DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



The ground was finished in August. 1850; it 

 laid until thehousewascompleted, March, 1851, 

 when I commenced planting. My plants were 

 selected mostly from the stock of the gardeners 

 in the vicinity. During March and April, I 

 planted about six hundred trees and shrubs; a 

 great proportion of them were roses — imported 

 French grafted stocks^^(but many were on their 

 own roots.) I used no other manure during the 

 season, than a bag of guano, put in with a 

 trowel some distance from the roots, after the 

 plants were in full foliage. I lost, in all, not over 

 six idants — and although it was the first season, 

 I never saw such a growth of wood and such 

 succession of flowers, either in city or country. 

 Your friend. Dr. A. G. Hull, visited my garden 

 den one day in July, and appeared much pleased, 

 as I explained to him the cause of such growth 

 and flowers, which he declared he had never be- 

 fore seen. You will recollect the excessive drouth 

 we had last fall, enough to try my experiment 

 thoroughly in that way. The result was in this 

 respect, too, perfectly successful, more than I 

 had ever hoped. I used the Croton water much 

 less than ray neighbors, whose soil was dry as 

 powder, and could not absorb the showers tliat 

 so seldom came, while mine drank easily all the 

 rain or water, as it fell. It percolated though 

 the earth, down among the stones, and as the 

 hot sun heated the surface during the day, it re- 

 turned at night in vapor through the soil, re- 

 fresliing the roots of the plants. This action 

 was so perfect, that at the dryest time you 

 miglit have found moisture in my soil, at the 

 deptli of two inches. The old gardeners now 

 consider me a master in horticulture, and all ad- 

 mit the benefit of drainage in summer, which 

 was all I hoped to prove. 



I left out all my roses on their own roots, 

 Avithout any covering whatever — such as Devo- 

 niensis, SafiTrano, Triumph de Luxumburgh, &c. 

 and at this time they appear in good order, 

 though tlie winter has been far from a mild one. 

 I do not hope to save all these ; but if a fair pro- 

 portion should be saved, I shall be satisfied that 

 I have proved that effectual drainage will sup- 

 ply plants with moisture in summer, and take 

 away the surplus from the roots in winter — 

 thereby giving them a chance to live through 

 lieat and cold — when without it they might die. 

 W. W. LivERMORE. New-York, March 3, '52. 



Preservation of Grapes. -^Dear Sir: I en- 

 close you a recipe for the preservation of grapes, 

 as given by my friend Dr. Blatchford. 



I ate some of his grapes a few weeks since as 

 fresh and as luscious as if they had not been 

 more than a few hour.s from the vine. Very 

 respectfully yours, J. H. AYillard. Female 

 Seminary, Troy, March 17, 1852. 



You was pleased to make mention of some 

 fresh Isabella grapes I sent you the first of this 

 month. To-day we have eaten the last of four- 

 teen boxes, each containing between one and two 

 pecks of fruit, which I put down in October last. 

 They retained their plumpness (except here and 

 there a bunch which appeared a little withered) 

 and their delicious flavor, very nearly, if not 

 quite equal to what they possessed in the time 

 of gathering. In most of tliem the stems had 

 not lost tlieir verdure. The luxury of having 

 Isabella grapes not only all winter in great 

 abundance, but so late as the middle of March, 

 is worth enjoying to all lovers of that delicious 

 fruit. The experiment having been so succes.s- 

 ful. and the method of preserving them so sim- 

 l>le, many of my friends have asked me to de- 

 scribe the process for their benefit. I have done 

 So, and now send it to you for publication if you 

 feel so disposed, that tlie benefit, if anv, may 

 not be confined to a limited circle. 



In July and August I procured a quantity 

 of ash saw dust fri>m Messrs. Eaton, Gilbert &, 

 Co.'s coach and rail car manufactory. Ash, be- 

 cause it imparts no taste to tlie grajies and be- 

 cau.«e it is usually obtained dry. I then sifted 

 it to get rid of the fine powder which hereto- 

 fore I found difficult to remove from the grapes 

 when taken out for use. After thus preparing 

 it, I kept it under cover until I wanted to use 

 it, when it was sufficiently dry. When the 

 grai)es were fully rijie in October, I picked them 

 and immediately packed them away in boxes, 

 (old soap and candle boxes, without covers,) 

 jnitting in first a layer of saw dust about half 

 an incli thick, then a layer of grapes in bunch- 

 es, tiie bunches as close together as they could 

 be placed witliout bruising them ; then a layer 

 of saw dust just thick enough to cover them, 

 and so alternately a layer of grapes and saw 

 dust until the box was full, the boxes contain- 

 ing four and five layers. After packing them I 

 ))iled the boxes one on top of the other, the 

 bottom of one' box forming the only cover of 

 the one underneath. I ke]»t them in one end 

 of my wood-shed (enclosed) until it became 

 fVeezing weather, when I removed them to the 

 cellar in the same order. None of them have 

 been mouldy, none of them musty. In remov- 

 ing tliem from the boxes for use, all that we 

 found necessary by way of cleaning them, was 

 to use a small dust-brush, which very soon re- 

 moved every particle of saw dust and left tliem 

 at once fit for use. Yours sincerely, Thos. W 

 Blatchford. Troy, March 15, 18.52 



Ke.marks. — We are much oblised 



