^^W^i •fc.'^matz ^'' ^mzih^c;^'^: <:; «rc''".'< * <_ cc <4r «sas«hia, Ncw-^ork, ami North River town markcis, and many of our fine peaches now reach Boston. The whole annual income from this branch of business to the farmers of this county, may be esti- mated at from one to two hundretl thousand dol- lars. For so handsome an adilitional product, the agriculturists of Delaware, as well as the con- sumers of peaches in our vicinity, owe a debt of gratitude to the originator of the culture, to whom, as one, I should gladly unite in j)resenting some valued and lasting memento in recognition of his merit for giving a new staple to a stale ; for who is a greater benefactor to mankind anil the age he lives in, than he who brings into operation a new branch of business, gives, by his enterprise and per- severance, an impetus to agriculture, causes the earth to give forth its increase, and so multiplies its fruits as to bring them within the reach and enjoyment of all ? The great improvement made in peaches within the last few years in New-Jersey and Delaware, consists in propagating none but the finest kintis, by budding and grafting, so as to have the fruit as early and us late as our latitude will admit of; the earliest ripening with us from the first week in August, such as Troth's Early, Early York, and Early Ann, and ending in the latter part of October, with Ward's Late Free, the Heath, Algiers' Win- ter, &.C. I neeil not take up your time now with enu- merating all the dili'erent varieties used and planted out to keep up this succession — some of the princi- pal ones are (in the order of enumeration) Troth's Early, Early York, Early Ann, Yellow Rareripe, Red Rareripe, Malacatoon, Morris' White, Old fllixon, Rodman, Ward's Late Free, Maiden, I'ree Smock, Late Rareripe, Heath, Algiers' Winter, &c. These trees are generally obtained for about six dollars per hundred, from approved nursery^ men in Delaware and New-Jersey, and the rearing them constitutesa itistinct business of itself. They are produced by planting out the peach stones, or pits, in the spring, which have been slightly covered with earlh in the fall, so as to be exposed to the action of the winter's frost. The sooner the pits are put in the sand or earth, after the fruit is matured, the better; they should never become dry. The shoots from these stones are budded in August of the same year, from four to six inches from the ground. The ensuing spring all the first years growth is cut off above where the scion has taken— not, however, until it is wpU developed—' CULTURE OF PEACH ORCHARDS. 37 when, in the fall and following spring, they are really for transplanting or sale. The mode of preparing the ground for them is precisely that with us of the Indian corn crop; the earth is well plowed, and from thirty to forty bushels of lime is spread upon it to the acre. The trees of like kinds (for the convenience of picking) are then set out in rows at distances varying from twenty to thirty feet apart, according to the strength of the soil; a crop of corn is then put in and culti- vated in the usual way, and this is done success- ively for three years; by this time the trees begin to bear. The cultivation of the corn being the proper tillage for the trees, and this crop amply paying for all investment in trees, &.C. Afier the trees commence bearing, no other crop of any kind should ever be grown amongst them, as I have known two rows of potatoes between a row of peach trees not only to affect the fruit, but seriously injure the trees; but they should be regu- larly plowed some three or four times in the sea- son, just as if the corn crop was continued. So obnoxious in our country, is the peach tree to the wo;m or borer — the Egeria exiiiosa — that each nee in the orchard shoukl be examined twice a year, summer and fall — say in June and October — by removing the earth down to the roots, and kill- ing, with a pruning knife, every intruiler — then scraping the injured bark and removing the gum. Tims exposed, they should be left for a few days, when the earth should again be replaced with a hoe. The limbs should be only moderately pruned, or thinned out, so as to admit the sun and air, avoiding in the operation leaving forks, which in- cline them to split when burthened with fruit. When the peaches ripen, the}' should be carefully picked from step ladders, seven to eight feet high, into small hand baskets, holding one peck each. Our operators for tliis purpose are both men and women, who earn from fifty to seventy-five cents a lia}-, besiiles being found. These baskets are gently emptied into the regular market baskets, which are all marked with the owner's name, and strewed along the whole line of orchard to be pickeil. As these are filled they are put into spring wagons, holding from thirty to sixty bas- kets, and taken to the wharf, or landing, where there is a house, shed, or awning, for the purpose of assorting them, each kind by itself, which is into prime and cullings — the prime being distinguished not only by their size and selection, but also by a handful of peach leaves scattered through the top. They are then put aboard the boats in tiers, separa- ted by boards between, to keep them from injury, and so reach their destined market. We consiiler a water communication from the orchards, or as near as ma)' be, most essential, as all land carriage more or less bruises or destroys the fruit. Our roads through the orchards and to the landings are all kept plowed and harrowed down smooth and even. The baskets for marketing the peaches are generally obtained in New-Jersey, at from twenty- five to thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents per hun- dred. With trifling modifications our culture and prac- tice may be made to suit not only the southern but the south-western states. I may here, perhaps, properly remark that the average life of our trees is from nine to twelve years, when properly careil for and protected, as I have described — that the two great and devastating enemies, the trees have to contend against, are the "peach worm" and the " yellows ;" the first readily yielding to the knife and the treatment of semi-annual examination; the ]a.itev being a. constitutional , consumptivey ov rna- rasmatic disease, for which no other remedy is as yet known or to be practised, but extirpation and destruction. There are 7nany theories and some practice recorded on this, by far the most destruc- tive enemy of the peach tree. I may hereafter give my own views on this particular and obscure ilisease. I concur, however, with ?.Ir. Downing, of Newburgh, that the great and prevailing disposi- tion of the peach tree in our climate, is to over- production of fruit in favorable seasons. Our reme- dy for this is to carefully thin it off by plucking all those that touch, or are within two or three inches of each other, when the size of hickory nuts, which are thrown into some running stream, or into the hog-pens to be devoured. His mode of " heading in," or pruning one-half of the produ- cing buds is new to me, but which I have just tried upon my garden trees in the city, and will be able to speak of experimentally hereafter. With us in Delaware, as every where else, the peach tree succeeds best in a good soil- That pre- ferred is a rich sandy loam, with clay. Many of my finest trees and choicest fruits are grown in a loose and stony soil. The trees should never be set out in wet, low, or springy situations, and for the same reasons, high and rolling ground should be selected for your plantations, and for the adtli- tional circumstance that they are less obnoxious to early frosts. I have no doubt of their full success upon such grounds as I visited upon the " Falls plantation " of Mr. Marx, near your city, the es- tates and high grounds of Mr. Richard Sampson, and such as I saw at Pikonokee, Tuckahoe, and upon other similar sites on the James ami Chicka- hominy rivers. I may further remark, for the benefit of those desirous to pay some attention to the cultivation of peaches, (and u-ho should not be ?) that conside. rable additions of new and valuable varieties, 7ia- tive as well as foreign, are annually being made to those already known among us — many of them very fine. I have now several hundred raised from pits, imported for me by N. Frazier, Esq., of Philadelphia, Consul at Buenos Ayres, and long a resident merchant in that city, many of which will bear this year and next. To Mr. Sayres, of Sparta, Georgia, I am also indebted for a full sam- ple of the native Georgia varieties, as well as to some other gentlemen in different states — all of which I mean to test and bring into notice, if of sufficient value. Whilst in tie vicinity of Rich- mond, Norfolk, FredericksDurgh, Petershuigh, Winchester, and other large towns of Virginia, the peach tree may be cultivated with profit for the market, and all over the slate, for the purpose of drying, every farmer and owner of a lot maj- raise them in abundance for liis own use. Yours, &.C., J.\.MES \V. THO.v.rJoN. Wilmington, March 26, 1846 38 NATURALIZATION OF PLANTS. Is the Naturalization of Plants impossible ? BY M. NEUMAW, I'ARIS. [Tun following is a translation of an article in the Annales d'Horticulturc, Paris, which Avas lately read before the Socicte Royalc d'j-/g7iculfure o[ France. M. Neunnann is one of the most intelligent French horticul- turists ; and his opinions are entitled to grave consideration. We think, however, there are some facts well known in this country, and to which we shall hereafter refer, that will tend to prove that the kind of naturalization brought about by sowing the seeds of successive generations, imprac- ticable to a certain extent. But undoubt- edly hybridization is the shortest and most certain road to this result. — Ed.] It has often been said, in the meetings of the Royal Agricultural Society, that the naturalization of plants is an eas}' ami a natural process. Its ad- vocates have even frequenti}- cited as illustrations, plants originally from warm latitudes which they say arc now naturalized here. I have heretofore dissented from this opinion, and I wish, at the present moment, by the aid of additional fact and experience, to tiemonstrate the impossibilitj- of the naturalization of plants. In short, I wish to unde- ceive those, who, resting on this baseless theory, as hitherto held, still indulge the hojie of enrich- ing our soil with exotics that nature has only be- stowed on favored climates, whose mean tempera- ture is much higher than our own. I am not however alone in this belief with rcgai-d to naturalization. In 1S30, M. Poiteau. my friend and colleague, explaineil its impossibility to the class of pupils at the Horticultural Institute of Fro- mont. Later, in 1837 and 1S42, he read before the Royal Horticultural Society two striking essays, showing the fallacy of this theory. I have now, therefore, the greater satisfaction in this coinci- dence of opinion, as I am about to bring the sub- ject before you, and olfer some new arguments against the theory of naturalization. I ought to state in the outset, that the words naturalization and acclimation, as applied to plants, are nearly synonymous in my mind. In combat- ting one, I wish to lA understooii as equally oppo- sing the other. 'I'he venerable and honoiable Andre Thouin, whose memory we must always greatly respect, was not perhaps the first who believed that vegetables gradually become natu- ralized. Eut he was the lirst who attempted to establish the doctrine, now more than half a centu- ry ago, trusting as he did, that it would benefit his countrymen; for his leading motive in life was (lie promotion of the good of his fellow creatures. Hut unhappily nature's laws ilo not always accord with our theories; and since Thouin laid ilown the rules for the naturalization of plants, that is to enable them or their descemianls to withstand a tenijie- rature much colder than that of the climate where they originated, we have not had the satisfaction of seeing any of these plants become really hardy, so as to bear the rigors of our climate. Thouln's rule for naturalizing a plant, so as to render it or its seedling hardy, was briefly as fol- lows: " j1 jdant from a tropical country must be grown in the hot-house until it produces seeds. These seeds must be sown, and the plants raised from them cultivated until they in turn produce seed^i. The same process is repeated with the seeds of this generation, and by continuing this, (always sow- ing the first and freshest seeds) from three to ten generations, we obtain, at last, naturalized plants — in other words, hardy plants, capable of bearing our winters.'^ I cannot but appeal to the members of this soci- ety for the proofs of this kind of naturalization? Seeds were often sown in the very mode pointed out by Thouin before his time; we are now raising seedlings in the same way eveiy day. And yet we have never obtained a plant more able to re- sist the winters, out of doors, than the original parent specimen. Thouin has told us that in this way the large Nightshade, (Belle de A'uit,) is naturalized in France. But really this plant is by no means natu- ralized. In India, its native country, it is a peren- nial, and although it has now been cultivated from seed here almost 300 years, its roo s still freci e and perish every winter in our climate in the open border. 'I'he author adds tha' in the same v/ay the Cycla- men d'Asie, the Sainfoin manne dcs Isra Ittes, the Luzerne de Ah'die, and many other foreign plan s, have been naturalized in this country; but he does not tell us at what attitude these plants grow where they arc natives. He does not, thei-efore, atfoi-d us any proof that they do not really exist in their na- tive habitats in an atmosphere greatly likeiuir own. In short, of llie four examples of nalui-alizat on, cited by M. 'I'houin, one of them stands without evidence, and the other three are far from being well supported by proofs. As to naturalizing |)lunts from latitudes much warmer than Paris, by cultivating them first in the hot-house, afterwards in the green house, and linally in the ojien air, it is a theory with no bet- ter foundation. Such of these plants, so treated, that were not able naturally to stand our winters, have never yet been brouglit to do so; anil those which appear somewhat hardy, were really as much so, had they been testcti the first season they were introduced. Thus, although we have cultivated LINDLEY'S VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 39 for a long time, under glass, the Fuchsia, the Clc- rotlenilron, the ftlailagascar Periwinkle, the Helio- trope, atu! a hundred other j)lants, the moment we consig'n them entirely to the open air, they all perish. There is that magnificent tree the cicada Jiilibiissin, which w-e used to admire at Paris, but which we now rarely see. Our climate is a few de- grees too cold for it; and therefore, until it is possi- ble for man to change the nature of vegetables, or until Paris shall change its present mean tempera- ture, we may rest assured that the Julibrissin will never really thrive here. On the other hand, if many plants refuse to thrive in the open air in our climate, there are still a great many, though natives of distant countries, which accommodate themselves very well to our slcies and soil, and seem to do honor to the cause of naturalization. But do we really perceive that they have changed or modified their nature, or their organization? Certainly not. They flourish in our climate, because they find here nearly the same temperature that they found at home. Some time ago I received a foreign seed, which produced a tree. This tree I kept two j'ears in the hot-house, because I had but a single specimen, and I was fearful of losing it. But soon after, finding that the shelter did not suit its habits, I planted it in the open air. There it found a tem- j)erature similar to that of its native countr)'. It soon developed itself with great luxuriance. The leaves became at least ten times larger than when in the hot house, which was probably too warm for it. Here it soon showed its flower and fruit, and was in fact the fine tree from Japan to which botanists have since given the name of Pauloivnia imperialis. I am far from wishing to boast of having naturalized or acclimated it, since we can- not say that its nature has changed, or that it would not have stood at first with the greatest facility in our climate. But we can say that it finds at Paris almost the same temperature as in Japan, and that it thrives very well here. It is a common remark, when talking of this sub- ject, (hat the Potato is an acclimated plant. But the least frost always destroys it. Its seeds pro- duce a great variety of sorts, of greater or less size, differently colored, and of better or worse quality; but never any less susceptible to frost. There are also many leguminous plants that we consider acclimated or naturalized here. But these same j)iants, whether multiplied by seeds or roots, always fall a prey to the same degree of frost by which they would have been destroyed the first year of their introduction. If the naturalization of plants were possible, how is it to be accounted for, that, notwithstanding the Olive and the Orange have been cultivated for centuries in the Dipartement du Var, they have never atlvaneed in the least towards the interior of France? Inilustry, the necessities of man, and the zeal of the cultivator, have indeed made great eSbrts to brealf down these natural limits drawn b)' nature; and the want of success, ajiparent to all, is well calculated to impress us with a belief that the natu- ralization of plants is an Utopian scheme. There is however one mode upon which the ad- vocates of naturalization have not touched, by which to produce plants more hardy than their parents. This means is hybridization. If, for example, we fertilize the pistil of a tropical plant with the pollen of a plant nearlj'' related, but a native of a cold region, the seed which will be afforded will yield a plant which will most proba- bly be less sensible to cold than the mother plant. I have already made some experiments which ap- pear to confirm this opinion. Thus among some seedling Rhododendrons, the product of a cro-s between the Chinese Rhododendron and those of North America, there are some which stand the winter perfectly, and others which fail to do so. One can even recognize by certain characters of the leaf, etc., those seedlings, among the number, which possess hardy properties, and those which do not. The hybridization of plants, not having as yet been studied in this point of view, I propose to continue my experiments, and hope to ha\'e the honor of laying the results before the Royal Soci- ety of Agriculture. Neu.mann REVIEWS. The Vegetable Kingi-om: or the Structure, Classification, and Uses of Plants ; illustrated upon the natural system, by John Lindley, Ph. D., F.R.S. & L.S., Professor of Botany in ike University of London, ^-c, iviih upwards of 500 illustrations. London, Bradbury 4" Evans. New-York, Wiley ^ Putnam. Price $8.00. We loolc upon this new volume of Dr. Lindley's, as, in a popular sense, the great- est botanical work of the age. The artifi- cial system of Linnaeus, useful as it was in its day, is now laid aside by almost all mo- dern botanists. It bears the same relation to the natural system, that a mere word- dictionary does to a profound work on the philosophy of language. So long as almost the whole vegetable world was yet to be classified and named, the system of Linnaeus, which aimed at little more than fixing the generic and specific character of a plant, and thus enabling the student of nature to 40 LINDLEY'S VEGETAnLK KrNGUOM. recognise it by its appearance wlien in blos- som, appeared suflicient. Plants of the most opposite natural traits, Avere assembled in the same classes and orders. It Avas only necessary that they should bear a resem- blance in those important characteristics, the stamens and pistils. It is not now necessary for us to inform our readers here, in what consists the supe- riority of the natural system. A system which assembles together plants by their natural affinities — their similarity in struc- ture— their habit of growth — their resem- blance in properties, uses, and qualities — which, in short, is based on the closest and the most numerous natural relations — cannot but be more philosophical, as Avell as more deeply instructive, than one depending up- on a few arbitrary and insignificant charac- ters. If we hold in our hands for the first time, a plant which we have ascertained to belong to the fifth class of Linnocus, we learn its name, and the fact that it has five stamens. Of its affinities and properties, its relative structure, and its place in the vegetable king,dom, we gather no additional information. Let us suppose, on the other hand, that we have before us a pea or a bean plant ; this plant belongs to a very large natural order, containing not less than 6,000 species, distributed in all parts of the world ; yet there are certain strong natural features which so distinctly mark the order, that having once become familiar with one member of it, we have a pretty distinct no- tion of the whole group. They all have either a impilionaceous (pea-blossom-shaped) flower, or a leguminous fruit; the latter consisting of a solitary pod, (carpel,) the style of which proceeds from the apex of the pod. While one large and well marked divi- sion of this order [Pa-pilionacea) embraces all the pulse plants distinguished for nu- tritious or wholesome qualities, another, (CcBsalpiukce,) is noted for its purgative properties ; and a third, {Mimosctt) contains numerous plants characterized bytheastrin- gency of their bark, and the quantity of gum which they secrete. Jussieu and De Candolle had thoroughly taught and established the natural system on the Continent, before the English public were willing, generally, to receive it. To Dr. Lindley, indeed, belongs the credit of demonstrating the great superiority of this arrangement to English students. His In- iroduction to the Natural System, was first published in 1S30 ; since that time, he has been diligently engaged in perfecting his views of the natural method down to the pre- sent date. The result of aii his researches and in- vestigations, joined indeed to those of all the leading botanists of the day, is contain- ed in this great work — the Vegetable King- dom. It is a thick octavo volume of 900 'pages, which, for perspicuity, conciseness, clear scientific acumen, and profound views, is not surpassed by any similar work ever published. Lindley's mind, as compa- red with that of many of the continental botanists, is remarkable for that strong and clear common sense view, as opposed to every thing fancifully speculative or theoretical — a trait which seems to us peculiarly English. In illustration of this, we quote the fol- lowing remarks on the natural affinities of plants, from the Introduction : The reason why the vulgar commit mistakes in juitging of natural aliinily is, because they draw their conclusions from unimportant circumsfances, the chief of which are size, form, anil color. The similituile of size gave rise to the olil notion that all trees made a class by themselves; which is as if, in a classification of animals, the horse, the lion, and clei)hant, were placed in a different part of the animal kingdom from the rat, the cat, and the goat. Form is another of the false guides which lead to error; if all round-leaved or square stemmed plants are to be associated, so ought glass to be classed with the diamond when it is cut to the same shape. Color is less a source of mistake, and yet it is some- LINDLEY'S VEGETABLE KINGDOM 41 times unconsciously employcil by the superficial observer, as when he calls all yellow tlowered Composites Marig^olds, anil all whitc-flowereil ver- nal bushes Thorns. It must be evitlent to the ninst careless thinker that such resemblances are trifling. That which really determines affinity is correspondence in structure. It may be said that hose plants are most nearly related which corres- pond in the greatest number of points, and those the most distantly in which we find the fewest points of correspondence; and this must be true when we remember that if every point in the s'ructure of any two plants is found to be alike, then those two must be identical. But it will be obvious that an examination of all plants through e\ery iletail of their organization is impracticable; it has never in fact been accomplished in any one case. Experience must have shown that the or- gans of vegetation are of very difTerent degrees of value in determining resemblance in structure; that some are of paramount importance, others of less consequence, and others of comparative insig- nificance. Hence the relative value of characters forms a most important part of the study of the Eotanist; it is in fact the pivot upon which all the operations of a systematist must turn. The only intelligible principle by which to esti- mate their respective value is according to their known physiological importance; regariling those organs of the highest rank which are most essen- tial to the life of the plant itself; placing next in order those with which the plant cannot dispense if its race is to be preserved; assigning a still lower station to such organs as may be absent, without considerable disturbance of the ordinary functions of life; and fixing at the bottom of the scale those parts, or modifications of parts, which may be regarded as accessory, or quite unconnected with obviously important functions. The first office which all organized beings have to perform is that of feeding; for it is thus onlj- that their existence is maintained. The second is that of propagating, bj' means of which their si>ecies is perpetuated. These being functions of the highest importance, it is reasonable to conclude that the organs provided for their jiroper execu- tion must be of the highest importance also, and hence that they are beyond all others valuable for the purposes of classification. And again because the j)ower of feeding must come before that of propagating, it might be conjectured beforehand that the organs destined for the former operation would afford the first elements of a Natural method. But since the action of feeding is very simple in the Vegetable Kingdom, because of the similar modes of life observable among jilants, while, on the contrary, the act of propagation is highly di- versified, on account of the very varied nature or structure of the parts by which it is accomplished; so might we conjecture that the organs of nutrition would afford but few distinctions available for pur- poses of classification, while those of fructification would furnish many. And such is the fact. Hence it is that the great classes of plants are principally distinguished by their organs of growth, and that in the numerous minor groups such peculiarities are comparatively disregarded, their chief distinc- tions being derived from their parts of reproduc- tion. These principles are more fully expressed in the following axioms: — 1. Peculiarities of structure which are connected with the manner in which a plant is developed, are physiological ; those which are connected with the manner in which parts are arranged, are structural. Physiological characters are of two kinds, viz., those which are connected with the mode of growth (the organs of vegetation), and those which regn- \a.te reproduction (the organs of fructification). — Physiological characters are of greater importance in regulating the natural classification of plants than structural. 2. All modifications of either are respectively important, in proportion to their connection with the phenomena of life. 3. If we allow ourselves to be steadily guided by these considerations, we shall find that the internal or anatomical structure of the axis, and of the fo- liage, is of more importance than any other charac- ter; because these are the circumstances which essentially regulate the functions of growth, and the very existence of an individual. 4. That next in order is the internal structure of the seed, by which the species must be multi|ilied. Thus the presence of an embryo, or its absence, the first indicating a true seed, the latter a spore, are most essential circumstances to consider. And so also the existence of albumen in abundance round the embryo, or its absence, must be regarded as a physiological character of the highest value: because, in the former case, the embryo dematuisa special external ju-ovision for its early nutriment, as in oviparous animals; while, in the latter case, the embryo is capable of developing by means of the powers resident in itself, and unassisted, as in viviparous animals. 5. Next to this must be taken the structure of the organs of fructification, by whose united action the seed is engendered; for without some certain, uniform, and invariable action on their part, the race of a plant nuist become extinct. Thus we find that the structure of the anthers, placentae, and ovules, are more uniform than that of the parts sur- rounding them, while their numbers are variable; and the condition of the filament, which appears of so little importance in aphysiological point of view, is also inconstant. So also the texture, surface and form of the jiericar)!, which actsasa mere covering to the seeds, is not to be regarded in these inquiries, and, in fact, dillcrs from genus to genus; as, for in- stance, between Pyrus and Stranvsesia, or Rubus and Spirfea, in the truly natural Rosaceous Order. 6. On the other hand, the floral envelopes seem to be unconnected with functions of a high oriler, and to be designed rather for the decoration of plants, or for the purpose of giving variety to the aspect of the vegetable world; and, consequently, their number, form, and condition, presence or ab- sence, regularity or irregularity, are of low and doubtful value, except for specific distinction. There seems, indeed, reason to expect that every Natural Order will, sooner or later, be found to contain within itself all the variations above alluded to. Even in the cases of regularity and irregularity we already know this to be so; witness Veronica (5 42 LINDLEY'S VEGETAn.r. KIN'ODOM. and Scoparia in Figfworls, ami Ilyoscyamus in Niphlsliailos, Deli>hinium in Crowfoots, anil Pelar- gonium in ('rancsl)ill9. 7. The consolidation of the ]iarts of fructification is a circumstance but little attended to in a {general point of view, except in respect to the corolla; but as it seems to inilicalc either the greatest change that the parts can undergo, or where it occurs be- tween important and usually unimj)ortant organs, that in such cases the latter become essential to the former, it probably deserves to be regariled with great attention. For instance, the jiresence or absence of the corolla is often a point of little moment, and is, we know, a very fluctuating cir- cumstance. This is especially true of those Natu- ral Onlers in which the stamens and petals are separated; as in Rose worts, Rhamnads, Onagrads, &c. On the other hand, when the stamens, which are indispensable organs, adhere to the jjctals, the latter are more constantly present, as in Figworts, Acanthads, Nightshades, &c. The great superiority of this work on the Vegetable Kingdom, consists not mcrel}' in the great improvements made in the defini- tions of the natural groups, the orders and the alliances of plants. To the botanical read- er, the admirable illustrations, liberally intro- duced upon almost every page of the work, are of the highest value. These consist generally of an example — usually one of the most characteristic — of each natural order; being an engraving, showing the most es- sential parts of the plant entire, accompa- nied also by such portions of the fructifica- tion, the fruit, and the seed, most clearly and beautifully delineated, as enable one to catch, almost at a glance, a correct notion of the structure and peculiarities of each natural group. The Vegetable Kingdom is not a work so dry, technical, and scientific, as to be confined to the desk of the botanical stu- dent. It presents a broad and comprehen- sive view of the whole vegetable creation, embracing at the present time more than 82,000 species of known plants^ Indeed the volume is replete with all the most in- teresting and remarkable points in the known history of vegetation. Every one has noticed the little olive co- lored threads of vegetable substance v/hich J are attached to bits of rocks, or even float I upon the surface of still pools of fresh wa- I ter. These are Confervas, apparently one ! of the lowest and least interesting of all , forms of vegetable life. Yet the following ! remarks prove how curious is their physio- ' logical history : ! If doubts exist as to the vegetable nature of the last order, or of some parts of it, no question arises I as to what that of Confervas is. Its genera are I now admitted on all hands to be plants, since M. ! Decaisne's important discovery of the vegetable ' nature of several things which had been previously regariled as Zoophytes. Nevertheless, it is curious i to see how much, at one perioil at least of their ex- I istence, they have of an animal nature, if the power I of mo\ing from place to |)lacc is to be taken as an ' indication of such quality. It seems incontestable, notwithstanding the denial of Mohl and others, that many of the Conferva tribe, especially of the genera Conferva, Ulva, and their near allies, produce in their tubular threails reproductive bodies, or spores, which, after a time acquire a power of rapid and quasi-voluntary motion while in the inside of their mother; that by degrees, and in con- sequence of their constantly tapping against the soft siile of the cell that holds them, they escape into the water; that when there they swim about ac- tively, just like animalcules; and at last retreating to a shady jilace, attach themselves to a stone or some other body, lose their locomotive quality, and thenceforward germinate and grow like ])lants. From the remarks on the properties of the Fitngales, we extract a singular account of the Toad-stool or Fungi, which the Kam- chatkans indulge in as a substitute for strong drink. This variety of Amanita muscaria is used by the inhabitants of the northeastern parts of Asia in the same manner as wine, brandy, arrack, opium, &c., is by other nations. Such Fungi are found most plentifully about Wischna, Kamchatka, and Wil- kowa Derecona, and are very abundant in some seasons, and scarce in others. They are collected in the hottest months, and hung up by a string in the air to dry; some dry of themselves on the ground, and are said to be far more narcotic than those artificially preserved. Small deep colored specimens, thickly covered with vvarls, are also said to be more powerful than those of a larger size and paler color. The usual mode of taking the Fungus is, to roll it up like a bolus, and swallow it without chewing, which, the Kamchatkadales say, would disorder the stomach. It is sometimes eaten fresh in soups and sauces, and then loses much of its intoxicating property; when stee|)ed in the juice of the berries of Vaccinium uliginosum, its eflccts are those of strong wine. One large, or two small Fungi, are a common dose to produce a plea- GRAY'S UNITED STATES FLORA. 43 sant intoxication for a whole day, particularly if ■water be drank after it, which augments the nar- cotic principle. The desired efi'ect comes on from one to two hours after taking the Fungus. Giddi- ness and drunkenness result in the same manner as from wine or spirits; cheerful emotions of the mind are firs' produced; the countenance becomes flush- ed; involuntary words and actions follow, and sometimes at last an entire loss of consciousness. It renders some remarkably active, and proves highlj'^ stimulant to muscular exertion: by too large a dose, violent spasmodic effects are produced. So very exciting to the nervous system in many indi- viduals is this Fungus, that the effects are often very ludicrous. If a person under its influence wishes to step over a straw or small stick, he takes a stride or a jump sufficient to clear the trunk of a tree; a talkative person cannot keep silence or se- crets; and one fond of music is perpetually sing- ing." • We are accustomed to consider some of the forest trees of this country — the syca- mores of the Ohio, or the giant pines of the Columbia river, as at least respectable specimens of size and longevity. But the}' seem saplings of yesterday, when compared with some of the enormous leguminous trees of the forest of Brazil. Were it not that Dr. Martius on whose authority the statement is made, is one of the more care- ful and most accurate scientific travellers, one could hardly credit the pictures given of the South American forests. '' The locust trees of the West Indies have long been celebrated for their gigantic stature, and oth- er species of Csesalpiniese are the Colossi of South American forests. INIartius represents a scene in Brazil where some trees of this kind occurred of such enormous dimensions, that fifteen Indians with, outstretched arms, could only just embrace one of them. At the bottom thej' were 84 feet in cir- cumference, and CO feet where the trunks became cylimh-ical. By counting the concentric rings of such parts as were accessible, he arriveil at the con- clusion that they were of the age of Homer, and 332 years old in the age of Pythagoras; one esti- mate, inileed, reduced their antiquity to 2052, while another carried it up to 4104; from which he ar- gues that the trees cannot but date far beyond the time of our Saviour." — p. 551. This volume is full of matter, such as will engage the profound attention of the bota- nist ; but we have also made these few ex- tracts to show the general reader that Bot- any is no longer the dry and dusty study of pistils and stamens that it once M'as. The Natural System forces the student of nature to take a wide and expanded view, not only of the structure, but of the relations, habits, properties, and indeed the whole history of the world, of the " flower and the leaf." The author of the Vegetable Kingdom has shown his usual ability in arranging his grand outline view of the splendors of this beautiful drapery of the earth's surface ; and many more persons than the small class who are interested in the systems, will find pleasure and instruction in its pages. There are numerous important botanical points of novelty and interest in this work. Dr. Lindley confesses frankly and boldly that he has, at the apparent cost of the charge of inconsistency, considerably chang- ed, modified and improved upon his previous published views of the arrangement of the Natural Orders, in this his last work. We are glad to perceive it. Nescience has re- ceived a greater impulse, or made greater strides of progress, Avithin the last ten years, than Botany. There is abundant proof, too, of a disposition on the part of Dr. Lindley, to purge science of all unnecessary techni- calities— to render it appreciable to the common sense mind of the age, rather than to lock it up to the ultra-scientific few, which we hail with satisfaction in so prominent and so valuable a work as the Vegetable Kingdom. "New Botamcal AV'^ork ix Preparation'. By Prof. Gray of Cambridge, entitled The Gene- RA OF THE United States Flora, illustrai ed. This work is on the same plan as the Genera Plan- tarum Flora Germanicce iconibus ct descripti,mi- bus illusirata, by Nus von Escnbeck, alai-ge octavo plate and two pages of letter press being devoted to each genus: but the detailed descriptions will be in English instead of Latin. The drawings, with full and complete analyses of the parts of the flower, fruit, and seed, made under the microscope, are executed by Mr. Sprague, an artist of extraonlinary skill in such subjects, under Prof. Gray's direction, in every instance directly from nature. The draw- ings will be engraved on stone, in the style so sue. ccssfully practised at IMunich, by Mr. Prestle, an artist from that city. The work \vill be published 14 GUIDE TO THE ORCHARD AND FRUIT GARDEN. in whole volumes, as near as may be of 100 plates, anil about '220 papes of text in each, taking care not to iliviile natural families, anil following the gene- ral arrangement of Torrey iSi Gray's llora of North America, or (;ra)"s U(.)taiiical Textlloolc; anil will comprise 8 or It* such volumes. The first volume ■will be ready the ensuing autumn, anil the others will succeeil at the rate of two volumes a year un- til tlie whole is linisheil. The price to subscribers is lixeil at six dollaus per volume of 100 plates (or at that rate when the minibcr of plates, as may sometimes liapiien, consiilcrably exceeils 100.) Subscribers who pay for the voluine in ailvance, will have the same delivered by mail, or other- wise,/rce of expense- All orders to be addressed to Wiley &. Putnam, Bi-oadway, New- York. •»• After the completion of the work, the price will be advanced." [Xo person in America, we may safely say, is so well qualified for this undertaking, as the Professor in the botanical chair at Cambridge. We shall look with no little irnpaiience for the appearance of this work. It will undoubtedly be one of the most inte- resting and acceptable scientific publications of the day. — Ed.] j1 Guide to the Orchard and Fruit Garden : or an account of the most valuable Fruits cultivated in Great Britain. i?i/ George Lixdlev. With additions of all the most valuable fruits cultiva- ted in America, ^-c ; by Michael Floy. j1 new edition, with an Appendix, describing many American Fruits not mentioned in the former edition. New-York, J. C. Biker, 1846. Lindley's Guide to the Orchard is undoubt- edly one of the very best English works on Po- mology that have ever appeared. Its author, George Lindley, Avas a horticulturist of great practical knowledge, and had both un- usual tact and large experience in Pomolo- gy. We have always been glad to bear testimony to the high value of his labors, and to the excellence of his " Guide to the Orchard." This Avork was first published in 1S31. We believe there was never but a single edition of it published in England. Mr. Floy did the American public, and the cul- tivators of fruit, great service, by republish- ing the work in this country in 1833, with descriptions of such native fruits as were then considered of most importance. It is now, however, fifteeji years since Lindley's Guide to the Orchard was writ- ten. Since that time, the advance that lias been made in Pomology, and especially in the test and comparison of fruit, is indeed very great. The Horticultural Society of London, alone, have done more for the pro- gress of this subject in that time, thafi luas ever do?ie i?i a century before. In this coun- try, Pomology has grown to be a matter of general study and interest, almost wholly since that time. We were therefore not a little surprised on receiving a copy of this new edition of Lindley, by Mr. Floy. We expected, at least, to find a complete revision of those sorts which have been, since the is- sue of that work, proved and acknowledged synonymous, incorrect, or the merits of which had been rated too high or too low. We find, on the contrary, that the whole body of the work remains just as it was when issued in London, by Lindley, fifteen years ago, or by Mr. Floy, in New-York, thirteen years ago. The reader, therefore, must look upon the work as representing the best state of knowledge on this subject at that time, and not at the present moment. The descrip- tion of all the then well established sorts is excellent. Had its author, (the father of the present Professor Lindley,) lived till the present moment, he could have rendered the work as perfect as any other person whatever. But he would have regretted to see the work again reprinted in the face of all the discoveries, proofs, and experiences of fifteen years in the gardening world, without taking advantage of them. In peaches and pears especially, he described many sorts as distinct, which, with the larger experience that has since been ob- tained, every pomologist knows to be sy- nonymous with others. Whoever, there- GUIDE TO THE ORCHARD AND FRUIT GARDEN. 45 fore, looks to the Guide to the Orchard as a pomological work of high value, as a volume of reference, will find it such. Whoever ex- pects to find it a manual expressing the state of pomological knowledge at this time, will be greatly disappointed. Mr. Floy's additions to the edition now published, are embraced in an appendix of 11 pages. In this, he notices 9 apples, 11 pears, 7 plums, and 2 quinces, not described in his edition of 1833. We suppose, there- fore, these are all the American fruits of the last thirteen years, that he considers worth a place now in a work on Pomology. Such varieties as the Northern Spy apple, Craw- ford's Melocoton peaches, the Ohio grape, the Boston nectarine, the Fastalff rasp- berry, Hovey's Seedling strawberry, and other sorts of the highest reputation, he has not thought it worth while to introduce in this volume. There are some odd notions in the appen- dix, which will not escape the eye of the pomologist, such as the follovi^ing : " Dix Pear. — We doubt whether this is not the old Brown Beurre. Louis-Bonne de Jersey. — Prohabli) the Louis- Bonne. It may, however, be a distinct seedling va- riety," &c. Mr. Floy describes, under a separate head, (page 413,) what he calls the " New- York Virgalieu" Pear. As we understand his remarks, we infer that he wishes to es- tablish the point that this sort is a seedling variety, raised by Williamson, a New-York nurseryman, more than forty years ago ; and that it is identical with the sort generally known and described by us, and supposed to have been introduced by the late Parmen- tier of Brooklyn, as the Surpasse Virgalieu. In all this, Mr. Floy may be correct. The 'u^'ory of the Surpasse Virgalieu, has al- \ IV- I'ecn inv(;lved in doubt; and it is by no means improbable that it was really rais- ed by Williamson. The droll part of the affair is, however, this : Mr. Floy quotes as synonyms to this sort, the following names, viz : Virgalieu. Nursery Cat. 1807. Surpasse Virgoulouse. Parmentier. Columbian Virgoulouse. Bloodgood. Columbia. Downing. St. Michael, of Boston cultivators. Does Mr. Floy really suppose that the cultivators of Boston, to whom the Surpasse Virgalieu is well known, would ever con- found it with the old St. Michael's or Doy- enne ? or that we could not tell the differ- ence between this medium sized autumn fruit, and. the large and distinct winter pear, known as the Columbial There is no more resemblance between the two, than betweeii a Newtown Pippin and a Eoxbury Russet I There is, as Mr. Floy truly says, no re- semblance between the White Doyenne and the " New- York Virgalieu," (that is, the Surpasse Virgalieu.) But the Virgalieu of the New- York markets, and of the State at large, is by no means the Surpasse Virga- lieu. It is the old White Doyenne, the St. Michael's of Boston ; and this is, we believe, universally acknowledged by every fruit grower in the country. Mr. Floy is, we believe, a worthy man and an experienced gardener. The descrip- tion of the few American fruits in his edi- tion of this work, published in 1833, were really excellent ; and on comparing those with the hasty and imperfect ones in the appendix to this volume, we have more than once been tempted to believe that the latter were never written by him ; but that his name has been used or continued to give currency to these crude additions to the ori- ginal volume. 46 FOREIGN NOTICES. FOREIGN NOTICES, TiiK Enp:lis!i Iinrlicultiirisls seem to bo siiflering this season with a p;reat luiniber of vegt'tahle niala- ilics, not common in tiiat climate. Dr. Lindi.ey, in the leailing article of the last number of the Gardener's Chronicle, sajs, — "An alarm has arisen among: some of our correspondents as to the state of various kinds of plants in which they think symptoms of tntu/^i/dl disrosc are appearing; and they are apprehensive lest such g-eneral aiFections in the vegetable world should be forerunners of like plagues in tlie animal." Sorr.e of these correspon- dents have forwarded for examination shoots of the Lilac and common Laurel, " the young- leavesand shoots of which were dying back, afler becoming spotted, much in the manner of the potatoes, and here and there the lowest part of the shoots, next the old wootl, was black and brittle, exactly as in the Potato haulm next the olil tuber." In other dis- tricts the trees of the Pine family are suflering great- ly. " Mr. Ayri.s, of Brookland, says that at Blackheath the whole of the foliage is falling olF the Spruces and Larches, and though a few new branches are breaking out, their numbers are so few that the trees must be removed. At Wrexham, hundreds of Larches, 4 to 12 years old, are liying off this season. The disease seems to prevail mostly among trees of the age above mentioned. In a plantation about 30 years old, not one seems to be affecled. The leaders and most of the upper bran- ches are quite bare of leaves; and the lower ones seem scorched, and only just alive. These trees have hitherto grown very rapidly.^' Last season, in England, was just the reverse of ours; being a very ?-a?'7H/ one, and causing an ex- ceedingly gross and luxuriant grow:)!. To this cause Dr. Lindi.ey is inclined to attribute the unusual signs of disease. lie says, <' We do not recognize in these symptoms anything incompati- ble with a watery condition of last year's wood; arising not so much from excess of water in the autumn, as from want of heat and light to carry it out of the system. Under these circumstances it may be easily conceived that the resinous secretions, necessary to the health of coniferous trees, were in- adequately dc])Osited, and that now, when giow.h recommences, the young leaves cannot find in their neighborhood their food, (or organizable matter), in such a state that they can assimilate it. The result of that must necessarily be that the foliage will drop off; and the probability is that, in such cases, the wood will die back or prove permanently diseased." In the case of the lilacs, &,c., the dis- ease is attributed to tlie insufTicient manner in which the wood of most plants was ripened last autumn. We have referred to this more particularly from its analogy to the same thing, which every year hajipens more or less in this countrj- — especially in the Western States, where from the depth and rich- ness of the soil, the wood is often left in an unripe stale when winter sets in. The pear-tree, being the most susceptible of all fruit trees, is in many places, from this cause, almost always afTected by the blight — wliich is the result of a winter's cold on unripeneil wood. The PoTAro Disease. There is every reason to suppose that the Potato <' murrain" will be worse in England this season than last. Many per- sons in Englanil have already tried experiments by growing sets, carefully selected and planted, in pits and hotbeds — anil almost uniformly the roots have rotted as soon as they ha\ e ripeneil. Anil this too in some cases when the plants were so situated as not to be exposcil to wet. In the south of Europe the ilisease is spreading rapidly, and the potatoes from Lisbon then (.May 30lh) on sale in the Lon- ilon markets were saiil to be one sixth discaseil. It is stated in the Ganlenor's Chronicle that the same ilisease, or one apparently identical with it, has brolien out and "assumed a putrid virulent form" among the Yams in Jamaica. It is feared that it may destroy the food of the West India isl- ands, as it has done that of Ireland, and thus the suH'erings of the Colonies there may be as great as that of the poorer classes in the latter country. Drying Plants. — " In drying plants for a her- barium care must be taken not to press them so much as to crush them. Succulents and plants that drop their leaves, such as Heaths, should be dipped in hot water before they are jiressed. Each specimen should be placed between a sheet of brown paper, and between each filled sheet several empty ones should be placed. For the first day or two the pressure should be only just sufTicient to prevent the leaves and llowers fiom shrivelling. When the papers become damp the jilants should be shifted to dry ones, increasing the jn-cssure after every shift till the specimens are i)erfcctly dry." — Gardener'f Chronicle. To DESTROY Slugs. — "We strongly advise all who are attacked by slugs to try the effect of lime water, *vvhich does not at all injure any croj), and im- mediately destroys the animal. To make the appli- cation ellicicnt, it is, however, necessary to use it late in the evening and very early in the morning, say at day-break, when the slugs are feeding A coujile of applications of lime-water has comjilelely exterminated legions of slugs under oui- own eyes." Lindley. lb. A correspondent of the Chronicle adds from his own experience: "The following mixture will kill slugs; gas water, 1 gallon; water, 6 gallons: lime, as much as it will take up. 'I'his beais plain lime water or gas water." The Noisette Rose. — The Noisette liose is said by Mr. Itivers to have been raised fiom seed by M. Philip Noisette, of Charleston, America, and * Lime-water is made by throwing a piece of quick lime of the size of one's fist iiil-) a pail oi water WI.eii it i.s il.s- solved, let it stand for sor.x time tn stttle, wlieii tlie clear water should be poured ofl and is ready for u.?c. — [Ku.] FOREIGN NOTICES. 47 sent by him fo his brother in Paris. Now this does not happen to be true. It was raised by a gentle- man on Long Island; a plant was brought from there by Monsieur Lamlonne, an intimate acquain- tance of the raiser, to Rouen, where it was culti- vated in large quantities. Pailland, a gardener at Rouen, when Noisette of Paris rcceivetl a plant from liis brother in America, (who by the by, might o'jject to inf;)rm us how he got it from Long Island), grew it under an iron cage in one of his houses for protection, while it was being common- ly sold in Rouen at a moderate rate Prevost, the well known cultivator at Rouen, can attest to these facts. — Annals of HorHculture- [If this be true, (v\hich we doubi,) why not give the name of the the ''gentleman on Long Island" who originated it.— Ed.] London Horticul. ural Society. — The last (May) exhibition of this Society is represented as " perhaps the best that has ever graced the gar- dens." The day was very j)ropitious, and the gar- dens were thronged with four thousand eiglit hun- dred and forty-four visitors, including Prince Al- bert. " As for the flowers,"' says Dr. Lindley " their beauty was beyond description. Never be- fore was there such a blaze of rich colours, deli- cate tints, and magnificent vegetation assembled. The great table on which the Chinese Azaleas and Cacti were assembled was a pyramid of flame, and the exhibition of Orchids alone was 4S yards long, in a double bank; nor was there a bad specimen amona; them." The Yellow P^ony. — (Pisonia wiltmannia.) < A more remarkable acquisition than a yellow Pffiony, not a stravv-coloureil species, (which is only a spoiled white,) but a true yellow flowered plant does not often occur. All that we know for certain of its history is that it was received in Oc- tober, 1842, in the garden of the Horticultural Society from M. N. de Hartwiss, the director of the Nilika garden in the Crimea; that it wasjust men- tioned in the '■ London Journal of Botany" for April, 1842, by Dr. Fischer of St. Petersburg, who in a letter to Sir VV^m. Hooker makes the following statement: — "Mr. Hartwiss has received many inte- resting plants from Abcharia, sent by Count M. AVorontzoff. Among them he has found a yellow flowered Pceony. Epimcdium pinnatum, and Pinus nordmanniaiia, the latter an Abies, said to be a beautiful tree." We unilerstand that 25 guineas was demanded for a s'ngle plant of it in one of the great continental nurseries. The species has much the ajipearance of Pneonia cretica, is quite hardy, ami grows where any other Pa;ony will grow, and flowers in May. At present we believe that the plant in the garden of the Horticultural Society, is unique in this coun- try.— Botanical Register. Pre r.RviNG Pollen. — M. H. Haquin, a zealous and intelligent horticulturist at Liege, has succeed- eil perfectly in impregnating lilies with pollen ke|)t for 48 days; the Azalea, with pollen kept 42 days; and, what is still more surprising, the Camel- lia has borne perfect seeds when the pistils were fertilized with pollen, gathered 65 days previously. M. Haquin has now fine hybrid seedlings from these plants, to the flowering of which he is anx- iously looking forward. As soon as the blossoms open, M. Haquin cuts off the jiollen, (anthers,) and treats it in the follow- ing manner : " I cut off the stamens as soon as I see them, put them in a paper packet closely pasted, and place the packet for 24 hours in a warm and dry jilace. At the end of this time, the pollen dust is perfected. I then take the pollen out of the pa- per packet, and put it in another, matle of very thin sheet lead. Afterwards, I place this in another paper packet, label it, and put the whole away in a place that is cool but not moist." — Revue Horti' cole. [M. Haquin adds that he has the pollen of the Azalea ami Camellia, preserved in this manner, with which he intends to fertilize the blossoms of the ensuing year. The fact of being able to pre- serve pollen, is one highly interesting to all ama- teurs who desire to raise new varieties, whether of flowers or fruit, by crossing or hybridizing; since it often happens that the plant to be fei-tilized bloonis too early or too late, for the blossoms of the male parent. Or perhaps the sort to be fertili- zed, may be in one place, antl the one which we desire to fertilize with, may be in another an hun- dreil miles. off. It is easy to see, that since it is found that pollen may he preserved, this is of no moment. The pollen may be gathereil when scarcely mature, and kept for days or weeks; and it may be sent by mail from one part of the country to another. — Ed.] Earthing up Potatoes. — On this subject, Mr. C. W. Johnson says: — " I have long had doubts re- lative to earthing up potatoes being a beneficial practice, and now I am convinced that it is detri- mental. The variety employed in my exjieriments are the Pink Kiilney; all the sets were planted at the same time, (the first week in April,) in rows two feet apart, and eighteen inches in the rows; and were taken up September 24ih, and weighed. The average of all my experiments gives exactly an increase of one-fourth in favor of 7iot earthing up ; but some of the plants gave still more, viz: as 42 lbs. is to 31i lbs. The exjierinient has been made on the sixteenth of an acre of gooil ileep loam, with a cool, moist subsoil." — Annals of Hart. Camellia japonica. — Of the many ways ol propagating this plant, few succeed better, for a new and dear variety, than that we should call bud- grafting. This used to be done by INIessrs. Brown of Slough, very generally, ami with good success; everj' butl, with the smallest portion of wood at- tached, made a plant. The stock was cut down to within two inches of the surface, and the small piece of wood, with the bml attached, grafted on the top. ISIany ways may be employea to join these, and the only necessary precautions are, first, to leave a bud at the top or highest point of the stock itself, and to insert the graft so as fo bring down the butl in it below the level of that of the stock, but on the opposite side. Whether this is by a sloping cut, (splice-grafting,) or by notching the stock and placing the graft on a wciigc, (cleft- 48 DOMESTIC NOTICES. praftinp,) or by sacUllp-frraftinfr, it matters not. A pooil lit is ncccss;iry, ami the barks of the stock or prafi, must oxacily nioet on one siilo, at the least, anil by these means you may make a plant of every leaf or eye. — J. W. Gardener's Gazelle. Ants. — Ilnwever these pests may plapiie yon, all you have to do, is to make deep holes with a crow- bar, say two to three feet, and carefully withdraw the instrument so that the hole maybe open; thou- sands, aye millions, of these little pests will fall down them, and not pet out any more; in fact, the place will, in time, be completely cleared. When they conpreprate away from plants, boiling water will settle their accounts quickly; but the former method will do any where, if the ground will al- low of holes bcinp: made, and the holes being kept open. In some light soils it is diflicult, but if you can do it in no other way, soak it well with water first. — Jlnnals of HorticuUure. [A writer in'one of the French Horticultural .lournals, says that he has used the fresh leaves of the tomato, with success, to drive away ants. — Ed.] Mr. FoRTTTNE. — Two years ago, the London Horticultural Society, with praiseworthy enterprise, de-patched Mr. Fortune to China, for the special •urpose of making collections of all the most intc- lesting trees, shrubs and plants, cultivated in that country, and which, previous to the late treaties, were not to be obtained by foreigners. We per- ceive it is now announced that he has just returned to England. His collections, in eighteen glazed cases, have arrived in beautiful condition, and will be put in course of culture at the Socicty"s garden. The gardening world look forward with great in- terest to the results of this collection. The Chi- nese arc the most patient ami skilful of merely jiractical gardeners. Their double (lowers are stri- kingly beautiful; and some of their fruits — as for example, the peaches of Pekin, are represented as of extraordinary size and excellence. Thenlimale of a considerable part of China is so similar to that of this country, that many of its trees and shrubs prove perfectly hardy here, as for example the Chinese Magnolias and Wistaria. Wf.igf.la rosea. — This is one of the new plants sent home a year ago by Mr. Fortune, to England, from China. Its present appearance in the Society's garden, is thus noticed in the Gardener's Chronicle : " In the atljoining garden was a fine plant of Weii^ela rosea, sent home from the north of China. It has the ajjiiearancc of a Syringa, (Philadeljihus) with opposite, and nearly sessile leaves, of about three inches in length; and monopetalous tubular flowers of a delicate rose-color, hanging in loose clusters of from three to five at the end of every little side branch. This valuable acquisition to our gardens, h.is hitherto been kept under glass; but it is not improbable that it may yet turn out to be hardy. In the house recently erected in the hardy department, a thriving specimen of Calystegia pu- besccns will soon be in flower. This was sent from Shanghai, by Mr. Fortune, under the name of a Double Convolvulus, and is the first plant of its or- der that has been mentioned as producing double flowers. The latter are of a delicate pink color. If it should prove hardy, it will be a valuable ad- dition to plants of that kind.'' DOMESTIC NOTICES Superb new Camellias. — The most remarkable novelties in the horticultural world at home, are the new Camellias which have been raised by Col. Wilder, of Boston. Among all the exquisite sorts that the skill and long-continued devotion to this plant have produced in Europe, we may safely say that none surpass in beauty of colour and perfec- tion of form, these two new American varieties. These Camellias were first exhibited on the 14th February, and the Massachusetts Horticultural So- ciety, in their usual handsome manner, immediate- ly signified their appreciation of their merits, by awarding their originator a piece of plate of the value of fifty dollars. The following extract from the proceedings of the Society comprises a full description of the new Camellias, anil we therefore place it upon record: '• At a meetingof the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, on Saturday, Feb. 14, 1846, a vote was passed, directing the committee on Flowers to take special notice of the fine seedling Camellias ex- hibited at that time by Marshall P. Wilder, Presi- dent of the Society. " Agreeably to this vote, the Flower Committee submit the following report: "The number of seedling Camellias exhibited was five. Two of them were of surpassing beauty and perfection. As the committee have had the plea- sure of often examining the extensive collection of the President, as well as those of other gentle- men in the vicinity, embracing the most i)erfect varieties known among amateurs, they feel them- selves suiRcienlly acquainted with this beautiful class of flowers, to judge the comparative merits of the seedlings under consideration, and they have no hesitation in pronouncing them as varieties of the very first order, and such as will be diflicult to surpass in this or any other country. The produc- tion of two such remarkable varieties, by one per- son, we believe unprecedented, and will reflect much honor upon our President abroad, as well as upon the Society of which he is the head. " We, therefore, recommend that a gratuity be awarded to the President, for these tvvo superb American Camellias, and that it consist of a Piece DOMESTIC NOTICES, 49 or Plate of the value o^ fifty dollars, SLnd of such form and design as he may elect. " Jos. Breck, Ch'n." Description of the Seedlings. "No. 1. Camellia japonica, var. Wilderi. "Leaves one and a half inch broad, and three long-, oval, acuminate, slightly dentated, a very dark green, with prominent midrib; petioles short; a shrub of free, upright, but rather slender growth; buds quite round, with pale-green scales; tlower medium size, three and a half to four inches in diameter. Colour delicate clear rose; petals?;) to 80 in number, imbricatetl, of the most jterfect rose- leaf shape, and arranged with most exquisite regu- larity, from the circumference to the centre; co- rolla very round, persistent, free in its inflorescence, every flower expanding perfectly, retaining its beauty for a long time. " The superiority of this variety, when compared ■with those established favorites, the Old Double White, Lady Hume, Imbricata, and others, is its beautiful round petal, with scarcely a serrature or indentation on the edge. " Raised from the seed of the single red Camellia, fertilized by Camellia japonica, var. punctata; the mother plant and all the stock, with the exception of a single graft, having been destroyed by fire, in the year 1841. "No. 2. Camellia japonica, var. Mrs. Abby Wil- der. " The name was given by the committee, in honor of the lady of the President. This variety is a very beautiful one — a vigorous shrub of upright growth and strong branches; foliage large and handsome ; leaves four inches long, by two and a half broad, roundish oval, a little reflexed, coarsely dentated, acuminate, with pale prominent midrib and nerves; yellowish green, resembling in color those of Camellia japonica Lady Hume; bud round with pale green scales; flower large, four inches or more in diameter, thick, full, and perfect; petals of beautiful form, very numerous, DU to 100 in num- ber; the exterior rows broad, circular, gradually diminishing in size to the centre, and arranged with great regularity; color white, with an occa- sional stripe of light rose, after the manner of Ca- mellia japonica Duchcsse d'Orleans; corolla very round and of great ile])th. "Produced from seeil of Camellia japonica var. Middlemist. "The other varieties were not so remarkable as those described, but still worthy of notice, and equal in beauty to many varieties highly esteemed. As they have now bloomed for the lirst time, their character cannot be justly determined. "No. 3 is a flowerabovc medium size; color pur- plish crimson ; fine shape, large petals, rose-leaved, jierfectly arranged, compact with a full centre. " No. 4. A beautiful flower, of medium size; color of the outer petals carmine, fading out to the cen- tre to a fine deep rose color; petals spirally ar- ranged. " No. o. Color bright rose, blotched with white; similar to Camellia japonica imbricata, but the color not (juite so brilliant, and about the same size " Having seen only the flowers of the three last varieties without the foliage, we are not able to give a full description; but it is not these varieties that the committee would point out to the Society as worthy the gratuity, but those lirst described Camellia japonica Wilderi and Rlrs. Abby Wilder. " All of which is respectfully submitted. "Jos. Breck, " Chairman of the Floiver Com. "It was voted that the foregoing reports be entered upon the records, artd i>ublished in the transactions of the Society." The Massachusetts Horticultural Society have al- so voted a piece of plate of the value of fifty dol- lars, to Messrs. Hovey, of Boston, as a special pre- mium for the Strawberry raised by them — Hovey's Seedling, a sort, which, after twelve years' expe- rience, has proved one of the best. And to Samuel Feast, Esq. of Baltimore, they have given the Society's Large Gold Medal, as a special premium for that beautiful seedling Rose, originated by him, the Queen of the Prairies, which they consider "the type of a new class of Roses, and without a rival in this climate for pillars, arbors, &c." This liberal spirit, which dictates the encourage- ment of zealous and enthusiastic horticulturists, and singling out newly originated varieties of plants and fruits of high value, makes them the objects of the Society's .approbation, and thereby giving them a more extended passport to public favor, we can- not too highly admire. The finest Cherries. — While we write these notices the cherry season is at its height, and we have been pleasantly engaged, for the last two hours, in examining and tasting many varieties. Among all the light-coloured cherries, we find none to surpass, on the wliole, for flavour, texture of the flesh and beauty of appearance, the Down- ton. It is superior to jK/ioft in this climate. The Flesh-coloured Bigarreau, (Bigarreau coulcvr de chair), is a very beautiful fruit, more tender- fleshed than most of its class, and really one of the best. It is fully equal in this climate to the Bio-ar- reau (or Yellow Spanish) in flavour — and is perhaps rather sweeter. Black Eagle stands unrivalled for high flavour among black cherries, as Black Tar- tarian docs for size and productiveness. For trans- parency and delicacy of flavour, the Belle de Choisy bears off the palm. Manning's Early White, Bow- yer's Early Heart, and Rivers' Early Amber, are evidently all sub-varieties of the old Early White Heart, and not very distinct from it. Holland Bigarreau is one of the largest and most beautiful of all the firm-fleshed sorts — and no collection is complete without Downie'sLate, to succeed all the foregoing varieties. New Tree P^onias.— One of the hardiest and most magnificent of shrubs in this climate is the Chinese Tree Pieon}\ We are therefore highly gratified to learn that Professor Jackso.v of Schenectady (whose unique garden near Union College is the cynosure of all eyes turned thithcrwanl) has succeeded in raising 50 DOMESTIC NOTICES. from tho spnl some roinarkably fine new variotirs of this plant, which arc likely to surjiass in beauty any nf the Chinese s]>ecies or tlic European secU- lins;s from them. Among- these we learn there is one bearing large, perfectly double, pure white flowers, resembling those of the herbaceous P. whillcji. This will be a great acquisition to all garilens. Several others are novel in colour, double, ami of handsome habit of growth, etc. Among them is a llcili coloiiroii variety; another with pink jielals; another nearly full double with the purple stripeof Pu/;uivracfrt — and still another of a very pale orange. And these arc only a portion of Professor J,"s promising seedlings. As soon as another blooming season is l»ast, we arc to have a full account of these really most valuable acquisitions. We learn that the i)arent of all these seedlings, is the Chinese poppy-llowered Chinese Tree Picony (P. papaveracea), the single species well known in our gardens. This tendency, which it shows, to run into new double varieties, is amost valuable one to the horticulturist — and since the plant is so well suited to our climate wc cannot too strongly recommend the sowing of the seeds with a view to originating a great number of charming sorts. Fertilized with the pollen of the sweet scented Chinese herbaceous sorts (P. fragrans), we may probably obtain a hybrid that,"to the splendid large flowers of this shrub, shall add all the fra- grance of the rose. The seeds of the Tree Poeony do not germinate till the second year, if planted in the spring, or even later in the autumn. When planted as soon us they are ripe, they will however mostly germi- nate in the ensuing spring. Nothing is more sim- ple than their after culture. They absolutely require nothing but good garden soil, and an open airy exposure. The deeper the soil the taller and stronger will be the growth of the shrub. Beautiful Trke. — How few persons are there who are familiar with that beautiful tree the Yel- low-wood, Cladastrus tinctoria, (Tor. & Gray,) formerly known to botanists as the VirgUia lutea. Early in June a luxuriant si)ecimcn of this tree, in our grounds, about 1-1 feet high, bloomed most abuiuiautly, anil we cannot sudiciently express our admiration of its many cliarms at that season. The Yellow-wood belongs to the same natural order as the Locust and tlie Laburnum, (Leguminoss.) Its flowers resemble in general appearance those of the Laburnum, but they are pure ickite, and the clus- ters are longer and more gracefully formcil. The leaves, however, instead of being rather thin and light, like those of the Zocwsi and Laburnum is rich and heavy like those of the ash. Although l)innated, they form, from the large size of the leaflets, a rich dark massy head of foliage, anil over this is thickly sprinkled the airy clusters of snowy blossoms which are slightly fragrant. It is by far the handsomest tree of its tribe ; and taking into account its perfect hardiness — vigorous, healthy growth, and clean broad foliage, it must be placed anumg the most desirable of all ornamental trees for the lawn and pleasure grounds. The trunk of the Yellow- wood, when the tree is well grown, is remarkable for its smoothness, and the greenish grey colour of the bark, reiicmbltng a little in this respect that of the beech. This tree is a very r.ire one. In its native locali- ties, Tennessee and Kentucky, it is conlined to a small district. It is so little known that both Pursh and Nullall never appear to have seen it in blossom; both evidently being misled by the spe- cilic name of Michaux; and both therefore erring in describing its flowers as yellow. This is usually consiilcred a small tree by botani- cal authors, but we have seen specimens in some of the line old gardens in the .suburbs of Philadel- phia, more than 40 feet high, and exccedingl y handsome in their heads and trunks. No tree is better deserving of propagation than this. It grows readily from the seeds, and we call attention to it now in the hope that the few persons who are in i)osscssion, oi- are in the neighborhood, of bear- ing trees, will carefully save all the seeds and en- deavour to multiply it. The name, yellow-wood, is derived from the hue of the heart wood, which imparts a lively yellow colour to water, and is we believe sometimes usctl for dyeing. Torrey and Gray, in their excellent Flora of North Jlmerica, have adopted Rafincsque"s name for this genus, which, as they remark, " is wholly distinct from Virgilia." A VALUABLE NEW EVERGREEN. — Wc are almost destitute, in the climate of the North, of handsome evergreen shrubs, for the open garden and shrub- bery. W^e have been much gratified on this account to learn that the jtretty shrub called the Variegated leaved Japan Euonymus, proves perfectly hardy, wherever it has yet been tried out of doors, for the last three winters. It grows, as we learn, in .Tapan about twenty feet high, — and with us will probably form a shrub of 10 or 12 feet. It has oval, rather thick leaves, (about half as large as those of the quince) which are bordered on the edge with a sil- very margin. The pale pink or white flowers, are borne in July. It grows very freely from cuttings or laj'crs and will, we trust, soon be everywhere I)lanted. It will doubtless make a good low ever- green hedge for the garden, and will bear clijiping well. Two SORTS OF THE LocusT Tree. — Pray in- form me if there are really two varieties or species of the Locust tree. I believe the books only give one species, the Yellow Locust; but I notice so decided a ililference in the growth of those in this part of the country and those 1 knew in Pennsylva- nia that I sujipose them to be distinct. Yours, jr. //. F., New Haven, Con. [There is only one species of the common Lo- cust tree recognized by botanists — Robinia psevd- acacia, but there are several varietiesof it produc- ed by cultivation, in gardens. Still there are two very distinct and strongly marked native varieties, well known on the Hud- son, and in some other parts of the country. These are poimlarly recognized as the Yellow Locust, and the Seed Locust. They are perfectly distinct in their habit of growth, and are said to dill'cr in theij- value as timber trees. The first and most commoQ DOMESTIC NOTICES. 51 is the Yellow Locust, which, when full grown, forms a tall trunk with a rather erect and narrow head, and bears seeds but sparingly. The second is the Seed Locust, which forms a much larger tree, with a lofty but spreadins; head, and many diverging branches. The bark is rather darker coloured, and the shoots at the ends of the branches arc smaller, and more numerous. This kind pro- duces its seeds in such abundance that the branches are thickly hung with pods almost every autumn. Asa timber tree, the Seed Locust is not in this neighborhood considered quite so valuable as the Yellow Locust. But as an ornamental tree we con- sider it in every respect far superior. Indeed, when the Locust tree is planted for ornament, this is the only one that is worthy of attention. The common Yellow Locust, beautiful as it is in its varying, lively green foliage, when young, no sooner becomes large, than it becomes a meagre and half-starved looking tree. Its head is full of half-dead branches, and is entirely wanting in dig- nity and breadth — while it has also lost the light- ness and airiness which distinguished it when yoimg. Extremely liable to the attacks of the locust- borer, its branches, perforated by this insect, are broken and lie strewn about the ground after every storm. The Seed Locust, on the other hand, is as beautiful as the other when young, goes on improving in ap- pearance as it grows old. Its large and broad head of foliage is at once delicate in its portions, and massive in itSAvhole. But little liable to be attack- ed by the borer, it is very rarely deformed by dead and unsightly limbs- We should suppose the Seed Locust to be a tree of double the longevity of the other. A couple of years ago, we saw, while visting on the Hudson at Clermont, the venerable seat of Chancellor Liv- ingston, an avenue of Locusts of this sort, of great size and beauty. The late Hon. Edward P. Liv- ingston then pointed out to us a Locust tree, of this kind, near the front of his mansion, which is the largest and oldest Locust tree we remember to have seen. Its trunk measures in circumference about twelve feet, and it has a corresponding head. It was a large tree in the Revolution, and we were informed still bears bullets received at that time in a skirmish which then took place in its vicinity, j; The Locust tree is a great deal planted for orna- mental purposes on the Hudson, and without any regard to the fact that there are two distinct sorts. The Yellow Locust, being most esteemed for tim- ber, is by far the most commonly seen. The Seed Locust is chiefly abundant on the country seats in the upper part of Dutchess County, N. Y. We do not remember ever to have seen it in New England, where the other sort is common, though it may have escaped our notice. It is unquestion- ably the only sort deserving the attention of the Landscape Gardener. Its marked habit, and the fact that it always reproduces itself from the seed, have led us to think, of late, that it is really a dis- tinct species. A great merit of the Locust, for pleasure grounds, is this : — however large the trees, or however thickly they may stand, the grass beneath always thrives under thembetter than under any other tree- This is partly owing to the lightness and thinness of their delicate foliage, and partly to the fact that the foliage being small does not blow away but lodges in the grass and decays there, thus alfording nourishment to the roots of the grass. Standard Roses. — Much as I admire those beautiful things, — standard or tree roses, I am afraid they will never become really established in our gardens, or do us much good in the long run. I have had in my flower garden, and on my lawn, about fifty specimens. They were, all but ten, imported plants, got out by a neighbour of mine, at different times within five years. Little by lit- tle, I find they have all died ofl". At first they thrived and bloomed very well. Afterwards they were gradually affected by the winters, and one after another I lost them. Then again, I fancy that our summers are too hot for the tall naked stems of high standards. They seem to get dry and shrivelled, and thereby they affect the growth anil health of the top. I am all the more convinced of this since I have seen some specimens grown by a neighbor. He covers the stem with moss, bound around them. This he leaves on all the year. It undeniably gives more vigor and health to the head — but it also gives the whole tree-rose so un- sightly— bandaged — a look that I cannot endure it in a neat place. On the whole, therefore, I shall feel obliged to return to the old, and, in the main, most satisfactory mode of growing roses — i.e. on their own roots. Farther south, say at Baltimore, or Cincinnatti, where the weather is not so cold in winter, no doubt standard roses will do better.—^ Jin Amateur, Boston. Munificent Patrons of Horticulture. — The liberality of the citizens of Boston is widely known, but we desire to express our hearty admi- ration, at this earliest opportunity, of the spirit which prompted the two handsome donations re- ceived this year by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, for the promotion of the interests of Hor- ticulture. We refer to the donation of §1000 made in January by the Hon. Samuel Appleton, and another of the same amount in February by John A. Lowell, Esq. Both these gentlemen are resi- dents of Boston, and both have observed for many years the increasing and wide spread usefulness of the Society, in question. Their approval of its course, and their interest in its further efibrts, they have thus signified in a manner that at once reflects the greatest honor on the Society, and cre- dit upon themselves. The Society has securely invested these donations, and the annual interest of each sum is to be applied in the form of medals, bearing the title of the Ap- pleton Medals, and the Lowell Medals. The Beauty of Laurel Hill, in June. — Nothing can well surppss the beauty of Laurel Hill (The Philadelphia Cemetery) at this moment. You know its charming site on the banks of the Schuylkill, — and its original charms, as it was an old and fine gentleman's seat before it came into the hands of the Cemetery company. The love of the Philadelpliians for flowers is also well known. 52 DOMESTIC NOTICES. Well — at this season, (he groiimis of a part of Lau- rel Hill — thf oiliest part — is literally a wilderness, or rather a bower of roses. The tea rose, and es- pecially the everbloonjin}; rose, seems to be the favorite : and such a profusion of fragrant blossoms I never beheld as there are .it the present time. Hundreds of tlic largest anil finest tea roses, Ayr- shire, Iloursaults,and even moss roses are now in full bloom. The variety of monuments is very g>reat, and some are beautiful; and, at least at the present moment, death ajipcars robbed of its horrors, and invested witli an air of beauty. I noticed in the ground many rare and curious trees chiefly i>lanted as I am told bj' one of the leading managers of the grounds and one of its earliest ori- ginators, J. Fay .Smith, Esij., among them were the V'irgilia, the Deodar Cedar, Ceiiar of Lebanon, and be\ eral rare j^ines — all thriving well and making the place interesting in an arboiinittural senfic." — JixLr act from a letter from Phil add phia- The Putnam Russkt, vs. Roxbury Russet. — " Pray let us know your opinion now, regarding these two apples. Arc they identical, or are they not ? There has been so much written j)ro and con, and, as it ajipears to me, without touching bot- tom at all, in some of the agricultural jiapers, that one is at a greater loss than before." Yours, Providence, R- I. C. [If our correspondent will only have the good- ness to wait till lliesc apples rijjcn their fruit, this autumn, we can give him a full and satisfactory answer. With both these sorts, genuine, before us, it will be hard if the matter cannot be settled in a few moments. Till then, all opinions and his- torical anecdotes of origin, are of no value what- ever. Two things, however, are clear to us at the present moment; first, that more than one spurious " Roxbury Russet" is known by that name in west- ern orchards; and second, the growth of the wood and leaf of young trees in our grounds, that we be- lieve to be the true Putnam Russet, very strongly resemble that of the Roxbury Russet, JMore in due time. — Eu.] Dutchess County Hohticultural Society. A .Society has been organized this season, at Poughkeepsie, New-York. Dutchess is the countj' on the Hudson, most celebrated for the fertility of its soil, and especially for the great beauty of its country scats. This new society is in the best hands, and will, we are confident, have a great influence on the improvement of horticulture, on the river generally, since its membership and its prizes are not confined to those living in that single county. The first exhibition took place on the Jtith and 19th of June, and was in all respects, a most gratifying and satisfactory one. Five tables, reach- ing the whole length of the town hall, were loaded with a })rofusion of flowers and fruits. The ar- rangement of flowers in devices, was very tasteful and striking. Twenty-five varieties of cherries were exhibited; some of them unusually large. The strawberries were also remarkably fine; several dishes of Hovey's Seedling were of great size and beauty. But the great merits of the show lay in its vegetables. These were tndy of uncommon size, and apparently of great excellence. Cauliflowers of enormous dimensions, such as aro very rarely seen; melons, lima beans, beets, potatoes remarka- bly large, cp\^ plants, and tomatoes, and excellent Indian corn and cucumbers; indeed, a great variety from the kitchen garden, and all of the largest and finest growth. The next exhibition takes jilace about the middle of September, and judging from this auspicious commencement, will be ia every way worthy of the county and the river. The fol- lowing arc the olHcers of the Society: Dudley U. Fuller, President ; Robert Donaldson, Thomas Ta- ber, John F. Shcafe, William Kelly, Vice-Prcsi- dcnls ; John W. Knevels, Cor. i^ec'y, Joseph H. Jackson, Jiec. Sec'y ; Stephen II. Trowbridge, Treasurer ; Josiah Williams, Radclifl' Van Wagen- cn, William P. (Jibbons, Josiah W. Wheeler, George li. Lent, Edward K. James, J£x. Cum. The Strawberry Question. — Pretty nearly all the horticultural community are now aware of the dillerent views hitherto entertained regarding the Strawberry culture — and the ground taken, and so strongly urged, by our friend N. Longvvokth, Esq,, of Cincinnati. We have given this subject a pretty careful and thorough examination this se.ison, and have com- pared our own views with those of some of our soundest horticulturists in various quarters. We shall therefore give our more matured opin- ion, somewhat in detail, at the first convenient moment, — probably in our next number. — Ed. The Black Prince Strawberry. — We have given an engraving of one of the very finest new Strawberries, in this number, and have sjjoken of its most excellent qualities. Our opinion for three years past has been that the Black Prince, as known in our gardens, ison the whole the highest flavored, and the best straw- berry 3'et known in this country. Now, (June 2'lth,) that the strawberry season is nearly over here, we may rei>cat that after having compared it with Swainstone"sSeedling,Princess Alice, Hovey's Seedling, Ross' Phcenix, Myafs Eliza, Dcptford Pine, British Queen, and all the other leading sorts of acknowledged merit, we still consider the Black Prince superior to all in very high flavor, and equal to any other sort in jiroductivencss, size and beau- ty. Every one that has tasted it here this season has immediately concurred in this oijinion. It also has proved with us the hardiest large strawberry that we have ever cultivated — and we are glad to learn from other growers, in whose hands we have we have placed it, that it promises to do equally well in various parts of the country. We received the Black Prince from the \Vest of England, five years ago. From the fact that Thompson does not rate it among the first, we infer that it succeeds better here than in England. To restore the health of Lemon and Orange Trees. — I cultivate but a few plants in a simifle way and among other things I have a great fondness for lemon trees. Like many other per- sons I have been annoyed very often at finding, every now and then, one of my lemon trees turning yellow in all its leaves, and looking pretty much as DOMESTIC NOTICES. 