says, but if so, the plant has changed its habits 
wonderfully by simply being transplanted from 
its native mountainato the gardeu. If you doubt 
the above statements, or not, I shall be happy to 
send you a plant by mail, and you can make 
your own observation. Silvinus. 
Brooklyn, N Y,, Aug. 1st, 1863. 
tifnl rose, the Jacques Lafiile, sent us by Mr. 
Hooker, of Rochester; rosy carmine color, with 
light edges; very double, large and sweet. 
Difficulties. —Our place was not cultivated 
or cared lor last year. All sorts of old rubbish 
abounded, tarnishing a tine harbor for ants and 
insects of all kinds. Weeds — Oh my stars! 
thick, rank, stout, and determined to be master. 
Rut we are conquering the rebels—gaining on 
them every day, and will have them subdued 
when this war ends. To keep down the rats and 
mice, we keep a cat. To keep the ants and other 
insects within bouuds, we keep a goodly brood of 
chickens. To keep things quiet in the household, 
we have a little mischievous two-year-old. Be¬ 
tween the cat, chickens, 1:1 two-year-old,” insects 
and dry weather, the (lowers have had a hard 
time, vet, with a little looking after every dav> 
they have lived and done well, 
mens for seed, it is also a matter of the first im¬ 
portance that no two varieties of the same family 
be permitted to go to seed near each other, for 
they are sure to mix, and the product almost al¬ 
ways proves of an inferior quality. Degenera-, 
lion is very strikingly apparent from this cause 
among such vegetables as cabbage, turnips, 
beets, radishes, ami particularly among the vine 
tribe, such as squashes, melons, cucumbers, etc. 
After vegetables have thus degenerated, it 
leads to the common idea that they have *•run 
out.'' There peed be no running out. but. on the 
contrary, many varieties may be improved by 
careful and judicious management Most plants 
are fertilized through the agency of bees and 
other winged insects, and the winds, and it is al¬ 
most impossible to grow two or more varieties of 
the same species in the same garden of ordinary 
size, without liability to admixture or cross-ferti- 
lizatiou. The vine family, such as cucumbers, 
squashes, Ac., belong to that class of plants known 
botanically as monoecious, that is, having two 
kinds of blossoms on the same plant, one posses- 
NOTES ON NEW FLOWERS. 
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. 
A few notes on some of the more recently 
introduced flowers may not be uninteresting to 
our readers. It is by trial that we gaiu correct 
ideas of their value for this country. Many that 
come to us from Europe with strong recommen¬ 
dations, from those we believe to be both honest 
and competent, prove worthless, while of others 
“the half has not been told.” Among the latter 
we cla«s the Double Portulacca , which is one of 
the finest acquisitions of the day. Only think of 
our beds of Fortulaccas bearing flowers as double 
as the rose, and from one to two inches in 
diameter, while the colors are as brilliant and 
varied as the common sorts. This will be the 
case in a very few years. The double Portu- 
laccas have all the good qualities of the single, 
while the flowers are magnificent In a week or 
two we will give engravings of this flower, and a 
more full description. No lover of flowers can 
look upon a bed of these Portulaccas such as we 
have before us without expressing his feelings in 
a burst of enthusiasm. 
The Bhodanihe Maculaia, an everlasting flower 
from which we hoped for much, has not proved 
much better adapted to our climate than R. 
Manglesii. It may do well for house culture, but 
does not bear our hot summer suns. Perhaps 
others have done better with this new claimant 
of popular favor. 
The Qiard Sunflower, from the interior of 
Africa, JfacrophUus giganteus, that was to grow 
thirty or forty feet, is now, (Aug. 10.) only five or 
six feet in height and shows no sign of the flower 
bud. We presume it needs an African 
So much-Advice to Housekeeper! 
much -Advice to Housekeepers’'iscoustant- 
ly going the rounds of the press, that we feel a 
little diffident about broaching the subject; but, 
as it is a prolific theme, and one of general inter- 
*'st, inasmuch as the comfort, health and happiness 
of every famly depends very much on good house¬ 
keeping. we will venture a word. These writers 
on housekeeping—who. by the way, are generally 
men seem to think that ono word covers the 
whole ground, and that is— work. To work early 
and late, to scrub and scour, and churn and 
sweep, and wash, and bake -this, according to 
their theory, is good housekeeping. There never 
was a greater mistake. Some of the most no¬ 
table workers we ever knew, wore poor house¬ 
keepers. They made as much work as they did. 
