I860.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
305 
way ; on the northeast by Chambers-atreet, and 
on the south or southeast by Park Row, which 
begins between the Astor House and the 
Museum, at the lower point of the Park, and runs 
a little north of east into Chatham street. Park 
Place is a short street, beginning at p-yl, on 
Broadway (nearly across the Park from our 
office.) and runs two blocks westward, towards 
the Hudson, or North River. 
The Park and City Hall are opposite to us on 
the front, and the 3d Avenue and 4th Avenue 
Railroads, coming down from the Harlem and 
New-Haven Railroads, pass directly before our 
door on Park Row. By referring to the large 
engraving, and to the street diagram below, it 
will be seen that the Times office is on one side; 
the Tribune office just across the corner. Most 
of the leading newspapers are not a stone’s throw 
distant. Just below our office, on the same 
block, are, in order, the offices of the Ledger, 
Chronicle, Observer, Century, World, Scientific 
American, etc. Across Beekman-st., are the 
offices of the Independent. Evangelist, Methodist, 
Horticulturist, etc. A block further are the offices 
of the Herald and Sun. Just above our office, 
on Nassau and Chatham-sts., are the offices of 
the News, Frank Leslie, Day Book, Staats Zei- 
tung, N. Y. Demokrat, etc., etc. The openingjust 
above us is called Printing House Square. So, 
we are literally surrounded by newspaper offices ; 
and the Agriculturist, representing the great agri¬ 
cultural interest, upon the prosperity of which all 
other pursuits depends, appropriately has its office 
in the very midst of the Metropolitan Press. 
The Park is the point where travel concen¬ 
trates, and diverges, and all our readers who vis¬ 
it the city, will find it very convenient to make a 
passing call at the office of the American Agri¬ 
culturist, on business or otherwise. 
The composing (type-setting) rooms, etc., of 
the Agriculturist are over the main office. The 
stereotyping, steam press, and mailing rooms, 
still remain in the old location on Jacob street. 
Exhibition oj Agricultural and Horticultural 
Products. —As abov'e stated, the office of the Agri¬ 
culturist is entirely fire-proof, no wood being used 
in its structure. We have ample space for the 
display of fruits, flowers, and interesting speci¬ 
mens of the products of the soil. We therefore 
invite those having objects of special interest to 
exhibit, to send them here, where they will be 
seen by thousands. It is our aim to ultimate¬ 
ly make this the “head-quarters” of agricul¬ 
ture and horticulture in the Metropolitan city— 
a sort of “ Agricultural Exchange.” 
The Indian Summer. 
This beautiful, almost fairy season, is nigh at 
hand. It sometimes occurs in October, though 
we believe it is not regarded as genuine and or¬ 
thodox, if it appear before November. For our¬ 
selves, we are glad to see it at any time. Why 
called ‘ Indian Summer ’ 1 you ask. The only 
reason we ever heard of, was, that during this 
period the Indians are accustomed to gather their 
stores of corn and rice and nuts for the Winter. 
Mr. Merriam, and everybody else who owns a 
thermometer, has observed that from the end of 
August to the end of September, there is a grad¬ 
ual and constant diminution of heat; but that, 
about the middle of October, a change occurs, 
and for two weeks or more, there is, with slight 
exceptions, an increase of daily heat. This is 
not peculiar to our continent. In northern Eu¬ 
rope and Asia, there is a period known as “ the 
second Summer,” the “ afterheat,” setting in just 
before the beginning of Winter. But in Ameri¬ 
ca, this period is marked by one feature almost 
unknown elsewhere. We refer to the brilliant 
changes of the foliage of the trees. It would 
seem as if Nature were trying*to conceal the de¬ 
cay which is stealing upon her, by the increased 
gorgeousness of her apparel, and the Spring-like 
youthfulness of her voice and air. But let us not 
slander her. 
This change in the hues of vegetation is indeed 
perceptible somewhat in September. It begins, 
in a small way, before frost; but the most sud¬ 
den and brilliant colorings are produced by icy 
Jack. Sometimes, he does his work at odd spells 
throughout October and the first part of Novem¬ 
ber ; sometimes he does the most of it in a sin¬ 
gle night. And what a grand exhibition he makes ! 
At his touch, the oak turns a rich brown, or red¬ 
dish purple ; the birch and larch are yellow ; the 
tulip-tree a rich lemon color ; the peperidge fiery 
scarlet; the maples nearly every tint from green 
to gold and crimson, and scarlet and pink ; the 
evergreens retain their original green and set off 
the other hues in fine contrast. 
