THE MAGNOLIAS. 



317 



. 

 who eayh gave their views of planting, etc.; also, 

 their reasons for trees not living when removed. 



RiPE.NiNG OF Pe.irs. — Some prefatory remarks^ 

 were made by Mr. CorpocK. 



Mr. PiNNKY exhibited some very high colored 

 Barllelts, picked on the 1st of September, and at- 

 tributes their being so well ripened to the fact that 

 they were excluded wholly from the light, in bo.xes; 

 and thought that all autumn and summer pears should 

 be picked from a week to ten days before uiatiirity. 



Mr. B.^RRv's views coincided with Mr. Plnney's 

 remarks; and said that if pears are left upon the tree 

 till they commence to color, that much of their flavor 

 is already gone; and has noticed that out of .one hun- 

 dred pei-sons who gather pears, not more than one 

 picks them early enough. As a general rule would 

 say that summer pears ought to be picked ten or 

 twelve days before ripening; other sorts when full 

 grown. Still it was very difficult to give special rules 

 when they ought to be picked, which could only be 

 determined with much experience with the several 

 50rts. Thinks that the temperature ought to be 

 moderate — say fifty or sixty degrees. The winter 

 sorts will ripen best, or continue in season longer, if 

 ant in small boxes, say one-half a bu.-hel, and allowed 

 to remain in a rather moist temperature just above 

 the"freezing point. 



There was something said about the plum, in con- 

 nection with the curculio. Nothing new was offered, 

 however, to prevent this insect from destroying the 

 fruit. Could recommend nothing better than to de- 

 stroy the decayed fruit as fast as it fell upon the 

 ^ound. 



Invitations were read from the Genesee Valley and 

 Gincionati Horticultural Societies, also one from the 

 Ohio Pomulogical Society. The subject of the time 

 and place of holding the next meeting of the Society 

 was discussed with considerable animation by Messrs. 

 Tho.mas, CorpocK, B.4rry, Woodes, Townsend and 

 M.vso.n; and, upon motion of the latter gentleman, 

 Rochester was named as the most fitting place. 



Mr. TuoMAS proposed that an evening meeting of 

 the Society be held at Elmira during the time of the 

 State Fair. 



Mr. j'kost remarked, that arrangements had al- 

 ready been made by the State Society for Pomologi- 

 cal meetings on that occasion, and no further action 

 was tuken in the matter. 



On motion of Mr. Hooker, a vote of thanks was 

 tendered to the Common Council of Buffalo for their 

 kindness in giving them the use of their chamber. 



Remarks were made highly complimentary to the 

 exhibition and to the Buffalo members, when the 

 Convention adjourned. 



THE MAGNOLIAS. 



It is our intention to use the p.-iges of the Farmer 

 to call the attention of tree planters to the beautiful 

 and too much neglected American trees and plants. 

 In our last we gave the beautiful Yucca, and now we 

 would ask the attention of our 1-eaders to the Mag- 

 nolia. 



Among the multitude of trees which are suitaljle 

 for the embellishment of lawns, the Magnolias are 

 justly entitled to the highest rank. In P^urope, 

 whether we look in tlie little plot of the cottage or 

 the broad parks and pleasure grounds of the nobili- 

 ty, we find them among the rarest, most costly, and 

 most cherished ornaments. Even where the climate 

 will not allow their culture on the lawn, they are still 

 indispensable, and are grown under glass, as we grow 

 camellias. Fortunately the finest of them are natives 

 of our own soil,' and several species and- varieties, 

 making in all a handsome collection, are so hardy as 

 to flourish in almost every part of the United States. 

 The nurseries of this country, and especially those of 

 Flushing, have for many years propagated imd sold 

 vast numbers of the more hardy species, and yet the 

 specimens that we find around the country are few 

 and far between. One great reason is they are ex- 

 ceedingly difficult to transplant. We think we are 

 safe in saying, that for every one hunrlred that have 

 been planted, not more than ten are in existence. 

 They are difficult to propagate, also. Seeds are al- 

 ways scarce and dear, and it takes several years to 

 make a respectable sized tree. Planters aie in the 

 habit of committing a great error in regard to this, 

 as well as many other trees. They are not satisfied 

 to plant young specimens that would involve little 

 risk; they must have them large — large enough to 

 figure at once on the lawn with other trees — and 

 therefore they fail with their magnolias much more 

 frequently than they succeed ; and th:it, too, after 

 they have paid the nurseryman a good round price. 

 We must say candidly, to those who wisli to p'.ant 

 successfully, that they must come to this. They must 

 either take small plants, say one or two year trans- 

 planted seedlings, of such as are raised from seed, or 

 pay the nurserymen for raising good specimens in 

 pots. From what experience we have, tliis would be 

 our course. The spirit of impatience must abate be- 

 fore we really set on the right course in regard to 

 planting. The cry has been to a great extent, and 

 is so at present, " we want large trees — trees that will 

 grow up rapidly ami produce an innnediate effect !" 

 This spirit has filled the country with the coarsest 

 and most unsuitable trees that could po.~sibly be se- 

 lected for the purpose of embellishment. It has scat- 

 tered broad-cast abeles and ailanthus, and whatever 

 else promised the greatest amount of shade in the 

 shortest given time. The mistake begins to be felt, 

 and thousands of vain regrets are daily uttered. All 

 manner of hard things are said about the rapid grow- 

 ing trees, and they are threatened with nothing less 



