Island Greening at the middle of June, and 
we sometimes keep line, hard, fresh Green¬ 
ings into the month of July. 
PROPAGATING PLANTS FROM LEAVES 
For. centuries it has been known to florists 
that certain kinds of plants could be readily 
propagated by cuttings of the leaves ; in 
fact, this is oue of Nature’s methods of mul¬ 
tiplying hundreds and thousands of different 
species. The leaves of some are broken off 
by the wind, and soon after touching the 
earth they take root and become individual 
plants, like their parents. This natura\ 
KEEPING APPLES FOR DAILY USE, 
The Country Gentleman gives the follow¬ 
ing advice in regard to keeping apples, 
which may benefit some Rural readers : 
The question is often asked, what is the best 
way to keep apples for common family use ? 
VALUE OF CARBONIC ACID, 
We have found central shelves in an apart¬ 
ment set off or devoted to this purpose, the 
most convenient. The apples are spread on 
these phelves, only u few inches deep, so 
that they may be. readi’y examined or 
picked over, as fast as decay commences ou 
any specimens. It is very important that 
the apples bo kept as cool as practicable 
niter gathering in autumn and before the 
freezing weather of winter arrives. For 
arc placed ou the floor of 
method of reproduction or perpetuation of 
species is mainly confined to plants of the 
tropics, but is occasionally seen among those 
of the temperate climates. 
But under artificial conditions, such as our 
propagating houses, the liat of plants which 
are susceptible of being multiplied in, this 
manner has been greatly extended during the 
pa3t few years, and our scientific florists have 
now reached a point in which they consider 
each plant cell an embryo bud, and a failure 
to make it take root and become a distinct, 
living organism is attributed more to a want 
of knowledge of the proper conditions neoes- 
sary to insure its life when separated from 
the. parent than to doubts in the truth of the 
theory advanced above. At first, ouly the 
more succulent plants, like the cacti, were 
thought susceptible of propagation in this 
manner ; then a step forward was made and 
the Begonia* were multiplied by leaf cut¬ 
tings, since which there has really been no 
limit to the possibilities in this direction. 
Geraniums, Coleuses, Fuchsias, Roses, and 
nearly the whole range of cultivated plants, 
have been experimented upon with more or 
less success. 
What were considered great achievements 
in propagating plants a few years ago would 
now scarcely provoke a remark, for we are 
progressing as rapidly in horticultural sci- 
this purpose they 
an outhouse facing t he north, and allowed to J 
remain there till about the time that freezi ug f ' 
weather commences, when they are removed 
to the shelves of the fruit room in the base¬ 
ment of the house. This fruit room (which 
is about ten feet wide and thirty feet long) is 
separated from the rest of the basement by 1 
an eight-inch brick wall, and has a cemented ' 
bottom to keep the a ir dry enough. Windows 
for ventilation are hung on hinges, so that 
they may be opened and closed to any desired 
degree, for the regulation of the temperature 
by the thermometer. The nearer this tem¬ 
perature is to freezing, the better the fruit 
will keep. When the weather is warm out¬ 
side, the windows are closed to keep out the 
warm air ; when colder, they ure opened 
sufficiently to admit the cool air and keep 
down the temperature. The apples being 
thinly spread ou the shelves, decaying speci¬ 
mens are readily detected and removed, care 
being taken not to disturb or tumble over 
the sound apples. An examination every 
few weeks during the winter and spring will 
keep the supply clear of rotten apples. 
Among the advantages of this mode are the 
readiness with which the specimens which 
will not keep are separated from the others, 
and only long keepers allowed to remain. 
When fruit is kept headed up in barrels, 
which is a common mode, this selection and j 
separation can not be made ; and while they 
keep better thus excluded from the air 
whiLe they remain sound, the commence¬ 
ment of decay in a few specimens will soon 
spoil all the rest. A little practice will 
enable the attendant to remove those speci¬ 
mens which will not keep, even baforo decay 
commences. 
As warm weather approaches, t> nd It be¬ 
comes more difficult to keep the apartment 
so cold as may be desirable for the fruit, a 
portion of the soundest and hardest are 
selected and placed in shallow boxes, and 
| shoved under the lower shelf, on the bottom 
of the cellar. The cold cellar bottom keeps 
them at a low temperature, and the shelf 
i above serves as a cover to prevent air cur- 
i rents. In this way we have fresh specimens 
of such fruit as the Baldwin and Rhodo 
PROGRESS OF FLYING MACHINERY 
A new steering balloon, by Smitter, is be¬ 
ing exhibited, suspended in the middle of the 
Alcazar, in Paris. The im a? uremeut is only 
fi,000 cubic feet, but the balloon is so light 
that, when filled with pure hydrogen, it 
must float. A considerable sum of money 
lias been invested in it, and great ability 
has been displayed in the construction. Al¬ 
though no practicable result in open air may 
be hoped for, it is a wonderful piece of clock 
work. In connection with this subject, it is 
stated that for several mouths past a firm cf 
engineers have been experimenting privately 
at the Crystal Palace with an aerial steamer 
of a novel and promising character, weighing 
100 pounds. Experiments are stated to have 
~ screws, 
proved the capability of two vertical 
each 12 feet in diameter, ro raise a weight of 
120 pouuds, the steam engine, with water 
and fuel, forming a part of the weight so 
raised to the extent of 70 pounds. The power 
exerted by it is equal to two aud a half 
horses. The communication of motion is 
given by a vertical axis projecting from the 
car .—London Times. 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES 
TREASURY DEPARTMENT WHITEWASH 
The receipt for whitewashing sent out by 
the Lighthouse Board of the Treasury De¬ 
partment has been found by experience to 
answer on wood, brick and stone nearly as 
well as oil-paint and is much cheaper. Slake 
a )4 bushel of unslaked lime with boiling 
water, keeping it covered during the pro¬ 
cess. Strain it, and add a peck of salt, dis¬ 
solved in warm water, 3 pounds of ground 
rice pub in boiling water and boiled to a thin 
paste ; K pound powdered Spanish whiting 
and a pound of clear glue, dissolved in warm 
water 
mix these well together, and let the 
mixture stand for severul day?. Keep the 
wash thus prepared in a kettle or portable 
furnace, and when used put it on as hot as 
possible with either painters’ or whitewash 
brushes. 
