572 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



Btanding, I addressed a letter to Mr. L., asking 

 him what he would deem a full crop, entitling the 

 plant to the premium offered of $500. His an- 

 swer runs thus : "I am certainly explicit enough 

 as to what I expect for $500, and from your 

 catalogue, you have the very kind. A perfect 

 plant, bearing an abundant crop of large perfect 

 fruit. I do not even ask this; one that will with 

 similar cultivation, average half the crop of large 

 perfect fruit that the Hudson, Hovey, Necked Pine 

 or Pistillate Keen, will do, will satisfy me." I wish 

 now to state that, I accept the challenge, and 

 I ask the appointment of an arbiter to meet one 

 I will appoint, and to prevent delay I now select 

 J. D. Scott, Esq., one of the Secretaries of the 

 Long Island Hort. Society. I trust there will be 

 no delay on the part of Mr. Longworth, as the 

 season of maturity will be earlier this year than 

 the last. Yours respectfully, Wm. R. Prince. 

 Prince's Linnaan Botanic Garden and Nursery, 

 Flushing, L. I. 



Amateurs of the strawberry are invited to view 

 my collection when in fruit. It comprises speci- 

 men beds of above 100 select, prolific, and highly 

 estimable varieties, covering one and a half acres. 

 Those who are lovers of fine fruit may be glad to 

 know that I distribute all the fruits from ray 

 grounds gratuitously, and never have sold any. 



Comparative progress of Spring. — I have 

 for the last ten years carefully noticed the progress 

 of vegetation, to ascertain the forwardness of the 

 seasons about the 1st May. My observations 

 have been made from the same trees, shrubs and 

 plants in my garden. 



Vegetation had advanced to a certain state on 

 the following days, viz : 



May 9, 1839. April 18, 1844. 



' May 2, 1840. April 27, 1845. 



May 15, 1841. April 24, 1846. 



April 23, 1842. ' May 10, 1847. 



May 9, 1843. April 30, 1848. 



Thus April 18, 1844, the earliest season, vege- 

 tation was as forward as on May 15, 1841, the 

 latest in the ten years — the present year is about 

 an average. G. Pomfret, Conn. 



Horticultural Society of the Genesee 

 Valley. — List of oliicers for 1848 : Levi A. 

 Ward, of Rochester, president. John Williams, 

 of Rochester, 1st vice president ; Alfred Fitch, 

 Riga, 2d do.; John R. Murray, Mt. Morris, 3d 

 do.; Henry P. Norton, Brockport, 4th do.; Asa 

 Rowe, Sweden, 5th do. James H. Watts, Ro- 

 chester, treasurer. Leander Wetherell, corres- 

 ponding secretary. Joseph A. Eastman, record- 

 ing secretary. 



Martynea fragrans. — After many vain at- 

 tempts to get the Martynea fragrans to come up 

 in the close heat of a propagating house, I tried it, 

 May 10th, in a pot out of doors, — sowed as care- 

 lessly as one would plant China Asters. I find 



they have now, May 22, come up as thick as hair ; 

 an evidence of what the fine genial atmosphere of 

 nature for the last week can accomplish — exceed- 

 ing the heat (artificial) of the tropics. G. C. T. 

 Astoria, N. Y., May, 1848. 



Nursery Catalogues. — I notice in each num- 

 ber of thy paper some prominent topic selected for 

 an editorial leader. Suppose I suggest one for the 

 next number — " Nurserymen's Catalogues," — for 

 really some of us, only familiar with little nurse- 

 ries, and these chiefly of the apple, cannot under- 

 stand how so many of them can offer for sale the 

 " most extensive selections ever offered the pub- 

 lic" — " the largest stock ever offered in the mar- 

 ket," &c. — and so many of them the possessors of 

 the " Ancient and real Linnean Botanic Garden 

 and Nurseries ?" How is all this ? Are the mat- 

 ters thus blazoned forth in their catalogues and 

 advertisements to be found in their nurseries? One 

 who wants to believe all he can, would like to 

 know. Sincerely thy friend, J. F. Chester co., 

 Pa. 



Chinese Sand Pear. — I observed some time 

 since, in the Horticulturist, a description of the 

 Chinese sand pear, in which it was referred to as 

 an ornamental tree altogether. 



One of my friends has a tree of this variety in 

 bearing, and his family use its fruit for preserv- 

 ing. They assure me that it makes one of the best 

 sweet meats that can be made of pears. Thomas 

 Hancock. Burlington, N. J. 



Errata. — In my article on strawberries, p. 497, 

 2nd column, I read thus — " in the variety /raster 

 framboise (European wood strawberry) the flowers 

 are always dioscious." Here is an error so evident 

 that I am inclined to think it is not so written in 

 the MSS. Yet if it be so, it no less needs correc- 

 tion. The frasier framboise of the French, is a vari- 

 ety of the Hautbois. How the words "European 

 wood strawberry" came placed where they are, is 

 beyond my memory just now. Wm. W. Valk. 

 Flushing, May 9, 1848. 



Albany and Rensselaer Horticultural So- 

 ciety. — The annual meeting of the society was 

 held at the agricultural rooms on Saturday, 6th of 

 May. Joel Rathbone, Esq., president, in the 

 chair. 



The amendments to the Constitution, proposed 

 at last meeting, were adopted. 



The report of the executive committee of the pro- 

 ceedings of the society, during the past year, was 

 presented and ordered to be published. 



Mr. D. Thomas Vail, from the committee on 

 nominations, reported a list of names for officers 

 for the ensuing year. The following gentlemen 

 were elected — being those reported by the commit- 

 tee: — 



President — Joel Rathbone, of Bethlehem. 



Vice Presidents — D. Thomas Vail, Troy; Dr. 

 Herman Wendell, Albany ; Ezra P. PrenticEj 

 1 Bethlehem ; V. P. Douw, Greenbush. 



