for the seed-bearer or mother, in order to 
prevent the possibility of its flowers becom¬ 
ing self-fertile, must have its anthers re¬ 
moved. This is imperative. The points of 
knives are used for this purpose, though we 
greatly prefer waiting until just before the 
stigma begius to divide, when the anthers 
may be removed by the slightest touch of 
a camel’s-hair brush, and there is little dan¬ 
ger of injury to the other parts, The anthers 
cling quite tenaciously to the filaments when 
the flower first opens—especially the shorter 
ones that rest almost upon the ovary. The 
point of a small knife, therefore, must be 
used with a steady hand or the pistil or ovary 
may be punctured. From the bursting of 
the anthers to the development of the st igma 
in the same flower, the time varies from 
twelve to thirty-six hours. It sometimes 
happens that we may intercross two plants 
by applying the pollen of the first to the 
second and that of the second to the first, 
which of course doubly assists in producing 
the union we strive to effect. The pre¬ 
potency of the pollen-parent or Beed-parent 
over the other in transmitting its character¬ 
istic* to xt* progeny is a question upon which 
authorities disagree and upou which from 
our own observations we are not justified in 
speaking. 
A very small, clean camel’s-hair brush is 
probably the most effective instrument that 
can be used togatherand apply thepollen. The 
ripening of the seeds is readily shown by 
their change of color from an opaque, starchy- 
color to a brown, that grows darker and dark¬ 
er until they begin to free themselves from 
their lower attachment. They may he 
planted at once ; Indeed, if sown before quite 
ripe, they will germinate sooner than if re¬ 
tained for another season, for the reason that 
the carbon is already of a mucilaginous con¬ 
sistency and supplies the embryo with the 
nourishment which, in the old seeds, it would 
require days to create. 
Thus, carefully considering what new fea¬ 
tures we hope to px-odnee in our seedlings— 
whether a certain novelty in variegation, a 
new shade of flower, a darker zone than has 
yet appeared, a brighter bronze on the ex¬ 
tension of the dark zone over the disc_we 
select,, according to our best judgment, 
parent,-plants most likely to effeet our pur¬ 
pose ; provide every ineans within our reach 
to induce a healthy growth and bloom, and, 
finally, as we have indicated, we apply the 
pollen from the anthers of one plant to the 
stigma of the other—after its anthers have 
been removed — carefully recording every 
combination and step, as we shall explain in 
another article, and await the results. 
If hi this way we should find ourselves in 
the end successful in inducing and procuring 
the flowers, foliage or habit upon which we 
calculated, it is gratifying in the extreme. It 
is as if the new plant were a part of us and 
a creation of which we may fairly feel proud. 
And it is a pride in which our near friends 
and relatives are certain to join. But, above 
all, as a “token of friendship” from a friend 
to a friend who esteem each other a good 
deal more than ever words could tell—the 
token bearing the name of the recipient—it, 
in truth, conveys a compliment more delicate, 
as we cannot doubt it would in many in¬ 
stances prove more acceptable, than “gold 
or precious stones.” 
River Rdge, Bergen Co., N. J. 
the tomato line is raised in this region. Last 
year I obtained some of the Hathaway Ex¬ 
celsior seeds, and raised therefrom the best 
tomatoes ever seen here. I have ordered 
seed this year for friends hereabout.—M. P. 
Peirce, Wenonah, AT. J. 
The Leicester Tied Celery is said to be 
“the best of all celeries” in England. We 
don’t remember to have seen a red variety 
in cultivation in this countxy, nor on any¬ 
body’s table. 
SPECIALTIES IN FLORICULTURE - III 
GRAFTING CABBAGES 
BY E. S, CARMAN 
A correspondent of the Gardeners’ Rec¬ 
ord (Eugland) states that he has grafted 
cabbages successfully and with some curious 
results. For this purpose he made choice of 
two varieties—Enfield Market ns the stock 
and the Red Dutch as the graft, choosing for 
the latter the darkest plant that his seed bed 
afforded. The grafting was performed at 
I he end of April, 1872. The two united very 
freely and grew luxuriantly. Under ordi¬ 
nary circumstances each of these cabbages 
px-oduces very close, firm head* ; but in this 
case the graft remained open, with a slightly 
apparent dash of stock blood. At the end 
of the spring of 1873 it threw up a very 
strong, straggling flower-stem, from 7 to 8 
feet high, the individual flowers being par¬ 
ticularly large, but by no ineans abundant. 
The quantity of seed obtained was not large. 
During the first week of February, 1874, a 
portion of the seed was sown. The result 
was a somewhat curious and interesting lot 
of cabbages. Kale plants, Savoys and red 
cabbages. The Kale plants were very dark 
and curled—as dark as Dell's and the Belvoir 
Castle beets. Although imbued with the 
blood of the graft, that of the stock pro- 
dominated in the majority of cases, and all 
the progeny appeared to be. more or less de¬ 
ficient in a tendency to form heads. 
