574 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



should testify to the " fine dairy, rich milk, and 

 delicious butter;" or, if in season, "a dish of 

 strawberries smothered in cream; 7 ' and as to the 

 " hospitality," come and see. And when Cream 

 Hill again is made a text for edification, the writer 

 may be able to instruct from his own experience. 

 Veritas. Cream Hill, Wed Cornwall, Ct. 



Verbenas: Evergreen's. — Dear Sir : With the 

 request made in the last number of the Horticul- 

 turist, in relation to the success of my experiment 

 in wintering Verbenas, I cheerfully comply. Al- 

 though greatly disappointed in the result, (it hav- 

 ing terminated fatally,) I am confident of its ul- 

 timate accomplishment. Up to the 1st of April, 

 the plants, to all appearance, were perfectly 

 health)'; after that period, they began to give 

 signs of decay, and before the middle of the 

 month, were quite dead. This sudden and rapid 

 change from health to decay, I was greatly sur- 

 prised at, and can only ascribe it to the sudden 

 change of temperature which the plants were 

 subjected to, in admitting the sun; had it been 

 gradual, I am confident they would have lived, 

 and now been in a vigorous condition. However, 

 nothing daunted at. this unexpected termination of 

 my hopes, the experiment will be repeated next 

 fall, and with what success, you shall know in 

 due season. 



Are the Cedar of Lebanon and Deodar Cedar 

 'oo tender for this climate? [There is a Cedar of 

 Lebanon in Westchester Co., N. Y., 50 feet high. 

 The Deodar Cedar is even hardier than the Cedar 

 of Lebanon. — Ed.] I am greatly surprised that 

 our people — our neighbors — those who have a 

 taste for the beautiful in nature — who spend hun- 

 dreds in the adornment of their grounds — in col- 

 lecting together almost every variety of deciduous 

 tree and shrub — should neglect one great feature 

 in the complete whole — the introduction of not a 

 few, but many evergreens. Nothing adds more 

 to the beauty, to the cheerfulness, or to the effect, 

 in a landscape, than a well-disposed group of 

 these beautiful productions of nature. Every Amer- 

 ican who has visited the shores of the old world 

 — England, for example — is struck with the varied 

 beauty of her evergreens. But few are indige- 

 nous there; yet the gardens show every variety 

 grown in the temperate zone, from the " time- 

 honored Ivy" to the majestic Cedar of Leba- 

 non; and every American who returns, inwardly 

 regrets that some of those fine specimens of park 

 scenery, without which no landscape is complete, 

 are found wanting here. I am glad to see that 

 there is a manifest spirit beginning to be evinced 

 around us, by gentlemen of taste, in bringing into 

 notice these long neglected and hidden beauties. 

 I have the Spirea prunifolia, or double Japan 

 spirea; does it bloom during the summer? and is it 

 sufficiently hardy to stand our Berkshire winters? 

 [It blooms in May, and is quite hardy. Ed.] 

 Yours truly, Theo. Clapp. Pittsfield, (Mass.) 

 May 18, 1850. 



Camphor vs. Curculio. — As the season for tho 

 ravages of the curculio approaches, I beg leave 

 to trouble you with what, I hope, may prove a 

 protective. I cannot promise you that it will cer- 

 tainly do so, for this I am not warranted in doing, 

 and I have no disposition to exaggerate its value. 

 Plan after plan has been tried, only to end in fail- 

 ure, till I should not wonder, if you should read 

 this communication with a feeling approaching 

 disgust. Still it is perfectly simple, attended with 

 little trouble, and still less expense; and if it does 

 no good, is incapable of doing mischief. 



It is simply to suspend camphor, either in bags 

 or open vessels, from one or more points of the 

 trees you wish protected, about the time the rava- 

 ges of the insect may be expected. 



If you are a. practical naturalist, you are aware 

 that nothing is more offensive to insects than cam- 

 phor. So that from reasoning on the subject yon 

 will readily allow the probable value of the plan. 

 This much, however, I can assure you that it has 

 seemed to succeed ; but whether this success was a 

 post hoc or a propter hoc, a fair trial only can de- 

 termine. A Subscriber. Pittsburgh, May 20, 

 1850. 



Hardiness of Plants in Mass. — Dear Sir : 

 I find that that Cryptomeria japonica, Araucaria 

 imbricata, Cedrus deodora, seedling Pines from 

 California, Cedar of Lebanon, Spirea prunifolia, 

 pi., Forsythia viridissima, Weigela rosea, and se- 

 veral hybrid Rhododendrons, have stood the winter 

 perfectly, without protection, in my grounds at 

 Dorchester, near Boston. Yours sincerely, M. 

 P. Wilder. Boston, May 20, 1850. 



Coal Ashes for Cherry Trees. — Dear Sir : 

 I "took the hint" you gave last springj and 

 applied hard coal ashes very plentifully to the soil 

 about my cherry trees, and am happy to say, with 

 the best results. The trees have come into leaf 

 this spring, and are showing a vigor of new 

 growth, and darkness of verdure, which they have 

 long been strangers to. My soil, I should add, is 

 a strong loam, inclining to clay. Yours, Jl. N. 

 Delaware, May, 1850. 



Errata. — We observe that our proof reader,, 

 (who is always 80 miles distant,) has somewhat 

 neglected his business in the last number. In the 

 plans of the octagon house, he has allowed the en- 

 graver to spell " vegetable" "vegitible," " draw- 

 ers" "draws," and "Boudoir" "Budoir"! — which 

 is rather incorrect. 



On p. 520, (16th line from bottom,) for "make" 

 read "made"; page 521, (24th line from bottom,) 

 for "records" read "rewards"; page 528, (4th line 

 from top,) for "old friend" read "valued friend"; 

 same page, (10th line from bottom,) for "col- 

 lector," read "subscription"; page 535, (22d line 

 from top,) for "pearl-blossom" read "peach-blos- 

 som"; same page, (30th line,) for "we art doubt- 

 ful" read "we are doubtful." 



