338 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
from Spa;^ ujg Norwich friends presumed 
that h'C, ft abroad. 
'Swift, says: “ The Isabella originated 
e«tfht miles from Charleston, in a garden, at 
(Goose Creek, and is a hybrid between a Burgun- 
dly grape, ami the Fox grape of Carolina.” The 
Plate A. if. Downing doubted its being a hybrid at 
sail, as it shows no characteristics of any of the 
i’foreign grapes grown with us, but on the con- 
itrary has many features of our natives of the 
'woods. In all probability we shall never know 
*the exact origin of the “ Vernet ” grape, so local- 
fly called for many years, in Norwich, but there 
■ can be no l £oubt that both are the identical “ Isa- 
< bella,” ; Bwd the Norwich vine was for many years 
iknown«md cultivated before the other was re- 
movefl from South Carolina to the gardens of 
‘Long Island, and there received its name. 
American Pomological Society. 
The questions are often asked, what is this so¬ 
ciety, and to how much confidence is the biennial 
lists of fruit it sends out, entitled 1 Tt has been 
insinuated by interested parties, that the society is 
altogether in the interest of the nurserymen, and 
that it is impossible to remove a poor fruit from 
the list recommended 'for general cultivation, 
until the stock on hand is run out. Improbable 
as ibis suggestion may seem, there are those 
prejudiced enough to believe it. 
The society originated some ten years ago, and 
*she most of its active founders are still living, 
jgentlemen distinguished, not only as pomologists, 
Pbut for all those virtues that adorn our common 
ihumanity. It is true, that many of its present 
members are engaged in the nursery business, 
•and ha'V'e a part of their livelihood from the sale 
mf ‘frail-trees. But this fact, so far from impair¬ 
ing their capacity to judge of good fruits, we 
*cfaim as one of their best recommendations for 
this office. Few gentlemen out of this business 
have the leisure or the means to study the indi¬ 
vidual character of two hundred varieties of ap¬ 
ples, as many of pears, and a large number of 
other kinds of fruits, so as to be able to give an 
opinion of their good or bad qualities. It takes 
at least ten years to test the character of a new 
seedling apple or pear, so that it can be recom¬ 
mended for general cultivation. Many things go 
to make up a first-rate fruit. Some have good 
•quality, size, productiveness, and long keeping to 
(recommend them, but the habits of the tree are 
--so perverse, that they have to be condemned. 
-Nurserymen have their experimental trees, and 
make a business of testing the character of fruits. 
Before any one of them can send out a fruit tree, 
fits value must be tested by this, or by some other 
'horticultural society, or it will not command an 
'extensive sale. Every one of them knows his 
meighhor’s character for discrimination and thor¬ 
ough knowledge of his business, and that it is an 
impossibility that a worthless variety, or even a 
•second-rate variety should run the gauntlet of a 
hundred such men, and escape detection. It is 
quite as much for the interest of these gentlemen 
to send out only the best varietes, as it is for their 
patrons. They have intelligence enough to un¬ 
derstand, that purchasers will repeat their or¬ 
ders, only when they receive what they send for. 
But the membership of the society is, by no 
means, confined to this class. There are gentle¬ 
men of wealth and leisure, and some of the edi¬ 
torial fraternity, who have nothing but ideas to 
sell, that belong to the society, and take part in 
its discussions. It is simp'iy ridiculous to sup¬ 
pose that these gentlemen can be made a party 
to the designs of any nurseryman in a fraud upon 
the public. 
We regard this Society as the best safeguard the 
community can possibly have against imposition 
in fruit trees. Any fruit in the lists—promising 
well—or—for general cultivation—has to win its 
place by years of thorough trial, which nothing 
but real merit can abide. If a man wants to be 
taken in, let him buy some highly recommended 
novelty of a vagrant tree pedlar If he desire to 
secure a valuable fruit, let him purchase first-rate 
trees of a nurseryman of well established repu¬ 
tation—those, for example, who take part in the 
discussions of the pomological society, and are 
willing to have their merchandize subjected to its 
discussions and criticisms. 
A Splendid Ornamental Tree 
the tuliT tree [White Wood) 
In former years, the writer had commended this 
tree to the attention of planters, chiefly on the 
certificate of the books; but we wish now to 
speak of it from our own larger experience. Sev¬ 
eral specimens have flourished for a number of 
years in our own grounds, and every year has 
added to their beauty, and consequently to our 
attachment to them. We are not without 
other rare and much admired trees to compare 
them with. The Salisburia grows near by, and 
not far away, are the Kentucky coffee tree, vir- 
gilia lutea, magnolia acuminata, red-bud, Japan 
sophora and kolreuteria. Five or six varieties of 
the elm, native and foreign, are within sight, yet 
the tulip-tree is equal to the very best of them. 
