366 



GROWING FOREIGN GRAPES IN HOT-BED FRAMES. 



we proceeded over a flat and uninteresting 

 country to the mission of Santa Ines. The 

 whole of this route is but poorly wooded 

 by a few stunted oaks. On the ascent to 

 the mission of La Purissima, the monotony 

 of the bare hills was somewhat relieved by 

 a small forest of Pinus Edgariana, which 

 attains no larger size than those observed 

 near Monterey. 



Previous to leaving Monterey I was told 

 by several persons that a kind of thin- 

 shelled pine-nut is occasionally brought for 

 sale by the Indians to Santa Ines and San- 

 ta Barbara, without being able to learn any 

 more respecting it. Upon making further 

 inquiries at Santa Ines, I was told that the 

 Indians bring them from a great distance, 

 that the harvest of them was over, but that 

 I might procure a few of the mission Indi- 

 ans. Proceeding to a hut which was pointed 

 out to me, I bought a gallon of the fresh 

 seeds ; and inquiring about the size of the 

 cones, the Indian handed me two, with the 

 information that the trees are of a small 

 size ; when, judge my surprise, I recognized 

 in them those of Pinus Llaveana, which I 

 had on former occasions found in several 

 parts of Mexico. 



Seeing there was no prospect of enrich- 

 ing my collection of seeds by proceeding 

 further to the south, I returned from Santa 

 Ines to San Luis Obispo, near which mis- 

 sion the late Dr. Coulter gives the station 

 of Pinus muricata, and which seemed to 

 have escaped my notice when first passing 

 through that place. Upon a nearer exami- 



nation I fo:ind that on the " Crusta," or as- 

 cent from San Luis Obispo, only one kind 

 of pine is growing on the brow of the 

 mountains, which proved to be P. macro- 

 carpa. From San Luis we returned to 

 San Antonio, over a flat and uninteresting 

 road, and thence to Monterey, where we 

 arrived on the 18th of October. 



On October the 25th I again left Mon- 

 terey, with my former guide, to visit the 

 continuation of the San Antonio range of 

 mountains, which, from the nature of the 

 ground on that side, I attempted now by 

 a different route. Following along the sea- 

 coast over a succession of hills intersected 

 by numerous deep ravines, we found our 

 further progress impeded on the third day 

 by the extreme steepness of the range. 

 The only objects derived from this excur- 

 sion were some very fine cones of Pinus 

 macrocarpa, some measuring fifteen inches 

 in length ; they were growing on trees 

 thirty to forty feet high, in rather exposed 

 situations, at an elevation of about 4,000 

 feet above the level of the sea. 



By the beginning of November we re- 

 turned to Monterey. The rainy season 

 being now close at hand, and having no 

 more excursions to make, I prepared to re- 

 turn to Europe with my collection. Owing 

 to the little traffic carried on between Cali- 

 fornia and the western ports of Mexico or 

 central America, I did not procure a pas- 

 sage before the 5th of February. I arrived 

 at Southampton, after a very fine passage, 

 on the 3d of June. 



GROWING FOREIGN GRAPES IN HOT-HOUSE FRAMES. 



BY ROBERT MESTON-, NASHVILLE, TENN. 



A. J. Downing, Esq. — Sir: I see in the 

 December number of the Horticulturist a 

 doubt, whether Black Hamburgh grapes 

 can be grown in common hot-bed frames. 

 I will give you my experience upon this 

 subject, and if of any value to your readers 

 they are welcome to it. 



In the first place, the Black Hamburgh 

 grapes do well in common frames in Eng- 

 land ; and my opinion is that they will do 

 better in this country, as of the two, this is 

 the best climate for early forcing, as we 

 have less fog and more sun. 



It must be understood that vines forced 



