74 
MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
Entomological, 
ENTOMOLOGY  AND  ITS  RELATIONS  TO 
HORTICULTDBE. 
A  Paper  Road  Before  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Now  Jersey  Horticultural  Society  held  at  Now 
Brunswick,  Jan.  20, 1876. 
BT  ANDUEW  B.  FVTjLEB. 
Eveby  thoughtful  man  must  regret  that  there 
should  exist  in  this,  our  Centennial  year,  a  neces¬ 
sity  for  presenting  a  paper  to  any  Horticalturai 
Society  upon  the  subject  which  I  haTe  selected. 
But  there  are  thousands  of  otherwise  very  intel¬ 
ligent  men  among  us  who  are  not  nwaro  of  the 
Intimate  relationship  existing  between  entomol¬ 
ogy  and  horticultural  pnruuits.  AU  insects  to 
them,  are  “  bugs."  and  enemies  of  the  human 
race,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  and,  in  their 
opinion,  no  good  can  come  of  a  close  study  of 
their  history  or  the  true  economic  position 
which  they  hold  In  the  groat  Indivisible  chain  of 
nature. 
As  evils  generally  arc  only  the  manifest  results 
of  a  disturbance  of  some  natural  law,  we  may  con¬ 
clude  that  the  depredations  of  insects  to  any  con¬ 
siderable  extent  ai-e  tho  legiUinate  fruits  of  our 
own  ignorance  of  their  habits,  or  indiiTerejice  to 
the  application  of  proper  proveutivea. 
Of  course,  insects  are  J  ust  as  necessary  to  the 
existence  of  plants  as  the  plants  ai-e  to  insects, 
and  tho  total  annihilation  of  one  would  result  in 
the  same  fate  to  tho  other ;  couseciuctitly,  we  do 
not  seek  such  extreme  measui'cs,  but  aim  at  es¬ 
tablishing  and  retaining  uu  equilibrium  Ijctwccu 
the  two.  We  might  perhaps,  without  loss,  dis- 
peuBc  with  the  codling  moth,  plum  curcuUo,  and 
Colorado  potato  beetle,  and  some  few  more  of 
the  most  abundant  noxious  species;  but  even 
should  this  ever  become  possible,  it  would  not  be 
wise  to  place  the  execution  of  so  great  a  work  in 
the  haudfi  of  ignorant  laborers.  I  do  not  mean 
by  this  term,  “  ignorant  lalwrers,"  those  wo  em¬ 
ploy  on  our  farms  or  in  om'  gardens,  but  men 
who  know  nothing  of  the  science  of  entomology, 
however  well  they  may  be  informed  on  other 
BUbJecta. 
A  man  may  be  a  passably  intoUigeut  horticul- 
turiat  and  at  the  same  time  a  poor  entomologist ; 
hence,  inliis  attempts  to  regulate  matters  among 
insoct  depredators,  ho  may  do  more  harm  than 
good.  For  instance,  tho  now  common  cabbage 
worm  or  caterpillar  of  the  small  white,  rape  but¬ 
terfly,  (^Pieris  rapee')  inti-oduced  from  Europe  a 
few  years  since,  has  sqM-ead  to  every  jairt  of  the 
country  whore  cabbages  ore  cultivated.  When 
first  introduced  it  appears  to  have  had  no  natural 
(iQomies  except  the  birds,  and  these  made  little 
impression  in  checking  Its  ra\  ages ;  but  after  tho 
lapse  of  a  half-dozen  years  the  parasite  which 
had  for  ages  prejod  upon  it  in  Europe  arrived, 
and  immediately  commenced  to  lesson  the  num¬ 
ber.  8o  rapidly  did  this  little  parusitio  fly  aceom- 
pliah  its  mission,  that  the  second  season  after  its 
appearance  In  my  neighborhood  scarcely  a  speci¬ 
men  of  the  cabbage  woiTn  could  b©  found.  Pre¬ 
vious  to  this  time,  the  Agricultural  and  Horticul¬ 
tural  press  had  not  only  advised  tho  kiUing  of  alJ 
the  worms  found  v  orlting  upon  tho  cabhages,  but 
the  gathering  of  tho  chriTJalids  which  could  usual¬ 
ly  be  found  in  great  numbers  attached  to  fences 
and.ouibulldings  dming  the  winter.  T’hU  was 
good  advico  at  th-st,  but  worse  than  nseless  after 
the  appeariinco  of  its  parasitic  enemy,  because 
the  pupae  of  tho  latter  are  always  inclosed  within 
those  of  the  former  ;  tiierefore,  in  attempting  to 
destroy  an  enemy,  we  were  likely  to  kill  many 
friends.  Time  and  again  1  have  recc-ived  speci¬ 
mens  of  tho  cabbage  butlerily  chrysalids  which 
were  literally  crowded  full  of  the  pupae  of  the 
little  Pleroituilus  paparum  (or  cabbage  worn 
par.'isite)  which  had,  In  a  few  years,  nlmoat  put 
an  end  to  Uiis  great  enemy  of  the  cabbage. 
