1884 .] 
AMEEIOAl^ AGEIOULTUBIST. 
23 
uous leaves, and its strikingly beautiful clusters 
of flowers. These clusters, which terminate the 
small branches, have pure white flowers, pointing 
directly downwards. So regular are the flowers, 
that they have been compared to rows of teeth. 
It blooms in June, and is common near the coast, 
from Massachusetts southward. As an ornamental 
shrub, it has positive merits and is worthy of a place 
among the choice exotics. Its poisonous effects 
upon calves are not mentioned in the books, but 
seem to be well recognized by the farmers of New 
Jersey. Mrs. B, states that among farmers in her 
vicinity the common remedy for calves is warm 
milk, sweetened with molasses. This usually causes 
the animal to vomit, and it is relieved. Our corre¬ 
spondent thinks that lambs sometimes eat the 
“ Kill-calf,” when it is certain death to them. The 
subject of animal poisoning is an important one to 
farmers, and we shall be glad of any testimony 
bearing upon the deleterious qualities of any plants. 
The Hornbeam and Ironwood. 
When a farmer’s boy at the wood-pile comes 
across a stick which resists his efforts to split it. 
Birch, and its fruit in catkins closely resembles 
those of the hop, whence its most common name. 
Hop Hornbeam. These clusters, sometimes three 
inches long, with the appearance of a hop, consist 
of closed bags, each of which contains a little nut. 
The tree is found from Canada, far southward, and 
is known in different localities as “Lever-wood,” 
“Ironwood,” and among the French settlers in 
Canada, is Boisdur, or “Hard-wood.” The wood 
is very white, compact and heavy, and is used for 
beetles, mallets, and in mill machinery. The tree 
has merits which commend it for ornamental plant¬ 
ing, on account of its light and graceful spray. 
Why Not More Chrysanthemiuns ? 
For some reason Chrysanthemums have not ac¬ 
quired the popularity in this country which they 
have abroad. They have much to commend them 
in their great variety in size, 
form and color, ease of cul¬ 
ture, and in their coming at a 
time when most other flowers 
have gone into winter quar¬ 
ters. In England, nearly every 
plants, shading them for a few days until they re¬ 
cover, and do not take them into the house until 
there is danger of severe frost. A window in a 
room without fire will greatly prolong the season 
of bloom. When their beauty is past, cut back 
the stems and place the pots in the cellar, where 
the earth should not become too dry. Those who 
exhibit Chi'ysanthemums, train them in various 
forms, tree-like, pyramidal, and tabular. The plant 
readily yields itself to the cutting and pinching 
necessary to produce these specimens. Specially 
large exhibition flowers are produced by growing 
a plant to a single stem, and allowing this to bear 
but two or three flowers, all the other buds being 
removed. In producing the trained specimens, the 
pinching back must be done while the plant is 
making its growth, and the desired form given be¬ 
fore the buds appear. When the Chrysanthemum 
is grown in the open garden and allowed to flower 
there, it should be tied to stakes, as the stems are 
he throws it aside, with the epithet, “ Hornbeam.” 
He may be right, or may not, as there are other 
woods equally difficult to split. The term “ Horn¬ 
beam,” is applied to two very different trees. One, 
closely related to the European tree of that name, 
is properly called Hornbeam; the other should be 
known as Hop Hornbeam,or Ironwood. Both are re¬ 
lated to the Beech and Oak, though differing in their 
fruit. The Hornbeam {Uarpinus Americana,) fre¬ 
quently called “Blue Beech,” especially in the West¬ 
ern States, is often scarcely more than a large shrub, 
though occasionally rising to thirty feet. Its close 
gray bark somewhat resembles that of the Beech ; 
the tree is readily recognized by its ridged or fluted 
trunk, which is unlike that of any other of our na¬ 
tive trees. As in the Beech, the sterile and fertile 
flowers are in different clusters. The sterile flow¬ 
ers in drooping catkins, soon fall away ; the fertile 
ones form fruit like that shown in the engraving. 
A little nut is at the base of a leafy bract. The en¬ 
graving also gives the shape of the leaves. The 
wood of the Hornbeam is white, very hard, and 
close-grained, and on account of its toughness is 
used for beetles, levers, or wherever a very service¬ 
able wood is required; it is sometimes used for 
hoops. The nearly related European Hornbeam 
makes a useful screen or wind-break, and the 
American species would no doubt serve for the 
same purpose. The Hop Hornbeam or Ironwood, 
{Ostrya Virginica) is often confounded with the 
preceding. It is a larger tree, forty feet high or 
more, with leaves much like those of the Black 
large town has its special Chrysanthemum show, 
held usually by a society devoted solely to 
the culture and exhibition of this flower. The 
New York Horticultural Society did well to hold 
a special Chrysanthemum exhibition in October 
last, as it served to show what a great variety is 
now presented by the forms of this one flower. 
As an indication of its increasing popularity, we 
notice that florists offer, and ladies wear upon the 
street, “ corsage, bouquets ” of the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum, which, by the way, are sometimes more 
noticeable for size than for tasteful arrangement. 
We now refer solely to the perennial or Chinese 
Chrysanthemum ( 0. Indicum), and not to the an¬ 
nual kinds, which are not without their beauty, 
and are much earlier. There are three very dis¬ 
tinct sets or classes of the Chinese Chrysanthe¬ 
mum, though European florists make several 
more. The Large-flowered, the Small-flowered or 
Pompon, and the Japanese, are each very distinct. 
They present a great variety of color, from pure 
white to dark purple and brownish red. Chrysan¬ 
themums may be treated as hardy border plants, 
but they are so late in flowering, that in most sea¬ 
sons a killing frost cuts them off before they have 
shown their full beauty. To thoroughly enjoy 
them, they should be potted for the window or the 
green-house, where their bloom may be greatly 
prolonged. To begin their cultivation, procure 
plants of a florist in the spring, and plant them out 
in good soil. If they make many stems, thin to four 
or six, and when they begin to show buds, pot the 
very brittle and are liable to be broken by winds. 
The fine varieties are so numerous that we make 
no attempt to give a list. In commencing their 
culture, it will be safe to trust to the judgment 
of a reliable florist to make a selection of varieties. 
Mountain Ash Berries are very showy, and 
would be of great use in holiday decoration, were 
they not ripe and away long before winter. If 
gathered when ripe, they shrivel and become dis¬ 
covered long before they are wanted for use. A 
correspondent of “The Garden ” (Eng.) says, they 
may be preserved in perfection, if the clusters are 
covered with strong brine. Stick a pin here, and 
try it next autumn, not only on the berries of the 
Mountain Ash, but on a number of other brilliant 
and perishable fruits. Let us pickle the berries. 
The Snowball Abutilon. —Now and then there 
turns up a flowering plant that is, in its way, what 
the Concord is among grapes. If one has a plant, 
it is sure to give returns, and in abundance. The 
Snowball Abutilon {Boule de Neige), is one of the 
thoroughly reliable plants ; whether it be six inches 
or six feet high, it will give flowers. It is easily 
propagated, and, so far as we have observed, has no 
whims or miffs. Though we have not tried it, we 
are quite sure, from its behavior in a very cool 
greenhouse, that it will prove useful in window- 
culture. Every florist can now supply the plant. 
