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XEW-YORK FAR3IER AXD 



ART. II. — JVeic-York Horticultural Society. 



The Society feel it incumbent on them to lay be- 

 fore the public, the following sketch of their doings 

 during the past year, and offer the following extract 

 taken from the annual report of the Inspecting Com- 

 mittee. 



The Inspecting Committee of the New-York Horti- 

 cultural Society, report that their weekly meetings du- 

 ring the past year, have generally been well attended, 

 and the articles offered for competition, have been 

 abundant and of good quality. Our collections of or- 

 namental plants and esculent vegetables, have been 

 considerably increased by very liberal contributions 

 from Drs. Ilosack and Mitchell, obtained by them from 

 their foreign correspondents, and generously presented 

 to the members of the Society. Several other gentle- 

 men in this city and in other countries, have likewise 

 contributed considerably to the augmentation of our 

 vegetable productions, two of which we think deserv- 

 ing of particular notice in the present report. The 

 iirst is that of the original Potatoe, the Solatium Tu- 

 berosum, obtained from its native soil and country, in 

 South America, and sent here by Surgeon Tinsler, of 

 the United States Navy, to Dr. Mitchell, who present- 

 ed them to the Society for cultivation. Thev were 

 planted, and grew with the same facility and vigor, in 

 stem and blossom, as those which have been so long 

 acclimated to our northern hemisphere : and in no par- 

 ticular, did the foliage or habit appear to differ, but 

 from the rambling fibrous roots which were produced 

 in great abundance. Not the least symptom of the for- 

 mation of the smallest Tuber, ever made its appear- 

 ance, although they were planted in the ground, and 

 continued a sufficient length of time in blossom, before 

 the frost set in, to have produced and matured an abun- 

 dant crop. A very striking evidence this, of the great 

 effect which soil and climate have upon the produce of 

 particular plants, and a most powerful inducement to 

 encourage our perseverance in endeavoring to improve 

 the produce and qualities of every thing that comes un- 

 der care ; for when we see the vast improvement which 



continuation of careful cultivation has effected upon 

 this now most valuable vegetable, we can scarcely 

 conceive to wliat a superior degree of perfection, a 

 proper mode of culture might yet bring many or per- 

 haps all our other vegetable productions. We do not 

 expect that any impro ement in the culture of the pota- 

 toe, will ever render it capable of producing an entire 

 substitute for bread ; but if ■'.;< ceedi ig generations can 

 support its improvement in any thing like a ratio, to 

 that which it certainly has und gone tin- one or two 

 years past, and the quality of wheat remain nearly sta- 

 tionary, it appears difficult I i detenfline at present, 



have to notice particularly, is called New-Zealand 

 Spinage, Tetragonia expansa, the seeds received by 

 Dr. Hosack, from Paris, and presented by him to the 

 Society, last Spring ; they were planted by Mr. Floy, 

 and succeeded remarkably well. It is very productive, 

 and continues fit for table throughout the summer sea- 

 son, is very wholesome and palatable, and may justly 

 be considered as one of the most important additions to 

 our vegetable collections that has been obtained foi 

 many years past. Several new varieties cf Tobacco, 

 and some of them of very superior quality, have been 

 received and cultivated for the Society, by Dr. Buxton, 

 whose ingenious attention to the cultivation of this par- 

 ticular plant, entitles him to great credit. The mem- 

 bers of the Inspecting Committee, have also greai 

 pleasure in being enabled to state that they have ob- 

 served an increased degree of emulation and industry 

 generally excited in the vicinity of this city, in horti- 

 cultural pursuits. At one establishment in particular, 

 they were so much pleased with the excellent arrange- 

 ments for horticultural improvements, as well as for- 

 promoting the health and vigor of its youthful and am- 

 bitions competitors, that they cannot let the present 

 opportunity pass, without expressing their highest ap- 

 probation of that valuable institution, the Lyceum of 

 the late Mr. Bancel, at Bloomingdale, whose grounds 

 every where exhibited the evidences of an enterprising. 

 well regulated improvement, and those departments 

 which were appropriated to the raising of vegetables 

 and small fruits, highly bespoke the care and skill of 

 an able horticulturist. But what attracted our atten- 

 tion above all, was a most beautiful group of miniature 

 gardens, all contiguous to each other, yet distinctly 

 separated by low lines of pigmy fences ; and in which 

 enclosure, every student had his particular parterre : in 

 some instances, two or more were associated in the 

 cultivation of one spot, and in order to encourage the 

 industry and improve the skill of their youthful cultiva- 

 tion, a premium was given by Mr. Bancel, to the culti- 

 vators of that spot, which competent and disinterested 

 judges pronounced to excel all the rest. Perhaps no 

 appendage to a literary institution could be attended 

 with finer or more beneficial effects than this. The 

 subsoil, if it may be called so, of the whole group, 

 seemed to have been but lately a bare rock ; but such 

 had been the ambition and industry of the little gar- 

 deners, that from the adjacent valley, ample depths of 

 good earth had been introduced, and an extensive 

 variety of the most beautiful flowers, shrubs, &e. 

 flourished in gay assemblage throughout the whole. 

 And while your committee lament the late event which 

 has interrupted the progress of this institution, and de- 

 prived our society of a most valuable member, thc\ 

 hope still to see many Mr. Banccls actively wielding 



which of the two, might then be found the most valua- or directing the spade, the hoc, and the rake. 



bio article of (bod. The other vegetable which we I The following is a list of those members of this S'o- 



