Vol. VII.— No, 27. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



213 



sively to the improvement of fruits, principally on 

 tlie plan of Mr Knight, hy raising new varieties. 

 Of new varieties of seedling pears, raised chiefly 

 by himself, ami Monsieur Duqucsno, of Mons, he 

 considers that his collection contains about 800 ; 

 bein" asked by the Committee, whether he meant 

 that they were all good, he replied, that there 

 were that number worthy of preservation. We 

 must, however, put down a considerable portion 

 of these as favorites from paternal regard, for we 

 do not find that the London Horticultural Society 

 to whom he has sent his best samples, have as 

 yet admitted more than half a dozen into the cat- 

 alogue of good fruits. Still his zeal is worthy of 

 great praiae. Our old fruits are running out, they 

 are subject to constantly increasing diseases. — 

 They must -have been all first obtained by seed- 

 lings, and when a good variety was tlius procured, 

 it was pi-opagated by grafts. Thus it has been 

 with our Seckle pear, the only known excellent 

 ;pear ever produced in the United States. It is 

 jiow in every good garden. But the present age 

 is not content with raising one good sort in a cen- 

 tury. It is the fashion to try the powers of na- 

 ture, and the next generation will see not only a 

 greater variety, but probably enjoy much better 

 kinds than any age which has gone before them. 



SWEET POTATOES. 



The sweet potato (Convolvulus Batatas) has 

 been of late introduced into culture at Paris, and 

 sent to that market for sale, and has been strong- 

 Jy recommended by Mons. Leiieurin a memoir on 

 that subject. Neither the soil, nor climate of 

 Paris is half as well calculated for this plant, as 

 those of the vicinity of Boston. All the •■„ i."ties 

 of the Old Colony, part of Middlesex, &i. ^nrne of 

 the warm spots in Hampshire are excellently 

 adapted to it. In Worcester and Berkshire it 

 would probably not succeed, except in some fa- 

 vored spots ; but if the horticulturists of Paris 

 have waited 200 years since they were introduced 

 into Spain, it is not surprising that we have so re- 

 cently brought them into experiment. 



A PHENOMENON IN GRAFTING. 



At Brussels, the Committee of the Caledonian 

 Horticultural Society witnessed one of the most 

 extraordinary experiments in grafting ; that of in- 

 serting an entire tree, on the stump of another. A 

 neighbor, having in the spring season cut down 

 an apple tree, about fifteen feet high, which Pro- 

 fessor Van Mons considered a desirable kind, and 

 a good healthy tree, he immediately selected a 

 stock o{ similar dimensions, and cutting it off near 

 the ground, placed on it by the mode of peg graft- 

 ing, the foster tree ; supported the tree by stakes ; 

 and excluded the air from the place of junction, 

 by plastering it with clay, and afterwards heaji- 

 ing earth round it. The experiment succeeded 

 perfectly ; the tree becoming in the course of the 

 second season nearly as vigorous as ever. 



Now though we would not reconunend this ex- 

 periment, because it must be very precarious, and 

 seldom useful, yet as being one of the highest Iri- 

 um|)hs of the horticultural art, we thought it wor- 

 thy of a place in this Journal. The first thoujiht 

 of transferring from one tree to another a differ- 

 ent specie's of Irnit by a naked wooden stem, v,as 

 undoubtedly bold and hai>|>y ; but an attempt to 

 transfer a lehoh tree in this manner, is certainly 

 original. 



By peg grafting it must be understood, that 

 mode of grafting which can only be practised on 



trees of exactly the same circumference, the barks 

 of which respectively will come into perfect contact. 

 A hole is made in the stock, of an inch or more in 

 depth,and the inserted tree or scion,is pared away so 

 as to fit exactly the hole so made. The surfaces of 

 the bark of each are then cut off smoothly, so as 

 that the bark of the inserted tree will fit exactly 

 all round with that of the stock. It is indispen- 

 sable, that the liber and alburnum, that is the in- 

 ner bark and the white wood of each tree, should 

 exactly meet. The experiment was more curious 

 than useful, but as a fact in natural history, it is 

 deserving of notice. Few men would probably 

 succeed in the attempt, but that it can be done in 

 an\j case, almost staggers our faith ; yet the au- 

 thority is very respectable. — Ed. 



RECEIPT FOR DESTROYING CATERPILLARS, CSBD 

 BY THE SOCIETY OF CHRISTIANS CALLED SHAK- 

 ERS, AT CANTERBURY, N. H. 



" Take equal parts of spirits of turpentine, and 

 train oil ; apply them by means of a swab fixed 

 on a pole, commence the operation in the spring, 

 (we suppose on the first appearance of nests) 

 when these devouring insects begin to appear, 

 and repeat the operation once a week, till the trees 

 are in blow, and very few will escape with their 

 lives." Signed F. W. 



The head of the Family. 



