1 
of  its  brief  life  for  the  benefit  of  tbe  tree  upon 
wbieh  it  grows  and,  as  noon  as  it  ceases  to  be  of 
servioo,  disconnects  itself,  falls  and  detxjinposes 
— still  serving  the  tree  after  ihiatb  by  its  decom¬ 
position  as  in  life  it  sem-ed  it  by  separating  its 
food  from  the  atmosphere. 
WARDIAN  CASES 
Some  varieties  of  grapes  are  bettor  naaptea 
for  wino  than  others.  Tbe  Catawba  ia  grown  in 
Soutbern  Ohio  extensively  for  ^Yine  making,  and 
for  20  or  .30  years  waa  the  only  grape  grown  ex¬ 
tensively  in  the  United  Statea  for  that  purpose ; 
but  it  is  too  late  a  grape  for  higher  latitudes. 
The  Clinton,  Delaware  and  Concord  are  now 
grown  as  wine  grapes,  and  some  other  v.arieties. 
A  grape  to  make  pure  wine,  witliout  the  addi¬ 
tion  of  sugar  or  spirits,  that  will  uotbeeoraeacid, 
should  contain  sutHcient  saccharine  matter  to 
cent,  of  alcohol;  a 
for,  ai'O  among  the  most  beautiful  of  our  winter 
plant  adornmoiils.  The  cases  may  bo  pimchased 
of  florists  from  ten  dollars  upwards,  complete — 
or  plans,  in  lioeplng  with  tlie  vrindows  in  wliich 
they  are  to  bo  placed,  may  be  given  hi  cabinet 
makers  and  constnictesi  according  to  order. 
Those,  however,  whose  purses  are  not  upon 
friendly  toi-ms  wth  Uiolr  incliuatiOTis,  may,  if 
gifted  with  gome  mechanical  skill,  oonstmet  these 
cases  for  themselves,  whichj  thoitgh  less  artisti¬ 
cally  flnisbed,  will  serve  owry  purpQso,  so  far  as 
the  plaiits  are  concerned,  just  as  well.  In  their 
consU'uction,  perfect  drainage  is  first  to  be  in¬ 
sured.  Suppose  wo  make  our  Wardian  Case 
twenty  inches  long,  fifteen  inches  wide  for  our 
first  essay*  The  outside  box  should  be  at  least 
six  Inches  deep,  with  a  moulding  to  receive  the 
glasses,  resting  upon  castors  so  that  it  may 
readily  bo  moved. 
The  inside  of  this  box  must  receive  a  dense 
coating  of  paint  to  arrest  decay,  and  slant  a  lit¬ 
tle,  thus  inclining  the  water  from  the  di  ip  of  the 
glass,  as  well  as  from  the  inner  box,  towards  one 
end,  where  an  outlet  tube  must  bo  provided. 
Within  this,  and  Boi>aratod  from  it  by  little  blocks 
of  half-aji-incli  thickness,  is  the  second  box 
for  tlio  soil  and  plants.  Now,  in  order  to  pro¬ 
duce  perfect  drainage,  this  should  bo  carefiiny 
lined  with  zinc,  i)erforate(l  with  several  holes 
also  lined  with  zinc.  Thou  cover  tho  bottom 
with  bits  ol  those  w'ith  moss,  and  then 
fill  with  soil  com^o*ed  of  three  parts  of  mold  to 
one  of  coarse  sand. 
The  top  glass  may  bo  placed  so  as  to  slide  for 
EXCHANGE, 
Wabhinotox  Tkr.,  Waitsburg,  WallaWalla  Co. 
