VOL. XXVT. NO. 7 
WHOLE NO. 1177. 
NEW YORK, AND ROCHESTER, N. Y, AUG. 17, 1372 
( PRICE SIX CENTS, 
'( S‘J.50 PER YEAR. 
[Entered according to Act or Congrosa, in the year 1872, by 1>. O. T. Moork, in the office of the Librarian of Congroaa, at Washington.] 
both kinds growing not only on the branches 
of living trees, but very often high up on the 
bitre barked trunks of the (lead trees. Some¬ 
times in the angle formed by the junction 
of an arm with the trunk of a large naked 
tree, apparently without; a fragment of bark 
adhering to the trunk, a bunch of moss, or 
a cluster of orchids, or both mingled toget h¬ 
er, would bo growing apparently with great 
vigor, and often in full flower. More than 
one tall bare trunk, twelve or eighteen 
inches in diameter, and thirty feet high, 
stood surmounted, or surrounded near its 
summit, by a cluster of u/tf/rtre»ins, with 
their long, sword-shaped, fleshy leaves; or, 
what was more beautiful still, a fine speci¬ 
men of some species of bird's-nest fern. 
The contrast between the white, shining, 
barkless trunk, and these verdant clusters 
of plants on the top, was sometimes very 
striking; especially as the orchids were 
often in flower, and by their growth alto¬ 
gether suggested the idea that by the decay 
of their own roots a receptacle was formed 
for the moisture or the rain by which the 
plant was nourished. This combination of 
life and death, growth and decay, present¬ 
ed one of the most singular among the 
many, to me, new and curious aspects of 
nature which my journey afforded.” 
coloring, within a few years past. Surely 
no yard should bo without these; for while 
the beautiful dress they put on more than 
compensates all outlay, flowers act like 
magic in the formation of character with 
all t he household, refining the sensibilities, 
and promoting domestic contentment and 
happiness.” 
MADAGASCAR ORCHIDS 
Orchids are among the most interesting 
of vegetable phenomena; but their require¬ 
ments are such that they are rarely seen in 
our green-houses and conservatories. They 
(most of them) require too great a degree of 
moisture and heat to be grown successfully 
with the commoner plants of the green¬ 
house; they also require shade, which is 
less difficult to secure than the requisite 
degree of moisture. We have soon them 
growing, successfully, however, on the 
North walls of conservatories attached to 
some of our city houses, the proprietor pre¬ 
ferring them as curiosities to the more 
common and showy flowering plants. It 
will, however, interest our readers to pe¬ 
ruse the following paragraphs from a work 
entitled “Madagascar Revisited,” recently 
published, which tell us something of these 
curious plan!.i as they were found in their 
native ha Mint: 
ere abundant, and often oc- 
FLORICTJLTURAL NOTES 
Contrail thus Macrosiphon, it lias been 
discovered in Franco, makes an excellent 
-mol. It is an annual well known to oultl- 
v..v of annual flowers. Our seedsmen 
nave it for sale. The flowers are long-tubed, 
pale rose, and it is pretty in masses. Make 
a note of it. 
POMOLOGICAL GOSSIP 
Grapes Received.—Wo acknowledge 
the receipt of a box containing two bunches 
of grapes in a demoralized condition. One 
is a light green grape, bunch shouldered, 
not compact; berry, medium in size, sweet, 
with a strong, astringent, but not unpleas¬ 
ant flavor. It was labelled ” Peter Wylie, 
No. 1.” If in prime condition we should 
think it might bo classed “good.” As near 
as wo can make out, the other is labelled 
“Black Hamburg. Concord, No. 1." It is 
a medium bunch, not very compact, nor 
shouldered; berry, about the size, shape 
and color of Concord, with abundant bloom; 
quite sweet, fleshy, but pulp soft, juicy and 
delicious flavor. We cull it “very good.” 
We have been unable to decipher a name 
accompanying those grapes and do not know 
who sent, them, nor where grown. “ Peter 
Wylie, No. I,” is described in the. transac¬ 
tions of the American PomologicalSociety, 
hy Mr. Wylie, as follows: 
Parentage, female, Halifax and foreign; 
male, Delaware and foreign. A very vig¬ 
orous, short-pointed, rapid-growing vine, 
with thick native leaves. Holds its leaves 
aud ripens its wood thoroughly. Bunches 
and berries between Delaware and Concord ; 
round, white, transparent, becoming golden 
yellow when perfectly ripe. 
