1878.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
383 
Notes from the Pines. 
Did you ever notice that towns and cities have 
their horticultural, as well as their architectural 
features ? If asked what were the striking-features 
of New Haven, Conn. I should say, firstly, its 
elms (of course), secondly, its abundance of well 
kept grass, and thirdly, the profusion of 
Funkias or Day-lilies. 
In a visit to the place in the last days of August, 
we found it all “ ablow ” with these pleasing flow¬ 
ers. There is so much confusion about Funkias, 
that one is never sure of a name, but I took this to 
be, as seen from the street, Funkia subcordata, also 
known as F. alba, F. cordata alba , F. grandijtora, F. 
Japonica, Hemerocallis Japonica , and I do not know 
by how many other names. It makes a mass of 
fine green foliage with just above it, large racemes 
of long white flowers, in the greatest abundance. 
In nearly every yard and garden, wherever there 
were any flowers, this was quite sure to be seen. 
There were Funkias in large clumps,Funkias in large 
masses, Funkias in rows, and more Funkias—and 
a most pleasing sight it all was.I wonder if the 
Second flowering- of Wistaria 
has been so general elsewhere as it has been about 
here. The vines—I refer to the Chinese species— 
in July and August produced flowers, and in some 
cases quite profusely. I suppose that a severe- 
frost we had at the time interfered with the spring 
blooming, and we have it at this late season to keep 
the general average good... .It is gratifying to find 
a plant that one has been somewhat enthusiastic 
over, and has taken some pains to bring into notice 
when first introduced, stands the test of several 
years’ cultivation, and fully sustains one’s first im¬ 
pressions. This has been the case with the 
Variegated Eulalia Japonica. 
one-of the finest of all ornamental grasses. A row 
some 40 feet long, and the foliage full sis feet high 
is stately as well as handsome, and a large circular 
bed on the lawn filled with it, elicits many a pro¬ 
longed O— h! from passers by on the road. 
The Zebra-striped Eulalia 
in which the markings are singularly cross-wise, 
we feared would be disappointing from the lack of 
strong contrast in the colors, small plants being far 
from striking. Both these varieties of Eulalia are 
examples of the fact that we have often noticed— 
that one can not properly form an opinion of the 
merits of herbaceous plants until they have become 
thoroughly established, and have made themselves 
quite at home in their station_From the com¬ 
ments in the English journals on the 
Fruiting of the Japan Quince, 
it appears that this is of rare occurrence there. I 
refer to the brilliant early-flowering shrub generally 
called Pyrus Japonica with us. Having several 
specimens that bear regularly, and often profusely, 
I supposed it did so generally. W. C. Strong, of 
Brighton, Mass., in an article in “Gardeners’ 
Monthly ” for July speaks of having 15,000 seedlings 
of Pyrus Japonica, from which we may infer that 
the plant fruited freely with him. This gentleman 
wrote the article above mentioned to announce his 
experiments with the shrub as a new stock for the 
pear. He found the buds to “ take” on it readily, 
and the growth so pleased him that he proposes to 
test the stock on the large scale-Spring-flower¬ 
ing shrubs are abundant enough, but those that 
bloom in August and later are so few that I am 
always glad to add to the list. 
The Chaste-tree (Vilex Agnus-Castus) 
is very old, but we rarely see it, yet it is very satis¬ 
factory with its abundant long spikes of lavender- 
blue flowers, and its foliage is also pleasing. With 
me—not far from New York—it is not hardy 
enough to become a tree, as the winter kills it near¬ 
ly to the ground, but a dense mass of new growth 
comes up every season and flowers most abundant¬ 
ly. Another shrub, blooming at the same season, is 
Lindley’s Buddlea ( Buddlea IAndleyana), 
which gave me a pleasant surprise by proving itself 
hardy. It is a favorite shrub with P. J. Berckmans, 
Esq., from whose extensive collection at Augusta, 
Ga., it was received. It was taken up and housed 
for one or two winters, but the old plant, having 
grown too large, was left out a few years ago, ex¬ 
pecting, of course, that it would be the last of it. To 
our great surprise it bloomed the next fall as freely 
as ever, and is now (Sept. 1st) full of its gracefully 
drooping clusters of dark violet colored flowers. 
This is but one of a number of similar instances in 
which I have left out plants usually regarded as 
belonging to the greenhouse, and found them to be 
hardy....“ The Meadows,” as the vast tract of 
marsh is called, just back of the Palisades, and 
which is traversed in one direction by the Hacken¬ 
sack River, and in the other by the Erie Railroad, 
present a great variety of the vegetation common 
to such localities. Conspicuous among this is the 
Swamp Rose Mallotv ( Hibiscus Moscheutos ), 
forming in places clumps so showy as to attract the 
notice of persons usually indifferent to such mat¬ 
ters. This is the plant which, some 15 years ago, 
was offered at a round price as “American Jute,” 
and which met the same fate that has befallen 
many another new “fibre plant.” Still it makes a 
showy plant for the garden, and was 20 years ago 
much more common in cultivation, as Hibiscus 
palustris, than at present. The large hollyhock¬ 
like flowers are 6ix inches or more across, and 
usually of various shades of rose-color, though 
sometimes white ; I discovered from the cars one 
with white flowers with a crimson eye, and one of 
the neighbors found a pure white one, both of 
which have been promoted to the garden. The 
California species, Hibiscus Californiais, much re¬ 
sembles this iu the form of the flower, which has a 
white corolla with crimson at the base, but the 
foliage is quite distinct from that of ours. The 
Halberd-leaved Rose-Mallow 
of more Southern localities ( Hibiscus militaris) is a 
fine garden plant; its stems—five feet or more high 
—are often purplish, its leaves handsomely lobed, 
and its flesh-colored flower about the size of our 
common species... .Is there a handsomer fruit than 
Clapp’s Favorite Pear 
when in perfection ? Yet it is one of the most un¬ 
satisfactory of all pears. A friend who is given to 
putting things strikingly, says it is one of those 
pears that have to be “ picked by the clock.” If 
left a day or two too long on the tree it will be sure 
to decay at the core, and if gathered too soon it 
will not color and is of poor flavor. It is good 
when one gets it, but the trouble is to get it. After 
all there is no pear of that season—middle of 
August—equal to that beautiful little gem of a 
fruit, “Manning’s Elizabeth.” 
