AY  20 
MOORE’S  RURAL  WEW-YORKER. 
Jloiicnltuviil. 
THE  GARDENER’S  SOLILOQUY  OVER  THE 
SEED  CATALOGUES. 
To  sow  or  not  to  sow  ?  Ulat  is  tlio  qnrsUou ; 
Whether  'lis  n<»hler  in  the  mind  to  suffer 
The  frreatest  torment  of  a  Kunlencr’s  life 
In  porinff  yearly  throinrh  “  Iht  (^ftfalotrucs,” 
Or  to  take  means  by  poi»pin(f  them,  when  sent. 
In  the  waste  bafOiet  to  he  looked  to 
No  more ;  ami  by  doint;  so,  tf)  say  we  <!ml 
The  thirst  for  new  amt  "*  special  novelties” 
That  flesh  is  heir  to.  'Tis  a  constimniation 
Devoutly  to  be  wishctl.  To  ki'ow  -  In  sow  ? 
To  ffrow'  ?  perehauce  to  cram  our  he,<lh  and  borders 
With  useless  rubbish.  Aye  there's  the  rub  ! 
[ir.  THUry,  in  Garden. 
»  - 
QUI  VIVE. 
Now  blooms  tlie  wide-awake  Ifrpnfim  Iriloha. 
A  mass  of  little  six-iKjtaled,  sky-blue  llowers 
three  or  four  inches  liigh.  Whon  the  pet.ils  fall, 
the  aehenin  and  throe  large  involucral  leaves  re¬ 
semble  small  greon  clover-heads.  It  is  bright 
and  full  of  the  essence  of  early  spring. 
Spira-a  lomnitosn  may  still  be  removed  from 
the  jields  and  roatlsides  and  bloom  this  season. 
It  is  fully  as  pretty  as  S.  cnlkm.  Kohleann,  lan- 
cfolata  and  others  which  are  offered  in  nursery 
catalogues  at  fjOc.  each.  'Uhe  leaves  are  smallish, 
ovnUs-lanceoIate,  and  the  llowers  are  borne  in 
dense  racemes  of  pnri)le,  which  form  jiyramdial 
clusters  of  fruit  for  the  birds  of  winter. 
Vrnmiion.-  Onr  young  friends  (and  old  ones, 
too.)  just  beginning  the  study  of  botany,  may 
now  study  wliat  is  technically  termed  Vernation 
— i,  fi.,  the  arrangement  of  the  leaves  in  the  bud 
distinctive  mark  of  groat  use  in  dotermining 
the  order  to  which  a  given  plant  helongs.  If  the 
nnliotanical  reader  thinks  this  subject  is  not  one 
to  arouse  a  deal  of  interest,  wo  ask  him  to  i)luck 
two  buds — one  from  a  Tulip  tree,  the  other  from 
the  Wayfaring  triie  ( Vihui'imm  lanlannkU'n), 
and  examine  them.  In  the  Tulip  tree  when  the 
outer  scales  sejiaiatt!,  we  shall  see  what  aiipcars 
an  oblong,  dattened  lumch,  somewhat  like  a 
young  isju-pod,  scamloss  and  entire.  This  may 
he  nuwle  to  divide  into  two  ronndisli  sliptdes,  ami 
within  w«!  lind  ii  conduftlicateh -folded  leaf  bent 
over  mam  its  iietiole.  Ikmoath  this  leaf  wcsliall 
find  another  pod  -  and  witluii  this  ptxl  unotlier 
loaf— and  beneath  Uil.<  le^if  anothfu'  pod  -grow¬ 
ing  smaller  and  smaller,  until  the  tiny  embryonal 
stipules,  leaves,  iiotiohts  and  stems  lor  the  whole 
season’s  grow  th  arc  disclosed. 
In  the  Viburnum,  tlio  buds  aro  quite  naked. 
No  siiale-clothing  exits  to  protect  tliem  in  win¬ 
ter.  The  bud  is  itself  the  leaf  entire,  and  its 
development  Is  a.s  simple  as  possible. 
Thus  are  differeut  plants  differently  organized, 
and  early  spring  alono  offers  an  opportunity  fur 
a  comijarativo  oxiuuination  of  what  no  words  or 
books  can  so  well  explain. 
roses  or  scattered  hero  and  there  if  not  too  shadcil 
and  the  soil  is  not  too  stiff. 
