1878 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
303 
■drained. Good corn land, that will bear maximum 
crops of grain, will bear good quinces. No fruit 
pays better for thorough cultivation, and the 
ground should always be kept under the spade or 
plow, and should, if we want abundant fruit, re¬ 
ceive a good dressing of manure every season. The 
bush, or tree, requires very little other care than 
the occasional thinning out of the branches if they 
crowd too closely. The thinning of the fruit, 
where it sets too abundantly, will increase the size 
and profitableness of the crop that remains. The 
fruit, as well as the flower, is quite ornamental, 
and an attractive feature in October aud November. 
The “Apple,” or “Orange Quince,” is by far the 
best variety. It ripens earlier, and brings the best 
price in the market. The quince is easily propa¬ 
gated from cuttings, and this is the simplest and 
Cuttings put down in the spring, in a moist, well 
drained soil, a little shaded, will root about as 
readily as the currant. In making a plantation, the 
young trees should be set at least ten feet apart, 
and if the soil is rich, fourteen feet will be none 
too much. Connecticut. 
[Our correspondent anticipates our intention to 
call attention to the importance of this much neg¬ 
lected fruit. We give his article as introductory to 
others we had in mind,going more into details of the 
culture. There is one point on which we would like 
information. We have, as hundreds of others have, 
a dozen or two quince trees, set here and there in by¬ 
places. They, situated as 'they are, seem to be 
profitable. Has any one of our readers tried an or¬ 
chard solely of quinces ? If so, will he tell us some¬ 
thing about their culture in this manner, what are 
the difficulties in and chief obstacles to the success 
of an orchard of quinces, and what is the average 
profit per acre of such a plantation ? These are 
points upon which many would like information. 
We know all about their hap-hazard growing— 
for it can hardly be called cultivation—but who 
will tell us about “ quince culture for profit ?”— Ed.] 
Okra—Gumbo.' 
Okra is a vegetable that is slow in finding its way 
to the garden and the table in the Northern States, 
while in Southern families it is in very general 
use. The plant is much like a large Hollyhock, 
with yellow flowers, which are succeeded by angled 
pods, six inches or more long, and over an inch 
thick. These pods, when so tender that they will 
break, are very mucilaginous, and give off, when 
cooked, a large amount of giimmy matter. If 
they begin to mature, they become woody, filled 
with hard round seeds, and quite unlike anything 
edible. Though in the catalogues, the plant is 
called “Okra or Gumbo,” the name Gumbo prop¬ 
erly belongs to the dish prepared from the pods, 
rather than to the plant itself, as the Southern 
cooks make Gumbo without the use of Okra, but 
substitute the pith and young leaves of sassafras, 
one of the native violets, and perhaps other plants. 
The best Gumbo is made with chicken, though veal 
and other meats are sometimes used, and is merely 
a stew made thick by the use of an abundance of 
Okra pods. Gumbo soup is any soup to which 
sufficient Okra is added to give it the desired thick¬ 
ness. The young and tender pods, boiled and 
dressed with melted butter, are liked by many, but 
they are rather too gummy for those who have not 
become accustomed to them. A dish made of the 
Okra pods and tomatoes stewed together, is also 
prepared. One correspondent inquires if we know 
of any method of preserving Okra by canning. We 
have not known any attempts at canning the pods, 
but they are often dried ; the pods of the proper 
age for cooking, are sliced, strung upon a cord, and 
dried in the same manner as fruit. They are also 
packed in salt, just as cucumbers are, aud when 
wanted for use, are freshened in cold water. 
WltLat rtiay be Done witli a Soap-Box. 
