1873 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
34:3 
Early Sweet-Corn.—A year or two ago I 
mentioned a local variety of corn which is known 
here as Van Riper’s, Cadmus’s, Tom Thumb, 
etc. It is probably the earliest corn with a good- 
sized ear that goes to the Hew York market. 
Seeing the “Early Minnesota” in Mr. Vick’s 
catalogue, and finding it offered by no other 
seedsman, I sent for some. It does not make 
quite so large an ear as the local variety referred 
to, but it is greatly superior to that in sweet¬ 
ness and its equal in earliness. It is a dwarf 
variety, has two and often three ears to the 
stalk, and as an early corn I have not, take it 
in all respects, seen its equal. It is not as sweet 
as the Early Narragansett, but its ears are twice 
as large; nor is it as sweet as some later vari¬ 
eties, but it is early and good—and until I find 
something better shall stick to the Minnesota 
as the best early corn. 
Variegated Foliage in out-door culture is 
sometimes very satisfactory, but it is oftener 
otherwise. Our hot summers put these varie¬ 
gated leaves to a severe test, and those that we 
admire when grown in the greenhouse very 
often lose their markings when placed in the 
open border. This applies not only to the 
plants with colored leaves like the varieties of 
Coleus, but to those in which the green leaves 
have white or cream-colored markings. Among 
the tender plants with variegated green leaves 
none hold their markings more persistently 
than Abutilon Thompsonii, which I find admir¬ 
ably adapted for growing in clumps, as it 
bears cutting well, and may be shaped to one’s 
fancy. Among 
Hardy Herbaceous Perennials those 
with variegated foliage are quite rare. None that 
we have seen equals the variegated Comfrey, 
Symphytum peregrinum. This w r as noticed and 
figured in the Agriculturist several years ago. 
It is bright and pleasing from early spring until 
late autumn, and never shows any signs of 
deterioration. 
Trees with Variegated Foliage, as a 
general thing, are not a success. I have a 
variegated Horse-chestnut which I would like 
to exchange for a plain one. The leaves are 
well marked for a week or so after they appear 
in spring, but they soon have an ill-defined and 
unhealthy look. A variegated Salishuria or 
Gingko was introduced some years ago, but it 
is difficult to find one now, and so with many 
other “ novelties” in this line. The best deci¬ 
duous tree with variegated leaves that I have 
seen is the 
V ariegated Box-Elder— Negundo aceroides. 
—However it may be later, this holds its mark¬ 
ings well into July. The ordinary box-elder is 
one of the most graceful of our smaller trees. 
The variegated one has the same pleasing habit, 
and the foliage is boldly marked with white; 
and the effect of a well-grown specimen against 
a background of evergreens, as it may be seen 
at Wellesley, is one of the most beautiful ob¬ 
jects imaginable. 
Birds have heretofore been.very scarce at my 
place, but this year they have appeared in great 
numbers, much to my gratification. The pres¬ 
ent abundance has direct relation to the sudden 
disappearance of a horde of worthless cats that 
formerly prowled about. 
The Future of Strawberry Culture. 
The experience of the season just past has 
convinced strawberry growers, at least those in 
the Northern States, that they must give up the 
cultivation altogether or take measures to be 
independent of the weather. Another such 
season as the one just closed would bring 
disaster, if not ruin, to hundreds who have capi¬ 
tal invested in strawberries and other small 
fruits, as well as in baskets and other accessor¬ 
ies for taking the crop to market. The only 
way in which the strawberry grower can be 
fairly sure of a crop one j^ear with another is 
to irrigate. One of the largest growers in the 
vicinity of New York recently told us that the 
amount that he lost by this year’s failure of the 
crop would more than pay for permanent irri¬ 
gating improvements. Like a wise man he 
goes at once to work to provide a supply of 
water that will render him, so far as that goes, 
quite independent of rains. This is what straw¬ 
berry cultivators must make up their minds to 
if they expect anything like certain returns for 
their labors. In a spring like the last, water 
for irrigation w'ill decide the question between 
a profitable crop and a total failure, and in or¬ 
dinary seasons, when there is so much rain that 
the plants do not really suffer from drouth, we 
feel sure that the advantage derived from the 
application of water just at the time it is needed 
will be such as to pay a handsome return upon 
the investment. In many localities the prepara¬ 
tions for irrigation need be but slight—a dam 
and a few water-courses being all that are re¬ 
quired. In other cases water must be pumped 
by windmills into a reservoir. Even in the 
most difficult cases the outlay will not be very 
large. It should be recollected that no half-way 
measures will answer; the ground must have a 
thorough soaking. The watering had better not 
be undertaken at all if it is to be only a mere 
W'etting of the surface. 