Little  is  gained  by  oai'ly  planting.  Those 
planted  before  the  first  of  April  bloom  no  sooner 
than  those  plimtcil  two  weeks  later.  For  a  suc¬ 
cession  of  bloom,  continue  jdantiug  as  late  as 
July  1st.  Wo  may  count  upon  an  average  of 
three,  months  between  planting  and  blooming. 
One  of  the  first  charms  about  this  plant  of 
limation  were  more  abundant  upon  the  crags  and 
peaks — thither  wo  should  count  upon  our  paint¬ 
er’s  spending  a  lilieral  share  of  his  time  maiigre 
the  Orchids  in  the  “deep  recesses”  beneath. 
Again,  one  slasliing  artist  might  paint  in  an  hour 
what  anotlier  artist  of  precision  might  not  paint 
in  a  day.  HuMnoi.nT  does  hut  mystify  ns  as  to 
tbo  number  of  Orchids  in  the  “  deep  recesses  of 
tho  Andes.”! 
J>--V'riTI?,A.  IS'I’ItA  .MOM  I  UJVl. 
CORRECTION. 
In  the  article  entitled  “  A  visit  to  Mr.  ricrKu 
Hendkhson  ”  we  gave  items  of  tho  great  amoimt 
of  work  accomplished  by  his  lightning  jwttcr. 
In  one  of  these  there  was  an  imiiortunt  error. 
In  tho  statement  that  ho  j  lotted  a  day  or  so 
previously  1,000  plants  as  no  more  than  an 
average  day’s  work  from  7  ’till  6— allowing  half- 
an-hom.'  for  noon  the  one  thousand  ought  to 
have  been  ten  thousand,  as  an  average  day’s 
work. 
NOTES, 
A  New  Shmb.  An  the  Washington  Market, 
(this  city,)  a  sign  a  foot  sipiare  is  hung  over  a 
quantity  of  shruhs  upon  which  is  palriled  in 
large  capitals,  IIvuuA  Ranoia.s.  'Though  tho 
clumps  wear  a  familiar  look,  we  do  not  (irid  any 
such  genus  or  species  in  tJio  u.sual  references 
It  must  be  a  new  ahruh  (!) 
Panerntinm  Jiolatum.  Tliis  native  bulb  is 
quite  as  handsome  as  many  of  tho  imported  liil- 
ies  and  other  grand  plants  from  abroad.  Our 
enterprising  friend  who  has  taken  in  hand  to 
push  Agave  Virginica,  might  do  a  similar  good 
work  by  workuig  up  this  which  also  grows  wild 
in  his  region.  It  is  not  at  alf  abundant  in  culti¬ 
vation  and.  practically,  it  has  yet  to  be  intro¬ 
duced.  Still,  not  to  excite  the  ire  of  those  of  us 
who  love  to  have  things  correctly  expressed,  he 
had  better  not,  in  liis  Pancratium  ciicular,  clnim 
the  honor  of  a  “first  discovery.” 
Thus  kindly  suggestive  and  gently  admonitory 
is  the  Gardener’s  Montlily  to  our  friend,  Mr. 
Gdnn  of  Tennessee.  ' 
GkuJML—Plmt  the  conus  deep  if  the  soil  ia 
light— live  indies  from  tho  top  for  large,  three 
for  medium,  two  for  smaU.  Tins  will  give  sup¬ 
port  to  tho  leaves  at  least  until  the  llowerin- 
stalk  is  well  advanced  and  render  stakes,  which  i 
mar  the  appearance  of  tho  beds  or  borders  in 
ivluch  they  are  planted,  unuecessaiy. 
Gladioli  may  be  planted  iu  group.?,  in  plots  to 
tJiemsclves,  among  low-growing  annuals,  among 
many  charms,  is  tliat  tlio  flowers  open  neai'ly  as 
well  oven  to  the  topmost  bud  wbeii  cut  off  and 
jilaced  in  water  as  whon  left  to  mature  upon  tlie 
stems.  As  (lie  lower  llowers  fado  and  wither, 
pull  the  corolla  out,  leaving  only  the  fresh  ones 
above. 
Cut  off  the  flowering  stem  six  inches  below  tho 
spike  and  place  it  in  water.  A  spray  of  enduring 
green  for  contrast  is  all  that  i.-i  needed  to  form  a 
bouquet  of  exquisite  beauty.  A  single  flower  is 
as  pretty  as  that  of  many  of  the  famod  and  costly 
Amarj'llis.  .And  _Vot  each  stalk  bears  twenty 
more  or  loss—  and  nacli  bulb  gives  several  stalks 
fonuirig  garden  bouquets  far  more  graceful  than 
tho  stiff  pugs  into  which  flowers  ai'o  usually 
squeezed. 
