AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
235 
objects of interest in the garden. That this is 
afavorite lounge and smoking place with the 
Chinese, the following Chinese notice, which we 
found on one of the pillars, will testify: — “ A 
careful and earnest notice: This garden earn¬ 
estly requests that visitors will spit Betle* out¬ 
side the railing, and knock, the ashes of pipes 
also outside.” Several fine fruit trees and others 
are growing near the walks, and afford shade 
from the rays of the sun. On one of these we 
read the following: “ Ramblers here will be ex¬ 
cused plucking the fruit on this tree.” 
Near the center of the garden stands a sub¬ 
stantial summer-house, or hall, named “the Hall 
of Fragrant Plants.” The same notice to 
smokers and chewers of Betle-nut is also put up 
here; and there is another and longer one which 
I must not forget to quote. It is this : “ In 
this garden the plants are intended to delight 
the eyes of all visitors; a great deal has been 
expended in planting and keeping in order, and 
the garden is now beginning to yield some re¬ 
turn. Those who come here to saunter about 
are earnestly prayed not to pluck the fruit or 
flowers, in order that the beauty of the place 
may be pi’eserved.” And then follows a piece 
of true Chinese politeness: “We beg persons 
who understand this notice to excuse it!” Pass¬ 
ing through the Hall of Fragrant Plants we ap¬ 
proached, between two rows of Olea fragrans, a 
fine ornamented suite of rooms tastefully for- 
nished and decorated, in which visitors are re¬ 
ceived and entertained. An inscription informs 
us that this is called “ the Fragrant Hall of the 
Woo-che tree.” Leaving this place by a narrow 
door we observed the following notice : “ Saun- 
terers here will be excused entering.” This ap¬ 
parently leads to the private apartments of the 
family. In this side of the garden there is some 
fine artificial rock work, which the Chinese 
know well how to construct, and various sum¬ 
mer-houses tastefully decorated, one of which is 
called the “ Library of Verdent Purity.” Be¬ 
tween this part of the garden and the straight 
walk already noticed, there is a small pond or 
lake for fish and water Lilies, This is crossed 
by a zigzag wooden bridge of many arches, 
which looked rather dilapidated. A very neces¬ 
sary notice was put up here, informing “ saun- 
terers to stop their steps in case of accident.” 
On the outskirts of the garden we observed 
the potting sheds, a nursery for rearing young 
plants and seeds, and the kitchen garden. Here 
a natural curiosity was pointed out by one of 
the Chinese, which, at first sight, appeared sin¬ 
gularly curious. Three trees were growing in a 
row, and at about twenty or thirty feet from the 
ground the two outer ones had sent out shoots, 
and fairly united themselves with the center 
one. When I mention that the outer trees are 
the Chinese Banyan {Ficus nitida,) it will rea¬ 
dily be seen how the appearance they presented 
was produced. The long roots sent down by 
this species had lovingly embraced the center 
tree, and appeared at first sight to have really 
grafted themselves upon it. 
I am afraid I have given a very imperfect des¬ 
cription of this curious garden. Those who 
know what a Chinese garden is will understand 
me well enough, but it is really difficult to give 
a stranger an idea of the Chinese style which I 
have been endeavoring to describe. In order to 
understand the Chinese style of gardening, it is 
necessary to dispel from the mind all ideas of 
fine lawns, broad walks, and extensive views; 
and to picture in their stead every thing on a 
small scale—that is, narrow paved walks, dwarf 
walls in all directions, with latticework or orna¬ 
mental openings in them, in order to give views 
of the scenery beyond, halls, summer-houses, 
and alcoves, pond or small lakes with zigzag 
walks over them—in short, an endeavor to make 
small things appear large, and large things small, 
and every thing Chinese. There are some of 
these ornaments, however, which I think might 
be imitated with advantage in our own gardens. 
* The natives in the south of China, like the Malays, are 
very fond of chewing the fruit of the Areca, commonly 
•ailed Betle-nut. 
Some of the doorways and openings in walls 
seemed extremely pretty. In particular I may 
notice a wall about ten feet high, having a num¬ 
ber of open compartments filled with porcelain 
rods made to imitate the stems of the Bamboo. 
I shall now close this notice with the modest 
lines of the Chinese poet, which we found writ¬ 
ten in the “ Library of Verdent Purity,” and 
which seemed to be an effort to describe the 
nature of the garden : 
“ Some few stems of Bamboo plants, 
A cottage growing round ; 
A few flowers here—some old trees there, 
And a mow of garden ground.” 
