32-6 
AMEKI 0AN AGEIOULTUBIBT 
godintltural iqrarimettt 
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¬ 
s' motive to those engaged in similar pursuits 
vrith 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 
he new and useful. 
THE AMERICAN P0M0L03ICAL CONVENTION. 
A biennial meeting of this body is to take 
place in Boston, on the 13th day of September 
next.* To those of our readers, if any, who 
are not familiar with the objects of this organi¬ 
zation, it may be sufficient to say, that it is for 
the purpose of promoting and improving the 
Fruit Culture in the country, in all that apper¬ 
tains to its welfare in the introduction of new 
and valuable varieties, the examination of their 
qualities, the best mode of propagation, their 
diseases, and remedies; in short, whatever tends 
to promote and disseminate the cultivation of 
the fruits of our soils in their highest perfection 
and greatest extent, is embraced within the 
scope of the doings of this Society. 
This organization is truly a useful one. It 
has been in existence, in one shape or another, 
for nearly six years; and every meeting that it 
has held has shown the necessity of further ac¬ 
tion to accomplish its objects. We cannot say 
that we approve of all its previous action, 
although the most of it has been beneficial. 
Warmly interested as we feel ourselves in the 
subject of its labors, and hoping to be benefitted 
by its future proceedings, we would divest them 
of all the extraneous matter which individual 
ambition, or the desire of temporary distinction, 
would throw into them. Some things of this 
sort we have discovered heretofore, but with no 
unworthy intentions apparent, rather the result 
of amiable personal vanity than otherwise, and 
quite excusable under circumstances demand¬ 
ing less of prompt action within the limited 
time usually allotted to meetings of the kind. 
There is usually a great deal of professional 
talent, and sound experience among the gentle¬ 
men who attend these meetings; and the inex¬ 
perienced, who go to learn, are men of mind 
and discrimination, readily appropriating what¬ 
ever is worth their attention. But, in order to 
make these meetings as profitable as they should 
be, a decided reform in the manner is necessary. 
In those which we have previously attended, a 
mass of useful knowledge has been revealed, 
and a portion of this knowledge has been re¬ 
corded ; but from its imperfect manner, and the 
entire want of systematic arrangement of the 
various subjects of action, the results have been 
meager and unsatisfactory. This, probably, 
was to have been expected in the early pro¬ 
ceedings of the Society, but there can be no 
The official announcement may be found on page 102 of 
current volume of the America^ Agriculturist. 
apology for things of the kind hereafter; and 
with the best wishes for its future usefulness, 
we may be permitted to make a suggestion or 
two for the benefit of those concerned. 
In the first place, we take it, that the Presi¬ 
dent, Mr. Wilder, of Boston, will see that the 
rooms for meeting will be ready at the hour oi 
the day appointed; that proper committees, or 
persons, will be at hand to receive members, 
record their names, and to those requiring it, 
give due information as to their personal accom¬ 
modation while attending its deliberations. The 
specimens of fruit brought in should be imme¬ 
diately deposited in proper place, unpacked, and 
prepared for examination. The meeting should 
be promptly called to order, and organized 
forthwith, if a sufficient number of persons are 
on the spot to organize; letting the laggard re¬ 
main in private capacity, so far as officers and 
committees, of which they are not present to 
form a part in their organizations, are concern¬ 
ed. If an opening address is required, let it be 
to the subject alone, and not consume over ten 
minutes of time; every thing that any body 
cares about can be said within that time. Let 
all personal laudation, past, present, or to come, 
be omitted, the Society’s proceedings having 
quite enough of that already on tlieir records. 
If a great, or useful man connected with the So¬ 
ciety, or its welfare, dies, let it be duly noticed, 
a resolution of respect passed and recorded, but 
leave the apotheosis for other times and occa 
sions. Let a plan of proceedings be drawn up, 
embracing all that is necessary for action, so far 
as may be ; let it be determined on, and then 
adhered to it without deviation. Let every sub¬ 
ject, whether it be a new fruit or an old one, a 
disease or a mode of cultivation, be thoroughly 
discussed, and permit no man to hold the floor 
overfire minutes on any one question. Under 
such a rule the speeches will more usually be 
shortened to three minutes than over. All men 
who love the sound of their own voices in pre¬ 
ference to others, will thus learn that long prosy 
talks from any body are not welcome. 
