DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



were in such a lamentable plight that the whole 

 had to be destroyed without a solitary excep- 

 tion, and the bed filled in with the original soil. 

 From the shrubs used, the reader will readily 

 know these trials have been made in England. 

 TaU'bark at tliis time, had been strongly recom- 

 mended as a fertilizer for the Chinese Arborvi- 

 tte, and in my experiments it proved as fatal to 

 that shrub as the others. For Rhododendrons 

 I have employed it in a variety of ways, such 

 as mixed with peat, mixed with loam, and also 

 planted them into it in a pure state ; in all of 

 which it proved inj u rious, and had to be removed . 

 Upon many other shrubs and trees I have tried it 

 by digging it into tlie ground and the effects were 

 the same, as well as on kitchen garden vegeta- 

 bles. I have seen it tried as a top dressing upon 

 grass land, and its effects were most injurious. 

 It destroyed and weakened the best varieties 

 of grasses, and, as a consequence, gave more 

 room for the weeds; its effects were visible at 

 some distance. Having had annually at com- 

 mand a large quantity of old tan-bark, and this 

 for some years, I have experimented with it,in 

 a variety of ways on a large collection of trees 

 and shrubs, as I have been describing, in an ex- 

 tensive nursery, without any beneficial results. 

 In the spring of every year, the prunings, weeds, 

 rubbish and cleanings of the nursery were regu- 

 larly charred, and it Avas at last determined to 

 char the tan-bark too. After which it is found 

 to be useful as a fertilizer for heavy land, or 

 seeds, seedling trees, cuttings, or any thing re- 

 quiring a light manure. 



From the above facts it is evident tan-bark 

 must be used with caution. Perhaps there may 

 be a difference between what I have used — 

 what had undergone fermentation in pits and 

 hot-houses — and what other persons may use 

 fresh, from the tan-yard, but surely if there is 

 a danger with either, I should consider the 

 greater with the latter j it being used in a rank 

 state. Yours respectfully, John Saul. Wash- 

 ington, D. C, Jpril 16, 1852. 



[AYe quite agree with Mr. Saul as to any 

 practical value of tan-bark as a manure. To 

 nearly all plants it is no doubt injurious — espe- 

 cially if fresh — though possibly it may be bene- 

 ficial to strawberries if spread lightly over the 



as a vmlcher, to keep the soil cool and 



moist in this sunny climate, tan-bark is a most 

 invaluable substance for almost every tree or 

 plant that needs such protection. As a winter 

 protection against cold we have found it equally 

 serviceable— especially if kept dry by a coating 

 of straw or boards to shed the rain. While 

 therefore, we doubt its value as a fertilizer, 

 generally, and are confident if brought in con- 

 tact with the rootsof many plants, it is injurious, 

 we look upon it as of exceeding value as a pro- 

 tection against the excesses of our climate in 

 all cases where such is necessary. Ed,] 



A WoKD FOR THE Cacti.— I fccl Very much 

 inclined to take up the cudgels against your cor- 

 respondent " Working Gardener," in behalf 

 of that exceedingly beautiful and much abused 

 order of plants, the Cacti. 



I do not care for the jealousies of " practi- 

 cals" or " amateurs," with regard to the silver 

 medal ; it is true that practical gardeners have 

 not attended to the cultivation of these i)lants, 

 because, with the exception of the winter flow- 

 ering Epiphyllum truncatum, and its varieties, 

 they cannot be used in bouquets, nor is the 

 taste for them sufficiently general to allow of 

 their being cultivated for sale ; consequently they 

 do not pay. 



In this neighborhood, I know b^itone " prac- 

 tical" who cultivates them for the '■ love of 

 them." All honor to him for it. 



There are certainly five or six collections in 

 this county, which might contend for the silver 

 medal in question, and Mr. Working Gardener 

 is mistaken in supposing that the course would 

 be " walked over," as I think I know at least 

 two collections from which better selections 

 could be made of " twenty best grown species," 

 than from that of the practical he alludes 

 to. 



As for having twenty species in flower at once, 

 I dont se ■ why that should present any difficul- 

 ty ; I could furnish a dozen in flower in an hour 

 or two, without going to any large collection. I 

 will have in flower in a week or two, Cereus 

 speciosissimns, C. Jcnkinsonii, Scott ii, Jlagel- 

 liformis, Grahamii, a.nd Mamillariauncinata, 

 yet my Cacti do not exceed fifteen specimens 

 of all kinds. 



Depend upon it, Mr. Editor, a horticultural 

 society is as right in bestowing prizes on 

 der of plants, the extreme beauty of 



