 
Greek word for trophy; the leaves of the 
common Nasturtium resembling a shield 
or banner, while its flowers are shaped 
somewhat like an ancient helmet. Tlie 
specific name of the present species, pere- 
grinum, means foreign or exotic. The 
seeds arc sold by all the dealers, under 
the incorrect name of Tropceolum Cana- 
riense, usually at ten cents per package. 
A French "Watering Pot. 
While the French horticultural imple- 
ments are many of them inferior to ours, 
and some are unnecessarily complicated, 
they occasionally hit upon a good thing 
as they have done in the matter of the 
arrosoir or watering-pot. Chancing -to 
see the implement in the hands of a 
^--, French gardener, we took the measure- 
ments from which the engraving was 
made, though the right proportions are 
not observed. The hight is 14 inches; 
greatest breadth 13 inches ; width across 
the top 3 inches ; diameter of rose 8 inch- 
es; diameter of spout upon which the 
rose is placed 3i inches ; length of brace 
from the rose to top of the pot, 4 inches. 
The curve of the handle is shown in the 
drawing ; it is cylindrical, as is the brace, 
which last serves as a handle also. The 
advantages of this over the usual form are 
the greater ease in carrying, and in holding the 
pot while watering. A skillful gardener uses 
two at once, and never sets them down while 
watering. The pots are held by the brace and 
filled by dip- 
ping in a tub or 
reservoir, and 
they are carried I 
in this manner | 
to the place 
where the wa- 
tering is to be 
done. By a dex- 
terous move- 
ment he lets go 
of the brace, at 
the same time giving the pots a slight twist, 
and catches them by the handles. The long 
curved handle allows the point at which the 
hand is placed to be shifted easily, so as to give 
the pot a proper inclination, which is done with 
greater ease than with those of ordinary form. 
FRENCH WATERING POT. 
