142 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



WINE AND ALCOHOL OF ALGERIA. 



The wines were many of them poor. Out of 32 white wines 13 were re- 

 jected, being completely acid ; 10 also on account of having some foreign 

 material added to the native wines ; nine of them were made with care, 

 and were in good keeping. Thirty-one red wines of the vintages of '50, 

 '51, '55, '56 and '57, were tasted, and 27 of them rejected for acidity. 



SILK OF ALGERIA. 



Sericulture does not answer expectation here. Mulberry trees scarce, 

 and fears that this important crop will be lost here. 



COCHINEAL. 



It is feared that this product, of which Algeria has been much vaunted, 

 will not meet our hopes, on account of the considerable cost of hand labor 

 and the great care required. The specimens of it from our nursery are re- 

 markable for the richness of the coloring matter- 

 Fine crops of Madder, of highest quality known. 

 MINERAL WEALTH OF THE OLD REGENCY OF ALGIERS. 

 A mountain of iron ore, yielding iron equal to the best Swedish ; Argen- 

 tiferous lead — a maguifieeut mine now very profitably worked. Many other 

 precious minerals. Gypsum in various localities, valuable to agriculture, 

 &c. It has various conditions, from amorphous to perfect crystalline. — 

 Beautiful breccias — quarries of it near Medeah,&c. Onyx alabaster, semi- 

 transparent, very hard and beautiful, were exhibited as transpareiit mar- 

 ble. They are veined — come from Oran. 



The day is near when Algeria will pay for the immense expenses of this 

 conquest made by France. 



By Dr. Loirean. — Herbaceous grafts on icoody stocks succeed in the 

 climate of Paris, if done after the middle of May. 



THE LAWTON BLACKBERRIES. 



Mr. Lawton stated his method of pruning his plants. It consists in 

 carefully heading back all the branches to the fully ripened wood. In 

 some cases half of the length of the plant is cut away" ; generally about 

 one-third of the length is cut away. Then all the fruit comes to 

 perfection- Commence to head back with the plants the first year of 

 bearing, when 200 to 250 berries may be expected from each plant, as it 

 branches out very full of beai-ing limbs. Care is requisite in picking, as 

 the berries are not ripe when they first turn black. 



Mr. Burgess, a gardener of East New York, stated that he had a Law- 

 ton blackberry plant that had been set out two years, that bore this year 

 1,853 berries by actual count. He is saving all for seed, finding that they 

 produce true to their kind. 



'Solon Robinson. — I have a few words to say upon this subject. I ac- 

 cepted an invitation the other day from Drew & French, fruit dealers in 

 Barclay street, to go up with a few friends and see where and how the 

 Lawton blackberries grow. 



