322 THE FLORIST AND 



of the same kind. It is therefore, necessary for the horticulturist to make 

 experiments both to secure new varieties and to 1 revive old ones ; and in 

 such experiments it is of the greatest importance that there should be no 

 doubt about the authenticity of the labelling, arising from carelessness, 

 misplacement, neglect in taking notes, or want of permanency in the 

 labels. 



The Doctor's mode of labelling involves some trouble, but he considers 

 himself repaid by the certainty of his results. His mode is to use wooden 

 labels marked with branding irons, which render the name as permanent 

 as the stick, and more permanent than those written with acid upon zinc. 



The mode of forming the irons is as follows : A set of bold faced print- 

 ing types is selected, capitals only being used, about half an inch in the 

 height of the letter. These are used as models in an iron foundry ; from 

 which iron types are cast, together with some spaces ; and hollow brand- 

 ing irons in which to set the types forming a name. These may be fast- 

 cued by a screw,, or by spaces. A vertical handle of thick iron rises out 

 of each. For the commoner varieties the types may be less in their re- 

 spective irons, and large quantities of the finished labels may be kept on 

 hand. 



Dr. K. uses bones freely placed upem the ground around the base of such 

 trees as are starved or bad bearers, and he showed me several which had 

 been resuscitated by the materials afforded by the slow decomposition of the 

 fertilizer. 



Although Dr. Kirtland is advanced in years, he is in full activity, and 

 enjoyifig a separate reputation in medicine, natural history, and horticulture, 

 sufficient to make him distinguished in each, without the aid of the other 

 two. 



He is now studying insects, a subject which he commenced at a period 

 when most people would feel themselves justified in relinquishing old studies. 



In the opinion' of Dr. Kirtland, the climate of northern Ohio is so well 

 adapted to the culture of grapes, that the time is not distant when it will 

 rival Cincinnati in the production of this fruit and the manufacture of wine. 

 Unfortunately, there is some danger that the cultivation of the vine and the 

 manufacture of its product, are destined to receive a check from the com- 

 bined action of a few fanatical residents of towns, who wish to trammel the 

 the great body of the agricultural population* with laws of merely a local 

 application!. 



