220 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
At the Centennial. 
THE 
Of course the Agriculturist , being essentially 
American, not only in title, but in 
reality, is on exhibition at the great 
Centennial Exhibition as an Ameri¬ 
can production. The current num¬ 
bers are to be found in the depart¬ 
ment devoted to papers and jour¬ 
nals of all kinds. But publishing 
the American Agriculturist is not 
the only business of the “ Orange 
Judd Company.” They are the 
manufacturers and publishers of 
nearly all the works upon agricul¬ 
ture and horticulture produced in 
the country, and also publish works 
upon rural architecture. Besides 
this, they are General Agents for 
Crandall’s blocks and toys, a busi¬ 
ness which years ago began by their 
taking some of Mr. Crandall’s Build¬ 
ing Blocks for children to give as 
premiums, and has since grown to 
proportions, which, for a thing of 
its kind may, without exaggeration, 
be called immense. These three 
branches of their business are illus¬ 
trated by an Exhibition in the de¬ 
partment appropriated to books. In 
the south-west comer of the section 
in the Main Exhibition Building, assigned to 
the American Book Trade, is the case, of which 
our engraving is a representation. It is a very 
elegant affair, of black walnut and plate glass, 
with a glass-covered projection, as shown in 
the engraving. The 
panels in front are very 
elegant specimens of 
what is known as 
“French walnut.” The 
case is ten feet long, and 
about the same in bight 
at the center. It will be 
filled with bound vol¬ 
umes of the American 
Agriculturist, and Rural 
Books, and specimens of 
Crandall’s Blocks for 
Children.' Our friends 
who visit the great exhi¬ 
bition, will find at this 
case an epitome of what 
is to be seen at 245 
Broadway, only the 
books shown there in a 
few specimens, are to be 
found at the store in 
hundreds and thousands. 
It is not likely that many 
who visit the exhibition 
from a great distance, 
will be content to be so 
near New York, without 
giving a few days to the 
great city, and while the 
Case at the Centennial 
will give them an idea of 
the great variety of such 
publications, they can in¬ 
spect them much more 
conveniently at 245 
Broadway, where they 
will be welcome, whether 
they wish to purchase or 
not. But few have an 
idea of the great number 
of works upon agricul¬ 
ture and kindred subjects now published in 
this country. Twelve years ago the number 
was comparatively small, and many were re¬ 
prints of English works. Now there are few 
departments in which there are not works by 
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY’S DISPLAY AT THE CENTENNIAL. 
American authors of acknowledged experience. 
The “ Leaf-Plant.”—Bryophyllum. 
The name “Leaf-Plant” is not a very des- 
THE LANGSHAN YOWLS.— (See 219.) 
criptive one; “Leaf-sprouting Plant” would 
tell the story better, but is too long, though 
very nearly a translation of the botanical name, 
Bryophyllum, which is from Greek words for 1 
push or sprout, and for leaf. After all this, it 
will be inferred that there is some¬ 
thing peculiar about the leaves of 
the plant, but before describing 
this, we will first speak of the plant 
itself. Bryophyllum belongs to the 
same family with the House-leek, 
and Live-for-ever, so well known 
everywhere, and the Cotyledons, 
Echeverias, and other succulent 
plants now much used in garden 
and greenhouse decoration ; there 
are four species, natives of tropical 
Africa and other warm countries, 
the one in common cultivation be¬ 
ing B. calycinum. This, when set 
in the open ground, becomes a 
vigorous, stocky plant, two to three 
feet high, its stout stem becoming 
somewhat woody; the leaves are 
thick and fleshy, and on young 
plants and shoots, are simple, but 
the older plants have divided leaves 
of three to five leaflets. The flow¬ 
ers are in a large terminal panicle, 
the branches of which are very 
symmetrically arranged, and from 
which hang the numerous flowers, 
which, though individually not very 
brilliant, are in such profusion and so peculiar, 
that as a whole the cluster is very effective. 
The flowers are a very long while in develop¬ 
ing ; the buds being showy, the flowers, in all 
their stages, last for several weeks. When ful¬ 
ly developed, the flowers 
are quite two inches 
long, the large bladdery 
calyx being a little over 
half that length; the 
calyx attains its full size 
long before the flower 
opens; in this state it 
appears like an oblong 
berry of some kind, the 
upper part, and the side 
next the light, being 
striped and splashed 
with dull red, much like 
the skin of some apples. 
At length the greenish, 
4-angled corolla appears, 
with four spreading, red¬ 
dish, or purplish, pointed 
lobes. When the leaves 
are quite ripe, they are 
readily broken off, or 
drop spontaneously—and 
after lying on the ground 
for a while, small buds 
appear at most of the 
notches on their margins; 
roots soon push out from 
these, and the little bud 
elongates and forms a 
tiny plant, as shown in 
figure 2. This sprouting 
sometimes takes place 
while the leaves are yet 
attached to the plant, and 
it affords a ready means 
of propagation, as any 
leaf, not too young, may 
be made to produce a 
number of new plants by- 
placing it on moist earth, 
and we have seen this 
sprouting taku p.ace upon a leaf pinned against a 
window. Yv idle there are not many plants which 
