18G6.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
259 
cate its origin, which is really South American. 
The plant is just now lauded by the French 
writers as being even more valuable than the 
potato. Its tubers furnish food for man and 
beast, its leaves are e.^cellent forage for cattle, 
its green stems are good as manure, while the 
dried stems are of great utility as stakes for 
peas, beans, and otlier climbers, and even for 
making fences. Then, of course, follow figures 
showing the great profit per acre, which we 
forbear to give. Notwithstanding the e.vtrava- 
gant view the French have of this plant, it 
probably merits the attention of our Southern 
and Western friends as a food for swine, and 
some of them will do well to test its real value 
by planting it and allowing the hogs to root it out. 
- 
Growing Water Cresses. 
Among the salad plants of early spring, none 
are more highly prized than Water-Cresses. 
Judging from the high price at which they are 
sold in our city markets, their culture must be 
very profitable, inasmuch as a plantation once 
established yields a regular income every year. 
The w'ater-cress {Nasturtium officinale), a mem¬ 
ber of the Mustard Family, is a native of Europe. 
It is, in many of the older settled parts of the 
country, naturalized in the ditches and streams. 
Though we have often collected the cress from 
the places in which it grows spontaneous!}’’, Ave 
never cultivated it, and as Ave can not draAV 
upon our own experience, avc gite the following 
directions for its cultivation from the London 
Gardener’s Chronicle, asking those who can 
suggest any modification of the mode of culture 
to do so. “Their cultivation is easy Avhere 
there is a command of a gently flowing stream, 
and a dei^th of from 3 to C inches of Avater can 
be secured. If the bottom is of mud it must 
be removed and a new bottom of gravel substi¬ 
tuted. The best time to form beds is May and 
June, for autumn use, and September and Octo¬ 
ber for spring use, at Avhich time select strong, 
Avell-rooted cuttings, and fasten them to the bot¬ 
tom of the stream on the gravel, by means of 
a stone placed on each cutting. The rows in 
shallow Avater should be 18 inches apart, but if 
the stream is very deep, 4 or 5 feet is not too 
much. Care should be taken, in gathering the 
crop, not to disturb the plants; hence it is al- 
Avays best to use a knife instead of breaking 
them off." The Bitter-cress, {Barbarea vulgaris^ 
is sometimes sold in our markets. It is greatly 
inferior to the Water-cress, has less rounded di¬ 
visions to the leaves, and its floAvers are yellow, 
Avhlle those of the Water-cress are Avhite. 
Increasing the Size of Fruit. 
That a dozen fine specimens of any kind of 
fruit are better worth having, than double the 
number of half grown and poorly ripened ones 
is too obvious to require argument. Thinning 
the fruit is one of the most ready and effective 
means to secure its full development, but there 
are other aids Avhich Avill be mentioned pres¬ 
ently. Thinning is often omitted through neg¬ 
ligence, but more frequently from timidity. In¬ 
deed it does require some courage to remove 
half the young fruit from a tree, until one has 
e.xperienced its utility. Not only do the remain¬ 
ing fruits acquire greater size, but a degree of 
perfection never found in an overabundant crop. 
One of our principal growers of the Isabella 
griipe, Avhose success is generally credited to his 
favorable location, attributes very little to this 
circumstance, but thinks that his almost certain 
crop of Avell-ripened fruit is due more to his 
severe thinning—taking off three-fourths of the 
berries—than to anything else. The largest 
pear growers of our acquaintance thin severely. 
The amount to be removed in thinning will de¬ 
pend upon the variety and vigor of the tree; 
Avith trees in full bearing, from one-third to 
one half the fruit may often be removed with 
advantage. The earlier it is done after the fruit 
commences to grow, the better, except with 
stone fruits, Avhich are allowed to remain until 
the stone is formed. Where very large speci¬ 
mens of fruit are desired, groAvers resort to oth¬ 
er expedients or tricks, some of Avhich, such as 
“ringing” the bark, aa'C can not commend, 
Avhile others, such as shading the fruit during 
its period of growth until the time of ripening, 
are harmless. Supporting the fruit so as to re¬ 
lieve the strain upon the stem, and supporting 
it right side, or blossom end up, are both said 
to aid in augmenting the size. Some horticul¬ 
turists in Europe go so far as to iuureh a leafy 
shoot upon the fruit spur, and thus bring to the 
fruit a greater supply of sap than it Avould oth¬ 
erwise get; and a solution of sulphate of iron 
(copperas), 20 grains to the pint of water, is ap¬ 
plied by the French gardeners. The fruit is 
Avetted Avith this tAvo or three times during its 
groAvth, and it is said to increase its size and 
improve its beauty by preventing fungous spots. 
But these are refinements that feAv of our read¬ 
ers Avill care to practice: thinning, added to 
good culture, Avill giA’e all that need be desired. 
