■288 



GENESEE FARMER. 



D 



EC. 



Splendid Plants from China. 



Europe and America are already largely in- 

 debted to the "Central Flowery Land" for ma- 

 ny of the finest ornaments of their Gardens and 

 Green Houses ; but we think that the greatest 

 vegetable treasures and curiosities of that vast 

 country have yet to be discovered. 



Mr. FoRTrwE, who was sent out by the Lon- 

 don Horticultural Society, at the close of tlie 

 celebrated Opium War between England and 

 Cliina, to collect new plants, has returned during 

 the past summer, after a very successful mission 

 of upwards of 'i years. He has published a nar- 

 rative of his expedition in the last number ofthe 

 Horticultural Society's Journal. We have sel- 

 dom read anything more interesting — and, if 

 space permitted us, we would lay it all before 

 our readers, as we know that some, at least, 

 would peruse it with pleasure. 



Among the great number of novel and 

 beautiful productions he has secured, the most 

 important seems to be — 



Twelve or more new varieties of that splmdid shrub, the 

 Tree Palony, of various novel colors, such as various shades 

 of purple, lilac, deep red, white, &:c. A magnificent 

 Climbing Yellow Rose. 



Mr. F. seems to have been "enraptured with this discove- 

 ry, and no wonder. He says : 



•• On entering one of the gardens on a fine morning in 

 May, I was struck with a mass of yellow flowers which 

 ■completely covered a distant part of the wall ; the color 

 was not a common yellow, but had something of buff in it. 

 \vhi«h gave the flowers a striking and uncommon aj)pear- 

 an^e. I immediately ran up to the place, and to my sur- 

 prise and delight found that I had discovered a most beau- 

 tiful new yellow climbing rose. I have no doubt, from 

 what I afterwards learned, iliat this rose is from the more 

 Rorihern districts of the Chinese empire, and will jrove 

 perfectly hardy in Europe." 



The •• Five Colored Rose'' is another singular produc- 

 tion ; it produdes elf colored, red or white, and striped 

 blooms w ith both these colors, in the same plant. It be- 

 longs to the class known as China or Monthly Rose.*, culti- 

 vated in Green Houses and in the border during summer. 



The White Flowering Cr'lyci^ieor Wistaria. — This will be 

 a valuable acquisition. He found it entwined in an arbor 

 with one of the blue, with which its long racemes of pure 

 white flowers contrasted well. The blue we may remark, 

 is, v\ithout exception, the most beautiful flowering climbing 

 plant cultivated. It has been a long lime under cultiva- 

 tion, but is yet still rare and scarce. 



The celebrated Slinnghae Peach, a large fine variety. 



The true Maiitlariii (Jraiige. 



The Weigela Rosea, " one of tho most beautiful shrubs 

 of northern China, which was first met with in the garden 

 of a Mandarin, near the city of Tinghae, on this island, 

 (Chusaii) was this spring, (1844) loaded with its noble ro^e 

 colored flowers." 



/I :a/caj>-, several new, distinct and beautiful varieties. — 

 Alluding to these, Mr. Fortune says : 



'• Most persons have seen and admired the Azaleas which 

 are yearly brouglit to the Chisvvick fetes, and which as in- 

 dividual sppciinens surpsss, in most instances, tlioso which 

 grow and bloom on their native hills ; but few can form 

 any idea of the gorgeous and striking beauty of these 

 Azalea-clad mountains, where on every .side, as far as our 

 vision extends, the eye rests on masses of flowers of daz- 

 zling brightness and surpassing beauty." 



The most gratifying success has attended the transmis- 

 feion of the plants, as it appears that out of 69 cases sent, 

 only tiro of value\\K\e been really lost to the country. As 

 many of the finest species arc from the northern districts of 

 Ctiina, and consequently hardy, W"e may hope to see them 

 introduced to the gardens of this country in a year or two. 

 Their propagation will no doubt receive the utmost atten- 

 V'.'ixx of the most skilful English cultivators. 



