THE CULTIVATOR. 
239 
1850. 
the green fly upon any plant, without the least inju¬ 
ry to the plant itself. The best method of applying 
it, is to take the plant in one hand,and holding it with 
its head downwards, with a feather or brush sprin¬ 
kle the tobacco water on the under part of the leaves, 
or if the plants are not in flower, all over them. 
Destroying Mice in Nurseries. 
J. W. Hooker, of Rochester, completely effects 
this object by boring inch and a-half holes into 
wooden blocks, ramming in a quantity of corn meal 
and arsenic, and distributing them, with the mouth 
inclined downwards, in the most exposed places. 
The holes need filling each autumn. 
Native Flowers. 
Phlox divaricata is one of our most showy plants 
at this season, presenting masses of pure white, 
white with a blue eye, or pale purple; and more 
rarely, light red, or deep purple. Unlike many other 
plants from the woods, it agrees well with garden 
culture, where it sends up many stems, sometimes 
more than fifty from one root; and though each stem 
is “few flowered,” yet the aggregate is 12 or 15 
inches in height, and tends greatly to beautify the 
border. 
Its specific name ( divaricata ) is derived from its 
form, or the manner of its growth; but it is a curi¬ 
ous circumstance that our best botanists differ wide¬ 
ly in regard to the meaning of this term. The En¬ 
cyclopedia of Plants defines it, “ growing in a 
straggling manner,” and S. F. Gray, (Nat. Arr. 
British Plants) “very open, and growing in many 
different directions ;”—while Louis-Claude Richard 
has it, “spreading out from the stem so far as to 
form more than a right angle with it above ”—Beck, 
“diverging so as to turn backwards ”—Darlington, 
“spreading so as to form more than a right angle 
with the stem above ”—h,nd Webster “turning off 
so as to form an obtuse angle above, and an acute 
angle below.” Now from these definitions, I should 
infer that Linnaeus had the first meaning in view 
when he named this species, for I have seen nothing 
about it to warrant the application of the second de¬ 
finition. D. T. 6 mo. 5, 1850. 
Layers. 
I have found that “a forked stick ” to hold down 
the branch or shoot, is attended with much inconve¬ 
nience, and now employ a substitute that suits me 
exactly. The inconvenience is that the proper 
length of the stick, chiefly depends on the softness 
or firmness of the soil; for we cannot tell without 
trying, how far the stick can be pressed in. If the 
ground is very mellow, and the stick rather short, 
it will not hold its place against the spring of the 
layer; and if the earth is hard, and the stick rather 
long, it must be cut shorter, on the old principle of 
“cut and try.” Besides it is often difficult to find 
forked sticks in a garden, just when we happen to 
want them. 
Well, now for the substitute. Take slender 
sticks, 8 or 10 inches long—whether cut from rods, 
or split from boards and shingles-—and sharpen them . 
Press the layer firmly in the bottom of the trench, 
and set one of the sticks on one side, touching it at 
an angle of 45°; and then another stick in the same 
manner on the opposite side, and it is done. The 
sticks may enter the ground 2 inches, or four inches 
—as far as a reasonable pressure can force them—it 
matters not which; and there they are, firmly fixed 
in their positions. D. T. 
Fruits for Central Illinois. 
Information is constantly and eagerly sought in 
relation to the sorts of fruit adapted to the new 
West. Fruit cultivators are constantly removing 
to those regions, and wish to know what to carry 
with them; and older settlers are becoming rapidly 
awakened to the importance of having orchards of 
fine fruit. The following list of apples for central 
Illinois, is given by F. K. Phoenix, of Wisconsin, 
a very accurate and skilful cultivator, in the sketch 
of a trip through the former State,* and is the re¬ 
sult of his deliberations, in connexion with those of 
E. Harkness, one of the best nurserymen of Illi¬ 
nois. 
The following are 11 good, and worthy of cultiva¬ 
tion, though varying in merit.” 
Yellow Bellflower, 
White Bellflower, 
Red Romanite, 
Rawle’s Jannet, 
Michael Henry Pippin, 
Newtown Pippin, 
Limber Twig, 
E. Harkness regards 
ble on many accounts,” 
Sweet June, 
Autumn Swaar, 
Rambo, 
Early Harvest, 
English Golden Russet, 
English or Winter Russet, 
Rhode Island Greening, 
Esopus Spilzenburgh, 
Seeknofurther, 
Milam or Harrigan. 
the Yandevere as “ valua- 
and he esteems highly the 
Fall Pippin, 
Fall Wine, 
Domine. 
The following are rejected:— 
Yellow Ingestrie, Roseau, 
Pennock, Pumpkin Sweet, 
Monstrous Pippin, Dutch Codlin, 
With several other varieties, none of which appear 
to be of much value any where. 
Another cultivator regards the Fameuse and Bel¬ 
mont as the best fall apples. 
C. R. Overman, of Canton, central Illinois fur- 
nithes the following list of 25 varieties:— 
Summer. 
Yellow June, Sweet June, 
Carolina Red June, Early Red, 
Early Harvest, Trenton Early. 
Maiden’s Blush 
Fall Wine, 
Rambo, 
Newtown Spitzenburgh, 
Bullock’s Pippin, 
White Bellflower, 
Yellow Bellflower, 
Rhode Island Greening, 
Esopus Spitzenburgh, 
Talman Sweet, 
Autumn. 
Fameuse, 
Fall Pippin. 
Winter. 
White Winter Pearmam, 
Limber Twig, 
Red Romanite, 
Northern Spy, 
Pryor’s Red, 
Rawle’s Jannet, 
Green Newtown Pippin. 
Bean meal for Milch Cows. —We have on for¬ 
mer occasions alluded to some trials that have been 
made in feeding milch cows with bean meal, the re¬ 
sults of which seemed to show that it was a highly 
valuable article. At a late meeting of an English 
Farmers’ Club, it was stated by a member, that no¬ 
thing was so good for cows in milk, either as regard¬ 
ed the produce of butter or cheese, as bean meal. 
Equinoctial Storms.-— Dr. Ray of Woodward 
College, kept a record of observations for fourteen 
years; during this period, ten of the equinoctial days 
were either clear, or fair and pleasant days; two 
were partly clear, but more than half cloudy; while 
the remaining two were entirely cloudy and partly 
rainy. In addition to this, he found that by taking 
a period of one whole month, that is two weeks be¬ 
fore, and two weeks after the equinox, there were 
five “ bad spells ” of weather; while in nine of the 
years there was no weather that could be called un¬ 
pleasant. 
* In the Prairie Farmer. 
