465 
sons of the New Orleans exhibit, etc., gave 
nothing new or important, except as devel¬ 
oped in the ante room talks of the members. 
As stated, the noise would not permit of 
open windows. Hence to an unupual extent 
the discussions on modes, methods, varieties 
etc., of real value for report went ou in the 
ante rooms and the hotel corridors. Some of 
these side talks of the experienced fruit grow¬ 
ers and propagators may be noted at another 
time. J. x,. b. 
“mixed,’ 1 in borders, or springing up in the 
grass, like dandelions. 
But I was more interested in the flora of the 
region—the wild flowers of the country—and 
noted their coming with keen interest. The 
yellow violet was the first flower I found in 
February, as it was the last I had picked in 
December. During the first weak in March 
I came upon the “Spring Beauty”—the Clay- 
tonia — in several varieties, and it grew in 
masses, almost everywhere—a hundred stems 
in full bloom from one root. I could have 
gathered a bushel of the blossoms in half an 
hour any time—it was wonderful to see it* 
The catkins of the alders and the Pussy Wil¬ 
lows, appeared also at this time, and the alder 
grows here to a hight of 60 to 80 feet, and two 
or three feet in diameter. On March 7th the 
Nuttallia eerasiformis was in bloom—a grace¬ 
ful shrub, cultivated in gardens in Europe. 
At this time, in wet places, the grass was thick¬ 
ly pierced by the canary-yellow hoods of the 
opened our eyes wide indeed, for such blos¬ 
soms for size we had never before seen; they 
measured six inches across. The Cornua Nut- 
tallii came also with its involucre of four, six 
or eight parts. Nuttall, the botanist, has 
many flowers named for him on this coast, 
but in Washington Territory, one finds him¬ 
self limited in his botanical studies by the lack 
of a fitting Botany. The California Botany, 
a superb work and expensive, does not cover 
the flora so far north as this point. However, 
it is valuable, and the best so far to be had. 
Gray’s Botany is used chiefly by learners. A 
variety of Rubus, with large, white flowers of 
peculiar texture and delicacy, called Thimble- 
berry by the natives, is a beautiful shrub 
when in bloom. The Elder, Sambucus Doug- 
lasii, differs Horn Pennsylvania elder by the 
flowers being in clusters like those of Hydran¬ 
gea grandiflora or lilac, instead of in a flat 
cyme. In April blooms the superb Madrono 
Tree, the “Robin Hood" of the forest; its 
Strawberries were at market from the gar¬ 
dens on Lake Washington- .fust back of Seattle 
—by May 9tb, and large in size (like all the 
products of this new soil), and of very good 
flavor. They sold at first for 50 cents a pound, 
but speedily fell to 25 cents. May is the 
month of roses, and I noted three varieties of 
wild ones—I have been told that there are 
four. One variety, growing in great pro¬ 
fusion, bore blossoms three or more inches 
in diameter, with tuauy stamens, the rose 
shading into deeper pink in the middle—an 
altogether charming flower. Cultivated roses 
bloom equally well as other flowers, although 
I noticed some very large bushes, 10 to 12 
feet high and as many broad, afflicted with 
what appeared to be mildew. 
Pests of various kinds which afflict fruit 
trees and grains are slowly making their way 
here, although as yet their depredations do 
not amount to . uch. A foul weed or two, 
introduced by merchandise, goes to seed and 
presently becomes a 
formidable settler. To 
j. “nip things in the bud” 
is a valuable practice 
* that will never become 
generally adopted un¬ 
til the average of the 
human race is elevated 
to a high standard of 
?■ xSF. ... intelligence. 
’W As a concluding 
word about the cu¬ 
ter y mate, I do not recom- 
/.•g mend it for consump- 
tives or rheumatics. 
•, It is a capital saoita- 
^ fejr ^rium for people afflict- 
ed with nervons de- 
bility, or stuffed with 
malaria. The climate 
induces sleep and easy- 
goingness. 
IHiscellmwoits 
TRANSCONTINENTAL LETTERS, 
XXXIV. 
MARY WAGER—FISHER. 
