f. 206 
<§ia)[g af a Jluralist. 
DAILY EUBAL LIFE. 
Prom the Diary of a Gentleman near New 
York City. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN IN SEPTEMBER. 
Sept. 8.—An occasional cool breeze from 
the northward reminds one that summer 
glories are departing and those of autumn 
are at hand. 
All our “ wishing ” that this or tliat sea¬ 
son may bo prolonged will do no good, for 
the elements neither stay nor go at our beck, 
hence we may as well take things us they 
come, plant, cultivate and gather in accord¬ 
ance with what we know of natural laws, 
enjoying the enjoyable to the extent of our 
individual capacity. 
The man whose entire time and talents are 
devoted to producing pork, beef, cotton or 
corn will not take much interest in flower 
gardens, and probably if his attention were 
called to the subject lie would consider the 
time and money expended upon such things 
as just so much lost, but, happily for man¬ 
kind, the Creator thought differently, hence 
there are beautiful flowers os well as ani¬ 
mals, and quite a number oi human beings 
possessing snllicicnt capacity to enjoy both. 
To the hitter class the prolonging of the sea¬ 
son of flowers is an object worthy ol' some 
consideration, and if each lading blossom 
can be replaced by another equally us beau¬ 
tiful, then their enjoyment is extended in 
proportion. For this and other good rea¬ 
sons, the flower garden during the latter 
port of tsuwmer and early autumn deserves 
especial attention in order to keep up its gay 
appearance, if wo depend mainly upon 
our hardy shrubs and perennial herbaceous 
plants, the garden will look very dull during 
August and .September, but by proper selec¬ 
tions of late blooming plants there need 
be no diminution either in variety or ele¬ 
gance in its general appearance. In (act, 
since the introduction of what are termed 
ornamental foliage plants our gardens are 
usually gayest during the waning of the 
year. TiiO Coleus, Ac.hyruntkua, Canons, 
PnrIlian and scores of other similar plants 
increase in beauty up t,o the time they are 
cut down by frosts, and the same may be 
said ol' the lender bedding-out plants and 
lreo-blooming annuals. 
'Ihe dUulloll, tuberoses and Tiyridias come I 
al this time to take the place of the earlier I 
blooming bulbs. Amoug hardy shi ubs and 
herbaceous plants there are comparatively I 
few late-blooming kinds ; still, the low we 
do possess are well worthy of special atten¬ 
tion. The old Hose of Sharon shrub, in its 
many varieties, never comes amiss or out of 
date, and the lately introduced Hydrangea 
(JrandiJlura has no superior, as its immense 
spikes ol strong, white flowers cannot fail to 
make t his plant unusually popular. Among 
the most desirable late-blooming, hardy, 
herbaceous plants, the Lialris should not be 
overlooked, especially those which are found 
on the Western prairies. Tho Lrseuriusa, 
Pychnosladnja and Spicata are the most 
showy, and 1 ally warrant the rather extrava¬ 
gant common name of blazing Stars. Japan 
has of late years given us some very hand¬ 
some herbaceous plants, us well us other 
kinds, mid amoug them Anemone Japonica 
and A -Ilonorine Jouhert are particularly 
valuable lor their 1 iteness in blooming. An- I 
other plant from the same source, and which 
I received under the name of Polyyonium 
Cuspidalum, should be called Lace-flower, I 
for 1 can think of no other name moie ap- I | 
propriate. The young shoots come up in , 
spring somewhat like asparagus, with very , 
lew scattering, closely compressed leaves < 
attached, but after reaching a hight of two j 
to four feet they begin to throw out side . 
branches thickly studded with alternate x 
heart-shaped leaves tour to live inches long t 
by two or three broad. A good, well-estab- t 
lislied plant will produce a dozen or mure t 
stems six to eight feet high, with lateral h 
brunches about half as long, tho latter t 
slightly drooping, which gives to the entire e 
plant a very graceful appearance. The last j 
of August or first of September the flowers t 
begin to appeal- in minute branching pendu- s 
lous racemes, springing from the axil of each 
leaf. The flowers ate pure white and only 
about o ii e-six teen th ol’ an Inch in diameter, f 
bat as there are from two to four hundred ^ 
in each raceme and its branches they- moke p 
up in quantity what they lack in size. Every » 
stem and lateral branch of the entire plant at “ 
this season is so thickly studded with these lJ 
pendulous racemes that it reminds one of a U 
lady’s overdress trimmed with white lace, * a 
I This Japanese novelty is very hardy and 
produces suckers very freely when planted 
in light soils. 