^ — Your  kindness  in  xmtting  the  ‘‘Flower  Ex¬ 
change"  in  tho  RuaAn  I  am  sure  will  be  appre¬ 
ciated  by  all  wbo  have  a  love  for  flowers.  I  have 
quite  a  variety  of  flowers  seeds,  which  I  would 
send  witli  pleasure  to  anyone  who  would  care  to 
have  them.  1  will  give  a  short  list,  viz.-,  three 
variotios  of  Candytuft,  twelve  of  Petunias,  six 
or  eight  of  French  I’oppies,  (.which  are  hmutifiU 
if  they  are  on/y  J‘o|ipies),  live  or  six  different 
colors  of  Zinnias,  all  colors  of  Moss,  and  tlu-oo  or 
four  of  I'blox.  I  would  like  some  ornamental 
Grass  and  Immortelles,  also  HJiapdragons. 
1  saw  a  piece  In  the  Iluiun  a<lvibifig  or  favor¬ 
ing  the  culture  of  llueklohonies.  I  will  try 
planting  some  seeds  according  to  directions,  and 
if  you  w  ish  it,  will  write  you  my  success.  (By  all 
means.  -Eds.]  Wo  have  planted  a  great  many 
Cotton-wood  trees  liere  and  they  sec-JU  to  be  in¬ 
fected  with  borers  of  some  kind.  Tl>ey  eat  out 
the  heart  of  tlie  trees,  and  then  during  some 
wind  storm  down  will  come  some  of  the  trees.  It 
is  very  discouraging  to  plant  trees  and  have 
them  destroyed  and  not  bo  able  to  prevent  it. 
No  one  hero  has  found  a  preventive. 
Mrs.  M.  a.  Ross. 
produce  from  12  t<j  14  per 
good  wine  generally  contains  from  10  to  11  per 
cent. 
Thi*  article  is  for  tho  benefit  of  grape  growers 
who  desire  to  make  a  half  barrel,  or  more,  of 
wine,  and  I  cannot  recommend  anyone  to  make 
less  than  10  or  16  gallons,  as  it  should  bo  kept  in 
a  keg  or  a  barrel,  ia  order  to  bo  well  fined. 
Throe  barrels  of  grapes— as  tliey  are  picked 
with  the  stems  —will  make  a  barrel  of  pure  juice, 
or  must,  as  it  is  called ;  and  one  barrel,  or  three 
bushels,  will  make  hm  gallons.  When  one  pre¬ 
fers  h.*  atld  to  the  must,  two  pounds  of  sugar  to 
tho  gallon— any  of  good  quality  -good  wine  can 
1)0  made  of  almost  any  variety  of  grape ;  and  if 
a  gallon  of  spirits  Ire  added  to  10  of  must,  besides 
the  sugar,  a  little  water  may  also  be  added,  and 
the  wine  will  keep  well,  and  it  will  suit  the  Amer¬ 
ican  palate  much'  better  than  wine  made  of  tho 
pure  juice. 
But  there  is  an  objection,  with  many,  to  using 
either  sugar  or  spirits,  and  such  people  must  be 
satisfied  with  a  wine  lilie  the  German  Rhine 
wines— that  Germans  consider  to  b«  good,  but 
Americans  will  often  call  very  poor,  being 
somewhat  acid,  and  disagreeable  to  the  palate. 
But  why  should  oven  temperance  people  object 
to  tho  addition  of  a  Uttlo  alcoholic  spirits,  pre¬ 
cisely  the  same  that  the  grapes  naturally  coutaiti  ? 
If  we  make  a  "pure”  wine  of  grapes  that  Oon- 
t.ain  14  iwr  cent,  of  alcohol,  wiiat  would  be  the 
difforcuce  in  a  temperance  man’s  point  of  view 
if  wo  make  it  20  per  cent  ?  There  is  none,  ex¬ 
cept  in  dc(/r(’c,  and  tho  wine  that  is  iiseil  f<  r 
common  purposes  is  no  more  a  “pure."  wine 
than  that  made  by  abiding  sugar  and  si)iritH,  only 
that  it  contaius  less  alcohol. 
