8 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
might also be made by way of experiment, and 
painted with the same mixture, which must not, 
however, be hot enough to kill the tissue with 
which it comes in contact. Other ingredients, 
such as tallow and bees’-wax, might also be em¬ 
ployed. Such experiments cost little, and might 
be tried upon worthless trees by any one residing 
in the country. Should the result be negative, 
it will not be the less useful, inasmuch as it will 
set this question at rest for the future. 
NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The usual monthly meeting of this Society 
was held at the rooms, No. 600 Broadway, on 
Monday evening, September 5. 
Mr. Groshon presided. 
There was a fair display of flowers and fruits, 
and an average attendance of members. 
Mr. Wi. Cranston, Hoboken, exhibited a 
collection of cut flowers, in which we observed 
a fine spike of Crape myrtle, a branch of 
Habrothamnus cyaneus , Dicentra spectabilis , 
Cuphea speciosa, Ganna Indica , or Indian shot; 
and a number of very fine Camellia-flowered 
balsams, beautifully marked. A variety of 
Phlox Drummondii attracted notice. This flower 
is of a bright red color on the margin of the 
petals, with a white center delicately dotted. It 
is the prettiest variety of this favorite annual 
we have seen. 
Some very fine melons, egg-plants, &c., were 
deposited by Mr. Cranston. A first premium 
was awarded for the melons. 
Mr. James Weir, of Yellow Hook, exhibited 
a stand of thirty-six dahlias, including many 
choice varieties, and a few very good flowers for 
this early season: among them were Box, Sir F. 
Bathurst, Star, Roi des Points, &c. 
Matthew Coleman, gardener to Mr. Cuji 
mings, Williamsburg, exhibited a collection of 
cut flowers, and some Golden Drop plums, for 
which latter a premium was awarded. 
Mr. Lenoir exhibited a collection of very fine 
named phloxes, and some China asters. 
Mr. Burgess deposited a stand of seedling 
verbenas, containing about thirty-six different 
varieties, many of which were at least second- 
rate flowers; but crowded as our gardens arc 
with seedlings of this familiar flower, a very 
choice one is requisite to attract attention. 
Some seedling petunias were also produced by 
the same exhibitor. One of them was a very 
large white variety, but of bad form, and, in our 
judgment, no improvement on many others 
which are suffered to bloom for a season, and 
are then forgotten; it is, however, to be expected 
that the owner should think differently. Two 
cucumbers were deposited by the same com¬ 
petitor, for which a premium was awarded. 
Mr. Prentice obtained the first premium for 
peaches and nectarines. 
Mr. C. More exhibited a seedling cling peach, 
of the quality of which we could not judge by 
its appearance. There were no premiums 
awarded for flowers. 
The minutes of last meeting having been read, 
the Secretary, Mr. P. B. Mead, read several re¬ 
ports of the Standing Committees on fruits and 
flowers, which he stated should have been pre¬ 
sented some time ago, and urged the attention 
of the Committee to the propriety of furnishing 
their report each evening before the adjourn¬ 
ment of the Society, so that the exhibitors 
would be informed of the result before leaving. 
He also suggested the propriety of making ar- 
angements for having debates or essays on 
subjects relating to horticulture, which would 
kiduce members to bring their families to the 
meetings, and form an interesting feature in the 
Society. He presented the following resolution 
on the subject: 
Resolved, That a committee be appointed to 
consider the subject of meetings for debates 
or lectures, on topics relating to horticulture, 
and report to this Society the best method of 
accomplishing this object. 
The resolution was passed, and a committee 
of three appointed by the Chair, consisting of 
Messrs. Mead, Hunt, and Parsons. 
T wo volumes of the Patent Office Reports for 
1851 and 1852 were presented by Mr. J. C. 
Parsons, from the Commissioner of Patents, and 
a vote of thanks passed to the Commissioner 
for the favor conferred. 
Mr. P. B. Mead announced, on behalf of the 
Committee of Arrangements, that Niblo’s Gar¬ 
den had been engaged for the September exhibi¬ 
tion, and that there were flattering prospects of 
a successful one. The Society, on motion, ad¬ 
journed. 
It is to be regretted that a better arrange¬ 
ment was not made with regard to the days 
of holding the several exhibitions, as three 
of the most important occur on the same days, 
namely : The New-York Horticultural Society, 
September 20 , 21, and 22 ; New-York State 
Agricultural, the same days; Pennsylvania 
Horticultural, at Philadelphia, 21st, 22d, 23d 
September ; and Massachusetts Horticultural, 
at Boston, same days. 
WHEAT IN TOMPKINS COUNTY. 
Mr. S. E. Todd writes us from Lake Ridge. 
Tompkins county, in reference to the late wheat 
crop, &c., in that section. The weather durin 
harvest was very fine. Little wheat was injured 
by winter hill. The yield of straw was un¬ 
usually large, often growing five to six feet high, 
but the insect injured the grain to a very great 
extent, many fields scarcely yielding enough to 
pay for harvesting. Fields promising forty 
bushels to the acre, scarcely produced eight 
when threshed. The Mediterranean wheat in 
some instances escaped the insect, but this 
variety has also suffered extensively. Thresh¬ 
ing in this section is generally done with eight 
and ten-horse self-cleaners. 
