Domestic JVotices. 307 



ed by a gentleman of New York that an amateur in gardening on Long 

 Island late y tried the experiment of covering his beds of rhubarb with 

 sea-weed, /resA from the sea, in order to preserve the moisture of the 

 soil. He has found it to answer every purpose, and the rhubarb has 

 grown with astonishing rapidity and vigor, while the plants in the neigh- 

 boring gardens have been partially dried up during the prevalence of 

 the late dry weather in that vicinity. It is not only excellent for this 

 purpose, but it prevents all weeds from growing, and the salt with 

 which it is naturally supposed to be saturated seems to increase rather 

 than diminish the growth of the rhubarb. We hope the experiment 

 will be tried by some of our friends in the vicinity of Boston, who will 

 note the results and give us all the particulars. Perhaps it would be 

 an excellent article to place around the roots of dahlias during the prev- 

 alence of dry weather. — Id. 



Echinocdctus Eyricsn. — A plant of this charming species, in the 

 collection of Mr. Leathe, Cambridgeport, is just now flowering, it 

 being the second time it has produced blossoms the present season^ 

 In April it opened two or three flovvers, and at the very moment 

 we are writing this notice there are two fine large buds ready to 

 expand. Its free blooming will render it extremely valuable^ as many 

 of the echinocactuses rarely display their blossoms. — Id. 



HorticuUural Society of Charleston, S. C. — The Horticultural Soci- 

 ety of Charleston, S. C. has published the list of flowers, vegetables 

 and fruits for which it pro[)oses to ofter premiums. A silver medal, or 

 the same amount in money, is offered for the finest show of tulips, hya- 

 cinths, ranunculuses, pinks, Stc. &c. Dahlias, roses, camellias, &,c. are 

 among the number of flowers. Of vegetables there are prizes for a 

 variety of things, such as cauliflowers, rhubarb, celery, asparagus, and 

 nearly all the more common vegetables. Strawberries, figs and papavv 

 apples are among the number. This society is in a flourishing condi- 

 tion, from the eftbrts of some of its more active members, and we are 

 glad to see such liberal premiums offered to induce growers to come 

 forward and exhibit. — Ed. 



Uredo vbsce seems very prevalent, this warm weather, on the calyx 

 of i^osa alba, both single and double, and attacks the upper portion 

 with greater vigor than the under surface of the leaves, its usual field 

 of operation. It is a pretty orange-colored fungus and parasite, of little 

 injury, though rather disfiguring, to the plant. — J. L. R., July, 1838. 



Training Isabella vines. — A correspondent of the Cultivator details 

 the following mode of training the Isabella grape, (probably applicable 

 to all American kinds.) 



" I have had the Isabella grape in my garden since 1819; but the 

 crop of fruit has not been good and full, oftener than once in three 

 years. The failure has usually been caused by the rotting of the green 

 fruit, about the time it attains its full size. Every means of j)reventing 

 that I could find any where suggested has been fully tried, such as long 

 and short pruning, and no pruning, thick and spare, upright and hori- 

 zontal training; topping the fruit branches, thinning them out, plucking 

 the leaves, &tc., without any perceptible benefit. 



" But having read or been informed, (I cannot say which,) that in 

 the vineyards of Madeira the vines are trained on a horizontal arbor, 

 about three feet high, in such a manner as completely to shade the 

 whole grounil, it occurred to me that it might be important, where the 

 summer sun is very jjowerful, (as with us,) to shade the roots of the 

 vines. To ascertain the effect of such a protection of the roots, in the 

 fall of 1834 I pruned about twenty young vinos, which had grovvn at 

 random, so as to leave from five to eight branches, spreading all ways 

 from the centre or root, like the spokes of a w heel, about four feet. 

 These 1 tied up to stakes set in a circle around the vine, leaving the 