53 though it had a fit of the jaundice. I have tried at various times all sorts of remedies, and applied to all the scientific gardeners for a bit of advice with- out getting much satisfaction from the latter, ex- cept "Shift the pot;" which latter advice I often followed without getting any benefit. Last summer I took it into my head to try soot, which I have found to be an uncommonly active stimulant. I removed the top soil on tlie surface of each pot or tub; I replaced it ■with new fresh mould, and gave the whole a pretty liberal top- tlressing of soot. 13efore a fortnight went by the trees began to improve, and soon took a fresh deep-green look that delighted me. They are all perfectly healthy and vigorous now, and I have repeated the experiment this spring, with other orange trees, with, so far, the best results. By giving this a place in the new journal, you will no doubt serve amateurs like myself, as well as oblige, yours, respectfully. Citrus. New York, June lOth. Black Bigarreau of Savoy. — We have com- pared specimens of this cherry, grown here this season, with a cherry we obtained from the late Mr. Parmeatier of Long Island, many years ago, and find them perfectly identical in fruit, leaf, and growth. Will any of the pomologists of Boston inform us how this cherr}'', (B. of Savoy,) differs from the •' New large Black Bigarreaxi" of that neighbor- hood, which, as a distinct sort, we have never yet been able to get a sight of ? The Longworth Vineyards. — Mr. Long- worth of Cincinnati, very obligingly forwarded us last month, a case of American wine, the product of his vineyards, on the banks of the Ohio. We have been in the highest degree pleased with these wines. The}' severally are the product of the Catawba, Alexander's, Isabella, and Missou- ri grapes, all native sorts. The very best wine is the "Catawba," of which we received sami)les of several vintages. The character of the wine is that of excellent Hock, like the better class wines of the Rhine. We sent a bottle of this Catawba wine, to one of the oldest and most res- pectable wine houses in this country, Messrs. Bin- inger & Co. of New-York. These gentlemen wrote us in reply: "We are very much gratified in having an opportunity of tasting this wine, which is the first American wine, that deserved the name of wine, that we have ever seen. It strongly resembles Hock, and we should have pronounced it such." The Catawba, we learn from various growers at Cincinnati, proves as yet decidedly the best wine- grape. The Isabella gives a wine of rather less body, and less character.* The Alexander's, or Schuylkill Muscadel, gives a stronger wine, with much of the character of Tenerilfe or Madeira. These light Hock wines, which we understand are now produced in pretty large quantities on the banks of the Ohio, are precisely suited to our cli- mate ; and as the Hock character seems to be the na- tural one afforded by most of our native grapes, we trust it will not be disturbed by any attempt to * One bolile of Isabella — a sweet wine — resembled Mus- catel. manufacture other wines of a stronger and less wholesome character. These wines are entirely pure, without the addition of alcohol, and the tem- perance cause has every thing to gain, and nothing to lose, by a general production and consumption of such a light and wholesome beverage. This, every one familiar with the hock and claret dis- tricts of Europe, where ardent spirits are not used, will cheerfully bear testimony to. Indeed, until such wines can be produced and afforded, as they will soon be, pure, and at low prices at home, only a small class of persons in this country, will ever know what pure light wines really are. What is sold as such, by the retail dealers in the country generally, is so brandied and manufactured, as to be- come worse than ardent spirits itself. The vineyard product of the American grapes is considerably larger than that of the European. We understand the crop of this season looks well as yet, on the banks of the Ohio. Mr. Longworth writes us, June 18th — "Our June is cool, and our late cold rains, for three or four days, have caused the grapes to drop in many vineyards; but the pro- mise of a fine crop is yet good. We shall know in three or four weeks. Grapes disregard heat and drouth with us, but dislike cold, and wet hot weather." Buffalo Horticultural Society. — We re- ceived from Lewis F. Allen, Esq., President, just as the last form of the Horticulturist was near- ly ready for the press, a Report of the exhibition of this Society, held on the 18th of June. Judging from the Report, the show of fruits, flowers and vegetables, in extent and beauty, must have been magnificent. Over one hundred and fifty bouquets, of exceeding beauty and richness, were exhibited, mostly from the Ladies of Buffalo, together with a very great variety of cut flowers from the gardens and green-houses, arranged in every variety of style which the taste of the lady exhibitors could de- vise. We regret that we have not room for parti- cular descriptions. Fruits. — The display of Strawberries was very fine, including choice samples of the Methven, Ho- vey's Seedling, Stoddard's Washington, the Lough, borough. Chili, Wilmott's Superb, Kerr's Seedling, Seedlings from B. Hodge, the Roseberry, Carolina, white and red Alpine, Bishop's Orange, Old Pine, Scarlet Seedling, &c. Of Cherries, there were the Turkey Bigarreau, Bigarreau de Lyon, [ ?] May- duke, Elton, Holman's Duke, Ox-heart, &c. There was also a fair show of Gooseberries, and a fine Orange tree in full bearing. Of Vegetables also, there was a handsome exhibition. We quote the closing paragraphs of the Report, made by C. F. S. Thomas, Esq., Rec. Sec: " The Committee cannot close their report with- out rendering acknowledgment for the efficient aid aflbrded to the Society by the Ladies' Com- mittees, both senior and junior ; early on the ground, their presence and efforts shone conspicuously in the arrangement of the exhibition and contributoil in no small decree to the success which attended it. " The Committee cannot but share in the gener- al opinion expressed that the June exhibition far 54 MASSACHUSETTS HORT. SOCIETY. surpassoil any provious cn'ort of t)ic Socirly, and, the influence of our Soeiefy may liave alaslinpand tlu-y conlitl* iiUy liope lliat succccilinf,' ones, will bcnelicial cllect upon the llorticulluic of our city show that our fllorts arc still lu'ogrcssive, ami that | anil adjacent country." MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. |Wk hope hereafter to give full and authentic re- ports of the proceedings of the Massachusetts, and of the Pennsyh .luia Horticultural Societies. Our ar- rangements were not perfected in season to allow us to do so in the present number. Exhibitions of all other Societies of importance, shall also, when- ever worthy of notice, receive attention in our co- lumns.— Ed.] Erhihition of Saturday, June G, 1S46. FLOWERS— From M. 1'. Wilder, President of llie Socie- ty, 8 pots of Calceolarias, (new vars.,) 8 |)c>ts fine new Fuch- sias, viz : Vesla, Colossus, Brilannia, Sniillrs Queen Victo- ria, Baudoin ; two Ericas, tricolor and anipuUacea, Azalea indica, var. Danielsiana. From Wm. Meller, a fine display of Seedling Geraniums ajul two bouquets. I'^rom Wm. B. Richards, cut flowers in variety. From Parker Barnes, Aquilegias, Pajonies, Fuchsias, Ro- ses, and cut /lowers in variety. From Joseph Brook & Co., 4 bouquets, Irises of sorts, Ane- mones, Prconies, Roses, Diclamnus fraxinella, 2 var., with cut flowers in variety. From A. Aspiiiwall. a great variety of fine Roses. From Samuel Walker, beautil'ul Ranunculus and cut flow- ers in variety. From Walker & Co., beautiful English Irises ; one plant of Hesperis matronalis plena, two of Cactus, two bouquets, and cut flowers. From .John A. Lowell, by Wm. Doyle, an assortment of green house plants, viz : six Geraniums ; Kennedia coccinea and monophylla ; Cactus speciosa, vandesia and jeiiksonii ; Cereus napoliensis, flagellitormis and scultii ; llliciuni tlori- dinum. Clematis azurea grandillura, i\Ielaslroma Irinerva, Cymbidium aloeifolium, two Oucidiuuis, Hypericum, Ama- ryllis, &c. From Miss Russell, a fine bouquet, and basket of flowers ; Roses, Laburnums, and cut flowers. From J. L. L. F. Warren, one large and eight small bou- quets, Amaryllis, &c. From Cheever Newhall, Chionanthus virginicus, and Li- riodendrou tu'ipifera. From Rev. Samuel B. Babcock, Dedham, a variety of Boursault Roses. From Messrs. Winsliip, by E. A. Story, a large vase of Chionanthus virginicus, (a beautiful shrub ;) one ol the large circular stands filled with a great variety of cut flowers, in- cluding Azaleas, I'rEonies, Irises, Roses, Loniceras, Labur- nums, &c. ; one large bouquet, and fine specimens of Pupa ver bracteatum. From Mes.srs. Ilovcy & Co., fine Anemones, Geraniums, Verbenas, and other cut flowers ; six new and fine Cereuses in pots ; six roses in pots, and the following twelve green- I'loiise plants; Acha;menes picta, A. longiflora. Gardenia flo- rida. Erica saviieana, Babingtonia camphorosmic, Polygala latifolia, Cytisus speciosa; Nutlalia, from Texas; Boronia viminea, Diplacus puniceus, Mahernia odorata, and Crassu- la .needling ; also, six pots of Fuchsias, viz : Formosa ele- gans, Chauvierrii, Defiance, New Globe, Brittania and Ma- jestica. For the Flower Committee, Joseph Breck, Ch'n. AWARD OF PREMIUMS. On Geraniums, Calceolarias, and Bouquets. — The commit- tee appointed to award the premiums on Pelargoniums, Cal- ceolarias, and Bouquets, report that they have attended to their duty, and award as follo^vs : For the best six Pelargo- Jnums in pots, (having reference to previous displays,) a pre- mium lo Wm. tjuant. of $G. For the ai best six planis, a prciMJurn lo AVni. Doyle, gardener lo J. A. Lowell, Esq., of §1. l'"or the best four varieties of Calceolarias, a premiiiin lo Wm. (.Juant, of $:j. For llie best Bouquet, a preiiiMuu lo Ale.-'srs. AViiiship, of $2. For the 2d best do., u prcnuum lo Miss Russell, of §1. The Committee regret that there were not more competi- tors for Calceolarias, as this flower is well worthy of the ama- teur's allention. C. M. IlovKY. CIrii. The Committee — Wm. Quant, Tlu'inas Needliam, and Ed- ward Allen — award the following premiums (or Cactus and other pot plants, not included in the above : To Me.ssrs. Ho- vcy & Co. for the best six Cactus, of sorts, ^.1 To William Doyle, for 2d best, 82. To Mes.srs. Hovey & Co. for the be.sl display of green-house planis, a premium of §S. To Wil- liam Doyle, the 2tl premium, $5. The Commiltec recom- mend a gratuity of $5 to the President of the (Society, lor liis beautiful display of green-house plants. P'or the Commit- tee, AVm. Quant. On Fuchsias. — To William Quant, the 1st premium, $(5. To Messrs. Uovey & Co.. 2d premium, $4. JouN GAI.TIN, Ch'n. FRUITS.— Grapes : Mr. John F. Allen, of Salem, pre- sented ten varieties of this delicious fruit. Some of the bunches were finely grown, and as a whole, did Mr. Allen great credit. The following are the names of the sorts : — Black Prince, Black July, Black Hamburgh, Early While, Chasselas de Bar sur Aube, Frontignan, Grizzly, Miller's Burgundy, Muscat of Alexandria, Pitmaston White Clus- ter. Also, Nectarine, var. Tawney, and two viu-ieties of Peaches — Cooledge's Favorite, and Royal George, (cling.) ; Green Gage Plums. From T. Motley, jr., of Dedham, Black Hamburg and While Chasselas Grapes ; also, a box of Early Virginia Strawberries. By J. L. L. F. Warren, Brighton, four varieties of Straw- berries, viz : AVilley's t^ecdling, from Cincinnati, Ohio ; Mottier's Seedling, do. ; Hudson, and Early Virginia ; also, Black Hamburg Grapes. For the Committee, S. AValkkr, Ch'n. VEGETABLES.— From J. Lovett, 2d, twelve stalks Vic- toria Rhubarb, weighing 23 lbs. From T. Motley, jr., by J. Galvin, a brace of Cucumbers. From A. D. Williams, Rhubarb. From Thomas Galvin, Newport, R. I., two brace of Roman Emperor Cucumbers. For the Committee, A. D. Williams, Jr., Cli'mn. Exhibition of Saturday, June Vith, 1846. FLOWERS.— From M. P. Wilder, President of the Soci- ety, nine pot plants; four superb ne^v Geraniums, as fine as ever exhibited, viz: Sophia Matilda, Grand Moiiarque, Ex- celsa, and Duchess of Sutherland ; Fuchsia gigantca, Mil- ler's Victoria, and two Venus victrix. From J. S. Cabot, fifteen varieties of Paionies, many of them new and splendid ; among them were P. formosa, spe- ciosa striata, clcgaiis, claptoiiieiisis, aiiemoneflora striata, Reine Horteiise, grandiflora carnea plena, bieolor plena, Victoria modeste, Reevesii, Pollsii, Whitleji, &,c. Mr. Ca- bot's collection of Paionies, embraces the choicest varieties ill the country. From Messrs. Winship, a magnificent ppamid of flowers ; a great variety of superb cut flowers, filling the two large vases; Roses, in great variety ; Azaleas, and other flowers, in profusion. From Win. Kcnrick, by Miss Russell, one large and four small bouquets ; also, a fine show of Pajonies. From J. L. I.,. F. Warren, one large and six small bou quels. Phloxes, Digitalis, Paeonies, Amaryllis, and cut flowr- ers in great variety. MASSACHUSETTS HORT. SOCIETY. 55 From Augustus Aspimvall, a large collection of Roses, splendid varieties, aud fine specimens. From S. R. Joluison, Paony whitleji, hardy and perpe- tual Roses, in great variety. From Samuel Walker, fine Rununeulus ; Phloxes, Cam- panula persicifolia alba, Dictamnus fraxinella, var. alba, and cut flowers iii variety. From Walker & Co., two bouquets, two clusters of Noi- sette Roses, with an immense number of buds aud flowers ; Roses ill variety, Dahlias, Pajonies, and other cut flowers. From Joseph Breck & Co., a great variety of Roses ; fine Aneniones, and Ranunculus iu great variety ; Campanula persicifolia plena, and var. alba, Pxoiiies, ^ I ' u I.iijis, Del;)liiiiiuiii.s, Vim lloulii I'liloxfH. i'lronic.", (ilailiolu:), Clcuiatu ulpiuu, Cuinpuiiulas, Oiul oilier cut llowirs, 1-W llic Cuiuinittce, JOSEPU Bbkck. AWARD OF PREMIUMS. Kiwes : For Oie btsl .'tO varifiioi, Ilovey & Co., 1st pre- iimiin, S"* ; Breck ic Co , 'JJ prciiiiiim, $($. For the best dis- play, to Ilovey ic Co , Sf4. The be.sl 13 varieliC.-i. Uaniel Crowley, 1st premium, .*•> ; no other coinpelitor. The best i; IVrp«Mmils, Hovcy & Co., IM premium, J}'! ; Breck laken if (ha Boston Pine it not found, in n few yearH, in a very ,;oo<1 col- lection. It is perfect in its orgaus, and will prodiicu a large crop. We rocummeiid both the varieties as detcrving of exieiisivc cullivalion. AVilliam Gordon, of New-Bedford, by the politene»« »f Benjamin Rodmiui, Ksq , a box of Gordon's Seedling, color luid size fine, flavor only second rate. Otis Johnson, of Lynn, three boxes of Hovey's Sccdl'Mtg Strawberries, (fine.) Joseph Richardson, Cambridgeport, three boxes of Hovey's Seedling, and two boxes of seedling Strawberries. We think sohiewbat favorably of these seedlings, but wish fur- ther specimens before we give aii opinion. Fine specimen.s of Ilovey's Seedling, and also a large dark colored seedling by Mr. Fuy. Wni. Meller, of Roxbury, Seedling Wood Strawberries. J. L. L. F. Warren, of Brighton, Jenney's Seedling : Moitier's do. ; Hovey's do. ; Willey's do. Also Red aiiil White Wooerfect in all the blos^MHk The staminale varieties bore from one-tenth •••le-thiril of a crop. Under the name of Keen's seeillio}!:, 1 pot a pistillate plant, that inipreirnateil, produces abundantly, ani.1 the fruit is large and line. By thems(d\es, an acre wi>nlil not produce a i)ertect berry. It is not what, in Kng-land, is generallj- known by the name of Keen"9 SeeiUing. Ulr. Keen raiseil many varieties. The true Keen is a staminale plant, and is more perfect in both organs than is usual, anil produces a partial crop of large fruit. I incline to the belief, thai fur maricet, their gardeners cultivate the same wedling of his as the one sent me, and probably the same kind he im- pregnated by hand. It is truly a valuable kind, and worth twenty of the staminale seedlings. The staminale Keen is cultivated for forcing ; and as the object is large fruit, all the blossoms are picked oil", except three or four that set first. But, it will be asked, if true, why is this not known to botanists and to all our nurserymen who raise the plant for sale Y The reasons are obvious. The strawberry belongs to a class of j)lants that have both the male and female organs in the same blossom. In all the white varieties I have seen, anil in (he Alpines, both organs are always perfect in the same blossom. Both organs existing in all other varieties, though not both perfect in all the blos- soms, the attention of botanists is not directed to if, or where noticed, is supposed to be an accidental defect. In all the other species and varieties I have seen, both wild and cultivated, I have met with oneonly where the defect in the one organ or the other was not ajiparent, and in that the fruit was very small. I have never seen a i)istillafc plant, (one in which the female organs i)redominate,) that would by itself produce any perfect fruit. Stami- nale plants (those in which the male organs predominate), where partially productive, general- ly produce the sweetest and most highly flavored fruit. In certain soils and certain seasons, Keen's Seedling, Wilmot's, the Iowa, and some other sta- minale varieties will produce half a crop. Where our horticulturists raise from seed, all the staminafe plants that are entirely barren, arc of course thrown away, and the few slaminates that produce a partial crop of large fruit retained. A pistillate plant that, mixed with others, beans a full * The pistillate blossom is usually much smaller than the Mamuiate. Fi". 27. Staminate Blossom. FiR. 28. Pistillate Blossom- crop of larere berries, is transplanted, as a treasure, into a bed by itself for increase. 'I'he gardener ia, the next season, surprised to find it wholly barren, and, after one or two trials, throws it away. 'I'he nurseryman, within a space of one hundreil feet sipiarc, cultivates twenty or more varieties, and a large portion of them are always staminale, and imi)rcgnate the ))istillatc varieties. Fruit not being iheir object, their .ittention is not directed to their bearing, and the failure of a full crop in any variety is attributed to frost or accident, or its being a bad bearer. Of this we have a strong instance in IIo- vcy's Seedling. It is eleven years since he raised this plant ; he has increased it extensively for sale. Six years since, I made known the defect in the male organs of the jdant, and drew his attention to it; and asserted that an acre of them, separated from all others, would not produce a perfect berry. Till l'S42, he continued to contend, and was positive that his plant was perfect in both organs. In 1.^42 he admitted, in his Magazine, its defect in the male organs. In 1844, he went back to his old doctrine, as will be seen by his Magazine ; and it was not till the August number of his iMagazine of the pre- sent year, that his mind was again mystified on the subject. How are the mere workies to gain infor- mation, when the editor of a horticultural maga- zine, and a nurseryman, who undertakes to enlighten others, has not, in eleven years, ascertained the character of his own seedling ? I am the less sur- prised at this, and acquit Mr. Hovey of blame, as Mr. Downing, in a recent letter, assures me, that last season he raised a fine crop of Hovey's Seed- ling, on a bed far separated from all others ; and for a still stronger reason — that even the London Horticultural Society holds the same doctrine. But the question is now under investigation, and light is thrown on it yearly by cultivators, and even the London Horticultural Society will soon acknow- ledge their error ; but not till Mr. Hovey has satis- fied his own mind, when he will doubtless draw public attention to it. Yet Mr. Hovey, in his Au- gust number of the present year, states a person had cultivated an acre of his Seedlings, where they were mixed with slaminute plants, and raised two thousand quarts ; and that his new seedling is valu- able for iniiircgnating his ohl one. Here is a tacit admission, that his old seedling is defective in the male organs. The yield was not a large one: Mr. Jackson raised at the rate of five thousand quarts to the acre, near Cincinnati, as he informed the pub- lic in a late publication. Mr. Downing, lam posi- tive, had not Ilovey's Seedling unmixed with others.* To keep varieties separate is next to an impossi- bilit}', and the more so, as new ones are often pro- duced in the bed from chance seed. I was absent from home two months this summer, and left it in charge with my gardener to watch the beds and keep down runners. On my return, I found the pistillate beds had become mixed, and the stami- nate Iowa had run on the adjoining pistillate beds, * [What kind of evidence does our friend want to satisfy him f If he will come here, he shall have the affirmations of our ten gardeners, and our own upon the accumu\ated pile — El). IIoRT.] THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION. 83 on each sUle, a instance of nine feet. But thougrh Mr. Hovey appears to admit that his old seediing requires staminate plants near, on tlie same page, he remarks, <' it is time and labor thrown away to cultivate sterile plants, as has been recommended by some individuals, when varieties ttsiiallij pro- ductive anil of large size, can be planted out for that purpose." He here of course refers to his own seedlings. To put this question at rest, 1 make the foUovving proposition : He shall send a plant of each of his seedlings to Mr. Wilder of Boston, and Mr. Jackson of this city ; and if, after a fair trial, they report them "unusually productive," I will pre- sent the Massachusetts Horticultural Society with $500. I will do this, if they report them as pro- ducing as large a crop as the old seedling will do, where one-tenth of the ground is lost by barren plants being inserted. I will go further: if they report his old seedling as producing half a crop of perfect fruit, I will do the same thing : if they report the contrary, he must present the like sum to the Cincinnati Horticultural Society. Mr. Hovey now stales, that among all the species and varieties of strawberries, there are only four worthy of cultivation — the Virginia Scarlet, Alpine, his old seedling, and a new seedling of his, which he calls the Boston; and though raised in 1834, he has never before discovered its fine qualities. This he pronounces " perfect in both organs, a great bearer, and a fine fruit ; ami also suitable to impreg- nate his old seedling." He is here vvide of the mark. The Scarlet is an old native fruit of Virgi- nia, and its greatest merit is its early maturity. The fruit is of good quality, but not large. The Alpine was introduced into Cincinnati fifty years since from the Alpine mountains, by Governor Sargeant. It is deemed of little value; the flavor is not good. Its size is small, and it is only culti- vated in a few of our gardens as a curiosity, and not a quart of them is ever found in our markets. What will English cultivators, who have raised so many new seedlings, say to this ? What will they think of their wisdom, in having enriched some of their horticulturists, by paying high for new varie- ties. By the time Mr. Hovey has cultivated his new seedling eleven years more, he will discover that it has not one-tenth the value of his old seed- ling, and its only value to impregnate it ; and for that purpose, we now have as good bearers, as fine flavored and larger fruited seedlings. His old seedling stands unrivalled with us for size, where impregnated; but we have other varieties, that are as good bearers, of nearly equal size and of finer flavor; but I would highly recommend his old seedling to all cultivators, whether for family use, or for sale. His new seedling, I have not seen. The new doctrine of Mr. Downing, <' that all plants in their natural state, are perfect in both or- gans, and staminate and pistillate ones, chance monsters produced by high cultivation," surprises me, for he deservedly stands high as a horticulturist. In a late number of the American Agriculturist, I discover Wm. R. Prince disputes his theory, and contends for the true character of the plant. Mr. Prince is an experienced horticulturist, and the discussion will call out other experienced garden- ers; and I hope in a few years, to see strawberries in as great abumlance, and sold as cheap, in the Eastern cities, as in our own. The plant, be it staminate or pistillate, never changes its character in running. Mr. Prince supposes the pistillate strawberry I obtained from England under the name of Keen's Seedling, to be the Methven ScarSet, as it was cul- tivated under that name in Philadelphia. The Methven is a ditferent and far inferior fruit. I have the Methven Scarlet, sent me from Philadel- phia as the Keen. It is pistillate, and bears a large fruit, but is an indifTerent bearer, and of infe- rior flavor. Mr. Prince speaks of some varieties o-f the Hautbois strawberries, perfect in both or- gans, and producing very large fruit. I feel confi- dent he is in an error. What we call the La Grange, is a Hautbois ; and I have heard intelli- gent cultivators contend all the blossoms were per- fect in both organs, and always bore a full crop. Such is not the fact. It varies greatly in different seasons. A large portion of the blossoms are whol- ly barren, or bear small defective fruit ; but in some seasons would, to a casual observer, be sup- posed to be an abunilant bearer. But I deem it un- worthy of cultivation, where proper attention is paid to a proper mixture of staminate and pistillate plants. Where this is not done, I am not surprised to find it highly lauded. I presume it is the same as the Musk or Prolific Hautbois, but am not cer- tain. The flavor of the Hautbois has but few ad- mirers. On an average, not one blossom in twenty bears with me full sized, perfect fruit. Mr. Downing describes the Old Hudson, as ''a fruit with a neck." Our Hudson is the reverse of a necked fruit, and I have never seen a single berry of this kind with a neck ; and I am positive that ours is the same variety that has been cultivated under this name in New-Jersey, and in the vicinity of Philadelphia, more extensively for market, for the last fifty years, than all others united. The Hudson or Hudson Bay, is described in English works as a necked fruit. They obtained it from New- York many years since, and do not consider it a first rate fruit. I incline to the opinion, that the true Hudson was not sent them, or has been lost, and a new variety substituted. It has been of late years imported from England, by New-York gar- deners, and by them considered the true Hudson. The genuine Hudson is not now to be found in Boston, and probably not in New-York. It is wholly defective in the male organs, and has been thrown by as unproductive. It is a large and fine- ly flavored fruit, and where properly impregnated, a great bearer. Mr. Downing, in a letter to nie, suggests that our Hudson has probably lost its neck by impregnation with other varieties. I hold, that the character of new seedlings is changed, where the mother plant was impregnated by a different variety, but that the shape or colour of the fruit is not, where impreg- nated by a variety, diCTcring in shape and colour from the plant impregnated. I wish to see the ex- periment made, whether the size of the fruit of the pistillate plant is increased or lessened by the staminate plant used for impregnation. An expe- rienced market, garilener assures me that it is in- creased. 84 Tirr STRAWnKRRY QUESTION. I have lliis moment rccoiveil a lottor from Col. Carr, an oUI aiul rxpt-ricicpil horticulturist of IMiilailcl|i|ita. lie uriiosiue — '• I tiavc converseil with .Mr. Mobsoii aiul others, who pay great atten- tion lo the (Miltivation of the strawhcrry. ami they all unite with nie in opinion.'' ''The Iluiison is the principal sort cullivateti for market, ami has been for lifly years. It is what we call female or jirolilic. It never has a necli. A Mr. Arbej^ust, who was my near neighbor, ami excellcil in straw- berries, removetl to Cincinnati about thirty years since, anil took the true Iluiison with him, anil the same now cultivatctl here. All our i>rincipal mar- ket gareilners now begin perfectly to undorstanil the ilillercnce between staminate ami pistillate }ilanls, anil find the former such strong runners, as tjcnerally to prefer keeping them in separate beils." ^Ir. Arbegust for many years sold nine-tenths of the strawberries brought to our market, and raised the Hudson only. ^Vhilst I could, from one-fourth of an acre, scarcely i-aisea bushel, he would raise forty bushels. His fruit was much larger than any other brought to market, and commanded from 25 to 37 i cents per quart. He made a handsome com- petence from the sale of this fruit. His secret he kept to himself, and had been as much noted for the size of his fruit, and the quantity raised on a given space of ground, in Philadelphia, as he was here. A chance observation of a son of his one day, in my garden, saying, " I must raise but little fruit, as all my plants were males," first led my attention lo the subject. I soon discovered that there were ■what he called male and female plants, and commu- nicated the fact to our market gardeners. The result was, strawberries rapidly increased in our market, j till as fine as had been raised by i\Ir. Arbegust, were j sold at from 3 to 10 cents per quart, and he ceased to cultivate them. The British Queen, is at present the most popu- lar strawberry in England, and much sought for here. Messrs. Cunningham & Son, of Liverpool, write me, that it is a fruit of fine size, and superior flavor, but with them is a bad bearer. That in some soils and situations, it is said to be a good bearer. Here is the old story. I am convinced it will be found to be staminate, and of no value to our market gardincrs for a general crop. It may be pistillate, and its bad bearing caused by the ab- sence of staminate plants. If so, it will be very valuable. Certain it is, it will not be found per- fect in both organs. In a late number of the Farmer and Mechanic, it is said, " foreign strawberries are unproductive about Boston, and the only ones now cultivated, are the Wood, Early Scarlet, and Hovey's Seedlings. That three cultivators near Boston, sent /our thou- sand Jive hundred quarts to market in a single sea- son.'" What will our market gardeners say to this! The Wood strawberry is thought by them to be worthless, and not a quart was ever sold in our market. Its only merit is, that its blossom is said to be perfect in both male and female organs. The Early Scarlet is raised to some extent ; but four- llfths of all the strawberries sold in our market, are the Necked Pine and Hudson; mostly the latter. Mr. Culbertson brings more strawberries to our niarket than any other person. The greatest quan- tity ho has brouglit in anyone dirif, was four tfion- siind (piarts ; and not one of tin- kimls named in the Karnier and Meclianir, among them. All were the Hudson, lly properly understanding the true character of the plant, Mr. Culbertson has been able to gather nearly as many quarts in a single day, as three Boston cultivators were able to do in a whole season. I saw an editorial article in a re- cent Eastern horticultural i>aper, speaking in high terms of the Alpine strawberry, as raiseil by Col. Stoddard, and its great produce, which yielded him at 12.^ cents per quart, ui)wards of i?l,(U)0 to the acre. It is an imlillerent fruit, and never yielded one-fourth the quantity. Can Ilovey's seedling, or any other large fruiteij pistillate strawberry, be impregnated by the Alpine Monthly ? It is my impression that they are dis- tinct species, and that it cannot be done.* I f it can, across might be produced, that with the size ami flavor of the one, might be united the ever-bearing character of the other. There is a wild ever-bear- ing variety in our state, that would cross with the Scarlet and Pine, and is the only kind I have ever seen, worthy of the name of ever-bearing. For the Alpine, after the first crop, rarely produces much fruit through the season. Thirty years since I met with a solitary strawberry plant on ISIount Adams, then in bloom. I removed it to my garden, am! the plant not only bloomed freely till frost, but all the runners threw out blossoms at the same time that they made roots, and bore abundantly till late in the fall. The fruit was small but of fine flavor. A new hand in the garden, early the next spring, supposed they w-ere weeds, and destroyed them. The old pioneer, Lewis Davis, informed me, the same variety grew in Greene county, on the cliffs, and had been frequently seen by him. I trust it may again be discovered, and Ohio have the credit of producing the only ever-bearing strawberry, [?] as well as raspberry. The latter plant, to produce a great crop, during the summer and fall, requires a moist soil. My ground in the city, is too rich and dry for it. I have never seen the plant bear as well as in Newark, New-Jersey, on a side hill, where the ground is moist, poor and stony. The plant did not attain half the size it docs here, but the fruit was large, and abundant, till frost. N. LONGWORTH. Having given Mr. Longworth's views entire, and having stated that we now fully acknowledge their great practical value to all strawberry growers, we trust our read- ers will have a little patience with us while we state the points on which we differ from him. In our work on Fruit Trees, while we * Dr. Brinkle, of Philadelphia, has actually attained this grreat desideratum. We hope to ^ve an aecounl of the most valuable new ever-bearing sort produced by him in this way in our next number. — Ed. THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION. 85 admitted the existence of staminate and pistillate plants, and the necessity of fertili- zing the latter in order to obtain good fruit, we also stated that we did not consider them the normal state of any given variety, but only imperfect ones, owing to the de- generation of that sort. We then believed, as we stilt do, that most of our strawberries, in their normal or original state, bore per- fect flowers, and that they run out into pistillate and staminate forms through bad cultivation. We, therefore, recommended our readers to " choose such plants, when in blossom, as have a natural proportion of stamens and pistils — or such as, when in fruit, show large, well developed trusses of fruit. Set a little stake down by these, and take runners only from them for your new plantation. In this way, good planta- tions will be secured with every plant pro- ductive." So far as regards the general truth of the foregoing, a great deal of subsequent close examination has not induced us to change our views on this point. Notwithstand- ing Mr. Longworth's incredulity, we still assure him, that two years ago we raised a remarkably large and fine crop of Hovey's Seedling without the proximity or aid of any other sort whatever. The same results have, to our own knowledge, been attained by many persons this season, who have grown large and perfect crops of the latter variety, for the first time, in gardens where there has either been no other strawberry of any kind, or only in distant portions of the same gar- den. We have examined these plants of Hovey's Seedling, when in flower, and found the blossoms large and perfect in stamens and pistils. On the other hand, we have examined several beds of Hovey's Seedling, where the blossoms were nearly all pistillate, and were therefore unproductive, unless planted where they were fertilized by other staminate blossoms. What is the unavoidable inference from these facts? Clearly this, as we have stated before, and from which Mr. LoNGWor^TH, we believe, dissents — that Hovey's Seedling, andsome other sorts, do vary from a state that is the normal or perfect one of the straw- berry, into a pistillate or staminate form. This is not mere theory with us. Let us refer for proof to our experiment with the isolated bed of Hovey's Seedling in our own garden. Last season was the first that this bed came into bearing. Being fully alive to the interest which this subject has as- sumed, we examined this bed, daily, when it was in bloom. As we have before stated, the blossoms were all perfect ones — large, well developed, and bearing a due propor- tion of stamens and pistils. With a careful search we were only able to discover tioo plants that bore pistillate flowers. There were no small plants in the bed. Every plant bore flowers and fruit. The crop excited the admiration of all who saw it, and the berries nearly all measured three and four inches in circumference. This bed was in strong, trenched soil. It was allowed to make runners last season ; but they were all taken off" in September, and the same plants allowed to fruit this season. When these same plants came in bloom in May of this year, we watched the open- ing of the blossoms with a great deal of interest. Here were identically the same plants, all but two of which bore perfect blossoms and the finest fruit a year ago. Would they vary ? was the question now to be solved. On carefully examining the plants, when the bed was fully in flower, we discovered that more than one-third of the plants now bore only pistillate blossoms. Of the re- 36 rUF. STRAWBERRY QUESTION. inainingtwo-lhiiJs, many bore perfect blos- soms, as they bad done previously, while a few also bore imperfect staminate blos- soms. They produced only a fair crop of good fruit. Next year we predict that this bed will have changed almost entirely to pistillate plants. The same result that we have here stated, occurred in another part of our garden with a bed of Ross's Phoenix plants. We called the attention of several persons in our gar- den, at the time of their blooming, to the perfect state of some blossoms, and the pis- tillate form of others — to their entire satis- faction. In another part of our garden a bed of Hovey's Seedling, that has borne three years, has become entirely pistillate. This is not a hasty conclusion that we have arrived at. We are forced to believe that most of the Pine strawberries, however perfect in their blossoms at first, if allowed to bear twice or more on the same roots, will degenerate into the pistillate or stami- nate form — Hovey's Seedling, and probably the other best sorts, Jnto the former. When they have once reached this state, they require the aid of other plants to ferti- lize them.* With the aid of such other plants, they bear large and fine fruit — in some varieties finer and more abundant crops than they did in the natural state; because the whole blossom of the pistillate plant is devoted to the fruit itself, which, therefore, ivhen fertilized by a separate staminate blos- som, must of course be larger and finer than when part of its secretions go totvards the develapme7it of stamens. In this, we confess frankly, lies the great value of the mode * The staminate or pistillate form once reached, we are inclined to think, from experiments we have made, that it is permameut. That is to say, a pistillate plant always re- mains so. Hovey's Seedling strawberry, at first, was a per- fect sort in its flower, but at this moment more than half the plants in this country have become pistillate. which Mr. Longwoutii has so warmly and zealously urged upon the public attention. The result of our investigations we there- fore ofll-r to our readers, as follows: 1. There are certain classes of strawber- ries which always bear perfect blossoms and produce good crops of fruit under all ordi- nary circumstances. These are the Alpine, and the European Wood strawberries, and (we may add, after a trial of fifteen years,) the variety known as the Large Early Scarlet. 2. There are certain classes of strawber- ries, especially the Pines and the Scarlets, the blossoms of which, even if perfect at first, have a tendency, through overbear- ing, to run into the pistillate or staminate form, chiefly the former ; when this takes place, little or no fruit is produced, unless the blossoms are fertilized by other stami- nate plants. 3. In the latter case, a crop of large and fine fruit is more certain than under any other circumstances — partly, because the condition of the plants is fixed and not likely to vary into a barren form ; and partly, because the whole secretions of the blossom are directed towards perfecting the pistillate portion, which therefore swells into a larger fruit. 4. To ensure a large crop, pistillate vari- eties should be chosen. 5. The proportion of staminates neces- sary, so far as at present ascertained, is not more than one plant to ten pistillates. The Virginia Scarlet, or Duke of Kent, are usu- ally preferred for this purpose. We have only one or two remarks to add in conclusion. We are now very well aware that some varieties of the Pine and Scarlet strawberries are pistillate from their first origin as seedlings. Staminate plants are also produced in abundance by sowing seeds of the strawberry, but these, when GUANO APPLIED TO THE ROSE. 87 truly staminate, being of no value for their fruit, are usually thrown away, and do not get into cultivation. Only those bearing perfect flowers, or those bearing pistillate ones, ever give large and fine fruit. The former, bearing well at first, have a ten- dency to run out into sterile forms, which is one reason why some sorts, once in high repute, are now considered worthless. As, however, cultivators become aware of the reason of this barrenness, by choosing a pistillate variety and planting near it a small quantity of staminate plants to fer- tilize it, they are certain of regular and abundant crops. We believe that Hovey's Seedling, or any other large strawberry, perfect in its blos- soms at first, may be kept in that state by due care. This consists partly in cultivating it well, but mainly in never allowing it to exhaust itself by overbearing. The mo- ment this is the case, as we have abun- dantly satisfied ourselves, the plant so ex- hausted takes the sterile form. It is necessary therefore, in order to preserve a Pine strawberry in its normal form, that we allow the plants to bear but once — making a new bed with the runners or off- sets the same season that the parent plants bear, and always repeating this. We have followed this course with some plants of Hovey's Seedling, and will under- take to show any one, who is yet sceptical, plants of this variety, next May, bearing perfect blossoms and fruit. Of course, however, we no longer recom- mend general cultivators to follow this course which we think involves much more vigilance and trouble. The plan of fer- tilizing the pistillate plants is so simple, and so satisfactory in its results, that we gladly record our conviction of its value, now that the season of planting strawberries is at hand, and recommend it for universal practice. GUANO AS APPLIED TO THE ROSE. BY L. WYMAN, Jr., OF WEST-CAMBRIDGE, MASS. In the fall of 1844, I received two small plants of the " Prairie Rose," so called, Ca beautiful plant, the fine properties of which have been much increased by a high state of cultivation,) of about one foot in length, and one fourth of an inch in thickness. These plants I placed in my cellar in a state of rest until the next spring. The Guano applications were then first attracting pub- lic attention, and I thought the Prairie Eose would afford a good subject for experiment. I planted one of these roofs very careful- ly, after the following manner : Before planting, I placed in the soil beneath the roots, one half bushel by measure, of well rotted and finely pulverised horse manure, which was entirely free from straw and earth, and covered the same about three in- ches with good garden mould. This rose plant grew the first season, 1845, remarka- bly well, and sent out four strong canes or shoots of two feet and one inch in length, and one-half an inch in thickness ; but the plant, notwithstanding its healthy state, yielded no blossoms, but continued to put out small side shoots until late in the autumn, or un til the season of frost. This season, 1846, this rose plant has made a good growth, and sent out five new canes or shoots, and still continues to make luxuriant wood. The new shoots are at this writing, July 2d, four feet one inch in length, and half an 88 TWO EXPERIMENTS UN THE STll AW BERRY. inch in thickness at the root near the ground. It has yicKleil this season fortij-three blos- soms, and has about twmt]j buds more to expand. The other Rose plant, being of the same size, and of equal quality with the above named plant, was treated precisely in the same manner, with this difference in the manures used ; under the roots of this Rose I placed two aiid one-half ounces of imhc- rizcd GuaTW, and one quart, by measure, of fine charcoal dust, which was covered three inches with the same kind of garden soil as the other. This plant began to grow and send shoots before the other, at least eight days, and continued to send up strong healthy canes to the number of six the first season, 1845, and three of these measured three feet one inch in length, and just five-eighths of an inch in thickness ; the others were two feet nine inches in length and very thrifty, bearing large leaves. This plant yielded nine blossoms of a fine size and good form, the first season of its being planted. This present season, 1846, this plant has far outstripped the other, (some twelve feet distant only,) and for fine proportions and healthy properties, is equal if not superior to any one of the species that I have seen; it has made seven new and firm canes or shoots, and the shoots are five feet and three inches in length and six-eighths of an inch in thickness. This plant has already ex- ^tsixidcdi four hundred fair blossoms, and there are remaining on the bush at this writing sixty or seventy fair buds and blossoms. The ordinary culture of these Roses has in other respects been that usually given to hardy out-door Roses, No uncommon pains has been taken with them, nor have they received any winter protection, except being covered with a little fine straw during the winter months. The above is the result of a carefully noted experiment with Guano, as applied to the Rose plants ; and its supe- riority over the best rotted manures is rea- dily perceived. I have been making several other expe- riments with Guano, in its application to tender plants, the results of which I will communicate to you hereafter. L. Wyman, Jr. Wesl-CaiTtbridge, Mass-, July 10, 1M6. Two Experiments made to test Mr. Longworth'a Strawberry Theory. BY G. W. HUNTSMAN, FLUSHING, LONG ISLAND. Taking Hovey's Seedling as a subject, I ' procured a bell-glass, and placed it over an entire plant which had not bloomed. The flowers expanded well under the glass, but did not produce one berry. The plant was frequently agitated to put the pollen in mo- tion, if there was any. I also introduced under a glass some blos- som buds before they had blown. These, as they successively expanded, showed no signs of swelling. I impregnated at differ- ent times two of the blossoms by hand, ap- plying the pollen from another plant with a camel's hair pencil. These two set their fruit perfectly. The pistils of the other blossoms soon turned to a dark colour. These experiments were made at the north side of a picket fence, where the plants were screened from the full effects of the sun, otherwise the heat under the glasses would have been too great. These experiments prove, to my mind, JOURNAL OF THE LONDON HORT. SOCIETY. 89 Very conclusively that Hovey's Seedling will not bear any fruit unless impregnated by some staminate variety. And the same may be said of other varieties in which the stamens are obsolete. I have had some plants of the Hudson Bay for three years, in a position where they cannot very easily be impregnated by other kinds, during which time they have not borne one berry, while other plants of the same variety, exposed, have been productive. A difference in the formation of the flowers on different plants, is not confined to cultivated kinds, but may be seen in those growing wild in the fields, the pistillate plants of which I have often examined with a magnifying glass, to see if I could discover any pollen, but have ne- ver been able to find it ; I am forced, there- fore, to believe that pistillate plants, both wild and cultivated, are absolutely devoid of pollen, and cannot, therefore, produce any fruit except when impregnated by others. I am also convinced from observation and theory, that one kind will never change to the other by off-sets. The runner bearing the same relation to the plant producing it as a tree grown from a bud does to the tree from which it was taken. It maj', then, be asked, how does it happen that there are 'pistillate and staminate plants of the same variety ? Ians2oer,it is ivot the fact ^ unless they have sprung from seed, or the plants have been taken from the fields in a wild state. That pistillate plants are surer and better bearers than staminate plants, is, I think, generally true, (provided, of course, that they are impregnated.) And it would seem reasonable to infer that when but one of the sexual organs is complete, the other Avill have more strength. Plants, therefore, that are perfect in both organs, require a higher state of cultivation. There is, however, a wide differenee in the productiveness of different kinds, that are perfect in both or- gans, some being much more liable to blast than others. G. W. Huntsman. Flushing, L. I-, July 14, 184G. Remarks. — These experiments are inte- resting and to the point. The plants of Hovey's Seedling, made the subject of trial in this case, were evidently distinctly pistil- late plants. Our correspondents should bear in mind to state this point distinctly in their details of experiments on this subject. Our correspondent is, no doubt, correct in his opinion, that a truly pistillate or staminate never changes. But he does not touch upon the query, does a normal or perfect blossom change ? This is the point. — Ed.] REVIEWS. The Journal of the Horticultural Society OF LoN DON, Vol. 1, Parts I and II, Svo. Lon- don : Published for the Society, by Longman ^ Co. 1846. The Horticultural Society of London holds the undisputed first place among all bodies of its class in the world. With the Duke of Devonshire, whose jardino?)ianie, outstrips that of any amateur of the age, for its Presi- dent,— Dr.Lindley,the leading botanical and horticultural writer of the day, for its Rec. Secretary, — Robert Thompson for its porno, logist, and equally able assistants in all other departments, — with its large garden at Chiswick, where most of the various fruits and vegetables of the world are test- ed,— with its shows patronized by Royalty, so attractive and fashionable that at the last 00 JOURNAL OF TITE LONDON HORT. SOCrETY. meeting no less than 13,121 persons visited the exhibition in a single day, — with its collectors sent to remote and little visited countries, in search of new plants, — with an income of over S30,000, which is chiefly expended in medals and prizes for the en- couragement of horticulture, and in keeping np the garden, — with all this, we say, it is easy to see that the Horticultural Society of London exerts a strong influence on the gardening spirit, not only of England, but of the world. These two neatly printed and illustrated numbers, which have just reached us from London, are the commencement of a new work, to be issued periodically by the Soci- ety, In the advertisement to the first num- ber, it is announced that " this Journal is published by the Horticultural Society of London, for gratuitous distribution among its Fellows, and in place of the quarto Transactions, which will be discontinued after the appearance of another part. It is intended to contain scientific and practical papers on horticultural subjects of all kinds, the journals of the Society's collectors abroad, and an account of the proceedings at the meetings of the Society, in London and at the Garden." In short, the present work, we presume, may be considered as a change from the somewhat heavy and expensive shape of the old Transactions of the Society, to the more digestible form and moderate price demand- ed by the spirit of the times. The first two numbers contain several in- teresting articles. The Potato disease — the wide extension of which in Great Britain, has caused such distress for food in many of the poorer districts of that kingdom, is the subject of the first two articles. " Ob- servations, botanical and physiological, on the Potato Murrain, by the Rev. M. J. Berkley." This writer gives a somewhat detailed his- tory of the disease in the potato in various parts of the world. The result of his ob- servations may be summed up in the fol- lowing paragraph : "To my own apprehenVion, them, it appears clear, at least, that the cause of the premature decay aiiJ putrefaction of the haulm is to be found in the pa- rasitic fungus, (Botiytis infestans,) in consequence of whose attacks, the tubers are unrii)e and in a baii condition for i)rcscrvalion. Under these circum- stances, if decay takes place, there cannot be much matter of surprise ; and that, as in all cases of decay, various si>ecies of fungi should establish themselves upon the tubers and accelerate it." " The disease," he adds, " can scarcely be ex- pected, after having had so extensive a range, to subside all at once. The same atmospheric condi- tions which have favored its progress, are not likely to occur again; but still, I fear that it will be felt directly or indirectly for some time, as, in the human frame, the general prevalence of a particu- lar disease, modifies other diseases for many suc- cessive seasons." Article VI., is a very interesting one on "The Mai7i Points oj Vine Cultivation,''^ by Mr. Robert Errington. The author of this article is a very clever, practical man, the gardener to Sir Philip Egerton, who has exhibited remarkably fine grapes, at the shows of the Society. This article is one that we think will interest all our growers of the grape under glass, and as the journal which contains it, falls into very few hands in this country, we shall extract it entire. We must, however, premise that a great difficulty attending the vine culture in Eng- land— the moisture which accumulates in the soil in the damp climate of that country — scarcely exists at all here. Our bright sun soon dissipates all excess of moisture in any soil fit for grape culture. But the practice re- commended, of making deep and very porous vine borders, is not less beneficial here, since it wonderfully promotes the vigour of the vine and tends to prevent its being affect- ed or checked by our sudden fluctuations of temperature : In compliance with the desire of the Council of the Horticultural Society, I beg to accompany the late grapes now exhibited, with a few general re- marks on the most important points connected with the cultivation of the vine, especially under glass. JOURNAL OF THE LONDON HORT. SOCIETY. 91 With regard to border-making; and thorough drainage: I am persuaded that a Tast proportion of the grapes which do not colour well, are planted m borders not adapted to meet the great extremes of moisture to which our fitful climate is subject. It is also certain that orer-cropping alone is one cause of the colouring, and of course the flavoring, process being incomplete in a great number of cases. It is quite clear from numberless instances, that porous materials for the mere transmission of moisture, and of course atmospheric influences, may be used to the extent of nearly one-half the volume of the compost with propriety. Mr. Hoare's sj'stem, as it is called, although a failure, will, I make no doubt, have done much good in this respect; one of Mr. Hoare's chief errors being undoubtedly the total exclusion of soil from his compost. Whatever depth of border may be adopted, the substratum should be so complete as to bid defiance to excess of moisture from both springs beneath, and atmospheric moisture above. This being se- cured, the next point is compost; chopped turf of a loamy character, and inclined to what is termed "sandy loam," is, lam assured, complete, or nearly so, in itself for this purpose, providing the previous points be efficiently secured: as, however, soils, as well as subsoils, differ so much in point of mechani- cal texture, it is perhaps wise on the whole to use a mixture which, in point of texture, may bid de- fiance to all weathers. Two-thirds then, of the loam above described, with the other third composed of equal parts of charred brush -wood, old plaster, and what is term- eil by agriculturists " half-inch bone," (boiled bone,) will be found all that can be desired or nearly so in border-making. The loamy turf should be from very old rest land, the older the ley the better; if not of considerable age, I would prefer it from an old lane or road side. It should be merely quartered with the spade, and should by no means be either cut or handled in any way when wet; dryness is as indispensable a point in handling the material for a vine border as for harvesting. The loamy turf should be thrown in alternate layers with the other portion of the materials, which should be well blended together and close at hand: — some raw stable manure, chiefly droppings, should be strewed in thin and regular layers, all through the mass. Before, however, filling the above compost, which I should advise to be two feet in depth, I would place a layer of half-charred brush-wood, of some strength, over the drainage and substratum; this layer should be nearly a foot in depth. Such a border I am assured would defy all wea- lliers, and woulil be found after several years, on the stamp of a foot, to have preserved its elasticity in a very considerable degree; providing that mor- tal enemy to texture, "the spade," be kept from it. It would only be necessary to cover the roots occa- sionally with a slight dressing of raw manure, the moment the vines had cast their leaves. Some cultivators seem to think that a healthy vine will carry all the fruit it may <«show;" so it will, but in what way? — why, in the production of small berries, deficient in colour and flavor; for be it understood, the two latter points always accom- pany each other. In addition to this, another evil is to be feared, viz : an injurious lessening of the vital energies of the vine. It will generally be found, I believe, after all the complaints about large grapes, that the latter, when thoroughly coloured, are decidedly richer than the under-sized ones. It may be asked therefore, what is the true me- dium to be observeil? It is, I confess, not easy to answer this so as to be perfectly understood; how- ever, as a general rule, I should say that spurred vines confined to the rafter, and established on the principle of border-making before detailed, will assuredly, under good management, produce from fifteen to twenty pounds weight each, every year, for many years. Vines spread over the whole house will yield a third more. It is, however, a better plan, where very superior fruit is the object, to keep below this mark. The leading shoot, if there be one, is a pretty good criterion of the ener- gies of the vine; this, if the vine is honestly crop- ped, should always be disposed, and also allowed, if possible, to ramble freely. One point in connection with good grape. grow- ing is an elevated border. One half of the cubical contents of a vine border should, in my estimation, be above the ground-level of the front walk. Now it will be found, I believe, on close examination, that a great portion of the old vineries in the king- dom, by a defect in the original plan of fixing the floor-line too low, preclude, by the level of the front sashes (if any exist), the possibility of the border being much higher. Now as it will, I con- ceive, be admitted that the floor-line has in most cases an intimate relation with the wall-plate, and of course the front sashes, it becomes a matter of considerable importance to establish itarighl; and I always consider it an omen of good vine culture to ascend into a vinery by several steps. Another and a very common error, according to my opinion, is the mode of managing young vines for the first two years in newly-planted vineries: they are disbudded and trimmed as sprucely as if the object was to carry heavy crops and to obtain plump eyes. Now the primary object of good cul- tivation should be, I conceive, to obtain a border tolerably well filled with roots. The best way to accomplish this, is to allow the top to run riot entirely for the first year, and nearly so in the second; for without abundance of leaf there cannot be abundance of root. In the second year, however, the laterals should be stripped en- tirely away, in a progressive manner, from as much of the main stem as it is intendetl to retain at the winter's pruning, in order to admit light to the principal leaves, on the agencj' of which the suc- cess of the first year's fruit depends. It has been the opinion of many, perhaps the ma- jority of cultivators, that '"shanking" in grapes is occasioned by atmospheric influences: I am of a very dill'erent opinion. I do not however say that such checks, through sudden depressions of tempe- 92 JOURNAL or Tlir, LONDOX IIORT. SOCIETY rafure, ilo nol assist in causing it — they fairly may. The chief cause is, however, lorpidily in tlie action of the root, perliaps at the very jierioil when tlie greatest demaml is made upon it to sustain the ex- cessive |)erspiration which is goiii!!: on in the leaf, aiiil to furnish fresh matter for elaboration; to both ■which ends it is frecjuently quite inadcqualCj owing to drencliinp rains. If the young fibre be oxamincil at such inclement periods, it will be found somewhat discoloureil; nay, in some cases quite rotten. And this is not to be ■wondered at when the habits of the plant are duly considered, and the diflerence estimated be- tween a vine on the slope of a rociiy surface in the .south of Europe or Asia, with six inches of soil, and one in the cold northern clime of Britain, in four or five feet of rich soil, every breathing pore closed with a kind of alluvium. This is no over- charged picture — I have seen scores of such cases. Besides, if shanking were caused by sudden de- pressions of temperature, why should it not occur more frequently on walls out of doors, where the thermometrical changes are at least as great as in doors? Yet here it seldom occurs, and here again the border is seldom so deep, so rich, or so far be- low the surface level, as some of our hot-house borders, many of which contain material sufficient for thrice their extent. The West St. Peters Grape, of which I now send specimens, is undoubtedly the best late grape in the kingdom in every respect. It is not sufficiently known at the present time, nor its habits sufficient- ly understood; added to which there are spurious kinds under cultivation. It is a grape which will endure as much heat as a Tokay, and might be planted in the same house. Still with me they are classed with the Ilambros for latest purposes, anil have to endure a very moderate temperature; how- ever, I never knew one to shank, and I consider it the safest colouring grape in cultivation. The fla- vor is moreover exceedingly brisk antl rich, and the bloom, when syringing is withheld, is most beautiful. On its own root it is ai)t to make slen- der wood, especially for the first three or four years; it is also liable to wither at the point of the growing young wood, at intervals during the grow- ing season, during that period. This, I have no iloubt, arises in a considerable degree from the same cause as "shanking," according to my ideas of that evil, as before described. However, as the border becomes more full of roots this evil departs altogether — at least it has done so with me — for those under my care, at first liable to shrivel in the wood, have now been perfectly free from it for years. I would here beg to recommend those who are iiiflined to grow the St. Peter's, to graft it on the Black Hambro' stock. This was pointed out to me some years since by the Earl of Sefton"s gardener at Crozteth (Mr. Balmer), and I have found his oiiinion to be correct. Mr. Balmer had pushed the cultivation of this grape to a great extent some twelve or fifteen years ago, and used to produce at that period some of the most splendid fruit I ever saw. Two reasons appear to me to recommend this practice: first, the Black Hambro' root is har- dier or better adapted to stand the low ground tem- perature of this climate; and, seconilly, ihe Black Hambro', through this circ^umslancc, has a later action of root than njost other vines, and conse- quent ly the berries arc longer feil with the ascend- ing current. This is, I think, tolerably manifest from the circumstance of the Hambro", in a mixed house of vines, being the last or nearly so to fade. The Muscats will also. I have no doubt, be found to do better when treated this way, for the sanw: reasons. Syringing not only may but ought to be dispens- ed with after the grapes are '' set," if a fine bloom is desired; a sufficiently humid atmosphere may at all times be maintained without the syringe. One of the most simple and efficient plans is to enclose the return-pii)e, if hot water be used, with a ce- mented brick trough, with a plug at the end, to empty its contents into a waste-drain when neces- sar}'; the toj) of the cemented trough, of course, left open. As for the arguments in defence of syringing, such as the danger of Red Spider, &,c., they will all fall readily before an atmosphere properly ch.arged with moisture, not variably, but permanently. The best late grape-growing I ever saw, estab- lished on sound principles, was at Colney Hatch — Mr. Crawshays. Those who are acquainted with that system would do well, in my opinion, to apply it to the growth of the St. Peter's V' ine, for late purposes. Mr. C. prunes, as is well known, to the "spur-eyes." Now I know of no vine that will better bear the " close-spur " method than the St. .Peter's. ]\Ir. C. moreover allows, or rather pre- fers, two or perhaps three shoots from one pair of " spur-eyes," each with a bunch of half a jiound to three quarters, to one shoot with a bunch of ilouble or treble the weight. Small bunches with large berries, well fed and well thinned, are found to keep much better than large bunches; the reason is obvious — the air circulates more freely througii the bunch. I need say little about the "ripening of the wood :" this principle is well known, and I should hope its importance admitted; too much stress cannot be laid on the point, and many are the failures through the neglect or misunderstanding of this very thing. I am of opinion that what is termed "close stop- ping," is frequently carried too far; a main leader should in all cases be allowed a good deal of liber- ty, this being the very thing that produces a fresh volume of root to invigorate the system of the plant for ensuing seasons. I am well aware that it will be said that this militates in some degree against extreme size in the berr}'. Be it so. I would willingly give up so trifling a point (proviiled it can be jiroved) for a more invigorated and perma- nent system in the vine. The leading article in the second numLpr is a long and interesting one by Mr. Edward Solly, the experimental chemist to the So- ciety, " On the Influence of Eledricihj on JOURNAL OF THE LONDON HORT. SOCIETY. 93 Vegetation.''^ Mr. Solly recapitulates all, or nearly all, the experiments made with electricity, applied as a stimulent to vegeta- ble growth, beginning as far back as Dr. Maimbray's result with the two electrified myrtles in 1746 ; and brings the account of our knowledge on this subject down to the present day. Our readers will remember the startling account of the growth of crops under elec- tric action, which went the rounds of our agricultural papers, about a year ago. Mr. Eoss's report, read before the Farmer's Club in New- York, in which he stated that by galvanizing a row of potatoes two hundred feet long, merely by putting down at one end of the row a copper plate, at the other one of zinc, and connecting both by a wire, by which he was able to dig full grown potatoes, while the ordinary rows on each side, contained only half formed tubers; and, still more, that of Dr. Forster, who en- closed part of a barley field in Scotland with a few poles driven into the ground in the form of a square, over which wires were stretched, making a wire parallelogram, eleven feet high, which was connect- ed with a similar square, formed by wires running at the base of the poles, about three inches under the soil — the result of which was stated to be the most strongly marked difference in the luxu- riance and product of the parts of the bar- ley field thus acted upon by the intercepted current of electric fluid : these accounts naturally enough infected all the experi- mentalists on both sides of the water with an electric fever, ourselves among the num- ber. \Vc failed completely, and we have heard of no single well authenticated ac- count of success. The brilliant hopes of inducing galvanism, or, as one of our friends wittily remarked, ^'■complacent light- ning,''' to do the work of that good old fashioned clumsy substance, called manure, have gradually faded away like a summer cloud. A very interesting series of experiments to test this matter, was carried out by the Horticultural Society. They prove that no practical benefit is yet within our reach from the action of electricity on vegetation. Article XIV. is entitled " Some account of the Jefferson Plum,'''' by Mr. Robert Thompson, the head of the fruit department in the Society's garden, and author of its celebrated Catalogue of Fruits. A beauti- ful coloured plate is given of this, our favo- rite plum, representing a fruit considerably below the size, however, which it attains in our gardens. We think the Jefferson re- quires the hot sun of America to bring out its highest flavor ; but the following re- marks will show that even in England it will hold a high rank: This is an American variety of the highest ex- cellence. It was presented to the Society in 1S41, by Mr. James Barnet, who obtained it for his nur- sery at Edinburgh from Mr. Wilson, nurseryman, Albany, New- York. It fruited for the first time in the garden of the Society last season, an unfa- vorable one for plums and fruits generally. Ne- vertheless, the variety in question was found to possess so much merit as to render a drawing of it desirable from a specimen, produced on a standard, to which the rest on tlic tree were very similar. It appears from Mr. Downing"s " Fruit and Fruit Trees of America," recently published, tliat the Jetfcrson Plum was raised b}' the Jate Judge KucI, and that tlie original tree was growing in his gar- den near Albany. The judicious author of the above-mentioned work says, " If we were asked which we think the most desirable and beautiful of all dessert plums, we should undoubtedly give the name of this variety." No one can read this statement witliout recollecting the well Unown ex- cellence of the Green Gage, and questioning whether, in point of flavor, it can possibly be equalled by the variety under consiiloration. To say that tlic Green Gage, under the most ra\ orable circumstances for acquiring perfection, would be surpassed, might prove an exaggeration. That re- mains to be determined. In the mean time it can be stated that in the past unfavorable season in which onlj' there has been an ojiportunity for com- jiarison, the Jefferson was found decidetlly sui>erior to the Green Gage. There is a good deal of interesting infor- mation on various gardening topics, notices 94 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CINCrNNATI HORT, SOC. of new plants in the garden of the Society, its proceedings, &c. 6cc. ; on the whole, we look upon this Journal as one of the most interesting horticultural works of the day, and shall keep our readers informed of the novelties that appear in its pages. It is not stated how often it is to appear. The price, to those who are not Fellows of the Society, is about $1.50 per number here, including the importation duty ; and the work maybe ordered through Messrs Wiley and Putnam, New-York. Centurie des plus Belles Roses, choisies dans toutes les tribus du genre Rosier- peintes apres nature par Mme. Annica Bricogne; accom- pagne d'un texte descriptif de toutes les varietis connues, Sfc. Par M. Victor Paquet. (4to. Paris, H. Cousin, Rue Jacob.) A BEAUTIFUL French work now being pub- lished in Paris in numbers. Each number contains two portraits of the rarest and choicest varieties of this universal favorite, given of the size of nature, and exquisitely coloured. The Bourbon, Hybrid Perpetuals, (or Hybrides Remontantes) and Tea Roses, occupy of course the most conspicuous place. Although the Rose is the flower par ex- cellence from all antiquity, yet it may be said with perfect truth, it is only within the last few years that its incomparable beauty and value have become known to the world, since it is only very lately that these new hybrid productions, which are purely the triumphant results of scientific gardening, the offspring of hybridization, have been produced. The Rose was once but a fugi- tive beauty, opening its petals only to the first breath of summer, then fading quickly and remaining a neglected and forgotten bush for the rest of the year. Now, thanks especially to the charming Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals, we can gather Roses of large size, superb forms and delicious odors, from the open garden from April till No- vember. The portraits of the finest new varieties in the work before us, are very striking and satisfactory ones. Princess Adelaide and Prince Esterhazy, two magnificent Tea Roses, are particularly beautiful. Transactions of the Cincinnati Horticultu- TAL Society, /or 1843, '44 and '45; with the Charter, Constitution, By-laws, List of Members, 4-c. (8vo. Pamphlet, 68 p. Cincinnati. 1846.) This is a spirited and active young Soci- ety, and, as we hear from all sides, is doing a great deal for the advancement of horti- culture in the Western States. Indeed Cin- cinnati, if we mistake not, is destined to become a rival to Boston, at no very distant day, in the zeal and energy of her cultiva. tors. It ought to be the ambition of this Socie- ty to found, at the earliest possible moment, an experimental garden or orchard. There is even more need of it there, than here. The confusion in the nomenclature of fruits, especially throughout all the west, is, as we have found to our own great perplexity, truly endless. Many amateurs, finding a a good variety of fruit in their garden which they do not know, bring it forward as a seedling, when it is a sort which is old and well known at the east. And many persons, who have received from nurserj'men here, kinds of fruit under celebrated names, which are not correct, do not hesitate to de- nounce them as worthless there, when they have never had the genuine variety in their possession at all. A garden with specimen trees of all the leading sorts of fruit, backed by the authority of a Society like this, would soon correct an evil which, we can plainly foresee, will otherwise last half a century more, to the annoyance of all those who desire to arrive at some standard in pomo- logy. TRANSACTIONS OF THE CINCINNATI IIORT. SOCIETY. 95 On p. 17 of these Transactions, we find an article by Mr. S. S. L'Hommedieu on the ''^Extirpation of worms from the roots of Peach trees.''^ He states, that his trees having been much infested with the Peach-worm, he applied the mixture of salt and salt-petre to the roots for three years without success. He adds, " in the middle of June last, on the appearance of Dr. Kirtland's letter in a gazette, recommending the application of ashes or slacked lime, I applied half a peck of slacked lime to each tree, on the surface of the ground, in contact with the trunk. Last week, (Oct. 2Sth,) I again had the trees examined, but found no loorms. The roots of the trees appear healthy, there being no gum oozing from them as at first. The whole orchard looks remarkably well, and will compare favorably with many that are younger in this neighborhood." This corresponds with our own experience. There is no difficulty in preventing the Peach-worm from destroying peach trees, if a small heap of slacked lime is put about the collar of the tree every spring. On p. 14, it is stated that one individual, Mr. CuLBEETSoN, Sent to the market of Cin- cinnati, in a single day, four thousand quarts of strawberries. He employs sixty hands in gathering. " The plan of shipping them to New-Orleans, packed in ice, has just commenced, and may eventually become an important branch of business." Vineyards are springing up on every side of Cincinnati. There is a very interest- ing report of a committee appointed by the Society, through its chairman, Mr. Flagg, of the vineyards in Hamilton county. We shall, hereafter, return to this report. From the survey of the several vineyards, many of them new, and as yet only half in a bear- ing state, we find that even in 1845, which was considered an unfavourable season, 23,219 gallons of Avine were made from 144 acres of vineyards in Hamilton county alone. On this subject we find a short article by Mr. Wm. Resor, which is, practically, so much to the point, that it will interest all cultivators of the grape ; and we shall give it in a future number. Mr. Resor, very obli- gingly, sent us a sample of his Catawba wine, which iis an excellent Hock. In "^ list of Cherries that have been test' ed in Ohio,''^ by our friend Professor Kirt- LAND, of Cleveland, we observe the follow- ing memorandum : " Plumstone Mokello. — I can discover no pro- perties in this fruit that render it worthy of culti- vation. It is not equal to several other varieties of the Morello." Prof. Kirtland is evidently in error here, and has not received the tru^^ Plumstone Morello. Wherever known here, it is very highly esteemed, being one of the largest, most productive, and best flavored, of the acid cherries. We have compared it this season, with four other of the most celebra- ted European Morellos that have borne fruit in our gardens ; it is fully equal to the best in flavor, and is rather the largest in size. There is quite a variety of other interest- ing matter in this pamphlet, which we have not space to notice. The exhibitions appear to hava been very creditable to the Society, and we are gratified with the strong evidence which these pages give us of its healthy and prosperous condition. Protecting Trees from Mice. — A corres- pondent of the Gardener's Chronicle mixes soot and milk till of the consistence of thick paint, and then applies it to the trees with a brush. This, applied once a year, he finds effectual protection against hares and rab- bits. Would it not be equally so against mice ? 96 FOREIGN NOTICES. FOREIGN NOTICES. Last Exhibition of the Londov IIorti- cuLTi'iiAi. SoriKTY. — Tlio visit of Tbriiliirn Pa- cha last Saturday to the Great Exhibition in tlie (iarilon of the llorticiiltural Society will, we trust, I>rove as beneficial to K^ypt as it was interesting to himself. F'or the gratification of those who wish to know the eftect proiiuceiluiion tlie mind of the African Prince by so extraorilinary a disjilay of what he could never have previously seen, or imagined the existence of, we may state that his Highness was delighted by the spectacle. The Pelargoniums, large specimen plants, Cacti, and Heaths, apiiearcd to be viewed with great admira- tion, for, uiHin being asked whiclj of them he would be desirous of taking back to Egypt, he cast a rai)id glance over the mass of llowcrs, paused for a moment, and, throwing up his arms, exclaim- ed, <'AI1, all." The Pinks and Ranunculuses, with which he was familiar as natives of the East, were viewed with pleasure, as were the beds of Roses. In examining the fruit, Peaches and Nec- tarines, a few of the Pines, and the noble Straw- berries most excited his admiration, but he had seen liner Cherries than any before him. How much the Pine-Ajiples weighed, how many per- sons would come, how many tickets 'were sold, how much money was given away in prizes, and similar statistical inquiries, seemed most to en- gage his serious attention. He was evidently much gratified at his reception by Lord Auckland on the part of the Society, and by the attention he received from the noble Earl, and Lord Normanby, who accompanied him during the whole of his stay ; and he quitted the gay scene most unwil- /ingly at half-i)ast 2, on his way to Birmingham, expressing his great regret that the necessity of his arrangements left him no alternative. Had the Pa- cha known that between 13,000 and 14,000 visitors would have thronged to the Garden in the after- noon, of whom at least two-thirds would be charmingly dressed women, we suspect that his regret would;, iiave proved the master of his ne- cessity. With respect to the Exhibition itself, we may slate that although the gay Azaleas of I\Iay were missed by everybody, yet that the general ef- fect was as good as ever. The Pelargoniums were in their glory. Orchids were magnificent : who, for instance, ever beheld such a bank of these plants as was this time brought from Mr. Rucker's garden, among which was an Aeridcs odoratum, to have jjroduced which alone would have made the reputation of any gardener. Then the fruit, which was so meagre in May, did ho- nor to the skill of English gardeners, and so the Pacha seemed to think, although, from the remarks of a correspondent in another column, it appears that the judges were of a dilTcrent opinion. The Heaths were better than before, and a single plant of Erica ventricosa purpurea, from th« garden of Sir George Staunton, was as fine a thing in its way as the Cyrtopod of the previous exhibition. Of such things as these wc can only say that high gardening can go no furtluT. More novelties were jiresent than before. The Royal liotiinic Garden at Kew sent the charming Torenia asiatica, whose indigo stained flowers everybody stopped to admire, although by some oversight it had not been properly marked. Mr. Voitch furnislied a beautiful little long-sjjurred Bal- sam from .Java, with /Eschynanthus pulcher, a good and new form of that fine genus. Considering that the thermometer had stood near 82'^ for the i>revious fortnight, that it ranged as high as 86*^ in the shade and !)7° in the sun, during the Exhibition, and that the plants can hardly be said to have felt it, so fresh anil unflag- ging was their appearance, wc should wish to ask, how we are to measure the skill of the exhibitors who had successfully contended with such adverse circumstances ? There were no accidents among the ocean of carriages, but it took a long time to find the lat- ter, so that either from that circumstance, or an unwillingness to leave the coolness of the garden for the heat of London, many visitors lingered till the evening had nearly closed in. The exact number of visitors was 13,421, exclusive of su- pernumeraries.— Gardener's Chron., June 20. SoLANUM LTCI0IDE9. Lycium-like Solanum. Greenhouse Shrub. (Nightshades.) Peru. — This charming shrub was found by Mr. Hartweg, in the valley of San Antonio, in Peru, and flowered in the Garden of the Horticultural Society in November, 1845. It has a neat habit; the flowers are of the richest sapphire purple, enlivened by a bright yel- low eye, and in the wild state appear in clusters, so as to load the little spiny branches. The name is a happy one, for in its natural state it is very much like a dwarf Lycium barbarum. In cultivation, however, it loses some of its stiff spiny habit, and has hitherto not j'ielded flowers in clusters; but they are larger than in the wild state. It is by no means new to Europe, for it was represented in Jacquin's Figures of Rare Plants, above sixty years since; but it has disappeared from the gardens of this country. So very poor, pale blue a variety was in- deed at that time jiossessed, that it hardly deserved to be preserved even in a botanic garden. It is found to be a greenhouse plant that succeeds in al- most any kind of soil, but to prefer a sandy loam, mixed with a little rough peat. To flower it well, it seems necessary to place it out of doors during summer, in some exposed situation where it can re- main till the end of September. By that time the flower buds will be formed, and they expand in a short time after the plant is taken indoors. It is easi- ly propagated from cuttings, and must be regardelanls of Ilovey's Seedling in the green-house, in January, before the bees could oi)erate upon them. They bloisomcd very well, but did not set a fruit. 2d. Next the same number of plants, and on each side, jtlants of the Al|)ine variety were placed; the flowering was good, but not a fruit on ilovey's Seed- ling set. 3d. Then the Hovey's Seedling, and by the side of them, the Scarlet or Early Virginian was|)laced; every fruit blossom of the Hovey's Seeilling swell- ed and ripencil well. The first experiment was tried alone the year before, but this was not consiilered satisfactory. The year succeeding, the three experiments were rei)eated in a vinery, 100 feet long, and at some distance from each other, and to my mind are per- fectly satisfactory. John Fisk Jilt en, Salem. Fig. 29. Tlie Montmo- rency Cherry. EXPKRIME.VTS MADE TO TEST THE STRAWBERRY Question, — I send you the results of some experi- ments I made two years ago, to satisfy myself re- New-Jersey IIorticulturai, Society, — This Society has issued a spirited circular, in connection with its schcilule of premiums for this year, which will no doubt add greatly to its list of members. From this circular we learn that "the proportion of persons in New-Jersey engaged in Horticulture, comi)ared with Massachusetts, is as six to one, and with New-York nearly three to one. Indeed, by her situation, New-Jersey seems intended for the garden and orchard of the great cities and (owns to which her products are so easily sent. Her soil and climate are eminently adapted for the growth of horticultural produce, which already forms one of her principal sources of income, and is yet ca- pable of great improvement and increase," The great autumnal exhibition takes place at Princeton in September (day not yet fixed,) The list of prizes is a very liberal one, and we are con- fident, from the previous shows of the Society at Burlington, that it will be one of great interest. The following are the ofTicers of the Society for LSKi: Richard S. Field, Princeton, President ; Rt. Rev, G. W, Doane, of Burlington, John S. Cham- bers, of Trenton, Hon, William Wright, of New- ark, William White, of Lawrenceville, Roswell L, Colt, of Paterson, John S. Van Dyke, of Mercer, Vice-Presidents; Ira B, Underbill, of Burlington, Treasurer; Viai. W, King, of Burlington, Record- ing Secretary; Horace W. S. Cleveland, of Bur- lington, Corresponding Secretary. The Strawberry Question. — Regarding the Strawberry, I think the true policy is to grow, for a crop, only the i>istillales, with just enough of the other to fertilize them; then we can have a certain and abundant yield, 1 have come to the conclusion that our best staminatcs produce but an imperfect crop ; that only a portion of their blossoms set their fruit, and that most of them are worthless, except for fertilizers. With the aid of staminatcs as fertilizers, every fruit of a i)istillate variety will be perfect, anil every blossom a fruit. Following this motle, we may have thisdelicious fruit as easily and as plentifully as beans. Yours, M. P. Wilder, Boston, July. MASSACHUSETTS HORT. SOCIETY. 