DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



Chas. G. Page. Patent Office, Washington, 

 D. C, Oct. \, 1851. 



JficE DisBARKiNQ Trees. — After so much 

 experience, what is, in your opinion, the best re- 

 medy or preventive of mice from gnawing young 

 orchard trees. 



I have a large quantity that are, or will be, 

 somewhat exposed, and I want to take early 

 measures to prevent injury. If coal tar is re- 

 commended, how am I to judge that it is not 

 too strong so as to injure the trees? In haste, 

 respectfully, T. G. Yeomans. Walworth, N. 

 Y., Oct. 2, 1851. 



We believe the best preventive to be the fol- 

 lowing. Just before winter, throw up a small 

 hill about a foot high round each tree — remov- 

 ing it in the spring. The mice look for the ten- 

 der bark at the surface of the ground, and not 

 being able to find it, let the tree alone. 



Coal tar is found dangerous — sometimes serv- 

 ing the purpose well — but, when too strong, 

 killing the tree. Ed. 



Seedling Grape. — Ms. Downing — Dear 

 Sir: Herewith I send you a few bunches of 

 grapes from a seedling vine, which has produc- 

 ed fruit this season for the first time, and should 

 like to have your opinion as to the quality. 

 The vine is now four or five years old; I do 

 not exactly remember which. It is a strong 

 grower, and I should say will prove a great 

 bearer, if the fact of its setting about 100 bun- 

 ches of fruit for the first time, goes for any 

 thing. I picked off all but 40 bunches Avhen 

 the fruit had attained a good size. In fact, the 

 fruit was larger a month after the blossom, by 

 one-half, than that of an Isabella vine that is 

 on the opposite of my garden. The vine has 

 had no cultivation whatever, aijd I have no 

 doubt that if we had had more rain, the berries 

 would have been very much larger than they 

 are. It strikes me as a very good flavored 

 grape, but as I know nothing about the various 

 seedlings that have been produced, I must 

 leave the matter to some good authority like 

 yourself. If not too late, I would like to have 

 your opinion in the October number of the 



Horticulturist. Yours respectfully, A . 



New-York City. 



The specimen of the grape above referred to 

 appears to be precisely like the Catawba, only 



riper and sweeter than the Catawbas were at 

 the time they were received; in color, size and 

 flavor, however, it resembles the Catawba pre- 

 cisely. Another season, it will be worth while 

 to notice if this seedling Catawba ripens earlier 

 than the original variety — as if so it will be more 

 valuable. Should it turn out earlier, we hope 

 "A." will let us hear from him again. Ed. 



Scarlet IIor.se Chestnut. — The Horticul- 

 turist notices a double flowering Horse Chest- 

 nut, grown by Mr. Rivers in England, and which 

 will probably soon be introduced into this coun- 

 try. Can the editor of the Horticulturist give 

 us an account of the scarlet flowering horse 

 chestnut grown in Newark, N. J., and the best 

 manner of propagating, and whether ti-ees can 

 be obtained ? Can this variety be engrafted suc- 

 cessfully upon the common chestnut? 



The true scarlet Horse Chestnut is rare in 

 this country — we know of no large specimens 

 except in Philadelphia. Mr. Buist of that city 

 and Messrs. Parsons of Flushing, L. I., we 

 think have it for sale. It is propagated by whip 

 or splice grafting on the common horse chest- 

 nut. Ed. 



The Largest Pear Yet. — "We received this 

 morning from the garden of Dr. I. M. Ward, 

 an enormous pear of the Duchess d' Angouleme 

 species, which weighs 18 oz. and measures 12 

 inches in its smallest circumference, and 13 

 inches in the largest. This rather beats the one 

 noticed the other day at the Astor House, 

 which weighed 16 ounces, and was supposed to 

 be the largest on record. — \_Newark Daily Ad- 

 vertiser, Vith. 



This is by no means " the largest pear yet." 

 A specimen of this same fine variety — the Du- 

 chess of Angouleme, was raised by S. Leeds, 

 Esq., of Boston, last year, which weighed 25 

 oz., and measui'cd 15 inches in circumference — 

 the largest way. We have an exact model of 

 the fruit on our table, made by Mr. Glover of 

 Fishkill Landing, N. Y., and colored to the 

 life. Very large and fine flavored specimens 

 of the D 'Angouleme are easily produced in rich 

 deep soil — especially when the tree is grafted on 

 quince stock. Ed. 



A Model Hotel for Country Towns. — We 

 copy the following description by Willis, of 

 the Hotel at Taunton — which has become a 

 celebrity — both as a record of progress in ar- 

 chitecture and as a warning to landlords about 

 building this kind of property, not to fall behmd 

 the spirit of the age. The style and conve- 



