
FOREST AND STREAM. 
37 


Woodland, Lawn and Garden. 
AN UNDERRATED ESCULENT. 
aio 
R. Charles Dudley Warner, in his charming ‘“ Summer 
in a Garden,” one of the nicest, freshest and cleverest 
hits of witty writing we know of, unintentionally we feel. sure 
has done injustice to beans. ‘‘There is no dignity in the 
bean,” he sacrilegeously cries. ‘‘The bean is a vulgar 
vegetable without culture, or any flavor of high society 
among vegetables.” He almost intimates, rash man, that 
it has no historic claims. Wecheerfully forgive him his lack 
of that familiarity which so many people possess in regard 
to Pheenecian manners—almost a speaking acquaintance 
we might say with Belal or Belus or Baal or Bel—(zebub). 
The latest agricultural reports declare that old the African 
bean and the true Yankee bean are so similar in appearance, 
as to lead anybody who grows them, to declare that they must 
both have come from the same pod. What is the connec- 
tion between the Phoenecian and the bean? Why to-day 
the descendents of this very same people celebrate the ad- 
vent of the bean. Itis true they are colored people, but 
that makes no difference, save to show that the love of the 
bean commenced with Adam. A learned English maga- 
zine writer states as follows: ‘‘During the period of the 
year called Nissum, that is to say, when the bean-plant be- 
gins to blacken, the negroes of Algiers and its neighbor- 
hood assemble at the Koubba of Belal to keep what they 
call the Azd-el-Foul, or the fete of beans. Previous to that 
period they are supposed to have abstained from eating 
this vegetable. An ox is then sacrificed and dancing is 
next in order. Here men and women, seized with fits of 
enthusiasm, often fling themselves into the sea, and at times 
it is only with considerable difficulty that their companions 
are able to rescue them from drowning.” We feel sure that 
after this high authority, the clever editor of the Hartford 
Courant, will somewhat modify his judgment in regard to 
beans, and that some future fete de beans may be inaugura- 
ted under his auspices. 
pecibees ML 
—George May Powell, who has been recently investigating 
the culture of the olive in Palestine regards that tree as es- 
pecially adapted to the mountain regions of Virginia, North 
Carolina and Tennessee. First results are tardy, but an 
orchard of 100 trees per acre requires far less care than our 
fruits, and yields for centuries, when in bearing, from two 
to five dollas per tree. He says: : 
“No other country has such floral variety as this. 
Flowers from the limits of the temperate on Hermon to the 
tropical on Jordan are here, and all compressed in less than 
the limits of the State of New Hampshire. From no other 
country can we secure more of value in the line of seeds 
and cuttings, and if a proposed organization of a Palestine 
Farmers’ Club. sue ceeds, there will be a medium of ex- 
change. Asa field for the study of birds, flowers and stones 
the naturalist will always find Palestine remarkable.” 
= Seema 
—In Acheen there blooms a flower the parasitical Raf lesia, 
which measures three feet across. One is a nosegay. But 
then, in the veget table way there is a tuberose edible root of 
400 pounds, and with this a shell fish, on which twenty 
people can dine. How the Dutch are going to starve out 
the Acheens remains to be seen. 
cd See SV 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW PLANtTs.—If new houses are 
to be built and old ones altered or repaired it should be 
done while there is plenty of time, and not postponed until 
the houses are likely to be wanted. The heating apparatus 
will need overhauling to see if it can go through another win- 
ter without repairs. Supplies of loam, leaf mould, de- 
cayed turf, and sand, are to be laid under cover for winter 
use, and orders sent for the needed stock of pots. Camellias 
and other evergreens from the greenhouses will need 
especial care in shading and watering this month, and all 
greenhouse plants that are set outside should be cared for. 
If not properly protected they may be thrown over by high 
winds or they may be attacked by slugs and insects or in- 
jured by dogs and cats. Plants in the border which it is in- 
tended to repot should not be allowed to grow out of shape; 
an occasional pinching will prevent this.—Agriculturist, 
sr els 
SHADE-TREES A PROTECTION AGArNs? Frre.—An Oregon 
paper draws attention to the fact that the shade-trees planted 
around several blocks of buildings in Portland, preserved 
them from destruction during the recent great fire in that 
city. *‘ It was‘observed,” it remarks, ‘‘ on the day of the fire, 
what wonderful protection. our maple and other trees 
planted along the streets afford. Many buildings, among 
them the First Congrgational Church, were saved by the 
thick foliage of the trees in front of them. Were trees 
planted along our business thoroughfares, they would af- 
ford such a cover that a building would not easily kindle 
froma burning structure on the opposite side of the street. 
Fire thus could be prevented from spreading. The trees 
are a cheap insurance, and worth as much for health and 
comfort as for defense against fire.” 
; etl 
Fine Appetires.--As arule the half-breed, like the Indian, 
eats inordinately. If he has fasted for a time his c1 avings 
seem never to be satisfied. An Indian and a half-breed sat 
down to a pot filled with a fish which must have weighed, 
before it was cooked, fully twenty-five pounds, and they 
finished it, leaving only the bones, after which they swal- 
lowed a quantity of pemican. They still looked so hungry 
that it would have been dangerous to have left any edibles 
within their reach.—Canadian Month, ly. 
he 
—Otter hunting, has been revived in England, though the 
Faster of an otter hunt was drowned lately. 