101 Excellent Mode of Setting Grafts. — Last spring, in a nursery in our vicinity, 110,000 apple grafts were made in the ordinary way, and wound with tow. Owing to a severe drouth, however, at the time of planting out, to subsequent heavy rains, or to some other cause, only 30,000 have succeeded. Simultaneously, my very tirst practical attempt at llie interesting work was made, and with such com- paratively brilliant results, that I am induced to whisper my triumph in your pomological ear. Of apple grafts, I made 1 10 precisely, 96 are do- ing well. Of 400 pears, 3tiO are likewise thriving; ; but in lieu of toio as binders, I applied strips— re- quired breadth three-quarters of an inch generally — torn from sixpenny factory cotton cloth, which was brushed over on one side with grafting wax. Three yards of cloth, with four ounces of wax per yard, will suiUce for 1000 two j^ear oUl trees. If this is a slower process, it is the surest and best, I am convinced, take one season with another. And with the above result in view, do you not deem it the most economical ? I attribute my failures more to poor roots than to poor workmanship, or to the inelficiency of these ligatures. Sciolist. Syracuse. MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Massachusetts Horticultural Society Hall, i Saturday, June '21th, 1846. Adjourned Meeting — The President in tlie chair. Mr. Breck, editor of the N. E. Fanner, announced to the Society that he was about to discontinue the paper, and to be- come niterested in a new periodical, to be issued on the 1st of July, called "The Horticulturist," and as the N. E. Farmer had published gratuitously the reports of the Society from its commencemeiit, he asked the favor that the official reports and doings of the Society might be furnished for publication in " The Horticulturist." Mr. Samuel AValker replied to the above in the following appropriate remarks : jilr. President — In rising to respond to the request just made by my friend Breck, I feel somewhat embarrassed, lest the re- marks I shall make may be misunderstood. I like old land- marks, old friends, the good old way, and the long published periodicals, which I have for many years received ; they be- come a part of our existence, and when they are discontinued, it reminds of the parting forever with some esteeiued and belo- ved friend. It was thus when the last number of Loudon's Gardener's Magazine was received — it is so with a notice of the discontinuance of the N. E. Fariuer; but, sir, waving all un- necessary indulgence of personal feeling, I can but say I am glad to perceive in the death of the Farmer, the birth of a Hor- ticulturist. Sir, we have need of such a paper, indeed for ma- ny such publications, and if they are conducted on a liberal and genp.roux principle, they will, they must, succeed. The advertising sheet of such a paper, ought and indeed must be open to all cultivators ; it has been and ever wll be fatal to any publication which shall adopt a different course. Mr. W. then offered the following votes : Voted, That we hail with pleasure the publication of the " Horticulturist," under the editorial care and direction of our able and distinguished member, A. J. Downing, Esq. The well known talents, perseverance and respectability of the publisher, Mr. Luther Tucker, and the entire confidence which we have in our long tried and faithful friend and fellow laborer, Mr. Joseph Breck, all combine to insure its usefulness and success, and enables us in advance to give it our unquali- fied approbation. Voted, That the request of Mr. Breck be complied with, and that he be regularly furnished with the official reports and do- 'ngs of this Society for publication in the " Horticulturist." Voted, That the thanks of the Society be presented to Jos. Breck, Esci., editor of the N. E. Farmer, for the liberal and iinparlial maimer with which he has for many years published the reports and doings of the Society, free of charge, and in particular for the disinterested and high minded course he has ever evinced, both in his editorial and private capacity, to ad- vance the interests of our Institution. The Society held an adjourned meeting July 11th, President Wilder in the chair. Pamphlets on the " Cultivation of the Grape," and al.»o on the " Character of the Strawberry plant," by Nicholas Long- worth, Cincinnati, were received by the hand of Mr. Ernst, and a vole of thanks passed for the same. The following per-sons were elected members : Benjamin S. Loring, Kimball Gibson, Harvey D. Parker, Henry Robbins, Theodore N- Hall, James M. Blainey, Cyrus W. Jones, B. C. Whhe, Samuel A. Elliot and Geo. H. Gray, all of Boston. Thomas Groom, D. S. Greenough and Franklin King, of Dorchester. Stephen H. Cleveland, Freeman Fisher and Lews BuUard, of Dedham. J. W. Mandall, Henry S. Waldo, John Fassell and William Seaver, of Roxbury. licwis Davenport, Henry Liversage and Dorrance Davis, of Milton. D. C. Baker, Lynn. Jay Ambrose Wight, Chicago, Illinois, and Louis Van Houtte, Ghent, were elected corresponding members. Attest, EBEN. WIGHT, Rec. Secretary. Exhibition of Saturday, June 27, 1846. In consequence of the extreme wet weather and unplea- sant morning, the show of flowers was rather meagre coin- pared with last Saturday's exhibition. A few of our florists, however, were on hand, with their usual complement of flowers. From Messrs. Winship, Prairie and other Roses in great variety, Lychnis chalcedonica-plena. Clematis alpina. Cam- panulas, Veronicas, Deutzia scabra, Aconitums, Spireas, together with a great variety of other cut flowers. From Parker Barnes, six pot plants, Delphiniums, Campa- nulas, Cinerarias, Roses, fine Pansies, and other cut flowers. From William Quant, Stephanotus floribuiidus, a very splendid and highly fragrant stove creeper, with pure white flowers in large clusters, with foliage similar to the Camellia, but larger. Also beautiful specimens of Mandevilla suaveo- leiis and Tecoma jasminoides, greenhouse creepers, and a plant of seedling Cactus from C. ackermannii (beautiful). From Joseph Breck & Co., fitly Anemones (many of them fine) of various colours, Paisley Pinks. Roses, Kalmias (from the interior), Martagon and other Lilies, Campanulas, Cle- matis alpina, and cut flowers in great variety. From J. L. Gardiner, by Daniel Crowley, a great variety of fine Roses, Sweet Peas, &e. From Hovey & Co., a great variety of fine Roses, includ- ing eight varieties of Prairie and twelve varieties of Moss ; also one very large and fine bouquet. From J. L. L. t* . Warren, a large fancy design, fifteen .small bouquets, White Water Lilies, Gladiolus colvillii, two varieties of Digitalis, three varieties of Campanula media, Dianlhus barbatus. Clematis alpina, Delphiniunis. Roses, and other cut flowers in abundance, making a fine display. From Walker & Co., a magnificent fancy bouquet or de- sign, of large dimensions, three bouquets, Roses in variety. Dahlias and cut flowers. From \Vm. Kenrick, by Miss Russcl, one large circular bouqui't. three small boiiijuets, and cut flowers. I'rom John .\. Kenrick, a Cue bloom each of Magnolia ma- cropliylla and longil'olia. From Will. Meller, a fine seedling and other Geraniums, Paisley Pinks, two bouquets and cut flowers. From R. West, Salem, a fine fancy bouquet, large size, seedling Geranium (fine flower) and Roses. For the Coininitlec, Joseph Breck. 102 MASSACHUSETTS IIORT. SOCIETY, AWARD OF PREMIVMS. For the best (lesiKiiK to Wulkcr & Co. ; a ffratuity of S2to Mr. West, lor u di-.sif;ii by Jcrcmiitli Sliuflmii. Tlic hfst bouquet to Miss UusbcI. A griiluily of *3 to Win. Qiiuiit, lor u sjHifimeu of Mopliuiiolus lloribuiidus, u iiewgreciiliousc climber of great merit. One cxhibitiou o( pot pliiiit.«, not worthy of premium. Ex- hibitors of plants woulJ do well to bear in luind that pots lake up a good deal of room, and unless Ihcy are new or re- markably Well grown specimens, they are not attractive. David Hagoerston, Ch'n. FRUITS.— Grapes : The specimens presented by Mr. D. Huggerston, from the grapery of J. i*. Gushing, K.sq. of Wa- terlown, were large and highly coloured. The committee tasled the Black l^iainburgh, .Mu.scat of Alexandria, (irizzly I'rontignan, While KroMligiiaii and White Siwectwuler. All the berries were ripe and truly delicious. Tlie I'oona the commiltee did not taste. Mr. Wni. Ciuiuit exhibited six va- rieties I'rom the grapery of the Hon. T. H. Perkins of Brook- line, VIZ. Golden Chasselas, Black Fraiikendale, Grizzly Frontignan, White Frontignan, Black Frontigiian and Black St. Peters. The bunches were large, and the berries well coloured ; they were not tasted by the committee. From Thomas Motley juii. Esq., of Dedham, by Mr. John Galvin, specimens of Black Hamburgh, White Chasselas and White Muscat. Jolm Fisk Allen, Esq., of Salem, twelve varieties, viz. Early Black Juiy, Miller's Biirgimdy, Zinfindal, Early White Muscadine, Pilmaston's White Clu-ster, Black Ham- burgh. Red Chasselas, Variegated Chasselas, Grizzly Fron- tignan, Muscat of Alexandria, Wlute Frontignan, Chasselas de Bar sur Aube. Otis Johnson, Esq., of L>nin, Zinfindal and Black Ham- burgh. Mr. Jolinson also presented a box of fine Black Tar- tarian Cherries, and three boxes of Hovey's Seedling Straw- berries. These Strawberries, us also the specimens of Mr. J. last week, were large and fine. Peaches : Fine specimens of Washington Peach by Mr. Allen of Salem. By the Messrs. Winship of Brighton, a large dish of 'White Bisrarreau Cherries. They also presented a seedling Cherry raised by Timotliy Monroe, E.sq.. of Brighton — color and size gootl. Owing to the rain, the committee decline to give their opinion as regards its flavor. Strawberries : J. T. Buckingham, Esq., Wood and Hovey Seedlings. Mr. Isaac Fay, a large basket of his Seedling — the berries were large and well colored. Messrs. Hovey & Co. presented several baskets of their Hovey's Seedling and Boston Pine, also of the Doplford Pine. The Boston Pine fully sustains its good character. Mr. J. L L. F- Warren, f3righton, Red and White Wood, AVarren's Seedling, Hudson, WiUey's Seedling, Jeiiney's Seedling, and Bishop's Orange. Mr. George Walsh, four boxes of Bigarreau Savoy Chei- ries — the. specimens were very handsome. Mr. George Merriam, five boxes of Black Tartarian Cher- ries. Mr. John A. Kenrick of Newton, fine Black Tartarian Cherries. Mr. J . G. Thurston of Leominster, large white Gooseber- ries. For the Committee, S. Walker, Ch'n. VEGETABLES.— A peck of early Potatoes from A. D. Williams. From F. W. Macondry, a basket of early Potatoes. From A. D. Williams, three heads of Cabbage, two bunches of Carrots, and three heads of Lettuce. From J. Hovey, Roxbury, six heads of Lettuce. From Wm. Quant, one dish of Tomatoes. A. D. Williams Jun., Ch'n. Exhibition of Sahirday, July 4th, 1846. FliOWERS. — On account of its being a holiday, and ama- teurs and florists otherwise engaged, the exhibition of flow- ers was rather small. From Joseph Breck & Co., Delphinium barlowii, fourteen varieties of Delphinium grandiflora, including double and single varieties of different colors and shades; Delpliinium sinensis plena, five varieties of Delphinium elatum. fine double Anemones, six varieties of double Gillyflowers; Campanulas, Spiraea, Iberis, English Iris in variety, Digita- lis aurea, Pentsiemon digitalis; Lychnis chalcedonica plena, While and Orange Lilies, Veronica vnriegata and Siberica, and other cut llowers. From Parker Barnes, a very fine display, among which were Campanuln media, Dianthus barbutu, Pyrelhrum par- theinnm. Peiil.->temon digitalis, Veronica, Sciibiosu utropur- purea, Iberis, Roses, Puiisies, Delphiinums, PiiikH, Dahliaa, Esilioltziu, Verbenas, Lonicera, ice. From William Meller, '2 fine bou>c |-..-.go )ni,> JOUMAL OF RURAL ART AND RURAL TASTE. Vol. I. SEPTEMBER, 1846. No. 3. The simple ritral cottage, or the Working Man^s Cottage, deserves some serious con- sideration, and we wish to call the attention of our readers to it at this moment. The pretty suburban cottage, and the ornamen- tal villa, are no longer vague and rudimen- tary ideas in the minds of our people. The last five years have produced in the envi- rons of all our principal towns, in the East- ern and Middle States, some specimens of tasteful dwellings of this class, that would be considered beautiful examples of rural architecture in any part of the world. Our attention has been called to at least a dozen examples lately, of rural edifices, altogether charming and in the best taste. In some parts of the country, the inhabi- tants of the suburbs of towns appear, indeed, almost to have a mania on the subject of or- namental cottages. Weary of the unfitness and the uncouthness of the previous models, and inspired with some notions of rural gothic, they have seized it with a kind of frenzy, and carpenters, distracted with verge boards and gables, have, in some cases, made sad work of the picturesque. Here and there we see a really good and well propor- tioned ornamental dwelling. But almost in the immediate neighborhood of it, soon 14 spring up tasteless and meagre imitations, the absurdity of whose effect borders upon a caricature. Not\yithstanding this deplorably bad taste, rural architecture is making a progress in the United States that is really wonder- ful. Among the many failures in cottages, there are some very successful attempts, and every rural dwelling, really well designed and executed, has a strong and positive effect upon the good taste of the whole country. There is, perhaps, a more intuitive judg- ment— we mean a natural and instinctive one — in the popular mind, regarding archi- tecture, than any other one of the fine arts. We have known many men, who could not themselves design a good common gate, who yet felt truly, and at a glance, the beauty of a well-proportioned and tasteful house, and the deformity of one whose proportions and details were bad. Why then are there so many failures in building ornamental cottages ? We imagine the answer to this, lies plain- ly in the fact that the most erroneous notions prevail respecting the proper use of decora- tion in rural architecture. It is the most common belief and prac- tice, with those whose taste is merely bor- 106 ON SIMPLE RURAL COTTAGES. rowed, and not founded upon any clearly defined principles, that it is only necessary to adopt the ornaments of a certain building, or a certain style of building, to produce the best efTect of the style or building in question. But so far is this from being the true mode of attaining this result, that in every case where it is adopted, as we per- ceive at a glance, the result is altogether unsatisfactor)\ Ten years ago the mock-grecian fashion was at its height. Perhaps nothing is more truly beautiful than the pure and classical Greek temple — so perfect in its proportions, so chaste and harmonious in its decorations. It is certainly not the best style for a coun- try house ; but still we have seen a few specimens in this country, of really beauti- ful villas in this style — where the propor- tions of the whole, and the admirable com- pleteness of all the parts, executed on a fit- ting scale, produced emotions of the high- est pleasure. But, alas ! no sooner were there a few specimens of the classical style in the coun- try, than the Greek temple mania became an epidemic. Churches, banks and court- houses, one could very well bear to see Vi- truvianized. Their simple uses and respect- able size bore well the honors which the destiny of the day forced upon them. But to see the five orders applied to every other building, from the rich merchant's mansion to the smallest and meanest of all edifices, was a spectacle which made even the warm- est admirers of Vitruvius sad, and would have made a true Greek believe that the gods who preside over beauty and harmony, had forever abandoned the new world ! But the Greek temple disease has passed its crisis. The people have survived it. Some few buildings, of simple forms, and convenient arrangements, that stood here and there over the country, uttering silent rebukes, perhaps had something to do with bringing us to just notions of fitness and propriety. Many of the perishable wooden porticoes have fallen down ; many more will soon do so; and many have been pulled down, and replaced by less pretending piaz- zas or verandas. Yet we are now obliged to confess that we see strong symptoms manifesting them- selves of a second disease, which is to dis- turb the architectural growth of our people We feel that we shall not be able to avert it, but perhaps, by exhibiting a diagnosis of the symptoms, we may prevent its extending so widely as it might otherwise do. We allude to the mania just springing up for a kind of spurious rural gothic cottage. It is nothing more than a miserable wooden thing, tricked out with flimsy verge boards, and unmeaning gables. It has nothing of the true character of the cottage it seeks to imitate. It bears the same relation to it that the child's toy-house does to a real and substantial habitation. If we inquire into the cause of these ar- chitectural abortions, either Grecian or Go- thic, we shall find that they always arise from a poverty of ideas on the subject of style in architecture. The novice in archi- tecture always supposes, when he builds a common house, and decorates it with the showiest ornaments of a certain style, that he has erected an edifice in that style. He deludes himself in the same manner as the schoolboy who, with his gaudy paper cap and tin sword, imagines himself a great general. We build a miserable shed, make one of its ends a portico with Ionic columns, and call it a temple in the Greek style. At the same time, it has none of the propor- tions, nothing of the size, solidity, and per- fection of details, and probably few or none of the remaining decorations of that stylp So too, we now see erected a wooden cot- ON SIMPLE RURAL COTTAGES. 107 tage, of a few feet in length, gothicizcd by the introduction of three or four pointed win- dows, little gables enough for a residence of the first class, and a profusion of thin scolloped verge boards, looking more like card ornaments, than the solid, heavy, carved decorations proper to the style imi- tated. Let those who wish to avoid such exhibi- tions of bad taste, recur to some just and correct principles on this subject. One of the soundest maxims ever laid down on this subject, by our lamented friend Loudon, (who understood as well as any one that ever wrote on this subject its prin- ciples,) was the following : " Nothing shx/idd be introduced into any cottage design, however ornamental it may appear, that is at variance with propriety, comfort or soiaid work?nan- ship.'" The chiefest objection that we make to these over-decorated cottages of very small size, (which we have now in view,) is that the introduction of so much ornament is evidently a violation of the principles oi pro- priety. It cannot be denied by the least reflective mind, that there are several classes of dwell- ing houses in every country. The mansion of the wealthy proprietor, which is filled with pictures and statues, ought certainly to have a superior architectural character to the cottage of the industrious working- man, who is just able to furnish a comforta- ble home for his family. While the first is allowed to display even an ornate style of building, which his means will enable him to complete and render somewhat perfect — the other cannot adopt the same ornaments without rendering a cottage, which might be agreeable and pleasing, from its fitness and genuine simplicity, offensive and dis- tasteful through its ambitious borrowed de- corations. By adopting such ornaments they must therefore violate propriety, because, architec- turally, it is not fitting that the humble cot- tage should wear the decorations of a supe- rior dwelling, any more than that the plain workingman should wear the same diamonds that represent the superfluous wealth of his neighbor. In a cottage of the smallest size, it is evident also, that, if its tenant is the owner, he must make some sacrifice of com- fort to produce efl^ect ; and he waives the principle which demands sound workman- ship, since to adopt any highly ornamental style, the possessor of small means is obliged to make those ornaments flimsy and meagre, which ought to be substantial and carefully executed. Do we then intend to say, that the hum- ble cottage must be left bald and tasteless ? By no means. We desire to see every ru- ral dwelling in America tasteful. When the intelligence of our active-minded peo- ple has been turned in this direction long enough, we are confident that this country will more abound in beautiful rural dwell- ings than any other part of the world. But we wish to see the workingman's cottage made tasteful in a simple and fit manner. We wish to see him eschew all ornaments that are inappropriate and unbecoming, and give it a simple and pleasing character b}' the use of truthful means. For the cottage of this class, we would then entirely reject all attempts at columns or verge boards.* If the owner can afford it, we would, by all means, have a veranda (piazza,) however small ; for we consider that feature one afl^ording the greatest * Of course, these remarks regarding decorations do not apply strictly to the case of collages for the tenaius, gardeners, farmers, etc., of a large estate. In that case, such dwellings form parts of a highly finished whole. The means of the proprietor are sufficient to render them complete of their kind. Yet even in this case, we much prefer a becorjiiiig simplicity in the cottages of such a (Jesmesne. lOS ON SIMPLE RURAL COTTAGES. comfort. If the cottage is of wood, we would even build it with strong rough boards, painting and sanding the same. We would, first of all, give our cottage the best proportions. It should not be too narrow ; it should not be too high. These are the two prevailing faults with us. After giving it an agreeable proportion — which is the highest source of all material beauty, we would give it something more of cha- racter as well as comfort, by extending the roof. Nothing is pleasanler to the eye than the shadow afforded by a projecting eave. It is nearly impossible that a house should be quite ugly, with an amply projecting r:of; as it is difficult to render a simple one pleasing, when it is usltiow and pinched about the eaves. After this, we would bestow a little cha- racter by a bold and simple dressing, or fac- ing, about the windows and doors. The chimneys may next be attended to. Let them be less clumsy and heavy, if possible, than usual. This would be character enough for the simplest class of cottages. We Avould ra- ther aim to render them striking and ex- pressive by a good outline, and a few sim- ple details, than by the imitation of the or- naments of a more complete and highly fin- ished style of building. In the frontispiece, fig. 30 and fig. 31, we have endeavored to give two views of a workingman's cottage, of humble means.* Whatever may be thought of the effect of these designs, (and we assure our readers that they appear much better when built than upon paper,) we think it will not be denied, that they have not the defects to which we have just alluded. The style is as economical as the cheapest mode of building ; it is ex- * Wb do not give tlie interior plan of these, at present. Our only object now is to call aitentior. to the exteriors oi" dwellings of this class- pressive of the simple wants of its occu- pant ; and it is, wc conceive, not without some tasteful character. Last, though not least, this mode ol building cottages is well adapted to oui country. The material — wood — is one which must, yet for some years, be the only one used for small cottages. The projecting eaves partially shelter the building from our hot sun and violent storms ; and the few simple details which may be said to confer something of an ornamental character, as the rafter brackets and window dressings, are such as obviously grow out of the primary conveniences of the house — the necessity of a roof for shelter, and the necessity of windows for light. Common narrow sx^^m^, {i. e. the thin dap- boarding in general use,) we would not em- ploy for the exterior of this class of cottages — nor, indeed, for any simple rural build- ings. What we greatly prefer, are good strong and sound boards, from ten to four- teen inches wide, and one to one and a fourth inches thick. These should be tongued and grooved so as to make a close joint, and nailed to the frame of the house in a vertical manner. The joint should be covered on the outside with a narrow strip of inch board, from two to three inches wide. The accompanying cut, fig. 32, a, showing a section of this mode of weather boarding Avill best explain it to the reader. We first pointed out this mode of cover- ing, in our " Cottage Eesidences." A great number of gentlemen have since adopted it, and all express themselves highly grati fied with it. It is by far the most expres- sive and agreeable mode of building in wood for the country ; it is stronger, equal- ly cheap, and much more durable than the thin siding ; and it has a character of strength and permanence, which, to our eye, narrow and thin boards never can have. ON SIMPLE RURAL COTTXC.E?. 109 When filled in witli cheap soft brick, it also makes a very warm house. Fig. 32. Cottage Siding and Roofing. The rafters of these two cottages are stout joists, placed two feet apart, which are allowed to extend beyond the house, two feet, to answer the purpose of brack- ets for the projecting eaves. Fig. 32, b, will show, at a glance, the mode of rafter boarding and shingling over these rafters, so as to form the simplest and best kind of roof.* The window dressings, which should have a bold and simple character, are made by nailing on the weather boarding stout strips, four inches wide, fig. 33, a, of plank, one inch and a half in thickness. The coping piece, b, is of the same thickness, and six to eight inches wide, supported by a couple of pieces of joists, c, nailed imder it for brackets. We have tried the effect of this kind of * The simplest miKle of forming an eave gutter on a pro- jecting roof like tliis, is shown in the cut, fig. 3i, at c. It consists merely of a tin trough, fastened to the roof by its longer portion, which extends up under one layer of shingles. This lies close upon the roof. The trough being directly over the line of the outer face of the house, the leader d, which conveys away the water, passes down in a straight line, avoiding the angles necessary in the comrnon mode. :.J K \ K Fig. •^3. Cottage Window Dressing. exterior, using unplaned boards, to which we have given two good coats of paint, sanding the second coat. The effect we think much more agreeable — because it is in better keeping with a rustic cottage, than when the more expensive mode of using planed boards is resorted to. Some time ago, Ave ventured to record our objections to white, as an universal color for country houses. We have had great satisfaction, since that time, in seeing a gra- dual improvement taking place with respect to this matter. Neutral tints are, with the best taste, now every where preferred to strong glaring colors. Cottages of this class, we would always paint some soft and pleasing shade of drab or fawn color. These are tints which, on the whole, har- monize best with the surrounding hues of he country itself. These two little designs are intended for the simplest cottages, to cost from two to five hundred dollars. Our readers will not understand us as offering them as complete models of a workingman's cottage. They no RURAL ARTS IN T[IK VALLKY OF TIIC MlSSISSlPPr. are only partial examples of our views and | the subject, from time to time, with various taste in this matter. We shall continue other examples. Notes on the State of the Rural Arts in the Valley of the Mississippi. BY THOMAS ALLEN, OF ST. LOUIS, MO. I AM glad to perceive that we are to have a new magazine devoted to Horticulture, Ru- ral Art and Rural Taste. The occasion is a fitting one for me to sav, that it is not difficult to account for the apparent want of taste in Rural Architec- ture in this country. I say apparent, for it is not time yet to decide that there is a real want of it. The great majority of our peo- ple have been obliged to content themselves with the merely necessary ; and those only have been able to adorn, who have prospered to the requisite height of leisure and means. If a magazine, exclusively devoted to the ornamental departments of Rural Life, can be sustained, it will prove an increased love for that life and activity in it. Rural Ar- chitecture will develop itself with the ad- vance of the country in civilization and wealth, and its results will be at once the rvi lence and the consequence of prosperity souK'where. In proportion to the number of individuals embraced in that prosperity, shall we observe the frequency and genera- lity of those results. We must look to the future for originality in design. At present the higher grades of our art in this country are imitative. I know of but one existing evidence of an attempt to originate an Ame- rican Order of Architecture, and that con- sists in the marble columns, representing bundles of Indian corn, standing in the vesti- bule of the United States Supreme Court at Washington. There are very few people who are not pleased with real rural decorations, although there may be man}', loving them, who have not the genius, the energy, the leisure or the means, to originate them, or to ap- propriate to their own use those already planned. But all are not architects, nor lovers of architecture. Some architects are born, others made ; and in all, the art may be cultivated and improved by reflection, by custom, by examples, and by rational teach- ing. The love and effect of it will increase by study and observation. It inspires a taste for neatness and regularity, and in its more imposing forms, has an impressive ef- fect in exciting emotions of beauty, gran- deur and durability. But in forming a na- tional taste in architecture, a right direction will not be given, unless there are included in the practical philosophy of the subject, other considerations than those appertaining to merely mechanical construction. There must be the fitness of the building to the object, the suitableness of the order to the place, the adaptation of the materials to the purpose, of style of construction to the cli- mate, and a proper proportion, having re- ference as well to the several members of the structure itself, as to all the parts and circumstances that are to be inevitably com- bined in the whole result. It is an art of peace, combining beauty with utility ; and the full development of it, in its true philo- sophy, supposes an advancement in civili- zation and refinement, to which but few nations have attained. Love of country, and a feeling of contentment and security, must almost necessarily precede and accompany it RURAL ARTS IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. Ill A taste or relish for rural life, I believe to be natural and general. But the forms with which that taste will surround itself, will depend on the circumstances of its possessor, or on the associations or the culti- vation of his mind. When I see the humblest dwelling, adorned by a yard of shrubbery and flowers, however small, laid out and preserved in order and neatness, I consider it a good mark, better than a bright motto at the head of a composition, an evidence of better things unseen, the harbinger of a gentle heart and of a home of peace, where the affections are cultivated, serenity dwells? and such benevolence is distilled as seeks its object quietly like the dews of heaven. I enter it with pleasant anticipations. But when I see another dwelling, however large, a mere ostentatious mass of bricks and mor- tar, surrounded by grounds, however spa- cious, slovenly kept, and barren of the fruits of gentle cultivation, I feel a repugnance to it, as to the abode of a man " fit for treason, stratagems and spoils," inhospitable and cold. I approach the entrance Avith distrust. The pioneer, however, who, like honest Daniel Boone, will always live so near the wilderness that he may fell the trees to reach his cabin door, belongs to a class en- titled to decided exception in respect to this subject. They are a hardy and an honest race, who regard many of the arts of civi- lized life as efieminate, and escape from them as they approach. Those arts can seldom win them from their devotion to un- cultivated nature. Many of them have felt injustice in civil government, and they hate it ; but they love not the less their fellow- men, and their cabin is the abode of cheer- fulness and hospitality. Architecture and horticulture are not im- proved into the dignity of fine arts, by our western people generally, for obvious rea- sons and causes. Most of them are com- pelled by necessity to be content with what is merely essential. Practically, therefore, they seem to evince their concurrence in the opinion of Lord Verulam, that " houses are built to live in, and not to look on." The log cabin, at first intended as a castle of se- curity against savages and wild beasts, as well as a protection from the weather, is continued from convenience, and even necessity. Every new farm that is to be " settled," opened and " improved," is to be so for the first time since the creation, perhaps. The first thing to be done, and that speedily too, is to erect a dwelling — then to make a " clearing," and build a log or rail fence. The timber is at hand. But whether the site selected be in a prairie, on the border of forest and prairie, or in the heart of the woods, it is nearly always re- mote from saw-mills, and perhaps even from neighbors. But few hands are required, and no other implement than the axe. Generally, the new settler has very little capital, if any, beyond the amount neces- sary to pay for his land at $1.25 per acre. His own right arm, then, is his main reli- ance. But markets are remote, and prices of produce low, though his lands are prolific. He advances slowly. In a few years, how- ever, you will perhaps observe that he takes a step indicative of prosperity. His first ca- bin, which was built of round logs, merely notched at the ends, overlapping and bind- ing each other at the corners, or of a series of rough posts set perpendicularly in the ground, the gaping interstices in either case being filled with mud and stones, is now exchanged for a new, a better, and a more commodious log house. His timbers are now hewed square, dovetailed at the cor- ners, and closely jointed. The building, square before, with only one room and one story, now takes the form of a parallelogram, rises to the dignity of a story and a half; 112 RURAL ARTS IN THE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI. Stone or brick chimneys take the place of mud and staves ; the happy proprietor treats liimself to two, three or four apartments, and to an area or open space through the centre, with doors opening into the apart- ments on the right and left, and perhaps lie allows the roof to extend over one or both the sides, furnishing the luxury of external um- brage or a " gallery." He now begins to regret that, at the commencement of his " improvement," he had not left here and there a tree for shade or ornament. But as he had injudiciously caused every vestige o^ the primitive forest to disappear from the immediate vicinity of his door, he now be- gins to transplant trees. He encloses a yard and garden plat with a new fence of palings split from oak of the straightest grain, trans- fers to the borders a few plants of the Wild Rose, the Wild Gooseberry, the Buffalo Berry, and the Service, all from the native forest; and his rising family, rejoicing in the spirit and means of improvement, look smarter, brighter, prouder, and happier than ever. This, with perhaps the future addi- tion of a wing, is often the height of improve- ment, in respect to the dwelling house, even among the prosperous, for a generation or more. In the vicinity of cities and towns, however,the old log house often becomes the frame of a new and more ornamental re- sidence, as happened to be the case, in part, with Gen. Harrison's house at North Bend, and as is the case with many of the existing old French dwellings of St. Louis. The earliest settlers of Missouri and Illi- nois were French. The love of country life is not general among the French ; no race of people being more social and grega- rious than the\^ They settled here in small villages, and their style of building, as well as other habits, were peculiar, and still ad- here to most of their descendants now re- maining. They gave some little attention to gardening and the cultivation of fruits. Scarcely any examples, however, remain, and their fruits are nearly or quite extinct here. Their style of building was humble, but well adapted to the climate, and to vil- lage sociality. Their houses were built of wood, excepting a few in the neighborhood of stone quarries, and generally but one story high, and invariably surrounded, whol- ly or partly, by verandas or piazzas. Near- ly all the houses now standing in the older towns, such as Cahokia, Vide Poche, &c., are of this description, and they have exhi- bited scarcely a sign of improvement in a century. Their piazzas, affording an agree- able protection from the hot sun of this cli- mate, were favorable to the social as well as indolent habits of the villagers, and could they speak, would no doubt tell us of many mirthful and hospitable scenes. The ac- counts of the pursuits and domestic manners of these French pioneers are interesting, but I have no place for them here. They were traders, voyageurs and trappers. In respect to Horticulture, the people of the West have but little to boast of with reference to the style with which that art is prosecuted ; but as to abundance, variety, and magnitude of product, they will com- pare notes with any other people with plea- sure and confidence. What you teach as the " Art of Gardening," is generally known in the West by the singular synonym of " tend- ing a truck patch." This we all understand, and the main effect studied is the daily plen- tiful supply of " garden truck " in the kitchen pot. There are some exceptions, even west of the Mississippi. The field crop, however, is the main reliance, and receives the most attention ; and I have known instances of very good farms being destitute of any sort of garden whatever. Generally, weeds and vegetables teem from the fertile soil in as- tonishing luxuriance, wherever gardens THE TRUE PEACH PLUM. 113 are attempted ; and every where, the west- ern gardens show great kindness in nature, but much carelessness in man. You will find abundance of corn and potatoes (not diseased,) sunflowers and cabbage, beets, parsneps, onions, egg-plants, tomatoes, squashes and gourds of almost incredible dimensions, in the very shadow, perhaps, of the wilderness ; here and there you will observe an orchard of apples and peaches, or a strawberry " patch" of no small extent, or perhaps the beginning of a vineyard. Such "patches" as these suggest whatever emotions of sweetness or grandeur, wildness, surprise, or wonder, are to be derived from so primitive and merely useful a condition of the art of gardening. The enormous size and great abundance of his products how- ever, no doubt furnish the western cultivator present satisfaction for the want of polished parterres, trim walks, statues, temples, foun- tains and buildings, while he feels at the same time no particular obligation to divide with man the tribute of gratitude he freely pays to the Great Designer. But the glorious West is rising and ad- vancing. With the increase in population and wealth, our cities and towns are going forward in all the arts of life. Tempted by offers of constant employment and high wages, some of the best mechanics are seeking our western towns, and every year indicates improvementin the art of building. As fortunes accumulate, men retire Vo the suburbs or the country, purchase sites for residences, begin to embellish their grounds, and surround themselves with the comforts and luxuries of art and nature. True, w^ cannot yet boast the beautiful country seats which so much adorn the vicinity of Boston, yet we can point to some sites of remarka- ble natural beauty, and to a few buildings and decorations of some taste. A voluminous western writer has said that "this is not so good a country for gardens as the North." In my opinion, Alison is nearer the truth, in predicting that " the Valley of the Mississippi is to be the Gar- den of the World.'" Give us a few years of continued peace and judicious government, and the great destiny of this Valley will soon become apparent. Wishing success to your new enterprise, I subscribe myself your obt. servt. Tho : Allen. St. Louis, Mo., July 21, 3846. Remarks on the True Peacli Plum and four other Varieties. There is a French Plum of large size and very beautiful appearance, described by Noisette, Poiteau, and other French po- mologists, as the Prune Plche, or Peach Plum. It is most probably very little known out of France, since it is not recognized or described as a distinct variety, by any Eng- lish or American pomologist down to the present time. Thompson, in the last edition of the Lon- don Horticultural Society's Catalogue, as well as in the Pomological Magazine, gives the Prune Peche as synonymous with the Nectarine. Lindley follows the latter work in his "Guide to the Orchard." In our work on Fruits, never having been able to find the true Peach Plum, we also placed it as a synonym of the Nectarine. But, at the same time, we added the following pa- ragraph : 15 114 THE TRUE PEACH PLUM. " jMr. Rivers has lately sent to this coun- trj-, trees of the Peach Plttm, which, he says, is the Prime Peche of Brittany, superior to and quite distinct from the Nectarine." Singularly enough accident made us ac- quainted with the fact that, in the city of Schenectady in this state, the genuine Peach Plum has been considerably cultivated for more than twenty years in the greatest per- fection. Mr. Charles H. Tomlinson of that place, desirous of clearing up some doubts in relation to the plum known as Duane's Pur- ple, brought us at the close of July, some very remarkable looking plums, strikingly different from any other variety.* Having excellent colored drawings and descriptions of the Prune. Peche, both in the Jardin Fruitier of Noisette, and the Pomologie Fran(^aise of Poiteau, we recognized the specimens immediately as the genuine old Peach Plum of France, which is scarcely at all known to cultivators, from its hav- ing been confounded with the Nectarine Plum. This true Peach Plum is a superb fruit. It could never have been received correctly in the garden of the London Horticultural Society, for a single glance at the external appearance of the fruit is sufficient to dis- tinguish it from all other plums. Its color, as is correctly shown in the colored plates of the two French authors just mentioned, is a dark salmon-red, while that of the Nec- tarine Plum, as every one knows, is a dis- tinctly purplish-red. Again, the Peach Plum ripens here ten days before the Washington, making it among the earliest of Plums. (Noisette says, in France it ripens from the tenth to the twentieth of July.) The Nec- tarine Plum does not ripen here till the middle or last of August, a week or ten * Mr. Tomlinson has favored us with a letter on this sub- ject, which our readers will find among the Boineslic Notices. days after the Washington, and three weeks later than the Peach Plum. Considering its larjre size, its early matu- rity, and agreeable flavor, we think the Peach Plum will be a valuable acquisition to our fniits. Mr. Tomlinson showed us some specimens when we were in Schenec- tady on the first of August, one of which measured six inches and a half in circum- ference. We have prepared an outline of this variety, and made the following descrip- tion with the fruit before us. Fig. 34. The Peach Plum. Peach Plum. Prune Piche, Noisette, Poiteau. — The tree is a pretty strong grow- er, with stout smooth shoots. Fruit very large, shaped more like a peach than a plum, being usually wider than its depth ; regu- larly formed, roundish, much flattened at both ends ; suture shallow, but strongly marked ; apex much depressed, with a punctured mark at the point. Skin light brownish-red, nearly a salmon colour in its lightest portions, sprinkled with obscure dark specks, and covered with a delicate pale bloom. Stalk very short, rather stout, set in a shallow narrow cavity. Flesh pale yellow, a little coarse-grained, but juicy and THE TRUE PEACH PLUM. 115 of pleasant sprightly flavor when fully- ripe ; it separates freely from the stone. Stone nearly round, very flat, and much furrowed. Ripe from the twentieth to the last of July. It is certainly the largest early plum, and is well worthy of cultivation. A moderate bearer. We have before us specimens of the Nec- tarine Plum. Its colour, flavor, and season of ripening, as we have already stated, are very different from the Peach Plum. Hav- ing described this fruit in our " Fruit and Fruit Trees," we only add here an outline. Fig. 35. The Nectarine Plum. It is very well known in this country. The Goliath, also a large purple plum, conside- rably resembles it, as we find to-day on again comparing the fruits together ; but the Nectarine has very broad leaves and almost smooth shoots, Avhile the Goliath has narrow leaves and very hairy shoots. There is a curious bit of pomological his- tory connected with the introduction of the genuine Peach Plum into this country. The late Judge Duane imported several varieties of fruit from France, twenty-six years ago. On their way, as it often hap- pens, some of the trees lost their labels. Among these was a Plum tree, which Judge Duane planted in his own garden in Sche- nectady. The size and beauty of this plum attracted attention, when it came into bear- ing ; and, having lost its name, it became known in Schenectady as Duane's Plum and the apricot Plum, as indeed it more strictly resembles in colour a ruddy speci- men of the Apricot than the Peach, though very distinct from the true Apricot Plum. Twenty years ago, or more. Judge Duane sent some grafts or trees of a Plum to the late William Prince of Flushing, for this fruit. Mr. Prince propagated it, advertised it as in his nurseries, and sold it as Duaiie's Purple French* But by some unaccounta- ble mistake, only very lately discovered, the French plum, that Judge Duane intended to send, which was this identical Peach Plum, was not sent, but instead a seedling plum then growing in his garden. Mr. ToMLiNsoN informs us that the Duane family in Schenectady, who till the present time cultivate this Peach Plum imported by the Judge, suppose that the person sent by him to cut the grafts, took, by mistake, grafts from a natural tree standing near by. This natural tree is a kind of large Ame- rican Magnum Bonum, well known in Al- bany and Schenectady, and which, perhaps, was really first raised by Judge Duane. It is larger and finer than the old, or European, Magnum Bonum. It is the fruit known in all the nurseries about New- York, Boston, and here, as Duane's Purple. Mr. Prince, supposing it to be the celebrated French plum which Judge Duane had sent him, disseminated it among all the nurseries. The same plum is described b}^ us in the " Fruit and Fruit Trees of America." We subjoin the outline from that work. As it II is partially described in Prince's Pom. Manual. 116 THE CHILI STRAWnERRY. is quite different from the true Rid Afagnni?! Boniuii, and as it is a very large and good Fig. 30. Duane's Purple Plum. fruit, it should retain its name of Duane's Purple, and drop the appellation of French. The French plum, so long unknown to those who have cultivated it about Schenectady, is the genuine old Peach Plum, and we are delighted to find it, like most other Euro- pean plums, better here than in Europe. To aid cultivators in identifying the sorts. J Fig. 37. The Red Magnum Bonum. we give also a figure of the Red Mag7ium Bonum, from a fruit now before us. It is known in some parts of the country as Red Imperial. It is a freestone, with smooth shoots. Duane's Purple is a clingstone, with quite downy shoots. The Nectarine, Goliath, Red Magnum Bonum and Duane's Purple, are among the largest purple plums, but we consider them all decidedly inferior to the Columbia in size, and more particu- larly in flavor. THE CHILI STRAVTBERRY. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, BY J. W. KNEVELS. [The following is an extract from a very long article on the Chili Strawberry, pub- lished in the Jlllgcmeine Garten-zcitung, (Garden Gazette, of Berlin,) translated from the German, for this magazine, by J. W. Knevels, Esq., of Fishkill Landing. The Chili Strawberry is an enormous and superb fruit, but seldom seen in this country, the cultivation of which is usually so little un- derstood, that it is soon lost. We saw some very fine plants three years ago, in the garden of Wm. H. Aspinwall, Esq., at his fine country residence, on Staten Island. These plants were brought direct from South America. This article possesses some points of THE CHILI STRAWBERRY. 117 interest at the present moment, from the remarks respecting the impregnation of the sterile blossoms, a subject exciting so much attention in this country at the present moment. — Ed,] The cuhivation of the Chili Strawberry in relation to its adaptation to our climate as well as in respect to its sexuality, is different from that of the other sorts. France having been the first to receive this sort, and it having prospered remarka- bly at Brest, I will now repeat what Poiteau has imparted to us respecting it, under the head of Cultivation in the neighborhood of Paris. Except by Messrs. Vilmorin and Noisette, in Paris, this strawberry is only cultivated in the kitchen garden of Ver- sailles, where it however receives less attention than the other sorts, on which account it does not attain the same degree of perfection which it arrives at under the greater care bestowed upon it in Paris. In a clayey, wet and cold soil, it soon dies out ; and also a light, dry, nitrous earth, in which are found particles of gypsum, as is the case in most Parisian gardens, agree no better with it. The nitre of this soil, in which many plants thrive, is very unfa- vorable to the Chili Strawberry. On the contrary, we have met with them growing well in a mellow soil, with a dry bottom. Finally, a soil which is half loose and half sandy, letting the water ofT readily, and with a subsoil rather dry than moist, is particularly well adapted for them. But a mixture of sandy heath soil, is still more beneficial and more serviceable in every respect. Whether this soil be found on the spot, or be artificially provided, it is always necessary that the beds should in- cline to the south, and be protected on the north side by a wall or other shelter. An mclination to the south assists the running off of the water during wmter, and allows greater power to the rays of the sun. The Chili Strawberry plant is so tender that its roots, during any cessation of its vegetation, easily rot ; the spring is there- fore the best time for planting. After the soil has been well stirred and mixed with light earth, you set out runners of last year, at distances, respectively of fifteen inches asunder, and water and shade them during the strength of the sunshine. How- ever, since this kind require foreign fertili- zation, you must, at the same time, plant in their vicinity, either some of the Pine apple, Bath, Carolina, or of the male or hermaphrodite Hautbois strawberries. We give the preference to the Pine-apple because it blooms later and seems most nearly related to the Chili. In setting out, therefore, a bed of the latter, plant eight or nine of the other kinds between, by which fructification will be effected. But since the Chili blossoms later than the other sorts, and the fertilization may in consequence fail, Duchesne, to obviate the failure, has proposed the following precautionary measure. Bearing in mind, in the first place, that the situation and exposure we have assigned to the Chili necessarily forwards their vege- tation, nevertheless, they are the latest. In order, therefore, to equalize, to bring to the same period their flowering, until those to be employed in fertilizing them, it is requisite to retard the latter on the expand- ing of their blossoms. With this view, it is recommended to plant the sorts designed for this purpose in pots one season before- hand, and place them, in order to retard their vegetation, in a northerly exposure, give them just enough water to prevent their drooping, and treat them, in other respects, in the management of their flow lis THE CHILI PTRAWDERrV cring, so ilmt they may blossom at the same time with the Chili. Duchesne's second method consists in digging up old strawberry stocks, with balls of earth previous to their blossoming, plant- ing them among the Chili, watering them very sparingly, and thus retarding their progress. The third mode may be the neatest, but is not the speediest. To apply it one must always have a provision of the strawberries intended to be used to impregnate the Chili, in some northerly situation, where, of course, they will bloom late, from what Duchesne terms vialarie. These supply the strawberries for fertilizing the other, and are thus applied. Towards evening he cut off the half-closed or rather half-opened umbels, with foot-stalks from one to three inches long, placed them in small phials filled with water, and then brought them to the beds of expanded Chilians, and in order that each set might be brought into close contact, he buried the phials into earth close to the Chili plant. The next day the blossoms opened, and the impreg- nation was successfully completed. After the petals are shed, the cup or calyx closes and the young fruit bend downwards to the earth, until, increasing in size, they can erect themselves. Poiteau says that in Paris the Chili never attains the same size it does at Brest, and never assumes the bizarre shapes in the fruits of that vicinity. We have found the quality of both to be similar. The Chili requires much care to raise them in perfection, especially by removing the runners and thinning the leaves ; with- out these operations they Avould soon be smothered and dwindle for want of suffi- cient nourishment. They also demand more frequent removing of the beds, that is, of transplantation, than the other kinds, and they can seldom be kept in one spot longer than three years. They have never been raised from seed in Europe, and this is the surest evidence of the barrenness of the stamen; wherever the fruit bears good seed, they have been impregnated by other strawberries. Noisette is, in all essentials, in regard to their culture, of Duchesne's opinion. He also considers a loose, sandy heath soil the most proper, but still admits that in one case he found the Chilian, thriving in a garden in Paris, where the soil had not been mixed or prepared according to the direction. The method which I employ in the culture of these strawberries, differs, in many respects, from that of Poiteau. I must confess, however, that I have had no great success n bringiing them to fruit, as I have never practised artificial impregna- tion, but have generally left it to chance, or to the agency of other sorts usually growing near by. But as I arranged the order of my beds in my strawberry planta- tion, according to Barnet's classification, in whose sj^stem the Pine-apple and Chili are next each other, the latter have still borne some fruit, although in no great quantity. They have not attained the size natural to them, under proper cultivation and circum- stances, but have been always well tasted. The soil of my beds has not been specially prepared for them, but they are planted along with the other kinds in ground trenched to the depth of one foot and a half, richly manured, and mixed with sand. I transplant them, like the others, every three years, and only by runners, separat- ing as soon as they have rooted, (probably in July,) from the mother plant, and transfer them to the beds prepared, setting them out at the distance of two feet every way. During summer they are abundantly ma- tured. Kunners not required for making THE CHILI STRAWBERRY. 119 new beds, I cut off as soon as they make their appearance, but never the leaves. As the cold weather approaches, I give them a light erovering of rotten manure. In the spring this is raked off and dug in between the rows, and the beds kept free from weeds. Although my plan does not prove that the Chili bears fruit of the largest size among strawberries, which they would do with more care, industry and attention to the means necessary to that end, it yet shows that they are by no means so delicate and sensitive as Poiteau describes them ; and no one need feel-any apprehension on that account, in under- takinof to cultivate them. REMARKS BY THE TRANSLATOR. After this somewhat minute dissertation, one is inclined to draw some practical in- ferences from the statements just read. The principal conclusion must be, that we are in want of more light, both in regard to the strawberry in general, as well as in respect to the particular kind we have under examination. The following inqui- ries suggest themselves, and individuals having means of ready communication with Chili, might much benefit us in setting on foot some investigation respecting the lat- ter, as it appears in its native country, while others may be as profitably employed in closely examining those we possess, whe- ther in our gardens, or growing wild in our fields, woods and wastes. It may be neces- sary to premise, to guard against mistakes, that the name Chili has been applied to strawberries not included in the class to which the term is now exclusively confined; such are in general synonyms of kinds ranked in the third class. Pine strawber- ries. Of our indigenous sorts we find several m our vicinity, and growing in very dif- ferent soils and localities, some in meadows, others in bare clay banks, in sand, and even on the highest points of our moun- tains ; the varieties seem more numerous than is admitted by botanists. Amongst these may be mentioned a sort with long- ish fruit, with a decided neck, and high- ly perfumed, deserving our attention as adapted to the impregnation of other kinds to produce new seedling varieties. A few sets I have removed into my garden, for further observation. We have also a white, like the English White Wood, probably from seed accidentally dropped. The bad effect of plaster on Chili straw- berries, in the neighborhood of Paris, where that mineral abounds, corroborates the opi- nion of our farmers, who attribute the gra- dual disappearance of the strawberry from our fields to the general use of gypsum. We have, nevertheless, heard of its being recommended to be applied to them ; but should consider it inexpedient, if from no other reason, than lest it should introduce the small creeping clover, so difficult to era- dicate, into the beds, which it would un- questionably do. We must also observe, that barren plants are not confined to those under cultivation, but prevail amongst the wild. Many other plants beside the Strawberry show the same imperfection, as, for instance, our grape vines, which are often barren from a defect in the sexual parts ; so it is in the Rhamnus and the Celtis. (Vide Eatoii's Manual under Vitis rhamnus and Celtis, and Gray's Botamj, p. 305, 306.) Another subject of inquiry will be, as to the truth of the assertion, that the runners from fertile plants finally become barren ; this seems hardly probable, as far as struc- ture is concerned ; it may be from exhaus- tion of the soil. It would be well further to examine as to the superior value of 120 GROUPING FLOWERS. pistillate plants, i. c. deficient in the male organs, as to size of fruit, &c., taking care of course, to have a supply of plants near with staniinate flowers, duly supplied with pollen. ]\Ir. Knight believed them to be preferable. We may here remark, that perhaps the agency of bees, in carrying the pollen from the male to the female flowers, is more im- portant than is generally adverted to, and that the keeping of apiaries, so generally practised sixty years ago, is now growing less frequent. If they benefit strawberries, however, let us recollect that they may, in the same way, prejudice the seeds of our cucumbers and melons, cabbages and ra- dishes, &c., by intermingling inferior with superior sorts. In reference to the Chili Strawberry in particular, we may expect that our summer sun is better adapted than that of France or England, to bring them to perfection, es- pecially as regards flavor; and they maj', therefore, deserve more attention than we have hitherto given them. It would be a meritorious act to procure some of them from Chili, as well as seed, and to inquire whether, in the neighborhood of Conception, more than one native sort is cultivated ; whether they are always staminate, pistilli- ferous, or perfect hermaphrodites, or imper- fectly so, or apt to vary from one to the other, and as to their value there, contrasted with others in point of flavor, size, hardi- ness and productiveness. The sort men- tioned by Noisette, as in his possession, (vide translation above,) might also be wrote for, inquiring if it really be a true unadul- terated Chili, and not a hybrid, as is more probably the case, unless there has been other importations into France, besides Frazier's from Chili, John W. Knevels. FishkiU Landing, N. Y. GROUPING FLOWERS— A SUGGESTION. BY J. J. THOMAS, OF MACEDON, N. Y. Much attention has been given of latter years, to the arrangement of flowers in beds, for brilliant effect, by the intermixture of colours in contrast, as well as by the more rich display of the same plant in large masses. I have noticed, hoAvever, very lit- tle, if any thing, either in books or in prac- tice, in relation to the grouping of flowers, on a principle somewhat analogous to that which governs the grouping of trees in ar- tificial landscapes. Trees are admired for their foliage and mode of growth. Hence those are to be combined in groups, v^^hich possess a simi- larity of growth and foliage. On the other hand, the chief beauty of herbaceous flow- ering plants is their flowers. Hence, in grouping the latter, a similarity in colour and inflorescence should govern their ar- rangement. A practice much admired and becoming prevalent, is the formation of circular and elliptical flower beds in closely shaven turf. The turf is better adapted to our drier cli- mate than that of England, and presents a decidedly better appearance than bare gra- vel. Each of these beds is often entirely occupied with a single variety, densely planted, and affording, at the proper season, a truly rich display of flowers. It is believ- ed that an improvement may be made by planting a few diflferent flowers in the same GROUPING FLOWERS. 121 bed, not for promiscuous intermixture or to present strong contrasts, but to exhibit a rich blending of colours, slightly variant, or to place together several plants of simi- lar habit of growth. Care must be taken that these plants all flower at once; and each bed would hence present, while in flower, a perfect group in itself. Much skill might be brought into exercise, by the proper disposition of these beds in different parts of the ground, for landscape effect ; and artificial or aerial distance might also be created, by placing flowers of bright- er and richer colours, as orange or crim- son, and of more dense growth, on the fore- ground; and those of lighter foliage and more feathery growth, and with paler flow- ers, as pale blue or purple, on more distant parts, as seen from the principal points of view. The principles on which different colours may be suitably grouped and blended, with- out being incongruous, would doubtless re- quire much close observation and study. A general rule, perhaps, is afforded by the fact, that plants of different colours may be miixed, where the compound itself is agree- able to the eye. For example, a light or bright red is a pleasing colour ; hence white and clear dark red blend well. The same remark will apply to white and dark blue, a light blue being a fine colour. Bright red and pure yellow may be placed in contact, a clear orange being the result. But a dull dark red or crimson and yellow do not blend well, as the mixture is heavy ; and yellow and blue are very unsuitable, as they pro- duce a green by combination, a colour fine for leaves, but never admired for flowers. It is believed that great improvements are yet to be made in floriculture, by the pro- per arrangement of flowers. Many estab- lishments ore enriched with rare and costly plants, only within the reach of the few. 16 But still fewer collections are enriched with that which money cannot buy — a skilful ar- rangement throughout, on the principles al- ready alluded to. It is more desirable to be "profuse of genius" than "profuse of gold ;" a garden of more common plants, displayed in the best possible manner, would excel one full of rarities, unskilfully jumbled together. The imprisoned artist, who amu- sed himself, and showed his skill, by paint- ing pictures with the sweepings of the house floor, showed himself infinitely superior to the sign painber, who, with the richest and most costly colours, executed only a gor- geous daubing. The finest and rarest trees, badly arranged, would, as a whole, fail to please ; while a collection of more common sorts might, by taste and skill, be made to form a beautiful landscape. I do not see why the same principles may not be fully applied in the arrangement of a flower gar- den. Perfection in the latter will, undoubt- edly, be longer of attainment, inasmuch as habit of growth, mode of inflorescence, co- lour, and time of flowering, are all to be taken at once into consideration. It is not, of course, intended here to carry out these suggestions ; but a few imperfect examples may serve for illustration. The following common perennial rooted plants are tall, are in flower together the first days of summer, and blended, form a rich and brilliant group : Yellow Heme- rocallis, Oriental and Caucasian Poppy, Orange Lily, and common double crimson Pseonia. The dark crimson of the Cauca- sian Poppy, in connexion with the clear crimson of the PiEonia, and these combined with the fine yellow of the Hemerocallis, by the intervening shades of the Orange Lily and Oriental Poppy, exhibit together a most splendid display. Among those less showy, and of smaller and lighter growth, the Blue Baptisia, the Red and White Dictamnus, \2'2 A CIIAPTER ON PHLOXES. and the Aquilcgia ranadrnsi?, flower at the same time, and siifliciently resemble each other to form a handsome and graceful group. The Baplisia being taller should be in the centre or back grouud ; and the Dic- tamnus, a smaller plant, in front. An al- most endless series of groups maybe made from the different Roses, which possess near- ly all the intermediate shades from the black velvet crimson of the Miralba and George the Fourth, to the pure white of the Snow- ball Rose and Bath Moss. Superb displays of colours may also be made by forming the Boursaults into pillars of various shades^ the crimson or purple of the Old Boursault, and the lighter and more delicate flame of the New Crimson, combining finely with the paler hues of the Pink and Blush Boursaults. , It will be observed that these arc not alway to be closely intermixed, but so as to form, in some degree, separate masses. Nature has sometimes provided for the same result, as for example in the changing hues of the New Crimson Boursault and the old Single Michigan. Some of the Pa^onias exhibit a very fine appearance when properly planted together in the same bed. Even some shrubs may be trained low for this purpose. For example, the common Snowball {llf/ur- num opulus), if kept cut low, and planted near the Double Rose Pa;onia, produces the finest effect from the similarity in the clear- ness of the colours, and the size of the masses of flowers, the clear red of the one contrasting with the pure snow white of the other. J. J. Thomas. A CHAPTER ON PHLOXES. BY JOSEPH BRECK, OF BOSTON, 3IASS. It is a singular fact that many of our most beautiful indigenous plants are first known and cultivated in England ; and that to Eng- lish botanists and collectors of plants, we are in many cases indebted for a knowledge of their existence. With few exceptions, this has been the case with the very desira- ble and ornamental family of Phloxes, a genus exclusively North American ; yet un- til within a few years, we have been look- ing to the mother country, and receiving from her florists, new species and varieties to adorn our gardens. There is, however, a prospect that we shall soon be enabled to pay the debt of gratitude we owe them, with interest ; for it is found that the Phlox, in its own congenial climate, when brought under the favorable influences of cultivation, freely sports into beautiful and improved varieties, superior in many cases, to those produced by our floral fraternity in Europe, Notwithstanding the numerous new varieties that have been imported within the last few years, we sincerely believe that as many va- rieties, fully equal in perfection and beauty, have been produced in the same time by a few members of the Massachusetts Horti- cultural Society, in this vicinity. The generic word Phlox is from a Greek word signifying flame. The plant so named by the ancients, is supposed to be an Agro- stemma, a very different plant. Our Phlox, an American plant, was not of course then known. It belongs to Class Pentandria, (five stamens,) Order Monogynia,(one style,) of the Linnean system ; and of Jussieu's Natural Orders, Polemoniaceae, from Pole- monium, its type. The characters of the genus are, a three celled capsule ; corolla salver-shaped, divi A CHAPTER ON PHLOXES. 123 ded into five segments, with a conspicuous tube, more or less curved ; stigma trifid ; a small, deeply five-cleft, calyx. With the exception of P. druvimondii, all the known species are perennials. This annual species, by the way, is the richest of all in its colours, as there are varieties of purple, crimson and scarlet, having a pe- culiar velvety appearance. There is also every tint of red, rose, pink,- and varie- gated ; and when the various sorts are inter- mingled in masses, they produce a surpass- ingly rich effect. It certainly stands at the head of all annuals. It continues in bloom at least three months. Of all hardy perennials, we do not re- member another family of flowers so proli- fic in the number of its species and varieties, so ornamental to the borders from May to November, so perfectly hardy and easily cultivated, and so freely propagated as the Phlox. When we are consulted in relation to the most suitable, ornamental, hardy her- baceous plants for the flower garden, as we frequently are. Phlox is always named first. Of this family alone, we could make a flower garden that would present, through the sea- son, a succession of bloom that would ever be varied and interesting. The species vary much in time of flow- ering, height, foliage and mode of inflores- cence. The flowers in most species are ar- ranged in panicles or corymbs, which are either elongated on the stem, or in terminal dense or loose panicles or corymbs, present- ing nearly a level, spherical, or pyramidal top, varying in the different varieties. The properties of a fine Phlox are not laid down in the floral books, as is the case with many flowers ; but on account of the multiplicity of the varieties, and the neces- sity of discarding many old sorts, as well as rejecting new seedlings of inferior proper- ties, we will give the criterion of a good va- riety, according to our fancy : The corolla, which is salver-form, should be flat ; the segments of the corolla perfectly free from any notch or undulation, of a circular form and rose-leaf edge, interlapping each other, so as to give the corolla a perfectly round shape. (In many of the varieties, the seg- ments are wedge-shaped, which gives the corolla an open starry appearance — this is a great imperfection.) The corolla sho-uld have a long, slightly curved tube. The flowers should be arranged in a symmetrical corymb or panicle. If in a corymb, it should form a dense spherical or pyramidal head ; the branches, which are scattered down the stem, should all rise in a regular manner, their flowers intermingling and forming the base of the pyramid or sphere. Most of the late sorts produce their flowers in corymbs. The flowers of the early varieties are mostly in elongated panicles ; in this case, the flowers should extend at least half the length of the stem to the top, forming a re- gular cone, well filled with flowers to the apex. The colour of the flower should be distinct ; the flower is very much improved, in the light coloured varieties, when it has a red or purple eye, or if the flower is dark with a white eye : if white, it should be clear and without stain; if variegated, re- gularly striped. The usual mode of propagating the Phlox, is by division of the roots, which in the ear- ly varieties should be done soon after flower- ing, in June or July. For the late sorts, the spring is the most suitable time. All the varieties succeed well from cuttings, which should be taken from the plants in the spring. They root very easily. This mode is adopted with valuable new varieties, when it is important to increase the stock as rapidly as possible. In the descriptions that follow, the species cannot always be re- cognized. Florists, with their novel seed- 124 A CHAPTER ON PHLOXES. Iin£rs, have made sad work for the botanist to arrange and systematize. It is impossible in most cases, to trace the parentage. The flo- rist, however, is well satisfied to lose the dis- tinction of species, in the production of improved and beautiful varieties. The earliest species in the flower garden is Phlox subidata and its varieties ; they are sometimes known by the name of Moss or Mountain Pink. There is a pink, white, and dark red variety, which display their pretty flowers from the last of April to the last of May, and completely conceal their yellowish-green foliage ; they look well in large beds or masses. From these varieties, a number of improved seedlings have been produced, with larger flowers; one of them has lilac-coloured flowers with a dark eye ; another has pink flowers with a red eye — These varieties are spreading, and extend themselves on the ground, and are not over 4-5 inches high. Phlox setacea nivalis. Snoiv-white. — The flowers are brilliant snowy-white, with orange in theceritre; in bunches from three to five on the dnds of the branches, com- pletely covering the foliage, which is a shin- ing deep green, and setaceous, (bristly,) about four inches high ; in flower from the tenth of May to June. This species is ra- ther tender, and generally more or less in- jured without protection ; it is undoubtedly one of the most elegant of the vernal spe- cies. It has now disappeared from our col- lection ; we had it formerly in great beauty and perfection. We have not seen it in any garden in this vicinity of late years, and should be glad to find it again. Phlox stolonifera. Creeping Phlox. — The plant puts forth suckers or shoots near the surface of the earth, which take root similar to the strawberry runner : stem erect, eight or ten inches high, bearing a small cluster of large, deep red, finely formed flowers, from the tenth of May to June Leaves ovate, brownish-green. A lovely species, and worthy of cultivation. Phlox divaricata. — Branches divaricate. This beautiful and distinct species produces its pale blue flowers the last of May, on lax decumbent stems one foot high. Leaves ovate-lanceolate. It does not propagate so rapidly as most of the species, and is not, therefore, quite so common. Mr. W. E, Carter, of Cambridge Botanic Garden, has exhibited a number of beautiful varieties, one of them a pure white. Phlox maculata. — Spotted stem. The dots upon the stem give it the specific name. It is one of the most common sorts, is found ornamenting almost every garden, and is sometimes known under the name of Flora's Bouquet. The flowers are per- fect in shape, of a purplish-red colour, and arranged on oblong panicles or spikes, some- what crowded. It commences flowering the first of June, and continues most of the month, and frequently blooms again in the autumn. Leaves lance-oblong, glabrous ; stem rough, spotted. One and a half to two feet high. Phlox suaveolens. Sweet-scented. — It has sweet-scented, pure white flowers, ar- ranged precisely like the last ; leaves simi- lar ; stem without spots. Height and time of flowering the same as maculata, and con- sidered by some a variety of it. When grown together, they produce a fine effect. Phlox carnea. Flesh coloured. — This delicate species is in flower the middle of June. After its first display, it continues to flower sparingly through the season. Corolla, fine round form ; delicate flesh co- lour. Leaves ciliated ; upper ones linear- lanceolate. One foot high. Stems from 3- to 5-flowered. Not a very common, but a beautiful species. Phlox listanea. — A beautiful species A CHAPTER ON PHLOXES. 125 with deep red flowers ; stems fan-flowered ; 18 inches high. Radical leaves rhomboidal ; upper ones ovate-lanceolate. Flowers in June. This has disappeared from our col- lection. Phlox van houtii. — A superb new va- riegated Phlox, with a fine corolla, each segment being regularly and distinctly strip- ed with purplish-red on pure white ground. Flowers on elongated panicles, half the length of the stem. Height two feet. Leaves rhomboidal, nearly clasping, glabrous. In flower the last of June. Phlox picta. — A beautiful new white va- riety, with large reddish purple eye. Flow- ers arranged in loose pyramidal panicles ; stem spotted ; eighteen inches high. Leaves linear-lanceolate. Flowers in July. A very delicate and beautiful variety ; the eye gives it a lively appearance. Phlox shepherdia. — Named in honor of William Shepherd, curator of Liverpool Botanic Garden. A beautiful variety, about two feet and a half high, with purplish-red flowers in elongated panicles; leaves lance - oblong, glabrous. Flowers in July. Phlox keermesina alba. — Another fine new eyed variety. Corolla round, white, with light purple eye, arranged in loose pjTamidal panicles of great beauty ; leaves linear-lanceolate, glabrous. Two feet high. Flowers in July. Phlox meechantea speciosa. — A fine new variety. Corolla Avhite, beautifully tinted with rose ; corymbs very branching ; flowers arranged on the branches in elonga- ted panicles. Leaves deep shining green, glabrous, lance-ovate. Corolla fine form. Three to four feet high. Flowers in July. A very desirable variety. Phlox nymphea alba. — A fine new white variety. Corolla fine form, white, delicately tinted with purple ; tube of corolla purple. Flowers arranged in dense spherical co- rymbs. Leaves ovate-acuminate, somewhat spatulate at the base. Three feet high. July and August. Beautiful. Phlox paniculata alba. — A fine new variety, with pure white flowers arranged in pyramidal panicles. Stem three feet high, with lateral branches extending down near- ly to the ground ; they are nearly two feet in length, the extremities covered with flowers. Leaves four inches long, oblong- lanceolate, acuminate, spatulate, somewhat rugose, the margin slightly undulate. Flow- ers in August. Phlox la wrench. — A new and beautiful white variety, raised by W. E. Carter, which we consider one of the best whites that has yet come under our observation. The flowers are large, fine shape, a pure snowy white, in large, dense, pyramidal corymbs, with lateral branches regularly arranged, increasing in length as they descend the stem, but not so long and straggling as in the last described variety. Leaves seven inches long, lanceolate, acuminate, gla- brous. From three to four feet high. Flow- ers in August. Phlox frelinghuysen. — Another beauti- ful seedling of Mr. Carter's, with variega- ted flowers in dense pyramidal corymbs : light purple and white, finely pencilled in irregular stripes. Leaves lanceolate, spatu- late, glabrous. Three feet high. August. Phlox acubiinata. — A distinct, fine old species, with purple flowers in a very dense spherical, terminal corymb or panicle. Leaves spatulate, ovate-acuminate, a little scabrous ; upper ones lanceolate. Three feet and a half high. July and August. Phlox henry clay. — A beautiful seed- ling of Mr. Carter, with very large, fine white corolla pencilled with purple ; tube of the corolla also purple. Flowers in pyra- midal corymbs. Leaves lanceolate-acumi- nate. Flowers in August. 12G A CHAPTER ON PHLOXES. Phlox mary ann. — A superb new varie- ty with striped flowers ; corolla fine shape ; about one half of each segment (the centre part of it) is of a clear pale purple, while the margins are pure white; in dense flat- tish corymbs. Leaves lanceolate. A foot and a half high. August. Phlox breokii. — Raised by the writer ; and one of the first seedlings produced in this vicinity that attracted attention. A very desirable variety, on account of its be- ing one of the best late flowering varieties. In perfection in September. In good ground from five to six feet high. The corolla cir- cular, light purple, with a white eye. Flow- ers in long and graceful pyramidal corymbs ; the lateral branches short. The foliage graceful, lanceolate, acuminate-spatulate ; the upper leaves very much undulated. Stem reddish. Phlox wilderii. — Another fine variety raised by the writer. Corolla very round and perfect; the color a fine deep red — one of the best reds in the whole family, and not changeable, as is the case with some of the reds and purples, in a storm of rain, or when covered with a heavy dew ; in elongated pyramidal corymbs. Leaves five inches long, lance-ovate, acuminate. Three feet and a half high. August. Phlox richardsonii. — A fine tall-growing variety, with bright red flowers, fully equal to the last in brilliancy of colour, but the corolla rather too starry. Stem very much branched in large p}Tamidal corymbs or pa- nicles. Leaves lance-ovate, acuminate. Four to five feet high. In August. Phlox harrisonil — A seedling raised by W. E. Carter, with clear transparent white flowers. Thought to be very fine when first exhibited a few years since, but eclipsed by P. lawrencii. Five feet high. August. Phlox pyR'Amidalis purpurea. Purple Pijramidal Phlox. — Considered ten years since to be very fine ; but is now discarded on account of its starry open corolla. Flow- ers purple, changeable to blue in damp wea- ther; flowers in pyramidal corymbs. Four or five feet high. August. Phlox pyhamidalisalba. — Flowers white, inclining to pale lilac, very §tarry and lit- tle thought of now, although very rare and highly prized ten or fifteen years since. Habits like the last. Phlox wheelerii. — A pretty variety ,with pink flowers and red eye, but small and ir- regular in shape, and hardly worth keeping in a choice collection. It has some good qualities, being in flower most of the sea- son. The flowers are arranged in large flal- tish corymbs. Three feet high. June, July and August. Phlox cordata grandiflora. — One of the finest varieties. Corolla very large, fine round shape, purplish-pink with white cen- tre, in large, flattish, dense terminal pani- cles. Leaves ovate-lanceolate. Five feet high. July and August. We could never discover any thing cordate (heart-form) about it, -and have been at a loss to know why that term should be attached to the name. Phlox humanii. — A fine new variety, with lilac purple flowers, good shape, in oblong panicles, without lateral branches. Leaves five inches long, glabrous, broad-ovate at the base, almost clasping, tapering off lance- form. Two feet and a half high. July and August. Phlox decussata alba. — A very fine white variety. Corolla very perfect ; flow- ers in regular compact pyramidal corymbs : occasionally some of the flowers incline to blush. Leaves lanceolate, spatulate-acu- minate, upper ones very much undulated. Lateral branches short, arranged very sym- metrically. Three feet high. August. 1 Phlox artabanus. — A new dark red va REMARKS ON HEDGES. 