As the Puget Sound basin is attracting so 
much attention because of its peculiar climat¬ 
ic conditions—pecu¬ 
liar, because of its ( > 
high latitude allied £ 
with great mildness ^ ^ 
and its complete ex- < Vjt- 
emptiou from mal- . 
aria—an account of fSLV '•.* "A; 
what the weather has 
been from February 
25 to the middle of \ 
May may be of inter- _ / 
est to many readers. 
But I should say, at \ 
the outset, that the j 
seasons vary as to ' 1 
weather quite as much V' t; 
as the reports given of J. T ^ 
them by different peo¬ 
ple, some of whom > X r % 
aver thatsuch a month ' 
of March as that of Y . X". • if) 
1885 has been, is very \ 
unusual, while others 
say that this is the 
third successive year XX. ' N ‘X : -X 
of such marvelously 
fine March weather. nX; ^ 
Up to February 25 the , 
weather was “heavy” >>.. ' 
and cloudy with very ;4’ 
little sunshine, but not 
overmuch rain. I /p 
found the Winter 
much less rainy than 
I expected; but at 
about that date the 
heavens cleared, and 
from thou until about 
the Cth of May—a 
period of 70 days, 
more or less—there 
were not more than 
three or four cloudy 
days and no rain to 
speak of. Early in 
May considerable rain 
fell, and the weather 
was cool. The mer¬ 
cury for the month of 
February ranged in / 
the shade, at nine a. 
m. from 40° to 50^, and 
during March from gr 
45° to 55°, running in 
middayiuto the seven¬ 
ties on many days. 
Throughout April it 
was like midsummer 
in the sun, the mer¬ 
cury at times riaiug above 100°, but however 
great the heat may Lie in the sun, it was cool 
iu the shade, and everywhere aud at all times 
there was n most delicious freshness in the 
air. Such a month of March I never before 
lived through—no wind, uo cold, just a suc¬ 
cession of glorious, golden days, charming 
beyond description. 1 spent the whole of it 
in Seattle and its environs, “tramping” in 
every direction, for in every way are glorious 
walks aud from all points views unsurpassed 
for grandeur and magnificence. With every 
mail came long accounts of the terrible Win¬ 
ter in the “States”—intense cold, snows and 
phenomenally bad weather even until late iu 
April, while hero it was sunshine, “L»alm and 
flowers”—a veritable paradise so far us uu- 
ture went. I appreciated, for the first time, 
the luxuriant growth of cultivated flowers 
here, the marvelous pansies three and four 
iuehos in diameter, the borders of primroses 
aud polyanthuses growing as they do in Eng¬ 
land. While daffodils aud jonquils, in their 
various forms, bloomed in a way unprece¬ 
dented to my eyes. 1 found many old-fash- 
CATALOGUES RE 
CEIVED. 
Brockskr & Ev- 
ans, 422 West Street, 
N. Y.—Circular of the 
pg Invincible Hatcher, 
patented by Chas. Ba- 
sini, and manufactur¬ 
ed by this firm. This 
circular shows an in¬ 
cubator having many 
new features, among 
which is the regula- 
t tion of the heat by the 
expansion and con- 
\ traction of a column 
of mercury, which is 
-• y;-:- much more sensitive 
than is the ordinary 
device. By means of 
t . : / evaporating pans of 
£^c £sat5'water, through which 
pass the heating pipes, 
tbe supply of moist- 
ure Is kept up con- 
stantly and unifortn- 
ly. Another new fea- 
ture I s a* 80 >o turning 
pjaSI5| the eggs, which are 
i41 *sSj supported on strips of 
wood placed sufficient¬ 
ly far apart so that by 
moving a wire slide 
placed beneath, each 
egg is turned, be it 
large or small. It is 
said that so perfect is the working of this in¬ 
cubator, that from 95 to 97 per cent, of the 
eggs are hatched. This circular will be sent 
to all who ask for it. 
