150 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
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NEW-YORX HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
The society held a special meeting in 
Clinton Hall, Astor-place, on Monday even¬ 
ing, May 14, in order to make arrangements 
for an exhibition of fruits and flowers— 
President Wilson G. Hunt in the Chair, and 
Peter B. Mead, Secretary. 
The society of late has been in a very low 
condition, many of the members to whom 
premiums were due having withdrawn. They 
state, however, that they are willing to fore¬ 
go their premiums and reunite with the so¬ 
ciety, provided they receive a diploma— 
which will be readily given. 
Having resolved to hold an exhibition 
some time in June, the Secretary was in¬ 
structed to address a circular to each of the 
members, stating the facts of the case, and 
requesting them to be present in two weeks 
(Monday, the 28th inst.), to assist in com¬ 
pleting the arrangements. 
Messrs. Mead, Groshon, and Leggett were 
appointed a committee to determine on what 
articles premiums should be given, and then 
it was resolved that whatever premiums 
were given should be voluntary. This 
course will save all expense to the society. 
A vote of thanks and also free tickets of ad¬ 
mission, were tendered to the \ oung Men’s 
Christian Association, who have freely prof¬ 
fered their hall for the exhibition. 
Mr. Stephen Cranston exhibited choice 
cut flowers, consisting of magnolias, pelar¬ 
goniums, spiraes, &c. The most novel thing 
was a double white peach blossom (new) 
from Japan. 
A NEW FACT IN GRAFTING. 
BY LYMAN B. LANG WORTHY. 
The better process generally for working 
cherries and plums, is to bud or inoculate 
at the proper season; but it often happens 
that it is desirable to work trees too old, or 
the season so dry that the bark will not slip 
and the budding process can not be per¬ 
formed, in which case grafting sometimes 
becomes important. 
The grafting of the cherry is quite an un¬ 
certain operation and never succeeds well, 
except when performed early in the spring, 
and the scions, which are difficult to keep, 
are fresh and in good order, the bark is so 
liable to discolor, and the wood to shrivel, 
which is absolutely fatal to its vitality. The 
same trouble applies to the plum in a less 
degree. Individuals, not nurserymen, are 
apt to neglect cutting their scions in proper 
time, and are only sensible of the oversight 
when they observe the objects they wish to 
alter at the opening of spring, when it is too 
late. 
The new process to which I allude, is a 
means whereby a scion of any kind may be 
cut from the tree after the buds are fully 
expanded, but not opened, and grafted the 
same minute, and which almost invariably 
succeeds if properly executed. In this pro¬ 
cess I prefer the terminal point of a limb for 
the scion, or any part may be used by cutting 
the wood close to the upper bud and dipping 
it twice, with two or three minutes interval, 
into a vial containing a small quantity of col¬ 
lodion, or artificial cuticle, which can be pro¬ 
cured of any apothecafy. It instantly forms 
an air-tight coating, both flexible and elastic, 
and protects it from drying and loosing its 
vitality. 
There is no time of year after the new 
buds are sufficiently formed, and the stock 
in a growing state, but what grafting by this 
process may be performed, in which case 
have but one bud on the scion, and dip the 
whole wood, except the wedge, in the collo¬ 
dion to protect it from the drying sun and 
heat of summer. It sometimes happens that 
one has a single choice exotic, difficult to 
procure, that it is important not to fail in 
grafting, and this method almost infallibly 
insures success. 
[Some time ago we published an account 
of an experiment in the use of collodion in 
propagating roses, and some other plants, 
from cuttings. We have not before heard 
of its being emyloyed in grafting. The ex¬ 
periment is well worthy of attention.— Ed.] 
Horticulturist. 
FERNS. 
I can not conceive a more interesting class 
of plants, or one that will adapt itself so well 
to the fancy of man, as the humble fern. 
Enter a fernery, either from tropical or tem¬ 
perate regions, at any season of the year, 
and you will find something to admire. Here 
the curving frond developing itself in true 
artistic form, there another more advanced, 
in all the beauty you could desire, while yon¬ 
der the noble frond of some gigantic tree 
fern bends itself over the more lowly com¬ 
panions as if to protect them from harm ; all 
remind us of the wisdom and goodness of the 
Omnipotence in clothing the earth with veg¬ 
etation, and giving to each plant a constitu¬ 
tion suitable to that part of the globe in 
which it°was placed. The hardy ferns are 
no less curious and handsome in their sea¬ 
son of growth, and may be grown by any 
person having a few square feet of ground 
in a shady corner, where little else ‘would 
grow ; raise thereon a mound of light sandy 
earth, of any shape and size, to suit the taste 
of the owner, and over that place some roots 
and pieces of rocks, so as to give the appear¬ 
ance of natural rock-work, and among these 
plant the ferns any time in spring, attend to 
watering in dry weather, and you will be 
amply rewarded for all the trouble, by watch¬ 
ing their singular development and after 
beauty, especially of a summer’s evening, 
after having been sprinkled overhead 
through the rose of a watering-pot. If a 
small fountain can be added, the beauty will 
be much enhanced. 