a Athletic Jlastimes. 
SAS ies 
CRICKET. 
Bose 
HE Waltham cricket club, in the absence of their ex- 
pected visitors, the Manhattans of New York, owing 
to the death of the latter’s Secretary, concluded to play a 
quiet game, when the rain interfered and the stumps were 
drawn. Waltham’s 1338; picked eleven 55. 
August 28rd. A game was played between the Wal- 
tham’s and Alpha’s of Salem, which was decided by the 
first innings. Waltham 133; Salem 42. Inthe score for 
Watham, Howarth being in fine batting form, made 
54 runs. The Waltham’s have played ten matches this 
season, and have only been defeated once, by the Man- 
hattan’s of New York. 
The St. George’s Club have played already this season ten 
matches, of which they have won seven, drawn one, and 
lost two; the latter were one-day matches decided by the 
score of the first innings. The Club’s eleven went to Boston 
last Friday to play the Walthams, and Boston Clubs. 
The Manhattan Club have a fine team this geen and on 
one occasion defeated a strong eleven of the St. George’s by 
nine runs on score of first inning; this was a very creditable 
victory asthe St. George’s played with their professional. 
The Prospect Park Club of Brooklyn is yet in its infancy 
and turns out a goodly number on practice days. At.an 
early date it plays the Staten Island and Manhattan Clubs. 
There are also several other clubs of note in the different 
States, notably in Philadelphia where of course the German- 
town takes the lead, next the Philadelphia and last but not 
by any means the least, the Marion club in Vermont. Dr. 
Coit’s school (after the style of Rugby) we are pleased to 
hear, can turn out on practice days four elevens, and some 
of the school boys have been elected junior members of the 
St. George’s of this city. 
We regret to hear the death of Mr. George T. Keiller of the 
Brooklyn Union, who was unfortunately drowned while bath- 
ing in the waters near Center Moriches, L. I. He was a 
great supporter of athletic pastimes, and was secretary of 
the Manhattan Cricket Club, also Vice President of the Pros- 
pect Park Cricket Club, at the time of his sudden demise. 
The Dogget coat and badge for the best Thames Water- 
man, was founded in 1715. To win it the contestants 
must pull five miles from London bridge to Chelsea. The 
original condition was that it had to be pulled against the 
tide, but people are more merciful now, and the race gener- 
ally comes off at slack water. It was run this year by Mes- 
suru. 
Another swimming match took place last Saturday in the 
East river, foot of 56th street. There were eight competi- 
tors. The first prize, a gold ring, was won by August 
Ernst, and the second by William Foster. This was fol- 
lowed by a boy’s race. 
The fourth championship game between the Athletics 
and Washingtons was played at Philadelphia last Saturday, 
the Athletics winning*by a score of 7 to 2. MeGeary and 
Hines led off in batting, and Sutton and Thomas in fielding 
for their respective nines. Brilliant fly catches were made 
by Sutton and McMullin that resulted in double plays. The 
weather was clear and favorable, and the umpiring im- 
partial. 
On the same day, at the Union grounds, Brooklyn, E. D., 
the Atlantics beat the Mutuals by a score of 6 to 5. 
The Atlantics left on Monday morning for a tour to 
Washington, playing the Athletics at Philadelphia in the 
afternoon; the Baltimores at Baltimore on Tuesday, and 
the Washingtons at Washingtonon Wednesday. On Thurs- 
day they play the Athletics again in Philadelphia. On 
Saturday the Athletics and Bostons will play at Boston. 
—Emma Black, who lives in a small town in Mississippi, 
saved a man’s life recently in a curious way. He was fish- 
ing, and having fallen out of his boat, was making all pos- 
=) 
sible haste to drown when the maiden perceived his plight, 
and swimming out to him, threw her hair, which is nearly 
four feet long, into his grasp, and towed him ashore. 
WALTHAM, Mass., August 23d, 1873. 
Epiron Forest AND STREAM :— 
Dear Str—Cricket certainly is looking up in this section, more so than 
for years. Several new and strong clubs have been organized. One or 
two of the older ones are at present making more stir than usual. Salem, 
Needham, Boston, Waltham and Harvard still live, and have their annual 
interchange of matches with varied results. For the last four years the 
most matches have been played by the Walthams, which, as a club, has 
existed since 1857, and has been the fosterer of neighboring and junior 
clubs ; the result of this care is evidenced in the improved elevens of the 
last four years. Since the addition of A. Eastwood to our number the 
club ranks with any in the East, and is a good opponent to those of your 
city, as the result testified in a recent visit to New York, winning easily a 
match with the “Jersey City,” losing only with the ‘“Manhattans,” and 
playing a fine batting and fielding innings against the St. George’s, which 
deservedly merited the praise given and success earned. Next week we 
may look for some excellent cricket all round, as we expect the St. 
George’s, the United eleven of St. Louis, and are daily practicing, so that 
we may give them a hard road to trayel. From these interchanging 
games we look for still more interest being stirred up in all Athletic pas- 
times, in which cricket undoubtedly stands pre-eminent. The matter of 
factness of base ball, coming and going in two or three hours’ time, looks 
too much like business when compared with the genial sociability which 
cricket tends to engender. It brings about a contact individually which 
the nature of our national game forbids as at present conducted. 
FELIX. 
The seventeenth annual games of the New York Cale- 
donian Club will be held at Jones’ Wood on September 4th, 
These games are of very ancient date in Scotland, and are 
carried outhere with all the energy and success worthy 
“Old Caledonia.” They consist of running, walking, phe 

