Hflmfllflgual. 
THE BANANA. 
I - 
Titf. Florida Agriculturist contains the fol¬ 
lowing upon the culture and treatment of 
this fruit and the characteristics of its varie¬ 
ties, whicli we are sure will interest the 
readers of the Rural New-Yorker :—There 
are several varieties of this fruit cultivated 
in the Island of Jamaica. Of these the 
Martini quea as named there, but called here 
the Jamaica, Is considered the best, as being 
hardier in growth, easier to cultivate, not 
easily blown or broken down, and the nicest 
for eating. They boor in one year after 
planting. The bunches are very large. We 
have seen some that a man could not lift. 
The fruit is long, and of a rich yellow color. 
They are often brought here from Nassau. 
Once planted they require no care, but will 
continue growing, suckering out, and bear¬ 
ing in the high woods. They will grow in 
any soil, but prefer gullies or damp places 
dose to a river or spring. All other sorts of 
, banana* have been cast aside since these 
were introduced into the island. 
Another long banana called the Tiger , from 
the skin of the fruit being striped with black, 
is grown in some places, but the fruit is not 
considered so good. 
The Otahcite is another of the same class 
of the long bananas. The fruit must be very 
ripe before fit to eat. The flesh is of a rich 
strawberry color. They are seldom grown, 
a* they root up very easily and cannot bear 
i he weight of the bunch. They are not a 
profitable kind to grow. 
Of short bananas, first is the dwarf or 
Chinese , not growing more than four or five 
feet high, with a strong, stout body. They 
bear large bunches of fruit, hanging nearly 
to the ground, and stand firm, but the fruit 
is of no account, and is usually used as a 
vegetable, the same as a plantain. 
Second. The Redskin— This is a strong 
growing plant, bearing large bunches of 
handsome looking fruit, and is most saleable 
in this country, but not considered equal to 
the Martinique in Jamaica. 
Third. The Apple —This is not a profitable 
banana to grow. The bunches are medium 
size, and the fruit about the length of a 
person’s finger and very delicious, but the 
stalks root up easily and they require more 
cultivating. 
Fourth. The triangular banana, usually ! 
grown here, is the meanest of all the bananas. , 
The bunches are medium Bize, but the fruit J 
is not a nice one, being too slimy. They , 
should be baked before eating. 
There are other varieties grown, but those <] 
we have mentioned are the only kinds that , 
arc commonly met with in the West Indies, j 
Every negro hut has bananas growing c 
around it. They are manured with ashes 
from the kitchen. As the bunches are fit, n 
they are cut off and taken into the house to h 
ripen, for bananas that ripen on the stalks t 
are not near bo nice, as they contain a strong n 
alkaline juice which exudes from the stalk p 
when cut olT. The fruit should be allowed to t< 
fill out, and be fully grown ; the bunch is then a 
out of! and hung upside doum to ripen in the a 
house. The green fruit can be used os a b 
vegetable, by peeliug off the skin, washed 
and boiled, and mashed up with butter and 
lard, and pepper sprinkled over it. A favorite 
way in the West indies is to boil them with 
salt beef or pork, and mashed up with some 
of the fat skimmed off the water. When 
ripe the fruit can be made into pies, same as 
apple pies, or a pudding, by peeliug them ; 
then place in a dish and pour butter and 
sugar that has been rubbed together over 
them, and bake. They are very delicious 
done in this manner. Many inquiries have 
been made to us about protecting the plants 
from frost. We do not think that any 
bananas will stand the frost and cold ; the 
leaves are so thin that they are susceptible 
to any extreme, but some of the species may 
do better than others here. In the West 
Indies, when the stalk comes up spindling 
and weak, it is cut off just below the leaves • 
thi3 docs not kill it. but has a beneficial 
effect in making it thicken out and become the 
stronger. We think that if this plan was wh 
adopted with those that had been affected thr 
by frost it might have the same tendency, On 
but it should not be done until the cold alv 
weather had entirely passed away and the hat 
plant shows an inclination to grow. As (he the 
bunches a re cut the stalk should be cut down am 
to within a foot of the ground, cut into All; 
pieces and placed around the roots; the fon 
same with the leaves. This is returning to wh 
the land a part of what has been taken • Va 
away. The juice of the stalk is good for 
clarifying sugar. The young leaves of the 
spire are used for dressing blisters, very 
cooling and soothing when placed on after 
the blister is clipped. 
