22 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[JANUARY, 
August 24. The Rose grafted upon ttie Chili 
gave a fair crop—about one-half of the Rose 
type ancl color, ami the other half of the Chili 
type, but pure white. As to the Chili grafted 
into the Rose, the vines were extremely large, 
and, when dug, gave a large yield of beautiful 
potatoes, but all of them with clear white skins, 
except one or two to each plant, which were 
red; both colors were of the Chili type, and no 
apparent sign of the Early Rose among them. 
This shows a considerable change is effected by 
this grafting operation, in that it is capable of 
so modifying the color as to give a white pro¬ 
geny from red parents; but that it will fulfil all 
that its advocates claim requires more proof. 
Their theory is, that by thus bringing together 
two tubers of different qualities, a race may 
be obtained partaking in some degree of the 
properties of both. They think this method 
a quick and sure way of getting new varieties. 
Something 1 for our Inventors to Consider. 
In looking over the advertisements o, an 
English horticultural journal an American is 
struck with the great number of horticultural 
buildings, or green-houses, that are offered, and 
usually with the recommendation that they are 
“portable and easily fixed;” and accompanying 
them are equally numerous advertisers of hot- 
water apparatus for heating such structures, 
each maker vaunting the simplicity, effective¬ 
ness and cheapness of his wares. The buildings 
comprise all styles, from the small, simple lean- 
to to the elegant span-roof, with transept. 
“ Portable houses for the People,” as advertised 
by one maker, shows not only how generally 
diffused is a taste for horticulture in that coun¬ 
try, but also how readily one having such tastes 
can procure a glass-house in which to indulge 
them. It is claimed that tenants can readily 
take these houses down and move them along 
with their furniture. In this country how very 
different. One must get masons, carpenters, 
glaziers and other mechanics, llie chance being 
that neither of them ever worked upon a green¬ 
house before. When the house is built, then 
comes the great problem of how to heat it. If 
hot water be used the apparatus costs about as 
much as the whole establishment complete 
should cost. There are hundreds of people all 
over the country who, if they could pr. cure a 
small house at a moderate cost and without 
more trouble and fuss than the whole thing is 
worth, would be glad to put up a glass struct ure 
for plants. There is a good chance here for 
some one to enter an unoccupied field, and we 
doubt not it would be found a profitable one. 
Vegetables and Fruits. —One of the ever 
recurring questions met with in looking over our 
correspondence is: “ What articles of food may 
properly be called vegetables,and what fruits?” 
—There is no trouble in defining what a fruit is 
according to the botanist’s view—it is a ripened 
pistil with whatever may be permanently at¬ 
tached to it, whether pulpy and edible or not. 
Strictly speaking, a poppy-head is as much a 
fruit as is a pear. But when we come to popular 
nsuce it is not so easy to decide which among the 
fruits shall be called vegetables. We once sug¬ 
gested that those eaten without preparation 
should be called fruits, and those that arc used 
cooked or dressed should be called vegetables. 
This very nearly covers the ground, but not 
completely. In this case the tomato cooked or 
as salad would be a vegetable, but if eaten, as 
wetne prefer it, raw and plain, it then is a fruit 
If any one can suggest a better place to draw 
the line we should be glad to hear from them. 
CongTess and Horticulture. 
-O- 
A copy of a proposed bill “To encourage 
the production of new and valuable Fruits and 
Plants” has been sent to us, together with a 
form of petition to be presented to Congress 
asking them to make a law similar in its effect 
to that proposed by the bill. The bill proposes 
to give any originator or discoverer of any new 
variety of “ fruit, grain, herb, root, tree, wood, 
or flower, the sole right of propagating and 
selling such plant for the term of twenty-eight 
years.” That is the “ nut” of the thing, and all 
the rest of this proposed bill is subordinate and 
accessory thereto. Congress lias done many 
foolish things in the eighty odd years it has 
existed, but never any thing so absolutely stupid 
as to pass such a hill as this. There are many 
objections to this “bill,” but the greatest of 
these is it cannot be enforced. If we sell apple 
cions to another, how is it to be proved that 
they are cions of the “patented” variety until 
they fruit some years afterwards ? and when they 
do fruit, who could prove that they were the 
cions sold? Then again, who can swear to the 
identity of two fruits grown in widely different 
soils and situations ? There is bother enough 
now in identifying varieties; but what a lovely 
time it would be if our pomologists were 
obliged to testify under oath. Suppose that we 
had patented the Triomphe de Gand strawberry 
and Romevn should sell his seedling, what a 
time we could make by prosecuting Mr. Romeyn 
for selling our plant. The case would last 
longer than the celebrated India-rubber case. 
