128 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[April, 
first botanist, or even the first editor, who ever made a 
mistake in naming a plant ? If G. M. will admit this, 
then we will inform him that the editor of the American 
Agriculturist never, in that paper or anywhere else, did 
publish Talina patens variegatutn as Boussingaultia 
Lachaumii. G. M. says we did. We are sorry to differ 
even so slightly with our friend, and to asseit that we 
did not! G. M. is great for presenting theories, and as 
such they are often amusing and interesting as the out¬ 
comes of an active imagination, but we thought we could 
always depend upon its facts—but, alas! he says we did 
that which we did not. Do we accuse the editor of G. 
M. of willful misrepresentation ? Not at all, for he would 
not be guilty of that. To show that “ even the best of 
us” are sometimes “caught asleep,” we will now tell our 
venerable friend what foundation he had for the charge 
which we are obliged to deny. At the fall exhibition of 
the Pennsylvania Ilorticultural Society in 1869 there was 
exhibited a small variegated-leaved plant, with no flow¬ 
ers, though if we mistake not a few buds were visible; 
it was labelled “ Bmissingaullia Lachaumii." When we 
were making up the Horticultural Annual for 1870 Mr. 
Pater Henderson brought us the same plant to figure, and 
in his report upon the new plants of the year he had a 
notice of it. We do not now recollect under what name 
Mr. H. had it, but recognizing it as the plant we had 
seen at Philadelphia we were at once put npon our 
guard. Philadelphia is admirably correct in some things, 
but in names of plants she is loose unto profligacy ; 
plants in the city are so frequently called “ out of their 
names," that the bad example extends for many miles 
around. For instance, one florist on the Darby road calls 
an Eulalia an Imperata , a mistake no one who knows 
anything about the structure of grasses would make; 
and even from Germantown we have a catalogue in 
which the pretty Festuca glauca is disguised as Agrostis 
glauca , which, as both are grasses, is perhaps not so bad, 
but then we have Astilbe Japonica taken out of its natural 
family and called a Spircea ; and we might cite numerous 
other instances of the extent to which this bad example 
of Philadelphia had spread. In making up the Annual 
we thought best to be very cautious with the Philadelphia 
name of this plant, as our venerable friend will see if he 
turns to page 114 of the Horticultural Annual for 1870. 
He will there find : “ Boussingaultia —? var. variegata." 
Which means that it may be a variegated Boussingaultia 
and may not. We congratulate G. M. that, after the 
lapse of five years, he has been able to decide what the 
plant is; but regret that he should have endeavored to 
give prominence to his profound knowledge by using our 
abject ignorance as a fml. We are not in favor of the 
“ you’re another ” style of criticism, but as we had taken 
the editor of G. M. up on the Centaurea Americana ques¬ 
tion he was bound to hit back somehow, and chose 
a very unfortunate topic, lugged in by the ears, to a 
place where it is no more apivpos than a quotation from 
the multiplication table. We do not consider these little 
vagaries of the editor as detracting from the general 
character of the Gardeners’ Monthly, which perhaps 
needs an occasional blemish to make its real excellencies 
more conspicuous. 
Fucern.—“ G. T. W.,” Wallfleet, Mass. Lucern 
requires a rich, dry soil, such as a warm gravelly loam with 
open subsoil. Sandy land is not suitable to it, unless it 
has a strong loamy open subsoil. This crop exists more 
npon the subsoil than the surface, after it has become 
established, but it can not be established with any profit 
upon any but a rich, mellow surface soil. 
American Turf Kegister an<l 
Racing Calendar for 1873 contains a synopsis and 
reference record of the results of races in the United 
States and Canada during that year. Published by the 
Turf, Field, and Farm Association. Price $3.00. 
Improving' Southern Fields.— “M. 
A. L.,” Point Pleasant, Mo. To get a stand of grass we 
would suggest that you should plow and sow an early 
crop of cow peas, and when they are in blossom plow 
them under. Repeat with another crop, which plow 
snder, and sow wheat with timothy in October next. 
This will be far better than a bare fallow, and the cost of 
the seed will be a very cheap price for the green manure 
plowed into the soil. 
How to Feed a Colt. —“II. W. H.” It 
is the early care of the colt which makes or mars the 
horse. The danger is generally in starving him rather 
than over feeding. The point to be aimed at is to keep 
him growing. He may be fed from two weeks old. At 
that time, in addition to the milk from the mare, he 
should have handful—at first—of oatmeal or oats, 
soaked in .weet cow’s milk or water. If the mare does 
not give much milk this may be gradually increased up 
to two quarts of oatmeal or oats in a few weeks. No 
com should be given to a colt at any time, and all the 
oats he will eat up clean and with an eager appetite may 
be given without danger. He should be brushed daily, 
so as to keep the skin clean and free irom scurf. It is 
well to have a closed stall next to the mare for the colt, 
in which he may run loose when not at pasture. 
