1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
63 
Melon (Water). — Phiuney’s Early, Long 
Carolina, Mountain Sweet. 
Onion. —White and Red Marzajola, Early 
Large Red, Yellow Strasburg, White Portugal. 
Parsnip. —Student. 
Parsley. —Moss Curled, Double Curled. 
Peas (First Early). —Carter’s First Crop, Phila¬ 
delphia, Extra Early, McLean’s Little Gem, 
Blue Peter. 
Peas (Second Early). —Laxton’s Prolific, Epi¬ 
curean, Dwarf Waterloo. 
Peas (General Crop). —Champion of England, 
Premier, Vietch’s Perfection. 
Pepper. —Large Bell, Squash. 
Potato. — Early Rose, Jersey Peachblow, 
Peerless, Late Rose. 
Radish. —Long Short-top Scarlet, Round 
Short-top Scarlet, French Breakfast, China 
Winter, Black and White Spanish. 
Rhubarb. —Linnaeus and Victoria. 
Spinach. —Round. 
Squash. —White and Yellow Bush, Boston 
Mar row, Hubbard. 
Tomato. — Waring’s Tfophy, New York 
Market, General Grant. 
Turnip.— Red and White Top Strap-Leaf, 
Yellow Globe, American Ruta-baga, Long 
White French. 
Among the sorts named, we desire to call 
special attenti®n to the following, as decided 
improvements: 
Van Siclden's Colossal Asparagus should be 
grown to the exclusion of all others. 
In Celery, Sandringham Dwarf White is 
larger, but equally fine and similar in all other 
respects to the “ Incomparable Dwarf,” which 
we have been growing for the past ten years. 
In Egg-Plant, the Black Pekin we find better 
flavored than any other, though in appearance 
not quite so marketable. 
In Lettuce, for growing under glass, “All the 
Year Round” and “Boston Market” are now 
the favorites for plain-leaved sorts, while for 
Curled, “Simpson” or “Silesia” is still pre¬ 
ferred. 
The New Neapolitan Onions, Red and White 
Marzajola, are a great advance in earliness. By 
what we saw of them in London last summer, 
we should judge that seeds sown in early spring 
would come to maturity nearly as soon as 
“sets” planted at the same time. 
In Peas, McLean’s “Blue Peter” is quite a 
novelty, growing only about nine inches in hight, 
of exquisite flavor, and bearing pods in great 
profusion. 
Mulberries. 
Mulberries seem to have nearly gone out of 
fashion. Perhaps the perfect failure of the Mul- 
ticaulis speculation disgusted people with every¬ 
thing that bore the name of Mulberry. At all 
events, we see trees much less frequently now 
than formerly. The Persian, or, as it is more 
generally called, the English, is a fine-flavored 
fruit, and is worth growing wherever the cli¬ 
mate will allow. Downing’s Everbearing is a 
seedling of the Multicaulis, and remains a long 
time in bearing, although it does not give a very 
large amount of fruit at once. The fruit is much 
esteemed by many for cooking. Hick’s Ever- 
bearing is a Kentucky seedling, and though a 
better bearer than the Downing, its fruit is in¬ 
ferior to that in quality. This tree is valued at 
the South for planting in poultry-yards. It is a 
rapid grower, spreads widely, and makes a dense 
sha le, while its abundant fruit furnishes food to 
the fowls. A new variety is mentioned in the 
French journals, which originated in Hungary, 
and is called Morus alba Fegyvemekiana. 
Though the name is long, the tree is not, as it 
grows only about six feet, high, and is spoken of 
as a dwarf of remarkable beauty. 
Seeds and Plants by Mail. 
The liberality of our postal law, which al¬ 
lowed seeds and plants in packages under four 
pounds in weight to go by mail at a low rate of 
postage, was not only a matter of congratula¬ 
tion to our own people, but the envy of those 
of other countries. Last Congress, wish¬ 
ing to extend the mail facilities, passed a 
law allowing merchandise of other kinds to go 
through the mails in packages not exceeding 
twelve ounces in weight. Unfortunately the 
authorities of the P. O. Department construed 
the law to restrict all parcels, seeds and plants 
included, to the weight of 12 oz. The result of 
this was to largely restrict the sending of seeds, 
and to almost entirely cut off the forwarding of 
plants by mail, to the great annoyance of the 
seedmen, and the great inconvenience of those 
who had been accustomed to receive their sup¬ 
plies by mail. Besides, the restriction of the I 
size of the parcels made more work for the 
post-office clerks, as they were obliged to handle 
and cancel the stamps upon five parcels instead 
of one. That this construction of the law by 
the department was contrary to the inlent of 
those'who passed it, we know from conversa¬ 
tion with members of both houses of Congress, 
and this is shown to be the case by the passage 
early in the session of a law restoring the post¬ 
age upon seeds and plants to its old status. 
