220 
THE R 
and on many other points of which the thought¬ 
ful amateur has taken notioe. 
The planter should bear in mind that a largo 
number of varieties are never desirable, and 
that the nse of a great many different sorts is 
never attended with as pleasing results as the 
employment of a loss number. 
Iu Europe this method of garden decoration 
has been carried to perfection : indeed, it has 
been raised there almost to the dignity of a line 
art, and yet the number of plants which they 
can raise to perfection, under tins system is not. 
one-half as great as in America. There, how¬ 
ever, they have found that the voiy iiucst re¬ 
sults are obtained by the use of a very small 
variety of carefully studied and choice subjects. 
Of late years thero has been a great change iu 
the planting of llower-gardeus and pleasure- 
grounds. In former timoB, it was the rule to 
plant the greatest number or subjects possible 
with largo and gaudy flowers. It was eousider- 
ed that bright rod, Bcarlot, yellow, and other 
brilliant colors, whether thu flower bad other 
merits or not, afforded sufficient reason for giving 
it a front place. This is now changed, and many 
of the grandest results are obtained without the 
use of any flowers whatever, the most artistic 
effects being produced by the use of what are 
known as foliage plant*. ThoBo are the moat 
satisfactory of any plants that can bo used in 
carrying out the bedding system of garden dec¬ 
oration, as it is necessary to uso plants that w ill 
give the brightest effect for the longest period. 
Then, again, they are less or quite unaffected by 
rain, wind, or heat, which spoil the best and 
choicest flowers, no matter how hardy they may 
be. 
All the colors which are desirable to produce 
a bright appearance, may bo found among this 
class of plants, as wo have now plants with foli¬ 
age of various shades of maroon, silver-grey, 
white, gold and purple tints, as well as crimson 
aud groom Borne of the very best that wo t hin k 
of, as capable of furnishing any shade desirable, 
may be found among the Coleuses and Alternan- 
thoraH. gold aud silver Geraniums, Perilla 
Nankiuongla, Oaladiums, Caunas, Ciuerareas, 
Ccnt&uroas, Pyrotlirums, Golden Feathers and 
many others. 
In laying out grounds in the bedding style, a 
good effect may bo produced by filling the beds 
alternately with flowering and foliage plants. 
The flowering plants should consist of the sub¬ 
jects that remain in bloom for the greatest 
length of time. 
These may bo found among the Verbenas 
Phlox Drummondii, Pansies, Lobelias, Ager- 
atums. Alyssums, Portulacas and Daisies. 
When flowering-plants are used, the flowers 
should bo removed as soou as they wither, 
for if allowed to form seed they will stop 
blooming. In planting, the tallest-growing 
Bliould always occupy the central position, aud 
the others in proper order from center to odgo, 
according to their bight. 
Eldorado, Cal. 
-♦♦♦-- 
GARDENING PEN-TALKS. 
BY MBS. ANNIE L. JACK. 
At.t, hands are busy In the orchard, and gar¬ 
dening talks might seem a misnomer but for the 
fact that only a bit of groeu-sward separates the 
one from tho other. No fence is there to 
form a dividing lino, nor are cattle allowed an 
entrance. To-day, Hept. 27th, we aro thinking 
our task complete, for only tho fruit of about 
a hundred trees romftii » unharvested. 
