4,34: 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
cluster from Mr. Roe’s grounds, is of the real size. 
So far as we are aware, all of the cultivated varie¬ 
ties of this raspberry have been found wild. If 
there have been any attempts to improve it by cul¬ 
tivation, we have not heard of them. Sometimes, 
as with the Blackberry, albino, or whitish forms of 
this fruit are met with, and there is a set of yellow- 
caps, but none appear to have become popular. 
Notes from the Pines. 
Whoever has occasion to pass the broad brackish 
marshes, or “meadows,” as they are called, which 
lie near New York City immediately west of the 
Hudson, is attracted by the great abundance of 
large Hollyhock-like flowers of the Rose-Mallow; 
it is the Swamp Rose-Mallow ( Hibiscus Moscheutos). 
The appearance of these flowers indicates that mid¬ 
summer has come. In their wild state they pre¬ 
sent considerable variety, the usual color being 
rose-pink, varying greatly in depth of tint, and oc¬ 
casionally a white one is seen. Usually the white 
varieties have a purple spot at the base of their 
flower, but one cf my neighbors was so fortunate 
as to procure one which was white throughout. 
Even the ordinary form is desirable as a garden 
plant, and with the white varieties a pleasing group 
may be made. We have received as Hibiscus 
flavescens, what is probably a marked form of this 
plant. The stems in this are purplish, the leaves 
much narrower, and the flowers before opening 
have a very lisrht yellow tinge, scarcely perceptible 
except by contrast with pure white. When trans¬ 
ferred to the garden, the Rose-Mallow grows much 
taller than it does in its native marshes, and is real¬ 
ly a desirable plant in places where there is room 
for so large a clump as it will make. This plant 
illustrates a point that I have often mentioned, 
namely : that plants taken from wet grounds, and 
which in their wild state are never found in any 
other situation, are greatly improved by being 
transferred to the dryer soil of the garden. A re¬ 
markable instance of this is afforded by the common 
Cardinal Flower {Lobelia cardinalis). 
Some roots of this, taken from a swampy meadow 
and brought into the garden only a few rods away, 
are now (Sept. 1st) in full bloom with their strong, 
vigorous stems at least four feet high, and with a 
spike of its intensely scarlet flowers of a size that 
I have never seen equalled by the plant in its native 
localities. The Cardinal-flower is common all over 
the country, and illustrates the fact that to make a 
showy garden, one need not of necessity be at an 
expense for plants, as one with a little industry and 
observation, can And among our native plants suffi¬ 
cient to stock a large garden in a manner that will 
leave nothing to be desired in the way of beauty 
and variety. But few persons, even those who 
live in the country, seem to be aware of the great 
beauty of the wild flowers about them, and it is 
only when they have been brought into notice by 
florists, and a price is put upon them, that they 
seem to be appreciated. Not only are these wild 
plants increased in size and beauty by being placed 
in garden soil, but their period of bloom is often 
wonderfully lengthened. The common Bird-foot 
Violet {Violapedata), when left in the fields has its 
time of flowering and is done with it, but in the 
garden it remains in flower all summer long. To 
be sure, this late bloom is not so abundant as the 
earlier oue, but one can hardly go to a clump of 
these plants in a garden, without being able to 
gather flowers from it-It is but a few years ago 
that we were gladly paying a dollar for a small 
plant of a new grass, 
The Japanese Striped Eulalia. 
Some plants when they get common are apt to 
lose in our esteem, not so with this beautiful grass. 
I saw not long ago in the grounds of Woolson & 
Co., a row of this grass nearly two hundred feet 
long ; it was as tall as one’s head, and presented a 
bank of variegated foliage that was most pleasing 
to behold. Indeed it was as much handsomer than 
the little plants, as the mass was larger. Aside 
from the beauty of this in the garden, its flowers 
are among the most desirable for grass bouquets, 
hut in order to have them at their best, they should 
be gathered very early ; in fact, before the flowers 
are fairly opened. This early gathering of the 
flowers of grasses is a matter worth attending to 
by those who would make use of them for winter 
ornaments, and I think that it is one secret of 
the great superiority of California Pampas-Grass 
plumes, as they have a softness and brilliancy want¬ 
ing in those that have been exposed to the weather. 
Grasses for Winter Bouquets. 
The Ravenna-Grass ( Erianthus ) that, in our 
severe climate, is the best substitute for Pampas- 
Grass, which is not to be depended upon in the 
latitude of New York, has its flowers vastly im¬ 
proved by this early gathering. I have found that 
by opening the sheaths which surround the clus¬ 
ters, and thus anticipating the natural period of 
blooming, that the flowers are not only more plumy, 
but they are of much better color then when al¬ 
lowed to open naturally, and the same may be said 
of the flowers of the common Reed ( Phragmitcs 
communis) of our marshes. By taking the flower clus¬ 
ters of this very early, the down of the flowers re¬ 
mains fast, and obviates the annoyance which ordin¬ 
arily results from its shedding the down when thor¬ 
oughly dried in the warm air of our dwelling rooms. 
In the matter of ornamental grasses, too, one 
need not resort to exotic plants to get a pleasing 
variety. The Reed is often found in almost all 
marshy districts, while in dry and sandy localities 
the Tall Panic-Grass {Panicum virgatum ), is abund¬ 
ant. This also greatly improves in cultivation, and 
its light and graceful flower clusters add a finish to 
a grass bouquet which cannot be imparted to it by 
any other species. With these two, and several 
smaller grasses, all taken very early in bloom, one 
can make a very handsome ornamental cluster. 
