1SGD.] 
139 
AMERICAN A CERIC U LTURIST. 
Dr. II. gives in substance the following - sad 
picture ; Until within a few years, the apple was 
grown almost without care. Of late, however, 
so numerous are its diseases and insect enemies, 
that in some districts its culture is no longer at¬ 
tended with success, and unless we combine our 
efforts against its insect enemies, we must whol¬ 
ly abandon its culture, or be contented to feast 
on the few wormy and knotty specimens which 
reach maturity. So rapid has been the increase 
of the plum curculio and the apple curculio, 
that in some districts these two insects, or even 
the plum curculio alone, are in sufficient force to 
totally ruin the apple crop. Hereafter, so far 
as we can now see, no escape from the ravages 
of these insects need be looked for, except by 
united effort in their destruction. 
So numerous have curculios become in our own 
grounds and the surroundings, that for the past 
two years, our Janet apples have been destroy¬ 
ed, and other varieties made worthless, except 
for cider. In future,.we shall have to bestow i 
the same care in catching curculios on our ap¬ 
ple trees that we do on our plum trees. Except 
in very early apples, the larvae of the plum cur¬ 
culio do not perfect themselves, but the parts 
wounded by them furnish resting-places for 
fungi, which multiply and spread to all 
parts of the orchard. Horticulturists must 
recognize the fact that, as we, increase the pro¬ 
duction of any fruit, we, at the same time, in¬ 
crease its peculiar insects and diseases. In the 
opinion of the Doctor, some varieties of plums 
may be grown to a profit in all parts of the 
State, and in many parts with far less care than 
will hereafter have to be bestowed on the apple. 
In this country, the curculio has so long held 
undisputed dominion over the plum, that a 
knowledge of its varieties has passed out of 
mind. We shall therefore refer to some of the 
best, that those who desire to enter the field 
against the enemy may have fruit in quantity, 
and of a quality to reward them for their labors. 
For a single variety for family and for market, 
we place the Jefferson at the head of the list. 
For the best three for family use, to ripen in 
succession, add Washington and Coe’s Golden 
Drop. Add Smith’s Orleans for a fourth, and 
Imperial Gage for a fifth. The Columbia is 
a desirable sort to plant in apple, pear, or peach 
orchards, on which to catch curculios. The 
curculios would be attracted to these trees when 
in fruit, where they might be caught. The Co¬ 
lumbia generally discharges so much juice into 
the passage made by the larva of the plum cur¬ 
culios, as to drown it. On this account, it is 
recommended as a protection to our orchards. 
-- < —-- «-- 
The Improvement of the Wild Radish. 
Within a few years, successful experiments 
have been made in the cultivation of the wild 
parsnip and carrot, resulting in the production 
of excellent varieties. More recently, M. E. A. 
Carrie re, one of the most distinguished of 
French horticulturists, has experimented with 
the Wild Radish. A very interesting account 
is given by M. C. in the Journal d'Agriculture 
Pratique for February 4th, on the “ameliora¬ 
tion ” of plants in general, and of the processes 
and results with the wild radish. We can only 
briefly indicate the leading points in this admira¬ 
ble paper, using some of the author’s drawings 
to illustrate them, The Wild Radish, or Joint¬ 
ed Charlock (Ttaphanus fiaphaniqtmm), is a 
common weed in the fields of Europe, as it is 
in those of the older States in this country. It 
is different from the English Charlock, or Wild 
Mustard, which is also a troublesome weed in 
many places. The Wild Radish, or Jointed 
Charlock, has pale yellow flowers, which turn 
i whitish or purple, and are marked with veins, 
and its pod is divided into joints by crosswise 
constrictions,—characters which serve to distin¬ 
guish it from the other Charlock. Figure 1 
gives the form of the root of the Wild Radish, 
as taken from the fields, of one-fourth its natu¬ 
ral size, in which condition it is woody, and not 
at all eatable. 
The following 
figures give the 
different forms 
of l oots, obtain¬ 
ed after five 
years of “ amel¬ 
ioration,” each 
reduced in size 
in the same pro¬ 
portion. In fig. 