Tho  only  alcoholic  spirits  adapted  to  the  use 
of  wino  making,  is  wliat  is  called  “  pure  spirits  " 
by  the  makers  and  vender’s.  It  is  of  tho  same 
NOTES, 
At  page  172,  Bept.  11,  of  last  year,  may  bo 
found  a  sketch  of  tho  pretty  double  Ivy  Rolargo- 
ikium,  named  Konig  Albert.  It  was  introduced 
by  Mr.  Ganxki,,  is  pink  in  color,  with  deep  car- 
nuuo  streaks  down  tho  center  of  the  upper  pe¬ 
tals.  Wo  see  now  that  Mr.  Bcj,!.  of  Chelsea  has 
raised  iMicdlmgs  from  It,  just  as  double  as  their 
august  parent,  of  various  colors. 
Tricolor  ,S(!<>dhn;;s.— We  have  germinated  up¬ 
wards  of  fifty  seeds  of  the  yellow-disked  Folar- 
gonium  “Happy  Thought."  and  not  one  of  tho 
seedlings  has  shown  the  faintest  sign  of  variega¬ 
tion.  Were  Happy  Thonglit  a  seedling  instead 
of  a  sport,  doubtless  a  percentage  would  have 
shown  >  ariogation. 
Let  those  of  our  readers  who  arc  raising  seed¬ 
ling  Tricolors,  boar  in  jnind  that  unless  the  first 
leaves  (cotyledons)  are  variegated  tlie  idant  w  ill 
not  ho— and  upon  this  tost  tlieymay  inqdicitly 
rely.  Ail  those,  therefore,  hearing  first  leaves 
of  a  Bolid  green,  may  bo  imlled  uj)  at  once. 
Thus,  as  not  more  tlian  onc-(piarUa’  of  Tricolor 
variegated,  much  time,  labor  and 
ventilation  or  be  removed  entirely  for  half-au- 
hour  or  so  each  da.v.  Wo  may  then  in  a  few  days 
after  furnishing  the  case  expose  it  to  all  tho  sun 
which  a  Bouth  window  receives  diiriug  tho  win¬ 
ter.  Of  course  the  amount  of  vcntilatiou  and 
exposru’e  to  sun  must  be  regulated  by  tbe  plants 
selected  and  by  tho  temporat’aro  of  the  room. 
Tho  earth  should  ho  kept  moist.  -  tjover  wot — 
the  same  as  if  tho  plants  were  grow  ing  in  a  green¬ 
house.  As  a  considerable  shai’o  of  the  moisture 
is  confined  by  tho  glass,  it  will  be  s<X!n  that  wa¬ 
tering  must  ho  roiuiy  and  sparingly  given. 
JIauy  use  looking-glasses  for  the  back  of  the 
case,  which,  in  appearance,  douliles  its  size. 
Those  who  desire  Wardian  Cases  for  next  win-  j 
ter,  must  busy  themsolvos  about  it  at  once.  Our 
■tvoods  vvill  supply  all  tho  plants  needed,  and  for 
our  first  attempt,  tljey  are  perliaps  belter  than 
tho  more  showy  tropical  spocime-ns  that  gener¬ 
ally  require  more  skillful  management. 
Let  us  mention  fir.st  the  Rattlosuolie  wood  (//i- 
eraciiim  wnosuin.).  This  is  u  low-growing,  pret- 
tily-voiued  Composite  plant  to  ho  found  in  most 
di’y  woods. 
Chiin<ij)hifa  umbdlaia,  tho  Prince’s  Pine,  also 
common  in  tho  same  localitioi),  at  once  suggests 
iteolf  as  suited  to  Wardian  CaBCs.  Its  stems  are 
half-creeping,  leaves  leathery,  serrate  (almost 
orosG  sometimes')  and  of  a  deep-greon  color.  The 
umbel  is  raised  ou  a  peduncle  about  four  inches 
or  more  whitish  flowers 
THE  CHAMPION  (OR  TOLMAN)  GRAPE 
Tub  “  Cliampion  "  or  “Tolman  s  Bcodling  is 
the  first  grape  in  tho  market  in  Guutral  and 
NiJrthcni  New  York.  It  is  very  early,  but  not 
otlieiwvlse  commendable. 
