156 Foreign Notices. — North America. 



three days, is sufficient to destroy all the 'most hardy plants that are ex- 

 posed to its influence. I have known the thermometer 13° below zero. 

 Amongst the plants enumerated by Dr. Walsh, I recognise, as cultivated here, 

 the 5'olanuni Melonghm, //ibiscus esculc^ntus, several varieties of the fami- 

 lies of Cucurbita, 6'iicumis, and the /iicinus coninuaiis, which I was sur- 

 prised to find did not ripen its seeds on the shores of the Bosphorus ; it is 

 cultivated to some extent in this neighbourhood, and many barrels of 

 castor oil are annually sent to New Orleans. That most beautiful creeper 

 the Ipomoe^a coccinea, called here the Cyprus vine, is trained round our 

 windows, and the celebrated Mhadair of India (Ipomoe'a qitamoc/ii) adorns 

 our porches with its delicate pinnated foliage, and bright wreaths of crim- 

 son flowers." It is very manageable ; and, by means of threads, may be 

 trained into any shape of curtain drapery. 



We have had a most abundant crop of jjeaches this year, and also of 

 apples, but very few of my apple trees are yet in bearing. Mrs. Hall dried 

 a large quantity of peaches in the sun for our family use, and great quanti- 

 ties rolled under the trees, which might have been converted into brandy, 

 if we had had time to collect and carry them to the distillery. A bushel of 

 peaches yields something less than a quart of spirit, half of which you give 

 to the distiller for his trouble in distilling it. 



We had but few grapes this season in the woods, they failed generally, 

 and for the first time since I have been in the country, so that we are disap- 

 pointed in our wine, which is no small matter ; that made last year turned 

 out very good, and I had intended making a considerable quantity this 

 year. It is but lately that we found out the value of these wild grapes. I 

 tried the specific gravity of the must from them two years ago, and found 

 it to be 1091 ; this, by means of honey, of which it took one twelfth part, 

 I brought to 1124, the specific gravity of slbs. of refined sugar, mixed with 

 one gallon of water. The wine was good, and, as we get the grapes for only 

 the trouble of gathering them, and have plenty of honey, all our expense is 

 for the casks, which cost 1 dollar a barrel. I had the right of selecting 

 cuttings from some of the wild vines (for, being all seedlings, they vary in 

 quality), and making a plantation of them ; but the want of fruit prevents 

 my distinguishing them, and I must wait another year. The gravity of their 

 juice is superior to that of any of the cultivated kinds I have heard of. We 

 have had rather a moist summer and a wet autumn ; our wheat crop was 

 good, the quality excellent, and uninjured by the weevil ; but the ravages 

 of that destructive insect, for the last two years, have been so great, that 

 many persons were discouraged from cultivating wheat, and but little was 

 sown. This year there is much more, the Indian crop is very good, but 

 much of it is still remaining in the fields, owing to hindrance from wet 

 weather ; but of this we think little, as it will stand out the whole winter, 

 uninjured by wet or frost. It is a crop exceedingly well adapted to a thin 

 population. This is the finest mast season I have hitherto seen, and the 

 hogs are rolling about in the woods, quite fat, upon nothing but acorns and 

 hiccory nuts." — Thomas Hall. Wanbro', Illinois, Dec. 10. 



Scions for grafting, received from Jesse Buel, Esq. of the Albany Nursery, 

 — The Jonathan Apple. A medium-sized winter fruit, resembling Jilsopus 

 Spitzenberg, though I think preferable for the table, the flesh being more 

 tender, less acid, and equally high flavoured. — The Mouse Apple. An 

 earlier winter apple; flesh buttery, juic)', and peculiarly pleasant; colour 

 yellow; size above medium. — The Poughkerprie Russet Apple. Believed 

 to be very superior for cider, the juice abounding in saccharine matter, and 

 syrupy. The process of fermentation in a cool temperature is very slow, 

 and continues for a long time before the liquor becomes clear. — The 

 Pawnal Spitzenberg Apple. Named from its native place, and from its re- 

 semblance to the iEsopus Spitzenberg. It is a very superior winter fruit. — 

 The Straat (street) Apple. So named from the place where the present 