Insecticide.— (Oldsoldierum.) 
BY PHEBE ANN. 
Dear Mr. Agriculturist: Let me give you my 
recipe for a most effectual insecticide: One 
wine-bottle, 30 oz.; Old soldiers (cigar stumps), 
any quantum; Aqua pura or rainum to cover 
the stumps. Put the stumps in the bottle, and 
the water on the stumps. Of course this won’t 
exterminate a greenhouseful of insects, but for 
the window-gardens, the hanging-baskets, etc., it 
is just the thing. Put in more stumps and more 
w T at,er daily, so as to keep your bottle full. The 
longer the solution stands the worse it is for the 
health of the insect. Apply with a brush, a 
little toy watering-pot, or a spoon if you choose. 
There is a double satisfaction in the use of 
this preparation—viz., the utilization of Adol¬ 
phus Henry’s cigar stumps, and the opportunity 
of witnessing how insects will die before they 
will get accustomed to the use of tobacco. 
Moral.—W haL a pity some men are not 
insects. 
A Support for Plants. 
We were quite amused to see figured in the 
Gardeners’ Chronicle (England), as a “support 
for strawberries,” a contrivance that we have 
used these many years, though not for straw¬ 
berries. It shows how similar needs will lead 
to similar inventions. In England various con¬ 
trivances are in use for keeping strawberries up 
from the ground, and there are several patented 
“strawberry crinolines.” Some ten years ago, 
‘having to support some spreading plants, we put 
galvanized wire together in the manner here 
figured. This kind of frame is quickly made, 
and is very efficient; besides, it does not make 
the show that some other plant supports do. 
The larger Phloxes, the tall-growing Sedums, 
and many other things get very top-heavy, es¬ 
pecially in rainy weather, and a girdle of this 
WIRE SUPPORT. 
kind keeps the clumps in shape and contributes 
to the neatness of the garden. Of course the 
taller the support the stronger must be the wire. 
Paris-Green for Insects. 
Paris-green, a very poisonous compound of 
arsenic and copper, has been found to be the 
only effective weapon with which to fight the 
Colorado Potato-beetle. We have often spoken 
of its use and given directions for operating 
with it. Since its introduction to kill the 
potato-bug its use has extended, and it is now 
employed to kill other insects that infest other 
plants. For several of the pests that destroy 
melons, squashes, and others of that family, it 
has been found especially efficacious. The old 
method of applying Paris-green, by diluting 
it with ten to fifteen parts of plaster, flour, 
or other inert powder is now abandoned by 
many, and the poison is applied by means ®f 
water. We think that this method of using it 
was first proposed by our friend D. C. Rich¬ 
mond of Sandusky. He stirs a table-spoonful 
of the green in a pailful of water, and applies 
with an ordinary watering-pot. The poison is 
not soluble in water, but is only diffused through 
it, hence it should be thoroughly stirred, and 
the liquid applied to the plants before it has 
had time to settle. Many are afraid to use Paris- 
green on account of its highly dangerous char- 
acler. It should, of course, be kept in such a 
manner that no accident can result from it. As 
to the safety of eating vegetables the foliage of 
which has been treated with the poison we 
think there need be no apprehension. Chemi- t 
cal examination has failed to detect any poison 
in potatoes the vines of which had been 
poisoned. 
Foreign Horticultural Items. 
The Vitality op Pollen. —The Revue 
Horticole cites an instance in which pollen col¬ 
lected in 1867 was found in 1872 capable of fer¬ 
tilizing the pistils to which it was applied. The 
plaDt upon which the experiment was made 
was the Ceratozamia Mexicana , one of the 
Cycas Family, in which the staminate and pis¬ 
tillate flowers are borne upon separate plants. 
The only care taken with the pollen was to 
preserve it from moisture. 
Preserving Tomatoes.— The Bulletin of 
the Horticultural Society at Meaux (France) 
gives an account of the method of preserving 
tomatoes by M. Alexandre, who exhibited to the 
Society in January, 1873, tomatoes put up in 
August, 1872, and which were perfectly pre¬ 
served. Sound and not over-ripe tomatoes are 