NOW I MANAGE MY POULTRY. 
Sept. 9.—If everybody could agree upon a 
system of breeding and keeping fowls there 
would be but a small chance for “ isms ” on 
the subject. The professionals, however, 
think they know all about fowls, but I never 
knew one who would admit of “dealing 
foul ” with his customers, although some 
do so, nevertheless ; still it is to be presumed 
that poultry raisers will rank as a fair aver¬ 
age of mankind in Intelligence and honesty. 
As everybody else 1ms his own way of 
doing things there is no good reason why I 
should not have mine, even if ft docs not 
quite agree with strict orthodox regulations. 
SHUT UP YOUR fOWtS TO FATTEN, 
says one authority, a thing 1 never would do 
if I desired their flesh for my own table. 
Moderate exercise is os is necessary to pro¬ 
duce healthy meat in fowls as it. is in larger 
animals, and those who want diseased meat 
of any kind are welcome to their preference, 
but should not attempt to force It upon oth¬ 
ers. Fowls which are permitted to have a 
good, wide range in pursuit of a variety of 
food are as much superior for the table as 
the fat Texas steer is superior to the swiJJ- 
fed cow for beef. 
Another writer says fowls should not. bo 
permitted to help themselves to food, else 
they will not hunt for insects when allowed 
to run at large. But this has been, and still 
is, my system of feeding, and from long ex¬ 
perience I am convinced that It is the most 
economical and best plan by all odds. My 
fowls, when they come from the roost in the 
morning, will take a light breakfast of corn, 
oats, wheat or whatever grain is given them, 
and then start for the Holds, hunting for 
worms and insects generally. I have never 
as yet discovered that permitting hens to 
help themselves to grain had uny elTect upon 
their wandering habits or made them disin¬ 
clined to eat insects or make a raid upon 
ripe tomatoes or other fruits and vegetables. 
Then, again, throwing out grain at stated 
periods to a number of fowls tends to in¬ 
crease the somewhat natural disposition of 
the strongest to overpower and drive away 
the weaker, and a portion will gorge them¬ 
selves to excess while other* obtain little or 
fjisriculture. insurance bailment 
FACTS IN FISH CULTURE. 
INSURANCE NOTES AND NEWS. 
To keep fowls healthy, good matured amt 
fat, food in abundance should be placed 
where they can obtain it at any time desired, 
never omitting a supply of fresh water near 
by. In winter, meat and vegetables may be 
added to the usual supply of grain with bene- 
lit to the health of the fowls, as well as tend¬ 
ing to increase the quantity of eggs. It is 
always best to supply a variety of grain, such 
OS whuat, millet, com and buckwheat, and 
allow tho fowls to take their choice, w hich 
they wall frequently do in a maun or not laid 
down in the poultry books. 
Disease among fowls is tho result of mis¬ 
management and nothing else, no matter 
how much science may bo mixed in as pre¬ 
ventives or cures. Cleanliness is of the first, 
importance ; next, an abundance of good 
food, always accessible and in variety ; also, 
fresh, clear water, summer and winter, 
where the fowls can get it when desired. 
In summer, with a wide range over grass 
and cultivated ground and the above requis¬ 
ites, no hardy, healthy breed should ever 
become diseased, and 1 doubt if they ever 
would. 
————♦♦♦- 
THE BEbT SWEET CORN. 
Every season we plant two or three va¬ 
rieties of sweet corn, some for Early and 
the titowell’s Evergreen for Late use. The 
variety jviiiob gives most satisfaction is one 
sent out by the Agricultural Department 
some years ago under the name of “ Brill’s 
Early Extra Sweet.” It is much sweeter 
and tenderer than any ot her variety we have 
used, and quite early. We have had it ready 
for eating sixty days from planting. The 
ears are good size for so early a variety, and 
the corn so sweet that it makes even so good 
a kind as SUiwelJ’s Evergreen seem almost 
tasteless. We have almost concluded that 
successive plantings of this best kind will 
prove more profitable than trying to grow 
early and late varieties for use through the 
season. 
--- 
SnirriNu Peaches Xu Enuland proved a 
failure on the first trial. Not enougn ice w-as 
provided and the fruit rapidly decayed. 
