32 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[JANUARY, 
rience in a book, the title of which is given 
above. — Mr. H. writes pointedly, gives the 
" tricks of the trade," so to speak, without any 
reservation, tells his failures as well as his suc- 
cesses, makes a book that is the best guide, 
short "of actual experience, and has the rare 
merit of stopping when he has nothing more to 
say. To be successful 
in market gardening, 
besides the requisites 
above mentioned, there 
must be a sufficient 
capital to employ all 
the necessary working- 
force, and procure the 
required amount of ma- 
nure and other appli- 
ances. Every mile from 
market lessens the pro- 
fits, and every mile 
nearer the market in- 
creases the value of the 
land. Every foot is 
made to pay, and two 
and often three crops 
are taken from the same 
ground each year. 
Thus : In spring the 
land is planted to early 
cabbages, with lettuce 
between the cabbages; 
the lettuce comes off be- 
fore it is in the way of 
the cabbages, which, 
after they have matur- 
ed, are followed by cel- 
ery or other late crops. 
In this way, by various 
combinations and rota- 
tions, the land is kept 
always at work. Though 
the leading object of 
this work is to furnish 
a hand-book on market 
garden, yet the private 
garden is not overlook- 
ed, and the cultivator 
"for profit," whether he gets it in consum- 
ing or marketing his produce, will find it of 
great value. One commendable feature in the 
work is, that the author confines the lists of va- 
rieties to the few that he considers best ; suit- 
able illustrations are given where needed, and 
the chapters upon frames and houses for 
forcing vegetables will meet a loug felt want. 
Those who have places near towns and vil- 
lages will generally find it profitable to raise 
garden crops. Even if there is no regular 
market, we know from experience that a demand 
is easily made, and we have no doubt that in all 
large villages and towns, vegetables a little 
earlier or better than usual, will meet with a 
ready and remunerative sale. The raising of 
plants under glass can be made to pay in almost 
every thickly populated community,as people are 
willing to pay a good price for tomato, cabbage, 
pepper and other plants. Mr. Henderson's work 
gives ample directions for raising these, as well 
as for wintering cabbage aud other plants for 
sale, or for setting in the spring. 
plant. A striped leaved variety is also among 
the newer plants. This, by the way, is a most 
stately ornamental plant, and should be more 
common than it is. It may be kept by placing 
the roots in a cellar for the winter. Around 
New York it passes the winter safely if covered 
with a box or cask, then filled in with leaves. 
A New Variety of the Pampas Grass 
(Cfynerium) has been raised in the Paris Garden. 
Instead of the silvery white panicles of the or- 
dinary form, it has its flower clusters of a rich 
purple color. It will probably be a long time 
before this becomes generally distributed, but it 
will form a marked contrast with the original 
ASTILBE JAPONICA. 
A Valuable Herbaceous Plant. 
( Astilbe Japonica — not Spima Japonica.) 
Under the incorrect name of Spiraea Japonica, 
we have for years grown a plant that we knew 
could not be a Spircea, but neglected until last 
summer to lookup its true name. It is curious, 
as well as provoking, to see how an incorrect 
name will stick, after it once gets into the cat- 
alogues. A remarkable instance of this is Dicen- 
tra, which the best of florists will call Dielytra, 
a name that first came into use through a mis- 
print, and the above plant is an illustration of 
how the botanists sometimes keep a name un- 
settled. As many who are not botanists are 
puzzled at the way in which names are con- 
fused and changed, w r e will briefly state what 
happened to this. As the plant is in general ap- 
pearance like some Spiraeas, it was without 
sufficient care, called Spiraa Japonica. After 
the French botanists found out it was not a 
Spircea, they called it Hoteia, making a new 
genus in 1836, and naming it after a Japanese 
.botanist — for they have botanists, after their 
way, in Japan — named Ho-Tei. When Hooker 
and Bentham came to overhaul genera for their 
great work, they found our plant did not need 
a new genus at all, but would fit very well in 
the old genus Astilbe, published some thirty 
years before, and here it will doubtless rest. 
But to get back to our plant, of which our 
■engraving shows some flowering stems, with 
their leaves, of the natural size. The radical 
leaves are like those which are represented, but 
much larger, and as they form a dense tuft of 
dark green, shining, aud handsomely cut foliage, 
the plant itself would be worth growing, even 
if it did not bloom. In 
June it throws up stems 
about 18 inches in hight, 
■which bear spikes of 
very small flowers of 
the purest white, and 
when these are set oif 
by the unusually dark 
and somewhat fern-like 
foliage, the plant has an 
aspect of delicacy and 
neatness that is most 
pleasing. The flowers 
of the Astilbe are among 
the few of those of our 
herbaceous perennials 
that are sufficiently re- 
fined in their character 
to use in a bouquet, and 
for this purpose they 
are always in demand 
among florists. The 
leaves are also a ser- 
vicable green in largo 
bouquets. Astilbe is per- 
fectly hardy, grows rap- 
idly, and multiplies 
readily by division of 
the clumps after flower- 
ing is over; it likes a 
good soil, and does 
rather better if in a par- 
tially shaded place. This 
is an excellent plant to 
force for green-house 
decoration .in winter, 
and it is • one of the 
many forced perennial 
herbaceous plants sold 
in our flower markets 
in spring. Though in the nurseries and in 
works on floriculture the plant is classed under 
the herbaceous Spiraeas, under its old name of 
Spiraa Japonica, it does not belong in the same 
family, but to the Saxifrage Family.- It is cat- 
alogued by the principal nurserymen at 25 cts. 
a plant. A beautiful variety, with the leaves 
elegantly veined with golden yellow, was sent 
from Japan by Mr. Hogg ; it is yet quite scarce. 
— ^ ■ ■ 9 M » » 
Market Gardening in Paris.— At the 
"Great Exposition" to be held in Paris the 
present year, market gardening will be a 
prominent horticultural feature. A portion of 
the grounds is appropriated to the use, under the 
direction of a committee of the most celebrated 
market gardeners near Paris. It is proposed to 
have a model garden to illustrate all the proces- 
ses of cultivation employed in supplying Paris 
with its legumes, or, as a Jersey-man would say, 
" garden truck." Extensive programmes are put 
forth for displays in other departments of hor- 
ticulture, but we see nothing at once so novel 
and so useful as this. 
Violets in England. — Violets are attracting 
much attention in England just now; several 
new varieties are offered, and some old and late- 
ly neglected ones have suddenly become popular. 
We hope our florists will have a Violet fever. 
