534 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



tempts to ridicule the serious reflections of other 

 men's minds by the sportive sallies of his own. 



In conclusion, I cannot help expressing my re- 

 gret to perceive a want of amicable feeling be- 

 tween two classes of individuals whose reciprocal 

 interests should reconcile them to unity of purpose. 

 When a critic sneers at practical writers, simply 

 because they are so, he not only shows the mean- 

 ness of his motives, but the shallowness of his 

 mind. Let him rest assured, however, that prac- 

 tical men at the present day, are neither so timo- 

 rous as to be terrified by censure, nor so abject as 

 to be silenced by abuse. R. B. L. Baltimore. 



Protecting Trees against Mice. — Dear Sir: 

 A Philadelphia correspondent gives us a method of 

 protecting trees against mice, by means of tin 

 wound around them. I think the plan a very 

 good one, but rather expensive. 



The following I have found an effectual and 

 much cheaper manner. I prepared a quantity of 

 blocks, two to three inches square by six inches 

 in length, obtained from refuse plank or scantling. 

 In these I bored holes with an inch-and-a-half au- 

 gur, lengthwise, and nearly through them. I 

 then put a quantity of cornmeal and arsenic in the 

 bottom of each, pressing it down firmly with a 

 stick. We then distribute them about the nursery 

 in situations where the trees seemed most exposed 

 to the depredators, and where they suffered se- 

 verely the previous season. The blocks should be 

 placed with the mouth inclining slightly down- 

 wards, to keep the powder dry. 



Upon examination a few days since, I found that 

 many of them had been visited, tut not a tree had 

 been touched in the line of fortification. 



The expense of these guns, (which are " great 

 guns" in a small way,) is but trifling, and they 

 will last for years. They will need loading annu- 

 ally in the fall, for a winter campaign. Yours, re- 

 spectfully. J as. W. Hooker. Rochester, March 

 7, 1850. 



P. S. A neighbor having some very troublesome 

 little pigs, soon found nails enough to mend his 

 pen when informed of our preparations for self- 

 defence. 



Climate and Polarity. — Dear Sir: I am 

 much pleased with the communication of Profes- 

 sor Turner (Sept., 1848,) as it agrees with my 

 own opinion, which I formed immediately after I 

 arrived in this country, namely, that the summer 

 heat of this climate is too intense for many Euro- 

 pean plants; for which reason I have always tried 

 to protect my plants from the effect of the sum- 

 mer sun. Fruit trees, by whitewashing their 

 trunks, and by shading my grapevines and other 

 small plants. I found that they became more 

 healthy and vigorous in consequence. 



By this opportunity, I wish to draw your atten- 

 tion to " the laws of polarity," as they effect 

 vegetable productions, especially in regard to 

 early or late fruits. 



To obtain early fruit, graft the scion of that 

 quality on a stock of a late kind, or a late variety 

 on an early stock, to ripen the fruit much later 

 tli an that from which the late scion was taken. 

 [Does our correspondent mean to assert this as 

 theory or fact? Ed.] 



Please pardon my poor English, — this not being 

 my native tongue. Yours very respectfully, G. 

 H. B. Nazareth, Pa., February 14, 1850. 



GUTTA PERCHA AS A NON-CONDUCTOR. As the 



security of dwellings and other buildings against 

 lightning is a matter of great importance and 

 general interest, I would remark that at a lec- 

 ture recently delivered by Mr. Field of Williams- 

 burgh, on electricity, he said that lightning rods 

 frequently get rusty, and cut through at the sur- 

 face of the ground; and where that occurs, that 

 the iron staple, connecting the rods with the 

 buildings, conducts the lightning into the houses. 

 If the staples, said Mr. Field, were incased with 

 gutta percha, it would insure perfect security to 

 the buildings. M. C. 



Columbus (0.) Horticultural Society. — At 

 the annual meeting of the Society, held on Satur- 

 day evening March 2, the following gentlemen 

 were elected officers for the ensuing year: 



President — Dr. J. G. Jones. 



1st Vice President — Lewis Heyl. 



2a Vice President — Lucian Buttles. 



Treasurer — Adam Sites 



Cor. and Rec. Sec'y — Alex. E. Glenn. 



Managers — Francis Stewart, M. B. Bateham. 

 John Miller, Geo. G. Comstock, A. B. Buttles. 



New Bedford Horticultural Society. — At 

 the annual meeting of the New Bedford Horticul- 

 tural Society, held 2 mo. 7th, 1850, the following 

 officers were unanimously chosen for the year en- 

 suing, viz: 



President — James Arnold. 



Vice Presidents — Henry H. Crapo, John 

 Howland, Sam'l. W. Rodman, Wm. P. Jenney. 



Treasurer — Wm. C. Coffin. 



Cor. Sec'y— J. H. W. Page. 



Rec. Sec'y — Matthew Howland. 



Executive and Finance Committee — Lucian B. 

 Keith, Joseph Clark, James H. Collins, John 

 Wood. 



On Premiums — Willard Nye, Geo. Tappan. 



On Library — Joseph C. Delano, Geo. How- 

 land, jr., Samuel R Brown. 



Fruits and Synonyms — Henry H. Crapo, Wm. 

 Swift, Wm. T. Cook, John Gibson, R. N. Swift. 



Plants and Flowers — Thos. A. Greene, Wm. 

 C. Coffin, Wellwood Young, F. P. Chase, I. D. 

 Hall. 



On Shrubs — Augustus Taber, Obed Nye, Hat- 

 til Kelley, Wellwood Young, John B. Bur- 

 gess. 



On Publications. — James B. Congdon. 



On Vegetables — Edmund Gardner, John B. 



