270 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Aug, 
and magnificence is scarcely surpassed at any time of the 
year. It is a climbing shrub, like the old trumpet 
flower, (Bignonia radicans ,) and may be trained in the 
form of a pillar, or to the face of a wall. As far north 
as 43°, it is slightly tender, and needs a slight protec¬ 
tion with evergreen boughs in winter. If left exposed, 
the tips of the shoots will be destroyed. 
The foliage much resembles that of the common trum¬ 
pet flower, but is of a much darker green • the flowers 
measure from three to three and a half inches across the 
corol, and single racemes are often a foot long. This 
large size, added to their rich orange color, renders them 
eminently ornam'ental and showy. The plant continues 
to bloom through the latter part of summer and through 
several of the earlier weeks of autumn. 
Notes on Strawberries. 
The garden of R. G. Pardee, of Palmyra, N. Y., pre¬ 
sented during the strawberry season a display that we 
have seldom seen equalled. Specimens of Hovey’s Seed¬ 
ling weighed half an ounce, and many of the berries of 
Burr’s New Pine were scarcely inferior in size, measur¬ 
ing from four to four and a half inches in circumference. 
Like nearly all other cultivators, he regards the latter 
as the best sort decidedly, for home use. Yery fine spe¬ 
cimens of Black Prince were also grown, but their great 
size and succulence appeared to be quite at the expense 
of their flavor. To test the often repeated assertion, 
that the common wild strawberry, is not excelled by cul¬ 
tivated sorts in quality, a few plants were given a fair 
trial; but when eaten side by side, they were fonnd in¬ 
ferior to nearly every other sort in the garden, which con¬ 
tained some thirty or forty in all. 
The late Strawberry Exhibition of the Genesee-Yal- 
ley Horticultural Society at Rochester, presented as 
usual a rich display of specimens. Among them were 
several of Ellwanger & Barry’s new Seedlings, which 
have now been subject to some years of trial. The most 
showy is the Genesee, of large size, good flavor, and with 
an unusually brilliant scarlet color. Monroe Seedling, 
is another of decidedly fine appearance. Another, which 
they as yet call No. 1, possesses the finest flavor of any 
of their new sorts, and which is not dissimilar to that of 
Burr’s New Pine. These sorts all grow freely and bear 
well on their grounds, which possess great fertility; their 
promise of high value certainly entitles them to a fair 
trial elsewhere. 
Late Apples at the West. 
Dr. Warder’s Review informs us that at the exhibi¬ 
tion of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, for the dis¬ 
play of roses, cherries and strawberries, there were spe¬ 
cimens of the Newtown Pippin and Rawle’s Jannet, 
“ which were remarkably well preserved and retained 
a good flavor.” .These appear to be the two best keep¬ 
ing apples of that region. The warm sun and fertile soil 
of that part of Ohio, seem admirably adapted to the 
successful growth, of the Newtown Pippin, those we have 
examined from that region being of finer appearance 
and of a much better and more matured flavor than 
any grown in central or western New-York. 
Blackballs Steamed Bone Manure. 
Analytical Laboratory, Yale College, 1 
New - Haven , Conn ., June 30, 1851. J 
Editors Cultivator —I have .written so much on this 
single topic of bones, that some of your readers may 
think it worn threadbare. But while I see the great 
apathy which still prevails atnong farmers as to their 
use, when I consider the enormous waste of them which 
still occurs in almost every district of our country, I 
feel that I have not said and cannot say too much about 
them. 
It must be acknowledged that there are practical 
difficulties of some consequence, in the employment of 
bones as a manure on ordinary farms. If applied whole 
the quantity required to produce much effect is very 
great, not less than from 50 to 80 bushels per acre. 
Crushing or cracking them by hand is a very slow and 
imperfect process, which soon leads to discouragement 
if the collection be large. Mills for grinding bones are 
as yet few, and bone dust as an article of trade is chiefly 
confined to the large towns, and must be transported 
often to a great distance. The easiest way to bring 
bones into a proper shape for application to the land, 
and at the same time the most effective and economical 
method is to dissolve them in sulphuric acid. This is a 
simple process enough, but I know from frequent ex¬ 
perience that it appears very formidable to the farmer 
who is not accustomed to novelties. He is afraid of.the 
strong acid; perhaps has some difficulty in finding it at all 
in his neighborhood, and is often finally discouraged into 
letting the whole matter stop by one or two failures in 
his first attempts. No description of a process can avoid 
every possible source of error, and unpracticed mani¬ 
pulators are pretty sure to make some mistakes, when 
they meddle with chemicals for the first time. Those 
who have more faith and perseverance do not give up at 
the first ill success, but try again, and always reap a 
reward for their good courage. Such however are com¬ 
paratively few, and the number of those who shrink from 
any effort whatever, is greatest of all. 
In view of the dread which farmers have of this meth¬ 
od, I take up for the subject of the present letter, the 
process of dissolving bones by steaming, a process which 
has lately excited much attention in Great Britain. This 
process has already been mentioned fin your columns on 
one or two occasions, but I have thought that a more 
extended notice might possess a considerable degree of 
interest. I have at various times within the past year 
or two, received letters from Scotch and English friends 
speaking highly of steamed bones, and the subject has 
also been fully discussed by the agricultural papers. 
In the Farmer’s Guide, just published by the Messrs. 
Scott of New-York, a full description is given of the 
process, with plates of Mr. Blackhall’s apparatus. I will 
here mention the general principles of his plan. Any 
old boiler of small size will answer for this purpose. It 
is fitted so that a considerable charge of bones may be 
placed on a grating in its upper part, and there be ex¬ 
posed to the full action of the steam. The lower part 
of the boiler is filled with water, and then all that is 
needed is a fire, and a safety valve to make sure that the 
pressure of steam does not become so great as to en¬ 
danger the safety of the boiler. 
