1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
157 
use in adding new plants to science and 
many floral treasures to our gardens. 
The engraving shows the plant from very 
small bulbs; larger ones produce stems 
bearing five or more flowers. The leaves 
are two, and the flowers are well raised 
above them. The flower is of that beauti¬ 
ful blue so much admired in Scilla vema, 
but enlivened with white at the center, 
which gradually merges into the blue towards 
the margin, giving a bright star-like effect to 
the flower. The flowers from large bulbs are 
described as being an inch in diameter. It 
will probably prove quite hardy, as it stood 
a very severe winter in Europe unharmed. 
Besides being a fine addition to our very early 
spring bulbs, it will be much valued for 
greenhouse culture, and especially by florists 
to force for cut flowers ; its form and size, 
and especially its lively color make it most 
-desirable for bouquet work. As with most 
new plants, it will take some time to multi¬ 
ply it in sufficient quantities for it to be 
■offered by the dealers in bulbs generally, but 
we trust it will not be long before the Snow- 
Glory will be within the reach of every one. 
Raising Cottonwoods from Cuttings. 
While the Cottonwood is one of the poorest 
•of trees, it is nevertheless useful. The first 
want of the settler in a treeless locality is 
some kind of tree growth, and that which 
will give him this quickest is valuable, not so 
much in itself perhaps, as a help in growing 
other and bettertimber. “ B. G.,” Culbertson, 
Neb., writes, among other interesting mat¬ 
ters, that he saw in a Minnesota paper that 
the fanners of that State were advised: 
“At any time during mild winter weather, 
procure cuttings 12 to 18 inches in length, 
and not less than two inches in diameter; in 
spring drop these in a furrow and cover with 
a plow, like so many potatoes, and afterwards 
smooth the ground with a light harrow.” 
Our correspondent tried this method last 
spring, and it resulted, as he expected, in a 
complete failure. He would like to know if 
'Cottonwood cuttings can be made to grow at 
all by this ‘potato method.” We should ex¬ 
pect better results from root cuttings treated 
in this manner than from pieces of the 
•branches. But why try the ‘ ‘ potato method ” 
when cuttings, large enough for stakes, gen¬ 
erally grow when set in the ground in the 
usual manner, i. e., with a part below and a 
part above ground ? The surest way would 
>be to use small cuttings upon which there are 
buds, but the Poplar and Willow, if large 
•cuttings, two inches or more in diameter, are 
planted, will push “adventitious” buds, and 
-thus gain much time over small cuttings. 
The Maidenhair Fern. — A lady 
writes that she sees frequent mention of the 
grace and beauty of the Maidenhair Fern, 
and would know how to recognize it should 
she meet with it. If we were to say : “ It is 
the most graceful of all native ferns,” this 
might not help her, as its habit is so unlike 
that of all other native species that she might 
not, at first sight, take it to be a fern. The 
•engraving here given, though small, so well 
gives the aspect of the fern that it will help 
to recognize it. The plant is usually about a 
toot high, and its stem at the top bears a 
number of small curved branches arranged 
in such a manner as to give a more or less 
•circular outline when seen from above. The 
stem and its divisions are shining black, as if 
of polished ebony, while the leafy portion is 
of a most tender, delicate green. It is found 
in moist woods, and when taken up, remove 
the MAiDMu^.... yj,diauturnpedatum). 
a good share of soil with it and plant in 
a shady and moist part of the fernery. 
Sweet Peas—Sow Early. 
