1878.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
263 
unusual season.” Year before last, the Messrs. 
Williams brought me some quarts of the fruit, as 
sent to market from the original bed. I then said 
it was of fair quality—much better than the Wilson. 
I now say, from the fruit, ripened on my own vines, 
that it is more than fair, it is good. Those not 
familiar with fruit nomenclature should understand 
that fruits are classed as “good, very good, and 
best,” and few be they that are placed in the last 
category. To avoid misunderstanding, I will say 
that I do not put the Duncan down as a poor 
bearer, for it must have been in its fullest flower 
just at the time of the heavy frost. I speak of it 
as it behaved this season, with the condition of un¬ 
intended cutting of the runners already mentioned. 
_What a difference there is in tastes. In such 
a multitude of shrubs as I have, there are a few 
that are prime favorites, and among these is 
The Virginian Fringe-Tree, 
Crdonanthus Virginica. —I use the prefix “Vir¬ 
ginian ” because some nurserymen will persist in 
calling the “ Smoke-tree,” Bhus Cotinus, the “ Pur¬ 
ple Fringe.”—The true Fringe-tree, when in full 
bloom, richly merits the name; it is a cloud of 
white fringe-like flowers, each individual flower 
haviDg four long narrow petals, looking as if cut 
from the thinnest and whitest paper. A gentleman 
who lives a few miles away, was here a few days 
ago, and in showing him about I exercised proper 
tact in reserving the best things for the last. He 
admired the (so-called) Scarlet Horse-Chestnut, 
and went into eestacies over the Weeping Hemlock 
(and well he might) and other evergreens, just in 
the glory of their new growth. When at last I 
brought him to what had been reserved as a bonne 
bouche, as the one choice thing 1 had to offer, and 
expected the appreciation that everything else had 
received, he quietly remarked, “Do you call that 
handsome ? ”—It was not so to him , and that is all 
there is to be said about it_I have my hobbies— 
what gardener has’nt?—the Fringe-tree is one of 
them, aud another is 
The Jtamanas Ilose of Japan, 
which was figured in the American Agriculturist for 
Sept., 1875. My plants, the red. and white, are 
from the original stock sent out years ago by 
Thomas Hogg, Esq., and arc now great strong 
bushes ; not only “things of beauty,” but “a joy 
forever” of the whole season round. In the first 
place the foliage is a “joy” of itself. Its dark- 
green substantial character seems to defy all insect 
attacks, and though the plants are in a bed with 
common roses, which are favored by the slug and 
every other rose enemy, these are always intact. 
Then the flowers, four inches or more across, are 
produced in the greatest and long-continued pro¬ 
fusion. To be sure they are single, but their won¬ 
derful fragrance, and their abundance, will com¬ 
pensate for this, even with those who can see no 
beauty in other single roses. Then after this 
“Ramanas Rose” has bloomed long after other 
roses have ceased, it hangs out its wealth of great 
crimson fruit, as big as crab-apples, and is almost 
as showy as when in flower. We have a plant of 
this rose said to be double ; it has not yet flowered, 
but it must not give up any other good quality in 
making double flowers, to allow it to take the place 
of the excellent single one... .Speaking of roses 
reminds me that Mr. Peter Henderson sent me not 
long ago a specimen of a rose having 
Two Distinct Colors on One Plant. 
The specimen -was not more than six inches 
high, yet it had two flowers upon it, one a pure 
white, and the other a deep blush—not such 
changes as might be due to the age of the flowers, 
as sometimes happens, but distinct from the start. 
This is one of those not very rare examples of 
“ Hud Variation,” 
a term happily chosen by Darwin, that now and 
then occur in our cultivated flowers, and of which 
the acute florist takes advantage to perpetuate new 
varieties. Several of our popular roses have orig¬ 
inated in this way—notably the two “ Sprunts ” 
in this country. A remarkable instance of “ Bud 
variation ” occurred in Mr. Henderson’s own experi¬ 
ence. He sold to a neighbor starting in floricul¬ 
ture a lot of Rouvardias, all from the same stock, 
when this neighbor’s (Mr. Vreeland’s) Bouvardias 
came to bloom, there was one so unlike the rest, 
and so distinct and valuable, that it has been 
propagated as Bouvardia Vreelandii. None of the 
remainder of Mr. H.’s large stock showed the same 
variation. 
TME MOSEIMm 
jg!T* For other Household Items see “ Basket ” pages. 
Home Topics. 
The Abuse of Pain. 
The little nerves of feeling which run through all 
parts of the human body carry to the brain intelli¬ 
gence of disaster and of pleasure. The evil mes¬ 
sages they bring are called pains. A pain admon¬ 
ishes us that some injury is done to a part of the 
body—a finger jammed, a toe cut, an arm burned— 
or that some part is overworked or is wearied out, 
and must have rest. The nerves but do their duty, 
when they report faithfully these things, and our 
duty is to do the best we can to repair the mischief 
which caused the nerves to report in the way of 
pain. But many persons are annoyed by these evil 
messages, and only seek to silence the messenger. 
The immediate call is for something to “ still the 
pain.” Fortunately, the means employed are some¬ 
times such as correct the evil at once, and so put an 
end to the trouble reported by the nerves. Espe¬ 
cially is this the case when cool water is applied to 
cuts and burns—the relief and the cure begin and 
go on simultaneously. The same result is usually 
attained when hot water applications (or fomenta¬ 
tions) are made to bruises and sharp pains of vari¬ 
ous kinds. Pain, which results from overdoing of 
any kind, is most reasonably “ stilled ” by rest— 
general rest of the whole body, and especial rest of 
the overworked part. Anything that tends to equal¬ 
ize the circulation of the blood, or to make all parts 
of the body comfortably warm, and no warmer, 
helps to set the nerves at rest, or to stop pain and 
dis-ease. Not long ago I saw a man who was suf¬ 
fering with a violent headache (a neuralgic general 
toothache) furiously kicking, first with one foot, 
and then with the other, working to get the blood 
from his head to his heels, because he had found 
that the most effectual way to cure his headache. 
