induced me to increase the collection by importa¬ 
tions and by seeds, and I have now above two hun¬ 
dred perfectly distinct varieties, combining every 
hue which nature renders it possible for those 
species to attain. By cultivating the plants in prox¬ 
imity. the Polyanthus, Cowslip and Primrose varie¬ 
ties have hybridized with each other, and from their 
seeds 1 have obtained above thirty varieties, in which 
the characters of the different families are completely 
blended—a result which, 1 believe, has not been 
attained in Europe. 
The common practice in many gardens in Europe, 
and among the few amateurs here, of cultivating 
these plants in pots, as if they were tender, is an 
outrage upou nature. To treat them with tender¬ 
ness, a.nd even with winter protection, when grow¬ 
ing in beds, is destructive to the plants. They must 
be treated in the most rustic mariner, and, if the 
ground is frozen for months, not one plant will be 
injured thereby. 1 have seen them flourishing in 
open gardens at Montreal and Quebec. Indeed, 
when ft is considered that the Auricula, and six 
other species of the Primula, are nativoe of Switzer¬ 
land, that seven other species grow on the Pyrenees, 
aud that five species are natives of Liberia, and 
others of Britain, Norway and Sweden, we may well 
be surprised that pot culture should have ever been 
adopted for any plants of these hardy Alpine races, 
whose successful culture only demands that we 
leave them to take care of themselves. 
Hushing, January, 1862. Wk R. Trince. 
We are ranch obliged to Mr. Prince for the above, 
on a subject upon which we had intended to say a 
few words. On the north side of a Norway Spruce 
screen at the nursericsof Ei.lwangeb & Barry is a 
border of these flowers, entirely unprotected, and thefr 
fine growth and beautiful blossoms have been to us 
a source of interest and pleasure 
their eggs until a new brood of their minute offspring 
is propagated, which happens usually in the month 
of July. 
It is not my purpose to enter at length upon a 
description of this extensive family, the Coed, but 
simply to illustrate this species, and call attention 
to il. 1 am not aware that it ever was described or 
figured, and in connection will state the curious fact 
that, on Monday, the 2d of December, Laecored seve¬ 
ral specimens each be tween separate pieces of glass, 
gummed air tight, on a piece of card having a 
circular hole Cut in it. 
What, appears singular is, that while writing 
this, (the 10 th day of December,) the insect is 
still alive and moving in its narrow abode, be¬ 
tween the slips of glass, being the Oth day since its 
confinement. How long it may continues to live. 
I shall see. My entomological friend, Mr. S. F, 
Hath von. and others, saw it move above last even¬ 
ing, and others to-day. This goes to prove how 
tenacious their life is. Without air, moisture, or 
nourishment, it seems as active at this moment as 
it was Dine days ago when taken from the leaf and 
caged up. 
Mr. Batov on also brought me a species of Aphis 
infesting the roots of the cotton plant. Fig. 4, upper 
Fig. 5, under side, magnified greatly. The scales 
are covered with a waxen secretion, in flakes of a 
white color. Antennae annarentlv5 fi-inintod. snetn- 
a roniught alter its flrat appearance, and while the 
excrescence was still soft. It is then easily removed 
without injury to the tree, the wound generally 
healing over the same season. For the last three 
years this disease has decreased yearly. The past 
season I removed ihe whole from 610 frees in less 
than half a day. fn I860. Ihose trees began to bear 
fruit, yielding twenty bushels, which was sold for 
fifty-five dollars, after paying expenses. In I860, 
the crop was nine bushels and one peek, which 
brought three dollars a bushel. Tn 1861. I gathered 
and marketed seventy-two bushels, for which I 
received live dollars and twenty cents a bushel, 
after paying expenses. The total receipts for the 
That there has been great progress in every 
department of horticulture during the ten yearn 
past, the appearance of pur orchards, and gardens, 
and fruit, and vegetable markets bear ample testi¬ 
mony. The demand at our nurseries for fine fruits 
and flowering plants has increased with unexampled 
rapidity; and our seedsmen find a ready sale for the 
choicest, seeds of Annuals and Perennials, which are 
now being imported from Europe in large quantities. 
People are becoming acquainted with the really 
good, and will be satisfied with nothing short of the 
best, that can be produced. 
