120 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Oct. 31, 182.S. 



MISCEL.LAWI E S. 



The following lines to h Robin, lliat flew in al the window 

 ofMr Graiiame. willbe read with no regretted loss of time. 

 " Fj-om snowy riciiiis, and icy Sprays, 

 From moonless Niirhts, and sunless days, 

 Welcome, poor Bird! I'll cherish Ihee ; 

 I love thro, for thou truslcst me. 

 Thou neeii'st not dread a Captires doom ; 

 No ! freely flutter round my room : 

 Perch on my I,ule"s remaining string. 

 And sweetly of the Summer sing. 

 That note, that Summer note. I know ; 

 U wakes at once and soothes my wo, 

 I see the woods, I see the stream, 

 I sec— all still prolong the dream ; 

 Still with thy song, those scenes renew. 

 Tiio' through my tears, they reach my view . 

 Thus heedless of the raging blast, 

 'I'hou'lt dwell with me till Wiktek's past ; 

 And when the Primrose tells, 'tis Spring, 

 And when the TItrusli begins to sing, 

 Soon as I hear the woodland song, 

 Vllsel thee free, io join the throng!" 



Wc copy the following fiom the last number of the English 

 Gardener's Magazine. Mr Loudon, the Editor, remarks, " a 

 little care would have mdde ibis story of th.e progressof Jlr Thor. 

 burn's taste for plants, as good in its way as the Pilgrim's Pro- 

 Tress, but we have printed it word for word as we received it." 

 Messrs. Thorhurn, J^Jeiv York. — Mr Editor, In 

 your Magazine (Vol. ii. p. 34-5.) I ob.serve a notice 

 of the seed cstablishnieiit of Messr.s Tliorbiirn of 

 this city. I have often heard Mr Thorbiirn relate 

 the following interesting anecdotes of bis life, and 

 T,s you may rely on them as facts, 1 doubt not but 

 they will amuse many of your readers :— Mr 

 Thorburn is a native of Dalkeith, near Edinburgh, 

 and was by trade a nail-maker. In 1793 he be- 

 longed to the societies of iiarliameutary reform, 

 known by the name of Friends of the People, and 

 was a prisoner on that account at the time Muir, 

 Palmer, and others were tried and banished. He 

 o-ot out of jail by the influence of friends, and 

 fanded in New York in 1794, being then in bis 

 20th year. He followed nail-making six years in 

 New York, when the introduction of cut-nails, 

 [nails cut out of sheet iron by machinery] depriv- 

 ed him of employment. He then took to keeping 

 a small retail grocery store ; but as this did not 

 fully occupy his time (for even now he works 



coHvey the plants 200 or 500 miles into the inte- 

 rior, and would buy tlie seed if it could be had ; 

 others, again, would ask for cabbage or radish 

 seeds ; but as no one made a business of selling 

 seeds in New York in those days, he could not 

 find any to commence with. He related his plans 

 and difficulties to the gardener from whom he 

 bought ill! his plants, who informed him that he 

 was now saving seeds with the intention of selling 

 ^ in the market the following spring ; but if Mr 

 Thorhurn would take his seeds and plants, he 

 would keej) at home and raise plants and seeds 

 for Jlr Thorhurn to sell. A bargain was struck, 

 i and he thus commenced with a stock of fifteen 

 ! dollars' worth of seeds. Just as this stock was 

 I sold off, a passenger in a ship from London called, 

 I and offered to sell Mr Thorbuni a small invoice of 

 seeds which be had brought out. On opening 

 the cask, he found a catalogue ha.ving the time of 

 j sowing on the margin. This, Mr Thorburn ob- 

 I serves, v/as a prize to him, as it gave him the 

 time of sowing, and also a model from which to 

 print one for himself. After surmounting many 

 difficulties, the seed store is now located in a 

 building 60 ft. by 40 ft., late a meeting-house of 

 the Society of Friends, in the very centre of busi- 

 ness. Perhaps there is no where to he found a 

 building so well adapted, and a seed-shop so well 

 filled up with every thing necessary for the gar- 

 den and farm, as in this establishment. Seeds, 

 tools, pots, glasses, roots, and a library of the lat- 

 est English, French and American works on bot- 

 any, gardening, &c. are kept for sale, and also for 

 the inspection of the public (gratis). The seed 

 drawers behind the counters run the whole length 

 of the shop. Suspended above the drawers, in 

 handsome glazed gilt frames, is a complete set of 

 Curtis's Atlas, folio-sized, splendid and beautifully 

 coloured plates of camellias, prize carnations, 

 pinks, auriculas, raimnculuses, dahlias, &c. 