127 riety. Corolla round ; flowers in compact pyramidal corymbs. Dwarfish in habit ; a foot and a half high. Leaves ovate-lan- ceolate, acuminate. August. Phlox almerine. — A new variety. Co- lour blush with a white eye ; corolla small, but good shape ; in fine pyramidal panicles. Two feet high. August. Phlox nana. — A new dwarf variety, with small red starry flowers in large dense co- rymbs. Too inferior to cultivate. One foot high. August. Phlox paniculata. — A distinct species of long standing — an old acquaintance which we feel unwilling to discard, notwithstand- ing so many superior varieties have super- seded it. Flowers in compact terminal pa- nicles, head inclining to one side ; corolla large but irregular shaped ; colour fine pink. Leaves lanceolate,, flat, margins rough. Four feet high. August. Phlox charles. — A fine new white vari- ety, with pink eye. Corolla fine shape. Flower in pyramidal corymbs. Dwarf ha- bit ; one foot and a half high. August. Phlox undulata. — One of the latest spe- cies, a native of the south. Stem erect, smooth, three feet high; flowers red, fre- quently changing to white, as the nights become frosty. Leaves lance-oblong, slight- ly undulated. In short seasons, it hardly develops its flowers, but is perfectly hardy. September and October. The numerous varieties we have thus noticed, have been described from specimens in our own collection. We have also quite a number of beautiful new varieties, which, on account of a kind of blight that has at- tacked them, have not developed them- selves this season. We shall not attempt to describe what we have seen imper- fectly. Messrs. Walker, Hoveys, War- ren, and other florists, have severally pro- duced fine seedlings that have been exhibi- ted, but no particular descriptions given. The writer has also a number of superior varieties of his own raising, an account of some of the best of which may be given hereafter. This chapter on Phloxes has already been extended too long, not only for your readers but also for myself. I came near forgetting a magnificent specimen of a new variety exhibited by the President of the Horticul- tural Society, at our rooms on Saturday last. It is an eyed variety of great beauty ; corolla large, white, with a large brilliant purple eye, called Phlox (zeil de lynx, or lynx-eyed. Wc are not acquainted with its particular habits^ Jos. Breck. REMARKS ON HEDGES. BY WM. R. PRINCE, FLUSHING, L. I. From various considerations the public at- tention has been of late years called to the formation of fences composed of living trees or shrubs, and I therefore venture some comments on this subject. In Europe, where the forests are of limi- ted extent, in comparison with the de«iands made upon them for building houses, ships, &c., a great degree of economy is necessa- rily exercised in their use and preservation. For this reason, forest trees are there but little used for fencing ; and ditches, em- bankments, and live fences, have been adopted for the formation of lines of sub- division between fields and estates, and for the boundaries of roads, &c. us REMARKS ON HEDGES. In our own country, where the forests af- ) ford a superabundance of timber, we have made a general use of that article, in various forms, for our fences. But howevci cheap this latter article may be with us, it is a question whether it is equally economical with a live fence ; and it is certainly very far inferior to it in point of beauty and du- rability. There are also some sections of our coun- try, in which even the advantage of super- abundance of forests does not exist, and this is so much so in the prairie states of the West, that the most important object to them is the cost of fencing their lands. Our country is now becoming wealthy, and very many persons, even in those states where forests abound, are inclined to de- vote attention as well to the beauty of their enclosures, as to the economy of their ar- rangement. Few persons can conceive the enhanced beauty that live hedges impart, when con- trasted with the gloomy post and rail fences with which our farms abound. In England and France, where live fences are general- ly adopted, they impart, at the floral season, a degree of enchantment to the scene ; and at all periods, they serve to greatly enliven the landscape scenery of those highly culti- vated countries Live hedges also afford great protection against severe winds, and they may be trimmed so as to occupy as little or as much space as suits the proprie- tor. In England, the Hawthorn is most gene- rally planted for this purpose ; and the snow- white flowers of the ordinary variety, inter- spersed here and there with a tree of the pink and the crimson Hawthorn — these lat- ter being allowed to rise above other por- tions of the hedge — impart a degree of beauty that can scarcely be surpassed. The Italian Privet is a more beautiful shrub for a hedge than the Hawthorn, and in France is far more generally adopted for this object. Its growth is much more rapid; its foliage myrtle-like and beautiful ; and its spikes of snow-white blossoms, rising amid the luxu- riance of foliage, neat and chaste in the extreme. It has also the advantage of be- ing a subevergreen, holding its foliage very late, and in mild climates, during nearly the whole winter. As the Hawthorn pro- duces its flowers in May, and the Privet in June, it would be a pleasant arrangement to form a hedge composed of sections of each The Buckthorn is much used for hedges in the vicinity of Boston and Salem, and is well suited to the object. The Madura or Osage Orange, is used for the same pur- pose in the vicinity of Philadelphia and south of it ; but, being^a southern tree, it will not be found appropriate for the north- ern and eastern states. The Pyracantha, a subevergreen, is per- fectly hardy, and forms a beautiful hedge, blooming in May, with flowers assimilating to those* of the Hawthorn, and clad in au- tumn and winter with profuse clusters of scarlet berries, which have entitled it to the cognomen of " Burning Bush." Evergreen hedges, of the most beautiful description, are formed of the Arbor Vitas, the American, Siberian and Chinese species being used for this purpose. They form, after a few years, most admirable appen- dages to pleasure grounds, and maybe used to equal advantage for fields of any extent. The American and Siberian species being the most hardy, are the most appropriate for lati- tudes north of New-York; but in the vici- nity of New- York, the Chinese flourishes admirably. The Swedish and the Irish Juniper form fine evergreen hedges ; and even the com- mon Red Cedar may be used for the same PRETTY ANNUAL CLIMBING PLANTS. 129 object ; but the hedge is not, in either case, equal in beauty to those of the Arbor Vitae. The Norway Spruce, an exceedingly robust and hardy tree, forms a beautiful hedge, and is admirably suited to the northern and eastern states. The different species of the Xylosteum, or Upright Honeysuckle, are very hardy shrubs, and will form very neat deciduous hedges for the North, or any section of the Union ; and for the vicinity of New-York, and all the region south of it, the Euony- mus, or Strawberry Tree, the Althea frutex of different varieties, the Syringa and Lilac of different species and varieties, the Snow- ball and the Deutzia scabra, may be used, and are almost invariably of rapid growth. For the prairies of the West, and for the subdivision of lands, where the space occu- pied by the hedge or living fence would be deemed of little importance, the most ra- pid growing trees are the Honey Locust, Gleditschia triacanthus, and the Yellow Lo- cust, Rohinia pseudacacia. These will, in three years, form an impassable hedge, and if the timber or wood is required for use, they may be cut off from time to time, at any desirable height ; and they will rapidly replace by a new growth, whatever is taken from them. In open prairie lands, they would afford a most desirable shelter for cat- tle, horses and sheep, in pasturage, and could not fail to greatly enhance the value of lands where timber is scarce and desira- ble, by at all times affording a supply from the surplus growth. Wm. R. Prince. Linnean Botanic Gardens and Nvrseries, \ Flushing, L. I., July '25, 1816. J PRETTY ANNUAL CLIMBING PLANTS. BY AN AMATEUR FLORIST, N. Y. If any one has a bare and meagre garden — if any one has a new garden Avhich time and labor has not yet stocked — if any one has an old garden, which is hard, stiff and ungraceful — let him address himself to vines and climbers. Nothing in the vegetable kingdom is so full of grace and luxuriant beauty, as are the different kinds of vines. They have, in fact, the very 'poetry of growth, in their end- lessly varied forms — now clambering boldly over the tallest trees — now creeping humbly over the earth ; in some species, waving to and fro like plumes in the air ; and in others, binding together the ruins of some old and time-hoary edifice. I do not mean, at this time, to weary your readers with an account of all the various tribes of climbers, which arc now known 17 to the gardener. I only wish to speak to beginners of two or three pretty little an- nual vines, that should be favorites every where ; that are very easily raised ; and that will give something of grace and beau- ty to every little plot of ground, even if it is not worthy of being called a garden. One of these little favorites is the plant popularly known as the Canary-bird Flower, Tropcohim 'peregrinum.* It is a native of Peru, and is one of the most popular of climbers in all the Spanish gardens of Lima and New-Grenada. Its Spanish local name is Paxaritos amarillos, i. e. yellow birds. When the charming little canary-colored blossoms are half expanded, they certainly have a pretty and fanciful likeness to tiny birds. * T. fuliincum, of some liDlanists. ino PRETTY ANNUAL CLIMniNG PLANTS. This pI.iiU is roaII\' a most dclicatply moiiMod species of Niislmliuni, and like Fig. ns. The Cnnary-bird Flower. ilic typo of the genus, has a fine Itivuriam, rambling- character. When the seeds are planted in April, in light border soil, by the side of a trellis or arbor, the plants will speedily cover several yards with their small 39. Tke Brichreil I.oasa. Fig. 40. Loasa pentlandiea. and pretty foliage, and lively and curious blossoms. It will there bloom most abund- antly from July till the severe frosts of au- tumn destroy it. Another plant, which is well worthy of a place in the garden, and thrives wonderful- ly well under onr summer sun, is the Brick. PRETTY ANNUAL CLIMBING PLANTS. 131 led Loasa, Loasa lateritia. It is a native of South America, aiad was discovered and sent to the Glasgow Botanic Garden in 1S36. As it bears seed most abundantly, it soon found its way into many collections. Its blossoms are very curiously shaped, scarce- ly less so than those of the Passion Flower. They are prettily colored, between a brick- red and orange shade, and they are produced all the summer and autumn in profusion. The seed-vessel, which follows them, is one of very striking appearance as I re- member— a grotesquely twisted cylindrical capsule, with spiral ribs. The seeds of this annual climber may be sown about the first of May, in a warm border. It will run from twelve to twenty feet in a season, and, trained over three stakes, soon forms a fine pyramid of leaves and blossoms. There is a fine new species, Loasa pentlandica, more tender than this, figured in Paxton. We give its portrait to show the habit of the plant, which, indeed, is much the same in all the species of this genus. It is, perhaps, well to add that a remark that Mrs. Loudon makes, and which Ihave found very true, should be borne in mind, when admiring the Loa- sas, " no lady should attempt to train a Loasa without gloves." The truth is, the leaves have, in hot weather, a little of the nettle quality — slight, it is true, but enough to annoy a person a few moments who carelessly thrusts his hands among them. I ought not to forget among my three or four sorts, that most delicate and prerty of all annuals, the well known Cypress Vine, Jpomea quamodit. There is nothing more airy and delicate than this little beauty. which is a native of the southern parts of the United States. Its minutely divided, deep green foliage, and bright crimson or white star-like blossoms, render it universally ad- mired. I have never seen this plant trained to show it off to so much advantage, as at the Highland Gardens last season, on a little pavilion. It had quite a fairy-like appear- ance. Some persons complain of the diffi- culty of growing this annual. The difficul- ty is only in its germination. I sow mine Fig. 41. A Cypress Vine Pavilion* about the tenth of May, in rich soil, having previously soaked the seeds four hours in tepid water. Every one vegetates uniformly, when the seeds are good. I may, perhaps, continue these remarks at a future time, with notices of other climb- ers. I Avill only add now, that for those * Fig. 41 shows tliis simple ajul pleasing mude adopted by us. — Ed. 132 ULACK WART IN THE I'LUM. who want somclhint^ of stronc: and liand- some growth, to cover a large space rapidly in one season, there is, perhaps, nothing so good as the Climbing Cobca, Cobea samdens. It is very luxuriant, and will often make shoots forty feet long during the season, from June to November. Its blossoms are some* what like large purple Canterbury Bells, and it has altogether a very agreeable effect. Yours, An Ajmateur Flokist. Remarks on the Black Wart of the Plum Tree. BY JOHN M. IVES, SALEM, MASS. In a recent number of the Boston Cultiva- tor, there appeared a reply to the question of a correspondent, "for a remedy for warts Oil Plant trees" in which the editor recom- mends the use of salt, and cites the prac- tice of Dr. S. A. Shurtliff of Brookline, who, he says, " excels in raising plums, his trees being free from black warts," etc. I may fairly claim to have had some expe- rience with salt, as I have probably used as much or more of this article in the culti- vation of the plum as any individual, hav- ing applied in February, 1845, ^we hogsheads on an acre, and the year previous about one- third of this quantity ; and for the last two seasons, my trees have produced greatly, particularly the Green Gage Plum. My main object, however, in Avritingyou at this time, is to give you an account of my trees as they appeared this spring. Soon after the flowering season, I observed a great number of the warts or excrescences, of a light brown colour, upon the branches, (in many cases, to an extent of at least ten in- ches in length,) breaking out generally upon the joints. They are not confined to those shoots of small growth, but I find them upon strong and weak shoots indiscriminately. I have carefully cut at least fifty of these ex- crescences, and have not bee7i able to detect a single icorm or insect. That an insect may be sometimes found in these knots, would not be surprising, as they are of a softer na- ture when they first appear than the bark, and insects may then find it a good situation for their eggs. But I do not believe they are produced by one, and least of all the Curculio. My fruit has been most satisfac- torily preserved for two years past, from the Cureulio, by the use of salt. The varieties of plums which have been the most affected by knots this season with me, are the Frost Gage, Prince's Imperial, and the Red Gage ; the Green Gage but little affected ; Roe's Autumn Gage only somewhat touched by the disease. Those not at all affected are Dana's Yellow and the Wilkinson Prune, a large oblong blue free- stone, a native of Beverly, Mass. I ventured to suggest, in the " Book of Fruits," that these knobs may be produced somewhat as the excrescences are, which we find upon the Azalea or Swamp Pink, by an extravasation of sap. My opmion, (and we all have aright to that,) now is, that it is caused by a diseased state of the sap; and as Governor Lincoln said of the potato rot, " it is death to the plant at last, if not cut ofl^." I trust that the Horticulturist will contain the opinions of your cultivators and yourself on this subject. I have cut from about fifteen trees as much as could be wheeled in a common garden barrow, of limbs, &c., containing these unsightly ex- crescences. Yours truly, John M. Ives. Salem, Mass.) July 20, 1846. PLANTS THAT GROW IN THE SHADE. 153 Remauks. — Two of our correspondents, who are very acute observers and zealous cultivators, are pursuing a series of experi- ments with a view to clearing up the un- certain state of existing information respect- ing this disease, which is fatal to the Plum tree in some parts of the country. We hope by the close of this year, to be able to lay before our readers some interesting results on this subject. If we recollect rightly. Dr. Shurtliff's practice was the application of brine to the wounded branch, after the wart had been cut out. The Plum is naturally a niarine tree, and it is surprising how much salt it will assimi- late and thrive upon. We have, ourselves. given a single large tree a half bushel of salt in a season, applied to the surface of the ground in the spring, over an area as wide as the extent of the branches. The tree was in a sickly and enfeebled state, and it had the effect of restoring it to a healthy and luxuriant condition. But we considered this an extreme case, and should not recommend the abundant use of salt every year. Mr. Ives' garden, as we know, is rather celebrated, in a neighborhood not remarka- ble for plums, for its abundant production of this fruit ; and he attributes it to the de- structive effects of the salt on the Curculio. This coincides with our own experience. — Ed. Hints respecting Plants which will grow in the Shade. BY J. JAY SMITH PHILADELPHIA. Dear Sir — " The Horticulturist " satisfies all expectations, and its complete success is already certain. It was indeed greatly needed, and will help many to new ideas, and more to the most admirable improve- ments. Little hints that every one acquires in the course of his own experience, must be use- ful to others, especially to beginners of whatever age. For instance, I might have spared myself much trouble, if I had known that beneath the shadow of an English Wal- nut is a very umvholesnme place for tender plants. My remarkable success with roses at Laurel Hill Cemetery, noticed by your correspondent in your first number, may be attributed to a casual remark met with in the course of reading, and which I have never since seen repeated in books, that Rose bushes require " to have their feet kept dry;" i. c. to have a deep and well drained subsoil. In consequence of this, I uniform*- ly. before planting, dug deep to the gravel, and placed brick-bats or broken pots below. The result, with a favorable exposure, and on high ground, is very remarkable, several kinds having attained a size not previously observed elsewhere. A little information as to the kinds of plants that will and will iwt grow in the shade, is an important item in ornamental gardening, which I should be glad to see treated by an experienced gardener. I give a list of a few which I find succeed well in the shade. All the Rhododendrons and Kalmias. In- deed those finest of evergreen shrubs will not succeed under garden culture in the sun. What fine specimens of the different Rhododendrons, maximum, catawhicnse, Sec, are growing in that finest of old arboretitms, the Bartram Botanic Garden, near this wty. 134 PLANTS THAT CROW IN THE SHADE. There they have a damp situation, partially shaded by lofty trees. Their dense masses of broad leaves form fine heads of eight or ten feet in diameter — in June beautifully laden with large clusters of blossoms. riedera helix, or English Ivy. We so sel- dom see the Ivy doing well at the north, because it is planted generally in a warm southern aspect. Put on the north side of a building or tree it will soon cover a large surface. It is the most charming of climb- ers when established on a wall. Ilex aqiiifolium, and opaca, or Prickly- leaved and Oi)aque-haved Holly, the best plants for hedges in the world. Aucuba japonica, or Japan Gold Dust Tree. This plant is not sufficiently known among us. Immense use is made of it in England ; its evergreen leaves, variegated with angu- lar yellow spots, are beautiful at all seasons. Perfectly hardy at Philadelphia. Buocus, or Box, bushes and trees. All the varieties are successful in the shade. The Tree Box is too little cultivated. There are some venerable specimens on the estate of the late Judge Peters, near Philadelphia, twenty and thirty feet high. Those who plant for posterity, should remember the Tree Box and the Taxus, or Yeiv, which, though slow, will reward even the beginner by its peculiar tinge of green, and the wax-like beauty of its coral berries. The Upright Yew, I found in England, was left to its natural shape,and was never trimmed ; it is always beautiful. Thuja occidentalis, the American Arbor Vitce. — much to be sought for, for hedges. I know no finer specimen of this plant than the semi-circular hedge in your own grounds; but the man who first shows a Holly hedge of any extent, will be best entitled to be re- membered. Daphne inezereum. This prettiest and ear- liest of spring flowering shrubs does best in the shade. Indeed it often dies very suddenly if grown in a sunny exposure. The Bloody Dogwood, (Cornus sanguinea,) and the Parsley-leaved 2kinthorhiza, are ca- pital under-wood plants for shrubberies. The common Privet is, perhaps, one of the very best plants to grow under the drip of trees. Even in confined places in cities, where nothing else will thrive, the Privet grows exceedingly well. The Snoivherry, [Symphoniaracemosa,) and the Indian Currant, {S. glomerata,) are scarcely less patient of the worst situations and exposures. Juniperis communis, or Commfm Juniper j will do well in moderate shade. The Lily of the Valley, and the Peritcin- kle, will be best in shade, and I have found many of the genus Phlox to bloom without a ray of sunshine. Among other herba- ceous plants, I will only name here the Moneyivort, {Lysimachia nummularia,) the London Pride, {Saxifraga umbrosa,) the Sweet Balm, {Monarda didyma,) and the Ane- mone pennsylvanica. Now if I had known even this much, at the commencement of my gardening labors^ I might have saved much time and expense. Will you not, as the lamented Loudon used to do, give us lists of plants suitable for particular situations, and tell us what is hardy, and what will not bear our winters. J. Jay Smith. Philadelphia, July 20th, 1846. GuANo FOR Peach Trees.— W. W. Mills, Smithtown,N. J., on the first of June, re- moved the earth from the roots of his peach trees, destroying the worms, then sprinkled a handful of guano about the roots, wetting it and covering it with a peck of pulverized and wet charcoal. The trees, sickly before, then ripened their fruit in great perfection. THE HORSE SCUFFLE IIOE. 135 THE HORSE SCUFFLE HOE. BY ALLEN W. DODGE, HAMILTON , MAS^ Labor-saving machines are valuable to the horticulturist, especially such as will ena- ble him to subdue weeds, and cultivate among trees, with the least expense and the most effect. The scuffle hoe is, in this res- pect, agreat improvement on the comm on hoe, doing its work more thoroughly, and with far greater dispatch. For the same reasons, the cultivator, Avhen used for stir- ring the soil, is a far more valuable imple- ment to the horticulturist than the plough. But I have lately met with an instrument, which I have used the present season with great benefit in cultivating in nursery rows, and which combines the properties of the scuffle hoe and of the cultivator. It is sim- ply a cast iron scuffle hoe, of the same width as is the cultivator, on a line crossing the two hind teeth, with prongs or fastenings similar to those of the teeth, and is design- ed to take their place in the cultivator. It is represented in the cut a, and its appear- ance, when affixed to the cultivator, in the cut b. It will readily be seen that with an im- plement of this description, the earth is loosened by the cultivator teeth, and that every weed which escapes them, is effectu- ally cut up by the scuffle hoe in their rear. If the rows through which it passes are on a straight line, by passing twice between them, and running it near the trees, the work of destroying the weeds is so well done, and the ground is left in so smooth a condition, that a hand hoe is hardly needed to complete the operation. Of course, great care is to be exercised in using this instrument, as well as the mere cultivator, that no wounds are inflicted on the trees. For this purpose, a short whipple- tree should be used, and the ends of it should be enveloped in list or woolen cloth. All wounds to the bark of young trees are ex- ceedingly injurious, retarding their growth, and leaving scars which last for years. A severe hail-storm, which visited this region the last of June in 1840, scarred a large number of thrifty apple trees in my nursery, which were making their first year's growth from the bud, so that the wounds are con- spicuous to this daj'. Allen W. Dodge. 130 WARMING AND VENTILATION. REVIEW. The IIistort and Art of Warming and Ven- TiLATiNfi Rooms and Buildings, by open fires, stoves, steavx, hot water, Sfc, S(C.; with, notices of the progress of personal and fireside com- fort, and the management of fuel. Illustrated by tiro hundred and forty figures. Hy Walter i}ii si/nt, quaintly observes their i)hiloso- ]>hical admirer. The nauseous smoky cottan^e allliets the whole nation with the only ilisease to •which it is subject — blear eyes. In the Greenlan- dcr's anxiety to save all the heat which the extra- vagant man of Lancashire throws away, he loses sight of the baneful action of a putrid atmosphere on liis constitution. Yet, with a little ingenuity, he might ventilate liis unsavory apartment, and breathe an air as pure as that blowing over his ice- fields, and as bland and balmy as if it were wafted from the bay of Naples; and though cast by fate into the snowy wilderness, his body and mind feel- ing the heavenly influence, might assimilate to the godlike standards of his species in the incense- breathing south. By a proper ajiplication of the non-conducting powers of a few substances, an apartment might be constructed for the Norman women, who chose to club their own heat, in which, by burning the same weight of tallow during day that is consumed in candles during night, the presence of the milky mothers might be dispensed with, the lace-making operations be carried on in sunlight, and in a more pleasant atmosphere than that of the cow-house. Even the Scottish, Irish, Polish, Russian, Caucasian, Grecian, Spanish anil Persian dwellings, might have their atmosi)here sweetened, their dangerous inequalities of tempe- rature regulated, and the benign influence of natu- ral climate be aideil and intinitelj- increased withal. It should never be overlooked, that by breathing pent-up, ctrete air, all the advantages of an abun- dance of fuel, and every blessing of a genial sky are utterly thrown away; and though the habita- tion were on the hilltop, fanned by the sweetest breezes of heaven, it would become the focus of contagious and loathsome disease, and of death in its most appalling aspect. On the other hand, even in the conflned quarters of a crowded city, rife in malaria, and where pestilence is striking whole fa- milies and classes, ventilation and warmth, with cleanliness, their usual attendant, like the sprink- lings on the lintels and doori)OSts of the Hebrew dwellings, stand as a sign for the Destroying Angel as he passes over to stay his hand, for in the warm, fresh-aired chamber none ma}' be smitten. [P. 17.] In the chapter on the effects of artificial temperature upon invalids, some very cu- rious details are given of the singular mode of treating consumptive patients, by placing them in a cow-house ; of which w^e have before more than once heard similar ac- counts : " After an illness, says Madame IMezeray, during which I took little care of myself, I fell into a consumption. At length I s\nt blood in clots, and had other bad symptoms. I lost my sleep; and being as ill as possible, I had several consultations with the first ))hy3icians in Paris. Thry conchidcil my complaint was toowcr; but I heard him saj', in a low voice, that it was very late. He matle me promise to follow his or- ders exactly, how j>ainful soever they might be; and I kept my woril. Finding that a remedy he prescribed had not the desiretl ell'ect, he gave or- ders for a cow-house to be prepared for me, which was finished in a day, in a coach-house belonging to my house. They broke open a window, and contrived stalls for three cows; a wooden railing, high enough for me to lean upon, was all that se- parated me from the animals. My beil was placed upon planks about a foot from the grounti, the bel- ter to let the filth run under; and the planks were pur))oscly ill-joined, that the v.apor might rise through them; and this was so strong, that every thing white which was brought in became reddish in a short time. " My apartment was dfvided into two rooms. That whicli I lived in was pretty large, and held a bed with curtains, surroundeil by a gauze blind to keep away the flics, which always abounil in stables, and are particularly insupi)ortable during illness, a wooden table, two straw chairs without cushions, and bare walls — such was my chamber. There was a sort of anti-chamber for the woman who took care of the cows. My surgeon and wait- ing maitl lodged over head. 1 had bells to call them at pleasure. " I soon si)it less blood. After being a week in the cow-house, my legs ceased swelling. Other symptoms improved. The night sweats I almost always had continued long after, but finally left me. From the moment I entered it, I renounced every species of food except milk: 1 did not taste bread even for nine months. People came to see me as an object of curiosity. The Duchess of Or- leans paid me a visit; and, after my recovery, she recommended Doctor Saiflert to the Duke, which was the means of making his fortune. Here I re- mained nine months without intermission, with the exception of a few riiles in a close carriage. In short, he saved me at the expense of my hair only, which all fell ofi". It was necessary to re- pair my fore teeth, which I had neglected in my illness; and I was absolutely forbid to j)lay on the harp, which had made my breath very short; but what is all this in comparison with life ? I am now becOTne quite a strong woman; and although not so vigorous now at thirty-six as when I was nineteen, for all that I think I shall weather life out very well." WARMING AND VENTILATION. 139 "In daring to commit such cases to the public," saj's the benevolent and enthusiastic Bediloes, "I feel that I am preparing a feast for those who re- sort to ridicule, if not as a test of truth, yet as the supreme delight of rational and immortal minds; but I hope also to interest those whom no ludicrous accessories can prevent from viewing with com- placency the first awkward and unsteady advances towards an useful object." A daughter of the celebrated Priestly having applied for advice : In her case, to liavc placed the smallest reliance on medicine," says the doctor, " would have been to encourage a fatal delusion; and there only remained the choice between a sea- voyage and a constant residence with cows. She asked me which alternative I should prefer in her situation. I told her luidoubtedly with cows." And she made the experiment under his direction. The stable provided for this lady was twenty- four feet long, fourteen feet wide, and nine feet high. A space partitioned off, was sufficient to contain a bed, a table, and allow a little room to move about in. Its floor, formed of rough boards, was raised a few inches above the ground of the stable. The windows were ill-placed; they faced the north, on account of the convenience of com- municating with the house. They should have faced the south. Two cows were placed in it for a month, and three cows for the remaining five months. There was a small stove in the part where Mrs. Finch lay, which was used for two months, for nearly half the day, but afterwards only in extreme frost, or on the room feeling damp. The temperature for two months was kept from 60o to 65o, afterwards from 65o to 70o, but in gene- ral at 680. The temperature was found best be- tween the two latter temperatures, and the air at a medium between excessive damp and too dry heat of a stove. The stove lighted in the morn- ing to drj- a little of the moisture collected during the night was pleasantest to her feelings. Succes- sive generations of flies were found to be a great nuisance, and the cordage and other parts of the bed were speedily rotted. The vapors however gave nobody cold, nor did any attendant suffer from a longer or shorter continuance in a medium so much warmer than the external atmosphere. On the contrary, one lady who paid many and long visits, had her symptoms of chronic rheumatism much alleviated. The management of the cows was found to l)e a matter of some importance. For a month or six weeks they were allowed very little straw, nor was tlieir standing cleaned; afterwards they had l)lenty of straw, and their beds were kept tolera- bly dry. Hay of the best quality anil free from dust, was found j)referable on all accounts, and straw that was clean and dry. The cows were watered twice a day, but not so sparingly as they might have been. The better the hay they were supplied with, the less water was necessary. Tlieir horns were noisy, particularly during the night; on that account young cows witliout horns would have been more desirable, and such as were young in calf; and halters better than chains to tie them with. Mr. Finch observed, that if the patient could have been on a low floor above the cows, many disagreeable circumstances would have been avoided. The effect of their wet was all along nauseous to a stranger, but the feelings of the patient should alone be consulted. The genial warmth relieved oppression on the chest, took off restlessness, and produced a feeling the lady described by compar- ing it to nourishment conveyed through the pores of the skin; and so different were her feelings in the cow-house to what they were before, that she would have been reluctant to have changed her apartment for the night, however she might have wished a cleaner and more cheerful one for the day. After the first night, the air was to use her own expression, balsamic. In this she remained through autumn and winter, for six months, with three exceptions. About a week after her entrance, she slept a night out of the cow-house, when the hectic symptoms and night sweats which had left her returned. Six weeks afterwards, she lived for three da}-s in an apartment 3o warmer than the cow-house. The night-sweats did not return until the third night, and her breathing became laborious; instanta- neous relief took placeon returning to the cow- house. On a subsequent removal for a week no relapse occurred. The effect on the cows living in a climate at this temperature was not observed by the doctoi", but it is pleasing to reflect that while alleviating hu- man suffering, the second mothers of mankind were benefitted themselves. '< A cow," says Anderson, to enjo3' existence, requires a temperature not low- er than oQo, nor higher than 70o." But he sets one limit too low: a cow does not appear to feel pleasure in a climate under 60f ; and we have seen them in a northeasterly wind prefer a moist warm cow-house at 75" to one lOo lower. During the following winter, Mrs. Finch con- fined herself to an apartment heated artificially by a stove; but she then said, "I still prefer the air of the cow-house to my warm room, although it is of a good size, and lies to the sun." [Vol. II., p. 291.] A detailed account is given of all the most remarkable modes of heating apart- ments by stoves, open fire-places and grates, of the last century or two, including Dr. Franklin's " Pennsylvania stove," and the celebrated Count Rnmford's various im- provements in burning fuel. The neatly executed diagrams which accompany the text, give one, in a small space and at a o-lance, a very excellent idea of the con- struction of the different apparatus. The chapters on heating by steam and hot water, are very interesting, both in a historical and 140 FOREIGN NOTICES. practiral light. In the clever portions of tlie work devoted to ventilation, all the most celebrated plans, which have been used or proposed for the House of Commons, and other public buildings in England, are given in a very clear and perspicuous manner. The copy before us is a London edition, published at a very moderate price, and for sale by Messrs. Wiley & Putnam, New- York. Unless some American work on the same subject is in preparation, we should be glad to see Mr. Bernan's two volumes republished here. The dissemination of the excellent stock 0/ information which they contain, could not fail to be productive of most beneficial results on the quick por- ccptive faculties of our numerous builders of houses. FOREIGN NOTICES. NEW BELGIAN PEARS. Louise d'Orleans. — This pear having been imlgcd the best which has ever issued from the celebrated nursery of the late Dr. Van Mons, his two sons, Colonel Van Rlons, and his Ijrother the counsellor, have been honored with permission to dedicate it to Her Majesty, the Queen of tlie Belgians. The seed which produced the tree was sown in 1827, in the nursery of the late Dr. Van Mons, at Lourain, and showed its first specimens of fruit in 18-13. In form anil size this i)ear resembles the variety called "Bonne de Zees;" it is of medium size, oblong, about three inches in height, stalk quite stout, about an inch long, planted in a slight cavity; calyx small, in a basin of scarcely any depression; its divisions are short, narrow, and slightly projecting; the skin is of a fine bronzed green; the flesh is very white, fine grained, ami very melting; its juice exceedingly rich, (sucri super/in.) It must be rankcil among the noblest of its kind. It ripens at the end of October, and in the beginning of November. NouvEAU PoiTEAU. Bouvicr. — TJic sons of Van Mons, says M. Bouvier, have favored my proposal to dedicate this pear to the intimate friend of their father, M. Poiteau, editor of the Annals of the Royal Society of Horticulture, of Paris. It originated likewise in tlie nursery of the late Dr. Van Mons. The tree which produced it was sown in 1827, and bore first in 18-13. The fruit is nearly pyriform, about four inches high, by two and three-fourths in diameter. The stalk is striped crosswise, of a light orange color, three fourths of an inch, or more, long; the fruit gradu- ally tapers into it; calyx set without depression, and having reflexcd segments; skin, at the time of ripening, greenish, marbled and speckled with red; flesh very buttery, melting and sugary; the aroma of its juice resembles that of the " Beurri Dore." Time of ripening, the beginning of No- vember. The combination of qualities in this pear, make it desirable to all amateurs. M. Jamin, nurseryman. Rue de Buflon, Paris, has obtained grafts of it, and will soon be able to furnish trees to amateurs. — Journal d' Horticulture de Belgique. Weeping Gleditsciiia. — M. Bujot, nnrsorym.-in at Chateau Thierry, has discovereil a jihenomenon so important that we hasten to maice it known to horticulturists, — a weeping Gleditschia, of great beauty. The branches, engrafted on the G. tria- canthos, at the height of six to nine feet, almost hide the graft, so much do they droop downwards. The leaves are so delicate in form that one would call it an Acacia from New Holland. M. Paillet, who is every way competent to solve questions of this nature, assured me that this tree jireserves its leaves till very late in autumn. It is truly a fine acquisition for picturesque gardens. It is sold under the name of G. bujotie. It can be procured at all seasons, for I have seen it in pots at M. Paillefs. — 31. Vilmortn, in Revue Horticolc Preservation of Tomatoes. — The powder of tomatoes, presented at the exhibition of the Royal Society of Horticulture, of Paris, in July last, reminded us of a mode of preservation pointed out last year, by M. Vilmorin. We think we ought to rejiort it here. "M. .lullien. President of the Society of Agriculture of .Joignj', has pointed out to us a mode of preserving tomatoes for several months. It consists in gathering at a late period, the fruit which has reached its full size, but which is yet green. Leave eight or ten inches of the stalk, and tic them in bunches of six or eight, taking away most of the leaves. These bunches are afterwards hung in an airy and dark j)lacc, where they will keep all winter. When it is required to use them, take the necessary number of bunches and place them near the windows of a living room. The fruit reddens and rijiens in a few days. This method suggested to us ano- ther, which will preserve them a shorter time, but which may also have its use. Green tomatoes, gathered the last of October, and set upon the latticed shelves of a well lighted fruit room, ripen there in succession; and at the moment when we write, such tomatoes have sujiplied our consumption for nearly six weeks. They are deprived of their leaves, like the others, and eight or ten inches orf stalk left upon them. — L. Vilmo- rin, in Revue Horticolc. FOREIGN NOTICES. 141 Method of removing avts. — Ants in gardens are, as is well knovra, very injurious, when they settle themselves at the foot of vegetables. Seve- ral methods are used to destroy or remove them. It happened this year that while trimming the branches of tomatoes, I threw a handful upon a little anthill; at the end of a few days I observed that the ants had disappeared. I did this early in July; I have repeated it since, and have obtained the same results. I wish that this simple means may be tried by many persons. There are few gardens in which the tomato is not cultivated, and the effect produced is easily explained. Its leaves and stalks have a strong and nauseous odor, which is by no means agreeable to the ants, and drives them awa}-. For myself, I propose to try it again next year, and have reason to think that the results will be the same. M. Philippe, gardener at Meyeux, n^ar Naugis, writes us that he has succeeded in ridding himself of the ants which infested his gardens by watering the anthills several times in two days with water in which he had dissolved sulphate of potassium, in the proportion of fifty grammes to twenty-five litres of water. The sulphate of potassium used in this proportion exerts no injurious action on plants. On the contrary it renders them greener and more vigorous. Its price is very small. — Pepin in Revue Horticole. Propagation of Gooseberries by cuttings. — The Belgian Journal of liorticulture points out as infallible, a method of propagating gooseberries, by cuttings in August. It consists of cutting, in that month, branches of the same years growth, well ripened, and about a foot in length, and simply planting them in the soil in a shaded spot. They succeed better and more surely than those made in spring. I also have tried this method and have observed that this period is really better suited than any other to the propagation of goose- berries by cuttings, and probably for that of a great number of trees and shrubs. The operation is most commonly performed in spring. A great number of trials do not answer the expectation of the cultivator, for in that season the heat and dryness often prevent success. Many roses, and above all, Bengal roses, are subject to the same conditions, and succeed much better from cuttings in August than in spring. There are, regarding this process of propagating by cuttings in the open soil, many useful observations to be made, which would be applicable to a large number of plants. — Pepin, in Revue Horticole. New Garden Plants. — Azalea Squamata. Sca- ly-stalked Azalea. Green-house Shrub. From the mountains of Hong Kong, China, whence it was sent by Mr. Fortune, as a fine and distinct species. With the habit common to all the Chinese Aza- leas, they present the following peculiarities : — In its natural state it blooms without leaves, produ- cing at the end of every little shoot a large solitary flower of a clear rose color, tlistinctly spotted with crimson on one side, and guardej^;" but crooks do not spoil by leinif broK'en and sorted in the coldest ilaj- in winter, nor yet if ilone in wet weather, when nothing; can be done out of doors. The dillcrent sizes may be placed in larpe pots, and put somewhere out of the way, where they will be dry until the crocks are wanted for use, which is jrenerally in sprinj,^ and summer seasons, when work is pressing:; thus time is saved by hav- ing crocks ]ireviously prepareii, ami jilants are benefitted by j\idiciously arranged drainage, which is sure to be elTcctual. — W. Moody in Gard. Chron. Green Fly. — To destroy this pest, pour a quart of boiling water on an ounce of ..Tobacco, let it stand till cold, then strain; dip the heads of your standard Roses In-anch by branch into a large ba- sin filled with this infusion, shaking them gently in it; the greater part of the insects will fall into the basin, and the rest will surely die. Another plan, and oven a more effectual one, is to dip the l>lants, as before, into a basin of strong soap-suds. Whichever solution be used, the dipping must be performed where possible: but it will not be pos- sible if the Roses be trained on a wall; in that case syringing with one or other of these infusions must be h.id recourse to: it will succeed only in those parts of the plant where the lifjuid falls; of course many leaves will remain untouched. I may add that the syringing with soap-suds is excellent for Geraniums and Cinerarias when infested with in- sects.— M. Clark in Gard. Chron. SINGTJLA.R xF.w Cabbage. — In a late number of C/jaw6fr'i^jE^i/i6wrg/j/our?iaZ,is a detailed and very interesting account of a remarkable new species of esculent vegetable found growing most abun- dantly on an Island in the centre of the Southern Ocean, known as the Island of Desolation or Ker- guelan's Land : farther distant from a continent than any other Island known. It belongs to the same natural family as the Cabbage, Turnip, Sec, though quite distinct in its habits of growth. It is the Pringlea antiscorbuiica of botanists. It grows in the greatest abundance over the whole of the Island from the sea-shore, where it is large and succulent, to the sides of the hills 1400 feet high. " During the whole stay of the ships Erebus and Terror in Christmas Harbor," says Dr. Hooker in his Flora Antarctica, "daily use was made of this vegetable, either cooked by itself, or boiled with the ship's beef, pork, or pea soup. Its essential oil gives a peculiar flavor, which the majority of the oflicersand crew did not dislike, and rendered the herb even more wholesome than the common cab- bage, for it never caused heart-burn, or any of the unpleasant symjitoms which that plant sometimes produces. Invaluable as it is in its native place, it is very doul)tful whether this plant will i)rove equally so in other situations. It is of such slow growth that it is doubtful if it could be cultivated to advantage. Growing spontaneously and in so great abundance where it dies, it is likely to prove for ages to come an inestimable blessing to ships touching at this far distant Isb-: whilst ils luxu- riance amid surrounding desolation, its singular form and ajipearance, striking even the casual ob- server, and the feelings of loneliness and utter iso- lation from the rest of the world, that must more or less ojjpress every voyager at first landing in its dreary and inhospitable locality, are circum- stances likely enough to render the Kerguelens L.ind Cabbage — Cabbage though it be — a cherished object in the rocolleclion of the mariner : one never to be elTaced by the brighter or more luscious products of tropical %'egetation. "The contem|)lation of a vegetable very unlike any other in botanical affinity and in general ap- pearance, so eminently fitted for the food of man, and yet inhabiting the most desolate and inhospita- ble spot on the surface of the globe, must equally (ill the minilof the scientific inquirer and the conj- raon observer with wonder." [By the Great Western, we have our files of Hor- ticultural journals. The following leader, from the London Gardeners' Chronicle, of July 11, will show such of our readers as know Professor Lindley in his graver scientific labors, the mix- ture of comedy, classlcality, and reality, with which he often relaxes his mind, in conducting that journal :] What is a Parapetticoat? We are astonished at the numerous inquiries that have reached us about this article. Its name reveals its nature. It is a hybrid between a parasol and a ])etticoat. This is not banter but fact. . And why should there not be such a thing? What is there in reru?n nati/ra to prevent an ingenious person from applying those two needful articles of shelter and dress to gardening purposes? They will fade, and wear thin, in the custoil}^ of tlie most economical gentlewoman, and to find a use for them after- wards is an adaptation of means to end which cannot be too highly commended. Let us give a receipt for making a Parapetti- coat. First find a good sized parasol, or small umbrella, covered with cotton, and not rubbed into boles. Then select a cast-off petticoat, not a crinoline, which Mrs. Malafrop calls a Kremlin, nor yet a flannel, but some other form of the vest- ment; it need not be very full; indeed, it will be better for being scanty; sow up the opening, and it is ready for attachment to the parasol. For this purpose the latter instrument must be opened, and kept so; then the upper end of the petticoat is to be sowed to the edge of the parasol, and a staff six feet or more long is to be secured to its handle. Thus the parapetticoat is (constructed. Cut what a word! cries Sir Erasmus VERnAr,. What a barbarous compound of Greek and Saxon ! The thing may be well enough, but its name is unendurable. Pray call it a parachiton, or a parachitonisk. We can have no objection to the change, if the world prefers it; and we agree with Sir Iouasmus, that it will be as well to adopt it wlien parasol is called parabolion, and parapluie a paraombrion — but not till then. And what is the parapetticoat /or? For, Ma- dam! for a most important purpose. It is an FOREIGN NOTICES. 143 Instrument of execution; it is the shirt of Nessus; it is the robe of Atropos. It is to enable the gardener to dispatch his mortal enemies. It is to relieve his rose bushes from that foe which he assails in vain with snuff, g^as water and smelling salts. It is to kill green-lly, {Aphis.) The instrument is used thus. In the first place the petticoat is drawn up till it rests upon the outside of the parasol. The staff of the latter is then introduced perpendicularly into the centre of a rose bush, and secured in its place by being pushed into the ground. The petticoat being then drawn down, the bush is completely covered in by the garment. ricret liorrida ter^n Palla — ^ -. The gardener then blows his tobacco smoke be- neath it: in a few minutes the rose bush is enve- loped in a cloud which has no outlet ; the green fly seeks in vain to escape from the fatal atmos- phere which enters every fold and lurking-place ; he clings in vain to his beloved rose-buds; his grasp relaxes; he falls; he dies; and with him Unmimljered corses stre^v the fatal plain. Five minutes suffice for the execution. The veil may then be raised, the instrument removed, and the operation repeated upon a new horde of delinquents. Beware, however, of leaving the poison which killed Aphis, upon the leaves of the rose tree. Let them be immediately syringed abundantly with lukewarm water, so as to remove the odor, or it may be found that in destroying our enemies we have also ruined our friends. M. Andre Leroy of Angers, France, has succeed ed in grafting that superb plant, Clianfhus puni- ceus upon Colutea arborcscens, the common Blad- der Senna. Beautiful effects also were produced by him by grafting the Lilac on the common Ash (Fj-axinus) standard high. The Lilac forms a handsome bushy liead, and flowers finely. — Revue Horticolc. Effect of Sulphate of Iron on Vegeta- tion.— The Journal d-Horticulture Pratique as- serts that a tree of which the wood is tender, poor, and sickly, to which a strong solution of sulphate of iron should be applied, revives and puts forth an extraordinary vegetation. This dis- solution of suljihate, of which M. Paquet has made many successful applications this summer, should be given in and with the water, when the plants or trees are watered, so that the roots may more readily absorb the chemical agencies which reani- mate the vital forces of the tree. Rhododendron arboreum. — There is no flower in the conservatory during the dull months of Ja- nuary and February, that can jn any way vie, in elegance of habit, or brilliancy of color, witli tlie Rhoiioilcndron arboreum, and yet in how few instances do we meet with it in perfection; in how many do we find complaints made of the difficulty there is in inducing it to bloom at all; in fact, I have known many persons to have this plant in their care for years, and never to succeed with it; so that eventually one of the richest ornaments of our conservatories is discarded as worthless. I have a very handsome bush about six feet in height in the conservatory here, which during the months of January and February last was truly splendid; it had forty-six fine large heads of bloom fully expanded at one time, be- sides many more, both before and after, all of the richest bright crimson. This plant is now again set for bloom, and I expect will have about sixty- five or seventy heads; a smaller plant about three feet in height is also beautifully set with blossom buds, and will flower any time during the next winter, according to its treatment. My attention was first drawn to this plant by seeing the very large specimens at ]\Ir. Knight's in the King's- road, and I thought if smaller plants of the species could be made to flower as well, how very desi- rable they would be. I have been generally suc- cessful in my treatment, which mainly consists in a careful attention to the supply of water. During January, and the four succeeding months, they require a very plentiful supply; the four follow- ing, viz., June, July, August, and September, only half the quantity; and during October, No- vember, and December, I give scarcely any, gradually drying the ball completely, even to punishing the plant. Perhaps these hints may have some effect in making the R. arboreum more universally cultivated and better bloomed. — J. £. Snow, in Gard. Chroiu Trichosanthes Colubrina. The Serpent Cu- cumber, or Hairblossora. Stove Perennial. Spa- nish Main. — We believe that the sole possessor of this curious plant is Sir John Hay Williams, Bart., of Bodelwyddan, near St. Asaph. The seeds had been received from Puerto Caballo, and imder the care of Mr. Sparrow, the gardener at Bodel- wyddan, soon produced young plants. In growth, the species resembles a Cucumber, with leaves ten or twelve inches across, and varying in form from heart-shaped to thiee or five lobed. The flowers are white, and beautifully cut into delicate threads, whence the botanical name Trichosanthes, which Sir James Smith translated Hairblossom. The fruits, which hang down from the rafter to which the vines of the ])lant arc traineil, resemble ser- pents, are six feet long, and when unripe, are singularly striped with green and white, which changes to brilliant orange. We already possess in our gardens an allied species from the East Indies, called the Snake Cucumber, which ditlcrs in having smaller flowers, hispid coarsely toothed leaves and fruit, which is scarcely half the length of this, and is, therefore, much less remarkable in appearance. From Mr. Sparrow we have received the following .account of his mode of cultivating this plant: "I sowed the seeds last June in a small pot, and jilacod them in the Pinestove, where tlicy vegetated in about a week; anil after the plant had attained the heiglit of eighteen inches, 1 planted one in the pit of the i)lant-stove, in a compost consisting of two-tliirds bog and loam in equal portions, to one-third leaf-mould and sand, where it grew finely, anil ripened the first fruit about tlic middle of November. I may mention, that tlie idt in which I planted it is heated underneath with hot water pipes." — Bota- nical Register. 114 DOMESTIC NOTICES. DOMESTIC NOTICES. A NoTK ON Pkars. — The White Doyenne Pear, which some liiive saiil was an outcast, llourislics on my fatlier"s estate, as vvitli you, in all its orig'inal vigour. The trees were procured hy him in 1S()2 from Prince, under the name of yi)-galicu,a.sl find by his record. ^\ lien in London, Paris and 13cljiuni, in the win- ter of "44 — "45, I had repeated opportunities of testing the new varieties of pears. I found the fol- lowing to be the finest : Bcurrc d'Aremberg, Win- ter Nelis, Passe Colmar, Glout Morceau, Easter Beurrc, (the latter ripe in London Sth of Dec.,) Beurru Diel, D- Angoulinie, Ne i)lus Meuris, and jMarie Louise. This last is consiilered the finest November pear in England. The season of 1S44 was peculiar in England, all the winter pears ripe- ning much earlier than usual. In Paris I found the old St. Germain Aery line. On the 4th of October, J844, dining at Rouen, I found at the depot the handsomest and prettiest specimens of the White Doyenne I ever saw, looking and tasting as though they had been grown on trees as healthy and vigo- rous as the Seckel. Yours, very respectfully. Win. C. W. Baltimore, Md., July 'Slst. [The above is an extract of a letter from a zealous amateur in Baltimore. Will om* friends- who still believe in the doctrine of " 0!/erior at its season. It ripens in my garden about the same time as that general favorite, the Yellow Harvest. Perhaps it is not quite so high flavored, although I am sure it laclcs but little. But what can approach it in beauty ! I picked a basket of this fruit to-day (July Ifith), every specimen of which is like a perfect wax fruit — brilliant jiur- plish-red, with abloom like a plum. This bloom, by the way, is a trait of Russian Apples. The tree bears only too much, and is as regular in its pro- duct as the return of the swallow. Yours. Long Jsland. Failure or the Cherry Chopin the Vici- nity OF BosTO.v. — There has been an unusual fai- lure of the Cherry crop in this neighborhood the present season. The excessive hot weather in April caused the trees to show an early bloom, and the prospect for an abundant supply was very flattering for the first half of May. We then had very cold weather for the season, and a number of frosts occurred, in some jilaces rather severe, but not sufliciently hard near Boston to aflect the fruit unfavorably, although there were strong fears that this would be the case ; but the very severe and cold northeast storm that prevailed a number of days the last of the month, had a more disastrous etTect. It caused not only the Cherries, but Pears and other fruit to blast, and at least half the Cherries were ruined and dropped to the ground. It is said "half a loaf is better than none," and many were flatter- ing themselves that although half their crop was ruined, the increased price of what remained would nearly or quite make up the deficiency in quantity, but here again they were to be disappointed. Just as the fruit began to swell and show colour, we had a continuation of wet and cloudy weather, which caused it to crack; a speedy decay followed, and hardly a Cherry remained upon many trt cs fit to eat. Indeed, from our own trees, which have invariably produced for the last ten years at least thirty bushels of Cherries every season, we diil not gather more than two bushels: these were insipid and almost tasteless, and so destitute of their pecu- liar flavor, that the different varieties could not be recognized unless they were taken directly from the tree. We believe the failure was general, for we have hardly seen a sound Cherry this year in the market. In consequence of this failure, our exhibitions of Cherries at the Horticultural Hall, the present sea- son, has been much less interesting than for many years past. But notwithstanding all this, some cultivators have contrived to exhibit tolerably fine specimens of (his delicions fniil, especially of somo of the late varieties. But what is consitiered line this year would hardly be looked at in common years. Yours, J. B. Boston, July [0th, 184U. Defoliation of the Plu.m. — My soil is light and every season about miilsummer most of the leaves of my i>lum trees drop oU'. The consequence is my plums ri]ien badly or do not ripen at all. My soil is a li.ght anil sandy loam. — Yours, Philadel- phia, Jhigust 10. [If our correspondent will give every bearing tree whose trunk is as thick as his arm, half a i)cck of coarse salt, strewed over the surface of the ground in April eveiy season for three or four years, he will finil the trees to carry their foliage well, and of a deep green color through the whole season, bearing also crops of fine fruit. In a previous notice we have spoken of the re- markable ctfccts produced on the verdure of a haw- thorn hedge here last season by the application of salt. We ought to add that this siiring we omitteil its ajiplication, and the consequence is that now, the middle of August, the hedge is becoming quite brown and dingy, notwithstanding the absolute moisture of this summer compared with the great drouth of that of '45. — Ed.] The Glout Morceau Pear. — ^We learn by a letter from Otis Johnson, Esq., of Lynn, Mass., that the Glout Morceau Pear does not stucceed at all in his garden at Lynn, and he adds that he is in- formed by a gentleman in Salem that the fruit also blights in that citj'. Mr. Joh.\son we know to be one of our most skilful cultivators of thisfruit, and he adds that his trees of this sort are on "Quince stocks — of good size and all quite thrifty. The fruit sets very plentifully, but blights and falls at an earl}' stage, and this is the only variety under my cultivation that blights." In Boston, as we have ourselves seen, and as our readers know by Col. Wilder's article, this is one of the finest of fruits — and we may add that we have never seen a blighted pear of this varicf j- any where in the interior. We fear, therefore, that, even on the Quince stock, the Glout Morceau may prove too delicate to be worthy of cultivation quite near the sea, as at Salem, or Lynn, though highly valuable elsewhere. It is only b)' a collection of such facts, furnished by cultivators of juilgmcnt and experience like Mr. Johnson, that Pomological knowledge can ever be rendered ample and satis- factory, in a country so various in its climate and soil as our own. Jenney's and Mottier's Strawberries. — We observe, in the report of the committee upon fruits, of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, made June 20lh, it is stated that Jenney's and Mot- tier's Seedling Strawberries "are very acid and not worthy of cultivation, and better adapted to a southern climate." On the 4th of July, the com- mittee report of the Jenny's Seedling, that " the berries were large, and notwithstanding the season has been unfavorable for the ripening of straw- berries, still the flavor was extremely rich ,- we class it among the best. In justice to Mr. Jenny and ourselves, we must add, that his former spcci- DOMESTIC NOTICES. 147 mens came to hand in poor order, they having Dcen gathered when the fruit was wet." The specimens first exliibited were presented by Mr. J. L. L. F. Warren, the last by Mr. Jenney. We presume that the opinion first expressed, was somewhat too liastily formed, and that the variety in question was approved of upon trial; still that opinion was very stringent and decided, and we should hardl}' presume that the fruit being gathered when it was wet, would make the dilTcrenee be- tween "very acid" fruit, "not worthy of culti- vation," and fruit "of llavor extremely rich," and "among the best." The Mottiers' and Willey's Seedling, which were presented at the same time and by the same person, and equally condemned, were probably gathered "when the fruit was wet," yet we find no change of opinion, on the part of the committee, as to their quality. Fruit may be " very acid," and still have a " rich fla- vor." We should be pleased to know what the true characters of these varieties are, especially Jcnney's Seedling, whether they are too acid to become popular here, and " better adapted to a southern climate," or whether they are desirable varieties to raise for the market. In this question other cultivators besides ourselves are interested, and we would request an answer from the " com- mittee," or other source. L. C- E. Providence, R. L, Aug. 13. The best mode of grafting. — Under the head of " Excellent mode of setting grafts," in your last number, "cloth brushed over on one side with grafting wax," is recommended. The •asiest and most expeditious way of preparing the cloth is to dip it into the wax when hot, and " strip " the cloth between two sticks, so as to squeeze from it all the composition possible, and spread it out till it dries or becomes cool. The use of cloth prepared in this way is very common here, and is approved of wherever tried. The process is very speedy, more so than any other, full as successful and very neat. If the weather is cold when the composition is made, the use of lard instead of tallow renders the cloth more pliable. — Id. Turpentine injurious to trees. — The fol- lowing item of experience may, perhaps, serve some of your readers. In the spring of '45, you will remember, our apple orchards were terribly infested with caterpillars; and seeing in one of the agricultural papers of the day, that turpentine would efiectually destroy them, I poured some of the spirits on many of the nests, in some cases quite saturating them. The etrcct on the cater- pillars was all that could be desired; but it killed, without exception, every branch upon which it was applied, scorching and shrinking up the bark, and causing it to cleave from the wood. And in the case of one young, thrift)"- tree, of eight inches in diameter, where the nest happened to be di- rectly in the crotch, the whole tree was destroyed, the spirits having been applied copiously and run down some two or three feet on the trunk. If this experiment shall save others from the use of turpentine for such a purpose, it will not have been made in vain. .9. C. H. Hillside, on the Hudson,' July 22d, 1846. The true Peach Plum. — This plum, the fruit of which you so much admired, I have taken some pains to ascertain the history of. It was imported from France, in April, 1820, by the late James C. Duane, of this city, and has been cultivated b)^ all the lovers of line fruit in this vicinity, to the present time. The name was lost, but as one in the invoice was called Apricot Plum, the name was applied to this fruit. From a late examina- tion of the fruit with your assistance, however, I am satisfied that it is the Prune Peche, Peach Plum, of Noisette, and other French writers. It is a rather tender variety, so far north as this, the young wood in the nursery being killed for several inches in severe winters. For the same cause it is a somewhat shy bearer, its fruit buds being injured in the winter, when those of the Egg, Washington, Green Gage, &c., escape injury. It is a strong upright grower, young wood smooth, purple, with medium length of joint, buds plump above the footstalk, below flat or slightly depress- ed; leaf large, ovate, slightly hairy on the under side; footstalk slightly hairy, with two large oval glands near the leaf. Fruit large, roundish, mea- suring six inches in circumference, rather larger on one side of the suture, which is distinct. Stem short, scarcely half an inch long, curved, and in- serted in a round cavity; there is a slight depres- sion in the eye. Color red, shining through a whitish bloom, with a few small yellow dots; looking like a handsome peach, rather than a plum. Flesh firm, j-ellowish green, and slightly sub -acid; parts freely from the stone, which is blunt at both ends, and deeply furrowed down tlie thickest edge. Its fine size, beautiful appearance, and early maturity, (ripening about the fifth of August,) render it a very desirable variety. This summer, it ripened ten days earlier than usual, the season being very forward. Trees of this variety can be obtained from the nurseries of James D. Velthouse, and Christopher Reagles, in this city. This plum is entirely distinct from the plum in the nurseries on Long Island, and elsewhere, un- der the name of Duane"s Purple French, which is a clingstone. Yours truly, Charles H. Tomlinson. Schenectady, Jlug. 6th, 1846. [Our readers will observe a figure of this very rare fruit, to which our attention was first drawn by Mr. Tomlinson, in another page of this num- ber.—Ed.] Comments on the Horticulturist, No. 1. Hedges, p. 23. — The most beautiful hedge that I have seen, is of Hemlock (Pinus canadensif). When trained and clipped, it becomes a dense wall of verdure. Page 34. — The kind of Laurel referred to, is Kalmia luti/olia ; but Rhododendron laaxinnnn is not better adapted to our common soil. Imleed a long list of ornamental plants might be made, in- cluding jlndromedas, which perish from the same cause. Double Convolvulus, p. 48. — I have ha. I^wis, ICoxliury. Ailjourauil 1', Citron des Carmes Pears. Seidling Gooseberries and Tarly Harvest Apple*, by John Htivcy, Itoxbury. Mr. Wluildnn, Concord, a Persian Melon. M.idain Prall, Waterlown, by Alexander McLennan, Iwo Persian Meloii'^ T. II. Perkins, by William Qinmt, two Persian Melons. John Fisk Allen, Salem, Cilron des Carmes Pears, four boxes of extra fine Raspberries, two dislu-s of very hue Peaches, viz., Crawford's Karly and Yellow Rareriiw, superb specimens of EIruge Nectarines, also a dish of Violctle Ha- tive; ripe Black Figs; Grajxis, viz., Black Prolific, l-'eiral, Rose Chasse las, Grizzly Frontignan, Black Hamburgh (fine,) Golden C'ha.s.selas (very fine berrie.<,) Red Tramier I-;sperioiie, Chasselasde Bar sur Aube, Zinfindal, Verdelho Alejijio, and While Frnnlignan. G. Johjison, liynn. Black Hamburgh and Zinfindal Grajws. Cheever Newhall, Dorchester, a box of very fine Black- berries and a box of Knevet's Giant Raspberries. E. E. Bradshaw, Charlcsiown, four boxes of Franconia Raspberries. Capt. F. W. Macondry, a dish of fine Peaches, var. Sharp's Seedling ; also a dish of large Figs not quite ripe. Fasloltf Raspberries, by Ale.ssrs. Hovey. J. L. L. F. Warren, Brighton, six boxes of Franconia Rasp- berries. Aaron D. Williams, Roxbury, two boxes of Red and two boxes of While Currants. For the Committee, S. Walkf.r, Cirn \T; G ETA BLES.— From W. B. Williaitis, Endive. From A. D. \V'illiams, Cabbages and (^•lrroIs. From Henry Poor, specimens of While Winter WHieat of an extra fine quality, grnni very plump and full, the straw five and a half feel high. For the Committee. A. D. William.', Jr., Ch'n. Exhibition of Saturday, August ist, 1846. From M. P. AVilder, President of the Society, Phlox ceil de lynx, a very beautiful new variegated variety, and P ina- rianne. From J. L. L. F. Warren, Gladiolus belvideros, a superb new varieiy, fine seedling Phloxes, While Water Lilies, Dahlias, fine specimens. Pinks, &c.; also one large and ele. veil small bouquets. Among the Dahlias were good speci- mens of Queen Mary (new,) Essex Triumph, Reiiie de Fees, Antagonist, La Lione, Sir J. Richardson, Sulphurea ele- gans. Imperial Blush, &c. From Hovey and Co. four bouquets. Pinks, Gladiolus gan- davensis. Double Hollyhocks, Phlox drummondii, Phloxes, and oilier cut flowers. From Joseph Breck & Co., Gladiolus gandavensis, psitia- cinus, and floribundus. Phlox maculala alba, lawreiicei, nymphrea alba, omiiUiora magna, Frelinghuysen, Marianne, blanche neuilly, piela,alinerine, iiieechaniea .speciosa.cordata speciosa, nana, wilderii, Richardsonii, acuminata and drum- mondii in variety; Dahlias, Verbenas, Rudbeckias, Aconi- tum variegalum, Clarkea, Lilium tigridum and longiflorum, (Enollieras, Mimulus, and other cut flowers ; also eleven bouquets. From Walker & Co., Dahli.is. Phloxes, Double Gillyflow- ers, Gladiolus floribundus, Dracocephalnm. Rudbeckia ful- gida, Veronica virginica, Iberis in varietv, Sweet Sultiui, &c. From O. H. Mather, fine Phloxes, Verbenas, Dahlias, Cape Jasmine, Iberis, Double Imperial Pinks, Coreopsis, &.n. From William Kenrick, by Miss Russell, one large and three small bouquets. From Parker 13arnes, a fine specimen of Ipomopsis elegans, Ferraria tigrida pavonia, fine Double Hollyhocks. Gladiolus floribundus. Dahlias, Geraniums, Roses, Verbenas, Double Balsams, Pinks, Delphiniums, Iberis, and also one fine bou- quet. From Messrs. W'inship, I/ilium superbum, Fuchsias, Gloxi- nias, Perpetual Roses, Phlox drummondii, various Pons, Phloxes, Clematis verlicillata and flamniula, Ae'^vard, East Boston, Dahlias. From J. L. L. F. Warren, three round ajid ten flat bouquets, a fine display of Phloxes, white Water Lilies and Dahlias, a magnificent specimen of Gladiolus belviderus. Gladiolus flori- buiidu.< and psittacinus. Double Balsams, and cut flowers in variety. Among the Dahlias we noticed the following new ones, ^az.. Monsieur Walner, Queen Mary, Indispensable Wliite, Imperial Blush, &.C., &c. From S. Gilbert, Plymouth, fine indigenous plants, viz., Clethra alnifolia. Clematis virginica, Rexia virginica, Orchl>i fimbriata, Lobelia cardinalis. Orchis blephariglottis, Rud- beckia rosea, Spirea tomentosa and salicifolia. From Messrs. Hovey &. Co., a collection of fine Roses and Phloxes in variety. From J. W. Mandel, Dahlias, Double Balsams, Asters, Verbenjis, Gloxinias, and two bouquets. From W^iUiam Doyle, a beautiful circular bouquet. PREMIUMS AWARDED. The Committee award the following premiums : To Wm. Doyle, for the best bouquet, first premium of $2 ; to Miss Russell, the second premium of $1, for a bouquet. The Committee also award a gratuity of §1 to W. E. Carter, for a plant of the Scilla maritima. For the Committee, Jos. Beece, Ch'n. FRUITS.— Grapes, by John Fisk Allen of Salem. Twen- ty varieties of green-house Grapes, viz., Aleppo, Red Cha.s- selas, Golden Chasselas, AVIiite Chasselas, Black Hamburg, Black Hamburg ( Wiln.ot's New,) Black Hamburg ( Wilmoi's No. 16,) the latter very .■Tin, who raised this variety, and which, in the opinion of the Committee, may be classed among the best. It is not quite number one in size, but id very delicious in flavor. 152 MASSACHUSETTS IIOKT. SOCIETY. It|»aliaii Melon, hy Thomas Nofdlmm of Brit'lilon. Joiiii A. Kfiinck, VVlu-flcr (.') rliiin- ^■;lmllcl Wiilktr of Koxliury, Seedling and Red Dutch Cur- r«ini» ; also tireen Clusi-l Peiirs. T. II. I'erkins, Urooklnie, by WiUinin Quani, Blaek Tlam- burg, Urizzly I'rontignun. While FroiiiifriKiu, Ulack Fronlis- iiun, While Nice, Hiid Muscat of Alexuiidriii (.;rn|ies. The Grizzly Froniignaii, liluck Froiitignan, aiid Ijlack Hamburg, were of line Ihivur. Cheever Ncwhall, Dorchester, Benoni, Summer Rose, Williams' Favorite, aud Curtis' Early apples. Josiuli Lovcti, Beverly, fine specimens of Blackberries. Samuel Pond, Caml)ridgeport,Uuaiie"s l'urple,Ued Orleans, Apricot and other Plums. ." to J. S. Cabot ; second preinliim of §-1 to Walker &. Co. ; third premium, S3, to Breck &, Co. On Pol Plants. The committee recommend a gratuity of $2 to Win. Doyle for a beautiful plant ot Cattleya harrisonii. On Balsams, Designs and Botuiucts. Mes-srs. Carter, Ho- vey and Dultoii, Judges. On Balsams, for the best display, the first premium of ^'J to William CJuaiit. For the second best, a premium of S2 to J. L. L. F. Warren. For the third best, a premium of SI to Walker &. Co. On designs the Judges award a gratuity of $2 to James NugeU, for the best, and to Wm. Doyle, Si for the second best. On bouquets, the first premium of S2 to Miss Russell, for the best large bouquet, and to Mr. J. L. L. F. Warren, a premium §1 for the best small bouquets. The committee recommend that a gratuity of $3 be award- ed to W. E. Carter, lor a display of fine seedling Phloxes. Mr. Carter has been very successful in raising a great num- ber of very beautiful varieties. For Uio Committee, Joseph Bbeck, Ch'n. FRUITS.— From S. A. Walker, Pears, Dearborn's Seed- ling ; Plums, Italian Damask ; Apricots, Sloorpark, (?) and a variety without name. From Otis Johnson, Pears, Jargonelle, Apple Pear of Es- sex county ; Plums, Fotheringham, very fine ; Apples, Red Astrachan and Early^ Bough, extra fine, and others without name. From A. D. Williams, Apples, Williams' Favorite ; Pears, Jargonelle. From Col. T. H. Perkins, by Wm. Quant, Peaches, Royal George, fine; Melon, Persian green-flesheii. From Anson Dexter, Apples, Summer Rose. From E. E. Bradshaw, Moorpark Apricots ; Plums, Brad- shaw, very large and a good variety. The Committee have eaten and seen this plum for two or three seasons, and as they cannot find the true name, for the present call it the Brad- shaw. From Josiah Lovett 2d, Blackberries, very large. From H. K. Moore, fine Moorpark Apricots. From B- D. Emerson, Grapes, White Chasselas. From Parker Barnes, Apricot Pluin.s, From Andrew Wellington, River Apple. From Samuel Pond, Plums, Washington, Pond's Seedling, Duane's Purple, Jefferson, (!) Royal de Tours. From F. Tudor, Esq., Naliaiit, very large figs, open cul- ture. From J. L. L. F. Warren, Pears, Dearborn's Seedling, and another kind ; Grapes, Black Hamburg ; Apples. River. From R. Manning, Poniological Garden, Salem, Apples, Mabel ; Pears, Hastings. From W.ll. S. Cleaveland, Burlington, N. J., Black Ham- burg Grapes. From Samuel Hildrelh, Seedling Plums. From Mr. Haven, Pear. Cuisse INIadam. (?) From M. P. Wilder, Esq., Pc.irs, Bloodgood. From S. Walker, Chelsea, Plums, fine. From Hovev &. Co. Turkey Apricots. From Wm. B. Richards, Dedham, Grapes, Black Hambtirg, and Chasselas. From John Fisk Allen, Nectarines, Hunt'.^ Tawny, Elruge and Golden ; Peach, Nivelte ; Pears, August Muscat ; Fig, Whiie of St Michaels; Grapes, Zinfindal, White Nice, Black Hamburgh, Wilmot's New, AVilmoi's No. IG, While Gascoigne, White Chasselas, Esperione, Ferral. From George Walsh, Apples, Sapsavine. From John J. Stimpsou, Providence, Pears, Dearborn's Seedling. For the Committee, John Fisk Allen. TXO-.'iC:. DESIGN FOR A SIMPLE COUNTRY HOUSE ill zo J'TC 43. PLAN or PRINCIPAL FLOOR. '-'M-'#^^-^'€^^>^ THE JOURNAL OF RURAL ART AND RURAL TASTE. Vol. I. OCTOBER, 1846. No. 4. " Can a country house be plain and yet Wasteful? I wish to erect a house of n"iode- rate size on my farm in the country. I do not wish a highly architectural building — it would not accord with the simple charac- ter of my estate, or with my mode of life. Yet I desire much to live in a house that shall not bo uncouth and offensive, by its violation of all the principles of beauty. Nay, more— I wish a tasteful, simple, and pleasing dwv lling, which to much comfort shall unite an agreeable architectural ex- pression." Such is th« substance of some queries addressed to us by a gentleman of intelli- gence and judgment, a short time ago, and such, as we judge from several letters we have received respecting the subject of simple rural cottages, touched upon in our last num- ber, is the feeling of many country gentle- men, who are about to erect country resi- dences. We have before us a letter from Boston. The writer, who is personally unknown to us, says, " Nothing that has ever appeared in this country, on the subject of rural build- ings, has given greater satisfaction here, than the leader in the September number of the Horticulturist. There is something 20 native and true in the remarks on the kin- of buildings recommended for rural purpo ses, which would lead me to hope that w« may, by and by, have a style of building of our own, founded on just and sound princi pies, which shall be to us Avhat the origina ideas involved in the classical and pointec styles were to the ancients." What our correspondent probably means is, that rural architecture, to be entirely sa- tisfactory with us, must be significant ; that is, it should, so far as possible, express the life and habits of our rural people. Hence, while it is perfectly allowable for the man of wealth and leisure to indulge his taste in a dwelling of any style that is a becom- ing one for his location, it is scarcely suita- ble for a farmer or rural cottager to do so. And this simply, because no person should undertake a highly ornamental cottage or villa, who cannot afford to carry out the same degree of completeness, in finish and decora- tion, in his garden and grounds. A richly decorated country house, with a badly plant- ed and badly kept territory about it, is a sight as painful as that of a man of learning and accomplishments starving in the midst of a rude and barbarous people. Now the life and habits of our farming 154 ON COUNTRY HOUSES. population arc in the main dignified and free, vet plain and simple. Their means will neither allow them, nor their tastes lead them, to build or keep up any but simple and fitting houses and grounds. Hence we conceive all rural buildings which, in the end will prove most significant, tasteful and asfreeable for them, must be simple in cha- racter, and unambitious in style. Such houses Avill always be found satisfactory, and the neat and quiet grounds, which they demand as accessories, are within the reach of almost every landholder in America. A few days since, we w^ere looking over the portfolios of some of our leading archi- tects in New-York, admiring the cottages and villas which they showed us as in pro- gress, or as having been designed for various parts of the country. In examining the rich- ly stored portfolio of Mr. Davis (whose well known atelier is in the Merchant's Ex- change,) our attention was attracted by one, a Design for a simple CourUry House, which appears to us in a good degree to answer our views, as expressed in this and our last leading article. Mr. Davis has kindly per- mitted us to place this design in the hands of our engraver, and our readers will observe it as our present frontispiece embellishment. There is nothing in this elevation, fig. 42, which could be objected to as out of keeping with rural life in most parts of our country. There are no useless and unmeaning orna- ments, and there is no attempt at high or false architectural style. Yet there is much comfort, and as much beauty, we think, as the subject demands. In other words, it answers the description of our friend Avilh whose remarks we commenced this article — " a plain and tasteful country house." Our readers will notice, in the first place, that it has an ample veranda (or piazza, if our readers like this incorrect term better.) A veranda, as frequently built, with fluted columns, &c., is a costly affair. But this is not so. It is positively cheap. The sup- ports are simple, light sticks of timber hewn octagonally or eight sided, leaving a few inches at the top and bottom square, for base and capital. The roof of this veranda is made of nicely jointed stuff, nailed upon the joist rafters, which are beaded and left exposed, so that no other ceiling is required. On the top it is covered with shingles or tin. And yet this veranda is to our eyes, in I'oint of taste, most agreeable and appro- priate. As a matter of comfort, in this climate, such a veranda — so spacious, am- ple and shady — is equal in value to any two of the best apartments in the house. The second story of this dwelling gives seven cool and pleasant bed-rooms of full height. The roof has a bold and pleasing projection, which will help to keep the upper windows shaded in summer. There is scarce- ly an ornament here which does not grow out of the strictest propriety ; and yet, for that best of reasons, the beauty of this building, as a simple country bonse, is far more sig- nificant and true than that of most of the imitations of the highly ornate styles of cottage. The plan of the principal floor of this house, fig. 43, almost explains itself. The parlor and library are on opposite sides of the entry or vestibule, opening into it with either double or sliding doors, so that the whole may, when agreeable, be thrown into one apartment. Some persons would, doubtless, prefer to change the arrangement of this floor, by turning the parlor into a bed-room, and using the library as a parlor. There is a peculiarity in the arrangement of the dining-room which is worthy of no- tice. A recess is indicated in the plan, where a sideboard is to stand in the dinmg room. This sideboard is to contain, in one of its portions, a wicket, i. e. a closei opening HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER NOTES ON ST. LOUIS. 155 through to the kitchen, by which all the dishes may be received, and returned again when empty, without the labor of carrying them through the house, or the savory odor Avhich that process often disseminates. Our readers will notice that the chimneys are all kept in the body of the house, and not allowed to expend their warmth in out- side walls — an arrangement to the benefit of which we canfully testify from experience. This dwelling is one which it is proposed to build of wood, after the A^ertical mode of weather boarding described in our last num- ber. As this is a dwelling of a grade su- perior to those represented in figs. 30 and 31, the best materials (" sound and clear stuff") should be chosen for this weather- boarding, which may be carefully planed, painted and sanded. On the rear of the house, where the ve- randa does not extend, it is proposed to have a large area, leading to a fuel cellar under the kitchen, and to a dairy and other cellars under the rest of the house. The form of the house is a square of forty feet, and the arrangement of such a space is so simple that it may be varied at pleasure. What we chiefly desire, at the present moment, is to draw attention to the simplicity, good taste and economy, of the exterior of the design, which we conceive to be quite in accordance with our own views regarding the principles of propriety in simple rural architecture. Horticultural, Topographical, and other Notes on St. Louis. BY THOMAS ALLEN, OF CRYSTAL SPRINGS, MO. [The following is from the pen of our oblig- ing Missouri corespondent, Thomas Allen, Esq. of St. Louis. We have seen no ac- count of any part of the great west so full of real information to those interested in rural affairs, or with that intelligence so concisely, justly and correctly conveyed. Had we such data, as this article furnishes, from every great natural district in our country, we should consider ourselves pos- sessed of quite a treasury of knowledge, which might be brought to bear almost daily on the subjects within our province. — Ed.] The parallel of latitude in which the city of St. Louis is situated, is 38° 37' 28". It is about the parallel of Cape Henlopen on the Atlantic, of Lisbon in Portugal, and of the Bay of San Francisco on the Pacific. The city is 1,390 miles from the Gulf of Mexico ; 850 from Washington City ; 174 above the mouth of the Ohio river, and 18 miles below the mouth of the Missouri. It is 3S2 feet higher than the level of the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi runs past it with a current of from four to six miles per hour, and with a fall of about one foot in six miles. The city stands about eighty feet above ordinary low water of the river. This eminence extends along the river bank many miles above and below the city, with occa- sional intermissions, and is, in some places, a limestone bluff, and in others a succession of small hills or knolls. The substratum of the whole is limestone rock, on which rests a dry and tough yellow clay, suitable for making brick, overlaid generally with about a foot in depth of mould. In the valleys and prairies further west, this mould is much deeper, and in the intervals or bot- toms near the river, the soil is alluvial, black, deep, and fertile. An extensive alluvial in- tervale, called the " American Bottom," lies along the river opposite St. Louis in Illinois. 156 HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER NOTES ON ST. LOUIS. It is about seventy miles in length, and of an average width of about five miles, and contains nearly a quarter of a million of acres — the surface heavily laden with rank vegetation, or cut up by lagoons, bays, coves and creeks. The bluff which bounds it on the east, contains bituminous coal as well as limestone. Some of the ridges along that bluff are sandy. On both sides of the river are found mounds or tumuli, supposed to have been raised by the Indians as monu- ments of their dead. Some of the prettiest of these are near the river, on the highest natural elevation in the present city of St. Louis. The surface of the ground near St. Louis is otherwise uneven, and sometimes rough, and in many places perforated by sink-holes of a tunnel-shape, through which the water drains into caves or fissures in the rocks below. Several of these caves, on account of their low temperature, are used by Germans for storing beer. When the outlets of these sinkholes are stopped, ponds are formed in them. Several fossils, some of them new varieties, have been found in the limestone. A greyish marble, beauti- fully variegated, and susceptible of fine polish, exists in the city ; and I can point to my parlor chimney pieces, made of it, proud of a domestic production, superior in my estimation to the Italian. Bituminous coal exists in abundance, not only in the bluffs east of the " American Bottom," but at va- rious depths within three miles of the city west, and also upon the Missouri river. Springs are sometimes found of excellent water, but they are not abundant. My farm, however, is blessed with five of them — hence its name. The soil of the level grounds, prairies and bottoms, is a black and deep vegetable mould of great and enduring fertility. Upon the uneven surface the soil is thin. The clayey friable, and with the application of manure, productive. It, however, dries quickly by sun and wind, and sometimes bakes and cracks. The climate does not correspond with that of the same latitude on the sea-coast. It differs in respect to the prevalency of cer- tain winds, in variableness, and in being, perhaps not hotter, but drier in summer. Our spring seasons are often wet ; our sum- mers frequently dry. The autumn is often a perpetual " Indian summer," delightful as can be imagined. Yet frost appears some- times in October, and November may bring severely cold weather. The consequences upon vegetation of a dry summer, succeed- ed by a fine and late-growing autumn, we may have occasion to advert to. The win- ters are generally mild. The average mean temperature of the winter months, for seven years being, for example, about 30°. Snow sometimes falls in various depths under 12 inches, but rapidly disappears. It not un- frequently happens that we can plough in every winter month, and for weeks together artificial heat is not required in our green- houses. Two winters ago, ice was not formed in sufficient quantities to supply our ice houses. Yet I have heard it said, that the Mississippi has been known to be frozen over below the mouth of the Ohio. Last winter that river was firmly closed above and more than sixty miles below this city for more than a month. In the mean time there were many warm and sunny days. The month of February often tempts all vegetation by its genial warmth, and the horticulturist has to lament the premature swelling of his fruit buds, doomed, alas ! to repeated and killing frosts in March and even in April. Indeed the month of Janua- ry is sometimes as mild here as the month of March generally is in Philadelphia. For subsoil exposed to the air, soon becomes 1 example, the mean temperature of that HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER NOTES ON ST. LOUIS. 