975 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
1861.] 
The bed may be four feet wide, and eight or ten 
feet long; this will supply an ordinary family. 
Let the sides rise perpendicularly for one foot, 
and then slope gradually to the center, say a 
foot higher, making four sloping surfaces. This 
bed should be of horse-dung, well forked up 
and pressed down equally on all sides. Cover it 
with straw for ten days, after which, the excess 
of heat having passed off, the straw may be re¬ 
moved, and an inch and a half of rich mold put 
on. Break a block of spawn into pieces the 
size of a chestnut, and plant them in this mold, 
in rows six inches apart. One block will plant 
a surface four feet square. Then cover with an¬ 
other inch of loam, and place over this a layer 
of straw, several inches thick. The after culti¬ 
vation consists in keeping up an even tempera¬ 
ture, say about 65°, and in watering the bed oc¬ 
casionally if it becomes dry. The plants will 
appear in four or five weeks, and in two days 
after their first appearance, will be ready for 
use. The crop may be gathered as often as 
desired, through a period of several months. 
Our hints will not be satisfactory to the la¬ 
dies, unless we add a few words in reference to 
preparing the mushroom for the table. 
For broiling , cut off the stems, wash the caps 
in fresh water, place them on the gridiron over 
a slow fire; season with pepper, salt, and butter, 
and serve up like broiled steak. For stewing , 
stem, peel, and wash, then lay in a sauce-pan, 
partly cover with water, and add a little salt. 
Serve up on toast, adding butter, pepper, cinna¬ 
mon, and wine if taste and conscience approve. 
For making a catchup, put down the heads in 
layers of salt for one week, then mash them and 
add cinnamon, pepper, and cloves, at the rate of 
one teaspoonful of pepper, a quarter of a tea¬ 
spoonful each of cloves and cinnamon, to a 
quart of mushrooms, mix well together, and set 
the vessel containing them into boiling water 
for three hours. Then strain through a coarse 
cloth, and boil again for half an hour, skimming 
off impurities. Bottle and cork tight, and stow 
away for future use. 
-- ------ 
To Grow Verbenas. 
Conflicting reports reach us, this Summer, re¬ 
specting the verbena. In some quarters, we are 
told, the plants have rotted off, in others they 
have burned out, in others succeeded moderate¬ 
ly well, in others insects and mildew have in¬ 
fested them, and in still others they have been 
a blaze of bloom all Summer long. 
Of course, we can not answer all the numerous 
inquiries as to the cause of these varying expe¬ 
riences. But a few general principles may be 
stated, which apply to a multitude of cases. As 
a general rule (not forgetting the exceptions,) 
native seedlings thrive better in our climate than 
foreign varieties. And, since our Summers are 
confessedly better suited to the verbena than the 
English, and as seeds ripen here so readily, we 
see not why we should depend on foreign 
sources for our new plants. Why, indeed, should 
we not send our seedlings to the foreign market? 
Again, success with the verbena depends 
much on the character 0 f the soil. It should not 
be rich. This plant dislikes manure; and be¬ 
sides, if the soil is quite strong, we get a great 
growth of vines and only a few blossoms. A 
common sandy loam is what is wanted; or, to 
follow high authority, “ two parts loam, two of 
leaf-mold, with an admixture of sand.” Let the 
border be dry, and open on all sides to the sun. 
There is, also, this peculiarity to be noted, 
that verbenas seldom succeed well ii the same 
ground more than two years in succession. 
Either the plants should be set in new beds 
every other year, or the old beds should have 
the soil entirely renewed. 
Many persons get only small, feeble, rusty 
plants from the florist, and then set them out 
quite late in the Summer. Instead of this, vig¬ 
orous plants should be got early in the Spring, 
then shifted into larger pots, be kept in vigorous 
growth, and be exposed gradually to the open 
air for a week or ten days before being bedded 
out. They are hardier than most other bedding- 
plants, and may be set out early. Thus man¬ 
aged, they will become large plants early in 
the Summer, and will make a vigorous show of 
flowers. This last hint we consider of great 
importance. Of course, the shoots must be 
pegged down as they grow. With these direc¬ 
tions all followed out, success may at least in all 
ordinary cases be depended on. 
House Plants for Winter. 
Many of our readers, we hope, will give them¬ 
selves the pleasure of having a few plants in 
the window to cheer the long Winter season 
not far before us. No passer-by sees flowers 
peeping through the frosted window, without a 
new feeling of cheerfulness, and without reflect¬ 
ing that such a household possesses a certain 
sort of refinement and happiness which others 
do not. An old German poet sings, 
“ A flower do but place near thy window glass, 
And through it no image of evil shall pass.” 
But we do not care, just now, to plead for 
window plants. We know that many of our 
readers are determined to treat themselves to 
this luxury, and will thank us for any hints that 
may be given. 