The large high windows are shaded with 

 landscape cloth blinds, and the walls above the 

 shelves and drawers are ornamented with elegant 

 scenery from the Alps of Switzerland, done on 

 French hanging paper. As yoti enter into the 

 front doors, it has the most imposing appearance 

 of any thing of the kind I -ever saw, either in 

 America or Europe. In front of the shop, to the 

 height of the bottom of the second storv windows, 



shop is appropriated to hot-beds and plant-pits 

 and was formerly the burying ground of the Meet- 

 ing, but has been very little used for that purpose 

 for twenty years past. The Friends wishing it to 

 be occupied as it is, sold it for a moderate price to 

 Messrs. Thoiburns, 20,000 dollars I have heard. 

 Before giving possession, the whole ground was 

 trenched to the depth of 7 ft., and all the bones re- 

 moved to a neat cemetery prepared for the pur- 

 pose out of town. As the spot I have been des- 

 cribing, antl the owners, are known to some of 

 your readers, I have no doubt but they will be 

 glad to hear of them. Messrs. Thorburn & Son 

 have done more to place gardening on a respect- 

 able footing, than any other two men in America. 



HORTULANUS. 

 Xew York, Jubj IG. 1828. 



flmnn<r h's seeds and plants almost night and day,) . , o^ni jioivi 



iimong n.s sKciis uiiu 1 a •",' is a grecn-hoiise, 85 ft. long, and 18 ft. wide. — 



he got a quantity of common flower-pots, and ^ 



Splendid Bulbous Roots, &{C. 



A furdier supply of Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, Gladiolus, 

 Snow Drops, C'rocus, Star of Bethlehem, Jouquilles, Ranuncu- 

 lus, Iris, Crown Imperials, Anemones, Crocus, &uC. from 12 to 

 62 cts. each. A very few of the finest Hyacinths, dark and pale 

 blue, pure white, red, yellow, and while with various eyes, at 

 ;^I per mot. 



The collection of LILIES is very splendid, comprising .Scar- 

 let Chalcedor.ian Lily 60 cents. Orange Poinpone Lily 37 cents 

 Chinese Leopard 25 cts. Orange Martagon 37 cts. Yellow Mar- 

 tagon 37 cts. Double Violet Flamed 37 cts. Purple and While 

 Spotted 37 els. Pright Scarlet Pompone 50 els. Double While 



37 els. Large White Garden Lily 12 eeats. Dwarf Chinese Red 

 Lily {Lilimn ccntcptor, new and very superb, one root only) ^1 ..'>0 



i'ULlP.S— splendid variegated, red, yellow, and nii.xed, i;: 

 cts. each, ,^1.00 per dozen. 



CROWN IMPERIALS— assorted, of the most splendid col- 

 ours, and showy flowers, large roots. 3R cts. each. 



.IONQUlLtE.S— sweet scented, finest roots, 19 cts. each. 



POLYANTHUS NARCISSUS— frag-ant, while with yel- 

 low cups, and yellow with double white cups, extra sized roots. 



38 cts. each. 



DOUBLE NARCISSUS— fragrant, of all colors, 19 cts. each 

 SPRING CROCUS— of all colours, 6 cts. each. 50 cts. per 

 dozen. 



The above roots are from the same house, from which we re- 

 ccivert our supply last season, and which gave such universal 

 satisfaction •, some of the double Hyacinths having produced 

 bells 1 inch and S-lCths in diameter. 



■ Purchasers are requested to notice that the above roots are 

 no' purchased fl( of/r/To;(, and are all remarkable for their size, 

 and tor the beauty and delicacy ot tint of their flowers. Those 

 sold at auction are generally the mere refuse ol the most inferior 

 collections, ^0:-^ roots being worth at home ten limes as much 

 as they generally sell for al auction, as will be seen by refereace 

 to the priced catalogues of any respectable house in Holland. 



