AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
165 
fjcrtiatltol Department 
To Horticulturists. — 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. 
PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Country Seat of Mr. Calee CorE.—We were 
highly gratified in our visit on the 16th inst.,to 
the annual exhibition of the above Society, in 
the Chinese Museum in Philadelphia, which was 
every way worthy even of this excellent Society. 
The arrangements were good, and the plants 
were both fine and abundant. 
Among the rare plants on the tables we will 
name Begonia Ranthina , a newly imported 
plant with beautiful foliage and yellow flowers; 
also a specimen of Schornburghlcia tibiscum , an 
orchid so called in honor of Sir R. ScnoMBURGn, 
the discoverer of the Victoria Regia; and 
Stelilgia regina, also Castillega Coccinia. 
New-York was honored in receiving the pre¬ 
mium for beautiful Calceola , from Mr. Thomas 
Richardson’s country-seat at West Farms ; Da¬ 
vid Scott, gardener of Mrs. Holbrook, N. Y., 
also received special commendation for very 
large and well formed seedling Calceolarias , and 
other cut flowers and indigenous flowers from 
Mr. R. R. Scott. Contributions of flowers were 
on exhibition from Mr. Cope’s, Mr. Buist’s, Mr. 
Dundas’, and nearly all the other green-houses 
and conservatories in the vicinity. Alto¬ 
gether the exhibition was highly satisfactory; 
yet, if we must speak comparatively, truth com¬ 
pels us to say, that the plants as a whole, were 
not as fine specimens or so well trained, as those 
at the Brooklyn exhibition reported in our last— 
in fact we have never seen at any show in the 
United States, so handsome and well-grown 
plants as Mr. Menand and Mr. Prentice, of Al¬ 
bany, had on exhibition at Brooklyn. 
Very large and perfect specimens of the New¬ 
town Pippin apples, from Mr. Hull, of Alton, 
Ill., were exhibited. The strawberries, lemons, 
and grapes, as well as a handsome show of ve¬ 
getables, were highly creditable. Mr. Felton 
and Jerome Graff, gardener to Mr. Caleb 
Cope, appeared to be the principal exhibitors in 
the vegetable and fruit line. 
We are happy to state that at the meeting of 
the Society in the evening, by the energetic 
courtesy of the President, and the mutual for¬ 
bearance of the members, the strawberry con¬ 
troversy was amicably settled, and the toma¬ 
hawk buried. We think few, even of the most 
experienced gardeners, know in reality much 
about strawberries, or that they keep the differ¬ 
ent kinds distinct enough, to carry much au¬ 
thority or influence in the statement of their 
experiments. We were pleased to hear Mr. 
Cope remark, that McAvoy’s Extra Red was the 
most productive large strawberry, for it accords 
perfectly with our own experience in this matter. 
The next day it afforded us much gratification 
to visit the magnificent country-seat of Mr. 
Caleb Cope, some six miles north of Philadel¬ 
phia. It comprises about one hundred acres, 
and we were told that it was worth more than 
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The 
barn alone cost fifteen thousand dollars; and is 
probably the most perfect and largest in the 
country. Some six or eight double conservato¬ 
ries were filled with the choicest things. The 
half of three of them were filled with grapes 
and fruit trees. The grapes and peaches were 
ripe, and the nectarines and apricots were fast 
maturing. We were pleased to see a small tree 
of the celebrated Stanwick Nectarine in bearing. 
It had five noble specimens of this rare new 
fruit, which will soon ripen. Another house 
was filled with Camelias, and another with 
oranges and lemons, figs, &c.; the fruit was of 
monstrous size—particularly the lemons. Ano¬ 
ther house was filled with rare orchids, in great 
perfection, and another still with cactui. And 
lastly, came the far-famed Victoria Regia , in a 
house built expressly for it, and furnished with 
a constant supply of warm water, which has 
flowed for years into the tank. A small water¬ 
wheel is kept constantly in motion for the pur¬ 
pose of keeping the water from stagnation. 
The plant has now twelve leaves, of five to six 
feet across, scattered over the surface of the 
tank. We were fortunate to find it in flower, 
and the blossom was some eight inches across, 
or as large as a man’s hat. The color is of a 
delicate pink, until its last stages, when it 
shades into a more brilliant red, and is very 
handsome, although not of high perfume. The 
flower was picked, and kindly presented to us, 
and we took pleasure in carrying it to New- 
York. After exhibiting it to a few amateurs, 
we placed it, duly marked, in one of the most 
prominent windows in Broadway, for the grati¬ 
fication of the public. 
Mr. Cope’s taste and enterprise, and generous 
expenditure, has contributed largely to advance 
the horticultural art in this country; and we 
therefore take especial pleasure in calling atten¬ 
tion to his doings. 
FLORICULTURE. 
