^loricultiutal. 
STAPELIA HIRSUTA MINOR. 
Although the flowers of the Stapelias are 
not merely devoid of fragrance, but exhale 
a repulsively fetid, carrion-like odor, many 
of them are, nevertheless, so beautiful in 
color and singular in form, that the genus 
should be more largely cultivated than it iR. 
There are about ninety species of these 
plants, all of which are natives of the Cape 
of Good Hope, with the exception of 8. euro- 
pern, which is found in Spain and Algeria, as 
well as in South Africa. N. hirsute minor, 
of which we give an illustration, and the 
allied species, emit such a powerful scent 
of decomposing flesh, that the common 
blow-fly is deceived Into depositing i*s eggs 
among the hairs of the corolla. This plant 
was first introduced in 17-7. Its numerous 
succulent stems arc thickly set with quad¬ 
rangular, conical, ascending branches, form¬ 
ing tufts from twelve to sixteen inehes in 
Ulght. As in the genus Cactus, the leaves 
are very rudimentary, being reduced to in¬ 
significant scale-like processes. The flowers 
are solitary, from two incites to two and a- 
half inches in diameter, and arc produced 
near the bases of the branches*. The petals 
are thick and fleshy, smooth and greenish on 
the underside, very much wrinkled on the 
upper surface, marked near the bus* with 
transverse sinuous lines of purplish-brown, 
and tumbled mid spotted all over with 
blotches of sulphur-yellow. The bottom of 
the corolla is concave, circular, and of a 
purplish-brown color in the center, while the 
edges tire marked with yellowish spots. The 
structure of the stamens is very singular. 
From the bottom of the corolla rises a sort 
of cup, nearly pentagonal in shape, the upper 
part of which is divided into ten narrow 
strips, live of which are turned inwards, and 
five outward*. The live inner divisions are 
straight, cylindrical, slender, and covered 
with purplish tubercles, Each of them is 
again suit-divided into two parts, of which 
the outer one has a thickened apex, and is 
bent over the pistil; the other, or inner 
division, is quite straight. The live external 
primary divisions are of a green color, spot¬ 
ted witli purple, are flat and oblong in shape, 
mid forked at the apex. The anthers are of 
an orange color. For the culture of these 
plants, Mr. Cruncher recommends a compost 
of “three parts loam, and one of broken 
brick, excluding sand or manure; in this 
soil, with small pots, they grow freely.” 
They may be propagated either from cut¬ 
tings or from seed. In the former ease, the 
branches should be taken olf at a joint to 
prevent danger of decay and escape of sap. 
This mode of propagation is much more cer¬ 
tain than the other, as, unless the seeds are 
sown immediately after being gathered, 
their germination is very doubtful. Mr. 
Cruncher, who has had a very wide experi¬ 
ence with plants ol this genus, advises that 
the seed should be sown in " shallow pans in 
light soil, and put on gentle bottom heat. 
As soon as they are well up, put them on a 
shelf close to the glass, not potting off until 
they are well-grown, as they often stand still 
for some time or die.” 
--*-♦-*-- 
HOW TO KEEP CANNAS. 
Will you, or one of your correspondents, 
tell me how to keep Canna roots through 
the winter * Also, wliicli is the best time, 
fall or spring, for setting out woodbine or 
Virginia Creeper ?—A SUBSCRIBES, Coldwa- 
ter, Midi. 
The steins of Cannas should not be per¬ 
mitted to freeze down to the ground in fall, 
for if severely frozen, so that the stalks soft¬ 
en down to the very tubers, they are likely 
to cause the latter to decay. We usually 
take up our Canna roots as soon as the first 
frost kills the leaves. The roots are then 
dug and the stems cut off a foot or more 
above the base, after which the tubers are 
spread out in the sun or a dry room and left 
there until the earth can readily be shaken 
off. If spread out of doors, they should 
be either covered at night or carried into 
some outbuilding, to prevent being frosted 
or getting wet. When the roots are well 
dried, they may be spread upon shelves in a 
wry dry and warm collar, or kept in some 
similar place. All that is required is to keep 
them dry and warm duriug winter. If they 
begin to decay, it shows that the atmosphere 
which surrounds them contains too much 
! moisture. 
Of course, we are supposing that, the roots 
were nearly or quite mature when dug. If 
planted late in spring, the roots may not 
have time for maturing before cold weath- 
er ; consequently, the difficulties of preserv¬ 
ing are increased in proportion. If the sea¬ 
son was long enough to give the plants an 
opportunity of showing their flowers, the 
roots are pretty certain of being nearly or 
quite mature. 