It  is  a  good  plan — when  they  are  planted  in 
full  sunshinc-to  cbver  tho  ground  about  the 
stem  with  freshly-cut  grass  iu  seasons  of  dryness. 
iipirma  Pruni folia.  Gf  all  the  Siiirieas,  give 
us  this  one,  if  only  one  we  aro  to  have.  Jlalloon- 
shaped  ia  exaetly  tho  phrase  to  express  its  figure  ; 
its  foliage  is  thick— though  constituted  of  httle 
leaves  and  those  aro  of  tho  smoothest,  glossiest 
texture. 
Last  summer  wo  estimalod  that  there  were  ten 
thousand  flowers  upon  one  bush  three  feet  high. 
The  petals  have  rnimito  splasliings  of  green. 
Sessile  upon  tho  branch  is  an  involucre  of  four 
or  five  very  small  leaves.  Ibom  these  from  two 
to  five  tlu'ead-Iiko  peduncles  grow  an  inch  in 
lengtli,  each  bearing  a  flower.  These  clusters  of 
involucres  aro  scarcely  quarter  of  an  inch  apart, 
so  that  tho  bush  is  Ittorally  a  mass  of  flowers,  fn 
tho  inflorescence,  first  is  a  ealyciform  involucre 
star-shaped — then  an  inner  or  true  calyx  form¬ 
ing  a  smaller  star  that  alternates  with  the  other 
-then  tho  whorlsof  roundish  white  jietals  fonn- 
ing  an  oval  agate-hutton  half  an  inch  in  diame¬ 
ter.  'Ihe  whorl  of  leaves  at  first  apparently  ses¬ 
sile  upon  tho  branch,  consists  of  nodes  which  do 
not  develop  until  the  flowers  have  disappeared, 
when  the  inter  -  nodes  lengtlicn  into  regular 
branches  and  tho  tiny  leaves  grow  to  usual  size. 
It  is  one  of  the  earliest  to  bloom  and  is  now  in 
bud  (May  1st). 
ttpeaking  of  Orchids,  Humboujt  tolls  ns : 
“  Such  is  their  number  and  variety  in  tlio  valleys 
of  the  Periunan  Andes,  that  tho  entire  life  of  a 
painter  would  be  too  .short  to  dolineato  all  tho 
magnifiooiit  forms  which  adorn  tliosc  deep  re¬ 
cesses.” 
[Tins  is  vague  for  IIumboedt.  Painters  as  a 
class  aro  possessed  of  an  insatiable  thirst  for 
“  Mountain  Dew”  tliat  sometimes  eventuates  in 
their-  working  by  ‘‘fits  and  starts !”  If  this  suh- 
Zlnnia  Ylrov/unt.— Tho  Gardoners’  Monthly  for 
May  says  of  this : 
“  Under  this  name  a  new  race  of  Double  Zin¬ 
nias  has  come  into  oxislotiee  through  the  skill  of 
the  hybridizer,  and  is  illustrated  iutho  Pobniary 
miiiibcr  of  the  liondoii  l'’loriHt  and  Pomologist. 
The  habit  is  mnen  better  than  tho  old  race  of 
Double.  Zinnias,  and  they  will  be  no  doubt  groat 
favorites,  Wo  believe  our  seedsmen  will  soon  bo 
able  to  offer  tliem  to  American  cultivators." 
[The  Gardeners’  Montlily  for  once  is  not  alert. 
We  [uirchasod  seeds  of  Z.  Darwini  in  soveral  va¬ 
rieties  this  spring  of  borne  seedsmen  and  saw 
them  offered  in  at  leant  three  cutalogucn.  Wo 
called  attention  to  tho  seals  being  offered  at  5()c. 
per  packet  of  2.5  seeds  in  Ruuai.  of  March  25.1 
Sfifiitiiic  iiiiii  ftlseful. 
POISONING  TOBACCO -WORM  MOTHS. 
Thbouohot.'t  tho  Middle  and  Southern  States 
tho  tobacco  crop  is  more  or  less  injm-od  every 
year  by  an  insect  known  as  the  Tobacco  Worm, 
Anotlier  and  closely  allied  spcoics,  commonly 
known  a.s  the  I’otato  Worm,  freqnently  attacks 
tho  tohaci'o  plant  in  tho  more  Northern  States 
and  extends  fo  some  distance  south,  tho  two 
being  frequently  found  in  tho  same  field  near 
what  may  he  termed  tho  dividing  line  between 
tho  natural  domain  of  either. 
