Vol. X.— No. 31. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



24i 



er profits realized if these were more generally 

 understood. But it is to lie Cared tliat he, wiio 

 essiuniDg tlie doctrine advocated by the writer 

 svliose remarks have been examined, to the fidl 

 extent maintained by Inni, shall attempt on an ex- 

 tensive scale, to cultivate the more delicate veget- 

 ables, near the most northern limit of their growth, 

 will prepare for himself much disappointment and 

 Vexation. I apprehend it will be found, upon a 

 full examination of this interesting subject, that no 

 general theory can be formed from the facts as 

 they exist, but that it will appear that the wisdom 

 of Providence has been exhil)ited in adapting veg- 

 etables to their respective climates, and that while 

 some of them appear to flourish best toward their 

 most northern limit, others, on the contrary, will 

 be found in the highest perfection towards the 

 southern ; aud that in determining the fitness of 

 places for the production of different kinds of 

 plants, we shoidd take into consideration the vari- 

 ous circumstances of soil, climate, &.c, without 

 regard to any particidar theory. M. 



Berlin, Cl. Feb. 2, 1832. 



DWARF TREES. 



Mr Fesseivden — I have derived from your pa- 

 per so much valuable information, on all subjects 

 connected with horticulture, that I know not where 

 better to apply than to you for any information 

 on this interesting subject. I find frequent men- 

 tion made, in works on gardening, of dwarf trees; but 

 I have not been able to find any account of the 

 process by which these trees are produced, either 

 in the American Gardener or in any other woi-k 

 which I have consulted. In the New England 

 Farmer for February 1st, tliere are some incidental 

 hints on this subject, written, I presume, by Judge 

 Bnel of Albany, but no direct or detailed account. 

 The author concludes by advising his readers to 

 plant dwarf pear trees for themselves, aud stan- 

 dards for their posterity. As I have already done 

 the latter to a considerable extent, I should be 

 glad, if I knew how, to follow his advice in the 

 former respect, also. If the art of dwarfing trees 

 be not among the mysteries of the nursery, known 

 only to the initiated, I would respectfully request 

 Mr Duel or some other person acquainted with the 

 subject, to describe the process in your paper ; as 

 I doubt not it would be interesting to many of 

 your readers. Perhaps you can yomself furnish 

 the information desired, and thus oblige 



A Subscriber. 



PoHsmouth, JV. H. Feb. ]832. 



By the Editor. — -We have seen no directions for 

 causing trees to remain of a small size, or become 

 dwarfs, more explicit than the following from 

 Loudon : 



' The dwarfing of trees is a kind of artificial 

 beauty, much practised by the Chinese ; and 

 though the habit be kept up chiefly by withhold- 

 ing nourishment, yet the dwarf may be produced 

 by ringing a branch, enveloping it in a ball of 

 loam ; amputating it when it has made roots ; and 

 then pinching off all exuberance of growth, so as 

 to keep it in shape.' 



Pear scions may bejrendered dwarfs by grafting 

 them on quince stocks, and all the larger kinds of 

 fruit trees by inserting them in stocks of a smaller 

 variety of the same sj)ecies. Perhaps cutting in 

 or clipping off the leading shoots, as in trimming 

 hedges, may generally answer the purpose desired. 

 We shoidd, however, be happy to learn the opin- 



ion of Mr Buel and other scientific horticulturists 

 ^jU this sul'ject. 



DETERIORATION OF SHEEP. 



Mr Febsenden — I noticed in the New England 

 Farmer, No. 29, of the current volume, a communi- 

 cation under this head from Z. Barton Stout, of 

 the opinion of William Jarvis, Esq. of Weathers- 

 field, Vt. that the progeny of the Saxony and Me- 

 rino were diminished in size and healthfidness ; 

 to which opinion I fully subscribe. The lambs 

 are less rugged aud more tender. Those which 

 are dropped in the winter mostly die. I have 

 calculated to have mine come in April, but some 

 had taken the buck before they were separated, 

 and out of twenty dropped I have only four or five 

 survi'vors; and those which come so late in April and 

 May, do not get sufficiently grown to stand the 

 winter much better. But there is another failiu-e 

 as bad, the Jleece is much drier and of course nuicli 

 lighter, and indeed there is a less quantity of wool, 

 aud the additional price will not produce so much 

 in value. I consider the most hardy race of sheep 

 to be those which are just half merino and half 

 native, and carry the largest fleeces, and such 

 wool as that would suit our flannel manufacturers. 



Bridgeport, «. Feb. 6, 1832. B. 



HORTICULTURAL PREMIUMS— CULTURE 

 OF PLANTS. 



Mr Fessenden — In your last No. I noticed a 

 communication signed ' Rusticus,' regarding the 

 ' gross inequalities,' of the premiums awarded by the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and though 

 my usual avocations will not allow me to devote 

 much time to newspaper controversy, I beg leave 

 to offer a few remarks in reply. 