In one respect, however, we are still much at 
fault Our public parks, wherever we go, with a 
few exceptions, are a standing disgrace. Almost 
every city and village, of any size, has one or more 
parks, established to promote the health and 
pleasure of the inhabitants and the beauty of the 
town — to make it pleasant for the citizens and 
attractive to strangers. Now, we ask our readers, if 
one park in a thousand answers the purpose for 
which it was designed? With the exception of a 
few in our largest cities, instead of being a credit to 
the places where they exist, they are but “ waste 
places”—an eye-sore to every poison, of taste. No 
one need to be astonished at this result, when ,vo 
consider how these parks are got up. On determ¬ 
ining to establish a “square,” (he ground is either 
purchased by the corporation, or donated by some 
generous individual, who foolishly imagines it will 
be an ornament to tho town. It is then plowed two 
Elis. Rural Nbw-YqUkbk:—W hat a pity it is 
that people will study, and invent so many “superb” 
aud indigestible dishes of food, especially where 
flour is the principal constituent! W hy are we not 
content to eat our grains, fruits, and i _.l 
pier and more wholesome manner, there! 
vast amount of labor and skill lor both: 
meats, in a siin- 
by saving a 
r purposes, 
as well as preserving our health, and thus being able 
to do more good ? Why not serve our meats, boiled 
or roasted, or broiled, in a plain, substantia! man¬ 
ner—properly cooked, without extraordinary sea¬ 
soning of spices, peppers, greases, Ac., aud so on? 
And our vegetables the same? 
But this is idle talk to those who will cook and eat 
their rich cakes, preserves, pies, meats,—who know 
positively that nothing that people love cau ever 
hurt them, and never do hurt than, though they are 
groaniug with disease from head to foot, never seem¬ 
ing to remember, or to know, that our food is, of 
course, our blood and life, and should be selected 
and prepared with reference to life, and not solely to 
gratily the whims of' a depraved appetite. Well, 
you who will, must eat your knick-knacks, aud abide 
the consequences, but, 1 am fully persuaded that 
coarse bread is most wholesome and delicious, and 
those who Iivo on tine, white flour, deny themselves 
a great and simple luxury. Brown, or Graham 
flour, makes the sweetest unleavened bread I 
have ever tasted. However, I have often heard 
that Ihe old-l:ishioned rye and Indian bread is 
excellent, and as some of my family wish to 
test it, will not some one skilled in the art give a 
the past summer. 
The Primrose, the Cowslip, and the Auricula are 
associated with our earliest recollections of the 
flower garden, and it affords us great pleasure to 
know that they can be grown here as hardy border 
flowers. 
TOMATO CATSUP. 
My Dear Rural:—I was in Baltimore the other 
day, stepping with a friend, and partook,very freely of 
the Catsup mentioned below, f liked it so well that 
1 thought it should he upon every body's table, and 
Mrs.lt. very kindly furnished me the following recipe, 
which I hope you will publish in the Rural.—f. 
Mrs. Rhodes’ Green Tomato Cvrsur. — Take 
one peck of green tomatoes, and one dozen large 
white onions, slice them thin, and to a layer of them 
sprinkle a small quantity of suit, until all used up; 
weigh them and let them remain tweuty-lbur hours, 
then drain them well from the brine. Weigh a quar- 
tei at a pound of mustard sited, an ounce of allspice, 
an ounce of doves, an ounce ground mustard, an 
ounce of ground ginger, two lablespooofulij of black 
pepper, two teaspoonfu Is of celery seed, and a quar¬ 
ter of a pound of brown sugar, and mix the spices 
all well together, 'i ake your preserving kettle, and 
to a layer of the tomatoes and onions sprinkle a 
layer of your spices, adding to each layer one des¬ 
sert spoonful of sweet oil. Cover them with vine- 
LETTUCE FOB WINTER MARKETS- 
Do you know how to get it? The writer has seen 
it grown in green-houses in the border under the 
plant stagings. But then it was badly “drawn.” 
The heads were long, but solid. The other day, in 
looking about among the gardeners, a German, 
named M. Miller, asked us to go and see his let¬ 
tuce. He led the way to what I bad supposed was 
a green-house —a lean-to house between 40 and 
50 feet long, and 12 or 14 feet wide. Here, in bor¬ 
ders, elevated on stagings to within a foot and a 
half of the glass, wore growing hundreds of beads 
of lettuce, much of it.ready for market. 