One of our “talks’* now-a-days, is of that 
tircsomo pest, the potato beetle, which is seen 
in every direction, even on the applo barrels 
and among the gras.'. We are not yet accustom¬ 
ed to them and cannot bear to touch them with 
the hands. It is a curious fact, in tho flower- 
garden, that one plant, the Nolana, a low-growing 
prostrate annual, is, at the present writing, alive 
with these beetles, and they will soon have 
every leaf stripped from tho stems, in spite of 
continued picking oil. “ I wonder how it would 
do,” flays the “ Wouderer,” “to plant Nolana 
next year between the rows of potatoes ? ” 
Hut nobody commented on the suggestion, al¬ 
though it seems strange to see those plants so 
preferred. “ I wish," says tho family entomolo¬ 
gist, “ wo could get the Uropoda Americana,” 
No one scemodauy wiser, and ho explained : “It 
is a little roddish-brown insect aud belongs to 
the family of Acarida. It is about thu size of a 
pin’s lioad and oval in shape. It is provided 
with a thread-like filament, issuing from the 
hinder part of the body and terminating with a 
flattened diso or sucker, with wlnoh it attaches 
itself to its victim. Tho parasite fixes itself on 
the beetle externally, and pierces its shelly cov¬ 
ering by means of a pair of extensile limbs, 
each terminating in a claw. What a good tiling 
it would be if they would rid us of these pests, 
and here comes in tho need for entomological 
knowledge, or how aro wo to know our friendR 
from our enemies ?” After this rather profound 
discourse, wo all looked with a feeling of pity 
RAL NEW-YORKER. 
©CT. 6 
upon tho Colorado, doomed in the future to be- 
como a prey to tho little Urojioda. 
It is wonderful what a zest is given to the 
study of natural science, if an enthusiast in any 
department meets a kindred spirit; and for one 
week of tho pleasant September weather we on- 
joyed a period of searching for specimens, and 
hammering for hidden treasures, that has result¬ 
ed in a wish for more and better knowledge of 
this important branch. Even the little two-year- 
old takeB a hammer from tho work-shop aud 
plays geology, and the family poet penciled these 
lines the other day, evidently in a sad, regretful 
spirit. 
I look at the Bliclls rejected, 
The I'ossUb scattered around, 
Tiie river-weed old and faded 
We named with auch Judgment profound, 
An d sigh for the “ air scientific.” 
The free historical lore 
The triloMle’s tatl.micli a treasure! 
Ah !| vainly we hammered for more. 
There, there, that will do! these gardening 
pen-talks are going beyond tho garden. Yeti 
am sure thero iB no lack of stones, but then 
they are only common. 
--— 
EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENTS’ 
LETTERS. 
Brftemiikk 21 St, 1877. 
Many thanks for the seeds you sent me last 
spring. I have ton nice, thrifty Geraniums. 
Those from seeds first sown will soon blossom, in 
which process I shall be much interested. I 
think every seed of the Snap-dragon came up, 
and very beautiful and varied in color they are, 
some or them being different from any I bavo 
ever had. I have started some slips for winter 
blooming, I love flowers, and have already root¬ 
ed slips of Petunias, Verbenas, Heliotropes etc., 
to bo brought into the bouse, where they grow, 
bud and blossom, and make our window all 
through winter a thing of beauty aud a joy, it not 
forever, at any rate duriug that bleak season. 
I could not think of writing an article on gar¬ 
dening, tit to compete with anybody’s, though 
tho temptation you offer is a strong one, espec¬ 
ially to that largo and respectable class blessed 
with taste, but whose means aro too limited to 
permit them to purchase many things they would 
like to possess. If I can throw out a few huits 
that may be useful to some one, 1 shall only 
have paid for tho many that have helped me all 
these years iu the dear old Rubai,. 
*> Gan you raise Cabbages ? ” was asked me the 
other day by a friend who said she liked them so 
much, but failed to get good ones. Being gener¬ 
ally successful in cultivating that vegetable, I 
told her how I managed. The grouud being 
well prepared iu the spring, and tho LHIh marked 
ont, a shovelful of good manure is thrown in 
each hill, aud mixed well with the soil. I then 
take for a hundred plants, about five quarts of 
plaster, some ashes and a handful of salt, aud 
mix tho whole well together. At the time of 
planting, I put a little of tho mixture in every 
hill, and pour warm water an the roots to keep 
the plants from wilting. Hoe quite frequently ; 
water weekly with suds from the wash, and apply 
liquid manure occasionally. Sometimes I givo 
them a good sprinkling with hot water, in which 
I throw salt, a handful to a pailful of water. In 
this way. we get good, large, solid heads. 
