70 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
flfliliutltatl jUjailineni 
To IIokticultukists. — Our weekly issue of 
so large a journal, gives us ample room to devote 
to the different departments of cultivation, and 
we have commenced with this volume, to allot a 
separate space to Horticulture. We have secured 
additional efficient aid in its conduction, and we 
invite horticulturists generally, to send in their 
contributions on all subjects interesting and in¬ 
structive to those engaged in similar pursuits 
with themselves. We are receiving the leading 
foreign and domestic horticultural journals, and 
shall be abundantly able to bring promptly be¬ 
fore our readers all that transpires, which may 
be new and useful. 
NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
DISCUSSION OF VEGETABLE GAKDEN, &C. 
The regular meeting of this Society, was held 
at their room, GOO Broadway, on Monday even¬ 
ing April 3. Shepherd Knapp, Esq., the Pres¬ 
ident, occupied the chair. 
Mr. Peter B. Mead, Chairman of the Com¬ 
mittee of Arrangements for the Spring Exhibi¬ 
tion, reported progress, referring to the list of 
premiums and regulations annexed, with the 
bills on the table. Mr. Parsons made a report 
in part on the finances of the Society. 
Mr. Mead reported to the Society, that [Mr. 
Rittick made them the very liberal offer of the 
use of six lots of ground in the vicinity of Stuy-1 i n S we ^ adapted to small gardens, 
vesant Square and Second Avenue, for the term | thought these fruits, vegetables and plants, 
garden need cost but little expense or labor. In 
conclusion, he remarked that the best advice he 
could give to the novice was, first learn what 
was to be done, and then do it. 
Mr. Reed remarked we had listened to two 
good essays—one on the marks of a good veg¬ 
etable, and the other on the best manner of 
raising them. In England, the vegetable estab¬ 
lishment was very attractive, but not so in this 
country. Why was this ? A vegetable garden 
in Europe, was invariably accompanied with 
fruits, and the effect was very pleasing. 
Mr. Scott said, in answer to Mr. Reed’s ques¬ 
tion, that the difference in capital, climate, and 
culture was all to be taken into consideration 
The old establishments in England, were more 
permanent in their arrangements, than were the 
market gardeners in this country, but the ques¬ 
tion was too extensive to discuss at present. 
Every vegetable garden should be kept clean and 
and orderly ; but beauty was not to be subordi¬ 
nated to utility. 
Mr. Mead remarked that without doubt, utility 
and beauty could be more frequently combined 
than they arc now usually in this country, 
Without any great expense, with a little more 
taste and a little more care, much might be ac¬ 
complished. Many do not consider the great 
benefit to a place pecuniarily. A friend of his 
expended judiciously six hundred dollars, and 
then sold his place for fifteen hundred more 
than he could do before the improvements. He 
spoke of dwarf trees, particularly Pears, as bc- 
of nine years, for the nominal sum of One Dol¬ 
lar. 
The offer was accepted, and a vote of thanks 
was tendered to Mr. Rittick, and a committee 
of five, consisting of P. B. Mead, JonN Groshon, 
Tiios. IIogg, Mr. Parsons, and Mr. Knapp, were 
appointed to examine and report appropriate ac¬ 
tion with reference to the subject. 
Mr. George S. Roe, Augustus Hep, and JonN 
Hewitt, were elected members of the Society. 
The meeting was then resolved into a con¬ 
versational one. 
An Essay by Wir. Ciiorlton, was read 
by Mr. Scott, defining a good vegetable, and the 
necessity of a standard of judging them as well 
as fine animals. 1st. The vegetable should not 
possess a superabundance of water. 2d. A good 
color. 3d. Size and flavor. 4th. Even surface. 
5th. Solid texture. Critical remarks then fol¬ 
lowed on the Artichoke, Potato, Turnip, Cele¬ 
ry, Cucumber, Tomato; and a committee, con¬ 
sisting of Mr. Cranston, Mr. Reed, and Mr. 
Mead, were appointed to examine the essay, and 
report on the expediency of adopting it as a 
standard of judgment. 
Mr. Peter B. Mead read a very instructive 
Essay on the vegetable and fruit garden, designed 
especially for the amateur. If any one thing 
more than any other, added to the poor man’s 
cottage or the rich man’s palace it was a well- 
kept garden. The fruit and vegetable garden 
ought not to be separated. Where the garden 
could only be fifty feet by one hundred, care 
should be taken not to allow the walks to en¬ 
gross too much of the ground. 
Direction was then minutely given for a con¬ 
stant succession of vegetables throughout the 
season, in which care should be taken to avoid 
two seed crops following each other. A good 
had an important moral influence on the family. 
