102 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
now common Coleus Verschaffeltii —the Velvet 
Coleus—fairly revels in our hot suns, the beau¬ 
tifully variegated geraniums which are so large¬ 
ly used in England, arc withered to a crisp. 
We have no doubt that we shall, by experiment¬ 
ing, hit upon a set of plants with colored foli¬ 
age that will allow us, with our brilliant sun, to 
produce effects of color equal if not superior 
to anything that England or the Continent can 
show. Believing this, we gladly welcome any 
new plant that promises to be useful in this 
way. By repeated trials, we shall find out 
those things suited to our somewhat peculiar 
climate, but we must take all novelties on trial. 
We have received two plants from Mr. H. E. 
Chitt.y, Superintendent of the Bellevue Nursery, 
Paterson, N. J.—a wide-awake es¬ 
tablishment—which we shall sub¬ 
mit to trial. One is the Coleus 
“ Chameleon.” As the plant comes 
from the greenhouse, we can say 
that w T e never saw a Coleus that 
equaled it for beauty, but it has yet 
to be submitted to the test of out¬ 
door cultivation. We are thus cau¬ 
tious of speaking about a new 7 Co¬ 
leus, for we well recollect how 
many named sorts of the Golden 
Coleus all melted into one under 
our hot summers. The plant as 
grown in the greenhouse is truly 
beautiful. The edge of the leaf is 
bordered with bright yellow, its 
ground work is carmine, and mark¬ 
ed and splashed with dark maroon 
in such a w T ay that no tw r o leaves 
are alike. While Ave are aw r are 
of the difficulty of reproducing colored leaves 
in an engraving which can show only differ¬ 
ent shades of black and white, w 7 e have 
been tempted to give an illustration of the 
Chameleon. The other plant referred to is a 
variegated Gnaphalium lanatum. The ordi¬ 
nary form of this plant has long been grown in 
garden's and in hanging-baskets, on account of 
its silvery white foliage. We give an account 
of this plant furnished by Mr. Chitty: 
“ This plant originated in the garden of M. 
Edm. de Ghellinck de Walle, who is the hon¬ 
orable President of the Royal Horticultural 
Society of Ghent, Belgium, where the plant 
was fully tested for two seasons (viz., 1870 and 
1871), and greatly admired by all who saw it. 
When perfectly satisfied that the variegation 
of the plant was permanent, the above-named 
gentleman placed the entire stock into the hands 
of M. Jean Verschaffelt, of Ghent, by whom it 
was distributed last spring. The leaves of this 
plant partake somewhat of the downy, silvery 
gray appearance of the type, but are broadly 
margined with golden yellow, and in some the 
leaves are striped with yellow. The appearance 
of the plant is good, its habit being much more 
compact than the old form, which we have no 
doubt it will entirely supersede, being so much 
handsomer in every respect. We had several 
plants growing outside in our nursery last sum¬ 
mer, where they withstood the scorching sun, 
and took very kindly to their new home.” 
The Hurlbutt Apple. 
The apple known as the Hurlbutt Stripe 
about Winsted, Ct., where it originated, enjoys 
an enviable reputation as an early winter 
variety. It is in Dr. Warder’s catalogue, but not 
described. It originated upon the farm of Gen. 
Leonard Hurlbutt, about two miles from the 
village, and the parent tree is still standing. 
The trees are very hardy, grow rapidly, and 
in good soil to a large size. They are well- 
proportioned, and bear good crops every year, 
but not always so large as this year. The fruit 
is of medium size, uniform, fair, beautiful, round, 
nearly regular, a little flattened, though many 
specimens are quite round; surface smooth, 
striped red on yellow, many specimens a bright 
deep red, much russet about the cavity, and rus¬ 
set dots all over. Basin shallow, small; eye 
small and closed. Cavity deep, acute; stem 
short to medium. Core round, flattened or 
w 7 ide, regular, open; seeds numerous, short, 
plump; flesh white, tender, fine-grained, juicy; 
flavor very mild sub-acid,aromatic, rich; quali¬ 
ty best; use table; season from October to 
February. To those who are partial to a mild 
flavor, this apple leaves nothing to be desired. 
The variety is a general favorite in the neigh¬ 
borhood, and is limited to a few towns. It has 
been in cultivation about thirty years. It is 
not considered a late keeper, though it some¬ 
times, under favorable circumstances, lasts 
until spring. The quality is so good, and the 
apple so handsome for the dessert, that it ought 
to be more generally cultivated. 