Packages under four pounds in weight can 
under this new law be sent at the rate of two 
cents for four ounces. 
It is not often that a great wrong—a wrong 
not merely to the few hundred dealers, but to 
the many thousands who receive seeds and 
plants—is so quickly righted, and it is but fair 
to state that the credit of this prompt action is 
due to the energy and perseverance of Gen. B. 
F. Butler, to whom, in behalf of our many 
readers, we return thanks. 
Now that the postal change has been gained, 
it is in order for horticulturists to ask Con¬ 
gress to facilitate the importation of plants. 
Of some kinds of plants three fourths are lost 
by the delay at the Custom-House. We do not 
so much object to paying duty, but give us our 
plants alive. 
Printers' Ink and Canker-Worms. 
F. G. Pratt, Concord, Mass., writes as follows: 
“In the December number, I see an article on 
the Canker-worm, giving a remedy for the pest. 
My father, as Superintendent of Public Grounds 
of Concord, has for the past, three years had the 
charge of the noble elms that line the streets 
of this ancient town. He uses the refuse 
printers’-ink for that purpose, and finds it effec¬ 
tual. But my object in writing this was to say 
that the sheathing-paper is useless, and only in¬ 
creases the expense. Wc merely smooth the 
rough bark slightly with a drawing-shave, and 
spread the ink directly on to the bark. It does 
not injure the tree; it can be put on much fast¬ 
er, and is much more effectual, as it leaves no 
chance for the moth to go up under the paper, 
which can not be made perfectly tight and I 
close. The female moth begins to run about 
the first week in November, and runs from then 
to the middle or last of April, whenever a 
warm thaw comes on during the winter. The 
ink must be put on about once in ten days dur¬ 
ing the fall and spring, and whenever a long 
thaw seems likely during the winter. The slight¬ 
est contact with the ink is death to the insect.” 
Supports for Pot-Plants.— A stick or rod, 
even a very light one, appears clumsy when 
used to support very slender plants, such as the 
flower-stems of Carnations, etc. We not long 
ago saw in an English journal a device which 
we have since used with much satisfaction. The 
support is made of small galvanized iron wire ; 
this is formed into a spiral with its turns wide 
apart, by winding it arouud a rod, leaving that 
portion straight which goes into the soil of the 
pot. The stem of the plant can be passed into 
the turns of the wire, which when nicely ad¬ 
justed will be so concealed by the leaves as not 
to be unpleasantly conspicuous. Galvanized 
wire will answer admirably to make other sup¬ 
ports, such as balloon-frames, for which rattan 
and similar material is generally employed. 
The effect of all plants needing a frame or other 
support, is much detracted from if these are 
made at all conspicuous. 
Some Evergreen Native Ferns. 
Ferns are generally so graceful, and present 
such a variety of form, that it is no wonder that 
they are popular with plant-lovers. Both out¬ 
door and in-door ferneries have of late become 
popular, and both native and exotic species are 
used to fill them. For out-door ferneries almost 
any of our native species may be used, there 
being but few, and these very rare ones, that are 
particular about locality, provided they have 
sufficient shade. Those who in their rambles 
select graceful and attractive ferns for an in¬ 
door fernery are likely to be sadly disappointed 
as one by one the beautiful fronds disappear. 
Many do not know that while some ferns are 
evergreen others are deciduous—that is, die 
down at the end of the growing season. The 
in-door fernery is intended to be bright during 
the winter months, and these deciduous ferns 
are entirely unsuited to the purpose. We have 
a few evergreen ones which may be satisfac¬ 
torily used, provided the fernery is kept in a 
cool room, but for the most part the exotics 
will be found to best answer the purpose. 
We give figures of three of our native ever¬ 
green ferns, which are susceptible of cultivation 
in a cool fernery, and which are especially in¬ 
teresting as being among the few low evergreens 
that add brightness to our winter landscape. 
Those who go into the woods in spring and sum¬ 
mer only, forego much of the pleasure of a coun¬ 
try life. There is much that a lover of nature 
can enjoy in winter, and we do not know of a 
more pleasing sight than that of a snow-covered 
bank with the dark green of these persistent 
ferns showing against the snow. 
One of our commonest ferns is the Potypody-, 
Polypodium milgare. This is found in both, 
Europe and this country, and is almost every-, 
where common in rocky places. Its root-stock 
is branching, and this suggested its botanical 
name, which is from the Greek, meaning many. 
and/<?<?£. It is not our intention to give a botan¬ 
ical description of ferns, but we may merely, 
state that the reproductive organs are in most' 
kinds in the form of brownish dots upon. 