As t4ie Virginia Creeper is a hardy plant, it 
will make very little difference whether it is 
transplanted in fall or spring. We never 
heard of the Virginia Creeper being called 
Woodbine before, and it may be that we 
have one plant in our mind and you an¬ 
other. What we have always known as 
"Woodbine” is a species of climbing honey¬ 
suckle, (Lo nicera,) while the Virginia Creeper 
manufacturers of Manchester, Liverpool, and 
other large towns, and is both cheaper and 
better than any other material used for 
i fumigating, if we except the pure bonded 
j tobacco used at Kevv and other government 
places. Tobacco papers are, us a rule, bad, 
as they burn too quickly, and scorch every¬ 
thing near them. The Lenderest exotics will 
bear tho densest cloud of tobacco smoke 
imaginable, providing it is cool. It is the 
heat from combustion, not the narcotic, that 
injures them, causing the leaves to curl like 
paper, owing to excessive evaporation. To¬ 
bacco water is well known to be a fertilizer, 
and plants look fresher and greener after 
in diameter in 1010, when its colony landed 
there—the first in North America. It now 
covers II,. acres, and last year yielded 4(5 
barrels of wine, 1,8*10 gallons, at $3 per gallon, 
|8,680. -To European or Northern visitors 
this statement wouid be called fabulous, but i 
it can be seen any year ; and in Terrell Co., 
N. C., t here is one which is a great deal more 
productive- this one last year produced 68 
barrels, 8,520 gallons, at 88 per gallon 80,(140.” 
The llhae-a Grape is t hus described :—“ The 
berry is nearly as large and much tho shape 
of an Isabella berry. The bunch is shaped 
like tho Delaware and witii a shoulder like 
ttiat grape. It is groenish-wliite in color, 
semi-transparent, mild in its ChaBselas musk 
flavor, and is a cross of the grape just named 
on the Delaware, It. is perfectly hardy and 
has never been in the least protected. It 
usually ripens August 80th, this year Septem- • 
ber 80th. 
The Adirondack Grape.— In answer to in¬ 
quiries we again assert that we have seen it 
on the vine in more titan one vineyard in 
Northern New York the past season, and can 
commend it for that latitude and climate a,s 
a grape superior, in our opinion, to the Con¬ 
cord ; but how it will dp in other localities 
we cannot say. Some of our friends further 
south call it a failure. 
The Anlntm Pearl is a name given to a 
grape originating at Auburn N. Y., which 
has fruited the first time the past season. It 
is described as white, large in berry, and 
very close set in bunch; sweet. Beyond 
this we know nothing of it. 
flomo lo§ trill 
EARLY BEATRICE PEACH. 
Mr. Myres, Bridgeport, Del., gives the 
Gardener’s Monthly the following notes 
concerning ( his peach: 
"Having understood that it was in fruit¬ 
ing in Halifax county, North Carolina, I 
visited that county last. June. I found a Mr. 
Beilis shipping the fruit June 85th. The 
fruit was small to medium size, well colored 
and free from rot. Even the fruit stung by 
cureulio did not show rot. 
In passing over the orchard several times 
I saw but four a* line peaches of either Early 
Beatrice or Early Louise, rolling. Five or 
more thousand of different ages, from two 
to three years—a few 1 think older—all had 
fruit on ; had borne a crop the year pre¬ 
vious ; had not had very good attention last 
year. The former owner having failed, Mr. 
Beilis will put them in good order. This 
orchard was planted by Mr. S. Bilyon, Mr. 
Bilyou has done tho country great good in 
being the first to make known these valuable 
peaches. 
“Mr. Beilis was shipping the Beatrice, at 
the t-imo I was there, to New York. I wrote 
to Fuller & Pullen, 146 West Washington 
Market, to go and see in what condition tho 
fruit arrived, directing by mark on crates 
sent by Mr. B. Messrs. F. & P. wrote me 
the fruit arrived in flue order, and selling at 
$4.50 to 85 per box. But not over % inehes 
Beat it; that should suffice. A few days later, 
received another letter from F. &. 1’., saying 
fruit came in good ortjer. One crate, larger 
fruit than others, brought 88. A few days 
since I received a letter from Mr. Beilis, say¬ 
ing his Beatrice paid him 81 net a crate bet¬ 
ter than any other kind ; and he says he 
picked ,the last Beatrice twenty days after 
he commenced, and tho fruit then was in 
good order. 1 consider it the most valuable 
fruit in the world, he says. 