157 month in 1845 was 41°. Ducks and geese began to fly northward, bluebirds appeared, and several shrubs put forth leaves. Coldest point 22°, warmest 71°, range 49°. The mean of February was 43° ; of March 42° ; but the range was greater in both these months than in January. Coldest point in March 20° ; warmest 74° ; range 54°. In April the mean was 64° ; coldest 30°; warm- est 85° ; range 55°. And in all the months of the year, we have sudden and great varia- tions, the thermometer often ranging 20° within two or three hours. The frosts of early April generally find the apricot, the peach, the cherry, the plum, in full bloom. I have heard some of the older inhabitants insist, that a full crop of peaches is not realized more than once in five years, ow. ing to premature blossoming. My own ex- perience is corroborative of the general fact, which also applies to apricots and nectarines. Yet some of our trees wholly escape, and are overburdened with fruit ; as is the case the present year, notwithstanding se- vere frosts near the middle of April. In 1841, the greatest cold was 6° leloio zero, January 17. The greatest heat 102°, July 13. Variation 108°. Greatest heat in February, 70° ; greatest cold, 4°. We consider a cold February and March most favorable for our fruit. The mean of Feb- ruary, 1845, was 43°. We had very little fruit that year. The mean of February, 1846, was 32°. We have an abundant crop. The greatest heat of the present unusually hot year all over the country, was 98° early in July- No rain of any consequence for more than two months. The average mean temperature of seven years prior to 1836, according to our late Association of Natural Sciences, was as follows : January, - - - - 29 . 5 February, - - - 34.5 March, - April, May, - June, July, August, - September, October, - November, December, 42. 58. 65. 73. 78. 74.6 66.9 55.8 49.2 33.7 55.2 Annual range, 108°. This is 5°. 2 hotter than what is said to be the med ium annual temperature of the whole earth. It is six or seven degrees hotter than the average temperature of London ; two or three degrees less than that of Washington city ; one or two degrees less than that of Cincinnati, Ohio, and New-Harmony, In- diana ; if the published meteorological sta- tistics of those places are correct. Only two degrees hotter than that of Philadelphia ; and eight degrees hotter than that of Bos- ton. About eleven degrees less than that of New-Orleans. Yet St. Louis has the reputation of being excessively hot. The annual and monthly range of the thermometer is much greater at St. Louis than at London or New-Orleans. It is less than at Albany and Newburgh, and much less than that at many other towns in New- York. There is more uniformity and more humidity in the climate of London than in that of St. Louis. The thermometer will indicate as high a degree of "greatest heat" at Albany in summer, as it will in St. Louis ; and in winter, it will show the " greatest cold " at Albany. But we have the great- est heat for the greatest length of time at St. Louis, and the sun's rays seem to be more direct and scorching. We have no mountains, except in the south interior part 158 HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER NOTES ON ST. LOUIS, of Missouri, while the country is compara- tivclv flat farofl'to the north and tlie south, and vast prairies stretch to the east and the west of us. The prevailing winds follow the general course of our Great Valley, modified at times by the blasts from the great plains in the west, and from the prairies and lakes to the east and northeast. Fortunately for us, the east wind does not often, for many con- tinuous days, bring to as the epidemic efflu- via which are generated in the great Sene- gambian Bottom, that stretches along the opposite shores. The average number of dry days of four years was 260 for each year ; of wet days 105; of sunshine, 314 ; of no sunshine, 51 ; of thunder storms, 53. The summer of the present year has been unusually dry, favorable for insects inju- rious to fruit, and would have proved en- tirely destructive to corn and potatoes, but for the rains of the last of August. But the year 1844 was more destructive from too much wet. I think, however, that, as we have no mountains, and the primitive forest is gradually disappearing, future observa- tions will show that the average number of dry days will increase, and that the mois- ture of our soil and the waters of our streams and small lakes will diminish. The nights of summer often fed as op- pressively hot as the days, but not always. The thermometer sometimes falls twenty degrees soon after sunset. There is, in bright moonlight nights, an extensive radia- tion from the surface of the fields. The thermometer will indicate eight or ten de- grees lower temperature at the surface, than it will at ten feet above. Dew is rapidly distilled. The night air is humid. Fogs sometimes arise, but they are not frequent. The commonest diseases of the country are bilious and remittent. New immigrants scorching sun of summer. Ague and fever are often found in the low grounds and along the river " bottoms." Where vege- tation is most lu.xuriant, there is the greatest decomposition. A vegetable diet is the most suitable for the summer months. Fruit also, in moderation, I believe to be better than animal food in warm climates. Fully ripe, and sound and healthy itself, it seems naturally adapted and intended for the use (not abuse) of man, but more particularly in that climate where the man and the fruit grow together. The following table is an approximation to the limes of the flowering, &c., of the fruit trees in St. Louis : Apricots, - - - Mar. 2 to Mar. 10. Peaches, - - - (1 17 to April 1. Cherries, - - - (( 30 to " 5. Plums, - - • u 30 to " 5. Early Apples, - Apri 5 tc " 15. Gooseberries, - (( (( Pears, - - - (( (( Winter Apples ) i( 25. Strawberries, ripe " - - May 15. Easpberries, - - - June 12. Currants, - - June 12. Cherries, - - June 12. Apricots, - - July 4. Blackberries, - - July 15. Plums, - - July 17. Siberian Crab, - - July 17. Peaches and Isabella Grapes begin to ripen early in August, and are abundant the last of that month. The Red Juneating Apple, or Early Red Margaret, sometimes bears two crops in one season, (the second inferior to the first ;) and I have seen it blooming the third time the same season. Garden Operations. — We sow seeds for early salad and cabbage under glass in Janu- can scarcely labor in the field under the | ary and February. Plant Irish potatoes for HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER NOTES ON ST. LOUIS. 159 early crop in February. Sow parsneps, car- rots, radishes, lettuce, onions, cress, and ear- ly peas in open ground last of February, or early in March. About first of April, trans- plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and plant sweet potatoes in hot- bed. Sow annuals (flowers) about first of May. Begin to cut asparagus early in April, and green peas are on our tables as early as the middle of May. We have had frosts, however, even after that time. Plant sweet potato sets about first of May. Dig early potatoes early in June. Corn of the Golden Sioux and Tuscarora kinds, and summer squash, eatable June 20. Gather garden seeds about the last of July. Early planting is essential to get crops well set before the summer drouth. Animated Nature. — Crows stay with us all winter, and roost on the shrub oaks of the rolling land back of St. Louis, in tens of thousands, flying to the east side of the river early in the morning. They are chiefly injurious to corn in the ear. Robins, Larks, Bluebirds, and Buntings, appear in the warm days of winter. Wild Pigeons some- times fly north as early as first of February. Ducks, Geese, Brant and Cranes fly north in February and March. Quails and Pin- nated Grouse are abundant all the year. Sparrowhawks are very numerous in au- tumn, and feed on large grosshoppers. Birds in variety appea'r in March. Bees are often tempted out of their hives in winter ; some years begin to work in March, and I have taken full boxes of newly made honey as early as the fifth of May. The same hive will, in favorable seasons, bear robbing three times, and throw off", perhaps, three or four swarms of young bees. Insects in count- less numbers and variety flourish from early spring till November, attacking, some of them, every kind of shrub, tree, fruit and animal. The Red Spider, the Aphis, and the Scaly Insect, infest our green-houses. The Striped Bug and others attack the Cu- curbitacecB, often destructively. The Cur- culio, the Peach-grub, and the Apple-worm, are all numerous, and in some seasons over- whelming. The Grasshopper, in summer, in dry seasons, is nearly as injurious as the locust. The Army-worm occasionally mows our meadows for us. The Gopher, or Pouched Rat, and the Mole, are injurious to our gardens ; and the former sometimes burrows under the apple tree and destroys the bark of the roots. But we are dimin- ishing the number of these little animals. Rats and mice are also numerous. We pro- tect the birds and the toads, and multiply duclfs and turkeys to aid us in our warfare against the insects. Building Materials. — Our limestone works easily, and resembles granite in color, when dressed. Lime and sand are abun- dant. White pine is brought here from the Alleghany and from Wisconsin ; yellow pine from the Missouri, the Gasconade, &c. ; cedar from the St. Peters and the Missouri ; black walnut, oak, maple, cherry, poplar, are sawed at our own mills in abundance Bricks are readily made from the clay be- neath us, and marble found in some of our quarries. You will observe, then, that our soil is good, our summers long, and our winters mild; that our climate is quite variable; that we are liable to have warm February's, and late frosts ; wet springs, and summers of drouth ; late growing autumns sud- denly terminated, and myriads of insects in great variety. We have, therefore, our ad- vantages and our discouragements. Some years then, we shall be blessed with great crops, while in others we shall be nearly destitute of any. Some of the evils to which we are exposed, are susceptible of amelioration : others are beyond our control. IGO THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEW F.D. The average results encourage us to perse- vere in planting orchards, cultivating gar- dens, and otherwise improving our estates. I inav take another occasion to spcak morc particularly of the natural productions of our forests and fields, as well as of our A actual achievements in horticulture and other rural arts. Yours, &c. Tno: 'Allei*. Crystal Springs, St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 29, 184(5. rx THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEWED. BY L. C. EATON, PROVIDENCE, R. I. [The " strawberrj^ question " seems to be the causa belli o( the day. The following article comes to us from our Providence correspondent, and we give place to it, though it is mostly of a speculative charac- ter, as perhaps representing the views of some who may differ from the opinions we maintain on this subject. We have re- ceived a great number of letters from culti- vators in different parts of the country, since the publication of our views on p. SO of this journal, expressing their assent to those views; and it is but just that there should •e a representation from those who differ from us. We have commented anew on some leading points in Mr. Eaton's article in the shape of notes which accompany it.— Ed.] Mr. Downing says, that Mr. Longworth has established, in the eyes of the world, the important fact, " that, by his favorite mode of cultivating the Strawberry, viz., by planting a due proportion of staminate and pistillate plants, double the usual crop may be always obtained." Whatever experience, as a horticulturist, M. rLongworth may have, and however much of useful information he has acquired and disseminated, he would hardly claim the credit of establishing a fact, which has been for the last twenty-five years mentioned by most of the authors upon the cultivation of fruits, and repeatedly brought into notice by communications published in our agri- cultural papers. Some cultivators in every part of the country have practiced upon it, and been successful in raising large crops.* Some, though their attention has been drawn to it, have neglected to profit by it, and others remain in total ignorance, and still continue to cultivate beds that will hardly repay their labor. The fact has been established, and the reason why it is not more generally known and practiced upon, has not, as we apprehend, been owing so much to the incredulity of botanists, as Longworth suggests, for they have little to do with cultivating fruit, as to the neglect of many of our farmers, gardeners and even nurserymen, to inform themselves upon the subject. Mr. Longworth says, that " our Euro- pean gardeners admit that the principles contended for by him, are true in this cli- mate, but still contend that, in Europe, all species are perfect in their blossoms, and * Mr. LoiifT^vortli docs not claim, and we do not claim for him, the credit of discovering this fact. It had been ascer- tained or discovered long before, m Europe. But even there, it remains to this day a disputed point, among intelligent hor- ticulturists, and is by no means established. Mr. Longworth, by continually keeping it before the public here, by testing it again and again, and more than all by the proof he has brought forward in the enormous product of the market growers of Cinciimati, who follow this mode, we consider entitled fully to the credit of having established it. A fact may be well known to a few, for a long time before it is " established in the eyes of the world.'' Fulton was not the first person who ascertained that steam might be used to propel vessels ; yet no one will dispute that he established that fact.— Ed. THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEWED. 161 there is no difference in the size and ap- pearance of the blossom, which they now admit to exist' with us." This may be the opinion of some of the European gardeners, but certainly not of all. Some of them, to our knowledge are better informed. The difference between pistillate and sta- minate plants is as well understood in Eu- rope as here, and the method of selecting a due proportion of the two as much prac- ticed upon.* It was discovered by Keene, as Mr. LoNGWORTH mentions, in 1809, and the subject Avas inquired into by the Horti- cultural Society of London in 1817. They addressed a letter to Keene, and received an answer communicating the fact. Phil- lips, shortly after, published his " Pomarium Britannicum." He speaks of Keene's me- thod of cultivating the Strawberry, and confirms the necessity of adopting it. Mr. Downing contends for the principle that most of our strawberries, in their nor- mal or original state, bear perfect flowers, and [" the large growing strawberries," Ed.] having a tendency to overbear in rich soil, run out into pistillate and staminate forms. We should judge that when he wrote his treatise upon fruits, he based his opinion upon that of Lindley ; for, though he states that where a bed of plants is barren from a deficiency of stamens, it will become productive, if male plants are set " along side," or " near by," of which Lind- ley does not speak ; yet he does not recom- mend this method, but says, "the true course is, not to waste the ground by putting out barren plants, but carefully to select, where * We think our correspondent is in error here. We never knew an English gardener who did not look upon tha whole matter as a chimera in practice ; and a pretty large and con- stant correspondence abroad, and a close acquaintance with the gardening literature of Europe, enables us to say that it is no where generally resorted to in practice on the continent. The theory of the matter is acknowledged, but Uie practice of jt is very rare. — Eo- 21 there is a tendency to sterility, only runners from the most fruitful perfect plants," and refers for authority to Lindley, who, he says, " covers the whole matter."* Lind- ley, when speaking of the distinction be- tween sterile and productive blossoms, re- fers to the Hautbois class of strawberries. From the trial he made, both by cultivating plants obtained of others, and by raising plants from the seed, he condemned the practice of selecting any sterile plants. " In the cultivation of Hautbois strawberries, it will be recommended that the plants called males should be wholly rooted up as use- less." {Lindlei/s Guide to theOrchard,p.313.) It may be possible that the varieties cultivated by him have perfect blossoms, but it seems more probable from what in- formation we can gather with regard to this class, that he only destroyed the abso- lutely sterile plants, leaving other staminate plants with the female organs so far deve- loped as generally to be productive, with- out which, however, the pistillate plants would have been wholly unproductive. He, however, speaks of no change taking place in the blossoms of the plants from rich cul- tivation or otherwise. We should presume that if such change had taken place, either with this variety or any other which he (xnl tivated, " a sound practical gardener,'* aj he was, would have noticed it. Mr. Downing, in his treatise, states that the Prolific Hautbois always bear perfect flowers. In his magazine, he omits [acci- dentally, Ed.] to class it among his enume- ration of those varieties having this charac- ter. * Our readers will understand tliat our correspondent refers to our opinion as expressed in our work on Fruit Trees. It should be remembered at the same time, however, what our correspondent seems strangely to have overlooked, that our article on " the Strawberry Question," in the August number of the Horticulturist, was written expressly to state our own change qf opinion regju'ding tlie practical value of the fertiliz- ing plan. Horticulture is not yet a perfected but a progressive science, and we are in favor of progress. — Ed. 162 THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEWED. Mr. Prince speaks of " some varieties of the HaulLiois Sirawberries being perfect in both organs, and producing very large fruit." Mr. LoiNGWoRTii is confident that he is in an error. The La Grange, he supposes [right- ly, Ed.] to be the same as the Musk or the Prolific, and he says he has "heard intelligent cultivators contend all the blossoms were per- fect in both organs, and always bore full crops. Such is not the fact ; but in some seasons a large portion of the blossoms are wholly barren, or bear small defective fruit, aiid would, to a casual observer, be supposed to be a7i abimdaiit bearer. ^^ This difference of opinion has led us to examine farther into the written history of this class.* James Worth of Pennsylvania, in a com- munication to the American Farmer, Vol. 5, p. 10. (1S23,) says : " In some species, par- ticularly the JIauthois, the barren and fruit- ful plants are separate," and should be ap- portioned. A correspondent of the same paper, Vol. 6, page 19S, (1824,) says that " the Hautbois is the only strawberry I ever met with which has male and female plants ; all others which 1 have seen are hermaphro- dites," and speaks of the necessity of set- ling out a due proportion of male plants. A correspondent of the same paper, in a communication published in Vol. 7, p. 56, complains of the barrenness of this variety, and refers for instruction to the communica- tion last mentioned, as coming from the best horticulturist in the state (Maryland.) A correspondent writing from the District of Columbia to the same paper, in a commani- catioii published in Vol. 7, page 60, says : " It is only in the Hautbois variety that any * If the -writer of this article were familiar with this class of Strawberries — the Hautbois — he would easily understand ■what, only reasoning from the wTitings of others, now puzzles him. Most of the HautboL* are strikingly defective in their bloesoms, and have therefore been abandoned by many per- sons as difficult of cultivation. The Prolific Hautbois is an exception, and usually gives good crops — the blossoms being DMirly perfect.— Ed. difficulty is experienced on account of the sexual difTcrence in the plants. It differs from the character (believed to be common to all other varieties) inasmuch as ils female flower at least is an imperfect hermaphrodite, imperfect as to the male organs. On in- spection, the filaments appear thicker and shorter than in the Scarlet and other straw- berries, and the anthers are small and efTele; and experience proves that the flowers are of themselves barren, or at least produce small and juiceless fruit. The germ is of the proper size, and is found, when properly impregnated, to be fruitful. In the male plant, the filaments are larger and more erect than in the common strawberry, and they have the anthers perfect and the germ small- er. This, too, is believed to be what bota- nists term an imperfect hermaphrodite, but predominates in the male organs as the others predominate in the female organs. In practice it is well known to the observ- ing horticulturist, that there being of this plant but a small proportion of males to fe- males, the beds will, if nature is left to her- self, be in a great part barren." These figures accompanied the communi- cation, and we presume them to be correct. Fig. 44. Slaminate Flower. Fig. 45. Pistillate Flower. [We give the figures, though scarcely to be recognized as strawberry blossoms. — Ed.] Both flowers had all the organs necessary to produce fruit, plainly developed, but each were imperfect. In the blossoms of every THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEWED. 163 variety of strawberries which we have ex- amined, the organs of both sexes are al- ways present, though in different degrees ; yet in some instances, one or the other is so partially deficient in number and size, as to be imperceptible to the naked eye. The cuts accompanying the last number of the Cultivator, give a correct delineation of those organs when examined by a microscope, and plainly show how much they differ in length, size, and form, in distinct plants even of the same class. When raised from the seed, the plants have distinct and different orga- nization. Some may be so far destitute of pistils as to be sterile, or have them in so imperfect a form as to possess but little fer- tilizing power. Others may have them in such a degree as occasionally to produce small and indifferent fruit ; others may have a better proportion, but still not be uniform- ly productive ; and others may be so far destitute of stamens, as to be wholly unpro- ductive without the aid of staminate plants, and may be more or less productive, as the staminate plants used with them differ more or less in the development of their fertiliz- ing qualities. We see no reason to doubt [the existence] of any variety of strawber- ries, since the proportion of both organs varies so much in different plants, that a plant may be produced having the organs equally well proportioned, and thus be per- fect.* If it should not be selected and kept by itself, but cultivated with other seedlings raised with it, horticulturists would differ as to the character of the new variety from cultivating beds more or less fruitful, and having plants of a different organization. * Here our correspondent is perfectly correct in his views. What are called male and female strawberry plants, or stami- uate and pistillate, are not so, strictly speakin;?, like those of real dioecious plants, such as the Osage Orange and the Buffalo Berry ; but only apparently so, as we stated in our work on Fruits. The organs are always present in all strawberry blos- soms ; but in wliat appear to be pistillate blossoms the stamens are only rudimentary, or partially developed, and vie* versa- Ed. We examined blossoms of the Hovey's Seedling last spring, and whilst we found a large share of the blossoms undoubtedly pistillate, we also found a few differing from the pistillate form, yet not so much as to constitute what we should suppose to be perfect flowers. Whether every variety was perfect in its normal state is one question, and whether a perfect plant changes is another ; and what varieties are perfect, and what otherwise, is also another subject of inquiry. That certain varieties have a tendency, when highly cultivated, to v^ry from their normal state, seems to us very improbable. Our Avild species produce flowers both sta- minate and pistillate, whether springing up in rich or poor soil, whether growing upon the barren hill-side or the fertile meadow. When the seeds of strawberries are sown, plants are produced of each description. This fact is shown by the experiments of LiNDLEY,and, we are confident, would be con- firmed by the experience of everj' observing cultivator, who has had occasion to test it. The condition of the soil has nothing to do with this natural difl^erence of or- ganization. Why high cultivation should not produce the same effect with every va- riety equally productive, according to their organic strength, we are at a loss to deter- mine.* The Large Early Scarlet, for instance, which in the article in the Horticulturist, is * We fear this is the reasoning of a special pleader, rather than that of a scientific investigator. Our correspondent, if ho pursue his examinations further into the kingdom of nature, win "be at a loss to determine" the cause of many unex- plained anomalies. The Pear, the Apple, and the Quince, are all nearly allied in structure — so much so as to be considered as belonging to one genus, by the older botanists. Why is it that three thousand years of cultivation, which has transformed the crab and the chnlcc-pear into so many hundred delicious va- rieties, has not yet had the effect of making a single sort of quince a really eatable fruit ? Why is it that bog earth will cause the flowers of one species of Hydrangea to change to a fine blue, and not affect those of any other ? The Boston Nectarine was raised from a peach stone ; why does not every peach stone produce a nectarine ? — Ed. 164 THE SxliAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEWED. called perfect, is a regular, very abundant, and excellent bearer, as much so as any other scarlet. Why has not the same cause produced the same effect upon this as upon the other varieties of the same class ? That over luxuriance should result in sterility, might be quite probable ; but, according to Downing, far from any exhaustion of the productive powers taking place, " some va- rieties bear finer and more abundant crops than they did in their natural state ;"* the vigor of the plants is unimpaired, and when a bed is formed by a proper selection of each, and cultivated in a rich soil, the plants have a stronger tendency to over- bear, and therefore a stronger tendency to change from their condition, than when in iheir normal state. In support of the opinion of a change in the organization of this fruit, can any ana- logous case be shown ? If it be an anoma- ly, the proof to establish it should be clear and positive. t * Mr. E. does not quote us quite fairly. In our article on the Strawberry Question, p. 86, we have stated distinctly that a variety having become pistillate, is so imperfect in one of its productive powers — the stamens — that it requires the aid of other plants to fertilize its blossoms. It is only when this de- fect is supplied most fully, by an artificial system of fertilizing the otherwise sterile blossoms, that it bears more abundantly than in the natural state. — Ed. t There are many examples of this " change of organiza- tion" in other plants. The blos-soms of the common Hydran- gea, as we usually see them, are entirely sterile. There is not a trace of stamens or pistils. But when this plant is growoi in very poor and dry soil, the small and perfect normal blossoms are produced, which have pistils and stamens in abundance. Last season, a very dry one, a large plant in our garden bore numerous clusters of perfect flowers. On the lawn near our own house, stands a large and fine spe- cimen of Blagnolia conspicua. In China, its native country, it bears seed abundantly. Here, though perfectly hardy and flowering every year profusely, only two or three pistils in a capsule are fertilized, and swell into seeds. The rest are abor- tive. The Tulip Tree of our forests, for the first ten or fifteen years after commencing to bloom, bears false or lioUow seeds. In the older trees, the fructifying powers assume a more com- plete form, and the seeds borne are all perfect. The cultiva- tor of exotics is familiar \vith this change in plants introduced here from warmer climates ; hence he fertilizes the blossoms of Camellias, Cacti, and numberless other genera, when he vrishes to raise large and perfect seeds. Now the PiTie Straw- Mr. Downing gives us the result of his observations for the past two seasons, rela- tive to his beds of the Ross' Phoenix and Hovey's Seedlings. We would premise that he admits thai the pistillate or staminateform once reached, is permanent. He says that " last season was the first that an isolated bed, in his garden, of Hovey's Seedling came into bearing. Being fully alive to the interest which this subject has assumed, we exa- mined this bed daily Avhen it was in blos- som. As we have before staled, the blos- soms were all perfect, large, well developed, and bearing a due proportion of stamens and pistils. With a careful search, we were only able to discover two plants that bore pistillate flowers. Every plant bore flowers and fruit. When the same plants came in- to bloom in May, we watched the opening of the blossoms with a great deal of inte- rest. When the bed was fully in bloom, we discovered that more than one-third of the plants bore only pistillate blossoms. Of the remaining two-thirds, many bore perfect blossoms, as they had done previously, while a few also bore imperfect staminate blossoms ;" and he predicts that next year, the bed will have clianged almost entirely to pistillate plants ; and he also states " the same result occurred in a bed of Eoss' Phoe- nix , and that in another part of the garden berries, (the class to wliich Hovey's Seedling belongs,) are originally from a warmer climate than our own, and their fructifying organs are liable to the same general laws of varia- tion when introduced into a di/Terent climate. The Dutch florists would give our correspondent a familiar proof of a change in the parts of plants. A grower of tulips raises a large bed of seedlings. AVhen the bulbs first come into bloom, they show only plain or self-colored blossoms. But the florist does not despair; he calls these plain tulips his breeders. He cultivates them patiently, and by and by, per- haps in a year, perhaps ui several year.s, the plain and uni- formly colored flower breaks out into a new sort, of the great- est variety and brilliancy of color. This variety, having once attained a new and distinct character of blossom, does not fall back again into the normal form, but takes its place among the select variegated sorts. — Ed. THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION REVIEWED. 165 a bed of Hovey's Seedling, that has borne for three years, has become entirely pistil- late." How did it happen that if perfect plants will entirely change in three years or less to pistillate and staminate forms, that he was so fortunate in 1844 or 184-5 as to have beds entirely composed of such plants as these two varieties ? The Ross Phcenix was raised in 1837, and the Hovey's Seedling has been cultiva- ted for twelve years. If it takes but three years only to change their organization, would it not be reasonable to presume that the perfect plants would have long since been entirely extinct ? Those who cultiva- ted these varieties, immediately after they ■were raised from the seed, we presume, cultivated them upon as " rich soil " as that upon which Mr. Downing planted his beds, and raised probably as large crops ; why did not the perfect blossoms assume a diffe- rent form under their management, before any plants reached his hands ? Supposing even that some few perfect plants, by not having been " cultivated in rich soil," or not having been allowed to " overbear," still remained, it would be singular that there should be entire beds of them in 1844 or 1845. Whence were they obtained ? Has Mr. Downing, or any other person, for years cultivated these varieties upon poor soil, to prevent the perfect plants plants from running out ? L. c. e. rrovicloice, August 20, 184G. Additional Note by the Editor. — AVe think we can very readily throw some light on this latter point, which seems so difficult of solution to our friend. In the first place, we may repeat that when once the normal state of a strawberry is that of perfect blossoms, as we consider Hovey's Seedling to have been, it requires that the plants should bear two to four years upon the same bed before the offsets would also assume a pistillate form. Now, every one knows that a new variety of strawberry as popular as this has been, is not one which is likely to be allowed by gardeners and nurserymen to remain long in the same bed. On the contrary, the demand for Hovey's Seedling has scarcely been supplied by con- tinually taking off the runners, and making new plantations, as fast as they were formed. It is evident, therefore, supposing a bed to bear perfect flowers the first season, that, according to our views, if a new bed vifere formed with the runners of that summer,and again another fresh plantation made from the off-sets of those runners the succeeding year, that the original perfect condition could be and is preserved. In short we be- lieve as Ave before said, a strawberry, which is at first productive and perfect in its blos- soms, may, by renewing it by fresh planta- tion, made from off-sets taken from beds that have borne but once, be preserved forever in a perfect state. Hovey's Seedling is now in this condition in many hands. But in the majority of cases, in private gardens, having been allowed to bear continuous crops, it has assumed perma- nently the pistillate form, and now requires to be fertilized by other sorts. The reason why we now recommend the plan of making beds of pistillate and sta- minate plants, instead of the perfect ones, as we did in our work on fruits, are these : JTirst, Because, for reasons stated in our article in the August number, we are satis- fied that a bed of pistillates, fertilized by staminates, Avill be more permanently and uniformly productive. Second, and chiefly, Because it require? more care and attention to renew a straw- berry plantation every second year than the majority of our cultivators are willing to bestow. A fine crop this year, is the strong- 166 REMARKS ON THREE STANDARD FRUITS. est temptation to leave the same bed till the next season. The bed originally bear- ing perfect blossoms, thus becomes barren by the mere exhaustion caused by overbear- ing, while in the other case, it can only be- come barren when the plants are absolutely in want of proper nourishment from the soil. Hence what we call Mr. Longworth's mode, requires the least care and attention, and gives the largest and most certain crops. One word more. The only important point of the " Strawberry Question " seems to be pretty thoroughly settled now — that is, the advantage of fertilizing the pistillate varieties. We scarcely know an intelligent cultivator in the country, who has given the subject careful attention, that is not now convinced of its value. The other point — that of the variation of certain sorts from a perfect to a pistillate form, is one of comparatively little value. in a practical point of view. There are se- veral horticulturists, and among others, Mr. LoNGWouTH, who differ from us regarding this. It is idle to attempt to settle such a mat- ter by argument. Nothing, when facts are required, will convince those who have not seen, but the facts themselves. We therefore propose to send to the Mas- sachusetts Horticultural Society, next sea- son, a few pots containing plants of Hovey's Seedling in bloom. Those who oppose the theory' of^ variation say that this variety now is, and always has been, a pistillate sort. We propose to show it to them in a perfect form — that is to say, with an abundance of stameTis and pistils. If we do so, (and this ihs Society's co^nm'ttee shall decide,) then we shall consider the theory of variation established. If not, then we will admit that it falls to the ground. — Ed. REMARKS ON THREE STANDARD FRUITS. Our readers are already aware that while it is our desire to make this journal the ve- hicle of information respecting every thing that is new, and really valuable, among fruits and flowering plants, it is still more strong- ly our wish to extend as much as possible the knowledge of -uch varieties as have been tested here, and really proved to be standard sorts, rather than such as are yet perhaps only to be classed among the specu- lations of dealers in trees and plants. We shall therefore continue, from time to time, our remarks on this subject, commenced in the July number. I. huling's superb plum. It is remarkable how little this fine plum is known. It is not enumerated in the Cata- logue of the Horticultural Society of Lon- don ; and it exists only in a {ew collections in this country. Still it is at least twenty years since it originated, and the first des- cription of the fruit given by the elder PRINCE, in his " Short Treatise on Horti- culture," was published in 1828, It was stated truly, in that work, that " it is larger than the Washington," and it was considered at that time to hold " the first in rank among plums." One of the members of the fruit com- mittee of the Boston Horticultural Society remarked to us, a year ago, that Huling's Superb could not really be a fruit of merit, else why should it even now be so little known in the country? The truth is, for a long time this variety REMARKS ON THREE STANDARD FRUITS. 167 was almost lost, and existed in many col- lections merely by name. Eight or ten years ago, we succeeded in obtaining a tree of it in Philadelphia, after a long search in gardens elsewhere. We fruited it, satisfied ourselves of its high merit, and have since had the pleasure of distributing many trees of this variety. Fig. 46. Huling's Superb Plum. Huling's Superb is one of the most striking and remarkable plums. When fully grown, it is of the largest size, measuring six inches in circumference. The tree is very distinct and remarkable in its growth — the leaves being very broad and large, and the shoots peculiarly stout and blunt, and with a large shoulder (or swelling) behind each bud. The growth is thrifty, and the young branches downy. The description in our work on fruit trees not being complete of this variety, we here subjoin another, drawn up with the fruit be- fore us.* * It is quite delightful to correct ourself one of the errors, which the ardent pomologists of the new school have not yet been able, with all their industry, to detect in our Ftmxu and Fruit very large, roundish oval, with a distinct though shallow suture. Stalk strong and stout, about an inch long, swollen at its junction with the tree; set in a round small cavity. Skin rather dull greenish- yellow, thinly covered with pale bloom. Flesh greenish-yellow not very fine grained, but with a rich, brisk, sprightly flavor, less sweet, but higher flavored than the Wash- ington : it adheres to the stone. It ripens at the middle of August, and is an excellent bearer. Huling's Superb is not equal in flavor to the Jefferson, ^ which has this season again fully sustained its high character with us) ; but it is altogether a noble fruit, and we commend it especially to every grower of the plum who has the good strong soil which this fruit tree delights in. II. THE BLACK PRINCE STRAWBERRY This remarkably excellent variety has been before noticed by us, and we now give a portrait of the fruit as grown here the past season. The Black Prince Strawberry is not a new variety in England, though it is yet very little known in America. It was described in the Horticultural Transactions and in Lindley's " Guide to the Orchard," fifteen or more years ago, as a " very dark violet fruit, with a solid flesh, rich and high flavored." It is not now ranked as first rate in the London Society's Catalogue ; but this may perhaps arise from its not thriving well in the neighborhood of London. Keene's Seedling, which is still, almost unanimous- Fruit Trees of America. The Huling's Superb Plum is a cling- stone. We had a fine crop of this fruit three or four years before we prepared that work, but since that time wc found our notes were not complete respecting this fruit. Both the Prince'.' described it, but were silent on this head. AVc c\. deavored to obtain some specimens in the summer of 19 1 J without success, and wrote to three cultivators who had grown it, but they could not settle the point. We therefore staled, on our remembrance, that il was a freestone. Pomona forgive U9 ! It shall be corrected in our next — the seventh — edition. 168 REMARKS ON THREE STANDARD FRUITS Fig. 47. The Black Prince Strawberry. ly placed at the head of strawberries in England, would have but a small vote in its favor for general cultivation by horticultu- rists in the United States. Our climate, which is quite unsuited to it, is perfectly congenial to other varieties, and the pre- sent among them. The Black Prince Strawberr}' we receiv- ed from England about five years ago. Since that time it has been grown in our gardens, under the most indifferent, as well as under the best culture — on common soil, and on soil well prepared by trenching. It has been left fully exposed at all seasons, and in unsheltered places; and we, therefore, feel warranted in saying, that for hardiness, abundant product, and especially high-fla- vored fruit, it is not surpassed by any va- riety that has been tested in this country. In winters, when nearly all the large Pine strawberries, left uncovered, have been more or less injured, this has not suffered in the least. The blossoms of the Black Prince are all distinctly pistillate. When planted near ;i bed of Early Scarlet, Duke of Kent, or Early Virginia, (sorts with an abundance of stamois,) every blossom, therefore, sets, and becomes a large and finely formed fruit. In regular and abundant crops, it surpasses every large-fruited variety that we have seen. In high flavor, we consider the Black Prince as standing unrivalled in this climate. We speak now chiefly of its quality as REMARKS ON THREE STANDARD FRUITS. 169 grown in this state. It has not yet been sufficiently tested in the East and West to enable us to speak positively of its merits there ; but its exceedingly hardy character affords us the best reason for believing it will prove equally so in those sections of our country. The leaf oi this variety of strawberry is large, symmetrically formed; smooth, ra- ther flat and handsome ; the color dark, but not glossy on the upper surface. The fruit is always large, but scarcely of the largest size ; always very regularly formed, ovate, depressed. The color is a deep purplish- red, much darker than that of any othe ■ Pine strawberry, and the surface of the fruit is very glossy or polished, with the seeds slightly imbedded. The flesh is solid, firm, dark red, and unusually rich and high fla- vored. The footstalks of the leaves are quite downy. It ripens about the medium season. in. THE TRUE RED ANTWERP RASPBERRY, We are induced to give an engraving of this most excellent standard sort, because even now the genuine Dutch variety is yet comparatively little known, except around Boston and New- York. Four or five culti- vators of fruits, having good collections, have sent us, late.y, specimens of the small Fig. 48. The Spurious Red Antwerp. and indifferent berry so generally known by this name, asking us to say if such were 22 the true Ked Antwerp ? It is a small and very inferior fruit, fig. 48, entirely unworthy of cultivation. The true Red Antwerp is correctly shown in the accompanying illustration, fig. 49. It is every way a fruit of the highest merit, very large, a regular and abundant bearer, of high flavor, and will not, we think, be displaced from our gardens by any new sort. Its fruit is very regularly conical, rather longer and more regularly shaped than that of any other sort. An opinion of a new fruit cannot be said to be fixed, till it is based upon trials made in various parts of the country. Since the publication of our account of the Fastolff Raspberry, we have received the following note from a higly respectable fruit-grower, near New- York, who raises the raspberry extensively for market. The writer is one whose opinion is one of weight, and his remarks are to the point at the present mo- ment. " I have read your article on the new English raspberry — the Fastolff. I raise the raspberry largely for market, and hav- ing about one hundred good sets of the Fastolff in full bearing, can give an opinion with probably as much confidence as any body else in this country. " The Fastolff is a very fine fruit, and merits all you say of it. But I do not think it, at least for my purposes, equal on the whole to the real old Red Antwerp, which I have long grown a great quantity of. The Fastolff is not much, if at ail larger than the Antwerp, with the same adtivat'wn •* it is nut richer to the taste ; and it has for the market grower the defect of being a soft fruit. In other words, it will not bear car- riage well. The real Red Antwerp is not injured by being picked or carried to mar- * Vou know liow a new sort of fruit is always nursed and stimulated into large size. 170 TRANSPLANTING TREES IN SUMMER. Fig. 49. The True Red Antwerp Raspberry.* ket. It cannot be beaten for product, and I am sure will, in the long run, be considered the more worthy of cultivation of the two sorts." The foregoing opinion is doubtless based upon the truth. The Fastolff, though a splendid fruit, will not bear carriage well. We think, however, that it is a somewhat larger fruit, and it appears, so far as we have tried it, rather the hardier of the tAvo, but this is not yet fully established. At any rate, there are no tioo varieties of the small- er fruits better worth a place in the garden than these. A Successful Mode of Transplanting Trees in Summer. BY S. G. PERKINS, BOSTON. lTo the following article, from the pen of i of our readers, as one of unusual novelty S. G. Pekkins, Esq., we ask the attention and interest. • Our fijrure. in llie July number, of ihe Fastolff Raspberry, Mr. PeRKINS, aS OUr readers are alread\ tras ver>- badly executed. In outline it shows tiie genuine g^are, we esteem as a Veteran horticultu- fruit correctly, as it appears in common garden culture; but _ . j t. u the engraver failed in the cut as a portrait of the fruit. j "St, whoSO practice IS nOt SUrpaSSed by' that TRANSPLANTING TREES IN SUMMER. 171 of any other person in the country. Last season, when we examined his interesting garden, near Boston, we were particularly struck by the trees alluded to in this article. Some of them had been transplanted in full leaf the same season ; others the pre- vious summer; yet, to our astonishment, they had as luxuriant, and almost as fruit- ful an appearance as if they had never been disturbed. Our readers will be struck with the appa- rent simplicity of Mr. Perkins' process. We may remark, however, that it is the simpli- city of profound knowledge. Novices, therefore, ought to be told that it is supposed by so skilful a practical man as our corres- pondent, that the transplanter who under- takes to follow his mode, is a man who knows his business, and has the same re- spect (or fibrous roots, that a pious monk of the fifteenth century had for a fragment of the true cross. We have never heard of any success on the other side of the Atlantic in transplant- ing trees in full growth. Notwithstanding this, and the fact that our climate is by no means a very favorable one for transplant- ing, Mr. Perkins' success, by this — his own mode, is complete and satisfactory. Though it may not be of such general utility, as to take the place of spring and autumn plant- ing, yet there are numerous instances where it will be of great value. — Ed.] Dear Sir — In the spring of 1844, 1 intend- ed to remove a small pear tree from my pri- vate nursery to one of the quarters in my gar- den ; but being too much out of health to attend to my garden, I forgot or neglected to have it done. The latter part of May, when the trees were in full leaf, I was passing through my grounds, and casting my eye on the tree in question, it brought to mind my omission, and that I had lost a year in filling up the spot in the quarter where I intended to plant it. The tree was very vigorous, about four and a half or five feet high, grafted on a quince stock, and of a kind of which I had no duplicate ; and I was, therefore, desirous of giving it a better situation than the one it occupied. While thinking of my blunder, it occurred to me that the tree might be re- moved then, in full leaf, if proper care was used in preparing it beforehand. I accord- ingly called my man " Patrick," and direct- ed him to cut a trench round the tree as deep as its roots went into the ground, and about three or four inches wide. This be- ing done, I had the trench filled with water, and covered over to prevent the earth from getting into it. In this state the tree was left between thirty and forty hours, when the ball of earth round its roots was found to be very firm and solid, so that the tree could be removed with perfect security ; and it was actually done with perfect suc- cess, so much so that ihe tree never stopped growing, and made considerable wood dur- ing the summer. I soon after, about June 1st, removed several other pear, peach, and apricot trees with the most complete success. Encouraged by this success, I removed on the 18th of June, 1844, ten trees to a trellis that I had recently made, viz., four plums, four peaches, and two apricots, all of which grew rapidly that year, and so filled the trellis, that I was obliged to take the peaches away this summer, 1845, in the early part of August, and place them on another trellis which 1 had built. I continued, during the summer of 1844, to remove trees in full leaf, and some with the fruit on them, until the middle of Sep- tember, and out of seventy-six trees removed I lost only six — seventy having succeeded perfectly. One tree that was removed con- trary to my advice, after having been pre- 172 TRANSPLANTING TREES IN SUMMER. pared only twenty-four hours, lost tlie earth in part from its roots, and after lingering some time died. The reason of this was, that time was not given for the superabun- dant water to be discharged from the ball, and it of course was not as firmly consoli- dated as it would have been, had it been left six or eight hours longer, before it was taken up. My gardener now became a con- vert to mj' system, and had what he calls a "turban" made to tie round the ball before it is removed. This has been very serviceable, for with the aid of this cloth, we can remove balls so large, that they re- quire three strong men to lift them. This year, 1845, I have removed, during the summer, many fine trees with the fruit on them, with perfect success ; some of them were peaches, trained trees, five and six feet high, and spreading six and eight feet on the trellis. The advantage of removing young trees in summer, when they are growing vigorous- ly, over that of removing them in the spring or autumn, is as follows : If you remove in the spring or autumn, you must either uncover the roots, or you must remove them with a ball of earth. If you uncover the roots, you put the tree back a year; but you have the advantage of see- ing and cutting out all the bad roots ; if you do not uncover the roots to examine them, you are liable to have your tree fall off and die during the summer, from the defective state of its roots. But if you remove the tree in the summer, at any time from the last of May to September, when it is grow- ing vigorously, you may be sure that the roots are good, and the tree will never cease growing, if the precautions here mentioned are observed in its preparation. Hence, I find trees removed this summer, 1S45, with the fruit attached to them, have gone on to complete the growth commenced before removal, and to increase the size and mature the fruit as if they had not been transplanted ; and these trees will, I have no doubt, bear a full crop of fruit next year, if they are permitted to do so. Whereas, if the trees had been removed in the spring, and the roots stripped or laid bare, they could not have been permitted to bear at all this year, and but little fruit the next, without injury to the trees. Peaches, plums, and pears on quince stocks, bear transplanting in this way in the summer, without stopping their growth, provided they are vigorous thrifty growing trees at the time they are taken up. When standard trees are transplanted in the fall or autumn, it is best to support Fig. 50. Conical mound to support a transplanted tret. them with a cone of earth, about twelve or eighteen inches high, according to the size of the tree. (See fig. 50.) This mode is far preferable to staking, as it supports them in an upright position without chafing the tree, as a stake is apt to do ; besides the earth covers and protects the newly planted roots from the effects of the winter's frost, which will heave them, if the ground be moist, unless they are well mulched or cov- ered with litter. Standard trees, when transplanted in the autumn in the ordinary way, will be found CULTURE OF THE ROSE. 173 in the spring' perfectly upright, if treated in this manner, and the earth may be then levelled, and the tree will remain firm in its position. ***** The foregoing is an extract from my me- moranda of practice, and was written last autumn. I have only to add now that my anticipations regarding the success of the trees referred to have been entirely realized. They are as fruitful and luxuriant as I could desire. I will remark also, in addi- tion, that I have found the best mode of watering the trees after removal, is to leave a narrow trench open, outside of the extre- mity of the roots, (after the tree is planted;) which being poured full of water, and left twenty-four hours before being filled with earth, will greatly promote the growth of the newly transplanted tree, without disturbing the ball which surrounds the roots. Respectfully, S. G. Perkins, Brookline. near Botton, Sept. 2, 1846. Climbing and Pole Roses for Hardy Culture.* BY ROSA, OF PHILADELPHIA. Beauty, or Queen of the Prairies, is un- questionably as yet the best of the Prairie family ; in rich mellow soil, it will grow twenty feet in a season, and is admirably adapted for either a column, pillar, or arbor. Its perfectly cupped, rosy-lilac flowers are produced in clusters ; the petals have fre- quently a stripe of white, and bear the hot sun without injury. Purple or Perpetual Prairie, if highly cultivated, will frequently produce a succes- sion of flowers. In color, it is a few shades darker than the former ; the flowers are not so large, neither so well cupped, though perfectly double. Madam Laffay, hybrid perpetual. Bloom- ing three or four times in the season, of a bright rosy-red color ; large, perfectly form- ed ; fragrant ; with its large, rich, luxuriant foliage, is peculiarly attractive. I have a pillar of it six feet high, and even when out of bloom its dark shining green is very agreeable. Cerisette, hybrid Chiyia. Bright red ; very double ; neat form ; grows freely ; flow- * Continued from page 30. ers very profusely, and though blooming only once in the season, is very attractive in any collection. FuLGENS, hybrid China, inclines to a bright scarlet, with a tinge of carmine co- lor ; perfect cupped form ; medium size ; fragrant ; of rather slender growth, unless under very stimulating culture, when it makes strong wood that produces an abun- dance of bloom, but if severely pruned, will not show a flower. Gloire de Rosemene, Bourbon, I notice for its profusion and continual succession of bloom, of nearly a bright scarlet color ; though only half double, yet on the lawn, pleasure ground, or in the distance, it forms a brilliant object ; grows freely. Brennus, hybrid China. This old favo- rite is not so extensively known as it de- serves. Its bright scarlet-crimson flowers, exceedingly double ; in size, the superlative degree ; grows luxuriantly ; continues a considerable time in bloom, and whether in bud, or full blown, is always perfect. Boursault elegans, or Amadis, generally the first flower of the season ; its very long flexile shoots adapt it admirably for an n4 CULTURE OF THE ROSE. arbor, or to cover any disagreeable object ; when in bloom, it is one mass of shaded crimson-purple ; very hardy, growing in any situation. RussELLiANA, or CoTTAGE RosE, is another luxuriant growing rose, and will form a py- ramid from the base to the summit of great beauty ; the colors are scarlet, rich crimson and purple ; the flowers are double, and produced in large clusters. It also makes a good stock for buddingother varieties upon. Prince Albert, hybrid perpetual. A ce. lebrated rose of perfect form, large and fra- grant, of a purple or rich crimson color, ac- cording to the season ; a constant bloomer in rich soil ; grows luxuriantly, quite hardy ; makes a fine pillar of six or eight feet, and indispensable in the smallest collection. Rivers' George the 'povkih, hybrid China. Every person, pardon me, every lover of roses, has heard of George the Fourth. With few equals, and none to surpass it of its color, it grows freely with me, though I pre- sume it will be rather tender in a more nor- thern latitude. The flowers are full four inches in diameter, of a very rich crimson color ; in profusion ; makes an elegant pil- lar of about ten feet high. Vandael, hybrid China, in size and form is similar to the Brennus ; of a rich, shaded violet-crimson color ; quite fragrant ; grows luxuriantly ; greatly admired. Violet de Belgique is also a hybrid China, of a coquettish character, being some seasons of a crimson-violet color, while in others of a rich bluish-violet (approaching to what has been often said to exist, a blue rose — a color that we never expect to see in the family ;) flowers of medium size, very perfect, fragrant and quite desirable ; with a little stretch of the imagination may be called a blue rose. Belle Theresa, hybrid China. The darkest of Roses, but to show its color re- quires to be kept from the sun. The flow- ers are under medium size, produced in pro- fuse clusters of rich dark purple-crimson ; a rampant grower. King of Hybrids, or Saunder Panache, is as yet the only striped rose of this pillar- ing family ; perfectly double, cup formed, of a bright rose color, distinctly and invaria- bly striped or spotted with blush-white ; grows freely, but if pruned severely will not produce a blossom. It will, I doubt, be too tender for very cold latitudes, though perfectly hardy hffre. The above are descriptions from nature, feebly given I admit, though accurate in the whole. Priming is of vast importance in procuring a profuse bloom — even many- practical men show very little knowledge in pruning the different classes of the Rose. The shoots of those now described may at any time be thinned out, where too thickly crowded together. Any time from Novem- ber to March, (or farther north, in March or April,) give them a general pruning by cut- ting back about ont-third off" the extremity of the shoots. The tender sorts are greatly benefitted by a slight protection of spruce, cedar or fir branches. Good cultivators al- ways cover the roots with leaves, manure, or any convenient litter during winter, and enrich the ground every spring with tho- roughly decomposed manure or leaf-mould from the woods. Rosa. Preservation of apples. — The use of dry sand was recommeuded by the late Noah through the winter. When packed in it the flavor is not lost, and all mustiness aris Webster, as excellent for preserving apples ing from evaporation of moisture prevented USE AND ABUSE OF GUANO. 175 ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF GUANO. BY THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE BUFFALO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Much as has been said and written, pro and con, as to the merits of guano as a fertilizer, still, as an amateur florist, I would beg your permission to add my experience to the list. I would ask leave, at the outset, to say a few words of censure to very many profes- sional florists, whom I have met and con- versed with on this subject ; and who were deeply prejudiced against its use. One says, " I have used guano, and it has burn- ed up my plants." Another: " It has not met my expectations, and therefore I find it useless." The most patriotic objector is a writer in the Agriculturist, who exclaims, " 'TVs a national sin to be importing foreipi fertilizers,'''' &c,, &c. Upon inquiring as to their mode of application, the sequel is soon told ! Some have used it in a crude state, merely intermixing a quantity with the sur- face soil in the pot, as a top-dressing ; ano- ther has sprinkled the surface only, and left its essential volatile parts to evaporate. Others mixed it with water till it reached the color of Brown Sto7it, and kept the soil saturated, and even, in some cases, syringed the plants with it. And others, again, adopt- ed the principle, that if little was good, much must be better. And thus it is, that one of the greatest aids to the green-house and conservator}'-, has been anathematized and condemned, from ignorance and misapplica- tion, by the very individuals that should, and would, under proper management, be highly benefitted by it. And while here I might stop to lament the fact, that so few of our florists and gar- deners are sufficiently educated and liberal to draw conclusions, and judge aright any innovation in the routine of their labors, which the skill and genius of the few may produce for their benefit. Many of them are good practical mechanical men ; they can mix a compost according to the old receipt, and grow tolerably well the plant, but phy- siologically and theoretically know but little of either plant or compost. A professional florist showed me the other day, a pot sowed with tender and valuable seed, which was placed immediately under the glass in order to get light, that it might assist and ensure its germination ! not recognizing nature's forcible lesson of fallen leaves, &c., to hide and shade the seed from light, which would retard those chemical changes so necessary to stimulate its vital powers into action. Another was sorry that he had dabbled with books ; he would not give a fig for all the periodicals in the country to assist him ; he cultivated better before he began to read, than he has since ; and dates his bad luck from the period when he began to read books and use guano ! These then are the oppo- sers of guano, and I assure \'0u the illustra- tions are not over-wrought pictures, but ema- nating from men who have extensive ranges of both glass and grounds. They seem to adhere rigidly to the old maxim, " This is the field my father grew his barley in, that his oats; I do so likewise." My experiments prove satisfactorily to me, that if a plant is in a proper medium to grow, that is, sufficient light and heat, with a light loamy soil for its roots to work in, the judicious application of guano will make it perform miracles, compared to any other fertilizer that can be applied to it. It seems to give new energy to every part; the vital forces of the plant are directly acted upon ; the obscure axillary buds, that have lain dormant, now burst, and the plant puts 176 USE AND ABUSE OF GUANO. on its utmost luxuriousness of dark green foliage. I have noticed a fact which strongly proves the power of guano in inducing a vigorous flow of sap. Many of my Gera- niums, that had lain dormant for months, upon being stimulated with guano, threw out adventitious buds, clusters of leaf, stem, flower buds, &c., all in a hard knotted ball, varying in size from that of a pea to a com- mon marble, greatly to the surprise of those persons who had never before seen such specimens. A Calla ethiopica, in an eight quart pot, by being grown in a damp, warm place, and watered regularly with guano water, twice per week, (using in the water the full of a teaspoon of the guano each time,) threw up a continuous growth of flowers and leaves six feet in height. The leaves were often compared to those of the mammoth Rhubarb, and the flowers were certainly twice, if not three times, the usual size. This plant was not out of bloom from February to August, and was exhibited before the Buffalo Hor- ticultur.ll Society each month. With these plants I have experimented with all the va- rious liquid manures, but with none so suc- cessfully as the guano. An Ajmjryllis johnsoni, by a similar treat- ment, bloomed magnificently. It threw up ten flowers on a couple of stems, two feet four inches high, and an inch and a quarter thick, covered with a beautiful bloom ; this was in February. After blooming, it was laid aside for the season, but in July, it burst again, and had six flowers on one stem, larger and finer colored than the first. This stem ran up with great rapidity, growing more than an inch per day. It is now going out of bloom, and maturing its seed, which I intend shall be well taken care of. The reason, probably, why this bloomed so early kept at a temperature of sixty degrees in order to forward grapes. Geraiiiums arc particularly fond of guano, or the guano is fond of the Geraniums. I never had so fine a bloom from any other means. The plants grew remarkably thrifty, made fine shoots, and the flowers were un- usually large, as compared with others of similar kinds. Very many had seven petals instead of five, and the colors were clear, rich, lustrous, and well defined. Roses cap the climax, with guano culture, and, as a juvenile amateur in my garden frequently observed, " they really hop." A small cutting of the Boursault grandi- flora, which I carried home last summer be- tween my teeth, I carefully nursed into a good growth during the season. This spring it shot up astonishingly, putting forth up to this time six canes of vigorous growth, some six to eight feet high, besides a considerable number of fine blossoms. It is now grow- ing completely rampant. A Chromatella and a Solfaterre, which I purchased in New- York in May last, so small that I carried them both in my pocket wrapt in a bit of moss, have done equally well. (I pot my Roses in a mixture of sandy loam, with one fourth fine charcoal, and about the same quantity of decayed wood from old stumps.) These Roses have made great growth, and the guano was soon felt. The Solfaterre has a shoot which measures over six feet, with as splendid a leaf in size and lustre as ever graced a thorn-covered branch. The Chromatella has put forth more shoots, and being different in habit, it is more bushy, but remarkably thrifty. I have also experimented upon some seventy or eighty other Roses, and univer- sally find that a judicious application of guano is the sine qua nan in Rose culture. Another fact worth noticing is, that the Red in the season, was that my green-house was I Spider, Acarus telarius, which has before TWO NEW RASPBERRIES. 177 greatly troubled me, has not shown itself in the guano culture, most probably from the strong, healthy, and quick growth of the plants. I might continue to enumerate otherplants as being equally benefitted by this fertilizer. The Cactus, the Grape, (I have twenty va- rieties,) the Camellia, Oleander, Passiflora, jlbutilon (seven feet high, in full bloom, one year old,) Tree PcRonies, Fuchsias, &c., &c. Indeed, there are no green-house plants in my collection, which do not ap- pear to show conclusively the marked ad- vantage derived from this fertilizer. It is so easy in appliance, so portable and so cleanly, and withal so cheap, as to be within the means of all cultivating plants ; containing within itself the constituent ali- ment necessary for the growth of stem, flower, fruit and seed, it does indeed come nearer to an universal compost than any other known. It is, then, for the purpose of making more generally known the virtues of this fertilizer, and that the many amateur florists like myself, may be put in possession of these facts that I now trouble you. It has been usual with me to keep a hogshead in the stable for liquid manure, which has been used against and compared with guano in my experiments, but that is now abolished. My method of using and applying the guano is this : To a barrel of good light yellow loam, intermix thoroughly half a bushel of well broken charcoal, and half a peck of good Peruvian guano. These should be well worked together, dry, but much as a man would temper mortar, ren- dering all fine and free from lumps of the guano, and kept in a box or barrel covered up from the weather. It is fit for use im- mediately, but is better by standing a few weeks. In applying it, I use a trowel full or more, according to the size of the plant, pot, &c. In potting anew, use one third compost to the amount of soil required, well intermixed. When used in a liquid form, it is better to mix for some days before using, bearing in mind to so keep it, that it shall not evaporate its volatile parts. A heaped table spoonful of the guano to a gallon of fresh rain water, are the proportions ; this again can be diluted for young plants, and it is decidedly better to begin its use gradu- ally. Broken charcoal is a vastly better drainage for pot culture than any thing else, as it will absorb and fix the ammonia, and the roots and spongioles will delight to re- vel and entwine amongst it. In conclusion, be careful in applymg this stimulant that your plant is in a growing state, avoiding this strong mixture while dormant, but when it has taken a start, fol- low it up, attentively watching it, reducing or adding as the effects will readily show. A plant in full growth will take a liberal supply, and be highly benefitted by it, while the same quantity would kill two similar plants in the dormant state. W. R. Coppock. Buffalo, Aug. 15, 1S46. Description of t-wo new Raspberries. BY DR. W. D. BRINKLE, PHILADELPHIA. 1. THE GUSHING RASPBERRY. This new Raspberry I named the Cushing, in honor of J. P. Gushing, Esq., of Boston. It originated from a seed of a berry of the 23 new Double Bearing, imported by Mr. Ro- bert BuisT of this city. The seed was planted June 27lh, 1843, and vegetated in the spring of 1844. It fruited for the first 178 THE NEW FRUIT GATHERER. time in the antutiin of 1845. Only one berrv, however, matured at that time, in consequence of the accession of cold wea- ther. It fruited again this summer — the fruit beginning to ripen June 12. Fruit large, roundish-conical, crimson, and of fine flavor. Leaf very much plaited, and very regular in form. The stool has sent up three shoots this season, one of which is at this time five feet high. The Gushing Rasp- berry is extraordinarily productive. The prickles are brown. II. THE ORANGE RASPBERRY. This Raspberry originated from a seed of a berry of Dyack's Seedling, imported by Mr. Buist. The seed was planted July 13th, 1843, and vegetated in the spring of 1844. During the winter of 1844 and '45, it was kept in a pot in a room without fire, with a southern exposure. Early in the spring of 1845, it blossomed and was set in the yard rather too soon ; some of the ber- ries, however, matured. In the course of fte summer it was taken out of the pot, and planted on the west side of a board fence. It fruited again this season ; the fruit com- menced ripening July 8th, nearly a month later than the Gushing, within one foot of which it grew. Whether or not this late- ness of ripening was owing to any acciden- tal cause, I am unable to say ; next season will determine this question. Fruit as large or larger than the Yellow^ Antwerp, ovate, of a beautiful orange color, and excellent flavor. LeaJ very irregular in form, scarcely two precisely alike ; gene- rally not so pointed as the Gushing, but broader. It has sent up five vigorous shoots, one of which is now seven feet high. It has white prickles. The fruit of Dyack's Seedling, the parent of the Orange, is of a deep crimson color, W. D. Brinkle. Philadelphia, Aug 3d, 1S46. [Dr. Brinkle has, as we learn from many persons who have seen them, been remark- ably successful in originating new varieties of Strawberries and Raspberries, to which he has devoted much attention for some years past. The foregoing are accurate descriptions of what, we believe, will be found acquisitions to this class of fruits. We trust they will soon be offered to ama- teurs.— -Ed] THE NE'W FRUIT GATHERER. Have our readers never contemplated with a feeling of delight, a fruit tree, in the full youthful perfection of its foliage and fruit ; its thousands of leaves, young and tender, trembling and fluttering in the slightest breeze ; its smooth and tender bark, welcom- ing gladly the serene air; and its ruddy or golden treasures, half hidden among the verdure, glowing in the mingled morning dew and sunshine, like large crystals of ruby or topaz ? Possibly they have never beheld the mat- ter in so poetical a light. If not, let us turn it about, and look upon it in a more economical one. Suppose one wishes to gather these tempting fruits, which we will call simply good " gages " and " pippins." If one climbs the tree, the most natural way, one can only reach that little neighborhood of branches, which have strength and sub- stance enough to bear the absolute weight of a man. If one mounts a ladder, only such additional points can be gained as are THE NEW FRUIT GATHERER. 179 strong enough to bear the sway of half the weight of the man and ladder together. Far — far beyond the reach of the longest arm, hang ripe, ruddy, tempting specimens which are larger, fairer, sweeter, than any that have yet fallen into our basket, well laden though it may be. This is not the proper conduct of a domes- ticated fruit tree, as we are told by the bo- tanists all our orchard trees are. To bear its finest specimens so provokingly out of reach, that their rightful owner cannot pos- sibly gather them ! What can be the mean- ing of it? Is this a wild and untamed trait, which is not yet rooted out of our most thorough-bred dindi civilized varieties? To be serious, there is a positive incon- venience, that is felt by all cultivators of fine fruit — we mean the difficulty of gather- ing it from many parts of the tree ; which because they are the thriftiest parts, always furnish the best samples. Fig. 51. Tlie Neiv Fruit Gatherer in operation. Various kinds of fruit -pickers, little in- struments affixed to poles, have been inven- ted long ago, by which to overcome this in- convenience. But they never quite sup- plied the want. They were always trou- blesome and tedious in practice, and conse quently they have never come into general use. A few weeks ago, there was put into oui hands an exceedingly neat and efficient little 180 THE NEW FRUIT GATHERER. machine, which, after a fair trial, we can- not but think quite a prize to all amateurs of fruit. It is the Patent Fruit Gatherer, invented and brought into use this season by Messrs. Sedgwick and Brooks, of Pough- keepsie, N. Y. The instrument is at once simple, highly ingenious, and well adapted to the end in view. It consists of a set of converging springs made of strong brass Avire, at the extremity of which is a sliding open wire circle. To this circle or loop, is affixed a long hose of common glazed cotton. The whole apparatus is shown in the accompa- nying sketch, Fig. 51. The apparatus is affixed to the end of a strong reed pole, such as is commonly used in fishing. This enables the ope- rator to reach specimens on the most dis- tant branches of a fruit tree. Holding the pole in one hand, and directing the end The whole length of the pole is about eighteen or twenty feet. This would be unnecessarily long for many trees. A joint is therefore made at half length, by which Fig. 52. The Fruit Gatherer open. of the instrument to the fruit, the circular mouth receives it, and with a slight pull of the other hand on the hose, the springs close as in fig. 52, the fruit separates from the branch, and slides gently down the hose in- to the basket. If it is a heavy specimen, like a Beurre Diel pear, or a Gloria Mundi apple, that hand of the operator which is upon the hose may give it a slight check to break its fall as it passes down. Fig. 53. The Fruit Gatherer dosed. it is easily separated into two parts, and half, or the whole length used. An ingenious ring-loop, in the hose, enables one, in a mo- ment, to separate it also in two parts, corres- ponding to the length of the pole, or as quickly unite the whole again. The great advantage which this new fruit-gatherer has over the old ones, consists in the hose. This conveys the fruit to the basket as fast as one person can pick it. In the old instruments, the hose was only a small bag or net at the end of the pole, so that thrice as much time was consumed in awk- wardly reversing the pole, to take out each fruit, as was expended in actually pluck- ing it. The best proof, perhaps, that we can offer our readers of the value of the instrument, s, that although it is only a few weeks since Messrs. Sedgwick and Brooks have offered it to the public, there is already as much demand for it as they can supply, with a number of men constantly employed in its manufacture.* * Tlicrc are two sizes made. The larger one is bes: foi apples and pears ; the smaller one for plums, apricots and othei delicate fruits. The price is from fl .50 to $2.00, and the agent in New- York is A. B. Allen, Agricultural Warehouse, 187 Water-street. DO VARIETIES OF FRUIT RUN OUT ? 181 Several of our o;xliardists on the Hudson have bought a number of them, and think it will prove a valuable assistance, even in gathering fruit on a large scale. We commend it at all events as a most admirable implement for the amateur fruit- grower— one that will save his best and finest specimens of fruit, the limbs of his trees, and perhaps some little uneasiness of mind. Do Varieties of Fruit run out? BY HENRY WARD BEECHER, OF INDIANOPOLIS, Ia. [Many of our readers are not perhaps aware that one of the ablest and most vigorous wri- ters on horticultural subjects, in the United States, is Mr. Bescher, of Indiana. We borrow the following int^^r.-^ti^g article on the subject of the deterioration of varieties from the last number of the Western Far- mer and Gardener. Mr. Beecher we are glad to welcome as an ally of our own. He dissents from Knight's theory, that races soon wear out. We have also had the gratification, since our views, which are essentially the same, were published in our work on Fruit Trees, to see them substantially endorsed also by Professor Lindley, the highest European authority. — Ed.] We find in the American Agriculturist for Au- gust the following paragraph from a correspon- dent : — " My idea is that a tree has a limit as to age, and that in propagating any particular kin" of fruit by ingrafting or inoculating, you do not renew, you merely continue. Am I to understand you as con- troverting this position? Do you mean to be un- derstood as asserting that any particular kind of fruit, the Newtown Pippin, for instance, may be kept in existence forever? My idea is, that nature has, in the vegetable as well as the animal king- dom, provided one, and only one way for the re- newal of life, and that is by the seed. That by engrafting you merely continue what is already in existence — that the tree which you obtain by in. grafting, is no younger than the tree from which that particular variety was originally obtained." Is there such similarity between animals and vegetables, in their organic structure, development, and functions, as to make it safe to reason upon the properties of the one from the known properties of the other? It is admitted that the lowest forms of vegetable existence are extremely difficult to be distinguished from a corresponding form of animal existence. As we approach the lower confines of the vegeta- ble kingdom, flowers, and of course, seeds, disap- pear. The distinction between leaves and stem ceases; and, at last, the stem and root are no longer to be separated, and we find a mere vegetable sheet or lamina whose upper surface is leaf and whose lower surface is root. In a corresponding sphere animal existence is reduced to its simplest ele- ments. Whatever resemblances there are in the lowest and rudimentary forms of vegetable and animal life, it cannot be doubled that when we rise to a more perfect organization, the two kingdoms become distinct, anil the structure and functions of each are in such a sense peculiar to itself, that he will grossly misconceive the truth who supposes a structure or a function to exist in a vegetable, be- cause such structure or functions exist in an ani- mal, and rice versa. To be sure, they resemble in generals but they differ in specials. Both begin in a seminal point — but the seed is not analogous; both develop — but not by an analogous growth; both require food, but the selection, the digestion, and the assimilation are ditTerent. The mineral kingdom is the lowest. Out of it, by help of the sun and air, the vegetable procures its materials of growth; in turn, the vegetable kingdom is the magazine from which the animal kingdom is sus- tained; to each, thus, the soil contains the original elements; the vegetable is the chemical manipu- lator, and the animal the final recipient of its pro- ducts. The habit of reasoning from one to the other, of giving an idea of the one by illustrations drawn from the other, especially in popular wri- tings, will always be fruitful of misconceptions and mistakes. The next idea set forth in the paragraph which we review, is, the essential dissimilarity of buds and seeds. The writer thinks that a plant from a seed is a new organization, but a plant from a bud or graft (which is but a developed bud,) is but a continuation of a previous plant. With the excep- tion of their mteguments, a bud and a seed are the same thing. A seed is a bud prepared for one set of circumstances, and a bud is a seed prepared for another set of circumstances — it is the same embryo in different gai-ments. The seed has been called. 182 BROWNE'S TREES OE AMERICA. therefore, a "primary biul," the diCTerence being one of condition anil not of nature. It is nianifosl, then, that the plant which gprinfjs from a binl is as really a new plant as (hat which spi'inps from a seeil; anil it is eiiually Inic, that a seeil may convey the weakness ami iliseases of its parent with as much facility asa biul or agraft iloes. If the feebleness of a tree is general, its functions languid, its secretions thin, then a bud or graft will be feeble, — ami so would be its seed; or if a tree be thoroughly tainted with disease, the buds would not escape, nor the trees springing from them — neither would its seed, or a tree springing from it. A tree from bud of the Doyenne pear is just as much a new tree as one from its seed. The idea which we controvert )ias received en- couragement from the fact, that a bud jiroduces a fruit like the parent tree, while, often times, a seed yields only a variety of such fruit. But, it is pro- bable that this is never the case with seeds except when they have been brought into a state of what Van Mons calls, variation. In their natural and uncultivated state, seeds will reproduce their parent with as much (idelity as a bud or a graft. The liability of a variety to run out, when propa- gated by bud or graft, is not a whit greater than when propagated by seed, in so far as tlie nature of the vegetable is concerned. But it is true that the conditions in which a bud grows render it liable to extrinsic ills not inciden- tal to a j>lant springing from seed. A seed emit- ting its roots directly into the earth, is liable only to its own ills; a bud or graft, emitting roots through the alburnum of the stock on which it is established, into the earth, is subject to the infir- mities of the stock as well as to its own. Thus, a healthy seed produces a healthy plant. A healthy bud, may produce a feeble plant, because inocu- lated upon a diseased branch or stem. Instead of a limitation in their nature, there is reason to suppose that trees might flourish to an indefinite age were it not for extrinsic difficulties. A tree, unlike an animal, is not a single, simple organization, it is rather a community of plants. Every bud separately is an elementary plant, capa- ble, if disjoined from the branch, of becoming a tree by itself. In fact, each bud emits roots, which uniting together, go down upon a common support (the trunk) and enter the earth, and are there put in connection with appropriate food. Every fibre of root may be traced upward to its bud from which it issued. In j>rocess of time, the elongation of the trunk exposes it to accidents; the branches arc subject to the force of storms; in proportion as the distance from the roots increases, and the longer the passa- ges lliniugh wliich the up[ier sap, or downward elaborated sap travels, the more liabilities are there to stojipage and injury. 'I'he reason of decline in a tree is not to be looked for in any exhaustion of vital force, in the organization itself, but it is to be found in the immense surface and substance ex- posed to the wear and tear of the elements. It would seem, if this view be true, that no bounds can be placed to the duration of perrennial plants, if, by any means, we could diminish their exposure, by reducing their ex|>ansion, by keeping them within a certain sphere of growth. Now this is exactly what is accomplished by budding. A bud, far remo\ed on the parent stock from the root and connected with it through a long trunk, is inoculated upon a new stock. It now grows with a comparatively limited exposure to interruption or accident. The connection with the soil is short and ilirect. In this manner a variety of fruit may be perpetu- ated to all generations, if the laws of vegetable health be regarded in the process. Healthy buds, worked upon healthy stocks and planted in whole- some soil, will make healthy trees; and from these another generation may proceed, and from these another. By a due regard to vegetable physiology, the Newtown pippin, and the Seckle Pear, may be eaten two thousand years hence, provided, always, that expounders of prophecy will allow us the use of the earth so long for orchard purposes. A dis- regard of the laws of vegetable physiology in the propagation of varieties, will, on the other hand, rajiidly deteriorate the most healthy sort. There is no clock-work in the branches of the tree, which finally runs down past all winding up; there is no fixed quantity of vitality, which a variety at length uses up, as a garrison does its bread. Plants renew themselves and every year have a fresh life, and, in this respect, they differ essentially from all forms of animal existence. Any one tree may wear out; but a variety, never. We need not say, therefore, that we dissent from Knight's theory of natural exhaustion and from every supplement to it put forth since his day. Van Mons' theory oi variation and the tendency of plants to return toward their original type^ is to be regarded as nearer the truth. REVIE-W. The Trees of America: Native and Foreign, Pictorially and Botanically delineated, and sci- entifically and popularly described ; principally, with reference to their Geography, History, Pro- pagation, Culture, Diseases, <§rc., SfC, their eco. nomy in the .