That man who had not brought his children in¬ 
to intimate acquaintance with these works of 
nature, had not yet half done his duty towards 
educating them. Those who live secluded in 
the city, grow up to be very selfish, and this 
selfishness would be greatly relieved by a plea¬ 
sant introduction to the vegetable, fruit, and 
flower garden. 
It was resolved that the subject for discussion 
at the next meeting should be the Laying out of 
Suburban Villas. The meeting then adjourned. 
The tables were very handsomely adorned 
with fine flowers. Mr. D. Boll made a splen¬ 
did exhibition of fifteen varieties of the Camelia, 
of which thirteen were very handsome seedling 
varieties, of his own production. 
Mr. Lenoir presented twelve fine varieties of 
Pansies, almost every one would come up to the 
standard size—covering a silver dollar—and for 
color and form equal any we have seen in this 
country. 
Mr. Suttle exhibited a fine pot plant of the 
Azalea Indica—Inveryana, and a large specimen 
of the Queen Victoria Rose. 
Mr. Hogg also exhibited an equally fine spec¬ 
imen of Azalea Williamsoni. Neither of the 
above Azaleas were more than about one foot 
high, and yet each had about fifty large blos¬ 
soms. 
Mr. Scott also presented fine specimens of 
Hovey’s Seedling Strawberries, and Tomatoes, 
both ripe, from the green-houses of William 
C noRLTON, Staten Island. 
Orange Watermelon. — Mr. Peabody, editor 
of the Soil of the South, mentions a new kind 
of watermelon, which he calls the orange water¬ 
melon, and pronounces it a very singular, beau¬ 
tiful, and excellent melon. By cutting into the 
rind, as you peel an orange, the entire skin 
peels off, leaving the whole pulp unbroken, 
which, with care, may be divided into quarters, 
just as you divide an orange. 
■ -- 
THREE BEST KINDS OF LATE KEEPING 
l APPLES. 
M. IIurlbert, of Arkport, Steuben Co., N.Y., 
asks: “Will you give me a list of the three 
host and longest leeeping apples, that you think 
will do well on a bed of loose gravel soil, from 
10 to 30 feet deep, and which was originally 
covered with a heavy growth of white pine. It 
is a bench of land 10 or 12 feet above the river 
bottom, and in the center of our beautiful val¬ 
ley, 1194 feet above tide water. The hills gra¬ 
dually rise from 500 to 800 feet higher.” 
In answer to the above, we lay it down as an 
indispensable requisite, that the soil named by 
our correspondent is strong enough to grow 
good apple trees; and that the locality is suffi¬ 
ciently free from frosts, and the seasons long 
enough to permit the fruit to come to full ma¬ 
turity. These conceded, we name the Roxbury 
Russet, the Poughkeepsie Russet, and the 
Pommc Grise, which is also a Russet. All 
agree that these three kinds are the longest re¬ 
liable keepers of any good apples grown here at 
the north. The Golden Russet, to our taste, is 
more delicate and delicious than either of the 
other Russets named, but by some it is not 
considered so late a keeper. 
Tastes differ greatly in apples; and we wish 
it understood, that those most generally con¬ 
sidered the best flavored, are not the longest 
keepers. The Swaar, Spitzcnburgh, Baldwin, 
Northern Spy, Newtown Pippin, and Rhode 
Island Greening, are preferable to those we have 
named; but they are not so long keepers as the 
Russets, and are therefore precluded from the 
list required by our correspondent. 
- • • • - 
ON PRESERVING SEEDS FROM BIRDS. 
As the time of year has now arrived for sow¬ 
ing seeds, it may be of some importance to 
know how to preserve them from being des¬ 
troyed by chaffinches, greenfinches, and many 
other birds, as soon as they make their appear¬ 
ance above ground. 
All gardeners know the difficulty of keeping 
these little intruders at a respectful distance 
from their seed-beds in spring. My plan of do¬ 
ing so is simple but effectual; with me it is no 
new discovery, having practised it with the 
greatest success for these last six years. I have 
tried it with vegetable seeds of all kinds that 
birds will attack. I prepare my seeds before 
sowing, and when that is done, I can follow 
any other part of my business without any fur¬ 
ther care, as far as birds are concerned. My 
plan is this: I have a flower-pan, a new paint¬ 
er’s brush that has never been used for any 
other purpose, a bottle of turpentine, and a 
quantity of red lead; these are all kept to¬ 
gether in a small basket, ready for use at any 
time when they are required. The seed-beds 
being ready, as much seed is put' in the flower- 
pan as is required to be sown on each separate 
bed; a little turpentine is then poured on, and 
the red lead added; it is then well worked round 
the pan with the painter’s brush until every 
seed has become thoroughly coated. Care 
should be taken in the first instance not to use 
too much turpentine, as it takes more lead than 
is necessary to dry it up again, in order to get 
the seeds well separated before they are sown. 
When seeds are well coated as above, the rain 
never washes it off, and it does not destroy the 
