Domestic Notices. — England. 9 1 



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SOUTH AMERICA, 

 National Botanic Garden, Buenos Ayres, 10th August, 1826. This esta- 

 blishment was determined on in August, 1825, and in 1825, Mr. Alexander 

 Paul Sack, a gardener of superior education, various talents, and very 

 great experience, was appointed Curator, chiefly through the recommend- 

 ation of the Consul General, John Hullet, Eiq. We consider ourselves 

 fortunate in being able to reckon Mr. Sack among the number of our cor- 

 respondents, and have already received a long letter from him on the 

 subject of this new, arduous, and important undertaking. Soon after Mr. 

 Sack's arrival last summer with a great number of plants, an amended de- 

 cree of Congress of the 6th of June last was issued, containing fifteen 

 articles relative to this garden. Art. 3. states the duty of Mr. Sack to be 

 " to direct the administration of the garden for acclimating plants (aclim- 

 aticion) ; to plant and cultivate every tree of utility for shading walks or 

 roads, fuel, and for every description of construction ; every kind of 

 flowers, ornamental trees, fruits, medicinal plants, seeds, grasses, and pot- 

 herbs ; and to superintend a school of practical agriculture for the youth 

 of the different provinces." Mr. Samuel Attwell is named as Mr. Sack's 

 assistant ; a gardener is to be kept travelling in the provinces of the Re- 

 public, where correspondents and subsidiary establishments are to be ap- 

 pointed or formed as circumstances may require, &c. &c. The unsettled 

 state of Buenos Ayres has hitherto prevented Mr. Sack from being able to 

 do much; but whatever progress he makes, he has promised us an account 

 of it, sending in the mean time an interesting communication respecting 

 the potato, which we shall lay before our readers at an early opportunity. 

 Till when, we leave Mr. Sack, in the words of his letter, " employing men, 

 cleaning his Excellency the President's garden, where acres of potatoes are 

 hoed up, with other weeds common to Europe." 



Art. II. — Domestic Notices. 



ENGLAND. 



Botanical and Horticultural Society of Durham, Northumberland, and 

 Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The report of the Committee of this Society has 

 been sent us by one of its members, Mr. Thomas Smith, from which it ap- 

 pears to be a well-ordered and prosperous society. In this tract of twelve 

 pages is given a list of sixty-nine prizes awarded from August, 1825, to 

 August, 1826. We should be happy to receive some account of the origin 

 and laws and regulations of this Society, as well as of all other local societies. 



Ross Horticultural Society. On October 4th was held the last meeting 

 for the present year. The number of plates of fruit amounted to 186, most 

 tastefully displayed on two large tables. The Ross florists most splendidly re- 

 deemed their pledge in furnishing a stage of double Dahlias, which reached 

 quite across the top of the room, and contained 250 named flowers. On 

 the table were some extraordinary specimens of out-door grapes, and it is 

 intended next year to award prizes to this class of fruits. A monstrous 

 gourd was exhibited by the gardener of the Rev. Robert Strong, which 

 measured seven feet in circumference, and weighed 139 lbs. Mr. Hooper, 

 of Putson, exhibited a branch of a tree which appeared to be one of the 

 Hornbeams, out of which sprang oak and hawthorn leaves in great profu- 

 sion. The exhibitor, in a letter to the Secretary, declared it to be a na- 

 tural production. The sale of fruits, &c. not removed by the exhibitors, 