Protection from Late and Early Frosts. 
The direction given by CromAvell to his 
soldiers to “trust God and keep your poAvder 
dry,” in^ilies that Providence helps those Avho 
help themselves. Much of our horticulture is 
carried on Avith a blind trust in Providence, and 
a general neglect of the poAvder. Many of our 
groAvers scout the idea of protecting anything, 
and think that Avhatever is not perfectly hardy is 
not Avorth cultivating. Noav, all cultivation is 
artificial; aa'C give certain plants advantages 
which they do not possess in a state of nature, 
and anything that tends to assist the plant to its 
best development is legitimate; the limit to arti- 
•1 ficial aid being the extent to 
Avhicli it will pay. Nothing can 
be further from nature than a hot¬ 
bed ; yet every gardener considers 
it legitimate, even necessary, to 
give his seedling plants artificial 
heat and protection. The very 
general destruction, late in May 
last, in some localities, of toma¬ 
toes, grape shoots, and other 
PROTECTION FOB GRAPE VINES. 
things, to the total loss of the crops, should lead 
us to consider Avhether some protection would 
not pay. We do not every year have such killing 
late frosts, but Ave do, almost Avithout exception, 
have late in May, or early in June, a cold spell, 
in which several chilly nights give plants a 
check from Avhich they are slow to recover. 
Then in autumn Ave have a few early frosts 
Avhich nip the tender things, dahlias, etc., just 
as they are in perfection, and usually after this, 
Aveeks of glorious Aveather, in Avhicli those plants 
that escape the first attack seem to fairly revel. 
It is surprising hoAV slight a covering Avill pro¬ 
tect plants. By a judicious use of sticks and 
neAA’spapers, Ave have had dahlias bloom, and 
tomatoes continue in fruit, long after those of 
our neighbors Avere blackened and dead. In 
Europe, Avhere horticulture is more developed 
than Avith us, protection is as much a part of the 
gardener’s duties, as propagation, or pruning. 
How far it Avill pay is a matter that Ave have yet 
to learn. We find that it pays to cover straAA’- 
berries by the acre, and in France, it pays to 
arrange vineyards of many acres with paillas- 
sons, for protecting the young growth, and coa’- 
ering the ripening fruit. Those Avho have 
small gardens and Avho cultivate as much for 
the love of it, as for the products, Avill be Avil- 
ling to take any pains to help their pet trees 
and vines. A sheet tbroAvn over a vine Avhen 
a frost is anticipated, Avill often save the season’s 
crop. We some time ago (Feb. 1863) gave direc¬ 
tions for making straAv mats, which are ahvays 
bandy to have. Screens made of laths filled in 
with straw are very useful; these may be laid 
over plants, or tAvo put together roof-Avise, and 
give ready protection. We give a cut froniGuyot 
on the vine, shoAving hoAV protection is afford¬ 
ed in vineyards on a large scale. The vines are 
planted against ridges, Avhich are 8 or 10 inches 
high, and trained Ioav, much after the plan 
shoAvn in figures 1 and 2, on page 224, of the 
June Agriculturist, e.xcept that the vine is 
planted slanting toAvard the stakes, for the pur¬ 
pose of allowing the protection to be used. A 
straAV matting, supported by stakes and wires, 
is placed over the Avhole roAv of vines, and it is 
so arranged that it may be turned up vertically 
to afford protection against the prevailing Avinds. 
We h.ave not space noAV to give minute details 
of this method of culture, but simply give 
these suggestions Avhich no doubt some of our 
Avide-aAvake cultivators Avill carry into practice. 
--- 
Collecting and Studying Plants. 
A number of persons ask us to say more 
about wild floAvers, and to give illustrations so 
that they can identify the common plants they 
meet. We can not devote a large space to any 
one subject, and though some may like to have 
more said about wild lloAvers, there are others 
Avho care nothing for them, but wish fruit, field 
crops, garden vegetables, etc. We try to gratify 
all and neglect none. To those Avho notice 
floAvers, Ave can not too thoroughly commend 
the study of them. Figures—mere portraits of 
plants—help the superficial observer to find the 
name, but this gives him little idea of the struc¬ 
ture of the plant, or its relationships. A dozen 
plants Avell studied, and of Avhich the structure 
is Avell understood, Avill be a greater help to a 
knowledge of plants in general than a volume 
of nicely made portraits. We can not do our 
flower loving readers a better service than to 
advise them to study Gray’s Lessons, to get an 
idea of plant structure in general. We knoAV of 
no work Avhich presents the subject in such a 
popular, and what is equally important, thor¬ 
oughly correct manner as this. A novice can 
read it and understand it, and the advanced bo¬ 
tanical student will, from its perusal, get new 
light upon his science. The general structure 
of plants being understood, the determination 
of any particular one is easy. For this purpose 
' we have no works, Avhich, for completeness and 