Those  caterpillars- or  worms,  as  they  are  more 
generally  called  — are  the  product  of  “eggs’’ 
laid  by  moths  belonging  to  what  entomologists 
term  tho  Sphinx  family.  Tho  first,  or  true  To¬ 
bacco  Worm,  is  the  larva  of  the  Carolina  Sphinx 
(Sphinx  Carolina),  and  the  second,  or  Potato 
Worm,  that  of  tho  Five  -  Spotted  Sphinx  (S- 
quimpiemuicnlnta). 
Tho.se  moths  are  of  large  size,  tho  wings 
spreading  three  to  five  inches,  and  aro  of  a  dull, 
grayish  color,  the  body  marked  with  patches  or 
spots  of  yellow.  The  moths  can  do  vegetation 
no  ilirect  harm,  as  they  do  not  possess  mandibles 
for  eating  sohd  food,  but  aro  provided  with  a 
long,  flexible  tube  for  sucking  liquids,  especially 
tho  sweet  secretions  of  flowers. 
With  this  knowledge  of  their  Jiabits,  wo  aro 
enabled  to  destroy  them  whenever  the  number 
becomes  so  great  as  to  require  it.  lint  few  men 
will  f  ake  the  trouble  to  kill  off  tho  moths,  thereby 
saving  themselves  the  much  more  laborious  task 
of  hand-gathering  tho  worms. 
Doth  tho  Sphinxes  named  frecpiont  the  (lowors 
I  of  the  common  Stramonium  (Datura  slranw- 
nimn),  also  known  as  the  Jamestown  Weed, 
riiorn  Apple,  Ac.,  for  tlie  purpose  of  obtaining 
food  from  itsllowcra.  This  coarse  wood  is  prob¬ 
ably  well  known  to  all  of  our  readers  by  somo 
one  of  the  above  names  ;  if  not.  they  will  doubt- 
loss  recognize  it  from  the  accomiianying  illus¬ 
tration  of  a  branch  containing  a  flower  and  ono 
of  its  largo,  rough  sood-jHids. 
Now.  every  farmer  and  planter  who  dcsii-es  to 
[irotoct  his  tobacco,  pofatee.s  or  tomatoes  from 
the  ravages  of  the  largo,  ugly,  green  worms  so 
frcqueiitly  found  upon  those  plants  iu  summer 
can  do  so  by  following  our  directions.  Sow  iu 
spring  a  small  iiutnbcr  of  the  Datura  seed  in 
different  places  about  tho  field  to  he  occupied 
with  thecrojis  named,  and  then,  whon  tho  plants 
Come  into  bloom,  jjrocood  to  charge  tho  flowers 
with  the  following  liquid  poison  : 
Dissolvo  all  ounce  of  cohalt  (to  he  had  at  any 
drug  store),  in  about  a  pint  of  water,  adding 
enough  sirup  to  make  tho  mixture  sweet.  Now 
take  a  small  bottle  ami  fill  it  with  tho  liipiid,  and 
to  aid  ill  distributing  it  put  a  goose-quill  through 
the  center  of  the  cork,  and  you  are  ready  for 
work.  Go  round  among  the  Datura  plants  and 
drop  a  little  of  tho  liquid  hd.o  each  open  flower. 
This  should  ho  done  about  sundown,  as  tho 
inotliM  eomo  at  this  time  or  a  little  later  to  feed, 
and  i-vciy  ono  Hiiciking  up  a  drop  of  this  poisoned 
liquid  will  lie  killed. 
To  some  tills  iiia.y  seem  to  bo  a  slow  and  im- 
practicaldo  w.ay  to  rid  a  locality  of  those  posts, 
hut  wlien  tho  fact  that  each  I’cm.ale  moth  lays 
several  liuiidred  eggs  is  taken  into  account,  tho 
practicahility  of  fighting  this  pest  by  poisoning 
becomes  ai>paront.  A  hoy  can  charge  tho  flow¬ 
ers  as  well  as  a  man.  and  it  will  take  hut  a  low 
minutes  every  evening  while  the  moths  aro  about 
to  jiropaio  for  them  their  flual  feast. 
