

EDITOR'S TABLE. 



CrcrMUKKS. — Wo have to acknowledge the receipt, from William Bright, gr. to J. S. 

 liOvering, Esq., two enormous cvicnmbors, fit almost for a club for Hercules, and such as are 

 liandeil round uncut at dinner-jiarties in England. They are of remarkably good color and 

 consistence, and deserved the premiuni received at the Horticultural Society, where they 

 were exhibited the (evening previous ; they are highly creditable to tht^ grower. 



(C, of lirooklyn.) Quite too late for this number. 



A Verbexa Gakdex. — Tho boaTitiful verbena lias become of so much importance as to 

 enlist the entire care of an extensive gardener. Dexter Snow, of t'hicopee, Mass., devotes 

 hims(df exclnsively to the cultivation of this beautiful bedding jilant, and has sent us a 

 catalogue embracing over 200 varieties ; these he will fdi'wnrd by mail to applicants in tho 

 Eastern or Middle States, or by railroad, where a tiuaiitity is required, to these or more 

 distant places. For tho catalogue inclose a stamp. 



Mr. Snow says many persons fail in the cultivation of the verbena. The requisites are 

 that the plants be young, strong, and healthy. They mitft havt> a full exj^sure to the sun, 

 from suin-ise till sunset, for tlici/ irill not thrive in the. sliiufr. Tlie soil should be light and 

 deep loam, leaf mould t'rom the woods (or well rotted chip dirt), and fine white or silver 

 sand. An occasional watering with liquid manure, made by dissolving one lb. of guano in 

 ten gallons of water (letting it stand twenty-four hours before using), once a week, will be 

 found beneficial. The soil should be kept loose about them, and well worked. 



Mr. Snow's is the only catalogue in the world devoted exclusively to verbenas, and is a 

 curiosity, lliis collection must be well worthy of a visit. Most verbenas have a tendency 

 to grow upright instead of tho true form, a dwarf, with close spreading habit, broad seg- 

 ment of petal, well defined eye, and good foliage; they should have good stamina, so as not 

 to be burned out in midsunnner. The scented varieties should not be forgotten in making 

 selections. 



A. Bryant's Catalogue of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, and Plants, for sale .it the 

 Persimmon Grove Nursery, Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois, indicates the possession of 

 one hundred thousand fruit trees. 



Babcock & Vax Vecutex, of Albany, forward us their descriptive catalogue of draining 

 tiles. 



Gkape-Vixes, &e. — We have insjiected the large collection of grape-vines advertised by 

 David Ferguson, at the Falls of Schuylkill, Philadelphia, and can, therefore, vouch for their 

 excellence ; to persons planting graperies, &c., they will be a treasure. lie also advertises 

 a number of new and valuable strawberries, evergreens, and shrubbery. 



AoRicrLTrRAL Division of the Patent Office. Report from PuiLAnELPniA. — Mr. R. Buist, 

 a seed grower, who resides in Philadelphia, received some seed from the Patent Office, which, 

 he says, grew well. Of some Japanese seed he says : " In beans there are two new varieties, 

 one of brownish yellow cluster bean, which is very prolific, and which promises to be an 

 acqiiisition ; the other is a large variety of running bean, which, though new, does not bear 

 well, and is not of a good qnality for eating. The most decided acquisition is a blood red 

 cabbage lettuce, of excellent quality, which stands the heat of summer well, and gives us 

 heads when no other variety will head. This will be a leading variety amongst that class 

 of vegetables for a warm climate." 



RosE-CoLORFj[> Halesia. — Souic years ago, Mr. Leroy, of Angers, gave notice that he had a 

 Silver-bell tree, Ilalesia tetrajilera, with rose-coloured flowers, which he had propagated 

 very largely. Have any of our readers seen it ? 



Pavia Cai.ifornica. — Have any of our correspondents specimens of the Californian horse- 

 chestnut (Pai'ia Californica), or of the Californian oak (Qiterciis Cali/ornicus) f 



CocmxEAL. — Tlie annual export of this article from Mexico alone is equal to two millions 

 and a half of dollars. As this little coccus feeds upon a plant, cactus coccinrllifer, it alVords 

 an additional item of the value of vegetable productions. The insect has the power of ex- 

 tracting the juices and converting them, by a chemical process, into the richest scarlet dye ; 

 but it is not so generally known that the fruits of the Nopals secrete the same color, and 

 client cochineal has of late been obtained from the fruit, as well as from the insect 

 " st Intlies. 