R. F., in London Gardeners' Chronicle. 
-© « ©- 
Many persons feel art; some understand it; 
but few both feel and understand it.— Hilliard. 
In order to improve the mind, we ought less 
to learn than to contemplate.— Descartes. 
Promise little, and do much. 
Utarkets. 
Remarks. —Flour has advanced the past week 
12^ to 18f cents per barrel, mainly in conse¬ 
quence of the short supply on hand in this city. 
Since the closing of the canal, an account of 
stock has been taken, and it amounts to only 
300,000 barrels. We shall have to depend 
mainly now on the South for our supplies for 
three months to come. Oats are 2 to 3 cents 
lower per bushel; in other produce we notice 
little change. Pork has declined 12| cents per 
bbl. Lard, Beef, etc., remain as per our last. 
Cotton has advanced ■£ of a cent per lb. Rice, 
more active. Sugar and Tobacco the same. 
Money is still tight, and rates of demand un¬ 
changed. It is supposed by some it will grow 
a little easier after the third of January, when 
large dividends on stocks begin to fall due ; but 
the remittances for these will be so large to go 
out of the country, they will not help the mar¬ 
ket much. The only sure way to ease the money 
market is for people to cease making contracts 
on credit. 
Stocks continue low and difficult of sale. 
NEW-YORK CATTLE MARKET. 
Monday, Dec. 19, 1833. 
The market to-day was dull, though prices ranged about 
the same as on this day week. The quality of the stock 
offered jwas, generally speaking, inferior, or rather, there 
were not as many choice animals on the ground to-day. A 
few extra ones averaged ten cents at the estimated weight, 
though the bulk of the cattle did not bring over eight cents, 
and many not so much, as tire majority of them were poor. 
The general impression was that a large number would be 
left over. At this season, good fat cattle will command a 
fair price, but poor coarse ones, are not worth bringing to 
market. The number reported for the past week is less by 
upwards of 200 than for the previous one, at the Washing¬ 
ton Yards alone; while sheep have fallen in supply much 
below the average at all the market places. 
The cattle market at the Washington Yards, Forty-fourth 
st., will be held on Tuesday of next week and the week fol¬ 
lowing, instead of Monday, owing to the holidays. 
The numbers received at the Washington Yards, Forty- 
fourth st., A. M. Allerton, Proprietor, for the week ending 
Dec 19, and the number in market to-day, are as follows : 
RECEIVED DURING THE WEEK. IN MARKET TO-DAV. 
Beeves, 2,120 1,904 
Cows, 11 
Sheep and Lambs, 873 
Veals, 171 
Of these, 176 beeves, 11 cows, 873 sheep and lambs, and 
171 veals, were transported by the Harlem railroad. 
By the Hudson River railroad, 350 beeves. 
By the Erie railroad, 650 beeves. 
815 of the above were New-York State cattle, received 
by the cars ; 80 do., on foot ; and by the north river boats, 
36. 
From Pennsylvania on foot, 152 beeves. 
From Virginia, on foot, 116 do. 
From Ohio, on cars, 353 do. 
From Kentucky, on cars, 174 do. 
From Connecticut, on foot, 58 do. 
The prices, according to this day’s sales stand as follows : 
Inferior, 7@8c. 
Middling to good, 8X©9c. 
Superior, 9)<£c.l 
A few extras, for show beef, were estimated as high as 
10 cents. 
At Chamberlin’s sales of beef were dull, none disposed of 
above 9%c. The reports of receipts at the other market 
places are . 
^RECEIVED DURING THE WEEK. IN MARKET TO-DAY. 
Browning’s, Sixth street. 
Sheep, 2,210 1,000 
Beeves. £449 100 
Cows, y22J-\ 65 20 
O’Brien’s, Sixth street. 
Beeves, ; 150^ 
Cows, 40 very few on hand. 
Chamberlin’s, Robinson street. 
Beeves, 
300 
Cows and Calves, 
30 
Sheep and Lambs, 
2 ,8o0 
500 
Veals, 
25 
Sheep. —At Browning’s sheep have improved a little in 
price, the small number offered, however, in part accounts 
for this. W e give a few sales from one of the brokers’ 
books :—165 extra sheep, $802 ; 20 lambs, $54; 70 lambs, 
$224: 111 sheep and Iambs, $451 ; 98 sheep, $450. The 
average rates reported are for sheep, $2, $5, $6(gj$10 ; and 
lambs, $1 75, $4@$8. 