The  above  extract  is  biken  from  tho  Syracuse 
Daily  Journal,  of  Aug.  30.  1  agree  with  the 
writer,  except  as  to  its  “  being  very  early."  I 
have  the  “Tolman"  (or  Champion)  and  tho 
seeds  will  prove 
patient  wailing  will  bo  saved, 
Tho  drought  in  Bergen  Co.,  N.  J., 
is  tho  most  severe  ever  before  known  at  this  sea¬ 
son.  Tho  air  is  blue  with  tho  smoke  fr  om  the 
fires  of  meadows  and  woodlands,  and  the  water- 
oourscs  Uiat  never  have  failed  Lefore  are  as  diy 
as  a  chip. 
Nature's  WiU  Gardens.—Thure  are  few  floral 
displays  more  beautiful  than  those  w'hich  may 
now  ho  seen  in  m;iny  meadows.  The  royal  pim¬ 
ple  of  tho  Iron-weed— tho  bright  yellow  of  tho 
Golden-rods— tho  white  of  tho  Wild  Clemati* 
( \'ir<jbimna)—iho  pink  of  the  Asclepias— tho 
crimson  of  the  Cardinal  Flower  present  a  blaze 
of  beauty  that,  unstudied,  uuarrauged  though  it 
bo,  is  rax’cly  wpialed  iu  om  most  tasteful,  costly 
grounds.  Let  those  who  have  iu  view  tho  plant¬ 
ing  of  Wild  Gardens  visit  such  places.  If  they 
fail  to  got  an  idea  or  so,  lot  them  abandon  tho 
Wild  Garden  and  devote  themselves  to  in-door 
decorations. 
high,  and  boai’S  four 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  diameter,  with  purp¬ 
lish  stamens. 
The  Gooih^rras,  reijms.  piittescens,  Menmm— 
there  is  no  striking  diffei’enee  between  them ; — 
the  Trailiug  Arbutus  (A’;*/(/nc(T  rtpcH^s),  a  shrub¬ 
by  littlo  beauty,  are  all  common  in  many  high¬ 
land  woods.  Bovoral  of  OiO  E<juiselacea!  (Horse 
tails);  of  Hifi  Club  Mosses  (Lycopodiums  and 
,S>‘Ui(jindlas^  and  of  the  more  delicate  hardy 
Ferns  make  up  a  pleasing  variety.  But  let  us 
guard  against  planting  too  thickly.  It  is  hotter 
to  ho  patient  iu  the  beginning  and  pleased  after 
awhile,  than  satisfied  at  onco  and  disgusted  when, 
from  crowding  and  growth,  a  struggle  for  life 
begins  and  tho  luxuriance  of  our  Fern  Case  ends. 
Of  tho  Ferns  wo  may  mention  Vystoyirris 
fragilis,  Aspidium  fragrans,  Aspleuium  pinna- 
tij'idum  and  dienoidos,  Polypodium  vulgare,  Adi- 
antiuii  pedatum. 
Among  tender  jjlants  adapted  to  ^Ferneries  or 
Ward  Cases  (wo  may  use  the  words  synonj-mously 
for  our  pmqiose)  almost  any  florist’s  catalogue 
offers  extensive  lists. 
We  have  only  space  to  refer  to  one  of  the  very 
host,  viz.,  Fittonia  argyroneura,  of  which  the 
illusti’atiou  on  page  185  is  a  correct  sketch. 
August,  green  and  sour  enough  to  “  set  the  chil¬ 
dren’s  teeth  on  edge  ’’  for  several  generations  to 
come.  Dealers  say  that  the  first  and  second 
haskets  sold  frCely,  but  after  that  the  demand 
for  grapes  suddenly  ceased.  Nearly  every  dealer 
that  I  have  seen  has  uow  (Bept.  Ith)  a  ba.sket  of 
stale  “  Champions ’■  that  will  finally  have  to  be 
throvni  into  the  gutter.  It  is  a  serious  mistake 
for  growers  to  sell  this  inferior  grape  in  this  un¬ 
ripe  condition,  as  it  greatly  injm’cs  the  market 
for  the  balance  of  Uio  season. 