^rts, introduction into Commerce, and their application in useful and ornamental Plantations. Illustrated by numerous engrav- ings. By D. J. Browne. 1 vol. octavo, 520 pp. $5. Harper & Brothers, New-York. The forest trees of America : what a grand subject for a writer of genius, who is at once a profound observer, and an enthusias. BROWNE'S TREES OF AMERICA. 183 tic lover of nature ! How one's imagina- tion revels in the thought of ancient forests, which yet stand in North America, whose beginning was before Columbus had even projected his seemingly wild scheme of dis- covering a new world. We have ourselves stood beside two oaks, whose ages were from eight hundred to a thousand years. Douglass, the English botanist, speaks in terms of rapture of the fir forests of Cali- fornia— the magnificent Picea grandis and nobilis — trees two hundred feet high, whose trunks measure from twelve to forty feet in girth. The latter species — the noble fir — abounds in the mountains of Northern Cali- fornia, where it covers vast tracts. " I spent three weeks," says he,* " in a forest composed of this magnificent tree, and day by day I could not cease to admire it." Yes, though our country is destitute of ruined castles and old tottering strongholds, to tread whose crumbling and time-worn pas- sages carries the mind back in a moment over so wide a space in the history of our race, yet it is scarcely less thrilling to walk beneath the shade of a centennial tree — a real living, growing thing like ourselves, which has stood firm in its place, while em- pires have tottered and been swept away — while an unknown world has been discov- ered— and while a new nation has sprung into existence, whose rapidly increasing millions seem scarcely content with an en- tire continent. Do our readers know how prodigal nature has been to this continent in the matter of forest trees ? The whole number of timber trees indigenous to Great Britain, which grow thirty feet high or more, is only twen- ty-nine ; the whole number of the same class, natives of France, only thirty-four: while North America enumerates forty * Compamon to the Botanical Magazine. species of Oak alone, and thirty-nine sorts of Pine. The total number of the species of trees and shrubs indigenous to this coun- try is about 530. What a forest wealth, compared with that of Europe ! Magno- lias — Rhododendrons — Kalmias — Tulip Trees, and the like : how meagre would the choicest parks and pleasure grounds of Eu- rope appear, were they stripped of these, their richest treasures of foliage, borrowed from the American soil ! We welcome, therefore, this contribution of Mr. Browne's to the gardening literature of this country with pleasure, because we consider the subject he has chosen one in the highest degree interesting and impor- tant to every man, whether he live in the country or in town. If he is confined within the narrow limits of a city, he cannot but feel grateful for the patient and enduring trees, that amid the dust and confined air, by the side of streets, and in the midst of small parks, still do not refuse to yield him a cool shade : if he have the good fortune to live in the country, he cannot fail to utter many daily prayers of thanks for the ever varying beauty and loveliness of trees. Not to wish to know something of the character and history of trees, is as incomprehensible to us, as not to desire a knowledge of Nia- gara, or the Alps themselves. Every thing that will help to diffuse this information is well for our people. Mr. Browne's volume will do it to a considera- ble degree, because it is not a very dear book, and it conveys a great deal of infor- mation in a moderate compass. The sub- ject is plainly and simply treated, and the text is illustrated by many small, neat, and characteristic engravings, showing the flow- ers and fruit of almost every species. It must be premised, however, that this is by no means a complete work on the " Trees of America." Not one of the nu- 184 BROWNF/S TREES OF AMERICA, merous Oaks, Beeches, Chestnuts, Birches, or Piiics, that constitute the great feature of the American sylva, is described in it. This would seem an extraordinary omission in a volume which gives full length descrip- tions of such trees as the Mahogany, the Pistacia, the Orange, &c. ; but in the pre- face, we find the following explanatory para- graph: " Should the public demand an ex- tension of the work, conformably to the plan he has adopted, a supplementary volume will follow, embracing an account of most of the other trees growing in Europe and Ame- rica," &c. So that this work is, as yet, only in part completed. The only complete work on the trees — of all descriptions — that will flourish in temperate climates, is the celebrated Arbo- retum EniTTANicuM of Loudon, It is, in- deed, not saying too much to affirm that it is the most complete work extant upon any branch of horticulture and natural history. I was the great idea — the magmim opus — of its distinguished author, upon which he spent most of his fortune, and the greater part of the last ten years of his life. Nu- merous artists and engravers were employed for six years upon its illustrations — the lat- ter being no less than two thousand five hundred in number — and many of the most distinguished men of rank and science in Europe and America assisted its author in the collection of the necessary information. The result is a perfect library of informa- tion on the subject of all the trees and shrubs that will grow in temperate climates. Eight octavo volumes, published in 1838, (two of which are portraits of remarkable trees,) comprise this great literary work — a work invaluable to the man of country tastes, and a monument to the name of Loudon far more enduring than obelisks or columns of brass or stone.* ♦ We regret that the necessarily high price of the work — Mr. Bkoavne, in the preface of the work before us, informs us that he " personally extended his researches into South America, the West Indies, Europe, and Western Africa, where he availed himself of the advantage of not only verifying or correct- ing the observations which had been made by others on the trees of these countries, but examined them under various conditions in a state of nature, as well as in nurseries and collections of the curious." Our read- ers who may not possess Mr, Loudon's work (published in 1838) would probably be glad to know how much the researches of Mr, Browne have added to our previous stock of original information. In order to gratify them, we give, one after the other, some extracts from both works on the same trees. The following relates to the Red Flower- ing Maple, Acer rubrum, a tree about which Mr, Browne, as an American and an author, who has devoted himself specially to this subject, ought to be more thoroughly in- formed than any European. From Loudon'' s Arboretum. Properties and Uses. In America the wood of the Red-flowering- Maple is applicable to several uses. It is harder than that of the White Maple, and of a finer and closer grain; hence it is easily- wrought in the lathe, and acfiuires by polishing, a glossy and silken surface. It is solid, antl, for many purposes, is preferred by workmen to other kinds of wood. It is principally employed for the seats of Windsor chairs; the pieces are prepared in the country; anil so considerable is the demand, that boats laden with them frequently arrive at New- York and Philadelphia, where an extensive manu- factory is carried on for the consumption of the neighboring towns, and for exportation to the sou- thern states and to the West India Islands. The whole frame of japanned chairs is made of this wood, except the back, for which hickory (Carya) is chosen, on account of its superior strength and elaslicitj'. The frame, the nave, and the spokes of spinning wheels are made of the Red Maple. At Philadelphia, it is exclusively used for saddle-trees; and, in the countr}', it is preferred for yokes, sho- about $50 — prevents its very general dissemination. But. be- fore his death, the author prepared a condensed edition, called the Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs, in one thick octavo volume, at about one-fourth that price, which contains almost every thing of llie greatest value. BROWNE'S TREES OF AMERICA. 185 vels, and wooden dishes, which are brought to market by the country people, and purchased by the dealers in wooden-ware. It sometimes happens that in very old trees, the grain, instead of follow- ing a perpendicular direction, is undulated ; and this variety bears the name of the curled maple. This singular arrangement is never found in young trees, nor in the branches of even such as exhibit it in the trunk; it is also less conspicuous in the centre than near the circumference. Trees having this character of wood are rare, and do not exist in the proportion of one to a hundred. The serpentine direction of the fibre, which renders them difficult to split and to work, produces, in the hands of a skilful mechanic, the most beautiful effects of light and shade. These effects are rendered more strik- ing, if, after smoothing the surface of the wood with a double-ironed plane, it is rubbed with a lit- tle sulphuric acid, and afterwards anointed with linseed oil. On examining it attentively, the vary- ing shades are found to be owing entirely to the in- flection of the rays of light; which is more sensi- bly perceived on viewing it in different directions by candle-light. Before mahogany became gene- rally fashionable in the United States, the best fur- niture in use was made of the Red- flowering Maple, and bedsteads are still made of it, which in rich- ness ami lustre exceed the finest mahogany. At Boston, some cabinet-makers saw it into thin plates for inlaying mahogany; but the most constant use of curled maple is in the stocks of fowling pieces and rifles, which, to elegance and lightness, unite toughness and strength, the result of the twisted direction of the fibres. The cellular matter of the inner bark is of a dusky red. By boiling it yields a purplish color, which on the addition of sulphate of iron, becomes dark blue, approaching to black. It is used in the counti-y, with a certain portion of alum in solution, for dyeing black. The wood of the lied-flowermg Maple does not burn well, and is so little esteemed for fuel, that it is rarely brought for that purpose into the cities. It has but little strength, is liable to injury from insects, and fer- ments and speedily decays when exposed to the alternations of dryness and moisture. For these reasons, though it is now extensively used in Ame- rica, its importance in the arts is not sufficient to entitle it to preservation; and Michaux supposes that, when artificial plantations become necessary in the country, the Red Maple will be altogether omitted. The French Canadians make sugar from the sap of this maple, which they call jjlaine; but as in the preceding species, the product of a given measure is only half as great as that obtained from the Sugar Maple. (Michaux.) In Britain and throughout Europe, the sole use of the Red-flow- ering Maple is as an ornamental tree; and whether we regard the beauty of its flowers and opening leaves in early spring; of its red fruits in the be- ginning of summer, or its red foliage in autumn, it deserves to be considered one of the most ornamen- tal of hardy trees. From Browne's '''Trees of America.''^ The wood of the Acer rubrum, when dry, weighs forty-four pounds to a cubic foot, and when green, it is softj full of aqueous matter, and loses in dry- 24 ing nearly one-half of its weight. In this tree, as in others which grow in wet places, the sap- wood bears a large proportion to the heart- wood, the latter of which consists of an irregular column, star-like in its transverse section, and oc- cupies the central parts of large trunks, with its points projecting into the sap-wood. This wood has but little strength, is liable to injury from in- sects, and ferments and speedily decays, when ex- posed to the alternations of moisture and dryness. Yet it is solid, and for many purposes, is preferred by workmen to other kinds of wood. It is harder than that of the White IMaple, and of a finer and closer grain; hence it is easily wrought in the lathe, and acquires, by polishing, a glossy and silky surface. It is principally employed in the manu- facture of chairs, saddle-trees, shoe-lasts, ox-yokes, broom-handles, and various other articles of do- mestic use. It sometimes happens, that in very old trees, the grain of the wood, instead of following a perpendicular direction, is undulated; and this variety bears the name of curled maple. This sin- gular arrangement is never found in young trees, nor even in the branches of such as exhibit it in the trunk; it is also less conspicuous in the centre of the tree than near the bark. Trees offering this disposition, however, are rare. The serpentine di- rection of the fibres, which renders this wood dif- ficult to split and to work, produces, in the hands of a skilful mechanic, the most beautiful effects of light and shade. These effects are rendered more striking, if, after smoothing the surface of the wood with a double-ironed plane, it is rubbed with a little sulphuric acid, and afterwards with linseed oil. On examining it attentively, the varying shades are found to be owing entirely to the inflection of the raj'S of light; which is more sensibly perceived in viewing it indifferent directions by candle light. Before mahogany became generally fashionable in the United States, the best furniture in use was made of the Red-flowered Maple, and bedsteads are still made of it, which, in richness of lustre, exceed those of the finest imjiorted woods. But one of the most constant uses to which the curled ma- ple is applied, is for the stocks of rifles and fowl- ing pieces, which, to elegance and lightness, unite toughness and strength, the result of the tortuous direction of the fibres. The cellular matter of the inner bark is of a dusky red. By boiling, it yields a purplish colored liquor, which, with the addition of sulphate of iron, (copjieras,) acquires an intense dark blue, or black, and is sometimes employed as ink by American youth in village schools. For this purpose, however, it is very inappropriate, as it never dries properl)', and in damp weather, the writing becomes glutinous and blots. A fluid pre- pared in a similar manner, by adding sulphate of alumina (common alum,) instead of copperas, is also used for dyeing black. The French Canadians make sugar from the sap of this maple, which they call plaine; but, as in the preceding species, the product of a given measure is not more than one- half as great as that of tiie Sugar IMaple. In Britain and throughout Europe, the sole uso of the Acer rubr'jm is as an ornamental tree; and whether it is viewed iu the beauty of its lluwci-saud ISC BROWNE'S TREES OF AMERICA. opening loaves in rarly sprinp; or ailniireil for its reil fruit in the bcf^inning of Kuniinor, iinil itscrim- soncii foliajrc in aiitiinin, it clesorvcs to be ranked as one of the most ornamental of hanly trees. Page 100. Tlic following' is the description of the common Dogwood, Corims florida, of our woods, in the words of both authors. From Loudon's Arboretum. Corniis (loriila is universally allovvcil to be the liantlsomost species of tlie {,'cniis. In its native country, it forms a tree reaching:, in the most fa- vorable situations, thirty or thirty-five feet in height, with a trunk nine or ten inches in iliamc- ter; but in general it does not exceed the height of eighteen to twenty feet, with a trunk of four to live inches in diameter. Miclianx describes the trunk as "strong and covered with a blackish bark, chopped into many small portions, which are often in tlie shape of squares more or less exact. The branches are proportionably less nu- merous than on other trees, and are regularly dis- posed, nearly in the form of crosses. The young twigs are observetl to incline upwards in a semi- circular direction. The leaves are opposite, about three inches in length, oval, of a dark green above, and whitish beneath; the upper surface is very distinctly sulcated. Towarilsthe close of summer they are often marked with black spots; and at the approach of winter they change to a dull red. In New-York and New-Jersey, the flowers are fully expanded about the 10th or loth of May, when the leaves are beginning to unfold them- selves. The flowers are small, yellowish, and con- nected in bunches, which are surrounded with a ver)' large involucre, composed of four white flo- ral leaves, sometimes inclining to violet. This fine involucre constitutes all the beauty of the flowers, which are very numerous, and which, in their season, "robe the tree in white, like a full- blown apple tree, and render it one of the fairest ornaments of the American forests." Catesby, who first described this tree, says that the blossoms break forth in the beginning of March, being at first not so wide as a sixpence, but increasing gra- dually to the breadth of a man's hand; being not of their full bigness till about six weeks after they begin to open. The fruits which are of a vivid glossy red, and of an oval shape, are always uni- ted; they remain on the trees till the first frosts; when, notwithstanding their bitterness, they are devoured by the Red-breasted Thrush (Tuidus mi- gratorius, L.) which about this period arrives from the northern regions, and the Mocking Bird (T. polyglottus, L.) during the whole winter. Page 1018. From Browne^ s ''Trees of America.^' Of all the species of the genus, the Cornus flo- rida is allowed to be the most beautiful. In its natural habitat, when grown under favorable cir- cumstances, it forms a tree attaining a height of thirty to thirty-five feet, with a trunk nine or ten inches in diameter; but in general it does not much exceed one-half of those dimensions. The trunk Is covered with a blackish l)ark, chopped into many small i)ortion8, which are often in the shape of s(iuaros more or loss exact. The branches, which arc not so numerous as on most other trees, are re- gularly disposed, with their )Oung twigs inclining upwards in a semicircular direction. The loaves are oi)posite, about three inches in length, ovate, acuminated, of a dark green above, and whitish beneath, with the upper surface very distinctly sulcated. Towards the close of summer, they aro often marked with black spots; and at the ap- l)roacli of winter they fliuiigc to dull red. The flowers, which aiipear in Horida in March, and in New- York in May, are small, j'ellowish, and con- nected in bunches, surrounded with a very large involucre, composed of four white floral leaves, sometimes inclining to \ iolot. This fine' involu- cre constitutes the chief beauty of , the flowers, which are very numerous, and which, in theirsea- son, "robe the tree in white, like a full-blown apple tree, and reniler it one of the fairest orna- ments of the American forests." The fruits, which are of a vivid glossy red, and of an oval shape, are always united, and remain upon the trees till the appearance of the first autumnal frosts, when not- withstanding their bitterness, they are devoured throughout the winter, in the southern states by the mocking bird (Turdus polyglottus,) and the American robbin or red-breasted thrush, (T. mi- gratorius,) the latter of which, about this period, arrives from the regions of the north. Page 350. These extracts are taken at random from the work. The character of nearly the whole volume is precisely similar to our quotations — that is to say, instead of using his own language to describe trees, their properties, characters, etc., Mr. Browne has paid Mr. Loudon the compliment of using his, though he has omitted, in many cases, half or two-thirds of the matter given in the Arboretum. Would it not have been better and juster, therefore, to have called the work " An Abridged Compendium of Loudon's Arboretum," than the "Trees of America ?" But in order even to make that title a proper one, another volume, con- taining the Oaks and the numerous large forest trees before mentioned, would be needed. Mr. Loudon's name is scarcely mentioned in the body of the work, though the author acknowledges in the preface that he is" par- ticularly indebted " to him. Dr. Habbis's BROWNE'S TREES OF AMERICA. 187 Treatise on Insects is pretty largely quoted, and to this excellent work full credit is given in the usual manner. The plan of the volume before us, which is copied from Loudon, is an excellent one. First, the character of the genus is given ; then that of the species, with the various synonyms and derivations ; this is followed by the popular description; the character of the varieties ; the geography and history ; the soil, situation and propagation ; the in- sects and diseases ; and finally the proper- ties and uses. In the preface, the author informs us that he " undertook the preparation of a work on the trees of this country, more complete and extensive than had hitherto been pub- lished." On looking through its pages, we find two trees described, which are not con- tained in Loudon's Arboretum, viz., Bursera gummifera, a native of the West Indies, and Ilex paraguariensis, a native of South America. Neither of them will grow in gardens in this country without protection. On the other liand, Loudon's work contains at least a hundred species of North Ameri- can forest trees not described in this work. We do not know that Mr. Browne makes any pretension to being a practical arbori- culturist. If he did, we should find great fault with him in many cases ; for example, he does not tell us, while praising londly the European Holly for hedges, and recom- mending its general use, the lamentable truth that it will not stand the winters of this climate under ordinary circumstan- ces, north of Philadelphia. Under the section of "soil, situation and propaga- tion " of the Pomegranate, the novice will find it stated that " the single wild pomegra- nate will grow in almost any soil." Not a word of its being a tender or half-hardy tree is mentioned in the remainder of the para- graph, where one would naturally expect it; but in another page, we learn that " it is also cultivated as a wall tree, or as a con- servatory plant, in various parts of the mid- dle and northern states, where it is highly prized." We have no room for numerous 'other comments of a like nature, that are sug- gested. But we trust if Mr. Browne pur- sues his subject in another volume, on the remaining forest trees of this continent, he will make use of the rich materials which, we assure him, still remain to be collected in this country regarding our native trees. Notes on their adaptation to particular soils — the greater or less facility with which they may be transplanted — and the aspects where they will and will not grow — are all subjects which ought properly to be embraced in such a work as this. If an author, devoted to this subject, were to extend his researches sufficiently to take portraits and give ac- counts of such trees as the grand oaks on the Wadsworth estate in the Genesee valley, the truly unrivalled elms of the Connecticut river, and above all, the gigantic pines of California, he would be working a mine of native arboricultural wealth, which his coun- trymen would use and acknowledge the value of with profound gratitude. We have no doubt that this volume, very neatly published by the enterprising house of the Harpers, will find many purchasers, and will convey a great deal of information to those who cannot possess Loudon's " Trees and Shrubs." To those who can, we cannot too strongly recommend the lat- ter work, as far more perfect, and indeed the best book of its kind in the world. 188 FOREIGN NOTICES. FOREIGN NOTICES. Thk Great Hail Stohm. — The cflbcts of the great liail storm in tlic vicinity of London, on the first of August, a]>iioar to have been most disastrous to the interests of lun'liculture. Tlic South I.ouilon Floral anil Horticultural Societj- have made a re- j)ort that " the losses sustained by those engaged in horticultural trade in tlie neigliborhood of Slock- wvW, Clapham and Urixton, amounted to no less a sum than .t'l.S,OUir' (about ?!)0,00().) A jtublic meeting was held at the London Tavern, on the l7th of August, for the relief of those who suffer- ed most severely. The iJuke of Cambridge pre- sided. A public subscription was opened, and about $1,800 was subscribed on the spot, liis Royal Highness subscribing 20 guineas, the Lord Mayor 10 guineas, Dr. Linilley 10 guineas, etc. J. Al- nictt, Esq., stated that 3000 squares of glass had been broken in his conservatory. An efficient committee, with the Lord IMayor at its head, was appointed to carry out the objects of the meeting, by soliciting farther subscriptions. On the 21th and 25th of August, a floricultural fete was held at the Surrej' Zoological Ganlens, in behalf of the sufferers. It was well attentled, and many plants, bouquets and fruits were sent to be sold, and the proceeds added to tlie fund. Pabis Horticultural Show, August, 1S46. — The Paris Societe Royale dHorticulture held its grand sliow on the 7th, Sth and 9th of August. The time selected is complained of as being always an unsuitable one, and the present season particu- larly so — "the excossi^■e heat and drouth, which for the last two or three months have been almost unprecedented, even in Paris, scarcely a drop of rain having fallen for the last ten weeks, Roses, Dahlias, anil other flowers, have been at times lite- rally scorched to powder; and the ravages of the Thrip and Red Spider almost universal." Under these circumstances, the exhibition is spoken of as having been a creditable one — the number of exhibitors not so numerous as previously, but the plants of a better description. The prizes offered were two gold medals by the Duchesse d'Orleans and the Princesse Adelaide, and sixteen silver medals, and the like number in bronze by the Society. The finest and best cultivated plant shown was JDichorizandra ovata, by M. Ryfkogel, for which a silver medal was giv^en. M. Crochet obtained a prize for two magnificent Canteloupe melons, weighing from twelve to eighteen pounds each. The gold medal of the Duchesse d'Orleans was awarded to M. Jaquin Aind, for a miscellaneous collection of plants. " M. Jamin sent the plums Reine Claude (Green Gage) and Reine Victoria, really fit to set before a queen. Neither grapes nor peaches," observes the correspondent of the Chro- nicle, "were worthy of France." In'diax Corn Bread-stuffs in E.vgland. — The English journals abound with recipes for the manufacture of the " staff of life," in various forms, from our Indian corn. Eliliu Burritt, liet- ler known in this country as the " learned black- smith," of New-England, appears to be devoting himself to teaching the iidial)itant8 of Great ilri- tain how to feed the million with this cheap and wholesome food. We have seen extracts from a pamidilet of his published there, which gives a great number of poi)ular American recijies for such bread as ''Johnny cake," "Indian Pound cake," " Corn Meal cake," "Corn Dodgers," " Hoc cake," " Corn muffins," " Hasty Pudding bread," " Hom- miny," Stc, &c. If these get fairly naturalized among the middle classes of Great Rritain and Ire- land, as there is at present every reason to believe they will, we cannot doubt that Indian Corn will, at no distant day, become to America the most I)rotitable of exjjortable i)roducts. The climate of Great Britain will not produce it, and the soil and climate of the United States, throughout the whole length and breadth of the country, are so highly favorable to it, that jts production may be increas- ed to an almost unlimited extent. The Potato Disease. — The potato disease, as we learn by the last files of our agricultural i)apers by the steamer, down to the 29th of August, is dreadfully prevalent in all parts of Great Britain and Ireland. Blany districts tliat altogether escap- ed last season, are suffering badly this year; and in various parts of the country, the crop is alrea- dy entirely destroyed — or so far gone that the pu- trid smell arising from the fields is very offensive. Those who planted in peat soil, or used soot in the drills, in the hope of preventing the disease, have suffered alike with those who have planted in the common way. It is now thought that the culti- vation of the potato, on a large scale, will have to be abandoned, for the present at least, in Great Britain, and attention must be turned to field peas, Swedish turnips or something of the kind in its stead. A Gaiu>en on the House top. — In Sweden it is not an uncommon sight in ihe country, and some- times even in the villages, to see the roofs of the poorer cottages covered with herbs which serve as pasture for the goats. In Norway they even ])lant trees in the turf which covers the roofs, and to such an extent is this carried, that some of their hamlets or villages, seen at a distance, have quite the air of a little wood. Nothing is more com- mon than to see rude kitchen gardens on these roofs of the houses. — Revue Horticole. London Zoological Gardens. — Of the Lon- don Zoological Gardens I had formed too exalted an idea; perhaps, too, the sight of noble animals in confinement is naturally painful. As a garden, the ])lace is well enough; and much is done to ren- der the prisoners comfortable. The bears get plenty of cake for climbing up a long pole; the monkeys chatter and frolic as much as one could wish; while the elephants bathe in a miniature lake, and look sulky ; and the cameleopards enjoy FOREIGN NOTICES. 189 Ihcir high-roofed stable. But notwithstanding the efforts of the projectors to imitate the natural haunts of the animated race, the garden is to me a dull place. One hint obtained here may be useful in Ame- rica; the donkey is employed to drag the rollers over the gravel walks — he is too light to make more impression on the gravel than the roller will obliterate. This useful little animal is employed in Europe in various ways to great advantage ; his introduction into the general field of labor is one of the things we have yet to learn. His appetite is easily satisfied, requiring less than a large dog; his labor, even as a burden carrier, would well re- pay his importation; he pulls well in a small cart, and in this is most useful in cities to carry market- ing. He would take the whole produce of a small kitchen garden as well as a horse, while his cost and maintenance would be a very trifle. To the poor man, he would prove in America, an admira- ble help, not dainty as to the quality or quantity of his food. — Smithes Jaunt across the Water- Pere le Chaise Cemetery. — The cemetery of P(re le Chaise greatly disappoints me. It is large, and has a very fine view of Paris from its heights; but nearly the whole place is dirty or neglected. The monuments are mostly of yellow stone, very much out of taste, extremely numerous, often bad- ly constructed and tumbling about, while weeds disfigure many — many others. The mass of the monuments may be said to be little chapels, with a grated door, an altar inside, candlesticks, and a chair or two; while the wreathes of immortelles, artificial flowers, vases, flower-pots, old china, or gew-gaws, are pictures of distorted grief. In one or two instances, a bust was dressed up in immor- telles, uith ear-rings ; the flowers and face too made by time as black as a negro-s. When there is no chapel, a painted half circle of tin runs across from one iron railing to the other, to pro- tect the wreaths from w^et; and here and there are sometimes dozens of these wreaths strung up, some being made of whalebone frizzled, in the manner of the British lawyers' wigs, and the rest of flowers. Very queer vases, with flowers, are sometimes seen. Occasionally a good rosebush or honeysuckle overruns a little plot, shaded perhaps, on each side by chapels. Some of the monuments are lofty and costly; among the latter are those of Casimir Perrier, and some of Bonaparte's marshals. Ney has no name on liis grave, that privilege hav- ing been denied to the family of a proscribed man; but some one has scraped the little word in the paint of the railing, with a pin; it has more cele- brity, and is more visited than the most costly in- scriptions. A road winds about the cemetery, paved with square stones. It is much used, and is very dusty. Interments of persons of all sizes, ages, and degrees, from the little infant of poor pa- rents, carried on a shabby bier to the place for those who cannot or will not pay for the ground in perpetuity, to the sohlicr whose grave they were firing over, or the nobleman attended by a host of followers, may be seen going on at the same moment. The funerals arc extremely nume- rous every day, but no statistics were to be obtain- ed. Altogether the aspect of the place was that of a city of the dead, not that of a rural cemetery. I have seen no rural cemetery in Europe that will compare with the best at home for beauty of sce- nery, careful keeping, or planting. The two best in England are very inferior in these important respects; I mean the St. James's at Liverpool, and Kensall Green, near London. — Smithes Jaunt across the Water. Achimenes pedunculata. — Beautiful as this family of plants is, none of them seems to outvie this variety. In habit it is robust and stately, giv- ing it an especial claim to attention. I manage it as follows : — After flowering, and when the foliage has begun to decay, water is withheld, and tlie plants are kept in a dry situation, out of the reach of frost. About the middle of January, the old soil is shaken from them, and they are planted in pans well drained, in a mixture of charcoal broken to the size of a nut, turfy peat, and burnt turf well mixed with silver sand. The pans are filled to within about an inch of the top, the tubers are laid regularly on, and the pans filled up. They are then placed in a warm situation in a vinery near the glass, where in a short time the plants make their appearance : they are then transplanted singly into small pots, and as soon as the roots ap- pear on the outside of the ball, they are repotted three into a well drained 6-inch pot. As soon as the second pair of leaves unfold, the top is pinched off, and this operation is continued till the plants form quite a bush ; the syringe is drawn over them every fine evening. About the middle of May, they are removed to the green-house, when they soon show flower. By following this system no sticks are required. This is the best of all the species for the drawing-room; several plants that have been in the room for the last three weeks, have not lost a leaf; and they are studded with a profusion of lovely orange flowers. — E.S. in Gardener's Chronicle. Healthy Potatoes produced from diseased SETS. — On taking up the crop last autumn, a con- siderable quantity of the worst tubers, (%vhich, though so much affected as to be easily perforated with the finger, were yet sprouting at one end,) were planted immediately. Others, to all appear- ance even worse than these, were thrown together in a heap to rot. During the winter they sprouted, and in January many of these were also planted. Strange to say, the produce from these roots is the best crop in the field — indeed, an excellent crop, and of good quality; and it is required now to dig as large a portion of ground in any other part of the field to find a basket of good potatoes, as in the part where these diseased tubers were planted to find a basket of bad ones. Lime rubbish from old walls was laid in the bottom of the trench, on which was placed some old thatch, and the pota- toes planted thereon, and covered with earth so that they lay as dry as possible. — Constant Reader, in Gard. Chron. Potato Disease in North of Ireland. — Be- tween the 12th and 20th of August,! traversed the 190 Domestic notices. province of Ulster, passing from Dublin to Bel- fast anil Colorainp; anil thence southwards, by Armagh, Monag-han, T'cmianapfh, and Cavan, throujrli !\Ioa(h to iJublin apain, the only county ivhich I dill not sec beinp Doncfral. Durinp my whole course, I saw but one field of potatoes which was not evidently and ho|)elessly atrccted by the disease; that lield was close to the city of Armagh. The dry and the wet lands seemed alike blighted, the levels and the sloi)es. The croiis growing on soil along the volcanic rocks, on the chalky and the niounlain limestones, on the gravel, the sand, and the bog lands, appciired all equally dcHtroyed, so far as a passing eye could judge. The fields cultivated in the usual Irish ridge bed mode, and also those in the better drilled rows, were alike. All had the appearance of having been struck with frost, the blackness of the leaves travelling in ge- neral upward from the roots. Some fields were so bad, tliaf the peculiar scent of the disease was per- ceptible even from the adjoining road. Fields which had, as I was informed, looked well a week before, were now gone, and I was told, that, in some instances, a single day had sufficed to throw the blight over the whole surface of a field. The roots which I saw were every where small and watery, even where they were not unccjui vocally diseased; and this not only in the late kinds, which of course are quite unrii)e, but even in the earlier varieties, which, at this season, ought to be mealy and wholesome. The rich and the poor held but one language, that of deep dejoction, and the uni- versal impression seemed to be, "the potatoes are leaving Ireland forever." Yet the poor, both Pro- testants and Romanists, seemed to feel contented, for they said, " the Almighty will never leave us to starve; some other food will be sent us." I could not help noticing that the turnij) crops were most promising where the potatoes seemed most destroyed. — A. \V. B. in Gard. Chron. Wasp Tkaps. — Take two hand-glasses of a simi- lar shape and size, place one of them on four bricks, then with the point of a knife, carefully take out one of the jjanes a little below the top; turn the other glass upside down, and sprinkle the inside with a mixture of honey and vinegar which will create a scent; place it immediately over the one resting on the bricks. If the two glasses should not fit exactly, as they seldom do, on all four of the sides, get some wet moss and squeeze it into the apertures with a pointed stick. The trap will now be complete. Inconsequence of tht? gla.s8es being elevated on bricks (inverted (lower- pots will answer as well,) the wasps will obtain a ready admission underneath, and ilircctly mount up through the opening made in the under glass* into the apartment above; and, as a wasj) never flies downward, they will never get out where they got in, conseijuently they will all be made prisoners, if the uiijjer glass be free fnrm holes. In the course of a day or so they will all be dead;r but in order to destroy them as quickly as possible take some brown paper previously dipped in melt- ed brimstone, apply a match to it, and i)lace it un- der the glasses; the fume will soon ascend through the opening mentioned before into the upper cham- ber, and kill them all in a minute. Should the wasps be numerous, and one trap only be found in- sufficient, several should be employed; I have sometimes had ten in different parts of the garden. Every other day the up])er glass should be taken off and sprinkled as before, or oftener than this, if brimstone be used. I have, in some seasons, en- snared myriads of those vexatious enemies by the plan just described. I do not mean to say that it will do away with the necessity of destroying the nests; I would advise this to be done by the fol- lowing easy methoil. Wherever they are found, pour into the hole a little gas tar, j)lace a bit of turf on it, and tread it down hard, and all that are at home will die. — Joseph Melony, Brightwell, Aug. 24. Gardener's Chronicle. Cure for the Caterpillar. — A gentleman at Galashiels has discovered that exhausted bark spread on the surface round the roots of gooseberry bushes, is an effectual remedy for caterpillar. His- garden used to be much infested by these destruc- tive insects, which he had tried various modes of rooting out without success, until a lucky chance led him to try the effect of refuse bark from the tan- yard. Two years ago he spread a considerable quantity of it round the roots of all the bushes ii» his garden, cxce)>t one or two. Those missed were seriously injured by the caterpillar; all the others were perfectly saved. The next jear he neglected to renew the bark, and every bush in the garden was affected with thedisease. This year he again resorted to it, and not a single caterpillar is to be seen. A more simple and cheap remedy could scarcely be wished for. A cartload of the bark, which costs about sixpence, is amply sufficient for the largest garden. — Gardener's Chronicle. DOMESTIC NOTICES. The Great Horticultural Shows. — September, teeming, fruitful September, has as usual witnessed the rich and beautiful offerings of the votaries of Flora and Pomona, in all parts of the country. The three most attractive displays have been those of Boston, Philadelphia and Auburn. At the two first named places the Massachusetts and Pennsyl- vania Horticultural Societies have held their great annual shows; at Auburn, the New. York Slatir Agricultural Society opened its great fair for this year. The season is not considered a very favorable one either in New-York or the Eastern States, for a show of fruits generally. The weather has been such that a premature ripening of many fine varie- ties had taken place before the season of exhibi DOMESTIC NOTICES. 191 tion, so that the variety shown was somcAvhat cU- Jninisheil. It has been a matter of much regret to a great number of persons interested in these three lead- ing shows, that, by some want of proper manage- ment, their exhibitions all came off on the same days, the 16th, 17th and 18th of the month. This deprived many persons of the satisfaction of at- tending more than one of the shows, who were very desirous, both for purposes of pleasure and instruction, of attending all of them. The Eighteenth Annual Exhibition ofthe Massachusetts Hort. Society. — The eighteenth annual exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultu- ral Socieij- was opened to the public in the Socie- ty's large hall, at 12 o'clock the 16th of September, and continued the two following days and evenings. The hall was thronged with visitors during the whole time. Most ofthe Horticultural Societies of New-England, and some from New- York, were re- presented either by delegates or members; and many distinguished strangers, as well as citizens, were present to admire the rich profusion of fruits, flow- ers, and decorations. Those who have been familiar with the past ex- hibitions of the Society, were satisfied that some improvement was manifest in the present one over those which have preceded it. The fruits, flowers and decorations were well harmonized, and pro- duced a happy effect. The floral designs and deco- rations were in better taste than those exhibited last 3^ear, and to a portion of the visitors appeared to be the greatest attraction; but to the horticultu- rist, the fruits were the most prominent part of the exhibition. The cut flowers were deficient in quan- tity, variety and quality. The Dahlia and German Aster, so beautiful and perfect at this time of the 5'ear in most seasons, and which have contributed so much to the brilliancy of past exhibitions, were comparatively few and imperfect; there were some exceptions to the Dahlias, particularly on the last days of the exhibition, when some fine specimens were brought in. The first part of the month of September, as all know, was excessively warm, which, with absence of rain, and a high wind pre- vious to the exhibition, nearly destroyed this flower for the occasion. The fruits were arranged on two long central tables, and one side table, forty or fifty feet long. They were ornamented with four marble statues re- presenting the seasons, the Society's superb new marble, and the rich Chinese Bradley vases, in which were large pyramidal bouquets. On the tables Were also numerous hand and table bouquets. On one table was a superb tripod hung with clusters of luscious grapes of different colors and varieties, from Mr. Cushing's garden, arranged by Mr. Haggerston. Another table bore a pyramidal design, covered with evergreen, and hung with a superb collection of grapes from Mr. Horace Grey, arranged by Mr. Russell. Mr. Arnold of New-Bedford, and O. H. Mather of Brighton, by Mr. Necdhani, exhibited rich clusters of grapes in fanciful designs. Nume- rous dishes of grapes, grown in the most perfect manner, were to be seen from the conservatory of T. H. Perkins, Esq., exhibited by Mr. Quant. A superior specimen of Wilmot's Black Hamburgh, remarkably large and fine, was exhibited by Messrs. Hovey & Co. Grapes were also exhibited by others very finely grown; and in fact we have never seen a finer show of grapes. There were some baskets of assorted fruit, beautifully ornamented, containing peaches, nectarines, pears, grapes, plums, etc. Th« show of peaches was excellent, there being many very beautiful specimens on the tables. Though rather late in the season for plums, they were pre- sented in sufficient quantity to make up a fair as- sortment. Pears were never exhibited in greater variety, but we believe it was generally admitted that finer specimens of some of the more prominent sorts were exhibited the last season. M. P. Wilder, President of the Society, exhibited one hundred and fifty-four varieties, and Mr. Manning of the Pomo- logical Garden, Salem, one hundred and seventy- five- There were also large contributions from many other gentlemen, as will be perceived by the official report, which will be published in the No- vember number of the Horticulturist. B. V. French, of Braintree, exhibited the great- est variety of apples, including many that were very beautiful. Large contributions of this fruit were also received from many other individuals. The principal designs were a Floral Grecian tem- ple, by Mr. Quant; a Swiss Cottage, by Mr. War- ren; a Gothic Monument by Mr. West; a Chinese Pagoda, by Walker & Co.; a Gothic Arbor, by Mr. Galvin: these were placed at each end of the seve- ral tables. The walls were also decorated with a variety of large flat bouquets and designs, and nu- merous moss vases, and other articles. There were also a dozen fine specimens of dwarf Cockscombs, finely grown by Mr. Quant, distributed about the walls, and some few pot plants, as many as could be placed to advantage in the hall. Taking all things into consideration, this exhibi- tion was one of the best ever got up by the Society; and we believe there was a general satisfaction among the members as to its api)earance. We can truly say that there is a growing taste in the country for horticultural pursuits, and that an increasing interest is manifested at each exhibition of the So- ciety. J. B. Reportof the Committee of the Mass. Hort. Society on Designs. — The Committee to whom was assigned the duty of awarding the Society's premiums for designs and floral decorations, at the annual exhibition, Sept. 16, 17, and 18, having at- tended to that duty, respectfully submit the foUow- report : The first prcrnium of $40 to AVm. Quant, gardener to T. H. Perkins, for lii.s beautiful Grecian I'loral Tempie. To Walker &, Co., the second premium of $30, for their much admired Chinese; Pagoda. To J. L. L. F. AVarren, the third premium of $20, for his neat Swiss Cottage. To W. Sheehan, gardener to R. West, of Salem, the fourth premium of SIO, for his fine Gothic Monument. To John Galvin, gardener to Thomas Motley, Jr., the fifth premium of S5, for his Gothic Bower. To Dmiiel Crowly, gardener to J. L. Gardener, the first pre- mium of $10, for the best pair of large flat bouquets for the walls. To James Nugent, the second premium of $5 for the second best flat bouquets. 1 92 DOMESTIC NOTICES. To Hovpy * Co., for llic best rouiid p>Tnmidal bouquet for (lie Sot-ielv'n voavh, Ihe first prniiiiuin of ijfS. To.s. a' Wiilkt-r, lor lliu st-coml biwl pymiuiilal bouquet,85. To Hovcy &. Co. lor llio bi;sl pair of Muiitel or Tabic bou- qiiou, l!if first prciiiiiiMi of $5. To A\'. K. Carter, for the sccorxl best tabic bouquets, a pre- mium of S3. To Ilovey &. Co., for iJic best pair of lirntJ bouquets, lliu iirsi prciiimin of S3. No i-luimunl for llie sccoml premium. Mis^s K. Howker. for the best design of native grajwcs or tim-k-es, ilie first premium of SIO. Mrs. 1>. A. iStory, for a like dej«i{fii, the second premium of ^. Uraluities. — To Miss li. IJowker, a jrraluily of ©J, for u vcrv tasteful wreath of gras-ses for the clock. To S. A Walker, )?10 for a beautiful flat design. To S. A. \Valker, S8 for 100 feet of beautiful \vreathinff. To Mr. McNeil, gardener to J. W. D. Williams, S5 for a flat desien. To Miss Barnes, Dorchester, $2 for a basket and bower of flowers and everin'eeiLs. To Orr N. Towne, $2 for a flat desiirn. To Wm. Kcurick, !?.) for an ancient lyre. To Edward Allen, S3 for a large flat design. To Miss Rns-u'll, S^ for a large bouquet and moss vase. To Samuel Walker, S3 for a large Hat bouquet. To Thomas Meedliam, gardener to O. II. Mather, $C for a beautiful vase and bouquet. To Mrs. E. A. .Story, S3 for a beautiful circulw design To Hovey & Co., S2 for a pjiir of flat boueiuels. To Charles Mayert, St for desigiw for landscape gardening. To J. L. L. F. Warren, f5 for a unique pyramidal bouquet, composed of vegetables. To W. tjuani, S2 for a p\Taraidal bouquet. To the Me-«r.-i. Winship,'S2 lor a pyramidal bouquet. To. Wm. truant. S5 for twelve plants of fine dwarf Cocks- combs, and otiier pot plants. JosEni Breck, ] D.VVID IlAGGKliSION, I C. M. IIovEY, VCoinmittec. H. W. PVTTON, I Alex. McLenxax, j Keport of the Committee oftheMass. Hoht. Society on Fruits. — The Coniniittee to whom was assigned the duty to award the jjremiuius on fi'uits at tlie annual exhibition of the Mass. Ilott. Society, have attended to that dutj-, and respectfully report that they have unanimously awarded the premiums to the following persons : Apples. — For the greatest number of kinds, and the best grown, a premium o{ §10 to B. V. French. For Ihe .second be.tt, a premium of S5 to Messrs. Hyde. For Ihe third best, a premium of S3 to Capt. Macondray. Pears. — For the greatest number of kinds and the best gro\vn, a premium of SIO to Col. M. I*. AViUh-r. For the second best, a premium of S5 to S. Walker. For tlie third best, a premium of S;j, to J. S. Cabot. Grapes. — For the best exhibited, tiic first premium of $10 to D. Ilaggerston. For the next best, a premium of S7 to Thomas Needham. For the third best, a premium of S5 to Hovey & Co. For the greatest number of varieties, and llie best grown, a premium of SIO to J. F. Allen. For the next best, a premium of S5 to Wm. Quant. For the best basket of assorted fruit, a prciaium of $10 to O. Johason. For the best dish of Apples, (Gravenstein,) a premium of $5 to Messrs. Hyde. For the next best, (Porter.) a premium of S3 to O. Johason. For the best dish of Pears, (Barllell.) a premium of S5 to Mr. J. F. Allen. For the second best, a premium of f 3 to S. Walker. Gratuities. — To James Arnold of New-Bedford, S5 for fine specimens of Grapes. To W. H. Denning, of Presqne Isle, N. Y., S5 for superior speeimeiH of Beauty of Kent apples. To Horace Grey, of Brighton, S5 for fine Grapes. S. Walker, "1 Davit) Hagoeeston, I F. W. Macondray, > Committee- JOSIAH LOVETT, | Otis Johnsom, J ^ Rf-port of the Committee of tife M as.s. IIobt. Society on Vegetamles. — The Committee ap- I)ointeil to award premiums on Vegetables, report as follows: For the best display and greatest variety at the Annual Ex- hiliilioii, a premium of SIO to Aaron D. Williams & Bon, of lloxbnry. l''or Ihe second best, a premium of 87 to F. W. Macondmy of Dorchester. The Connuittce recommend a graluily of S3, for a WTealhof Corn of 12 varieties, to J. I,. I,. F. Warren. Al.so a gr.'iluity of S2 to E. Wight of Dedhain, for a variety of Squashes. Joseph Breck, Committee. Joseph Breck, J A. D. Williams, Ju, > > Wm. B. Ki.NGsmEv, ) The Annttal Show of the Pennsylvania Society. — The exhibition is considered in all re- spects one of the finest which the Society has ever made. Iloth of the large saloons of the Philadel- phia Museum Building were entirely occupied with the articles contributed. The great feature of the Philadelphia shows lies in the Floral ilepartment, as contrasted witn the Hoston Show, which is pre-eminently distin- guished for its Frvits. On entering the lower sa- loon, the splendor of the floral dcrtcfs immediate- ly arrested the attention. We do not refer to the bovqnets of every variety of form, such as arc commonly seen at exhibitions, butr(/.f/tc, archilcr- Uiral and grotesque device:, of vcr)- large size, and striking appearance, most elaborately executed in flowers. Towering above all the rest in size, was one of these in the form of a Chinese Pagoda by Samuel Maupay, which reached nearly to the ceil- ing of the saloon. The design, wliich was jiro- nonnced in the best taste, and most perfectly exe- cuted, and which therefore reccivetl the Society's first premium of $40, was a Gothic Te/nple, made by A. Henderson. Besides these, there were rural grottos, rustic arbors, triumphal arches, pyramids, urns, cornucopias, etc., all formed in the most ela- borate manner, of flowers, leaves, and moss, woven together as ingeniously as if by Flora herself. Plants in pots were most profusely supplied, and formed a rich back ground to the exhibition tables. Among the most liberal contributors of these, were Messrs. Caleb Cope, James Dundas, and Gen. Pat- terson, among the amateurs; and Messrs. Buist, Ritchie and Dick, Dreer, Landreth anil Fulton, and several others, among the professional garden- ers. The Jioses of Mr. Buist, comjirising a collec tion of Perpetuals, Bourbons, Bengals, Tea, etc., of great beauty, and the superb Dahlias of Mr. Jared Schmitz, excited imiversal admiration. A tasteful C7r7i, formed entirely of indigenous flow- ers by Mr. Caie, was also much admired. Among the fruits, the sjjecimens of foreign grapes were especially remarkable. The finest bunches, raised under glass, to which the premium was awarded, were those grown by Wm. Westcott, gardener toMr. Copperthwait; among those raised without heat, the best were grown by John Dough- erty at Laurel Hill, and in the open air, Black Hamburgh by S. Middleton, Darby. Very superb specimens were also exhibited by Messrs. J. Cop- perthwaitc, G. W. Carpenter, Alexander Parker, J. Snyder, Jr., William Johns, Caleb Cope, James Dundas, G. W. Smith, John Naglee, J. B. Baxter, DOMESTIC NOTICES. 193 Lewis Craft, R. Carr, John Sherwood, and seve- ral others. The "observed of all observers," was an im- mense cluster of Cj^prian Grapes, sent by G. Cop- perthwaite. It was pronounceil by the committee the larg-est bunch ever exhibited before the Socie- ty, and a special premium of $10 was awarded for it. Some clusters of "La Reine de Nice " grapes contributed by F. N. Bodine, were also unusually fine. There were about forty contributors of pears. The largest variety was shown by J. Rutter of Chester county, who contributed thirty nametl sorts. Mr. Hays of Newark showed quite a large number of well grown varieties.. Geo. P. Deacon, of Burlington, N. J., showed thirty-eight varieties of apples, well grown. The contributors of tine Peaches were so exceedingly numerous that we must refer the reader for names to the official report of the exhibition, which we shall publish. The arrangement of the large table in the up- per saloon was handsome and eflective. It was surrounded with fanciful wreaths or festoons of vines, woven into tasteful forms. At either end of the table was a magnificent cornucopia — well executed floral designs by Peter Rabbe: one over- flowing with a profusion of the fruits of the sea- son, tlie otlier abounding with every species of vegetable. The remainder of the table was crowd- ed witli the treasures of Pomona. The space allotted to vegetables was most abun- dantly filled. Every culinary vegetable of the season was exhibited, many of tliem grown to very great perfection. The largest contributor in this department was Anthony Felten, whose col- lection, in quantity, excellence and variety, made almost an exhibition of itself. New- York State Agricultural Society. — Horticultural Department. — The building, erected for the occasion, for the exhibition of liorticultural productions, was 150 feet long by 50 feet wide, and was built in the Grecian style of architecture. Its entire front, with its i)orlico, was densely clothed with evergreens. The light was ailmitted to the interior through a line of broad openings on each side above, covered with light muslin. This hall was far superior, in size and decoration, to any erected at previous fairs. The interior was mag- nificent. A smooth boarded floor, twenty-five feet wide, extended the wiiole length through the mid- dle, and supported the double line of terraced shelves for the exhibition of flowers and fruit, leaving a smooth and spacious walk on either side within the railing. At the centre, this line of shelves was interrupted by a fine evergreen gothic temple, 22 feet higli, standing on a base 10 feet square. The softenetl light from above, upon the massive wreaths and green columns throughout the hall, added much to its imposing appearance. This hall was designed by Dr. Alex. Thompson of Auro- ra, N. Y. The exhibition of flowers was fine for the sea- son, though there were but few of much rarity. A fine collection of Dahlias and Verbenas was ex- hibited by James Wilson of Albany ; Ellwanger & 25 Barry of Rochester, presented 25 select varieties of Dahlias, and 12 species and varieties of Verbe- nas; tliey also exhibited 2S varieties of roses, principally Bourbons, Noisettes, Bengals, and Hy- brid Perpetuals: the Princess Clementine, Bour- bon— Souvenir de la Malmaison, Tea — and Augus- tine Moucheler, hybrid perpetual — were among the number. There were a large number of flow- ers, of different degrees of beauty and variety, in bouquets and masses, from various contributors, among whom were Professor Jackson of Schenec- tady, E. T. Throop Martin of Owasco, L. Menard of Albany, Etlward Thomas of Geneva, Elisha Taylor of Buffalo, Henry Morgan of Aurora, and others. A large number of cultivators exhibited consi- derable collections of fine fruits, though some of the best fruit garilens in the state were not repre- sented. Ellwanger & Barry of Rochester, present- ed 12 varieties of peaches, 40 of apples, and 60 of pears; B. Hodge of Buffalo, an extensive miscella- neous collection of fruits; large collections were also on the tables from Bissel & Hooker, Roclies- ter; Charles Powis, Greece, Monroe county; E. C. Frost, Catherine, Chemung countj-; A. Bryant &. Son, Buffalo; Wm. Webb of ; and Allen of Oswego. A. V. Pulsifer of i\uburn presented a single branch of the Isabella Grape of last sea- son's growth, 21 feet long, sustaining 81 pounds of grapes, some of the bunches being about eight inches in length. This good crop was owing to a thorough and judicious system of pruning. Very fine specimens of Crawford's Early Peach, a little out of season, were presented by T. G. Yeomansof Walworth, Wayne county. H. H. Coit of Northern Ohio, presented a fine and select collection, con- taining several specimens of uncommon beauty and size, among which were those of the Alex- ander apple, about five inches in diameter. There were a large number of smaller collections, some of them with very fine specimens, from various other sources. Some of the principal varieties noticed, were the following, which were found in a greater or less number of the different collections: — ,/lpples, Rhode Island Greening, Ribston Pipi)in, Black Gil- liflower, Roxbury Russet, English Russet, New- town Pippin, Lady Apple, Gravenstein, Late Straw- berry, Baldwin, EsopusSpitzenbergh, Yellow Bell- flower, Fameuse, St. Lawrence, Seek-no-furtlier, Fall Pippin, Red Canada, Yandevere, Jonathan, Summer Pearmain, Tallman Sweeting, Hubbards- ton Nonsuch, Swaar, &c. This list will indicate most of the best standard varieties, which are now considerably cultivated in Western New-York, and it could have been much lengthened by the addi- tion of those of second or third rate value, or of local character. Among the Pears, were Stevens' Genesee, Bartlett, Brown Beurre, Seckel, Wurtem- berg, Capiamont, Winter Nelis, Easter Beurre, Gansel's Bergamot, Beurre Diel, Napoleon, Passe Colmar, St. Ghislain, Virgalieu, Louise Bonne of Jersey, &c. The season for Peaches had nearly passed ; the following were found, more or less, in the several collections: Old Mixon Cling, Old Mixon Free, President, Lemon Cling, Red Cheek, Malacoton, Jacques' Rareripe, Crawford's Early, and Blood Cling. Many of the collections had Isa- 191 DOMESTIC NOTICES. bclla, Calawlia, Tlurffnntly, S\veo(watrr, ami olliors of lilt' iiii)^.t commonly cultivated grajies intor- sporsoil throiip;!! them. U was iiuidi to 1)0 ipfrrcttcd that this magnificent anil cosily buililinp: was not bottrr fillcil; and tluit only linnlii-foiir dtilhns in cash, and three silver medals, besiiles books and diplomas, constituted the wholeof the inemiiims oUered on horticiiltnro, amonjj an aarp-rcf^ate number amoniitinjs: to three thousand dollars, while there are many farmers in Western New-\orlc, who make more money by selling: fruit, than from all other crops together. J. J. T-, Maccdon, Wayne Co. BuKKVLoHoRTicui.TUnALSociKTY. — At a meet- ing of the UulTalo Horticultural Society, held on Wednesday, August 2(), lS4(i, it was unanimously Resolved, That this Society welcome with great satisfaction the appearance of "The Iforticullu- rist," edited by A. .1. IVowning, under whose capa- ble and ellicicnt management, it most conliilently anticipates a most useful and honorable career, in reforming, as well as improving, the rural taste of our land. With entire confidence in the ability of the work, we coTnmend it to the attention and patronage of the public. Resolvtd, 1 hat Ibis Society adoi>t the authority of Mr. Downing in his <■<■ Fruit and*I-"ruit Trees of America," as their standard in the classilication and nomenclature of their fruits. Rrsulved, That the reports of the several exhi- bitions of (bis Society be transmitted to the Editor of the Horticulturist for puhlicaiion. Lkwis F. Allen, Prcsi. C. F. Thomas, Sec Report of the Jvgiisi Exhibition. — The Commit- tee to whom was ap|)ointed the duty of examining the fruits and veselables of the August exhibition, beg leave respectfully to make the following re- port : It is with iinfeigned pleasure that your commit- tee have examined the numerous specimens of rich and peculiarly fine fruits. Pomona indeed lavisii- ed, on this occasion, a fair share of her treasure among us. Our principal table for fruit, twenty- four feet long, by five feet wide, was greatly crowded with the profuseness of the various exhi- bitors. Cheek by jowl, each vieingwith the other, were the s))lcndid Morrison's Round I'each with the Washington Plum, the iMoor|)ark Apricot, and the Golden Chasselas Grai)e. the Pound Sweeting Apple, and the Ileurre Si)ence(?) Pear — all speci- mens of unusual size and beauty. We cannot refrain, at this time, from congratu- lating our fellow-citizens upon tlie rajiid imi>rove- ment in our horticultural products, and the |)rogress of taste and skill evinced in their cultivation. Our thanks are particularly due to our j>rofes- sional friends and gardeners, the Messrs. Bryant, Col. HoPGE, Mr. W. Welsh, and Mr. Elin Tyler, for their spirited eObrts, in the importation of new and valuable varieties of fruits and plants. Many varieties of fruit are in bearing for the first time here; and the speedy accumulation of the choicest kinds, with an extended effort at grape cultivation, wiU, under the fostering care of our Society, soon make the nnighhorhood of Buffalo noted for its horticultural productions. Plums. — The variety of plums exhibited was large, and (he specimens in fine onler. AVashinglon — of this plum there were some spe- cimens exhibited by Mrs. Shumway and Mn. Hay- wood, of uncommon size and beauty; amongother kinds, we notice Hed Magnum Bonum — sixteen specimens, very large and line, and giving indis- putable evidence of good culture; Yellow' tiage. Prince's Yellow Oage, (ireen Gage, Bleekers Gage, Puri)le C;age, Imperial Gage, French Prune, — all the foregoing were very choice specimens; Smith's Orleans — very large anil line, showing fine culture, one weigheil near three ounces; (ioliah. Mammoth Blue — very fine; Blue Damson, Hu- ling's Superb. Pcarhcx. — New Seedling, York or Russet, Mor- risons Pound, Yellow Rarerijie, Albcrge, Red Rareripe — all fine, and some of very large size. jjjiricots. — Moorpark from Mr. Webb and Col. Hodges, both very fine. Figs. — Brown Ischia Figs from Mr. Webb, ripe and admirably grown. Grapes — Golden Chasselas, Black Hamburgh, White Sweetwater, Miller's Burgundy — ripe, rich and luscious, well grown. Pears. — Many excellent specimens of Stevens' Genesee, Beurre Spence, Brown Beurre, Summer Belle. White Roi d'F.tO, Seckcl, Orange Bergamot, Vert Souque, Ei>ine Rose, Louise, Bonne de Jer- sey, Newtown Virgouleuse, Autumn Superb, Ju- lienne, Napoleon, Autumn, Patroon. Washington, Marie Louise, and Pound Pear. Jipplcs. — Sweet liough, Hawthornden, Red and Green Sweeting, Pound Sweeting, Summer Codlin, August Tart, Orange Sweet, Peach Apple, Ameri- can Nonpareil, Corjiendue, Golilen Rennet, Empe- ror Alexantler, Drap il'Or, Fiidian Rareripe, Oslin, Summer Rose, Large Yellow Bough, Early Joe, Red Astrachan, Sine Qua Non, Tart Bough, White Juneating, Strawberry Pippin, Nonsuch Pippin, Summer Queen, three new seedlings, Detroit Red, Williams' Favorite, Sugar Sweeting, (ioldcn Sweet, Yellow Harvest, Summer Sweeting, Pomme de St. Jean, Red Juneating, French Codlin, Sweet Pip- pin, Early Nonpareil, Early Strawberry, Dwarf Paradise, Sapson, Pearmain, Keswick Codlin, Roofs Early, Granny Sweeting, Summer Green, Maiden's Blush. 'I'he number of specimens of each was liberal, ami the fruit of each variety large and fine. Very many were of peculiarly fine growth, and rich in bloom. Your committee look upon the exhibi- tion as in fpiantity and quality higldy gratifying, and they doul>t nuicli if the sliow of fruit, for Au- gust, could be excelUul by that of any society of like kind in this state. All which is respectfully submitted. W. R. CoppocK, Wm. W. Mann. Buffalo, Aug. 27, 1S46. Stoddard's Alpixe Stbawherry. — We have now lying on our table, four letter*, inclutlingone from Mr. Prince of Flushing, and Mr. Elliott o . Cleveland, relating to tlie character of this new DOMESTIC NOTICES. 195 Alpine strawberry. The writers give their testi- mony against this variety, and assert that it is no better, if it is not iilentieally the same as the old Alpine. There ai)pears to be but little doubt in the minds of all who have possession of this sort, that much of the high reputation which it obtained last season was owing to the circumstances under which the original betl was grown by Mr. Stod- darii. The soil was one of unusual depth and fer- tilit}', and the fruit was, consc((uentlj', extraordi- narily large and abundant. Slill we think all the opinions yet advanced b)' the present growers of tiiis variety are somewhat jiremature. Sui)pose, for example, any new Pine strawberry had been received from England just a year, or perhaps only six months ago, (the time that Stoddarils Seedling has " been out,-') would not those importing it, cultivate till at least the second season, before pro- nouncing on its merits / Certainly we think so; anil we do not know why Stoddard's Alpine sliouUI not be allowed the same time to establish itself, and prove its qualities, before a verdict is pro- nounced against it. What is the best Peach ? — We incline to the opinion, that the best peack for this latitude, taking into account all the desirable qualities for standard gaj-den culture, is the George IV. This most excellent sort, though it bears a royal name, is a native of New-York, and is perfectly adapted to this climate. It is large, very handsome, and exceedingly high flavored. The tree is re- markably healthy. But what we look upon as its crowning merit, is its bearing habit. Nearly all our peach trees, in the easy careless culture of our gartlensand orchards, are ruined by excessive over- bearing. Not one person in ten ever thinks it worth his while to thin out the fruit of a peach tree, when that fruit is half grown, and the con- sequence is that the fruit attains only half the size and flavor that it otherwise would, and the tree itself is injuretl by the overcrop. Now the Cieorge IV. has the excellent habit of hesLving just enough fruit. That is, it presents the apjiearance when the fruit is half grown, when compared with most other sorts, of only half a crop. But when the fruit is fully grown, every specimen is large, ripens finely, and is of the most delicious flavor, while the quantity at last proves abundant. This renders the tree a regular bearer, and adds greatly to its longevity. Among early peaches, we are inclined to be- lieve the true Early York not surpassed, if it is equalled, by any other very early fruit. We allude to the Karly York of our work on Fruits, a variety with serrated leaves, quite distinct from, and, we think, superior to the peach known by this name in New- Jersey. For all localities south as well as north, we now think it decidedly sujierior to the Early Tillotson, a fine fruit, but which is compa- ratively a slow grower, and we find ripens about the same season. The fairest and most excellent of the white peaches, is the Snow Peach, which deserves its name, as well as a place in every good garden. — Ed. Two NEW SEEDLING PlTTMS FROM MAINE. We have been favored with specimens, by express, of two new seedling Plums from Maine, by B. F. NouRSE, Esq., of Bangor. Mr. Nourse has also furnished us with a description of these new fruits, which we here append. Col. Henry Little, of Bangor, has also, we learn, presented specimens at one of the recent weekly exhibitions of the Hor- ticultural Society of Massachusetts. Tlie specimens came to us in very good order. The McLaughlin, we should consider a very ex- cellent fruit — perhaps a fruit of the first rank. It is not unlike in form to the Purple Gage, and has a rich high flavor. The Penobscot we think, so far as we could judge from the specimens we re- ceived, is only a second rate fruit, though large and handsome. It resembles in appearance Princes Yellow Gage, but it is a clingstone. We give an outline of the McLaughlin, taken from the fruit. No doubt both these varieties will be valuable for their great hardiness in all northern localities. The following are Mr. Nourse's descriptions. — Ed. Fig. 51. The McLatighlin. Plum. The McLaughlin P/«;n was raised by James Mc- Laughlin, Esq., of Bangor, Maine, and first fruited about three or four years ago; since when the ori- ginal tree has been a regular anil good bearer. Grown in light sandy loam, it remains to be seen if it will improve or deteriorate in heavier soil. The tree is of rapid growth, making stout vigo- rous shoots of four to six feet in a season. Top is round, low, spreading, anil, as its grower says, "it makes a regular apple-tree top."' T-eaves long, broad and glossy. Bark smootli and clean — and on the new shoots dark. Fruit above medium size, nearly round, but flat- tened at either end more than any plum described in your "Fruits and Fruit Trees," being of greater breadth ttian length. Suture obscure. Stalk about three-fourths of an inch long, inserted in a small cavity, [without depression — Ed.] Skin thin and tender, (russet) yellow, sprinkled with a red tinge which deepens to a purplish hue aro'.'nd the stalk. 196 DOMi:STIC NOTICES. where thorn is considerable bloom. Flesh dull yellow, juicy, nitlicr linn, very sweet, and of lus- cious lliivor. [It adheres to the stone, which is roumlish in fipure. — Ed.] Surpassing: all varieties that have yet fruited here. Itipcns last of August. The rcnob^cul Plum was also raised by .lanirs Mcl^aujfhlin, l"s(|., and thoun:h inferior to that bearintf his name, is esteemed worthy of a place among- -rood iihitns. Like the McLaujjhlin, itsoripfinal tree has borne but three or four years, is a good bearer, and was planted in same light soil. Itsp:rowtli is also simi- lar, thouiih less inclined to branch horizontally. J'ruit larprc, oval, with distinct suture. Stalk thrcc-fourlhs of an inch Ions,', small and clean, in- serteil in a small cavity. Skin yellow, tinged with green, and when ripe slightly with red on the cheek, little bloom. Flesh yellow, sweet and rich, with i)leasant flavor. [Stone long, and pointed at both ends; llesh adheres i — Ed.] Ripens about 5th to lOtli of Sejitcmberat Jlangor. Very respect- fully. B. F. Nourse- Bangor, Sept. 4, 1846. The Ly.man- Donatio.v. — The Hon. THEoDonE Ly.MA.v, of lioston, has just made the handsome donation of cine ihottsand (JoUars to the funils of the JNIassachusctts Horticultural Society. This is the third gift of the like amount, which the Societj- has received during the present year. The income of these ilonations ]>reviously received, it has been decided, shall be distributed annually in the form of medals, as prizes — the Apit.eton and Lowell medals; and we jiresume, we may now add the Ly.man medals. There is probably no society devoted to the art of culture in the Union, whose inthicnce is so usefully and widely felt as that of Massachusetts. The great anil praiseworthy interest which is felt in its pros])erity by every one in Boston, from the humblest grower of salads to those occupying the highest position in society, explains very rea- dily the cause of its large activity, and the zeal with which its alfairs are conducteil. Cloth of Gold Rose. — To the defective charac- ter of this rose, as given in the September number of the Horticulturist, there must be some excep- tions. I ha\'e just seen several specimens in the nursery of IMr. James Wilson of this city, in full bloom. The flowers were very full, of a rather deep creamy jellow, yellowest in the centre, and of a handsome cup shape. When compared with its twin sister, the Solfaterre, which was growing close by, the Cloth of Gold was seen to be mucli superior in size and shape. I compareil it with the Ophirie also, and it proved much superior in size, and more double. Mr. \V. informed me the j)lants which I saw were budded last summer, potted in a dormant state last fall, kept in the greenhouse all winter, and set out in the open ground about .Tune, after having made some growth in the pot. These plants had made gooil sized shoots, say from 18 to 30 inches, each shoot having quite a number of buds on it; thus showing that ([uite a long succes- sion of flowers might be cx|)ected. Mr. Wilson thinks, that as far as his experience goes, and it is now three or four years since he imjiorted it from the estal)lishment of IMr. Ui\ors, at Sawbridgc- worlh, England, that if ((uite answers the retty gooil bloom once, but afterwards blooms but seldom. The color is a pale yellow, and not a gooil deep yellow (like Harri- son's,) as I had sujiposed. So much for aitditional testimony for this region. Near Natchez, I have seen it really blooming well, but never at the north. Yours. James Wardrop. Piltsbrirs^h. [It is no doubt true that this new yellow rose only blooms freely in strung, damp soils, and in a cool situation. Wherever we hear of it grown on dry soils, it would appear to be rather an indilTe- rent bloomer. — Ec] The two Hardiest and most Profitable Apples. — What are the two hardiest and most pro- fitable apples ? I am about to jjlant an orchard on soil which is not very favorable, and not in the best exposure. I would be much obliged, if you would give me the names of two or three sorts best suited to such a situation. Yours sincerely. J. H- B. New-Jersey. Answer. — Baldwin and Rhode-Island Greening. No two varieties of apjiles — fruits of the highest excellence, too — are so hardy, uniformly luoduc- tivc, and profitable in all soils and situations, a» these. We have noticed both of them this season, in orchards in various ])arts of the country, where other sorts, often productive, have almost entirely failed, and yet these are giving abundant croi)s of large, fair fruit. We doubt if any better market sorts, all points considered, can be found for soils of medium quality. — Ed. The Gravenstein and the Porter Apples. — For the month of September, I esteem these the two best apples. Both of them bear as finely as I could wish. The Gravenstein is a large, admira- bly formed fruit, of just that mixture of sweet and acid that is most agreeable. The Porter Apple is as hanilsome as an orange, though its color, when quite matured, is more like that of a lemon. Like almost all our best native fruits, it is fair and smooth, and its jiroducts heavy. In market it commands the best price. Yours. .A. S. New- York, Sept. \Oth, 1846. DOMESTIC NOTICES. 197 Gigantic Quince Tree. — While in the neig-h- borhood of Geneva this season, our attention was called to a siiecimen of the common quince tree, which is larger than any that we have ever heard of. Mr. HiLDRETH, of that place, has since very carefullj' measured it, at our request. Its trunk is two feet in iliameter, or has a girth of six feet. It is about thirty feet high, and has a very vigorous antl luxuriant head, the branches extentling over a circle seventy-live feet in circumference. It bears very large crops of the variety known as the Pear Quince. It is situated in deep rich soil, on the land of Mr. Button of Seneca, and, we understand, was planted about forty j^ears ago. The Quince is generally looked upon as a mere bush or large slirub, and it owes this dwarfish ha- bit, which it usually assumes, chiefly to the wretch- ed treatment it receives. No tree, as this speci- men fully proves, better repays its owner for deep, rich soil. The poor and wet situations, where it is generally forced to grow, are the worst possible ones for it. Labels for Fruit Trees. — I have seen in our agricultural and horticultural periodicals many di- rections for making labels for fruit and other trees, none of which are as simple and cheap as this: Take a strip of sheet tin of any size you may choose; the most convenient is about three inches by three-fourths of an inch, and write the name etc., thereon with a sharp awl, being careful to cut through the tin coating. The letters will soon oxi- dize so as to be read as easily as ordinary printing, and the label remains thenceforth unchanged. In suspending from the tree, either make two holes, or twist your wire tight, else the tin may cut it oflT if allowed to work in the loop. J. W. B. Ro- chester. Notes on Pears and Apples abroad. — From an interesting letter, with which we have been favored by an amateur in Baltimore, we make the following interesting extract: "Did I mention a pear I met with in Rome, du- ring the latter end of March and first of April ? — a large, pyriform, .juicy fruit, of an excellent, though not very high flavor. I could learn nothing farther of it than that it was called 'Spadano.' It was a fine fruit for one so late. When in Paris, at the end of September, the Napoleon, the same as I have fruited here for three years, was one of the principal pears in season: it is juicy, but not high flavored. At the same period the Marie Louise was in eating, a very fine juicy fruit. This is considered the best November pear in London. At the above period, there was also, in Paris, the Duchess d'.^ngoulBme, and the Brown Beurre ; but the pear preferred above all others was the White Doyenni, far excelling some dozen varieties then in season, both in beauty and quality. <'I was told in England, by gardeners and fruit- erers, that the SeckcL was the best flavored pear known, but that it would not keep in their climate. " The finer sorts of American apples are supe- rior to tlie best of the English varieties. The Ribslon Pippin, one of their very best, is a i>lea- sant apple, but wants the American characteristics, juiciness and crispness. The Blenheim Orange, another celebrated fruit, wants acidity ; the Haw- thornden is good, but rather acid; the Red Astra- chan is a fine flavored fruit, and is for sale in Co- vent Garden Market at the end of July. Among' their other apples, I found the Emperor Alexander well flavored, but tough ; the Nonpareil the same, but too dry ; Courpendu, good flavor, but tough and dry. The finest apple I met with in Europe was the White Colville, at Paris, in .January — the size full medium; form remarkably ribbed; color pale bright yellow, a handsome and tender fruit, juicy and of a pleasant acid flavor, but not high. " In eating the Neivtown Pippin in London, im- ported from the United States, (where the demand is so great that a market may be made for thou- sands of barrels) one cannot but be struck with its superiority over all English apples — a fact fully admitted by all Eng'lishmen themselves. This fruit costs there about $10 per barrel, and is re- tailed for five to seven cents each. In several towns in Ireland, I have noticed native apples la- belled 'American,' to ensure a ready sale." W. Baltimore, Md., Sept. 10, 1846. The most rapid growing Maple. — How many persons, undertaking to improve new and bare places, are at a loss for w^hat trees to plant for im- mediate effect! "Something which will grow fast," is to them the great desideratum of life. To talk to such persons about steady and slow growing trees — beeches and oaks — is like talking to the manager of the electric telegraph about the advantages of the old fashioned mail coaches. We must have the pleasure of recommending to such persons that excellent tree, the Silver INIaple, Acer eriocarpum. It is, we believe, to be had in all the large nurseries, though indigenous here and there, it is seldom planted as an ornamental tree north of New-Jersey. It is a large and handsome tree, with leaves as large as those of the Sugar Maple, but more delicately formed, and with a silvery or downy under surface. But the habit of the tree is quite distinct from the other maples. When it has once formed a head, its branches begin to decline or droop slight- ly, with just enough of a sweep to be graceful, but not sufficient to amount to a weeping wooil. In short, with its pleasing habit, clean foliage, and smooth bark, it is one of the most agreeable of trees. As regards its rapidity of growth, it is quite re- markable. We do not know any fairer wooded tree, except the Elm and the Abele, which sooner throws a fine shade. As compared with the Sugar Maple, its growth is double. In five years it really makes a fine large head. And as a recommenda- tion of still greater importance, we may add that it will thrive in almost any tolerable soil, from a light sand to a strong clay loam. Salt as a Manure. — J. M. Ives, at page 132, says he ai)plied five hogsheads of salt to the acre — but I wisli to know if he meant an English hogs- head of 63 gallons? or a butt, which, according to N. Webster, is called a hogshead in America, though it contains from 110 to 120 gallons.' I would thank him to say how many pounds, or howmany bushels of salt he applieilto the acre. X. 198 MASSACHUSETTS lloRT. SOCIETY. Dvu-sTnoTiNT, Insects. — Thissoason, insects have born unnsuallyil<-s(iuctive to our liner fruits. The Uasp, the Velhnv Hornet, the Bee, the Snappinfr ling and Ants, have all been busy in breaking through the skin, anil causing a premature ilecaj in some case.'* before llic fruit was ripe. At least one-lialf of our apricots rotted in consc(iuence of these attacks, and many of our finest peaches. A roniinuod buzz was liearil in the trees; and what to do became the question. Every wasp nest that xvo could find was destroyed, tog:et.her with the builders, so that a very sensible diminution in their numbers was observable; but still there were many loft to crowd in with the other insects; and I Ihougfht of the plan, lon{? since ailopted by English gardeners, which was to hang ])hials filled with sweetened water among the branches. This plan has proved very successful; and if I had adopted it early in the season, much tine fruit might have been saveit. May we all remember it next year. JD. Thomas. Cayuga co., 9 mo 13, 1846. How TO CARVE A Watkr Mf.i.on. — Cut olT the ends, and lay them aside; then if tlie fruit is long, divide it into Iwo liarts, by another cross section. Sot the part or ))arts on end, antl jiass the knife jiorpcndicularly downwards several times, till the jiieces arc an inch and a half or two inches broad across the rind. In this manner the seeils are ea- sily removeii, and the pieces of a convenient shape. E. Cayuga. Pity THE Town Trees. — The anomalies attend- ant upon the growth of trees in large cities, might serve for a theme whereon to write a volume. They are jilaced in a hole (piile too small for them, a little rubbish is thrown about their roots, the bricks are laid carefully as tight and near the root as possible, and the curbstone touches the rootlets at least on one side. To prevent the rain from ever reaching the roots, the tree is now enclosed in a box, and this tender vegetable production is expected to grow! Sometimes this is the case, but more generall)'', as nobody ever thinks of water- ing it, it dwindles and dies. The wonder is that any city tree ever survives the treatment. Care should be taken, in the first i)Iace, to have tlie whole large and deep; and to this should be brought, before the tree is procureil, cart loads of the best soil that can be got; then plant carefully in the usual manner, leaving the paving as far from the stem as jiropriety will admit. If the watering pot is now judiciously used when the weather is dry, and sutllcient ventilation is gi\en in the sideg of the tree box, the jirobability is that a shailc tree will be iiroduced. It is a melancholy ciroumstance that evergreen trees, as a rule, will not succeed in large cilioH, else we might have much more ornamental ]danl- ing than we now have. Deciduous trees, resi-m- bling evergreens, may be ailvantageously substi- tuted, and among these the Cy|)ressand the Larch are probal)ly the best. The ("yi)ress is late in ])ro- ducing its leaves, and may be said to be a clean tree, though not as good for shade as some others. Probably we shall liave a good, and certainly a quick-growing tree in the Paulownia impcriatis. It will be useful the first season, and the second or third, will attain all the height required; afler which it may be trimmed to suit the wishes of ihe owner. The trimming of the successful trees in the streets and in ))ublic sipiares in cities, is another subject deserving of comment. Every erroneous experiment is tried ui)on them, to distort and ilis- iigure their natural!}' graceful forms. The jirin- cipal object seems to be to endeavor to force them to a great height, by tlenuding them of their lower limbs, than which nothing could be more prei)OS- terous and injurious. Even the beautiful Cypress in \Vashington square has undergone this shock- ing operation the jiresent season, and it now looks like a scarecrow on stilts. City fathers, who know less of trees than of yard sticks, would ' mem ber; Wsdter Fariisworth, Roxbury, elected a member. MASSACHUSETTS HORT. SuClETY, 199 Exhibition of Saturday, Sept. 5ih, 1846. FLO WEllS.