THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— September 3,1886. 407 
the latter claim ; and though one fire-place is easier 
managed than several, and a large one more easily than 
a small one, I am yet fearful of being told some frosty 
afternoon that “ the boiler has burst.” If I could be 
perfectly assured that such an emergency could not 
happen, and that the working of the rest could be use¬ 
fully carried on, I do not see any reason for opposing it 
as a useful measure, as I calculate it has one of the 
qualifications I always bargain for in hot-water heating 
apparatus—a capacious fire-place and ash-pit. 
The mauy modes of applying hot water in heating 
other structures than hothouses have, no doubt, tended 
to diffuse the usefulness of the various plans adopted ; 
but there is one great evil to which they are often sub¬ 
jected, and which, I fear, cannot bo got over—the pipes 
must in so many cases be concealed. Certainly, the plan 
lately adopted, of making them assume the character of 
a piece of furniture or other ornamental article, will, 
when more fully carried out, prevent the waste attending 
burying the heating apparatus iu masonry, with only 
small apertures here and there to let out the heat. I 
have seen what appeared to me a beautiful marble side¬ 
board form the heating contrivance to a room, and do 
its work well; and, no doubt, when ingenuity is fairly 
directed that way, many more improvements in heating 
will be effected. Churches, to my knowledge, have been 
heated by hot water since 1830, and the only drawback 
that I could see to the plan adopted in an edifice of that 
kind in a rural district, was the unpleasantness of walk¬ 
ing on the gratings which enclosed the pipes running 
up the aisles ; in other respects it acted very efficiently, 
and was more agreeable than the too common bad smell 
arising from Arnott's and other stoves, which form such 
ugly appendages to so many of our public buildings. 
J. Robson. 
DESTROYING CRICKETS. 
I will tell you liow I have got rid of hundreds by means 
of a common white, glazedjar, about nine or ten inches high, 
put in the place they infest, with a slice or two of Cucumber 
in it, and one live cricket as a decoy. They will hop in, 
and, strange to say, have not the power to hop out. It is 
not well to destroy them daily. "When the jar is one-thud 
full of insects, have it tilled with boiling water. I never 
found them injure anything, although 1 had them in my 
kitchen for years. I got rid of them by this simple method. 
I have heard that Cucumber will destroy them, and they are 
very fond of it.—A One Year Subscriber. 
AMERICAN CULTIVATION OF POTATOES. 
"We were in the town of "Watervliet a short time since, and 
called upon several farmers in the town in order to ascer¬ 
tain a few facts in regard to the cultivation and yield of 
their staple crop. We went along three roads, enclosing a 
triangular piece of land containing somewhat more than a 
square mile, and called on thirty farmers whose houses were 
near the road. These thirty farmers raised the past year 
seventy-six thousand six hundred, and twenty-two bushels of 
potatoes. Several of the farms were more than half planted 
every year with potatoes, and on two or three farms three- 
fourths of the land were thus occupied. On one farm, that 
of L. and A. Gove, 8780 bushels were raised this year. 
D. D. T. More, on .88 acres, raised 0350 bushels. The 
Messrs. Osborn on 88 acres, 7710 bushels. J. Ferris, 7800 
bushels, and many others raise annually three, four, and 
five thousand bushels of potatoes. 
The yield per acre is not large; the average of those 
farms where we could ascertain the number of acres 
planted was 102-J bushels per acre, the highest farm being 
133 bushels per acre—in this instance three-fourths of the 
farm (a small one), was in potatoes. 
Peruvian guano is used to a considerable extent, and is 
found a cheap and effective fertilizer. In one instance we 
found a field where potatoes had been grown four years in 
succession manured with guano, and the crop this season 
was the best it had ever produced, averaging 180 bushels 
per acre. It is somewhat remarkable that this light, sandy 
soil, which we should suppose poor in all the mineral 
elements of plants, but especially in potash, should thus 
annually yield a fair crop of potatoes, which of all our agri¬ 
cultural plants removes from the soil the most potash ; and 
that Peruvian guano should prove such a powerful fertilizer, 
while of all manures it is the poorest in potash—containing 
not more than 2 per cent. 
A good clover sod, ploughed under immediately before 
planting, is considered the best preparation for potatoes, 
though, since the introduction of guano, potatoes are fre¬ 
quently planted after potatoes, corn, rye, <fec. Tlaster, about 
two bushels per acre, either sown broadcast or scattered on 
the hills just as the plauts are breaking the soil, is an effec¬ 
tive fertilizer, and is used to a considerable extent. Plaster 
on this sandy soil has a highly beneficial effect on clover. 
Potatoes of medium size are usually planted whole, in 
hills about 2£ feet apart, 10 bushels of seed per acre. Plant 
as early in the spring as the soil will admit, and many 
farmers continue planting as late as the first week in June. 
We saw some plauted the 10th of June, but the crop was 
light. The Mercer, although a poor producer, is the 
favourite variety, now commanding the highest price. The 
Long Johns will yield one-third more per acre, but they 
bring a less price, and when the market is dull, it is difficult 
to sell them at all. 
A few farmers still draw manure from the city, three 
miles, but since the introduction of guano the practice is 
becoming less common every year. 
We met with a few good old farmers who had never tided 
guano, and had “no faith in it; ” but all who had used it, 
without exception, thought it a “ powerful ’’ manure; yet we 
were somewhat surprised to find that not one could give 
even a good Yankee guess as to the number of bushels of 
potatoes over and above the unmanured soil 100 lbs. of 
guano would produce. Mr. D. D. T. More used 200 lbs. of 
Peruvian guano on potatoes side by side with “Northern 
Marl,”—an article, we believe, which is said to contain a 
large quantity of phosphate of lime: the marl did no 
good, while the guano “ increased the crop fully one-third.” 
Mr. More’s crop averaged 113 bushels per acre, so, according 
to this, 200 lbs. of guano increased the crop to 28 bushels 
per acre. The safest way to apply guauo is to sow it broad¬ 
cast, and plough and harrow it in immediately; hut it will 
produce a greater effect if placed in the hill with the potato, 
but great care is necessary to incorporate it well with the 
soil, for it will assuredly kill the seed if it comes in contact 
with it. 
There is nothing remarkable about the method of culti¬ 
vating potatoes in this district; the reason why farmers 
have engaged so extensively in their cultivation is to he 
ascribed to the almost total exemption from the rot, which is 
so injurious in richer and heavier soils.—( The American 
Country Gentleman.') 
ETYMOLOGIES. 
Marigold. —Shakspeare has ( Cymh ., Act II. Sc. 3) :— 
“ And winking Mary-buds begin 
To ope their golden eyes.” 
From this we may conclude that the original name was Mary- 
bud, or Mary-fiower, synonymous terms. But why was it so 
called ? Johnson, in a careless sort of way, says these may 
have a reference to the Virgin Mary. I think, on the con¬ 
trary, that it was with Mary Magdalen that this flower was 
connected. This Mary is always represented as a mourner 
grieving for her sins, and in constant attendance on our 
Lord, the Aim of righteousness; and the Marigold, wo see, 
was connected with the sun, in whose absence it was closed. 
We may further observe, that its name in French is souci, in 
Portuguese saiidade, terms expressive of mourning and re¬ 
gret. I would recommend the subject to those who are 
better qualified than I am to pursue it. A curious article 
might be written on the connection of the names of plants, 
flowers, &c., with those of persons. I must, in fine, add my 
protest to those of scholars in general against the shameful 
manner in which the character of this most respectable 
woman has been taken away, in making her, without even 
