384 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



the weather is mild, and entirely without frost, I 

 open the sashes and admit li^ht and air, but for the 

 frreater part of the time, and always in cold weath- 

 er I keep both tiers of sashes close and well cover- 

 ed' with a layer of 12 inches of rye straw. This, I 

 find, lieeps out the cold eHcctaally — and as the 

 spriiif; advances, I frradually open and enure my 

 plants to the li?ht and air. 



They are all in the finest order in April, and when 

 planted out for summer growth, from being kept 

 dormant all winter, grow more luxuriantly, and 

 flower better than those kept in the green-house 

 with fire heat. ... 



I ou^ht to add that, if the soil where the pit is 

 made be wet, or retentive of moisture, there should 

 be a slight drain made from it. The bottom should 

 be covered with coal ashes, or sand, on w'hich to 

 place the pots. When they are first put in in Oct. 

 they should have as much air as possible when the 

 weather is not positively frosty, to harden them. 

 Yours, An Jmateur. New-York, Jan. 4th. 



Flowering Hawthorns. — Why do we so sel- 

 dom see the many fine varieties of this lovely shrub 

 in our gardens and shrubberies ? Surely nothing is 

 more pure and beautiful among shrubs than the 

 Double White Hawthorn, with clusters of blossoms 

 like miniature double white roses— or the single and 

 double pink, or the double crimson. A little pru- 

 ning— better still, pinching off the ends of young 

 sjjoojs — will give the hawthorn when planted out 

 singly — it is naturally of a rambling habit — a nea.t 

 and even an elegant lorm. It is one of the pretti- 

 est small trees for a lawn in pUces of moderate 

 size. Yours, Jn Amateur. New-York, Jan. 4th. 



The best Manure for Fruit-Trees. — I have 

 read with the deepest interest the leading article 

 " on the philosophy of manuring orchards," in the 

 last number. It has given me a great deal of new 

 light, and I am satisfied that it will lead to experi- 

 m'ents and trials in the hands of skilful and atten- 

 tive cultivators that will greatly benefit all orchard- 

 ists and fruit growers. ' But 1 have but littte time 

 for my garden, and only snatch, now and then, an 

 hour for my fruit trees from other avocations. Will 

 you have the kindness, therefore, to say in a few 

 words, what mixture or compost of manures you 

 consider safest and best for aU fruit trees ? 



Cincinnati, 0., Jan. 1848. Yours, E. 



[Answer. — The best compost for " all fruit 

 trees" (without endeavoring to suit thi specific 

 wants of each particular fruit,) is a compost of 

 peat or swamp-muck . reduced, or rendered availa- 

 ble to plants, by unleached wood ashes. The peat 

 should if possibe be dug and carted out in winter- 

 though it will answer if dug in the spring. As 

 earl}"in the spring as is convenient, mix thorough- 

 ly the wood ashes with the peat, in the proportion 

 of five bushels of good hard wood a.shes to one 

 wagon load of peat. Let the heap lie a week, 

 turii it over to incorporate more thoroughly, and in 

 two or three weeks it will be fit for use. This com- 

 post, or manure, contains largely lime, pota.sh, 

 phosphate, and vegetable matter, the elements 

 most necessary to the growth and health of fruit 



trees generally — and all in a state ready for food 

 for these trees.] 



Queries from the West. — Is the Tree Pceony 

 a proper out-door plant ? — that is, does it thrive and 

 flower well, and does it withstand our winters when 

 thus treated, and what is the best method of culti- 

 vating and propagating it'?(a) 



The Noisette, Bourbon and Hybrid Perpetual 

 Roses I have introduced into my garden lately, all 

 proved fine, and every thing that could be wished, 

 with but one exception, although most of them did 

 not flow^er much after August : the Lamarque Noi- 

 sette, however, I must except, for it has proved 

 thus far quite worthless. There were many buds 

 on it. but they would all blast and drop off just be- 

 fore opening, so that I could not get a single bloom 

 from it. It may not be genuine, but the buds seem- 

 ed to be of the color named in the catalogues, so far 

 as I could judge. The Cloth of Gold, and Solfa- 

 tare, were especially fine — the first is considerably 

 the largest, and Solfatare has the most vigorous 

 habit ; otherwise they are ver\' similar. (6) 



Among the finest of the others I received, I 

 would mention the Marquis Bocella, Duchess of 

 Sutherland, Mrs. Elliot, Prince Albert, and Sou- 

 venir De La Maimaison. 



I should like very much to hear more about the 

 Rose-bugs, whether they are not very destructive 

 to roses at the east, and especially among the old 

 nurseries and gardens about New- York city. They 

 are not just here as yet, but I have seen thousands 

 of them not a hundred miles distant; and when I 

 see and hear of their ravages in some localities both 

 east and west, I am almost tempted to despair of 

 cultivating roses extensively. 



Will you please tell us how it is with them where 

 they have been known so long — whether they are 

 not vei-y numerous and destructive — and if so, how 

 they are kept down ?(c) 



Have there been any Native American Grapes 

 discovered, which are superior to the Isabella and 

 Catawba for this latitude, or any better Raspber- 

 ries than the red and white Antwerp, or are there 

 any as good that are hardy ; or any better variety 

 of Currant, of the difi'erent colors, than the red and 

 white Dutch, (which, by the way, so far as I have 

 tried them, are not a whit different from the largest 

 of those commonly and generally cultivated,) and 

 the Black English? If so, will you please name 

 and describe them ? I find, annually, almost any 

 quantity of new names, with high recommends in 

 the catalogues, but I cannot hear any thing further 

 about them. Very respectfully, j'ours, &c. F.K. 

 Phcenix. Delavan, Wisconsin, Dec. 1847. 



Answers. — The Tree Paeon)' is one of the finest 

 of hardy shrubs, and bears the winter here without 

 the slightest protection. In the coldest parts of 

 the Union, it may, perhaps, need the protection of 

 a few branches of evergreen thrown over it in win- 

 ter. It grows freely in any good rich garden soil 

 — and its magnificent flowers, some of them with 

 a circumference as great as a man's hat, are pro- 

 duced with the greatest regularity and abundance 

 in May. It is propagated by sucker layers, or by 

 grafting the young wood in July on bits of tubers 