— From M. P. Wilder, Presidem of the Society, fine Dahlias. From O. H. Mather, a plant of Buddlea lindleyanu, and one bouquet. From J. L. L. F. Warren, Phlox breckii, (fine specimens,) White ^Vate^ Lilies, Lilium longitlora. Zinnias, and other cut flowers; two large and ten small bouquets ; also three plants of Amaryllis belladoinia. F'rom William Keiirick, by Miss Russell, one large and two small bouquels, basket of flowers, and cut flowers. From Joseph Breek and Co., Phlox breckii, wUderii, a fine white seedling of W. E. Carter, and other varieties. Lobelia syphilitica, Altheas, Zinnias, Double Balsams, fine Double Im- perial Pniks, Verbinias, Sweet Peas, Dahlias, with a variety of other cut flowers. From Parker Barnes, Dahlias, Verbenas, Roses, Zinnias, Salvia splendens. Sweet Peas, Asters, Phlox druramondii, Ery- tlu-ina crista-galli, (a fine specimen,) Double Sun-flower, &.c. From T. H. Perkins, by W. Quant, fine Asters, Dahlias, Phlox Drummondii, Zinnias, Marigolds, a fine specimen of Melastoma rnalabatlvrica, Tecoma jasmmoides, and other fine cut flowers. From H. W. Dutton, Dalflias, Zinnias, Asters, and other cut flowers. From Hovey & Co., fine Roses, Altheas, and four bouquets. From G. C. Cro^vniiLsliield, by Jeremiah McCarty, fine Ger- man Asters. From John Ilovey, Dahlias, Asters, two bouquets, and two plants of Valloia purpurea; and a beautiful flower of the AmaryriUis tribe. From William Meller, forty-six varieties of Dalflias, two bouquets, and cut flowers in variety. From Thomas Mason, Dahlias. From W. B. Richards, twenty-two varieties of Dahlias, Commelina ccelestis, Salvia splendens, «fcc. From R. West, Salem, by J. Sheehaii, one pjTamidal bou- quet or design, and a fine bloom of Cactus triangularis. From John A. Lowell, by Wm. Doyle, a curious and beau- tiful air-plant, Stanhopea occulala, Zygopetaluni maxillare, a rare orchideous plant, and one large pjTamidal design or bou- quet. From J. W. Mandel, one large pyramidal design or bouquet. Dahlias and Asters. From James Nugent, fine Dahlias, Ferrai-ias, &c. The Committee report the following Dalflias in the diff'erent stands as being very fine : M. P. Wilder, Cleopatra, yellow, new; Tassot's Indispen- sable White; CoiLstautia, white edged with cherry; Arethusa, fine purple, new ; Ithuriel, lilac, dove and orange, shaded ; Isis, bronze tipped \vith white, colors variable in dilferent flowers, fine t'aney flower. J. Breek & Co., Vanguard, crimson, new; Optimus, fine blush white, new ; Arethusa, fine purple, new ; Cleopatra and Tassoi's Indispensable. Parker Barnes, Prince's Olive, fine white ; Beauty of Sas- bCx, white with a deep edge of cherry ; Essex Champion, fine orange scarlet; Nonpareil, dark .scarlet; Antagonist, while; Bridesmaid, white tipped with purple. H. W. Dutton, Girling's Prince of AVales, purple shaded with crimson; Viscountess Resigueur, purple tipped with white, new. J. L. L. F. Warren, Great Mogul, crimson ; Tassot's Indis- pensable; Rembrandt, purple; Coustantia; Competitor (Gir- ling's) crimson ; Pactole, yellow, new ; Vi.scouiile.ss Resigncur. AV. Quant, Antagonist, Lady St. Maur, and Royal Sovereign, yellow, new. W. B. Richards, Dodd's Prince of Wales, yellow; Stan- dard of Perfection, purple ; Col. Baker, purple. AVilliam Meller, Antagonist, Lady St. Maur, La Leon, scar- let tipped with white ; Northern Beauty. John Parker, Model, purple ; Dodd's Prince of Wales ; Pick- wick, and Ne Plus Ultra. James Nugent, Cleopatra, Standard of Perfection and Con- btantia. John Hovey, Marshal Soult and Dodd's Prince of Wales. J. W. Mandell, Di'wager Lady Cooper, Beauty of Sussex, and Stiuidard of jPcrfection. AWARD OF PEEMITJMS. Parker Barnes, II. W. Dutton and James Nugent, judges. First premium to Miss Russell, for best bouquet, S'2; second premium to J. L. L. F. Warren for next best bouquet, $1. Gratuities- To AVilliam Doyle, $2, for a beautiful air-plant, .•^•aiiliiipea occulata, and $1 I'or pyramidal design or bouquet. To .1. AV. Mandel, $1 for pyramidal design or bouquet. To R. We.st, $1 for p>Tamidal design or bouquet. For the Committee, Jos. Breck, Ch'n. FRUITS.— J. S. Sleeper, Pears— Harvard, fine. A. D. AVilliams, Apples — Porter, fine. Russet Sweet, Fall .Sopsavine and Red Apple; Pears — Harrison I'all Baking, Ju- lienne, VV'lUiams' Seedling, Cushing's Dryanna. J. C. Cabot, Esq. Salem, Pears — Passaiisde Portugal, Sum- mer Franc Real, Hes,sel, Honey, Dearborn's Seedling, all fine. J. Fisk Allen, Pears — Pa.ssaiis de Portugal, Cabot, Dear- born's Seedling, Summer Franc Real, fine ; Peaches — Craw- ford's Early, Noblesse, Cooledge's Favorite ; Plmns — Green Gages, fine; Grapes, Zinfindal, Ferral, AVliite Frontignan, Black Hamburgh, AVilmot's No. 16. Syrian, Esperione. Josiah Lovett, Beverly, Melons — Christiana, Green-fleshed, Green and YeUow, and other varieties ; Pear, Musk, Bon Chretien d'Ete. George AValsh, AVilliams' Bon Chretien Pears, Lady Blush Apples, and Green Gage Plums. James Nugent, AVilliam's Bon Chretien Pears. Messrs. Ilovey & Co., Grapes — Black Prince, Alicaut, AVhite Frontignan, Chasselasof Fontainbleau, AVilmot's Black Hambinrgh, fine. Black Hamburg, Black Hamburgh, (.') Ma- cready's Early AVhite, Grizzly Frontignan, Pitmaslon While Cluster; Pears — Jalousie de Fontenay Vendee, good quality, Bezi Veteran ; Seedling Peach. J. L. L. F. AVarren, Pears — Julienne, Dearborn's Seedling; Nectarines ; Spanish AVater Melon. Parker Barnes, Peaches. AVilliam Beebe, Springfield, Peaches. Alexander Clark, South Framinghani, Peaches, two speci- mens weighing ten and a half ounces each. Samuel Pond, Pears — Jargonelle of the French, AVilliams' Bon Chretien, Fondante d'Automne, St. Ghislain, Grosse de Bruxelles, Surpasse Virgouleu.se; Plums — Long Blue French, Isabella. Diamond. G. Merrium, AVest Newtown, Peaches — Jacques, Rareripe, Hasting's, Cooledge's Favorite, and a variety without a name. JM. P. AVilder, Pears — Fondante d'Ete, Golden Beurre of Bilboa, Julienne, Fondante d'Automne, very fine, and Beurre d'Aumalis. O. II. Mather, by Thomas Needham, Grapes — Black Ham- burg, Cha-sselas Musque, Black Frankeiidale, AVhite Cliasse- las, AVhite Coiistantia,(?) Black Loinbardy (?) ; Red Apple. Messrs. AVinship, Plums — Downtoii Iinpcratrice, Duane's Purple, Smith's Orleans, Long Blue French, two kinils with- out name, Italian Prune, Yellow Magiuim Bonum, Belle de Rheims, Lonib.ird, Nectarine Plum, Diamond, Cloth of Gold, Bingham, (.') Hulmg's Superb, Coe's Golden Drop. E. M. Richards, Cushing Pears and Seedling Peaches. Samuel Walker, Roxbury, Pears — Fondante d'Automne, Marie Louise, Beiure dp. Capiemont, Golden Beurre of Bil- boa. Henry Lillle, Bangor, Plum.s — AIcLaughlin, and Penobscot Seedlings by Joseph McLauglilin. Esq. Otis Johnson, Esq., Pears — Julienne, Rousselet, Panache, Ilericart, Epiiie d'Ete, St. Ghislain; Black Hamburg Grapes, and a Pear unknown. AVilliam R. Austin, Dorchester, Summer Fnuic Real Pear, and Early Ann Peach. A. AV. Withnigton, Apples unknown. H. C. Merriam, North Tewksbury, twenty-one varieties of Peaches. AVood Apples, a new seedling variety from F. Glazier, Hal- lowell. Presented by Ilovey & Co., a good Apple for the season. R. Manning, Pomological Garden, Salem, Tyson Pear, very fine flavor. At the last exhibition some verj' fine Pears, of the kind called Manning's Elizabeth, were shovni by Charles F. Put- nam of Salem. For the Committee, John Fisk Allex. VEGETABLES.— From Mr. AVilliams, two Tomatoes weighing three pounds, and an Egg plant. From A. D. AViUiams, Sweet (Uirn. I'riim Henry Mygatt, Farmhiglon, Ct., some very fine Bell Peppers. For the Committee. A. D. Williams, Cli'n. 200 PENNSYLVANIA IIORT. SOCIETY. Exhibition of Saturdity, Sept. 12, 1846. OKRM.W ASTI'RS.— ritaiiilmj,' the vt-ry uiUavorahlc seiLsim, (extreme liot Weather.) nimiy Hue Asters were exhiliited. Also Daliliiis. by Messrs Tiiomus Musou, Parker Burncs, auil James Nugent. .Messrs. Diiliou. McLellaii, aiiJ Bowditch, were appointed judjies to award the Society's premiums on German Asters, who, after a close examination of the several stands, awarded to Mr. W. Ciuanl a premium of §1, for the best display; to Messrs. llovey & Co.. a premium of ^i. for the second best; Olid to J. W. Maiidel, for the third best display, a premium oi" S2. For tlie Comniittee. Jos. Brfck, Ch'n. FRT'ITS.— The President of the Society, M. P. AVilder, presentews miniature views from the las/ edition of our Landscape Gardening, whieh, however, givo but a faint and imperfect idea of these places. HOW TO GET EARLY GRAPES IN VINERIES. 205 Ho\w to take an Early Crop of Grapes in Vineries. BY PETER HENDERSON, PITTSBURGH, Pa. The culture of the finer varieties of the Grape under glass, is fast becoming a mat- ter of much interest to amateurs and pro- fessional gardeners in various parts of the Union, and certainly would soon become much more so, were it not for an opinion advanced by almost all writers on this sub- ject, viz., that we must exercise the virtue of patience for three or four years, before we allow our labor and investment to be re- compensed by a crop of grapes. The rea- son given for this is, that by permitting the vine to bear in its second, or (by some) third season, from the time of planting, that its fruitful energies are cramped for future years. I will not venture to dispute the correctness of this dogma, correctly advan- ced by older and wiser heads than mine, but will confine myself to briefly detailing a method which overcomes the necessity of this " long waiting," and that too without virtually interfering with the above es- tablished opinion. Before entering into a description of the method, I would premise that it is not ad- vanced in the present instance as any thing new, having been practised, as a correspon- dent informs me, in the vicinity of Boston, for several years. But never having seen it in any work, perhaps it may be useful to some of the readers of the Horticulturist. Supposing a vinery to be planted in spring, with one year old plants from pots, by the end of the season, if the border is what it should be, each plant will have made a shoot extending eighteen or twenty feet, or to the top of the rafter. (Fig. 57, a.) At the time of pruning, these shoots are cut down to eight or ten feet from the ground, or as far as the wood is well ripened. When the buds be- gin to swell, pots, twelve or fifteen inches in diameter, are provided, well drained, and filled with very rich compost. These are then placed close to the vine, on the surface of the border, or sunk a few inches as re- quired. Then at twelve or eighteen inches from the ground, (according to the height of the pot,) the vine is held firmly in one hand, while with the other it is twisted once short round ; the crippled part is then buried three or four inches in the earth of the pot, a brick is placed on the top to pre- vent it from springing up, the shoot is tied to the rafter, and the business of forcing continued as usual. (Fig. 57, b.) Every practical man will at once under- stand the utility of this method. The sap being impeded in its ascent by the twisted condition of the shoot, roots are emitted, as in ordinary modes of layering. These, in a short time, fill the pot from which the fruit- bearing branch is to derive its principal nourishment ; at the same time the vine will break strongly hclow the twisted part, when as many shoots (c) may be led up as the system of training intended requires. This method of taking a crop from young vines has been most successfully practised here, in the newly erected graperies of Mr. Spang. For the sake of experiment, two or three were cut off at where the others were twisted ; but the growths these have made are in no respect superior to their fruit-bearing neighbors, which goes far to prove that the layer, in this case, is no drain upon the main root, and consequently this manner of cropping young vines can be in no way injurious to their future fertility. Those who would be scrupulous of allow- ing their vines to bear the third season 200 RURAL GLANCES AT TIIC \VEST. Fig. 57. View of Interior of Grape House. might again repeat the operation. The extra labor attendant on thi? operation is trifling, being nothing more than that of keeping them duly supplied with water, or occasionally with liquid manure. A light crop may also be had in this man- ner from vines the first season of planting, provided strong plants can be procured, which have been grown two years in pots. Vines of this description are grown exten- sively by Mr. BuisT of Philadelphia, and also by some of the Boston nurserj'men. Peter Henderson. Pittsburgh, Pa., Sept. 14, 1846. RURAL GLANCES AT THE 'WEST. BY EVELYN. [The following memoranda of a journey to a portion of our western states, though, as we are told, " slight and hastily written," are full of rural interest. They are from the pen of a gentleman of the finest tastes and accomplishments, whose residence on the Hudson combines as much of the beautiful as bountiful nature has any Avhere lavished, or refined art improved. Our readers will gladly welcome " Evelyn " again to our pages. — Ed.] On the morning of the 16th July, the writer shot awav westward throus^hthe val- ley of the Patapsco, along the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. The Patapsco affords fine water power to numerous mills a"nd factories, but the coun- try has not an inviting aspect in an agricul- tural point of view, until j-ou reach the valley of the Monocacy. As we advanced toward.1 Harper's Ferry, the vein of breccia or pudding stone is disclosed, from a part of which the columns Avere quarried for the interiors of the Houses of Congress. I think, however, that there was bad taste shown in using this parti-colored stone for RURAL GLANCES AT THE WEST. 207 the shafts of the columns, and z^jM^e marble for the capitals and bases — for a column, like a vase, depends mainly for its pleasing effect on its 'proportions as a ivhole^ which is disturbed by using different colors for the three parts. This breccia might have been more appropriately adopted for paving the corridors of the Capitol, and would have had a richly tessellated effect. The narrow gorge in the Blue Ridge, through which the Potomac dashes, makes close neighbors of the river, the canal, and the railroad; and beetling rocks threaten to fall as the cars thunder on through this interesting pass. Ere long, I suppose, we shall see the mag- netic telegraph slip in also, with its skeleton apparatus, and steal along with its spirit- like communications. Mr. Jefferson, in his " Notes on Virginia," says that the scene at Harper's Ferry is " worth a voyage across the Atlantic," which, now that steam has epitomized the voyage, and reduced the time from months to weeks, may be true. It is certainly a very interesting scene. The two rivers, the Potomac and Shenan- doah, coming together from opposite points, seem to have united to rend the barrier, and the rent mountain serves as a rough frame to the distant and mellowed landscape of the lower country. I wonder that our tourist's, particularly the sketchers of scener}^ do not oftener re- sort to the upper Potomac. We traversed a beautiful and fertile country, which will some day be covered with tasteful villas. I observed that there were {ew or no ever- greens upon the Alleghany mountains and the hilly country beyond. The Black Wal- nut, Locust, Chestnut, &c., indicate a fertile soil to the summits. In a tract of this region, marked by a recent visitation of the locusts, I noticed the preference of this insert for the Oak to de- posit its eggs, and its avoiding the Locust. A first visit to the valley of the Missis- sippi has much to allure the traveller — the far-reaching streams — the gigantic trees — the prolific soils, the mysterious caves ! The national road traverses a well cultivated and beautiful country to Wheeling. Wheat and oats seem to be the favorite crops, the latter being disposed of very conveniently to the wagoners along the national road ; the farmers are consequently opposed to the extension of the Baltimore railroad to the Ohio, which is certainly short-sighted ; for whatever other classes may be injured, it may be assumed as a truism^ that every railroad promotes the interest of the agri- culturist. The Ohio is a sweetly flowing, but mono- tonously beautiful stream — it is never pic- turesque or grand. This river is about 150 paces wide at Wheeling, and becomes wider very gradually. The finely wooded hills rise about three hundred feet, leaving an irregular strip of alluvial land, and thus it wears the same unvarying aspect for hun- dreds of miles — and coming from the won- derfully varied scenery of the Hudson, the feeling produced in my mind was wearisome. The abundance of bituminous coal dis- closed along the banks of the Ohio, is an invaluable blessing stored away for future use, where steamers are indispensable. The present price is five cents per bushel. I was pleased to find that horticulture and fruits were often the subjects of con- versation. One person remarked that he had effectually kept the peach-worm from his trees, by planting the common Tansy about the roots, and I presume any odorife- rous plant would be a preventive. I observed some quarries of beautiful freestone along the Ohio river, which I hope may be extensively used, and before long supersede brick walls, which are ugl}'-, and wooden frames, which are perishable* 208 RURAL GLANCES AT THE WEST. The people of tne United States will pro- bably in time distinguish themselves in architecture, as there are many public build- ings erected. Every county must have its court-house, and gaol, and hotel — every state its capitol, and our countless cities and towns require banks and churches and asy- lums. In such cases, the Grecian orders will be most appropriate, while the Italian, the Gothic, and its modifications, are better adapted to suburban structures and to cot- tages and villas. The country from Maysville to Lexing- ton, Kentucky, is fertile and beautiful. The growth of blue grass and white clover, which springs up spontaneously where the fo- rest trees are a little thinned out, give the ex- tensive pastures the effect of improved parks. Ashland, the residence of Henry Clay, is about a mile from Lexington, and presents a striking instance of the characteristic fea- tsres of this beautiful country. To see his fine herd of improved cattle, we drove through his large pasture lots as if among the trees and grass of an English park. I saw very heavy crops of hemp ten feet high, and corn twelve to fifteen feet high, but blue grass may be considered the most valuable staple growth of Kentucky. The soil about Lexington, and several adjoining counties, is unsurpassed in durable fertility, and I can readily believe the assertion that Kentucky can sustain a population of six millions : what then is the capacity of the valley of the Mississippi ! All the elements of western prosperity must at present be considered as only seminal ; and when the resources of this region are developed, they will control the legislation, and shape the destiny of this Republic. My route took me by the celebrated Mam- moth Cave, which I reached just in time to join a numerous and gay party, arrayed in fancy costumes, and provided with a band of music, Bengola lights, &c. I found the subterranean wonders had not been exag- gerated, for the cave is not more remr.rka- ble for its great length, (15 miles,) than for the dimensions of its vast halls and avenues, its profound depths, and the mysterious river, flowing no one knows whither, with its sightless fish. I have never experienced a more complete illusion than is produced in the " Star Chamber," nor have I been more impressed with any object than while gazing on the half disclosed form of "GoW/z's Dowie," standing in its unexplored depths and awful solitude. This part of Kentucky seems to be honey- combed with caverns, and bold springs some- times stream forth and then disappear. The Cumberland river is a beautiful stream, and winds among picturesque hills of limestone, fertile to their summits, and clothed with gigantic forest trees. The beech tree prevails, but I saw many beau- tiful specimens of the Kentucky Coffee tree, three feet in diameter, the Cucumber Mag- nolia (auriculata,) thirty-five feet high, and I saw the remains of a Sycamore in Jack- son county, Tennessee, which had been oc- cupied as a grocery store. The seeds of the Coffee tree are no longer used for coffee. The " Buckeye " fruit or chestnuts, (the na- tive Horse-chestnuts of this region,) are eaten greedily by cattle, and prove fatal to them, so that the tree is often cut down. In Tennessee, I passed by a tract of coun- try where the milk sickness had prevailed. The cows, and persons using their milk, died, and even the dogs and buzzards that fed upon the dead cattle. The neighboring people became so alarmed, that they would not kill the game of the infected district. The cause of this fatal sickness remains un- discovered— no deleterious vegetable was found, and many persons attribute it to poi- sonous water. REMARKS ON SOME VARIETIES OF FRUIT. 209 Col. S., of Jackson county, who was one of the pioneer settlers of this countr}-, gave me some interesting information connected with its natural history. It was formerly covered densely with cane, twenty-five feet high, but the cattle have entirely destroyed them. The limestone hills contain the re- mains of sea-shells to their tops ; and the soil is so strong that it is unnecessary to prepare, as is done elsewhere, seed beds for tobacco plants, any spot being sufficient- ly rich. Bears were then numerous, and in search- ing for grubs, and snails and toads, they would move enormous logs. They ascend trees for acorns and nuts, and when surpris- ed, precipitate themselves from a great height without injury. When so fortunate as to find a wild beehive, a bear will thrust in his paw, and continue to eat the honey, regardless of the stinging of the enraged bees. Col. S. in early life was much engaged in surveying and exploring lands. Hunters and others, in such excursions, used to car- ry bear's fat melted and poured into the leg skins (a leathern bottle) of a deer, which with parched corn, was portable and nutri- tious, and would keep uninjured in all wea- thers. He once lodged with a hunter who relied entirely upon his rifle for the support of his family. Their rude shed was made wea- ther proof with the skins of buffaloes, bears and deer, which formed also their dormi- tories and beds. Bear meat and venison hung in the smoke of their fire ; the corn was pounded in a wooden mortar, and sifted through a skin perforated with a hot needle. They had a small patch of mustard for a salad now and then, and their cows came up regularly at night to the brush fires made to smoke ofT the musquitoes. Such weie and are the fascinations of frontier life ! In going down to Nashville, I passed by the Hermitage. The old General was in- terred in the garden — ^'reqiiiescat in pace^ Nashville is situated in a fertile, heahhful, and beautiful region, but the tide of emi- gration passes by it, and sets strongly for the Far West, and nothing short of the Pacific and the plains of Mexico will arrest the host which is hurrying there, made up of the adventurous emigrants and frontier hunters, who court danger and disregard privation. Evelyn. Remarks on some few Varieties of Fruits. BY ROBERT B. PARSONS, FLUSHING, L. L I OBSERVE that some of our favorite fruits have not been described in the " Fruits and Fruit Trees of America ;" among them are the following : Autumn Bough Apple. — This is a very superior fruit, ranking indeed among our best sweet apples, and worthy of extensive cultivation. It is rather large, somewhat of a calville-shape, though with the ribs not quite so prominent as is usual with apples 27 of that class; oblong, diminishing very much to the eye. Skin smooth, pale yel- low, with a few scattered dots. Eye of me- dium size, and very deeply sunken. Stalk rather slender, set in a deep narrow cavity. Flesh white, very tender, and with a rich and sweet, yet sprightly flavor. Ripens from 25th of Eighth month to the 20th of Ninth month. The tree is exceedingly productive, and of very vigorous growth. 210 DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW PEARS. Green Catharine Peach. — This fine free- stone is certainly quite a distinct fruit from the " Green Catharine " of the London Horticultural Society's Cataloj^ue. I pre- sume they have received their tree from some doubtful source, as the kind cultivated here has been long known in New- York and its vicinity, as one of our best varieties. Leaves with globose glands. Fruit large, somewhat oval, a little depressed at the top, with the suture slightly marked on one side. Skin greenish-yellow, with occasional dots, and the cheek marbled with red. Flesh greenish white, marked with red at the stone, very juicy, melting, and deserving a place in every good collection. Ripens from 25th of Eighth month to 15th of Ninth month. Flowers small. White Rareripe. — This fruit has been, by some, cultivated for the Morris White, but is far superior to that variety. "We were, at one time, somewhat in doubt as to the true name, but from various circumstances are now quite convinced that this is correct. All good judges in this vicinity consider it as, without exception, the best peach of the season, and to show that we here are not alone in this opinion, I annex the follow- ing note : " Messrs. Pabsons, Flushing, L. I. " Gent. — The peaches you did me the favor to leave with me, were tested by seve- ral members of the fruit committee of the Mass. Hort. Societ}', who consider it one of the best varieties, and deserving of exten- sive cultivation. Very respectfully, " Samuel Walker, " Bostoiiy Sept. 17, 1846." Description. — Leaves with globose glands. Fruit large, round, with a suture slightly marked on one side. Skin yellowish green, occasionally, when exposed, the cheek slightly stained with red. Flesh pale, red at the stone, juicy, melting in an unusual degree, high flavored and delicious. Ri- pens from 5th to 20th of Ninth month. Flowers small.* Robt. B. Parsons. Flushing. 9 mo., 25th, 1846 DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW PEARS. BY L. C. EjVTON, providence, R. I., AND W. R. SMITH, MACEDON, N. Y. We are glad to be able to introduce to the notice of pomologists, two new fruits of so much real merit as the Pratt and Osband Summer Pears. The Pratt Pear is quite a celebrated va- riety in Rhode-Island. The specimens of the fruit sent us by L. C. Eaton, Esq., were of first-rate quality. We learn from one of the best judges of fruit in Boston, that he has tasted this variety this season, and is disposed to give it the same rank. The variety is quite new, and we believe it is as yet only to be had of growers of fruit trees in Rhode Island. There is every rea- son to believe that among the many sorts annually ofl^ered to public notice, most of which prove indifferent in quality, this will be an exception — a fruit of real merit. Its flavor appeared to us to be about midway between a rich Marie Louise and a juicy Napoleon. The following is the account of this fruit, by Mr. Eaton. The outline is one from the specimen received. • We are plad to find that our correspondent has succeeded in finding a white Rareripe, ■which is distinct from the Morris' White, and superior to it. We have ourselves frequently heard of such a fruit, but all our attempts to find such a fruit have proved unsuccessful — the sorts usually so called being the Morris White, the leaves invariably having reniform glands. — Ed. DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW PEARS. 211 Fig. 58. Pratt's Pear. The Pratt Pear. — I send you specimens of the " Pratt " Pear. It is much esteemed here. This season, it has ripened much earlier than usual, and has not its ordinary excellence. The following is a description of it, as given by the fruit committee of our Horti- cultural Society : Size, above medium ; form, obovate ; color, greenish-yellow, sprinkled with nu- merous grey dots and russet spots ; stem slender, an inch long, and inserted in a tolerably deep depression ; calyx open, with slender segment set in a broad open basin ; flesh white, tender, melting, fine-grained, abounding with saccharine well-flavored Ripe in September. Originated in juice. Johnston. Providence, September 12, 1846. L. C. E. Osband's Summer is a very popular vari- ety in the neighborhood of Rochester. We saw and tasted it there when in perfec- tion this season, and considered it a valuable acquisition. The following his- tory and description, are from our cor- respondent, Mr. Smith of Macedon. Osband's Summer Pear, {Osband's Favorite, of some.) — This beautiful and excellent native pear has acquired con- siderable notoriety in this vicinity, and is destined, without doubt, to take rank with the best of its season. It is in per- fection previous to the Dearborn's Seed- ling, and so far as I can ascertain, sub- sequent to the Bloodgood. It is a fine grower, and bears young and well. So strongly does it resemble the White Doy- enne in outline and flavor, that it has been known in Rochester for several years as the " Summer Virgalieu," a name obviously improper, as the Doyen- ne d'Ete, a distinct fruit, has been for some time described, and extensively circulated. The description of the fruit under consideration so nearly corres- Fig. .'i9. Osband's Summer Pear. 212 THE \t:llows in peach trees. ponds with that of the Doyenn^ d'Etc, that Bomc intelligent cultivators are inclined to think them identical. But aside from the facts in the case, it may be remarked as conclusive against this opinion, that the Osband's Favorite has a large open calyx, with reflcxcd segments, while the Doyenn6 d'Etc has " calyx small, closed."* The former, too, appears to have much more of color than the latter. All doubts on this point will, I think, be removed by reference to the following his- torv, which I obtained from G. Osband, a Methodist minister, in good standing, and every way worthy of confidence. Early in the settlement of this part of the state, a small nursery was planted by Pardon Dur- fee in the vicinity of Palmyra, Wayne co. A public road was subsequently laid out through the premises, and a part of the trees in consequence removed. During this labor, the father of my informant, acciden- tally passing, was accosted by the proprietor, with, " here, I will give you this." handing a pear tree about two feet in height, with branches forking out near the ground. On reaching home, the tree was divided through the roots, and the two parts planted. Here one of them produced abundant crops for many years, and finally died, probably from the " blight." The other was soon removed to a farm in the north part of this town, (Macedon,) and last year I gathered a few specimens from it, the last which the same potent enemy will allow it to produce. The name given is at the suggestion of the family who brought it into notice. Size, scarcely medium, about two inches long, and two in diameter. Form, obovate, resembling a White Doyenne. Skin, smooth, shining, clear yellow, profusely marked with small green dots; well ripened speci- mens have a clear red cheek, slightly rus- setted at the crown. Stalk, an inch long, rather stout, a little knobbed, not deeply in- serted in a cavity of four unequal sides. Calyx, large, open, segments reflexed. Flesh, white, a little coarse, juicy. Flavor, rich and sugary, with a slight musky per- fume. Ripe from 5th to 10th of 8th mo. (August.) Wm. R. Smith. Macedon, 8 mo 1846 THE YELLOWS IN PEACH TREES. BY L. WYMAN, Jr., OF WEST-CAMBIUDGE, MASS. Having received of late quite a number of letters and notes from individuals interested in the cultivation of the Peach tree, re- questing my opinion as to the origin of, and the best mode of treatment to be given to Peach trees afl^ected with the Yellotvs, (by some called a disease,) I will state, through the medium of the Horticulturist, the result of my own observations, obtained from a ten or twelve years experience in the cultivation of the Peach tree ; from which • See DowuJng"s " Fruits and Fruit Trees of America." those interested may form their own opi- nion. Having devoted much attention to the culture and habits of the Peach tree, I am of the opinion that what is called the yellows, is not a disease in itself, so much as the re- sult of a lack of nourishment of the right kind, or the natural result of bad culture upon an unfavorable soil. I have never found, after the most careful microscopic examina- tion of the roots of the trees affected with the yellows, the appearance of any worm or mi- THE YELLOWS IN THE TEACH TREE. 213 nute insect, that would favor the supposition that it was the result of animal attacks. That it can be communicated from one tree to an- other by contact, I have not the least doubt. I have used the knife in pruning a healthy tree, which had been used in pruning a tree affected with the yellows, and it was thus communicated to the healthy tree, which showed all the signs and appearan- ces of the diseased tree : the leaves turned yellow, and the small twigs or limbs shri- velled like those of the before mentioned tree. I have noticed that the healthy tree was more or less affected with the yellows communicated from the pruning knife, as more or less predisposed, if I can use the term, by soil and situation to receive it. The better the soil, and the higher the state of cultivation, the less the tree would be affected by the yellows; and in some six or eight cases only, the extreme ends of the branches were affected at all ; and which being cut off, and a proper nourishment be- ing given, the yellows disappeared entirely from the tree ; thus favoring the idea that it originates in the state of the soil, and the mode of cultivation. Again, in order to satisfy myself experi- mentally, I pruned the branches of half a dozen healthy trees Avith the knife with which I had just pruned several trees which had the yellows, and I cut off only the ends of the principal branches. From some trees I took one branch, from others two, three and four, always noting carefully the result, which I found to be as follows: the disease or malady was communicated direct- ly to the tree, and might be arrested by cut- ting or trimming, close to the body of the tree, those limbs or twigs which had been before shortened for the sake of the experi- ment. I am inclined to the opinion that the yel- lows may be the result of an unhealthy soil,* as I have always noticed that the soil upon which the Peach tree is cultivated, operates, in a vi ry distinct way, either more or less favorably or unfavorably upon the growth and development of the tree and fruits. I have always found that trees grown upon a good deep soil, of a fair proportion of yellow loam well enriched with manures, into the composition of which a large propor- tion of ashes and other alkaline and ;mimal matter entered, were the most vigorous, and gave the most abundant crops, with the largest and fairest fruits ; and I never found such a soil quickened with such manure, that ever exhibited the least signs of the yellows. I have found the yellows often in trees which were grown upon poor land, without manure, or with but little manure, and that of a poor quality; and I find by observation also, that trees grown in land in which much sorrel abounds, especially if suffered to clog the roots of the peach tree, are more subject to the yellows than if grown even on very poor land ; and my reason for believing the yellows to be owing very much to the manner of cultivation is based upon the following facts: 1 have taken trees, which have decidedly shown the yellows, and after a thorough applica- tion of those manures which contain a large proportion of alkalies, and salt in small quantities, judiciously applied at proper sea- sons, and with proper pruning, brought them back again to a healthy, bearing and vigor- ous state. The best remedy for this malady called the yellows, I bt lieve, where one can af- ford to apply the best, is to pull up all the affected trees, and replant with fresh, healthy ones; and then keep a constant eye to the roots and branches, and upon the least signs * Wc suppose our correspondent means vnfavorable or uncongenial soil. — Ed. 214 HORTICULTURAL MISSION To CHINA. of disease apply the remedy. The yellows are not only shown in the leaf, hut may be known bv the shrivelled and dry appear- ance of the branches also. I have careful- ly noted the results of several experiments made this season, and am more fully con- vinced that the cultivation and manures used, together with the soil upon which the Peach tree is grown, deserve a very impor- tant consideration from all those who would have this excellent fruit upon their tables, as well as little trouble from the yellows. L. Wy.man, Jr. Weft-CanibriJpe, Siptember, 1846. MR. FORTUNE'S HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHINA. Our readers are already aware, that in 1S43, 1 as soon as China, through the new treaty made by the English, appeared more acces- sible to foreigners, the Horticultural Society of London, with its usual zeal, dispatched an able collector, Mr. Robert Fortune, to that country, in search of new plants. Mr. Fortune has been eminently success- ful in his mission — one which, by the way, will prove quite as interesting in its results to all our readers, as any of those which had for their motive — openly or disguised — the opium trade, or the spread of cheap calicoes. After an absence of a little more than two years, Mr. Fortune reached England in June, 1846, bringing with him the last of the vegetable treasures he had secured, in eighteen glazed cases, having previously transmitted a large number of species to England. These are, with the exception of only two species, all now well established in the garden of the Society near London, and as soon as they are somewhat propaga- ted, we shall hope to see them introduced into this couutry. The climate of the higher portions of China is so nearly like our own, that many of the trees and plants from thence will prove entirely hardy here. When we say that among the new plants, which are the result of this expedition, are the celebrated Shanghai Peach, the trtie Mandarin Orange, a dozen or twenty beautiful sorts of Tree PcRonias of novel colors, a stiperb new yellow climbing Rose, and an everblooming Rose, Jive-colored, a white Wistaria or Glycine, and several new and handsome hardy Azaleas, we only mention a few of the most impor- tant of the prizes which have rewarded the zeal of the London Horticultural Society. In the last number. Part III., of the So- ciety's Journal, which is just issued, we find a sketch of Mr. Fortune's natrrative, so agreeably told, and so full of interest to horticulturists everywhere, that we are con- fident our readers will thank us for imme- diately placing, as we here do, the most of it before them. " When the news of the peace with China first reached England in the autumn of 1842, the Coun- cil of the Horticultural Society of London, believ- ing- that an extensive field of botanical and horti- cultural treasures lay unexploreil and unknown in the northern parts of that empire, appointed me as their collector. I left Enj^land early in the spring; of the following year, and arrived in China on the 6th of July. Several cases of living plants were sent out under my charg-e, as well as a large quantity of vegetable and flower seeds, the greater part of which arrived in excellent onler. The fruit trees and vegetable seeds were greatly prized by English resiiients in the northern parts of the country, where such things succeed much better tlian they do in the south. Ca|)tain Balfour, H. M. Consul at Shanghae, kindly offered me ground in the garden of the Consulate, where I conld plant the trees, and where they were to be considered as public property : that is, any one who might apply was to be supplied with grafts at the proper season of the year. By this means, the kinds would soon be multiplied, and secured in the coun- try until the fruit could be seen and apprciatcd by the Chinese themselves. Such things arc o HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHINA. 215 great value in China, owing to the very bad varie- ties of both apples and pears which the Chinese at present possess. " The voyage out was too much like others of the same kind to aflFord much worthy of notice, until we reached the beautiful islands in the Java sea. The vessel anchored abreast of the village of Anger, in Java, for the purpose of procuring a supply of water and other fresh provisions; and during the time required for this purpose I gladly availed myself of the opportunity of going on shore. Here I found the fine new variety of Den- drobium secundum, which I afterwards sent home, and which has been given away to several of the Fellows of the Societj^. " Having a fair monsoon up the China sea, we arrived at Macao in a fortnight after leaving Java. The first view we had of the shores of this cele- brated country was far from promising. The is- lands which lie scattered over this part of the sea, as well as the shores of the main land, have a most bleak and barren appearance. Granite rocks are seen every where protruding through the soil, and rearing their heails above the scanty vegetation. The soil of the hills is a reddish clay, containing Very little vegetable matter, and is mixed with portions of the granite in a decaying state, and generally has a cracked and burnt appearance. It is of course a little richer in the ravines and val- leys, where the best portions are annually washed down by the rains; but even here it is far from being good soil, at least what would be consider- ed as such in England. " When I landed at Hong Kong, my letters of introduction, both from the government and from private individuals, procured me many friends, who were most anxious to forward the views of the Society. Messrs. Dent & Co., in particular, not only gave me a room in their house, but placed their gardens at Macao and Hong Kong entirely at my service, giving me leave to take from them any plant I might wish to send to England, and to use them for depositing any of my collections in, until an opportunity occurred of sending them home. " As soon as I was fairly clear of the ship, I be- gan my researches upon our island of Hong Kong, then in its infancy as a British settlement. This island is a chain of mountains, 1800 or 2000 feet high, sloping in a rugged and unequal manner on each side, down to the sea. It is about ten miles in length, from east to west; in some places three, in othp.rs five in breadth, and contains very little level ground capable of cultivation. In its gene- ral features and sterility, it is exactly the same as I have already noticed with regard to the other por- tions of this part of the Chinese empire. There are few trees of any size to be met with on the island, except those kinds, such as Mangos, Lee-chucs, Longans, Wampees, Guavas, and other well known things, which are planted and reared in some of the most fertile spots for the sake of their fruit. Pinus sinensis is met with every where on the hill sides, but it never attains any size, pnrtly owing to the sterility of the soil, and partly to the practice which the Chinese have of j lopping off its under branches yearly for firewood. ' Several species of Lagerstroemia are met with, both wild and in gardens, and are so ornamental when in bloom, that they always reminded me of our own beautiful Hawthorn. The Screw Pine (Pandamts odoratissimus) and two or three well known species of Palm, are met with on the low land near the sea. As we ascend, the hill sides and ravines become rich in Melastomas, Lycopodiums, Ferns, Phaius grandifolius, and several other fa- miliar orchideous plants. It is a curious fact, how- ever, that all the fine flowering plants which we admire so much in England, are found high up on the hills. The Azaleas, Enkianthus, and Clema- tises, for example, generally choose situations from 1500 to 1800 feet above the level of the sea. " After three weeks of hard labor and exposure under a July sun, both on the islands and main land in this part of China, I was forced to come to the conclusion at last, that the south had been too much ransacked by former botanists to j'ield now much that was really new, and at the same time ornamental. Two or three good plants, however, to a certain extent, repaid me for my labor, and these reached England alive a few months after this time. Their names are Chirita sinensis, Arun- dina sinensis, Spathoglottis fortuni, and a curious dwarf Lycopodium, which is like a tree fern in miniature. " The heat at this time was very great, the ther- mometer frequently standing at 92o F. in the shade, and 140o when exposetl to the sun; but even this was nothing when compared with those sensations which every foreigner in Hong Kong feels from the dry and heated air, probably caused by the ab- sence or scarcity of trees antl shrubs. "Having completed my researches for the sea- son at Hong Kong, I left the island on the 30th of August, and proceeded to Canton and Macao. At Canton, the principal objects of attraction in a bo- tanical way are the gardens of the Hong merchants, and the celebrated collections at a place called Fa-tee. The latter are simply nursery gardens, where plants are grown and exposed for sale. Many beautiful species, almost all natives of the south of China, are met with in these gardens, which, however, possess little that is really new or unknown in England. I believe the only plants of any value which I was able to introduce to this country, from the gardens of Canton and Macao, were the Fingered Citron, the true Mandarin Orange, and the striking and beautiful Camellia hexangularis. " I now determined to proceed immediately to the northern provinces, as soon as I could fiml a vessel in which I could engage a passage. I sailed on the 23d of August, and after visiting the island of Namoa, and some others of less note on the way up, I reached Araoy on the 3it of September. To my disappointment, this jiart of China was even more sterile and barren than that in the province of Canton. The island of Koolnngsoo, then in the hands of the Ilritish, is diviiled from Amoy by a narrow arm of the sea. From the number of pretty houses and gardens, which were found upon it when taken hy our tro'ops, there can he no doubt that it was here where the rich and gay among the Amoy merchants had their country and family re- 216 HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHINA. siilenpos. The pardons, liowovor, j>rctly as they were, contained U-w )>lanls of vahic, or dillcreiit from what I had already met with at Ht)nf;- Ivonfr and ('anton. Some roses wliich I sent to the Hor- ticultural Society from that place, are saiil to be very distinct anil line, but I liave never hail an op- portunity of soeinp tliem in bloom. •' Having travelled all over the country adjacent to Amoy, and completed my researches, I sailed again towards the Tormosa Channel, on my way to our moat northern stations of Chusan, Nin{fpo and Shanghac. The monsoon, however, had now clianffed from southwest to northeast, and we ex- perienced very stormy weather, and strong nor- therly currents, whicli, of course, were directly against us. The vessel was at last obliged to put into the Hay of Chinchew from stress of weather, and having sprung her bowsprit in the gale, it was impossible for her to i)roceed. In a day or two her cargo was got out and put into another vessel, in which I also embarked, anil we again proceeded on our voyage. This attempt was even more disastrous than the last, for after being out for several days, and nearly through the Formosa channel, we met one of those dreadful gales so well known to the navigators of these seas; our newest and strongest sails were split to pieces, the bulwarks washed away, and in spite of every ex- ertion, we were driven back far below the bay from which we started about a week before. Two plant cases, which I had with me at the time, were dashed to pieces, and their contents, of course, completely destroyed. The horticulturists and gardeners of this country, who are so critical when they find a few deaths in plant cases after a voyage of fifteen thousand miles, know little of the ilangers of the ocean. " During our stay to refit in the bays of Chimoo and Chinchew, I availed myself of the 0])portu- nity of exploring tlie adjacent country. It was on these hills that I found the pretty Abelia rupestris. Campanula grandiflora, and Statice fortuni, which are now in the garden of the Society at Chiswick. The natives in this part of the country arc a law- less and indepenrJent race, who care nothing for the government.and who set the laws of the empire at defiance. I and my servant were sometimes placed in most critical situations amongst tliem, where a great deal of tact and determination were necessary to get us safely out of their hands. " Our little schooner being refitted, we again hove up our anchor, and stood out to sea. This time the winds favored us, and in ten days, we were safely moored in the beautiful Bay of Chusan. As we approached the islands of the Chusan Ar- chipelago, I was much gratified with the great change in the aspect of the country. There was a freshness and luxuriance about the ■vegetation entirely ditferent from what I liad seen before. Fewer rocks were seen protruding through the ground, and many of the hills were cultivated nearly to their "unimits, w-hich at once proved the superior nature of the soil. The first glance at the vegetation convinced me that it was very dif- ferent from what I had seen in the south; and that the north of China must be the chief scene of my future labors in the country. I "I now delivered my letters of introduction io J IMajor-tieneral Sir James Schoedile, the oflrieer in I command, who very Kindly procured me ()uarlerH in a Chinese house inside the ciiy i)f Tingliae, to which I removed from the ship, and immediately commenced operations. I was now fortunate enough in getting acijuainted with Dr. Maxwell of the ]\ladras army, who was stationed there at the tinje. This gentleman, who was an ardent lover of botanical pursuits, had been most indefatigable in his researches, and was consecjuently able to give me a great deal of valuable information. " I was now continually travelling amongst the hills, not only of Chusan, and the adjacent islands, but frequently on the main land, where I went Without being molested in any way. The dispo- sitions of the peoi)le seemed to have changed with the aspect of their country. Their features were more Euroi)ean; they seemed perfectly harmless, appearing to bear us no ill will, and freipicntly were even kind, which is saying a great deal for the Chinese, unless they have some selfish motive for such conduct. " After getting together a considerable number of i)lants and seeds, an opporlunitj' ofTered of vi- siting Shanghae. That port had not been yet for- mally opened, and the chances of getting there were few, and not to be neglected. I was there- fore glad of the opportunity, and sailed for the Yang-tse-Kiang on the 13th of November. As we approached Shanghae, we seemed to have got into a new country. The mountainous scenery had en- tirely disappeared, and even from the top of our highest mast, there was not a hill seen to bound the distant horizon — all in view was one flat level plain. This is what is called the valley of the Yang-tse-Kiang, and is the great northern Nankin cotton district. The land is a rich deep loam, and is without doubt the finest in China, if not in the world. " In a country like this, which is every where flat and cultivated, it was not expected that I could find very many wild plants. Two, however, were met with, which have since attracted a considera- ble share of notice in England. I allude to Cryp- tomeria japonica anil Anemone jajionica. I'he latter was found when in full flower, amongst the graves of the Chinese, which are round the ram- parts of the city. It blooms in November, when other flowers have gone by, and is a simple and beautiful ornament to the last resting places of the dead. If the number of wild flowers in this dis- trict was few, they were well made up by those which I afterwarils found in gardens and nurseries. From the number of flower shops in the city, which at this season were filled with Chrysanthe- mums, I was quite certain that there must be somewhere in the vicinity nurseries for their cul- tivation, but the great difliculty was to find them out. The Chinese here, who knew little or no- thing of us, except as their conquerors, were frighteneil and jealous, and would give no infor- mation on the subject. They always suspected I had some other object in view than simply collect- ing the plants of their country. At that time I could not speak a w-ord of the language; and my servant, who was brought up from the province of HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHINA. 217 Canton, was equally at fault, so that every thing was up-hill work with us. However, by examin- ing everj' hole and corner of the city and suburbs, and sometimes getting the boys who were less jealous than the rest, to assist us, we tliscovered several nurseries which contained large collections of plants, many of which were quite new and very ornamental. I was also much assisted by H. M. Consul, Captain Balfour, who was always ready and willing to aid me in my pursuits. Amongst other things a very valuable collection of Tree PiBonies was obtained at this time. <' It was now the depth of winter, and as vege- tation was leafless, it was impossible to make any thing like a complete collection until the follow- ing year, when the plants would be covered with leaves and flowers. I therefore packed up the things which I had already secured, and sailed for Ningpo on my way to the south. " Here I had the same difficulties to encounter as I had at Shanghae, owing to the jealousy of the Chinese. Ultimately, however, I discovered se- veral mandarins' gardens and nurseries, from which I made additions to my collections. All these things were of course out of flower, and some of them leafless at this season of the year; but it will be seen afterwards that many of them proved most remarkable plants. Here, as at most other places, I made many inquiries after the supposed Yellow Camellia, and oflered ten dollars to any Chinaman who would bring me one. Any thing can be had in China for dollars .' and it was not long before two plants were brought to me, one of which was said to be light yellow, and the other as deep as the Double Yellow Rose. Both had buds upon them, but neither were in flower. I felt quite certain that the Chinaman was deceiving me, and it seem- ed so foolish to pay such a sum for a plant which I woulil, in all probability, throw away afterwards, and yet I could not lose the chance slight as it was, of possessing the Yellow Camellia. Moreover, there was a written label stuck in each pot, both of which were old, and apparently the labels and writing had been there for some years. At last we compromised the matter; I agreeing to pay half of the money down, and the other half after the plants had flowered. On these conditions I got the Camellias, and took them with me to Hong Kong. It is almost needless to say, that when they flowered, nothing was yellow about them but the stamens, for they were both semi-double worthless kinds. " I now hired a Chinese boat, and crossed over to Chusan, where I arranged my collections and sailed for the south, arriving at Hong Kong on the 19th of January, 1844. My chief object now was to get cases made, and my collections packed and shipped for England. About eighteen cases were sent home in three different shii)s about this time, and several small packets of seeds were sent by the overland mail. "As it was autumn when I was travelling in the north of China, man}^ of the plants on the hills were in seed, and it was impossible for me to say whether their flowers were ornamental or not. I made a selection, however, upon chance, considering that there would be at least, some good 28 things amongst them, and that by this means a sea- son would be gained. 1 did not intend them to be given out to the country, until they were proved at the garden, or until I could have an opportunity of seeing them in bloom on the Chinese hills, and of sending a description home. The seeds being in ffood condition were soon raised, and unfortu- nately many of them were given away which did not prove at all ornamental. Others, however, were really valuable things, amongst which I may mention the Buddlea lindleyana, the Azalea ovata, and the Cryptomeria japonica. " The plant cases to which I have already allu- ded, contained amongst other things, the follow- ing, many of which have been already given away to the Fellows of the Society : Buddlea lindleyana, Anemone japonica, Lycoris radiata? Daphne fortuni, Forsythia viridissima, Jasmjnura nudifiorum, Weigela rosea, Chirita sinensis, Arundina sinensis, Spathog^lottis fortuni, Fing:ered Citron, (true) Campanula grandifiora, Azalea oblusa, ovata, " squamata, Abelia rupestris, Indigofera decora, Cryptomeria japonica, and twelve or thirteen very fine new varieties of the Tree PsaJony, having several shades of purple, lilac, deep red, and white flowers. Besides these, the cases contained a number of valuable plants which have not flowered, and about which little is at present known. " While I was waiting in the south of China for the dispatch of the collections just noticed, I took the opportunity of visiting Canton and Macao attwo different times, and saw the Camellias, Azaleas, Moutans, and other plants in bloom. The gardens of the Hong merchants and the nurseries at Fa-tee, are particularly gay during the spring months with these flowers. The Moutans are yearly brought down from the north to Canton, where they flower shortly afterwards, and are then discarded as useless, as the climate of the south of China is too hot for them; this trade, therefore, is not unlike that of Dutch hyacinths in Europe. " The mountains near Canton, which I visited in company with the late Mr. Lay, as well as tliose of Hong Kong, were very gay at this season with the flowers of the beautiful Enkianthus reticulatus, Azalea squamata, and various other species. This part of China, however, had little to increase my collections, and on the 26th of March I started again for the northern provinces. ' The whole of this season was spent in tlie Chusan, Ningpo, and Shangliae districts, my prin- cipal object being to see all the plants of these places in flower, and to mark those which I want- ed for seed. In ortler to do this effectually, I was obliged to visit each district three or four times during the summer and autumn. <' The Flora of Chusan, anil all over the main land in this part of China, is very different from those portions of the south which I have already described. Almost all the species of a tro|)ical character have entirely disappeared, ami in their places we finil others related to things found in the temperate parts of the world. I here met, for the first time, the beautiful Glycine sinensis, wild on 218 HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHI.VA, the hills, whore it rlimhs in heil^os and on trees, ] anil allows i(s lloworinfr biunclios 1<> luuif; in grace- ful f«"stoons, by llie sides of the narrow roads which lead across the nioiiiitaiiis. 'I'he Ficusnili- da, so eomnion around all the temples anil houses in the >)<)ulli, ia here unknown, and many of those beautiful Uowerinp grenera, which, as I have be- fore rcmarkeil, are only found on the top of the mountains in Hong- Konpr, here have chosen less exalted situations; I allude more jiarticularly to the Azaleas which abound on the hill-sides of this island. Most ])ersons have seen and admired the Azaleas which are yearly brought to the Chiswick fetes, and which as individual specimens surpass, in most instanccSjthose which grow and bloom on their native hills; but few can form anj- idea of the gor- geous and striking beauty of these Azalea-clad mountains, w^here on every sitle, as far as our vision extends, the eye rests on masses of flowers of ilaz- zling brightness anil surjiassing beauty. Nor is it Azaleas alone which meet the eye and claim our attention: Clematises, wild Roses, Honeysuckles, tlic Glycine sinensis, noticed above, and a hun- dred other things, mingle their flowers with them, and make us confess, that after all, China is indeed the ' central flowery land.' There are several species of IMyrtaceous and other Ericaceous plants, which are also common on the hills, but no species of heath has been ever found; and I be- lieve the genus docs not exist in thi spart of China. <'Thc Tallow tree (f^tillingia sebtf'tra,) is abun- dant in the valleys of Chusan, and large quantities of tallow and oil are yearly extracted from its seeds. The Laurus camphora, or Camphor tree, is also common, and attains a very large size, but, so far as I know, no camphor is extracted or exjiort- ed from the island. Thea viridis, the Green Tea shrub, is cultivated in some parts rather extensive- ly; but if we except a small quantity of tea which is annually sent over to Ningpo and the adjoining towns on the main land, the whole of the produce is used by the natives themselves. Every small farmer and cottager has a few plants on his own premises, which he rears with considerable care, but seems to have no wish to enter on its cultiva- tion on a larger scale for exportation. Indeed it is questionable if it would pay, as the soil is scarcely rich enough; and although the shrub grows pretty well, it is far from being so luxuriant as it is in the larger tea-districts of the mainland, which I afterwards visited. " The forests of different varieties of Bamboo are very striking, and give a kind of tropical cha- racter to the scenery of this part of the countrj'. I do not know any thing more beautiful than the Yellow Bamboo, with its clean straight stems and graceful tops and branches waving in the breeze; it always reminded me of our young larch forests in England. The Pinus sinensis noticed in the south is also common here: it seems to be an ex- ception to the general rule, being found over all the country, and in every degree of latitude. The Cunninghamia sinensis is also found in abundance; and besides these, there are several species of Cy- press and Juniper found growing around the tombs of the rich, which are scattered over the valleys and hill-sides. "The fruits of Chusan are of very little impor tanee; nearl_\ all the jieaches, grapes, pears, plums, oranges, iVc, which are seen in the summer sea- son in the markets, are brought from the main land. There are two fruits, however, cultivated on the island, which are of considerable excel- lence; the one is called by the Chinese laJig-wKK'; it is a scarlet fruit not unlike an arbutus or straw- berry, but having a stone like a i)luni in its centre; the other is tlie Kiim-qi/at, a small species of citrus, about the size of an oval gooseberry, with a sweet rind and a sharp acid pul)). " The new plants of the island were seen In flower this season for the first time. Early in the spring, the hill-sides were covered with a beauti- ful Daphne, (Daphne fortuni.) and the Azale.i ovata, certainly one of the finest and most distinct species which I have introduced. Weigela rosea, one of the most beautiful shrubs of northern China, which was first met with in the garden of a man- darin near the city of Ting-hae on this island, was this spring loaded with its noble rose-colored flow- ers. Ruddlea lindleyana was also seen this year in great perfection growing in the hedges on the hill-sides, often side by side with the Glycine si- nensis. " Ningpo is about forty miles west of Chusan, and is situated on the main land. My visits here, at difierent times during this summer, were attend- ed with much less difliculty than in the jireceding autumn. I was now beginning to speak a little Chinese, and was perfectly acquainted with the town, and the whole of the places where the dif- ferent mandarins' gardens and nurseries were situa- ted. This was of much importance, as I was able to save so much time, which used to be formerly spent in fruitless in(|uiries. The mandarins were particularlj' inquisitive at this time about every thing which related to the movements of the Eng- lish or other foreigners, who were likely to esta- blish themselves at their port; and as we were able to keep up a conversation in Chinese, I soon found that my frequent visits were verj- agreeable to them. The nursei-ymen, too, having found, I supi)ose, that my money was as valuable to them as that which they received from their own coun- trymen, were no longer shy, but most anxious to sell me any plants which I wanted. " The gardens of the mandarins, although small, were extremely gay, particularly during the early months of the year; and what was of more im- portance to me, contained a number of new plant.^ of great beauty and interest. On entering one of the gardens on a fine morning in May, I was stiuclc with a mass of yellow flowers which completely covered a distant part of the wall; the color was not a common j-cllow, but had something of buflF in it, which gave the flowers a striking and un- common appearance. I immediately ran up to tJie place, and to my surprise and delight found that I liad discovered a most beautiful new yellow climb- ing rose. I have no doubt, from what I afterwards learned, that this rose is from the more northern districts of the Chinese empire, and will prove perfectly hardy in Europe. Another rose, which the Chinese call the ' five-colored,' was found in one of these gardens at this time; it belongs to HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHINA. 219 to tlie section commonly called China Roses in this country, but sports in a very strange and beautiful manner. Sometimes it produces self-colored blooms, being: either red or French wliite, and freciuently having flowers of both on one plant at the same time, while at other times the flowers are striped with the colors already mentioned. This will also be as hardy as our common China rose. Glycine sinensis is often grown on a ilat trellis in front of the summer house, or forms a kind of portico, which affords a pleasing shade from the burning rays of the summer's sun. En- twined with one of these trees, I found another variety, having very long racemes of pure white flowers, which contrasted well with the light blue of the other. I immediately asked permission from the old Chinese gentleman to make some layers of this fine plant, and I am happy to say that one of these is now alive in the garden at Chis- wick. "After seeing the difTerent gardens and nurse- ries in the town, I generally left Ningpo for the hills in the district. The natives in this part of the country, as I have already stated, are quite a different race from those in the south, and perfect- ly harmless in their dispositions: I have often re- sided amongst their mountains for weeks at a time, anil never had any reason to complain of the treat- ment I received at their hands. The temple of Tein-tung, a large monastic building situatetl amongst the green tea hills, about twenty miles from Ningpo, was a favorite place of resort, ow- ing to the peculiar richness of the vegetation in this part of the country. Here many of the trees and shrubs, which were only found in gardens in other places, were wild on the hills and in the hedges. The Forsythia already named, was common on the road-sides, and was covered with its bright 3'ellow flowers in early spring. Seve- ral species of Viburnum of great beauty, and one Hydrangea, were also met with here, besides all the other plants which have been already noticed as abounding on the hills of Chusan. Cryptomcria japonica formed one of the most beautiful anil state- ly trees which are fountl on the hill-siiles; it grows about as tall as a common pine, the stems are per- fectly straight, its branches hang drooping down in a most graceful manner, anil altogether it is not unlike the Auracarias of Norfolk Island, or Brazil, but probably much more hardy. The wood possesses great strength and durability, and is highly prized by the higher classes amongst the Chinese. Paulownia imperialis, Lilium japoni- cum, and several other well known Japanese plants, are also indigenous to this part of China, which shows that the vegetation of the two countries must be very much alike. "I arrived at Shanghae this year on the ISth of April, and spent two or three weeks there, at dif- ferent times, during the season. My principal object was to see all the plants in the different nor- thern districts as they came into flower, and it was therefore necessary that I should stay as short a time as possible in one place at one time. I have already mentioned that I purchased a collection of Tree Pfconies during my first visit in the winterof LS43 which were said to be very splendid things, and en- tirely different in color from any of the kind which were Ifnovvn in England. The history of this pur- chase is rather amusing, and affords a curious example of the kind of duplicity Avhich I had to contend with. I had drawings with me of vari- ous Moutan Peonies, which werfe said to exist in the country : and when these were shown to a Chinese nurseryman in Shanghae, he said he could get them, but that they were only to be procured at a place called Soo-chou, distant nearly a hun- dred miles, and that it would be rather expensive to bring them down. I asked him how many kinds there were, what were the colors of their flowers, and finally expressed a wish to have a certain number of each. lie told me very grave- ly, that he would undertake to send to Soo-chou for them, providing I would pay him at the rate of a dollar for each plant. I was too anxious to get them to make any objections to the price, which, after all, was not much out of the way, if they were to be brought about a hundred miles. In the stipulated time, the plants were delivered to me in excellent order, and the money was paid. They were then taken down to Hong Kong, and dispatched to England, where they arrived in very fair condition. I had, of course, no opportunity of seeing their flowers at that time, and was now, (April, 1844,) anxious to get some more in flower, and intended to send my old friend back again to Soo-chou for another collection, stipulating, how- ever, this time, that all the plants should be in flow- er, in order that I might have an opportunity of seeing their colors. One morning, however, as I was going out into the countrj',a short distance from Shr.nghae, I was surprised by meetin"^ a country- man with a load of Moutans in full bloom. The flowers were very large and fine, and the colors were dark purples, lilacs, and deep reds, kinds of which the very existence was alwaj's doubted in England, and which are never seen at Canton. Dr. Lockhart, an excellent Chinese scholar, being with me at the time, we soon found out the name of the Mou- tan district; and from the state of the roots in the mans basket, I was quite certain that the plants had not been more than an hour or two out of the ground, and that, therefore, the distance from Shanghae could not exceed six or eight miles, a surmise which we afterwards found to be perfect- ly correct. This was, doubtless, the place where my nursery friend had procured his plants in the autumn before, and where he would have gone again, had I not been lucky enough to fimi that I could easily go there myself. Indeed, I afterwards discovered there was no Moutan country in the vicinity of Soo-chou, having met a man from that place in the Shanghae district, where he had come for the express purpose of buj'ing Tree Paionies to take home. I was now out in the Moutan dis- trict daily, during the time the different plants were coming into bloom, and secured some most striking and beautiful kinds for the Horticultural Society. "Several very distinct and beautiful Azaleas were added to my collections during this summer at Shanghae, as well as many other plants of an ornamental character, which have not yet been described. Many of these things arc expected to 220 HORTICULTURAL MISSION TO CHINA. prove hanly cnoufrh lo thrive in the open air in this country, anil others will make exeellent plants for the preen-iioiise. My researches this year were extendeil for some ilistance into the interior, which is intersecteil in all ilirections by canala — in fact, the canals in the north of China are the highways of the country, ami the boats arc the carriages. The heat, ilurinfr the months of July anil Aujjust, was very opj^ressive, the thermometer frequently standing- at 100" Fahr. in the sluule. " In the autumn, after the seeils which I hail markeii, were ripe, I grot my collections together, anil saileil for Hong Kong, in onler to make my shipments for Kngluiul. These consisted of twenty- one glazed cases of living plants, and one bag- of seeds, which were sent home in four different ves- sels. IMany of the plants were, of course, dupli- cates of the best species which were shipped in the spring of the same year; but a number of them were now sent for the first time. Amongst the latter, the following may be noticed as arriving in England alive for the first time: Tree Paeonies, wilh purple ami lilac flowers, etc., (twenty plants.) Spiraea prunifolia, flore pleno, '• sp. Calystegia pubescens, flora ple- no, The Chinese five-colored Rose, Rosa sp. (a curious anemone- flowered kind.) Edgworthia clirj-.santha, Hydrajigea sp., trom the woods of Tein-tung', Rhyiichospermum jasmiiioides, Acer sp., fron) Japan, Mandarin Orange, (true,) Campanula sp (liluc,) Fortunrea cliinensis, Lycopodium R'ildenovii, '■ caesium, Gardenia florida, var. fortuni- ana, Finns sp., from Japan, " " Ningpo, Juniporas sp., north ot' China, Bamboos, (northern varieties,) Viburnum .sp. ; tlie.i..j, cottages and villas in this work, and we shall look with interest to the succeeding parts. Now that the taste is fairly awakened, there will soon be no lack of designs for the public attention. The advice in this matter, that we wish to give our readers, who are about to build, is, never to forget simplicity, fitness and truthful expression, in their houses. Small cottages, ornamented with battle- ments, like castles in confectionary, or the roofs stuck full of little gables, as if knock- ed into so many " cocked hats," or oppress- ed with wooden Corinthian columns, mon- grel carricatures of the immortal Greek temples, we have no toleration for. Let our readers beware how they build them, for the public taste in this country, will soon be matured to that point that they will nei- ther be relished nor admired. In the mean time, if they are about to build, lot them examine as many different plans as they can get access to, and such works as the present will materially assist them. In selecting a design, as regards decora- tion and style, let them err rather on the side of simplicity, than complex ornament. It is much in building as in the minor matter of dress — gay colors and tawdry ornaments captivate the vulgar eye — the refined taste selects only such as reason, fitness, and good sense fully approve. Anyone, now-a-days, can get up a ricketty wooden box with Gothic ornaments, but only a clever architect, or a man of good taste and good sense, can de- sign a dwelling, which shall charm every one by its beauty of proportion, its chaste orna- ment, and its perfect fitness for the locality it is to adorn. LITERARY NOTICES. 233 The American Flower Garden Companion, revised and enlarged. By Edward Sayers. Third Edition. Cincinnati. J.A.James. 1846. (12mo. 207 pp. 50 cts.) This is a very useful little volume for the novice, containing brief practical directions for the culture and management of all the most popular denizens of the flower garden. It is written in a plain and simple style, and is an excellent Jir St book for those just be- coming interested in floriculture. From its having reached the third edition, we pre- sume it has been found, by the inhabitants of Cincinnati and the West generally, a timely and acceptable manual. Mr. Say- ers is well known as a practical garden- er, and many excellent hints in this vo- lume are drawn from his own observations and experience in this climate. LITERARY NOTICES. I. Our friend. Dr. Wm. DARLiNGTONof Pennsylvania, well known as an accom- plished botanist, is, we are gratified to be able to announce, preparing for the press an Agricultural Flora, in which only those plants most interesting to the farmer, for their useful or pernicious properties, are to be described. It will be written in a popu- lar style, and will no doubt be a very va- luable guide to such of our farming popu- lation as are little versed in the science of Botany, yet desirous to know something more of the plants and trees that surround them. II. The colored edition of our Fruits and Fruit Trees of America, which has been delayed for some time by the loss of the in- structions which accompanied the original drawings abroad, is now in progress, and will be published in very handsome style, early in December, by Wiley & Putnam, New- York. III. The seventh edition, (plain) of this work on Fruits, will be put to press shortly. Several errors, which subsequent experience has detected, will be corrected in the forth- coming edition ; and it will be rendered as perfect as possible in the present state of our pomological knowledge. In the autumn of 1847, it is proposed to publish a Supplement to the Fruits and Fruit Trees of America, containing des- criptions of all new fruits of merit, which have proved worthy of notice, since the pre- paration of the original work. This will enable us to make use of all the materials collected during the present season, and {Deo volenti) the coming one ; and we shall hope to continue to receive from our kind friends and correspondents, in various parts of the country, specimens and notes, regard- ing any native fruits of local origin, which they deem of first-rate quality, that may come under their observation — that we may ourselves form an opinion of their merits. IV. We observe that a second edition has been issued in Paris of M. Boitard's work, " Ju Art de composer et decorer les jardi7is,'' 30 234 FOREIGN NOTICES. FORIEGN NOTICES. A T-oNiio.v CnnrciSM. — The English justly stand at the head of all nations in the beautiful art of Lanascape (;aritening-, and the London .-Irl Union, a journal of reputation, devoted to the Arts, is rather chary of its praise of American productions. ^Ve may be pardoneil, therefore, for not being in- sensible Xa conimcmluliotis like the followinp:, whicl) we lind in a late number of that periodical. It is extracted from a review of the 2d edition of our Landscape Gardkning : "If it was with some misgiving- that we first opened this volume, such feeling quickly gave way to cordial ap|)roliation ; for it is one that has very agreeably disabused us of some prejudices and mis- conceptions, by convincing us that sound criticism and refined taste, in matters of art, are not confined to this side of the Atlantic. Mr. Downing has here produced a very delightful work; one that must be welcomed even in this country as a valua- ble aildition to what we ourselves already possess on the same subjects, and which cannot fail to prove of equally extensive and beneficial influence in America, where quite a new territory is opened for the exercise of the art of Decorated Landscape Scenery, and its architectural accompaniments. The encouraging recei)tion the book has met with, is it- self a gratifying proof that the author's countrymen possess a relish for the elegant and humanizing pur- suits he treats of; and should they obtain from him some of the generous enthusiasm with which he regards this '• old world " fatherland of ours, there would be less bitterness ami asperity on our side and on the other. • • • ♦ • • "We have at least introduced to our readers a work which, such of them as are at all interested in gardening, planting, or building, will become not only acquainted, but familiar with, as a judi- cious instructor and agreeable companion." Wordsworth's Favorite Flower. — Mr. Wordsworth is fond of the Hollyhock, a partiality scarcely deserved by the flower, but which marks the simplicity of his tastes. He had made a long avenue of them of all colors, from the crimson brown, to rose, straw-color, and white, and pleased himself with having made proselytes to a liking for them among his neighbors. — Foreign Cor- Tribune. The Stanwick Nectarlne. — Fruit of this new and extraordinar}' production was received Au- gust 29, 1846, from the Right Hon. Lord Prudhoe, in whose garden at Stanwick-park it had ripened. His lordship obtained the variety from stones given him by Mr. Barker, formerly Her Majesty's Vice Consul at Aleppo, and now residing near Suedia, or Souadiah, in Syria, whose favourable climate is peculiarly suitable for the cultivation of Asiatic and European fruits. A year or two since he brought to this country, amongst other things. Peaches and Nectarines with sweet kernels — such varieties previously unknown in Europe, and pro- bablv never heard of till their existence was an- nouncoil by Mr. Tlarkcr. The Nectarine forming the subject of this notice, is about the size of an Elruge, and like it in shai)e, except in being less heart-shaped at the base. Its skin is pale, like that of the White Nectarine, where shaded, with a vio- let tinge next the sun. The flesh is white, ex- ceedingly tender, juicy, rich, and sugary, without the slightest trace; of the flavor of iirussic acid. The stone is middle sized, ovate, with rather a prominent sharp edge, very rugged, and of a cho- colate colour. The kernel is sweet, like a nut, imparting nothing of the bitter-almond flavor. The fruit of the Peach and Nectarine, partaking so much as it does of the qualities of the bitter-al- mond, must have been very deleterious in its un- improved state. Mr. Knight, who himself suc- ceeded in producing a melting Peach from an Almond (figured "Hort. Trans.," vol. iii. j). 1,) states that the Tuberes of Pliny must have been swollen Almonds, or imperfect peaches ; anil Du- hamel has given an account of a fruit which accu- rately corresponds with this description, being sometimes produced by a variety of Almond-tree in France. Mr. Knight adds: " The bitterness, in this case, I conclude can only arise from the pre- sence of the prussic acid, and as this acid, without being extracted by distillation, operates very in- juriously upon many constitutions, some explana- tion appears to be given of the cause why the Peach was reported to possess deleterious qualities when it first came from Persia into the Roman empire." " Stipantur calathi et pomis, qure barbar.i Persis Miserat (ut fama est) patriis armala veneiiis." Columella, lib. 10. The varieties of the Peach and Nectarine now generally cultivated, retain but little of the injuri- ous properties acribed to the species by ancient authors; and, when well ripened, they can be generally eaten with impunity, notwithstanding the slight prussic acid flavor which pervades even their luscious sugary juice; but some constitutions are liable to be effected by this trace. It was, in- deed, considered unlikely that amelioration would be carried much farther. For at least a century little improvement has been effected, and in every variety the kernels have proved intensely bitter. But at last this is overcome; in the specimen above described, the deleterious quality considered inher- ent in the species has disappearetl; and Mr. Barker himself informed me that his fruits with sweet kernels may be eaten as a full meal, in quantities at any time of the day, and repeatedly, with per- fect safety. Mr. Crawford Baillie, gardener to Lord Prudhoe, has furnished the following addi- tional memorandum concerning the Stanwick Nec- tarine : " The Stanwick Nectarine was raised from seeds sown in March, 1843, and budded the same autumn on the Bellegard Peach. In 1845 a few flower-buds were produced near the ends of some of the strongest shoots, but the wood not being suf- ficiently ripe, they proveil abortive. The tree on its own roots is a strong and robust grower, and FOREIGN NOTICES. 235 continues to grow late in autumn, and has hitherto retained its leaves throughout the winter. I have no doubt, however, that when worked upon Apri- cot, Plum, or Almond stocks, it will prove quite hardy, and bear well, even in the north of Eng- land. I may mention that the Nectarine is 14 days later than the Peach ujion which it was worked." — Journal of the London Horticultural Society. Battle of the Bees. — On Thursday afternoon, the ISth, a farmer in the neighborhood of Twyn Barlwm mountain, watching his flocks, when sud- denly his attention was attracted by a buzzing noise, and a cloud of insects, almost to darken the air. Upon closer examination he found the mul- titude engaged in serious warfare, which lasted a considerable time, until heaps of the vanquished covered the ground, some without heads, others minus their wings, and others completely separa- ted into two parts. They proved to be different sorts of the humble bee and honey bee. A friend assured me that he scraped together three or four bushels with his foot, and many persons carried away the slain in basketsful to show to their friends the result of this very unaccountable war- fare.— Monmouth Merlin Paper, Sept. 19. Foreign Strawberries. — A vessel named the Hannah, which has arrived at the port of Hull from Memel, had, with other productions, 15 cases of Strawberries on board. This is a novel article of importation from the place named, tlie produce of Prussia; and whether, with reference to the place of growth, or the late period of the season for the supply of the article, is as singular and re- markable an importation as we have of late had occasion so frequently to record. — Gardener's Chronicle. Protecting Tender Roses. — For protecting Bourbon, Chinese, Tea-scented, and other Roses, on their own roots, notliing can be better than moss procured from shady banks or woods. It should be placed round each plant, one or two inciies from the stem and branches, not closer, and about nine inches or a foot thick. This pre- vents the ground from being frozen; and although the tops of the shoots may be killed, they grow vigorously from the root on the return of mild wea- ther. This covering may be applied early in De- cember, [or as soon as the ground commences to freeze slightly. — Ed.,] and may remain around the plants till the end of March, or even later, if a cold backward spring. — Rivers' Catalogue of Selected Roses. 