DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



197 



Physianthus alba. — I do not observe this 

 preitv climbing plant noticed in your journal. 

 Like Cobea, Maurandia, &c., it is a valuable plan' 

 in the flower garden or shrubbery, and is well 

 adapted to cover the columns of light piazzas, etc. 

 It grows from 10 to 20 feet in a season, when 

 p anted out in the open border in rich soil, and en- 

 dures our hot summers without injury, bearing its 

 clusters of pure white flowers in great abundance. 

 It requires the same treatment as Cobea or Mau- 

 randia ; that is, new plants should be raised from 

 cuttings, wintered in the green house, and turned 

 out in April. It may also be raised from seeds; 

 but these seldom ripen well here. Yours, A 

 Tyro. Long Island, July 2. 1849. 



Paulownia imperialis — Dear Sir : There are 

 some who have doubted the merits of this tree. I 

 have cultivated it for five years, and think more 

 highly of it every year. In general effect, it 

 strongly resembles the Catalpa, both in foliage 

 and growth; but it has several advantages over 

 the iatter tree. It is much more hardy, having 

 borne last winter uninjured, in sites where the 

 Catalpa was considerably injured, and where the 

 mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer fell to 14 

 degrees below zero. It is of very rapid growth, 

 and its blossoms are of a beautiful pale lilac or 

 French gray, with a delicate scent, not unlike that 

 of violets. The only defect I have yet noted in 

 this tree, is that it protrudes its flower buds the 

 autumn previous, though it flowers not till Mayor 

 June. Hence, in excessively cold winters, they 

 are apt to get killed. A tree, however, in Hogg's 

 nursery at Yorkville, near New-York, bloomed 

 abundantly this spring, though standing in the 

 open border, and exposed to 5 degrees below zero 

 last winter. Manhattan, N. Y., July, 1849. 



Hints in Vinery Culture — Sir : — The fol- 

 lowing is an extract of a letter from Mr. Skinner 

 (Northwoods, England,) to his son in America. 

 If you think its merits claim a place in the Horti- 

 culturist it is at your service. I remain yours 

 truly, /. H. Skinner. Dutchess County, N. Y. 



" Very small vines should carry but few bunch- 

 es; but if they are large strong vines then they 

 will cany a proportionally large crop. * * * * * 

 The method I invented to ascertain, with great 

 exactness, the strength of every vine in the house 

 is this — note down, every year, the number of 

 bunches every vine bears, and how it bears them. 

 If you find that on some of the vines the bunches 

 are not of a good color, and that they exhibit other 

 marks of imperfection, when at the same time, 

 other vines in the same house present fine bunch- 

 es well matured, you have reason to believe that 

 you have over-cropped your vine, and must leave 

 fewer bunches on it next year. * * * * When set, 

 stop the green shoot, one joint beyond the bunch; 

 but when side-shoots grow below the bunch, pinch 

 them off. And when the branch produces another 



shoot beyond where you stopped it at the one joint 

 above the bunch, pinch that off to one eye. And 

 when it produces another, serve that in the same 

 way; and if the vine produces more shoots upon 

 the whole than yon can well spread under the 

 wires, break off or rather out, the weakest of 

 them. From 66 to 70 degrees of heat will do for 

 grapes. Though I have often set the Muscat of 

 Alexandria at a much lower temperature, when ho 

 fire heat had been applied. In the day when the 

 sun shines let them rise as high as 80. I never 

 syringe my vines, but 1 take care to sprinkle my 

 floors and flues, or pipes with water, so as to pro- 

 duce a moist air in the house. And this I do fre- 

 quently in the day when the sun shines bright. 

 Heat, moisture and light combine to make the vine 

 flourish. Some persons not understanding the 

 management of the vine, have kept the air of the 

 house so dry as not only to prevent the vines from 

 thriving, but by this treatment, they have been 

 swarming with the red spider, which have des- 

 troyed their leaves and made them so sickly, as to 

 prevent the formation in embryo of the next year's 

 crop. Moisture is a very great enemy to the red 

 spider. When a cultivator is an advocate for sy- 

 ringing, care must be taken never to syringe when 

 the vines, peaches, cherries, or whatever the 

 plants may be which are being forced, are in 

 bloom, because the syringing destroys the far in a, 

 or pollen, which impregnates the pistillate part of 

 the flower, and which is essential to the setting of 

 the crop. When the crop is fairly set, then, sy- 

 ringing may be resumed, but the water should be 

 of the same temperature as the air of the house, 

 and it should be thrown rather gently by the sy- 

 ringe, to prevent bruising the young fruit." 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Stocks for Dwarfs. — Yeoman i (Hartford.) 

 You will find an answer to your queries about 

 Paradise Stocks in another column of this number. 

 Trees on the Doucin Stock commence bearing the 

 2d or 3d year after being budded, and if taken 

 care of will live 20 years or more. They may be 

 planted 8 feet apart. We know nothing of tho 

 effect of grafting the apple on the Siberian Crab 

 Stock. There is no difficulty in budding the peach 

 on the plum, if done early in July. The seeds of 

 the elm ripen in the spring. 



Hedges — Daniel Musse, (Lampeter, Pa.) The 

 Osage Orange and the Buckthorn are the two 

 best hedge plants for the northern states. The 

 seeds may be planted either in autumn or spring. 

 For full directions, see Hort., vol. 1, p. 345. 



Manures. — West Jersey, (Bridgeton.) Tho 

 " refuse staff" you speak of, consisting of pulver- 

 ized oharooal and soap-stono, would be excellent 

 manure for any plants requiring magnesia, (Indi- 

 an corn or the grape, for example ;) as the latter 

 substance enters largely into soap-stono. — B. 