Farmers are discouraged by the past, and will 
sow a very light crop this fall. They are in 
some instances trying the experiment of destroy¬ 
ing the insect by threshing the wheat in the 
field, and spreading the straw over the field and 
burning it. A neighbor of Mr. Todd lost some 
two or three hundred bushels of grain, by losing 
control of the fire during the burning operation. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
We shall be glad to receive letters on agricul 
ture from our friends in different parts of the 
country. We prefer letters which condense 
into as small space as possible hints on practical 
improvement in farm operations, and the results 
of any new experiments. We like to have 
farmers tell their neighbors, through our co 
lumns, what successful methods they are pur¬ 
suing in their farm operations. 
J. Y.,of Owego. —Your long letter came duly 
to hand, and we had prepared an abstract with 
editorial notes for publication, but in some recent 
office changes it has accidentally been mislaid 
and we cannot now put our hands upon it. 
Please write us again. We prefer short con¬ 
densed letters when designed for publication. 
It is no small task to condense an article cover¬ 
ing six or eight closely-written pages. 
S. IF., of Waterloo. —Your communication 
has just reached us, and is rather late for this 
season. The style and matter are better adapted 
to a literary paper than to one chiefly agricul¬ 
tural. Let us hear from you on agricultural 
matters. 
J. H. D. sends us a long article on “ Rise 
of Springs before Rain,” which we would be 
pleased to publish entire, but our present de¬ 
sign is to make our paper almost entirely agri¬ 
cultural and horticultural. We shall be glad to 
hear from Mr. D. in regard to “ the domesticated 
animals of California.” 
STATE FAIRS, 1853. 
New-York, at Saratoga, - Sept. 20, 21, 22, 23 
New-York Horticultural So¬ 
ciety, New-York, - - - “ 20, 21, 22 
Michigan, at Detroit, - - “ 28, 29, 30 
Vermont, Montpelier, - - “ 13, 14, 15 
Pennsylvania, at Pittsburg, “ 27, 28, 29 
Horticultural Society, at Phi¬ 
ladelphia, .“ 21, 22, 23 
Kentucky, at Lexington, - “ 13 to 17 
Ohio, at Dayton, - - - - “ 20 to 24 
New-Hampshire, at Man¬ 
chester, .Oct. 5, 6 , 7 
Maryland, Baltimore, - - “ 25, 26, 27, 28 
Illinois, at Springfield, - - “ 11,12,13,14 
Indiana, at Lafayette, - - “ 12, 13, 14 
North Carolina, at Raleigh, “ 18 
Missouri, Boonville, - - - “ 2 to 7 
Wisconsin, at Watertown, “ 4 to 7 
Virginia, at Richmond, - - Nov. 1, 2, 3, 4 
Delaware Horticultural Soci¬ 
ety, at Wilmington, - - Sept. 14, 15 
Lower Canada Board of Ag¬ 
riculture, Annual Exhibi¬ 
tion, .Sept. 27 to 30 
Rhode Island, Providence, - “ 13 to 17 
Western Virginia, Wheeling, “ 14, 15, 16 
Upper Canada, - - - - Oct. 5 to 7 
North-western Fruit-Grow¬ 
ers’ Association, Chicago, “ 4 to 7 
Alabama, Montgomery, - “ 
South Carolina, - - - - 14 18 to 21 
Southern Central Agricul¬ 
tural Society, Augusta, 
Georgia, 17 to 20 
South-western Association, 
Louisville, Kentucky, - “ 11 to 16 
American Institute, - - “ 19, 20, 21 
COUNTY FAIRS, 1853. 
Herkimer, at Illion, - - - Sept. 27, 28 
Onondaga, at Syracuse, - - “ 14, 15, 16 
Oneida, at Utica, “13,14, 15 
Westchester, at White Plains, “ 28, 29, 30 
Cortlandt, at Homer, - - - “ 13, 14, 15 
Saratoga, at Mechanicsville, - “ 13, 14, 15 
Wayne, at Newark, - - - - “ 7, 8 
Cattaraugus, at Randolph, - “ 15, 16 
Orange, at Goshen, - - - - “ 28, 29 
Ontario, at Geneva, - - - “ 28, 2 9 
Green, at Coxsackie, - - - “ 27, 28 
Clinton, at Keeseville, - - “ 27, 28 
Lewis, at Martinsburg, - - - “ 
Jefferson, at Watertown, - - “ 13, 14 
Rensselaer, at Lansingburgh, - “ 13, 14, 15 
Alleghany, at Angelica, - - “ 27 
Orleans,.“ 29, 30 
Livingston, at Geneseo, - - “ 28, 29 
Geneseo, at Batavia, - - - - “ 15,16 
St. Lawrence,-, - - “ 15, 16 
Wyoming, at Warsaw, - - - “ 28, 29 
Monroe, (West. Dist.,) Brock- 
port, 27 
Monroe, (Eastern Dist.) East 
Rush,. “ 29 
Dutchess, at Washington Hol¬ 
low, .Oct. 4, 5 
