1879 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
269 
quantities of water be absorbed by the roots, and 
raised to the leaves, where, having served its pur¬ 
pose, it passes off into the atmosphere as a vapor. 
If this supply of water is shut off, even for a very 
short time, vegetation is interrupted, the leaves 
wilt, and the plant droops, and in time dies. The 
amount of water transpired, by the plant depends 
mainly upon the amount of absorbing root surface, 
supply of water, the extent and nature of leaf 
surface exposed, and the state of the atmosphere. 
In order to expose a large surface to the moist 
earth, roots are provided with a multitude of long- 
slender outgrowths called root-hairs. These hairs 
are found only on the younger roots, and are so 
small as to require a microscope to see them. A 
small portion of the surface of a young root is 
shown in figure 1, with its root-hairs, a, b, b. as seen 
with a microscope. These hairs work their way 
among the particles of 
the soil, and cling to 
them so closely that 
they will usually break 
away from the root be¬ 
fore they will separate 
from the soil. Figure 
2, a and &, shows the 
tips of two of these 
hairs, very highly mag¬ 
nified, with the grains 
of soil eliugiug closely 
to their surface. As the 
absorbing surface of a 
plant consists largely of 
these tender and minute 
structures, it is evident 
that in transplanting, 
they should be pre¬ 
served as far as possi¬ 
ble. In order to do this, 
the young rootlets, or 
minute divisions of the 
Toots must not be de¬ 
stroyed by breakage or 
by exposure to the dry¬ 
ing air. If it is necessary that, in transplanting, the 
soil should be removed,it is best that the roots should 
be kept moist, so that when placed in moist earth 
they may soon get to work and send out new root- 
hairs. At the best, the capacity of the roots to sup¬ 
ply the plant with moisture will begreatlyreduced, 
therefore, in transplanting large plants, trees, etc., 
the extent of the foliage should be reduced also. 
The soil into which the plants are placed should 
be moist, but not a mud—and the particles brought 
close to the roots by gentle pressure. Transplant¬ 
ing is most successful when done in moist and 
cloudy weather, as this will diminish the amount of 
■evaporation, and with delicate plants, shading for 
a few days will greatly aid them. 
Wire Pea Trellises.—This item was over¬ 
looked earlier, and we give it now, that it may be 
on record, in order that those who do not remem¬ 
ber such things may “ stick a pin here ” for future 
reference. In May last we gave M. Z. Mills, Jr.’s, 
method of supporting peas by means of a wire trel¬ 
lis, instead of “ brushing ” them. Posts 6 inches 
through are put at the ends of the rows, and No. 18 
galvanized wire is stretched from one post to the 
other—two wires, separated by the thickness of the 
post, every 8 or 10 inches. We tried this last year 
on one row of peas, and it answered so well that 
this year it is used for all our peas, thus avoiding 
the great trouble of getting brush. Our rows are 
200 feet long, and we use, at every 15 feet, laths or 
other stakes to prevent sagging ; a small staple, or 
even a double-pointed tack, driven to straddle the 
wire and into the stake, answers every purpose. 
There seems to be no good reason why the wire 
should not answer indefinitely. Success depends 
upon putting up the first, or lowest wire, in time, 
before the vines get so large as to fall over, and 
in having the other wires near enough together, and 
in place early enough, to afford the needed support. 
A Canker-Worm Guard.—It is gratifying to 
come across now and then a sensible man—one who, 
when he finds himself in error, owns up his mistake 
without reservation. A few years ago wc made a 
notice of a device from New Haven, Conn., where 
they know the Canker-worm. This was a band of 
vulcanized rubber in which were several rows of 
pins. The baud had only to be tacked around the 
tree, the “ worms ” could not get beyond the pins, 
and “there you were.” Last year a gentleman in 
Methuen, Mass., sent us a similar thing, but instead 
of pins he had wires, such as are used, in cards for 
carding wool, etc. He was very enthusiastic, was 
sure it would work, and was in doubt whether he 
should offer it for sale, so that it could be used this 
past spring, or to try it first. A short time ago we 
had a letter announcing that a trial of “ that con¬ 
trivance of mine * * * has proved a total failure, 
the moth climbs over it ‘ as easy as rolling off a 
log.’ I have used printers’ ink on my trees, and 
am guiltless of sending out another humbug into 
the world, upon its theoretical merits, as I was at 
one time strongly tempted to do.”—Good! That 
is fair and square—besides, he heartily thanks us for 
our ad vice, which maybe condensed into “Go slow.” 
Why Ordinary Fruits Are Often Sent Out 
as Marvels. 
BY E. P. ROE. 
Every year the public is disappointed in regard 
to some new fruit, of which we are led to expect 
wonderful things, from the unstinted praise and 
unlimited claims with which it is started oil on its 
brief career. As a rule, we do not think this fact 
results from any wish ■ or effort to impose on the 
public poor or second-rate varieties, but rather from 
a defective acquaintance with the kinds already in 
cultivation. A person who cultivates but com¬ 
paratively few varieties, may find a seedling, or 
possibly a good old variety, that he has never seen 
and perhaps never heard of, and he is greatly struck 
with its merits. He takes it up, puts it in a favor¬ 
able place, and gives it'extra care. The old varie¬ 
ties may even be neglected in the enthusiasm for 
the plausible stranger. Of course the highly petted 
plants respond. I can take the “ Highland Hardy ” 
Raspberry, or “Wilson” Strawberry, and, by a 
course of high culture, make them astonish the na¬ 
tives, and seem to the uninitiated like new varieties. 
