310 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST!. 
THE HORTICULTURIST FOR JANUARY. 
The number opens with a timely editorial 
upon the Improvement of our Domestic Ar¬ 
chitecture. The writer attributes great merit 
to Downing, Wheeler, Allen, and other 
writers upon this topic, in arousing the pub¬ 
lic attention to the deformities of our preva¬ 
lent style of building, a few years since. 
Since the publication of Downing’s works, 
a gradual change has come over the style of 
architecture, particularly in villiages and in 
the suburbs of our cities. But the taste of 
the people has rather been awakened than 
educated, and he desires to see architecture 
studied and taught in our common schools 
and academies. He would have the study 
of drawing, both geometrical and perspective, 
in connection with the study of the rudi¬ 
ments of architecture, introduced especially 
into the agricultural schools about to be 
founded in various parts of the country. It 
is unquestionably to the youth—the rising 
generation—that we must look for a general 
and radical reform in architecture. The cir¬ 
culation of such books as Downing’s is com¬ 
paratively limited, falling into the hands of 
such persons only as have become interested 
m the subject. There is not enough of ele¬ 
mentary knowledge upon this subject among 
the people to make a large demand for such 
works. He wishes some enterprizing pub¬ 
lisher would start the publication of a cheap 
illustrated architectural monthly or quarter¬ 
ly journal, under the direction of one or 
more competent editors ; and instead of pre¬ 
senting pretty pictures to the public, such as 
most of our contributions oil this subject 
are, let them begin at the beginning, and 
teach, first of all, the very alphabet. He 
feels the utter infficacy of what the Press is 
now doing in this country to disseminate 
knowledge and cultivate taste on the subject 
of architecture. A very excellent sugges¬ 
tion, but we should not like to take the prof¬ 
its of such a work and foot the bills for the 
first five years of its existence. 
Six Varieties of Early Plums are figured 
and briefly described, viz.: the Peach Plum, 
Bradshaw, Jaune Hative, Royal de Tours, 
Mamelone, Ghisborne’s Early. The Peach 
Plum, though only good as. to quality, is 
worthy of general cultivation on account of 
its great size, beautiful appearance, and early 
maturity. It is as large as a peach, some¬ 
times reaching the size of six inches in cir¬ 
cumference. It was introduced by Charles 
H. Tomlinson, of Schenectady. 
There is an article on Dahlias, in which 
the display of the past season is pronounced 
uncommonly fine. The editor gives a selec¬ 
tion from more than a hundred sorts, em¬ 
bracing many of the best English prize vari¬ 
eties, of the last three or four years. The 
list will be of service to those who have not 
had so good opportunities of judging : Agnes, 
Beauty of the Grove, Unanimity, Claudia, 
Mrs. Hausard, Queen of Beauties, Grand 
Duke, Miss Caroline, Sir John Franklin, 
Beauty of Osborne. 
Thomas Meehan, of Germantown, dis¬ 
courses upon budded roses, showing that the 
popular prejudice against them is not well 
founded. The practice is founded in the 
same philosophy as the grafting of pears 
upon quince; it increases the number and 
quantity of the flowers, and when long-lived 
stocks are selected, they often live a quarter 
of a century. There are three fruitful 
sources of failure in preserving the lives of 
budded roses : the selection of short lived 
stocks, the Siceet Briar instead of the Dog 
Rose, the Maiden's Blush, instead of the 
Mannetti Rose ; the transplanting of budded 
roses the first season after the operation ; 
and the use of imported stocks. The roots 
become so enfeebled by the long voyage that 
they are unable to impart vigor to the stem; 
the bark becomes hide-bound, the course of 
the sap weak, weaker and weaker, until 
death ensues. The fact is, budded roses are 
not essentially short-lived. With properly 
selected stocks, care in transplanting, and 
watchfulness in removing suckers as they ap¬ 
pear, we may have them to live as long as 
pears on quinces or any thing else. 
