188 Foreign Notices, 



Art. II. Foreign JYotices. 



Coloring of Garden Jf'alls. — Take a quantity of Lime-stone, as it comes 

 fresh (roni the kiln, according to the extent of" walling desired to be washed 

 over. Slack it with cold water; have ready some Jincljj sifted, clean, sharp 

 sand, and mix it wiih the linely slacked quick-lime, (in a large water tuh, for 

 the convenience of removal where required,) in the same proportion wiiich 

 is practised by builders in j)re|)aring a good cement for brick laying; add to 

 it such a proportion of the best bright red ochre, or raddle, as, whtn dry, be- 

 comes a lively blush, or pink color. This color, when laid upon the walls, has 

 a cold raw appearance ; but if double the quantity ol best bright Yellow Ochre 

 be added to that of the red, it gives a tint that is warm, rich, and pleasing. 

 Thin the mixture with cold water, till of the consistency of well prepared oil 

 paint. It is applied to the walls with the usual white wash brushes, and 

 when put into the method, any expert laborers lay it on expeditiously and 

 well. In using, stir it well up, so that the sand, &c., be kept suspended in 

 the water, to be taken up in its required ])rGportion, with the brushes. 



When the trees are all imnailerl, and the shoots and branches carefully 

 tied into bundles, and drawn to stakes, from the walls, j)revious to laying on 

 the mixture ; it is of importance that all moss and lichens, &c., be scoured 

 off from the face of the bricks, l)y rubbing them over with a free gritted stone, 

 and water, or with an iron scraper, taking out all bad bricks, rej)lacing them 

 with sound ones, and repairing all the bad joints, itc. In laying on the color, 

 it is of the greatest consequence that it l)e well worked into every chink, 

 hole, and crevice in the face of the walls; for they are more effectually j)re- 

 served from the frost and wet; and the hybernaculcum of insects are the 

 more effectually destroyed, and will well repay to be repeated every second 

 or third year. — Hort. Reg. for January, 



Art. III. Domestic JVotices. 



Weather and Climate at St. Augustine. — Extract of a letter to H. Huxley 

 & Co., dated Augustine, East Florida, February 23d, 1835. 



You will like to hear of events at Augustine, and sorry I am to announce 

 disastrous tidings. I believe I have eaten my last orange for some months. 

 I had cengratulated myself on escaping from the rigors of a northern winter, 

 but alas! "from Scylla we fall into Charybdis." When I saw the accounts 

 of the unheard of severity of your winter, I tliought myself lucky to be here 

 in Florida, but alas! on the 8th February, after a little rain, the wind veered 

 to the north-west, and a keen frost set in, rivalling the severity of your 

 general winter ; thermometer stood at 8 above zero ; water of all kinds froze 

 in my room. Y'ou may perhaps be aware that houses in this city are built 

 for the temperature of 60° ; have few windows, terraced floors, air holes 

 plenty ; are therefore little ada|)ted to such frosts as we have experienced. 

 Prior to this unfortunate visitation all looked gay and cheerful, the beautiful 

 green of the orange grove, sparkling with its Hesperian fruit (second crop)^ 

 was a gladsome sight ; the young blossoms were fast a|)pearing, and in a (avf 

 days we should have inhaled an Indian perftmie, from the thousand groves 

 around us ; a few annuals had commenced blowing. Alas! how changed 

 the scene. The trees are now of a yellow ochre color, the pendent fruit 

 looks parboiled, and, worst of all, the shoots of last year's growth are all de- 