1846. Love of Flowers, and the Floating Gar- dens IN Mexico. — We have been making excur- sions all round the country, especially early in the morning, before the sun is high, when the air is delightfully cool and refreshing. Sometimes we go to the Viga at six in the morning, to see the Indians bringing in their flowers and vegelables, by the canal. The profusion of sweet peas, double poppies, blue bottles, stock gillitlowers, and roses, I never saw equalled. Each Indian woman, in her canoe, looks as if seateil in a floating llower gar- den. Tlie same love of flowers distiniruishcs them now, as in the time of Cortes; the same which Humboldt remarkeil centuries afterwards. In the evening, these Indian women, in their canoes, are constatly crowned with garlands of roses or poppies. Those who sit in the market, selling their fruit or their vegetables, appear as if they sat in bowers formed of fresh green branches and colored flowers. In the poorest village church the floor is strewed with flowers, and before the service begins, fresh nosegays are brought in and arranged upon the altar. The baby at its christen- ening, the bride at the altar, the dead body in its bier, are all adorned with flowers. We are told that in the days of Cortes, a bouquet of rare flowers was the most valuable gift presented to the ambas- sadors who visited the court of Montezuma, and it presents a strange anonial)', this love of flowers having existed along with their sanguinary wor- ship and barbarous sacrifices. We went the other evening on the canal, in a large canoe, with an awning, as far as the little village of Santa Anita, and saw, for the first time, the far famed Chinampas, or floating gardens, which have now become fixtures, and are covered with vegetables, intermingled with flowers, with a few poor huts beside them, occupied by the Indians, who bring these to the city for sale. There were cauliflowers, chile, tomatoes, cabbages, and other vegetables, but I was certainly disappointed in their beauty. They are, however, curious, on account of their origin. So far back as 1245, it is said, the wandering Aztec or Mexicans arrived first at Chapultepec, when, being persecuted by the princes of Taltocan, they took refuge in a group of islands to the south of the lake of Tezcuco. Falling uniler the yoke of the Tezcucan kings, they abandoned their island home, and fled to Tezapan, where as a reward for assisting the chiefs of that country in a war against otlier petty princes, they received their freedom, and established themselves in a city, to which they gave the name of Mexicalsingo, from Mejitli, their god of war, — now a collection of strong barns, and poor huts. But they did not settle there, for, to obey an oracle, they transport- ed themselves from this city to the islands east of Chapultepec, to the western side of lake Tezcuco. An ancient tradition had long been current amongst them, that wherever they should behold an eagle seateil upon a noi)al (prickly pear,) whose roots pierced a rock, there they should found a great city. In 1325 they beheld this sign, and on the spot, in an island in the lake, founiled the first house of God — the Teocali, or Great Temple of Mexico. During all their wanderings, wherever they stoi>ped, the Aztecs cultivated the earth, and lived upon what nature gave them. Surrounded by enemies, and in the midst of a lake where there are few fish, necessity and industry compelled them to form floating fields and gardens on the bosom of the waters. They weaveil together the roots of aquatic plants, intertwined with twigs and light branches, until they had formed a foundation sutiiciently strong to support a soil formeil of tlie earth which they drew from the bottom of the lake; anil on it they sowed their maize, thtir chili, and all other |)lants neces- sary for their support. These floating gardeni 236 FOREIGN NOTICES. were about a foot Dbovo the wafer, and in the form of a long- sqiKirc. A fiorvvarils, in their natural taste for llowiMS, they not only ciillivatctl the useful, but the ornamental, and these small garilcns inulliply- ing-, were covered with flowers and aromatic herbs, which were used in the worship of the gods, or were sent to ornament the palace of the em]>eror. The t'hinami>as along- the canal of the Viga, are no longer floating gardens, but fixed to the main land, in the marshy grounds lying between the two great lakes of Chalco and Tezcuco. A small trench full of water sejiaratcs each g-arden; and though now in this marshj- land, they give but a faint iilea of what they may have bejpn, when they raised their flower crowned heads above the clear waters of the lake, and when the Inilians, in their barks, wishing- to remove their habitations, could tow along their little islands of roses, it is still a pretty and pleasant scene. — Calderon's Mexico. Superb Mexican Orange Grove. — In the evening we drove to the orange grove, (near Hau- tapec,) where three thousand lofty trees are ranged in avenues, literally beniling under the weight of their golden fruit and snowy blossoms. I never saw a more beautiful sight. Each tree is perfect, and lofty as a forest tree. The ground under their broad shadows is strewed with thousands of oranges, dropping in their ripeness, and covered with the white fragrant blossoms. The place is lovel}', and everywhere traversed by streams of the jjurest wa- ter. We ate a disgraceful number of oranges, limes, guayavas, and all manner of fruits, and even tasted the sweet beans of the coH'ce i)lants. We spent the next morning in visiting the coffee mills, the great brandy works, sugar houses, &c., all which are in the highest order; and in strolling through the orange groves, and admiring the curi- ous and beautiful flowers, and walking among or- chards of loaded fruit trees — the calabash, papaw, mango, tamarind, citron, — also mameys, chiri- moyas, custard apples, anil all the family of the zapotes, white, black, yellow, and chico ; cayotes, cocoas, cacahuates, aguacates, &.C., &c., &.C., a list without an end. Besi(les these, are an infinity of trees covered with the brightest blossoms; one with large scarlet flowers, most gorgeous in their coloring, and one whose blossoms are so like large pink silk tassels, that if hung to the cushions of a sofa you could not discover them to be flowers. What prodigality of nature in these regions. W'ith what a lavish hand she flings beauty and luxury to her tropical children ! — Madame Calderon's Mexico. Transmission of Bulbs. — Considering the num- ber of bulbs which are.-annually brought to this country from very distai'^foreign parts, it is a mat- ter of some importance to know the best means of preparing them for transmission. Some bulbs, re- ceived from India, had been experimentally pre- pared, and were sent to the garden of the Horti- cultural Society for examination. W'e learn from the Society's Journal, that one half the bulbs were simply wrapped in cotton, while the other portion (the same kinds of bulbs) were incrusted in a kind of white-wax, and covered with cotton like the others. When received in June, IS 11, those which were simply \vra))ppd in cotton and brown paper, had emitted roots, and the tops in most cases had grown considerably ; while those coated with wax remained quite Arm, and as fresh as when first packed, although they had been confined in the wax three months. 'I'he bulbs transmitted in cotton began to grow first; one soon showed symptoms of debility; wliile those sent in wax did not i)ush till a month after they were potted, but then they grew strong and healthy. In one or two cases the bulbs perished in the coton, while the same kinds packed or coated in wax survived the journey. — M., in the London Hort. Magazine. New Vegetable: Rhaflower. — Mr. A. For- syth, the Earl of Shrewsbury's garilener, at Alton Towers, in Staffordshire, suggests the use of the flower stalks of Uhubarb as an excellent addition to our list of culinary vegetables. He says — "We have been in the habit of eating the leaves (foot- stalks) of the Rhubarb plant for many years; and seeing that the fruit stalks were counted as waste, I thought it very likely that they were the better part of the plant, and I now find that the jjouches of unojiened flowers, [i. e., comjiact clusters of buds. — Ed.,] bear the same relation to the leaves of rhubarb, that cauliflowers do to cabbage leaves, and may be obtained in great abundance, anil that at a time — April — when all kinds of vegetables are valuable. The pouches of flower buds arc of a beautiful colour, when dressed in the same man- ner that rhubarb is usually dressed, and resemble the inside of a fig; the flavor is milder than that of rhubarb stalks; but I do not look upon it so much in the light of an article for making tarts of, as I do for its use as a boiled vegetable, to be used like Brocoli. Let no one take my opinion of this mat- ter, but let every one judge for himself, in the spring, as soon as the flower stalks show them- selves. As a matter of course, the plants should be grown in rich ground, and the pouches to be crisp should be got very young, and will require some care in cooking. — London Hort. Mag. Foreign Cohrespondence. — Paris, Sept. 10. — The Potato blight has been for some time past gradually extending in the western and southern districts of France ; every week adds some new locality. Last j'ear the principal scene of infec- tion was in the north ; beyond Amiens to the fron- tier of Belgium almost every field was more or less itamaged, and in some districts a sound Potato was hardly to be found; it was also, but in a mod- ified form, in some parts of Picardy, Normandy, and on the borders of the Rhone; now the crops are all but lost in some of the lowlands of Calva- dos, Normandy, Touraine, on the Garonne, about Toulouse, and from thence to the Mediterranean; in several places near the Rhone, at Chamberry, and other parts of Sardinia and Italy, the loss is still more extensive; in all these districts the late kinds have suffered most; at present I have not heard that it has made any progress in central France; in the neighborhood of Paris, we are al- most entirely free from taint. I have from time to time visited the various markets and seen but very DOMESTIC NOTICES. 237 little; in fac't, no disease aoiong the early kinds; as to the later varieties, but very few have yet been taken up. The season has been so exceedingly dry and hot during the months of June, July and August, that the crops cannot be otherwise than deficient, and I am perfectly certain that around Paris there will not be half an average crop, I might even say one-fourth. The reil spider, thrip, and drouth, have done almost as much mischief as the blight; good kinds are selling from 8 to 12 francs the 100 kilos— (6s. 6d. to 10s. for 200Ibs.) All kinds of vegetables and fruit (with the exception of Melons, Grapes and Walnuts,) are at least one- half dearer than last year. I have just returned from a tour throughout the whole length and breath of Belgium and Rhenish Prussia, which I am happy to saj' present a very different appear- ance to what they did last autumn; then a sound Potato was scarcely to be seen, which, added to the shortness in Rye and Oats, created an almost universal alarm of famine ; not only Potatoes, but Turnips, Carrots, and every kind of grain, are generally good, and not far from an average crop. From Courtrai to Ghent the farmers are every- where busy getting up the late crops, rather from fear of wet weather than actual necessity. Early Potatoes are abundant in the markets of this last place, and almost entirely free from specks. The price asked for red kidneys was 10 and 12 francs tlie sack of 200 lbs. ; late kinds did not look so well, and sold from 7 to 10 francs. Towards Antwerp there is said to be a full crop of kidneys, and per- fectly sound ; but I SaW many places where the blight had evidently attacked the late ones. At Bruges and West Flanders fear was entertained for those still in the ground, although actual disease had not exhibited itself to any great extent. At Brussels I saw none in the fields, and those in the markets looked sound. At Malines and Louvain the people were all busy, and the yield seemed good. A friend living in an agricultural district, near Malines, told me that he had not seen or even heard of any disease among the early Potatoes, and that generally the farmers were satisfied with the crops. Last season they were everywhere de- stroyed. Further east, towards St. Trond and Liege, I was told that here and there they were bad, but I saw nothing of it. I went into a field that was being dug up, and certainly did not see a single root tainted; on the contrary, they appear- ed plentiful, full sized, and sound. In this neigh- borhood last j'ear the disease was universal, and in its worst form. The present prices are 6 to 8 francs round, and 7 to 12 francs for the kidneys. Towards Aix and Cologne they did not look so good; the stems appeared in many places blight- ed. At Frankfort, I understand, the late kinds are partially affected; but by no means so much as last year. From what I have myself witnessed in the north of France and Belgium, I am fully persuad- ed there will not be one-fourth of the loss of 1845, and I find from a report just made by the Government committee sitting at Ghent, that they entertain but little fear either as to quantity or quality, and that it is expected there will be at least 7-lOths of the crop saved, while last year the loss was at least 8-lOths of the whole. — Garde- ner's Chronicle. DOMESTIC NOTICES. Peachej in Western New-York. — Your dis- tant readers should understand that the term "Wes- tern New-York," has two significations: a whig, when boasting of large political majorities, refers to that part of the state lying west of Cayuga bridge; but when spoken of as a fruit-growing region, a strip along the southern shore of Lal39 the Yelloxv anil Black Locust, but in making par- ticular inquiries, in order to distinguish them, I could not find out whether the one cultivated here was the yellow or black ; and I had concluded it was the yellovv. Your reply to W. H. F., how- ever, makes it clear that it is the Seed Locust. It has been a matter of surprise to me and to many others, that you should speak so lightly, in your " Landscape Gardening," of the claims of the Locust as an ornamental tree. Since it has been cultivated here, it has been considered the most beautiful of all trees of its size in this climate. Its exceedingly vigorous and rapid growth, when quite young — the ease with which it is transplant- ed— and the light, airy, and graceful luxuriance of its dark green foliage — render it deserving of the rank it has taken, as the favorite tree of this region. F. J. Scott. Toledo, Ohio. [If our correspondent will wait till the Locust attains the age of fifty or sixty years, he will agree with us in our estimation of the Locust as an or- namental tree. Nothing can well be prettier than the Locust for the first ten or fifteen years after being planted — and we have cheerfully borne tes- timony to the freshness and varied beauty of its tints at that time. But as a full grown tree, the Locust is undeniably meagre and poor when com- pared with the grand and massive Oaks, Elms, Maples, and other fine trees which belong to this country. — Ed.] The Patjlownia We saw while visiting the gardens of Messrs. Parsons & Co., of Flushing, L. I., that their largest specimens of this new or- namental tree, we believe the oldest in the coun- try, has formed clusters of &ne Jlower buds, which may be expected to open next April or May. This will, we presume, be the first tree of the kind to flower on this side of the Atlantic. A specimen of the Paulownia in our own grounds has made a leading shoot this summer IS feet long. Some of the leaves measured two feet and a quar- ter across. The general habit of the tree, how- ever, is much like that of the Catalpa. be happy to furnish you with cuttings in due sea- son. I am very trulj' yours, .fllex. H. Stevens, .Astoria, Long-Island, ibtli Sept. 1846. Rapelje's Seedling Pear. — Dr. Stevens of New-York, has favored us with the following no- tice and outline of a pear, which appears to be a variety of merit. Another season, we hope to see specimens of the fruit, that we maybe able to judge of its excellence ourselves. Dear Sir — I wish to make known, through your valuable publication, the existence in this neigh- borhood, of a seedling pear, of unsurpassed excel- lence, and which, as I am informed, is entirely unknown to any of our commercial gardeners. It is now ripe, 15th Sept. In size and flavor, much like the Doyenne blanc, the favorite old Virgalieu of our market, now become scarce. Its color, when fully ripe, is a brownish yellow or russet. Its form is peculiarly beautiful. If it be divided on a plane, about two-thirds of the distance from the insertion of the stem to the calyx, the stem end will form a regular pyramid, the other moiety a half sphere. The stem is long, not inserted in- to a depression, and the calyx is very slightly hol- lowed. I have budded it on quince stocks, and shall Fig. 62. The Rapelje Seedling. P. S. Can you give me any information on the cracking and hardening of pears ? I have lost all my Virgalieus by this malady this season. This leads me to hail with particular pleasure the advent of the Rapalje Seedling, which worthily replaces it. J. H. S. . , Dr. Stevens will find the article in this number, on " renovating outcasts," exactly to meet his wants. — Ed. HORTICULTPRAL NOTES TAKEN AT PLYMOUTH. Having learned that there was to be an exhibition of the Plymouth Horticultural Society, now in its infancy, and having never, (to our confusion and shame be it said) visited Plymouth Rock, we took 240 DOMESTIC NOTICES. the cars on Satnnlay last, ami soon found ourselves in that anciont place, so clear to the reeollcction of every true American. ^Ve could not take an ob- servation until we had placed our feet upon the far-famed rock. Having performed our j)ilgrim- agc to that place, anil visited some other interest- ing localities, we proceeded to the hall where the exhibition was to take place. ^Ve were not a lit- tle disappointed at the small number of inhabitants who seemed to be interested in the exhibition, and the small number of contributors; but what was lacking in interest in the multitude, was made up by the enthusiasm of a few men of taste, and by the remarkably fine specimens of pears and other fruit. We can truly say that we have never seen an equal number of dishes of fruit at an exhi- bition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, where there were so many perfect si)ecimens. From Col. Thomas, President of the Society, there were exhibited the Heathcot, St. Michael, Seckel, Iron, St. Ghislain, Beurre Diel, Pitts' Ma- rion, IVIarie Louise, Napoleon, and Swan's Egg Pears; also Peaches. From Jos. Cushman, Seckel, Louise bonne de Jersey, Bartlett, and Duchesse d'Angouleme Pears; also Nectarines grown in the open air, (fine speci- mens;) and extra fine Isabella Grapes, highly co- lored; Seedling Peaches, Dahlias, etc. From G. P. Fowler, remarkable specimens of Easter Beurre and Bartlett Pears; also large clus- ters of Sweetwater Grapes, grown in the open air, berries very large, and free from the least appear- ance of Mililew. There were fine Peaches from Messrs. Barnes and Weston. From G. Gilbert, a fine display of Verbenas, Pansies, Double Balsams, and other cut flowers. From A. Jackson, Bartlett and St. Michael Pears, Pumpkin Sweet Apples, etc. From J.Washburn, Pears — Louise Bonne de Jer- sey, Louis, Fulton, Passe Colmar, Pitts' Maria, Easter Beurre, Napoleon, Beurre Diel, Bartlett, Catillac, Bell, Flemish Beauty, Duchesse d'Angou- leme, Wilkinson and Marie Louise ; Apples — Hub- bardstoa Nonsuch, Minister and the Holmes Ap- ple. This last variety is a native, highly esteem- ed as a winter apple, a great bearer, fine flavor, of a medium size. Very superior Orange or Ap- ple Quinces, Isabella Grapes, Dahlias, Phloxes. We noticed in almost every garden where the Pear was cultivated, that the fruit was extra large and very fair. In the garden of Mr. Fowler, who is a mechanic of small means, with a small piece of land, not more than the eighth of an acre, we saw some specimens of beautiful cultivation. He had a SieuUe Pear tree trained in the quenouille style, which we thought a model for this kind of training. It was perhaps, eight or nine feet high; the branches were made to grow in a pendant man- ner, by twine tied to their extremities, and brought down to the ground, and fastened with pegs; the tree formed a perfect pyramid of foliage from the ground upward, and was well furnished with fruit. Mr. F. describes the fruit to be of the first quali- ty, and he sold it readily last year at $1.50 per dozen. It was not now quite in eating order, but it looked very fine. His Easter Beurre pears were of extraordinary size and beauty, as were _. Beurre Dicls, and some few other varieties which he cultivates. His garden is dircertly upon the seashore, and fully exposed: soil naturally hea- vy, but made light by gravel and sand. The training of his Sweetwater, Isabella, and Catawba Grapes, was done in the most systematic manner. The vines are young, and were now bearing on wood trained horizontally within a foot of the ground — large clusters of fruit, composeil of large berries and very fair, were kept from the dirt by a layer of salt hay. We have not seen any thing in the cultivation of the grape in the open air finer than this. The wood for the next year's crop is trained in a perpendicular manner. In Mr, J. Washburn's garden, we were also very much jdeased to see the vigorous growth of his trees, and the beauty and perfection of the fruit. He is engaged in traiie and mechanical business, and devotes but a small portion of his time to his garden, and would not be called among gardeners, a very clean cultivator, but we have never seen more vigorous trees nor finer fruit. We were somewhat surprisetl at this at first, for the soil appeared to be a light, sandy anil gravelly loam, very arid, with a southwestern exposure. We found, how- ever, upon examination, that the soil was rich with micaceous sand, that his ground had been plentifully dressed with dock mud, and that he was careful to collect and apply to his trees, the parings of horse's hoofs from the blacksmith's, and other substances, which would account for their health and vigor. We found Mr. W. quite an amateur in fruits, and having under cultivation all the desirable pears, ]ilums, and other fruit worthy of a place in the garden. We are pleased to see that a society has been formed in the Old Colony ; that a few intelligent and persevering individuals are at the helm; that they have had their first annual exhibition, which, however hum- ble, augurs well for the future, and of which they have no occasion to be ashamed, but otherwise; one which they may justly be jiroud of. We wish them prosperity andsuccess. J. B. Boston, Oct. 1846. Mr. Ives' Note on Salt. — The short article on the plum, which I forwarded you some time since, has called forth the inquiry, " how much salt is contained in a hogshead." A Massachusetts hogs- head contains eight hushels. In applying salt to the land, it should be done during the winter or toward the spring, say in March, previous to the swelling of the buds. I spread it upon the surface, where it remained until the ground was in a sufficient state to work, and it was then dug in to the depth of a New- England spade. I have, the past season, used rock-weed, taken wet from the sea-shore, in planting potatoes, plac- ing the weed in drills about three feet distant, and placing a small or cut potato at each end of the weed, and covering about four inches. The crop was good, and entirely free from the rot or wire- worm. Yours trulj', J. M. Ives. Salem, Mass., Oct. \Olb, 1846. [As a remedy for the curculio, salt should also be applied to the surface of the ground, when the DOMESTIC NOTICES. 241 fruit containing the insect begins to drop — usually in June. See our Fruits and Fruit Trees, page 269.— Ed.] TheHeathcot PJiAR. — I Send you some speci- mens of this most excellent native pear. I have, for some years, considered the Heatlicot a varietj' of first rate excellence, equal to a good White Doyen- ne; the tree hardv, and a good and constant bear- er. M. P. Wilder. Boston, Oct. llth, 1846. [Justice was scarcelj' done to this pear in our work on Fruits. It is of line quality, and lias, as Col. Wilder remarks, the excellent, hardj^, vigor- ous and productive habit belonging to most of our native fruits — which many European sorts are de- ficient in. We recommend it to more general at- tention.— Ed.] Christiana Melon. — This is the name of a new melon possessing qualities of great merit, which has been originated by that zealous cultivator of good fruits, Capt. Lovett, of Beverly, Mass. It appears to be a cross between the Citron and the Netted Nutmeg melons, partaking somewhat of the characteristics of both these standard varieties. Its superiority to all other melons for New-Eng- land, and, we may add, all the northern part of the Union, where the season is not always quite long enough for the melon, is the very short time it requires to perfect its fruit. We have seen, this season, a square planted with this variety, in Col. Wilder's garden, Dorchester, which, for abundant product, and excellence of the fruit, would compare well with either of the two standard sorts named. Yet these Christiana melons were grown on plants produced from seeds smvn in the open hills as late as the middle of June. The ordinary varieties, planted so late, would not have matured a single fruit in the latitude of Bos- ton. It is easy to see, from this fact, that the Christiana melon will be an invaluable sort for northern gardens, where the Citron melon finds the season too short to arrive at its maturity at the usual time. We recommend the large seed dealers to introduce into general culture so valuable a va- riety. Selection of Choice Hardy Fruits. — A sub- scriber and correspondent desires us to give him a selection of good fruits, " of hardy character," fitted for the climate of the Middle States, " such as are generally considered sorts of merit, not new or rare varieties merely, but which experience has proved really good." We beg leave to ofl'er him the following selec- tion, as likely to meet his views, comprising hardy varieties, from early to late in their maturity. Twelve Apples — Large Early Harvest, Ameri- can Summer Pearmain, Large Yellow Bough, Red Astrachan, Summer Queen, Fall Pippin, Jersey Sweeting, Porter, Bahlwin, English Russet, Rox- bury Russet, Rhode-Island Greening, Yellow Bell- fleur. Twelve Pears. — Bloodgood, Bartlett, Beurre Diel, Beurre Bosc, Bezi de laMotte, Dix, Flemish Beauty, Heathcote, Marie Louise, Seckel, White Doyenne, Beurre d'Aremberg. Twelve Plums. — Bleecker"s Gage,Imperial Gage, Prince's Yellow Gage, Diapree Rouge, Jeflferson, 31 Autumn Gage, Lombard, Red Gage, W^ashington> Purple Favorite, Frost Gage, Coe's Golden Drop. Twelve Peaches. — Early York, George IV., Old Mixon Freestone, Red Rareripe, Bergen Yellow, Crawford's Late Melocoton, Brevoort, Cooledge's Favorite. Large white Cling, Morris's Red Rare- ripe, Favorite, Heath Cling. Twelve Cherries. — Black Tartarian, Black Eagle, Early White Heart, Downton, Downer's Late, Manning's Mottled, Flesh-colored Bigarreau, El- ton, Belle de Choisy, Mayduke, Kentish, Knight's Early Black. In the above list we have omitted many fruits of high excellence, either because they are not of the hardiest character, or because their excellence depends too much upon the care and culture they receive, to come within the prescribed limits. Nurserymen's Labels. — I have found the fol- lowing a veiy expeditious mode of printing labels for fruit trees, where a large number of each kind is wanted. These labels are much neater and more legible, than those prepared bj" the usual mode of marking with a pencil, and have altoge- ther a more business-like appearance. The name which it is intended to print, is set with common printing types, in a small case or chase, which may be made entirel)^ of wood, with the exception of a plate of metal for the bottom of the types to rest upon. Common printer's ink is applied with the finger, and the strip of wood intended for the label is then laid upon the face of the types, and by means of a small wooden lever, about a foot long, and with a breadth equal to the length of the label, is made to press firmly upon them. An impression of the name is thus made as clear and distinct as a printed name on paper. About one-tenth of an inch is a convenient size for the letters; and from tlie legible and com- pact form of the name, the labels may be made much smaller than usual, and consequently be less clumsy, and not so liable to be torn off. Half an inch wide, and two anil a half inches long, are sufficient dimensions for any name. A very thin coat of white lead paint upon the face of the label, previously well dried, will cause a clearer impres- sion; but without this the letters will be sufficient- ly distinct for all practical purposes. The label need not necessarily be perfectlj' smooth and straight, as the pressure of the lever brings all parts of its face in contact with the types. Some practice is needed before perfection is reached in the printing. A few hundred labels of each name may be printed before changing the types, in one half the time or less required for writing them, and may be kept tied up in bundles until needed for use. A few types of each letter will be sufficient and may be selected in proper proportion by any printer. J. J. Thomas. Macedon, 10 mo., 1846. The Apt>le Borer. — One of the surest means to destroy the borers in apple trees, is to make a solution of potash, two pounds to a gallon of wa- ter, which must be injected into the hole, where the borer has entered, by means of a syringe, holding half a pint. .^. 21-2 DOMluSTiC NOTlcns. WoHcr/5TF.R Horticcltuhai. Exiiiuition. — Tlip Horlicultiinil Society of Worcpster, Mai?s., held their annual exhibition on the ci^lith of October, ami, as us;ial, niaile a fine display of fruits and flowers. As it was also the annual festival of the Worcester Cuiinly Affriciiltiii-;il Sociely, the da)' on which the farmers of the county, and numerous visitors from dili'erent i)arts of the state, conf^re- gate in great numbers, nuiltiludes of visitors thronged the hall iluring the day, and no doubt returned to their resjiective homes highly pleased with what they had seen in the way of horticul- tural iiniirovements, and with a ileterminaf ion to follow the noble example set them by their Wor- cester brethren. For our own part, we can hardly find language to express the gratification we ex- l>ericnceil, in witnessing the fine spirit apparent in the members of the Society, and in the entire success that hati attended their efforts in getting up a show so creditable to themselves. In consequence of the cro wiled sta'eof the hall, and the short time that could be devoted to the exhibition, we could not give the various fruits so critical an examination as we could have desired; but enough was seen to satisfy us it was an improve- ment over any of the previous displays by this Society, which we have witnessed, and also to con- firm us in the opinion that Worcester and its vici- nity can jiroduce as fine fruits, of every sort, con- genial to the climate, as can be raised in any other section of the state or country. Pears were exhibited in great variety an|ile; Blush Sweet; Porter; New- town Pippin; Yellow Sweeting; Ribston Pippin; Nonsuch; Ilnbbardston Nonsuch; Pennock's Red Winter; Pumpkin Sweet; Sweet Pippin; Orange Sweet; Ha))gooTnond, Ira, Tressor d' Amour, Urbaniste, Wilbur, St. Germain, Prince's St. Ger- main, Voix aux Pietres, Verte longue d'Automne, Verte longue pauachee, Uvednle's St. Germain, and nine unnamed sons; P/uz/fs, Corse's, (.') Imperatrice Violette ; Eariy Craw- ford Peaches ; and a large bunch of Syrian Grapes, weighing four pounds. From R. Maxning, Pomological Gardens, Salem — Pears : Ronville. Figue Extra, Reine des Poires, Beurre de Cap:au mont, B. Easter, B. d'Aremberg, B. Golden of Bilboa, B. d'Amalis, B. Ranee, B. Beauchamps, B. Brown, B. Diel, B. Bosc, B. Preble, Huguenot, Winter Nelis, Comprette, King Edward's, Cushing, D.x, Compte de Lamy, Bleecker's Mea- dow, Pennsylvania, Dumortier, Fondaiiie d'Automne, Hays, Steven's Genesee. French Autumn Bergamot, Turkish Bon Chretien, Crol't Castle, Bezi Moiit:gny. Andrews, Capsheaf, Napoleon, Verte longue d'Automue, Passe Colmar, Marie Louise, Surpasse Virgouleuse, Jalousie, Hampden's Berga- mot. AVashingion, Whitfield, Flemish Beauty, Endicott. Double Emploi, Columbe d'hiver, Eyewood, Forme Urbaniste. Mus- cadine, Beauty of Winter. Jaminette d'hiver, Lincoln, Doyenne Boussock Nouvelle, D. dore, D. d'hiver. D. grs, D. blanc, Colmar Epine, Dingier, Plomgastel, Van Mons' Leon le Clerc, Cross, Pitt's Marie Louise, Quetelet, Las Cana.s, Pitfour, St Ghislain, Paradise d'Automne, Wilkinson, Bezi de la Motte, Belle et Bonne, Glout JVIorceau. Urban. ste, Duchesse d'An- gouleme, Petre, Harvard, Rousselet de Meester, Hericart, Augeries, Foster's St. Michael, Wilbur. Henry IV., Downton, Ne Plus Meuris. Surreine, Reines des Pays Bas, Catillac, Marie Louise Nova. Seckel. St>Tian, Pound. Columbia, Prhi- cesse d'Orange, French Orange, Bergamotte de Parthenay, Sovereign du Princein. Heathcote, Rousselet de Rheims, Beaumont, Bergamot Neil, Van Assene, Dundas. Fulloii. Sul- livan, Figue de Naples, Gu-ardin, Bon Chretien de Bruxellcs, La Fortunee, Jaminette Heiikil, William's Bon Chretien. Le Cure, Seedling, Alpha, Bergamot Sylvange, Chaumontelle, Hacon's Incomparable, Alexander of Russia", Ambrosia, Bouc- quia, Cabot, Caen du France, Lewis, Ep ne d'Ete, Johonnot, Lammas, Striped Suisse Bergamot, Enfant Prodige, Great Citron Pear of Boliemia, Lederberne, Hathorne's Seedling, Fondante Van Mons, TliOrapson's Duchesse de Mars, Pope's Quaker, Juvardel, Rousselet St. Vincent, Long Green, Late Deschamps, Echa.sserie, St. Herblain d'hiver, Trubschardy Dulle. Colmar d'Ete, Dunmore, Shakespeare. Schaching Vierry, Bishop's Thumb, Coter. Jotin Dean. Bonne Louise, Leon le Clerc, Charles of Austria, Clara, Ramilies, Brande's St. Ger- main. Locke, Delices d'Hardenponi, Bon Chretien Fondante St. Bruno, Buffam. and No. 1036, 1454, 546, 858, 135 1253* 969, 173. 1590, 1258, 1028, 1602 Van .Mons— 176 varieties. * Apjilrs — Marquis, Minister, Fall Harvey. Smokehouse Hub- bardsnn. Nonsuch, Grainiy Earl, Esopus Spitzeiiberg. Mag Boys, Swaar, Brabant Bellflower, Rose of Sharon, King of the Pippins, Acton Pumpkin Sweet, .Swan's Pine, Republican Pippin, Detroit. Tapley Greening, Ipswich Catshead, Pennock's Red Winter, Ribston Pippin. Green Sweet Pigconette, Gra- venstein. Morgan's Royal, Golden Ball, Porter, Pound, Sam Young, Black Apple. Conway, Rawles, Janet, Pelham ."s\vicli Sci-knolurilKr— 10;^ xjirutics. Plut/ts — Oreon Gnge, Rogers, Belle dc Rioni, Yellow Gage, Blue Iniperulrice. Roe's Autumn Gage, Wilkjuson, Si. Ca- tliariiie. bownlou Iiii|Hrnlricc — 9 viirieiies. Peaches — Violcllc llulive, lieiirulirs Heath, Clinton, Early Vineyard, BcUegarde, Late Admirable, Grosse Mignonne, Aprieot, Old .Mixon Freestone, Nivette, Van Zandt's Superb, Crawford's Early. .\oliUsse. Aston, Berger's Yellow, Yellow Rareril>e, ^Morris's While Rareripe, Large Early York, Yel- low Elberge, Jacques, Hastings, Yellow Admirable, Scott's Early Red Freestone, Flushing Rareripe, Fuller's Galander, Lemon Cling, Barrington, Old Mixon Freestone, Cooledge'.s Favorite. English Swalsh— 30 varieties. From S. Walker — Pears: Andrews, Flemish Beauty, Ca- tillac, William's Bon Chretien. Duehesse d'Angouleme, D. de ]\Iars, Van Mons' Leon le Clcrc, Caillot Rosat, Urbaniste, Seckel. Le Cure. Belle et Bonne., Epine Dumas, MacLaughlin, Doyenne dore, D. blanc, AVilliani.s"s Early, Figue, Beurre Easier, B. d'Aremberg, B. Diel, B. Duval, B. de Capiaumont, B. Golden of Bilboa, B. Brown, Jargonelle, Messire Jean, (?) Figue de Naples, Iron, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Johoiuiot, Fondauie Van Mons, F. d'Automne, St. Ghisl.iin, Josephine, (.') Foureroy, Glout Jklorceau, Compte de Lamy, Princcs.se d'Orange.Eyewood.Verte Longue d'Automne, Marie Louise, (?) Paqueney, Passe Colniar and three unnamed sorts — 45 varieties. Apples — Hawlhorne and Gravenslein. From S. Phipps, 16 varieties of Pears: Williams's Bon Chretien, Duehesse d'Angouleme, Seckel, Marie Louise, Gau- sell's Bcrgamot, Beurre Kudx, B. Easter, Winter Nelis, Ur- baniste, Heathcote, Moorfowl Egg, Columbia, Prince's St. Germain, Doyenne blanc, and Autumn Sugar pears. From JosiAH Lovitt, 2d, Pears: AVilliams's Bon Clirctien, Beurre de Capiaumont, B. Bosc, B. d'Amalis, B. Diel, St. Ghislain. Harvard, Marie Louise nova. Hessel. Marie Louise, Andrews, Julienne, F^igue de Naples, Belle et Boiuie, Lewis, King Edwards, Surpasse Virgouleuse. Winter Orange, Louise Boiuie de Jersey, Seckel, Petre, Wilkinson, and Stone (of Ohio) ; also, four varieties of Plums-, several of Peaches, and six of Melons. From F. W. Macondray, Pears : Doyenne gris, Passe Col- mar, Le CurCj Catillac, Rcine des Pays Bas. Louise Bonne de Jersey, Epnie d'Ete, Cushing, Calebasse Bosc, Dnchesse d'Angouleme, Bon Chretien d'hiver, Beurre Easter, B. Noir- chair. B. Diel, Belle et Bonne, Napoleon, Winter Nelis, An- drews, Urbani.ste, Washington, Long Green, Seedling, and tlu-ee unknown kinds ; also, eight varieties of Apples, tliree varieties of Peaches, and Brunswick (?) Figs. From A. D. Williams & Son. Pears : Rousselet de Rheims, V«rte Longue d'Automne, Doyeinie l)lanc. Beurre brown, B. d'Amalis, B. Easter, Flemish Beautj-, AiUunui Bergamot, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Seckel. Messire .lean. Dix. Andrews, Harrison's Fall Baking, Williams's Bon Cbreiien, AVilliams's Early, Sylvange, Fondante d'Automne, Passe Colmar, Colum- bia, Epine d'Ele, Le Cure, Quince, and eighteen sorts un- named ; also thirty varieties of Apples, several of Peaches and Grapes. From E. M. Richarts, Pears: Williams's Bon Chretien, and Beurre Bosc. Apples : Boxford, Sops of Wine and Lady Haly's Nonsuch. From S. Philbrick, Brookline, Dix Pears. From John Fiske Allen, Salem, 'JO varieties of Grapes, viz : Isabell.a, Ferral, Cheralsworth Tokay, Red Chasselas, Constamia, AVilmot's Black Hamburg. White Frontignacj Black Hamburg, Zinfindel, Whortley Hall Seedling, Totten- ham Park ^luscat, Chasselas de Fnntainlileau. Golden Chas- selas, I,yziu. Esperione, Grizzly Frontignac, Muscat of Alex- andria, and White Gascazque. Twenty-two varieties of Pears, viz : Summer Franc Real. Chaumontel. Marie Louise, Gansel's Bergamot. Seedling^ Seckel. Duninorc, Rou\nlle, dishing, Bezi de la Motte, Van Mons' Leon le Clerc, Lewis, Quiletette, Easter Beurre, Glout Morccau. Roi de Wirtemburg.Verte longue, Verte longue d'Au- tomne. Napoleon, Louise Bonne (of jersey.) Fondante Van Mons. and Williams's Bon Chretien. Four varieties of Peaches : Bellegrade, I.,ato Admirable, Norris's Red Rareripe, and a Seedling. From Abiel Ste\i:xs. jr. Methven. Peaches, several varie- ties. From Dr. W. C. Chandler. SoiUh Natick, Early Crawford Peaches. Seedling Peaches, by Jokkph C. West. St. Micliael Puns, truui ihe (larden of NaTHAMKL Abbot. ."-eedling Apples. Imm Wm. JJhiscott, Concord, N. H. From Mrs. U. ('KEHr)BK, Peaches, HOedlingB, two vfirictirs. Irom James Evstis, South Reading, Porter Apples and Peaches, Martin, seedlings. Barllelt Pears, from Thomas Sinclaik. Brighton. From Isaac 1'av, Cnnibridgc, Peaches, five vurietica of seedling. Red and Yellow Rareripe ; al.so of Plums, two va- rieties. Diamond and J.iondjard. From Major Sheafe, l{ye, N. II., three vancticaof Apples, for a name ; and two varieties of seedling Pears. From P. Cook, Roxbury, Black Hamburg Grapes (?) From J. Breck & Co., Pears: Beurre d'Amalis, B. Ranee, Bergamotle de Pacques, Summer Bon Chretien, Messire Jean, Bergamollc Suisse, Duehesse d'Angouleme, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Doyenne blanc, St. Germain, Augcries, (?) and one variety, name iiukno\m. From A.J. Downing, Newburgh, N. Y., Doyenne blanc, Fulton, Bezi de la ."Motte, Beurre Diel, B. brown, B. de Capiau- mont, and Urbaniste Pears. Apples : Beauty of Kent, Dutch Mignonne, raised by W II. Denning, Esq. of Presque Isle. F'ruit of the O.sage Orange : ditto Paper Mulberry. From John Arnold, jr., ISIillon, five bunches Black Ham- burgh Grapes ; one bunch weighed three pounds. Two varieties seedling Peaches, from W. G. Lewis, Rox- bury. I'rom IIovET &. Co., Pears: Madotte, Van Mons' Leon le Clerc, (old.) Doyenne blanc, D. gris, Bergamotte de Parlhenay. Jaouise de Fonttnay Vendee, Limon, (of Louvain.) Muscat Lallemand, New Swan's Egg, Beurre Diel, B. Moire, Belle Ilenriette, Duehesse d'Angouleme, Figue de Naples, Epine de Toulouse, (?) Belle et Bonne de Ilee, and Duquesne d'Ele (?) — also, Wilmot's Black Hamburgh, Black Hamburgh, Friink- enthal, (?) White Frontignan, Grizzly F"ronliguan. lOsperione, Alicant, (?) Cha.«selas of Fonlainbleau, Maeready's Early White, Black Pruice, Pitmaston White Cluster, aiid St. Pe- ter's Grapes — and the following Peaches : White Pall, and Cambridge Belle, (new seedlings.) George IV., Bellegarde, Old Mixton Free, F>arly Crawford, Cutter's Yellow, Early Robinson Crusoe, and four other sorts — and Cruger's Seedling and Semiaiia Plums. From Hon. B. V. French, the following kinds of Apples : Murphy, Fameuse, Blenheim, Pomme d'Api, Hawthorndean, Gloria Mundi, Canada Reinette, Sweet Greening, Yellow Newton Pippin, Lyscom, Danvers Winter Sweet, Red Winter, Large Striped Red, Beer, Holland Pippin, Porter, Pumpkin Sweet, and Nonsuch, with fil'ty-scven other sorts, not placed upon the tables — al.so, Beurre Bosc Pears, and Crawford's Early Peaches. From Mes,srs. Winship, Delbecq, Belle de Bruxelles, Pas- saiis du Portugal, Beurre E;ister, B. d'Aremberg, B. Golden of Bilboa, St. Ghislain, Seckel. Rousselet d'hiver, Glout Morceau, Fulton, Passe Colmar, Duehesse d'Angouleme, Andrews. Am- brette. La Fortuiiee, Gaiisell's Bergamot. Dearborn, (of Van Mons,) Rushmore's Bon Chretien, Bezi Vaet, Poire d'Amour, Frederic of Wurtemberg, Kenrick, (of V, Mons.) Williams's Bon Chretien, Winter Nelis, Fondante d'Automne, Musca- dine, Moorfowl Egg, and several sorts of Pear^ with doubtful names — also, Grand Sachem Apples, and six kinds of Plums. From O. Johnson, AVilliams's Bon Chretien, Pound, Buerre d'Amalis. B. Easier, B. d'Aremberg, B. Diel, Pope's Russet Belle et Bonne, Princess d'Orange. Henry IV, Epine d'Ete, ■Washington, Rousselet de Rheims. Buffam. Caleba.^se. Rousse- let Panache, Urbaniste, Harvard, Cushing, Vallee Franche, Na- poleon, Passe Colmar, St. Ghislain, Duehesse d'Angouleme, Hericart, Gilopil, Franc Real d'hiver, Jalousie, Loui.se Bonne de Jersey, Dix, Prince's St. Germain, Doyenne blane, Le Cure, Verte Longue d'Automne, Bleckcr's Meadow, Julieniip, Messire Jean, AVinter Nellis, Johonnot, Fondante d'Automne, and Ilacon's Incomparable pears; also, several varieties of apples, peaches, Black Hamburgh grapes, and melons. From J. M. Ives, Fulton, AA'illiams's Bon Chretien, Dix, Bezi de la ISTotte, B. Montigny, AVilkinson, Fondante d'Au- tomne, Long Green, Beurre Diel, B. Golden of Bilboa, B. Bosc, B. de Capiaumont, Napoleon, Andrews. Duehesse d'Angou- leme, Lewis, Bleeker's Meadow, Wa.shington, Cashing. Passe Colmar, Cabot & Jalousie pears ; also Reine Claude AHolene and three other sorts of plums, eleven kinds of apples, and nine kinds of peaches. From J. Breck & Co., Beurre d'Amalis, B. Ranee, Berga- motte de Paques, Summer Bon Chretien, Messire Jean, Ber MASSACHUSETTS HORT. SOCIETY, 245 gamotie Suisse, Dutchess d'Angouleme, liOuise Bonne de Jer- sey. Doyenne blanc, St. Germain, Augeries ? and three other sorts with doubtful names. From Ilev. J. M. Lord, Boston, by E. N. Gutterson, Shel- ter Island, N. Y., one large Watermelon, weighing thirty pounds. I rom f\ Haggerstox, gardener to J. P. Gushing, Blaok Hamburgh, Poonah, S>Tian, Muscat of Alexandria, AVhite Nice, White Frontignan, Black Prince, White Portugal and other sorts ; also splendid nectarines and eight or ten kinds of peaches. From J. AV. Rtjssel, gr. to Horace Gray, Esq., Muscat of Alexandria, White and Black Frontignan, Black Coastantia, Black Prince, Black Hamburgh, and Chasselas of Fontain- bleau. From AV. Quant, gardener to Hon. T. R. Perkins, Reigne de Nice, Black Raisin, Black Hamburgh, White Frontignan, Muscat of Alexandria, Black Prince, Frankindale, and SjTian Grapes; also George IV., Bellegarde and Hill's Madeira peaches. From T. Needham, gardener to O. H. Mather, Black Ham- burgh, t aiinon Hall iMusc^it, Frankindale, Black Prolific, Black Lombardy (.') White Frontignan, White Portugal and Muscat of Alexandria Grapes ; also a vine iu fruit in a pot, and two kinds ot' pears. From W. Young, gardener to J. Arnold E.sq., New Bed- ford, S)Tian, Royal Muscadine, Victoria, (?) White Frontig- nan and Black Hamburgh Grapes. From S. & G. Hyde, Gravenstein, Porter, Hubbardston Nonsuch, Yellow Bellflower, Codlin, and Fall Sops of Wine apples ; also, Ohio everbearing raspberries. From S. A.Walker, Seckel, William's Bon Chretien, Heath- cote, Andrews, Golden Beurre of Bilboa, and Frederic of Wurtemberg pears ; also two kinds of peaches. From N. Stetson, Esq., Bridgewater, two kinds of peach- es, fine. From J. Ow-EN, four kinds of peaches, Beurre Diel pears. Green Gage plums, apples and grapes. From J. S. Cabot, Winter Nelis, Beurre Easter, B. Brown, B. de Noirchani, B. d'Aremberg, B. Diel, B. de Beaumont, B. Golden of Bilboa, B. de Capiaumont, Coffin's Virgouleuse, Reine des Pays Bas, Enfant Prodige, Capucin Van Mons, Louis of Bologna, Thompson's, Compte de Michaux, Catillac, Seckel, Surpasse Virgouleuse, Long Green of Europe, Colum- bia, Compte de Lamy, Croft Castle, Wilkinson, Fulton, Chap- man's Early, (?) Burgomestre, Princesse d'Orange, Napoleon, Henry IV., Figue of Naples, Doyenne blanc, Muscadine. Al- pha, Winter Orange, Green Pear of Yair, Frederic of Wur- temberg, Cap.-sheaf, Louise Boime de Jersey. Bezi de la Mottc, Autumn Bergamot, Williams's Bon Chretien, St. Ghislain, Bon Cluretien d'Ete, B. Fondante, Urbaniste, Pennsylvania, Figue Extra, (Van Mons,) Washington, Hericart, Marie Lou- ise nova, Chaumontelle, Jalousie, Hannas, La Fortunee, Belle et Bonne, Plombga.stel, Surpasse St. Germain, Andrews, Gen- desheim, Flemish Beauty, Van Assene, Pitt's Prolific, Lewis, Brade's St. Germain, Citron of Bohemia. St. Andee Durdas Seedling No. 2, Boequia, Cabot's Seedling, Pa.ssans du Portu gal, one variety, name unknown — 74 sorts pears. From Jas. L. L. F. Waruen. Pears, Andrevi^s, Autumn Bergamot, Beurre d' Amilis, B Golden of Bilboa, B. Easter, B. Diel. B. Gris, Burnett, BulTam, Bezide la Motte, Bezi Momig- ny, Belle et Bonne, Bon Louis de Jersey, Bartlett, Catilac, Doyenne, Duche.ss d'Angouleme, Heathcote, Julienne, Jalou- sie, Iron, Ma-ster's Sec, Mons' Le Cure, Marie Louise, Madotte, Napoleon, Rouselette de Rheims, Striped Spice, Swan's Egg, Seckel, Viete Longue d'Automne, Wilhelmine, Wilkinson, Washington. Apples : 30 varieties. Baldwin, Blue Pearmain, Captain, Calville, Rouge, Danver's Winter Sweet, French Russett, Gloria Mundi, Golden Russet, Grand Lachine, Hub- bardston Nonsuch, Hawthornden, Lyscom, Minister, Old Pear- main, Prince's Noble, Porter, Pigeonette, Roxbury Russett, Reinette Canada. Sweet Russett, Striped ,Spice, Yellow Bell- flower, Red Gilliflower, Red Siberian Crab. Plums: Reine Claude, Violette, White Egg, Lombard and Semianna, 5 va- rieties. Figs: Orange and Portugal. 2 varieties. From Geo. Newhall, Dix, Williams's Bon Chretien, Ca- tillac, Seckel, Fulton, Cumberland, Black Pear of Worcester, Frederic of Wertemberg, Louise Bonne de Jersey and Beurre Bosc pears. From E. Wight, William.s's Bon Chretien, BufTum. AVinter Nelis, Napoleon, Gansell's Bergamot. From J. AV. Sever, three sorts of peaches and one of plums. From. G^o. P. Foster, Plymouth, splendid Sieulle pears From Geo. AA^'alsh, seven kinds of pears, six of apples, five of peaches, white nectarines and grapes. From AV. H. Hayes, South Berwick, twelve large apples. From C. Newman, Reading, two sorts of seedling peaches. From Jos. Balch. Golden Beurre of Bilboa, Doyenne blane, Brown Beurre and AA'illiams's Bon Chretien pears. From K. Bailey, Sweet AA'ater grapes, open cuUure. From E. Bartlett. Napoleon, Gansell's Bergamot, Frede- ric of AA'urteniberg and AA^iUiams's Bon Chretien pears. From P. P. .Spaulding, Lowell, Porter, and Chelmsford Seedling apples, and three kinds of peaches. From B. Harrington, Lexington, Porter applea, and Ear- ly Crawlbrd and CrawlV>rd late peaches. From S. AV. Holbrook, Brighton, Blue pearmain. From T. Mason, Black Hamburgh and St. Peter's grapes, peaches and plums. From E. Tupts, Cambridge, an apple called Tuft's Bald- win, said to be a seedling, and four other kinds of apples. From O. N. Towne. Black Hamburgh and Sweet water grapes Red Roman nectarines and peaches. Frorn S. R. Johnson, Urbaniste, Dix, Andrews, Beurre Diel, and AVilliams's Bon Chretien pears, and Sweet Water grapes. From A. Clark, South Framingham, Nonsuch (?) peaches. From E. AViieeler, Framingham, Nonsucli (?) and very handsome Seedling Cling, peaches. From G. Merriam, five kinds of peaches. From E. Vose, Esq., Hawthornden apples. From H. Dutch, Seedling peaches. From Jos. Richardson, Early Crawford peaches. From the Endicott Family, Danvers, Endicott pears from the old tree planted in 1630. REPORT OF FLOWERS EXHIBITED. The annual exhibitions of tlie Massachusetts Horticultural Society have generally been noted for a grand display of Dah- lias, as this is the season when they are generally in the great- est perfection. Amateurs had made large additions to their collections of this showy and sportive flower, and much was anticipated by growers and others in having an opportunity to compare flowers, and discuss the merits of the new varieties; but in this they were disappointed, for the failure Wiis gTeat, and, although there were some exceptions, the flow'ers iirgen- eral were very imperfect, and the number unprecedentedly small. The extreme heat of the month, absence of rain, in- sects, and, to crown the whole, a high wind breaking and bruising the flowers the day previous to the exhibition, were the causes of thi= failure. The scarcity of the improved Ger- man aster, and some other autumnal flowers, may be attribu- ted to the game cause. But, notwitlistanding these prominent flowers did not appear on this occasion with their accustomed splendor and pertection, the floral ornaments and decorations more than made up the deficiency in the cut flowers ; and, taken as a whole. Fruits, Flowers, Designs and Decorations combined, — no Exhibition ever was more attractive tlian the present one. There was an apparent improvement in the style and finish of the designs which ornamented the hall ou this occasion, over those of the last year, and we can hardly do justice to the taste of those who executed them. AVm. Quant, gardener to Hon. T. H. Perkins, exhibited a very beautil'ul and chaste Grecian Floral Temple, supported by eight pillars in correct architectural style, finished with moss and flowers. JNIuch taste was displayed in arranging the color of the flowers which were finely blended, producing a pleas- mg effect. Four moss vases, containing plants of finely grown dwarf cockscombs, ornamented the corners of the temple. Mr. Quant also contributed tM-elve fine plants of dwarf cockscombs ; a large plant, five feet high, of Ardisia crenulata, loaded with its scarlet berries; a large orange plant with fruit. Jerusalem cherry, and oflier pot plants. Also, four fine pyramidal bou- quets for one of the Bradlee vases. From J. L. L. F. AVarren : A Swiss Cottage. This was a beautiful design; h.ad it been a little more elevated from the floor, it would have appeared to much greater advantage ; as it was, it received much praise I'rom the admiring spectators. This was finished with moss and flowers, and reflected much credit on the designer and maker, Mr. Cudiiis, Mr. AV.'s gardener. Mr. AA'urren also exhibited a very curious and unique pyra- midal bouquet of vegetables, composed of ears of corn, cab- bages, carrots, beets, asparagus. Sec. producing a very pleasing elTecl, and worthy of a place in one of the new marble vases, whi'h it occupied. Dahlias, some of them fine, and other cu' flowers in variety. Also, a bouquet of French marigolds aud evergreens, and others of different construction ; one large py i^'>■•^-l^«•.^S1(.^S>««s^»«- 246 MASSACHUSETTS IIORT. SOCIETY. ramidnl bouquet composed of Duhliiis of every sliude, very . bi-HuiiAil. From Walker ic Co., u Chiiiest; Pagoda. This was a very bcnuiiful ilcsiffii, fuiisiicd priiii'i|)ully with moss, uiid dcco- rnled with [lowers. The ChiiiJi tea iiiirtliuiit, who stood in the centre of the structure. p. A. Walker : One hundred feet of wTcathing com- Dosed of cockscombs, amaranths, French marigolds, evergreen, aiid other permanent materiaU. It was tastetuUy suspended m the centre of the lop ol' the hall beiween the chandeliers. Also, a bcautit'ul flat t'ancy design of large dimensions, presenting a surface wrought with asters, amiuanths, and otlier flowers, with the words "Horticultural Exhibition, 1940," inscribed in a border round it, wrougiit with immortal flowers : on the top of tile design was an ea^le composed of llov\ers : this w-jla the best flat design in the room. Also, a beautiful pyramidal bouquet tor one of the Bradley vases, cocUsconib, dalilias, ajid otlier cut llowers. From Sajjuel Walker : A large flat bouquet for the walls. From Miss U. Bowkee : A large pyramidal bouquet com- posed of over sixty varieties of native gra-sses and grains. Al- so, a circular wreath of great beauty of the same materials. The.se productions were arranged with much taste, and very much admired. From Joii» D. Williams, by James McNeil, a large flat design representing a vase and bouquet wrought with asters, amaranths, marigolds, zinnia.s, dahbas, and other flowers of high colors, producing a brilliant eflect. From W.M. Kk.nrick, an ancient Lyre, wrought wtli ever- green aud immortal tiowers, — a very beautiful design. Also, a fine Harp wrought with evergreens, (beautiful,) the same as exhibited last year. From O. H. Mather, by Thomas Needham : A vase cover- ed with moss, ornamented with immortal flowers, in which was a handsome pyramidal bouquet, — very chaste and neat. From Mrs. E. A. Story : A tall i)yrainidal bouquet, com- prising a great variety o( grasses gathered in Brighton. Also, a lanciful circular shield design, neatly arranged ill figures, with amaranths and other immortal flowers. From Parker Barnes : A basket and arbor of flowers and evergreen, (very neat.) From Edward Allex, Lowell : A large flat design com- posed of dahlias, asters, marigolds, &c., edged with evergreen. From James Nugent : Two large shield-like designs or flat bouquets lor the wall, composed of asters, dahlias, &c., edged ■witii evergreen. From J. L. Gardiner, by Daniel Crowley : Two fine shield- like designs of bouquets for the wall, wrought with dahlias and asters, finely intermingled with privet leaves, produchig a fine efl'ect. A:so, pyramidal bouquet. From Orr N. Towne : One circular shield-like de.-iigii composed of dahlias, asters, &c.. Also, two bouquets, dahlias and other cut flowers. F'rom Miss Russell : A large flat bouquet for the wall, com- posed Ol fine flowers on an evergreen back. Also, a moss vase with •' Flora's Gift "' inscribed upon it, WTOught with everlast- ing, filled with choice flowers. From .M. P. Wilher, President of the Society, a great va- riety '.f JJuiilias. some of tlieiii fine. Fro:n WiNsiiii"'s .Xnrsirv. Dahlias and cut flowers. From .r. pRECK & Co., Dahlias, Roses, and cut flowers. From HovEY & Co., Dahlias and asters ; two flat bouquets ; two mantel or table do. ; two hand do. ; and one fine large py- ramidal bouquet lor one ot" the marble vases. From W. E. Carter : Dahlias and cut flo^vers in great va- riety ; also five bouquets. From John A. Ke.nrick : Two tall plants of Abutilon stri- ata. From Thomas JIason : Dahlias, asters, and cut flowers in great variety. From II. W. Dutton : Duhliaii luiJ cut flowers in great va- riety. From Wm. Mklled : Dahlias and cut flowers in great va- riety. From John Arnold : A fine display of Rotics. I'roin W. B. Richards : Dahlias and cut flowers. I'rom John 1'arkkr: Dahlias, Ice. From Jdhn Hovey : Dahlias. I-'rom ICdward Winslow: Doliliai; and asters. From Madame Bigelow of Medj'ord : A inagiiificeiit speci- men of Cactus triangularis. REPORT OF VEGETABLES EXHIBITED. We regret to say that the exhibition of vegetables was ra- ther a meagre one, notwitlif..'anding the important place which their cultivation holds in horticulture. The .specimens which were exhibited, however, were almost universally excellent of their kind. They were as follows : From F. W. Macondray, Dorchester, egg plants, carrots, blood beets, celery, parsnips, field corn, and .six varieties of to- matoes. From A. D. Williams, Roxbury, Canada squash. Marrow do., long blood beets, turnip do., sweet corn, carrots, brocoli, Savoy cabbage, drumhead do., red do., celery, tomatoes. From Eben Wight, Dedham, four .squashes from one vine, weighing respectively a", 79, 16, and (is pounds. From TuoMAS Motley, Jr., Dedham, egg plants, Lima beans. From Enoch Bartlett, Roxbury, club gourd. From Orr N. TowNfe, Somerville, egg plants, two varieties. I'rom J. FisK Allen Salem, tomatoes. From N. Stetson, Bridgewater, tomatoes. F'rom Edward Allen, Lowell, celery. F'rom Samuel AValker, Roxbury, tomatoes, two varieties. From P. Cook, Roxbury, tomatoes. From J. L. L. F. \Varri;n, Brighton, .squa-shes of the growth of lb45, wreath of corn, V2 varieties, Egyptian wheat and millet. From Wm. Quant, Brookliiie, egg "plants. It may here be remarked that at no former exhibition has it closed when the fruits, flowers, and Floral decoraiions were left in so fine a condition. The Committee would again con- gratulate the Society on the successful result of the exhibition, wnicli it is hoped will act as an incentive to future eflbrts in a cause which is doing so much for our common country. For the Coniinitlee, liENRV W. BUTTON, Cluiirnian. WEEKLY EXHIBITIONS. At the Weekly Exhibition of the Society on the 2Gth Sept., the Committee on Flowers awarded prizes as follows ; To Miss Ru.ssell the first premium of S".i, for tlie best Bou- quet, and to R. West, by J. bheehan, the second premium of $1. Dahlias. The Committee award to M. P. Wilder a gratui- ty of $5, for a rich display of choice Dahlias. Division B. Judges — David Haggerston, P. B. Ilovey, and Wm. Meller, who \vere of opinion that on account of the iin- perfeclioii of many of the flowers, that none of the exhibitors ui Cla.ss No. 1, Were entitled to a premium. InCla.ssNo. 2, they award to J. L. L. F. Warren the first premium of S'a, for the following twelve blooms : Silvio, (new) Cleopatra, (new) Harlequin, (new) Great Mogul, Paul Pry, Hero of Stonehenge, Unique, (Anseirs.) Oddity, (new) Viscount Rc^seguer, (new) Preceptor, Latour d'Auvergne, Cheltenham Queen To Hovey i Co the second pcrmium of S3, lor the following : Orlando. Standard of Perfection, Viscount Re.ssegeur, Nut- WMch, Queen of Ro.ses, Miranda, Striata formosissima, Con- stantia, Noiipariel, Cinderella, Antler, Arethusa. The judges aUo were of opinion thai Hovey & Co., and J. L. L v. Warren exhibited flowers worthy of premium, in Class No. 3 — but as it is not considered in accordance with the design of the Society to award two premiums in the same di- vision, they are necessarily witliheld. Hovey & Co"s flowers were as follows : Orlando, Viscount Resscgeur, Primrose, Standard of Perfection, Lady Howland, Victory of Sussex. J. L. L. F. Warren's best six were : Antagonist, Competi- tor, Vi.«count Ressigeur, (new) Harlequin, (new) Ultimatum, (new) Ansell's Unique. Division A aud C. Parker Barnes, Edward AUeu and Azell Bowdilch, Judges. Division A . To Wm. Quant, a premium of $9. for the best 12 dissimilar blooms ; the Premier prize — no competitor — uamca not given. FLORAL REPORT OF N. Y. S. AG. SOCIETY. 247 To James Nugent, a premium of $4, for the best flower. Speeinieii bloom. To Win. Quaiit, $1 each for the following single blooms : Antagonist, wlute ; Queen, rose ; Mrs. Shelby, purple ; Essex Tnunipii, very dark; Cleopatra, yellow; Madam Cliauvier, tipped Total $6. To Wm Meller, $1 each for Pel Rival, maroon, and Nonpariel, scarlet. Division C. Class I. Flower-s considered imworthy of a premium. Class II. First premium of $5, to Wm. Quant, for the best 12 dissimilar blooms — names not given. Second premium of $3, to Wm. Meller, names as follows : Antagonist, Marchioness of Ormoiid, Keynes Duke of York, Cleopatra, Primrose, Pickwick, Beauty of Birmingliam, Beauty of Sussex, Lady Harland, Essex Bride, Miss AV'alson, AnseU's Unique. Class III. First premium of $3, for the best six dissimilar blooms to Nahum Stetson by Henry Reed — no other Dalilias offered in this class worthy of premium. Joseph Breck, Chairman. ANNUAL MEETING OP THE SOCIETY. Saturday, Oct. 3d, 1S46. — President Wilder occupied the Chair. T!ie Recording Secretary placed on the table five newspapers (as vouchers) containing the advertisement of a notice for the election of officers, &c. for the ensuing year. The Chairman of the Committee on nomination reported a printed list, and the copies were distributed among the mem- bers present. Tlie Chairman stated that the Recording Secretary, the Chairman of the Finance Committee, and- Mr. Richards, one of tlie same committee, declined a nomination. On opening tlie polls, it was voted that the polls remain open for 30 minutes. Mes-srs. Walker and Batchelder were chosen a commit- tee to sort and count the votes. The committee reported the persons names in the printed list, were chosen officers of the Society for 1847, viz : MARSHALL P. WILDER, President. Vice Prtsidents- B. V. Frexch, Cheever Newhall, J0XATH71N A\ ixsuip, E. M. Richards. Samuel Walker, Treasurer. J. E. Teschemacuer, Corresponding Secretary. E. C. R. Walker, Recording Secretary. John Lewis Russell, A. M., Professor of Botany and Ve- getable Physiology. T. W. Harris, M. D.. Professor of Entomology. S. L. Dana, M. D., Professor of Horticultural Chemistry. Committee on Fruits — Samuel Walker, Chairman; P. B. Ilovey, Jr., Otis Jolinson, Josiah Lovett, David Haggerston, J. F. Allen, Eben. Wight. Committee on Plants and Flowers — Joseph Breck, Chair- man ; H. W. Dutton, W. E. Carter, Parker Barnes, Alex. Mc- Lellan, E. A. Story, William Quant. Committee on Vegetables — A. D. Williams, Jr., Chairman ; W. B. Kingsbury, A. D. Williams, Josiah Newhall, Jamea Nugent, Azell Bowditch, E. C. R. Walker. Committee on Library. — CM. Hovey, Chairman; C. K. Dillaway, R. M. Copelaiid, Joseph Ereck, W. B. Richards. Committee on Synonyms of Fruit. — M. P. Wilder, Chair- man ; B. V. Frencli, C. M. Hovey, J. S. Cabot, the Chairman of the Fruit Committee. Executive Cummittee. — The President, Chairman; the Treasurer, A. Aspinwall, E. M. Richards, Otis Johnson. Committee for establishing Premiums. — The Chairman of Committee on Fruits, Cli'n do. Flowers, do. Vegetables, C. M. Hovey, David Haggerston. Finance Committee. — Josiah Stickney, Chairman; Joseph Balch, F. W. Macoiidray. Committee of Publication. — J. E. Teschemacher, Chair- man ; C. K. Dillaway, Eben. Wight, Recording Secretary, Chairman of the Committee on Fruits, do. Flowers, do. Ve- getables. Members elected — James Kelt, Jr. and S. W. Cole, of Bos- ton ; Alfred A. Andrews and Samuel Payson, of Roxbury. Adjourned to the first Saturday in November next. EBEN. WIGHT, Rec Sec'y- NEW- YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. Repon of the Committee on Flowers, at the Fair of the New- York State Agricultural Society, held at Auburn on the 15th, IGth and 17th of September, 1S46. The Committee, chosen by the Society to award premiums on flowers, respectfully report : — That they have attended to the duties assigned to them, and have given to the subject all the attention in their power. The Committee take pleasure in congratulating the Society on the increased interest which the Annual Fairs are exciting in the minds of professional and amateur florists, evinced by the greatly augmented display of choice flowers from remote parts of the State at this over all previous exiiibitions. There were exhibited by Elihu Tyler of Buffalo : Triumph de I.,uxemburgh, Hymeneal Tea, Jaune Despres, La Marque, Sanguinea, Amelia, Hamiltonii, Cramoisa Superior, Archinto, and other roses ; eight varieties of Verbenas, and other choice flowers, all beautifully arranged in a basket. By Professor Coppock : A floral design composed of clioice dahlias, German asters, and red and white globe amaranths, arranged on a ground of green moss, and representing a spread eagle with the name of the "Buffalo Horticultural Society," in Its beak, all beautifully arratiged by the pupils of his Musi- cal Academy at Buffalo. By Col. Hodges, of Buffalo : Nineteen varieties of roses, viz. Arch Duke Charles, Odorata, Sanguinea, Indies, Triumph de Luxemburgh, White China, Bell Gravesii, La Marque, Pink Cluster, Desir de L" Amateur, Marquess Bocalla, Dutchess of Kent, Agripina. General Merhn, Madam Despres, Mi.ss Law- rence, Aimee Vibert, Evandvier ; fifteen different varieties of Verbenas, several varieties of Dahlias and Phlox Drum- Hiondii. By Wm. Webb, of Buffalo : Sixteen varieties of Tea, Noi- sette and Bourbon roses ; twelve varieties of Verbenas, a few very fins German Asters, Passiflora alata, and two very large Cockscombs growing in pots, one of them measiuing 20 inches over llie crest of the flower. By L. Menard, of Albany : Two very beautiful bouquets arranged with exquisite laste and skill, and composed of 31 va- rieties of choice flowers, \iz: Erica bland, Erica caffra, Erica cerinthoides. Erica gracilis. Erica borriene. Erica transpa- rens, Fuschia vcnus viclrix, F'u.schia eioniensis, Fusctiia chauverii, Fuschia rosea alba, Hoya carnosa, Rendoleta speciosa, Orschynanthus grandiflorus, Phlox paniculata. Phlox anosmoeflora, Diasmia erioides, Heliotropam peruveanum, Delphinum azureuni, Arbulilon striatem, Carnation Pinks, Schyzanthus alba; Verbenas, Polkii, Eclipse and Majestica; Roses — Aimee Vibert, Souvenir de Malmaison, Marshal de ViUars, Arch Duke Charles, (iueen of the Bourbons, Princess of Nassau, and Asclepias curab.savide. By Dr. Alexander Thompson, of Aurora, Cayuga county : Several varieties of fine German Asters, Zinnias of sons; several fine varieties of Phlox Drummondii, a choice collection of Dalilias and many beautiful Verbenas not named. By Samuel S. Graves, of Auburn : Dalilias, Phloxes, Zinni- as, Petunias, Heliacanthus, Asters, Pansys, and many others. By Henry Morgan, E.sq.. of Aurora : Eight varieties of Dah- lias, seven lieautiful varieties of German A.stcrs, Double Ger- man Ten Week Stocks, Double Sweel Williams, Petunias, Globe Amaraiuhs, Zinnias, Honeysuckles, and Champney roses, all tastefully arranged in four floral ornaments. By Profes.sor Isaac W. Jackson, of Schenectady: Seventy- seven different varieties of flowers, beautifully arranged in fif- teen floral ornaments for vases, composed ol", among others, twenty diflerent varieties of Dalilias of the finest kinds, twen- ty beautilul varieties of German Quilled Asters, several fine Verbenas, including Feast's new White, Eclipse, Roseum su- j perbum, &c. tec , Fuschias. Roses, Zinnias, Petunias, Globe Amaranths, several new Phloxes, and many others. By Mrs. E. T. Throop Muriiti, of \Villow Brook, Owasco Lake, Cayuga county : A very beautifully arranged floral or- j nament, composed of diflVrent varieties of choice flowers, ajid ' also four beautilul bouquets. 248 FLORAL REPORT OF N. Y. P. SOCIETY. Hy lion. J. Poncr, of Auburn: A fine colk-ciioa of cut flowiT-. Hy .Mr. It. Ivison, of Aulnirn : Dahlias, Verbcniis, Phloxes, Biul'iiiiuiy other Howi-rs in great prolusion. By .Mrs. 1". U. liiiton, of Auburn : Several varieties of Tea ri»si-s. (itraninms, Verbenas, ice. By J.J. Seymour, of Auburn : A fine display of cut flowers aji' hirse Volkameria in a tub, in very fine condition luul in full hlooin. By .Mrs. heland, of Auburn : A handsome floral ornament. By .Mrs. Watrous, of Auburn : A liu-jje number of choice rut flowers, and two very tine Oleander urces, 6 and 10 feet hip:1i, in full bloom. By Mrs. Chedell, of Auburn ; A large number of fine Dah- lias and other flowers. By Miss Jane HoUey, of Auburn: A fine Bignonia grandiflora. By .Miss II. C. .Morse, of .Skiuieateles : Several very fine Cactii, Geraniums and other green-house plants in pots. By Mrs. .M. Miller, of Auburn : Several very large and beautiful green-house plants in tubs and pots; among the num- ber, an Orange tree six feet high laden with fruit, a Shaddock tree in fruit, a very fine Ficus elastica ten feet high, a Lemon tree laden with fruit, a large and very fine Cactus flagellifor- mis. a ver)' large and splendid Arum esculeulum and many others. By Me-iwrs. Elwanger and Barry, of the Mount Hope Nur- series at Rochester : Twenty-nine varieties of roses, viz. of Hybrid Perpetuals, Augu.stine Mouchelet, Marquis Boccella, Dutchess de Nemours: of Noisettes, Smithii and Moiistrosa; of Tea*, Victoire Modeste, Triomph de Luxemburgh, Slrombio, Souvenir de la Malmaison, La .Sylphide, Gen. Toyer, Bougerc, Delphina, Grandis. Princess Marie; of Bourbons, Henri Planter^ GeuM Dubourg, Princess Clementine, Herniosa; of Bengals, lA}uis Philippe, Lawrencia, Agrippina, Dutchess of KeiU, Beau Carmoline, Diaiuherosa, Grandval, Vanilla scented. White China and Madomia. Twenty-six varieties of Dahlia-s, viz. La Toiu' D"Auvergi)e, Rienzi, Viscountess of Beresford, Mar- shal Soult, Hector, Horace Binney, Mrs. Rushton, Rouge et Noir, Topas, King of Ld.ichs, Lady Bathurst, Lord Howden, Girling"s Prince of Wales, Glory ol Altenburgh, Simon Sny- der, Heiury Clay, Washington Irving, Murillo, Col. Mansfield, Conservative, Ansell's Unique, Widnall's Queen, .Standard of Perfection, Golden Sovereign, and Girling's Perfection. — Twelve varieties of Verbenas, viz. Pepperii, Bicolour Grandi- flora, Fulgens, Rosea elegans, Candidissima, Sanguinea, Bril- lii. President, and four of E. &. VV.'s own seedluigs, all very good, Barryii, Odorala, Rochester and Genesee ; also, two flo- ral ornaments beautifully arranged with choice flowers, such as Roses, Fuschias, Verbenas, Geraniums, Heliou-opes, Dah- lias, Asters, Zinnias, &c. ice. By James Wilson, Nurseryman of Albany : One hundred and thirty-two varieties of flowers, including among ihe num- ber twenty-six varieties of new and rare Dahlias : as Empe- ror of China, Hero of the West, Sir E. Antrobus, Eva, Con- stantia, Oakley's Surprise, Latly St. Maur, Oddity, Minerva, Striata, Fonnosissimum, Bragg's Antagonist, Mrs. Rushton, Makenzie's Perfection, Argo, Prince of Wales, King of Li- lachs. Purity, Lady .Sale, Illuminator, Viscount Repegneur, Dupctit Tliouars, Great Western, Andrew Hofer, Tippecanoe, La Tour, D'Auvergne, Marchioness of Ormond. Twenty beautifully quilled German A.sters. Fourteen of the finest and newest Verbenas, such as Majesties, Bridesmaid, Feast's new White, Eclipse, Polkii, Brill's Roseuni Bicolor, Buisl's new Blue, Fulgens, Roseum superbuin, &c. &c. Seven varieties of new Phloxes, viz. Princes.* Marianne, Harrisonii, Panicula- ta latifolia, Frelingliuy.sen ; a new dark striped Paniculata, var. New Purple, amd Acuminata alba ; also. Cape Jasmines or Gardenias, Heliotropes, Ericas, several very beautiful Fuchias, &c. &c. &c., together with thirty-two different varieties of Hyb. Perpetual, Isle de Bourbon, Noisette, Tea and China roses, as Aubernon, Paul Joseph, Madam Despres, Hermosa, Triomph de Luxemburgh, Queen Victoria, Julie de Lyons, Champneyana, Dr. Marx, Robespierre, River's Perpetual, Dutchess of Mecklenburgh, Dr. Roques, Agripina, Augustine Moucholet, Fairy Rose, Ophi chromatella or Cloth of Gold, Smithii, Due d'Aumale, Sylph, Sanguinea, Multillora, Ninon de I'Enclos, Yellow Tea, Bon Seline, Bougere, Le Pactiolis, Mazeppa and Matlam Nesard. An exquisitely arranged bou- quet composed of tliirty-six different varieties of choice and rare flowers, and also a beautifully arranged floral design composed of more than one hundred rare Dahlias, choice roses, Gladioluses, German A.sters, Amarantlts, Geraniums, Heliotropes, Sec. ice. By Edward Thomas, of Geneva : Three new needling Dah- lias, viz. 1. .Mrs. Ilcmans, a white, finely tipped with vi-rmillion, Well formed. I'lill centre, petals finely cupped, about the size of Striata — very fine flower. 'J. Thomas' Perfection, iiilark maroon of globular form, petals finely cupped, about the mZc of the last — " a good flower." 3. New Globe Crimson, a small flower of globular form, with petals finely quilled, but not equal to No. '2. Also, about seventy varieti<-8 of cut flowers, in- cluding among them about a dozen varieties of Tea and Chi- na roses, six varieties of German A-sters, six varieties of Ver- benas, Carnations, Cactas Jenkensonii, Phlox Drummondii, Double China Pinks, and forty-four varieties of choice Dah- lias, including among the number, Charles the 12lh, Siratem Fonnosissimum, !>>nrpasse Royal, Incomparable, Sunbury Hero, Inwood's Earl, .Seman's Clara, Red Rover. Cjucen Victoria, Conqueror of Europe, King of the Yellows, ice. &c. Mr. Thomas was unfortunately detained by the non-arrival of the Western cars, until after the premiums were awarded on articles exhibited for competition. The committee have awarded the premiums as follows : For the greatest variety and quantity of flowers exhibited : Isl premium to James AVilson, of Albany, a silver medal. 2ii(l premium to Isaac AV. Jackson of .Schenectady, a diploma. M premium to Elwanger and Barr>' of Rochester, a volume of Tran.sactions. For .seedling Dahlias there appeared but one competitor, Ed- ward Thomas of Geneva ; his Dahlias being of great merit and beauty, the Committee have awarded the first premium to his seedling, Mrs. Hemans, (particularly noticed above,) a diplo- ma ; and the second premium to his Thomas' Perfection, a diploma. For the best floral ornament : to James Wilson of Albany, a silver medal. For the best twenty-five varieties of Dahlias : First premium to James Wilson of Albany, a silver medal. Second premium to Elwanger and Barry of Rochester, a diploma. Third premium to J. W. Jackson of Schenectady, a volume of Transactions. For the most beautiful boquet : First premium to James Wilson of Albany, Colman's Tour. .Second premium to L. Menard of Albany, a diploma. Third premium to L. Menard of Albany, volume of Trans- actions. For the greatest variety of green-house plants, owned by one intlividual : First premium to Mrs. M. Miller of Auburn, a diploma. Second premium to Miss H. C. Morse of Skenealeles, volume of Transactions. For the best twenty German Asters : To Professor Isaac W. Jackson of Schenectady, a volume of Transactions. For the best twelve varieties of Roses: First premium to James Wilson of Albany, a diploma. Second premium to Elwanger and Barry of Rochester, vol ume of Transactions. The Committee have awarded the foUowmg discretionary premiums : To Mrs. E. T. Throop Martin of Willow Brook, Owasco Lake, for a beautiful floral ornament composed of choice and rare flowers and exquisitely arranged by herself, a diploma. To Elihu Tyler oi BulTalo, for a beaUtifu'ly arranged basket of choice flowers, a diploma. To Elwanger and Barry of Rochester, for a tastefully ar- ranged floral ornament composed of green-house flowers, a di- ploma. To Professor Coppock of Bufl"alo, for an elaborately \\T0ught floral design, arranged with great skill and good taste, a di- ploma. To Wm. Webb of Buffalo, for a fine display of choice roses, Verbenas and other flower.s, a diploma. To Col. Hodges of Buffalo, for a choice collection of rare and beautiful roses. Verbenas and other flowers, a diploma. To Henry IMorgan, Esq. of Auuora, for a beautiful floral design composed of choice flowers and arranged with good taste, a diploma. -\11 of which is respectfullv submitted, HERMAN AVE.NDELL, M. D., of Albany. WILLIAM R. RA.XDALL, of Cortland. JAMES TRACY, of Syracuse. Committee. k i^y"^^ ^^^ FIG 63, ORNAMENTAL ICE HOUSE ABOVE GROUND. FIG. 64. ORNAMENTAL ICE HOUSE ABOVE GROUND. (Horticulturist, Dec. 184fi.) THE JOURNAL OF RURAL AIT AND RURAL TASTE. Vol. I. DECEMBER, 1846. No. 6. The Ice House and the Hot House, types of Lapland and the Tropics, are two con- trivances which civilization has invented for the comfort or luxury of man. A native of the Sandwich islands, who lives, as he con- ceives, in the most delicious climate in the world, and sleeps avva}^ the best part of his life in that happy state which the pleasure- loving Italians call " dolcefar niente," (sweet do nothing) — smiles and shudders when he hears of a region where his familiar trees mus\ be kept in glass houses, and the water turns, now and then, into solid cold crystal ! Yet, if happiness, as some philosophers have affirmed, consists in a variety of sen- sations, we denizens of temperate latitudes have greatly the advantage of him. What surprise and pleasure awaits the Sandwich islander, for example, like that we experience on entering a spacious hot-house, redolent of blossoms and of perfwme, in mid-winter, or on refreshing our exhausted frames with one of " Thomson and Weller's " vanilla creams, or that agreeable compound of the vintage of Xeres, pounded ice, etc., that bears the humble name of " sherry cobbler;'' but which having been introduced lately from this country into London, along with our " American ice," has sent into positive ex- 32 tacies all those of the great metropolis, who depend upon their throats for sensations. Our business at the present moment is with the Ice-house, — as a necessary and most useful appendage to a country resi- dence. Abroad, both the ice-house and the hot-house are portions of the wealthy man's establishment solely. But in this country, the ice-house forms part of the comforts of every substantial farmer. It is not for the sake of ice-creams and cooling liquors, that it has its great value in his eyes, but as a means of preserving and keeping in the finest condition, during the summer, his meat, his butter, his delicate fruit, and in short his whole perishable stock of provi- sions. Half a dozen correspondents, lately, have asked us for some advice on the con- struction of an ice-house, and we now cheer- fully offer all the information in our posses- sion. To build an ice-house in sandy or gravel- ly soils, is one of the easiest things in the world. The drainage there is perfect, the dry and porous soil is of itself a sufficiently good non-conductor. All that it is necessary to do, is lo dig a pit, twelve feet square, and as many deep, line it with logs or joists faced with boards, cover it with a sim- 250 HOW TO BUILD ICE-IIUUSES. Fig. 65. Tlie common Tee-house heloio ground. pie roof on a level with the ground, and fill it with ice. Such ice-houses, built with trifling cost, and entirely answering the pur- pose of affording ample supply for a large family, are common in various parts of the country. But it often happens that one's residence is upon a strong loamy or clayey soil, based upon clay or slate, or, at least, rocky in its substratum. Such a soil is retentive of moisture, and even though it be well drain- ed, the common ice-house just described will not preserve ice half through the sum- mer in a locality of that kind. The clayey or rocky soil is always damp — it is always an excellent conductor, and the ice melts in it in spite of all the usual precautions. Something more than the common ice- house is therefore needed in all such soils. "How shall it be built ?" is the question which has been frequently put to us lately. To enable us to answer this question in the most satisfactory manner, we addressed ourselves to Mr. N. J. Wyeth of Cambridge, Mass., whose practical information on this subject is probably fuller and more com- plete than that of any other person in the country, he, for many years, having had the construction and management of the enormous commercial ice-houses near Bos- ton— the largest and most perfect known.* We desired Mr. Wyetu's hints for build- ing an ice-house for family use, both above ground, and below ground. In the beginning, we should remark that the great ice houses of our ice companies are usually built above ground ; and Mr. Wyeth in his letter to us remarks, " we now never build or use an ice-house under ground; it never preserves ice as well as those built above ground, and costs much more. J, however, send you directions for the con- struction of both kinds, with slight sketches in e.xplanation." The following are Mr. Wyeth's directions for building: " Is/. An Ice-house above ground. An ice- house above ground should be built upoa Fig. 60. Section of the Ice-house above ground, the plan of having a double partition, with the hollow space between filled with some non-conductins: substance. * Few of our readers are aware of the ma^iitiuie which the basiness of supplying foreign countries with ice ha.s at- tained in New-England. Millions of dolhirs worth have been HOW TO BUILD ICE-HOUSES. 251 '* In the first place, the frame of the sides should be formed of two ranges of upright joists, 6 by 4 inches ; the lower ends of the joists should be put into the ground without any sill, which is apt to let air pass through. These two ranges of joists should be about two feet and. one-half apart at the bottom, and two feet at the top. At the top these joists should be morticed into the cross- beams, which are to support the upper floor. The joists in the two ranges should be placed each opposite another. They should then be lined or faced on one side, with rough boarding, which need not be very tight. This boarding should be nailed to those edges of the joists nearest each other, so that one range of joists shall be outside the building, and the other inside the ice- room or vault. ^^Fig. 67.) g^ n n n f "B □ U I, Fig. 67. Manner of nailing the boards to the joists. " The space between these boardings or partitions should be filled with wet tan, or sawdust, whichever is cheapest or most easily obtained. The reason for using wet material for filling this space is, that during winter it freezes, and until it is again thaw- ed, little or no ice will melt at the sides of the vault. shipped from the port of Boston alone, within the last eight years ; and the East and ^Vcst Indies, China, England and the South, are constantly supplied with ice from that neighborhood. Wenhtim Lake is now as well knowTi in Ie perject, (the italics are ours,) having both stamens and pistils; THE STRAWBERRY CONTROVERSY. 275 others only pistils, and others only stamens ; thus showing that the defect mentioned by Mr. LoNGWoRTH exists in the original spe- cies." He closes by urging cultivators to set rows of Early Virginia, among the beds for the sake of impregnating the rest. Mr. Hovey's next formal notice was ex- actly one year from the foregoing, Novem- ber, 1843, and it appears thus : " We be- lieve it is now the generally received opinion of all intelligent ailtivators, (italics are ours again,) that there is 710 necessity of makiiig any distinction in regard to the sexual cha- racter oj the plants when forming new beds. The idea of male and female plants, first originated, we believe, by Mr. Longworth of Ohio, is now considered as exploded." Such a sudden change as this was brought about, he says, by additional information re- ceived during that year, by means of his correspondents, and by more experience on his own part. He says nothing of male blossoms and female blossoms, which he had himself seen in wild strawberries. ]\Ir. Ho- VEY then assumed the theory, that ailliva- tion, good or bad, is the cause of fertile or infertile beds of strawberries, and he says "in conclusion, we think we may safely aver, that there is not the least necessity of culti- vating a7iy one strawberry near another, (our italics,) to ensure the fertility of the plants, provided they are under a proper state of cultivation." Mr. HovEY now instituted experiments, which he promised to publish, by which to bring the matter to the only true test ; and he, from time to time, repromised to give the result to the public, which, thus far, we believe he has forgotten to do. His Magazine for 1844, opens as that of 1843 closed, and in the first number he says, " the oftener our attention is called to this subject, the more we feel confirmed in the opinion that the theory of Mr. Longworth is entirely unfounded ; that there is n' such thing as male and female plants, though cer- tain causes may produce, as we know they have, fertile and sterile ones." Nevertheless, in the next issue but one, this peremptory language is again softened down, and doubt even appears, when he says, " If Mr. Longwortli's theory should prove true" Sfc. We, among others, waited anxiously for the promised experiments ; but if published, we never saw them. The subject rather died out of his Magazine, un- til August, 1845, when, in speaking of the Boston Pine, a second fine seedling of his own raising, he is seen bearing away on the other tack, if not with all sails set, yet with enough to give the ship headway in the right direction. "Let the causes be what they may, it is sufficient for all practical pur- poses, to know that the most abundant crops (italics ours) can be produced by planting some sort abounding in staminate flowers, in the near vicinity of those which do not possess them." p. 293. And on p. 444, he reiterates the advice to plant near the sta- minate varieties. In the August number for 1846, p. 309, Mr. Hovey shows himself a thorough convert to Mr. Longworth's views, by endorsing, in the main, the report of the committee of the Cincinnati Horti- cultural Society. We hope, after so various a voyage, touching at so many points, that he will now abide steadfast in the truth. We look upon this as a very grave mat- ter— not because the strawberry question is of such paramount, although it is of no in- considerable, importance ; but it is of im- portance whether accredited scientific maga- zines should be trustworthy , whether wri- ters or popular editors should be responsible for mistakes entirely unnecessary. We blame no man for vacillation, while yet in the process of investigation, nor for coming at the truth gradually, since this is the ne- cessity of our condition to learn only by degrees, and by painful shiftings. The first requisite for a writer is, that he be worthy of trust in his statements. No man can be trusted, Avho ventures opinions upon unin- vestigated matters ; who states facts with assurance which he really has not ascer- tained ; who evinces rashness, haste, care- lessness, credulity, or fickleness in his judg- ments. The question of perfect or imper- fect blossoms depends upon the simplest ex- ercise of eyesight. It requires no measure- ments, no process of the laboratory, no mi- nute dissections or nice calculations ; it re- quires only that a man should see what he loolis at. When fi boy, playing " how many fingers do I hold up," by dint of peeping from 276 THE STRAWBERRRY CONTROVERSY. under the bandage, we managed to make very clever guesses of how many lilv fingers some roguish lassie was holding in tempt- ing sjiow before our bandaged eyes ; but some folks are not half so lucky with both eyes wide open, and the stamens and pistils standing before them. If such latitude is permitted to those who conduct the investigations peculiar to hor- ticulture, who can confide in the publica- tion of facts, observations or experiments ? Of what use will be journals and magazines? They become like chronometers that will not keep time — like a compass that has lost its magnetic sensibility — like a guide who has lost his own way, and leads his follow- ers through brake, and morass, and thicket, into interminable wanderings. Sometimes the consciousness of faults in ourselves, which should make us lenient towards others, only serves to produce irritable fault- finding. After a comparison of opinions and facts, through a space of five years, with the most distinguished cultivators, east and west, Mr. Longworth is now universally admitted to have sustained himself in all the essential points which he first promulgated, not discovered, for he made no claim of that sort. The gardeners and the magazines of the east have, at length, adopted his prac- tical views, after having stoutly, many of them, contested them. It was, therefore, with unfeigned surprise, that we read Mr. Hovey's latest remarks in the September number of his Magazine, in which, with some asperity, he roundly charges Mr. Longworth with manifold er- rors, and treats him with a contempt, which would lead one, ignorant of the controversy, to suppose that Mr. Hovey had never made a mistake, and that Mr. Longworth. had been particularly fertile of them. Thus, "Mr. Longworth's remarks abound in so many errors and inconsistencies, that we shall scarcely expect to notice all." "An- other gross assertion" &c. Referring to another topic, he says, " This question, we therefore consider as satisfactorily settled, without discussing Mr. Longwoi-th's con- flicting views about male and female Keen." This somewhat tragical comedy is now nearly phyed out, and we have spoken a word just before the fall of the curtain, be- ' cause as chroniclers of events and critics