We would not advise flooding the root* in 
winter, for the froBt is seldom severe enough 
to injure them ; it is the leaf that suffers. 
When plants with young fruit are caught by 
the frost before coming to perfection, we 
think it is the best plan to cut down the 
te flouHim £T:tt[(l. 
THE POULTRY-KEEPER.-No. 9. 
LA FLECHE GOCK—CHARACTERISTICS. 
Body .—Well formed, firmly set on long 
and strong legs. The bird seems smaller 
than it is in reality, because the feathers are 
close-fitting. All the muscular part is well 
Fig. 4.—La Fleche Cock. 
whole stalk at once and chop it up, covering 
the roots with it. This will enable the plants 
that are standing to receive the full nourish¬ 
ment on return of spring, instead of wasting 
its strength on a part that will never come to 
any good. Eo the WpsL Indies, if the banana 
plant is highly manured, the stalk or body 
as it is called there, will grow very large 
and succulent, but at the expense of fruit, 
the bunches being small. Ashes have been 
found to be the best manure that can be 
given, with an occasional sprinkling of salt. 
»■ - 
THE BEST CURRANTS. 
The old Red Dutch and White Dutch are 
good, reliable, sorts, and we would not ad¬ 
vise any one who lias them growing in his 
I garden to throw them out. Larger currants, 
however, may be picked more readily, they 
make a fluer show on the table, and they 
last longer on the bushes without drying. 
The two sorts that wo place above, all others, 
therefore, are the Wb.te Grape and Cherry. 
Mixed together they make a beautiful table 
dish. 
The only drawback on the White Grape 
is the slow and straggling growth of the 
bush, but tin's objection is obviated by giving 
them clean and mellow culture, applying 
manure occasionally, and keeping them 
pruued. it will not do to neglect them, and 
to allow them to become enveloped in grass 
and weeds. The Cherry is a strong grower 
and does not need such generous treatment, 
but it is better to cultivate it well and prune 
developed. Plumage black. Of all the French 
cocks the La Fleche (fig.4) is one of the most 
upright carriage. It is much like the Spanish, 
from which some believe it has been bred by 
crossings with the Creve-Cceurs. Others 
think this variety is descended from the 
Breda, to which it has some points of re¬ 
semblance. Skin white fine, transparent, 
and elastic. Flesh tender, juicy, delicate, 
and readily fattened. 
WEIGHT, SUE, AND PECULIARITIES. 
Weight — At full age from 7% lbs. to 8 lbs. 
13 ozs. Flesh extremely flue and abundant. 
Bones light, about one-eighth of the weight. 
Size .—From the upper part of the head to 
under the feet, 21% inches. In an upright 
position, 25 (1-10 inches. From the back under 
the feet, 1(1% inches. 
Body .—Circumference taken in the middle 
under the wings, and where the thighs join 
it, 23 7-10 inches. 
Length of Body .—From the beginning of 
the neck to the end of the rump, 11 inches. 
Size of shoulders, 7% inches. 
Head.—[tig. 5).—Length, 3% inches. Cheeks 
nearly naked from the beak to the ear. 
Crest.—A little plume of feathers, some¬ 
times short and straight, and sometimes long 
and drooping, Is placed on the forehead, but 
behind the comb. 
Comh (fig. 6).—From 1 3-16 to 3 inches, 
transversal, double, in the form of horns, 
bending forward, united at their base, usually 
far apart at their points, often united and 
pointed; sometimes having in the middle 
some branches. A small, double comb which 
Spanish. The little bunch of feathers which 
covers the auditory organ is black. 
Nostrils.—Very open, and of a peculiar 
■ shape. They are formed within the eleva¬ 
tion that is in front of the small comb. 
Beale. —Strong, slightly bent, of a grey 
somber color, becoming yellow at the point. 
Length, 1 8-T6 inches. 
dr is of Bye .—Brilliant red, more or less 
deep. 
Pupil.— Black. 
Physiognomy of the Head .—The physiog¬ 
nomy is determined above all by the little 
elevation which comes out around the nos¬ 
trils, surmounted by a little comb. This 
prominence of the comb seems to increase 
the characteristic depression of the beak, 
and gives some likeness to the rhinoceros. 
The comb and horns are like the Creve- 
Cceur, and the large white ear is like the 
Spanish. 
Foot. —Sole of the foot very strong and 
very muscular. Circumference, 2% inches. 
Toes. —Strong, with long claws. Middle 
ones, 8% inches : inside and outside, 2% 
inches ; hind one, 1 1-1G inch. 
