eggs, exoinpt from disease, promise an un¬ 
failing return for the following year. 
The mulberry trees, in accordance with M. 
Roland’s plan, are grown ns standards, 
headed down at a bight of three feet, so as 
to resemble a standard rose. They are primed 
or pollarded every spring, the object being 
to secure the formation of a number of 
young shoots, with fresh, tender leaves, the 
older, harsher loaves not being suitable for 
the insect’s food. 
The annexed cut, will illustrate the method 
of proceeding. 
Over the head of the tree, as will be seen, 
is fixed a hood or oover of wire gauze and 
canvas, about three feet in diameter, the top 
and bottom being made of fine painted can¬ 
vas. Tina hood is slipped over the tree, the 
lower end being fled carefully round the 
trunk, with intervening wadding, so as to 
prevent injury to the tree, as well as egress 
of the worms or ingress of other less desira¬ 
ble insects. The silk-worms ate placed on 
the head of the tree through the upper open¬ 
ing of the hood, which is then closed careful¬ 
ly, like the bottom. Two stakes otic on 
cither side, are then tlmisb into the ground, 
and the hood is made Cast to them to secure 
steadiness. In spring the worms arc hatched 
naturally at the same time that the shoots 
make their appearance, and when they have 
nearly eaten the leaves of one tree they o.re 
shifted to another. Thirty trees and ten 
hoods will rear silk-worms sufficient to pro¬ 
duce an ounce of eggs. 
It will bo observed that this ingenious but 
simple contrivance contemplates only the 
rearing of worms in the open air, in a state 
of nature as it wore, the great object being 
' to socuro healthy eggs and a rohust race of 
worms. It is obvious that when it is desired 
to secure the most abundant supply of 
cocoons, in the quickest manner, and at the 
least expense, a more artificial mode of rear¬ 
ing must be resorted to. Hence, M. Roland 
has contrived, for hatching eggs more ex- 
peditiomfly, what he calls a “magnftnerie,” 
which is a shed with a span-roof of shingle 
and sides of wire gauze, having blinds for 
shelter against the wind or direct rays of the 
sun, This shed is placed in tho most airy 
situation, and precautions are taken to Insure 
thorough ventilation and freodomfixun damp 
and the access of injurious insects. Cleanli- 
they are to be patent-pail size—but I fear 
disappointment, except in the blossoms, 
which are larger across than a teacup. An¬ 
other variety has pretty little yellow (lowers, 
and foliage like the young leaf of the wild 
grape. This is the Balsam Apple and not yet 
in fruit. The gem of them all is the Serpent 
Gourd, not for the serpent's sake — which Is 
curious, certainly—but the dainty, exquisite 
blossoms which begin to open about throo 
o’clock iu pleasant weather and last till 
about ten the next day, and sometimes till 
the new ones expand. For the solid part of 
the flower there is a white star an inch 
across, and this star has a delicate fringe 
all about it an inch in length, making the 
RAISING SILK-WORMS IN THE OPEN 
AIR. 
FLOWER CHAT 
One of my neighbors has just informed me 
that frost is to be looked for soon, and that 
her Geraniums are safely potted. If it were 
not for the calendar yonder, I should think 
she meant a livst class deception. I have 
been iu my garden this afternoon trying to 
realise that, the middle of September has 
come. I urn somewhat convinced by looking 
at my group of Rlctnus plants, that give 
such an u air” to the lawn. I thought I had 
been very successful with the Ricinus 
heretofore, but tho results this year 
are more than satisfying. My R-nan- 
guinmst measures ten feet, and is not 
an attenuated specimen by any means, 
but v^ll developed and lusty in every 
respect. Its great leaves and curious¬ 
ly mottled stem have been strikingly 
beautiful all summer, and now its erim- 
son seed-pods liuve all the effect of huge 
clusters of blossoms. The Ricinus has 
a character of its own, and planted by 
itself will always attract and delight. 
They may be grown in pots, but of 
course they are dwarfed in the process, 
and one who has never seen them In 
their best estate, may admire them in a 
a collection of plants for balcony or 
w i ndo w gardens. 
I think there has never been a sum¬ 
mer—since Eden-time—when the clouds 1 
and sun were so kind to flower-jjeople. J 1 
They grew as if it was their mission to m 
give one as much pinching to do as pos- M! 
sible ; and as to being “ brought up by |fe 
hand,” the smallest Lobelia would have / 
scorned it 
An experiment in silk culture of very 
considerable interest and importance is now 
in England, at the international 
in progress 
exhibition at South Kensington, which is 
based upon the accepted principle that pre¬ 
vention is better than cure. It is known 
that silk-worms are liable to various and 
somet.imesvery grievous diseases, attributed, 
no doubt with good reason, to tho unnatu¬ 
ral condition in which they are reared, in 
unhealthy confinement, and deprived of tho 
influences of (fho open air, so essential to the 
sound development, of all animal life. The 
infection has been for some years universally 
prevalent in the silk producing districts of 
Europe, being transmitted from generation 
to generation, producing increasingly debili¬ 
tated progenies of worms, till at last the 
extermination of that invaluable race of 
insects and the ruin of tho silk-growers 
seemed almost inevitable. Japan was for a 
tuae the only source, of healthy eggs ; but 
large importations from thence into Europe 
have, from somo cause, been found to be at 
least partially diseased. 