To keep your whole house—garrets, closets, cel¬ 
lars—everything neat and clean; to seS that 
nothing is wasted; to serve up well-cooked food in 
an attractive and orderly manner; to have “a pluee 
for everything and everything in its place”— 
this is good housekeeping. This sounds formida¬ 
ble enough, but one head and one pair of hands 
very often meet all these requirements, and that, 
too, in an easy, quiet way that seems like magic. 
It requires skill and forethought to keep it 
TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS 
If we had been 
able to spare the time, to have furnished them 
with a hot-bed, or a cold frame, we might have 
enjoyed them earlier. Yet we are content with 
the success that has rewarded us. To the Rural, 
which so kindly answered our inquiries, and the 
friends who sent us choice seeds, we return 
thanks. x» p. 
Rolling Prairie, Win., July 29th, 1863. 
WHAT BLIGHTED THE FRUIT? 
exhausted in developing a mass of bloom. There 
would have been held in reserve a power to 
develop the remaining buds into fruit.” 
Perhaps no really practical benefit will be 
derived from discussing this question, yet it is 
important, for the good of science, that truth, 
and not error, should be promulgated. 1 think 
that a correct knowledge of the laws of vegeta¬ 
ble physiology will reveal the fact that the vital¬ 
ity of the tree is but slightly taxed in develop¬ 
ing only its blossoms, It is the growth and 
development of the fruit that, taxes the vital 
energies of the tree, and we must look to other 
causes for the blighting of the fruit in the cases 
referred. I have, within the last live years pre¬ 
vious to the present, had an opportunity lo wit- 
ness, in one of the largest fruit-growing estab¬ 
lishments in the West, (Kentucky,) a similar 
blight, not only of apples, but of cherries and 
other fruits. The coincidence of that peculiar 
state of the weather, in four seasons out of the 
live, just at the time certain varieties of fruit 
were in blossom, and the regular failure of the 
fruit in consequence, leave no doubt as to the 
cause. Indeed, the proprietors predicted pre¬ 
cisely the result that followed when the unfa¬ 
vorable weather set In, because they had so fre¬ 
quently suffered from the same cause, in the 
same way. The peculiar state of the weather 
referred to, was a continued txld rain, for sev¬ 
eral days, embracing the entire period of the j 
perfect openingof the blossoms, 
summer 
to bring it to perfection, and will prove a failure 
here. 
The Double Clarkias are superb. The plants 
are perfect wreaths of double flowers, and 
though they do best if shaded a little from the 
noon-day sun, bear exposure to its rays much 
Inquire ami gttmwsi 
Honey Locust for Hisnot.vo.-I would like to hear 
Horn some of your correspondents in the West, or else 
where, who have had experience with the Honey Locust 
a« a hedge plant. Our observation In the Middle States 
K o.m to show that if. is the best, plant for hedge* that U in 
cultivation, as it combi ties nil of the qualities tor making 
an effectual and durable fence, being barely, a firm amt 
rapid grower, producing an impenetrable mass of thorns 
and capable of almost any amount ol' pruning. 
)mu played out, 
f ‘ 
ob8@tvai.ion 
m _ i ll around a tree, a few thrusts of the 
di gg in g-f'ork under tho ball lifts the 
Hi whole mass over, and the soil can 
then lie entirely shaken away. 
In re-planting it is desirable to use 
Roi l for tilling that is uearly dry, and 
\a\ crush to a fine powder; it will 
then rul1 in aronn d the root spaces, 
||} V ^ and the harder it ia tramped or 
crushed in the finer it will break and 
cover up tho young rootlets. If the 
ground or weather be very dry, 
water may be poured in heavily, 
to assist in packing the soil well 
about the roots, letting it soak away 
well before filling in the remaining 
soil,—and putting in this soil very 
loosely, and without pressure, accord- 
pv'a ing to directions we have so often 
jjjjjJ given in these pages. 
Transplanting evergreens in Au¬ 
gust and September, cannot, well be 
done in any case where the trees 
\ have to be packed in boxes or bales 
to reach their destination; as the 
chances of drying up in such hot 
weather as we usually get in these 
months overbalances the advantages of the 
rapid push of new fibres by the trees at this sea¬ 
son. 
