THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE. 



JANUARY, 1848. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. A Retrospective View of the Progress of Horticul- 

 ture in the United States during the year 1847. By the 

 Editor. 



After four successive years of unusual drought in the 

 Eastern States, that of 1847 was one of more than the aver- 

 age of moisture ; vegetation of all kinds has been vigorous, 

 rapid and healthy : crops have been abundant and good, and, 

 with the exception of the still-continued potato rot, no season 

 could yield a richer harvest. Fruit trees of all kinds have 

 made a remarkably fine growth, and, though the fall was 

 protracted and mild unusually late, the wood ripened well, 

 and the promise of fruit another season is excellent. 



January last was a rather mild and favorable month, with 

 but little unpleasant weather, and with scarcely any snow. 

 February was ushered in with snow, continued variable with 

 more snow, and the last week of the month was severely cold. 

 March was a rather cold month ; the first week was pleasant 

 and mild, but, up to the 22d, it continued steadily cold, and 

 the last week was unusually severe for the season. April 

 opened more severe than we have known it for several 

 years; on the 1st, the thermometer stood at only 10°. It 

 continued quite cold and unpleasant up to the middle of the 

 month, at which time the frost was not out of the ground suf- 

 ficiently to plough : it remained unusually cool to the end of 

 the month. The first week in May was exceedingly cool, 

 but warm weather succeeded, and, on the 10th, peaches were 

 in bloom in warm situations ; on the 15th, pears were in bloom, 

 and, on the 26th, the apples were in full flower. The early 



VOL. XIV. NO. I. I 



