AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
A 22 
[November, 
something bewildering, and some of it in excellent 
taste, but there are some things there that should 
never be repeated, for they “make the judicious 
grieve.” There is one absurdity, we do not know 
what it is intended to represent; it is something 
with a handle, it may be a basket; the handle—a 
hollow wire frame, probably—is planted with suc¬ 
culents, and on each side are two short pillars, 
which, if not barrels or casks covered with plants, 
might as well be, as they look like representations 
of those articles. It was unpleasant to see this and 
some other monstrosities in a place where they 
know how to do better things. The so-called “ Flor¬ 
al designs ” at exhibitions are as often something 
to avoid, as they are things to be commended. We. 
have very little sympathy with the fashion that 
works flowers into broken pillars, anchors, and the 
like, but as this gratifies many, and affords employ¬ 
ment to many others, we do not object, so long as 
it is kept within bounds. At the last exhibition of 
the N. Y. Horticultural Society, there were liberal 
and extra premiums offered for works of this kind, 
and it brought out some strange designs. There 
was a pair of shoes on a cushion ; the shoes were 
of white flowers without, and of scarlet flowers 
within, which looked distressingly like a red flannel 
lining. But why make shoes out of flowers ? Why 
degrade these delicate creations by working them 
into the semblance of something that is to be trod¬ 
den under foot ? There were various clocks and 
mantle pieces, and strange affairs, unlike anything 
else. There was a camp-fire, with a tripod, and 
something hanging that might have been a tea-pot, 
or may have been a tailor’s goose. A greater ab¬ 
surdity was a fire-place, with an attempt to repre¬ 
sent coals and flames in scarlet flowers. It becomes 
a question whether a Society is properly educating 
the public taste by exhibiting such things. Of 
course they attracted attention, and were admired 
by certain people ; but the persons who are pleased 
by such absurdities are those who would admire 
the old topiary work, where bears, and boars, and 
other horrors were clipped out of box trees. It was 
a relief to turn from the numerous horticultural ab¬ 
surdities to one or two simple, but exquisitely neat 
bouquets—not those with a silver fringe, but suf¬ 
ficiently beautiful without—and the most appropri¬ 
ate of all the funeral designs, a plain, heavy wreath 
of ivy leaves, with a few heads of ripened grain. 
An Enemy to Sweet Corn. 
Several specimens of sweet corn have been 
brought us, and others were shown at the late Ex¬ 
hibition of the N. Y. Horticultural Society, with 
the kernels largely destroyed. At first sight, we 
supposed it to be the work of the Boll-worm, or 
Corn-silk worm, which is often found in corn ; that, 
however, enters when small by the way of the silk, 
and eats as it goes, but in these specimens the at¬ 
tack was made from without, and we were assured 
that it was the work of a “bug.” At last the 
. culprit was caught in the act and brought, when 
we recognized it as a well known flow¬ 
er-eating beetle, the Indian Cetonia, 
(Cetonia Inda , or Euryomia Inda of 
some). It is of the size shown in the 
engraving, mostly of a light yellowish 
brown, with irregular black spots, 
and has a changeable metallic lustre ; 
it is very hairy, especially below. 
This beetle has two broods, one appearing in the 
spring and the other in September; they usually 
feed upon flowers, especially those secreting honey, 
and have been especially known for their depreda¬ 
tions upon peaches, in which they sometimes make 
sad havoc. Authors mention their feeding upon 
the sweet sap of corn stalks, but do not notice 
their attacks upon the ear. In some localities, the 
injury to sweet corn has been considerable this sea¬ 
son, but we have not heard of it among field corn. 
The full history of the beetle does not seem to be 
well known, but it is supposed that its larva lives 
in the ground upon roots. Its fondness for sweets, 
and the fact that the second brood is the only one 
thus far known to do mischief, suggest that they 
may be diminished by trapping the first brood by 
means of some sweet bait, and destroying them. 
A First Class Pear, The Ansault. 