As regards cucumbers, forced and grown out of 

 doors, I most cordially agree with your correspon- 

 dent ; but that the same remarks are applicable to 

 grapes grown in the open air and ' forced,' (from 

 this term I presume he means grapes grown under 

 glass,) is by no means, so apparent. For my ])art, 

 I have never seen what is considered a forced 

 grape, by gardeners, in America, excepting the fine 

 specimens of White Sweet Water grape from Ja- 

 maica Plains, last season, and those were not exhi- 

 bited until July. What are termed forced grapes 

 in England, are those grown by artificial heat and 

 ripened out of season. The vines are broke in No- 

 vember or December, and the fruit ripened in May 

 or June, and in some gardens nuich earlier. Tlie 

 grapes grown under glass, which obtained the So- 

 ciety's premium last season, I did not see ; but 

 the fine specimens of Black Hamburghs, for which 

 the grower received the premium in 1830, were 

 not shown untilthe middle of September, andeven 

 those were not considered by judges as fully ripe, 

 and could not therefore be denominated ' forced.' 

 The only use I Imve ever seen made of glass for 

 raising grapes in the vicinity of Boston is in creat- 

 ing an artificial climate more congenial to the 

 vine's tender habit, not by any means to forcetheni ; 

 and I know from practical experience that it re- 

 quires more skill and attention to grow specimens 

 of Black IIand)in-gh grapes, such as most justly 

 obtained the premiums last season, in our very 

 precarious climate, out of doors, than it does under 

 glass, unlsss the grapes under glass are ripened in 

 May or .lune ; therefore in my opinion, the com- 

 mittee on Fruits would be justified in offering a 

 higher premium for superior .specimens of grapes 

 grown out of doors than under glass, unless as before 



stated, the grapes under glass are ripened by 

 the first of June. 



Your correspondent's remarlcs on the premimns 

 awarded for flowers are equally erroneous. I do 

 not think he is much of a florist, at least I am con- 

 fident that he knows nothing of growing Chrysan- 

 themums. It is very well known to every good 

 grower of that most beautiful flower that the com- 

 ])ost, to grow them well, requires as much care and 

 time in the i)reparation as the compost for Tulips 

 orRanuncules ; and allowing that they are struck 

 from mere cuttings, (as he says,) in the spring, say 

 the 1st of April, he must be completely ignorant of 

 the treatment of the plant not to be aware that it 

 it requires ten times more trouble and expense to 

 bring them to perfection than it does either of the 

 other mentioned flowers. If it will not occupy too 

 much of your valuable paper I will endeavor for 

 the information of your correspondent to point out 

 the method with which I have treated Chrysanthe- 

 mums and Tulips for sotne years, I flatter myself 

 with a good deal ofsucces.s, and leave him to judge 

 which gives the most trouble. Chrysanthemtiins, 

 when the cuttings are rooted, I put into one cent 

 pots — shac]e them for a few days, until the roots 

 get hold of the soil,— then plunge the pots in the 

 open ground in a sheltered situation ; water tliem 

 every day in dry weather, — and if very dry, twice 

 a day. They stand in this manner until about the 

 last of June when I re-pot them into a pot one 

 size larger ; they then imdergo the same process 

 of shading and re-phmging. The daily watering 

 is continued. In this manner they stand until 

 the last of August, with the exception of being 

 necessary to tie them to neat sticks to prevent the 

 winds frotn breaking them. At that time I re-pot 

 them into the pots to flower, (the size of the pots 

 in which I flower them are generally 4 cents.) 

 They have to be shaded again for a few days, then 

 set in some sheltered situation upon boards, to 

 prevent the worms from getting into the pots. 

 They must now be very copiously watered every 

 dry day, as they are now fortning their flower- 

 buds. If they are not well watered at this time, 

 thej' are sure to flower small — manure water 

 once or twice a week, will much increase the size 

 of the flower. They stand in this situation until 

 the second or third week in September, wlien I 

 move them into the greenhouse to flower. 



I generally plant my Tulip bulbs in November. 

 I have varied the time from the first to the last of 

 the month, without perceiving the least difference 

 in the residt. The soil in which I grow them, I 

 do not take nearly the same pains with as I have 

 always done with the compost for Chrysanthe- 

 mums. After planting, I let the bed lie until the 

 first appearance of a severe frost, when I cover it 

 with litter, or (as I think the best covering,) with 

 the coarse grass, called sedge, from the marshes. 

 I have no more trouble with the bed until spring. 

 As soon as the frost leaves the ground I take off 

 the covering ; reserving a little on each side of 

 the bed, if possible dry and light, and in case there 

 appears likely to be a recurrence of frost, shake 

 a little over the plants, which are generally at this 

 time, an inch or two above ground ; taking eare 

 to remove it next morning. By the second week 

 in April all danger is over from cold. I take 

 away all covering, clean the bed neatly, and after 

 this I have no more trouble until the time of flow- 

 ering, with the exception of once or twice going 

 over the bed with a trowel or small hand fork, to 

 destroy the weeds aud loosen the soil. When in 



