DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



gorous growth for a supply of wood, for cut- 

 tings, &c. Yet, under this treatment, we have 

 had flowers beautifully marked and very per- 

 fect, being flaked and striped exactly like a car- 

 nation. The colors are very bright, and the 

 marking very distinct and clear, and I have no 

 doubt, that in proper soil, and under proper 

 treatment, the character of the flowers will be 

 permanent. It flowers more perfectly in win- 

 ter and spring, but as soon as the weather be- 

 comes hot they loose their color, and often be- 

 come nearly single. Another season we hope 

 to give it a fair trial, and test its merits, and as 

 it appears to seed very freely,! think it cannot 

 but become valuable for hybridising, &c. Tours, 

 C, Flushing, N. Y., May, 1851. 



The Golden Bell Shrub. — The new hardy 

 shrub from China, Forsythia viridissima, is too 

 gay and ornamental, and will become too popu- 

 lar to be commonly known by its hard botanical 

 name, and we propose to call it Golden Bell. 

 Blossoming before the fruit trees, and remaining 

 in bloom for a long time, it forms the brightest 

 embellishment of the shrubbery in early spring, 

 and its hardiness and easy culture, will soon 

 give it a place in every garden. 



Deatu of J. S. Skinner. — Our venerable 

 friend, the Editor of the Plough, Loom and 

 Anvil, who was the Nestor of the Agricul- 

 tural Press, a few weeks since, met with an 

 untimely end. No man in the country had 

 labored so long and zealously for the im- 

 provement of Agriculture, as Mr. Skinner, 

 and he blended wiih the varied knowledge 

 of the art he taught, a large spirit of patriot- 

 ism, and a generous humanity, that gave to the 

 various journals that were successively conduct- 

 ed by him, an influence ftir above that of their 

 class generally . Though he had reached a good 

 age, he was still in the full vigor of his intellect- 

 ual powers. If the sentiment of gratitude for 

 services done one's country, entitle a man's me- 

 mory to be kept alive bj' "storied bust and 

 monumental urn," certainly there are few whose 

 names could be so rightly honored in this way, 

 as the subject of this notice. 



The Giant Ivy. — We have sought for some 

 time for a place where the genuine giant ivy 

 could be procured in this country, and have 

 a quantity of well rooted plantfi for sale. 



"We are sure our readers will thank us for im 

 forming them how they can do as we have just 

 done, viz: procure twenty healthy specimens 

 of this invaluable and hardy and fast growing 

 evergreen creeper, one which we are anxious 

 to see introduced to cover every old wall, old 

 tree, fence and house in the country.* 



A letter enclosing one dollar .addressed David 

 Ffrguson, gardener, Falls of Schuykill, near 

 Philadelphia, will insure ten fine plants grown 

 in pots, with established roots, sent by express 

 or as directed, to any part of. the Union. It 

 will answer to plant it at any time during the 

 spring or summer; a position — the north side 

 of a building, wall, &c., is best. Half theabove 

 sum will of course purchase half the number 

 of roots. Every one in the middle states, who can 

 get it should make trial of the giant ivy. Under 

 favorable circumstances it will grow from 5 to 

 12 feet annually. It succeeds well trained on 

 wire or iron railing, and is also one of the hand- 

 somest parlor window plants ever cultivated, 

 bearing the air of heated apartments perfectly. 



Gardener's Commissions. — Will you have 

 the kindness to give a novice your opinion 

 of the morality of a gardener receiving a dis- 

 count from nurserymen for his own benefit. On 

 finding that my gardener had purchased for me 

 some very poor plants, I was induced to make 

 inquiry, and found that he had been allowed a 

 discount for his own benefit which did not ap- 

 pear on my bill. To my notions of mercantile 

 correctness, this did not appear to be quite an 

 honest transaction on the part of the nursery- 

 man, inasmuch as it held out a temptation to 

 the gardener to purchase where he could ob- 

 tain the largest discount, or rather fee. for his 

 custom, without regard to the interest of his 

 employer. 



As mercantile and horticultural integrity how- 

 ever may not be synonymous, I thought I would 

 inquire what is the practice in this respect 

 among nurserymen generally. I find many 

 who are always in the habit of allowing this 

 discount to gardeners for their own benefit, as- 

 signing as a reason that gardeners are them- 

 selves obliged to bear their own travelling ex- 

 penses, and that it is no more than right that 

 they should be paid for their custom. I find 



* See an interesling essay on ivy in Vol. IV, page 

 of the Horticulturist, by one of our correspondents 