Fuchsias. —These are now generally grown 
on what may be termed the one-year system of 
cultivation, for the plants are mostly only of 
one year’s growth from the cutting state; or 
sometimes old stems of the height of 5 or 6 
feet are made into plants furnished at regular 
distances with laterals, upon the ends of which 
there is often only one bunch of flowers. Now, 
take a plant of this description, and compare it 
with one the same height in the shape of a com¬ 
pact pyramid, covered with finely-formed and 
well-colored flowers, and it will at once be ap¬ 
parent which is the most creditable specimen. 
Pyramids, however, take three and often four 
years to come to perfection, as I will presently 
show; but before I do so, permit me just to des¬ 
cribe the sort of place best adapted for grow¬ 
ing them in, which is a low span-roofed house 
or pit well ventilated, and having a south aspect. 
This house should contain a well-made pit, 
which may be filled up with broken brickbats 
to within 9 inches of the top, where there should 
be 6 inches of rough coal-ashes, and then three 
inches of fine ashes on the top for the plants to 
stand upon, and which will keep them dry and 
clean. It will be found necessary to have the 
pit of three different heights, so that the plants 
may always be near the glass. The path may 
either pass round the house or through its cen¬ 
ter, as may be most convenient. It is not 
every one, however, who has got a house or pit 
like the one just described; those who have 
not such convenience, must therefore be content 
with what they have, but care must be taken 
that it is a house which can be well ventilated, 
and capable of receiving at all times the benefit 
of the sun. In beginning to form pyramidal 
plants, take cuttings in March, and strike them 
in the propagating-house or some other suitable 
place. As soon as they are struck, pot them 
off into three-inch pots, using a mixture of 
maiden loam, leaf-soil, and sand. Put them 
into a frame, but do not plunge them. Keep 
the frame moist, and maintain a temperature in 
it of from 55° to 60°, giving a little air on fine 
days. As soon as they begin to grow, and have 
got well-rooted, increase the amount of air 
given them. In a very short time the pots will 
have begun to get well filled with roots, when 
the plants should be shifted into six-inch pots, 
using a compost of maiden loam of rather strong 
texture, about one-third leaf-soil and well-rotted 
dung, and a sprinkling of sand. The plants 
will now require the support of a small stick, 
but be careful not to tie tightly. They may 
now be taken out of the frame, and put into the 
house or pit in which they are intended to be 
grown. Place them near the glass, and give 
plenty of air on all favorable occasions; syring¬ 
ing them slightly in the morning, and damping 
the paths frequently during the day, to keep 
up a moist atmosphere, which the plants enjoy, 
and in which they will grow vigorously. Here 
they will soon begin to push laterals, which 
must be stopped when they have reached 2 or 3 
inches in length ; for it is by stopping the later¬ 
als that a compact pyramid is obtained. They 
must, therefore, never be allowed to run, or it 
will be useless to attempt to obtain a pyramidal 
plant; stop them all as they come out within 
2 or 3 inches of the stem. Be careful not to let 
the plants get pot-bound; and, therefore, as 
soon as the pots begin to get well-filled with 
roots, let the plants have their final shift for the 
season, which should be into ten-inch pots, 
using soil as before, but not in a fine state. 
See that the pots are well drained, which is of 
great importance. This time, instead of putting 
a layer of moss over the drainage, as is often 
done, use fibrous turf, such as is left after the 
soil has been sifted out of it. The plants should 
now have a good stake put to them. Give them 
a slight syringing morning and evening, also 
all the air possible on fine days, and a little may 
now be left on at nights. All the laterals that 
were stopped before, should now be stopped 
again, as they require it. After they have been 
stopped twice, they may then be allowed to run, 
but do not let them bloom too much, for it will 
rob the plant of its support, and bloom is of no 
importance until you have obtained a fine spe¬ 
cimen. The plants will now be growing vigor¬ 
ously ; see therefore that they have a liberal 
supply of water, and abundance of air, and a little 
more air may now be left on at nights. It is by 
giving plenty of air, and using soil of rather a 
strong texture, that you obtain short-jointed 
and well-ripened wood, which is what is required 
in order to have Fuchsias in perfection. As 
the wood ripens so withhold water, and when it 
is quite ripe they may be kept dry, and the 
house or pit cold. Keep them in this condition 
until the beginning of February, then let them 
be pruned in to one or two eyes from where 
they were last stopped, when a foundation will 
have been laid for a pyramidal plant. Give 
them a good soaking with water, when they will 
soon begin to break. As soon as they are well 
broken, let them be turned out of the pots, the 
old soil shaken from them, and the roots pruned 
in a little. Then pot them in small pots, using 
soil as before. Keep the house rather close for 
a few days, giving a slight syringing in the 
morning. Continue the same treatment as re- 