Toward the end of August and in September, 
evergreen hedges should receive their last prun¬ 
ing till the next BUtmner. Last spring, and in 
the summer when a strong growth required it, 
the hedge has been severely pruned towards the 
apex ot the cone-like form in which it has been 
trained, and the base has been Buffered to grow 
any way it pleases. Now that, in turn, has come 
under the shears so far as to got it into regular 
shape and form. It will not be forgotten that, to 
be veiy successful with evergreen hedges, they 
ought to have a growth at the base of at least four 
feet in diameter.— Gardeners' Monthly. 
—.V amount of pruning. 
In ihin section of Country at leant, this linage Orarigo 
ia ** played out; 1 ' an (he past vvliit'rr lion ruined ail of tliO 
toner* (V) of that material that have conn? under our 
Observation, except ono or two in very sheltered positions. 
Let us have tho opinion* of those who have tried the 
Honey Locust, and know whether that or aoiuetlilng else 
is to lie the standard hedge plant. Wo have seen perfect 
tences of this plant twenty five years old, and capable of 
doinft service for another twenty live, to a|J appearances 
—Gkowje Apams. 
Diva III' Trkkh, f&O.—As I have several questions to ask, 
and do not know of any better place to art. the right ans 
wer» than through-the Rtm* i„ l wit) ask yon two or three. 
Will • p..inis taken from tin. routs of cherry trees and set 
out bear fruit as well as those raised in a nursery and bud- 
de..t Of Knitted ? I sen a gnat many persons sre in favor 
ol the dwarf fruit trees, now 1 should like to know ivhat 
a dwarf pear apple, or cherry is 1 What do we graft on 
to malte the dwarl tree*? Please answer and oblige —C 
W. 8., JSt w ilwhigim, III. 
A s tho trees that produce the sprouts are doubtless hud 
dod, of course tho sprouts produced by the roots would 
bear fruit like tho original stock, and not like the budded 
tree. It would doubtless prove worthless. The dwarf 
pear is produced by budding ou the quince root; the up 
pie, by budding on tho Doucaiu or Paradise stock; and tho 
cherry by budding on a little French Cherry known as 
prunu-3 matudtb. 
Mountain Ash Sjekp.—P ut in sand through the winter, 
rather damp, and keep and sow precisely as apple seed. 
To Preserve Fruits without Self-Seal¬ 
ing Cans.— Prepare a cement of one ounce 
resin, one ounce gum shellac, and a cubic inch 
of beeswax; put them in a tin cup and melt 
slowly; too high or quick a heat may cause it to 
scorch. Place the jars where they will become 
warm while the fruit is cooking. If they are 
gradually heated thero is no danger of break¬ 
ing. As soon as the fruit is thoroughly heated, 
and while boiliug hot, fill the jars full, lettiug the 
juice cover the fruit entirely. Have ready some 
circular pieces of stout, thick cotton or linen 
cloth, and spread over with cement a space suf¬ 
ficient to cover the mouth and rim of the jar. 
Wipe the rim perfectly dry, and apply the cloth 
while warm, putting the cement side down, 
bring the cover over the rim and secure it firmly 
with a string, then spread a coating of cement 
over the upper surface. As the contents of the 
jar cool, the pressure of the air will depress the 
cover, and give positive proof that all is safe. 
No sugar is necessary to preserve the fruit, when 
sealed in this way. When opened, sugar can be 
added to suit your taste.— Working Fanner. 
This continued 
wet washed away the pollen at the time of its 
perfection, and prevented the fertilizing of the 
pistils, and hence the failure of the crop. 
There were so many circumstances that marked 
this as the true cause, that it cannot be doubted. 
There were certain varieties of the cherry, for 
instance, that were a few days later in the open¬ 
ing of their blossoms, and ufter the storm had 
chiefly subsided, and though eqnally loaded 
with blossoms, set their fruit well and produced 
full crops. The same was true of apples; those 
in full blossom at the time of the storm were 
blasted, and others equally prolific in blossoms 
a few days later, fruited well,—among these the 
excellent and well-known Western apple, the 
Rawles’ Janet. It Bbouid be remembered that 
the period of the perfect development of the 
pollen of these Iruits is limited t.o a few brief 
hours, or, in a moderate temperature, perhaps, 
not exceeding a day. If this period, longer or 
shorter, is embraced in continual rain, and, as in 
the instances referred to, cold rain, it is hardly 
necessary to look to any other causes for the Iobs 
of the crop. ri . P> Bi 
Sag Harbor, N. Y., 1863. 
better than any of the single Varieties. We give 
an engraving of this flower and recommend its 
culture to all. A little care is necessary in trans¬ 
planting, if the weather should prove dry and 
hot, and plants should be set close enough to 
form a mass, and cover the entire ground. About 
six inches apart is the right distance. 
