426 Domestic Notices. 



claims which this countrj' presents and which have been most e^'egiously 

 overrated ; and also an account of the majestic evergreen and deciduous 

 trees, and of the unique and beautiful shrubbery, and the lovely bulbous 

 and otlier flowers with which the mountains and valleys are carpeted, but I 

 must defer them for an after occasion. I will simply remark, that I have 

 transmitted to the nurseries at Flushing, during the last autumn and winter, 

 the seeds of above one hundred and fifty species of trees, shrubs and plants, 

 entirely new to myself, and the most of them as yet unknown to tlie botanic 

 world. Among these were nearly one thousand bulbous roots, of numerous 

 species, collected in the mountain regions of tlie Sierra. I am taking every 

 means of obtaining additional species from all sections of the country, and 

 in the autumn I shall set out on my return to Long Island via Mexico, bring- 

 ing these collections with me, and I also shall bring with me what will not 

 be equally gratifying to the botanist, but may be measurably so to other scien- 

 tific men, — specimens of gold from all the various mining districts, from the 

 quartz boulder down to the fragments, tlie coarse grained, tlie scaly, and 

 to the almost impalpable dust. I have already sent home some beautiful 

 specimens, but I shall take, among others, one weighing about ten pounds, 

 which is about half the size of the largest that has been found in the region 

 of the Sacramento, and which I intend as a present for a much esteemed 

 friend. — Yours, very respectfully, Wm. R. Prince, Sacramento, May 28, 1850. 



The Cherry Tree Borer. — Dear Sir : I wish to inquire of you res- 

 pecting the borer which works in the cherry. He is evidently a small chap, 

 for only a small wire can be forced into his hole. He works in trees from 

 an inch to six inches in diameter, and from a foot to four or five feet from 

 the ground. I have never been able to find him ; for he is much like the good 

 ma?i in Scripture, "known by his fruits," (or rather his borings!) — Yours, 

 truly, J., Worcester, July 11, 1850. 



Grafting Fir-trees, the Shellbark, &c. — I wish to inquire about 

 grafting fir-trees upon spruce or hemlock ; also about grafting tlie common 

 liickory with shell-bark ; also, whether tlie Madeira nut-tree^can be had at 

 the nurseries of Hovey & Co. or where it may be obtained ? — Tridy, yours, 

 George Jaques, Jidy, 1850. 



[We presume the fir may be grafted on the spruce or hemlock without 

 much trouble, although Ave have not tried the experiment. Loudon, in his 

 Arboretum, describes a mode of herbaceous grafting which is practised suc- 

 cessfully on all tlie pine and fir tribe. The shell-bark may be grafted on 

 the hickory. The Madeira or Spanish nut may be obtained of Hovey Co., 

 and, we presume, of any respectable nurseryman. — £c?.] 



Stripping the Bark from Cherry Trees to prevent their 

 BEING Bark Bound. — From several experiments of my own and otliers, I 

 find that tlie cheiTy may be stripped of its outer bark ^v\\h perfect safety, 

 and that the operation is of great service in enabling tlie tree to pass 

 through the crisis from smooth bark to rough bark. When once this crisis 

 is passed, the tree appears less liable to injury from frost or heat than be- 

 fore. — Yours, J., Worcester, July, 1850. 