Color of the. Foot. —Blue slate, more or less 
dark according to age, turning to dark grey 
in old age. 
Weight of Chicken. —The chickens may be 
eaten when about five months old, but 
generally they are not fattened till seven or 
eight months old, the time when they have 
arrived at their last stage of growth. The 
male then takes the name of “a maiden 
cock,” and when his fattening is ended, 
which should last a month or six weeks, he 
weighs 11 lbs. or more. A maiden cock not 
fattened at the age of eight months is from 
about 7% lbs. to 8% lbs., equal in weight to 
an adult cock in good condition. The weight 
of the flesh is variable, according to the stage 
of fattening, and if that of the bones is one- 
eighth in its normal condition, it is under 
that wflen the bird is fattened. 
Plumage.—' The plumage of La Fleche is 
entirely black, with the exeption of some 
small white feathers, which may sometimes 
be seen in the small crest. The feathers of 
the neck are long, fine, and thick ; are 
iridescent with grocn and violet, and so are 
the feathers of the breast, the wings, the 
covert of the tall, the sickles, the extremities 
of the shoulders, the large festhere of the 
pinion, and the outside flight ones. The 
feather* of the thighs and the outside of the 
pinion are black. The feather* of the ab¬ 
domen and of the side are greyish black. 
Among the largo flight feathers are some 
of violet black with a green iridescence, and 
there are some white feathers before the 
first moulting. 
CRAB-APPLES AND INSECTS. 
Fig. 5.—La Fleche Cook’s Head. Fig. 6.—Comb. 
the bushes when necessary. Our own bushes 
which have stood in the garden 15 years, are 
three times as large as those of the White 
Grape planted at the same time, and they 
always bear profusely. When allowed to 
bang long and become mature, they lose 
their Objectionable acidity, and are a rich 
aud agreeable berry. The Victoria and Prince 
Albert are very good, late varieties—the 
former red, the latter pale red—a few of 
which may be planted for a succession._ 
Valley Farmer. 
| comes out of the upper part of the nostrils is 
placed about 4-10 inch in front, and though 
hardly as big as a pea, this, which surmounts 
an elevation formed by the enlargement of 
the nostrils, gives a peculiar look to the 
head. 
Wattles .—Hanging and very long, from 2% 
inches to 3% inches. 
Ears.—Very large and folding under the 
neck, of a clear, dull white, especially at the 
mating time. It is those which have the 
greatest white ears that most resemble the 
We notice that Pacific Rural Press says : 
= “Some of our friends are desirous of popu- 
t lariziug the Siberian crab-apple in California. 
This, it seems to ub is injudicious.” 
> After giving the reasons why these apples 
> are not desirable in California, the editor 
says “ An additional claim in favor of the 
1 crab-apple Is its cleanliness ; being free from 
; worms, even in the most wormy fruit re- 
1 gionsof the east.” Whether the California 
fruit growers need the crab-apples to 1111 up 
the list of good or bad fruits we know not, 
but of one thing we can assure them and 
that is the above claim, of “cleanliness and 
freedom from insects” is purely imaginary. 
We have cultivated a goodly number of the 
new and old varieties of the crab-apple and 
know from experience that they arc really 
no more, exempt from the attacks of the va¬ 
rious kinds of insects than other sorts. In 
fact, both the plum and apple ourculio seem 
to prefer them to the larger and better 
kinds. 
The present season we had several large 
trees in full bearing, but more than half of 
the fruit was stung by insects and fell off 
before reaching maturity, aud this year is a 
good one for apples in general. The larger 
varieties were never bettor or less infested 
with insects. The Siberian crab-apple may 
be desirable for California but freedom from 
insects is not oue of its merits. 
-* - » ♦ — 
Insects from Kansas.— The insects sent by 
Miss Nellie Lyon, are as follows :—The 
grasshopper with a very long abdomen is a 
female of the Caloptenus spretus , and the 
other a male of tire same. The long, slender 
insect, resembling when alive, a green twig 
with legs is known as a walking stick (Dta- 
pheromeru femorata— Say. Tho other spec¬ 
imen which is two inches or more in length, 
body large, with very long thorax and pow¬ 
erful front legs is a “ Fraying Mantis” (Man¬ 
tis Carolina) and although quite a formida¬ 
ble looking insect, is perfectly harmless and 
should be considered a friend to man, as It 
lives on other insects which are injurious to 
plants. 
