Massachnsetts Horticultural Society. 



Art. IV. Answers to Correspondents. 



Knight's Monarch Pear. — M. C. Johnson. Knight's Monarch can be 

 readily distinguished from the spurious sort, by the wood, the habit of 

 growth, and the leaves. The spurious kind has dark purplish shoots, small 

 leaves, and a straggling, irregular growth. The true kind has olive colored 

 shoots, (inclining to yellowish.) medium sized leaves, and an upright and 

 regular, though somewhat spreading, habit. The wood of the spurious sort 

 is also more lomj, and shorter jointed, and less vigorous than the true kind. 

 We have both growing among our specimen trees, and they can at once be 

 distinguished from each other. 



Summer Pruning Grapes. — Allen Coffin. The process of summer 

 pruning is simple. If the spring pruning was properly done, and the 

 shoots tied up to the trellis, all that is now required is to top every branch 

 two eyes above the bunch of fruit, or the shoots that have no fruit, to about 

 four eyes. This is premising the vines are pruned on the spur system. 

 If on the long rod, or renewal plan, then all the shoots should be topped, 

 except those which are to furnish the shoots for next year. This has only to 

 be kept in view, no matter what form the vines are trained in. But all the 

 laterals should be kept topped to four eyes or joints ; if with fruit, then two 

 eyes beyond the fruit. By attending to this, the vines are kept from becom- 

 ing all matted together — the sun penetrates to the fruit — the air circulates 

 freelv, and ripens the wood — and there is an appearance of order and neat- 

 ness, which should always attend good cultivation. Keep the branches, 

 intended for next year's bearing, carefully tied in, as it checks the growth 

 to have the ends of them broken off. 



Best Twelve Camellias. — An Amateur. For a small collection, such 

 as yours, twelve of the most desirable are Double White, Lady Hume's 

 Blush, elegans, Landrethn, Henry Favre, candidissima, irnbricata, Donckel- 

 aeri, Chandler;, Duchess d'Orleans, Eclipse, Amabile ; these combining 

 variety of color, of good habit and free growth. 



Strawberries. — T. S. C. The first of September is early enough to 

 plant a new bed; on old ground, such as yours, the best plan is to 

 trench ; and this should be done immediately, so as to allow the earth to 

 settle. Trench two feet deep, and before planting cover the surface with 

 two inches of old well decomposed manure, and dig it well in ; then mark 

 out the rows and plant. You need not doubt of the best results from a bed 

 so prepared. 



Art. \ . Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Saturday, June 30th, 1849. — An adjourned meeting of the Society was 

 held to-day, — the President in the chair. 



Mr. Breck, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, reported that 

 the semi-annual exhibition had not been of any profit to the Society. 