From  this  one  Instance,  as  well  a«  scores  of 
others  which  might  be  named,  it  must  be  appar¬ 
ent  to  every  one  that  a  knowledge  of  insect  life 
is  as  necessary,  in  order  to  acenre  dcshable  re¬ 
sults,  as  to  know  somcUiing  of  plant  life  to  be¬ 
come  a  srrcoeasful  horticnltnriat.  In  fact,  It  is 
scarcely  possible  for  a  man  to  roach  a  very  ad¬ 
vanced  position  in  either  entomology  or  horticul¬ 
ture,  vathout  becoming  more  or  loss  familial’ 
with  the  principles  and  processes  of  botli. 
The  first  step  made  by  the  novice  in  collecting 
BpccimeuB  toward  forming  a  cabinet,  he  will  moot 
iusects  feeding  upon  plants :  and  this  lends  Lira 
to  make  investigations  in  regard  to  their  name 
and  habits.  He  soon  discovers  that  wtiile  cwtahi 
species  of  insects  confine  their  ravages  to  certain 
winfiH  of  plants,  oUiers feed  indiscriminately  with¬ 
out  much  apparent  preference. 
INQirFERENCE  OF  THE  MASSES. 
Tho  inmeaso  of  noxious  insects  liiia  spread  con¬ 
sternation  among  farmers  and  fruit  growers  of 
the  country,  causing  losses  of  untold  millions  of 
dollars  to  them ;  and  wliilctlicy  mourn  over  their 
losses,  scarcely  an  effort  is  made  to  prevent  such 
disasters  in  the  futiuo.  It  is  more  than  fifty 
years  since  Thomas  Say  described  and  named  the 
Colorado  beetle,  and  nearly  twenty  since  its  East¬ 
ern  march  was  begun,  and  yet,  while  our  ento¬ 
mologists  sounded  the  tocsin,  foretelling  the 
results  which  must  f  oUow  the  spread  of  this  pest, 
as  well  as  how  it  might  easily  U;  prevented,  no  ^ 
heed  was  taken  of  tJie  warning,  and  to-day  we 
are  only  pajring  the  pimalty  of  indifference  and 
neglect,  Jiad  a  tribe  of  Indians  marcheil  down  ’ 
from  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  destroyed  five  or  ' 
fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  property,  there  j 
would  have  been  a  great  hue  and  cry  made  over 
it ;  but  an  insect  may  oomc  and  destroy  fifty  or 
one  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  and  not  one  move 
will  be  made  to  repair  the  loss  or  prevent  a  repe¬ 
tition  of  the  same. 
T  cannot  attribute  this  general  apathy  of  our 
people  ill  such  matters  to  anytiiing  else  but  uni¬ 
versal  ignorance  of  tho  science  of  entomology,  or  j 
that  our  politicians  csuinut  see  any  oppoituiiity 
for  swindling  tiic  masses  in  fighting  insects  as 
they  do  in  the  ease  of  a  wai’  with  a  human  foo. 