With plenty of ice the experiment would 
probably have been a success, os the peaches 
were in good condition to the time tnat the 
ice supply failed. This idea deserves further 
trial, as all English market for peaches and 
Other perishable fruits would be an import¬ 
ant relief to our own in seasons of gr v „i 
abundance. 
n The Popular Science Monthly has an inter- 
r esting article summarizing a lecture by one 
’ r of our Fish Commissioners, and containing 
some important facts and suggestions on 
Fish Culture, aa follows : 
( l The results so far attained hi t his country 
, in the artificial culture of fish are eminently 
, satisfactory, and the e(Torts made by the 
j. various fisheries com miss ions to increase the 
j supply of food for the people are worthy of 
it all commendation, Naturally, there exists a 
, lively public curiosity to know the processes 
of fish culture, and information with regard 
to its history, its principles, and its methods, 
° is heartily welcomed. In response to this 
general demand, Mr. Robert B. ltooseve.lt, 
h Fish Commissioner of the State of New 
r York, has given a public lecture on pisci- 
' culture, in which he very fully considers the 
’ subject in all its aspects. Tho lecture is 
'* very long, and we must be content with in- 
f dieating only a few of its points. There are, 
he said, two divisions of fish in our country 
s which are subjects of fish culture, namely 
the Salnumiut, or Bulmon tribe, and the 
AlosiiUv, or shad tribe. Under the former 
1 head are Included the salmon, the trout, the 
'* salmon trout (or lake trout), the white fish 
and the California salmon. Tho Alosidce 
are represented in pisciculture only by the 
* shad, as yet. 
The first point in fish culture is to obtain 
[ the spawning fish in proper condition. In 
the Sulmonidw, tho eggs, when in a perfectly 
' ripe condition, lie free in the abdomen, and 
’ may be extruded by gentle pressure.—They 
1 are caught as they fall iu a basin, and are 
vitalized by coming in contact with the milt 
1 from the males. Formerly, the practice 
' obtained of having this basin full of water, it 
being supposed t hat this arrangement more 
1 nearly reproduced the natural conditions ; 
J but subsequent discoveries led to a change of 
this method, Tho eggs are fertilized by the 
’ spermatozoa of the milt entering through 
tho micropyle, and taking up board and 
lodging within. It was ascertained, how¬ 
ever, in practice, that these spermatozoa are 
not fond of water, and, although very active 
when first emitted, soon drowned. They 
retain their vitality much longer when 
dropped among the eggs in a comparatively 
dry state, and tin's is the method universally 
pursued at present. 
As soon us the operat ion is completed the 
eggs uro placed in hatching troughs. These 
are made of various materials, but are 
simply long, narrow boxes, say twelve feet 
long by eighteen inches wide, and subdi¬ 
vided into compartments, to keep the eggs 
from crowding on one another. Cold spring 
water, which has been carefully filtered by 
passing through several flannel screens, 
comes in at the head of these troughs, passes 
over the eggs, in one compartment after 
another, and escapes at the lower end. By 
this means the greatest dangers to the life of 
the embryo are avoided. Sediment and cou- 
fervte cannot, pass the screens, insects are 
kept out altogether, and dtieks and eels are 
disappointed of their prey. The eggs re¬ 
quire about two months to hatch, with the 
water at the temperature of 4.1", They 
demand constant care and attention, lor, if 
one egg dies or becomes diseased, it contam¬ 
inates its neighbors. The advance of the 
process is, however, boou visible iu the egg, 
either to the human eye or under the micro¬ 
scope. At last the pisciculturist will have 
evidence of his labors being successful. 
Some morning, on going to his troughs, he 
will notice broken egg shells in the water, 
and, on closer inspection, will observe wrigg¬ 
ling nondescripts on the bottom, neither 
like fish nor eggs, but compounded of both,— 
When they once begin to appear they come 
in thousands, in millions, iu myriads. The • 
young need more water, at tins time, but 
require less care ; yet still they must be ] 
watched. The young fish may soon be 1 
turned loose into the stream. t 
If lie is a salmon, after a few months’ pre- ‘ 
paration to strengthen his sinews and test ( 
ms power, he goes down to the sea, there to t 
dwell, and leed, and glow, gaining wonder¬ 
fully in size, drawing his sustenance from ( 
the exiiaustlass storehouse of the world, and ’ 
coming back to man, m a few months, a ( 
maguuicent embodiment of strength and , 
beauty, bringing to tne lord of the universe 1 
live or ten pouuas of as delicious food as 
ever delighted a gourmand’s palate, or satis- r 
lied a hungry man’s stomach, it lie is only c 
a trout, a younger brother of the glorious - 
family of Saimonidic, he will lurk about the 1 
bottom of Bums pond, or graze the pebUiy * 
mountain brook, and struggle up lo a l mV is 
pound or more before twetve months shall s 
have roiled over his head, T . 
