DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



Dninrstir JiMlm, 



Unnoticed Chaeacteeistics. — Among the 

 peculiarities of well known plants which we do 

 not remember to have seen noticed in any of the 

 books, are the following: 



The flowers of the Bignonia capreolata, 

 (buff or tawny flowered trumpet vine of the 

 south — a handsome climbing shrub, very dis- 

 tinct from the common trumpet creeper which 

 has bloomed finely in our garden, in the open 

 border trained to a pole,) have precisely the 

 odor of liquorice. 



The flowers of the Umbrella Magnolia, (M. 

 tri data,) open regularly about four o'clock 

 in the afternoon. This tree should be planted 

 on the lawn, so that the effect of the flowers 

 and foliage can be seen at a distance of fifty or 

 100 feet. Near by the flowers look coarse — but 

 seen at a distance, each blossom set in its termi- 

 nal tuft of broad foliage, they suggest water li- 

 lies in ther peculiar way. This tropical-looking 

 magnolia will grow as far north as the Isabella 

 grape ripens, and it needs only a rich loamy 

 soil to thrive well; it deserves to be more ex- 

 tensively planted than it is at present. 



CRvrxoMERiA JAPONICA. — Mr. BuiST informs 

 us that this tree, which has been twice noticed 

 in our pages, as not being hardy about New. 

 York, is perfectly hardy at Philadelphia, and 

 has ripened seeds there. We have seen a spe- 

 cimen lately in the grounds at Wodcnethe, 

 the seat of our neighbor H. "W. Sargent. Esq., 

 which has stood the past winter quite uninjur- 

 ed, and is now very healthy. It is not impro- 

 bable that grafted upon some of our native Ju- 

 nipers, the Cryptomeria may prove entirely 

 hardy. 



Bohemian Olive. — Dr. Valk, of Flushing, 

 Long Island, informs us that the Oleagnus 

 ■parvijlorus, sometimes called the Bohemian 

 Olive, proves to be a hardy shrub in his garden. 

 The following extract from his letter will inte- 

 rest our arboricultural readers: 



" I would bring to your notice a very fine 

 plant in my garden — and I believe a very rare 

 one on this side of the Atlantic — the Oleagnus 

 orus. I received it when very young 

 the garden of the London Hort. Society, 



and planted it immediately in the open ground, 

 where it has grown to a large bush, and now 

 bears every season a heavy crop of fruit. This 

 fruit is pretty in appearance, and pleasant 

 in flavor. The shrub is a native of Bohemia, 

 and I think might be very much increased in 

 size by judicious cultivation. Its English name 

 is, I think, the Bohen^ian Olive. 



My Deodar Cedar has grown luxuriantly; is 

 now ten feet high, and beautifully feathered to 

 the ground. It has been i^lanted and fully ex- 

 posed four winters, and is not exceeded in beau- 

 ty by any of its kindred evergreens." Yours, 

 w. W. V. 



A Special Manure for Evergreens. — It is 

 well known that most evergreens are impatient 

 of the ordinary animal manures, applied with 

 so much benefit to deciduous trees, and the zea- 

 lous cultivator is often at a loss to know how to 

 urge the slower sorts of firs, pines, kc, to a 

 more luxuriant growth. 



We have experimented a little on this sub- 

 ject, and think we have found a most valuable 

 stimulant for all rare evergreen trees in orna- 

 mental plantations. 



Two years ago, the Lodi Manufacturing Co., 

 Liberty-st., New- York, (whose excellent pou- 

 drette, we have already recommended,) sent us 

 for trial a cask of "manure for shrubs and 

 trees," requesting us to make trial of it. It 

 presents to the eye the appearance of a finely 

 pulverized gray powder, and is quite dry to the 

 touch. We applied it to a variety of trees and 

 shrubs; in the majority of cases it seemed to 

 act simply as a good manure, with no effects in 

 any way remarkable. But to our surprise it 

 acts mosts distinctly and beneficially upon all ev- 

 ergreens. Pines, Firs, Deodars and Spruces, 

 that had made but a feeble growth for some 

 .seasons, when liberally dressed with this mix- 

 ture, put on a darker green and made more 

 luxuriant shoots than they had ever done pre- 

 viously. Encouraged by this we used the mix- 

 ture liberally, in planting young evergreens tlie 

 past spring — mixing three or four shovelfuls to 

 the soil used in planting young Deodars 

 carias, and the like. The effect was very soon 



