DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



The Chester County (Pa.) Hort. Society 

 held its first, monthly meeting for the year 1852, 

 on 20th March, at which time the following 

 named officers were elected for the ensuing 

 year:— 



President — "Washington Townsend. Vice- 

 Presidents — Paschall Morris, Ziba Darlington. 

 Treasurer — John Marshall. Cor. Secretary — 

 Joseph P. Wilson. Rec. Secretary — Isaac D. 

 Pyle. 



Jonathan C. Baldwin, the late President, 

 having declined a re-election, a resolution of 

 thanks was voted, complimentary of the man- 

 ner in which he had discharged the duties of 

 his office. 



%\[mm tn CnrrtspDnknts. 



Lime Ashes. — C. H. Perkins, (Ascutney- 

 ville, Vt.) Lime ashes, which usually consist 

 of wood ashes and lime in about equal parts, 

 are excellent for compost heaps to be used for 

 fruit trees — better than leached ashes — provided 

 they do not contain magnesia. Limestone that 

 contains so much magnesia as to be injurious, 

 will not efferversce rapidlj^ when sulphuric acid 

 is poured upon it. Mr. Antisell, chemist to 

 the American Institute, N. Y., or Prof. 

 Mapes, of Newark, N. J., will examine a speci- 

 men, and inform you of the proportion of lime 

 and magnesia, for a small charge — say $5. The 

 best waj' of composting the lime ashes is to 

 mix it with five times its bulk of black muck. 



Wash for Barns. — A Constant Reader, 

 (Maryland.) Take hydraulic cement, 1 peckj 

 freshly slacked lime 1 peck, yellow ochre, (in 

 powder,) 4 lbs. , burnt umbra 4 lbs. ; dissolve the 

 whole thoroughly in hot water, and apply with a 

 whitewash brush. Window shutters, for a 

 " rough cast house, left the natural color of the 

 mortar,'' may either be dark green, or light 

 brown. If the slats of the shutters are painted 

 a light brown and the borders or frames of the 

 same, two or three shades darker, the effect is 

 good. 



Evergreens. — Ibid. Take out one of the 

 leaders of the Norway Spruce. The best time 

 to prune evergreens is at mid-simimer, but small 

 limbs may be taken off now. You may prune 

 trees at any time, if you use the shellac solu- 

 tion recommended, in our " Fruit Trees." 



Botany. — A Mass. Subscriber. The na- 

 tural system is considered superior to the ar- 

 tificial, but the latter is much more easily mas- 



tered by beginners. We would commend to 

 you as a first hand-book, by which to become 

 acquainted with the Flora around you, Eaton's 

 Manual of Botany. Then take up Gray's Bo- 

 tany of the northern and middle states. No 

 person who loves nature, and lives in the coun- 

 try, should neglect to become sufficiently ac- 

 quainted with botany to find out the names and 

 history of every plant he meets. 



Strawberries. — B. Arnold. Your bed was 

 planted on soil too much worn out. Make a 

 new one at once, in a part of your garden where 

 strawberries were never raised, and to make 

 sure of success trench-in a large supply of stable 

 manure, 18 inches below the surface. To suc- 

 ceed best, the strawberry roots should be en- 

 couraged to go down deep in search of food. 

 The best varieties for your purpose are Hovey's 

 Seedling, Early Scarlet and Burr's New Pine. 

 W. B., (Astoria, N. Y.) The best way of get- 

 ting a good crop on your old bed, is to give it 

 a good top dressing of poudrette immediately. 

 The Lodi works, N. Y., will supply you with a 

 good article. 



Flower Beds. — A Lady, (New Bedford.) 

 Discard all your miscellaneous flowers, and fill 

 your beds with verbenas, scarlet geraniums, 

 salvias, and Petunias. They will stand the sun 

 and dry weather, and make your garden gay at 

 all times. 



Imported Trees. — B. P., (Philadelphia.) 

 If the trees are much dried up, head back the 

 ends of the shoots and bury them, root and 

 branch, for a few days in sandy soil They will 

 soon absorb moisture and become fresh again — 

 then take them out and plant them just before 

 a rain. 



Tree Seeds. — R.Johnson. Tree seeds kept 

 till this spring, (that should have been planted 

 in the autumn,) may be made to grow more 

 certainly by soaking them for a couple of hours 

 in water, in which you can just bear the hand, 

 and then sprinkling them, very thinly, with 

 newly slacked lime, just before planting them. 



Mulching. — New-Bedford Subscriber. Spent 

 tan-bark is one of the best things to mulch the 

 surface of the ground, over the roots of your 

 newly planted Norway Spruces. Your mode 

 of planting them is a good one, and you may 

 cover the ground two inches deep with tan 



