* 
specimens collected by Mr. Levette of the 
Indiana Geological Survey, and proceeded to 
point out that there could be no mistake 
about the branch from the wheat ear being 
TJrornitfi Kccalinus, the common chess, so far 
as the palcu and glumes were concerned. In 
the flowers he had dissected he found no per¬ 
fect grain to compare with wheat. In in¬ 
stances previously recorded there seems 
never to have been auy dispute about the 
appearance from the wheat heed being the 
real BrOmm. But it had been contended 
that in these cases an examination had shown 
an accidental union of two culms, one from 
each plant, and which, in some way, had 
formed an apparent union one with another. 
The most careful examination of this speci¬ 
men, both by himself and friends, aided by 
powerful pocket glasses, had failed to detect 
any such accidental union. There was in¬ 
deed every presumption against the proba¬ 
bility of any such accident in the present 
specimen. In the wheat ear the small clus- 
respondents recommending the Poplars, add- 
of their merits exemption from 
ing as one 
the attacks of insects, I am inclined to be¬ 
lieve them quite ignorant of the subject 
upon which they write. 
There are also several other species of 
beetles the larvm of which infest the wood 
of these trees, besides several which feed 
upon the leaves. The Cottonwoods which 
were planted a few years since as shade trees 
in the streets of Salt Lake City, are at pres¬ 
ent rapidly disappearing, the stems having 
been bored and completely honey-combed 
by what appeared to be the larvro of some 
large lepidoptcrous insect; but 1 failed to 
learn the name of the species in my visit to 
Utah last year. But I never saw trees of any 
kind worse infested than those Cottonwoods ; 
and still this tree is constantly extolled for 
ita rapid growth and exemption from the at¬ 
tacks of insects, both in the Eastern and 
Western States. 
Its only mentis rapidity of growth, and at 
that point recommendations should cease, 
for in truth little more can be added. 
THE CHESTNUT CROP. 
Oct. 20.—I suppose it is well known that 
some parts of Jersey arc celebrated for 
chestnuts, if nothing else. For the past week 
all the boys in my neighborhood have been 
happy as boys can well be ; the chestnut 
crop is a bountiful one, and late frosts fol- 
lbwed by real “shaking” winds have made 
things rattle. A large, old tree, wltlr its 
branches extending over the porch of my 
house, has sent its showers of nuts down 
upon the tin roof, and I could not help think¬ 
ing, this morning, while lying half dreaming 
in bed, how wonderfully one’s inclinations 
and tastes change with age. There was a 
time when the rattling of chestnuts would 
A PEEP INTO THE GRANGE 
DAILY RURAL LIFE 
[See Illustration on Page 283.J 
The Rural Carolinian gives a fine illustra¬ 
tion of the inside of a Grange of Patrons 
when in session, together with the following 
descriptive article—both of which are so 
good that wc transfer them for the benefit 
of Rural readers. We reckon the article is 
a trifle hyperbolic in describing the cere¬ 
mony of initiation, though perhaps Southern 
Patrons excel their Northern brethren in that 
particular—albeit we have “heard tell” that 
the latter have wonderful and fearful “go¬ 
ings on” in their Granges while initiating 
members and conferring degrees. The prob¬ 
ability is, however, that the “ solemn rites ” 
are varied in different sections of the coun¬ 
try, so that some equally wonderful products 
may be substituted in the North and West 
for the cabbage leaf, pumpkin vine, etc., 
As to the gymnastic per- 
“ given with the heel of the left 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
which is truly American. But from this ex¬ 
tended panorama of field and forest it is well 
to turn occasionally to the home picture of 
our own gardens and immediate surround¬ 
ings, just as we would turn from the extend¬ 
ed canvas of Bierstadt or Church to the 
little gems on the walls of some room in an 
unpretentious cottage. 
I have been looking at the two pictures 
to-day, one extending for miles in every di¬ 
rection, and while it could not fail to impress 
one with admiration at the wonderful variety 
and harmony of colors, still distant views, 
extending over broad and expansive fields, 
are sometimes more tiresome to the eye than 
a somewhat circumscribed range of vision. 
