KociiESTER, N. Y., Aiif/ttst 20, 1855. 

 1 liiivo this (lay received from Mr. Jolin Lou<i;liry, of Adams county, Oliio, on the Ohio 

 river, a bivsket of the most magnificent peaches I have seen in many a year. Oldmixon 

 Clinij, uud Crawford's Late Mdoclon, some of which measured 10 inches in circumfer- 

 ence. These peaches give positive evidence of two things : first, tliat southern Ohio is 

 one of the finest peach districts in the Union, and second that Mr. L. is a thorough culti- 

 vator, lie says in his note to me, tliat he lias fruits which commanded 25 to 100 per 

 cent aliovc the market price in Cincinnati, and that their superiority was due to careful 

 pruning, thinning and culture of the trees. 



Another thing worthy the attention of fruit growers and consumers too, is, that these 

 peaches were transported from the southern line of Ohio to Rochester, several hundreds 

 of miles within the past 30 hours, and arc now on my table as fresh and handsome as if 

 the}' had been just picked from a tree in my garden. This all shows Avhat can be done 

 and will be done. 



I was in New York city a few days ago, and the thousands of bushels of peaches I saw 

 landed in the morning from Jersey, were mere trash. Five dollars per basket was asked 

 for tolerable fair sized and fair looking peaches, %1 for middling, and $1,25 for the very 

 rubbish. Much of the peach culture in New Jersey orchards is of the worst description, 

 and unless a new set of cultivators take the field, Jersey peaches will become a by-word. 



I know the season has not been altogether propitious, but the defective culture is the 

 main source of the evil — this has been obvious for many years. The peach trees here 

 that we had almost given up as dead, never looked better, and are preparing to give us 

 an abundant crop nest year, provided the mercury dont fall to 26° below 0. B. 



[When will our fruit fixrmcrs learn that it is their interest to take more care of their fruit 

 trees ? The same complaint of depreciation in the quality of our market peaches is all 

 but universal in Philadelphia. A few old kinds are occasionally to be purchased of tol- 

 erable quality, but as a rule, the peach crop is decidedly inferior to what it ought to bo; 

 careless culture, and sometimes a selection of kinds to produce the greatest quantity, 

 regardless of quality, are the sole causes. IIow much certain " fruit books" have con- 

 tributed to this, both in peaches and other articles, we shall sometime examine ; it has 

 been recommended by some to select one kind of fruit for yourselves, and another "for 

 market," because it looks heifer or produces a greater amount of saleable product. This 

 is wrong ; let us always have the best, even at a little advance of price. — Ed.] 



Gardexia Laxdrethii. — In looking over the list of articles in the Horticulturist, exhib- 

 ited at the meeting of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in July last, I find it stated 

 that a flower of Gardenia Fortunii was exhibited by me; it was not a flower of G. For- 

 tunii, but of G. Landrethii, a variety I have known for sixteen or eighteen years, and 

 when first put under my care, was said to be a seedling of Mr. Landreth's ; now if not 

 identical with it, it is certainly equal to G. Fortunii ; I have frec^uently seen flowers on it 

 equal to an ordinary sized double white camelia. Yours, William Gixtox, 



Gardener to Dr. Jas. Rush, Philadelphia. 



Sensitive Plaxts. — M. Leclerc, of Tours, finds in sensitive plants not only a nervous 

 but a muscular system. The muscles are placed in the irritable portions of the plants, 

 and are tubei-culous and moniliform in their structure; one set connected with the nutri- 

 tion, the other with the life of the plant. 