Reports—and they should invariably be in 
writing—if very long, should not be read in 
session, but be referred to a standing committee, 
with directions to examine them and report 
their substance to the Convention; that delibera¬ 
tion and action may be had upon them, if neces¬ 
sary ; and if merely for record, with power to 
strike out irrelevant matter, and print as little 
useless reading as possible-types, paper, and 
ink are costly, while the gist of the matter is all 
that any body wants in such proceedings. 
Every one who introduces a fruit on recom¬ 
mendation, or otherwise, or says any thing 
about it, should first state where it grew—the 
predominating qualities of its soil, climate, ele¬ 
vation above tide water, treatment, and such 
other particulars (all on paper, to be handed to 
the secretaries for record,) as may affect in any 
way the character of the fruit; as without such, 
no deliberate judgment can be given to deter¬ 
mine whether it is worth general cultivation, or 
a trial even. Without these attendant particu¬ 
lars, no just conclusions of the value of the 
fruit in different localities and soils can be made, 
a3 we all know that most fruits are more or less 
local in their excellence and value. The records 
of former Fruit Conventions are lamentably de¬ 
ficient in all these requisites. 
But we have said quite enough—perhaps too 
much for those having a great deal to learn on 
a subject, in which what little experience we al¬ 
ready have, daily teaches us that we are mere 
neophytes. It is a consciousness of our com¬ 
parative ignorance, that stimulates us to wish 
for the most direct manner to discover more 
true knowledge. The Society of which we 
speak, can do much to extend the required 
knowledge—more than any other organization 
we know. It embodies the intelligent, the zeal¬ 
ous pomologists of the land ; and with their la¬ 
bors rightly directed, they could do a vast deal 
in advancing our people in one of the most de 
lightful occupations of rural life; and confer, 
through its pursuit, untold blessings, if not 
upon ourselves, at least upon those who are, in 
the common course of nature, to follow us. 
-IOI- 
VILLA OF MR. J. S. GREEN. 
COLD GRAPERIES, &C. 
A few houi’s were spent in a very agreeable 
manner last week, at the handsome country- 
seat of Mr. Green, near New-Brigbton, Staten 
Island. The mansion is surrounded by two or 
three acres of lawn in excellent condition. This 
is on made ground, evenly graded, and the whole 
is tastefully arranged with groups and belts of 
evergreens, forest trees, and well-selected shrub¬ 
bery. 
The carriage-drives and walks are planned 
artistically without sacrificing convenience. 
Beds of geraniums, petunias, verbenas, and 
many other constantly blooming plants, are in¬ 
terspersed on the lawn in every direction. We 
will not particularize the trees and shrubs 
which adorn this place, though we must name 
among the latter, fine specimens of the Euony- 
mus Japonica , which proves hardy in that loca¬ 
tion. The green-houses had dismissed to the 
lawn a large portion of their tenants, yet we 
found remaining several plants worthy of a visit 
to Staten Island; for instance the Hoy a Impe- 
ralis in full bloom, exhibiting large, rich flowers. 
A good specimen of the Cactus Grandifiora 
had just passed through a season of brilliant 
display; on one evening it opened three flow¬ 
ers, and on another eight! This far exceeds 
any report that has come under our observation. 
We next passed into the garden, where order 
and success appeared uniformly to prevail; and 
nothing seemed to be neglected. Yegetables 
and small fruits, and that too of the most select 
varieties, abound. 
One of the hot-houses, 78 feet long, was filled 
with Black Hamburgh, White Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria, and other exotic grapes, well grown and 
ripened. For six weeks past they have supplied 
Mr. Green’s table, and there was an abundance 
left to supply it for the same length of time to 
come, or until those in the cold vinery matured. 
The vines produced about 250 bunches, weigh¬ 
ing from one to three pounds each; and we were 
surprised to learn, that all these vines were set. 
out one year ago last March, and were only one 
year old plants when transplanted. 
The cold vinery, erected four years ago, is 
also worthy of particular mention. It has a 
span roof 74 in length, and contains 20 varieties 
of the grape, and most of them are doing well. 
The grapes are about half grown, and the vines 
at present sustain over 1700 bunches, thus fur¬ 
nishing between one to two tons weight of the 
most wholesome and delicious fruit. This vin¬ 
ery cost about $1500. We have seen one that 
