I 860 . | 
113 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
clamber about the iron pillars ano ornamental 
work of the stairway, covering it to the very 
top ; among which, note especially the Aristolo- 
chia, from South America, whose huge flowers 
the children there often wear as bonnets ! 
Now, enter the Museum, the particular hobby of 
the learned Director. The Guide-book informs 
us that this “ is designed to receive all kinds of 
fruits and seeds, gums, tannins, resins, dye-stuffs, 
starches, oils, textile fabrics, sections of woods, 
materials for basket-work, all straws and grasses, 
and all curious vegetable products, especially 
those which are useful in the arts, in medicine, 
and in domestic economy.” Another authority 
adds: “ it is designed to receive whatever is 
serviceable to the botanist, merchant, manufac¬ 
turer, chemist, druggist, carpenter, cabinet ma¬ 
ker, and artisans of every description.” 
Here, we see the fruit of the cannon-ball tree, 
from Guiana, which are odd looking globes, used 
more for drinking-cups than for warlike purposes. 
Near by is the Towel-gourd, from the tropics, 
used both as wadding for guns, and as a sponge. 
There, is a native shoe-blacking, a flower which 
when crushed, is used by the Chinese to polish 
their shoes. This is a bottle of milk from the 
cow-tree of Venzuela. Wonder if it is sweet 1 
That Sacred Bean, of the Egyptians, looks in its 
dried state, says one, like a circular piece of over- 
baked pudding, stuck full of hazel nuts ! Here 
we have the fruit and bark of the famous Upas- 
tree, fabulously called poisonous. 
Over yonder, are candle-wicks from China, 
made out of the pith of a plant; and near it are 
seeds of the Chinese tallow-plant, with candles 
manufactured from it. Here we come to the “ Old 
Man’s Eye-brow-tea,” done up in bundles ; this 
sort does not reach the American market. 
Further on, are dried specimens of some ex¬ 
treme plants, such as the Rhododendron nivale, the 
most alpine shrub in the world. Then, just out¬ 
side of this glass-house, you will see the most 
southern tree, viz : the Evergreen beech, from 
Terra del Fuego. Dr Hooker here turns to tell 
us that this beech as growing in a warm, shel¬ 
tered valley, is large enough to make canoes out 
of the trunk, while the same on the exposed 
hights of Hermit island become so dwarfed and 
stunted, and compact, that the traveler is able 
literally to walk on the tops of them! These 
trees suffer more from the heat of England, than 
the Winter’s wet and cold. Now we come to 
something familiar to Yankee eyes ; specimens 
of Sugar maple wood, with little cakes of maple 
sugar, looking like bar-soap. And hard by, are 
American clothes-pins, made from the same wood ! 
Just here, the eyes of our director began to 
twinkle, and he went on to say that he once sent 
a basket of Osage Oranges to the Queen, as a 
curiosity. The Queen, on visiting Kew not long 
after, tapped him with her fan, and rallied him for 
sending her such hard and indigestible fruit for 
the table ! “ Why, the servant cut one and handed 
it to me, but sir, it was really uneatable !” As 
the Osage Orange does not ripen in the English 
climate, her ignorance was excusable. 
Push on ; we have no time to waste. Here is 
the bulrush, from Egypt, the same sort as the bas¬ 
ket was made of for the infant Moses. Those 
are specimens of woods injured by insects and 
bad pruning. Here, are beautiful models in wax, 
ol fruits, flowers, gourds, etc., including the 
Jaca , or Jack, the largest known eatable fruit, 
and tne Rafflesia Arnoldt, the largest known flow¬ 
er. There is wood from the Gutta Percha tree, 
and a bottle of its juice, also several articles made 
from it. This is a specimen of the Monkey-pot 
tamily. The lidless capsule is used for catching 
monkeys. Sugar is put on the outer edge of the 
flower, which enlarges inside, and when the ani¬ 
mal has put on his paw to get the sugar, it is 
drawn in and he can’t get it out, and the huge 
plant so clogs him that he is easily captured. 
Over yonder is the American Poke-Weed, which 
the Europeans raise on purpose to color their 
artificial wines a fine red, to please American 
eyes! _ _ 
Fig. 1. 
Waltonian Cases for Propagating or 
Starting Plants, Seeds, etc. 
Any one at all experienced in striking cuttings, 
knows the beneficial effects of a well-regulated 
bottom heat to make them push out roots freely. 