Also pots for blooming the Crocus, in the shape of Hedgehogs, 

 Porcelain Dice-work Flower Baskets, (very beautiful) Beehives 

 Flower Pols, Half melons. Cones, &c. — a new article. 

 Two roots only of Wilmot's Superb Strawberry. 

 Just received at the 



N'cw England Farmer Seed Store, 



No. 52 North Market Street— Boston. 



painted them with green varnish color, the sale 

 of which exceeded his expectation. In the spring 

 of 1801 he observed a man selling plants, the first 

 he had overseen for sale in the market. — Care- 

 lessly passing the stand, he broke a small leaf, and 

 it smelling agreeably, he enquired the name of 

 the plant from which he broke it, and was told 

 that it was the Rose geranium. Mr Thorburn 

 says until that moment lie never knew there was 

 such a plant in the world as a geranium. Taking 

 another ob.servation he thought ihe plant would 



Through this you pass into the shop. This green 

 house is built on the most approved plan, and con- 

 tains now about 3000 plants. Between the green- 

 house and the stj-eet is a bed about 80 ft. by 25ft. 

 which, in the season, is filled with the handsome 

 Dutch hyacinths, tulips, &c. The whole is en- 

 closed with a neat iron railing and two gates, 

 where passengers are invited to walk in and look 

 around, and only required to shut the gate behind 

 them. It is a fact, which I have heard the Messrs. 

 Thorburn often mention, and which says much 

 for the good conduct of the inhabitants, and the 



birik well in one ot his green ilower-pots, to siand 1 , , . , r .1 1 .-r 1 1 



iuoiv wcu in one ui !'■= D , r -i I taste thev begin to have for these beautiful works 



,111 tlip rniinter to draw attention not lor the pur- 1 ^ , ., 1 • 1. i i .1 



on tiie counibi, lu UK. \ 1 of nature, that neither by night nor day have they 



liose of sale.) However, next day some one ian- 

 riod the plant and pot, which were sold at a shil- 

 ling advance. He next purchased two plants, and 

 disposed of them also; soon after he had twenty 

 or thirty, and, erecting a sintill stage in his shop, 

 opposite the door, he carried on a regular trade 

 of plant-selling. This being something novel in 

 New York, it drew attention. Strangers, when 

 going the rounds of curiosity, stepped in to see 

 tho plants : some wished to buy, but could not 



Orchard Grass Seed. — Fli7it Wheat, fyc. 

 ■ A fnrlher supply of Orchard Grass Seed — growih of 1828. 

 Two hundred pounds of Rod Onion Seed. 

 A few bushels While Flint Fall Wheal, commonly called Ca* 

 nal Whe:it. — Also, Oilman Spring Wheat. 

 Just received ^t the 



JVctc England Farmer Seed Store, 

 No. 52 Norih Market Street— Boston. 



by nignt nor day 

 known any of the flowers or fruits on their prem- 

 ises to be taken away or in any way injured, al- 

 though the oranges and lemons hang within 4ft. 

 of the railing fronting the streets, and may be eas- 

 ily reached Avith a hook or scape-net. The rail- 

 ing is only 4^ ft. high, and they keep neither man 

 nor dog to watch by night. Their whole estab- 

 lishment occupies 83 ft. by 90 ft. (Observe, it is 

 iu the heart of the city,) The around behind the 



Grape Vines. 

 The subscriber oflers for sale Grape Vines of several varieties 

 the produce of his garden in Dorchester 5 among them are the . 

 following ; 



Isabella White Muscat 



Sweetwater Black Hamburg 



Black Cape Elba 



Queen Muscatel [Muscale! 



Early Oval Alexander's or Schuylkill 



They are principally'of one j-ear's growth, planted under his 

 direction and superintendance, are warranted genuine, and are 

 in a healthful and vigorous state. 



The subscriber proposes to continue the cultivation of such va- 

 rieties of die foreign and native vines as are suited to this climate 

 and that will thrive in the open ground in town or country. 



Application mav be made to the subscriber, at his office, No. 

 7 1-2 Congress Street. or al the Garden. 10 Patrick Kennedy. 

 Boston, Oct. 3, 1828. ZEBEDEE COOK, Jr. 



Published every Friday, at g'i per annum, payable al the 

 end of the year— but those who pay within sixty days from the 

 time of subcribiog, are entitled to a deduction of fifty cenlsi 