Only  show  our  Congressmen  and  State  Legisla¬ 
tures  how  they  can  make  a  little  or  good  deal  of 
money  out  of  a  war  upon  insect  foes,  and  there 
will  be  no  lack  of  men  and  means  to  conquer  j 
them. 
Tho  annual  loss  to  tho  cotton  planters  of  the 
Southern  States  tlirough  insect  depredations,  is 
from  ten  to  one  hmidred  niillious  of  dollars ; 
still,  no  considorahlo  effort  has  ever  boon  made  | 
to  save  tliis  vast  amount  to  the  country.  Rut  the  , 
actual  losses  of  crops  cultivated  is  not  tlie  full  | 
extent  of  injury  caused  by  our  insect  enemies,  I 
but  they  have  ]jrevontod  tho  introduction  and  dis-  | 
semiiiatiou  of  many  vaiuahk!  kinds  of  plante,  as  | 
well  as  comiKjlled  tho  iibandonmont  of  hosts  of  | 
others  over  extensive  regions  of  country.  ! 
The  plum,  pt;ach  and  ajiricot  which  formerly  j 
flourished  in  all  parts  of  this  .State,  are  now  only  | 
rarely  cultivated,  except  in  the  gardens  of  our  j 
cities  and  villages,  and  all  in  consequence  of  in- 
aect  enemies. 
The  same  or  wniilar  conditions  exist  in  many 
other  titatc«;  and  still,  in  tlio  face  of  tliese  facts, 
oiitomology  is  a  science’  almost  unknown  m  our  , 
common  schools  and  colleges.  Two  Wcsteni  I 
States  do.  I  believe,  employ  an  entomologist  to  i 
gather  iuris’iiialion  niul  diMseniinate  it  among  1 
their  people ;  but  the  salary  olitained  for  (his  | 
service  is  less  Unui  that  obtained  in  a  srs'ond-rate 
clerkship  in  our  cities ;  wliicli  shows  how  lightly  ' 
tho  labors  of  entomologists  are  appreciated — an- 
other  evidence  of  the  univerMid  ignorance  of  the  ! 
masses  of  subjects  ufl'ccting  their  owui  immediate  | 
welfare. 
NEW  JERSEY  A  LAOOARO.  | 
III  the  year  1786  a  s<a:iety  was  organized 
city  of  Philadelphia  under  the  name  of  the  “  Phil¬ 
adelphia  Bociety  for  Promoting  Agriculture.”  In 
the  published  reixirts  of  this  Society  during  tho 
succeeding  twonty-live  years,  I  find  uutnormis 
couimunicatioTiH  from  gentlemen  residing  in  New 
Jersey — in  fact,  the  most  ai’tive  members  were 
Jersejiiien.  iJuring  the  period  named  New  Jor- 
Hoy  was  the  center  of  ixmiological  knowledge,  and 
such  men  as  William  Coxk  of  Burlington,  lUcu- 
AttD  Peters  of  Belmont.  Pawl  Oixipeh  of  Wooil- 
biii-y,  and  many  others  whose  names  arc  well 
know'n  in  the  history  of  the  State,  wore  hard  at  i 
work,  gaUioring  ft  iul  disseminating  hortlcullnral  , 
information.  Bnt  in  reading  tlieir  writings  we 
learn  that  the  plum  curculio  had  uh’ea»ly  begun 
its  ravages,  the  pcacli  tree  Isirer  had  very  nearly 
discouraged  theao  pioneers  in  tlic  field,  and  vuinlx 
did  they  seek  prRCtIcal  or  scientific  Information 
in  regard  to  the  habits  and  history  of  these  in¬ 
sects.  The  question  now  arises,  How  much  bet¬ 
ter  off  should  we  be  to-day  in  regard  to  the  habits 
of  these  identical  six'cies,  had  no  one  investigated 
the  subject  but  Jersey  men  ?  Wc  have  institu¬ 
tions  of  learning  endowed  nmniliecntly,  one  liav- 
ing  received  over  a  million  of  doUnra  during  the 
past  hAlf-dozeii  years ;  but  shtmld  a  pomologist 
visit  one  of  our  colleges  to  loam  the  name  of  the 
common  apple  tree  borer,  be  would  probably  find 
tbeir  entomological  knowledge  or  cabinet  did 
not  extend  beyond  a  stone  model  of  thc/Scor- 
ab(PUK  of  the  ancient  Egyptian.  Admitting  that 
‘  ‘  distance  lends  enchantment,”  would  it  not  be 
well  to  learn  something  of  omr  own  Immediate 
BurroundingH,  as  well  as  of  people  long  since 
passed  from  this  earth  ? 
