Vol. 1.— No. 46. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



365 



pendent of foreign nations, for a supply of 

 every necessary and luxury of life, which 

 can be produced, from our own soil, by the 

 persevering enterprise and skilful labor of 

 the inhabitants. Besides, national wealth 

 and prosperity are closely connected with, 

 and dependent upon, the successful applica- 

 tion of national industry to the production 

 of every thing, that is found to be useful, or 

 necessary. In addition to these considera- 

 tions, it is believed, that a permanent supply 

 of wholesome domestic nines, » ill, in a great 

 measure, banish the use of ardent spirits, 

 and, in this way, accomplish more toward 

 correcting the habit of intemperance which 

 now prevails to an alarming extent, than all 

 the associations of individuals t luat have 

 been, or can be formed, for that laudable ob- 

 ject. If these cheering and auspicious re- 

 sults follow the successful culture of the 

 vine, it may be safe to calculate, that one of 

 the greatest of national blessings, will, in a 

 i'aw years, assuredly result, from the direc 

 tion public opinion and individual enter- 

 prise seem to have taken in reference to this 

 subject. 



It may be expected, at least, that the high- 

 ly refreshing and nutritive fruit of the vine 

 « ill be added to the catalogue of fruits in 

 common use, and be generally cultivated in 

 the kitchen gardens of this country. 



To obtain new varieties of esteemed 

 'rapes, the process must commence when 

 the vines are in flower, by bringing the dif- 

 ferent sorts so near together, that the pollen 

 of the anthers of one kind, will communi- 

 cate with the stigma of the other, and the 

 seed obtained from the fruit, thus raised, 

 will yield a subvariety, differing from either, 

 yet partaking somewhat of the characteris- 

 tics of both the original stocks. The most 

 valuable additions to the modern varieties 

 ol grapes, in Great Britain, have been ob- 

 tained by sowing the seeds. Among these, 

 are the Red Hamburgh, and Miller's Bur- 

 gundy, which last takes its name from the o- 

 riginal cultivator, and is sometimes called 

 the Black Cluster. Tins grape, I am hap- 

 !u to add, is found in the gardens of mail) 

 members of this Society. Several excellent 

 varieties of the Sweetwater, Chasselas and 

 Hamburgh grapes, have been raised from 

 the seed, by English nurserymen. It is as- 

 serted, that the much esteemed Isabella 

 grape which is a native of the United Stales, 

 was produced by seed from one of the indi- 

 genous grapes, crossed by an exotic. Fine 

 specimens of the Isabella grape, have been 

 on this occasion, presented by several mem- 

 bers of the Society; and it may not be tin 

 worthy of remark, that one vine in this vil 

 lage, has produced from eight to ten bushels 

 of grapes dining the present season. For 

 eign grapes are apt, in this climate, to mil 

 dew, and are subject to a multiplicity of dis 

 eases which discourage and retard their cul 

 tivation. New varieties of every kind of 

 fruit and esculent plants, may be obtained 

 by means of artificial impregnation, or cross- 

 ing. This fact is observed by all who raise 

 different sorts of melons on the same piece 

 of ground. In a short tune they become in- 

 termixed, or crossed, by the bees and other 

 insects conveying the pollen of the flowers 

 of one kind, to those of another. Some 

 sorts deteriorate, while others improve, and 

 by planting the seeds, thus raised, for several 

 successive years, you obtain a melon which 

 is a new subvariety, eutirely distinct from 

 either of the sorts with which you commen- 

 ced. 



I would submit, with deference, for the 

 consideration of the Society, whether it 

 would not be an object well worthy their at- 

 tention, to encourage, in some suitable man- 

 ner, the raising of vines from the seeds, and 

 more especially, from the seeds of indige- 

 nous grapes, crossed by the most esteemed 

 varieties of wine and table grapes, brought 

 from foreign countries. The results might 

 prove the most auspicious for the interests of 

 American horticulture. What lover of ru- 

 ral employment and horticultural improve- 

 ment, would not delight to witness, in his 

 own garden and pleasure grounds, the off- 

 spring of his own culture, resulting from the 

 intermarriage of the vine brought from the 

 genial climate and classic plains of Attica, 

 with the blushing, bride of the American for- 

 est, that blooms and bears the clustering 

 'honors thick upon" her, until there conies 

 "a U.lling frost," when they drop, one after 

 another, upon th ■ desert earth, untasted and 

 unknown. Why may not our own cultiva- 

 ted woodlands, at no distant day, be devo- 

 ted, like the grove of Ojont.es, to scenes of 

 rural festivity and harmless gaiety, where 



already, in the surpassing fertility of its soil', 

 and 'hat then it will be more than the glory 

 of Roman citizenship, to say of a man, he is 

 a Genesee Farmer ? 