It is, however, to the cultivation of ferns 
in dwelling-rooms, that I most particularly 
wish to draw attention. 
Your readers are no doubt aware, how 
difficult it is to keep the ordinary greenhouse 
plants in health, for any length of time ; in 
fact, to keep them even alive, in dwelling- 
rooms. Not so with the ferns; they may 
be grown with perfect ease, and for any 
length of time, in dwelling-rooms, in the 
most crowded cities, with perfect success. 
This is accomplished by means of what are 
known as “ Ward’s Cases.” They may be 
of any size and shape, to suit the taste or 
convenience of the owner; may fit in a win¬ 
dow, or stand upon a table in any part of the 
room. The only thing to be observed, is to 
avoid the mid-day sun. The bottom and a 
foot of the sides may be of wood ; the rest 
glazed, on the ordinary hot-bed system, or 
it may be glazed with large sheets of glass ; 
the latter, although the most expensive, will 
look the handsomest, and show the plants to 
the best advantage. The case being com¬ 
pleted, put eight or ten inches of soil in, say 
one-fourth part loam, the rest peat and sharp 
sand ; to which add some charcoal or small 
pebbles, to keep the soil open, which is of 
the greatest importance in fern culture; 
over the soil place some pieces of rock and 
shells, to give it a natural appearance, and 
among these plant the ferns ; when this is 
done, sprinkle all through a fine rosed water¬ 
ing-pot ; then shut down the top, or movable 
part of the case ; but be careful not to over¬ 
water at first, for fear of souring the soil, in 
which case the plants would remain sickly. 
The cases being made as nearly air-tight 
as possible, it will be seen that the plants are 
completely shut up from the great enemy of 
vegetation—a dry and dusty atmosphere— 
unavoidable in dwelling-rooms ; and as evap¬ 
oration is prevented, watering will seldom 
be required, probably not more than once in 
two or three weeks in summer, and much 
more seldom in winter. The same thing can 
be accomplished with large bell-glasses as 
with a “Ward Case.” 
The prettiest piece of miniature rock-work 
I ever saw, was contained within a bell- 
glass of about eighteen inches in diame¬ 
ter. The part containing the mold was 
circular, and made of wood, about sixinches 
deep, the outside veneered with mahogany; 
over the mold, which was elevated a little in 
the center, was placed small pieces of fancy 
rock and shells, and among them were planted 
the ferns ; the bell-glass rested in a groove 
in the wood-work, and could be lifted off at 
pleasure. The whole stood upon the draw¬ 
ing-room table, and the little ferns, growing 
on their “ rocky [mountain,” were an object 
of attraction to every person who entered 
the room, especially in winter. 
As the family of ferns is so very extensive 
and each species, vieing in beauty and love¬ 
liness with its neighbor, it would be difficult 
to name any handsomer than others, fit for 
planting in cases, but any of the following 
will prove very interesting, and are all of 
dwarf habit: 
Adiantum assimile, 
“ cuneatum, 
“ pedatum, 
“ pubescens, 
“ reniforme, 
“ varium, 
Gymnogramma rufa, 
“ chrysophylla, 
“ calomelanos, 
“ sulphurea, 
“ tomentosa, 
Aspleniura ebenum, 
“ attenuatum, 
“ fontanum, 
“ viviparutn, 
Aspidium trapezoides, 
“ trifollatum, 
“ pectinatum, 
Pteris longifolia. 
“ rotundifolia, 
“ serrulata, 
“ temifolia, and, 
with such mosses as Lycopodium denticu- 
latum, braziliense anddensum, to creed over 
the surface, will, when once planted and 
begin to grow, form, I am sure, the most 
attractive piece of furniture in the room; 
while the invalid, who may be prevented 
from leaving the house to look upon the all¬ 
good and all-wise Creator's works, may here 
admire some of the handsomest tribe of all 
the vegetable kingdom, and the only tribe 
w ith which I am acquainted that will pros¬ 
per in close confinement for a lengthened 
period. 
As a proof of how the ferns will live and 
grow under close confinement, allow me to 
state a case in point—not that proof from 
me, of the practicability of the thing, is re¬ 
quired, for it has been proved times without 
end. Some years ago, as I was about to 
leave the shores of Britain for those of 
New-Zealand, some botanists, desirous of 
proving whether or not it would be possible 
to carry some of the most delicate of the 
fern tribe, under close confinement, through 
all the various degrees of temperature be¬ 
tween us and the antipodes, placed six varie¬ 
ties in a large bottle, such as are used for 
holding pickles; the roots of each plant were 
tied in a little damp moss, and the mouth of 
the bottle securely fastened with a piece of 
bladder, and then committed to my care ; in 
this way the inmates remained during my 
passage, a period of five months, and were 
set at liberty on those distant shores appa¬ 
rently as healthy as when they started. The 
bottle was a greater object of attraction 
to my fellow-passengers than my cases of 
