xxii.no. a'' 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



203 



cicty, conducive to public virtue, promotive 

 alth and happiness, and one to wliich Wasli- 

 II was proud to retire, from one of the highest 

 >n3 ever conferred by man. But modern dis- 

 ■ies have made agriculture more attractive 

 forinorly. Now the application of science 

 »rs it an inletUclual employment ; so that the 

 er may improve his mind while improving his 

 and cultivate liis heart as well as his tariu." 

 'e conclude our extracts with tlie closing par- 

 phs of the address, in which a merited tribute 

 spcct is paid to the late Corre.-^ponding Secre- 

 of the Society, VVni. Lincoln, Esq. : 

 Genllemenof the Society : Your callin£r, im- 

 int ns it is, should never be permitted to iiitcr- 

 wilh higher pursuits. There is a culture more 

 irtant than that of the soil. 'Ihe intellectual 

 moral field requires our utmost care. We are 

 plants, which rise and blossom and decay. 

 t 'all llesh is grass, and the goodliness thereof 

 I the flower of the field,' is forcibly impressed 

 1 us at this time, by a recent instance of mor- 

 y among the officers of this Society. In the 

 h of their late Corresponding Secretary, the 

 lety has sustained a severe loss. Actively de- 

 d to the cause in which you are engaged, he 

 ight the treasures of his rich and well-cultiva- 

 mind, and laid them a willing offering at our 

 1. No duty was loo arduous for him to per- 



iii no E-crifice too great for him to make in 



cause of agriculture. Attached to your Soci- 

 by sympathy, by long and active labor, he was 

 of your more valuable members — among the 

 ;t faithful of your officers. No want of the So- 

 y ever escaped his attention ; he preserved all 

 interests with a fostering care. His labors al- 

 /8 contributed to the interest of our exhibitions ; 

 1 his presence on each returning anniversary, 

 s hailed with joy by a large circle of devoted 

 mds. 



But the heart which was warm with every gene- 

 is emotion, has ceased to beat. The tongue 

 ich could instruct or amuse us, is silent in death, 

 e place which he filled with so much honor to 

 nsilf and profit to the Society, is now vacant. 

 shall see our friend no more. But as Igng as 

 irtesy and kindness are regarded with favor, as 

 iiT as talent and genius command our respect, 

 long as benevolence and generosity deserve our 

 mmendatinn, or industry and fidelity are esteemed 

 virtues, the memory of William Lincoln will 

 cherished." 



APPLYING MANURES TO THE SURFACE. 



Whether putrescent manures should ever be ap- 

 plied to ihe surface of the soil, is a question on 

 which Ihe opinions of distinguished agriculturists 

 are far from being unanimous. The right deci- 

 sion of the question depends, in our view, upon 

 the following circumstances. 1. The condition of 

 the manure to be applied. 2. The character of 

 the soil for which it is intended, '-i. The nature 

 of the crop to bo benefited by it. 4. The time of 

 the year when the manure is to bo carried out. 



L If tlie manure to be applied hus been com- 

 posted, or if the process of fermentation has al- 

 ready spent its force upon it, there can be no seri- 

 ous objection to its being spread upon the surlace ; 

 since, the gaseous exhalations having already es- 

 caped, it is chiefly secured against the ravages of 

 ihe atmosphere; and from infiltration there is noth- 

 ing to fear, as that is the very process best adapted 

 to bring the decomposed particles in contact with 

 the mouths of the plants which are to feed upon it. 



2. If the soil for which the manure is intended, 

 be very porous to a considerable depth, the nearer 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF KRUITS. 



Saturday, Dec. 23, 1843. 



Fioni the President of the Society, u fine display 

 of Winter Pears, coiLsisliiig of seven ilislies, viz : 

 two of l$eurre d' Areniberg, one Passe Coliuar, 

 iwo Moiis. Le Cure, nnd two of Gloul Moreeau. 

 The riieiiibers present were indulged with the priv- 

 ilege of tcniiig the qualities of these Pears. AH 

 were eonsidcied fine, hut the Beiirre d' Aremliurg 

 was considered pre-eminent. In fact there is not 

 11 Pear named in the whole catalogue that will sur- 

 pass this excellent viiriely. It possesses one good 

 quality which is not eoinmoii with all the Winter 

 l>ears— tliiit is, its freedom from a propensity to 

 shrivel. It continues as fine, in this respect, as 

 when gathered from the tree. It is also an abun- 

 dant bearer, and thrives us well on the Pear as on 

 the Quince stock. 



From .losiah Lovetl, 2d, fine Glout Moreeau anil 

 Easter Bemre Pears: the last variety were hardly 



the surface the manure can be deposited, without I niature, hut considered fine for the season. 



Mosquitoes in jVovember. — The New Orleans 

 amend, of Nov. 24ih, says—" As we write, niyr- 

 Js of mosquitoes are hovering around us, like 

 il messengers. Think of that, ye frozen dwell- 

 8 at the North." 



