140 
PARING P' OW. -AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
upwards of 2,500 varieties of the best foreign and 
native, some of the largest of which we noted were 
8 to 10 feet high. Nor was less attention given to 
roses. Here we found 1,200 varieties, the most 
superb of which we thought was La Reine—worthy 
indeed of being the queen of her species. Messrs. 
Hovey & Co. have taken the first premiums of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society for three years 
ast, for the best show of rare roses, and if we may 
e permitted to judge by what we saw here, they 
well deserved them. 
Mr. C. M. Hovey politely conducted us over the 
premises, and pointed out many other things worthy 
of notice ; but we regret to say, that the weather 
was excessively hot, and we had been so greatly 
fatigued by several other excursions during the day, 
before reaching these nurseries, that we felt little 
inclination to take notes, and have doubtless forgot¬ 
ten many things which we ought to mention. Yet 
this we remember, he has recently built a beautiful 
pointed Gothic cottage, and is now ta-stefully adorn¬ 
ing the grounds around with choice flowers and 
shrubbery, and within this we were hospitably en¬ 
tertained, and shown one of the best horticultural 
libraries we have seen in this country. Many of 
the works are rare, and others exceedingly rich and 
gorgeous in exquisite colored engravings, of supe¬ 
rior fruits and flowers. Mr. Hovey is the editor of 
the Horticultural Magazine, published in Boston ; a 
work too well known and highly regarded by the 
public to need any further notice of ours. 
These gentlemen have an agricultural implement 
and seed store in Boston, where they do an exten¬ 
sive business in their line. With all these varied 
occupations they doubtless have a pretty active life 
cf it, and we can only hope it may prove as profit¬ 
able to them as busy. 
PARING PLOW. 
Fig. 41. 
This plow is used for paring turf lands pre¬ 
paratory to burning. The share is thin and flat, 
made of wrought iron, steel-edged. It has a lock- 
coulter in the centre, and short coulters on the out¬ 
ward edge of each wing of the share, cutting the 
turf as it moves along into two strips about one 
foot wide, and as deep as required, there being a 
eliding apparatus put on the end of the beam in¬ 
stead of a wheel to regulate the depth of cutting. 
This is much preferable to a wheel for this particu¬ 
lar purpose. After the turf is pared off into strips, 
men follow with sharp spades and cut it into suita¬ 
ble lengths, say of two or three feet. These pieces 
ihey then throw into heaps after drying of which 
they are burned, and the ashes spread broad-cast on 
the land. Paring and burning is a very ameliorat¬ 
ing process for stiff clay soils; it changes their 
mechanical texture almost entirely, and renders 
them friable and suitable for cultivation. The 
paring plow is also an excellent implement for 
cutting off meadow-bogs and grass bunches, and 
turf for covering a grass plot. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
Since our last the Society has had two meetings 
per month, instead of one. At that on the 18th of 
March, Mr. Pell moved that a Horticultural de¬ 
partment be connected with the Society to make 
exhibitions, and stated that they would be well 
supplied and patronized, if premiums be offered to 
the amount of $400 or $500, and fruits, flowers, 
and vegetables be included in the exhibitions. 
The money necessary might be expected to be ad¬ 
vanced by members, as the constitution does not 
allow the Society to appropriate money not in the 
treasury. A similar Society was commenced in 
Boston a few years ago, from humble beginnings, 
and the income of the exhibition the past year is 
said to have been $18,000. 
The resolution was adopted, and the following 
Committee appointed to carry it into effect:—R. R. 
Delafield, S. T. Jones, Alex. H. Stevens, T. A. 
Emmet, Wm. S. McCoun, Hugh Maxwell, J. F. 
Sheafe, Shepherd Knapp, E. K. Collins, James 
Boorman, Jas. Lenox, Ambrose Stephens, R. B. 
Parsons, and R. L. Pell. 
Mr. Van Epps made some further explanations 
in regard to the silk business, showing that the 
multicaulis had done well in Washington, D. C.. 
where he had 20 acres set out, and intended to in¬ 
crease his plantation to 100 acres. Dr. Underhill 
said that however well this variety of mulberry 
might succeed elsewhere, it could not be depended 
upon to stand the rigor of the New York winters. 
Mr. Seeley addressed the Society on the influ¬ 
ence of electricity on vegetation, and thought that 
the causes of failure were owing to the erroneous 
manner of applying it to growing plants. 
At the meeting on the 1st of April, various 
grafts, seeds, and vegetables were offered for dis¬ 
tribution among the members. Of the latter there 
were some fine large stalks of the pie-plant from 
Mr. Pell, who said that by selecting roots in the 
fall and placing them in the loam under the shelves 
of the green-house, you can have a supply of this 
plant from the latter part of February to June— 
whereas it is now to be had only during the latter 
month. 
Dr. Gardner presented from the publishers, the 
Messrs. Harper, a copy of his Farmers’ Dic¬ 
tionary. 
Chancellor McCoun, having been called to the 
chair, read the report of the committee to whom 
was referred the offer of Gardner Howland, Esq., 
of his farm on Long Island, for the use of the Soci¬ 
ety. The report takes the ground that the Society 
is not sufficiently advanced at present in its means 
and resources to safely assume the responsibility 
of managing a farm ; and that it will be advisable, 
in the present stage of its career, to confine its 
labors to the investigation of new truths, and the 
elaboration of important principles—leaving their 
practical application to individual enterpri^ The 
