AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 303 



a little distance from the eastern front of Seckel's farm-house. It was 

 large, vigorous, and bore abundantly. Gen. Gurney from it inoculated 

 numerous pear trees on his place. Cherry Grove, on Shippen's lane. From 

 these the General gave numerous slips, and named it Seckel. The noble 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme pear was found in a hedge, wild. Some of these 

 pears have been so extraordinary in size, that one has been sold in New 

 York for five dollars! 



So much for seedling fruit trees. 



As to Seedling Oaks : Perhaps we may recover that extraordinary race, 

 now extinct, which existed many centuries ago, near Paris, from which the 

 rafters and other timbers of the oldest existing buildings in Paris were 

 made — growing very tall and almost of uniform diameter for at least forty 

 feet, and so durable that rafters put up of it 600 years ago are perfectly 

 sound yet. And perhaps we may gain in other forest trees singular advan- 

 tages. Of one advantage we are sure. According to our worthy co-laborer 

 in useful and beautiful botany, Mr. Andrew S. Fuller, we are sure of mil- 

 lions of trees at a trifling expense. Emmanuel, of Sardinia, may establish 

 a better policy in Italy, but can do little for which fame will never forget 

 him, than he has done by clothing his native hills with valuable trees, of 

 which they had been stripped a thousand years. He has put on them five 

 millions of forest trees. 



California reports an enormous apple grown there this season, being 

 fifteen inches in circumference, and weighing two pounds ten ounces ! We 

 have one, a model made by Townsend Glover, in our model fruit cabinet. 

 It is the Glovia Mundi. It measures the same circumference, fifteen inches, 

 and weighs but twenty-three ounces, while the California of same measure- 

 ment weighs forty-two ounces. There is an error of a pound avoirdupois 

 too much. 



PHORMIUM TENAT. 



The colonial government of New Zealand offer a reward of £4,000 

 sterling ($20,000) for a method of preparing this fiber for exportation as 

 fit for making cloths, &c. 



England cautions the world against buying the very cheap steam engines 

 made there for exportation, as very dangerous. 



L. B. Olmstead, of Binghamton, says to us : I used a solution of tar 

 and water to coat my seed corn, and then rolled them in plaster. They 

 refused to come up ; the coat was too hard for them. 



COMPOSTING MUCK IN WINTER. 



A. W. Harlow, of Windsor, Yt., asks our opinions "as to the best man- 

 ner of composting mock with stable manures. The larger share of these 

 is made in cold weather, and often thrown into an open yard, and hence is 

 frozen. When should the muck be dug — how preserved — how and when 

 applied to the manure ? Should it bo mixed with the manure daily, as it 

 comes from the stables ?" Important questions these, and, as he says, 

 doubtless are interesting to a great many persons beside him. I answer 