•- A Singular Requirement. —8ome life com- 
e panies so hedge and qualify their promises 
g to pay with conditions and restrictions, that 
n it requires some skill and care to make out a 
clear claim against them. This is an objec- 
V tiou which we supposed could not be sus- 
y tained against Accident Insurance Compa- 
e nies. But it appears that the inferences we 
e drew from the practice of the Travelers’ Life 
f and Accident Insurance Company is not quite 
a reliable when applied to other companies, 
s which, in case of accident of any kind, re- 
I quire that the injured party shall notify the 
!, company at once. One of those companies, 
s the Hartford Accident Insurance Company, 
,, is reported as refusing to pay a loss of $5,000 
v upon the ground that the deceased, one 
- Owen, who died some days after what he 
n evidently regarded as a trifling Injury, “ did 
s not notify the said company at once.” Such 
- promptness on the part of every policy 
, holder would entail an amount of eorre- 
,• spondenoe that would clog the mails. Men 
f have been known to die of mosquito bites, 
i and trifling Injuries from which they appre- 
r handed no serious consequences, and if tho 
? validity of their claims is to depend upon the 
i immediate, detailed and properly attested 
b report of all injuries, those who are insured 
; (?) with this punctilious company should be 
duly apprised of their duties. 
1 “ Leave Well Enough A lone,” —Nearly or 
> quite a year ago we called the attention of 
’ the policy holders of the North America 
• Life Insurance Company to tho fact that the 
' control of the affairs of this company had 
' somehow passed into the hands of certain 
parties connected with the Universal Life 
* Insurance Company of this city, and that 
1 they wore endeavoring to induce the better 
> class of risks to reinsure with the lattcr- 
; named company upon terms which we do 
not regard as advantageous lo the policy 
! holders. Wo then advised those interested 
in the matter to hold on to their policies for 
the double reason that the North America 
was not, as represented, in an insolvent con¬ 
dition, and that any alterations in their 
status would lie to their advantage. We 
now repeat this advice, and urge all who 
want uu official endorsement of our views to 
write to the Superintendent of insurance, 
Albany, N. Y. They will probably uncer¬ 
tain that the North America is not only sound 
and reliable, but by far the better company 
of the two. 
Special Reserve Fund,— it has boon noticed 
that after a series of great conflagrations 
there comes a period during which there are 
very few fires. This has been verified by the 
experiences of the fire insurance companies 
since the Chicago und Boston fu-es, und many 
of them have taken advantage of the tem¬ 
porary exemption from loss to make large 
dividends to stockholders out of the money 
that should be reserved against the next dis¬ 
aster. Others more prudently and wisely 
make preparation for coming losses by set¬ 
ting aside large accumulations. Let them 
pile up assets as they will, there is little fear 
of a superfluity either of means for the pay¬ 
ment of losses, or the adequate protection of 
those who are not burned. 
The Mutual Life. Insurance Company of 
Picui York. —A life insurance company that 
during a number of years defrays its ex¬ 
penses of management with less than 10 per 
cent, of its annual income, and pays all its 
death claims and mature endowments out of 
its interest receipts without touching a 
penny of the principal, may be regarded as 
having attained as nearly to perfection as is 
to be expected of an institution of mere 
human creation. The figures of the last ten 
years are Interest receipts, $24,970,000 ; 
losses, $20,997,000 ; excess of interest, nearly 
four millions. 
Suit8 us. Insurance Companies .—The peo¬ 
ple of St. Louis are either very litigious, or 
they have been badly treated by the in¬ 
surance companies. The dockot of the United 
States Courts is ornamented with no less 
than fifteen suits of individuals against life 
companies alone. Six of these are against 
one company In this city. We shall regard 
with some curiosity the item of “law ex¬ 
penses” of this company’s next annual re¬ 
port. 
“ Give Us a Rest.” —The case of the Con¬ 
necticut Commissioner against the Ameri¬ 
can National Life Insurance Company of 
New Haven has been tried before the proper 
tribunals, appealed to the Legislature, and 
is now before the courts again, vamped with 
several criminal (?) charges against plucky 
Ben Noyes. 
