1883 ,] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
529 
ing with a low mound, upon the top of which sods 
are neatly laid in such a manner as to shed the 
rain. Herbaceous plants in the flower garden, of 
doubtful hardiness, should have a slight mound 
of earth over them, first cutting back the stems. 
No doubt this method of protection may be ap¬ 
plied to many tender and half-hardy shrubs and 
other plants which are now taken up and placed 
in the green-house or the cellar for the winter. 
Sparto or Esparto Grass. 
There are annually imported into England, be¬ 
tween one and two hundred thousand tons of a 
our Southern States, where Sparto would be the 
most profitable crop that could be grown. The 
price, several years ago, wa6 seventy dollars per 
ton, and even at that rate it would pay. The cul¬ 
tivation of this grass is a matter that our South¬ 
ern friends should look to. Our policy should 
be, to import nothing that we can produce. 
What is Anatto? 
Cheese has for a long time been colored with 
anatto, and of late years, it has come in use, not 
only in creameries, but iti home dairies, to give 
color to butter. The increasing 
use of the substance, especially 
in winter, naturally leads many to 
ask: “What is anatto, and is it 
harmless?” The name, which came 
with the substance from South 
America, has a great variety of 
spellings, besides that given above, 
which is the simplest and the one 
moil cotton stuffs of a dull orange, it is often used 
in domestic dyeing, witli potash as a mordant. So 
far as we are aware, the various butter colorings 
in the market are chiefly, if not entirely, solutions 
of anatto, made by the aid of some form of potash 
or soda. It seems better suited than anything else 
to give pale winter butter the color of that made 
when the cows have good pasturage. It is en¬ 
tirely harmless, we think. It has long been 
added to chocolate in South America, for both 
color and flavor, and is used by Indian tribes in 
that country to paint their bodies. One writer says 
that it is about the only clothing the natives have 
to protect them from mosquitos and other insects. 
Parsley in Winter. 
It is very easy to have a supply of parsley all 
winter. Take up the plants from the garden, cut 
off all but a few small leaves at the centre of the 
tuft, and plant them in a box of good soil. Another 
method is, to take a keg—a nail keg will answer ; 
bore numerous inch or inch-and-a-half holes in its 
THE esparto GRASS (Stipa tenacissima). 
A branch OF anatto (Bixa orellana). 
grass, and a considerable quantity, we do not know 
just how much, is brought to this country. This 
grass is imported for feeding—not animals, but the 
insatiable paper mills. It is known in commerce 
as Sparto and Esparto grass, and is largely used by 
English paper makers, at least, as a substitute 
for rags. Spain was at first the source from which 
the supply of Sparto was derived; the natural 
growth being rapidly exhausted, cultivation was 
resorted to, and this has extended to Portugal and 
Algiers. The grass is a species of Stipa, one of 
which, the Feather-grass (S. pennata ), is much cul¬ 
tivated for its large feathery plumes, which are 
often imported as ornamental grasses. The species 
furnishing the Sparto is Stipa tenacissima, the gen¬ 
eral appearance of which is shown in the engraving. 
Formerly, and perhaps yet, another and very un¬ 
like grass ( I/ygeum Spartum) was collected with the 
Stipa, but that is regarded as the proper Sparto. 
The Sparto was long in use for cordage, nets, sacks, 
etc., and even shoes were made of it by the Span¬ 
ish peasantry. Its introduction as paper stock is 
comparatively recent. It makes excellent paper, 
and is little, if any, more difficult to work up than 
rags. In Spain it is cultivated, by setting out 
pieces of the roots, and if it were not for the des¬ 
tructive custom of pulling it up, instead of cutting 
it, a plantation would last indefinitely. The grass 
requires a warm and dry climate, and grows in 
sandy soils. There are probably many localities in 
we first learned; it is given in different books as 
annatto, annata, annotta, arnotto, arnota, and so on. 
The substance is the product of a small South 
American tree, Bixa orellana, belonging to a small 
family to which it gives its name ( Bixinece ), of 
which we have no representatives. Systemati¬ 
cally, the family is placed near that of the violets. 
The tree rarely exceeds twelve feet in hight, has a 
handsome head, and each branch is terminated by 
a cluster of flowers of the color of peach-blossoms. 
The engraving above shows the shape of the 
leaves and appearance of the flowers. The pods 
are at first of a fine rose-color, becoming brown as 
they ripen ; as shown at the right hand side of 
the engraving, they are covered with bristles, and 
contain numerous seeds, the important product. 
Each seed is surrounded by a dai’k red pulp, to re¬ 
move which, they are placed in water and allowed 
to ferment, with frequent stirring. When the 
seeds are free from pulp, they are strained out, and 
the pulp allowed to settle. It is afterwards placed 
iu kettles, evaporated to a thick paste, which is the 
anatto of commerce. It is made into rolls, weigh¬ 
ing two to four pounds, which are covered with 
canna leaves and packed in wicker baskets, or 
more generally of late, in boxes. Anatto, when 
fresh, has much the consistency of putty, a dark, 
brownish-red color, and with a somewhat disagree¬ 
able odor. It has long been used in dyeing, though 
on silks the color is not very fast. To color corn- 
sides. Place the parsley with the crown at the 
holes and the roots extending horizontally into the 
keg, gradually filling in with earth to hold them in 
place. Finish by planting some roots upright at 
the top. Either box or keg, if supported at a 
kitchen window and watered as needed, will give a 
supply of fresh leaves all winter. The residents 
of cities who have no gardens, can buy parsley 
for this purpose in the markets, as it is usually sold 
with the roots attached. Those who are fond of 
parsley as a seasoning, and do not care to be at the 
trouble of raising it as above, may dry it readily 
and find it about as good as when fresh. Spread 
the leaves thinly on a pan ; when the stove oven is 
not very hot, place this in it, and leave the door 
open. The parsley will dry very quickly ; as soon 
as it is crisp, rub it between the hands into a pow¬ 
der, which is to be kept in bottles, tightly closed. 
If a new bed of rhubarb is needed, having spaded 
into the soil an abundance of manure, take up 
the old roots, and divide them in such a man¬ 
ner as to leave a bud attached to each piece set 
out. On large plantations, seedling plants arc 
preferred and a supply provided. Cover old beds 
with a heavy dressing of manure. If it is desired 
to force rhubarb for use in late winter or early 
spring, take up some large roots and place them 
under the stage of a green-house, or in a warm 
cellar, covering them with earth. 
