that the excessive and loiii;-contimicd lieat of our Miimners would, by f^ro.it and con- 

 stant evaporation, weaken and tend to jjenerai debility, more especially in re-^^anl to 

 exotics, 'i'liis supposition is further strengthened by the fact that all our native Grapes 

 have thick skins and are thus enabled to resist evaporation from tlieir surfaces. Karly 

 forced Grapes that are ripe before the dry season, are never troubled with mildew. 

 The Gooseberry attains greatest perfection in cool, moist climates; with us it is useless, 

 because of the aridity of the climate. The leaves of many plants, not natives, as the 

 English Hawthorn, Lilacs, &c., are frequently white with mildew in the hottest and 

 dryest seasons. I have long ago satisfied myself that mildew may be prevented by 

 juilicious airing. Admitting currents of dry air to come in contact with the young 

 fruit will certainly produce mildew. I consider front ventilators quite unnecessary in 

 graperies, and indeed, they could be dispensed with in green-houses, also. A few years 

 ago it was rare to find a green-house with plants in it during summer ; the general 

 impression being that nothing but Cactuses, or such hke, could live there, owing to 

 heat and aridity. Shading and limited ventilation has now been adopted, and green- 

 houses invite and repay a visit in summer as well as in winter-; they are now put to 

 their legitimate use, instead of being lumber repositories the gayest part of the season. 



I have no means at hand of ascertaining whether the vine mildew so prevalent of 

 late in Europe, has its origin in aridity. It would be interesting to know whether the 

 seasons there have been dryer than usual. I recollect reading an extract from a foreign 

 paper, where the writer in detailing the progress of the disease on his vines, incident- 

 ally remarked that "the first notice taken of the disease was about the middle of June; 

 previous to that, the weather was excessively dry." His subsequent remarks, however, 

 tended to show that he traced no relation between the dryness and the disease. 



It may be necessary to observe that I do not by any means sujipose that aridity is 

 the cause of every kind of mildew. On the contrary, that is only one of many known 

 causes, and I submit that it is the most likely in the present case. 



I may state that I have gathered from open air culture, as perfect fruit of B. Ham- 

 burffk, Sweetwater, Frankcnthal, and other varieties of foreign Grapes, as I ever saw in 

 a grapery ; and further, I have seen fruit beautifully ripened and colored, and bunches 

 completely covered with mildew at the same time on the same plant: those mildewed 

 were elevated and exposed, wliile the others were shaded with the foliage, and within 

 a few inches of a box kept full of water. I could quote many examples corroborative 

 of my views as expressed above, but will reserve them for the present. 



CULTURE OF THE TOMATO. 



BY WILLIAM CnORLTON, NEW BRIGUTON, 8TATEN ISLAND. 



It is vary likely that many of your numerous readers will consider it very superfluous 

 to be writing about so common a subject as the Tomato, — the more common and 

 often more needed, — so, at the risk of being thought out of matter, I will venture to 

 ofl;er a few remarks on this generally accepted edible. 



The Tomato was originally a native of South America, but it may now be consid- 

 ered as indigenous to all warm or temperate regions ; for, like the Grape, it has been 