Then, again, there are pleasures to be de¬ 
rived from a close examination of those 
dull or bright spots in the great canvas, and 
this can readily be done without incon¬ 
venience in one’s own garden ; and then 
each day brings aohange at this season ; the 
broad leaves of some shrub or tree suddenly 
fall, opening'to view some bright little gena 
which has been putting on its gay dress 
while modestly hidden from view. 
The giant growing grasses, lfkc the Arun- 
dos and Ertanthm, a dozen feet high, tipped 
with their plumes, or the huge leaves of 
Canitas and CalwHumtt may hide many a 
shrub of lesser growth but more sturdy in its 
nature. One nipping frost is sufficient to set 
these lofty exotics “ a-weeping,” and a few 
hours of sunshine, after a cold night puts an 
end to their glory. But as these great leaves 
wither or those from some early-maturing 
tree drop, it opens to view some bright¬ 
leaved plant beneath or beyond. These 
changes take place in rapid succession as the 
cold increases, each day bringing its own 
dissolving views. 
FAUINO OF THE LEAF. 
There is ft wonderful difference in the man¬ 
ner in which trees and shrubs shed their 
leaves. For instance, a Yellow-wood tree on 
my lawn was yesterday full of its yellowish, 
autumn-colored leaves, but the frost of last 
night caused every one to drop before noon 
to-day, while a Liquidamber, near by, has 
scarcely us yet shown an autumn tint, the 
leaves remaining fresh and green. This sud¬ 
den defoliation is also a characteristic of the 
Mulberries, Butternut, Black Walnut, and 
some of the larger-leaved Magnolias, while 
the Hickories and Chestnuts hold on for a 
hard freeze; and the Oaks and Beech are 
persistent to the last, many a brown and 
withered leaf hangiug on to the twigs until 
pushed off by the new comers of spring. 
The “ falling of the leaf” may be food for 
melancholy with some gloomy persons, but 
to the naturalist it is an interesting field for 
study, fraught with many an unsolved 
mechanical and chemical problem. 
POPIAR TREE BORERS. 
Oct. 19.—The Poplars of various species are 
in my neighborhood badly infested with 
borers, the lurvse of the well known beetle 
Saperda. calcarata, Sat. These grubs or 
borers, when fully grown, are nearly two 
inches in length, and they make long bur¬ 
rows in the wood, eventually killing the trees 
and destroying the timber for anything ex¬ 
cept firewood. This troublesome insect is 
found all through the North era States, and 
those who recommend the poplars for shade 
or timber will find, sooner or later, that this 
species of Saperda will be almost if not quite 
as destructive as the locust borer is to the 
common Locust tree. Mr. Say, in describ¬ 
ing this insect, nearly fifty years ago, said 
that i» Inhabited Missouri, a region of county 
at that time extending from the Mississippi 
River westward without any definite limits ; 
therefore we may conclude that' the famous 
Cottonwood (Populus mom'li/era) groves 
were not exempt from the ravages of this 
pest. 
Now, when I see certain writers and cor- 
mentioned below 
formal ■ . 
foot, three feet and three inches above the 
bottom of the gate,” that is so accurately 
stated as to seem credible. However, our 
readers will bear in mind that this is a Caro¬ 
linian view of “ A Peep into the Grange”— 
and it reads in this serious wise : 
It is not often that the uninitiated are al¬ 
lowed even a transient glimpse of the Grange 
during its regular sessions ; but, as a special 
favor to the renders of the Rural Carolinian 
we are permitted to give them (confidentially) 
in the frontispiece of this number, a correct 
representation of a Grange room, with the 
officers and members in their respective 
places, and everything in working order. 
Now, would you not like to know how a 
candidate gets into the Grange, what “sol¬ 
emn obligations” are administered, and 
what awful tests he is subjected to in the 
course of the ceremoniul of initiation ? Well, 
we dare not reveal the most terrible scenes 
enacted, especially in the never-to-be-forgot¬ 
ten ordeals of the Fourth Degree, but, again 
as a special favor to our readers, and never 
to be spoken of beyond their circle, we shall 
take the responsibility of giving them a 
slight inkling of the nature of our “secret 
work.” 
