FEBRUARY. 83 



the house ; a serpentine walk leads from the house to the 

 gardener's cottage, shaded on each side by shrubbery, and con- 

 tinues from the gardener's cottage a straight walk, leading to 

 the beach, edged on each side with the pink daily rose, which 

 in spring flowers most profusely, and contrasts finely with the 

 pendent foliage of the Cerasus caroliniensis on the one side and 

 the Cassena (Holly) hedge on the other ; a continuation of this 

 walk runs along the beach until it meets the avenue leading 

 from the front door to the beach. On each side of this avenue 

 is a row of hollies pruned into square columns, about eight 

 feet high and six by three feet square : in the rear of each 

 side is a row of oaks, which does not seem to have met the 

 expectations, of the proprietor, whose object was to form a 

 kind of grove over the avenue. A walk leads from the house 

 to the vegetable garden, one to the stables, and one to the 

 barns, with a Cassena hedge on each side. I shall be under 

 the necessity of concluding here for the present. We have 

 in fl:ower in the open ground, (Dec. 16th), camellias, roses, 

 chrysanthemums, alyssum, and narcissus. 



RIPE GRAPES IN DECEMBER. 



BY M. n. SIMPSON, ESQ., BOSTON. 



In accordance with your request, I herewith give you the 

 modus operandi of growing grapes under glass, to ripen them 

 by the December sun. My former practice, to ripen grapes 

 about the first of April, was the same as practised by others, 

 say warming the roots by hot manure in the middle of No- 

 vember, and continuing the heat in the border, by fresh sup- 

 plies of manure, until the grapes ripened. I noticed the roots 

 are injured from this practice, and the expense is very great, 

 not only for the manure, but also for the labor of looking 

 after the border and replenishing it. Not being satisfied, I 

 concluded to try the following plan, which has proved quite 

 successful, and gives me the grapes earlier. 



We will suppose the vines were started in November of 

 last year. (1853). To get them in this state their habits have 