—The writer’s first propagating house was a soap¬ 
box—hardly this, for it had neither cover nor bot¬ 
tom. It was the frame formed by the four sides, 
and over either the top or bottom—which, is imma¬ 
terial, was tacked a piece of strong muslin. This 
was set in a sandy corner of the garden, and during 
the summer, cuttings of all kinds were placed in 
the soil beneath it. Sometimes the cuttings of 
shrubs were from sufficiently unripe wood, and all 
grew—sometimes the cuttings were too old and all 
failed, but take the season through, a wonderful 
amount of rooted stuff came out from under that 
little soap-box. Phloxes and Chrysanthemums, 
among herbaceous plants, were rooted by the doz¬ 
ens ; aud of even so uncertain a thing as “ Bleeding 
Heart,” some took root. This is something within 
the reach of every one, and we are sure that this, 
our first attempt in this way, gave us more real 
pleasure, than could the best propagating house. 
Hew Varieties of Japan Iris. 
It is stated elsewhere (“Notes from the Pines ”) 
that Mr. Thomas Hogg, who was the first to intro¬ 
duce Iris Kmmpferi, has selected 20 of the finest 
varieties of this charming plant, to which he has 
given names, they having been heretofore known 
only by numbers. To avoid future confusion, 
it is desirable that these be placed on record, 
which wc do in the interest of horticulture, and 
without the request, or even the knowledge of Mr. 
Hogg, giving, with the names, his brief descrip¬ 
tions, and also the numbers by which they have 
been designated: 
1. Ichibau—Light reddish purple, pencilled with 
white; double; dwarf; medium early. 2. Prof. 
Thurbcr —Purplish blue, mottled and spotted with 
white, fine yellow eye; double; early; first-class. 
3. Princess —Lilac, finely pencilled with blue; 
double ; dwarf; fine. 4. Robert Buist —Dark indigo 
blue, fine yellow eye; double; first-lass. 5. Mr. 
Buchanan —Light indigo blue, fine yellow eye; 
double ; large ; extra fine. 6. Emperor of Japan — 
Maroon ; first-class. 7. Pearl —Pure white ; tall ; 
early ; first-class. 8. JDaimio —Dark pink, pencilled 
with white; medium hight; early. 9. Fusi- 
yama— White, pencilled with purplish stripes, pur¬ 
ple center ; tall-, early; first-class. 10. Mr. Chotars 
—Light blue, striped aud mottled with white ; tall; 
early. 11. Minister Mori —White, deeply laced with 
pink; early; first-class. 12. Iyeyas —Purplish blue, 
solid color , tall; early. 13. Murusaki —Purple, 
wavy petals. 14. Water Nymph —White, deeply 
laced and shaded with lavender ; tall; early; dis¬ 
tinct. 15. Biabertz —Deep indigo blue ; semi-double ; 
dwarf ; medium early ; first-class. 16. Imperial 
Standard —Purplish pink, mottled with white ; tall; 
early; first-class. 17. Otcntosama —Light purple, 
slightly mottled with white; tall; very early; 
handsome. 18. Empress of Japan —Lavender, pen¬ 
cilled with white ; tall ; medium early ; first-class. 
19. Perfection —White, pencilled and mottled with 
purple; dwarf; medium early ; fine. 20. Virginalis 
—Double white; extra fine. 
The Burn-Heap.— Every garden of any con¬ 
siderable size has much rubbish to dispose of. It 
is not necessary to argue the value of a compost- 
heap, to which a large share of the refuse can be 
taken, to be converted into manure—at least not 
to any who have tested its value. But besides this, 
there is needed a burn-heap—and, we may add, 
what is not exactly a heap, but the reverse—a hol¬ 
low, or place, to receive what belongs to neither 
the compost or burn-heap. As to this last, there 
will be on a large place some ravine to be filled, or 
low place to be graded, in which the small stones 
and other incombustible rubbish may be made use¬ 
ful. But there is much material that had better be 
burned ; superannuated labels, pea-brush that has 
outlived its usefulness, the prunings of trees un¬ 
available for firewood, and most.especially those 
that have been cut away because of blight, the 
weeds that have been left alone (and the most care¬ 
ful of us have such) until seeds have begun to ma¬ 
ture—these and many other things belong properly 
upon the burn-heap. The heap should, of course, 
be where no harm can come from it, and be fired 
from time to time, as fuel accumulates. We do not 
commend this as merely a method of getting rid of 
rubbish, but, well managed, it will give a supply of 
ashes—a material so useful to the gardener, and so 
difficult to procure in thickly settled communities. 
