DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



to remember the past winter as one of the moat 

 severe known in the United States for the last 

 half century. Fahrenheit's thermometer has 

 fallen as low as 28° below zero at Albanj'-, 11" 

 atKew-York, and 4° at Washington. Wherever 

 it has fallen to 12° below zero, the peach crop 

 for the coming season has been destroyed in the 

 germ, and though the blossom will open the fruit 

 will not set. Many half-hardy plants which 

 have stood the winters uninjured for fifteen 

 years past, will he found greatly injured or 

 killed entirely. The cold having extended all 

 over the south — the harbors of Mobile and 'New- 

 Orleans having been obstructed by ice, its bad 

 effects will probably be more disastrously felt 

 there than at the north. We fear the orange 

 trees in Florida will be killed to the ground. 



The following note from a correspondent will 

 show, that near Philadelphia, the peach buds 

 are only destroyed on the south side of the 

 branches — thus proving that the injury is done 

 by the sudden thawing, rather than by the ex- 

 treme cold. 



Dear Sir — The peach buds upon the up- 

 per sides of the branches, are all destroyed ; 

 those on the lower sides appear to be safe. 



The evergreens have suffered .severely; this 

 season will prove to a certainty which is or 

 is not hardy. The thermometer has been with 

 us 10^° below zero at night, and only 3° above 

 it during the day. I have never had to record 

 such a degree of cold. Yourstruly, R. Buist. 

 Rosedale Nujseries, near Philadelphiaj Jan. 

 16, 1852. 



Horticultural Societies. — Dear Sir: Your 

 " AVorking Gardener" correspondent in the 

 January number of the Horticulturist, does not 

 appear to be familiar with the rules and regula- 

 tions of the " Pensylvania Hort. Society." It 

 is emphatically a gardener's society, aided by 

 the wealthy and intelligent citizens of Phila- 

 delphia. There are one or more working gar- 

 deners on all the flower, fruit and vegetable 

 committees. The committee of arrangement are 

 ail practical gardeners, who subdivide the gene- 

 ral committee on exhibitions. The prize schedule 

 is revised by a majority of gardeners. So that 

 his sentence, " As gardeners have no direct in- 

 fluence with the gentlemen of those Societies" 

 no way ap])ly to that of the Pennsylvania 

 Society. We have seen as fine fruit in 



America as we ever saw in Europe, (Pine-apples 

 excepted.) Show plants cannot, yet, be grown 

 here as in England. Where are our Ericas, 

 Fuchsias, Pimeleas, Epacris and many others? 

 When your " working gardener" has a few of 

 our summer suns over his head, he will find 

 that plants go off' in a night like the gourd of 

 history. In England too, there are 100 growers 

 and 50 competitors for one in the United States, 

 It will also be another half century before any 

 of our lady amateurs will pay <£500 for a few 

 plants to take to a show, as has been done in 

 the vicinity of London. R. Buist. Rosedale 

 Nurseries, Philadelphia, Jan. 16, 1852. 



Deep Holes for Trees. — Dear Sir: In your 

 November number, under head of Domestic 

 Notices, are to be found excellent directions for 

 transplanting trees, the best in fact I have ever 

 met with, subject however, I think, to one ob- 

 jection; I allude to making deep holes well filled 

 with old manure, rich soil, &c. This proposi- 

 tion I think will not bear the test of reason, al- 

 though from its almost universal adoption, it re- 

 quires some nerve to battle against it. For in- 

 stance; You dig a hole three feet square and 

 three feet deep, the fir.st foot in deptli being 

 generally pretty good soil, and the other two feet 

 a stiff" clay. Well — fill up the hole with good 

 soil and manure, and plant your tree on top of 

 it according to directions. As surely as the 

 needle points to the pole, so surely will the roots 

 of your transplanted tree strike down into the rich 

 compost prepared for it, and possibly it may 

 thrive apace. In a wet season this fine deep 

 hole will be half full of water, hopeless of exist ; 

 in a very dry season the roots will likely be 

 burned up in your rich compost. However, 

 your amateur don't believe a word of it. He 

 rather likes that hole three feet deep and full 

 of fat soil. 'Tis scientifically, thoroughly done. 

 Well, your tree bears once, perhaps twice, and 

 then somehow it goes backwards. The shoots 

 dwindle, the leaves look sickly, the stock gets 

 hide bound, covered with moss; in fact it is near 

 death. My amateur scratches his head, passing 

 around his tree, examines every inch above 

 ground, possibly grubs around the roots a little, 

 but finally gives it up as a mystery. Could his 

 eyes have penetrated down in that fine 

 hole of his, have seen the roots, rendered 