Neighbors and friends are called in to see the 
prodigy. They in most cases have had even less 
experience than the originator or discoverer, and 
they very honestly say that they have never seen 
anything so fine. Thus hopes and reputation grow 
apace. By and by the petted child is sent, with a 
great flourish of trumpets, out into the rough and 
tumble of the world, and is compelled to endure 
any amount of what a friend of mine terms 
“ wholesome neglect.” It is also placed side by 
side with the great standard varieties that made 
their reputation years ago. After one year’s fruit¬ 
ing the sanguine purchaser shrugs his shoulders 
over the new comer. After the second year, he 
may wrathfully dig it out, saying that “ the best 
kinds are good enough for him, and that he has no 
land or time for third-rate kinds.” Or he may find 
that the new seedling, of which he expected so 
much, so closely resembles some variety that he al¬ 
ready has, that he cannot tell them apart. As a case 
in point, I could never distinguish between the “Ro- 
meyn Seedling ” Strawberry and the “ Triomphede 
Gand.” In Raspberries, I fear we are about to have 
a still more marked example. Good judges thought 
the “Amazon” identical with the “Belle de Fonte- 
nay,” and now truth compels me to say that on my 
place, the “ Henrietta ” so nearly resembles the 
“Belle de Fontenay,” that I can not tell them apart. 
I do not say that it is not a new seedling, but its 
parentage is very plain, and if grown side by side, 
I think it will' be difficult to distinguish the two. 
From the nature of things, we. must always ex¬ 
pect these disappointments. It may seem a harsh 
and ungracious task to blight with criticism the 
prospects of some new and greatly praised variety, 
and yet it is clearly one’s duty to state plain unvar¬ 
nished truth about these claimants of popular fa¬ 
vor. In my catalogue I have tried to name the 
faults as well as the good qualities of my own seed¬ 
lings, and of those growing them I ask only that 
they give both sides of the question a fair statement. 
Fig. 2.— ROOT HAIRS 
HIGHLY MAGNIFIED. 
A wide acquaintance with the fruits already in 
cultivation is perhaps the best preventive of the 
evil referred to. If a man knows well the charac¬ 
teristics of fruits already before the public, he will 
not send out varieties so inferior to, or so closely 
resembling them, that no advantage is gained. Last 
spring I started a specimen strawberry bed. It 
contains fifty rows, and each row is a different va¬ 
riety, labelled in large letters. Any one can walk 
down this bed and compare the foliage, fruit, and 
general merit of all these kinds at a glance. They 
are all grown under precisely the same conditions, 
no more favor being shown to one variety than to 
another. By another year 1 expect to have a hun¬ 
dred or more varieties growing side by side. It is 
my intention to start this fall similar specimen beds 
of raspberries, and all the other small fruits. 
Every thing new that comes out will have to pass 
the ordeal of growing side by side with all the va¬ 
rieties that are not utterly obsolete. Then if it 
ranks with the best, or above them all, if is entitled 
to wear a crown. My own seedlings will be sub¬ 
jected to the same test, and then people can see for 
themselves how far they fall short, and can state 
the facts in the American Agriculturist. 
For other. Household Items see “ Basket ” pages. 
Home Topics. 
BY FAITH ROCHESTER. 
Getting Along Together. 
It is a common saying that “no house is large 
enough for two families.” This is not because of 
any particular conditions of space, but because hu¬ 
man nature is as it is. But the old general rule has 
been so often disproved in particular cases, that no 
one need despair of human nature. Theoretically 
it is a simple matter. Only keep the golden rule ; 
that is all. But one who imagines that this is an 
easy thing to do in practice, knows little of human 
nature at its present stage of development. Just 
“put yourself in his place” in all your dealings 
with your neighbor. Consider how it would seem 
with “ the boot on the otherfoot,” or if it was your 
neighbor’s ox that gored your cow, or vice versa. 
Yes, the theory is simple, and why do neighbors 
quarrel at all, or find it difficult to live in close re¬ 
lations ? Only because your neighbor forgets to re¬ 
turn the borrowed newspaper, or hammer, or pail, 
and your chickens scratch up your neighbor’s corn 
or flower seeds, and neither of you can bear such 
griefs as these with fortitude. Deal with each 
other frankly and kindly, with forbearance and soft 
answers, and all these difficulties can be easily ad¬ 
justed. But if each one says “I won’t until he 
docs,” or “ when he is ready to deal fairly, he will 
find me ready to meet him,” a friendly settlement 
will be delayed, and all such delays are dangerous. 
It may be according to business practices, but it is 
not in accordance with the precepts of Christianity, 
for neighbors to rejoice in the legal hold one has 
upon the other, whereby he can compel the other 
to his own terms, each looking wholly for his own 
rights in every transaction. A spirit of conformity, 
of willingness to do one’s share for the general 
pleasure, of unwillingness to stand in the way of 
others, makes a good neighbor. If we can only 
learn to live together without giving and taking of¬ 
fense at trifles, giving due attention to all the little 
kindnesses that add greatly to the sum of human 
happiuess, we can learn to cooperate as neighbors 
in many ways that will greatly increase the general 
thrift of our neighborhood. 
A Good Story for Little Children, and for 
Children of a Larger Growth. 
In some child’s paper, there was a little story 
many years ago, which impressed me as an unusu¬ 
ally good illustration of the Christian principle of 
loving our neighbors as ourselves. It has been of 
great use to me in training my little family. I have 
only to mention “Addie and Rose,” and it is better 
than any sermon or lecture on behavior. The hint 
is understood every time, though not always as 
promptly and fully acted upon as I could wish. 