WHAT  IS  THE  REMEDY  ? 
That  wc  can  never  wage  a  successful  war 
against  our  insect  enemies  without  knowing  the 
principal  features  of  their  natural  history,  is  con¬ 
ceded  by  evei-y  one  who  has  paid  any  attention  to 
the  subject ;  thorcfv>re.  tho  lli’st  tiling  to  do  is  to 
devise  some  means  for  a  general  dissemination 
of  entomological  information. 
Perhaps  if  this  Society  is  sustained  os  I  hope  it 
may  destirve  to  ho,  something  of  the  kind  may 
bo  done  through  its  annual  reiairte.  But  I  have 
no  faith  in  any  scheme  for  bringing  about  any 
great  change  or  revelation  in  regard  to  the  inter¬ 
est  of  the  masses  in  entomology — or  in  fact  any 
other  useful  branch  of  scieiice — unless  tho  seed 
[  is  planti-d  in  our  common  schools.  These  are 
tlio  nurseries  to  wliieh  tlie  nation  must  look  for 
its  future  supply  of  “  bent"  or  upright  twigs,  and 
the  longer  we  overlook  that  fact  the  more  remote 
will  he  the  day  when  every  cliild  shall  know  that 
all  insects  are  not  bugs  nor  created  expressly  to 
tomient  the  human  race. 
We  must  have  elementary  works  upon  ento-  | 
mology  suited  to  the  capacity  of  children,  in  ^ 
which  the  life  history  of  some  of  our  most  com-  i 
tnoii  insects  is  given  in  language  readily  under-  ' 
stood.  The  history  of  tho  inoscjntto  would  be 
especially  interesting  to  tho  childi^of  New  Jer-  | 
sey,  and  it  might  even  attract  the  attention  of  | 
those  of  larger  growth,  for  I  fear  thei’e  are  many  j 
men  and  women  in  the  State  who  are  not  aware 
of  the  fact  that  this  very  tioublesome  little  fly  in  j 
one  stage  of  its  existence  performs  a  most  meri-  : 
torious  work,  beneficial  to  beings  of  a  higher 
order. 
ITie  main  features  in  the  history  of  all  insects  ^ 
—such,  for  inataiioe,  as  their  various  transforma¬ 
tions — could  readily  bo  imparted  to  children  in 
plain  but  attractive  language,  and  thereby  diffuse 
a  knowledge  of  these  uruiturea  wifich  would  nut-  j 
urally  increase,  mid  evonlnally  produce  most  I 
beneficial  results.  With  such  a  system  of  educa-  , 
tiou,  tlie  [Hiople  who  will  probably  meet  at  our 
bi-ceatoimial  celabratiou,  might  be  so  well  in-  | 
formfsl  upon  entomological  8ubjf-*ct8  as  not  to 
look  u|>on  the  common  thousand-legged  worm 
as  a  Idud  of  caterpillar,  or  believe  that  iusects 
breathe  through  their  nose  or  month,  or  cxecnte 
their  songs  by  tho  aid  of  the  sajiie  organs.  Per¬ 
haps  they  would  also  know  tliat  little  house  flies 
never  grow  to  b©  big  ones,  but  are  bom  little  and 
remain  in  that  condition,  and  that  all  kinds  of 
flies  come  from  the  pupae  full  size  and  as  large 
as  they  ever  will  bo. 
