1882 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
335 
or four days without showing signs of decay. 
The “Alexander” is now attracting much 
attention abroad, as being earlier than any 
European variety. Mr. Rivers, of England, 
whose father originated the “Early Bea¬ 
trice,” states that the “Alexander” is ear¬ 
lier than that variety, and he might have 
added, that it is also much larger and finer. 
The improvement in early Peaches in the 
past ten years is most marked, and there is 
reason to hope for still more, if not in the 
direction of earliness, at least in that of size. 
A Lawn Weed—Star of Bethlehem. 
(Ornitliogalum umbellatum.) 
A number of the weeds of cultivation, and 
some of the most troublesome, were first in¬ 
troduced as garden plants. Escaping from 
the gardens and finding the climate favorable 
to their increase, they have become so com¬ 
mon that they are no longer cultivated and 
are now only known as weeds. One of these 
is the “ Star of Bethlehem.” This has a bulb 
about an inch in diameter, which produces 
narrow, grass-like leaves, a foot or less in 
length, and with a whitish stripe along the 
center ; they die early in the season. The 
stout flower-stalk, about six inches high when 
the flowers first appear, increases later iji the 
season to a foot in hight. The flowers are 
at first in a flat cluster, but the stem and 
flower-stalks elongate, and later it has a very 
different appearance, being open and the 
flowers scattered. Each lily-like flower is 
about an inch in diameter, pure white within, 
but each division is marked on the outside by 
a broad green stripe for its whole length; the 
flowers are succeeded by a somewhat three¬ 
angled pod. The plant, originally a native 
of Southern Europe, is naturalized in Eng¬ 
land and throughout Northern Europe. Its 
roots are said to be palatable when boiled and 
to afford a nutritious food. Besides Star of 
Bethlehem, a name suggested by its star-like 
flowers, it has others derived from the late 
opening and early closing of its flowers; it is 
sometimes called Eleven O’clock Lady,” and 
THE STAH OF BETHLEHEM. 
“ Johnny-go-to-bed.” The name Ornifhoga- 
lum was given it by the ancients; it means 
“ bird’s milk,” but the reason for its applica¬ 
tion is not known. It is believed that the 
bulbs of this plant were the “ dove’s dung” 
mentioned in the Scriptures as having been 
sold at a high price during the siege of Sa¬ 
maria. In the gardens of half a century ago 
the Star of Bethlehem was a common plant. 
When it first opens in May it is rather pretty, 
and was regarded as worth growing on this 
account, and perhaps its name also com¬ 
mended it to our grandmothers. It is now 
quite common in most of the Eastern States, 
along road-sides and in grass lands. It mul¬ 
tiplies its bulbs with great rapidity, and soon 
spreads and forms large clumps when once 
established, and the abundance of seed it pro¬ 
duces is favorable to its increase and disper¬ 
sion. A correspondent informs us that it is 
extending rapidly on Long Island, and that it 
is especially abundant in Prospect Park, 
Brooklyn, where it has such a foothold upon 
some of the lawns that it appears to be dis¬ 
placing the grass, while three or four years 
ago there was only a plant here and there. 
With this as with many other weeds, it may 
be easily eradicated if taken at its first in¬ 
vasion. We find that the plant is known 
to but veiy few, and its attractive appearance 
is such that those who notice it do not sus¬ 
pect its troublesome character. That it may 
be recognized on its first intrusion, we give 
an engraving of the plant as it appears when 
it first blooms. Whenever it occurs in the 
lawn, as it is there that it is likely to prove 
most troublesome, it should be dug up; if let 
alone for a few years it will spread to such an 
extent that it will be almost impossible to 
eradicate it. Wherever it may grow, do 
not allow it to ripen its seeds, as without 
these its progress is confined to the multipli¬ 
cation of the bulbs, and is comparatively slow. 
Pruning and Training the Tomato. 
A correspondent asks us to give precise 
directions for pruning the Tomato, with il¬ 
lustrations, in the same manner that we have 
done for the grape-vine. It is not practica¬ 
ble to do more than to give general directions, 
to be applied as the condition of the plant 
may require, as in an herb like the Tomato, 
we do not find that regularity of growth 
presented by the vine. The Tomato plant 
continues to grow, and to form new stems 
and new flower buds as long as warm weather 
lasts, and when the growth is stopped by 
the first frost, it will be loaded with a large 
quantity of green fruit of all sizes, as well 
as many flower buds. Here is a great waste 
of strength in the plant; it sets and con¬ 
tributes to the partial growth of a large 
quantity of fruit that can never mature. 
One of the first steps in the garden culture 
of the Tomato should be, to prevent the par¬ 
tial growth of all the fruit that can not be 
ripened. Of course no definite rule can be 
given as to the quantity to be removed, but 
each one must exercise his judgment. It is 
assumed that the plant is trained to a sup¬ 
port or trellis of some sort, otherwise prun¬ 
ing would be of little use. One object in 
pruning should be to remove the superfluous 
small branches that are produced in abun¬ 
dance, and make a dense, confused mass of 
foliage. The pruning to remove the excess 
of fruit may be combined with this ; the lat¬ 
er flowers are borne upon the small, recently 
grown branches, and by removing these alto¬ 
gether, two ends are accomplished. When 
one of the main branches of the plant has 
set all the fruit it can ripen, it should be 
stopped, or prevented from growing any 
longer. An inspection of the Tomato plant 
will show that it produces its flowers and 
fruit in a different manner from most others. 
A flower-cluster generally springs from an 
axil, or where the leaf joins the stem, or, as 
in the grape, appears at a point opposite to 
the leaf, while it is in the Tomato midway 
between two leaves, as shown in the dia¬ 
gram. In stopping the growth of a stem, 
there should always be a leaf left above the 
cluster, the line in the diagram showing 
where to cut; if desired, as a precaution 
against accidents, two leaves may be left; 
in this case removing the upper flower- 
cluster, should there be one above that which 
has been fixed upon to be the last one upon 
the stem. When the fruit is partly grown, 
it will be well to remove all that are de¬ 
formed and misshapen, and if a cluster prom¬ 
ises to be unusually heavy, it will be well to 
support it to the trellis by a bit of string. 
Thinning the crowded branches, removing 
the excess of fruit, and stopping the growth 
of stems after they have set sufficient fruit, 
are the ends to be aimed at in pruning the 
Tomato, and in these one operation usually 
includes the others. In applying these gen¬ 
eral rules, which are all that can be given, 
one, in the first attempt, is not in danger of 
pruning to excess, but of leaving too much. 
Those who grow the vegetable in field cul¬ 
ture, gathering the fruit by the bushel, and 
wasting as much as they use, may ridicule 
the notion of training and pruning the To¬ 
mato. Many who have small gardens, and 
wish to make the most of them, find it a 
great saving of space, besides giving the gar¬ 
den an air of neatness, to train the Tomatoes 
to a trellis, and if this is done, pruning be¬ 
comes a necessity. The ease with which 
the Tomato can be grown in our climate has 
led to its neglect, and we rarely have the fruit 
in its best condition. Some, who are fond of 
Tomatoes in the raw state, pay as much at¬ 
tention to the quality of the fruit as they do 
to that of an apple or a pear. Such will find 
that Tomatoes cultivated with care, fully de¬ 
veloped, and thoroughly ripened in the man¬ 
ner indicated, are so greatly superior to those 
grown in the usual hap-hazard way, as to 
warrant the slight trouble it involves. 
