FARMERS' REGISTER— DAHLIAS, fcc. 



215 



the yellow locust for sale, and for sundry firming 

 purposes. From a quotation of his from the New- 

 York Farmer and Gardeners' Ma<;azinc, it appears 

 the expense of raising; a yellow lot ust tree tAvelve 

 years old, would be about eight cents and a half 

 These trees can be raised much sooner than the 

 white oak ; and the day is not far distant when our 

 farmers will have to raise trees for timber. It is 

 said wooden sills and rails, answer much better for 

 locomotive transportation on rail roads, than those 

 made from granite. !t is probable, therefore, that 

 if rail-roads answer t!ie expectations of those who 

 have tested their uses thus far, (of which there can 

 now be little doubt,) a great quantity of timber 

 must be used in keeping them up. 



The yellow locust would answer an excellent 

 purpose, for posts and rails too, for fencing. A 

 fence made of this kind of wood, would outlast any 

 that could be made of any kind of wood. A plan 

 was suggested to me, in- a conversation with a lar- 

 mer of great experience several years since, which 

 I think he said he had then adopted, which would 

 answer well in constructing a fence of yellow locust. 

 He said he had posts (or a straight fence cut and 

 carried to a convenient cover, and when his male 

 laborers could not be employed out of doors in rainy 

 or excessively cold, frozen weather, he had them 

 employed in boring and morticing his posts. By 

 this means he generally had enough on hand to 

 make all repairs to his fences, which were all post 

 and rail fences. The locust p^sts might be cut 

 and housed in the fall, and prepared in this way, 

 ■when the hands were prevented from being em- 

 ployed out of doors. We farmers in Virginia are 

 too much in the habit of saying " it will do," and 

 doing things in a hurried and slovenly manner. 

 Labor and pains, care and attention, are necessary 

 to attain valuable results, in any calling or profes- 

 sion. I hope your Register will tend to awaken 

 the zeal and the spirited exertions of our farmers, 

 to improve the face of our country, and add to our 

 comforts and happiness, as members of a free and 

 enlightened community. 



WILLIAM SHAi'DS, JR. 



Hickory Hill, Prince George, > 

 August 12, 1833. 5 



MR. SMITH S COLLECTIOK OF DAHLIAS. 



We invite the attention of all who are fond of flow- 

 ers, to the adverlisenient on our cover, of the valuable 

 and extensive collection of r^re and beautiful Dahlias, 

 belonging to Mr Smith of Baltimore, and which he now 

 offers for sale. No better opportunity can be availed ot 

 by those who wish to possess these splendid flowers, 

 which are as yet very rare in Virginia, though so fash- 

 ionable and highly prized elsewhere. The cause of agri- 

 culture is indebted to Mr. Smith for the aid which he 

 has for years been giving to it, as editor to the Ameri- 

 can Farmer, with much credit to himself, and benefit to 

 the public : and those who may now patronise his hor- 

 ticultural skill and labors, will at the same time make 

 some return for sacrifices of time and talent which he 

 has made for the general benefit. We have not the 

 pleasure of being personally acquainted with Mr. 

 Smith , but from all that we know and have heard ol 

 him, we feel assured that those who will direct to him 

 orders for his Dahlias, may confide perfectly in their 

 bsing executed, promptly and faithfully. 



We cannot boast of possessing either taste or know- 

 ledge with regard to flowers, and we are indebted to a 

 friend for the following information, which may be ac- 

 ceptable to those who are but little acquainted with this 

 splendid flower. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE DAHLIA. 



Loudon's Encyclopedia of Plants says, the 

 Dahlia is ' one of the most fashionable hardy 

 ' plants.' The Encyclopedia of Gardening says, 

 ' the roots of the Dahlia are tuberous and lascicu- 

 ' lated ; the stem rises from 5 to 8 feet, [rather 

 ' from 2 to 12 feet,] covered with large compound 

 ' leaves, resembling those of the common dwarf 

 'elder, and with side branches bearing numerous 

 ' flowers of a great variety of colors, which ajipcar 

 ' in August, [here in July,] and continue until 

 ' destroyed by frost. * * * At present (1827) 

 ' tlie Dahlia is the most fashionable flower in this 

 'country, [England] and tlie extent of its culture 

 ' in some nurseries, especially tiiat of Lee, is truly 

 'astonishing. Nor is this to be wondered at, as 

 ' Sabine observes, for, independently of the great 

 ' beauty and diversity of the flowers, they are in 

 'perfection at a season, when, till they came into 

 ' notice, our gardens had but little ornament.' 



Again, Loudon's Encyclopedia of Plants, speak- 

 ing of the class of syngenesious plants, says, ' [t 

 ' abounds in plants of ornament, all of which are, 

 ' without exception, of easy cultivation. It is not 

 ' necessary to particularize the merits of the bril- 

 ' liant varieties of the Dahlia, or of the Chinese 

 ' Chrysanthemum, which are the chiefestornaments 

 ' of every autumnal garden.' 



A fine double flower resembles in form the 

 double white Camellia Japonica; sometimes much 

 larger, and sometimes smaller. A large well 

 formed full blown double rose is a tolerable like- 

 ness of a common double Dahlia, except as to co- 

 lor, which is of every hue you can conceive of 

 being formed out of any of the primitive colors, 

 white, yellow and red. Many of them partake 

 largely of blue, but none are entirely of that co- 

 lor, always having a portion of red sufficient to 

 constitute some of the shade of purple. Others 

 partake largely of black, resembling at a short 

 distance, black velvet slightly tinged with scar- 

 let. The single flowers also assume various 

 forms. Sometimes they resemble sun-flowers 

 slightly ; at others, stars with five or six angles, 

 but of all the various colors above described. 

 They have no fragrance, and continue to bloom 

 abundantly from July till stopped by severe frost. 

 The plants are coarse, and no way prepossessing 

 till in flower ; but then, all other flowers are 

 passed by. The roots are like sweet potatoes, 

 and attached by the end to the stalk, and require 

 slight protection from the frost in winter, w hich 

 is easily aftbrdcd by placing them in a cellar, or 

 in the holes with Irish potatoes or turnips. 



EXPECTED SPECULATIONS. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



I predict that there will be a good deal of specu- 

 lation in the next six months, and consequently, a 

 good many losses in the six which will follow. 

 Some will speculate in flour, because there may be 

 a short crop of wheat in England — some in cotton, 

 because there icas a small crop last year — some in 

 tobacco, because there is less shipped this year than 



usual, AN OLD MERCHANT. 



