28 Domestic J^otices. 



Lima beans. — Notwithstanrling the coolness of the summer, my Lima 

 beans have done well, and if the frost holds off a little lonjier, 1 shall 

 have ripe seed, as I have had these five years past. I forward mine 

 in pots, and turn them out earlier or later, according to the season. I 

 early perceived that there were varieties of them, and began to select 

 the finest for seed: the consequence is, that I have finer Lima beans 

 than any one 1 have met with. — Id. [This is the proper way to keep 

 any kind of seed true, particularly so with the Lima beans; as they will, 

 if no pains are taken, soon degenerate into the common Sieva bean. — 

 Ed.] 



Divarf prolific Lima bean. — This variety I tried a few years ago. It 

 is very inferior — no better or not so good as the Carolina Lima, or Sieva 

 bean. — J. 



Seven years'' pumpkin. — Have you grown any seven years' pump- 

 kins? I have about thirty fine ones — the most beautiful fruit of the 

 pumpkin or squash kind I have ever seen. I am confident it is a great 

 acquisition. — Id. 



Columbia virgoulouse pear. — You are doubtless acquainted with this^ 

 pear and its history. The original tree is now standing on the farm of 

 Mr. James Corse, 'West Farins, Westchester Co., N. Y. The fruit is 

 large and fair: one of my pears w^eighed eleven ounces, and measured 

 ten inches in circumference. It is ripe in October, is extremely melt- 

 ing, capital flavor, and far surpasses any of the old varieties of the vir- 

 goulouse. Messrs. Bloodgood and Co., nurserymen, of Flushing, have 

 taken considerable pains to introduce the Columbia virgoulouse, and 

 now have a quantity of fine trees for sale. — Yours, J. A. T., Hartford, 

 Conn., Nov. 15, 1837. 



Yerbena Tweediekna. — I am a great lover of plants, and presume 

 many of your i-eaders are my partners in that love, and, as well as my- 

 self," have often heard of neio and fine plants, and almost as often been 

 disappointed in their j^ne qualities, at least to my idea of fineness. How- 

 ever, I ask liberty to introduce one that has considerable pretensions, 

 and in truth nine persons out of ten will pronounce it a real beauty — 

 perhaps not when it opens a solitary flower — but to behold, as I did, a 

 fev/ days ago, a plant of it eighteen inches high and about fifteen inches 

 in diameter, covered with nearly thirty corymbs of crimson flowers, 

 each corymb having open on it from twelve to twent}^ florets; such 

 surely was a floral beauty, and is known under the name of Ferbena 

 Tweedie(m«. It is more upright and stronger growing than the cele- 

 brated V. Mellndres [chamajdrifolia] and if not so bright, it flowers 

 more freely, and the florets and trusses are much larger. It is of easy 

 culture, either in the parlor or green^house, and will, the coming season, 

 prove itself a universal favorite to hundreds as well as to — Flora, Phil- 

 adelphia, Nov. 10, 1837. 



Epiphyllum IruncMum. — Did you ever see a scarlet parasole? I 

 never did until to-day. I was in the hot-house of George Pepper, Esq., 

 of this city, (who, by the way, has many pretty things and a very neat 

 gardener,) and saw a most splendid affiiir. The handle (three feet 

 long) was Cereus triangularis, and the cover was Cereus [Epiphyllum] 

 truncatum. It has been only about three years grafted, and is now near- 

 ly three feet in diameter, and covered with many hundreds of flowers; 

 and I venture to say that there never was a more splendid aftair over 

 the head of Victoria. The Piiiladolphia florists now generally practise 

 grafting that beautiful fall flowering Cereus on the C. triangularis: it 

 grows more freely, and is not so delicate in its treatment when thus 

 grafted; and they "find that the grafted plants command a higher price. 

 —Id. 