Harrowing Wheat.—“ T. F. II,” Sun 
River, Montana. We have never heard of any injury hav¬ 
ing been done to the young wheat by harrowing with the 
Thomas harrow; on the contrary the experience of 
those who have tried it is favorable. We have harrowed 
wheat with the common harrow even with very great 
benefit to the crop. We have also drawn a harrow, from 
necessity, across the corner of a field of young oats, and at 
the time supposed we had destroyed the plants, but. the 
strip over which the harrow passed was afterwards 
much the best of the field. 
Soap and CSlne Reruse. —“A Sub¬ 
scriber,” Kent Co., Mich. The refuse of glue or soap 
works is a valuable fertilizer. That from the glue works 
is the most valuable. What its actual money value is 
depends upon so many contingencies that what might be 
worth 10 dollars per ton in one place might not be worth 
more than one dollar elsewhere. We have paid $2 per 
ton for glue refuse, a large portion of which was water. 
We found it very valuable as a dressing for grass lands 
or for vegetable gardens. 
The best Hay Fork.- 11 T. A. J.,” On¬ 
tario Co., N. Y. While persons’ tastes differ as to im¬ 
plements, our experience is that the double harpoon hay 
fork is the best for hay, straw, or sheaf grain of any we 
have used. All these, whether long or short, may be un¬ 
loaded with it, and manure maybe loaded with it equal’/ 
well. A neighbor, who is a large and intelligent farmer, 
last season unloaded his grain from over 150 acres with 
one of these forks in a most satisfactory manner. 
Bed-Bugs.— “ M. K. W.,” Nashville, Tenn., 
writes that she does not care to have corrosive sublimate 
aronnd on account of the children. Finding the children 
were bitten, she put their beds upon the floor, and here 
they were worse troubled than ever. The enemy was 
traced to an old lounge. This, as well as the cracks in 
the floor, had its joints thoroughly scalded with boiling 
brine. A few repetitions completed the job. 
Allies for Pcacli-Trees. —“Taylor.” 
There is no better fertilizer for peach-trees than wood- 
ashes. 
Buckwheat. —“W. B.,” Templeton, Mass. 
There is no crop that responds more quickly to good soil 
and cultivation than buckwheat. It is called the “ lazy 
man’s crop,” for the reason, that however badly it may 
be put in, there is always something to be gathered at 
harvest. For a good crop the soil should be well plowed ; 
the seed may be sown npon the plowed ground and then 
harrowed in. A dressing of 20 bushels of lime or 100 
pounds of plaster per acre is very beneficial to this crop. 
An excellent crop may be taken from a sod that is 
plowed early in July, after the hay has been taken off, 
which may be followed by corn or oats the next spring. 
One bushel of seed per acre is sufficient; on very good 
soil three pecks is enough. 
Varnishing Chromos. — “ Constant 
Reader.” Mastic varnish, usually called picture varnish, 
is the kind used. If you have but one chromo that needs 
varnishing it will be cheaper to send it to some picture 
store than to buy varnish and a proper brush. 
An Iron 0>i*h-Clotl».— Mr. George Smith, 
Farmerstown, Ohio, sends us an “ iron dish-cloth,” 
which is like a piece of chain-armor, and useful for 
scouring pots and other cooking utensils. Mr. S. says it 
has long been in use in his vicinity, but is not known 
generally. They have been kept by our furnishing stores 
these many years, but that does not make them any the 
less useful. 
Insects on Roses.— “Franklin Street,” 
Portland, Me. We can not tell you how to best fight in¬ 
sects unless we know what they are. You give no de¬ 
scription, but only say, “an insect which cats off the 
tips of the buds when about half grown.” This looks 
like the work of the rose-bug, a small drab-colored 
beetle. Nothing will do for this except hand picking. 
In early morning it may be readily shaken off, caught, 
and killed. 
Bairy Business iu . the West.— 
“J. A. W.,” Boston. There arc many openings for the 
dairy business in the West. Many localities are able to 
•furnish milk enough for a cheese factory, which would be 
a home industry well worth encouraging. Either Io\}&- 
or Kansas would iurnish many such localities if J. A. W. 
would go thither and seek them out. It is more than 
probable that a short notice in our advertising columns 
would elicit much information as to these places. $3,00ft 
would put up a factory such as is needed, and surplus 
capital might if desired be employed in keeping a stock 
of dairy cows in addition. 