1 have tried a great many of the remedies 
recommended for keeping the plants free from 
worms, but the only effectual one with me has 
been to look over them almost daily, aud pick 
tho posts off by band. A Bubal Reader. 
Camden, N. Y. 
Rochester, N. Y. This trustworthy old estab¬ 
lishment callB attention especially to its large 
stock of fruit, evergreen and deciduous trees 
and shrubs. 
Dkrobiitive Wholesale and retail Price List 
of New and Popular Plants, cultivated by Wat. 
K. Habbih, 5501 Darby Road, Pbiladalphia. 
Among tho novelties wo notice tho Double 
Poinsettia and the new Hydrangea “ Thomas 
Hogg.” 
Stobbs, Habbtson A Go., Painesville, Ohio. 
Bulbs, Winter-blooming Plants. 
Fourth Annual Retort of the Maine State 
Pomological Society. G. B. Bawyeb Secretary, 
Wiscasset. 
Walk elan Nubsebv. Wholesale Catalogue of 
Evergreen and Ornamental Tree Seedlings, etc., 
cultivated by Boiiebt Douolas & Sons, Wau¬ 
kegan, Ill. 
Pmice List of Strawberry Tlants, John S. 
Collins, Moorestown, New Jersey. 
Retort to Mis Excellency, the Governor, of 
the Thirty-Fifth Missouri State University Cat 
aloguo, 7G—’77. 
Address delivered at tho Seventeenth session 
of the American Pomological Society held in 
Baltimore, Md., Sept. 12 14, by its venerable 
President, Marshall P. Wilder. 
St. Francis Nurseries —Illustrated Wholesale 
Price List of European Larch, Evergreens, 
Fruit and Ornamental Tree Seedlings. H. M. 
Thompson & Bon, Bt. Francis, Milwaukee Co., 
Wis. 
Tenth Annual Repobt of the Ohio State 
Hurt. Society for 76-77, embracing tho visit of 
tho Committee at Cleveland and Detroit, Meet¬ 
ing at Columbus, the State Fair, Gentenuial Dis¬ 
play, Proceedings of the Annual Meetings at 
Circleville, ad interim Iteports, Discussions, 
Essays, Ac. 
F. K. Phienix, Pro]), of the Bloomington 
Nursery, Bloomington, McLean Co., Ill. No. 2. 
Wholesale Price-list Fruit and Ornamental 
Trees, Ac., and No. 4, Descriptive Catalogue of 
Tulips, Hyacinths, Crocuses, Lilies and other 
Bpring-flowering bulbs; also Winter-blooming 
plants. Free to applicants. 
Tolls and Tbanhpobtation. —A free canal es¬ 
sential to the Btato’s pro«]>erity: and tho Water 
Bouto demonstrated to be superior to the Rail¬ 
ways. By Alonzo Richmond, Pres. Buffalo 
Board of Trade. 
SPANISH MOSS AS A WINDOW PLANT, 
The TiUandxia uerwoidex, or Black Moss is 
used very effectively as a window plant by Mrs. 
.Tackson Dawson, at tho Bussy Institution, Ja¬ 
maica Plains. Suspended from an iron nail just 
over the window, andaH seemingly careless as if 
it were a hank of worsted, or string, without oven 
a stick to attach itself to. is a four-feetrlong fes 
toon of this delicate Bromcliad, aud it is iu the 
most thrifty and growing condition ; it bloomed 
freely during tho past summer. Tivica a .week 
Mrs. Dawson takes it from the nail, dips it in a 
pail of water and then lets it drip outside till 
nearly dry, when she returns it to its position iu 
tho window. During blight sunshine the blinds 
are closed, not with a consideration for the Mohs, 
but as a domestic duty, and though this drapery 
has been for the past two years subjected to this 
treatment, it is as living aud as life-like as if it 
depended from an oak, near a Florida swamp, 
•whence it originally came. 
