374 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
tia, Hibiscus, Lupin, Evening Primrose, Portu- 
lacca, Silene, Mignonette, etc. 
Autumn —There are some which should be sown 
in the Fall. Every person at all observant of flow¬ 
er gardens, must have noticed that certain annual 
flowers come up in Spring from seeds self-sown 
the previous year; and that these often make 
very vigorous plants, and bloom a month or so 
earlier than those of the same sort sown in the 
Spring. This shows that it is a good practice to 
sow some seeds in the Fall. Of those which are 
found to succeed well so treated, we note the 
following: 
Adonis, Double Balsam, Larkspur, Candytuft, 
Clarkia, Eryssimum, Mimulas, Perilla, Forget- 
me-Not, Portulacca, Petunia, Coreopsis, Sun¬ 
flower, Calliopsis Drummondii, Delphinium 
ajacis humile, Escholtzia, Nigella Hiepanica, etc. 
These may be sown any time in the latter part 
of August and to the middle of September. 
Then there are certain tender annuals which 
succeed better if started in a gentle hot-bed, and 
then transplanted into the open garden, after 
Summer is well established. But even many of 
these will do tolerably well if sown late in the 
open ground. They will not be so sure to ripen 
their seeds. Of these, we mention several: Am- 
aranthus tricolor, Ammobium alatum, Bartonia 
aurea, Browallia, Thunbergia, Calandrina, Bal¬ 
loon Vine, Indian Shot, Cockscomb, Clintonia, 
Collinsia, Commelina, Didiscus, Globe Amaranth, 
Balsams, Cypress Vine, Malope, Sensitive Plant, 
Salpiglossis, Marigold, Ageratum, Ten Week 
Stock, etc. 
-- =»-. -- *-»- - 
The Hose and Geology. 
Much as has been said in praise of the Rose, 
its charms have not been too highly lauded. It 
must ever remain the queen of the garden. A 
fact has recently come to our knowledge which 
seems t.o indicate (if we may reverently say so,) 
the Divine estimate of this flower, and certainly 
illustrates the love of God for his intelligent 
creatures. We now refer to a fact mentioned by 
Professor Agassiz, vjz. that no fossils of the rose 
family have ever been discovered by geologists. 
This fact is regarded by scientific men as proof 
that the introduction of these plants upon the 
earth was coeval with or subsequent to the crea¬ 
tion of man, and was designed by a kind Provi¬ 
dence to minister to his happiness. 
“Dielytra or Diclytra.”—Dicentra. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
Your correspondent “ Mimosus,” [Query— 
Mimosa 1 —No! Ed. J asks for some information 
concerning the true name of the popular and 
beautiful plant commonly and incorrectly called 
by one or the other of these names. If he were 
as familiar with American botanical literature as 
he seems to be with that of Europe, he would find 
that the proper name of the genus is Dicentra ; 
from the Greek dis, double, and Kentron, a spur— 
alluding to the spur-like petals of some species. 
r, ’he genus was originally proposed by Borkhaus- 
en, a German botanist of the last century, but by 
a mistake of the types (the setters of which have 
many sins to answer for) it was printed Diclytra, 
an error which was perpetuated by De Candolle, 
in his Prodromus. Sir William Hooker, in his 
Flora Boreali Americana, endeavored to amend 
the nomenclature and made it Dielytra. Prof. 
Asa Gray, in his Genera, restored the proper or¬ 
thography, Dicentra, which should be adopted by 
all florists who keep pace with the science so 
nearly allied to their calling. It is exceedingly 
annoying to observe how the grossest errors are 
continued year after year in the catalogues of our 
florists and nurserymen, who—though many may 
be very apt at learning—are wonderfully slow in 
unlearning. One would suppose that they would 
call American plants, at least, by their right names, 
yet we find the Mammoth tree of California, put 
down as Wellingtonia Gigantea, when it is prop¬ 
erly Sequoia ; and the so-called “ California Nut¬ 
meg,” as Myristica Californiea, it being a species 
ofTorreya, and no more related to Myristica 
(the true Nutmeg) than it is to a cabbage. T. 
New-York, July 15 th, 1859 
[The above, which came too late for our Au¬ 
gust issue, is from high authority, and settles the 
question. We are in doubt as to the best course 
to get the right name into general use.— Ed.] 
Originating Varieties in Plants and Fruits. 
•-o=- 
In an article, several months ago, on the “ Geo¬ 
graphical Distribution of Plants,” we observed 
that God undoubtedly created each plant and 
placed it where it was best adapted to live and 
flourish. The several species of plants then 
formed, have maintained their place, and their 
several characteristics almost unchanged from 
the beginning to the present time. Like has pro¬ 
duced like, from age to age. For example, the 
rock maple remains a rock maple, and its seeds 
produce rock maples ; so of the soft maple, and 
the ash in its varieties, and the oak, and the elm, 
and other trees. 
This is the general law: species do not change. 
And yet there are variations from time to time. 
