104 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
All the corn cultivators used in the Western 
States for one or two horses, the most expensive 
and the cheapest, have teeth, with trifling varia¬ 
tions, shaped like these. They are used to 
make single, double, and triple shovel plows for 
one horse, or with four shovels on wheels, for 
two horses, to cultivate both sides of the corn 
rows at once. With the two-horse implement, 
one man in Illinois 
tends 75 acres of corn. 
The one - horse 
double-shovel plow 
is made with two 
shovels, one set to 
run deeper than the 
other, and about ten 
inches apart. The 
shorter plow is set 
about twelve inches 
forward of the other 
on the right-hand 
side, to run next the 
corn. By having the 
hind plow run deep¬ 
er, and going twice 
between the rows, 
a handsome slightly- 
raised hill is made 
for the corn by leav¬ 
ing a small furrow in 
the center. A single¬ 
shovel plow has a larger shovel, and runs but 
once between the rows, and makes a higher 
hill. The triple plow is made with the two 
shortest shovels set forward on opposite sides, 
and the longest shovel in the center in the rear. 
These plows are but little known in the Eastern 
States, but will be found to give much satisfac¬ 
tion wherever used on land free from stones. 
The mole plow, which figure 2 represents, 
runs underground, and loosens the soil to let in 
air and rains to the roots without disturbing the 
plants. This is essential in heavy soils, or in 
those compacted by heavy rains. Similar to a 
subsoil plow, but not running so deep, it is es- 
which is now much used as an ornamental vine 
in our gardens. We present here an engraving 
of a woody species, the Great-flowered Tliun- 
bergia— T. grandiflora. The leaves and flowers 
arc represented about half the natural size. It 
makes an excellent climber for a warm green¬ 
house. The leaves are of a pleasing green, and 
the flowers, which are freely produced, are of an 
SEA-BEAN.— {Entada .) 
pecially adapted to the culture of rice after the 
first flooding has been drawn off, when the land 
is always left very close and heavy. 
Mole and shovel plows like those figured are 
made to fit Comstock’s Hand Cultivator and 
Onion Weeder, which we offer in our premium 
list. They are an important addition to that 
very useful implement. W. G. C. 
The Great-flowered Thunbergia. 
The Thunbergias are pretty well known 
through the annual climbing Thunbergia alata , 
great-flowered THUNBERGIA.— {Thunbergia grandiflora.) 
exceedingly delicate blue color. The plant is a 
native of Hindostan, and has been in cultivation 
for many years, though we now seldom see it 
in collections. It is worthy the attention of 
those who have greenhouses, but we much 
doubt if it would succeed in apartments. 
Sea-Beans.—Entada. 
In Jauuary we gave a description and figures 
of the seeds of a Mucuna , which had been sent 
us from Florida, under the name of Sea-bean. 
Now a correspondent writes from Mayport, 
Fla., that that sea-bean is not the true Sea-bean, 
one of which he sends. He states that his sea- 
beau is washed upon the shore with the other, 
and says: “lam assured hy some who ought 
to know that it is a true marine production.” 
We give a figure of the seed sent by our corre¬ 
spondent; we have specimens from other 
sources both larger and smaller than the one 
here represented. The seed is the product of a 
Mimosa-like vine, the Entada scandens, which 
is found in the tropical portions of both hemi¬ 
spheres. The vine is chiefly remarkable for 
its large pods and seeds; the pods are often six 
or eight feet in length, are flat and woody, and 
divided up into numerous joints, each one of 
which contains a seed. The inhabitants of places 
■where these seeds are found convert them into 
various tignkets;' perfume-bottles, snuff-boxes, 
spoons, and other such things are fashioned from 
them. The exterior is of a fine dark brown 
or purplish color, very hard and polished. It is 
said that in some parts of India these seeds are 
used for weights. In the streets of London the 
seeds of the Entada are sometimes sold under 
the name of “West-Indian Filberts,” though 
they are not eatable. The seeds found upon the 
coast of Florida have been borne there by the 
sea from other shores. The distance to which 
these seeds are carried by ocean currents is some¬ 
thing remarkable. It is not rare to find them 
upon the western coast of Scotland, and they 
have occasionally been carried as far as the Lof- 
foden Islands, off the coast of Norway. 
Turban Squashes. 
A gentleman who called at our office some 
weeks ago mentioned a very fine squash, the 
seeds of which he obtained at Florence, Italy, 
from the palace garden of Victor Emanuel. We 
expressed a wish to see this squash, and some¬ 
time after received from Mr. Caywood, of 
Clarksburgh, W.Va., 
a specimen raised by 
him. We give an 
engraving of the one 
sent, which seems to 
be a highly exagger¬ 
ated Turban squash. 
In the ordinary Tur¬ 
ban variety the pro¬ 
jection, at the blos¬ 
som end is small in 
proportion to the 
body of the squash. 
In this Florentine 
one the main bulk 
consists of this pro¬ 
jection while the 
body proper is small. 
In our specimen the 
projecting portion is 
very deeply three- 
lobed and the skin 
of a dull cream-color; 
the body part is dark orange, with green splashes. 
We do not find any description that quite agrees 
with our specimen, though it is like the Turban 
squash of the French with the projecting portion 
much larger than ordinary. Mr. Gregory, in his 
work upon squashes, says in speaking of the 
French Turban, it is “the most worthless in quali¬ 
ty of all the varieties of squash that have come to 
my notice.” This remark certainly can not a pply 
to our squash, as upon trial it proved very fine, 
and quite equal in quality to those we consider 
standard varieties. The “Improved Turban” 
is said by Burr to be probably an acclimated 
sub-variety of the French Turban, while Greg- 
lTALIAN TURBAN SQUASH. 
ory claims that the “American Turban,” which 
is the same thing, is the result of hybridizing, 
owing its form only to the French Turban and 
all its excellent qualities to the Hubbard or 
other varieties with which it may have been 
mixed. In the American Turban the projec¬ 
tion before referred to has been by selection so 
much reduced in size as not to be conspicuous. 
Perhaps in the squash we have figured the se¬ 
lections have been made with a view of secur¬ 
ing the greatest amount of protuberance. At 
all events here is a squash quite as good as the 
American Turban, with the shape of the con¬ 
demned French Turban intensified. We shall 
look with interest to the progeny of this squash. 
