DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



The Secretary Dr. W. C. Hickok, requests 

 us to invite all living in Chaniplain Valley to 

 contribute to the winter exhibition. — Bu} ling- 

 ton Free Press. ■ ■ •■•• 



Staten Island (N. Y.) IIort. Society. — 

 The Third and last exhibition for this season 

 took place on Saturday the 27th ult., and was 

 atteniled by most of our fashionable residents. 

 The judges were Mr. Reid, Mr. Boll (not Mr. 

 Ball, the indefatigable Secretary of the So- 

 ciety), and Mr. Tryon the well known Florist 

 of New- York. Mr. Thorburn not only sent a 

 superb collection of his rarest Dahlias, but at- 

 tended personally to aid, with his good advice, 

 in the management. Mr. Dunlap presented a 

 beautiful basket of flowers, and Mr. Boll and 

 Mr. Keid very elegant bouquets. The display 

 of flowers was perfectly dazzling, and pro- 

 nounced superior to the Show which has lately 

 taken jjlace at Jer.sey City. Mr. Greene's 

 " Gardener's Basket/' was the most graceful 

 thing we have ever .seen, the same design, we 

 believe, with which he took the silver cup last 

 year at the Fair of the American Institute. 

 Mr. Carleton made a fine display, and received 

 many prizes. Mr. Aspinwall's floral design (an 

 immense pyramid) contained many rare and 

 beautiful specimens, and attracted much atten- 

 tion. Mr.W. H. Townsend exhibited many fine 

 plants, and a beautiful collection of tuberoses 

 that loaded tlie air with their delicious perfume. 

 Mr. Nesmith exhibited some rare fruits and 

 flowers, but not for competition. Mr. Ball 

 again carried o(f the first prize for the amateur's 

 basket, which was one of the most beautiful 

 things on the table, quite new in design, and 

 the flowers in excellent condition. Mrs. A. 

 Field's basket evinced gieat taste in arrange- 

 ment, and contained some beautiful specimens; 

 and Mr. Dunning exhibited some of the rarest 

 roses known in this country. The fruits were 

 magnificent. Mr. Olmstead, of South Side, 

 had a superb collection of pears from nis rare 

 trees, many of which he imported only last year, 

 and are now in full beai-ing ; we think he should 

 have exhibited them together; being separated, 

 many were not aware of the extent of his col- 

 lection, which embraced upwards of twenty 

 varieties of the choicest kinds; on this occasion 

 we would gladly have offered our services to 

 the committee of taste. The hot house grapes 

 of Mr. Greene exceeded all we have seen, and 

 reflect the greatest credit on his gardener, Mr. 

 Chorlton; whatever Mr. Greene exhibits is al- 

 ways of the highest order. The vegetables 

 were in abundance, and remarkably fine; a 

 niamm >th pumpkin from Col. Barret was cer- 

 tainly the greatest curiosity present, measuring 

 some soven feet in circumference. The mana- 

 gers have every rea.son to be proud of this 

 crowning eflbrt to their exertions, while the 

 subscribers and the public should feel much in- 

 debted to Mr. Xesmith, Mr. Griffith, Mr. Dun- 

 d Mr. Ball, for establishing a Society 

 must prove of the greatest benefit to the 



Island, and canying it through its first season 

 in such a brilliant manner; may their successors 

 emulate their spirit, though for the success of 

 the Society, we trust that no change will take 

 place in the management, until their excellent 

 plana are accomplished. — Staten Islander. 



University of Albany. 

 Department of Scientific Agriculture. 



The Trustees of the University of Albany, 

 convinced of the vast importance which they 

 should attach to the subject of improvement in 

 Agriculture, have made this an object of special 

 attention in their first steps toward the organi- 

 zation of a complete Scientific School. 



Nearly all of our more intelligent farmers are 

 now sensible that their profession is one which 

 should be studied; that it is a profession in 

 which the specially educated man occupies the 

 same position of advantage that he does in every 

 other jmrsuit of life. The old cries of opposi- 

 tion to all theories, and of condemnation against 

 all books, are now fa.st yielding to an eager de- 

 sire for instruction, and to at least a partial be- 

 lief in the efficacy of science. Indeed some 

 farmers go much farther than this, in expecting 

 results that are at present certainly not within 

 the range of possibility, and that there is little 

 reason to suppose will ever be realized. 



Instruction then is needed to supply what is 

 called tor by one class, to confirm the still doubt- 

 ful minds of another, and to sweep away the 

 too extravagant expectations of a third. It is 

 also needed to enlighten the minds of a class, still 

 it is to be feared exceedingly numerous, who 

 look upon all progress with inciedulity and sus- 

 picion, and who frown indignantly upon the idea 

 that any one can imjiart new light to them in 

 the way of their own business, tinder the in- 

 fluence and the jjractice of such men as these, 

 a great portion of our land is now deteriorating 

 under cultivation, and will continue to deterio- 

 rate, untfl it reaches at last the condition of cer- 

 tain tracts in some of our older States, where 

 the crop does little more than return the seed 

 sown. Every year of the system now pursued 

 by vast numbers of our farmers, increases by 

 an immense amount, the labor and the expense 

 that will be necessary in restoring the land again 

 to a proper state of fertility. 



That this evil is felt, that it is endured with 

 impatience, is attested by the great numbers 

 of active and influential societies for the im- 

 l)rovement of Agriculture, in so many parts of 

 the country; by the increasing patronage ex- 

 tended to agricultural books and periodicals; 

 by agricultural surveys past or in progress; and 

 by the numerous efforts toward the establish- 

 ment of schools where scientific agriculture shall 

 be the end and aim of study. 



The reasons which operate so strongly 

 commending Albany as the proper place 

 location of a great Scientific School, tell 