It is not a good practice, generally, to use 
plants for Winter blooming, which have been 
in flower throughout the Summer. The attempt 
to do so will be only partially successful, at 
best, and the plants will suffer from the unnat¬ 
ural forcing. If such are to be used at all, they 
should be taken up quite early in the Fall, (say 
Sept. 1st,) potted and set away in partial shade, 
to rest. On the approach of frosty nights, they 
should go into a cold frame or other sheltered 
spot, and rest for another month or two. By 
December, or January, they may be brought 
into a warm room, and encouraged to grow. 
A better waj^ however, is to have two sets of 
plants, the winter-bloomers being kept in a com¬ 
paratively dormant state during the Summer. 
They may be plunged in coal ashes, on the north 
side of a building, and should receive only just 
enough water to keep them from wilting. A 
few plants, like the Petunia and Scarlet Gera¬ 
niums, will bloom a large part of the year. To 
prepare them well for Winter flowering, be¬ 
gin early in September; cut a circle around 
each plant with a sharp spade, severing the 
roots so that they can be got into the intended 
pot. Now, water the plant well, and young 
roots will begin to shoot out within the pro¬ 
posed ball of earth. In a month’s time, cut 
back about half of the top, and new shoots will 
strike out, and flower buds soon appear. If 
this treatment is neglected, and the plants are 
taken up at the beginning of Winter, it will 
take a long time for them to recover, and their 
blossoms will not appear until nearly Spring. 
If verbenas are wanted for Winter blooming, 
they should be got ready at once. Find runners 
that are well rooted, cut them off above and be¬ 
low a joint, and pot in a sandy loam. Plunge 
the pots in the border for a few weeks until the 
plants arc well established, then remove to the 
frame and subsequently to the parlor window. 
Success in window gardening depends also 
upon the right management of light, heat and 
water, and air, etc., but upon these points we 
can better enlarge at the appropriate time. 
Look to the Dahlias. 
They have now made a rampant growth, and 
are beginning to bloom. As high winds pre¬ 
vail during this month, special pains will need 
to be taken to prevent their breaking down the 
plants. See too it that the central stake is strong 
and driven deep into the ground. Tie up the 
main stalk to the stake with good stout cords. 
If one would be doubly sure, let him set three 
good stakes five or six feet high, in a triangle 
around each plant, then take slender hoops and 
encircle the stakes at the middle and top of each 
plant. The lateral branches will then lean upon 
the hoops and stakes, and none be split off. The 
foliage of the dahlia will soon conceal the hoops. 
If the season be very dry, resort must be had 
to watering. First, give the ground a good hoe¬ 
ing, then water thoroughly, and follow this with 
a mulching of hay or straw. Have an eye to 
insects, for during these dry sunny days, they 
will be on hand. The grub which eats through 
the stalk, is the worst fellow we have to deal 
with, as he can seldom be found. The bugs 
which eat the young buds and the rays of the 
opening flowers, are vexatious, but can be sub¬ 
dued by—“ eternal vigilance.” Look over the 
plants early in the morning, and catch them (if 
you can) between thumb and finger. Dust the 
leaves with ashes or air-slaked lime, while the 
dew is on. Syringe the foliage with an occa¬ 
sional dose of soapsuds. This should be follow¬ 
ed with clear water. 
---- 
Position of Flower Beds. 
On visiting a friend’s garden, recently, he 
asked us why it was that two flower beds which 
he pointed out, and which lay near together, 
should look so different. The soil in both was 
alike, and the plants in them quite similar, yet 
one presented a glowing mass of bloom, while 
the other made but little show. What could 
make the difference ? 
As the path from which we viewed them ran 
East and West between the beds, it occurred to 
us that perhaps the difference was owing to the 
different points from which the flowers were 
viewed. And so, stepping round to the South 
side of the disparaged border, the scene was 
changed—the blossoms upon it were as brilliant 
as those on the other. Many flowers turn their 
faces to the sun, and hence, if the spectator 
stands on the North side of the border, he sees 
but little of their beauty. The discovery of 
this fact has led us, this year, to change the po¬ 
sition of two verbena beds, much to their im 
provement and our own gratification. 
Another hint: It is not essential that all 
flowering plants should have a back-ground, but 
they are much benefited by it. We were much 
struck, many years ago, in Mr. Downing’s 
grounds, by the brilliant effect of a mass of scar¬ 
let geraniums set before a group of evergreens ; 
and we annually reproduce that scene in oui 
own garden. This end can be reached by set¬ 
ting small shrubs in the rear of a flower-border, 
and blooming plants in front. 
— — < * ^ tn—— » < »■ - ■ 
If a man cheats you once, blame him ; if a 
second time, blame yourself. 