Wo  aii>  assured  by  those  who  have  tried  this 
ITOcess  of  [loisoning  flowers,  as  modi  traps, 
that  it  works  well,  especially  if  all  tho  jilantors 
ill  a  iieighhorhood  will  net  together  in  tho  matter. 
»  »»-  — 
HOW  TO  BOTTLE  LIGHT. 
UmiSTr.K.sH  aeeidents,  as  every  ono  knows, 
arise  from  the  use  of  matches.  To  obtain  light 
without  employing  them,  and  so  without  tho 
danger  of  seUing  tilings  on  fire,  an  ingenious 
eoutrivaiice  is  now  used  by  tho  w.atehmen  of 
I’aris  in  all  magazines  where  explosive  or  inflnni- 
inablo  mats ‘rials  are  kept.  Any  ono  may  easily 
make  trial  of  it.  Take  an  oblong  phial  of  the 
whitest  and  dearest  glass,  and  jnit  into  it  a 
piece  of  ])hosphorus  about  the  size  of  a  pea. 
I ’our  some  olive  oil.  heated  to  the  boiling  point, 
upon  tho  phosiihoms ;  fill  the  jihial  about  one- 
third  full  and  then  cork  it  tightly.  To  use  this 
novel  light,  remove  the  cork,  allow  tho  air  to 
enter  the  phial,  and  then  rccork  it.  Tho  empty 
space  in  tlie  {ihial  will  hocomo  luminous,  and  tho 
light  ohf.aincd  will  ho  equal  to  that  of  a  lanqi. 
Wlion  tho  light  grows  dim,  its  power  can  be 
increased  by  taking  out  tho  cork  and  allowing  a 
frcsli  siijiply  of  ah'  to  enter  IJie  phial.  In  winter 
it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  heat  tho  phial 
hidween  the  hands  in  order  to  incroiiso  tho 
fluidity  of  the  oil.  The  apparatus  thus  prepared 
may  he  used  for  six  months. 
- - ♦♦♦ - 
PREDICTIONS  OF  NINETY  YEARS  AGO. 
Thk  great  Linnajus  iu  a  "  Dissertation  on  tho 
Hexes  of  1‘lants,”  written  in  178(>,  predicts  in  the 
following  selection  what  time  and  botanical  in¬ 
vestigation  ha  vo  most  amply  proved:  “  Here  is 
a  new  oinployracnt  for  botanists,  to  attempt  tho 
production  of  now  species  of  vogotahlos  by  scat¬ 
tering  the  pollen  of  varioiiB  plants  over  various 
unfertile  flowers.  And  if  those  remarks  should 
meet  with  a  favorable  reception,  I  shall  bo  tho 
more  induced  to  dedicate  what  rcrnaiiis  of  my 
life  te  such  exporiments  which  recommend  them¬ 
selves  by  being  at  tho  same  timi!  agreeable  and 
tisefiil,  i  am  persuaded  by  many  eonsiderations, 
that  those  numerous  and  most  valuable  varie¬ 
ties  of  plants  whieli  arc  used  for  culinary  pur¬ 
poses  have  been  produced  in  this  maimer,  as  the 
several  kinds  of  cabbage,  lettuces,  etc.,  and  I 
apprehend  this  is  tho  reason  of  their  not  being 
changed  by  a  lUffcrence  of  soil.  Ifenco  I  cannot 
give  my  assent  to  tho  opinion  of  those  who  im- 
agine  all  varieties  to  have  been  occasioned  by 
change  of  soil ;  for.  if  this  wore  tho  case,  tho 
plants  would  return  to  thcii-  original  form  if  re¬ 
moved  again  to  their  original  situation.” 
—  - - 
AVERILL  CHEMICAL  PAINT. 
By  letters  from  various  subscribers,  who  have 
used  tho  Averill  Chemical  Paint  made  by  Seeley 
&  Stevens  of  82  Bmling  Slip,  Now  York  City, 
we  are  informed  tliat  it  is  aU  it  is  represented  to 
be  and  tlioy  ailviso  us  to  recommend  it  to  our 
readers.  LYom  our  own  uso  of  it ;  and  from  tho 
letters  roceivoil  by  ns  from  tmio  to  time,  wo  are 
led  to  believe  that  an  order  filled  by  that  firm 
cannot  fail  te  give  siitisfaclion.  It  is  no  now 
thing  ;  but  baa  been  tried  and  found  riot  wanting. 
Mckhih.  Heklkv  a  Si  e'  css  will  fm-iiisli  samples 
and  cJrenlara  nil  application. 
