DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



341 



exert ourselves for the diffusion of knowledge on 

 this and kindred subjects, until every count] in 

 every state shall have a flourishing society Yours, 

 respectfully, J. K. Eshleman. Ulenitle, Chester 

 Co., Penn. 



Grafting Dkf.cious Trees. — Should you think 

 tlic following method of changing a dioacious to a 

 moncBcious plant, new to any of your readers, who 

 may have an isolated persimmon, mulberry, Osage 

 orange, or indeed any tree of that class, they can 

 by inserting buds from another tree of an opposite 

 sexual character, soon have fruit and seed. Some 

 years since , a persimmon tree which had been pro- 

 ductive of only staminate flowers, was budded in 

 the usual manner, with buds from a fruit-bearing 

 or pistillate tree of improved variety, and the 

 branches thus produced, have for two successive 

 years yielded an abundance of fruit. Tyro. Ches- 

 ter Co., Penn. 



Early bearing Vineries. — Mr. Allen, as 

 we ail know, does not allow Grape vines to bear 

 at all, till the third year. A writer in vol. 3d, 

 p. 205, of the Horticulturist, giving an account 

 of the system adopted at Mr. Spang's Grapery, 

 at Pittsburgh, raises a moderate crop of grapes 

 the second year after the vines were planted, and 

 contends that his manner of cropping them can in 

 no way be injurious to their future fertility. I 

 should like your opinion on this subject, and of 

 his system. 



In your description of the Clinton Point Vinery, 

 you state that the vines were planted July, 18!8; 

 of course the fine fruit which you speak of, was 

 produced on them the second season. Allow me to 

 ask, were those vines cropped in pots, in the 

 Pittsburgh manner, or how? And if in that 

 manner, was a new cane produced below the 

 bottom of the pot, of sufficient length and strength 

 to make bearing wood for next year. Your opin- 

 ion on the matter is desired. A Connecticut Sub. 

 scriber. 



All practical men agree that it is likely to en- 

 feeble the vine to allow it to bear much fruit till 

 its third year. The mode adopted at Pittsburgh, 

 by our correspondent there, is we think a good 

 one to overcome the difficulty. 



The vines in the house at Clinton Point, hav- 

 ing made so extraordinary a growth of wood the 

 first season — appearing stronger than most vines 

 do the second year, in i onsequence of the extra 

 care bestowed on the borders — were allowed to 

 bear a considerable crop this season; and perhaps 

 without serious injury to the vines — though if 

 would have been safer on the whole to have al- 

 lowed only a bunch or two to a vine till next 

 year. Ed. 



Gnr.KN-nousK Plants and Gardeners. — Dear 

 Sir — Your correspondent, M. C, of Williama- 

 burgh, N. Y., accuses me in your last number, 



of having vilified gardeners. This assertion is 



gratuitious, make it who will, and a misconstruc- 

 tion of my words and meaning. Tis true I have 

 vilified those who call themselves gardeners, and 

 for thai my professional brethren ought to thank 

 mi — those who usurp the name without the 

 i claim to it, good or bad. I know there 

 are many good gardeners in this country, but as 

 Mr. Meehan remarks, they are the exceptions, 

 not the rule. And who will assert that all those, 

 — or even the half of them — who assume tho 

 name of gardeners in this country, really are so, 

 either good, bad or indifferent ones. Yet the fact 

 is unfortunately too true, that they are too often 

 indiscriminately judged, and the value put upon a 

 gardener is very little mora than that set upon a 

 common laborer. If my statements on this point 

 be rightly understood, I have no fear of being 

 charged with vilifying my practical brethren, 

 whether native or foreign. 



In criticising my obversations on summer water- 

 ing green-house plants, which forsooth, he affects 

 to treat in a. philosophical way — " Where," he tri- 

 umphantly asks, " does nature exclude a plant 

 from the wholesome breezes of the day?" Where, 

 I would reply, are the plants we cultivate in our 

 hot-houses, subjected to arid parching winds, and 

 found in those places in an healthy state? Give 

 us the names of such plants, and their natural 

 habitats? 



"I do not think there is any great differenco 

 between the morning and evening temperature of 

 the soil, in our warm months, whilst that of the 

 water must be decidedly great." So says M. C. 

 Has he found any difference between them, and 

 what are the extent of his observations? I will 

 remark here, to prove how totally unfounded are 

 these assertions of M. C, that a difference of no 

 less than 30 degrees has been found between 

 the temperature of the soil in the morning and 

 evening; but water never changes so much. It is 

 a better retainer both of heat and cold, than 

 earth, and a better conductor too. The differ- 

 ence between the temperature of the soil at these 

 periods, will just be in proportion to its contained 

 moisture, and its capacity of retaining heat will 

 be in the same ratio. 



Again he says, " I think reason and science 

 justify the practice of evening watering." Will 

 he give us the reason and science that does so? 

 Is it " simply because the oxygen that the plants 

 absorbed the previous night, was restored to the 

 atmosphere during the day '." 



Again he says, •• If plants arc kept in a high 

 temperature and damp atmo/rphere, without air" 

 — what can we understand l>y this? I confess 

 myself unable to conceive the eonditioll which he 

 refers toj perhaps he will enlighten us on this 

 point. 



Now, we know that atmospheric air consists of 

 7? pints of nitrogen, 23 of oxygen, about 4-2500 



I of carbonic aeid. a variable quantity of aipicous 



vapor, and a trace of ammonia. This mixture, 

 I at a temperature of about 55 degrees, constitutes 



