DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



flowers no one will question, as on any class of 

 florist's flowers which may happen to be in fash- 

 ion. I know that it is the fashion at present to 

 "snub'-' Cacti, but the fashion may change, 

 when we shall hear working gardeners talk as 

 learnedly about Cerei Epiphylla, and Phyllo- 

 cacti, as they now do about Fuchsias, Cinera- 

 rias, Pansies and Chrysanthema, for, as Mr. 

 BuisT saj's in his last edition, " the time is not 

 far distant when this family will be successfully 

 cultivated in every parlor window, and the 

 whole tribe will be sought for with more avidi- 

 ty than any other class of plants that have ever 

 been brought into notice, not even excepting 

 the Rose." 



Wishing Mr. "Working Gardener more taste, 

 I remain, Mr. Editor, your ob't servant, A 

 Philadelphia Am.^tevr. 



The Winter in Georgia. — As you desire 

 accounts of the effects of the last extreme cold 

 winter, from all sections of the country, I will 

 briefly report what injuries we have sustained. 



In the coldest day of an ordinary winter, the 

 mercury with us descends generally as low as 

 12 or 10° Fahrenheit, frequently to 8°, and oc- 

 casionally to 6°, which we consider extreme 

 cold. 



This year, after a mild damp day, on the 18th 

 of Jan. the mercury suddenly fell during the 

 night, to 16 on the morning of the 19th, and 

 growing still colder, the mercury .^tood at sun- 

 rise on the morning of the 20th, at two degrees 

 below zero. During the rest of the week at 

 sunrise, it generally ranged at 12 and 15"^, and 

 we had thus the very unusual pleasure of al- 

 most an entire week of excellent skating, in the 

 middle of Georgia! 



Of our ornamentiil plants, Newtona Japonica 

 was killed to the ground. This usually needs 

 no protection. The Cape Jasmine, usually re- 

 quiring only a slight protection of evergreen 

 boughs, is, in spite of its usual firotection, in 

 the same condition. The Pionian Myrtle, usu- 

 ally hardy, is in the same state, and the Chro- 

 matella Rose, has, in some instances, also been 

 killed. All of the above are, however, sending 

 ing up fresh shoots from the root. Cedar of 

 Goa, which, like the above named plants, has 

 survived our winters for several years past, is 

 now killed utterly. Dahiins, which generally 

 winter well in the open ground . arc nearly all 



destroyed. Even those which were taken up 

 and stored, did not generally escape, ourrooms 

 and green-houses not being prepared to sustain 

 such excessive cold. 



In the fruit garden the Pomegranate is not 

 hurt. But fig trees of all kinds are killed to the 

 ground, except some very large treesof the Ce- 

 lestial Fig, wliich are throwing out fresh shoots 

 from the main branches. All the limbs less 

 than about two inches in diameter, on these, are 

 killed, and the main trunk seriously sx'lit by the 

 violence of the frost. 



In the kitchen garden, the English Pea, plant- 

 ed in December, which usually survives our se- 

 verest cold, was killed entirely. Below us, 

 where the mercury fell to 2° above zero, I 

 learn they survived . So the cold that is fatal 

 to the garden pea, is somewhere between 2° 

 above and 2° below the zero of Fahrenheit. 



I enclose you a few seeds of the " Quill Mel- 

 on," which we think superior to the Rock, and 

 the best yelloAv fleshed melon we have tried. If 

 in your climate, it shoiild prove as good, I think 

 you will be pleased with it. It is nearly as 

 good as the green fleshed melon ; of a very sin- 

 gular shape; quite large, and exceedingly pro- 

 ductive. Yours very truly, Wm. N. White. 

 Athens, Geo., April 15, 1852. 



The Winter in Northern New- York.— In 

 compliance with your request, in the April 

 number of the Horticulturist, I send an account 

 of the effects of the past winter on our fruit 

 buds, The winter although long and cold, was 

 exceeded by that of 1835-36, both in amount 

 of snow and cold, the thermometer being a 

 number of times 18" and 20" below zero. 

 Bearing quince and peach trees were killed, 

 although there was no frost in the ground, and 

 the snow four to five feet deep. The plum 

 buds were killed. During the past winter the 

 falls of snow were light, at no time exceeding 

 nine or ten inches. The thermometer in our 

 garden, protected on the east and north by 

 buildings, stood at daylight, on 17th December, 

 6° below zero, 2° below on 26th, 10° below on 

 27th. On 20th January 6° below, 22d 11° be- 

 low, 23d 3° below. In the outskirts of the city, 

 and on College Hill, at 18° below on the 22d. 

 In our city gardens the plum buds are partly 

 killed ; peach and fine cherries, all killed 

 rello and common cherry, partly killed 



