142 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
but 1 have not as yet tried it for that purpose.) 
My method of using this remedy is its follows: 
Take a live-pound can of the soap (costing only 
$2), and turn it into a barrel one-third full of 
bot water ; stir it occasionally, and let stand a 
few hours, or over night, for the soap to dis- 
solve; then fill up the barrel with cold water — 
or I sometimes use soapsuds from the kitchen 
for this purpose. The liquid is now fit for use. 
It is of a milky appearance, and pungent but 
not offensive odor. It is too strong for using on 
plants, but will not hurt the bark or wood of 
trees. Applied with a paint-brush around the 
base of the trees, taking care to have the liquid 
enter all crevices, it immediately destroys all 
the insect-eggs that have been deposited, and 
any young worms which have not penetrated 
farther than the bark; and I believe that for 
some weeks, at least, unless heavy rains occur, 
the odor prevents the moths from depositing 
eggs. I at first thought that, for this purpose, a 
second application of the liquid might be neces- 
sary; but my experience the past season has 
convinced me that one application iu July, or 
early in August, is sufficient. 
The barrel of liquid described is enough for a 
thousand trees of bearing size, and an active 
lad can do the work, in two days, if the orchard 
is in fair condition. But if many weeds are iu 
the way, it will be necessary to first clear the 
surface around the stems of the trees with a hoe. 
The average expense of this remedy is not over 
five dollars per year for a thousand trees, or les3 
than one-fourth that of the old method of kill- 
ing the worms by hand (after they had done 
much mischief); and then, too, the new method 
is vastly more effective. 
•-* m o ■■ *-» 
The Myrsiphyllum, or Myrtle-leaf, as a 
House Plant. 
In December, 1869, we figured the Myrsiphyl- 
lum asparagoides, a beautiful climber, which is 
ofien incorrectly called Smilax. The engrav- 
ing referred to had leaves only ; we now give 
fragments showing the flower, which is very 
small and white, and the small and asparagus- 
like berries. Our especial object in referring to 
the plant at this time is to call attention to its 
great value for window cultivation. The por- 
tions here figured are from a fine wreath sent 
by a lady to show bow successful she bad been 
with the plant in her window garden. The 
lady lives in the country, where gas and fur- 
naces are not, and grows house plants in great 
perfection. The Myrsiphyllum, which iu a city 
window will hardly keep alive, with her runs 
all over the window-casing, and flowers and 
fruits most freely. It needs a good rich soil and 
a sunny window, and the poison of gas and the 
drying heat of a furnace being absent, it will 
grow most luxuriantly. The plant bears cutting 
well, which is fortunate, as the graceful branches 
arc in great demand for floral decorations, espe- 
cially for the hair. Indeed, in t lie winter, the flor- 
ists in New York charge a dollar a yard for the 
stems, and find it difficult to meet the demand. 
Market-gardening in the Rural Dis- 
tricts. — The census often shows the drift of 
farm-life more accurately than any partial ob- 
servation, however minute. It is quite clear, 
from the returns already examined, that there 
i-i a decrease in the amount of live-stock in the 
New England and Middle Slates during the 
past decade, and likewise a decrease in the 
y ield of staple grains, while there will be shown 
a large increase in the crops of vegetables and 
in garden products. This shows pretty con- 
clusively that grain-farming and live-stock rais- 
ing, lines not pay so well as some other branches 
of farming. The city and village population 
has increased, anil the farmers in the immediate 
vicinity of these large towns are turning their 
attention more and more to supplying their daily 
wants. They can -ell potatoes and turnips every 
day in the year if they have them, and garden 
products all through the summer and fall. 
There is, however, a brisk demand for poultry, 
eggs, milk, calves, lambs, and swine, aud they 
very properly raise what the market demands. 
Horticultural Memoranda from Ten- 
nessee. 
BY ANGERON PAGE. 
Magnolia Grandiflora Seed. — I obtained 
a few seeds, gathered in Memphis, Tenn., on 
►Christmas, 1869. These I planted on a rich, 
sandy loam, cast up to a ridge. I covered the 
ridge lightly with oak leaves, and stuck down a 
row of cedar switches on the south side to 
break off the sun. Late in the spring they be- 
gan to come up, and now I have eighty beau- 
tiful plants in my seed-bed. Other seed that 
were kept in sand until spring, and then planted 
out, did not germinate at all. These other seeds 
were, however, gathered at a different time and 
place. [The seeds of our hardy magnolias may 
be preserved until spring if removed from the 
cones as soon as they open, and then mixed 
with an abundance of sand and kept cool. — Ed.] 
Seed op other Evergreens. — At the same 
time, I planted fresh seed (so said the seeds- 
man), bought in New York — viz., one pound 
each of Hemlock Spruce and of Norway Spruce, 
the soil and all being the same as for the Mag- 
nolia. The Hemlock came up beautifully, the 
Norway Spruce not at all. The summer heat 
killed out a great many of my little Hemlocks. 
