230 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
it was to be found except on the summit of 
Greylock, but we learned from Dr. Wheeler, 
that there is a locality of it near here, and that 
it is to be found in the vicinity of Willoughby 
Lake, and in other localities in Vermont and 
New-Hampshire. It is certainly a much finer 
tree than the common Balsam Fir, and for rich¬ 
ness and grace of foliage, surpasses any of the 
evergreens we have seen, except the Norway 
Spruce. Some would probably prefer it to that 
great favorite among the nurserymen. The 
Fraser pine has not yet got into our nurseries, 
but we think it the most splendid evergreen of 
our climate, and it could hardly fail to have a 
great run, and very handsomely reward the 
nurseryman who should undertake to introduce 
it to our ornamental grounds and gardens. 
The Negundo Aceroides is another favorite of 
this garden. It is not a tree generally known 
to botanists, and the only locality known to hor- 
ticulcutists here is in the town of Colchester, 
Vt., a few miles from this village. The appear¬ 
ance of the leaf and wood is more like the 
white ash than any tree we know of, and yet it 
has striking peculiarities. It starts very early 
in the spring, has light green foliage, makes 
wood rapidly, and grows to a height of some 
thirty feet. This shrub, we believe, is found in 
some of our nurseries. 
In fruit growing, we found the Doctor’s fancy 
had very much run to grapes. He seems to 
have made the most of out-door culture, and 
succeeds in ripening the White Sweet Water, 
the Red Frontignac, and Miller’s Burgundy, 
with several seedlings of the foreign grapes not 
generally known to cultivators. The Isabella 
and Catawba only succeed in this climate, in 
sheltered gardens and in favorable exposures. 
One fruit grower ripens his Catawbas by letting 
them run on the ground. The extra heat of the 
soil, and the protection of leaves and weeds, 
guards them against early frosts, so that they 
ordinarily mature. The Diana succeeds well 
here, and those from this garden took the pre¬ 
mium at a late fair, as perfect grapes. This 
vine, which, in some parts of New-England, is 
a bad grower, here makes wood very rapidly. 
One of the vines, which had been out three 
years, was making shoots as rapidly as an Isa¬ 
bella. Fruit growers will be glad to hear of the 
success of this very promising seedling, so far 
north as Burlington. 
We also visited the gradens of -C. Goodrich, 
Professor Toerev, and Dr. Hatch, who give 
more attention to apples and pears. We have 
never seen the pear more entirely at home than 
in these gardens. The trees are mostly stand¬ 
ards, and have the appearance of perfect health. 
The bark was remarkably clean, and the leaves 
of that bright glossy green, which makes many 
of the varieties of the pear, almost as beautiful 
as an evergreen. The old White Doyenne or 
Yirgalieu, which all along the sea-board suc¬ 
ceeds but poorly, is here one of the most per¬ 
fect of pears, free from rust or cracking. The 
Dearborn’s Seedling is a popular pear, and a 
great bearer. The Beurre Bose here attains its 
highest llavor, and is much esteemed. The 
Golden Beurre and the Seckle also do well. 
The Flemish Beauty attains full size, but is 
thought to be deficient in flavor. It is remark¬ 
ed at the horticultural exhibitions here, that the 
same varieties are generally larger and fairer 
than those grown on the sea-board. 
The best arranged, and most neatly-kept gar¬ 
den, here, is reputed to be that of J. H. Peck, 
Esq., which is under the supervision of his ex 
cellent lady. We think no stranger, who has 
the pleasure of looking through the grounds, 
will doubt the correctness of this opinion. The 
premises embrace several acres, and are taste¬ 
fully laid out, a part in flowers and shrubs, and 
the rest in a kitchen garden and its appurte¬ 
nances. The trees are already well grown, the 
lawn is close shaven, and the walks are nicely 
gravelled. A carriage drive has been laid out 
through a new part of the premises, and bor¬ 
dered with a hedge of Norway Spruce, a tree 
which is hardly to be found elsewhere in the 
place. It was for a long time a popular belief 
that evergreens would not flourish on this hill, 
although the native forest was once full of them. 
We saw in this garden a cold vinery, in which 
are matured every season the finest of the for¬ 
eign grapes, and yet the structure was so cheap 
as to be within the reach of men of very mod 
erate means. Most horticulturists are deterred 
from the cultivation of these grapes, by the 
idea that they are necessarily very expensive. 
But artificial heat is not at all necessary, and a 
building that one may extemporize with a saw 
and jack-knife, will produce as fine Ilamburgs 
as a vinery costing from one to five thousand 
dollars. The great essentials are a good border 
and glass to protect them from the changes ol 
our climate. Grapes that took a premium at 
Hartford last fall, we were informed were raised 
in an old shanty vinery, not costing thirty dol¬ 
lars. We had the curiosity to visit it, and 
found the report no exaggeration. We have 
also seen this season, in the garden of a gentle¬ 
man of note, a vinery of his own construction, 
cheaper still, where the Hamburgs seemed to 
be entirely at their ease. 