" 1 brought with mo a small basket of the 
fruit, through the kindness of Mr. B. I 
kept a few of them up to the morning of the 
ninth day, when children got to the basket 
and ate them. Were in good condition on 
that morning. 1 placed a few in the show¬ 
case of D. F. Ball & Son’s store, one of them 
keeping fourteen days. Hale’s Early, [licked 
at the same time, rotted in a day or two. 
Hale’s was rotting on trees side by side of 
Beatrice, and at least twelve to twenty days 
in ripening. Early Louise is larger than 
Beatrice, i should consider them enormous 
bearers. Never saw young trees so loaded. 
The fruit is a beautiful, light straw-color— 
pink cheek next sun. I think the Louise of 
very high quality, and from what t saw, con¬ 
sider it the second-best very early peach 
known ; in fact I am not sure but it may be 
placed ahead of all Others, ripening as it 
does but a few days later than Beatrice and 
appeared entirely free from rot. Part of tho 
fruit 1 kept nine days was of that variety. 
In Conclusion, i would say I think the world 
is greatly indebted to Mr. T. Rivers of En¬ 
gland for introducing some of the most valu¬ 
able very early peaches ever known.” 
SLAPHULi I A. IIIE&STTT A JVIHSTOR,. 
is tho Ampelopsis qulntpiefalia or five-leaved 
ivy, a plant which grows abundantly in low, 
wet grounds, the stems clinging to the back 
of trees by the aid of small rootlets, the leaves 
turning bright scarlet or crimson in autumn. 
---- 
FTJMIGATOR FOR PLANTS. 
The accompanying illustration shows a 
simple fumigating nptt ratus which is thus 
commended by an English gardener:—He 
says "it is one of the very b©3t contrivances 
extant. It is made of wrought iron, ami of 
any size, from 1 to 3 feet in diameter. When 
the tobacco, or better still, tobacco-rag, is 
once lighted it burns quite freely without 
any blowing, ami gives off a dense volume of 
smoke in a remarkably short time. It is 
easily set at work by placing a few glowing 
embers from the stoke-hole fire on the bot- 
fumigation, if the. smoke has not been too 
hot. Wo have had practical experience ol’ 
the above, as a simple and effective fuini- 
gator, and can thoroughly recommend it.” 
If 
VINEYARD NOTES. 
tom and sprinkling damp tobacco or “rag” 
over them ; when fairly alight the fumes 
may be cooled by spreading a damp sheet of 
either coarse tiffany or hexagon netting over 
the handle, lotting it fall loosely around the 
sides. This last precaution is worth adopt¬ 
ing in the case of Ferns, when throwing up 
their young fronds, or for Odontoglossums 
and Masdevillias, both being injured by hot 
smoke. A word on “tobacco-rag” may not 
be out of place. This material is produced 
ip considerable quantities by the tobacco 
A New Medicine for Diseased Grape 
Vinen .—The Abba Rolland has communi¬ 
cated to the CulUvateur tie. In Region Lyon- 
naise an “ infallible remedy” against the 
phylloxera, which, after two years’ trial, he 
recommends “ with confidence” to vino grow¬ 
ers. It consists in inocculating the vine with 
the pure essence of Eucalyptus globulus. 
which has lately atoractedso much attention 
in medical circles. A broad Incision is made 
through the bark at the neck of the vine, in 
which a few drops of the essence are depos¬ 
ited by means of'a small camel-hair brush. 
The result is, that tu about three days the 
phylloxera entirely disappears, while tho 
vine is not in the least injured by the opera¬ 
tion. The incision may be made through 
any other part of tho bark with equal suc¬ 
cess, but the result is more speedily attained 
the nearer it is made to the roots. 
Illiaca Grape. —F. 11. Elliott says con¬ 
cerning itBub here comes now an other 
windy chamactor from Tompkins County, 
New York, full of bloom and rich in beauty, 
with luscious sweetness ; but the same man 
who now soaps it gloriously to the public 
under the name of Ithaca, has done the same 
thing from time to time witii all the Rogers’ 
Seedlings, and with a wild vine he Galls 
1 Wyoming Red.’ So we go — but look out, 
ye growers looking to future profit, how ye 
waste money and time on any of these un¬ 
known and untested humbugs recorded only 
by the originator who is calmly and quietly 
grinding his ax.” 
The Southern Cultivator tells of a great 
grape vine as follows :—“ The Lord Raleigh 
vine, on Roanoke Island, N. C., was 3 inches 