There  are  thousands  of  such  sbnjile  scraps  of 
insect  histoiy  which  it  would  bC!  well  for  every¬ 
body  tel  know,  if  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
promote  tlieir  own  pleasure  in  passing  through 
life. 
IN  CONCLUSION, 
permit  me  to  suggest  that  emr  future  progress  in  | 
liorriculture  largely  depends  upon  oim  success  in  | 
controlling  insect  enemies.  The  labors  of  a  few  . 
men  scattered  here  aiul  there  through  tlie  Btate, 
will  accomplish  very  little  in  tliis  direction :  but 
by  an  orgaulzfsl  effort,  with  a  proper  knowk^gi* 
of  the  work  to  be  done  and  tho  Ix^st  methfsl  of  j 
doing  it,  tho  end  sought  will  be  reached  in  due  . 
course  of  time.  i 
0ian)  of  :i 
• 
DAILY  RURAL  LIFE 
From  the  Diary  of  a  Oentleman  near  New 
York  City. 
AN  ODD  REQUEST. 
Jon.  11. — There  iimst  be  some  strange  people 
in  this  world,  if  one  is  to  judge  from  the  letters 
they  write.  With  my  Umited  correspondence,  I 
receive  some  rather  amusing  epistles  and  strange 
requests  for  assistance.  Of  course,  T  am  not 
going  to  open  my  private  letters  and  let  every¬ 
body  read  them ;  but  I  am  in  receipt  of  one  this 
week  from  a  pirfeot  straiigor,  which  contains  ' 
such  an  odd  request  that  it  is  worth  noting  in  ' 
my  Diaiy.  Tho  write'r  says  he  is  alxiut  writing 
a  book  on  agriculture,  in  wliicb  he  is  going  to  set 
forth  a  “new  principle  in  vegetable  life,”  and  he 
requests  mo  to  write  a  chapter  In  said  proposed 
worlc  on  some  iinixirtant  subject,  adding,  as  an 
inducement,  “  I  want  to  make  tlie  book  imjXirt- 
ant  and  interesting.” 
Now.  I  am  not  disinclined  to  have  my  name 
handed  down  to  posterity  in  good  company,  or  to 
lend  a  helping  liaiid  to  those  who  aspire  to  the 
same  position  ;  but  the  “  new  principle  in  vege¬ 
table  hfe”  mentioned,  makes  me  rather  w&ry 
about  such  a  venture,  unless  I  am  let  into  tho 
secret  in  advance.  liEjing  all  levity  aside,  1  am 
somewhat  chagrined  that  a  man  who  saj-s  he  has 
read  my  01017  for  years,  should  titink  me  so  ver¬ 
dant  as  to  contribute  a  chapter  to  a  proposed 
I  book  of  tlic  cLarficter  of  which  I  know  nothing 
I  or  that  of  tlie  would-bo  author.  I  must  turn 
I  over  a  new  leaf  in  my  scribbling,  or  some  one 
will  be  offering  mo  a  situation  as  baby  nurse,  or 
traveling  companion  to  a  respectable  elderly  lady. 
MY  SEED  CABINET. 
Jon.  12. — 1  have  been  in  the  habit,  for  many 
years,  of  preserving  specimens  of  tho  various 
kinds  ol  seod-s  which  hapixjned  to  come  into  my 
possession.  To  have  them  bandy  for  examina¬ 
tion,  I  put  them  into  small  vials,  varying  from  the 
small  glass  tubes  used  for  homoeopathic  pills  up 
to  those  wliidi  will  admit  a  good-sized  bean. 
Tliese  vials  cost  but  a  trifle  when  purcliased  in 
quantities,  and  ,are  preferable  to  boxes  foi’  pro- 
serving  seeds  requiring  frequent  examination. 