--« in a4E- B » » *—*»--■ 
Localities for Market-Farming 1 . 
BY FRANCIS BRILL. 
Since my work on “ Farm-Gardening and 
Seed-Growing” has been published, I have re¬ 
ceived several letters asking my opinion as to 
the best location for conducting these branches 
of agricultural industry. These inquiries have 
come mainly from the northern portion of the 
United States, and one from Prince Edward’s 
Island, B. N. A.—all of which have been duly 
answered by mail. As there may be other 
readers of my book avIio may desire the same 
information, I propose to say a few words 
through the Agriculturist. 
“ Farm-gardening,” or the growing of the 
coarser vegetables for market, may be car¬ 
ried on profitably at a distance of lOCqmiles 
from the place of sale, provided there are facili¬ 
ties for cheap transportation of produce to mar¬ 
ket, and the same advantage in procuring 
manure and fertilizers from the city. 
The most desirable locality is one having 
direct communication by water Avith the place 
where the produce is intended to be sold, and 
of course, as a rule, the less the distance the 
less the freights. But one great point is to have 
the soil suited to the business, a matter Avhich 
is fully discussed in the aforesaid work. To 
groAv produce for New York City, perhaps 
there is no location better than Long Island. 
For many years farmers at the “West End” 
have grown vegetables for that market, and at 
the “East End,” especially on the northern 
branch, 80 to 100 miles from the city, quantities 
of A 7 egetables are grown and transported to 
New York and also to Boston, by rail and 
water, and the business is on the increase. In 
the vicinity of Mattituck, 82 miles from New 
York City, large quantities of cauliflower are 
grown, and the past season (fall of 1872) the 
shipments for six weeks averaged 150 barrels a 
day, and the season was rather unfavorable. 
The soil and climate at the east end of Long 
Island are unsurpassed for the growing of 
either vegetables or seeds. 
Seed-growing may be conducted profitably in 
the Middle and Northern States, though the 
seeds of some vegetables—as, for instance, Egg¬ 
plant, Okra, etc., which require warm weather 
and a long season to mature them—can not be 
successfully grown north of Neiv York City. 
Beyond a doubt, localities near the sea-coast, 
where the air is moist and cool, and where 
late spring and early fall frosts are not 
general, are the best for growing seeds. 
Mattituck, L. I. 
Notes from the Pines. 
The Icy Sunday.— What a morning it Avas! 
Every branch and twig, every dead Aveed that 
projected above the snoA\ r , Avas incased in ice. 
Those alum abominations that are called 
“ crystallized grasses” Avere put to shame by the 
frost-work. I do not remember having seen 
anything like it, save once in Texas, when there 
was no snow, but everything had an icy cover¬ 
ing. How soon Ave forget! I thought I should 
remember the day as “the icy Sunday,” just as 
the oldest inhabitants keep in mind the “ cold 
Friday.” Noav, only a few weeks after, I have 
to ask my man which Sunday it was. He was 
sure to remember it, as he had to clear the road 
so that people could drive by to church. One 
of the pines stretches its branches quite across 
the road, and the load of ice was more than 
one branch could bear, and down it came with 
a crash. It Avas as large as an ordinary tree, 
and quite obstructed travel. No doubt that 
those who drove out on that icy Sunday were 
delighted with the vieiv. Such a glitter, such 
effects of light when the sun was in certain po¬ 
sitions are rarely seen. But did those people 
think of the poor trees? I Avas anxious all the 
day, and feared great damage, but fortunately 
there were no high Avinds, and so far as I was 
concerned the large.pine was the only sufferer. 
But I have noticed that great damage was done 
to the trees of others. Wherever a branch has 
been broken, the stump should be sawed off 
close to the trunk, and the Avound covered with 
some water-proof material. Melted graftiug- 
Avax is good, and so is common paint. White 
paint is too conspicuous, and should have some 
lamp-black or umber in it to make it nearer the 
color of the tree. Every fruit-grower should 
keep a bottle of 
Shellac Varnish. — I notice that sufficient 
directions for making this were given last month 
in the Household Department. It is very 
useful, as your correspondent states, to have in 
the house, but it is almost indispensable in the 
orchard. It seems to last longer upon the cut 
surface of a tree than anything else, and it 
does not show. For this use it should be thicker 
than is required.for varnishing, as thick aa 