THE NEW FRENCH ROSES 
yonth and inexperience. This is the public park, as 
generally seen —(he ornamental grounds of your 
city or village, kind reader, we fear. 
Now, what should be done with such a park? 
Have a competent peraon make a plan of the 
ground, with broad walks meandering in every 
direction. After the plan is made aud examined 
Carefully and corrected, so that you are perfectly 
satisfied it is the best that could be designed for 
your grounds, then yo t are prepared for work. 
Dig up every dead, dying and unsightly tree, and 
trench the ground two feet, deep with a spade, or, if 
large, subsoil as deeply as possible with the plow. 
Then, stake the walks according to the plan, and 
take the soil from them to the depth of about 
eighteen Inches and use it in leveling off the surface 
and filling up any hollow places. Next, drag and 
rake the surface of the ground quite smooth, carry¬ 
ing all h tones into the walks. Fill up the walks to 
within two or three inches of the surface with 
stones, pack Iheni down level, and cover with flue 
gravel, which would be better lor rolling occasion¬ 
al especially after showers. Border the walks 
with turf about six inches wide, and sow thickly 
Kentucky bine grass or red top and white Dutch 
clover. Plant tastefully with the finest, shrubs and 
trees that will grow in the climate, taking especial 
care to obtain thrifty, well-formed trees—not being 
too anxious for those of large size. The work 
should be commenced as early as possible in the 
spring, though it would have been better had the 
grading been done the past, summer, so that the 
planting could be accomplished early. 
After this is all done, place the park under the 
especial charge of one man — and one more noted 
as a man of taste than as a politician. Make it. his 
duty to keep every thing about it in the neatest 
possible manner. Do this, and yon will have a park 
of which you will have no reason to be ashamed— 
a delight!ul spot—a beautiful promenade, where 
hundreds will daily wend their stops as to enchanted 
Stortirnttural Stated: 
Tiik I EAOn Orchard: —This is the singular name of n new 
puper printed at Brunson Harbor, Michigan, two numbers of 
wlucli we have received. It is printed in one of the finest 
fniit regions in the world- and the mime, though strange, is 
appropriate. The editor says—“On the North, East, and 
South of us, at intervals for miles, may bo seen the fruit 
On •! Lari Is lor which this vicinity is so unions, which alone 
yield fortunes Annually. By this, W( . ,i„ „ 0 t, desire it to he 
inferred that the territory immediately contiguous to this, and 
in' the directions indicated, comprises all the celebrated 
Iruit orchards of this region South and Southeast of St 
.Joseph—which lies but one mile from this place—may tiesecu 
some of the finest orchards in the country." 
A portion 
of space was devoted to radishes and lettuce for 
transplanting to the borders, from which the first 
crop will soon be removed. This first crop is from 
plants transplanted from the garden. The novelty 
hereaway — and 1 am told by gardeners that it is 
new to them —consists in elevating tho borders so 
as to secure stocky, symmetrical plan ts. This house 
has a brick flue in it, and has no front side-light. 
A preliminary experiment last year proved profit¬ 
able not only in the good prices secured for vegela- 
blos in mid-winter, but because the little house 
used enabled the gardener to propagate thousands 
of plants for transplardiruj to the hot-hods, at the 
Bamo time that tin* neighboring gardeners were 
sowing seed in tiieir hot-beds. Thus Mr. Miller is 
first In the market, and he is secure against, the dis¬ 
asters which occur to those who depend upon hot¬ 
beds alone. This kind of winter gardening is found 
very profitable indeed. Lettuce heads sell at 
sixty-two and a half to seventy-five cents per 
dozen: and radishes at nronortinrini mo4< r.iL.u 
Propagating Plants my Cuttings.— We have recently 
read an explanation of an idea of Mr. Beaton that must be of 
service to amateurs who wish tn propagate in a small way_ 
ami the principle may be applied by those wiioare not satisfied 
with less than wholesale practices. Wo have made the fol 
lowing sketch of the plan proposed. 
