Pliuu;^. Wo liavo a difficulty in biuliling the stock on account of the blight, and we have 

 the black rot to contend with, and tho littlo Turk, the curculio. 



Cherries suffered very much by tho hard winter or spring, csj)ocially tin- Heart kinds. 



B. Loser, Nurseri/man. 

 Cohourcf, Canada West. 



A Ni:w Fruit. — Hooker's Journal of Botany describes a uew fruit — the Jhirinn of Borneo 

 — thus : "The Duriau is a fruit of which we hear little, where all praise is given to the 

 Mangosteen, while the Durian is generally mentioned as a fruit much liked by natives, but 

 whose offensive smell reuders it disagreeable to Europeans. There is, however, no com- 

 parison between them ; the Mangosteen resembles a peach or a grape, and can hardly be 

 said to be superior, if equal, to either : the Durian, on the other hand, is a fruit of a per- 

 fectly unique character ; we have nothing with which it can be compared, and it is therefore 

 the more difEcult to judge whether it is or is not superior to all other fruits. The Durian 

 grows on a large and lofty forest-tree, something resembling an elm in character, but with 

 a more smooth and scaly bark. The fruit is round, or slightly oval, about the size of a 

 small melon, of a green color, and covered with strong spines, the bases of which tou. h 

 each other, aiid are consequently somewhat hexagonal, while the points are very strong 

 and sharp. It is so completely armed, that, if the stalk is broken off, it is a difficult mat- 

 ter to lift one from the ground. The outer rind is so thick and tough, that, from whatever 

 height it may fall, it is never broken. From the base to the apex, five very faint lines 

 may be traced, over which the spines somewhat curve and approximate ; these are the 

 sutures of the carpels, and show where the fruit may be opened with a heavy knife and a 

 strong hand. The five cells are silky-white within, and are filled with a mass of firm, 

 cream-colored pulp, containing about three seeds each. This pulp is the eatable part, and 

 its consistence and flavor are indescribable. A rich custard, highly flavored with almonds, 

 gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavor that call to mind 

 cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a 

 rich elutinous smootlmess in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its 

 delicacy. It is neither acid, nor sweet, nor juicy ; yet it wants neither of these qualities, 

 for it is in itself perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat 

 of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a 

 voyage to the East to experience. The smell of the ripe fruit is certainly at first disagree- 

 able, though less so when it has newly fallen from the tree ; for the moment it is ripe it 

 falls of itself, and the only way to eat Durians in perfection, is to get them as they fall." 



Mpshrooms. — These valuable esculents may be propagated with greater advantage tlian 

 ]>v the old mode ; the spawn maybe broken fine, the largest bits not exceeding a marble in 

 size. Thus prepared, sow it over the surface of the bed, and beat it down at once firmly, 

 and cover it with soil. This plan will require but half the quantity of spawn, and the 

 mushrooms are diffused over the whole surface, no loss being sustained in gathering. They 

 Ijioduce sooner by this mode. We have had good success, the present winter, with spawn 

 obtained from the Messrs. Thorburn, N. Y., after failing utterly with that from others. 



Nuts axd Seeds. — A large Christmas box was carried out, from this region, by the Persia, 

 which will be gratefully received by Sir William Hooker, at Kew Gardens, near London. 

 They are a present from Dr. Darlington, and consist of nuts and seeds of our forest-trees, 

 collected by Joshua Iloopes, Esq., at the request of Sir William. Last May, the doctor 

 three boxes containing sections of our forest-trees and shrubs, each section a foot in 

 These interchanges of value are highly interesting mementos, and serviceable in 



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