Domestic Notices. 33 



fertile, and yet, though in the vicinity of male plants, pro- 

 duce no fruit; whether from a constitutional or organic de- 

 fect remains unknown. Never haviugcultivated tlie llant- 

 bois to any extent we cannot speak from experience. It 

 scarcely seems probable that the Hautbois family will not 

 hydridize with other strawberries, when we have repeated 

 instances of hybrid productions where there is far less affin- 

 ity- 



The oftener our attention is called to this subject, the 



more we feel confirmed in the opinion that the theory of 

 Mr. Longworth is entirely unfounded: that there is no such 

 thing as male and female plants, though certain causes may 

 produce, as we know they have, fertile and sterile ones. 



In conclusion, we shall be pleased to gather up all the 

 facts we can in relation to this subject, and would therefore 

 invite our correspondent to try further experiments, for the 

 purpose of deciding, to the satisfaction of all cultivators, 

 tliis interesting question. — Ed. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Domestic Notices. 



Salt Ley for the destruction of the Curculio. — Our correspondent, Mr. 

 Ernst, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who visited the East last fall, has, on his re- 

 turn home, ffiven some account of his visits to the gardens and nurseries 

 in the vicinity of Boston, in the DcnJy Atlas oi ih^i city, a newspaper under 

 the management of Mr. Russell, formerly publisher of the Neio England 

 Farmer. In one of these letters, we find, among others, an account of 

 the excellent nursery of Messrs. Hyde, of Newton, and also the de- 

 tail of a mode of destroying the curculio by means of salt ley, as practised 

 by these nurserymen. Mr. Ernst states that a few years ago, Messrs. 

 Hyde found it impossible to save any plums from the ravages of the cur- 

 culio ; and they were advised to resort to saturating the ground for some 

 distance around the trees with salt ley, and since its application they have 

 found no difficulty from the curculio. The salt ley is the soap boiler's 

 refuse, a highly saline substance ; the query to Mr. Ern.st is, " whether 

 this saline substance does not destroy the curculio in its grub form in the 

 earth ;" if so, then the difficulty in the way of a plentiful crop of this very 

 fina fruit is entirely within the control of the cultivator, at so cheap a rate, 

 that no one need hesitate to employ it. Mr. Ernst recommends to culti- 

 vators in the West, a fair trial of this simple plan of getting rid of so de- 

 Stuctive an insect as the curculio. — Ed. 

 VOL. X. — NO. I. 6 