The skill of man, peculiarities of soil or climate, 
or mere accident, may produce varieties in a 
species. We see this in animals, as well as in 
plants. Turn a drove of the finest Berkshire pigs 
into a wild forest, and compel them to get their 
living by rooting for nuts, and very shortly their 
shape will begin to change. By constant use of 
the snout in rooting, the muscles of the neck will 
thicken, the snout will lengthen, and by constant 
exposure to the weather, their skin will become 
covered with a thick, soft hair. Their short legs 
will also become long, and will outrun the fleet¬ 
est occupant of a farm pig-sty. After one or 
two generations, they will not be known as Berk- 
shires. Now, the same law holds with plants. 
An elm-tree grown in a thick, swampy forest, is 
very different from one grown on an open, fertile 
plain. The Arbor Vitas on the banks of the Hud¬ 
son, is very different in appearance from the 
same species growing in central and western 
New-York. Along the shores of Hudson’s Bay, 
the White Pine is a mere shrub, but in this cli¬ 
mate, it mounts up a hundred feet. If two seeds 
from the same pod are sown in different soils, 
and are submitted to different degrees of heat, 
light and moisture, the plants will show the dif¬ 
ference of their treatment in their appearance. 
Then if other plants are propagated from these 
by cuttings, layers or buds, the same variations 
will be perpetuated. It is in this way, that our 
different varieties of fruits arc perpetuated, 
whether they were obtained by art or by acci¬ 
dent. But if we sow the seeds of these several 
varieties, the traits of the original stock will gen¬ 
erally reappear, showing that species are perma¬ 
nent, while varieties are transient. 
As showing the influence of soil, or rather the 
preference which different trees have for differ¬ 
ent soils, it is note-worthy that the Cucumber 
Tree (Magnolia acuminata ), is found wild in New- 
Vork State only along the “ Genesee Valley,” 
and thence southward. The geologists tell us 
that the old red-sandstone formation crops out in 
just that district. Hence it would seem that the 
tree and the rock had some affinity for each oth¬ 
er. The Tamarick tree does not grow on the 
Catskill Mountains, though it is found both north 
and south of that region. The Locust and Buck¬ 
eye are never found wild within fifty to a hun¬ 
dred miles of the sea-coast. The wild poplar 
flourishes on the west bank of the Connecticut 
river, but not on the east. Yet there are many 
trees which thrive in nearly all soils, though ex¬ 
hibiting some variety of appearance in different 
circumstances. 
But we must not wander on this pleasant top¬ 
ic. It is an interesting fact that while species of 
plants remain ever the same, varieties may be 
produced indefinitely, and may be perpetuated by 
human skill. A broad field is here open for the 
skill of the experimenter. By sowing the seeds 
of any fruit, (as, for example, the pear or grape,) 
the larger portion of the new plants thus raised, 
may show the tendency of nature to return to the 
original wild stock ; yet, out of a large number, 
we may obtain some new varieties of great value. 
In this way, the Seckel and some other pears, the 
Isabella and some other grapes of high excellence, 
were produced. There is, however, greater like¬ 
lihood of success, if pains be taken to hybridize 
fruits of good quality with each other. This field 
is open to everybody. He who shall originate a 
pear [and make it live and bear I] combining the 
flavor of the Seckel with the size of the Bartlett, 
will thereby make his fortune and his fame. He 
who shall produce a grape with the flavor and 
other excellences of the Delaware, and the size of 
the Concord, will be equally fortunate. 
Meanwhile, let us be thankful, that by another 
law of nature, [say rather, the God of nature,] the 
excellent varieties of fruits w'e already possess, 
may be perpetuated forever. 
■»n i m i J) n 11 ■ ■ i i n 
Matthews’ Cureulio Kennedy. 
Less and less appears to be said of the so-called 
wonderful discovery assumed to have been made 
by Mr. Matthews, for extirpating the cureulio 
from plum trees. And yet, a few of his friends 
who have been let into the secret, continue to 
claim for it perfect success. They claim respect¬ 
ing it: that the remedy needs to be applied only 
once in a season, while the old remedies—such 
as jarring the trees, and dusting the leaves with 
lime, syringing with oil-soap, etc., have to be ap¬ 
plied every few days for several weeks. A gen¬ 
tleman in Albany, writes that he tried it last sea¬ 
son on part of of his trees, and with so great, suc¬ 
cess that he was obliged to pick off part of the 
fruit before ripening, to prevent the tree from 
breaking down. Those which he treated in the 
old w'ay, produced only a small crop. A fruit¬ 
grower in Durhamville, N. Y., applied the new 
remedy to a part ofhis trees, and those so treat¬ 
ed, bore abundantly; those managed in the old 
way of jarring, and gathering on a sheet and 
burning, yielded but little, and the labor was 
vastly greater. The curculios hovered for sever¬ 
al weeks about those trees tried by the first 
method, and were daily caught, but were not seen 
on the others after the remedy had once been ap¬ 
plied. 
Mr. Matthews offers a wager of $100, that every 
tree faithfully managed on his plan shall produce 
an abundant crop. He has lately set out a plum 
orchard, “ feeling as much assurance that he will 
raise plenty of plums, as that his trees will blos¬ 
som.” Pie says : “ The reports from various 
persons to whom I have entrusted the remedy, 
fully sustain its efficiency. I feel assured, if 
there is any failure, it is owing to some depar- 