L. D. Sawyer & Co., Hamilton, Ontario, 
Canada. — A catalogue of the goods manu¬ 
factured by this very reliable firm, consist¬ 
ing of the grain-saver thrashing machine, 
having many new features; also clover thrash¬ 
ers, steam engines, mowers and reapers, all of 
which are good implements and made upon 
honor. We hope our Canadian friends will 
not fail to send for this catalogue, and when in 
want of any machinery in their line, give 
this firm the preference in buying. 
A. A. Marks, 701 Broadway, N. Y.—An 
illustrative pamphlet of Mark’s artifical 
limbs, with rubber hands and feet. This 
booii, of over 150 pages, is filled with descrip¬ 
tions and illustrations of artificial limbs with 
Indiau rubber feet and hands. These mem¬ 
bers, whatever disadvantage® they mnv have, 
are not in danger of suffering with cold, and 
they are so life like that a boy who should be 
so unfortunate as to receive a spanking with 
oue, could not distinguish it from the real 
baud. 
The New York Elastic-truss Company, 
744 Broadway, New York.—An illustrated 
circular descriptive of an improved elastic 
truss, showing wherein it is better than the 
BONANZA STRAWBERRY. Fig. 2S8. (From Nature.) (See first page) 
Symplocarpus Kanitsehaticus, a species of 
Skunk Cabliage of exceeding beauty. The 
new California Botany, I think, excludes this 
brilliantly arrayed plant from the Symplo¬ 
carpus Family. Closely following Nuttallia 
came Rubus spectabilis, " Salmon Berry,” 
with large crimson flowers, and a few days 
later, the wild currant, Ribes sanguineum, 
made the woods ami waste places aglow with 
its pendent,rose-red (lowers—a beautiful shrub 
that lends itself readily to cultivation. Soon 
came the trilliums and, like the Claytonia, 
they blossom in amazing profusion. The 
finest native shrub that 1 have yet met with, 
is Berberis aquifolium, growing ten feet high, 
with bright, dark, glossy, holly-like, ever¬ 
green loaves, and in the midst of them were 
in March clumps as large as your lists, of pure 
yellow flowers. Berberis nervosa, "Oregon 
Grape,” is similar, being evergi*een, bearing 
yellow flowers in racemes, but the shrub is of 
low growth. It abounds here, is admirable in 
beauty, but is regarded as a “nuisance" by 
the farmers. Blooming at the same time 
with the trilliums, although I did not find it 
until April, was the lovely native orchid 
Calypso borealis, chiefly pink iu color. The 
next most notable flower was the Dog-tooth 
Violet, Krythrontum albiduui, a veritable 
Sylvan princess iu white and orange-yellow 
aud green. 
When the dogwood opened iuto bloom, we 
flowers of small white bells like unto the Lily- 
of-the-Valley, hanging in large panicles. The 
tree grows finely here, but on account of its 
wood Is quickly made the victim of the ax. 
The largest Mad roue Tree known is said to be 
on Lake Washington, near Seattle, but I 
doubt its comparative claim as to size. Three 
or four varieties of wild pea vetch grow here; 
aud iu April it was a merry sight to see the 
masses of it iu bloom. Great clumps of lupin 
were lovely, especially in leaf, aud the wild 
red-blossomed laurel—Persea probably — 
was flue. Labrador Tea—Sedurn Iatifolium— 
came iuto bloom at the same time, as well as 
Dicentra; a very tall, stately and altogether 
superb Solomon’s Seal, and the daiuty and 
beautiful Indian Potato aud great plots of 
Colt’s-foot. I found Amelanchiev —Juueberry 
—called here Serviceberry iu bloom early in 
April, the variety here being classed as Alui- 
folia. 
Of familiar trees were the wild cherry and 
wild crab-apple; the maples were unfamiliar, 
aud I was glad to see that the Acer circina- 
tuiu, of which the foliage is so brilliant iu the 
Fall, was almost as beautiful in early leaf aud 
bloom. The fruit trees bloomed in incredible 
profusion, the young trees all around the 
limbs and bodies. March 16th peach trees 
were iu bloom—such a month of March, will 
I ever see the likeagaiu! There was some 
frost, Lmt it.did little harm. 