The Pinks to Grow. — Charles l). 
Copeland, in the Horticulturist, advises 
the more inexperienced cultivators “To 
procure the seeds mixed of tho German, 
Italian, China and Japan varieties. By 
skillful cultivators, pinks have been greatly 
Improved, both in form and diversity of 
“ Orchids w 
cupled positions in which the growers of 
these plants in England would little expect 
to find them, hut in which thoy gave an in¬ 
describable singularity and charm to the 
landscape. The limodorums were numer¬ 
ous in parts of the road, and formed quite a 
ball of interlaced roots at the base of the 
bulbs. A small species, resembling in habit 
and growth the CnmarotU purpurea, but 
quite unknown to me. and bearing a vast 
profusion of white and sulphur-tinted flow¬ 
ers, often enlivened the sides of the road 
along which we passed. But the anyrcecmns, 
both A. xnpurbu to and A. sesqulpedale were 
the most abundant and beautiful. I noticed 
that they grew most plentifully on trees of 
thinnest foliage, and that the A. sesquipe- 
dalc was seldom, if ever, seen on the ground, 
but grew high up among the branches, often 
throwing out long straggling stems termi¬ 
nating in a few small, and often apparently 
shrivelled, leaves. The roots also partook 
of the same habit. They were seldom 
branched or spreading, but long, tough, and 
single, sometimes running down the branch 
or trunk of a tree, between the Assures in 
the rough bark, to the length of twelve or 
fifteen feet; and so tough and tenacious 
that it required considerable force to detach 
or break them. Many of these plants were 
in flower; and, notwithstanding the small, 
shrivelled appearance of the leaves, the 
flowers were large, and the yellow color 
strongly marked. On more than one occa¬ 
sion I saw a splendid Awjnccum KCHtpilpc- 
ilule growing on the trunk of a decaying or 
fallen tree, as shown in the accompanying 
engraving, and sending itstough roots down 
the trunk to the. moist parts of the vegeta¬ 
tion on the ground. 1 found one decayed 
tree lying on the ground almost overgrown 
with grass and ferns, on the rotten trunk of 
which the A. sesqutpedale was growing 
most luxuriantly. The roots which had 
penetrated the soft trunk of this dead tree 
were white and fleshy, while the leaves were 
longer and comparatively soft and green. 
There were neither flowers uor flower-stalks 
on any of the plants growing in the rich 
vegetable mold furnished by this old, dead 
tree. 
“The habits of tho mperhum ware quite 
different. Of these the fleshy roots formed 
a sort of network at the base of the bulb. 
During the journey I occasionally noticed 
Ives Grape in the South.—The editor 
of the Rural Alabamian says:—“We have 
had the Ives in full bearing only two years, 
but from that short experience, we consider 
it a grape of very great promise. The vine 
is remarkably healthy and vigorous; bunch 
largo and very compact; fruit largo, black, 
sweet and vinous, with a peculiarly tough 
skin. This latter quality makes it valuable 
for transportation to distant markets. It 
commences ripening with the Concord, but 
docs not attain perfection until the Concord 
is gone, and should ho permitted to hang 
many days on the vine after appearing ripe. 
It is not equal to tho Concord in size and 
beauty of appearance, nor is it so good for 
the table; but it is superior in keeping qual¬ 
ities, and for distant transportation, and 
probably for wine.” 
Nectarines Falling.—I have some Nec¬ 
tarines that will not hold their fruit. Fruit 
and trees both become very gluey and the 
fruit falls. What Is the remedy?— J. c . n. 
The. fruit is probably stung by an insect. 
Tho only way to prevent it falling is to pre¬ 
vent the insects stinging it. We suspect 
that the insect is the well-known plum cur- 
oulio, which also attacks the nectarine and 
many other kinds of fruit. By jarring off 
the curculios once or twice a day, catching 
them ou sheets or any kind of cloth spread 
under tho t rees for the purpose, a portion of 
the fruit may bo saved. This jarring pro¬ 
cess must be commenced as soon as the 
fruit appears, and continued until it is 