There are some old-fashioned flowers of 
such real merit that they will always be 
popular. Among these is the Sweet Pea ( La- 
thyrus odoratus ). Its beauty in the garden is 
sufficient to commend it, but as a cut flower 
it has especial merits, in its delicate colors, 
beauty of form and most exquisite fragrance; 
besides these it is remarkably lasting when 
cut. When we saw in the south of Ireland, 
in the middle of September, Sweet Peas grow¬ 
ing six or eight feet high and full of bloom, 
from bottom to top, we for the first time saw 
of what this fine old plant is capable. As 
with the edible peas, our dry and hot sum¬ 
mers make these of short duration with us, 
but we can have them in much more satis¬ 
factory condition than is usual by observing 
two points : to sow them early and to sow 
them deep. Put in the seeds the very first 
thing after the soil is in proper condition, and 
let them be at least four inches below the sur¬ 
face. A good plan is, to open a drill four 
inches deep, drop the seeds about two inches 
apart, and cover with an inch or so of soil; 
when the shoots begin to break ground, 
put on soil, a little at a time, until the drill is 
filled. The object of this is, to place the 
roots well below the surface where they will 
not be so soon affected by |he heat and 
drouth, and thus prolong their season of 
bloom. The vines must have supports of 
some kind ; if sown near a fence, strings 
leading from a peg in the ground to a nail on 
the fence will answer. A very pleasing 
method is to sow the seed in circles, two feet 
in diameter; set in the center a stake about 
five feet high, and lead strings from pegs in 
the circle to the top of the stake. At one 
time, needing a low screen or hedge in the 
garden, we made it as follows. Stout stakes 
were set at intervals and about five feet out 
of the ground ; a few inches from the ground 
and at the tops of the stakes, string-pieces 
about three inches wide were nailed on ; pea 
brush was then set, not very closely, along 
and next to this trellis. The upper ends of 
the brush were brought close to the top rail 
by winding twine around the rail in such a 
manner as to include and hold the tops of 
the brush. The ends of the brush were, by 
use of the pruning shears, cut level with the 
top rail. The peas were sown at the base of 
this trellis and soon covered it, making a 
beautiful sight. There are now a number of 
fine varieties of the Sweet Pea, as may be 
seen by consulting the seedsmen’s catalogues. 
Spinach for Everybody. 
In the spring every one finds some kind 
of green vegetable acceptable—it seems to 
meet a natural want, and a list of the 
various articles consumed in different 
parts of the country, under the general 
name of “ greens,” would be a long one. 
A large share of greens is furnished by 
wild plants, and much time is consumed 
in hunting these by the roadside and in 
the fields. A very small portion of this time 
spent in the garden, would furnish vastly 
better greens without the trouble of hunt¬ 
ing for them. To have the earliest supply 
from the garden, the preparation must be 
made the preceding autumn. But there is 
no reason why the use of greens should be 
confined to the first few days of spring. 
By proper management the garden can be 
made to yield them the whole season through. 
Spinach and some others are acceptable at 
any time, summer or winter, and with a 
little forethought, may be had except in the 
coldest months. It seems strange to those 
interested in such matters, that certain deli¬ 
cious vegetables, as easily raised as any 
others, rarely find their way into farmers’ 
gardens. Take Spinach for example, one of 
the most delicate and delicious of all vege¬ 
tables, always sold, and at a good price, in 
city markets, is so seldom seen in farm gar¬ 
dens that we may say that it is, as a rule, un¬ 
known to them. Yet its culture is as easy 
as that of its relative, the beet, and it may 
be had in the greatest abundance at a trifling 
cost, the seed being cheap. Select a warm 
early spot in the garden, and as soon as it can 
be made ready—which means highly manur¬ 
ing and thorough working—lay out drills 15 
inches apart and sow just like beet seed. 
When the plants are up, stir the soil next to 
the rows and continue the cultivation by 
keeping the soil mellow and hand weeding 
in the rows just as for a crop of beets or 
carrots. As soon as the leaves are an inch 
or two long, thin the plants, leaving them 
about two inches apart, and use the thin¬ 
nings. Soon the plants in the rows will 
crowd one another, when every other one 
may be taken for use, and by the time this thin¬ 
ning is completed, the remaining plants will 
be ready. In rich soil, the larger the plant 
the better it will be, and it is in good condi¬ 
tion until it begins to show its flower stalks. 
A sowing should be made at intervals of two 
weeks, until hot weather. As to cooking 
Spinach, those who think that greens must 
be cooked with bacon or pork, will find 
Spinach better cooked thus than any other 
greens. To do this is to spoil its delicate 
flavor, and we may add, makes all greens 
less digestible than when cooked in clear 
water. To have Spinach in perfection, wash 
thoroughly, put into boiling water and let it 
boil with the lid off (to keep it green) 20 or 
30 minutes, or until tender. Place on a col¬ 
ander to drain, chop fine, return to the 
sauce-pan—of course having thrown out the 
water—with a generous lump of butter, and 
let it simmer until the butter is melted and 
the whole heated through. It is often served 
with hard-boiled eggs. It may be eaten as 
other greens, with vinegar, but those who 
like the delicate flavor of the vegetable do 
not use any addition. There are other 
methods of cooking, but this is the simplest, 
and, to our taste, the best. Let those who 
have never grown Spinach, try it this spring. 