Frimula .Snponicu.— “A. G. F.,” Port¬ 
land, Me. We think this will prove hardy, but we have 
had so few plants that we have not cared to try them.. 
Poetry. —“C. H. H.” sends us a poem which 
we must decline for two reasons: 1st, we do not publish 
any poetry that has appeared elsewhere; and 2d, we do- 
not print poetry at ail. So much verse was offered us, 
that several years ago we found it expedient to make a 
rule that we would publish nothing called by courtesy 
“ poetry,” and we have seen no reason to depart front it. 
Our old readers are aware of this, and we may do a ser¬ 
vice to some of our new friends by reminding them of it. 
HonarcJi of f lic West Strawberry 
and Herstine Raspberry.—“ Scott.” Those 
who grow this strawberry on the light lands of southern 
New Jersey speak well of it; others who have triedit 
on heavy soil find it a poor variety. The Eerstine Rasp¬ 
berry is in every respect superior as a fruit to the Phila¬ 
delphia. The winters of ’70, ’72 and ’72-’73 injured it 
badly with us—but so it did other varieties counted hardy. 
Utilizing Night-Soil. — “P. H. R.,”' 
Liberty Corner, N. J. In the Agriculturist of October,. 
1872, there is an article with illustrations entitled “How 
to Empty a Cesspool.” In that will be found directions 
for preparing the contents for use. To use the prepara¬ 
tion it is spread upon the surface of the soil, to be 
manured and harrowed iu as near the seed as possible. 
Horticultural Humbugs.— Lafayette 
& Co. appear no more, but their mantle has fallen upon 
shoulders quite worthy of it. A store up Broadway is 
now in full blast, and offers the same wonderful things, 
the merits of which are set forth in the same Gallo- 
Yankee language, and illustrated by as phenomenal draw¬ 
ings as were the worthless wares of Lafayette & Co. 
By way of curiosity we made a visit to the establish¬ 
ment, and heard and saw these horticultural marvels 
Apricots weighing one pound each, plums without 
stones, raspberries with “ large fruit as a egg of fowl,”’ 
are among the choice things of the catalogue. These 
are as nothing compared to “ Fragaria Africana arboi ea r 
strawberry in tree, having a fruit similar to this of a. 
herbacea fruit, much larger, with the same perfume, a 
new kind.” These are grafted on quince (!), considering 
which $3 does not seem so very high for a plant. Then 
a grape, which is not here but is coming, bears bunches 
weighing fifteen pounds, and ripens in the open air in 
July. The asparagus, which can be cut in ninety days 
from the seed, is now sold at only two cents a seed, 
while Lafayette & Co. charged four cents. Iu the way of 
flowers, we can only mention pansies of unheard of 
shapes at twenty-five cents a seed; “ Gentiana Africana," 
which is in blossom during nine months, and “ Calypso 
borealis of China, remarkable by its dimension and 
its agreeable smell, in blossom during three months.”' 
The catalogue concludes with Fragaria arborea Afri¬ 
cana; whether it is different from the previously men¬ 
tioned Fragaria Africana arborea we do not know, but. 
presume it is as it “ produces fruit weighing sometimes 
one-half kilog. (one pound), delicious, four varieties.” 
This bold imposture is carried on every spring, some¬ 
times under the name of Lafayette & Co., and sometimes 
under another name, but they all have similar things and 
similar machinery to aid them in disposing of them. 
Men of means and intelligence will go to these fellows' 
and purchase stuff for which these preposterous claims 
are made, and we have little sympathy for such people 
when they get humbugged. It is with the amateurs 
with small means that these chaps do the most mischief. 
These, with a great love for flowers, but without knowl¬ 
edge enough to see that the representations made by 
these travelling dealers are simply impossible, will pur¬ 
chase the trash, and throw away for nothing a sum that 
would have given them much enjoyment if expended 
for good things. These fellows, with their impossible- 
monsters, have some good-looking stock, such as roses, 
camellias, and the like, which give their place a respecta¬ 
ble appearance. It is probably impossible to stop these 
swindlers by any legal means, as by the time a purchaser 
finds out the fraud they are far away, and next year an¬ 
other set (probably of the same gang) appear. We give 
the present set credit for one thing : they have left the 
“ blue rose ” out of this year's catalogue. No reader of 
the Agriculturist will, we trust, be taken in by any such. 
