Vol. X — No. 33. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



261 



tJiculiirly and Ijorizontally, by the side of a stone 

 wall in rich soil. Moi^t of them took root and 

 sent forth branches, and will serve for stocks to 

 graft. I have more than a hundred old stocks 

 which I intend to graft in the spring. It is said 

 that the grafted vines will partake of the hardihood 

 of the native stock. No donbt many of the varie- 

 ties will endure our frosty climate. Should farm- 

 ers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire cultivate 

 vineyards of hardy grapes, no reason can be as- 

 signed to prove that they cannot make good wine 

 for domestic purposes. Respectfully yours, 

 WILLIAM CLAGGETT. 

 Portsmouth, AT. H. Feb. 13, 1832. 



WOOD SNAPPING ON THE FIRE. 



Mr Fessenden — Is it not a fact, that such wood 

 as hemlock, chesnui, &c, which grows in great 

 abundance in many parts of the United States and 

 Canada, would be more used for fuel if it were 

 not for its disagreeable and perhaps dangerous 

 fjuality, of snapping or throwing coals out of the 

 fire ? If such be the case, it may be well to make 

 it generally known that this quality, so far as re- 

 gards split wood, may be in a great measure over- 

 come by placing it properly on the fire ; tliat is to 

 say, by laying the inner side or that part which 

 was nearest the heart, towards the fire, for the 

 coals actually fly in that direction. A slight in- 

 spection of the grain at the end of the wood, will 

 show the side which grew nearest to the centre, 

 and this side should never be turned in any direc- 

 tion by which coals thrown from it can fall into 

 the room. A little attention to this circumstance 

 will enable many a thrifty housewife, to have a hot 

 fire made in an open fire-place, of wood which is 

 now considered almost detestable for that purpose ; 

 and perhaps she may learn, in time, to relish the 

 snapping sound, as Goldsmith seems to have done 

 that of the ' crackling fagot,' which he associates 

 in his ballad with the cheerful chirrup of the 

 cricket. Yours, C. 



ASSOCIATIONS TO PROMOTE THE 

 CULTURE OF SILK. 



To J U. Cobb, Esq ofDoilham, Mnss. 



1 would beg leave to make to you a few obser- 

 vations, without signing my name. 



I have seen your work, published by order of 

 the Massachusetts Legislature, and satisfactorily is 

 it proved to my inind, that the results of this 

 branch of industry may be of incalculable benefit 

 to the whole country, in time equaling, if not 

 surpassing, any other branch of our manufactures. 

 But, however much individual enterprise may do, 

 I cannot think its growth will equal its importance, 

 without associations formed in each county for the 

 raising of mulberry trees. I would suggest that 

 a paper be drawn up, setting forth the object and 

 giving to each signer half an ounce of the Mul- 

 berry seed. And every person thus a member to 

 pay some small sum (so as to admit all gratis in 

 agricultural i)ursuits,) yearly, itierely sufficient to 

 defray the expenses of the society ; this would 

 excite each and every one who has land, and 

 would make it one of the leading objects in the 

 country towns. Now is the time, while our legis- 

 lature are together, to endeavor by some means to 

 bring about a State Association, with the influ- 

 ence of the members of each county, who now- 

 more than ever, are looking at the subject. In 

 the county of Norfolk there would be no delay in 



forming a society, each pledging himself to plant 

 half an ounce of Mulberry seed and raise an 

 orchard of trees. For myself and others, I can 

 say you shall not want our assistance ; but it is 

 necessary that the project should be started by 

 yourself, who have a theoretical and practical 

 knowledge of the subject. 



Your obedient servant. 



HOP BEER. 



For one barrel, boil 1| lbs. of good hops and ]1 

 lbs. of ginger in 10 gallons of water, one hour. 

 Put 10 quarts of molasses into a barrel, to which 

 add the liquor hot, shake it well ; then add some 

 cold water and 1 pint ofyest, shake and stir it 

 again ; then add the whites of a dozen eggs finely 

 beaten and cold water sufiicient to fill the cask, 

 give it another stirring with a stick, bung it close 

 and let it stand one month. It should be made in 

 June or July — instead of half a pint or more of 

 rum per day, a moderate quantity of it should be 

 drank by the laborer, who will find it to add to his 

 strength and vigor, allay his thirst, and prolong his 

 life and consequently his usefulness. Try it and 

 see. J. T. 



Andmer, Con. Feb. 1832. 



HORTICULTURAL PREMIUMS. 



Thomas G. Fessenden, Esq. 



Dear Sir — I did not intend when I wrote to 

 you a few days since, giving out a few hints and 

 suggestions in respect to horticultural premiums, 

 &-C, to l)*ve troubled you again ; at least so early. 