Tagetes Su/nala Pumila forms a very beautiful 
plant, globular iu form, while the foliage is of 
good color, making a very pretty object. The 
flowers are single, bright yellow, and small. It 
makes a very pretty group or bed, particularly 
desirable for tho lawn. 
A maranthus Melancholias rubra is of very com¬ 
pact habit, grows about eighteen inches in height, 
and the foliugo is dark red. For a hedge in the 
garden, the back of a riband border, or a bed of 
ornamental foliaged plants in the lawn, nothing 
can be better. 
Salvia Coccinea Pumila is of very good habit, 
but the flowers aje insignificant compared with 
S. Coccinea. 
The Japan Pinks this season are much finer 
than we have ever before seen them. Every 
year adds to the beauty.of these flowers. They 
hybridize so freely with our common China 
Pinks that every season shows a vast improve¬ 
ment, and no garden is complete without a bed 
of these beautiful flowers. 
The Double Zinnia is improving in color, but 
yet gives about the usual proportion of single 
flowers. 
ortiruUural $otfs 
Currant Jelly. —Pass the currants between 
rollers so as to burst each currant, and press out 
the juice. (Any other method will answer to 
break the fruit, but this Is most convenient.) 
Place the juice in a perfectly clean copper or 
brass vessel over the fire, and heat it slowly until 
it simmers, being careful not to permit it to boil, 
or much of the aroma of the currant will be lost 
Skim the juice until the scum ceaseg to rise; 
then pour the hot juice on to loaf sugar broken, 
aud placed in a wooden vessel. Stir it until the 
sugar is melted by the hot juice, then pour into 
tumblers or other convenient vessels; when cold, 
it will be found thickened to a Arm. bright-col¬ 
ored, or high-flavored jelly. 
8UCCESS WITH FLOWERS. 
In your paper of March 28th you answered an 
inquiry from me iu regard to what varieties of 
flowers to sow. Now I will report success thus 
far. Ten Week Stock —We raised a nice stock of 
plants of this variety ; flowers mostly single ; 
nearly all ol one color—a palish purple. Phlox 
Drummondii —A nice little cluster in bloom con¬ 
taining three varieties of modest little flowers. 
Double Zinnia —We doted much on the fine dis¬ 
play this flower would make for us, haviug a 
nice, thrifty stock of plants. But lo ! when they 
blossom only one solitary specimen double. 
Well, that one is worth all the trouble the batch 
has cost us. Portulacca — w We are in town.’* 
This neighborhood can’t beat us on that. A 
mound ot the beautiful little things, as handsome 
as you please, and growing “ handsomer” every 
day. Our Pansies are just beginning to blossom, 
and they are not bad to look at. Then that 
mound of many-colored Petunias don’t “ take us 
back a bit.” We don’t believe the ono on the 
other side, covered with Verbenas ', will look bad, 
when in blossom, if we judge from the specimen 
in bloom this morning. Whose eyes could tire 
looking at that nice little buDCh of Double Dwarf 
Larkspurs 'I There is that cluster of Blushing 
Modesty beside the Btep that would do sore eyes 
good. Everlasting Flowers, in variety, are juat 
beginning to expand their petals. Convolvulus, 
ia variegated colors, is not by any means to be 
The Country Gentleman gives the following 
advice on this subject—important alike to the 
farmer, the gardener, and the florist: 
After once securing good kinds and growing 
from them in a careful manner, he is sure of 
having good and reliable seeds, und many varie¬ 
ties of vegetables may be improved by judicious 
management. But without special care the ten¬ 
dency is to deteriorate, particularly in the hands 
of unskilled growers. Deterioration arises from 
two causes, viz., in growing from inferior speci¬ 
mens; and in growing two or more varieties of 
the same species so near each other as to result 
in cross or promiscuous fertilization. Many per¬ 
sons who pretend to save their own seeds often 
gather the refuse at the end of the season, after 
having gathered all the best for family consump¬ 
tion, such, particularly, as peas, beans, &c. The 
consequence is, the succeeding crops raised from 
such seeds are lab- and of inferior quality. None 
but the best and earliest products should be sav¬ 
ed for seed, and none picked for family use from 
that portion allotted for seed; always selecting 
the largest and fairest specimens for planting. 