The rest made a poor growth, and look feeble 
now. [It is impossible to raise seedling coni- 
fers unless the young plants are shaded. The 
Hemlock is particularly sensitive to exposure 
to the sun until it is well established. — Ed.] 
Azalea Indica — I planted out-doors and in- 
doors, on hot-beds and on borders, seeds of this 
shrub without securing a single plant. I have 
equally failed in trying to germinate our native 
Holly, ami, on hot-bed planting, failed to ger- 
minate a single seed of the Chinese Tea Plant. 
[The Azalea requires nice management to raise 
it from seed. The Holly seed docs not come 
up until the second year after sowing. — Ed.] 
Tea Plants. — Grow well here out of doors. 
They are hardy in this State, and I think will 
stand a degree or two north of us. But my ex- 
perience is that tea made from the leaves with- 
out rolling or baking, bears no comparison to 
tea prepared by the Celestials. I know no rea- 
son, however, why that preparation might not be 
imi' .ed. 
ijet your readers, however, bear in mind that 
the writer has no seed, and no plants of this or 
any thing else to sell. Tea plants can be had 
of P. J. Berkmans, Augusta, Georgia, at moder- 
ate prices. They are a beautiful evergreen. 
Growing Grape Cuttings in Clay Soil. — 
We have to haul our sand here, and pay for it, 
too. Our stiff clay soil is the worst in the world 
for all sorts of cuttings. I secured a few hun- 
dred cutting- of Clinton, Concord, and Hartford 
grapes, from S. E. Dike, Rochester, N. Y. 
These I buried, top downward, in a ditch, be- 
low frost. I trenched my ground and under- 
drained each row; then I hauled dirt from the 
creek and filled with it a furrow run through 
each row. In this I planted my cuttings in 
February, and secured almost as uniform a 
stand and growth as I did from rooted plants. 
Miscellaneous Items.— Our fall and early 
winter have been so warm that our strawber- 
ries all bloomed out in November, and continue 
yet to bloom (middle of December); a few ripe 
berries have been gathered, but the whole pros- 
pect for a spring crop is, I fear, utterly blighted. 
I have pinks in bloom in the Open ground at 
this time. A light covering of cedar brush pro- 
tects them. A large jar containing a Camellia 
Japonica was left out until a few days ago 
(January). Wheu I moved it into the pit, it 
was as fresh as if it were midsummer. 
* ■ I M P W , ^ 
Greenhouse and Hot-house Plants from 
Seed. 
BT PETER HENDERSON. 
Very few not engaged in the cultivation of 
flowers as a business, know that many of the 
most beautiful ones used to decorate flower- 
beds in summer, and the hot-house, or parlor, 
in winter, can be raised from seed. The price 
of seeds, as compared with plants, is very low ; a 
package of seed costing twenty-five cents will 
usually raise as many plants as could be bought 
from the florists for $25. It is true that care 
and labor are necessary in starting them, but 
the pleasure derived from the operation alone, 
well repays that, independently of economic 
considerations. April is the best month for 
sowing most of the seeds of tropical plants, and 
it is best done, where there is the convenience, 
by hot-bed. The hot-bed is made in the usual 
manner. The soil used should be, if possible, 
of a light, sandy nature, mixed with at least 
one-third of leaf-mold from the woods; if the 
leaf-mold is not procurable, pulverized muck, 
or stable manure rotted to the condition of mold, 
will do nearly as well. This is spread over the 
manure of the depth of about six inches. The 
sashes of the hot-bed should fit close, and there 
should be some material ready for covering the 
sas'ti at night; either straw, mats, or shutters. 
We, ourselves, use shutters made out of '| 2 -inch 
stuff, and exactly the size of the sash. All 
these preparations being made, insert a ther- 
mometer in the soil covering the hot-bed, and 
when it indicates a declining temperature of 75 
degrees, the seeds may be sown. Most of the 
flower-seeds may be sown in a hot-bed just as 
we sow egg-plants or tomatoes, which is best 
done for private use by sowing in rows from a 
quarter of an inch to an inch in depth, accord- 
in"' to the size of the seed, the distance between 
the rows being two or three inches. Let me 
here repeat a caution that I have often given in 
connection with seed-sowing: Be sure that the 
soil used for covering the seed is light; nothing 
is better than leaf-mold, but if it cannot be got, 
use tire other substitutes before named. One- 
half of the loss in seeds is iu consequence of 
their being covered with a heavy, clayey soil. 
The vital force of different plants in this respect 
is widely different. Thus, while the seeds of to- 
mato will germinate in almost any soil, the 
egg-plant — a vegetable of the same class — re- 
quires the utmost care. As soon as the seeds 
have grown so as to attain the first true leaves 
— that is, the first leaves that show after the 
seed-leaves — they must be replanted carefully in 
soft, light soil, at from one to three inches apart, 
according to the kind. This will not only prevent 