Sir Humphrey Davy says the cause of the red- 

 ;e8 of the sky at sunset is, that the air being then 

 •y, refracts more red or heat-making rays ; and 

 1 dry air is not perfectly transparent, they ore 

 rain reflected in the horizon. 



too much exposure to the at'iiosphere, the better; 

 it being evident that the nutritive juices will soon 

 descend beyond the reach of the plants, if it be in 

 the first place buried too deep. 



3. If the crop to be benefited consist of any of 

 the finer grains or grasses, the application of the 

 muniirc to the siiifin,e (Imiunvcd in, in tlie case oi 

 grain,) will have a greater present cfi'ect than any 

 other mode of application, as the roots, that is, the 

 mouths of the plants, lying close to the surface, 

 will have the readier access to their food. That 

 natural meadow. land can thus be made to yield a 

 greater burden of grass than by any other means, 

 scarcely admits of a doubt. 



4. If the manure to be applied is summer-made 

 manure, which must be carted (uit in the fall, this 

 mode of application will have another argument in 

 its favor. By being spread at this season of the 

 year, after the heats of summer are past, the fer- 

 mentation and evaporation will be but slight, and 

 the rains and snows which may lie expected to fall 

 upon it in succeeding months, will either wash it 

 into the soil, or so imbed it among the roots of the 

 growing crop, as quite effectually to shield it from 

 the wasting action of the atmosphere the succeed- 

 ing season. 



One thought more upon this subject. With the 

 relations of plants to the atmosphere as a source of 

 nutriment, we are as yet much less acquainted 

 than with those which they sustain to the soil; and 

 agricultural science, in its onward progress, may 

 yet dcvelope the fact, that manures applied to the 

 surface, by exerting a direct and powerful agency 

 upon the leaves of plants, and thus promoting an 

 increased absorption of the nutritive particles of 

 the atmosphere, may prove more beneficial, espe- 

 cially in the case of grasses and the finer grains, 

 notwithstanding the losses they sustain from evap- 

 oration, than they would if buried beneath any por- 

 tion of the soil. — Foole's Prize Essay. 



F'roni Henry Vandine, Long Rose Water Pear. 

 By C. M. Hovey, from Ur. E. W. Bull, Hart- 

 ford—Apples : Peck's Pleasant, Jahez Sweet, 

 Hartford Sweet, and a seedling variety. The 

 sweet varieties are known in Hartford, and con 

 ?!dcred fine. Peck'- P!eas'.;nt wi? ton f;:r g-t'e to 

 give a fiiir opinion of its merits. The Seedling 

 was considered by some present, to be superior to 

 the Baldwin— of a sprightly character, and hand- 

 some red fruit. 



Fine Apples were presented from Joseph liallis- 

 ter, of Dorchester ; of a beautiful red color, flesh 

 white, and of excellent flavor. They were sup- 

 posed to 1)C identical with the variety known as the 

 Snow Apple. Mr Ballister gives the following ac- 

 count of them : 



" The kind of Apples sent are here known as 

 the ' Fameuse,' a French name. The scions Were 

 brought from Montreal. They are generally a 

 small apple : those sent are from my own orchard. 

 From high cultivation, the tree produces 25 bush- 

 els. 1 intend cutting some scions, which I can 

 send you, if you have not the variety with you, 

 nd should wish it.'' 



For the Committee, 



JOS. BRECK. 



Potatoes, according to the Journal of (commerce, 

 e now selling, in Now York, for seventy fice cents 

 bushd. 



A beautiful Oriental proverb runs thus : — " With 

 me and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes 

 atin." 



Al the beginning of the new year, ascertain the 

 amount of your expenses during the year past, and 

 the loss and gain, and record it. Having arrived 

 at this important knowledge, you will imitate the 

 prudent traveller, who always keeps in view where 

 he is next to move. You will thou look forward 

 and calculate how and in what way you shall best 

 meet and prosecute the business of the year begun. 



Grafting Grape Vl^ES.— In Hovey's Maga- 

 zine, a simple mode of grafting grape vines is de- 

 scribe<l, which in substance is us follows : Cut oflf 

 the vine below the surface of the earth ; split the 

 stork, as in cleft grafting ; let the scion be of one 

 year's wood, with two or three buds ; make it 

 wedge-shaped, and insert it in the cleft : if the 

 cleft does not hold it sufiiciently firm, secure it by 

 binding it tight ; draw the earth over the whole, 

 leaving the second bud from the top uncovered : 

 take ofT all sprouts from stock and scion, except 

 one, and train that as usual. We think those who 

 have unproductive, or wild vines, would do well 

 to try this method. The time is after the vines 

 cease to bleed. — Cult. 



It is a miserable hospitality to open your doori 

 and shut your countenance. 