If the ashes are gathered after each burning, one 
will be astonished at what a quantity may be thus 
obtained each season from material otherwise quite 
worthless. It is a trilling matter in the way of la¬ 
bor, but the valuable results are not to be despised. 
TEDS PWmHtlim 
For other Household Items see “ Basket ” pages. 
Home Topics. 
Co-operation in Taking Homesteads. 
Hard times have driven many persons to seek 
Western homesteads. Beautiful farms are to be 
had almost for nothing, except their actual settle¬ 
ment and cultivation. Yet these farms sometimes 
cost a great deal more than gets set down and footed 
up in the cash account. A little story has just been 
told me that illustrates this. It is about a young 
man who went from this State (Minnesota) further 
west, secured a homestead, built a small shanty, 
such as he could afford, furnishing it with the bar¬ 
est necessities for housekeeping, and then drove 
eighteen miles to the nearest railroad station, to 
meet his young wife. It was raining hard when 
they set out for “home,” and the ox-team made 
slow work on the journey. Their clothes were 
soaked with rain when, late at night, they reached 
the lonely spot where they should have found a 
shelter. But the wind had blown aviay the light 
cabin, and the cooking-stove, and other heavy 
pieces of rude furniture were all that were left by 
the storm. They had nothing prepared to eat, and 
nothing dry to put on. Early the next morning 
they started for the nearest town, but the husband 
fainted before they reached it, and the sick young 
wife drove the oxen into the strange town,—to find 
help and friends; let us hope that they found 
needed aid, but I know nothing further of their 
story. Of course, this is an exceptional case, but 
it shows that every precaution should be taken to 
guard against exposure, lack of provisions, and un¬ 
due fatigue. It is always a hazardous business for 
families to break up old associations, and go off to 
strike root in an entirely new place, far from 
neighbors, and entirely among strangers.—I am 
glad to see that better methods are taking the 
place of the old single-handed efforts at 
Making Homes in the Wilderness. 
There are colonization bureaus, which aid emi¬ 
grants to settle in congenial groups, with some de¬ 
fence against the worst hardships of pioneer-life. 
The Catholic Church, in some cases, looks after 
members of its own flock seeking homes on the 
new lands, and settles them where they can peace¬ 
ably worship God in their own way. In Minnesota 
there are several prosperous Catholic settlements, 
carefully planted and tended by the heads of the 
Church. The Odd Fellows settle people of their 
Order in pleasant companies, helping them to get a 
good start in the way of comfortable homes, with 
pleasant villages and adjacent farming population. 
Soldiers, seeking homesteads under the acts espe¬ 
cially for their benefit, unite in associations, and 
send committees to find large tracts of good land 
yet unappropriated, where they may settle in com¬ 
panies aud begin at once to enjoy the advantages 
of civilized life. This method is adopted by others 
than soldiers, and some of the most enlightened 
and prosperous settlements in the West have been 
started in this co-operative manner. Beginning in 
this way, with united enterprise and forethought, 
it becomes possible to carry out some of the excel¬ 
lent suggestions made by Col. Waring in his little 
book on “ Village Improvements and Farm Vil¬ 
lages.” It seems to me, however, that in starting 
new villages, far from the great cities which furnish 
a ready market for farm produce in their vicinity, 
co-operation in machinery and work should be car¬ 
ried further than that book suggests. It should 
not be too exclusively a farm village, or a settle¬ 
ment of farmers. Of course, mills and factories, 
and a village population of mechanics and trades- 