Plants are possessed of reproductive or¬ 
gans strictly analogous in theory to those of 
animals. In plants there are three essen¬ 
tially different forms of reproduction, name¬ 
ly those in which the male aud female 
organs exist in different, flowers of the same 
plant, called, botanieally, monceeiovs — 
meaning one household—as in the genus 
Euphorbia ; those in which the male exists 
on one plant, the female on another, called 
dioecious — a double household —as in the 
Osage. Orange ; and hermaphrodite, those in 
which both male and female exist in the same 
flower, as in the. Pelargonium. 
The reproductive organs are the pistil, 
considered the female because it connects 
with the ovary which contains the rudimen¬ 
tary seed ; and the stamens, considered the 
male because they bear the principle which, 
united with the ovarial principle 
through the pistil, is essential to the 
creation of the germ or vitality of the 
M seed. Fig. 1 represents the pistil of a 
wk pelargonium 
THE POULTRY-KEEPER.—NO. 21 
COCHIN-CHINA OR SHANGHAI.—CINNAMON VARIETY. 
In this variety (fig, 89) are usually found 
specimens taller than in the other vai-ieties. 
several times magui- 
f f fled, as soon as the flower has opened 
run and before it is ready to receive the 
pollen. The top is called the stigma, 
Fio. l. the bottom the ovary, and the 
connecting tube the stule, a simple conduit 
of the fertilizing poUeu from the stig¬ 
ma to the ovary. Figure 2 represents the 
same organs fully developed and ready to 
perform the functions for which /) 
they were created. The stigma is 
now divided into five curved por- CO 
tion3 and supplied with a some¬ 
what spougy, viscid substance, well /11 
fitted to retain the pollen which fi \ 
may come in contact with its sur- /M 
face. The pollen will no sooner have [rift 
been deposited upon these divisions Ifcfjf 
of the stigma than it will begin its yio. 2. 
downward passage through the style-tube to 
the ovary where, blending with the opposite 
life-principle, the initial seeds at once com¬ 
mence the laboi’s which shall perfect a com¬ 
pound latent vitality for the perpetuation of 
some of the characteristics of either parent. 
Fig. 3 represents the stamens, consisting each 
» of a filament, and an anther 
surrounding an immature stig¬ 
ma. The filaments of the sta¬ 
mens as well as the styles of 
pistils seem in no way essential 
except as they may serve to 
elevace the stigma and anthers 
relatively to the floral envel¬ 
opes. The anthei’s, when they 
fig. 3. first appear, are smooth and 
firm When mature they break open at a 
seam across the face, and the pollen, an 
orange-colored powder, is displayed. 
The ovary is five-celled, though commonly 
but from two to four seeds are perfected. 
The fertilization of the seedB is at once shown 
by the lengthening of the style into a rude 
resemblance to a stork’s bill, about an inch 
in length, from which the pelargonium de¬ 
rives its name. Unless thisoccux’s, no im¬ 
pregnation has been effected. 
The seeds when ripened—until which they 
remain attached at the base—free them¬ 
selves and are held only at the summit of 
tlxis elongation by the feathery, recurved 
appendages which, a little latex", yield to the 
slightest breath of air and are bio wu away. 
Fig. 4 illustrates this, and we may here re- 
ONIONS IN THE SOUTH 
Editors Rural New-Yorker :—In the 
last issue of the Florida Agriculturist there 
was an article on onion raising by a Cincin¬ 
nati gentleman, in which hi- says that “ it is 
a fact that south of New York good onions 
cannot be grown the first year from the 
seed.” Now, I wish to know why it is that 
you in your section can grow fine onions the 
first year from the seed and we in the South 
must plant ‘sets’’ in order to make them ) 
As we have a much longer season for them 
to mature, it seems to me that the opposite 
of this ought to be the case. T have con¬ 
versed with several persons about this, and 
have been unablo to get any light on the 
subject. One or two othei'a asked me to 
write you, and if you would explain this 
through the Rural, I am satisfied that there 
are a great many others in the South who 
would he glad to hear about it. If what 
this Cincinnati man Bays is really the case, 
is there no way of raising good onions in the 
South without the long and tedious job of 
planting sets ? Hoping that, you will see fit 
to reply to this, I remain — Geo. Muse, At¬ 
lanta, Oa. 
If what the Cincinnati writer says is true, 
it is a new fact to us, and we have no theory 
whatever about it. The way to detenuine 
its truth is to try it and see. It can be proved 
to be true or false. Until it is, what is the 
use of speculating about it ? 
Figure 89. 
The plumage of the hen is a l'eddish yellow 
color ; that of the cock is of a deep red, and 
golden on the hackle, shoulders, and lance¬ 
shaped feathers. The breast, the back and 
the thighs are dark brick red. The sides, 
the abdomen, and the foot feathers are tan 
red, and the tail black, iridescent with green. 