In this state of things Dr. Chavannes and 
M. Roland, in Switzerland, have conceived 
the rational idea of preventing, by simple 
moans, diseases which science has found to 
bo without cure, Their plan, which has been 
tried in Switzerland with promising results, 
and is now being tested at South Kensing¬ 
ton, ia merely that of restoring the silk-worm 
to its natural conditions, by rearing it in the 
open air on the mulberry tree itself, and thus 
of producing, under e wen instances dictated 
and demanded by nature, a healthy, uncon- 
tam mated race of silk-worms. 
M. Roland, who appears to have elaborated 
tilts plan very carefully, host published a 
pamphlet containing a treatise upon the sub¬ 
ject, in which he maintains that “ by rearing 
on tho tree, and especially by allowing the 
eggs to remain on the branches throughout 
the winter, the worm becomes more robust, 
and after some years returns to a state of 
nature. Ultimately the larva has nothing 
to fear from violent wind, heavy rain, or 
burning sun, and remains firmly fixed on 
the branches or on the leaves. The pattern 
on tho wings of the moth becomes more 
strongly marked, its movements are much 
more lively, and it makes use of it3 wings as 
Everything hus rooted, i fil 1 
have almost been moved to plant kind¬ 
ling wood. The other day when T was 
“picking up ” 1 found a Marigold on the 
floor, and because I’m so weak as not to 
like to throw away flowers until their 
brightness is ail gone, I tucked it down 
in the side of my Ivy pot. This morning 
when I gave a cooling ration to the Ivy, I 
pulled up the Marigold stem, and Io and be¬ 
hold. there were well-developed roots half an 
inch long ! I would not ask anybody to be¬ 
lieve this, oniy that after vainly trying to 
satisfy myself as to what she meant by it, 
and where she could pub her leaves when 
time gave them to her, 1 took the stem to 
my other half, and so have unprejudiced 
testimony that Mary had taken root. 
A severe labor was entailed upon me by 
yonder Verbena bed. It i3 not of extraordi¬ 
nary dimensions, but the plants are extraor¬ 
dinarily large ; hardly one is less than a 
yard in diameter, and they push themselves 
into the walks with perfect shamelessness. 
I have taken off quarts of kearl-q and to-day 
was moved to count the trusses in perfect 
flower—five hundred and thirteen ! They 
are delightfully fragrant, many of them be¬ 
ing seedlings. 
The circle of Balsams also required care, 
for they were determined to spread them¬ 
selves far and wide, and I was equally deter¬ 
mined to be mistress of my own domain and 
repress the branching tendency ; and so tiny 
buds have gone up and down the allowed 
stems, and bursting into the doublest bloom3 
have made way for others that “ crowded so 
awfully.” They were so pretty in plates of 
moist sand, rivaling Carodias and Roses, that 
I have enjoyed them constantly. 
And as for my little Portulaccas—self-sown 
in last year’s bed—they are exquisite ; and 
my oval bed has no bare spots iu it, nor any 
single or half-double flowers, for I’ve “ dis¬ 
covered a new discovery at least it is new 
to me. A glass of them was set on a win¬ 
dow ledge that the sun might open the buds, 
and somehow was forgotten, or overlooked. 
When I went to throw them away, each had 
a bundle of root3 at the end, and in ten days 
each was sitting up straight in the bed, hold- 
in up its perfect flower. 
There are more remarkable plants in my 
garden, but now I cannot tell you of my 
double Geraniums aDd their blooming pow¬ 
ers, Canary Bird vines fifteen feet high, and 
other wonders, because I want to confess my 
Gourds. It is false to suppose the Dipper 
will not grow for people who can buy tin, as 
I have taken the pains to prove. They are 
excellent — the Dipper Gourds — to cover 
rough trellises, stone piles or anything else 
that needs concealment; and then the llow- 
ers 1 Who ever supposed they were large, 
delicate, white, fragrant ? I call them crape 
flowers, and have surprised dozens of people 
by afterwards supplying the true name. I 
have one which I am given to understand 
will pay me in pails. According to contract 
Grafting Rhododendrons. 
whole diameter three inches. Altogether it’s 
the most fairy-like flower I ever saw, and if 
’twore anything but a “Gourd” would he 
considered marvellous. I jealously avoid 
the mention of Gourds for this pet., and fond¬ 
ly call it by its proper title— THcosanthus 
Columbiana. I am completely enslaved by 
tho possibilities of next year in respect to 
growing Gourds. I mean to have Hercules’ 
Club, the Pear and Lemont, Egg and Orange, 
and so on, straight through tho list of every 
seedsman whose catalogue I can obtain. 