Cool applications to the head, and hot ones about 
the feet and legs might serve the same purpose. 
Morphine Drinking. 
But I set out to speak of a habit which prevails 
to an alarming extent among women—the use of 
morphine, to quiet pain of one kind or another. I 
can easily imagine that the habit may grow from 
ignorance of danger. A fearful pain is lulled by 
seemingly simple means—an opiate in the shape of 
morphine. The suffering one rests easy, and pity¬ 
ing friends may believe that morphine was just the 
thing needed. But has the opiate cured the disease 
which caused the pain ? Not a bit of it. It has only 
beaten down and silenced the faithful monitor, the 
nerves which, in the shape of pain, told of injury and 
begged that help be given to the injured part. It 
is true that Nature, and not medicine, performs the 
cure, and that the blessed work of restoration to 
health usually goes on best during sleep, but it 
should be natural sleep. This will usually come of 
itself if you put the body into suitable condition— 
the pores of the skin open, by bathing or rubbing 
judiciously, the bowels properly relieved, the stom¬ 
ach nourished by simple food, easy of digestion, 
the lungs supplied with pure air, and cleanliness 
and quiet all about the patient. But when you give 
or take the dose of morphine, you make a deadly 
attack upon the nervous system, and leave the evil 
condition of things in the body to go on. The dose 
must soon be repeated, and as the habit of resort¬ 
ing to an anodyne strengthens, the dose must grad¬ 
ually increase, in order to produce the desired effect. 
Such a course finally breaks down the nervous sys¬ 
tem, and leaves the one who resorts to it a hopeless 
wreck—the worst kind of a drunkard. 
Mothers, it is believed that those who are most 
likely to become the victims of morphine are women 
who, as children, were lulled with soothing-syrup 
(and let it always be remembered that this syrup 
derives its “ soothing” power from the morphine it 
contains), or dosed with paregoric or the more po¬ 
tent laudanum. They never learn to bear pain hero¬ 
ically. They grow up inclined to self-indulgence, 
and if hard work and sickness overtakes them, they 
fall an easy prey to morphine. Do you know that 
a person who becomes addicted to morphine can¬ 
not be decent without it ? It is said that a morphine 
drunkard can never be trusted to tell the truth. 
She becomes at last so unbearable in disposition, 
when not under the influence of her medicine, that 
her friends make every effort to gratify her mobid 
appetite. All this that I have said applies equally 
to the use of opium, morphine being but another 
form of opium. Neither should be used, except in 
some emergency, when given by a skillful physician. 
Care of Cliildren’s Eyes. 
It is no uncommon thing now to see, or hear of, 
mere children using eye-glasses, because of some 
defect of eight. Myopia (or near-sightedness) is the 
most common defect, and it is said to be manifestly 
increasing among school-children, in other coun¬ 
tries as well as in our own. The eyes of studious 
children are especially liable to suffer. Reading 
tires weak eyes, and eyes grow weak or diseased 
from too steady application to books. There are 
many disadvantages connected with learning the 
alphabet in very early childhood, and danger to 
the sight may be reckoned among them. The eyes 
of children, like all their other organs and faculties, 
are adapted to the study of natural objects, or the 
phenomena of the world into which they have lately 
come. This study is play to them, and tends to a 
healthy development of both mind and body. Their 
introduction to the line long lines of little black let¬ 
ters in print should not come too early, or too rap¬ 
idly—not untO a love for nature and a faculty for 
observation have been so cultivated that reading 
will not be immoderately attractive. Then they 
must learn to read and study in a proper light, one 
that shines upon the book or paper, and not directly 
upon the eyes. A hanging lamp is much to be de¬ 
sired, and those who read in the evening can sit so 
that the light comes down upon the page from be¬ 
hind them. In gathering about the evening lamp 
upon the table, those who read 6hould sit so that 
the light shines upon the book or paper from over 
the shoulder—and the left shoulder if practicable. 
The eyes suffer severe strain from reading when ly¬ 
ing down. One who is too tired to sit up, is too 
tired to read. When the body is enfeebled by dis¬ 
ease, the eyes are weak sympathetically, and should 
not be allowed close application. Reading in rail¬ 
way cars, or in any place where it is impossible to 
keep a steady focus for the sight, causes strain and 
injury to the eyes. Children should be taught to 
avoid all these injurious practices. 
Most of the youthful cases of near-sightedness 
within my knowledge are those who began to learu 
piano-playing when quite young, and it seems to 
me that the fixing of the sight upon the notes, 
W'hile the energies are at the same time bent upon 
the schooling of the fingers, has a peculiar tendency 
to develop neai-sightedness. Ought not a child’s 
music lessons to be made very short, and the hours 
of practice few and of brief duration ? I think 60, 
not only for the sake of the eyes, but also for the 
sake of the spinal column and the nervous system. 
Starch for Fine Muslins. 
A solution of Gum Arabic in water makes a nice 
starch for lawns and thin muslins, giving them a 
new appearance. Dilute the dissolved Gum until 
you find by experiment that you have it just right. 
It takes but a minute to rub a cloth in it, slightly 
dry and iron it, to test the strength of the gum 
water. I am unable to give exact proportions. 
Lawns renewed in. this way, after washing, not 
only look as though just made up, but retain their 
good appearance wonderfully well. 
To Keep I,emons Fresh. 
I have found that lemons may be kept fresh for 
many weeks if put into cold water. Some use sour 
milk instead, changing the lemons from one pan to 
another as the milk grows old. This involves 
