large size, to be sure) were offered at fruit stands for sale, at four dollars and fifty cents 

 apiece. The price is not more remarkable than tbat there are many persons indiscreet' 

 enough to purchase and eat them e^en at this rate. If this taste continues, who will say 

 that the orchards of Oregon shall not come to be as valuable as the gold mines of California ? 

 —A reminiscence of the late winter, which it may be as well to put on record, partakes of 

 the fun and exaggeration of our people, as follows : The Syracuse (N. Y.) Journal says, that 

 the plank roads in that section are so drifted with snow, that the gate-keeper comes up 

 through the scuttle in the roof of his house, and receives the toll by reaching up through a 

 hole in the middle of the road. The additions made to the drifts by the recent fall have 

 been so great, that all communication through the scuttle is cut off, and the toll is now paid 

 to the gate-keeper by dropping the money down the chimney! — The Detroit Advertiser 

 states, that they have exported to Chicago something over 800,000,000 feet of lumber, about 

 100,000,000 feet to Wisconsin, leaving only 100,000,000 for home consumption, which is a 

 very low estimate. The whole value of the exports of lumber exceeds a million of dollars 

 per annum. 



More Matter. — By consulting the economy of our type, we have at length succeeded, 

 without reducing its size, in giving one-third more matter, in each number of the Horticul- 

 turist, than was the case six months ago. This addition is brought about by omitting the 

 very tliin lead between each line in the majority of our pages. The appearance is slightly 

 affected, but the increased amount of reading is extremely enlarged. This has enabled us 

 to insert most of the favors of our correspondents, opening the way for new contributions. 



Answers to Correspondents. — Food fob Grape-Vines. — (W. B.) You have, on your own 

 premises, excellent manure for your grape-vines. Make a basin round the roots, get the 

 sweepings or manure of the poultry -yard, and keep it constantly diluted or dissolved in a 

 barrel, at the rate of a peck to a barrel of water. Every week, on washing day, empty a 

 pailful of the manure-water upon the roots of the vine, and, afterwards, as much " suds" as 

 the vine will take up. The result will be a healthy vine, and fine crops, the frait about 

 twice the size of a neglected vine. 



Evergreens. — (J. C. S.) Any well-decomposed compost will suit evergreens. Animal 

 manure, especially in a fresh state, should never be employed. 



Hedges. If your arbor vits hedge is not well supplied with branches near the ground, 

 peg down, and bring into the earth, a few of the lowermost ones, and, with mulching, they 

 will soon form new, and, as it were, a separate tree, which, by training, will cover all defects. 



The mulching for evergreens should be fine chips, spent tan, sawdust, &c. These are 

 among the very best manures for evergreens. If stones are employed for mulching, leaf 

 mould should be occasionally put under them. 



(W. B. B., South Carolina.) The evergreen oak, Quercus ilex, suitable to your climate, 

 bears the influence of sea air perfectly, and would be a very profitable tree to plant as well 

 as extremely ornamental — none more so. The Laurustinus, it will interest you to know, 

 may also be included in your list of shrubs to plant within the influence of the sea ; it 

 succeeds well in such places, and may be even used at the South as a hedge plant, than 

 which nothing could be more superb. The Araucaria and Cedrus Deodara will also suit 

 you. Ah ! if we only had some climates and situations that we know of at the South, we 

 could make such a little earthly paradise as it would be hard to leave. 



Old Seeds.— (E. R. H., New York.) We shall be glad to hear the results of your experi- 

 ments, although we fear that you will destroy their vitality in the process you propose try- 

 iuc'. Various agents have been employed, with a view to assist and hasten germination by 



YoL. y I.— July, 1856. 22 



