DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



you think of it? " Class-Book of Botany" by 

 A. Wood, says, " V. labrucsa, like most of the 

 North 'American species, flowers are dioe- 

 cious." Prof. Gkay, in " Botany of Northern 

 United States," says, " Flowers — polyga- 

 mous in all the American species." Wm. Bar- 

 tram, in a paper in the " Domestic Encyclope- 

 dia," by A. F. M. WiLLicH, says, " All that 

 I have observed in the northern and eastern 

 United States are polygamous," yet seems to 

 think that AYalter might have been right in 

 classing the '' bull-grape" of Carolina as dioe- 

 cious. If the grapevine is polygamous, and I 

 have no doubt it is, then perhaps it might sport 

 as I have specified above, but if it is dioecious, 

 then that is the end of the subject, if I under- 

 stand the terms aright, and I must have taken 

 the cuttings from two separate vines. Ariel 

 Chandler. Concord, N. H., Dec. 1, 1850. 



Remarks — The Scuppernong grape of Caro- 

 lina is diacious — but all the other native sorts 

 so far as we know are polygamous. It cannot 

 be denied, however, that our native grapes oc- 

 casionally take an infertile or barren habit — 

 none of the blossoms setting fruit, perhaps 

 from an imperfection in stamens or pistils. 

 If you propagate from a fruitful plant howev- 

 er, you rarely or ever fail in getting fruitful re- 

 sults from the cuttings or grafts. Ed. 



Camellias — Last fall I purchased the follow- 

 ing Camellias, viz: Wilderii, Eclipse, Chand- 

 lerii, Mrs. Abbey Wilder, Double White, Dou- 

 ble Striped, Hempsteadii, Duchess de Orleans. 

 They Averc well set with flower-buds, and look- 

 ed thrifty. I had one fine flower, a Double 

 White, but soon faded; the remaining buds 

 grew to about half an inch long and then drop- 

 ped off. There was one on Wilderii that partly 

 opened, and then dropped off. Wilderii made 

 a growth at the same time of about three inch- 

 es. The remaining si.K went in the same way. 

 I kept them free from dust ; kept them moist ; 

 also kept the atmosphere as moist as I could, 

 by placing a flat pan on the top of my stove, and 

 kept water in it all the time. (I burn wood.) I 

 had a table made with a sink to it, and kept 

 water in that also, over which I set my plants. 

 The thermometer has stood from 60° to 70°, 

 and never fallen below 4-5*'. I have used rain 

 water on them. AVhat must be done to secure 

 good blossoms another season? Please answer 



the above next month, in your valuable Jour- 

 nal, and it will confer a great favor on an old 

 subscriber. M. E. Irwin. Southbridge, Jan. 

 7, 1851. 



The Camellia likes plenty of fresh air, and 

 plenty of fresh air is a thing not often seen in 

 a room that is heated by a stove to 60° or 70°. 

 The buds probably fell from the effects of the 

 vitiated air. If you must use a stove, and wish 

 hea'.thy plants, you must enclose a space with 

 glass, making a sort of double window, large 

 enough to hold your plants. It should have 

 a wi.dow opening into the room, and which can 

 be shut at times to keep out its excessive heat. 

 The crevices in the outside window, will let in 

 air, and thus your little plant cabinet can be re- 

 gulated in temperature, he, so as to promote 

 growth and bloom much more readily than when 

 the plants are in the room itself. Ed. 



Importation and Exportation of Fruit. — 

 Pears are now selling at John Tayler's, (con- 

 fectioner,) in Broadway, New- York, which 

 were imported by the steamer from France. 

 They are labelled Bon Chretien and Poire de 

 Libra. They are not of very good quality, and 

 may be the Spanish Bon Chretien and common 

 Pound Pear. They are sold on the counter at 

 12^ cents each. They came packed in straw, 

 and were fourteen days on the passage. I was 

 told that a " good many" decayed, and there 

 was not much made by the speculation. 



If our home supply of winter pears should 

 ever exceed the home demand, there Avill be no 

 doubt of the practicability of exporting them. 

 But very few persons will pay 12 5 cents here 

 for any sort of pear, and then only for a short 

 time, when there might be a scarcity of any 

 fresh fruit. But it is a standing retail price in 

 England, at which large quantities may be sold. 

 The usual quotation for pears in the Covent 

 Garden Market Report, in winter, is " 4 to 12s. 

 a dozen"— that is $1 to $3. I saw i)ears, (Lou- 

 ise Bonne of Jersey, Duchesse d'^ngoulcme, 

 and Glout Morceau,) brought from France, 

 selling in Edinburgh and Glasgow, first of Oc- 

 tober, 18.50, at Q>d—(\2\ cts.) each. At the 

 same time and places, the price of peaches was 

 .3s to 4s a pound — G to 8 cents each. They were 

 of what we should call in New- York, middl 

 size and quality. Apples at the same time 