About the middle of September we received from 
Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, speci¬ 
mens of the “ Bonne de Baits d’ Ansault, ” a pear 
which, though they have had it on trial for several 
years, is so little known, that it may be regarded as 
new. Eight years ago, Mr. Barry, in writing of the 
newer pears, said of this, “ will rank as best, and 
is really the best in this list.” The specimens fully 
sustain this claim to “rank as best”—indeed we 
are ready to say that, if not the best pear we ever 
tasted, it is as good as any. In their recent cata¬ 
logue, Messrs. E. & B. say “fully equal to the best 
Seckel,” beyond which praise cannot go. This 
variety was named and sent out by Andre Leroy 
(Angers, France), in 1865, it first fruited with him 
in 1863, and at Rochester in 1870. Mr. Barry de¬ 
scribed the tree as a fair grower, with small leaves, 
bearing young and very productive. The accom¬ 
panying outline, gives the shape of a specimen of 
the average size. It is thus described. “ Size 
medium to large ; Form roundish obovate ; Stem 
an inch long; Calyx small, deep; Skin a light 
golden russett, like the ‘ Golden Beurre of Bilboa ; ’ 
Flesh melting, fine grained, sweet, juicy, vinous; 
Quality, best; Season, middle to end of Septem¬ 
ber.” This pear bears 
the name of the locality 
where the parent tree 
grew, a name quite as 
forbidding as Beurre 
Oris d'Hirer Nouveau. 
It does not seem right 
that a fruit of such 
superlative excellence, 
should start on its 
career, weighted with 
such a name, for the 
reasons that Americans 
have not time to use 
such names, and not 
one in a thousand could 
pronounce this cor¬ 
rectly if he tried. 
Freely translated the name means, “ The good 
(pear) of the well of Ansault.” We are as great 
sticklers for accuracy in nomenclature as any, 
holding it little less than a crime to change the 
name of a fruit, if it has one. In the present case, 
we propose to do at the outset, what everyone who 
raises, and every one who buys the fruit will do, if 
the pear attains the popularity we predict for it, 
i, e, shorten the name. Popular usage settles that 
the Duchesse d’Angouleme, shall be Duchess, and 
the King of Tompkins County, shall be King among 
apples, and no earthly power will make people say 
Bonne de Buits d'Ansault, when Ansault will ans¬ 
wer. We do not propose to change the name, but 
simply to leave four fifths of it “ understood.” 
Even with Ansault we foresee trouble ; at a fruit- 
stand just below our office, there was last winter, 
a sign of “Dan Joe pears,” for Beurre d’Anjou. 
When the present excellent variety finds its way 
into the hands of the street vender, we may expect 
to see, “ Ann Salt Pears ” placarded at the stands. 
The Refrigerating Fruit-Box, 
BY PETER HENDERSON. 
A light, portable refrigerator for shipping fruit 
and vegetables by southern growers to northern 
markets, has recently been invented by Mr. H. A. 
Due, of S. Carolina. It consists of a box of light 
wood, lined within with galvanized iron, a space 
being left between the box and lining of an inch or 
more, which is filled with charcoal or other non¬ 
conducting material. The box is provided with 
one or more shallow movable ice-boxes, made of 
galvanized iron, provided with handles, and an 
opening which is closed by a screw-cap. The 
boxes are filled with broken ice, and closed 
so securely that no water from the melted 
ice can escape and injure the fruit. These 
ice-boxes are of the same bight as the 
fruit baskets or cups, and may be sub¬ 
stituted for a tier of these, allowing one or 
more to be used according to the require¬ 
ments of the season, one, at the top, being 
sufficient in moderately warm weather, and 
as the season grows hotter, one of the 
lower tiers of fruit may be replaced by 
a box. Fruit received iu New York from 
southern points, can by means of these 
refrigerators be safely re-shipped to Boston 
or elsewhere ; the boxes being replenished 
with ice, it is ready for another journey. 
Before giving an opinion of this inven¬ 
tion, we visited several of the principal 
commission dealers in New York, and 
found that the representations of the patentee 
were fully confirmed by those who had tested 
it; two firms, dealing largely in strawberries, 
stating that fruit received in this refrigerator 
brought, on the average, 10 cents more a quart 
than that shipped in the ordinary manner. An 
instance was cited of a shipment made from 
Charleston so late as May 10th, in which the straw¬ 
berries received in Mr. Due’s refrigerator averaged 
23c. per quart, while those carried in the steamer’s 
ice-boxes brought but 12c., the difference being due 
solely to the superior condition of the former lot. 
The cases are made square, or longer than wide ; 
the one shown in the engraving is 28 inches square 
by 19 inches high, and provided with strong 
handles which shut down flush with the sides ; the 
cover, shown at the rear, is double, and filled in 
the same manner as the sides; this is fastened 
down by large screws with square heads, which are 
countersunk. The ice-boxes, one of which is seen 
at the right hand, are 4 inches high, of a size to fit 
the interior of the case ; the opening to admit the 
ice is about 3 inches across ; the cap is screwed 
tight by means of an iron rod, bent as seen in the 
H. A. Due’s REFRIGERATING FRUIT-BOX. 