W. C. Strong, of Newton, Massachusetts, 
has an article upon the new hybrid grapes 
in that State. Cultivators are wide awake, 
procuring varieties from the woods, trying 
experiments with the seed, hybrydizing, 
making a multitude of failures, and occa¬ 
sionally producing something they are wil¬ 
ling to exhibit before the Horticultural Soci¬ 
ety of Massachusetts, which is the arbitrer 
of success. On the first day of the annual 
exhibition of this Society the celebrated Con¬ 
cord grape was shown, September 12th. At 
this date also Mr. Cuthbert’s grapes, marked 
Isabellas, were shown, though many good 
judges pronounced them a new variety. At 
the first weekly exhibition, September 30th, 
there was a fine display of Concord. Isabel¬ 
la, Diana, Catawba, Pond’s Seedling, Stet¬ 
son’s No. 4, and the Breck Grape, also the 
Black Hamburg, perfectly ripened in the 
open air. Later still Mr Samuel Downer ex¬ 
hibited a seedling from the Catawba, much 
resembling the Isabella, superior to it in fla¬ 
vor, and its bunches and berries larger. 
After this, Wyman’s Seedling was exhibited, 
by Mr. Breck, which received the unanimous 
award of the fruit committee as the best 
new variety of the season. Besides these, 
Mr. Allen, of Salem, exhibited three new 
hybrids, all very promising. All these 
things indicate that we are on the verge of a 
“ grape fever” that will throw the “ Concord 
battle” quite into the shade. Even the pear 
mania will be likely to be forgotton around 
Boston for a year or two to come. 
In the editor’s table there is a little more 
sparring between Messrs. Barry and Hovey 
on the Concord grape. The editor backs up 
his position with the opinions of the press 
in which our venerable authority and that of 
the Country 'Gentleman are introduced. No 
doubt he is right. 
Dr. Hirland’s cherries are praised as being 
all good, so far as tested. The Gov. Wood 
is one of the very best of all cherries. 
L. Breckman’s operations are briefly no¬ 
ticed. He is a Belgian pomologist of dis¬ 
tinction, and has located near Plainfield, 
N. J., where he has bought a tract of land, 
and will devote himself to tree culture. He 
has the entire stock of new varieties and un¬ 
tested seedlings of the celebrated Esperen, 
whose intimate personal friend he was. He 
was also a pupil and friend of Van Mons. 
and has, through these associations, and a 
long course of carfully conducted experi¬ 
ments of his own, acquired not merely new 
and valuable varieties, but a vast fund of 
pomological information. In the prime of 
life, and of a temperment that gives him 
wonderful activity and enthusiasm, this gen 
tleman will be a great acquisition to the so¬ 
ciety of American fruit-growers and pomol- 
ogists. Possessed of ample means to carry 
forward his experimenting schemes with 
vigor, we look to him and his garden with no 
ordinary interest. 
The new curculio remedy is inquired for 
by a correspondent, and he is referred to the 
Editor of the Country Gentleman, who is 
one of the committee to examine it, and 
who says that the committee have concluded 
to give it another year’s trial, though some 
were prepared to report this fall. In the 
mean time, he recommends all cultivators to 
use the old remedies—pigs and geese under 
the trees, and destroying the insects while 
laying the eggs in the fruit. Rather a sig¬ 
nificant recommendation. 
BROOKLYN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
- • - - 
, In consequence of an alteration in the 19th 
Article of the Constitution, the regular meet¬ 
ing of the Society was held on Tuesday 
evening the 16th inst, the President, J. W. 
Degrauw, in the chair. 
The minutes of the previous meeting were 
read and approved. Mr. J. E. Rauch, chair¬ 
man of the premium committee, reported that 
they had prepared the premium lists for all 
the exhibitions during the year, and in con¬ 
sequence of the large prospective increase of 
the finances of the Society, they had in¬ 
creased the awards for the best specimens 
considerably beyond those of the previous 
year. The report of the committee was unan¬ 
imously adopted, and one thousand copies 
of the premium lists ordered printed. The 
conversational subject for the evening was 
dispensed with, in consequence of the time 
occupied in considering the Report of the 
committee on the importance of establishing 
a Botanical and Horticultural Garden within 
the city limits. Messrs. Dunham, Maxwell, 
Towt, Parks and Gamgee, made some forci¬ 
ble remarks, in which they showed that 
they were perfectly conversant with the sub¬ 
ject, when the report of the committee was 
unanimously adopted, and two hundred and 
fifty copies ordered printed. On motion of 
Mr. J. E. Rauch, it was resolved that the 
spring exhibition take place on the 11th and 
12th of April, and as the exhibition continues 
but two days, contributors are requested to 
have their plants ready for exhibition by 
eleven o'clock of the first day. We here 
append the report of the committee on the 
importance of establishing a Botanical 
Garden . 
Your committee have devoted considera- 