William Falooneb. 
“'Botanic Gardens, Cambridge, Mass. 
ticulturists in this country, is extremely peculiar, 
suggesting at once its specific name. 
Ludia eleg&ns. by Mr. Buchanan, is an orchid 
of exquisite beauty. 
Maranta rcgalis, Cypripedium nivoum, Adian- 
tum Farleyense, Croton pictum, Tillandsia ze- 
briua are beautiful plants, to which we call the 
attention of those who have facilities of caring 
for choice and tender plants. 
It was a rnre sight to Beo Stenocarpus Ctin- 
ninghamii in bloom. This is slow of growth, 
but a plant of much beauty. The stem is erect, 
with leaves a foot long by four inches in breadth 
and deeply pinnatifid. 
It is not plain to us why a society that con¬ 
ducts its internal arrangements so ably and lib¬ 
erally, should seem so indifferent iu the matter 
of making itself known through the press to the 
horticultural public at large. 
CATALOGUES Ac, RECEIVED. 
Fourth Annual Fair of tho Nevada State 
Agricultural, Mining and Mechanical Society, to 
>e held October 15-20 iuolusive, at Iteno. 
Wholesale Catalogue of tho Genesee Valley 
Nurseries, established 184G. Edward A. Frost, 
Industrial jSoriritcs, 
IN. Y. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY EXHI¬ 
BITION AT GILMORE’S GARDEN. 
NEW YORK STATE FAIR. 
The present exhibition is, in our judgmont, 
more finished, more attractive than any of its 
livo predecessors, aud tho evidences of skilfnll 
culture on the part of tho exhibitors and of 
tasteful arrangement on the part of tho mana¬ 
gers, are extremely gratifying to the many on 
thnsiastie friends of tho society. 
Wo have heard several complaints that it is 
held too late in the season and that many have 
boon deterred from sending tlieir choicest plants 
through fear of frost. But upon. Inquiry, we 
find thero are objections to holding it earlier, 
that seem to invalidate those complaints. 
Wo have, however, one complaiut to make 
ourselves. It is that had not a friend informed 
us of the fact that a very line display of fruit 
and vegetables is made iu the gallery of this 
building, we should have missed a very pleasing 
—for there is naught to Indicate that any¬ 
thing of the kind exists. 
In this department we saw pears of Bheldon, 
Duchesse, Clairgoau aud Beurre Bobc, of extra¬ 
ordinary size and beauty. 
Mr. Ricketts displays his seedling grapeH 
which are of themselves a beautiful sight. 
Messrs. Ellwanoeji A Barry exhibit excel¬ 
lent specimens of well-known grapes—as well as 
many varieties of apples and pears—and as 
usual, a long list of fine curculio-less plums. 
As specimen plants—by which wo mean ma¬ 
ture nlantB so cultivated aud managed as to 
develop their utmost beauty—wo saw none more 
meritorious than those displayed by Georoe 
Burn. Mr. Wm. Bennet’s collection is equally 
rare and healthy, but the individuals are smaller 
and have, therefore, required loss skill aud care 
iu their management. 
One of the grandest plants in cultivation is 
Alocasia metallica, here shown in several collec¬ 
tions. Alocasia macrorhiza, similar to tho com 
mon Caladiutn, is much splashed with white. 
Anauassa sativa var. is shown in fruit. 
Maranta mackoyana as exhibited by Mu. Such, 
is probably one of the finest specimens ever 
grown. 
A specimen of Pteris scaberula is over six feet 
across. 
The inflorescence of Tillandsia pBittacina, ex¬ 
hibited by Louis Menand, one of tbe oldest hor- 
ROCIIEHTKK, Sept. 22. 
I intend to go out, of my way to sound a little 
word of praise concerning tbe Erie Railway. 