Extra Lemon Pie.— Three eggs, one good sized 
cup <)i water, one a half cups of Btigar, (cups com¬ 
mon size,) ton small crackers, rolled fine, one lemon, 
the yellow pool grated oft! The peel underneath 
this is not to be used, but use the yellow, also the 
juice and inside, the latter cut line. Separate the 
yolks from the whiles, and give the former a 
thorough beating, to which add the water. Mix the 
above ingredients together, and bake about an hour, 
the same as custard or pumpkin. Beat the whites 
to a light froth, and add eight teaspoonfuls of white 
sugar, giving it another beating, to get the sugar 
well mixed. When the pic is done, take it from the 
oven, and spread the preparation over it, then put it 
in tho oveu again, and lot it, brown a little. Be sure 
and have the pie done before you add the prepara¬ 
tion. If you go according to this recipe, you will 
have an excellent pie. — Charles E. Austin Nor¬ 
way., n. r., i86i, 
UHBTHunNO CRICKETS AND BEETLES.—I will tell 
yon how I got rid ot hundreds, by means of a com¬ 
mon white glazed jar, about nine or ten inches high, 
put in the place they infest, with a slice or two of 
cucumber in it, aud one live cricket as a decoy. 
They will hop in, and strange to say, have not the 
power to hop out. When the jar is one-third lull of 
insects, have it filled with boiling water. 1 got rid of 
them by this simple method. 
Black Beetles may ts? destroyed in the same way; 
but the jar should tie rough outside, so that the iu- 
sccfs cau creep up. With a jar of this kind, glazed 
wilh white Inside, wo ; .v seen a gr< at quantity de- 
fuauirifs and Answers 
Thb Aconituk and Lupin.— What is the name of the 
common Aconite, growing in gome gardens —a pretty blue 
flower; and where can plants or seeds be obtained? Ik it tlio 
Aconite used in medicine, aud is the plant poisonous? Can 
the pretty blue Lupin of our bills be transplanted to our 
gardens? I, so, is it not worthy of cultivation/— AMATKUit 
Florist. “ 
The Aconite, or Monkshood, is a well-known handsome 
perennial plant, usually found in every good collection of 
perennials. There are several species, sortie wliite and yellow, 
but the best have dark blue flowera, which grow in Ions 
Boiled Indian Pudding.— Take sweet milk of 
sufficient quantity for the pudding desired, salt to 
the taste, ami stir in Indian meal till a little milk 
will rise on the top by standing. If too thick it will 
be hard. M * pudding crock and tie a cloth tightly 
over ii, Put into boiling water sufficient to keep it 
covered aud boil steadily three hours. Fruit may be 
added il desired. Servo with sweetened cream. 
This is au old-fashioned Connecticut pudding, such 
as my mother always used, and it dispenses with 
that unhealthy article, Baloratns. It is excellent_ 
Mrs. I,. U. Hiqby, Piffard, N. > 1861. 
--— » ■ ♦ . -- 
Snow Rice Cream. — Put in a stew-pan four 
ounces of ground rice, two ounces of sugar, a lew 
drops of the essence of almonds, or any other essence 
you choose, with two ounces of fresh butter; add a 
quai t of milk, boil from fillcen to twenty minutes 
till it forms a smooth substance, though not too thick- 
then pour info a mold previously oiled, and servo 
when cold. It will turn out like jelly. If uo mold 
put either in cups or a pie-dish. The rice had better 
be done a little too much than not enough.— Ohio 
±-±uaa.iiUbji, POLYANTHUS, COWSLIP, AND AURICULA 
Ena Rural Ne w-Y0KKKRf—These lovelydomes- 
uc flowers, which, in the most northern countries of 
Europe, beautify the cottage homes of the humble, 
and shed their glowing colors when peeping from 
beneath the hawtliorno hedges and In the fertile 
meadows of the opulent, combine so many natural 
beauties that they are always cherished, even by the 
aged, as the loved onog of early childhood, I have 
soen the hardy laboring mechanic burst into tears 
When viewing a bed of these flowers, exclaim- 
mg, “Do excuse me, for these were the flowera I 
playod with at homo in my childhood.” 