Those extensive gardens, that unite the 

 wildest scenery with the most picturesqui 

 beauty ; that present to the eye the lovely 

 lawn enamelled with flowers, and the silver 

 stream gliding over golden sands ; that con- 

 tain greenhouse plants of tender exotics, and 

 ever blooming flowers; that sustain the cost- 

 ly machinery of forcing houses, in which the 

 pine apple, the orange, the date and the fig 

 are laised with certainty and success; thai 

 ate planted with trees, and shrubs, and herbs 

 filling the air with balmy odors and aromat- 

 ic fragrance; that captivate the soul with the 

 delightful melody of rare singing birds ; 

 that refresh the senses with a perpetual suc- 

 cession of the most delicious fruits, can be 

 established and maintained only by royal 

 munificence. Beit ours to improve and a- 

 dorn the humbler walks of horticulture, in 

 which, practical utility shall be the foremost 

 aim : and when our gaidens are supplied with 

 an abundant variety of nutritious esculent 



flowing goblets of native wine will cheer the!' vegetables and delicious fruits, let the works 

 song and the dance, and their verdant bow- i of art and imagination come in aid of the ob- 

 jects of our Society, and give the crowning 

 effort to the whole. But the attainment ol 



ers and summer shade be dedicated to inno- 

 cence and love! Such scenes in ancient 

 days were the favorite retreats of poetry and 

 philosophy, of religion and patriotism. 



" There in perpetual summer shade, 

 Apollo's prophets sit, 



Amid the flowers, that never fade, 

 But flourish like their wit : 



To whom the nymphs, upon their lyres, 

 Time many a curious lay, 



And with their most melodious quires, 

 Make short, the longest day." 

 It is one of the most gratifying achievements 

 of science and the arts, that modern horti- 

 culture is so far in the advance of that of 

 the most polished nations of antiquity. — 

 Modern experiments have proved, that the 

 fruit of the vine, and the peach, may be en- 

 larged by making an incision, at the proper 

 season, around a fruit bearing branch, and 

 removing a strip of the bark. And buds, for 

 the purpose of inoculation taken from a 

 branch of the peach, thus treated, it is found, 

 will yield larger fruit. Similar experiments 

 upon other fruits, would, perhaps, lead to the 

 like results. Celery has been recently rais- 

 ed to the height of five feet, perfectly blanch- 

 ed by keeping the plants constantly watered. 

 Many common fruits, that no gardener at the 

 present day omits to cultivate, as the currant, 

 the gooseberry, and the raspberry, were un- 

 known to the Romans ; and an almost end- 

 less variety of esteemed pears, plums, ap- 

 ples, cherries and peaches, has been, in mod- 

 ern times, produced, by planting the seeds 

 and kernels raised by the intermixture and 

 crossing of the different varieties of the same 

 species, and in this manner, the catalogue of 

 delicious fruits has been much enlarged. — 

 Even the far-famed gardens of the Hesper- 

 ides, situate near Mount Atlas, which con- 

 ained the golden apples that Juno gave to 

 Jupiter on the day of their nuptials, have 

 been rivalled and surpassed, in modern times, 

 by the British royal gardens of Kensington 

 and Hampton Court. Is it presuming too 

 much, to predict, that before the present 

 generation shall pass away, Western New- 

 York will rival the best days of Roman 

 greatness, in the richness, variety and excel- 

 lence of its vegetable productions, as it does 



these ejects, be they ever so interesting or 

 desirable, can be accomplished only by sci- 

 entific experiment and research and the pa- 

 tient untiring effort of skilful industry. In- 

 dustry is the magic wand that eonveits eve- 

 ry thing into gold : it smites the earth, and 

 it gushes forth with a profusion of delights : 

 it unfurls the sail, and the delicious fruits of 

 the tropics and the balmy spices of India, 

 are wafted to our shores: it scatters bless- 

 ings over every land, and contentment, and 

 joy, and renovated hope gladden the face 

 and pervade the hearts of men. 



The culture of greenhouse plants and 

 flowers, the fit emblems of vestal purity, 

 seems to fall, appropriately, within the pro- 

 vince of the ladies. These constitute, if 1 

 may so speak, the poetry of nature. Thev 

 paint the landscape with variegated and 

 beautiful colors, and fill the air with the most 

 delightful fragrance. Transplanted at the 

 proper season, they become, in the depth of 

 winter, the cherished and admired inmates 

 of the drawing- room ; and their verdure and 

 beauty form a pleasing contrast with the leaf- 

 less forest, and ice-bound earth. And, 

 while we award to the ladies exclusive do- 

 minion over this elegant department of hor- 

 ticulture, it would be inexcusable, in us, on 

 this occasion, not to acknowledge the obli- 

 gation this Society is under to them, for the 

 kind regards they have shown to it, by at- 

 tending the meetings, and entering the lists 

 of competition, for the rewards it confers. — 

 Cheered with the smiles of beauty, and ani- 

 mated by the presence of those whom we 

 most love and delight to honor, we have a 

 pledge of ultimate success, which canilot 

 fail to minister to the refinement of social 

 intercourse, and advance the more specific 

 objects of the Association. 



It is not among the least of the benefits of 

 horticultural associations, that their moral 

 influences are all on the side of virtue. The 

 grace and beauty of external objects, exert a 

 silent, yet certain and pervading influence 

 over the human character and affections.— 

 The simple and spotless nature of children, 

 delights in all the manifestations of good- 

 ness, which the kind Parent of the UnivejSE 