Hughes, Sept. 


ing, pitching the stone, tossing the caber, dancing the High- 
land fling, sword dance and other equally difficult pastimes. 
The Scottish games of the Brooklyn Caledonian Club take 
place on Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, August 29th, when a 
large delegation from other Scottish Clubs are expected to 
send their best athletes. 
We find in the Brooklyn Hagle that a strcng nine is organ- 
izing from the several leading ball clubs, tue list of names 
including Start and Matthews, of the Mutuals, Carey and 
York, of the Baltimore, and Ferguson, Burdock, and Rem- 
sen, of the Atlantics. Ferguson is getting up the club, and 
hopes to get in Allison and Eggler, of the Mutuals, in which 
case the nine will be complete. 
In Philadelphia on August 25, the Atlantics beat the Ath- 
letics—10 to 6. 
In Easton, Pennsylvania, on August 25th, the Fly Aways, 
of New York, beat the Easton club 30 to 5. 
Several gentlemen of New York have recently started a 
Club at Summit Lake, Orange Co., New York. They have 
eighty acres of land anda lake half a mile long, with a 
club-house and shooting box, black bass and pickerel fish- 
ing, ete. 
The officers are Fred. W. Jones, of New York, President; 
Jos. F. Meeker, Brooklyn, Vice President; Elisha Stock- 
bridge. Highland Falls, Treasurer; Isaac L. Noxon, High- 
land Falls, Secrevary. 
—Newtown Creek is becoming a favorite training-ground 
for oarsmen. William Gannon, who is to row a race against 
3rd. has his head-quarters at the American 
Boat-house. Hughes puts up at Burnett’s and starts out 
every day from the Seawanhaka Club-house. They can be 
seen every day on the creek pulling Iustily and getting in 
condition for the approaching contest. 
—A Halifax dispatch says George Brown is still walling 
and anxious to row Biglin upon the same conditions as those 
partly agreed on for the 28th inst., and will extend the time 
for three weeks, and make a deposit of half or of the whole 
of the stakes when and where required. 
—The annual regatta of Riverside Rowing Club takes 
place on the Genesee river, Sept. 8th. There are eleven 
boating clubs in Buffalo and nine in Rochester; with this 
force at hand, there is no reason why they should not be- 
come the greatest boating centres in the State. 


