274 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June. 
Quincunx Corn Rows. 
To facilitate the use of the horse-hoe between 
the rows of corn, my practice is to mark out the 
ground in quincunx rows, so that the implement 
may be worked equally well in three different ways. 
For more than forty years past I have raised Indian 
corn, and have always planted the seed in quincunx 
rows, except when the drill system was adopted. 
When rows run at a right angle across each oth¬ 
er, all being three feet apart, there will not be as 
many hills on an acre, and, of course, less grain, 
than if the same plot of ground were marked in 
the quincunx order, with the rows running in three 
directions, and three feet apart. This is an advan¬ 
tage of minor consideration, the leading one con¬ 
sisting in the saving of manual labor. When a 
good horse-hoe has been carefully run in three di¬ 
rections between the rows of growing corn, the la¬ 
bor required with hand-hoes will be light and inex¬ 
pensive. The horse-hoe should be started when 
the corn is a few inches high. Adjust the hoe to 
skim over the surface of the ground to a uniform 
depth of two or three inches. The third time 
through, a boy or man may follow with a hand-lioe, 
taking two rows at a time, straightening up the 
stalks, and removing every weed from the hills, as 
fast as the horse-hoe progresses. With this man¬ 
agement, the crop always gets the start of weeds 
and grass; and by means of the quincunx system 
of rows, the horse-hoe performs nearly all the la¬ 
bor, and the weeds are easily kept thoroughly sub¬ 
dued through the entire season. In order to culti¬ 
vate Indian corn with profit, farmers must require 
their teams to do the hoeing. S. E. F. 
Strange Work with a Pillow. 
Mr A. S. Fuller, the well-known author of Small 
Fruit Culturist and other works, who is an ardent 
entomologist, has brought to our notice a remarka¬ 
ble example, if not of insect architecture, at least 
of insect industry. A lady living near his New 
Jersey home had long observed that a pair of her 
feather pillows were becoming dull, and losing their 
elasticity and lightness. This increased to such an 
extent that she determined to empty out the feath¬ 
ers and renovate them. When the pillow cases 
were opened, the feathers were little besides the 
naked stems or small quills, quite divested of the 
plume, or web. But—and here is the strange part 
—the whole interior, a common striped ticking, 
presented the appearance of plush, or perhaps 
more that of fur. This material was submitted to 
our friend, who, on examination, found that it was 
the work of an insect. The pillows were stuffed 
with common hen’s feathers, a large share of the 
web of which is soft and like fine hair. The in¬ 
sects had stripped these little hair-like parts from 
the quills, and glued, or otherwise fastened them 
to the pillow-tick. This -work is not done here 
and there in patches, but the whole surface is 
completely covered. There must be many thou¬ 
sands of these fibres on a square inch, as they are 
set so closely that no part of the fabric can be 
seen. If these were attached, as seems probable, ■ 
one at a time, the industry displayed in the work 
is most wonderful. The microscope shows that 
each hair-like fragment is fixed by its larger end or 
base, just as it was attached to the feather. More 
than this, they appear to be lapped over each other 
in one direction only. If the surface be smooth¬ 
ed in one direction, the fibres all lay flat; but if the 
motion of the fingers is made the other way, the 
surface is at once roughened, just like fur when 
stroked the wrong way. Numerous small black 
oval beetles, about one-twelfth of an inch long, 
were found in the pillows, and these must have 
been the workmen in this strange, decorative art. 
Mr. Fuller makes out the insect to be Altagenus 
megatoma, a near relative of the insects which are 
so destructive to stuffed specimens of all kinds 
that they are known as “Museum Pests.” “What 
was the object of the insect?” will naturally be 
asked. Thus far this is a mystery. That it 
thus destroyed the feathers is not so strange, 
but that it should use the fragments to con¬ 
struct a fabric (if we can so call it), is a puzzle. I 
Insects often do a great deal of work in providing 
for their progeny, but there is nothing to indicate 
that this is for such a purpose. If these insects 
could be induced to do this as a regular business, 
and convert common feathers into beautiful plush, 
it would be a new industry. 
Concerning Stoves. 
Those in the Northern States who take down their 
stoves early in May usually pay a penalty in several 
days of discomfort, if not in actual illness. A year 
rarely passes without bringing a cold storm in the 
first half of June, when a fire is actually necessary 
for health. Fortunate are those who have open 
fire-places in their houses, in which during any 
damp, chilly spell, a small fire of wood can be made, 
and will be most acceptable. Stoves which are to 
be taken down may safely be left to the middle of 
the present month. When taken down, they should 
be thoroughly cleaned, both inside and out, and if 
a new lining or other repairs are needed, now is 
the time to attend to this. Go over the outside of 
both stove and pipe with common stove-polish, 
which is plumbago or black lead, and avoid all 
kinds of varnish. The use of the polish, thor¬ 
oughly rubbed on with a brush, is not for appear¬ 
ance merely, but it forms a thin film over the iron, 
and prevents it from becoming rusty. The pipe 
should have all loose dust knocked out, and if it 
is necessary to separate the joints, first mark them 
with chalk in such a manner that they can be 
readily put together again. Much of the prover¬ 
bial annoyance in putting up a stove is due to a 
neglect of this simple precaution. All loose parts, 
including legs, should be wrapped in coarse paper, 
and placed inside of the stove before it is put away, 
not forgetting the poker, handles, and whatever 
else belongs with it. Stoves should always be 
stored in a dry, tight place, where water cannot ac¬ 
cidently reach them. It is a useful precaution to 
wrap them in old bagging, or even newspapers. 
Japanese Ornamental Evergreens. 
