RANDOM NOTES ON HORTICULTURE. 



215 



green colour, slightly downy, nearly oval 

 acuminate, as well as obtuse serrate, and 

 over three inches long, exclusive of the 

 footstalks, which are short, and a line or 

 '.wo over half an inch in length. 



Season — from the first to the fifteenth of 

 October. 



Remarks. — Notwithstanding the Madi- 

 son is fully equal in every particular to a 

 large number, and far superior to many 

 varieties of the plum which are now placed 

 among those of first character, still, its 

 principal recommendations must be the 

 late period of the season at which it comes 

 to maturity, its prolific, and also its hardy 

 character. The tree is now presumed to 

 be about seven years old, and has borne 

 the past season over three bushels of fruit, 

 all of which, with the exception of about 

 half a bushel — which are still on it — have 

 been taken off" for preserves, unripe. Full 

 two-thirds of those which now remain are, 



as yet, unripe, and from appearances may 

 continue so some days yet. This is the 

 second season of its bearing, it having 

 borne in 1847 about a peck. Last year, 

 owing to the severe vicissitudes of the pre- 

 vious winter, we had no plums in this vi- 

 cinity ; consequently, there was no fruit on 

 it. It is perfectly hardy ; not a particle of 

 the young wood having been destroyed 

 during its life, from vicissitudes of tempe- 

 rature. It is probably a hybrid, from the 

 Bleecker Gage ; immediately adjoining one 

 of which variety it is growing ; and the 

 Blue Gage, several of which surround it 

 on every side. 



[From specimens of this variety, obli- 

 gingly sent us by Dr. Wendell, we are 

 inclined to think it will prove a valuable 

 acquisition. Its appearance is handsome, 

 and its flavor is superior to that of most of 

 the very late varieties. Ed.] 



RANDOM NOTES ON HORTICULTURE. 



BY SYLVANUS, CINCINNATI. 



Dear Sir — A correspondent in one of your 

 late numbers, in giving his experience on 

 the subject of mulching, relates that he 

 covered the surface of the ground benea'h 

 his trees with straw ; and was so much sur- 

 prised at the after luxuriance of all so 

 treated, that he was inclined to think there 

 was some influence exerted by the straw 

 as a manure. This was not the case. The 

 explanation is simple; but I will first give 

 a little of my own experience the past sea- 

 son. I have frequently observed, during 

 our long drouths in the west, that my 

 trees remained perfectly inert or dormant ; 

 though shooting vigorously in the spring, 

 all increase at those times was suspended. 



The cause did not, at first, strike me. Last 

 fall, however, I planted some of our native 

 nuts, which came up in due time in the 

 spring, and received constant care and at- 

 tention ; but their growth was slow. In 

 gathering the nuts in the autumn, however, 

 a small pile had been left in a hole near 

 my house ; and in pruning some trees, the 

 cuttings had been thrown over them and 

 left there. Some time in July I perceived 

 some green shoots forcing their way through 

 the bushes, and, on examination, I found 

 that some of the nuts had made a growth 

 of three feet in that situation, while my 

 tended plants had attained a height of only 

 about four inches. The cause of this aj 



