No. 149.] 103 



Of what may be called Miscellaneous Articles^ tliere was almost 

 -an endless variety; to notice them here in detail, would take up 

 more space than could he spared to them : some were curious, 

 some pretty, and some by no means unimportant. For example, 

 beautiful specimens oi Galvanized Fruity vases of Wax Flowers, Flow- 

 er Slavds, Garden Syringes, Cliednuts without burs, Preserved Fruit, 

 Brandy Peaches, 5(7wccs, French Bur Pickles, Mustard, Maple Sugar, 

 JVative Wines, Bee-houses, Honey, &c., &c. The honey I had intended 

 to notice somewhat in detail, as well as a patent bee-house, and a 

 new method of feeding bees on artificial food ; but the notes which 

 I made for the purpose have been mislaid, and I deem it unsafe to 

 trust to my memory alone. I recollect, however, that tlie l^ee- 

 Jiouse struck me as being a most admirable contrivance, and seemed 

 every way to answer the purpose for which it was designed. 

 There were niches for glass jars and tumblers, wliich could be 

 readily removed when filled, and replaced by otliers. Tlie bees 

 could be driven from one part of the house to another ^t pleas- 

 ure, and in all particulars could be managed with the utmost 

 ease. Tlie honey made from this artificial food was of three dis- 

 tinct qualities, according to tlie com,position of the food ; and the 

 best was really a first-rate article. 



The display of Fruit was not so large as tliat of last year, as a 

 whole. Tills is to be attributed to two distinct causes: first, the 

 failure of crops ; second, the meeting of the Congress of Fruit 

 Growers at Cincinnati diu'ing our Fair, whicli had the etfect of 

 drawing oif a number of our large exhibiters, particularly tliose 

 at the west. The crop of JVufivc Gropes was almost an entire fail- 

 ure, caused by severe gales of winds in the early part of the sea- 

 son and later, which broke the vines badly, and either tore off 

 the leaves, or lacerated them in such a wa}^ as to render them 

 unfit to perform their functions ; the grapes consequently either 

 ripening prematurely and imperfectly, or drying up and dropping- 

 off altogether, as was to have been expected. This fact, in mv 

 opinion, is a strong argument, if any were neetled, against the 

 foolish practice of pruning off the leaves of a vine in order to 

 ripen the grapes. Experience has convinced me that the loss of 

 grapes will be in proportion to the loss of leaves ; and this seems 

 to me perfectly natural. I have seen it tried time and again 