We do not find the name of any one well known 
in horticulture concerned in this movement. 
We are curious to see how many of those who 
are known as pomologists, florists, and horti¬ 
culturists generally, will be found to petition 
for this most absurd—because impracticable and 
useless law. The second section of this peti¬ 
tion states the following: “That most of the 
varieties formerly cultivated, and which yielded 
for many years fruits and products of excellent 
quality, have recently failed in every section ; 
and that very few of the new varieties recently 
produced have proved equal in quality to those 
that have been abandoned as unsuited to our 
soil and climate.”—That is, most of the old 
plants have gone to the bad, and as the new 
ones are poorer than the old ones, we wish Con¬ 
gress to allow us the exclusive privilege of selling 
the new ones for twenty-eight years. There is 
a cat in this meal-tub somewhere. Let horti¬ 
culturists consider the whole matter carefully 
before they sign this petition. 
Pruning the Grape-vine. 
The question, "When and how shall I prune 
m 3 r grape-vines?”, which so frequently comes to 
us each autumn, is one that cannot be readily 
nor satisfactorily answered, at least that portion 
of it which asks us to tell how. As to the time 
of pruning, there is every reason for doing it be¬ 
fore spring, and the earlier it is done after the fall 
of the leaf the better. There are often mild days 
in January when it can be properly done. In 
order to prune a vine understandingly one should 
be familiar with its structure, and tho manner in 
which it grows. The requirements of no two 
vines being exactly alike, no feet rules can be 
given which can bo safely followed. The operator 
must exercise his judgment and give each indi¬ 
vidual vine the treatment it requires. The works 
of Fuller, Husmann, Mohr, and others, give the 
principles upon which all pruning depends, and 
in the volume for 1868, we gave a series of 
ten articles discussing the subject in great detail. 
We cannot repeat articles like these from year 
to year; and those who would understand the 
matter fully should refer to that volume or some 
of the standard works. The general trouble, 
with vines pruned without regard to any par¬ 
ticular system, is that too much wood is left. 
The operator should understand that the whole 
growth of next 3 T ear will be produced from the 
buds now upon the vines, and that the fruit will 
not be borne upon the wood he now sees, but 
upon new green shoots that will start from these 
buds. If every cane of the present season’s 
growth be cut back so as to leave but two buds, 
the probability is that even then there will be 
many more shoots produced next spring than 
are needed. It will be seen that one must have 
an eye to future effects, and in imagination see 
a shoot in place of every bud now before him. 
An old and entangled vine, that lias been neg¬ 
lected for years is a very unsatisfactory subject 
to handle. Yet, as such vines are often as much 
valued for their shade as for their fruit, it is 
worth while to bestow some labor upon them. 
Young vines that were set out last spring should 
be cut back to three buds, and have some earth 
drawn up around them. One or two of these 
buds, according to the strength of the vine, will 
be allowed to grow next year. In pruning, 
cut an inch or two above a bud, to guard 
against injury to the upper bud during winter. 
House Plants. 
At this season of the j’car a painful wail 
comes from our correspondents—especially the 
ladies—concerning their house plants. It is all 
summed up in the words “bad luck.” We be¬ 
lieve in bad luck. If a lady makes a cake ac¬ 
cording to an approved rule and puts it in a 
cold oven, she will have bad luck. If she un¬ 
dertakes to can fruit without putting on the 
covers properly, her fruit will spoil, and she 
will have bad luck. So long as bad luck is 
taken to express the fact that a thing is not 
properly done, we accept it for want of a better 
name. Getting plants and potting them is one 
thing—properly caring for them is another. 
The demands of a plant are few; but these be¬ 
ing disregarded, failure is sure to follow. In the 
first place as to watering. Plants must have 
water; and many thinking that you cannot have 
too much of a good thing, water all the time,keep¬ 
ing the roots in liquid mud—about as sure a way 
to kill a plant as can be desired. If a plant gets 
too dry, it can usually be restored ; but we know 
of no way in which to restore a sodden mass of 
water-soaked roots. Decay sets in, and the job 
is done. We lost a fine window-box of plants 
from telling the house-maid to soak it once 
thoroughly. She kept it soaked. We thought 
the earth was a long time in drying out, and 
upon inquiry found that she had faithfully added 
water eacli day to keep it soaked. The conse¬ 
quence was a loss of a lot of nice plants. 
Plants in open ground are treated to alterna¬ 
tions of wetness and dryness. Every one must 
have noticed how much better plants stand a 
drouth than a long continued rain. With 
house plants we must keep up this alternation 
and allow the earth in the pots to be so far ex¬ 
hausted of moisture that air can penetrate the 
earth. No plant, unless it be a thorough aquat- 