Cousimiers  are  slow  to  learn  tho  difference  be¬ 
tween  this  and  those  of  a  belter  quality.  When 
dealers  and  couBumors  learn  to  leave  this  variety 
“  severely  alone  " — as  I  fully  believe  they  will  at 
no  distant  day— then  persons  wlio  raise  good 
grapes  wdl  be  able  to  get  a  fair  compensation 
for  their  crops.  I  believe  tliat  this  “  Champion 
has  reduced  the  price  of  all  other  varieties  of 
grapes  in  our  market  at  least  one-third  for  tliis 
season. 
Probably  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  “  Tol¬ 
man  Seedling ’’  originated  near  this  city  some 
eight  or  ten  years  ago,  and  after  lunking  a  poor 
record,  it  has  been  reohrislenedtho  “  Champion ; 
and,  as  a  correspondent  of  tho  Country  Gontlo- 
mau  truly  says,  “  if  a  premium  was  out  for  sour 
grapes,  this  name  would  be  very  a[»propriatc. 
GERMINATION  OF  SEEDS, 
It  was  proved,  says  Nature,  a  short  time  ago, 
that  several  khids  of  seeds  will  germinate  between 
pieces  of  ice.  A  full  investigation  of  tho  lower 
limit  of  temperatiu-e  at  which  plants  may  ger¬ 
minate  has  recently  been  made  by  M.  liaberlaudt 
(CetUralblaU  fur  Agrmdtiav  Chiinic).  The  ex¬ 
periments  were  upon  Wheat,  Rye,  Baxloy,  Red 
Beet,  Rape,  Lucerne,  Poppy,  and  many  other 
seeds.  Several  hundred  seeds  were  omiiloycd  of 
each  Bi>ecie3,  and  every  fourteen  days  tho  seeds 
Were  taken  out  of  the  ice-ohest,  whose  tempera¬ 
ture  was  kept  constant  between  0'^  and  1®  O., 
and  examhicd  in  a  space  whose  temperature  was 
under  freezing  point.  In  forty-five  days  a  de¬ 
cided  beginning  of  germination  was  observed  in 
eight  lUfferent  spooies  (which  are  named;.  In 
foui- mouths  it  had  ooutinued  to  pi’ogress  in  a 
minority  of  these ;  the  rest  had  stopped.  In 
fourteen  species  thero  was  no  germination.  M. 
llaVierlandt  is  of  opinion  that  those  seeds  which 
can  germinate  at  a  lower  leiuperatiue  than  others, 
and  thus  by  artificial  sowing  iu  cold  spaces  a 
moans  is  to  hand  of  obhiining  sfiecies  soon  ripe 
and  needing  httlc  boat.  Of  all  the  seeds  which 
had  remained  for  four  mouths  in  tho  ico-caso, 
onlv  a  few  were  found  capable  of  development 
when  brought  uito  a  wiumer  temperutiue  ol'  l(j 
1  C.  (61^  F.). 
PREMATURE  “FALL  LEAVES, 
The  loaves  iu  this  dronght-hegirt  locality  are 
already  displaying  their  fall  tints — not  only  hero 
and  there,  but  as  numerously  as  they  ju’O  to  bo 
found  in  ordinary  seasons,  two  weeks  later. 
"What  is  frequently  attributed  to  frost  may, 
therefore,  be  seen  to  be  the  natural  lormination 
of  tho  hfo  of  tho  leaf  which,  owing  to  heat  and 
dryness,  has  done  its  work  a  Uttle  earlier  and  a 
little  less  liberally,  perhaps,  than  msual. 
The  leaf  of  a  plant  might  well  he  selected  as 
an  emblem  of  fidelity.  It  labors  every  moment 
