82 Domestic Notices. 



cive to fruitfulness. Mr. Laidlaw recommended a copious supply of water 

 at the roots of all wall trees during the time of the fruit swelling, and con- 

 cluded by giving a list of what he considered the best kinds in cultivation. 

 Mr. Moore agreed with Mr. Laidlaw that many of the pears deserved a 

 south wall ; he advocated root-pruning from a lengthened experience of its 

 BiTecis on pears. Mr. Rainbow said that he cultivated a great number 

 of the best varieties of Flemish Pears as dwarf standards, the roots of 

 which he regularly pruned, and thereby kept them in an excellent bearing 

 condition. He approved of thinning the shoots of peaches early, and stop- 

 ping those that were to remain as soon as they had completed their mid- 

 summer growth. Mr. Croxford spoke also in favor of thinning the shoots 

 of peaches early, but thought it advisable not to nail them to the wall until 

 the fruit began to ripen. — {Gard. Chron., 1847, p. 799.) 



Art. II. Domestic Notices. 



Gnaphalium Candelabrum, {Fischer ?) ; Chandelier-formed Gnaphalium, 

 (Compositas.) An annual, with numerous stems branching upward from 

 the root in the form of a chandelier, whence its name. 



Some seeds forwarded from Prof. Fischer, of St. Petersburgh, to the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, received last December, contained, 

 among other varieties, the above new (to us) species of Gnaphalium, of 

 which I was able to raise a single plant, which, during the month of Sep- 

 tember, gave a profusion of heads of flowers, of no merit as an ornamental 

 addition to the garden. They were not unlike those of the common Gnapha- 

 lium polycephalum, but destitute of smell. From a single root, many de- 

 cumbent stems issued, which afterward assumed a somewhat upright direc- 

 tion, branching in a somewhat verticillate mode, and reminding one of a 

 many-branched chandelier, so that the specific name was seen to be very 

 appropriate. The foliage, and entire plant, indeed, were very downy, and 

 of a silky, white, pubescent character. — /. L. R., South Hingham, Decem- 

 ber, 1847. 



Seedling Dahlias, Pelargoniums , and Roses. — I received a short note from 

 you, some time early in the summer, in which you promised to send me 

 some pelargonium seed, saved from your fine kinds. I have no doubt but 

 your diversified avocations drove a small matter like that out of your head. 

 For some four years past, I have amused myself with rearing seedlings of 

 different kinds ; and really, had I time, or if I thought you cared for it, I 

 could describe some results of my experiments, which would surprise you. 

 My first effort of the kind was with the dahlia. I have raised and flowered 

 more than a hundred, and can show now as many as six seedlings, which, 

 as our friend the doctor says, are really belter than most of the imported 

 varieties. " Betty Woodson," a distinct tri-color, and " Billy Button," a 

 crimson scarlet, are small, though perfect. "Miss Leonard," a large 

 white, with rich carmine tip, is rather more than semi-globular, and a very 

 profuse bloomer. 