Observe in the lower right-hand corner of 
the ]iictore that [dank thrown across the 
ditch ! The first thing the candidate is re¬ 
quired to do is to walk this plank, his ankles 
being tied together with a pair of plow lines, 
and his eyes securely blindfolded by a cab¬ 
bage leaf, bouud on with several yards of 
ptnnpkin vine. Squads of Brothers, armed 
with pitchforks, are posted at each end of 
the plank, to remind the novice, if need be, 
of the duty of upright dealing and straight¬ 
forward conduct. After being led barefoot, 
ju devious ways (still blindfolded), thiough 
RUBBER CEMENT 
There are several kinds of India rubber 
cement. The best known is “ marine glue.” 
A cheaper cement, and one that is highly 
recommended, is made by cutting a quantity 
of pure India rubber, in its natural state, in¬ 
to small pieces, putting them in a wide¬ 
mouthed bottle, and filling it about half full 
of the purest benzine ; the rubber will swell 
up almost immediately, and if well shaken 
will, in a few days assume the consistency of 
honey. If the rubber does not dissolve, add 
more benzine. Tf, when dissolved, the ce¬ 
ment is too thin, add more gum. A piece of 
rubber one inch in diameter will make a pint 
of cement. This dries in a few minutes and 
is very useful in uniting pieces of leather, as 
it is both elastic and durable. 
THE CHESS QUESTION AGAIN 
SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL NOTES, 
had never before, to his knowledge, oeen 
brought directly to the attention of a scien¬ 
tific body—the popular belief that wheat 
will turn to chess. The scientific world 
might well he pardoned for deriding such an 
idea, for if so distinct a genus as THticum 
can be found to produce a liromutt, our 
notion of the “leaping” power of nature 
must be enlarged in considering theories of 
evolution. For his own part he had seen 
many popular impressions, derided by meu 
of science, prove true. When a boy his 
agricultural friends insisted that the same 
toad which would deposit its eggs in water 
when convenient, would bi ing foi th its y oung 
alive when deprived of the water privilege. 
He had proved the fact by keeping toads in 
breediug condition in confinement, and 
counting the toadlets when certainly not 
A Durable Drown Fence Wash is asked 
for by a correspondent of the Rural New- 
Yorker. A cheap paint is made in this 
way : — Whiting, five pounds ; skimmed 
milk, two quarts; fresh slaked lime, two 
ounces. Put the lime into a stone ware 
vessel, pour upon it a sufficient quantity of 
the milk to make a mixture resembling 
cream ; the. balance of the milk is tlaen 
added; lastly the whiting is crumbled upon 
the an face of the fluid, in which it gradually 
sinks. At this period it must be well stirred 
in, or ground as you would other paint, and 
is fit for use. There may be added to it auy 
coloring matter desired. It is applied in the 
same mauuer asother paints and will become 
dry in a few hours, when other coats may 
be laid on. It is ft paint of great tenacity. 
-The Scientific 
Trirngula r Pen-Ho lAers, 
American urges that pen stick makers should 
make them triangular instead of round. 
This suggestion is due to the fact that the 
Editor found the shell of a horsefoot crab, 
with its three-cornered tail, on the sea-shore. 
It was suggested that the tail would make an 
odd pen-holder. The suggestion was carried 
out and the horsefoot crab’s tail has been 
used as a pen-holder for weeks with the 
daily increasing conviction that the goose 
quill was an unfortunate model for a pen¬ 
holder—that tho latter should be three-sided. 
Annatto.—la the two French colonies of 
Martinique and Guiana, there are more than 
6,000 acres under culture with annatto (Bixa 
orellana), the annual produce being 3,000,000 
lbs. Although French Guiana has nearly 
five times the extent of land under culture 
with this plant that Guadaloupe has, it only 
produces about two-thirds of the whole 
quantity. The production of annatto now 
exceeds the demand, as no fresh uses have 
been found for this coloring substance. 