POULTRY NOTES, 
Age of Turkeys to Breed, From .—The Live 
Stock Journal replies as follows to the query, 
which are most profitable to breed from, 
turkeys, one, two or three years old ? The 
male turkey does not attain its greatest 
vigor until the third or fourth year, there¬ 
fore a cock two or three years old is better 
than a year old for breeding. But it is well 
to change the male every year, which is 
believed to produce healthier aud stronger 
chicks ; and hens two years old aud upward 
ai*e also best for breeding. 
Eggs in Winter .— Amanda asks, “ If I had 
100.chickens and had them in a good, warm 
hennery aud fed them properly, do you 
chink I could get 50 eggs evexy day from 
them, in the mouths of November, December, 
January and Febnxaiy ?” No, we do not, 
each day in those months. Possibly you 
might if they were all pullets and you knew 
how to manage them ; but wo should not 
like to assei"t that we think you could. 
Crop-Bound Turkey.—-Can you or any of 
your many readers tell me what to do with 
a large bronze turkey gobbler that I have ? 
He became crop-bound; I opened the crop 
and removed the contents, sewed it up and 
kept him confined and fed him on soft feed, 
but when I turned him out again he became 
as bad as ever. Are old gobblers more liable 
to get so than young ones ? I am told so by 
many poultry raisers.— b. v. 
Coal Stove in Hen-House .—Orlando is in¬ 
formed that we have l'opeatedly seen the 
henneries of successful poultry- breeders 
heated with coal stoves. We know of no 
objection to them provided the heu-house is 
so ari anged as to secure good ventilation at 
will. 
Bone Meal is highly recommended by 
those who have used it, as a substance to be 
kept accessible to fowls. It is recommended 
to keep it in a trough where they can gain 
access to it without being able to scratch it 
out. 
Warts on Chickens .—Won’t some of your 
kiud coiTespondents inform an anxious in¬ 
quirer, what causes warts on chickens and 
what is the proper remedy, if any i—H, 
MAINE CUCUMBERS 
A correspondent of the Maine Farmer 
says some things which will apply to other 
localities, as follows :—Many farmers in this 
State do not know that they can realize 
more xuoney from raising cucumbei-s than 
from any other crop. There is always a good 
demand for them if they are picked small 
and well cured. They should he salted by 
making strong pickle—not dry salted, as that 
will shrink them up and cause a loss to the 
grower, as well as to the parties who put 
them up for market. We are now compelled 
to go to Chicago for pickles, on account of 
the scarcity of them here. Even in Boston 
and New York the supply does not meet the 
demand, and millions of dollars go out of this 
State for the very article that we should ship 
to other large cities. This State is well 
adapted to the growing of cucumbers, and 
it is a well-known fact that State of Maine 
cucumbers are preferable to those raised 
West in hotter climates. 
PELARGONIUM Q.UERC1F0LIUM. 
It will be remembered that some weeks 
since Mr. E. 8. Carman commended this 
plant very highly. The American Garden 
prints what Mr. Carman said and adds : 
“ To these remarks upon this beautiful fo- 
liaged Pelargonium let us add that, from 
thirty to fifty years ago, it was a vei"y com¬ 
mon plant, being found in evexy greenhouse 
and, dining the flower season, offered for 
sale at every plant stand in the markets. 
When it became the fashion to despise old 
favorites and to cultivate only novelties, this 
was discarded and disappeared from the 
catalogues. Through an inadvertence we 
lost our own, and after seeking another for 
seven or eight years among our leading flor¬ 
ists, we at last found one at an old-fashioned 
local nursery in New Jersey. We have now 
grown it for the past eight or nine years 
with both pleasure and amusement—amuse¬ 
ment derived from witnessing the admira¬ 
tion bestowed upon it by visitors, not so 
much for its great beauty as for its great 
novelty. And yet it was cultivated on New 
York Island at least seventy yeai"s ago. It 
well deserves all that Mr. Carman says of it, 
and as a bedding-out, omamental-foliaged 
plant, is equal to any of the finest novelties 
—few (if any} of which equal its rich, bright 
foliage and luxuriant growth under oup 
The plant selected scorching sun,” 
GARDENERS’ NOTES, 
Why Cucumbers are Regarded Unwhole¬ 
some.—A correspondent of the Maine Farm¬ 
er says .-—Cucumbers in the early part of 
July are a luxury, and eaten in moderation 
are not unwholesome. They should always 
be picked early in the morning, when the 
dew is on them. Gathered later iu the day, 
uuder a broiling sun. they are wholly unfit 
to eat. This is, no doubt, oue x'eason why 
they are considered unwholesome by many 
pensons. 
Tomatoes ,—Nearly everything kuowu in 
