Foreign J^otices. 71 



of Vieenza for their wine; and t!ie reason of this is, that the wine there 

 smells of the wahiut, because the peasantry have a custom of traitiini^ 

 their vines on wahuu trees, iustead of using vine props. Tiiis smell 

 may arise from different causes; and it is a remarkable fact, that the 

 wahiut does not always irive its flavor to the grapes it supports, but, in 

 general, only to those which have grown on light and dry soils, when 

 the vine has received any bruise or wound, such as Ijy a severe shower 

 of hail, or by the roots having been injured by the plough. It thus ap- 

 j)ears to me, that whenever the wine tastes of the walnut, the spongi- 

 oles of the vines could not have been in a healthy state: the greater 

 j)art of them must have been decayed: and, froni the connection be- 

 tween the root and the stem, when the hail injures the shoots of a plant, 

 even the fibrils of the roots suffer, and are ])robably destroyed. It is 

 evident that the mutilation which the vine sustains by the plough must 

 also destroy the fibrils; and, in both cases, a section of the main root 

 becomes the opening through which the juices of the soil are absorbed; 

 aud instead of these juices being digested and projjerly prej)ared by the 

 spon<rioles, they are conveyed to the plant through the decayed or nui- 

 tilated roots, either by capillary attraction, or by the absorbent i)ower 

 of the roots, in a greater quantity, and in a comparatively raw state. 

 As the roots of the walnut which communicate with the water are 

 known to give it their smell, all the moisture which comes in contact 

 with the roots of the vine is im])regnated with this flavor; and being 

 absorbed and transmitted, without digestion, through the truncated 

 roots, jt gives the same flavor to the grapes. In the Nouveau Cows d? 

 AgricuUure, under the head of " Parsley," you will see it remarked, 

 that if the celery, (sedano,) is covered with new dung, it will taste of 

 it. I have mentioned this in a paper which I have written on celery, 

 in the Giornale ..igrario Lomhardo — Veneto; and shown how much 

 the French gardeners are in error, in taking up or transplanting celery; 

 by which method few or none of the plants have their roots entire. 

 Keeping these examples and principles in view, and following the same 

 process, who can say that it is impossible that the smell of the onion 

 may not be given to the rose, and the taste of the wormwood to the 

 peach.'' (S. Manelli, in Gard. J\Iag.) 



Art. II. Foreign Notices. 

 ENGLAND. 



Dahlia Exhibitions, and Prizes. — In our vol. Ill, p. 430, we mention- 

 ed several of the principal horticultural and floricultural societies in 

 England, which had advertised dahlia shows. We have received the 

 returns of most of the exhibitions of these societies, and from them we 

 have made out a list of some of the fine flowers that are known here, 

 which have gained a majority of prizes. It will show the taste which 

 exists among the florists of England, in regard to the beauty of the re- 

 spective varieties. 



The Birmingham Grand Show was held on the 20th, 21st, and 22d 

 days of Septemijer, 1837. It was one of the most splendid in England, 

 and upwards of £100 was awarded in various ])rizes. The jiremier 

 prize (£20,) was awarded to Messrs. Brown of Slough, for the best 

 twenty-four dissimilar blooms. They were as follows: — 