Vick recorameneda specialties. I have found 
mine. 
To conclude, let me quote what our practi¬ 
cal Patrick said last night. He was leaning 
over the fence by the barn, looking down on 
a stone pile that was very unsightly in the 
spring, but is now lost to view beneath a 
drapery of broad leaves. A number of my 
pure crape flowers were fluttering in the light 
breeze, and Pat said, gravely: — “Them’s 
the posies for me—sensible, big leaves and 
clean flowers that ain’t such big fools as to 
open out first thing in the morning and get 
wilted 'fore sun’s an hour high. You can’t 
git ’round it that them’s handsome.” 
I haven’t the slightest wish to “ got ’round 
it; ” and Pat’s homely criticism leads me to 
suppose something new about Pat himself. 
Dore Hamilton. 
GARDENER’S NOTES 
Planting Strawberries. —I. Shelswell, in 
Cottage Gardener, has tried the following 
method with great success :—The way in 
which 1 planted my bed is as follows : I did 
not cut any runners off the old bed, but al¬ 
lowed them to rim into a mass. Ln the 
autumn 1 lined strips about nine inches wide 
and two feet apart through its length, and 
cut them in squares of nine inches. These L 
took up with a spade at three Inches deep. 
In the bed prepared for them I had trenches 
dug two feet apart, and placed the squares 
of strawberry roots in them, at a distance 
of eighteen inches from each other. The 
roots were not injured in the least, and the 
crop was excellent. I had the trenches that 
were made in the old bed filled with one part 
well-rotted manure and two parts stiff loam, 
and the bed was soon covered with plants. 
Thus, by degrees, you can renew the old bed 
as well as form new ones. Certainly with 
the old plan of planting single roots we ob¬ 
tained finer specimens of fruit, but unless 
fruit for show is required, I advise overyone 
to try the above plan for quantity, and they 
wiM not be disappointed. 
Marly Cabbage.— The Pacific Rural Press 
says “ Take a large head of cabbage, strip 
off the outer leaf and 3lip off the bud found 
at the root of the leaf. Take this bud and 
simply set it in rich dirt like any other 
plant. The result of this will be a fine 
growth of early cabbage plants, with heads 
larger and sounder than can be raised in the 
ordinary way.” 
The Philadelphia , or Early Pea.— The 
Central Union Agriculturist says:—The 
“Philadelphia” is the name of a fine variety 
of the pea, a sample of which has been left 
at our office by E. Rishel, Esq., of this county. 
Mr. R. says this pea is very early, and will 
shell out in five weeks from planting. 
GRAFTING RHODODENDRONS 
In his treatise on grafting, Mr. Charles 
Baltet calls this method of grafting Rhodo¬ 
dendrons “ Anglaise a cheml,” or, a3 we 
should say, “saddle-grafting.” He describes 
it thus :—The stock, u, is cut wedge-shaped 
and sloping evenly, while the cion, a, is split 
up from the bottom, as at a, placed astride 
the stock, pushed over it, as at c, and tied 
up. Under glass, claying or waxing is un¬ 
necessary. Some years ago a charming col¬ 
lection of Rhododendrons was exhibited by 
M. Bertin, Jr., In which a flowering shoot 
was employed as the cion, the result being in 
each case a truss of flowers. In this way it 
would be easy to have, in a limited space, a 
■4 
flowering collection of miniature 
dendrons. 
Apparatus for Breeding Selk-Worms. 
much as its naturally sluggish nature will 
allow it to do.” The singular entomological 
fact is stated, that at first the silk-worm has 
much difficulty in holding on to the tree in 
very windy weather, ami often lets itself 
drop by gnawing through the stalk of the 
leaf on which it is feeding ; but in a few 
weeks the caterpillar becomes stronger and 
more lively, the moth more alert, and the 
insect “ completely regenerated,” and its 
My Geraniums—Summer Treatment.— I 
will tell you how I treated my geraniums 
this summer, 1 mping it may be of use to 
those readers of the Rural New-Yorker 
who are interested in flowers. After setting 
them out I spread fine, decayed horse ma¬ 
nure to the depth of two or three inches, all 
over tho bed, and the effect is certainly as¬ 
tonishing to me. They have flowered with¬ 
out intermission the whole summer ; and 
though planted nearly two fec-t apart, and 
the [ilants small, the surl'aee of the bed can¬ 
not be seen. It is, in fact, a perfect swamp 
of geraniums, and the clusters are of enor¬ 
mous size.— Inquirer. 
