418 



THE VALUE OF ASHES, LIME, ETC., FOR FRUIT TREES. 



trial was made by setting two large clumps, 

 100 each, of seedling Camellias. They 

 were planted one foot by one and a half 

 apart, in very poor soil, shaded by large 

 trees, the aspect open to the northwest 

 winds. The two first years, they were pro- 

 tected by an open shed, that is, on three 

 sides, and the top covered ; the shed being 

 open to the southeast. Nothing was put 

 upon the ground to protect the roots. The 

 first winter the flowers were small and 

 stunted. Last season they flowered par- 

 tially through the winter ; but in the month 

 of April had as fine a show ofjioivers as if 

 the plants had gr&wn in the green-house; 

 and bore a profusion of seed. This season 

 they have no protection, only a thick cover- 

 ing of leaves, to keep the frost from the 

 roots. They look as well now as the plants 

 in the house. 



To give you some idea of our tempera- 

 ture, I will remark that, on new year's day, 

 1 had the Magnolia grandijlQra exoniensis 

 coming into flower ; and Chimonanthusfra- 



grans and several other plants in bloom. 

 On the 11th of January the thermo.meter 

 was below zero of Fahrenheit. In the win- 

 ters of '47 and '48, the mercury was dowrt 

 to tliree and four degrees. The Camellia 

 will stand a great degree of cold, provided 

 it is planted in poor, dry, gravelly soil, 

 where the roots of other trees absorb the 

 moisture of the earth, and pratect the plants; 

 from the sun. Last November I observed 

 that Dr. Edmo-ni>son had planted Camellias: 

 in various locations on the border's, to prove' 

 their hardiness. Respectfully, 



Sam. Feast.. 



The above interesting- account proves„ 

 conclusively, that the Camellia may be 

 considered a hardy plant,, under certain con- 

 ditions, wherever the winter temperature if- 

 not colder than zero of Fahrenheit. 



We look upon Dr. Edmondson's experi- 

 ments as also confirming our previous opi- 

 nion, that raising plants from seeds sowrn 

 in a given climate, is a great step towards; 

 rendering them hardy in that climate. Ej>. 



ON THE VALUE CP ASHES, LIME, ETC, FOR FRUIT TREES. 



BY F. R. ELLIOTT. CLEVELAND, OHIO 



It is well known, that all varieties of fruits 

 do not flourish and mature equally well in 

 all sections of the country. This has been 

 mainly attributed to climate ; and it has 

 not unfrequently happened that a fruit- 

 grower in one part of the middle states, 

 hearing the qualities of a particular fruit, as 

 grown in another part, has obtained and 

 fruited it ; and upon its not meeting the 

 pains bestowed upon it by the first grower, 

 has either counted the variety unsuited to 

 his climate, or classed the first grower as 

 ignorant and deceitful. Such decision, I 

 venture to assert, may frequently have been 



found hasty and erroneous. Had the reci- 

 pient of the new variety received, at the 

 same time, an analysis of the soil in whicii 

 that particular variety had been grown to 

 perfection, and applied such knowledge 

 justly to the soil in which he was about to 

 plant, the result would have been very dif- 

 ferent. 



Climate, I think, will be found to have 

 Yer)^ little influence upon the good o? bad 

 qualities of a fruit. Indeed, I am some- 

 what disposed to assert, that it has no other 

 influence than that of hastening or retard- 

 ing maturity, as it is cold or warm. Tb.e 