Now,  my  principal  object  in  keeping  such  tilings 
was  first,  te>  know  them,  and  second,  to  see  how 
often  an  old  sort  would  come  aroimd  as  a  new 
one.  I  think  the  HuUcbh  oat  lias  been  offerodas 
a  newly-discovered  variety  something  like  ten 
times  since  my  first  acquaintance  with  it,  forty 
*  years  ago.  Tlieii  there  is  the  old  Tartarian  buck¬ 
wheat,  which  has  turned  uji  from  time  to  time 
as  India  wheat.  Merino  wheat,  etc.,  etc.;  but 
these  cabinet  samples  I  have  found  very  conven¬ 
ient  for  aiding  me  to  identify  this  old  acquaint¬ 
ance,  no  matter  under  what  kind  of  name  it 
comes.  Then  it  is  handy  to  have  samples  of  the 
different  kinds  of  wheat,  beans,  peae,  and  such 
coarse  kinds  of  seeds,  for  comparison,  when  some 
peddler  of  novelties  cornea  along  with  “  a  won 
derful”  and  newly-discovered  variety  for  sale.  If 
every  fanner  In  tlie  country  bad  made  a  practice 
from  Ills  boyhood  up,  of  saving  a  few  kpecimens 
each  of  all  tbo  different  kinds  of  weeds  which  he 
had  either  raised  or  met  with  on  his  travels,  he 
would  bo  far  less  bable  to  become  the  dupe  of 
Bwrindling  dealers  in  sncli  articles  than  without 
those  aids  for  detecting  frauds. 
It  is  said  to  he  hard  "  for  old  dogs  to  learn 
new  tricks,”  therefore  I  have  bttlo  hope  of  influ¬ 
encing  old  men  to  form  such  collections  as  1  have 
named :  but  I  do  hope  some  of  the  boys  who 
reml  this  Diarj’  will  take  an  interest  in  the  mat¬ 
ter.  But  let  uie  caution  them,  in  advance,  not 
to  become  too  enthusiastic  in  the  beginning,  for 
HI  such  matters  it  is  best  to  moke  haste  slowly, 
and  contuiuo  unceasingly  to  the  end  of  life.  If 
you  can  afford  nothing  better  for  holding  the 
scfHls,  make  some  small  paper  bags  largo  enough 
to  hold  a  dozen  good-sized  beans  and  long  enough 
to  allow  the  end  to  be  folded  under.  Commence 
by  taking  a  few  sjieeiinens  uf  every  kind  of  bean 
yon  can  find  in  the  ucighborliooil,  writuig  the 
name  on  the  ontaide  of  the  bag  and  tho  date  of 
collection.  If  tho  variety  is  known  by  two  or 
more  names,  put  them  all  on,  for  it  is  well  to 
know  all  we  can  loam  of  each  variety.  Also, 
write  down  whether  the  variety  is  a  pole,  bush, 
snap,  field,  early  or  late  Ix’iUi.  All  thi.s  Bud  much 
more  can  bo  written  in  a  very  small  space.  Now, 
a  colkHrUon  of  fifty  to  one  hundred  kinds  of  beans 
is  not  a  difliculi  thing  to  obtain  by  a  little  perse¬ 
verance,  and  if  arranged  in  neat  vials  they  would 
form  an  ornament  worthy  oF  actmspicuons  place 
in  any  fai  nier's  or  gentleman’s  residence. 
Boine  of  tlio  troj.ical  species  of  i^as  and  beans 
are  excewliiigly  beautiful,  being  of  an  almost 
dazzlingly-brilliaiit  color.  A  few  years  since  I 
procured  a  numlxfr  of  varieties  from  Hindostan, 
(Uiimi  and  Japan,  among  which  were  some  that 
were  not  only  beautiful  in  their  dried  state,  but 
the  gi’oxving  jdant.s  were  so  entirely  different 
from  mu*  ordinnry  kinds  that  one  could  scarcely 
believe  Ihein  to  bo  beans.  J  Imve  picked  up  a 
good  many  sorts  of  iH-niis.  but  uni  Fur  from 
••  knowing  beans"  yet,  and  those  hints  are  thrown 
out  witli  the  hope  that  some  Imy  who  may  read 
this  will  lx‘  able  to  come  iieaver  that  point  than  I 
huve. 
