DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



241 



steamboat together Aurora is an easy day's 

 journey from New-York. We could not but 

 think, as we looked on those beautil'ul shores of 

 Cayuga lake — a combination of fine wheat- 

 growing lands, and lovely sylvan scenery — that 

 thousands of persons on the other side of the 

 Atlantic, wasting moderate fortunes in paying 

 rents for no better soil, might, for the one year's 

 rent they pay there, be proud proprietors of the 

 soil here. 



There are, indeed, three parts of the State of 

 New-York not half enough known or admired. 

 The Genesee valley, (especially the Wads- 

 worth estate) for its grand park-like charac- 

 ter: the country south of Owego for its pictur- 

 esque interest; and parts of Cayuga and the 

 other small lakes of New-York, for the serene 

 and quiet beauty of their landscapes. How ma- 

 ny emigrate to the great West, quite overlook- 

 ing these treasures of country-homes still cheaply 

 obtainable nearer home. 



Returning, on the same railway, we could 

 not but admire the rich picture of abundance 

 presented by the corntields lying on the slopes 

 of the hills and basking in the sun. Certainly 

 no grain is so handsome as the Indian corn — its 

 large and golden ears bursting from the husk, 

 and looking like gifts from the gods. And 

 pumpkins — we felt angry as we saw the corn- 

 fields thickly embroidered with them, and seem- 

 ing, as we glided rapidly by, like pigantic 

 oranges strewed over the ground — we felt angry 

 thpt the commonness of pumpkins, or the fact 

 that they grow in a prosaic age, had so deprived 

 them of all the charm of story and association. 

 Why the vineyards of France or the olive groves 

 of Soutiiern Europe are, as every traveller 

 knows, (poetry aside) utterly unworthy of being 

 mentioned beside an American field of Indian 

 corn and pumpkins! 



The Pomological Congress. — The annual 

 meeting of the Pomologists and fruit-growers 

 took place as announced, at Cincinnati, during 

 the first week of the past month. We learn 

 from various members who attended this session 

 (the numerous home engagements accumulated 

 during our absence abroad having, much to our 

 regret, prevented us joining our friends there) 

 that the session was in the highest degree inter- 

 esting. That eminent ponn)logical amateur, 

 Dr. Brinckle, of Philadelphia, was elected 

 president of the Congress, and numerous hor- 

 ticulturists, fruit-growers, and nurserynen from 

 all parts of the Union were in attendance, 

 laden with interesting specimens.* The show 

 of apples was particularly fine, and the peaches 

 of the neighborhood of Cincinnati astonish- 

 ed all members from a distance by their size 



♦Excepting from New Eu-rland— wliich much to the sur- 

 prise iiiid regret of the West— was noi represented. Did our 

 friends the ardent votaries of pears at the East fear to enter a 

 field where the apples have it all their own way ? 



beauty and excellence. The discussions which 

 took place after the organization of the Con- 

 gress were spirited, and embraced a resume 

 of the culture of the past year; the whole was 

 duly reported, and will, we understand, be pub- 

 lished as usual in a pamphlet form. 



A large and very rich exhibition of the Cin- 

 cinnati Horticultural Society, tiie Fair of the 

 Ohio State Agricultural Society, one of the 

 most extensive displays of farm products ever 

 made in the country, took place at the same 

 time, and, together with a brilliant ball, made 

 the queen city of the v\-est, crowded as she was 

 with strangers, the centre of atl.raction for al- 

 most the wiiole of the first week of October. 

 Most of the horticultural guests visited the noted 

 garden of Mr. Longworth, and inspected with 

 great interest the large vineyards covering the 

 hills above Cincinnati — the first successful solu- 

 tion of the problem — will America ever be a vine 

 country ? 



Notes upon Fruits. — Among the few fine 

 fruits that have come under our notice this sea- 

 son, we have great plea.sure in making second 

 favorable mention of the new [lear introduced to 

 notice by Mr. Hastings, of Clinton, N. Y., 

 called by him the Fredrika Bremer, and de- 

 scribed in this journal, vol. 4 page 417. Spe- 

 cimens sent us this year were even finer than 

 those we tasted last year — remarkably melting 

 and juicy, and most delicately perrnmed. An- 

 other new seedling sent us by Mr. H., consider- 

 ably resembling the White Doyenne, appears 

 likely to prove an acquisition. 



Rcine Claude de Bavay and Ickworlh Impe- 

 ratrice plums have both proved very fine this 

 season. 



We cannot but think the Easter Bergamot 

 pear has been generally under-rated, and al- 

 lowed almost to disappear from the nurseries. 

 It is, to be sure, of little or no value as a table 

 pear — but as a cooking pear, especially for 

 stewing, it is excellent. No doubt it has su- 

 periors in quality, even among cooking pears, 

 but certainly no variety exceeds it in the uniform 

 fairness and handsoiue appearance of the fruit, 

 and no pear that we know is so regular and 

 heavy a bearer. Then the tree is very healthy. 

 We find. aft«r eight or ten years trial, that no 

 pear is so depended on for winter use by the 

 cook, as the Easter Bergamot — hence we think 

 it but right to give it a passing word of coin- 

 mendation to those who wish a stewing pear for 

 family use or for market. 



Rockport Bigarreau and Cleveland Bigarreau, 

 two of the new cherries raised by Dr. Kirtland, 

 of Northern Ohio, have proved a decided acqui- 

 sition — being large, handsome and excellent. 



Bonne des Zees, is a new foreign pear which 

 has fruited this year, and promises to take its 

 place in the first rank. 



