374 
STRAWBERRIES AND WINE IN OHIO, ETC. 
glass, are hung (both upper and lower sash) with 
weights so as to admit of being raised or lowered 
conveniently. The sills are three feet from the 
floor. Those on the south side are provided with 
curtains and blinds. 
The proper ventilation of the room is provided 
for by the lowering of the upper sash, and by an 
opening 14 inches by 18, near the ceiling, into a 
flue (fig. 89) a, which leads into the open air. 
This opening can be enlarged, diminished, or en¬ 
tirely closed by a shutter controlled by a cord. 
Side Elevation.— Fro. 93. 
Ground Plan. —Fig. .94. 
The sides of the room are ceiled all round with 
wood as high as the window sill, which, as well as 
the rest of the wood work of the interior, is paint¬ 
ed to resemble oak. 
The above cuts represent a modification of 
the Windsor plan, as prepared fora primary school 
in Hartford. The entries (A ,A,) are smaller. The 
teacher’s platform is at the end, so as to overlook 
both yards in the rear.— Barnard's School Archi¬ 
tecture. 
Caution in the Use of Glass Vessels.— 
Hot water should never be poured into glass ves¬ 
sels till they are moderately warmed with tepid 
water, as the sudden expansion of the bottom by 
the heat of the water has a tendency to force it 
from the sides. Thin vessels are better able to en¬ 
dure sudden extremes of heat and cold than thick 
ones, because they are sooner heated through their 
thickness, and consequently expanded equally.— 
Exchange Paper. 
STRAWBERRIES AND WINE IN OHIO. 
We hear of no strawberries east, at this time, but 
the celebrated Scotch beehive, a single plant of 
which, it is said, will bear from 200 to 300 berries, 
and the fruit large. In letters I have written to 
some horticultural societies, I have ventured to 
pronounce this a humbug, and that the fruit would 
be small and about equal to your discarded Duke 
of Kent. When we desire fine new varieties of 
this fruit, experience should have taught us, that 
Europe was not the region to look to. They are 
too lamed to know anything oi this 
plant. They know that it belongs 
to a class, that is perfect in both 
organs, and it is time wasted to talk 
to them of staminate or pistillate 
plants. Pistillates are thrown away 
as barren, and only such are cultiva¬ 
ted as are perfect in the male organs, 
and a portion of the blossoms perfect 
in both. 
I have never yet met with an Eu¬ 
ropean gardener, who had ever noti¬ 
ced any difference in *the charac¬ 
ter of the blossom. The beehive, I 
doubt not, will prove productive, but 
the fruit will be small. Like the 
Duke of Kent, it will be found to 
belong to a variety very rarely met 
with. A portion of the blossoms 
will be found wholly defective in 
male organs, and will always bear 
perfect fruit. The residue, perfect 
in stamens, and a portion perfect in 
the female urgxino, a.]Do, but sumc 
organs will be wholly defective in 
pistils, and bear no fruit, and a por¬ 
tion partially perfect in pistils, and 
bear defective fruit. 
Mr. Jackson, last season, exhibi¬ 
ted at our horticultural society a 
single plant of the Duke of K 01 >t 
with 250 berries. I had a visit this 
evening from a gardener recently 
from Scotland. He informed me 
that no other strawberry was now 
thought of but the “ beehive,” and 
he had seen a plant with 240 
berries on it: that he had seen a chance berry that 
measured two inches in circumference) that the 
famous Hovey’s seedling was thrown away, as 
proving, in general entirely barren. Wise garden¬ 
ers there! The only value of their beehive, is as 
an impregnator, and if they would plant a few of 
them in the vitinity of the Hovey, they would find 
it more productive than any variety they cultivate, 
and some of the berries on each plant would meas¬ 
ure from 3 \ to 5| inches, if not more in circumfer¬ 
ence. 
Our vintage is nearly over, and there is twice the 
quantity of wine made this season, that was made 
in any previous year, from our increased cultiva¬ 
tion : though I presume the rot has on an average 
destroyed half the fruit. In my vineyards, the loss 
has been two thirds. My tenants calculated in the 
early part of the season, on making 25,000 gal¬ 
lons. Their present estimate, is 8,000. But one 
result surprises me. We have recently obtained 
German instruments to test the saccharine quality 