We must express our admiration of this receipt, 

 not because of its novelty, for either of the ingre- 

 dients would be quite sufficient to kill the insects, 

 as will common soap suds from every Monday's 

 wash, most thoroughly, wkhoM train oil or spirits of 

 turpentine ; but we admire it, as a specimen of the 

 practice and industry of these citizens. If our 

 farmers would only follow that part of the rcceijit, 

 which requires a iveekly attention, for three suc- 

 cessive weeks, it is immaterial whether they use 

 spirits of turpentine, or train oil, or soap suds, or 

 the brush, proposed by Col. Pickering, the evil 

 would be cured at any rate. The great difliculty 

 is the neglect to do anything, till after the Cater- 

 pillars have covered the trees with nests. Then 

 the labors of the sluggard commence, and one 

 tree, (let his receipt be ever so perfect and power- 

 ful) will cost as much time and labor as ten trees 

 would have required three weeks sooner. If our 

 fiirmcrs would only adopt that portion of the re- 

 ceipt, which requires a weekly attack on this en- 

 emy, the evil would soon cease, and in ten years 

 we should scarce see a caterpillar in the country, 

 by this course continually pursued, we have so 

 much reduced the labor, that we have not one 

 fourth part of the number we had three years 

 ago. — Ed. 



admiration of men in all periods and nations of the 

 world. What is the richest country without trees? 

 What barren and monotonous spot can they not 

 convert into a paradise .' Xerxes, in the midst of 

 his most ambitious enterprise, stopped his vast 

 army to contemplate the beauty of a tree. Cice- 

 ro, from the throng, and exertion, and anxiety of 

 the forum, was accustomed, Pliny tells us, to steal 

 forth to a grove of plane trees to refresh and in- 

 vigorate his spirit. In the Scapten groves the 

 same author adds, Thuc.ydides was supposed to 

 have composed his noble histories. The Greek 

 and Roman classics, indeed, abound with expres- 

 sions of admiration of trees and woods, and witli 

 customs which have originated in that admiration : 

 but above all, as the Bible surpasses, in the splen- 

 dor and majesty of its poetry, all books in the 

 world, so is its sylvan and arborescent imagery 

 the most bold and beautiful. Beneath some 

 spreading tree are the ancient patriarchs revealed 

 to us, sitting in contemplation, or receiving the 

 visits of angels ; and what a calm and dignified 

 picture of primeval life is presented to our imagi- 

 nation at the mention of Deborah, the wife of 

 Dapidoth, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, be- 

 tween Ramah and Bethel, in Mount Ephraim be- 

 neath the palm tree of Deborah. The oaks of 

 Bashan, and the cedars of Lebanon, are but other 

 and better names for glory and power. The vine, 

 the olive, and the fig tree, are made imperishable 

 emblems of peace, plenty, and festivity. David 

 in his psalms, Solomon in his songs and proverbs, 

 the Prophets in the subhme outpourings of the 

 awful inspiration, and Christ in his parables, those 

 most beautiful and perfect of all allegories, luxuri- 

 ate in signs snd similes drawn from the fair trees 

 of the east. 



BEAUTY OP TREES. 



What can bo more beautiful than trees? Their 

 lofty trmdis, august in their simplicity, asserting, 

 to the most inexperienced eye, their infinite su- 

 periority over the imitative pillars of man's pride ; 

 their graceful play of wide spreading branches, 

 and all the delicate and glorious machinery of 

 buds, leaves, flowers and fruit, that, with more 

 than magical cftect, burst from naked and rigid 

 twigs, with all the rich, and heaven-breathing de- 

 lectable odours, pure and fresh, and animating, 

 pouring out spices and inedicinale, brilliant and 

 unimaginably varied colors, under essences ; and 

 making music, from the softest and most melan- 

 choly undcv-toncs to the full organ peal of the 

 tempest. We wonder not that trees have been the 



SOURCES OF DISEASE. 



The efllu via of rotten substances are often un- 

 suspected causes of disease. The farmer, there- 

 lore, should be careful that he does not breathe m 

 the steams of his old dunghills more than is ne- 

 cessary. And the greatest care should be taken to 

 remove or cover with good loam all the filth of the 

 house, hog pen, &c. Scattering quick lime over 

 substances which emit unwholesome vapoi-s will 

 correct the evil. Spoiled meat, vegetaliles rotting 

 in a cellar, &c. are often harbingers of [diseaee. 

 The compound of lime and chlorine, called bleach- 

 ing j)Owder, is still better than quick lime as a rem- 

 edy against the evils arising from putrescence. See 

 New England Farmer's Almanac, p. 32. 



From the Christian Register. 



GEOLOGY FOR SCHOOLS. 

 Numerous reasons mge the introduction of Ge- 

 ology as a branch of common education. 



1. It is nearly allied to Geography, and like 

 that, is calculated to enlarge the njind, and ex- 

 tend its views of the works of our Creator. 



2. It is an interesting science. It opens to our 

 view a new world, and presents to us many ob- 

 jects of beauty and of interest before unnoticed. 



3. It is among the grandest of the sciences. — 

 It leads us to view with increased admiration, the 

 towering moimtain and awful precipice, and ac- 

 ouaints us with those features of the earth, -ithich 

 never fail to excite ideas of sublimity in the dull- 

 est mind. 



4. It gives new interest and increased utility 

 to our journeys and our walks. A person, with 

 the slightest knowledge of this science, never 