Have you never seen one 1 Please wait a mo¬ 
ment for our sketch : A clean, dark grey trunk 
rises forty or fifty feet in the air—a noble, 
symmetrical column,—the branches then shoot 
out in ascending angles, and support a massive 
dome of glossy foliage. The bark of the smaller 
branches is very smooth. The leaves are large— 
some of them six to eight inches broad. Notice 
their peculiar shape : they appear as if cut off at 
the end, and then notched. The flowers are like 
the tulip in ftfrm (whence the name of the tree), 
and are composed of six petals, yellow without, 
and mottled with red and green within. Each 
flower is borne on a short stem by itself, and 
stands out so conspicuous as to be seen from quite 
a distance. Downing well said of it: “ It is de¬ 
cidedly the most stately tree in North America.” 
It does not blossom until ten or twelve years old, 
and the flowers do not perfect their seeds until 
the tree is thirty or thirty-five feet high. 
It is the natural tendency of this tree to shoot 
up into a lofty head. But if planted alone, and 
its side branches encouraged, it spreads abroad a 
magnificent canopy of branches and leaves. A 
few years since, one in our own grounds was ac¬ 
cidently injured, and had to be cut off near the 
ground. Having strong roots, it threw up a num¬ 
ber of branches around the old stump, which 
have since swelled out into a grand mass of foli¬ 
age from the ground upwards. It is now our fin¬ 
est specimen. 
The tulip, like the magnolia, to which family 
it belongs, is somewhat hard to transplant, when 
large. Its roots are soft, spongy, easily broken, 
and with no fibers to spare. Lazy or careless 
plantershad better let it alone ; they don’t deserve 
to have it, and wouldn’t succeed with it if they 
tried. It can be raised from seed, or obtained 
when small from nurseries. We have known it 
growing wild in Western New York, and along 
the southern shore of Lake Erie, where it is 
called “ Whitewood.” It loves a deep, rich soil 
rather moist in Summer, ; ut not wet in Winter. 
It grows, on an average, two to three feet in a 
year. In the northern part of New England it is 
not perfectly hardy, especially when young. 
Perhaps it will influence some to plant this 
tree, if we inform them that, though an American 
tree, it is very popular abroad. It was introduced 
into England as early as 1688, and fine specimens 
of it. may now be seen in every English, Irish and 
Scotch park. When first grown in England, it 
was cultivated for many years in pots in green¬ 
houses. On the Continent, it is a favorite tree 
for avenues. The French and Italians prize it 
highly. 
In view of all its excellencies, well does an 
American writer say of it: “ No tree, of any 
clime, unless we except the magnolia, excels in 
magnificence the tulip. In the stately grandeur 
of its trunk ; in the richness and profusion of its 
singular shaped and pleasing green foliage ; in the 
brilliancy and abundance of its large, tulip-shaped 
blossoms; and in its freedom from the depreda¬ 
tions of insects, it is pre-eminently fitted to adorn 
our parks, our public avenues and ornamental 
grounds.” 
The Daisy (Beilis pereniiis). 
This perennial flowering plant has, as its name 
(bellis, pretty) indicates a very beautiful bloom, 
extending in its varieties through white, red, 
blush, rose, and the va¬ 
rious intermediate 
shades of color. Many, 
of the newer seedlings, 
with their full quilled 
flowers, are equal in 
beauty to their more 
showy neighbors, the 
Asters. They bloom 
early in the season, and 
on this account are high¬ 
ly prized as border 
plants, especially as they 
are easily grown. 
New kinds are pro¬ 
duced from seed, the same as the dahlia, chrys¬ 
anthemum, tulip, &c., but the established varie¬ 
ties are propagated by dividing the roots, either 
in early Spring, or in Autumn. They succeed best 
in a moderately moist and partially shaded situa¬ 
tion, as a hot sun is apt to scorch the foliage and 
shorten their period of bloom. 
After the Autumn frosts, say during the latter 
part of October, or first of November, divide and 
reset the roots on the border, where they are to 
remain, protecting them from extreme cold by a 
covering of straw, coarse manure, forest leaves, 
tan-bark, or saw dust. If an early bloom is de¬ 
sired set them in pits or cold frames, six inches 
apart, and protect with glass frames, boards, or 
straw, as may be needful. 
The daisy is a good forcing plant for pot cul¬ 
ture, and makes a fine show in a collection of 
Green-House or parlor flowers. It is particular¬ 
ly desirable as a border plant for setting out as 
soon as the grounds are laid out in the Spring, at 
which time it is often in bloom. 
-».——— ■ - 
Positiveness is one of the most certain marks 
of a weak judgment. 
To ascertain the weight of a horse, put your 
toe under the animal’s foot. 
Praise not the unworthy, though they roll in 
riches. 
Precepts may lead, but examples draw. 