In drying grasses for winter use, it is, as a general 
thing, better to hang them up with the tops down¬ 
ward, and they should always be placed where 
they will not gather dust. In the abundance of 
New Lilies from Japan, 
and elsewhere, we are accustomed to look upon 
some of the old garden favorites as coarse and 
common. Indeed the old Tiger Lily is now seldom 
to be met with, yet for making a mass of brilliant 
color, what is more desirable ? Better than the 
common form of this lily, is the variety called 
splendens. This has more compact flower-clusters, 
the plant is more robust and erect than the com- 
mou kind, and a mass of this seen against a back¬ 
ground of dark foliage is most striking. The 
Double Tiger Lily is very effective in producing a 
color effect, but it should be seen at a distance 
where the raggedness of the individual flowers will 
not be noticed. In passing a Broadway florist’s 
store the other day, my attention was arrested by 
A Mass of Pure White Flowers, 
which at first sight I did not recognize. Upon 
closer inspection I found they were that form of 
the common Japan Lily ( Lilium speciosum ), known 
as the variety pnecox. This, which is not so com¬ 
mon as it should be, has rather smaller flowers thau 
the ordinary form, is more regular in shape, its 
petals being symmetrically recurved, and of a pure 
white. Those in the florist’s windows were dis¬ 
guised by having the anthers removed, a precaution 
necessary with all light colored lilies, at least when 
they are to be shaken about or transported, else 
the dark brownish pollen which is so copiously 
produced, will fall upon and greatly disfigure the 
petals. This variety, thus treated, is admirable for 
use in large floral decorations, and I know nothing 
which gives so large a mass of pure white and is 
at the same time so delicate in texture as this. This 
variety is equally hardy with the ordinary kind, and 
although it is called priecox, I cannot see that it is 
(as its name implies), any earlier, even if quite so 
early as the other varieties of lilies. 
I think that the American Agriculturist was the first 
to bring into prominent notice that variety of Loni- 
cera Japonica, the Japanese Honeysuckle, known as 
Hall’s Honeysuckle. 
It is a satisfaction to have a plant as well as a 
person, on better acquaintance, fulfill its early 
promise ; this Honeysuckle improves with every 
year’s acquaintance. It grows rapidly, it climhs 
high, it has good foliage, it blooms early, and it 
blooms all the time, its flowers are fragrant, and— 
what more will you have ? I know that some 
people will find fault because its flowers are not 
red or of some other color than the delicate white 
they have at first, but until somebody can make 
a honeysuckle to order, I shall stick to Hall’s. 
Staying Over-Loaded Fruit Trees. 
-o-- 
The apple trees are breaking down under their 
loads of fruit. It is not worth while to let them. 
Tarred rope yarn is cheap and strong. One strand 
will hold a man’s weight, and that is more than 
several bushels of apples. If, in applying the cord, 
you distrust a single strand, take two or more. 
First attach the cord to the lower limb, then draw 
it over an inner, upper crotch, place the toe of one 
METHOD OF TYING OVERLOADED TREES. 
foot under the limb, and lift it up a little, tighten 
the cord, not taking too much weight off the limb, 
and make fast with two half-hitches to the upper 
limb or crotch. Proceed in this way with every 
over-burdened limb which you can get at, and you 
will find the tree much better supported than it 
would be by poles. The accompanying cut shows 
the principle upon which this staying is done, so 
that one part of the tree shall support another. 
An Excellent Early Squash. 
The early or summer-squashes are, as a general 
thing, very poor in quality, being coarse, watery, 
and flavorless. This spring Mr. Gregory, of Marble¬ 
head, who has a way of introducing fine squashes, 
sent out a variety called the “Essex Hybrid,” 
which is claimed to be a cross between the Turban 
and the Hubbard. Of the quality of this squash 
Mr. Gregory spoke very guardedly, as he had not 
cultivated it himself. He sent us some of the seeds 
for trial, and we found it to be quite as early as the 
bush squashes and in every respect vastly superior 
to them. The squash has a remarkably symmetric¬ 
al form, being somewhat like the Turban in shape, 
but more regular. Its skin is at first whitish or 
cream-colored, turning to orange, the flesh very 
thick, with but a small cavity for the seeds. In 
quality it ranks with either of its alleged parents, 
and well sustains the reputation of Mr. Gregory 
as an introducer of fine squashes. The vine, as 
with the winter varieties, needs a plenty of room. 
Riponing tl»e Seeds of'ffi-ies and Shrubs. 
—Sometime ago our valued correspondent, Jean 
Sisley, Lyons, France, sent to the U lievue Horticole ” 
a hint which some may find useful in this country. 
If it is feared that the season may not be long 
enough to allow the seeds of trees and shrubs to 
mature, he cuts the branches bearing the seeds 
which it is desired to preserve while the fruit is 
still green. These he places in pots of soil, as if 
they were cuttings, keeping the earth properly 
moist, or in bottles filled with water. The pots or 
bottles are to be placed in a cool greenhouse, where 
the seeds will in due time come to perfection. This 
method will be found useful with berry-like seeds 
and others which the birds take as soon as they be- 
