THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE. 



JANUARY, 1852. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. A Retrospective View of the Progress of Hoi^ticul- 

 ture in the United States, during the year 1851. By the 

 Editor. 



No two seasons could be much more the reverse of each 

 other than those of 1850 and 1851. While the peculiarities 

 of the former were a mild winter, a cool and wet summer, 

 and a fine autumn ; those of the last year were a cold win- 

 ter, a dry summer, and a cold and unpleasant autumn. 

 Viewed in regard to the effect of the season on crops, &-c. as^ 

 a whole, the year just passed has been highly favorable, and in 

 some respects more satisfactory to the horticulturist than 

 either of the two which preceded it. If we except the pear, 

 which now for the third year has not produced a third of a 

 crop, other fruits seem to have been full up to the average. 

 Peaches were unusually abundant and of fair quality, but not 

 of large size. Apples tolerably abundant, and of other fruits 

 a good supply. Whether another year is to be added to the 

 cycle so unfavorable to the pear, remains to be seen. We 

 hope, however, that the coming season will be the first of a 

 series of favorable ones for this delicious fruit, at least to con- 

 tinue as long as that which has been so disastrous to the crop, 



January, 1851, with the exception of the two first and two 

 last days, was not a severe or unpleasant month. It com- 

 menced with the temperature at 2° below zero on the 2d^ 

 and 4P below zero on the 5th, but this was succeeded by a 



VOL. XVIII. NO. I. 1 