 The purpose for which I wrote has been fully an- 

 swered. That is, to call forth the opinions of 

 some of the most experienced and scientific gen- 

 tlemen, as well as 'practical horticulturists.' It 

 is a nmxim of J. C Loudon, Esq. (a gentleman 

 who has undoubtedly done more for the education, 

 information, and instruction of gardeners, than any 

 other,) that all gardeners should be readers and wri- 

 ters as well as practitioners ; that they may readily 

 and plainly communicate their thoughts to paper. 

 For what can we learn from those who have stud- 

 ied the theory only ? But I am occupying too 

 much room in your useful paper, to indulge in any 

 speculations. I am much gratified to find that my 

 communication has drawn forth the opinions of a 

 ' Practical Horticidturis ,' and although he says 

 his ' avocations' are such as will not allow him to 

 devote much time to ' controversy,' yet I am highly 

 I)leased to find he is disposed to pay some little 

 attention to the subject. 



I think your correspoirdent has furnished us 

 with quite a treatise and one which may be very 

 valuable to some of your readers. But to come 

 more immediately to the subject, I shall begin and 

 substantiate what I said respecting the ' gross ine- 

 qualities ' which I spoke of in my communication. 

 As regards the remark I made in relation to cu- 

 cumbers, he cordially agrees with me ; but then 

 says the same remarks will not apply to grapes. 

 He says he has never seen, what is considered by 

 gardeners a forced grape, in America, excepting 

 sotne specimens from Jamaica Plains last season ; 

 and those not exhibited until July. I am sorry 

 that your correspondent and myself, did not alike 

 understand the word forced. What he terms, or 

 says Tire termed, forced grapes, are those grown 

 by artificial heat and ripened out of season. But 

 look a little further and what do we find ? he says 

 all the use he has seen made of glass, is to create 



an ' artificial ' climate, &c, and does not this look a 

 little like a contradiction ? The usual season for 

 grapes to ripen in the open air in this climate, is 

 generally in September or the early part of Octo- 

 ber ; and therefore if grapes under glass, 

 are matured by the first of August, as many were 

 last season in the vicinity of Boston, they must 

 have been forced ; for to cut ripe grapes by the 

 first of August, will require the space of five 

 months to bring them to perfection, and accord- 

 ingly the vines must be broke by the first of March. 

 Now, if the vine will not break until May in the 

 open air, it follows of course, that they must be 

 forced to break, by making or anticipating an arti- 

 ficial climate of the temperature of May, in March. 

 At two or three difl"erent places last season, I tasted 

 ripe Hamburgh grapes in the early part of August, 

 and if he will take the ojiportunity to visit the 

 same places at the present time, (at least soon,) 

 he will find that the vines are already broken 

 and artificial heat applied. Can lie then say 

 grapes ripened at that season are not forced ? 

 Not having the premium list before me when I 

 wrote, I inferred it read forced ; but have since 

 looked and found it read 'grown under glass;' it 

 however makes no material difference ; the anal- 

 ogy is the same. He says, from experience, he 

 knows it requires more skill to grow grapes in our 

 precarious climate in the open air, than under 

 glass, unless ripened in June. But I still think not; 

 in fact, / knoio from experience that it does not. 

 Speaking with the gentleman who obtained one of 

 the premiums last season, for the fine specimens of 

 Hamburgh, grown out, he said he bestowed hardly 

 any care upon them, not even to prevent the 

 approach of mildew. I exceedingly regret that 

 our oi)inions are so far at variance. 



My remaik.s on the premiums for flowers, he 

 thinks equally erroneous ; and thinks, or knows, I 

 ain no florist ; at least, is confident I know nothing 

 of growing Chrysanthemums. We will see how 

 his arguments prove. He has told us, what almost 

 every one knows, how to pot and water them ; 

 but has said very little on the particular point 

 where we differ. I spoke of the time, and prepar- 

 ation of the compost. And I am sure he has 

 never read Maddock's, Hogg's, or any other good 

 florist's directions,ifhe insists upon his point. I have 

 grown and have seen them grown, with as much 

 success as he flatters himself he has had in grow- 

 ing them, and have never myself, nor ever have 

 seen any one who thought of preparing the com- 

 post to put them in, until the moment they aro 

 ready to pot ofl". No one the least initiated, would 

 think of bestowing that care upon chrysanthemums 

 which the first sight of a tulip would denote. 

 Any who wish to have them can, and to great 

 perfection, with no other care or trouble than to 

 put them, as iie says, in any good loam, or loam 

 and vegetable mould, and keep them well watered. 

 As to watering them. once a day and sometimes 

 twice, it is unnecessary ; for they are generally 

 plunged in the ground in some rather shady 

 place, and twice or thrice a week is generally 

 enough, unless you wish to have them as large as 

 berberry bushes. 



Let us now see if it is ten times more IroijMe 

 to raise chrysanthemums, than tulips, ranunculuses, 

 or hyacinths. 1 hope your correspondent has had 

 observation enough of animal nature, to know that 

 what is life to one is death to another; and the 

 same may be said of vegetables and i>lants. That 