Their arrangements for carrying passengers to 
and from the. Fair, wore in marked and agreeable 
contrast to those of another road that enters 
Rochester. The servants of the company are at¬ 
tentive, and ir it is apparent that tho train accom¬ 
modations aro not adequate to tho demands of 
traffic, they at onco add coaches until all who 
ride aro provided with seats. Such attention is 
gratifying, aud has its reward. Speaking gen¬ 
erally, tho management of the Erie under its 
Receiver, is so thorough, that the ordinary trav¬ 
eler regrets that it would he an injustice to stock¬ 
holders if Receivers lasted to tho end of tho 
chapter. 
Tho evening discussions of the Society woro 
held in the Supervisors’ room of the Court 
House. J. G. Huktiikud of Geueseo was elected 
Chairman andWM. J. Fowler was tho courteous 
Secretary. 
Tho chair announced the subject for discussion 
to be “Soils, Grain-growing, Preparation of 
SoilB for Farm Crops and Mixed Husbandry." 
Messrs. Root, Brooks, Crocker, President 
Barky, and others had something to say on the 
subject, and tho Hon. Harris Lewis supplied 
the fun by remarking that from what he hail 
hoard, it was difficult to determine whether the 
garden of liden was origiually in Wyoming Coun¬ 
ty or in Broome. 
Tho Rocond evening was devoted mainly to 
Horticulture. The principal paper was road by 
Mr. James Vick. 
The display of agricultural implements was 
very lino, nearly covering the large space allotted 
them inside the track. Tho show of large ma¬ 
chines, such as Power Threshers, Portable En¬ 
gines, Mowers, Reapers, Grain Drills, Hay Hakes, 
Ac., was tbe largest seen on the grounds for 
many years. The small implements were not np 
to the general average. The Western manufac¬ 
turers were out in force. Canada sent over somo 
fine implements for exhibition, which attracted 
a good deal of attention, not only from the fact 
that they were foreign machines, hut that Can¬ 
adians should attempt to force them on our mar¬ 
ket when it is generally supposed that wo can beat 
them, not only in agricultural machinery but in 
prioes. 
Silvek & Demino, Salem, Ohio, through their 
rtochester agents, showed their Feed and Fodder 
Cutters; which have many good points. These 
Cutters havo made a great success in tho West, 
aud are now selling well iu our Eastern country. 
They have a safety-wheel which is fixed to tho 
shaft, by a Hafety-cam, bo adjusted in ca«c any 
hard substance rune iu with the foed, that the 
fly-wheel will revolve while the knives aro in¬ 
stantly stopped, thus saving the machine from 
damage and at the same time protecting tho agi¬ 
tator. Tho gearing of the feed-rollers is made 
self-adjustable. By shifting a cluster of wheels 
on a swinging arm, the length of cut is rapidly 
and easily adjusted. This Cutter commends it¬ 
self to the attention of our farmer readers, and 
we wish it the success that it appears to merit. 
Tho Mowers and Reapers were represented by 
the Buckeye, Bradley. Wood's, Eagle, Johnston, 
Walter A. Wood, Champion and others. 
Portable Steam Engines were exhibited m 
large numbers, and attracted more than usual 
attention, showing tho increased demand for 
jlii n power on the farm. Prominent among 
them were the “ Economizer," “ Canton Moni¬ 
tor,” “Birdsell," new “Oneida No. 4.' “Bata¬ 
via Monitor,” “ WeHtinghouse " etc. On account 
of the limited facilities for testing the relative 
merits of these engines, tho committee were un¬ 
able to award the premiums, and a further trial 
will probably be given in October. 
The Plow manufacturers outdid themselves. 
Tho Gale Manufacturing Company of Albion, 
Michigan, made a flue show of Chilled Plows 
which attracted the attention of visitors w on 
entering tho inclosuro. Next came the Lawrence 
& Chapin, Kalamazoo, Michigan, who, for the 
first time, brought their Diamoud Iron Plow to 
