532 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



Not only the apple tree, but also the mountain 

 ash, the quince, and the hawthorn, suffer greatly 

 by this insect. If no pains are taken to diminish 

 its numbers, it will become a serious obstacle to 

 the cultivation of these trees. 



Black-Knots in Plum Trees. — The only suc- 

 cessful way of getting rid of the " black-knots" that 

 we have ever known, is that of cutting off every 

 branch or part of a branch covered by this excres- 

 ence and burning it ; and this should he done before 

 the middle of May. But it occasionally happens 

 that a wart or spot will burst out on the very body 

 of the tree, or upon some large and important 

 branch, to lop off which is to destroy the whole tree, 

 or its head. To amputate the wart itself is not 

 sufficient ; for its poison is diffused through the sap 

 in the surrounding parts, and, like a cancer, is sure 

 to break out again very soon. 



Last spring we made an experiment upon six 

 trees in the garden of a neighbor, which were some- 

 what infested with knots, as follows : All the knots 

 at or near the ends of the limbs were entirely de- 

 stroyed by taking off the branches a foot or more 

 below the wart itself. The few that remained 

 were upon the trunk, or on the main branches near 

 the trunk. These were all carefully and deeply cut 

 out down to the sound healthy wood. Three of the 

 trees then had the wounds washed directly with a 

 solution of copperas water, (made by dissolving 2 

 drachms of copperas in a quart of water.) The 

 wounds on the other three trees were left untouched. 



At the present time those wounds to which the 

 copperas water was applied look quite healthy, and 

 are healing over rapidly ; no indication of a return 

 of the knots being visible around or near them. 



The wounds on the remaining three trees left 

 unwashed are healing more slowly, and in more 

 than half the cases, small warts have again made 

 tkeir appearance on the edges of the wound, — in 

 two instances completely covering it in one season. 



The discoveries of M. Gris, relative to the effect 

 of copperas on sulphate of iron, as a specific upon 

 diseased conditions of the sap and leaves, (publish- 

 ed in our last volume,) induced us to make this ex- 

 periment. Though it is too early to pronounce an 

 opinion, the indications of success are encouraging, 

 and we suggest a renewal of the experiment to 

 others. 



Persian Yellow Rose — This is truly a charm- 

 ing addition to our collection of roses, large as the 

 latter is. Indeed we should say that the smallest 

 collection is scarcely complete without it. It is far 

 superior to the Harrison in the form and shape of 

 the flower, much more double, and a fine, clear, 

 distinct, yellow in its color. It also blooms very 

 freely. It was introduced from Persia to Eng- 

 land, by Sir Henry Willock, and presented to the 

 Horticultural Society of London in 183S. It has 

 now found its way to this country, and is for sale 

 by most of the rose growers. 



Detroit Horticultural Society. — We have 

 received from T. H. Hinchman, Esq., secretary of 

 this society, a report of its proceedings. The so- 

 ciety was organized March 6, 1846. Last year 

 monthly meetings were held from May to October j 



and these exhibitions have already awakened a 

 lively interest in the neighborhood of Detroit, and 

 the influence of the society will no douht soon be 

 seen throughout that new state. At the May ex- 

 hibition, one hundred and fifty varieties of tulips 

 were shown. Plums, cherries, pears, etc., and 

 also the Isabella and Catawba grapes thrive well 

 in that part of Michican ; and the products of the 

 kitchen garden, (including melons,) are unusually 

 excellent, large and abundant. 



" At the last meeting of the society," says the 

 secretary, " the Rules of American Pomology, as 

 published in the Horticulturist, were adopted. The 

 society, in the coniused state of nomenclature, had 

 already felt the want of such rules." 



The New Dahlias. — The English Dahlia grow- 

 ers are not content with ''perfection" — or what 

 appeared perfection a few years ago — in this gay- 

 est of summer and autumn flowers. Acres and 

 acres of ground are devoted to the production of 

 extraordinary new seedlings, and the arts of hy- 

 bridizing and careful selection of seeds are brougiit 

 into play every year, to produce some still greater 

 novelty of form and colour. 



Among the prize sorts of last season, we notice 

 " fancy varieties," the flowers of which are yellow, 

 tipped with white, dark maroon, tipped with light 

 pink, primrose tipped with bright red, 6w^ tipped 

 with white, etc. The most highly esteemed of the 

 new plum-colored sorts are perhaps Nell Granger, 

 Queen of England, War Eagle, Shylock, and the 

 much talked of, new, gold-coloured English seed- 

 ling — Toison d'or or Golden Fleece. 



The greatest Dahlia growers in America are 

 Messrs. Thorburn & Co., of New-York. The 

 soil of their garden at Astoria is particularly well 

 adapted to this plant, and the effect of their enor- 

 mous parterre, last autumn, when we saw it there 

 in full bloom, was truly magnificent. From the 

 lead which they have taken in the culture of the 

 Dahlia (we have heard that their sales in the 

 months of May & June, 1846, were over 6000 

 plants) , they are enabled to search the choicest col- 

 lections of England and the continent, every year, 

 for all the finest prize seedlings, without regard to 

 cost. These new sorts, which are often procured 

 at the cost of several pounds sterling per root, are 

 imported in winter, propagated largely in early 

 spring, and offered for sale in May of the same 

 season they are imported, at greatly reduced pri- 

 ces. 



The introduction of the new "fancy Dahlias," 

 exquisitely variegated, striped, and tipped with 

 various bright colors as they are, forms a new era 

 in the culture of this popular Mexican flower, and 

 those who, three or four years ago, supposed they 

 had exhausted all its novelty and interest, may 

 now begin afresh, with the new varieties, with 

 more zest and satisfaction than before. 



Gas Liquor. — Gas liquor, as the ammoniacal 

 water of the gasworks is called, is a powerful ma- 

 nure. Mixed with water, in the proportion of 

 three parts gas liquor to twenty parts water, it has 

 been used for watering grass in the garden of the 

 Horticultural Society of London, and one rod so 