It is now more than thirty years since .1 liegan to 
make a collection of these classes of flowers. 1 
intrusted their culture to gardeners, and they planted 
them, as is usual wilh other herbaceous plants, in 
the sunny borders. The result was, thc-y gradually 
dwindled and died out, and although I made frequent 
importations and grew some from seeds, the same 
unfortunate result attended them all. At length, 
recalling to my mind that Wm. Prince, my father, a 
very long time since, bad a flourishing bed of Poly¬ 
anthus plants in a northern border, where a high 
fence on the south side shut off the most of the sun’s 
heat, i concluded to make an experiment in a simi¬ 
lar way. I forthwith took tho management of these 
plants on myself, and four years ago selected a bed 
in the most shady part of my garden, and caused all 
the plants to be removed to that spot. Tho transi¬ 
tion acted like a charm—the plants threw out 
vigorous foliage and became greatly enlarged, and 
they have since produced a profusion of bloom 
that has been the amazement of the numerous ama¬ 
teurs who have visited my grounds. Thi« .. 
iv k nave ouen called tlie attention of our readers 
to the importance of cultivating the Plum as a mar¬ 
ket fruit, particularly in districts where the peach 
cannot be grown, or is uncertain. This subject is 
beginning to attract the attention of practical men. 
The following wo find in the Horticulturist, written 
by James M. Barret, of Canterbury, N. Y.: 
So much has been said and written of late upon 
the Grape question, that 1 begin to fear that we may 
forget that other fruits can be successfully raised. T 
therefore propose to give you my experience in 
raising Pintos, in which 1 have made a profitable 
experiment, willing that my fellow readers of the 
Horticulturist may go and do likewise, if they 
believe the Yankee maxim, that some things may 
be done us well as others, and that one man can do 
what another has done, if lie tries. 
In 1866, f set out with care what remained of seven 
or eight hundred Plum frees, which had been stuck 
out by contract two years before, and up to that 
time had refused to thrive. This transplanting 
revived them, and from that period I date the begim 
ning o! my experiment, which, including tho present 
season, makes six years that they have been under 
treatment. The ground between the Plurn trees has 
teen regularly plowed and cultivated for tho Rasp¬ 
berry crop, the product of which has paid all 
expenses, including $50 per year ground-rent, for 
two acres and a quarter, and a profit besides. In 
1869, l spread under each tree half a peck of com¬ 
mon salt. 
1 heblack knotupon these Plum tret's has appeared 
■’ v ,Iuu i- wav. A Dortheeia eatsphracta. 
4, Upper; 5, (Jailor Ride of the root jauwsite. I, Natural size. 
them to be peculiar and quite new to me. Fig I is 
an upper side view, and Fig. 2 an under side view. 
These insects are clothed with a white waxen secre¬ 
tion, scale-like. The scollops around the outer 
margin of the ovate body induces me to judge they 
are closely related to the genus Doiihesia. Fig, 3 is 
copied from Westwood’s Fig. of J>. cataphrada 
(female.) The males, are more elongated aud nar- 
rovring tow;u-d ^ ercar 1 Paw no winged specimens. 
1 hose are among the most injurious insects of 
small size that annoy the horticulturist and arbori¬ 
culturist, mid are too well known to many gardeners. 
Ihe females by degrees assume the appearance of 
galls or scales; whence they are termed scale 
insects being there fixed as a dead scale, covering 
Good Blacking. —Boil three pints of beer wi 
2 oz. ivory black. As it boils, put in a desst 
spoonful of sweet oil, 2 oz. brown sugar, and b( 
quietly till reduced to a quark 
Good Boot Blacking for Polishing. — W 
some Rural reader please tell us how to make it 
P., Niagara, N. Y, 1862. 
spikes, as shown in the small engraving. The common variety 
referred to by our correspondent is A. napeUus. and although 
a very beautiful, is a very poisonous plant, and extensively 
used in medicine, especially by homeopathic physicians, a. 
Unuifolium is a very line variety. Plants can be obtained of 
nurserymen and florists, and seeds of our seedsmen. The 
common Lupin of our sandy hills Is Lupinus perermis. It is 
difficult to transplant, aud does not succeed well in common 
garden soil There are a good many species and varieties, 
some annuals, other perennials. 
(SPECIAL NOTICK.] 
Poor Biscuit.— Ladies, if you would avoid the r 
tion of having poor biscuit for tea, when you have c 
use only D. B. Du Land & Co.’s Chemical Saleratus. 
produce the same happy result everytime, so that ; 
know what to depend upon. You can get it of any i 
ble dealer id the country. 
£ 
vl 
fililji 
|v_ 
~ijp 
:—z.0 