Blackberries in Indiana. 
BT STEELE BROTHERS,' LA I>ORTE, IND. 
[The Messrs. Steele have given us from time to 
time, a report on their Blackberries, in the cul¬ 
tivation of which they are extensively engaged. 
Their experience shows that it is not well to be 
hasty in deciding on the merits of a fruit; the 
“ Snyder,” which at first did poorly with them, they 
now regard as a valuable market variety.— Eds.] 
We fruited six varieties of blackberries this sea¬ 
son, and give our experience. First to ripen is 
Wilson’s Early. —It is the largest and finest 
looking berry we have seen. Quality poor, but on 
account of its bize and fine appearance, sells readily 
at a good price. The plant is tender; were it hardy, 
it would be our most profitable market variety. 
The Snyder ripens next, and is the hardiest 
variety we know of. It has only failed to yield a 
crop once since we have known it. It is very pro¬ 
lific, the berries ranging from small to medium in 
size ; it ranges second as to quality, and the bulk of 
the crop ripens within 10 days. 
The Kittatinny begins to ripen soon after the 
“ Snyder,” but does not come on so fast. The crop 
is about three weeks in ripening. Old bushes well 
cultivated, will yield as many berries as the 
“Snyder,” but being considerably larger, they 
will measure more bushels. It ranks first in 
quality, bringing readily from two to three cents 
per quart more in our market than the “Snyder."” 
In large cities the difference would bn greater. 
The Western Triumph is about the size of the 
“Snyder,” and of first quality; the bushes are 
thrifty and very productive. 
TnE Missouri Mammoth is not quite so prolific 
as the last named, but the berries are larger and 
the quality is excellent. 
Taylor’s Prolific is very sprawling in its 
habit of growth. The berries are so much like the 
“ Kittatinny ” in size, shape, and flavor, that it is 
very difficult to tell them apart. 
We consider all of these last three worthy of a 
general trial. They appear to be hardy, though we 
have not tested them long enough to be certain. 
The conclusion wc have reached, is, that the 
“Snyder” is most profitable for general cultiva¬ 
tion with us. It is the hardiest, and while young, 
the most prolific ; plants set this fall or next spring 
will bear a good many berries iu 1880 and nearly a 
full crop in 18S1. While the “Kittatinny” and 
“Wilson’s Early ” set at the same time will have 
very few berries before 1881 and no full crop 
before 1882. The “ Western Triumph ” and “ Mis¬ 
souri Mammoth ” also bear well the second year. 
The tops of the “Kittatinny” and “Wilson’s 
Early ” do not live through the winter here more 
than once in two or three years. For this reason, 
though we shall not discard them, we shall set 
more largely of the “ Snyder,” that we may be 
sure of a crop every year. 
urn 
For other Household Items see “ Basket ” pages. 
Home Topics. 
BY FAITn ROCHESTER. 
Fine Flour and Graham. 
I am heartily glad of the modem improvements 
in grinding wheat, which give us flour as fine and 
white as the old superfine flour, yet far more nu¬ 
tritious. Good millers assure us that the “ new pro¬ 
cess ” flour contains an increase of nearly fifty per 
cent of the most valuable food constituents of the 
wheat. Bran is the only portion of the wheat re¬ 
jected by the new process, contains some impor¬ 
tant elements for human growth, but many doubt 
whether these are most easily obtained by making 
bran an article of diet. Moleschott, a German 
scientist, investigated this subject carefully, and 
concluded that the use of unbolted flour had been 
too strongly urged. He says that only persons of 
very strong digestive powers, and engaged in active 
life, can digest the bran and appropriate its nutri¬ 
tive matter. Many find the digestive organs great¬ 
ly irritated by the bran, “ and thus undesirable re¬ 
sults attend an abundant supply of substances 
which, though highly nutritious, are digested with 
difficulty, or not at all.” 
The author of “Foods,” Dr. Edward Smith, gives 
a similar opinion. He thinks that the coarse bran 
not only leaves the body, undigested in most cases, 
but in its progress brings away much that would 
otherwise be worked up into bodily nourishment. 
The action of the bran in cases of constipation is 
well known—a mechanical action sometimes very 
useful when too “rich” and concentrated food is 
used, or where sedentary habits render the bowels 
inactive. But people of average health, leading 
moderately active lives, as all children do, and using 
vegetables and fruits as pai-t of their daily diet, 
have no need of a steady mixture of bran in their 
food. It has long seemed to me that the instinc¬ 
tive pleasure most of us have in food of fine tex¬ 
ture, as compared with that which feels coarse and 
rough in the mouth, need not be disregarded in the 
preparation of so important a thing as bread. So 
when I use graham flour, which is decidedly bran¬ 
ny—such as the northern winter wheat makes—I 
either sift out the bran, or mix it half and half 
with white flour. But I avoid the sacks of graham 
labelled “ Best white winter wheat,” and either get 
the new process graham, which has no perceptible 