One gets a fine display, if he can command the 
view of a range of wooded hills ascending by gen¬ 
tle slopes; he then sees the tops of the trees, in 
all colors, and fading off into the distance. And 
the effect is still further hightened if the sun is 
declining behind the hills. The oblique rays 
glancing through the many tinted leaves, give 
them increased brilliancy, and suggest at times 
the idea of a forest aglow with fire. Then again, 
this brilliancy is often subdued by a haze of blue 
vapor and smoke. 
Attempts have been made to represent the 
phases of Indian Summer on canvass, but as yet 
with only partial success ; no coloring, and no 
verbal description can place it before the eyes of 
one who has not beheld it. And, what adds to 
the charm of this season, the temperature of the 
air becomes milder than it had been for several 
weeks; on some days, it is balmy and still and 
voluptuously soft, beyond anything in the sweet¬ 
est day of June. These are the days for enjoy¬ 
ment, perhaps beyond any days of the round year. 
As to a scientific explanation of these various 
phenomena, we do not propose now to attempt it, 
but will refer our readers to our remarks on the 
subject last year.— American Agriculturist. 
-•» ■ w i - i -- 
The Largest of all Flowers. 
The largest flower in the world, yet discovered, 
is from the island of Java, and is called the Raf- 
Jlesia Arnoldi. The blossoms measure, on an av- 
I erage, two feet in diameter. We Americans are 
wont to think a good honest Sun-Flower large 
enough, but this exceeds it. And yet, strange to 
say, the seeds from which this mammoth flower 
are grown, are so small that a magnifying glass 
is needful to make them clearly visible. In a 
climate like ours, they could be raised only in a 
hot-house. Who will now tell us the name of 
the smallest flower in the world 1 
A Talk about “Horticulture.” 
Few things have pleased us more, in our trav¬ 
els the past Summer, than to witness the increas¬ 
ing taste for horticulture in all parts of the coun¬ 
try. And this taste is not confined to people of 
wealth The farmer, the mechanic, the doctor, 
and the clergyman—indeed, all classes and pro¬ 
fessions—have imbibed a generous enthusiasm 
for planting trees for ornament and fruit bearing, 
a zeal for lawns and shrubs, and flowers, and 
gravel walks, and whatever else gives grace and 
attraction to country life. Brother Jonathan has 
got a reputation for overdoing things sometimes, 
but in this we hope he will be discreet, and make 
a steady and healthy progress from year to year. 
Why should not the farmer’s premises, costing 
perhaps from two to five thousand dollars, beju^t 
as well arranged and well-kept in their way, as 
the grandest estate of the very wealthy, costing 
as many millions? The latter may astonish the 
beholder, and make him wonder at the achieve¬ 
ments which wealth can perform ; butthe former 
will surely please every eye, will excite nobody’s 
envy, but will show that real comfort and real 
beauty are within the reach of all. The latter 
suggests the inquiry whether such enormous 
riches could be acquired in a perfectly honest and 
legitimate way, without fraud or extortion ; also, 
whether so much glitter and magnificence can 
consist with purity of heart and life, with peace 
of conscience, and domestic happiness and re¬ 
ligious devotion. But the former leads us to say : 
that man is well-to-do, and he knows how to 
live. He has inherited or acquired a little prop¬ 
erty, and he means to enjoy it as he goes along. 
His embellishments are natural and appropriate 
to his condition, and if his home outshines his 
neighbor’s at all, it is owing chiefly to the indus¬ 
try and taste of its occupant, and it is so much to 
his credit. 
We wish there were more of such homes. 
And we have sketched this little picture, not 
merely for the admiration of our readers, but for 
their instruction and their imitation. A cotem¬ 
porary journal well says: “How many people 
ever thought that it is within the reach of farm¬ 
ers of only moderate means to have a more beau¬ 
tiful home than the Marquis of Westminister, or 
the Duke of Sutherland, the first of whom has the 
most costly residence in England, and the last 
can ride seventy miles in a straight line on his 
own land ? And yet, the ordinarily successful 
farmer can have a residence on which the eye of 
the just and generous, the unperverted, may rest 
with more pleasure.” 
So say we. Some time since, it was recorded 
in the papers of the day, that the late Elliott Cros- 
sen, of Philadelphia, had bequeathed a legacy of 
$5,000 to be employed in planting trees in his 
native city. The announcement was touching 
to us. The benevolent man loved trees, next 
after his own household. He appreciated their 
usefulness and beauty. He knew that their leafy 
garniture would highly adorn the city he loved, 
and would promote the comfort and health of its 
inhabitants. Perhaps also he said to himself, 
monuments of marble will crumble and fall, while 