2 the root is of a 
deep rose color; 
that of fig. 3 
white, with a 
violet - colored 
top; fig.4 white, 
with a little 
violet; the root 
in fig. 5 is of a 
dark violet, with 
a violet flesh; 
another root of 
similar shape is 
black; in fig. 6 
the color is of a 
fine rose, and in fig. 7 entirely white. Whatever 
their shape or color, all the varieties have a 
firmer flesh than the radish, and though the 
radish flavor predominates 
when tasted raw, when cook¬ 
ed they are more like the 
turnip. Ail who have eaten 
them have pronounced them 
delicious. Such being in 
brief the results, we will 
give the means by which 
they were obtained. It is 
commonly supposed that the 
difference between culti¬ 
vated and wild varieties is 
due to the fact that the one 
has better soil and greater 
opportunities for develop¬ 
ment than the other. The 
character of the soil has its in¬ 
fluence, but this alone would 
not produce the marked re¬ 
sults we have described. Selection, and such 
treatment as will conduce to the desired end,must 
beadded. Theobjectin thiscasebeingtodeyelop 
roots, the seeds of the wild plant were sown in 
September, when it was too late for the produc¬ 
tion of seed, and the whole growth of the plant 
was expended in the formation of root. At the 
approach of cold weather, the roots were taken 
up, the best ones selected, deprived of most of 
their leaves, and stored for the 
winter. In spring the roots 
were set out, and allowed to 
produce seeds, which were sown 
in autumn, and the resulting 
plants treated as before; this 
process was continued for four 
generations. It was found that in 
a heavy, clayey soil the tendency 
was to produce short roots, while 
in a warm, light soil, the longer forms predom¬ 
inated. Each year those roots were selected 
for bearing seed which showed the strongest 
tendency towards the desired form. Had the ob¬ 
ject been to make an improvement in the leaves 
or seeds, spring sowing would have been done, 
and the development of the root neglected. 
House Plants—Tiie Secret. —A lady who 
lives in the country recently showed us a box 
of flowers which she had brought to a friend in 
the city, the product of the plants in her own 
dining-room windows. There were Geraniums, 
Roses, Hyacinths, Crocuses, fine variegated 
leaves of the beautiful Mrs. Pollock Geranium, 
a Calla, and other things,— all ns beautiful as if 
they had come from the florist’s. There are 
few private green-houses that could afford a 
better cutting than this lady’s window garden. 
The secret of her success is this : she lives in an 
old-fasliioned house, built before entrys or halls 
were invented; the room is heated by an open 
fireplace as long as the weather will allow, a 
stove being put in only when the cold weather 
requires it; and no gas is burned. Gas and a fur¬ 
nace are very great conveniences, yet we doubt 
not that this lady’s success in floriculture com¬ 
pensates for their absence. Every time the door 
is opened, the air of the room is more or less 
changed, and the plants are under the best pos¬ 
sible circumstances that they can be in a dwell¬ 
ing-house. Let those who complain of ill luck 
with house plants make a note of this, and im¬ 
itate the conditions as far as possible. 
Strawberries. —There are hundreds of va¬ 
rieties of Strawberries, new and old, but if we ask 
a Strawberry grower of experience what is the 
best to plant for family use, the reply will al¬ 
most invariably be — the Wilson. There are 
many better berries, but this possesses the quali¬ 
ty that most of them lack—reliableness. No 
variety has yet been found that succeeds so gen¬ 
erally in all parts of the country, and none can 
be so safely planted by the beginner. We, how¬ 
ever, would plant other sorts, to test their adapt¬ 
ability to the soil. Jucunda, Charles Downing, 
Nicanor, and a host of others, are so much better 
than the Wilson, that where they are found to 
succeed this old variety is likely to be discarded. 
---- • » ■ —«■»»«—■ -- - 
Spring-flowering 1 Stilus. — The Bulboeo- 
(liiiftis, 
It sometimes happens that one will know all 
about a plant from descriptions and figures, vet 
never have seen it in bloom. So it was with 
Bulbocodium. Visits to the gardens all around 
showed no Bulbocodium, Then the writers in 
the English papers began to complain that it 
must be lost from cultivation, as they ordered 
Bulbocodium, and always received something 
Fig. 6. 