In observing this rule, almost every variety of 
vegetable may be improved in quality and pro- 
dnet For instance, in practicing upon this 
principle, for a period of twenty years with Lima 
beans, in saving for seed only such pods as con¬ 
tained the greatest number of beans, we increas¬ 
ed the product at least one - third. Beside the 
importance of commencing only with the best 
kinds and continuing to save only the best speci- 
Apple Pudding. — Pare six or eight good- 
sized apples, leaving them in quarters or large 
pieces. Butter a long pie-lin, fill with the ap¬ 
ples, then take one teacup sour cream; one and 
a half of buttermilk; add a little salt and one 
teaspoon soda. Make a stiff batter and pour 
over the apples; bake half au hour. Eat with 
sugar, cream, and a little nutmeg.—M. H., Erie, 
Pa., 18G3. 
Raspberry Vinegar.— Pour one qnart vine¬ 
gar on one quart fresh-picked raspberries; the 
next day strain it through a sievo on another 
quart of raspberries, and so on five or six days; 
then to every pint of juice add one pint white 
sugar, set it in ajar, which muet be placed in a 
pot of boiling water until scalded through. 
Bottle. 
DAPHNE CNEORUM. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker : —The Daphne 
Oneorum mentioned in the Rural of this date, 
has been in cultivation in this city for some 
twenty years or more, and it seems to thrive in 
almost all soils and situations except in close 
city yards. Like other alpine plants, it loves an 
niry situation. The delightful fragrance of its 
flowers give to it a pecnliar charm, possessed by 
few hardy evergreen shrubs. It is at this date 
m foil bloom, being the second time it has flow¬ 
ered this season, but the flowers at this time are 
not so deep in color as they are in spring, or 
later in the season. 
I have grown this plant for several years, and 
have never known it to fail of blooming several 
times during the summer, as every new shoot is 
crowned with a tuft of its beautiful flowers. It 
may not bloom more than once in its native 
country, as the editor of the Gardeners’ Monthly 
society for 1883: President— Dr. Wu. Auje.v. Vice-Pres¬ 
idents—Dr. Jos. A. Moore, Ed. I>. Hobbs, Andrew Hoke. 
2V«wwrw—Beiy. D. Kennedy lice. See .—Orrnuby Hite. 
Cor Sec. —Thomm S, Kennedy. Executive Com.—A.. G. 
Munn, C. C. Cary, Wnt, Mix, 3. L. Uarr, H. 8. Duncan, 
Henry Nana, J. Sacksteder. Fruit Coin .—Arthur Peter, Ja¬ 
cob Johnson, Jas Stivers. Ex-Preets .—Lawrence Young, 
Tbotmw 8 Kennedy, A. G. Mann, Orrasby Hite, cx-offlcio. 
AU communications for the Society should be addressed 
to the Corresponding Secretary, No. 413 Main St., Louis¬ 
ville. The Society holds weekly exhibitions of fruita and 
flowers at Masonic Temple, every Saturday morning at 10 
o’clock 
Nut Cake.—O ne cup of sugar; half cup of 
butter; two eggs; half cup sweet milk; one tea¬ 
spoon cream tartar; half teaspoon soda; two 
cups flour; one pint hickory nut meats.— M. C. 
Putney, Waukesha, Wis., 1863. 
Coloring Flannel. — Will some of your 
readers please inform me how to color flannel a 
bright orange color that will not fade, and oblige 
—A Subscribe n.—Morrisonville, July 29. 
Hartford Co. (Coxx ) Horticuctukai. Society.— At 
the annual meeting on the 4th mat, the following officers 
were elected: Fresident-D. 8 Dkwsy, Hartford. Vice 
Presls — J. 8 Butler, Kdward Belles, R. D. Hubbard, of 
Hartford, and nineteen others, representing different sec¬ 
tions of the county. Sec. Secy. — Charles T. Webster. 
Cor. Sec. —T. K. Brace, Hartford. Treasurer —P. D. Still¬ 
man. Auditor —8. H. Clark. 
Breakfast Rolls.—I wish someone would 
oblige a constant reader, by giving, through the 
Rural, a recipe for hot rolls, or breakfast rolls. 
—S. A. W. 
