su 



Tile Crocus. — The Grape Vine. 



Vol. X. 



The Crocus. 



The origin of the word Crocus is, perhaps 

 too uncertain to hazard an opinion upon. 

 The ancient fabulists employed it as the 

 name of a youth who was said to have " sigh- 

 ed away his life" and become a flower, — a 

 poetical idea, worthy of Ovid. 



Every one as naturally looks for Crocuses 

 in the flower garden, as for primroses on the 

 hedge bank, when the first warm rays of 

 spring remind us that vegetation is waking 

 from its wintry slumber. 



" Welcome, wild harbinger of spring ! 



To this small nook of earth; 

 Feeling and fancy fondly cling 



Round thoughts which owe their birth 

 To thee, and to the humble spot 

 Where chance has fixed thy lonely lot. 



" To thee— for thy rich tipped bloom, 



Like heaven's fair bow on high, 

 Portends, amid surrounding gloom. 



That brighter hours draw nigh, 

 When blossoms of more varied dyes 

 Shall ope their tints to warmer skies. 



"Yet not the lily nor the rose, 



Though fairer far they be. 

 Can more delightful thoughts disclose 



Than 1 derive from thee ; 

 The eye their beauty may prefer; 

 The heart is thy interpreter !" 



Bernard Barton. 



Tlie usual cultivation of Crocuses, as every 

 body knows, consists alone in once covering 

 the bulbs with earth. They grow and flower, 

 and grow and flower as regularly as the eartli 

 revolves about the sun. If however the finest 

 flowers be desired, or increase be wished of 

 any favorite sorts, the bulbs should be taken 

 up after the decay of the foliage, and re- 

 planted in September ; or they may be taken 

 up in July, and replanted at once. — Maund's 

 Botanic Garden. 



The Grape Viue. 



MocH has been said and written on the culture ofthe 

 grape: and much more will probably be necessary, be- 

 fore we shall generally be persuaded to art as if we 

 thought it worth while to e.^pend a little care and 

 trouble for the attainment of a far greater benefit. We 

 do not seem aware of the facility with which a luxu- 

 riant and fruitful vine may be obtained. The WTiter 

 recollects observing to a friend, some months since, 

 that "every man who had a foot of ground out side of 

 his house, might have a grape vine." " O," said he, 

 "no ground at all is necessary!" Well, but how is 

 ^hat ? " Plant your vine," he replied, " iii your cellar, 

 lead it out at the window, and train it up tlie building, 

 to the top of your house, if you like." Now, whether the 

 roots of the vine would be quite satisfied with the dark- 

 ness and coolness of the collar, without the light and 

 warmth of the sun, we know not, but it is mentioned 



to show the little excuse farmers have, who do not 

 luxuriate themselves, and enable their families to 

 luxuriate in a plentiful supply of this delicious fruit. 

 The following remarks of Dr. Underbill, a successful 

 culturist in the vicinity of New York, were made at 

 a meeting of the Farmers' Club, of the American In- 

 stitute, on the 7tli uli., and we take them from the 

 Farmer and Mechanic. — Ed. 



The grape is most delicious, most salu- 

 tary — diluting the blood, and causing it to 

 flow easily through the veins — thereis no- 

 thing equal to it for old age. In this country 

 its use will grow, will increase until its con- 

 sumption will be prodigious. It will supplant 

 some of the articles which destroy men, and 

 establish the cheerful body in place of the 

 bloated, diseased systems of the intemperate. 

 No disease of the liver — no dyspepsia are 

 found among those who freely eat the grape. 

 This remarkable fact is stated in reference 

 to the vineyard portions of France. Per- 

 sons who are sickly in grape countries, are 

 made well when grapes are ripe. And this 

 result is familiarly called the Grape Cure! 

 In this country our attention has been long 

 misdirected. We have spent years and 

 sums of money on imported vines. We 

 have proved the falacy of all this. The 

 foreign grape vine will not flourish in our 

 open air. It only thrives under glass! I 

 suppose that millions of dollars have been 

 lost on these foreign vines during the past 

 century. Climate has settled that question. 

 Our extremes of cold and heat are incom- 

 patible with the character of the foreign 

 vine. Time will show that our native stock 

 of grapes will, by cultivation, gradually im- 

 prove in quality. It is with them, as with 

 animals, great amelioration follows care and 

 proper knowledge. I spent some thousands 

 of dollars on the foreign grape vines, with- 

 out success. We want to supply our twenty 

 millions of people with fine grapes ! In 

 1830, France produced fourteen thousand 

 million pounds of grape.s. Of which, were 

 consumed on the tables and exported in the 

 form of raisins, &c., two thousand million of 

 pounds ! Are you afraid that our market 

 will be overstocked from the few vineyards 

 which we have 7 



There are many books on the culture of 

 the vine, but their doctrines are generally 

 not at all applicable to our country. Europe 

 has the moisture from the ocean — we have 

 the dry winds blowing over our continent. 

 More heat penetrates our ground in one of 

 our hot, briglit days, than England has in a 

 ^veek. Tiie books of Europe are an honor and 

 au ornament to the world — but they lead us 

 from tlie truth frequently — such is the great 

 difference of tlie climates of Europe and 

 America. We must here select our best na- 