At Chamberlin’s sheep are also a little advanced in price, 
with a decrease in the supply. Prices are quoted for sheep, 
$3, $4 50, $6@.$6 50, and for lambs, $2 50, $3 50@,$4 50. 
The following notes of sales are furnished by John Mor- 
timore, sheep-broker. 
315 sheep, @$4 30, or about 9c. pound ; 300 do., @$4 
12%, or about 9c. lb.; 99 do., @$3 75, or about 8c. <gl lb.; 
55 do., @$3 50, or about 8c. $ lb.; 35 do., @$4 25, or about 
9J4C. $ lb.; 100 do.. @.$4 50, or about 9%c. $ lb.; lambs, 
60, @,$3 62X, or about 10%c. lb.; 35 do., @$3 25, or 
about 9>^c. lb. He also reports 8 South-down ewes from 
Mr. Asa Carpenter, Dutchess c°-. which will weigh 65 
pounds in the meat, and sold for $8 25 each. These were 
sired by a Cotswold buck ; this breed is the best that comes 
to market for the farmer, on account of their large size. The 
pure South-down is prefered for the butcher, as that breed 
will kill better than the other, 
There were 40 wethers and 2 ewes from the same gentle¬ 
man, which will produce 70 pounds of mutton each, sold 
@$7 25. The week closes with few sheep on hand, and a 
prospect of better sales. 
Wm. Deheart, sheep broker, furnishes the following ac¬ 
counts of sales made by him during the past week :—164 
sheep, @$4 44 ; 58, @,$3 12 % ; 94, @$4 31 ; 40, @*4 31^; 
100 sheep and lambs, at prices varying from $2 25@.$4 ; 239 
sheep, for $1019 25 ; 57, for $180 12. 
Veals.— The number of veals reported differs very 
slightly from last week, and the price is not altered. Two 
very fine calves were sold by A. M. Allerton, Forty-fourth 
st., @7c. live weight ; one weighed 680 pounds, and the 
other 600. From 5@.7c. is the average price. 
Swine.— There has been no material change in the price 
of hogs during the week. Carcases, on board the market 
boats, are sold wholesale for packing, at from 6@,7 cents 
per pound ; the price on foot will average from 5<gi6 cents. 
--• • •- 
PRODUCE MARKETS. 
Wholesale prices of the moro important Vegetables 
Fruits, &c.. 
Washington Market, Dec. 17, 1853. 
Vegetables. —Potatoes, Mercers ^ bbl., $2 37 ; Carters, 
$2 37 ; Western Reds, $2 ; Sweet Potatoes, $3 25 ; Cab¬ 
bages, $ 100, $4@$4 50 ; Red do., $5; Savoys, $4 ; Ger¬ 
man Greens, $2; Cauliflowers, 3P dozen, 75c @$1 50; 
Broccoli, 50c.@$l ; Onions, white, tjj! bbl., $2; do. yellow, 
$1 75 ; do. red.$l 62 ; Parsnips bushel, 44c. ; Carrots, $ 
bushel, 44c. ; Beets, $ bushel, 50c.; Turnips, Ruta Baga, 
ip bbl., $1 2o@$l 37 ; white do., $1 25 ; yellow stone do., 
$1 25 ; Spinach, $ bbl., 75c.; Corn Salad, basket 31c. ; 
Lettuce, ^ 100, &2%c. ; Endive, $ 100, 75c. ; Leeks, $ doz. 
bunches, 62)^c.@75c. ; Parsley, ^ doz. bunches, 25c. ; 
Pumpkins, doz., $1©$2; Salsafy, doz. bunches, 50c. 
Fruits. —Apples, Newtown Pippins, $ bbl., $4 50@,5 ; R. I. 
Greenings, $3 50@.$4 ; Baldwins, $2 25@$2 50; Spitzen- 
burg, $2 25 ; Vandervere, $2 37 ; Seek No Further, $2 50 ; 
Roxbury Russets. $2 50; Gilliflower, $2; Twenty Ounce 
Pippins, $2 37@$2 62% ; there are several other varieties 
in market at an average of $2@$2 50 ; Quinces, ^(1 bbl., $2 
50®$3 ; Cranberries $ bbl., $5@$7 50 ; Hickory nuts, $ 
bush., $2 50 ; Chestnuts, $2@$2 50. 
There has been a slight advance in the price of vegetables, 
which is more in the comparative quality of the article 
than in the nominal price. The potatoes which are offered 