Collections  of  wheat,  oats,  corn,  and  uU  otlier 
kinds  of  seeds,  should  be  gatherc’il  and  preserved 
in  the  same  manner,  not  forgetting  the  various 
kinds  of  fruit  and  forest  tree  seeds.  Any  one 
who  will  do  Uiis  and  keep  it  up  through  life,  can¬ 
not  fail  to  become  well  informed  in  regal’d  to  tlie 
products  of  the  counti^ ;  and  should  a  fanner’s 
sou  ever  go  into  a  city  and  engage  in  mercantile 
pursuits,  or  ente>r  any  of  the  learned  pi’ofcssions, 
the  knowUslge  thus  acquired  will  he  found  of 
great  iiractical  use.  A  minister  or  lawyer  who 
really  “  knows  bciins,”  will  bo  able  to  make  many 
a  “  telling  point”  during  a  professional  career 
,  wliich  could  not  be  made  without  such  knowl¬ 
edge.  Individuals  should  not  only  endeavor  to 
iir-euiioilate  knowledge  in  this  direction,  but  tlie 
Granges  thi’onghout  the  countrj'  could  scarcely 
do  better  tliau  to  form  cabinets  of  all  their  local 
productions  for  the  beuefitof  members  and  theii’ 
families.  When  this  point  is  reached  exchanges 
can  bo  made  between  Oranges  in  diffeient  parts 
of  the  Union.  Lot  this  be  done,  and  the  occu¬ 
pation  of  swindling  seed  peddlers  would  soon  Ixs 
gone. 
SEEDLING  POTATOES. 
Jon.  13. — John,  who  is  my  man  of  all  work 
about  the  place,  was  very  anxious  to  know  how 
so  many  new  varieties  of  potatoes  were  produced, 
and  last  suiiauer  I  explained  how  tho  thing  was 
done.  As  a  result  of  this  explanation,  I  began 
to  find  seedballs  of  potatoes  hanging  up  here  and 
there  aliout  the  place  at  the  time  of  digging  tho 
crop  last  fall.  Two  or  lliree  weeks  since  John 
washed  out  his  crop  of  jHitato  seeds  and  spread 
them  out  on  boards  to  di’y,  tlie  same  as  he  usually 
docs  with  tomatoes  ;  but  lie  was  so  iniimtieiit  to 
know  whether  the  seed  were  good  and  likely  to 
grow,  that  ho  sow«l  a  quantity  in  a  box  in  the 
greenhouse.  I’ll©  seed  being  sound,  they  came 
up  in  ft  few  days,  and  now  .loriN  is  in  trouble,  for 
ho  can  scarcely  spare  the  room  to  keep  all  the 
plants  gi’owing  until  spring,  and  I  tell  him  if  any 
one  is  destroyed  it  may  be  the  vei’y  best  of  the 
whole  lot — for  nothing  can  be  known  of  their 
value  except  by  waiting  until  the  tubers  are 
tested. 
Of  course  it  w’ill  be  hard  to  beat  some  of  the 
new  sorts  of  potatoes  now  in  cultivation  ;  still, 
raising  seedling  potatoes  is  no  more  difficult  than 
raising  tomato  plants;  and  if  tho  boys  on  the 
farm  would  practice  a  little  more  of  this  kind  of 
diversion,  good  results  might  follow,  and  it  would 
cei-tahily  do  them  nO  hann. 
A  Correction.— Tn  my  Diarj*  of  last  week 
there  were  several  typogriipLiciil  en’ors,  and  one 
very  inqxirluut  omission  hi  tlio  tliird  parugranh 
of  ihe  second  column,  viz.; — In  speaking  of  Ine 
figure  of  tho  A{/ace  Tvyorira  at>|xariug  in 
ChTR-ns’  Botanical  JIagazine.  it  shonia  have  been 
followed  by  the  words,  “  and  one  also  In  the 
American  AgHcuUurist,  November,  1871.” 