The kitchen garden of Mrs. Peck was much 
the best we saw in the place. The tomatoes, 
peas, cucumbers, melons, were far advanced, 
and the raspberries and strawberries were luxu¬ 
riant. Close by, was the fowl department, 
where the biddies, in ample yards, tended their 
broods, and a large flock of young turkies 
skulked in the grass as we passed. Of the 
choice collection of green-house plants, roses, 
fuchsias, camelias, verbenas, heliotropes, &c., 
that we saw, still under glass, and of the bird 
concert that entertained us in the house, we 
have no time to speak. And if we should at¬ 
tempt a description, we fear it would leave our 
readers very much like the queen of Sheba, be¬ 
fore she saw |for herself the oriental magnifi¬ 
cence of Solomon. 
How much better it is, we thought, as we 
left behind us this abode of rural taste, that 
woman should live thus actively, amid the cre¬ 
ations of her own skill, how much better for 
herself, for her family, and for society, than to 
live in passive enjoyment, affecting genteel in¬ 
dolence and contempt of useful occupation. A 
garden was the home of our first mother. 
Would that more of her daughters could find 
grace to follow her instincts. 
- ♦ O - - 
FARMERS OF THE OLD SCHOOL. 
Somebody has strung together the following 
list. It might be extended: 
Adam was a farmer while yet in paradise, and 
after his fall was commanded to earn his bread 
by the sweat of his brow. 
Job,'the honest, upright, and patient, was a 
farmer, and his stern endurance has passed into 
a proverb. 
Socrates was a farmer, and yet wedded to his 
calling the glory of his immortal philosophy. 
Cincinnatus was a farmer, and one of the no¬ 
blest Romans. 
Burns was a farmer, and the muse found him 
at the plow and filled his soul with poetry. 
Washington was a farmer, and retired from 
the highest earthly station, to enjoy the quiet, 
rural life, and presents to the world a spectacle 
of human greatness. 
-»•♦-- 
THE NEW CONIFERIE. 
The June number of the Horticulturist — 
always a very acceptable journal—contains a 
valuable article by Henry W. Sargent, in which 
he pi-esents the results of what are probably 
the most extensive and carefully-conducted 
experiments yet made in this country, in the 
cultivation of rare or recently-introduced ever¬ 
green trees. The Editor says that “ with untir¬ 
ing zeal and regardless of cost, Mr. S. has for 
many years been collecting every new evergreen 
tree that has been announced as in any degree 
likely to endure this climate; and here we have 
a full account of his failures and successes thus 
far. To gentlemen improving their ground, or 
forming arboretums, to nurserymen, and in 
short, to all who feel interested in arboriculture, 
the information is invaluable. The list we have 
here of those which have proved perfectly hardy, 
embracing as it does the greater number of the 
noble Pines and Firs of northwest America and 
the Himalaya, shows what ample resources we 
are to have in forming plantations, both for utility 
and ornament.” We here give the article of 
Mr. Sargent entire. 
Some three years since, I think, at the re¬ 
quest of Mr. Downing, I sent him for publica¬ 
tion in the Horticulturist some memoranda res¬ 
pecting the effect of our northern winters upon 
the new evergreens. It may not be unaccepta¬ 
ble to such of your readers as arc interested in 
this matter, to give them the result of my in¬ 
creased experience in the cultivation of these 
trees. 
I would premise, in the first place, that the 
past winter has been a peculiarly trying one 
upon every species of tender or half hardy 
plant. There have been great and frequent al¬ 
terations of temperature, and the ground being 
often unprotected by snow, the alternate freez¬ 
ing and thawing upon the surface has had an 
additional effect. Notwithstanding these disad¬ 
vantages, my trees have gone through with the 
following success: 
Abies Brunoniana —Tender. 
Abies Smithiana —A good deal browned; 
most of the foliage has fallen, though the buds 
seem good. At Mi’. Hogg’s gardens, at York- 
ville, this variety seems hardier than the Deo¬ 
dar. 
Abies Bouglassi —Uninjured ; foliage quite 
green, and buds perfect. 
Abies Mmziessii —Hardy; untouched. 
Abies Picea —Perfectly hardy. 
Picea cephalonica , Pinsapo, and Pindroic — 
All perfectly hardy. 
Picea Webbiana — Leader gone; otherwise 
uninjured. 
Picea nobilis —Uninjured. 
Picea pectinata pendula —Perfectly hardy, 
and promises to be very distinctive. 
Picea Clanbrasiliana (Lord Clanbrasil’s)— 
Hardy; but seems only a stunted vai ietj^ of 
our native Double Spruce. 
Picea Pichta, Hormandii, Fraserii —Entirely 
hardy. 
All the above varieties of the Silver Fir are 
very desirable, and I should say unquestionably 
hardy. 