In Japan, landscape gardening has reached such 
a state of perfection that travellers admire its 
beauty, not because strange and attractive to the 
eyes, but for its true merits. In the hand of a 
skillful gardener, a harmonious combination of 
diverse natural scenes, modified according to taste, 
is so beautifully and skillfully executed, that every 
one is charmed, and cannot resist the belief that 
Nature has blessed the Orient with more than her 
share of beauty. There are winding creeks, with 
blue running waters, steep rocks and grand bould¬ 
ers, with lichens and mosses growing upon them ; 
shadowy trees and bamboos representing Nature’s 
forest, in w'hich nightingales sing with melodious 
tones. These, though strictly oriental and differ- 
ent from a green lawn, with winding driveways and 
regularly planted trees, are all symmetrically 
matched with each other, and located just in front 
of the parlor or drawing-room of a stately man¬ 
sion. The sides of such a lawn are enclosed by 
well-trimmed hedges, which exclude the passer’s 
inspection. Winter is never a gloomy time, for 
evergreens of one kind or another are always 
prominent figures in a garden. Among the popu¬ 
lar evergreens, the following may be mentioned : 
Camellia Japonica .—The camellia can not with¬ 
stand a very cold climate, but is quite hardy, and 
sometimes reaches thirty or forty feet in hight, and 
two or three feet in circumference. It branches 
freely, and grows very thick. The leaves are thick 
and smooth, of an eliptical shape, serrate and 
pointed. The flower is most beautiful, and of a 
rosy color. The petals lie one upon another, and 
make a symmetrical shape. The camellia begins to 
blossom early in spring, and continues in flower 
until late in the season. They can be propagated 
either from seeds or cuttings, most commonly the 
latter. The stones of the seeds are pressed, and 
oil is extracted. From the extreme south, north¬ 
ward to a latitude of about forty degrees, the 
camellia is met with everywhere, and adds greatly 
to the beauty of a garden. In the north, wherec 
the climate is a little too severe for its growth, ex¬ 
treme precautions are taken, and sacrificing the 
pleasure of seeing an evergreen in winter, garden¬ 
ers cover up the plant with straw until warmer- 
weather comes in spring, when the cover is taken 
oil, and the plant soon begins to present its char¬ 
acteristically beautiful and rose-colored flowers. 
Pinus Massoniana .—This evergreen is met with 
in most gardens and along public thoroughfares. 
During the hot summer months, this pine gives a 
great deal of comfort to pedestrians, while in win¬ 
ter it affords good protection against cold winds- 
and snow. The trees are ornamental as well as 
useful. They prefer dry land to wet. As this. 
evergreen branches out very freely in a lateral di¬ 
rection, gardeners take advantage of this, and train 
the trees into various shapes. 
Olea aquifolium is noted for its sweet-scented 
flowers. Its leaves resemble those of the camellia, 
with sharper and more distinct serratures. It has 
numerous small branches, in consequence of which 
it can be trained as a hedge. The well-trimmed 
hedges of this plant are common around country 
homes. S. Sato. 
Wire Fencing. 
In the West the best farmers use only three 
wires, claiming this to be sufficient to turn all 
kinds of stock, excepting hogs. The posts are set 
about 21 feet in the ground, and one rod apart: 
the wire is stretched 16, 20, and 12 inches apart re¬ 
spectively, the lower wire being 10 inches above the 
ground. This gives a fence 50 inches high. The 
black painted wire, with either two or four pointed 
barbs, about five inches apart, is used more exten¬ 
sively than the galvanized, or white wire, the for¬ 
mer being much stronger and more durable than 
the latter. 
The cost of such a fence as described need not 
exceed 35 cents per rod, exclusive of the labor. 
Braces not less than 10 to 12 feet long should be 
placed against each end post of the line, and at in¬ 
tervals between, if the line of fence is very long. 
If these braces are not sufficiently long, they will 
spring or “ give,” and the fence soon slacken. In. 
fixing the braces against the post, they should be 
placed at a point even with or above the upper- 
wire, or the posts will be lifted, ana made loose. 
A novel, efficient, and approved mode of stretch¬ 
ing the wire is to wrap it around the hub of a wag¬ 
on wheel, using the latter as a capstan. Precaution 
must be taken to prevent the wagon from moving 
by securing it with a rope or chain. Following 
this method one strong man can, by taking hold of 
the spokes, effectually tighten a wire 40 rods long. 
Stock soon become used to these fences, and are 
careful to give them a wide berth. Observer. 
Does it pay to raise chickens in the garden ? This 
question admits of a double answer. It does, and it 
don’t, just as you manage them. To let them have 
the run of the garden the whole season is destruc¬ 
tive, and you might about as well give up your gar¬ 
den. The early broods that come out in April and 
May, if the mothers are confined in coops near the 
edge of the garden, can have the freedom of the 
premises until about the first of June, and they will 
destroy a multitude of insects and small weeds 
and thus help the gardener’s work. These older 
broods should then be confined in large pens, with 
dry airy roosts, or be removed to quarters remote 
from the garden. June broods may have the same 
liberty in the garden until two or three weeks old. 
They will help keep down the squash and melon 
bugs, and small weeds, and grow all the better for 
their range. As soon as they begin to scratch, and 
injure any of the growing crops, they should be re¬ 
moved to other quarters. Late in the autumn, after 
the crops are mainly matured, chickens are good 
scavengers in the garden, and will get much of 
their living from decaying apples, pears, corn, 
tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, etc. If you use^ 
the chickens as help, it pays. If you allow them, 
to use you, and your garden, it is far otherwise. 
