DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



ground in the vicinity. They discovered this, 

 and as she yearly threw vines on the road, they 

 planted them, and strange to tell, not one of the 

 plants ever bore a single fruit. True, when the 

 supposed secret of the old woman was discover- 

 ed, she got in a passion, and quit raising the 

 strawberry, as the price was reduced from 2-5 

 cents to eight cents per quart, as the average rate 

 of the best, declaring that she had thrown none 

 but the rascally husbands on the highway, to de- 

 ceive them. There may be something of " Ro- 

 chester knockings"' in this, or mesmerism, as 

 some of our gardeners bring to our backwoods 

 market, near 5000 quarts of strawberries in a 

 single day, when no English gardener, who at- 

 tends the market in the great cities of Gotham, 

 Boston, or Philadelphia, send one-quarter the 

 quantity. An Enquirer. Cincinnati, Feb. 



11, 1852. 



New and Valdaele American Grape. — 

 Mr. Downing — As it is the horticultural fashion, 

 at present, to abuse the one who may be instru- 

 mental in bringing forward any new plant or 

 tree, by which an " amateur may be deprived 

 of his two dollars," it is with some degree of 

 hesitation that I venture even to allude to the 

 fact, that there is a grape, or that there is said 

 to be a new seedling grape of American origin, 

 perfectly hardy in Massachusetts, and free from 

 mildew, and that ripens before the Isabella or 

 Diana. Now this may be another humbug, and 

 I caution all the green ones, and all those that 

 value their dollars, to wait, patiently, and let 

 those who have become accustomed to trials of 

 this kind,pay the piper, and make our experience 

 public,- if it proves a failure, it will not cost 

 them much ; if it is what it is represented to be, 

 they can buy a vine then safely, provided they 

 do not get the wrong kind, with the right name 

 on the label. This grape is larger than the 

 Diana, of a clearer red, and more closely resem- 

 bles the Rose Chasselas than any thing. The 

 fruit was sent me last autumn, two bimches, 

 and I have never (to my taste) seen such grapes 

 grown in this country in the open air. Asthev 

 were shown me to obtain my opinion upon the 

 fruit, I shall not say where it can be had, or 

 any other matter that concerns would-be pur- 

 chasers. I will add that I could not get a vine 

 or cutting. It will be for sale by and by, no 

 doubt. Tours, J. FisK Allen. Salem, Mass. 



Teaching in School-houses. — I have for 

 some time contemplated a remonstrance against 

 one feature of the excellent Plan for a School- 

 house recently given in the " Horticulturist," 

 and re-produced in the " Cultivator." I refer 

 to the division of the sexes contemplated in that 

 scheme. Having been all my life, till within 

 three or foiu' years past, a teacher, and that 

 with a design, if health permitted, of following 

 the business as a profession, I feel naturally, a 

 deep interest in the subject of schools. I re- 

 gard the sphere of the school, as embracing 

 a much wider range than the common rou- 

 tine of science, so called; it is the nursery 

 of all the faculties—social and moral, as well as 

 intellectual. And if any one thing conduces to 

 a development of evil passions, and takes from 

 the hands of the teacher one powerful aid that 

 nature has given him, I believe it to be the se- 

 paration of the sexes. 



The influence of each on the other, is refining, 

 elevating, and restraining; repressing evil ten- 

 dencies, while it developes noble ones, and calls 

 into action all that loftier kind of emulation en- 

 joined by St. Paul, and which is the living 

 soul of the school-room. And this view is not 

 that of a solitary, humble ex-pedagogue alone, 

 but of the most successful of all our eminent 

 teachers; the customs of some of our large ci- 

 ties to the contrary notwithstanding. In haste, 

 yours truly, J. M. Winchell. Syracuse. 



P. S. — By making one of your rooms a Pri- 

 mary, and the other a Senior department, your 

 plan is admirably adapted to common schools. 



[This is interesting, and we should be glad to 

 hear the comments of other school teachers. 

 Ed.] 



Errata. — In your last number, containing 

 my article on " the curled leaf of the peach," 

 there are two errors of the press. 1. At p. 05, 

 line 18th from the bottom, the word nominally 

 is put for normally. 2. At p. 66, 19th line 

 from the bottom, the word renewed is put in 

 place of removed. 



This last error is quite important, since the 

 renewal of the covering could do no good, while 

 its removal is needful to admit the sun to the 

 roots of the trees. C. E. Goodrich. Utica, 

 Feb. 6, 1852. 



The past Severe "Winter. — We fear horti- 

 culturists, all over the country, will be forced 