A DisconsoLtate Natura Hisrory Max.—M. Houzen, 
anthor of a ponderous work on the Mental Faculties of Ani- 
mals compared with those of Man, is deeply exercised over 
the apparently impending extinction of the anthropoid 
apes. In a letter addressed to a well-known Scotch natural- 
ist, he expresses his regret that none of the anthropoid 
apes inhabit Jamaica, where he himsel lives, and that he is 
thereby deprived of’ the opportunity of studying them. 
“They should,” says he, ‘be tamed, domesticated, and 
studied in their own climate—at home. The gorilla, for 
instance, should be perpetuated in Guinea, in domesticity. 
As I stated in my book, it does not appear impossible that 
he might learn to talk. Should the attempt succeed, even 
partially, what would be the bearing and importance of it 
physiologically and historically?” We wonder what M. 
{fouzeau understands by the word ‘‘ talk.” If he alludes 
merely to the utterance of articulate sounds, it is quite pos- 
sible that the gorilla might be tanght to ‘‘ talk” at least as well 
as a parrot or raven. Those, however, who see in language 
something over and above the mere emission of articulate 
sounds, and who recognise it as being fundamentally noth- 
ing more than an expression of reasoning mind, will have 
some difficulty in realizing to themselves a ‘‘ talking” go- 
rilla. Why not a ‘‘ writing” gorilla, since writing, after all, 
is only another form of talking? What would Mr. Mur- 
ray give for an ‘‘ Autobiography of a Gorilla,” edited by 
M. Houzeau? ‘ 


According to a statement made by the Washinton cor- 
respondent of the Boston Post, Seeretary Belknap will as- 
sign colored graduates of West Point exclusively to com- 
mands in white regiments. The Seeretary explains that 
the law leayes no option; he is required to officer coler 
ed regiments with white men, and, therefore, he must as- 
sign colored West Pointers to duty i in white regiments. If 
the law really leaves no choice to the Secretary but to place 
white officers in command of colored regiments, then it 
follow of course that the colored officers must go into 
white regiments, if assigned to any regiment whatever, 
We can “only say that thislaw, which we cannot find in 
our compilation, does injustice to both races, and will be un- 
popular with both, and will cause a poor state of discipline in 
regimen thus officered by men of color different from that of 
theircommands. Black regiments would ask why a black 
man is not good enough to be officer over them; and, precisely 
nthe same ‘spirit of race feeling, white soldiers will want to 
know why negroes are put above them. The effect of the 
law will be to stimulate prejudice, and both races have 
reason to be offended at it. It would be better for white 
and black regiments alike that the law making this singular 
requirement, if it exists, should be repealed, and things be 
allowed to take their natural course. Hsprit de corps is a 
sentiment of the highest conceivable value in a regiment. 
This, itseems to us, must be impaired, by arousing race 
prejudices between men and their officers, on the plan pro- 
posed. Of course, the Secretary of War has means of com- 
pelling white men to submit to colored officers and colored 
men to obey white officers, but it does seem foolish to take 
the risk of causing insubordination in the army, when it 
could be avoided by a repeal or modification of the law, on 
the suggestion of the Secretary.—Journal of Commerce. 
= —_$——> o> __— 

The ‘‘ Opitimus” Guilford coach, driven by a veteran of 
the old school, and guarded by an amateur “ of the 
first water,” leaves Picadilly, London, daily. Fare 8s; box- 
seat 2s 6d extra. You can coach it too to Brighton. 
ple l nest 
English gentlemen living in New Zealand, declare it to 
be no paradise, ‘‘ because there is nothing to shoot.” 