A few trees and shrubs, such as the willow, cur¬ 
rant, grape, etc., will root with tolerable success 
when planted jn a mellow, natural soil; but with 
the more difficult roses, camellias, weigelias, 
fuchsias, and many common plants, more care and 
a bottom heat are beneficial if not absolutely re¬ 
quired. A gentle hot-bed is often made for the 
purpose, and frequently answers very well, al¬ 
though quite inferior to the cases now referred to. 
The Waltonian cases are named after Mr. 
Walton, an English horticulturist of some note, 
who first constructed them. They are not in¬ 
tended as permanent cases in which to grow 
plants, being used only to start cuttings and 
seeds. They are so easy of construction that 
any carpenter can make one at little cost, and the 
artificial heat is kept up at trifling expense. The 
frame is of wood, which may be of common 
material when intended for a green-house, or of 
fine wood, varnished or painted, if to stand in the 
drawing-room or library. The sides, ends, and 
top, are of glass. As they are heated by a burn¬ 
ing lamp, it is not advisable to make them of large 
size, but to construct two or three, or more, if 
considerable propagating space is desired. 
The case from which our engravings are 
taken, is three feet long and eighteen inches in 
width, with an inside hight of ten inches in front, 
and fourteen inches at the back. We should 
prefer one, four feet in length, two feet in width, 
twelve inches high in front, and eighteen inches 
at the back, using two lamps if one be not suffi¬ 
cient. The bottom of the frame may stand on 
legs about one foot above the floor. 
In ng. 2, B, B, is the bottom shelf made of zinc, 
in the form of a box, about one inch in depth. 
This inside space is kept filled with moist sand. 
On the under side of the shelf is the square boil¬ 
er, also made of zinc, about two inches deep, 
with a tube, C, projecting up through the shelf, 
by which the boiler is filled. It is also fitted with 
a cap so as to retain or emit the steam as may be 
desired. Beneath this water tank is seen the 
fire-box or lantern, made of perforated zinc to 
admit air, and having a glass 
sliding door, G, through which to 
observe whether the lamp is 
burning or not. The fire-box, or 
furnace as we may call it, opens 
into the shelf at D, to which is at¬ 
tached the flue E. This passes 
out at the side, or is carried 
through the sash at the top of 
the frame. Having everything 
prepared, raise the upper sashes 
upon their hinges, fill the boiler 
with warm water, set in the pots 
of prepared cuttings, or seeds, let 
down the sash and light the lamp, 
or lamps, under the boiler, and the 
only further care necessary is to 
keep the boiler and lamp filled, 
moistening the sand in the bottom 
board or tray occasionally. The 
water can be drawn from the 
boiler at any time by means of the faucet F, and 
when it needs replenishing, warm water should 
be used. By hanging a thermometer inside of 
the case, the temperature can be observed at any 
time, and regulated by increasing or diminishing 
the flame of the lamp. From 75° to 80° Fahren¬ 
heit, is the most desirable temperature. A vapor 
bath can be given, by removing the cap from the 
tube C. Of course it will be necessary to raise 
the sashes and admit fresh air occasionally, es 
peeially when hardening off the plants for trans 
planting out. The pots can be taken out, exam¬ 
ined, and the plants watered whenever needful. 
Raising the Locust from Seed. 
In response to the inquiries of Ezra S. Berckley, 
Somerset Co., Pa , and others, we answer : For 
the best success, gather the seed as soon as ripe, 
and place immediately in boxes of earth until 
early Spring, or sow at once in the ground A 
portion will usually grow the first season, and 
more the second, if left undisturbed. Take a 
hint from nature, and only cover half an inch o 
so deep, using black earth or scrapings from the 
woods. Seed may also be obtained 
at all times from seed dealers, and a 
considerable portion will usually 
grow, but not always. As above 
stated, a portion, and sometimes all 
of the seed will remain in the ground, 
and start up the following Spring. 
Perhaps the better plan, in ordinary 
cases, is to plant the seed as soon as ripe, but 
where it is desired, Spring planting may be 
adopted. Locust trees may be transplanted from 
the forest or nursery, like other trees. They de¬ 
light most in a rich, moist, but not wet soil. 
■---«*»•—-- «-- 
Grape Vines from Cuttings. 
If any one has not a hot-bed to propagate vines 
from single eyes, we would advise him to try 
cuttings. Choose well ripened wood, and cut it 
into pieces with three buds on each. Two buds 
are set below the surface, so that if one of them 
fails to emit roots, the other may do so. Pre¬ 
pare a good, well spaded patch of ground, make 