Acknowledgemenls. 



Wf. are indebted to Mr. H. P. NoRToit, of Brockport, 

 for beautiful specimen.? of " Gray Doyenne and White Doy- 

 enne" (Virgaliou) Pears, from the garden of Mr. H. R. Ro- 

 BT. of that \illago. They were rflceived in fine condition, 

 and wore the most perfect specimens we have seen thia sea- 

 son ; as Mr. Norton says "not easily surpassed." The 

 •' Gray Doyenne" is comparatively little known here. We 

 shall refer to it fully hereafter. 



To Mr. J. M. \\'hit5ky, for a specimen of a fine, rich, 

 high flarorod little Pear, from tho garden of John Wil- 

 li \m<, Esq., of this city. It is in eating now, Nor. 10. — 

 We do not know its name. It seems to be a valuable vari- 

 ety, well worthy of a place in a good collection. We can, 

 no doubt, find out it? name next season, by seeing it bear. 



To Mr. Samuel A. Cuttleeeck, of Olcott, N. Y., for 

 a box of very beautiful and pleasant eating apples, which 

 he snys originated in that neighborhood. It is about medi- 

 inn size, roundish. Skin, pale greenish yellow, with a 

 bright scarlet on the exposed side. Flesh tender, juicy and 

 pleasant. Sub acid. Sept. and Oct. 



To the Shaker SotiEir of Groveland, Liv. county, 

 for a box of fruit containing several varieties of Pears and 

 Apples. We had a notice of these prepared for last month, 

 but it was mi-daid. Tile Pears were Virgalieu and Summer 

 Bonchretien. The largo russet apple is a spongy and poor 

 sort, not worth cultivation. It is known as the •' Chcese- 

 boro Russet." The others seem to be good varieties ; we 

 do not know their names. They were picked too soon to 

 admit of correct jtidgment being passed upon them. We 

 are happy to learn that the society is embarking largely in 

 the cuhure of the finest fruits They have fine soil, plenty 

 of it, in one of the best fruit growinir districts in the coun- 

 try. M'ith their good taste and abundant means and all ne- 

 cessary facilities, we have reason to expect much from 

 them. 



To Mr. Reuben Norton, of Bloomfield, for a basket of 

 " Melon" Apples, a most delicious autumn and early win- 

 ter fruit. They are tender and delicate as Peaches, and 

 one could eat almost as many of them. 



IlortieuUare in Mississippi. 



M. W. Philips, Esq., of Edward, Miss., writes 

 as follows in Hovery's Magazine for Nov. last : 



The improvement in fruits is rapidly progressing in this 

 State : quite a rage has sprung up to market fruit to New 

 Orleans. One gentleman within some ten or fifteen miles 

 of me has an orciiard of pear trees of several hundred, and 

 will, in 1847, have over one thousand trees. Another this 

 fall will have some three hundred. I can point to one or- 

 chard of peach trees tliat number over one thousand ; — to 

 an apple orchard of eight hundred, that was planted this 

 year within four miles of me ; my peach orchard numbers 

 over one hundred trees, with over three hundred large 

 enough to place in orchard, and over four hundred budded 

 this spring : — and, by the by, I can show a bud that was 

 put in about the 7tli of June, that is now near three inches 

 long ; it will be large enough to remove by fall. 



Yellow Newtown Pippin Apple. — A cor- 

 respondent at Syracuse writes us — " Do you 

 know of any case in which the Yellow Newtown 

 Pippin has done well in Western New York, 

 and if you do, do you know what the treatment 

 has been ? My trees do miserably in a rich, 

 warm loam, highly manured. They are 14 

 years old, and never have produced but one or 

 two good crops." 



Will some of our friends furnish us with in- 

 fornaation in relation to this apples. We know 

 of but a few cases where it is in bearing, in this 

 section ; in the most favorable of these, we be- 

 lieve, it produces poorly — at least cannot be said 

 to " do well." 



V\'E follow the world, in approving others, bu* 

 we go before it in approving ourselves. 



